Hypothesizing Sweet Melody Pie (YOH ~1100 - ~1180). · 4:17pm Feb 8th, 2015
In Sketcha-holic's Brother Bothers, Pinkie Pie says the following interesting thing regarding the Sandwich Brothers (Cheese and Tomato):
Even if we were related, we'd probably just share the same great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents!
Given that it's Pinkie who said this, there's a good chance that it's absolutely correct. Or will be, when Pinkie gets around to warping reality.
This relationship would be 15 generations back, which given long Earth Pony lives equates to about 375 years before their birth around YOH 1480. This hypothetical last common ancestor of the Pie Sisters and the Sandwich Brothers would have thus been born around YOH 1100, and probably somewhere between South-Dunnich and Morgan City (Equestrian "Boston").
Let's assume that she's female and actually a Pie, because it's kind of neat if she's a direct matrilineal descendant of Surprise the First. She might easily also be some kind of descendent of Princess Iolite Quartz of the Crystal Empire (who lived some six centuries earlier) as well, which lets us explain Cheese's ability to have party pony powers sparked by Pinkie Pie in the first place. This hypothetical ancestress is probably the mother or grandmother of the (in)famous Harmonia Pie, the mare whose dark legend must have inspired the author of the scurrilous Tale of the Baked Goods, told around campfires throughout Central Equestria, adapted into FIMFiction form within the last few years.
Assuming she's Harmonia's mother, then Harmonia had a brother or sister whose descendants at some point moved to the Greater Neigh Yoke area and married into a Neighropan immigrant Pony family (I'm guessing this happens no sooner than the birth of the mother or father of Taco and Alfredo (because the Sandwiches have the curly hair characteristic of the Pie matrilineage), which would have been around YOH 1400 (so there is three hundred years for this to theoretically happen, but major Istallion immigration into Equestria didn't happen until the 15th century, so there's a very good chance that it happened very close to YOH 1400 unless there's evidence to the contrary). Now, why am I so set on this common ancestor being fairly close to Harmonia?
Because there are several common traits shared by both the Pie Sisters and the Sandwich Brothers. Curly hair. High intelligence. And musical aptitude. And Harmonia Pie's other noteworthy descendant in the present day is Octavia Melody, who is renowned for this aptitude.
So Harmonia Pie's mother was named Melody Pie, she's probably a (very remote) descendant of Melody of the Late Age of Wonders (3600 years before Melody Pie was born) and she may have been known kin to the Sweetie matrilineage that produced Sweetie Pearl and Sweetie Belle ... which means she was also kin to unicorns, which may also explain the relatively strong magical aptitude (for Earth Ponies) in the Pie Family (including that of her daughter Harmonia). She may have even known the Sweetie matrilineal secret, in which case her full name may well have been Sweet Melody Pie. And she lived around YOH 1100 to 1180 (normal for a healthy Earth Pony mare in those medically-primitive times, and unlike Harmonia she would never have touched the special cupcakes).
(*Poof!*) She's fanon.
And that's how my mind works.
How many years are you reckoning as a generation? I'm always reminded that one side of my family was both long-lived and slow to have children. Four generations of my family would be 200 years (to the birth of my great-great grandfather around the war of 1812). 375 sounds a lot more reasonable, though.
You really do love planning family trees. Heh! :-)
2779047
I was assuming 25 years per generation. Obviously, it's less for Pinkie Pie, due to Harmonia.
2779104
I was inspired to make Octavia kin of the Pies by your world.
2779346
*blushes*
Ironically? I read that as 'hypnotized' and thought it was gonna be more of the story of Surprise and her future husband.
I'm reminded of sorcerers in D&D and Pathfinder, where the source of their magic is something especially supernatural nestled deep in the family tree, whether that means a dragon, an angel, or a Pie.
Factor in Cheese's reverent attitude towards Pinkie in scoots2's stories, he may actually be a mystic theurge. Though if that's the case, it raises all kinds of peculiar metaphysical questions about Pinkie's present and future status vis a vis the divine. And that's just considering one magic system that at best loosely fits pony magic. Maybe I should consider this through the lens of card games...
...and that's a bit of how my mind works. :twilightsheepish.