Mariusioannesp Speculates Wildly: Predictions for Season 7, Equestria Girls, and Beyond! · 11:40pm Mar 11th, 2017
Greetings again, my Brony Brethren!
As promised, I have promptly returned with my predictions for the upcoming Season 7 of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic as well as the upcoming Equestria Girls specials, and some other stuff. This won’t include the movie though. Predictions for the movie will be included in a follow-up blog discussing the characters and plot that were revealed a few weeks ago. Well, let’s get a move on as our friendly friends at Equestria Daily have already confirmed that Season 7 will be starting in April.
Last February, I made a series of predictions for the then upcoming Season 6. So first, let’s look at how well I did predicting the course of Season 6. I have a pretty good track record so far, so what I have to say for the future might have some weight.
Out of a total of eight predictions, I got three right. I’ve seem to have lost a bit of my predictive edge. However, all three of these predictions were exactly right and none of them approximately right. I was exactly right about Starlight Glimmer being back, though didn’t expect her to have the presence she had in the season at all. I was exactly right about Trixie being back this season, not once, but twice. That counts for extra I figure. I was also exactly right that Fluttershy’s brother would be introduced this season. Seems to me I got like half my predictions right. That counts for something I say.
Now that we’ve done that, let’s move on to Season 7. But before I make predictions in earnest, let’s start off with some of the things we already know about Season 7. Equestria Daily not too long ago revealed the names of Rainbow Dash and Applejack’s parents! Presumably this means we’ll be seeing an episode or two that revolves around their parents somehow. Rainbow’s parents are named Windy Whistles and Bow Hot Hoof. Windy Whistles seems to allude to the a G1 pony named Wind Whistler. That’s interesting because I’ve always imagined, and Lauren Faust has admitted that she also imagined, that Rainbow’s mother was the G1 pony Firefly. As for Bow Hot Hoof, honestly it could be the stupidest name I’ve ever heard. Now if it was Dash Hot Hoof that would be cooler. I’m thinking 20 percent cooler. Applejack’s parents are named Bright Mac and Pear Butter. There will also be an Old Grand Pear. I suspect Pear Butter is Applejack’s mother and Old Grand Pear her maternal grandmother. (Bright Mac must be her father as it seems Big Mac might have been named after him.) Sounds like Applejack’s mother’s family are pear ponies. Apples and Pears don’t really go together. That’s probably why there’s going to be a flashback where Applejack’s mother sings a Romeo and Juliet-style song. That it’s a flashback gives me solace that there won’t be any Jossing of the fanon so long established it’s practically canon that Applejack’s parents are dead. For some reason I imagine they might be featured in an episode this season that is about how all the Mane 6’s parents met, almost like Season 1’s “The Cutie Mark Chronicles”. Hence, why Applejack’s parents will presumably be featured in a flashback.
It seems that since Season 4, each season has featured a special big name guest star. Season 7 will be no different. It has already been confirmed that William Shatner will be guest starring on MLP! I’m sure I don’t have to explain to you all who William Shatner is. He was the original Captain James T. Kirk on the original Star Trek: The Original Series. Since then, he’s done a number of smaller roles. (I reckon starring on the series Boston Legal was his biggest role to date.) These days though, I think he’s most well known for his Twitter. He likes to live tweet shows like The Flash and Supernatural. He’s also made known that he is a fan of MLP, probably making him one the most prominent Bronies out there. This is certainly a big get for MLP. I’m very excited to see what Mr. Shatner’s role ends up being.
You remember how even before Season 5 started, they confirmed that there would be a Season 6 of MLP. Well, it happened again. It has already been confirmed by the Powers-that-be behind MLP that there will be a Season 8.
And now for some Equestria Girls news. According to Equestria Daily, the three upcoming EQG specials will be premiering in the summer on Netflix. This is very interesting because previously it seemed that the EQG specials wouldn’t be Netflix exclusive premieres but would premiere on Discovery Family. I don’t know if I was mistaken or whatever before, but this is what appears to be the case now. It seems EQG has made the jump to Netflix almost completely. Perhaps that will be the venue for a future Equestria Girls spin-off if that ever materializes.
Now onto the writers’ side of things. Like I said in my last blog, a few of the new writers won’t be returning for the next season. Jennifer Skelly, who wrote last season’s “Buckball Season”, won’t be back tof Season 7, but she’s hoping to be back for Season 8. Kevin Burke and Chris Wyatt, who wrote the two of my favorites this season “The Times They Are a Changeling” and “Viva Las Pegasus”, won’t be back for Season 7 either. Mike Vogel, who I christened the best new writer of last season, will also not be back as he is focusing exclusively on the MLP movie. Well, that’s great for the movie, but I don’t know how great it is for the next season. The worst news of them all though is that Dave Polsky will not be returning to MLP as he will be the showrunner for a new show. This makes me rather sad. Though Mr. Polsky was one of MLP’s most divisive writers, he was always a favorite of mine. On top of that, he was the last of the current writers who’s been there since MLP’s beginning. Season 7 will be staffed completely by different degrees of fresh blood.
But it’s not all bad news. G.M. Berrow will be back for Season 7, with not only one, but two episodes. I really enjoyed “The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows” from Season 5, and I’ve always enjoyed her chapter books. However, it appears that the Fox Brothers will be returning for Season 7 as well. I don’t know how I feel about that. As you may recall in my last blog, I christened them the least good new writers of the season because they were responsible for two of what I thought were the least good episodes of the season. Still, I did like “The Gift of the Maud Pie”, their very first outing. Let’s just hope they got their act together for next season. On a happier note, Josh Haber may or may not be involved in Season 7. If you recall from my last blog, I’m not the biggest fan of Mr. Haber as MLP’s story editor so I’m hoping that he isn’t. It seems he’s also become the story editor for another show, but he did not want to say definitely that he was not involved in Season 7. A man can dream though.
In case you’re also wondering, it looks like M.A. Lason won’t be back for this season either. As much as I didn’t like “Magical Mystery Cure”, Mr. Larson was responsible for some of MLP’s best episodes, such as “The Return of Harmony”, “Slice of Life”, and “Amending Fences” (Still MLP’s best episode in my opinion). Plus, he’s a stalwart. He was one of Lauren Faust’s right hand men as she developed MLP. And I’ll admit he’s a better story editor than Josh Haber. (Though that’s not saying a lot.) So yeah, I’d love it if M.A. Larson could come back to MLP. Maybe for Season 8. A Brony can dream though. A Brony can dream.
And now with that out of the way, let us begin my official predictions for Season 6 of MLP!
MLP Season 7 and Beyond
Season 7 Will Premiere April 15th
I’ll have you know I was drafting this blog a full two days before it was hinted at on Zap2It that MLP might be premiering on April 15th. What I wrote then follows for the sake of my own posterity. It only proves that the show staff is intentionally scheduling MLP around the Easter season and possibly the premieres of Doctor Who.
We all know now that MLP will premiere in April. But why am I so certain it will premiere specifically on April 15th? Well, this year April 15th is Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. Season 5 premiered on Holy Saturday of 2015. Season 6 premiered Holy Saturday of 2016. It only stands to reason that Season 7 will also premiere Holy Saturday of this year. We already know it’s premiering in April so it seems almost certain. Interestingly enough, Series 10 of Doctor Who along with the new Doctor Who spin-off Class will be premiering on BBC America on April 15th. Season 5 of MLP also premiered on same day as Doctor Who. Just goes to show how Everything is Connected like Dirk Gently says.
The Premiere and/or Finale Will be Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
Back in my review of Legend of Everfree, I noted how much I enjoyed it compared to the season finale “To Where and Back Again”. I also noted how much I’d like to see Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco aka The Lady Writers take a crack at a one of MLP’s season premiere or finales. Well, right now, I am officially predicting that The Lady Writers will be writing this season’s premiere and/or finale. Why do I figure that? Well, as I said in my review, previous EQG writers, Meghan McCarthy and Josh Haber, wrote MLP’s premieres or finales soon after the premiere of the EQG they’ve written. I say that means The Lady Writers will be writing the premiere and/or finale for MLP Season 7.
Starlight Glimmer Will be Back but Perhaps for the Last Time
This is pretty much a no-brainer. Equestria Daily even revealed a while ago that an upcoming Shout Factory DVD of Starlight Glimmer episodes includes two titles of what are presumably Season 7 episodes. The titles in question are “Celestial Advice” and “All Bottled Up”. “All Bottled Up” sounds like it could be about almost anything, but “Celestial Advice” sounds like the episode where Starlight and Princess Celestia really interact for the first time. So Starlight will be back this season. The question is will Starlight continue to appear on MLP beyond the upcoming season. I believe it is in the realm of possibility for Starlight to complete her tutelage under Twilight Sparkle by the end of this season move on to bigger and better things. You know, far away from the Mane 6 and the mane action of the show. For me, what will determine this is whether or not Starlight is in the MLP Movie. The other day, Equestria Daily revealed what appears to be some merchandise of Starlight Glimmer with the MLP Movie logo on it. This could just be Hasbro slapping the movie logo on all their MLP merchandise irregardless of whether it has anything to do with the movie. Also, I thought I read on Equestria Daily somewhere that Kelly Sheridan, Starlight Glimmer’s voice actress, said she wasn’t in the movie. I can’t actually find it at the moment. Either way, I’m sure we’ll find out by the end of this season whether or not Starlight Glimmer is really here to stay.
And if Starlight Glimmer is back, you know what that means.
The Great and Powerful Trixie Will be Back… You Know Again
Well, if Starlight Glimmer is going to be back this season, then The Great and Powerful Trixie will be back too. They became quite the bosom buddies last season. It’s only natural to presume that if we’re going to see more of Starlight, we’ll be seeing more of Trixie as well. Perhaps not a whole episode’s worth like “No Second Prances” and “To Where and Back Again”, but at least something. If she does though, it’ll be the first time Trixie has appeared in two consecutive seasons.
The Revenge of Queen Chrysalis!
The last time we saw Queen Chrysalis, she was vowing revenge against Starlight Glimmer. So naturally, we’re probably going to be seeing Chrysalis again this season. It might be too much of a stretch to wait until Season 8 to resolve that storyline. I wouldn’t be surprised if she shows up in the very season premiere. Or maybe she’ll appear in both the premiere and the finale and there’ll be little hints in the background that she’s still at large and up to something. Then she’d truly be a recurring villain. I don’t think Chrysalis will be alone though. I realized something after writing my review of last season’s finale. Even though all the Changelings in the hive were reformed, I realized that the Changelings impersonating the Mane 6, Spike, Shining Armor, and the rest of the princesses may not have been. We never found out what happened to them. Perhaps they fled alongside of Chrysalis. That means that Chrysalis still has at least twelve Changelings on her side. Perhaps, as I speculated in my review, she could beget more of them. Chrysalis might just be coming back with a horde at her disposal. The only point of concern though is that the more Chrysalis appears the more likely she will end up on the reformation chopping block. As I said in my previous blog, Chrysalis ranks high on the roster of MLP’s greatest villains in part because there are so few of them left. And given we’ve already seen that Changelings can be reformed, it’s even more likely. Still, we’ve seen the Flim Flam Brothers, pretty low-tier villains, make it to their third appearance avoiding the reformation chopping block. Maybe we’ll see Chrysalis become the first repeating villain to completely avoid the reformation chopping block. Through her, we could finally get the lesson that some are impervious to the magic of friendship and just has to be blasted away with the magic of friendship.
Thorax and the Reformed Changelings Will be Back
The Changeling reform in “To Where and Back Again” was one of last season’s biggest gamechangers. We now have this whole new race of Changelings, and I imagine we will be seeing much more of them this season. Of course, that means we’ll also be seeing Thorax in his new role as king of these new Changelings. It might be interesting to see maybe Spike and Twilight give Thorax lessons on how to be a royal and such. Perhaps they will even play a role in the season premiere and/or finale. It wouldn’t be too surprising to see them in further conflict with Chrysalis and whatever Changelings she might still have on her side. We could bear witness to a battle for the soul of Changelingkind!
Discord Will be Back
Equestria Daily has reported here and here about John de Lancie not being sure whether Discord is even in Season 7 of MLP. Equestria Daily tries to explain this away by noting that since voice actors record their lines a year in advance, it could be possible that Mr. de Lancie legitimately does not remember if he recorded anything for Season 7. This could be possible. As such, I’m going to predict that Discord will be appearing this season. Why do I say that? Well, Discord has appeared at least once every season since his introduction in Season 2. It’s only natural that he make yet another appearance in this upcoming season.
Maud Pie Will be Back
Like Discord, Maud Pie has appeared at least once every season since her introduction in Season 4. I predict it’s also likely Maud will be making another appearance in the upcoming season. And just like I always do, I certainly look forward to seeing Maud again.
Timber Spruce and/or Gloriosa Daily Will Make a Cameo Appearance
Our good ole’ friend Flash Sentry made a couple of cameo appearances in Season 4 of MLP, long after the premiere of the first Equestria Girls. This has made a lot of Bronies very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move. However, Timber Spruce in Legend of Everfree was a bit more well received than Flash Sentry ever was. I think fans would be more open to seeing Timber Spruce’s pony counterpart on MLP, most likely in the upcoming season. And if Timber Spruce shows up, Gloriosa Daisy’s pony counterpart might also make an appearance alongside of him. It might be a simple cameo, or perhaps it could be something more significant. I will go even further and say that if they make a cameo, it will be in an episode written by The Lady Writers. I’m sure I recall that The Lady Writers were the ones who wrote Legend of Everfree in the first place. It only seems appropriate that if given the chance, they’ll write them into one of their MLP episodes.
One of G.M. Berrow’s Episodes Will be a Daring Do Episode
As I mentioned before, G.M. Berrow will be back this season with not just one, but two episodes. I predict that one of these episodes will be Daring Do related. Why do I say that? Well, G.M. Berrow wrote the Daring Do chapter books. The chapter books in question do have a bit of an open-ended ending. Presumably, that was to leave the door open for further Daring Do chapter books. So far, there don’t seem to be any coming down the pike. At this point, the only place we can get a resolution to what was set up in the Daring Do chapter books is on the show itself. Since G.M. Berrow was the one who seemingly conceived it, it’s only natural she would be the one to continue it in one of her MLP episodes.
Cheese Sandwich Will be Back by Season 8
In last year’s blog, I speculated that Weird Al Yankovic might end up involved in the MLP movie based on a Facebook post where he expressed his interest in appearing again in MLP or the movie. From everything we know of the movie so far, it seems unlikely that Weird Al will be appearing in the MLP movie. (Maybe he can be in the sequel.) There’s always the hope that he will be making a second appearance as Cheese Sandwich in Season 7, but I’m not quite certain of it. We already know William Shatner’s guest starring. Wouldn’t we know Weird Al was coming back by now? Admittedly, we didn’t know Weird Al was going to be on MLP in the first place until almost the middle of Season 4. And we didn’t know Patton Oswalt would be guest starring until much into the season as well. But as I said before when discussing Mr. Shatner’s guest starring on MLP, MLP has had a major guest star each season since Season 4. If William Shatner is guest starring this season, I doubt Weird Al will also be guest starring this season. It’s possible as a second appearance by Weird Al wouldn’t have the same weight as a first time guest appearance like Mr. Shatner’s. I mean John de Lancie has appeared so many times as Discord, he barely counts as a special guest. Still though, it think it’s more likely Weird Al will be making his second appearance in Season 8. I predict that Weird Al will make a second appearance as Cheese Sandwich by Season 8 of MLP.
Season 8 Will be MLP’s Final Season… Maybe… I Don’t Know… I Just Don’t Know Anymore
Every year I float the idea that the upcoming season could be MLP’s last. Well, this time we know for certain that Season 7 won’t be the last because they already announced Season 8 of MLP for 2018. Well, what about Season 8? Could Season 8 be the last season of MLP? It could, but I just have no idea anymore. Interestingly enough, eight seasons was the number of seasons predicted for MLP by the venerable fanfiction My Little Dashie. So, it would be cool if MLP ended up having eight seasons. However, Season 8 will be following the MLP movie. I imagine that Hasbro already greenlighting an eighth season means they want to keep MLP going long after the movie. If the movie ends up flopping God forbid, then Season 8 will probably be the last season. If not, eight seems like an odd number to end on. It’s not as complete as say a number like ten. Hence, my next prediction.
MLP Will Last 10 Seasons
That is right. I am predicting right now that MLP will end after ten seasons. Like I said before, the fact that Hasbro has already greenlit Season 8 of MLP for after the movie means they want to keep MLP going. And ten seasons, a full decade, would be the perfect ending point for MLP. Plus, it’ll probably take at least three years to get through Seasons 8 through 10. That’s at least enough time to make a sequel to the MLP movie. A second movie would be the perfect final capstone for My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. On top of that, ten seasons would put MLP among the longest series in US television series. It is already Hasbro’s longest running series. It might as well go all the way.
Equestria Girls
The Humane 7 as Superheroes Aspect Will be Explored Further
This is another no-brainer. As I said in my review of Legend of Everfree, I felt it was sort of the origin story of the Humane 7 as superheroes. Of course that means we’ll be seeing them engage in magical girl acts of superheroics in the course of this mini-mini-series. And given that the final scene of Legend of Everfree showed more magic leaking into the Human World, I bet they’re going to have a lot more malevolent magic to face.
Kevin Burke and Chris Wyatt will Write One (or More) of the Specials
As I’ve already said before Kevin Burke and Chris Wyatt will not be writing for Season 7 of MLP. But then why do I think they’ll be involved with the EQG specials? Well, as I said before in my reviews of their episodes, Messrs. Burke and Wyatt have previously written for Avengers Assemble, Ultimate Spider-Man, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. These are all comic book-based superhero shows. This is the most likely theme of these upcoming EQG specials. Now, why would MLP bring on two writers onto their staff with experience writing superhero shows if they’re not going to have them involved in a superhero-themed side series? Am I right, or am I right? Hence, why I believe Messrs. Burke and Wyatt may be involved in these EQG specials.
One of the Specials Will be a “Holiday Special”
A few years ago, EQG had a Christmas-themed comic. It might be time for an actual “Holiday”-themed EQG. Now, I am aware these specials are scheduled to premiere in the summer. But by now, we all know that MLP does not care about airing Christmas-y sorts of things way out of season. Hence, why I say “Holiday” rather than actually Christmas. These specials are probably the best opportunity for this kind of thing. (Unless there are more specials in the future.) A whole holiday-themed EQG film might be a little too much.
We Will be Introduced to a Human Version of Starlight Glimmer
Equestria Daily the other day revealed a few new character models for EQG. Among them is Starlight Glimmer. So, it seems very likely we’ll be seeing Starlight Glimmer’s human doppelganger in one of these upcoming EQG specials. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I mean, we’ve seen quite a bit of Starlight Glimmer already on MLP proper. Do we really need her in EQG as well? Plus, Starlight is effectively MLP’s answer to Sunset Shimmer. So seeing Starlight in EQG seems a little redundant. Of course, there’s the possibly this human Starlight is actually pony Starlight made human. Perhaps in one of these specials, she accompanies Princess Twilight on a visit to the Human World. Now that, I wouldn’t mind seeing. I’d be into seeing how MLP’s Starlight interacts with EQG’s Sunset.
One of the Specials Will Crossover with MLP
EQG has done a really good job of separating itself from MLP proper in the last couple of films. Now that it has done so, the time has come to EQG to do a full on crossover with MLP. Given that Legend of Everfree ended with magic seeping in through a crack in the portal to Equestria, it would behoove the Humane 7 to put a stop whatever malevolent magic they end up facing at the source. If you think about it, MLP has never fully crossed over with EQG. Equestria and the Human World remain pretty separate. It’s just Twilight, Spike, and Sunset who have passed in between. Frankly, I just would like to see Humane 5 and the Remane 5 meet each other, and how they would interact. I’m sure they’ll be equally surprised meeting themselves as ponies and humans.
Whether these predictions are at all accurate or just the deranged and perverse fantasies of a clearly addled fanboy remains to be seen. I do have a pretty good track record. What do you all think of my predictions for MLP Season 7 and beyond? What to you foretell in MLP Season 7 and beyond?!
God bless you all. God bless America. And God bless Equestria.
Time for some more wild speculation! One of the things I love about MLP is how hard it is to predict what the future holds for the series.
It would be cool if MLP ended up lasting ten full seasons. Of course I hope Seasons 7-10 are good. You know the old saying. Quality over quantity. I've already expressed my fear of MLP overstaying its welcome in the past. But, if the writers continue to pump out quality work then I think 10 seasons is a reasonable expectation. Of course, this all depends on the success of Seasons 7-8 and the MLP movie.
It is quite interesting how often the premiers for MLP and Doctor Who seem to converge. I am willing to be money that there are some Whovians among the MLP crew.
I'd also love to see the main MLP cast and the EQG cast finally meet. Even if it's just for a half-hour special, I think it would be absolutely brilliant.
Now I suppose we wait and see how many of your predictions turn out to be true.