| Ponyphonic | |
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| Other names | Dane Larson |
| Active since | 2012-present |
| Known as | Composer, lyricist |
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Ponyphonic is the pseudonym of a brony musician. Despite only having uploaded two songs at that point, in April 2012 he attracted the praise of show composer Daniel Ingram for a remix/cover of Winter Wrap Up.[1] He has collaborated with the co-writer and composer of Friendship is Witchcraft for a Halloween song not related to the fandom.
The Moon Rises[]
| The Moon Rises | |
|---|---|
| Creator(s) | Ponyphonic |
| Vocals | Kristen Calvin |
| Published | February 25, 2012 |
| Duration | 2:36 |
"The Moon Rises" is a song in the style of a Disney musical, and also somewhat inspired by Wicked's No Good Deed.[2] The singer is Kristan Calvin, and is implied to be Luna before her insurrection: the lyrics posit an impending clash between two sisters, "the Sun" and "the Moon".
Melodically, it starts off with a quote of the My Little Pony main theme before segueing into an original melody. In an echo of the show's first episode, in the first two verses the singer notes the arrival of the night and how beautiful it is, but also laments how all the ponies are sleeping and waiting for the sunrise. It somewhat resembles an I want song here, comparing the singer's desires against the circumstances she finds herself boxed in by.
Halfway through the song, the lyrics, the melody and the vocals grow progressively harsher; disappointment turns into resentment, and Luna into Nightmare Moon. During the third verse, Luna talks herself into rebelling against her sister because she's "waited long enough now" for the ponies to enjoy the night as much as they enjoy the day. The shift in tone is marked by a line in Latin which can be translated both as "the moon is in shadow" and "Luna is in shadow". In the fourth verse, she proclaims that she will not let the sun rise again. The song closes with a Latin word meaning "at night" (though the lyrics in the YouTube description translate it as just "night"). Both Latin phrases are sung by a "choir" which sounds noticeably different from "Luna".
Videos[]
| The Moon Rises - Animatic | |
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| Creator(s) | kanashiipanda |
| Date added | April 28, 2012 |
| Duration | 2:29 |
| Rise of Night Mare Moon | |
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| Creator(s) | xWoodrow101 |
| Date added | April 28, 2012 |
| Duration | 2:36 |
Two independently-created videos setting footage to the song were posted within hours of each other on April 28, 2012. The first, by kanashiipanda, is an animatic consisting mostly of rough storyboard sketches which could serve as the basis for an eventual animated short (though the creator has disspelled expectations that it would be finished "anytime soon"[3]). It sees Luna on one of the palace's balconies, observing Equestria for a full day. Halfway through the third verse, after she lowers the moon again and sees how the ponies frolic in the day, she enters her chambers and dons the helmet she wears in the show as Nightmare Moon. She raises the moon while the sun is still up. The video ends with the image of dual celestial bodes in the sky in the background, and Celestia racing towards Luna in the foreground.
The second, by xWoodrow101, is a music video using pre-existing footage from the episodes Friendship is Magic parts 1 and 2, Luna Eclipsed and A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1, as well as the fan animation Luna's Lament.
Other videos set to the song include ones by shokozai (music video using show footage) and bronydan (original animation).
Lullaby for a Princess[]
| Lullaby for a Princess | |
|---|---|
| Creator(s) | Ponyphonic |
| Vocals | Christina Ellis |
| Published | September 18, 2012 |
| Duration | 6:48 |
A companion-piece to "The Moon Rises", "Lullaby for a Princess" describes Celestia's reaction to Luna's banishment. She expresses her guilt for what happened in a song-within-the-song, a lullaby in which she refers to herself in the third person. According to the lullaby, Celestia used to be proud and self-centred, and despite noticing how Luna feels after constantly being overshadowed, she does nothing to stop the resentment from growing in her sister's heart. The lullaby is interwoven with entreaties to the captive Luna that the song may bring her knowledge that she is loved after all, and some measure of peace. The song ends with Celestia expressing the hope that the banishment will pass swiftly, and that she will visit her sister in her dreams.
In the YouTube description, Ponyphonic lays out his theory on Luna's imprisonment (which is alluded to in the song lyrics): the bond between Sun and Moon was once so strong that Luna and Celestia were sufficient to wield the Elements of Harmony, but that bond is shattered when Celestia uses a fraction of their power to banish her sister. The sealing spell is tethered to the darkness in Luna's soul; with time, that darkness will lose strength, but so will the spell, eventually freeing what remains of Nightmare Moon.
References[]
- ā Daniel Ingram (2012-04-09). Facebook post. Retrieved on 2012 April 28. āI don't often post fan covers here, but this really knocked my socks off when I happened across it today. Had to share!ā
- ā Stay Brony My Friends interview. 25:07 (2012-05-01). Retrieved on 2012 May 7.
- ā kanashiipanda (2012-04-29). Youtube comment by kanashiipanda. Retrieved on 2012 April 30.