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:
- MLP Crossover Idea: The Dark Crystal
- What if the Student Six get NEW elements?
- Ways Father Knows Beast coulda been better
- Fiendship is Magic 2.0?
- Twilight's Princess Coronation Vs Ruler of Equestria Coronation
Get the articles below!
MLP Crossover Idea: The Dark Crystal
By Double C
It was fun to finally see a Transformers and My Little Pony crossover since they are both Hasbro’s most popular toy line since the 1980s. It seems IDW is interested in more crossovers as part of their MLP crossover series. There is one idea that IDW can do a crossover and that is the Dark Crystal. The Dark Crystal is among my favorite movies when I was growing up and happy it returns in its prequel The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Despite being dark for a kid’s film, the Dark Crystal has many things that can fit either in the season 10 or in a separate addition.
The most important one is the two separate species, the cruel Skeksis and the gentle urRu/Mystics. In my opinion the Skeksis fit well as MLP villains since many of the Mane 6 biggest foes have parasite abilities. Though different, Chrysalis feeds on love and Tirek steels magic in order to become stronger and rule Equestria with terrible intentions. The Skeksis would take evil to a whole new level by burning everything in their path and drain any living things of their essence to keep themselves strong while maniacally laughing. Although they are called the Lords of the Crystals but to me they are the Lords of Madness. Unknown which ones will appear but hopefully two fan favorite will appear, the Chamberlain skekSil and the Garthim-Master/Emperor skekUng. The Mystics are the total opposites too their counter parts since they were once one being before the crystal cracked. They would teach the Mane 6, Spike, and others of improving on their skills with new methods and ideas.
The purpose of a MLP and Dark Crystal crossover is the balance of good and evil and possible origin of Spike. In the film, the Skeksis wiped out all the Gelfling except for Jen and Kira since it would be a gelfling that end Skeksis rule. Sunset calls Spike a "magic burping dragons" which may have originated from the land of Thra but were drain of their essence by the Skeksis. They were wiped out because dragons have a longer life span to keep themselves alive and that one would end their tyrannical rule but Spike’s egg was spared. At first Spike wanted nothing but revenge but changed thanks to his friends, the Mystics, and love interest. He would learn that neither good nor evil can survive without the other and leads to nothing but true chaos. This would be a journey for Spike to discover about his past that can help him make a better future that his mother wanted him to do. Spike would obtain the shard and reunite it with the Dark Crystal to bring order back to Thra and the Skeksis and Mystics becoming one again.
What if the Student Six get NEW elements?
One bit of MLP lore that seems to have been forgotten is that the Pillars didn’t have Elements: They had Virtues, which were different from the Elements but still ideal traits in their time.
If the Student Six were to someday have the Elements of Harmony passed onto them, I think it would be limiting to lump each of the kids into the existing archetypes. These six are their own characters, distinct from the Mane Six. As such, they deserve new Elements that embody them.
Sandbar would have Peace. His mellow personality, innocence, and open heart makes him almost incorruptible.
Gallus would have Trust. Despite coming from a culture built on greed and backstabbing, he’s by and large the most dependable of the group, so much so that he became a high-ranking royal guard.
Ocelus would have Change. She and the rest of her kind revolutionized their culture by embracing friendship, changing themselves for a better way, and are all the happier for it.
Silverstream would have Discovery. Her sense of wonder and open mind means every new experience is one to be enjoyed and treasured.
Smolder would have Pride. It’s not a bad thing to be proud of yourself and your ilk, because it means you have the desire to defend it, and you have the confidence to weather all challenges.
Yona would have Passion. She puts her all into everything she does. A little extra effort can turn a good thing into a great thing.
I’m surprised more people haven’t thought of this.
Ways Father Knows Beast coulda been better
By: FlareGun45
So we know that Spike doesn't really need to know his familial origins because of the fact that Spike's family is the Sparkles, that's what Father Knows Beast was mainly about, and I agree with that moral - but the overall execution of the episode is what I didn't like about it. It was the typical, "dragon pretends to be the long-lost dad of an orphan because he wants something from him". Here's a few options that coulda made this episode better:
1. Replace the Remane Five with the Sparkle family. There didn't seem to be enough of a setup for Twilight to deserve to be Spike's family, and we don't see his relationship with the other Sparkles until Sparkle's Seven. Hell, he wasn't even part of the vacation in Once Upon A Zeppelin, which still pisses me off to this day! But we coulda used that to his advantage, a dragon shows up to pretend to be his dad, but that's mainly because he feels like the Sparkles don't seem to see him as family, since he's a dragon and not blood-related, which gives him more motivation to want to know who his blood-relatives are. The Sparkles at first would help him with Sludge, showing how much they care, and then the Sparkles would see how bad this dragon treats him, and therefore they'd stand up to Sludge to defend their family member.
2. Make Sludge a better "dad". So of course he isn't Spike's real dad, but it's a dragon that never had the chance to have a family cause he's and outsider to other dragons, and therefore found an orphaned dragon to fill the void. He's the nicest guy Spike would ever meet that seems to treat him better than Twilight ever could, which makes Twilight feel like she's taken Spike for granted in the past, and in ways, she kinda did. Feels like a repeat of Dragon Dropped, but from Twilight's perspective. Twilight would promise Spike to treat him better, and the dragon would reveal his true intentions, but Spike would accept him anyway.
3. A more satisfying conclusion. In this option, the episode plays out the same, only difference is: ALL of Spike's friends (yes, ALL of them) join up together to show how much they appreciate him and that they all see him as family and give him a party, and in the party, a captured Sludge as a pinata/pin the tail on the dragon/forced laborer would be there to get his just desserts, so he wouldn't just get away with what he did to Spike! His moment with Twilight in the original ending was touching, but it felt anti-climatic, felt like there shoulda been more there.
So what do y'think of these options? What would you change in Father Knows Beast to make it better, but still keep the same moral?
Twilight's Princess Coronation Vs Ruler of Equestria Coronation
By: LadyInWhite
I love Twilight Sparkle. She has been my favorite pony since Season 01 Episode 01. When she became a Princess and got her wings I was thrilled. It seemed like a natural progression for her to me. Her coronation was “some shindig” as Minuette says later. The rest of the main 6 got their own unique outfits and even Celestia and Luna got all dressed up going so far as to wear completely different crowns to their usual. There was even a parade through Canterlot where she starts off on her own carriage before joining her friends. Becoming only the second known Made-Alicorn in Equestrian history was an impressive accomplishment (diminished only because Cadance did it first, by accident) and her coronation was appropriately spectacular so imagine my disappointment when her Ruler of Equestria Coronation was not.
Making her coronation a disaster was only detrimental to the accomplishment of becoming the one true ruler of a nation of who knows how many ponies and later other creatures. For over 1000 years Celestia (and a few years Luna) has ruled the land and with Twilight taking over you'd think the coronation could have gone better. Or was at least as epic as her Princess Coronation. Noone except Twilight got dressed up. Her friends didn't even get to stand next to or behind her they were relegated to the tables in the audience despite supposedly ruling together. I felt that was such a strange move. Sure we saw practically every character to ever appear on the show in the audience but still. The preparations make it seem like it's going to be a huge deal but it didn't seem like it to me. At least not in comparison to the Princess Coronation. I know the Coronation wasn't the focus of The Last Problem but I expected better.
What do you all think about this? Were both coronations good enough for you or did you expect more and how would you have improved upon it? Let me know in comments!
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Fiendship is Magic 2.0?
By: Toad256
Haha Fools!
I’m not talking about the villains, unless you think the Student Six as villains, but no I’m suggesting a mini comic series about them. Like Fiendship talk about villain backstory, this one for their backstory, more specifically before the School of Friendship. Who’s to say most of them had a terrible life before the school. Some of them might have great friends and family. Let’s get to the first one.
Wow. I’m a jerk. Just talk about some of them having friends and family and the first one is Gallus, the one with neither. Look it’s obvious he didn’t have the best life, but it doesn’t mean he didn’t enjoy his time and experience at Griffonstone. We see some of his skills in Uprooted(he might have conned some griffons for enjoyment, not necessity) and just so you know, in School Daze, Gallus' first reaction to the school was disgust, an attitude of not caring.
Smolder, the one of the boys type of gals with Garble and her other dragon buddies. It was her original group of friends. It would be great to see their dynamics of a group. And the personal one and one with Garble and a thought from Sweet and Smoky, maybe Garble was the one to introduce Smolder to the cute and girly stuff.
For Silverstream, it would be emotional for her and the rest of the kingdom hiding from the Storm King’s forces. Since she is technically royal, it would have been worse for her. The thought of trying to sleep, even though the Storm King’s forces might find them and attack them.
From The Hearth’s Warming Club, a more detailed look into Yona's personal Snilldar Fest. A look into the yak family structure. It would be a proud moment for Yona yak to finally get her hair braids.
It’s obvious for Sandbar’s story. It would be the tale of how he got his cutie mark. His mark is three sea turtles. So something involved him with the ocean. Who else was involved with his cutie mark story. I’m reminded of Sapphire Shores. The fashion pony who’s favorite animal is a dolphin. She might be involved with Sandbar’s tale.
Last one is Ocellus.(I didn’t forget her this time) With her I think of a story of her two worlds. Her life growing up during Chrysalis rule of training for stealth, tactics, and combat. And during Thorax’s rule where she learned about peace and meditation and so many other things the changelings never thought of.
What do you think of this mini issue idea and bonus question. What do you think were the Student Six reactions when they were told that they were going to a school of friendship?
