What if a pony tries to do suicide?

[leonbrony17 1,216]

A pony hate it's life, tries to do suicide and other ponies would know it or see it. But they stop that pony and would try to bring back it's motivation.

 

Could be a deep and realistic episode?

[They call me Loyalty 1,941]

No, but you could introduce the idea of hopelessness, without insinuating suicide.

 

[silvadel 1,393]

I'd say they'd probably check for magical illness, anything wrong with the cutie mark etc, then try to see if there are any direct solutions to the problem.  If not then they have a truckload of Reformation spells to cast on the pony to bring it back on track.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,306]

Really, your discussing if a kids show should introduce suicide, like what?  

We did have Trixie doing that trick knowing it will most likely kill her without Starlight's help. That is the closest we could get I think.

 

Whilst direct references to suicide would be far too dark, I would love to see a pony that is clinically depressed for whatever reason. So far that he/she is feeling extreme sadness and ignoring friends, ignoring what they enjoy. Then we can see them pull through thanks to friendship. A classic ending for a pony that could be immensely down on life. I don't think we have seen something like that yet.

[Kaneki 1,072]

Realistically, I wouldn't see this happening in-show, but yeah, I'd imagine other ponies asking that pony to seek help and that they care for them.

[silvadel 1,393]

There was a fic that if Luna thought you might be contemplating suicide from your dreams then she would claim you if you performed the act, saving you from death, but then putting you under geas and you are essentially hers having given up your rights.  This was pretty dark in concept, but I could see something like that happening as well.

[Flutterstep 46,434]

I could easily see this happening as a few cartoons have done it before. But it was to be more figurative and inferred; Tanks for the Memories did this excellently.

[Concerned Bystander 2,901]

Whilst direct references to suicide would be far too dark, I would love to see a pony that is clinically depressed for whatever reason. So far that he/she is feeling extreme sadness and ignoring friends, ignoring what they enjoy. Then we can see them pull through thanks to friendship. A classic ending for a pony that could be immensely down on life. I don't think we have seen something like that yet.

 

That's actually happened (loosely) several times already.  Pinkie in 'Party of One' and 'Pinkie Pride'.  Fluttershy in 'Hurricane Fluttershy', Scootaloo in 'Flight to the Finish', and perhaps to a lesser extent, Cranky and Trouble Shoes as well just to name a few off the top of my head.  Obviously they haven't gone as far as depicting full-blown clinical depression, at least not overtly, but they have skirted around that issue in their normal euphemistic manner.

 

As for attempted suicide, Trixie performing a dangerous trick in the hope that Starlight would forgive her and bail her out is as close as you're going to get.  I've never understood the desire so many Bronies have for seeing the cartoon tainted by edgy or mature themes.  The cartoon is as good as it is precisely because it's light-hearted and fun, if you want suicide, violence, depression, war, gore, bloodshed etc. then go watch Game of Thrones or any one of thousands of other programmes on TV.

Edited November 22, 2016 by Concerned Bystander

[Princess_Bellalatanya 1,052]

Instsntly hug them and tell them they are worth something to us

Poor pony

[Lil Pip 775]

Trixie tried suicide by manticore 

[Ganondorf8 11,118]

They wouldn't be able to get away with doing something like that on the show because of the age demographic. The only way they could remotely mention anything about suicide would be to bring it up indirectly and not make it obvious. Do you remember in "No Second Prances" when Trixie performed that trick and didn't care what would happen to her? One could interpret that as her wanting to commit suicide because of her attitude over falling out with Starlight, yet at the same time we knew Starlight would save Trixie in the end.

[ARagY 1,152]

MLP is supposed to be light and uplifting, you want it to cover suicide?

[Goat-kun 2,499]

Fear not Equestrian citizens! The all-seeing Map is on the case!

 

P.S: Suicide is only the last step of a process that doesn’t work in such a simple way.

 

P.P.S: This is why we can’t have nice things in this community. Everything needs to be about deep social or psychological issues.

 

P.P.P.S: Since we’re already on the subject of touchy issues: clop section when? If we’re gonna have a discussion about grown-up stuff, I want a clop section.

[Castle Bleck 19,167]

Actually - there was one Crystal Pony who said, "I can't take it!" when Sombra almost won.

Let the implications fall where they may.

Edited December 21, 2019 by Anti-Villain

[gamecubeguy214 2,511]

Why is everyone answering with, "That would never happen?" This is a what if question.

 

Anyway, I can imagine that an episode where a pony is feeling suicidal would probably be a cutie map episode. The only good pairing I can think of is Twilight and Fluttershy, but I'm pretty sure we've already had that.

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

Watch No Second Prance for The Great and Powerful Suicide attempt.

[Steve Piranha 28,783]

 

Could be a deep and realistic episode?

It would, and it would be valuable, but I don;t think FiM will blatantly touch the subject. I might do it as an allegory, like they did with Thanks for the Memories with death 

[Rikifive 23,500]

 

 

MLP is supposed to be light and uplifting, you want it to cover suicide?

Yup, yup, though I'm kinda confused when I think of Twilight fighting with Tirek. :3

Wrecking everything by throwing lasers all over the place almost like in Dragon Ball doesn't look too friendly. x3

Nah, just kidding, you're right. 

 

---

 

Suicide caused by depression isn't really a proper subject for that show. It could lead to catastrophes considering, that it's a show aimed to little girls.

From some point of view, suiciding is one of the ways to deal with depression, usually left in the end as the last choice. Showing that possibility could negatively affect target audience's minds, thus resulting in increased chances of feeling the same desire in some cases. Some kids are actually feeling that way already, for example when struggling with serious family issues. I know it won't change much anyway, but it's better to avoid touching that subject unless really necessary.

 

However, depression itself will work and it happened in the show multiple times already.

 

There was even a fan-made animation called 'Snowdrop', where we saw depression and not even caused by some silly random things, but actual tough issues.

There wasn't even a single word about committing suicide, yet it still was a deep, realistic and touching story, where even in the darkest of times (literally darkest, if you know what I mean) there's a light, that we should hope and fight for. 

So that fan-made episode almost meets your criteria, without touching that dangerous subject, which is the best way to approach that considering the target audience. 

 

 

So what I want to say is, that I know what you mean and while it is a nice idea, it shouldn't really be performed in that show due to target audience.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

Wow, this is a rather dark topic to discuss, seeing as I know a few people on here who suffer from severe depression and suicidal tendencies, myself being one of those people. At first I thought this was in Life Help, but then I noticed it was show discussion. Honestly, I don't think Hasbro would go as far as that. I could see maybe hopelessness and despair, but I'm sure Hasbro would write it that the pony gets help and is saved.

[Stone Cold Steve Jobs 22,411]

The show would end. This is a children's show no matter how many adults are watching it. If you bring suicide into it, there would probably be a lawsuit and I guarantee the writers for that episode would be fired.

[cider float 2,535]

Trixie did attempt to do this even though it was more or less a planned out magic trick still the shock is that if Trixie can make a mock suicide there would have to be real suicides. 

[Swifty 249]

I actually expected the head from those who let this Trixie stunt (If it happens, it happens) happen in this episode.

 

There was a fic that if Luna thought you might be contemplating suicide from your dreams then she would claim you if you performed the act, saving you from death, but then putting you under geas and you are essentially hers having given up your rights. This was pretty dark in concept, but I could see something like that happening as well.

That almost sounds demonic. It's okay and badass for the fandom, if this goes for Luna, i guess. If it was Celestia the comment section might be spammed with anti celestia shit, i guess. Lol

[AaronMk 280]

It would probably be a complicated issue for the show to challenge or address. Hell, there are several ways you can even define depression; which'd be one of the major factors in this of course. This calls to mind a TED talk I listened to, in which depression is discussed not just as a loss of happiness, but of vitality.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eBUcBfkVCo

 

By this, it'd be argued that any cases in the show of a character being border-line suicidal is more-or-less being in severe sadness, and not really depression in the sense that they lost interest in what goes on in life. They're either trying to avoid or hide from something out of anxiety, or some other emotional crisis. But none of them have showed any inclination to look at the day and go, "wow, that's a lot of steps to the door. I'll just stay in bed all day".

 

Of course depression isn't the center of the episode, but it'd be an implied factor on account of association. It's not like they'd ever write an episode where a character contemplates or move to commit suicide to avoid some great, negative repercussion for their actions.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

 

 

We did have Trixie doing that trick knowing it will most likely kill her without Starlight's help. That is the closest we could get I think.

This.  Show's been there, done that.  Thank goodness Starlight realized at the very last second that she actually didn't want Trixie to be DIGESTED BY A FRICKIN' MANTICORE.

[heavens-champion 1,893]

There is absolutely know why that would happen.