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| The epitome of SWAG Fancy Pants Wallpaper by BlueDragonHans |
Fancy Pants appeared in Sweet
and Elite and that episode alone. Go give that episode a view if you need a
refresher. Finished? Welcome back. Let’s begin with the over-analysation of a
kid’s cartoon after the break.
If you take a look at some of the upper class ponies that
have appeared in the show, they all seem to have similar traits: conceited and
vain, obsessed with their status in the world and improving their image. They
also all seem to have quirky voices, such as Photo Finish and Hoity Toity, that, at this point, associate a pony with
the higher class. Sweet and Elite focuses
on Canterlot and the community there, so understanding these types of ponies is
important. Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that Fancy Pants, a pony seemingly next in line in the stereotype machine, turns out to be a figure completely unique. Even going
beyond that, the character is a satire for Canterlot society.
Firstly, it's worth noting that a “Fancy-pants” is a name for someone that is overly
elaborate and pretentious, someone who attempts to impress by acting as if they
have more importance than they really do. This is an interesting find as Fancy Pants is portrayed as one of the more
humble Canterlot ponies. When the chips are down, Fancy Pants is found out to be one of the prime supporters of moral dignity in Canterlot. His name becomes ironic
as the episode progresses, which pokes fun at the societal aspects of
Canterlot in a community where presentation overshadows moral substance.
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| Fancy Pants by The-Smiling-Pony |
But to not get ahead of myself, let's return to the introduction of our would-be Canterlot snob: We’re led to believe throughout the entire episode that Fancy
Pants is just another Canterlot elite that Rarity “needs” to impress in order to further herself. From the
get go, he’s quite overwhelming in terms of his presentation. For one
thing, he’s got a mare falling all over him as he simply stands there. This is all part of the ploy to develop the contradiction
between his name/presentation and his actual character. Rarity is overrun
with a desire to leave an impression on him in almost no time at all. She wants to make her mark on him solely because he appears important.
Fancy Pants is shown off at a level of immense superiority
that Rarity feels she must climb to. In the Wonderbolts derby scene, Fancy
Pants’ influence over other Canterlot upper class ponies is readily apparent, but it
also shows how a lot of Canterlot residents are simply pawns in Fancy Pants’
back pocket. This sense of control over the traditional Canterlot elite is even given to Rarity during the "Becoming Popular" sequence. What it ultimately communicates as that there is
something wrong with how the upper class ponies operate. They don’t seem to
have any free will, only appealing to the one in charge to reach the next step of their career, uncaring of those below them.
Despite all this, Fancy Pants is never made out to look like a “bad guy”. However, he’s undoubtedly overwhelming. But once Rarity is able to kickstart her way up and show off a piece of her talents, he begins to open up to
their partnership. This, however, doesn’t necessarily entail friendship. Photo Finish, for example, was looking to capitalize on Fluttershy/Rarity in Green isn’t your Color, not help them
for, well, them. At this point, it’s difficult to really tell whether Fancy Pants is
genuinely on Rarity’s side, or he’s just there to capitalize, like many other
business-savvy Canterlot folk, which is another trait that gets criticized by
his character. Well, at least up until
the next scene…
Rarity, as you probably already know, is essential to
developing Fancy Pants into a symbol of defiance from societal norms. When her
time of need at Twilight's party finally comes that was inevitable since the beginning of the story,
Fancy Pants puts his status and credibility on the line to help her. In this
moment, we finally see for sure the true nature of his character and his
relationship with Rarity. For Rarity, this is one thing: She learns she should
stay true to her friends because they will support her artistic vision to the
bitter end. However, what Fancy Pants reveals can apply to something bigger
than just Rarity.
Everything concerning Fancy Pants, from his name to his
status, makes him look as if he’s just another high-class pony. However, in the
final moments of the episode, Fancy Pants proves to be morally elevated from
the rest of his peers in direct contrast to the rest of society and any preconceptions his appearance would have lent themselves to. His entire
design is to prove that compassionate and caring ponies can still be successful
whilst helping out their fellow ponies. Fancy Pants’ character shows that
Canterlot ponies’ have the capacity to be morally correct while still being successful and respected.
Fancy Pants strikes
me as a character wise enough to know how to teach someone a lesson without
giving it to them straight, which is ideally the best way to learn something.
He also serves as a way to poke fun at the flaws of the rich and conceited, and
that message could even be argued does a 180 back to Rarity: Stick with your genuine friends,
there’s really nothing special here for you in Canterlot.
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| RariPants by Ann-chan1324 |
