Somnambula

Somnambula
Generation 1 | Season 2 | Episode 11 & 12
My Little Pony 'n Friends
Original Airdate	September 21 & 22, 1987
Writer(s)	David Wise
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Somnambula is a 2 part episode. Each segment is 10 minutes long and it was the sixth story arc in the second series of My Little Pony 'n Friends. This episode aired in the US between 21st and 22nd September 1987.
Featured the one and only appearance of the Big Brother Ponies in the series.

Synopsis

• Episode 1 The ponies are getting Paradise Estate ready with a big finish flag for the Big Brother Ponies to come home too, they’ve been away for a year racing. Surprise and Buttons are hanging balloons when they hear a merry go around circus tune. A cloaked woman called St Ambula is playing the music. She pulls out a bird called Keri and forces her to sing. Everyone but the baby ponies whom the song does not effect, Truly whom was playing music and Spike become hypnotized and walk over to the woman. St Ambula in the ponies’ presence starts to become younger. St Ambula then magic’s up a circus and she leads the ponies to it. The Big Brother Ponies finally make it back to Dream Valley, Paradise Estate and cross the finish line together. They wonder where everyone is, Truly finds them and explains what’s going on. The Big Brother Ponies then race off to save the My Little Ponies. St Ambula chains a pony’s foot and proclaims now she can make all this real. Arriving at the castle Cupcake finds herself in a wonder kitchen, Posey finds herself in the gardener’s delight and Lickety Split finds herself at an all you can eat ice cream bar. The ponies seem to be enjoying themselves in this fictional circus. St Ambula orders the reluctant bird to sing again and this time it takes Truly. The baby ponies follow along with the also hypnotized Big Brother Ponies. The baby ponies and Spike roll a giant snow ball off a mountain onto the Big Brother Ponies waking them from the trance. Just as Truly enters a golden door. The Golden door then transforms into a wooden door with the jaws of a crocodile above and below it.
• Episode 2 The Big Brother Ponies send the baby ponies back up the hill while they open the huge door. They walk in to a circus where all the My Little Ponies are looking grey and old. Lots of stuff to interest the Big Brother ponies then starts appearing from a crack in the floor to tempt the big brother ponies in to staying. They’re not fooled and St Ambula gets the bird to sing again where upon the Big Brother Ponies join the My Little Ponies in this circus. The bird escapes, out side she finds the baby ponies and she explains to the baby ponies what St Ambula is up to, which is stealing their youth and magic. The Baby Ponies get Keri to help rescues the other ponies, Keri goes back in to the circus and screeches, everyone remember what’s happening but they’re still old and none of the unicorns have return. When St Ambula appears and starts to attack them using the buildings around them, three of the Big Brother Ponies dive into the hole St Ambula appeared from with the bird Keri while the rest keep the others safe. They find the unicorns chained together and all their magic is being sucked into a crystal. The bird is captured again and St Ambula seals her beak shut. St Ambula also chains the Big Brother Ponies to a wall but Slugger the Big Brother pony, breaks free and smashes the crystal. The magic ends, the ponies youth is returned and St Ambula escapes off into the night.

VHS

Somnambula

Songs

Songs

The Big Brother Ponies Truly: In a short time from now, the Big Brother Ponies, The Big Brother Ponies will arrive Everyone will cheer 'cause they've been away for a year! Paradise and Posey: They'll be making a bow, the Big Brother Ponies The Big Brother Ponies look alive Truly: They've been racing 'round the world but the finish is very near All: This time tomorrow the Big Brother Ponies will be here Truly: Bold and brave and strong! They've been away so long! Posey: We have missed them very much. All: But very soon we'll be in touch They've been racing around the world but the finish is very near This time tomorrow the Big Brother Ponies The Big Brother Ponies will be here! Yeah! Hey, Let's Play/No, Let's Go Steamer: Hey, let's play! I really enjoy fooling around with my brand new toy! Quarterback and Slugger: No, let's go - there's work to be done And after we're through, we'll have time for fun! 4-Speed and Salty: Hey, let's play! I'm feeling the itch Horsing around would be quite a switch! Quarterback and Slugger: No, let's go - there's trouble ahead Let's keep alert or we'll be misled Tex: Couldn't we play for just a minute And then be on our way? Quarterback and Slugger: No, no, don't go a-stray No, no, we mustn't stay If we do, we'll rue the day! We'll play later! Tex: Okay Quarterback and Slugger: We'll play later! Steamer, 4-Speed, and Salty: Okay! Quarterback and Slugger: We'll play later! Tex, Steamer, 4-Speed, and Salty: Okay! Okay!

Cast

Charlie Adler as Spike (1), 4-Speed
Nancy Cartwright as Baby Cuddles, Truly, Gusty (1), Posey (1)
Susan Blu as Buttons, Paradise (1)
Katie Leigh as Lickety-Split
Jill Wayne as Baby Lofty
Ellen Gerstell as Lofty (1)
B. J. Ward as Surprise (1), North Star (1)
Russi Taylor as Cupcake (1)
Sherry Lynn as Gingerbread (2)
Rob Paulsen as Tex
Unknown actors as Salty, Score, Slugger, and Steamer

Non-speaking appearances by Baby Gusty, Baby Half Note, Baby Ribbon, Baby Sleepy Pie, Baby Sundance, Baby Tiddley-Winks, Cherries Jubilee, Fizzy, Galaxy, Locket, Magic Star, Masquerade, Ribbon, Shady, Sundance, Sweet Stuff, Twilight, Wind Whistler

Crew and Credits

Cast and Crew

Written by Michael Reaves George Arthur Bloom David Wise Michael Charles Hill Carla Conway Gerry Conway Tracy Mann Hill Gordon Kent Barbara Petty Rebecca Parr Martin Pasko Linda Woolverton Creative director(s) Jay Bacal Voices of Bettina Bush Scott Menville Keri Houlihan Susan Blu Katie Leigh Sherry Lynn Nancy Cartwright Ellen Gerstell Composer(s) Robert J. Walsh Executive producer(s) Joe Bacal David H. DePatie (Rescue at Midnight Castle) Margaret Loesch (Escape from Catrina, Series 1 and 2) Tom Griffin Producer(s) Mike Joens Jeff Hall Production company(s) Marvel Productions Disney–ABC Domestic Television Sunbow Productions Sony Pictures Television Distributor Claster Television

Errors

• E1 Baby Sundance is drawn with a horn towards the end of the song and as they switch to a shot from behind the line up of ponies change.
• E1 The balloon Surprise pops are over the windows, changed colour between shots and mostly disappear by the time the music plays.
• E1 Magic Star, an earth pony, has a horn as she walks off to the sound of the music.
• E1 When rehearsing with the baby ponies, Truly clearly takes her mouth away from the instrument while the sound continues to play.
• E1 The ponies nearest St Ambula change as she turns around after Paradise says “I thought we heard a Circus”
• E1 Baby Tiddley-Winks, Heart Throb, Gusty, Lofty, Cuddle and Baby Sleepy Pie try to stop Truly running away but in the pile up there appear to be Baby North Star. Then Baby Sundance is seen in the group after the Big Brother ponies run off.
• E2 Only three of the six baby ponies are still with the Big Brother ponies from episode 1.
• E2 4-Speed turns light blue for this part.
• E2 While Truly turned old shortly after entering the circus, the Big Brother ponies showed no signs of ageing, despite playing there for a while.
• E2 Heart Throb is clearly drawn without her wings when we see her on stage.
• E2 When Tex says “that gals face looked like 40 miles of bad road” The Big Brother Ponies advance towards the screen too quickly.
• E2 Tex is drawn without his scarf when Quarterback says “we’ve got to get them out of her now”
• E2 When Keri screeches to reverse the spell, Baby Lofty and Baby Cuddles cells are way off of the ground.
• E2 When the ponies are finally back to normal but still old and are facing each other, You can see possibly a winged Baby Lickety-Split instead of Baby Cuddles. The Lickety Split next to Truly then disappears as Heart Throb points at Tex and says “our heroes”
• E2 As ponies leave the hole, Gusty, Galaxy, Fizzy, Ribbon, Gingerbread, Truly and Heart Throb still appear old, as if their youth is not going to return.

Trivia

• Part 1 marks the first and only appearence of Baby Sleepy Pie in the series.
• This episode marks the final appearance of most of Baby Cuddles, Baby Gusty, Baby Half Note, Baby Heart Throb, Baby Lofty, Baby Ribbon, Baby Tiddley-Winks, Cupcake, Fizzy, Galaxy, Gingerbread, Gusty, Lickety-Split, Locket, Lofty, Masquerade, North Star, Paradise, Shady, Sundance, Surprise, Sweet Stuff, Truly, Twilight, Whizzer and Wind Whistler.

External Links

• "Somnambula" on youtube Part 1 2