The Cutie Pox
Apple Bloom's shortcut to a cutie mark backfires.
"The Cutie Pox" is the sixth episode of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic's second season. Amy Keating Rogers wrote it, and it first aired on The Hub on November 12, 2011. In the story, Apple Bloom grows frustrated after failing to get her cutie mark and uses a magical flower to brew a potion. This gives her the Cutie Pox, a condition that makes her uncontrollably display multiple talents.
After another failed attempt at earning her cutie mark at a bowling alley, Apple Bloom feels discouraged, especially when she sees another pony succeed there. She wanders into the Everfree Forest and hurts her tooth. Zecora finds her, brings her to her hut, and fixes the tooth with a potion. Apple Bloom asks if Zecora has a potion for getting a cutie mark, but Zecora says only time will bring one. While Zecora leaves for ingredients, Apple Bloom stays behind and secretly uses a flower called Heart's Desire to make a potion.
The next day, Apple Bloom arrives at school with a new cutie mark and shows a talent for hoop tricks. Her classmates are amazed, and her teacher Cheerilee asks her to give a lesson. As she performs, a second cutie mark appears, and she suddenly can spin plates. Diamond Tiara suspects the marks are fake, but Apple Bloom does both skills easily. That night, Applejack hears noises and finds Apple Bloom tap dancing uncontrollably with a third cutie mark. Applejack takes her to Twilight Sparkle, who identifies the condition as Cutie Pox, a mysterious illness with no known cure. They go to find Zecora, but Apple Bloom keeps gaining cutie marks and talents along the way. Zecora arrives in Ponyville, saying she came to replace her missing Heart's Desire. She gives them enchanted seeds that bloom only when someone tells the truth. Apple Bloom admits she took the flower and used it to make a potion that gave her cutie marks. The seeds bloom instantly, and the resulting flower cures her. Apple Bloom apologizes for stealing and lying. Zecora forgives her, and Twilight asks her to write a friendship report. Apple Bloom reflects that shortcuts don't lead to genuine results, and what the heart truly desires must be earned. Later, she joins Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle to visit Zecora again, hoping to earn a cutie mark in potion-making.
Sherilyn Connelly, author of *Ponyville Confidential*, gave the episode a "B" rating. In *SF Weekly*, she noted this episode's fri
- Episode
- The Cutie Pox
- Series
- My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
- Season
- 2
- Episode number
- 6
- Original air date
- November 12, 2011
- Writer
- Amy Keating Rogers
- Network
- The Hub
Quick Facts
- Series
- My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
- Season
- 2
- Episode
- 6
- Writer
- Amy Keating Rogers
- Director
- Jayson Thiessen / James Wootton
- Airdate
- 2011-11-12
- Length
- 22 minutes
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Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In the episode, Apple Bloom becomes discouraged after another failed attempt to earn her cutie mark at a bowling alley. She wanders into the Everfree Forest, where Zecora heals her injured tooth. Apple Bloom secretly uses a flower called Heart's Desire to brew a potion, despite Zecora's warning that only time can bring a cutie mark. The next day, Apple Bloom appears at school with a new cutie mark and demonstrates a talent for hoop tricks, but soon develops additional cutie marks and uncontrollable talents, including spinning plates and tap dancing. Applejack takes her to Twilight Sparkle, who identifies the condition as the Cutie Pox, a mysterious illness with no known cure. Zecora arrives with enchanted seeds that bloom only when someone tells the truth; Apple Bloom admits she stole the flower and used it to make the potion. The resulting flower cures her, and she apologizes for stealing and lying.
Reader's Guide
The episode received mixed to positive reviews. Sherilyn Connelly, author of Ponyville Confidential, gave it a "B" rating and noted it was the first friendship lesson without the Mane Six involved. Jen A. Blue described the episode as "merely pretty good" and criticized its focus on the Cutie Mark Crusaders and what she called the "deeply problematic" tokenism of Zecora. Raymond Gallant of Freakin' Awesome Network rated it 6 out of 10, calling it his least favorite episode of the season, praising Apple Bloom but criticizing pacing and the absence of Fluttershy. Anime Superhero News praised it as "a great solid episode," highlighting Apple Bloom as the perfect choice due to her desperation. Republibot commended the writing and animation, particularly the background transition during Apple Bloom's compulsive performances. The episode was part of the Season 2 DVD set released by Shout Factory on May 14, 2013.
Did You Know?
- The episode was written by Amy Keating Rogers.
- It originally aired on The Hub on November 12, 2011.
- The condition called Cutie Pox has no known cure.
- The episode was included in the Season 2 DVD set released by Shout Factory on May 14, 2013.
More in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes 1-24
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