How can this episode be written without the opposing side looking like jerks?

[Magic Man 222]

I have been putting together the basis for a future episode. It's one that uses a familiar concept but with MLP's writers, could be done in a fresh way and as a way to bring back the Changeling species in some form or another. However, I've come across a major issue with it that could be potentially ruin the episode as a whole if not handled correctly.

 

The basic setup for this story is that Spike and/or Pinkie Pie stumble across a very young, lost Changeling foal or egg (depending on the writer's interpretation) and decides to raise the child as their own, having falling in love with him/her at first sight. However, this decision leaves the rest of the cast divided. One side doesn't particularly mind or does think it's good to raise him/her as one of their own, but the other side thinks that it's too much of a risk as Changelings have already proven their presence in Equestria is very dangerous.

 

What I think would make this a really great episode is not only that it brings Changelings back, but also that it deals with canon characters we root for having to deal with their own prejudices, even ones that you can understand and can agree that to an extent are justified. But what worries me is the difficulty in doing this without dumbing the opposing side down or distorting their personalities.

 

You see, in this kind of story, it is natural and even expected for the writers and the audience to side with Spike/Pinkie and those in favor of keeping the foal around as opposed to the side against. A similar formula occurs with Keep Calm and Flutter On, where we're supposed to root for Fluttershy in her efforts to reform Discord instead of the rest of the Mane Six's cynicism and inability to even help try and reform him. Yet we did not feel too much annoyance with them considering their past conflict with Discord, who was (and mostly still is) a psychotic tyrant who tried to take over all of Equestria. But the situation here is very different; this isn't the spirit of disharmony, it's a child who has not done anything wrong but just happens to be of a species that has acted aggressively and is extremely dangerous to Equestria. If you make the opposing side as bluntly pugnacious and against as the were in Keep Calm it really runs the risk of making them come across as unlikable and even somewhat OOC, potentially ruining the episode for a lot of people.

 

So this brings us to the titled question: How can you write this episode without making the opposing side look like total jerks?

 

Of course, I do have some possible solutions to put to the table and naturally I do want to hear yours, I 'd also like to know what you think of my solutions and if they'd work:

• Both sides need to acknowledge and recognize that this is a FOAL, a CHILD, not a grown soldier who took part in the invasion. I think it's very important they do this because having the opposing side be as belligerent and vindictive as that to a young child would really ruin the characters for a lot of viewers, if not just for that episode. They need to recognized that this child on its own has not done anything to harm Equestria and not a threat because those arguments for the opposing side be too simplistic and illogical.
• Both sides could be given credit, in that the opposing side could make valid and understandable arguments against having the Changeling foal here, ie "a Changeling's parasitic nature makes its presence dangerous to Equestria; we don't what raising a Changeling will be like; we may be tolerant of it being here, but a lot of ponies won't, so what kind of life would it have? It should be raised by it's own kind."

What do you think? What could be done so that the side against having the child in Equestria doesn't come off as unlikable or OOC?

 

But even if that issue is handled right, there are other questions to be asked which I'd love to know your answers to:

• At the end of the episode, would the foal stay and become an addition to the secondary cast as Spike and/or Pinkie's adopted child? Or would they ultimately decide to return it to a Changeling village in the Changeling Kingdom (I do NOT agree with the hive idea, for several reasons I won't go into) and after a misunderstanding/scuffle with the locals, the foal is happily reunited with its parents?
• Which writer should tackle this episode? In whose hands would you trust it?
• Which characters would be on the side for keeping the foal and the side opposed? Who would be on the fence?

[Forlong 1,726]

Well, the key to showing to conflicting issues is to give each a fare explaination.  You've got the "right" point of view down pat.  Here's a summary of what I think would be the arguement against it:

"We know next to nothing about Changlings.  We have no way of knowing if this foal is capable of spying, or if Queen Chrysalis has some way of extracting the information she wants with magic.  This could all be some eleborate plot on her part."

 

That would be a good first step to keeping them from looking like jerks.  Another thing to do is not make them openly hostle to the foal, just causious.

[pinkiefan1287 610]

Well this way might work to show them not being jerks. You have Spike or Pinkie Pie razing this changeling in secret, but just show them getting weaker and weaker, because the baby well be eating their love. The 6 notice them getting weaker and them finding out about the baby soon after. They talk to Pinkie or Spike and have them explain that they may love this baby, but it's slowly killing them and they don't have anyway of razing it in Equstira. So the 6 say that they need to return it to the changelings. At first they would be definite towards the idea, but they would soon see that they are getting weaker and they know it's for the best that they return it. Maybe even add it that it's not write for them to take care of a baby that belongs to someone else.  Then they just give the baby back. So that's how you can the other not being jerks.  

 

So in the end the best idea is give the baby back. Besides, I don't think the writers want to promote single parents. 

 

As for who would take Pinkie/Spikes side, I would have to say none of them. They would all most likely say that it's not their job to raise it and they wont be able to do it. So none of them.

 

This is an alright idea, but doesn't it sound a little bit to much like how Dragon Quest ended? I mean Spike raising a baby Phoenix after saving the egg. True it would have been nice to see him raising it, but I don't think they would do the same idea twice.

 

The other problem with this idea is, how does the egg/baby get all the way to Ponyville? It's not like the changelings are next towards nabbers or anything. There would just be no reason for an egg or baby to be this fare out of it's town or kingdom. Even thou I think they don't have a kingdom of their own and take over which ever one is close by. 

 

Also I know you don't want to talk about it, but why don't you want them to give the baby back? Even if the baby stayed, there is no proof it would be in any other episode. Pound and Pumpkin have not been in a lot of episode and they are Pinkie Pies side-kicks. The baby Phoenix I talked about never showed up again. Not even the pets make that many appearances. I just don't see the writers of the show giving a lot of screen time to this baby. If anything it would be a one shot character. If you don't want to say thats fine. I just want to understand your point a little more.  

Edited July 9, 2013 by pinkiefan1287

[acworc 1]

Here are some ideas. In order to make the opposing side not look like jerks, give them small reasons throughout the episode to be wary of the changeling, for example, the changeling bites or "sucks the love" out of pinkie pie, and pinkie pie becomes more and more like pinkamena diana pie.

 

If spike was used, the above idea would still be applicable. Instead of slowly becoming pinkamena, spike would slowly become his "greedy" adolescent self. However, Twilight changes him back with magic before he hurts anyone, but he still protects the baby.

 

another idea is if the parents of the changeling show up and threaten the mane six to give back the baby, however the baby is already attached to pinkie pie.

 

or, you could have the baby be dangerous for real, but give him/her a special quality that makes the baby invaluable to the kingdom. Like, it could reveal study into changeling magic, or a completely new type of magic, or it was a baby foretold or something like that.

Or, you could have it where Celestia wants to have spike raise it to become an ambassador to the changeling kingdom, and to raise it as a pony. Sort of like a tarzan kind of thing, but obviously not with gorillas 

[RrVPfX9cPtw59FpC 1,304]

This is an awesome idea! You're right, it would definitely show how prejudice is wrong! There was some episode (The name of which I can't think of right now) Where it was a reference to Indians (I've been told that's less offensive than Native American) and cowboys. I hadn't heard anything about hate mail, so they might be willing to take a chance again!