Hey there folks! · 3:17pm May 24th, 2020
S'up, bronies and pegasisters? My name is ApiphobicDalmatianLass, but you can just call me ADL for short. Now you're probably asking yourself this: Why have I joined the herd so late? FiM has ended last year. Yes, I know I'm pretty late, and you can bash me all you want, but I'm here now, right? And you know the saying: Better late than never! ... okay, sorry, I digress 
So, I got into MLP: FiM around last year spring. As in, like, really got into it. As a kid, I wasn't really into anything girly, and MLP just seemed so girlish for me that I didn't even bother trying. After I got into fanart and fanfiction, I started browsing random stuff, including MLP (seriously, one encounters it everywhere). It wasn't until after several years that I gave watching the show a try. And boy, am I happy that I did 
FiM is such a colorful show, filled with both adventure and slice-of-life, not to mention the friendship lessons and morals at the end of each episode. The latter actually helped me a little bit to try and approach other people again. After losing my best friend, I had a hard time making new friendships again, because of my... uniqueness. And even if the friendship worked out at the beginning, it didn't last long. Either the person I befriended left and we lost contact, or my true colors ended up pushing them away 
By 10th grade, I was pretty much a numb ice block, rejecting friendship advances from others and isolating myself completely from the outside. It wasn't until I signed up on Fanfiction.Net and made some friends there that things started to look up for me again, and I found myself opening up more and more to the concept of friendship again. And then, one of my friends mentioned that they used to watch MLP, and that's how I found myself browsing MLP fanart, reading MLP stories and watching episode after episode 
The Mane Six are a bunch of lovable characters, whom one can relate to at least one of them. Their chemistry shows that despite being different, people can still be friends with each other. Their friendship is what made them strong, what shaped them, and what made them accomplish great deeds. But not just them, the background ponies also make a difference, no matter how insignificant they may seem. As Mayor Mare said in the 100th episode: "(I)t's not just the main characters in our stories that make life so rich! It's everypony – those who play big parts and those who play small." 
Out of all the six, I like Fluttershy the most. I always found her shyness so adorable, and her kindness, helpfulness and politeness are things I respect a lot about her. Her love for animals is another remarkable trait. That mare has come a long way since her debut, having overcome so many fears and obstacles with her friends, and I'm just so proud of her. One can really take her as an example 
Rainbow Dash is, as Squidward would describe it, bold and brash, but a good kind of brash. She's so full of confidence, and it actually drives her forward to accomplish things a pegasus could only dream of. Sure, she sometimes lets her ego get the best of her, but when it comes to her friends, she'll be there in ten seconds flat! After all, nopony's as loyal as the newest member of the Wonderbolts 
Next one is Applejack. Dang, that pony is a powerhouse for a mare! Making all the apples drop from a tree with a single kick... I don't think anypony would want to be bucked by her. Anyway, besides her immense strength, her dedication to her friends and Ponyville make her another pony to look up to, even if her stubbornness can get overbearing sometimes. And I just love her southern drawl, it makes her unique and stand out from the others (Darn tootin', Ah even tend ta switch ta southern drawl thanks ta her. Ah just cain't help it ^///^). But the thing I admire about her most of all, is her honesty. Nothing angers Applejack more than lies, and she'll go to great lengths to seek the truth. Kudos to that mare 
Need a party or a cheer up? Pinkie Pie is your mare! Seriously, that pony is such a bundle of energy and randomness, one would almost think she lives of nothing but sugar! Her laughter and smile are so contagious, and you can't help but sing too whenever she breaks into a song! And though she may appear as not the brightest bulb in the bunch, if there's one thing I learned from her, is to not judge people so quickly (they might actually know more than they let on it ;) ). Another thing you should never question about her, is her Pinkie Sense. If her tail twitches or her knee gets pinchy or her nose is itchy, do as she says and don't ask questions (Honestly, I wish I had such a gut feeling). And most importantly, do not, and I repeat, do not, break a Pinkie Promise! Ever! Otherwise she'll haunt you until you either apologized properly or made up for your broken promise It made me value promises more than ever before 
The one pony I could never fully relate to is Rarity. I mean, fashion is a mystery to me, her fussy behavior puts me off a little, and if you ask me, applying make-up is a waste of time (I mean, why cover the natural beauty that comes with a person?). A few things I can relate to, though, are her wariness of rain and mud, and anything messing up her mane (I happen to be very proud of my fringe, and I just hate it whenever the wind or humidity mess up twenty minutes of careful grooming DX ). But despite all of that, she taught me the true meaning of generosity: One should not just give for the sole reason of getting something in return, but give to bring joy to others 
Twilight Sparkle, initially an introverted, friendless, no-nonsense protégé of Princess Celestia, turns into an outgoing, friendship-valuing, geeky librarian, and later even earns the title "Princess of Friendship"? Now who would have thought that a socially inept unicorn could become an alicorn princess? And of Friendship at that? I certainly didn't. But I guess it showed me how a seemingly unsociable person can welcome friendship if the cards are played right. A true friend won't judge you or make fun of you, but laugh with you and encourage you to move forward and make a difference. Friendship plays a more important role in life than I initially thought 
And there are a lot more characters I would love to mention: Spike, Twilight's little dragon assistant and life companion, who always offers to give somepony a hand... claw if they're in need of help (especially Rarity 
), Discord, the reformed Lord of Chaos, who learned through Fluttershy that friendship is more important than any cotton-candy cloud raining chocolate milk , Starlight Glimmer, who believed that cutie marks push ponies away from each other, but got convinced otherwise and became Twilight's student 
But if there was one more character I would want to praise more than anyone, it would be Sunset Shimmer. Initially power-hungry, selfish and cruel, she went through the biggest character development in my opinion. She hit rock bottom, and fell even further than that during the first movie. She could have given up all hope and ended up alone, but embraced the second chance she was given and got up again, fighting against all odds and becoming a better person. But of course, no person is truly without their flaws, as she's prone to lose her temper and take certain things for granted, just to name a few. But in the end, friendship concurs all and she emerges stronger than before. Wouldn't it be amazing to have someone like her as a big sister? 
Now that I got this out of the way, I just wanna say one more thing (if anyone bothered enough to read until the end ) : I have a lot of ideas for this fandom, some may be outdated, some may be weird, but I still wanna share them with you. Hope you enjoy reading my stuff as much as I enjoy writing it. Now then, have a nice day everypony, and see ya soon!
~ApiphobicDalmatianLass a.k.a. ADL
Best of luck to ya, fellow relative latecomer!
:)
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