The End of Flutter Valley

Doctorwhobox
serial_name=01-10 The End Of Flutter Valley
writer=George Arthur Bloom
series= Series 1
length=10 episodes
date=September 15-19 & 22-26, 1986
preceding=
following=The Ghost Of Paradise Estate|

"The End Of Flutter Valley" is the first serial in the United States children's television series "My Little Pony". It originally aired in ten parts on weekdays from September 15 to September 30, 1986. The serial was a direct sequel to "".

ynopsis

The Witches from the Volcano of Gloom ally with an army of giant bees to get their revenge on the Flutter Ponies. The bees steal the precious Sun Stone - if the Flutter Ponies can't get it back, their home will be destroyed.

Plot

Part 1

A few Ponies and Spike are on their way to Flutter Valley for a celebration. They are running late and to make matters worse, Draggle and Reeka, the witches from the Mountain of Gloom, are out to capture them. But the witches' plans are foiled when the Flutter Ponies show up and save the Little Ponies. But the witches decide to follow them to Flutter Valley, where they try to make a landslide to hurt the Little Ponies.

Part 2

Draggle mixes up the spell and it backfires, causing the witches to flee. Happy that the danger has passed, the Little Ponies decide to go home. Angered at her daughters, Hydia forces them to eat doughnuts. Then she has a family meeting with her relatives who tell her the best way to destroy Flutter Valley is to seek out Queen Bumble and her bees. Reeka and Draggle go to Bumbleland and make a proposal to Queen Bumble, who agrees. Reeka conjures up a fake rainbow and when the Flutter Ponies are distracted, Queen Bumble and her bees steal the Flutter Ponies' Sunstone and fly back to Bumbleland. The Flutter Ponies initially chase after them, but once they reach Bumbleland they are trapped in a honeycomb.

Part 3

The Witches have moved in to Flutter Valley, which is dying without the Sunstone. Meanwhile, the Little Ponies have met up with the Furbobs, cousins of the bushwoolies. But then they are attacked by Stonebacks, the Furbobs' mortal enemies. In the struggle, they fall down a cliff but manage to make it safely to the canyon floor. The only one who gets hurt is Baby Cuddles, who injures her leg. Because Baby Cuddles is in pain, the Furbobs decide to take her to their home of Furbobia.

Part 4

Less affected by the honey than the other Flutter Ponies, Morning Glory escapes the honeycomb trap, and tries to fly to the Paradise Estate for help. Unfortunately the bees manage to recapture her and she is locked in a cage under the personal guard Queen Bumble's right-hand-bee, Sting. Meanwhile, the Little Ponies barely manage to reach the Furbobs' home, as it's totally surrounded by Stonebacks. After Baby Cuddles' injury is treated, she, Cupcake and the Bushwoolies remain behind while the others head to Flutter Valley to seek help against the Stonebacks. While in Flutter Valley, the Witches enjoy a game of turtle croquet, gloating that as soon as the sun sets, Flutter Valley will be ruined forever.

Part 5

Morning Glory tries to earn Sting's sympathy, and seems to get somewhere when she learns that he lacks confidence in his flying ability. However, even after she coaches him and his flight somewhat improves, Sting refuses to set her free.

When the Little Ponies return to Flutter Valley, it's already decayed so much that it's unrecognisable. They're captured by the Witches and tied up in a net made from Aagh's web.

Pointer, the bees' captain, informs the Queen that the Sun Stone continues to grow hotter - already, it burns to the touch. The Queen ignores his warning and a fire breaks out. The bees evacuate, completely forgetting the Flutter Ponies as the flames close in around their honeycomb prison...

Part 6

When Sting realises that he's been abandoned along with the Flutter Ponies, he releases Morning Glory and knocks the Sun Stone off its torch. The stone burns right through the ground, which quickly extinguishes the fire but makes the stone inaccessible. Morning Glory is devastated, explaining that if the Sun Stone remains buried until sunset, Flutter Valley will lose its magic forever. Queen Bumble also wants the stone unearthed, and forces the Flutter Ponies to start digging for it.

The Ponies manage to sneak a Furbob out of the net and he leaves Flutter Valley in search of help. At first Hydia is outragously angry, but Reeka convinces her that Furbobs are too stupid to pose a threat, and they needn't bother recapturing it.

Disgusted at the bees for abandoning him, Sting helps Morning Glory to escape and the two fly over the rainbow in search of Megan, whom Morning Glory remembers helped save them once before. Unfamiliar with the environment of a ranch, the pair look for Megan in a barn - and instead discover a bull, who charges them ferociously...

Part 7

Toro the bull knocks Sting to the ground and looks set to crush him. Morning Glory's cries for help attract Megan, who lures the bull into his pen with a red carpet. She then sits on it, allowing Sting and Morning Glory to each grab an end and give her a 'magic carpet ride' back to Ponyland. They meet the escaped Furbob and go with him to Bumbleland.

Draggle tries to use her magic to turn the Little Ponies purple - a spell which backfires on Hydia, Reeka, Aagh, and her. She is left to guard the ponies alone while a humiliated Hydia, Reeka and Aagh go to the Volcano of Gloom to remove it.

By now the Flutter Ponies have dug a deep pit, and Pointer tries without success to reach the buried Sun Stone with a crane. Knocking him off, Honeysuckle uses the crane to pick up Queen Bumble and dangle her over the pit, threatening to drop her unless the Flutter Ponies are set free. Refusing, Bumble instead manages to escape and orders her bees to attack. In her rush to escape, Honeysuckle falls straight down the pit and vanishes from sight...

Part 8

Megan, Morning Glory, Sting and the Furbob arrive in Bumbleland as Queen Bumble gloats over Honeysuckle's botched escape. Sting wants to attack, but Megan wants to try reasoning first, and asks Bumble to set the Flutter Ponies free. When the Queen laughs in her face, Megan immediately changes tactic, claiming that the bees are surrounded. A fight breaks out, but the bees greatly outnumber Megan's group, and have soon captured them all.

Left alone with Draggle, the Little Ponies seize the opportunity and offer to teach Draggle how to use Pony Magic - their 'demonstrations' set them free and trap Draggle in the net in their place. As they make a run for it, they unexpectedly collide with a giant sheet of flypaper, disguised among the scenery by Hydia - who now returns, releasing Draggle and imprisoning the Ponies in Aagh's web once more.

As Queen Bumble realises she's eaten every flower in Bumbleland, Honeysuckle sneaks past and frees Megan's party from their cage. She tells them they must escape down the pit, and shouts "Stonebacks, now!". An army of the creatures emerges from the hole, distracting the bees until Sting, Megan and all the Flutter Ponies have escaped. The Furbob is reluctant to follow, afraid that the Stonebacks are leading him into a trap. As he hesitates at the edge of the hole, Bumble's entire army charges at him...

Part 9

Realising what's happened, Megan grabs the Furbob and drags him down the hole, which leads to a huge underground cavern. The Stonebacks and Flutter Ponies quickly pile dirt into the hole, stopping the bees from following them. Still suspicious, Furbob takes shelter behind a rock and blows a raspberry to the Stonebacks, who suddenly become very angry. Megan is puzzled, but Furbob tells her this is something that always happens. She realises that the two species are failing to communicate, and tries to convince Furbob that they might be friends.

The Flutter Ponies cool the Sun Stone with their Utter Flutter and the group races desperately towards Flutter Valley. Seeing them coming, Hydia has Aagh build a web over the entrance and stand guard - but first, she gives him a magic potion, remembering that Megan has defeated Aagh once before. Also remembering Aaghs weakness, Megan and the others tickle him with reeds, but the spider fails to be distracted. Rosedust despairs - they're almost out of time to get the Sun Stone back before Flutter Valley is gone forever...

Part 10

Megan leads the Stonebacks and Flutter Ponies to where Aagh can't see them. Sting also appears, bringing with him Cupcake, Baby Cuddles, and the Bushwoolies and Furbobs. Working together, they tunnel beneath Aagh, and charge into Flutter Valley as the ground collapses beneath the spider. The Witches make a hasty retreat, and the Little Ponies are finally released.

Just as the Flutter Ponies have finally returned the Sun Stone, Queen Bumble arrives with her bees to snatch it. Sting confronts her, calling her fat, greedy and selfish. Rosedust convinces the Queen that they must share, and she agrees, leading her army back to Bumble Land.

Flowers begin to bloom, but stop when a dark cloud appears, blocking the entire valley from the sun. Hydia has cast a spell, knowing that if she only delays the ponies until sunset, she can still destroy Flutter Valley. The Flutter Ponies retaliate with Utter Flutter, blowing both the cloud and the witches far beyond the valley. The Flutter Ponies, Little Ponies, Bushwoolies, Furbobs and Stonebacks all join the dance to celebrate the salvation of Flutter Valley.

Notes

* Features the songs 'From The Sun', 'Family', 'Dark And Dirty', 'Nature's In Harmony', 'Stretch Yourself', 'Stretch Yourself (reprise)', 'How Can I Be A Hero?', 'Pony Magic', 'Imagine You Were Friends', and 'From The Sun (reprise)'.

*Sting mentions something not being "over until the fat lady stings." This must be a reference to the proverb, It ain't over until the fat lady sings.

DVD Availability

* Region 1: Disc 1 of "My Little Pony: The Complete First Series"; also available separately as "The End of Flutter Valley"
* Region 2: "The End of Flutter Valley"
* Region 4: "The End of Flutter Valley"

External links

* [http://dreamvalley-mlp.com/songs86-1.html#from_the_sun1 Song lyrics]