With all the emphasis My Little Pony places on redemption and forgiveness, I’m starting to wonder if one of the writers killed someone.

Even if that’s the case, redemption and forgiveness are great lessons. Some people (ponies) are generally good, even if they’re misguided or a little bit extreme.

And some are pretty much beasts from Hell who would sooner die than make amends with the ponies they hate so much.

Beware of season 8 spoilers, information has leaked.

Although many former villains have accepted the offer of a second chance when it was offered, but not all. Queen Chrysalis was the first to spit on the olive branch when a pony offered it, showing a deep level of self-destructive rage and hate. Although her entire hive chose redemption, although she’d seen with her own eyes that the ponies had the cure to her suffering and constant hunger, she slapped Starlight Glimmer’s hoof away and vowed revenge.

At this moment in the season 6 final, the My Little Pony writers showed that they understood the dark reality of hate. Some would rather die than make peace.

That brings us to the Villain from Hell confirmed to return in season 8, Tirek. This centaur warlock showcases his hate more effectively than any Villain we’ve seen so far. Chrysalis, Sombra, even Nightmare Moon – none of these characters come close to making the viewers feel the rage and hate in their hearts as much as Tirek did. Banished to Tartarus for a thousand years, he spent years building the strength back in his tortured body before he could make his move; his only thought to steal the magic of the ponies and reign destruction on Equestria.

Will this guy see the light in season 8? doubtful.

The promo pictures for season 8, if authentic, show the prison cells inside Tartarus. This gives us a clue right up front that at least some of the episodes are going to get dark, at least by My Little Pony standards.

Also worth noting, there were clearly three prisons in Tartarus as we saw them at the end of season 4. Who was in the other two? Did they escape when Tirek did for are they still there?

Fans could speculate that these two extra “cells” (or more accurately, mesas) were included because the artists knew Tirek would be imprisoning three princesses in Tartarus, but as the following clip shows, Tirek sent all three of them to the same mesa.

We know Sombra was blown apart. If Tartarus works the same way as Hell, he’s probably in there somewhere. But the third prison is a mystery. Queen Chrysalis is still alive, so we probably won’t see her locked up in Tartarus at the end of season 8 unless Twilight and the Elements all love and tolerate Chrysalis to Hell in the season premiere.

Whoever else joins Tirek (if anyone), Tirek himself is certain to appear and his rage burns as hot as the fires of Tartarus its self. His backstory with his brother, while also giving him a very interesting motivation, could easily convince Starlight Glimmer that there’s good in Tirek, just as she discovered with Phalanx and Stygian. But this is sure to end in a sad realization for Starlight Glimmer.

Some people don’t want to be saved.

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