This is the third and final compilation of people's stories on how My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has impacted their lives. I never expected to get so many. It's amazing how much this show has helped people out.
Below the break, get your final 60something stories. For the previous ones, hit up our Writing Event tag.
Friendship is Magic was a cornerstone of my post-college life. It was my first major internet fandom. True there were a few others before but none so big as pony, which consumed most of my non-sleeping/working hours for years. It introduced me to a lot of new friends and to a lot of my main interests nowadays. It made me a more confident, adventurous person, and I like to think helped make me more generous, understanding, open to new things, and pushed me further on the path to being a better friend.
It's been with me through so many highs, lows, and doldrums. I discovered it on knowyourmeme in February 2011 when I was still adjusting to post-college life and missing all my friends from there. It gave me something new and amazing to be a part of. It opened me up to so many new music genres and artists I never would have even given much of a second thought. Through the fandom it introduced me to so many amazing creative people from cosplayers, musicians and artists, to animators, podcasters, and Let's Players. Thanks to the show and the fandom I had the courage to fly halfway across the country to conventions in new unfamiliar cities when I had hardly traveled anywhere outside my home city by myself.
Yes there have been ups and downs with fandom drama and losing touch with some close friends I'd made in the fandom but all through these 9 years the Mane 6 and Equestria were always there, week by week, welcoming me back to new amazing adventures and teaching me how to be a better friend. Yeah, not all the lessons sunk in but that's what re-watches are for. Through all the drama, leaks, early airings, and waning and waxing fandom interests I could always count on Friendship is Magic and the fandom being there for me no matter how rough or obnoxious work or life was being. The characters feel like more than just animated cartoon characters. They're like family or best friends that you've lived with, grown with together. It's a deep connection that makes it hard to accept that the story is over and I'll have to go on without the hope and expectation of new adventures and episodes, at least the on tv animated ones.
And with these last episodes it's helped inspire me to try to better maintain the friendships I have and the ones I've neglected a bit. It gave me a community I could be fully comfortable with again which is something that's hard to find when you're an introvert that's horrible at maintaining long distance friendships after the thing that united your group ends.
It's hard to imagine what life would've been like without this show or fandom. So while it hurts that it's over I'm glad I could experience the ride. And honestly once you get on the train you never really get off it. So Thank you My Little Pony FRiendship is Magic, here's to the unknown future and the hope of making the here and now a bit more like Equestria. To use what they learned in their journey of friendship to guide us on ours. I don't think there'll be another show or fandom that'll top this one for me.
Your semi-faithful reader,
Kelazi5
How My Little Pony has impacted me?
It was around 2012 (summer of technically) of freshman year did I discover the show/fandom. At first I didn’t think of anything much for it. I didn’t consider watching the show all that much and when I did decide to watch it was only just a small part of “The Return of Harmony” All throughout that year I started to get to know some people, and the very idea of friendship I thought was kind of easy for me.
It was then that on August 9, 2013 did I actually for some unknown reason (I still don’t know why tbh) sit down and watch the show. It was back when the Hub showed three episodes early afternoon. The episodes were “Party of One”, “The Best Night Ever”, and “Lesson Zero”. And after that did I decide to watch the rest. I remember making a schedule to watch at least one episode for once a day, from Sunday to Saturday. Whether I was at football practice or at home, I watched them all, catching up before season four started that fall of 2013.
It was great.
But the show stuck with me because, at the very end where they said of what they’ve learned, I sorta pictured myself in that situation. Picturing myself learning that lesson. And to be frank, I think I learned how to be a better person that way.
‘Cause to be honest, even though I knew a lot of people, I was also very shy. Sometimes it felt frustrating to not say what I think or how to act around others. But the show has taught me to be more friendly.
But it also reminds me to not worry too much. Every episode where Twilight worried/freaked out, where other fans didn’t like that, I liked it because it showed me to not worry too much. Even though I know I still do, I know that I shouldn’t.
The show has impacted me in ways.
True it may not have saved me from some depression like it did for others or help me make friends, I do know I wouldn’t be the same without it.
This past week, I’ve just been thinking of all the memories made from the years. From my HS years of 2013-2016 to my now post HS years, I would like to say, thank you.
Thank you to everyone who worked on the show, from the writers to the VAs to the animators, to everyone in the fandom who wrote fanfics, animate, and/or comment on brony sites, thank you.
Whether an episode is bad or not, I’ll still give it a good rating for I know that the show will help me go on in life.
We’re all the main character in MLP, and the finale will never come.
I distinctly remember the night a became a brony. It was mid-2011 I was up at around 11:30PM, browsing through Know Your Meme, when I decided to click on their article on the fandom. I was kind of weirded out initially, but I figured that the show must be doing something right if all these guys were watching it. I found episode 1 on Youtube, as this was when most of season 1 was still uploaded. My grandma happened to walk by, and asked what I was doing. I answered honestly: Watching ponies to figure out why dudes were so obsessed with it. I don't think she understood, so she just said ok and left me to my business.
I finished episode 1, then 2, then 3 and 4. I was a brony by episode 5. One thing that drew me was how must I relatetd to season 1 Twilight at the time. I had been bullied in middle school and as a result became very withdrawn. Hell, I barely socialized at all for the first part of my freshman year of high school. Seeing Twilight go from being similary introverted and antisocial to being royalty incredibly satisfying, as I've gone through similar development as Ive watched the show.
Back in 2013, I was 13 got a little depression because my dog who was with me for about 7 years died. Then, my friend introduced me to the series and that helped. The series also got me more friends. It really twisted my life a lot! If I hadn't known about this I still might be living alone.
When I first got into My Little Pony, I first thought of it as just another cartoon I enjoyed. Little did I know, it would leave an everlasting impression on me. It was much more than a show. It was a symbol that gave me hope to crawl out of my shell and taught me what friendship really was about. Whenever I felt a great deal of stress, I would watch an episode or two to relax. Plus, My Little Pony gave me a group where I felt like I fit in and met some amazing friends along the way. For that and those involved in the show's production in some form or another, I would like to give my thanks for everything. Thank you, Lauren. Thank you, Jim. Thank you, M.A. Larson, and all the other writers and voice actors. I honestly can't say it enough.
Hard to believe this whole journey started with me watching the show out of boredom at school.
This show along with Equestria Girls have changed my life for the better. Back when I first started watching both shows in 2013, I was overcoming a family tragedy and needed a means of coping with my loss. Upon seeing those snippets of the first Equestria Girls movie, I was intrigued to watch it in its entirety and would do so days later via YouTube. After that, I had to catch up on the first three seasons. From there, I was up to date on the latest episodes, specials, and the like along with everyone else and kept up with it until the very end.
My Little Pony helped me overcome not just one family tragedy, but several more over the years, as a means of allowing me to escape from the pain of reality and embrace a world that was filled with memorable characters who go through experiences we’ve all had to endure at some point in our lives. The lore of Equestria and the other kingdoms are the stuff of legends that continues to expand even now and there is still much more that remains untouched. And then there are my fellow online fans, a fair number of whom have become colleagues, friends, and so on. Had I not been in this fandom, I wouldn’t have gotten to know any of them, not understand them, or even appreciate them for what they’ve done.
Equestria Girls in particular gave me the incentive to resume fanfiction and even become a sort of expert of the EQG world—I don’t see myself as an expert but rather a dedicated fan of EQG. Sunset Shimmer in particular is the one character that I relate to the most on a personal level. Like her, I was isolated from my peers, ignored, and left to my own devices. She was able to open up and experience friends and the same happened with me. I’m not as introverted as I once was.
While I do prefer Equestria Girls over Friendship is Magic, my friends respect my opinion and know me well enough as to why I continue to feel this way. Others also respect my opinion because I explain why I feel that way and don’t force such thoughts upon them. I also respect those who don’t like EQG as they have their reasons. And yet both shows played their respective roles resulting in what I have become now. I shudder to think what my life would be like had I never joined the fandom.
These past six years are ones I’ll never forget and wouldn’t trade for anything.
Ganondorf8
It took me till MLP-Silver-Quill’s recent Pinkie Pie Says Goodnight for me to realize "After October 12, it’s over." And I’m not gonna lie, I honestly did tear up a bit. This show means a lot to me before this, I was in my nostalgia mindset where I wouldn’t even consider giving modern animated shows a chance. But it all changed when Adventure Time and Regular Show began to air where I decided "OK fine, I’ll watch them." And from there, I give modern animated shows a chance and because of that, I became fans of shows like Gravity Falls, The Loud House, etc. Then one day, I came across Friendship is Magic from not only a toy commercial advertising the Canterlot Wedding, but weirdly enough, from a Death Battle of G1 Starscream vs G4 Rainbow Dash. I thought it looked interesting, but I never decided to watch the show. But it was until a friend of mine who was a fan of the show where I decided to watch an episode. I decided to watch the episode "Too Many Pinkie Pies"(yeah it took me that long to watch the show) and the next episode I watched was "Sonic Rainboom". Then from there, I fell in love with the show. I loved the animation, the characters, the songs, everything (My favorite character is Rainbow Dash by the way). On paper, this show just looked like a commercial that screams "BUY OUR TOYS". But although that’s the intention, the show also manages to tell engaging stories and teach lessons that many can relate too. It’s impressive on how a children’s show managed to leave a lasting impact with 9 seasons, 221 episodes, 1 theatrical movie, 1 special, an ongoing comic series, 1 holiday special, 8 shorts, 1 spin-off series, and 4 spin-off direct to DVD movies. And how it drew in an unintended target demographic that stuck around for 9 years. Now that the show’s over, it does make me sad, but I’m glad that it gave us a proper conclusion to go out on. But as Silver Quill’s recent comic says, the fandom will keep going (And also IDW will continue with Season 10). Hopefully G5 can surpass expectations just like G4 did.
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Adventure Time, and Regular Show where the three shows that changed my life. But while Adventure Time and Regular Show made me appreciate modern animated shows, MLP proved that to me by showing that I can enjoy any show, even if said show looks like the demographic is for little girls.
It was a dark and “not” stormy night. Little did I know that my life was about to change forever. I was an ordinary high school student that I’m interested in filming and animation despite I had a disability. I was looking for new development for future filming ideas.
That night, on October 6, 2013, I was in my room watching videos on YouTube in my computer and researching for an idea for filming. My three-year-old niece Brianna came in with her iPad watching Scooby-Doo. I let her in and watch it in my bed.
As I was researching, Brianna started watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I could only hear the sound of the show. I was like, “what is she watching?” I got up, look out the window, and saw what is Brianna watching. She is watching “Spike at Your Service,” in the middle of the show. I began to intrigue and fall in love of the show. I was completely magnetized by those beautiful, color ponies. The first full episode is “Apple Family Reunion.” I couldn’t even describe how beautiful the show is. The song, “Raise this Barn” is the first song that Applejack sang and I love this song. The color is rich, the animation movement is smooth, and the music/songs are simply incredible.
I continued watching more shows everyday and I fell free and energetic that I have more ideas and plans. I began watching Season 4-9, Equestria Girls. Plus, and the movie (the exact release date since my inspiration). I was intrigued watching the fandoms’ animation and video that I want to do that too for my YouTube channel. I learned a lot of things how they did to make entertaining videos. I even got more inspirations from the show’s aspect and story that gave me an opportunity to make my own ideas.
I had an amazing 6 years adventures with the ponies who rescued me from pain and dark times. I owed to my niece who gave me an inspiration. My Little Pony changed my life even since, and I’ll never forget that time.
Thank you, My Little Ponies and Creatures of Equestria for everything you gave. I wouldn’t be the same person as I am today.
Aloha, my name’s Jeffery and I wanna tell you all how My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic effected my life. Throughout my life I was being poorly treated differently by those who don’t understand me nor do they accept me for who I am cause I’m Autistic and it was very sad and stressful for me and it stayed with me for quite some time as I grew and I tried to hide the pain and suffer from my family and I even tried to put my past behind me but this emotional scar in my heart prevented me from doing them and I was on the verge of ending my own life but when I first saw My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, little did I know that my life is about to change forever and that’s where I first saw Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Princess Luna, and Princess Celestia and I feel somewhere in my heart, mind, and soul that somepony special is here for me and is making me feel better and is also telling me that whenever I feel sad, alone, and being treated differently she and both her friends and her teacher are always here for me to remind myself that I’m not alone and that somepony special is Twilight Sparkle and when I looked into her beautiful purple eyes, I not only fell in love with her, but I also feel that she’s always there for me along with her friends and both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna and I even feel safe when they’re around and I even grew interested in Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and this might sound crazy even for a My Little Pony fan but I just considered Princess Celestia as my very own adopted mother while I considered Princess Luna as my very own adopted aunt and it made me feel like that I’m part of their family just as I’m feeling part of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. And now that I know that the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has come to an end and I’m sad about it, and fearing that with the show gone I’ll be back to the way I once was being tormented by the pain and suffer that I’ve been through in my life of being treated differently, but however I’ll always remember what Twilight Sparkle, her friends, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna showed me and what Twilight told me, that I’m never alone and sad and that the show maybe over, she and both her friends and the Princesses will always be there for me whenever I needed them and that is how My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic made a special impacted on me and how it thereby changed my life forever, and I wanna thank the cast and crew of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, including both Tara Strong and Nicole Oliver for changing my life and helping me find Inner Peace and Inner Happiness, and for in my heart and soul that this is not the end but rather a brand new beginning, simply put another Magic of Friendship.
Yours truly,
Jeffery
(And p.s. I have a special soft spot for Fluttershy cause I considered her as my very own adopted daughter and even though she has her own biological family it doesn’t mean that she can’t be part of my life nor that I can’t be part of her life)
I didn't start watching My Little Pony when it started back in 2010. It wouldn't be until 2013 that I began my six year love affair with the series. I believed before that the show was for little kids, yet since I saw the pilot in 2013, I was hooked.
I don't know how to explain it, but the show looked so happy and friendly, that I fell into it, and from the summer of 2013 to now, I enjoyed a show that most people didn't really care about from what I heard.
Looking back, I saw a lot of great moments along with millions of viewers, like in 2015 when the Cutie Mark Crusaders got their cutie marks, I was so happy, I could have woken up the neighbors.
When I heard that the show was ending in 2019, I was sad, but I knew that all things must pass away. When I watched that series finale, I felt a little pain, and for a few days I was moody, but now, I am just happy to show my affection to something I would have never gotten into otherwise.
The show taught me a lot, and I'm sure it will teach more to come if we hold onto the ideals the show has showed us.
Friendship is, has, was, and always will be magic forever. I'm grateful for that.
How My Little Pony Impacted ME As A Person!
I never thought a show about talking ponies, singing songs and learning about friendship. Can make me the person that I am today. I discovered MLP in 2012 when I was 10. I kept it a secret for a couple of months until I started the 5th grade when I decided to where a Pinkie Pie shirt to school. To my surprise many complimented on my shirt and how I'm into MLP. Which made me boost up confidence on expressing my passion for MLP and I became known as the "pony girl" at my school. But When I got into middle school, most of my friends went to a different middle school. Because of that I had a hard time with making friends, and I was afraid that I would be a burden on who ever I tried to talk to. And all that stress and fear would lead me to have really bad social anxiety. But then whenever I watch new episode of MLP at the end of my week, it almost became a therapy for me in what it means to be a good friend. Through time the show helped me get back on my feet and with helping me try to talk to people again without feeling tense feeling of them not wanting to talk to me. Today I'm still working on controlling my anxiety, but it's definitely getting better. And I thank MLP for helping me getting through a hard time in my life. I'm now a senior in high school and I realize with MLP coming to the end, is almost a sign of how I'm gonna be ending a huge chapter in my life and the start of a new one. I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to Lauren Faust and everyone that's ever worked on MLP for how much this show has impacted my adolescent life and on further. You've all inspired me to make my own stories and art that I want to make into a reality. Your creation of the magic of friendship will always live in my heart. THANK YOU!
With Lots of Love,
Malena
This is always so hard to describe, but here goes...
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic's impact on me was more of a subtle creep than anything at first. But it's safe to say that without its influence on me, I more than likely would've committed suicide around 2013 or so.
It was in 2011 when I first discovered the show. I'd seen it kind of explode, with fan art all over the place suddenly. I scoffed at it at first, but I did like the character designs. I gave it a shot. Needless to say, I was hooked, quickly going from "why is this so entertaining?" to legitimately enjoying it.
I didn't even realize it at first, but it was always something I could rely on to help me get through tough times, keeping me smiling during the worst. It did something no other media could: Elicit strong emotional responses from me, being the first to ever make me cry.
There are so many amazing characters, so many of them fleshed out, so much world building. There was always something new to explore, something new to discover, even if it was something as simple as the interactions of an unlikely pair of characters. It would take far too long for me to go through the characters and what they mean to me, but all of them have been relatable in some form or another. Though no have been more relatable to me than Starlight Glimmer, post-redemption. Putting aside my own philosophy regarding redemption, Starlight's mannerisms and quirks are so very, very similar to my own, and in some cases exactly the same, that it's kind of mind-boggling. She's been my personal favorite ever since.(I could go on about the preservation of it all, but I'd rather not turn this into a soapbox!)
When I'd figured out what this show had done for me, I loved it more than ever before. There's so many great people I would've never met, so many fun and great things I would've never done if not for this show. It made me a better person overall as I subconsciously took many of its lessons to heart.
And most importantly, I owe it my life. It subtly convinced me that life was worth living. A debt I don't think I could ever repay. I simply can not thank everyone involved in its production enough for this wonderful piece of fiction that brought so many people together. And as well, I thank the fanbase, rough as it can be at times, for all the amazing things and people that have come of it. It is arguably one of the more welcoming fanbases I've interacted with, again, despite the roughness that comes with fandoms that grow this large and opinionated.
What an amazing show.
Long live the bronies and our beloved, pastel-colored cartoon horses.
Friendship is Magic.
I’m writing this late at night as an absolute mess shortly after watching the last few episodes, so I apologize if this comes across as a bit rushed and sappy. I first discovered My Little Pony in late 2012 as a middle schooler without a care in the world. Today (how appropriate) I submitted my application to transfer to a university to begin my third year of college.
This silly little show and the wonderful works of the fandom have been with me for a large portion of my life, through the good times and the bad. Those bad times include mental health struggles, gender dysphoria, and many other things I don’t want to list for personal reasons. But throughout these seven years, I’ve made so many wonderful friends who have stuck by me no matter what. I even met my loving partner through this very website. I remember creating my own fanfiction for a while which, while not particularly successful in the end, showed me some valuable lessons that I’ve taken with me ever since. I now hope to become an animator myself. Maybe, someday, I can make my own show that has this large of an impact on others.
To make a long story short, I’m so glad I made the fateful decision to click on episode 1 on Youtube back in that cold fall evening seven years ago. The impact it’s had on me has been impossible to describe with words. I hope that years from now, wherever I may be, I can share this wonderful show with everyone else, and revel in the magic of friendship with them... or something.
Thank you to all my friends, to the show’s staff, and to this wonderful fandom. You really made this weird gay mess of a trans girl so happy to be alive.
I was used to not having friends for most of my life. There was an eight year period where I didn't have any, and the sad thing is, it didn't bother me. Growing up with autism, other kids could pick up that I was different, and it led to issues with bullying. Didn't help that I tended to be an introvert. I hung out around online communities, but they tended to be toxic. Not ultra toxic, but it was almost like positive thinking was looked down upon. Like you couldn't have a good time unless you tore someone down.
So I see a thread in a forum about "anyone here MLP fans?" or something along those lines. G3 was I really remembered about MLP, so I wondered why anyone that wasn't the age of 5 would like it. Then I saw the new G4 designs, and they struck me for being anime influenced. They were appealing to me, so I gave it a shot and...I was pleasantly surprised. The pilot had Sailor Moon influences I didn't expect, so I kept watching. The SM stuff faded in favor of slice of life hijinks, but the characters were the real selling point, at least early on. Later seasons added interesting lore, amazing fantasy action, and so on, but the characters were the cornerstone for FIM. The show would not be as good as it was without the Mane 6, Spike, the CMC, Celestia, Luna, and the rest of the ponies established early on.
And then something happened. As I joined the fandom, I made friends.
I couldn't go back to NOT having friends, having actually experienced friendship for the first time in a while. It was weird to learn you weren't alone with your crap, or that people would actually listen or simply accept you as you are. I had issues with that for the aforementioned reasons, and my goodness it was amazing. Some of the deepest friendships in my life happened within the fandom.
On top of that, FIM made me realize I wanted to be a writer. If you've seen me on FIMFiction, you know I've done a few stories that exploded in popularity. Kiss of the Dark, Pinkie Pie Discovers Coffee, Within The Seas of the Galaxies. It's like watching FIM made something click inside me. My early stuff was HORRIBLE--my first attempt at a story was one where Twilight watched over Fluttershy's animals and you could see my inexperience--but I like to think I improved majorly since then. Right now, I'm beginning to work on my first original novel, ever. 2011 me couldn't have done something like this. 2019 me, inspired by the show to do a bunch of fanfics starring colorful horses with butt tattoos, learned how to do it.
There's a bittersweet feeling to the show ending after all this time. I watched the series for the first time in the summer of 2011, so this show has been a part of my life for eight years. In other words, longer than the entire length of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
But I'm grateful. You have to remember, there were people legitimately worried this series wouldn't get another season. Anytime the show got renewed, even as early as season 3, you would have a crowd screaming that it would be the last season because FIM would crash and burn in popularity. Or that it would never get a movie despite how many people wanted one.
221 episodes.
Nine seasons.
4 spinoff movies.
One theatrical movie.
A Christmas special.
A TV movie.
Over 100 combined comics. Over 80 just with the mainline comics.
And a bunch of shorts and EQG specials.
I say we did pretty well.
Soothing Stone
Agent Feather Data's Story:
I joined the fandom at age 16 in Summer of 2013, but I actually started watching the show in May 2013, little did I know that I would like this show so much, AND discover a huge fandom within it.
Throughout all of the years I have been in this fandom, it has impacted me a lot. In 2015, my parents offered me a trip to BronyCon after High School, I did not seek that trip, nor was I expecting it. I took it, because I love my fandom, and I wanted to reach out to other people.
I went to EQD full time in 2016 and spent most of my online time there for the remaining 3 years.
And without this fandom, I would never have awesome friends like you guys!
Thank you,
Agent Feather Data
So..I started watching my little pony (the old cartoons( at a very young age and I would play with the toys nonstop in my bath tub lol. I think my favorite Older gen pony would be Minty. Anyhow,as I got older,my love for the pony show got lost until my niece showed me My Little Pony:Friendship is Magic. This show came at an amazing time in my life because back then I didn’t know a single thing about friendship. Well,I did but I just didn’t know how to show it basically. I was shy,with a low self esteem and so much more. But after watching the show, I started becoming more confident in myself and don’t even get me started on the amazing friends I’ve met along the way. Ashley H is so nice and so is the rest of the brony community. I could go on and on as to why I love this show so much but it would be an entire novel. The show may have ended,but the friendships won’t. Thank you for the amazing memories.
Your faithful Student,
Brianna Dash
(Hope you like the reference)
Ya know... if someone told me back around 2009/early 2010 that I'd spend the next 10 years of my life enjoying a cartoon that was originally intended to be aimed at girls, I probably would have called you insane. Had they followed it up with "the finale will probably leave you teary-eyed", I'd have probably called them crazier still. But yeah, I can't remember the exact period, it was either around the 3/4 mark of the first season, or the interim between the 1st and 2nd seasons, that I was introduced to Friendship is Magic via a friend of mine (The comparisons they made helped too, being a Spyro fan they made a comparison to Luna/Nightmare Moon being like Cynder from that game XD) And from there on out, I was pretty much hooked on the show. The characters were all charming and had great personalities, the humor was brilliant, and they did a great job at telling a story, and as such, it became a part of shows I watch religiously when time allows (I still follow Pokémon where I can, and I started on that all the way back in 1999!)
Of course, being into the show did raise concerns from my parents, which was kind of natural, but it did eventually pass (Though I wished some of the jokes my sister made at times died out sooner), though funnily enough it did end up spawning a brilliant slip-of-the-tongue that I still use on them to this day (Parking in a parent & child space as the disabled spaces were taken, and where I had been talking about MLP prior, my mom called it the 'Pony & Toddler' space, and I've never let her forget it XD)
The show's always been a go-to for me whenever I've been in a low mood. If I had a rough day or felt like I needed to shut myself away from stress for a little while, I'd either load up an episode or listen to some of the show's songs on my music player. Hell, I can thank "Time To Be Awesome" for getting me past my driving test on the second attempt!
I didn't go too mad into the collecting aspect, I got figures of the Mane Six, the princesses and select other characters, but that really was it. Might also be down to the fact that the UK never really got the same selection of products that the US got for the most part (And I can attest to that, given how hard it was to get hold of a Captain Celaeno figure seeing Asda, who're owned by Walmart, never had it in, thank Celestia for eBay!) Whilst I also made a pony OC as well, he never got to see a lot of use either, which is a shame in itself. He did get a pretty lengthy origin story done for him as it was written with a friend (Well over 100 pages, so it's a long read, it even has its own TVTropes page, which is quite the achievement to have!). I guess you could say I've been a bit of a lurker in the creativity part of the fandom, and even though my input to it has been minimal, it's still stuff I'd gladly do again.
Given the show's message of friendship, it has taught me to value and cherish those who I see as my friends, a lesson that I always take to heart. All my life I've suffered from horrendous amounts of bullying, both physically and mentally, and it lead me into some pretty dark places, so whenever I've been lucky enough to find someone to be a friend with, I've always been grateful for it. Whilst I don't have the best track records with keeping friends, either having lost some due to petty arguments, betrayals on their half, or other sources interfering, the ones I've kept are the ones I'll always treasure - my own Elements of Harmony in a way, even if there are some rough patches now and then.
Now that the show's run is over, it has left me feeling a little bit sad. I always looked forwards to new episodes, and knowing that there are no more to come is a bit of a blow, though hearing the comics will have their own season 10, it's giving me something to look forward to, even if it is months away. And even though the cartoon's finished, it'll always be around for me to watch if I ever need a quick pick-me-up or a nostalgia hit. That and it's never too late to try to contribute more to the fandom, maybe even dust off my pony sona for some new adventures!
With all that said and done, thank you for taking the time to listen to my ramblings, thank you for giving me the chance to share my history, and most important of all, thank you to everyone involved in the production of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic for creating such a charming world and many, MANY memorable characters. It was quite the ride, and I'm glad I was able to take it from start to finish.
May the magic of friendship continue to grow for many more years to come.
Shade the Raven/Draco Scales
P.S: Never forget that Fluttershy is best pony, Luna is best princess, Celaeno is best pirate/birb, and best catbirb... well, it's a three-way tie between Gilda, Gabby and Gallus'
How My Little Pony Impacted Me!
I joined the herd fairly late. Prior to becoming a father I only had passing awareness of G4 via glimpses of the meme-ified pictures and clips I'd sometimes encountered online. I'd also heard of the "brony phenomenon" before, but sadly only the derisive/dismissive mainstream media take.
In early 2018 I found the show on Netflix and was occasionally playing episodes for my then 5-year-old daughter. As before, I didn't give it much thought at first. It was Pinkie's crazy antics and silly humor that initially got me paying more than passing attention (that Pinkie, totes a gateway pony!) I also liked Ashleigh Ball's voicing of Applejack with her delightful accent.
I started watching a few episodes along with my daughter, somewhere in the middle of Season 1. I then did some searching online, curious about the fandom I'd heard of, and was utterly blown away by the depth of enthusiasm and talent that I encountered. That made me pay closer attention yet, and I started watching episodes on my own, finding myself more and more taken with these candy-colored cartoon horses and their heartwarming adventures.
I watched both "A Brony Tale" and "Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony", digesting them at the same time as I was processing my own feelings about the show. I consider myself a very open-minded person, but as a middle-aged man this was still tripping me up. Was I a "brony"? What did that mean? Should I be self-conscious about it? My mind grappled with my inherited cultural age and gender norms, turning them over and over as if trying to puzzle out the solution to a cognitive Rubik's cube.
Ultimately, I realized I just needed to chuck that cube in the trash, because none of it really matters! What matters is how great the show is, and all the positivity, creativity, and community it has inspired and will continue to inspire. I felt the faintest echo of the same sort of internal mental skepticism/resistance when I first encountered Equestria Girls, but that dissolved almost immediately when I found the same high-quality content prevailed in that series as well. My wife was definitely rather surprised when I first told her, "Well, I think I'm a brony!" Though it didn't take long for her to give the show a focused chance based on my continued recommendations, and she quickly came to appreciate it, too.
As a family we rapidly caught up on everything over the course of 2018-2019, and though my time with the show was compressed, I definitely shed a few tears during the finale (plus experienced some squees of joy at Cheesepie, Appledash, and Fluttercord!) I'm now devouring the comics in electronic form, hoping to catch up before Season 10 debuts. Though I've not made it to a con yet, I hope to at some point in the future.
The show really had a profound impact on me in ways I wasn't at all expecting. Of course there is the technical quality that I very much appreciate: the characters are memorable, have depth and evolve, and the writers did a great job of both expanding the world and preserving continuity in the lore and history as it went on. But my favorite thing is how completely honestly and un-cynically positive it is. The themes of empathy, understanding, forgiveness, appreciation, self-reflection, and redemption are woven strongly and creatively throughout, while being smart, funny, and entertaining at the same time.
So much of modern entertainment narrative has roots in fear, anger, envy, violence, and despair. Now, I appreciate the hell out of shows like Breaking Bad, The Wire, and Black Mirror, but in watching pony I finally realized the psychic toll that such a persistent diet of negative themes had been taking on me. MLP was like a mental salve, beginning to heal the scars and bruises of negative modes of thought that I'd simply ceased noticing, they were so familiar. It's quite literally helped me to be more consistently happy and positive in my life in general.
It's also helped me approach interactions differently. When confronted with someone being negative, or expressing anger or hate, I less often retreat reflexively into my own negative assumptions about them, writing them off. Rather, I'll often feel sincerely sorry for them, thinking instead something along the lines of "How sad it must be to go through life feeling so hostile/negative towards others!" And that's a crucial difference- relating with empathy rather than closing off. It provides a space for real communication and understanding to happen, and I absolutely attribute that shift in my thinking to the themes and messages from MLP.
So, my sincere and heartfelt thanks to Ms. Faust for bringing us these characters, and to all the crew who worked throughout on G4 as well as EqG and the movie(s). Not to mention the legions of amazingly creative and talented fans contributing their own works. It's so clear to me that it's brought a lot of good into the world. I know it certainly has to mine!
I began watching the show with my daughter when my wife and I found it. At first it really didn't interest me but I started to learn some of the songs to sing to my daughter. It wasn't long after that when Rainbow Rocks was released. The upbeat tempo of the music and catchy lyrics had me hooked to both series. It was about two years later that I discovered fimfiction.net. I started reading fanfics of others and became inspired to write my own.
I made a few friends on there as I begun to battle depression. They helped me through a few times when I nearly committed suicide. The most recent time I listened to a song that one of those friends had told me about, "Carry On" by Michelle Creber (the voice of Apple Bloom). I binge-watched the video on YouTube for days. It was about a week later, this same friend was on a Discord chat with Michelle and her other Patrons when he told her that her song saved my life. Her exact response was "Oh my God. Wow. That is very powerful...I'm not sure what to say to that. I'm just glad he's ok." I cried for hours (like I'm doing now) from that response.
So had it not been for MLP:FiM, the fans, and one special voice actress/singer, my ashes would be scattered across some hillside somewhere.
I was a first-year university student when I found My Little Pony because of the ukrainian dub of "Raise this barn". The dub was awful but I liked the music and I descided to find the original. Then I found "Winter wrap up" and the next was "Discord" by Eurobeat Brony and then I descided to watch the show itself but I didn't want to watch the whole 4 seasons (it was spring 2014) sooo... why not to watch a mlp movie called "Equestria girls"? I mean, it certanly has all the positives of FiM but condensed up to 73 minutes. What could go wrong? Yeah... so after that I've actually watched "Twilight's Kingdom" and the journey had begun...
I'm forever gratefull to MLP:FiM for various reasons. Firstly, it helped me to manage my anxiety during my university days. To be honest, it is one of the first things that helps me to deal with the dark days. Moreover, it helped me to be more accepting of different things. In addition to that, thanks to Mlp I found this wounderful community which positively surprises me almost every day. This show and this community inspired me to learn how to draw. Lastly, I think that this show and this community helped me to become kinder to the people around me.
Thank you My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, you will always be the best show for me!
MirrorCrescent
The short answer is that MLP has helped me be more like Pinkie Pie. The long answer is that it's helped me be more like... well, most of the cast.
Everyone had the one pony they really empathized with. As an introvert and an artist you’d think mine would be fluttershy or Rarity, but... while that’s sort of true... it's Mostly Pinkie Pie.
She was what I always wanted to be like. Confident, well loved, willing to go miles and miles for her friends. And her confidence issues were frighteningly relatable. I empathized with her more than most any pony because the interplay between her anxiety and her joy. I always loved seeing her bounce back, or learn something while staying as happy as possible.
Because of her, I'm willing to trust my friends more completely - many of whom I've met thanks to this very show, talking for hours on end about who our favorite ponies are, about the epic scale, and just how much we can learn. I'm willing to be my best self on display for everyone. And I'm more willing to accept myself - I always, I think, wanted to try presenting as another gender. The show's reinforcement of there being many ways to be female, and Pinkie's immense relatability to me, helped me accept that I enjoy crossplaying and presenting as female.
It hurts to see it end. It hurts so much. But I'd rather watch this wonderful show that meant so much to all of us ending itself beautifully, as opposed to living itself to death.
'
The Show That Taught Me So Much More
It wasn’t until one day at Goodwill that I spotted the TVs on display playing, not My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic to be exact, but the very first Equestria Girls movie. I guess it’s a bit of a stretch to say I got into the show from the Equestria Girls movie, but I did. And, let’s get one thing straight, the scene that was playing was when they were all still in the Crystal Empire, debating over whether Twilight should cross through the mirror into the alternate dimension to retrieve her crown.
I was hooked. I didn’t know why I never watched it to begin with. So, when I got home that day, I immediately pulled up the show and began to binge it until I was all caught up.
I stuck with the show for its last five years.
I remember Season 4 was still airing at the time. And I remember how pumped I was waiting for the Season 4 finale to roll around. To this day, it’s still my favorite season finale and season.
Through these years, I was able to grow as a person.
The show helped me to break barriers. I was always closed off whenever it came to what i enjoyed. I didn’t like to share that I watched cartoons because I thought my peers would judge me for it. But when I saw how large of a fandom the show had attracted, and how diverse its community was, I felt alright with sharing my love for it with people. It helped me to become more expressive and more open with my friends and my peers.
At the time, this was my first show with all female leads. And as a young, not quite a teenager yet, girl, I looked up to that. My first show ever was LEGO Ninjago. I love the show for all it is, and I still keep up with it today. But, every show has its flaws. So did Ninjago. Anytime they brought a girl on screen, immediately she was thrust into the role of love-interest. Not only that, but they tried so hard to make her just as likable as the guy leads… but… god was it awful. And it sucked. So much.
Watching MLP:FiM didn’t hurt as much as other shows did. I praised it for its strong female leads who had flaws and weren’t trying so hard to be likable characters in a show. I praised it for teaching lessons that are insightful for, not just younger children, but teenagers, adults and young adults too. I praised it for putting less emphasis on romance and feeling like every character must end up with someone to have a happy ending, and instead the importance of strong relationships between us.
I thank this show so much for what it has given me these past five years. I can’t believe it’s really over. But I’m so glad that the show existed and that I was able to find it and pick it up along the way in my lifetime.
Thank you My Little Pony,
You’ve impacted so much more than you know. You were the height of animation. Brilliant songs, incredible storytelling, an animated program meant for all ages.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
-JJ
My name is Connie, and I discovered MLP:FiM on October 18, 2013. I was in the midst of a deep depression to the point where I was suicidal. Due to various reasons such as a horrible work environment, family situation, and more, I felt like there really wasn't anything worth living for. When preparing to attempt suicide in a manner that likely would've succeeded, I was struck with the sudden desire to go onto YouTube. After aimlessly scrolling through videos on the site, I then discovered Smile HD and was shocked. I knew about My Little Pony before, but never looked into it. Seeing a fan animation like that just blew my mind. I saw Rachet Noblewolf's reaction on the sidebar and checked it out. His reaction got me curious. Why was he that into it? This grown man so into a fan animation of My Little Pony of all things?
Out of my curiosity, I checked out episode 1 of the show. It was good, but nothing special. However, I saw that it was a two parter so I just had to see episode 2. And I just kept watching. When I finished episode 7, Dragonshy, I noticed I was in tears. Seeing Fluttershy, a character I could relate to, overcome her shyness to stick up for her friends inspired me. I was hooked and had forgotten all about my plans to kill myself.
I kept watching and eventually I got to A Friend in Deed. By the time Pinkie's song "The Smile Song" finished, I wasn't only in tears. I was straight up bawling. I had to pause the video and compose myself before continuing. The line "it's true some days are dark and lonely. And maybe you feel sad, but Pinkie will be there to show you it isn't that bad" just made me lose it. Struggling through depression and suicidal tendencies, I was in a very dark place. But when I heard those words, it made me realise something. I was on season 2 episode 18 of this show. In no time at all. I had looked up fan works by this point, including BlackGryph0n's song "Crusader (Are We There Yet)". I had become hooked, and more than that, I had been saved.
I realized that I was no longer stuck in my depression. I felt happier than ever, and that I wanted to keep going. These cute, candy colored ponies saved me. Especially Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. That was 6 years ago now. I'm still here. This show has continued to provide to me a safe, friendly, and loving community to build myself up and keep going. I've made so many new friends, done so many new things, and discovered many other shows and fandoms because of it. My life was saved by MLP:FiM, and not only that, but made infinitely better. And even though it's now over, it's done enough to keep me going. I can't imagine not being a brony. It's a part of my identity, and I'm so thankful for that.
~ Connie
I didn't do much of anything before I discovered this show.
I was just starting out with the desire to teach myself how to draw back in 2012, but I didn't do much with it. It was a year when things just weren't working out and I was going through some tough times. I was trying to get back on my feet after a couple of personal emergencies and felt like I didn't know what my purpose in life was after some major life goals ended up falling apart and I wasn't where I wanted to be.
I stumbled upon the show through bits and pieces of episodes I caught a glimpse of on TV a few times. Then I saw some pony memes and read a few blogs about people who were becoming bronies. I wasn't sure about it at first, and just dismissed it as a temporary craze.
Boy, was I mistaken!
Something about these ponies stuck in my head while I would slave away at my job, I just couldn't stop thinking about them. I could see these characters vividly in my mind. I wanted to understand what it was all about, so I looked up the first episode of the first season.
The moment that story book opened, this show was something I needed. I made it a personal goal to watch every episode until I was caught up with Season 3 at the time when I discovered it.
I struggled with self acceptance and a lack of self confidence and it held me back from a lot of opportunities that I missed out on, but at that moment, I accepted that I had become a brony. And I knew I had to dive in.
I made friends, I experienced life lessons, I fell in love with a fantastic woman who continues to encourage me to keep drawing the ponies that inspired me. I wouldn't be where I am now if it wasn't for this show and the fandom that introduced me to everyone.
I also feel inspired not only by the show, but by the awesome community and fandom that shares their passion through art, fanfics, music, and more.
Ponies helped reignite that spark of passion I have for stories.
Not only am I drawing more frequently, but I'm gradually getting back into writing too.
The show changed my life, and I am grateful to be a brony.
- TaichiKeaton
I first started watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic way back in January of 2011 after seeing fan-art of the show being posted on Deviant Art, the show’s cute and appealing characters was something that really drew me into it and even to this day they still manage to fill my heart with warmth and love. Now I am normally a quiet and reclusive type of person and isn’t one to make a whole lot of friends, but this show gave me the opportunity meet up and hangout with a lot of cool people over the past decade and despite the fact I haven’t been able to attend a meet up for a couple of years now it’s still something I’m proud of being able to experience. The show may now finally be over but I will always cherish the many memories this show has given me over the years and Equestria will always have a special place in my heart!
When I first heard about the show, I was 7 and season 3 had just ended. As I live in the UK, it wasn’t very well known and really hard to find either on the TV or on the internet. Two of my classmates were playing it at school, pretending to be the characters and, with no experience of the show, I joined them as Twilight, Within days, most of the class was playing!!
In those days, I didn’t have any real friends and I was not very good at making them. MLP:FIM was my get-away for life and, soon after watching it, I felt more confident about talking to people (I was a lot like fluttershy). I binge-watched the first three seasons on dailymotion in a weekend, then binge-watched them again, because I loved them so much. Around mid-season 5, I found this site and read it, mostly for the links, but by the end of the season, I was reading articles daily.
Throughout my busy, crazy childhood, My Little Pony was always the one same thing. When I was 8, I watched the season 4 finale and I thought, ‘this show is so great, it will never end!’ So to have watched the finale (a few hundred times) now, it hasn’t really sunk in that the show is gone! But, by now, I think most people has realised that, through us, the show will never really end! We can keep the story alive! That’s the most. Comforting thing about being a part of this fandom.
Thank you My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the amazingly talented people who have worked on the show for 9 years!
(Molly Sparkle365)
Now that we've officially (and as many would point out, quite
literally!) closed the book on Friendship is Magic, I've spent quite a
bit of the time since reflecting on what are now the *seven years* of
my life that have passed since I first made what I fondly describe as
the "fateful" decision to check out the show. I've gotta be honest,
now that I'm sitting down and trying to think about just what exactly
the total impact on my life has been, I'm actually finding it kind of
difficult to figure out exactly where to start.
Which I must stress is absolutely *not* a bad thing! In fact, it's
something that I find wonderfully insane to try wrapping my mind
around; it's just so *endlessly strange and fascinating* to me that
making such a simple, seemingly minor choice (picking up a cartoon, of
all things!) could have enough effect on my life over time that I
actually find it *difficult* to try to quantify them. Of course, I
wouldn't be writing this (and you wouldn't [hopefully!] be reading it)
if I couldn't at least whittle down this impossibly long, metaphorical
list of super dramatic changes down to just the hits, so I guess at
this point I'll nix the long, flowery intro and just get to it
already, haha!
Before I started watching the show, I was *painfully* accurately
summarizable as a quiet, dispassionate, antisocial and overly negative
person, and at that point in time had also become utterly
unimaginative and uncreative; at that point I'd become miserable
enough that I'd given up the ghost on my then-former creative outlet
of choice, writing, something I had once done frequently and loved to
death. What I hadn't realized when watching my first ever episode (I
remember it being Season 1's "Owl's Well That Ends Well") of the show
on that long bygone September day all those years ago, was that a long
and absolutely wonderful journey of self-improvement began, with the
show fueling it and often-times being the focus of it all the while.
Over these past few years, with the show's boundless optimism and
positivity setting the tone and keeping my spirits high, I've managed
to work on myself and become a more positive person, one that's much
more driven, outgoing, sociable and downright motivated than quite
literally ever before. Slowly but surely, and to my endless surprise,
watching the show even managed to help revitalize my long dormant
creative side. Before I knew it, I'd gone from not having picked up
the metaphorical pen in several years to writing *almost every single
day*, and eventually even grew the confidence to channel that output
into the community I loved. Soon I'd find myself jumping between all
sorts of different and mostly sadly now long-defunct pony blogs,
writing all sorts of editorials and other long, fun pieces about the
show and the endless fount of fan creations it has spawned over the
years, eventually culminating in me moving up from just writing
editorials to helping revive, run and write for a long-lived pony
site, which has been a fantastically fun and amazing experience.
As incredible (and admittedly just the *tiniest* bit fanciful) as it
seems to lay all the credit and praise for this transformation
squarely at the metaphorical feet of the show, it is in all honesty
*undoubtedly* where it all belongs. Since the show became a part of my
life, it has motivated me to turn *a lot* of things in my life around,
and helped me become a much better, happier and more fulfilled person
than I had honestly *ever* imagined myself becoming before this
journey started. After all I've been lucky enough to do and experience
in all this time with this fantastic community, there is, quite
simply, absolutely *no* denying that!
Overall, I believe there's *something* in almost every person's life
that managed to come around at exactly the right place and at exactly
the right time. When I look back on how my life was before all of
this, I can say truthfully, pridefully and beyond a shadow of a doubt,
that My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic was exactly that for me, and
for that I will *always* be grateful.
~Magitronique
I hope I'm not too late for this submission.
Unlike some, I can't claim the show turned my life around or anything so
dramatic, but I took a tough degree in a tough school. It was the most
stressful time of my life, and throughout those four years, MLP was one
thing I could always look forward to for a much needed break from my
studies. It was a show that reminded me that there was more to life than
school.
I didn't create much or interact with the fandom much, but I always
followed every episode and read EQD at least once a week. I have a life
outside MLP and I am satisfied with that. This year, I decided to
indulge a bit and went to the last ever BronyCon. I waited in line for
four hours for an autograph from Faust, and Mitch Larson signed my
takeout box in a hotel lobby at 1 am. I crowded into convention center
rooms, met amazing people, and had a blast singing along with my
favorite songs.
These are memories I will always have and will always be grateful to the
show and community for giving them to me
I came to the show pretty late, in fact I start to join the brony fandom at start of this year. But it still doesnt mean the show not impacted me. Maybe not by much but it still enough to change my life.
If someone know me, I was a kid who not like to socialize with others and doesnt even care to make friend as I only being close with my sibling and family. But when I got into the show, I see myself a lot in Twilight. Never thought I would hook up with a cartoon about talking pony before but when I watch it, it felt so close to me. Around this year, I got to go to the collegue which mean I got to leave my family. There, I started to realized how lonely I am without any friend while others have chatting and talking to each other. This is the point where I realized I need to get a friend otherwise I will get depressed. I started to see the lesson that I get from the show and I try to start making friend. I am shy at first but I know I need to. Maybe it takes time for me to make friend but I think it worth it. My friend here always help me in study and much more and I see how fun is to talk about our interest each other even we got different interest. I am not say MLP the only thing that impacted me, but without MLP, I might take longer to come out of my shell as I dont really know where to start. So, thank you My Little Pony for everything.
I have watched the last episode about 20+ times just trying to desensitize myself from being sad. It's strange how I am having so much difficulty with seeing our ponies grow old. I haven't cried this much in my life and I figured out why. I was in love. I have grown to love this show so much that it feels like my oldest friend has passed away. I have a hard time in my life to show/give love, TRUE love, due to the fact it is just to hard to accept when the things I love are gone. So I hide behind jokes and sarcasm and naturally leave my guard up and don't let anyone in. This show was one of the few things that I could help me when I am burdened with issues in my life. But now, my remedy is gone. I am just left with trying to figure out how to get over this pain/anxiety/fear of growing old and truly realizing no one lives forever, we will all experience death. I am desperately trying to fill this void while my heart is breaking💔. I know I sound completely insane feeling this way over a cartoon show ending to other people. I am upset and embarrassed with myself for unintentionally growing to love this show this much. But it was never just another show, it was a way to explain how to deal with life lessons. Anyway, I understand it takes time. It took me 9 years to grow to love this show and learning how to deal with it's ending will not just happen overnight. I don't really have anyone who can relate or to talk with about this pain, so I just had to say how I feel, at least some way. Thanks for your time reading this and I am sorry it was the size of a small book. ~Kalecgos
It was 2011 and I used to think that cartoons were for babies back when was a year from college, young and isolated it was usual for me surf the web until 5am just for something to watch on youtube or cause insomnia, and had recently starting to learn English by myself. Then one night I stumbled with the first episode…uploaded by a channel I followed but curious due being more a random music one than something else, until today I don’t know why I clicked it, maybe the colors, maybe I was too tired to care im not sure but that night changed what I would do over the years.
I keep it a secret for a year until the royal wedding and from then on It was pretty much getting better and better. I met some true friends with who I reunited a few years ago, it helped me when got hit by a severe depression and was about to end myself and allowed me to accept me as transgender. It haven’t been easy on some parts but thanks to this show and the friends I met along the way I been able to keep going and as long as remember the adventures of this silly technicolor horses…I know things will be alright. Thank you bronies, pegasisters and all mlp fandom.
Past, present and future we had make history remember us forever.
Dear princess Celestia, my name is Manuel S. and here is the story of how My Little Pony changed my life…
Time ago before I started watching the show, I was a horrible person, I only take care about myself and did everything alone, I did not care about hurting others if I was going to get what I wanted. Also, I was uncapable to have feelings, every kind of feeling; I can´t feel sadness, joy, guilt, even love… I would do everything that was in my hands to feel kind off comfortable, no matter what the consequences were, my constant search of “happiness” was all I wanted, the others were just a pocket weight, inclusive friends. I was dark and cold, not even the saddest short film in the world could made me cry.
When I first started watching the show, I laughed so hard about the phrase “Friendship is magic” I thought sure, “friendship” is magic and all my life is full of rainbows, sunny days, and all that dumb things. When I watched one episode of the show, I realized that it was not what I expected to be, it was awesome, it was like 20% cooler; I was bored so I continue watching from the first episode. But as I advanced in MLP I realize something, for the first time I was feeling happy, but I mean really happy, also with no reason in my life I started to be generous, kind, loyal, honest, to myself and to everyone, I started to laugh, but most important I realize that friendship is truly magic. I was in season 3 and I couldn’t believe myself that I was watching what I once considered girlish.
The time passed and there where such many funny adventures in the middle of all this. Now I’m proud to be called a Brony, I´m proud to cry with “My Little Dashie” and many more, I’m proud to call my friendship magic. I love those ponies, they give me a reason to get up of the bed every day, they give me an scape of this world, but must important they make me a better person, they keep me far of the person I was in the bad old days, because now I have the elements of harmony by my side.
That’s the story about how My Little Pony saved my life.
Thank you, Lauren Faust, Daniel Ingram and all of you voice actors and producers, you changed my life.
Special thanks to all of you, the fandom, you are very important in my life with all of us together friendship will always be magic.
-Your faithful student Manuel S
In the summer of 2017, I was on a vacation in Georgia and I saw a Ty Fluttershy plush. My girlfriend told me she used to watch mlp, and I sorta became curious to check it out myself. So upon returning from that trip, I went online and decided to watch the first episode. Even though I wasn’t completely sold yet, I kept watching. But before I knew it, I couldn’t stop! It was a gradual change, but slowly it became my favorite show on television.
From there, ponies became the thing that my girlfriend and I bonded over. It was sacred to us, and we kept it that way. It brought us together in a way that nothing else had before. She bought me my first pony plush (a Twilight) and a rainbow dash hat. She made me a Valentine’s Day gift with pinkie pie and twilight (the two characters we loved most) on it. On our 2 year anniversary, I drew a picture of the two characters hugging lovingly (and it’s one of my proudest drawings). She graduated a year before me but we kept our relationship close by sending each other pony videos, memes and episodes. And we’re still together today!
So the show strengthened my relationship, but that wasn’t the only thing it did. It boosted my self confidence when it was very low. At the time, I had lost faith in things I used to love. I went to music school to be a composer, and there were times I felt like I wasn’t enough. I even started to question why I went to school. This show restored my love of music, and over the years the music of mlp has touched me in an extremely personal way. It also encouraged me to start drawing again (something I hadn’t done in many years). I’m proud to look back on those early drawings and see how much better an artist I have become.
But watching this show changed me in another way too: it helped me get in touch with my more emotional and sensitive side. I always felt different from most other guys, and I much preferred the company of girls. As I’ve grown and matured, I’ve learned how strong my emotions can be, and how special that makes me. And being in this community has helped me realize that I’m not alone.
Honestly I have so many memories of the show and how it has completely changed me over the last few years, but it would take too much time! I’ve been so proud to be in this special community of people who love this show, it’s changed my life in so many positive ways. Thank you for 9 years!
Like many people, I was first exposed to MLP through fan works, specifically the (short-lived) parody series Camaraderie is Supernatural. After I finished watching its second episode, I decided to give the actual show a chance, starting with S1E1. This was back in the days of YouTube where you could binge the entire show. I think I watched all of S1 in the span of about 3 or 4 days, which was something I never did for any show prior.
During my time in this fandom, I've met some great people. I've hung out with some of the talented content creators we have and made some lasting friendships with people I've met online and in person through our shared interest of technicolour horses.
If it weren't for MLP, I wouldn't have learned to care less about what people thought of me. Not even 3 years ago, I would have been too self-conscious to tell anyone that I watched MLP, and while I will never loudly proclaim it (if nothing else because it can be overbearing), I have no problem wearing my con shirts that I've acquired over the past couple of years.
The fandom has been through a lot these past 8 years that I've been part of it (holy moly, it's been a while since I've "Joined the Herd"). I'm still amazed to see the level of creativity and enthusiasm that it still has for the show. I'm glad that I've been along for the ride and I can't wait to see what the next decade of pony will bring for us.
Here's to G5 and next stage of the Brony fandom!
T4E
I am an unreasonably lucky pony. I found Friendship is Magic back in the spring of 2010 during my senior year of college, and like so many of us, I was hooked after just a few episodes. I worked as an RA and had tons of responsibilities, and MLP was my safe space, where everything was simple and earnest and loving. It's been that way since the beginning, and I know I have a home in the community for years to come.
For most of my life, I didn't believe that I had any value. Instead, I figured I was mostly taking up space and desperately raced to not screw up too much. It led to a lot of unhealthy behaviors and thought patterns.
Enter MLP:FIM. Through this show and community, I've gotten to see the positive impact I can have on the world. I wrote and micro-published a queer fanfic that's about to sell its hundreth copy, and many readers have told me stories about how it's helped them accept themselves and even come out to their families. I've been the programming director for multiple conventions (and even got to be Vice Chair for MLP-MSP F), and hundreds of people have told me how much these conventions meant to them. I've gotten to write show scripts and see them performed by the voice actors themselves – a feat in the writing community that *absolutely doesn't happen* – and together, those scripts have raised over $4,000 for charity. Most importantly of all, I've met lifelong friends through this fandom, friends that I've taken trips with, laughed and cried with, and built bonds that will last forever with.
Being able to express myself, to give these projects and people everything I have and see first-hand how much good they can do for myself and others, has taught me over the past decade to love myself, believe in myself, and value myself, something that I never thought I'd be able to say.
Thank you to the whole MLP family for transforming my life forever.
~Cody "Vivid Syntax" Miller
I’ve never been very good at talking about myself, but when I saw on Equestria Daily that people were writing about how MLP has affected them, I felt it would be a great honor to do so.
Even though I have only been in the fandom since the middle of the sixth season, My Little Pony has led me through the darkest and lightest of times in my young life. Our precious pastel ponies have kept my spirits up through hardships big and small. For the big, they have kept me going as my mom had serious health issues, which has required our family to be almost constantly away from home, as we go to various doctor’s appointments and meetings. She is now fully recovered, but it would have been so much harder for me to help my family if I didn't have these ponies. For the small, the ponies pushed me forward through my early years of high school and dual enrollment. Despite my early worries, the ponies have inspired me to push harder and harder. To the point that I'm a straight A student in both high school and college.
The ponies were not alone in this task. This fandom, our Brony fandom, has provided me with a healthy community of wonderful and caring individuals, of which I am proud to be associated with. We have amongst us, great minds of creativity and intelligence. We have authors and writers, sketchers and painters, reviewers and analyzers, all working to better celebrate and appreciate a show we all love. Do know, dear reader, that even if the next generation of our ponies do not stand as tall as the show we have had for the previous decade, we will stick together. We will not falter.
Long live the Bronies
Long live Equestria
Long live My Little Pony
Signed, Shea
When I was 10 years old, I didn't have any friends. I was bullied most of my elementary school years. I was considered different and weird because I watched shows and movies for little kids, and because sometimes I talked to myself and sing songs out of nowhere. I was considered a freak. But everything changed when I watched the first episodes of MLP.
At first, it was just another show that dried my tears at the end of the day and I enjoyed the stories and the characters. But then I watched "The Return of Harmony" and met Discord. He was just absolutely crazy and weird, and I LOVED it! He was like my perfect friend. You could imagine my disappointment when he was turned to stone again, but I went crazy when he was reformed in season 3! And that's when I started to ship him with Fluttershy! But to be honest, it all started when I watched the fan audio drama "Bride of Discord" by DisneyFanatic2364.
The series was just in episode 8 when I started watching it! It was thanks to that audio drama that I became obsessed with Discord, Fluttershy, the Mane Six, and all the MLP world.
I decided to know more about the story, so I watched all the seasons again in order and fell in even more love with Discord at the season 4 finale!
Finally, I had a reason to be happy. I had a reason to survive the week so I could watch a new episode of MLP every Saturday, and even after the season finale, I had a lot of fan-videos and fanarts to fill the hole in my heart! My Little Pony, wether the original series or Fanworks, saved my life. Emotionally and psychologically. I learned how to make friends and be more assertive and confident. I was able to survive High School because of the lessons I learned from them.
I kept watching it to this day. Now I'm at college, with a whole new group of friends who accept me for who I am. I am not embarrassed to be myself anymore, to share my likes or dislikes, and it's all because of MLP.
I will never forget this show because it was more than that to me. It was my fuel to live, to go through all kinds of obstacles, and to teach others about the real magic of friendship. I've been told that I have changed other's lives because I became friends of them, but actually I am who I am today because of this MLP.
These amazing characters will always be in my heart (especially Discord), for they are the reason I'm alive today.
I don't who've been or where've been without it, so I just want to say... Thank you MLP, for everything!
I probably don't have as much to say as other people writing in, and I probably can't say it as well either, but My Little Pony - Friendship is Magic has definitely impacted me and has been an incredibly positive force in my life. Even as an adult, the show's creative characters and storylines, fantastical world-building, and lessons on friendship and love have meant a lot to me and even though I know that nothing lasts forever, I am very sorry to see it all end. I just hope that all of us fans of the show can continue to find inspiration in MLP as Bronies and Pegasisters for as long as the magic of friendship can keep us together.
Thanks again,
For everything,
Danielle "Spindizzy"
MLP FIM changed my life in every way!
I first found out about "The reboot" as some were calling it back in 2009 when some artists I follow started posting fanart based on it, I had no interest at the time in the show but the art I saw was really nice! Fast forward to early 2011 and I am very sick, I had been bed ridden for weeks and the doctors had no idea what was wrong with me. I was in terrible shape and severely depressed because of it. And on top of being stuck in bed most of the time I was very VERY bored... I had read every book I had, watched all of my movies and browsed so much internet on my terrible 28.8 kbps connection (browsed slowly obviously) and I had seen all corners of the internet talking about the show and how good it was, I had to know what the deal was. So I found a source and started with season 1 episode 1... Well that's a 2 parter so I had to watch part 2... That was pretty good, but I thought I should watch a regular episode and see what the show is normally like... very soon I was 5 episodes in and I loved it, but I figured I should ration my viewing a bit to enjoy it longer as there is no way something like this would get more than 2 seasons. But after a few days I could not stop and had to watch the rest of the first season... I was unequivocally, absolutely and helplessly hooked!
Shortly after I got into season 2 and would wait impatiently for each new episodes all while keeping my love for the show a secret from everyone I know, I mean what big burly 27 year old man at the time could admit to watching a show about technicolour donkeys braiding each others hair (Because who could look past what their preconceived notions of the time were like) when even admitting to liking cartoons in general labeled you as a weirdo man child. During season 2 I started getting better, healthier and happier, and I began to participate in the fandom, but I kept it hidden from the people in my life for the fear of their reactions was scary. One day a dear friend asked me to photoshop a meme for them and I told them to look up the images they wanted me to use, and through a twist of fate they looked up the word Derp... and there staring back at them was a page full of grey bubble butt pegasi... He was confused, he was not aware of the show and asked me "WTF is this?" I decided to let him know about the show and how it was weirdly good... so he watched it and was also hopelessly hooked like me! I finally had a friend to share the awesomeness of the show with!
Fast forward to 2012 and that same friend had seen a post on EQD about Brony groups and meet ups and he mentioned that there was a group local to me that was really active... after a lot of convincing from him I joined that group on FB and shortly after went to their second meet up. I made fast friends with nearly all of them and all these years later we are still close talking daily and hanging out weekly! In 2013 a large group of us convoyed from Edmonton Alberta to Vancouver BC for the first BronyCan, it was an incredible adventure, I met so many people and made lasting friendships all the way down and back and we ended up making this an annual trek that often had it's own misadventures with cars breaking down, seedy motels, illness, and hitting a bald eagle with a butter yellow 78 Mercury Marquis.
A married couple in this group that I became close friends with thought I would get along great with the wifes BFF, she wasn't a Brony but she and I shared every other interest. Long story short we are now engaged! And I could not be happier! She even came to one of the BronyCan's with us and we had a great time!
So if not for MLP I would not have my best friends, my future wife, some wonderful life experiences and I would not had witness the social change that made me being a Brony perfectly acceptable and not even out of the ordinary where I live. And I would not have had 9 years of this wonderful show!
Thank you MLP, and than you all for reading this and being a great fandom!
Ryan~
I could go on and on with how Friendship is Magic has ipacted my life. It's the only fandom I've ever really engaged with. The show songs and fan music got me to start listening to music entirely. It helped spur my passion for writing and even inspired a short story that became my first published work. But there are much deeper ways that the show has impacted me, probably more than I will ever fully realize.
There are two things that really sink in when I start to think about it, both in how I have identified with some of the characters. While I first saw myself reflected in Twilight the most, it was Fluttershy out of the Mane Six who has impacted me the most in getting me to recognize and cope with my anxiety. When I started watching Friendship is Magic, I was in my senior year of college. I extremely anxious to the point that I was pretty much a shut-in in my dorm for the first year and a half of college, I was reserved, not confident in talking or standing up for myself, and I had no idea what I was going to do once I graduated except move back home. As I was getting into the show, one episode early on really stuck with me: Dragonshy, and one piece of dialogue in particular. Twilight asking Fluttershy "but, if you're so afraid of dragons, why didn't you say something before we came all the way up here?" and Fluttershy's response of "I was afraid to." That was maybe the first time I had seen exactly what I felt about my anxiety expressed in any show. I not only had a general anxiety, but I also had an anxiety about just talking about my anxiety that compounded it. That was refreshing to see shyness and anxiety done without immediately going to the trope of stage fright, and that depth and relatability of many of the characters is what really got me into Friendship is Magic. Watching Fluttershy grow and develop as a character over the years has been a delight, and reflecting on her journey and the support Fluttershy has been given from the rest of the Mane Six has greatly helped me in building my confidence and being comfortable with epxressing my fears and seeking support when I need to. Seeing Fluttershy gaining confidence over the seasons to the point where she is willing to do things she was previously deathly afraid of as in Scare Master, or even be excited about going to the Dragonlands in Sweet and Smoky. Seeing just small moments like that in the show has helped remind myself that I can do things and even become comfortable and interested in things despite my anxiety over them.
Outside of the Mane Six, Scootaloo was also the first time I have ever seen a disabled character that I can truly identify with. Due to complications shortly after I was born, I have low vision including near blindness in one eye, and one side of my vocal chords is paralyzed, which causes me to have a quiet, raspy voice that I've had my entire life. But looking at me, you would not know that, so it often comes as a surprise to people when I first speak to them. Usually this only lasts a moment, but even in that moment, especially in a casual interaction like with a cashier, people often ask whether or assume I'm sick or similar comments about my voice. While innocent, having to explain that this is my normal voice every single time is grating, and the times that it doesn't end there such as the few times when people have claimed I'm lying about my voice really stick with me even years later. Combined with how this makes it difficult for me to speak up in loud places like restaurants and with my anxiety, I've become very self-conscious about my voice and speaking as a non-visible disability. And Scootaloo is one of the few characters I've seen in media that has been similarly depicted as having a non-visible disability. Additionally, this has made episodes like Flight to the Finish and The Washouts hit me hard. At the same time though, Scootaloo's confidence elsewhere in her life and the support she's received from the rest of the CMC and from Rainbow Dash has been great and has rubbed off on how I think about myself. This is also one of the reasons why I'm glad Scootaloo was never been shown to be actually able to fly. Because some disabilities can't be fixed, or don't need to be "fixed" in order to be successful in life. It's nice to see someone like that given representation in a show, especially one for kids, and the message that your limitations do not define your success.
Sometimes it's still hard to believe that MLP has been with me for over a quarter of my life. But then I think of how much I have grown with the show - I started watching in my final year of college, and now I've been living on my own, working a decent job, and making a living for myself for three years. Eight years ago when I began watching the show, the idea of actually being independent was terrifying, and some even basic things are still very difficult to get myself to do. But the show has been a huge part of building the confidence - and the strength to seek support from others for when I lack confidence - to make it this far. Friendship truly is magic, and thank you to everyone who has lent me their support and helped make me who I am today.
Thanks for reading
Well the most impact what the show gives me it's to "not judge book by it's cover". I was sceptical at start to watch like most of people cause "it's for children", but when forced myself to watch i discovered a whole new world of entertainment. The cartoon wich only from the outside looks girlish but inside have very good story,plots,characters,songs, morals and everything works good for children and for adult. That was something i never imagined when i turned on first episode,but in the end i stayed for the all 9 years,beautiful years. I was hoping that will never end, that was one of the perfect cartoons in my book, gave me something to wait for every saturday and i was happy knowing there will be new episode of my favourite cartoon of the decade. Of course the end of it it's not happy,but everything must end someday and better to end on high note than stretch it forcibly and lost quality. It change my life forever, i learned so much from MLP and i'm adult so they morales not works only for children. I hope in the future someone made cartoon wich will be at last nearly as good as MLP:FiM (maybe it will be G5, maybe something different - who knows).I the end that was awesome trip saw also soo much artworks,comics and other media made by fans for fans one better one worse but that show how that inspired people.So even if that road it's ended (at least in form of every week episodes) and i'm not happy with that but i have go onward with all that i learned from the show. "Cute,funny,catchy songs, good morales,story,memorable characters," This is the memory of MLP that i choose to keep in my heart, i will always be in dept of all creators for that fantastic world , especially Lauren Faust wich started that all. Thank you
Nomis
p.s English isn't my native language so sorry for grammars.
I can trace most of my brony history down to the date since it all happened online. One day, presumably the day 4chan kicked out all pony users, literally overnight deviantart was FLOODED with pony pictures. I was very confused. I waved it off at first, assuming for some reason the old 80s pony show I use to see on TV gained some new fans. UNTIL two of my favorite comic artists, one of which I use to be pretty good acquaintances with, posted pony comics within a month of each other. Both male. I had to know what was going on, so in May of 2011 I asked my acquaintance what the heck was up with all the ponies. Why were all these grown men talking about how much they loved it? He told me everything and recommended I check out the show. Said he loved it. I was shocked, but I trusted his opinion so I watched the first two episodes...and hated it lol...It seemed just like the old versions I hated. I didn't understand the hype.
Fast forward to October 9th 2011, the day before the 1 year anniversary of MLP. I was talking with this girl I had a major crush on. She loved MLP, & wanted me to give it another shot. She said if I didn't like it by the time I got to the 5th episode, I could stop. So for a couple of hours we watched the first 4 episodes together. We had a great time talking while we watched it, but I still didn't really like it. Unfortunately, our marathon was interrupted before the 5th episode. My dad walked into the room and said we had to talk.
[Context: I...had been verbally and physically abused for a good chunk of my life by some of my family members. I'd been depressed since I was like...7. I'd had a lot of traumatic experiences my whole life. Around March/April of 2011, my brother had hurt me so violently that my parents finally decided to get restraining orders so that he could be removed from our house. It was really good for me, one less jerk in the family for my fragile psyche to deal with, but my dad was secretly paying for hotels for him.
My dad was tired of doing that, so he told me we would have to discuss new living arrangements...that morning he said that.]
It was 9pm when he walked in and said, "Your brothers coming back home. You can either come with me or stay with him." So my choices were go to a state I hate visiting where I knew no one, or stay at home with my abusive family members. With no other alternative short of living on the street in such short notice, I was forced to go live with my dad. Kicked out of my house in favor of a guy who once choked me for not getting off the computer when he said to, and also once picked me up then slammed me head first into the floor (nearly breaking my neck) over chicken.
During all of this, I was also still getting over my ex-fiancé cheating on me and leaving me for the man she cheated on me with the previous year. I was surviving off what few friendships I had left, the years of abuse finally breaking me completely, when suddenly: all I had going for me was taken away from me in a day. I had one hour to pack whatever I could into a small bag, and get my cat ready to go.
So at 4am, on October 10th, I lay curled up in a ball crying on the floor next to my cat within my new room for 3 hours. This was just the cherry on top of the worst two years of my life. I was done. This was it. After all the years of putting off suicide, this was going to be the catalyst. I walked downstairs, and got a knife. I was ready...but...I was so tired of hearing myself cry. So I turned on the tv to drown myself out while I did the deed. I didn't select a channel, and put the knife to my throat...when I heard the ponies talking. The last channel I had watched was The Hub. I use to watch it for reruns of other shows they aired, and they just happened to be showing a marathon of friendship is magic. The 5th episode I didn't get to watch happened to be showing next. I lowered the knife and watched. Hours later, I kind of liked the show. It made me smile through the tears and Rainbow Dash made me so happy. She was pretty much me, and I'd never seen a character that represented me near perfectly in a show. Every time she appeared I felt better. I was ashamed of it...but, I really liked her.
I withdrew from my friends at this point. I couldn't handle speaking to them. No one knew why I disappeared overnight. I watched more of the show during this time. Over the next few months, it healed a lot of my depression. I started to really fall in love with the show, rather than just watch it for RD. I could relate to so many problems the characters face. Finally, I reached out to my friends finally but it was difficult being hours away now. I told one about what had happened. In response they sent me a link to "My little Dashie.". I loved it so much that I wanted to make it into an animation. So I began to pour my heart into getting better at art.
My love of the show only grew and I began to frequent a chat room where I made more friends. I didn't want to be a brony though, I just wanted to talk about the show with people who actually liked it. I'd never been part of a fandom before and I didn't want to start now. So many of them just didn't seem worth the toxicity that's always prevalent in any community. I just wanted to contribute some fanart to the show that stopped me from killing myself. Nothing more.
It was in that chat room that I learned about Bronycon. Happening right in NJ. The state I happened to move to. I'd never been to a convention before, not to mention I didn't really have money at the time...I was 19, and jobless. So I asked my dad if there was anyway I could go. That I wanted to earn the trip. To my surprise: he agreed to take me. He laughed at me/made fun of me at first, in fact he did that the whole car ride there..., but he still took me. I went to Bronycon 2012 a cripplingly shy, real life fluttershy...and I was shocked at how many people were so incredibly kind to me. They wanted to talk and share their love of the show. My dad spent the weekend making fun of it all, but to me it was literally magical. I'd never known kindness like this. I'd never felt so at home anywhere. I was happier than I'd been in years. The final day of the convention came, closing ceremonies was over, but no one was ready to leave. Everyone sat on the steps watching episodes on that big truck with a screen. My dad said I could stay for two episodes if I wanted, he'd wait in the car. I got a text from him after the first episode saying I didn't need to leave yet. He was sitting somewhere further up the stairs behind me watching the show. We could leave when it was over. The vast majority of the remaining convention goers all sat, laughed, and sang along to the show together in those steps...it all felt so special. It was truly such a wonderful moment I'll treasure forever. When it was all over, I walked with my dad to the car and asked him why he decided to stay. He said he didn't. He was walking to the car when a brony saw him and asked him if he was here for the convention. My dad told him that he just brought me, and the man beamed at him. He told my dad that his parents had basically disowned him for liking the show, and berated him with gay insults. He hugged my dad and thanked him for being supportive of my interest. My dad was taken aback, and after the man left he decided to go back to the steps. He told me, "I wanted to know why this show is so important to everyone here.". When we got home, he asked to watch the episodes that Discord was in since he's a Star Trek fan. He loved them, and fell in love with Pinkie. We went to Bronycon together from that year until the end. That experience made me want to truly be a part of the fandom. It didn't seem like every other one I'd seen/my friends had been part of. It was a family. I'd always considered my friends my real family, and this seemed like the perfect place for me.
Over the years, interacting with the community both offline and at cons helped me open up. I became much less depressed/hopeless/withdrawn. I learned to overcome my cripplingly anxiety caused by shyness at Bronycon...I use to be too afraid to order food or talk on the phone since I'd have to speak with a stranger. Bronies made it so easy to talk to them by being so friendly, I finally gained the confidence I needed to be able to do everyday tasks that people without trauma could. All the while, the show made me want to be a better person...See, when you have awful things happen to you, and are raised in an awful environment by an awful person: you don't always turn out good. My friends throughout my life raised me to be better, and so did movies. I was always rough around the edges though, but I gained a good moral compass thanks to them. The show helped me be the person I always wanted to be, but struggled to under the weight of a wholly negative/stifling environment. An environment that made me more angry than understanding to those around me. The show changed that, and I worked/continue to work very hard to be the good person I always want to be.
I've come so far since that day in 2011...I've made wonderful friendships and introduced non-bronies to the concept that you don't have to be related to be family. I have a lovely family of friends now I wouldn't trade it for the world. They're wonderful people, and I love them so much. They're the rest of my mane 6, and I wouldn't have had the chance to even find them if not for MLP. I owe it my life, in a dozen different ways. It's impacted me so deeply, I can't ever let it go. I'll be a part of the fandom forever. It's where I want to be, and it's where real life magic has always happened. : )
I started watching the show towards the end of the season 1 hiatus. I remember my cousins mentioning watching it, and seeing memes start to pop up around the internet around the time. I was home sick that day, and there was nothing on TV I cared to watch, so I stuck it on MLP to see how stupid it would be. The episode was Feeling Pinkie Keen, and I haven't looked back. I binged the entire first season in just under a week, and was caught up for the Season 2 premier by a complete fluke of timing.
Throughout school, I was always a socially awkward kid. I never really had a friend group, and I spent most of my free time playing games alone. Things started to change after I started watching MLP though. I changed my account name on Runescape to a pony reference and a complete stranger, who would later go on to be a great friend, randomly messaged me complementing the name choice and invited me to join the clan chat he was in. I obliged, and everything has just spiraled from there. I've met people through that group that I'm still actively playing games with to this day, and I've even been a bridge between that group and new one. I don't wear Pony on my sleeve like I used to, but I know that the show helped me break down my walls and reach out and connect with others. I don't know if FiM was just the right thing at the right time or not, But I honestly don't care anymore, it's helped make me who I am today, and I wouldn't trade one second of these past 9 years.
Hello everyone. Hope I am not too late for submission.
I want to tell a story to anyone who would read of how MLPFiM influenced my life.
First, I was born in Russia, the country that is quite far away from utopia depicted in MLP. Second, in year 2013 very bad things befallen to my family, and I was only a college student, and live became very depressing to me.
That was when I started searching the net, reading books, tried to watch some shows... And one day, I digged up some "meme study of MLP" - Lyra bench, Derpy's iconic eyes and all of that. Then I have learned about rising brony culture. And I thought in that moment... That does sound interesting. I should give it a try.
It was before the official translation for my native language was produced (they did it later, but still it was very bad), but there were a bunch of enthusiasts who translated the subtitles. Also, I have learned English at school, but didn't have an opportunity to practice it. So, I gave it a try. And the series surprised me in great way. I loved the fact that the story and the characters, and bg characters, and the setting - it all came together. I have binge-watched the whole S1 and S2.
The one particular pony caught my attention. Applejack. My first impression was not good - with her accent sometimes it was hard to understand what she was speaking. I didn't like her at all, it was driving me crazy. But slowly, as her story was unwrapped, when there was some hints about that her parents had died... That is kinda similar what happened to me. And her overall story, that despite great tragedy happened to her family (I can relate), she didn't broke, she stayed bright and optimistic, and she chose to stay with family - that moved me a lot. And I slowly learned to understand her accent, so no problem here.
So, I could say, for significant part of that 9 years of pony my life was guided by a spirit of a certain orange pony in my heart. Applejack is the best pony in my opinion. The biggest lesson I have learned from her is that when tragedy happens, you gotta stay strong.
And now, the G4 time has passed, and the future became uncertain. During the span of the show I got my degree, briefly served in army, found a good job, got a driving license, and made some good friends along the way (that is a big progress, cause I am really shy around unfamiliar people). At the time of the Series Finale though, I am faced with a similar situation that befallen to Twilight - some of my friends are moving away.
And once again I got a really good lesson, the final lession - do not forget your friends. Thankfully, we live in era when long-distance communication is possible. And I believe that one day the world we living in will become a place like Equestria - the country where all kind of ponies, and other species live together in harmony.
So basically to me MLP is lessons, lessons many of us forgetting while growing up.
Thank you to who read this story. I needed to tell that because I was really sad after the finale. I cannot thank enough all people, who made this miracle, this little universe to care for, possible. Thank you Lauren Faust, thank you everyone at Hasbro&DHX, thank you EquestriaDaily.
From Moscow, Russia, with love.
Ivan.
P.S. Also I am proud to say that I learned to speak and write in English properly from MLP. No school teacher could taught me this.
MLP:FIM has impacted me in many ways. However, I am going to talk about the most important impact that pony has had on me.
Fluttershy has impacted me the most.
This is the first show that I have ever watched that had a character that I could so closely relate to. It didn't matter that Fluttershy was a girl and I'm a guy. Fluttershy had a personality almost exactly like mine. Every episode with her I would be thinking “Yes. Just like that. That is how things are for me too.”
Being able to relate so closely with a character in a show was wonderful in itself, but it became even better with season seven and the episode “Fluttershy Leans In”.
You see, I started watching late in the first season. I was about 32. Just like Fluttershy I was very shy and unassertive. It was the episode “Fluttershy Leans In”, and all the Fluttershy episodes leading up to it, that gave me my most wonderful life changing revelation.. From her aggression in “Putting Your Hoof Down” until proper assertiveness in “Fluttershy Leans In”, Fluttershy's journey of assertiveness showed me that I could be assertive too.
I didn't realize until that moment in season seven that deep down I had believed that changing one's behavior would change who you are. Thus, assertiveness was not possible for me since it was not a part of my personality. Fluttershy showed me that this was wrong. I could become assertive and still be me, just like her.
So, just like with Fluttershy there have been many steps back for every step forward for me on my own assertiveness journey. Changing a lifetime of habits is no easy feat.
I will always be most thankful to MLP for this lesson. Because becoming assertive will make my life so much better, just as it made Fluttershy's so much better too. I can already see the differences.
I remember when I was 6 years old watching Pound Puppies and then a brand new show came on after called My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. From the very first sentence I was hooked on the show. "Once upon a time in the magical land of Equestria." And from then on I watched every single episode and got SO excited for every season premiere! I remember having a MLP marathon before the season 3 premiere. The character I relate to is Fluttershy. When I was younger, I was so shy and would barely talk. It amazes me so much to see how Fluttershy has grown and how much I have grown and together we are so much more confident and talkative then when the first episode came out. I am 15 now and friendship means SOOOO much to me. I make friends who I love and I know I trust. I am not one of those "popular girls " who make friends but throw them away and don't treat them how I treat my friends. Friendship is SO powerful, means SO much to me, and it can change the world! My Little Pony changed my life forever and I will always treat my friends how MLP teaches you to do. Going to Bronycon this year for the first and last time was the BEST thing I have ever been to!!! I met so many people who are so kind and have the same passion of friendship as me! I am 15 and now a Pegasister and My Little Pony Friendship is Magic changed my life for better and I can't even begin to describe my thankfulness to everyone who had a part in the show! when the finale episodes primeired I was crying throughout the whole thing and when the epilouge episode came it was very very hard to control myself because it is the end of my childhood and I show I watched since I was 6. When the last song came I started sobbing yet still listing to the song and when I saw all the characters I got worse and when I saw the Friendship book close I bawled!!! I wasn't expecting that at all! MLP means the world to me and if it wasn't for MLP it would not be who I am today. My Little Pony Friendship is Magic made me stronger, kinder, confident, generous, honest, loyal, fun, and magical! THANK YOU MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC FOR MAKING CHANGING MY LIFE! I will never EVER forget what you have done for me! Thank you!
I first started watching Friendship is Magic about halfway into its second season. I had heard good things about the show from a few friends before that, but at the time, hadn’t given a lot of thought about watching it myself. It was almost on a whim that I decided to give it a watch one morning, while exercising. It caught me a little off guard to find I was genuinely enjoying the show, and I was curious enough to decide to keep watching. I guess I surprised even myself when I looked back a few weeks later and realized how much of a liking I’d taken to it.
That year was a low point for me. Finishing college, searching for a career path or graduate education, and not seeing great prospects in either. Trying to re-establish some sense of direction in my life, and trying to do it with degrees that no one seemed to want. There were problems at home that made family life challenging, and an older relative’s health was failing; my help was needed just to get her through the day. It felt at times like things were starting to snowball out of control, and they would never get better.
My mind was going to a bad place in those days; I was becoming bitter, cynical and short-tempered. I had few friends, and those I had were either from school or online. The circles I traveled in online usually only encouraged the sort of mindset I was falling into. I could only see the flaws in the people around me. While like just about everyone, I was taught while growing up to value integrity, help others and show compassion, the more I saw of the ‘real world’ the more I doubted those concepts had any real relevance. As it kept going, I started to lose the will to try and change myself, or the direction my life was headed in. Inch by inch, I was changing as a person; in hindsight, I cringe when I think about the kind of person I would have been by now if things hadn’t changed.
It's funny to think that, when I first watched Friendship is Magic, I was starting to become the sort of cynical, harsh person who would’ve laughed off the show’s message as stupid and naïve, only fit for children. Shows like that weren’t meant for adults, relying on low-effort writing and cheap, easy messages hammered in clumsily, that fell flat under scrutiny. A real writer reminds us how horrible people really are, I’d come to convince myself. But instead, the show made me laugh, the writing was clever, and on the whole, it was entertaining enough to make me decide to stick around.
I was entertained enough to keep watching, but over time I started to feel genuinely impressed with FiM. In time, I went from just being entertained to really enjoying the show and being glad every time a new episode came out. I was surprised by how relatable the characters often felt, how good the humor was, and how many times I found myself sincerely caring what happened to them. Most of all, though, what surprised me was the effort. Every show has ups and downs, but I always felt like the people working on FiM cared about their work, wanted it to succeed, and gave it their all. That feeling extended to the fandom as well; I was astonished to see just how many people felt that the show had changed their lives for the better. I was shy about going out there and participating, and in any case, I had too many responsibilities to go to conventions or really put myself out there as a writer or artist. But even when the show was on hiatus, I was always blown away by the effort they would put into their work. It showed how much the show meant to them.
It maybe wasn’t the case that the show turned my life around outright, but I think it was a turning point. In a sense, there was a void that it filled. It showed that ideas like friendship, forgiveness and compassion are still valuable, and was able to show it in a way that at times felt more mature and understanding of human nature than a lot of shows intended for adults. The dedication that so many people across the world gave to FiM can attest how those ideas still have meaning. It was a star in the night that kept the world from getting too dark. I started to volunteer my time at my community’s food pantry, in part encouraged by the charity work I saw the fandom doing. It was something that gave me direction and purpose once again, and I could see that as hard as our work was and even if it was hard to tell some days, there were people around us whose lives were better off in turn.
I think, at its best, Friendship is Magic reminded me that even when things seem bad, and the world around you feels hopeless and dysfunctional, that there is still good in the world around you, and it is worth fighting for. We may come from all walks of life and have so many differences that getting along feels impossible, but our differences don’t have to divide us; the fandom has certainly helped show that. Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter and Kindness are never wasted when we try to show them to the world around us. Every time we try, the world is better off for it, even if it doesn’t feel that way right away. Sometimes it takes, sometimes it doesn’t; we can’t control that, but we make the decision to not give up.
The show and its fandom have made me feel a lot of things over the years, and it’s difficult to do justice to them all. I can’t count the number of times I’ve laughed, either from watching the show or watching the sheer number of amazing, talented and sometimes crazy artists. The sheer effort and time put into art, writing or music by so many fans says more than I ever could. It’s been hard to see the show end, but that’s a sign of how great a ride it’s been. Happiness and sadness are far from mutually exclusive; I’ve certainly felt plenty of both the last couple weeks.
I regret I wasn’t around for the chance to say thank you earlier, so in conclusion, I want to extend my thanks to everyone who made this show happen. It was a long haul for many of them, and a lot of work went into making it possible. I’m sure some days it felt hard to keep going. I wanted to say, beyond a doubt, that the world is a better place for it, and many lives here were changed for the better. Thank you, all of you, for everything you did to make this possible.
Friendship is Magic
-Wander Far
I had recently gotten back from a family cruise in the summer of 2012 and also had an incident at work 2 weeks prior. Before I got into MLP all of my Clothes, Life, and love was Nintendo and Nintendo Alone. Nintendo was my ONLY Pillar of Fantasy and anything that was not a Nintendo IP was casual at best. While my life really wasn't so bad prior to Pony I still was having a rough time at work and still with a (Boss is always right Black and White mentality) I had heard about the fandom off and on but paid it no mind that was until I saw a Pony meme on 3DS's Swapnote app shortly afterwards I looked up MLP FIM on Netflix and low and behold there it is with its first 2 seasons ready to be binged and the rest is history. As for how it impacted my life it got me to go out and socialize a lot more as I had found a Local Brony Group which I now run. Now I have a bunch of new friends I never would have had otherwise and we go out with each other regularly to see movies play card games etc.
We're planning to branch out our Local Brony Group to also include Gamers. Marbi Z
I could write volumes on that, but I think the most direct impact the
series and its fans had on me was in the way that it inspired me,
artistically. I discovered early on that I enjoyed drawing the
characters from the show and the responses I got from the fanbase
encouraged me to draw more and to improve my skills. I bought a new
tablet and went from one or two sketches a month, to dozens. In 2012
I became a staff artist for Bronycon and my artwork has appeared on
billboards, banners, signs, badges, posters, key-cards -- even on a
cake presented to the convention guests in 2014. It has been a wild
ride and I want to thank all my fellow bronies for their faves,
comments and support over the years. The show may be over, but I
still look forward to more fun and creativity in the future!
Even now, a week later, it’s still somewhat hard to believe that we truly have seen the last of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic as an animated series (barring some nostalgic specials, or heaven forbid, a reboot, at some point down the line). In some ways, it really does seem like yesterday that I watched my very first episode, even though it’s nearly 8.5 years in the past (well, more like 8.25 but close enough). I suppose that’s as good a place to start as any.
Flash back to June (or perhaps July – again, not that important) of 2011. I had wanted to get my sister to look at something online (I don’t even remember what it was anymore). She made a deal with me – in exchange for her looking at it, I had to watch one episode of a show she had just recently gotten into herself – that, of course, being MLP FiM.
So, being a man of my word (like I still strive to be), I pulled up the YouTube channel MASTERLINKX (anyone remember that one?) and picked a random episode. While I remember the episode I picked, which was Stare Master, I have long since forgotten why I chose that particular one, or if there even was a reason aside from random happenstance. Regardless, I remember enjoying it, but not being sure if it was something that I could get into.
So, I decided to give the series a chance, since my first exposure didn’t actively repulse me. I started over from the beginning, the two-parter, and actually really enjoyed it. I think I marathoned the rest of the first season (since that’s all there was at the time) over the course of maybe 3 or 4 days.
I would say the rest is history, and that is true, as far as getting into the show goes, but there is one other important story I want to relay: namely, about how I got into the fandom.
That one is fairly simple – I happened to stumble upon Equestria Daily one day, and saw the various postings. I decided to read Cupcakes, since it was something everyone was talking about back then. I didn’t find it that shocking – also, I read the revised version, where a lot of the original typos and such were fixed, but also that ending with Apple Bloom was cut out. Then, I remember reading Bittersweet, and it was the first written work I can remember actually crying over (I wonder how I’d feel about it today). At that point, I was hooked. I’ve read various other fan fiction since then (some of them I’ve finished reading, such as Past Sins, others I haven’t, such as Antipodes).
So, since that part, FiM, both the official works as well as the fandom, have continued to constitute an important part of my life, and have left an indelible mark, both for better and for worse (though mostly for better, I swear!)
For instance, when I stumbled upon the character appearances page on the FiM Wiki (which was the first page I ever visited there – I was searching for the Wikipedia page for the show on Google, for some reason, and it pulled up that as a result), I basically never left. That was in July of 2011, and I made an account there in October. I joined the chat and quickly fell in love, becoming a chat moderator by December, and then an admin by January of 2012. I’ve been there ever since, even if I did leave chat for quite a while, only returning sporadically until returning full-time when the chat moved from the Wikia chat to a Discord-based server.
Speaking of one of the “for worse” stories, that becoming an admin in January of that year made me so excited about the wiki that I spent a lot of time on it – to the detriment of my real life; namely, my academic life. Part of it was the class-load I was taking that semester (don’t take Organic Chemistry 2, Physics 2, and Calculus 2 in the same semester unless you can dedicate a lot of time to them), and part of it was me blowing off a lot of the work given out in order to focus on the wiki. I passed those classes, but only technically (in that, since a “D” is above a failing grade of “F” – yeah, that technically). That was my first time on academic probation, but it wouldn’t be my last over my college career (though those had a lot less to do with anything pony related, so I digress).
Anyway, when the official comics were announced, I was intrigued – even moreso when I saw the first issues were going to be focused on the return of Queen Chrysalis, who had intrigued me in the season 2 finale, and when I saw Andy Price’s art. They did not disappoint, so when I saw there was going to be a comic signing involving him and Katie Cook at a local comic book shop (Beach Ball Comics in Anaheim, which unfortunately, is now closed), I knew I had to go – and I did, even waiting for over 2 hours in line to get in to see them. It was well worth the wait, I think. It was also just fun talking with my fellow bronies in line, as well as enjoying the equipment a brony DJ had set up in the parking lot to entertain us while we waited in that long line.
While I remember that comic signing the best overall (as in, having the warmest memories of it), I have been to a few other memorable comic book events over the years, such as the weekend where, on Saturday, I went to a comic book signing up in Downey (or it might have been Bellflower – either way, I’m certain it was one of the “Gateway Cities” of Southern LA County), and then, the very next day, drove all the way up from my home in Orange County up to Burbank to acquire not only signatures on the comic, but also a cover variant that only that particular comic shop was selling (it was something having to do with Emeralds).
If there are any other So Cal bronies out there, or just anyone who’s had to drive into Downtown LA (or neighboring cities/neighborhoods) using the 5 North, you know how there seems to always be a little bit of bumper-to-bumper traffic on that freeway – and yet, on that day I absolutely flew the whole way. It was the only time that’s ever happened to me, and may well be the only time I experience it in my life. I suppose it was just a sign of how that was meant to be. I don’t remember exactly when it was, but I do remember it was in 2013, at some point.
The only other comic book signing story that I have is the one that was at the comic book shop in Old Towne Orange a couple years back (right near Chapman University, my college, so I was able to use my parking privileges and then walk the short distance. This was so I didn’t have to worry about finding parking around the traffic circle of Glassell and Chapman, which, let me tell you, can be an absolute nightmare). I managed to spend over $200 there (freaking even myself out, haha) on various prints, sketches, and comics. I had a great time, though – and they were playing all the MLP episodes through Netflix on a TV in the corner of the room.
Around the time of Crusaders of the Lost Mark, I discovered blind reactions to FiM episodes and became hooked (I had watched some earlier stuff, like JackReacts, but that was just reactions to fan works, and I would only watch occasionally) – I swear, I must have seen that episode (counting all the reactions I watched) over 200 times, and that’s no exaggeration. I eventually decided that was something I wanted to do, and so starting with the season 5 finale, began recording my blind reaction to MLP episodes. I’ve since expanded to other stuff I’m in to, such as Equestria Girls (first recorded my reaction to Legend of Everfree) and Steven Universe (not sure exactly where I started, but it wasn’t the beginning). Now, I haven’t actually uploaded any of them yet – they’re still sitting on one of my external hard drives, all these years later, waiting to be edited. Maybe the show ending will inspire me to finally do that. One can only hope.
Speaking of reactors, I saw so many of them at BronyCon 2019, even if I didn’t have the courage to approach them or anything like that. I saw Applegeek at least a couple times, Johnnyfireflame several times in line for panels (though he had the “red – don’t approach” sign on his nametag, so that’s my reason for that one), and Bronymonster044 sat with his group at the table I happened to be sitting at while I was drinking my Wild Bill’s soda. Will I feel more courage if I’ve started uploading my stuff by the time I go to BABSCon 2020 (because I am attending that one)? Only time will tell.
Seamlessly segueing into BronyCon, I had such a fun time there, it’s too bad I only went to the very last one. On the other hand, who knows if I would have gone through the trouble if it hadn’t been the last one. The panels ranged from informative (such as the one about being an online voice actor, for one) to just plain fun (the two JackBox sessions in the Hall of Chaos). The second JackBox session was really fun, not just because I bought an alcoholic beverage and so felt really good by the end, but also to watch the answers more or less devolve into a certain part of Celestia’s anatomy and Nicole (who was one of the panelists participating in that game) acting all indignant about it. Hell, it was fun when she stated her one goal was making sure M.A. Larson lost, and then he went on to win most (if not all) the rounds played in that session.
I also got so much great merch, and it’s all actually quite practical! For instance, I got a mug with Starlight on it, a tie and tie-pin that are Twilight Sparkle themed, and a shirt with a wonderful Andy Price design on it, just to name a few examples. So even though I spent a lot there, it didn’t feel as wasted as the $200 I spent on just sketches and prints at the comic signing. It was also fun going to that Baltimore Orioles baseball game with the other bronies (even if it was between two crappy teams in the aforementioned Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays – it was nice to be able to see Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit one of his home runs, since I was a big fan of his dad’s when he played for my favorite team, the Los Angeles Angels), and meeting a fellow admin of the Friendship is Magic Wiki (Dogman15). I had so much fun at the con, in fact, that I am planning to attend next year’s BABSCon, as mentioned above, and kind of kicked myself for not attending Equestria LA when that was around (because that was a very local con – in the Anaheim Convention Center, if I’m not mistaken).
One of the most memorable experiences on that trip (outside of the con itself) was actually ending up sitting next to ACRacebest and Toodles on the flight back home (we took the same flight on Southwest Airlines from BWI to LAX, I guess – which makes sense, we’re both based out of So Cal, I know that much). Since Southwest Airlines features open seating (you board based on when you check in, beginning 24 hours before the flight), it ended up that the only two seats that were next to each other happened to be right next to me (like always, I picked an aisle seat). I remember internally freaking out about it – I only wish I had the courage to introduce myself, even if nothing more resulted from it (if they had wanted to not talk and stuff, I would have totally respected that). I probably also would have told them “Hell of a Bronies React panel” or something like that. I wonder if they’d remember me at all, haha
But anyway, the reason why I was able to go to that BronyCon was because I finally, finally, finished up my Master’s Degree. I suppose it’s time to segue into my final segment, talking about my academic career and how it’s related, both directly and indirectly, to Friendship is Magic. The show began in October 2010, as you all know, and that Fall 2010 semester was my freshman year of college. It was always there for me (again, for better and worse) throughout my college career.
I decided to go for my Master’s Degree at the same place I got my Bachelor’s, just for sheer convenience. I eventually reached a point where I just kind of stalled out for a couple years, failing a couple classes and not being able to pass the comprehensive final exam (I chose the non-thesis option). Finally, on what was almost certainly my last try, I passed it (just this past June). While I certainly worked very hard for it this time, I also found it fitting that, just as my college career was coming to an end, so was FiM. It was there for me during this part of my life, providing part of my stable undergirding, so I took its end as a sign that it was also time for me to enter the next stage of my life. What that is, I can’t say yet with certainty, but it was definitely the right time to do so.
I just wish to say thank you, to everyone, for all the memories. Even if we never saw quite eye-to-eye as far as FiM goes, I appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you to the show runners, and all those that worked on the franchise in an official capacity, for creating something so engaging, so engrossing, it was fun to become lost in that world.
I know this might sound like a “farewell” or something, but that’s far from the case. I’m not going anywhere, especially if EqD and the Wiki decide to cover G5 as well. Even if one or both of them decide it’s outside their purview, I plan on popping in from time to time, to check up on things and keep up with the fandom. This, as mentioned above, has been a part of my life for nearly 8.5 years now, I don’t plan on suddenly cutting it out. Who knows what the future may hold. I certainly don’t – but I’m eager to see what it brings, with each and every one of you.
In early 2014, I moved 950 miles away from my family and the state in which I resided for all of my life. I didn't know anyone where I was going and all I knew was that I didn't know how I would cope with all this change I forced myself into. I'm fairly certain I had a mental breakdown as I had nothing but fear growing inside. As a introverted individual, I stuck to myself and the books I read. I was comfortable with being alone for the most part of my life, I would soon learn otherwise.
My sister recommended that I watch My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic which surprised me because she was an adult watching a children's show and I was even older than her. I remember it from when I was a kid and it didn't resonate with me one bit. In order to humor her, I gave it a try. At the time, Netflix only had seasons 1-3 and the first Equestria Girls movie. I had no idea what that was. So, I started from the beginning and had an open mind about giving it an honest look.
What a surprise I felt when it turns out that every pony is different from each other. The voices were cute but not grating. The purple one is sarcastic but also against making friends. She'd rather stick to her books and stop the return of a villain. Purple pony, we understand each other on a fundamental level. I had no idea how deep it would go and yet, there was something more to this show than anything I thought possible. I continued to watch until "Winter Wrap Up" where Twilight sang, "I have to find my place" and it instantly clicked that I wasn't just watching, I'm slowly getting invested. Moving away to find my place in the world is why I did it.
I actually found myself enjoying this show a lot. Especially Twilight's episodes because I could relate to them in such a way that made perfect sense to me as we were in sync. Her stories felt like my own. Fast forward to season 3's finale, Twilight messed up and had to remind her friends of who they were. By the end of the episode, she became a princess. This was the very moment that flipped the switch for me from a show I liked to a show that meant more to me than anything else. It taught me that I too can be a princess if I work hard enough to make it happen.
So I decided to dive deep into myself and spill it all out. I went into therapy and got proper diagnoses of social anxiety, agoraphobia, and more. I fought daily to become the best I could possibly be. I wasn't the only one. Twilight and I grew together. When she became the Princess of Friendship, it pushed me to be open minded when it came to others. It became clear that she was destined for more than simply a "princess" and I was destined for more as well.
This show overhauled my entire outlook on life, from how I interact with other people to how I interact with myself. I started to reach out to people in the fandom, mostly artists, because I greatly admired them. Mid 2015, I had the opportunity to go to BronyCon. I hadn't left my apartment since moving into it and I was about to travel once again. I had to thank the writers, especially MA Larson, for writing the episode that inspired me greatly. Even with my extreme social anxiety, I manage to do just that. This was where I went into the fandom and explored it for myself. I found that everyone was supportive and I was blown away by the sheer joy of it all. I wound up going back every year that I could and it gave me a chance to grow through my fears.
Twilight would go on to become the headmare of her school of friendship when I at one time was an English teacher. Twilight was a natural leader as well as I was before my nervous breakdown but I've gained that back recently. This show is what allowed me to grow into myself and my new place in the world. I put in the work but it inspired me every step of the way. As my favorite princess grew into her role, I found myself in a position of power in a food cupboard. I provide 125,000+ pounds of food per year to needy families. I'm owning that position but it took me a little while to do so. It took us some time but we made it happen. I found power in myself to succeed too and it's all thanks to this show. Twilight and I are finally ready for everything that life can throw at us.
I've done lots of incredible things from meeting people behind the scenes and telling them my story to having lots of new friends. Hanging out with the founder of BronyCon herself and building a pony palace in my room of the apartment which I call home. And actually stepping outside it whenever necessary. What an incredible ride this has been. This show gave me a foundation of strength to build up my life. I made it happen and I will always be grateful to MLP and even Equestria Girls for being the force that helped me when I needed it most.
May the power of ponies be with you,
TwiLily
I started watching my little pony when I was in elementary school. At first everything in my life was fine and it was just a fun show. Fifth grade my parents divorced, middle school came and I lost all of my friends and began to feel suicidal and was just reinforced by the people around me. My little pony gave me confidence and taught me lessons and got me through hard times. It gave me an opportunity to bond with my dad and have something in common with him. It’s become a tradition for us to watch episodes together and not alone. My little pony got me through hard times, and gave me a closer bond to my dad. It made my life better when it was as low as I’ve been.
-Charlotte
My Little Pony was a life-changer for me. Seeing how much it changed my life and how it helped me grow into the Pony I am today. It all started back in Grade 5, when my friend watched "Tirek Vs Twilight", in class and telling us all to watch it. Being the "Nice Guy" I was I took his advice and watched it later that night. Little did I know that one decision would have changed my life for the best.
Fast foward a couple years, and I'm a Die-Hard Brony. My life consists of nothing more then My Little Pony. My life revolves around colorful pastel ponies and buy all the merchandise I can. As you all know, just last week (give or take), the show ended. It's left me devastated and I feel like a huge part of my life is gone. I cried for hours when I first heard the show would end. Something that meant so much to me, after 6 years in the fandom our time was running out. Unfortunatly all good things must come to an end. I've never once thought a show about "Friendship and Flowers and Ponies" would impact me too the point of devestation and restless nights.
Go back a few years and I'm at a Basketball Camp at a University. I relunctantly meet a Brony and we discuss the Season 5 Premiere. Later that night we're partying in the dorm's recreation room when someone gives me the TV Remote. They say "Find us something to watch, Bro." so I take their offer and switch to the Treehouse Channel. A new Daring Do Episode is playing and the room goes silent. Nobody says a thing. The same guy (who passed me the remote) says "Your a Brony? That's pretty cool". I'm speechless, everybody respected me for it and it was the first time someone genuinely showed interest in the show without making fun of me. I'll always remember that night, even though I haven't seen them since they have my undying respect.
Flash forward to now, the show is over. I'm feeling like a chunk of my life is gone. I'm rewatching EQG and reminiscing on the good times. I'll always remember the Season 1 Premiere, Winter Wrap Up, Season 2 Premiere, Season 4 Premiere, Season 5 Opening and Season 7&8 as the best seasons the show has ever gotten. I've never realized what I've had until it was gone. Hopefully G5 will be as flawless and perfect as G4 has been.
Go back to about a year, to August of 2018. It's 8:18PM and I log into Legends Of Equestria for the first time. I create my first ever OC, Winter Roll. He's a short Blue Foal with a passion for parties and kindness. Over time, I meet more and more ponies and become nominated "Game-Wide" as the kindest Party Foal in Equestria. I have met my best friends I never knew I'd have through countless parties and MLP-Themed and Inspired Player Based Events in LOE (Legends Of Equestria). By now, I have a clean reputation as a kind Pinkie-Esque pony that will stand up for anypony no matter what. I have hosted my fair share of events from Gala's to Player Parties. In a way, My Little Pony taught me Moral's I wouldn't have known beforehoof and helped through the good and tough times.
My Little Pony as a whole, is an amazing concept. It's a perfect escape from reality to a beautiful yet well crafted world of "Equestria". Their is infinite potential of stories to be told and adventures to be on. The Songs are perfect and blend in perfectly with the story it feel's natural. The situations and problems faced always have a solution that the Mane Six will overcome. It's a personal escape into a perfect-utopia of Wholesome Horses that will always have a special place in my heart.
Thanks for the best Six Year's of my life, My Little Pony.
-Your Favourite Party Foal, Winter Roll
I have lived with MLP for more than the half of my life. I’m turning 14 in a month, and I started watching in 2011, when it was released in my country. I have been hooked ever since.
My story probably began with Fall Weather Friends or Boast Busters, I remembered watching it with my sister, and that we both loved Twilight. My sister is an essential part of my life, she’s definitely my BSBFF, but the problem is, just as Twilight, for a long time she was my only friend. The few friends I had in kindergarten soon moved away, and I never had a group like the ones I saw on television. Still, my siblings were always there for me, and actually, the first ponies in my collection (A g3 and two fakies xD) were given to me by them.
But then, in my first elementary years, I got some friends who also liked ponies. Most of them moved away, but one of them didn’t*. That friend, introduced me to another girl, and soon, we called ourselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders. We have been friends ever since, but our group expanded wider and wider, to the point we are the had all the Mane 8 and Spike. All of this because once as we made the line for class, we had a conversation about My Little Pony.
One of our funniest experiences together was that for third grade, for the school talent show, we sang the theme song of Rainbow Rocks. We dressed up and everything, and it was as chaotic as the presentation of the Cutie Mark Crusaders in The Show Stoppers. Even when it was so shameful at the moment, we have big laughs now remembering it.
As time passed by, most of my friends grew out of it… but I didn’t. My mom for a while tried to convince me that I was getting old for that stuff, and as I started thinking about it, I found the brony community. When I saw this massive amount of adults loving the show, I just got more into into it. This was around four or three years ago, and my brony soul has just grown more and more since then.
I remember one of the things that impacted me the most was watching “A Brony Tale”, by Ashleigh Ball. Then, all the fanmade videos. Soon, I created my own MLP OC, Misty Star, that even when she began as a total Mary Sue, I have perfectionate her through the years. When I was a bit older, I joined the EQD Discord Server and made my first online friends, and then the Equestria Amino. My pony knowledge grew, my collection did too (now I own near 160 figures!), just as my friend group, but what grew the most was me as a person.
One of the things that inspired me the most was directly Lauren Faust. In one of those show-and-tells of “My Hero”, I picked her for my investigation. I watched tons of interviews, and her story and vision of empowering girls, just made me understand I wanted to made art my passion: I wanted (and still want) to become an animator.
But definitely, the biggest highlight in my brony journey started at the middle of last year, when they announced the final BronyCon. I had already wanting to go for a long time, and I knew I couldn’t miss out on my last chance of going. And like that, I somehow convinced my parents of taking me. When the big days finally came, though we had a lot of troubles in the airport, we could made our way from Costa Rica to Baltimore. My sister and I were the ones who attended, and dear Celestia, it was the best weekend of my life.
I got to see that woman I had honored for years and the amazing people who helped create Equestria, got to meet all those faces behind the YouTube screen, but specially got to meet lots of new, fantastic people. For example, some of the best experiences for me were buying at the Marketplace, sitting down and drawing along Andy Price, having a whole conversation with OkamiGirl64 (and pictures with her, MLP Fever, Round Trip and Saberspark), singing Winter Wrap Up along a ton of people at the karaoke, and cosplaying Celestia and Luna. But the most special moment for me was the Gala, which as musical theater fan and a multifandom girl, was a night I won’t ever forget. My favorite part of it though, was how everyone got together and danced, sang, and partied in honor of a show that got us all together.
Last but not least, I actually got into a new school were (surprise surprise) my newest friend is also a big My Little Pony fan. And of course, I couldn’t end without mentioning the finale. My first real friend which I mentioned earlier (the *) came over to watch it while we ate a lot of cheat stuff. And we cried. And we hugged. And an era was over. But the end is just the beginning.
~Twilight Hairball
When I first found out about the fandom, I had the initial reaction of thinking it was peculiar or “weird.” Then, after giving it a try one night to see what the hype was about, I immediately was interested in seeing more. Although I did get picked on a lot for it in the middle of grade school, I still looked forward to going home and seeing more episodes and what new works were created in the fandom. Hearing the catchy and inventive music that the artists were making made me want to make music as a hobby, and maybe even for a living! That was my goal: for a work of my own to be shared with others. As each season aired, I found myself in a new point with either different friends or a different stage in my life. Since there were hardly any fans of the show in my area, I didn’t talk about the show with almost anyone.
It wasn’t until 2018 that a lot changed for me in the fandom. I met a bunch of people on voice chats that I could actually talk about the show with. It actually made me feel a little more comfortable about mentioning or discussing the show in public settings. I was already planning on going to Bronycon in 2019, but when it was announced that it will be its last year then, it was a must-go-to event. I went with friends to my first ever convention that summer of 2019, and it was one of the most memorable times I’ve ever had in my life. The same year (2019), I learned how to use other programs to improve my musician skills and make music like I’ve wanted to for a while. When my friends told me that my work was featured on EQD, I didn’t believe them. I was so thankful to Makenshi for the work he does in spotlighting all sorts of musicians out there for their work. In all my years in the fandom, I would have never expected that I would meet new friends in the fandom, go to Bronycon, and be on EQD. I am truly grateful for the experiences I’ve had and the memories I’ve made in this fandom, and I hope it all stays with me as we all grow up more and fave whatever life throws our way.
My Little Pony has been the center of my universe since I fell in love with it back in 2015. All the show has done for me is practically un-describable. I discovered MLP shorty before going into high school, and mlp was there for me during some of the toughest times in my life. I was constantly saturated with depression and anxiety, but pony was always there to help me feel better. All I can really say it that it changed my life for the better, and in a way, I owe the show more than one can imagine. I learned so much from MLP, and got to know the amazing fans that love the show aswell. I learned what it means to love someone. I learned what self-worth is. And its all thanks to this show about lil cartoon horses. what I am is beyond grateful for how the show has changed my life for the better. I got to know some many amazing characters, but also so many amazing fans.
With the show conclusion, it feels almost as if the universe is out of balance. But I know MLP is far from over, and that we the fans will make sure or that. We will survive. Sure, we may lose some people, but we will not disappear. We are a community, and a damn strong one at that. MLP will go on, and we will have the legacy of Friendship Is Magic to keep us looking towards the future. With each life that have been positively impacted by pony, that’s one more person to help keep us going. And unlike other fandoms, ours is so fan-interactive, that there’s no doubt in my mind that the fan content will continue long after the shows conclusion. And we will embrace the change. But most of all, Friendship Is Magic's legally will live on, in all of us.
Thank You My Little Pony, for everything:)
My story isn't the most glamorous one; I didn't make any friends because of MLP, and I didn't achieve any dreams because of MLP, but what MLP did do was fundamentally change my outlook on life.
I discovered the show during a pretty bad point in my life. I was angry, depressed, antisocial, and all of my dreams were being surgically torn apart by the cold reality-check of college. I started watching it out of morbid curiosity after seeing "Save Derpy" scribbled on a bathroom wall. I never expected that I'd get hooked, but in the end I did. The animation was excellent, the music was catchy, and the world was intriguing. But what really got me were the characters, those six little ponies were the most pleasant and relatable characters I had ever seen in a show, animated or otherwise. Despite their (seemingly) archetypal roles, they were fully formed, with depth and quirks and multifaceted personalities that, despite their often over-the-top antics, made them feel like real people. No matter how depressed or hopeless I felt, I knew I could always count on them to brighten my day.
I know it sounds silly, but I really did take the show's lessons to heart, and I'd like to think I've become a better person as a result. I'm certainly more empathetic and open-minded than I was nine years ago, more hopeful and optimistic. And while I still struggle with depression, MLP has always been the lighthouse that guides me back to shore.
Unlike a lot of people in the fandom, I can't say that I've made many friends. But the show did light that spark inside me, and I'd say that's what matters most. I may still be a shy introvert, but ever since I started watching the show friendship has been something I've actively wanted; as the song goes: "I used to wonder what friendship could be, until you all shared its magic with me".
Perhaps the biggest impact MLP has had on me though, is by reigniting my creativity. This show, and this amazing fandom, have been a true inspiration unlike anything I've ever seen or experienced before. It's reignited my love of animation, art, and music, and it even inspired me to get back into writing.
The show may be over, but I'll never forget it. Only time will tell if we end up joining the pantheon of immortal fandoms like Star Wars, Star Trek, Middle-earth, or Harry Potter. But whatever happens I'll always be thankful that I got to experience this amazing show with these amazing people.
I'm TwilightDash12, and MLP has changed my life in more ways than I could have ever imagined. I was introduced to the show after stumbling across "My Little Dashie" by StormXF3. I was struck by the video's emotional complexity, which was founded on a show targeted towards young girls. I was instantly curious how this could be. What makes this show special? Surely these cartoon ponies are just like the characters you'd see on Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon? So I found the series on Netflix and played the first episode. I was full of skepticism and laughing at myself as I cringed at the intro and antics of the characters. But for some reason, I kept watching. One episode became two, two became four, and before I knew it I was hooked. I finished the series, up to the end of season 4 at the time, and eagerly anticipated the new season, which I found out was airing in just a few months.
What I love most about MLP is how refreshing it is to me. As a college guy, I'm constantly surrounded by inappropriate behaviors and surface-level relationships. It's all about the hookup culture, partying, drinking, and being "popular." Everyone is watching Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, or whatever violence-driven show is popular at the time. There is minimal pursuit of good, true friendship and virtue towards other people. I knew I wanted something more than this as a young adult. I wanted to form true friendships, to grow as a person, and just take a different approach. I found all of this in MLP and its community. I felt good watching the episodes; I was laughing, smiling and thinking about each episode. The emotion, virtue and positivity in the show felt so real, even though the show itself couldn't have been further from reality. I never could have expected that a story about the adventures of colored, cartoon horses could take on so much meaning to me, and prove so influential in the formation of my personal identity as an adult.
I've enjoyed every minute of the four years I've spent in the MLP community. There've been controversial episodes, the switch from IntenseDebate to Disqus, the MLP Movie, the famous episode 100, and countless other great memories formed during this time. I've experienced the transformative power this great community has, and I can't wait to see what's next. Let's all be grateful for the gift G4 has been to us, and look ahead with optimism towards G5!
How has it impacted me? Ooohhhh boy there's a lot I could start with. To make this relatively short, I'll sum it all up as best I can. To start, it's heavily impacted who I am as a person, and given me some kind of example to follow. I don't think I'd be the same person I am today if I hadn't found the show, and that's crazy when I think about it. Never has anything had such a profound impact on my life that I'd find myself writing out how much of an impact it had. I found a show that I could not only relate to but learn from. I found friends where I never thought I'd find any. I found a community who would accept me for who I am and encourage me to continue being me, because this community is just as weird as I am. I found places where I could meet people from this community and feel a sense of connection to so many others when I felt alone in the world. I could go on and on with this, I just can't express how much it's impacted me in this. So I'll end by saying thank you, to both the show and the fandom, thank you for helping me accept myself and continue being weird. Stay awesome.
