Equestria 1940 - Where God and Goddesses collide... Or at least gently bump · 5:06am Oct 1st, 2018
It's inevitable when doing a 'Equestria is actually a place on Earth' story to have human religion interact with ponies. Most authors simply shy away from it, or treat it like a blind spot that never comes up in conversation because they're afraid the readers will recoil away from the concept of Christianity when matched up against pony. I'm not most authors. I think I can treat the subject with due respect, and I think my readers are mature enough to... Well, most of you. 
So I'm slipping a sneak peek of my upcoming 1940-based story below the break, so you can put in your feedback about how well/poorly I've done it.
In the story, Equestria is an island about the size of Ohio about 1/3 of the way across the Atlantic ocean on this side of the mid-Atlantic ridge, about mirror-imaged of where the Azores are on the other side. As the Great War flares up again, Equestria has remained neutral despite Germany and the United States' requests. France is being overrun, Britain has just evacuated its soldiers off the beach at Dunkirk... and Celestia has sent a request in to the US to have Jon Walthers, an otherwise normal human with several degrees in anthropology and Equestrian studies, to come to Canterlot and help teach her stubborn student about the magic of friendship. You see, the Summer Sun Festival is coming up, and it has been a thousand years since...
— Start Chapter 8 — All Things Great and Theological
Equestria : 1940
Sunday 16 June - Canterlot, Equestria
“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
— Matthew 18:20
* * ✹ * *
Sunday was supposed to be a day of rest, for ponies and humans alike. Jon had been looking forward to sleeping in, by Equestrian standards at least, which meant until after dawn.
It was not meant to be.
He was also hoping to wake up still wearing his underwear.
Zero for two.
Jon opened one eye to look at the intensely embarrassed maid, who had been gently tapping on the headboard of the bed with one hoof for at least a minute while he was faking slumber. He had halfway been expecting Twilight Sparkle, but from the night-themed apron with embroidered crescent moon and the ruffled lace mob cap on her head, she was obviously one of the castle servants instead.
“Wha?” he managed by great effort.
“I don’t mean to disturb you, sir.” The pony, a little pink fluffy thing without horn or wings, fidgeted beside his bed. “It’s just that… since we heard yesterday that you… not that we are prying into your life, but… I was talking to Pastor Shepherd and he suggested… you know, if you want to…”
If this was the way ponies normally talked to Celestia, she must have been a very frustrated princess. Then again, she had centuries of experience getting shy ponies to tell her what was bothering them, which likely came with a great deal of patience, too. In an attempt to emulate Her Highness, Jon quietly nodded along with the flustrated servant’s rambling, but one word stood out.
“Pastor?” he asked during one of the brief pauses.
“Oh, yes.”
Now that was an oddity in the pony principality that could drag Jon out of bed before dawn.
“And we’re not talking a pony named Pastor, or Pasture, or Pasteur, right? His title is Pastor,” said Jon carefully, trying not to spook the flighty earth pony servant. In fact, she calmed down considerably and nodded while he continued, “And since it’s Sunday morning, and he’s a pastor, you’re inviting me to a church service?”
In fact, the concept of a pony church in Canterlot was about as unexpected as… well, most of Jon’s life in Equestria to this point. To his knowledge, ponies outside of Equestria had not expressed much interest in religious observances—except for A.K. Yearling’s bloody obsession with pre-Incan ceremonies—so this was about as unexpected as finding out Celestia was planning an upcoming virgin sacrifice to the volcano gods.
The little pink pony kept nodding like a fluffball caught in an updraft, but she added words this time. “He’s a Lutheran, although I’m an Episcopalian, and the pastor is very accepting, so you’re being a Methodist is fine.” She hesitated before nodding one last time. “We would be very honored to have you join us this morning.”
Although he was still naked under the covers, Jon’s tweed suit had been laid out on the bedside table, all pressed and clean. An Equestrian church service would be something to see, that was for certain. He should be back in time for breakfast and to continue his lessons with Twilight, although he was not sure who was learning what from who anymore.
“Yes, I’d be glad to attend services this morning.” Jon cast a look at the hallway door. “Could you wait outside while I dress?”
- - ✶ - -
By grabbing the shaving basin and using it as an impromptu bucket in the bathtub, Jon managed to get his hair shampooed in short order, and a quick sponge bath for the rest. Once he had shaved, it took remarkably little time to get dressed, and he made a mental note about how nice it was to have his clothes laid out in the morning. One last check of his watch against the clock made him intensely glad they both matched for a change, and he opened the hallway door…
…only to find Twilight Sparkle with Spike sleeping on her back, and one hoof raised to knock.
“I… Um…” Twilight gave Jon the wide-eyed look of a unicorn who had just had a needle skip on her favorite record. While she grasped frantically for words, Jon gestured to the waiting maid, and the two of them strolled down the castle corridor, with Twilight falling in behind them and the door guard still standing by the empty suite.
It felt a little un-Christian to snub Twilight Sparkle this way and particularly on this day, but Jon found himself really looking forward to a tranquil hour in church, singing a few hymns and listening to a sermon on anything except ancient nightmares of darkness coming to destroy the world. As expected, Twilight Sparkle continued following, which really did not give Jon the comforting sensation of Sunday morning with his family on the way to church. Still, since it was not dawn yet he was grateful for her hornlight to illuminate the way as they passed through the dark corridors, out into the dark streets, and along their dark journey.
“So… where are we going?” asked Twilight once they had gotten a block or so away from the castle.
The featherweight pink earth pony did not answer, but only looked away with a vaguely guilty expression much as if she were leading the disciple of the Sun Goddess into a den of sin and inequinity. Jon decided to pick up the conversational thread instead, with a polite wave to his pink companion and as lecturing tone as he could get for Twilight.
“We are going to services held by Pastor Shepherd, I believe, Miss…?”
“Bunnykins, sir. Ma’am.” The fluffy earth pony nodded at each of them in turn and attempted a smile, or at least a positive change in her perpetually nervous expression. “I… uh… don’t recall you ever attending services before, Miss Sparkle,” added the servant in one rapid burst.
“I’m sure she’s welcome to come along and observe,” said Jon before Twilight could object. “We’re not doing anything illegal— It’s not illegal, is it?” he asked quickly.
“Oh, no,” said Bunnykins. “Well, not really. Princess Celestia doesn’t approve—”
Twilight Sparkle stopped cold in the middle of the street.
“—but she’s never made worshipping any sort of crime. Not even worshiping her.”
Twilight picked up her pace until she was at Jon’s side again. “She’s not a goddess,” said Celestia’s student quickly and with no sense of honesty about her voice at all. “I don’t know who would think that.”
“There’s a group in upstate New York,” volunteered Jon. “They’re a little weird, even for people. A mix of nudists and… um… they dress up,” he added, regretting that he had even opened his mouth.
“Oh,” said Bunnykins and Twilight in almost perfect harmony. It only took three steps before Bunnykins added, “How do they dress up as pegasi?”
“Badly.” Jon tried to walk a little faster. “Look, it’s not really a topic for Sunday.” More like Saturday night after a few beers. “How much further do we need to walk?”
“We’re here.” Bunnykins trotted up to the front door of a magnificent mansion and opened the door for him, continuing once they all had gone inside. “Lord Fancy Pants and Lady di Lis had been staying at their French estate until the recent unpleasantness, so they had permitted the use of Maison de Pantalons for Pastor Shepherd’s services. It is much nicer now that they have returned, but I really hope the humans settle down in the near future and stop their violence.”
The fluffy pink servant cast a sudden nervous glance upwards, as if she feared Jon would take offense at her words, but he could only nod while considering how a human war was only thought of as ‘unpleasantness’ by a pony. As long as it was far away, that is.
If this was just one of Fancy Pants’ estates, he must have been wealthy indeed. It was not really that large compared to the photos he had seen of the Astor or the Rockefeller mansions, and his sense of wealth had been dulled slightly by spending the last few days in Celestia’s humble abode. Still, it was staggering in its own right, and as the four of them (counting the sleeping dragon) walked through the front door without Bunnykins even knocking, he noted the doorways were tall enough that he would not brain himself everywhere, which was a selling point.
“The servants have Sundays off,” explained Bunnykins as she walked across the priceless marble tiles with the tic-tic-tic of silver shoes. “Lord Fancy Pants prefers to—”
“He prefers to be called Fancy,” came a familiar resonant baritone. “Mister Walthers! Young Twilight Sparkle! I had no idea you’d both show up this morning.”
The mustached stallion was practically naked by his usual standards, wearing only a bow tie instead of his regular suit coat and tails, but his warm smile was just as broad as the other times Jon had seen him. After a brisk hoofshake for the human and a brief brushing of the lips across extended forehooves for the young mares, Fancy turned and guided his guests further into the mansion.
Religion had not been a topic of conversation while they had been in Celestia’s presence before, but during the short trip to their destination upstairs, a condensed form of the information flowed. Fancy was actually an Episcopalian, and Fleur French Catholic, which was a little like a Roman Catholic who believe that the Pope should have never left Avignon, and if His Holiness were to regain his senses, he would return to the much more favorable climate at once. Both churches were more than a little fuzzy on the official position of fuzzy four-legged communicants, as were nearly all churches worldwide in various degrees except for the Unitarians.
Upstairs, Jon was a little surprised to find breakfast underway in a smaller dining room with an attached kitchenette. Gathered around the table were a half-dozen smiling ponies, who greeted them as they walked in the door and scooted down to make space. It appeared that most of the guests had brought a potluck dish, although at first glance none of them seemed to have bacon or sausage in them, to Jon’s muted disappointment. There were plenty of other choices, including toast and stewed tomatoes, several varieties of beans, fruit slices beyond measure, and of course the hosts were hard at work with a hot grill.
The scent of pancakes woke up Spike, although he was still a little bleary when he gave a short wave to Fleur di Lis. The fashionable unicorn looked somehow even more equinely stunning when dressed in an apron, and flashed a brilliant smile over her shoulder when Fancy walked into the room with his guests.
“Mon deu! I did not expect you to be breaking your fast with us, Docteur Walthers, or we would have purchased some of your human foods.” She scurried over to the table with a stack of browned flapjacks following her, and promptly began reordering the table settings with the speed that only a unicorn could manage. “Mademoiselles and messieurs, this is Docteur Walthers, a historian and professor in friendship studies at the United States capital, and his guest, Lady Twilight Sparkle, a brilliant student to our illustrious monarch. You simply must sit next to Boxcars, because he too is a historian in human railroad technology—”
That was about the only attention Twilight Sparkle received in the process, and she barely managed to get a chair on Jon’s other side while their host continued her introductions. Jon nodded back at the scraggly brown pony who he had been seated beside and put on a polite smile also. Without context and clothing, Jon could not tell if Boxcars was simply a railroad bum or some sort of industrial magnate, and the rest of the ponies at the table were likewise difficult to classify.
“—and to his left, is Green Bean, who runs an agricultural import/export business, and the shy young lady at the end of the table is Nightshade, who works in castle security.”
Jon had to admit to missing a few names around the table as the impact of Nightshade’s fuzzy grey ears and guarded expression soaked into his disbelieving eyes. She was wearing a thin cloak draped across her back to conceal her wings, with a hood up over most of her head to complete the thin disguise, or perhaps sun protection. He had not seen any other batponies in Canterlot, so the odds of having a second Nightshade in the area, and in particular at the table…
“So glad to meet you, Doctor Walthers,” sounded a friendly voice much like a warm foghorn next to Jon’s right ear, which shocked him out of his musing. He admitted to jumping a bit, but the big boxy face of Pastor Shepherd had an unbreakable smile on it, and put him at ease in short order. “I never thought Princess Celestia would allow a human in Canterlot, but when Bunnykins told me of your religion, I immediately asked her to extend an invitation to our little Sunday morning service.”
A general wave of approval swept around the table, although Jon was not certain how much of it was just for him and how much was for the stunning spread of breakfast items. He settled down at his place setting and at least attempted to keep his breakfasting limited, despite an endless parade of fresh fruit and flapjacks smothered in maple syrup and speckled with blueberries.
Shepherd the pegasus pastor, which were two words that Jon never thought he would use in that particular order, was a warm greyish-white with a small square collar and sparkling blue eyes. He introduced his wife Puff, who was helping out at the stove with Fleur, and took extra time to welcome Twilight Sparkle and Spike, who were sulking and swallowing respectivly.
In very short order while eating, Jon found out that the amiable pastor had retired from the Royal Guard quite a few years ago and went straight into a Lutheran seminary, quite nearly to graduation before his equine status had soaked through to the ossified leadership. Despite lacking a degree, Shepherd returned to his home city and proceeded to care for his limited and diverse flock. As congregations went, it was fairly small. The sum total of Christian denominations within the city of Canterlot fit quite neatly around Fancy Pants’ informal dining table, although it was considerably larger than the Equestrian Jewish population, which could not make a Minyan if they all gathered in one spot.
The conversation around the meal was more in-depth than Jon expected, even from a pastor’s table. The topic was the book of Acts, and in particular, the specific roles each of the major power groups of the area took in the early church. From the Sadducees (who did not believe in an afterlife) and the Roman occupiers (who did, in a way more in line with the Equestrians) to the role the Holy Spirit played in the testimony of Peter and John, it left Jon feeling a little like a barbarian heathen with his dusty memories of youthful ecumenical education. The conversation picked up every time another guest arrived until their group numbered twenty, which Jon considered a very biblical number for a gathering, although far smaller than any church service he had attended so far.
By the time the meal was almost over, Spike awakened enough to become nearly coherent, and Twilight Sparkle was on her third cup of coffee, a thick black brew that Jon feared might require chewing once he reached the bottom of his own cup. The discussion over coffee was a rolling, pleasant thing that lasted long after the dishes had been swept away and washed, eventually winding up in Fancy Pants’ dawn-warmed study for the actual service.
The bay windows were wide open to the morning breeze, giving a mountain-fresh air to the room as they settled on Equestrian cushions. Music was provided by the pastor’s wife Puff on a hoof-pumped harmonium, with the words to the hymns being in the native tongue. It made for odd stanzas and more than one sideways look when he muffed a note or three, but felt very Equestrian and made Jon wish he had brought his camera. The sermon was on the book of Acts, of course, and paralleled the breakfast conversation fairly well. And to Jon’s private amusement in the middle of the multi-denominational service, he thought he could recognize the Lutheran training of the pastor by the Old Testament, New Testament, and Epistle readings. At the end, there was no communion, and with the number of denominations represented, he could understand why.
A question on that topic after the short service was over gave the pastor an opportunity to show some of the Equestrian practicality at work. The blessed host was normally flown in quarterly on the Pan-Am Clipper flying boat from an Irish priest, who also blessed bottles of French wine from Fancy Pants and Fleur’s vineyard. A certain number of those bottles were ‘lost’ during shipping, but since the Canterlot congregation had only been six before Celestia had brought most of the expatriates home, a single bottle could easily last a year or more.
A short post-service prayer was said for all of the Equestrians unable to return to the safety of the homeland, and then the pastor sat down and opened his bible, leading promptly into a free-form theology study with Twilight Sparkle as the instigator, to Jon’s surprise.
Although Jon was hoping she was taking the opportunity to make friends, it turned out that Twilight Sparkle had been moved by the spirit. The spirit of debate, that is. As the only agnostic in the room, or more properly the denying solar neigh-theist, she took it upon herself to disprove God. The resulting conversations were anything but ordinary.
Rather than taking her approach as a reason for reproach, the other ponies joined in with friendly conversation and pet theories that would have sent many human theologians into fits of apoplexy. After all, since Equestrians held that the unicorns once used their magic to raise the sun and moon, they had a hoof-up on Christianity with a different perspective. Shepherd pointed out that Celestia had been quite clear on the point that she was not a god of any sort, and while Twilight acceded on that point, it was fairly plain that she had her own definition.
The concept of Original Sin was brought out and exercised, with a subtext that showed Twilight’s considerable dislike for snakes regardless of their denomination or divine affiliation. The Ten Commandments as a foundation for government followed, being contrasted to Celestia’s Seven Harmonious Suggestions and Starswirl’s Universal Truths of Equanity. The walls of Jericho brought out discussions on seismic instabilities and structural weakness, while the Abrahamic Covenant segued into the far too real events on the European continent and in the Far East. Ancient history proved to be more to the pony discussion group’s liking, although when Jon put in his own theory of the Garden of Eden, he was rapidly shot down by nearly every Equestrian there.
It was a little like having one’s own pet gunned down in the street, instead of just seeing a pet theory murdered.
Lovely. I can't wait.
(Mostly to watch you blow my 1930s-40s Equestria completely out of the water)
I am incredibly enthused by the idea of a MLP fanfic that incorporates a mature angle on Christianity (being Christian myself). I never thought I needed this, but here we are!
Yep, sounds about right. (Maybe Buddhists might take them? I don't know.)
Ponies are obviously Quaker, though.
Yeah, we would totally adore having a bunch of ponies at our services. All are welcome who recognize the truth found in plentiful coffee and vigorous debate. Twilight would fit in great.
As a filthy atheist heathen, I approve.
4946287
Some branches of Buddhism will take just about everything, including various spirits. Being four-legged is no obstacle.
It's definitely a touchy subject, but it can definitely be done well. I've mostly seen it in various places with the human counterparts, but not exclusively. For example, there's the amazing A 14th Century Friar in Celestia's Court.
Every blogpost about this story just makes it harder for me to wait for its release! Curses!
Well, this sounds like it's going to be good.
I'd love to read this story once you publish it
This one just gets more and more interesting... not having any experience with the 'Equestria on Earth' genre, I have no preconceived notions in that respect but on the whole Religion vs 'Alien Society X' Scifi genre I have seen the good, the bad and the abysmal... this one seems to be heading in the direction of the first option rather than the latter ones, thank goodness.
So far you seem to have judged your readership well in that we do not have a baseless, screaming, reactionary flame war starting within the first 30 minutes.
Why I am I not surprised that it is a Lutheran in the centre of this? At least casseroles have not been mentioned as yet..
... And there it is, a potluck, close enough to casseroles...
Eh, who am I kidding... like John, I'd be missing the sausages and bacon as well...
It sounds like there is a bit of a story in and of itself behind this theory of his.
Forget religion, I don't think I've ever seen a story where (ooh baby) Equestria is a place on Earth, outside of the Conversion Bureau, where that's not exactly a good thing. :B
Why are you posting this here and not in the real posting place? D:
Every excerpt you post from this is great!
Nice, dude!
Don't be ridiculous. Everypony knows the volcano sacrifice happens right before Winter Wrap-Up. (How did you think unicorns changed the weather on so large a scale?)
I'm going to have to remember "Maison de Pantalons."
I imagine it's much easier for Jewish ponies to keep kosher.
In all, yet another reason to look forward to this one.
4946346
Same
4946313
I like that story.
4946364 Yeah, it reflects back to the second chapter where he's giving an Equestrian history refresher to Colonel Bradley.
4946367 Because it's not *done* yet, and I get a much better reading response from a much better product when I get it all the way done and groomed before releasing. You know that. :)
4946313 I love A 14th Century Friar in Celestia's Court. Wonderful story.
4946313 Yeah, most civilized religions take criticism and discussions well, although some took longer to get there than others (Although in this world, I'm presuming Celestia would have stepped in for the trial of Galileo) Which I may write someday.
4946375 "Ahem."
Twilight Sparkle looked down at the churning lava below, then over at her teacher and the rest of the Winter Wrap-Up officials. "You expect me to jump in there?" she asked even as Celestia cleared her throat again and nodded toward the pool of molten rock. "I mean I let you tie me up and bring me here because I thought there was a friendship lesson involved, but I think this has gone too far now. Please untie me and tell me this was all a joooooooooooookkkkk...."
The youngest alicorn's voice trailed off until there was a tiny splash in the lava below. Luna moved up beside her sister and slowly shook her head.
"The youth of today. They do not respect the customs of their ancestors."
"True," said Celestia with a long, deep breath. "I remember how you used to leap off the volcano edge, and have our subjects grade you on the dive."
"Also true." Luna looked down into the molten lava. "So how long do you think it will take her down there before she realizes alicorns are immune to fire."
4946385
A story about Celestia weighing in on the topic of geocentrism versus heliocentrism sounds like an interesting idea for a short story.
This Catholic astrophysicist is quite intrigued. I'll be looking forward to reading this once it's released.
4946397 Or even better, Luna.
The Grand Inquisitor called the council to order in the stifling courtroom while trying to ignore the disturbance outside, most probably caused by allies of the Heretic on trial. He had just risen up to order the guards to arrest the troublesome elements when the huge doors of the courtroom swung open on their own, and a chill breeze flowed into the room. In a matter of moments, the sweltering robes he wore had become stiff with impending frost, and the faint clop-clop-clop of horseshoes could be heard in the corridor outside, growing louder by the moment...
4946313
Buddhist/shinto syncretism is one of my favorite theological weird bits.
Why do I get the distinct impression that every equestrian organisation evolves into a social club at some point?
4946425
Princess Luna struck a terrifying pose, and looked down imperiously upon all those gathered in the courtroom.
"Nay fools! Thou art all sorely mistaken, for everything revolves around Our most resplendent Moon!" she exclaimed in the Royal Canterlot Voice.
I genuinely don't know how you mysterious author figures manage to write such long stories, seeing as those three lines took me like 5 minutes.
As a Baptist (jokingly referred as Diet Catholicism: All the saving and forgiving, half the guilt lol), I can appreciate an author willing to tackle Christianity in a story like this.
I found this extremely refreshing and interesting, and I cannot wait until the full story comes out!
Quite the unbeliever (unless you wish to speak about the IPU), but also a former scholar of Strong’s Concordance... I am intrigued.
The ponies are, in the very best way, Bereans.
...I must read this when it comes out. I am not allowed to forget it, this sounds really interesting.
But I already read this!
...
When did I read this?
4947067 Heck if I know. Are you helping edit?
4947088
I never really signed up to, though you did share a document from it over Discord at one point...
Well count me as fascinated and eagerly awaiting publication.
Fun stuff, and of course there would be some Ponies that would convert to our-world religions. Although I am afraid that as a fan of alternate history, I really have to question the plausibility of a world which has had an Equestria in it for a millennium or more and yet turns out exactly like our 1940.
(Also, Equestria being the size of Ohio takes the Smol Equestria idea further than I'm comfortable with - that's smaller than England. Do places like Saddle Arabia and the Zebra homeland exist as part of it?)
Islam also has a precedent for non-human worshippers: some Djinn are portrayed as devout Muslims.
Edit: not that I won't read this and probably enjoy it when it comes out!