History EnsembleDarkHorse / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic

* Pinkie's other sister Marble Pie (previously known as [[FanNickname Blinkie]]) has quite the following among Bronies after her appearance in Season 5. Some fans were a bit upset that we ended up meeting the later-revealed third sister Maud Pie in the show before we got to see Marble in the present day. She has a popular Blog/AskAPony blog [[http://askthepiesisters.tumblr.com/ centered around her and her sister Limestone]], and there's lots of fanworks that speculate what she's like in the present day.

* As one of the [[TheOneGuy few recurring male characters]], Big [=Macintosh=] has a bit of a fan-following. In Season 1 he mostly just had cameos when Applejack was involved, but in Season 2 [[AscendedExtra he became more and more involved with the main & supporting cast]]. He also proved to be popular enough to receive a blind bag toy, making him one of the first stallions to receive any kind of toy since G1.
** A lot of fans like to ship him and Fluttershy together because [[TwiceShy they're both quiet, shy and kind types]].
** In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E18BrotherhoovesSocial Brotherhooves Social]]" we see just how sweet Big Mac is, going to crazy lengths to make Apple Bloom see him as a hero again. He also feels left out with Applejack being the superhero of the family.
** Some fans like to view Big Mac as the member of the Apple Family who is the most underutilized. The others usually shove him to the sidelines, usually don't allow him to say anything other than "Eeyup," and "Nope", and he's usually the one doing most if not all of the physical labor in all the Apples' activities.

* Soarin and Spitfire of the Wonderbolts managed to capture a lot of attention amongst the fanbase when their names and personalities were established in the Season 1 finale[[note]]They had {{Early Bird Cameo}}es before, but they were more or less costumed background ponies[[/note]]. Spitfire especially became somewhat of a pinup-girl to the fanart community with many a saucy [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII WW2]]-style cheesecake image being drawn of her, as well as plenty of fanfics. Spitfire was brought back for another speaking role in Season 2 where she was established as the captain of the Wonderbolts, then again in a Season 3 episode that depicted her as being in charge of the training program for new recruits. Soarin got a cameo in the Royal Wedding where he was seen wearing a dress uniform and [[ShipTease dancing with Rainbow Dash]] and later played a more significant role in "Rainbow Falls"

* Pinkie's other sisters Limestone and Marble Pie (previously known as [[FanNickname Inkie & Blinkie]]) have quite the following among Bronies despite only appearing in a flashback as fillies until well into Season 5. Some fans were a bit upset that we ended up meeting the later-revealed third sister Maud Pie in the show before we got to see Limestone and Marble in the present day. As mentioned above there was a lot of speculation for a while when Octavia debuted that she and Inkie were the same pony, which in a weird way may have helped boost the sisters' own popularity. They have a popular Blog/AskAPony blog [[http://askthepiesisters.tumblr.com/ centered around them]], Inkie [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4Vr94SKtRc has a song]], and there's lots of fanworks that speculate what they're like in the present day.
** They finally made speaking appearances (for a definition of speaking, [[TheQuietOne in Marble's case]]) in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E21Hearthbreakers Hearthbreakers]]", where Limestone was revealed to be, essentially, an irritable and shorter-tempered version of Applejack, while Marble is an adorable ShrinkingViolet who makes Fluttershy look like an excitable party animal. Needless to say, this has not hurt their popularity any, with Marble in particular quickly becoming a popular ship with Big Mac ([[ShipTease not that the episode did much to discourage that, mind you]]).
* Season 5 introduced 4 ponies, Party Favor, Sugar Belle, Double Diamond, and Night Glider, nicknamed [[FanNickname The Equal Four]] who quickly impressed fans when they provided assistance to the Mane 6 after they were BroughtDownToNormal during the opening 2-parter. Notably, Party Favor has already a few memes based on him (not to mention getting shipped with Pinkie Pie) and Sugar Belle had a full fan-plush commissioned both less than a day after the fifth season's premiere.
** In Season 7, Sugar Belle gets a RelationshipUpgrade with fellow dark horse Big Macintosh. [[spoiler:They eventually become HappilyMarried near the end of the series.]]

* Fans of Wrestling/HulkHogan and [[Series/TheATeam Mr. T]] became big fans of Iron Will. He tends to appear very often in fan made music videos on Website/YouTube.

* Fleur dis Lee appeared twice in one episode and spoke one line, and yet seems at least as popular as her assumed husband, Fancy Pants, who has his own entry above.[[note]] For example, on Website/FimfictionDotNet her group has five times as many members as Fancy's[[/note]] It probably helps that she has an unusual design -- she's a normal unicorn, yet she has the taller, longer body shape normally only used for alicorns.

* The episode "The Mean 6" had clones of the Mane 6 who were absolutely hilarious despite being evil (especially Rarity's clone). They were so popular that many fans were disappointed that they didn't manage to overthrow Chrysalis and were killed of.

* While the {{Retcon}} to [[DemonicPossession Nightmare Moon's nature]] has been mixed, her latest incarnation, Nightmare Rarity, is easily the most popular thing to come out of the comics, impressive given she only appears halfway through her story and is a [[WalkingSpoiler huge spoiler]]. Helping is that she has a [[EvilIsCool cool]], [[EvilIsSexy attractive]] character design, [[LampshadeHanging is savvy enough to know it]] and [[WeakButSkilled remain a serious threat]] despite lacking her [[PhysicalGod previous incarnations power]], and some of the comics most epic and emotional moments came out of her confrontation.

Many background characters in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' garnered a lot of praise and attention from the PeripheryDemographic, despite several of them not having any lines and a few more only making a few background appearances. Because of this, for the sake of neat archiving, the Ensemble Darkhorse characters can be listed here.

There's a tendency to add every character in the show to this page; remember that EnsembleDarkhorse is a relatively narrow term. Here's a good heuristic: Was the character introduced [[MerchandiseDriven along with their toy-line]], has a CelebrityVoiceActor, or given a lot of advertising? Then they were [[IntendedAudienceReaction meant to be popular]], and it worked. This isn't bad -- [[TheScrappy plenty of characters are meant to be popular but aren't]] -- but it's not this trope. But if the character was introduced quietly, with no particular advertising or attention, and then got toys and merchandise well ''[[BreakoutCharacter after]]'' [[BreakoutCharacter their debuts]]? They're almost certainly this trope. Especially if they got their own episodes.

%%A character is only a true Ensemble Darkhorse if it has a level of popularity that makes it stand out from all the OTHER characters that all have their respective fanbases.%%

%%Just because a new character's got an Ask Tumblr/Blog and a bunch of fan work after being introduced doesn't make it an Ensemble Darkhorse. Does the fan work stick around? Is the character unusually popular months or years after showing up? That's when this page becomes a possibility.%%

* No discussion of the shows Ensemble Darkhorses can be complete without mentioning Princess Luna, coincidentally a literal Dark Horse who's part of an Ensemble, even though she's long since [[BreakoutCharacter become prominent in the show due to popularity]] enough she no longer qualifies. In the series premiere she was only mentioned the opening exposition, had less than a minute of screen time and only two lines. Fans desperately wanted to see her return, disappointed that [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter a character with such potential was barely utilised]], and flooded fan-fiction websites, image boards, and forums with content about her. Helping was that her SuperpoweredEvilSide Nightmare Moon had a [[EvilIsCool cool design, powers, and backstory]] plus was the franchise's first actual villain since G1 reversing it from being [[SweetnessAversion overly saccharine]]. In Season two she only had two cameos in the season finale and one DayInTheLimelight episode with "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed Luna Eclipsed]]", but said episode furthered her popularity with many entertaining quirks to run with and validating the fandoms {{Woobie}} portrayal of her with her struggles to be accepted.

* Cheerilee is a popular target for fanart and fanfiction from her very first appearance, being a teacher a good excuse to include her in any number of scenarios. Her popularity only grew during season 2, which gave her more screen time and even her own episode, "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E17HeartsAndHoovesDay Hearts and Hooves Day]]", in which she featured alongside fellow darkhorse Big Macintosh.

** In Season 7, Sugar Belle gets a RelationshipUpgrade with fellow darkhorse Big Macintosh. [[spoiler:They eventually become HappilyMarried near the end of the series.]]

* No discussion on {{Ensemble Darkhorse}}s can even be started without mentioning Derpy Hooves[[note]]Sometimes referred to as Ditzy Doo, and is also referred to as "Derpy Doo" in the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen unused]] [[http://www.equestriadaily.com/2012/07/smile-song-lyrics-by-amy-keating-rogers.html original version of the "Smile Song"]].[[/note]], the RecurringExtra that's gotten the most love from fans ''and'' the show's staff. In a background shot of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E1MareInTheMoon episode 1]], a grey pegasus pony with wonky eyes was spotted, and swiftly [[{{Fanon}} Derpy was born]], a [[CloudCuckoolander strange]] but [[BunnyEarsLawyer surprisingly competent]] mailpony who [[TrademarkFavoriteFood loves muffins]], [[AchievementsInIgnorance often derps reality]], and [[InspirationallyDisadvantaged in spite of her difficulties]] is very friendly and hard-working. In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E15FeelingPinkieKeen Feeling Pinkie Keen]]", she managed to become a combination AscendedMeme[=/=]AscendedExtra, [[WordOfGod Lauren Faust herself said]] "She can be Derpy if everyone likes" (during production of season one, none of the background ponies had official names), and in season 2 she got her own little gag scenes. Not bad considering her googly eyes were just a random joke thrown in by one of the animators.

* The fans really latched onto Pipsqueak for a couple of reasons. One, he's one of the only colts in the show with actual lines. Two, he has a very unique design and [[UsefulNotes/BritishAccents distinctive voice]]. Three, InUniverse, his favorite princess is Luna, one of the show's [[BuffySpeak Darkhorse-iest]] ponies. In fan works, he's usually portrayed as a juvenile QuintessentialBritishGentleman and tends to get [[{{Shipping}} Shipped]] with Dinky Doo a lot. Shippings with the CMC aren't that uncommon either.

* Silverspeed, a silver-maned pegasus with a bow-and-arrow cutie mark, and one of the few background ponies to be named in-show, has only briefly appeared in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E22HurricaneFluttershy two]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E10RainbowFalls episodes]], but is popular enough to have recieved a variety of fan art and an [[http://ask-silverspeed.tumblr.com/ Ask-a-pony Tumblr page]]. Given every darkhorse gets one of these however, it's not saying much.

* ''Canterlot Boutique'' had a large ensemble of uniquely-designed darkhorses as customers at Canterlot Carousel, but among the most popular were the [[SiblingYinYang Bright and Goth sisters]], especially due to their resemblance to [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitans Starfire and Raven]].

* The episode "Top Bolt" introduced us to Angel Wings, a pegasus with a visually striking design and an adorable moment where she wonders if Rainbow Dash actually flew her wings off once. Her Darkhorse-ness was increased when it was revealed that she was the creation of a little girl made official though the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

* Despite being an AdvertisedExtra, Mirror Chrysalis has gotten a lot of love for her [[GrannyClassic adorable]], and being comically/brilliantly opposite to her already darkhorse main universe self.

* Thorax, introduced in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS617TheTimesTheyAreAChangeling The Times They Are A Changeling]]", had a sizeable fandom from the moment he debuted for being the first good changeling to appear on the show, with a large amount of fanart within a day of his debut episode airing, not too dissimilar to Ember. It helped that he was an {{Adorkable}} NiceGuy, which endeared him to the fans.

* Thorax, introduced in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS616TheTimesTheyAreAChangeling The Times They Are A Changeling]]", had a sizeable fandom from the moment he debuted for being the first good changeling to appear on the show, with plenty of fanart and fanfiction being written within a day of his debut episode airing, not too dissimilar to Ember. It helped that he was an {{Adorkable}} NiceGuy, which endeared him to the fans.

* [[TricksterGod Discord]] was one of the most popular antagonist, [[{{troll}} loved]] or [[SpotlightStealingSquad loathed]] in equal measure, depending on who you ask. He continually pops up in drawings, stories and speculation even long after being [[SealedEvilInACan sealed away again]], an enormous section of the fanbase wanted him to make a reappearance... which was granted in the Season 3 episode "Keep Calm and Flutter On". Not at all hurt by him being a blatant ([[WordOfGod admitted]]) {{Expy}} of [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Q]], to the point where he's [[ActorAllusion played by]] [[Creator/JohnDeLancie the same person]]. His [[HeelFaceTurn redemption arc]] proved controversial, but his popularity's more or less solidified after the season 4 finale.

* Queen Chrysalis came out of ''[[OutsideContextProblem nowhere,]]'' only hinted at once (in an online ''[[UsefulNotes/AmericanNewspapers New York Daily News]]'' [[http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/television/hub-pony-trots-a-heartwarming-royal-wedding-tale-article-1.1064242 article]]) during all the crazy hype Creator/TheHub and Creator/{{Hasbro}} did for the season 2 finale, most of which was focused on the other new characters Princess Cadance and Shining Armor ([[MerchandiseDriven since they're the ones with toys]]), and took the fandom by ''storm''. [[http://www.equestriadaily.com/2012/04/drawfriend-stuff-402-chrysalis-edition.html All the fanart]] created literally within ''a day'' of her appearance shows just how far being a competent and dangerous (and scary) villain with a unique design and magnificent VillainSong will get you.
** Chrysalis's popularity led her to being the first ArcVillain of the [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW IDW comics]]. She later escaped her imprisonment at the end of her origin issue.
** Her popularity also was enough to get her an official toy for the 2013 Collector's Line.

* [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTvSpecials Tirek]] might be an interesting case as in he was popular before he was even introduced, and for that matter, even before ''Friendship is Magic'' was made, remembered fondly by G1 fans for his [[VileVillainSaccharineShow sheer creepiness]]. In accordance with this, fanfics have long made a name of him as something to be feared. As of the finale, that fear was well placed.
** Some fans are interested in seeing Tirek's brother, Scorpan, as well, who was mentioned in the Season 4 finale but never revealed.

* Autumn Blaze and her fellow kirin made quite an impression despite "Sounds of Silence" being their only major episode.

* While hardly on the level of some of the others on this list, out of Equestria's founders, Commander Hurricane tends to get special interest in fanfics. This owes to both his AwesomeMcCoolname, and the vague depictions we get of ancient Pegasi having a strong warrior culture with elements inspired by UsefulNotes/AncientGreece, with him being their leader.

* No discussion of the shows Ensemble Darkhorses can be complete without mentioning Princess Luna, coincidentally a literal Dark Horse who's part of an Ensemble, even though she's long since [[BreakoutCharacter become prominent in the show due to popularity]] enough she no longer qualifies. In the series premiere she was only mentioned the opening exposition, had less than a minute of screen time and only two lines. Fans desperately wanted to see her return, disappointed that [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter a character with such potential was barely utilised]], and flooded fan-fiction websites, image boards, and forums with content about her. Helping was that her SuperpoweredEvilSide Nightmare Moon had a [[EvilIsCool cool design, powers, and backstory]] plus was the franchise's first actual villain since G1 reversing it from being [[TastesLikeDiabetes overly saccharine]]. In Season two she only had two cameos in the season finale and one DayInTheLimelight episode with "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed Luna Eclipsed]]", but said episode furthered her popularity with many entertaining quirks to run with and validating the fandoms {{Woobie}} portrayal of her with her struggles to be accepted.

** His [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFiendshipIsMagic origin issue]] showed that Tirek cared little to take over his father's kingdom, and was more interested in the magic eating practiced by the exiled hermit in a nearby cave.

** WordOfGod is that her human counterpart was going to appear in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsFriendshipGames'' as a member of the Shadowbolts, but was replaced with Indigo Zap, a human PaletteSwap of her. Cue cries of TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter since most would have preferred seeing Lightning Dust again.

* The [[TrrrillingRrrs Grrreat]] and [[MilesGloriosus Powerful]] [[LargeHam Trrrixie]] has a very impressive fanbase for what was at the time, a one-episode character with little significance, and her prominence in fan works almost reached main character levels. Much like some other darkhorses listed here she received a few toys based on her, at first calling her Lulamoon, but then changed to "Trixie Lulamoon". The fanbase rejoiced when she returned in Season 3 to have a rematch with Twilight, in the process making the fan theories to the effect of "Trixie is left a humiliated drifter after the Ursa Minor incident and wants revenge" fully canon. Some fans go so far as to want her to become a more recurring character, and fanfiction often pairs her up with Luna, either romantically or as her own apprentice to parallel Twilight and Celestia. Pairing Trixie with Twilight for the same is also very popular, especially once Twilight became a princess herself.
** Starting in Season 6, she started becoming popular as a friend to Starlight Glimmer, and admittingly, the duo does make a pretty hilarious team.

* No discussion of the shows Ensemble Darkhorses can be complete without mentioning Princess Luna, coincidentally a literal Dark Horse who's part of an Ensemble, even though she's long since [[BreakoutCharacter become prominent in the show due to popularity]] enough she no longer qualifies.
In the series premiere she was only mentioned the opening exposition, had less than a minute of screen time and only two lines. Fans desperately wanted to see her return, disappointed that [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter a character with such potential was barely utilised]], and flooded fan-fiction websites, image boards, and forums with content about her. Helping was that her SuperpoweredEvilSide Nightmare Moon had a [[EvilIsCool cool design, powers, and backstory]] plus was the franchise's first actual villain since G1 reversing it from being [[TastesLikeDiabetes overly saccharine]]. In Season two she only had two cameos in the season finale and one DayInTheLimelight episode with "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed Luna Eclipsed]]", but said episode furthered her popularity with many entertaining quirks to run with and validating the fandoms {{Woobie}} portrayal of her with her struggles to be accepted.

* Princess Luna, a ''literal'' [[HurricaneOfPuns Dark Horse who's part of an Ensemble]], appeared for less than a minute in the second episode, said two lines, and wasn't even mentioned again until the first episode of season 2. Fans desperately wanted to see her return, disappointed that [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter a character with such potential was barely utilised]], and flooded fan-fiction websites, image boards, and forums with content about her. When she was confirmed to return for season 2, fans were ecstatic.
** And then she did it again, with her ADayInTheLimelight episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed Luna Eclipsed]]", which was received exceptionally well among fans (in no small part due to her hilariously overplayed and lampshaded FloweryElizabethanEnglish and NoIndoorVoice as well as being a prime {{Woobie}} trying so hard to be accepted again). The fandom had previously imagined her as being just as awkward and impetuous as she was in the episode, but also as rather meek; everyone abandoned this with a good will after "Luna Eclipsed", and Awkward Bombastic Luna is now the only Luna there is.
** Luna's ''guards'' are {{Ensemble Darkhorse}}s. Ponies with bat-wings and much cooler armor than the regular guards, they've only been briefly seen ''once'' in the show thus far (though they've cameo'd a few times in the comics). Since next to nothing is known about them, they've become popular {{OC Stand In}}s, and inspired tons of bat pony OC's, including one for one of the show's lead story writers, Mitch Larson himself.
** [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Nightmare Moon]] is either another element of Luna's popularity or an entirely different Darkhorse herself, depending on whether she is considered a separate character or simply [[EnemyWithin an extension of Luna]]. The comics have interpreted her to be separate, but the comics are hit-or-miss, and the show's contradicted them before.

* While hardly on the level of some of the others on this list, out of Equestria's founders, Commander Hurricane tends to get special interest in fanfics. This owes to both his AwesomeMcCoolname, and the vague depictions we get of ancient Pegasi having a strong warrior culture with elements inspired by ancient greece, with him being their leader.

** And then she did it again, with her ADayInTheLimelight episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed "Luna Eclipsed"]], which was received exceptionally well among fans (in no small part due to her hilariously overplayed and lampshaded FloweryElizabethanEnglish and NoIndoorVoice as well as being a prime {{Woobie}} trying so hard to be accepted again). The fandom had previously imagined her as being just as awkward and impetuous as she was in the episode, but also as rather meek; everyone abandoned this with a good will after Luna Eclipsed, and Awkward Bombastic Luna is now the only Luna there is.

** A lot of fans like to ship him and Fluttershy together because they're both quiet, shy and kind types.
** As of season 5 episode 17 we see just how sweet Big Mac is, going to crazy lengths to make Apple Bloom see him as a hero again. He also feels left out with Applejack being the superhero of the family.

* Cheerilee is a popular target for fanart and fanfiction from her very first appearance, being a teacher a good excuse to include her in any number of scenarios. Her popularity only grew during season 2, which gave her more screen time and even her own episode, [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E17HeartsAndHoovesDay "Hearts and Hooves Day"]], in which she featured alongside fellow darkhorse Big Macintosh.

* [[AdventureArchaeologist Daring Do]], the star of the [[ShowWithinAShow Book Within a Show]] that Rainbow Dash becomes a fangirl of in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E16ReadItAndWeep "Read it and Weep"]]. Her being an Franchise/IndianaJones expy has made her really popular material for fanfics and art. Many pictures of involving Rainbow Dash have a tendency to include her in some form. (Such as a book or a plushie.) She acquired enough love to have [[JustForFun/DaringDo a rather detailed Just For Fun page all to herself]], and some fans actually started writing stories based on that page. Yes, this character is popular enough to get an entire metafictional spinoff series out of thin air.

* Fluttershy's temporary bat form in the episode, "Bats!" quickly spun-off a lot of fan art and Internet memes. Rarity dubbed the resulting creature "Flutterbat", which the fandom latched onto. There was an ''explosion'' of fanworks to say the least. A high-quality, fan-made plushy was sewn within 24 hours. The form appears in the Season 5 Halloween special, and in the IDW comics with bat forms for the rest of the group.

* While "Somepony to Watch over me" is usually perceived as a [[SoOkayItsAverage pretty low-key]] episode, the Chimera that tries to hunt Applebloom in the Flame Geyser Swamp is widely loved by the fandom. Not only is she a famous mythical creature many wanted to see in the series, her striking design makes her among the most [[CreepyAwesome terrifying]] monsters in the show, yet she also displays some genuinely amusing LaughablyEvil qualities thanks to [[MultipleHeadCase her three heads]], all of whom address each other as sisters and accordingly act like bickering siblings. The fact she's [[ShownTheirWork fairly accurate]] to her mythological counterpart in spite of having minor differences is another factor for her popularity.

** His origin issue shown Tirek cared little to take over his father's kingdom, and was more interested in the magic eating practiced by the exiled hermit in a nearby cave.
* Season 5 introduced 4 ponies, Party Favor, Sugar Belle, Double Diamond, and Night Glider, nicknamed [[FanNickname Equal Four]] who quickly impressed fans when they provided assistance to the Mane 6 after they were BroughtDownToNormal during the opening 2-parter. Notably, Party Favor has already a few memes based on him (and not to mention getting shipped with Pinkie Pie) and Sugar Belle had a full fan-plush commissioned both less than a day after the fifth season's premiere.
* Even before her premier "Make New Friends But Keep Discord", Tree Hugger amassed a following due to her hippie vibe and completely relaxed attitude. Much of the fandom has designated her as GranolaGirl and her name makes her prime shipping fuel for Fluttershy.
* Moondancer has an interesting relationship with this trope. While she was mentioned in the very first episode, she was never seen; the only lines mentioning her stated she was throwing a party that Twilight rejected in order to save the world. For a long time, she was essentially an OCStandIn for Twilight's Canterlot friends. But come Amending Fences, Moondancer is revealed to be a bookish, sweater-wearing meganekko who was absolutely traumatized by Twilight's rejection. The sheer woobieness of the character, plus the callback to Twilight's original Adorkableness, sent her skyrocketing in popularity.
* Tender Taps only has one major role in "On Your Marks" and a few cameo appearances in other episodes, but he's acquired a respectable amount of attention in fanart and fanfiction, while also being a popular ship for Apple Bloom.
* Ember, introduced in "Gauntlet of Fire" and the first-ever female dragon with a name and a major speaking role seen on the show, had [[http://www.equestriadaily.com/2016/04/drawfriend-stuff-dragonlord-ember.html#more a large amount of fan art]] within ''one day'' of her debut. Being a Princess with a cool design probably helped.

* Mrs. Shy, Fluttershy's mom, had fanart even before her first appearance in "Flutter Brutter".
* Saffron Masala from "Spice Up Your Life", thanks to her unique design and colorful personality.

* If you thought Nightmare Moon was hard core, the Season 7 episode, "A Royal Problem", introduced us to Princess Celestia's evil counterpart: Daybreaker! Needless to say, she has inspired many fan works as well.
* Applejack's parents, Bright Macintosh and Buttercup (nee Pear Butter). By the time of their debut, they had already been the subject of years' worth of speculation and {{fanon}}. After "The Perfect Pear", the general consensus is that they acquitted themselves ''magnificently''.
* Toola Roola and Coconut Cream, the fillies in the B storyline of "Fame and Misfortune". Them getting over their fights with each other through reading friendship lessons endeared them to the mane cast and the audience, becoming the only truly nice characters introduced in the episode. It also helps that the two are [[MythologyGag references to the G3 franchise]], with Toola Roola having the same cutie mark.

* No discussion on {{Ensemble Darkhorse}}s can even be started without mentioning Derpy Hooves[[note]]Sometimes referred to as Ditzy Doo, and is also referred to as "Derpy Doo" in the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen unused]] [[http://www.equestriadaily.com/2012/07/smile-song-lyrics-by-amy-keating-rogers.html original version of the "Smile Song"]].[[/note]], the RecurringExtra that's gotten the most love from fans ''and'' the show's staff. In a background shot of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E1MareInTheMoon episode 1]], a grey pegasus pony with wonky eyes was spotted, and swiftly [[{{Fanon}} Derpy was born]], a [[CloudCuckoolander strange]] but [[BunnyEarsLawyer surprisingly competent]] mailpony who [[TrademarkFavoriteFood loves muffins]], [[AchievementsInIgnorance often derps reality]], and [[InspirationallyDisadvantaged in spite of her difficulties]] is very friendly and hard-working. In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E15FeelingPinkieKeen "Feeling Pinkie Keen"]], she managed to become a combination AscendedMeme[=/=]AscendedExtra, [[WordOfGod Lauren Faust herself said]] "She can be Derpy if everyone likes" (during production of season one, none of the background ponies had official names), and in season 2 she got her own little gag scenes. Not bad considering her googly eyes were just a random joke thrown in by one of the animators.

** Fans were taken by surprise in the episode "Rainbow Falls", where she made a surprise appearance as Rainbow Dash's replacement for the Equestria Games making her more popular with the fans than ever.
*** Before that, she had a few blink and you'll miss it background appearances in the season 3 finale, "Magical Mystery Cure".

* Lyra often appears alongside a pony that appears to be an {{Expy}} of Bon Bon from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTales'' (and is {{fan nickname}}d as such, although merchandise now officially names her Sweetie Drops), originally due to the way their colorations complement each other (as is standard practice with the placement of background ponies in crowd shots). This circumstance resulted in a lot of fan works depicting the two together in some way, whether as best friends, roommates, or romantic partners. And while Bon Bon doesn't get nearly the same amount of attention on her own as Lyra does, the two together are ''the'' most widely accepted pairing, and basically the [[OneTruePairing OTP]] of the fandom. Yet another aspect of fanon that has been recognized in official media, such as being intentionally placed together in the [[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RK5t9FdkbvY/Tih7QCZ1xFI/AAAAAAAAAPg/08Ozl7NmmTY/s1600/ponyposter.jpg famous Comic Con poster]] and participating in {{Funny Background Event}}s in several episodes (such as [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E10SecretOfMyExcess "Secret of My Excess"]], where they share one with Derpy).

* A female DJ unicorn that [[OneSceneWonder appeared for less than five seconds]] in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E14SuitedForSuccess "Suited For Success"]], doing nothing but turning on music and bobbing her head, garnered a huge following, generally called Vinyl Scratch due to the name given to her by Lauren Faust herself when she drew a commission, though other fans prefer her stage name that was spawned at the same time, "DJ [=P0N-3=]" (Twilight Sparkle herself addressed her by the latter name in a Season 6 episode.) The "DJ Pon-3" name was [[AscendedFanon acknowledged]] in Creator/TheHub's ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTPqjKk_xCo Equestria Girls]]'' and ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p50-oWY1pFE There's a Pony For That]]'' commercials, and she's one of the few extras to receive her own official t-shirts and a brushable toy. She eventually returned in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E26ACanterlotWeddingPart2 A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2]]", this time showing what color her eyes are underneath her CoolShades (the most popular fan theory was that her eyes were red – they turned out to be magenta)[[note]] Technically, "mild cerise". In other words, the exact same eye color as Rainbow Dash. It took some fans a while to accept that her irises weren't red, though some high quality fan-animations and her cameo in ''Equestria Girls'' put any doubts to rest. Incidentally, the IDW comics flip-flop on this depending on the colorist. Andy Price in particular tends to draw her with red eyes.[[/note]]

* [[ElegantClassicalMusician Octavia]], one of the musicians who first appeared in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E26TheBestNightEver "The Best Night Ever"]] (the cello/bass player), obtained an enormous amount of attention from fans, with stories and drawings galore, and even [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLmAlskhRZc her own theme music]]; pretty amazing considering she had pretty equal screentime with her bandmates. Her resemblance to one of Pinkie's sisters also fueled a lot of WildMassGuessing for a while (see below). She's since appeared on the [[http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=256161614401283 Comic-Con 2011 poster]]/[[http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.262953797055398.84804.118429394841173 desktop background]], gained a PaletteSwap in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed "Luna Eclipsed"]], returned to the show during [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E9SweetAndElite "Sweet and Elite"]], been [[http://www.hasbro.com/common/assets/Flash/Creative/dad2af6e1c4311ddbd0b0800200c9a66/0f6b55af5056900b1013cd724a8d4018/assetsuitcase/characters/MLP_CharV_WhomeverThisIs.swf included]] in the Valentine version of ''[[http://www.hasbro.com/mylittlepony/en_US/play/details.cfm?R=0F6B55AF-5056-900B-1013-CD724A8D4018:en_US Card Creator]]'', and been featured on the licensed shirts and art print ''[[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1795 Musical Pony Battle]]'', ''[[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1818 Octavia Disdainful Glance]]'', [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=1981 and]] ''[[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=2002 Dancing]] [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=2160 Ponies]]''.

* [[AllThereInTheScript Golden Harvest]] ([[InSeriesNickname nicknamed]] [[AllThereInTheScript Carrot Top]]), a yellow earth pony with an (usually) orange mane, gained some popularity due to a [[WebComic/CarrotCakeStorybook popular fan comic]] depicting her as Derpy's roommate or [[VitriolicBestBuds best friend]]. Fanon usually has her as the [[StraightMan Straight Mare]] to Derpy's goofiness (which got a FandomNod in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed "Luna Eclipsed"]]) and there's a RunningGag about Derpy constantly emptying her fridge. Notably, she is one of the background ponies that's spoken the most in the series and has a memorable gag scene in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E6BoastBusters "Boast Busters"]] where her hair is briefly green, so that probably helps her popularity a bit.
* [[FanNickname Berry Punch]] (aka the Overprotective Parent Pony), a pink/purple earth pony with grapes for a cutie mark, is known for hastily dragging what might be her child inside in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E9BridleGossip "Bridle Gossip"]] and drinking directly out of a punch bowl in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E12CallOfTheCutie "Call of the Cutie"]]. The latter has led to her being depicted as TheAlcoholic in fanon, an idea apparently shared by the storyboard artists when they put her into the scene, as revealed during an interview. She often gets paired with Minuette (see below) due the two singing together on a hill during the "Winter Wrap Up" song.
* A common participant in the "Brushie Brushie" meme is [[AllThereInTheScript Minuette]], a blue background unicorn who [[PaletteSwap shares the same character model]] with Sea Swirl and an hourglass cutie mark similar to Time Turner/Dr. Hooves' [[labelnote:Fun Fact]] However, she appeared in the series before either one of them; Minuette was one of the unicorns seen in the ColdOpen of the pilot episode.[[/labelnote]] Many fans call her [[FanNickname Colgate]] for her toothpaste-like striped hair and the associated meme, and even has her [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_MXe-lBPAQ own fan-made theme]]. Very rarely, you'll see her named [[FanNickname Romana]], named after a Time Lady[[note]] An in-universe term for female Time Lords,[[/note]] who accompanied the Doctor for a while, because apparently having an hourglass cutie mark means you're a Time Pony. She may even have gotten her own FandomNod in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed "Luna Eclipsed"]] when she appeared in the episode wearing what looks like a [[http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111103050526/mlp/images/6/6d/MinuetteCostume.png dental surgeon]] costume for Nightmare Night (A pony holiday equivalent of Halloween).

* Pegasus brothers Thunderlane and the colt Rumble are also popular, perhaps due to being the only known pair of brothers on the show aside from Flim and Flam. These two often are shown interacting together with Cloudchaser and Flitter. Thunderlane was also prominently shown training at Wonderbolts Academy, eventually becoming a full member, and the brothers even ended up getting ADayInTheLimelight with Season 7's "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E22MarksAndRecreation Marks and Recreation]]."

* ''The Hooffields and [=McColts=]'' brought us the three [=McColt=] mares with cutie marks of different types of saws, hence the collective FanNickname "The Saw Sisters", who drew a crowd of fans with their [[NonstandardCharacterDesign nonstandard body types and manestyles]].
* [[FanNickname Apocalypse Dash]], the battle-scarred alternate version of Rainbow Dash from the Crystal War Timeline in ''The Cutie Re-Mark, Part 1''. FireForgedFriends with the Pie sisters, and has clearly seen plenty of action, and is implied to be even more badass than her mane timeline counterpart--which takes a lot of doing.
* [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E12FlutterBrutter Flutter Brutter]] had a [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link pony]] (officially named "Quarter Hearts") which got the attention of quite a few. Needless to say, video game fanatics were ecstatic at the amount of fanfic fuel this entails, especially if you draw Epona as an MLP pony.

* Mirror Sombra was generally well received for being TallDarkAndHandsome, having better development then most of the characters originating from the comic, plausible romantic chemistry with Celestia and [[spoiler:getting a emotional powerful heroic sacrifice]].

* [[TheTrickster Discord]] was one of the most popular antagonist, [[{{troll}} loved]] or [[SpotlightStealingSquad loathed]] in equal measure, depending on who you ask. He continually pops up in drawings, stories and speculation even long after being [[SealedEvilInACan sealed away again]], an enormous section of the fanbase wanted him to make a reappearance... which was granted in the Season 3 episode "Keep Calm and Flutter On". Not at all hurt by him being a blatant ([[WordOfGod admitted]]) {{Expy}} of [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Q]], to the point where he's [[ActorAllusion played by]] [[Creator/JohnDeLancie the same person]]. His [[HeelFaceTurn redemption arc]] proved controversial, but his popularity's more or less solidified after the season 4 finale.

%%* From "The Washouts", Lightning Dust's fellow Washouts Short Fuse and especially Rolling Thunder have a lot of admirers.