The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows

The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows
Season №:	5
Season episode №:	19
Overall episode №:	110
Original airdate:	October 17, 2015
Written by:	Gillian M. Berrow
Storyboard:	Sabrina Alberghetti and Nicole Wang
Featured characters:	Princess Cadance Shining Armor Flurry Heart
See also
credits • transcript • gallery • allusions animation errors • statistics • speculation
Episode guide
Previous Crusaders of the Lost Mark	Next Hearthbreakers

The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows is the nineteenth episode of the fifth season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic and the one hundred and tenth episode overall. The episode title is modeled after the nondescript episode titles of the 1994 sitcom Friends.

In this episode, Pinkie Pie finds out Princess Cadance and Shining Armor are going to have a baby, but she finds it a difficult secret to keep from her friends.

Production and development

The episode is written by G.M. Berrow, the author of the My Little Pony Friendship is Magic chapter books. Berrow first announced her involvement with the show at BronyCon 2014. At BronyCAN, it was revealed that it will be a Pinkie Pie-centered episode.^[1] On November 5, 2014, Sabrina Alberghetti tweeted that she was storyboarding this episode.

The scene where Pinkie is tossing the files was done by animation director Rex Liwang.^[2]

For her roles as Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy in this episode, Andrea Libman was nominated for a 2016 UBCP/ACTRA award for Best Voice.^[3]

Summary

A royally big secret

The episode begins at Sugarcube Corner where Pinkie Pie is attempting to break her cupcake-icing record. Mrs. Cake enters with a scroll detailing a large order, and she tells Pinkie to watch the front counter while she checks the supply room. When Mrs. Cake drops the scroll, Pinkie reads it and discovers something tremendous:

"A baby?! Shining Armor and Princess Cadance are having a baby?!?"

— Pinkie Pie

Pinkie cannot wait to share this news with her friends, especially Twilight Sparkle, but Mrs. Cake tells her that it must be kept secret until Shining Armor and Princess Cadance arrive to Ponyville. A nervous Pinkie Pie wonders if she is capable of keeping such a secret.

Pinkie the secret keeper

On her way to the Castle of Friendship, Pinkie Pie is at grips with herself for having to keep Shining Armor and Cadance's surprise a secret from her friends, almost revealing it to Rarity.

In the castle throne room, Twilight Sparkle informs her friends of Shining Armor and Cadance's upcoming visit to Ponyville, of which Pinkie appears to have inexplicable knowledge. However, Twilight doesn't know that Shining Armor and Cadance are having a baby, meaning Pinkie must keep her secret even longer. In preparation for her brother and sister-in-law's visit, Twilight has decorated a castle bedroom with knickknacks from Shining Armor's childhood.

With all the talk going on related to foals and surprises, Pinkie frantically leaves and retreats back to Sugarcube Corner. She decides to avoid socializing with anyone until Shining Armor and Cadance arrive the next day. Unfortunately, Mr. Cake enters and reminds Pinkie that she "Pinkie-promised" to make cake deliveries around town for him.

Cross my heart, hope to fly

As she makes her deliveries, Pinkie Pie briefly runs into Fluttershy, who asks her to bring snacks to the castle later for Shining Armor and Cadance's visit. Pinkie agrees and sets about making her deliveries as quickly as possible, all while avoiding her friends. She feels awful for ignoring and keeping secrets from them, but she would be unable to live with the guilt of ruining the surprise.

After finishing her deliveries, Pinkie believes she is done socializing with other ponies until the next day, but she finds a list of other Pinkie Promises she recently made that she has yet to carry out.

"I've been getting liberal with those Pinkie Promises lately..."

— Pinkie Pie

Over the course of the afternoon, Pinkie Pie makes balloon animals for the Ponyville Schoolhouse foals, helps Mayor Mare sort her file cabinets at Town Hall, and helps a store owner advertise his store. During each task, Pinkie is constantly surrounded by reminders of the secret she's keeping, making it all the more difficult to keep.

Back at the castle, Twilight and her friends spruce up for Shining Armor and Cadance's impending visit. Pinkie Pie arrives with the snacks she promised to bring, relieved that her ordeal will soon be over, but Applejack tells her that an unexpected development in Shining Armor and Cadance's trip has delayed their arrival for an additional day.

The scavenger hunt

Pinkie Pie freaks out, unable to keep the secret much longer. Her friends sense her extreme discomfort and encourage her to speak her mind. Before Pinkie can do so, Shining Armor and Cadance arrive, having resolved their trip delays earlier than expected. Pinkie believes she doesn't have to keep their secret anymore, but Shining Armor asks her to keep it a little longer for a surprise that he and Cadance have planned.

The two send the Mane Six on a scavenger hunt around Ponyville, similar to ones that Shining Armor made for Twilight when they were little. The scavenger hunt leads them to the Foal Free Press at the schoolhouse, Applejack's birth certificate at town hall, and a baby crib at the furniture store.

The hunt leads the Mane Six back to Sugarcube Corner where Shining Armor and Princess Cadance are waiting. Twilight expects a prize for completing the hunt, and Cadance says that all the locations the hunt led them to had something in common:

"School... foal... birth certificate... and crib..."

— Twilight Sparkle

Twilight puts two and two together, and Shining Armor and Cadance officially announce that they're having a baby! Twilight and Pinkie Pie are overjoyed—Twilight at the thought of becoming an aunt, and Pinkie Pie over not having to keep her secret anymore.

Epilogue

As the ponies celebrate with a party, Princess Cadance thanks Pinkie Pie for keeping their announcement a surprise. When asked if it was much trouble, Pinkie Pie claims it was a "[p]iece of cake" – but as the episode concludes, she shakes her head towards the audience via the iris-out suggesting it was the opposite.

Quotes

For more quotes, see the episode's transcript.

Rainbow Dash: Watching somepony else be surprised with something is almost better than being the one who's getting the surprise!

Pinkie Pie: But... eh... what if the surprise is something so incredibly exciting that a pony can't keep it in any longer, and she has to tell the pony standing next to her what it is or she might explode?!

Fluttershy: I would say... no.

Rarity: The pony who ruins a surprise for somepony else has to live with that guilt forever!

Pinkie Pie: Maybe I can tell just one little pony the surprise?

Rarity: [with reverb] The pony who ruins a surprise for somepony else has to live with that guilt forever!

Pinkie Pie: You're right, spooky-reflection-of-Rarity-that-I-know-is-actually-my-own-imagination. I can't tell anypony at all!

Mayor Mare: [hushed] Speaking of secrets, have you ever known somepony else's secret?

[papers rustling]

Pinkie Pie: Noooooo...

Mayor Mare: [hushed] A surprise that was so big and exciting that it was all you could think about?

Pinkie Pie: Nope!

Mayor Mare: [strangled sigh] Me neither...

Mayor Mare: Baby! A royal ba—!

Pinkie Pie: A-hem?

Princess Cadance: You did it, Pinkie Pie! You kept it a surprise! Thank you! Was it much trouble?

Pinkie Pie: Piece of cake! [squee]

Gallery

The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows image gallery

References

1. ↑ Gameleon (2014-08-23). G.M. Berrow's Episode In Season 5 To Be A Pinkie Pie episode. Equestria Daily. Retrieved on 2014 August 23.
2. ↑ Jim Miller (2015-10-17). Animation director Rex Liwang tweaked up that Pinkie file tossing scene. Looks good. #MLP5. Twitter. Retrieved on 2015 October 17.
3. ↑ UBCP/ACTRA Awards 2016. UBCP/ACTRA. Retrieved on 2016 October 21.

v • e Episodes, films, and animated shorts

Season one
Episode 1 Friendship is Magic, part 1	Episode 2 Friendship is Magic, part 2	Episode 3 The Ticket Master	Episode 4 Applebuck Season
Episode 5 Griffon the Brush Off	Episode 6 Boast Busters	Episode 7 Dragonshy	Episode 8 Look Before You Sleep
Episode 9 Bridle Gossip	Episode 10 Swarm of the Century	Episode 11 Winter Wrap Up	Episode 12 Call of the Cutie
Episode 13 Fall Weather Friends	Episode 14 Suited For Success	Episode 15 Feeling Pinkie Keen	Episode 16 Sonic Rainboom
Episode 17 Stare Master	Episode 18 The Show Stoppers	Episode 19 A Dog and Pony Show	Episode 20 Green Isn't Your Color
Episode 21 Over a Barrel	Episode 22 A Bird in the Hoof	Episode 23 The Cutie Mark Chronicles	Episode 24 Owl's Well That Ends Well
	Episode 25 Party of One	Episode 26 The Best Night Ever

Season two
Episode 1 The Return of Harmony Part 1	Episode 2 The Return of Harmony Part 2	Episode 3 Lesson Zero	Episode 4 Luna Eclipsed
Episode 5 Sisterhooves Social	Episode 6 The Cutie Pox	Episode 7 May the Best Pet Win!	Episode 8 The Mysterious Mare Do Well
Episode 9 Sweet and Elite	Episode 10 Secret of My Excess	Episode 11 Hearth's Warming Eve	Episode 12 Family Appreciation Day
Episode 13 Baby Cakes	Episode 14 The Last Roundup	Episode 15 The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000	Episode 16 Read It and Weep
Episode 17 Hearts and Hooves Day	Episode 18 A Friend in Deed	Episode 19 Putting Your Hoof Down	Episode 20 It's About Time
Episode 21 Dragon Quest	Episode 22 Hurricane Fluttershy	Episode 23 Ponyville Confidential	Episode 24 MMMystery on the Friendship Express
	Episode 25 A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1	Episode 26 A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2

Season three
Episode 1 The Crystal Empire - Part 1	Episode 2 The Crystal Empire - Part 2	Episode 3 Too Many Pinkie Pies	Episode 4 One Bad Apple
Episode 5 Magic Duel	Episode 6 Sleepless in Ponyville	Episode 7 Wonderbolts Academy	Episode 8 Apple Family Reunion
Episode 9 Spike at Your Service	Episode 10 Keep Calm and Flutter On	Episode 11 Just for Sidekicks	Episode 12 Games Ponies Play
Episode 13 Magical Mystery Cure

Season four
Episode 1 Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1	Episode 2 Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 2	Episode 3 Castle Mane-ia	Episode 4 Daring Don't
Episode 5 Flight to the Finish	Episode 6 Power Ponies	Episode 7 Bats!	Episode 8 Rarity Takes Manehattan
Episode 9 Pinkie Apple Pie	Episode 10 Rainbow Falls	Episode 11 Three's A Crowd	Episode 12 Pinkie Pride
Episode 13 Simple Ways	Episode 14 Filli Vanilli	Episode 15 Twilight Time	Episode 16 It Ain't Easy Being Breezies
Episode 17 Somepony to Watch Over Me	Episode 18 Maud Pie	Episode 19 For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils	Episode 20 Leap of Faith
Episode 21 Testing Testing 1, 2, 3	Episode 22 Trade Ya!	Episode 23 Inspiration Manifestation	Episode 24 Equestria Games
	Episode 25 Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1	Episode 26 Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2

Season five
Episode 1 The Cutie Map - Part 1	Episode 2 The Cutie Map - Part 2	Episode 3 Castle Sweet Castle	Episode 4 Bloom & Gloom
Episode 5 Tanks for the Memories	Episode 6 Appleoosa's Most Wanted	Episode 7 Make New Friends but Keep Discord	Episode 8 The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone
Episode 9 Slice of Life	Episode 10 Princess Spike	Episode 11 Party Pooped	Episode 12 Amending Fences
Episode 13 Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?	Episode 14 Canterlot Boutique	Episode 15 Rarity Investigates!	Episode 16 Made in Manehattan
Episode 17 Brotherhooves Social	Episode 18 Crusaders of the Lost Mark	Episode 19 The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows	Episode 20 Hearthbreakers
Episode 21 Scare Master	Episode 22 What About Discord?	Episode 23 The Hooffields and McColts	Episode 24 The Mane Attraction
	Episode 25 The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 1	Episode 26 The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 2

Season six
Episode 1 The Crystalling - Part 1	Episode 2 The Crystalling - Part 2	Episode 3 The Gift of the Maud Pie	Episode 4 On Your Marks
Episode 5 Gauntlet of Fire	Episode 6 No Second Prances	Episode 7 Newbie Dash	Episode 8 A Hearth's Warming Tail
Episode 9 The Saddle Row Review	Episode 10 Applejack's "Day" Off	Episode 11 Flutter Brutter	Episode 12 Spice Up Your Life
Episode 13 Stranger Than Fan Fiction	Episode 14 The Cart Before the Ponies	Episode 15 28 Pranks Later	Episode 16 The Times They Are A Changeling
Episode 17 Dungeons & Discords	Episode 18 Buckball Season	Episode 19 The Fault in Our Cutie Marks	Episode 20 Viva Las Pegasus
Episode 21 Every Little Thing She Does	Episode 22 P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View)	Episode 23 Where the Apple Lies	Episode 24 Top Bolt
	Episode 25 To Where and Back Again - Part 1	Episode 26 To Where and Back Again - Part 2

Season seven
Episode 1 Celestial Advice	Episode 2 All Bottled Up	Episode 3 A Flurry of Emotions	Episode 4 Rock Solid Friendship
Episode 5 Fluttershy Leans In	Episode 6 Forever Filly	Episode 7 Parental Glideance	Episode 8 Hard to Say Anything
Episode 9 Honest Apple	Episode 10 A Royal Problem	Episode 11 Not Asking for Trouble	Episode 12 Discordant Harmony
Episode 13 The Perfect Pear	Episode 14 Fame and Misfortune	Episode 15 Triple Threat	Episode 16 Campfire Tales
Episode 17 To Change a Changeling	Episode 18 Daring Done?	Episode 19 It Isn't the Mane Thing About You	Episode 20 A Health of Information
Episode 21 Marks and Recreation	Episode 22 Once Upon a Zeppelin	Episode 23 Secrets and Pies	Episode 24 Uncommon Bond
	Episode 25 Shadow Play - Part 1	Episode 26 Shadow Play - Part 2

Season eight
Episode 1 School Daze - Part 1	Episode 2 School Daze - Part 2	Episode 3 The Maud Couple	Episode 4 Fake It 'Til You Make It
Episode 5 Grannies Gone Wild	Episode 6 Surf and/or Turf	Episode 7 Horse Play	Episode 8 The Parent Map
Episode 9 Non-Compete Clause	Episode 10 The Break Up Break Down	Episode 11 Molt Down	Episode 12 Marks for Effort
Episode 13 The Mean 6	Episode 14 A Matter of Principals	Episode 15 The Hearth's Warming Club	Episode 16 Friendship University
Episode 17 The End in Friend	Episode 18 Yakity-Sax	Episode 19 Road to Friendship	Episode 20 The Washouts
Episode 21 A Rockhoof and a Hard Place	Episode 22 What Lies Beneath	Episode 23 Sounds of Silence	Episode 24 Father Knows Beast
	Episode 25 School Raze - Part 1	Episode 26 School Raze - Part 2

Season nine
Episode 1 The Beginning of the End - Part 1	Episode 2 The Beginning of the End - Part 2	Episode 3 Uprooted	Episode 4 Sparkle's Seven
Episode 5 The Point of No Return	Episode 6 Common Ground	Episode 7 She's All Yak	Episode 8 Frenemies
Episode 9 Sweet and Smoky	Episode 10 Going to Seed	Episode 11 Student Counsel	Episode 12 The Last Crusade
Episode 13 Between Dark and Dawn	Episode 14 The Last Laugh	Episode 15 2, 4, 6, Greaaat	Episode 16 A Trivial Pursuit
Episode 17 The Summer Sun Setback	Episode 18 She Talks to Angel	Episode 19 Dragon Dropped	Episode 20 A Horse Shoe-In
Episode 21 Daring Doubt	Episode 22 Growing Up is Hard to Do	Episode 23 The Big Mac Question	Episode 24 The Ending of the End - Part 1
	Episode 25 The Ending of the End - Part 2	Episode 26 The Last Problem

Feature films
Equestria Girls	Rainbow Rocks	Friendship Games	Legend of Everfree
My Little Pony The Movie

Specials
Dance Magic	Movie Magic	Mirror Magic	Forgotten Friendship
Rollercoaster of Friendship	Best Gift Ever	Spring Breakdown	Rainbow Roadtrip
	Sunset's Backstage Pass	Holidays Unwrapped

Animated shorts
Rainbow Rocks shorts	Friendship Games shorts	Summertime Shorts	Equestria Girls: Better Together (season 1)
Equestria Girls: Better Together (season 2)	Equestria Girls: Choose Your Own Ending (season 1)	Equestria Girls: Choose Your Own Ending (season 2)	Equestria Girls Minis
Baby Flurry Heart's Heartfelt Scrapbook	Rarity's Peek Behind the Boutique	Fundamentals of Magic	My Little Pony Established 1983
	Friendship is Magic shorts	Hello Pinkie Pie