Best Bronycon Story, or Why I Am Now a Scootaloo Fan · 10:47am Aug 14th, 2013
I mentioned in an earlier blog post that I was at Bronycon.
It struck me, just now, that one thing I failed to mention in that post was something that I saw happen; something that I and only I, out of everyone at that convention, was probably aware of in its significance. It's a story that really ought to be told, so here I am to tell it.
You see, there's this girl, Madeleine Peters. She plays this pony named Scootaloo. You might have heard of her.
Well, at Bronycon, I met her, (and by the way, she called me "awesome," which makes me, in my own estimation, at least equal to Rainbow Dash -- just kidding, but it was still cool.) I paid my twenty bucks to wait in line like all the other schmucks to get her autograph, and to have a chance to shake her hand and say three or four words to her. That would have been enough by itself, but I had a unique pleasure, later that same day, in which no other Brony -- hell, no other human being -- got to share.
That irks me. So, here I am to try and let you all have some small inkling of the joy I felt.
It started while I was waiting in line to meet Andy Price, the main artist for the comics. Katie Cook (who is amazing) writes the stories, he does the inks, and Heather Breckel (also amazing) colorizes them. Either because he was at a panel or for some other reason, he was late getting to his booth in the vendor hall. Of course, a line formed waiting to meet the man behind the awesome line art from the comic books, and I was fortunate enough to have gotten there in time to be only third or fourth in it.
The wait was still brutal, though, and while we were all standing there, I struck up a conversation with the girl standing in line behind me. She couldn't have been more than fifteen at the oldest, and even a brief conversation would have shown most anyone that she had some mild degree of mental handicap. I was, as I have mentioned in the past, a psychology major for about two full years before switching to Theatre, and judging by her facial characteristics and speech patterns, I think it was probably a relatively mild case of Down Syndrome.
The girl's mother was with her, and despite the fact that I am -- to some people -- an intimidating figure, at 6'1" and a solid 200 pounds, (I work out daily) with long hair, a beard, and many tattoos, (including one of Big Macintosh on my right forearm, Eeyup) she seemed pleased that I was willing to talk with her daughter as we waited in line. So, we stood there, and talked about Brony stuff; who our favorite pony was, what episodes we liked the most, and so forth.
As we were waiting there, I looked up, and who, of all people, should be walking through the crowds but Maddy Peters? I thought it would be cool for this girl to know who it was that was passing us by, obligatory security escort in tow, so I nudged her with my elbow, and said, "Hey, It's Maddy Peters."
"Who?" she asked.
"The girl that plays Scootaloo," I said.
I almost immediately regretted my action, because the girl pulled from her pocket a little, disposable camera. You know the kind; little cardboard sleeve, and such. She tells her mother to hold her place in line, and runs off into the crowd.
My heart sank into my stomach.
You see, at these cons, the voice actors are not supposed to allow themselves to be photographed without whoever is doing the photography paying a fee. You buy a voucher, you wait in line, you get your photo op. Worse, the security people are waving people off of Miss Peters, exactly as you would expect them to.
I'm thinking that this girl is going to get to Madeleine Peters, and either be repelled by security, or be told that she can't take her picture, like she wants to. She's going to be heartbroken; I'm sure of it. I feel this horrible sense of impending doom and shame, like I've probably just ruined someone's love of a thing that had once made her happy, and I'm about to see the ugliest side of humanity, like I have so many times, before.
I want to look away. It's my fault, after all, right? But of course I can't look away. It's like a train wreck; my morbid curiosity is overcoming my common sense.
Well, here's what happened:
This girl gets to Maddy Peters, who has come so close now with her escort that this all happens not ten feet from where I'm standing, and she gives this famous Voice Actress an awkward little wave and a "Hi."
"Now, it happens," I'm thinking, and I just want to run away and hide. Really, though, I'm third in line to meet Andy Price, so I'm not going anywhere, despite the tragedy that I am certainly about to witness.
That's when the girl that plays Scootaloo rocks my fucking world.
I stand there, jaw on the floor, as Madeleine Peters waves off her security escort, talks to this girl for at least a minute, gives her a hug, and lets her take her picture without paying a red cent. Then, she walks away through the crowd with her escort, and this girl I was talking to comes back to the line, totally elated, and tells her mom that she got Scootaloo's picture.
I want you to know: I came down with food poisoning the first day of that con. I was a twenty-hour drive from home, though, so I wasn't going to leave without getting something accomplished. I waited in line to meet voice actors and writers and comic staff, terrified every moment that I was going to either pass out or shit myself in front of Princess Celestia (as literally as that could ever actually happen) and half the fandom, besides. For all my pain and persistence, I got to meet Cathy Weseluck, Nicole Oliver, Lee Tockar, Brenda Crichlow, M.A. Larsen, Amy Keating Rogers, Michelle Creber, and of course Maddy Peters.
I would throw away the copy of "The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide" I had them all sign if I could watch that happen, again -- provided I could cut out the page that Madeleine Peters signed, and keep it.
She is a badass, and that is a title that I grant to few, indeed.
Just thought you all might like to hear that story.
Have a nice day.
Mannulus.
Awesome