The Impact MLP has had on my life!

I know not too many people will read this, and I know that the few who chose to read this will most likely focus on the negative. However, I do not care, I am me, and I make no apology for it. My Little Pony Friendship is Magic ended today, or I should say the series ended as for me, I will always be proud to be a Brony. However, now that the series is over, many people are telling how MLP changed their lives; this is mine.

Now, I should tell you this will not be a rag to riches type story I have always been very privileged. I come from a well-off family, and my parents did an excellent job raising me, so perhaps I cannot entirely sympathize who people who, because of their race or gender, for example, have always been looked upon in a certain way. However, I have always marched to the beat of a different drum from the very beginning; most boys wanted to grow up to be like Batman or Superman, but I always wanted to be like Rafiki from the Lion King, most kids stopped watching little kids shows as they grew older, but I still stayed until I no longer liked the show, and the main difference was my pursuit of knowledge. I never did sports of any kind save for a soccer team when I was very young it seems from the start I wanted to learn as much as I could, but I didn't learn from books to start with I learned from TV. Bear in the Big Blue House, Ed, Edd, & Eddy, Arthur, and later Full House were my constant companions, and I learned from the characters I especially liked.

Now, as I said, I have always been different; in middle school, as everyone else was playing games, I was pondering philosophy and when the high-school cheerleaders came for a performance as all the other boys were waiting for a peek up their skirts I was reading about Atlantis. Now, I do not think I was a perfect student I was average at best because I was always looking for different knowledge than what was being taught. Additionally, I was not a loner I had friends from time to time some have faded away, but some have carried onto to today (one friend, who we’ll hear about later, is like a brother to me). I was, however, always shy and drawn into myself; even among friends, I would hide behind books or my laptop as I had learned that I was different; the black sheep even amongst other black sheep.

One day, however, my journey to becoming a Brony began. My friend came to me one day and told me he had found a new show to watch from the My Little Pony franchise. Now, this friend had previously poked fun at me for watching Full House, and a part of me thought he must be joking, so I believe my exact words to him were, “are you going to start wearing pretty dresses too?” I know, I know, very harsh. His only retaliation was, “I’m serious.” A few weeks later, he sat me down and made me watch the first few episodes with him. I couldn't explain why I took to it and still can’t in a way I just knew I liked it. These pastel ponies and the adventures they went on were entertaining, but more than that, there was so much character growth especially amongst the main character Twilight Sparkle. Soon I immersed myself in the culture of being a Brony; I watched the documentary, followed the art, and started reading everything from comics to fanfiction. Oh, the fanfiction! I read more than I ever had in my life; Past Sins, How to be a Mother, Rarity’s Bad Mane Day, A Broken Bond, Where There’s Smoke, Smiling Flowers, My Little Alicorn, Changes (sadly never completed), Life in a slower lane, Dashes, Dots, and Pegasus Spots, A Tale of Two Mares, Pattycakes (don’t judge me), and the one about Rarity’s diary from when she was younger and… Oh my. I seem to have lost myself a little.

All those fantastic stories, oh, how I would spend hours reading them repeatedly, but as I did, I found myself thinking how they would’ve played out under different circumstances and the other adventures these would’ve stemmed. Then one day, I came across an extraordinary fan animation about a young blind filly and how she found herself by inventing the snowflake, I am of course speaking of Snowdrop. This little filly is what gave me the courage to try writing my own original stories for MLP (I had already written a few stories for other franchises, though). First came, “Diaries of Sisterhooves,” (sadly, I never finished that one and eventually took it down) a story about Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Then came my first success, “Never Give Coffee to a Filly,” a comedy about a young Twilight Sparkle and her foal-sitter. Next was “Tales by Firefly Light,” a story I felt never got the attention it deserved. Years later was my first chapter story in the MLP franchise, “I was just trying to help,” about Sunset Shimmer which is the most successful of my stories although my ending has been criticized, and most recently, “Scorpan’s Visit,” about Scorpan visiting Tirek in Tartarus.

Now, I am by no means an excellent writer, and these stories are mediocre at best and perhaps could’ve been handled better by more experienced writers. However, watching MLP and becoming a Brony is what gave me the courage to try, to put my work out there and take the criticisms about them whatever they may be. Now a few years ago, my goal was to be a teacher, but I gave it up because I was told I lacked specific skills. For a while, I’ve been thinking of going back to that dream now I’m sure of it. The finale reminded me of something; of how much I’ve grown. I’m not shy anymore; now I am one hundred percent myself, and I make no apology for it. I also remembered I am not alone; I have gained a little from every story I’ve read, so to all those writers, I say thank you. I also want to thank Lauren Faust for creating My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, I want to thank that friend for introducing me to the show, I want to thank all the artists and writers whose work I have experienced, and I want to thank you for reading this long boring story and I want you to know to never ever be afraid to be who you are and know that long after this website is gone, long after I have forgotten I have written it, and long after perhaps even I have discarded my last piece of fan merchandise I will always be a Brony in my heart!