The Top 50 BEST Episodes of FiM

I probably could've done this as early as the end of Season 5, or even the mid season hiatus in Season 6, but I decided to wait and see what would change in Season 6 and hopefully get a couple of new episodes to talk about. And now that we've got almost 150 episodes, I figure there's more than enough to do a list of my picks for the Top Fifty BEST Episodes of the show over the course of six seasons!

Like with all my lists, this one is not official by any means so you are free to disagree if an episode you liked didn't make the cut or an episode you didn't like was featured here. I would toss out honorable mentions, but that would make this list even longer than it already is and we'd be here all day. One last thing to mention, two parters will count as one episode. Now with all that in mind, let's begin!

50. Inspiration Manifestation, Written by Meghan McCarthy and Corey Powell
While it's a little contrived in its setup and the constant friendzoning and rehashed resolution from "Dragon Quest" hold this episode back a bit, it was still one of the best Spike episodes prior to Season 6. Many an artist can relate to what Rarity goes through here, putting a lot of time and effort into a project only to have to be condemned and labeled awful. As someone who's been down that road with fanfics, it can be hard to move on from something you really enjoyed working on and accepting that your vision didn't translate into what you hoped it would become. Plus, Meghan McCarthy always does well when she handles episodes where characters suffer a mental breakdown, and this episode was just a further reminder of how well she could potray Spike. Corey's contributions are hard to spot, though I think she may have been responsible for the setup.

49. Putting Your Hoof Down, Written by Merriweather Williams, Story by Charlotte Fullerton
Oh boy, already a controversial choice for an episode. Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. I know that many a reviewers have criticized this episode or given it low scores (including Mr.Enter who regards this as the worst episode of the show and Josh Scorcher, who, in a collab with Mr.Enter, gave the episode a below average rating), but I personally disagree with many of their points. This was the sort of Fluttershy episode that was necessary by the time it came out, because prior to this point Fluttershy's cuteness just wasn't enough to make up for her insulting lack of a back bone on too many occasions. And it's only natural that when you tell someone who's been pushed around all their life that they don't have to take the abuse laying down, they're going to inevitably get carried away. Plus, the episode shows that Fluttershy is taking things too far, and rightfully potrays her as in the wrong. The only thing I will agree with in regards to this episode's criticism is, Iron Will deserves none of the blame for what happened. Sure, his advice may have been questionable, but he is not responsible for Fluttershy taking it too far, and he is well within his rights to demand payment for his services.

48. Flight to The Finish, Written by Ed Valentine
The second and to date last of the Scootaloo focus episodes, this one seemed like it was going to address once and for all whether or not Scootaloo would ever fly, but it ultimately kind of downplayed and tip topped around the subject. However, seeing Scootaloo's struggles and how it drove a wedge between her and her friends proved to be a very powerful conflict, especially when her friends get fed up with her defeatist attitude and thinking she's just going to get in the way. Granted, leaving her behind was wrong, but considering they're kids it's the sort of mistake you can reasonably expect them to make. Though the pacing was choppy due to the overly long set up, what we got out of this episode more than made up for it, especially one of Rainbow Dash's finer potrayals in Season 4, a season that struggled with how to best tone down Rainbow's flaws and make her into a more well rounded character again. Scootaloo and Fluttershy episodes always seem to bring out the best traits in Rainbow Dash for some reason.

47. Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?, Written by Scott Sonneborn, Story by Jayson Thiesen and Jim Miller
Oh boy, right back into controversy with an episode that has even fewer defenders and even more vocal critics. Yes, the existence of The Tantibus is a big problem, largely because this episode sort of tried to hastily re-introduce Luna's redemption arc after "Luna Eclipsed" sort of wiped it away and the writers decided not to follow up on it at all. However, it does make a little sense for Princess Luna to doubt herself, considering her biggest role prior to this had been getting captured by Tirek at the end of Season 4. And the message of learning to forgive yourself is a very important and powerful one, plus it's nice to see Luna get a bigger role and be something besides a mentor to the CMC. This episode may have its flaws, but it's nowhere near as bad as so many people will have you believe.

46. Castle Mane-ia, Written by Josh Haber
Josh Haber's debut and probably still one of his most enjoyable episodes. This one saw the completion of the growing of the beard for the show, by doing away with the required "Friendship report at the end of every episode" and within a season the show no longer felt the need to even use the journal established here, just trusting the audience to get the intended lesson without needing to repeat it and make it obvious. This episode also picked up right where the Season 4 premiere left off, and while after this the overarching story arc that was teased seemed to be dropped, we still got some good laughs from this Scooby-Doo parody of sorts. And Haber would go on to prove all the neigh sayers about him wrong, ultimately becoming Meghan's handpicked successor for story editor and the Equestria Girls franchise.

45. Call of The Cutie, Written by Meghan McCarthy
Back before Apple Bloom became used up as a character, we had this episode that was intended to be a pilot episode for a planned spin-off showed focused on the CMC, courtesy of Lauren Faust. But Hasbro ultimately scrapped that decision and put the CMC into the main show instead, a decision that would take a season to be justified. We also had one of the only appearances in speaking roles from Twist, before her voice actress moved to Pennsylvania. And we also had the debut of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who would mostly just be targets of the fandom's hatred for the next four seasons. Oh, and in regards to that certain infamous grimdark fanfic that made the rounds in the fandom based on the song in this episode, we're NOT going to talk about that here, this is a happy place! The song was good, and remains probably one of Pinkie Pie's greatest hits.

44. Rarity Investigates, Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco, Story by Meghan McCarthy, M. A. Larson, and Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco got off to a very bad start with "Castle, Sweet Castle" so it was quite the relief when Meghan McCarthy and M. A. Larson stepped in to help them out. For our first RariDash episode of the entire show, it was surprising to see just how well the two played off and interacted with each other, and Soarin got his long overdue chance after "Rainbow Falls" turned him into a butt monkey and tried to throw him under the bus. While Wind Rider's motivation have been too Scooby-Dooish to be taken seriously and Spitfire may have sounded off, it was nice to see Rainbow Dash being so humble while still being herself. Sadly, Season 6 would go on to prove this was only a temporary change, and that apparently she still hasn't conquered her ego problem yet.

43. Dragonshy, Written by Meghan McCarthy
Our first adventure episode of the show, this one did surprisingly wonders for Fluttershy's character that would not again reach the highs of this episode until Season 2, and then would sort of bobble up and down after that until Seasons 5 and 6. Aside from Rainbow Dash being maybe a little bit more of a jerk than was really necessary, this episode managed to handle all of the mane six well, though there was the bit with Rarity getting distracted by her greed and messing up an attempt at charming the dragon into leaving, which didn't exactly make her character look good. Thankfully, Rarity would soon get her chance to establish herself properly, after a few more rocky potrayls.

42. Pinkie Apple Pie, Written by Natasha Levinger
All of Pinkie's Season 4 episodes were a pun on her name, and each of them had to do a lot to help keep Pinkie likeable throughout Season 4 considering she would get some of her most inconsistent and terrible potrayals to date in it (as episodes such as "Three's A Crowd" and "Filli Vanilli" would make painfully obvious). Applejack also got surprisingly a chance to shine for perhaps the first time since "The Last Roundup" even though she was largely good at playing off of her family, and this episode showed her stubborness may not only run in the family, but also be necessary for survival.

41. No Second Prances, Written by Nick Confalone
Nick Confalone had managed to do pretty well for himself in Season 5, writing two Pinkie Pie episodes that were both really good. Rather than stay in his comfort zone and continue to just write Pinkie episodes, however, Nick decided to use Season 6 as a chance to step outside of his comfort zone and try not only to write focus episodes for characters other than Pinkie, but also to try his luck with a more serious episode. To his credit, he did well here, managing to keep Twilight, Trixie, and Starlight more or less in character for the most part. And instead of taking the low road and creating a disappointing rehash of "What About Discord?" from Season 5, Nick was able to write a story that was able to give some justification to each of the characters. Admittedly though, the climax and resolution were rocky and uncomfortable, and felt like they were just there for the sake of drama and the need to have an antagonist (which wasn't needed, not every story needs an antagonist to have conflict). But for Starlight's first focus episode since the Season 6 premiere, it did enough to justify her getting more screen time that she was ultimately denied.

40. The Last Roundup, Written by Amy Keating Rogers
The controversy over Derpgate still feels fresh, despite this episode airing over four and a half years ago. But we're not here to talk about that, we're here to talk about what was perhaps the last truly good Applejack focus episode, before she would ultimately become stale within a season or two. However, it was Pinkie Pie who ended up stealing the show here, getting some of her greatest non-focus episode writing here. Just about every joke with her hit home, to the point where it's easy to forget she wasn't the character of focus. It's a shame that with the exception of "Appleloosa's Most Wanted", Applejack's rodeo career never went anywhere after this episode, it seemed like it had the potential to get her off the farm and do something new with her character.

39. Secret of My Excess, Written by M. A. Larson
Another one of Spike's best episodes prior to Season 6, this one seemed to have Spike finally confess his feelings to Rarity only for her to seem to imply she already knew. Heck, Sparity got a huge shot in the arm with this episode, in addition to more fandom jokes about Rarity being a marshmallow. And let's not forget about Spikezilla, which was undeniably the highlight of the episode, even "Ponies The Anthology II" couldn't resist making a joke about it. On top of that, it was great to see Twilight care about Spike's well being for a change, instead of appearing to just ignore him or abuse him.

38. Applebuck Season, Written by Amy Keating Rogers
With Lauren Faust no longer writing episodes, and not serving as story editor at all, this episode had to prove the show could manage without Lauren looking over the shoulder of her writers and holding their hand. And boy did this episode accomplish that, big time! It's really saying something when Applejack's first focus episode, way early into the show's run, is often considered her best potrayl in a focus episode (Brony Anyalst and reviewer Tommy Oliver, back before he left the show, posted a video exploring this problem more in depth and it still rings true to this day). And until Season 5, this would be the most Big Macintosh would ever speak in an episode, and the only time he would speak without it being established that he's not much of a talker.

37. The Times They Are A Changeling, Written by Kevin Burke and Chris "Doc" Wyatt, Story by Michael Vogel, Kevin Burke, and Chris "Doc" Wyatt
Oh boy were the stakes high going into this episode, two writers who had only previously written for shows like Ultimate Spider Man and Avengers Assemble got picked to write this episode who's synopsis made it clear this episode was going to try and tackle the subject of racism, a very relevant topic not just in the U.S. (which was in the midst of a very nasty and bitter presidential election) but also all around the world in the wake of the Global Finanical Crisis and concerns about the refugee crisis and terrorism. With Disney having already addressed the issue earlier in the year with their hugely successful film Zootopia, fans wondered if FiM had what it took to address racism in a similarly mature and appropriate fashion. Well, to some extent it did and to some extent it didn't. In spite of some clunky exposition and a cheesy Spike song during the climax, this episode managed to impress people who had been expecting the worst. And it managed to cement Season 6 as Spike's best season of potrayals, mostly thanks to Michael Vogel.

36. Sisterhooves Social, Written by Cindy Morrow
The first of two Sweetie Belle focus episodes and the first episode in which Twilight didn't appear or get mentioned at all, this episode really did a lot for Rarity and Sweetie Belle. The former of which would consistently remember the lesson she learned here up until Season 6, and the latter of which would transition away from being the ditz as she was depicted here, into a rather smart and sweet little kid. Heck, this episode even introduced Sweetie Belle and Rarity's parents, if for no other reason than to discredit the fan theory of Rarity actually being Sweetie Belle's mother. While Applejack and Apple Bloom's sibling dynamic may have been a little too perfect here, it was definitely more enjoyable to watch compared to the dynamic they would show in Seasons 4 through 6 (can we agree to stop having that sort of conflict? It's just so painful to watch).

35. Amending Fences, Written by M. A. Larson
Going all the way back to the very first episode of the show for Twilight's first solo focus episode in some time, M. A. Larson introduced us to new fandom waifu material in the form of Minuette, and new Twilight Sparkle foil in the form of Moondancer, perhaps the most likely example of what Twilight would've been like had she never discovered the magic of friendship. Fresh off her success voicing Adagio Dazzle and Octavia, Kazumi Evans proved to be surprisingly effective at potraying Moondancer, even in her breakdown. And hey, last time I checked, TwiDancer is still going strong, though Moondancer still sadly remains without a character tag of her own (seriously mods, what's the hold up?).

34. Make New Friends But Keep Discord, Written by Natasha Levinger
Apparently it's a good thing this episode turned out the way it did, because according to some interviews Natasha has given since, it turns out that she was originally planning to have Discord revert to his old ways and be outright antagonistic in his jealousy of Tree Hugger. If that had been the case, this episode would've bombed horribly, especially since it would've been Discord's first appearance since the end of Season 4 and it probably would've ruined his redemption arc for good. Thankfully, someone put their foot down and said Discord had to remain at least mostly reformed in his antics, and so we got an episode that treated him as something besides an excuse to throw out pop culture references (heck, we got a reference of a reference, and you thought Robin Williams referencing Robin Williams was weird).

33. Rarity Takes Manehattan, Written by Dave Polsky
What can I say about this episode that I haven't already said? I've mentioned how it marked Dave's transition (at least temporarily) into a more serious writer. I've mentioned how this was Rarity's long awaited return to the spotlight after being denied a focus episode in Season 3 (she was planned to have "Spike At Your Service" but Meghan felt Rarity came across as too mean and had it changed to Applejack instead, no word on how far into the story that change was made or if there are any remaints of that original vision). I've mentioned Coco Pommel who's fanbase exploded almost overnight. I've mentioned Suri Polomare as the anti Rarity and a very realistic and interesting protagonist. Heck, I think I've even mentioned how this episode's moral was a good one. Just because some will take advantage of your generosity doesn't mean you should abandon it (though expecting to be compensated all the time for doing good deeds is wrong, sure a compliment or an occasional favor is nice, but just doing a good deed for its own sake should be enough encouragement).

32. Slice of Life, Written by M. A. Larson
Making it to 100 episodes and becoming Hasbro's longest running show to date was certainly a cause for celebration, though some were admittedly mixed on the idea of giving background ponies the spotlight instead of our main characters. But leave it to M. A. Larson to go all out with this fandom love letter and leave everyone feeling largely satisfied. We got Derpy speaking once again (though for the sake of controversy she had to be credited as Muffins/Bubbles), Peter New delivering a splendid David Tennet impression for Time Turner (albeit with hints of some of the other Doctors), Lyra and Bon Bon being together (including the bit about Bon Bon actually being Special Agent Sweetie Drops, which G. M. Berrow would explore more in depth in one of her tie in chapter books), and so much more to talk about. Sure, it may have been jumping the shark a little, but as this episode would prove sometimes you can jump the shark intentionally and then continue on next episode as if nothing ever happened.

31. Equestria Games, Written by Dave Polsky
Being forced to do damage control and salvage his vision for what many hoped to be a long lasting story arc, Dave Polsky gave what was considered by many to be the pinicle of Spike episodes until Season 6. Doing the best with what he was given, Dave decided to use the titular games as a backdrop to have Spike save the day on his own accord instead of cleaning up a mess he created. And in spite of maybe that cringe comedy segment that Cathy Wesluck improvised, this episode managed to juggle its large cast of characters quite well and wrap up an arc that had sadly gone off the rails.

30. Wonderbolt Academy, Written by Merriweather Williams
What was originally intended to be the conclusion of Rainbow Dash's character arc, this episode apparently attracted controversy after being leaked early, due to having O.C.s being snuck in the background and then hastily covered up. But that controversy soon died down, thanks to the debate over Lightning Dust's behavior and who was responsible for what ultimately unfolded, as well as what was at one point a surprisingly strong straight ship in the form of RariLane. Merriweather Williams may have ultimately not worked out for the show, but at least with this episode she managed to do well on her own.

29. Crystal Empire Parts 1 and 2, Written by Meghan McCarthy
Kicking off the controversial half season that was Season 3, this two parter started to mark the end of the golden years for the Brony fandom, as debate over the show's direction now that Lauren Faust was gone led many a reviewer to start becoming vocal in their dislike of the show and eventually caused many of the first generation reviewers to leave, some on graceful terms and others on noticeably less pleasing terms. Anyway, this two parter managed to justify Shining Armor and Princess Cadence's inclusions in the show, and King Sombra proved to be a surprisingly refresh (if at times maybe bland) villain with his cautious planning. The IDW comics would attempt to expand on his backstory eventually, but when they then tried to follow up on it, the resulting story arc led to what just about everyone considers the new low point for the IDW comics main series.

28. A Canterlot Wedding Parts 1 and 2, Written by Meghan McCarthy
In spite of some bumps in the road, including the often criticized scene of everyone walking out on Twilight after she accuses Cadence, this two parter proved to be a surprisingly enjoyable one given that the promotional material left a lot to be desired and caused some people to believe it was going to be a story about the mane six cloning themselves to manage the struggles of planning a wedding. In her only appearance to date to include the echo filter in her voice (apparently it was dropped in all subsequent appearances because the DHX staff thought it made her too hard to understand for some reason), Queen Chrysalis touched off a very noticeable subject of debate among the Brony fandom about the morality of her actions and whether or not she was right to do what she did. But we're not going to talk about those dime a dozen changeling redemption fics that the fandom pushed out in 2012 and into 2013, un-uh.

27. The Cutie Mark Chronicles, Written by M. A. Larson
Perhaps the first signs that Lauren Faust's intended visions for the show were not going to materialize, since if she had her way none of the mane six would've had parents at all in this episode, and that would've robbed of Night Light and Twilight Velvet (named for their similarities to G1 ponies), and Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz as well as arguably Limestone and Marble Pie (remember when people called them Inky and Blinky and thought they were twins?). This was the first CMC episode since their introduction that truly made them feel like enjoyable characters, instead of having them constantly missing the point and getting into very annoying antics. And let's not forget about how Rainbow Dash was used to generate hype for this episode, this was back when the Brony fandom was just getting started, and Rainbow Dash was just starting to become a fan favorite for many people.

26. The Mane Attraction, Written by Amy Keating Rogers
Amy Keating Rogers' swan song before she left for Disney at the end of Season 5, this episode was a huge parody of Lady Gaga in many ways, even a controversy surrounding her and her manager when Weird Al asked to parody her with "Perform This Way". This would also become the only Applejack focus episode since "The Last Roundup" that everyone remembered as being about Applejack and showed how she could work as a voice of reason and straight mare for other characters. Rara got a whole bunch of fanfics dedicated to her, and her popularity isn't going anywhere anytime soon, especially thanks to Lena Hall's outstanding performance as Countess Coloratura a.k.a Rara.

25. Sleepless in Ponyville, Written by Corey Powell
Before she would go on to fall from grace hard in Season 4, Corey Powell started off so strong and so full of potential with the first Scootaloo focus episode of the series. While we didn't get to see her house or her parents, Scootaloo proved she could handle the spotlight on her own, and in another blow to Lauren Faust's intended vision, we got to see Rainbow Dash take Scootaloo under her wing and become Scootaloo's big sister. Let's not forget Sweetie Belle guilt tripping Rarity into coming along with her, she truly learned from the best when it comes to emotional manipulation.

24. Twilight's Kingdom Parts 1 and 2, Written by Meghan McCarthy
Admittedly, this two parter struggled for a while when it came to deciding who's story it was supposed to be. So for a time two stories seemed to overlap, Discord getting a chance to prove himself and complete his redemption by tracking down and capturing Lord Triek, and Twilight trying to open up the mysterious chest from the Tree of Harmony to prove her role as a princess amounted to something (wrapping up what had shown the potential to be an overarching story arc that ultimately only popped up occasionally throughout Season 4). When it finally decided to focus on Twilight, it did unfortunately make a few questionable decisions in deciding to have Discord betray his friends and side with Tirek, and in Princess Celestia not having a back up plan in case Discord went rouge. But an impressive DBZ-esque fight between Twilight and Tirek, and the justification for Discord being set free at the end of Season 3, did a lot to make up for it. And then after this episode came an insanely long hiatus that lasted almost a year, yet the fandom found ways to survive.

23. The Cutie Re-Mark Parts 1 and 2, Written by Josh Haber
Though part of this episode would be spoiled by the early airing of "Equestria Girls: Friendship Games" (which Josh Haber also wrote) on Discovery Family, and Starlight's redemption would become a new lightning rod for fandom drama, this two parter proved to a surprising change of pace in that for once it wasn't relying on new powers or new characters to save the day (the last time a season finale had done this had been in Season 3). Starlight Glimmer came back for revenge, and we got to see a look at what would've happened to Equestria had Twilight and her friends not been around to stop the numerous big bads that sprang up.

22. The Crystalling Parts 1 and 2, Written by Josh Haber
Haber managed to prove he could work with reformed Starlight, and kicked off a season that would become the most devisive since Season 3. While the introduction of Princess Flurry Heart admittedly met with meh and even cries of foul from the fandom (with the show itself appearing to decide it wouldn't address the world building issues this brought up), and this two parter would end up juggling more plots than it could handle, it managed to offer some stuff that was worth praising. Including the first speaking roles of Night Light and Twilight Velvet, Spike getting his best two parter potrayal in some time (a sign of things to come for him in Season 6), and Starlight's attempt at reconnecting with Sunburst (who ended up becoming a sort of male Moondancer).

21. Spice Up Your Life, Written by Michael Vogel
RariPie really got its dues in Season 6, getting two whole episodes focused on it and a third with a good hint of it. This would also kick off a second helping of cutie map missions, this one taking us back to Canterlot and to Restuarant Row to visit The Tasty Treat, a nice Indian themed restuarant. It was nice to see a map mission where the two characters were in agreement about the problem and what had to be done to fix it, but ultimately went about that in the wrong way. "It's Gonna Work" really captured that Bollywood musical feel, but I could've done without the insulting anti-critic message in strawman critic Zesty, or Rarity holding a massive idiot ball. Still, of the RariPie stuff we got in Season 6, this was probably the best of it.

20. To Where And Back Again, Written by Josh Haber and Michael Vogel
While the set-up was rather clunky in most aspects, the payoff was more than worth it for this season finale that saw Discord and Trixie firmly cement themselves as reformed and redeemed, and Starlight Glimmer assemble the Equestrian equivalent of the Suicide Squad. We also had the return of Queen Chrysalis, and a trip to the changeling kingdom. Oh sure, there was the return to Starlight's old village, and her visit from Princess Luna in her dreams in the first part, but it was pretty much what we got in the second part as a pay off that made this episode.

19. A Hearth's Warming Tail, Written by Michael Vogel
Michael Vogel's debut onto the show for "Yet Another Christmas Carol" that in spite of being a story we've seen parodied and referenced many times before (including by The Muppets and Mickey Mouse) managed to be refreshing and unique for pony's take on the tried and true classic. Admittedly in the same boat as episodes such as "Equestria Games" in that it was begging for a second part but had to make do with one, this episode crammed as much as it could into the one part to ensure it wouldn't be forgotten, and it worked. Now if only we'd gotten to see Discord as the Jakob Marley expy like they'd originally planned.

18. Suited for Success, Written by Charlotte Fullerton
Pretty much where the show started to hit its stride and establish itself alongside Adventure Time as part of the revival of cartoons and western animation in the 2010's, as well as where Rarity began to come into her own as a character and the show knew what it wanted to do with her and with itself. Even to this day this episode remains a fan favorite, and so often it's cited as one of the show's best (some even calling it THE best episode).

17. Hurricane Fluttershy, Written by Cindy Morrow
Remember what I said about Fluttershy and Scootaloo episodes bringing out the best in Rainbow Dash? Well this episode, which remains Cindy Morrow's undispusted masterpiece of emotion and a classic underdog story, proves it. Fluttershy displayed some amazing character growth here, and it would take Season 6 to truly full capitalize on that growth without once slipping up. Rainbow Dash also shined here, helping Fluttershy overcome her own flaws and knowing when to give up on her original plans to be the best.

16. Brotherhooves Social, Written by Dave Polsky
Before Season 6 seemed to have him regress back to his old comedic ways, this emotional masterpiece proved to be an outstanding Big MacintoshxApple Bloom episode that could've easily chosen to go for the low route of the "Guy dressing in drag and no one notices" type of story that would've been a huge disappointment. It would also mark Big Mac's biggest speaking role since Season 1, a change that sadly was not meant to last as Season 6 would go right back to making him the silent "Eeyup"/"Eenope" type of character.

15. Dungeons & Discords, Written by Nick Confalone
Six seasons in and we finally got an actual nod to the IDW comics (hey, better late than never), as we saw Discord hang out with Spike and Big Macintosh for our first ever guys only focus episode. And it didn't disappoint at all, not even when the speculated focus of the real life game of Ogres and Oubliettes turned out to take a back seat to Discord's antics and the set up ultimately got more focus than the actual resolution. It was great to see the bond between Spike and Big Macintosh, and Peter New gave a wonderful performance as The Squizard.

14. The Cutie Map (a.k.a Cutie Markless) Parts 1 and 2, Written by Scott Sonneborn and M. A. Larson, Story by Meghan McCarthy
A splendid treat for the fandom after enduring the lengthy hiatus between the end of Season 4 in May of 2014 and the start of Season 5 in April of 2015 (thankfully the next hiatus would be much shorter), that also introduced us to, what was for a while the best villain we'd ever seen on the show. Starlight Glimmer served as a powerful reminder that the most dangerous monsters are often the ones that don't appear to be monsters, but are hidden in plain sight. The equal four of Party Favor, Sugar Belle, Night Glider, and Double Diamond, all proved to be very entertaining and enjoyable, and it was a surprising change of pace to see the mane six take a back seat to the equal four, while both groups were given their chance to shine. It was even more of a surprise to see a villain not get reformed or defeated at the end of their debut two parter, though Starlight's return would admittedly not get handled as well as it could've been handled.

13. Princess Twilight Sparkle Parts 1 and 2, Written by Meghan McCarthy
Pretty much a second pilot for the show that proved it could work with the changes made to the status quo at the end of Season 3, and it was a surprise to not only see glimpses of Princess Celestia's past but also see the show give up a major plot device it had previously used in quite a few episodes. Even Discord managed to be treated well here, as at least here the mane six had a reason to be weary of him and not trust him completely. The hinted story arc of the search for the keys ultimately only amounted to a few select episodes throughout Season 4, but for a time speculation ran high as to just what was in that chest.

12. A Dog and Pony Show, Written by Amy Keating Rogers
The episode that proved Tabitha St. Germain was perfectly cast in the role of Rarity, as she gave a splendid performance in an episode aimed completely at knocking down and deconstructing the damsel in distress trope. And of course, let's not forget Applejack snapping Spike out of his fantasy before he can kiss her, and the rest of the mane six getting a chance to prove they aren't pushovers by taking down the diamond dogs.

11. Magical Mystery Cure, Written by M. A. Larson
More like "Magical Musical Cure" (sorry, couldn't resist), this episode established what remains the dividing point for the fandom to this day, Twilight Sparkle becoming an alicorn princess. M. A. Larson managed to do the best with what he was given, and the songs featured in this episode that was at one point planned to be the series finale, remain some of the best the show has to offer, especially "What My Cutie Mark is Telling Me" (which got a background six version), "I Have To Find A Way" (which got a parody version in the form of "I Have To Find My Spray"), and "A True True Friend". Oh, and let's not forget all those fanfics and comics about how Twilight died that got published prior to Season 4.

10. Stranger Than Fanfiction, Written by Josh Haber and Michael Vogel
Perhaps Rainbow Dash's only good focus episode in Season 6, comedian Patton Oswalt was tapped to voice Quibble Pants in this episode, and Patton's acting singlehandedly made this episode. I'm not kidding, Quibble Pants is absolutely hilarious, which is a good thing considering how easily he could've bombed and been a strawman nitpicking fan. Following on the heels of "Spice Up Your Life", this episode provided a much more meaningful and mature look at criticism that at times could feel a bit meta but was still very well written. And this episode even managed to make the concept of Daring Do being real work far better than it had in "Daring Don't".

9. Gauntlet of Fire, Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
One of the few Season 6 episodes everyone can agree was good, this episode could've easily been a disappointing rehash of Spike's worst outings, but instead it became the Spike episode fans always wanted and Spike himself deserved. The episode played to his strengths, turned Garble into the butt monkey he was meant to be, and introduced Princess Ember the tsundere who established a ship with Spike that seemed to finally give Sparity fans reason for concern. And of course we can't forget the hamminess that was Dragon Lord Torch.

8. Sonic Rainboom, Written by M. A. Larson
Still one of the best episodes of the show, and for many still perhaps the best episode overall. There's really not much I can say about this that hasn't already been said. It's been over five and a half years since it first aired, yet we're still talking about it and praising it to no end. So if that's not a testment to everything this episode did right, I don't know what is. It's still probably Rainbow Dash's best episode, even now.

7. Party of One, Written by Meghan McCarthy
It's so surprising how this episode reminded so many of that infamous grimdark fanfic we're not going to talk about, and it even led to a sort of retcon that had all of Pinkie's appearances there since be with her flat mane she showed here. Poor Pinkamina would get such a bad rap from the fandom as a result, as that is what fans took to calling straight mane and tail Pinkie. Thankfully, those trends seemed to have stopped now, and for good reason. It's also surprising to see a time when Meghan actually could write Pinkie Pie well, instead of always struggling with her.

6. Keep Calm and Flutter On, Written by Dave Polsky and Teddy Antonio
Another episode that was begging for a second part, but made the most of the one part it did get. This episode launched a ship that would go on to outlast all serious competition in the form of FlutterCord, and it was nice to see some character progression from Fluttershy here after Season 3 had largely just sort of brushed it aside and not really addressed it.

5. For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils, Written by Dave Polsky
The second and better of the two Sweetie Belle focus episodes and the only LunaxCMC episode not to be brought into question in terms of lesson after "Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?", we also got to see Sweetie Belle appear to finally overcome her stage fright here, even if her cutie mark ultimately wouldn't be in singing. Oh, and five year old Sweetie Belle is oh so adorable, it should practically be a crime. Heck, this episode was sort of like "Yet Another Christmas Carol" before "A Hearth's Warming Tail" in Season 6 (at least one person made a DBZ abridged joke from this fact).

4. Lesson Zero, Written by Meghan McCarthy
As I've said before this was the very first episode of the show I saw (I'd planned on it being "Baby Cakes" but missed the airtime and had to catch it later), so maybe I'm a little biased towards this episode. But can you really blame me? There's so much this episode did right, and so much we remember it for. Like with "Sonic Rainboom" and "Party of One", what more can I talk about that hasn't already been said about this wonderful masterpiece?

3. Pinkie Pride, Written by Amy Keating Rogers and Jayson Thiessen
Amy Keating Rogers was always big on music it seems, especially with this episode that saw the famous parody artist Weird Al Yankovic guest star as Cheese Sandwich, a role clearly made for him and a role he voiced to absolute perfection. But Weird Al wasn't the only reason to sing this episode's praises, Pinkie Pie was wonderful here, to the point where despite her being in the wrong we were still rooting for her to succeed. Now that's a sign of how to write characters well, characters we can sympathize with and even sometimes root for even if they're in the wrong. Heck, even the potential problem of Pinkie's friends abandoing her for Cheese Sandwich got addressed and they apologized for it. And out of all the key episodes in Season 4, this one was undeniably the best. Oh, and of course there's CheesePie, which is still going strong.

2. Simple Ways, Written by Josh Haber
Probably the last time it was possible to say something new was being with Rarity and Applejack's interactions, which reached the pinnacle of their comedic moments when they ended up swapping roles. Applejack becoming a Southern Belle, and Rarity becoming a stereotypical country hick (or hillbilly if you prefer). Trenderhoof attracted some criticism for being a waifu stealer (though not to the same extent as Flash Sentry), but it was nice to see a celebrity who actually wanted to get away from it all and leave his rich and eccentric life behind (even if he was doing it just to get close to Applejack).

1. Crusaders of The Lost Mark, Written by Amy Keating Rogers
Basically "Magical Mystery Cure" for the CMC, and the episode that finally gave them their cutie marks on the five year anniversary of the show. It was most definitely worth the wait, and reformed Diamond Tiara became insanely popular amongst the fandom (for good reason, many people who used to hate her were now writing fics about her and changing their opinion of her), even if the introduction of Spoiled Rich as her mother came completely out of left field. With memorable songs such as "The Vote Song (Vote For Pip)", "The Pony I Wanna Be", and "Light of Your Cutie Mark", and Diamond Tiara becoming something besides the cliche mean girl, on top of what I mentioned above, there was just no way this episode could been anything but number one. It could still be topped, but it would take a lot for that to happen. We'll have to see what Season 7 brings, "Spice Up Your Life" came pretty close to being my new favorite episode, but some poor writing decisions ultimately held it back.

Whew, and there you have it. Come back tomorrow when we take a look at the Top Ten Worst Opening Sequences of FiM.

Comments

[superfun]

Rarity Takes Manehatten, The Crystal Empire, Keep Calm and Flutter On, Princess Twilight, and Dungeons and Discord would definitely not be in my personal top 50.

I don't know what would make up the 40 outside of the top ten, which mostly consists of season 6 episodes, some season 5 episodes, and 3 or 4 pre-season 5 episodes.

[Comickook]

I agree quite strongly with MOST of these picks (particularly "Amending Fences" [though it would have made more sense to make it a Whole Episode Flashback set in early-to-mid Season 1{since it seems kind of out of character for Twilight to wait THAT long before cleaning up one of her own messes}], "Slice of Life" and "Gauntlet of Fire").