Bright Lights (My Little Pony)

Doctorwhobox
serial_name=21-24 Bright Lights
writer=Barbara Petty
series= Series 1
length=4 episodes
date=October 13-16, 1986
preceding=Pony Puppy
following=Sweet Stuff and the Treasure Hunt|

"Bright Lights" is a serial in the United States children's television series "My Little Pony".

ynopsis

The Baby Ponies are delighted when rock star Knight Shade performs for them - but the concert is a front to steal their shadows and feed his dark master!

Plot

Part 1

The Little Ponies are enjoying a concert by rock star Knight Shade, just outside Paradise Estate. Baby Heart Throb gets over-excited and blocks everyone else's view, so Lickety-Split dumps an ice cream on her head to cool her down. After the concert, Baby Heart-Throb offers to get another ice cream, and Baby Lofty and Baby Half-Note accompany her. Their real intention is to meet Knight Shade, who happily invites his fans into his trailer. When they show off their musical talent, Knight Shade's manager Zeb encourages them to audition as his backup singers.

Becoming worried, Megan asks Zeb about the babies' whereabouts. He claims that he sent them home to their mothers, but Heart Throb and Lofty haven't seen them. Now panicking, the Little Ponies form search parties, sure that Knight Shade has kidnapped their babies.

The Baby Ponies are happily performing on Knight Shade's stage, failing to notice Zeb operating a device hidden in the leather satchel he carries. With the performance over, the babies feel too sick to journey home - and realise to their horror that they aren't casting any shadows.

Megan, along with Lofty, Heart Throb and Galaxy, travel to Munchterville, a city inhabited by giant rats. The mayor, Camembert, welcomes them - but when they mention they're looking for Knight Shade, he springs a giant mousetrap, pinning them all to the floor.

The Baby Ponies confront Knight Shade and Zeb about their shadows, but their story is dismissed as a joke. They try to leave, but find themselves surrounded by a gang of the same giant rats, who capture them in a cage...

Part 2

Megan notices the Munchterville children cast no shadows, and suspects Knight Shade's handiwork. Heart Throb pleads with Camembert that the same may be happening to their babies, and he agrees to go with them to stage a rescue. As night falls, the group sneak into the concert grounds, bust the Baby Ponies out of their cage and capture Knight Shade, tying him up. He pleads that his actions were forced, telling the story of how he came to steal shadows.

Knight Shade sang in his native village of Greyvale, to little recognition. One day he met a wizard named Arabus, who promised to boost his career and make him a star. Arabus indeed drew almost the entire village to Knight Shade's next concert, stealing all their shadows, including that of Knight Shade's mother, and used them to turn himself into a powerful cloud of magic. Since then, Knight Shade has toured to increasing success, stealing ever more shadows for Arabus, hoping to keep his own shadow long enough to figure out a way to stop Arabus.

Baby Heart Throb pleads for Knight Shade's release, and pleased to have allies, he leads the way to Greyvale to seek help. Without shadows, the inhabitants of Greyvale have become bitter and cruel, and blame Knight Shade for their predicament. Without giving them a chance to explain, the Greyvaleans chase Knight Shade's group out of town, cornering them against a rock wall and promising 'You'll be sorry you were ever born...'

Part 3

Knight Shade's mother appears and orders the mob to return home. The group continues on to Arabus' mansion to confront him, but the wizard is unfazed and attacks the Little Ponies with a gust of wind, scattering them. Knight Shade attacks Zeb, grabbing his satchel and throwing it inside the mansion. The two wrestle as Megan and Molly run inside to retrieve it. The Little Ponies can to little but flee from Arabus, but they notice that he soon tires and becomes noticeably weaker after chasing them. Zeb subdues Knight Shade and then Megan, regaining the satchel and stealing Galaxy's shadow with it. The group take advantage of Arabus' weakened state to make a run for it.

Taking refuge in a cave, the Little Ponies exchange information, and Megan concludes that Arabus would be powerless if they can make him exert himself for long enough. Knight Shade supposes they'd need and army, and Megan agrees, sending Lofty and Molly on a mission. As they beneath the forest canopy to avoid detection, Molly is caught a trap set by Zeb's rats, and Zeb happily gloats that her shadow will make a fine addition to the collection...

Part 4

Fighting off the rats and knocking Zeb to the ground, Lofty sets Molly free and they continue with their mission. Megan tries once more to get the Greyvaleans to help, but they simply tell her to leave.

Soon after, Zeb and Arabus find the Little Ponies' hiding place and steal Lickety-Split's shadow, while their rats capture everyone in sight. Arabus calls to Megan to come out of hiding, and she steps up, announcing that she has a surprise for him. A vast army of Flutter Ponies, brought by Moly and Lofty, fills the skies, circling Arabus and blasting him with their Utter Flutter. Unable to withstand the onslaught, Arabus grows smaller and smaller, and the shadows he contains fly out, seeking their original owners. As Zeb tries to recapture the shadows, an army of Greyvaleans surrounds him, placing him in shackles. Mayor Camembert captures Arabus, who's now small enough to fit in his hand.

Knight Shade performs once more for all of Ponyland, with Baby Half Note, Baby Lofty and Baby Heart Throb as his backup singers and dancers.

Notes

* Begins and ends with the song 'Do the Moonwalk, Ponies'. Also features the songs 'Bright Lights', 'We're Gonna Make You Sorry', 'There's Nothing Quite Like Shadows' and 'We Are The Flutter Ponies'.
* In Part 1, the group are accompanied by Lickety-Split. Throughout Part 2 she is inexplicably replaced by North Star, who suddenly disappears at the start of Part 3. Both reappear at Arabus' mansion.
* In Part 2, the Baby Ponies appear to be imprisoned in Knight Shade's trailer; yet elsewhere at the same time, Zeb and Arabus conspiring in Knight Shade's trailer...
* Gusty appears for a few seconds before Knight Shade gets released. Shady, Baby Shady, and Baby Ribbon also appear later on in the chase scene, and Magic Star during the walk scene.
* While trapped in the mousetrap at the end of Part 1, Lofty briefly gains a fifth leg and loses her neck.
* At the end of Part 1, the ponies are trapped by their stomaches. By Part 2, they are inexplicably trapped by their legs.
* North Star loses her jaw in the mousetrap scene. She also switches places with Lickety-Split.
* The German translation was titled Die verlorenen Schatten - 'The Lost Shadows'.
* The French translation was titled Les feux de la rampe - literally 'Fires of the Slope'. This was also the French title of a Charlie Chaplin film, Limelight.
* When Lickety-Split says, "We'd better do something! They're here!" her lips don't move.
* Molly is dangling by her arms in Part 3, and in Part 4 by her stomache.
* Sheriff Ricotta is replaced in Part 3 by a different mouse wearing lederhosen! A third mouse then replaces him. The Sheriff doesn't return until Part 4.
* Baby Lickety-Split decides to replace Baby Half-Note in part 3.... she has no speaking lines.
* Baby Half-Note returns when the Flutter Ponies sing 'We Are The Flutter Ponies' and finds it appropriate to stay for the rest of the episode.
* All of the Flutter Ponies in this episode look like multiple symbolless Honeysuckles, Forget-Me-Nots, and Lilies! Rosedust can also be seen several times, but there only appears to be one of her. Morning Glory and Peach Blossom only appear at the beginning and end of the song.
* Heart Throb gets her shadow back along with the Baby Ponies near the end, yet she never lost hers! No explanation is given for how Lickety-Split and Galaxy get their shadows back.
* Near the end, Peach Blossom can be seen three times in the same frame-as a proper Flutter Pony, an Earth Pony, and a Pegasus!
* Heart Throb partly looks like Buttons when the ponies cheer for Knight Shade.

DVD Releases

* Region 1: Disc 2 of "My Little Pony: The Complete First Season" and "Pony Puppy and Other Stories"
* Region 2 (English): "The Magic Coins & Bright Lights"
* Region 2 (German): "Die verlorenen Schatten"
* Region 4: "Bright Lights & Crunch The Rockdog"
* Region 4 DVD mini: "Bright Lights"

External links

* [http://dreamvalley-mlp.com/songs86-2.html#bright_lights Song lyrics]