Writer says My Little Pony taught them how to find real friends

In a personal essay, writer Marcus Rodriguez examines how childhood bullying and neurodivergence intersected with pop culture, exploring the obsession with a school peer and the animated series that ultimately helped break that dynamic. Rodriguez details growing up neurodivergent, struggling to recognize playground taunts, and seeking the approval of a taller classmate who wore Lelli Kelly shoes and brought in trendy items while the author wore plain Clarks shoes.

Rodriguez Recalls Childhood Social Hierarchy and School Bullying

The essay describes a primary school dynamic where a specific classmate dominated the author’s attention. Rodriguez writes that the classmate was allowed to wear colourful nail polish and shiny shoes, while the author had plain nails and classic black Clarks. When the classmate received an iPhone in the spring and deliberately shunned the author, Rodriguez cried for hours but understood the social hierarchy, feeling lucky to sit at her table even to be taunted for bringing a packed lunch.

Struggling to understand what bullying looked like in practice despite anti-bullying assemblies, the author would return home upset, kick off those ugly Clarks shoes, and watch My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic on the sofa with a younger sister. Rodriguez notes a deep fascination with the show’s talking creatures, bright colours, catchy songs, and branded merchandise, particularly focusing on the Elements of Harmony.

Applying the Elements of Harmony to Real Friendship

To make sense of peer relationships, Rodriguez started a mental game assigning the show’s six friendship elements—honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, loyalty, and magic—to friends and family members. The author assigned kindness, honesty, and laughter to various peers and the sister, but hit a wall when evaluating the primary school crush. Rodriguez ran through the list twice and found none of the positive qualities applied, noting that loyalty was absent and laughter only occurred when the peer was laughing at others.

The mindset shifted after listening to the song A True, True Friend from the show’s third-season finale, which celebrates showing up for friends and helping them access individual talents without overshadowing them. Rodriguez recalls riding in the car to school one morning with that song in mind, walking toward the playground corner where the peer was holding court, and experiencing a sudden realization as the chorus played on an inner loop.

Walking Away From Exclusion on the Playground

Guided by the musical realization, Rodriguez turned around, walked away from the crowd of admirers, and approached another girl who was reading a wildlife book alone on a bench, asking if she liked ponies. More than a decade later, the author reports still feeling guided by those principles of friendship, appreciating companions for their distinct quirks, from a clever sixth-form best friend to a university roommate who sends weird reels and buys takeaways.

Reflecting on the past, Rodriguez admits to occasionally wondering if the primary school peer felt hurt when the dynamic abruptly ended that morning. Ultimately, the essay concludes that the two simply were not right for each other, establishing that discovering personal boundaries and finding the right community matters more than chasing unrequited social approval.