10 Days of Pony! 9: Lesson Zero · 7:23pm Dec 16th, 2016
Crazy ponies? Yes, please.
Fluttershy going ballistic at the Grand Galloping Gala was one of the highlights for season 1. I never imagined they would try to outdo themselves.
You go watch this episode after the more recent seasons, then come back and realize this nutcase is going to be the Princess of Friendship. Celestia help us all.
Twilight realizes she hasn't sent a letter to Princess Celestia in almost a week, believing her assignment was to learn and write about friendship every week.
You know, her teaching method with Starlight is starting to make a little more sense.
She must rectify this problem or risk getting sent back to...
Magic kindergarten!
Is that an alicorn back there?
I don't know what Twilight's complaining about. I'd kill to go back to kindergarten and not have to do anything.
What we get out of this episode is Twilight's slipping sanity on her path to find a friendship problem to solve.
Season 2 is guilty of spouting many a meme for pony, with "Lesson Zero" being a prime conspirator. Look at all the inside fandom jokes including, but not limited to:
"The. Worst. Possible. Thing!"
Plus the fainting couch. Twilight stop making that look, you're giving the fandom ideas.
Nuclear rainbows.
That's how Fallout: Equestria happened.
Bear wrestling, neck snapping Fluttershy.
They'd say, "this show is for little girls." And then you'd show them this.
And of course:
Clock is ticking, Twilight. Clock. Is. Ticking!
Memes aside, seeing the most rational character slip further than her freak out in "Feeling Pinkie Keen" wasn't something I expected, but very much enjoyed.
I liked it because look, pretty miss princess isn't perfect! She's borderline psychotic!
And if this show has proven anything other than friendship is magic, it's that crazy ponies are best ponies. Twilight's madness aside, this is a great episode for Spike as well. Like we said in the previous blog, Spike is a great straight-man to whichever pony has lost their mind that week.
"I don't get paid enough for this."
This episode really solidifies their relationship as one of the best in the series.
He constantly serves as Twilight's anchor, and while he does see that Twilight is blowing her problem way out of portion, he still takes steps to help her.
Which sadly can't be said for the rest of her friends.
You don't expect Rarity to sit on the ground, do you?
They encourage Twilight to stop worrying and just enjoy the picnic. Nothing wrong with that because, again, she is taking this way too seriously.
But, I think if they spent a little more time listening to why Twilight was so freaked out, they might have been a little more sympathetic. Not in the wrong, but they could have been more right.
This of course leads us to Twilight's defining disaster.
Wait, I forgot a meme!
Gah! What happened to her eyes!
This is what happens when she really likes your mane!
A brawl to end them all!
Twilight manages to ensnare more than half the town into chasing after her Smarty Pants doll, creating some delicious chaos that would make Discord proud.
Didn't turn into a raging she-demon but she still brainwashed half the town! Ha! Suck it, purple dumb!
She's incurred the wrath of the sun.
Yeah, if Celestia has to come down and clean up your mess, you know you done fucked up!
Your princess is not amused.
Oooh, that face. That is the face of disappointment. That is a face that haunts my dreams to this day.
The fab five plead their case to defend Twilight, making up for blowing her off earlier. Their "punishment" neatly sets up the next seasonal arc, if you care to call it that.
Friendship letters for everybody!
Spike is best friend.
Overall, a good episode for Spike, crazy episode for Twilight, and hilarious for everyone else. We got to see a character flaw that would be exploited in every fan fiction to follow.
We got to see Celestia in "serious business" mode and scold Twilight.
And we got some great memes and faces to amuse ourselves with. If anyone still had doubts about this show, they didn't have them now.
Characters, comedy. Tomorrow, we show the third thing that makes episodes great and memorable.
World building! Join us to see which episode made number 8!
Does this look like the face of sanity to you?
Does it?
The Princess of Friendship, everyone!
Yeah, its episodes like this where Twilight's worship of Princess Celestia goes too far ("Must find friendship problem to solve so I can write a friendship report!"). Well, that and her OCD, which is still a big thing to the present. Poor Spike, he never really gets the respect he deserves for keeping a handle on Twilight. Sometimes it seems like he's not there to act as portable mailbox, but more as babysitter for Twilight.
Figures that Sunset would like seeing Twilight like this.
Sunset's still salty about what happened?
Anyway, great summary of that episode!
What more can be said about this episode? It's funny, I loved it, and it's a good one to show newcomers that ponies are more than what they seem.
Also the first episode to showcase Twilight's new magic glow.
4342338 She was left in a crater, abandoned at the mercy of humans she'd screwed up, and cursed on top of that.
Still waiting for her to slug Princess Twilight, now that I think about it.
Anyway, great summation of the lesson.
Also, Sunset, yes, that was an alicorn in kindergarten. No, I don't know why she's there. Maybe it's a mutant pegusus with a debilitating disease that makes bone shaped like a horn burst from her forehead every so often.
4342338 Salty? Me? Of course not. *Eye twitch*
4342357
If you say so. 
4342356 Well she was the school bully, and she was required to turn herself around. Just saying.
Just a little humor.
No harm intended.
Nobody's perfect, and hints of the cracked sanity seen here still show up from time to time. Just look at Prince Rutherford's visit. It could be argued that this was a sign of lasting psychological damage after Discord, but I suspect some of that crazy had been brewing under the surface for a long time.
Well as it says; ingenuity and madness are both faces of the same coin.
This episode gets a lot of crap from the fandom because Twilight's sooooo OOC, but I don't see it that way. Right up until the point where she ascends to royalty, one of Twilight's major drives in life is to please Princess Celestia. We had barely more than a season's worth of character development for anypony at this point, and the rest of the Mane 6 had each shown less-than-admirable sides of themselves. Twilight remained very much a teacher's pet, and she was still growing into adulthood.
Plus, it's damn good fun to see Twily lose her marbles.
That's why, when Starlight apologists point to "Lesson Zero" as a defense for Starlight's transgressions, I disagree.
Still one of my favorite episodes.
And on the subject of memes inspired by this episode, I got into the fun once, long ago, on that score with this:
mythrilmoth.net/misc/bspills.jpg
So that's what your gonna do, making a list of your favorite episode with, each time, a good, and different, reason to why you chose them, making us laugh with silly jokes, making us rethink to why we love the show, giving us an opportunity to talk about what we prefer and how we can disagree and still be cool about it, all that with dialogs with Sunset Shimmer, instead of writing the next chapters of Spectacular Seven?
media.giphy.com/media/3JAScruUwZOtq/giphy.gif
Silly Sunset~~. That alicorn filly is YOU!! this whole thing is a wonderful dream where Purple Dumb is being punished by your Mom, and you're already an alicorn and everybody loves you!!
I like how sunset was the one to ask if that was an alicorn.
Sunset REALLY wanted to get that powerup instead of Twilight it seems!
This one is one of my top 5 favorites!
It is also Tara Strong's favorite episode so far.
When crazy ponies get crazy, they are best ponies.
Uh... No offense Sunset.
4342816
Careful dude she'll get pissed. Still, her anger issues are hilarious! 
4342557 Silly child, you're assuming I'm not doing both.
4342595 Aside from Purple Dumb being punished, this dream is too saccharine for me. Besides, that alicorn looks nothing like me.
4342816 You know what, I'll let this one slide for not mentioning a certain event and certain things that occurred there.
4343180
Guilty as charged.
You should have seen her face and heard her say "You have a lot to think about" when Twilight had accused Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of being evil. It still gives me goosebumps when I think about it. She never told you about it, didn't she?
Right Sunny. And you never had any breakdowns when you were Celestia's student.
Twi's got a point. Not only that... but considering the breakdowns we've seen you have...
Just sayin'.
(That being said, most of my days are Lesson Zero: me going crazy because of problems that exist only in my own head.)
4344356 Step onto this side of the mirror and I'll show you what a 'breakdown' looks like.
Calls Twilight insane while torturing an entire high school out of spite and then promptly turning into a literal raging she demon that tried to murder Twilight and her friends and then attempt to take over Equestria with a half baked army of teenage zombies vs two goddesses and the princess of love plus Discord and the other elements of harmony...
Starlight if you would?
Hello pot, its your old friend Kettle; just calling to compliment how incredibly black you are today
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Thank you ladies
Don't worry Sunset, we're ALL a little nutty, I mean have you SEEN Smile HD?
Yeeeeeeah um lets not remember THAT one...
Oh c'mon it wasn't THAT bad...
WE ALL DIED!
Yeah but at least Fluttershy and Rainbow tried to fight back a little...especially you Flutters
4345272 That's it! Someone's getting punched!
No, Sunset, no hurting fans!
It's the princess and her wannabe clone, they're not fans!
Bad, Sunset! Bad!
4345281 -Sits back and sips mountain dew voltage and grins shit eating grin- This result pleases me...Starlight?
Yes Midkight?
No mercy...unleash thy power...
Oooooh can I do the thing?
Do you promise not to lose control and destroy half the planet?
Maybe...
Then yes
YAY! BRING IT SUN-BUTT JR!
-fires party cannon- SHOTS FIRED!!!
Must you instigate these things?
I'm bored and I've wanted to see them fight for awhile...
Fine but when she kicks your butt don't come crying to me
Oh please she wouldn't dare
Yeah; she'll have to go through me first
*Let's go of Sunset.* All right, Sunny, power up to Daydream and kick some ass, because Starlight Whimper is clearly asking for it.
*Cracks knuckles* Oh yeah, this is gonna be fun.
4345476 and so it begins...Sunny darling you know I love you and I place my votes on you...so don't disappoint...and Starlight? Have fun.
Oh I will plus I don't like the way she treats Trixie...other world or not that's my bestie your messing with!
Can't we all just be friends and read books? We all like books don't we?
To quote Godzilla 2015..."Let them fight"
Neeeerd
Hey pot...kettle here just to say your black...tryna join this fight?
I've been waiting to see this match but two of me vs one of her is beyond overkill
4345281 Salty as ever!
4344367 Want some spaghetti and pepper with that salt?
All for humor.
(Yes I know I'm late to this) Whenever I think about or watch this episode, this video always comes to mind:
It really
doesn't helpis kinda awesome that I saw that before I watched the episode. Makes it much easier to accept it as my headcanon.I happened to rewatch it a few weeks back, still just as good.
Back when the show was good.