Hypothesis

by orleansII

A long, tearless night.

Golden Oaks Library, for once, had darkened windows.

The frosty light of Luna’s moon rendered lighting unnecessary, and presently rose upon the snow-covered streets of Ponyville and surrounding land, painting a picturesque image for the young alicorn sitting on the top of the highest platform of the hollowed-out tree. There was no telescope beside her, nor was there a journal to write into as she gazed out at the lunar body. Instead, she simply watched the Moon (Did she ever ask Luna what it was actually called? She’d have to check..) with eyes sharp and jaw set.

Twilight knew exactly what was wrong with her, and she didn’t care at all.

It was a moot point, now.

Time to get to work.

Whisper-quiet flappings of wings propelled her down into the interior of the silent tree. It was darker inside, outside of the areas where the moonlight arguably made it harder to see the rest from the sheer contrast, but she could see fine. Perfectly, really. The cold outside didn’t bother her, either.

In the back of her head, she heard the combination of a well-studied textbook and a school lecture stirring up, and she let it busy her racing mind and steady her hoof as she worked.

Pegasi, came Treatise On Equestrian Biology Revision 3, Section V: On Variation: Subsection Five: Ocular Difference Between Pony Races, naturally see in the dark and generally have vision to a higher degree than other varieties of pony. This is thought to have been developed as a natural adaptation to needing to both hunt prey and avoid predators while in the sky and on the ground. Similar adaptation has been found in the eagle.

She paused in the middle of lifting her definitely-not-trembling hoof from adjusting Spike’s blanket, and racked her memory. It clicked, and she found her eyes darting to the book she was thinking of. That one, she remembered, was not supposed to be read by her filly self until she was about twelve, but she had succumbed to the temptation and read it at ten.

She didn’t understand then, but Twilight was not the kind of filly to have given up on understanding something way back when, let alone now. Nevertheless, she went back to her business, the knowledge dimly playing through her head.

Dietary Habits of The Ancient Pony, Modern Canterlot Revision, Section VI: Pegasi, unlike other ponies, can naturally hunt and eat fish, much like birds. This is more a primeval practice than a modern or even traditional one, as natural aversion to injuring sentient and/or sapient life has driven them to mastering the art of agricultural development on clouds, and relations with the earth ponies never degraded enough pre-Unification for them to abandon food trade altogether. While ponies can and have acquired a taste for meat (see popular cases of the Canterlot Cannibal and the Manehattan Mareeater), they cannot properly digest it.

Instead, much like if a carnivore was given one of our grazing plants, it will pass through. Pegasi, however, can digest fish, although with time, their teeth have evolved back towards the flatter teeth typical of other pony races. Vestigial meat-eating teeth have been found on most pegasi, and developed canines have been seen on fossils. There has been protracted debate on whether or not it should be legal for pegasi to exercise their capability to eat meat, though they are capable of processing it, and heavy ethical implications if they are.

Twilight finished up a quick dusting of the reference section, and checked the clock. About midnight. Early for her to be even thinking about going to sleep.

She wouldn’t be able to right now, anyways.

She saw the time on the clock, and knew what was next.

Her hooves made nary a sound and the moonlight threw the world outside into stunning contrast, but she paid them no mind, simply walking down to the kitchen at a measured pace.

Dietary Habits of the Ancient Pony, Modern Canterlot Revision, Section VII: As earlier stated, prehistoric pegasi had the digestive capability and dental structure needed for digesting fish. This carried over into interbreeding examples for up to two generations. Earth ponies and unicorns display no capability whatsoever to digest meat usually.

And of Equestria’s mysterious fourth variation, the alicorn, which has been known to have the characteristics of all three races and exaggerated advantages of each, there has been no knowledge of, dietary-wise. Princess Celestia (may her name be upheld gloriously, et al.) did not consent to an examination of her own dental structure and was not comfortable with giving us details on it, and by her own admittance, there are no alicorn fossils currently available for study. Princess Cadence had much the same result with the added information that she would never think of eating another being, sentient or not.

They have, however, been observed (with full knowledge that it will be recorded) having a strictly herbivorous diet, as with the majority of ponies.

Twilight wrote up a parable in her head as she set the table in the basement.

A young student of a wise alicorn had once read a book and soon understood the question implied, and asked her beloved mentor about it, and what the ethical consequences were if her question was true.

The wise alicorn replied as follows:

“My faithful student, don’t worry yourself with such things. I would never think of doing such a thing. But consider it like this, if I did: Does the timberwolf think of the life its prey once had? Running its tongue over its sharp and deadly teeth, would it consider, if it were to have a mind capable of doing so, whether or not fulfilling its role in nature and obtaining its life-energy is wrong?”

Thus, the student was enlightened.

The student now was not yet wise, but she was an alicorn. And said alicorn was now thinking.

Her magic no longer strained with the weight of such a heavy object in its grasp, and so she bent reality to her will to bring the meal onto the table. It creaked from the weight.

Her eyes could see it just fine. Perfectly, in the darkness.

She ran her tongue over her teeth, starting from the middle, slowly going to the left.

Another thing the student had asked her teacher:

“Why do you never smile wide?”

So spake Celestia:

“Because that would not be very befitting of a Princess, would it, my little pony?”

She pulled the silverware from the kitchen drawer, and got it ready.

Scrape.

The timberwolf, now satisfied with its purpose in life, would have returned to its hunt unabated.

Scrape.

The alicorn, now satisfied with her thoughts, put them into speech, all alone, in the soundproof basement.

Scrape.

“While I may agree with my colleagues,” so went her imaginary essay, “on the capability of pegasi to eat fish, they have not taken this idea far enough.”

Scrape, clatter. Clumsy her, dropping these sorts of things. She shouldn’t have tried to use her hooves. She’d cut herself on it. No matter.

The knife shakily rose, and steadied in her magic.

“While historically we have found, say, half-digested fish and evidence of ancient pegasi fishing, it must be noted that seabirds and birds of prey could eat any sort of meat, though they would not require the comparably massive amount of calories which we do as ponies.”

She had grinned in the mirror after she had Ascended, before she went to bed that night, and she had seen what Celestia would not ever show a normal pony, not without heavy illusion magic.

She had felt the hunger.

She had experimented.

“So, logically, it must be guaranteed that an omnivorous pegasi would eat larger animals than fish on some basis.”

And soon enough, she had decided she needed to go farther if she was to ever make a proper theory.

“And being as alicorns are accepted as the perfect combination of all three races of pony, we must extrapolate that they would have better developed digestive systems than all three of the pony races, stronger teeth, and a greater need for a variety in their diet.”

“That would be the only biological way for them to sustain the massive amounts of magical power, lessened aging, endurance, physical strength, and height all in one.”

She had quailed at what she had done, initially, after the frenzy was over, and before that, she had cried in fear at just what she had gotten herself into, but that was all over now.

Her mind was clear and her purpose was right.

The timberwolf would have gotten its tongue caught on its teeth, after all.

So Twilight Sparkle, alicorn, smiled wide.

The knife went down.

-------

Dear Twilight:

I have written to you to notify you that there has been an emergency.

Multiple ponies have disappeared from Canterlot.

There has been no sign of their disappearance.

They had no relatives and were, I’m sorry to say, homeless.

Please come with the Elements to Canterlot immediately, it may be an ongoing hazard.

-- Princess Celestia, Solar Diarch

Author's Note:

First story, please don't eat me. :C

I once read this story, a long while back, where pegasi were able to eat fish.

I remembered that story when I read how horses in reality can acquire a taste for meat.

Alicorns are a mix of all three pony races.

This resulted.

Comments

[Kage no Brony]

This looks pretty good, but at first I misread the title. I thought it said "hypnothesis".

I probably shouldn't be browsing at 1 AM my time...

[Falling Night]

Short, direct and subtle enough to make you feel probably there is something going there, but one can't be completely sure. She was right? She was wrong? Or maybe her mind just carried her way too far, just for making asumptions that lead her to a wrong answer? I don't know.

But I know one thing: Definitely this is a good story you have here. Well, done.

[orleansII]

7402229 Thank you!

And as to whether her own hypothesis was correct..

Well, I'll leave that to you.

But that meal wasn't the last.

[Nothingness]

Neat little short story You had written; but, unfortunately, the ideas, concepts, are too broad and open to utilize to their crest in a short story. A novella or a novel would harvest better fruits with these kind of ideas rather than a short story. I'm feeling about as hungry as Twilight right now, albeit, for an indigestible type of meat; this is a dissatisfying story.

CONCLUSION: Hypothesis is mediocore, at best; too ambitious ideas in such a short amount of words. The writing prose is too grandoise--it emphasizes subtilty in rather vague sentences that are insubstantial and redundant; they play the same tune: Twlight became a monster--relative to the word count; I feel like I was eating a delicious meal and was interrupted, afterwards, feeling irritable.

[Nothingness]

Addendum: This is Your first story? Wow, this was definitely a good start in comparison to other first-starters. There is some good amount of skill in Your writing to be considered almost competent; I think the only tip I can give You, in relation to Your story, is to give certain ideas more substance--give them a ground to stand on. Twilight's discourse and thoughts aren't external situations and ends up feeling isolated and lacking, which is, I think, the problem: There is nothing to concern about entities having little to no connection to Twilight's actions and thoughts; we don't know how others internally feel about the dissapearences in Canterlot, nor is there anyone noticing oddities about Twilight; and, this is also, I think, the reason why I feel the ideas in Hypothesis should utilized in a novella or a novel; character interactions seem to be a major necessity in the full utilization of the ideas. Anyway, this is a good first story.

[orleansII]

7407827 Thank you for the constructive-crit!

I was going for an isolated story (I'm terrible at character interaction in stories, and extended writing), off a sprung up idea I had at some random afternoon, so I agree this would definitely benefit from some sort of expansion at some point in the future. And yeah, this is my first proper story on fimfic or any site on the internet, really. I've had a pretty high intake of literature throughout my life to improve my writing chops.

Really, the potential for serial killer/cannibal Twilight is endless. I can think of a few scenes which could stem from it..

EDIT: Just don't expect any content on a frequent basis, I'm not a very fast worker..

[Nothingness]

7409208 You're welcome! Thankful to give you some helpful criticism. Reading a lot of literature definitely helps your writing get better.

If You need more tips on writing, I suggest You get and read, if You haven't, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King--It is less about writing tips and more about the fruits the writing tips produced in Stephen's own work; it is also about the author himself, since it's a memoir as the title avows--and--Oh my! I can't adequately stress how important it is to have this book, this "Bible of the Writers," "the little book."--The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White, a small book, small enough to keep in Your pocket, about writing; it contains all the essential tips on writing and is also the set of writing tips Stephen King uses--along with his own tips--in his craft; to quote Stephen in the Second Foreward of his aforementioned book:

[On Writing] is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit. Fiction writers, present company included, don't understand very much about what they do--not why it works when it's good, not why it doesn't when it's bad. . .
One notable exception to the bullshit rule is The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White. There is little or no detectable bullshit in that book. . .I'll tell you right now that every aspiring writer should read The Elements of Style. . .

[orleansII]

7409449 Much thanks for recommendations on something more to read. You may be surprised at this, but I've never actually read a Stephen King book, though I've heard much of his writing skills. I will take your suggestions on what to read into account if I come across a bookstore where they are sold. In return, I don't have much books to show in turn related to writing, sadly, but as to good literature, should you have somehow skipped over it, the full collection of (original) Sherlock Holmes stories is a must.

It is getting a bit later in the day, so this'll probably be my last message to you on this story. Again, thank you for your criticism and tips. It's appreciated.

(See you next time.)

[Nothingness]

7409784 (See you later, too, hoss.)

[MelodyClockwork]

I really liked this premise, it makes sense especially for alicorns to be so powerful.

[shadowstar618]

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck

[Butcher eye]

so she is a cannibal I didn't see that coming.

[BackgroundNoise]

Seems silly to me *shrug*, eating sapient beings is unethical to say the least. There are plenty of tasty, non-sapient beings to eat. Fish, fowl, pig, and plenty of monster meat to go around. All without those... unpleasant twinges of fear and conscience. Plenty of beings eat meat without resorting to cannibalism, as they are, in most cases, spoiled for choice. It would make more sense to me if Twilight's cannibalism came as a result of her insatiable curiosity and desire to experiment rather than something as simple as a change of diet. A seed of an idea becomes a thought, a question, something that keeps a person up at night until it slowly becomes a compulsion, and then, an obsession.

[GNO-SYS]

7402923
Ahh, god. This made me cringe in all the right ways. This is an excellent and underappreciated piece of work you've got here. I'd love to see more from you.

[ForgottenDreams]

Oh I am definitely doing a reading of this

[Enza Ren]

Years later, Princess Twilight Sparkle opened a casino in Ponyville called the Ultra-Luxe.