Hmm. The crux here is going to be deciding what non-pony creature to use as the main character. That and fitting this in around a flipping busy schedule. Maybe a short entry. We shall see!

Yes, he passed away two summers ago. We're not entirely sure why, though we suspect a heart attack. He had a multitude of health problems in any case, and we didn't want an autopsy performed. He was 20.

My brother had a grand mal seizure when he was very young. He developed cerebral palsy and full body paralysis. He was unable to speak or walk, and had to receive food through a tube into his stomach. And yet, for all that, he was the most inspirational and incredible person I ever had the privilege of knowing. You might say his life was ruined, or awful, or that he had no reason to keep living, but I disagree. He did more than I or anyone I have ever known has ever accomplished. He had a tendency to bring out people's core. You could tell exactly what someone was all about by the way they reacted to him. The reaction tended to fall into one of two categories: avoidance or acceptance.

The people who avoided him probably thought he was weird, that he was uncomfortable to be around, or that he was scary. He presented a challenge to their worldview, that being "human" entailed certain rights or abilities or standards. You had that reaction yourself just now. Honestly though, it's understandable to feel like that. People like my brother challenge society's definition of "normal," and that seems to be naturally uncomfortable for people.

The only problem with your attitude as it stands is that you're dismissing the validity and quality of a less-able person's life. Tons of people are paralyzed or disabled, and they lead fulfilling lives regardless. In fact, their lives are often more fulfilling than those of people who are much more capable. As I said, my brother was probably about as disabled as you can get. However, he often brought the best out of people and then made them even better. He drew love to himself like a magnet, and inspired everyone who could look past his condition. He created an entire community of support that extended far beyond helping just him. He bridged every social boundary you can imagine. All on account of who and how he was. Nobody else could have done what he did. His life had so, so much meaning.

Therefore, please don't dismiss the quality of someone's entire existence off-hand simply because they don't seem to have the same capabilities as you. I understand why you feel the way you feel, but your attitude stems from naiveté.

Kyo = KyoKusagani1999, EQD's resident griffon fanatic. He's been around forever and is famous for posting on anything griffon related like clockwork.

As has been mentioned before, some of Goldie Delicious' character traits are pretty indicative of Pinkie being a relative. Her mane has a similar curly quality to Pinkie's, and she took a book from the bottom of the stack without the stack falling over, which is similar to what Pinkie did with a stack of scrolls earlier in the episode.

> I have seen so little innovation in genre and song writing that the whole charade seems silly to me.

Try SoGreatAndPowerful. Might not be your thing, but he pretty much defies categorization.

> Is someone actually going to read all the page-long comments this post gets?

Yep.

Instead of making a gigantic TL;DR post, I'm going to summarize my sentiment on this matter. First of all, I've been listening to pony music practically since I started watching the show between seasons one and two. Before and during that time, I've considered myself a bit of a musical connoisseur: I listen to music virtually all day and have tastes most easily described as "if it sounds good, I like it." That said, I'm the type that will hunt for new pony music simply because I appreciate the work that goes into it, and because it tends to actually be good.

So here's the deal. Attention is not directly correlated with talent. There's a variety of factors including accessibility and luck that also determine who gets popular. Art is a terribly fickle thing when it comes to who gets to be in the spotlight. As creators of fan work, people have to realize that even if they're great at what they do, this doesn't "earn" them attention. Talent certainly helps, but there's no guarantee. It's sad, but it's always been that way.

My recommendation if you're not popular (and even if you are), is to try and connect as best you can to what fans you do have. Talk to them, answer questions, and try to engage better with the people who appreciate you. If your fanbase is small, this can create an extremely positive environment where the people who look up to you get to actually interact with you. That's part of what makes this community so great: approachability. The creators of the show do it by twittering and attending conventions and so on. You should do it too in my opinion. That way, even if you don't have the most attention, you're going to have a great experience with the fans you do have, and they're going to enjoy it much more as well.

Ultimately, it's ponies, guys. Don't do it for the popularity. Do it to make someone's life just a little bit brighter.

EDIT: I guess that ended up being a bit TL;DR anyway. Oh well!

Real horses are heavy? *shrug*

I may or may not be in Finland at that time picking up my fiancée for our wedding. Holy coincidences Batmare.