I’ll be 60 next year, so I’m at the far end of what is usually thought of as the brony demographic.  (Then again, I was introduced to MLP:FiM by a woman in her forties, every bit as much of a statistical outlier as I am.)   I was on about my third episode - I didn’t actually start watching Season 1 until almost the beginning of Season 2 - when it occurred to me that these little 22-minute excursions were actually reducing my stress levels.  This made no sense to me from the “scientific” standpoint, but I couldn’t deny that it was happening.  I began checking out fan contributions. Before I ever saw a moment of Season 2, I was pretty much hooked on the show; by the end of Season 2, I was working up an OC pony for myself, and I’ve since dived headlong into fanfic, reading several hundred and now actually writing one.  I don’t think of myself as a particularly creative person, but sheer proximity to the tremendously talented folks in the fandom - our gracious hostess included - has brought me much joy and may conceivably have added a few weeks to my lifespan.  To those who think it’s just a bunch of cartoon ponies - well, if I can learn, so can anyone else.

submitted by Dusty Sage