Applejack/Rainbow Dash – Ashleigh Ball,

Apple Bloom – Michelle Creber,

The Chimera – Ellen Kennedy.

My Little Pony. Friendship is Magic is a TV series, with multiple spin-off movies which all together provide the background for toys called “My Little Pony” produced by Hasbro; a similar phenomenon of cross-promotion also occurs in the case of Monster High (toys are accompanied by a TV series which reinforces popularity and sales of the toys).

The previous episode: It Ain’t Easy Being Breezies.

The next episode: Maud Pie .

Summary of the series (see here)

Summary of the episode: 

Apple Bloom, Applejack’s little sister, struggles to be independent and more of a grown-up in comparison to other ponies. Seeking Applejack’s approval, she wants to show she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself and the family household. When other ponies set off to deliver their famous apple pies, Apple Bloom stays home with her friends, declaring full responsibility. However, Applejack does not trust her sister completely. When she comes back to check on her, Apple Bloom panics and makes a terrible mess by accident. From now on the big sister does not leave the little pony’s side, constantly watching her every move – not out of hatred but because of an overprotective attitude. 

Apple Bloom breaks under pressure and escapes home to prove her independence. She takes a cart full of apple pies to deliver them in the name of Applejack. Unfortunately, the journey through the dark woods turns out to be more difficult than she thought. In the swamps, she encounters Chimera, a mythical monster consisting of three parts: a tiger, a goat, and a snake. Despite the fact that the monster is terribly hungry, she has a struggle of her own – she cannot get away from her annoying sisters, constantly watching over each other’s shoulders. Apple Bloom tries to escape from Chimera but at the same time she can easily relate to the creature – little pony also has a sister who does not give her much of a personal space. 

Applejack finds out that the Apple Bloom is missing and sets off to save her little sister. She beats the Chimera with the traditional methods: she puts the snake to sleep with the flute, tricks the tiger whose teeth get stuck in the tree, and feeds the goat ricotta. After the ponies escape the danger, they both admit their mistakes and learn to trust each other more.

In the classical mythology chimera was, similarly as in Somepony to Watch Over Me, a three-headed monster, consisting of a lion (in MLP – tiger), a goat, and a serpent. In the ancient story the monster was defeated by Bellerophon, a mythical hero, who slayed the beast and proved his courage to Lycian (Anatolian) citizens. In the MLP episode, the role of Bellerophon is played by Apple Bloom, also wanting to prove her courage to other ponies. While facing the monster she also faces the consequences of her disobedience, which might have led to the pony’s end. Nonetheless, Apple Bloom gets the help from her sister Applejack, which shows that sometimes heroic actions succeed in a collective effort. In Somepony to Watch Over Me, as in the whole series, the treat valued the most is friendship, not singled-out heroic actions. Alluding to the classical myth, MLP creators reconstruct the well-known story and adapt it as part of their own mythology. 

As for the monster – chimera gets more of a personality in the animation than she had in the myth. She is angry and conflicted, nonetheless, she does not get killed – she is only rendered harmless by the ponies. Moreover, the monster has a gender, which also gives the creature more of a character. Due to Chimera’s sisterly quarrel, Apple Bloom can easily relate to her and finds a way to resolve her own issues. Such a modification not only presents Apple Bloom as a contemporary heroine, it also shows how the approach to monsters in general has been changed. Targets destined to be killed by a hero do not have to be anonymous, vicious beasts. It can also help to reflect on one-self and reveal “the monster” in the protagonist of a contemporary story.

Entry: “Chimera” on Theoi.com (accessed: August 31,2020).

Hodkinson, Owen and Helen Lovatt, "Introduction" in Classical Reception and Children’s Literature: Greece, Rome and Childhood Transformation, London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018. 

Valiente, Christian and Xeno Rasmusson, "Bucking the Stereotypes: My Little Pony and Challenges to Traditional Gender Roles", Journal of Psychological Issues in Organizational Culture 5.4, 2015. 

Translations: Multi-language soundtrack.

The series proved to be very popular among teenagers and adults as well: fans call themselves: “bronies”; because of this popularity, it could be considered as having reached a crossover audience. 

Somepony to Watch Over Me (the title) is an allusion to a movie from 1987, directed by Ridley Scott: Somebody to Watch Over Me.