Apologies in advance to anyone who doesn't care for my artwork. Please ignore this blog post if it doesn't interest you.Cutie Mark University - Brainstorm One · 12:19am Jun 16th, 2019
An idea I've had recently is to do something I haven't really done before, which is story set further into the future. The idea essentially amounts to this:
The Cutie Mark Crusaders go to university. The university will be a place ponies go to hone their skills more masterfully. Anybody can be pretty good at something, but it takes time and practice to become a master at it, right? So that's my justification for why something like a college/university exists in Equestria.
So that's that, but there also needs to be a conflict, and that's where I'm not sure about things yet. The easy route would be to find a reason for the CMC to drift apart, and that could be interesting. At this later point in their lives, I think it would be easier to tweak their personalities a little bit, extrapolating from the show's timeline and trying to figure out where their characters would end up years down the road.
Apple Bloom, I think, would be aching to get off the farm and experience life on her own, but ultimately feel more homesick than the other two.
Sweetie Belle would probably be a theater major of sorts, and maybe she would make friends that "get" that part of her life more than Apple Bloom and Scootaloo (which could be the catalyst for them drifting apart).
Scootaloo will still be flightless, because it's honestly such a defining part of her character and it would be a shame to let that opportunity for story drama go away. But I think she'd have trouble fitting in within a new environment, so maybe Apple Bloom and Scootaloo would both find new friend groups, leaving her estranged and alone (hooray, depression!)
That doesn't really get to a greater conflict though. Just some "filler" conflict that could maybe lead to something more substantial. Or maybe I could just let that thought simmer as I write, since this could easily be an ongoing thing if I commit to it.
I'm open to ideas. And also, if this goes anywhere I'm pretty sure I'm making this adorable image the cover art:
This sounds cool
It looks to me like you have a pretty good idea, I think that the main conflict would involve some sort of friction between the CMC be it a gradual drifting apart or perhaps something more volatile such as a love polygon of some degree. As for their prospective majors; for Scootaloo something athletic in nature like professional hoofball or being a stuntpony, for Applebloom, based solely on her cutie mark, it looks like it will have something to do with apples at least tangentially, and finally, Sweetie Belle, music will be a part of it, but that could be anything from professional singer to theatrical arts to voice actress or just about anything in between. On a side note, I recently read a series of fan fictions where the author went for something rather different from the generally accepted Singer, Scooter expert, and architect. In his stories, Scootaloo became really good at martial arts, Sweetie Belle had a crippling fear of singing in public, so instead she directed her musical talents into musical therapy, and I forgot what Applebloom got. Hope this helps and I wish you luck on bringing this idea to life.
5075044
Thanks for your thoughts!
I'm unsure if I'd want to bring any sort of romance into the mix, but if I did, I don't think I'd want it to be the main aspect of the story. But seeing as I'd be aging them up quite a bit, something along those lines might make sense. It would probably be external to the CMC though, as I just don't know if I feel that sort of thing between those characters. If there's a love interest, it will be probably be with a character I create.
I was actually thinking Apple Bloom would be into chemistry/potions, since that's part of her interests in the canon. Maybe she gets distracted and her grades drop or something though, resulting in being worried about dropping out. And maybe the school costs a bunch and Applejack provided a lot of financial help, so there's extra pressure there? I'm not sure how I feel about that as a conflict though. Money has never really been much of a "thing" in this show. The MLP universe doesn't strike me as a place that has extremely high student debt.
I like Scootaloo being drawn to athletics, and her lack of flying ability would probably continue to play a role in that. But I think I'd actually rather show her being strong and able to hold up on her own, considering at this point she'd have already gone through a whole childhood of bullying regarding that sort of thing. Rather, I think her conflict would be not connecting with new people (as mentioned). I could create a new character she eventually becomes friends with who is perhaps a bit on the nerdier side, to act as a contrast and balance to her rather sporty nature.
The idea you mentioned for Sweetie Belle is interesting. It provides more of a sense of intrigue, at the very least. I don't know, though. She seems pretty outgoing as a character, but all that really matters is how I write her I suppose.
I wonder if I could add any other canon characters to the mix without it feeling forced? I honestly don't think I'd want to include any of the Mane Six, but if I did it would be their big sisters and only for little bits here and there. It could be fun to have Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash visit the campus and have some shenanigans too.
5075055
No problem, I can see why you would prefer to be careful with the romance thing. As for the secondary characters, perhaps a portion of the conflict could be of the familial nature like Applebloom wanting to do chemistry like you suggested while Applejack expecting her to follow in her hoofprints so to speak. As for the Mane Six, I do not see any harm in including them in sparingly like a few small scenes throughout the story or perhaps one or two chapters where they take a significant role such as seeing the CMC off to college a tearful farewell and how much they have grown and whatnot. If you have any other questions or just want to continue bouncing ideas off on me I can't say writing is one of my strengths but I'm always willing to lend an ear.
Anyway it looks like you have a pretty good setup and I look forward to seeing what you can come up with.
5075055
I like the main 6 idea I really would like to see what kind of trouble they can stir up turn Scootaloo should learn a musical instrument guitar giving her that R.D. awesome vibe that just my thought
>5075044
I also agree with sweetie bell being a singer