My Little Pony: Rock Solid Autism (Part 2)

(Continued from Part 1: https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2019/02/01/my-little-pony-rock-solid-autism-part-1/)

Spying on Maud and Starlight’s kite-flying, Pinkie worries the two of them aren’t bonding quickly enough. And that Maud could still choose to live in Ghastly Gorge rather than Ponyville. She decides to intervene. Under the pretence of delivering a pizza, she asks them how things are going and suggests now might be a good time to start talking about each other’s feelings. This makes Maud and Starlight rather uncomfortable, as Maud isn’t good with feelings and Starlight worries it could bring up her evil past again.

Being Aspergic myself, I’ve often dealt with this scenario. People ask me how I’m feeling in everyday situations, like just after work or meeting with friends. Sometimes I don’t really know how I feel. I’m just the same relaxed way I always am, with little to no change. Even when my mood is different, there has to be something significant to it. Or I feel it’s not worth mentioning. For example, maybe my day was eventful because I discovered a fake £20 note. Or a new colleague started at work that afternoon. If it were just a regular day, I’d describe it as one. Even so, people still expect me to give long, detailed answers every time. Which is why I often say things like “I’m good” or “fine” to end the conversation. It might seem rude or unengaging, but it’s because I genuinely have nothing more to say on the subject – and I don’t want to be pushed into giving details that aren’t there. In this case, Pinkie is pressuring Maud and Starlight to become closer friends when they’re only just starting to know each other.

In a cunning move, Maud finds a way to ditch her sister so she and Starlight can spend more time alone together. She then takes Starlight to the Ponyville gem cave, where she explains why she finds rocks so fascinating. Each one has its own unique story to tell if you look closely enough. For instance, the line-markings on her pet rock, Boulder, tells Maud he’s over 2000-years-old. Another reason she likes rocks is “they don’t exclude you if you’re…different, from other ponies.”

Exclusion is a serious matter for people with Autism. It can affect their self-esteem and how they choose to interact with others. It can also harm their self-confidence. As I mentioned before (Part 1), Maud is one of the few ponies the Mane 6 couldn’t make friends with initially. They didn’t exclude her from their activities, but they also couldn’t work around her limited interests. Her obsession with rocks just wasn’t something they were used to dealing with. Other ponies have likely felt the same way, but worse; not wanting to get involved with Maud because they can’t grasp her unusual personality. It’s a setback she’s probably faced for years.

However, it’s not always other people’s fault. I’ll admit, when I was younger, I may have put up social barriers myself. When I first learned I had Autism, I started feeling a lot more self-conscious – like there was something about me that alienated me from other people. I would often sit by myself, watching others socialise and think about joining in with them. However, I never did so in the end. Because I was worried they wouldn’t be interested in what I had to say. Fear of rejection might be why Maud has never tried making friends before now.

Fortunately, Starlight isn’t the sort of pony to turn a blind-eye so quickly. After hearing what Maud has to say about rocks, she sees they’re “beautiful and strong, but they don’t judge you or make you feel less than in any way.” Rocks are a nice hobby to have if you don’t want anyone dwelling on your past. It’s at this point she says, “I think I’m starting to like rocks, too.” And then something incredible happens: Maud smiles!

Now, I’m not saying Autistic people never smile – that would be unfair. And this isn’t even the first time Maud has smiled onscreen. However, you need to understand how significant something like this is for her. Keep in mind, Maud rarely shows any emotion. Even when talking about her interests, she maintains a neutral expression and talks as if they’re no big deal. For her to show happiness so openly, it almost feels out of character for her. So whenever she does smile, you know you’ve done something special. And this is a special moment. Not only has she found somepony to share her love of rocks with (outside her family), but she also likes Starlight’s kite-flying hobby, and Starlight likes her for not judging who she used to be. For the first time since Pinkie suggested it, Maud believes a friendship with this pony could actually work out.

As they continue exploring the cave, Starlight finds a wall made of hallow granite. Breaking through it, they make an impressive discovery: a vast underground cavern, full of crystals, with a large waterfall and stream running through it. Maud admits she’s never seen anything like it – which is “highly unusual, for [her].” It’s definitely a sight to behold. But then Pinkie shows up. She satirises the moment by taking a picture and saying how she can’t wait for the two of them to be “old, and eating pistachios together, and telling their grand-foals about this.”

Again, Pinkie is overstepping her boundaries here. She doesn’t realise Maud and Starlight are bonding organically, and they don’t need her trying to speed up the process. In fact; Pinkie is so desperate that she sets off an explosion in the cave, trapping them all inside. She hopes it will give them time to bond. But Maud uses Boulder to break through the sandstone ceiling. Starlight is so impressed that she even compliments Boulder on his actions as though he’s alive – showing how much she understands Maud’s mindset towards him.

Free from the cave, Pinkie tries to keep an eye on Maud and Starlight again. But Starlight finds another way to ditch her, which makes Maud smile – thus making her the first pony to achieve this feat twice in one episode.

Later on, as Maud and Pinkie are going to bed, Pinkie says she’ll be there every step of the way to help make Starlight Maud’s new best friend. She’s even made plans for the next 17 days! However, it’s clear that Maud is becoming frustrated with Pinkie’s actions. She can’t bond with Starlight properly because her sister keeps interfering. And it’s starting to feel like she’s doing this because she has to, not because she wants to. Unfortunately, Maud struggles to tell her sister this because she’s not good with words. And with Pinkie too overexcited to listen anyway, she eventually just gives up.

This is another familiar scenario for me. Sometimes I do want to make conversation with people. But getting my words out can be a challenge. Everybody is so focused on talking to each other that they don’t always notice when I’m trying to speak. And chances to make myself heard (e.g. pauses in speech) are few and far between. I suppose it often comes down to people’s expectations of me. Since they know I don’t talk much anyway, they just assume I won’t have anything to say throughout. But that’s not necessarily true. I might want to comment on something, but it’s tricky getting my words in edgewise. As Maud does with Pinkie.

Maud’s other problem is finding the right way to express herself. She wants to tell Pinkie she needs to stop helping so much, but she’s isn’t much of a talker. As such, she can’t find the words or tone of voice to make her understand. In recent years, I’ve noticed something similar with my own speech. Whenever I try explaining things without thinking, my thoughts often get jumbled up in my head. I start tripping over my words, repeating myself or even stopping and starting over again – which is really embarrassing. The same can be said for my writing skills. For years, I just wanted to get things done as quickly as possible. But because I never structured my paragraphs, ideas would continuously change, and I’d spend more time editing my pieces than actually finishing them. Consequently, they’d take me forever to complete and they rarely turned out how I wanted.

For Autistic people, getting their points across can sometimes take planning and pre-thought. Which is why they often prefer writing down their feelings as opposed to speaking them. So that’s what Maud does. The next morning she leaves Pinkie a goodbye note, thanking her for her efforts. Not wanting to hurt her feelings, though, she doesn’t mention the trouble her sister caused. Instead, she claims her decision needs to be rock-based, and that she probably won’t have time for friends. Which is crushing to hear, as we know how much she really wants to be friends with Starlight. With her note delivered, Maud departs for Ghastly Gorge.

Distraught over her sister leaving, Pinkie goes to Starlight to tell her what’s happened. Interestingly, she takes the news better than her – almost as if she were expecting Maud to make this decision based on what would be most comfortable for her. Pinkie then asks why the two of them couldn’t just be friends, causing Starlight to realise how ignorant she is. She tells Pinkie she does like Maud. “She’s weird [but] in a good way. She sees the world in a totally different way than any pony [she’s] ever met. She accepts her for who [she is], she taught [her] that a rock is never just a rock, and she can make anything funny.” They never had to say it, but they “got” each other. Pinkie was just getting in the way too much.

Everything Starlight says here is right on the money. Particularly the part about Maud seeing the world differently. What many people mistake for strangeness in Autistic people is actually their habit of noticing what others tend not to. It might seem trivial to focus on things like the markings on a rock. Yet it’s this attention to detail that makes Autistic people such experts in unique fields. Without Satoshi Tariji’s love of bug-collecting as a boy, Pokemon would never have existed. If Einstien hadn’t been obsessed with numbers, he wouldn’t have become a famous scientist. And if Maud weren’t so fascinated by rocks and their properties, she wouldn’t have become a professor. Just because something seems irrelevant, doesn’t mean expertise on it won’t be considered valuable one day.

Realising her mistakes, Pinkie goes to Ghastly Gorge to find her sister. She arrives just in time to save Maud from being eaten by a Giant Mountain Eel – yes, this world has those. A fact Maud is almost oblivious to, as she’s autistically distracted by an emerald jasper.

As they escape, Maud claims Pinkie “didn’t need to come. [She’s] having a great time on her own [and] even made a new friend.” This, however, is a flat-out lie. Before Pinkie showed up, Maud was miserably gathering rock samples with only Boulder around for company. Although she was doing what she loved, the isolation was clearly getting to her and making her depressed. It just goes to show no matter what you strive for in life, it’s important to have somebody to share it with. Otherwise, it can all feel meaningless.

Maud continues by saying she “[doesn’t] belong in Ponyville. It only proves [she’s] better off all by herself, like she always has been.” But Pinkie tells her not to think like that. Everything was her fault. She forced Maud into making friends her way, but her way isn’t Maud’s way. She didn’t even realise what her sister was going through.

This might be the most important lesson to take from this episode. I said before (in Part 1) that Pinkie wanted Maud to live near her so they could spend more time together. But also so she could look after her. Pinkie cares very deeply for Maud and understands her condition better than any pony. However, she thought her Autism would prevent her from making friends on her own or living independently. Hence why she tried taking charge of the process and putting extra work into it. However, this only succeeded in stressing Maud out. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to help somebody. As long as you support them in a way that’s comfortable for them.

I know just how Maud feels. Back when I was looking for a new job, I would be asked on a daily basis what positions I’d applied for. Or what I’d done to improve my CV. It got to the point where I felt like I was being pressured to devote all my spare time to this task, which made me hate it even more. I actually started hating the people who were asking me, too. They didn’t understand I needed to go at my own pace. That way, I could feel I was doing this for my own sake – not their’s.

Pinkie shamefully admits she underestimated Maud and didn’t take her feelings into account. Maud understands she did it out of love. And after reconciling, she agrees to give Ponyville another chance. With Pinkie promising to give her some space.

Back in Ponyville, Maud is seen flying a homemade kite alongside Starlight – the latter’s hobby having rubbed off on her. They’ve officially decided to become friends, but agree they don’t have to talk about feelings if they don’t want to. Maud then shows Starlight her new home: the carven they discovered, with added furnishing. Pinkie appears one more time to say how happy she is that Maud has moved to Ponyville. But then she swiftly exits, remembering her promise.

*

And that was Rock Solid Friendship. Quite possibly one of the best-written stories Hasbro has produced. There was just so much this episode got right about Autism; Maud’s unusual interests, her difficulty speaking, her struggles with independence, her insensitivity, her literal way of thinking, her imagination, her desire to make friends, feeling pressured, wanting to be understood, getting distracted, and so much more. Add in the relatable situations, and Pinkie less-than-helpful actions, and it paints a clear picture of what life with Autism can feel like.

The best part is, Maud’s journey didn’t end with this episode. Towards the conclusion of Season 7 (Uncommon Bond), we were given an update on her relationship with Starlight. Although they still don’t talk about anything personal, they’re happy being in each other’s company. And Maud is well-acquainted with Starlight’s other friends, Sunburst and Trixie. So, all in all, their friendship has remained healthy. Also, Maud continues moving forward in life. In Season 8 (Maud Couple), it’s revealed she actually has a boyfriend: Mud Briar. He’s just as Autistic as she is and they share much in common. He’s a very literal pony, has specific interests, rarely shows any emotion, and even has a pet stick (Twiggy) – just as Maud has Boulder. His personality can be a bit annoying at times, especially when he’s always saying “technically” and correcting others. But it’s clear he and Maud are perfect for each other. Plus, he makes her smile more than any other pony in the series.

In conclusion, Rock Solid Friendship is another example of why this series is so beloved. My Little Pony still has a stigma against it, given how girly it used to be. But if people took the time to watch Friendship is Magic, they’d realise how far the brand has evolved and why its fanbase extends across all ages and genders. If you’re looking for a piece of media that perfectly represents Autism and the people involved with it, then this is definitely for you. Rock Solid Friendship will inspire those who have the condition and enlighten those who wish to learn from it.

And that’s all I have to say for this review. I’m glad I posted it when I did. Because in less than a week, the final season of Friendship is Magic will begin (April 6th, 2019). It’s sad to see the show end. But its legacy will live on through the lessons it’s taught and the people who’ve been inspired by them.

If you have any questions, then please leave me a comment – I’ll be more than happy to answer them. And if you enjoyed this review, please check out the episode itself, and join me for the end of an era this year. Until next time, stay tuned.

(Image courtesy of: http://www.mylittlepony.it/2017/05/05/rock-solid-friendship-commenti-dal-blog/)