“Yeeg,” Twilight said, tapping her pointing stick on her hoof. “I was honestly hoping this topic would lose, but, well, here we are, I guess. The problem is that, well, um, this topic is rather…”
“Complicated,” Applejack interjected. “There’s no way ya can say ‘ponies think this way’ or ‘ponies think that way’ when it comes ta bein’ spiritual. It’d be like sayin’ ‘ponies are orange.’”
Twilight rubbed her head. “Yeah, that about covers it. There is no one church or school of thought when it comes to ponies and religion. Our spiritual beliefs, especially the details, tend to be highly, highly local. There are, however, a few things I can say. One is that we do not have a set, single god like the gryphons or even a universal pantheon like the Zebra or Minotaurs. Another is that an awful lot of ponies have their beliefs tied to the seasons in some way, especially earth ponies.”
Applejack tilted her hat a bit. “Eeyup. Seasons are a big thing for ponies. Especially earth pony farmers. Each season feels different, and we can sense it in our hearts. Can move a pony ta tears if’n they think about it deep enough.”
“Right. I’ve attended some of the general celebrations they have in Ponyville with them, like Winter Wrap Up. The government-sponsored ones have to remain neutral with regards to the spiritual aspects, but local governments and Duchies are generally allowed to create holidays around more non-religious themes, like Hearts and Hooves Day. I’ve also read that many earth pony towns, especially small ones, will also have beliefs tied to local legends and spirits in particular. I found it all fascinating, as unicorns, especially those in large cities, tend to have a rather different view on things.”
Applejack chuckled a bit. “Kind of a fancy way of saying you’ve got your noses pointing in the air all the time.”
Twilight lifted a hoof up to her chest. “Applejack, I’m surprised at you! We aren’t all like that, and just because we regard the heavens as… Wait, you were making a joke on… Ah.”
The two ponies stared at each other for a while, with the farmer grinning like a cat and the mage looking like she’d just tossed an extremely itchy sweater in a corner and decided it was worthy of a glare.
“Took ya long enough ta get—OW!”
A small crack went through the air from the pointing stick hitting an earth pony skull. Neither were damaged, though one was at least a little embarrassed.
“No making awful jokes in my educational segments, Applejack. That’s my job.” She cleared her throat. “Ahem. Anyway, what my assistant was so poorly alluding to is that what unicorns that do have a spiritual side tend to look up at the sky for their inspiration. We see the cosmos itself as our ‘ultimate reality.’ Everything that is and is not, the sum total of the mysteries of our magical universe. And if you put two unicorns in a room and have them talk about it, you’re basically guaranteed to find some kind of disagreement or conflict within two minutes, even in a best-case scenario.”
Applejack rubbed her head where the stick had struck it. “Ow. Ow ow ow. Yer gettin’ strong with that, Twi. And I honestly can’t get how ya’ll can get that much meanin’ out of astrology. I mean, it’s pretty and all, but…”
“Astronomy, Applejack,” Twilight corrected her. “I study astronomy. That’s the study of the universe, not trying to divine meaning from the positioning of constellations. Although I will say you do bring up a good point, which is that unicorns are a bit more likely to believe in astrology and fate than other tribes. Exceptions, of course, abound, and many earth ponies and pegasi have their own superstitions. On top of that, there is a fairly large subset of unicorns in Shanghay, Marelaysia, and Neighpon that not only go for such things but include an even stronger focus on spirits than many earth ponies do. They’re also a bit more organized than many other ‘religions’ we ponies have.
“That said, I do not believe in such superstitions unless they’re attached to Pinkie Pie. Now, as for pegasi…”
“Speaking of pegasi," Applejack said. “Where’s Rainbow? Wasn’t she supposed to be here fer this?”
Twilight shook her head. “I asked her, but she turned it down pretty adamantly. I’m not really sure why, and she didn’t want to get into it, so I decided against pushing harder. Anyway, pegasi have a tendency to find even more meaning from their ancestry than unicorn nobles do, and unlike the other tribes, don’t tie much of their faith to seasons. Prayers are often said to dead forebearers, asking for guidance from an older generation rather than a specific deity or non-pony spirit, and will sometimes keep small mementos from them as a sort of good luck charm.
“One theory is that since pegasi live somewhat aggressively, and since their lifespans aren’t as long, the idea that those who have passed can protect the living is particularly appealing. Something to help keep calm in the face of greater dangers. I don’t know how much I buy into that, but I don’t have hard evidence to refute it either.”
Applejack shuddered a bit. “Let me guess. Since ya just talked about the ponies passing away, next up is the afterlife.”
Twilight nodded. “Yes. If you were coming from a perspective devoid of magic, one might think we’d have some kind of answer of what happens to our being after we die. But, the truth is, we just don’t truly know. Some have beliefs, but that doesn’t mean we have anything approaching hard evidence. Unlike the rest of our spiritual beliefs, though, this one has a common thread across tribal barriers, and Princess Celestia says the legend is even older than she is.”
Applejack swallowed. “The Summerlands. Endless grasses and water. No pain, no suffering. Never gettin’ frail or fallin’ ill. Room to run forever as part of the Eternal Herd. Peace everlastin’.”
Twilight took a deep, sharp breath, and slowly exhaled before continuing. “Right. It’s sometimes also called ‘The Eternal Meadow.’ I remember that when I first started studying under the Princess, I asked about it. She told me that nopony, not even she, ultimately knew if there was life after death. It’s still a mystery and one that we may never solve.”
“Well, I for one hope it’s true.” Applejack took off her hat and held it to her chest. “I have to. And it seems to me that if we’re all thinking the same thing, we might be onto something.”
“I hope so too, AJ. Well everybody, that about covers it for this installment. I’ll put up the voting board again and—”
“Wait a minute, there, sugarcube. Aren’t you going to talk about alicorns and—”
“No!” Twilight dropped her pointing stick, fumbling with it in her hooves a little. “I mean, not yet. That would come later and in a separate topic, thank Celest… Argh!”
Applejack smirked. “Heh.”
NEW TOPIC IN HIGHER POWER REVEALED!
NEW THREAD UNLOCKED! (Equestrian Politics)
==Pony Genetics==Stock Ponies and Draft Ponies
Tribe Hybrids
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==Equestrian Politics==
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Wing types overview
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Languages
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==Higher Power==Pony spirituality
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