“So this is heaven?”
“Some ponies think so, but it’s just Equestria. Welcome, by the way. I’m your first friend.” Snowtail extended a hoof to the newcomer.
“I still thought that it would be tailored more to what I expected. Even clouds and harps would be more in keeping with tradition.”
“Well, we are pegasus ponies, so we can head up to the clouds any time you like. As for harps, I’m sure we can find one, or at least a good lyre.” Snowtail was confused by this new immigrant. She had helped a number of emigrated ponies become accustomed to their new life. But he just took it all in placidly. One tack for when that happened, even though it wasn’t perfectly in line with Celestia’s ideals, was to talk about how they got there.
“What did you do in your old life? Back when you were human?”
“I was a priest, dedicated to helping bring people to God and preaching His word. Then when I died, I met Him and was judged righteous, and then I was here in this…rather odd form. Not quite angelic.”
“Well, I don’t know this ‘God’ pony, but any friend of yours is a friend of mine!”
The new pony called himself Peter, which was just barely allowable as a pony name, though it made Snowfall snicker. He talked to her about strange stories that she didn’t quite understand. But as he talked about the pony named God, Snowtail started to get a picture of what he was talking about.
“Oh!” she said. “You mean Princess Celestia! Yes, we all love her.”
“No, God is outside this world, even outside the world outside. He makes up all of what we are.”
“Yep, that’s Celestia all right!”
Peter kept his even tone. “Your Celestia, from what she told me, is a construct of mankind. She works by the rules of the universe. God is not a construct. He is the alpha and the omega, there before any of this.”
“Still not seeing where Celestia doesn’t fit the bill.”
That set him to thinking. “Maybe Celestia is how God chooses to reveal Himself to you…and to me as well. I couldn’t say why that would be the case, but it’s not my place to question Him.”
“Well, I do question Celestia all the time, and I keep after her until I get a good answer.”
“All the more reason I say they’re different.”
“Yeah, Celestia’s better,” Snowtail said, and immediately regretted it. This was supposed to be her new friend, and here she was stepping all over something he obviously cared about. “Look, I’m just a simple pony. I don’t know about outer realms and worlds outside the worlds outside. All I do know is that here and now, I’m happy and satisfied. And I hope you will be.”
“That’s all I’ve ever wanted for my own friends.” Hoof in hoof, they flew off. “Which is why I’ve really got to get some sermons written down…”