This is a very odd thing in the show. Sometimes animals act like they would in real life- sentient, but probably not sapient. The odd thing is that often, especially when Fluttershy is around, animals are like. well, people, even if though they can't talk. Fluttershy even seems to be able to understand animal-talk.

Odd. Hypothetically, it could likely discourage me from eating Equestrian animals, even if the ponies are understanding.

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>Trying to make sense of a cartoon.

The answer is that it's a bloody cartoon of course the animals act like people.

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The reason they behave like that around Fluttershy is because her special talent is the ability to communicate with them. Around any other pony, they would behave mostly like animals from our world. Of course, they also generally have higher intelligence overall than real animals do.

Wouldn't stop me from eating animals. Humans need meat to be healthy. Vegetarians are only able to exist in today's modern, industrialized world. With our vitamin supplements, and chemistry-enhanced farming.

I highly doubt the fish have any scrap of sapience, even with blatant magical b-s.

If you ask me, the show animals may be smart, but, considering they're still animals. Fluttershy is able to talk to them, and understand them, a lot of people do that today, so it really isn't odd when that happens. I've heard of people who talk to their pets like normal people, and somehow understand them.

1451425

it could likely discourage me from eating Equestrian animals

obviously fluttershy has a reality warp field around her, just like steve jobs

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You mean THOSE fishes?

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Oh for the love of- why Hasbro, WHY?! Do you want all the omnivores to choose between becoming murderers or dying of starvation, and what about the bloody carnivores? Also, I'm pretty sure I've seen Fluttershy feeding her animals fish.

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And now you know why there's so many things about Fluttershy being a very good serial killer.

And it was not that hard to begin with.

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If an animal talked to me, it would only make me want to eat them more.

Okayyy. A few conundrums here; time to seek reconciliation.

1: Fluttershy has been seen feeding animals to other animals, so in spite of her meek nature she recognises the predator/prey relationship and must logically be able to compute the most mutually beneficial method.

2: Curiously enough it seems that griffons are actually relatively well-received in Equestria albeit with the risk of ostracism if they perform any significant faux pas, therefore ponies can tolerate the presence of sapient predators.

3: It could well be that at least some sapient herbivores accept and may even encourage the consumption of their deceased by predatory life in certain circumstances, so while a human could be done for murder if they actually slaughter a bull in Equestria they may still get a steak meal as part of a bovine funerary rite if the deceased died of natural causes (and presumably has been sufficiently prepared to minimise risk of sickness). However this does leave the paradox of the meat's texture; there's a strong theory abound that says that the more adrenaline in a bull's body when it dies the more tender the meat.

Doesn't matter if the animals are sentient or sapient, i'd still eat them.