Line #47 EnsembleDarkhorse/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic


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6	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 Dark Horse characters can be listed here.
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8	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.
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10	%%Thinking of adding a newly introduced - or, actually, any character at all that's not already here to this page? If so, stop!%%
11	%%A character is only a true Ensemble Dark Horse if it has a level of popularity that makes it stand out from all the OTHER characters that all have their respective fanbases.%%
12	%%This page was "Every Character Has Fans", essentially a gushier version of the character page, once upon a time – we don't want to have to go through fixing that again.%%
13	%%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 Dark Horse. 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.%%
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15	!!Supporting Cast
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17	* No discussion of the shows Ensemble Dark Horses 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.
18	* Although [[MagicalNegro Zecora]] had a pretty [[EthnicScrappy rough start]] with the fans in "Bridle Gossip", fan opinions of her eventually turned around thanks to episodes such as "Swarm of the Century", "The Cutie Pox", and "Secret of My Excess", thanks to her incredibly creative {{rhymes\|on a dime}}, her endearing mentor relationship with Apple Bloom, and her ever-increasing DeadpanSnarker tendencies.
19	* A lot of adult fans of the show tend to express interest in Gilda the Griffin. Her hot temper and past times with Rainbow Dash make her a unique specimen to say the least.
20	* Pinkie Pie's baby alligator Gummy, commonly appearing in many fan works and is one of the most popular pets. His nihilistic state of mind in the 100th episode sealed his spot at number one of the pets.
21	* 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 dark horse Big Macintosh.
22	** She's apparently [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff popular over in Japan]], even getting her own slot in the end credits roll call along with the Mane Cast.
23	* [[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.
24	** The Season 4 episode that de-fictionalized the character has caused some conflict in the fandom over whether or not they liked the idea, but she's still a fairly popular character.
25	* Lightning Dust only appeared in one episode in the third season, but her VillainyFreeVillain status and her very likable personality lends her to DracoInLeatherPants treatment. Further, she makes a perfect ShadowArchetype to Rainbow Dash, being just as skilled as her and having a similar personality, only a little bit more selfish and reckless. Even though she did NOT make a proper re-appearance on the show until Season 8 (not counting her prior appearance as a filly in a flashback), it's common to find her depicted as Rainbow's rival/friend/wingpony.
26	* Soarin of the Wonderbolts managed to capture a lot of attention amongst the fanbase when his name and personality was established in the Season 1 finale[[note]]He had {{Early Bird Cameo}}es before, but he was more or less a background character[[/note]]. He even 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"
27	* The Flim Flam Brothers, whose [[AffablyEvil affability]] and extremely catchy VillainSong made them stand out amongst other secondary/minor antagonists. This earned them a few cameos in the comic series, a second appearance in season 4 a third in season 6 and a fourth in season 8.
28	* 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 Platform/YouTube.
29	* Fluttershy's temporary bat form in the episode, "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E7Bats 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.
30	* From the episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E8RarityTakesManehattan Rarity Takes Manehattan]]", we're introduced to a pony named Coco Pommel. Her cute looks and sweet demeanor earned her a fanbase and a lot of artwork in hours after the episode aired, plus it's hinted at that she'll return in a later episode. She's without question one of the most popular of the key givers introduced in season 4 (only rivaled by Cheese Sandwich), to the point where a return appearance in season 5 was eagerly expected and did not disappoint.
31	* Even though not everyone is particularly fond of the Breezies, most people seem to like Seabreeze, a particularly hot-tempered Breezie who not only is the OnlySaneMan of the group, but also has a perfectly relatable reason for being mean to his comrades, because he might get separated from his wife and child.
32	* While "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E17SomeponyToWatchOverMe 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.
33	* Fans have desperately been wanting to see Pinkie's siblings make an appearance on the show, so when one finally did in the form of Pinkie's older sister Maud Pie, it should come as a surprise to no one that she'd earn a fan base long before her episode even aired! She's unique considering her personality is the polar opposite of her sister's, while still possessing the eccentricity you'd expect from a Pie. Thanks to her popularity she received multiple appearances in the show and also a brief surprise cameo in ''Rainbow Rocks''.
34	* 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.
35	* 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 (although Sugar Belle would later become rather divise among the fans for her relationship with Big Macintosh).
36	* Even before her premier in "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.
37	* 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 {{woobie}}ness of the character, plus the callback to Twilight's original Adorkableness, sent her skyrocketing in popularity.
38	* Tender Taps only has one major role in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E4OnYourMarks 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.
39	* Ember, introduced in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E5GauntletOfFire 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.
40	** Ember is also a popular ship for Spike almost rivaling Rarity!
41	* Thorax, introduced in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E17TheTimesTheyAreAChangeling 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.
42	* Mrs. Shy, Fluttershy's mom, had fanart even before her first appearance in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E12FlutterBrutter Flutter Brutter]]".
43	* Saffron Masala from "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E13SpiceUpYourLife Spice Up Your Life]]", thanks to her unique design and colorful personality.
44	* Sky Stinger and Vapor Trail quickly gained a huge fan base and spawn off a ton of fan arts due to the great chemistry the two of them have together. Needless to say, they are popular for shipping. Vapor Trail is clearly the more popular of the two because of how similar she is to Fluttershy.
45	* If you thought Nightmare Moon was hard core, the Season 7 episode, "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E10ARoyalProblem A Royal Problem]]", introduced us to Princess Celestia's evil counterpart: Daybreaker! Needless to say, she has inspired many fan works as well.
46	* 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 "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E13ThePerfectPear The Perfect Pear]]", the general consensus is that they acquitted themselves ''magnificently''.
47	* Toola Roola and Coconut Cream, the fillies in the B storyline of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E14FameAndMisfortune 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.
48	* Star Tracker has become a popular pony for Twilight shipping.
49	%% Autumn Blaze has a Celebrity Voice Actor so is too major a character to count.
50
51	!![[MemeticBystander Background Ponies]]
52	Nearly ''every single'' background character is given at least a name by the fans, if not an entire personality and history (especially if they have a unique design), and they'll receive fanart within a day of airing. Below are above & beyond the most popular and the ones the fandom is most familiar with.
53	* No discussion on {{Ensemble Dark Horse}}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.
54	** Her astronomic popularity even extends to other background ponies. When a unicorn filly with similar coloring was spotted it led to the creation of Dinky Hooves, Derpy's daughter. One of the few things fans agree is that Derpy and Dinky are a happy family (sometimes married to Time Turner/Dr. Hooves, mentioned below), and Dinky is the most popular child character outside the Cutie Mark Crusaders[[note]] She's sometimes depicted as the [[SixthRanger 4th Crusader]].[[/note]] with tons of fanart and fanfics involving the two, often resulting in [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments hearts being melted]].
55	** Her [[AscendedMeme popularity]] reached its apex in "The Last Roundup", where the first scene after the credits featured Rainbow Dash actually having a whole slapstick routine with her, where she gets several lines and is explicitly addressed as "Derpy". However, when "The Last Roundup" suddenly disappeared from iTunes, then later restored with Derpy's scene modified with tweaked dialogue (she was no longer referred to by name and had a different voice), the fandom absolutely exploded with panic and anger towards Hasbro, displaying the sheer level of reverence that had been given to the pony. Ultimately the explanation for the change was that there were complaints Derpy was a stereotype of the mentally disabled, and the arguments about this among the fans were often heated and ugly.
56	** Official merchandise is not safe from the power of Derpy. She has [[http://content.usatoday.com/communities/popcandy/post/2012/05/exclusive-preview-the-2012-special-edition-my-little-pony/1 a 2012 limited-edition pony for San Diego Comic-Con and the Orlando MLP Fair]] (complete with derped eyes and muffin box art), [[http://mimi-na.deviantart.com/art/MLP-1-Variant-cover-Derpy-can-haz-Comic-329829048 the Midtown Comics exclusive cover]] of [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW the comic book series]] (there is, of course, a half-eaten muffin), and a set of vinyl molded figures of Derpy released by Hot Topic (all the thousands of figures made of Derpy sold out in ''four minutes!'').
57	** 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.
58	*** Before that, she had a few blink and you'll miss it background appearances in the season 3 finale, "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E13MagicalMysteryCure Magical Mystery Cure]]".
59	*** She has made several appearances in ''Rainbow Rocks'' as well.
60	** Derpy also pops up in the [=iOS=] [[VideoGame/MyLittlePony game]] as a surprise, albeit unnamed, character who gives you extra bits and gems when you find her. She was likewise made an unnamed cameo in ''Literature/RarityAndTheCuriousCaseOfCharity'', where she delivers Rarity's acceptance letter, displaying enough of her fan traits that it was blatantly obvious who it was.
61	** She played a very big role in the episode, "Slice of Life", and according to the end credits of that episode, she was officially given the name: "Muffins", which got mixed reactions from the fans.
62	** Another background foal got added to the fanon family (as Derpy's son or younger brother) after appearing with Derpy in ''The Cart before the Ponies'', a Derpy-like colt the fans have dubbed Crackle Pop or Derby Hooves.
63	* Lyra Heartstrings, a mint-colored unicorn with a lyre cutie mark, who gained the attention of the fanbase by often being seen hopping up and down with an excited look on her face [[FourthWallObserver as if she's mugging for the camera]] or engaged in a FunnyBackgroundEvent, most notably sitting or otherwise acting in a semi-human-like manner. It became one of the fans' ([[FountainOfMemes many]]) memes to depict Lyra as the pony equivalent of an UsefulNotes/{{otherkin}}, wanting in one way or another to be human. She was nicknamed just "Lyra" by the fandom (a name adopted by [[TheMerch WeLoveFine]]), then officially named "Heartstrings" by Hasbro, which led some fans to TakeAThirdOption and call her "Lyra Heartstrings". Then Hasbro finally [[AscendedFanon used this name as well]]. After two seasons of complete silence in the English version[[note]] She had one line – "Ciao!" – during the first episode in the Italian dub[[/note]], she finally got to speak a few lines in "A Canterlot Wedding", along with Minuette and Twinkleshine, two other well-liked background ponies.[[note]] Twinkleshine herself was the only background pony to speak during the pilot episode's ColdOpen.[[/note]]
64	* 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 having {{Funny Background Event}}s in several episodes (such as "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E10SecretOfMyExcess Secret of My Excess]]", where they share one with Derpy). [[spoiler:By the end of the series, they're an OfficialCouple, being shown as HappilyMarried in the series finale.]]
65	** Bon Bon does have one bit of notoriety among the fans: she is easily the most talkative of the background ponies. To date, she has spoken in five separate episodes[[note]]12 ("Call of the Cutie"), 20 ("Green Isn't Your Color"), 29 ("Lesson Zero"), 41 ("Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000"), and 45 ("Putting Your Hoof Down")[[/note]], each time with a totally different voice. This has led to the fanon meme that [[ManOfAThousandVoices she is or aspires to be a voice actor]], which was turned on its head in episode 100, which revealed her as a secret agent.
66	* [[AllThereInTheScript Time Turner/Dr. Hooves]], a male Earth pony with an hourglass cutie mark and spikey brown hair that reminded some fans of Creator/DavidTennant, spawned endless ''Series/DoctorWho'' crossovers and the fanon that Equestria has ([[LastOfHisKind or had]]) their own version of Time Lords. WordOfGod says his look initially ''was'' a coincidence; his fandom interpretation was alluded to by his manning the hourglass in "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000", lording over time in a way, and by one of the official trading cards that says he is responsible for "pretty much all things [[TimeyWimeyBall timey-wimey]]." "Dr. Hooves" or "Doctor Hooves" [[SpellMyNameWithAnS was originally spelled as]] "Doctor Whooves" (which is AscendedFanon, unlike his other FanNickname "Doctor Whoof"), but its letter W was removed, thus WritingAroundTrademarks of Creator/TheBBC. However, the box of his vinyl figure lists him as "Doctor Whooves" - how they got that around the trademarks is anyone's guess.
67	** During the 50th anniversary of ''Series/DoctorWho'', the BBC [[http://www.equestriadaily.com/2013/11/doctor-whooves-acknowledged-by-bbc.html seemingly were aware of Doctor Hooves]], it seems they don't have a problem with it.
68	** The comic series has had multiple covers and background jokes related to him being the Doctor[[note]]Helped by the fact that IDW had the comics license for the Doctor Who franchise up until January 2014.[[/note]], and since it was acknowledged by the BBC they've even put a reference to it in the actual show. In the episode "It Ain't Easy Being Breezies" there's a shot of him wearing 3D glasses like the 10th Doctor did in one episode and hanging out with a female pony named Roseluck, who has a similar name to the 10th Doctor's first companion (Rose Tyler).
69	** Then, he was finally voiced in episode "Slice of Life", when he is given a (British Accented) speaking part, is shown to be a mad scientist who has studied time travel, and has an exceedingly long scarf. Plus, he hangs out with Derpy. Not to mention he's centuries old and his voice actor stated he played him with the view that ''he is actually the Doctor'', just as a pony in this world.
70	** One particular episode has a grey pony with the exact same Cutie Mark. It's worth noting that he shares the 11th Doctor's hairtstyle.
71	* 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]]", 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]]
72	** Her popularity has earned her [[AscendedExtra a more prominent role]] in the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks second Equestria Girls movie]], even getting to be the star of the first of eight short features that were released with the movie, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh7j1qUaGOc "Music to My Ears"]]. Not only that, but she's arguably had the most significant time onscreen, playing a key role indirectly arriving at the climax to help the cast.
73	* [[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]]''.
74	** Octavia and Vinyl Scratch/DJ-[=Pon3=] also form the fandom's second OTP, despite having never being shown in the same episode at the time. Be it through an OddFriendship, familial relations, romance, or being roommates, these characters will always have some relationship with each other when depicted in the fandom. This was given a nod in season 5, which showed them as music judges [[AllJustADream in a dream sequence]], and ultimately became [[AscendedFanon accepted canon]] shortly after in the 100th episode, which has them sharing a house in Ponyville together.
75	** Octavia gains [[SuddenlySpeaking spoken lines]] in ''Rainbow Rocks'' courtesy of Kazumi Evans, who later reprised the role in the 100th episode. She even sounds British, as in most popular interpretations.
76	* [[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 ("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.
77	* [[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.
78	* Lilly Valley is an earth pony who appears frequently in the background in Ponyville. Some fans find her funny because she is known for having frequent panic attacks.
79	* 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 "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).
80	** After the episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E12AmendingFences "Amending Fences"]] where she has a major role, the fans find her very adorable.
81	* Though much less so than most others listed here, it's worth mentioning the female earth pony who appears on screen for about ''two seconds'', floating through the air past Twilight Sparkle in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E2TheReturnOfHarmonyPart2 "The Return of Harmony Part 2"]]. As with Derpy, the overall ''weirdness'' of this character seems to have caught fans' imagination. Dubbed "Screwball", due to her cutie mark of same, she features in the occasional fanfic, including the very popular ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA9dFZJtQWc Daddy Discord]]'' video and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEYDJi4hv7M accompanying song]].
82	* Princess Luna's guards, ponies with bat-wings and much cooler armor than the regular guards, have only been briefly seen ''twice'' in the show (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.
83	* The pegasi duo of Cloudchaser and Flitter managed to stand out quite a bit for the fans with their noticeably unique appearances. The two are often portrayed as being close sisters or friends in the fandom and spawned off quite a bit of fan material from artwork and blogs to repainted customs of existing figures and even some fan-created games, and the former made a return appearance in a season 3 episode.
84	* 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]]".
85	* 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 Dark Horse-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.
86	* [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120422154935/mlp/images/8/84/Lucky_and_Wild_Fire_arguing_S02E25.png She had a rather prominent appearance in one of Twilight Sparkle's flashbacks,]] but [[CreatorCameo Sibsy's]] ponysona [[AllThereInTheScript Wild Fire]] was recognized by fans almost immediately. This led to [[http://i.dhne.ws/wildfireby.jpg fan]]-[[http://www.deviantart.com/download/278456924/sibsy__s_wild_fire_by_ctb_36-d4lsaqk.png art]], and even a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P1gESvjY6Y video]] or [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBPdtMJwycA&feature=relmfu two]]. And that's not counting the obligatory Blog/AskAPony blog, her little fandom of her own, and the number of fanfiction written involving her.
87	* Bulk Biceps[[note]] Originally referred to by a {{fan nickname}} of Snowflake, others included "Roid Rage", "Horse Power", ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''/''Film/SpaceMutiny'' ShoutOut "Big [=McLargehooves=]", Muscle Pony, and "Dumb-Bell".[[/note]] '''''YEAH!!!''''' is very popular and instantly recognizable due to being one of the most uniquely designed pegasi around. '''''YEAH!!!''''' His every appearance pretty much calls for a '''''YEAH!!!''''' from everyone watching. He would get a larger role in the season four episode "Rainbow Falls."
88	* Button Mash may very well be the king of this trope. He appears for all of two and a half seconds in the beginning of 'The Perfect Stallion' song. He does not speak, he is not named, all we see of him is a colt playing on an arcade machine. A dedicated fan - Shadyvox (of ''Yu-Gi-Oh GX Abridged'' infamy) - made a pilot episode [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td_R53m5pl0 starring him]] that made a surprisingly large fandom for the colt. His popularity unfortunately seems to have drastically lost enthusiasm after his and many other of Jananimation's videos got into a complicated legal mistake by {{Creator/Hasbro}}, though he still features in the odd fanfic and art piece.
89	* 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 Platform/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.
90	* 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 dark horse gets one of these however, it's not saying much.
91	* [[AllThereInTheScript Neon Lights/Rising Star]], the spiky-maned CoolShades-wearing Canterlot unicorn, is shipped with Vinyl Scratch almost as often as Octavia is, with his CollectibleCardGame card saying that Vinyl thinks "his music is pretty sick", and he has a blind bag figure as of Wave 11.
92	* There's also the spa ponies, Aloe and Lotus Blossom. Their designs and frequent cameos helped contribute to their popularity.
93	* Maren/March/[[{{Film/Fargo}} Marge/Margo/Fargo]] the Whinnyapolis Delegate is probably the most popular from amongst the delegates. She's eye-catching with her Russian-style winter outfit and cup of coffee cutie-mark.
94	* ''Canterlot Boutique'' had a large ensemble of uniquely-designed dark horses 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]].
95	** Then of course, there is the enormously big fat pony who randomly comes in and asks for the Princess Dress.
96	* "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E23TheHooffieldsAndMccolts 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]].
97	* [[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.
98	* "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.
99	* 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 Dark Horse-ness was increased when it was revealed that she was the creation of a little girl made official though the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
100	* 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 off.
101	* From "The Washouts", Lightning Dust's fellow Washouts Short Fuse and especially Rolling Thunder have a lot of admirers.
102	* 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 [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast badass name]], 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.
103	* "Sounds of Silence" has a certain green-maned, dark brown Kirin, who goes unnamed in the episode, has drawn quite the fandom, perhaps because she's one of the first to show up, [[https://derpibooru.org/1834695 does a memetic head tilt]], and the one that Autumn Blaze [[https://derpibooru.org/1824420 has to play charades with]] to figure out what she wants when Autumn returns from her exile. The fandom has since named her Cinder Glow.
104
105	!!Movie-exclusive
106	* The human Twilight after her appearance in TheStinger of ''Rainbow Rocks''. This was well before her role in ''Friendship Games'' sealed her popularity, turning a retread of the first episode of the series into something more and showing a potential path her pony self could've ended up taking.
107
108	!!IDW Comics
109	* 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]], 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.
110	* Luna's pet opossum, Tiberius, [[https://www.equestriadaily.com/2018/06/poll-results-which-of-pony-pet-is-best.html#more beat out all (save Gummy) as the most popular pet]], despite only appearing in the comics. Many have called for him to be a character in the actual show.
111	* 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 HeroicSacrifice]].
112	* Despite being an AdvertisedExtra, Mirror Chrysalis has gotten a lot of love for her [[GrannyClassic adorable]], and being comically/brilliantly opposite to her already dark horse main universe self.
113	* Mina the dragon got this for being a [[MetaGuy brilliant stand-in to the series fandom]].
114
115	%%No, really. If you're here and thinking about adding a character to this page, think long and hard about if that character REALLY stands out from the rest in terms of popularity.%%
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Context EnsembleDarkhorse / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic