The purple pony with a dark mane and a pink streak is Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. She starts the show as a unicorn and later becomes an alicorn, with both a horn and wings. Her five closest pony friends are Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. Fans call the group the Mane Six.
Here is how to tell the Friendship Is Magic ponies apart and get to know them. There are a few early-story spoilers, including when Twilight gets her wings, but no ending spoilers. You may notice different designs in Equestria Girls and other My Little Pony shows.
Meet the Mane Six
- Twilight Sparkle: purple coat; dark blue mane with purple and pink streaks; a star cutie mark; a horn, and wings in her later form. Element: magic.
- Applejack: orange coat, blonde mane, cowboy hat, and three apples as her cutie mark. Earth pony. Element: honesty.
- Fluttershy: yellow coat, long pink mane, wings, and three butterfly cutie marks. Pegasus. Element: kindness.
- Pinkie Pie: pink coat, curly darker-pink mane, and three balloons as her cutie mark. Earth pony. Element: laughter.
- Rainbow Dash: blue coat, rainbow-colored mane, wings, and a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt as her cutie mark. Pegasus. Element: loyalty.
- Rarity: white coat, curled purple mane, a horn, and three blue diamonds as her cutie mark. Unicorn. Element: generosity.
Twilight Sparkle: books, magic, and new friendships
Twilight comes to Ponyville as Princess Celestia’s student, with Spike beside her. She loves books and likes to feel prepared, which explains all those pictures of her reading. Getting to know her five new friends means learning to listen and accept help, even when things do not go according to her plans.
Twilight gets her wings in Magical Mystery Cure, the season 3 finale. Before that, she is a unicorn; afterward, she is an alicorn princess. So if you have seen pictures of her with and without wings, both can be the same Twilight at different points in her story.
In the first Equestria Girls film, pony Twilight steps through a mirror and becomes human. Sci-Twi is the human world’s own Twilight, not the visitor from Ponyville. Her glasses are a familiar clue, though a fan drawing can change an outfit or accessory. The story around her helps you tell which Twilight you are seeing.
Applejack: the pony with the cowboy hat
Applejack is often busy at Sweet Apple Acres, the farm she shares with her family. You can usually spot her cowboy hat before anything else. She is dependable and values honesty, but she can also be stubborn about doing everything herself. Applebuck Season shows just how hard it can be for her to admit she needs help.
Fluttershy: the yellow pegasus who cares for animals
Fluttershy is the quiet yellow pegasus with the long pink mane. She loves animals and represents kindness. Being shy does not stop her from speaking up when another creature needs her help. Her colors make her easy to tell apart from Rainbow Dash, the other pegasus in the Mane Six.
Pinkie Pie: parties and laughter
Pinkie Pie loves a reason to celebrate, and she wants her friends to have a good time too. Look for the pink coat, curly mane, and balloon cutie mark. She is often at Sugarcube Corner, the bakery, and her big reactions make her easy to recognize in screenshots. Her Element of Harmony is laughter.
Rainbow Dash: speed, flying, and loyalty
Rainbow Dash is the blue pegasus with the rainbow mane. She is fast, competitive, and dreams of joining the Wonderbolts, the flying team she admires. Early on, she also helps keep Ponyville’s weather under control. Her Element is loyalty: even when she wants to win, her friends matter to her.
Rarity: fashion and generosity
Rarity is the white unicorn with the carefully styled purple mane and diamond cutie mark. She designs clothes at Carousel Boutique and loves making things look beautiful. She also represents generosity, so her story is about the care she puts into helping her friends as well as the outfits she creates.
What horns, wings, and cutie marks mean
An Earth Pony has no horn or wings. A unicorn has a horn and uses magic, while a pegasus has wings. An alicorn has both, like Twilight after she becomes a princess. Those details are a handy first clue when you are trying to recognize a pony.
The little symbol on a pony’s side is a cutie mark. It is connected to what makes that pony special, such as a talent they discover. Young ponies may still be figuring theirs out. That is why Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo form the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Other characters you will meet
- Spike: the small purple-and-green dragon who accompanies Twilight. He is her assistant and friend, not one of the six ponies.
- Princess Celestia and Princess Luna: royal sisters associated with the sun and moon. Celestia is Twilight’s mentor at the beginning of the series.
- Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo: the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Their club begins with the shared wish to discover their special talents. Apple Bloom is Applejack’s younger sister; Sweetie Belle is Rarity’s.
- Trixie: a blue unicorn performer with a purple magician’s hat and cape. Her theatrical appearance makes her easy to distinguish from Twilight.
- Sunset Shimmer: an important character in Equestria Girls, recognizable by her red-and-yellow hair. Her story belongs primarily to that human-world branch.
Is Sunny Starscout another version of Twilight?
Sunny is her own character: the orange pony who leads A New Generation. Her friends are Izzy, Hitch, Pipp, and Zipp. Their world has connections to Equestria’s past, but Sunny has a different story from Twilight. If you want to meet her, the 2021 movie is the place to start.
Compare the eras using our My Little Pony watch-order guide.
Visit the Friendship Is Magic series page for the show’s starting point.
