Child predator takes on a whole new meaning.
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Princess Twilight Sparkle
- The Everfree's attack, complete with dark clouds and black vines that emit a mist that sends unicorn magic on the fritz.
- The Everfree is even more of an Eldritch Location with the out of control vines and all. At one point we see some vines trying to strangle background ponies like a python. And these vines can even infect clouds, so not even the pegasi or other flying creatures are safe.
- Luna's breakdown and transformation into Nightmare Moon. At the moment of transformation, Luna briefly has a look of fear before the eclipse engulfs her.
Castle Mane-ia
- The first glimpse of the Pony Of Shadows. Supposedly, when Nightmare Moon was banished, a part of her dark power was left behind. We've already seen what Nightmare Moon can do, so imagine that power in the hooves of an immortal fragment of magic. And it turns out to be Real After All.
Daring Don't
- While Ahuizotl is too Laughably Evil to be scary, the fact that hired thugs Only in It for the Money exist in Equestria is a sobering thought. The beatdown they gave A.K. Yearling/Daring Do is pretty disturbing, and the fact you don't know she's a badass adventurer at the time makes it scarier.
- The goons that beat Daring up end up breaking her leg. It isn't mentioned, but the way you hear an audible "snap" and she crumples to the floor immediately after leaves no doubt. Even worse, they animate her with a fairly realistic limp as she walks around afterwards. Anyone familiar with four-legged animals can immediately recognize that wounded gait, it's more than a little disconcerting.
Bats!
- Flutterbat. The fangs, the eyes, the wings, the expressions, the hissing, the complete change in her usual demeanor to that resembling a feral beast, and even the transformed cutie mark from 3 butterflies to bats, made all the creepier by the fact that she still very much resembles Fluttershy, albeit a vampire bat. The creepiest part? The transformation didn't completely go away. This last part is never brought up in the show again, however.
Three's A Crowd
- The giant worm that tried to kill Twilight and Cadance. Its design is incredibly simplistic, and somehow utterly terrifying at the same time, especially the mouth. Worse, we get absolutely no warning that it's coming.
Filli Vanilli
- Fluttershy, against a plain black background, cowering as ghostly, disembodied pony heads glare down at her, spotlights shining down from their eyes onto her
. Between this and the "tunnel of eyes" from Hurricane Fluttershy, the show's certainly doing a good job of making us really feel Fluttershy's raw fear.
Somepony to Watch Over Me
- The chimera, as pictured above. It seems to have been made as the most terrifying thing in Equestria. The three heads, a tiger, a goat, and a snake all look completely horrifying.
- Apple Bloom being forced to contend with the aforementioned creature. She is at a huge disadvantage due to having nothing to defend herself with and must rely on her wits to avoid being eaten by the beast and make sure it does not eat the pies. Yet, despite her best efforts, while she manages to get the pies out of the way, she is still cornered on the top of a hill and is basically staring death right in the face.
For Whom The Sweetie Belle Tolls
- Essentially the whole Bad Future of Luna's vision to Sweetie Belle if the sabotage to Sapphire Shore's head dress isn't undone. Luna really gets her point across turning the whole excursion into a full on nightmare as Sweetie Belle watches visions of Rarity's credibility falling into ruin when the headdress falls apart, becoming obsessed over the mistake that she can't even talk to her friends anymore and finally sitting in her shop which has fallen into ruin, rocking in a Troubled Fetal Position and looking quite... unhinged. Is it any wonder Luna was cast as the Ghost of Christmas Future in a later episode, "A Hearth's Warming Tale"?
Inspiration Manifestation
- Rarity coming under more and more of the inspiration spell as the episode goes on. It's start fine enough, she gets her spark back and redeems herself to the puppeteer that hired her. But then Spike comes to visit later, he is flooded by clothes that she was compelled to keep creating, complete with those glowing green eyes and energy around her horn. Spike does his best to sugarcoat that she should slow down, but it's obvious the more he keeps his criticism to himself, the more the spell is taking hold on Rarity to the point her "creativity" starts becoming destructive to the town. Eventually he tries to break the spell by destroying the book, but Rarity's on guard whenever he gets close to it. When he finally manages, it still isn't enough to stop the spell until he finally comes clean with his thoughts. Just how strong was that spell? Or who even made it in the first place? The show never answer that and leaves it to the audiences theories.
Twilight's Kingdom
- Tirek wants to drain all ponies of their magic, leaving them pretty much helpless. Tirek's Mana Drain not only drains a pony of their magic, but also erases their cutie marks and leaves them so powerless that most ponies he drains are left to lie limp and helpless. Particular mention to when he's shown draining a group of pegasi — when he's done with them, his magic aura fades and they just drop to the ground.
- His initial introduction is pretty dark: A pony, walking the streets at night runs into a cloaked figure, who in a raspy, hissing voice, warns "I am no friend". He then proceeds to drain the pony's magic, the pony's eyes go dull, and his groceries fall to the ground beside him followed by him, weak and unable to move. Then we see Tirek grow larger from the power he's consumed and let out an Evil Laugh as we see his Glowing Eyes of Doom within the shadows of his cloak.
- The final battle with Tirek turns Ponyville's surroundings in a scarred battlefield. Tirek also manages to blow up Twilight's library.
