Why do we love ponies?

As I'm sure many of us have done I've spent a lot of time wondering why it is I like this series and this fandom. Here's my two cents on the matter.

It begins with the characters. At first glance they are stereotypical in their simplicity. We have the shy animal lover, the bookworm, the hard-worker, the jock, the fashionista, and the party animal. There have probably been hundreds of shows with characters like these and will doubtless be hundreds more. However, as the show progresses something changes and I think Pinkie and Fluttershy demonstrate this change the best. With Fluttershy we see a level of greater responsibility than might be expected. Instead of merely loving animals she actually is in charge of them and often serves as a vet. It's similar with Pinkie. The party animal is usually portrayed as someone solely concerned with fun. In Pinkie's case though, we learn of the great lengths she goes to to prepare for her parties. Not to mention that she has a real job as a baker which she is evidently very good at.

So from their backgrounds we get our first inkling that there's something special about these characters. Then comes their episodes. Party of One for Pinkie and Dragonshy for Fluttershy. In Party of One Pinkie's mask suddenly cracks open and we're shown her true face. Not Pinkamena per-say but the Pinkie that's constantly afraid her friends will leave her alone. We understand her pain and so her parties and otherwise frivolous nature are shown in a new light. They gain value to us because we see how important they are to her. She's no longer an impossibly happy two dimensional creature. She has her moments of sadness and weakness just like the rest of us and she becomes more real for it.

In Dragonshy almost the opposite occurs. Fluttershy's stereotypical shy personality is enforced throughout the almost the entire episode. Then, at the very end there's a sudden twist and she stands up to the dragon when none of the others can. Of course, we all saw that coming, it's the way in which it was done that makes it meaningful. Her sudden courage wasn't opposed to her regular nature; she was clearly terrified even when she was standing up to the dragon. Instead, it fit perfectly with her kindness. She was afraid, she struggled with it, and she overcame because the alternative was to let her friends die. Her kindness overpowered her fear just as it allowed her to take on responsibilities for others an ordinary shrinking-violet would avoid at all costs. This deepening of nature really added that third dimension to her in my opinion.

Well that's why I like ponies. I'm sure a similar argument could be made for any of the mane six or spike, I just felt it came though most clearly with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

Thanks for reading.

Comments

[Teh Boi]

I just love Pinkie's voice, and Scootaloo is fucking adorable.