There are no henchponies, only beanbags.

[ALIS 38]

Okay so I have noticed a trend in this show starting at the end of season 2 that I don't think is doing the series any favors.

In season one on the first adventure the Mane 6 comes across a Manticore and after a losing battle Fluttershy talks it down with her special talent. Rarity outsmarts Diamond Dogs saving her friends whom came to save her. The Ursa is to big to beat but Twilight with her vast knowledge and knowing it is just a cranky baby and puts it to sleep. Fluttershy uses the stare and her abilities with animals to talk down a Dragon. Finding the elements of harmony defeated the big bads Discord and Nightmare Moon. Each of these threats were hard to overcome and represented danger to our hero's.

* Now at the end of Season Two the Changelings curb stomp Canterlot, take the garrisoned city in five minutes. The Mane Six defeats 30 fanged, horned, changeling soldiers whom are wearing back armor so good bet they are military. They get captured when 200 more show up.

* Timber Wolves attack. Every pony acts scared but Applejack curb stomps all three like they weren't even there. Only when they form up into the Megazord do they pose a threat of any kind. This is followed by them smashing that Cragadile a few episodes later, a far cry from when the Manticore posed a threat in Ep 1.

* Now in the latest episode Daring Do brags about how she "let" three career criminals twice her size whom probably know a thing or two bout violence "beat her" in a fight. Now I ask you, when we saw Ahuizotl's army of heavy set spear wielding brutal tribesmen standing on guard was there one of you whom thought, wow those guys will be trouble. Course not, they blew through them like they were made of putty. Heck the five of them walk in cocky, like they know that there is not a chance in hell they will be hurt.

It is the same with the new comics as well. Changelings, Pirates, please, cannon fodder. Sure Twilight is Princessed up now on top of her powerful sorcery and that yields consideration but for the other five and Twilight in a hoof fight somehow we've gone from 90 pound villagers to special forces kimbo chopping through legions of large armed thugs like they aren't even there.

I personally think this was a very poor choice for MLP to go implementing the Stormtrooper effect to maximum. I think they should try and walk it back somehow, to the point where the enemy having henchponies and armies means that there is a real threat. That seeing the bad guy with thirty soldiers makes you concerned about how the hero's will get out of it, not how hard they will humiliate them when they trash them without effort. Even Celestia's trained and armed soldiers are portrayed as week, useless, pathetic mooks compared to Mane 6.

I think that making the Mane 6 into badasses able to kick 100 pounds above their weight class against armed, trained and experienced adversaries was a mistake. I preferred it when they needed to use their skills and brains to work out a solution. Now unless they are facing the 10 foot tall villain they are gods among weak and impudent plebs that they go against without fear and dispatch verily with a witty one liner and a back hoof. You must now be this tall, be built up with this much foreshadowing and have this much of a dark magic aura before you're more than a training dummy to them.

Seal Team Mane Six is in my mind a mistake. I hope they figure out a way to make soldiers and henchponies scary again. I want the mane six to be hero's against the odds using their brains and skills to emerge victorious.

 

Edited December 13, 2013 by ALIS

[FNGRpony 658]

Seal Team Mane Six is in my mind a mistake.

LOL bro hoof.  i'm calling them seal team  main six from now on.  that's so hysterical.

 I'd agree with you being a union henchman myself,

but you have to remember the show is really just starting to use Hench men properly.

 

Why yes that's kinda ass back words.  But they are gently.. slowly fixing the problem. 

 

Can they make bad guys worse to be more challenging?  Course.

but how do you make jane and joe pony catch up to bad guy mooks getting well,

 

better?

 

I mean celestial might have a crack team of mage ponies some where,

that wouldn't surprise me at all,

they could been out ... on royal duties during the canterlot wedding,

 

or candice could start something like that,

 

to fix having just the seal team main six it's going to be a long.. gentle.. process.

baby steps if you will slowly.. gradually testing the water to see if that can be adjusted.

Edited December 13, 2013 by FNGRpony