My Little Pony: Dark Skies Over Equestria Review – Changeling Mischief

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic was a phenomenon upon its initial release. Great character writing and imaginative situations helped elevate the animated show's themes of friendship and community. There's a reason why it is the most beloved incarnation of Hasbro's equestrian-themed toy line. My Little Pony: Dark Skies Over Equestria expresses that imagination in an official TTRPG module. One that features magic, friendship, and the shapeshifting antics of Queen Chrysalis and her changeling hive.

What is My Little Pony: Dark Skies Over Equestria?

My Little Pony: Dark Skies Over Equestria is a 166-page Essence20 adventure module for the My Little Pony Roleplaying Game. It features six interconnected adventures where players stop the schemes of Queen Chrysalis from laying waste to Equestria. It is also a mini-supplement, providing players new Perks, Spells, and rules for playing as Changelings.

How are the new player options in My Little Pony: Dark Skies Over Equestria?

The new player options in My Little Pony: Dark Skies Over Equestria mostly focus on Changelings. Since the prewritten adventure is Changeling-themed, adding them as a player option makes some sense. The book even provides options and story seeds for how Changeling characters can be introduced in the adventure. It cites characters like Thorax and events like the metamorphosed colony for players that want to play good Changelings and recommends different Roles like Loyalty and Generosity.

The new Changeling options are handled well. Players can choose between being a Colony Changeling, part of the collective that Queen Chrysalis commands, or a Metamorphosed Changeling transformed by the magic of friendship.

In game terms, the Changeling Origin is powerful. Changelings can shape-shift at will into other creatures, have a flying speed, and even have some magic skills. Effectively, if their disguise is good enough they can pass for anything they turn into.

Thankfully, there are several controls. First, shape-shifting is imperfect and limited without the use of certain Perks. You can't change into an inanimate object or change your size. Changing into a creature doesn't give you any inherent benefits like a wolf's sense of smell or a unicorn's magic. You can't perfectly imitate a specific character, meaning infiltration potential is limited. Changelings only have one health, making them glass cannons if discovered. Lastly, depending on your Origin, you need to take certain Influences and Hang-Ups, which can make it harder for you to maintain your cover.

The book does provide advancement options for those who want to become perfect chameleons. Some Perks remove various shapeshifting restrictions. Personal favorites are Size Shift and Object Shift; Prop Hunt energy in Changeling form. The potential to be a master shapechanger is there, you have to work for it.

As someone who generally bans shapechanging options in my games, I have to applaud the designers of My Little Pony: Dark Skies Over Equestria. It lets Game Masters maintain intrigue and pacing at the start of an adventure while allowing players to become masters of disguise in the late game.

How Fun Are The Adventures in My Little Pony: Dark Skies Over Equestria?

The six adventures in My Little Pony: Dark Skies Over Equestria maintain a great balance of mystery and comedy. The first adventure, Lost In Shadow, is a straightforward mystery story. Ponyville locals are accusing one another of stealing or causing mischief and the players need to solve it.

It's a solid introduction. Every major character has answers to major questions players may ask. The twists and turns are well-telegraphed, which indicates confident storytelling. Lastly, the adventure can end diplomatically, leading to different outcomes.

The second adventure, Day Becomes Night, is one of the weaker entries. For some reason, the sun isn't rising in Equestria. A local eccentric inventor pony, Widget, has a gizmo that may help, but repairing will take some work.

By itself, the adventure isn't bad. There's some novelty in helping Ponyville's locals deal with the lack of light. Widget's character design is inspired by Back To The Future's Doc Brown, which is delightful. The adventure is packed with alternative options for fixing Widget's machine, allowing any potential party composition to get to the end.

My issue is that the connections to Queen Chrysalis' plans aren't established until the end of the adventure. The result is a scenario where the enemy feels more like an evil lamp than a persistent antagonistic force.

The third adventure, Equestria Noir, is a personal highlight. It follows up from the last adventure. The party wakes up the next day to discover that all color has been drained out of Equestria. On top of that, everyone has begun dressing and talking like hardboiled detectives.

As a kid-friendly genre exercise, it is perfect. The wordplay is excellent. The adventure is packed with references to noir staples like The Maltese Falcon and The Third Man. Players are encouraged to lean into character with internal monologues, trenchcoats, and fedoras. Even the adventure as a whole is framed as a whodunnit mystery with witnesses, clues, and red herrings. It is my favorite part of this book, hands-down.

In The Land of Shadow is the most action-packed, conventional adventure in My Little Pony: Dark Skies Over Equestria. Players reactivate a mysterious portal, enter a land ruled by Queen Chrysalis, and disrupt her plan to siphon energy from Equestria. It's a great MLP-themed take on a fantasy adventure module. Puzzles, traps, navigating maps, creative solutions to big problems. There's even a wrinkle of complexity with the introduction of Lost Land Ponies: ponies that are loyal to Queen Chrysalis' rule.

The weakest adventure of the bunch in my opinion is The Balance of Harmony. In isolation, it's fine. The Mane Six get sick, and the players need to go on an adventure to cure them. There's a great mix of unique characters and difficult challenges, a personal highlight involves a married couple and a magic apple. There is even a tricky moral decision near the end.

My problems with the adventure mostly come down to design ethos. I like keeping my players as the main characters in an adventure. If it is a game set in an established setting, I change it so the original main characters don't exist or are in a supporting role. This adventure centers on the well-being of The Mane Six and assumes they still wield the Elements of Harmony. It effectively turns the PCs' adventure into a filler sidestory.

This is a “me” problem, but it does make adapting this adventure tricky. There is a certain thrill in having your characters interact with these main characters,  a big draw of licensed TTRPGs, and this adventure delivers that fantasy. But the way this adventure is framed, I think it takes from the players' ability to make their own mark in the world.

The finale, aptly named The Dark Queen is a bombastic conclusion. Queen Chrysalis unleashes her changeling army, infiltrating and invading Equestria. Her sights settle on Ponyville, Princess Celestia, and Canterlot.

Running this adventure is a thrill. The book provides different approaches to Chrysalis' invasion alongside Among Us hijinx with Changeling dopplegangers, There's even an exciting setpiece on a runaway train.

It feels like a Friendship is Magic season finale in RPG form, packed with returning characters, arcs coming to a close, and a big bad getting their comeuppance.

Should You Pick Up My Little Pony: Dark Skies Over Equestria?

Overall, My Little Pony: Dark Skies Over Equestria is an entertaining, imaginative, and engaging My Little Pony mystery adventure. The puzzles are clever, the characters are entertaining, and the new Changeling player options are impressively designed. There are some low points, but they are overshadowed by solid quality and exciting setpieces. If you want to continue your adventures through Ponyville with a Changeling twist, this book will do just that.

The copy of My Little Pony: Dark Skies Over Equestria used in this review was provided by the publisher. All screenshots were taken during the process of the review.