The Return of Harmony Part 1

The Return of Harmony Part 1 }} is the first episode of the second season of Legends of the Multiverse: Friendship is Universe and the twenty-seventh episode overall. Princess Palutena tasks the animals with retrieving the Elements of Harmony and defeating Master Xehanort, only for the draconequus to manipulate the ponies with his mind games. It is the first half of a two-part episode.

Production
The show's director, Jayson Thiessen, has stated that while the two episodes were produced at the tail-end of the first season, they were always supposed to be part of season two. This was done to shorten the production hiatus and to keep on as many of the show's staff as possible. Lauren Faust notes that the episode's writing was completed before the series premiered, and was not created or altered as a reaction to the fanbase. The two episodes' writer M.A. Larson has stated that Sheriff Mulan was to have said a line that was cut from the episode, "Hope everything's ok back in Multiville. I don't know if Li Shang and Grandmother Fa have enough butter for all that popcorn." A line that "got cut early on, and with good reason" ("Doesn't really fit 'in universe.'") was Sally Acorn saying "Get off that cloud and put 'em up! I'm not afraid of you! Come on, Marquess of Queensbury rules! Let's go!" instead of "Get off there and put 'em up! Come on! Let's go!"

The scene when Master Xehanort manipulates Nene Amano and discovers her "diamond" reappears in A-Dressing Memories.

Prologue: the statue of Discord
The episode begins with Caline Bustier taking her students on a field trip in the "world-famous" Canterlot sculpture garden. Her class consists of Sheriff Lonnie, Chloe Bourgeois, Alicia Acorn, Tootie Goldman, Max, Ray Ray, Aurora Amano, and Bonnie Rockwaller. Caline points out statues representing friendship and victory. When Alicia remarks how cool a cutie mark representing victory would be, Lonnie snidely says that Aurora is not "victoryful" at anything. Aurora says “victoryful” is not a word, and Alicia indignantly asks her, "What are you, a dictionary?" Caline interrupts their bickering by describing a statue of a "draconequus," a creature with “the head of a pony and a body made up of all sorts of things.” She asks her students to guess what the statue represents. When Alicia guesses "chaos," Sweetie Belle calls her a "dodo." Lonnie jumps on her friends' heads and tells them they’re both wrong, and the three start fighting. Above them, a small circle on the draconequus statue glows briefly. They stop fighting when Caline pronounces all three correct, saying that the statue represents discord, or "a lack of harmony between ponies.” Chaline says that each of them will have to write her an essay about discord. As the class leaves, a large crack spreads across the draconequus statue and a cackle is heard.

The first signs
After the introduction, Sally Acorn is flying above Multiville when a fast-moving pink cloud sends her spinning. She discovers that the cloud is made of cotton candy, and the sky fills with cotton candy clouds that rain chocolate milk. Sheriff Mulan is harvesting corn when Sally Acorn alights and complains about the crazy weather. Suddenly, the kernels on the corn start popping, and popcorn fills the field. Rapunzel is delighted by the delicious abnormalities. Nene Amano shows up in a purple rainsuit and matching umbrella. Even as she speaks, the apples on the trees swell, making the trees sag with their weight. Mulan yells at Spectra Vondergeist to control the squirrels and rabbits who are feeding on the enormous apples, but the forest creatures' legs elongate (like the legs of creatures in Salvador Dalí’s paintings ).

KairiSparkle arrives with Olaf and Navi, and says she has a new "fail-safe" spell to reverse the strange changes to the weather and animals. She casts the spell and a bright purple band of magic sweeps the land, but nothing happens. Undeterred, she tells Sally Acorn to corral the clouds and Mulan to lasso them. Kairi instructs Spectra to coax the animals into eating the cotton candy clouds and popcorn instead of the apples. Not long after, Spike receives a letter from Princess Palutena, telling the six ponies to come to Canterlot immediately.

Xehanort returns
They meet the Princess in a corridor lined with stained glass windows. Palutena explains that the strange weather is being caused by Xehanort, a creature that existed in Multitopia long ago. Discord’s rule caused unrest and unhappiness for all ponies until Palutena and Princess Mal defeated with the Elements of Harmony. However, since the two Princesses cannot wield the Elements any more, Palutena tells the six animals that they must use the Elements once again to defeat Xehanort. When Kairi promises that the princess can count on them, Rapunzel interrupts, saying that chaos is a good thing if chocolate rain is involved.

"Eternal chaos comes with chocolate rain, you guys. Chocolate rain!"

- Rapunzel

Princess Plautena opens a locked door with her horn and takes out a box, but she and the friends discover that the Elements are missing from it. Suddenly, Xehanort's voice echoes around the room, and he animates a depiction of himself in one of the stained glass windows. Discord comments on each element that the six friends represent, and poses a riddle: "To retrieve your missing Elements just make sense of this change of events. Twists and turns are my master plan. Then find the elements back where you began."

- Xehanort

Kairi deduces that Discord has hidden the Elements inside the castle's outdoor hedge maze.

The maze
As they approach the maze, Sally confidently flies up to get a view of the maze, but her wings vanish and she crashes to the ground. A moment later, Spectra's wings and Twilight and Rarity’s horns go missing. In a flash, Xehanort appears, and explains that they are going to play a game to find the Elements of Harmony. The two rules are:


 * No flying and no magic.
 * Every animal has to play, or the game is over and Xehanort wins.

Hedges spring up and separate the friends, who agree to meet in the middle of the maze.

Sheriff Mulan the liar
As Mulan tries to navigate the maze, she spots three apples, like the ones on her cutie mark, rolling away from her on the ground. She follows them to the edge of an apple orchard. Apples start falling off the trees and animating themselves; they tell her to look in a pool nearby to learn how their journey will end. She does so and sees a vision of the six friends arguing and agreeing to never speak to each other again. The camera pans up, showing Xehanort puppet crosses to animate the apples. Mulan cannot accept the idea that she needs to lie to preserve her friendship with the other animals, and Xehanort hypnotizes her, draining her of color. Almost immediately the orchard fades, and a section of hedge vanishes behind her, revealing Kairi. Kairi tells her friend that she heard talking, and asks her who she was talking to; Mulan denies speaking, looking around shiftily. Kairi wonders whether she lied but determines that "Applejack wouldn't lie."

Rapunzel the grump
Rapunzel hops merrily through the maze until she stumbles upon a garden filled with balloons similar to those on her cutie mark. The balloons have smiling faces and are laughing. She giggles with the balloons until one of the balloons' strings trip her. She tumbles into a puddle of mud and stops laughing, but the balloons start jeering at her. Xehanort appears to Pinkie and tells her that the balloons, like her friends, are actually laughing at her, not with her. She initially denies it, but when Discord makes her friends' faces appear on the balloons, she sees that laughter can be cruel and hurtful. Xehanort hypnotizes her and turns her gray. The balloons pop to reveal Kairi and Mulan. Pinkie rejects Kairi’s greeting and walks away. Mulan lies again, saying she didn’t notice anything wrong with Rapunzel. Kairi decides to pick up the pace before the stress "gets the better of all of [them]."

Nene the hoarder
Rarity is complaining about having to do "outdoor sports" when she finds a large rock blocking her path. Embedded in it are three diamonds shaped like her cutie mark. Nene appears in the diamonds' reflections and tells Nene it's her lucky day for finding the beautiful diamonds, "the one thing in Multitopia that could rival [his] face for sheer beauty." He starts to hypnotize Nene, but she resists and tries to walk away. However, she succumbs and runs back to the rock, losing her color as she chips away at the rock. She unearths what appears to be a huge diamond. As she starts to carry it away, the remainder of the rock breaks apart, revealing Kairi, Mulan, and Rapunzel. Kairi’s greeting is cut short when she sees Nene carrying a large boulder. Nene becomes very protective of her "diamond," refusing to share it with the others.

Spectra the brute
Spectra cautiously climbs out of the hedge she has been hiding in, and starts giving herself a pep talk. Three butterflies like the ones on her cutie mark appear. Not wanting to be left alone, she decides to follow them. The butterflies turn out to be Xenahort in disguise. He tries to convince her that her friends think she is helpless and laugh at her behind her back. Spectra accepts the fact that she is helpless and that her friends are kind enough to understand. Again, Xenahort tries to corrupt her, and Spectra resists, saying that her friends want her to know of her flaws so she can improve on them. Frustrated, Discord gives up and hypnotizes her by simply prodding her head.

A section of hedge disappears, revealing the others. When Kairi greets Spectra, she insults Kairi and smacks her with her tail. Spectra even knocks Rapunzel into a hedge. As Sheriff Mulan laughs at Rapunzel and Rapunzel retorts, Kairi realizes that something is happening to her friends. She tries to assist Nene with moving her rock, but Nene warns her that the rock belongs to her.

Sally Acorn the traitor
Sally runs through the maze and suddenly spots a cloud that looks like her cutie mark. Believing it to be her element, she chases it, only to find Discord lying on a hammock made of clouds. Ignoring Xehanort's attempts to be civil, Rainbow Dash tells him to prepare for a fight. Discord tells her that he is only there to deliver a riddle about the consequences of picking the wrong choice. He hypnotizes her by showing a vision of Cloudsburg collapsing. He drains her color and makes a box appear, giving her the choice of taking her wings from the box and leaving, or staying in the maze forever.

Xehanort wins the game
Meanwhile, Kairi tries to reassure herself, saying that Sally would never let them down. However, Mulan spots Sally flying away from the maze. Xehanort appears and tells the animals that Sally broke the "no wings, no magic" rule. He declares that the game is over and says: "Looks like we might be due for a big old storm of chaos!"

- Master Xehanort

Reuse of backgrounds
The star background in which corrupted Mulan, Rapunzel and Sally Acorn are over is the same as Kairi's background in the previous episode. It is also seen in May the Best Pet Win!

Quotes

 * Alicia Acorn: How cool would it be to have that for a cutie mark?
 * Sheriff Lonnie: Cool, if you were actually victoryful at somethin'.
 * Aurora Amano: That's not a word!
 * Alicia Acorn: What are you, a dictionary?


 * Aurora Amano: It's not chaos, you dodo!
 * Alicia Acorn: Don't call me things I don't know the meaning of, and it is too chaos.
 * Aurora Amano: Is not!
 * Sheriff Lonnie: You're both wrong!


 * Rapunzel: Hold on a second! Eternal chaos comes with chocolate rain, you guys! Chocolate! Rain!


 * Nene Amano: You can keep the elements. I'll take that case!


 * Rapunzel: Oh well, if anyone needs me, I'll be outside in the chocolate puddles with a giant swizzle straw!


 * Master Xehanort: Making sense? Oh, what fun is there in making sense?


 * Master Xehanort: Oh, I've forgotten how grim you can be, Palutena. It's really quite boring.
 * Sally Acorn: Hey! Nobody insults the princess!
 * Master Xehanort: Oh, you must be Sally, famed for her loyalty, the element of harmony you represent.
 * Sally Acorn: That's right! I'll always be loyal to the princess!
 * Master Xehanort: We'll see about that.


 * Rapunzel: [laugh] He's dancing on your head!


 * Master Xehanort:
 * To retrieve your missing elements
 * Just make sense of this change of events.
 * Twists and turns, are my master plan
 * Then find the elements, back where you began.


 * Sally Acorn: My tails!
 * Spectra Vondergeist: [screams]
 * Kairi and Nene: Your horn! My horn! [screams]
 * Master Xehanort: You should see the looks on your faces! Priceless!


 * Master Xehanort:
 * When all the truth does
 * Is make your heart ache,
 * Sometimes a lie
 * Is easier to take.


 * Master Xehanort (as butterflies): Spectra, looks like you've been left behind by your so called friends, huh?
 * Spectra Vondergeist: Oh no, I'm certain they're doing their best to find me.
 * Master Xehanort (as butterflies): Well it must be so upsetting to know how weak and helpless they think you are.
 * Spectra Vondergeist: Not at all, I AM weak and helpless and I appreciate their understanding.
 * Master Xehanort (as butterflies): Yes well, I'm sure it burns you up, that they're always pointing out your flaws right?
 * Spectra Vondergeist: Not really. In fact, I think I'm awfully lucky to have friends who want me to be the best I can be.
 * Master Xehanort: Oh, for goodness sake! [mesmerizes Spectra] You've been kind for far too long, my dear! Time to be cruel! Arrivederci!


 * Nene Amano: ...But don't get any ideas about my gem. I know where you live.


 * Sally Acorn: Get off there and put 'em up! C'mon! Let's go!


 * Master Xehanort:
 * A weighty choice is yours to make,
 * The right selection or a big mistake.
 * If the wrong choice you choose to pursue,
 * The foundations of home will crumble without you.


 * Master Xehanort: Looks like we're in for a big old storm of chaos!