My Little Pony started in the early 1980s as a Hasbro toy line, but most people searching for its characters today mean My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Lauren Faust developed that series in 2010 for Hasbro. It ran for nine seasons and gave every pony a sharp, distinct personality, and it found an audience far beyond the little girls it was made for.
The show follows Twilight Sparkle, a studious unicorn sent to the town of Ponyville to learn about friendship, and the five ponies who become her closest friends. Around them are Equestria's princesses, a large supporting cast and a string of villains, several of whom the show redeems. This guide covers that G4 cast in depth, then explains how it fits into the other generations, up to G5's Sunny Starscout.
- Series
- My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
- Developed by
- Lauren Faust
- Run
- 2010–2019, 9 seasons
- Setting
- Ponyville and Canterlot, Equestria
- Film
- My Little Pony: The Movie (2017)
The Mane Six
The six main ponies each represent one of the Elements of Harmony, magical artefacts that only work when all six friends are united. There are two of each pony type: unicorns (magic), pegasi (flight and weather) and earth ponies (strength and a bond with the land).
Twilight Sparkle
Unicorn, later alicorn · Element of Magic
Twilight starts the series as Princess Celestia's brilliant, anxious and friendless student, more interested in books than ponies. Sent to Ponyville, she slowly learns that friendship is its own kind of magic, and her letters about it to Celestia frame the early seasons. She earns her wings at the end of season three, becomes the Princess of Friendship, and in the finale takes over the rule of Equestria. Her arc from lonely scholar to leader is the backbone of the show.
Applejack
Earth pony · Element of Honesty
Applejack runs Sweet Apple Acres with her family: big brother Big McIntosh, little sister Apple Bloom and Granny Smith. She's hard-working, plain-spoken and stubborn, and she'd rather carry a load herself than admit she needs help. Her lessons usually come from that stubbornness. She's the dependable centre of the group.
Rainbow Dash
Pegasus · Element of Loyalty
Rainbow Dash is the fastest flyer in Equestria and the only pony who can pull off a Sonic Rainboom. She's brash, competitive and cocky, and fiercely loyal underneath. Her dream of flying with the Wonderbolts, Equestria's elite aerial team, drives her story, and she finally joins them in season six. She's also a hero to the young Scootaloo.
Pinkie Pie
Earth pony · Element of Laughter
Pinkie Pie throws parties, bakes at Sugarcube Corner and treats the laws of physics as suggestions. She has a "Pinkie Sense" that twitches before something happens, and she often seems aware she's in a cartoon. She grew up on a grey, joyless rock farm, and the show suggests her relentless cheer is a choice she makes every day.
Rarity
Unicorn · Element of Generosity
Rarity is a fashion designer who runs the Carousel Boutique. She's dramatic and stylish, with a weakness for fainting couches. She can be vain and status-conscious, but she'll give her time, talent and fabric to anyone who needs it, which is the whole point of her element. Her younger sister is Sweetie Belle.
Fluttershy
Pegasus · Element of Kindness
Fluttershy is painfully shy, soft-spoken and devoted to the animals she cares for, including her moody pet bunny, Angel. Push her too far and she'll pin you with "the Stare", which can stop a dragon in its tracks. She's also the friend who reforms Discord, proving that her kindness is the toughest trait in the group.
The princesses and royal family
Equestria is ruled by alicorns, ponies with both wings and a horn. They raise the sun and moon and look after the realm.
Princess Celestia
Alicorn · Raises the sun
Celestia has ruled Equestria for over a thousand years. She's serene, wise and quietly playful, and she's Twilight's mentor, often letting her student learn the hard way. The show slowly reveals her regrets, especially about her sister, Luna. In the finale she and Luna retire and hand the realm over to Twilight.
Princess Luna
Alicorn · Raises the moon
Luna is Celestia's younger sister. She grew bitter that ponies slept through her night and became Nightmare Moon, and she was banished to the moon for a thousand years. Freed by the Elements of Harmony in the very first episode, she spends the series learning to rejoin a world that moved on without her, and she also guards ponies' dreams.
Princess Cadance
Alicorn · Princess of Love
Mi Amore Cadenza, known as Cadance, was Twilight's foalsitter. She marries Twilight's brother, Shining Armor, in the season two finale. The couple rule the Crystal Empire, and their daughter, Flurry Heart, is born in season six as an alicorn.
Shining Armor
Unicorn · Twilight's big brother
Shining Armor is captain of the royal guard and later prince of the Crystal Empire. He's protective, earnest and the subject of Twilight's most heartfelt song about family. His wedding to Cadance is interrupted by Queen Chrysalis.
Spike, the Crusaders and the supporting cast
Spike
Baby dragon · Twilight's assistant
Spike hatched from an egg as part of Twilight's entrance exam and grew up as her number-one assistant, sending messages to Celestia with his fiery breath. He's loyal, a little lazy and has a long-running crush on Rarity. Later seasons let him explore what it means to be a dragon raised by ponies.
Apple Bloom
Earth pony · Crusader
Applejack's little sister, and the founder of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, a club of three blank-flanked fillies trying to discover their special talent. She's enthusiastic, headstrong and very much an Apple.
Sweetie Belle
Unicorn · Crusader
Rarity's little sister, with a lovely singing voice she's too nervous to use. Her relationship with her older sister, full of exasperation and genuine love, is one of the show's sweetest threads.
Scootaloo
Pegasus · Crusader
A pint-sized scooter fanatic who idolises Rainbow Dash and struggles to fly. Rainbow's growing big-sister bond with her gives both characters some of their best episodes. The three Crusaders finally earn their cutie marks in season five, for helping other ponies find theirs.
Starlight Glimmer
Unicorn · Reformed villain
Starlight is introduced in season five as the leader of a village where every pony's cutie mark has been taken away to make them "equal". After her defeat she becomes Twilight's student in friendship, then a main character, and eventually headmare of the School of Friendship. She's the show's most thorough redemption arc.
Trixie Lulamoon
Unicorn · Stage magician
"The Great and Powerful Trixie" is a boastful travelling showpony who starts as a rival to Twilight, causes chaos with a dangerous amulet, and later becomes Starlight Glimmer's best friend. She's a fan favourite for her ego and her surprising loyalty.
Zecora
Zebra · Herbalist
Zecora is a wise zebra who lives in the Everfree Forest, brews potions and speaks only in rhyme. Ponyville fears her at first, and that becomes an early episode about judging others. After that she's a trusted adviser.
Big McIntosh & Granny Smith
The Apple family
Big Mac is Applejack's huge, quiet older brother, famous for answering almost everything with "Eeyup". Granny Smith is the family's elderly matriarch and one of Ponyville's founders. Together they make Sweet Apple Acres feel like a real family farm.
Sunset Shimmer
Unicorn · Equestria Girls lead
Sunset is Celestia's former student who fled to a human world. She's the villain of the first Equestria Girls film and the reformed heroine of the rest. That spin-off reimagines the Mane Six as high-school girls.
The Student Six
School of Friendship
Gallus (griffon), Silverstream (hippogriff), Smolder (dragon), Ocellus (changeling), Yona (yak) and Sandbar (earth pony) are students at Twilight's school in seasons eight and nine. Between them, they show friendship working across species.
Derpy
Background pegasus · Mail mare
A cross-eyed, clumsy mail pegasus who started as an animation in-joke. Fans adopted her so enthusiastically that she became a running cameo and the show's best-known background pony.
Villains (and the ones who changed)
Friendship is Magic is unusual for how often it redeems its villains. Some antagonists stay bad to the end, and the finale brings the worst of them together.
Nightmare Moon
Season 1 premiere
The corrupted form of Princess Luna, who returns after a thousand years to bring eternal night. Defeating her is the first time the Mane Six use the Elements of Harmony, and it gives Luna back to her sister.
Discord
Draconequus · Spirit of chaos
Discord is a mismatched creature of chaos who can reshape reality on a whim, and he's the show's funniest and most powerful character. He's freed from stone in season two and turned back, then reformed through Fluttershy's friendship in season three. Afterwards he's an unpredictable ally who still can't resist a prank.
Queen Chrysalis
Changeling queen
Chrysalis rules the changelings, shape-shifters who feed on love. She impersonates Cadance to invade Canterlot in the season two finale. Her own subjects later reject her rule for a kinder way of life. Unlike most villains, she flatly refuses redemption.
Lord Tirek
Centaur · Magic thief
Tirek drains magic from every pony in Equestria in the season four finale, which ends in a full-scale battle with Twilight. He's a deliberate callback to a villain from the original 1980s cartoon.
King Sombra
Tyrant of the Crystal Empire
Sombra is a shadowy unicorn tyrant who once enslaved the Crystal Empire. He returns in season three and again in season nine, and he's one of the few villains the show never tries to redeem.
Cozy Glow
Pegasus filly · Season 8
Cozy Glow looks like a sweet, eager student at the School of Friendship. She's really a manipulative schemer who tries to drain Equestria's magic. A child villain this cold was a bold choice for the show.
Friendship is Magic voice cast
The series was recorded in Vancouver, and several actors voiced more than one major character.
| Character | Voice actor |
|---|---|
| Twilight Sparkle | Tara Strong (singing: Rebecca Shoichet) |
| Applejack | Ashleigh Ball |
| Rainbow Dash | Ashleigh Ball |
| Pinkie Pie | Andrea Libman |
| Fluttershy | Andrea Libman |
| Rarity | Tabitha St. Germain |
| Spike | Cathy Weseluck |
| Princess Celestia | Nicole Oliver |
| Princess Luna | Tabitha St. Germain |
| Princess Cadance | Britt McKillip |
| Shining Armor | Andrew Francis |
| Discord | John de Lancie |
| Starlight Glimmer | Kelly Sheridan |
| Trixie / Queen Chrysalis | Kathleen Barr |
| Apple Bloom | Michelle Creber |
| Sweetie Belle | Claire Corlett |
| Scootaloo | Madeleine Peters |
| Big McIntosh | Peter New |
| Sunset Shimmer | Rebecca Shoichet |
Every generation of My Little Pony (G1–G5)
Fans divide the franchise into generations, each with its own toys, art style and (usually) cast. Some names, like Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, have been reused across generations for quite different ponies.
G1 (1982–1990s)
The original Hasbro toy line, starting with six ponies including Blossom, Bluebelle, Butterscotch, Cotton Candy, Minty and Snuzzle. The 1984 special Rescue at Midnight Castle, My Little Pony: The Movie (1986) and the series My Little Pony 'n Friends introduced ponies like Firefly, a human girl named Megan, and villains such as Tirek and the witch Hydia.
G2 (1997)
A redesign with slimmer, more horse-like ponies, sold mostly outside the US. There was no TV series, so G2 is the least-known generation.
G3 (2003–2009)
Rounder, cuter ponies like Minty, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash (different characters from the G4 versions) appeared in direct-to-video specials. A late "G3.5" redesign in 2009 bridged the gap to G4.
G4 (2010–2019)
Friendship is Magic, the generation this page covers. Nine seasons, a 2017 theatrical film, the Equestria Girls spin-offs and, in 2020, the shorter comedy Pony Life.
G5 (2021–)
Begins with the Netflix film A New Generation, set long after G4, in an Equestria where earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns have split apart. Continued in Make Your Mark on Netflix and the YouTube series Tell Your Tale.
The G5 cast
Sunny Starscout
Earth pony · G5 lead
An optimistic earth pony from Maretime Bay who grew up on her father's stories about the old days of pony friendship. She sets out to reunite the three tribes and bring magic back, and she becomes an alicorn at the end of A New Generation. In the film she's voiced by Vanessa Hudgens.
Izzy Moonbow
Unicorn · Bridlewood
A delightfully odd unicorn from Bridlewood who loves crafting with "unicycling" (recycled junk) and is thrilled to meet an earth pony. She's the G5 cast's heart and its weirdest comedian. She's voiced by Kimiko Glenn in the film.
Hitch Trailblazer
Earth pony · Sheriff
Hitch is Maretime Bay's earnest, rule-following sheriff and Sunny's childhood friend. He's loved by every small animal in town. He goes from trying to arrest Sunny to being one of her firmest allies. In the film he's voiced by James Marsden.
Pipp Petals
Pegasus princess · Pop star
The younger princess of Zephyr Heights, a singer and social-media star who's more thoughtful than her image suggests. She's voiced by Sofia Carson in the film.
Zipp Storm
Pegasus princess · Investigator
Pipp's older sister, sporty and suspicious, who uncovers the truth that pegasi have lost the ability to fly. In the film she's voiced by Liza Koshy.
Sparky Sparkeroni
Baby dragon
A baby dragon who hatches in Make Your Mark and is adopted by Hitch. His unpredictable fire-breathing causes plenty of trouble, and he's G5's echo of Spike.
What the characters are about
Friendship is Magic works because its six leads are flawed in specific, recognisable ways. Each episode's lesson grows out of one of those flaws: Twilight's anxiety, Applejack's stubbornness, Rainbow's ego, Rarity's vanity, Fluttershy's timidity, Pinkie's fear of being left behind. The show also believes in second chances. Luna, Discord, Starlight, Trixie and Sunset Shimmer all get them, which puts it alongside shows like Steven Universe. Our guide to redemption arcs looks at why those stories land, and the found family guide covers the Mane Six's kind of friendship.
If you came here from the 1980s side of the franchise, the Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake are its closest toy-line cousins.
Where to start
- Season 1, episodes 1–2 — "Friendship is Magic, Parts 1 & 2" introduce the whole Mane Six and Nightmare Moon.
- Season 2 premiere — "The Return of Harmony" brings in Discord and shows what the series can do with a villain.
- Season 3 finale — Twilight becomes a princess, the big turning point of the series.
- Season 5 premiere — Starlight Glimmer arrives, starting the show's longest redemption arc.
- A New Generation — for the G5 cast, start with the 2021 Netflix film.
My Little Pony character names A–Z
A–C
- Angel — Fluttershy's bunny
- Apple Bloom — Crusader
- Applejack — Mane Six
- Big McIntosh — Apple family
- Cozy Glow — villain
- Derpy — background pegasus
- Discord — chaos spirit
F–I
- Flurry Heart — Cadance's daughter
- Fluttershy — Mane Six
- Granny Smith — Apple family
- Hitch Trailblazer — G5
- Izzy Moonbow — G5
K–N
- King Sombra — villain
- Lord Tirek — villain
- Nightmare Moon — villain
P–R
- Pinkie Pie — Mane Six
- Pipp Petals — G5
- Princess Cadance — royalty
- Princess Celestia — royalty
- Princess Luna — royalty
- Queen Chrysalis — villain
- Rainbow Dash — Mane Six
- Rarity — Mane Six
S
- Scootaloo — Crusader
- Shining Armor — royalty
- Sparky Sparkeroni — G5
- Spike — dragon
- Starlight Glimmer — reformed
- Sunny Starscout — G5
- Sunset Shimmer — Equestria Girls
- Sweetie Belle — Crusader
T–Z
- Trixie Lulamoon — showpony
- Twilight Sparkle — Mane Six
- Zecora — zebra
- Zipp Storm — G5
Frequently asked questions
Who are the Mane Six?
The six main ponies of Friendship is Magic: Twilight Sparkle (magic), Applejack (honesty), Fluttershy (kindness), Pinkie Pie (laughter), Rarity (generosity) and Rainbow Dash (loyalty). Each represents one of the Elements of Harmony.
Who is the main character of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic?
Twilight Sparkle. She starts as Princess Celestia's bookish unicorn student, sent to Ponyville to learn about friendship, becomes an alicorn princess at the end of season three, and goes on to rule Equestria in the series finale.
Who voices Rainbow Dash and Applejack?
Both are voiced by Ashleigh Ball. Similarly, Andrea Libman voices both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, and Tabitha St. Germain voices Rarity and Princess Luna, among others. The show's Vancouver-based cast doubled up on a lot of roles.
Who is the strongest pony in My Little Pony?
Among ponies, Twilight Sparkle by the end of the series, along with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Discord, who isn't a pony but a draconequus, is easily the most powerful character, since he can rewrite reality on a whim.
What generation is Friendship is Magic?
Generation 4 (G4). G1 began in the early 1980s, G2 and G3 followed in the late 1990s and 2000s, G4 ran from 2010 to 2019, and G5 began with the 2021 Netflix film A New Generation.
Is Discord a villain?
He starts as one. Discord is the main villain of the season two premiere. Fluttershy befriends him in season three, and he spends the rest of the show as a chaotic, unreliable but genuine friend. His reformation is one of the series' best-loved arcs.