• How My Little Pony Impacted Me! - The Submissions Part 1

    by

    It still hasn't completely sunk in that the show is over after 9 years. It really was that monolith of stability in our crazy lives. It seems like a lot of you agree with that one.

    The most surprising responses here are the people that were just kids when this started. 10 years old when the show first aired, and full-on off to college young adults now. Imagine having Friendship is Magic for half your life. I can't even imagine.

    We'll keep it alive for you guys. Don't worry about that. It may have only been a third of mine, but that was a pretty damn awesome nine years.

    Anyway, travel below if you are curious about reading how pony impacted people. Due to the amount fo submissions, This is part 1, and the event is still open for part 2 (and possibly 3) until the night of the 20th, so feel free to get your responses in! If yours isn't here, it's already set for part 2.

    Submission information here


    The Submissions

    I was in high school in 2011 when I first heard of the show. I saw a video remixing a trailer from Watchmen with ponies (I believe BVids made that). I would later see ponies take over every corner of the internet, including a message board I was a part of. I gave the show a shot in 2012, right before I turned 17, when Good Mythical Morning did a video talking about Bronies. They featured Saberspark's "Ballad of the Brony" in it, and after watching that documentary, I watched the show and fell in love.

    The show introduced me to many friends and helped me, a shy teenager at the time, make friends in person. I also asked questions for Dustykatt's "Stay Brony My Friends" show every week, to the point where I became a running joke on the podcast, and I became the show's resident superhero: James Justus. I drifted away from the show for a while, but I came back. This show has changed my life for the better and it is something I will always treasure and never forget.


    When I started My Little Pony I was just a dumb teenager, afraid of social situations, I didn't had any "true" friends and I simply couldn't find my place in any kind of social situations, I even thought the world would be better without me, that I was just an obstacle in everypony's lives.

    Then, it happened. I started watching the out of curiosity, arround the ending of season 3 an my life changed for the better. The show taught me that I mattered, it showed me that everypony has a purpouse, not only that but the brony community received me better than I was ever received, people treated each other with kindness and respect, I was truly feeling loved even though I was just one of many other fans, I felt special. The show boosted my confidence and gave me lessons that actually encouraged me to socialize more and that made me make friends, real friends.

    My Little Pony saved my life, showed me that I was wrong in thinking that I don't matter, it showed me that I am loved and that I can love, it encouraged me to be better.

    My Little Pony is the greatest thing to happen in my life.

    I loved it so much! I discovered it in Google+ in 2013 I think, and I watched a Brazilian video saying I shouldn't watch it because it would get me addicted to it, I watched the two first episodes then became addicted to it :3, I loved every character, then I joined a lot of communities on Google+, after a while I joined a Brazilian Wikia of it, then I discovered 4chan, I watched My Little Pony in my entire childhood and I love it so much because It changed my life and made me so happy, it helped me when I was in a bad state and sad, I taught me a lot of things about friendship, I want to go to Equestria, I want to see Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, I have a lot of awesome friends because of My Little Pony, I even made a website thanking MLP for it (don't know if I can insert it here), thank you for reading this email, it was awesome writing it, I'm Stake2, Izaque/Isaac, thank you!

    Hello My name is Lauren and heres how MLP effected my life
    I was senior in High School and me and my family has just got Optimum and back then we didn’t have a lot of channels and I’ve been a fan since 2014.
    I didn’t have a lot of homework back then like a normal Senior because I took easy classes because of my disability.
    So one day after school I was relaxing on the couch in my living room and watching TV a lot and channel surfing when I came across a channel called the Hub.
    Anyway the 1st Equestria Girls was on and they were only showing the 1st part not the whole movie like it is now so after that I went on Dailymotion and saw the other two parts and loved it.
    So the next three months I went on Dailymotion and watched all the episodes and got up to season 4 rather quickly. I also got teased for watching MLP and I would’ve still got teased if it wasn’t for my friend Randy who was a freshman and he helped me with the teasing and he stills watches the show.
    Then then the following year I went to a job program called Springboard where I met my friend Joey who told me about Friendship Is Witchcraft.
    I’ve been watching the show ever since and I can’t wait for Generation 5 and the comics. I’m also still sad it’s over.
    From Lauren

    I think as myself a complete tyrant but when I watched the show on 2013 - 2019 watched season 1 to 9. Since I was ten years old in 2010 I watched small bits of it on internet. I always watch it everytime and it change me the way I was then it teaches me about life and the magic of friendship, i like the 2017 movie very much, love the characters, the setting, and everything. It inspires me to write my first transformers and my little pony crossover fanfic called transformares and pony art. I will miss this show very much. I will get season 10 comics, the manga, the complete series of my little pony friendship is magic, and other merchandise to remember it. I hope g5 will or not be a continuation of mlp fim. Stay strong my fellow bronies and pegasisters

    Ps: Hasbro how come there is no guardians of harmony rarity which I'm trying to complete my mane six collection?

    In March 2013, Me and my twin brother was watching the show on YouTube without knowing we're both closet bronies til summer. We confessed to our parents and they supported it, our merchandise expanded including trading cards, keychains, toys, plushes, and clothing. I made more friends using the lessons from the show. Me and my brother would sit down watching the show every Saturday morning and the equestria girls. I decide to wear the keychains on a lanyard and do fan art in the art class in my old school. When we watched the finale last night, we were both crying liquid pride on how the show ended. I will spread the magic of friendship, watch G5, read the comics and manga, and watch the show all over again when they release a complete series set or get every season individually.

    Friendship is Magic

    I am watching this show since December 2010. Those 6 little ponies taught me a lot about friendship!
    They help me survived hard times in high school, and shitty job. My little Pony is a huge part of my life, and I absolutely can't imagine a life without them, and without my friends that I gain by the show! Fandom is my home. The're never rejecting or laughing at anybody. Love and Tolerance - maybe a little forgotten but main guide sentence for all of us over those 9 years. For me, 10.12.2019 was on of the saddest days in my entire life. But still... I have my friends that understand's me.
    Thank you My Little Pony, for my life. I don't want any different!

    Kind Regards,
    REDZIM

    So, like many of you, I’m still trying to process the fact that Friendship is Magic is officially done (at least in TV show form). The story is over, and the book has closed. It’s a difficult fact to accept, especially for someone like me who has spent the last 8+ years within the fandom’s walls, experiencing all the ups and downs that come with being part of such a large community (side note: I don’t regret a single second of it). Thinking back on all the many years I’ve been a Brony, I cannot help but reflect on how it changed the course of my life and ultimately shaped who I am today.

    First and foremost, this show got me to really re-evaluate entertainment that is aimed at girls…or really, any entertainment that sports a cutesy exterior. When I started watching the show as a 17-year-old high school sophomore, I wasn’t too inclined to watch anything that presented itself as cute, girly and saccharine on the outside. I certainly wasn’t as macho-obsessed as many of my peers at the time, but I wasn’t exactly clamoring to watch something with tiny, pastel-colored, doe-eyed horses, either. After I started watching the show, though, I was forced to admit something to myself: this kind of cute, immediately-appealing entertainment is something that I kinda sorta liked all along. That revelation lead to a big overhaul in the types of entertainment that I was willing to consume. I feel confident that, were it not for *Friendship is Magic*, I would have never given many of the shows, movies, and even video games that I currently enjoy a fair shot.

    Secondly, this show gave to me a community that, even 8 years down the line, still manages to impress me with just how open, friendly, accepting, inventive, creative, and just downright amazing it is. The Friendship is Magic fandom was, effectively, the first fandom that I was ever really a part of (I dabbled in the Sonic fandom prior to FiM, but never dove head first into the madness the same way I did for pony). That fact in and of itself would be enough to make this fanbase something truly special for me. However, on top of it being my first, the Friendship is Magic fanbase is just something else. The people are wonderful, the art is inspiring, the fanfiction is addicting as hell, the music is distinct and unique, the fan animations are out of this world…the whole package is just awe-inspiring. I am not a religious man, but in many ways, I feel blessed that I get to be part of such an amazing fandom each day and will continue to get to be a part of it for as long as I see fit.

    Lastly, it would be right to talk about how Friendship is Magic impacted me without talking about the friends that I made along the way. Many of these friends were solely online, though I also made several IRL. Via these friends, I had experiences that I simply would never have had otherwise. I got to attend MLP get-togethers, be a part of livestreams, participate in late-night voice chats, and play the MLP card game with other fans. However, out of all these experiences, getting to attend BronyCon is probably the most significant. BronyCon was whole experience unto itself. Being among so many other fans at once was exhilarating, and the amount of fun I had was truly special. BronyCon was also a chance to meet many of those online-only friends in person for the first time. BronyCon, in addition to being amazing in and of itself, was also my gateway drug to all other things convention related. For that, I will be eternally grateful that I decided to attend BronyCon 2015 almost 4 years ago.
    Now, I know that, compared to many, what the show did for me might not seem particularly impactful. After all, it didn’t lift me out of depression or help me to meet my significant other or anything like that. However, I am confident that without Friendship is Magic, my current life would look drastically different than it does today. My Little Pony may not have completely changed my life, but it undoubtedly improved it.

    I remember in college I would be so anxious about going grocery shopping that I would avoid it, eat poorly, or stock up on non-perishable food so that I wouldn't have to shop as often. When I would shop, my chest would tighten with anxiety to the point that it felt like I had trouble breathing. Looking back, and with further knowledge, I probably satisfied the diagnosis requirements for agoraphobia. But, I genuinely thought that that anxiety was normal and that I had to just suck it up. It wasn't until I saw Fluttershy being displayed as abnormally fearful about shopping that I realized that there was something wrong and decided to do something about it. MLP has done many more things for me, and they all share a common theme: inspiring me to better myself. My relationships with my friends and family are stronger and better than ever, I'm more confident, and I am always looking for ways to be a better person. But the biggest difference is that I'm happier and calmer today than I ever remember being in my entire life. Thank you MLP:FIM, for the happiness that you have inspired me to find in every day of the rest of my life. Thank you.

    My Little Pony has impacted me in many ways, more than any Brony really expects it to when they first dive in. Of course it has been a source of endless joy and enjoyment, laughter and heartbreak, but what it and the Brony fandom gave me the most was a sense of identity funnily enough.

    I wouldn't say I'm a slacker, but I would say I've been unfocused. I would give my honest effort to whatever was in front of me, but I didn't really have an end goal. At most, I had a couple of ideas of future possibilities that I didn't think were bad, but nothing that really called to me. I didn't have a sense of who I was or what I wanted to be.

    But MLP and Bronies changed that. I knew, from the moment I entered the fandom, that I was a Brony to the depths of my soul. That what I wanted to be was honest and loyal, generous and kind, and funny when I can. And that it wasn't a bad goal to have. It gave me a sense of being something bigger than myself when I often felt disconnected from those around me. It helped me define myself, that when I was doubting if I was smart, or if I was charming, or what I wanted to do with my life, that I always knew that I was a person that was open and welcoming to this show's message and that I would proudly stand beside those who shared that with me.

    This show came into my life at the perfect moment, and now leaves at an eerily coincidental moment as well. When I first watched the show, it was on a whim. I was 18 and had just graduated high school less than a week before. I found it on my own, no recommendations, but within a year or two I discovered some of my friends had watched it to, and made new friends from that common connection. Now I am 25. Those friends that watched no longer do. I used to read EQD daily, but I fell out of it (although I have actually bookmarked the last day I read, June 1 2017, and have the full intention to catch up when I can). This show has seen me though my first steps out into the world. Through my journey into and out of college. Into my first real relationship, and through the fallout as well. It traveled with me to my first big internship in my field, to a city 1600 miles away. Saw me into my first permanent job. And now, just the day before the finale, I applied to go back to get a Masters degree. This show and this fandom was a friend when I had few, a ray in the dark, and a rock in unsteady times all at once. The show came into my life when one chapter began, and leaves as that chapter closes, to a degree that feels like fate. Just like Twilight was in episode 1, I was scared to head out into the world when I started this show, and now that it's finishing I am well on my way. The future is never set in stone, but as long as I remember this show, I'll remain hopeful for what comes next.

    It helped me with depression, and being shy at school too, so... Yeah.

    The Cartoon that Changed My Life

    When I was little I never really cared about fitting in. I always did my own thing and was happy for it, there was no such thing as cliques and popularity in elementary school. If you ask my parents they will even tell you I was outgoing. Then I started 5th grade at a new school and everything changed.

    I felt like I had to fit in, and I was always quiet and meek. I made friends here and there but they were always like outcasts themselves. I never tried to be myself in school and if I did I made sure it wasn’t extremely weird or that I was bonding with a friend over something I liked too, like Minecraft or Legos for example. It continued this way all the way up to 8th grade where it became even worse. I was starting to ride down the popularity chart and was always trying to be popular. The only time I was myself in school was when I was off my ADHD Medication which very rarely happened. I only knew a few people who were into things I liked, and when I tried to be myself in school I was picked on and bullied. I tried not to let it bother me on the outside but on the inside it really did. I was always very cautious with what I said or did, how I acted or dressed, what I liked and even talked about. If I did “nerd” out to people I usually felt embarrassed even when it wasn’t embarrassing.

    I had also taken dance classes when I was younger and I loved it. I had taken Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop and Tap for about 6 years and my skill was amazing, but bullying came between me and my love of dance. I was constantly picked on and teased for taking dance I eventually quit, not because of the bullying but to pursue other athletic opportunities in hopes of fitting in. I missed all my friends from dance especially my mentor who always helped me try to find the real me, my dance teacher. Although I never forgot how cruel people could be, I learned later on that, the bullying I experienced was just the tip of the cruelty iceberg

    Eighth grade was where the bullying hit the worst though. I was assigned a project for a class I was taking. The project was to complete the second half of one of Edgar Allen Poe’s stories with only the knowledge of the first half. I did my assignment and animated it as it was a project requirement. I was out sick on a Friday and my teacher presented it for me on my behalf. When I came back that Monday a terrible rumor was spread about me based off of my assignment and due to this false rumor the school decided to involve the police. I was even forced to get a psych evaluation from my doctor. I later found out when everything was taken care of that the rumor was started about me because I was unpopular and an easy target. I was punished for being creative and unpopular. This left me with bad trust issues about my friends and made me second guess all my work from that point on. All because I tried to be myself

    High school was even worse for me because I was an outcast to the outcasts. I had two friends who I really shouldn’t have hung out with because they were trouble instigators but I did anyway, when I think back I realize that they too made fun of my interests as well. I was never really able to hang out with my friends outside of school because my Mom was afraid that the people I was friends with were not true friends and could not be trusted after the whole Poe incident. I usually only hung out with them at lunchtime. When lunch was switched during second semester for all students I ended up with the same lunch but they changed, I ended up sitting alone at lunch just like I did back in middle school.

    This all seemed to change when my family moved 3 hours away from Scranton Pennsylvania to rural Akron Pennsylvania. Here I was able to start fresh and express myself a little bit. I made new friends and later found out that they liked a few things that I did, but the pattern repeated itself. After a while they kind made fun of me for it but not as bad as my old school. I would sometimes express myself by doing school projects and assignments based on things I liked. For example, I did a restaurant menu for Graphic Design themed after the Legend of Zelda. Some students didn’t mind this because it was a gender neutral game and there were other students there that liked it as much as I did. This made me feel a little better about myself but I was still afraid to try to experience new things I was afraid that I might ruin the little bit of a popularity status that I had.

    Soon history repeated itself once again and I started nerding out here and there, the weird looks and such began again. I tried brushing it off but couldn’t past the thought process that I made a complete fool out of myself. I started to keep to myself and just watched the world go on around me, trying to be myself but hating myself for being me at the same time. It also seemed to affect my grades because I felt pressured to do certain things around others in school and how I should complete my assignments. My grades suffered from this and it wasn’t always the best thing. I could only be myself at home around family.

    When I first started at that school in Akron, for the first time in my life I had no uniform I had to wear and it felt awesome to express myself in a way that I couldn’t at my old schools. But at the same time I was having some identity issues. I wasn’t sure who I wanted to be, what I was going to be when I got older and most importantly how I wanted to portray myself to others. I gave myself an image in 10th grade, to try to express to others how I thought they wanted me to be. In the end all I found out was that I was once again making a fool of myself, and I wasn’t just lying to everybody in school but I was lying to myself. The only place I felt comfortable was in my room, which is where I was about 95 percent of the time after school. My room was my sanctuary as it was decorated with merchandise and memorabilia of all the pop culture I loved and adored at the time. I knew I could be myself in there, so I hid in there where ever I could. This also affected the relationship with my family as I was hermit to them.

    Fast forward to the summer of tenth grade, it was here that two of the best things that could happen to me did. My family and I had decided to move back to our little town of Scranton Pennsylvania, for two reasons. One was to be closer to my Grandparents who were having a hard time coming to visit us all the time and were starting to miss us. And the second reason was to be closer to our family doctor who my mom needed at the time due to severe developing health problems. It was after this move that my parents gave me the option of doing virtual cyber school. This was the greatest thing for I was finally able to focus on my studies without the pressures of popularity or distracting students and cliques.

    My grades improved, I was learning more easily, and I wasn’t afraid to be myself. I was less of a hermit to my family and my mom was finally more lienant on letting me do things unsupervised that I should have been able to do long ago. The only downside was I was a bit antisocial and not being able to communicate with other students except through live classrooms. This didn’t really help me to make new friends but I didn’t let it bother me too much.

    November of 2018 rolled around and the second best thing happened to me. I was researching different cliques and fandoms that I was always afraid to try or never even heard of when I was going to public school. Then I came across it, The Bronies and their community or as they call it the “Herd”. I read into what they were and remembered what they were from hearing about them years ago. The bronies are a group of people 13 and older who enjoy everything about the show My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. I thought back when I used to watch the show with my little sister and remembered how much I enjoyed it with her, but I never let it get as far as watching the first 2 episodes with her on 2 occasions. It sounded like the best thing to boost my personality values. But I ended up shrugging it off as I may be ridiculed and memories of past years began to flow through my mind.

    One night I was in my room relaxing when I thought back to the bronies and the show. I decided to try and give it a shot and just watch one episode. 12 episodes later that night I knew I was hooked. After that night I told my family with great hesitation and they were surprisingly extremely supportive of with it. They encouraged me to buy merchandise and decorate my room with images of characters from the show. I was quite proud of who I had become and was even proud to express myself out in public. I felt like I was a brand new person and I didn’t just come out of my shell, I shattered it and threw it away completely. One day during a live class, we were discussing favorite TV shows before the teacher started the lesson. I had let slip that I was into My Little Pony and was mortified at it. But to my surprise instead of ridicule and hate I was showered with approval and encouragement from my fellow students. This made me feel amazing as I never experienced this much positive attention before. Even some of my old friends from public school approved of it.

    The ideas of Friendship appealed to me the most. Watching these Technicolor ponies doing two things I was always afraid to do myself. Making real friends and being myself. It felt good to see firsthand how these things were supposed to be and it gave me the confidence to come out of my shell. I went from having just one little Rainbow Dash that my little sister got me and being unsecure about it, to now strutting around in a full Rainbow Dash cosplay and openly searching flea markets and yard sales to expand my ever growing collection. I got back into drawing again drawing fantastic fan art. It even gave me something to bond with my little sister over who previously wanted nothing to do with me. This show has done so much for me that I cried tears of all emotions when I watched the finale. Even though I was late to the party in the past year this show has done so much more for me than anything else probably could.

    And to make a long story short I was no longer afraid to be myself and I loved it. This was all thanks to a cartoon aimed towards girls 8 and younger. It amazes me how much my life was turned around, I am an A+ student, and I no longer have confidence issues. If it weren’t for this show I can’t imagine how much different I would be today. And with that I leave you with this, Don’t try to be who you are not, I know it may seem repetitive as you hear it all over but I know from experience that when you be yourself, you will be a million times happier. You don’t have to be liked by everybody, and there is no such thing as fitting in. You are who you are and you should always embrace it no matter what.

    Throughout my middle school and high school years, I was an outcast. Mostly overlooked, bullied at times, and a lot of friendships just sort of came and went. Most friendships ended with people just no longer speaking to me anymore for whatever reason. Trust issues and anger issues began to overtake me by my senior year, and I started to be the one to push people away. I was manipulative, I verbally abused others, some so bad that they still can't forgive me to this day. I don't think I've even really forgiven myself. My self-confidence had reached an all time low in 2010 and part of 2011. I had reached the bottom of the barrel as far as depression. But when you hit rock bottom, there's nowhere to go but up. I was so sick of feeling so awful about myself all the time that I just told myself one day, "No more!" I wasn't going to allow myself to be dragged down by society anymore, and I was going to do what it takes to feel good about myself. However, to do that, I had to rediscover myself. Find myself again. Now that was a slow process if there ever was one.
    Fast forward to 2013, and I was beginning to get on the right track. I rediscovered my hobby of toy collecting, my love for Power Rangers and started watching that show again...basically rediscovered my inner child. But I was still so bad when it came to how I treated others and I was still suffering from so many self-confidence issues, trust issues. I still felt lonely all the time. I didn't know at the time, but something was missing.
    On November 9, 2013, I had gone to my bestie's house after going to see Thor: The Dark World. I thought the ending to that movie was going to be the most shocked I had been all day. I was wrong. After playing a couple of games, she was browsing through Netflix and told me she was going to put on My Little Pony. Having no idea that there was a new one, not even being aware of Bronies at the time, I told her Id leave if she put it on, but she told me I could make fun of it the entire time. I told her to prepare to not be able to hear a single word of it because I was ready to tear into it. We started with the first Equestria Girls movie, which by the end of, she pointed out that I hadn't said a word throughout the whole thing and I told her to be quiet because I was so into it. Then after watching Friendship Is Magic Parts 1 and 2, Too Many Pinkie Pies, Swarm of the Century, and I believe Bridle Gossip, I decided to go on the IMDB page for My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. This was back when message boards were a thing on there, so I went through those to see if there were any other adults who were into the show. I felt like I couldn't have been the only one. I discovered that there was, indeed, a community of adult fans called Bronies. I thought, "Okay, so I'm one of them." That fact was especially sealed after my bestie went out and bought me a Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie plushie the next day. I did admittedly feel a bit weird about it at first, but nevertheless, My Little Pony is and always will be the very first thing about myself that I wasn't ashamed of. I never once held back my love for the show, for the characters. If I ever got to where I felt lonely or had a rough day, I popped in a My Little Pony episode and suddenly, that sense of loneliness was gone, because I grew that deep of a connection with these characters and their stories. Especially once Starlight Glimmer showed up. Her backstory hit me so hard. That feeling of being abandoned by someone who was once such a close friend, making choices that were not very good, trying to better yourself and let go of your past. From the season 5 finale onward, Starlight made a huge impact on me. There were other characters who dealt with the same struggles. Sci-Twi, Sunset Shimmer, Trixie and Tempest Shadow are other who I was strongly able to relate to and had major impacts on me, but I think Starlight and Sci-Twi had the biggest. Of course, this doesn't take any of my love away from the Mane 6 whatsoever. They all have a piece of my heart forever and I can relate to something about everypony in various ways, and that's why I haven't felt that aforementioned sense of loneliness in so long. I still have quite a bit to work on with myself, as well as a lot to learn about friendship, but I can honestly say I have no clue where I would be at this point had my bestie never turned on this show, or had I really left her house that night.
    Sadly, I didn't have any interaction with the fandom until 2017, and even at that point it was limited. My biggest regrets are not discovering this show sooner, and not interacting with the fanbase until the past couple of years at the most. I love chatting with other members of the community, whether it's about My Little Pony or any other subject, it's always a blast and they are always there to lend their support through tough times. No one judges. I truly feel that I've formed a lot of very close bonds with people in the community and have made very close friends on here. After seeing everyone come together after the finale for support, to pour out their emotions, and to let others know how important they are to the fandom and how much they're loved, I've come to realize this is more than just a fandom. It's a family.
    To wrap it all up, My Little Pony gave me a family. My Little Pony is continuing to help me mend old friendships and learn how to be a better friend. My Little Pony gave me a new level of self-confidence I've never had in my life. My Little Pony made me feel like I wasn't alone anymore, in multiple ways. Without My Little Pony...I don't know where I'd be or what my life would be like right now. I love you Ponies. I love the fans and I love everyone in the cast and crew for bringing the world of Equestria to life. None of it will ever be forgotten.

    -Glimmering Sci-Twi

    I'll be honest though, growing up as a metalhead since I was a kid (thanks to my dad) I've always seen My Little Pony as a girls thing, even after looking at the Internet and knowing about the memes and all the fan stuff (it was around 2013, I think) and before that, I was a Sonic "fan" (evident in my current e-mail address), even though I knew back then (9 - 10 years ago) around 1 - 3 games only. Then it was around that same year (2013), that my curiosity rose after knowing about the bronies and all the stuff they made about the show, and other not so safe stuff (unfortunately) that I wanted to watch what all the fuss was about, and having Netflix at home, it wasn't so hard to start watching it, even knowing that they were behind like 3 - 4 seasons, due to being in Mexico. That's when I started to like the show, even though still to this day I can't stand musicals or characters singing in the episodes, and pretty much the reason I still have the friends I have to this day. I still get a little sad sometimes because we haven't talked for months and some of them changed a lot, but after seeing the Finale yesterday, it still gives me hope that I can just talk to them and do stuff together, I'm not a social guy and I haven't made any new friends since 2013, but slowly I've been opening up and in a certain way following the lessons of the show as "guidelines" of some sort to future and present friendships I had, and even in a certain way it made me start drawing, even though I'm certainly not that creative...
    Although I'm mostly a metalhead, with the long hair, band shirts and my not so big CD collection, but huge mp3 one (still working on it though) MLP definitely had an impact on my life, and I can proudly say that I like FIM, although I won't ever wear MLP stuff or use colorful things, but that's just personal taste, and basically it is the reason I still have friends today. And also the reason I'm not close minded anymore...

    MARK9000

    Honestly, this show has been one of those pivotal things in my life that I can point to as a huge transitionary point in my likes and my personality. Before this show I didn't really interact with social media or internet based communities, but getting into this show opened that up for me. Before this show I had no real desire to share my creative works with people because I didn't think they would be good enough, but now I've participated in two National Novel Writing Months and have posted a ton of my writing online.

    MLP:FiM has been a thing I could bond with my brother over, it's helped become more accepting of things outside of my own backyard, it's gotten me more in touch with my own emotions and feelings and allowed me to be more open with myself as a person, and most of all has given me countless hours of entertainment, good life lessons, and magical adventures. I'm so thankful for what this show and its community has done for me, and I know that wherever this franchise goes next, it will carry this legacy with it.

    - PortalJumper39

    Hi! My name is Lucas!
    And I started watching My Little Pony Friendship is Magic when I was fourteen years old during season 4, and now six years later with twenty years behind my back I can safely say that it has been the most amazing experience in my life and will always be very dear to me.
    As pretty much everyone in the fandom I started watching it out of sheer curiosity and found myself a very quick fan, the show hooked me because of the cheer joy it brought me, to see these six friends go on adventures together and face difficulties together, I took that to my life and to this day I value what the show stands for: that life can be hard and unfair, but if you have someone by your side to face it with you it is always better, today i can say that whenever i need i can count on a friend to help me and they can count on me.
    The Show also changed the way i looked at the world, a used to be like Fluttershy when i was a teenager and now i know that i can always walk with my face up and with a big smile, knowing that no matter the problem ahead i can solve it and i always do my best to help anyone i can, after all "strangers are friends you haven't met yet ;)".
    Today i am a proud student of Fashion Design and pretty much everyone who knows me says that i am a ball of sunshine and a happy go lucky fella, and every time someone asks me why i choose to do what i do i always tell them that my grandma was a dressmaker and that Rarity (AKA Best pony) inspired me to follow on her footsteps to try to be a great fashion designer! I can safely say that there is a little bit of each pony inside me and i will carry their lessons with me forever. :)

    MLP impacted me in a way that I don't think anything could've done before. This genuinely sweet show about pastel colored ponies learning about the magic of friendship brought so much joy to my life and got me to do things I never would've done otherwise. I suffer from depression and this show gave me an escape from that. Every new episode was something to look forward to and even when there weren't new episodes, the community got me by in the meantime with so much amazing artwork. Artwork that got me back into doing art, something that I hadn't done in years because I never felt I was good enough. And while I still have a lot to learn, I want to improve and pony got me to draw enough to improve as far as I've gotten now and hopefully even more so in the future. Not only that, but MLP got me to go to meetups where I've met new friends and conventions like EQLA and BronyCon, which remain among the best times of my life and got to meet staff members and thank them for making such a wonderful show that means so much to me as well as other friends whom I've stayed in contact with through Twitter. And Twitter is another thing MLP is responsible for. What started as just a way to follow the MLP staff became a way that I stuck with the community following so many artists, content creators, and other pony friends that it's my main source for social media that I check daily. MLP will live on as my favorite series of all time, but not just because of how great the show was and the joy it brought me, but because of the amazing community that it made me a part of and that I will remain a part of until the day I die. Thank you, MLP.

    - Pixel Grip

    I first entered the MLP fandom about halfway through S1. Was browsing a random forum and there was a large topic about ponies. My curiosity got the better of me so I checked it out. Watched a few episodes, and got hooked pretty quickly. There was a point where I was watching new episodes in my dorm room with the shades and lights down, and door shut. Though my roommates didn't care, I became more open about my love of pony.

    Fast forward a year or so, I moved out of state. Left most of my friends behind, I try to contact them occasionally, hard to do when you live several hundred miles away. For a while at my new residence, I was lonely and bored, until I happened upon a sizeable brony group based in a major city about an hour and a half away. Found out about them due to a post on EQD showing off meetups.

    Pony brings people together, I still would've been lonely if it wasn't for the show and fandom.

    Big thanks to everyone involved in making the magic happen for the past decade.

    Well, in short MLP and it's fandom helped save my life. December 2015 I had hit rock bottom. I was suffering from major depression and considering ending it all. I found my way to fanfiction sites and started reading stories and looking up fanart, including of "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic". I didn't start watching the show until 2016 or so. The show and the great stuff the fandom created helped get me to a brighter time. I started going to therapy. The show has made me happy. Thank You, MLP.

    Before I started to watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, I don't know where I was going. What I was going to be when I grow up? What are my plans for the future? Do I follow in my family footsteps or do I create my own path? When I started watching the show back in middle school, I was around the age of 14. I'm 21 years old now! From season one and onward, I fell in love with the characters, the story, and the life lessons at the end of each episode. Then I said to myself, "I want to follow in the steps of animation." From middle school to high school, I also have a passion in drawing pictures, anime, manga, and comic books. So I pick up a pencil, a piece of paper, and start drawing whatever pops in my head. Eventually, I started to develop my own original stories and characters that relates or referenced to Friendship is Magic. Without the impact of My Little Pony, my life would be dull and gray for me. As a young adult with autism, I would have a hard expressing my creativity and imagination to the people in front of me. Now that I've watched the series from 2010 to 2019, I have an inspiration to my stories, my characters, and the influence to never stop running to my own path of becoming an animator, comic book writer and illustrator.

    Wow. You know, I think many of us are shocked at how long the show has been airing for; I really doubt that any of us actually thought, when we first started watching, that it would run for nine whole seasons. Yet, here we are.

    My story might not be as impacting as many of the others out in the world, but I felt I still needed to write down all of my emotions in one place, as a big love letter to this fandom as well as the show itself.

    I started watching the show when I was six years old. Many of you might not believe me when I say this, but I can still remember watching the airing of the series premiere. My specific, albeit childish thoughts, were, “wow, this is a cool show.” That right there was the start of basically a lifetime of watching pony for me. I went through many phases, occasionally I would get out of the show, only to come back to it a few months or years later, but no matter what, I always returned. I would wake up every Saturday morning for the airing if season three to watch the newest addition of mlp. Then, Twilight became an alicorn. I can remember how happy I was and how excited I was to see what was going to happen next. I might not remember a lot when I was little, but I remember that day.

    I discovered the fandom in sixth grade, in 2016, by accident. I was on youtube and the first fan mlp video I ever watched was Lullaby for A Princess. I didn’t understand the concept of fandom yet, so imagine my surprise when I found out the video wasn’t made by Hasbro but by a fan as enthusiastic as I was about the show. I discovered the analysis fandom soon after and really enjoyed the in-depth look at the show.

    I told myself to stay into mlp until the theatrical movie came out, and I kept that promise, but I actually didn’t leave mlp behind like I first assumed I would. I went to my first convention a mear month later (Equestria LA), and found myself feeling….well….a part of the action. I loved every minute of it. I told myself, “stay into the show until season 8 comes out.” And I did. Then I went to another convention in 2018, (CMPC) and found myself just as enthused as the first time. That’s when I heard that season 9 would be the last season of the show. So, I made one last promise: I would stay for another year in this fandom. I did; even went to a third convention. Now though, I still don’t want it to be over. I'm not ready.

    My Little Pony has changed my life for the better: it encouraged me to try new things, drawing as well as writing, and I would not be the person I am today without it. I have written soon to be four books because of the inspiration the show has given me, as well as have become an actual artist. Now, high school has begun for me. I will stay in this fandom. I will try to keep this prismatic horse fandom alive for years to come, and I hope to see you all for gen 5.

    Thank you for reading,

    Dream Chaser

    I remember feeling particularly sad and alone when I discovered MLP. It was some fan animation on my suggested videos on YouTube, can't even remember which one. This was right around when season 2 was starting. I got curious about the characters and looked up the first episode (since there was no one at home to judge me about watching a little girls cartoon) completely skeptical, but felt inmediately charmed by the story, the world that presented and the characters, so much that I was completely sold by the second episode. So, what was the big impact? It made me discover an apreciation for animation I had never considered. It caused for me to start watching other cartoons, animated shorts and anime. I found Equestria Daily shortly after catching up with season 2 making it easier not only to appreciate the characters, small details and references in the show and other pony news, but also find about artists and music I wouldn't have otherwise. I was a very square-ish person, and watching MLP was probably the first thing in my life I did that I "shouldn't" be doing, and this small event caused to open my eyes into new things, music, movies, books, comics, and getting to know some amazing people that are now very dear to me. In summary, I'd say without a doubt that starting watching MLP was the most important point in my life in which defined me as a person and most of my tastes. I stopped watching MLP after season 5 but in a surprising turn of events I'm currently watching it with my family and from time to time discussing it with some new friends. We're at the end of season 7 so there's still some catching up before watching the finale. What else to say? I'll always keep MLP in my heart, and nothing but immense gratitude for every single person involved in the process of presenting the multi color horse show on TV.
    /)

    How it impacted me? MLP is the reason why i know everything on the internet today. From Fanfics to social media to meme culture and to fanarts.

    But one thing it has help me to change my future was to create my new career which is animation. Ever since i joined the fandom, i was very astounding when i watch the show. The show animation looks good. I know it sounds weird but the design look so easy to draw that i want to try it. That's when i decied to draw and keep drawing since 2015 to become an animator.

    I can't imagine if i didn't watch the show back in September 2013. I probably ignore the internet and outside world because that was what it is before i join the fandom.

    Despite that i am not a brony anymore and have no interest of watching new season and G5, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic will always be in my heart and thankful what i am today.

    In conclusion, i want to say thank you. Thank you to the MLP crew and fandom became what i am today. Brohoof /)

    This show has had just such a profound impact on me. It's made me a much happier, healthier person in general, and just so much more accepting of anyone that I meet.

    When I first discovered it, back during my second year of University (in around December 2011), I was seriously judgemental, to say the least. I heard about 'bronies' and thought to myself "What's wrong with these people?!". I left many angry YouTube comments. eventually though, one person just said "Just watch one episode. The come back and judge us all you want".

    So I did - I thought 'Fine! I'll watch it, then judge them all the more!' So I watched the first one. And I thought to myself... 'well, that wasn't too bad, I see the appeal. But it's part one of two, so I should really watch the second half before judging...'.So I watched episode 2. Then 3. Then 8 years later, here I am.

    I hadn't really met many people I was friends with in those earlier days, and I tended to look down on people quite a bit too, and not even listen to their opinions, or their ways of life - automatically just assuming mine to be superior. I was quite condescending, and closed off as a person.

    But, having grown with this show as the years went on, that side of me just... faded away. I stopped caring so much about what people thought of me, and began to accept myself for who I was. I'd watch the show, and not care who knew that I did. I'd listen to people, and talk to them about what interested them (and not eve think of judging them for it)

    I eventually went to my first con in 2016 (Hearths Warming Con, in the Netherlands), where I had the pleasure of meeting M A Larson. Just listen to him talk about the show, and meet other people who had been similarly affected by it, made me realise this was something very special indeed. It was not my last con - 3 Galacons, the last Equestria LA and Bronycon, (and even an MLP fun run in Jakarta, Indonesia) later, I've met so many people who share what I love, and it's been a pleasure - not to mention the people who made the show (or comic) - which was a true honour.

    Many years later, here I am - happy, healthy, and just so grateful to have been along for the ride. I've traveled the world to do events, met so many new friends doing it, and had a blast. I can honestly say I wouldn't even be a fraction of my current self, were it not for this show, and everything it meant to me.

    - Harry A

    Back in the summer between the 1st and 2nd season, I was in the middle of getting over a very destructive relationship, losing the vast majority of the friends that I had thanks to an immense falling out following the deletion of the site in which we had all gathered, and getting deployed to an overseas billet which cut off my ability to communicate with my remaining friends and family on a regular basis. I was at the lowest point in my life that I've ever been. I was starting to take out my anger on myself and the rest of the world. Then I noticed a growing wave of rainbows and ponies and figured that I'd join the ranks of those dedicated to swatting down this new group of people who needed to understand they were all wrong.

    It turned out that I was the one who was wrong. Since that day, I've connected with wonderful people who mean the world to me. I found my best friend through the pony community. The creativity of the fanfic writers inspired me to return to my own writing, and it's been an incredible journey rediscovering my lost love for creating. I still have my moments of melancholy and illogical anger, but they are far less common than they've ever been, and I owe that entirely to this show and this community. The show urged me to try harder and be better. The fans inspired me to work on trying to emulate at least one Element of Harmony each day to the enrichment of my life and those I come into contact with every day. It was those little steps taken each day that turned me into the man that eventually managed to find my wife just two years after ponies stampeded into my life.

    The fandom permeates my life in some fashion every day. It did so starting eight years ago, and it will continue to do so far, far into the future. When the book of Harmony and Friendship opened on Oct 10, 2010, the book of my old life closed, and a new one opened up to a brighter future. A future that would not have been possible without those six wonderful characters and the countless fans who will keep the fires of friendship burning brightly for future wanders like me to find when all other lights in their lives have darkened.

    Thank you all, now and forever.

    - Kaipony/Stormy Seas

    This will be a rather personal tale, but one I want to share with all of my lovely friends out there.

    I grew up in a family that never felt like they respected me. I used to be very depressed but couldn’t ever show it. I discovered Friendship is Magic in 2012, right before the Royal Wedding aired and discovered the fandom soon after.

    Once I started meeting all of the wonderful people back then, many of whom I am still very close friends with to this day, I got the courage to come out to my parents as transgender and, though it went much better than I thought it would and my family helped me start my transition, they went right back to doing the bare minimum and to this day still don’t respect me enough to use my proper names and pronouns.

    Though being able to identify as I liked did help lift me up that little bit, I was still surrounded by reminders of the lack of respect I had. It was then that I found my way to a forum of fans and soon became fast, close friends with someone there and eventually, she helped me move out of my family home to start anew and I have only been feeling happier every day since then.

    Between the wonderful messages of the show and all of the amazing friends I’ve made along the way, I am now able to live a happy life and actually smile every day.

    Friendship is not only magic, but it can make magic happen. That is something I will never forget.

    -Sea Gnash

    Well I started watching the show during the third season. The way I grown up in was my mom is menially abusing everyone around her stranger and family. I always watch animated show a lot to get me into a different place. Then I came across a show called My Little Pony Friendship is magic at first I didn’t know what to expect to be honest I watched the first episode then the next so on. I instantly fell in love with the show it made me escape into a different reality where everyone was kind to each other it made me forget about my troubles. Then around the 5 season I found out other people really liked the show and from what I experienced was that there is so many kind people out there. I always felt that everyone was like my mom and it made me realize I was wrong about there world like I mean there are bad stuff in this world but I didn’t know there also was good in the world. I was always the quiet kid in school but I got the confidence to talk to a random guy in high school and we have been friends ever since so if I never gave this show a chance I don’t know where I would of ended up so that you so much MLP you have help so many people in so many ways.

    I first found the show near the end of season 2. Cranky's introduction was the episode which I fully caught up with it at. I've been watching it for probably over 33% of my life, and probably over 50% of the time I can remember. Seeing it go is... Hard. Very hard. But the impact it has made on me is spectacular. I'll go as far as to say it's shaped my professional career.

    I'm a scientist in training, currently in university. My true focus is research on therapies against the diseases and disabilities of aging, something I am genuinely passionate about and have volunteered my time reporting on (drop by leafscience.org if you want to see some of my work!) - before this, looking back now, I can tell that my prospects for doing anything useful or significant were nowhere near where they are now, and my work in the area have driven my career prospects through the roof, and i'm already starting projects to accelerate research in the field drastically, with plans for the future. My focus on aging research has been the best thing I have ever done, and I owe that focus to My Little Pony. To the friends I made from a mutual interest of the show, who managed to convince me that this research is worth dedicating myself to. We would never have met without My Little Pony, and my life would probably be going down another, significantly worse route.

    So thank you, MLP staff. You indirectly gave me a passion for research that will shape my life forever, and will be responsible for any successes I have in this research (and any successes I will help drive), saving thousands if not millions of lives if all goes well. It is all thanks to you.

    Before I came across this wonderful show, I dismissed as being too girly and being too cutesy. I didn't officially join the herd until March 2016, when I watched "No Second Prances". And that's when I realized that I didn't even give this show a chance. So I watched it the whole thing from the beginning, and that's when I truly came to appreciate the show for what it was. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic has not only helped me go through a lot of dark times in the coming years, it also helped me to become a more open-minded person. It also spurred my desire to create my own work of art on par with this series, because I want to create something with a cast as diverse as this one. Thank you so, so much, My Little Pony. You became a blessing in my life, and I hope you continue to spread joy, positivity, and happiness in the years to come.

    Yours,
    A Former-Antibrony-Turned-Follower

    Well I'm gonna start by saying I just saw the last episode and, oh boy water works kicked in, so yeah lets begin.

    When I began to watch this show I was in my freshman year of High school, right after season 3 was done. I was introduced to a random video on Youtube, which soon led me to shed.mov. To all the ytp.

    At this time I was recovering from a rather sever mental break in my life. I had been sexually abused as a child for a year and a half by an old man (60-70 years old). NOT someone from my family. After two years after I confessed to my parents about what had happened, between me and him. 3 months later my mind was spinning, I couldn't think right, I couldn't calm down, and I spent 2 week in the mental hospital to try and get better.

    Therapy helped, and so did my family, and of course all my friends in high school. They never knew but, just to see them again and get my life back on track helped. When I was introduced to MLP by the Internet, I wasn't really on board, but as the first episode ended, I couldn't let it rest on a cliff hanger, so episode 2, then another, and another, and ANOTHER!!!!! I was concerned at first I'm like, I'm a 13 year, male teenager. Why do I like this? But that was soon laid to rest when I heard about other bronies. That this was ok, to like a show meant for little kids.

    Anyway, after about 3 and a half years, I finally got into a stable condition. Granted that darkside of me will always remain, I will never forget what I went through, but I've learned to accept it, and to live with the mental scar, and MLP helped me through those years. Without it, I don't know what I would have done.

    To be part of and to remain a part of this fandom, this love for a kids show. I will always be greatful. The fandom that this show has inspired, is another thing that helped me through my life. The art became my hobby from the fandom, I could never create art, but to see it, to start looking forward to it every week, and eventually start to store it on a flash drive, just made my day.

    The show has helped me go through High school and make the transition, into college. To find friends here. Now here I am 22 years old finishing, my final semester of college ready to take move on and take on the world.

    I can't thank the show enough for all that its done for me, and how much the fandom has helped me. I'm sad to see the show end, but he I'm done crying that it's over, I'm now crying because it happened, and I will always remain a part of this fandom.

    Thank you MLP, MLP Writers, animators, and MLP Fandom You've impacted and changed my life.

    I remembered old-school MLP, G1, because my sister used to play with the toys, and watch the cartoon. And, mostly-not-awful big brother that I was, and liker of cartoon animals, I used to play with her, sometimes.
    (I also kind of liked them too, for the way they looked, but I never, ever would have admitted it back then).

    Fast forward thirty years, and I'm aware of these ponies, I actively watch this show. My then-girlfriend and I are fans (notably me more so than her). I got her into it, because my friends got me into it.
    I love this show. We have merch, we both listen to the music, we have posters, plushies and funkos, oh my.

    We put some time aside to watch the show as it airs each Saturday when a new season is airing - I came in about 3/4's of the way through Season 5, and very, very rapidly caught up.

    This episode comes along, in season 7.
    Episode 13; 'The Perfect Pear'.
    It's a wonderful story, a romantic one, and a heartfelt one.
    Now me, I love drinking whiskey neat. I smoke cigars on occasion, I build model aeroplanes and tanks, I play airsoft and I like giant robots.
    I also love ponies, small fluffy animals, and frequently cry at movies.

    Pear Butter, the pony voice by Felicia Day, sings a song in this episode. And I feel that something clicks in my head. Watching Pear Butter and Bright Mac struggle through the hardships of their relationship.
    I'd been with my girlfrien nearly eight years then, and while our actual loving relationship had been strong, we'd struggled too. Like most people our age, work had not been great for us. We struggled financially, with bills, and with other things. But through it all, rain and shine, we always knew we'd had each other.
    And that pretty orange horse, singing a sweet song on an old guitar, she made me think:

    I'm going to marry that woman.

    I concocted a plan, worthy of Big Mac himself - and thankfully, mostly free of CMC-like interference.

    I run a furmeet, and as part of that meet, we have two annual parties, a winter and a summer one. At both, we have a talent show.
    I enlisted the help of my fellow meet staff, and our resident MC/sometimes DJ.
    I had an act in the talent show, a bit of observational comedy.
    And... I finished with a song.
    That song.

    My poor girlfriend had no idea. And everyone fell silent, as I sung my heart out. I'd learned the lyrics, word for word, every time she wasn't around. Listened to it on my way to and from work, when she was out, and whenever else. My friends rode shotgun, keeping the crowd quiet... and then on that last verse, I held her hand, and looked her in the eye.

    And went down on one knee, and asked her to marry me.

    She said yes.

    18 months later, we got married, and our wedding cake featured Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Shining Armour, our tables were named for places from Equestria, and our vows included pony quotes. And one of our wedding dances was 'Love is In Bloom'.
    Pony had played a big part in our proposal, and had become a thing that kept us together, and helped us grow stronger. It helped us relate to each other, and was something that would - and will - always remind us of our marriage and proposal, and it was through our friendships that I managed to arrange the proposal. And some of the same friends were involved in our wedding, they were our ushers and bridesmaids, and helped us out in many other ways.

    We might not have been fans from the start - although, had I been introduced earlier, I probably would have been - but that doesn't make the impact the show had on us, or will continue to play in our lives, any less important.

    Silverwind

    When I first saw the show, all the way back in the summer of 2010, after the first season, and when the second season was on the horizon, I had been going through a rough period with a friend. I decided to watch the show to get my mind off of it, and so I typed something like "My little pony episode 10" into YouTube, since another friend of mine told me that I needed to start there.

    The rest, they say, is history. I was hooked with Winter Wrap Up, I couldn't stop watching... and when I hit Party of One, I knew I loved this show. I followed every episode, I still download tons of fan art to my phone and PC, got a few of those DashDrives (who remembers those? Those were awesome), and found Equestria Daily. I remember finding out that there was a con a few hours' drive from me, and I signed up... Brony FanFair in Austin, Texas. 2011. Season 2 had just ended, and I was so happy a third season was coming. I signed up through a (sadly now defunct) Meetup.com group for North Texas Bronies to drive on down (don't worry though, the meetup.com group was replaced with a discord server). I got into the car with a complete stranger... and man he turned out to be a great guy. We picked up three other complete strangers along the way, and I still talk to the two of them in the group that I connected with the most, Shane, and Mark. I had a blast at the con, and it was the beginning of something great. BronyCon (and that bar crawl), BABScon, Nightmare Nights. All these seasons. It was wonderful. Throughout all the drama... I largely kept a positive attitude. This show makes me happy... and while not every episode hit the mark for me, they always had something that made me smile in them.

    And so, admittedly, things got less active, but at least it remained active enough to churn out fantastic fan works. I still made new friends for writing, role-playing, gaming, and just talking to. I even made a few new ones in the past year! And so, here I was, on October 12, 2019, at a friend's apartment, with another friend, both of whom I had met through playing an online game of ROAN, a pony-esque WWII-style RPG that I would've never discovered without pony. We hung out at his house to watch the finale, and boy was I so happy. It brought back all the memories of the show... and I think I'm going to watch the whole thing again. From start to finish. And remember to reach out to those friends I haven't talked to in a while.

    Sure, sometimes friendships fade... but when the magic is really there, you and your friends are willing to work to make it stay. And that's the beauty of it, as Twilight would say.

    While I can't say I learned everything about friendship through this show... I did learn some... and the rest were well-needed reminders of how important it is.

    I love this show... and I will treasure it forever. Here's to another nine years of pony, of artwork, of fanfics, and the fandom being amazing. The show may be over, but its magic will live with us forever!

    Thank you all at Equestria Daily for everything you do. I am a proud patron of your site, and I will make sure it's supported as much as I can! And as a note, I love the episode followup posts. I read every single one of them. And they're fantastic.

    Keep the magic of Frienship alive, everyone!

    -Shepherd1425, aka SoldierofPony, aka Stefan.

    So, around 2013, when I was first struggling in my first school in Vienna, I felt lost and alone. But when my sister was speaking about a character named Trixie and showed me an episode about her revenge against Twilight, the show gotten me curious about how it created a fantastic community. So, I decided to watch the series premiere, and I suddenly LOVE IT! I became sufficiently interested in the show and the creativity the fans developed.


    Sadly, when I thought about being a brony, I thought I would keep it as a secret because I don't want to get hurt based on who I am and what I am. I felt broken and afraid when I suddenly feel interested in a girl show. But, that show and its morals gave me a chance. A chance for me to seek and find honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, loyalty, and magic in others. And as an autistic brony, I wouldn't be my new self without the show, and its mystical effect it had because that show gave me a chance to have an open heart for others.


    And for years, I have been getting visions and ideas that the show has given me. The show inspired me to be an artist, but not as a pony artist. The fans’ creativity made me wanted to express my perspective and imagination of the show itself. For years, I've been thinking about writing a story to would give hope to not just the fandom only, but for everyone. And since been thinking about My Little Pony throughout my entire life, it has given me a new chance to be a visionary creative who wanted to express the hope that the show gave me.


    Right now, in 2019, we now say goodbye to the show that inspired us, saved us, and impressed us. But this doesn't mean that it is the end for now. There is always hope. The hope that you will never be alone. The hope that you will find and give support. The hope that helps us grow up to become who we are. And I believe that the magic of friendship is still out there because it is in you. It is in me. It is in all of us! And when I visited my first (and last) BronyCon, I have noticed that I have the same heart as the fans have. And that's hope! So remember, there is no end of us here. We are and always be bronies forever.


    And since I planned to create my story as a radio play, I wanted to share my heart with you whenever you're hurt, down, and alone, just like Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight Sparkle. And for the button of my heart, for the people who made the show, for the fans who shared their feelings, and for Lauren who gave us a new future, I want to say to you all the two words since you changed my happy life...

    THANK YOU!!!!!

    So, I go by Rytex. I have used that handle for years, even on my old fanfiction.net account. That actually is semi-relevant, so that's why I'm mentioning it now, but this is gonna be a long post. My taste for writing long things never leaves!

    My story of finding MLP was pretty simplistic, but we'll start about a year and a few months before I actually found it. In high school, I was someone who repressed his nerd-dom in the name of trying so desperately to be the cool kid. I refused to allow myself to like nerdy things, in favor of trying to be the cool kid in school. This was an awful, harmful and self-perpetuating process that led to me getting bullied (some rampant inferiority-superiority complexes didn't help things) and just generally not being happy.

    In my senior year of high school (meaningfully, 2010-2011), things changed. I suddenly stopped caring what others thought of me and just embraced all of my nerdiness,and suddenly life improved. I got so much happier. the bullying continued, but I couldn't be shamed for liking what I liked anymore. My favorite number was (and still is) the number 10, so I joked on Facebook that morning that 10/10/10 was probably going to be the best day ever or give me some kind of super-gift.

    BOY HOWDY.

    I didn't know it at the time, but I really did get a super-gift that day. I just wouldn't properly receive it for a year and a half or so.

    Anyway, I graduated and entered college, that place of great self-discovery. I was a member of the Midwestern State University marching band (go Mustangs!), and I really started to come into my own, even as I still had some repression issues that I wasn't aware of yet.

    It was around this time that I saw a massive fandom was developing around this cartoon for little girls. I remember writing a Metroid (1986) walkthrough on my ZeldaDungeon account back in the day and including Love and Tolerate memes on it, despite not being a fan at the time, so by October of 2011 was the latest I was aware. I wasn't a hater by any stretch, let people like what they like, so long as they aren't hurting others, right? But I was in a super meme phase at the time, regularly following the website KnowYourMeme for the latest in memey goodness, and that website was chock full of the pony memes.

    I came home one day to find my little brother, who was 14 years younger than me, watching the “Sonic Rainboom” episode. I sat down and watched it with him, just in time to see Rarity plummet to her demise and Rainbow Dash save everyone while pulling 11.1 Gs (plus the angle from when she exited freefall) like the physics-defying badass she is. I found I kinda liked watching the scene. However, I still kinda shrugged and kept going about my life with no change, other than knowing little bro watched it now.

    Well, things continued in this way until my 19th birthday, in 2012. I decided I was gonna give MLP a shot that night. Booted up my laptop, sat down,a nd started watching "The Mare In The Moon", completely unaware of the eight-year journey I was about to embark on. I got interrupted having to do some chores that night, but I came back a couple of weeks later and finished it. After that, I would sneak some episodes in when my parents weren’t looking or at home.

    Finally, Mom and Dad found out, but no big deal. They thought it was cool that I liked a show little bro did. He grew up and while he hasn’t written the show off as girly or whatever, he doesn’t watch it anymore, even though his preteen self thinks some of my MLP crossover posters are great. My oldest little bro (now my little sis), who is only two years younger than me also got into it, but kinda dropped off mid-Season 4.

    So, I was now “out of the closet” as it were, and this was where MLP really started to change things. Everyone that mattered was aware now. I started buying the shirts and merch (I still wear some of them, mostly because those We Love Fine ones always shrunk in the wash, so even though I can still fit into my medium-sized T-shirts, they’re a mite smaller than that and are super-restricting).

    Most importantly for me, however, I started writing fanfic. I was an experienced fanfic writer by this point, having written stories for The Legend of Zelda, Kingdom Hearts, the Inheritance Cycle, Harry Potter, and so on. I was experienced, not good. Huge difference. I wrote this awful fic called “A Stranger Among Them” that basically tried to do everything “Through TheEyes Of Another Pony” did, including the self-insert, black-and-red OC (he was a pegasus tho), in love with Princess Luna, you know the drill. Your standard edgy OC self-insert. I thought it was good. So I submitted it to EQD. And instantly (and deservedly) got the rejected notice, because it was just that bad. Grammatically, it was flawless. But in the realm of storytelling? HOO BOY.

    Around this time, I started writing a side-project called “The Apprentice the Student, and the Charlatan,” which was never supposed to get very long and was just supposed to be a creative outlet when I got hit with writer’s block on ASAT. I also posted it on FIMFiction instead of FF.Net, but I don’t remember why. The protagonist, Nova Shine, was everything Flare Dancer wasn’t. A unicorn, white-and-blue, and so on.

    It didn’t have the best of starts, but that was the reality check I needed. I learned that even though I was experienced, I wasn’t good. And I finally started listening to advice, changing how I wrote things, being much more descriptive, and even though I wouldn’t call myself a great writer (my writing still haven’t made it to EQD yet, even though the audio drama of ASC has, how’s that for irony?), I could feasibly call myself a good one.

    So, most relevantly and most directly, MLP and the fandom has represented a growth in my ability to write. Beyond that, MLP has affected me more indirectly as well. The fandom introduced me to new shows like Doctor Who and Star Trek The Next Generation, got me big into PC gaming, all that stuff. I even got into programming, though that was a long time coming even before I was into MLP.

    There’s a lot of ways MLP has affected me in some way. It’s been an eight-year ride, and for me, even though the show has ended, I’m sticking with the fandom. After all, to quote a joke post I’ve been making on other peoples’ facebook pages and stuff:

    “Star Trek The Next Generation ended over 20 years ago. It still has a fandom. Avatar The Last Airbender ended 11 years ago. It still has a fandom. Harry Potter ended 12 years ago (no, the new movies and Cursed Child don't count). It still has a fandom. Anime ended after Hayao Miyazaki said it was a mistake. It still has a fandom. Star Wars ended before a single movie came out. It still has a fandom. Lord of the Rings ended 50 years ago. It still has a fandom. A Tale of Two Cities ended 134 years ago. It still has a fandom. The Bible ended 1900~ years ago. It still has a fandom.”

    I’ve met wonderful friends because of this fandom, I’ve watched something I wrote get the attention of someone who wanted to make an audio drama out of it, and that has been a blast to be involved in, I got into so many hobbies in some part because of my growing confidence and nerdiness from being involved in the fandom, and although I’ve grown up and mellowed out quite a bit from my meme phase years ago, I’m still here, I still enjoy being part of this, and I’m actually excited from where we go from here.

    It’s hard to say goodbye, of course. I’ll miss waiting for new episodes. But now I have an excuse to get back into the comics, and now I have the whole show to look back on and to share with any family I have in the future. You don’t often get things like this that consistently stay high-quality for all seasons, and then bow out with one of the best endings for a show to close with on top of its game.

    I’ll leave a comic strip I’ve been sharing across my accounts, something that I felt really sums up the way the MLP finale left us.
    Like so many, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fell into my lap when I was in a place of need. The author Gary Chapman talks about people having a “love tank” that, when filled with appropriate nurturing and intimacy, helps us to develop and operate effectively in life. And in early 2015, while I was in the middle of graduate school for marriage and family counseling, I was without by a large margin due to choices of my own just one year prior, made consciously no less. I navigated life both bearing the weight of guilt, and the absence of love, while pursuing a field of work that reminded me of my mistakes.

    A friend of mine introduced me to MLP:FiM on a whim in late January of that year, and a week after our visit, I picked it up on my own to continue. I had watched a number of television series’ and movies over the course of my life (at the time, I was 24), and many of my favorites were animated. But I had never in my life found so much love and connection with a show until this one, and I had to discover what sort of content existed online.

    That’s when I discovered Tumblr, DeviantArt, and most importantly for me, Fimfiction. I learned about all the artwork fans created for these canon characters for whom I now cared, and the existence of original characters made for non-canon stories, drawn and written. And it was the latter which helped me feel comfortable enough to chase an idea that had already been forming in my head – one which another friend inadvertently furthered by drawing me an OC for the fun of it.

    Not even a full week after that, I wrote the first few chapters of my OCs story and posted it to Fimfiction. It went on to both be the platform upon which I would ply my long-dormant desire to write an original story, and the one which I most used to develop my skills (boy, was it a shaky process). I fell in love with this original creation and finally went on to create both a character and a story which fulfilled that desire within to write something original and express myself through a medium which I had longed to do so for many years.

    It wasn’t long before I started writing stories for the canon characters which I had grown to love, and suddenly, I was the happiest I had ever been in my adult life. I found my creative outlet, and I was fulfilled. I spent the rest of the year writing content and enjoying the snot out of it, until one day, the desire finally felt complete, and much to my surprise, I was done with writing. I thought it would be something which would remain with me as a lifelong hobby now that I had discovered an outlet, but for some reason, by the start of 2016, I was good to step away from writing indefinitely. It was hard to embrace that point at first since I still had ideas I wanted / was actively chasing, but once I started becoming frustrated with the writing I was trying to force myself to complete, I pulled out before I grew to resent it.

    And then chased drawing!

    It wasn’t a passion of mine, but visual art was something I had appreciated for many years, and it was now something which I actively “consumed,” I guess you could say? Not sure the right way to word being a patron of online art, haha. But I looked up art all the time and loved sifting through the Drawfriends that posted daily on Equestria Daily. So I tried my hand at it for a year… and very much hated it, haha!

    Eventually, I had exhausted my desire to express myself through creative outlets, and switched gears to just being a patron (we’re going with that now) of the show and all the created content of fans. For a time.

    Shortly afterward, someone I knew personally who was experienced in drawing reestablished contact with me after an absence, and I introduced them to the show. When they showed me some of the drawings they made shortly after, I absolutely flipped at the quality of the work. And once we began pursuing a relationship together, I offered them to try my drawing tablet – their first attempt at digital art. They went on to create many other digital and traditional works over the coming years and posted them online, garnering a following. All throughout the process and still to this day, I fawn over their creations – works which I can see being actively created in-person, rather than just on a livestream or speedpaint.

    I can’t say it enough. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic impacted my life in nothing but a positive manner, and the fans who I have met and interacted with over the years, plus theirs and so many others’ created content, has poured so much love into my “love tank” that I am fulfilled in a way which I had no idea how to become prior to discovering the show. And that fulfillment helps me to push forward in life, and strive for the things I both need and want to make it one worth living.

    - Vertigo-01

    Hello! I wanna tell my story about how MLP impacted me because I’ve been reading Equestria Daily since I was a wee young 11 year old kiddo; I’m 20 now and I somehow still wonder how I managed to stick around for so, so long! I’m sorry it’s so long but so much from this silly show about colorful horses really made who I am.

    It all started when I used to frequent the Sporum, the official forum for Spore, that one game where you make all of them critters and such. MLP was gaining traction and many people posted reaction gifs and such often. However, I remember one mod who we literally worshipped in the likes of Chuck Norris getting agitated by the influx of ponies to the point they closed the only off-topic post (There was no general off-topic section, which is quite odd for a message board). Of course, I’ve always loved cute things and liking G3 as a wee kiddo, I watched the show and fell in love.

    I wanted to do more within the fanbase! In 2012, I attended my first con ever, Big Apple Ponycon and attempted to cosplay Applejack, but to be honest? It wasn’t the best cosplay; after all, it was my first. It was literally two bad Party City wigs tied up (One was on my head, and one was pinned on my butt), an orange t-shirt, a cowboy hat I loved as a kid, and jeans with Applejack’s cutie mark on it. The next year, I tried my best to do something unique in cosplay: Rainbow Dash as a pilot! I come from a family of pilots and always saw best pony as an inspiration in aviation. I made so many friends at Big Apple Ponycon when it was in Jersey City, New Jersey and it felt so magical; I even met Calpain and Cathy Wesluck really liked my (rather awful) Rainbow Dash cosplay that she took a pic of me and put it on her Twitter! At the same time, I was motivated to go forward into cosplay, and with much improvement and growing up, I felt so much more confident when I began to cosplay non-pony, such as Feferi Peixes (Homestuck), Ukraine (Hetalia) and Mabel (Gravity Falls) and now I’m stretching further ahead by doing sweet Lolita fashion now.

    Also because of ponies, I can actually draw nice! The Newbie Artist Training Grounds really helped me grow as an artist as I tried to draw in a purely MLP:FiM style; instead my art style became a hybrid of MLP and Disney. I still continue to grow as an artist, writing my own webcomic on Tumblr to help me draw people better.

    But the most impactful thing to ever happen to me was when I saw a familiar game on EQD called Pony Town; A game where you’re well, a horse. I made a pony based on a pony I would draw that was essentially my ponysona, but Pony Town finally gave a name to the nameless horse that would represent me: Little Blue Sailor, a Pegasus who wears a sailor collar (ref below, which I know isn’t my best since it’s so flat)

    The most important thing the show has given me is the will and confidence to pursue my goals. Not to mention a nice world to visit when I need a break from ours.

    Bats and Kirins and Trixie and Somnambula and Lyra and Bonbon and Cloudchaser and...

    ...I wasn't sure how much of that was supposed to be pasted in to get this into the right channels, so I thought I'd err on the side of caution. :)

    Anyway... It's really hard to say, but the reason is such that I felt I should write in anyway: it has had such [i]strong[/i] and pervasive effects that while I could pick out some of the clearer highlights, I very much doubt I could, at this point, track down anywhere near all of what would be different in my life without it. I'm twenty-nine, as of less than a month ago, and got into the show not long after the end of Season 1; this show, this fandom, has been with me over a quarter of my life. I have been impacted less than some, I think -- and that is also amazing! -- but I have made friends, I have spent years editing pony stories and playing in pony virtual tabletop RPGs, I have been inspired to new experiences in the real world and at least one very important conversation. From the beginning to influences that are ongoing this very moment, its full effects on me are far too difficult for me to estimate, and I am so, so happy I found my way here. Not to say that it's all been happy, dear me no; I may be good at dodging large-scale fandom dramas, but that doesn't mean I've not had a few of my own little ones. But I got through them, and I am still here, and expect to spend the rest of my life here.

    I do not know what the future holds, or how things may change; I don't know if I'll be able to make it to any conventions even next year, or whether G5 will be good (though I am hopeful on both counts), and I do not know how long the fandom can last. But I think it will be many decades, at least, in some form or another, and I think it possible that it will outlive me even if I live a spry century, though I do not know how likely that is. Whatever happens, though, I can hold this in my heart, memories made and yet to be made, and right now, I am here, as are all of you.

    Thank you, and let's do this together; I think we'll be alright, somehow.

    And oh look, I'm crying again; I've been doing that a lot today. :)

    Reese

    Hello there! I'm Andy Lagopus, also known as CesarTheKing, or Julius. If you don't know me, don't worry about it: I was never horse-famous, though I was often adjacent to it. These days I run a website much like Equestria Daily, but for the Zootopia fandom - a fandom that I have tried to nurture and build from as much as Seth has done for MLP.

    I feel as though MLP was the first time I was truly passionate about something. I found it during my junior year of high school, which was easily the worst time of my high school life. Pony provided me a whole new world to explore, and taught me lessons about friendship that I was sorely lacking. It was the first thing to truly inspire me to become an active creator of content, rather than a passive consumer. I discovered my love of animation, of voice acting, of writing, of art. I met incredible people and made lifelong friends. Like Twilight in The Last Lesson, we all eventually moved on, but I still keep in touch with a few of them to this day.

    I can honestly say that if it were not for My Little Pony and all the friends I made as a result, I would not be who I am today. It gave me a model of how I want to live my life- honest, loyal, kind, generous, full of laughter and magic.

    Perhaps even more directly, Zootopia News Network (aka ZNN, the Zootopia fansite I mentioned earlier) would not have existed without the example that MLP and the Brony community set for me. EQD and this fandom set the bar for fandoms I want to be a part of, and I have worked tirelessly for the past three years to bring a similar experience to fans of Zootopia.

    I detailed how exactly that all happened over on ZNN (and included a bunch of crossover fanart): https://www.zootopianewsnetwork.com/2019/10/special-art-of-the-day-my-little-zootopia-everything-is-magic.html

    But now that that the show that started it all is over, and I look back on the past decade... I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you, all of you, for an incredible journey.

    It truly was magic.

    Well, time for a less positive story with an unclear ending.
    I got into the show way back in late 2010 after hearing about it somewhere online, grabbed all the episodes that were available at that time (about 9) and just continued watching the show from then on. I visited ponychan in the very early days, looked at some fan stuff and discovered Equestria Daily, keeping up with things and just watching the show and fan created content. And that's it.
    I always considered going to a convention or meetup some day, but it never happened. Me, going to Celestia-knows-where alone? Meeting up with random strangers? The mere thought is enough to almost give me a panic attack. So I just continued doing my thing, lurking on various fansites and seeing what other people come up with, never really having the heart to interact with anyone. As it has always been in my life.
    Fast forward to 2017 and the aproach of season 7. I decided to try my hand at "content creation", doing the simplest forms of creation I could think of: doing reaction videos and tracing vectors. My first forray into actively doing something pony related. I even tried getting into drawing, though I quickly gave up on that again. All the while I was still mostly doing these things for myself.
    And that's the way it went until the end of the show.
    Now, I've been suffering from depression and anxiety since pretty much forever.
    Reading about how other people's lives improved due to the show, how they became more positive, how they managed to find friends and really take the show's lessons to heart - it really kind of pains me. After all these years, I didn't make any friends. Or acquaintances even. Despite Friendship is Magic pretty much being my sole reason to carry on for years, I feel like I learned nothing from it; that I once again screwed this up.
    I should have been more active, try to talk to people. "make some friends". But I didn't.

    However, and this is the semi-positive note I wish to end this on, after seeing the finale and knowing that there will be no more episodes to look forward to, I made up my mind and will try to get professional help. I am very sure that without Friendship is Magic, I would not have reached this point, this decision. So, this is the impact the show had on me. Not a lot of impact in the past nine years, but maybe some for the future?

    I'm sorry for this rambly mess, but it felt good typing it out.

    Back in 2013, I was introduced to this show, ironically one day after season 3 ended. I had found a video on YouTube in my recommendations and decided to give it a try since the colors popped out to me and grabbed my attention. It was clips from episode 4 of season 1 and, after that, I immediately wanted to be a part of the fandom. I was amazed by the acceptance of the fandom and, after being introduced to not just the main characters, but OCs as well, I made my first few OCs and ran a page on Facebook called Lunar Nights.

    I ran the page for about two years before giving it up and letting the other admins run it, running into a period of dark times. Long story short, it involved several trips to the hospital, nearly resulting in my death a couple of times. After recovering, I found someone who I thought was the love of my life, until I found out that they had betrayed me two years after we started dating. The show was my guiding light and always reminded me that there is good out there in the world. Since joining the fandom, I've written over 50 fanfics (with 7 of them being published IRL) and contributed over 35 drawings of the mane 6 and other OCs. While I am wandering on my own once more, I know that somewhere out there is an answer for me, whether as a writer, an artist, or something else, but I've always had the show to lean on during my most difficult of times.

    The show has always been there for all of us, so it's only right that we, the fandom, continue to be there for it, be it as a writer, an artist, an animator, musicians, or something else. The show may have ended, but there's enough love within the fandom to keep it alive well beyond its conclusion. This is how the show has impacted me, by giving me something I can be proud to say I was part of and a witness to. The thrill of waiting for new episodes was amazing, and one that will be sorely missed, but all good things must come to an end (I mean, look at The Simpsons...it feels like it's overstayed it's welcome for at least five or ten years now).

    KingBoo687

    Let me just be honest... For once...

    I loved MLP because it has soo many things related to me. It started on 2010, and I was 6 on that time. I have no guide of life... I have no idea why I didnt have a friend on that time... But this show attracted me with all the lovely voices and animations.

    Unfortunatelly... I only enjoy watching it rather than learn somehing for it. And because of that, I didnt have ANY friends until 2016. On that year, I managed to really understand what is the show trying to tell me.

    This show is like a teacher to me... Teaching nonstop for 9 years straight about the Elements of Harmony and Friendship. Im so happy when I finally made a friend with it's guide.

    On 2018, I managed to officially call myself A BRONY with my Original Character named just like myself. But... the show were about to end on that time... I dont know why I felt like wanna cry.

    I really appreciate for this show's existance. Also to the creative and supportive fandoms... They keep telling about the Elements of Harmony (and sometimes shipping) which make my mind really tied to the elements.

    Even mindblowing fact, some of the Bronies and Pegasisters SHOULD have a special tag for them to show that they are friendly, trustable, loyalt, kind, and funny to the community!

    MLP is like a school for me. Most of the students graduated with a flying colours, which means they really understand why this show exist.

    Why a lot of people said this show doesn't impact anything?? And they even said we are immatured because watching this girls/kids show??

    Well... On my thought, they still didnt see it yet. Im telling to everyone that didnt watch MLP and to all the haters that YOU HAVE MISSED YOUR CHANCE...

    As a conclusion, MLP is a way that god make it exist to change our life. From nothing to something.

    Thank you My Little Pony, for not losing hope for me to change.(waving)


    How My Little Pony Impacted Me!

    My name's Michael, but on the internet I normally go by the name of Mike Dragon. And though I am a 31 years old guy, I have just finished watching the season/series finale of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. I won't give away any spoilers but just say... it gave me the feels.

    It's been nine whole years since I started watching this show. I started with episode 12, just a few days after it first aired, convinced by a friend after a chat in which I mentioned that I was confused as to why I was seeing so many artists drawing ponies all around. My first reaction to knowing what it was about was, obviously the stereotypical "My Little Pony? That show and toy line meant for little girls?!" Expected reaction coming from a dude, right? But I am no dumb fool. I knew that, if so many people were drawing fan art of the show, it just had to have something to it, something that made it worthy of that "treatment" and, until then, tiny, but already noticeable growing fan base. So I gave it a shot and watched one episode. I had nothing to lose but some time, after all. And that episode I watched was quite alright. Call of the Cutie (season 1) was a fun episode and it touched a subject I was quite familiar with: Bullying and discrimination. I've been bullied and discriminated all my life, after all, directly and indirectly. It is not nice, I tell you. I won't go as far as to say that the episode touched me in a deep level, but it certainly felt a little personal. Overall, it was a good episode. Enough to have me thinking, "Hmm, that wasn't bad. I'll watch the episode one for context. Let's see if that is good." So I did. I watched episode 1. "Cliffhanger. Let's watch episode 2 to see how that will resolve. Should be more than enough for me to formulate an opinion on this show. Episode one wasn't bad, either, after all." So I watched episode 2. Then 3, 4, 5, 6, 7... the entirety of season 2, 3, 4, 5 and so on. For nine years of my life I have watched and enjoyed MLP FiM.

    What did I have to lose with giving it a try back in 2010? Some time, I said it was, wasn't it? Well, it was worth every single second spent watching all nine seasons, the movies and reading the IDW comics, listening to the countless fan-made, amazing original songs and remixes of show songs, it was worth every single second spent looking at incredible art made by fans, drawing some of my own, some people I met because of the show... Not once I felt like I was wasting time, enjoying this "show for little girls". It made me smile, laugh, sometimes it made me cry (yes, it did) tears of sadness but also tears of joy. I still feel strongly emotive when I read or watch anything about Applejack's parents, for instance! Bottom line is... these nine years have been one heck of a ride. One that I wish would never end. But it did. Like a train I have embarked nine years ago, this train just arrived to its final station and it is now time to disembark. Or is it? The railway may have ended but I will forever carry in my luggage, all the memories and experiences I've had along the way in this journey. This train won't go further, but I'm taking with me, all the "souvenirs" I collected along the way. So in a way, I am not really disembarking; I'm just waiting at the station for the next train while looking back the long way we've come.

    My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic taught me lessons that I had forgotten, lessons I hadn't learned or wasn't practicing as I should. It and the fan-made content has helped me cope with personal issues, to overcome sadness over broken friendships, it has given me inspiration for new art along the years, even if that art wasn't pony-related, it has helped me keep my focus on improving my art skills, to get better. It has made me realize that, even though I am not yet actively working on it, that become an animator at some studio or something in that area is the job I want to build my future with. MLP FiM has helped build my character, it is an integral part of who I am and why I am the way I am, today. The Mike from nine years ago was a completely different Mike from the one who's writing this text. I can't imagine where and how I'd be today if I have never given this show a chance, nine years ago. Whatever I may have turned out, I do not regret the choice I made to watch episode 12 of season one. I wish it would end with a 10th season, but... eeh... it's fine, I guess... Though I now will have to find something else to watch on Saturdays. :(

    Thank you, Lauren Faust, DHX Studios, Hasbro and the whole fandom, for this amazing experience. I am happy to be part of the herd and I am certain that I am a better person because of the lessons the show has taught and the experiences I have experienced along all these years. I will forever cherish these memories.

    Mike

    A little bit about who I am, I am an aspiring DJ/music producer/audio engineer. I've been producing for about 9 or 8 years, I've also been taking classes to improve my music in any means. I know I've been on this site a good number of times because of Makenshi, and I'm truly grateful that I was. How My Little Pony Impacted me? Well let me rewind the clock a bit, being a junior in high school seemed a bit strange for me, I was half way done with school, and had no sort of dreams or goals. My first thought was just join the military after, and that'll be it. I wasn't too happy with it since I wasn't really going to serve my country, more like I was running away thinking it will solve my problems. It wasn't until I had made a friend in theater class that we really hit it off, he knew I watched a lot of anime, and old kids cartoons, so he showed me the show, I was a bit shy of following him, but I figured what the heck why not then. I watched one episode, and then watched the next, and I'm sure you know by now what happened. It was something I had never really seen before in like a kids show. Soon after he showed me the fandom, and the music that came with it. Again I was blown away, the songs they had made, the lyrics that were strung together. When he showed me I had this strange feeling inside me, like something just clicked, kind of like when that sonic rainboom hit the skies, and the main 6 got their cutie marks, yeah that. It had seemed like there was this wave of passion, and meaning of self-worth I guess. I felt like I knew what I wanted to do, but I knew that it wasn't going to be easy for me. Honestly fast forward a few years I've made so many friends along the way, some stayed awhile others just passed by, but leaving something to learn from. I loved every second, of every min of it, and I wanted to keep it going, I never wanted this fire inside me to burn out. I wanted to give back to the fandom as much as any brony could. I always remember that I'd have this big grin on my face just to watch these ponies do their thing, and it made me super happy. Oddly enough I started out writing fan fics, but I worked super hard on my craft to be as good as Micthemicrophone, The Living tombstone, the wooden toaster (glaze), and Ibringdalulz. These few bronies I looked up to, they made such amazing songs about the show, and not just those bronies the people who made the music for the show as well. I love every bit of this fandom, and this show. This show has thought me a few things that has helped me make a lot of good friends, and friends in general. I appreciate every single one of them, even the ones who have passed by in my life. My Little Pony has impacted me on such a deep level that I'm sure many of you can relate. It has made me realize what I want to do in my life, and has given me more then what I've asked for. I always fall back onto it when I feel like I'm going nowhere in my life or when I doubt my own skills. My Little Pony has giving me so much motivation to just keep going on my dreams, and that's how My Little Pony has impacted me. I'm going to truly miss it now that it's over.

    My oc name is King Westonian. My real name is Weston. Back In 2017,a few months before the mlp movie was going to be in theatres,I got into the mlp fandom. It started when i had no idea what bronies were,and i started liking the show,so i posted a mlp picture on one of my social media,and like 3 or 4 of my followers were like "hey i didn't know you were a brony,that's great! I am too" and i was like "uhh ok. I don't know what that means". And then i got into the fandom. This show and fandom has taught me so much about friendship and eccepting others. Before i got into it i sometimes judged people and made fun of them for who they are. Come to think of it, i actually said one time at a dinner with my family"i hate my little pony" (even though i had never seen it. Funny thing that i became a brony later.) When i said that,my mom actually said"i think there is a whole community for adult men who like mlp" i asked if that was bad,and she said "yes,they are probobly pedophiles and homosexuals". I regret laughing about that and agreeing with that.l would never do that about any fandom or people now. Because of this fandom,i am kind,and even when something that someone likes seems weird to me,i let them be who they are and i feel a lot better going that than judging them. I also did some other stuff in my past that i prefer to not speak of,but now I'm a changed person! I am so thankful mlp has turned my life on the right track! I am so happy to know that I am a good person because of mlp. :)

    Today (10/12/19) wraps up a long 9 year series that changed a lot of people.
    Yeah MLP finally airs it's finale.

    Like most other people in this fandom, this show also changed me as a person. Aside from the obvious things, heh, the Lauren Faust My Little Pony was something special.

    Back in 2011, I never expected a show to just surprise me out of nowhere and make me binge watch it straight through. When I first heard about the show, I was a regular user on forums with my friends and they would have signature images of MLP characters and I saw it as humorous and a joke. I played along for the luls and started hearing my other friends take a chance with this show and it lowered my "macho, hah this BS is for little girls" shield down a bit until they started telling me, "No i recommend it, it's different".

    I took a chance, swallowed my "manly" pride and started watching the first 4 episodes back in June 2011.

    Holy crap, like a snowball going down a hill and picking up momentum, I found myself down the rabbit hole into pony purgatory. I binge watched that whole first season cause it was new, it was different, the show had relatable characters, very good life lessons that applied to even adults. It had references to other films, movies, TV shows and jokes that made me laugh. It was enjoyable and something in me changed.

    I wanted MORE of this. This was after the first season ended, but to give you some perspective of where I was back in late 2011, I was lonely, coming off losing a ton of weight and trying to be healthy, out of college feeling lost and having no direction and regrets about not networking and making friends and just sad and struggling with my personal issues with gender.

    Around that time, I was trying to get more active in local conventions as a photographer and get myself out there. And failing all the same being anti-social and feeling ugly at the same time.

    All it took was one June afternoon to completely change everything.

    AND THEN THE ART CAME.

    AND THEN MORE ART!

    AND EVEN MORE ART

    AND THEN THE COMICS CAME!

    And for the next 6 years, my art life would be consumed by horses. XD

    I don't regret it one bit though, because I was so consumed by this show, I wanted to contribute so badly to this ever growing community, I stopped what I was doing normally to pursue being an MLP comic artist. I put my projects on hold because all of this was still fresh and fun and because of it, so many people reached out to me, told me that my Waldo Vs Derpy comics made them smile, told me that my twisted sense of humor for slapstick and wackiness got them out of bad moments when I was just being myself.

    THAT sticks with me and encouraged me to continue on for six more years. And I cannot thank ALL of you enough. For those who follow me, and for those who are still here even after I've moved on from it.
    My creativity branched out towards my other hobbies, encouraged me to pursue cosplay more seriously, and with my sense of humor, I made sure to go absolutely nuts with my cosplays.

    My original Flash Sentry cosplay being the mane, heh, example:

    https://www.deviantart.com/ladyanidraws/art/AX-14-Here-Comes-The-Bride-467350450 )

    And I think the one thing that affected me most from all of this was that it was the push for me, being anti-social and lonely was that after I binge watched season 1, I went out and pursued local meetups after finding out that was a thing. Sure enough I found "So Cal Bronies" in Los Angeles and they just started up in my local area and I went to my first meetup and met people who loved this show.

    And from then on, I would go to meetups and slowly build connections and friendships with people. I SLOWLY started to get out of my anti-social shell and it's been life changing. It seemed like there was a meetup every weekend and I would go to it.

    And through the years I would build friendships, find my core group of friends, my girlfriend, and all that would branch into other projects, podcasts, conventions, animations, MLP reactions, networking, etc

    Ultimately, with my new friendships, it would slowly open me up and allow me the comfort knowing I had a true support network around that I would feel open and safe enough to accept myself as transgender and publicly transition. Another important milestone in my life.

    October 12th is also my hormone anniversary. As of this day and year, I'm now FIVE years on hormones and into my transition. And I could not be happier. I feel like I've reached my true potential and being someone who is finally comfortable in her own skin and it continues though my art and cosplays. I cosplayed more MLP characters for fun, and dressed up overall and is one of my favorite hobbies now that I feel comfortable with myself.

    You cannot imagine the joy I get from young kids coming up to me seeing me as Princess Twilight, or Rainbow Dash or Rarity and the joy in their faces seeing their favorite characters come to life at conventions and MLP cons. And it wouldn't have happened if I didn't get the courage to transition and have the strong support network around me, all thanks to this show.

    Feeling like my truest version of myself, I decided in early 2018, to move on from MLP art and continue towards my own personal life and projects. This was when the fandom was "slowing' down, people moving on, etc and I was no different.

    I may have moved on from doing pony art, but wrapping up here, I do not regret ANYTHING. All of my life events the past eight years were results of one thing branching off to another good thing.

    Without MLP, I would not rekindle my art spark back in 2011, and without my art, i would not be able to meet my friends on deviantart, my lovely DISCORD community, and all over, and without my friends i would not grow as a person (despite some awkward hiccups here and there), and without that growth i would not feel comfortable enough to transition to be my best possible self. All of these things came from just one day in June 2011 where I got over my"stubborn manly pride" and took a chance on THIS one, particular show.

    And I don't regret anything from it.

    Thank you Lauren Faust, DHX studios, Jayson Thiessen, Big Jim Miller, Josh Haber, Meghan McCarthy, the show staff, the voice actors, my lovely MLP supporters on Deviantart and everywhere, my non MLP fans for seeing me through my journey. And thank you to EQD for providing us with all sorts of news, insight, reporting, drawfriends, art challenges, and fun stuff for many many years!

    But as this show ends, I'll always remember it as the spark that brought everything in my life together!
    And It truly was magical.
    <3 -="" hr="" https:="" ladyanidraws="" nirichie="" www.deviantart.com="">
    MLP:FIM has got me through some really bad times and I may not be here if I had never found the show and the good friends I have gained through it.



    I'll try to keep it short. Back in 2014, I had to move far away from my home town, which caused me to become heavily depressed. Soon after that, I randomly stumbled upon MLP, and I immediately fell in love with the show and the fandom. The joyful mood of the show, the relatable characters, and the strong community revolving around the show were exactly what I needed to cheer me up. My little Pony was a beacon of happiness in my life, and the fandom made me feel like I belonged somewhere when I was lost. I am sad to see the show go after all these years, but I will never forget how the show and the fandom helped me during my darkest days.

    Thank you, and don't forget: the ride never ends! /)





    Saturday, October 19, 2019 op
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