Top 10 pony tracks of 2012, part one

Octavia by Dahtamnay, Apr 2012. CC by-nc-nd 3.0

This is, of course, inspired by Everfree Radio's Top 100 Brony Tracks of 2012, but with a few differences. One, I'm too lazy to pick more than ten. Two, it is a pick, not (as Everfree's was) a public vote. Three, remixes of show music are not eligible. And four, the only date criterion is that their YouTube upload is datestamped 2012. (A song written in Dec 2011 but posted in Jan 2012 is eligible, but one written in Dec 2012 and posted yesterday would not be.)

Here are numbers 10 to 4; I'll make another post in the next few days with the top three. The links all go to YouTube, and the number in square brackets after each title is the position the track attained on the Everfree list mentioned above.

10. Hay Ms Derpy (Forest Rain) [33] — There are any number of Derpy-related songs to choose from, but I didn't particularly like any of the (sometimes overly) emotional "Save Derpy" ones. This is a much happier song, and one that seems entirely appropriate for our beloved grey pegasus.

9. Fluttershy — The Voice of Nature (Legendary) [N/A] — This beautiful, floaty, vocal piece failed to make the Everfree Top 100. That was, frankly, a travesty. The version on YouTube has some slightly irritating show vocals near the start, but you can download a "clean" version. Do it.

8. Discord (The Living Tombstone Remix; orig. Eurobeat Brony) [1] — It was hardly surprising that this song topped the Everfree charts, given its enormous popularity. I like both this and the original version about equally, but the punchier remix has nudged ahead very recently.

7. Sweetie's Big Race (Toastwaffle's Remix) [N/A] — Everfree listeners went for "Gypsy Bard" in a big way, pushing it up to no. 17, but this is my favourite original song from Friendship is Witchcraft. The version used in the show is good enough, but Toastwaffle's remix is quite stupidly catchy.

6. Loyalty (Acoustimandobrony) [2] — This is a fantastic rock number devoted to Rainbow Dash, and it absolutely deserves its enormous popularity. The Aviators remix is decent, but I think the original is better, if a bit long. It also includes the best guitar solo of any pony song I've yet heard.

5. So Much Left to Know (MandoPony) [N/A] — This just sneaked in (upload date 3 Jan) and maybe it was actually written earlier, explaining its absence from the Everfree list. This is a lovely song that really captures what it is to be Twilight Sparkle... but also to be Twilight learning with her friends.

4. The Moon Rises (Ponyphonic) [10] — This is another song that did well with Everfree listeners, and quite right too. Although it's disappointingly short, what is there is astonishing. Probably the closest we've come to a ponyfied Phantom of the Opera, and utterly dramatic with it.