Previews, subtle references and final release Anon 10/12/2020 (Mon) 15:03:20 No.6666 del
Not only the plot changed, the concept of that new place also changed. Seaquestria, while exotic, was meant to be a prison and not the main hub for this civilization where they would hide from the Storm King.

So, after all these changes in design, concept and lore, you would get a slice of it with a russian poster that said "A new world". This means that there was a part of the map of Equestria that was yet undefined: the South. After the movie, the world managed to reach its completion except for a few locations that would appear in seasons 8 and 9.

As soon as Skystar reveals herself, she introduces their species with a small backstory. Now, here is an important question: canonically, hippogriff banished themselves from the land (Mt. Aris) and they would live in Seaquestria as a second home in order to survive by using just a pearl. The lore is pretty simple: use a necklace or the orb in order to change both earthly and aquatic bodies, therefore, they would gain a lot of versatility. No dirty tricks nor any complex explanations. Just as simple as activating the magical rays in order to cause the transformation. Just think for a second that they were banished because of the King but...

wouldn´t that be an allegory as well that they disappeared from the franchise for three entire decades? If they were seen as a myth in the universe, it´s because they managed to exist but there weren´t any serious plans to go further and put them on the table. So, that story which Skystar introduces could be perfectly understood as a meta reference of Hasbro saying to the viewer that they weren´t taken into account until his production.

Either way, the Russian poster delivered a preview of Skystar swimming with Rarity and Rainbow Dash. Her design was still a beta one because her mouth didn´t get the form a beak, it ended up being rounder than that but her colors were exactly what one would see in the actual movie.

All doubts about their designs were cleared up as soon as they announced the voice cast, with a couple of vectors. Furthermore, the throne room would be perfectly displayed in Spring of 2017. All the previous concepts ended up being friendlier,welcoming and one of the last species that would be introduced in this 4th generation. Very late to the party, but I ask this:

would their designs end up being the same ones that we have received if the movie was released earlier (for example 2013, when the fanbase was still explosive and MLP was seen as a fad)?

I let that question sink in...