In the Grim Darkness of the Future, There Are Only Ponies

John Funk

U.N. Owen Was Him?
Dec 20, 2005
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In the Grim Darkness of the Future, There Are Only Ponies

The internet's bizarre love affair with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has resulted in more than a few excellent parody mash-ups. These are some of our favorites.

I'm not quite sure how exactly large swaths of the internet whose tastes generally lean more towards Batman and Mass Effect first fell in love with the new My Little Pony series, Friendship is Magic. Did one of them suddenly watch it on a whim and happen to tell his friends that it was actually pretty awesome? Was there a secret Hasbro plot to infiltrate 4chan and spread the seeds of periphery demographic there? The world may never know.

We may not know why this unorthodox affection first began, but it's not hard to see why it persisted. The show, created by Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends mastermind Lauren Faust, was genuinely good. Yes, it was a show aimed at little kids, but it was well-written, well-acted, and had a bunch of "adult bonuses" for parents watching it with their children (or adult animation fans watching it on their own, said Ms. Faust [http://i54.tinypic.com/2d0ckjt.png]).

But what may not have been immediately clear is just how eerily suited the show was for mash-ups with other, less cheerful intellectual properties. The internet has juxtaposed Friendship is Magic with everything ranging from Call of Duty: Black Ops to Pinky and the Brain, and these parodies are entirely more entertaining than they ought to be.

The show's first season wrapped up last Friday, which means that the internet can now enjoy (or suffer, depending) eight pony-free months until season two begins in December. Since we here at The Escapist have a long history [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/90712-Your-Chance-to-Win-the-Coveted-Pony-Badge] of loving us some ponies, we thought we'd do a round-up of all of our favorite My Little Pony mash-ups. You know, for posterity.

To the right here, you see Space Marene, which is - of course - My Little Pony meets written about [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/trailers/3043-Warhammer-40-000-Space-Marine] two of these, but the rest may be new. Even if they aren't new, they're bizarrely entertaining - much like the show itself.

Pinkie and the Brain

Short and sweet, this take on the classic Animaniacs series works eerily well with the ponies in question. Grumpy and intellectual vs. hyperactive and thoroughly crazy - a combination that pleases almost every time.


**
Inglourious Ponies


I really don't know what it is about the juxtaposition of adorable, colorful ponies and Quentin Tarantino-esque violence that is so appealing. But I'd watch Inglourious Basterds [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/escape-to-the-movies/887-Inglourious-Basterds] if it were like this.


**
Friendship is Magic: At Worlds' End


This mash-up with the Pirates of the Caribbean trailer is fairly well-edited, but it's mainly worth watching for the bit near the end. I can't help but wonder why nobody can ever get the expression on the "I owe them all money" line correct. Alas.


**
300 Ponies


It was only a matter of time before one mash-up bonanza met another, older mash-up bonanza - don't tell me you've forgotten all the "This is Sparta!" parodies already. This is admittedly a harder trailer to work with, since the only one speaking for the vast majority of the time is Leonidas, but the creator did his best. It isn't as good as the Gurren Lagann version [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3GSMPAZhMU], but then again, what is?


**
PonyCraft 2


If there's one on this list that you've already seen, it's probably this one - it's made the rounds around the internet quite a few times by now. It's also probably the single best one on the list, so that doesn't hurt. The timing is impeccable, the voices and expressions match perfectly, and the editing is simply brilliant. If you only watch one on this list, make it this one.


**
P for Pinketta


There's a crack in here about members of Anonymous ditching their traditional Guy Fawkes masks for My Little Pony ones. But you know what? It might not actually be out of the question.


**
The Elder Scrolls VI: Equestria


This Skyrim parody was excellent the first time we wrote about it [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/108127-Take-a-Ride-to-Skyrim-on-My-Little-Pony], and it hasn't changed. It also benefits from actually, you know, starring a dragon.


**
Lord of the Ponies: Friendship of the Ring


The original Fellowship of the Ring trailer may have been one of the best movie trailers ever created, and this pony-based parody follows suit. The mouth flaps aren't as well-edited as with some of the others, but it doesn't make it any less enjoyable - or the casting any less fitting.


**
The Rainbow Knight


It really is amazing how a cheerful character who likes to joke and laugh can instantly become creepy when given the voice of Heath Ledger's Joker, don't you think?


**
Pony Effect 2


As with the Skyrim parody, we'd previously covered this Mass Effect 2/My Little Pony hybrid [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/108603-Commander-Shepard-Meets-My-Little-Pony-in-Pony-Effect-2]. It's also still immensely entertaining - and it reminds you just how fantastic that ME2 trailer really was.


**
Van Sparkle


I never ended up seeing the Van Helsing movie. Was it any good? Either way, Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale look surprisingly good in pony form.


**
Spike Pilgrim vs. the World


Filmmaker Edgar Wright liked this one so much he posted it on his blog [http://www.edgarwrighthere.com/2011/04/30/scott-pilgrim-vs-my-little-pony/]. Frankly, I can't blame him.


**
Trot Fuzz


I don't know what it is about Edgar Wright's movies that meshes so well with My Little Pony. I'm not going to question it.


**
Summoner Ponies: D&D


U.S. Federal law mandates that any popular new show or videogame must at some point receive a crossover with the famous Dead Alewives Dungeons & Dragons skit. Good to see that we're not missing the mark here.

**

Anyway, that's about it for our favorite My Little Pony mash-ups. With the sheer number of parodies out there, we're bound to have missed some, so please feel free to share them in the comment thread. Enjoy (or despise) your next eight pony-free months, Internet.

And keep the thread drama-free, folks. Banhammers are standing by.

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KaosuHamoni

New member
Apr 7, 2010
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Really? Like, really?

-.- So sick of these freaking ponies...

- Edit -

I take back everything. Everything
 

Estoki

New member
May 25, 2010
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Ugh, it's this thread aga-

Oh, John Funk posted it.

And I laughed at it.

I would consider this an exception.
 

John Funk

U.N. Owen Was Him?
Dec 20, 2005
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KaosuHamoni said:
Really? Like, really?

-.- So sick of these freaking ponies...
We here at The Escapist have a very long history of loving ponies. It was only natural :)
 

Bags159

New member
Mar 11, 2011
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Yay for Pinkie and the Brain. Even before I liked the show I loved these mash-ups.
LaughingAtlas said:
Given dark lords like Richard here, it doesn't suprize me.
Oh god, the future was foretold.

John Funk said:
Enjoy (or despise) your next eight pony-free months, Internet.
Eight? Try five or six.

Most shows tend to premier the next season around the same time as the previous / first season.
 

Radoh

Bans for the Ban God~
Jun 10, 2010
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So this finally happened eh? My respect for you is unbound John Funk.
 

Scorched_Cascade

Innocence proves nothing
Sep 26, 2008
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John Funk said:
KaosuHamoni said:
Really? Like, really?

-.- So sick of these freaking ponies...
We here at The Escapist have a very long history of loving ponies. It was only natural :)
This is going to sound stalker-ish but we in the FiM pony group noticed your tweets in the watercooler and were rooting for you to do this article. Totally a great decision on your part. Thank you! Wonder if you'll get a post on ED.

My favourite is still the 300 ponies one for the 0.54-1.20 bit.
 

SaintWaldo

Interzone Vagabond
Jun 10, 2008
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OMGPONIESPONYPONYPONYPONYPONYPONY!

]head asplodes[

Can we get a pony-punching game/badge combo up in this piece now? I think the internet has pretty much demanded it with this salvo of squee.
 

BreakfastMan

Scandinavian Jawbreaker
Jul 22, 2010
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I generally do not like MLP, but those mash-ups were pretty good. I especially liked the Scott Pilgrim one. All seemed pretty well done though.