Though many viewers might still be coming to terms with the fact that Elena will no longer be apart of The Vampire Diaries storyline, the series still gave us plenty of things to be excited, especially in regards to TVD 's flash forward moment in the Season 6 finale. Shortly after Damon and Elena shared a touching goodbye dance, the show skipped ahead to an unspecified amount of time in the future and revealed what looked like a post-apocalytpic version of Mystic Falls. Between all the garbage littering the ground and the streets looking eerily deserted (except for a mustache-bearing Matt Donovan roaming the streets in his police car), it's clear that something horrible has happened here. So who destroyed Mystic Falls and why?
Though Damon was shown looking menacingly over the town right before the closing credits rolled, I think it's become pretty clear at this point that the perpetrators will be none other than Lily and her Heretic family. These witch/vampire hybrids (wampires? vampitches?) have been cooped up in that alternate dimension for far too long, which means they're probably primed and ready to lead a hostile takeover of the first town they see. And since Mystic Falls is kinda known for this type of supernatural tomfoolery, it makes sense that it'll be at the mercy of these new Big Bads.
But the Heretics won't be the only looming threat for our favorite Mystic Falls gang this season. In fact, according to a recent interview Julie Plec had with Entertainment Weekly, there will be an even bigger flash forward introduced that will show our beloved characters three years into the future, where they'll be forced to contend with an even bigger threat — perhaps from someone we already know. "We are introducing a flash forward concept where there’s a mystery about what’s happening three years from now," Plec explained. "This season will show us little nuggets of flash forwards that will lead us up to the solution to that mystery."
So if we already know that the Heretics are the culprits during the first mini-time jump, then odds are it probably won't be them the second time around. And if it's potentially someone that we already know, that means a major hero-type character could end up becoming the show's latest villain. Normally, I would immediately predict that it's Damon, but since this ominous danger is supposedly targeting the Salvatore brothers, I'm inclined to think it has to be someone else. Perhaps someone who is capable of great magical power. Someone like Bonnie.
Look, right now this is just a shot in the dark, given how little we know about this looming time jump. But you have to admit, it would be kind of poetic if the major threat ended up being the same person who Elena sacrificed herself to save. Maybe something happens that sends Bonnie over the edge and down a dark magic path. After all, sometimes payback can be a witch.
Images: Bob Mahoney/The CW (2); Giphy
