My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic/Characters/Animal Companions

My Little Pony toys traditionally come with pets, so it's no wonder why each of the Mane Six, Spike, and Princess Celestia have their own iconic pets, who really are characters unto themselves.

Return to the character index here.

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Angel Bunny

Debut: "The Ticket Master"

A cute little White Bunny, Angel Bunny is Fluttershy's main animal companion. Not only does Angel help Fluttershy with tasks but he also makes attempts to bring the Pegasus out of her shell. Although adorable, Angel can be quite direct when interacting with others and if he doesn't like you, he will let you know as Spike soon discovers when given the task of looking after him.

• Ambiguous Gender: Throughout the entire first season, his gender was never stated on the show and Dummied Out text from Adventures in Ponyville even called him female. However in the second season episode "The Return of Harmony Part 2", Fluttershy says "good boy" to him which confirms that he's male.
• Beleaguered Assistant: A more benign example. It must be just a little bit frustrating having to deal with someone like Fluttershy.
• Berserk Button: Do not presume to tell Angel what to eat or how to eat it.
  • Also, never come between him and Fluttershy, or hurt Fluttershy's feelings.
• Depending on the Artist: Strangely he has eyelashes in "The Return of Harmony Part 1" and "The Return of Harmony Part 2".
  • Blame DisQord.
• Destination Defenestration: Does this to Fluttershy over a salad in Putting Your Hoof Down.
• Domestic Abuser: His treatment of Fluttershy makes him look like one in "Putting Your Hoof Down".
• Disembodied Whiskers
• Even Fuzzy Little Jackasses Have Standards: He may've been an ass to Fluttershy in Putting Your Hoof Down, but even he was disgusted with the tabloid article of her in Ponyville Confidential (shown by him basically slamming the door in the Crusaders' faces after showing them a disgusted scowl).
• Expy: Possibly of Habbit, the silent and snarky rabbit assistant of old man Moochic from G1 as both Habbit and Angel share a lot of traits.
  • He's an irritable rabbit saddled with administrative duties like Herriman in Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.
• Hidden Heart of Gold: He seems to display this quite often.
• Hypocritical Heartwarming: Angel can be mean to Fluttershy. He will not tolerate anyone else being mean to her.
• Ironic Name: Most of his behaviour is far from angelic.
• It's All About Me: And living with Fluttershy means he gets away with it easily.
• Jerkass
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: For all his attitude, he does seem to genuinely care about Fluttershy. In "Dragonshy", he draws her attention to the dragon smoke in the sky by coughing; in "The Ticket Master", he helps her with her attempt to win Twilight's approval and in "A Bird in the Hoof", he reminds her that Princess Celestia's brunch in Ponyville is about to begin without her (then locks her out when she keeps coming back to apologize).
  • Took a Level In Jerkass/Flanderization: His treatment on Fluttershy in "Putting Your Hoof Down". He slapped her face and kicked her out of her own house. Why? Because the salad with whipped cream and a cherry on top had no cherry!.
    • Took a Level In Kindness: In "Hurricane Fluttershy" Angel is seen comforting Fluttershy, stroking her mane and even coaching her with the rest of the critters in her training to fly faster.
• Karma Houdini: He never answers for his horrible treatment of Fluttershy in "Putting Your Hoof Down". The worst he ever gets is having to eat a -gasp- normal salad. Which he actually ends up enjoying.
• Kick Them While They Are Down: Fluttershy went through a lot of unpleasant experiences to make a special meal for you that's just one garnish away from being perfect? Slap her in the face and kick her out!
• Killer Rabbit: Any bunny that would pounce on a dragon's (albeit a baby, but still) head, and smack a full grown pony without out a second thought easily qualifies for this.
• The Lancer: As shown in "A Bird In The Hoof" and "The Ticket Master", he acts like a secretary/nanny for Fluttershy in a Shout-Out to Alice in Wonderland.
• Loyal Animal Companion: Normally accompanies Fluttershy in her daily duties as shown in "The Ticket Master" where he prepares a salad and in "Dragonshy" and "Winter Wrap Up" where he helps Fluttershy care for the animals. He's at his most loyal in "Hurricane Fluttershy", when he comforts her when she's distraught.
• Nice Hat: He wears one while training Fluttershy in the episode "Hurricane Fluttershy".
• Non-Pony Sidekick: To Fluttershy.
• Not So Different: With Spike, considering that Angel doesn't get along with him. They both are Non-Pony Sidekicks who are also jerks with hearts of gold and helped their pony pals (Twilight Sparkle for Spike and Fluttershy for Angel) with their Character Development.
• Opposites Attract: He is more outgoing and direct than Fluttershy. It's possible that he has taught Fluttershy to be more assertive as Fluttershy was even more shy and withdrawn before she found Angel.
• Picky Eater: He demands that Fluttershy makes him a salad with a cherry on top, and won't eat it otherwise.
• Red Coney, Blue Pony
• Ridiculously Cute Critter: But don't let it fool you; if you act stupid or annoy him, he'll let you have it.
• Sarcastic Devotee
• Silent Snarker
• Sitcom Arch Nemesis: Towards Spike. Angel really, really doesn't like Spike, and when Spike is charged with taking care of Angel in "Dragonshy", the rabbit stomps on the dragon's head repeatedly. And that's just for starters...
  • Since Spike is a dragon and dragons seem to be capable of eating meat as seen in "Owl's Well That Ends Well", it could be explained as an example of the typical animosity between a herbivore and a carnivore.
  • It doubles as an inside joke to Buffy fans.
• Species Surname: First revealed in Dummied Out text from Adventures in Ponyville, and later used by Fluttershy in the episodes "Dragonshy" and "Putting Your Hoof Down".
• Spoiled Brat: Comes across this way in "Dragonshy" when he throws a temper tantrum over Fluttershy gently urging him to eat slower, or in "Baby Cakes" where she can't babysit for the Cakes because he wants a picnic.
  • Taken to a vile level in "Putting Your Hoof Down" when he places unreasonable demands on how he wants his salad, and actually slaps Fluttershy when he doesn't get his way. He should be renamed to "Demon".
• Tough Love: He gives to Fluttershy every so often when he tries to help her out.
• Tsundere: He's a rare male example of this, but his constant mood swings between episodes show signs of this.
• Ungrateful Bastard: See above. What a horrid little bunny he can be.
• Vague Age: Thanks to his general cuteness, it's difficult to gauge Angel's real age. Sometimes he acts like a toddler and other times like an adult. If he is an adult, this could explain his reaction to Fluttershy's coaxing in "Dragonshy" since it would be exasperating for an adult to be told with a woobie voice to eat slowly.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Type 1 with Fluttershy.
• The Voiceless/Speech-Impaired Animal
• White Bunny
• Would Hit a Girl: Over a cherry, no less.

Winona

Debut: "Applebuck Season"

Applejack's dog. She's extremely useful with her herding skills.

• Dub Name Change: The French magazine story La récolte d'Applejack (a Novelization of "Applebuck Season") refers to her as Jackeroo.
• Empathy Pet: Winona's mood tends to reflect whatever mood Applejack is feeling.
• Heroic Dog: She's awesome at herding cattle and can keep up with her owner and given how fast and strong Applejack is (strongest of the mane six and second in land speed only to Cartoon Physics-empowered Pinkie Pie), that's saying something.
  • She doesn't herd rabbits very well though...or at least, she's only as competent as her handler.
• Meaningful Name: Possibly a coincidence but "Winona" means "first born daughter", a description that fits Applejack.
• Ridiculously Cute Critter
• You Don't Look Like You: The toys and their art depict her as a puppy and she's even referred to as such in the description of the Applejack toy.
• You Need a Breath Mint: According to Twilight Sparkle anyway.

Opalescence

Debut: "Suited For Success"

Rarity's fluffy Persian cat; often referred to as "Opal" for short. Although Rarity adores her, the feeling doesn't seem to be entirely mutual.

• Acrofatic: Though she's not actually fat; just a fluffy, long-haired cat. When Rarity dunks her in water in "Sweet and Elite" it shows she's actually quite skinny.
• Butt Monkey: If Opal is on screen, you can expect something bad or at least annoying is going to happen to her.
• Cats Are Mean: Played with. She is playful and affectionate towards other ponies (particularly Fluttershy), can hang around other pets without much trouble and is very appreciative of Rarity's dressmaking talents. However, she's not very kind to Rarity or Sweetie Belle, latching onto the former's flank with her claws and slashing off a hank of the latter's mane. Opalescence's finicky behavior could be explained as annoyance at the rough treatment Rarity doles out to her absentmindedly when "in the zone".
  • In general, the series has been giving Opal plenty of reasons to be angry and aggressive every time she appears on screen.
• Cats Are Snarkers: Although Opal doesn't talk, her meows and facial expressions combined give off this trope's feel.
• Cats Hate Water: She's peeved when Rarity soaks her to make her look ill in "Sweet and Élite".
• Cat Stereotype: Her coat is white, so she's female. She's a Persian cat, so she's a snob.
• Cat Up a Tree: Rainbow Dash leaves her stuck in a tree in an attempt to force Rarity to come outside and see the surprise her friends have prepared for her. Opal may or may not have been in on the plan.
  • Again at the start of "May The Best Pet Win!", although this is more disdain for the company of the other pets than anything else.
• The Chew Toy: The series loves abusing her. Mostly at the hooves of her kind-hearted but sometimes absent-minded owner.
• Empathy Pet: At least in "Suited for Success" where she mirrors Rarity's feelings at some points. Examples include purring happily at the first batch of dresses, hissing at the second batch and showing embarrassment at the fashion show. She also showed some affection towards Hoity Toity at the second fashion show.
  • In "Sweet and Elite", Opal acts to a degree as Rarity's conscience, trying to remind her of her commitment to the dress for Twilight she was supposed to be making when instead Rarity opts for the fancy engagements with Canterlot's elites.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: To Rarity. She often attacks the designer, but also tries to get her to do the right thing
• Killer Rabbit: Opal seems to be shaping out like this. If anything, the episode "May The Best Pet Win!" showed that even birds of prey are afraid of going against her.
• Meaningful Name: Her collar is decorated with an opal.
• Morality Pet: A literal case during "Sweet and Elite" as Opal kept reminding Rarity to stop fooling around and finish Twilight's dress for once and all.
• Silent Snarker: Big-time...especially in "Sweet And Elite".
• Snarky Non-Pony Sidekick

Gummy

Debut: "Feeling Pinkie Keen"

A tiny toothless baby alligator who belongs to Pinkie Pie. He tends to bite or snap at anyone or anything near him but never actually does any damage. The alligator usually spends his time staring into space and doing nothing except when he's blinking, swimming around in the bathtub or playing with a balloon.

• The Comically Serious: Alligator flavor.
  • Also for some reason, he can baa like a sheep.
• Cool Pet: While he does less than most of the other ponies' pets, he's an alligator which is exotic enough to be cool. His entertainment value doesn't hurt his coolness factor either.
• Loyal Animal Companion: To the point that he seems to possess the same Reality Warper abilities as Pinkie Pie.
• Meaningful Name: He has no teeth as pointed out in his introduction.
• Never Smile At a Crocodile: Subverted; he's harmless.
• Opposites Attract: Gummy has an almost zen-like calmness about him even while biting in rapid-fire succession while Pinkie Pie is often literally bouncing with joy and excitement. This trope seems to be a trend among the animal companions of the Mane Cast.
• Purple Eyes
• Ridiculously Cute Critter: Who would have thought an alligator could be so cute?
• Theme Naming: In addition to his Meaningful Name, he also matches his owner in sharing the name of a type of sweet treat: Pinkie Pie and Gummy candy.
• Typical Cartoon Animal Colors: Real alligators are not that bright of a green.

Philomeena

Philomeena's physical appearance throughout most of her episode until her eventual rebirth.

Debut: "A Bird in the Hoof"

Princess Celestia's pet phoenix. She initially appeared unwell, so Fluttershy birdnapped her so she could try to make her feel better. Of course, she never actually needed the medical attention on the basis of being a phoenix-so she proceeded to make herself the most uncooperative patient ever for the hell of it.

• Back From the Dead: Like all depictions of phoenixes, she burns herself when she dies and rises from the ashes.
• Cool Pet: Don't let the picture fool you, She's actually a phoenix.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: She may seem simple-minded but she's clever enough to trick Twilight and Fluttershy into thinking she's a sick and weak bird...mostly because she thinks it's funny.
  • While we haven't seen her do it, all the other Phoenixes we've seen are extremely powerful, capable of scorching dragons with their flames (who, by the way, use lava pools as hot tubs). So yeah, definitely this trope.
• The Dog Is an Alien: She's a prankster and pretends to be a rather sickly parrot much to Fluttershy's consternation.
• Empathy Pet: Shares Celestia's love of practical jokes.
• Fan Nickname: "Trollomena" for her prankster streak that seems to exceed even Celestia's.
• Feather Fingers: Until those feathers drop off as well, leaving what looks like actual fingers...
• Fiery Redhead: Literally, when she's reborn.
• Incurable Cough of Death: Not that it matters...
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: After she's reborn, she gives Fluttershy one of her feathers as a thank-you gift.
• Never Say "Die": According to Celestia, Philomeena "must renew herself".
  • When she burns up in front of the Mane Six, Twilight explains to Celestia that "there's been a terrible accident".
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Her extremely dumb and erratic behavior were fake; she was just having fun at Fluttershy and Twilight's expense.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: She temporarily wears a mustache to evade Twilight and Fluttershy when they are chasing her.
• The Phoenix
• Picky Eater: Fluttershy learns this the hard way.
  • Shown Their Work: When she's revived as a healthy phoenix, take a look at her beak. If you know anything about birds, it suddenly makes perfect sense that she'd hork up the seed she was given; that's pretty obviously a raptor's beak. To put it another way, Philomeena's a carnivore.
• The Prankster
• Shout-Out: Fluttershy meets Philomeena when she's at Death's door; Philomeena bursts into flame and dies when her owner isn't there and Fluttershy feels incredibly guilty until Celestia explains the nature of a phoenix.
• Spell My Name with an "S": "Philomeena" has been used by Hasbro here, here, and here, while "Philemena" has been used in a storyboard for "A Bird in the Hoof". "Philomena" may or may not have been used by Lauren Faust.
• Toothy Bird
• Troll: She pretends to be a very dumb and stubborn bird, spending most of her screen time undermining Fluttershy's attempts to help her or getting herself in dangerous situations despite her health getting worse and worse between scenes. Eventually Fluttershy and Twilight chase her through town as Philomena is literally dying on them but still refuses to get help...until the bird stages a spectacular death scene, with her remains falling on Fluttershy's hooves, much to her horror and sorrow. Only after everything is said and done does Celestia get her to stop fooling around and come back to life, revealing that Philomena has been screwing with them the entire time. After she's reborn from her ashes, Celestia makes her apologize.

Owloysius

Debut: "Owl's Well That Ends Well"

A brown owl who befriends Twilight Sparkle and becomes her No. 2 Assistant. He keeps Twilight company when she has to stay up past Spike's bedtime.

• The Ace
• Always Someone Better: He can find books more efficiently than Spike can and his feathers can provide a spare quill for Twilight while Spike has to search for one.
• Amplified Animal Aptitude: He's hyper-competent and manages to save Spike from a full-grown dragon.
• Badass Adorable: He's adorable and able to distract a dragon and live... notable because one hit from its fire would have killed him.
• Badass Bookworm: He's also able to help Twilight with her studies.
• Big Damn Heroes: When fighting off the dragon to save Spike.
• Bow Ties Are Cool: Especially when they're Gem-Encrusted.
• Chick Magnet: All of the girls think he's a cute friend…especially when he wears a bow tie given to him by Rarity. Needless to say, Spike doesn't take this well at all.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick
• Non-Pony Sidekick: To Twilight Sparkle. He not only makes a good nighttime study buddy but he can also distract a fully grown dragon and live to tell the tale.
• Owl Be Damned: For Spike...at least initially.
• Punny Name: Aloysius combined with the word "owl".
• She's a Man In Japan: In the Polish dub, he's referred to as female (perhaps because in Polish "owl" is a noun with a female gender).
• Shout-Out: A very smart and competent bird fights off a giant reptile, assists a gifted young witch in rescuing a hapless youngster and aids them in escaping.
• Spell My Name with an "S": "Owloysius" seems to be the official spelling (it's been used by Hasbro in the description and tags of a YouTube clip from "Owl's Well That Ends Well" as well as in a Facebook question), but Word of God says that it was "Owlowiscious" (with Lauren Faust saying that "it probably should have been Owloysius")--additionally, "Owlicious" has been used by WeLoveFine in some of the descriptions and tags of their Ponies with Pets art print, T-shirt and bag.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: For the toy-exclusive owl who accompanies the basic Twilight Sparkle toy.
• Who's on First?: Due to the fact he can only say "Hoo", Spike tends to interpret it as "Who", leading to these types of conversations. Twilight also falls for it at the end of the episode.

Tank

Debut: "May The Best Pet Win!"

In "May The Best Pet Win!", Rainbow Dash seeks out a pet to have for her own by holding a contest. While initially unimpressed by a hapless tortoise that Fluttershy insists Rainbow admit as a contestant, Rainbow Dash is won over when he's the only one to stop and help her during the final contest after her wing gets pinned under a huge boulder. As a result, she's inspired to declare the tortoise whom she names "Tank" as the winner and her new pet.

• Action Pet: Doesn't seem like it, but when Rainbow was in danger, he lifts a boulder with his freakin' head.
• Cool Shades: Gets a pair of them out of his shell in response to Rainbow Dash saying she wants a cool pet.
• Determinator: Rainbow Dash is partly impressed by his never-give-up can-do attitude.
  • Tenacity.
    • Gesundheit.
• Empathy Pet: Tank's loyalty is the other part of what impresses Rainbow Dash (the Element of Loyalty).
• Last Place Is For Winners: He may be the slowest in every competition but he is the most loyal to Rainbow Dash.
• Magitek: His helicopter device gets its power from the glowing trinket between the propeller and the base.
• Meaningful Name

Rainbow Dash: You just can't stop that little guy. He's like a...like a...Tank!

• Mighty Glacier: He may be absurdly slow but he could lift a boulder that trapped Rainbow Dash's wing. He can also withstand Opal's flurry of swipes pretty well thanks to his shell.
  • Lightning Bruiser: Possibly upgraded to this thanks to his helicopter attachment.
• Opposites Attract: Mighty Glacier pet with a Lightning Bruiser owner and the reason why Rainbow Dash is reluctant to let him compete to be her pet at first. Speed is the only real difference between them though: see Empathy Pet.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: He could lift a boulder that has to be at least fifteen times bigger than himself.
• Running Gag: He's mistaken for a turtle when he's actually a tortoise.
• Shout-Out: To the A39 Tortoise Heavy Assault Tank. It was designed purposely favoring survivability over mobility.
• Super Strength: Like we said, able to lift a boulder.
  • And carry Rainbow Dash all by himself.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: For the toy-exclusive turtle who accompanies the Riding Along with Rainbow Dash toy. Word of God says that "May The Best Pet Win!" was conceived and written almost a year before it aired, and the turtle toy was first revealed at around the same time, so there may or may not be a connection here.
• Those Magnificent Flying Machines: After Rainbow Dash realizes tortoises can't fly, Tank's outfitted with a helicopter-like device to allow him to keep up with her.
• Turtle Power: Tortoise to be precise but powerful all the same.
• Undying Loyalty: To Rainbow Dash, which is why she chose Tank to be her pet.
• You All Look Familiar: In Rainbow Dash's Rainboom Game, more than one of him may appear at the same time.

Peewee

Debut: "Dragon Quest"

A tiny phoenix chick that hatched at the end of the episode, well after its parents and siblings were driven away from their nest. Spike found it and almost smashed it on orders from the leader of a dragon gang, but decided to take it home with him and raise it.

• Ambiguous Gender: Since it only hatched at the end of the episode, it's impossible to tell at this point if it's a boy or a girl.
• Appropriated Appellation: A couple of the dragon bullies mocked Spike as looking more like a "Peewee."
• Cool Pet: The coolest of the Mane Cast's pets.
• Egg MacGuffin
• The Phoenix
• Ridiculously Cute Critter

Others

• Ambiguous Gender: Any of the ones who aren't referred to as "he" or "she."
• Ascended Extra:
  • The bow-wearing bunny from "Dragonshy" makes multiple appearances in the toys, pretty much taking the place of Angel Bunny.
  • The owl from "May The Best Pet Win!" might be the same one from "Stare Master". It at least appears to be the same kind, and no other owls of that kind have appeared in the series.
  • The bat from "May The Best Pet Win!" might be one of the same ones from "Winter Wrap Up". It's at least the same kind.
• Big Badass Bird of Prey: "May The Best Pet Win!" features more than one.
• Call Back: The "puddy tat" from "May The Best Pet Win!" reappears several times in "Read it and Weep" as part of a group of giant predators chasing Daring Do.
• Canon Immigrant: A few of the animals who were originally just toys have gone on to appear in the animated segments of toy commercials (though they still haven't appeared in the actual show): the mouse from this commercial and the hedgehog, butterfly, and chipmunks from this commercial.
• Cool Pet:
  • "May The Best Pet Win!" features several with varying degrees of coolness, awesomeness, and radicalness.
  • While not necessarily a pet, the quail from "Owl's Well That Ends Well" could count.
• Cute Kitten: The "puddy tat" from "May The Best Pet Win!"
• Feather Fingers: A few of the birds in "May The Best Pet Win!".
• Furry Confusion: The very idea that ponies which are considered pets themselves in Real Life (heck; the name "My Little Pony" is an indication of this) are able to own pets. Almost all of them are near the level of sapience as their owners.
• Messy Pig: Several seem to live at Sweet Apple Acres, where they are fed kitchen scraps and bruised apples. Apparently they're kept because ponies have a thing for truffles.
• No Name Given: With the exception of Elizabeak from "Stare Master" as well as Hummingway and possibly Mr. Mousey from "A Bird in the Hoof".
• Ridiculously Cute Critter: A number of them but special mention goes to the "puddy tat" from "May The Best Pet Win!"
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: The bow-wearing bunny from "Dragonshy" accompanies the Fluttershy and Fashion Style Fluttershy toys, similarly to Angel Bunny.
• Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: One bunny seen at the beginning of "Dragonshy" and in the toys.
• White Bunny: Angel isn't the only one.
• You All Look Familiar: Some white bunnies are indistinguishable from Angel Bunny.
• You Don't Look Like You: In the toys and their art, the bow-wearing bunny from "Dragonshy" looks less like Angel Bunny than in the show.