The fourth season of the

animated television series An animated series is a set of Animation, animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can ...

'' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'', developed by

Lauren Faust Lauren J. Faust (born July 25, 1974) is an American animator, writer, voice director, and storyboard artist, best known as the creator of the animated series '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic''. Faust has collaborated with her husband Craig ...

, originally aired on the

Hub Network Discovery Family is an American cable television channel co-owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Hasbro Entertainment. The channel was originally launched by Discovery Communications on October 7, 1996 as Discovery Kids, a spin-off of Discove ...

in the United States. The series is based on

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of ...

My Little Pony ''My Little Pony'' (''MLP'') is a toy line and media franchise developed by American toy company Hasbro. The first toys were developed by Bonnie Zacherle, Charles Muenchinger, and Steve D'Aguanno, and were produced in 1981. The ponies feature c ...

line of toys and animated works and is often referred by collectors to be the fourth generation, or "G4", of the My Little Pony franchise. Season 4 of the series premiered on November 23, 2013 on the Hub Network, an

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channel partly owned by Hasbro, and concluded on May 10, 2014. The show follows a pony named Twilight Sparkle as she learns about friendship in the town of Ponyville. Twilight, who has just become an alicorn princess, continues to learn with her close friends Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Each represents a different face of friendship, and Twilight discovers herself to be a key part of the magical artifacts, the "Elements of Harmony". The ponies share adventures and help out other residents of Ponyville, while working out the troublesome moments in their own friendships.

Development

Concept

Season 4 continues from the events of the third

season finale A season finale (British English: last in the series; Australian English: season final) is the final episode of a season of a television program. This is often the final episode to be produced for a few months or longer, and, as such, will try to ...

, " Magical Mystery Cure", where Twilight, shown to have come to hone her magic skills while learning the value of friendship, has been crowned as Equestria's newest princess, becoming an alicorn in the process. Some elements of the season focus on Twilight coming to terms with her new status; lead writer

Meghan McCarthy Meghan McCarthy is an American screenwriter, lyricist, film and television producer, and creative executive best known as the showrunner of the animated television show '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic''. She is also known for her work on ...

stated that "What we didn't want to do was change who Twilight is as a character, because she's certainly someone that everyone's proud to know and love", while

Tara Strong Tara Lyn Strong (née Charendoff; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as ''The New Batman Adventures ...

, the voice actress for Twilight, claimed that the episode is "a birth of a new era for Twilight, but not the end of what makes the show so wonderful". In addition, with the directive of the letters to Princess Celestia no longer in force, the six main characters also resolve to keep a collective journal of their formative experiences for posterity's sake. According to a

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post from McCarthy, the season also includes a

story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vide ...

that features the ponies on the hunt to find keys to open a mysterious six locked chest.

Production

Investment documents for DHX Media's 2012 financial year indicate that production for a fourth season had been financed. Before the season premiered, aspects of it were discussed by Meghan McCarthy, Tara Strong and other writers and voice actors at various fan conventions. Hasbro's vice president for international distribution, Finn Arnesen, had stated that ''My Little Pony'' is a "top-priority" brand for the company and expects the series to continue beyond the fourth season. The fourth season of the series premiered on November 23, 2013. This season marks the first time storyboard artist Jim Miller will be co-directing alongside Jayson Thiessen. This season also marks the first time to be executive produced by Thiessen and McCarthy.

Cast

Main

as Twilight Sparkle **

Rebecca Shoichet Rebecca Shoichet ( ; born February 16, 1975) is a Canadian voice actress and singer who has voiced in English dubs of Japanese anime and other shows for Ocean Productions in Vancouver. She took over Saffron Henderson's role of Sota Higurashi in ...

as Twilight Sparkle (singing voice) *

Tabitha St. Germain Tabitha St. Germain, formerly known as Paulina Gillis Germain and also known as Tabitha or Kitanou St. Germain, is a Canadian actress and comedian. She is known for a variety of roles across many different shows. She has been actively doing voi ...

as Rarity **

Kazumi Evans Kazumi Evans (born September 14, 1989) is a Canadian actress. She began her career as a contestant on the CBC's ''Triple Sensation''. As a voice actress, she has voiced Saffi on '' Bob the Builder'', Madeline on '' The Deep'', and Skipper in the ...

as Rarity (singing voice) *

Ashleigh Ball Ashleigh Adele Ball (born March 31, 1983) is a Canadian voice actress and musician, known for performing with the rock band Hey Ocean!, as well as voicing characters in several toyetic movies and television series, notably the ''Barbie'' film ...

as Applejack and Rainbow Dash *

Andrea Libman Andrea Eva Libman (born July 19, 1984) is a Canadian actress whose most popular on-screen appearances are in ''Little Women'', '' Andre'', and a guest role on ''The X-Files''. She is also known for providing voice acting in various animated show ...

as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie **

Shannon Chan-Kent Shannon Chan-Kent (born September 23, 1988) is a Canadian voice and stage actress. She is known for her roles as Silver Spoon and Smolder and the singing voice of Pinkie Pie in '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'', Misa Amane in the English ...

as Pinkie Pie (singing voice); Libman occasionally *

Cathy Weseluck Cathy Weseluck is a Canadian actress and comedian who frequently works with Ocean Productions in Vancouver, British Columbia and is known for her roles as Near in '' Death Note'', Cybersix/Adrian Seidelman in ''Cybersix'', and Spike in '' My Littl ...

as Spike

Recurring

Nicole Oliver Nicole Lyn Oliver (born February 22, 1970) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles as Princess Celestia and Cheerilee in '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' and Zoe Trent in ''Littlest Pet Shop''. Early life Oliver was born i ...

as Princess Celestia * Tabitha St. Germain as Princess Luna ** Kazumi Evans as Princess Luna (singing voice) * The Cutie Mark Crusaders **

Michelle Creber Michelle Nicole Creber (born September 7, 1999) is a Canadian actress and singer who is best known as the voice of Apple Bloom (and the singing voice of Sweetie Belle until 2013) in the TV series '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic''. Biog ...

as Apple Bloom ** Madeleine Peters as Scootaloo **

Claire Corlett Claire Margaret Corlett (born July 9, 1999) is a Canadian actress, known most notably for her nine years of voice work on the family fantasy/comedy animated television series '' My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'', for which she provided the ...

as Sweetie Belle *

Britt McKillip Britt Analisa McKillip (born January 18, 1991) is a Canadian actress and singer. Her credits include the film ''Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktacular'' and its sequel ''Scary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy'', and her role as Reggie Lass in th ...

as Princess Cadance *

Andrew Francis Andrew Michael Scott Francis is a Canadian actor. He has appeared in many television shows and films including '' My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'' as Shining Armor, '' MegaMan NT Warrior'' as MegaMan.EXE, '' Hero 108'' as Lin Chung, '' L ...

as Shining Armor *

John de Lancie John Sherwood de Lancie, Jr. (born March 20, 1948) is an American actor, television director, director, film producer, producer, writer, and comedian, best known for his role as Q (Star Trek), Q in various ''Star Trek'' series (1987–present); ...

as Discord

Minor

* Brenda Crichlow as Zecora *

Chiara Zanni Chiara Zanni (; born July 19, 1978) is a Canadian actress and comedian. She is known for her roles as Amy Ryan on The N series '' About a Girl'' and Maggie Buckman on the CBC series '' Edgemont''. She is also known for her voice-work as Hahli i ...

as Daring Do/A.K. Yearling * Brian Drummond as Ahuizotl and Seabreeze * Michael Dobson as Dr. Caballeron and Bulk Biceps * Ashleigh Ball as Prim Hemline * Tabitha St. Germain as Suri Polomare and Zipporwhill *Cathy Weseluck as Coco Pommel *

Peter New Peter New is a Canadian actor and screenwriter, best known for his roles as Big McIntosh in ''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' and Sunil Nevla in ''Littlest Pet Shop (2012 TV series), Littlest Pet Shop''. In 2007, New's script "The Bar" wo ...

as Big McIntosh * Tabitha St. Germain as Granny Smith and Mrs. Cake * Peter New as Goldie Delicious and Zipporwhill's father *

Kelly Metzger Kelly Jane Metzger (born February 25, 1980) is a Canadian voice and theater actress. Life and career After making her debut in the title role of '' Anne of Green Gables'', she performed on the stage with several Vancouver-based theatrical compani ...

as Spitfire and Helia *

Matt Hill Matthew Hill (born January 19, 1968) is a Canadian voice actor working for Ocean Productions. Career His roles include List of Ed, Edd n Eddy characters#Ed, Ed in ''Ed, Edd n Eddy'', Kevin Keene, Kevin Keene/Captain N in ''Captain N: The Game Ma ...

as Soarin * Andrea Libman as Fleetfoot *

Brian Drummond Brian Drummond (born August 10, 1969) is a Canadian voice actor. He formerly served on the board of directors for the New Westminster-based Urban Academy along with his wife, Laura Drummond, also a voice artist. Usually working in Vancouver, h ...

as Mr. Cake * Nicole Oliver as Cheerilee *

Chantal Strand Chantal Strand (born October 15, 1987) is a Canadian voice and stage actress as well as former stunt performer known for her vocal roles in animation, anime and video games. Her vocal role credits include those for little female human character ...

as Diamond Tiara * Shannon Chan-Kent as Silver Spoon *

Lee Tockar Lee William Tockar (born 1969) is a Canadian voice actor and visual artist who works for several studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is also a writer of children's literature, a musician, sculptor, illustrator and collected painter ...

as Snips *

Richard Ian Cox Richard Ian Cox (born October 3, 1973) is a Welsh-born Canadian actor, comedian and online radio host. He is best known for his voice work for English language dubs of anime, mainly for ''Inuyasha''. Cox gained prominence for playing the ch ...

as Snails * Rena Anakwe as Sapphire Shores * The Flim Flam Brothers ** Samuel Vincent as Flim **

Scott McNeil Scott McNeil is an Australian-born Canadian actor. He currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. One of the best-known Canadian voice actors of all time, McNeil has provided voices to many characters in animated shows, most notabl ...

as Flam * Veena Sood as Ms. Harshwhinny

Guest stars

* Ellen Kennedy as the Mane-iac and the Chimera * Cathy Weseluck as Torch Song ** Jerrica Santos as Torch Song (singing voice) *

Trevor Devall Trevor Devall (born November 10, 1972) is a Canadian-American voice actor and podcaster. He worked for various other studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for years, before he relocated to Los Angeles, California, US in 2013. Early life ...

as Thunderlane *

"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...

as Cheese Sandwich *

Doron Bell Doron Bell Jr. (born December 8, 1973 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian actor, musician, and singer. He is known for his music, acting and voice work; he voiced the character Waldo in the Netflix animated series ''Dinotrux'' as well as many other ...

as Trenderhoof *

Alvin Sanders Alvin Sanders is an American-Canadian voice actor and voice director. He currently sits on the Union of BC Performers executive board. Filmography Animated Anime roles *''Dragon Ball Z'' – Mr Popo, Additional Voices (1996–1997) * '' Dragon B ...

as Flutterguy ** Marcus Mosley as Flutterguy (singing voice) * Danny Balkwill as Toe-Tapper *

Graham Verchere Graham Marc Verchere (born 4 February 2002) is a Canadian actor, known for roles in '' Stargirl,'' '' Fargo'', '' The Good Doctor'', and '' Summer of 84''. Early life Verchere was born in Vancouver to Cynthia, a pediatric plastic surgeon at BC ...

as Pipsqueak * Ingrid Nilson as Maud Pie *

Ian James Corlett Ian James Corlett (born August 29, 1962) is a Canadian voice actor, animator, and author. He is the creator of Studio B Productions' animated series ''Being Ian'' and ''Yvon of the Yukon''. One of his best-known animation roles was the first En ...

as Silver Shill * Sylvain LeVasseur Portelance as Stellar Eclipse *

Jay Brazeau Jay Brazeau is a Canadian actor, best known for his role as Sam Fisher in ''Cold Squad'', as Harlan in ''Stargate SG-1'' (1997–2007), and for voicing Uncle Quigley in '' Sabrina: The Animated Series''. He is also known for his role as Bobby in ...

as Claude the Puppeteer * Vincent Tong as Flash Sentry and Duke of Maretonia *

Mark Acheson Mark Acheson (born September 19, 1957) is a Canadian voice, film and television actor. Career Acheson began studying acting at Langara College’s Studio 58 at the age of 15. He is a founding member of Janus Theatre and appeared on stage for eigh ...

as Lord Tirek

Episodes

Songs

DVD release

Notes

References

{{My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic 2013 American television seasons 2014 American television seasons 4 2013 Canadian television seasons 2014 Canadian television seasons