Top Ten Mares, Version 4 · 3:58am Nov 6th, 2017

A couple of mares got introduced to us this season, and a couple of others returned or got more screen time and development. It was hard to decide on who to add and who to drop though, because a couple of characters that remain popular in the fandom or did really well last season, got left off this time around, but I digress, we've got a list to do.
Here's the third version. Let's see who's made it and who didn't.

10. Spitfire
Why she fell to the bottom: Much like Soarin and the rest of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire got very little screen time this season. Although maybe that's a bit of a blessing in disguise, seeing as Spitfire getting more screen time didn't go so well for her in Season 6, or even Season 4. Maybe she works better the less we see of her. If there's anything "Parental Glideance" deserves credit for, it's for making the Wonderbolts not the cause of a problem in the episode either directly or indirectly. It would've been easy to make them side with Rainbow's parents and scheme to embarrass her, or just be unaware of Bow and Windy's embarrassing moments. But no, Spitfire and the rest of the Wonderbolts are victims of Bow and Windy's excessive fanponyism too. And not that I mean to promote, but I did write an accusation fic involving Spitfire calling out Rainbow Dash's parents for their behavior in that episode, because I feel like someone had to. Oh, and wings work like hands and fingers now.

9. Cheerilee a.k.a Miss Cheerilee
Why she moved down: A major fall from grace for Cheerilee after her return to form in Season 6. I guess it would've been too much to ask for another "The Cart Before the Ponies" type of appearance (but boy, did the fandom go nuts for cheerleader Cheerilee) but aside from possibly "A Flurry of Emotions" Cheerilee didn't really get anything distinctive for her roles. She didn't contribute anything to "Parental Glideance", and her small role in "Secrets and Pies" was just to provide a detail that probably anyone could've told Pinkie, though it's odd to hear that the school has a class pet now. It's a shame that, in a season that was big on developing secondary characters, Cheerilee and Spitfire were among the ones given the shaft.

8. Sugar Belle
Why she moved down: Kind of ironic that she moves this far down despite having an episode to herself. Well, Sugar Belle was mostly irrelevant to "Hard to Say Anything", she was more or less the framing device for the narrative, to get Big Macintosh and Feather Bangs fighting over her. I did mention on my stallions list about her relationship with Big Mac, and how they actually have some chemistry. It seems that Sugar Belle longs for the chance to bake more stuff, and Big Mac's happy to help her out by bringing her apples in order for her to experiment with new apple flavored dishes. Also, when Scootaloo stole Sugar Belle's bags, she could've easily stopped it using her horn. And considering we see her use it later in the episode with no trouble once Scootaloo rips open her saddle bag, that's a questionable thing.

7. Mrs. Cake a.k.a Cup Cake a.k.a Chiffon Swirl
Why she moved down: As far as I know, Mrs. Cake was only present for "The Perfect Pear". And while she played that role to perfection, it being the ONLY episode she appeared in all season long really doesn't help her much. She'd be probably not even be on this list if not for how well she was utilized in "The Perfect Pear". And I ended up getting my question answered after her cameo in "Where the Apple Lies". Her name was originally Chiffon Swirl, another user pointed out how she went from that to Cup Cake. She married Carrot Cake while still Chiffon, so she was Chiffon Cake. Then, she had her name changed to "Cup" Cake out of appreciation and sympathy for her close friend Pear Butter or Buttercup as she chose to go by. It does feel a bit odd that she never let slip before that she used to be good friends with the Apple siblings' mother though, you think that would crop up at least once with how often Apple Bloom's been to Sugarcube Corner.

6. Windy Whistles
Why she was added: I may not have cared much for the episode she and her husband debuted in, largely in part to their character and the fact that I'm supposed to sympathize with them when they're called out for their bad behavior, but I can't deny Windy's down right adorable. She even has her own beetus tag on Derpibooru, and Rainbow Dash truly is the spitting image of her. I'd personally like to know more behind the story of how a filly Rainbow Dash was able to tie up her own mother like that, and what Windy thought of it at the time. I do think she could make for a good surrogate mother or mother figure for Scootaloo, so long as Rainbow Dash was able to keep her in check.

5. Daring Do
Why she was added: Daring Do's been absent from this list for a while now, and to be fair I probably could've added her to the list after Season 6. But I think she really justified her spot here after the events of "Daring Done?". She really does care about others, even though she may seem cold and distant. Heck, "Daring Done?" is a testament to how far her character has come since she was confirmed to be real back in Season 4. In "Daring Don't" she didn't particularly care about others helping her and just regarded them as nusassances because she always works alone, and she had to learn that sometimes a little help isn't such a bad thing. "Stranger Than Fanfiction" indicated she's a good adventurer, but she didn't seem particularly concerned one way or another about Quibble Pants' criticisms. Now, here in "Daring Done?" she's extremely vulnerable to the idea of doing more harm than good, and it helps that with the exception of the glowpez theft, she actually did what she's accused of. And she doesn't magically have those bad deeds erased, she has to actually atone for them, and we see her do it. It's a nice little detail that in a lot of hero stories gets glossed over.

4. Twilight Velvet
Why she was added: Who would've though that Twilight Velvet of all ponies would be the most adventurisitic member of her entire family? I suppose that's a bit of a nod to the fact that her design was based on G1 Twilight (which is how she got her ascended fanon name of Twilight Velvet). It helps though that she seems to be concerned about Twilight not being able to enjoy the cruise and is the only member of the family shown to be concerned when Twilight is crying over having missed the Northern Stars. And I could be mistaken, but it looks like she has the same magical aura as her daughter, and if not it's a very similar color, because she's seen using her horn when she, Shining Armor, and Flurry Heart, all dress up as the Northern Stars to make her feel better. Kind of a pity that her wet mane seems to look like noodles, usually wet mane tends to make characters look better (at least in the eyes of the fandom).

3. Sonambula
Why she was added: Though she showed off more of her personality in her Legends of Magic comic, Sonambula still stood out really well in "Shadow Play", even though I feel like her accent is off putting given her design. I'm sure it's authentic to the nationality she's supposed to represent (Egyptian or Arabic), but I suppose her design and personality made me feel like she was a lot younger than the voice made her sound. Of the six pillars, it seems Sonambula was perhaps the most sympathetic towards Stygian, as she at least believed he could be saved prior to his turn to the dark side. And it seems that she's a more agile flyer than Flash Magnus, probably because Flash uses his shield for protection, whereas Sonambula was seen distracting the Dazzlings and luring them into Starswirl's portal (pulling the old "Pull up at the last second and leave your enemies with no time to do the same" trick). I have to say though, her and another pillar that will be included on this list, I always got the perception that they were real even before "Shadow Play" confirmed it.

2. Mage Meadowbrook
Why she was added: I have a bit of an explanation as to how an earth pony healing mage like Meadowbrook, could be mistaken for an Eastern unicorn and an enchantress. Meadowbrook was mixed up with fellow pillar Mistmane, who was always though to be a ghost. Since Starswirl's hoof writing in Old Ponish wasn't very legible, those examining his accounts after his disappearance probably misread or misinterpreted some of the pillars stories, and Meadowbrook and Mistmane sort of blended together. As for the enchantress bit, IDW Main Series #58 reveals that Meadowbrook never had foals and she was so obessed with her healing ways that she never returned any love letters sent to her from a stallion called Aqua Vine. Since no one outside Hayseed Swamp knew Meadowbrook as anything else, and seldom saw her without her healer's mask on, they probably assumed she was an enchantress (plus, Meadowbrook's healer's mask is based on the masks plague doctors wore to ward off airborne diseases, and back then doctors really were witch doctors as little actual medicine was known). The reason she's above Sonambula, is because we got to see Meadowbrook's character explored more in her legend, and thus she felt more whole.

1. Pear Butter a.k.a Buttercup
Why she was added: Everyone's been gushing over her since her debut, and rightly so. She's got a beautiful design, a wonderful voice, and there's just something about her that makes you wanna love her. Probably the biggest draw factor for her though, is that we get to see her romance with Bright Macintosh over the years, and how it slowly blooms into something deeper. And it isn't until Grand Pear forces her to choose between being an Apple and being a Pear, that she actually throws her firmly into the Apple family, and she even said to her father prior: "Are you making me choose?" She wanted nothing more than to be part of both families after she married, and it was her own father that prevented her from doing so. And yes, we can't forget that she sang the undisputed best song of Season 7 "You're In My Head Like a Catchy Song". For all that and probably many more things, she takes the top spot.

And there you have it. Come back tomorrow, when we'll take a look at the Top Ten Earth Ponies.

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