I need to settle into a groove! Time to crank out some content! (Check the link for the full, HUGE blog post)
This game won't be using any of the My Little Pony characters. That's just the art style I'm emulating. I think of it like the way Super Sonic the Hedgehog is like a Super Saiyan from Dragon Ball. The inspiration is obvious, but it is it's own thing.
Even went through a design overhaul in 2017 to make sure no sprites looked confusingly similar to MLP characters.
Ah cool, just thought that selection screen might be a little close to Princess Celestia, but good to hear you're intentionally working to avoid problems - it would be a shame to run into troubles! 
It's all good! And that Alicorn is a placeholder until I finish animating the real legendary pony sprites. I'm going to have it change with day and night based on your device's clock. But since the game isn't even in alpha yet, that's a detail I'm putting off until later.
Looks interesting, do you have a license for My Little Pony?