My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic/Nightmare Fuel: Difference between revisions

 

 

 

You wouldn't think a show like this would have some [[Nightmare Fuel|creepy stuff every now and then.]] [[Ironic Echo|Just remember to giggle at the ghostly...]]

 

== Season 1 ==

* Nightmare Moon engulfing Equestria in darkness.

 

* The Ursa Major that was seen at the end of Boast Busters. The way it's a grotesque mix of at least two creatures that are terrifying on their own is petrifying.

** The Ursa Minor as well. It's big enough to destroy Ponyville in a matter of minutes, lives in a cave in the Everfree Forest right next to the town, and all it takes to wake it up is two young, curious ponies stumbling into its cave. Trixie's reaction to hearing it was ''only a baby'' is very justified.

* [[Adult Fear|Two children running into a dangerous forest in the middle of the night to wake up a bear]].

 

* The cymbals that got sucked into Rainbow Dash's tornado ran the serious risk of ''slicing through her.''

 

* The hydra from "Feeling Pinkie Keen". Actively malevolent, really huge, powerful, and violent. Atypically for this show, [[Talking the Monster to Death]] is ''not'' an option.

** And it was pure luck in the form of a serendipitous [[Self-Fulfilling Prophecy]] that it didn't get the drop on Fluttershy all by herself.

 

* Seeing ''[[Moe|Fluttershy]]'' of all ponies [[Taken for Granite|slowly getting turned to stone]] as she stares down a cockatrice in "Stare Master".

* Seeing a snail crawling on the petrified Twilight's face the second time we see her is also kinda creepy.

* Actually, this may very well have been disturbing on purpose, though probably on more of a [[Defanged Horrors]] level. [[Adult Fear|Young fillies going into the woods despite their babysitter telling them it was dangerous]]? Major characters being temporarily or partly turned to stone, just by ''looking'' at a particular creature, which would imply either death or [[Fate Worse Than Death|a comparably awful fate]] if this hadn't been stopped? Such themes are reminiscent of themes of horror movies, and may very well be one of the most legitimately frightening moments in the series yet.

 

* The Cutie Mark Crusaders getting caught on Pinkie Pie's candy machine in "The Show Stoppers" is really frightening, especially with their bodies totally disappearing in the rainbow goop and only the [[Eye Scream]] left visible. They came out intact (albeit sticky) but still. ''Shudder.''

** Becomes more horrifying if you happen to have listened to (or read the fic version of) "Rainbow Factory".

 

* Rarity screaming in fear as the Diamond Dogs take her. It seriously sounded like the kind of scream you'd hear in a horror film.

** The desperation in her voice as she screams, ''"GAH! SPIKE!!"'' is just... ''scary.''

** What about ''how'' she's kidnapped? The Diamond Dogs ''drag her by the legs down a pit as she screams for help.''

 

* A lot of fans were creeped out by young Twilight losing control of her powers in "Cutie Mark Chronicles", and to a lesser extent by young Pinkie Pie's maniacally-cheerful grin on seeing her first rainbow.

** Any time that Twilight Sparkle manifests [[Glowing Eyes of Doom|her blank-white glowing eyes]] ala [[Avatar: The Last Airbender|Avatar State]] is… very unsettling, to say the least.

** Twilight is writhing and twitching inside the bubble before Princess Celestia comes and calms her down. She was probably ''in pain.'' Let's just be glad Celestia came when she did.

 

* Pinkie Pie temporarily going nuts in "Party of One" was legitimately spooky, possibly bordering on [[Nightmare Fuel|pure terror]]. The odd expressions and the spastic ways they appeared didn't help in the least.

** The creepiest part is, after they say that it's her birthday, she is just back as normal, like it never happened.

* While Rainbow Dash is fleeing from Pinkie Pie, she hides inside a bell at one point. {{spoiler|Then you see two eyes... on the clapper. It's Pinkie Pie ''as the clapper''.}}

 

* Fluttershy [[Sanity Slippage|losing her goddamn mind]] after getting rejected by the animals. Eep.

** Even more terrifying is her little bit during the otherwise adorable "Pony Pokey". As Pinkie sings, we are treated to shots of Fluttershy pouncing at every critter she sees. And at the end of the verse she has her own jump scare.

'''Fluttershy''': (Sudden, deep throated and screaming) COME OUT! }}

** Freakiest part is near the end, when she bursts through the door, the animals running away in ''terror'' and her giving a look of absolute pure rage. VERY un-Fluttershy.

** Not only that, but when Twilight snaps the mane cast out of it and gives the signal to get out of the recently-trashed Gala, Fluttershy has ''grabbed a squirrel by the scruff of its neck''.

 

 

== Season 2 ==

* "The Return of Harmony", part 1: When Discord first begins to awaken, we see ''his heart beating inside of his stone-cold prison'', with a black aura pulsating in and out of visibility each time the heart beats.

** Followed directly by the statue cracking and him giving a ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGn1TlBLm0w seriously creepy]'' [[Evil Laugh]]...[[Mood Whiplash|And then the happy theme music]].

** Those who study Tarot would definitely see the resemblance between this image and the Devil card from most major decks; the ponies being "chained" by the puppet strings, Discord's somewhat goat-like face, even the pit of fire bit can be found in the standard variants of this arcanum.

 

* Episode 2: Discord {{spoiler|telekinetically holding the ponies up in the air by their Element Necklaces}} could be a bit frightening to some kids.

** What's worse is the [[Slasher Smile]] that he makes when he does it!

* The "slender bunnies" are pretty creepy before, but if you look closely when they stampede across screen before the final confrontation with Discord, it looks as if they ''don't have eyes.''

 

* What made ''Lesson Zero'' so effective was how much it played with our expectations after [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic/Recap/S2/E02 The Return of Harmony Part 2|The Return of Harmony.]] For instance, '''''who would've expected any of this?'''''

** On the inverse, some people found it scarier ''because'' it came after "The Return Of Harmony" and it made it seem like Twilight was psychologically damaged by Discord.

* '''"HI, GIRRRRLS!"''' [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7iv09RirHU *ear twitch*]

 

* Zecora telling the fillies about Nightmare Moon. She blows some green dust and illusions of Nightmare Moon appear, looking very vicious. Nightmare Moon is said to eat ponies!

* Princess Luna's actual entrance. She flies in with two grim looking ponies, with lightning flashing in the background, making her look pretty intimidating.

* Zecora's illusion of Nightmare Moon and Luna's appearance when she briefly shapeshifts into Nightmare Moon as part of a prank includes fangs. Seeing fangs in a horse's mouth ''[[Uncanny Valley|just isn't right]]''.

 

* While the [[Mix-and-Match Critters]] of the pets in Rainbow Dash's dream aren't that scary and are actually kind of cute, having Opal coming out of its mouth is truly frightening.

* The Quarry Eels. They aren't particularly monstrous, but ''damn'' they're fast, and not ''one'' of Dash's prospects manages to avoid being chomped. This doesn't stick (the ''bat'' pulverizes one from the inside out), but they lair in otherwise normal holes in the wall, and they give no hint to their presence.

 

* This episode features a split-second closeup of a [[wikipedia:The Persistence of Memory|Salvador Dali-esque painting]] of ponies being horrifically stretched and ''melted''.And Rarity approves of it!

 

* [http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/397/96473%20-%20nictitating_membrane%20spike.PNG?1323549702 Spike's display of his nictitating membrane] after Twilight leaves him be can be creepy to those unfamiliar with reptilian biological mechanisms. We've come to accept these characters as ''humans'' rather than animals like they really are. This scene is similar to watching someone you know as being as human as you are ''slowly turn into something not human''.

* While grown up dragons in the show have a generally cool appearance, Spike's grown up form looks more menacing than the ones in "Dragonshy" and "Owls Well that Ends Well".

 

* The Windigos. Ghostly horses that feed off of negative feelings and distrust. The blizzard they caused further fueled the emotions that fed them. Close to the end of the episode, their cold became so intense that it froze the leaders of the three tribes alive, right where they stood. And apparently, they're ''still around'', meaning that if you ever let your negative feelings get the better of you, they'll be waiting.

** And then there's the fact [[Family-Unfriendly Death|they're burned to death]] in the end!

* The pony leaders and their adviser's {{spoiler|bodies turning into ice}}.

 

* The Timberwolves, a very eerie design of wolves made of wood. Plus, it's another rare time on the show where [[Talking the Monster to Death]] won't work.

* The "signs" that Granny Smith is on the lookout for, when they haven't been explained, can be a little unsettling. The Timberwolves' howling, the ominous weather, the crows and ravens forming symbols in the sky... it feels like [[Black Magic]] rather than an apple harvest.

 

* The scene where Pinkie Pie is searching frantically for the twins after putting them to bed looks like a scene out of a horror movie. She finds Pumpkin Cake (the filly) in a closet, chewing on a rubber chicken in increasingly-more-jarring slow motion. She goes out into the hallway to find Pound Cake (the colt). It's dark, the curtains are blowing, and there's weird music playing and she keeps hearing Pound Cake's laugh everywhere. It brings to mind some of the horror stories about babysitters alone in the dark....

** That scene was filled with references to horror movies, so it's only natural it would be scary.

* There's also a ''massive'' amount of [[Adult Fear]] in that scene. Taking care of a child and then losing them is one of the worst feelings ''ever''.

 

** "[[Unstoppable Rage|APPLEJACK!]] '''''[[Voice of the Legion|YOU PINKIE PROMISED!!!]]'''''"

 

* The entire Daring Do story is quite shockingly violent for this show. The worst is definitely when she's tied to a slab in a room filling with sand and spiked walls closing in, while spiders and cobras crawl over her.

* Ahuizotl's introduction. It's not immediately apparent how off his anatomy is until he starts talking, and when he does, it's in Pinkie Pie's voice, which is immensely jarring.

 

* Apple Bloom's [[Imagine Spot]] about Ponyville sliding into chaos without Cheerilee teaching and Big Macintosh helping at Sweet Apple Acres is amusing, but it also features a disturbing shot of a severely-emaciated Lily.

 

* It was somewhat unsettling to see Pinkie Pie squeeze one of her eyes through the keyhole of a lock.

 

* Because Nightmare Moon, Discord and the Windigos aren't bad enough, Cerberus apparently guards a gate [[Sealed Evil in a Can|that holds]] all manner of evil creatures, and there's nothing stopping him from running off whenever he feels like it. Not only that, but according to Twilight the place is Tartarus - which was more or less ''Hell'' in Greek myth, as the lowest region of the underworld. Given that Cerberus guarded the underworld in Greek myth, and the MLP production team as snuck quite a few mythological references in, the fact that we're more or less introduced to [[Hell]] is unsettling in itself.

 

* The fact that teenage dragons {{spoiler|steal phoenix eggs, and smash them. Imagine being the [[Adult Fear|parents of those dead eggs.]]}}

** What's worse, when they find out the eggs hatch, their leader gleefully states they'll ''take the babies''.

* After Spike {{spoiler|refuses to hand over the phoenix egg}}, the teen dragons turn on him. Just imagine what they'd have done to Spike if the girls hadn't shown up...

 

* Fluttershy's fear of being ridiculed at one point is symbolized by her looking [http://youtu.be/bSdWjqmH-as absolutely terrified in a tunnel of eyes with a red backdrop], while echoing voices taunt her. And just to make sure all the little kids don't sleep, they throw in an [[Evil Laugh]].

** If you've been bullied in real life, that moment could bring up some very unpleasant memories...

* [[Fan Nickname|Roid Rage]]'s muscle-y, vein-y appearance can be a bit... unsettling.

 

* Queen Chrysalis and her Changeling minions. Not only do they look scary (Chrysalis and the other Changelings even have gaping ''holes'' [[Body Horror|in their legs]]), they can [[Paranoia Fuel|turn into the ones you love most]].

** She is a good glimpse of what you can really flex on a kids' TV show. If so compelled, the writers could really turn up the darkness of the show by following her example down the road. It's still "kid-friendly" but man is it a shift from what you're used to.

* The ending of the first half. [[Twist Ending|Specifically,]] [[Diabolus Ex Machina|the last]] [[Surprise Creepy|20-odd]] [[Downer Ending|seconds.]] Seriously, the only thing that kept fans from freaking out completely is the fact that the second half of the plot started almost immediately.

** The shot directly after that, when her shadow falls over {{spoiler|Cadence}}, her shadow looks absolutely terrifying!

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Nightmare Fuel]]