Hypothetical G5

[bobdude]

So when G4 and Fim eventually come to an end and Hasbro moves on to the next generation of pony, what would you like to see them do differently? Personally, I wouldn't mind a sci fi sort of setting (we've already done fantasy) with some melodrama added in. Also, more gender balanced casts and a return of human companions/allies (I'm one of those weirdos who actually LIKES the human characters in Transformers) would be nice to see.

[Al1701]

I'd yes to everything but melodrama. Just give me standard drama.

I even have an idea for a series, but not being with Hasbro means I can't give it to them.

[bobdude]

Hey by all means lay it out, never hurts to get ideas out there and all that ya know? Sides, I'm curious as to what you got.

[Al1701]

The idea is to have a series with a blend of speculative fiction and fantasy. My pitch is we see a lot of PSAs about how we should nurture girls' interest in math and science, but you don't really see it reflected in media for girls. Even a feminist like Faust was a huge technophobe when it came to Friendship is Magic (which is how we got the ridiculous image of four ponies dragging a train complete with locomotive in Over A Barrel).

A pony civilization is about where we were at the turn of the 20th century. Electricity is becoming less a toy of the rich and more a part of everyday life and skyscrapers are rising over the skylines of ever growing cities. While reaching for its future, this society is also fascinated by its past with archeologists digging up the cradles of civilization to answer so many questions.

One archeological find tops them all. It's a chamber hidden under the sands of their harshest desert with technology they've never seen yet incredibly old. They eventually figure out it's a wormhole generator leading to another planet. Once they determine this planet is inhabitable, a reconnaissance in force is sent to investigate and establish a presence.

The group sent through find themselves in an advanced but abandoned city on a planet with two major moon and a complex ring system. The odd thing is the planet is devoid of electromagnetic activity. No radio, no electricity they can find. They find something suggesting an abnormal source of heat and use the wormhole generators ability to bridge them to any point on planet at will to investigate.

The team sent discover a small settlement of humans and the heat source is a steam-powered saw they act like is the latest and greatest thing but ponies have had for more than a century. The ponies wonder how a city with technology beyond anything they've seen could sit abandoned while these humans are so far behind even them. That's when a wormhole opens, but it's not theirs. Several harpies come out and land. The humans are paralyzed with fear as the two and half meter tall bird weapon brandishing advanced weapons destroy the saw and then begin hunting down the inventor and his plans. The ponies soon find themselves involved in this conflict and on their way to learning this new world is filled with strange mysteries and even stranger answers.

[bobdude]

Interesting stuff, reminds almost of Stargate in a way

[Al1701]

Sept 16, 2014 11:35:22 GMT -8 bobdude said:

Interesting stuff, reminds almost of Stargate in a way

I took inspiration from it. It's an interesting concept.

[bobdude]

Any ideas about the sort of character archetypes that'd be in this gen (adventure archaeologist aside obviously)? Pony or human I mean.

[Al1701]

The ponies are based on G1 ponies from the series. I'll just use their G1 names since they're what I'm going on for now.

Wind Whistler: A brilliant but shy carriage house inventor.
North Star: One of the archeological expedition. Loves adventure and to explore.
Paradise: Expert of history and lore.
Lofty: Level-headed scout.
Heart-Throb: Lifestyle reporter for a newspaper known for adding romantic embellishments to her stories.
Masquerade: Mistress of disguise and spycraft.

Fizzy: Bubbly and optimistic young mare.
Gusty: Bruiser
Galaxy: Stargazer
Sparkler: Cranky demolitions expert
Powder: Cool customer
Moondancer: Mischievous adventurer

Applejack: Clumsy but well meaning orchard mare
Cherries Jubulee: More competent but more bossy colleague of Applejack
Posey: Reclusive botanist
Sunlight: Daydreaming meteorologist
Trickles: More grounded hydrologist
Cupcake: Tender cook
Truly: Southern belle nurse
Lickety-Split: Morale officer
Sundance: Friendly and curious mare
Magic Star: Cautious and superstitious leader.
Shady: Devil's advocate
Bow-Tie: Heart Throb's hairstylist and intentive listener.

Stallions
Monsoon: Professor
Hurricane: Cautious scout
Babel: Translator
Barricade: Big guy
Sparky: Technician
Snapshot: Heart Throb's photographer

I'm thinking of roles for Firefly, Medley, Glory, Twilight, Skydancer, Flutterbye, Moonstone, Starflower, Gingerbread, Sweet Stuff, Whizzer, Ribbon, Buttons, and Surprise as well as more stallions.

As for the humans, the main humans would be similar to the Williams family with two daughters and a son as the middle child. However, the father and mother would also play roles.

An alternative idea would be ponies have a listening post in a remote location of their world on the edge of their territory and a girl from our world somehow finds herself there.

[bobdude]

Very interesting that you have Lickety Split as the morale officer. Then again, ice cream IS one of the universal solutions to life. So I suppose it works out pretty well in the end.

And Shady as a "Devil's advocate" interests me,care to elaborate some?

Also, I take it the story would be done as a sort of ensemble cast ala Game of Thrones or the like?

[Al1701]

I decided to use Lickety-Split's backcard story as inspiration for her character more than her series persona. I'm thinking Surprise is her eager apprentice.

My idea was Shady was a consultant on preparedness as she has a talent for finding every fault and every worst case scenario in a situation. However, she has a hard time picturing how things can go right, so she a constant worrier.

And this would be a reconnaissance in force with a large number of ponies. However, many would fit into minor roles with certain places.

[bobdude]

Ah, more familiar with the cartoon then I am with the backstory cards or the comics (Wind Whistler as the Ditz just seems wrong). So basically your Shady would be like the G1 Transformer Gear (grump who pointed out the flaws of everything but who everyone saw as useful for that very reason)?

[Al1701]

I do want to include that Wind Whistler is a good singer (but she keeps this talent private much like Fluttershy).

That is basically Shady's role. However, the others get annoyed when they don't want her predictions of doom and gloom and get them anyway.

[Bright Glow]

Well to be honest your brainstorming cought both my imagination and fantasy but unfortunetly I couldn't come up with a complex world idea I would like to see in a G5 My little pony serie.

Anyway I decided to write down what I liked from the Friendship is Magic what I would like to see in the future too. There are three big question in my mind which could effect to the whole story wether it is a fantasy or a scifi or both.

Hoof flexibility: The question here is if ponies could use their hoofs or not to grab items and use them. Flexible hoof would be practical for using advance tochnologies but we could see in both G1 and G4 MLP that how earh ponies and pegasies could creat things without flexible hoofs.
I still wonder how they can brash their teeth.

Cutie Mark: Well as you could guess the question is simple. Wheter is the ponies earn their cutie mark when they born/ they bon with one alredy like in the G1 MLP or do they need to earn it leke in the FIM. If they need to earn it than I think we need CMC too. To be hones I ran some ideas in my fantasy about how Ember would fit into the CMC and I think since the other three crusaders are quite adventures (even Sweetie Bell even if sometimes she is mos careful than the other two) and since Babs Seed is living else wehere Ember could be the shy one.

Climate ontrol: I think this is a nother clear question too. If we follow Al1701's idea to be a more scifi type show than it could be pointed out in that even the pegasies do the most visible part of the weather control like creating storms or clearing the skies the other two spiesces has their own part of job from the whole thing.



What I liked from FIM and the past generations:


More speices: It was great to see more other non pony speices again.

Male ponies: Even the femail ponies still outnumbered the males but at least we had male ponies too in the FIM. Oh and at last there were male pegasus and unicorns too not just earth ponies like in the G1 MLP.

More towns and cities: In the FIM we could see more towns and cities not just the main ones like the capital city Canterlot or Ponyville where most of the characters lived.

Pony DNA: I really liked that we could see in the FIM that finally there is DNA working in the back ground. I also liked that even Mrs and Mr. Cupcake was both earth ponies their twins weren't just female and male but also pegasus and unicorn too. Yet I would like to see more cross speices parents. I mean families where the parents are not from the same speice.

[Al1701]

Actually, it's the pastern that they use to manipulate things, not their hooves.

[sunstar]

I hope for little less slice of life and more action. I'd like to see an actual mythos created. FIM is close but not quite there. Here is my idea.

Eons ago, there was paradise. Kingdoms thrived and ponykind grew in great numbers. Stories and songs were sung of the seven guardians who oversaw the world. Peace thrived. Crime was unheard of. That all changed the day darkness fell, and with it, one of the mighty guardians. War broke out and many lives were ended. Desperate, the remaining six guardians pooled their power and sealed the fallen guardian away in the realm of darkness. They gathered the survivors and guided them to a new land where peace came again. The fallen guardian broke free 500 years later. She trapped her fellow guardians and declared herself Queen. There is still hope. One guardian released his mind into a crystal before being captured. A small group of freedom fighters found that crystal and with that guardian as their guide, they fight on.

Characters

Guardian Mage: Forest green Alicorn stallion, wise in the ways of magic, Mage transfered his mind into a crystal just before his body was captured. He is the defacto leader of the freedom fighters. He can still use his magic, but he doesn't because he knows the Dark Queen is constantly scanning for it.

Dark Queen Rene: golden Alicorn mare with dark swirls decorating her coat, Rene can use her mane and tail like hands. She was once known by another name. She is armed with powerful dark magic beside her magic mane and tail, and is an expert swordsmare.

Princess Riverine: white unicorn mare with white, pale blue, and pale green hair, Riverine is second in command to Mage. She is skilled in the healing arts and is strong with defense magic. She doesn't do the frou frou princess thing.

Link: light tan battle scared pegasus, Link bears a terrible jagged scar on his forehead. He has no memory of life before the freedom fighters, nor does he know who he really is. He can use magic, but it takes a lot of concentration and it leaves him with bad headaches from time to time. He is also the only known pegasus freedom fighter.

Petaluma: heavyset maroon earthling mare, she runs the sick bay and is working on getting Link battle ready. Despite her wieght, Petaluma is quick on her hooves and is capable with a pair of twin battle scalpels.

Ember: small white earthling filly adopted by Riverine, she is only 2 years old. Her only words are star lost. She turned up inside the dark queen's castle and was rescued by Riverine. No one knows much about Ember.

Cobalt: blue unicorn stalion, he was a member of the royal guard. He escaped with Riverine on the day Rene attacked. He is strictly military and very by the book.