Ranking The Families of the Mane Seven · 3:14pm Mar 23rd, 2019
With Season 8 came a brand new addition to the list of parents as we finally got to meet Starlight's dad. How much of an impression he left is up for debate, but considering it's been almost a year and a half since my previous families list I felt it was worth updating. Sadly, we still don't know about Spike's family (as in his actual birth parents, to say nothing of how we've never seen him interact with Twilight's parents). As always this list is purely the result of my personal opinion. Here's the Mane Six Version, from after the end of Season 7. Let's see what changed, and I think you're going to be pleastantly surprised.
8. Mr. and Mrs. Shy
Why they moved down: They still have yet to give these two official names in any way, shape, or form. Again, they feel more like Fluttershy clones than anything else. The best we can get is that Fluttershy's dad is retired and her mom has a garden.
7. Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles
Why they moved down: Again their presence feels more like an afterthought, created solely to discredit the popular headcanon in the fandom that Rarity was actually Sweetie Belle's mother and she had given birth to Sweetie Belle in secret. We've only seen them once or twice since their establishment in "Sisterhooves Social" and we have no real clue what they're like as parents. Interestingly, prior to being seen without his hat at the beginning of "Inspiration Manifestation" people thought Hondo Flanks might actually be an earth pony and not a unicorn.
6. Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistles
Why they moved down: It seems like they're not only Rainbow Dash's parents but for now they're the closest Scootaloo has to actual parents (expanded media states that she does have parents and a family, but until the show actually shows them it's all secondary canon at best). It was nice to see them again in "The Washouts" as part of the Scootaloo fan club, and they have nice designs. The problem is that in their debut appearance they way overdid it on the annoying factor, thus showing only too well why Rainbow Dash didn't keep in touch with them. It's sad when an IDW comic of all things gave them more development on a throwaway plot.
5. Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz
Why they moved down: They're mostly moving down to make room for others. Especially now that Mud Briar has been established and introduced, I think it's safe to say that they're not abusive or cruel. They do seem to be supportive of their children, after all they let both Pinkie and Maud leave the rock farm and pursue their own dreams. What might be most interesting though is that even Limestone and Marble don't speak the same way they do, even though both Limestone and Marble haven't left the rock farm yet. Their only speaking appearance though, while not bad, kind of made them one note.
4. Firelight Glimmer
Why he was added: Yeah, the embarrassing parents angle is starting to get overplayed and there's no denying that Firelight could be grating for some. I think the biggest thing that boosts him for me is a detail that I don't think many people are focusing on, he's most likely a single parent. Think about it, we never saw Starlight's mom and there was no mention of her throughout the episode. There is supposedly one line that could imply Starlight's mom is dead, and whether that's true or Firelight is just divorced from her it really adds a lot to him. Single parents don't tend to get as much attention in fictional works. However, what stops me from shipping him with Stellar Flare is the fact that, at least in flashbacks we know that she had a husband and chances are she still does. That being said, if one takes what I said above, I could easily see Stellar Flare imprinting on Starlight in the absence of an actual mother for Starlight to look up to.
3. Bright Macintosh and Pear Butter/Buttercup
Why they moved down: These two are great, no denying that. They have an incredible chemistry and a beautiful love story. However, we still have never seen them as actual parents. The flashback we got was of how they fell in love, and prior flashbacks never showed them at all or hinted at them. There's a line in "The Best Gift Ever" that implies Applejack got her hat (at least the one she usually wears) from her father, but that's about it. Hopefully, considering they're already bringing back several guest stars for Season 9, Felicia Day can be brought back as Buttercup and we can get an actual flashback to her and Bright Macintosh as parents. Again, they're moving down to make room for others.
2. Mr. Carrot Cake and Mrs. Cup "Chiffon Swirl" Cake
Why they were added: Bet you're surprised to see them on this list, let alone so close to the top. Well the thing is, Lauren Faust once said that the Cakes love Pinkie like a daughter. It's not known whether or not that got tossed out when Lauren left, but in the absence of confirmation one way or the other I'm going to go with them being a second family to Pinkie. They never have to say it outright, but it can definitely be seen in how they treat Pinkie and how they have saint like patience for her antics. They never raise their voice to her, and they're always supportive of her while offering her a gentle, guiding hoof from time to time. A scene in "Baby Cakes" is probably the biggest confirmation of this, they smile as they watch Pinkie play with the Cake Twins. They probably thought Pinkie would be jealous of the new foals, and it warms their heart to see her getting along so well with them. Since they're not an official family for a mane six/seven member (you could say they're honorary family) they don't quite make the top spot.
1. Night Light and Twilight Velvet
Why they stayed the same: Of all the parents these two are the most developed, and the ones we got to see as actual parents. Twilight Velvet in particular deserves praise for how well they got her. She's a thrill seeker, definitely, and I can see her inspiring in her children a sense of adventure and a desire to push yourself to the limit in everything you do. But throughout "Once Upon a Zeppelin" we get to see a gentler, compassionate side of her. She helps Shining Armor out of the tiny boat and back to the cabin when he gets air sick, she reminds Twilight that the zeppelin cruise is her vacation too, she's the only one who notices how upset Twilight is when she misses the Northern Stars, and she tends to Star Tracker's hoof in the cabin. Night Light gets his moments as well, he's definitely where Twilight got her OCD from but at the same time he's very supportive of his wife's thrill seeking nature and just lightly teases her about it. He's the one who probably came up with the plan to dress up the family as the Northern Stars to please Twilight, and he's the one who proposes turning the zeppelin around when the true nature of the cruise is revealed. Ultimately, them being parents and us getting to actually see them function as such is what puts them above some of the other contenders, and them being the biological parents of a mane seven member is what elevates them above some tough competition.
And there you have it.
For me, it goes:
Firelight
Pear Butter and Bright Mac
Windy and Bow
Nightlight and Twilight Velvet
The Cakes
Igneous and Cloudy
Hondo and Cookie
Mr and Mrs. Shy
I honestly can't argue with that order. And I really do get tired of people claiming Scootaloo's an orphan in canon, when no proof states the fact. Yes, it does provide some great fanfics, but to just say, "Scootaloo's an orphan and that's a statement of fact" with no concrete evidence to support that claim, just gets on my nerves. I can understand it's someone's opinion she's an orphan, based on their perspective, but until the show states otherwise, I will keep my opinion open that she has parents, and that's just my opinion.
Oh, if you have time SuperPinkBrony, cause, I don't know if you saw it, I made an updated wishlist for season 9. I'd like to hear your opinions on the wishlist when you get the chance.
I really would like to find out about what happened to Spike's parents; I know I've said it before, but I didn't really enjoy Father Knows Beast ,simply because Sludge just really hurt Spike by using him for his own ends. Not to say it didn't have some funny moments. I guess the best we have for Spike's parents are headcannons, unless the show's writers can do something for us in S9.