I like pandas.

Doodle a day #24, Scootaloo.

You thought she’d be on her signature scooter, didn’t you? But that would have been predictable. CMC daredevil (and president of the Rainbow Dash fanclub), Scootaloo is arguably the coolest of the Crusaders, even if her idolatry is a bit…misguided.

…fine, yes, I am biased. I already covered this. Moving on…

There’s a lot about Scootaloo that I wish we’d get more info on. I hope we find out more about her parents, or at least what her current living situation is supposed to be. So she’s got a house, and a room in said house. Is that it? I don’t want to go through another fly-by gut punch of a revelation like in Crusaders of the Lost Mark, where Applebloom’s parents are finally revealed to be…well, gone. And if Scoots’ non-flight is permanent, will they ever tell us? It’d be a good lesson on learning to deal with a disability.

Not that she lets it stop her, no sir. Those tiny little wings are still mighty powerful. She towed Applebloom and Sweetie Belle all the way from Ponyville to the Crystal Empire in a matter of hours, maybe less. Maybe her wings are just on sideways?

Doodle a day #23, Sweetie Belle.

The songstress of our CMC Trio, Sweetie can be a bit of a handful. With a golden voice (and the accompanying squeaks) and puppy eyes that can melt even the coldest of hearts, she’s often considered the cutest of the Crusaders, even if she’s a little bit of a manipulator. I wonder where she got that influence?

Her magic has gotten much stronger in Season 5. She struggled with moving a broom in Twilight Time, but by Crusaders of the Lost Mark, she could levitate Pipsqueak. I was impressed. I do enjoy seeing growth, and out of all the CMCs, she’s probably had the most development.

I dread the day we lose that signature voice crack we all know and love. Claire Corlett isn’t getting any younger, I wonder how long she can keep it up? Squeakybelle, we hardly knew ye.

Doodle a day #22, Nightmare Moon.

I was a bit underwhelmed with this character in the pilot episodes. Sure, she was a threat, but aside from a few illusions and traps, how big of one was she, really? I mean, besides the whole imprisoning Celestia in the moon and bringing eternal night part.

However, I VERY much enjoyed her return in the Season 5 finale. Even with limited time, they fleshed her out nicely. Was she truly a tyrant? It didn’t seem so. Just a powerful ruler that expected absolute respect of her subjects, and absolute control of her domain. Out of all the alternate futures, hers I would have minded the least. I’m sure she found a solution to the crop problem. How do you grow food without sunlight?

I decided to give the big bad of Season 1 a little more effort than some of the others. My hand is actually cramping a bit as I type this. Worth it, I think.

Doodle a day #21, Mayor Mare.

Looks like she’s out stumping for re-election. Which begs the question, with a name like Mayor Mare, what else could she do? Uh oh, is this the part where we’re not supposed to think too much about pony names?

Or maybe Mayor really is her title, and she has another first name no one ever bothers to say because–well, she’s the mayor. It’d be disrespectful.

Crusaders of the Lost Mark touched on politics a bit (you know, that whole part before the fandom exploded and wept joyfully for a week). Maybe they could get back to that in the future, in an episode where the mayor just isn’t the mayor anymore. Now what will you do? What would any pony do? As the Flim Flam brothers put it, “Guess you’ll have to find a new line of work that doesn’t match your names quite so…perfectly.”

Doodle a day #20, Sea Swirl.

I’ll level with you on this one. I have no idea what she’s all about. But her cutie mark is dolphins, so she gets dolphin.

Also, it’s kinda fun to look at the initial doodle and see the little things that changed along the way. I haven’t drawn a dolphin years, it’s amazing the difference a couple of reference images make.

For those that actually know when I’m drawing these, it might seem like it takes me a few hours to finish one. Nah, I’m pretty sure I just have a bit of attention deficit going on, I get distracted easily. Total work was about an hour. I’m getting faster, thankfully. Glad I started this little project.

Doodle a day #19, Derpy Hooves. (Or is it Muffin now? Eh.)

I love Derpy. Always working hard in the background, holding down multiple jobs, attending events all over. She’s the busiest mare in Equestria. And also adorable. 

Alright, so she makes the occasional mistake. Who doesn’t? I think she just has her hooves in so many things, it’s easy to make her a scapegoat. If anything, she needs a vacation. And a hug or two. Not in any particular order.

Doodle a day #18, Fluttershy.

Y’know, for a character beloved by so many, I really didn’t care much for her in the beginning. She just seemed so…cliche. Okay, we get it, she’s shy. It’s in the name. But she’s probably undergone the most growth of any of the Mane 6 in these past 5 seasons. Sure, she’s still timid, but she’s much more willing to stand her ground and speak up for herself in certain situations, and not just to defend her animal friends. Hell, she even celebrated Nightmare Night and owned it! Good for her.

Confident, assertive Shy is Best Shy (I love it when she’s proud of herself). But that’s just my opinion.

Doodle a day #17, Rarity.

Behold, Rarity! As she wallows on yet another fainting couch. (Original design, do not steal. Or do, it’s pretty horrible.) Where does she keep all of those, anyway?

Rarity is a spectacular character. Many were put off in the beginning, thinking she’d be just another girly, hyper-feminine, makeup slathered trope designed to sell clothing accessories for the toy line. But she’s turned out to be one of the most relatable, fabulous, and scene-stealingest characters. I think much of that is thanks to the brilliant acting of Tabitha St. Germain (seriously, she’s amazing), but the writers always seem to bring their A-Game when it’s a Rarity episode.

Name a bad one, I dare you.

I wonder. Is she suffering from overwork? Or perhaps a particularly demanding little sister has frazzled her nerves. Or maybe…it’s drama.

Doodle a day #16, Rainbow Danger Professionalism Dash.

Okay, I’ll admit, it took me two days to do this. Not because she’s that much more difficult to draw than any other pony, but I just have a really hard time forcing myself to deal with her.

I suppose it’s confession time. Dash is probably–no, definitely–my least favorite of the Mane 6. She’s brash, cocky, loud, immature, impatient, short-sighted and short-tempered, and a host of other things. But for each of those qualities, there’s an upside. She’s a genuine friend and shows genuine concern, even if she does screw up. (A lot.) Many of the tendencies she exhibits are part of a facade of confidence she puts on not just for others, but to force herself to be able to accomplish the feats she does. Honestly, my dislike for her probably stems from having such a similar personality. When I see her act like a jerk to her friends and blame others for her shortcomings, it irritates me deeply because I could see myself treating others that way. When she goes WAY too far, committing acts I’m pretty sure are criminal and getting away with it, I get angry at her privilege because I want to take things that far (screw you, Equestrian Justice System, #freetroubleshoes). I have to seriously try hard not to act Dash-like, luckily I’ve been tempered by wisdom and experience. Still, I have my moments, and I don’t like them.

I love Applejack because she’s what I aspire to be. I dislike Rainbow Dash because she reminds me of what I am, or at least the negative qualities that I have the potential to have. Pony psychology, yo. Admittedly, I dislike her much less than I did in the beginning (I’m looking at you, Fall Weather Friends). Still, she cheats at video games (I see you, Rainbow Rocks)! That’s punishable by death.

Maybe one day I’ll grow to like her, but I get the feeling for that to happen, something so drastic would occur that everyone else would stop liking her. Oh well, I guess I can dream. And for this doodle, I guess she can too.