I've noticed in my travels around the various parts of the brony community, a common topic I often come across is the future of the brony community. Sometimes I see people worrying that the fandom is dying, and I'd like to address this now.

This blog has been in draft for a few days, originally just meant to be a little inspirational blurb. However, with the...unsettling...news that was dropped today, and given the reactions, I figured it's about time I got this out there.

First off, such fears are completely natural. We have found something precious to us...we have found something we love. It is in our nature to want to protect things we love, and that includes sometimes worrying about the various futures it could face. The friends we've made, the feels we've experienced...we want to protect those, right?

MLP:FiM is more than just a show to a lot of people. It has given many people a new lease on life. It has helped pull people out of depressions, it has helped people find new confidences in themselves. I've seen even more extreme cases where it has given people the strength to take the bottle away from their lips, and in some even more extreme cases, a gun.

In short, MLP:FiM changes lives.

Just take a look at this thread to see some amazing examples of what a little friendship mixed with a dash of pastel ponies can do:

http://mlpforums.com/topic/32317-what-if-fim-never-existed/

But really, it's more than just the show. If anything, it is the community that helps just as many people as the show itself. Hence why we are such a beautiful movement, which we need to continue to foster and protect. Well, I'm here to tell you that protecting the brony community is up to...

*points hoof out*

...you...

*turns hoof in*

...and me.

Simple as that. We are a leaderless movement, we have no higher authority to depend on to guide us forward. Sure, there's plenty of famous bronies, but they have just as much dejure power as you or I. In other words: none. When it comes down to it, they are just like you and me. We are all in the same boat, and we must all do our part to keep the community stable and strong. It's a shared duty that we must all take part in.

How do we do this, you might ask? Simple, we just need to stay steadfast to the morals and messages that brought us together in the first place. We need to get back to our roots of loving and tolerating...of taking the elements of harmony to heart. These roots got us through the 4chan wars, it gets us through the hate many of us face everyday, and it will get us through the troubles we face now, if we only trust in the ideals that united us since the beginning.

And think about it this way: What about those bronies who will come after us? What about those people right now, who all they might need is a little pony in their lives to brighten up their day? And they just haven't realized it yet? Don't they deserve the same chance to experience the magic we've experienced so far? I mean, wouldn't it be awesome if people still had the opportunity to experience events like Bronycon decades from now? I know I'd love the opportunity to bring my kids (and maybe even grandkids) to Bronycon someday, don't you?

So, yes, even in the face of a possible alicorn Twilight, and a future without Derpy, we still need to stay strong as a fandom, because being a brony has become so much more than just being a fan of a show. We are so much more...we are a family, and families stick together through thick and thin. We've done it before, and we can do it again.