It's amazing to me how so many people miss the most obvious, most powerful message from the ponies that brought us all here in the first place.
Seriously, think about it.
Twilight Sparkle is the studious dork, Rainbow Dash is the jock, Pinkie Pie is a party animal, Rarity is a fashionista, Applejack is a work-focused country girl, and Fluttershy is a shy nature lover. Such characters should have little to no reason to be friends; in some cases, these character types would have nothing to do with each other, yet they are friends just the same. Sure they might have been united because of the Elements of Harmony, but they were all ready learning to like each other before they learned their destiny. Soon they accepted each other and became the tightest of friends. And it's not because they always share the same interests or the same path in life. Nope. It's because they see and appreciate each other for who they really are.
When I was just a tiny little kid, I saw another example of this decades earlier.
I grew up watching Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The main five teenagers also represented character types that normally wouldn't spend time together if they could avoid it. There was a jock, a nerd, a party animal, a valley girl, and a de facto ambassador. Jocks are usually bullies; nerds would never willingly hang out with them. A valley girl (or the popular girl) would normally only hang out with someone very similar. Yet they became friends anyways. They did not give in to stereotypes; they became something more. Sure, they were united under the shared cause of saving the world, but they didn't hate being around each other. And soon, they saw each other for the souls they really were. They became real friends; with an ironclad sense of friendship.
I've wanted friends for so many years of my life. For the first half of my life, it felt like I was denied friends. I also fell into the idea that I should only try to find people just like me if I want to make friends. But it's not about finding an echo chamber. It's about finding people that will treat you like a decent human being. It's about natural compatibility. It's about being willing to learn from each other, and celebrate each other. We might not always be united under a shared goal, like saving the world. But friendship should be its own sacred goal worth reaching for.
But if you're manipulating people and situations to only get what you want, if you are tricking people into "friendship" for your own selfish agenda... That's not true friendship.
True friendship is two-sided. Both sides have to learn to care about each other. To learn from each other. To better each other equally. Friendship can lead to great growth and amazing discoveries. Those who are too proud of themselves and who they currently are? They will only rob themselves of the wonderful experiences and the wonderful friendships they could have.