Part IV
: click :
“Twilight Sparkle’s second interview with Midnight Wind, continuing part two after a break.”
“So, you have that one more question about our beliefs?”
“I found an intriguing question about some of your rites, yes. But something came to my mind during the break.”
“You do know that you have a large rate of ideas per minute...?”
“Oh, shush.”
: chuckle :
“So, you talked a lot about priesthood of the Immaculate Moon... Are there any priests of the Judging Sun?”
“No! No, no, no, there never were any and there never shall be any.”
“Why is that? She is a goddess too, she can’t have her clerics?”
“The Judging Sun is a goddess, yes. More than that, she is the sister of the Immaculate Moon... But that does not change the fact that, while acknowledged, she shall never be worshipped. We serve but one Goddess, our Immaculate Goddess...”
“But you mentioned before that you do not consider Judging Sun... Princess Celestia... evil.”
“Because she is not evil. She is just an unforgiving and immovable deity. To worship her would be pointless. She cannot be placated.”
“Only the Immaculate Moon can achieve this and soothe her, you said...”
“Correct.”
“So there are no ceremonies, or priests of the Judging Sun.”
“Not even one.”
“Alright, thank you...”
: silence :
“Seems that you are saddened by this.”
“I just... I know Princess Celestia well... and she is not matching your beliefs, you know...”
“To you, she might be a different goddess. Just like you perceive the Immaculate Moon... differently than we do...”
“I guess you are right...”
“You stay with your way, I shall stay with mine. I think this might be the best solution.”
“Yeah, I guess... But now, a question that I have here, about your religious ceremonies. Can you tell us a bit about them? Do you have a said day that is considered holy? What about, for example, marriages and funerals? ‘Death rites’ you called them, I think.”
“Let me start by saying that we do not have specific nights in the calendar for venerating the Immaculate Moon... We do so every night, by working and living under Her light.”
“So you view your whole life as a way of praising your goddess?”
“Correct. The herami are always open, if one wants to conduct a prayer. No matter the hour. Once a night though, usually around midnight, the local arcemandr shall hold a short ritual, as a form of thanking the Immaculate Moon... for Her divine guidance. You can take part in it, and many do so voluntarily, but you can pray whenever and it is not an obligatory thing to attend such service.”
“How do batponies pray exactly? I remember you mentioned your ‘The Stars will aid Her escape’ prayer, for example. Do you have more of those formulas you use?”
“There are a rather large number of prayers, yes, and many of those also have their melodies.”
“Oh, so you have chants?”
“Yes. And, let me tell you, you have to hear a choir performing some of them once.”
“I might quite soon, you know...”
: chuckle :
“I do, yes. Aside from those, though, you can use your own words. You just have to assume a correct position.”
“One reserved specifically for praying?”
“Precisely.”
: hoofsteps :
“You have to sit down with your hind legs, extend your wings...”
: swoosh :
“... spread your front legs, like opening yourself to the light of the Immaculate Moon... and then raise your head towards the sky. This position shows your readiness to serve our Goddess and willingness to follow Her, no matter what She expects from you.”
“Let me try.”
: hoofsteps :
: swoosh :
“Is this correct?”
“Raise your front legs a bit higher. That’s it.”
“And then you start to pray?”
“Yes.”
: cough :
“Neskaza Lunee... Tue illume iayi noci. Proda Tue wiecn.”
: silence :
: swoosh :
“One of the shortest prayers. I use it regularly.”
“What does it mean?”
“In Equestrian... ‘Immaculate Moon... You lighten my nights. May I serve You eternally.’ More or less.”
“I see. Short, but very meaningful.”
“Exactly, Twilight.”
“We’ve covered this aspect then. But what about more complex ceremonies, how are they performed? Marriages, for example.”
“Well, a marriage is conducted by one of the arcemandri, but the social role of it is more important than religious, I should point out. The rite is assuring that any children of the couple shall be recognized as new members of a Family.”
“Ah, I see. So it emphasizes a connection. Is it a mark of adulthood also, for example?”
“No, no, nothing of sorts. It shows that two noctrali are very close, which is a natural assumption, but, mostly, it implies that they are willing to have offspring and that it shall be appearing in not too distant future.”
“So it is an important rite for continuing a bloodline. Is it also a way of making a physical relationship approved?”
“One could say that. Naturally, such contacts do happen before marriage, but they are considered quite unwanted. Especially if they might lead to conceiving a child out of ‘wedlock’, I think you say.”
“What if it does happen? Is a child of unmarried ponies in a worse position?”
“Why would we treat the little one worse for the deeds of parents? The chastising falls upon the couple.”
“... are they punished somehow?”
“No, but they are forced to enter a marriage immediately, for the child must formally belong to a Family. It is also a rather hurting... mark.”
“Oh, a social stigma?”
“Yes, that’s the word. For the rest of their lives.”
: silence :
“That’s a harsh penalty...”
“Appropriate, if you ask me.”
: silence :
“... okay... Let us move on... Oh, how about you tell us what is the official opinion on relationships between two stallions, or two mares.”
“Completely neutral. They happen, that’s all.”
“But can those ponies marry?”
“Why would they? They are obviously not going to have offspring.”
“Maybe they want to make their relationship official? Show it to the community that they are taking this seriously.”
“Marriage does not really serve this purpose, as I already said. Within our enclosed society, based on close family ties, we can easily tell if you have a coltfriend or a fillyfriend. And whether you are yourself the same gender does not mean one thing or the other. To give an example – Bright Crescent, haspadr of the Crescent Family has, since always, been in a relationship with another stallion from his peak, Crescent Light. And it is treated in a completely normal way.”
“I see. But let’s go back to the ceremony itself – how is it conducted?”
“At the local herame, as you might imagine.”
“With close relatives?”
“Yes. Parents, grandparents, cousins and so forth. Sometimes a Lord shall grace the ceremony with his or her presence.”
“How big is the celebration then?”
“Enough for two sets of relatives, usually. It has some symbolism and formulas to be repeated, so it takes a while.”
“Can you give us some more details?”
“Sure. It usually starts around midnight, as an addition to the normal prayers. We are always waiting for a cloudless night, so that it can all happen in the light of the Immaculate Moon...”
“Oh? Are the shrines out in the open?”
“No, no. But they are built in such a way that they can be illuminated. From what I know, it is a set of tunnels with mirrors in it, so that the Light of the Goddess can lighten the interior.”
“Oh, clever. Is this setting needed in the ritual itself?”
“Yes. The local arcemandr starts the ceremony by praying to the Immaculate Moon... for Her to shine down upon the couple. Then, he asks all of those present to witness that the Goddess Herself has picked the two noctrali to continue their bloodlines through Her silvery gaze. Then you have a long set of prayers for good fortune, guidance and prosperity.”
“What marks the proper moment of marriage?”
“A kiss, as you might imagine.”
: giggle :
“Not surprising.”
“No, not really. But, the newlyweds use their wings to screen it from the gathered guests. Only the arcemandr is the witness. And the Immaculate Moon... of course.”
“Oh? Why do it that way?”
“Noctrali do not show affection towards their partners in public. We care for them deeply, but physical ways of expressing it, like kissing, or holding hooves, are reserved for moments of privacy.”
“Intriguing. Is that forced by religious customs?”
“It is more a social norm. It is in a way accentuating that the physical closeness with somepony we care about is something incredible enough to be kept private.”
“Oh, that is intriguing...”
“I guess we can appear ‘cold’, doing it like that, but it is something we have practiced for generations.”
“I see. And in the marriage case, the priest is there to see if the two batponies really mean for their union to be real, I presume.”
“Yes. You show your courage and will to continue your bloodline by doing something that you never do in front of others. And in front of a ‘stranger’, nonetheless.”
“Very interesting. And what about your death rites? You said that you believe your ancestors are taken by the Immaculate Moon to the stars. Are your funerals conducted in a way to reflect that?”
“Oh, yes. When a noctral dies of a natural, or unnatural cause, the close family gathers with an arcemandr at the herame. The body is brought there, covered in a black, woolen shroud. The arcemandr uncovers the head of the deceased and calls for the present to speak up, if they wish to. We believe that the soul of the dead noctral is still within the body and can hear our voices.”
“Is that a ritual way of letting out any pains and grievances over the pony’s death?”
“Yes. Or express our love for... one last time.”
: silence :
“... I understand. What happens next?”
“The whole gathering, with the body on a special stretcher, goes through a carved passage from the herame to a semi-open overlook. There is a platform prepared there, on which you can place wood and the deceased.”
“Ah, so it is a funeral pyre.”
“Yes, a vital part of the burial. Every action conducted here has a meaning.”
“Of course. Please, continue.”
“Oh, I haven’t mentioned, this is the only ceremony held during the day.”
“Really? It has something to do with the Judging Sun then.”
“Precisely. It starts close to sunset, the time we believe the Judging Sun passes her stern judgment upon those that perished. When her scorching circle touches the earth, the soul of the deceased noctral stands its radiant trial. The platform is lit to symbolize that.”
“Are you praying when this “trial” for the soul is conducted?”
“Yes. We beg the Immaculate Moon... to save our brother or sister from the burning light he or she is suffering in the Peraure. This is how we call the illuminated, spiritual realm of the Judging Sun.”
“How long do you believe this judgment lasts? Can you measure it in time?”
“For the soul, it can be but a moment, or it might be a whole century... For us, those gathered around the platform, it is as long as the fire is raging. We wait for it to extinguish on its own.”
“Can the length of the pyre burning be interpreted is some way?”
“The arcemandr might judge on what does this particular length mean, but only if asked by the mourners.”
“I see. Continue, please.”
“When the flame is gone, we believe that the soul was saved by the Immaculate Moon... and so the arcemandr orders the stretcher to be taken from the platform and held at the edge of the overlook. Then the ashes of our beloved dead are committed to the winds. They take the spirit up towards the Argentee, the blessed realm of the Immaculate Moon... where our ancestors dwell. And when the soul reaches this sacred dwelling of our Goddess, a new star appears in the sky.”
“Once more, I am amazed by the beauty of this vision... So, all of the noctrali are amongst the stars? You said previously, that the Immaculate Moon ‘decides who served her well’ and takes only those to her realm.”
“The great Goddess is merciful and always sees good in us. But even She cannot overlook radiant, heinous sins, committed with cruelty and vile intentions. She can let the soul remain in the Peraure, in the burning light, for whole millennia. In the end though, She forgives all. I used this sentence you mentioned to make a distinction between a situation when the dead joins our ancestors quickly and when a longer judgment is suffered.”
“Ah, I see... Thank you for this elaborate answer on your religious rites.”
“Iau delec. My pleasure.”
“And... I think we shall finish for tonight.”
“Oh? You still have some questions there, I can see.”
“I know, but it has been a long interview and I think we should draw a line somewhere.”
“You might be right, Twilight. Well...”
: hoofclap :
“It was an utmost pleasure. I hope we shall have an opportunity to have another interview soon.”
“I will be looking forward to it too! This was Twilight Sparkle’s interview with Midnight Wind, a... ‘noctral’.”
“Very good.”
: giggle :
“Thank you. He proved once more that the batpony species are truly unique and their rich culture is a wonder to be uncovered still and still... Do you wish to add something, Midnight?”
“Just a wish. May the blessing of the Immaculate Moon... be upon whomever you shall share this recording with.”
“Thank you very much, Midnight.”
: click :
Stats
Page generated in 0.022 seconds
Total duration
1,001 users online
1,537,315 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
D'awwwwwww
At the end, there was a 'he' instead of 'she,' but I enjoyed the chapter overall!
7770608
I know it's the morning and I am not operating properly, most likely, so would you be so kind as to point out where is this mistake exactly?
7771647 Very near the end, the fourth? paragraph up from the bottom.
"He proved once more that..."
7777245
This is Twilight referring to Midnight proving the uniqueness of the batponies. Unless it is a little confusing to understand, I'll take a look at it.
I know she's trying to give an objective account during the interview... but there are times I wish Twilight would do less of the gasping in awe at the newest Bat Pony revelation, and make her own case a little more. Like when Midnight insists his religious interpretation of who Celestia is and what she's like is just as valid as her personal student's experiences, who can send a letter to her nearly any time of the day or visit her for a cup of tea if she wants. For that matter, there's a chance Princess Twilight has spent more time with Princess Luna than all currently living Bat Ponies put together.
Then again, I'm coming more and more to the conclusion one of the Bat Ponies' central flaws is their prideful isolationist tendencies, which can veer into wilful ignorance.
9037437
If you are planning on getting hooked on my "Journey", my friend, you might be in for a wild ride, then...
I thought Midnight was a mare this whole time. Oops.
11320594
Haha! That's alright. It would also make for an interesting story.
Can I freaking move there? Every time something along the same lines comes up in conversation and I say as much I get looked at with confusion or like I'm an alien.
11789215
There are many traditions in the world. Some better and some worse. This is the better tradition, I think.