By Kailee Dunn

In late 2010, “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” reached a new demographic of fans who refer to themselves as a “bronies” or “pegasisters.”

Eagles of Harmony, a new club on campus, is calling all bronies and pegasisters alike as they try to uphold and promote the values outlined in “My Little Pony.” These values include kindness, loyalty, honesty, magic and generosity.

According to president Remington Klein, each pony from the show represents one of the five values. When the five values are in place, it creates a harmonious environment. This is where the name Eagles of Harmony derives from.

“We’re basically upholding those five pillars to give back to our community, to give back to the school and also be a medium for creative projects,” said Vice President Ethan Erickson.

Both Erickson and Klein think of themselves as bronies, albeit in different ways. Erickson explained that this is because there are many connotations of the word, both bad and good.

“Brony is anyone outside of the intended demographic, who is interested in the show,” Klein said.

According to Erickson, his definition of a brony is simple: a male who is a fan of the show.

“You have to realize that there is a lot of gross, a lot of terrible and a lot of disgusting ‘why would you make that’ stuff on the Internet based around [bronies] and that is kind of where we get our reputation from. So, I would call myself a brony, but only if we’re defining it by my definition,” said Erickson.

While they disagree on the definition, Klein and Erickson agreed that the “My Little Pony” fan art is what initially drew them to the show.

“I had little sisters who were into the older ponies and I was on the Internet and found a picture of the newer ones and I thought they were visually cool, but I didn’t expect anything of it. Then I kept seeing more and more of it on the Internet and got curious. I researched it and found that there was a huge fandom for it,” said Klein.

Erickson explained it was the fan community that kept him interested.

“I came for the show, but I stayed for the fans because it’s such a big community and it’s such an accepting community. It’s a place where people who are usually labeled as ‘nerd’ or ‘weird’ can be themselves. I like that attitude because I don’t see that in a lot in the world today,” said Erickson.

Erickson said this club is more than just a fan club.

“We basically want to give back to the community based on the good things that we learn from the show and the good things we take away from it,” he said.

On Feb. 9, members of Eagles of Harmony prepared and served meals for teenagers at Crosswalk Teen Shelter in Spokane.

As of now, the club has just over 10 members and Klein hopes to introduce more people to the show and to the club.

Junior Ryan Hartwell said, “Just because the show is for a particular demographic doesn’t mean there can’t be something enjoyable for someone else. It doesn’t matter how old you are as long as you like it.”

Eagles of Harmony is currently working on designing a video game version of the show and are looking for more students to help. The video game is hoped to be a mix between the show and the video game “Persona 4.”

They are currently looking for students who are artists, animators, writers and coders. Those interested in helping to design the video game may contact Ethan at [email protected].

Even those who just want a place to belong are invited.

“If you are looking for a place to be accepted and looking for a place to do well for others then that’s what we’re about,” said Erickson. “We want to be a safe haven, but also give that feeling away. We want to share this feeling that we have experienced through the show.”