OC ponies

In most fandoms with My Little Pony with sizable fan narrative output, some fans of the show create their own characters from whole cloth. These characters are generally referred to as "OC ponies", a term adapted from other franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog. The abbreviation is variously said to stand for "originally-created" or "original character". Some fan fiction uses almost exclusively OC ponies (like Fallout: Equestria, where most of the characters from the show are dead), but these fanmade characters are more frequently created as supporting characters or, infamously, as main characters who overshadow the Mane Six.

The term "OC pony" is also sometimes used synonymously with "ponysona", a portmanteau of 'pony' and 'persona'. "Ponification" - the creation of images of real-life humans using the design aesthetic of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic - is quite common in fan art. The resulting "ponysonas" are frequently used as avatars on message boards and other social websites, and people sometimes invent fictional character biographies to go with their respective pony. These so-called OC ponies are, however, distinct from the fanmade characters as described above, because they are usually not featured in fan fiction or (narrative) comics. Exceptions include Lauren Faust's pony of the same name and Sabrina Alberghetti's OC Wild Fire.