Amending Fences

Did You Know?

• Moon Dancer was designed by illustrator Kora Kosicka.
• A scene where Twilight goes to Princess Celestia to give up her role as Princess of Friendship was cut due to time limitations.
• The episode is part of the "Friends Across Equestria" Region 1 DVD by Shout! Factory, released on March 1, 2016.

Plot

After a busy week of princess duties, Twilight Sparkle relaxes in the Castle of Friendship when Spike reminds her of the neglectful friend she was before moving to Ponyville. Twilight, who cannot remember her old friends' names, takes a night trip to Canterlot to rekindle those friendships. The next day, she and Spike visit Minuette, who is delighted and arranges lunch with Twinkleshine and Lemon Hearts. Twilight apologizes for leaving without saying goodbye, and they happily reconnect. After lunch, they visit their old school, where Twilight asks about Moon Dancer and learns she became a recluse after Twilight skipped her party the day before her move. The four friends go to Moon Dancer's house, but she greets them rudely and slams the door. They spy on her for days; Minuette explains Moon Dancer was becoming more social but they lost touch after the party. Moon Dancer continues to avoid Twilight, even after a dinner. Twilight returns to Ponyville to get Pinkie Pie, who throws another party as an apology. The party causes Moon Dancer to have an emotional breakdown, lashing out at Twilight over her betrayal. Realizing Twilight has invited others who care for her, Moon Dancer forgives her and accepts friendship.

Broadcast and reception

According to Nielsen household ratings, the episode was watched by approximately 0.17 percent of American households and had 283,000 viewers. Fan-website Equestria Daily noted a drop in viewers, possibly because it aired right on top of a major US holiday. Daniel Alvarez of Unleash the Fanboy gave the episode a 10 out of 10, praising the voice acting of Twilight's old friends, especially Minuette, and stating that the climax is incredibly done. Screen Rant ranked the episode fifth best according to IMDb, with a rating of 9.2 out of 10. The Entertainment Nut ranked "Amending Fences" as the best episode of Season 5, praising how M.A. Larson successfully retconned a minor event from the first episode. Sherilyn Connelly, author of Ponyville Confidential, gave the episode an A+ rating and wrote that it went to some emotional places. Liza Arustamian of Startefacts ranked it among the top five episodes proving My Little Pony is perfect for adults, noting that Twilight confronts the consequences of neglecting friendships in pursuit of academic achievement.