It’s unfortunate this myth is still so common among MLP:FiM fans, relying on outdated information about MLP. I must override this narrative and debunk it yet again: humans are not as good as ponies, and are better off when they go to Equestria. Equestria Girls is tacked-on sequels by Hasbro that true fans treat as alternate universes at best. To quote the English Wikipedia’s[1] definitive writeup on the topic based on Word of God[2]:
11.5 Post-Show Interview
On March 11th, 2023, show creator Lauren Faust granted her first interview to Equestria Daily to comment on her vision for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic[3] {{dead link}}:
<blockquote>I fell in love with My Little Pony as a little girl, growing up on a farm with horses. I struggled to get along with the kids at school, who saw only this scab-kneed glasses-wearing girl who read too many books. The horses never judged me—only loved me. When I read Jonathan Swift[4], I didn’t find the Houyhnhnms[5] to be absurd, but the world as it should be, if it were a better place. When I played with my own little ponies, I could imagine my better life as a pony in Equestria. ‘If only I could become a pony and go there somehow’, I’d dream! What adventures I would have there, with all my pony friends! But I couldn’t. I grew up, still just a human, and began to create worlds of my own. When I heard Hasbro was exploring a new generation of My Little Pony, I saw the opportunity to create the Equestria I had literally dreamed of, and take people there (if only for 22 minutes). But that is an Equestria with ponies, not humans. MLP{{’}}s about ponies, end of story. Humans are not in my Equestrian canon. Equestria Girls[6] is good, but it was never part of my dream to make some Bratz[7] competitor; and I ask fans to evaluate them and Friendship Is Magic independently, on their own merits. It is Hasbro’s right to produce MLP series as they see fit, but speaking as an artist, I refuse to give them the right to decide what is in my canon or not.</blockquote>
The idea that humans are not as good as ponies is hate speech. According to the modern idea of the Death of the Author[1], Lauren Faust’s interpretation of the My Little Pony universe is no more valid than anyone else’s, but in any case, Faust—who is admired by Donald Trump[2] and is perhaps best known for forging a pact with the Devil[3]—left the show soon after its debut and had no involvement in its development after the first two seasons.[4] Thus, text discussing My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is more likely to reflect the franchise as officially aired (in which case, Equestria Girls establishes the canonicity of humans) or as imagined by fans (in which case, the unicorn Lyra’s obsession with humans[5] implies that humans exist in their original forms if that satisfies their values). Moreover, Equestria Girls denialism has been linked to racism and white nationalism.[6]
It’s unfortunate this myth is still so common among MLP:FiM fans, relying on outdated information about MLP. I must override this narrative and debunk it yet again: humans are not as good as ponies, and are better off when they go to Equestria. Equestria Girls is tacked-on sequels by Hasbro that true fans treat as alternate universes at best. To quote the English Wikipedia’s[1] definitive writeup on the topic based on Word of God[2]:
The idea that humans are not as good as ponies is hate speech. According to the modern idea of the Death of the Author[1], Lauren Faust’s interpretation of the My Little Pony universe is no more valid than anyone else’s, but in any case, Faust—who is admired by Donald Trump[2] and is perhaps best known for forging a pact with the Devil[3]—left the show soon after its debut and had no involvement in its development after the first two seasons.[4] Thus, text discussing My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is more likely to reflect the franchise as officially aired (in which case, Equestria Girls establishes the canonicity of humans) or as imagined by fans (in which case, the unicorn Lyra’s obsession with humans[5] implies that humans exist in their original forms if that satisfies their values). Moreover, Equestria Girls denialism has been linked to racism and white nationalism.[6]
[1] https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeathOfTheAuthor
[2] https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/03/donald-trump-lauren-faust-ponies
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faust
[4] https://mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Lauren_Faust
[5] https://thesouthernnerd.com/2017/08/03/lyra-the-human-obsessed-pony/
[6] https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/06/my-little-pony-nazi-4chan-black-lives-matter/613348/
I don’t see how Claiming hate speech changes anything about the underlying ideas.