(T>B) Questions about Equestrian Weather/Nature · 2:18pm Jun 8th, 2021
Original thread: https://www.fimfiction.net/group/50/the-writers-group/thread/459516/questions-about-equestrian-weather-nature
So one of the defining points of the Equestrian setting, from all the way back in Season 1, was that weather - all nature, really, but especially weather - was overseen, managed and even manufactured by ponies. A fascinating concept which has driven a few episodes of the show and numerous stories on this site. But also one which invites some questions I'd like to see people's answers to.
Firstly, the scale of their operations. We can presume at least the great majority of pony towns, cities and villages have some form of weather oversight, animal management and so forth. But in most countries - and especially ones modelled on North America - settlements and their vicinities are in the minority when compared to the gaps inbetween - and we have seen rural areas that accommodate multi-day journeys in show. So how much pony labour is spent handling such matters in those places where there are no citizens to either demand or fund it? And if there are gaps, how is the interface between them and managed areas handled?
Secondly, the scope of their abilities. We know that pegasi can work some weather on their own, but there is also a vast high-tech weather factory. So what just needs some ponywork, what requires industrial aid, and what is beyond pegasus control entirely? How has this balance changed throughout history with the growth of weather tech? And what other uses might this infrastructure be put to?
Thirdly, the practicality of their methods. One of the key things about our weather here on Earth is how it cares not one whit for human conveienince (or that of any other creature for that matter) - so much of our society is built around enduring, defying or adapting to weather conditions both expected and unexpected. One would think that in a society where the weather is made and distributed to order, things would be done more practically - and indeed, we do see little truly extreme weather. But we do still see indiscriminate daytime rains in Ponyville and Manehattan alike, which would surely be inconvenient to many ponies going about their days - and I may have forgotten other instances. And of course, there is the question of whether three whole months of snow and ice is necessary - most places on Earth don't get that much. Heck, is such weather necessary at all? At least rain waters plants...
So continuing from the above, what guides the ponies in their mastery of the climate and the natural world? Do they try to reproduce the cycles that would occur in their absence, or bend them to their own purposes? And in either case, why?
And of course this leads to our fourth question, accountability and the chain of command. How is the whole system run? Who decides what whether goes where when? Can ponies make requests, or complaints - sue, even? And what about when weather - planned or gone wrong - destroys property or even costs lives? Is anypony liable, and if so who? (This question, and indeed the whole thread, partially inspired by Admiral Biscuit's haunting slice-of-death Through the Ice.)
