Equine Spotlight: Pony (Part Two)

Although, I did well to summarize the "My Little Pony" phenomenon in my last spotlight, I did not have time to focus on any of the characters of the show. The thing is, I kind of wanted to. So, this blog will be an extension of last week's fiction section for the pony.

My first encounter with "My Little Pony" actually happened with the 1986 film "My Little Pony: The Movie." I watched it because I lived in a house with my sister, and it was just one of the things that was on my TV set in those days. I did not hate the film, but I also never really forgot it. Looking back, I chuckle at the fact that the ponies from that movie were friends with humans. Lately, that has not been the case at all, but I am fine with the way they do it now.

With the advent of "Friendship is Magic," we were presented with a self-contained universe without any disruptive humans to get in the way. They had a very solid lore based heavily around the show's subtitle. There were also 6 very diverse "mane" characters that I shall discuss a little bit.

When the show began, it seemed like the ultimate main character was represented by one Twilight Sparkle--a book-loving unicorn from the royal city of Canterlot. She has since become what is known as an Alicorn--which not only gives her a set of wings along with her magical unicorn horn, but it also assigns her the status of princess. Originally, she--with her dragon companion, Spike--was the one who came to Ponyville to learn from the common ponies about friendship; however, she ended up bringing everyone together in many ways. Her only faults are that she tends to be a busybody and a perfectionist, but she is always evolving and trying to push back these issues.

Pinky Pie--an earth pony--is a fan favorite with many. She loves parties and is almost always happy and excited about everything. She is sugary and sweet, and part of that has to do with the fact that she works at a bakery. Many of her gags and jokes break the forth wall and sometimes the laws of physics. Ironically, her family are a bunch of Amish rock farmers. I'll say that again: her family is a bunch of Amish rock farmers. They are, in contrast, rather boring compared to her, but they seem to accept her for who she is. As an additional note, Pinky Pie has a pet alligator named Gummy who has no teeth.

The pegasus pony known as Fluttershy is actually my personal favorite. Her name is remarkably accurate. She has difficulty interacting with other ponies and tends to get weak in the hooves when under pressure. She blushes a lot and speaks in a whisper at all times. Fluttershy's one joy in life is taking care of cute, little animals... and sometimes big, scary ones. There is a certain kindness and gentleness to her that she adds to the team, and she is still able to step up and be brave when pushed. I really love her.

Applejack is an earth pony that knows all about working for a living. She owns an apple farm with her family and has one of the best work ethics of the group. Like Twilight Sparkle, she tends to overthink sometime, but she also adapts and learns from her mistakes. This character is extremely family-oriented. What I mean is that the show made a big effort for you to meet her entire family, and they have all had their own episodes. Applejack makes a lot of yummy things with the farm's apples, but her most famous is the cider.

Two left to go. Rarity is a unicorn who really picks up on the girly fashion side of things for the show, but she is not to be dismissed. She is a professional dress maker in the show. On the surface, one might see her as vain, and maybe she is; however, when she sees someone in trouble, she will do everything she can to help them. Rarity's generosity is her greatest attribute, and this has been accounted for many, many times. Her greatest flaw is that she does get caught up with frivolous trends when she really needs to focus on the things that she loves. When she goes with her own passions, her products tend to be far more popular.

Lastly, we have the pegasus pony known as Rainbow Dash. I have never disliked this pony. She is the tomboy of the group. She can fly amazingly fast, and she loves to show off. Indeed, she has a vanity problem, and it can get the best of her at times. Rainbow Dash likes to see herself as a hero, and she does whatever she can to live up to that. There have been many times where she had to save lives. When the situation gets dangerous, she puts herself on the back-burner and does what needs to be done.

Now, there are many, many other characters, and I could go on for many more parts if I wanted to, but I am satisfied with what I have done here. Next week, I will go on to a different animal, and we will put this behind us, but just keep in mind that it was the pony that got the two-parter. Something strange and marvelous happened with this show, and it has done nothing but make me smile since it premiered. It needs a special mention because of that. I know there are people who will never even glance at it, but, as you probably know, the world will always have its neigh-sayers.

Thank you for reading this blog! If you enjoyed it, you can comment below, or you can email me at tooie@tooiekangaroo.com. Whinny.

Twilight Sparkle (As an Alicorn)

Pinkie Pie

Fluttershy

Applejack

Rarity

Rainbow Dash