Deeper meanings in the show.

[Warbalist 133]

I like to try to find the deeper meaning in peoples' artistic creations, sometimes. It's a good mental exercise, just as long as I don't get too wrapped in it. Even if something is made solely for fun, there are always extra things that peek through that tell you a little about the person who made it.

 

In any case, what underlying themes have you found in the show, if any?

 

I'll go first:

 

All the main characters are striving for something better, to be better, to make the world a better place. Unfortunately, many times things go horribly wrong for them (something I appreciate about the show), so they must overcome these hurdles by growing as a person...pony, excuse me.

 

This is the type of optimism that I greatly admire: you wish to make a better future in spite of all the garbage that comes your way. The thought that your own will is strong enough to make an impact in the future of everyone around you. A kind of "un-blind" optimism.

 

I don't know about you, but that inspires me like crazy. Time for me to go write some more music for y'all. Question still stands, though:

 

What underlying themes have you found in the show, if any?

[Jadefire 2,796]

, mostly.

[Aureity 3,055]

If my english class has taught me anything, it's how to find the weirdest deeper meanings in anything. So let's give this a try...

 

MLP Party of One seems to be a story about Pinkie Pie growing despondent when she thinks her friends have left her. However, it is really a story about the intrigue and plotting that wove the tangled web that we now know as World War Two.

 

To begin, Pinkie Pie was an enthusiastic pony, always happily handing out invitations to her parties. By handing out one too many, however, she leaves the reader to infer that she is beginning to be too intrusive in her invitations. After all, who sends party invitations to a day-after party? This can be compared to Germany's militaristic advances and aggression that the Allies appeased up until a certain point, where they began taking a firm stance (NO, you cannot invade Poland).

 

Pinkie's friends desert her shortly after, shedding slightly ironic light on the uselessness of Hitler's alliances as they are revealed for what they are-Mussolini as an incompetent commander, Japan as apathetic to the western front, and Russia as a dangerous enemy. Hitler being deserted on all sides by his former allies, and by his generals as well, he begins sinking into delusions, thinking that everyone is "out to get him", just as Pinkie is convinced that her friends have left her. Both act erratically, as in the case with Pinkie's party with inanimate objects and Hitler's hysterical denouncing of some of his closest commanders as traitors.

 

And in the end, both are saved. Germany is relieved of its fascist commander-in-chief, while the Allies gain an ally in the newly liberated west democratic Germany against the communist Soviet Union's political and social influence. Similarly, "Pinkamena" is shed, as Pinkie Pie returns to her old self, and tearfully embraces her friends in apology. And the final ironic twist-both sufferings could have been prevented, if only someone had paid more attention.

 

TLDR: Party of One = WW2

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

If my english class has taught me anything, it's how to find the weirdest deeper meanings in anything. So let's give this a try...

 

MLP Party of One seems to be a story about Pinkie Pie growing despondent when she thinks her friends have left her. However, it is really a story about the intrigue and plotting that wove the tangled web that we now know as World War Two.

 

To begin, Pinkie Pie was an enthusiastic pony, always happily handing out invitations to her parties. By handing out one too many, however, she leaves the reader to infer that she is beginning to be too intrusive in her invitations. After all, who sends party invitations to a day-after party? This can be compared to Germany's militaristic advances and aggression that the Allies appeased up until a certain point, where they began taking a firm stance (NO, you cannot invade Poland).

 

Pinkie's friends desert her shortly after, shedding slightly ironic light on the uselessness of Hitler's alliances as they are revealed for what they are-Mussolini as an incompetent commander, Japan as apathetic to the western front, and Russia as a dangerous enemy. Hitler being deserted on all sides by his former allies, and by his generals as well, he begins sinking into delusions, thinking that everyone is "out to get him", just as Pinkie is convinced that her friends have left her. Both act erratically, as in the case with Pinkie's party with inanimate objects and Hitler's hysterical denouncing of some of his closest commanders as traitors.

 

And in the end, both are saved. Germany is relieved of its fascist commander-in-chief, while the Allies gain an ally in the newly liberated west democratic Germany against the communist Soviet Union's political and social influence. Similarly, "Pinkamena" is shed, as Pinkie Pie returns to her old self, and tearfully embraces her friends in apology. And the final ironic twist-both sufferings could have been prevented, if only someone had paid more attention.

 

TLDR: Party of One = WW2

 

Oh dear lord, ponies have now invaded world history.

[Aureity 3,055]

Oh dear lord, ponies have now invaded world history.

 

Life lesson learned from English- How to BS a paper quickly and make it look legit.

[Warbalist 133]

Life lesson learned from English- How to BS a paper quickly and make it look legit.

 

And this, fillies and gentlecolts, is the entirety of college.

[Daring Do 195]

In the utopia created within the show My Little Pony, a great deal of hidden meanings hide behind what seems like incongruous arguments of the public.

 

Take a very recent and popular example: Derpy Hooves. Why exactly do people fight for her survival within Canon? Some complainers may not even understand what they fight for... Her pride? Her OFFICIAL existance? I would guess that they are fighting for how tolerant the show is.

 

Derpy, in my understanding, has only benefited the show by clearly stating that in a society such as Ponyville, even the most clumsy, or rather yet, the most "challenged," have a place among the tolerant and loving. This truly represents the main theme of the show, Friendship is Magic, where even the least likely matches for friends can happen, how no obstacles can obscure the meaning of those values.

 

Not only has she represented these ideas, but the imperfection of the mane six, like humans, shows that even under such harsh drawbacks, social peace and prosperity is possible. Pinkie Pie, during the episode where she abandoned the idea where she had any pony friends, is only one example of how disadvantageous each of their personalities can be. Yet, despite her rude behavior among explanation of the party, all ended very well, for her friends stood with her until the end.

 

Hence, the show creates an image that our imperfections, friendship's imperfections, are what bring us closer together, and that no matter what occurs to separate humans among others, friendship and tolerance is still possible.

[Warbalist 133]

Hence, the show creates an image that our imperfections, friendship's imperfections, are what bring us closer together, and that no matter what occurs to separate humans among others, friendship and tolerance is still possible.

 

This.

[I used to be a stranger 7,989]

Endopongesis of The two parts of the pilot episode summarizes a few G.K. Chesterton stories on the rational belief in Christianity. This is most heavily evidenced by the reference to the Manticore and Fluttershy, which paraphrases Androcles & The Lion by George Bernard Shaw.

[ponyvangelist 732]

The Inner Struggle

 

Every member of the mane cast has significant, often exaggerated insecurities which mirror their talents and strengths.

 

Twilight Sparkle is a well-organized, studious pony and a neatness freak of OCD proportions. As we see in Lesson Zero, she has a neurotic fear of being tardy, or more broadly, being disorganized, and above all, being seen as such by her mentor, Princess Celestia. Despite her passion for reading, she is rarely able to find the book she wants without help (even Pinkie's better at it than she is), which is a running gag from the first episode onward.

 

Rainbow Dash lives to fly and loves to win. Owing to her extraordinary abilities and competitive spirit, she's very good at both. But her braggartly nature masks tremendous inner securities, because she defines herself based on the strength of her talents. She hates losing, and when faced with the prospect of defeat, can utterly collapse into a quivering mass of multicolored jello. But beneath that glass jaw resides her true spirit, which ultimately cannot be broken. All of these elements of her personality are illustrated in Sonic Rainboom.

 

Applejack represents honesty, but often finds herself in situations where she doesn't want to tell the truth. This leads her to dissemble to a degree that is often misleading, if not downright dishonest itself. She fears disappointing others more than anything else. Like Rainbow, Applejack has a great deal of pride in her abilities and abhors failure. Unlike Rainbow, Applejack will drive herself to near death before she'll fold. Applebuck Season laid this all out early in the series.

 

Rarity has a fairly straightforward personality. Having come from a humble background in Ponyville, she sees her career as a "fashionista" as a way to elevate her place in society and bolster her self-esteem in the process. Obsessed with appearances and devoted to fabulosity, Rarity fears public humiliation above all else, and to her, nothing could possibly be more humiliating than not looking fabulous. Should that happen, she is prone to drama queenery and depressive withdrawal.

 

Pinkie Pie, as we see in A Friend Indeed, loves to make her friends smile. Her talents are dedicated to the happiness of everyone around her. By surrounding herself with happy ponies, Pinkie seeks to quell her inner demons: fear of abandonment and betrayal. Pinkie's fanaticism about keeping promises is legendary and features prominently in several episodes. Likewise, when she believes her friends have abandoned her in Party of One, she literally becomes unhinged (aka, "Pinkamena"), desperately replacing them with bizarre, inanimate companions. So far in the series, it's not clear why she has these traits, but it's reasonable to assume she has been abandoned and betrayed in the past (perhaps by her real parents?), and never wants to live through it again.

 

Fluttershy is inherently timid, and thus afraid of pretty much everything. As the one pony whose primary trait is her insecurity, she has the ironic distinction of having the most consistent personality of all the ponies. Except when she gets angry, then out comes The Stare. In light of that, it might make sense to consider Fluttershy inverted: her insecurities are obvious and her talents (aside from caring for and communicating with animals, which is somewhat inherent) hidden.

 

In summary, all the ponies tend to have obvious strengths and hidden weaknesses (except Fluttershy, who's the opposite), and these combine in various ways to drive the complex chemistry of the ensemble cast.

 

If we were to summarize the theme most common among them, it might be...

 

"The mass of ponies lead lives of quiet desperation."

 

...with apologies to Thoreau.

[Eenohay 318]

Life lesson learned from English- How to BS a paper quickly and make it look legit.

 

Simplified version of what it is. Remember, when it's your opinion there are no wrong awnseeeeeers.

[Bleyd 18]

An enormous unintended message slapped me in the face after I saw the recent "Save Derpy" video.

 

 

I couldn't get this image out of my head for some reason. Here we have a cartoon horse, not even realistically drawn, and non-canon to boot... and I was a grown man bawling my eyes out. After some thinking, the cause was clear.

 

The reason so many people love MLP:FIM is because of the characters and the way they interact with each other. This applies to every show, movie, or book - establishing an emotional connection between the audience and the characters is the best path to success. Each pony has a distinct personality, far evolved from previous generations, and fans of the show go into great detail about which ones they like most and which they feel resemble their own personalities. No matter if you are timid and shy, smart and socially awkward, hard working and confident, or hyperactive and crazy, there's bound to be a pony that you can identify and connect with.

 

Then comes Derpy. At first the one single thing that set her apart from the rest of the background ponies was her eyes. Fans noticed a simple animation error and turned it into something huge. They producers of the show saw their reaction and decided to keep up her appearance, eventually giving her more personality and some speaking roles later on. Why such a huge response? Because she was loved. What began as a mistake became a notable icon and subject of a massive fanbase all on its own.

 

In their own way, everyone is like one of the mane six. But I think a large number of people, at any given time in their lives, are bound to be just like Derpy. Maybe you feel like nothing ever goes right for you... maybe it seems like people see you differently... sometimes you could even feel like your life, or the reason you are the way you are, is just a big mistake. But, like Derpy, you keep trying. You never give up, because you know you can pull through and there will always be people who love you for who you are - mistakes and all.

 

I haven't really payed attention to the Derpy debate much thus far. Whether it's just the animators, or the producers, or even the powers that be from Hasbro, someone has made a grave mistake. Changing Derpy from a lovable, naive, special character into an ordinary dumb blonde is a repulsive and cowardly act, not to mention a weak attempt at subterfuge to appear politically correct for a handful of overzealous suburban mothers who find the tiniest thing offensive regardless of context or meaning.

 

tl;dr -

[Warbalist 133]

 

I couldn't get this image out of my head for some reason. Here we have a cartoon horse, not even realistically drawn, and non-canon to boot... and I was a grown man bawling my eyes out. After some thinking, the cause was clear.

 

The reason so many people love MLP:FIM is because of the characters and the way they interact with each other. This applies to every show, movie, or book - establishing an emotional connection between the audience and the characters is the best path to success. Each pony has a distinct personality, far evolved from previous generations, and fans of the show go into great detail about which ones they like most and which they feel resemble their own personalities. No matter if you are timid and shy, smart and socially awkward, hard working and confident, or hyperactive and crazy, there's bound to be a pony that you can identify and connect with.

 

I have to admit, this show holds more emotional control over me than most others. It's probably a combination of genuinely likable characters with whom anyone could identify, and the fact that it was originally meant for younger viewers and their parents, which lends itself to letting one's emotional guard down. I know that, in a movie or show in which characters are generally annoying/unappealing, are unrelatable (if that's even a word), or will most possibly die, I have extreme difficulty in lowering any emotional guard I might have up. This show, on the other hand, flies in, undetected and unfettered, and it hits home often. Especially the CMC and Pinkie Pie episodes, which remind me of my younger siblings and wife, respectively.

 

Perhaps this is the main reason why the show has attracted so many creative, empathetic and tolerant people? Whatever. Here's to hoping that there will be more shows like it in the future.