13 Horrible Life Lessons My Little Pony Tries To Teach Our Kids

The Horrible Life Lesson: Your friends are just stepping stones, and you should be rewarded for their good deeds.

In the third season finale, Twilight Sparkle becomes a princess after passing three tests. First, she demonstrated sacrifice back in the season opener. Second, she learned about the Elements of Harmony from her friends. Finally, she created new magic by altering an old spell.

According to head writer Meghan McCarthy, it was the second test that mattered most. She stated in an exclusive with Entertainment Weekly that being a princess is simply "being a good pony who shares the gifts that they have been given with others."

This raises a major issue. If being a princess means sharing your gifts, why does Twilight become a princess by allowing her friends to share their gifts? By McCarthy's definition, aren't Twilight's friends the real princesses?

More specifically, the real princess is Fluttershy. In a previous episode, Keep Calm And Flutter On, she increased Equestria's magical resources by reforming Discord. She made sacrifices by allowing him to trash her house. Her interactions with Discord were loyal, honest, generous, kind and optimistic. She even showed leadership when she refused to let her friends use the Elements of Harmony to keep Discord in line.

McCarthy states that royalty in My Little Pony is earned rather than predestined, but Twilight's rise to power demonstrates the exact opposite. Her friends pass the same tests and demonstrate the same qualities while Twilight profits from their goodness. The lesson to the princesses of the world is that they deserve privilege simply by having good friends. The lesson to the rest of us? Be the best that you can be so that somepony else can reap the rewards.