Is Pony manipulated weather actually more unnatural than that of the Everfree?

[ManaMinori 4,146]

Personally, I never liked how ponies cotrolled the weather, or their environment to such an extent that the animals even need to rely on them to change the seasons, hold their wings through migration, wake them up from hibernation, feed them, etc. Even the trees can't make their own leaves fall.

 

Ponies consider weather and self-sufficient creatures in the Everfree unnattural, and chaotic, but are they really? Think about it- the Everfree is the Tree of Harmony. It's sentient enough to guide the destinies of Equestria's own ruling class, provide a means of defense for ponies, control the borders of the forest...and yet they seem to shun the Tree's "will", choosing to fear its forest home where weather and wildlife seem to be "Ever Free", and natural; truly harmonious with its natural environment.

 

A comment by a user from Equestria Daily, left under a blog post on Pony manipulated weather in Equestria states:

 

"The more we get to explore faraway lands in Equestria or heavy rain or storms harassing ponies during the worst times, the more the claim that everything but the Forest is pony-run breaks apart. Why were storms selectively harassing the Apples during their awesome family-song? How does it come that Griffonstone had some very heavy weathery activity despite the Griffon's disdain for ponykind and the general lack of knowledge about each other? What about the storm hitting the CMC before they came toward TroubleShoes? What about the Yaks who did have no ponycontact at all - Don't they have weather?

 

My personal theory is that the current stand is the result of magical inertia and extreme planning - The celestial bodies were magically locked in places for a long time and might take some time until the spell's afterglow has vanished and they regain their natural momentum. The clouds and the weather they bring are being mass-produced and constantly re-adjusted or dissolved. Everything is managed to an extreme amount, resulting in no natural occuring patterns as everything gets put into service immediately.

 

If ponies stopped manually arranging everything, I believe with time the weather would become more and more 'natural' and 'chaotic'. Seeing where the Elements of Harmony were located and what powers initiated by whom they hold now in check, this also gives another interesting dynamic: Order-loving ponies imposing their rules on nature vs. the chaotic Discord creating a 'sentinent', free nature.

 

As for the tribes' histories as told by history, I see two options how this would fit in: Convenience and propaganda.

Before the tribes were unified there were a lot of hardships, forced alliances and problems to face. It wouldn't be too farfetched to think that the Unicorns of old began scheduling their days depending on their need - night when they were exhausted, day whenever they awoke from slumber - and with time this convenient tradition got more and more rules and standards and transformed into a natural fact, especially when the bodies began losing their natural momentum and stayed when the Unicorns 'forgot' to change them. The Pegasi could have formed a grudging alliance born out of need with he Earth-ponies because farms need water and Pegasi need food. Given their militaristic background they could also have played around with cloud-stealth or found other convenient uses. As with everything, with time traditions became ingrained into the culture and their origin got lost, especially as with the unification tribes spread out and some historians speculate a bit much about what is given to them (*cough*, hypocrite).

 

The second option is simply that the whole Hearth Warming Eve story is pure propaganda painting a tradition-turned-law into a positive light giving a nice and meaningful story to Equestria's origins and the race's coexistance in a nation where racial seclusion and discrepancies are still rampant. As for how it started, I'd still say convenience but introduced under other circumstances and with an explicit focus on spreading the word to unify the races under one body. Seeing how unknowledgeable ponies are about "natural weather" (even afraid by it) despite its logical existence, I guess it is fair to say this was a successful maneuver.

 

When it comes to the technology for weathering, I guess this mostly has cultural reasons as the shared dominion over nature is one of the pillars Equstria is built upon."

 

But what are the thoughts of YOU, dear commenter? For a land that seems to be rather limited in technology in certain places, weather control is quite an accomplishment. For a country not too insistent on progressing modern technology what do you think made them focus on weather technology?

 

Is the weather of the Everfree Forest the more natural, since it'm managed by the Tree of Harmony, itself? Would all of Equestria benefit if the Everfree was given more free reign and spread across the country, by the Tree's own sentience and will (to give ALL management of nature and weather of Equestria up to the Tree)?

 

Bonus question: Would you like Twofer topics (two completely unrelated topics of discussion shared in one post) from me, in the future, to save forum space?

Edited January 14, 2016 by Nightmare Muffin

[Aurora Storm 83]

My only problem with it, is that it's inconsistent, or at least unclear to me. In the Winter Wrap Up episode Twilight says Ponyville was formed by Earth ponies so she couldn't use any magic to help. They mentioned nothing about Pegasai magic though and the Pegasai are heavily involved in all aspects of weather. So, when Ponyville was formed did they still use Pegasai? They must have.

[ManaMinori 4,146]

My only problem with it, is that it's inconsistent, or at least unclear to me. In the Winter Wrap Up episode Twilight says Ponyville was formed by Earth ponies so she couldn't use any magic to help. They mentioned nothing about Pegasai magic though and the Pegasai are heavily involved in all aspects of weather. So, when Ponyville was formed did they still use Pegasai? They must have.

Pegasi were only doing what the earth pnies couldn't. Clearing the skies, melting the snow, and helping birds migrate

[Megas 27,871]

It may seem unnatural to us, but it's probably normal in the FiM world

 

Ponies controlling their own weather was probably just something the writers thought would be a neat idea to include, making the FiM world look more interesting in a sense, and it's good that they've been mostly consistent with it

 

Likewise the Everfree being "alive" is strange in their universe, while it's a normal thing for us

[Malinter 3,064]

Actually the Everfree Forest's weather is also magically controlled by the Tree of Harmony. The ponies just believed it worked on its own because they weren't manipulating it and they weren't even aware of the Tree's existance.

Edited January 14, 2016 by Malinter

[ManaMinori 4,146]

Actually the Everfree Forest's weather is also magically controlled by the Tree of Harmony. The ponies just believed it worked on its own because they weren't manipulating it and they weren't even aware of the Tree's existance.

I already said the tree was controlling it, which is why the tree- being that of HARMONY - should be allowing the Everfree free reign across Equestria, if animals and weather being managed by it/ self sufficient it's meant to be the more natural way than what ponies are doing.

[Sooshi 41]

You. I like you. I agree fullheartedly with your theory here.

[Aurora Storm 83]

Pegasi were only doing what the earth pnies couldn't. Clearing the skies, melting the snow, and helping birds migrate

 I realize that, I just find it slightly inconsistent to the claim that this was all Ponyville only did things the Earth Pony way. It just something that seems like an oversight, albeit a minor one.

 

Also having resided in Michigan my whole life I'd love to be able to control or at least know who is controlling the weather. It'd make things a lot easier to plan for. I don't blame the ponies for wanting that kind of arrangement.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Aurora Storm

[cider float 2,539]

Guess they thought it was a cute idea to have ponies controlling the weather. Also if they stop weather controlling the pegasi would be out of a job and the Hearth's Eve of the pegasi having a role as one of the main three tribes would be gone.

[PinkieatHeart 208]

I just think it seems unnatural to us because we grew up with Everfree weather. Ponies would probably find it amusing that we think controlling things like that is odd.