Over a Barrel

"Look... Both the settlers and the buffalo have good reasons to use this land. There must be something we can do..."

- Twilight Sparkle

Over a Barrel is the twenty-first episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, season one. In this episode, the ponies separate and are caught in a dispute between a western town's settler-ponies and the native buffalo herd.

Summary
Twilight and her friends were taking a train to the recently-built western town of Appleloosa, where Applejack was planning to transport one of her trees - named "Bloomberg" by the farm pony - to her relatives' place. While they were all looking forward to the destination, the journey was another story, as Rarity and Spike were a tad cranky. Rarity did not like the fact that Applejack's tree was placed in a private cart in the rear, forcing her to bunk with her friends. Spike was tired after cooking snacks with his fire breath and went to bed. Rainbow Dash asked Pinkie Pie if they were going to carry the tree all the way to the apple orchard. Pinkie wondered if she was referring to "Bloomberg", but when Dash sacastically responded that it was Fluttershy, she told her that Fluttershy was not a tree. This led to a rather confusing conversation with Twilight, but in the end, Fluttershy was awake as well, saying that she would like to be a tree. Spike was frustrated not getting any sleep and made his way to the private cart to bunk with "Bloomberg". Twilight and Fluttershy remarked on how "huffy" the magic dragon was, causing them all to laugh. Rarity was not amused and told them all to be quiet.

They were in for a rude awakening as the sun rose. At first, the ponies were struck with awe over the herd of buffalo roaming next to the train. Soon, though, they were just plain struck! The herd was bumping into the side of the train, risking a terrible derailment. Spike was able to sleep through this, even with the bed sliding all over the place. The youngest of the herd jumped onto the train and headed towards the caboose. Rainbow Dash noticed something was going on and went topside to confront her. She tried to talk to the calf, but was constantly ignored. She jumped over the pegasus, leaving Dash impressed. Dash overshot her flight and slammed into a nearby pole. The young buffalo reached the last cart, with Spike and the tree still inside, and detached it before calling out the rest of the herd.

Arriving at Appleloosa, Applejack rushed out of the train to warn her cousin Braeburn, the first pony they ran into after leaving the train, about what had happened. Her cousin, however, started giving them the tour of the town leading them all the way to the beautiful apple orchard where Applejack was supposed to replant "Bloomberg". When she finally got her cousin's attention and told him what happened before they came, Braeburn was not happy. As a matter of fact, he was well aware of the overall situation. The buffalo demanded the town to remove all the trees from the land. They didn't know why, but they did know that without the trees, the town would not find sustenance. They hoped to find out soon; Dash was already on the chase some time ago.

And Pinkie Pie had disappeared.

Coincidentally, Pinkie had the same idea as Dash to find and rescue Spike by getting to the buffalo herd, but the herd managed to get to them first. Before a possible fight or chase was about to ensue, Spike, unharmed, arrived to break it up. The buffalo found some respect for the young dragon, especially since they captured him by accident. They were all treated to dinner the following night, where they (or more specifically, Dash) encountered the same calf who had hijacked the cart with Applejack's tree. Little Strongheart, as she was called, explained that Appleloosa's townsponies had taken over their traditional stampeding grounds some time ago. The theft of the tree was meant as a message for them to take out the rest of the trees that were in the way. They met with the herd's leader, Chief Thunderhooves, who had confirmed the young one's explanation. He explained that the land was run by his father. And his father before him. And his father before him. Strongheart noticed the herd falling asleep and convinced the chief that they already understood. The herd held a great grudge over the settlers for planting the trees on the land they claimed as their own for generations, without their permission, and because of that, the yearly stampeding was disrupted. Dash felt for the herd and hoped to talk with the townsponies.

Pinkie and Dash met up with their friends and Braeburn, who were planning to rescue them the next morning. Dash brought Strongheart with them to explain the situation and why the Appleloosans should move the trees. AJ brought her cousin to explain the situation and why the trees should stay. Braeburn and Little Strongheart were actually prepared to listen to each other, but Dash and AJ began arguing who was in the right. Twilight intervened before it became worse. Both sides had a good reason to have the land, but she was unsure how this could be settled.

Pinkie Pie came up with an idea; setting up a stage where the two groups met, she, Spike, and a group of Appleloosans created a quick musical number which all led to one simple solution: compromise! The ponies and buffalo had so many things in common, there was no reason to fight. So why not share the land?

To their dismay, Thunderhooves and the town's sheriff Silverstar were not listening. The only thing they could agree on was that Pinkie's performace was the worst they had ever seen. Calling out a time for action, the buffalo chief made a clear ultimatum: the townsfolk must uproot all of the trees by high noon tomorrow, or the herd will destroy them, along with Appleloosa in the process. Silverstar only vowed that the town will do whatever it takes to defend the orchard they worked so hard to grow. With that, both sides parted for preparations.

The argument had officially become a war.

Twilight and the others tried to talk both the Appleloosans and the buffalos out of the fight, but no one listened. Unless one side was willing to give up, nothing would stop the impending battle. High noon had finally arrived, and both sides were about to clash. Strongheart gestured the chief to back down, and it almost worked... until Pinkie Pie made a reprise of her number from yesterday in a last-ditch, last-minute, and horrendously ill-timed, effort to stop the fight before it even began. Thunderhooves was somehow enraged (he must have really hated Pinkie's musical) and finally launched the attack, using nothing more or less than their own brute strength. The townsponies were doing a good job trying to counterattack by blocking the herd's path and bombarding them with countless ammunition of apple pie. The two groups had seemed to gain the advantage against each other, but it was damaging the town. The war quickly ended when Chief Thunderhooves was hit by a stray pie, just as he was about to attack the sheriff. Both sides ceased fighting and were saddened by the fallen chief, until he tasted the "ammo". Dazzled by the delectable confections, Thunderhooves came up with a compromise of his own.

Allowing the town of Appleloosa to keep the land, the herd would be allowed to have some of fruit (or more specifically, the pies) during their stampeding. The townsponies, meanwhile, created a road through the orchard so the herd could continue their tradition. Both parties found this to be agreeable and the dispute had finally ended. Best of all, Applejack was able to plant "Bloomberg".

Twilight learned that with compromise and understanding, sometimes the worst of enemies can become the best of friends.

"HEY! That's what I said!"

- Pinkie Pie

Major Events

 * Twilight Sparkle and her friends learned about the dispute between the Appleloosans and the buffaloes.
 * Little Strongheart, Braeburn, Sheriff Silverstar and Chief Thunderhooves debuted in this episode.
 * The Appleloosans and the buffaloes settled their disputes in the end.

Quotes

 * Rarity: Applejack! Were you reading a bedtime story to... An apple tree ?


 * Rarity: Hmph! You talk about it as if it's your baby or something.
 * Applejack: Who you calling a baby?! Bloomberg's no baby! Don't wet widdle Rarity make you all saddy-waddy. Bloomberg's a big and strong apple tree. Yes, he is. A-coochie-coochie-coo-coo-coo!
 * Rarity: It's widdle Rarity who's all  saddy-waddy! Rrgh! 


 * Rainbow Dash: Psst, Pinkie Pie, you asleep yet?
 * Pinkie Pie: No, are you asleep yet?
 * Rainbow Dash: If I were sleeping, how could I have asked you if you were asleep?
 * Pinkie Pie: Oh yeah *chuckles*


 * Rainbow Dash: When we get to Appleoosa, you think we'll have to carry that big, heavy tree all the way from the train to the orchard?
 * Pinkie Pie: What tree? You mean Bloomberg?
 * Rainbow Dash: (sarcastic) No, Fluttershy.
 * Pinkie Pie: Fluttershy's not a tree, silly!
 * Twilight Sparkle: What's going on?
 * Pinkie Pie: Rainbow Dash thinks Fluttershy's a tree!
 * Rainbow Dash: I do not think she's a tree! I was just--
 * Twilight Sparkle: Did you say she was a tree?
 * Rainbow Dash: No! Well, yes. But not exactly--
 * Twilight Sparkle: You know she's not a tree, right?
 * Pinkie Pie: She's not a tree, Dashy!
 * Fluttershy: I'd like to be a tree...


 * Twilight Sparkle: Well that was kind of huffy.
 * Fluttershy: Huffy the magic dragon!


 * Applejack: But, Braeburn, we –
 * Braeburn: And here's the most wonderful sight in all of... A-a-a-pplelooosa! Our apple orchard
 * Applejack: Braeburn!
 * Braeburn: First harvest should be any day now.
 * Applejack: Braebu –
 * Braeburn: Good thing too!
 * Applejack: Brae –
 * Braeburn: 'cause we need that grub to live on.
 * Applejack: BRAEBURN!!
 * Braeburn: Uh, yes, cuz?


 * Chief Thunderhooves: Hmmh. We have a long and winding stampeding trail, that we have run upon for many generations. [breath] My father stampeded upon these grounds... And his father before him. And his father before him. And hiiss father before him. And his father before him. And –
 * Little Strongheart: I think they get the idea, Chief.


 * Chief Thunderhooves: It appears that Sheriff Silverstar and I have come to... an agreement.
 * Sheriff Silverstar: We have.
 * Chief Thunderhooves: That was the worst performance we've ever seen...
 * Sheriff Silverstar: Teh... Abso-tively!

Trivia

 * The episode title is a reference to the idiom "Over a Barrel", meaning to be in a predicament or helpless in a situation where others are in control. The episode also has a reference to the 1959 Western classic High Noon.
 * Apple-loosa is a play on words, combining apple and Appaloosa, a spotted breed of horse. It is also a wordplay on the city name Tuscaloosa, a city in Alabama.
 * Fluttershy calling Spike "Huffy the Magic Dragon" is a reference to the 1963 folk song "Puff the Magic Dragon" sung by Peter, Paul and Mary.
 * Although called buffalo, they were actually bison.
 * Spike plays the piano in this episode. This is coincidentally reminiscent to a scene from the | 1986 {Generation 1} movie. Also, both incarnations do not end well.
 * Unlike other episodes, Pinkie Pie's song actually makes the situation worse instead of better. (ex- the bison weren't going to charge, until Pinkie Pie started singing the song again).
 * During the battle seen with the anvil behind the hay bales, one of the ponies looks surprisingly identical to Apple Bloom.
 * In Fall Weather Friends, PInkie Pie mentions another food that ponies eat are hot dogs. However, in her song in this episode, she explains that all ponies are vegetarians.