The Implications: Hearths Warming Eve · 9:37pm Feb 24th, 2016
So I was recently re-watching Hearth’s Warming Eve. You know, the episode where they put on a play to celebrate the founding of Equestria. One of the few episodes where they actually do some exposition on how things got to be. I really wish there were more like this, more where they showed us the history of Equestria and generally how it’s history developed.
This was actually one of my favorite episodes, mostly due to the dialog, and how the Mane 6 portray their respective parts. Pinky as Chancellor Pudding-Head (Who was democratically elected by the way) and Rarity as Princess Platinum, being my favorites.
But what strikes me most about the episode, and what moves me to pen (“”) this react, is the unmentioned inferences one could make about how things worked for the ponies before they settled the southern land.
Let me lay this out for you:
The Earth Ponies till the soil and produce food.
The Pegasus manipulate the weather, bringing rain and ensuring sunlight for crops and ponies alike.
The Unicorns use their ‘freaky magic’ to raise and lower the sun and moon, bringing night and day.
Now right away, there’s a few things to talk about.
1) The perception that Earth Ponies do not have magic is obviously false. Their strength just isn’t as visible as the others is. Their power is that of a stronger bond with the natural world, and the superior physical strength to farm the land. Their aptitude keeps them necessarily close to the ground, which seem to have relegated them to something a peasant status, where they live in clay and mud brick homes, and dress like bronze-age Judeans. This perception by the other tribes of their lowly rank seems to be the main cause of their maltreatment, and general ridicule. The one bargaining chip they have to offset this mild hostility, is their control over the food supply, as both the producers and commercial traders.
2) Is it just me, or do the Pegasus have a god-complex? Their spot in the exchange, is that they ensure the weather is conducive to crop growing and the general benefit of the ground-bound tribes. I’ll get into the systems of government in a bit, but for the winged ones, all this control over the skies seems to have given them quite an ego. They’ve gone from what I have to think was an initial position of maintainers, to that of the local racket operation. “Oh, it sure would be a shame if it rained on your crop today wouldn’t it? Well maybe you throw in a few extra carrots and the sun stays out a little longer, hmm?” One could argue that the Pegasus have to work diligently to keep control of the weather, but that would imply that the weather would operate without their direction. If not, then what exactly is their big bragging point? Since they effectively rule the skies, and have such control over the economic and ecological systems, they have projected what they do as extensions of themselves.
3) Now the Unicorns are admittedly, special. I have to image that earlier in their history they served as something of a priest class, ushering the passing of the celestial bodies through their supplication. However, it seems that at some point, they realized that they were the ones controlling the orbs, and that they held the biggest trump card at the table. Unlike the Pegasus, the Unicorns never harbored the illusion about their place. They knew that they merely moved these bodies back and forth, they didn’t make them, nor did they control them beyond positioning. But their practice has imparted on them, perhaps a Paternalistic sense of duty to rule over the others, a cultural carry-over from their time as priests, responsible for not just their welfare, but all of ponydom.
The systems of government among the tribes varies, but not by much. The main difference in their functionality is perhaps the control over the daily lives of ponies rather than the apex of political power.
The Earth Ponies have a Chancellor. Which is an appointed position. Very close to a president, a chancellor is the chief minister in some kind of parliamentary government. This means that Pudding-Head was elected by the Earth ponies’ representative body, either from within or without. Perhaps this speaks to their general outlook on life, a typically democratic government like this. Having a more-or-less egalitarian view amongst themselves, makes sense, they not seeing one another as being of any superior status than any pony else. This may be a more ingrained social dynamic than we imagine at first, since they would naturally associate ponies with such attitudes with the snobbery of the unicorns or the domineering Pegasus. “Mighty are the Humble” they might think, safe in the knowledge that for all the powers of the other tribes, they posses the greatest physical strength. So why would these hardy, democratic farmers choose Pudding-Head as their leader? Well it could be that rising inter-tribal tensions gave them cause to elect somepony who will hustle, not waste time with acrimonious political processes, and won’t tolerate the arrogance of the other tribes, mostly because of her own ego. Much like Donald Trump. This would also explain why Smart Cookie is unafraid to back-talk her elected leader.
The Pegasus have instilled a form of Martial Law, in the shape of the dictatorial authoritarian Commander Hurricane. Possessed of such sky-borne powers, like the greek gods, they might have become jealous of their position, and chosen to protect themselves behind a warlike façade. Now I find the concept of warlike, battle hungry Pegasus a bit silly for a reason. As we know, the mechanics of flight require a relatively light skeleton, and large wingspan relative to body size/weight. Putting aside that this is a cartoon, I know, I know, I just don’t think that the Pegasus are physically built for armed combat. We saw them arrayed in armor, but who exactly were they fighting? The reason for their Roman-like military posture is never explained, which makes me think they’re just saber-rattling. I also suspect that they too have some kind of council or legislative body, or at least policy secretaries.
The Unicorns have possibly the most recognizable form of government known, a monarchy. Having evolved out of the tribal chieftain, the monarch is very familiar to us humans, it’s almost instinctive to have a single alpha ruler, who makes law and dispenses justice. More nuanced versions have incorporated ideals of being the figurehead of not just the ruling party, or the state, but of the very people themselves. Here, Princess Platinum is the chosen delegate, presumably to act as the vicarious hoof of the King or Queen. She is temperamental, snobbish, lazy, and delicate. It’s easy to think she’s like that because the Unicorns view themselves as nobility, the intermediary between ponies and the heavens. But as a princess of her tribe, she could be something of a golden child, raised from birth to ascend the throne, and treated like a treasure her whole life. Much like a class of priests might raise a ‘chosen one’ or future spiritual leader. Thinking of themselves as near religious workers, they could very well think of toiling on the Earth, and eating by the sweat of thine brow to be sacrilegious, a befouling of their holy persons. They would also regard the Pegasus as delusional brutes, who conflate their ability to manipulate the weather with the idea that they are demi-gods instead of merely adapting the environment.
As we see, it’s the engine of the Earth Ponies that actually keeps this economic machine churning, the Unicorns and Pegasus providing the fuel. And thus despite their perception of lowly dirt-lickers, the Earth Ponies actually have the greatest economic leverage. This lifestyle would also lend towards having the greatest population numbers, as it takes whole families to farm crops, particularly to the level of commercial excess.
The Pegasus would be in the middle. While adjusting the weather would be a time-consuming task, it isn’t one that they must tend to everyday, all day. They could set the weather as sunny for a week, or throw in a rainy day 1-2 times a week for agriculture and to avoid drought.
The Unicorns then, could have the smallest population. It’s never clarified how much magic power it takes to leverage the sun and moon, but for a class of pony to live as nobles without some other means of support than trade with the Earth ponies, simply can’t work. They wouldn’t have the economic resources to support a large, or arguably medium population. Combine that with their status as sun priests, I don’t image they’d have much desire for big families. Rather coaching and preparing the select for their duties. This to me, says that they had 1-2 children per family, roughly zero population growth.
The tension between the tribes is most readily explained by the recent environmental turmoil, the ceaseless snow and cold brought on by the ethereal Windigos. But these attitudes seem much to ingrained to be a recent phenomena, which makes me think that inter-tribal antagonism has been an ongoing issue for quite some time.
So to find some recourse to the deepening ruin they find themselves in, they hold a summit of delegates to negotiate some solution. Due to a clash of egos, tribal interests, and racial distrust, the meeting ends in total failure. Returning to their tribal homesteads, the three leaders resolve separately to scout land for resettlement. After a series of comedies, they find that they have all come upon the same lush valley, presumably south, of their former homeland.
When they begin fighting again, the Windigos appear and begin to transform this new land as well, which implies that they actively seek out conflict and disharmony. After a trial by ice in a cave, they discover the magic of friendship, long before Twilight Sparkle.
The magic manifests in a valentine, since friendship is a form of love, it dispels the Windigo wraiths, and melts their icy constructs. As we’ve seen elsewhere in the show, magic, especially magic borne of inter-pony affection, is a real, tangible force. Rendering it not really magic at all, but an energy source. A fundamental force like gravity, or magnetism.
Without digressing further into the implications of that, which I could, I’ll continue on.
I wonder then, what all that means for the world before ponies, and their genesis. Why exactly, beyond convenience, do they need to control the weather or the sun? Why would they not proceed on their own, as the weather does over the Everfree? Could it be that Equestria exists in a stagnant environment? Or some kind of fixed status? Could the unicorns affix the sun or moon in the sky permanently if they wanted? Why don’t the Earth ponies and Pegasus simply make more land arable for crops or just habitation? Question upon questions.
I’ve come to conclude, that the ponies did not evolve, but rather are the products of a supernatural force at work. Could the energy of harmony, of love, have devised a means to manifest creatures to perpetuate itself? Or is there a more conscious element, did it create them for the purpose of creating life that could experience love, experience their creator? Or are they the Tolkien products of a greater creation effort, with the world being made with them as functional parts of it? Not just inhabitants, but organs, individual cells that keep the body alive.
That could explain why their participation is necessary for living creatures, entrusted as the apex sentient species. The ponies are by-and-large peaceful creatures, with no real natural combative tendencies aside from those brought on by scarcity.
What then are the place of the Alicorns? And why of all things are they on the flag of Equestria before their advent?
One could argue that for the purposes of the play, they simply use the current flag for either simplicity, or because they have no record of what that ancient flag looked like. Because we’re shown that Celestia and Luna do not appear until after the chaotic reign of Discord, they may very well have an entirely separate origin.
But that’s a rabbit hole for a different time.
I’m also left to wonder what happened to all the other ponies. Did they all migrant south, or did some stay? One might think that with the defeat of the Windigos, their original homeland was freed, but it could only mean that Equestria was freed, and that the arctic dominion over the north remained. Perhaps that’s the origin of the frozen north where the Crystal Empire lays, and the home of the Yak tribes. After all, one might think that settling city-states that far north in hostile climates would be an issue, but not if they were settled before the climate changed. the Windigos could very well still control the northern territory of Equestria, kept at bay by the harmony of the ponies
But what if some stayed behind? Forgotten tribes of ponies, cut off from their kindred for centuries. How might they have survived such a harsh climate? Well, we know that an extensive subterranean system exists underneath he mountain that supports canter lot, perhaps there exists another suck cavern environment in the Crystal Mountains?
And after living for so long, how might these ponies, lets say Pegasus, might have adapted to life in darkness? Might they have adapted traits of a more familiar cave dwelling creature?
So the tribes unite to form a new settlement, presumably overcoming the prejudice of their leadership, but what about the cultural hostility among the rest of them? We know that Ponyville was settled by Earth Ponies, and Cloudsdale by Pegasus, so there may have still been some racial resentment in the general population. Forming enclaves within a common territory. So what I think happened, was that they migrated south, settled Equestria, and then the borders expanded to the entire continent, save for several sovereign city-states like: the Crystal Empire, Griffinstone, & the Buffalo reservation.
Instead of going off into several tangents that are better discussed in other articles, I’ll offer some final thoughts.
I think the history of the land both before the founding of Equestria, and before the ascension of the Alicorns is more than worthy of being explored in the show, and could really take the show to another level of excellence. I also think that doing so would be to the benefit of their target audience. While the show makers have taken steps to make the product less childish, I think they could install several new floors by exploring the wider mythology.
Much like how South Park will occasionally have episodes that focus or majorly feature periphery characters, MLPFiM can go so far and do so much by really exploring the depths of the world and mythology. I could image a whole season that takes place in different places and different time periods, perhaps following the ancestors of the Mane 6.
And I think doing so will be a good service to their fans of all ages, and drastically increase the longevity of the show.
Upcoming MLP related reviews: Alicorns, Bat Ponies, The Everfree, and The Flim Flam Brothers.
~Crush 'em
Interesting theories and concepts, however there are a few points I would differ.
1: The pegasi are warlike because they were often used by greek heroes during conflicts and in the ancient culture, they were depicted to have been in conflict with griffons since the two had known each other. So it stands to reason that they'd be warrious here because war has been what pegasi have known for all their lives. As well, even though they wouldn't be as strong as their earth pony brethren, it's been shown on the show they can still pack some punch as well as flying animals, such as raptors, have shown great strength when hunting.
2: The point of the ponies being 'artificially created' is debatable. While some could consider it, I am of the belief that they did in fact evolve. It's just that they evolved unique features in addition to it being fueled by the abundant magic that allowed them to craft the world around them. It's just that they can tap into it much easier then other races that have been shown on the show.
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Firstly, thanks for the response. I have a small audience, so I get all titty-lated at any feedback.
Regards the Pegasai: Yeah sure, that's plausable. As both are flying creatures, they would have much farther territorial ranges then the terrestrial tribes, and eventually conflict between Pagasus and Griffins would become more common as contact increased. We know that Griffins are an avaricious bunch, and the Pegasus proud, this is chemistry for extended hostile relations. And sure, momentum at a dive can do a lot of damage. While they don't posses the natural weaponry of the Griffins, they can bring their weather manipulation to bear. So they wouldn't necessarily have to rely on physical combat, but rather superior strategy and incorporating their arsenal. I don't think there's anything about our two theories that directly conflicts.
Regards the genesis: I don't rule out evolution, I just find it the less likely cause. In real life, I am an athiest, and have been engaged in the debates between creationists, and am familiar with the arguments for and against evolution/Intelligent Design to the point of saturation(Sye Ten makes me want to shoot my computer). But with Equestria, we're talking about a world that doesn't play by the same rules ours does. Our world does not react to our actions the way pony-world does. If you do some great deed, you don't get a new home sprouting out of the ground. Everything in the show speaks that there is some underlying force at work in Equestria, something that reacts intelligently and personally with the inhabitants. What form this entity takes is open to speculation, whether it be a monotheistic god, a pantheon, or something much more 'Woo-y'.
And that's not to say there's no evolution at work at all, since we know how evolution works, we know it's inevitable that something evolved, even if the initial state was a creation.
So again, thanks for taking the time to respond. I enjoyed the elements of your headcanon I saw in 'Shimmer in the Dark'. Look forward to seeing more.
4040379 You're welcome. i like to give out some thoughts and ideas when something suits me. {I'm an atheist too} You have a point that the world of Equestria doesn't play by our own rules, so it's plausible that they were in fact created.
As for the headcannons, well that's just the tip of the iceberg with the Shimmerverse. I have several blogs so far detailing them and right now, I'm working on one that would detail how the ponies came to be and the history of Equestria. Hope you enjoy them and the Shimmerverse, if you ever get a chance to try them.
Until then, it was nice talking with you.
Also, it stands to reason that the pegasi would be, in addition to fast paced combat and weather manipulation, incredibly skilled with bows and crossbows as given they have the 'high ground' and can hide in clouds, it would make them great snipers. {They'd have to be, since flyers have to have better vision.}
That's an interesting idea about the pegasus using weaponry. However, I would say that due to their anatomy, I would suggest againt weaponry like crossbows or longbows, but rather something they'd operate in small teams, like ballista, or other forms of 'primitive' artillary.
4041193 Well ponies have been shown to be quite dexterious, being able to hold two legged poses and manipulate objects with their hooves and wings. As well, they've shown longbows {with the ice arrows} and Pinkie herself has fired a crossbow on the show. So it stands to reason they could use such weaponry, especially the Earth ponies since crossbows would give them something of an advantage against spell casters and flyers.
I did think of that when you mentioned it, but I still think team-operated weaponry would be cooler, like ballista, catapults, trebuchet. Were I constructing such a headcanon, I would also prefer to give each tribe some differing weaponry. Like lighting bolt ballista for the pegasus, trebuchet for EP, magical 'rifles' for unicorns. Make it interesting.