Exploring Equestria · 11:49am Apr 17th, 2016
art by cmaggot
On occasion, I contemplate the progression of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, even imagining how I would try to explain the changes to the viewer that I was a few years ago. The last three seasons have repeatedly evolved elements of the show from the original status quo.
A proper Afterthoughts for "On Your Marks" is still on its way. But I wanted to share some thoughts that I had stemming from this particular exchange in the episode:
Apple Bloom: I thought we should start figurin' out ways to search all of Equestria for cutie mark problems!
Scootaloo: That kinda seems like a lot.
Sweetie Belle: I don't think Rarity would let me travel to the far reaches of Equestria looking for cutie mark problems.
This season teased that it might be about "exploring Equestria", and the season so far has definitely been executing that idea. In five episodes, we have only had one which took place in Ponyville. While the CMC might not be running off to the far corners of Equestria... at least not yet... the rest of the cast are certainly enjoying a much more expansive setting than just Ponyville.
My thoughts on this below the break.
It occurs to me that one of the most influential episodes in Season One may have been "Over a Barrel". While not often a fan favorite, the episode is particularly noteworthy in that it gave us the Friendship Express.
Hasbro is a toy company, and one of the goals of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic from a business standpoint still remains to sell toys. During that first hiatus between seasons, Hasbro looked at "Over a Barrel" and saw their next playset. They made the engine cuter (and more functional) and created the Friendship Express Train toy.
Then they insisted that the show feature the train repeatedly in Season Two in order to promote sales. The writers of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, with their usual aplumb, said "No problem!" While some fans groaned at the obvious merchandising, the writers did what they often do best: take marketing demands and turn it into pure awesome. In this case, having been given a convenient method to get their characters to distant locations and the demand to utilize it, they chose to use the Friendship Express as a means of exploring Equestria outside of the now very familiar settings of Ponyville and the Everfree Forest. The Friendship Express became the vehicle for the show's first big break from status quo, figuratively and literally.
In "The Best Night Ever", much ado was made about procuring travel to Canterlot. With the Friendship Express giving the writers the ability to easily take the characters out of Ponyville, the writers now had the impetus to create reasons for the characters to travel abroad. At first, these reasons were episodic -- the reason that the Mane Six were traveling to a different location for an episode was a key element in the plot of that episode.
At the beginning of Season Four, the Mane Six had to give up their magical fix-it button, the Elements of Harmony, by returning them to their place of origin. In return, they were given an artifact that is connected to them through their bond with the Elements and which alerts them of problems across Equestria in need of their help. In a fun reversal, the Mane Six have gone from using the Elements of Harmony to fix their problems to fixing problems for the Elements of Harmony. This plot device (which alerts them through a plot signal), gives the writers a repeatable mechanism for sending whichever characters they want to wherever they want for an episode.
Since then, we have had at least three other advancements in the show open up reasons for the Mane Six to travel. First and foremost is the evolution of Princess Twilight Sparkle. Twilight has graduated from being Celestia's student and has now taken on a pupil of her own. She has earned a political position that comes with occasional diplomatic and goodwill duties. This brings lessons of friendship into interactions with other cultures, and often calls for travel.
Rarity has served many big-name clients such as Sapphire Shores, and her business success has allowed her to expand. As of "The Gift of the Maud Pie", she has now opened up boutiques in Canterlot and Manehattan. While opening the boutique in Canterlot was the plot of its episode, the opening of the one in Manehattan was auxiliary to the episode's plot. This marks a significant storytelling advancement for the show. Rarity's expanding business allows the characters to be in either city without the reason for being their having to be woven into the story. A simple, "Well, that was a splendid visit to Rarity For You. Glad to see everything is going well. Now, was there anything you girls would like to do while we're still here?" would suffice.
Finally, Rainbow Dash's pursuit of her lifelong dream has lead to her becoming one of the Wonderbolt Reserves. This means that whenever a Wonderbolt is sick or injured or for some other reason cannot attend a performance, Rainbow Dash is one of the top names on the list of pegasus ponies they call to fly in that Wonderbolt's place. And since the Wonderbolts perform all over Equestria, this call could take Rainbow Dash anywhere. And since her friends would naturally want to see her perform, this is an easy excuse to put any or all of them wherever the writers want a story to take place.
Now, I'm not suggesting that all of these advancements for the characters and storylines within our favorite show are because of the toy train, or that it was even a consideration beyond the development of the second season. But I believe that "Over a Barrel" -- and Hasbro's following decision to make that train a toy -- did start a ball rolling that we are all very lucky got started.
I can't wait to see where it takes us next! And I would not be at all surprised if we eventually get to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders questing across Equestria.
art by Tsitra360
I have to agree with that assessment, it just works out quite nicely. And while they don't stray out of town too regularly, every time they do, its a opportunity to expand knowledge on the greater aspects of Equestria and other lands as possible.
Now I want to see the map give the Crusaders a mission. There's the question of whether it can call ponies other than the Bearers, but it would certainly be interesting to see the reactions of their guardians and how the Mane Six handle it.
FiM is an incredibly rich world setting, well worth exploring. At the same time, it leaves enough gaps here and there for people to fill in with their imagination. I think that's one of the bigger reasons the fanfiction community for this show is so expansive.
3876063 Imagine the map calling in Derpy and initiate a Derpy episode. I think they could pull that off if at the end Derpy would be portrayed as a hero, instead of a disabled.
I belive.
Soon the show might have too many places and too many characters
First off, I have to say I don't fault Hasbro or the writers in the slightest for things like the train, because it allows them the funds to continue their work and their business is exactly that. business. And storytelling has always been a money maker. Having said that... really, the tree castle, twilight coronation carriage abomination, that train... feh.
At least they haven't gone into Simpsons levels of obnoxious in terms of merchandise
Far be it from me to take a sulphur scented squat all over your parade her Kkat, but.... we only have a couple of seasons and the movie. Thats it. I know it seems like a lot, but... eh, maybe they'll surprise us. Lord knows mlp itself was a rabbit pull in of itself
Yes, because who wouldn't want to be a member of this horrific group of salty c
nts lead by pegasi tribes vilage idiot.
Seriously, I pray the series ends with rainbow dash being transmogrified for five minutes into her human counterpart for the sole purpose of flipping off those show boating smurf bastards.
Personally, I like some of the things that they did just to sell toys. I like the train, and I thought it was nice when Twilight became a princess. I'm very happy that they explore the world more as it adds so much to the world.
So long as they don't go crazy with the merchandising, I'm okay if they introduce new characters or objects. Like you said, it's really about how they fit it in; shoehorned in like it is with some shows, it's awkward, obvious, and annoying.
There is logic in what you sy.
Also, plot signals XP
According to Big Jim, Hasbro is actually pretty lenient on product placement. In the Manehattan episode, the Sawn Boats are only on screen for a few seconds. Those were the toy set, and the episode only mentioned them once!
No brakes on this train. Season 6 has just got started.