Has The Mane Six Expanded To The Mane Eight?

[Darthy Hooves 106]

Does everypony feel as I do the the Mane Six have expanded to the Mane Eight with the additions of Starlight Glimmer & Sunset Shimmer? What would you consider Starlight Glimmer & Sunset Shimmer's elements to be?

Edited July 11, 2017 by Darthy Hooves

[Megas 27,069]

>Starlight Shimmer 

I'd say no, as far as the show's concerned, they're still officially regarded as the mane 6, not to mention Starlight does fuck all with the mane 6 and is usually glued to Trixie instead

As far as Sunset goes, in EQG, they are officially regarded as the mane 7, with Sunset leading the pack, but she hasn't been introduced in the main show yet and I don't see it happening any time soon

Edited July 11, 2017 by Hot Rod

[Leavemealone 547]

Personally, I hate Sunset Shimmer. Sci Twi should be leading the group. Sunset Shimmer was a desperate attempt to get viewers away from Twilight. I will not like it when they-IF THEY-add Sunset to FiM. Any Sunset fans, I apologize. I only saw the EQG movies to stay on track and make sure I've seen every freakin' bit of pony media possible from Hasbro.

 

Oh, like they're gonna give Sunset a fricking Element!

You have to give them credit.

Oh, be quiet, Twilight.

You do, though. 

As for Starlight Glimmer, she is not one of the Mane 6. I just don't see it happening.

[Pippinjack 12]

I wouldn't mind it that much but it would be perfectly fine if it stayed at 6. So many other shows went downhill when they tried to expand the main cast. ...so I'd actually prefer it to remain as it is.

With Equestria Girls, it was designed from the beginning to have Sunset Shimmer as a center piece but with the main series, it would just feel kind of forced.

[Tao 6,738]

 

I like Sunset Shimmer personally and like how they work with her in EQG world and setting in trying to be normal but deal with magic and etc.  Throwing in Starlight also gives the writer more to work with and toy with and expand with the mane six and other factors that Starlight does bring in.   Yet I would not say the Mane 8 just yet given Sunset is still the main in the EQG and Glimmer is still being flushed out a bit!  They have both had some good moments and a few bad (which is fun) but they are not the main cast just yet.

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

The "Mane ponies" will never go beyond six. Not even with Starlight there. But Starlight doesn't have an element of her own, and that hasn't made her any less effective as a supporting character. So it shouldn't be difficult at all for Sunset to make the transition to FIM for a few guest appearances. This is something that HAS to happen. She's the only reason Hasbro's still banking on humanized pony toys, so it would be a huge "thank you" to bronies, and....

Spoiler

Mirror Magic seems like it was written to test the waters for just that. They had Sunset interacting with Starlight sufficiently enough to prove how different they are in terms of personality, personal flaws and conviction, so now we don't have to hear anymore bullshit from people that Sunset in FIM would be redundant.

 

[Queen Cassie 3,057]

The Elements of Harmony ceased to have any meaning after the beginning of season four. Though Rainbow Power was used in their place at the end of season four, it has only been seen once since then, and during a dream sequence at that. The Mane Six have shown no inclination towards using Rainbow Power and odds are likely they never will, owing to the writers' original intents of getting rid of the Deus Ex Machina plot solver magic.

Now, with that said, I would actually agree that there is more or less a Mane Eight, as it t'were, but Sunset is not a part of it. She's with her own group, the Humane Seven (or Spectacular Seven, even.) No, if anyone, it's Spike. Spike has been more involved with the Mane Six as of late, and I'd like to see him continue to rise because he's a pretty fun guy when he's not being all Nice Guy with Rarity, anyway.

2 hours ago, OracleOfTwilight said:

Personally, I hate Sunset Shimmer. Sci Twi should be leading the group. Sunset Shimmer was a desperate attempt to get viewers away from Twilight. I will not like it when they-IF THEY-add Sunset to FiM. Any Sunset fans, I apologize. I only saw the EQG movies to stay on track and make sure I've seen every freakin' bit of pony media possible from Hasbro.

 

Oh, like they're gonna give Sunset a fricking Element!

You have to give them credit.

Oh, be quiet, Twilight.

You do, though. 

As for Starlight Glimmer, she is not one of the Mane 6. I just don't see it happening.

While I don't wish to step on your toes, I have to say I think it's very unlikely that Sci-Twi would be leading the group. For one, she's far more like Twilight was at the beginning of season one, with a heaping dose of anxiety on top. For two, it just wouldn't make sense for her to come in and take over a group that's had Sunset Shimmer involved with it in EQG from the beginning (formerly as an antagonist, yes, but involved nevertheless.) Sunset Shimmer's character arc over the first three movies shows how she's come into her own as a leader for good, effectively accomplishing her goal of power and leadership that she always had in mind, but with friendship, honor, and love rather than greed, fear, and hatred. It is at least for this as much as their (Hasbro) desire to separate EQG from MLP that Princess Twilight has not shown her face since Rainbow Rocks. It was always leading to this.

Sci-Twi isn't Princess Twilight. She doesn't have any of the background necessary to be a leader. Yes she was a fantastic student and researcher, but unlike her pony self who had the opportunity to be taught leadership skills from the leader of her nation, Sci-Twi is just an ordinary teenager gifted with magic thanks to her tinkering. She's smart, she's a valuable member of the team and a good friend, but she has no business being in a leadership role until and unless she has some major character development, something that might happen if there is an EQG television show as I'm hoping they intend to do.

Whether you like Sunset Shimmer or not (and I don't personally get that but to each their own and all that) she's the leader of the Humane Seven, and that's not going to change.

[Steve Piranha 28,782]

Nah, Starlight is clearly meant to be more independent. She interacts with Twi at most, and she's clearly at home with more "unusual" friends. Sunny on the other hand, well, she's not technically a MANE 6, as that's for ponies  

[Leavemealone 547]

3 hours ago, Queen Cassie said:

The Elements of Harmony ceased to have any meaning after the beginning of season four. Though Rainbow Power was used in their place at the end of season four, it has only been seen once since then, and during a dream sequence at that. The Mane Six have shown no inclination towards using Rainbow Power and odds are likely they never will, owing to the writers' original intents of getting rid of the Deus Ex Machina plot solver magic.

Now, with that said, I would actually agree that there is more or less a Mane Eight, as it t'were, but Sunset is not a part of it. She's with her own group, the Humane Seven (or Spectacular Seven, even.) No, if anyone, it's Spike. Spike has been more involved with the Mane Six as of late, and I'd like to see him continue to rise because he's a pretty fun guy when he's not being all Nice Guy with Rarity, anyway.

While I don't wish to step on your toes, I have to say I think it's very unlikely that Sci-Twi would be leading the group. For one, she's far more like Twilight was at the beginning of season one, with a heaping dose of anxiety on top. For two, it just wouldn't make sense for her to come in and take over a group that's had Sunset Shimmer involved with it in EQG from the beginning (formerly as an antagonist, yes, but involved nevertheless.) Sunset Shimmer's character arc over the first three movies shows how she's come into her own as a leader for good, effectively accomplishing her goal of power and leadership that she always had in mind, but with friendship, honor, and love rather than greed, fear, and hatred. It is at least for this as much as their (Hasbro) desire to separate EQG from MLP that Princess Twilight has not shown her face since Rainbow Rocks. It was always leading to this.

Sci-Twi isn't Princess Twilight. She doesn't have any of the background necessary to be a leader. Yes she was a fantastic student and researcher, but unlike her pony self who had the opportunity to be taught leadership skills from the leader of her nation, Sci-Twi is just an ordinary teenager gifted with magic thanks to her tinkering. She's smart, she's a valuable member of the team and a good friend, but she has no business being in a leadership role until and unless she has some major character development, something that might happen if there is an EQG television show as I'm hoping they intend to do.

Whether you like Sunset Shimmer or not (and I don't personally get that but to each their own and all that) she's the leader of the Humane Seven, and that's not going to change.

@Queen Cassie

I totally see your point. I just want Twilight-every version of her-to be leading the group.

True, true. But the others deserve a chance, don't they?

I may be a little biased.

A LITTLE?!?!

Jeez, Twi.

[Jeric 46,835]

How I see it is this

The Mane Six are still the six pones that represent specific fundamental attributes of Friendship. That hasn't changed. Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Dashie, AJ, and Flutters. 

There are ten main characters though. The Mane Six, Spike, and the CMC. If Season eight continues to have Starlight as a main character or protagonist then I will consider her the eleventh. FiM is an ensemble cast at this point. 

[Hierok 11,829]

I hope Starlight will also be an element over time. I see them as mane 8 indeed. I'm still waiting for Sunset to return to Equestria!

[碇 シンジン 27,427]

It depends on how you define the mane 6, I mean it hasnt been stated in the show that they have some kind of element like the mane 6 have and that is what formed the mane 6 so in that sense  you could say that they are not part of it, but if you view the mane 6 differently it could be so as we saw the map called starlight so it would seem that there is something going on around her.

Edited July 12, 2017 by ooReiko

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,304]

Considering EqG's non-canon status (I will never consider it canon), I don't think Sunset Shimmer is at all applicable to Equestria itself. Now in the EqG world itself, yeah, probably mane 8 at this point, with actual Equestria seeming to adopt a mane 7 concept with Starlight.

[Thrond 3,257]

I don't think so.

If we define "Mane Six" as "the main friend group," then I don't think Starlight is part of it. She seems to view Twilight as a slightly imposing teacher/parole officer more than anything, and I don't think the others are particularly close to her. And Sunset has no presence in the main series at all, so she definitely doesn't count. That group is more of a "mane seven," counting Spike. In Equestria Girls on the other hand, Starlight is unlikely to be a permanent member of the group, because she needs to go back to Equestria eventually. Spike, being a dog, probably doesn't qualify as much as part of the EqG friend group, so they're also a mane seven, although if Juniper becomes part of the group (ugh), then they actually would be a mane eight. 

If we define "Mane Six" as "the main characters," then eight is way too small a number for the show. Sunset still doesn't count, but Starlight and Spike both do, as do the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and Discord just recently met my criteria, so I guess he counts as well. As of now, that makes for not six main characters, not eight main characters, but twelve. And that's just a little silly, isn't it? 

[Leavemealone 547]

11 minutes ago, AlexanderThrond said:

I don't think so.

If we define "Mane Six" as "the main friend group," then I don't think Starlight is part of it. She seems to view Twilight as a slightly imposing teacher/parole officer more than anything, and I don't think the others are particularly close to her. And Sunset has no presence in the main series at all, so she definitely doesn't count. That group is more of a "mane seven," counting Spike. In Equestria Girls on the other hand, Starlight is unlikely to be a permanent member of the group, because she needs to go back to Equestria eventually. Spike, being a dog, probably doesn't qualify as much as part of the EqG friend group, so they're also a mane seven, although if Juniper becomes part of the group (ugh), then they actually would be a mane eight. 

If we define "Mane Six" as "the main characters," then eight is way too small a number for the show. Sunset still doesn't count, but Starlight and Spike both do, as do the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and Discord just recently met my criteria, so I guess he counts as well. As of now, that makes for not six main characters, not eight main characters, but twelve. And that's just a little silly, isn't it? 

Oh, definitely. I just think that it would be disastrous for FiM to include SUNSET into the group. Starlight I can handle, but SUNSET SHIMMER?!?! BETRAYER OF CELESTIA?!?! I just don't see it happening.

Personally, I'm open to the idea. No, I don't think tha-

That's enough, Twilight.

Edited July 12, 2017 by OracleOfTwilight

[Hierok 11,829]

On 12-7-2017 at 8:15 PM, AlexanderThrond said:

If we define "Mane Six" as "the main friend group," then I don't think Starlight is part of it. She seems to view Twilight as a slightly imposing teacher/parole officer more than anything, and I don't think the others are particularly close to her. And Sunset has no presence in the main series at all, so she definitely doesn't count. That group is more of a "mane seven," counting Spike. In Equestria Girls on the other hand, Starlight is unlikely to be a permanent member of the group, because she needs to go back to Equestria eventually. Spike, being a dog, probably doesn't qualify as much as part of the EqG friend group, so they're also a mane seven, although if Juniper becomes part of the group (ugh), then they actually would be a mane eight. 

If we define "Mane Six" as "the main characters," then eight is way too small a number for the show. Sunset still doesn't count, but Starlight and Spike both do, as do the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and Discord just recently met my criteria, so I guess he counts as well. As of now, that makes for not six main characters, not eight main characters, but twelve. And that's just a little silly, isn't it? 

I actually hope Starlights gonna have her own group of friends.

[CypherHoof 26,479]

6 minutes ago, Hierok said:

I actually hope Starlights gonna have her own group of friends.

There does seem to be a noticeable airgap between the core/mane member ponies and starlight; Trixie too is not really welcome amongst them, and Maud.. .well, difficult to know WHAT she is thinking, ever. Discord is similarly attached to but not part of the core group, mostly due to his obsessive attachment for Flutters, but if he spent more of his non-Fluttershy time with the Starlight group (perhaps helping Starlight in her efforts to teach Trixie non-teacup spells) that wouldn't be a great surprise.

Spoiler

I did note in Celestial Advice that the three who immediately tried to make plans with a newly-graduated Starlight were Thorax, Trixie and Discord, which seemed interesting. I also noted that the teacups Fluttershy used at the tea party with Discord looked to be the same as the ones Trixie was turning everything in sight into earlier - and wondered if they were a gift from the girls, via Discord...

 

[FlareGun45 2,221]

14 minutes ago, Hierok said:

I actually hope Starlights gonna have her own group of friends.

We already got Maud and Trixie as two of her friends to form a new group! Perhaps maybe two more pegasi and one more earth pony might do the trick? Perhaps Coco for the earth pony, Lightning as one of the pegasi, and I got nothing for the second pegasus.

[CypherHoof 26,479]

4 minutes ago, MegaSean45 said:

We already got Maud and Trixie as two of her friends to form a new group! Perhaps maybe two more pegasi and one more earth pony might do the trick? Perhaps Coco for the earth pony, Lightning as one of the pegasi, and I got nothing for the second pegasus.

Don't necessarily have to be a pony-only mane6 clone though; We have Thorax and Discord (who are non-ponies, but can fly) - perhaps if the eps with Thorax and Ember goes well, Ember is a possible future member, or some other dragon. Would be nice to get a bit of diversity in a new group

[FlareGun45 2,221]

Just now, CypherHoof said:

Don't necessarily have to be a pony-only mane6 clone though; We have Thorax and Discord (who are non-ponies, but can fly) - perhaps if the eps with Thorax and Ember goes well, Ember is a possible future member, or some other dragon. Would be nice to get a bit of diversity in a new group

If Thorax is there AND Ember, Spike's joining the group too then! He's already friends with most of them. So we got Starlight, Trixie, Spike, Ember, Thorax, Discord, and Maud! Not a bad group! I expected this (other than Maud) to be the rescuers in the S6 finale!

[Thrond 3,257]

3 hours ago, Hierok said:

I actually hope Starlights gonna have her own group of friends.

I dunno, I think that'd be way too many main characters for one show. 

[Hierok 11,829]

8 hours ago, AlexanderThrond said:

I dunno, I think that'd be way too many main characters for one show. 

That's why I noted in other topics that I want the mane 6 to become less and less important, so we can keep the devolpment of the show and so make it more interresting. 

[Thrond 3,257]

9 hours ago, Hierok said:

That's why I noted in other topics that I want the mane 6 to become less and less important, so we can keep the devolpment of the show and so make it more interresting. 

I still don't see why we need to get rid of the old cast for that. 

[CypherHoof 26,479]

18 hours ago, AlexanderThrond said:

I dunno, I think that'd be way too many main characters for one show. 

Not convinced. we get CMC episodes without them becoming, replacing or devaluing the mane6 after all...

[Thrond 3,257]

12 minutes ago, CypherHoof said:

Not convinced. we get CMC episodes without them becoming, replacing or devaluing the mane6 after all...

But Starlight's group of friends would exist in addition to Spike, the mane six, the CMC, and Starlight herself. Might stretch the show past the breaking point.