//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Fellowship is Miraculous // by Praynfaith96 //------------------------------// “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.” - Proverbs 27:9 “Hello, my name is Sharp Iron, son of Hard Iron and Shiny Iron. I am part of a family dynasty of Earth ponies well known as pastors in Equestria for generations. Going back to when my ancestor Wrought Iron stepped off the Mareflower, we have worked hard to bring about the good news of the Gospel to our fellow ponies.” “Growing up, I always knew that many ponies live their daily lives without any thought for something truly better, perhaps as a consequence of just how idyllic Equestria seems to be. For them, their world started and ended right where they stood, and their thoughts and actions were seen as mostly inconsequential as a result. For me and my best friend Glowing Wool, we knew that if we could reach out to our neighbors, they would no longer despair but instead know more about the Lord our God who created and continues to sustain them, giving them a renewed sense of joy, hope, and purpose. Because of this, both Glowing Wool and I earned our cutie marks in evangelism, and eventually went on to graduate from Equestria’s largest seminary.” “Neither of us thought we were going to make this large an impact in our youngest years. We were two young Earth ponies, I worked with my family crafting and selling iron tools used across Equestria, and Glowing Wool’s family were sheep farmers who produced wool. Both of our families sat together in church on Sundays, along with a congregation of mostly other Earth ponies. Yeah, there were also a few unicorns and pegasi in our congregation as well, but most Christians in Equestria are Earth ponies, as we naturally tend to be more humbled about who we are given our lack of the others’ abilities. Nonetheless, I eventually became exposed to other ponies over time and learned more about them. By doing so, my abilities to share the Gospel with them became better, as I learned the importance of building bridges in fellowship.” “Now that I have become the newly appointed lead pastor of our church plant in Ponyville following my father’s retirement, I feel that we have an amazing opportunity to strengthen the local church and lead the folks here into a relationship with Jesus. With Glowing Wool at my side, we both carry an iron-willed determination to carry out God’s will throughout Equestria. Along the way, we run into a whole bunch of different ponies. Earth, unicorn, pegasi, in all shapes, sizes, and colors; nonetheless, all are beloved creations fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God (Psalm 139:14). Among these are a group of young mares, in the early stages of adulthood and trying to find their purpose in life. I am not sure if I will be successful in reaching out to them, but my love for God and neighbor fuels my motivation. Let me tell you about my most recent adventure in Ponyville.” It’s another beautiful Monday morning here as I took a short walk from my home in Ponyville to First Baptist Church of Ponyville. Yes, we may be the first here, but certainly not the last. Armed with my suitcase of paperwork and lunch from my wife, Sweet Iron (with the help of our son, Sharp Iron Jr.), I walk through the side door of the imposing building and am warmly greeted by our secretary. “Good morning, Pastor Iron.” “Good morning to you too, Charity. I hope things have been well for you lately.” “They certainly have, Pastor. I could really feel God blessing me as I was reading my devotional last night. Who ever thought that I could learn so much about wisdom in daily life?” “Amen, you know I love to hear things like that, Charity. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be off to join our Pastoral staff in prayer for the next hour.” “Very well, Pastor. Don’t forget my prayer request.” “We won’t!” As I head into the church sanctuary to pray with the stallions who make up our pastoral staff, Charity hears the office phone ring. She proceeds to pick it up. “Hello, this is Charity speaking from First Baptist Church of Ponyville. How may I help you?” “Hello, is Pastor Sharp Iron available today? I’ve been wanting to see him about some things, and I had some questions.” “Well, Pastor Sharp Iron will be in prayer with our staff for the next hour, but he should be available for the rest of the day. Would it be alright if you left your name and number and we called you when he’s ready to see you?” “Of course! My name is Twilight Sparkle, and you can call me at 555-1234.” “Perfect! Thank you, Ms. Sparkle and have a nice day!” As Twilight hung up her phone, she returned to her desk, stacked with many books. Spike came to her side. “Morning, Twilight.” Twilight beamed a bright smile at Spike. “Good morning, Spike! I hope you slept well.” “Sure did, Twilight.” Spike continued to speak as he prepared himself a bowl of Fruity Gems for breakfast. “Looking forward to helping out Rarity today since all my chores around here are checked off.” “Hope you have fun, Spike.” As Spike walked into her study, he was astonished by the stacks of books next to her. “Twilight, what are you reading about now?” “Well Spike, I was up later than usual last night because I was thinking about the idea of metaphysics in this world.” Spike raised his brow. “Meta-what now?” He often found himself confused by many of the things Twilight studied. “Spike, metaphysics is the branch of knowledge that deals with one’s being and purpose in this world. ‘Who am I?’ ‘What is my purpose in this world?’ ‘How did we even get in this world?’ I’ve lately found this stuff fascinating.” “Umm, ok.” Spike wasn’t sure what to make of it. “Have fun! I’ll just be over at the Carousel Boutique if you need me.” “See you later, Spike.” Twilight then turned back to her books. “There seems to be so much in the way of everypony trying to answer these questions. How do I know which one is correct? Ugh, it’s so overwhelming!” Just then, Twilight’s phone rang again. Twilight went to answer it, this time hearing a male voice on the other end. “Hello, is this Twilight Sparkle?” “Hello. Yes, it’s me. You must be that Pastor Sharp Iron I’ve heard about.” “Yes, I am Pastor Iron. My secretary told me that you had called earlier during our morning prayer time and apparently had some questions for me.” “It’s true that I have a lot of questions. I want to know more about purpose in life, and where I fit into that. Something’s telling me that there’s more to it than I already know.” I couldn’t help but smile at this. “Well Twilight, you came to the right place! I’ll be in my office waiting for you, and I’ll be glad to answer any questions you have.” “Great, see you soon, Pastor.” As Twilight hung up, she begins to get anxious about what to ask. “Oh my! Just what am I going to exactly ask him? What if he judges me for my views?” Twilight took a breath. “Relax, Twilight. You can do this.” Twilight walks out of the library and towards the church, greeted by a tan-colored stallion with a slicked back, dark-brown mane and tail. He was also wearing a red cardigan with a collared white undershirt, and his brown eyes smiled as he saw Twilight approaching the church. “Ah, you must be Twilight Sparkle! I am Pastor Sharp Iron. It’s lovely to meet you.” As I give Twilight a hoofshake, she awkwardly greets me. “Nice to meet you, Pastor. I’m sorry, I just have a lot on my mind right now.” “Don’t worry, we can step into my office and talk about these things on your mind.”