See * for disclaimer

A Friend in Deed (February 18th 2012, 22 minutes)

Summary: Pinkie encounters a donkey who doesn't want to be friends. Challenge accepted!

Wow, legwarmers. Haven't seen those since the 80's. The feathers hanging from a clip on the headband, check. The music's pretty appropriate to that era as well.

We've seen the cows talk before, but this time one is acting entirely ponyish with the going to shops and the like.

And Matilda the donkey.

Now, we have the problem of wondering how much of this is happening in Pinkie's head. We could take this as evidence of Pinkie having access to magic, with the making of the skip rope go without anyone holding it. However, some of those fillies *are* unicorns, and may be playing along. Or this is something Pinkie is just imagining.

And three governmental-style ponies. We know Mayor Mare, the other mare with the gavel cutie-mark is likely a judge, and the stallion seems to fit right in. Now, most Western legal and governmental systems come from Norse customary law, with the Roman need to write everything down, and the Gaelic need to argue about *everything*. This generates the three customary branches: Executive (the ones that keep the law), Legislative (the ones that write the law), and the Judicial (the ones that argue the law). So this would mean that this stallion is likely somehow connected to the legislature.

And more evidence on the side of there being way more mares than stallions in this town. Or maybe the mares are just more likely to join into an impromptu musical number.

Cranky Doodle Donkey. Yankee Doodle Dandy is actually called 'Yankee Doodle Boy' and was originally part of the musical 'Little Johnny Jones', all about an American jockey (based on the real life Tod Sloan) going to England to ride in a big race (the Epsom Derby), and trying to deal with all the various foreigners.

Donkeys are quite different from ponies in real life. They don't form herds, and their fear reaction is more likely to be to freeze in place rather than run. They are also harder to frighten in general, leading them to get that stubborn reputation. In my experience they are also a little more playful than horses, and sneaky.

Curious. That cart has hinges on the back gate and on the front. Given the nature of ponies, I could see that as being useful.

Yikes, instant calliope/treat wagon. I want one.

Was that Derpy in the snow globe? Manehatten, Fillydelphia.

Dash is reading another Daring Do book.

Why is it that most of the nightmare fuel in this series involves Pinkie?

Pinkie in a fursuit. I... wat