Why I'm A Brony

I never watched My Little Pony as a kid. We never owned any of the movies, and I maybe saw an episode or two at a relative’s house, but it was never something that caught my attention. Digimon and Pokemon were more my thing, and before that my love was Disney, with TV shows like Gummi Bears and 101 Dalmatians.

In fact, I don’t recall ever really buying into the girl stereotypes. Certainly there were a few girl things I liked, as I did play with Barbies and pink was my favorite color, but I loved shows with adventure, imagination, and discovery. I knew some things were girl things and some things were boy things, but most things were both because I didn’t really care. I just liked what I liked, and that was that.

But it seems like when you’re a brony, you have to explain yourself. I am a girl, so I do have it easier than some others do, but still people don’t quite get why I like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic so much.

I can’t just like what I like, because it’s a little girl’s show, and I’m not a little girl.

But to make things clear, I’m not writing this journal because I have to explain myself. I’m writing it because many people just don’t understand what is so compelling about this show, and I’ve never sat down and actually written out my thoughts about the show. And I want to do that.

I discovered Friendship is Magic in March of 2011. Somebody on dA linked me to the song Winter Wrap Up, and the more I listened to the song, the more I loved it. The animation/style was so much fun to look at, the singers did a great job, and I loved the designs of the ponies.

I made a comment on how the show was done by city people, as the ponies were planting seeds while snow was still on the ground, but most of the responses back to me were super nice (as I said I hadn’t seen the show).

I don’t remember how long it took me afterwards to actually start watching the show, but it couldn’t have been more than a couple of months, if not weeks. By then, Season 1 was either almost over, or Season 2 was growing close to airing. Whatever the case, once I started to watch, I was hooked.

I am a college student (with one semester left!), and so I couldn’t spend all of my time watching ponies, but for quite some time, there was an episode to watch whenever I needed it. I believe I caught up with the show during Season 2, right around the time of The Last Roundup.

Granted, I could be remembering that wrong and maybe I had caught up well before that, but the Derpy incident was the first time I remember being there at the same moment as the rest of the fandom.

But to back up a little bit, to when I first starting watching the show…

Much of the time pilots of the show can be a little awkward, as the setting, characters, tone, and whatever else have to be not only established, but established well enough that people will want to see more. And because the audience doesn’t know anything about the world, sometimes awkward explanations are given that don’t work well within the show itself (such as Katara explaining what bending is in Avatar, when her brother knows exactly what it is).

However, the first two episodes of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic are ones I’ve seen over and over again, and they avoid much of this awkwardness. There are reasons things need to be explained within the show. Nobody knows Nightmare Moon is about to return, and so the audience AND the characters need to be told this.

Also, when it comes to introducing the characters, Twilight Sparkle doesn’t know anypony, so it’s quite natural for the audience to be introduced to the Mane 6 because she herself is learning who they are. Not that being the new person in a town/whatever hasn’t been done to death, but it works because of Twilight’s personality, and because Princess Celestia knew what was about to go down. Twilight wasn’t new in town just to make character introductions easier, but because it was necessary for the story itself.

The characters are all unique without feeling like cardboard cutouts. They easily could have ended up that way, with their Cutie Marks and their Elements of Harmony. My least favorite of the Mane 6, Rarity, could easily be a pony that cares only about fashion and the girly things, but she’s so much more complex than that. The writers of the show are so careful to ensure the Mane 6 are more than what they first appear, and the traits that could cause them to be one-sided instead are used to ensure they are so much more than that.

But while I could continue to be analytical about why the show is good, that’s not why I started to write this journal. Yes, when you take apart the show and start looking at it, it holds up rather well, but you don’t need to know why something works to know that you enjoy it.

I’m a fairly private individual, and most people don’t realize life has been rather hard for me these past several years. I’ve suffered depression from time-to-time because of the other things I struggle with. 

But when I’m watching an episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, I’m happy. No matter how the day has been, I can watch an episode and be happy. No, it doesn’t actually solve the problems, and yes, life is still hard after the episode, but the show and the music and the characters and all that makes life a little easier to bear, and that is what’s important.

If it makes me happy, why should I have to try to justify my love of it to others?

It’s just bonus that the show has great characters, great music, beautiful animation, good morals, and great writers.

It’s bonus the fandom is as loving and accepting as they are. I’ve seen more from this fandom about charity events and helping those who have been bullied and other such things than I have from any other fandom.

This fandom is also incredibly creative—I’ve never seen such an output of fancreation as I have from bronies—art, stories, jewelry, plushes, t-shirts, music, animation, and everything else under the sun. And much of this is just as good as the show, and much of it is better than the official merchandise out there. Maybe I’ll make a future journal highlighting some of my favorites.

I don’t regret for a second looking into this show, as it has changed my life for the better. The fandom is great, the show is amazing, and it all makes me happy.

And that’s why I’m a brony.