Bad News For Sonatine

The My Little Pony memorial began with just a few trinkets of affection. A drawing of Twilight Sparkle here. A pile of collectible trading cards there. As the country's largest brony convention came to an end, the collection grew into a mountain of pony memorabilia that stood over 8 feet tall. A sign stood over it that read, "RIP Bronycon."

Newark resident, Andy Reyes, 30, looked on. He traveled across the country to witness this – and attend the ninth and final convention.

"It was bittersweet," he said. "I could tell a lot of people were excited. But for some of them, it would be the last time they would be able to see the friends they've made in the brony community over the years."

Reyes, who prefers to go by his fan name of "FableCharm," was one of over 10,000 attendees paying their respects to the "end of an era" for BronyCon. It's a national gathering celebrating the Hasbro television show "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic." It's open to all fans, but most are adults who call themselves "bronies," a combination of "bro" and "pony."

The convention, which took place in Baltimore earlier this month, likely came to an end because the television series recently aired its last season. Reyes has also watched the community thin out over the years as bronies went on and pursued other interests. But, he said, that's also part of what is keeping the community alive.

"A lot of people think this means the brony fandom is dying," he said. "But I think it's transforming into something more."

After becoming part of the scene, many bronies go on to pursue careers in animation, voice acting and music. Others, like Reyes, try to keep the fandom alive through local meetup groups.

He currently serves as the vice chair of the Bay Area Brony Spectacular. BABSCON, now in its seventh year, was the third-largest brony convention in the nation, with roughly 2,000 attendees and even a rainbow-maned, yellow pony mascot named Golden Gates.

"All of the conventions are friendly with one another," Reyes said. "If even the largest, most successful convention can end, we know our local scenes really need to support one another."

Of course, that acceptance isn't always reciprocated. For outsiders, the brony scene is often a source of ridicule and perversion – or at the very least, confusion.

"A lot of people ask why adults, especially men, are into a show aimed at little girls," Reyes said. But in his eyes, creator Lauren Faust wanted a show with elements that all audiences could enjoy – high fantasy, deep lore and engaging characters.

"It started an animation movement of shows that are more about empathy and less about themes like violence," he said, suggesting that "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" influenced several popular cartoons that came after it, like Cartoon Network's "Steven Universe" and "Star vs. the Forces of Evil." Such shows achieved critical acclaim and are now widely appreciated, even among adults.

He hopes to see the community itself continue to persevere, even as the national convention comes to an end.

"The end of BronyCon does not mean the end of the brony community," he said. "With the amount of talent that the community has demonstrated, we can continue to live on, online and in conventions."