Top Ten Unicorns, Version 2 · 3:02am Dec 10th, 2015
Unlike Season 4, which only introduced two new unicorns, Season 5 had an abundence of them. The season premiere alone gave us three new unicorns, and three of Twilight's old Canterlot friends got to return alongside a new fourth friend, and Lyra and Vinyl Scratch featured promintely in the 100th episode, and of course we can't forget about Sassy Saddles.
So, here's the original version, from back during the hiatus between Seasons 3 and 4. You know the drill, let's see who's on the list!
10. Sugar Belle
Why she was added: Sugar Belle was one of two ponies voiced by Rebecca Shoichet, and seemed to be a blend of Fluttershy's adorableness, with Applejack and Pinkie Pie's baking skills (though another unicorn would seem to embody an alternative Pinkie Pie a bit better), and she was the one who first let the girls in on the fact that not everything in Starlight Glimmer's village was as it seemed. I do kind of wonder why Double Diamond supposedly never told Starlight about Sugar Belle's apparent discontent with village life, but I guess he thought he'd intimidated her into silence. In terms of shipping, Sugar Belle only seemed to be shipped with a unicorn who will be the next entry on this list. At least compared to Marble Pie, Sugar Belle isn't a complete Fluttershy clone with the species swapped.
9. Party Favor
Why he was added: Party Favor stole the spotlight with his "But I didn't listen!" face in the premiere (though Starlight Glimmer's "Quiet!" face would certainly give it some competetion), and in addition to being shipped heavily with Sugar Belle and Double Diamond (but not Night Glider for some reason), he also got himself tangled up in a ship war with Cheese Sandwich for who was the better romantic partner for Pinkie Pie. It sucks that so many CheesePie fics try to demonize him, and so many PartyPie fics do the same for Cheese Sandwich, because both are very nice stallions, and Pinkie Pie should be able to choose between two very good options. In regards to character, Party Favor seemed to be rather unusual among unicorns, since we never seemed to see him use his horn. His special talent of constructing things out of balloons involved some impressive hoof work, but no horn action.
8. Lyra Heartstrings
Why she moved down: 2015 was unquestionably the year of LyraBon, as "Slice of Life" and the "Friendship Games" shorts would prove (the two are gonna get their own book from Berrow in a few months), and Ashliegh Ball did an excellent job potraying both versions of Lyra. The obvious "Best Friends" line and winking eyes all but confirms there's more going on than what Hasbro is telling us. I really say Hasbro should just come out and admit the two are a couple, since they're pairing them up way too often (not that I mind, that CatDog reference in "Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?" was clever). But although she ranked above two of the newcomers from the premiere, and we learned she was part of Twilight's group of old friends from Canterlot, her exclusion from "Amending Fences" was a bit of a bummer, though she likely wouldn't have been able to outshine two of the unicorns who will appear on this list later on. That's why she's at this spot. Sorry Lyra, but at least you still have Bon Bon to keep you company.
7. Starlight Glimmer
Why she was added: I really wish I could put Starlight higher on the list, seeing as it's likely she'll be joining the mane seven come Season 5, and was likely created to try and ride the success of Sunset Shimmer following her reformation. But although she was a really good and unique villan in the premiere, her performance in the finale was kind of a mixed bag. On the one hand, she was way more powerful than she should've been, and was far too stubborn to listen to reason even when presented with reality, but on the other hand her smile and slow clap when Twilight accidentally froze filly Rainbow Dash was incredibly funny, and she DID appear to be sorry when the time travel finally ended. But for right now, she's at this spot specifically because her justifcation for all the despicable acts she committed is weak, petty, and makes zero sense (though Sunburst and filly Starlight were adorable). Perhaps, if her reformation is handled well in Season 6, she will move up.
6. Minuette a.k.a Colgate
Why she moved up: Even though her fandom nickname is no longer her offical canon name (though it could still be a nickname) Minuette was unquestionably one of the highlights of "Amending Fences", and actually beat out the rest of her friends in a poll on Equestria Daily, no doubt due to her cheerful personality, and the fact that she seemed to be a somewhat more subdued take on Pinkie Pie. Even when things seem grim, Minuette seems to keep a smile on her face, and a positive attitude (even if she seems to laugh at the most akward of moments). About the only thing we don't know about her, is whether or not the fandom speculation about her being a dentist was just speculation, or if we were right all along. I would've put her above next entry, but Minuette's character, though good, just couldn't quite justify it.
5. Moondancer
Why she was added: Out of all the Twilight Sparkle foils we've had so far, Moondancer is probably the closest to being like Twilight (Trixie was more of the anti-Twilight than anything else, Sunset Shimmer bears some similarities to Twilight but has largely become her own character, and Starlight Glimmer was largely a look at what an outright villanous Twilight might look like), while still having a few quirks that make her unique. Kazumi Evans did a wonderful job potraying her, and Moondancer undeniably had one of the best breakdowns in the show's history. Whereas almost every other breakdown was either over the top in some regard (most of Applejack and Rarity's breakdowns), or mostly just played for laughs (Pinkie Pie's breakdown in "Party of One", Rarity under the influence of the book in "Inspiration Manifestation", and debatedly Twilight's breakdown in "Lesson Zero"), Moondancer's was heartfelt, and genuine. I don't quite like how she shut herself off from the rest of her friends and the world, just because one friend she idolized so much didn't come to her party (despite said friend being the student of Princess Celestia, and said friend not attending the party ultimately was for the better in the long run), especially since she seemed to be acting as if she were in love with Twilight (which probably would've made her behavior seem a little more believeable). But hey, compared to Starlight Glimmer, at least she didn't go super villan and try to ruin all of Equestria.
4. Shining Armor
Why he stayed the same: Shining Armor got some development this season, after largely being forgotten about in Season 4 until the very end (though he still had fewer appearances than his wife, though maybe that was for the better), and "The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows" established his nerd like character traits from the IDW comics (which makes me wonder why Berrow has yet to write for them, though that might be for the better considering how much of a slump the main series has been in lately). So naturally, much like Big Macintosh, he should be moving up. But while I appreciated his development (though I think he had some character before that), it didn't do much to help me wrap my head around the premise of "The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows". Considering how upset Twilight was to find out he was getting married without him telling her himself, I fail to see why he thought setting up a scavenger hunt leading to a party where he would reveal Cadence was pregnant, was a good idea. He even knew how much Pinkie Pie was struggling to keep the secret, yet he still went ahead with his plan.
3. Fancy Pants
Why he moved up: If there was one GOOD thing about "Princess Spike" it was definitely Fancy Pants. The episode confirmed he's a delagate, which likely explains why he tolerates the likes of Jet Set and Upper Crust, as well as Spoiled Rich (though I still think he likely could've blown the whistle on her if he really wanted to, would've saved Diamond Tiara a lot of heartache). He has a sense of pride in his country and his home city, but he's not afraid to lead the charge if he thinks the princesses are making bad decisions. I've actually learned that some people believe Fleur De Lis is his bodyguard (and a delagate as honest as him would definitely need protection), but I still think the most common acception is that Fleur is his wife, seeing as they were seen together in "Crusaders of The Lost Mark". If only more politicans in real life were like him, the world would be a much better place.
2. Sweetie Belle
Why she stayed the same: Though she seems to have relinquished her role as leader of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, after having it since the second half of Season 2, and largely only contributing to the disappointment of "Appleloosa's Most Wanted", as well as the success of "Crusaders of The Lost Mark", it was nice to see her use magic a bit more frequently. She can now levitate small objects, with a good deal of concentration and effort. And her stage fright seems to be gone for good (now if only Sweetie Belle could teach her secret to Fluttershy, so we can finally get a Fluttershy focus episode that doesn't reset her growth) if "The Mane Attraction" is anything to go by. But her best moment was when she responded to hearing Diamond Tiara sing "The Pony I Wanna Be" with the words we were all thinking.
1. Rarity
Why she stayed the same: Rarity has most definitely grown on me since I made the original version of this list. Seasons 4 and 5 have been a big boost to her growth as a character, and I'm hopeful the trend will continue. The first half of Season 5 wasn't the greatest in terms of Rarity potrayals (though being absent for 5 out of 13 episodes does explain things a little), but to make up for it we got three Rarity episodes right at the start of the second half of Season 5, and though only "Rarity Investigates" was truly enjoyable, it was still nice to see how far Rarity has come. And hopefully, Canterlot Carousel will return in Season 6. Now, we can please get a RariPie episode? It's pretty much the only pairing besides PinkieShy that hasn't been explored yet, and I'd say we're overdo for one by now.
This is probably the only list of yours, at least in terms of ponies, that I disagree the most with.
I'd put Starlight at number 1, Lyra at 2, Party Favor at 3, Sweetie Belle at 4, Minuette at 5, Moondancer at 6, Lemon Hearts at 7, Twinkle Shine at 8, Fashion Plate at 9, and Amethyst at 10.
3606845 No love for Rarity, Sugar Belle, Shining Armor, or Fancy Pants?
3606861 Rarity, despite some improvements to her character this season, is still my least favorite member of the mane 6, though she is close to overtaking Applejack at least.
Sugar Belle I just didn't find as interesting as Party Favor.
Shining Armor still needs a bit more development.
Fancy Pants is a good character, but I just like the unicorns I listed a bit more.