Top Ten Mares, Version 2 · 5:44am Dec 12th, 2015
Well, I did one for the stallions, so I might as well do one for the mares. It's been over a year since the original version, which you can find here.
Time to see who made it, and who didn't. You know the drill by now.
10. Spoiled Rich
Why she was added: I really hate that she's once again on a list in place of a pony I really want to include, but I can't because she hasn't done anything to even justify being around. Cheerilee's supposed failure to stop Spoiled Rich's abusive behavior even when it was unfolding before her very eyes just doesn't make someone who is supposed to be a school teacher look good. Spoiled Rich may be rotten and cruel, but at least she had enough of a presence to justify being in an episode.
9. Stormy Flare
Why she was added: Well, at least she's getting some love from me, instead of the being ignored as the rest of the fandom seems to be doing to her. Come on people, there's a lot of potential with the mother of the mare who's captain of The Wonderbolts, what's stopping you?
8. Sassy Saddles
Why she was added: As a compelling antagonist, she completely bombed, and her redemption wasn't very believeable. Thankfully, "Rarity Investigates" showed that if you can move past those traits, Sassy is actually a good character, and one that deserves to be included in some future episodes. As for fanfics, I don't blame people for not doing much with her right now, seeing as her only roll outside of being an antagonist was reacting to Rarity's antics. She was good at it, but that's not much to go on. Still, much like Stormy Flare she deserves to be utilized more. I don't know about you, but I think Spoiled Rich has been in the spotlight far more than she should've been. I guess those of you who loved Diamond Tiara from the start had to find someone just as depised to give love to, since loving Diamond Tiara was no longer an unpopular thing after "Crusaders of The Lost Mark". Or is there something else at work that I don't understand?
7. Granny Smith
Why she moved up: Granny Smith's wisdom has really been on display in recent seasons. She knew a lot about the Pie family, and why they lived on a rock farm. She remembered her mistake from the previous Sisterhooves Social, and even remembered the loose guidelines that gave Big Macintosh the idea to compete. Her knowledge also came in handy for a while in "Pinkie Apple Pie", and it seems that pine sap really DOES hold wood together nicely. And we can't forget her scaring Fluttershy on Nightmare Night in "Scare Master", though that was probably a bit rude of her considering she knows how much Fluttershy hates being out and about on the holiday (a little bit of playful scaring is fine, but intentionally playing up a situation to scare someone out of their wits is going too far). But give her credit for being able to assemble a pretty scary corn maze, while also being willing to let someone else take charge and make improvements to it.
6. Tree Hugger
Why she was added: Tree Hugger is basically all the 60's hippy sterotypes you can think of, minus possibly the drug addiction, rolled into one, and turned into a pony. Not bad for an episode with top notch comedy like "Make New Friends, But Keep Discord", and Nicole Oliver's performance perfectly captured what a stoner pony would sound like (first Sugar Sprinkles and now Tree Hugger, what is it with DHX and their love of hippy characters?). But that means writing her can be kind of difficult, unless you want to just roll with those sterotypes. And while they aren't bad, they certainly can get annoying after a while. I will say this much on her behalf though, her audio therapy works pretty well.
5. Spitfire
Why she moved up: Even if she really hasn't done much in recent seasons, Spitfire has largely been a good character. After how badly she was handled in "Rainbow Falls" her brief role in "Rarity Investigates" was just she needed to get back into the fandom's good books. I am hopeful she'll get a bigger role, and get the opportunity to really paint herself in a positive light, seeing as Lightning Dust and Wind Ryder make it look as if there's a lot of corruption in The Wonderbolts that she either isn't aware of, or isn't doing anything to correct.
4. Mrs. Cake a.k.a Cup Cake
Why she moved up: Her cameo in "Party Pooped" wasn't all that memorable, and neither was her cameo in "Slice of Life". But her brief role in "The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows" did wonders for her character, just as it did for her husband's. She isn't doubtful of Pinkie Pie's ability to keep a secret, and although she insists she not tell Twilight, she doesn't try to force the idea into her head with harsh words. And she's become confident in Pinkie Pie's babysitting skills enough to trust her to look after the twins more frequently. And it seems Pumpkin Cake has taken a shine to mimicking her mother's behavior from time to time.
3. Night Glider
Why she was added: What more I can say, Rebecca Shoichet does a wonderful job with her. It feels almost like an impersonation of Ashliegh's Ball's Rainbow Dash voice, and it fits considering Night Glider was esentially a poor man's Rainbow Dash in the premiere. Her forced smile was probably the creepiest, but I have to question why she the last of the equal four to be introduced, and why she had the fewest speaking lines? Considering she wasn't mentioned by name, was there some sort of legal issue involved with her name that Hasbro couldn't completely resolve before "The Cutie Map" finished production?
2. Sugar Belle
Why she was added: It's amazing how she was able to get the mane six to come into her house and meet with her, after Double Dimaond picked on hints of her discomfort with village life. Sugar Belle has only really been shipped with Party Favor, which kind of sucks considering she deserves more love, and many people flocked to her for being adorable, not to mention the fact that she took second place in a poll on Equestria Daily ranking the equal four. Surely, that popularity amongst the fandom would lead to greater shipping opportunities? Even Double Diamond got shipped more than she did. But I guess some of her appeal wore off after Fluttershy got her own focus episode, Coco Pommel returned, and we got a Fluttershy clone of sorts in the form of Marble Pie.
1. Moondancer
Why she is number one: Since Starlight Glimmer is technically part of the main cast now, and since I didn't want to include the princesses or characters that were still largely background characters (Derpy Hooves and Minuette, as well as Lyra Heartstrings) on the list this time around (my rankings of the princesses hasn't changed, and a list for the top ten background ponies will be out within the next couple of days) it was inevitable that Moondancer would end up here. Out of all the Twilight Sparkle foils, she is the closest to actually being like Twilight, to the point where she is esentially a Twilight recolor (though the episode justifies it through her admiration), but she did have enough traits to become her own character. Even Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer have had hints of Twilight's behavior slip in every now and then, despite them largely having moved on from being outright foils of her. Moondancer's potrayal by Kazumi Evans is among the growing list of characters she's been lending her voice to recently (she's voiced both pony and Equestria Girls Octavia, and Adagio Dazzle), and while Moondancer likely didn't leave as a big an impression as her past two roles, it's still a fine performance from someone who used to just be Tabitha's singing double. Moondancer's brief cameo in "The Cutie Re-Mark" was a nice little touch, and conisdering how popular TwilightxMoondancer is, it's not likely she'll fade anytime soon.
And there you have it.
Regarding Cheerilee, here's the thing:
School Board members have power over teachers, so if Cheerilee actually tried talking back to Spoiled Rich, she'd likely get fired.
I'd put Starlight at 1, Cheerilee instead of Spoiled Rich, Night Glider at 2, Limestone Pie at 3 instead of Sassy Saddles there at all, and keep the rest in the order you have here.
3612669 Cheerilee still really didn't do much in "Crusaders of The Lost Mark". She only had one speaking line.
3613232 Yeah, but it was probably one of her best lines yet.