After having a brief explanation of the bat winged ponies being a rare type of generally nocturnal pegasi called thestrals, Fluttershy introduced me to the apparent thestral, Moon Beam.
Upon hearing they were generally nocturnal, I had my suspicions about her, but I digressed and started answering their questions.
* * *
"So this being you call 'Jah' is supposedly powerful, but does not require the faith of followers to amplify that power?"
I lightly shook my head. "He used to answer the call of select individuals to perform miracles, if the theology is to be believed, but his power is his own. He doesn't need anything to do what he does, not even a follower."
"Ah, yes." She said, looking at her notes from before, "Holds together all existence, and can see everything with no effort but is wise enough to generally let things play out naturally. An odd combination of descriptions."
She looked back at me with a flat tone. "And what about conquering? What precedence does this being have for spreading its influence?"
I shivered a little at the question. "People in the past have wrongly used his name to conquer other lands. Although many nations waged war with each other in the theology thousands of years ago, his supposed chosen people of the time did conquer the surrounding lands. I won't deny that. But after key events in the theology, the spirit of how to go about spreading influence shifted some. I am not well enough versed in it to give the exact written details of the text, but I do have a self made parable I could use to describe my understanding of it."
She simply nodded at me to continue as I shifted out of my bed/chair and onto my knees on to the floor.
"A first group of people who believed in their ways is conquered by a second, and the second group said 'convert or die,' to the captives of their conquest."
At this point I was using tidbits of loose bedding and tiny bits of debris as a visual aid, moving them around to indicate the different groups.
"The ones that refused died, and those that converted were spared. But then a third group comes in and conquers the second group, then tells captives from both the first and second group to 'convert or die' just like before. And like before, some converted, others died."
I then moved my hand to point towards the debris indicating the captives. "But here's the paradox. If the survivors of the first group changed from the second way of believing to the third, were they ever really believers of the second way to begin with? Are they even truly believing in the third way by the end? That's the core point of the teachings that I feel most people that claim to be of my faith don't get. The belief has to be of their own free will or it isn't true faith. Conversion by force lacks loyalty and is pointless, especially to a being that could just will anything to happen like-"
I snapped my fingers. "-that if he needed it. I feel the true goal of my faith isn't to show his glory by wealth or by dominance, but to show glory by persevering through tribulations."
"Uh, huh..."
Moon Beam blankly listened to what I was saying as she wrote down more notes. After I finished, she looked back at me.
"Just a few more questions. Do you believe the people of your world would try to push their god or gods upon us if we ever made contact?"
I coughed on a little spit I was swallowing when I heard this. After I managed to get settled, I looked her square in the eyes. "Absolutely, yes. It wouldn't be a matter of if, but when. They might not do it with swords or other weapons of war, but they would do it. But if you are worried about them using it as an excuse to take from your lands, they wouldn't have to. They'd find other ways."
She nodded with a flat expression. "Yes, I read the records of your testimony on the subject. Next question."
She looked me square in the eyes.
"Do you yourself intend to spread faith of your 'Jah' here in our lands?"
I slumped a little. "That's a bit of a loaded question. I'll have to break it down. Do I intend to preach or otherwise spread his word the same as it was in my home world? Not really. Despite trying to understand my faith, I wasn't all that well versed in the texts. So even if I wanted to I don't feel I'd be qualified. But I also don't believe that I'd have to. I don't think there is one absolute way to worship an infinite being, much less one that a single species got exactly right. There may be a number of fairly universal truths, but also some things that may be species specific due to how that species functions. I believe he'd apply his lessons differently in different worlds, depending on what would be the best route to explain to the different mindsets and biology of the different species. Each world would have its own way of seeking insight. It would be wrong of me to force my exact version on you. At most I could share a few words of wisdom as I felt needed and let you digest it as you see fit."
She smacked her fanged lips after I finished, but otherwise showed no reactions to what I said.
I steadied myself from the piercing gaze that felt terrifying, yet... not quite familiar.
"Is that a sufficient answer?" I asked her.
She just nodded and said, "Yes. Two more questions to go. When the Speaker saw your quintessence flare and heal Fluttershy's wound, do you believe it was 'Jah' that caused it to happen, and if not, what do you believe was the presence you felt when it happened?"
I honestly snorted at the first part of the question. "Though it's not impossible, I find it pretty unlikely. There's the 'he sets all things in motion' clause, but if you mean a direct miracle, I doubt it. I was calling out to anyone, not to him specifically. That's kinda a key requirement for a prayer to him to work in the theology. Combine that with the fact that I felt a drop in my..."
I paused for a moment, unsure what to call it. "...My inner energy reserves, for lack of better word, I think it was something inside me that I tripped over by accident. I still don't know what the presence I felt was."
Moon Beam nodded while Fluttershy seemed to be quietly growing more tense about something.
"Last question."
She took a brief moment to put away her notes and look at me with her undivided attention. "Would you be willing to reject your faith in 'Jah' in order to appease the demands of the Fey?"
My mind drew a blank at the question for several seconds as it processed the question a few times over to make sure it was the question I thought it was. It was logical from their point of view I supposed, but a very bold question nonetheless.
Fluttershy leaning forward caught my attention. She didn't say anything, but she was very interested in my answer. Her eyes were focused solely on me and her expression was the most pleaful I had ever seen it. Her overall hopeful aura for my answer practically stabbed a knife in my heart, screaming at me to do what it took to make her happy.
My tears rolled down my cheeks when our eyes met and several more followed as we sat there, staring into each others' gazes.
I finally broke eye contact with her, whimpering like a child. I took a deep breath and clenched my fists for a moment before letting them go slack. I closed my eyes, turned back to Moon Beam in a broken state and gave her my answer.
"Absolutely not. As poorly versed in it as I may be, my faith is an integral part of what makes me who I am. If I give it up then I may as well be dead."
My entire form slumped as I hung my head. "Do what you must. I'll give no resistance." My eyes winced tight. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy."
Seconds passed as I sat there, waiting for whatever they had in mind for me. I was expecting them to call the guards in or something, but I didn't hear that.
Instead, I heard a drop of water hit the floor.
My tears were either getting soaked up in my shirt or falling into my lap. It wasn't my tears that I heard.
I looked up to Fluttershy, expecting it to be her tears, but I found her face dry. It was bitter with sadness and pointed down at her hooves, but dry.
I heard another drop hit the floor, and immediately looked over to Moon Beam. A tear trail could be seen along both of her cheeks as she sniffled a runny nose. "As complicated as that makes matters for us now, I can't help but respect that."
She picked up a hoof and wiped her tears. "Guards, bring it in."
The guards came in with a collar that was clearly intended for me.
"Lift your head up and let them put this on you."
The guards put the collar on me almost as soon as I lifted my chin and the unicorn guard put his glowing horn to it.
"This collar has a tracking enchantment placed on it," Moon Beam told me with a touch of sorrow she failed to hide, "If you take it off, an alarm will sound, and if we can't sense it anymore then the alarm will still sound. If you are found to be without the collar, we will be obligated by the Fey to bring you back under control with extreme prejudice, likely including the use of lethal force."
After the guard pulled back and let me bring my head back down, I looked between Fluttershy and Moon Beam. Fluttershy had scrunched back further and was practically hiding herself behind her mane and I couldn't see her expression anymore. Moon Beam seemed to be mostly recovered and back to her blank face as she continued.
"It is now also sensitive to your exact biology. So we... I... we recommend you don't shape shift into one of your animal forms while you are expected to wear it if you don't want the alarm to go off that way either."
I touched the collar, trying to look down at it but failing, a bit confused as to why they would give me something like this.
"Beyond that," Moon Beam said with an authoritative voice to get my attention again.
When I looked back at her, she calmed her voice. "Beyond that, you have free reign of most of this castle so long as you are within range of your armed escort when outside of your cell. So long as you don't go where they say you can't, you should be fine. Just don't stick your head out of the outer doors or windows. The collar will think you're escaping."
With that, Fluttershy and Moon Beam left the cell with the guards following behind. A pegasus guard had a device similar to my collar clipped to his armor, which was promptly activated by the unicorn guard. Then, everypony except the pegasus guard left.
The door remained wide open.