IDW Comics - Story Discussion (Spoilers)

It’s almost kind of surreal to see Andy Price’s artwork in a story not written by Katie Cook… I will say that Cook definitely needed to take a break, though; apparently she had been having trouble focusing on the pony stuff for a while because not only did she recently have another kid, but she’s also been working on that “Gronk” webcomic of hers. Hopefully once she comes back to pony, she’ll manage her time a bit better.

@Background Pony #9786
 
This tweet could also easily apply to Radiant Hope herself. …Say, that might end up being the central theme of this arc.

@RektPony
 
I have a feeling there will be two “villain teams”: one comprising of antagonistic characters with grudges against the Mane 6 that Hope will convince to hinder/capture/distract them, and one with actual powerful villains like Sombra, Chrysalis, etc. that will attack the Empire. I just don’t see how guys like Flim, Flam and Iron Will would want to participate in a Siege, no matter how much you payed them. Dealing with the Mane 6 is a much more believable task for them.

@Jarkes
 
Yeah, Radiant Hope is not an evil character by nature (unless the Empire vanishing drove her to evil, or something else in the following 1000 years). She must have a strong motive for attacking the Empire and her own people.

@dynamicv  
Being the last of her kind, alone for 1000 years could mess up her psyche, especially given how pony culture seems to revolve around social interaction (y’know friendship is magic and all that jazz)

@MrXemnas1992  
So you’re implying that Radiant Hope is now Veigar?
 
That’d be awesome, actually.

So Radiant Hope is probably mad at the Mane Six for defeating Sombra (despite only one of them actually doing it, but not actually being remembered as the one who did) why exactly? Shouldn’t she be glad they got rid of the abomination that her best friend turned into? The Sombra that she’d be mad at them for killing wasn’t the Sombra she knew.
 
Just wild speculation of course.

@Itsthinking
 
Well we still don’t know what happened to her after the Empire’s disappearance.

@Itsthinking  
Well, it could be that she still held on to the hope that he could still be saved.

@Itsthinking  
It’s hard to explain my stance against that, but what if say, Flutterbat or GreedSpike had to be put down?
 
Hell, what if we just straight-up merced Nightmare?
 
Do they deserve more consideration than Sombra? Wouldn’t you be mad if your only friend went bad, and was killed by the people famous for not doing that before you could try to help him?
 
Maybe I’m being a bit dramatic about it, but I trust you get my point.

Were it about the first half of the Fiendship comic, I’d be all about Radiant Hope trying to “Redeem” the Sombrero she knows and loves.
 
The second half, with the stupid “Mommy Red Crystal makes you instantly evil and lowers your IQ so that you go on a rampage instantly” twist just… doesn’t allow that. Sure, she might think that he can still be saved, that there’s still some good in him, but that’s because she doesn’t know the whole picture about the “shadow ponies” being ALWAYS evil. Ughh.
 
That, or we’ll end up with a cliched “Person that thinks they’re doing good performs atrocities without realizing they’re being self-righteous, does a full 180 degree turn conveniently at the end”. This is a 4-part arc, which also implies that only Cadance and God-Princess of Ponykind Twilight will do anything?
 
If this doesn’t work out, and let’s face it, it ain’t looking good so far, I believe it’ll be the end of the main series.

@Background Pony #6D89
 
When was it ever stated that shadow ponies are always evil?

From the IDW forums: there is a Gilda story in the works that doesn’t involve Rainbow Dash.  
It was pitched (and probably written) before Lost treasure of Griffonstone aired.

@Background Pony #9786  
You had me, and then you lost me.

@PonyPon  
>then you lost me
 
What was confusing about my post?

@Background Pony #9786  
Nothing, I read ‘Gilda story’ and got excited, then read ‘before Griffinstone’ and got much less excited.

@PonyPon  
Ah, now I get it.
 
I suppose it’s possible that they took Griffinstone into account (early synopses and/or script copies) but they are likely to have it set before that episode occurred.

I wonder if the umbrum will get released in the comic, only to have our heroes activate the heart soon after, genociding all that remains of the race?

@PonyPon  
If I were writing it, I’d make Sombra separate from his pony side, making him grow incredibly unstable and have him devour his fellow Umbrum to regain stability and gain power.
 
By the end of the comic he’s basically Giygas, incorporeal, unstable, and hopelessly insane.

@441TheSecond  
And Celestia would still probably want to jump his non-bones.

@Background Pony #76F3  
Never bring up Reflections in my presence again.

@Background Pony #76F3
 
Celestia was never in a relationship with King Sombra. In fact the day she met him, she vaporized him and froze his ghost (see Crystal Empire Pt. 1)

@dynamicv  
But her universe’ King Sombra reminds her of Prince Sombro Sunwife-Stealer. Do you know what it’s like to go for as long as Celestia has gone abstaining? Gotta do who you gotta do.

@Background Pony #76F3  
She fell in love with his character, not his look. I’m sure she can saparate 2 Sombra’s from one another. I doubt she will mention him even though Whitley read all the previous comics to not retcon anything.

@Background Pony #76F3  

 
This is not a fact, only a headcanon at most.
 
 
@RektPony  
Whitley already confirmed that Reflections won’t be mentioned at all in Siege, which makes sense as there are no characters or locations from that arc in this new arc.