A cult in MLP?

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

Holy smoke! It's a pony Vinnytsia! In 1959, the United States Government reported that the Soviet Union had built a school for training KGB infiltrators in how to live in the United States in Vinnytsia. A mock-up of an entire American small town was built, complete with American-style stores, movie theater, houses, restaurants, American vehicles, and a small college campus that served as the classrooms of the school.

 

Those ponies represent an invasion force being trained to blend into pony society!

 

Or it's "Invasion of the Pony Snatchers" and they are "Pod Ponies"! Either way, Princess Twilight must stop the Red Menace!

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,090]

Those ponies represent an invasion force being trained to blend into pony society!

 

Great post over all, but this part made me think... maybe it's a bunch of Changelings practicing to blend into pony society?

 

Though from the looks of it, they might be a little too creepy to pull it off.

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

Everyone is equal you say? WELL COMRADE, TODAY IS OF MUCH GOOD, WE MUST OF INNINGS OF COMMUNISM!

haha nah. The social issues around large scale communism and collectivism is a wee bit outside the grasp of FiM. This episode will most likely cover primary school level "conformity" and how it is ok to be yourself, and not everyone is going to be the same.

 

either that or they are going to pull the wrinkle in time "village of the same". Were everyone is forced to be the same, and all lawns are exactly 2.57 inches high, all houses are the same, and all families have the same children.http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IndividualityIsIllegal

As you can see by this trope, we are either going to be dealing with a scorned person in charge of an occult, a alien invasion setting up, or daemons creating the "ideal village"

Edited July 28, 2014 by M'aiq the Liar

[A goat 323]

Communism is love, communism is life.

 

 

Sorry, I had to post this.

[pony.colin 156]

Everyone is equal you say? WELL COMRADE, TODAY IS OF MUCH GOOD, WE MUST OF INNINGS OF COMMUNISM!

haha nah. The social issues around large scale communism and collectivism is a wee bit outside the grasp of FiM. This episode will most likely cover primary school level "conformity" and how it is ok to be yourself, and not everyone is going to be the same.

 

either that or they are going to pull the wrinkle in time "village of the same". Were everyone is forced to be the same, and all lawns are exactly 2.57 inches high, all houses are the same, and all families have the same children.http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IndividualityIsIllegal

As you can see by this trope, we are either going to be dealing with a scorned person in charge of an occult, a alien invasion setting up, or daemons creating the "ideal village"

 

I kind of think it will go that way, but for some odd reason, I still have a feeling that .... actually nevermind, I'm doubtful of something certain will crop up later. 

 

If they are going for the gradeschool conformity to set up premise, I think that can be handled.

 

As for who is doing it ..... I'll reserve my guess and just wait to see it unfold. 

[Frosty Nerd 833]

I DIDN'T GET TO GO TO COMIC CON! I tried to get in, but I couldn't! WAAAAAAA!      

 

... ...

 

I wouldn't doubt that this has Happy Happy Village and the Mani Mani Statue written all over it! Wait...why do I feel an urge to paint everything blue now?

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,329]

I was thinking more like a communist society since their cutie marks all look like equal signs. Though would they be able to get away with that? If it is something related to this idea or the idea in the OP, then I'll be impressed with some of the risks this show can take.

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

I was thinking more like a communist society since their cutie marks all look like equal signs. Though would they be able to get away with that? If it is something related to this idea or the idea in the OP, then I'll be impressed with some of the risks this show can take.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IndividualityIsIllegal

I was thinking more like what they list on this page. Not communism, but a forced collectivism and perhaps (since ponyland does use magic) some sort of forced hive mind via magic. I don't see the show getting into sociopolitical territory, but I could easily see either a commune that forces individuality out, or a forced magical hivemind.

[GuyWithAName 106]

A cult wasn't the first thing that popped up in my head upon seeing that town and all the ponies' cutie marks.  I was leaning on the "equal" cutie mark sign, which I was kind of getting worried that the opener might go into a territory that might, well possibly have views that were not originally intended but somehow get interpreted as a negative backlash. I'm reserving my thoughts because, I don't want to believe it's going to do something I predict will be bad.  So I will wait and see how it unfolds, I'd like to think the cutie marks are actually something different and being misinterpreted. So I'll wait and see.

Yes, that's fine however maybe the equals means NOTHING becuase they may still be thinking of something becuase it is concept stuff. Just a thought. But maybe they are all the same and equal so they smile to be the same and not to show individuality becuase something is watching them they are uneasy.

Edited July 28, 2014 by epic0cow

[Ryzu 984]

I've never seen doctor who, but I feel season 5 gives me the vibe of it based on what I know of the show.

I was thinking more like a communist society since their cutie marks all look like equal signs. Though would they be able to get away with that? If it is something related to this idea or the idea in the OP, then I'll be impressed with some of the risks this show can take.

It does look like that, but knowing hasbro there's probably gonna be some villian behind this or something. Maybe mind control? A curse? I don't think they can get away with communism in the show.

[Banul 3,831]

I got sort of a 1984 ish distopian vibe off of it. Like, a pony society where they've made it so everybody is equal by disallowing the ponies to be unique and be themselves. Everypony has to conform to the same ideal or face the consequences. The smiles make me think that giving off any indication of being unhappy with the way things are comes with severe punishment. I have a feeling that the episode will revolve around teaching the ponies that you can have equality while retaining the individual.

[Jeric 46,834]

I believe they are taking a page out of Stepford Wives and that the village could very well be how the approach the concept of free will vs destiny. That or it's a lost colony of Changlings

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,151]

Forced happiness, maybe?

 

I dunno, but this certainly has potentially to be VERY interesting!

[Malinter 3,064]

the "=" might also have been a filler on the animatic, the mark in the finished product might be different, but give the looks on the mane6, what ever it is the fact they all have the same mark truely distrubs them,

[The Dark Lord 332]

There's definitely some blood sacrifice, voodoo stuff going on there. Personally, I'd burn the place down preemptively.

[GuyWithAName 106]

the "=" might also have been a filler on the animatic, the mark in the finished product might be different, but give the looks on the mane6, what ever it is the fact they all have the same mark truely distrubs them,

eeyup

 

 

I believe they are taking a page out of Stepford Wives and that the village could very well be how the approach the concept of free will vs destiny. That or it's a lost colony of Changlings

 

changelings is a nice idea becuase there is the whole cadance thing

 

I got sort of a 1984 ish distopian vibe off of it. Like, a pony society where they've made it so everybody is equal by disallowing the ponies to be unique and be themselves. Everypony has to conform to the same ideal or face the consequences. The smiles make me think that giving off any indication of being unhappy with the way things are comes with severe punishment. I have a feeling that the episode will revolve around teaching the ponies that you can have equality while retaining the individual.

reminds me of a video game...

[Red Cedar 1,407]

They images they showed at ComicCon were little more than storyboards. The equals signs were probably just placeholders to indicate background ponies rather than a specific character. Don't read too much into a production still.

[Jeric 46,834]

They images they showed at ComicCon were little more than storyboards. The equals signs were probably just placeholders to indicate background ponies rather than a specific character. Don't read too much into a production still.

More likely that they all have the same Cutie Mark, but the image had not been finalized and = is just the place holder

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,090]

They images they showed at ComicCon were little more than storyboards. The equals signs were probably just placeholders to indicate background ponies rather than a specific character. Don't read too much into a production still.

 

Except that we know the cutie marks are strange since the shots focused on the cutie marks and the Mane Six thought their cutie marks were strange. Even Rainbow Dash said "that's weird".

 

If they were just normal background character cutie marks, what would be so interesting about them to the Mane Six?

[Banul 3,831]

I actually think the equal sign cutie marks are final. I happened to be at that panel, and after the clip on of the panalists (I think it was McCarthy) mentioned something along the lines of "is equality always a good thing" or something like that. The equal sign cutie marks would make a lot of sense in that context

[BronyPony 575]

I actually think the equal sign cutie marks are final. I happened to be at that panel, and after the clip on of the panalists (I think it was McCarthy) mentioned something along the lines of "is equality always a good thing" or something like that. The equal sign cutie marks would make a lot of sense in that context

I would be a proud brony if that actually was the message.

[GuyWithAName 106]

I actually think the equal sign cutie marks are final. I happened to be at that panel, and after the clip on of the panalists (I think it was McCarthy) mentioned something along the lines of "is equality always a good thing" or something like that. The equal sign cutie marks would make a lot of sense in that context

That could work as a good lesson, although they might have to be careful.

ILLUMANATI