Yet somehow Rainbow Dash graduated with flying colors.

Ah, yes, nothing more amusing than Twilight freaking out.

Okay, sometimes I’m too obscure for my own good. How about this then?

With my clear lack of positivity towards Equestria Girls, and a comment from last week’s post, I have been pondering MLP’s doomsday; what is at the end of the show? Do they get to end in a multi-part blaze of musical, magical, adventurous glory, or do we simply get the “We’re not renewing for next season” announcement? What would come next?

Last week, Pharaoh-and-then-some-numbers-Chan suggested the idea that the series could possibly end or at least start to wrap up after Season 4 with Hasbro hoping for Equestria Girls to breathe a bit more life into the franchise. Considering that by the end of 4, we will have had 91 episodes, that’s a reasonable concern. But if Hasbro wants to keep this going, diametrically changing what the property is isn’t going to accomplish that. Instead, I have a few hypothetical ideas on what they could do to transition to a new series without alienating their newfound demographic with disposable income.

1. Complete Recast.

My biggest criticism of the Equestria Girls trailer has been that there’s a distinct lack of Equestria in it. The world of Friendship is Magic is one of the vital elements of its appeal. It’s well defined with a clear tone, established species and factions, character roles, rules, and enough mystery to allow for easy expansion.

Now, I like the cast of Friendship is Magic. The main characters are a fantastic group; but eventually there will be an end to the stories you can tell with them. Meanwhile, there is still untapped potential in the world itself. There are locations referenced but never explored. There are decades of characters from previous generations that could be modernized to fit this vision of the franchise. Imagine a new set of personal and moral challenges that a set of new characters might face in Manehattan, or in Canterlot itself.

From Hasbro’s perspective, this would be an excellent merchandising move. You’d still be working with the same style of character, but there would be a new set of big-name and therefore marketable characters. For us as viewers, it allows the show to continue in the same tone and world, but without the threat of running out of things to do with Twilight and company while maintaining the show’s writing, style, and structure.

2. Time Skip.

Disney direct-to-VHS movies that contain the number 2 set a pretty bad precedence for next-generation storylines, but I feel Friendship is Magic could really run with the concept. I can easily see them picking up the story after Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle reach whatever psudo-adult age the current characters are at, seeking to reach their own goals, perhaps paired with a trio of new characters to round out the numbers.

On the positive side, several continuously hanging stories could finally be resolved (perhaps even in vague ways only alluded to during the jump forward) such as the Crusaders getting their marks, Dash joining the Wonderbolts, Rarity gaining national fame, et cetera; Avatar: The Last Airbender took this route splendidly, keeping the links between eras meaningful but with enough ambiguity to maintain at least some gaps for viewer imagination.

3. Return to Legends.

The great thing about magical worlds is that they’re never short on legends: the Elements of Harmony, Starswirl the bearded, though as I mentioned some time ago, I think the most interesting one to explore more of are the sisters sun and moon. Dipping back into one of the show’s older incarnations, we hear so many stories about the exploits of Celestia and Luna, yet we never really get to see them do anything. If Hasbro/DHX wanted to do some serious lore-building, taking the perspective back thousands of years would certainly provide great context. At the very least, it could humanize the two of them quite a bit.

Oh, crap. Pun not intended. For the love of God, pun not intended.

However, as exciting as these stories might be, there is the thematic drawback. It would effectively change the tone and structure of the show. It would almost demand to be more adventure-driven than Friendship is Magic, and while I would love that to be the case, I can see Hasbro avoiding that path with vigor.

I’m not one to typically end something with “WHAT DO YOU THINK SOUND OFF IN THE COMMENTS LOL!” or “Here is an arbitrary topic outside the bounds of reality. Discuss.” but my curiosity is indeed piqued. How important is the world of Equestria to the series? Do you feel it can or should exist outside of the established characters, and would you watch a show set in the world but with focus on different characters? (And no, not different characters as in let’s give Trixie and Gilda their own show or whatever other similarly terrible idea I know some people out there legitimately want.)

SOUND OFF IN THE COMMENTS BELOW LOL
GX