Another week, another set of community soapboxes! Derpy got some love this time, along with a bunch of other crazy topics.
Expect these posts every Tuesday at 2:00 PM PST (3:00 EQD Time). To submit your own, see this post.
This week we dive into the following:
Why Derpy and Dinky ARE Canon
Order and Chaos
Equestrian Longevity
Why Rainbow Dash Wants to Join the Wonderbolts
Ponyville Saves the Day
And get your soapboxes below!
Why Derpy and Dinky ARE Canon
by: Tensei
Ever since 2013 there's been debate in the MLP fandom about the familial relationship of Dinky and Derpy Hooves, but after careful attention to background appearances I think I know where the show creators stand on this.
Throughout Seasons 2-4 Dinky is shown with Golden Harvest and Written Script in what appears to be a family unit, causing very much debate in the fandom however after "Slice of Life" Written and Golden are shown with other ponies(Sparkler and Noteworthy respectively) and Dinky is seen with Derpy in "The One Where Pinkie Knows" an episode about motherhood. these cheeky animators love playing us like fiddles. My conclusion after all this is that some animators intended to have the "Golden-Written-Dinky" family but after "Slice of Life" it was decided to embrace much of the fandom involving Derpy and as such dinky is now (unofficially) hers.
Order and Chaos
By: Fluttershypegasus
In seasons 2 and 4 respectively, we are introduced to physical manifestations of the most fundamental concepts of nature-The spirit of chaos, Discord, and the spirit of harmony, the Tree of Harmony. But why are these beings so utterly different from each other?
The most obvious difference between them is that Discord is a conscious being, yet the tree of harmony is not. This may seem odd at first, but there is a simple reason for this-something with a mind and will of its own is inherently unpredictable, which fits the nature of a chaotic spirit perfectly but goes against the nature of an ordered spirit. The tree may appear to have a mind of its own when it seems to help Twilight restore the original equestrian timeline, but this is an illusion-it knows what it is doing no more than a rubber band knows what it is doing when it snaps back to its original shape after being stretched.
Discord's behaviour also corresponds with his nature-the fact that he was 'reformed' to turn from evil to good shows that his character is truly unpredictable-he's liable to help and hinder both good and evil characters.
Although it might be easy to view chaos as evil and harmony as good, as seems to be the case in episodes like return of harmony, this might not be as clear cut as it appears. An excellent example is the Grand Galloping Gala-when it is ordered and harmonious it is usually considered to be one of the most tedious events of the year by Celestia, however, she finds it very amusing to add chaotic elements to it.
Celestia also seems to play a very important role in this dynamic-she is the intermediary between chaos and order, in that she wielded the elements of harmony against discord, but was also responsible for the plan to release him again.
We could conclude from these facts that one of the central themes of the series as a whole is that, just like rain and sun, we need both chaos and order in the universe and in life, and Celestia represents the "golden mean", or perfect balance, between them.
Equestrian Longevity
By: Kyle
I've seen some people claim that Twilight's line in Winter Wrap Up about Ponyville having been around for hundreds of years didn't make any sense in light of Family Appreciation Day's reveal about Granny Smith being a key member in the founding of Ponyville.
However, Party Pooped provides the perfect bit to make the former statement work perfectly with the latter:
During the scene in Pinkie's party cave, AJ mentions that AJ had already planned her parents' 50th, 100th, and 500th anniversaries.
While that could be attributed to Pinkie just being Pinkie, it could instead mean that all Equestrians', not just those who are immortal, can live at least 5 centuries, barring fatal injuries or diseases.
Therefore, both Ponyville and Granny Smith will have been around for hundreds of years.
Why Rainbow Dash Wants to Join the Wonderbolts
By: Joestarter
Since the very beginning of the series Rainbow Dash has wanted to join the Wonderbolts and in "Newbie Dash" she finally achieved that goal and became an aerial performer/soldier thing, but we've never been told why does she want to join this group of soldiers/performers at least in the show. I think the reason for this lies in what little we've gotten about Dash's family-Rainbow Blaze, Rainbow's "Dashing Mentor" and probable older brother is the the only family we know of her's and according to ccg is somepony taught her everything she knows and several background posters show that he was a great Wonderbolt and inspiration to at least Rainbow and Soarin. I think Rainbow Blaze is the reason why Dash want's to join the Wonderbolts, the question is whether or not that influence is a bad thing or not.
Ponyville Saves the Day
By: Nightmare Muffin
Many times we've seen the same song and dance with the mane6, and now SG and her ragtag team of misfits saving Ponyville. Re-reading the Nightmare Rarity arc in the comics, I liked how all of Ponyville helped fight the Nightmare forces. Granted, the reMane5 cinched the win, but I want to see a case in an episode where Ponyville - and not just the fan favorite ponies- came together to save all of the mane6 when the chips are down. This time however, not in a dream with imagined abilities, like in "DPDoMS?" It'd take more creativity to allow Ponyville to use what inherent magical talents, wit, and strengths to defeat the threat they were up against.
Maybe the parents are alerted by raw parental instinct that their babies are in trouble, and can rally the townsponies when the Princesses are at a royal summit and can't be reached. Seeing the parents/siblings on the front lines would be interesting, as they certainly would have more to lose. How entertaining would it be to see lazy Zephyr Breeze- redeem himself and fight tooth and hoof alongside his pushover parents and Ponyville for Fluttershy's safety? What do you guys think?
