Luna Eclipsed

Luna Eclipsed is the fourth episode of the second season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, and the thirtieth episode overall. The episode takes place during a Halloween-like celebration called the Nightmare Night, which revolves around the legends of Night Mare Moon. During this night, Twilight Sparkle helps Princess Luna change her frightening demeanor and become accepted by the other ponies.

Introduction
The episode begins with Twilight Sparkle showing off her hoofmade "Star Swirl the Bearded" costume to Spike. To her annoyance, it becomes clear that he did not read the book on obscure unicorn history she gave him as he doesn't recognize it. Answering the door shortly after, Twilight and Spike encounter a trio of foals including Pipsqueak trick-or-treating, Granny Smith, and of course Pinkie Pie as the foals' chaperone, and says she never too old for free candy. Twilight asks Pinkie if she likes her costume, but is disheartened when Pinkie, although she thinks it's very nice, doesn't know what it is.

Twilight, complaining about no one knowing about her costume, and Spike, eating a pile of candy, walk through the market. Pinkie and Pipsqueak meet them, and show off their stash of candy. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash, dressed up as a Shadowbolt, covertly pushes a thundercloud over Pinkie Pie and causes it to fire off a very loud lightning bolt, scaring both Pinkie Pie and Spike. After howling with laughter, she tells a disapproving Twilight that Nightmare Night is the best time of the year for pranks, then takes off with her thundercloud to prank another group she has spotted. Twilight and Spike then meet up with Applejack, who is running the apple bob, but this is ruined when Derpy pops out of the tub and drains it. The Mayor then makes an announcement, telling the trick-or-treaters, which include the costumed Cutie Mark Crusaders, to follow Zecora to the statue of Night Mare Moon, in order for a storytelling, to which Twilight and Spike tag along.

Zecora tells the legend of Night Mare Moon, and explains to the group that they she requires a donation of candy in order to please her. However, ironically, Princess Luna shows up, in a flurry of dark clouds and her own royal carriage chauffeured by two of her Pegasus guards, which scares everyone off but Twilight.

Princess Luna arrives
Pinkie Pie and her group of foals run through town, as a cloaked Princess Luna arrives at the marketplace. Everypony bows down in respect for the Princess, but also expresses a great amount of fear. Twilight, however, does not display any fear, as she shows an eagerness to meet the Princess. After her cloak (rather impressively) disperses as a group of bats, Princess Luna makes a speech in which she uses a very strong bellowing voice, which serves to only further intimidate everypony. During this speech, she exclaims that she only seeks the love and affection of her subjects, and wishes to improve the festival and the way it portrays her.

However, as she has accidentally imbued fear into her subjects, they do not wish to have anything to do with her. After asserting to a frightened Spike that she is not Night Mare Moon any more, Twilight realizes that the Princess is having trouble adjusting to modern times after being imprisoned for a millennium, and goes to talk to her. Feeling rejected, Luna had decided to leave the market, and spends some time in front of the statue of Night Mare Moon, where Twilight finds her in the statue's shadow. Luna compliments Twilight on her costume as it's accurate to the smallest detail, knowing who she means to be costuming, as opposed to everyone else. Twilight explains to Princess Luna that she was badly received due to her speaking tone and volume, and therefore decides to bring her to Fluttershy, who she believes can help her improve the way she speaks to ponies.

Fluttershy refuses to answer her door at first, exclaiming that she has no candy and that she doesn't want visitors on Nightmare Night. When Twilight reassures her there's nothing to be worried about, she opens the door, but once she sees Princess Luna, whom she misidentifies as Night Mare Moon, she runs back inside. Twilight forces Fluttershy out of her home, and Princess Luna begins to inquire about how to improve her tone, but this only further scares Fluttershy. When Fluttershy attempts to go back inside, Twilight slams the door in front of her, blocking her path. When Princess Luna feels that her tone has improved, she thanks Fluttershy by hugging and exhaling her thanks at her but accidentally scared the wind out of Fluttershy and scares off Pinkie Pie and her group of fillies once again.

"Fun"
The scene cross-fades to Ponyville, where the villagers enjoy the festivities, play games, and dance. The designs from The Best Night Ever of the "fancy band" that Pinkie Pie spots on stage are used again in this episode, wearing scarecrow costumes and colored differently. Their instruments are different, but of related classification: the grand piano is replaced with an upright piano, the brass instrument with a harmonica, the bowed instrument with a fiddle, and the harp with a banjo.

Later on, Princess Luna and Twilight find Applejack in the town square, where Twilight asks Applejack to give tips on Luna on how to be more accepted. Her top tip is to have fun, which Luna sadly does not know about. After playing on several carnival games, Luna shows her appreciation for the fun and the whole town begins to fear her less than they did before, and she goes as far to tell her subjects to call her Luna, and do away with the formality of "Princess".

However, when Luna selflessly rushes to save Pipsqueak from drowning in the apple bob, Pinkie Pie once again thinks she is doing more evil, namely "eating" Pipsqueak, which causes the ponies to become scared once again. Luna tries to obtain peoples trust again with fun but goes a bit too far and causes havoc across the town. Fed up, and feeling offended, she declares that Nightmare Night is cancelled forever, out of anger caused by her failure to look good to her subjects.

Twilight once again sets out to find Princess Luna, and finds her walking sadly across a bridge, disappointed in herself for being seemingly unable to win the hearts of her subjects. She rejects Twilight's help at first, so Twilight finds another method, in which she lures Pinkie Pie into an alleyway with a trail of candy, and tells her that Princess Luna is no longer evil, and to stop shrieking in fear whenever she sees her. Pinkie Pie agrees to this, but as she is about to shake hooves with Princess Luna and make peace, Rainbow Dash inopportunely plays her lightning prank, scaring Pinkie Pie, who believes it is Princess Luna who made the lightning. Twilight blocks Pinkie Pie's path by teleporting in the way and pins her down, adamantly telling her that Princess Luna has not come to harm them. However, Pinkie Pie tells her that she is in fact fully aware that Luna won't actually "gobble up" anyone, but she is only being scared because it is fun to be scared. This sets off a plan in Twilight's mind which will win Princess Luna the hearts of her subjects.

As the ponies clean up the mess in the town square, Zecora and the Mayor remind the foals that they still have their offerings of candy to give to Night Mare Moon. Once at the statue of Night Mare Moon, and once they have given their offerings, Princess Luna, in the form of Night Mare Moon appears in person to the group, and scares them once again. Once they have been scared off, Night Mare Moon transforms back into Princess Luna, but Princess Luna is still afraid that Twilight's plan did not work. However, this is when Pipsqueak tugs on her mane to ask her something: even if there's not going to be any more Nightmare Nights, could she still come back next year to scare them? Princess Luna looks past him only to see all the other foals looking hopefully at her from a bush. To her puzzlement, Pipsqueak confirms that the way that she scared them is really fun, and that for him Nightmare Night is his favorite night of the year. Smiling, Luna proclaims that Nightmare Night will have to be reinstated; Pipsqueak tells her that she's his favorite Princess with a hug, and when he tells the other foals that she agreed, a delighted cheer goes up. Twilight tells her that they really do like her after all.

Epilogue
Back in town, Luna participates in more carnival games, personally accepts more candy offerings from the foals, and also has fun scaring some more ponies. At the end of the episode, Rainbow Dash once again shows up with her thundercloud, and when she is eagerly about to scare Twilight and Spike with lightning, Princess Luna gives her a taste of her own prank and scares off Dash in exactly the same manner.

Twilight learned that one of the best things about friendship is to give it to others and help it find themselves. Also, everyone in Ponyville learned that even if somepony is a little intimidating or even scary, when you offer them their friendship, they'll discover a whole new pony underneath.

Character appearances
This episode marks the first appearance of Princess Luna since Friendship is Magic, part 2, which premiered the same date a year prior. Luna has undergone a slight redesign that features a flowing mane similar to Princess Celestia's. The episode also marks Zecora's third appearance in the series, not including the flashback in The Return of Harmony Part 2.

This is the first episode in season two where one of the main characters is missing, in this case Rarity. She did feature in the episode's script, but her scene was cut. In the script, she is still working on her costume when Twilight takes Luna to her to get a makeover and help her look less intimidating. Rarity overdoes Luna's outfit so much that she tears it off. Pinkie, seeing Luna with a piece of dress in her mouth, leaps to the conclusion that she ate a princess and runs off terrified.

Rating
This is the second episode to air without the educational/informative rating, after Lesson Zero.

Costumes
The following is a sortable chart of costumed characters that appear on the episode, by time of first appearance. Times are approximate.

Additionally, Rarity is dressed as the Bride of Frankenstein in a storyboard panel, but in the completed episode, she was replaced by Golden Harvest.

Ace and Granny Smith don't wear costumes despite going to the festival. Fluttershy isn't costumed either, while holed up at home. Princess Luna wears a "costume" only briefly, when she uses her magic and some fake fangs to appear as Nightmare Moon.

Quotes

 * Fillies: [sing-song voice] Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!


 * Twilight Sparkle: Happy Nightmare Night, Granny Smith!
 * Granny Smith: I should've been asleep five hours ago.


 * Pinkie Pie: [chicken squawk] Enough chit-chat! Time is candy!
 * Twilight Sparkle: Pinkie Pie, aren't you a little old for this?
 * Pinkie Pie: Too old for free candy? [chicken squawk] Never!


 * Twilight Sparkle: Rainbow Dash, that wasn't very nice.
 * Rainbow Dash: Lighten up, old-timer. It's the best night of the year for pranks!


 * Applejack: Howdy Spike. Hey Twilight. Nice costume.
 * Spike: Thanks, I'm a dragon.
 * Twilight Sparkle: She means me, Spike.


 * Twilight Sparkle: Princess Luna? Hi, my name is --
 * Princess Luna: Star Swirl the Bearded. Commendable costume! Thou even got the bells right...
 * Twilight Sparkle: Thank you, finally! Somepony who gets my costume!


 * Twilight Sparkle: You kinda sound like you're yelling at me.
 * Princess Luna: But this is the traditional royal Canterlot voice! It is tradition to speak, using the royal we, and to use [booming voice] this much volume when addressing our subjects!


 * Fluttershy: [yelling] Go away! No candy here! Visitors not welcome on Nightmare Night!
 * Twilight Sparkle: [laughing] Fluttershy, it's me, Twilight!
 * Fluttershy: It is you. Oh, and Night Mare Moon. [gasps] Night Mare Moon? [scream] [door slam]


 * Princess Luna: Twilight Sparkle hath spoken of the sweetness of thy voice. We ask, thou teachest to us to speak as thou speakest.
 * Fluttershy: [quiet] Okay.
 * Princess Luna: [booming voice] Shall our lessons begin?
 * Fluttershy: [quieter] Okay.
 * Princess Luna: [booming voice] Shall we mimic thy voice?
 * Fluttershy: [quiet] Okay.
 * Princess Luna: [booming voice] How is this?
 * Fluttershy: [hurriedly] Perfect. Lesson over.
 * [runs, but then slams into the door after Twilight shuts it before she could get back in]


 * Princess Luna: Ha ha! The fun has been doubled!


 * Pipsqueak: Help! My backside has been gobbled!
 * Princess Luna: 'Tis a lie! Thy backside is whole and un-gobbled, thou ungrateful whelp!


 * Pinkie Pie: Aaaaah-! [tackled and muffled by Twilight]
 * Twilight Sparkle: No! No shrieking! No screaming or squealing either, okay?
 * Pinkie Pie: [muffled] Mokway!


 * Twilight Sparkle: Pinkie Pie! You're a genius!
 * Pinkie Pie: No I'm not, I'm a chicken. [squawk]


 * Princess Luna: [sarcastic] Forgive me if I withhold my enthusiasm.


 * Princess Luna: Can it be true? [booming voice] Oh, most wonderful of...! [normal voice] I mean... Oh, most wonderful of nights.

Gallery

 * Luna Eclipsed image gallery

Trivia

 * The episode's title is a pun on "Lunar eclipse", an astronomical event that occurs when the Moon passes behind the Earth's shadow so that the Earth blocks the Sun's rays from striking the Moon.
 * A billboard referring to the Halloween episode has been put up in Los Angeles. In it, it shows Pinkie Pie with a Spike plushie in front of a TV screen, a parody of the poster for Poltergeist.
 * Derpy appears in the episode 'bobbing' for apples. Her costume consists of a large paper bag as a hat, and smaller ones on her hooves. She is seen looking into the bobbing barrel, but in the very next scene, she emerges from the water with the chain in her mouth which drains the water from the barrel.
 * Luna speaks using the royal we, at least at the beginning of the episode. In old times, the rulers of countries would speak using this, to signify that they spoke for the country, and all its citizens.
 * During the episode, a few notes from Edvard Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King plays occasionally, such as when Rainbow Dash is about to play her lightning prank on Twilight.
 * The aura the emanates from Twilight's horn when she performs magic has changed back from red to purple. Only this time, the color is slightly lighter than in season one. However, it is not consistent over the course of the episode, as it also shows up as red in certain scenes.
 * The Cutie Mark Crusaders' costumes appear to be a reference to the classic Universal Horror series with each member representing one of the three main monsters. Apple Bloom is The Bride of Frankenstein, Sweetie Belle is Dracula and Scootaloo is a Wolf-Pony.
 * In the episode Friendship is Magic Part 2, Princess Luna is seen being adored during Pinkie's party after returning to Ponyville. In this episode however, all the ponies fear her. This could be explained as Luna looking more like Nightmare Moon in this episode then she did after returning to good.
 * The episode was #1 in the We Heart Ponies Fan Favorite Mare-a-thon, in the leadup to Hearts and Hooves Day.