Supppose the show was to go dark? How?

[FNGRpony 658]

Suppose the show was able to get a little darker,

or maybe a stand alone show,

 

MLP the dark ages

MLP chaos Rains (1000 years back)

or would you like to see the current project get a little more gritty? 

I keep seeing fans suggest Discord was crueler back in the day.  (he might just been rusty when he broke out).

HOw much more cold star swirl might been than say twilight or what own personal defects he had.

What rivals Star swirl might had (who was his trixie lol so to speak).

[Silver Letter 1,832]

If the show became darker then it might be good for aesthetically darker beings such as I, Nightmare Diamond. I would appreciate the relatively darker version. It could focus on Discord and perhaps the end of Starswirl as well. Or the banishment of Luna/Sombra.

[Scootalove 10,689]

In some aspects the show does take some risks to go the dark route, but if the entire show went dark then we would see many things that aren't suitable for some people.

[verycreativeusername 1,800]

I would like a grittier and more dark MLP:FiM. I feel it would be more interesting and I would be more attached to it. Too bad a lot of children watch it, so it won't happen and lots of parents would stop their children from watching the show if it did happen anyway. So yeah, if it did happen, it wouldn't go so well.

Edited October 11, 2013 by Franklin Clinton

[Silver Letter 1,832]

I would like a grittier MLP:FiM. I feel it would be more interesting and I would be more attached to it. Too bad a lot of foals watch it, so it won't happen and the outcome of it, if it did happen wouldn't go so well.

It makes a person wonder if this is the right show for them, doesn't it? MLP would not be suitable for long stretches of "dark" content. A brief look towards negative feelings sometimes is suitable. Adding too much content of a certain nature would not go too well and many would not appreciate it. I could handle it but I'm Nightmare Diamond. 

[TheSupremeLeaderOfChaos 1,214]

I think if the show ever was to go darker, they should take advantage of it and show some deeper backstories into characters. I'd like a darker Discord in the past, just for once, not true evil dark, but actually villain dark. Then maybe the backstory of Nightmare Moon which (S4 Spoiler Alert)

it looks like we're going to get some sort of backstory to that in the S4 opener!

 

I think the "present-day" of the show should stay the same no matter what, but it would be cool to have some deeper, darker elements to characters.

[Misty Rose 3,216]

If the show went too dark then it would be cool beans for me, but not for the kiddies. I think they SERIOUSLY stepped into dark territory with The Crystal Empire but they had the songs in there and everything to lighten the mood. I think that's the darkest we'll see in a while I bet kids were scared of that episode

[spacestorm 183]

Kids shouldn't be scared so much due to a little more dark content in MLP. Look at other cartoons. As a young child I watched Disney cartoons where is a lot of dark themes, death and very bad villains.

[LittleRawr 679]

If MLP went dark, then it wouldn't be MLP anymore.

 

MLP is usually praised for it's lightheartedness and cheerfulness, things like that.

 

I would prefer it if were kept light. The darker stuff is best left to the fanfiction. 

 

However, a separate, darker version of the show based in the medieval ages would be cool. Or actually, it would be even better if a spinoff was made about the founding of Equestria and how the Princesses came to their homelands. 

[Felix 1,363]

If the show went dark? It'd become Cupcakes and the RainbowFactory in a nutshell. That stuff is horrifyingly dark. (Never read it if you haven't. I'm not kidding) I wouldn't watch another episode ever again.

Edited October 13, 2013 by FeIix

[SomariFeyWright 776]

Everyone around here seems fine with the idea, but personally, I'd keep my hooves off of it if it suddenly became dark. It's personal preference really; I just don't enjoy dark stories. I prefer stories that are at least mostly light-hearted. If the show got more serious, that wouldn't be an issue, but a darker MLP would NOT be approved by me.

 

Let's just leave the darkness where it belongs, okay Hasbro?

[FNGRpony 658]

If the show went dark? Pfft. It'd become Cupcakes and the RainbowFactory in a nutshell. That stuff is horrifyingly dark. (Never read it if you haven't. I'm not kidding) I wouldn't watch another episode ever again.

 

Last night I peaked at rainbow factory.

And...it is neither as horrible as people have made it out to be,

nor is it as awesome as the grim dark faction have pimped.

 

Cup cakes isn't a huge leap depending on how much faith you have or don't have in pinkies mental state.

The problem with rain bow factory despite being a neat concept,

I don't see rainbow dash (who i don't like) doing it.

even a discorded rainbow dash.

At best I could see rainbow Dash possibly being blissfully ignorant of the rainbow factory.  And that's a damn creative stretch.  Love the song about the fic it's a catchy tune.

 

but i'm not talking full on cup cakes.

Hell grim adventures of billy and mandy level dark.

no ones asking for a nc-17 label lol

 

No one has to be tortured.  Hell I think the main reason people go so ga ga for discord is simply the the bar is set so low for a great villain in equistra.

 

A guy who rains chocolate milk is as heath ledgar as it gets in ponyville lol.

when i say darker hell even disney level evil would be a huge leap.

Edited October 13, 2013 by FNGRpony

[Felix 1,363]

Last night I peaked at rainbow factory.

And...it is neither as horrible as people have made it out to be,

nor is it as awesome as the grim dark faction have pimped.

 

Cup cakes isn't a huge leap depending on how much faith you have or don't have in pinkies mental state.

The problem with rain bow factory despite being a neat concept,

I don't see rainbow dash (who i don't like) doing it.

even a discorded rainbow dash.

At best I could see rainbow Dash possibly being blissfully ignorant of the rainbow factory. And that's a damn creative stretch. Love the song about the fic it's a catchy tune.

 

but i'm not talking full on cup cakes.

Hell grim adventures of billy and mandy level dark.

no ones asking for a nc-17 label lol

I'm sensitive to gore so it's very horrific for me. I Never finished it nor do I plan to. Made me very upset.

 

And sorry. I took the question to be more of a general statement so the word "dark" had me for a bit of a loop.

Edited October 13, 2013 by FeIix

[FNGRpony 658]

I'm sensitive to gore so it's very horrific for me. I Never finished it nor do I plan to. Made me very upset.

 

And sorry. I took the question to be more of a general statement so the word "dark" had me for a bit of a loop.

 

i Skimmed it.  I've seen alot horror.  and for horror to be scary to me it has "suspend disbelief."

If you want me to believe Rainbow dash went mental,

it has to be for "more than a nice house in Cloudsdale."

That's actually stupid honestly sense dash's main goal is FAME not fortune.

 

Now i'm pretty good at suspending dis belief, but it has to make sense or at least be appealing.

The concept of rain bow factory is neat.

(about to get REAL LAME)

 

If this was rainbow brow bright, and murkey and lurkey were grinding people up to steal their color,

that would make sense.  Don't judge me for knowing that.  Erm it's robot chickens fault...yeah that's it.

 

the villiany shown in the work doesn't add up.

Imagine if you will someone wrote a fic where celestial started eating children.

 

My knee jerk reaction is "Why?" 

I'm no bigger of a fan of dark for darks sake than i am of happy for happiness sake.

 

 

 

For Rainbow factory to have been compelling imagine if Rainbow was bitter because she lost her ability to fly,

AH now we have something,

I mean rain bow dash is well defined by her flight.  It's her favorite thing.

She'd lose her spot on the wonderbolts

she'd likely perceive she lost everything (wrong or not).

Vs "oh i'm grinding up kids cause i want a nice house even though i've never shown that motivation before."

Edited October 13, 2013 by FNGRpony

[Malinter 3,064]

I've read one or two fics that had a rather interesting idea about Discord's rule of Equestria.

 

While it was a chaotic era of unhappy ponies, his rule prevented  beings a lot worse from attacking them. Since attacking them (his subjects/playthings) they would be attacking Discord.

Edited October 13, 2013 by Nail Malinter

[FNGRpony 658]

See with cup cakes it's tragic it's disturbing, and ultimately it's needless.

but I can buy pinkie going off the deep end.

In fact if we never get pinkie going party of one ever again i'd be kinda shocked.

that's not something you can really control. 

Now i  haven't read cup cakes but the twist i would put it just like party of one where their all avoiding her

she snaps kills rainbow dash only to find out they were planning the party all along.

 

1

that's damn dark

2

there's a moral LOL.

[Felix 1,363]

i Skimmed it.  I've seen alot horror.  and for horror to be scary to me it has "suspend disbelief."

If you want me to believe Rainbow dash went mental,

it has to be for "more than a nice house in Cloudsdale."

That's actually stupid honestly sense dash's main goal is FAME not fortune.

 

Now i'm pretty good at suspending dis belief, but it has to make sense or at least be appealing.

The concept of rain bow factory is neat.

(about to get REAL LAME)

 

If this was rainbow brow bright, and murkey and lurkey were grinding people up to steal their color,

that would make sense.  Don't judge me for knowing that.  Erm it's robot chickens fault...yeah that's it.

 

the villiany shown in the work doesn't add up.

Imagine if you will someone wrote a fic where celestial started eating children.

 

My knee jerk reaction is "Why?" 

I'm no bigger of a fan of dark for darks sake than i am of happy for happiness sake.

 

 

 

For Rainbow factory to have been compelling imagine if Rainbow was bitter because she lost her ability to fly,

AH now we have something,

I mean rain bow dash is well defined by her flight.  It's her favorite thing.

She'd lose her spot on the wonderbolts

she'd likely perceive she lost everything (wrong or not).

Vs "oh i'm grinding up kids cause i want a nice house even though i've never shown that motivation before."

I wasn't talking about the story and it's detail but, anyway, those are valid points I guess. Though I haven't read all of it or nearly any of it so I'm not one to determine wether I can agree with you or not.

[IlikeBoris 13]

The original show from the 80's was pretty dark in spots. 

 

One episode I remember watching as a child was "The Magic Coins."  Just in the first half of part four, we have Megan and a Pony almost fall into a volcano, the seaponies very close to death, and then a huge fire almost forcing them to run away while their home burns. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3anfXEiX0Dw

 

I can't find it now, but somewhere there is a commentary video on how "Escape from Katrina" shows the villainess as being bad because of a drug problem.

 

Also if I remember correctly, Dream Valley and Flutter valley were the only places that were not crawling with monsters or creatures that would seek to hurt the ponies.

 

 

 

A "Friendship is Magic" style show might be able to be dark if the community we're focusing on is out on a frontier where only the town has been tamed.  The current show seems like everywhere is civilized except for a few pockets like the Everfree Forest.

[Galen 1,354]

If MLP went dark, then it wouldn't be MLP anymore.

 

MLP is usually praised for it's lightheartedness and cheerfulness, things like that.

 

I would prefer it if were kept light. The darker stuff is best left to the fanfiction. 

 

However, a separate, darker version of the show based in the medieval ages would be cool. Or actually, it would be even better if a spinoff was made about the founding of Equestria and how the Princesses came to their homelands. 

 

This. I like MLP for what it is, not what it could be, and I don't think I'd find as much enjoyment from the show if it went dark as I do now unless the writers pulled it off exceptionally well. But then, one has to ask if going in that direction is suitable for little children as well. We're not the only audience after all (we're not even the main audience at that). But a darker spinoff detailing past events in another era would still be pretty cool.

Edited November 27, 2013 by Freedan

[Malinter 3,064]

If they wanted the show to go grimdark, they need only look at the fanworks. XD

[Static Electricity 729]

The series wouldn't work if it was "darker".

 

Mostly because the premise about "Friendship is magic and can solve all your problems" wouldn't really work. The series also doesn't really handle adventure stories very well either.

 

The one thing the series would be great at is comedy.

I think if the show ever was to go darker, they should take advantage of it and show some deeper backstories into characters. I'd like a darker Discord in the past, just for once, not true evil dark, but actually villain dark.

Discord wouldn't make sense if he was "villainous" or "good". If he truly is the embodiment of chaos, then it would be impossible for him to become a permanent ally to any side.

 

And before you say "but he was reformed!" keep in mind that discord is not omnipotent. While his behavior can be restraned, he is by nature, chaos.

[Metemponychosis 1,262]

It's implicitly dark already.

 

An insane ruler that wanted to put the world in eternal night? Forcing her sister to use the most powerful magic know to ponies. Celestis didn't know, at the time the she would ever see Luna again. It was prophesied that Nightmare Moon would return, but it's not said when. And she had no reason to believe that she would go back to be Luna.

 

Changelings that feed of love? Seriously! If they had won.

 

A time where a selfish tyrant enslaved ponies for whatever reason?

 

A selfish chaos spirit that turned Equestria into a madhouse and had to be stopped.

 

Dragons, hydras, etc...

 

Equestria just has the tools to deal with these problems.

[Malinter 3,064]

The only dark moment i'd love to see is somepony who actually tries using chaos magic against Discord.

 

I seriously think that would piss him off. Someone making a grab for his title of Lord of Chaos.

[TheSupremeLeaderOfChaos 1,214]

The series wouldn't work if it was "darker"

Discord wouldn't make sense if he was "villainous" or "good". If he truly is the embodiment of chaos, then it would be impossible for him to become a permanent ally to any side.

 

And before you say "but he was reformed!" keep in mind that discord is not omnipotent. While his behavior can be restraned, he is by nature, chaos.

Oh, I agree with you! I didn't mean that he should be completely evil, and I don't think he should ever be completely good.

 

But chaos does fluctuate, so maybe they could show a part where he more evil than what we've seen. Then on the other end of the spectrum, a time in the present where he saves the Mane 6.

 

But I always want him to go back to that silly, crazy Q-like character who does whatever he wants for the fun of it.

 

Like in the Season 4 premiere. That's how I truly love his character: An anti-hero at his finest.

Edited November 28, 2013 by TheSupremeLeaderOfChaos

[Clarity 3,094]

One of the main reasons why the show appeals to so many people is because of its innocent, yet endearing manner. If the world of ponies lost its charming and bright quality, regardless if it's a spin-off or not, I don't think I'm going to look at MLP:FiM the same way again.