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* Femme Fatale: Nightmare Rarity poses as her normal form while wearing a royal attire to seduce Spike into joining her, taking advantage of Spike's romantic obsession with her to lure him into a trap. It nearly works, but it seems that Spike has enough willpower to get a grip on his feelings for Rarity when N.R. states that he must leave his friends behind if they are to be together and Spike loves his other friends (platonically) as much as Rarity.
to:
* Femme Fatale: FemmeFatale: Nightmare Rarity poses as her normal form while wearing a royal attire to seduce Spike into joining her, taking advantage of Spike's romantic obsession with her to lure him into a trap. It nearly works, but it seems that Spike has enough willpower to get a grip on his feelings for Rarity when N.R. states that he must leave his friends behind if they are to be together and Spike loves his other friends (platonically) as much as Rarity.
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* Nightmare Rarity poses as her normal form while wearing a royal attire to seduce Spike into joining her, taking advantage of Spike's romantic obsession with her to lure him into a trap. It nearly works, but it seems that Spike has enough willpower to get a grip on his feelings for Rarity when N.R. states that he must leave his friends behind if they are to be together and Spike loves his other friends (platonically) as much as Rarity.
to:
* Femme Fatale: Nightmare Rarity poses as her normal form while wearing a royal attire to seduce Spike into joining her, taking advantage of Spike's romantic obsession with her to lure him into a trap. It nearly works, but it seems that Spike has enough willpower to get a grip on his feelings for Rarity when N.R. states that he must leave his friends behind if they are to be together and Spike loves his other friends (platonically) as much as Rarity.
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* Nightmare Rarity poses as her normal form while wearing a royal attire to seduce Spike into joining her, taking advantage of Spike's romantic obsession with her to lure him into a trap. It nearly works, but it seems that Spike has enough willpower to get a grip on his feelings for Rarity when N.R. states that he must leave his friends behind if they are to be together and Spike loves his other friends (platonically) as much as Rarity.
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Up To Eleven is a defunct trope
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* MisfitMobilizationMoment: ''Ponyville'' does this. '''[[UpToEleven All of it.]]''' When the heroes are captured and the Nightmares are preparing to invade, the town comes together (including characters like Trixie, Snips, Snails, and Granny Smith) and fights back, managing to hold the line long enough for the heroes to show up.
to:
* MisfitMobilizationMoment: ''Ponyville'' does this. '''[[UpToEleven All '''All of it.]]''' ''' When the heroes are captured and the Nightmares are preparing to invade, the town comes together (including characters like Trixie, Snips, Snails, and Granny Smith) and fights back, managing to hold the line long enough for the heroes to show up.
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DEH must be permanent or long lasting. They get over it shortly afterward.
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* DespairEventHorizon: Twilight after Spike is seemingly killed by the Nightmare forces.
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* HeroicBSOD:
to:
* HeroicBSOD:HeroicBSOD: Twilight after Spike is seemingly killed by the Nightmare forces.
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Dewicked trope
Deleted line(s) 30 (click to see context) :
* AdultFear: The second round of {{Nightmare Sequence}}s in Issue #5 play on the Mane Six's more personal fears like Twilight being rejected by her mentor and Applejack failing her family.
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YMMV
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* NoTitle: Unlike the first arc, this one doesn't have a title. Though fans have dubbed it the ''[[FanNickname NightMares Arc]]'' for obvious reasons.
to:
* NoTitle: Unlike the first arc, this one doesn't have a title. Though fans have dubbed it the ''[[FanNickname NightMares Arc]]'' for obvious reasons.
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Changed line(s) 39,41 (click to see context) from:
* ChekhovsGun: Spike bringing the Fire Ruby and his unexplained immunity against the Nightmare Forces are two giant, flashing guns hanging on the wall.
** In #7, the Fire Ruby helps Spike expose Nightmare Rarity's LotusEaterMachine as a lie, since dream!Rarity doesn't recognize it. Also, despite dismissing his attempts to reach her as pointless, Nightmare Rarity keeps the ruby.
** The Nightmare Forces shatter it right after saying Rarity's still in Nightmare Rarity somewhere and they're trying to crush what's left. After making a Decoy Getaway, Spike collects the pieces, and during the final confrontation against Nightmare Rarity, the broken ruby becomes whole again while Spike delivers the final line that releases Rarity from the Nightmares' control.
** In #7, the Fire Ruby helps Spike expose Nightmare Rarity's LotusEaterMachine as a lie, since dream!Rarity doesn't recognize it. Also, despite dismissing his attempts to reach her as pointless, Nightmare Rarity keeps the ruby.
** The Nightmare Forces shatter it right after saying Rarity's still in Nightmare Rarity somewhere and they're trying to crush what's left. After making a Decoy Getaway, Spike collects the pieces, and during the final confrontation against Nightmare Rarity, the broken ruby becomes whole again while Spike delivers the final line that releases Rarity from the Nightmares' control.
to:
* ChekhovsGun: ChekhovsBoomerang: Spike bringing the Fire Ruby and his unexplained immunity against the Nightmare Forces are two giant, flashing guns hanging on the wall.
**wall. In #7, the Fire Ruby helps Spike expose Nightmare Rarity's LotusEaterMachine as a lie, since dream!Rarity doesn't recognize it. Also, despite dismissing his attempts to reach her as pointless, Nightmare Rarity keeps the ruby.
**ruby. The Nightmare Forces shatter it right after saying Rarity's still in Nightmare Rarity somewhere and they're trying to crush what's left. After making a Decoy Getaway, Spike collects the pieces, and during the final confrontation against Nightmare Rarity, the broken ruby becomes whole again while Spike delivers the final line that releases Rarity from the Nightmares' control.control.
* ChekhovsGun:
**
**
* ChekhovsGun:
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* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Not Pinkie (for a change), but Rainbow Dash, who suggests using an enlarging ray on her (so she could transport an entire army to the moon all by herself) and a time machine to rescue Rarity. Later she even menctions making explosives made out of duct tape and Applejack's hair.
to:
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Not Pinkie (for a change), but Rainbow Dash, who suggests using an enlarging ray on her (so she could transport an entire army to the moon all by herself) and a time machine to rescue Rarity. Later she even menctions mentions making explosives made out of duct tape and Applejack's hair.
Changed line(s) 47 (click to see context) from:
* ContinuityNod: [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E6SleeplessInPonyville Luna being]] a DreamWalker is brought up, she's even described as the "Protector of Dreams" a couple of times.
to:
* ContinuityNod: ContinuityNod:
** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E6SleeplessInPonyville Luna being]] a DreamWalker is brought up, she's even described as the "Protector of Dreams" a couple of times.
** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E6SleeplessInPonyville Luna being]] a DreamWalker is brought up, she's even described as the "Protector of Dreams" a couple of times.
Changed line(s) 75 (click to see context) from:
* {{Foreshadowing}}: When Applejack asks why the Nightmare Forces are even interested in the Mane Six, Princess Luna has a brief flashback to an ominous throne room, shakes her head, and then tells them they basically want revenge and make sure the Elements of Harmony don't cause any problems this time around. Issue #5 ends with Rarity tied up to this very same throne.
to:
* {{Foreshadowing}}: {{Foreshadowing}}:
** When Applejack asks why the Nightmare Forces are even interested in the Mane Six, Princess Luna has a brief flashback to an ominous throne room, shakes her head, and then tells them they basically want revenge and make sure the Elements of Harmony don't cause any problems this time around. Issue #5 ends with Rarity tied up to this very same throne.
** When Applejack asks why the Nightmare Forces are even interested in the Mane Six, Princess Luna has a brief flashback to an ominous throne room, shakes her head, and then tells them they basically want revenge and make sure the Elements of Harmony don't cause any problems this time around. Issue #5 ends with Rarity tied up to this very same throne.
Changed line(s) 114 (click to see context) from:
* PowerGlows: The mane 5 all manifest magical auras throughout much of #8.
to:
* PowerGlows: PowerGlows:
** The mane 5 all manifest magical auras throughout much of #8.
** The mane 5 all manifest magical auras throughout much of #8.
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* ThePowerOfLove: Well, that and friendship, obviously, but it's mostly love that cures Nightmare Rarity at the end.
** The final part of this saga heavily implies that this is '''Spike's''' personal power, as he gets his own glowing aura and the effect is powerful enough as to fix the destroyed Fire Ruby.
** The final part of this saga heavily implies that this is '''Spike's''' personal power, as he gets his own glowing aura and the effect is powerful enough as to fix the destroyed Fire Ruby.
to:
* ThePowerOfLove: Well, that and friendship, obviously, but it's mostly love that cures Nightmare Rarity at the end.
**end. The final part of this saga heavily implies that this is '''Spike's''' personal power, as he gets his own glowing aura and the effect is powerful enough as to fix the destroyed Fire Ruby.
**
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Linking directly instead of through redirect.
Changed line(s) 61 (click to see context) from:
** Many of the background ponies that aren't easily identified in issue #8 are OCs of friends of Amy Mebberson, as [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344890101744148480 she confirmed]]. She provides a rough guide via the following Twitter posts: [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344889951671951360 here]], [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344890563935473664 here]], [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344891436874993665 here]], [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344891639480864768 here]], and [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344898614633574400 here]].
to:
** Many of the background ponies that aren't easily identified in issue #8 are OCs {{Original Character}}s of friends of Amy Mebberson, as [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344890101744148480 she confirmed]]. She provides a rough guide via the following Twitter posts: [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344889951671951360 here]], [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344890563935473664 here]], [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344891436874993665 here]], [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344891639480864768 here]], and [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344898614633574400 here]].
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* UnderwaterFartGag: Pinkie Pie remembers an instance where Rarity farted in the hot tub from laughing too hard.
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The Princesses' combined magic is used to lasso the moon closer to the ground to make the journey less perilous for Twilight and her friends. However, when Spike tries to come along in full armor, the rope snaps, but Luni and the pegasi act quickly to save them all, including Spike's Fire Ruby gem that he had also brought. On the moon, the miasma takes control of the ponies' nightmares from before, but with Luna and Spike's help, each of them recognize their nightmare as a fake and dispel the illusion. The miasma speaks to the group, taunting them and alluding to a secret that Luna has been keeping from the other ponies. However, before the ponies can ask more about it, the miasma pulls back to reveal their new Nightmare Moon: Nightmare Rarity.
to:
The Princesses' combined magic is used to lasso the moon closer to the ground to make the journey less perilous for Twilight and her friends. However, when Spike tries to come along in full armor, the rope snaps, but Luni Luna and the pegasi act quickly to save them all, including Spike's Fire Ruby gem that he had also brought. On the moon, the miasma takes control of the ponies' nightmares from before, but with Luna and Spike's help, each of them recognize their nightmare as a fake and dispel the illusion. The miasma speaks to the group, taunting them and alluding to a secret that Luna has been keeping from the other ponies. However, before the ponies can ask more about it, the miasma pulls back to reveal their new Nightmare Moon: Nightmare Rarity.
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''Nightmare Rarity'' (a.k.a ''Night Mares'' or ''Nightmare Forces'' arc)
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''Nightmare Rarity'' [[note]]Unofficial title by Heather[[/note]] (a.k.a ''Night Mares'' or ''Nightmare Forces'' arc)arc [[note]]Unofficial title by fans[[/note]])
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''Nightmare Rarity'' (a.k.a ''Night Mares'' or ''Nightmare Forces'' arc)
Deleted line(s) 5,6 (click to see context) :
''Night Mares''
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Per TRS
Changed line(s) 28 (click to see context) from:
** Once again, Spike. His physical strength is the same as in the cartoon, but he is ''way'' smarter, craftier and competent, being capable to do things that not even Twilight was able to do by herself and easily gaining DangerouslyGenreSavvy abilities that allowed him to outsmart Nightmare Rarity and the Nightmares themselves.
to:
** Once again, Spike. His physical strength is the same as in the cartoon, but he is ''way'' smarter, craftier and competent, being capable to do things that not even Twilight was able to do by herself and easily gaining DangerouslyGenreSavvy abilities that allowed him to outsmart outsmarting Nightmare Rarity and the Nightmares themselves.
Deleted line(s) 62,65 (click to see context) :
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy:
** The Nightmares were previously beaten by the combined power of the Elements of Harmony. To make sure this doesn't happen again, the first thing the Nightmares do is kidnap Rarity, then make her their new queen to make absolutely sure they can't be beaten the same way.
** Nightmare Rarity almost immediately tries to turn the Mane 5 against Luna, and when that fails has them captured and imprisoned in separate, magic-nullifying cells. She also stopped Spike's rescue attempt before he even had a chance to implement it.
%%** Issues #7 and 8 shows that ''Spike'' has reached this level as well.
** The Nightmares were previously beaten by the combined power of the Elements of Harmony. To make sure this doesn't happen again, the first thing the Nightmares do is kidnap Rarity, then make her their new queen to make absolutely sure they can't be beaten the same way.
** Nightmare Rarity almost immediately tries to turn the Mane 5 against Luna, and when that fails has them captured and imprisoned in separate, magic-nullifying cells. She also stopped Spike's rescue attempt before he even had a chance to implement it.
%%** Issues #7 and 8 shows that ''Spike'' has reached this level as well.
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* TaughtByExperience:
** The Nightmares were previously beaten by the combined power of the Elements of Harmony. To make sure this doesn't happen again, the first thing the Nightmares do is kidnap Rarity, then make her their new queen to make absolutely sure they can't be beaten the same way.
** Nightmare Rarity almost immediately tries to turn the Mane 5 against Luna, and when that fails has them captured and imprisoned in separate, magic-nullifying cells. She also stopped Spike's rescue attempt before he even had a chance to implement it.
** The Nightmares were previously beaten by the combined power of the Elements of Harmony. To make sure this doesn't happen again, the first thing the Nightmares do is kidnap Rarity, then make her their new queen to make absolutely sure they can't be beaten the same way.
** Nightmare Rarity almost immediately tries to turn the Mane 5 against Luna, and when that fails has them captured and imprisoned in separate, magic-nullifying cells. She also stopped Spike's rescue attempt before he even had a chance to implement it.
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''[=NightMares=]''
to:
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Changed line(s) 60 (click to see context) from:
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: The Nightmares were previously beaten by the combined power of the Elements of Harmony. To make sure this doesn't happen again, the first thing the Nightmares do is kidnap Rarity, then make her their new queen to make absolutely sure they can't be beaten the same way.
to:
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: DangerouslyGenreSavvy:
** The Nightmares were previously beaten by the combined power of the Elements of Harmony. To make sure this doesn't happen again, the first thing the Nightmares do is kidnap Rarity, then make her their new queen to make absolutely sure they can't be beaten the same way.
** The Nightmares were previously beaten by the combined power of the Elements of Harmony. To make sure this doesn't happen again, the first thing the Nightmares do is kidnap Rarity, then make her their new queen to make absolutely sure they can't be beaten the same way.
Changed line(s) 62 (click to see context) from:
** Issues #7 and 8 shows that ''Spike'' has reached this level as well.
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Changed line(s) 68 (click to see context) from:
* DespairEventHorizon: Twilight after Spike is seemingly killed by the Nightmare forces. See HeroicBSOD.
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* DespairEventHorizon: Twilight after Spike is seemingly killed by the Nightmare forces. See HeroicBSOD.
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* DespairEventHorizon: Twilight after Spike gets captured by the Nightmare forces. See HeroicBSOD.
to:
* DespairEventHorizon: Twilight after Spike gets captured is seemingly killed by the Nightmare forces. See HeroicBSOD.
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* DespairEventHorizon: Twilight after Spike gets captured by the Nightmare forces. See HeroicBSOD.
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Deleted line(s) 5,6 (click to see context) :
-->Released March 2013 through June 2013
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[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/comic_5.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:Prepare yourselves, my ponies! The BigBadassBattleSequence begins now!]]
-->Written by Heather Nufner, Drawn by Amy Mebberson, Colored by Heather Breckel
-->Released March 2013 through June 2013
The Mane Six have been suffering nightmares for a week with no explanation. Pinkie offers to host a sleep-over, hoping the party will chase away the dreams, but they only get worse as a black miasma seeps into the room and gives the six more nightmares. Finding Rarity the weakest, the miasma grabs her away from the others, much to the distress of Spike and even Rainbow Dash is too slow to save her!
Regrouping at the library, Twilight sends a letter to the Princesses, who arrive shortly. Princess Luna reveals that the substance that took Rarity was the same force that had converted her to Nightmare Moon, preying on her desires to please her subjects. When the Mane Six had defeated her, the evil force retreated to the Nightmare Dreamscape on the moon, laying in wait. Luna surmises that the force now wants to take the Element bearers as its own subjects as to create its own nightmare kingdom for itself and its Nightmare creatures. While Celestia promises to wait and help protect Ponyville and Equestria, Luna, the Mane Five, and Spike prepare to set off to rescue Rarity, who is currently imprisoned in the lair of the force, slowly having her will whittled away by the creatures of darkness that inhabit this domain...
The Princesses' combined magic is used to lasso the moon closer to the ground to make the journey less perilous for Twilight and her friends. However, when Spike tries to come along in full armor, the rope snaps, but Luni and the pegasi act quickly to save them all, including Spike's Fire Ruby gem that he had also brought. On the moon, the miasma takes control of the ponies' nightmares from before, but with Luna and Spike's help, each of them recognize their nightmare as a fake and dispel the illusion. The miasma speaks to the group, taunting them and alluding to a secret that Luna has been keeping from the other ponies. However, before the ponies can ask more about it, the miasma pulls back to reveal their new Nightmare Moon: Nightmare Rarity.
Back on Earth, Celestia is preparing things to defend Ponyville from the Nightmare Forces, just in time to see darkness spreading through the land and the unfamiliar shape of the new queen of Nightmares appearing on the moon.
Nightmare Rarity turns out to be a very cold and efficient villain, resisting everyone's attempts to help to get through to her and quickly capturing the Mane 5 so they cannot interfere. Luna escapes back to Ponyville on Twilight's suggestion. Meanwhile, Spike, having been tossed several miles away during the melee, recovers and sets out to free his friends. Covering himself with some strange chameleon slugs, he manages to infiltrate the castle and discover where they're being kept. Before he can find them, however, he suddenly finds himself in a throne room with Rarity asking him to be her King. Though briefly tempted, Spike becomes suspicious when she asks him to forget their friends, and realizes that it's an illusion when Rarity does not recognize the Fire Ruby she gave him. He breaks free of the LotusEaterMachine the queen trapped him in and tries to reach out to her once again, but cannot get through. Her Nightmares seize him, and Nightmare Rarity smashes the Fire Ruby to pieces, before announcing that the nightmare has just begun.
Nightmare Rarity takes her forces along with the captured Spike to lead an attack on Ponyville (thus, exterminating anything that could rekindle what's left of Rarity) where Luna has regrouped with Celestia and rounded up the citizens to prepare for battle. However, Spike uses the chameleon slugs to escape, collect the shattered pieces of the Fire Ruby, and regroups with the Mane 5. They figure a way to escape but are left to deal with one of the nightmare forces...
Nightmare Rarity arrives in Ponyville and a large battle ensues, with a nervous Luna leading the call. While they appear victorious against Nightmare Rarity's forces, the villain is able to emotionally ravage Luna and immediately score a direct hit on her, sending a defeated Luna crashing on the ground, much to everyone's horror.
Luna finally reveals her secret: she has always been living in terror that since her bitterness and anger exposed her to corruption once, so she fears becoming Nightmare Moon again herself. Celestia and the other citizens assure her they are behind her, willing to accept her as one of them and that her burden is something she doesn't have to carry alone anymore, making Luna's confidence boost and restoring her mane to its magical wave. The battle continues until Nightmare Rarity reveals that she has captured Spike. At that moment, the Mane 5 and the real Spike arrive along with their guard from the moon, who is revealed to be a uncorrupted creature without malevolence outside of Nightmare Rarity's control, exposed through the power of friendship by the Mane 5. They quickly remove the corruption on the other nightmare forces, and then turn to use the same power on Nightmare Rarity with the help of all their friends. Spike, with the Fire Ruby, provides the last push to revert Rarity to normal, and the evil force that created Nightmare Rarity vanishes. The moon creatures, grateful for their restoration, thank the ponies for their help, and Luna is also grateful for having to face and rid herself of her own fears.
----
!!These issues contain examples of:
* AdaptationalBadass:
** Once again, Spike. His physical strength is the same as in the cartoon, but he is ''way'' smarter, craftier and competent, being capable to do things that not even Twilight was able to do by herself and easily gaining DangerouslyGenreSavvy abilities that allowed him to outsmart Nightmare Rarity and the Nightmares themselves.
** The entirety of Ponyville and several other familiar faces. For much of the series, the citizens of Ponyville often had to fall on the mane six to help them. Here, they are totally capable of holding their own against the Nightmare Forces until Luna and the mane six step in to deal with the boss. Notable characters include Cheerilee and her students with Babs Seed and the mane six's pets, Trixie (who normally is better at stage magic than combat magic), Granny Smith (who apparently knows karate), and even Octavia Melody's [[InstrumentOfMurder cello]] sees some action.
* AdultFear: The second round of {{Nightmare Sequence}}s in Issue #5 play on the Mane Six's more personal fears like Twilight being rejected by her mentor and Applejack failing her family.
* ArtShift: Luna's exposition of her time as Nightmare Moon and her defeat are told in the same style as the storybook in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E1MareInTheMoon the pilot]].
* BackToBackBadasses: During the Nightmares' attack on Ponyville, Cup Cake and Carrot Cake pull this one while they fight the nightmare hordes. Justified, as they are carrying their ''children'' on their backs and thus are in full-on MamaBear and PapaWolf mode.
* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: The lack of oxygen doesn't seem to be an issue on the moon. Issues #7 and #8 revealed that there's enough plant life on the moon as to provide air and sustenance for animal life.
* BeautyEqualsGoodness: The Nightmare forces are, in their true appearances, both pleasant and pleasant-looking.
* BigBadassBattleSequence: All of Ponyville takes on the Nightmare forces when they invade in #8.
* BraggingThemeTune: In-universe example: Spike improvises his own hero tune to cheer himself up when he's lost on the moon and later infiltrates the nightmare fortress. The song is also used as part of a TravelMontage to show the freaking long distance Spike has been traveling.
* BrickJoke: In Issue #7, as the Mane 5 are being captured, Pinkie thanks her captor for "the wiggles!". Turns out, she happened to obtain the key necessary to free them from this wiggling.
* CannotSpitItOut: Spike, when confronted by Nightmare Rarity, can't quite bring himself to admit his feelings for her. This is immediately seized on by Nightmare Rarity, who coldly mocks him for it.
* ChekhovsGun: Spike bringing the Fire Ruby and his unexplained immunity against the Nightmare Forces are two giant, flashing guns hanging on the wall.
** In #7, the Fire Ruby helps Spike expose Nightmare Rarity's LotusEaterMachine as a lie, since dream!Rarity doesn't recognize it. Also, despite dismissing his attempts to reach her as pointless, Nightmare Rarity keeps the ruby.
** The Nightmare Forces shatter it right after saying Rarity's still in Nightmare Rarity somewhere and they're trying to crush what's left. After making a Decoy Getaway, Spike collects the pieces, and during the final confrontation against Nightmare Rarity, the broken ruby becomes whole again while Spike delivers the final line that releases Rarity from the Nightmares' control.
** The silly wiggle dance performed by Pinkie Pie during #7 made no sense until the next issue, where she reveals she did it to get the prison's key from their captor.
** The Moon Slugs introduced in the #7th issue (and their ability to mimic colors) end up being used by Spike in #8 to create a convincing decoy and cover his escape.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Not Pinkie (for a change), but Rainbow Dash, who suggests using an enlarging ray on her (so she could transport an entire army to the moon all by herself) and a time machine to rescue Rarity. Later she even menctions making explosives made out of duct tape and Applejack's hair.
* ContinuityCameo: This arc seems to take place during season 3, as [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E4OneBadApple Babs Seed]] and [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E7WonderboltsAcademy Lightning Dust]] both make cameos, and Trixie fights to protect Ponyville and speaks to Luna about [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E5MagicDuel being given a second (or third) chance]] in #8.
* ContinuityDrift: Exactly who or what Nightmare Moon and Nightmare Rarity actually ''are'' -- either a SuperpoweredEvilSide, DemonicPossession, or something else -- is a bit difficult to piece together.
* ContinuityNod: [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E6SleeplessInPonyville Luna being]] a DreamWalker is brought up, she's even described as the "Protector of Dreams" a couple of times.
** How Luna became Nightmare Moon and how she was defeated by the Elements of Harmony set the basis of the new evil for this story.
** Further, some rationale is given for Luna's hair and the difference between S1 and subsequent appearances; when she is fearful and anxious about trying to quell her jealously that led her to be Nightmare Moon on her own, her mane is the regular wave, but when she gains the confidence of facing this by Celestia and the other ponies, her mane becomes the glittering style that she's been in since season 2.
** Rainbow Dash once again pulls off a Sonic Rainboom to try and save Rarity, see HopeSpot.
** We're reminded once again that one of Twilight Sparkle's biggest fears is being rejected by Princess Celestia.
** Rainbow Dash mentions Spike's crush on Rarity during #8 and even comments that maybe he will finally tell her how he feels once everything is over.
** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E10SecretOfMyExcess The Fire Ruby]] returns in #6. In fact, the near final scene of this episode is a thought bubble and used as the final tipping point to de-covert Rarity.
** The Cloud Gremlins from the Rainbow Dash micro-comic appear in Rainbow's nightmare.
** Something of a minor CallForward; the hat Rainbow Dash wears in Fluttershy's nightmare in #6 is the same hat she wears at [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E13MagicalMysteryCure Twilight's coronation]].
*** Also, Rarity is ultimately saved by, quite literally, the light that shines from her true, true friends!
** Rainbow Dash considers what JustForFun/DaringDo would do in their imprisoned situation.
* TheCorrupter: The Nightmare Forces are this to Rarity
* CorruptTheCutie: Played straight with Rarity, completely averted with Spike, as the baby dragon manages to remain loyal to his friends even after being tempted with an ideal LotusEaterMachine world.
* CreatorCameo: An early panel of #7 shows [=OCs=] of Sibsy (Wild Fire) and fan musician Mando Pony and a later panel has an appearance from Holly Giesbrech (Holly Dash) among other background ponies in Ponyville.
** Many of the background ponies that aren't easily identified in issue #8 are OCs of friends of Amy Mebberson, as [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344890101744148480 she confirmed]]. She provides a rough guide via the following Twitter posts: [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344889951671951360 here]], [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344890563935473664 here]], [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344891436874993665 here]], [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344891639480864768 here]], and [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344898614633574400 here]].
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: The Nightmares were previously beaten by the combined power of the Elements of Harmony. To make sure this doesn't happen again, the first thing the Nightmares do is kidnap Rarity, then make her their new queen to make absolutely sure they can't be beaten the same way.
** Nightmare Rarity almost immediately tries to turn the Mane 5 against Luna, and when that fails has them captured and imprisoned in separate, magic-nullifying cells. She also stopped Spike's rescue attempt before he even had a chance to implement it.
** Issues #7 and 8 shows that ''Spike'' has reached this level as well.
* DarkerAndEdgier: The comics do feature a reasonably darker world that the ponies inhabit, including near open discussion about the mane 5 believing Spike had been killed, along with quite a few other rather dark scenarios.
* DarkSecret: Nightmare Rarity claims that Rarity has one, which is part of why she choose her to be her new vessel. The secret was an extreme case of low self-esteem and fear of being rejected and forgotten.
* DecoyGetaway: Spike does this in Issue #8 by getting a bunch of moon slugs to crawl over him, which he uses to make a decoy of himself. Nightmare Rarity and the Nightmare Forces leave him behind to rescue the others thinking he's just trying the silent treatment.
* DependingOnTheArtist: Luna sports her Season 1 appearance in spite of the series taking place after Season 2. [[http://www.equestriadaily.com/2013/04/official-comic-6-and-rarity-3-release.html#IDComment627248051 Colorist Heather Breckel]] says this is story related, however. Confirmed in issue 8 - when Luna stops being afraid of becoming Nightmare Moon and taps into her true power, her mane etherealizes. Her earlier mane style was apparently a result of her being Willfully Weak.
* DemonicPossession: The Nightmares have no true form themselves. They possess other beings and corrupt their form to suit their purposes. This includes both iterations of Nightmare Moon, though in their case a little MoreThanMindControl was necessary to get the ball rolling.
* DeusExMachina: Issue 8. The protagonists cannot use the Elements of Harmony against the villain, but never fear, as their friendship suddenly and arbitrarily [[PowerGlows "lights them up from the inside"]] for no reason whatsoever, which proves just as effective.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: After all the misery Spike goes through he finally seems to share a moment with Rarity in the last panel.
* EvilMakeover: Just as Luna's Nightmare Moon persona changed her appearance, Rarity gets aged up, darker coat, a diamond on her horn, and a much longer mane and tail. Even her cutie mark changes to be more star-like.
* FaceHeelTurn: Rarity, who is kidnapped and subjected to MoreThanMindControl and DemonicPossession to become Nightmare Moon's successor.
* FaceYourFears: The mane 5 are all confronted by their nightmares yet again in #6, but are all able to face them with help from each other, as well as Princess Luna and Spike.
* FallenHeroine: Rarity, who succumbs to the Nightmare Force's MoreThanMindControl to become their new queen.
* FatalFlaw: The Nightmares exploit a specific flaw to possess a host, and evidently can't possess anyone else (or, at least, it would be an unacceptable risk). Both Luna and Rarity suffer from self-esteem issues regarding their craft; the night and fashion, respectively. This is what makes them viable targets, even after the other Nightmares suggest that Fluttershy would have been easier to corrupt.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: When Applejack asks why the Nightmare Forces are even interested in the Mane Six, Princess Luna has a brief flashback to an ominous throne room, shakes her head, and then tells them they basically want revenge and make sure the Elements of Harmony don't cause any problems this time around. Issue #5 ends with Rarity tied up to this very same throne.
** #6 includes several instances of Luna thinking to herself that there's some information she has deliberately held back from the mane 5.
** Issues #5 and #6 have both shown that, for whatever reason, Spike is neither targeted or even affected by the Nightmare forces. In issue #7, Nightmare Rarity can manipulate his dreams (preying on his desires instead of his fears), but Spike is able to break free after catching on to dream Rarity's uncharacteristic behavior. Nightmare Rarity is '''not''' pleased by this.
* FromBadToWorse: From the first page to the very last one, issue #7 just gets progressively worse: at a point Twilight even assumes that Spike was ''dead.''
* GondorCallsForAid: The fight with the Nightmare Forces see all of Ponyville and even a number of side characters (such as Babs Seed and Trixie) team up against them.
* HeelFaceTurn: Jerome, the Butt Monkey among the Nightmare Forces. None of the other Forces even knew his name.
* HeroicBSOD:
-->'''Twilight:''' Maybe I've been wrong this whole time... The magic of friendship can't save everything... It couldn't save Spike.
* HoldingOutForAHero: Subverted. Big time. The heroes are captured by the villains? ALL of Ponyville comes together and ''kicks rump'', holding the line until the Mane Six can show up and turn the tide.
* HoldUpYourScore: Rainbow rates Fluttershy's "shout" to break her nightmare as a 3.4.
* HopeSpot: Rainbow Dash uses a Sonic Rainboom to try and catch up to Rarity, who has been kidnapped by the Nightmare Forces. They vanish in a puff of smoke just before Rainbow can save her.
** In #7, Spike seems to briefly get through to Nightmare Rarity, but she shakes it off and sics her Nightmare forces on the group.
* HydePlaysJekyll: Nightmare Rarity disguises herself as the normal Rarity to try to trap Spike in a LotusEaterMachine.
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: This is attempted with Nightmare Rarity, several times. Nightmare Rarity insists she's in control the first time, though Spike seems to momentarily get through. The Nightmares privately admit to Spike that Rarity is indeed in there, and they take steps to prevent any repeat incidents. Ultimately, with some help from Luna, a heap of praise and Spike's love, they get through to her completely.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Spike is unaffected by the Nightmares period and quickly breaks free of the LotusEaterMachine Nightmare Rarity traps him in.
* ImNotAfraidOfYou: A large part of the mane 5 dealing with their fears is loudly proclaiming some variant of this to the Nightmare creatures.
* InternalHomage: Rainbow Dash's nightmare in #6 is basically a re-telling of the events of her micro-series comic if she failed to stop the Cloud Gremlins. They even make a cameo!
* InterruptedDeclarationOfLove: In #7, Spike tries to do this to Rarity, but he stutters and is cut short by Nightmare Rarity, who coldly mocks him.
* IsThisThingOn: Rainbow says this about her own voice when she grows frustrated with everyone else ignoring her.
* KickTheDog: Oh God, '''Spike'''. As if nearly killing him, and later trapping him into a LotusEaterMachine from where he had to give up his heart's desire in order to escape, only to get immediately captured by Nightmare Rarity wasn't enough, the Nightmare Forces crushes the Fire Ruby in front of him.
* LargeHam: Sporting her Season 1 look hasn't stopped Luna from showing she's the real Princess of Ham.
-->'''Twilight Sparkle:''' "One more chance" to what?
-->'''Princess Luna:''' '''To claim what [[BigBad Nightmare Moon]] [[TheNightThatNeverEnds promised]] - An all powerful [[ToCreateAPlaygroundForEvil kingdom of their own!]]''' *said while on her hind legs with a dramatic lunar eclipse in the background*
** Pinkie Pie turns up the ham when she confronts her nightmares in Issue #6.
-->'''Pinkie:''' I am the '''''MOST''''' laughter-giving, fun-having, friend-making pony ever! '''''YOU HAVE NO POWER OVER ME!'''''
* LegacyCharacter: A new pony takes on the mantle of Nightmare Moon in this StoryArc. It's none other than Rarity after being "convinced" by the Nightmare Forces to become their queen.
* LotusEaterMachine: This is Nightmare Rarity's ability. She tries to use it on Spike, trapping him in an ideal world where Rarity asks him to marry her and together rule as Queen and King. It doesn't work since dream Rarity wants him to forget about their friends and doesn't know what the Fire Ruby means to him.
* {{Lunacy}}: The Nightmare forces draw their power from the moon, and a full moon empowers them enough for one more chance at escaping.
* MacGyvering: While trapped in the Nightmare dungeon, Rainbow Dash muses that Daring-Do would make a bomb out of duct tape and Applejack's hair to escape.
* MadeOfIron: During the fight against the Nightmare forces, Spike is tossed several ''miles'' away and even smashes through a rock mountain before crashing on the ground. This only leaves him bruised and unconscious for a few panels.
* MoreThanMindControl: The Nightmare forces' MO, at least where their queen is concerned. First they talk the pony into accepting them, then they get their hooks in. They convinced Luna that, as Nightmare Moon, she could get everypony to respect her through fear. Then they did the same to Rarity, convincing her that while others might eventually abandon her for someone better, they would always want her help.
* MisfitMobilizationMoment: ''Ponyville'' does this. '''[[UpToEleven All of it.]]''' When the heroes are captured and the Nightmares are preparing to invade, the town comes together (including characters like Trixie, Snips, Snails, and Granny Smith) and fights back, managing to hold the line long enough for the heroes to show up.
* NeverMessWithGranny: During Ponyville's invasion in #8, a group of Nightmares discovered too late that Granny Smith is ''way'' stronger than she looks.
* NightmareSequence: Issue #5 starts with this, and mentions the mane 6 have all had nightmares for an entire week. It's during another one that the Nightmare Forces kidnap Rarity and take her to the moon. In the following issue they are confronted by the same nightmares, but overcome them thanks to each other (with the exception of Rarity, who's still kidnapped, of course).
* NoSell: Nightmare Rarity easily blocks Luna's first attack, then knocks her out of the sky with no trouble. Once Luna gets her confidence back and transforms into her current look, she loses that advantage.
* NoTitle: Unlike the first arc, this one doesn't have a title. Though fans have dubbed it the ''[[FanNickname NightMares Arc]]'' for obvious reasons.
* OutGambitted: The Nightmare Forces break Spike's Fire Ruby to try and ensure he can't get through to Rarity...only for Spike to use the fact a bunch of moon slugs were crawling onto him to make a dummy of himself while they weren't looking, tricking them into leaving without him so he can collect the shards of the ruby and then go help the mane six get free.
-->'''Spike''': (to himself) Joke's on you-I'm not the only one that loves Rarity, and you're about to find out the hard way! I guess that's what you get when you [[EvilCannotComprehendGood don't know what true love and friendship are!]]...That and a couple of slugs in your chariot!
* PassThePopcorn: It's easy to miss, but in issue #6 Spike offers Princess Luna some popcorn while Pinkie Pie [[FaceYourFears faces her fears]].
* PowerGlows: The mane 5 all manifest magical auras throughout much of #8.
** Spike has this too, when trying to convince Rarity that she's everything to him and asks her to please come back home. It also seems that this power restores the Fire Ruby.
* ThePowerOfLove: Well, that and friendship, obviously, but it's mostly love that cures Nightmare Rarity at the end.
** The final part of this saga heavily implies that this is '''Spike's''' personal power, as he gets his own glowing aura and the effect is powerful enough as to fix the destroyed Fire Ruby.
* PsychologicalTormentZone: The moon itself is this, as it's tied to the Nightmare Dreamscape, home of the Nightmare forces.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: When Applejack spots a group of cute Nightmare creatures, the nearest of which have sparkly red eyes, she asks Fluttershy for her opinion on their significance:
-->'''Fluttershy:''' Possible inherent evil?
* {{Retcon}}: Originally, Nightmare Moon was portrayed to be a SuperpoweredEvilSide of Princess Luna, then the comic changes it so that Nightmare Moon was the product of the Nightmare forces possessing Luna, though this retcon is based on a WordOfGod from Creator/LaurenFaust saying that Nightmare Moon was the result of corruption by dark magic (whether this magic came from Luna herself or a separate force was never decided on).
* RopeBridge: How do the Mane 5, Spike, and Luna make their way to the moon? By lassoing it and '''pulling it closer to the Earth''' and using the rope as a bridge.
* RunningGag: The word "dingus" was used quite often in issue #8.
* ShipTease: The Nightmare Arc might as well be called "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E10SecretOfMyExcess Secret of My Excess]], Part 2" for all the Spike X Rarity moments. For one thing, Spike brings the Fire Ruby, plus Spike is one of the only two characters who could cause a reaction on Nightmare Rarity (the other is Sweetie Belle) and it's Spike who delivers the final line that releases Rarity from the Nightmare's grip. The last panel of the arc's final page also speaks volumes, as Rarity and Spike share a hug under the stars but ''Rarity'' is the one who's doing the hugging.
* SkewedPriorities: Surprisingly, Apple Bloom actually has the sense to point out to Scootaloo that a potential Nightmare invasion may not be the best time to think about their cutie marks, though she does briefly indulge Scootaloo's thought.
* TheDogBitesBack: Although the other Mane 5 are instrumental in this with their power, it is Spike who ultimately finishes off Nightmare Moon and restores Rarity.
* SpottingTheThread: When trapped in a LotusEaterMachine, Spike realizes it's not real when Rarity tells him to forget everyone else and serve only her, and doesn't fully appreciate the significance of the Fire Ruby.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Spike. ''Again.''
* StealthPun: On the moon, [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]] takes {{Series/Angel}}'s place as Fluttershy's pet companion.
* SunglassesAtNight: Pinkie briefly in #6, who even wears them on the moon. Rainbow is quick to tell her to take them off when she complains about not being able to see.
* TemptingFate: Constantly with the Nightmares toward Spike as they don't see him as a threat. Likewise, Nightmare Rarity proclaims that Spike can't hope to stop her alone. Take a wild guess who throws the biggest wrench into their plans?
* ThatManIsDead: Subverted with Nightmare Rarity; the Nightmare Forces outright state that Rarity's still in her somewhere which is ''why'' they want to have her destroy Ponyville to crush what little is left.
* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: Princess Luna insists that she alone go rescue Rarity, being intimately familiar with the Nightmare Dreamscape. Twilight and Celestia quickly convince her that the other Spirits of Harmony (and Spike) can help, as well. This comes up again in #8, when Luna believes she must defeat Nightmare Rarity herself in order to redeem the sins of her own past. All of Ponyville convinces her that she doesn't have to carry that burden alone.
* ThisMeansWar: Rainbow Dash jokingly says this to Pinkie Pie at the slumber party when the latter initiates a pillow fight.
* TooSpicyForYogSothoth: Spike is unaffected by the Nightmare forces (their powers, at any rate, he's still quite vulnerable to conventional attack) and when Nightmare Rarity uses her LotusEaterMachine ability on him, he quickly deduces that it's not real and escapes.
* ToiletHumour: In #7, Pinkie Pie tries to jolt Nightmare Rarity's memory by reminding her about the time they were at the spa and Pinkie told a joke so funny it made her fart under the water. This becomes a BrickJoke in #8, as this exact memory is what Pinkie uses to help save Rarity at the end.
* TravelMontage: To show how far Spike was thrown from the evil tower, he is shown singing to himself while walking across the landscape, but his song and pacing get more weary with each panel until he finally drops of exaustation.
* TwentyPercentMoreAwesome: The old "20% cooler" line gets referenced in a twisted way; during Rarity's nightmare she sees Rainbow Dash call the saddle bag "[[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls Maybelle]]" made for Twilight "''200%'' cooler". Cue a SingleTear from Rarity.
* WalkingSpoiler: Nightmare Rarity's sheer existence is the biggest plot twist of the arc and ruins a huge part of the story.
* WhamShot: The final page of Issue #6, revealing the identity and form of the new Nightmare Moon.
-->'''Shadowfright:''' Now the Elements of Harmony will be destroyed and Ponyville will be defenseless! Meet our new Queen... Nightmare Rarity!
* WorldHealingWave: Of a sort. After the Mane Five get back to Ponyville, they empower Luna with their magical auras, which she then releases as a rainbow wave which eliminates the Nightmares and weakens Nightmare Rarity.
----
[[caption-width-right:300:Prepare yourselves, my ponies! The BigBadassBattleSequence begins now!]]
-->Written by Heather Nufner, Drawn by Amy Mebberson, Colored by Heather Breckel
-->Released March 2013 through June 2013
The Mane Six have been suffering nightmares for a week with no explanation. Pinkie offers to host a sleep-over, hoping the party will chase away the dreams, but they only get worse as a black miasma seeps into the room and gives the six more nightmares. Finding Rarity the weakest, the miasma grabs her away from the others, much to the distress of Spike and even Rainbow Dash is too slow to save her!
Regrouping at the library, Twilight sends a letter to the Princesses, who arrive shortly. Princess Luna reveals that the substance that took Rarity was the same force that had converted her to Nightmare Moon, preying on her desires to please her subjects. When the Mane Six had defeated her, the evil force retreated to the Nightmare Dreamscape on the moon, laying in wait. Luna surmises that the force now wants to take the Element bearers as its own subjects as to create its own nightmare kingdom for itself and its Nightmare creatures. While Celestia promises to wait and help protect Ponyville and Equestria, Luna, the Mane Five, and Spike prepare to set off to rescue Rarity, who is currently imprisoned in the lair of the force, slowly having her will whittled away by the creatures of darkness that inhabit this domain...
The Princesses' combined magic is used to lasso the moon closer to the ground to make the journey less perilous for Twilight and her friends. However, when Spike tries to come along in full armor, the rope snaps, but Luni and the pegasi act quickly to save them all, including Spike's Fire Ruby gem that he had also brought. On the moon, the miasma takes control of the ponies' nightmares from before, but with Luna and Spike's help, each of them recognize their nightmare as a fake and dispel the illusion. The miasma speaks to the group, taunting them and alluding to a secret that Luna has been keeping from the other ponies. However, before the ponies can ask more about it, the miasma pulls back to reveal their new Nightmare Moon: Nightmare Rarity.
Back on Earth, Celestia is preparing things to defend Ponyville from the Nightmare Forces, just in time to see darkness spreading through the land and the unfamiliar shape of the new queen of Nightmares appearing on the moon.
Nightmare Rarity turns out to be a very cold and efficient villain, resisting everyone's attempts to help to get through to her and quickly capturing the Mane 5 so they cannot interfere. Luna escapes back to Ponyville on Twilight's suggestion. Meanwhile, Spike, having been tossed several miles away during the melee, recovers and sets out to free his friends. Covering himself with some strange chameleon slugs, he manages to infiltrate the castle and discover where they're being kept. Before he can find them, however, he suddenly finds himself in a throne room with Rarity asking him to be her King. Though briefly tempted, Spike becomes suspicious when she asks him to forget their friends, and realizes that it's an illusion when Rarity does not recognize the Fire Ruby she gave him. He breaks free of the LotusEaterMachine the queen trapped him in and tries to reach out to her once again, but cannot get through. Her Nightmares seize him, and Nightmare Rarity smashes the Fire Ruby to pieces, before announcing that the nightmare has just begun.
Nightmare Rarity takes her forces along with the captured Spike to lead an attack on Ponyville (thus, exterminating anything that could rekindle what's left of Rarity) where Luna has regrouped with Celestia and rounded up the citizens to prepare for battle. However, Spike uses the chameleon slugs to escape, collect the shattered pieces of the Fire Ruby, and regroups with the Mane 5. They figure a way to escape but are left to deal with one of the nightmare forces...
Nightmare Rarity arrives in Ponyville and a large battle ensues, with a nervous Luna leading the call. While they appear victorious against Nightmare Rarity's forces, the villain is able to emotionally ravage Luna and immediately score a direct hit on her, sending a defeated Luna crashing on the ground, much to everyone's horror.
Luna finally reveals her secret: she has always been living in terror that since her bitterness and anger exposed her to corruption once, so she fears becoming Nightmare Moon again herself. Celestia and the other citizens assure her they are behind her, willing to accept her as one of them and that her burden is something she doesn't have to carry alone anymore, making Luna's confidence boost and restoring her mane to its magical wave. The battle continues until Nightmare Rarity reveals that she has captured Spike. At that moment, the Mane 5 and the real Spike arrive along with their guard from the moon, who is revealed to be a uncorrupted creature without malevolence outside of Nightmare Rarity's control, exposed through the power of friendship by the Mane 5. They quickly remove the corruption on the other nightmare forces, and then turn to use the same power on Nightmare Rarity with the help of all their friends. Spike, with the Fire Ruby, provides the last push to revert Rarity to normal, and the evil force that created Nightmare Rarity vanishes. The moon creatures, grateful for their restoration, thank the ponies for their help, and Luna is also grateful for having to face and rid herself of her own fears.
----
!!These issues contain examples of:
* AdaptationalBadass:
** Once again, Spike. His physical strength is the same as in the cartoon, but he is ''way'' smarter, craftier and competent, being capable to do things that not even Twilight was able to do by herself and easily gaining DangerouslyGenreSavvy abilities that allowed him to outsmart Nightmare Rarity and the Nightmares themselves.
** The entirety of Ponyville and several other familiar faces. For much of the series, the citizens of Ponyville often had to fall on the mane six to help them. Here, they are totally capable of holding their own against the Nightmare Forces until Luna and the mane six step in to deal with the boss. Notable characters include Cheerilee and her students with Babs Seed and the mane six's pets, Trixie (who normally is better at stage magic than combat magic), Granny Smith (who apparently knows karate), and even Octavia Melody's [[InstrumentOfMurder cello]] sees some action.
* AdultFear: The second round of {{Nightmare Sequence}}s in Issue #5 play on the Mane Six's more personal fears like Twilight being rejected by her mentor and Applejack failing her family.
* ArtShift: Luna's exposition of her time as Nightmare Moon and her defeat are told in the same style as the storybook in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E1MareInTheMoon the pilot]].
* BackToBackBadasses: During the Nightmares' attack on Ponyville, Cup Cake and Carrot Cake pull this one while they fight the nightmare hordes. Justified, as they are carrying their ''children'' on their backs and thus are in full-on MamaBear and PapaWolf mode.
* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: The lack of oxygen doesn't seem to be an issue on the moon. Issues #7 and #8 revealed that there's enough plant life on the moon as to provide air and sustenance for animal life.
* BeautyEqualsGoodness: The Nightmare forces are, in their true appearances, both pleasant and pleasant-looking.
* BigBadassBattleSequence: All of Ponyville takes on the Nightmare forces when they invade in #8.
* BraggingThemeTune: In-universe example: Spike improvises his own hero tune to cheer himself up when he's lost on the moon and later infiltrates the nightmare fortress. The song is also used as part of a TravelMontage to show the freaking long distance Spike has been traveling.
* BrickJoke: In Issue #7, as the Mane 5 are being captured, Pinkie thanks her captor for "the wiggles!". Turns out, she happened to obtain the key necessary to free them from this wiggling.
* CannotSpitItOut: Spike, when confronted by Nightmare Rarity, can't quite bring himself to admit his feelings for her. This is immediately seized on by Nightmare Rarity, who coldly mocks him for it.
* ChekhovsGun: Spike bringing the Fire Ruby and his unexplained immunity against the Nightmare Forces are two giant, flashing guns hanging on the wall.
** In #7, the Fire Ruby helps Spike expose Nightmare Rarity's LotusEaterMachine as a lie, since dream!Rarity doesn't recognize it. Also, despite dismissing his attempts to reach her as pointless, Nightmare Rarity keeps the ruby.
** The Nightmare Forces shatter it right after saying Rarity's still in Nightmare Rarity somewhere and they're trying to crush what's left. After making a Decoy Getaway, Spike collects the pieces, and during the final confrontation against Nightmare Rarity, the broken ruby becomes whole again while Spike delivers the final line that releases Rarity from the Nightmares' control.
** The silly wiggle dance performed by Pinkie Pie during #7 made no sense until the next issue, where she reveals she did it to get the prison's key from their captor.
** The Moon Slugs introduced in the #7th issue (and their ability to mimic colors) end up being used by Spike in #8 to create a convincing decoy and cover his escape.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Not Pinkie (for a change), but Rainbow Dash, who suggests using an enlarging ray on her (so she could transport an entire army to the moon all by herself) and a time machine to rescue Rarity. Later she even menctions making explosives made out of duct tape and Applejack's hair.
* ContinuityCameo: This arc seems to take place during season 3, as [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E4OneBadApple Babs Seed]] and [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E7WonderboltsAcademy Lightning Dust]] both make cameos, and Trixie fights to protect Ponyville and speaks to Luna about [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E5MagicDuel being given a second (or third) chance]] in #8.
* ContinuityDrift: Exactly who or what Nightmare Moon and Nightmare Rarity actually ''are'' -- either a SuperpoweredEvilSide, DemonicPossession, or something else -- is a bit difficult to piece together.
* ContinuityNod: [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E6SleeplessInPonyville Luna being]] a DreamWalker is brought up, she's even described as the "Protector of Dreams" a couple of times.
** How Luna became Nightmare Moon and how she was defeated by the Elements of Harmony set the basis of the new evil for this story.
** Further, some rationale is given for Luna's hair and the difference between S1 and subsequent appearances; when she is fearful and anxious about trying to quell her jealously that led her to be Nightmare Moon on her own, her mane is the regular wave, but when she gains the confidence of facing this by Celestia and the other ponies, her mane becomes the glittering style that she's been in since season 2.
** Rainbow Dash once again pulls off a Sonic Rainboom to try and save Rarity, see HopeSpot.
** We're reminded once again that one of Twilight Sparkle's biggest fears is being rejected by Princess Celestia.
** Rainbow Dash mentions Spike's crush on Rarity during #8 and even comments that maybe he will finally tell her how he feels once everything is over.
** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E10SecretOfMyExcess The Fire Ruby]] returns in #6. In fact, the near final scene of this episode is a thought bubble and used as the final tipping point to de-covert Rarity.
** The Cloud Gremlins from the Rainbow Dash micro-comic appear in Rainbow's nightmare.
** Something of a minor CallForward; the hat Rainbow Dash wears in Fluttershy's nightmare in #6 is the same hat she wears at [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E13MagicalMysteryCure Twilight's coronation]].
*** Also, Rarity is ultimately saved by, quite literally, the light that shines from her true, true friends!
** Rainbow Dash considers what JustForFun/DaringDo would do in their imprisoned situation.
* TheCorrupter: The Nightmare Forces are this to Rarity
* CorruptTheCutie: Played straight with Rarity, completely averted with Spike, as the baby dragon manages to remain loyal to his friends even after being tempted with an ideal LotusEaterMachine world.
* CreatorCameo: An early panel of #7 shows [=OCs=] of Sibsy (Wild Fire) and fan musician Mando Pony and a later panel has an appearance from Holly Giesbrech (Holly Dash) among other background ponies in Ponyville.
** Many of the background ponies that aren't easily identified in issue #8 are OCs of friends of Amy Mebberson, as [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344890101744148480 she confirmed]]. She provides a rough guide via the following Twitter posts: [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344889951671951360 here]], [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344890563935473664 here]], [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344891436874993665 here]], [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344891639480864768 here]], and [[https://twitter.com/amymebberson/status/344898614633574400 here]].
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: The Nightmares were previously beaten by the combined power of the Elements of Harmony. To make sure this doesn't happen again, the first thing the Nightmares do is kidnap Rarity, then make her their new queen to make absolutely sure they can't be beaten the same way.
** Nightmare Rarity almost immediately tries to turn the Mane 5 against Luna, and when that fails has them captured and imprisoned in separate, magic-nullifying cells. She also stopped Spike's rescue attempt before he even had a chance to implement it.
** Issues #7 and 8 shows that ''Spike'' has reached this level as well.
* DarkerAndEdgier: The comics do feature a reasonably darker world that the ponies inhabit, including near open discussion about the mane 5 believing Spike had been killed, along with quite a few other rather dark scenarios.
* DarkSecret: Nightmare Rarity claims that Rarity has one, which is part of why she choose her to be her new vessel. The secret was an extreme case of low self-esteem and fear of being rejected and forgotten.
* DecoyGetaway: Spike does this in Issue #8 by getting a bunch of moon slugs to crawl over him, which he uses to make a decoy of himself. Nightmare Rarity and the Nightmare Forces leave him behind to rescue the others thinking he's just trying the silent treatment.
* DependingOnTheArtist: Luna sports her Season 1 appearance in spite of the series taking place after Season 2. [[http://www.equestriadaily.com/2013/04/official-comic-6-and-rarity-3-release.html#IDComment627248051 Colorist Heather Breckel]] says this is story related, however. Confirmed in issue 8 - when Luna stops being afraid of becoming Nightmare Moon and taps into her true power, her mane etherealizes. Her earlier mane style was apparently a result of her being Willfully Weak.
* DemonicPossession: The Nightmares have no true form themselves. They possess other beings and corrupt their form to suit their purposes. This includes both iterations of Nightmare Moon, though in their case a little MoreThanMindControl was necessary to get the ball rolling.
* DeusExMachina: Issue 8. The protagonists cannot use the Elements of Harmony against the villain, but never fear, as their friendship suddenly and arbitrarily [[PowerGlows "lights them up from the inside"]] for no reason whatsoever, which proves just as effective.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: After all the misery Spike goes through he finally seems to share a moment with Rarity in the last panel.
* EvilMakeover: Just as Luna's Nightmare Moon persona changed her appearance, Rarity gets aged up, darker coat, a diamond on her horn, and a much longer mane and tail. Even her cutie mark changes to be more star-like.
* FaceHeelTurn: Rarity, who is kidnapped and subjected to MoreThanMindControl and DemonicPossession to become Nightmare Moon's successor.
* FaceYourFears: The mane 5 are all confronted by their nightmares yet again in #6, but are all able to face them with help from each other, as well as Princess Luna and Spike.
* FallenHeroine: Rarity, who succumbs to the Nightmare Force's MoreThanMindControl to become their new queen.
* FatalFlaw: The Nightmares exploit a specific flaw to possess a host, and evidently can't possess anyone else (or, at least, it would be an unacceptable risk). Both Luna and Rarity suffer from self-esteem issues regarding their craft; the night and fashion, respectively. This is what makes them viable targets, even after the other Nightmares suggest that Fluttershy would have been easier to corrupt.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: When Applejack asks why the Nightmare Forces are even interested in the Mane Six, Princess Luna has a brief flashback to an ominous throne room, shakes her head, and then tells them they basically want revenge and make sure the Elements of Harmony don't cause any problems this time around. Issue #5 ends with Rarity tied up to this very same throne.
** #6 includes several instances of Luna thinking to herself that there's some information she has deliberately held back from the mane 5.
** Issues #5 and #6 have both shown that, for whatever reason, Spike is neither targeted or even affected by the Nightmare forces. In issue #7, Nightmare Rarity can manipulate his dreams (preying on his desires instead of his fears), but Spike is able to break free after catching on to dream Rarity's uncharacteristic behavior. Nightmare Rarity is '''not''' pleased by this.
* FromBadToWorse: From the first page to the very last one, issue #7 just gets progressively worse: at a point Twilight even assumes that Spike was ''dead.''
* GondorCallsForAid: The fight with the Nightmare Forces see all of Ponyville and even a number of side characters (such as Babs Seed and Trixie) team up against them.
* HeelFaceTurn: Jerome, the Butt Monkey among the Nightmare Forces. None of the other Forces even knew his name.
* HeroicBSOD:
-->'''Twilight:''' Maybe I've been wrong this whole time... The magic of friendship can't save everything... It couldn't save Spike.
* HoldingOutForAHero: Subverted. Big time. The heroes are captured by the villains? ALL of Ponyville comes together and ''kicks rump'', holding the line until the Mane Six can show up and turn the tide.
* HoldUpYourScore: Rainbow rates Fluttershy's "shout" to break her nightmare as a 3.4.
* HopeSpot: Rainbow Dash uses a Sonic Rainboom to try and catch up to Rarity, who has been kidnapped by the Nightmare Forces. They vanish in a puff of smoke just before Rainbow can save her.
** In #7, Spike seems to briefly get through to Nightmare Rarity, but she shakes it off and sics her Nightmare forces on the group.
* HydePlaysJekyll: Nightmare Rarity disguises herself as the normal Rarity to try to trap Spike in a LotusEaterMachine.
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: This is attempted with Nightmare Rarity, several times. Nightmare Rarity insists she's in control the first time, though Spike seems to momentarily get through. The Nightmares privately admit to Spike that Rarity is indeed in there, and they take steps to prevent any repeat incidents. Ultimately, with some help from Luna, a heap of praise and Spike's love, they get through to her completely.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Spike is unaffected by the Nightmares period and quickly breaks free of the LotusEaterMachine Nightmare Rarity traps him in.
* ImNotAfraidOfYou: A large part of the mane 5 dealing with their fears is loudly proclaiming some variant of this to the Nightmare creatures.
* InternalHomage: Rainbow Dash's nightmare in #6 is basically a re-telling of the events of her micro-series comic if she failed to stop the Cloud Gremlins. They even make a cameo!
* InterruptedDeclarationOfLove: In #7, Spike tries to do this to Rarity, but he stutters and is cut short by Nightmare Rarity, who coldly mocks him.
* IsThisThingOn: Rainbow says this about her own voice when she grows frustrated with everyone else ignoring her.
* KickTheDog: Oh God, '''Spike'''. As if nearly killing him, and later trapping him into a LotusEaterMachine from where he had to give up his heart's desire in order to escape, only to get immediately captured by Nightmare Rarity wasn't enough, the Nightmare Forces crushes the Fire Ruby in front of him.
* LargeHam: Sporting her Season 1 look hasn't stopped Luna from showing she's the real Princess of Ham.
-->'''Twilight Sparkle:''' "One more chance" to what?
-->'''Princess Luna:''' '''To claim what [[BigBad Nightmare Moon]] [[TheNightThatNeverEnds promised]] - An all powerful [[ToCreateAPlaygroundForEvil kingdom of their own!]]''' *said while on her hind legs with a dramatic lunar eclipse in the background*
** Pinkie Pie turns up the ham when she confronts her nightmares in Issue #6.
-->'''Pinkie:''' I am the '''''MOST''''' laughter-giving, fun-having, friend-making pony ever! '''''YOU HAVE NO POWER OVER ME!'''''
* LegacyCharacter: A new pony takes on the mantle of Nightmare Moon in this StoryArc. It's none other than Rarity after being "convinced" by the Nightmare Forces to become their queen.
* LotusEaterMachine: This is Nightmare Rarity's ability. She tries to use it on Spike, trapping him in an ideal world where Rarity asks him to marry her and together rule as Queen and King. It doesn't work since dream Rarity wants him to forget about their friends and doesn't know what the Fire Ruby means to him.
* {{Lunacy}}: The Nightmare forces draw their power from the moon, and a full moon empowers them enough for one more chance at escaping.
* MacGyvering: While trapped in the Nightmare dungeon, Rainbow Dash muses that Daring-Do would make a bomb out of duct tape and Applejack's hair to escape.
* MadeOfIron: During the fight against the Nightmare forces, Spike is tossed several ''miles'' away and even smashes through a rock mountain before crashing on the ground. This only leaves him bruised and unconscious for a few panels.
* MoreThanMindControl: The Nightmare forces' MO, at least where their queen is concerned. First they talk the pony into accepting them, then they get their hooks in. They convinced Luna that, as Nightmare Moon, she could get everypony to respect her through fear. Then they did the same to Rarity, convincing her that while others might eventually abandon her for someone better, they would always want her help.
* MisfitMobilizationMoment: ''Ponyville'' does this. '''[[UpToEleven All of it.]]''' When the heroes are captured and the Nightmares are preparing to invade, the town comes together (including characters like Trixie, Snips, Snails, and Granny Smith) and fights back, managing to hold the line long enough for the heroes to show up.
* NeverMessWithGranny: During Ponyville's invasion in #8, a group of Nightmares discovered too late that Granny Smith is ''way'' stronger than she looks.
* NightmareSequence: Issue #5 starts with this, and mentions the mane 6 have all had nightmares for an entire week. It's during another one that the Nightmare Forces kidnap Rarity and take her to the moon. In the following issue they are confronted by the same nightmares, but overcome them thanks to each other (with the exception of Rarity, who's still kidnapped, of course).
* NoSell: Nightmare Rarity easily blocks Luna's first attack, then knocks her out of the sky with no trouble. Once Luna gets her confidence back and transforms into her current look, she loses that advantage.
* NoTitle: Unlike the first arc, this one doesn't have a title. Though fans have dubbed it the ''[[FanNickname NightMares Arc]]'' for obvious reasons.
* OutGambitted: The Nightmare Forces break Spike's Fire Ruby to try and ensure he can't get through to Rarity...only for Spike to use the fact a bunch of moon slugs were crawling onto him to make a dummy of himself while they weren't looking, tricking them into leaving without him so he can collect the shards of the ruby and then go help the mane six get free.
-->'''Spike''': (to himself) Joke's on you-I'm not the only one that loves Rarity, and you're about to find out the hard way! I guess that's what you get when you [[EvilCannotComprehendGood don't know what true love and friendship are!]]...That and a couple of slugs in your chariot!
* PassThePopcorn: It's easy to miss, but in issue #6 Spike offers Princess Luna some popcorn while Pinkie Pie [[FaceYourFears faces her fears]].
* PowerGlows: The mane 5 all manifest magical auras throughout much of #8.
** Spike has this too, when trying to convince Rarity that she's everything to him and asks her to please come back home. It also seems that this power restores the Fire Ruby.
* ThePowerOfLove: Well, that and friendship, obviously, but it's mostly love that cures Nightmare Rarity at the end.
** The final part of this saga heavily implies that this is '''Spike's''' personal power, as he gets his own glowing aura and the effect is powerful enough as to fix the destroyed Fire Ruby.
* PsychologicalTormentZone: The moon itself is this, as it's tied to the Nightmare Dreamscape, home of the Nightmare forces.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: When Applejack spots a group of cute Nightmare creatures, the nearest of which have sparkly red eyes, she asks Fluttershy for her opinion on their significance:
-->'''Fluttershy:''' Possible inherent evil?
* {{Retcon}}: Originally, Nightmare Moon was portrayed to be a SuperpoweredEvilSide of Princess Luna, then the comic changes it so that Nightmare Moon was the product of the Nightmare forces possessing Luna, though this retcon is based on a WordOfGod from Creator/LaurenFaust saying that Nightmare Moon was the result of corruption by dark magic (whether this magic came from Luna herself or a separate force was never decided on).
* RopeBridge: How do the Mane 5, Spike, and Luna make their way to the moon? By lassoing it and '''pulling it closer to the Earth''' and using the rope as a bridge.
* RunningGag: The word "dingus" was used quite often in issue #8.
* ShipTease: The Nightmare Arc might as well be called "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E10SecretOfMyExcess Secret of My Excess]], Part 2" for all the Spike X Rarity moments. For one thing, Spike brings the Fire Ruby, plus Spike is one of the only two characters who could cause a reaction on Nightmare Rarity (the other is Sweetie Belle) and it's Spike who delivers the final line that releases Rarity from the Nightmare's grip. The last panel of the arc's final page also speaks volumes, as Rarity and Spike share a hug under the stars but ''Rarity'' is the one who's doing the hugging.
* SkewedPriorities: Surprisingly, Apple Bloom actually has the sense to point out to Scootaloo that a potential Nightmare invasion may not be the best time to think about their cutie marks, though she does briefly indulge Scootaloo's thought.
* TheDogBitesBack: Although the other Mane 5 are instrumental in this with their power, it is Spike who ultimately finishes off Nightmare Moon and restores Rarity.
* SpottingTheThread: When trapped in a LotusEaterMachine, Spike realizes it's not real when Rarity tells him to forget everyone else and serve only her, and doesn't fully appreciate the significance of the Fire Ruby.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Spike. ''Again.''
* StealthPun: On the moon, [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]] takes {{Series/Angel}}'s place as Fluttershy's pet companion.
* SunglassesAtNight: Pinkie briefly in #6, who even wears them on the moon. Rainbow is quick to tell her to take them off when she complains about not being able to see.
* TemptingFate: Constantly with the Nightmares toward Spike as they don't see him as a threat. Likewise, Nightmare Rarity proclaims that Spike can't hope to stop her alone. Take a wild guess who throws the biggest wrench into their plans?
* ThatManIsDead: Subverted with Nightmare Rarity; the Nightmare Forces outright state that Rarity's still in her somewhere which is ''why'' they want to have her destroy Ponyville to crush what little is left.
* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: Princess Luna insists that she alone go rescue Rarity, being intimately familiar with the Nightmare Dreamscape. Twilight and Celestia quickly convince her that the other Spirits of Harmony (and Spike) can help, as well. This comes up again in #8, when Luna believes she must defeat Nightmare Rarity herself in order to redeem the sins of her own past. All of Ponyville convinces her that she doesn't have to carry that burden alone.
* ThisMeansWar: Rainbow Dash jokingly says this to Pinkie Pie at the slumber party when the latter initiates a pillow fight.
* TooSpicyForYogSothoth: Spike is unaffected by the Nightmare forces (their powers, at any rate, he's still quite vulnerable to conventional attack) and when Nightmare Rarity uses her LotusEaterMachine ability on him, he quickly deduces that it's not real and escapes.
* ToiletHumour: In #7, Pinkie Pie tries to jolt Nightmare Rarity's memory by reminding her about the time they were at the spa and Pinkie told a joke so funny it made her fart under the water. This becomes a BrickJoke in #8, as this exact memory is what Pinkie uses to help save Rarity at the end.
* TravelMontage: To show how far Spike was thrown from the evil tower, he is shown singing to himself while walking across the landscape, but his song and pacing get more weary with each panel until he finally drops of exaustation.
* TwentyPercentMoreAwesome: The old "20% cooler" line gets referenced in a twisted way; during Rarity's nightmare she sees Rainbow Dash call the saddle bag "[[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls Maybelle]]" made for Twilight "''200%'' cooler". Cue a SingleTear from Rarity.
* WalkingSpoiler: Nightmare Rarity's sheer existence is the biggest plot twist of the arc and ruins a huge part of the story.
* WhamShot: The final page of Issue #6, revealing the identity and form of the new Nightmare Moon.
-->'''Shadowfright:''' Now the Elements of Harmony will be destroyed and Ponyville will be defenseless! Meet our new Queen... Nightmare Rarity!
* WorldHealingWave: Of a sort. After the Mane Five get back to Ponyville, they empower Luna with their magical auras, which she then releases as a rainbow wave which eliminates the Nightmares and weakens Nightmare Rarity.
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