The Shadow Five (Sugarcoat, Indigo Zap, Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare, Lemon Zest) - Character analysis/discussion
So ya'll remember those girls from Friendship Games, right? I'm talking about these girls. They've been on my mind lately and I just wanna speculate and/or overthink for a bit.
They didn't have much of a role in the movie, did they? But it kinda felt like that they were supposed to have a significant role. They were like an alternate mane 6. They even embodied the elements of harmony, just in a more twisted way. But for some reason, they just didn't get a significant role. Maybe it was an idea they didn't know how to implement. Or maybe they forgot? Or quite possibly, it was cut, like Sunset's side-arc of missing Equestria.
But who exactly are these girls?
Well...
Sugarcoat
The brutally honest deadpan cynic, who will readily point out the flaws of others and never sugarcoats her words... Ironically. Possibly a counterpart to Applejack's element of honesty, but she represents brutal honesty and has no qualms with hurting other people's feelings. We don't know if this attitude extends on to herself too; she could be a very hardworking person, always striving for improvement and she holds everyone else to this standard. Although, she did tell Twilight to never speak publicly ever again, so she might just be a know-it-all dick. And apparently she share Fluttershy's enthusiasm for animals...
What I find interesting about her design, is that she looks like how a "teacher's pet" character would look like in other works, with her exaggerated pigtails and secretary glasses. But at the same time has no problem cussing out Principal Cinch after she did something morally reprehensible. Maybe Sugarcoat's just got standards? Or maybe she is, in fact, an amazingly good student, but she's got her own agenda and isn't looking for an authority's approval. We can't know for sure, what do you think?
Indigo Zap
Right off the bat, we can compare her to Rainbow Dash. She's loud, boisterous, tomboyish and highly competitive. Not sure about being the element of loyalty though, but that's been pretty dubious with Rainbow Dash as well sometimes. I know that by first instinct, I'd say that she's a terrible student, judging by her not being able to dress herself properly, or just not giving enough of a shit to do so. But then again, what is she doing in a supposedly elite school such as Crystal Prep? Maybe her parents forced her to and she's failing massively? Perhaps she lost her passion? Or maybe, she's smarter than she lets on?
I've seen some people compare her to Lightning Dust. And in a ponified form, that comparison becomes a bit more legit. Perhaps she does have something to do with her? And why the fekk is she wearing goggles all the time? She flies an airplane to school or something? Or is she just a steampunk fan?
Sour Sweet
Much like how her name indicates, she constantly jumps between being nice to others and being excessively mean. Although, her sweet side often end up being extremely sarcastic and just another way to be mean. Quite clearly, she is that kind of girl who likes cute pink stuff, but is a shit-stirring bitch. Her personality greatly contrasts Pinkie's always genuinely happy attitude, as Sour Sweet isn't genuine when she's being nice.
You'd think she'd be using her talent of pretending to be nice, to deceive other people to do her bidding, but she seems to lack control too much to do so. Perhaps she's really the stereotypical spoilt brat, who's nice at first, but will cuss you out if you don't kneel down without saying a word. Or maybe she can be really manipulative if she puts in the effort. At this point, she is the only one I'm struggling to think of any positive traits for. Though, she does end up being a bit nicer by the end of the Dance Magic short.
Sunny Flare
She seems to be the most popular in fan-art, due to the device that she wears. Apparently it's a pip-buck from the Fallout series. Why she's wearing it and what it does in the show's world, I don't know. But that connection to Fallout made her pretty popular. Maybe she's part of an organization, like Bon Bon? Or maybe she just likes gadgets?
But despite having the most intrigue to her design, I'm struggling to think of any personality traits for her. She could be Rarity's counterpart, because she shares her elegant mannerisms, but we didn't see enough of it for me to say anything concrete. I don't know, what do you think?
Lemon Zest
By far, she is the friendliest of the bunch. She was never directly aggressive to Sci-Twi or anyone, just merely obnoxious, with no concept of personal space. But hey, Pinkie Pie's like that and we love her, so we can't hold that against Lemon (not Hearts)... I was about to say that she's Fluttershy's counterpart, but then I realized that doesn't make sense; because she's much more like a Pinkie Pie. But I already connected Sour Sweet to Pinkie Pie... Maybe Lemon (not Hearts) has a really kind side that Crystal Prep just doesn't let shine? Or maybe, my parallels are just completely wrong.
Right off the bat, I am thinking her to be a music fan. Like clearly, she's wearing headphones all the time, just like Vinyl Scratch... Hmmmm.... But I'm not sure what kind of music fan: The kind that only listens to music, or the kind that actually plays music as well? (Maybe she's a fan of the Steel Unicorns?)
Sci-Twi
I'm including her as well, considering she used to be part of the group. Now, you could say that she's just Twilight Sparkle, but there are some clear differences. First of all, personality: She is far more quiet and unconfident, almost like a Fluttershy. Most likely due to being in a less supportive environment. But I still wonder what made her not become as mean as everyone else at Crystal Prep. It's almost like she skipped the snarky phase that Twi-Twi had.
Speaking of, what is her relationship with the rest of the students? It's clear that she's an outsider, but fan-artists like to make it seem that she's besties with the rest of the Shadow 5. Maybe they grew closer after the Friendship Games? Although she transferred... Wait, didn't that kind of ruin her chances in further education? Or was Crystal Prep never meant to be an elite school?
Of course, most of this is just speculation. If we're going off of what we're shown, then they're all mean bitches who need a friendship lesson or two. But that interpretation is boring, so I'll overthink up something I find cool. I may write a fanfic about them. Maybe write their perspective in the Friendship Games, if that hasn't been done before.
What do you think? Do you have any headcanons on these characters? Any interesting interpretations or fan-works?
Just in general, what do you think of them as characters?
Submitted December 26, 2019 at 11:50AM by JesterOfDestiny
via reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/mylittlepony/comments/efz86v/the_shadow_five_sugarcoat_indigo_zap_sour_sweet/?utm_source=ifttt
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