Twilight and Spike in Dragon's Lair

**Twilight and Spike in Dragon's Lair** is an animated comic film that is actually a crossover based on the Hasbro series *My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,* and the Don Bluth video game *Dragon's Lair.* It is followed by a sequel, *Twilight and Spike in Space Ace.*

## Synopsis

Twilight Sparkle the pony and her dragon assistant Spike are transported into the mystical kingdom of Myrtleness, where they meet a hapless knight, Dirk the Darling, who must rescue his bride, Daphne, from the evil sorcerer, Mordroc, and claim his rightful throne.

## Plot

There is much to celebrate in Equestria. The evil Storm King is gone, the land is at peace, and Princess Celestia looks down upon the happy kingdom of Canterlot.

One magical summer, Twilight Sparkle and her assistant Spike make their way through Ponyville. Spike suggests that he and Twilight take the scenic route back to the castle. They pass by the blackened remains of the Golden Oak Library and fondly think back on the memories they made while living there. To cheer Spike up, Twilight asks if they visit Discord to find a new book on magic. The eccentric draconequus hands a mysterious book to Twilight, stating that it can "expand the imagination." At their castle, Twilight ponders if the book will be about magic, to Spike's suspicion. Suddenly, the book magically transports them to a dark woodsy setting! They are met by the Pagemaster, the mythical Keeper of Books and Guardian of the Written Word. Twilight and Spike ask for directions to the exit so the Pagemaster sends them through the fiction section toward their tests: Adventure, Horror and Fantasy. The Pagemaster then takes leave of the two creatures, who then begin their journey to imagination.

While the two start on their way, deep in the kingdom of Myrtleness, King Ethelred, widowed father of Princess Daphne, and Queen Patricia, widowed mother of Dirk the Daring, decide to betroth their children in the hopes of uniting their kingdoms. But that same summer, when Dirk only expresses love for Daphne's beauty, she and her father leave disappointed. When they are gone, Patricia scolds her son for wasting several years for a worthless engagement and refusing to take on such adult responsibilities as marrying Daphne and becoming king. She also insists that Dirk makes a friend or two, because he won't survive on his own. She then punishes Dirk by sending him to his room without dinner, including her Secret Ingredient Pie, to think about what he's done wrong.

On their journey home, Ethelred scolds his daughter for failing to marry Dirk, noting that as future queen, she needs to be careful. When Daphne expresses her reluctance at becoming queen, Ethelred explains how they are connected and tells her that she will understand some day. Suddenly, they are ambushed by Singe the Dragon, who kidnaps Daphne and fatally injures Ethelred. Hearing a distant squeal, Dirk realizes that Daphne is in trouble and arrives on the scene and Ethelred tells him with his dying breath of Singe's attack, and that Daphne is gone. Then the dying king tells Dirk that he must become king and rule the land justly and wisely, to which he sadly promises. With Ethelred dead, Dirk decides to go and find Daphne on his own. As he walks off into the woods, a brutal warrior, the Phantom Knight, uses this to his advantage of robbing and terrorizing the people in the King's name. Some time later, Twilight and Spike travel through a vast desert. As Spike collapses from exhaustion, he discovers a cobblestone road leading to the kingdom ahead. Then they meet Dirk, who is relieved to see them, and requests their help to save Daphne and the land. They agree, hearing the Pagemaster's wisdom on the wind.

Elsewhere, the evil sorcerer Mordroc is keeping Daphne at his castle lair at the Outlands. Mordroc asks Daphne to marry him so he can rule Ethelred's kingdom legally, but she refuses. Sending her to the dungeon, Mordroc addresses his minions, Singe and the Phantom Knight, that he must locate an elusive death ring to make Daphne a monster slave, so he can claim the throne to himself. Meanwhile, Twilight, Spike and Dirk find themselves at a fiery temple. A very agitated and slightly crazed Twilight is reluctant to listen to Dirk's instructions. Spike then reminds Twilight about their deal with the Pagemaster and she heads off to meet up with her friends. Dirk then dodges a maze of obstacles ahead. Back at his lair, Mordroc is outraged to hear about the warrior's friendship with the pony. Though the Phantom Knight thinks this would be the end of their conquest, Mordroc realizes that he can use this opportunity to trap the heroes, by means of compromising. He sends Singe to prevent Daphne's escape, and the Phantom Knight to overpower Dirk, then he himself would stop Twilight from outmagicking him. When all this happens, he would marry Daphne and become king for sure. Throughout the journey, neither party would know that the other is also after Daphne.

After braving the Forbidden Forest for some time, the three travelers laid eyes on the long sought after tower. Twilight and Spike give Dirk some advice on how to win Daphne's heart. Soon, they are ambushed by Mordroc, whom Dirk realizes has intentionally killed King Ethelred by sending Singe and the Phantom Knight in the first place. The sorcerer states that he was first in line for the throne, until the king accepted Dirk as heir, and then banished Morloc to the forest. Dirk then realizes that Morloc knew about the engagement with Daphne, to which he coldly agrees. He snaps his fingers, and his minions lock the heroes in a cage. He orders that Twilight, Spike and Dirk be used as slaves at his new throne. As the villains leave in triumph, Dirk grows a conscience and realizes it was his fault Daphne's been kidnapped, for he should've accepted Daphne's hand in the first place. He apologizes to Twilight and Spike for bringing them into this mess, and vows to turn them loose and set things right. At that moment, his mother Queen Patrica arrives on the scene, worried that Dirk had wandered off. The warrior introduces her to his friends, and then explains that he had to run away from home to prevent the kingdom's doomsday. Patricia, in an attempt to console him, reveals that the long-withheld secret ingredient of her famous secret ingredient pie is "nothing" - meaning that he didn't need to find royalty; he has had it all along. Having encouraged her son, Patricia turns the group loose and wishes them luck before leaving. Dirk then delivers a battle speech to save Daphne and the land, or die trying. Despite ensuing nervousness, Twilight goes to drag Spike out of hiding.

As the three heroes march to their destiny, at his lair, Mordroc finally puts the death ring on Daphne's finger, thus turning her into a large monster. Just when it looks like Mordroc has won, Dirk arrives, only to be horrified at Daphne's monstrous state. Mordroc sends the Phantom Knight to "put him out of his misery." During their ensuing fight, the Knight raises his sword to make Dirk "say hello to King Ethelred," but Dirk says that the Knight should do it himself, and then strikes one more blow, and the Knight plummets into a rocky chasm to his death. Elsewhere, Twilight and Spike start to join the fight, only be cornered by Singe! Twilight gallops off to find Dirk, while Spike lunges at Singe, and they fall over a cliff. Spike safely lands on a rock, but Singe is sliding towards a storm-swollen river. Spike scrambles to safety, but Singe falls to his death.

Finally, Twilight meets Dirk at Mordroc's chamber. Dirk draws his sword and challenges Mordroc to a final showdown. Left with no choice, the sorcerer brandishes his staff and vows "let's get dangerous." Dirk fights bravely, but Mordroc is too strong for him. He disarms Dirk and knocks him to the floor. Seeing her friend in danger, Twilight notices an old book, *Knights of the Round Table*. Remembering the advice the Pagemaster gave her earlier, "look to the books," she reads a paragraph on how King Arthur would pass his fallen sword to a new warrior, Twilight sees this as an opportunity to get rid of Mordroc once and for all. Next to her, the sorcerer moves in for the kill, when Twilight saves Dirk from Mordroc by impaling him with the fallen sword. Mordroc disintegrates into a gelatinous mass, and his remains change Daphne back to normal, and breaks off the death ring.

A heartbroken Dirk confesses his love to Daphne and she embraces him and his two friends. Once they are home in Myrtleness, Patricia crowns her son the new king, marries Daphne to him, and dubs the visitors honorary knights, under the titles "Lady Twilight and Sir Spike." She thanks and reminds them that the kingdom's strength is based on that of the people. A moment later, the Pagemaster greets Twilight and Spike. The pony accuses the Pagemaster of causing the horrors that she and Spike suffered, but the Pagemaster reveals the journey was intended to make Twilight face her fears and bring the humans together in one night. Dirk and Daphne, now happy rulers, congratulate the two, and state that they would miss them. Twilight suggests that they "keep them close in their dreams." The Pagemaster then swoops the creatures into a twister, sending them back to Equestria.

Feeling good to be home, Spike considers blaming their outing on Discord, but Twilight advises otherwise. They wouldn't forget the whole thing ever happened either, because they have learned many things in Myrtleness, and vowed to do so here in Equestria. That evening, Twilight is back in her library studying in the dark. Spike walks up with a lit lantern, and she thanks him. Shortly afterwards, Princess Celestia forms a constellation of Twilight for every pony to see. All is well.

### Friendship Lesson

Being a true hero isn't about the size of your strength, but the strength of your heart.

## Promotional Materials

PosterDVD coverDouble Feature DVDSoundtrack coverBus adduology wallpaperduology muralGame coverRead Along cassette
## Trivia

### Story Behind the Story

I love Don Bluth's filmography, I love adventure stories, and Twilight and Spike are two of my favorite cartoon characters. So I did the impossible and made this feature length comic, inspired by the real fan comic *The True Lifesaver.*

### Connections

* John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John previously co-starred in *Grease,* which has previously used the song *Summer Nights,* while Olivia also starred in *Xanadu,* which also had Don Bluth animation.
* In 1983, the *My Little Pony* toy line was first sold, and the actual *Dragon's Lair* game was released.
* The original G1 *My Little Pony* series debuted in 1984, the same year the short-lived *Dragon's Lair* TV show aired.
* Christopher Lloyd and Hank Azaria previously voiced Rasputin and Bartok in another Don Bluth production, *Anastasia.*
* Tara Strong and Jim Cummings previously co-starred in *The Powerpuff Girls.*
* Tara, Kenneth Mars and Pat Carroll previously co-starred in *The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea..*
* The hallucinations the Pagemaster creates when he first meets Twilight and Spike are Borf and the Star Pac from the Don Bluth video game *Space Ace.* They would appear in the sequel later on.
* The songs *In My Wildest Dreams* and *Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now* were previously used in the 1987 film *Mannequin.*
* The G1 MLP movie was released in 1986, the same year of another Bluth movie, *An American Tail.*
* This movie is released in 2018, the same year of *My Little Pony's* 35th anniversary.
* There is a character in the Bluth-based series *The Land Before Time,* also named Spike.
* Before Jim Cummings was chosen to play Mordroc, Hal Smith and Don Bluth's fellow animator Gary Goldman were also candidates for the role. Jim and Hal had previously appeared together in *The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.*

## Cast

Tara Strong as Twilight SparkleCathy Weseluck as SpikeJohn Travolta as Dirk the DaringOlivia Newton John as DaphneJim Cummings as MordrocFrank Welker as SingeHank Azaria as the Phantom KnightChristopher Lloyd as the PagemasterKenneth Mars as King EthelredPat Carroll as Queen PatriciaJohn De Lancie as DiscordRoy Dotrice as the Narrator

### Songs:

* Title theme: "In My Wildest Dreams" by Belinda Carlisle
* "Color City" by Twilight
* "Summer Nights" by Dirk and Daphne
* "Be Prepared" by Mordroc
* "That's How You Know" by Twilight
* End Title Song: "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship
* Exit Music: "My Little Pony theme song instrumental" by Daniel Ingram

## Presenters

LionsgateHasbroDon Bluth EntertainmentJAM ProductionsCorporation for Public BroadcastingYouTube