Just recently I did watch Rescue at Midnight Castle a couple times to get a better understanding of it all began with the MLP franchise. Fortunately for me, I did manage to find and unedited one that would give certain scenes that the one that was integrated into MLP 'n Friends didn't have, though I don't understand why it was made as a Season 1 finale when it should have been before all the episodes and even the movie in that matter, and the same goes for Escape from Catrina, which is placed as a Season 2 finale for some reason as well. Also, I don't understand how the opening scene was used as an ending scene for the rest of the series especially when none of the ponies from it are even used in it Honestly, I thought that this special would have been longer, but it's only the length of a regular episode and the same goes for the other one as well, which makes me feel that more could have been done here. Despite that being the case, the original pilot was still enjoyable in its own way not to mention pretty dark for something that is meant to be a kids show. It even had a good villain such as Tirac, who not only looked very scary, but even sounded that way especially when you compare him to Lord Tirek in MLP:FiM. There are certain things I couldn't understand here such as when noticing Scorpan's monster form on why he couldn't fly despite having wings. My guess is that they were either just for show or that he never knew how to use them. Another thing is that this special probably gave Megan Williams the only good outfit, which was her cowgirl look that never got used again anywhere else and was probably better than what she got in both the movie and series, though I won't say hated what she wore in the second special, I just felt it to be unnecessary seeing that she was just going to wear a princess dress in the end in which I felt that there was no reason for her to be dressed up when she made her appearance in that special. One other thing, I don't get why the ponies in this special have bows around their tails let alone how they got them, though some of them have them on their manes as well. On a side note, there was originally supposed to be a sequel called Rainbow Ponies to follow this and would have reused the entire cast and even given some of the background ponies you saw more of a role, but that was cancelled due to complaints to this special was too dark, which is why we got the other one instead with only Megan and Spike reused. Now that I got that off of my chest, here is my breakdown of Rescue at Midnight Castle with notes, questions, and flaws that are from most of the scenes.

1. The only time I tend to see the Rainbow Bridge is in the beginning and nowhere else, and when it's shown, we see Firefly and Medley sliding down as if it happens to be solid.
2. I tend to find the theme song contradicting to the entire special.
3. Was it really necessary to mention some of the voice actors in the opening or was this just common in certain 80's cartoon specials?
4. I don't see how Firefly flying right into Applejack can really crush most of those apples unless they both landed on them.
5. Seeing that Twilight just teleported herself down from the cliff, I take it that she is afraid of heights and didn't want to jump.
6. I don't remember that pony's name, but it looked as if she was about to get her butt poked by Twilight's horn if she was to back into her.
7. Ember should already know that she can't fly especially due to the fact that she is an earth pony.
8. Was Tirac's use of the Rainbow of Darkness to turn ponies into special dragons really specific to adult ponies only?
9. Did Firefly really have an idea on where she was going and who she was intending to get, or was she just flying randomly and taking whoever she would see at first sight?
10. Although not actually shown, Firefly only fell into the well on Megan's farm after flying into a weathervane that spun her around a couple of times before actually falling in.
11. It's very surprising how strong Megan was considering how she was able to turn the crank to help Firefly back up especially since that pony seemed to be weighing down the bucket.
12. For some reason Firefly just forced Megan on her and takes off without really mentioning why she arrived in the first place.
13. I don't get how singing a song such as Dancing on Air can make Megan feel calm even after a strange looking pegasus came out of the blue and dragged her into the battle despite originally saying no, plus she wasn't even yelling when she was originally taken.
14. Who was watching TJ while she was gone, because it didn't look like anyone else was there?
15. I wonder what ponies started to have doubts about Megan the moment one of the dragons grabbed shortly after she came.
16. If you look carefully at her hands, she was probably supposed to have a stick or something to attack Scorpan, but this was blotted out.
17. Thank you Glory, Medley, and First Born for making yourselves useless and deciding to stay back while the rest of your friends along with Megan are trying to help save the world!
18. For some reason both Megan and Applejack happen to land in a giant clam that was directly down from where they fell.
19. Although I'm not much into 50's music, I will admit that Call Upon the Seaponies was pretty good to listen to.
20. I don't seen how they can be in a bubble let alone where it came from after the clam opens up.
21. How is that the bubble that Megan and Applejack are in stays intact despite the fact that the seaponies spilt it up, put it back together, or even constantly touch it while it was underwater?
22. If you watch the uncut version, the Moochick does a song to help him find where he put the locket containing the Rainbow of Light, but this was cut out of the series version for time.
23. Hearing that it might help them stop Tirac almost makes it seems as if even he didn't have any faith in them in trying to stop him.
24. I don't see why they couldn't just all get around Twilight and have her teleport them all in unless she isn't powerful enough to teleport a whole group and can only use it for herself.
25. It didn't seem that they were good with stealth as one of the guards saw them sneak into a hidden door.
26. How is that they didn't know that Applejack was taken from them by the guards until later on?
27. If Scorpan was really starting to turn good, then why didn't he just stop the guards from handing Applejack over to Tirac and thwart his plans for his Chariot of Midnight right then and there?
28. Why didn't Megan just open up the bag and use the Rainbow of Darkness back at Tirac?
29. I don't really get how riding a chariot with dragons at midnight can give eternal darkness.
30. Again, why didn't Scorpan use his wings to fly away from Tirac when he got the Rainbow of Darkness from him, but rather fall instead?
31. Just like the giant clam, it must have been very convenient for a haystack to be out on the roof to break Scorpan's fall when he landed on it, though I think that was pretty random to have it there to start with.
32. At least Twilight now puts her teleportation to good use by getting away from the battle and throwing it up to Firefly.
33. How is that Firefly didn't just see the dragons in front of her and fly into a different direction to avoid them?
34. I can't understand how the Rainbow of Darkness just stands there and does nothing to the group, and they could have easily ran away from it.
35. Since the Rainbow of Light needs to used as a last minute save their butt device, it absorbs the other rainbow in order to become full size even though it was originally smaller.
36. I don't see how it wrapping around Tirac can actually kill him unless he is made of pure darkness that can only be destroyed by something of pure light.
37. For some reason Spike is the only creature to remain the same even though the guards and other dragons turn back into butterflies and birds along with Scorpan turning back into a human prince.
38. Also, in the uncut version there is a scene with the ending credits where Megan waves good-bye to all the ponies that she will end up not seeing again including the one who is taking her back unless they meet again in the crossover comic as well as reuniting with TJ along with another song that just uses the same lyrics but with different words, though this isn't shown in the series version and is replaced with the special's opening scene instead.

Answer to all of the above: It was the first adaptation to animation, so it was an act of throwing stuff at the wall to see what would stick.

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Honestly, I thought that this special would have been longer, but it's only the length of a regular episode and the same goes for the other one as well, which makes me feel that more could have been done here

Um the average cartoon episode length in the 80's was about 11 minutes, the first two MLP specials were long in comparison.
But overall, it was a pilot, a pitch to producers.

7589195
Half hour toy commercial or not, I think it was a beautiful work of art. Hardly flawless, but it was memorable and endearing and above everything you CARED what happened next.

Believe or not, this original pilot did serve as a base for the start of G4 by having is similar nature when that series started but only with different characters. It was even said when the recent movie came out, there were some similar aspects in it as well. However, it would have been nice that when the chapter for Twilight Sparkle was made in the third volume of the manga series they would still keep Megan in it rather than have her miss out. It was one thing for her to replace Twilight of that dimension by landing on her and having the others confuse for that, but leaving out the one who was the face of G1 just felt wrong on so many levels. My guess is that whoever made that manga either couldn't find a way to make it work with Megan still there or that this part was meant to be about Twilight being the focus rather than an assistant if she was still kept, which really took away a chance encounter of seeing her interacting with any G4 characters in any official media for once, but that will probably change when she appears in this upcoming comic series. Still, when I look at the part after she finishes and leaves with the Element of Magic, it just feels empty looking at the other ponies with Prince Scorpan and seeing that gap where Megan is supposed to stand as if I was looking at the lower Manhattan skyline just after the 9/11 attacks with the Twin Towers no longer there. I just wish that the writers of that manga didn't snub her.

Firefly's total lack of anything resembling a plan was a consistent character trait. She was a combination of Rainbow Dash's self-confidence and Pinkie Pie's unfounded faith in luck. So yes, she really did just fly over the rainbow and assume that the first talking creature she met was a superhero. Thing is, every time she made a ridiculous assumption like that, she was basically right. So she might have had a sixth sense for that stuff.

Regarding all the animation comments, the problem in most cases was the weighting. Normal gravity was just not a thing in G1, like most cartoons of the era.

It's too bad they didn't reuse the Midnight Castle ponies, but they also later forgot about ponies they used in the show too. I assume they are all still around, and just didn't play a large part in the other stories. If I got to write a G1 screenplay, I'd definitely put both Firefly and Wind Whistler in it. They'd make good foils for each other.

G1 had some great adventure plots. If the G4 cast and crew had run some of those stories the results would have been mind-blowing.

Oh, I also have a thought on Megan being left out of G4. Back in the 80s, entertainment companies thought that kids couldn't identify with non-human protagonists, so no matter what the show was about, the main character was always a human child. Megan (and Danny and Molly) was a little odd, but not half as odd as the kid running with the Transformers. By the time Friendship is Magic came along, they had learned that kids were perfectly happy to watch stories about non-humans, so the ponies were allowed to carry the plot on their own.

Transformers is still stuck with a human crutch though, hmm.

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I'd definitely put both Firefly and Wind Whistler in it. They'd make good foils for each other.

Okay, I just wanted to reply to this due to a sunning coincidence you brought up.

I've had an idea that would be a re-envisioning of Rescue at Midnight Castle kicking around in my head for while.

And I chose to have both Firefly and Wind Whistler depart to find some help.

It's interesting to see that someone else had the idea of what a contrast the two of them would make.

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Wind would tell Firefly her plan was ridiculous and there was no evidence to support the existence of significant assistance on the alternate terminus of the rainbow. Firefly would go anyway.

As a side note, Wind is so much better than a lot of Spock copycats. I think she's the only awkwardly-verbose smart character I've seen besides Spock who can be a stone-faced liar when the situation calls for it.

And Firefly is so impulsive she makes Pinkie Pie look cautious.

Those two would hate each other. I really want to see that now...

Wind would tell Firefly her plan was ridiculous and there was no evidence to support the existence of significant assistance on the alternate terminus of the rainbow. Firefly would go anyway.

I mean, yeah.

As a side note, Wind is so much better than a lot of Spock copycats. I think she's the only awkwardly-verbose smart character I've seen besides Spock who can be a stone-faced liar when the situation calls for it.

I don't recall the Autobot scientist Preceptor being as clever as Wind Whistler has been at times. And he a is a very similar character in many ways.

And Firefly is so impulsive she makes Pinkie Pie look cautious.

I won't go that far, but Firefly doesn't exactly think things through at points.

Those two would hate each other.

Um, no. with the danger Ponyland ponies are in, and as often as it happens, there is no such luxury.

I can see them having a rough relationship though.

Which is something I hadn't thought about before.

And that's not good given that my idea has them both in herd with Megan and my O.C. Brianna.

Those two would probably be the main source of conflict in the group given how often Firefly would end up frustrating Wind Whistler.

First of all, I will admit that I don't know much about the format of how cartoons in the 80's worked especially since I was very young to remember them. My guess is to make them feel like they were half an hour was to just go to breaks about four times unlike today, which is mostly two. However, I do remember watching this special originally, though I don't remember if it was the actual version of the one from the series. Nonetheless, I did mange to find a channel on Youtube that had the original version even if it had to be in three parts, which is why I mentioned them above to give my take on it sort of like Cinema Sins. I still don't get why all of those ponies had huge bows on their tails, but I guess it was something having to do with the target audience Hasbro was shooting for. Also, I could never understand why Scorpan never attempted to fly when he was a gargoyle even though it looked as if he could have unless he was told that his wings were nothing but for show. One thing we can all agree on is that this was the best look Megan had especially compared to what she wound up with in the movie and series, which probably even contradicted her tomboy nature not to mention seemed too old to even be wearing that. It would have been nice if that special did air at times on Discovery Family to help MLP fans understand how it all started, but I could never understand why that was never the case especially when Hasbro still owned the rights to the original series. Originally, this special was supposed to have a follow up known as Rainbow Ponies, which may explain the white ones in the picture I posted the other day that shows them surrounding Applejack especially the one with the rainbow mane, and would even reuse all the characters from this special, but that didn't happen and we got Escape from Catrina instead with completely different ponies, though Megan and Spike where the only reused characters that were kept for some reason due to the rest not being allowed to be reused due to losing the trademark rights that never got resolved in time. On a side note, if not for that problem, some of them such as Firefly would have appeared in the movie after that an possibly in the series as well. One other thing, I just noticed another thing in that picture that I used to make the comparison between the special and the way it was done in the manga is that one of the ponies has a cat on their head for some reason.

Am I the only who thinks that Megan got snubbed in the abridged version that was part of that manga in the picture of the page that is above?

Lucky for me, I found a video on Youtube where you can watch it, and this is the original version, not the one that was used in the series.

https://youtu.be/O-Ll5zaPcIE[/youtube]

Here's what the cover for it will look like if done with G4 animation, though Megan sort of looks like Applejack in her EG form.

Here's what it would look like if it was with G4 ponies, though I feel that Apple Bloom will be spared and locked up.

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Um, no. with the danger Ponyland ponies are in, and as often as it happens, there is no such luxury.

I can see them having a rough relationship though.

Well, okay, I don't mean literally hate. Only badguys actually hate anyone in MLP. I mean they would perpetually irritate each other. And not just one way. Firefly's casual nonsense would obviously frustrate Wind Whistler, but Wind's lecturing and caution would chafe on Firefly as well. That sort of dynamic is gold when it comes to teaching kids friendship lessons though. Different opinions exist, diversity is strength, compromise, etc.

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Oh yeah. I can see them getting on each other's nerves at least every so often.

The dynamic might play out kind of like the one between Rarity and AJ does in certain moments.

First off all, get this thread back to topic and there are places to discuss that rather than here. Getting back to topic, I did read reviews of the abridged version of this, and they didn't seem to come up good. On Equestria Daily, it was mentioned that the G1 ponies were mentioned as being passive and dense. Meanwhile, there were comments on Derpibooru on the page I showed at the top where Megan got snubbed didn't seem to have good reviews as with the other one especially from those who liked G1 to see her snubbed. However, that fanart site doesn't give all the pages of that chapter, so I will try to look for the manga itself, but I'll probably just flip through the pages and not buy it, because I know someone here will act as the voice of reason to tell me it's not worth it to write in the book even though whoever tells me this agrees with me on that said snub. If you look at the pictures I used for comparison, there are also some ponies missing in the manga version as well.

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First off all, get this thread back to topic

What even is the topic? Your original post had 38 points, and you replied to yourself with comics and fan art.

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The idea of this topic is talk about the special Rescue at Midnight Castle and what relates to it. Lately, it seems as I'm the only one who seems to keep the discussion alive. Then again, it's not my fault that this forum feels dead most of the time. On a side note, I should be at least thanked for finding a video that has the unedited version since most probably have only been able to find the series version of that special whenever they wanted to watch it not to mention that it's as a whole, because the only other unedited version I found before that was in three parts. As for the talk about the points I gave about this special, that is supposed to be a something similar to Cinema Sins, which isn't really about hating movies, but just pointing out stuff about them.

I just got the manga that shows the abridged version after ordering it through Amazon, so here is my take on it after seeing all the pages of it. First of all, Twilight Sparkle lands on their version of Twilight and knocks her out even though it was accidental. Although Firefly was sort suspicious about her appearance, she was gullible to go with it. Just as Twilight was ready to relax, they are attacked by Stratadons, but Twilight demands to go after them ASAP, while the rest of the G1 ponies act scared, which is where the attack on G1 characters starts. Surprisingly, they don't think that she is weird for building a stone version of Spike and is talking to it. After hearing about Tirac having the Element of Magic, Twilight really wants to get to Midnight Castle and Bowtie stops Firefly from doing what she was supposed to do before they make their journey there. I won't mention Megan getting snubbed again, because I'll just be repeating myself, but I do find the bubble she says a little strange as if she was expecting to be taken. When the meet Mr. Moochick, his rabbit companion already gives Twilight the Rainbow of Light even though he wasn't done with singing his song on where he placed it. There is absolutely no mention on how they actually encountered the seaponies let alone what they did to have them show up or even how they got into Midnight Castle. For some reason she was able to create another stone version of Spike, but this time bigger and was able to use her magic to make it attack Tirac until he ends up destroying it. Tirac is defeated the same way he is in the original special with the aftermath being similar only without Megan and a few other ponies there along with Spike and Scorpan, though Twilight goes back with the Element of Magic while their Twilight comes to them after regaining conciseness and even accepts the statue even though it wasn't really her. Overall, I feel that this abridged version pretty much made it all Twilight Sparkle, and not only snubbed someone who should have still been there, but also made the G1 ponies feel as if they did nothing but tag along hence making them look useless as if she could have just done it all herself. At least in the original version, Megan had the ponies who with her play a role when they took the bag containing the Rainbow of Darkness and played keep away with it, though I still wish one them just opened up the bag and used it against Tirac and had him done with right there. On a side note, I won't write in the book especially on the page I hated so much, because I know someone here will tell me that it won't be worth it even if any of you probably agree with what I just said about it, but I will watch the original, unedited version just to make myself get over my dislike of this version.

I betcha if Megan wasn't snubbed in the abridged version, she probably would have appeared in the next chapter to help the Mane 6 stop Nightmare Moon with the other characters that were from other dimensions, but those in charge missed on that.

Whenever I look at that scene where Firefly comes to Megan, it would have been nice if she gave an explanation to why she was there in the first place. I just felt that they paced that scene sort of fast. My guess is that the explanation wouldn't allow it to fit the time of that special. Then again, that probably supports my claim that she had no idea where she was really going or who she was really looking for hence just taking whoever she just saw at first sight. If this was me, I would like to know that pony's story first and why they came to me before they take me anywhere.

If the ponies from this special were kept, would there be a chance that the other special, movie, or even series would have been done differently or would they have just stayed the same?

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That is a good question.

It's too bad we can never really know and only speculate.

I've had the basic idea of trying exactly that for years now. I just don't know how to try and act on it.

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According to the G1 wiki, Firefly was supposed to appear in MLP: The Movie, but that didn't happen and her scene was edited out mainly due to Hasbro losing the trademark rights to keeping her.

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Yeah, and while those issue have been resolved apparently, it's too late to know what might have been.

Such things are our hands now.

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It's unfortunate that only Megan and Spike got to continue on after this. Whenever I look at the ending scene of Rescue at Midnight Castle where the lyrics go as if she will ever get to seem them again, I just say no to that, because I know that they won't appear again. If the original ponies got to be in the rest of G1, they probably what have been that version's Mane 6. On a side note, this was supposed to be followed by another special known as Rainbow Ponies by giving some of the ponies that were background characters a bigger role, but that was cancelled possibly due to parents complaining about how dark the first one was. The only mention of this was in a preview that comes up just after the special ended. However, I'm not sure if there really were any plans to have them appear again in Escape from Catrina, MLP: The Movie, or even MLP 'n Friends if the trademarks rights for those characters weren't lost by then, because all I know is that they weren't in them. As for showing Twilight, Applejack (G1), and Firefly on the cover of the first issue of the crossover comic, I feel that we won't see those three probably because it will most likely be focusing on those from the series, though Sparkler, Posey and Surprise can still be there since they are from the series not to mention Megan herself.

Here's what I can sum up about Rescue at Midnight at Midnight Castle.

1. It's possibly darker than any other MLP special, movie, or even episode to date, but that's probably just me saying that.
2. I really wish that Hasbro let Megan keep her cowgirl look, because it looked a lot better than what she wound up with in the series.
3. Except for Megan, Spike, the Moochick, Habbit, and some of the seaponies, nobody else from this special is seen again.
4. Besides Lavan in MLP 'n Friends, Tirac is one of the few antagonists to get killed in all of G1.
5. The original is obviously better than the abridged version in the third manga that not only snubbed someone who should have still been there, but also made the rest of the protagonists feel useless and just tag along.
6. If this had to be in the episode guide for MLP 'n Friends, then it should have been before all the episodes and movie being that it was made to be the pilot rather than as a finale for Season 1, and the same goes for Escape from Catrina in being a Season 2 finale.
7. I don't know why this never aired on The Hub or Discovery Family to give MLP fans the idea of it all began, though for some reason I have a feeling to why that was never the case despite Hasbro still owning it along with early seasons of other shows on that same channel.

Maybe as a thought the concept from this pilot could have been used as a special to give MLP:FiM a more proper ending, though there would be some differences not to mention have a reason to have someone who can be it without any compromises. First of all, Grogar would be the villain, and by this I'm referring to the real one and not the one that was found to be Discord and he even captures most of the ponies. Being in panic and no longer being able to use the Elements of Harmony due to being destroyed, Twilight Sparkle is told there is a possible artifact that can stop him by Star Swirl the Bearded known as the Rainbow of Light, but there is a catch to it in that it can be used by a creature that is like that of no other. Such a statement confuses Twilight, but is given a special map of what can lead her to the said creature assuming such does exist especially by crossing a certain rainbow. However, what she doesn't know is that it leads her to another world and ends up at a farm only to see a girl named Megan Williams in believing that she is that one only to never seeing anyone like her before. Twilight then gives a brief explanation to Megan on why she came and why she would be needed to help her. As they go back, she is taken to Star Swirl and gets the locket. On their way, they pass by the Cave of Everfree and Megan notices the locket glowing, but Twilight thinks that it just might be some coincidence and they both ignore it at the time. Although the locket does work for Megan as predicted in the prophecy, it's found out that the Rainbow of Light isn't all that it's said to be and too small making Grogar do nothing more than laugh at them as he prepares to attack them. However, Megan continues to believe and what's left of the Elements of Harmony start surrounding her as the locket once again reacts as if they were connected. This causes them to not only be restored, but will also make the very rainbow itself much larger and more useful. Megan now is able to use the Rainbow of Light against Grogar, but even with the upgrade, it's still not enough to stop him despite him feeling its attacks. Meanwhile, Twilight manages to free the other ponies while Megan was distracting him and uses the newly, restored Elements of Harmony with the rest of the Mane 6 to help join her, but even that can't beat him despite also feeling its attacks. Megan then starts to believe that the Rainbow of Light has a connection with the Elements of Harmony and suggests that she aims at them so that it can combine with their own rainbow and even amplify both of them, which leads to Grogar's defeat. The rest of the ponies are introduced to Megan, throw a party in celebration, and then wish her good-bye as Twilight takes her back.

Perhaps in the manga, they could have done Twilight Sparkle's chapter without making G1 look bad. Then again, if they did it with Megan still there, it would have been most likely just those two while the rest watch as shown in the actual book. However, those who wrote didn't like the idea of Twilight being a sidekick to her, which is why Megan got the snub, and that's what made G1 fans such as myself not feel very happy about it. Another way is that the chapter can still as it does, but the final chapter could have still included her as joining the rest who came from the other dimensions especially since she would be useful after she gives her the locket that Twilight had back with her in claiming that she needs more now that she has the Element of Magic back. Again, that chance was missed and we got what we got in that manga. On a side note, I didn't wrote in the book especially on the page I didn't like if anyone is asking.

I will just say this one more time. Does anyone else besides me think that the abridged version of Rescue at Midnight Castle in the manga felt like an insult do G1 fans after how I mentioned it in comparison to the original, or am I just overreacting to what I saw? For the record, I did read that whole chapter, and once again I didn't write in it especially on the page I hated the most, which you can scroll up to see what I meant by that. To me, just leaving Megan out of it alone made me hate, plus Twilight had nobody in the next and final chapter from where she was unlike the rest of the Mane 6 help them fight against Nightmare Moon seeing that they didn't do much when she was there, though I don't get how a giant pie is what got her to turn back into Luna as if it didn't even need the Elements of Harmony. On a side note, the only reason I had to order this magna from Amazon was because I couldn't find this book anywhere despite it being released only a couple of months ago, but at least Barnes and Noble doesn't charge you if you order something they end up not having.

If anyone is asking if I read the rest of that manga that I used to compare the original version to the abridged version, then the answer is yes. Besides Twilight Sparkle replacing her counterpart as well as someone who got snubbed in her chapter, Rarity did something similar. However, her counterpart wasn't there at the same time, so everyone in that alternative Ponyville thought it was her coming back sooner, but at the end of that chapter, they assumed that their Rarity was her and tossed her up. Meanwhile, the rest of the Mane 6 did meet their counterparts from other dimensions or universes when looking for the other Elements of Harmony that Discord hid. Still, I wish that they didn't make the abridged version feel like a slap in the face to us G1 fans.

I know I'm just saying this now, but this has been on my mind lately. Whenever I see the scene where Firefly takes Megan, and sings the song "Dancing on Air", which is the first ever MLP song to appear in an episode, I can't stop to think as if this sounds like a Disney princess song. Then again, Disney did have involvement is some of the early MLP stuff, so that might be the reason for a song such as that one. However, I don't really picture Megan as a Disney princess, because at that time, they weren't the ones who would engage in battles. Most will just claim it's just Firefly expressing her optimism on bringing Megan back to them. However, I still don't think in real life singing a song like this changes the fact that some creature coming out of nowhere just took someone without even having a choice let alone not explaining why they were there in the first place.

For those who don't know there was a fanart series done by MelSpyRose on Deviantart known as Age of Equestria: A New Generation, which follows Rescue at Midnight Castle to some extent. However, there are some differences in this. First of all, it has G4 characters along with current version of Tirek being there. Another thing is that it involves his plans to bring back Grogar as well as for him having a son known as Torak who Megan seems to make friends with. Also, the only reason why Megan finds herself in Equestria is because the Rainbow of Light transports her there rather than the being given it by the Moochick despite the fact that he is in this as well. One other thing, this pretty much takes place after the FiM series ends, which explains why some ponies such as Twilight Sparkle look much older. Unlike Rescue at Midnight Castle, Tirek is stopped before he can get any ponies to turn into dragons for his chariot, plus the Rainbow of Light doesn't kill him either, but rather Megan being able to convince him to stop what he is doing and having him turn good in the end. Nonetheless, here are some of the scenes from it.

Some bronies had a theory before this started to why Majesty wasn't in it despite being the fact that Dream Castle was still shown along with all the ponies that with her in the G1 comics. It was said that she and Spike were forcibly taken over to Midnight Castle in that they were given a proposal by Tirac that if she agrees to whatever he wants, he will spare her and Spike. However, Majesty refused and got killed or was at least presumed dead, though we'll never what really happened since none of that was ever confirmed. As for Spike, it was believed that Scorpan felt that Tirac was crossing the line when he wanted to do the same to Spike especially when he believed that he wasn't a threat to him unlike Majesty. In order to spare the little dragon's life, Scorpan had to agree to capture any four of the ponies for his chariot, otherwise Spike would be killed if he refused or failed to do so making him part of an insurance policy for him. In reality, there was never any mention of Majesty in the pilot, so we'll never know if any of that actually happened. Also, the story behind the relation Scorpan had for Spike was never brought up either, which shows why there should be backstories along with what happened before the special starts.

BTW, this was the cover for Rainbow Ponies, which was supposed to be a follow up to Rescue at Midnight Castle. The reason it didn't show was due to parents claiming how dark the pilot was. If it did show, this special would have possibly given more for the minor characters as well as tell us why Spike stayed with the ponies and not with Scorpan despite the relationship they had. Since it didn't air and there is hardly any information on this, I have no idea who that boy is supposed to be, though some claim that was Danny, but something tells me that was probably someone else. One other thing, I don't know why Tirac is shown on this cover when he was originally killed unless there was a way to bring him back to life only be killed again.

Now that I look at that cover, I just noticed that Megan has the outfit that she wound up wearing in Escape from Catrina, though I could never understand why she couldn't just keep her original outfit or at least get it back later on when the series itself started.

Here's what it would be like if Cozy Glow were to be in it.

Now that I look at the cover of Rainbow Ponies, it makes me think that if it was shown, we would probably know what really did happen to Tirac, because something tells me that he wasn't really killed, but rather vanished instead even though everything that he changed with his magic did change back including Scorpan.

I know I'm late on this, but there are some of my fanfics that reference Rescue at Midnight Castle in them.

Destiny or Coincidence?: Megan mentions it as part as how she met the original ponies when Twilight talks to her.
Royal Origins: Luna and Celestia mentioned in their flashback that they briefly stayed at what remained of Midnight Castle when seeking shelter, though Luna feared that Tirac could possibly return while Megan claims that they wouldn't be used for his chariot even if that was the case for being foals at the time.
Luna Comes Clean: Megan mentions to Luna that her dark side of Nightmare Moon calling for eternal darkness reminded her of what Tirac was going to do when he was preparing his chariot.
Helping Megan Fit In: Megan goes more in depth on her first adventure when meeting Twilight and Spike.
Celebrating Megan Williams Day: A surprise party is being set up to celebrate the anniversary of Megan's first adventure while Celestia declares it an official holiday for Equestria.

Not that long ago, I did see a video on Youtube that reviewed this, and I will agree with what was mentioned on the pacing. I even saw the special again not long after and saw why it was described in such a way. Just like today, there aren't any backstories. For example, we don't know why or how Tirac came to power, if Firefly really did have someone in mind who can help them, why Megan is there in the first place, or even how they already know about the Moochick as they start the adventure. Keep in mind that this wasn't originally known as Rescue at Midnight Castle when it first debuted, though when it was given that name wasn't really clear, because some claim it was after Escape from Catrina came, while others said that it wasn't until it was integrated into MLP 'n Friends, though that should have been at the beginning of the episode guide and not as a season finale, plus the second special should have been right after if it was to be done correctly. Maybe the reason for the fast pacing was mainly to fit it into the needed time. Had this been allowed to be a bit longer, the pacing might have been done better. On the flip side, I always felt that the pacing for The End of Flutter Valley was too slow and didn't need to be movie length. More importantly, if that was to be a follow up to MLP The Movie, then I don't get why characters such as Danny, Molly, and the Moochick are absent from this while Megan, Spike, and the more notable ponies are given such little screen time compared to what the witches and Flutter Ponies got.

I know I'm sort of late to this, but I always felt the physics in Rescue at Midnight Castle to be flawed. There are two scenes that make me want to question that. The first one is around the beginning when Firefly flies right into Applejack and crushes a good part of the apples that she picked. I can't see exactly how an impact like that this can do unless they were both on top of the baskets, but that didn't even look like the case, plus the baskets were still in good shape even despite what happened. The other one I have to question is when Firefly first met Megan and wound up falling into a well that wasn't exactly right near the stable. Although it was shown for probably second, it looked as if Firefly was holding onto the weathervane with it spinning around a few times before actually falling. In other words, even if it was spinning fast, that still wouldn't make her fall that far, but rather fall straight down seeing that she was actually holding onto it. Perhaps the reason for these scenes was just to give it some humor even though I doubt that could happen in real life when these things are done.

If those ponies did stay, then Hasbro could have given them more character development for them be it either major or minor and even make them something like the Mane 6 for G1, but we'll never since that wasn't the case.

Now that TV has finally came to Equestria, Rainbow Dash and Applejack have found themselves watching Rescue at Midnight Castle.