I asked Pinkie for her crystal ball and she gave me this. I don't think she understood me...
Guardians of Harmony was confirmed around a month ago as a toy line with a corresponding comic series that intends to market towards the older boys. Much in the same vein as X-Men or Ninja Turtles figures, they are highly detailed pieces with weapons and movable limbs. As the premiere approaches, we’ve had more media devoted and confirmed for this line. First we thought the comics would be smaller and packaged with the toys, until one month later when trademark information for the series included “Entertainment services, namely, an on-going animated television series for children”.
While I have been skeptical of these toys in the past, it seems that Hasbro is devoted to this line if they are willing to create an entirely new spin-off series. We’ve been in the dark until February’s toy fair, which means that Season 6 could have any amount of references or nods if given enough preparation. Will they give us a one-shot episode to prepare us for the idea, or merely have some object remain in the background for us to wonder about (see: Starswirl’s Book in "Crystal Empire")? The amount of effort that it would take for the latter would be minimal and even with enough warning, a darker one-shot episode in this fictional world wouldn’t be too far-fetched with "Slice of Life" being canon. Which brings me to my next point.
2. More Darker or Sadder Episodes
M.A. Larson and Natasha Levinger were recently confirmed to not be writing for Season 6. Both of these writers are known for episodes such as “Pinkie Apple Pie” and “Slice of Life”, which were extremely happy and fun. However, one of the remaining writers is Josh Haber, who already confirmed his finished scripts. Haber with examples such as “Bloom and Gloom” and the excellent existential nightmare of “The Cutie ReMark” has the chance to outdo himself and make us once again jokingly ask if this show is still for little girls.
"The Cutie ReMark" was a testament to how far the show could go with darker themes since Hasbro now trusts these writers with our beloved pastel horses. Remember that Hasbro signed off on every script, and that includes Haber’s finale, where Equestria is a wasteland without the Main 6. While I don’t think that we are going to have another episode with that tone, I could easily see one that pulls on our heartstrings in the same way that “Amending Fences” did. As I said in a previous editorial, if you can’t outdo the destruction of Equestria, then you can make your problems simpler with a more down-to-earth character struggle. Or Haber can just make a new nightmare world and focus that on “Guardians of Harmony”. There’s a lot of room in Equestria for new areas of emotional turmoil. From family to a new sympathetic villain, I’m sure at least one scene will make us all shed liquid pride.
3. The Season’s Theme Will Be “Family”
Fluttershy’s brother and a Maud Pie episode have already been confirmed. With Princess Cadance’s child being born as well (making Twilight an aunt), it seems like this season is going to devote itself to the theme of family. I’m excited for this, because the Main 6’s family have not had any real problems put in the spotlight (if we exclude the Cutie Mark Crusaders). The writers have a chance to not only show how each Element of Harmony has changed since the Pilot, but bring up the intricacies and problems that come with merely having a family. Is there a reason why Fluttershy’s brother has been gone for so long? Does Fluttershy avoid her parents because she quit Flight School and it’s a sore spot for her mom and dad? Is Rainbow Dash’s Dad a widow?
That last one was a joke, but I’m reminded of Tanks for the Memories, and Cindy Morrow’s admittance that the episode was a way for her to write about death without actually showing Tank dying. Does the writing staff want to go a little bit deeper? Do they want to explore the heartbreak of parental divorce? A terrible step-parent? Will Fluttershy’s brother be more shy or the complete opposite much like the Pie Family? I'm positive that children can empathize with these tough emotional struggles. With careful writing, we could have another episode like “Amending Fences” just around the corner.
4. Another Episode With A Secondary Character
“Make New Friends But Keep Discord” was groundbreaking with its hilarious focus on a secondary character. Discord stole the show as the reformed friend who was slowly losing his patience while contrasted with Tree Hugger, who seemed to have nothing but patience. The episode’s success opens the door for another character to enjoy the spotlight. Is it time to dust off Lauren Faust’s Big McIntosh idea? Or perhaps the focus shifts onto Princess Celestia for her moment. I’m sure the comments section will light up with suggestions, which is indicative of how receptive we are to old characters being fleshed out a little more.
There’s endless amounts of potential for practically every episode "genre" we can think of. If we want to continue with the family theme, I’m sure we can focus on Bon Bon or Lyra and their silly parents. What does Bon Bon’s parents think about her being a secret agent? Do they know? What about Zecora? What’s the lore behind the zebra race? Or even better, how about an “enemy of my enemy” one-shot? What if the Main 6 have to work together with Chrysalis to take down the new big bad that’s plaguing the land? Will Chrysalis make her move to take down the Elements, or work together and swear her invasion once her power is back? If we want more changeling lore that isn’t focused on the comics, we can always track down that lone bug in Matilda’s wedding and see what he’s up to.
5. Starlight Glimmer Will Join the Main 6
It seems almost inevitable at this point, isn’t it? Starlight Glimmer joins Sunset Shimmer, Moondancer, and Trixie as the “Twilight Sparkle Kind Of Clones That Seem Like Secondary Characters”. A notable difference is that Starlight Glimmer is tagging along with the gang in the premiere. We’ve considered what she is going to be over the hiatus, but now it seems that she will be part of the crew. It makes sense, since the Elements have more of a “hands on” approach to training Starlight Glimmer in the ways of friendship. The last time Starlight tried to teach herself, she was lead astray. Her magical talent is impressive, which I’d imagine still requires the Element of Magic’s attention.
I’m not expecting Starlight Glimmer to be the focus of many episodes. She would quickly overstay her welcome if that was the case. But it seems fitting that Twilight would take up a student in the same vein that Princess Celestia did. It’s a testament to how much Twilight knows about friendship, since she learned how to quell three students who Princess Celestia couldn’t teach (Princess Luna, Trixie, and Sunset Shimmer). Starlight Glimmer is merely another step in Princess Twilight’s studies. Only time will tell if our adorkable book horse is prepared for this.
That’s all I have for this week! What do you guys think? There’s a lot of new and exciting possibilities for this season, so I want to see the most interesting suggestions in the comments below! Thank you for reading and I’ll see you soon.
