Artist Description:
 
This will effectively be my last MLP-picture. I saw the series finale the day after the airing and I have to admit, they really ended it on a high-note. I was already planning this even before Season 9 was announced as the final season because I wanted to make it about Twilight’s growth from the start of the series to the final episode. It’s been quite a ride and I wanted to make one last tribute to the series…
 
My Story as a Brony
 
Since I’m so sentimental, I though I would share how this series impacted my life. When I was a kid, I wasn’t all that interested in friends, much like a certain former-unicorn we know. I did have friends, but there were times when I would just want to go home and do my own thing. Sadly, any friend I had in my childhood just drifted away and by the time I was in high school, I was just about friendless. Any friend I had after that didn’t last longer than a semester. My parents even enrolled me into a program were I would go to outings with other people. Yeah, I was that anti-social. I’ve been a member of for more than 10 years. I’ve had the homepage set to “Popular 24 Hours,” so I would have something new to look at everyday. Back in the late Spring of 2010, I noticed MLP art all over it of weeks and it got me curious. “This is a show for little-girls. Is it really that popular?” Soon after that, I started watching the first season all the way through just to see what the hype was all about and I found it enjoyable. I kept it to myself though because it felt a little weird watching a cartoon targeted for little girls and I still didn’t really have any friends during that time. That is until Fall of 2013, when I met Umbreon72..
 
We were taking the same Printing Class in college and one day, I noticed she was wearing a Luna t-shirt. I complimented her on it. We started talking, one thing led to another and she became the first long-lasting friend I had in years. We started hanging out, going to movies, we’ve gone to a few conventions together and she’s become one of my best friends, the first best friend I’ve had in years. I felt like I could finally appreciate having friends. I also went to my first MLP Convention with her. It was a small, local one, the STL Crystal Fair 2014. It was then that I finally got a first hand look at the MLP Community and how diverse it is. After that, I didn’t feel as weird about being a fan of the show anymore. I watch a couple of the documentaries about the fandom that were on Netflix at the time and it was amazing to see how this cartoon spawned a movement about togetherness, acceptance, and friendship. I started drawing more MLP fanart and tried to get my own fan-comic going. Unfortunately, after the Season 5 premiere, I decided to scrap my comic because I worried my OC would be too much like Starlight Glimmer. However, I started going to more MLP conventions and sold my art as a vendor, so I got to travel and meet more awesome people and make even more friends. I’m proud that I even managed to make it to my first (and unfortunately only) BronyCon in 2016. I actually drove for 2 days in a rented car, all by myself, something I’ve never done before, so I also tried new things!
 
I continued to vend at MLP conventions through 2017, but by then, I started feeling as interested in the series as I used to. By the 7th Season, it just wasn’t resonating with me as much anymore. I was starting to get bored of drawing ponies and wanted to challenge myself more artistically and come up with more original work. I did always still liked the series and still watched every episode, though for me, Season 4 was it’s highest point. Unfortunately, Ponyville Oktoberfest 2017 was the last con I had been a vendor and Whinny City Pony Con 2018 was the last MLP convention I attended (for now, at least) and I haven’t been to one since. I kept trying to apply to vend at more MLP cons, but kept getting rejection letters for the past 2 years. I’m not sure what happened, if I just wasn’t “horse famous” enough, if it was because I didn’t have any new MLP work, or what, but at this point, I’ve given up on being continuing as a Pony Con Vendor and decided to start looking at furry cons.
 
And so, here we are at the end. As I watched the final episode, I reflected on who I was back when I first discovered it and how it’s changed my life. I honestly felt a little heartbreak towards the last few minutes of the episode. It might sound silly to get so sentimental over a children’s cartoon show, but it’s hard not to when it’s impacted you so. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic remained true to its name and will always have a special place in my heart.
 
And so I say thank you (Lauren Faust), Bonnie Zacherle, all of the voice-actors, artists, writers, and animators who made this cartoon possible. You should all be proud that you contributed to spawning a movement that left such a positive impact on the world!
 
 
I’d like to dedicate this last piece of art to the wonderful friends I’ve made thanks to the amazing fandom this show has created (also those who are not all are members are ) :