The Mane 12 Adventures

by Ponyfanatic

Episode 4: Eternal Night

My Little Pony: The Mane 12 Adventures

Season 1, Episode 4: “Eternal Night”

---

“SURPRISE!”

Loads of confetti rained over them, and a pink earth mare with a bubbly mane quickly put party hats on them. “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie!”

“Uh, Sunny,” Sunny introduced. “And what just happened?!”

“It’s a surprise party, silly! Were you surprised? I can tell you’re surprised!” Pinkie laughed.

“Yes! Of course, we’re surprised! How did you get-” she gestured to the party. “-done in one day?!”

“Oh, that’s easy! All I had to do was write and mail invitations to every pony in Maretime Bay, then set this up, and then devise a foolproof plan to surprise you!” Pinkie shrugged. “All in a day's work!”

“Okay, but why?” Sunny asked.

“Remember when we met earlier? I didn’t recognize you and realized you were new here! You see, I know every pony and I mean every pony! But then I thought, if you’re new, that means you haven’t met anyone yet! And if you haven’t met anyone, that means you don’t have any friends in Maretime Bay, and that made me sad. So suddenly, I had an idea! I super secret surprise party just for you three!” She walked next to Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow, Hitch, Pipp, Misty, Zipp, and Izzy. “And now you have loads of friends!”

“I... don’t know what to say!” Sunny said. “You did all this? For us?”

“Well, duh! What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t host a party?” Pinkie said.

Sunny chuckled. She grabbed a glass and poured punch into it. “I guess I see your point,” she turned to Twilight. “Punch?” But she wasn’t there. “Twilight? Uh, Twilight?”

“Ooh! Are we playing hide and seek? I love hide and seek!” Pinkie said.

Sunny walked away, trying to find her friend. She saw a purple unicorn and trotted over to her, only to find that it wasn’t Twilight. “Oops! Sorry, ma’am!” She turned around again and tried to think. Where could she be? Until she realized. She walked up to the door that, hopefully, was the library. She went inside to see Twilight and a couple of books on her desk.

“Twilight?” Sunny asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing!” Twilight lied. She flipped to another page in her book before groaning, “Fine. Maybe there is something.”

“And that is...?” Sunny asked.

“All I wanted to do was research about Nightmare Moon! And how to stop her! Right now, all we have to go on is an old myth!” Twilight sighed. “And I’m actually trying to stop her! But I can’t get some peace!”

Sunny frowned and sighed. “Twilight, listen. I know you’re worried, and so am I! But that won’t help, believe me. So, why don’t we have some fun? Besides, there’s nothing we can do to stop Nightmare Moon before she comes, but we know about the only things that can stop her: The Elements of Harmony!”

Twilight sighed, “I suppose you’re right,” Twilight stood up, “You go on ahead, I’m going to fix the mess I made.”

“All right,” Sunny worriedly said. “Just text me if you need me!” Sunny left the room, and Twilight was left to her thoughts.

Elements of harmony, huh? Twilight wondered. Hopefully, that’ll be enough to stop her. Her horn flared up, and the books returned to where they originally were. “Okay, time to... party on? Whatever.” Twilight took one last glance at the library before leaving.

---

Sunny wandered around, holding a cup of punch in her hands before she bumped into someone. She looked up to realize it was Hitch!

“Oh! Sunny, great to see you!” Hitch said.

“Hitch! Nice to see you,” Sunny smiled. “So, when am I gonna meet this “dragon son' of yours?” Sunny playfully asked.

“Hopefully, soon. He’s staying with Granny Figgy for the weekend. He loves her cookies!” Hitch said. “He’ll be back tomorrow,”

Sunny nodded. “How old is he, by the way?”

“Uh, around... eight?” Hitch said. “It’s complicated. No one really knows what’s the equivalent of dragon years in pony years.”

“Okay, so Spike is older by... two years!” Sunny said.

“Spike’s the purple dragon you were with, right?” Hitch asked.

“Yep, Twilight hatched him during her entrance exam and she’s been raising him ever since,” Sunny explained. “How’d you find Sparky? Was there some unicorn entrance exam for you as well?” Sunny joked.

“Nah, you see, I found Sparky in-” Suddenly, the booming sound of Izzy's voice interrupted Hitch, who looked quite surprised.

“Ponies! Ponies, it’s time for the intermission! We advise you to get the rest of the snacks before they restock it, no wasting food, and because we still have... seven hours before the celebration starts!” Izzy announced. “Introducing, the glamourous, the stylish, the uber-famous, the pop star sensation, the... daughter of Queen Haven! It’s... Pipp Petals!”

Izzy gave Pipp the microphone, the latter thanking her. “Alright, ponies! Who’s ready to witness a three-hour-long concert?! One singer being me, Pipp Petals as you know! I don’t wanna keep you ponies waiting anymore, so... hit it!”

The lights dimmed, and colorful spotlights danced around the lighthouse. “Okay, how did Pinkie do all of this in under a day?” Sunny commented.

“You learn not to question it,” Hitch said.

“Glowin' up, kind of love.
Dip and slide through the cut.
Glowin' up, kind of love.
We say "Hi", you say "What?"

Pipp twirled in the air, her fans cheering her on. She took a deep breath before resuming.

“I used to care what they'd say,
Let 'em into my brain.
But I found a new way! (Ooh-hoo-ooh)
Every time I fall down,
I pick it up like a rebound.
Gotta get through somehow!”

“We don’t fly like we used to.
We take what we’ve been through.
And we can feel brand new. (Ooh-hoo-ooh)
I know I am a fighter, I feel the fire
I’m shinin’ brighter (Ooh-hoo-ooh)”

Twilight stumbled across the lighthouse. She couldn’t see anything with the amount of ponies blocking her view. Until she bumped into Zipp.

“Oh! I- uh, Zipp!” Twilight stammered.

“Twilight? What’s up?” Zipp said. “You looking for someone? Or... something?”

“Eh, just trying to find the snack table... so can you move? Please?” Twilight said.

“Hate to break it to you, but they’re still restocking it. Pinkie somehow could get two cakes, a chocolate fountain, apple cider... almost everything! I don’t think they’ll be done soon. We have four hours until we gotta go.”

“Four hours?!” Twilight screamed. “Oh Faust... I could’ve been using this time to research about Nightmare Moon!”

“You still got four hours. Why not?” Zipp shrugged.

“The noise,” Twilight said. “It’s too loud! I can’t focus if I tried.”

Zipp pondered for a moment before she smiled. “Wait here,” she zoomed away before returning with headphones. “Use these. They don’t block all the sound, but they block most of it!”

“Uh, Zipp, this is nice and all, but you don’t have to do it!” Twilight said. “Really, I’m fine!”

“Nah, it’s alright! I’m practically rich, being an heir to the throne.” Zipp said. “I can buy ten of these. Take it!”

Twilight gasped, only registering the first part. “You’re Princess Zipp!?”

“Uh... that’s me.”

“I can’t believe I met two princesses! In a day!” Twilight said. “If I may ask, why are you here, in Maretime Bay? Shouldn’t you be in Zephyr Heights? With Queen Haven?”

“Nah, I moved out a long time ago.” Zipp explained. “And besides, I’m happier here! No boring princess lessons every day.”

Twilight chuckled. “Well, I won’t keep you here any longer. Thanks for the headphones! I really needed them.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Zipp said.

---

Several hours later, ponies were leaving the party, and others were helping pack up. Twilight, who was getting tired, exited the library to end up in confusion. She walked up to Misty, who was carrying a bowl of chocolate popcorn.

“Uh, Misty? Where’s everyone... going? I know the party’s been on for a while, but it shouldn’t be ending this early!” Twilight asked.

“Oh! Yeah, uh, everypony’s heading for Town Hall, for the raising of the sun! That’s kinda the whole point of today, remember?”

Twilight paused before sighing in relief. “Well, that’s a relief. We should go then. Don’t wanna be late!”

Misty nodded before the two left the lighthouse. Unbeknownst to them, the shape of the mare on the moon vanished, like it was never been there.

---

In the backstage of Town Hall, Princess Celestia was getting ready for her appearance. When she noticed the blue smoke forming around her. “Luna.”

The blue smoke spun around until it became the shape of an alicorn. A black coat with a mane that reflected the galaxy. She wore light blue armor with moon symbols on them, and her eyes were slits.

“It’s... Nightmare Moon now, sister.” The alicorn smiled, her teeth as sharp as a knife. “I thought you already know! Even after a thousand years, you still know nothing about me!”

Princess Celestia faced her sister. Holding herself back, she spoke. “What do you want? Why are you here?”

“Simple! To rid Equestia of its beloved sun and princess!” Nightmare Moon said. “We had this over a thousand years ago. Get it in your head!”

Celestia shook her head. “This isn’t you! I know you don’t want this! Luna wouldn’t-”

“Hah! Don’t act like you know me after one thousand years! If you really knew me, well, I wouldn’t have been on the moon for a millennium!” She hissed. Her horn lit up and was ready to strike Celestia down, but she held herself back. “So, where’s dear old Clover? Getting your precious elements of harmony?”

Celestia shook her head, and Nightmare Moon laughed. “He’s gone, isn’t he?” A magical blue aura surrounded Celestia, in which she couldn’t move in. “As the new ruler of Equestia, my first order is to banish you to the moon! So in my eternal night, ponies will only see the mark of a failed princess, but a dawn of a new era!”

“You will not get away with this!” Celestia screamed. She tried to use her magic, but her response was a failed spell.

“No element bearer, no problem!” Nightmare Moon said. Celestia tried to protest, but not a second later, she was gone. “Now then, it’s time for eternal night!”

---

Misty and Twilight entered Town Hall, where they saw loads of ponies inside. Twilight and Misty waved goodbye before Twilight tried to find Sunny or Spike.

“Sunny!? Spike?!” Her efforts were cut short as the ceremony started. Trumpets were heard across the room, and Mayor Mare went on stage for the opening remarks. “Fillies and gentlecolts!” Twilight looked around, but that is when she noticed the moon. It had a green, pink, and blue sheen to it. [1]

“Psst! Twilight!” Sunny whispered. Behind Twilight was Sunny, who was ducking. “Something’s wrong. Did you notice the moon? It had-”

“-a green, pink, and blue sheen to it. Why?” Twilight asked.

“Doesn’t that shade look familiar?” Sunny asked.

She looked at the moon again, and something clicked. “That’s Princess Celestia’s mane colors! It wasn’t like that earlier... that means...”

“Now, may we welcome... Princess Celestia!” Mayor Mare finished her speech and signaled to the pegasi to unfurl the curtain. But when they did, Nightmare Moon stood before them, donning an evil grin.

“Oh, my beloved subjects! How long has it been since I’ve seen your precious sun-loving faces!” Nightmare Moon said. “But we’ll change that, won’t we?”

“Who are you?! And what have you done with our Princess!” Rainbow angrily questioned, flying up to Nightmare’s face. Nightmare Moon pushed her away.

“Rainbow!” Applejack scolded, which got a laugh from Nightmare Moon.

“Don’t worry...” Nightmare Moon teleported next to Applejack. “I’m not mad.” She flashed a devilish grin. “It’s been a thousand years. All of you must not know who I am!”

Twilight was about to speak up, but Pipp interrupted her. She flew up to Nightmare Moon’s face and started talking.

“Omigosh! This is so exciting!” In Zephyr Heights, everypony noticed Pipp’s broadcast, as it was on the big screen. “So, before we get to your whole villain speech, do you have any words for about all of Equestria?” Pipp smiled.

Nightmare Moon angrily took Pipp’s phone and was about to throw it before an idea formed into her mind and spoke. “Hello, my little ponies! Every little one of you must be asking: where’s Princess Celestia? Well, take a good look at the moon! That’s right, your precious princess is on that moon at this very moment!”

Rainbow Dash growled, but Applejack put a hoof on her. “Let me introduce myself, because, from this moment on, I am the new high Princess of Equestia! I... I am Princess Nightmare Moon! And the night will last forever!”

“No.” Everypony turned to look at Twilight, who had a determined look on her face.

“No? Whatever do you mean?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“I mean no! Your night will not last forever! You may have put Princess Celestia on the moon, but I know about the one thing that can stop you!” Twilight sighed and locked eyes with the evil alicorn. “The elements of harmony!”

Instead of receiving anger, wrath, or even punishment, Nightmare Moon simply laughed. “The elements are gone! And even if you knew where they are, I highly doubt it.”

Twilight paused. She didn’t think of that! During her research, she never once found a lead on where the elements are, no ancient myth, no riddles, no anything! It was like it didn’t exist, though. That would probably explain a lot. Twilight knew that with every second she stood there, she was wasting valuable time, so... she turned and left.

---

Back in the lighthouse’s library, Twilight was looking through books, desperately trying to find... anything! “No, no, no, no, no!” she groaned. “How am I going to find the elements?”

“And what just are the elements of harmony?!” a voice said. She turned behind her to find Rainbow Dash, who had a look of confusion and suspicion. “Are you a spy? Admit it, you’re a spy!”

Twilight was going to speak up before Zipp beat her. “No! She’s not a spy, Rainbow! Did you even hear her speech?”

“But she sure knows what’s going on, don’t ya Twilight?” Applejack spoke. She turned to her, and before she knew it, she saw Izzy, Rarity, Pipp, Pinkie, Hitch, Fluttershy, Misty, and Sunny behind them.

Twilight sighed, “Back in Canterlot, I found a book. It held a story, Nightmare Moon’s story. And in that story, was the Elements of Harmony, two alicorns used those to banish her into the moon as punishment.”

“Then why is she here?” Izzy asked. “Shouldn’t she be on the moon?”

Twilight shook her head. “Unfortunately, it told that after a thousand years, she would return and exact revenge on Equestia, putting the land in an eternal night! And sadly, she did! But if she was stopped before, she can be stopped now. All we need are the elements of harmony!”

“So let’s go get them!” Rainbow said. “If they’re the only thing that can stop her, then why are we wasting time in a library?”

“Because no one has seen the elements in a thousand years! No one knows where they are!” Twilight said.

“Hey, guys! Over here!” Pinkie pointed to a book, which had a golden aura around it. Twilight carefully got the book with her magic and levitated it over to her. She blew the dust over the book, revealing its title.

“The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide?” Twilight read. “Pinkie! This is it!” She opened the book and read its contents aloud.

“As mentioned, there are twelve elements of harmony, each representing a different characteristic. Kindness, Heart, Laughter, Creativity, Generosity, Confidence, Honesty, Justice, Loyalty, Bravery, and Hope, the twelfth is unknown.”

“Does it say where they are?” Sunny asked.

Twilight flipped to the next page and continued from there. “It is said that the last known location of the elements is in the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, which is located in what is called... The Everfree Forest."

The others (except for Twilight) tensed up. “Uh, what’s wrong?”

“You don’t know?” Hitch asked.

“Of course not, I’m new in Maretime Bay. Why? What’s wrong with it?”

Hitch looked at Sunny, who nodded. “It’s best if we show you.”

---

Cut to the group on a road leading into a forest, which looked very, very overgrown. “Wee! Let’s go!” Pinkie cheerily said before Twilight stopped her.

“I’m sorry, but I think it’s best if I go alone,” Twilight said. “I don’t want to pressure you into going with me.”

“No can do, sugarcube!” Applejack said. “Ya don’t know anything bout’ the Everfree, but we here in Maretime Bay do. We ain’t letting ya go in there, whether ya like it or not.”

She turned to Sunny for support but the earth mare shook her head. “She’s right, Twi. We don’t know much about the Everfree Forest, but they do! Come on, it wouldn’t hurt having others to rely on!”

Twilight was about to protest but the group looked set with their answer, so she reluctantly sighed. “Alright, let’s go!”

She walked inside before the others followed behind, though Pinkie looked a bit too excited about it.

To be continued...

Author's Note:

[1] - Since Celestia is banished to the moon for now, the moon gained a pink, blue, and green sheen to it, like in the timeline where Nightmare Moon won.

---

Okay! So the next episode will be the final episode for “The Nightmare Arc”, after that we’ll have the filler episodes (with bits of lore)! Exciting, hopefully it won’t take as long to write but with my schedule, it’ll be here in around two weeks. See you then! Also, credits to Comickook for inspiration for some scenes!

If anything’s wrong, feel free to comment!

Comments

[Huskylover]

I hope after the final episode, there's going to be season 2, because i don't want your new series the mane 12 adventures to end, please continue the new series

[Comickook]

Hello there. Thanks very much for getting the next chapter up on this and for liking the bit with the headphones enough to use it. REALLY love the work going into the dialogue, characterizations and future chapter set-up. Definitely liked the little extra bits worked in (such as the surprise on how a party that big was set up in under a day, Sunny and Hitch's discussion on Sparky that got interrupted and the providing of a logical explanation concerning Celestia's whereabouts during most of the pilot.

Definitely looking forward to more of this. Especially the modifications on the "Element tests" to make them work for the additional elements.

[Ponyfanatic]

11931368

Thanks! The Element Trials/Tests will all be in one chapter, I just finished Applejack and Hitch’s just now! Next chapter, we’ll see a very special alicorn The alicorn will stay a mystery in this comment, but you’ll see next time. Also, Sparky will make his first appearance too!

Also, I think I may have given Sunny a fear of heights now.

[Ponyfanatic]

11931361
I plan to do all seasons, the Equestria Girls movies, and some original specials thrown in.

[Huskylover]

Really? That's so good and a relief, thank you

[Comickook]

11932151
Gotcha. And thanks again.

[EmmyRosie5]

Oh boy, the next chapter is gonna be one heck of an adventure.

Also, I have a suggestion. For Izzy’s trial, can you use the song “With A Little Creativity” from the Secrets of Starlight special? I have a feeling that this song would be perfect for it.

[Ponyfanatic]

11935963
That makes sense, sure!