Shadows of the Past is a continuation of my previous web Comic "Without Magic", in which Twilight was tasked with finding out out "what makes her special as a pony" outside of magic. You do not need to have read Without Magic in order to enjoy Shadows of the past, though some scenes will make more sense if you have.
Just a short page this week as I've been doing some other stuff for a while and didn't want to put out a longer page.
I've changed the location to the Ponyville School house, which is probably going to be one of the places where the missing foal crisis will be most evident, and which is going to be the place where the foals will express themselves the most. I've attempted to add in a slight sense of how things are changing, and how what is considered "normal" is also changing, through the art that the foals are putting up on the walls.
I know that the paintings are more what you'd expect from much younger ponies, but I think that having very basic poster paint\crayon style pictures expresses things better than more complicated art would as it emphasises that the pictures are being drawn by children.
Some of this has been inspired by my own experiences, and how I've seen a steady wave of fear and paranoia creep across America. There is a real siege mentality going on.
In case anybody is wondering, the picture of the pony on the last frame is a memorial picture. It's more usually found at funerals and memorials than classrooms. Here is signifies that the foal is considered dead rather than just missing (she was one of the foals on the early missing posters, so she's been gone for quite a long time now).
Oh, and can you spot all of the memes?
Trigger Warning
Please see my disclaimer before reading\commenting, and be aware that this comic contains some darker or more political content that might be not be appropriate for Snowflakes\Millennial, people who are easily triggered, or those who cannot deal with ideas that conflict with their own.
Frame Text
Frame 1:
Class 3-3 Defense Comittee Head of Countermeasures: A.N Otherpony
1) squiggle Squiggle empty seat at the back of the classroom. 2) squiggle squiggle Red balloon squiggle squiggle 3) squiggle squiggle Tentacles squiggle squiggle 4) squiggle squiggle Twilight Sparkle squiggle 5) squiggle squiggle Pinkie Pie squiggle Pinkie Pie squiggle squiggle Pinkie PIe 6) squiggle squiggle RUN.
Frame 2:
All my friends Happy Play Time I like to fly My favorite teacher
Frame 3:
My frinds float now All Alone He watches us pla He is comming
Some people have said that they can't read the background text on their phones as it's too small so I am including a transcript here.
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Components
This comic was created using stock resources from Clip Studio Paint and Comipo, and uses some or all of the following components.
Font
Digital Script BB Regular, by Blambot Death Rattle, by Blambot Badaboom, by Blambot
Brushes
DV Brush set for Clip Studio Paint My Little Pony Brush Set 1.0 My Little Pony Brush Set 2.0
Tutorials and Other Resources
Base speciality Pack Tutorial: Convert Photoshop brush to Manga Studio