Unicorn Religion

## Religious Overview

Since they always worship all Three Goddesses, unicorns are unique in their faith. While many of their practices are grandfathered in from the other cultures, they have unique takes on each of the Goddesses and how to properly worship them. They view their unique religion as something that makes them better than the rest of Equestria rather than choosing to bond over shared traditions. The Unicorn Religion, and the unicorn society that has been built around it, is full of texts and stories detailing why this is the best way to worship. Because of this, unicorns believe other species are tearing the Goddesses apart and try their best to worship all three equally, even if their lives lend to the worship of one in specific. Gardeners and farmers will always find places in their lives for Cadence and Luna, the same can be said for magicians with Celestia and Luna.

While the depictions of the Goddesses remain unchanged, they have more appearances as a trio rather than individuals when it comes to unicorn artwork. Tapestries and paintings often put Celestia in the center facing forward, while Cadence and Luna face her. Other times they will show the Sisters facing each other, depicting a confrontation, with Cadence stepping between them or facing away. If they are depicted alone, there is likely something showing the other two displayed nearby.

## Common Myths

### Birth of Magic

While Cadence focused accounts of the story detail a love story, the unicorn retelling is less romantic and more focused on Cadence's curiosity and sense of wonder. She chose to live among mortal ponies to learn of their culture and society. While some, if not most, stories include a stallion she falls for, he is never the focus. The town loves and accepts her as one of their own and after she is adored by many, she reveals her Godhood to them. They were thankful for her trust and honored her wishes to still be treated like the mare they had gotten to know. After years of living amongst the mortal ponies, she had noticed a sickness beginning to sweep through the community. She begged the Sisters for help healing them as she feared her magic had weakened from living in a mortal form. They were too consumed in their own growing tensions to offer Cadence or the town kindness, leaving Cadence to preform the healing spell on her own. The spell worked but at a cost, the townsponies were cured but the sheer force of divine magic had eviscerated Cadence's physical form and left her with no magic left to cast. It had spread out in a massive explosion, creating the mountain ranges and the crystal ponies, formerly the townsponies, who called them home. This myth is related to a common, near universal, belief that unicorns have, the belief crystal ponies are just their fellow unicorns. Unicorns that are unfortunately deluded into following Cadence and her alone.

### Birth of Rain and Fire

While Celestial and Lunar stories describe these as separate events, unicorns believe the Sisters gifting Equestria with rain and fire was all part of the same decision. As the tale goes, the Sisters had been discussing their treatment of mortals. Celestia was satisfied catering to their needs but Luna wanted them to have the chance to survive on their own and explore, make their world their own. They argued over it for millennia before finally gifting the mortals all they would need to start living on their own instead of being fully dependent of the Goddesses. Celestia grew resentful towards her sister after seeing how many needless deaths came of the decision. She didn't see the joy the ponies got out of exploring and learning like Luna did. This formed a rift that would only get worse as time went on.

### Floating Island Origin and Divine War

The previously mentioned rift eventually led to a war between the Sisters. Celestia's followers were thriving, their land was plentiful and their lives were easy. Luna took notice of this, as well as the struggling of her own people. She watched as her faithful braved famine after famine and grew suspicious. The balance had been thrown off and Luna accused Celestia for favoring only those loyal to her. She accused her of abusing her powers to prove a point, an accusation Celestia didn't deny. Celestia claimed she was only ensuring the lives and safety to those she cared about. She wanted to return to the old ways and there was no compromise to be had. Fights broke out, each Sister raising an island in the heart of their worshipper's lands. While there are disputes on how it came to an end, the moral of the story has always been the focus. Keeping your reverence for the Goddesses equal is the only way to live. Balance must take priority.

### Afterlife

#### Splendor

Unlike other afterlives described in various Equestrian religions, Splendor is not a place. It is an experience, a new stage of ones life cycle. Those who valued balance in their lifetime get to walk among the living as a spirit. While they don't get to interact with the world, they get to be an observer. It is described as a scholar's paradise, all the knowledge of the world available to you with no other obligations to tend to. Ponies get to exist in this observational limbo as long as their stories are being told. Someone who made many impacts on others was destined to have more time in Splendor. Many unicorns take this as a lesson to be good to those in their personal lives or, more often, to be exceptional. The word 'splendid' has extra special meaning to unicorns. To be splendid is to be heavenly. Often used when speaking about ponies who have made positive impacts in others lives.

#### Sunder

Sunder is, similarly to Splendor, not a place but a part of life. Those who did not balance their worship are to be 'fed' to the Goddesses. While it is not always that literal, the souls are described as a source of magical power, one that is invaluable to the Goddesses. It helps keep magic strong and Equestria in balance. Those who are sent to be consumed are seen just as honorable as they are serving a greater purpose. Unicorn's whose stories are not longer being told are taken from Splendor and sent to offer their soul. Being torn asunder, as it's often described, is an inevitable. Being someone important only delays it.

## Holidays

NOTE: Unicorns may celebrate specific holidays and exclude others to keep their devotion as equal as possible. Unicorns with jobs and lives that have them praying to specific Goddesses may choose to celebrate more holidays belonging to the others than they would otherwise. Farmers may pray to Celestia more and choose to take Cadencian or Lunar holidays more seriously because of it.

### Celestial Holidays

#### Summer Sun Celebration

The Summer Sun Celebration is held on the Summer Solstice, the Celestial New Year. The way it is celebrated in modern Equestria is through an all night party ended by a large gathering outdoors in which ponies will watch the sunrise on the longest day of the year. Those particularly devout will spend the rest of the day reflecting on the past year while the rest will often sleep, exhausted from the night before. The parties the night before are often filled with lights and music while the sunrise itself is a silent viewing free of artificial light, to take in Celestia’s grand dawn completely on its own.

#### Great Harvest Feast

At the height of the autumn's harvest, Celestia’s followers will cherish their wealth of food by enjoying it together with friends and family. This is a large event in agricultural areas. It is similar to a potluck and while every group celebrates differently, it's typically food you grown and prepared yourself. Desserts are a big part of the holiday and bakeries are often sold out the week of.

#### Nightmare Night

Unicorns celebrate Nightmare Night differently than Celestia worshippers, the traditions and activities are near identical but the unicorn version doesn't focus on villainizing Luna. Unicorns see Nightmare Night as an opportunity to bond with your family, specifically your siblings. They see it as honoring the eternal love the Sisters will always have for one another.

#### Winter Wrap Up

At the end of winter, unicorn communities will get together and clean up their neighborhoods to welcome a warm and beautiful spring. This is a week-long event most times and they take the planting of new flowers and landscaping their public parks seriously. They do this to honor the return of Celestia’s warmth and sunshine by decorating the places most enjoyed by it.

#### Day of Basking

As spring starts to turn into summer and the world warms up, the first sunny day in the third week of spring, ponies gather in the fields and parks near their homes to relax in the light of the sun. Younger ponies will play games like tag and run relay races. The older generations often just sit back and enjoy the weather. It’s meant to thank Celestia for the warmth she grants them and to bond with those around you.

### Lunar Holidays

#### Winter Solstice

The beginning of the Lunar New Year where large parties are hosted. What happens during these parties is typically up to the hosts but one thing is always present, moon iconography. More festive ponies will hang lanterns from their ceiling depicting the moon, her phases, and many stars. There will often be tapestries and outfits made in honor of the new years beginning. Cities with a large night life often thrive during this time, pulling an all nighter is tradition during the Solstice.

#### Hearth's Warming Eve

In the heart of winter, unicorns get together and celebrate their friends and families that helped them get through the winter. This is a popular holiday but extremely family focused to the point there are rarely decorations in public spaces outside of bigger cities. Families will get together and, as tradition goes, share stories. The eldest go first and the next is the second eldest, it continues like that until the youngest in the party, if old enough to speak, will tell a story. These stories are usually from personal experience but sometimes the older ponies share myths and religious tales to entertain the younger family members.

#### Midsummer's Fast

During summer, most ponies find themselves relatively wealthy in terms of food. Since Luna has survivalist views, plentiful food is not something to be taken advantage of. To show that they could handle a sudden famine or lack of food, they fast for a full day, from moonrise to moonrise. Those who can't or shouldn't survive under those conditions are considered and allowed to eat.

### Cadencian Holidays

#### Hearts and Hooves Day

While Cadence worshippers celebrate Valentine's Day, Kinship Day, and Friendship day all separately, unicorns have turned it into a day full of festivals lumping traditions of all three together. While the holiday is only a single day, events for it will often take up the whole week. Plans are made months in advance and are often the highlight of many unicorns years. While this is a large event in the Palatine, they don't prioritize forming new connections like Crystal Pony holidays do.

#### Cadenza Arcana

The birth of magic is celebrated for an entire month in early spring. Magic schools often host friendly competitions or talent shows to display their students upcoming mastery of the arcane arts. Magicians of every kind, from street preforming illusionists to powerful healers, are celebrated and congratulated on their magical prowess.