How would you have re-written MLP?

[Sonic Shimmer 4,116]

No Flurry Heart.

That is all.

[Castle Bleck 19,166]

23 hours ago, Scar said:

Sombra's full back story to be shown, different and more detailed voice actor and role in the series.

Personally, I was fine with Alvin Sanders being his S9 actor.

One of his earlier roles, Cybron (Skysurfer Strike Force), proved he can sound like a serious villain when need be:

DHX just gave him the opposite direction for S9 Sombra.

The writing, not the casting, was the issue.

Edited September 30, 2020 by Anti-Villain

[EpicEnergy 22,072]

I wouldn't change anything, I like MLP just the way it is.

[Props Valroa 26,027]

36 minutes ago, EpicEnergy said:

I wouldn't change anything, I like MLP just the way it is.

That seems rather boring. Surely theres something you would want to change.

[EpicEnergy 22,072]

12 minutes ago, Scar said:

That seems rather boring. Surely theres something you would want to change.

What's boring to you night not be boring to someone else.

And there are probably a few minor things I would change, but I can't think of much at the moment. Maybe give Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts more development and get rid of Spoiled Rich.

[Props Valroa 26,027]

5 minutes ago, EpicEnergy said:

What's boring to you night not be boring to someone else.

And there are probably a few minor things I would change, but I can't think of much at the moment. Maybe give Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts more development and get rid of Spoiled Rich.

Theres much more I would change, as the show itself is full of problems and things that personally irrriated me haha.

[AppleButt 8,669]

I wouldn’t change it.  I love it just the way it is.  
 

 

[Splashee 28,537]

Okay, so let's take a moment and rewrite the bad part:

 

Instead of having Twilight die and come back as a princess in the finale of Season 3..... maybe she can stay dead, kinda like Obi-wan did in Star Wars Episode (V and VI? He died in IV I think. I am bad at the whole letter thing)

[HedonismBot 217]

I wouldn't make any real broad changes, but there are a number of of things that I think could use a little tweak:

 

Redo Starlight's backstory so her villainous motivation is more than just "my friend moved away". The best I can think of would be as follows: Have both her and Sunburst go to magic school together, and be separated when Sunburst washes out. Have Starlight bust her flank trying to help Sunburst develop his magic, but to no avail. Now she'd also be struck with survivor's guilt after watching her friend's dreams crushed on account of having the wrong cutie mark. Have her pitch her cult idea to Sunburst, only to have him to be like "You crazy, woman!" and run off.

Do something noteworthy with Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. Keep Flurry Heart if you must, but let them be something more than just Flurry Heart's parents.

For "Parental Glideance": establish that Rainbow Dash had every right to set healthy boundaries, but flying off the handle as she did was not the appropriate response. None of this nonsense implying that anyone with good intentions is beyond criticism (even when they're setting off fireworks in the middle of a military airshow).

Get rid of either "Common Ground" or "She's All Yak" - we don't need two consecutive episodes with the moral "just be yourself".

Get rid of "2, 4, 6, Great!", or at least rework it so that Rainbow Dash isn't being a massive jerk to her students.

Move "Growing Up is Hard to Do" back to when the CMCs flanks were still blank, when they might plausibly not know how public transportation works.

Get rid of "Daring Doubt", or rework it so that it delivers its moral without performing a mind-numbingly stupid retcon on Ahuizotl.

Don't use the "Discord throws villains at Twilight to build her confidence" plot twist more than once. Maybe keep it at "The Beginning of the End", but give us an actual Grogar for the finale (perhaps let him become part of the petrified pileup).

Get rid of "The Last Problem", or at least edit it so that the future (beyond the Friendship Council thing that Twilight had previously mentioned) is left open. At the bare minimum, make the future a little less bittersweet.

 

And last but not least: No being all wishy-washy with Scootaloo's wing situation. Keep "Flight to the Finish" as it is, then let her train with Rainbow Dash for a while, then choose one of the following:

a. Keep the "late bloomer" story that had been fed to us for most of the series. Maybe bring in Bulk Biceps for a "You are not alone" moment (I have a little fan theory that his love of lifting stems from being in a similar situation growing up, requiring extensive training just to get to what we saw in "Rainbow Falls"). Either let her fly by the end of the series, or at least show her making respectable progress towards flying.

b. Have her see a doctor to sort out why she's been having trouble getting airborne, and be handed a diagnosis of "grounded for life". Have someone properly help her cope with said diagnosis. Then inform her (in the same episode if you want to keep things lighthearted) that Equestria is no stranger to aeronautical engineering, and hook her up with some form of assistive technology (say, a hang glider) so that fans don't have to see her dreams get nuked.

[Props Valroa 26,027]

What I would do is here:

The show would start off with Mother Earth and Father Time (Celestia and Luna's grandparents) overlooking the 3 young alicorn siblings playing together when they were young. Mother Earth and Father time wouldn't speak. Then it'd turn into a scene in which the 3 siblings are being crowned the princesses / princes of Equestria by their parents of King Somnus and Queen Aurora (who were the previous alicorns of the Sun and Moon). The King and Queen slowly fly up into the clouds in shimmering light, and disappear. The 3rd sibling is named Orion, alicorn of the stars. Mother Earth and Father time are among the alicorn gods who created the universe.

Many many years later after their coronation, in the magical land of Equestria, there ruled the siblings who together created peace and harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her Alicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night, and the middle would keep watch of the world from the stars. As such, the three siblings maintained balance for their kingdom and all their subjects, earth pony, pegasi and unicorn. Not only that but they protected them from many dangerous foes. Monsters, tyrants and brutes, all who would have no doubt destroyed Equestria and plunge it into chaos and despair, were all brought down thanks to their unity. Among those tyrants were Lord Tirek, King Sombra, and Queen Chrysalis (who was banished to the Moon, giving it a sickly green color).

But as time went on, the eldest sister grew fearful. For every foe the sisters faced, she worried that a new more powerful one would appear out of the shadows and the two would not be able to stop it. She was convinced only in the light of her day that they could perceive an upcoming threat. So one fateful day, the paranoid elder Alicorn refused to lower the sun to make way for the darkness of night, convinced it was the only way to forever save the kingdom from danger. The younger sister and the middle tried to reason with her, saying that the balance between day and night must be kept but the fear in the elder one's heart corrupted her into believing that she alone must rule Equestria and safeguard it. From this hubris she transformed her into a wicked mare of power: Nightmare Star.



She vowed that she would cover the land in eternal day, for no enemy could hide in the light. Reluctantly, the younger sister and the middle brother harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, they defeated the elder sister, and banished her permanently in the sun. The Sun would gradually turn brighter and brighter, becoming redder and redder, becoming a red giant star. The two remaining siblings used their power along with the inhabitants of Equestria to move the planet Equestria and the other planets away from the Sun to a safer distance.

The two of them took on responsibility for both the moon and the sun. Now, Princess Luna and Prince Orion were to take after the responsibility of Equestria. A heavy burden. However, the legend of the four stars would come to aid Nightmare Star in her escape 1,000 years later. 

-

Centuries later, Luna and Orion had grown much older and wiser. Equestria was at the longest peace in a very long time. Sunset Shimmer would have been their student but the similar things would happen to her. Twilight would be brought up in a similar way. Indigo Zap and Cheese Sandwich would replace Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, but the mane 6 themselves would have been un-changed. The whole 'friendship' thing would largely remain the same with the difference being the royal siblings and the absence of Celestia.

Then during the Winter Moon celebration that marked the 1,000th year as to where Nightmare Star was banished to the sun, she would return to wreak havoc. First Nightmare Star would unleash the four horsemen upon Equestria she had created from the four stars that had freed her. Conquest, Famine, Death, and War. The four horsemen would have been Centaurs or some sort of alicorn instead of actual horsemen. Twilight and her friends would defeat the four horsemen in their 'challenges'. Angered by this, Nightmare Star would cause an Earth-quake and a drought that would cause the ponies to become more desperate and would use her knowledge of her 2 siblings to her advantage. 

Nightmare Star would banish Luna into the Moon, and Prince Orion into the stars. Twilight would have fled with the others from the land to escape the scathing rays of Nightmare Star's Sun. The remaining ponies would be subject to an iron hoofed dictatorship lead by Nightmare Star and the infamous 'Solar Guard' who would enforce her every whim with swift and brutal punishment. The land was scorched, wildfires burned, and Nightmare Star has returned. 

Luna and Orion would come to Twilight in her dreams and give Twilight the knowledge needed to defeat Nightmare Star. They had to go across areas from beyond Equestria, retrieve the elements which were at various temples and earn the favor of the gods. Luna would come to Twilight, much like Simba's father came to Simba in that one scene saying, "You can do it, I know you can..." and then she'd fade away into the clouds.

Twilight and her friends would locate the elements, and soon after would enter the throne room of Nightmare Star. A battle would ensue and Twilight would defeat Nightmare Star using the elements. Nightmare Star would be depleted of all her magic and, a scorched Celestia would lay on the floor as the full moon began to rise and the stars came out. Orion and Luna would return and would come to Celestia who would look up at them weakly. Celestia had learned her lesson, however the sun would remain the same. Months following this, Equestria was healing.

Twilight and her friends would go on various adventures throughout Equestria and encounter other villains, such as Starlight Glimmer, and the Storm King in their time. Chrysalis would have returned from the moon at some point with her 'new changeling kingdom' on the moon that would invade the planet, and be defeated by Cadence. She and her remaining changelings would flee into 'the outer realm' of Equestria, an area of the planet nopony ever went to before. Tirek would return, so would Sombra, they would have their own reasons and backstories too.

[Misty Shadow 7,084]

For me, no Flurry Heart, no Rainbow Roadtrip, Chrysalis would never join "The League of Villains", Sombra would have been given an actual backstory, and of course, Discord would have never impersonated Grogar. 

These are just my opinions, I know that what's done is done. 

[Chadbacca 375]

Here's what I would do:

#1. Go back and further flesh out Starlight Glimmer's backstory.

#2. Give Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon one last major role post-Crusaders of the Mark.

#3. Get rid of "Spike at Your Service", "Princess Spike", and "What About Discord?".

#4. Re-write "Somepony to Watch Over Me" where it pays homage to the first Home Alone film.

#5. Re-write "Non-Compete Clause" where the Young Six are the ones competing and Rainbow Dash and Applejack have to properly supervise and actually provide a proper moral.

[Pentium100 2,056]

Twilight not getting stuck as the main princess. She can either refuse being made princess at all or just refuse to take over and stay at her school (something that she created of her own free will, not as part of someone else's plan or "destiny").

That's my main issue. I dislike people getting railroaded and "normalization" stories.

Another, much smaller, thing would be to show the "reformed" villains doing something to atone for their previous actions - not just "I'm sorry, I'll be good now." "You are forgiven" "OK thanks". The others can still forgive the ex-villain easily but then the ex-villain would still try to figure out how to make up for their actions out of their own conscience. Maybe even going too far until their new friends tell them to stop.

Edited October 18, 2020 by Pentium100

[Toastypk 920]

I would only add some more Final Fantasy-like scenarios and battles. But the rest of the show unchanged. So often it would be good to interject a big RPG-like battle in a certain scene, but then they defeat the villain or fix things immediately.

Like just think about it-

The darkness will not be STOPPED!

(Begin battle!)

But nope, Twi goes for the save immediately. (which is fine. I just would love to see a scenario like that.)

Edited October 17, 2020 by Toastypk

[HedonismBot 217]

1 hour ago, Chad327 said:

#2. Give Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon one last major role post-Crusaders of the Mark.

Of course, that would involve giving them personalities beyond "bully" and "spoiled rich kid". Though that could be an interesting character arc for Diamond Tiara - now that she's decided not to be like her mother, have her sort out who she does want to be. Optionally, have the CMCs help her out there.

[Venomous 18,813]

@Scar

FiM Show Discussion is designated for talking about the show itself (specific moments, theories, etc.) This topic would be better placed in Sugarcube Corner. As such, it has been moved there.

[Splashee 28,537]

If I was a writer for the show, I would be constantly harassed by Brones for giving all the Mane 6 wings!

 

Spoiler

I modified the question, since it is asking if you wrote, and that indicates being a writer for the show

 

[HereComesTom 2,232]

I'd have had a season, or maybe two consecutive seasons, where Hydia, Reeka, and Draggle make a comeback---ideally, they'd be the exact same witch-characters from G-1, traveling to Equestria's dimension to find new havoc to raise. 

I'd have had the start of the season introduce them, and then the majority of the episodes of the season would have either their main plot or their B-plot driven by one or more of the villains to keep their presence felt throughout the season.  (I really feel like the show could've used some of that as a driving force to keep things a little more unified.)

The season finale would see them crossed over with G-1 and defeated by the mane six and some G-1 characters, pony and human.

[TheSupremeLeaderOfChaos 1,189]

That is a really impressive and detailed rewrite you have there!! Mine is nowhere near as thought out!

Surprising no one, I would put Discord in a whole lot more episodes post the "reform" episode in Season 3 (I think? wow i need to refresh myself on the timeline). I would develop his character more so that his arc is a lot more believable. I'd also give his character the opportunity to really make friends with the rest of the Mane 6, instead of just with Fluttershy.

[Gaines 1,109]

There's not too much I would change but...
1) Twilight will not be an alicorn. She stays mortal with the mane 6.  Plus, you can be a princess/royalty without being an alicorn like her brother Shining after he was married to Cadence. 
2) Pony Flash Sentry would not exist. Some characters in the human world don't exist in the pony world and vice versa. 
3) Spike would not crush on Rarity. Gross. 

Edited October 18, 2020 by Gaines

[Venomous 18,813]

@Scar

Merged with your original thread.

[HedonismBot 217]

On 9/30/2020 at 5:13 PM, Landi72 said:

• Scootaloo flies by the end.

I had always thought that the best way to go about that would be to get her something like the glider from comic issue 81 (which got an earth pony into the Wonderbolts). The way her condition was handled suggests very strongly that the creators wanted to do the "disability representation" thing, but the execs were reluctant (Yet they were totally fine with having her be so desperate to do something cool with her life that she almost gets herself killed. Go figure.). In real life, many many people use various technology to compensate for various disabilities, doing what they want to do with their lives when they otherwise couldn't. If the creators really wanted to have themselves a disabled character, they could easily have dome it without having us watch her dreams get curb-stomped.

Also: Show us the Wonderbolts doing non-airshow duties (search-and-rescue, civil defense) without having them fail so that the Mane Six can play hero.

Actually do something with the band of rogue changelings Thorax mentioned in "Triple Threat. Either let them be returning villains, or reform them on-camera.

End "The Washouts" either by reforming Lighning Dust, or having one of the others discuss the idea of Scootaloo replacing her.

Edited October 18, 2020 by HedonismBot

[CypherHoof 26,479]

47 minutes ago, HedonismBot said:

The way her condition was handled suggests very strongly that the creators wanted to do the "disability representation" thing,

Yes. Faust planned it that way from the start - that the pony who most wanted to be Dashie, and would become like her little sister, would be flight disabled.

 

[HedonismBot 217]

1 minute ago, CypherHoof 🐎 said:

Yes. Faust planned it that way from the start - that the pony who most wanted to be Dashie, and would become like her little sister, would be flight disabled.

I could have sworn I had heard something about someone else involved respondnig to a fan question with something along the lines of "nah, she's just having trouble learning to use her wings properly". Plus the dialogue from "Flight to the Finish" sounded very much like they were trying to leave their options open one way or another.

[CypherHoof 26,479]

3 minutes ago, HedonismBot said:

I could have sworn I had heard something about someone else involved respondnig to a fan question with something along the lines of "nah, she's just having trouble learning to use her wings properly". Plus the dialogue from "Flight to the Finish" sounded very much like they were trying to leave their options open one way or another.

Well, it was never set in stone or explicitly stated (but then this is pony - nothing bad ever is)

It is entirely possible that the show could have gone in a different direction than Faust planned after she left the show - but given its over now....