I guess I'm a bit of an odd one, as I vastly prefer the G1 cartoon/s and toyline 
I'm unable to watch FiM as the animation seems too... cookie-cutter (I don't quite know how to explain it), flat and bland, plus I generally dislike 'slice-of-life'-type stories. I prefer the G1 animation, despite all its flaws (which I didn't actually notice as a child but now it's fun to try and spot them) it has more 'life' to me and more adventure-ey type themes. Also it's not an incredibly long series, so I can watch the whole thing with my limited patience
The fact that the show focuses on a core group of ponies which rarely vary also annoys me, but this is mainly due to the endless rehashes of the Mane Six that we get in the toyline which always remind me of Core 7...
In regards to the toyline, I prefer the G1 toys for being larger, sturdier, and just the general feeling of quality that they have. The G4 brushables have so little in the way of hair... (I'm not a vinyl/figure collector) and they are just so tiny. I tried to like them, I really did, but alas... I also think that the lack of poses play a big role in this, a pose just gives a pony so much personality....

I was born in Australia and have lived here all of my life (Brisbane, QLD but have also lived in Perth, WA, Newcastle, NSW and Melbourne, VIC), so you can ask me about things if you want. The wildlife honestly isn't as much of an issue as people make it out to be unless you're living in a more rural area - the 'burbs and innner city areas are mostly fine, it's just about common sense and supervision really. Insect repellent is your friend, particularly in the summer, as well as citronella coils.
As for schools, I attended a primary school in Brisbane which had a special program for kids with disabilities, they had a lot of various ways to support them and help them in the classroom, and certain kids who had more difficulty had a carer with them in class. They also did special activities and other things with them - off the top of my head, two of my autistic friends got to go horse-riding every Thursday and it. In general I think everyone was pretty supportive - there definitely wasn't any bullying or anything like that went on.
At my primary school in Perth, it was quite a bit different - there was quite a bit of bullying that went on, and there were no real repercussions for doing so. One kid (13-14) pushed a small child (5-6) down a flight of stairs and got a total of one detention and nothing else
In terms of other things... Perth gets extremely hot during the summer, like 40 degrees celsius and extremely cold during the winter. The Swan River and the surrounding area is beautiful, but everything is stained by their use of bore water. Also, the river is full of jellyfish...
Brisbane gets extremely sticky and humid, and rather chill during the winter, but never 'frosty'. Also we get tropical storms, my area was even hit by what meteorologists described as a tornado (I didn't think we got them in Australia but this was a rare occurrence) and the Brisbane river floods occasionally.
I recall Newcastle as being one of those places where it's hot in the sun, but cool in the shade, but I was living near the beach so that could be a factor there. There are awesome rock pools and a big tide-fed public swimming pool on the beachfront. I've also hiked through and camped in the bush areas of NSW, and it's quite the experience, but there are so many ticks...
Melbourne was where I was born, thus I don't really have any memories of it, being so young, but it gets colder there than is does in QLD...
I don't know if any of this will help you in any way, and I might just be babbling aimlessly, but I felt like I had to say something as I have some knowledge on the subject matter

Oh god I'm familiar with so many names here because during that time period I was pretty much the supreme lurker on most MLP-related places on the internet, having never made an account as I was underage and didn't want to break the rules.... So I 'know' so many people, but they don't know me, which is pretty strange to think about... 

I collect these little darlings! As they're discontinued now, I actually have hopes of completing the entire line, but I'd love it if they still made them... 

AHHH I love them! It's so amazing that someone is paying attention to G1 <3 I will definately by, at minimum, three, but hopefully many more!
My hopes for future releases are Sugarberry (and the other TAF ponies), glow 'n shows and sea ponies!

Watching this... I have a SS Taffy and a watercolour baby sea pony with bite marks in need to repair...

My cats aren't allowed near ponies ever since Glitter (yes, that is my cat's name) took chunks out of a breezie

Oh god, I literally had the exact same problem with the exact same pony! My Taffy reeked of cigarette smoke, and I kinda just left her off by herself and eventually the smell just faded away... It took over a year though.