Now back to being called Odds and Ends for the moment.

Overthinking magic:
1) Rarity trying to pretty up and fix the tree. Applehjack still pulls it down and based on her dialog when the other tree gets struck by lightning. It seems to imply there is limits to Rarity's magic reattaching the tree branch.

I would like to say that Rarity's transformation of the tree into several small statutes/decorative shrub whatevers. The mass of those clearly is not the same as the tree that was. I'd like to say that a lot of that mass was used to fuel the spell itself but Twilight conjuring a door just two Episodes ago, if even Rarity's own previous use of this ability this episode probably dispute this.

Spike's on "royal business." I know it was just an excuse to not have him there but this line I have always remembered. What sort of business was he on? Considering how they have usually acted with Spike being a child (relatively responsible to be entrusted with some duties) I wonder what he would be up too and traveling alone, if even to a safe trip to Canterlot for.

Animation, not too much stuck out this time, lol. That is a given with a episode inside a house. Oh wait, one thing that I didn't screencap!

When Twilight Sparkle is telling her ghost story, the lamp disappears when it zooms out from Twilight's head!
(Or considering how fast Twilight got that sheet on in a lightning flash may mean Twilight did something with it if I want to come up with an inunverse explanation.)

The lamp is using lightning bugs and I know that Faust wanted to avoid too many references to an advanced industrialized society so I wonder how much lightning bugs would have been a necessity versus a novelty in this situation? It also seems like Golden Oaks has light switches/some sort of powered light source that can turn on and off given the sound effect of a light switch.