Never Trust an Alicorn

> "*There can only be one princess in Equestria... and that princess... will be me!*"
> ― Princess Luna
>
>

### Writer

Bragi Schut, Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco

### Director

Denny Lu and Mike Myhare

**Never Trust an Alicorn** (**Celestia and Luna** in other media) is the eleventh episode (the first segment of the sixth episode) of Rainbow Roadtrip, and the one hundred seventy-sixth episode overall of LEGO Ninjago & My Little Pony: Masters of Friendship. The title is a nod to the title of the original Ninjago episode, "Never Trust a Snake". It is paired up with "Under Siege."

In a flashback episode, it tells the story of Young Wu, Young Garmadon, filly Celestia and filly Luna meeting Aspheera and teaching her the secrets of Spinjitzu. Meanwhile, they transforms into Alicorns after Celestia and Luna find their duty, to raise the Sun and the Moon.

## Plot

### The Birth of Two Sisters

Long ago, long before Equestria, there was a small population of the world that were large, graceful creatures commonly known as Alicorns. These creatures ruled all, mainly due to their immortality and their strong magical abilities. Each family of Alicorns had their own strong points and weak points in magical abilities, some more than others. The strongest family of Alicorns were commonly known as the Setters, this is because they had the power to raise and set the sun and moon.

This family was also the smallest of them all. For a long time, there were only two Alicorns. They lived happily for centuries, until one day they had received a letter from the weakest and largest family of Alicorns, the Mists. They threatened to destroy the other Alicorns so that they could rule the world on their own and so that they would never be put behind the rest ever again.

One day, three years later, another threat arrived. The Mists wrote that the second most powerful family had joined them in the uprising. The family that joined them was the second largest and was almost as powerful as the Setters.

The Setters prepared for the battle, yet were still worried. If they lost the war, there would never be a Setter ever again. One day, a miracle happened. Another Setter was born.

She was born with a white coat and a long, pink mane. Her eyes were a shocking blue that made the sky seem grey. The two parents named her Celestia, or, the Shining Sun. The parents had to teach her all they knew before the attack, which put a lot of stress on poor Celestia. She couldn't even fly when her younger sister, Luna, was born. Luna was named after the Moon and was born with a light blue coat and a long, dark blue mane. Her eyes were a grey color that that gave off the exact opposite illusion of her sister's blue eyes.

Soon after Luna was born, the war started. Luna and Celestia were ordered to stay indoors, them being basically the lifeline of the entire world.

For years, Luna and Celestia stayed in the heavily guarded castle. Many times, Celestia or Luna tried to leave, but the other would keep them from going. Eventually, over one hundred years later, they both decided to go in search of their parents.

The two ventured through the forest for years. Along the way, they had met a small creature that called himself a draconequus. He was part dragon, part lion, and part unicorn. He too was looking for his parents, who he said left to see what was going on when they saw a large flash of light in the distance and hadn't come back.

Soon, this group of three made it to a small village they found. It was only about three years after Equestria was founded, and the village was already slowly dying away. The earth ponies grew crops, which they gave to the Pegasi, who cleared the skies. The earth ponies also gave food to the unicorns, who raised and lowered the sun and moon.

Later that day, at sunset, Luna and Discord fell asleep in a large shrub while Celestia watched the unicorns. They each walked up to the land ponies, taking a mouthful of food each. After eating, they lined up in a row and used their magic to raise the moon and set the sun. About halfway through, one of the unicorns collapsed from weakness, then another, then another, and soon all of them. Celestia looked at the sun, stuck halfway in the sky, and woke up Luna.

Celestia remembered her mother teaching her to rise and set the sun, and Luna remembered her father teaching her to raise and set the moon. At the exact same time, Luna and Celestia ran out. Celestia immediately started using her magic to set the sun, and Luna began to rise the moon.

The others stared in amazement at the sight of two young fillies doing something that more then ten unicorns couldn't. What amazed them even more was the sight of the small wings on either's backs.

Right after they finished raising the moon and setting the sun, they were taken into the grand hall of the large castle sitting on the side of a mountain nearby.

The ruler of the kingdom, Star Swirl the Bearded, had brought them to him. He was amazed at the sight of two Alicorns. Caught up in the fact that they were the only two Alicorns left and in all the excitement, the two young fillies didn't realize that they had gained their cutie marks until they reached the castle.

Luna's cutie mark was a crescent moon surrounded by stars. Celestia's was the symbol of her family, a sun. Hence, a new life for the two princesses had began in Equestria as they have their responsibility for raising the Sun and the Moon.

### Meeting a Frenemy

After Celestia and Luna met Wu and Garmadon and spent some time together, a young Wu grew tired of going to the lake, so he proposed to Garmadon and Luna that they visit the Serpentine. At first, they rejected the idea, but agree to come with Celestia and Wu.

The brothers and sisters hid in bushes and marveled at the Serpentine as they continued construction on their pyramids. Before they could leave, they were spotted by the Serpentine and taken captive.

Wu, Garmadon, Celestia and Luna are then escorted to King Mambo the Fifth who tells the brothers and sisters that they have violated laws between human, an Alicorn and Serpentine. As a result, they are punished by being held in a cell for the night.

Now inside their holding cell, Garmadon, Wu Celestia and Luna began to argue, but they are interrupted by a young Aspheera who questioned the brothers if they are the Sons of the First Spinjitzu Master. She then promised the brothers and sisters of freedom only if they could teach her Spinjitzu. Both brothers and sisters agree, and Aspheera freed the brothers and sisters and they immediately head home.

In the evening, Celestia and Luna were ashamed as the went back to Canterlot. They saw Star Swirl the Bearded reading a book about powerful spells, and Luna peeked at one of Star Swirl's pages. He asked the sisters not to peek at it, as he explains about the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu. He said that if one Alicorn pairs up with a person with Forbidden Spinjitzu powers, they will become stronger as they were. Celestia is excited to pair with a person with strong powers, but it is inevitable for them as they have the power within themselves as Alicorns. Star Swirl has no choice, as he sent the sisters back to their rooms.

Before Garmadon and Wu could head to their rooms, the First Spinjitzu Master questioned the brothers of their whereabouts since they arrived late at night, and the brothers lie to their father. They then glimpse at their father's work which are the Scrolls of Forbidden Spinjitzu. Unfortunately, the First Spinjitzu Master told his sons that the scrolls weren't for them since it possessed too much power.

That night, Wu was troubled on the promised he made to Aspheera knowing his brother Garmadon wouldn't uphold his end of the bargain, so the next morning, Wu went off to find Aspheera and made her promise that she would never use Spinjitzu for evil. She agrees and they began to train.

The next day, Celestia raised the Sun and saw Aspheera meeting her, along with Luna. She came across troubling with her own magic. Celestia started teaching Luna how to become a magic mastery. She learned how to make potions and learns more about Friendship. She even wrote more friendship lessons to Star Swirl the Bearded. Few weeks later, Aspheera came across with an little filly who was upset. Aspheera lets Celestia and Luna meet a poor filly, and make new friendships, as he introduced them to Stygian. But, he was upset that he failed his personal mastery of his magic. Aspheera starts to teach Stygian as a guide, and then learn more about new magic. As such, Stygian formed the Pillars of Old Equestria, including the sisters' teacher Star Swirl The Bearded.

In the upcoming weeks, Aspheera mastered the art of Spinjitzu, but little did Wu and Celestia know that they were being spied by Garmadon and Luna. So when Wu arrived home, he was criticized by Garmadon and Luna for teaching Aspheera Spinjitzu and believed that a snake should not be trusted. This prompted another fight between the brothers and sisters and Wu and Celestia getting hurt. Ever since that moment, the brothers decided to isolate and not talk to each other.

### Aspheera’s Betrayal

After the Pillars of Old Equestria defeated the Sirens and banished them to the human world, as Aspheera, Celestia, Luna, Wu and Garmadon watch them battle against them, Wu noticed people who were matching away from their homes and questioned one of the villagers. He tells Wu that King Mambo has been overthrown by a Serpentine who knows Spinjitzu, and she plans to expand her empire. After hearing the news, Wu told Garmadon and both promised to put an end to Aspheera's reign. In order to overthrow Aspheera, it required stealing the Scrolls of Forbidden Spinjitzu despite the First Spinjitzu Master prohibiting the use of the scroll. Celestia and Luna went back to Canterlot to and read more about Harmonic Alicorns, despite Star Swirl the Bearded warning them they are too powerful.

The brothers and sisters, while still daybreak, head to the Pyramid where Aspheera performs Spinjitzu among the Serpentine to defeat Mambo the Fifth in order to signify a change in power.

At night, the brothers and sisters make their move and head to the throne room where Aspheera is located. With guards surrounding them, Garmadon fought the guards while Wu fought Aspheera. With the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu, Celestia teams up with Wu and successfully defeats Aspheera who is angry she wasn't taught Spinjitzu that Wu performed.

While Wu and Luna were walking by Aspheera's cell, she demanded that she were to be released just as she did to Wu, Garmadon, Celestia and Luna, but Wu and Celestia declined her request. This caused Aspheera to be filled with anger and dubbing Wu a "Treacherous Deceiver" and she wanted the elder sister to turn into the wicked mare of daylight, known as Daybreaker. Hence, Luna was anguished with her words and decided to leave the Ancient Pyramid.

As such, Mambo the Fifth was restored as king and the peace between Man, Pony, and Serpentine was kept. Meanwhile, Aspheera would be placed in a magical tomb that would hold her until her sins are forgotten.

### Bitterness At young's Heart

Two hundred years later, after Discord's defeat and the Pillars of Old Equestria's banishment to Limbo, Luna was a bit jealous about Aspheera, betraying her that Celestia is better than Luna. She thinks that the night will last forever. She sings about how Equestria the night is, while flying along with young fillies at night. All such is that Princess Celestia, now has a strangest dream.

Now grown princesses and masters, Celestia questioned Luna about why Aspheera prefers her instead of herself. Luna gradually became envious and resentful of her older sister, as ponies were awake to enjoy the day and to admire Celestia's work, whilst sleeping through Luna's night. Luna worked in the shadows, her subjects unaware of her protection both psychic and physical. Always the younger, weaker, and slower of the two, Luna had been continually overshadowed and now her childhood insecurities became real once again. She longed to be a true Goddess of the Night.

More and more, Luna sought comfort with bat ponies and their loyal appreciation. But instead of comfort, she saw her own pain reflected in them - every day they were unappreciated, mistreated and misunderstood by others.

Luna's bitterness is well known. But what happened next is less understood. Some ponies insist that the dark powers that infest the moon, waiting for a chance to strike, overpowered Luna in a moment of vulnerability, taking her mind. Others say that the corruption was hers and hers alone. Others say that all alicorns must struggle with corruption inherent in their power.

Whatever the case, as a rare solar eclipse overshadowed the sun, so too did Luna overshadow her sister, a towering warrior of the night writhing with magic energy and hatred - Nightmare Moon. Hearing that Garmadon and Wu heard about Luna's corruption, they team with Celestia to stop her.

To depose Celestia, Wu and Garmadon and usher in a reign of Eternal Night, she attacked. Celestia was driven back, unable to match the newfound power of her sister, and tore away Garmadon's Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu, hence no longer to pair with her, due to her corruption. Nightmare Moon finally defeated the Sons of the First Spinjitzu Master, making Celestia even worried. In desperation, she called upon the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon, banishing her to the moon.

A year later after Garmadon's banishment to the Underworld, Wu and Celestia were upset that she misses the sister while on Moon. Meanwhile, Aspheera plots to seek revenge, by summoning her goddess, Daybreaker, which is the corruption of Princess Celestia herself.

## Cast

* Aspheera - Ashleigh Ball
* Char - Brian Drummond
* First Spinjitzu Master - Jim Conrad
* Flash Magnus - Giles Panton
* Garmadon - Dean Petriw, Mark Oliver
* Mage Meadowbrook - Mariee Devereux
* Mambo the Fifth - Michael Dobson
* Mistmane - Ellen-Ray Hennessy
* Princess Celestia - Chantal Strand, Nicole Oliver
* Princess Luna - Erin Matthews, Tabitha St. Germain (Kate Covington as her singing voice)
* Rockhoof - Matt Cowlrick
* Somnambula - Murry Peeters
* Star Swirl the Bearded - Chris Britton
* Stygian - Bill Newton
* Wu - Paul Dobson, Madyx Whiteway

## Trivia

* **Narrator**: Star Swirl the Bearded
* It is the first episode of the series in which its events take place almost entirely in the past.
* Cole and Lloyd are seen in this episode but do not speak.
* This is the second episode that Jay does not appear in, the first being "The News Never Sleeps in Canterlot".
* This is the second episode in the season to not feature the Mane Six.
	+ It is also the first episode not to feature the Mane Six or the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
* It shows how Aspheera was defeated and seemingly betrayed by Wu.
* The flashbacks in "Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1" and "The Shadow Play" are used in this episode, where Star Swirl and the Pillars banish the Dazzlings to the human world. It shows how Luna had bitterness in herself, causing her to turn into Nightmare Moon.
* This is the first song Kazumi Evans is not providing the singing voice of Princess Luna. Instead, she is sung by Kate Covington.
* This episode marks the first appearance of the Elements of Harmony, since "The Beginning of the End: The Darkness Comes".
* This is Garmadon's first appearance since "The Fate of Lloyd".
	+ It is the second time Garmadon was in younger self form. The first is "The Glided Path". However, Dean Petriw voices himself in this episode instead of Kai Emmett.
* This is the first episode in their series where Celestia has pink mane, when she was a filly, as her mane color was depicted in at the beginning of "The Mare in the Moon".

## Difference between this and the original Ninjago episode

* The title of the original Ninjago episode is "Never Trust a Human".
* Star Swirl the Bearded replaces Wu has he narrates the episode title.
* Some of the scenes have been shortened to save time or to avoid certain scenes that frightens young children:
	+ Aspheera fighting against Mambo the Fifth.
	+ In one scene between Wu, Garmadon, Celestia and Luna going to the Ancient Pyramid to the scene where they argue is shortened with a narration given by Master Wu.
	+ The Alicorns sisters and Masters defeated Aspheera was edited until Wu defeated her.
	+ The battle against Nightmare Moon is also shortened.
	+ Luna said "Get the hell out of here, sis! I wanted to make my own colony, even you think for Aspheera to select you rather than selecting me?!". This marks the first time the term "hell" is heard in the series, but it was changed to "Get out of here!" on Discovery Family GO! app and repeated airings.

## Errors

* Lloyd was seen at the beginning of the episode, even though he was at Ninjago City with Zane and Nya.
* When Wu was close to defeating Aspheera, Char is seen with his snake armor, but when Aspheera surrenders, his armor disappears.
* When Wu and Garmadon went to their father's desk to take the Forbidden Scrolls, nine scrolls were seen. But once the scrolls were taken, only one was seen.

## Gallery

Young Wu and Garmadon use the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu without permission.