The Cutie Mark Mix-Up is the fifth episode in Chapter 2 of My Little Pony: Make Your Mark and the fifth episode overall. This episode is most likely based off of the Friendship is Magic episode A Royal Problem.
Synopsis[]
Sunny and Hitch learn what it's like to trot in each others' horseshoes. Opaline sends a spy to the Crystal Brighthouse, where animals are running amok!
Plot[]
The episode begins with Sunny Starscout and Hitch Trailblazer hosting the grand opening for Sunny's new community garden, for the purpose of letting Earth ponies grow fruits and vegetables as well as practice their "flora magic". As soon as the garden is opened to the public, however, ponies excitedly stampede inside, scaring away the animals that have taken up residence there. Hitch asks Izzy Moonbow, Pipp Petals, and Zipp Storm for help in rounding up the worked-up animals.
Once the excitement has died down, Hitch feels he may have ruined the grand opening with the speech he gave, but Sunny assures him it was a good opportunity for Earth ponies to practice their magic. When Hitch makes the offhand comment that his job as sheriff is more demanding than Sunny's job making smoothies, Sunny takes offense, insisting she is under just as much pressure being a part-time Alicorn. As they argue over which of their jobs is harder, Sparky Sparkeroni's magic fire breath causes their cutie marks to get swapped.
Meanwhile, at her castle, Opaline uses what little magic she possesses to create an artificial mouse-like critter and sends it to sneak into the Crystal Brighthouse and find the source of the ponies' harmony magic. The mouse catches the attention of Sparky, who chases it into the Brighthouse just as the animals Izzy, Pipp, and Zipp were rounding up start to invade the Brighthouse interior.
When Zipp checks in on Sunny and Hitch at the smoothie stand, she notices them acting as if their personalities were switched: Sunny rigidly values order and hates littering, and Hitch is acting more carefree. Zipp notices their swapped cutie marks and tries to piece together how it happened, and she learns from Sunny and Hitch's recounting of events that Sparky may have been involved. While Zipp goes to confirm her theory, Sunny and Hitch decide to switch jobs in the meantime - Sunny as sheriff, Hitch as smoothie seller - to determine whose job is truly more difficult.
While Izzy and Pipp contend with a Crystal Brighthouse overrun with animals, Sparky Sparkeroni continues to chase after Opaline's artificial mouse. Opaline, watching through the mouse's eyes, voices her intention to rule over Equestria - "the way Alicorns were meant to", according to her - and seize all existing magic for herself. When Misty asks where she fits into Opaline's grand design, Opaline says she will be allowed to keep her magic if she proves she deserves a cutie mark.
Sunny shows up at the Brighthouse to assist her friends, but the animals do not listen to her; Zipp determines even though Sunny has Hitch's cutie mark and personality, she does not have his critter-whispering talent. Meanwhile, Hitch deals with demanding customers and finds that his usual method of strictly sticking to recipes does not work; Sunny frequently goes off-recipe, knows her customers' usual orders, and is known to get personable and ask them about their personal lives.
Zipp deduces that Sparky's magic fire was the catalyst that triggered Sunny and Hitch's cutie mark switch, and she convinces Hitch that Sunny needs his help at the Brighthouse.
Back at the Brighthouse, Sunny and Hitch run into each other. Realizing each other's job is harder than they originally thought, they apologize for suggesting otherwise. They do the secret "up high, down low" hoofshake they have shared since childhood, and their cutie marks magically switch back. Hitch helps Izzy and Pipp round up the animals running around the Brighthouse, and Sunny appease her customers at the smoothie stand.
Opaline, through the eyes of her artificial mouse, discovers that the Mane 5 harness the power of the Unity Crystals through the lantern Sunny's father Argyle Starshine made, and the mouse vanishes into thin air just before Sparky catches it. With this knowledge, Opaline gives Misty her next task: sneak into the Crystal Brighthouse and steal the lantern.
Some time later, Sunny tells Hitch that, even though things did not go completely according to plan, she is still happy that her community garden is now open. When she mentions that the animals have not gone back to the garden after the opening, she and Hitch discover that Izzy, Pipp, and Zipp made a small corner inside the Brighthouse for the animals to live and play.
Characters[]
- Sunny Starscout
- Hitch Trailblazer
- Izzy Moonbow
- Pipp Petals
- Zipp Storm
- Opaline Arcana
- Misty Brightdawn
- Sparky Sparkeroni
- Dahlia
- Seashell
- Toots
- Mayflower
- Diggy
- Cloudpuff
- Sander (no lines)
- Sweets (no lines)
- Windy (cameo)
- Posey Bloom (no lines)
- Rocky Riff (cameo)
- Jazz Hooves (cameo)
- Queen Haven (mentioned)
Trivia[]
- This episode is similar to A Royal Problem due to the fact that magic is involved in the switch of the cutie marks. In "A Royal Problem", Starlight switched Celestia's and Luna's cutie marks with her magic. In this case, It was Sparky's magical dragon fire that switched Sunny and Hitch's cutie marks.
- They also argued about who's job they could do better, much like how Celestia and Luna did in the aforementioned FiM episode.
- The Elements of Harmony are referenced in the episode, as Seashell is reading a book on them.