♪♪
Twilight! Look at the scroll I just got!
♪ [trumpet fanfare] ♪
Do you know what this means?
Uh huh!
Uh, I don't. What's so exciting about a toy crown?
Oh, this is no toy crown.
It's the hard-won helm of the Sibling Supreme!
When Shining Armor and I were small,
we competed over everything.
♪♪
To keep it friendly, our parents gave us gold stars
every time we did something special.
Sharing...
Getting good grades...
Even telling a really funny joke!
And at the end of each week, we'd add up the stars.
♪♪
The sibling with the most would win the crown
of the Sibling Supreme
and bragging rights till next time!
Guess that explains your love of charts.
And so much else.
I always wanted to be Sibling Supreme one day.
Meet me at Celestia's Castle
to decide who deserves the crown once and for all.
Race ya there.
♪♪
Guess I'll... watch the school?
♪ My little pony, my little pony ♪
♪ Aaaahhh ♪
♪ My little Pony ♪
♪ I used to wonder what friendship could be. ♪
♪ My Little Pony ♪
♪ Until you all shared its magic with me. ♪
♪ Big adventure! ♪ ♪ Tons of fun ♪
♪ A beautiful heart! ♪ ♪ Faithful and strong! ♪
♪ Sharing kindness ♪ ♪ it's an easy feat ♪
♪ And magic makes it all complete! ♪
♪ To have my little pony ♪
♪ Do you know you're all my very best friends? ♪
♪♪
[door opens]
[gasp]
You're wearing it?
Look, I know you've always held a grudge
because I left home with this.
Grudge? Pff. What grudge?
Just because you've had it for way longer
than you should have,
and I never got a chance to win it back...
With the return of Sombra, Princess Luna and I
felt it was time to reinforce the castle's defenses.
I said we could do it ourselves,
but some ponies are a bit stubborn.
So I asked our old Captain of the Guard to handle the job.
I've taken the security here to a new level.
The only thing I need now is somepony to test it.
You want me to break into Celestia's castle?
If you can get past my defenses, steal the crown,
and get out, you'll be Sibling Supreme.
Forever.
[dreamy] Forever!
BUT, if you fail, I keep the crown.
DEAL! Wait! Are you sure this counts?
Mom and Dad aren't giving us any stars.
Celestia: I will represent their authority.
And thank you, Twilight. Your help will reveal
if there are any holes in our security.
And there aren't.
I've designed a multi-tiered, impenetrable,
triple-backed-up line of defense.
The castle is surrounded by shards
of Queen Chrysalis' throne.
Thanks to Starswirl, its anti-magic powers are now
tuned to stop anycreature from using a spell to get inside.
You can't fly in either.
Giant fans keep any creature from flying
too close to the castle.
Plus the entrances to the tunnels below the castle
have been sealed. So there's no underground access.
And even if you could get in, which you can't,
I've doubled the ranks of security.
Ponies protect every hallway and door,
which can only be opened with Royal Guard medals.
[zap]
Even if you brought an army...
the throne room is the safest spot in Equestria.
I rigged a floor trap to activate
at the slightest touch.
[metallic ]
But say you avoid the floor.
Still no luck.
Because I've employed Nature's alarm system.
[loud honking]
Geese?
You can hear their honks all the way in Ponyville.
[squawk]
[snap]
Plus they bite.
[squawk]
♪ [pensive music] ♪
♪♪
So that's what we're up against.
That's a barrel and a half of obstacles,
plus a bushel and peck of impenetrability.
And all this is to win some fillyhood competition
with your brother?
It's more than that! OK, it's exactly that.
And to protect Celestia's castle.
If it means that much to you, Twilight, we're in.
I was already in.
C'mon, who doesn't want to hang with geese?
Of course we'll help. But how?
Shining Armor may have come up with some great security,
but he'll never guess Twilight's plan.
We play to our strengths
and defeat all of the security measures.
That way, if one of us fails, the others
will still have a shot at getting the crown.
Pinkie, you'll distract the guards with a surprise party.
Yes sir, Twilight sir!
Applejack, you'll buck your way into the sealed tunnels.
Rainbow Dash, if anypony can outfly those wind turbines,
it's you.
Rarity, you'll sew us guard costumes
so we can sneak past security.
Then Fluttershy will disable the throne room alarm
by charming the geese.
[zap]
It's from Shining Armor.
Dear Twily, Hope your idea isn't just...[muttering]
Tunnels! He guessed your whole plan!
What?
Pinkie party, Rarity costumes...
Signed, the future Sibling Supreme? Oh, come on!
Rarity: Twilight, darling.
Nopony knows you better than your own brother.
So you're saying I should give up?
I'm saying your brother will win.
No matter how brilliant your plan is,
no matter how many variations you try,
it will be something your brother expects
and he'll always win. Unless...
When the perfect chance comes along,
you do something he can't expect. Then, you'll win.
You've been practicing that speech, haven't you?
A little bit. It felt like I rushed. Did I rush it?
Absolutely not.
Oh! No!
Yeah, it was fastish.
We have to do the opposite of what Shining Armor expects.
Therefore, Twilight cannot mastermind the plan...
but I can!
That's...definitely unexpected.
♪♪
How is you making a break-in plan
the opposite of Twilight doing it?
Because my plan is for each of us to devise
our own unexpected part of it!
Allow me to demonstrate.
[chattering]
[door slams open]
We're looking for a pony with information.
[zoom]
We got questions, and you're gonna serve us up
some answers, juice jockey.
Where is the secret entrance to the passages
under Canterlot Castle?
Shining Armor sealed them all. There is no secret entrance.
There's always a secret entrance!
So make like a glass of OJ and spill.
Ooh! Ooh! I know what I can do!
You're gonna need a lookout, so I can be your eye in the sky!
Too low, silly, up here!
♪ [upbeat music] ♪
♪♪
[goofy laughter]
Oh, Pinkie! That tickles!
[giggling]
What?
How about somethin' a little more down to earth. Like...
I distract the guard ponies with a farewell performance
by my alter ego, famous country western super-star,
Apple Chord!
I didn't know you had an alter-ego.
And why would she be giving a farewell performance?
Well, it's a long story.
Back on the farm,
playin' music was about makin' her family smile.
♪♪
Word of her talent spread,
and soon Apple Chord was playin' real shows.
[cheering]
The more she played, the bigger those shows got.
[cheering]
But she missed playin' for her family.
♪ [sad music] ♪
So one day, she gave it all up.
♪♪
Seeing her family smile was all she ever wanted
from her music.
Of course, Apple Chord could come out of retirement
for a farewell concert this one time.
Wait. Did you just make all that up
or did that actually happen?
Um...
It doesn't matter. It's perfect! Fluttershy? Spike?
I guess the opposite of what I'm good at
is being in small spaces.
I always wanted to be a super spy.
Is that the opposite of anything?
Special Agent Fluttershy, target detected below.
It's almost too easy.
♪ [thriller music] ♪
♪♪
[zap]
[explosions]
I guess I'm the only one left that still needs a plan.
Oh, no, darling, that IS the plan. You shall do nothing!
[gasp]
Shining Armor definitely won't expect that.
♪ [military snare drum] ♪
♪♪
♪ [banjo strum] ♪
Applejack? What are you doing?
Applejack? Heh, heh, who's that? My name's Apple Chord
and I've got a couple of songs to play for ya.
Clap your hooves if you know 'em. And a one and a two and a..
♪ My love is like a barrel ♪
♪ A barrel full of hay. ♪
[whistling wind]
[whoosh]
The Wonderbolts did a flyby,
and the only way past those giant fans
and into the castle ducts is here.
But there's no room for mistakes!
Pinkie: Just like space travel!
[pop]
Uh, Pinkie, we're not actually going INTO space, right?
No, silly! I'm dropping you two off
as soon as we're close to the fans.
Then I'm going into space.
♪♪
[thud]
You're up to something, Twily.
Nope. Just looking at the flowers.
[sniff] Ahhh.
Right.
♪♪
Ooh! Maybe Rarity's plan will work!
Canterlot, we have a problem!
[shriek]
I know that one's a crowd favorite.
What's say we play it one more time?
And a one, and a two and a --
[shrieking]
A distraction's a distraction.
[thwack]
♪♪
[clatter]
Where's Spike and Fluttershy?
Did they make it into the castle?
They jumped out right before the balloon went TBBBTHHHH.
But that's all I could see without being in space.
Where I didn't get to go.
Let's hope Rarity and Rainbow Dash had better luck.
What's this? Closed?
The Seedy Juice Joint is always closed
around this time.
Then how can we shake down Ne'er Do Wells
for information?
What sort of information do you need?
Um, the location to a secret entrance
to the passages under Canterlot Castle?
You mean that one?
Yes. Thank you. That will do nicely.
Zephyr Breeze?
Oh, ho ho ho, darling; this couldn't be more perfect.
How is this perfect?
He's the most annoying pony in Equestria,
and he's totally obsessed with me,
and we have to come up with a way to distract.
Oh, no! No way! Uh, uh!
♪♪
[sigh]
♪♪
Rainbow! I knew you'd come running
when you heard I got this job.
The mares love a pony in uniform, am I right?
Not really.
I mean, totally.
Why don't you step into the light
so I can see how handsome you look in it?
♪♪
I told the Sarge that gold kinda clashes with my aura,
but apparently, they aren't big on "input".
Still, I totally manage to rock the look,
don't you think?
Yep. You're real guard material.
I'm part of the castle team now, so I'm basically...
Whoa, we got a swooner!
It's good you're finally being honest
with your feelings for me, Rainbows.
[gag] Yech!
The truth is such a gift.
Like, I had to follow my bliss to see guarding is my calling.
Like look at me go. I'm going to walk over here and I go woo!
Over there! And I go yeah!
And sometimes I just stand like this and look real cool
and I go down the hallway going...
[gasp]
[phew]
We'll have to glide to the throne. No flapping.
[low squawk]
[loud squawking]
[slam]
Sister! Another false alarm
from Shining Armor's guard geese!
♪♪
We should have heard by now.
Something must have gone wrong.
Pinkie: Probably several somethings.
No lookout, no distraction,
and no word from the ponies inside.
I'm starting to think this whole operation
might be a giant flop.
[squawking]
[panicked gasping]
Oh, no!
Gee, Fluttershy,
I thought your whole "small spaces" thing
was just part of the plan to be unexpected.
Once I got trapped in the Castle of the Two Sisters,
and Angel Bunny and I were separated.
Now whenever I'm in a tiny room, it's all I can think about!
I was so worried he felt alone and forgotten.
I know what that's like.
What do you mean?
I was always excited to be a part of Twilight's
and Shining Armor's rivalry, like I was their little brother,
but they never really thought of me that way.
I know they both have a special place in their heart for you,
but sibling dynamics are hard. Trust me.
Ugh. Right. Zephyr Breeze.
Honestly, he could learn a lot from you
about being a little brother.
[crashing]
I'm sick of being lost in these slimy corridors too,
but you shouldn't pull every lever you come across.
Half of them are traps.
And the other half might open a secret passage
to the castle!
[yelling] It's not worth the risk!
[sweet] Oh, hello, Spike.
Even if we did find our way into the castle,
we'd still have all of those guards--
SPIKE! FLUTTERSHY!
What are you guys doing down here?
We kind of fell through the floor.
I don't think our plan is working.
If we've both hit dead ends,
perhaps we should return to the outside and revaluate.
[squeaking]
Ech!
[panicked panting]
Psssst!
What are you all doing out here?
In retrospect, our plan might have been too unexpected.
Every part of it failed? Oh, now I'll never get the crown.
Maybe we should go back to doing things the Twilight way.
You mean, the totally expected way?
It may not be a surprise,
but you have a pretty good record for planning things.
Then I guess it's worth a try. Thanks, Spike.
What are little brothers for?
OK. You all know what to do!
♪♪
[pow]
[excited chatter]
At least one part of our unexpected plan
worked unexpectedly.
[doorknob clicks open]
♪ [tense music] ♪
[whoosh]
♪♪
To be fair, it was never made specifically clear to me
what "guarding" actually means. So this is on you.
♪♪
I'm strong, Twilight, but not even I
can buck through solid rock.
That's why I brought a specialist.
[clink clink]
[clank]
[smash]
[crumbling]
♪♪
Next shift. You're on break.
♪♪
[squawking]
You've been glaring so hard!
Who wants a feather massage?
[curious squawks]
We mapped this out when we got lost down here.
The lever to the secret hallway entrance should be...
Here.
♪♪
I can't believe this worked!
I guess sometimes the best plan is the one you expect.
All I have to do now is fly over and take the crown,
and I'll be Sibling Supreme forever.
Not exactly.
♪ [dramatic] ♪
Oh, come on!
Gotta admit, it was unexpected for you to do
everything exactly how I thought you would.
But you should know by now there's no way
to beat the true SIBLING SUPREME!
I am sorry, Twilight, but it looks as though
Shining Armor has truly won the crown.
That's the thing about looks...
...they can be deceiving!
Spike?
How in Equestria did you do it?
Come on. You two don't think you have the only
sibling rivalry. I had an inside pony help.
It wasn't hard to miss there was some disagreement
on the whole "security" thing.
Luna: I said we could do it ourselves,
but some ponies are a bit more stubborn.
So, while Shining Armor went on and on
about all his improved security measures,
Luna and I struck a deal.
She put Zephyr in charge of the catacombs
and helped keep Celestia out of the castle hallways.
Once Luna was on board, I just had to do my part...
...and make sure we stuck to Twilight's plan,
so we'd all get to the throne room at the same time.
I knew Shining Armor would let it play out
until the last possible second.
Then, while everyone was distracted by his gloating,
all Luna had to do was float the crown over to me.
Ahem.
I apologize for not listening to your concerns, sister.
It seems we need to make adjustments
to account for threats inside the castle as well as out.
If you agree?
If you think it's worth discussing.
So...if Twilight and Shining Armor failed...
who gets the crown?
The true Sibling Supreme. Spike.
Huh?
The little brother we've always had!