Season 8 introduced a ton of new characters for our ever-growing library of creatures to choose from. While the fandom isn't quite as productive as we used to be in terms of corrupting the hell out of them, we still come out of each set of pony episodes with an endless amount of opinions on what each new pony, dragon, or whatever other race they decide to explore has brought to the table.
Today, we tackle 10! Which characters were standouts? Which do we want to see in the future? Who actually decides these lists? Is EQD corrupt in some way? Do I just make these posts to force people to like my flavor of the month waifus?
None of this will be revealed below!
#10
Hoo'Far
From far away lands he traveled, seeking the wonders of Equestria. He explored vast deserts, grand cities, and eventually found himself in Ponyville. Anything in this beautiful country could have caught his interest. The grand spires of Canterlot, or the charming population of Somnambula with it's incredibly cute namesake. With all of this newfound knowledge, what did he pick to bring back and show off in his homeland?
I'll just let that sink in.
For the horse with the absolute best taste in world wonders, Hoo'Far is an easy pick~
#9
Cozy Glow
Is she a demon sent from another world?
Is she a plant by another pony nation to undermine Equestria?
Is she being secretly controlled by Tirek with the goal of locking her in Tartarus to groom her for world domination?
Or is she just a spoiled little douchebag that needs a time out?
I highly doubt her story is over, and because of this, she remains... interesting. I'm sure I wasn't the only one that thought she was the daughter of Chancellor Neighsayer or something, but in the end she even takes control of him.
And for once, one of the 3 pony races that wasn't a unicorn took over the world. I seriously don't know how Equestria deals with the constant rogue magic horses running around ripping timelines apart and enslaving villages.
#8
UNNAMED BROWN KIRIN
THE WIGGLING
SHE JUST KEEPS WIGGLING
Cinder Pistachio, Brownie Burn, Composed Kirin, or whatever the hell else you want to call her, she's here and she's getting almost as much fanart as Autumn Blaze. I could watch her wiggle all day. Hell any time I post a GIF of her on Twitter it gets RT'd 100 times with 600 likes. I'd say that's a pretty well loved horse fish dragon deer demon thing.
#7
Smolder
Spike needed another dragon to buddy up with who isn't busy ruling an empire of fire-breathing maniacs, and Smolder fits that role perfectly. She's sparky, quit witted, and does an excellent job of rounding out the new Student 6 team.
Also this
#6
Stellar Flare
How has Starlight's dad not already hooked up with this 10/10?
That's all I've got really. I also like her hooves.
#5
Silver Stream
Something something stairs.
I feel like the "step below Pinkie Pie" character type is being used a lot in this show. It's a good place to be. Where Pinkie Pie will make you turn the volume down on your headphones for the sake of not shattering your eardrums, Silver Stream brings on the excitement while still maintaining a level of sanity that doesn't leave you completely wiped out.
Also stairs.
#4
Goth Fluttershy
Some day I'm going to buy a bunch of goth clothing off the bargain bin section of eBay right after Halloween and spend a year experiencing this state of mind. My high school years were so consumed with video games, that I never got to practice the soul crushing wonder of the Gothic scene. The endless pit of despair that you constantly dig deeper into as you slowly find inner peace through blasting My Chemical Romance and quoting passages from Edgar Allan Poe like they are biblical phrases built from the shattered remains of your demon possessed heart.
To gaze up at the world from your own personal darkness and shout the will of your malevolent personal god for all to hear. To walk down the street with an aura that causes all around you to despair, while feeding on their emotions to further your own.
You are a vampire. You are a werewolf. You are a cloud of death slowly consuming those around you. Your coffin awaits. Rise up and feast good creature of the night.
Fluttershy is pretty hot as a goth too.
#3
Yona
Season opener: Oh great, a yak.
1/4 season complete: Eh...
2/4 season complete: She's one o the better ones.
3/4 season: This is gud yak
4/4 season: YAK IS BEST AT EVERYTHING.
I love Yona. She's fun, charming, entertaining to watch, and evolved way past my expected "the character that is going to spend the next 25 episodes smashing things until yo want to delete your brain to escape the nonstop repeated joke". Good on her. Yak best.
#2
Plainity
I want to live in a world where Rarity dresses in street fashion all the time. No more crazy dresses. No more swirly curly hair. Just plain old Rarity letting her hair down for an episode or 26.
I almost feel like she was meant for it based on how happy she seemed in the episode. Like her destiny misguided her the entire time, and becoming a Canterlot elite fashion magnate leaves her unfulfilled. Like all she truly needed was a 24 oz of soda, simple backwards ball cap, and a 90's mix-tape to find true nirvana.
We could all learn something from Plainity.
#1
Autumn Blaze
You know what I hate more than anything? When I Google "Autumn Blaze", all I get is a bunch of red trees. For the undisputed best character of the season, this is a travesty. Is Google's algorithm broken? Have their inner demons not been exorcised by the mere existence of this pile of fluffy, scaly, greatness? Because mine have. Any doubts about life immediately fled my thoughts the second she appeared on the screen. And that was before she started singing. How many times have you all listened to her song on repeat? If you haven't, why are you a terrible person?
We might never see her again in a major role, and I'm alright with that. Leave this character as a beacon of pony perfection. A ray of sunshine that you can always dredge up during dark times as you go forth into your life knowing that humanity really isn't all that bad. We build glorious monuments, paint beautiful works of art, and a character designer over at DHX woke up one day and created Autumn Blaze. If that kind of thing is achievable with our simple monkey brains, then anything is possible.
Honorable Mention
Because I don't remember doing one of these last season and Somnambula is the pinnacle.
