Steven Magnet

Steven Magnet is a male sea serpent who first appears in the episode Friendship is Magic, part 2. He was first named in merchandise, and later named in the season five episode Slice of Life, in which he is credited as "Stephen Magnet".

Development
Lee Tockar's playing of Steven Magnet as "fabulous" was instructed by voice director Terry Klassen. According to writer M.A. Larson, Steven Magnet was to have sung in one of the songs cut from Magical Mystery Cure for time, which would have featured "him and then, like, a bunch of other" dragons similarly to in Fantasia ' s Dance of the Hours. In early June 2012, Larson was asked "Best joke/line/visual that you didn't write in any of your episodes?" and answered "I absolutely LOVE the sea monster in the pilots. I always wanted to bring that guy back but tough to do organically." In late June 2012, Jayson Thiessen, M.A. Larson, and Meghan McCarthy were asked "What was the *sea serpent* doing in a river? There an ocean after Everfree?" and Larson answered "river serpent, obviously."

Steven Magnet's name does not appear in Friendship is Magic, part 2's script. Before his name was made official, it was assigned by fans after an inaccurate YouTube auto-generated caption piece of Rarity's dialogue, and Wendy Epstein relayed through Equestria Daily in 2012 regarding Enterplay trading card series 1 card #34 "We knew we wanted to include Steven Magnet on account of his unusual fan following, but were fairly sure Hasbro wouldn't jump for the fan name; hence why we pitched him as 'Sea Serpent'. The description lulls you into believing it is straight from the show...but then: 'A magnetic personality'? How did that get there? Oh yeah, bronies." Contrary to expectation, the name was indeed adopted by Hasbro, revealed at the 2013 American International Toy Fair.

Depiction in the series
In the season one episode Friendship is Magic, part 2, Steven Magnet is one of the obstacles that the Mane Six face in their quest for the Elements of Harmony. Nightmare Moon has cut off half of his mustache, sending him into a tantrum that renders an Everfree Forest river impassable. Rarity soothes his tantrum by sacrificing her tail to make up the rest of his cut mustache with her unicorn magic. In thanks, Steven Magnet offers his body as a bridge across the river.

Steven Magnet tells Matilda in the season five episode Slice of Life that he is Cranky Doodle Donkey's best friend ("best beast") and that they have shared many adventures together. Matilda is stunned by this revelation, having not known that Cranky's best friend is a sea serpent. Steven tells her in his flamboyant style that Cranky had only her in mind in all of their adventures. In the wedding ceremony, Steven snips off a piece of his mustache with his scale to create a makeshift wig for Cranky, and cries as the couple say their vows.

Merchandise
Steven Magnet appears in the toy line. His miniature collectible, with his repaired mustache, is named Steven Magnet with a trademark symbol in the deluxe Elements of Harmony Friends character collection set with Rarity, Fluttershy, Manny Roar, and Nightmare Moon. The packaging shows him with his cut-off mustache and gives the description "RARITY® shows generosity to the sea serpent, and FLUTTERSHY® shows kindness to the manticore. These Elements of Harmony help defeat NIGHTMARE MOON™!"

Steven Magnet appears on posters. The Comic Con 2011 poster shows him with his repaired mustache. A different Panini magazine poster shows him. Enterplay's Nightmare Moon and the Everfree Forest poster shows him with his repaired mustache, quoted "My moustache! How wonderful!"

Steven Magnet appears on cards. His Enterplay trading card series 1 card #34 lists him as Sea Serpent, shows him with his repaired mustache and gives him the description "This Sea Serpent is the most fabulous creature in all of the Everfree Forest! Between his lovely luminescent scales, his expertly coiffed mane, his beautiful mustache, and his magnetic personality, there simply isn't anyone in the forest who can compare. So when half of his mustache is torn clean off and he looks simply horrid, is there anything that could possibly be done? The pony to ask is, of course, Rarity the unicorn!" His Enterplay collectible card game Absolute Discord expansion set card #63 U lists him as Steven Magnet with a trademark symbol, shows him with his repaired mustache, and gives him the description "This sea serpent made best friends with Cranky Doodle Donkey. If he can pull that off, then he can make friends with ANYPONY."

Steven Magnet appears in books. In The Elements of Harmony, he is shown with his repaired mustache, and he is given the description " STEVEN MAGNET, the sea serpent of the river, is quite a testy fellow. When Nightmare Moon cut off part of his mustache, he went into a tizzy. Thankfully, Rarity used her magic to solve the problem, and in return the sea serpent offered himself as a much-needed bridge to the other side." In Mini Pony Collector's Guide, he is listed, and his mini-figure toy is shown. In Welcome to the Everfree Forest!, he is shown in images from Friendship is Magic, part 2, and "The Dark That Lurks Inside the Everfree Forest By Rarity" includes "I did meet that lovely sea serpent, Steven Magnet, in the Forest. He was swimming in the river, howling about his mustache. Someone had rudely cut half of it off, poor thing!"

Steven Magnet appears on apparel. Of the "MLP Season One Allover" WeLoveFine T-shirt, the back shows him with his repaired mustache.

Quotes
"[sobbing] What a world, what a world!"

- Friendship is Magic, part 2

"I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when this tacky little cloud of purple smoke just whisked past me and tore half of my beloved mustache clean off, and now I look simply horrid."

- Friendship is Magic, part 2

"[gasps] It's so true!"

- Friendship is Magic, part 2 and partially two commercials

"It's true, I'm hideous!"

- Friendship is Magic, part 2

"Oh-hohohoho! My mustache! How wonderful!"

- Friendship is Magic, part 2

"I'm Stephen Magnet, Cranky's best beast!"

- Slice of Life

"All these ponies traveling to Ponyville, putting on uncomfortable clothes, sitting through a long ceremony, you think any of them care about the marriage? [laughing] Honey, the wedding is everything."

- Slice of Life

"What a world! What a world, where I can’t have a Cutie Mark to go with my magnificent mustache!"

- My Little Pony Facebook post

"Come on boys, let's bring it on home."

- M.A. Larson's recollection of the ending to a song cut from Magical Mystery Cure