The Return of Tambelon

Synosis

Part 1

The Little Ponies play a game of Hide and Seek in the woods near Paradise Estate. During the game, Baby Ribbon winks out, but fails to wink back in again. Ribbon and Galaxy each wink out, attempting to find Baby Ribbon, but they too fail to re-appear. Megan and the Ponies realise that winking out has somehow become dangerous. They try to warn the other Unicorns - but they're too late. One by one, all of the Unicorns wink out, and none of them return.

Megan and the Ponies search for the Unicorns without success, eventually returning to Paradise Estate to sleep. Megan dreams that she is chased through a tunnel by a goat-like creature, before rurnning into Ribbon, who simply says 'Tambelon'. Megan wakes the others and tells them she thinks the dream was a telephatic message from Ribbon. Paradise recognises 'Tambelon' as a lost city from a Pony legend.

The children and Ponies resume searching, but still find no trace of the Unicorns during the night. (Song: Where have the Unicorns Gone?). At dawn, Paradise provides more details of the legend of Tambelon: the city comes from the Realm of Darkness, and is ruled by Grogar, the goat-like creature from Megan's dream. It's said that Tambelon appears in Ponyland every 500 years, and that Grogar tries to conquer Ponyland each time. Paradise wonders if Tambelon shifting between realms could have been what 'caught' the Unicorns when they winked out.

Paradise's speculation is immediately confirmed as a medieval-style castle materialises from thin air. An army of pig-like Troggles, captained by a donkey named Bray, storm out of the castle to attack the Ponies. The Troggles fire lightning bolts from their spears; anyone hit by a lightning bolt is instantly imprisoned in a cage made of light. Within moments, all the children and Ponies have been captured or fled into the woods.

Grogar emerges from the castle to gloat over the succesful ambush: 'Today, Dream Valley. Tomorrow, All of Ponyland.'

Part 2

The children and Ponies who were able to escape regroup around a campfire in the woods. They learn that the Sea Ponies, Flutter Ponies, Bushwoolies and Grundles have all been attacked, and had some of their members captured. Only The Moochick has remained safe, and so the Baby Ponies have been placed with him for protection.

Meanwhile the Unicorns, and the other captured Ponies, have been imprisoned in a stone dungeon. Working together, they manage to remove a stone and uncover a secret passage. Magic Star, Galaxy and Heart Throb investigate the passage. They find a huge antique bell that Galaxy recognises as having magic power. They also find a path that leads them to the streets of Tambelon.

Megan and Lofty fly into Tambleon, managing to avoid being seen by the Troggle guards. They spot Magic Star's group in the street and together they plan to sneak all of the captives out through Tambelon's main gate.

At the campfire, the group begin to worry that Megan and Lofty have not returned. Peach Blossom volunteers to fly into Tambelon and find out what has happened to them. From high in the air, she sees that Megan's group is about to be caught by the Troggle guards - but is unable to warn them in time.

On the ground, Megan's group subdue the Troggle guards using the Unicorns' magic, the Pegasus Ponies' flight and the Bushwoolies' speed. They run for the main gate and try to push it open using their combined strength. Just as the gate is about to open, Grogar appears on a balcony at the top of his tower. Firing lightning bolts from his horns, he traps the whole group in light-cages, recapturing everyone including Megan and Lofty.

Peach Blossom, still high in the air above Tambelon, manages to evade Grogar's lightning bolts and return to the group at the campfire. When she tells them what's happened, Danny laments 'we'd better think of something quick, or Grogar will rule Ponyland!'

Part 3

Danny and Molly's group try to think of a way to defeat Grogar. Peach Blossom observes that the bell around Grogar's neck lit up every time he used his magic. Wind Whistler suggests it might be the source of his power, and that taking it from Grogar might help defeat him. Molly proposes a plan to ambush Grogar to get a chance to take the bell.

First, they must retrieve Danny's pocket tape recorder from Paradise Estate, which is now occupied by Troggles. Surprise distracts the guards while Danny rides Cherries Jubilee through the Estate, snatching up the tape recorder. Next, they must capture Bray's voice on tape. Paradise, Masquerade, Danny and Molly sneak into the Troggle's army barracks and record Bray berating his troops. Then, Danny splices the tape together to create the phrase 'Grogar! This is your last chance to capture all those Ponies!'. Finally, Masquerade uses her costume-making talent to disguise herself as Bray.

The costume and the tape succeed in luring Grogar into the woods alone; but Grogar proves too powerful for even a large group of Ponies to subdue him. The Ponies are forced to retreat after Paradise and Forget-Me-Not are captured by Grogar's lightning bolts.

As Paradise and Forget-Me-Not are thrown into the Tambleon dungeon, the prisoners continue searching for escape routes, but find none. (Song: Escape!)

Later, a Troggle named Drog steps into a rope trap while searching the woods. Danny and Molly's group emerge to interrogate him. Drog claims that he has defected from Tambelon and wants to help the Ponies. He reveals that Tambelon will return to the Realm of Darkness at midnight, and Grogar plans for all of the Ponies to go with it. Drog offers to sneak the Ponies into the city via a secret passage.

That night, Danny, Molly and the remaining Little Ponies follow Drog through a secret entrance, into the tunnels that run beneath Tambelon. Inside, they find Grogar, Bray and an army of Troggles waiting for them. Grogar gloats that there are now just a few hours until they'll be banished to the Realm of Darkness.

Part 4

Bray gloats to Grogar that the Moochick and the Baby Ponies have been captured - every Pony in Ponyland is now trapped in Tambelon's dungeon.

Drog is thrown into the dungeon with the Ponies. He confirms that he really was trying to help, but he was betrayed by other Troggles who still obey Grogar's orders. On the street above, a loud party breaks out, as the Troggles are forced to celebrate Grogar's victory.

The sound from the street allows Forget-Me-Not to locate a crack in the dungeon's roof. A new escape plan forms using the crack and the bucket of gruel the prisoners have been given for food. Buttons uses her magic to move the gruel into the crack; Fizzy uses hers to make it bubble. The gruel expands, forcing the crack to grow until the roof collapses. Forget-Me-Not, North Star and Megan fly out through the newly-created hole. The trio find Bray, subdue him, and steal his keys. Megan unlocks the dungeon, and all of the prisoners run towards Tambelon's gates. As they go, they invite the Troggles to come with them to escape Grogar. Soon every Troggle has joined the Ponies in rushing towards the gates.

With only a few minutes left before midnight, Grogar prepares the spell that will banish the Little Ponies to the Realm of Darkness. Bray arrives to warn Grogar about the mass escape. Returning to his balcony, Grogar fires a barrage of lightning bolts at the Ponies, cutting off their escape when they're mere metres from the gates.

Ponies

* Susan Blu as Paradise (1-4), Buttons (1, 4), Forget-Me-Not (4)
* Jeannie Elias as Baby Gusty (1-2), Baby Lickety-Split (1), Sunshower (1), Magic Star (2), Whizzer (2), Sweet Stuff (3)
* Kate Leigh as Ribbon (1), Water Lily (1), Fizzy (1-2, 4), Heart Throb (2), Lickety-Split (2, 4)
* Sherry Lynn as Baby Ribbon (1), Galaxy (1-4), Gingerbread (1-3), Cherries Jubilee (3)
* Sarah Partridge as Wind Whistler (3)
* B. J. Ward as Peach Blossom (2-3), Surprise (3), North Star (4)
* Jill Wayne as Shady (1)
* Unknown actor as Sea Shimmer (1)

Others

* Charlie Adler as Spike (3-4), King of Grundles (2-4), Bushwoolie (3)
* Michael Bell as Grogar (1-4)
* Bettina as Megan (1-4)
* Keri Houlihan as Molly (1-4)
* Scott Menville as Danny (1-4), Grundle (2)
* Frank Welker as Bray (1-4), Bushwoolie (3)
* Unknown actors as Troggles (1-4), Grundles (2), Drog (3-4), Bushwoolies (2)

Non-Speaking Cameos

* Gusty (1-4), Ribbon (3-4)
* Heart Throb (4), Lofty (2), Masquerade (3), North Star (1, 3), Surprise (1, 4), Whizzer (1, 4)
* Cherries Jubilee (1, 4), Cupcake (1, 3-4), Gingerbread (4), Lickety-Split (1, 3), Magic Star (1, 3-4), Posey (1, 4), Shady (1, 3), Sundance (1, 3-4), Sweet Stuff (1, 3-4)
* Baby Cuddles (1, 4), Baby Gusty (3-4), Baby Half Note (1, 4), Baby Heart Throb (1, 4), Baby Lickety-Split (4), Baby Lofty (1, 4), Baby Ribbon (4), Baby Shady (1, 4), Baby Sundance (1, 4), Baby Tiddley-Winks (1, 4)Forget-Me-Not (2-3), Honeysuckle (4), Lily (4), Morning Glory (4), Peach Blossom (4), Rosedust (1, 4)
* Spike (1)
* Habbit (4)

Mentioned Only

* Surf Rider (2)
* The Moochick (2)