Amethyst Star · 5:13pm Apr 9th, 2015
This blog serves more of a open-ended piece rather than have a goal. Well, that's kind of a lie. There's a reason why I'm blogging on a pony most probably don't care for. So let's get the promotion out of the way, shall we?
I made a group for her, so, you know, go join and share stories that involve her. Why did I make it? Well...
I like Amethyst Star.
I like her design. I like her colours. I like her attitude. I like her overall.
But why, I've asked myself, do I find a background pony very interesting? As we know, many background ponies are just that: A piece of the background. Characters such as Caramel, Noteworthy, or Ruby Pinch have appeared on screen, and been lucky to receive dialogue that's even remotely related to the episode's plot. Amethyst Star suffers the same, but actually has a full scene with Rainbow Dash:
I think this might be the first time in the series of Gen 4 that a background pony interacts with one of the mane six for any duration longer than five seconds. Caramel's "Excuse me" barely lasts a couple of seconds. Then there's "Mine's got rocks in it." Very interactive.
But Amethyst is an exception. In Mare Do Well, she gets that scene with Rainbow Dash, and it actually carries the plot of the episode along, showing off how big-headed Rainbow Dash can be, and, as Amethyst bluntly puts it, milking her ego. Essentially, she's the voice of the reason throughout the whole thing. And in that entire scene, we get more character than Vinyl Scratch or Octavia could wish for (unless Season 5 delivers on that somewhere).
And yet, Vinyl and Octavia are way more popular. I'm always hearing people like to write about the characters we're shown that have developed, that they can attach to or like. Vinyl Scratch appears for not even two seconds, suddenly everyone's jumping on the Vinyl bandwagon. Amethyst has a scene that lasts around fifty seconds, whilst talking with Rainbow Dash, and hardly anyone bats an eye. To this day, Vinyl Scratch is way more popular than Amethyst Star.
I guess that's how things work: Introduce a new, interesting pony design, viewers will single them out, and then massive attention. It very much happened to the four new characters we got from the first two episodes of Season 5, which I won't go too much into because everyone and their grandma already has, and if you're following me then you're following someone else who already shared their thoughts, but I really enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to what the rest of Season 5 has in store.
But to be fair, the four new ponies we got had bigger roles in the episodes than background ponies do. These four are memorable, have character, and from the groups that exist and stories that have come out recently, people like them. I do. But who remembers... well, anyone else in that place besides Starlight Glimmer? Aside from a very unsettling "Welcome!" what else did they do? Groan, smile, sing or walk, probably.
That, and the four new ponies had a design that'll be remembered. Kind of like Vinyl Scratch, or Octavia in that regard. But they also had voices. Vinyl and Octavia haven't had those (that one line in Rainbow Rocks and whatever may happen in the hundredth episode aside, that is), whereas Amethyst Star, a pony that actually has more screen time over the seasons, on top of a voice and a personality you can pick up from a scene by itself, is much less popular than the likes of Vinyl or Octavia.
Is it because Amethyst shares a design with other background ponies like Roseluck or Lyra? Is it because it's bland to some? Is it because Amethyst wasn't taken to the big money because Mare Do Well is considered bad by most who watch it? Here's a fact: Amethyst Star was one of the first ponies that ever showed up in the show. After our prologue with Celestia's narration, we get Twilight Sparkle, followed by the intro. Afterwards, Twilight walks down the street, to be stopped by Lemon Drops, Minuette and Twinkleshine, who is actually the third pony to speak in the show, believe it.
After Twilight promptly dashes off, she passes Lyra and Amethyst Star. Yeah, she was there, one of the first background ponies to show up. I guess with her somewhat medium popularity, she never caught on that well. Appearing in the background, not doing a thing, I guess she just began to blend in as just "another pony of the crowd".
I can't blame that, if that's what people saw. I can't decide what ponies people like. Myself, I don't particularly care much for Vinyl Scratch and find Amethyst Star much more interesting, but different strokes for everyone.
Like I said, you could form a character from her role in the episode too. From the scene we're shown, she seemed rather grumpy, irritated, or just slightly down, though that may have been because of the jar of peanut butter, combined with Rainbow's ego. You could, from this, take her as a mare that's usually pessimistic, or bright and chirpy with a bad attitude sometimes. Point is, you can expand on it. I personally like to see her as a bit of grump, so if I ever write her, that's likely how I'll make her.
She has had her attention in places. Being a background pony, she's had her moments of controversy. This has led to the fanon that she's related in some way to Derpy and Dinky, as she was seen running with the latter in Sisterhooves Special. Again, take that however you like. Personal headcanon, choice of animation design, whatever. Amethyst Star crops up all over the place. I'm sure she'll do it with Season 5 as well. Whether she gets more lines, that's anybody's guess. I just know that if she does, I'll enjoy it.
I like Amethyst Star. I like to see her. I like to read about her, from the five or so stories I've actually read that star her. And I'll probably like writing about her. If I didn't, why would I bother?
And that's where I leave it. What's your opinion on Amethyst Star? Well... it'll differ. It does for everyone.
I hadn't seen that clip for a while, and, well, you've sold me on Amethyst.
She's not a grump, though! She's level-headed and doesn't put up with nonsense. She'd definitely make a bad retail worker, that's for sure.