Community soapbox time, where opinions from around the fandom are dropped down below for you all to discuss and debate! Expect these posts normally when not late every Tuesday at 2:00 PM MST And now Saturday at 2:00 PM MST. To submit your own, see this post. Note: These soapboxes do not at all reflect the ideas of EQD. They are an open forum for anyone to post whatever crazy theory they want.
Headlines for the week:
- The problem with Twilight’s castle and role
- MLP Comics continuing after the show ends
- The "Real" Importance of the School of Friendship
- Sunset Shimmer’s Appeal and Why it’s Bad for her Future
- Darkness in Equestria
The problem with Twilight’s castle and role
By: Nightmare Muffin
People bring up issues about why Twilight needs guards in her castle. This was made evident when Starlight was able to walk in, unannounced, put her hooves up at the map, alter it to Starswirl’s spell, and get away with it. Now, Twilight is the princess of Friendship, which means that guards, although necessary, wouldn’t be suitable for one holding her title. Friendship welcomes everyone, and having intimidating and burly looking guards around wouldn’t fit the welcoming and “easily access to the magic of friendship” image. However, that’s not to say that the castle doesn’t need a few more residents living in it. As it stands, only Twilight, Spike, and Starlight live in the castle, whereas the remane5 only frequently visit from their own homes. Twilight has gone from living in Canterlot tower, to a tree, to a castle and still mostly lives alone (with one or two others), even as a Princess of Friendship, ironically. With as many rooms as the castle has, there can easily be more ponies taking up residence, either to become trainees of friendship, paid staff, or temporary live-in tourists even. All in all, the castle could definitely have more activity.
MLP Comics continuing after the show ends
By: MegaSean45
Knowing this show is gonna come to an end soon, there are STILL alot of loose ends that need tying up, and I'm not sure if the show is gonna get to them all. However, if we are really in need of certain stories that might not be so important to the show, but should be done in a different fashion, I know of a solution to that! The MLP Comic series by IDW should continue the G4 series on their own once the show ends. I know alot of people do not wish to let go of FiM, and keeping the comic series around will really fill that void! There have been comics that keep being made once shows ended for a long time, like Transformers and Invader Zim! They can do the same for this show!
So if you really want something to happen on the show, but the show ends before they can do it, we shall hope for the comic series to live on for years longer after the show ends! I don't see a downside to this! Do you? ;)
The "Real" Importance of the School of Friendship
By ShadowWriter45
Season 8 is going to revolve around the friendship school that Twilight and her friends are going to be teaching the magic of friendship to all sorts of creatures. While this may seem like another method to continue the show and it might not sound all that much to some, but I believe the school as a special significance that we're not really seeing. The significance being the legacy of Twilight and her friends legacy after they are all gone.
Over the past 7 seasons, Twilight and friends have managed to establish relations with Dragons, Yaks, Hippogryphs, and Changelings. These new relationships has caused great change to Equestria and it's all thanks to Twilight and her friends. But will these bonds last. Technically yes, but for how long. We don't know if similar things have been done in Equestria's history and even if it has then it's hidden really well or only documented to a certain extent. The biggest questions is will the Mane 6 be remembered for establishing these bonds.
I see the school as the answer; a lasting legacy needed to remember the mane 6 for what they've done and continue the bonds they established after they're gone.
Sunset Shimmer’s Appeal and Why it’s Bad for her Future
By: Anonymous
Sunset Shimmer is straight up my favorite character in MLP, period. She’s empathetic, determined, cool as heck, and is a major inspiration to people that with hard work and a strong heart you can change your life for the better, and it’s that last bit I find is most special about her. Unlike the Mane 6 where a majority of their appeal come from their base characters and personalities (i.e: Rainbow is athletic and brash, Twilight is quirky and nerdy, Fluttershy is demure and motherly), the majority of Sunset’s appeal comes from her actions. Ask anyone and 9 times out of 10 they’ll say they like her because of her redemption arc and her relatability, serving in my eyes as the biggest writing accomplishment of G4. They took what was at that point the weakest villain by a wide margin and made her the heart and soul of EqG, and this is all from story. Her personality only serves to strengthen that story by making it more tangible to an audience, that this girl who did all of this is like you fellow nerd/gamer/artist/everyman. She’s EqG’s Luke Skywalker, its Harry Potter, its Frodo Baggins, and I love her journey as much as all of theirs despite the bumps in the road.
…This is why, more-so than any other character, I’m kind of apprehensive at Hasbro bringing her back in future generations. Say what you will about the Mane 6, but at their base level they are still unique personalities that make for a strong (if a tad stagnant in Applejack’s case) main ensemble/supporting cast, and the crew know this. The only way I can see Sunset realistically coming back is A) as a protagonist, which just isn’t going to happen in Gen 5 (at least in the main pony show), or B) as an entirely different character, which I’m open to, but it still won’t really be the same Sunset, will it? After all, would any of those other heroes be the same or as loved without their specific journeys? I know some people might see this as presumptuous, but I think it’s clear Hasbro values EqG and her specifically, and I can’t help but feel that what we got was so fundamental to how EqG evolved that is can’t really be replicated.
Darkness in Equestria
By ShadowWriter45
From what we know now, Equestria seems to have been living relative peace for a very long time; maybe having some small incidents over the years. However, seeing the Pony of Shadows take control of Stygian along with Nightmare Moon and the Nightmare Rarity comic a while back has been making me wonder if there is a great darkness in Equestria that has been hiding for 1000 years.
Where there is light, there will always be darkness; I've learned that from every show I've watched that is fantasy based. So it made me wonder has there been similar darkness in Equestria that has laid dormant or appeared over the years and taken over ponies. If it was dormant, why did it wait that long? If the Pony of Shadows was the source of all darkness then odds are when it was sent to limbo any slivers of darkness took over ponies, like Luna, or hid in order to grow in power, assuming these slivers were sentient like the Pony of Shadows.
That also begs to question if the Pony of Shadows made new slivers of darkness while it was out there before it was banished to limbo again.
