Who is MY Best Pony?

So ever since I started watching MLP:FiM, I have oscillated quite a bit about who was my favorite pony. Even after re-watching seasons, I couldn't seem to decide. I hopped from Fluttershy, to Rainbow Dash, to Pinkie Pie, then back. About the only thing I was certain of was that it was one of the Main 6, and it sure as heck wasn't Twilight Sparkle (sorry hon).

But then for season 5, an idea started to formulate for me. Who rose to the top?

Applejack and Rarity.

Rarity came to the foreground thanks to Rarity Investigates! It was a solid episode, and a great illustration that there's much more to Rarity than just her fashion sense. She's a shrewd and intelligent pony that is capable of many things. Her ability to make me laugh is a great plus, too. I adore her dramatic flair, and the way she carries herself with poise and dignity. In an age when people like Donald Trump get ahead, having value placed on tact and good manners is something that I really, really appreciate!

And Applejack? She came in to my attention thanks to Made in Manehattan, another great episode. Rarity was great here as well, which of course strengthened my love for her, but AJ stood out to me for her humbleness and sincerity. She didn't know how she could help, but she tried her darndest because she's just stubborn that way, and the simplicity of her gesture (building the stage) did far more than she could even anticipate. It really spoke to me that you can make a difference in ways you never could imagine, no matter how humble the action.

After finishing Season 5, I had to go back and re-watch some episodes from the other seasons. I focused a lot on Applejack and Rarity's episodes, and I realized that the two share a few things in common: they are exceptionally hard workers; better than the rest of the cast, they represent working women; and they both are strong illustrations of the best parts of feminism (more than Rainbow Dash, IMHO). I also could personally relate to them much better than the rest of the Main 6, for good and bad qualities. I can be stubborn and blunt just like Applejack. I get melodramatic and self-absorbed like Rarity. I value family above all else, just like Applejack. I feel a feverish passion for my writing, much like Rarity feels for her fashion design.

But out of the two of them, who is best pony to me?

After much debate, I've decided it's Rarity.

The deciding factor? Her unabashed feminine qualities. Rarity is essentially a reclamation of all those girly things that the last 20 or so years of feminist debate have vilified and shunned. Her characterization says, It's okay to want to be glamorous. (the "Life is a Runway" music video!) It's okay to want your outer self to reflect your inner self--and that doesn't necessarily have to be by society's standards. Beauty is unique, not fitting a single idea. (a statement I felt was said in the Canterlot Boutique episode) You can be smart (via the Rarity Investigates! episode) kick flank, (see my sidebar!) be independent, (virtually any MLP episode that shows her working) and have a smashing outfit at the same time. You don't need to be ashamed to be a girl. We can still get our hooves dirty when we need to. (the Sisterhooves social episode) We just take a fragrant bath afterwards!

Applejack is second best pony, and a close second at that, because she's the Badass Normal. She's strong, empathic, and protective. She's a family girl, a hard worker, and a damned good fighter! She's probably the most mature pony out of the group, and maybe that's why she's second pony. She makes for a great "straight man" for many of the show's gags, but it's like her character is so whole that she has little room for improvement. I'm not saying she's perfect, but it's my personal opinion that's she is the least flawed of the cast--and that is what makes her harder to relate to. Her problems tend to be exceedingly practical (like Bats!), and the "negative" qualities she possesses are just examples of how good qualities can be taken to extremes rather than outright undesirable traits. If her struggles manifest externally at all, it's usually with relation to her family or work (like Pinkie Apple Pie, The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000) with minimal impact beyond that. The only time her actions seemed to wreak serious havoc for everyone was in Applebuck Season. Bottom line: Applejack is not the pony you relate to for massive fuck ups of a serious and damaging nature (well, unless you count Hearthbreakers and Apple Family Reunion--but I think even those are a stretch, because you know AJ meant well). Everyone's felt that kind of devastation at one point in their lives, but apparently not AJ! She's such a stable and levelheaded pony that she tends to make sound decisions on the regular. That's a little harder to connect with.

So to wrap it up...that is why is best pony, and is a close second. Rarity is the pony I can immediately identify with and respect, and AJ embodies many of the things I'd like to become.

...Though, in the end, this entire thing is almost moot, because Sunset Shimmer is just the best everything else. Period.