In the decade-plus since My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic premiered, fans have fractured into theological camps over which seasons count as “true canon.” The fandom has seen splits driven by disagreements about authority, narrative interpretation, spiritual authenticity (tone), and even character redemption. Here’s a full taxonomy of MLP’s major “religious denominations.”

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Let’s begin with Zero (0)—the origin point, the true foundation. It’s a mistake, albeit a common one, to assume that One (1) marks the beginning. Mathematically and philosophically, Zero is the true genesis. It represents the tabula rasa, the reset—a pure state untouched by precedent. From zero, one can construct something meaningful without inherited distortions. It's the untainted essence, the primordial core. In this sense, zero embodies the raw conceptual clarity behind Faust’s original vision. It neither dilutes nor exaggerates her intent; it simply expresses it with crystalline precision. Zero is unfiltered, unapologetic, and essential.

Then we encounter X—the variable, the wildcard. X is boundless. It can become anything; its potential is infinite. Where Zero embodies the core, X transcends it. It doesn’t just operate within Faust’s conceptual framework—it expands beyond it, exploring uncharted dimensions. X exists across timelines, across possibilities. It is mutable yet constant, rooted in potentiality and innovation. Imagine it as the Megaman of the narrative: adaptive, learning, evolving—redefining not only itself but the entire genre it inhabits. Season X is not merely another entry; it is a reinvention. It reflects, absorbs, and refines ideas with unprecedented creativity. It breaks conventions and builds anew.

Now we approach Negative One (-1)—a concept so abstract, so dissonant, that even someone as imaginatively unbound as myself can only theorize its nature. -1 is not merely an inversion of Faust’s values; it's a distortion, a cosmic parody that deconstructs rather than reflects. But to frame it as simply a "fanfiction" or a warped echo of her vision would be reductive. -1 resists understanding. It is the dark matter of this conceptual universe—implied, perhaps felt, but never truly grasped. It is alien not just in form, but in its very logic. It contorts reality in ways that defy reason, creating a disorienting, almost Lovecraftian experience. Season -1 is the incomprehensible void—an ontological anomaly whose very existence challenges the coherence of the framework itself.

SEASON X FANS = CHARISMATICS / PENTECOSTALS
(The Cult of the Variable)

Where Season 0 Gnostics seek hidden structure and preordained vision, Season X fans believe in explosive, divine spontaneity. If the Gnostic says "the truth was already written, we must recover it," the Charismatic says "the truth is still being written — right now — by fire and revelation."

Season X is not a literal season — or rather, it can be, but it also transcends the idea of season numbering. It is a placeholder, a symbol. In mathematical terms, X is a variable — it stands for anything and everything. To the faithful, X is potential incarnate. It’s the wildcard of canon, the miracle moment when the show breaks free from formula, from structure, from restraint.

Charismatics believe that the show’s greatness isn’t in preserving some imagined purity (as the Season 0 cultists and Season 1 Orthodox do), but in embracing its creative volatility. Every tonal shift, new genre experiment, animation style departure, unexpected character arc, or philosophical swerve is not seen as deviation, but as holy fire — an act of narrative glossolalia.

To them, Season X is a Pentecost moment — a burst of spiritual and artistic energy that speaks to each viewer in their own language. Faust laid the groundwork, but the Spirit of X ignites it and sends it outward in unpredictable forms. Where mainstream canon fans often react to abrupt change with resistance or nostalgia, Charismatics lean forward and drink it in.

In their eyes, Season X isn’t a betrayal — it’s ascension. It's the show leveling up, mutating, breaking through its chrysalis. Faust created the tree. X fans worship the lightning that struck it.

What qualifies as a “Season X moment” varies from fan to fan, because Season X is experiential. For some, it’s when the show goes meta, breaks the fourth wall, or dives into experimental storytelling. For others, it's stylistic changes: a sudden shift in tone, a radically new animation approach (Pony Life, Tell Your Tale), or the kind of "genre swap" episode that throws the rules out the window.

Common examples of X Moments include:

The finale of Slice of Life (Season 5 Ep 9), when the show detours into pure fanservice meta-narrative.

The Mean 6, where the Mane 6 face corrupted versions of themselves.

Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?, with its surreal dreamscape battles.

Any time Pinkie Pie breaks physics, logic, or narrative flow for emotional truth.

Pony Life's absurdist, chaotic tone — hated by the canon-minded, embraced by Charismatics as unfiltered chaos-magic.

Where other denominations draw lines around “valid” canon, X adherents don’t believe in such lines. Their mantra is: “If it’s animated, it’s sacred — if it breaks the rules, it’s divine.”