Part 1
—"ankle-biter": Australian slang for a young kid.
—Flash's boomerang was indeed a Hearth's Warming gift. See the short story I'll Be Home For Hearth's Warming.
—Part of the purpose of this chapter was to demonstrate how close Phillip, Flash and Twilight have come.
—Starlight is continuing her research into the crystal that the Friendship Castle is made out of, which she began in the previous story, The Grilled Cheese and the Muletese Falcon.

Part 2
—Gotham City was a large inspiration for the setting and atmosphere of Fillydelphia.
—Phillip's crime sense reacts to crimes and dangers where he needs to intervene to protect others. Because the whole city is essentially one large crime scene, it's no wonder his crime sense went haywire.
—The lyrics to the song that the ruffians were listening to is, of course, based off of Ice-T's infamous Cop Killer.
—"BAMB": Bad Ass Mother Bucker
—Snake Eyes' name, of course, comes from the nickname for rolling a two with a pair of die, an unlucky toss.
—In the Phillipverse, Blueblood is merely a Duke, not a Prince.
—"Wade in the water": an old African-American spiritual.

Part 3
—"Love is the spirit of this congregation...": a quote by James Vila Blake, a Unitarian minister. The UU church I attend uses this as its covenant.
—My UU church here in Springfield was an inspiration for the layout of the Temple.
—"For food, for raiment...": this is the Wilderness Grace, also known as the Philmont Grace, a simple prayer that is frequently used by Boy Scouts.
—While I don't include the EQG movies in the Phillipverse, I did use the first movie as an inspiration for how Flash and Twilight first met.
—Rosedust Street is named after a Generation 1 pony.
—Anyone in the audience ever use lemon juice to make invisible ink messages?

Part 4
—"Tell them to send something bigger next time!”: Tempting Fate there, Flash.
—Wingsong Way is named for a Generation 2 pony.
—Anchor Point's alleged murder was inspired by The Valley of Fear.
—Fluoxetine, venlafaxine, and phenelzine are all actual antidepressant medicines.

Part 5
—516-4673 is a double reference. Job 5:16 reads, "So the poor have hope and injustice shuts its mouth." 4673 on a dialpad can be used to spell "hope."
—The idea of a pair of glasses being a crucial clue comes from The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez.

Part 6
—A camera tree with a sign that says “FOR YOUR OWN PROTECTION.” Where have we seen things like that before?
—We've seen in some episodes that Spike draws in his free time, according to glimpses of his room. I'd like to think that he's become a very good artist.
—Backhoe's plight represents the reality for many ex-convicts, who are denied assistance in reintegrating back into society and the opportunity to make an honest lifestyle, which forces them back into recidivism. Fact: about 66% of all released convicts in the United States will be rearrested and sent back to prison.
—A pelorus is a navigational instrument, similar to a compass.
—Canopus is the brightest star in the southern constellation Carina, and the second-brightest star in the night sky after Sirius.
—Making Blueblood a buffoonish character or a strawman conservative whose only purpose was to be proven wrong and dismissed was tempting, but I felt it was a waste of a character. I decided that making him a good-hearted, but detached and misguided leader was a better option, particularly since it lead to his later redemption.
—Police shootings are no laughing matter, I know, and I would certainly never make light of something so serious or include it simply for shock value. Adding in this scene underlined just how tense things are between the City Guard (even the honest ones) and the civilian population.

Part 7
—Joyful's conversation with Phillip about God and His value was inspired by one of my favorite books, When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Rabbi Harold Kushner.
—Spike also brings up a valid point: merely putting criminals in jail is not always adequate to solve societal problems. The fact is, the overwhelming majority of prisoners will be released someday, and that brings a host of issues to society, not the least of which is how to deal with an individual who has been completely institutionalized and does not know how to lead a life of their own (remember Brooks from The Shawshank Redemption? That's the reality).
—If you remember past stories, you'll know that Phillip's hat used to belong to his father, and he is very attached to it. His giving it to Flash is a sign of just how much he trusts him, and how close they are.
—Phillip attempting to talk down Anchor Point was inspired by this sequence from the comic Superman: Grounded.
—"We seem to think that time will inevitably cure everything, but time is neutral...": paraphrasing a section of Martin Luther King's famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail.
—I first heard The Fire of Commitment at a UU service, and instantly fell in love with it. It has become one of my favorite hymns.

Part 8
—"I Doubt It," also known as "BS" or "Cheat," is a card game based on deception, where the goal is to be the first to get rid off all your cards. Phillip and Flash are very good at it.
—The old "fingerprint off the glass" trick. It worked here because it's a relatively new discovery in the Phillipverse.
—"dactyloscopy": the proper name for the study of fingerprints. "Dactyl" comes from the Greek word for "finger." (I couldn't figure out what a good word for hoof was, so I just hand waved it)
—Also the old "How Did You Know That Specific Detail That I Never Told You" trick, faintly foreshadowed in Cornerstone's first meeting: he couldn't resist talking too much.
—I've volunteered at a food shelf for a number of years, and I can tell you, it is not as simple as you might think it is.

Part 9
—The fight between Flash and Cornerstone was inspired by Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, where Batman fights the leader of the Mutant gang in a mud pit.
—"thaumatic:" refers to thaumaturgy, the ability to make miracles.
—"chocka:" Australian slang, "full of."
—a crossbow bolt to the knee: ha ha. Skyrim reference that's not completely overused.
—“Because injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere:" quoting Martin Luther King, Jr.

Part 10
—“Sorry about that comment I made at the Blue Moon Festival:" see previous story The Blue Moon Brings Death.
—Joyful's prayer is taken from a prayer written by Rabbi Jack Riemer.
—“No worries:" Flash takes after his father so much.
—And yes! The proposal! Finally!

Author's Notes:

Chapter notes from the story.