Thanks to my six-year old daughter, I've become a regular viewer of My Little Pony. Like many parents, I can now name all the main characters and tell you enough about their story to understand the magic behind the friendship. And like some parents (perhaps not so high in number, but still an existing subset), I'm not just a viewer, but also a fan of the show.
Unlike my daughter, who watches every episode with the fresh excitement that defines early childhood, I watch each episode with the accumulated knowledge that is unavoidable in adulthood.
I never expected to like this show so much. I've always been partial to fantasy and sci-fi stories, therefore the epic telling of an alternate universe where unicorns and dragons coexist, a world where magic is real and dark forces lurk on every corner was of course right up my alley. Nevermind the pastel colors.
It only took a few episodes to notice the hidden references to other fantasy sagas. Hidden of course for the target audience: kids, but evident to anyone who has ever watched Star Wars, Dr. Who, Game of Thrones, or even a few popular Hollywood films.
But the reason I write this post, is not to highlight the hidden Easter eggs in the show, but to talk about the beauty and complexity of a character usually tossed aside: Pinky Pie.
Pinky Pie could be described as the comedy relief. On the surface, she appears aloof and not as important as the rest. I have to admit, in the beginning she annoyed me and was far from being my favorite pony.
So... what happened?
As I continued to watch the show, I started to notice small details in her that surprised me:
She is very smart. She is quite possibly the most intelligent pony out of the main six. But, unlike Twilight, who prides herself on being bookish, Pinky is not defined by her intelligence. Despite knowing the answers to most questions, it comes so natural to her, that she does not sees it as something special and instead chooses to take everything like a game. When she has to explain something to the others, she is sometimes annoyed by how slow they catch up, and when real danger appears she acts fast to protect her friends. Pinky's intelligence is the reason why she is borderline crazy, her mind jumps so fast from one thought to another, that even she sometimes cannot keep up with herself.
Despite her intelligence, Pinky's defining trait is not brain related, but heart related: She represents the element of Laughter. This might appear minor, especially next to the other virtues of Loyalty (from Rainbow Dash), Honesty (from AppleJack), Generosity (from Rarity) and Friendship (from Fluttershy). However, the meaning becomes clearer when the true nature of her element is discovered: it is the evolution of the seed of Hope. As we learn when we meet the heroes of Old Equestria, this seed is planted by Somnambula, and as the element that grows from it binds to Pinky Pie, we discover that Pinky and Somnambula are equivalents. They are linked. Hope brings Laughter, and Laughter brings Hope. So Pinky stands for happiness, and with her, hope is never lost.
She is capable of moving heaven and earth for her friends. There is nothing that Pinky Pie would not do to make her friends happy, and more importantly, she takes the time to get to know them, really know them, in order to figure out how to best make them smile. As we learn in Season 5, Pinky even has a secret room where she files all the information for every Pony she knows. In it she carefully writes down their likes, dislikes and anything she considers should be taken into account when planning the perfect party for them. No Pony is too small, or too unsignificant for her. They all get a folder in her room. And she is capable of travelling all across the world to understand them and know them better.
She understands Friendship. In Season 1, episode 20, when Spike confesses to Pinky Pie and Twilight that he has a crush on Rarity, Pinky Pie reacts in shock while Twilight rolls her eyes and is about to say "everyone knows that" before Pinky stops her. Pinky then tells Twilight: "It doesn't matters if everyone knows! It is important for him and he told you that in confidence", so Pinky teaches Twilight what a true friend should do: don't judge, just hear him and respect him.
She understands Honesty. As we see time and time again, there is nothing more sacred to her than a Pinky Promise. No matter what happens, her promises are unbreakable, and nothing hurts her more than when friends lie to her.
Two additional scenes stayed with me, that represent Pinky's nature albeit in a subtle way:
One is from the Power Ponies episode, when Spike is swallowed by an enchanted book and Twilight attempts to pull him back. What happens next shows the character of each companion: the first to run to their aid are Rainbow Dash and AppleJack (the bravest of the bunch) they frantically try to hold on to Twilight as they are also pulled down into the book. Next come Rarity and Fluttershy, they also attempt and fail to pull their friends back, and we see them all finally disappear into the unknown portal, only then we see Pinky, who didn't attempt to pull her friends back (that would have been a futile attempt) instead she simply smiles and willingly jumps into the portal to follow her friends. Without fear, without doubt, and with no knowledge of what lies on the other side, other than her friends are there and they might need her.
The final scene that made me realize Pinky Pie was definitely my favorite pony, is when they first visit Starlight's village, which we later learn is a cult-like town where the inhabitants are oppressed. As our pony friends first arrive, they are surprised to have been called to such an apparently perfect place, they cannot see a problem after all and wonder if it may have been a mistake, but Pinky Pie immediately says "no, something is wrong here". They all turn to her and ask her what she means, to which she replies: "I don't know. But I know laughter… and the smiles here are not real".
So don't be fooled by her innocence or childlike games. Pinky Pie is smarter than she appears, she simply chooses to enjoy life and strives to bring joy and happiness to everyone around.
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