#fiery muses

[draconic-destinies]

Thought it be fun to recreate my G5 rewrite au designs in a MLP G4 style. I think I came off more adjacent to the G4 style, but it was a fun art study!!!

If you want to know about this AU, and the designs, check out this post and the connecting ones! :)

[draconic-destinies]

AU References - Part 1

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Sunny Starscout!

I'm just rehashing the Concept Sketches post, but now with fully rendered references and concepts! I'll add some additional details in this post, compared to the concepts though! (And some bonus art!)

Sunny, as a baseline protagonist character, she was... pretty flat.

Kind of a cookie-cutter character, attempting to be what Twilight Sparkle was, and... falling directly on her face. Fortunately for Sunny, I can fix that! Hasbro might've messed you up, girl, but the fans got you!!!

And now, bonus art!

First thing I did for Sunny was to change up her heritage and style. We know just about zero about Sunny's mother, besides that one memory flashback of her and leaked info about her being an alicorn. I thought it was rather uninteresting, bland, and unimaginative for the setting of the movie, which could've been PERFECT for a mixed heritage approach!

So instead of a plain, regular Earthern, Sunny is half unicorn, half earthern! Nova Dusk, in this AU, is a unicorn historian who met and fell in love with Sunny's father, Argyle Moonlight. Their relationship was obviously taboo and secretive, and believe that when Sunny was born, Nova took her to Argyle so she wouldn't be cast out of the Bridlewood community. Of course, Argyle disappears in the movie due to a supposed death, but what I do with him and his character will be kept secret for now! (And, perhaps, I may do something with Nova too...)

So, all Sunny has left of her mother is the mark on her forehead, and the journals that her father left her. And from thereon, she's researching, trying to connect the races together, and so forth, going through the events of the movie. But, instead of gaining an alicorn form, she instead gains a mere unicorn horn, one half of the whole. The other half, the wings, go to Hitch, which is the next post for references! That will be up tomorrow, though, so shoot me a follow if you'd like to see more!

[draconic-destinies]

AU References - Part 8

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All References! (And Lineups!)

[draconic-destinies]

AU References - Part 2

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Hitch Trailblazer!

Again, rehashing concept information from the Concept Sketches post, but with added details and refinement!

While I really like Hitch's character within G5, I changed a few things about his character. Number ONE, I definitely am NOT doing anything with Sparky, the atrocious mockery of a baby dragon. Eugh. Hitch can talk to animals as he likes, but not that... abomination. (Sorry Sparky lovers.)

But the changes I did make were for different reasons!

I gave Hitch some pegasi heritage, so he's a bit fluffier than the rest of the cast. It gives him some body variation other than being "generic stallion #999." Beyond that, I gave him the other half of the alicorn magic! I think that Unity Crystals would've split it, granting what the pair needs to further their growth and character development. Hitch would have to work past his fears of the other races and change, while Sunny would have to confront the past and understand her heritage and the truths of the world.

It's good character beats for both, which is why I made this choice!

Plus, it gives them a stronger bond connection to work with BEYOND the childhood friends aspect, and Hitch being an older brother figure.

Tomorrow is Izzy, who I've renamed to Moonbow Wishes!

Her name just didn't sit well with the rest of the cast, so I changed it.

[draconic-destinies]

AU References - Part 3

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Moonbow Wishes!

Once more, rehashing the information from the Concept Sketches post, but with additional details and more information!

I made some significant changes to Moonbow!

I always thought that she was just... kinda of a reskin of Pinkie Pie? Not a one-to-one replica, but there was similar character points and I just wasn't fond of it.

But the changes I made were fun! She's a full-bloodied unicorn, though she's descended from Discord from wayyy back. (Which will make for some interesting storylines for when the cast go looking around the Canterlot Ruins.)

I think she would struggle with magic, finding the rigidity of the others are using it too... unusual for herself. Which then ties into her recycling projects! She takes the chaos that she sees, and turns it into something that can be useful (albeit chaotic)!

The other changes I made were to her personality. Moonbow will still be bubbly, but I made her smarter, a bit sarcastic and blunt at times, along with some social blindness. She was a hermit in her community, after all.

Beyond that, I also made her the tallest of the cast, just for some MORE visual differences between the body types so she isn't "mare #999." Plus, I also made her coat darker, as to fit in with the darker tones of Bridlewood!

Tomorrow is Pipp and Zipp! They're just so iconic together that I think it'd be perfect to just put them next in line for this line of posts!

[draconic-destinies]

AU References - Part 7

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Jazz Hooves & Rocky Riff!

These two are just a bonus to the group, just because I loved them in the show. They deserved better than what they got (missing ears for Jazz... sighs...) so I'm including them in the reference line-up!

Both are moderately unchanged, but they didn't have much to begin with. Jazz and Rocky work in a salon together (AMP-lified Styles). Jazz takes care of hoof and coat, while Rocky handles mane and feathers!

I made Jazz hard-of-hearing, as a nod to the animation errors in canon where she frequently lost her ears and only had them during the higher budget scenes. Jazz is also a MTF pony, while Rocky is a FTM! They're also an established couple in this AU, being the first of the changing era, and being a positive sight for others still uncertain of the other pony kinds. They also still play as stylists and confidants to Pipp, as they do in canon!

[draconic-destinies]

AU References - Part 4

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Zephyr Storm & Pipp Petals!

As with the prior parts, I'm mostly rehashing the Concept Sketches post, but with added detail and explanation! (And bonus art!)

These two are actually really well handled in the show, I think. Their sibling dynamic reflects what could be possible in reality. Pipp and Zipp are understandably strained due to the pressures of being royals, their mother's expectations, and so on. It's really well portrayed, for the most part!

Focusing on Pipp: I feel like she was... a little too perfect at times? I know she was putting a lot of pressure on herself in the series, but I think they could've pushed the envelope even harder. She's vying for her mother's attentions, for anyone's attentions at that, and so she puts on this persona, to be more appealing, more perfect to those around her. That's a thrilling concept to play around with, and I'm disappointed that they didn't!

Beyond that, I think that she should've had struggles with her little wings. They're pretty downy and not big at all, and I feel that should be something she's conflicted with, being unable to fly as well as Zipp or not at all depending on the conditions of the situation. It would've made her perfect persona crack around the edges, especially because of the facade about "only royals" have flight in the movie. But that's something I can gradually explore as I play around with G5 as a whole.

Focusing on Zipp: I think that Zipp was a good character with poor execution. The pivot to investigative work was kind of abrupt in the series? But I think it would've been received better if she was more inquisitive in the first place. So I think that would stem from her rebellious nature, pushing the bounds, questioning authority, and so on. She must've tried getting into the history of things and kept hitting walls. Which, would lead into a good plotline with Sunny, given the historical background there. Beyond that, Zipp wasn't changed too much, and I kept a lot of her facets and character beats because they fit well.

Bonus Art!

Queen Haven is a very interesting character too, but I've also not changed her too terribly much. Mostly, she's been visibly aged, along with the general vibes of her character. In canon, she's treated very... oddly? I wanted her to still have the "uncertain mother" character beat, but I also wanted to make her a more stable and secure leader energy compared to canon. She knows how to run Zephyr Heights, and she's not afraid to use her authority, unlike in the show/movie.

She's not passing off responsibilities, but she IS pushing Zipp about the issue of being the heir and the expectations of that. It will make a good pressure point, and give both Queen Haven and Zipp the push to have growth and bonding, alongside with involvement from Pipp.

Next on the part is Misty, so keep an eye out for that !!

[draconic-destinies]

AU References - Part 5

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Lapis Arcana (Misty Brightdawn)!

Once again, rehashing a lot from the Concept Sketches post, and also the OG post that started this AU! (Lapis is the reason for the AU being called Draconic Destinies, hehe.)

Now as Opaline's heir, Lapis was meant as a ruler for when Opaline "stepped down." Of course, that just means that Opaline was just going to be ruling from the shadows, puppeteering her daughter into her bidding. Other than that, Lapis and Opaline are pretty unchanged storywise in the series. I do like both characters, though I would definitely tweak a few character beats a lot more, especially on the "revealing that Lapis is working with Opaline."

Important to note: Opaline is a half-dragon half-alicorn tyrant in this AU, ruling over the Dragon Lands, after winning in the Gauntlet of Fire (referencing S6 - E5) and becoming the Dragon Lord further down the line. After being shunned by Twilight, Opaline declares war. Twilight creates and uses the Unity Crystals to hide the pony races to keep them from Opaline's wrath. It was meant as a temporary plan, but given the events of the G5 Movie, that wasn't the case. But Opaline will get her own post after Lapis'.

Onto the main topic: I changed a lot about Lapis' character, and I mean it. I didn't like the tie in with Lapis' father being Alphabittle, it felt... forced and sudden. So, instead I switched things up!

Opaline is now Lapis' actual mother. Instead of the flat "I saved you, now you're my servant," shtick, I flipped it. Lapis is the idealized vision of Opaline, more pony than dragon--(as this is what Opaline thought was the reason for her shunning from Twilight and ponydom as a whole)--and Lapis was the only hatchling that Opaline kept from her brood of eggs.

Next part is Opaline!