A Treatise on Fate, Freedom, and Friendship by Starlight Glimmer

by estoc

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Starlight Glimmer, Random
Length: 1159

Starlight Glimmer introduced her ideology in the form of a political/philosophical treatise which her ardent followers then distributed to spread her vision. Inspiration comes from Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" in purpose.

This is inspired by Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" and various historical, political, and philosophical speeches. I imagined that Starlight would have written a short treatise for her ardent followers to distribute among ponies across Equestria who would find it alluring or at least intriguing. It would be her mark of defiance against the establishment and the beginning point of the spread of her ideas before the foundation of Our Town. I would love any harsh criticisms or advice please. :twilightsmile:

Published 2015-06-11 01:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-06-11 01:30:02 UTC

A Treatise on Fate, Freedom, and Friendship

We are Pony.

But what does that mean?

This statement of heavy gravitas wrings Our souls with existential crisis and excites the mind with stimulating thoughts upon the nature of Our existence and this world in which We live. In the lofty towers of the academics, in the great libraries inundated with books upon books of varying focus, in the erudite discussions of these so-called intellectuals, they answer with only Our ancestors' trite, traditional words:

“All is destined.”

Emblems embodying Our true inner essence are stamped upon Our flanks at the moment of some great epiphany on the nature of who We are. But these traditionalists do not ruminate on the meaning of this event in their study of equine biology and psyche, instead answering as the asinine astrologers of old making premonitions on the positions of stars. Discussions upon matters of fate and free will are pushed aside for they generate controversy and instigate harsh discord upon our conception of these insignias we so quaintly address by the euphemism "Cutie Marks".

Consider that these traditional elitists find these thoughts too weighty for you to dwell on, but I say that if We can educate Our children about astrophysics, We must educate Ourselves on a topic of greater importance—Our Selves. I have sought to learn and to ask, and I implore you to do the same.

Why is it that We so easily accept Our being and essence to be ordained by some unknown fate? No, We Ponies are not meant to be enslaved to something not of Our understanding. Are We not meant to be free?

The Earth Pony has a penchant in herself to roam free across the plains; the Pegasus Pony has a penchant in herself to escape her pull towards the ground and fly into the air; the Unicorn Pony has a penchant in herself to remove the boundaries and limits in time and space upon herself and objects of her choosing.

Our autonomous spirit is evident and this concept of a fated life—these chains around Us that are “Cutie Marks”—serves only to restrain Our Free Will and ability of Choice. It is a form of subjugation that goes against Our true nature and leads Us to act, as Jean-Paul Satyr said, in “bad faith”.

So what else can We do as equines with boundless life and endless strength but to toss aside these manacles and find Our Selves? Our True Selves?

Did We not liberate Ourselves from Our foolish, primitive racial and tribal affiliations for a greater harmony? In the days of schism and fragmented friendship, We held in obstinacy that this was the way upon which We were meant to settle, spawning naught but argument and discord. Yet We broke free of those rudimentary ideas for an Ideal and We fostered a harmony and friendships the likes of which spurred pride in Us and awe in the eyes of the glorious Griffons, the dreaded Dragons, the cordial Kine.

We united Ourselves and established a great kingdom in the wake of Our unison upon an Ideal so then why do We now grow complacent as it grows into obsolescence? Yes, this harmony rests upon our complacence and acceptance of those who reign over Us and only shares semblance to a harmony We envision and muster up in Our hearts. It relies upon Us rejecting Our independence from fate, from Cutie Marks.

Take the piteous example of a mare I had met in Manehattan: her business suffered and fell into obscurity until she was upon the streets. Yes, upon the streets! Her flank rendered the image of an éclair but this rendered her opportunity for attaining any sort of success in that vast metropolis vain for her Cutie Mark—her fate—only represented a skill to perfect the making of that sole pastry. And those with a wider array of skills at baking these sweets had successful careers and could make éclairs just the same as hers, while she simply had to accept what alleged fate had befallen her. What harmony is it then where a Pony can lose everything at the hand of cruel providence?

Time and time again, throughout visits of so many cities in Our beautiful land of Equestria, I looked upon the faces of colts and mares distraught at what their Cutie Marks predestined for them predestined for them by their Cutie Marks. Others looking down upon them because of their appointed skill or talent and other ties were severed after the introduction of this baneful symbol of distinction.

How inequine are these marks to distinguish Us into the inferior and superior! Into the successful and the failure! It leads Us to compete and to estrange one another. It leads Ponies to feel lonely and unloved. Such is not from Us! It is not Equine to be inequitable. We are all born Equal so why must but a small mark upon a flank discriminate Us and lead Us to discriminate one another?

Is this the cost for Harmony? Our Freedom, Our Fortune, Our Equality? Nay, I say not!

The great Mage Meadowbrook, possessor of the Nine Enchanted Items, struggled as I did with this pervasive complacency over these marks and came to a similar conclusion. To remove Cutie Marks would lead to mellifluous harmony and accord amongst Ponies, to sincere fellowship and friendship.

Meadowbrook found her avant-garde views premature for her time—a time when Pegasi Commanders, Earth Pony Chancellors, and Unicorn Monarchs squabbled over petty dirt. But now I seek to bring about her ideas. As philosopher Epicornus sought to establish a utopian commune of Happiness with his true friends, I will struggle for the same through utilizing the Staff of Sameness, one of Meadowbrook’s Enchanted Items she forged out of her idealistic passion. The visions of these two romantics can become a reality and True Happiness will follow for all those who can believe.

Together We can remove these fetters upon Ourselves.

Together We can establish a town—Our Town—as a testament to freedom, equality, and genuine friendship.

Together We can.

Author's Note

I chose to use "she/her" as the default pronoun since ponies are primarily female and capitalize certain words to place an emphasis, notably first-person plural pronouns to accentuate Starlight's genuine belief in community and bonding. I also briefly reference Jean-Paul Sartre and Epicurus with ponified monikers (Jean-Paul Satyr and Epicornus)--the former to show Starlight as well-read, my impression coming from her stating that she studied a defense spell Twilight used in the premiere for years, and the latter because of interesting parallels between Epicurus and Starlight in that Epicurus established a community to maximize happiness and fraternity. Epicurus was also an inspiration for Marx.

Edit: This is in a process of being changed. New ideas are coming to my head and I need to structure this piece more rigorously. Current status has general ideas and points of the imagined version.