Hello everybody, this is George Harvey (aka The Autistic Blogger). And today, I have another review for you discussing Autism in the media. For this one, I decided to go back and write something of a follow-up to a piece I made quite some time ago – one I’m sure many of you are familiar with.
Back in October 2016, I wrote a piece on the My Little Pony episode Lesson Zero (2011). In that review, I discussed how the main character, Twilight Sparkle, seemed to exhibit Autistic behaviour throughout the story. Her organisation skills, perfectionist mindset, and attention to detail were all common traits of Autism. Plus, the way she got stressed over a deadline was very similar to how I felt during my last year of University. Out of all the Mane 6 characters (Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy), she’s the one I relate to the most. For the record, I didn’t think Twilight really was Autistic. She did have obsessions and social problems in the beginning, but they gradually faded as the series progressed. What was clear to me, however, was the episode’s writer did have experience with Autism and wanted to exemplify that in her script. And it paid off, too. Not only was this the first episode of Friendship is Magic I ever saw, but it was a testament to how the show could appeal to all audiences – not just young girls – and teach them about disabilities, relationships and other mature themes.
Since the review was posted, the reaction to it has been overwhelmingly positive. Both parts have been viewed almost 500 times combined, making it my most successful piece to date. Even my Lily Alone review has been surpassed – which I consider to be my magnum opus. Given these statistics and the fact that Friendship is Magic will be ending soon, I decided it was the perfect time to talk about another of its defining episodes. This one is called Rock Solid Friendship (Season 7 episode 4).
Before I begin, it’s worth giving you some background on the character of focus: Maudelina Daisy Pie. Or Maud, for short. Introduced in Season 4, Maud is the older sister of Pinkie Pie; the overzealous party pony, who’s constantly defying the laws of physics. Despite this, however, Maud is the opposite of her sibling in every way possible. Pinkie is lively, eccentric and bursting with colour. Whereas Maud is slow, plain and mostly grey. Pinkie has many interests and hobbies. But Maud only has one passion in life: rocks. She was born on a rock farm, she studies rocks and their properties, she eats rocks, writes poetry about rocks, and even has a pet rock named Boulder. Basically; if it’s not rocks, she’s not interested.
On top of that, Pinkie expresses herself in the most exuberant ways. While Maud rarely shows any emotion. She always wears a neutral expression and speaks in such a monotoned voice that it’s impossible to tell whether she’s happy or bored – even when talking about her interests.
Now, on paper, Maud may sound like an incredibly dull character. Especially compared to some of the more diverse ponies in the series. But strangely enough, it’s her dry personality that makes her so popular. Even if she wasn’t the most relatable pony, we still wanted to know more about her. Why was she so fascinated by rocks? What gave her such a unique outlook on life? What did Pinkie see in her that made her so lovable? These were all answers we wanted to know. And Hasbro delivered.
Since her debut, Maud has appeared in every season of the show thereafter. Evolving from a one-off character to a mainstay of the series. Her popularity has grown thanks to her simple demeanour, considerate nature, and surprising ability to make us laugh. She’s no stand-up comedian, but the way she delivers some absurd lines with little to no emotion – e.g. “I didn’t get a Rocktorate because I can shred on guitar like nopony else” – is so outlandish, that it sounds funny without her even trying. Not bad for a pony who never laughs herself.
So Maud has earned quite the lovable reputation. In fact, she’s often viewed in the same light as other fandom-grown ponies, like Trixie, DJ Pon-3 and Muffins (aka Derpy Hooves). But why am I so fixated with her and not one of those characters? Well, it’s all to do with her presentation. You see, the more she’s appeared, the more I’ve noticed something familiar about her behaviours, i.e. the way she reacts in social situations. Unlike with Twilight, though, these have remained consistent with her character and gradually developed over time. It seemed as though everything was pointing in one direction. And after watching Rock Solid Friendship, there was no longer any doubt in my mind. Maud was Autistic! She’s one of the first animated characters to be portrayed with Aspergers Syndrome. How do I know? Well, although it’s never been officially confirmed by Hasbro, many would agree it’s the best explanation for her personality. And nowhere is this more evident than in Rock Solid Friendship. So today, I’m going to break down the episode and show you exactly how well My Little Pony represents a character on the spectrum.
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The episode begins with a graduation ceremony. Maud is receiving a Rocktorate, which makes her an official professor in the study of rocks. What’s interesting to note is that she’s the only pony receiving this degree, which shows just how isolating her passion for rocks really is. Believe me, I know.
Some of my Autistic interests include wrestling, anime, games, trading cards, Pokémon, Doctor Who, and a TV series about magical talking ponies. These are all things I really enjoy, but I’m also aware of how obscure they are. Compared to people who like things such as football, cars and celebrity gossip, there are very few who share my level of passion for the things I do. Because of this, it’s often difficult for me to socialise. If people can’t get into my interests, then I can’t get into theirs’ and then we have very little to talk about. The same can be said for Maud. She’s an expert on rocks but has no pony to share it with.
Another thing worth mentioning is Maud’s incredibly short acceptance speech: “I’m Maud. Hi. Thank you.” This could be a reference to how Autistic people sometimes find it difficult speaking in public. I’ve personally never had a problem with it, but finding the right words to express yourself can be challenging if you have multiple ways of doing it. So Maud keeps everything simple and to the point.
Following the opening credits, we find out Maud could be moving to Ponyville since she has nothing left to study back on the rock farm. Pinkie is overjoyed her sister might live in her hometown. But Maud says she’s also considering Ghastly Gorge, as it has many exotic rocks for her to study. With this in mind; Pinkie decides to show her around town, hoping to convince her that Ponyville is the better option.
Now, there are two ways of looking at Pinkie here. On the one hand, she is acting a bit selfishly. All she’s thinking of Maud is living near her, despite the fact it could prevent her from using her Rocktorate. But at the same time, it’s understandable why she’d want this so much. In previous episodes, it’s been shown that Pinkie left home long before her sister did. And Maud wasn’t always there when she visited, because she was off earning her dissertation. Being separated for so long, it’s only natural she wants to make up for lost time.
Additionally, it could be Pinkie wants to look after Maud. We’ve seen before she’s the only pony who understands her Autism. And she knows moving out could be an overwhelming experience. So she wants to support her sister through it. More on this later (Part 2).
Pinkie’s efforts to convince Maud don’t go so well at first. To begin with, she shows her the Ponyville gem cave – hoping to amaze her with some rare stones. Unfortunately, Maud points out all the gems are actually quite common – not something worth getting fussed over. Pinkie then shows her Twilight’s castle, which is made entirely out of crystal. But Maud still isn’t impressed. Lots of structures are made from rocks and they “literally just saw hundreds of them in the gem cave.” Then Pinkie gets really desperate by pretending some sting bush seed pods, a tortoise named Tank, and a pony named Lyra, are all rocks she’s never seen before. Maud doesn’t even bother playing along. And why would she?
That’s another thing about Maud; she takes everything she hears very literally. It’s not that she doesn’t have any imagination – Boulder is proof of that – but whenever someone uses a figure of speech or says something slightly incorrect, she can’t help but correct them, or reply as if they’ve said something serious. For example, when she first met Rarity, the latter asked her, “What is the delightful frock you’re wearing now, saying?” To which Maud replied, “It doesn’t talk, it’s a dress.” On that note, Maud can also be a little insensitive sometimes. She doesn’t consider how her words might affect those listening. For instance, when she said the gems in the cave were actually common, she did so in front Rarity, who often uses them in her dress designs. Hearing this reduces her to tears, and Maud even doesn’t notice. It’s the same with me. Sometimes people say it’s quarter-to-two (1:45) when it’s actually 1:47. I’m tempted to say it’s thirteen-to, but I know pointing out this small technicality would seem rude. So I resist the urge.
Anyway, back onto the story.
Pinkie begins to lose hope of convincing Maud to live in Ponyville. But then her sister reveals it’s not just rocks that are influencing her decision. She admits that while she is passionate about exotics rocks, it bothers her she’s always had to study them alone. She could handle some less interesting ones if it means she had somepony to talk to besides Boulder. In other words, she really wants a friend. Hearing this, Pinkie is keen to help her find somepony. But there’s a catch: Maud’s problem isn’t finding somepony she likes, but somepony who “gets” her. Pinkie doesn’t count because she’s already used to her personality.
This was the scene that convinced me Maud was Autistic. As I’ve said before, Autism and isolation often go hand in hand – through no fault of the person affected. The trouble is people having the wrong impressions sometimes. A common misconception is that we don’t like talking to people and we’re perfectly happy being in our own company. This isn’t true. While I do enjoy moments of solitude to focus on my writing, nobody wants to be lonely all the time. Autistic people want the same as everyone else does; a life we can be proud of and friends we can rely on. The issue is working through some additional social barriers, like the clash of interests mentioned above. We’ve actually seen Maud go through this personally.
In her very first episode, Maud was introduced to the Mane 6 by Pinkie. She spent some time with each of them, doing activities they each enjoyed; designing with Rarity, nature-walking with Fluttershy, reading with Twilight, making cider with Applejack and competing against Rainbow Dash. Unfortunately, none were Maud’s cup of tea. And because they couldn’t grasp her unusual personality, she was one of the few ponies they couldn’t form a bond with. Even by the end of the story, when they were much better aquatinted, you couldn’t really say they’d become friends.
In spite of Maud’s social problems, Pinkie tells her not to worry. Because there’s nothing wrong with who she is. Also, when it comes to making friends, you never know who you might run into. Enter Starlight Glimmer…
Oh yeah, Starlight. I should probably tell you about this character, too. Originally introduced as a villain in Season 5, Starlight was an evil dictator, who ran a cult-like village, where ponies had to give up their special talents and conform to equality. She even tried forcefully conditioning the Mane 6, as well. After being thwarted twice, however, she saw the error of her ways and became Twilight’s personal friendship student. Since then, she’s played a very prominent role in the series – often to the point where fans consider her the 7th “Mane” pony of the show. She’s even had her fair share of saving Equestria from time to time. What made Starlight so different was her unique background as a former villain. At this point, she was troubled by her past and keen to move on from it. But it kept getting brought up, making her uneasy. Even so, it was essential in building her character. With her past experiences, she was able to relate to others in ways the Mane 6 never could; understanding their corrupted mindsets and giving them a chance to learn what she did. This made the most empathetic pony in the whole series, and even lead to her becoming a guidance counsellor in Season 8.
Anyway…
After bumping into Maud, Starlight seems to recognise her. It turns out, they actually met each other once before. While travelling Equestria for her Rocktorate, Maud encountered Starlight when the latter was a villain. She then directed her to a magical stone, which ultimately allowed her to enslave her village. Freaked out by this revelation, Pinkie demands that Maud “tell no pony.” But Maud nonchalantly replies “it’s not like she’s enslaved anypony lately.“
Realising there’s a small connection between Starlight and her sister; Pinkie encourages them to spend time together, hoping something will blossom from it. Again, she is genuinely trying to help her sister here. But it’s obvious Pinkie is doing this more so Maud will choose Ponyville.
While running errands together, Maud and Starlight discuss some of their interests. Aside from rocks, Maud also likes minerals, plate tectonics, and stand-up comedy. It’s here that Starlight reveals she has her own unusual hobby: she likes kites. Upon hearing this, Maud simply looks at her in silence for a few seconds, before saying, “kites are cool.“
This might be the best-executed moment in the whole episode for me. It’s very brief, but it’s the perfect response from somebody with Autism. You can tell Maud doesn’t really mean it when she says “kites are cool” – there’s no passion in her voice. And that’s understandable. Kites aren’t something she’s particularly interested in. Nor is it something she knows much about. She’s not sure how to react to Starlight’s love for them. She spends a moment trying to think of a good follow-up sentence, but can’t quite manage it. So she just says the simplest, most polite thing she can think of.
Now, usually, this sort of response would end a conversation. It’s happened where I’ve said something this bluntly, and people have changed the subject because they knew I wasn’t getting into it. Fortunately for Maud, Starlight actually takes her response as an opportunity.
Sometime later, we see Starlight flying a homemade kite next to Maud. She then explains how to craft a perfect SLK (single-line-kite), clearly enthusiastic to be sharing her knowledge. Maud seems intrigued by how much goes into something as simple as a kite. Just like how much goes into something a simple as a rock. She admits “they’re starting to grow on [her],” thus making this her first new interest in years.
How will things play out in the rest of the story? You’ll have to wait and see.
(Continued in Part 2: https://georgeharvey2015.wordpress.com/2019/04/01/my-little-pony-rock-solid-autism-part-2/)
If you have any questions, please leave me a comment – I’ll be more than happy to answer them. And, until next time, stay tuned.
(Image courtesy of: http://www.unleashthefanboy.com/news/little-pony-friendship-magic-maud-pie-review/93307)
The Autistic Blogger 
