Top Ten Earth Ponies, Version 5.2

I was going to make this list update eventually, along with an update for another list. I had hoped to wait until after I'd reviewed the movie more in depth, but so far I haven't been able to obtain a copy either physically or digitally. But with the information that Season 8 will air in late March, I feel like now's as good a time as any to make this update. It turns out that the character of Star Tracker from "Once Upon a Zepplin" was an earth pony and not a unicorn. Therefore, he's being bumped off the list of unicorns. And you'll soon see why I chose to update this list as a result of that fact. Because I'm just making a correction, it's not an entirely new version, more like an update or foot note. Before we begin though, there are some honorable mentions (they are as follows: Applejack, Bright Macintosh, Granny Smith, Quibble Pants, Tender Taps, Apple Bloom, Pipsqueak, Countess Coloratura a.k.a Rara, Double Diamond, Filthy Rich, Babs Seed, and Coco Pommel). And of course, the same rules as my other lists apply, it's not official, it's the result of my personal opinion.

10. Cheerilee a.k.a Miss Cheerilee
Why she's on the bottom: Without spoiling too much, Star Tracker's addition the list meant that some other characters would need to be bumped down (or in Applejack's case bumped off the rankings all together) in order to make room for him. It's too early to speculate what Season 8 might hold for Cheerilee or other secondary characters, but right now she's back to mostly being a background pony. Who knows, maybe Season 6 will give her another lucky break like she got with "The Cart Before the Ponies"?

9. Rockhoof
Why he moved down: Well, from what Legends of Magic has revealed since this list was originally made that Rockhoof was the first pillar Stygian set out to recruit, so you can perhaps add him to the list of pillars who might have been sympathetic to Stygian's desires (alongside Somnambula and probably Mage Meadowbrook and Mistmane). In the ongoing arc there, he also seems to be drawing close to Mage Meadowbrook, and the writer has admitted to making that intentional. It's an interesting development, even though I feel like he'd have more going for him with Applejack (he's probably the stallion with the most canon support for being shipped with Applejack, which isn't saying much). Like with Cheerilee, he's moving down because of Star Tracker

8. Diamond Tiara
Why she moved down: Yes, I know she got a speaking role in the Equestria Girls Choose Your Own Adventure series recently reuploaded to YouTube, but it's nothing more than a bit role and with new characters (and students) on the way for Season 8 it seems like poor Diamond Tiara is likely to be once again forgotten and neglected. A shame when you think about it, her redemption was what brought so many people around to liking her, whereas before she was among the most hated characters on the show depending on who you asked. At least there's no end to the fandom material about her, so I guess that counts for something.

7. Cheese Sandwich
Why he moved down: It was hard to decide whether Cheese Sandwich or Star Tracker should occupy this spot, as I could think of a lot of good things to say about both of them to justify in. But in the end, I feel like Star Tracker was a tad bit more unique in terms of personality, appearance, and most of all potrayal. Don't get me wrong, Cheese Sandwich was made for Weird Al and he voiced the role to perfection. But Cheese is more or less the male equivalent of Pinkie Pie, same mane style, same quirks, even kind of the same backstory. He's apparently getting a non-speaking cameo in Season 8 from what I hear, but it might just be another instance of him being mentioned like he was in "Flutter Brutter" in Season 6.

6. Star Tracker
Why he was added: With Star Tracker being an earth pony, he had to make the cut somewhere. Everything I've said about him so many times before is still true. He could've easily just been a fandom expy used to harp on all the criticisms about the fandom and paint fans in a negative light like "Fame and Misfortune" decided to do for whatever reason (it now seems that Larson wanted to make the episode a Pinkie Pie one because he really didn't like the concept, and he either left and someone else took his script and turned it into what we got, or Hasbro forced him to make it against his will). Instead, he was allowed to be his own character, and demonstrated the right kind of meta humor. You can poke fun at the fans every now and then, we don't mind it, but when you try to paint us all in a negative light because of a few bad examples then you only end up embolding the ones you're trying to call out and angering the ones you're counting on for support. On top of all that, Star Tracker is adorable and a nice guy, and his voice actor even commented on one of Star Tracker's clips that he had a lot of fun voicing the character, which is always a good sign.

5. Maud Pie
Why she stayed the same: From here on out, the list remains as it was when it was first pushed out after Season 7. There's really not much to say that hasn't already been said. While I think the writers have overutilized Maud, "Rock Solid Friendship" was able to do something with her that had been missing since her debut. Rather than just play up her stoticness for the sake of jokes, they made it part of her character and understood that Maud does have a range of emotions, she just doesn't tend to show them because she's not good at conveying them. And again, I feel like her befriending Sunburst in "Uncommon Bond" was a bit of a stretch, though funningly enough that same episode marks the first time Trixie and Maud have at all interacted on-screen. And those two got an entire comics series to themselves on DeviantArt.

4. Mage Meadowbrook
Why she stayed the same: The IDW comics in their Legends of Magic series, have demonstrated how Meadowbrook might have ended up in history the way she did. They suggest that there's a bit of an arrogance to her, like Pinkie Pie she assumes her knowledge is common among others and can get impatient if she has to explain it. Plus, the mask made it difficult for her to be heard, and she never really took it off. Thus, few ponies outside Hayseed Swamp knew she was a healer and not an enchantress. Though I feel like the title "The Mystical Mask" feels too much like a wrestling name to be something of folklore.

3. Big Macintosh
Why he stayed the same: For now, we've got his strong performance in Season 7 to go on, especially in "Hard to Say Anything" and "The Perfect Pear". I'm hoping he won't go back to being an "Eeyup"/"Eenope" character again in Season 8 like he did in Season 6 after coming off his strong performances in Season 5, or he'll probably end up sliding next time we do this list.

2. Pinkie Pie
Why she stayed the same: Time will tell if I'll be able to justify putting Pinkie back on top over Pear Butter. Heck, for all I know Season 8 might be even worse than Season 4 was for Pinkie Pie, and that was a pretty rocky one for her (though not nearly as bad as Season 3, when the writers thought that putting Pinkie into any episode at all automatically made her funny, and that excused them from having to actually write comedy). I will agree with the complaint some people have about the movie in regards to Pinkie Pie getting way more focus compared to a lot of the other characters. I get that she's the show's mascot and she wasn't bad in the movie, but you could cut down her scenes and doing so would've probably given Applejack and Fluttershy more of a chance to stand out. "Friendship Academy" presents a chance for Pinkie to again show off a range in her personality, and hopefully the writers are prepared for the task of understanding her in Season 8.

1. Pear Butter
Why she stayed on the top: For right now, I think she deserves to stay on the top. Everything I've said about her before holds up, and I don't really want to repeat myself. But we'll see if after Season 8 has come and gone, it'll still be possible to justify putting her all the way up here. If not though, I don't forsee her falling too far down the list. Much like Diamond Tiara, even if we never hear her speak again, what she brought in her brief presence will be enough to sustain her a place in the hearts of the fandom.

And there you have it. Now, come back tomorrow, when we'll update the Top Ten Unicorns list and see who replaces Star Tracker now that he's not a unicorn.