Lesson Zero

Lesson Zero is the third episode of the second season of Legends of the Multiverse: Friendship is Universe and the twenty-ninth episode overall.

In this episode, Kairi realizes that she has not written her weekly letter on friendship to Princess Palutena. She struggles to find a friendship problem and decides that her only option is to create a friendship problem herself.

Production and airing
The episode is the first to use the remastered theme song. It is the first episode of the series' second production span, which includes all of season two except for the first two episodes.

The episode was #7 in the We Heart Ponies Fan Favorite Mare-a-thon, in the leadup to Hearts and Paws Day.

Changes in magic
Kairi Sparkle, Nene Amano, and Princess Palutena have new colors for their magical horn glow in this episode. kairi's magic glow color has changed from purple to light raspberry, Nene's from blue to vivid blue, and Princess Palutena's from light blue to gold. The new glow colors more closely match the colors of the characters' cutie marks, instead of using their eye color, as has been done in previous episodes.

Checklist: Check!
The episode starts off with Kairi, Olaf, and Navi walking through Multiville, collecting items on a checklist for a picnic. Twilight goes to pick up her order of cupcakes and finds out that Arianna added one extra cupcake whose icing was touching another cupcake's icing. Worried that her friends might get jealous of whoever gets the cupcake with the "extra" icing, Kairi hastily tries to "fix" the icing problem, leaving only a tiny amount of icing on each cupcake. Spike is left covered in frosting, which he licks off. Afterwards, they head home to Destiny Library, with their checklist complete. Olaf points out that Kairi has not written a letter to Princess Palutena this week, causing the unicorn to panic.

"Bad? BAD? Of course it's bad! I'm supposed to send Princess Palutena a letter every week, telling her about a lesson I've learned about friendship! Not every other week, not every 10 days, every single week!"

- Kairi Sparkle

Kairi checks her calendar and finds out it has been exactly one week since her last letter to the Princess, and is terrified of the possibility of being tardy. In a state of extreme anxiety, Kairi speculates that the Princess could punish her with an exam to prove she has been taking her studies seriously, which Kairi fears she would fail, prompting the Princess to send her back to Magic Kindergarten. Kairi envisions herself sitting in a classroom surrounded by mocking fillies, but the thought is 'popped' by Olaf and Navi as he reasons that the Princess would never allow such a thing to happen. Ignoring her assistant's words of wisdom, Kairi becomes determined to solve a friendship problem and have a letter written to Princess Palutena before sundown. She first drills Olaf and Navi on his problems, but when he is revealed to have none, Kairi goes out to find a friend in need. An exasperated Olaf groans and states, "This won't end well."

Off to find a problem
While looking around Multiville, Kairi overhears Nene Amano crying at her shop, having lost some diamond ribbon she requires for a dress. Before Kairi can help her, however, Rarity finds the ribbon she needed, much to Kairi's disappointment. While searching for her other friends, Kairi finds Sally Acorn, destroying an old barn on Fa Family Acres. Kairi, thinking that Sally Acorn and Sheriff Mulan are fighting with each other, stops Sally Acorn. However, Sally informs Kairi that Mulan asked her to destroy the old barn to make room for a new one, which Mulan confirms before Sal finishes off the demolition by diving into the barn and creating a colorful mushroom cloud explosion.

Still determined to find a problem, Twilight decides to visit Spectra Vondergeist. However, when arriving at her cottage, Kairi sees Spectra fighting a bear and decides to back off, exclaiming, "Of all the days she had to stop being such a scaredy-cat, she had to pick today?!" As Kairi leaves in despair, it is revealed that Spectra was actually aiding the bear with a tense shoulder and giving it a massage.

Crazy picnic
Kairi, growing more worried and rapidly becoming unhinged, starts to tearfully talk to her own reflection in a puddle, adopting two separate tones, one terrified that she will not make the deadline, the other insisting that it is still possible to solve a problem in time. She starts hallucinating small filly ponies laughing at her before Spike intervenes, revealing that the "laughing animals" are just some fillies innocently playing jump rope nearby. Olaf and Navi then reminds Kairi about the picnic and she heads off to meet up with her friends.

A very agitated and slightly crazed Kairi arrives at the picnic and explains to her friends that she needs them to help her find a lesson about friendship to write about to Princess Palutena. The other five ponies brush off her issue as nothing, laughing and claiming Kairi has nothing to worry about, and she angrily runs away to continue her search for a problem.

Clock, is, ticking!
"If I can't find a friendship problem... I'll make a friendship problem!"

- Kairi Sparkle

With the sun about to set, Kairi, now sporting a disheveled mane and an insane-looking grin, decides the only option left is to create a problem so she can solve it. She spots the Cutie Mark Crusaders playing with a ball, which begins growing until it pops with Twilight inside it, a visual gag added by Raven M. Molisee. Kairi approaches the Crusaders to try and get them to take her old toy, Smarty Pants, in the hopes that the fillies will argue over who gets to play with it first. When they instead react negatively to the doll, she casts a "want it, need it" spell on it, making the Crusaders want the toy so badly they resort to physical blows. She tries to break up the fight, but is unable to. She asks Li Shang, who is passing by, to get the doll. However, upon easily retrieving it, he too falls under the spell and runs away with the doll. Eventually, nearly all of Multiville falls for the spell and begins to fight over the doll. The sun finally sets as Princess Palutena intervenes to undo her student's spell, returning all of the animals to normal. She sternly instructs Kairi to meet her at the library before leaving. Kairi tearfully bids farewell to her friends, who realize they may never see her again.

Apology to the Princess
Once in the library, Kairi explains her actions to Princess Palutena while Olaf and Navi overhears. Princess Palutena shows her immense faith in her student, and says that she does not require a letter every week. Kairi's friends barge in and plead for the Princess to be merciful to her student: they admit that they were wrong for denying Kairi's help when she needed it most, and they apologize. In lieu of a punishment for Kairi, Princess Palutena requests that all of Kairi's friends write her letters about friendship from now on, but only when they actually find one. Before she leaves, she tells Kairi that Olaf and Navi made her aware of Kairi's fears getting the best of her, and after she leaves, Kairi gives Olaf and Navi a loving hug.

"From this day forth, I would like you all to report to me your findings on the magic of friendship, when, and only when, you happen to discover them."

- Princess Palutena

The episode ends with all the ponies, as well as Olaf and Navi, offering a collaborative report, showing that they learned about taking a friend's worries seriously, even if it does not seem so, and not letting problems go out of proportion in order to fix them.

Quotes

 * Kairi Sparkle: Great. Now that we've completed the checklist of things we need to create a checklist, we can make my checklist of the things I have to get done by the end of the day. Ready?
 * Olaf: Ready.
 * Navi: Ready.
 * Kairi Sparkle: Item one: Create checklist of the things I have to accomplish by the end of the day.
 * Olaf: [sigh]


 * Kairi Sparkle: We haven't sent a letter to Princess Palutena this week?!
 * Olaf: Why? Is that bad?
 * Navi: Tell Me About It?
 * Kairi Sparkle: Bad? BAD? Of course it's bad! I'm supposed to send Princess Palutena a letter every week, telling her about a lesson I've learned about friendship! Not every other week, not every 10 days, every single week!


 * Kairi Sparkle: She's my teacher. Do you know what teachers do to students who don't pass? They send them back a grade! But she won't just send me back a grade. She'll send me back to... magic kindergarten.


 * [repeated line]
 * Nene Amano: Of all the worst things that could happen, this is the! Worst! Possible! Thing!


 * Kairi Sparkle: [Watching Sally Acorn destroy barn] Sally must be angry with Mulan! She must hate her guts. How wonderful!


 * Kairi Sparkle: Now, why don't you tell me all about your issues with Sheriff Mulan.
 * Sally Acorn: I don't have any issues with Mulan.
 * Kairi Sparkle: You don't? Then...why are you destroying her property?
 * Sally Acorn: Because she asked me to.


 * Kairi Sparkle: It's fine. It'll all be fine. The day isn't over yet. But it will be over soon! [groans] It'll be all over! My time in Multiville! My advanced studies! No, no. You're a good student. You can do this. Ooh! But what if I can't? You can. You just have to keep it together. Keep. It. Together!


 * Kairi Sparkle: [Looking at sun starting to set] Clock is ticking, Kairi. Clock. Is. Ticking!


 * Kairi Sparkle: Hi girls!


 * Aurora Amano: [Looking at Smarty Pants doll] I really like her... mane?


 * Kairi Sparkle: I'd hate to cause a rift between such good friends.


 * Kairi Sparkle: Li Shang! Thank goodness! You gotta help me get that doll away from those girls!
 * Li Shang: Eeyup.
 * Kairi Sparkle: Oh, thank you so much! Now, if you could just give her to me—
 * Li Shang: [muffled] Eenope.


 * Princess Palutena: Meet me in the Library.


 * Nene Amano: Of all the worst things that could happen, this is the! Worst! Possible! Thing!
 * Sally Acorn, Rapunzel, Spectra Vondergeist and Sheriff Mulan: [giving her a dirty look]
 * Nene Amano: What? I really mean it this time!


 * Princess Palutena: Looks like you all learned a pretty valuable lesson today.
 * Kairi's Friends: Uh-hm.
 * Princess Palutena: Very well. I'll forget Kairi's punishment, on one condition: from this day forth, I'd like you all to report to me your findings on the magic of friendship, when, and only when, you happen to discover them.
 * Kairi's Friends: [cheer]