Manifesto: 6 Reasons Every Pony Knows Why You Should Be Watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
In 2010, Hasbro’s new channel The Hub put a new twist on My Little Pony with the new Friendship is Magic series. After just coming to the end of it's first season, the show has gained quite a following from viewers far outside of it’s target demographic of 5 year old girls. (If you've been anywhere on the Internet for the last few months, you'll know what I mean.)
In this manifesto, I'll give you six reasons (and more!) as to why you should be watching this show.
The main cast is comprised of 6 ponies - Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle. There are 3 kinds of ponies. Those who don’t have any unusual abilities (aside from the ability to talk and stuff…) are referred to as Earth Ponies. Ponies with wings are Pegasus Ponies. Then there are the horned Unicorn Ponies.
Applejack
Applejack is a bit of a tomboy - athletic, tough, proud, you get my drift. She’s a country girl who’s all about farming apples. As an earth pony, she doesn’t rely on any fancy tricks and isn’t afraid of getting her hooves dirty. She has a competitive edge, but is still probably one of the nicests ponies you'll ever meet. Plus, she has that adorable accent to boot.
Fluttershy
Fluttershy is... well, shy. She loves animals but when around other ponies she’s very shy and soft spoken, but is willing to speak up when the need arises. Her special talent is dealing with animals, and she's tamed creatures from bunnies to dragons equally well. Fluttershy, while terribly quiet and shy, has absolutely no problem kicking ass and taking names.
Pinkie Pie
Oh... Pinkie Pie... Pinkie Pie is pretty much insane. This pony oozes cuteness from every pore. She will break into song at the drop of a hat and has a flair for frankly ridiculous looking accessories. She is an earth pony and likes to make sweets and plan cool parties - it's actually her special talent. Pinkie Pie seems to be the only pony aware that they are, in fact, in a cartoon and will exercise this whenever she can. I find myself rolling my eyes at how dumb and cooing about how cute Pinkie Pie is. I dare you not to have the same reaction.
Rainbow Dash
Rainbow Dash is one cool pony. She looks like a one pony gay pride parade with all those rainbows - and I love it! She is a pegasus pony and flies around with great skill. All she really wants to be is a part of the Wonderbolts. She's crazy competitive, and has a tomboy edge to her - proving that not all good little ponies need to be pretty, pink, and delicate.
Rarity
Rarity is a kind of stuck-up pony. She likes for things to be clean and proper and fancies herself quite the fashion designer. (And she pretty much is.) As a unicorn pony she also has magic powers, though she has not trained them as well as Twilight Sparkle. Instead, she just uses magic to spice up her fashion shows and such. She has her own dressmaking shop, and owns a cat named Opalescence.
Twilight Sparkle
And last but not least, Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle is the show’s main character. She is the vehicle through which we are introduced to the rest of the characters as she arrives in Ponyville in the first episode. (It’s not entirely clear if her name is meant to be a reference to the Vampires that sparkle from Twilight but given the many inside jokes in the show it’s quite likely.) As a pupil of Princess Celestia, we see Twilight in constant correspondence with her writing about all the lessons she learns each week. She's honestly one of my least favorite ponies, since she seems quite dull to me, but her magical powers are epic, so I have to give her some credit.