The Sound of One Hoof Clopping

by Trick Question

Koan 10: What Moves You

Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash sat together leaning against a large apple tree at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres. They were drinking fresh, homemade cider from large wooden mugs after their successful barreling of a record volume of the sweet, mildly alcoholic treat.

"This cider is so good, Applejack," said Pinkie Pie, groaning in bloated pleasure as she drank deeply from her twentieth pint. Her tummy bulged slightly from all the juicy liquid inside. Normally cider doesn’t affect ponies much, especially earth ponies with their larger mass and stamina, but Pinkie was starting to sound more than a little tipsy after chugging so much of the concoction all at once. Her curly mane bobbed in the air with every big sip.

Applejack nodded in agreement. "Shore is," she said with a grin. She pulled her braid around her neck and adjusted her cowpony hat to block out more of the Sun. "And there ain't nothin' better than sharin' it with two best friends," she added, with a gentle sigh.

"Hear... (gulp) ...hear," said Rainbow Dash, gasping between generous swigs. Her wings spread firmly up against the tree as she downed another quarter of a mug. After each big swallow, her wings would return to their folded position against the barrel of her midriff. She was drinking so quickly, she almost dipped her bangs into the liquid each time she leaned forward for another quaff. Dash rarely made it to the annual pressing in time to have any cider at all, so this year was a special treat for her and she wasn't about to waste it.

"We'll have to hire y'all to help us next year so we can meet the high demand, actually. That way you won't miss any cider 'neither, Dashie," said Applejack. "I s'pose those pennants flappin' in the wind on our little cider stand are probably overkill, since everypony already knows when and where we hold this shindig. But it fancies up the place some, which is nice. Nothin' wrong with a little marketing," she said.

Rainbow Dash gasped again, lifting her head high as though coming up for air. "Y-yeah. Though... maybe it's the cider talking, but that pennant... Maybe it's not moving it all, you know? Maybe it's like, the wind that's moving, and the pennant is just, um, going along for the ride," she wondered aloud. Despite her enthusiasm for the drink, her sleepy eyes betrayed just how exhausted she was from all the hard work she'd done helping Applejack's brother press hundreds of overripe apples into the fresh brew.

Applejack narrowed her eyes. "Huh, now that's a question," she said. "Is the pennant moving, or is it the wind? Or maybe it's both of them, kinda? I guess the wind gets the pennant to move, so maybe it's more the wind after all." Applejack yawned, feeling very tired herself.

Pinkie Pie inhaled sharply in shock and slammed her most recently finished mug to the ground beside her, startling them both. "You guys. You guys! It's not the wind or the pennant that's moving!" she exclaimed.

"Uh, are you sure, Pinkie?" said Rainbow Dash. "What else could it be? I mean, we can see the pennant moving, and we can feel the wind moving," she said. Rainbow shook her head back and forth as she finished her response, though it wasn't obvious if this was a contrary reaction or just an attempt to shake out the sleepy cobwebs.

"No, trust me on this one! Close your eyes for a moment," said Pinkie, and both of her friends did. "The pennant's still moving even though you can't see it, right? And even if the breeze over there isn't also here where we can feel it, the pennant can still be moving..."

Applejack opened her eyes and blinked, while Rainbow Dash continued to rest her lids and murmured as though she were about to fall asleep. "Okay, that makes some sense I guess," said Applejack. "I don't quite get what else is moving, though."

"It's eashy, shilly filly!" said Pinkie Pie, her words slurring a little. She coughed, then paused for a moment to regain her speech. "The moving is in your head. It’s your mind that’s moving,” she explained. Hearing this, Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and furrowed her brow.

"Eh, I don't know about that Pinkie. I mean, the pennant moves whether or not we're here to see it, don't you think?" Her wings flexed as she copied Applejack's yawn.

"Maybe! But the opposite might be true, too: the pennant can move even when it's not there! You can close your eyes and imagine the pennant just as clearly as you can see it, right? So that's where the moving has to happen," said Pinkie, now bubbling over with excitement. "I mean, you're seeing it move because you're thinking about what your eyes tell you, but it works the same way even if it's not there at all, because we can imagine what it would look like. And, actually... There might not even be a pennant at all..."

But just then, Pinkie Pie heard a soft rumbling sound beside her. Rainbow Dash was snoring. Her two friends were both asleep against the tree, unconsciously leaning against each other for support.

Pinkie Pie stifled a hiccup, then giggled. "Aww, so cute! Well, when in Roan,” she whispered, pulling both ponies even closer together. She smiled and cuddled up nice and warm against her two sleepy friends in order to catch some shuteye herself, where in her dreams, anything could truly be real.

Comments

[mishun]

"You guys. You guys! It's not the wind or the pennant that's moving!" she exclaimed.

It's elementary particles just after the Big Bang that are moving!