On Ponies and Suicide

To taint this pure, unspoiled pony blog with my personal problems, I have been feeling suicidal as of late. And honestly, MLP seems like one of the few bright spots in the dark room that is my life.

"So," I thought to myself, "why not make Fluttershy kill herself?"

In a fanfiction idea I have rattling around my head (details here), I want to make Fluttershy commit suicide, have the rest of the Mane 6 fall apart in the aftermath, and then pull themselves together in a life-affirming (if pretentious) story.

And, as sometimes happens with ideas, this idea gave me another idea. I think that out of the Mane 6, the most likely ponies to commit suicide are Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle. (To be clear, I know none of this is likely, because Equestria is a sugary, sunshine-filled land of happiness. But this is what fanfiction is for, folks.)

I would say Fluttershy is the most likely to kill herself because it's well-established in the show that she is emotionally fragile and anxious. In the world of psychology, depression often co-occurs with anxiety. And what segment of the population often offs themselves? Depressed people. I really don't think it would take much to set Fluttershy on a downward spiral that would end in suicide. Heck, maybe this is just my own depressed brain talking, but sometimes it even seems like she's already on that spiral in the show.

As for Twilight Sparkle, the kind of depression I project on her is more like the type I'm dealing with. I think that Twilight is smart enough to see the pointlessness of life. (Read "A Clean Well-Lighted Place" if you need further explanation.)  We can try and try to make ourselves happy, to distract ourselves from the nothingness, but in the end, it's all just a Band-Aid. So depressed brain says, "Why go through it? Why not just end it now, on your terms?" And that option looks pretty attractive.

Friendship may be magic, but is magic really enough?

Season 3 Wrap-Up, Season 3 Wrap-Up

And... it's over.

As my first full season as a brony comes to a close, I can't help but think it was a good one. All alicorn drama aside, I still love this show.

My pick for the best episode this season is a three-way tie:
1. "One Bad Apple"
2. "Wonderbolt Academy"
3. "Just for Sidekicks"

"One Bad Apple" had a great song and a cool new character. "Wonderbolt Academy" was full of Dashie goodness. And "Just for Sidekicks" was just funny as hell.

As for the season finale, I found it to be satisfactory, with several feel-inducing moments. The plot was a bit rushed, but I liked it a lot better than the season opener. The thing I liked most was that it was very clear that Twilight is not about to abandon her friends, and she has remained the same. The only thing she has is a couple extra limbs and a few new responsibilities. And I just bet her friends will have some role to play in her getting used to her new role as a leader.

When does season four start, again?

Well, It's the Elephant in the Room...

Alicorn Twilight.

We are a mere 15 days from this bombshell, and I feel the need to rant about it, so here I go.

I, like many bronies, had an instantaneous knee-jerk reaction of "OH CELESTIA NO!!" The main thought that ran through my head was that the show was never going to be the same. This thought wasn't without reason. If you make a Twilight a princess, that, by necessity, changes the dynamic of the Mane 6. I felt a sense of impending doom for this delightful show about candy-colored equines that I fell in love with nearly a year ago.

I got to the point, last night, that I was literally losing sleep over Twilight Sparkle. Unable to put my mind at rest so I could doze off, I got up and got on the internet.

Now, after a night of reading everything about the season finale I could get my digital hands on, I feel a lot better. Several of the writers have stated that Twilight will still be her adorably awkward, nerdy self, just with a couple of extra limbs. So, at present, I'm going into "Magical Mystery Cure" with a cautiously optimistic mindset.

And, to the optimist, Twilight's new limbs open up a world of new possibilities for Season 4. After "Sleepless in Ponyville", I have a lovely, calming vision in my head of Rainbow Dash teaching Scootaloo and Twilight to fly simultaneously. It's not much to hold onto, but it's keeping me sane for the moment.

In short, February 16 is either going to be really good or really bad. I'm hoping for the former.

Fanfiction Recommendation: Sundown

Sundown

I just had to share this. It's a one-shot about Luna and Celestia at the end of the world. A somewhat cliched premise, but beautifully executed and extremely sad. I seriously don't think I'll ever be happy again.

Season 3 Impressions So Far...

I just realized that I hadn't updated this thing in over a month. Holy shit, time flies.

In the time since my last post, the third season of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has premiered and aired seven episodes so far. This is the part where I do a quick review of each of them:

1. The Crystal Empire: I wasn't exactly thrilled with this episode, honestly. It wasn't bad by any means, but it was definitely the weakest two-part to date. I enjoyed the "Crystal Fair" song. One thing I don't get, though, is everypony saying that King Sombra was a horrible character. Yes, there wasn't that much development, and he didn't get that many lines, but to me his silence made him all the more sinister.
2. Too Many Pinkie Pies: Maybe it's just that I'm not a huge fan of Pinkie Pie herself, but I didn't care for this one all that much. Every other Pinkie episode has been better than this one. Hasbro, I am disappoint.
3. One Bad Apple: LOVED this episode! It most certainly had the best song so far, plus I found Babs to be a really cool character.
4. Magic Duel: I'll come right out and say it: I don't get why people like Trixie so much. Both this episode and "Boast Busters" rank near the bottom of my favorite episodes. Trixie's a horrible character; she has all the egotism and bravado of Rainbow Dash, with none of the endearing qualities that make Dashie so likable.
5. Sleepless in Ponyville: This was such a good episode. Scootaloo finally got her own episode, plus we found out that Luna can enter dreams. How is that not awesome?
6. Wonderbolts Academy: I'm a total Rainbow Dash fanatic, and this episode did not disappoint. Lightning Dust was cool (better than Trixie anyway), and I'll admit to getting a little choked up when I thought Rainbow Dash was really giving up on her dream of becoming a Wonderbolt. 

I wait with anticipation for "Spike at Your Service".

Seriously?

This is just me ranting, but am I the only one who enjoyed the episode The Secret of My Excess? I see lots of people around the Interwebz saying that it's their least favorite episode, and I just don't get it.

I am a Spike/Rarity ship supporter, so that might have something to do with it, what with their tender moment at the end and all, but even fans who hate that ship should find at least some redeeming quality in the episode. I, for one, think that it gives great insight into who Spike is as a character, with the revelation of his natural susceptibility to greed. The way his avarice makes him grow larger and more savage was interesting, at least in my mind.

Just sayin', the hate this episode receives is baffling to me.

Feels...

Rainbow Dash is best pony. I am also madly in love with her. 

I saw a post on /mlp a couple of days ago that read: "Your favorite pony says she loves you. What do you do?" This gave rise to all kinds of feelings inside me, mostly loneliness. Just saying, being enamored with a cartoon horse is not an easy life.

Cutest Dashie picture I've ever seen.