Growing Up is Hard to Do

**Growing Up is Hard to Do** is the twenty-second episode of March of the Oni and the one hundred sixty-first episode overall of LEGO Ninjago & My Little Pony: Masters of Friendship. The title is a reference to the Neil Sedaka song "Breaking Up is Hard to Do".

In this episode, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and the Young Ninja are magically transformed into grownups, they discover that growing up the right way means gaining experience and wisdom that simply can't be rushed.

## Production

This episode was released on Videoland's on-demand service in the Netherlands on August 25, 2019, thirty-four days ahead of its scheduled premiere in the US, but was later taken down.

This episode was originally scheduled to air on September 20, 2019 on Polish channel MiniMini+, but was replaced with a rerun of an earlier episode. However, it was still released the following day on the nc+ GO on-demand service.

It also aired on PLUSPLUS in Ukraine on September 21, 2019.

According to Jim Miller, the writers wanted to age up the Cutie Mark Crusaders since season six.

## Plot

### Students without a chaperone

The episode begins at the Academy of Spinjitzu after the Spring Break, and the Young Ninja were bored when learning about potion making. Caralisa states that this potion can cause a person to be famed, like how Jay attracts Nya using Beau-tea. Nevertheless, when P.I.X.A.L. continued to move on to do potion lessons, a school bell has rung, meaning that it was recess time. During recess, some students were talking about the Appleloosa County Fair, and make the Young Ninja all excited. However, they need to be accompanied by the Ninja in order to go for the country fair, as they are going to stop Pythor with his secret weapon. Feeling bored, the Young Ninja seek advice from Wu.

At the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse in Equestria, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo are excited to go to the Appleloosa County Fair, the same way the Young Ninja is going to attend, and have made meticulous preparations to attend. Unfortunately, with all the planning they did for their planning, they forgot to ask one of their older sisters to be their chaperone. Rarity is preoccupied with making a new design for Fancy Pants, Rainbow Dash has to help Spitfire corral some storm clouds, and Applejack is taking care of a sick Big McIntosh.

With each pony they ask, the Crusaders are warned not to travel by themselves or else they might get lost, and the responsibilities that come with being adults. In Ninjago, the Young Ninja asked Wu at the Monastery of Spinjitzu about how they become adults. He remembers the time he gained his moustache and goatee in "Saving Faith". The Young Ninja get impressed about how Wu was able to show as being grown up. Kimberly asked if there are changes when growing up. Master Wu has no questions regarding about it and send the six out of the Monastery. Damien hatches up with a plan on how to grow older.

At the Castle of Friendship, the Crusaders also ask Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle, but the two are busy researching an enchanted flower sent by Star Swirl the Bearded. They too warn the Crusaders about the dangers of traveling without a chaperone and the possibility of getting themselves lost in a strange place. At the library of the Academy of Spinjitzu, the Young Ninja were reading on teenage life, and Nelson suggests that the teenagers faced is puberty. However, Damien, Felix and Zachary was disgusted regarding about gender puberty issues, but Kimberly wants it to be private. However, Caralisa said that it takes a long time to become teenagers, like the Ninja did. Nelson came up with an idea to become grown ups by obtaining a special tea. The fellow Young Ninja agreed and went to Mistaké's tea shop to get some.

As Twilight and Fluttershy leave to find information about the flower in the castle library, the Crusaders lament their situation and express their desire to be grown-ups. Reacting to their wishes, the flower sheds one of its last remaining petals and envelops the Crusaders in magical light. When the light subsides, the Crusaders find themselves magically transformed into fully grown mares. In Ninjago, the Young Ninja managed to bring a special tea for the tea party, and they are having fun with each other. After they toast and start to drink the tea, the Young Ninja want more tea, as they drank up even more. The tea was finished but Nelson thought that it didn’t work at all. Suddenly, a magic envelopes them, as the clock reaches at the same time at the next day. When Antonia came to do some self-study for the final year exams, she was shocked that Nelson and the others become grown ups. Now the Young Ninja become teenagers like the Ninja, they are ready to responsible again.

### Being Big is all it takes

Now full-grown adults, the Cutie Mark Crusaders believe they are old enough to travel to Appleloosa by themselves, so does the Young Ninja, and they race to catch the Friendship Express before it leaves the train station. While riding the train, the Crusaders and the Young Ninja express through the song Being Big is All It Takes the joys of being grown-ups and no longer being held back by the limitations of being too young. Unfortunately, after boarding the wrong train, they end up at Hayseed Junction instead of Appleloosa.

Following an encounter with a deranged ticket-taking pony, they decide to try traversing the dense swamp and reaching Appleloosa on foot, believing being grown-ups is all they need to do so. Unfortunately, they soon get become lost—just as Twilight, Lloyd and their friends previously warned. They then run into a pair of young siblings named Biscuit and Spur, who are arguing whether or not to take their pet Bloofy to the Appleloosa County Fair.

Once again, the Crusaders and the Young Ninja believe being adults puts them in a position to give Biscuit and Spur grown-up advice, and they suggest that Biscuit and Spur share Bloofy and bring him to Appleloosa, much to Spur's displeasure. Following behind Biscuit and Spur, they finally arrive to the Appleloosa County Fair, where one of the Appleloosan attendants notices Bloofy and suggests that Biscuit enter him in the animals showcase. Spur tries to voice her disagreement with this idea and turns to the grown-up Crusaders for advice, but they run off on their own to enjoy the fair.

### It takes more than being big

Back in Ninjago, the Ninja emerge from their victory against Pythor at the Monastery of Spinjitzu, until Antonia came for a warning. She said that the Young Ninja drink some kind of special tea, which results them to grow as teenagers, like the Ninja. They were shocked that the students were become teenagers, which questioned Master Wu to reverse the aging spell. Nya suggests to take the Reversal Time Blade at the Boiling Sea, but Lloyd suggests some other ways to reverse the aging spell, by seeking help from their parents.

By the time Spur catches up with the Crusaders again, Biscuit is already signing up Bloofy for the animal showcase. Spur, having taken care of Bloofy longer than Biscuit, is worried about exposing him to a large crowd of ponies, but the Crusaders once again side with Biscuit and suggest that Spur take a break. However, soon after Biscuit and Bloofy begin their turn in the showcase, Bloofy gets nervous from all the spectators watching him, and he turns into a tornado that starts tearing up the showcase stadium.

The Ninja went to the village that a young Harumi lived in "Samurai X-Treme". When they came to Nelson's home, they encounter his mother, Roise. The Ninja exchanged introductions to her, while serving tea to the guest. Lloyd explains her that her son and his friends were teenagers and they were nowhere to be found. He also finds that the special tea will cause the Young Ninja to become teenagers. Roise was worried about her son, and she asked them that Nelson and the others went with the Cutie Mark Crusaders to Appleoosa Country Fair. Still did not know how to reverse their age, the Ninja went to take the Friendship Express to Appleoosa.

The Ninja, Twilight and Fluttershy soon arrive to Appleloosa via train in search of the missing Crusaders and the Young Ninja, and the fillies-turned-adults appear to inform them of what is going on. At the showcase stadium, Fluttershy identifies the rampaging Bloofy as a rare creature called a Whirling Mungtooth and explains he will only calm down in the presence of its caretaker. Realizing that Spur is Bloofy's true caretaker, the Crusaders and the Young Ninja go to find her while the Ninja, Twilight and Fluttershy evacuate everyone in the stadium to safety.

Once they bring Spur back to the stadium, Fluttershy helps her calm Bloofy down, and Bloofy still wins the animal showcase award for "Most Interesting Creature". Back at the train station, the Crusaders and the Young Ninja realize that even though they are physically adults, they still lack the wisdom, experience, and maturity that comes with growing up naturally, especially when it comes to puberty. Using the last remaining petal of the flower Star Swirl sent to Twilight, the Crusaders and the Young Ninja wish themselves back to filly age and they reverse the aging spell, becoming kids again.

Biscuit and Spur are surprised to discover the Crusaders are actually younger than they are. The Crusaders and the Young Ninja apologize for lying to Biscuit and Spur about their real age and for being selfish, and they ask if they can visit Biscuit, Spur, and Bloofy some day. Spur agrees on the condition that they have a real grown-up accompany them next time.

## Cast

* Antonia - Brynna Drummond
* Applejack - Ashleigh Ball
* Apple Bloom - Michelle Creber
* Biscuit - Connor Parnell
* Caralisa Todd - Dewyn Dalton, Tabitha St. Germain (teen)
* Cole - Kirby Morrow
* Damien Crystalrock - Cole Howard, Andrew Francis (teen)
* Felix Flame - Giles Panton
* Fluttershy - Andrea Libman
* Jay - Michael Adamthwaite
* Kai - Vincent Tong
* Kimberly Walker - Shannon Chan-Kent
* Lil' Nelson - David Reynolds
* Lloyd Garmadon - Sam Vincent
* Nya - Kelly Metzger
* P.I.X.A.L - Jennifer Hayward
* Passerby Pony - Tabitha St. Germain
* Rainbow Dash - Ashleigh Ball
* Rarity - Tabitha St. Germain
* Roise - Tabitha St. Germain
* Scootaloo - Madeleine Peters (Arielle Tuliao as her singing voice)
* Spur - Rebecca Husain
* Sweetie Belle - Claire Corlett
* Ticket Taker Pony - Ron Halder
* Twilight Sparkle - Tara Strong
* Wu - Paul Dobson
* Zachary Nilson - Gavin Langelo
* Zane - Brent Miller

## Locations Visited

* Ninjago
	+ Ninjago City
		- Academy of Spinjitzu
		- Mistaké's tea shop
	+ Village
	+ Mountains of Impossible Height
		- Monastery of Spinjitzu
* Equestria
	+ Ponyville
		- Cutie Mark Crusaders' Clubhouse
		- Canterlot Boutique
		- Sweet Apple Acres
	+ Cloudsdale
	+ Applelossa
		- Applelossa Country Fair
	+ Hayseed Junction

## Trivia

* The creepy ticket pony appears again in this episode, since "The Weakest Link".
* This is the second episode to be based on the regression plot, the first is "No Such Childhood".
	+ However, it is used as the reverse regression plot, where the Crusaders and the Young Ninja turned into teenagers.
* This the only time the Young Ninja turned into teenagers.
	+ However, Nelson's grown up form reappears again in "The News Never Sleeps in Canterlot".
* In addition, their voices have changed when they become teenagers. Kimberly, Felix and Zachary have their voice actors unchanged, while Caralisa and Damien's voice actors are changed, being voiced by Tabitha St. Germain and Andrew Francis respectively.
	+ Nelson's voice sounds deeper when he was a teenager, despite being voiced by the same voice actor.
* Teen Caralisa's voice almost sounds similar to Akita's voice.
	+ Coincidentally, Tabitha St. Germain also voices Akita.
* This is the second episode where someone use the Tomorrow's Tea, since "No Such Childhood".
* This is Roise's first speaking appearance, even though she appeared in "Uprooted", she does not speak.
* The Ninja went to the same village to look for Roise, which is where the Sons of the Overlord attacked in "Big Trouble, Little Ninjago and Equestria".
* The events of "Saving Faith" are mentioned in this episode, where Wu remembers how he become an adult, as he gains a mustache and a goatee.
* This is the second episode where puberty is mentioned. The first is "Cutie Markless - Part 1", when Jay said that Lloyd has gone through puberty. Unlike this episode, it didn't cut off in most countries, since the previous was cut-off in Australia.
* Pinkie Pie didn't appear in this episode at all.
* Appleloosa buckball stadium makes a appearance again since "Common Interest".
* This is the second episode where Arielle Tuliao provides the singing voice for Scootaloo. The first is "Surf and/or Turf".
* Nya mentions the Reversal Time Blade, which a possible way the reverse the aging spell caused by the Tomorrow's Tea. However, it will end up like young Wu in the eighth season if they used too much of its energy given by the blade.
	+ This means that for Lloyd, there is another way to reverse the aging spell, to obtain the special flower from Star Swirl the Bearded.
* This is the fifth episode where some episodes of two Seasons is at the same time. This episode was aired along with "Princess Snowblossom" and "The Never-Ending Snowflakes".
* The Overlord appears, but has no lines.

## Errors

* The last name for Nya's voice actor, Kelly Metzger, is misspelled as Metger.
	+ This is the second time an error as occurred in the credits, the first is "Ninja Roll".
* When Roise was asking where Nelson is, Lloyd is donned with the Legacy suit, instead of the Forbidden suit.