More misadventures in coloring! Yay!
The first up is a picture of a sheriff AJ. This was the last passable picture I drew on last Thursday and Friday before falling off the map. Just experimenting with colors again. A quick paint and rather sloppy around the hat. She has a gun but can't shoot anyone.
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/8710/day3839.jpg
Today I got home and drew! And it wasn't anything too ugly. It's another picture of Shrine Maiden Fluttershy, this time partial colored! Her mane isn't fully colored and the bird isn't either. she's off model, but I figure I will need to draw these ponies a lot, so may as well try to develop a workable style that I'm comfortable with. Still, her eyes need a bit of work and not satisfied with the snout and mouth. The pose is off a bit, not too sure how, may just be the leg to body length. But those skirts can be tricky because they wear them so high up on their bodies. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow.
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/2509/day40.jpg
The following two blurbs have little to no effect on the story which is being developed. It's almost pure fluff. The cosmology betrays my love of odder settings, but it may or may not be true depending on the person's ideas of what the setting is and what story they want to tell. But it is what most beings believe is true about their world.
On The Most Commonly Accepted Cosmology of the World Known Colloquially as Samurai-Equestria.
Also known as the blabberings of a mad man.
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Most believe that all of reality follows a dualistic standard. There are positive and negative energies, law and chaos and so on and so on. For every coin which makes up reality, there are two sides of it. The world is no different. The world is divided into two, the physical or mortal realm, and the spirit/shadow or magical realm. The former is the world of ponies, griffins, diamond dogs and so on, the other is a mirror realm that is the place of spirits and deities both big and small and various odd beasties that feed off of magical energy.
However, the realms are connected to each other just as the two sides of a bit, all things have a imprint on both realms, physical things and beings generally have a small ghostly shadow in the spirit realm, and spirits generally have an anchor in the physical realm, such as a stone, shrine, tree or so on. Some powerful beings are said to have a powerful presence in both realms at once, such as the Empresses and her sister.
In this view, a earth pony's magical ability to coax a more bountiful harvest from crops is said to be because of it's ability to interact better with the crops in the magical realm, while a pegasus's ability to move the clouds around is due to it's power to interact with the clouds' shade in the other realm. In other words, their spirit shadows are more in sync for lack of a better term. Likewise a unicorn's ability to change something magical is due to it's power to move or manipulate the shade or form on the magical plane.
Despite all this, it must be said that the spirit realm is pretty boring and is generally viewed as foggy and it seems to be permanently at either dusk or day break. The spirit realm is a mirror realm, the geography is the same, natural non-living things have a similar, if somewhat different appearance in both. Things such as mountains, the ground and soil and so on. Living things, however, are different, trees and plants have a equal weight in both realms, but their shadow appearances can be off putting. It is in the sentient beings and animals were the most drastic change is. In the spirit realm they appear as ghostly shadows, wandering around following the paths of their physical-selves.
A creature can survive the destruction of one of their forms on either plane but generally not their major one and not for long. For example, a guardian spirit can survive the destruction of their anchor and move to another, though it will have to be quick about it or dissolve into oblivion. How long it has depends on how powerful it is. And a pony can survive the destruction of their shadow in the magical realm but not for long. Bad luck and sickness is believed to follow and the necessary rituals would have to be carried out to establish a new shadow or presence in the other realm. However there are expectations, at times, a pony can lose it's body in death, yet exist as a ghostly shadow in the other realm for quite some time and attach themselves to an anchor such as a grave. If they survive long enough without passing over into oblivion, it is believed that they can become more powerful and may become spirits of either good or evil.
To truly kill something completely and certainly, one most kill it in both realms. Beings with a powerful presence in both realms such as Celestia have no problem with this.
If that is not possible, for whatever reason, some spirits, with the right ritual, can be bind to a certain object or area in the physical realm and be also trapped there in the spirit realm as well.
Some ponies believe when both parts are truly gone and dead, they pass over into oblivion or nirvana. Others think there is some afterlife or other world, others don't. In this there is more disagreement.
tl:dr:
The most common cosmology is that the world is divided into a spiritual and physical. Spirits and deities live more in the spirit realm and ponies and stuff live more in the physical, but all things generally have a presence in both. We're dancing on the dualism. See Japanese (and a bit of Chinese) traditional beliefs for the inspiration.
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In the beginning Celestia and Luna were not the first goddesses, nor the original rulers of Equestria, but there were many more and they were free. Free to bring blessings or curses to the mortal realm as they saw fit and lead groups of ponies to do whatever.
Celestia ascended and became the mighty sun and appointed her sister to the moon. Together they brought order to both the spirit and the physical realms. Most spirits lost their physical forms and were reduced to mere anchors in the physical realm, others sealed away, some went into hiding and others were put to order. Others were of course destroyed. She united the daiymos and brought order establishing laws for both spirit and mortals.
As time went on shrines begun to be established and they served a variety of functions. However most can be divided into two types,
1. Shrines for powerful evil spirits. These are calm and joyous so that the tranquility of the people and scenery may deny the spirit any negative energy to feed on (think the CMC's antics which caused the release of Discord). Also it is hoped that the positive feelings may even lead to the spirit becoming less evil with time.
2. Shrines dedicated to local guardian spirits/land deities were people seek to appease and ask for favors from. These beings are believed to be of varying strengths however, most are viewed as less powerful then the alicorn sisters. Most are to be believed to be the spirits of former ponies from long ago who, for some odd reason or another, stuck around and became attached to a certain area. They are far from all powerful, but are viewed more as helpers and if asked, they aid the people. Some believe they use the prayers and positive energy of the people as power to do good in the spirit/shadow realm, which leads to corresponding good fortune in the physical.
tl:dr
Celestia commands and rules both the physical and spiritual realm. See the Chinese and Japanese Emperors as well as the Roman Emperor's religious duties for the inspiration.
This is a description of the guardian spirit of the region in which our tale takes place. And a small snippet on Rarity.
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Tomo is the kami of the (Ponyville) shrine. A rock that has stood in that spot from time long gone, it's weird shape and irregular position has marked it as auspicious and the place of the local guardian spirit. No one knows when the rope was first placed around it or who did it, but it was long before Ponyville was founded and the land untamed. When ponyville was first founded and the wilderness which stood around it cleared away and replaced with farmland, a shrine was built around the rock so to appease the spirit said to be living there. The shrine is really a large enclosed space of several odd acres or so of gardens which houses a large number of native plants and animals. The gate is also the main building were the shrine maidens and priests live. To call the enclosed space gardens is only half right, while there are pathways and parts of it are kept gardenlike for visitors, other parts are given over the wilderness to appease the nature spirit. It is said that Tomo is kind, generous, and virtuous, but also sad, serious and melancholy. Some say that he can be quietly mischievous to those he likes and at times, trollish. But this criticism has been leveled against all the spirits, both great and small, even against the ever wise Celestia, thus it can be ignored.
He aids the farmers in their work, and is well known amongst the old earth pony families in the region. Small shrines dedicated him can be seen besides roads or in the old farm houses. Often with a stone and sometimes with a veiled guardian spirit doll with his symbol on top of it. Personally, he is said to come to people in dreams and give guidance in moments of uncertainty. He prefers to quietly work for the forces of good from the background pushing ponies in the right direction and aiding them in their work. Tomo dislikes large loud praise and worship, preferring quiet thanks and meditation. Of course, skeptics say that the "quiet" spirit has long since moved on, if it ever existed. Yet even to unbelievers the shrine is one of the symbols of Ponyville and to stop it's upkeep is almost unthinkable. Both believer and unbeliever can be seen wandering it's grounds and enjoying it's scenery and the wilder parts are viewed as a symbol of the wilderness which has been pushed far away from the city and surrounding farmland. A link to the region's past. While ponyville may be in the middle of nowhere, this at least is something worth seeing. Even if the rock is a bit ugly (even to rock enthusiasts).
It is not generally known, but Rarity is one of the followers of Tomo. If we stretch the meaning of "follower", since it carries some idea of subservience. Rarity can be seen, often at night, pacing all around the large rock. Sometimes somewhat peaceable, but often if one stands nearer to her you can hear her muttering curses in Tomo's direction. She often comes to the shrine when she needs inspiration or guidance in her life and is stressed. Yet the combination can be viewed as odd. Rarity is flamboyant, cultured, fashionable and certainly not quiet and melancholy. And above all Rarity is civilized, coming to a nature spirit for guidance is a odd match up.
It is said that Rarity's connection to Tomo involves how she got her cutie mark, but the details are obscure. It is known that in Rarity's childhood she became sick and feverous, the sickness was complicated by a magic build up in her horn. Her parents consulted the best doctors but all they could do was subscribe medicine and advice them to wait and hope for the best, her horn's wild magic making any spell casting dangerous. One night while asleep, her horn magic began to overreact and Rarity was overheard muttering something about a "rock" and "why'd it have to be a rock?", and later, "Oh... Tomo~... I see it now... It's... so beautiful...". What is known that in the morning her fever was gone and her childhood had ended, her parents saw that she had gained her mark. Her kimonos quickly increased in creativity and beauty and became well known locally. However, when asked about the story or about the dream Rarity often becomes flustered and defensive and denies anything and everything.
A philosopher might say that while it is an odd match up, it is good. For, though Rarity is civilized and far removed from the wilderness, all of the products of civilization, stone, wood, silk, the precious metals .etc, come from the resources from the natural world. In that view, Rarity's devotion to a nature deity is both proper and correct.
On the other hand, she may just be crazy.
Nonetheless, she is one of the shrines prolific anonymous donators. If one visits the shrine at night and hides in the bushes around the rock, if you are lucky you may see this fashionable pony pacing around Tomo in one of her best kimonos. Sometimes, leaning against the stone deep in thought. However, if she's in a very bad mood you may see her give the holy boulder a swift kick.
It is at night around Tomo where Fluttershy overhears Rarity ranting to the rock and steps forward and offers her and Dash's services to sneak into the Apple family mansion. And thus the history is not too important, the shrine is one of the scenes.