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(SPOILER ALERT) MLP - Ideas for possible Season 11 comics
4 years ago
In the Season 10 comics, it turns out that five other countries have their own Elements of Harmony. But this truth was hidden for thousands of years. Unfortunately, it turns out that one nation wanted it to stay that way ... the Kingdom of Cunabula.
In Cunabula, their Elements stand for Patriotism. Thousands of years ago, they tried to do basically what Twilight's been trying to do -- spread harmony around the world. But other nations turned their elements against Cunabula. Since then, Cunabula has been trying to make sure this never happens again.
But now the ponies have unwittingly thwarted those plans. And now the "Knights ofHarmony Order" seek to destroy Equestria, along with Twilight and her fellow Element bearers. This is the ponies' most terrifying enemy yet. Since the Knights bear their own Elements, they can hijack the ponies' own Elements!
Up to now, the most malicious villains have also been the most honest about their motives. But this is completely different. These villains are as self-righteous as they are bloodthirsty. They say that what they do is right and fair. That's their concept of loving their country.
Make no mistake: These villains are not monsters altogether different from us. Many times, America has been no less despicable in its foreign policy. Many nations have exhibited this false sense of righteousness -- which is as vile as being openly evil (and in some sense worse).
As it turns out, the Elements themselves can be corrupted. The sense of fellowship needed to trigger the Elements can be highly perverted -- so long as there's a code of honor that just barely resembles what the Elements stand for.
Unfortunately, Shining Armor and his Royal Guard are once again a Redshirt Army. For Equestria's sake, why can't MLP treat him with the same dignity as his own sister and wife? Spike gets more respect than this.
Fortunately, four new nations have become friends with Equestria: Abyssinia (cats), Farasi (zebras, abadas, kelpies), Caninia (dogs), and Ornithia (birds). With their own Elements, they join Equestria with the magic of friendship ... just when Twilight and company had lost all hope.
Ironically, the Knights of Order helped bring together the very alliance they feared! Recognizing their defeat, they retreat and return to their homeland.
Given this context, I propose some ideas for Season 11, if we could help inspire Hasbro to greenlight it. In particular, I hope that these proposals include some of the proper fan service. Here are a couple possible arcs:
Return of the Knights:
The Knights of Order have lost their connection to the Elements of Patriotism. It seems their desire to hate and kill has spilled over onto their own people. Now that they're relatively weak, the Cunabulans drive the Knights out of the country. Seeking refuge, the Knights have the nerve to go to Equestria and ask Twilight for help. Unfortunately for them, there is only one place in Equestria where they're welcome ... and Shining Armor and his Royal Guard are itching for payback! (Twilight and Cadance have also had enough!)
Camp Harmony:
Back in "Season 10", the Knights of Order accidentally offered one good word of advice: Make sure you pass on the Elements to new generations -- and carefully train them from an early age. In this spirit, Starlight Glimmer starts a new program: Camp Harmony! She divides the students up into six camps: one for each Element.
Each of the Student 6 is put in charge of one camp: Smolder for Loyalty, Sandbar for Magic, Gallus for Generosity, Ocellus for Kindness, Silverstream for Laughter, and Yona for Honesty. In addition, there are six new students, which we call the "Younger 6" -- to be mentored by each of the Student 6: a zebra (Sandbar), an abada (Ocellus), a kelpie (Siverstream), a dog (Yona), a cat (Smolder), and a bird (Gallus).
Dividing students into camps, to help each specialize in one Element, looked good on paper ... but is it a recipe for divisiveness rather than harmony?
A Trip to Tartarus:
In the depths of Tartarus, Twilight and Spike visit the Knights of Order. They get to know the Knights a lot better. Twilight and Spike wish they could feel bad for the Knights ... but these monsters tried to destroy innocent peoples who showed nothing but peaceful intentions. Is it too late for the Knights to change their ways?
Twilight plans to spend 40 days and nights in Tartarus, on her pilgrimage to redeem the sixth set of Elements. Meanwhile, Shining Armor tries to substitute for Twilight as the Element of Magic. Moreover, he wishes he and the Royal Guard could finally be a great force for friendship. Where have they gone wrong! he cries.
Armor's cutie mark glows, leading him to the Canterlot Castle. According to the Cutie Map, there must be some sort of friendship problem ... . In addition, the Cutie Map reveals some new far-flung locations ... with the Knights' faces / cutie marks hovering above Cunabula -- plus one other nation.
Dogs and Cats:
The Student 6 are already attached to the Younger 6. Smolder adores her little kitty, and Yona adores her little dog. They have been assigned to help dogs and cats get along -- starting with their own little students. But will rivalry between Smolder and Yona get in the way? Are yaks best? Or are dragons best? (As earlier established, yaks and dragons have their own deep-seated history of bitter rivalry, themselves.)
Meanwhile, King Capper and Queen Katherina are not getting along. It all starts when they come to visit their little students. It feels a bit like a mom and dad fighting. Capper and Katherina are arguing over land rights to sites with valuable commodities or artifacts.
The Younger 6:
This story goes in depth into each of the Younger 6's characters. One topic of focus is their races' historical conflicts over valuable goods and artifacts. Is friendship truly the most precious treasure of all -- something that can be sold but never bought?
Grogar's Bell Revisited:
Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow have broken out of their rocky prison. (But they fashion a substitute to take its place.) They want to steal Grogar's bell again. Meanwhile, a young psychologist (Dr. Sigma) discovers Cozy Glow -- recognizing her as the midget adult (whom he calls a "false filly") who escaped from the Manehattan Asylum. Sigma catches Cozy, but Chrysalis and Tirek stop him.
To get out of trouble, he agrees to be their partner in crime -- selling his assets as a psychologist who can manipulate the gullible. This is how he learns about the Mean 3's conspiracy. Secretly, he plans to swindle the bell for himself and return it to Twilight.
At the same time, Sigma must battle his own mental problems. Deep inside, he believes the world is a madhouse -- and that the insane are running the asylum. He wants things to be logical and orderly for once in his life.
Refugee Crisis:
Unfamiliar races of creatures have arrived in Equestria and its allied nations. Some of them are Cunabulans. Others include Cuniculans (rabbits), Seafarians (seahorses and friends), Llamalpacans (llamas and alpacas), and more. Equestria's allies feel kind of hostile and suspicious toward the new immigrants. Equestria itself is not feeling as trusting of immigrants lately, since the trauma inflicted by Cunabula. But the Cutie Map is calling all nations (Equestria and allies) -- calling all leaders to where they are now.
After the Knights were ousted, six factions erupted, fighting for control of Cunabula. Finally, one prevailed -- led by a female named "Naponeon Blownaparte". Playing to her people's hate and fear of outsiders, she advocates a massive world war to make the world safe for Cunabula once and for all! To this end, Naponeon has recruited six kind and trusting children as her special students. They will be the new bearers of the Elements of Patriotism. Naive and uninformed, their friendship is to be used as a weapon against them -- and everyone else! (In fact, she is drafting many children into her own army!)
The Naponeonic Wars have ravaged multiple innocent nations. These refugees just barely escaped. With the assurance of the Cutie Map, Twilight and company start to trust the immigrants' stories. With greater difficulty, so do the rest of the leaders of the rest of the nations. Still, trust issues remain as to whether the immigrants truly belong in the new cultures where they're visiting.
With the assurance of the Cutie Map, Twilight finally releases the Knights of Order from Tartarus. However, they now wear special collars that nullify their magic -- known as Abyssinian Collars! Twilight wants the Knights to see the suffering of their own people with their own eyes -- including children. The traumatized children have become special students for Starlight, Cadance, and Luna. Will the Knights agree that they need the School of Friendship, too ... for how they and their ancestors were scarred?
The Friendship Guard:
Shining Armor and his Royal Guard are attending the School of Friendship. They have flooded the auditoriums beyond capacity. Can the Student 6 demonstrate how to be the toughest of friends? Gallus's character receives far more exploration -- prefiguring the time he will eventually become a Royal Guard.
Sandbar's Story:
Sandbar is finally explored in depth as a character -- and he gets to exhibit how he got his cutie mark! Special guests include Sea Swirl, Princess Skystar, and some of the Seafarian immigrants. Oh -- and his little zebra friend is coming along (along with Silverstream's kelpie friend)!
Counselor Discord:
The School of Friendship has another new student: Prince Blueblood! Meanwhile, Trixie the counselor has recruited a new partner to help her: Discord! (Starlight figures it's just as well that Discord be included in that manner.) Blueblood becomes Trixie's special student ... perhaps a little too special. And could both Starlight and Discord be secretly feeling a little jealous?
King Capper:
Summoned by the Cutie Map, Spike and Rarity go to Abyssinia. After the previous cat king was deposed, the Abyssinians declared Capper their new king. Unfortunately, Capper has been abusing his power to tax -- in order to collect valuable collectibles without him thinking it's stealing. Spike and Rarity must resist the temptation to receive Capper's gifts. Might some of these valuable collectibles have a curse that goes to the collectors' heads? And could Panthera, the capital city, survive an assault by a giant greedy dragon plus his unicorn herald?
Element of Spike:
Starlight's Camp Harmony seems to be working. Some of the other students are already showing some control over the Elements of Harmony. And so is Spike. In fact, Spike is glowing his own special color!
Apple vs. Dash
A bitter rivalry has erupted once again between Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Can RD and AJ show that two people can sometimes be bitter rivals -- yet the best of friends? The young dog and the young cat are counting on it -- along with Yona and Smolder. It is yet another field trip ... and Yona will not be caught dead near the water!
War of the Friendships:
Twilight decides that it is time to act against Naponeon. If Naponeon spreads her wars much further, she may be much harder to defeat than the Knights of Order were. All hands and hooves must be on deck.
There's one problem ... Capper and Katherina still aren't getting along. And neither are most of their company. Given this bitter rivalry, the dogs' and cats' Elements might still work -- but not to proper capacity. This breaks the Younger 6's hearts. It really is just like a mom and dad fighting, seemingly on the verge of divorce. Will Katherina and Capper finally declare war against each other ... or will their love for their loved ones snap them back to their senses?
Can the changelings be as powerful an army as they used to be -- but this time stunning their enemies with kindness? Can dragons and yaks let themselves loose without adding to the war crimes? Can Mount Aris / Seaquestria form an effective alliance with Seafaria? Do cats and dogs mix with rabbits? Do ponies mix with llamas and alpacas? Can Shining Armor and his Royal Guard finally be the force for friendship that he'd always dreamed of?
If some rogue soldiers commit war crimes, how do we make up for it? Can a system be designed so that this evil almost never happens? Can the Princess of Friendship, herself, avoid the temptation to do the equivalent of a nuclear bomb?
As the conflict heats up, so does the hostility toward everyone in Naponeon's army -- including the children, making 60% of the army! Twilight, with some insight from Thorax and Ocellus, perceives that most of these children must be victims of war -- just like most of the changelings under Queen Chrysalis. But how can Twilight convey this message to her foreign allies? Is it even possible for her to avoid destroying innocent children? Or is the situation really that desperate?
The Knights of Order beg to be unleashed from their Abyssinian collars. They believe they have the answer! They must find the New Knights bearing their old Elements. As long as it's friendship versus friendship, it could remain a massive and destructive stalemate. That seems to be what's happening.
When the old Knights are released, they are suddenly back in touch with their own Elements. Twilight grows pale with fear ... fearing the worst. But the Knights hug her instead. Twilight feels the warmth of their friendship. She now knows that the old Knights are her new friends!
Can these indoctrinated children, the New Knights, be snapped out of it? Will they be horrified by what they've done? Or will they ignore the epiphany? (If they ignore the epiphany, then at least the magic of friendship will no longer be with them.) How do the old Knights even find these New Knights, anyway? Can their Elements lead the way ... and might their own home have its own "cutie map"?
Mad with Sanity:
Now that the Friendship War is over, there's just one more problem to deal with ... Dr. Sigma successfully ran off with Grogar's bell. And he has trapped the Mean 3 in their own nightmares. Sigma intended to return it to Twilight, but he decided to keep the powers for safekeeping while in transit. Unfortunately, these powers have unleashed his deepest, darkest thoughts. Taking the persona of a mad scientist, "Warden Sigma" may be the scariest "guaridan of order" the world has known. He isn't very physically dangerous -- but he could easily break people's minds.
Can the Younger Six enter Sigma's own mind ... and give him a special daydream to ease his troubled mind? Friendship is, indeed, messy. But when it finally gets to work its magic, it is the most precious treasure of all! Sigma knows how to diagnose himself ... but it seems he doesn't know the treatment.
Can Grogar's bell finally be destroyed? And can a stallion become an alicorn?
In Cunabula, their Elements stand for Patriotism. Thousands of years ago, they tried to do basically what Twilight's been trying to do -- spread harmony around the world. But other nations turned their elements against Cunabula. Since then, Cunabula has been trying to make sure this never happens again.
But now the ponies have unwittingly thwarted those plans. And now the "Knights of
Up to now, the most malicious villains have also been the most honest about their motives. But this is completely different. These villains are as self-righteous as they are bloodthirsty. They say that what they do is right and fair. That's their concept of loving their country.
Make no mistake: These villains are not monsters altogether different from us. Many times, America has been no less despicable in its foreign policy. Many nations have exhibited this false sense of righteousness -- which is as vile as being openly evil (and in some sense worse).
As it turns out, the Elements themselves can be corrupted. The sense of fellowship needed to trigger the Elements can be highly perverted -- so long as there's a code of honor that just barely resembles what the Elements stand for.
Unfortunately, Shining Armor and his Royal Guard are once again a Redshirt Army. For Equestria's sake, why can't MLP treat him with the same dignity as his own sister and wife? Spike gets more respect than this.
Fortunately, four new nations have become friends with Equestria: Abyssinia (cats), Farasi (zebras, abadas, kelpies), Caninia (dogs), and Ornithia (birds). With their own Elements, they join Equestria with the magic of friendship ... just when Twilight and company had lost all hope.
Ironically, the Knights of Order helped bring together the very alliance they feared! Recognizing their defeat, they retreat and return to their homeland.
Given this context, I propose some ideas for Season 11, if we could help inspire Hasbro to greenlight it. In particular, I hope that these proposals include some of the proper fan service. Here are a couple possible arcs:
Return of the Knights:
The Knights of Order have lost their connection to the Elements of Patriotism. It seems their desire to hate and kill has spilled over onto their own people. Now that they're relatively weak, the Cunabulans drive the Knights out of the country. Seeking refuge, the Knights have the nerve to go to Equestria and ask Twilight for help. Unfortunately for them, there is only one place in Equestria where they're welcome ... and Shining Armor and his Royal Guard are itching for payback! (Twilight and Cadance have also had enough!)
Camp Harmony:
Back in "Season 10", the Knights of Order accidentally offered one good word of advice: Make sure you pass on the Elements to new generations -- and carefully train them from an early age. In this spirit, Starlight Glimmer starts a new program: Camp Harmony! She divides the students up into six camps: one for each Element.
Each of the Student 6 is put in charge of one camp: Smolder for Loyalty, Sandbar for Magic, Gallus for Generosity, Ocellus for Kindness, Silverstream for Laughter, and Yona for Honesty. In addition, there are six new students, which we call the "Younger 6" -- to be mentored by each of the Student 6: a zebra (Sandbar), an abada (Ocellus), a kelpie (Siverstream), a dog (Yona), a cat (Smolder), and a bird (Gallus).
Dividing students into camps, to help each specialize in one Element, looked good on paper ... but is it a recipe for divisiveness rather than harmony?
A Trip to Tartarus:
In the depths of Tartarus, Twilight and Spike visit the Knights of Order. They get to know the Knights a lot better. Twilight and Spike wish they could feel bad for the Knights ... but these monsters tried to destroy innocent peoples who showed nothing but peaceful intentions. Is it too late for the Knights to change their ways?
Twilight plans to spend 40 days and nights in Tartarus, on her pilgrimage to redeem the sixth set of Elements. Meanwhile, Shining Armor tries to substitute for Twilight as the Element of Magic. Moreover, he wishes he and the Royal Guard could finally be a great force for friendship. Where have they gone wrong! he cries.
Armor's cutie mark glows, leading him to the Canterlot Castle. According to the Cutie Map, there must be some sort of friendship problem ... . In addition, the Cutie Map reveals some new far-flung locations ... with the Knights' faces / cutie marks hovering above Cunabula -- plus one other nation.
Dogs and Cats:
The Student 6 are already attached to the Younger 6. Smolder adores her little kitty, and Yona adores her little dog. They have been assigned to help dogs and cats get along -- starting with their own little students. But will rivalry between Smolder and Yona get in the way? Are yaks best? Or are dragons best? (As earlier established, yaks and dragons have their own deep-seated history of bitter rivalry, themselves.)
Meanwhile, King Capper and Queen Katherina are not getting along. It all starts when they come to visit their little students. It feels a bit like a mom and dad fighting. Capper and Katherina are arguing over land rights to sites with valuable commodities or artifacts.
The Younger 6:
This story goes in depth into each of the Younger 6's characters. One topic of focus is their races' historical conflicts over valuable goods and artifacts. Is friendship truly the most precious treasure of all -- something that can be sold but never bought?
Grogar's Bell Revisited:
Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow have broken out of their rocky prison. (But they fashion a substitute to take its place.) They want to steal Grogar's bell again. Meanwhile, a young psychologist (Dr. Sigma) discovers Cozy Glow -- recognizing her as the midget adult (whom he calls a "false filly") who escaped from the Manehattan Asylum. Sigma catches Cozy, but Chrysalis and Tirek stop him.
To get out of trouble, he agrees to be their partner in crime -- selling his assets as a psychologist who can manipulate the gullible. This is how he learns about the Mean 3's conspiracy. Secretly, he plans to swindle the bell for himself and return it to Twilight.
At the same time, Sigma must battle his own mental problems. Deep inside, he believes the world is a madhouse -- and that the insane are running the asylum. He wants things to be logical and orderly for once in his life.
Refugee Crisis:
Unfamiliar races of creatures have arrived in Equestria and its allied nations. Some of them are Cunabulans. Others include Cuniculans (rabbits), Seafarians (seahorses and friends), Llamalpacans (llamas and alpacas), and more. Equestria's allies feel kind of hostile and suspicious toward the new immigrants. Equestria itself is not feeling as trusting of immigrants lately, since the trauma inflicted by Cunabula. But the Cutie Map is calling all nations (Equestria and allies) -- calling all leaders to where they are now.
After the Knights were ousted, six factions erupted, fighting for control of Cunabula. Finally, one prevailed -- led by a female named "Naponeon Blownaparte". Playing to her people's hate and fear of outsiders, she advocates a massive world war to make the world safe for Cunabula once and for all! To this end, Naponeon has recruited six kind and trusting children as her special students. They will be the new bearers of the Elements of Patriotism. Naive and uninformed, their friendship is to be used as a weapon against them -- and everyone else! (In fact, she is drafting many children into her own army!)
The Naponeonic Wars have ravaged multiple innocent nations. These refugees just barely escaped. With the assurance of the Cutie Map, Twilight and company start to trust the immigrants' stories. With greater difficulty, so do the rest of the leaders of the rest of the nations. Still, trust issues remain as to whether the immigrants truly belong in the new cultures where they're visiting.
With the assurance of the Cutie Map, Twilight finally releases the Knights of Order from Tartarus. However, they now wear special collars that nullify their magic -- known as Abyssinian Collars! Twilight wants the Knights to see the suffering of their own people with their own eyes -- including children. The traumatized children have become special students for Starlight, Cadance, and Luna. Will the Knights agree that they need the School of Friendship, too ... for how they and their ancestors were scarred?
The Friendship Guard:
Shining Armor and his Royal Guard are attending the School of Friendship. They have flooded the auditoriums beyond capacity. Can the Student 6 demonstrate how to be the toughest of friends? Gallus's character receives far more exploration -- prefiguring the time he will eventually become a Royal Guard.
Sandbar's Story:
Sandbar is finally explored in depth as a character -- and he gets to exhibit how he got his cutie mark! Special guests include Sea Swirl, Princess Skystar, and some of the Seafarian immigrants. Oh -- and his little zebra friend is coming along (along with Silverstream's kelpie friend)!
Counselor Discord:
The School of Friendship has another new student: Prince Blueblood! Meanwhile, Trixie the counselor has recruited a new partner to help her: Discord! (Starlight figures it's just as well that Discord be included in that manner.) Blueblood becomes Trixie's special student ... perhaps a little too special. And could both Starlight and Discord be secretly feeling a little jealous?
King Capper:
Summoned by the Cutie Map, Spike and Rarity go to Abyssinia. After the previous cat king was deposed, the Abyssinians declared Capper their new king. Unfortunately, Capper has been abusing his power to tax -- in order to collect valuable collectibles without him thinking it's stealing. Spike and Rarity must resist the temptation to receive Capper's gifts. Might some of these valuable collectibles have a curse that goes to the collectors' heads? And could Panthera, the capital city, survive an assault by a giant greedy dragon plus his unicorn herald?
Element of Spike:
Starlight's Camp Harmony seems to be working. Some of the other students are already showing some control over the Elements of Harmony. And so is Spike. In fact, Spike is glowing his own special color!
Apple vs. Dash
A bitter rivalry has erupted once again between Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Can RD and AJ show that two people can sometimes be bitter rivals -- yet the best of friends? The young dog and the young cat are counting on it -- along with Yona and Smolder. It is yet another field trip ... and Yona will not be caught dead near the water!
War of the Friendships:
Twilight decides that it is time to act against Naponeon. If Naponeon spreads her wars much further, she may be much harder to defeat than the Knights of Order were. All hands and hooves must be on deck.
There's one problem ... Capper and Katherina still aren't getting along. And neither are most of their company. Given this bitter rivalry, the dogs' and cats' Elements might still work -- but not to proper capacity. This breaks the Younger 6's hearts. It really is just like a mom and dad fighting, seemingly on the verge of divorce. Will Katherina and Capper finally declare war against each other ... or will their love for their loved ones snap them back to their senses?
Can the changelings be as powerful an army as they used to be -- but this time stunning their enemies with kindness? Can dragons and yaks let themselves loose without adding to the war crimes? Can Mount Aris / Seaquestria form an effective alliance with Seafaria? Do cats and dogs mix with rabbits? Do ponies mix with llamas and alpacas? Can Shining Armor and his Royal Guard finally be the force for friendship that he'd always dreamed of?
If some rogue soldiers commit war crimes, how do we make up for it? Can a system be designed so that this evil almost never happens? Can the Princess of Friendship, herself, avoid the temptation to do the equivalent of a nuclear bomb?
As the conflict heats up, so does the hostility toward everyone in Naponeon's army -- including the children, making 60% of the army! Twilight, with some insight from Thorax and Ocellus, perceives that most of these children must be victims of war -- just like most of the changelings under Queen Chrysalis. But how can Twilight convey this message to her foreign allies? Is it even possible for her to avoid destroying innocent children? Or is the situation really that desperate?
The Knights of Order beg to be unleashed from their Abyssinian collars. They believe they have the answer! They must find the New Knights bearing their old Elements. As long as it's friendship versus friendship, it could remain a massive and destructive stalemate. That seems to be what's happening.
When the old Knights are released, they are suddenly back in touch with their own Elements. Twilight grows pale with fear ... fearing the worst. But the Knights hug her instead. Twilight feels the warmth of their friendship. She now knows that the old Knights are her new friends!
Can these indoctrinated children, the New Knights, be snapped out of it? Will they be horrified by what they've done? Or will they ignore the epiphany? (If they ignore the epiphany, then at least the magic of friendship will no longer be with them.) How do the old Knights even find these New Knights, anyway? Can their Elements lead the way ... and might their own home have its own "cutie map"?
Mad with Sanity:
Now that the Friendship War is over, there's just one more problem to deal with ... Dr. Sigma successfully ran off with Grogar's bell. And he has trapped the Mean 3 in their own nightmares. Sigma intended to return it to Twilight, but he decided to keep the powers for safekeeping while in transit. Unfortunately, these powers have unleashed his deepest, darkest thoughts. Taking the persona of a mad scientist, "Warden Sigma" may be the scariest "guaridan of order" the world has known. He isn't very physically dangerous -- but he could easily break people's minds.
Can the Younger Six enter Sigma's own mind ... and give him a special daydream to ease his troubled mind? Friendship is, indeed, messy. But when it finally gets to work its magic, it is the most precious treasure of all! Sigma knows how to diagnose himself ... but it seems he doesn't know the treatment.
Can Grogar's bell finally be destroyed? And can a stallion become an alicorn?
