LEGO Ninjago & My Little Pony: Day of the Departed

Special title

**LEGO Ninjago & My Little Pony: Day of the Departed**, or simply **Day of the Departed**, is a Halloween TV special of LEGO Ninjago & My Little Pony: Masters of Friendship. It is preceded by The Changing Effect and is succeeded by The Pillars of Time. Cole was the focus Ninja, Yang served as the main antagonist, and Yang's students, the past villains, and the past villains' henchmen are the villainous factions of the TV special.

In this special, the Ninja and the Mane Six commemorate their ancestors and fallen friends on a sacred holiday. During this, Sensei Yang manipulates Cole into ushering in the return of the Ninjas and the Mane Six's arch-enemies—forcing them into an unexpected and dangerous conflict.

## Plot

### Prologue

The special begins on the Day of the Departed, Twilight Sparkle squirms in her bed as she has a bad dream. She is awakened by the arrival of her friends, who tell her that the Ultra Stealth Raider for the Day of the Departed is leaving soon. As Twilight hurries out of bed to pack her bags, her evil alter ego Midnight Sparkle suddenly appears in the middle of the room. She disintegrates Twilight's friends and bedroom and gloats that she will always be a part of her.

As Twilight screams in horror, Lloyd and Spike wake her up, the whole experience having only been a nightmare. Twilight and her friends are already on the raider to Ninjago City. Starlight Glimmer asks if she's okay, but Twilight assures with a weak smile that she's fine. They hurriedly travel across the Sea of Sand, en-route to the Ninjago Museum of History. Upon their arrival, Princesses Celestia and Luna and Wu remind them of the holiday's significance: for remembering fallen ancestors and cherishing family, they also explain the traditions of the same thing in Ninjago and Equestria. Dr. Saunders arrives, greeting Wu and the Ninja before presenting the museum's new exhibit, the Hall of Villainy, which houses life-sized mannequins of the major villains fought by the Ninja over the years, as well as a plaque describing the rare Yin-Yang Lunar Eclipse. Cole finds a painting of Sensei Yang, as well as the Yin Blade, which is on display. Cole calls out to Saunders and asks what the weapon is, but realizes nobody is paying attention to him. Cole hears Yang's voice imploring him to "close the circle." Realizing he's fading away as one of the departed, Cole takes the Yin Blade and sets off to face Yang.

### A memorial tradition

The Ninja and the Mane Six divide for their own personal memorials: Lloyd and Misako commemorate Garmadon at the Corridor of Elders; Kai and Nya remember their mother and father at their blacksmith shop; Zane, Fluttershy and Discord remember Zane's father in Birchwood Forest; Applejack and her family remember her parents, Bright Mac and Pear Butter; Jay spends time with his mom and dad at their junkyard; Celestia and Luna went to the Castle of the Two Sisters to remember their mentor, Twilight joins Princess Cadance and Shining Armor to the Crystal Empire to pay respects to the former ruler, Princess Amore; the rest of the Mane Six went for the Nightmare Night celebrations in Ponyville and Wu goes to the old monastery to remember his father. Realizing everyone is out celebrating, Ronin decides to steal from the deserted houses. Cole arrives at Yang's Temple, which is still floating in the sky. Cole confronts Yang, who he attempts to strike with the Yin Blade but misses, instead smashing it into an orb.

Consequently, the Departed Realm is opened, and the spirits of the Ninjas and the Mane Six's old enemies escape while Cole is detained by Yang's students. The spirits possess seven of the ten mannequins in the Hall of Villainy, bringing them to life. Speaking through a painting, Yang tells the villains they can remain in Ninjago by slaying the Ninja that defeated them. Pythor, Chrysalis and Lord Tirek then enter the museum and join the villains as they discuss who to go after. Chen chooses to go after Kai and Nya, Pythor chooses Lloyd, Cryptor chooses Zane, Fluttershy and Discord, Morro chooses Wu, Kozu chooses Dareth, Chrysalis chooses Starlight Glimmer, Sombra chooses Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, Nightmare Moon chooses Celestia and Luna and Tirek chooses the remaining Six, which leaves Samukai with facing Jay. Pythor proposes they gather reinforcements from the Hall of Sidekicks to better have the chance of defeating their enemies.

### The old villains fight back

Cole is imprisoned in Yang's temple, where he learns of Yang's history. Yang taught his students to master Airjitzu, and around this time he found the Yin Blade, which contains enough dark magic to imbue immortality. Yang tested the blade on himself, but its powers backfired, turning him and his students into ghosts and defacing his temple. Yang then reveals to Cole that he plans to use the Yin Blade to tear open the Rift of Return to revive himself, while the revived villains distract the Ninja so they won't thwart his plans as Cole realizes his friends are in danger because of him.

At that moment, the villains begin their attack on the Ninja all around Ninjago and Equestria. With help from Eyezor and Zugu, Chen uses his dinosaur mech to attack Kai and Nya, who flee on the Raider Bikes. Cryptor and three Nindroid Warriors confront Zane, Fluttershy and Discord in the snowy forest. Chrysalis brings the un-reformed Changelings to Ponyville to confront Starlight Glimmer. Meanwhile, Samukai fights Jay as Krazi and Frakjaw apprehend his parents, Pythor fights Lloyd and holds the latter's mother captive, Sombra confronts Cadance and Shining Armor, which is again fought by Twilight and Spike, and Kozu and several Stone Warriors confront Dareth, who was responsible for taking control of the Stone Army. Tirek fights against the remaining ponies, until Applejack joins them to stop him. Nightmare Moon confronts Celestia and Luna, in which both use the Tree of Harmony to banish Nightmare Moon into dust.

Wu gets a bad feeling as Morro confronts him, though Wu is pained at having to fight his former student again, he states that he won't hesitate to do it again. However, Morro reveals he really has no intention of revenge; instead he tells Wu of Yang's plan and they set off to reunite the Ninja and the Mane Six. At the Crystal Empire, Twilight has another nightmare about Midnight Sparkle's imminent return. Her scream of terror wakes up Cadance, who discovers Twilight magically levitating her and Spike's beds. When Twilight realizes what she is doing, the magic stops, and the beds fall to the floor. Cadance says that they need to talk about what's happening, but Twilight insists that they don't.

### Save the Day of the Departed!

Back at the Temple of Airjitzu, Cole breaks free and makes his way up through the temple after escaping his captors, fighting Yang's students along the way as Yang opens the Rift of Return. One by one, the Ninja and the Mane Six defeat all the revived villains, except Pythor, Chrysalis and Tirek, who flee after realizing they can't win their fights. In the meantime, Yang does Airjitzu to reach the Rift, but Cole stops him, and a fight breaks out between them.

The Ninja and the Mane Six reunite at the museum, telling each other what happened before Wu arrives with Morro, who they prepare to attack but Wu stops them and Morro proves his innocence by unveiling Yang's plan and how the Ninja forgot Cole. Twilight also has a very bad nightmare of what she use too much magic, or else Midnight Sparkle came here. When Starlight and Cadance catch up with them in the forest, Twilight explains that she and Spike are going to catch a cab ride home. As she tries to convince Twilight not to leave, Starlight touches her arm, causing her to experience a vision of Twilight's memories and emotions. Sensing Twilight's uncertainties about Midnight Sparkle, Starlight assures her that Midnight Sparkle is gone. With this, Starlight realizes that her own magic has changed as well; she can read others' thoughts, memories, and feelings through physical contact. Unfortunately, this only distresses Twilight further, as she believes more and more people are becoming "infected" by her magic. Despite Starlight's assertions that she knows what Twilight is going through, Twilight is still uncomfortable being around her friends.

The Ninja and the Mane Six journey to Yang's temple while Morro's spirit peacefully returns to the Departed Realm. Cole battles Yang as the Ninja fly over on the *Bounty*. Yang soon overpowers Cole and mocks him as being another forgotten ghost. However, with his friends approaching and calling out to him, Cole's heightened vigor makes his arms rock-solid, and with them he shatters the Yin Blade. This act frees Yang's students, who Cole tells to cross through the Rift and after they do they become human again. Yang admits he failed his students and wanted to live forever so no one would forget him, to which Cole says he'll be remembered as the creator of Airjitzu. While on the Bounty, Twilight uses too much magic, causing Midnight Sparkle to return.

Together, they ascend towards the Rift, but Yang tells Cole that someone has to remain in the temple as a ghost to be the "master of the house" due to the curse. Yang then decides to settle his own "debts" and launches Cole through the Rift just as it starts to close. The shockwave of the Rift closing causes *Destiny Bounty* to have a hard landing at the Airjitzu temple. Starlight tells Twilight she can destroy the brambles by unleashing the full extent of her magic, but Twilight is still afraid of letting Midnight Sparkle take control. Starlight assures her that she and the rest of their friends won't let that happen.

Inside Twilight's mind, she continues to be haunted by Midnight Sparkle, but her friends appear to lend their trust and support. With a declaration of "I am Twilight Sparkle!", Twilight conquers her fears and embraces the Magic of Friendship within her, and she ponies up as well. Breaking free of Gloriosa's brambles, Twilight tears away the shockwave from the enclosed rift and the Ninja soon begin to worry if Cole didn't make it in time as Jay states he'd give anything to have his friend back. At that moment, Cole emerges from behind a rock a human again.

### Epilogue

The Ninja celebrate the return of their friend before looking at the restored Temple of Airjitzu which Cole suggest they make into their new base. Interspersed throughout are shots of the Rainbooms – with Twilight providing vocals – performing the song Legend You Were Meant to Be at the Ball, and photographs of them having fun together during the holiday. Not long after, the Ninja, the Mane Six and their allies gather around a fire outside of Yang's temple after Cole told the story. Jay asks him if he was going to tell the story every time the holiday comes to which Cole replies only if Jay admits he was scared the temple was still haunted to which the latter states that was the case but says he was wrong as there are no more ghost. Cole confirms this while looking back to the temple and winks at Yang, who stands inside and winks back in return. Those surrounding the fire let their lanterns float into the night sky, concluding their celebration.

## Cast

* Applejack - Ashleigh Ball
* Apple Bloom - Michelle Creber
* Big McIntosh - Peter New
* Cheerilee - Nicole Oliver
* Chen - Ian James Corlett
* Cole - Kirby Morrow
* Cryptor - Richard Newman
* Dareth - Alan Marriott
* Derpy - Tabitha St. Germain (Credited as "Muffins")
* Diamond Tiara - Chantal Strand
* Discord - John de Lancie
* Dr. Saunders - Michael Daingerfield
* Ed Walker - Colin Murdock
* Edna Walker - Jillian Michaels
* Fluttershy - Andrea Libman
* Granny Smith - Tabitha St. Germain
* Jay - Michael Adamthwaite
* Kai - Vincent Tong
* King Sombra - Jim Miller
* Kozu - Paul Dobson
* Lloyd Garmadon - Jillian Michaels
* Mayor Mare - Cathy Weseluck
* Midnight Sparkle - Tara Strong
* Misako - Kathleen Barr
* Morro - Andrew Francis
* Mr. Cake - Brian Drummond
* Mrs. Cake - Tabitha St. Germain
* Nightmare Moon - Tabitha St. Germain
* Nya - Kelly Metzger
* P.I.X.A.L. - Jennifer Hayward
* Pinkie Pie - Andrea Libman (Shannon-Chan Kent as her singing voice)
* Pipsqueak - Graham Verchere
* Princess Cadance - Britt McKillip
* Princess Celestia - Nicole Oliver
* Princess Luna - Tabitha St. Germain
* Pythor P. Chumsworth - Michael Dobson
* Queen Chrysalis - Kathleen Barr
* Rainbow Dash - Ashleigh Ball
* Rarity - Tabitha St. Germain (Kazumi Evans as her singing voice)
* Ronin - Brian Dobson (Credited as "Ronan")
* Samukai - Michael Kopsa
* Scootaloo - Madeleine Peters
* Shining Armor - Andrew Francis
* Spike - Cathy Weseluck
* Spitfire - Kelly Metzger
* Starlight Glimmer - Kelly Sheridan
* Sunburst - Ian Hanlin
* Sweetie Belle - Claire Corlett
* The Royal Blacksmiths singing voice - Jeppe Riddervold
* Tirek - Mark Acheson
* Trixie Lulamoon - Kathleen Barr
* Twilight Sparkle - Tara Strong (Rebecca Shoichet as her singing voice)
* Wu - Paul Dobson
* Yang - Michael Donovan
* Zane - Brent Miller
* Zecora - Brenda Crichlow

Several characters appear in the episode, but do not have voice actors. Three Nindroids, two Stone Scouts, two Stone Swordsmen, and un-reformed Changelings all appear in the episode. Eyezor, Zugu, Krazi, and Frakjaw also appear, yet do not have speaking roles, as well as Yang's Students. Statues of Dr. Julien, Garmadon, Star Swirl the Bearded and Princess Amore are also seen. Gayle Gossip, Zephyr Breeze, Twilight's old friends and Silver Spoon make cameos in the crowd of people at the concert. The Background Ponies in Canterlot and Ponyville make cameos during Nightmare Night.

## Transcript

* LEGO Ninjago & My Little Pony: Day of the Departed (transcript)

## Locations Visited

* Ninjago
	+ Ninjago City
		- Ninjago Museum of History
	+ Ninjago Sky
		- Temple of Airjitzu
	+ Sea of Sand
		- Ed & Edna's Scrap N Junk
	+ Birchwood Forest
	+ Ignacia
		- Four Weapon Blacksmith
	+ Corridor of Elders
* Equestria
	+ Ponyville
		- Castle of Friendship
		- Carousel Boutique
		- Sugarcube Corner
		- Sweet Apple Acres
	+ Canterlot
		- School of Gifted Unicorns
	+ Crystal Empire
	+ Cloudsdale
		- Wonderbolts Academy
	+ Castle of the Two Sisters
		- Tree of Harmony

## Differences

* In Equestria, it is called Nightmare Night.
* Chrysalis, Sombra, Tirek and Nightmare Moon join the villains in this special, unlike the original Ninjago episode.
* There are some scenes in *My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: Legend of Everfree*:
	+ Twilight Sparkle has a nightmare about Midnight Sparkle.
	+ Zecora tells the legend about Gaea Everfree.
	+ Most songs are taken from here, except We Will Stand For Everfree and The Midnight in Me.
		- Originally, "The Midnight in Me" is used in the original storyboard, as it was shot so that the audience could glimpse Twilight singing this song to seize control of using too much magic, but was later cut, due to time consuming.
	+ Twilight overcomes her fear of controlling magic, with her help of her friends.
* The MLP characters celebrate Day of the Departed, along with the Ninja and the allies.

## Songs

* The Legend of Everfree
* Day of the Departed
* Revenge Will Be Mine
* Embrace the Magic
* Close the Circle
* Legend You Were Meant to Be
* Hope Shines Eternal

## Trivia

* The collectible items featured in this special are the Departed Blades.
* The Rift of Return can only be opened every 3,721 years. This is a reference to *The Empire Strikes Back*, when C-3PO says "the odds of navigating an asteroid field are 3,720 to 1."
* When Dareth puts on the Helmet of Shadows, he controls all of the Stone Warriors, including Kozu—although it may not seem this way. The Stone Warriors immediately turn on Kozu given Dareth's orders.
* "Day of the Departed" was confirmed during San Diego Comic Con 2016 along with the *The Pillars of Time* season. During the event, the opening scene of the episode was shown to the audience.
* This is the first episode not written by Dan and Kevin Hageman due to scheduling conflicts with them writing *Trollhunters*. It was instead written by David Shayne.
* "Day of the Departed" does not have an episode number.
* Nya is seen doing Spinjitzu for the first time since "Return of the Overlord." However, her tornado's colors have changed from crimson to dark blue, which is due to her unlocking her true powers as a Master of Water instead of using Spinjitzu gained from Dark Matter corruption.
* The episode marks the first time that the term Skulkin is used in the show instead of Skeleton Army, with Samukai calling himself the "Skulkin general."
* The statues of Morro and Samukai are the only ones that look exactly like their original forms; Pythor is wearing his *Rebooted* robes, Cryptor's printing is slightly different, Kozu's color scheme has changed to include black as a predominant color, and Chen doesn't have gloves.
* King Sombra, Tirek and Nightmare Moon appear in this episode since "Curseworld - Part II", and the first time they appeared outside the alternate timeline.
	+ Queen Chrysalis also appears in the alternate timeline, but she appears in "To Where and Back Again: The Way Back".
* Nadakhan and the Sky Pirates do not appear, as Jay's final wish in "To Where and Back Again: The Way Back" erased most of The Changing Effect's events. The Sky Pirates are the only villainous faction that does not appear (excluding the Serpentine, who have since allied with the Ninja, and Captain Soto's crew).
* This marks the first time Pythor has fought one of the Ninja since "Magical Mystery Cure."
* Borg Tower returns to the Ninjago City skyline, despite being absent since The Princess of Friendship.
* While holding up the head of the statue, Lloyd says, "You *are* still with me, dad!" This echoes part of Garmadon's last words to Lloyd in "Curseworld - Part II": "Whatever happens to me, wherever I am—I will *always* be with you."
* In actuality, Yang doesn't ally with the revived villains. He uses them to distract the Ninja so they won't interfere with him opening the Rift of Return. This special focuses on Yang's conflict with Cole, while the return of the villains acts as a subplot.
	+ Similarly, Morro is the only revived villain to not seek vengeance, but instead redemption and forgiveness. This is likely due to the concluding events in "Curseworld - Part II" when he realizes the true meaning of being the Green Ninja. His claim of having "unfinished business" with Wu in front of the other villains was a ruse to hide his true intentions of helping the Ninja.
	+ Morro learns about the Magic of Friendship later in "The Summer Sun Setback" (not counting hallucinations in "Pause and Effect").
* As Dareth is being chased by Kozu and the Stone Warriors, a person wearing a Lord Garmadon costume can be seen.
	+ While Dareth is examining the costumes, a couple human Anacondrai Cultists can be seen in the crowd.
* Pythor allies with Yang despite having helped to save Ninjago before, going out of his way to harm Lloyd; he is also the only villain to appear in the special who isn't either sent back to the Departed Realm, redeemed, or both. This indicates that Pythor's assistance against the Anacondrai Cultists was motivated by personal anger over them mocking his heritage with their false Serpentine transformations, not a genuine change of heart regarding the Ninja.
* Each deceased villain died very similar to their respective deaths.
	+ Samukai was almost victorious but got overwhelmed (First the Golden Weapons, then Ronin supported Jay).
	+ Kozu had an off-screen but implied death (Lloyd, Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Twilight defeating the Overlord destroyed him, then Dareth turned his troops against him).
	+ Cryptor had an unimpressive death (First by him being frozen and shattered, then by falling out of a tree).
	+ Chen almost succeeded but had the tables turn and died on his own throne (Almost won the Second Serpentine War but only to be banished by Arcturus because of deception, then launched a missile only for Nya to project it back).
	+ Morro accepted his fate (By letting the Preeminent take him down and by returning to the Hall of Villainy then to the Departed Realm).
	+ Sombra was unable to penetrate positive energy, (First when Princess Cadance and the Crystal Ponies' use of the Crystal Heart, then was affected by Princess Cadance's Magic of love).
	+ Nightmare Moon was overwhelmed by the Magic of Friendship (The Mane Six use the Elements of Harmony on Nightmare Moon, then Celestia and Luna use the Tree of Harmony to disperse Nightmare Moon into dust).
	+ Pythor didn't die but he did slip away (First by Garmadon destroying the Great Devourer then by jumping off a statue).
	+ Chrysalis also didn't die but she did flee away (First she was affected by Princess Cadance and Shining Armor's love magic, banishing her and the Changelings, second she was dethroned by Starlight Glimmer, then she flies off on her own).
	+ Tirek didn't die but he was imprisoned in Tartarus (First by the Mane Six with Rainbow Power and then the Mane Six and the Crusaders).
* In "Curseworld - Part II," Nya destroyed the Cursed Realm which consequently resulted in Chen's death. In "Day of the Departed," Nya destroys the mannequin Chen is possessing using one of his own missiles—defeating him a second time. Zane also defeats Cryptor a second time, having shattered him apart at the end of "The Legendary Friend." Even for Starlight Glimmer, she defeated Chrysalis, after being dethroned in "To Where and Back Again: The Way Back".
	+ However, Chen and Cryptor's original deaths were indirectly caused by their targets destroying a more powerful villain. Chrysalis also, but she didn't die; Nya drowned the Preeminent, Zane froze the Golden Master, and Starlight Glimmer reforms Thorax and the other Changelings.
* Each villain's choice of target is due to a certain history.
	+ Pythor chose Lloyd due to "defeating" his father.
	+ Chen targeted Kai for turning Skylor against him, and Nya for unknowingly killing him by destroying the Cursed Realm.
	+ Cryptor challenged Zane because he inadvertently destroyed him by slaying the Golden Master.
	+ Chrysalis decided to get revenge on Starlight, because of her previous actions of being dethroned.
	+ Morro had unresolved business with Wu, as he claimed, but in reality sought to help him.
	+ Sombra confronts Cadance and Shining Armor, due to the positive magic at the Crystal Empire that he was unable to penetrate it, during his rule.
	+ Nightmare Moon soars Princesses Celestia and Luna to make the eternal night forever, and not letting Luna turn into her, once again.
		- However, her impending return foreshadows Starlight's Nightmare in "A Time of Traitors".
	+ General Kozu pursued Dareth for stealing control of the Stone Army, indirectly leading to his destruction by enabling Lloyd to reach and defeat the Overlord.
	+ Tirek tries to stop Twilight's friends for imprisoning him in Tartarus, and stopping him from absorbing the ponies' magic.
	+ Samukai went after Jay due to process of elimination, as the other villains all claimed a target before he could. However, Jay was also the first Ninja to use Spinjitzu against the Skulkin, inspiring the others to follow suit.
* The golden statue of Skales, which was previously seen in "Cutie Markless - Part 1" shortly before Morro possessed Lloyd, can be seen at the entrance of the Hall of Villainy.
* The Helmet of Shadows makes its return in this episode, having last appeared in "Rise of the Spinjitzu Master." In its last appearance, it served the same purpose—for Dareth to control the Stone Army.
* This mark the last appearance of Cole as a ghost and the first appearance of him as a human since "Castle Mane-ia."
* Chen, Cryptor, and Samukai are all killed within one minute of each other.
* This also marks the second appearance of Midnight Sparkle, because Twilight Sparkle overcome the fear of using more Alicorn magic. Previously, she was penetrated with too much magic caused by Starlight's pressure in "Curseworld - Part II", but she was defeated by Sunset Shimmer, during the Friendship Games. In this special, Twilight managed to defeat her, in her mind, with her help of her friends.
* At one point, Kai asks Nya if she thinks that they'll ever find out what actually happened to their parents. This hints to the next season, *The Pillars of Time*, where the siblings find out what actually happened to their parents.
	+ This also foreshadows to the next season, where finding out what happened to Star Swirl the Bearded.
* This episode confirms Applejack's parents, Bright Mac and Pear Butter. It is implied that they passed away, after Apple Bloom was born.
* This is the first episode to feature Krux, the older brother and mastermind of the Hands of Time, though he remains under the identity of Dr. Saunders throughout the whole episode.
* In this episode, all of the Ninja (except Cole) used their signature weapons to battle their old enemies: Lloyd, Kai, and Nya used katanas, Jay used a pair of nunchucks, and Zane used a pair of shuriken.
* There is an alternate version of the "Day of the Departed" known as "Attack of the Cursed Specters" (乐高幻影忍者: 魔咒幽灵的进击). It includes an exclusive intro written by Tommy Andreasen, featuring the Ninja fighting to decide who gets the Raider. The desert scene is shorter as the Ninja have already been introduced. There are some other small differences between the special and this version. It is available only in Chinese.
* Villain Throwback videos (called "The Story of (Villain's name)") shows the Hall of Villainy before it is opened to the public. There are slight differences, such as objects lying on the floor or cracks on the walls. Dr. Saunders lets the viewer in (the trailer is from the camera's point of view), saying, "Welcome to the Ninjago Museum of History! I'm Dr. Saunders, curator of this museum. This is the all new hall of villainy exhibit, not yet open to public! You come, you see!" and tells the viewer the history of one of the villains shown in the hall.

### Focus Character

* Cole was the focus Ninja throughout the special. His transformation from human to ghost, and story with Sensei Yang became the main storyline.
* Twilight Sparkle makes her major role in the special, where she have to overcome her fears, due to Midnight Sparkle. The confrontation of Midnight Sparkle is also the main storyline in this special.
* The other five Ninja (Kai, Jay, Zane, Lloyd, and Nya) and the Mane Five had very minor roles in the special.
* Wu, Celestia, Luna and Cadance also had a minor role in the special.
* Sensei Garmadon was memorialized in the special.
* P.I.X.A.L. had a cameo in the beginning of the special, before the introductory sequence. Misako, Dareth, and Ronin also made appearances in the special.

### Antagonists

* Sensei Yang served as the main antagonist of the special. Numerous main antagonists from previous seasons returned. Morro was one of the secondary antagonists of Season 5, but he helps Master Wu in the special. Pythor helped the Ninja in Season 4, but he becomes an antagonist once more in the special.
* Sensei Yang's students and the past villains' henchmen serve as the villainous factions of the special respectfully.

## Errors

* When Jay says "Jay to save the day" in the introduction, the road in the background mysteriously appears to float up in the air. However, it may just be the mountain bridge from "Codename: Sunset Shimmer."
* The Fangpyre symbol is visible on the replica of Pythor's Anacondrai Staff.
* Cole has a lantern with him while viewing the Hall of Villainy, but when he goes off to Yang's portrait, his lantern disappears for the rest of the scene.
* When Cole phases through the group as they walk through him in the museum, Misako's arm can be seen clipping through Lloyd's back.
* When the fillies are chanting about Nightmare Night, at the beginning of the episode, the rightmost filly's foreleg clips over the costume spots on her neck.
* In the shot before Jay connects the Ultra Stealth Raider Jet to the rest of the vehicle, his eyebrows are absent.
* In the shot where Chen comes back to life, he no longer has his Departed Jadeblade and black gloves, despite having both when he was a statue. As Yang said, the Departed Blades are needed for the villains to be resurrected, so in actuality Chen's lack of a blade meant he never had a chance of being revived.
* When Samukai is first seen at the junkyard carrying Edna, he's wielding two bone daggers. Yet afterwards, the daggers are nowhere to be seen, having been replaced by his Departed Bone Axe.
* After being brought back to life, Cryptor's mannequin no longer has shoulder armor. The armor is absent all throughout the scene up until the last shot when Pythor proposed they go to the Hall of Sidekicks. This shot, as well as all the scenes after it, featured Cryptor with the armor on.
* When Nightmare Moon fights against Luna, her teeth don't have fangs.
* When Zecora is telling the legend of Nightmare Moon, she uses magic powder to create a green visage of the evil mare. Several times throughout the legend, Nightmare Moon's mane switches back and forth between her mane and Luna's.
* During the credits, Paul Dobson is listed as having voiced Kozu and Pythor, but he only voiced Kozu. His brother, Michael Dobson, voices Pythor. In fact, both Michael and Paul were credited for voicing Pythor with their names sitting next to each other.
* When Princess Luna says "Huzzah! How many points do I receive?" and "Since you choose to fear your princess rather than love her...", and "No Twilight! We need the royal....." part of her old mane is shown.
* When the Mayor is scaring the little fillies to go back to the Nightmare Moon statue, her eyeshadow and clown makeup disappear and reappear at different times.
* The revived Nindroids, Stone Warriors and Fake Anacondrai were meant to have a green/ghostly appearance to them, but due to an animation mishap they do not.
* When the Chenosaurus' boxing gloves are replaced by buzzsaws, the gloves disappear in thin air.
* As Samukai does rock-paper-scissors with Kozu, Morro's statue can be seen on in the background, despite Morro being in possession of it at the time.
* In one scene, Starlight Glimmer’s horn is missing.
* When Rainbow Dash attempts to talk to Spitfire, she is seen not wearing the Shadowbolt costume, in the next shot, she is in it.
* In the same shot, the Pythor statue can be seen holding the Departed Anacondrai Staff, despite the real Pythor taking it earlier.
* In the credits, Flurry Heart is uncredited, despite her voice actress voices Rarity, Princess Luna, Granny Smith, Mrs. Cake and Derpy.
* When Luna says "whelp!" and the thunder flashes, her eyelashes are on the bottom of her eye, and her horn is missing.
* Cole's Spinjitzu appears normal when the Ninja arrive at the museum, yet later, when he fights Yang's students in the temple, his Spinjitzu has a ghostly appearance. This could be because he was fading away.
* When the Ninja arrive on the Bounty and Kai says "We have to help him," he and Lloyd were wearing their Jungle Robes.
* When Midnight Sparkle possesses Twilight, her wings got cut off.
* When Kozu jumps onto the stage, there is a Stone Swordsman instead of Stone Scout.
* When Lloyd was about to be attacked by Pythor, he had a Golden Katana strapped to his back, despite not having it on his back during the first half of the special.
* When Cole was going into the rift, he could be seen human.
* During the rolling credits, Starlight Glimmer's cutie mark is mirrored.