Spamotron said:
We admit that on our adventures we’ve seen hints of immense forces working in the background of our world. One of them stepping in to arrange our meeting can’t be ruled out. But be it chance or destiny Moonflower is one of our best friends now and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
You tell Honourshine that after your last adventure, you can’t rule out the possibility of having been brought together by the forces of destiny. That said, you never suspected that your meeting with Moonflower was predetermined, nor would you mind if it was. You ask the bat pony what she thinks.
Moonflower: “It felt super random to me! I jus’ heard a loud noise at the back o’ the tunnels, an’ found a sunpony stumblin’ around in the dark with a cart full o’ gems. I thought it would be funny if I played a prank, so I hopped in the cart! But then I got busted. Heehee!”
Honourshine: “So you didn’t have a vision about him before then?”
Moonflower: “Nuh uh! I wasn’t an oracle back then, so I didn’t get visions. But maybe meetin’ Blazer’s what made me the Chosen One! Ooh! But maybe the Crimsonsand Oracle knew we’d meet, and that’s why my parents brought me to Starfalls Town!”
Honourshine: “The Crimson-what now?”
Moonflower: “Oh! I was born in the Crimsonsand Clan. They’re bat ponies who live in a desert far away from here.”
Honourshine: “So they brought you all the way here because they knew you would eventually meet somepony, go on an adventure together, and become the next Oracle?”
Moonflower: “… Maybe!”
Honourshine: “Blaze, I don’t like this. Are bat ponies truly capable of predicting the future what sounds like years in advance?”
You admit that in your experience, bat pony oracles have had impressive foresight, but having also recently met a few primordial beings, you can safely say that there is much about the world you can’t explain.
Honourshine: “I just don’t like the idea that all of history is already prewritten.”
Moonflower: “Oh, it’s nothin’ like that!”
Honourshine: “How do you mean?”
Moonflower: “It’s ‘cause ya think time’s kinda like a straight line, right?”
Honourshine: “I… suppose so. That’s how timelines are usually represented in history books. Is that not how it is?”
Moonflower: “Not really! The way the Elder explained it to me, you gotta imagine a big, open sky. Up above you’s the past, and down below you’s the future, and you’re glidin’ through the sky, always slowly goin’ down. But you’re also movin’ forward, and you can go in any direction! Can you see it?”
Honourshine looks up at the sky, squinting.
Honourshine: “I’m… imagining it. Since we’re always descending, even if we glide around in a circle, we’re never quite where we used to be. Hmmm…”
Moonflower: “Yuh uh! And there’s a lot goin’ on, too. The currents o’ time are like the wind pushin’ us around, and disasters are like clouds we gotta dodge. But there’s a problem: we’re flyin’ with our eyes closed!”
Honourshine: “That’s… terrifying to think about. But I suppose that’s fitting, since we can’t see the future — or at least, most of us can’t. I take it that’s where oracles come in?”
Moonflower: “Any creature with vision powers! A vision’s like openin’ your eyes, but jus’ for a second. You get to kinda see where you are in the sky, and what direction you’re goin’, so if there’s a cloud in your way, now ya can avoid it!”
You remark that in this analogy, the objective of a vision is to avoid clouds rather than follow any specific path.
Moonflower: “It’s true! S’long as ya don’t bump into a cloud, you can keep glidin’ nice an’ easy and make your own unique path. S’what the Elder told me. But then she started talkin’ about infinite stuff and I got super lost.”
Honourshine: “So if I’m understanding this correctly, visions only show a limited view of a possible future? Then how can they be so accurate?”
Moonflower: “I think it’s ‘cause they’re kinda vague. S’how it feels to me!”
Thinking back to Moonflower’s trial, you remember the then Oracle simply bid you travel to the Yggdrasil tree, and return with its seed.
The siren Furia Storm was never mentioned by this vision, yet she played a pivotal role in your quest. It was thanks to her that you learned of — and obtained — the Philosopher’s Stone. Indeed, had you not found her when you did, the trial could have ended very differently.
Moonflower: “Whoa… you’re right! Whoa‼ I never thought of that! It could’a been bad!”
Honourshine: “Well, this is somewhat reassuring. I suppose our choices do matter after all, even if the results can be unexpected.”