The Story Ends With Us. . . · 7:30pm Sep 7th, 2019
Hello everyone, Thule117 here, and I just finished the last few episodes of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Don't worry, I'm not going to spoil anything, as I'm reasonably certain the final episodes aren't supposed to be out yet, and I'd rather you all see them for yourselves. Apologies if this seems a bit rambling, but I just felt like I wanted to share a few thoughts now that we've reached the end of the road so to speak.
It's been quite a ride hasn't it? The first of what would eventually become the 221 My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic episodes aired all the way back on October 10, 2010. It's been nearly nine whole years since we first were introduced to Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Celestia, and Luna. Nearly an entire decade since Friendship is Magic began, can you believe it? Way back then, I doubt anyone could have imagined just how this show would affect the world. It shattered barriers, redefining what was socially acceptable for boys and girls and men and women to enjoy, and was just really damn good in general.
Granted, not all of us saw it that way at first, I remember when I first heard of the MLP phenomena, back not long after it started picking up steam. I was actually one of those jerks who originally mocked the show, and anyone who watched it, can you can believe that? Yep, that was me nine years ago, telling myself that no self respecting man would ever watch a show marketed for little girls. Quick question, you ever do or think something in the past that now makes you wish you had a time machine, so you could go back in time and beat the living crap out of yourself for being that dumb? Well, that's my attitude these days when I think about how I saw MLP nine years ago. If I ever do get a time machine, the second thing I do after killing Hitler, is to find 23 year old me, and kick his ass.
At any rate, way back then, it occurred to me that ragging on something I didn't know anything about was just a little unfair. So I decided, what the hell, I may as well watch an episode or two, and confirm how right I was to think it was ridiculous. It took me a few tries, as I had a bit of trouble getting past the intro song, and the first few minutes of episode one (ingrained prejudice takes a bit to get over) but eventually I managed to watch the first episode. . . and then the second. . . then the third. . . then the fourth. . . you get the idea. I fell in love with the show basically overnight, and felt pretty damn stupid about all the shit I talked about it. Now, I've seen every episode of the show (most more than once), and I'm in the middle of writing a fanfiction story about it that's as long as a novel. Irony. . . ain't it a bitch.
Anyway, I'd wager that quite a few of you are as sad as I am now that the adventure has ended (or will be once you see the final episode). I'll be honest, I cried a bit at multiple points while watching the last few episodes, thinking about (among other things) how much I was going to miss it all. I mean it, I'm still a little misty even as I write this. However, I refuse to see this as the end of the story. Sure the official episodes of Friendship is Magic have stopped, but we haven't. We fanfiction writers are still here, writing new stories and coming up with new adventures for the Ponyville crew to go on. We've written them doing everything from the insane and disturbing, to the heartwarming and romantic. From stories barely a few pages long, to epic tales longer than War and Peace we've kept the story going in an endless number of new and interesting ways. Some of our ideas have been good, some bad, and some downright amazing, and we aren't done yet. Yes there might come a day when this site turns off for good, but hell, next Thursday might be the day that world war three starts and everything ends in atomic fire, that doesn't mean we stop getting out of bed in the morning.
What I'm trying to say is, even if the official story ends, the minds it inspires don't. We may not have created Friendship is Magic, but we damn sure helped shape it! Every day I see new stories posted on this site, by passionate people who want to keep this little dream alive. Every day, we argue over everything from how justified Luna's banishment was, to how Pinkie Pie works. Every day, a story on this site is abandoned, but another comes to life. This story, MLP's story, belongs to us every bit as much as it does to Hasbro or anyone else, and I don't know about any of you, but I ain't done yet!
That said, I'm still not any less sad. I will miss the official stories of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. I will miss the Mane Six, the CMC, Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Discord and all the others. I will miss the Everfree Forest, Ponyville, Canterlot, Sweet Apple Acres, and all the other amazing places we got to see in the official episodes. I will miss the songs, the beautiful animations, and the incredible music. I will miss hating the villains, and rooting for our heroes. I will miss. . . everything actually.
What sadness I find
now that I have seen all there is
What sorrow fills me, as the joyous beginning comes to its bittersweet end
Yet lo', from this ending shall I craft new beginnings!
New sights and wonders such as none have ever seen afore!
From the miserable ore of finality shall I refine the steel of new possibility!
I shall take up mine hammer, and upon the anvil of my mind, I shall forge anew these shattered dreams!
and my love shall live evermore.
Or to put it in less pretentiously poetic terms: This shit ain't over till we goddamn SAY it's over. So let's get to work my fellow bronies and pegasisters. We have a story that needs telling. . . .
Hell yeah Thule! I just started writing my own story earlier this year, so I'm sure as hell going to finish it, no matter what!
👍
It is sad, expecially since I lost the time to continue to watch the series after season five. But I have stayed a part of the community, and the stories told in mlp continue to effect even my writing outside of the fandom.
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Goodbye Friendship is Magic. Hopefully Gen6 will do them justice and be even better. I won't lie, I'm horrified at the possibility of it being the equivalent of a TeenTitans Go FIM. But, all we can do is wait and hope for the best. And, it's always possible for them to continue. With the way they finished it, a new generation could spring up a thousand years later because of what Dizzy suggested they do. After all, evil will always return...
Amen, brother. I've no doubt this site with thrive for years to come, Hell, decades even if the circumstances are right.
I doubt MLP will truly die as long as there are those who will carry on its legacy, or even remember it as 'that one time in my youth'.
We're all going down in history.
5117625
Well spoke both you and Thule117 the show shall indeed be missed but the stories will go on for as long as man has the gift and curse of imagination and the desire to say they are a brony this site shall never die.
I'm working on some stories of my own and hope to eventually release them here regardless of the show being over.
Also I saw some leaked photos of the finale and I gotta say, wow. But I'm not saying anything, other than that I'm still going to write as long as I want.
Very well said.
5117675
We all stand together, only once we let our flames die out will this fandom too, so here's to our proceeding years everybody
Well said