The Ticket Master

The Ticket Master is the third episode of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, season one. In this episode, Twilight Sparkle receives two tickets from Princess Celestia to the Grand Galloping Gala, an exclusive event hosted by Princess Celestia herself. This leads to arguments among Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy who all want to go with Twilight's extra ticket. The ponies' reasons in this episode form the basis of the plot for the episode The Best Night Ever.

Production and merchandise
This episode appears in a DVD distributed by Hasbro in multiple countries. Consequently, many of the show's language dubs were introduced via The Ticket Master, instead of the first episode. Clips from this episode were also recycled and used out of context in the iPad app Twilight Sparkle, Teacher for a Day. The clips used were the scene where Spike burps out the letter from Princess Celestia from the start of the episode, part of Rainbow Dash's Imagine Spot where she joins the Wonderbolts and flies with them (with Rainbow Dash airbrushed out of the clip), and the ending where Twilight returns the tickets. Unused shots from the episode were featured in an animatior's YouTube channel but have since been removed.

Lauren Faust originally wrote this episode at 11 minutes long. Amy Keating Rogers later came in and helped her flesh it out to a full 22 minutes, which is why they both receive writing credit. According to the first My MLP season 1 scenes video, Applejack's Gala fantasy was to have included a shot of Big Macintosh reacting happily to the new plow, followed by a shot of him pulling it through the field.

Twilight receives the tickets
Twilight Sparkle is helping Applejack harvest apples on her farm, harvesting apples Applejack refers to as "Golden Delicious" while Spike sits on Twilight's back, looking for the perfect apple to eat. (However, real Golden Delicious apples are yellow or light green, not red like the majority of apples the ponies are carrying.) Twilight receives a letter through Spike from Princess Celestia regarding an annual ball in Canterlot known as the "Grand Galloping Gala". Moments later, two tickets arrive from the Princess, one for Twilight and one for a guest of her choice. Spike seems disinterested in the event, commenting that it's too "girly frilly froo-froo" for his tastes. Applejack, on the other hand, expresses a keen interest in the second ticket, seeing it as an opportunity to raise enough money from her apple wares to fix up the Sweet Apple Acres farm and its supplies. She imagines selling things at a stand of which a long line of ponies are waiting to buy them. (In the line, one single pony is used three times.) She then imagines replacing her rusty old barn roof, Big Macintosh's rusty old plow and even giving Granny Smith a replacement hip, as written above.

Rainbow Dash suddenly crashes in between Applejack and Twilight, having overheard the conversation after waking from her nap, remembering that The Wonderbolts, a famous aerial acrobatic Pegasus troupe and Dash's idols, will be performing at the Gala each year. Dash imagines that she could show them her recent flying tricks at their flying show while all the ponies in the crowd look at her (some ponies are used twice in the crowd) and they will ask her to be partof their group and use her signature moves, and insists that Twilight should give the ticket to her. Applejack and Dash hoof-wrestle for the extra ticket until Twilight says she will give the ticket to whoever has the best reason. Applejack argues she could support her family, while Rainbow Dash wants to live the dream. Thinking the two both have good reasons, Twilight is unable to choose between the two. Twilight says she will think about it over lunch, having gotten hungry from helping Applejack at the farm.

"Oh, the Grand Galloping Gala is the best place for me! Oh, the Grand Galloping Gala is the best place for me! 'Cause it's the most galarrific superly-terrific gala ever in the whole galaxy!"

- Pinkie's Gala Fantasy Song

As Twilight enters Ponyville, Pinkie Pie discovers the tickets and becomes excited about the Gala, calling it "the most amazing incredible tremendous super-fun wonderful terrifically humongous party in all of Equestria!" Rarity and Fluttershy soon learn about the tickets and also wish to attend. Rarity dreams of a Cinderella-style fantasy, ending with her marriage to Princess Celestia's "nephew". With some encouragement from her rabbit friend Angel, Fluttershy admits that she is not particularly interested in the party itself, but wants to visit the flower and wildlife-filled private gardens outside the castle. She excitedly explains that there will be "loons and toucans and bitterns, oh my!".

All five friends come together and an argument commences over who should get the spare ticket. Twilight breaks it up, reminding them that because she is the one who was given the tickets, it is her decision, and promises that she will figure it out. Hoping it will be easier to think when she isn't hungry, Twilight and Spike leave the other five to get food.

Trying to get the second ticket
While Twilight agonizes over her decision, her friends begin doing favors for her, with varying degrees of subtlety, in an effort to make her decide in their favor. While eating at Ponyville's café, Dash leaves a hole in a rainstorm to keep her dry. Twilight refuses this favor and tells her to close it, which also ends up ruining her lunch. Rarity then takes her in, giving her and Spike a splendorous makeover. After leaving the Carousel Boutique, Applejack tempts her with desserts. Twilight refuses in spite of her hunger and makes her way back to the library, only to discover Fluttershy and her animal friends cleaning her house (the idea coming from her rabbit friend, Angel). When Twilight tries to force her friend to leave, Pinkie pulls her out, throwing a party of her own for her with a number of other ponies. The starving unicorn refuses all their favors, insisting she make an unbiased decision.

The situation becomes chaotic when Pinkie inadvertently informs the whole town about the extra ticket through another song, making this episode one of the two episodes in season one to feature more than one song, the other being The Best Night Ever with three songs. Practically everyone starts trying to do favors for Twilight. She and Spike run off and a chase ensues. Finally cornered by the mob, she teleports both of them back to the library. Twilight claims she didn't know they would teleport after the magical release left Spike slightly charred.

Back in the library
Back in her library, Twilight quickly discovers her friends already there and breaks down, telling them she doesn't want to disappoint anyone. The five ponies apologize after realizing how much stress they put on their friend for a ticket and each declare one by one that they don't want the ticket anymore. Rainbow Dash, after every other pony forfeited their claim, celebrates winning the ticket by default, but, after a glare from the others, gives it up as well.

Twilight, after relaying her report to Princess Celestia on how one's blessing can affect friendship, decides to return both the tickets, saying that she'd rather not go at all than leave out any of her friends. A swift reply letter from Celestia comes moments later, containing six tickets, saying Twilight should have just asked for more in the first place. All of the ponies are now happy to go together, even after they tried to fight over just one. After they all leave, an extra ticket is delivered to Spike, and he gleefully joins the ponies.

Quotes

 * Rarity: "I would stroll through the gala, and everyone would wonder: "Who is that mysterious mare?" They would never guess that I was just a simple pony from little old Ponyville. Why, I'll cause such a sensation, that I would be invited for an audience with Princess Celestia herself. And the princess would be so taken with the style and elegance, that she would introduce me... to him... her nephew! The most handsome, eligible unicorn stallion in Canterlot. Our eyes would meet... Our hearts would melt... Our courtship would be magnificent. He would ask for my hoof in marriage, and of course I would say... YES! We would have a royal wedding, befitting a princess which is... what I would become upon marrying him... The stallion of my dreams!"


 * Rarity: "Twilight, I simply cannot believe you would invite Pinkie Pie so she can... party... and prevent me from meeting my true love. How could you?!"


 * Twilight Sparkle: "Quiiiet!"
 * Pinkie Pie: "And then I said "Oatmeal? Are you craz–"


 * Spike: "Do you have any rubies? ...No? OK. I'll have the hay fries. Extra crispy!"


 * Rarity: "Twilight, it's raining."
 * Twilight Sparkle: "No, really?"


 * Rarity: "We will be the belles of ball, you and I. Everyone will be clamoring for our attention. All eyes will be on us! And then everyone will finally know the most beautiful, most talented, the most sophisticated pony in all Equestria is Rarity the unicorn! ... And Twilight Sparkle, of course."


 * Applejack: "I got apple pie, apple fritters, apple tarts, apple dumplings, apple crisps, apple crumbles, annnd Apple Brown Betty! Uh, the dessert, not my auntie..."


 * Fluttershy: "Oh, well, hello Twilight. I hope you don't mind, but we're all doing a little spring cleaning for you."
 * Twilight Sparkle: "It's summer."
 * Fluttershy: "Oh, well, better late than never, right? It was Angel's idea.
 * Twilight Sparkle: You're not doing this for the ticket, are you?"
 * Fluttershy: "Oh no, I'm doing this because you're my very best friend. Right Angel? Oh, yes, we are just doing this for the ticket."


 * Twilight Sparkle: "Piiinkiiie!!!"
 * Pinkie Pie: "Yes, Twilight?"
 * Twilight Sparkle:" At least the other ponies tried to be subtle about the ticket."

Gallery

 * The Ticket Master image gallery