“Come on, we can’t end the night on just two stories!”
Sweetie Belle pleaded her case to a now tired Apple Bloom, who was now feeling unnerved from the experience provided by the last story they saw.
“We ain’t got much time left tonight anyway, so we might as well just go ta bed.”, Apple Bloom reasoned. “We got school tomorrow, remember?”
Sweetie Belle immediately rolled her eyes at that.
“When did you become such a stick in the mud?”
Before Apple Bloom could make another rebuttal, the sound of somepony entering the room caught both fillies’ attention. Snapping their heads around, they saw Scootaloo coming back from her little potty break. Obviously having heard at least part of their conversation from out in the hall, the pegasus looked at them curiously.
“What are we arguing about?”, she casually asked.
Apple Bloom’s expression immediately lightened as she began to gesture towards Scootaloo.
“Ah think we might have our tie breaker.”, the farm filly said with self-assurance.
“What?”, the pegasus asked.
Sweetie Belle immediately decided to step up.
“Alright! Scootaloo, can you tell Apple Bloom that cutting the night short just to get bed on time is dumb and that we should watch more stories?”
Scootaloo blinked a few times. Just when she thought of the right question to ask however, Apple Bloom cut her off.
“And can ya tell Sweetie how much worse tomorrow’s gonna suck if we stay up all night and that we’re both too tired ta listen ta the stories anyway?”
The pegasus filly was not in the mood for being tasked with making a decision tonight, especially one that’s supposed to please everypony. Luckily for her, she already had a pretty simple answer for this. Clearing her throat, she began to speak.
“I think there’s enough time for another story. But only one more story.”, she finally answered.
In response, Sweetie Belle pumped her hoof in the air while Apple Bloom sighed in defeat.
“Well Apple Bloom, you better get scrolling.”, Sweetie smugly said as she levitated the pen to her friend before turning to her other friend. “It’s your turn to ‘choose’ the next story, Scoots.”
Wasting no time, the two other fillies got into their respective positions.
Covering her eyes and extending he hoof out, Scootaloo told Apple Bloom to scroll up. As was procedure at this point, Apple Bloom did so until Scootaloo told her to stop. When she uncovered her eyes, Scootaloo had to sound out the last part of the title as she read it.
“Our Lady of Fa-ti-ma.”
“Wonder what that one is about?”, said Sweetie Belle looking over Scootaloo’s shoulder.
“Well the title sure doesn’t give any hints.”, Scootaloo said. “Other than it’s about some lady.”
“Only one way to find out then.”
Taking Sweetie Belle’s signal, Apple Bloom immediately clicked on the story. The farm filly, as well as the other two, wasted no time in laying down on the ground, their pillows comfortingly cushioning their noggins. The story opened on a nice, pleasant-looking town; since none of the building were anywhere near tall enough to be considered skyscrapers, they didn’t outshine the trees that surrounded them. The only notable building was the one only partially seen down in the bottom left corner. On top of its high-peak roof sat a cross, though it looked slightly off; its horizontal axis was higher than it was supposed to be.
“Does this take place in a hospital?”, Sweetie Belle considered.
The narrator established the time of the setting as the Autumn of 1917. He then told of how the brutality and savagery of the First World War was threatening to finally overwhelm borders of the country simply known as Portugal. But it was also at this time that 70,000 people gathered near a rural township to witness an appearance by a virgin that was supposed to marry soon. It was then that the narrator stated the following question: what exactly happened during the “Fatima Event”?
“Just when ah started ta think that all record of World War One was lost, they finally decide ta start talkin’ about it.”, Apple Bloom remarked in a pleasantly surprised tone.
“Who’s this virgin chick, though?”, Scootaloo questioned. “And who’s she marrying?”
“Both she and her fiancé must be like royalty or something if seventy thousand people are gathering to see it in person.”, Sweetie Belle pointed out.
“There wasn’t even close to that many ponies at Shining and Cadence’s wedding!”, said Scootaloo. “They’ve gotta be like the royalty of other royalty!”
With narrowed eyes, Apple Bloom rubbed her chin with her forehoof in thought.
“Why did they feel the need ta bring up that she’s a virgin? In fact, why is ‘virgin’ the only title this lady’s been given?”
Sweetie Belle began pondering this as well.
“Was she celebrated for having stayed one for such a long time?”, she guessed.
“How is that something that’s celebrated?”, said a puzzled Scootaloo. “I thought when you’re a grown up, you get made fun of for staying a virgin past a certain age?”
“Nuh uh!”, the unicorn filly objected. “My sister says it’s always noble to save yourself for marriage.”
*snort
Sweetie Belle’s ears flicked to the source of the mocking sound, the rest of her head soon following in the same direction.
“What’s so funny, Scoots?”, she asked, scrutinizing her pegasus friend with a most suspicious stare.
“Nothing~”, replied Scootaloo in a coy, singsongy voice.
Sweetie didn’t have any more time to further press Scootaloo as the intro came to an end.
The story opened up on a small town on a hill, which the narrator identified as Ourem. It is located approximately seven miles to the northeast of Fatima. The location was originally the site of medieval watchtower, positioned to guard against “Muslim” invasion during the “crusades”. As the years passed by however, the number of residencies around the fortification steadily expanded to create a significantly larger settlement.
“Any of you think these humans’ crusades are anywhere near as noble as ours?”, Scootaloo asked the room.
Putting on her proudest smirk, Apple Bloom cheerfully answered, “There ain’t a quest more noble and gallant than helpin’ others find their special talent!”
With that, each filly took their heads off their pillows and got up to give each other a three way high-hoof.
As the narrator continued, the camera panned out to reveal ten-year-old Lucia dos Santos playing out in the midday sunshine with her two younger cousins in some fields on the outskirts of town, dated May 13th, 1917. The jovial mood surrounding the group faded. They suddenly remembered the sort of stuff that occurs in these “bedtime stories”, and the possibility of children getting in mixed up in that upset them. Not in the same way a parent or legal guardian does out of the natural instinct to be concerned about their young. It was more like they couldn’t help but see themselves and their friends when they look at those children who were only a few years younger than them.
As the children laughed and chased each other around, there wasn’t a cloud to be seen in the sky, until a sudden flash of lightning sent them running for the shelter of some nearby oak trees. The light, pattering rain outside Sweetie’s window for once didn’t reflect the flashy storm apparently brewing in the story. However, this supposed storm would soon reveal itself as something entirely different. As Lucia held nine-year-old Francisco and seven-year-old Jacinta close to her, she saw the dazzling and radiant figure of a beautiful lady dressed all in white, standing there where the lightning had struck. Despite her fears, the young girl felt drawn towards the figure and told her cousins to stay where they were as she rose and tentatively walked to meet the newcomer.
Despite only being able to view this woman’s robed/shrouded form from behind, the glowing aura emanating from her was enough to tell the Crusaders that she was not only a powerful, but a comfortingly maternal presence.
Apple Bloom felt like she was getting goosebumps just watching her.
“The only one ah’ve seen give off these sorta vibes was Princess Celestia herself.”, she squeaked in awe.
With wide eyes, Sweetie Belle pondered aloud, “Does that mean she’s a human equivalent of an Alicorn?”
As Lucia approached, the lady bore a kind smile and introduced herself as Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus Christ.
“Her name is Mary?”, Sweetie said right before she had a disappointing realization. “So there’s not going to be a wedding, then!?”
The other two fillies had more important questions on their minds.
“Are we gonna learn anythin’ about her son? He sounds like a big deal if she’s specifically introducin’ herself as his momma.”, Apple Bloom thought.
“Was this Jesus guy adopted by her?”, Scootaloo wondered. “Cause unless my aunts left some really important stuff out when they gave me ‘the talk’, there’s no way she can be a virgin if she gave birth to him.”
The lady motioned for the other children to approach, but Francisco would not be moved, insistent he could not see what the girls were experiencing.
“Why can’t he see her?”, Apple Bloom questioned. “Is she only visible ta girls?”
“Unless…”, Scootaloo whispered to herself while rubbing her chin.
She gulped after a scary thought came to her mind.
“…she’s a ghost!”
When the apparition advised him to say the “Rosary”, he immediately gained the ability to see her, and cautiously stepped forwards to join his sister and cousin.
“Is ‘the Rosary’ a name for a spell?”, Sweetie briefly considered. “No, no. Twilight said humans don’t know how to use magic.”
Scootaloo, meanwhile, was busy worrying for little Francisco’s safety.
“Don’t go near her! She might be luring you in so she can steal your soul!”
The story transitioned to all the surrounding the figure. Each of them had their both of their hands pressed together in front of their faces. The fillies weren’t sure if that was supposed to be a pleading/begging gesture or if that was actually a salute. It turns out it didn’t matter whether they saw her from the front or back. The light she emitted was too bright for them to make out her features. The figure explained that she would reappear to the children on the same date over the next few months, and that together they would end the horrific war that threatened to consume their country.
Scootaloo’s fear of this spirit woman quickly melted away, quickly being replaced by newfound respect.
“Woah!”
The other two couldn’t help but admire this lady and her mission as well. However, the smiles that erupted on their faces wouldn’t last long as their friend then uttered something incredibly baffling.
“Is she gonna give them powers!?”
“What?”, said Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, both turning their heads toward Scootaloo, who began to clarify.
“I mean, she just said she wants to help them end this war. How else does she expect a buncha little kids to put a stop to it unless they got the power to do it.”
Eyes closed while attempting to wrap her head around what she just heard, Sweetie Belle raised both of her hooves up.
“Wait. Let me just get this straight.”,she said before summarizing as best she could.
“You think that this lady is going to stop this worldwide conflict by assembling a super hero team out of a rag-tag group of random kids who will use their powers, which were gifted to them by her, to make all the countries stop fighting.”
Without hesitation, Scootaloo swiftly confirmed all that Sweetie had stated.
“Yup.”, she said, before adding, “Kinda like their world’s version of the Elements of Harmony.”
“Ya realize that when the Element bearers had ta stop a war between Appleloosa and the Buffalo tribe, they didn’t end it by blastin’ both sides with the Elements of Harmony, right?”, Apple Bloom questioned without even attempting to hide the snark in her tone.
The lady, or Mary as she’s called, then asked Lucia to offer up a daily prayer for peace until their next meeting, before rising and vanishing into thin air. The excited children immediately ran straight to their homes to tell their bewildered parents what had just taken place. Word spread quickly throughout the small town and when the children returned to the spot four weeks later, they were accompanied by a crowd of approximately fifty curious onlookers; on-screen the story transitioned to an illustration of that exact event, with the onlooking adults filling up the foreground and the children in a field off in the near distance kneeling in a semi-circle on the grass.
Sweetie raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“Was everyone in town really that bored?”
“Ah don’t think they were necessarily desperate for entertainment.”, Apple Bloom retorted whilst wearing a glum expression of pity. “They were desperately searchin’ for hope wherever they could find it.”
After a short time, the vision descended from the skies and asked the children to pray with her, before again vanishing before their very eyes. None of the adults who were present witnessed the shining figure appear, but they saw the three children apparently speaking and interacting with something. Several claimed to see the branches and foliage around the children disturbed by an invisible force that entered and then subsequently left the location. The following month, a crowd of several hundred gathered to watch as Lucia and her cousins again apparently spoke to the Virgin Mary. Witnesses this time reported a mysterious haze that seemed to envelop the children, before rising up again into the heavens.
“Maybe this means this ‘Mary’ lady is one of this world’s gods?”, Scootaloo suggested.
“Hmmm.”, Sweetie Belle rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she considered this.
“My gut’s tellin’ me that ain’t exactly what she is.”, Apple Bloom said.
“Me too.”, Sweetie concurred. “Something about her title, ‘virgin mother’ doesn’t scream ‘goddess’ to me. If she were one, she’d probably be explicitly called as such.”
Soon, rumors of the visions spread to the local authorities, who took a dim view of the situation. They decided to detain and question the children on August 13th, in order to prevent the assembly from again taking place.
“What!?”
Apple Bloom was baffled by the police’s actions.
Sweetie managed to get her stop hanging agape, saying, “Are these supposed to be the fun police!? What did those kids do wrong?”
“I heard actions like these are pretty common in wartime.”
Both Sweetie and Apple Bloom flicked their curious ears towards the one who spoke up.
The latter asked, “Where did ya hear that, Scoots?”
“Ocellus told me.”, the pegasus filly answered simply before elaborating. “She said that back when Chrysalis still ruled, the hive considered itself to always be at war.”
She paused before continuing, “That meant they were always looking for any weird or suspicious behavior as a way to spot traitors or sabotage. So, someone talking to thin air would definitely get arrested and questioned.”
The narrator went on to explain that the kids would speak with the apparition a fourth time.
Apple Bloom, along with her two friends, breathed a sigh of relief at the news that the children were let go.
“For a sec, ah thought they were gonna put ‘em in a nuthouse.”
After speaking with her, young Lucia turned to the assembled crowds and informed them that Mary would visit for one final time the following month, and this time would reveal herself to everyone who attended. Three weeks later, people were traveling from across the length and breadth of the land, desperate to catch a glimpse of the “Lady of the Rosary”.
“There’s another title she goes by. Doesn’t help though.”, Sweetie Belle thought. “If only they’d tell us what a Rosary is.”
“How did word get out to the entire country that quickly?”, Scootaloo wondered.
“Portugal might be a small country.”, Apple Bloom answered with a shrug.
As the story transitioned to its next illustration, the narrator began to speak of the events at “Ourem” on the morning of October 13th, 1917, which are referred to by the “Catholic Church” as “The Miracle of the Sun”. It had been raining heavily for most of the previous evening, and the attending crowds had been forced to negotiate freshly sodden and muddy footpaths in order to reach the site. Now, as midday approached the rains had finally eased off, but the skies remained angry and sullenly overcast.
“Angry?”, said a puzzled Scootaloo. “When do skies get angry?”
An equally curious Apple Bloom asked, “Do these humans in Portugal worship the sky?”
“Isn’t that a bit primitive?”, said Sweetie Belle.
“Sweetie!”, Apple Bloom chastised. “Ya shouldn’t look down on others for who they worship.”
An improvised wooden shrine was thrown together, and now a crowd of seventy thousand people stood in front of it. They were a diverse mixture of faithful worshippers, skeptics and idle curiosity seekers, all waiting for some kind of sign that the Virgin Mary truly had come down from heaven to walk amongst their number. As the crowds watched on impatiently, three small figures dressed in flowing white robes were gently lifted onto a hastily erected platform that stood before them. With the people waiting expectantly, Lucia had stepped forward to announce that the Virgin Mary was now present and had chosen to entrust her and her cousins with a series of holy secrets and truths. The trio of fillies immediately had their minds run wild about all the possible knowledge that could be granted to them and began wondering what they would ask an entity as powerful as this Virgin Mary or Equestria’s two former diarchs.
Without hesitation, Apple Bloom would’ve asked this Mary lady how the afterlife was treating her granny. Scootaloo wished she could ask Luna if dreams can predict the future; or better yet, ask Mary if she could teach her how to see into the future herself. She felt like she and the ones around her were getting blindsided quite a lot, recently. Sweetie Belle, personally, only had one question that she would ask this Mary who possessed so much spiritual knowledge and wisdom. It was one that she had been trying to get Ocellus to answer, who for some reason became really evasive whenever she asked: if changelings only feed on love, do they still have to poop?
Once again, it appeared that nobody other than the children was able to see the astral visitor, but there would be plenty of witnesses to what would happen next. The Crusaders’ attention was peaked as they saw the image pan out enough to reveal a large crowd staring up at the sky; the fillies knew to prepare themselves for what they suspected was the story’s climax. Lucia then announced that Mary, the mother of their Lord Jesus Christ, was going to be the one to finally end the Great War that had been raging for the last three years. Here and now, she would demonstrate her mighty powers to the assembled crowd as proof she was capable of making good on this promise to them.
Apple Bloom beamed.
“She’s gonna wipe that Hitler jerk off the map!”, she declared.
“That was World War Two. This one is set during the first.”, Sweetie Belle corrected.
“You can’t prove that he wasn’t around to start both wars.”, the earth pony rationalized.
“Maybe.”, conceded the unicorn. “But if he was around to cause trouble later, then she obviously didn’t destroy him.”
Lucia then turned and raised her hands towards the skies, before this movement was mirrored by her younger cousins, Francisco and Jacinta. The next illustration then showed many in the crowd mimicking this action as the narrator talked about how descriptions of exactly what took place after this do varied somewhat. However, pretty much all those who were present agreed on some level that they saw the clouds above them slowly part and the sun began to shine down on the upturned faces of the watching masses. Many claim that the light that was generated by this development was in fact strong enough to dry their rain-sodden clothes and once again bake the damp ground beneath their feet so that it was solid enough for them to stand upon.
As the realization of what was going on made the fillies’ jaws drop, the narrator continued explaining how a significant number of witnesses would go on to describe how the sun started move around in the skies above them in an extraordinary and sometimes frightening manner. Some people described the movement as a slow rotation or cartwheeling motion. To others, it started to gyrate around its axis with some speed, much the some way a child’s spinning top would move. In some testimonies by those present, they claim the sun morphed from a bright orange to a deep dark purple, and then back again; others stated it changed to a silvery metallic color, still clearly visible but almost intangible to behold. In a minority of cases, witnesses reported seeing streamers and flashes of light issuing forth from the heavenly body, descending to the ground below.
With every detail, the Crusaders only became more amazed.
“Holy shit!”, Scootaloo finally exclaimed.
“Is… is this lady is like the Celestia of the human world!?”
Apple Bloom couldn’t help but shake her head following Sweetie Belle’s question.
“Ah… can’t believe ah’m sayin’ this, but ah haven’t even seen Celestia show this level of control over the sun.”
The narrator began clarifying how it was the descriptions of the sun’s rapid movements back and forward across the sky that were most disturbing. Countless reports described the sun violently zigzagging from side to side, whilst others state the sun suddenly accelerated towards the ground, burning with a fiery intensity before again returning to normal.
“I’m more amazed by the color changing than that, personally.”, Sweetie Belle said. “I’ve never seen the sun turn purple or silver.”
“You also haven’t seen the sun hurtling down towards you from the sky, either.”, Scootaloo pointed out.
This amazing turn of events would continue for another ten minutes, evoking screams of both joy and terror from those watching below. Lucia then slowly lowered her arms back down to her sides and turned to face the masses. The clouds rolled back in overhead to once again obscure the sun and its activities from the terrified crowds. The three girls watching were more than impressed at the sheer power being wielded by children even younger than they were.
“If Lucia and her little cousins are able ta handle all that power, maybe we could one day wield the Elements of Harmony and be heroes like our big sisters.”, Apple Bloom said, her voice reflecting growing sense of wonder as she imagined using the elements against Equestria’s newest baddie alongside her friends.
She then somepony touch her shoulder, prompting her to turn her head and find a smiling Sweetie Belle comfortingly grabbing onto her shoulder as well as Scootaloo lifting her head high enough off her pillow to beam directly at her.
“Don’t forget.”, Sweetie Belle spoke up. “There ain’t a goal more noble, gallant or heroic than helpin’ ponies find their special talent.”
Apple Bloom smirked and playfully rolled her eyes at Sweetie’s attempt to imitate her accent. She would’ve thanked her friends, but this was frankly getting corny enough as is. So, she just went back to watching the story instead. Besides, they knew she always appreciated gestures like those.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, “the church” despatched a number of local priests in order to conduct an official investigation into what happened. Their orders were to evaluate if what was reported was compatible and acceptable with the church’s traditional teachings, and then present their findings to the local “bishop”.
“Is this ‘Catholic Church’ up to some Men in Black type stuff?”, Scootaloo wondered.
“What?”, Sweetie Belle puzzled. “No. They’re not covering anything up. They probably worship this ‘Mary’ girl.”
“It amazes me how much we bring up the Men in Black even when they have nothin’ ta do with the story we’re watchin’.”, Apple Bloom griped slightly.
As part of their investigations, the priests had conducted hundreds of interviews with some of the people who had been present and were reportedly struck by two things. Firstly, there was a wild degree of variance in what individual people reported having seen that day. And secondly, the number of witnesses was spread widely across the different demographics and groups who had attended, regardless of their own personal beliefs or levels of faith. The narrator then declared that there was little doubt that something truly awe-inspiring had taken place in that damp little country field, and that those who were present largely believed it to have been an act of God.
“Shouldn’t that first point cast some doubt on the whole event?”, Sweetie Belle pointed out.
Apple Bloom privately did have to acknowledge that was a pretty bold declaration from their typically skeptical narrator. Still, a part of her really, really wanted to agree with that sentiment. It wasn’t like the previous stories where it was actually relieving to see holes poked in the stories and reports of monsters and horrific incidents. The prospect of this lady’s existence would’ve added something actually positive to the world of these humans. It also took her back to a time not so long ago when she dared to believe in folktales meant to inspire hope. The Great Seedling being the first to come to mind.
The huge volume and compelling nature of the testimonies of those who were involved were certainly enough to convince the Catholic Church that the incident was indeed a genuine visitation by the Virgin Mary. Successive church leaders would go on to spend many years investigating the event, right up until the present day. As recently as 2017, “Pope Francis” officially classified the event as a holy miracle and opened proceedings that paved the way for all three children to be canonized.
“Woah, woah, woah!”
Scootaloo waved her forelegs back and forth trying to halt the narrator from further speaking.
“Who repays someone who does all that super cool stuff by basting them apart with a canon ball?!”
“Ah don’t think that’s what they mean.”, Apple Bloom tried to explain.
“You mean they’re going to be shot out of the canon?”
“No!”
While the exasperated farm filly defeatedly put her head in her own hooves, the narrator carried explaining how not all commentators and observers placed so much faith in such religious explanations. This has given rise to a altogether different slants to what took place. One of the biggest being that the incident was actually an extra-terrestrial visitation rather than a holy one.
“Wuh?”, said Apple Bloom, taking her face out of her hooves.
The other two were just as perplexed as they listened to the narrator elaborate. The biggest basis for this explanation was that the solar effects described by the witnesses were not reported anywhere else in the world that day other than the Fatima site itself. This meant that it can only have been a localized occurrence. Given this fact, is it possible that the entity viewed by the children might instead have been a visitor from another planet, and that the bright light seen moving around the sky was some form of craft as opposed to the sun itself? Sweetie Belle rubbed her chin as she considered the point that was just raised.
“I guess that is a major hole in the story if no one else outside of Fatima saw the sun zooming around.”, she conceded. “Still, isn’t it kind of weird to assume it’s aliens?”
“I was kind of thinking the same thing, at first.”, Scootaloo confessed. “But if it isn’t magic or aliens what else could it be?”
Whether a true miracle or an extra-terrestrial visitation, the fact remains that many people witnessed the event, some in wildly different ways to others, and many saw nothing at all.
“What!? So, not everyone saw the miracle!?”
Apple Bloom’s thoughts were pretty much echoed by her friends.
The narrator then postulated that the occurrence was either deeply personal or some form of optical illusion that not everyone was in a position to experience in the same way. With that, he offered a third explanation. That being that the witnesses were seeing an optical phenomenon known as a “Sundog” or “Mock Sun” or as it’s known technically, a “parhelion”. It consists of one or two intensely bright halos of light appearing to form alongside the sun. The Crusaders marveled at the illustration giving such a nice pretty view of this event, though they wished they were seeing it in color.
Parhelia are caused when the sun’s rays are reflected back by patches of ice crystals which have formed int the upper atmosphere. To observers on the ground, it appears as if the sun’s mass is gradually increasing or decreasing in size, dependent upon how large the patch of crystals is, which the light is passing over. They are not restricted to any one geographical area or type of weather system and are something that has historically been witnessed all over the globe. This made sense, since the Crusaders all realized that they actually have seen this event before in person.
“Still, ain’t the timin’ for that way too convenient?”, Apple Bloom argued. “A parhelion just happens ta show up when Lucia announces that Mary will show off her powers?”
“Also, how did so many people see the sun changing color and zigzagging across the sky?”, Scootaloo added. “Those ‘sundogs’ are nothing like that.”
Coincidentally, the narrator proceeded to acknowledge the very same points that Scootaloo raised. In the face of this, he offered another meteorological explanation. This time, it involved the sun’s color altering subtly when incoming light is reflected off droplets of moisture in the atmosphere. It was also possible that the reports of the sun resembling a silvery spinning disk may have been the result of thin, almost indiscernible clouds passing across and impairing the vision of those watching from below.
“This just makes me wish Rainbow Dash was here.”, Scootaloo sighed. “She used to be on the weather team, so she could probably explain all of this.”
The narrator then pointed out how staring directly at the sun for any sustained period of time can cause significant damage to the retina. Even spending a limited amount of time trying to focus on a powerful light source such as a light bulb can cause minor damage to the eye, and the illusion of movement as the eye muscles start to tire and overly relaxed. Having laid the groundwork to suggest that it could have been a combination of meteorological effects and optical illusion that the people of Fatima were witnessing, the more skeptical observers then turn to the psychological aspects and mentality of viewing an incident as part of a crowd.
“They ain’t gonna suggest everyone there temporarily went crazy, are they?”, Apple Bloom glumly speculated.
In this case, the vast majority of those who attended had an expectation or burning desire to see something happen, which was enough to persuade not only themselves, but also those around them that a miracle was taking place.
“Ponies… or people, see what they wanna believe.”, Sweetie Belle summarized.
Noticing the sheer disappointment written all over Apple Bloom’s face, the unicorn then patted her on the shoulder.
The scientific term for such phenomena is Pareidolia and is something that critics of religious sightings have often fallen back on in order to undermine what has been reported. As witnesses testify to having seen humbling and fantastic images, what they describe naturally goes on to influence and taint the mental image for others who are watching. There have also been numerous alleged appearances by the Virgin Mary throughout the years and the argument against a majority of them is that when the idea or image of Mary is placed into the minds of the public by media after one sighting has been reported a certain percentage of people will then suddenly start to see the face of Mary everywhere they look, from smoke rings and shadows to foodstuffs and coffee stains.
Sweetie Belle snorted.
“That reminds me of the time Rarity got offended after I said the shape of a mound in Opal’s litter box looked a little bit like her.”, she admitted with a facial expression that was somehow half embarrassed and half pleased with herself.
While Scootaloo burst into a wheezing fit of laughter, Apple Bloom stewed at the narrator’s words.
“Ya know what, ah don’t care what he says.”, she declared. “If what ya say is true, Sweetie Belle, then there is some magic in these humans’ world. And that means it’s most obvious explanation.”
The story then cut to the first up close image of what was described as the most regularly scrutinized element of the story, Lucia herself. She stood there, wearing a modest long-sleeved plaid shirt and lengthy skirt. Her most distinctive article of clothing was the veil hanging directly from the top of her head and draping all the way down to her hips, or possibly even past them from the looks of it. The way she faced directly at the viewer was like she was posing for a photo, except that the look on her face was a perfect mask of sternness that was a far cry from the expressions that any of the three fillies were expected to where when posing for a picture. The Crusaders weren’t sure why she looked so serious in this particular image, but they could only guess that Lucia was constantly feeling the weight of the glorious purpose bestowed upon her by the Virgin Mary.
Cynics are quick to point out that Lucia was the youngest of seven sisters, with a five-year gap between her and her next oldest sibling.
“What does that have to do with anything?”, Scootaloo inquired.
From an early age she played her sisters and parents off against each other, striving to be the center of attention by spinning tall tales and fantastic stories. All three Crusaders began to pout as they were all little sisters themselves, even if Scootaloo would technically only be a surrogate one. So, the character assassination they were putting Lucia through for being the littlest sibling naturally felt like an attack on them.
“Every single critic who said that about Lucia was definitively the big sibling in their family. So biased!”, Sweetie complained with her forehooves crossed.
Tragically, both Francisco and Jacinta would be claimed by the “Spanish Flu” that ravaged “Europe” in the aftermath of the war. So, the only real source of information about what the children saw would be Lucia. Upon hearing this, the fillies’ outrage fizzled out to make way for sympathy in regards to Lucia and her family’s loss. They continued to listen as it was told how over the years her account has been altered and revised to no small degree, and many of her predictions have only arrived years after the events she described took place.
World War One did not end for another year after the incident and it would not be until 1927 that she claimed Mary had foretold that her cousins would die at a young age. She also said that the spirit had shown her visions of soldiers executing a bishop in the ruins of a great city. Some have tried to tie this to the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II, but even Lucia’s own mother disowned her testimony, giving interviews to state that the girl was a fantasist and a trickster. The fillies grew more and more uncomfortable as the evidence against Lucia piled up. Mere minutes ago she was an inspiration for kids like them to accomplish great feats, now she was shaping up to be a disappointment.
“It musta been tough, though. Havin’ your own momma call ya a liar ta the whole world.”, Apple Bloom considered.
According to the narrator, it was actually rare for the papal authorities to so readily accept an incident so miraculous in nature, but the witness accounts of several thousand people made for a compelling case. Even taking into account the undermining factors of mass hysteria and suggestion, the possibility that something extraordinary did take place in front of the assembled crowd is very real. The actions of Lucia in the years after the incident have done little to improve her credibility, but none of these issues explain what it was people saw or how it made them feel. Nor can they explain the sheer coincidence that something truly significant occurred in the skies overhead at exactly the time it was predicted by the children. Apple Bloom felt a smile creep onto her muzzle now that she finally heard her point from earlier acknowledged.
The narrator then posited his own idea for how the supernatural works; some people see it, some people don’t. Both groups accuse each other of being uninformed or crazy and this is, of course, why they divide themselves into skeptics and believers. Sweetie Belle let loose a hum of intrigue.
“You know, that is kind of how it works here too.”
Scootaloo turned to her and asked, “Where?”
“Here. In Equestria.”
“How so?”, Apple Bloom chimed in.
“You know. It’s like how only one pony in this room can use magic…”, the unicorn pointed at her own horn before taking it away to gesture back at Apple Bloom. “…and the others can’t.”
Rather than the ending the analogy there, she unfortunately began elaborating even further. She then pointed her hoof at Scootaloo.
“Or how some ponies can fly but only one…”, she paused mid-sentence as she looked at the tiny, pathetic wings on her friend’s back, suddenly remembered a certain detail about her flightless friend.
“Or I guess nopony here in this room can…”, she finished a forced, but appropriately sheepish smile.
“Ah ha. Ha. Ha! HA!”
The pegasus filly’s little mock laughter session had her face start out as a perfect mask of joviality that by the end slipped off to reveal her scorn.
Meanwhile, the narrator was busy discussing how the most interesting aspect of the Fatima event is that so many skeptics who were present testified to witnessing the spectacle. Many believers who were also there that day, on the other hand, saw absolutely nothing. Whether one genuinely believes that for one day only, the mysteries of heaven revealed themselves to mankind, or that some other inexplicable force visited earth under the guise of a miraculous event, it is difficult to deny that something truly humbling and extraordinary did take place in a quiet corner of Portugal, roughly one hundred years ago.
The Crusaders simply looked on at the illustration of Mary’s bright astral form, who slowly faded out of the picture until only the field she was standing in could still be seen. With that, the story faded to black, signifying its end.
“Ah gotta say, even though ah am bummed that Lucia might’ve made that all up…”, Apple Bloom spoke up. “Ah’m still happy ah watched this one.”
“Yeah. It really washed out the bad aftertaste from the last story. I had a lot more fun.”, Scootaloo concurred. “Still, there’s one thing that’s bugging me.”
“What?”, Sweetie Belle asked.
“If it has nothing to do with canons, then what does ‘canonize’ mean?”, the pegasus filly inquired. “You never explained that.”
“Oh.”, the unicorn said, realizing it was her job to answer. “Well, in this case, when they say they’ll canonize someone like Lucia and her cousins, it would mean they’re officially declaring them as people who should be considered good and virtuous.”
She then began tapping her own chin, looking up thoughtfully.
“At least, according to their own doctrine. Basically, they’re calling them saints.”
Apple Bloom’s eyes shined with simultaneous realization and recollection.
“Oh! Ya mean like how the Seven Pillars of Equestria were categorized as saints after they disappeared? Or how Cadence was, immediately after she became an alicorn?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Maybe that’s what this Mary girl used to be, back when she was alive.”, Scootaloo suggested.
“You mean a saint?”, asked Sweetie.
After Scootaloo nodded her head, Apple Bloom gave an answer.
“Ah guess it would make sense. Ah’m pretty sure they briefly mentioned that she only works for their god, rather than bein’ a god herself. She probably did a ton of good stuff in the process.”
“Weird that they didn’t mention the god’s name, though.”
Before Scootaloo’s observation could be explored any further, Sweetie Belle came back with her own entirely different question.
“Do you think the Element bearers have done enough to be called saints?”
Apple Bloom looked as if she was shocked Sweetie would even need to ask that.
“We’d probably be up all night tryin’ ta list all the ways they’ve saved the day! Princess Twilight would definitely have ta canonize them after they’re gone!”
A big grin formed on Scootaloo’s face.
“Yeah…”, she said. “I can totally picture their titles now. Rainbow Dash the loyal and awesome, Applejack the honest, Rarity the generous, Fluttershy the kind and Pinkie Pie the…”
The little orange pegasus halted her speaking, drawing a blank for Pinkie Pie’s title.
“…the funny one?”
That got her a reaction from the other two in the form of snorts followed immediately by chuckling, which then evolved into cackling. It wasn’t long before she started joining in.
“Heh, heh, heh… phew.”, Apple Bloom sighed, before checking the time. “Well, ah dunno about you two, but ah’ll just make mah way ta the bathroom and brush mah teeth.”
She then got off the floor and headed out of the room, soon followed by Sweetie Belle getting up to join her. Watching the two walk out the door, Scootaloo was getting up to follow them. She was halted in her tracks when her ears suddenly picked up a weird, faint little noise from behind her. It reminded of the scratchy squeaks and screeches her aunt’s rocking chair made, but somehow it also sounded… alive.
She cautiously turned her head back to face Sweetie Belle’s window, assuming that’s the only reasonable place it could have come from. What she saw made her leap back at what she saw. Or partially saw. Whatever was just out the window had scurried out of view too quickly for her to make out any details. The sound of creaking on the roof outside made her back to the door and speed trotted out. She wasn’t sure, but as her mind tried processing the image she just bore witness to, she could’ve sworn that it was a wing she saw. A big one too.