Thoughts on the Pets

We've looked at a lot of characters, haven't we? The Mane 6, Spike, Trixie, Celestia and Not-Celestia, and so forth. But you know who we haven't talked about? At all? None other than those lovable critters, the pony's pets. And since they're technically characters in their own right, why not take a look at them and see if there's anything to mine?

Winona

Applejacks' loyal Border Collie was the first pet to appear in the series, and also one of the least developed. There is very little to say about her that can't also be said about Applejack. She's a loyal, hard-working canine with a talent for herding and lots of energy. In fact, that's really the only defining thing about her in “Just for Sidekicks;” she needs a lot of exercise or she'll start running around wild. That said, AJ loves her little doggie dearly, and she's quite fond of the belly rubs the farmgirl offers.

This also extends into fanwork, since Winona stories either tell how they got the dog (usually involving parents dying) or how she dies. Old Yeller, when will you stop ruining dogs for us?

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Angel Bunny

Out of all the pets, Angel has the most appearances and is the most developed as a character. While Fluttershy has many animals in her care, Angel is the one closest to her, and thus the one she spends the most time with. Unfortunately for her, Angel has exactly one defining characteristic: he is a massive flankhole. Unlike Fluttershy, he is aggressive when upset, will mess up your day if you offend him, and will slap you in the face if you don't give him what he wants. Even the other pets detest him.

Angel's appearances tend to go a bit back and forth on his behavior and attitude towards Fluttershy, but a few common threads have popped up. She treats him like a small baby, spoiling him and capitulating to his every demand, although she now has some set limits after the Iron Will incident. He, in turn, is rather rude and willing to smack her, but also has a soft spot for her. Indeed, his best moments are him using his aggressiveness to try and help Fluttershy overcome her social anxiety, from encouraging her to admit to wanting the Gala ticket to coaching her attempts to improve her flying skills.

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Opalescence

Opalescence is Rarity's cat, much to her eternal suffering. Like many fictional cats, Opal pretty much does what she wants, from sharpening her claws on any surface to taking naps wherever she's comfortable. She also has a favorite toy mouse, and will gut you if you so much as look at it the wrong way. Unfortunately, she's also a bit on the sadistic side, gleefully acting like a sociopath to everypony and everything if they get too close. The only pony who can even take her to get groomed without getting swiped by her claws is Fluttershy.

Unlike those other cats, though, Opal has a very real reason to behave this way. While Rarity is a great business owner and fashion designer, she leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to taking care of a cat. She frequently shoves Opal around during her work, steps on her tail, and spoils her to the point where the exact temperature in a room is of the utmost importance. Even worse, she seems to show no sign of recognizing the effects of her treatment, instead either ignoring them outright in favor of her work or brushing them off entirely. If you were in the same situation, wouldn't you be a little grumpy too?

Or Opal's just a jerk. Either one's possible.

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Gummy

Gummy is Pinkie's pet baby alligator, and thankfully has not grown its own teeth. (Or it's had them taken out.) His favorite activities are standing around, occasionally wiggling his tail to show he's alive, and ruthlessly trying to much on Pinkie's bones. Fortunately, his lack of teeth and tiny size mean he's not much of a threat just yet. (Seriously, if you've never dealt with an alligator, those things are not cute and cuddly. THEY WILL END YOU.)

Gummy's most endearing characteristic, however, is his total apathy for the world around him. No matter what happens, Gummy will always just stare blankly ahead. Sometimes he might bite into something, but for the most part he shows absolutely zero emotion. Perhaps this is a coping mechanism for dealing with a sugar-high owner, or perhaps he's mastered the ancient art of Alligator Fu and has achieved a zen level of inner peace. Either way, he's only shown emotion in “Just for Sidekicks,” and in both cases it was regarding Angel's actions. So in the end, even Gummy can be filled with righteous fury.

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Owlowiscious

Twilight's pet owl, Owlowiscious began dwelling in the library as thanks for rescuing a scattered assignment for the future Alicorn Princess. He quickly proved to be an extremely capable helper, driving a wedge between him and Spike that only went away once Twilight realized what was going on and explained that the dragon wasn't being replaced. Since then, he has basically served as an additional assistant to both Twilight and Spike.

Owlowiscious did not have much of a character in the canon (his introduction was mostly about how awesome he was and how jealous Spike was of this Hooty Sue), outside of perhaps the running gag of people mistaking his hoots for “Who?” In “Just for Sidekicks,” however, he was given a bit of a nonverbally snarkier edge when dealing with Spike's gluttony and lack of self-control, so it seems he's inherited a few of Twilight's qualities. Also, he does not put up with Angel's crap at all, going so far as to threaten to eat him when he started insulting Spike.

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Tank

The last of the Mane 6's pets to be introduced, Tank is a recent addition to the Rainbow Dash household. Originally, Dash wanted a pet that could reflect her surface qualities of flying fast and looking cool, leaving the tortoise out of the equation. But after showing how he reflected her inner qualities (determination, loyalty, and tenacity), Dash realized the tortoise was right for her...after she had him strapped into a propeller contraption, of course.

Being a tortoise, Tank is pretty slow. (Indeed, early fanon actually gave Dash a pet turtle just on the basis of it being an obvious opposite.) His propeller lets him fly about faster, but he's also not all that skilled with it and tends to slam into walls, wells, beds, and heads. Throw in his incredibly hard shell, and you can see why this might be a problem. Still, Tank is a trooper, and no matter how many times he gets knocked down, he'll get right back up. And for how exasperated she can get with him at times, Dash still adores her little tortoise, even if she'll only occasionally show it in public.

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Philomena

Philomena is Celestia's pet phoenix, although she has a bad habit of not telling anypony what kind of bird it is before hauling it off to social functions. Much like her owner, Philomena has a bit of a playful side, but will fall into line once Celestia puts her hoof down. And just like other phoenixes, she eventually looses her feathers and dies, only to burst into flames and then rise from the ashes at the peak of her physical condition. It can also be assumed that she has access to fire-based magic, including a blinding flash to paralyze foes, but these seem to only be usable when not molting into oblivion.

Besides that, there is not much to go on, other than Philomena offering another sign of how ancient Celestia truly is.

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Peewee

The last pet, and the only one to be taken out of the show. Peewee is a baby phoenix, hatched from an egg Spike took during his attempt to ingratiate himself with some teenage dragons. This seemed to be a good match, since Spike is also destined to live for a very long time. Unfortunately, it seems Spike wasn't quite ready for a pet, and Peewee was returned to what we can presume to be his parents. All this was handled using a series of pictures, including Spike trying to feed Peewee ice cream and getting it onto Twilight. Could Peewee return? I don't see why not.

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So what about the pets? What makes them such a special part of the show? Not much, really. They're mostly there to provide animal sidekicks for the ponies, as well as to promote the toy packs they come with. (Although since the toys change so quickly compared to the show's production, they rarely line up accurately.)

But despite their limited appearances, they do have some sense of character to them, along with a few hints of at least some kind of sentience. The animals are capable of thinking and acting for themselves, can often perform tasks well outside of any real-world possibility, and show a great deal of empathy and understanding for the situations going on around them. This makes them capable supporting characters in many stories, and if given enough care and attention, love and affection, and breath mints, possibly staring roles as well.

The other thing about the pets is that they frequently shadow their owners' traits, or stand as a counterpoint. For example, Tank is a solid reflection of Dash's finest virtues (her steadfast loyalty and determination), while Gummy is the antithesis of Pinkie Pie's behavior (he is utterly serene and uncaring while she's hyperactive and focused on everything at once). In many ways, they help strengthen the ponies by serving as a contrast, which in turn teaches us more about them and the kind of people they are.

That, and they're just cute.