Best Pony · 11:29am Aug 20th, 2015
From best to worst.
1. Rarity
2. Applejack
3. Twilight Sparkle
4. Rainbow Dash
5. Pinkie Pie
6. Fluttershy
Why, yes, I do like the Mane 6 in a strict hierarchal order.
1. Rarity is the first fashionista-type character I've ever liked in any medium. By virtue of that alone she can be the best pony for me. I also like the careful balancing act that is her character; her ambitions vs her devotion to friends and family, her greed vs her generosity, her vanity vs her willingness to go through a lot of embarrassment and filth for others. I also like her voice. Rarity has the best songs in the show. I also like the character design. She has that stylish and elegant charm that's not overdone. So long as she doesn't put on that clown make up from Sonic Rainboom ever again. Yech.
2. I hated Applejack when I first started watching the show. I thought she was like Agent Sawyer in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie; some kind of mandate to ensure that there was a particularly American presence in the main cast so they had to toss in a cowboy pony with a thick, easily recognizable American accent and an apple theme. Applejack sort of grew on me as the episodes passed. Applejack is the least moe of the mane six. No, I don't mean that she's not cute. She is. But there is a sense of sincerity in her design that makes me feel like I'm not being heavily manipulated to find her cute. It's hard to pinpoint just how she projects that. She just does for me. I like the themes of family, work ethic and integrity that her stories often involve, and I really wish The Last Roundup was done entirely from her perspective. So yeah, she went from last to second. I find that impressive. Didn't think my opinion could change so much.
3. Twilight started out second. I did like her awkwardness, her bookish naivete, and the inner strenght she has underneath those. I still do to this day. I just feel that she's slowly but surely being made as regal, graceful, and sagely, as Princess Celestia, and that's just dull.
4. I'm not fond of the whole tsundere thing Rainbow has going for her what with the whole brash and tough on the outside but sensitive and vulnerable on the inside. It's not rage-inducing though. I've mostly been neutral towards Rainbow from the beginning to the present.
5. Never liked Pinkie that much. It's the type. Maybe because I'm a pretty reserved person to the point that I even find adding someone to my follow list as being very forward and must be done sparingly and with deliberation. I just find her really obnoxiously friendly.
6. Originally, Fluttershy was second to the last with Pinkie hitting bottom after Applejack started rising in my esteem. If Applejack is the least moe of the mane six, Fluttershy is the most. She's so cutesy and meek, and so relentlessly designed to make you want to protect her that it gets the opposite reaction from me.
And then Bats! happened. She got even more moe and became worst pony for me. I don't just mean just in the mane six. Or even just the ponies.
I see the Grinch has a fimfiction account.
My list is roughly the same, and with similar reasons behind the positions. The first 3 places move around a lot, but are always shared by AJ, Twilight, and Rarity. Rarity is usually #1, Twi and AJ battle for second. I like the way AJ can be blunt and smug at times, but not dickishly like how RD does it. As for Twilight... her adorkable moments alone deserve her a spot in the top 3. She can improve almost any scene with her constant social awkwardness, even if it's incredibly subtle.
As for Rarity... this scene:
Need I say more?
As for the others: I dislike Rainbow Dash because I think she's a dick, but when she shows vulnerability, thus proving that she's just a pony like her friends, then I can enjoy her (the forced "she's cute on the inside" moments suck though). Pinkie Pie is... hit and miss. I don't like when she's useless to the story, but she has some good moments, and her bubbly personality is enjoyable overall.
Fluttershy is just bad. With all the other characters, you have to seek things to enjoy, while with her, she's shoved in your face to be enjoyed. I especially despise how they always give her episodes where "Oh no, she was right all along, why didn't we listen?" In general she's the character who has thus far shown the least amount of "humanity", and is instead designed for mass appeal. The only time she ever does something wrong, it's always pushed to an extreme and becomes the center of focus, so again we're not seeing her have any "natural faults". They're just something that needs to be fixed in that specific episode.
So yeah, she's the resident "have this super cute thing to d'awww at" character. Not my thing.
I marvel at how some people can rank their favorite ponies.
For me Rarity is N1 and the rest are equally inferior.
Honestly, I really don't dislike or hate any of them.(as far as the mane 6 goes) While I do have favorites (Dash and Twilight) I find the rest as enjoyable to watch. I think the closest thing that comes to me not liking a character is getting annoyed sometimes by Rarity, but I'm not going to be dropkicking any puppies over it.
Rarity used to be my least favorite, but as the show progressed she really quickly earned her top spot. Her defining characteristic in my eyes is her drive to be successful at her passions. Ever since I started searching for my place in the world, That's a trait that really resonates with me.
I actually place Fluttershy at top of my list, but not because of the cute aspect (it honestly grates a bit on me as well). She has strength, but tries to keep it under wraps for fear of hurting others. Quite frankly, when she cuts loose, she's downright scary at times (remember, she did manage to close with Rainbow while tugging a hot air balloon). I've known people similar to her (not to her extent though) and it's kind of amazing to me how much they got right.
Rest is as follows:
2) Twilight: I personally enjoy seeing an inventive character that's more normal and doesn't have their inventiveness blow up in their face all the time. Not to mention the debate potential.
3) Applejack: good at competitiveness and teamwork, plus a pony one could relax and drink a cup of lemonade with.
4) Rainbow Dash: nice to see a character who embodies the 'work hard, play hard, sleep hard' mentality. It just gains something when all three are properly mixed, but the arrogance can get a bit annoying.
5 and 6) Pinkie and Rarity: They tend to switch with each other depending on the episode. I don't dislike them, but I just don't enjoy them as much. Both are character types that normally grate on me (to the point that my opener there is a small miracle), but the show managed to make it work. I find Pinkie exhausting at times and the times enthusiasm are confused with fun or relatability are cringe worthy, but the zany Loony Toons style antics are a joy to watch and she does have complexity, which is something I'm not used to expecting from this type of character. Rarity is a bit uptight for me, but her willingness to drop it to get something done and some of her overreactions being just an act (fainting couch from Lesson Zero) combined with her ability to just make some things work places her leagues above any other characters of her type I've seen.
Although none of them are as good as the lunar princess.
Visiden you are close but rarity is fourth because she is a bit of a racist haha. I used to to have Fluttershy higher but after awhile she has nothing new about her character and the writers have made Pinkie more bearable to stand. In all good list
This is from their canon portrayals, correct? I ask because your treatment of Fluttershy in your works makes her (especially later on) quite complex.
3341591
Yes.
BUT I'M ALSO OBNOXIOUSLY FRIENDLY
Why does trying hard to get a certain reaction usually get the opposite reaction from you?