As revealed a while ago, soapboxes will now happen once we get enough submissions for it. Send them whenever, but also expect them whenever!
If you'd like to submit one, hit this post up.
This time around, your headlines include:
- Derpy Hooves: The Element of Altruism
- Starlight Learning from Mayor Mare?
- Yaks: A Threat?
- How SoarinDash can Work
Get the articles below!
Derpy Hooves: The Element of Altruism
By TheUnshakenVA
The dictionary defines altruism as the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others.
If you're paying attention, it's easy to see this mare's story told in the background of MLP:FiM. She lost her vision and can't fly gracefully at all, but she still uses what sight she has to put others first, and make others smile. If it wasn't for Derpy, Equestria would have been under the rule of the Storm King. But she put herself in harm's way, to help Twilight escape. This is why I believe that Derpy Hooves is the Element of Altruism.
We see her eyes slowly part ways in the flashback scenes of "Parental Glideance". In "Where the Apple Lies", we see her in the hospital as a filly, with a blindfold over her eyes. Put 2 and 2 together and you have some pretty grim implications.
So how can a mare who has lost something so vital, something that put her ahead of Rainbow Dash as a filly, still be so joyful and happy?
The answer: She puts others first. This mare, in almost every cameo we've seen, even in Slice of Life, was helping someone out with some menial task, or putting somepony else before her. That's what makes Ms. Hooves the Element of Altruism.
Starlight Learning from Mayor Mare?
By Alexrioponylover95
Hello everycreature!
So rereading issues #46 and 47 of the main FiM comic series, a thought came to me… Starlight could have learned a thing or two from the mayor of Ponyville, Mayor Mare. I know it’s rather weird and well unusual, but hear me out!
Pre-reformed Starlight had her, well… communist style leadership of her old village and we all know how that turned out when the Mane 6 came… And when Starlight was reformed, she became Twilight’s personal student, learning a better way.
However I would like to explore a possible and different path for Starlight…
Lets say that instead of learning friendship from Twilight, the ponies in Starlight’s old village (Also, did we get a name for that village yet!?) decided to give Starlight another chance at leadership, of course Starlight not knowing how to do so, much less start. Twilight could then suggest that Starlight should see Mayor Mare, who was mayor even before Twilight came to Ponyville, from Canterlot, under orders from Celestia. Mayor Mare would then advise Starlight on how to lead her old village and well after some time Starlight would return with the lessons she learned from Mayor Mare.
Now the reason why I think this is because of lines that Mayor Mare has in issues #46 and 47, lines like, “Sometimes, all we can do is fix things and make sure it doesn’t happen again!”, “Elected officials can do a lot, but we’re not miracle workers!”, and “A mayor doesn’t just make promises! Because we can’t make every promise come true!”. These are lessons that Starlight could in fact take to heart in making her town better than well what it was before.
Now I actually did enjoy Starlight’s reformation and well becoming Twilight’s personal student was the best path for her, but I would have liked to see a possible alternate route for Starlight. And well, to me, this would be the most likely and best path for Starlight, if things played out differently of course. But of course my idea could very well be too far-fetched and unlikely!!!!!! What do y’ll think!?
Yaks: A Threat?
By: Toad256
The Yaks. I think this is the last kingdom to talk about. Usually I talk about the leaders, but this is different cause I can’t find things good about Prince Rutherford. I’m gonna see if the Yaks are still a threat?
It starts off in the episode “Party Pooped” where we learn that Yakyakistan closed their border to Equestria for hundreds of moons. We don’t know the reason for it, but I’ll make a guess that it was a war that the Yaks lost.
A war could have happened sometime after Celestia banished Luna to the moon. Reasons because of the loss of an important leader which can cause strife in Equestra. The other one being the Crystal Empire disappearance by Sombra. Without the Crystal Empire and possible inner strife in Equestria. It would be the perfect time for the yaks to invade.
Obviously if it happened the Yaks lost in the end somehow and they closed their borders to Equestria as a result. Now are the Yaks a threat? I would say no. They can make their open threats, but with the Crystal Empire as a buffer state it would be hard for them to invade Equestria.
How SoarinDash can Work
By Double C
Beside Twilight and Flash, Rainbow Dash and Soarin is my second favorite ship and hopefully seeing it in season 10. For years there had been many ship teasing between them since they are both excellent flyers which is why they are both Wonderbolts. They also like to relax when they get the opportunity and like to help their friends and team mates out. The only difference is that Soarin can be serious when he needs to be unlike Rainbow who can be reckless at times. In all, Soarin and Rainbow are ideal for each other with Soarin teaching her not to go overboard like her pranks while Rainbow teaching him to have self-confidents in himself. Even though the show is over, IDW can continue to show their relationship going from friendship to romance.
Now you guys have said that fan made ships will never happen, well how do you explain LyraBon and CheesePie being fan made and became cannon later? There was even some of the MLP show writers who like the pairing and one of them put that picture of Rainbow dancing with Soarin in the episode "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2" because of how much they liked that pairing. There is also Friends Forever Issue 36 where it showed many interactions between them like when Soarin saves Rainbow and they sat next to each other to watch the sun rise.
An interesting thing for them to be in is inspired by some fan art that I saw on deviantart that involves Zephyr Breeze. We all know Rainbow doesn’t like Zephyr but he still hits on her despite rejecting him over and over again. Not like seeing Zephyr bothering her constantly, Soarin would give him a good lecture in a calm yet serious tone that Rainbow is not interested in him and she already has a boyfriend. Either he will try to compete against him or stand down will be up to IDW but we will know Zephyr will let Rainbow go and move on while still being friends.
A good moment for the two is when they go to sporting events and Daring Do conventions on their days off. At either one, they would run into Quibble Pants, Clear Sky, and Wind Sprint during their family time. Wind would be happy to see Rainbow again and also seeing Soarin who is also among her favorite Wonderbolts but surprised to find out they are dating. They would all hang out and enjoy a good time with Quibble and Clear giving Rainbow and Soarin tips on how they can keep their relationship going.
Like FlashLight, SoarinDash should be given a chance by IDW in the season 10 comics. While the show may have wanted to develop their relationships but had rules but the comics won’t have so many. Many would say that AppleDash is cannon but Jim Miller states that it was up to the fans. So there is a chance that Rainbow and Soarin is still sailing.
