Holiday Special: A Kaiju Carol, Past
A loud groan echoed through the Crystal Empire library halls. Alone and focused typically was Xenilla’s favorite state of mind. Empress Cadance’s “get well soon” gift was an all-hours pass to the library, and though Xenilla was half-convinced she was just trying to get him to stop harping on her pregnancy, he was keen to oblige. Usually hours of uninterrupted study was something he’d enjoy, even if it was for some dire task. Stopping King Sombra from returning, ensuring the health of the imperial royal family, keeping tabs on the humans to ensure they didn’t recreate an oxygen destroyer, the usual quests he’d been busying himself with for decades. He took a small matter of pride or joy in his study, it had been an extremely long time since he got frustrated in it.
Had been, for he was now.
Xenilla grumbled and rubbed at his temple, looking back through the pages of the thousand-year manuscript about Hearth’s Warming celebrations; mentally dragging himself through the exact same arduous, repetitive banality he’d been subjecting himself to for the last few hours. Good will towards each other, a special day for all derived from an ancient tradition, festivities, and constant barrages of stories repeating the exact same morals over and over and over again. He’d lost count how many books he’d gone through talking about Snowfall Frost and the Hearth’s Warming tale, as well as all of the instances he’d read through that same carol in some other incarnation. He telekinetically tossed aside the latest book into a stack that was taller than he was.
-Book number 59… Another repetition…-
Xenilla shook his head and cracked open book number sixty, the recollection of Blade Dancer’s last interaction still echoing through his mind. It seemed to have started well at first, back to back reading. He didn’t even make a snark at her romance novel this time!
“Sooo, I was wondering if you could join me at the castle?”, she whispered.
Xenilla had cocked an eyebrow, “Yes.”
He sensed she was smiling, but not exactly sure why, “Of course I’ll be there, there every day I’m here.”
Blade Dancer shifted, he could feel that on his back.
“G-Great! We can join in on the feast and maybe the community ball, then the games, I’m sure the colts and fillies will love you once they hear you’re Godzilla’s brother.”
“Yes, I hear Icka’brod has become quite popular with the younger crowd. Long deserved… But, Blades?”
He tilted his head to glance over at her, “Why the festivities?”
Blade Dancer paused but giggled like he said something as silly as ‘what does purple taste like?’.
“Hehehe, silly Xeni. It’s a holiday of course!”
Xenilla just deadpanned, “I’m aware.”
“Well, then you know the works then!”, Blade Dancer quipped as she elbowed him gently, “Good will, enjoying time with family and friends, gift giving, being thankful, typical Hearth’s Warming fare!”
She looked at him and her laughing grin gradually died away upon seeing Xenilla’s completely serious and completely confused face. A silence grew between them.
“Why? Aren’t you supposed to always do those sort of things any time of the year?”
“W-Well, yes.”
“Then, what’s the point of not doing that everyday? Why make a big fuss about it this particular date?”
“B-Because it’s… Hearth’s Warming? A holiday for those things.”
She said it like that answered the question, not so to her audience. Xenilla just blinked at her a few times before holding up his hooves, putting more emphasis on his tone to make himself clear.
“... Why? What could make this day more important than any other day?”
Confusion turned to disagreement, disagreement into debate, and that became something he was most certainly not proud of. And so, he did as he usually did after being left alone. Fix it. Spending hours poring through holiday books and records to try and grasp everything in hopes it could help make amends to Miss Dancer.
The problem? Every single story he could try to pull a moral out of delt with a Scrooge who hated the holiday. Not applicable here to try and solve his confusion. He was no Snowfall Frost, the holiday didn’t evoke spite or anger from him. Instead, it just seemed so… redundant. These ponies were the cheeriest sentients he’d ever seen, if anyone could live up to the “keeping the holiday spirit” year round, it would be them. So in a nation literally founded on unity and friendship amongst others, why even bother with a day dedicated to it?
His pleasure at having seemingly lost his growing headache after face planting into a book in frustration was palpable. Taking in a deep breath, as if somehow smelling the holiday book would clue him in to its purpose, he felt another sting of failure.
-Onward then…-
The Protector of the Throne groaned and rose back up to resume reading before he started book number sixty one. He was so drawn out in attention he didn’t immediately notice the three pairs of clawed digits on the top of the page. Xenilla grunted and glanced up to behold the form of a brightly glowing, beautiful moth with a familiar wing color pattern of pinks and gold.
Xenilla’s face contorted in confusion, “.... Mothra?”
The Fairy Mothra hummed solemnly, her glowing body flickering like a tiny flame.
“Xenilla, son of the Old King and protector of two thrones, you have failed to grasp the purpose of this hallowed day-”
Xenilla’s confusion quickly dialed up, looking around as the library to see if there was anyone or anypony around and if this was really happening.
“-you whom strive to correct it shall-”
He mostly ignored her, mostly, instead he was focused on glancing about awkwardly.
-...Am I being pranked or am I dreaming this?-
He looked back to the monologuing moth sprite he couldn’t sense the energy of and slowly shut the book she was standing in, not hard enough to harm her but enough to move her if she was really there. The Fairy Mothra was engulfed by the pages, but instead he now just heard her continuing on, unfettered, but now muffled by the book. He opened it back up to see her unmoved, eyes shut and foreleg to her chest.
“-with the aid of three varieties of spirits. Because you-”
He shut the book again and popped it back open.
“-lack spite in your heart for this day, you shall not be scrutinized-”
Xenilla’s lips began to flatten and his brow lowered, shutting the book on her again and opening it back up.
“-as harshly as those who come before you. But to help you-”
He snapped the book shut back and forth, completely deadpan in expression as he found it mildly amusing as much as it was annoying.
“-understand the-”
“-holiday we will-”
“-help you-”
“-experience it’s meaning-”
“-through-
“-yo-”
“-ur-”
“-own-”
“-life-”
The Fairy Mothra’s tone shifted after several closes.
“-Are-”
“-you-”
“-done?”
Xenilla snapped the book shut and held it for a time, slowly collecting himself and shrugging before opening it back up.
“Yes, and it told me something,” Xenilla noted.
The Fairy Mothra perked up, “Excellent! You’re the earliest one to get it! Well, I am the Spirit of Hearth’s Warmings past!”
Xenilla’s expression didn’t shift in the slightest, “No, no you’re not.”
The “Spirit” scrunched her brow, something that looked adorable in her tiny form, and stomped her tiny legs.
“Yes I am! I’m a part of this holiday!”
“No, because if you were some Equestrian entity I wasn’t aware of, or at least was aware was real, I’d have sensed you.”
The Spirit raised her brow and crossed her claws, “And is a literal holiday spirit really so unbelievable? I’m talking to a space dinosaur that flies.”
Xenilla was going to retort to that directly but had to give her a slight nod after some thought, this wouldn’t even be the first time he seemed to encounter a spirit. But there was another flaw he could and would make note of.
“Then why do you look like someone from Terra? If you’re an Equestrian Spirit, why look like a non-native?”
“Non-native, but still naturalized. I rather like this newcomer. Besides this form is one you’d be more acquainted with!”
“How convient", Xenilla groaned in disbelief, "And barely.”
The Spirit of Hearth’s Warming Past rolled her eyes, “Look, I went to all the effort to come here and it looked pretty, would you prefer something else?”
Xenilla shook his head, “No, because none of this is real.”
“... What?”
“None of this is happening.”
“... Are you really sure about that?”
“Look down.”
The Spirit did so and saw the text of the book she was standing in that had been repeatedly closed upon her about sixteen times in the past minute or so. To Xenilla, the writing looked like gibberish now.
“I can’t read that. Different parts of the brain make dreams than skills like reading comprehension. I just fell asleep while droning through this Hearth’s Warming content and since I had it on the mind, you’re here. Your form is just because I expected someone from Terra since I’ve been there longer.”
“Of course!”, the Spirit chimed as her glow swelled, “I reached out to you through your subconscious! Why else do you think we reached out to the scrooges in their beds? They were already asleep!”
Xenilla was unmoved, “I try to justify everything. It makes sense that my subconscious would do the same.”
He got up and turned to the shelf, gripping it with his magic. The Spirit in the form of a Fairy Mothra shot up and flew in front of him.
“Wait! What are you doing?”
Xenilla picked up the shelf and started to raise it up, “Trying to hit myself as hard as I can to wake myself up.”
“I thought mortals just pinched themselves to wake up!”
Xenilla didn't pause in his action as he spoke, “So I am dreaming?”
“I didn’t say that!”, the flustered sprite chirped while flailing her antennae.
“You implied it,” Xenilla grunted as he wound up for the swing to his noggin, “Besides, I’m really durable. I need a bigger hit.”
The sprite flew up to his face and landed on his snout, “Why do you want to do this?”
Xenilla paused to at least answer his subconscious’ question, “So I can get back to my studies and figure this holiday out.”
The Spirit of Hearth’s Warmings Past crossed her little arms, “And how well has that been working out for you?”
“... When I endured through my years on Terra, I would observe the world from the edge of the moon. Holiday or not, I noticed no difference and saw no point in what morals should be typical nature. I’ve, been studying to distinguish it.”
She smirked, he knew she was smirking despite the fact her mouth was a pair of mandibles.
“With all the material you’ve gone over, who better to help you put it all together than your own mental depths, eh?”
“... So you are my mind acting up?”
“Never said that, but if it gets you to listen and not give yourself a concussion...”
“I think I’d break the shelf first.”
The spirit shook her head and groaned, “Okay, then before you break library property-”
Xenilla put the shelf down instantly.
“-hows about we try this jaunt out? Couldn’t hurt.”
Xenilla took a moment to let his mind drift. As much as he was somewhat annoyed to admit it, she had a point… or rather he himself had said point given he was still convinced this was a bizarre fever dream born out of trying too hard and stuffing so many stories into his brain at once. And truly, what did he have to lose?
“So be it. Lead on.”
The spirit smiled and bowed, “To your days past then, we shall experience…”
Xenilla groaned under his breath as he felt himself getting pulled along.
-Oh really? A spirit of holidays past going back in time, who’d have thought?-
Given time spent in Equestria versus time spent back around Terra, he really should have expected some psychotic illusion claiming to be the spirit of the past to bring him to the latter. Still, he felt almost cheated when he felt himself not in his old body as he floated in the void to behold Terra.
This was a view he knew well, seeing that blue and green sphere of life passing through the darkness; away from the scorching infernos of the sun and departed from the chilled black space. As beautiful as it was fragile. Xenilla didn’t know if the sigh he let out was of content at seeing it not blown up, on fire, or invaded; or of restrained worry that it probably would be in a year. Sometimes he worried that same paranoid, frantic protection would migrate to the Equestrians and the Royal Family; before noting it probably had already.
Taking his eyes off of home, he looked to the surrounding to figure out where exactly he was; the dull gray hues and sensation of weak ground beneath him telling him he was on Terra’s moon. More specifically on the border between the illuminated light and dark side near a large crater. Instantly any questions died in his throat, he knew where this was and when they were. His head bowed, darkened under the horizon of the moon.
Deep below as the moon rotated as it had for billions of years, a crease of light slipped over the edge of a crater that had been deprived of it for years. It ran across the uneven stony echos of the impact that begat the crater, before trickling over a sea of blue. The navy hued scales, dried and bruised from a battle a decade ago, bathed in the sunlight; unfiltered radiation. It was just enough to jumpstart a long coming regeneration and jostle a long coma.
Eyes snapped open and sparked with red light. Then, slowly and weakly, hand after hand of claws stabbing into the crater wall for a purchase, the Xenilla of the past dragged himself out onto the lunar surface. He sprawled out and rolled to his side, covered in lunar dust and sporting numerous old, barely closed wounds across an almost emaciated form. He might have laid there for minutes, hours, maybe even a day before slowly rising up. His body drank up the radiation and was restored, crystal spires rebuilding, spines, teeth, and tusks were replaced, and lost muscle and broken bones refilling back into their proper places. Fragments of the natural satellite flaked off him in a cloud that haloed his form as he beheld the world from the edge of the moon.
Fairy Mothra spoke up, revealing herself to be hanging off modern day, equine Xenilla’s horn.
“This memory, you remember the date?”
Xenilla grunted quietly without emotion, “Human Gregorian calendar, 2004. December 25th. Attained that by hacking into the satellites.”
“Christmas, a holiday in this world much like my own; sacred or secular it seems.”
Spoken like a true outsider, as Xenilla’s mind would have wanted this “spirit” to be.
“This memory troubles you?”, she quipped with a tilted head, looking at him upside down.
Xenilla didn’t give any answer, spurring her to look up and gaze upon his past self. The titanic figure was drowsy, lethargic, still processing what was going on. Finally, the moment of realization visibly came and his shock froze him. The saurian titan gasped, choking on his own voice in the breathless void.
“You were surprised, joyful.”
The past Xenilla staggered to his feet, witnessing the beautiful world before him. He was in disbelief that bled into elation.
“I saw my world alive, yet I knew I’d been out of commission for awhile.”
The Xenilla of the present narrated as his past self wordlessly trembled pure joy. Water leaked from his eyes and floated off into space. He was muttering something, though the vacuum of space made it impossible to make out what he was saying. But he was visibly jubilant, an extremely rare sight for Xenilla.
“I thought I hadn’t failed after all, that maybe some force or fate had given me a second chance,” Xenilla noted drly
“That my father hadn’t destroyed the world yet, there was still time to save it and all those on it.”
The Xenilla of the past heaved his chest up and down, clenching a fist as he focused and collected himself.
“You seemed blessed,” The Spirit of Hearth’s Warming Past chirped as she got closer to her ward.
Xenilla was as quiet as his past self, face cloaked in the shadows of his mane and the dark of the moon.
“I felt like it, had I known of holidays then or the date I might have been even more so. But I realized two things… after.”
“What happened?"
The Xenilla of the past kicked off the planet as he rocketed towards the planet like a glimmering comet. His heart was brimmed and aflame with resolve and duty. His modern-day counterpart felt a cavity in the same place.
“Always plan, always assess the situation… Because I felt a fervor, and just made the second greatest mistake of my life.”
The Xenilla of the present knew exactly where his past-self was flying. Planetside, the Pacific. Towards an island he didn’t recognize at the time called Solgell. His mind directed him there, guided by the sense that connected him to his own kind. And he only detected one adult male Gojirasaurus on the planet that seemed familiar. Thinking it was his father, he’d get too close before taking time to look things over. If he had he’d have avoided two errors.
The past Xenilla landed on the island and spurred several crystals, prepared for battle in manner and mind. Except the Godzilla that stood to face him had toned sinew instead of mutated bulk, sharpened dorsal spines instead of partially melted round plates, and paid heed to not swat the human research vessel behind him when he turned around to instead carefully move his tail over it. Xenilla was too convicted and fired the first shot before he realized who it was and could cancel the full powered blow that struck his brother in the chest and sent Junior flying through a hillside and nearly crushing the humans. Eyes alight with shock and knowing something was different, the past Xenilla dropped his guard and ran forward to pick his sibling up. Godzilla Junior, eyes brimmed with hatred, only needed to see the nightmare of his childhood running towards him, arms spread, to let out a thundering roar and burning plasma beam.
Xenilla’s greatest mistake in hindsight was attacking and trying to kill his father over a misunderstanding, something that took him years to realize. He only took a few seconds to realize his second greatest mistake was starting the Mutation and Defender conflict over a lapse in judgment.
Junior’s mind in the ensuing first battle between brothers was focused on killing whom he saw as one of the greatest monsters in history. Xenilla’s mind as he fought back to keep from being killed was a single, strong thought that carried into the two from the modern era witnessing. It was the same thought that played through the eldest son of Godzilla Senior's mind every passing winter as he observed Terra from his hide-away on the meeting place of the light and dark side of the moon. All those holidays he saw no change and yet felt the pain of consequence.
-”What have I done?”-
Xenilla never needed to lift his head up, no sight possible could give him more shame than he felt right now.
“Why?”
He felt the spirit’s eyes upon him without needing to look up.
“Why show me something I already knew?”
“... All actions have consequences, Son of the Old King,” it whispered as she drew closer.
“Some of which we’d all regret.”
Xenilla’s lip curled slightly, exposing the seam of his fangs,”You seek vindication for such common knowledge? Does tormenting me drive home some point?”
The spirit paused and he knew she was shaking her head, “Torment was never the intention, only to demonstrate.”
“Choice memory to drive that point home,” Xenilla snarled.
The spirit let out a patient sigh, pulling close to him in a way his heartfelt was a comfort against the contrasting grief. Like a tiny candle against a battering cold.
“You are a soul driven by worry for others, even if you don’t show it. You bear a good heart, Xenilla of Terra; but a blunt head… Admit it, the clearest means of which to get through to you was the strongest memory. Regretfully, this was so.”
Xenilla grumbled, but conceded.
“Typically these carols start with a happy past first. Would it have killed you to show maybe my meeting Blade Dancer or ‘freeing’ Destroyah?”
“My visions are limited to Hearth’s Warming and the equivalent two days from Terra in someone’s memory. I am sorry for the pain... But, there is another reason. This was when you, in hindsight, started believing something…”
Xenilla regretfully took the implication and looked. A clash of blue and red that blinded the sky, his beam clashing with his brother’s. Junior would never have noticed the shocked, horrified expression on his sibling’s face through all the light. The present-day Xenilla resigned his voice and waited, knowing his subconscious masquerading as some holiday entity had more to say.
“You found this day was a cherished day across the world for multiple reasons… But if this day, meant to be spent with family, was the one on which you tore your own one apart before you even realized it-…”
Now was the time to speak and he did so plainly as the lights of the past shown across his face, “-then how could this, or any other day be anything special.”
The words he said to Blade Dancer echoed in his mind, “What could make this day more important than any other day?... If this happened?...”
His silence permeated around him in the realization he felt. It wasn’t just him observing Terra from the edge of the moon for years afterwards without change that made him say what he did.
“So, not just logic behind that statement; even if you didn’t realize it at the time… The past is meant to show us clarity when we look to it, that’s why it’s called hindsight.”
Xenilla stayed in solemn silence for a time, before rising up and looking to his guide.
“I think I get the point here. Anything else; ‘spirit’?”, he whispered with only a slight snip in his tone.
The Spirit of Hearth’s Warming sighed, nodding to him.
“Not of mine, though more falls into my domain with time. All actions have consequences, Xenilla of Terra. But not all are bad. Come-”, she noted as the world began to shift and changed through time and space all around them.
The spirit in the form of a Fairy Mothra extended a wing in the direction of where a dirt path now stood, Xenilla noting the darkened sky and abundance of fruit trees and the visage of a barn in the distance that meshed with his memory to identify it as Sweet Apple Acres outside of Ponyville. The Hearth’s Warming of the past melded into the Hearth’s Warming of present.
“They’ll show you why it matters…”
And with a smile, his subconscious’ manifestation faded away. Xenilla sighed and started down the path it indicated, resigned in the back of his mind to kick himself in the face really had when he finally woke up for thinking all this up. This was the last time he read holiday books before falling asleep. He was already speculating on how he could rest his head with a crystal under his neck to jab him in the throat and wake him up should his head begin to droop while reading again.
-Still, might as well follow this line of logic my addled mind has concocted…-
He took several steps before finally noticing the spirit’s last words in depth.
-Wait, ‘they’?!-
He turned to face a towering figure in a wind blown cloak!
Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and all the other dandy, lovely hallowed days this time of year to give your fellow man good cheer!
Try not to think too hard about when this takes place, show holiday timeline makes no sense either 
Proofed by Lance-Omikron and Faith-Wolff!
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Okay, a Scrooge theme storyline based on Xenilla showing confusion about why ponies find Hearthswarming important. Really laughed at the fact that Xenilla is reading one Carol after another due to accidentally pissing Blade Dancer off when discussing about the holidays. His interaction with BD was adorable as the mare was obviously asking him out and the guy ended up blowing it. I also found his interaction with Fairy Mothra to be insightful and hilarious as the guy refused to believe she was real and she had to rationalize her existence for him to accept her help. The flashback of Xenilla being ecstatic that Terra was safe during Christmas was sweet, though him realizing that he made Junior his enemy was sad. Thanks for the great chapter, Tarb. I hope we see more of Xen’s interaction with the other ghosts and maybe with BD.
You swapped the colors here. Xen is green, and "Mothra" is red.
Well this promises to be entertaining, I absolutely love A Christmas Carol and it's many, many, interations over the decades.
It also means that I get an MLP Christmas Carol that doesn't kind of suck, Seeds of the Past and Pinkie's Present were sadly the only good parts.
Merry Holidays Tarb and Faith.
That's...actually a pretty good question. Never thought of it.
Xenilla's past is insightful indeed.
Merry Christmas, Tarb. Merry Christmas, Faith. Merry Christmas, everyone.
Okay, so I know Junior has forgiven him and all but he began his war on the HOLIEST DAY OF THE YEAR!!!!!! The day meant for good will and it serves as the anniversary of hatred?! Just when I was starting to forgive him myself. Why, oh why is the war they fought getting worse as we explore it further. First, we are told Junior nearly abandoned all hope of peace. Second, we find the bad guy isn't really the bad guy yet he is still kind of a bad guy? Third, this was all over a misunderstanding because Xen was created with memories that weren't his. For a story about rebuilding a family of overgrown lizards one must expect there to be conflict of all kinds.
Bruh
Is there going to be Spirits of Christmas Present and Future?
Happy Holidays, one and all.
I thank you for the gift of the chapter.
That said, with his deadpan attitude, I fear Xenilla will soon be known as Ebeneezer Snark....
*Thinks back to his HS holiday special chapter from last year*
Hooobooy, I may have unwittingly skipped around this entire series of events from both Junior and Xenilla's points of view. Junior could be forgiven for not knowing that the human Christmas was the same day Xen, well, attacked him, but Xen... He could just be not thinking about it?
*whispering* If I need or should make changes just let me know, okay Boss?
8629495
You're k dude. This was a different year/time if day and it be hard to keep track of dates when you don't have a calendar as a kaiju.
8629323
Si, this is just part 1.
8629025
And the answer will be there.
8629508
Awesome!
8629011
Here's hoping I entertain! The moral and methods will be a bit different, but core message is similar.
8628927
Ah a splendid and lovely review! A gift from a veteran writer no less! And I love how you note an often missed shared family quirk. Both brothers are very very dense, just in different ways. XD
Xenilla was a good choice for this, I thought it would be Destroyah who'd be in this story.
What are the chances getting Xen to say "Bah Humbug?" It would make my day.
I wonder, would the Terran's be aware of the bizarre inconsistencies of Equestrian time during their stay?
8629519
That's great.
This is pretty funny and adorable
So will the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come take the form of Bagan?
'They,' but he only sees one figure?
*activating speculation mode*
Destroyah (she can be plural sometimes)
OR
CMC in a totem pole trenchcoat.
I kind of hope whether or not this really is a visitation by spirits or simply Xenilla's own subconscious trying to tell him something remains vague by the end.
Hehehe, well then, this was interesting
Good good shit
Frosty the snowman vs spacegodzilla ?
Sorry I'm late merry after Christmas
May want to reconsider the sharp crystal to wake you up, Xen. Arranging a bucket of cold water to fall on you would be a bit safer.
8634167
Nah , would ruin the book. Just have a crystal charged with electricity to shock him.
*BELATED HOLIDAY SPECIAL REVIEW PART 1 INCOMING*
Ok… not gonna lie, I only read most of this chapter so far, so as I scroll down for this review, some stuff will be new to me, so a here we go.
So things start out in the cavernous library of the Crystal Empire (city-state), where Xenilla is enjoying himself some peace and quiet. It doesn’t say off the bat when exactly in the course of events this is supposed to be taking place, but I think it safe to assume that we can put that detail aside for the time being and just enjoy the chapter.
Xenilla is trying to figure out all this business about Hearths Warming Eve (heretofore referred to as HWE), and why the qualities of this holiday are ritualized on this one special day, and not throughout the whole year. I keep getting the image of the musical sequence from “Nightmare Before Christmas” in my head, you know, the scene where Jack is trying to scientifically analyze Christmas stuff so he can figure it all out. “As often as I’ve read them, something’s wrong, so hard to put my bony finger on…”
Pouring through book after book, Xenilla wants to know, “what does it mean? what does it mean?”. He recalls Blade Dancer enjoining him to the holiday festivities, and he not grasping what could be so special about the specific date.
At first glance, you or I might envision HWE as a sort of combined holiday, imagining if Christmas and Independence day were one and the same. HWE is both a celebration of all the good and wholesome notions of family and good will, and the rough date on which Equestria was founded by the representatives of the three tribes.
After an argument with his mare-friend, he winds up back in bevy with the books, now deeply absorbed in studying the stories and histories of the holiday. Suddenly he is visited by a Fairy Mothra, of all things. Now it’s not an actual avatar of Lea’s spiritual energy, rather it’s a holiday sprite taking a familiar form.
Ensues, is a comedic sequence of Xenilla closing and opening the book on the sprite, interrupting her message. Honestly, I wasn’t very entertained by this bit at first reading, but upon more reflection I am getting a good chuckle out of it. I think I was just tired then, and not in a particularly receptive mood.
Xenilla figures out that he’s dreaming because he can no longer read the text of the book he has open. Which recalls to me, an episode of “Batman: The Animated Series”, where Mad Hatter has Batman in an induced dream-state, where his parents never died, he’s engaged to Selina, and someone else is wearing the cowl. He realizes the truth when he pulls books down from his library, and all the words are backwards.
Before he can demolish the furniture in an attempt to wake himself, the sprite convinces him to play long with her idea.
Fading to visions of the past, we’re taken to a time when Xenilla was still on Terra’s moon, observing the Earth from afar. He’s laying there after some battle in which he was injured years before, and is just now waking up.
The day he awakes, Christmas day, he sees the green and blue oblate spheroid we call home still spinning, and not covered in clouds of ash and death. He’s overcome with happiness that Senior had not destroyed the planet in the wake of his meltdown.
They watch as his past self goes to Earth to investigate the fate of his kindred, and seeing Junior for the first time since his initial visit, mistakenly sees him as a threat, and fires a Corona beam. A rather nasty fight ensues, Xenilla trying to not get destroyed.
Unlike in the normal versions of A Christmas Carol that we read, this past vision is not one of happier times, before a process of brutalization. This one is a sad one, crucial in the way the future course of his and Junior’s life would go. And if such travesty could occur on that day of all days, then by what justification did it claim to be a unique from all the others? Here, was his brutalization, here was the moment he lost his moorings to the good things he could have had. Not his fault in the same vein as Scrooge when he sacrificed his young fiancé for love of coin, but still the catalyzing incident, a Rubicon moment.
We don’t understand why this moment in particular is pertinent to the lesson, not yet anyways, until the scenery changes into that of Sweet Apple Acres. And thus, does Xenilla realize that the sprite made a reference to multiple entities in store for him, as he then is met by a new towering figure.
A very interesting take on the Christmas Classic, the modifications well thought-out, and the injection of humor far better than a new Star Wars movie. Overall I’m very impressed with this special mini-series, and intrigued to see how Tarb plans to follow up with the spirit of HWE present.
Okay, I am LOVING this idea... then again when have I not loved something about this story? Well a few things, the whole full name thing including a regular human name in there that all ponies seem to have is a bit eye-rolling for me and just, doesn't feel right. The only ponies that have ever even hinted at having something like that are the Pie's, and it feels better with that just being something unique to them. Not a big deal, but one small bit that I just kind of, not a huge fan of.
Now back to the gushing.
First Xen's exasperation at how many versions of the Carol there are, little dig at all those that hated the pony one simply on those grounds maybe? Seriously, do not get that.... Anyway, love the twists here, that Xen isn't being a bitter, cynical asshat about things, doesn't hate the idea of the holiday, isn't ruining it for anypony. He's just confused on what the big deal is and why they have a day dedicated to something they do all the time anyway. Also his whole reaction to things starting out. Bemused curiosity followed by examination and experimentation to work out what is going on. Then simple logical progression to solve things, but being Equestria, this really could go either way.
Also he's got a bit of a fun trollish side with the book opening and closing.
My one kind of nitpicky gripe is the 'Dark side of the moon' thing, and saying he was laying on it for years before a bit of sunlight finally reached him. There is no 'dark side' just a 'far side', the tidal locking of the moon keeps one side always facing the Earth, which means during the New Moon phase when the moon is between the sun and Earth, the far side is fully exposed to the sun. The moon has a regular 'day/night' type cycle of the entire surface getting bathed in sunlight, it's just that the rotational cycle is 28 days long. Though, can just figure he was near one of it's poles and at the edge of the crater so that even when it was lit up, he was in the shadow of the edge or something till things tilted just right I guess.
Either that or some space invaders/force along the way screwed up the moon and tidally locked it towards the sun rather then the Earth.
Yes I can accept all the bizarre over the top insane magical shenanigans going on in this story just fine, and this is the point that throws me for a 'well, that can't be right' loop.
Still, awesome set up for a rather unique take on this with some great looks at Xen and how he got to where he is, and how he things.. Given a 'them' and the size..... Destoroyah and the CMC?
8968583
Just chiming in real quick before I give full responses to your lovely posts
The intent was that Xenilla crashed on the edge of the dark side within a deep crater, one of the numerous ones that don't get sunlight. Trust me, little science screw-ups annoy me too! When I said dark side of the moon, I literally meant it
Still, great to hear a fellow science fan looking over the hiccups, helps me stay on point and keep accurate.
Top gear style recap Christmas part 1( from Goji's POV:)
Tonight, BD pulls a face, Xen meets a fairy, and we see how conflicts began.
"I really don't hate [Hearth's Warming]. I have an intense burning indifference."
She's got you there, Xenilla.
Are
You
Done?
Lmao! Genius.