MLP: FiM -- Superheroes with Hooves.

Lately life has been stressful for me, and when I need to relax I've been watching episodes of that little show that everyone watches but no one talks about -- My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It's taken me a while, but I've figured out why I like the show so much, and it's not just the great characters, strong plotlines and terrific art direction.

It's the story of a superhero team.

I should have realized this before. It's a team of individuals each of whom has special abilities, and they all wear a visible insignia -- the cutie mark -- that symbolizes them and their powers. This is basic superhero storytelling.

The latest episode made it clear. They revealed the secret origins of all the main cast -- as in, how they received their cutie marks -- and the plotline is just like a silver age comic. When she pushed the limit of her natural ability to fly, Rainbow Dash created a sonic rainboom. This magical event touched the lives of the other five ponies and activated their powers. It was the White Event of the MLP universe.

Most importantly it flipped Twilight Sparkle from a shy youth who wasn't very good at magic into a chaotic, dangerous force. (And when she triggered and her eyes went all glowy, who wasn't thinking 'Super Saiyan'?) Princess Celestia immediately shut down the growing catastrophe, just as Professor Xavier shut down the adolescent Jean Grey. Unicorns can only do magic related to their cutie mark, but Twilight's cutie mark gives her magic itself as her special talent. Next to Celestia and her sister Luna, Twilight Sparkle is probably the third most powerful pony in all of Equestria.

(The rest of the main cast is up there in power level also. We have one pony that's super strong and durable, one superspeedster, one with control over all animals and...well, and Pinkie Pie, who is best described as the Scarlet Witch on ecstasy. Only Rarity gets the short stick in the power department; the ability to detect precious gems isn't really a combat skill.)

The rest of the show makes perfect sense in this light. In the pilot, when Celestia realized that a threat was looming that might take her out of commission, she arranged for Twilight to meet the other ponies whose powers were triggered at the same time as hers. (This is not speculation -- Celestia says as much at the end of the episode.) In so doing, the ruler of Equestria assembled a team that she hoped would be able to wield the Elements of Harmony, just as Celestia did 1000 years before. After the team formed, she calls on them whenever something threatens all of Equestria, such as the dragon in 'Dragonshy'. One of the team, or all of them assembled, should have the ability to handle any threat. (And they all try. As Dash says, "We tried persuasion, charm, and...whatever it is that Pinkie does.")

The main cast of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic are the equine equivalent of the Avengers.

But what makes it so tasty is all the stuff that isn't presented, the story between the lines. Why does Celestia need to hide her special forces A-Team in a backwater town? What happened to Celestia's old team, the five other ponies that shared the Elements of Harmony with her 1000 years ago? When she played Prof. X to Twilight, did she put a block on the young filly's powers just as Prof. X did with Jean Grey? Did Celestia sense the Sonic Rainboom? (How could she not -- she controls the sun, which puts her a wee bit over Professor X in the power scale.) Was she monitoring all of the rainboom-enabled ponies, so that she knew exactly where to send Twilight to complete the team? Why did she wait until the threat was imminent? Does she not trust Twilight? And where is Luna -- she's been pardoned but has never to my knowledge been seen again.

What game is Celestia playing? And why is Equestria under assault at this moment in time?

Okay, I'm over-analyzing a children's show. But MLP:FiM is such a good show, and it shares so many epic storytelling tropes with the Superhero genre that I think we could learn a lot from analyzing it.

Plus, Pinkie Pie could totally take Batman. Discuss.

Hey, whatever gets you through the night, man. The newest MLP is written and produced by the same woman who created Powerpuff Girls which was equal parts clever and cute. Also superheroic.

In before we're told that My Little Pony isn't Comic And Hero/Villain Culture.

Only shows from the 1980s oriented towards boys count as geek culture, y'know?

Everyone knows Pink = Chaos. Look at Reservoir Dogs.

Perhaps if he were beaten up by a pony who is apparently empowered by something called a "cutie mark," Batman would finally learn some freakin' humility ...

You're right. This is an impossible scenario.

You missed an obvious reference, actually. What school was Twilight Sparkle applying for? "Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns". They are the C-Ponies, obviously. Twilight is Phoenix, she even bursts into flame when angry.

Also, Pinkie could totally take Batman. Her special power is that of the Looney Toon. Wild takes, teleportation, singing. Heck, she started a war once. By singing. "You gotta shaaaare! You gotta caaaare!" She's the Joker witout the evil. Random without malevolence. The only one who could throw Batman a surprise party, and it'd be an actual party, not a disguised death trap, much to Batman's confusion.

I honestly didn't even know My Little Ponies still existed...
Thought they went the way of Smurfs and Rainbow Brite and all the other 80's toys we destroyed growing up. (My sister hated me back then)

Here I was thinking a 30 year old man waxing philosophical about Pokemon was skirting the edge of acceptance...

For now though, I'll stick with Avengers and Batman: TBAB for my animated hero fix.



*Okay yes, that 30 year old Pokemon fan is me...

OK, just to make Beastyle feel better, now it involves comic and hero/villain culture:

Lauren Faust has already said that Luna will return in a later episode. I believe the studio has signed for a second season as well.

I haven't seen enough of this series, mainly because I only randomly notice when an episode is on TV. But it's actually a decent series from what I've seen.

And call me weird, but when I was a young lad I used to stage epic wars between My Little Ponies and Care Bears that might have given the Transformer vs. G.I. Joe wars a run for their money.

MLP had a sizable comic run, and I believe it even had a relatively recent set of releases from Tokyopop. Knowing is half the battle!

^ Shortly after that picture, Twilight was never found again. You do not decline an invitation to a Pinkie party.

Quote:

Originally Posted by McNum Concerning Gilda, I have a compelling argument that absolves Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash from any blame concerning whether or not it was a deliberately sabotaged party with evil intentions: Gilda made Fluttershy cry. At that point all bets were off. Gilda should feel lucky that a prank filled party was all she got. Gilda just messed with the wrong pony.

True enough, although you're now realizing that, had Fluttershy really wanted to, she could've given Gilda THE STARE. It's like a mag 4 immobilize.

I. Wait, what? I thought that all this Friendship is Magic was popular in an entirely 'I watch it ironically' sense. The show is actually good?

Lauren Faust is also married to Craig McCracken, creator of the PPG.