Initial response (or, my superficial first thoughts)
So, as we can see, there are two little ponies this month. Appropriately, because it is January, they are decked out in winter pony-gear and obviously engaged in a snowball fight. The colours are great, pastels and hot colours to appeal to the ultra-girly in me. I immediately chose a favourite (the one in the foreground, with the headband and the legwarmers and the saucy challenge in her eyes) and happily trotted off to continue my day.
Extended analysis (or, me putting my liberal arts degree to use)
Let’s look at each pony individually first. The pony in the foreground, from here on out to be referred to as “Pink Cottonflower” (for reasons you will learn shortly) has her almost-patriotic ice-cream-coloured mane and tail flowing, unhindered by winter pony-wear. She has one leg lifted, as though she has been caught by surprise by an errant snowball. She’s obviously in no hurry, probably heading to some sort of pony-café or pony-bar to try to pick up pony-stallions (she’s not dressed sensibly enough to be doing anything other than looking for attention). Her My Little Pony tattoo (the unique icon imprinted on her hind quarters, which every My Little Pony has) is hard to decipher because of the remnants of said errant snowball, but I think it’s a flower of some sort, like a pink cottonflower, which I’m not sure exists. Her friend, on the other hand, whom I call “Picnic Blanket”, is quite different, aesthetically and in action. She looks like the cold affects her more, with a cozy hat and scarf combination in dark-and-light pink. Her My Little Pony tattoo is also somewhat obstructed (not by snow but by her friend’s mane) but appears to be a picnic blanket or some other textile with a checkerboard motif, implying domesticity, which suits her reasonable get-up. Her pony snout appears to be as close to a pony pout as one could hope, while Pink Cottonflower is perhaps offering some sort of comment or sassy jibe to their out-of-frame attackers.
Now let’s look at the environment, which I’ve briefly referred to. Pink Cottonflower has been struck more than once (I’d say twice directly: once on the hind quarters and once on the snout). She seems to be quite comfortable with this and, judging by the confident angle of her head and her sassy pose, I would assume the attackers are probably male. Picnic Blanket, on the other hand, is not as sure of herself. This could be for several reasons or a combination thereof: she’s not as familiar with the workings of the boy-girl dynamic as her pal, Pink Cottonflower (which would make her an innocent, virginal archetype); she’s being blocked visually by Pink Cottonflower (which would make Pink Cottonflower a slutty archetype); or she’s genuinely excited by what’s happening with no sexual undertones or power struggles apparent to her (which would again be the virginal archetype). She has two legs off the ground, making herself taller from behind Pink Cottonflower, either in an attempt to engage the attackers herself (innocently) or to outshine Pink Cottonflower (diabolically and, more likely, the girl thing to do). Based on Pink Cottonflower’s stance, attire and gaze we can assume that she has ample experience with the opposite sex in role-playing games like this (where the female is playing the “damsel-in-distress” archetypal figure), and this is causing Picnic Blanket to behave in ways obviously uncomfortable for her and contrary to her nature.
The Possible Narrative of the Picture (or, what I think is happening)
Pink Cottonflower decided that sitting in her flat is just oh-so-dull and there are oh-so-many pony-stallions out there to interest her, so she should go to the pony-coffee-house up the road from the station. While walking to the station she stopped by her childhood friend Picnic Blanket’s flat and invited her along (it always looks better to pony-stallions when a pony-mare is laughing with her less attractive and thusly not-a-threat friends). Picnic Basket was feeling a bit lonely and liked the prospect of picking up pony-stallions, even though she has never done it herself. As they’re walking to the station some young pranksters start throwing snowballs at them, after discussing how hot the pony-girls are. Pink Cottonflower settles right into the game, laughing and encouraging and posing, while Picnic Blanket, to her later embarrassment, acts like a bit of a fool in front of the pony-boys. They chat up Pink Cottonflower, only giving Picnic Blanket a cursory up-and-down, and then the pony-boys decide to accompany the pony-girls to the pony-coffee-house.
It all probably ends with Picnic Basket calling Pink Cottonflower a slut and storming out of the pony-coffee-house, her Hot Chocolate Cappuccino unfinished, and the pony-boys calling her frigid, causing Pink Cottonflower to guiltily laugh and quietly question whether she will ever have any close female friends before finishing her mulled wine, tossing back her ice-cream hair, and trotting home with a pony-boy she knows whose official pony name is Mixed Nuts but goes by the slightly edgier version Jumbled Testicles, unconsciously revealing his latent homosexuality.
