Why, in-universe, do you think ponies are so forgiving?

7251364
Well, given friendship literally is magic here...

7251376 Good point.
I mean, they forgave Discord after he betrayed them to Lord Tirek.

7251364
A thousand years of peace plus extreme isolation of the worse state that the rest of the cultures are in.

7251379 Also a good point.

7251364

A herd species really only has two settings: "in the herd" or "kill the outsider." Or, in ponies' case, "Starlight Glimmer/forgiveness" and "Cozy Glow/literal hell."

7251364
Given what happened in the final episodes, I’d say their willingness to forgive is more than a little inconsistent.

In addition to the above, it not only preserves the trouble-maker as an ally who is most likely grateful for the forgiveness, but it also keeps someone with the potential to reoffend in a more easily observed environment where their circle can more easily intervene than they could if they were outside and potentially seeking revenge. Also note that every character who was forgiven was repentant, or at least acting as if they were.

I think the Pillars of Harmony creating the Elements and the influence of the Royal sisters is key. We know that long ago pony tribes argued amongst one another. Also, I think having a leader like Celestia around for so long engraned her morality into their culture...basicly she raised them.

7251442
Speaking of Celestia, they have the national example of Luna being reinstated with all her power despite the Nightmare craziness.

7251466
Yup, Nightmare Moon is even considered somewhat of a "boogyman" to the Equestrians. Serving as both a warning of what happens if you don't behave, and a monster that would get you if you didn't behaive.

It’s a value they follow, and it’s also cultural.

Personally I like to imagine it could've been a lot of War that nearly led to a possible destruction of themselves, but I may be biased because I watched a movie like that a while back and it's my favorite theory for Peace-loving species.

7251364
One thing that can be observed is their inexplicable tendency to mentally "snap" and then recover on fairly short notice. So individual acts might be seen as less important, since pretty much everypony had done some things they weren't proud of. Likewise, this may have given them a sense of "no (irreperable) harm, no foul.

Don't overplay it, though - ponies are still very much capable of holding grudges and ostracising. In fact, the tendency towards forgiveness might be a cultural backlash against an earlier tendency towards unforgiveness.

7251377
Well, the key working was pretty much proof he learned his lesson.

7251466
Although that could just be a reflection of Celestia's guilt and high public trust in her.

7251549 True.

7251549
Sure, those could be the motivations, but my point is the most important person in the world to all of them is doing it, so course they follow.

7251379
WHERE? WHERE DO YOU ALL TAKE THESE THOUSAND YEARS OF PEACE?! The NMM book said it was lasting "for generations", and princesses in s9 said that what happened during the show was " longest period of harmony in recent years".

7251442
Haha lol three tribes. They started it again with just a small push and fogot everything about the so called harmony during a couple of months if not weeks.

7251364
Because magic. A bad things happen because of magic and are done by magic, then magic is dispelled and everything is fixed by magic. Poof, and it is like nothing happened.

P. S. How did you overlook this thread? It is on the first page alsmost right after yours.

I think, as several others have mentioned, that it's part of having evolved as herd animals. Getting along with others is part of their basic nature. Have you ever considered how everyone relates to Princess Luna? She walks in Pony's *dreams*. She sees them when they're at their most unguarded, sees all of their most private fantasies and desires, and, despite that, no-one is ever embarassed to meet her. There can't be a whole lot of psychological variance among the Ponies. Nopony, at least those who remain part of the herd, seems to have any buried desires or urges that they'd be seriously ashamed to have others know about. It's fairly easy to forgive people when you can put yourself into their place, and the Ponies can do that pretty much universally.

7252141
I think you're over-reading here - secrets and embarrassment are things for ponies, and many very much struggle to understand each other because of their differences. (I suspect what you speak of is why Celestia was much more popular than Luna, once upon a time...)

A deeply ingrained herding instinct combined with their status as prey animals in their historic pasts. This creates a deep need for community and cooperation and the need to turn enemies into friends.

7260719
Isn't a false friend dangerous if brought into the herd, though?