The Glass Princess

16-19 The Glass Princess
Production
Written by	Tracy Mann Hill and Michael Charles Hill
Series	Series 1
Running time	4 episodes
First broadcast	October 6-9, 1986
Chronology
← Preceded by The Great Rainbow Caper Followed by → Pony Puppy

The Glass Princess is the fourth serial in the United States children's television series My Little Pony.

Synopsis

Self-obsessed witch Porcina wants to turn the world into glass, to see her reflection everywhere. Three captured ponies are key to Porcina's plan and must stop her using their own magic to destroy their friends.

Plot

Part 1

Three Raptorians, creatures with doglike heads and birdlike bodies, are showing an unusual interest in a washing line, using a magic mirror to show it to their mistress, a magic pig named Porcina. Porcina needs material to replace her magic cloak, which is all but worn out - she uses its magic to turn things into glass, as she's obsessed with her own reflection. The Raptorians work for her with the promise that they'll soon receive their own kingdom. Porcina deems the washing to be useless and tells the Raptorians to find something better.

The Little Ponies are practising for the Pony Olympics. After a bad fall on the jumping course, Shady declares herself useless and wanders off into the forest, where she meets Megan's younger sister Molly. At the same time, the Raptorians are watching the other Ponies fly and wink in and out. They realise that a cloak made from Pony hair may be exactly what Porcina needs.

Molly persuades Shady to talk to the other Ponies about her self-doubt. Gusty, Heart Throb and Lickety-Split encourage her not to be so down, but Shady remains upset and runs off again, with Molly in tow. Suddenly, the Raptorians ensnare Gusty, Heart Throb and Lickety-Split in a huge net and carry them away...

Part 2

Gusty, Heart Throb and Lickety-Split are set loose in the Black Mountains, near a secret entrance to Porcina's lair. Gusty discreetly slips off her headband before being led inside. The Bushwoolies witness the abduction and rush to the Paradise Estate to tell the other Ponies. Megan, North Star, Paradise and Magic Star form a rescue party, leaving just before Molly and Shady arrive at the Estate. Hearing the news, Shady blames herself and heads for the Black Mountains to resuce her friends. Molly insists on following. Megan's party find Gusty's headband, and start looking for the concealed entrance.

Gusty, Heart Throb and Lickety-Split are tied to a conveyor belt and forced through a machine that washes and styles their hair. The Raptorians close in on them with scissors, gloating that their hair will enable Porcina to turn all of Ponyland into glass...

Part 3

The Raptorians leave the Ponies almost bald, but their hair instantly grows back to its original length. Delighted, the Raptorians set the Ponies to work weaving their own hair into a new cloak for Porcina.

Shady and Molly catch up with Megan's party, but Shady insists they should stay hidden, still determined she must do something herself. Megan's group finds the weaving room and Gusty brings them up to speed on Porcina's plan. Shady listens outside, and forms a plan.

The Raptorians present Porcina with her new cloak, and she happily turns the Paradise Estate and every other non-living thing in Ponyland to glass, to the Little Ponies' horror. The chief Raptorian praises her efforts, but suggests that it might be even better if every creature in Ponyland also bore her reflection. She agrees, and casts a second spell, turning every Little Pony in the Paradise Estate to glass...

Part 4

Shady finally comes out of hiding, revealing her plan to the others. The Bushwoolies are in shedding season, and have fur somewhat similar to Pony hair. A Bushwoolie fur cloak might pass for the Pony hair cloak, which they can use to reverse the spell once they've made the switch. Hurriedly fashioning the replica cloak in the weaving room, they sneak up on the sleeping Porcina to make the exchange, but are unable to remove the Pony hair cloak she's wearing. Molly's torch snuffs out, and by the time it's relit Porcina is sleeping under both cloaks. Megan steals what she hopes is the Pony hair cloak as the Raptorians approach. Porcina starts the spell to turn the Ponies into glass, but confronting them face to face makes her realise she has no right. The chief Raptorian snatches her cloak and tries the spell himself, but finds he's holding the fake. A tug-of-war ensues over the real cloak, and it tears in half, releasing a bolt of energy that hits the Raptorians and turns them all into glass.

Regretting her selfish actions, Porcina uses the remains of the cloak to restore the Little Ponies and everything else in Ponyland. The Bushwoolies destroy the cloak, then offer to take Porcina on as their groomer, and she agrees. Gusty thanks Shady for her quick thinking, and tells her to never understimate herself again.

Notes

• Features the songs 'Look At Me', 'All Wrong/All Right', 'Oh, What A Tangled Web We Weave' and 'Hurry'.
• After the original transmission, an edit was made to Part 4, removing the song 'Hurry'. The episode was also slowed down, noticeably affecting the voices. This edit has been present on all repeat transmissions and commercial releases since. The song itself must have been sung in the weaving room after Shady decides to weave a fake cloak out of the Bushwoolies' hair because after everybody goes off to the weaving room, the cloak is all done.
• During the song "Look At Me," two of the Raptorians lose their eyes and one's hair disappears!
• Heart Throb's dress and Lickety-Split's sundae disappear as they are captured.
• Gusty is not actually wearing a headband until she takes it off as a clue to the others.
• Heart Throb's bandage disappears when the Raptorians force the ponies into the lair. It is never seen again.
• When North Star finds the headband, Magic Star morphs into a second North Star.
• Gusty, Heart Throb and Lickety-Split's restyled hair instantly reverts to normal between Part 2 and Part 3. Lickety-Split and Gusty also swap places.
• Heart Throb's neck disappears during the song "Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave."
• Magic Star is completely absent from Part 3 without explanation.
• Right after Porcina transforms Ponyland into glass, a glass pony can be seen, even though none of the other ponies are transformed! Similarily, sometimes the glass ponies have symbols, other times they don't.
• Both Heart Throb and Magic Star change colors throughout the episode. A Posey pegasus can also be seen near the beginning.
• Surprise is shown turning into glass in Part 3, but appears in Porcina's lair in Part 4. Posey also appears in the lair several times.
• When Gusty sneezes the torch out in Part 4, Molly whips a match out of nowhere to relight it! What could this be suggesting?
• As soon as the ponies destroy both of Porcina's cloaks, one of them is back on her shoulders to stay!
• In the German translation, this serial was called Die Spiegelglasprinzessin (The Mirror-glass Princess).

DVD Releases

• US (Region 1): Disc 2 of My Little Pony: The Complete First Season; also available on Two Great Pony Tales with The Magic Coins.
• UK (Region 2): The Glass Princess & The Quest of the Princess Ponies
• Germany (Region 2, German language): Die Spiegelglasprinzessin
• Australia (Region 4): The Glass Princess & The Great Rainbow Caper

External links

• Song lyrics