Top Ten Unicorns, Version 5.2 (The Best Gift Ever Version) · 4:16pm Nov 5th, 2018
This list was one I definitely wanted to update after "The Best Gift Ever", largely because of what happened to a certain character was neglected all season long. And I think you all know who I'm talking about. If you don't though, you'll soon find out. By now you know the drill in regards to these lists. Here's the previous version, from just after Season 8. Let's see who moved up, moved down, got added, and got knocked off. And before we begin, there are honorable mentions. (Honorable mentions go to: Starswirl the Bearded, Twilight Velvet, Night Light, Stygian, Sassy Saddles, Fancy Pants, Coriander Cumin, Saffron Masala, Skedaddle, Mistmane, Moondancer, Tempest Shadow a.k.a Fizzlepop Berrytwist, and Party Favor)
10. Sugar Belle
Why she stayed the same: At this point, there can be no doubt that the entire Apple family knows about her and Big Macintosh, since she was shown with him during "The Best Gift Ever" along with the rest of the Apple family and the Pies. Marble Pie was even seen heartbroken that Big Mac has found someone else (but to be honest I never shipped them, they had no chemistry at all. Marble Pie was just a poor man's Fluttershy and I think that was the only justification for pairing her with Big Mac). People say that the ship would've been incest, but remember they're fourth cousins twice removed. I'm pretty sure that's plenty far enough to avoid incest, and if indeed the Pie family rock farm is near Ponyville (as would seem to be the case) then it's probably not too surprising there might be some Apple blood in the family. Kind of odd to be talking about all of that when I'm talking about Sugar Belle, but the thing is I don't have much to say about her that I haven't already said. I guess all that remains now is for Season 9 to have her and Big Mac finally settle down together.
9. Firelight
Why he moved down: He's moving down so that someone else can move in, because he otherwise has nothing really new to add. I'd still like to see him pop up again sometime, I think it'd be cool to see him interact with the rest of the mane six's parents (I imagine he'd get along particularly well with Bow Hothoof and Hondo Flanks) but I don't know if we'll ever get to see that (unless maybe we get another special like we did this year in the form of "The Best Gift Ever").
8. Stellar Flare
Why she moved down: It's the same as Firelight, really, moving down because someone else is coming back in. Some people are actually shipping her and Firelight, which I detest because that would make Starlight and Sunburst siblings and therefore make Starburst incest. Plus, for all we know, Firelight could actually have a wife. Or more likely, Stellar Flare could have a husband (we saw him in flashbacks in "The Cutie Re-Mark" and "The Crystalling", he even has a name). It's the same as it is for Starlight and Trixie, why can't fans just be content to leave them at good friends? Not every pair of ponies who share screen time have to be in a relationship together.
7. Starlight Glimmer
Why she moved down: Starlight wasn't present at all for "The Best Gift Ever" outside her cameo with Trixie, and while it's not bad I do find it kind of odd. I can't imagine Starlight would want to spend the holiday on the road with only Trixie, especially after "Road to Friendship" indicated Starlight doesn't do well with road trips. That's not to mention the fact that she has lots of friends in Ponyville, and Season 8 even seemed to imply Trixie now lives in Ponyville and only occasionally goes on road trips. I know they just wanted the focus to be on the mane six and a few supporting characters (though honestly I would've rather had Starlight than Discord if Discord was only there to be a jerk and make everything worse. Give Discord a rest if that's all you can do with him now, I'm sure John DeLancie will understand) but they could've come up with a better way to write out Starlight. I'd have probably had her visiting her dad in Sire's Hollow (you could still have her bring Trixie along for the sake of wanting a friend, or you could throw Sunburst in if you really wanted to).
6. Sunburst
Why he moved down: It's funny really, at the end of last season Sunburst seemed to become almost the sixth/extra ranger of the mane eight, he was the focus of "Uncommon Bond" and played a major role throughout "Shadow Play". But Season 8 turned him back into a supporting character and he only got one episode to himself. I've already talked about how him being called by the map was a bad idea, so there's not much to really say. I do have to wonder what he's doing for the holiday if Shining Armor and Cadence took Flurry Heart with them to Ponyville. I can't imagine he'd want to stay in the Crystal Empire by all himself, even if he could write letters to Starlight or Twilight.
5. Shining Armor
Why he returned: After Season 8 COMPLETELY ignored him, it was so nice when "The Best Gift Ever" brought him back into the spotlight in a big way! I love his little sibling rivalry with Twilight when he teases her about going "Twilynanas" while preparing for the holiday, and it was nice that he got a chance to actually do something for a change. At first when Cadence stepped in, I thought they were just gonna make Shining irrelevant again and let his wife get the spotlight, but they let Shining prove he can more than hold his own. He'd be a lot higher if Season 8 hadn't treated him like he didn't exist at all (there were at least two good opportunities to include him, "A Rockhoof and a Hard Place" could've had him working alongside Flash Magnus to train recruits, and "School Raze Part 2" should've had him be part of the royal guard forces that showed up at the school to arrest Cozy Glow). Here's to hoping Season 9 doesn't ignore him too, because depending on whether you count "The Best Gift Ever" as part of Season 8 or Season 9, Season 8 would be the first season since Shining's introduction where he didn't appear at all or even get a mention.
4. Sweetie Belle
Why she moved down: She's only really moving down because someone else is moving up. We did get to see a cameo of her in "The Best Gift Ever", a really adorable one at that. She was being towed by Scootaloo, and if that doesn't show you how close their friendship is I don't know what will. Although, come to think of it, was Sweetie Belle spending Hearth's Warming with her parents, or she was staying with Rarity again? Or maybe she and Scootaloo were spending Hearth's Warming with Scootaloo's family (as far as I know, the Ponyville Mysteries books don't make any references to Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty having met Scootaloo's friends though their appearance in the third Ponyville Mysteries comic would suggest otherwise).
3. Rarity
Why she moved up: "The Best Gift Ever" was truly a gift for Rarity, giving her a chance to shine anew after Season 8 hadn't done her a lot of favors. She easily had the best plot of all the mane six/seven, particularly because it once again reminds us of why she's the Element of Generosity. Despite her tendency to be vain from time to time, she's truly capable of putting others before herself even when it comes at great expense to her. She had every right to want the hat back from Pastaschio but she let him keep it and even invited him to fashion week. There are talks in the fandom of him being Rarity's new assistant/business partner but considering Coco Pommel seems to have been erased from existence due to copyright problems and Sassy Saddles has become a mute, I don't think that's a possibility this late into the show's lifespan. It's a good idea that unfortunately is about a season or two too late.
2. Trixie a.k.a The Great and Powerful Trixie
Why she stayed the same: Even though she didn't appear at all in "The Best Gift Ever", her performance in Season 8 was more than enough to make up for it and keep her in the spot she now holds. Season 8 did a lot to correct the problems that Trixie had been suffering from since her return in Season 6. Season 8 understood that you can only dial up a character's ego so far before it becomes annoying and difficult to watch, so instead they toned it way down and let Trixie actually be humble. In fact, I daresay she ended up looking like the better friend compared to Starlight when Starlight traded away her wagon in "Road to Friendship". And I'm sorry to say that it's stuff like this that makes it difficult for me to ship them, their friendship seems to almost always end with one or the other going too far and having to apologize. It'd be nice if for once they could get into a conflict that neither of them caused.
1. Hoofar
Why he stayed on the top: There's really not much to say about him that I haven't already said. I just love this guy a lot, and I'm pleasantly surprised he hasn't already been paired with Trixie. Also, who else is curious to see what a meeting between him and Star Tracker would be like? Even if we're likely never to see Saddle Arabia, Hoofar is an indication that the characters from there could be interesting and they're not just earth ponies like we'd been assuming since Season 3. Now we just need to know what Saddle Arabian pegasi look like. Ultimately, he stays on the top because of his personal appeal. He'll probably move down or move off the list next time around, when Season 9 gives us more to talk about for other characters and (hopefully) adds some memorable new ones.
And there you have it. Come back tomorrow when we'll update the Top Ten Stallions list.
For me, this just reinforced the list I already have:
1. Starlight Glimmer.
2. Tempest Shadow.
3. Sunburst.
4. Trixie.
5. Stellar Flare.
6. Mean Rarity
7. Firelight
8. Shining Armor
9. Starswirl
10. Mistmane
4963376 Not sure you can really count any of the mean six as separate characters when they're just re-hashes of the mane six when discorded. Mean Twilight was the one who came the closest to being her own character and even then she was just The Starscream.
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When making my list of favorite characters overall, I keep them as one collective character, yes.
But when splitting up by pony races, Mean Rarity is the only unicorn in the group, so I count her separately when doing so
That, and even if the Mean Six are mostly just rehashes of the discorded mane six, they're utilized in a much more enjoyable way in the episode than in Return of Harmony, so I like them more.