Pony references are in several places:
Is there a cultural reference that I am missing? What is the deal with ponies?
When you start listing what you want, "I want a fast HTTP parser", "I want ORM that just works", "I want higher order functions", the idea is that while you're wishing for things, you might as well wish for a pony too. This is probably a reference to a Calvin and Hobbes strip from "Someone under the bed is drooling", in which Susie Derkins says that as long as she's dreaming, she might as well wish for a pony.