My Little Pony

> "We've proven time and time again that the real magic is the six of us working together!"
>
> - Twilight Sparkle

## My Little Pony

### Based on

*My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic*
created by Lauren Faust

### Number of multiball modes

1

***My Little Pony*** is one of the *Animated Heroes* tables exclusive to *Zen Pinball Party*, originally released on September 3rd, 2021 for Apple Arcade. The table retells select events from the 2010 animated series, *My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic*, with an easier ruleset than many Zen tables to introduce a younger audience to pinball.

## Objective

The primary goal of this table is to play through all five Mane Missions, each corresponding to one of the ponies, and then start the wizard mode. Mane Missions are started by shooting one of five major lanes up to three times; on the first playthrough, each shot only needs to be made once to start a mission, increasing by one for subsequent playthroughs to a maximum of three shots required.

During each main mission, all shots will score 250,000 points, with the right scoop scoring "great shots" worth 500,000 points and other features listed below scoring additional points as well. Once the fifth mission has been played, the wizard mode will be lit at the right scoop; missions can be replayed at any time during single-ball play, and only the first playthrough of each mission will count towards lighting the wizard mode. Each Mane Mission lasts 30 seconds - the timer pauses while a ball is in the bumpers or about to be plunged.

If the sixth ball is locked for **Elements of Harmony Multiball** while a Mane Mission is active, the Mane Mission will instantly end.

The five Mane Missions are as follows:

* **Cupcakes**: Pinkie Pie loves cupcakes, so don't leave her disappointed. This mission starts after shooting the left orbit enough times; the bumpers will constantly be flashing during this mission, with each bumper hit scoring 100,000 points.
* **Party Preparations**: Rarity is known across Ponyville for her designer dresses that make every pony the star of the party. This mission starts after shooting the left ramp enough times; diamonds will spawn across the table, prominently on the left ramp, which increase in value from a base of 50,000 points by 25,000 points for each diamond collected and each standup target hit.
* **Buckball**: The pony world's equivalent to basketball is Buckball, and Rainbow Dash plans to train everyone for a big game as best as she can. This mission starts after shooting the center ramp enough times, and uses the default Mane Mission rules with no adjustments besides turning the ball into a red ball for the remainder of the mode.
* **Applebucking**: Applejack and her family are renowned for their professional applebucking skills. This mission starts after shooting the right ramp enough times; apples will spawn across the table, prominently on the right ramp, which increase in value from a base of 50,000 points by 25,000 points for each apple collected and each standup target hit.
* **Animals**: Fluttershy has the ability to communicate with other animals. This mission starts after shooting the right orbit enough times, and uses the default Mane Mission rules with no adjustments.

Once the fifth Mane Mission has been played, the unnamed **wizard mode** will be qualified and can be started on the next shot to the right scoop. The wizard mode will light the extra ball the first time it is activated and start a 6-ball multiball with the same jackpot rules as Elements of Harmony Multiball - all shots score Jackpots of 250,000, while the Tree of Harmony scores a Super Jackpot worth 1 million. The wizard mode ends and the Mane Mission progress will be reset once the player drains back down to one ball.

## Side modes

Only one side mode is available on this table, and can be started at any time during single-ball, non-mission play. The side mode will continue during Mane Missions, but cannot be started during them.

* **Villain Attack**: Shooting the right scoop enough times (1 shot for first three, 2 shots for second three, 3 shots for beyond) raise a random villain target of one of five villains from *Friendship Is Magic* (Cozy Glow, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, Lord Tirek or Grogar) that must be hit three times to defeat them. Hitting the target scores 250,000, 500,000 then 1,000,000 for each shot. Defeating three villains in a game, either by defeating it or by draining while a villain target is raised, will light an extra ball.

### Multiball

Only one, 6-ball multiball mode is available, which can be started at any time during single-ball play (even when a Mane Mission is active, but the mission will automatically end once the multiball starts).

* **Elements of Harmony Multiball**: The Tree of Harmony represents the true potential of each pony's Element of Harmony. Locking balls into the tree by shooting it using the upper right flipper, which can be accessed from the center lane, will collect elements worth 100,000 times the numbers of balls currently locked. Once six balls are locked, **Elements of Harmony Multiball** will start and the six balls will be sent flying towards the lower flippers. All shots will constantly be lit for Jackpots worth 250,000 points, while shooting the tree again during Multiball will score a Super Jackpot worth 1 million points and light an extra ball for collection at the right scoop. **Elements of Harmony Multiball** ends once the player drains back down to one ball.

## Perks

The following perks can be activated during play:

* **Skill Shot**: At the start of each ball, a timed skill shot will be available not unlike the skill shot from *The Champion Pub*, where a roulette of various different awards will scroll from left to right on the display and when the ball is plunged, the award the center slot is currently on will be awarded; if the slot stops on a blank space, nothing will be awarded. The possible skill shot awards include various point values from 100,000 to 2 million, locking a ball for Elements of Harmony Multiball, increasing the bonus multiplier by +2x, instantly completing DASH for 2x playfield scoring, or lighting an extra ball. The extra ball skill shot can only be collected once per game.
* **Playfield Multiplier**: Spelling "DASH" at the four return lanes, whose inserts can be changed by pressing the flippers, will multiply all playfield scoring for 30 seconds. The multiplier changes from 2x to 3x to 4x scoring each time it is activated; if "DASH" is spelled while a playfield multiplier is already active, the timer will be reset back to 30 seconds. "DASH" can also be completed for 2x scoring as a random skill shot award.
* **Ball Saver**: A 30-second ball saver is active at the start of every ball and at the start of all Multiball modes, and will return balls that drain by sending them either out the entrance to the left orbit or into the bumpers if the **Cupcakes** Mane Mission is active. There is no way to reactivate the ball saver once it has expired.
* **Kickbacks**: Completing either bank of standup targets will activate the left and right kickbacks. Kickbacks will carry across balls until they are used, and can be stacked if the targets are completed while a kickback is already lit.
* **Bonus Multiplier**: Spelling "PIE" at the top rollover lanes, whose inserts can be changed by pressing the flippers, will increase the bonus multiplier by +2x to a maximum of 10x. Completing "PIE" when the 10x multiplier is lit will hold the bonus multipliers for the next ball, and completing "PIE" again while bonus hold is lit will light an extra ball the first time it is done, or score a 1 million point bonus on subsequent completions. The bonus multipliers can also be increased by a random skill shot award.
* **Combos**: Shooting any major shot will activate a combo sequence, briefly lighting all major shots to score combos starting at 50,000 points and increasing to a maximum of 500,000 points per combo.
* **Extra Balls**: Extra balls can be lit at the right scoop by activating the **wizard mode**, collecting a Super Jackpot during **Elements of Harmony Multiball**, completing the "PIE" lanes after maxing out and holding the bonus multipliers, defeating 3 villains, or from a random skill shot award. Extra balls can only be collected once per game.

## Tips

* Spelling DASH for playfield multipliers is the fastest way to get high scores, and can be particularly valuable during the **Party Preparations** and **Applebucking** Mane Missions and the final **wizard mode**. Shoot the ramps constantly to maintain your multiplied playfield scoring.
* Avoid going for **Villain Attack** unless you have a ball save active or the kickbacks are lit. The villain targets have a nasty tendency to send balls down either outlane, and the right scoop can occasionally send balls that enter it straight down the middle.