The Return of Harmony Part 1

The Return of Harmony Part 1
Season №:	2
Season episode №:	1
Overall episode №:	27
Original airdate:	September 17, 2011
Written by:	M. A. Larson
Storyboard:	Tom Sales & Sabrina Alberghetti[1]
Featured characters:	Discord
See also
credits • transcript • gallery • allusions animation errors • statistics • speculation
Episode guide
Previous The Best Night Ever	Next The Return of Harmony Part 2

The Return of Harmony Part 1 is the first episode of the second season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic and the twenty-seventh episode overall. Princess Celestia tasks the ponies with retrieving the Elements of Harmony and defeating Discord, only for the draconequus to manipulate the ponies with his mind games. It is the first half of a two-part episode.

Production

The show's director, Jayson Thiessen, has stated that while the two episodes were produced at the tail-end of the first season, they were always supposed to be part of season two. This was done to shorten the production hiatus and to keep on as many of the show's staff as possible.^[2] Lauren Faust notes that the episode's writing was completed before the series premiered, and was not created or altered as a reaction to the fanbase.^[3] The two episodes' writer M.A. Larson has stated that Applejack was to have said a line that was cut from the episode, "Hope everything's ok back in Ponyville. I don't know if Big McIntosh and Granny Smith have enough butter for all that popcorn."^[4][5][6] A line that "got cut early on, and with good reason" ("Doesn't really fit 'in universe.'") was Rainbow Dash saying "Get off that cloud and put 'em up! I'm not afraid of you! Come on, Marquess of Queensbury rules! Let's go!" instead of "Get off there and put 'em up! Come on! Let's go!"^[7]

Summary

Prologue: the statue of Discord

The episode begins with Cheerilee taking her students on a field trip in the "world-famous" Canterlot sculpture garden. Her class consists of Apple Bloom, Diamond Tiara, Scootaloo, Silver Spoon, Snails, Snips, Sweetie Belle, and Twist. Cheerilee points out statues representing friendship and victory. When Scootaloo remarks how cool a cutie mark representing victory would be, Apple Bloom snidely says that Scootaloo is not "victoryful" at anything. Sweetie Belle says “victoryful” is not a word, and Scootaloo indignantly asks her, "What are you, a dictionary?"

Cheerilee interrupts their bickering by describing a statue of a "draconequus," a creature with “the head of a pony and a body made up of all sorts of things.” She asks her students to guess what the statue represents. When Scootaloo guesses "chaos," Sweetie Belle calls her a "dodo." Apple Bloom jumps on her friends' heads and tells them they’re both wrong, and the three start fighting. Above them, a small circle on the draconequus statue glows briefly. They stop fighting when Cheerilee pronounces all three correct, saying that the statue represents discord, or "a lack of harmony between ponies.” Cheerilee says that each of them will have to write her an essay about discord. As the class leaves, a large crack spreads across the draconequus statue and a cackle is heard.

The first signs

After the introduction, Rainbow Dash is flying above Ponyville when a fast-moving pink cloud sends her spinning. She discovers that the cloud is made of cotton candy, and the sky fills with cotton candy clouds that rain chocolate milk. Applejack is harvesting corn when Rainbow Dash alights and complains about the crazy weather. Suddenly, the kernels on the corn start popping, and popcorn fills the field. Pinkie Pie is delighted by the delicious abnormalities. Rarity shows up in a purple rainsuit and matching umbrella. Even as she speaks, the apples on the trees swell, making the trees sag with their weight. Applejack yells at Fluttershy to control the squirrels and rabbits who are feeding on the enormous apples, but the forest creatures' legs elongate (like the legs of creatures in Salvador Dalí’s paintings ^[8][9]).

Twilight Sparkle arrives with Spike, and says she has a new "fail-safe" spell to reverse the strange changes to the weather and animals. She casts the spell and a bright purple band of magic sweeps the land, but nothing happens. Undeterred, she tells Rainbow Dash to corral the clouds and Applejack to lasso them. Twilight instructs Fluttershy to coax the animals into eating the cotton candy clouds and popcorn instead of the apples. Not long after, Spike receives a letter from Princess Celestia, telling the six ponies to come to Canterlot immediately.

Discord returns

They meet the Princess in a corridor lined with stained glass windows. Celestia explains that the strange weather is being caused by Discord, a creature that existed in Equestria long ago. Discord’s rule caused unrest and unhappiness for all ponies until Celestia and Princess Luna defeated with the Elements of Harmony. However, since the two Princesses cannot wield the Elements any more, Celestia tells the six ponies that they must use the Elements once again to defeat Discord. When Twilight promises that the princess can count on them, Pinkie interrupts, saying that chaos is a good thing if chocolate rain is involved.

"Eternal chaos comes with chocolate rain, you guys. Chocolate rain!"

— Pinkie Pie

Princess Celestia opens a locked door with her horn and takes out a box, but she and the friends discover that the Elements are missing from it. Suddenly, Discord's voice echoes around the room, and he animates a depiction of himself in one of the stained glass windows. Discord comments on each element that the six friends represent, and poses a riddle:

"To retrieve your missing Elements just make sense of this change of events. Twists and turns are my master plan. Then find the elements back where you began."

— Discord

Twilight deduces that Discord has hidden the Elements inside the castle's outdoor hedge maze.

The maze

As they approach the maze, Rainbow Dash confidently flies up to get a view of the maze, but her wings vanish and she crashes to the ground. A moment later, Fluttershy's wings and Twilight and Rarity’s horns go missing. In a flash, Discord appears, and explains that they are going to play a game to find the Elements of Harmony. The two rules are:

• No flying and no magic.
• Every pony has to play, or the game is over and Discord wins.

Hedges spring up and separate the friends, who agree to meet in the middle of the maze.

Applejack the liar

As Applejack tries to navigate the maze, she spots three apples, like the ones on her cutie mark, rolling away from her on the ground. She follows them to the edge of an apple orchard. Apples start falling off the trees, and start animating themselves; they taunt her, and tell her to look in a pool nearby. She does so, and sees a vision of the six friends arguing and agreeing to never speak to each other again. The camera pans up, showing Discord using puppet crosses to animate the apples. Applejack cannot accept the idea that she needs to lie to preserve her friendship with the other ponies, and Discord hypnotizes her, draining her of color. Almost immediately the orchard fades, and a section of hedge vanishes behind her, revealing Twilight. Twilight tells her friend that she heard talking, and asks her who she was talking to; Applejack denies speaking, looking around shiftily. Twilight wonders whether she lied but remembers that "Applejack wouldn't lie."

Pinkie Pie the grump

Pinkie hops merrily through the maze until she stumbles upon a garden filled with balloons similar to those on her cutie mark. The balloons have smiling faces and are laughing. She giggles with the balloons until one of the balloons' strings trip her. She tumbles into a puddle of mud and stops laughing, but the balloons start jeering at her. Discord appears to Pinkie and tells her that the balloons, like her friends, are actually laughing at her, not with her. She initially denies it, but when Discord makes her friends' faces appear on the balloons, she sees that laughter can be cruel and hurtful. Discord hypnotizes her and turns her gray. The balloons pop to reveal Twilight and Applejack. Pinkie rejects Twilight’s greeting and walks away. Applejack lies again, saying she didn’t notice anything wrong with Pinkie. Twilight decides to pick up the pace before the stress "gets the better of all of [them]."

Rarity the hoarder

Rarity is complaining about having to do "outdoor sports" when she finds a large rock blocking her path. Embedded in it are three diamonds shaped like her cutie mark. Discord appears in the diamonds' reflections and tells Rarity it's her lucky day for finding the beautiful diamonds, "the one thing in Equestria that could rival [his] face for sheer beauty." He starts to hypnotize Rarity, but she resists and tries to walk away. However, she succumbs and runs back to the rock, losing her color as she chips away at the rock. She unearths what appears to be a huge diamond. As she starts to carry it away, the remainder of the rock breaks apart, revealing Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie. Twilight’s greeting is cut short when she sees Rarity carrying a large boulder. Rarity becomes very protective of her "diamond," refusing to share it with the others.

Fluttershy the brute

Fluttershy cautiously climbs out of the hedge she has been hiding in, and starts giving herself a pep talk. Three butterflies like the ones on her cutie mark appear. Not wanting to be left alone, she decides to follow them. The butterflies turn out to be Discord in disguise. He tries to convince her that her friends think she is helpless and laugh at her behind her back. Fluttershy accepts the fact that she is helpless and that her friends are kind enough to understand. Again, Discord tries to corrupt her, and Fluttershy resists, saying that her friends want her to know of her flaws so she can improve on them. Frustrated, Discord gives up and hypnotizes her by simply prodding her head.

A section of hedge disappears, revealing the others. When Twilight greets Fluttershy, she insults Twilight and smacks her with her tail. Fluttershy even knocks Pinkie Pie into a hedge. As Applejack laughs at Pinkie and Pinkie retorts, Twilight realizes that something is happening to her friends. She tries to assist Rarity with moving her rock, but Rarity warns her that the rock belongs to her.

Rainbow Dash the traitor

Rainbow Dash runs through the maze and suddenly spots a cloud that looks like her cutie mark. Believing it to be her element, she chases it, only to find Discord lying on a hammock made of clouds. Ignoring Discord's attempts to be civil, Rainbow Dash tells him to prepare for a fight. Discord tells her that he is only there to deliver a riddle about the consequences of picking the wrong choice. He hypnotizes her by showing a vision of Cloudsdale collapsing. He drains her color and makes a box appear, giving her the choice of taking her wings from the box and leaving, or staying in the maze forever.

Discord wins the game

Meanwhile, Twilight tries to reassure herself, saying that Rainbow Dash would never let them down. However, Applejack spots Rainbow Dash flying away from the maze. Discord appears and tells the ponies that Rainbow Dash broke the "no wings, no magic" rule. He declares that the game is over and says:

"Looks like we might be due for a big old storm of chaos!"

— Discord

Reuse of backgrounds

The star background in which corrupted Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash are over is the same as Twilight's background in the previous episode. It is also seen in May the Best Pet Win!

Quotes

For more quotes, see the episode's transcript.

Scootaloo: How cool would it be to have that for a cutie mark?

Apple Bloom: Cool, if you were actually victoryful at somethin'.

Sweetie Belle: That's not a word!

Scootaloo: What are you, a dictionary?

Sweetie Belle: It's not chaos, you dodo!

Scootaloo: Don't call me things I don't know the meaning of, and it is too chaos.

Sweetie Belle: Is not!

Apple Bloom: You're both wrong!

Pinkie Pie: Hold on a second! Eternal chaos comes with chocolate rain, you guys! Chocolate! Rain!

Rarity: You can keep the elements. I'll take that case!

Pinkie Pie: Oh well, if anyone needs me, I'll be outside in the chocolate puddles with a giant swizzle straw!

Discord: Making sense? Oh, what fun is there in making sense?

Discord: Oh, I've forgotten how grim you can be, Celestia. It's really quite boring.

Rainbow Dash: Hey! Nopony insults the princess!

Discord: Oh, you must be Rainbow Dash, famed for her loyalty, the element of harmony you represent.

Rainbow Dash: That's right! I'll always be loyal to the princess!

Discord: We'll see about that.

Pinkie Pie: [laugh] He's dancing on your head!

Discord:

To retrieve your missing elements

Just make sense of this change of events.

Twists and turns, are my master plan

Then find the elements, back where you began.

Rainbow Dash: My wings!

Fluttershy: [screams]

Twilight and Rarity: Your horn! My horn! [screams]

Discord: You should see the looks on your faces! Priceless!

Discord:

When all the truth does

Is make your heart ache,

Sometimes a lie

Is easier to take.

Discord (as butterflies): Fluttershy, looks like you've been left behind by your so called friends, huh?

Fluttershy: Oh no, I'm certain they're doing their best to find me.

Discord (as butterflies): Well it must be so upsetting to know how weak and helpless they think you are.

Fluttershy: Not at all, I AM weak and helpless and I appreciate their understanding.

Discord (as butterflies): Yes well, I'm sure it burns you up, that they're always pointing out your flaws right?

Fluttershy: Not really. In fact, I think I'm awfully lucky to have friends who want me to be the best I can be.

Discord: Oh, for goodness sake! [mesmerizes Fluttershy] You've been kind for far too long, my dear! Time to be cruel! Arrivederci!

Rarity: ...But don't get any ideas about my gem. I know where you live.

Rainbow Dash: Get off there and put 'em up! C'mon! Let's go!

Discord:

A weighty choice is yours to make,

The right selection or a big mistake.

If the wrong choice you choose to pursue,

The foundations of home will crumble without you.

Discord: Looks like we're in for a big old storm of chaos!

Gallery

The Return of Harmony Part 1 image gallery

See also

• The Return of Harmony, Part 2, the continuation of The Return of Harmony Part 1.
• Friendship is Magic, part 1, the first season's opening episode.
• Discord, the main antagonist of The Return of Harmony Part 1 and 2.

References

1. ↑ Raven Molisee's DeviantArt journal (2012-02-23). Retrieved on 2012 February 23.
2. ↑ Equestria Daily interview with Thiessen (2011-09-13). Retrieved on 2011 September 15.
3. ↑ Lauren Faust (2011-09-20). Completion of season two opener's writing. Retrieved on 2011 September 21.
4. ↑ M.A. Larson on Twitter (2012-07-24). Retrieved on 2012 July 24.
5. ↑ M.A. Larson on Twitter (2012-07-24). Retrieved on 2012 July 24.
6. ↑ M.A. Larson on Twitter (2012-07-24). Retrieved on 2012 July 24.
7. ↑ M.A. Larson on Twitter (2012-08-01). Retrieved on 2012 August 2.
8. ↑ Salvador Dalí (1946). The Temptation of Saint Anthony. Retrieved on 2013 June 20.
9. ↑ Salvador Dalí (1948). The Elephants. Retrieved on 2013 June 20.

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