If those orbs that the villains throw didn't exist, what would the beginning of the movie be like? How would the adventure get started?

[DPBOX 65]

One thing I really don't like about the movie is those orbs that the villains use in the beginning. Apparently, they can pierce through Alicorn shields and they can instantly turn anyone they hit into crystal. Then, all it would take to kill the victim is a sufficient amount of force such as a magic blast or dropping the victim onto the ground. They're stupidly overpowered and their existence, how they're made, how they work, etc. is not explained at all. It seems like they were a cheap way for the writers and villains to remove characters from the story. Good writing doesn't show a powerful artifact without explaining it!

So here's what I want to know. Let's say that those orbs didn't exist and the Storm King and his troops used a different and more well-written method to take over Canterlot at the beginning of the movie as a result. How would the movie's adventure be set in motion then? What would that method be? The Storm King doesn't necessarily have to trap the princesses or take over Canterlot. The adventure just has to be set in motion.

I can already think of how the Storm King dies and the movie ends. I recently bought a book called "The Art of My Little Pony: The Movie", which has a lot of concept art including art of early versions of the characters as well as deleted scenes and script changes. That art book details a scrapped ending concept that I think is more well-written than what we actually got. Originally, the Main 6 were going to use the Staff of Scanas to power up and fire a rainbow laser at the Storm King, but the writers of the movie wanted to do something different than that because the villains are always defeated by rainbow lasers in the TV show, so they changed the ending to the current ending. The book even shows artwork of a new form similar to Rainbow Power. Well, I think that ending would just be better because it doesn't involve the orbs.

So I just need to think of an alternate beginning. Can anyone think of anything?

Edited August 5, 2020 by DPBOX

[Goat-kun 2,496]

Use an actual fantasy army ¯\__/¯

Spoiler

 

 

[TotallyNotNyx 15,563]

They would use cubes instead 

[SharpWit 2,472]

When taking down demigods, sometimes you just need a magic mcguffin to get the job done.

Given that it's the Storm King, I'd maybe apply some Tesla coil like devices or force the princesses into surrender under threat of hurting their subjects, but why not turn the tables and steal the Mane 6 and Co's plan of pretending to be caterers. Drug the entire event and then you can further incapacitate the princesses however you feel like.

I don't mind the balls so much because it's the unexpected things like that which are the reason why figures in power shouldn't overestimate themselves and just go around publicly all willy nilly. Discord is more powerful, Tirek can steal magic, Chrysalis uses subversion, and all of them broke into the safe confines of the castle. The Storm King's forces landed and the princesses strolled up front. The only way they could have made it easier to get captured was if they gave themselves up.

It's no different than a high government official walking around a public space without protection. They're almost asking for trouble of some kind.

[nightshroud96 116]

Really, I certainly resented on how the princesses(especially Luna for me) were stuck as stone statues for the freaking movie.
And the fact Luna could have died since she was statue-ed in mid-air, she could have shattered.  That was freaking reckless of Tempest but also it screams the writers ensuring all alicorns not named "Twilight 'chosen one' Sparkle" gets taken out.  
The sisters really look like massive failures here and whats more annoying is how the repercussions of their failure is just ignored.  There's no way either Luna or Celestia would feel fine afterwards.

 

On 2020-08-05 at 2:39 PM, SharpWit said:

When taking down demigods, sometimes you just need a magic mcguffin to get the job done.

 

The fact Luna and Celestia kept failing and failing so much, it sure  messes up their credibility as "demigods" badly.
And that really bothers me a bunch.