Princess Twilight must have been raised in one of the most wonderful families. It’s like she was raised for friendship — even though she didn’t understand it very well at first. I remember Twilight saying her big brother was her very first friend.

As I recall, some fans have speculated that the Sparkle family must have been blue blooded — even before the rise of Shining Armor. In that case, the humility shown by Twilight’s parents stood out even more.

I recall how Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle treated Star Tracker like family — even though Iron Will had tricked them into being objects of a sweepstakes. Since then, I’ve felt that the earth pony is an honorary member of the family. I remember seeing him there at Twilight’s coronation as the new ruler — one of my favorite cameos.

Finally, I think about how Sunburst became virtually Flurry Heart’s godfather. The School for Gifted Unicorns failed to appreciate his ability to assist the most powerful unicorns. Magic in general seems to be his talent, but he doesn’t seem to be overpowered. Even so, he may be as intelligent as Twilight.

If Shining Armor is a friend to all Princesses, then Sunburst seems to be a friend to all mares. He seems to be the only best friend Twilight has who is a stallion, other than her big brother.

I really enjoyed seeing Sunburst and Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle as part of the army of friendship — in the show finale. I had always wanted to see Twilight’s parents play a role in saving the day. I had also wanted to see Sunburst accomplish more as a hero. Seeing his mother alongside him was also a nice touch.

The Mr. Sparkle plush is an unlicensed toy from the Netherlands. The best I can tell, small batches of such toys are considered legitimate fan art in that country. The Sunburst figure was part of a MLP magazine sold in Europe. I got both these items on eBay — all the way from the UK.

Thanks to doing some writing/editing commissions, I managed to receive these items as gifts. One arrived the day before Christmas Eve. The other arrived the day after Christmas. What a way to bookend the holiday.