Thanks for the welcome, Wingnut! My favorite pony is certainly Chrysalis, and after that, it's a toss-up between Twily and Cadance.
As for how I got into MLP, it happened when a ten-year old friend referred me, and a fifteen-year old reinforced the suggestion. I doubted I'd like it, but I humored them and watched it anyways. The soundtrack hooked me, and I enjoyed the first episode so much that I watched the entirety of Seasons 1-3 in under a month. Searching for more like-minded people, I came here...