Homebound Ponies

The Homebound Ponies are three Earth ponies who first appear in Hearthbreakers. They are unnamed in the show and are called both by their collective title and by the individual titles Traveling Gentlecolt, Traveling Pony, and Traveling Mare in another depiction.

Development and designs
Traveling Gentlecolt is based on the Planes, Trains and Automobiles character Neal Page (played by Steve Martin, making Traveling Gentlecolt one of two such based ponies, the other being Issue 10 Unnamed Stallion - Navin R. Johnson). Traveling Pony is based on the Planes, Trains and Automobiles character Del Griffith (played by John Candy). Traveling Mare is based on the Home Alone character Kate McCallister (played by Catherine O'Hara in both Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and by Clare Carey in Home Alone 4).

Depiction in the series
The three Homebound Ponies appear in the season five episode Hearthbreakers as passengers on the Friendship Express. Traveling Gentlecolt and Traveling Pony have interaction similar somewhat to that between Applejack and Rarity on the IDW comics' My Little Pony: Friends Forever Issue #8 regular cover; Traveling Mare looks out a window.

Storybooks
The three Homebound Ponies appear in Little, Brown's storybook The Reason for the Season, an adaptation of Hearthbreakers.

Software
The three Homebound Ponies are playable characters called "Traveling Gentlecolt", "Traveling Pony", and "Traveling Mare" in Gameloft's mobile game. The Hearthbreak Hotel in Ponyville is where they live. Traveling Gentlecolt's in-game description states, "No matter what, this dashing pony will always make it home in time for the holidays!" Traveling Pony's in-game description states, "Traveling Pony loves to talk to fellow travelers. Just don't get him talking about his shower curtain ring collection, or it could be a long trip!" Traveling Mare's in-game description states, "This beauty-foal pony always feels like she's forgotten something, like her suitcase or train ticket!" An in-game advertisement showed Traveling Gentlecolt at the Canterlot High School front lawn in the human world—remaining a pony, similarly to the Mane-iac in the IDW comics' story Return of the Mane-iac—and stated that he "has arrived in Equestria!"