Dear Princess Celestia...

077: Ponyta

Ponyta's a pretty simple idea. How to make a fire horse? Take the horse, replace its mane and tail with fire. Badabing Badaboom. Bob's your uncle. Etc. Ponyta's cute enough to rile a little excitement in me when I see one, in any case. Another simple design that more or less says “Do you love horses? Well get a load of THIS.” The only thing I'd really change about it is maybe making all of its flames more styled like its tail, where it REALLY looks like flaming hair and not either just flames or just hair. Also maybe give it some red-hot hooves to make its kicks sear as well as just... really hurt, in general.

Better have a Fireproof Elixer.

078: Rapidash

If it weren't for Poliwrath, Rapidash would be the evolution that has the least amount of change going on. Which it stinks because there's so many obvious avenues for where you can take a graceful unicorn! Like if the horn were to be differently colored to the body. Maybe a bit of an underbelly color. Or even a subtle gradient going down its legs. Something to break up the solid beige body. Or maybe beige just might've been too plain a color to have solidly all over Rapidash. At least it picked a hairstyle and went with it. Though, it looks like just flames at this point rather than the fire-fur look I liked about Ponyta.

A lot of my complaints in the original review were pretty much addressed by its Galarian counterpart, which is why I ended up loving them so much. While I do like that G-Ponyta is notably more chibified compared to regular Ponyta, I think Ponyta definitely could've done with looking like a bit more of a pony to really sells the transition to a majestic fire horse. I'd still easily like the Galarian versions better, but I'd probably also like regular Ponyta and Rapidash quite a bit more! Either way, they're pleasant designs as they are, despite a new form feeling like a significant glow-up.