My Little Pony: The Movie (2017) / Fridge

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Fridge Brilliance

The star that flies around and creates multiple sparkles before the Title of the movie could represent how (throughout the series) Twilight Sparkle has come so far in making so many friends since her first five in episode 1. (Symbolic of the 5 sparkles that surround the star in her cutie mark).
Liev Schreiber stated that the reason he took the role of the Storm King was so that his kids could watch him play a character that wasn't violent or savage in any way. It might seem bizarre considering the Storm King is the Big Bad of the movie, but the prequel comics from IDW and the official trailer paint the character as an Affably Evil Benevolent Boss, which already makes the character a step-up from Schreiber's other roles such as the much more frightening Sabretooth.
If you pay attention, you notice that in this movie, Pinkie Pie seems the closest to Twilight, the one Twilight goes to catch when she falls off the airship, the one who chews her out when she attempts to steal the Pearl, the one who made amends with Twilight when they are reunited, the one who later encourages Twilight "You got this", and the one who cries when she thinks Twilight's bought the farm. That's because, for all intents and purposes, Pinkie Pie was the first friend Twilight met in Ponyville. (Even if her first response to Twilight's greeting was to Gasp!)
It could be interpreted that if Tempest being turned to stone counts as her (symbolic) death, then her being changed back counts as her "rebirth" into Fizzlepop Berrytwist.
- Also, it's symbolic that she started out hardened, but friendship set her free.
- She's not the first villain of G4 to symbolically die and be reborn during their Heel–Face Turn, either. The first was in fact the first: Nightmare Moon's purification into Princess Luna in the pilot. Sunset Shimmer also stands out, if only for the sheer blatancy of being blasted into a smoking crater and Twilight then offering a hand to help her climb out. As such, what happens to Tempest is part of a recurring theme.
The idea of hippogriffs transforming into seaponies to escape the Storm King seems odd at first, since it would make more sense for the seaponies to start out as regular ponies as opposed to hippogriffs. But it makes a good contrast, as hippogriffs are horse/bird hybrids, and hippocampi are horse/fish hybrids. Birds and fish are generally regarded as opposites, due to being creatures of the air and water, respectively.
- Plus, Princess Skystar's name should be a clue to her true species as well.
Despite some of the Nightmare Fuel scenes shown in the trailer, some of the darker scenes have Pinkie giggling even in the worst situations. Of course she would; she's just giggling at the ghostie.
Of course Pinkie would be the one most offended by Twilight using her and her friends as a distraction to get the pearl. Pinkie worked hard to lift the Hippogriff’s spirits and Twilight ruined that by trying to steal their treasure. For Pinkie, nothing’s worse than seeing somepony’s smile only to have their spirits crushed later.
"Rainbow", in the trailers and the music video, focuses on Twilight Sparkle, which makes some sense if you view it as Twilight's eventually seeing the good in her situation despite her often cynical or harried nature. It makes more sense if you consider it from the point of view of Twilight Sparkle about Tempest Shadow around her Heel–Face Turn.
I am here and I see your pain
Through the storms, through the clouds, the rain
I'm telling you: you cannot escape
You can do it, just feel baby
When Twilight tries to steal the Pearl and uses her friends as a distraction, she's offended just about every single one of their Elements.
- Pinkie: Laughter means bringing smiles to everypony. Those smiles all disappeared when they caught Twilight in the act.
- Applejack: Twilight lied to her friends and used them as a distraction.
- Fluttershy: Twilight spat in the face of the seaponies'/hippogriffs' hospitality with her attempted theft.
- Rarity: The very act of stealing is the opposite of generosity.
- Rainbow Dash: Twilight betrayed her friends' and the hippogriff's trust when she attempted to steal the Pearl.
  - Ironically, Twilight's act even betrayed her own element: she chose the magic of the pearl, instead of friendship to convince the hippogriffs to help.
While Twilight's Wham Line was very tear-jerkingly harsh, it does make sense if you think about it deeply enough. Throughout the film, Twilight is very serious in saving Equestria from the Storm King, especially since Tempest is trying to capture her for her magic; Her friends on the other hoof, aren't taking this seriously, treating the quest as another easy adventure. This alone causes some blunders, such as Pinkie Pie making a scene in Kludgetown which attracts Tempest's attention, Rarity getting her friends to trust Capper to the point of nearly getting sold over and Rainbow Dash making a Sonic Rainboom that allows the enemy to pinpoint their location, much to Twilight's increasing frustration. Sure, they made some new friends along the way that will help them in return, but at a cost of nearly getting captured by Tempest and unknowingly building up Twilight's stress that leads the aforementioned line.
- The worst part is Twilight's friends solely blame her for getting them booted out of Seaquestria while ignoring their own faults that leads to this point. To it, Twilight was in the right to say it for not taking the quest seriously, considering the grim situation they're at.
The Storm King betraying Tempest makes perfect sense if you think about it. Besides possibly suspecting her of treachery herself, if the empowered staff makes him a One-Man Army, then what does he need his actual army for? It's entirely possible he was only using his army until he got something that made them obsolete.
- The Storm King might have betrayed Tempest in part because he never knew how to restore her horn and was just using it as a means of ensuring her loyalty. The series has been fairly consistent that healing magic in general is next to nonexistent, and that restoring certain things with magic is nearly or completely impossible.
- The Storm King betraying Tempest could've been because simply didn't buy Grubber's excuse and genuinely saw Tempest's slip as a sign that, like Strife in the comic, she may have intended to stab him in the back. Also note that the Storm King seemed oddly enraged that she didn't petrify Twilight Sparkle. While it could be those things are not easy to come by (logical, given Tempest clearly only had the four on her or she'd have used them on Twilight), it's also not out of the question he may have suspected she was 'saving' the last Obsidian Orb to betray him with. In addition, Tempest was already a traitor to her species and her homeland of Equestria, so more the reason not to trust her.
- Tempest is without a doubt one of the most powerful unicorns we have ever seen. Not only is she an incredible warrior in physical combat, but the power of her magic is in a tier of it's own. Even with a broken horn, we have seen her electrocute others, destroy an entire airship, and deflect the staff's energy blast with her own magic. Outside of the movie, it is explained that it was Tempest who destroyed the Hippogriff kingdom in a single night with only a single airship of soldiers at her command. With all this in mind, there is no doubt that the Storm King was wary of, if not fearful that Tempest could eventually overthrow him. The fact that he outright attacks Tempest after revealing his lie illustrates that he was planning to dispose of Tempest from the start.
- Also in the Prequel Comics, she gave the Storm King quite a chase, as he puts it, And also fended of his forces with her unstable magic. It is possible that Storm King saw in her a powerful warrior for him to use, but also saw her as a dangerous threat to his plans. So it wasn't just a case of You Have Outlived Your Usefulness. It was also the Storm King disposing of her before she can become an enemy that leads to his downfall, which she did after the Storm King reveals that he lied.
Twilight gets convinced that the Mane Six's usual methods don't work outside of Equestria, but, in practice, it's because of her friends staying true to character that they can gain friends and allies that help them defeat the Storm King; Rarity's generosity towards Capper, Rainbow Dash's awesomeness and adventurer spirit inspiring the pirates to be loyal to their true selves, and Pinkie Pie making Princess Skystar happy along with the rest of the hippogriffs. Similarly, Twilight acting Out of Character and going behind their friends' backs to use underhanded, unfriendly methods almost ruined everything, and it's only when she returns to her caring, friendly self that they gain the final ally they need to win, Tempest.
In relation to the above, the Mane 6 display a practically infectious ability to spread aspects of friendship to every ally or potential ally they meet that is currently lacking it. One song even has such a character remarking that they can "feel the light." Fluttershy even reforms one minion simply by looking cute and noting how upset he is inside and imploring him to talk about it. Even in the midst of crisis and lacking the physical elements the Mane 6 still embody the Elements of Harmony and are acting as emissaries of the Tree of Harmony to lands beyond where ponies normally go.
Many people have been saying how Twilight falling out with her friends is similar to what happened in "A Canterlot Wedding", and there are actually some similarities between the two. In both scenes, the Mane 5 decide to leave Twilight because she had done something stupid (I.E. Accusing Princess Cadence of being evil with no solid proof/attempting to steal the seaponies' pearl.), leading to her getting captured by the villain. However, there are some differences:
- In the show, Twilight ultimately turned out to be right about Cadence being evil (but in a different context), and the gang abandoned her because they believed she was jealous and refused to listen to her. Whereas in the movie, the Mane 5 rightfully called out Twilight for going behind their backs and betraying the seaponies'/hippogriffs' trust. Twilight in turn lashes out at them and says that she didn't need friends like them. But while they are obviously upset at Twilight for what she did, they are simply deciding to give her and each other space instead of outright abandoning her. Also, Spike chooses to stay behind with Twilight to console her.
In Greek mythology, the harpy Celaeno is sister to Iris, Goddess of Rainbows and messenger of the gods. In the movie, Celaeno gets along best with Rainbow Dash and her airship is covered with multiple feathers in the full spectrum of the rainbow.
Twilight's plan to steal the pearl appeared to be rather poorly thought out for her, especially after we see her trigger the security system. However, the fact Princess Skystar managed to use it to transform into a hippogriff without her mother's permission shows it is possible to get past the security, and if Twilight was more careful her plan might have succeeded.
- Not to mention, being the princess meant that she herself might had the around the same level of security clearance as her mother required to simply take the pearl. Even if she simply can't take the pearl the mundane way, living under the sea longer meant that she would definitely be more familiar than Twilight on how the security system works to allow her to bypass it without triggering the alarms.
The entire film seems to take place in the scope of a single day, though it appears they traveled quite a distance by foot to get at least to Kludgetown. It turns out the reason the sun never went down was because there was no one to lower it and the film may have covered a period of three days.
- And when the Storm King calls Tempest, he says he'll arrive in three days.
Seem overpowered that the Obsidian Spheres can work through alicorn-grade magical shields? The Spheres work through a gas, and shields have to be air permeable or the user would risk asphyxiation (said shield has been used for days on end).
Derpy taking the bullet meant for Twilight has a dual one: it foreshadows both Tempest Shadow taking the bullet for Twilight in the climax and the fact that actually defeating the Storm King will require help from outside the Mane 6.
- Also like Derpy, Tempest also has a form of disability thanks to her broken horn. Yet, Derpy can still fly despite her crossed eyes, and Tempest can still use magic despite her broken horn.
- Derpy must know by now that if anybody can save Equestria it's the Mane 6, and Twilight is an indispensable part of the team.
When Capper, the pirates and Princess Skystar meet back up with the ponies for the final confrontation, Spike remarks, "That's it, right? We didn't make friends with anypony else?" It seems corny to the audience since we know from the marketing that Princess Skystar will show up, but given what had happened a few scenes earlier for the ponies, they probably didn't think she considered them friends and it must be a genuine surprise to them when she shows up; hence Spike asking if they have made more friends.
The Storm King's army took Canterlot fairly easily, but in the end are unable to stop the Mane Six and company from Storming the Castle. Not only where they caught with their pants down the second time around, their armaments and equipment are primarily Anti-Magic...and of the combatants in the Final Battle, only Rarity actually uses it, and she rarely relies on it to directly attack her enemies. While a great tactical choice when attacking Canterlot, a city with a mostly unicorn population, it left them with no clear advantage against nonmagic users. Furthermore, it's likely after taking Canterlot, the Storm King's forces spread out to try and begin taking the surrounding area (we see they at the very least had attacked Ponyville), meaning the occupying force was likely nowhere near as large as the invasion fleet that arrived (and since the populace of Canterlot were subdued, most of the forces still at Canterlot would have been stationed at the edge of the city to face possible reinforcements from other areas of Equestria, meaning the Mane 5 only had to face a relative few soldiers). Any fortifications they made to protect their new stronghold would also have been completely bypassed when the Mane Six and company snuck inside the city walls. And on top of all that, the heroes had already discovered their vulnerability to fire, which Capper makes good use of. All in all, it makes perfect sense the counterattack was able to be so effective as all the advantages that allowed the city to be taken were effectively neutralized by then (plus they weren't trying to win or retake the city but just hold off the Storm King's forces long enough to rescue Twilight). Afterwards, it makes sense their invasion effectively ended: not only is Equestria back to full power, the Storm King is dead (or might as well be), Tempest defected, and Grubber did as well, effectively decapitating their entire chain of command in one swoop.
- Also, the Storm King claims in the comics he doesn't bother ruling the lands he invades (taxes, politics, bleh...). This would explain why their occupation of Canterlot was so easily routed, they lack the means (his rule was basically terrorism, using violence or the threat of it to get what he wanted) or experience to do so. It was never supposed to be an occupation, the plan was to blitzkrieg Canterlot just to capture the Princesses and steal their magic, which changed once Princess Twilight escaped.
  - This would also explain why, if the Storm King wanted to Take Over the World, he needed to steal the Princesses magic as opposed to using his army, which seemed to be doing the job of conquering just fine. They were too weak/inept to actually hold their conquests otherwise.
When facing the prospect of her pony friends leaving (just before "One Small Thing"), Princess Skystar makes a very sad whimper but doesn't visibly shed any tears. Since she was underwater, any tears she would have shed would have just merged with the (probably) salt water around her.
Tempest has spent much of her life in regions outside Equestria where ponies are rarely seen. Thus even when only ponies are around her she uses terms like "anybody" instead of the typical "anypony."
- Alternatively, Tempest hates other ponies because she was rejected by the other ponies in her village for having a broken horn and uncontrollable explosive magic. Using "anybody" instead of "anypony" is a way to distance herself from them and Equestria as a whole.
Tempest's song "Open up your Eyes" may have a cynical message, but it unintentionally has a powerful message: Innocence can keep you from understanding another pony's point of view, and empathy can allow you to see through another's eyes.
- From a metaphorical perspective, the line "It's time to grow up, and get wise" is a statement that has a few interpretations.
  - The franchise really has come a long way since it started back in 1982.
  - This show is not just for little girls anymore like its predecessors were.
  - The negative criticism and dislike towards the franchise is not justified until the viewer has some concrete information to make an impartial opinion.
According to Starlight Glimmer in "All Bottled Up", unicorn magic is tied to one's emotions. When does Tempest Shadow's broken horn spark erratically? When she's experiencing intense emotions - rage, anxiety, stress, etc. Her horn sparks in her very first appearance when she's preparing to capture the Princesses. It sparks when she snaps at her minions to grab Twilight in Klugetown. It sparks when she's fighting for a grip to keep herself from being sucked into the Storm King's tornado. The moment Twilight saves Tempest and shows her that she's willing to be the friend that she never had, her horn stops sparking erratically for good.
- Similarly, to show just how angry Twilight is, her horn sparks at the epitome of her tirade at Pinkie.
Why do some of the Bird People pirates have reptilian tails? Because birds are dinosaurs, of course! For bonus points, in place of wings, their arms form theropod-like claws.
Tempest Shadow's design heavily employs red as its coloration scheme. If you cross-reference her real name with the subject of botany, the closest match to her colors is Raspberries which are red, grow on thorny branches, and are hardy enough to endure winter. The thorns and resistance to cold symbolize the danger of being near her if you're considered a hostile or target as well as her personality: A Survivalist who is strongly independent and prefers to be alone. Also, the French word for Red is "Rouge" which is similar to "Rogue" which can also be loosely defined to mean a potential criminal, outlaw, renegade, or traitor. Thus, Tempest Shadow was a rogue who was willing to betray Equestria for her own benefit.
Some people might take issue with the fact that Discord didn't have any role in the movie, thinking he could've helped out big time. Well, beyond the fact that we wouldn't have a movie, this actually makes sense. Discord is on the side of good, but is known for letting his emotions sway his better judgement, post heel face turn. In "Twilight's Kingdom", he was manipulated by Tirek to join forces with him despite being sent out to stop him. In "Make New Friends But Keep Discord", he lets his jealousy of Fluttershy having a new friend get to him, and he almost sends said friend to another dimension. In "To Where And Back Again", he sees Fluttershy crying in one of the caverns, only for it to turn out that it's one of the changelings tricking him. Discord can be helpful, but more in a Trickster Mentor way instead of more direct methods.
Tempest claims "All this power wasted on parties when there are far greater uses." If a nation as great as Equestria was not content to focus on domestic affairs and had committed its resources to building a strong military, then the surprise attack on Canterlot would've floundered or turned into a costly victory for the Storm King. And the organized resistance across Equestria would've been tenacious. If Klugetown had been annexed by Equestria, then the lawless and corrupt environment which permits the existence of a black market there (slavery and sale of animal parts) would've been stamped out long ago. Tempest saw all those things and likely saw more before that, so there's good reason for her to believe that.
- Not to mention she'd be jealous of their having such powers and squandering them when she herself lost hers.
- It also alludes to her views on friendship, that all these parties are just petty ways to celebrate something as flimsy as friendship.
- Her desire to get a new horn would suggest another possible "greater use" for all that power: medical research. Focusing more resources there might have produced some meaningful remedy for young Fizzlepop.^note
The Pearl is a game changer. There is a reason why Celestia wanted to ask Queen Novo for help. Facing an army of huge goons with shields that reflects magic beams? The pearl, when used, looks like it emits waves of transfiguration that would flow past the shields. Suddenly that mighty army is now made up of tiny squirrels or frogs or other small harmless things. Invasion over.
- Which begs the question as to why didn't the Hippogriffs do just that when they were invaded by the Storm King. The Stormy Road to Canterlot explains that by actually having Tempest and Grubber pull a Trojan Horse on them and lead her army right past the doorsteps, taking them by surprise and make them not think straight enough to pull this off. Secondly, the waves of transfiguration may be blocked by full-body versions of the Anti-Magic shields once the element of surprise wears off. Finally, Queen Novo would have to expose the Pearl to pull this stunt off and unwittingly demonstrate its power to the Storm King, making him covet it even more.
- Celestia says "seek help". She might not even mean to use the Pearl on the army (they might be immune to it) but on Luna herself. If she and Twilight are turned into seaponies, it buys them some time before the Storm King can get their magic.
At the beginning of the movie, Twilight is trying to convince Celestia, Luna, and Cadence to use their magic and what they represent (the sun, the moon, and the Crystal Empire, respectively) to help create an amazing light show. Celestia declines, saying that Twilight has all the magic she needs. At the end of the movie, Twilight uses the magic of friendship to reform Tempest, who helps create the beautiful fireworks. Celestia was completely right.
Tempest seems rather nonplussed when she learns that the Mane 6 are going to Mount Aris. Considering it's the homeland of a potentially powerful ally to the Ponies, it seems like she should be more anxious about getting another enemy...unless she already knew they wouldn't be there. As shown in The Stormy Road to Canterlot, Tempest was the one who made the Hippogriffs abandon the mountain in the first place. As far as she knew, she had nothing to worry about: the Mane 6 would simply arrive at an abandoned city, and she'd know right where to pick them up. ^note
Tempest's flashback during her Villain Song shows her leaving her village. What's she surrounded by when she looks back? Broken tree stumps.
The Storm King and his goon army seem to be based on abominable snowmen / Yeti; creatures who are at home in the cold and vulnerable to heat. Cue their rout by Spike, a fire-breathing dragon.
- This also explains that, while the part of their bodies vulnerable to fire, they don't wear full body armor: they can't. Full body armor can get hot, and creatures adapted to the cold wouldn't be able to withstand it and thus can't wear full body armor. Note that Tempest Shadow's armor covers more of her body than theirs (they only wear a chest plate, while only her head and legs are exposed, which makes sense given her fighting style relies on agility and a helmet might cover her horn and thus her main weapon).
In the episode Winter Wrap-Up, Twilight asks "How can I help them without magic?" Tempest answers this question.
As noted in the Fridge Horror section, one of the most likely moves that the Storm King's army would've made upon taking the city (especially considering what they did to Abyssinia in the literature) would be to loot the banks and carry every gold bit away. However after the Storm King betrayed his own army by conjuring a tornado that indiscriminately swept some of his own troops away to probable doom, the Storm Guard apparently underwent a Heel–Face Turn and were friendly toward the ponies. What would be the perfect way for them to cement this moral turnaround? Return all the stolen money.
Tempest petrifying Luna in mid-air without having any of the Storm Guard to catch her just shows how single-minded she is on getting the magic of the princesses to restore her horn. She is willing to gamble her very purpose hoping that Twilight will leave herself defenseless for capture when the latter goes to catch Luna.
United we stand, divided we fall. Tempest Shadow couldn't capture Twilight the first three times because she had the help and protection of her friends. It was only after Twilight made her friends abandon her with a stabbing remark that Tempest could finally get her.
Why does The Stormy Road to Canterlot depict Tempest's friends as sympathetic to her if scared by her chaotic magic while in the movie her memory depicts them as abandoning her? In the book we're seeing things from the third person, while in the movie we're seeing it from Tempest's perspective, twisted by the Storm King's philosophy and a life time of bitterness. It's entirely possible the version depicted in the book is what really happened, while the version depicted in the movie is a Self-Serving Memory of Tempest's that twisted their fear of the chaotic magic burst into them abandoning her.
- It is also mentioned in the book that once Tempest friends reveal that they had been accepted into Magic School, she lashed out at them decided to leave Equestria. In other words, Tempest's friends actually didn't abandon her; she abandoned them.
Twilight is notably very reluctant to use any offensive magic blasts after Canterlot is invaded. This is because the first time she uses it on one of the Storm King's minions, it rebounded off and destroyed the bridge they were standing on. She doesn't use offensive magic blasts because that might risk hurting one of her friends if the Anti-Magic shields deflect it.
Given that the hippogriffs of Seaquestria aren't naturally seaponies, the bubble spell that Skystar uses to save the Mane Seven is probably taught to everyone just in case the Pearl's effect is broken for any reason.
Queen Novo's attitude towards the Mane Seven makes perfect sense when you realize that she has no idea who they are. It's very possible that the Hippogriffs had been hiding since before Season One, which means she would know nothing about how they saved the world time and again, from Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, etc. When they arrive in her realm, Twilight doesn't offer any of this information up front, instead skipping straight asking to use their magic to complete their mission. To Queen Novo, the Mane Seven are just a bunch of refugees from another land conquered by the Storm King who are begging her for help. While Novo is sympathetic to their plight, she has to think about the safety of her own people, who are out of danger for the moment. Had Twilight slowed down and mentioned that she was a former student of Princess Celestia (a pony which, judging by the credits, Novo is a close friend of) or that she had redeemed Princess Luna, Novo might have been more helpful right off the bat.
There's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment when Photo Finish takes Twilight's and Spike's picture during "We Got This Together". Twilight is quite surprised when her picture is taken, yet the photo that is shown immediately after shows her pursing her lips in a confident, almost sassy expression that looks nothing like the face Twilight made. Did Photo Finish just photoshop the Princess of Friendship?
Pinkie Pie is the link in the chain holding Twilight when she goes to retrieve the staff. Of course she's the one who is most emotional when Twilight gets swept away to her apparent death; she's the one who lost her grip.
The Storm King's treatment of Tempest may seem to contradict his Benevolent Boss trait in the prequel comics. However, apart from him only being benevolent for self serving pragmatic purposes, his benevolence was mostly directed at his soldiers who are also from his own species (Note that he never talks to the Storm Guards in the movie, though he does in the comics.) He may also have been a lot kinder to Strife than he did Tempest, but because of Strife's betrayal, he decided he needs to be tougher on her to make sure such a scenario never happens again, hence the Implied Death Threat. He was wrong of course, but at least in his point of view it actually made sense. Of course, he still trusts his minions which are from the same species as he and Grubber, who was appointed as a temporary replacement for Strife (and it was temporary since Tempest fits that role in the movie).
Tempest is the one who gets a Villain Song instead of the Storm King. It seemed odd at first because villain songs are supposed to be sung by the Big Bad, not the Dragon. But then you realize that besides her song being a way to show her backstory, Tempest is still a pony even if she no longer wants to side with them. She says she's nothing like Twilight but then she sings a song like any other pony would. It not only foreshadows her Heel–Face Turn but shows how wrong her worldview as a villain and loner is. The Storm King on the other hand is not a pony, doesn't even come from Equestria, and already hates friendship, and flowers and ponies and anything cute. Disliking random musical numbers is not far off there. This makes him an Evil Counterpart to all the ponies and shows where Tempest truly belongs.
At first glance, the Storm King blasting Twilight out of the cage and ignoring her afterwards seems like a stupid move on his part. Even if her magic is in the staff now and thus she no longer poses a physical/magical threat, she may still try to get Tempest to turn Face and it would've prevented her from saving her, right. But he may have another reason, sadism. He may figure that since she's not turned to stone like he wanted, he could make her watch her own magic along with the magic of her fellow Alicorns be used for evil and as a destructive toy, which is never what it's supposed to be used as which would probably have devastated her (She doesn't seem to react much about it and seems to feel more guilty of failing friendship but the Storm King was unaware of the falling out that happened earlier). This could also be basically telling Tempest "Look, she may still be moving but I will emotionally crush her by using her own magic against everything she loves. What makes you think I won't do the same to you?". Yes, it did indeed screw him over in the end but even then, his You Have Outlived Your Usefulness almost worked and he would've succeeded in killing both of them had it not been for the other Mane Six ramming into him with the giant cannon. (And they weren't even trying to, just trying to rescue Twilight.)
The movie version of Storm King is often hated for being weak compared to his Pragmatic Villain comics counterpart. But given the examples above on this page and elsewhere, it turns out that he WAS pragmatic the whole time, but the other characters didn't allow it to work in his favor this time. Also counts as Fridge Horror as this makes his Villainous Breakdown even worse.

Fridge Horror

So, the lands south of Equestria have had to deal with conquering warlords like the Storm King. In the past we've seen the ponies face King Sombra, Discord, and Chrysalis, indicating that this world has far more tyrants than decent rulers. That's not even getting into the condition of Griffonstone or the Dragonlands. Is everything outside of modern Equestria either a wasteland or a battlefield?
- The fact that Twilight seems to be the first pony to act as an ambassador of sorts to these outside lands screams yes. And there's even more Fridge Horror that Celestia doesn't properly send her out until she's acquired Alicorn powers (in case those nations aren't so accepting of friendship).
Imagine what would have happened if Twilight had succeeded in stealing the Pearl of Transformation. Besides just Twilight disappointing all of her friends, there is no way the sea ponies wouldn't have noticed the Pearl was gone. And even if the Pearl helped defeat the Storm King, Queen Novo would almost certainly retaliate against Equestria for Twilight stealing her peoples' most sacred treasure. In other words, Twilight would have stopped a war by starting another one.
- Course the hippogriffs weren't exactly equipped for a war and weren't willing to fight a war even with the orb let alone without it. It would certainly have damaged any future relations between the races though.
- Novo's retaliation would be effectively declawed by the fact that without the pearl, she and all her people are stuck as sea ponies. This is great if you're Twilight, but a terrifying prospect if you're a former hippogriff.
  - Who's to say Twilight wouldn't have returned it after the Storm King was disposed?
Pay close attention to Twilight's horn flaring up while she lashes out at Pinkie Pie. It's not unlike what happens with Tempest's horn when she gets angry. Does this mean that if Twilight didn't have a snapback, was she planning on using her magic to physically harm Pinkie?
Sure, Equestria is safe and all that now, but unfortunately, one of their princesses had painted herself as a thief to an entire kingdom. That black mark won't come off anytime soon.
- Given her efforts defeated said kingdom's greatest enemy, it's doubtful they would hold a grudge. Indeed, the hippogriffs are outright ecstatic at how things turned out.
- "Surf and/or Turf" outright Josses this—Twilight travels to both Mount Eris and Seaquestria, and Hippogriffs and Seaponies alike are nothing short of delighted to see her.
If you go back to reading the Prequel comic, you'll realize that Tempest went to all the places that Mane 6 go to in the movie. That also included trying to steal Queen Novo's pearl, which Twilight attempted to do in the movie. Twilight by that point had become so desperate and fixated on saving Equestria, believing it was her duty alone to do so, that she didn't think that showing friendship to others could help them in the long run. Thus, she abused her friends' trust, which led to her being left behind to fend for herself.
- What if Twilight's friends had never heard about her getting kidnapped never came to her rescue. She would've believed her friends abandoned her for good, just like how Tempest's friends abandoned her as a filly.
- In short, if Twilight didn't have friends like the Mane 5 to call her out on her mistakes, she would've ended up becoming just like Tempest, a selfish mare who only cared about herself and disregarded friendship altogether.
This movie implies it’s impossible to restore a unicorn’s horn if it’s broken. For a human, that’s like losing your hands!
The Storm King is still alive and trying to put himself back together. This means that the Storm King’s Kingdom, even if it does get better, will have to deal with their tyrant of a king returning one day.
- Unlikely. Even if that scene wasn't just a Credits Gag the ponies aren't going to just let him put himself back together and he has pretty much no ability to move on his own now. Plus he'll have no army even if he does restore himself, as the ponies befriended his forces.
With the Princesses Taken for Granite, there's no one to raise or lower the sun, reinforced by the fact that the whole movie seems to takes place within one day. Did it occur to them that this would have risked dooming the planet to extinction by endless day or night? Is that why Tempest Shadow was given three days to capture Princess Twilight, as there wouldn't be a world left to conquer otherwise?
- It mustn't have, otherwise they could have effectively held the world hostage to get what they wanted. No wins for good there.
  - Suddenly, the hippogriffs' (whose living underwater would conceivably protect them from that) refusal to help seem like a really dick move and Twilight acting against friendship given the stakes seem unintentionally valid in retrospect.
- Remember that all this is what's at stake anytime the princesses are in danger or defeated, which already happens with alarming frequency. The World Is Always Doomed indeed.
  - Now it's shown that a normal, non-magical being can easily defeat them with the right skills and tools. This happening at a major event means is likely to become widely known in-universe. Who's to say this won't embolden others against them? Though it depends on how easy/hard it is to get/make such tools. Storm King it seems had ravaged multiple regions for years before he had amassed enough resources, and despite the importance of her mission Tempest seemed to have been given only four of the orbs.
- Though it's not confirmed what eternal day will do to the land, "The Cutie Re-Mark Part 2" does confirm that the climate and vegetation will continue to exist just fine in eternal night. Storm King controlling the day-night cycle will not itself create an apocalypse. (But who knows? Maybe the climate and viability of plant life is controlled by beings in another country with powers comparable to Celestia and Luna.)
What effect is seeing Derpy petrified going to have on Dinky (assuming that that fanon is correct) or Crackle Pop?
- Adding to this, since Derpy has been established to be a good friend of Doctor Hooves, who has been confirmed by Peter New to be THE Doctor. What often happens to those who hurt The Doctor's companions?
The princess befriending seashells. This doesn't seem out of place until you realise these are remains of living creatures that she shares her environment with. It's like a human child collecting and talking to rat skulls.
- If that human child were originally of a species that saw great beauty in hydroxylapatite.
The Storm King's armor on Tempest Storm blocks her cutie mark and replaces it with his logo. The symbol that represents her skill, fate, and true self is forced to be covered by her employer to mark her the same as property. Her fate is to be his tool.
- We also see this with the pirate crew, where the portrait of Captain Celaeno is covered with a banner with his emblem, in addition to their own uniforms.
- A little bit more horrific when you realize it's never shown what her cutie mark was to begin with, or if she even had one. All the toys feature her with the armor on, and she wears that armor all the way into the last scene in the movie, even after he dies. It is possible that losing her horn as a mere filly meant her magic couldn't form a cutie mark at all, which adds a touch of fridge brilliance/horror to her mission to restore it as well as the lines in her Villain Song about her 'childish' wishes to 'find a place among her kind' and 'never finding her place' while depending on others. She isn't talking about her horn, she's talking about her cutie mark.
  - Earth ponies and pegasi get cutie marks just fine without horns, so take this theory with a grain of salt.
- The IDW comic story "Tempest's Tale" (issues 67-68) has Tempest set to go to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns before losing her horn, and her other post-movie appearances in other comics also have her cutie mark covered up. Which brings up another possibility: Tempest's cutie mark is magic-related, and she hides it voluntarily because she's afraid that letting other ponies see it alongside her broken horn would cause them to view her with pity.
It'd be easy to imagine what'd happen if somepony ended up drowning when they were exiled from Queen Novo's domain and the consequences of what happens after that.
Just think what would have happened if Derpy hadn't taken Twilight's place. The Storm King would have won right then and there.
- Or possibly Rainbow Dash would have shoved Twilight out of the way and made the sacrifice instead, since she was there to grab Twilight at almost exactly the same point Derpy took the hit. Not as bad, but still a devastating loss.
If Discord had been present during the festival, Tempest might have managed to petrify him. Now imagine the Storm King wielding Discord's reality-warping powers...
- Fortunately this isn't really possible. Just because the Elements of Harmony turned him to stone doesn't mean anything can. They've always been very clear that the Elements were the only thing that would work.
The Storm King didn't just stop at Canterlot. After telling Tempest to get Twilight, he told his forces to begin an assault on the rest of Equestria if the shot of Ponyville burning in the background is any indication. Unless the World-Healing Wave went to the rest of the country, the magnitude of the damage caused will no doubt put the place in the dumps for quite a while...
- How many townsponies have died, whether from injuries suffered in the sack of Ponyville or from abuse in Canterlot?
- The Season 8 premiere is all but confirmed to take place very soon after the movie, and everything looks fine. Sure, we don't see much of Ponyville(it's mainly Twilight's castle and the new school), but if there was any severe damage it probably would have been mentioned.
Klugetown is port where the Pirates pick up stuff for the Storm King and the currency is Storm Bucks. This implies it's under the King's control. While the Storm King is shown to be rather off hands in his ruling...the fact remains that selling body parts of sapient creatures, slavery (something we've seen after he enslaved Canterlot), and other horrible things are legal in lands ruled by the Storm King. Or at the very least, he has zero moral compulsion against such things happening under his rule. And this is what Equestria would be like if he won.
- You can see that slavery exists in the story prior to Storm King doing it directly to the citizens of Canterlot: Capper was very close to selling the Mane Six into slavery. The fact that ponies fetch a high price in Klugetown also implies this has been done to pony visitors in the past.
Ever wondered why Tempest enjoyed threatening the Princesses and Canterlot in the first act? Because The Storm King regularly threatened her as part of how he motivates her. The moment when she was able to threaten somepony else the same way gave her some release. This gives her shades of Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds when you think about it!
Fluttershy's "battle" with a Mook was essentially her giving him therapy and reducing him to tears. But think about what kind of employer he has to work for, how The Storm King reneged on his promises to Tempest Shadow, and how he out-and-out murdered several of his own Mooks with a tornado—not because they failed him, not because he didn't trust them, not even because they annoyed him, but because he just had to play with his new weather-control toy, and didn't give a flying feather who was harmed as a side effect of said play...even if they were his own loyal henchmen who had never done a single thing to cross him. Those tears make perfect sense, and they imply a long, painful history of genuinely horrific abuse.
- The prequel comics make this worse. He pretends to be a Benevolent Boss for his own benefit, so the realization that this guy you've thrown your lot in with doesn't actually care about you can be quite a shock.
There aren’t four princesses in Equestria, there’s five! If the Storm King or Tempest knew about or learned of Flurry Heart’s existence, who’s to say they wouldn’t try to kidnap her and use her in place of Twilight?
- Is Flurry Heart officially a princess, or is she simply an alicorn without rank? (Then again, this would go into whether "princess" is a hereditary title in Equestria or simply an earned title.)
- The horror comes when you realise that the Storm King wouldn't care about her title - but her magic. Even if he didn't try to steal her magic, what if he kidnapped her anyway? Possibly hoping to raise her as one of his minions. It's implied he conditioned Tempest through threats - so who's to say he wouldn't do the same to a harmless child?
  - Flurry Heart might not exactly qualify as a harmless child, which could make him more willing to resort to drastic measures.
  - If he somehow found out about the Power Limiter spell on her, he might try to remove it before stealing her magic or training her. Success could be catastrophic for all involved.
- Alicorns are not the only sources of powerful magic in Equestria. Powerful unicorns like Starlight Glimmer, magical beings like Discord, and dangerous artifacts like the Alicorn Amulet, could all potentially be just as good. Lucky Starlight vanished after her cameo, huh?
Here's hoping the Storm King's armies considered gold bits to be Worthless Yellow Rocks. If they didn't, then one of the first things they'd do is plunder the banks and carry off every coin, and that can't be good for the economy! Considering what happened to Abyssinia in the literature, it's quite likely this was something they did offscreen.
It's actually a very good thing that the Storm King had a one-track mind toward getting the Staff of Sacanas empowered: given that the mane six were almost sold as pets in Klugetown, and given that Klugetown is implied to be a part of the Storm King's territory, it logically follows that, if he were actually forming long-term plans for what to do with all those captured ponies instead of concentrating on the staff, he'd have taken the children away from their families to be sold off as pets to Celestia-knows-where! This gets worse the more you think about it: their sad faces at being taken away from their homes and families wouldn't be all that marketable to potential customers (we hope), so they'd have to do something to turn them each one into a Stepford Smiler, be it abusing them into it, drugging them into it, or spelling them into it. The stakes have never been higher, indeed!
Tempest Shadow's appearance has put broken-horn Unicorns in the official canon. This also means that cut-horn Unicorns are canon as well since broken-horn and cut-horn Unicorns are similar to each other in their inability to use magic properly or anymore. The difference is that the implications of a Unicorn that had its horn cut off are an accident with a sharp cutting object, extreme Anti-Unicorn prejudice, subjugation, torture, medically necessary amputation, and capital punishment. So Tempest Shadow losing her horn to an Ursa is only scratching the surface of the potential misfortune a Unicorn can suffer in this world.
- One would expect that if Tempest weren't an isolated case, Equestria would have at least some research going on into some sort of solution there (such as the prosthetic horns◊ depicted in various pieces◊ of Tempest fan art◊. Then again, Tempest's backstory suggests that she may not have bothered to check the medical community to see if such a thing was available or at least being worked on.^note There is, however, the possibility that Tempest's obsession with getting her horn regenerated was at least as much about being normal for the sake of being normal as doing anything magic-related with her life. In that case, a prosthesis may not have been a satisfactory solution for her, even if it were functionally fit for a princess.
If Twilight didn't catch Luna in time, she would have been crushed by guilt, the world would have been stuck in Endless Daytime while Tempest would see her own dreams of getting her horn back literally shatter to pieces due to being one Alicorn short for the staff because of her own short-sightedness and failed gamble and at the same time being too shocked to chase Twilight even if somehow the latter still got saved by Rainbow Dash. Finally, if the other princesses are aware during their petrification, Celestia would have spent the rest of her days as a statue begging for someone to smash her to join Luna in the afterlife.
As stated on the Tear Jerker page, it's very easy to imagine an alternate universe where Tempest Shadow never lost her horn and went on to fulfill her dream of becoming Princess Celestia's student. But then what happens to Twilight Sparkle? Would she still live in Canterlot as a friendless bookworm? Would she have ever hatched Spike? Really goes to show how right Tempest Shadow is when she said that "Life's not fair or just."
- Alternatively, Tempest's character flaws would have eventually come to the surface even with an intact horn, and she'd have gone down the same path as Sunset Shimmer.
Remember, Tempest's two friends abandoning her is the main reason she became what she was through the movie. It's very possible she did something to them out of retaliation.
- If Tempest's story in the IDW Comics are of any indication, no she didn't.
Remember how traumatized the crystal ponies were by the memory of King Sombra's reign (or possibly just the prospect of remembering it)? Aside from duration, there's no real difference between the dark age of the Crystal Empire and what the Storm King's forces did to Canterlot (and presumably further parts of Equestria as well), under Tempest's command. Bear in mind that Sombra died for his tyranny, and it paints a rather grim picture of just how far Tempest had fallen (and how lucky she is that Twilight is so forgiving).
The sea ponies have anglerfish lights, as for what they'd be used for...
When the Storm King reveals to Tempest that he used her, he says "It's kinda what I do.". This implies that Tempest wasn't the first one who outlived her usefulness.
Skystar's father is never mentioned or seen throughout the films, even in the supplementary material. All circumstances point to Skystar being the standard princess by birth right. With his wife calling the shots, what could have happened to him?
- Illness? Natural causes? It doesn't have to be some horrible fate.
Daring Do is real in Equestria, which means that Unichains exist. We see unicorns muzzled on slave lines, so they're probably Unichained as well. And might they have suited Tempest's grudge?

Fridge / My Little Pony: The Movie (2017)

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