The following morning, the Cutie Mark Crusaders gathered in their clubhouse. Aspear paced around, admiring the work the three fillies had put into making the CMC headquarters a good place for planning special talent ventures.

“You’ve been at this cutie mark crusading business for quite some time, huh,” she said, checking out their map of Ponyville.

Sweetie Belle turned from the window. “Come to think of it, if it hadn’t been for Diamond Tiara and her cute-ceañera, the three of us would never have met to begin with.”

“I don’t know,” Aspear confessed. “I mean, you might have met up elsewhere, right? You live in the same town. It could’ve happened eventually.”

The fillies exchanged impressed looks. “You’re real good at thinking things up, Aspy,” Apple Bloom complimented.

“No offense, but maybe we should get to the whole point of this meeting,” Scootaloo put in. “Passover’s coming and we need a plan.”

“Yeah.” Sweetie climbed onto the pedestal. “Okay, Crusaders. As Scootaloo pointed out, Passover is coming. This is a holiday all about freedom, and we’re going to use that freedom to find our special talents!”

“That’s not exactly how it works,” Aspear started, but the others’ excitement was already built.

“The cleaning’s all done, but maybe we could get our marks in reciting the Seder couplets!”

Aspear, who had been looking back and forth between the fillies like some three-way beach hoofball match, found this intriguing. “You really think so?” she inquired. “Do you think a pony who finds the afikomen would get their cutie mark?”

“I should think so; the afikomen is an integral part of the Seder. Spirit’s bound to hide it and hide it good. Anypony who could find something that he hides must have a knack for finding stuff,” Sweetie exposited.

The others started at her. “When did you get so deep?” Scootaloo questioned.

Sweetie thought, then shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s just Spirit rubbing off on me.”

“That pony rubs off on everypony!” Apple Bloom declared. “He’s just so good at what he does.”

“Girls, focus,” Aspear said, tapping a hoof against the pedestal. “Passover is tonight and we should get a head start Crusading.”

That got them all focused. “All right then. What do we do first?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I got one!” Scootaloo said excitedly, her wings buzzing. “Let’s go to Fang and Spike. They’re overseeing the burning of all the leavened stuff at the edge of Ponyville. We could try getting our cutie marks in firing.”

“If it’s Fang we’re talking about, it’s definitely dangerous,” Sweetie warned.

Scootaloo grabbed her scooter from the wall, cantered down the ramp and hooked it up to the wagon. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle climbed in and donned helmets. Aspear followed unsurely, not quite knowing what to do until Sweetie levitated a helmet toward her.

Scootaloo swung around. “If Pinkie Pie can fit on the end, you should be fine.”

Aspear took the helmet and climbed into the back of the Crusader’s wagon. At once, Scootaloo’s wings buzzed into action and the four foals left the orchard. They zoomed through the streets of Ponyville, Scootaloo weaving them around corners and ponies until they exited the town on the other side.

What an incredible sight met their young eyes. Smoke rose from the edge of the river, where numerous fires were set up. Ponies milled about them, poking at the burning piles with long sticks. Spike was busy stoking the flames of one pony’s fire. Fang stood atop a hill overlooking the site, keeping a careful look out for any sign of unwanted fire-spreading.

The Crusaders hurried over to the fire site. When Fang caught sight of them approaching, he turned with a smile. “Welcome to the last step in Passover cleaning, Crusaders. Glad you could make it.”

“Uh, thanks?” Scootaloo replied, wondering why the dragon spoke as though they were expected to show up.

“So Fang,” Apple Bloom said, spreading her hooves toward the fires, “what’s this all about, all them fires down there?”

“Quite simple, Apple Bloom. All the bread items that ponies found in their homes last night are being brought here to be burned in the fires, thus eliminating all leavened foods from the household.”

The Crusaders and Fang all stared at the white filly. “Sweetie Belle,” the dragon said in his most serious voice. “Be a designer. Be a singer. Be a politician, even. But please, never be a comedian.”

Scootaloo chuckled at Fang’s tone. Apple Bloom and Aspear sniggered at his statement. Even Sweetie found the humor in his insistent wish and joined her friends in mirth. Fang just stood around while the Crusaders burst into peals of laughter around him.

Once they’d calmed down, Apple Bloom asked, “So is there somethin’ we can do to help with the fires?”

“Not really. The last of the chametz is being put into the fires now. But—“ He pulled out a brown paper bag full of old cupcakes and donuts “—I’m sure we can find something for you to add in yourselves.”

The Crusaders took the bag excitedly and, after dutifully listening to Fang for the Fire Safety rules, rushed down the hill and gathered around one of the fires.

“What a stroke of luck,” Sweetie said, feeding a donut to the fire. The pastry was licked black in moments. “Fang having all these on him.”

“Ah dunno,” Apple Bloom commented. “There was somethin’ in the way he said it all that got me thinkin’ he’d planned for us to have it all along.”

Scootaloo sniffed a cupcake, gagged and threw it into the flames. “Honestly, sometimes I think Fang is Pinkie Pie’s super-distant cousin.”

Aspear smiled at the others’ words and nodded. “However much were enjoying burning donuts and cupcakes for the holiday, I don’t think we’re going to get our cutie marks in this.”

“Well, what else is there to do?” Scootaloo asked. “Passover is tonight and there’s nothing left to do ‘til then.”

Apple Bloom prodded the donuts in the fire with a stick. “Applejack and Big Mac were asked to mix something up for the Seder. Not sure what it is, but ah think it has somethin’ to do with apples.”

“That would make sense. Nopony knows apples like your family, AB,” Scootaloo commented.

Spike came over to the Crusaders’ fire. “Hey, guys,” he greeted cheerfully. “How’s it going?”

“We’re okay,” Aspear replied, “though we’re out of ideas for pre-Passover Crusading. Got anything to suggest?”

“Hmm.” The dragon blew a gout of dragonfire into the leavened blaze. “Spirit, Twilight and Sunset were pulling out the boxes with all the Passover stuff when I left: the Seder guides, the Seder plate and a whole lot of cushions.”

“Cushions?” Apple Bloom replied. “Why do we need cushions for Passover?”

Spike shrugged. “I don’t remember. These things slip my mind. Though sometimes I wish they got rooted like they are for Spirit.”

“Everything historic is rooted for Spirit,” Sweetie Belle said. “That’s his special talent, after all.”

“What would it be like, to be rooted in history?” Kirby wondered aloud. He gestured at his friends. “Ever wondered what it would be like to understand history so well, to be able to draw lessons from a simple written sentence or grasp the reasons for a tradition? To be an embodiment of learning and an inspiration to those around you?”

The Crusaders stared at their newest member, impressed by the way he spoke of Spirit’s talent. “Do you?” Apple Bloom asked.

The pegasus colt sighed. “Never before, really. It just seems so…. Amazing. Awe-inspiring, even.”

“I’d rather have a cutie mark in something a little cooler than that,” Scootaloo declared. “Like in-line skating or parkour, something athletic.”

“I’d be fine trying something other than watching bread burn,” Sweetie Belle said, waving a hoof at the flames.

None of the others replied to this. The four little ponies sat around the fire, watching as the flames ever-so slowly devoured the pastries, leaving black charred husks on the coals. Even as the other ponies around them got up to leave and Spike and Fang went around putting out the fires, the Crusaders didn’t budge until a bucket of water hissed onto the fire, the steam whistling in their faces.

“We’re just bored, Fang,” Apple Bloom complained. “There’s nothin’ for us to try before Passover.”

Each and every Crusader’s eyes widened as they looked up at the winged dragon. “Yeah. You’ve done so much to help for the holidays; you deserve a break from all these worries. Remember, Passover is the holiday of freedom. Who knows? Maybe this week, you’ll be freed from the trials of attempting to learn who you are and finally discover the truth about yourself.”

“After all,” he added with a scaly wink, “strange things have been happening these last few holidays. Maybe’s it’s Equestria itself, trying to teach us something.”

This idea seemed so outlandish, Kirby and the fillies stopped to exchange a great deal of awkward glances at each other. But even so, Fang gathered up the four of them as though they were little more than a stack of scrolls and carried the Crusaders over to their wagon.

“Come on, Crusaders,” he insisted. “Take it from me and get some rest. You don’t want to fall asleep during the Seder, do you? You may miss the afikomen search.”

That got the Crusaders’ attention. With a few hurried 'Thank you's, they buzzed away from the riverside and rode back to Ponyville in a cloud of dust.

Spike walked over and waved his claw around. “Did you mean what you said, Fang? About Equestria telling us stuff.”

The green dragon put his hand on the purple’s shoulder and looked up at the sun making its round across the sky. “That is a question, like many others, to be answered another time. Come, Spike, let’s go finish incendiarizing stuff.”

Passover night. Inside Spirit’s house, the table had been enlarged to include everypony expected. After the service, Twilight, Spike and Sunset walked through the door, Sunset wearing the fez-of-all-evening wear. Kirby and his parents came in a short while later, joined by Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie were next, followed by Fluttershy and the Apples. Soon, everybody was present and seated around the table.

And what a table it was! Fine ceramic plates, polished goblets and intricately designed cutlery were placed in front of each seat. A huge silver platter sat at one end, upon which rested a hardboiled egg, a piece of celery, two curious-looking dips and a blood-red ruby. Each chair was piled with cushions so they felt extremely plush and comfortable.

The Crusaders were beyond excited. It was Passover at last! The four friends quickly took adjacent seats, with Spirit sitting beside Kirby and Fang next to Sweetie Belle, and everyone else sat down as well.

“Welcome, everyone,” Spirit announced. The guests all hushed up, giving the unicorn stallion their full attention. “Welcome to the Passover Seder. Tonight, we remind ourselves how our ancestors were once enslaved and, by the Architect’s hoof, became a free herd. By the end of tonight, I hope we all find something to come away with, something with which we can enrich our lives.”

Twilight and Sunset began to applaud, the others swiftly joining in. Spirit levitated a stack of books around the table, making sure everybody had one. “The Hagaddah is your guide tonight. It will tell you what to say and what to do, as tradition asks of us. May it serve you well this Seder.”

Kadesh - Grape Wine
Urchatz - Washing without Reciting
Karpas - Vegetable
Yachatz – Splitting
Maggid – The Story
Rachtzah – Washing with Reciting
Motzee Matzah – Matzah
Maror – Bitter Herb
Korech – Sandwiching
Shulchan Orech – Festive Meal
Tzafun – Afikomen
Barech – End Blessing
Hallel – Hymn
Nirtzah – Finish

“Are you kidding?” Scootaloo shook her Haggadah upside down, as if there were something hidden inside. “I can’t understand a single word.”

Kirby looked the list up and down. As he read the strange-sounding words a warm feeling washed over him, like stepping out of a house and into the sunlight. “Let’s not give up just yet, Crusaders. We’ve barely started the Seder.”

“I’m not so sure I want to even start that now,” Scootaloo sighed disappointedly. Her expression changed from boredom to delight as a bottle of grape juice floated over and filled her goblet.

“Don’t give up just yet, Scootaloo,” Sunset said, topping off the pegaus’ cup and moving the bottle to fill Apple Bloom’s. All around the table, everyone was getting their own goblets filled with grape juice or wine. “The first stage of the Seder is beginning right now.”

Fang poured juice into Sweetie Belle’s cup. “Also, remember that tonight we’re free ponies, like royalty really, so let somepony else serve you and, when drinking, you should recline comfortably.”

“You mean like this?” Pinkie asked, throwing herself into Rarity’s and Feather Duster’s laps, much to the two mares’ surprise.

“Maybe a little less comfortably than that, Pinkie,” the dragon decided, pushing the party pony’s full cup towards her.

Spirit put down the bottle and raised his goblet. “Friends, during the first night of Passover, we drink four cups of wine to remember the four expressions used by the Architect in promising the freedom of our ancestors. Please rise.”

Everypony stood up and lifted their goblets. Kirby, Spike, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie stood on their chairs. Spirit recited a blessing aloud, to which they all replied. As one, the ponies and dragons sat down, leaned to one side and drained their goblets.

“Now, Rainbow, it’s not time for the next cup," Fluttershy chided. She looked up the table. “Isn’t that right, Twilight?”

“Right as rain,” the unicorn replied. “Now it’s time to wash our hooves.”

“This is a traditional washing, Applejack,” Sunset replied. She raised a bowl of water and large cup in her magic and levitated it over to the farmpony. “That’s the next stage, Urchatz. It prepares us for the stage that follows.”

So they went around the table, everyone getting their front hooves thoroughly wet before drying them. Fang popped out of his seat and into the kitchen, returning moments later with an immense platter of celery, lettuce and potatoes.

“Here we are.” The dragon slipped the platter into the middle of the table, the action causing pieces of vegetable to fly off of it and onto everyone’s plate. “Karpas. Basically vegetables. Just dip it into the salt water next to you and get it down!”

Kirby stared at the lettuce leaf on his plate and flicked the edge. “Why do we dip the vegetables into salt water?”

“The salt water symbolizes the tears shed by the herd ponies during their harsh slavery,” Sunset explained, dunking her celery in the bowl. “It’ll be a recurring theme, eating foods symbolizing the various parts of their experience those two hundred and ten years.”

“Wowie! That’s a long time,” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “That’s as long as….. as, eh…. um…”

“I hate math,” Fang stated. “But enough of that; it’s Passover, time for freedom. All together now.”

The assembly all bit into their salted vegetables, with the youngsters gagging a bit at the unfortunate taste. Some of the adults had to agree.

“It’ll only get worse from here-on-out,” Fang teased. “Now let’s get to the next step.”

At the head of the table, Spirit brought out a bag and, from there, extracted three large matzos. “I’m now going to break the middle matzah in two. One half will remain in between the other matzos and the other is going away.”

So it was said, so it was done. Spirit pulled out the middle matzah and snapped it in half. He returned one half and slipped the other one into a white decorated bag. With a flash from his horn, the bagged matzah half vanished.

“The half Spirit put back represents the 'poor pony’s bread’ or ‘bread of affliction’,” Sunset explained. ”The hidden piece of matzah is the afikomen. It’ll play a part later in the Seder.”

Fang leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. “If you foals can find it, that is. Spirit’s got a history of ‘spiriting’ the afikomen away; he does it so well, he has to get it himself when it’s called for.”

The Crusaders beamed; they'd expected this, their minds registering Fang's description as a traditional treasure hunt. It was the kind of challenge little ponies could not refuse. “I’ll bet I’ll find it before you guys,” Scootaloo declared.

“Me. Yes, we all get that,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “Now can we please get on with the Seder? It’s getting just a bit boring.”

“Well, fasten your monotony belts, cause history is about to hit the books. It’s time for…. Maggid.”

A collective groan but humored groan rang out from all the adults, followed by a unified giggling fit. The Crusaders looked on in confusion. “What’s so funny?” Sweetie Belle inquired, flipping through her Hagaddah. “I knew I should have studied this thing thoroughly.”

“It means that we’ve reached the longest part of the Seder. In Maggid, we retell the Passover story as we try and put ourselves in the position of the herd as they were during the Exodus." Spirit lit up his horn. Tendrils of magic billowed throughout the room, transparent images appearing in their wake: scenes of desert sands and ponies both walking and running for whatever their reasons were under the sun. "The story of Passover is one of the oldest in Equestrian history, and an interesting one to boot. In fact, one of the reasons we retell the story is to try and live it out ourselves, in our time."

"Sounds like a load o' hogwash to me," Applejack commented. "How can we possibly live as the herd did in Anugypt all them years ago?"

"By retelling the story and reading into it, we attempt to put ourselves in a position much like the herd, as we try to learn about, understand and relive the hardships they faced while being enslaved," Twilight explained, her eyes trained on Spirit's magical flowing pictures. The others were getting distracted by the fantastical enchanted scenes on the walls too.

Sunset tapped Spirit's shoulder. "No spoilering, Spirit. We haven't even started Maggid yet."

"You're right, Sunset." Spirit's magic aura faded, as did the pictures. Rarity, Fluttershy and several of the other guests sighed. "Fear not, friends. Soon, the real story of the Passover Exodus shall begin, and it will be more powerful and grabbing than any illusion I can conjure up."

The blue unicorn's words filled everyone present with yearning. As one, they all flipped to the first page of Maggid, ready to proceed with the Seder. "So what's the first part of the story?" Spike asked, eager to get on with things.

"It's a little bit more complicated than that, Spike," Fang told the smaller dragon. "During Maggid, we recite verses and sing songs of praise that raise questions and remind us of the many experiences the herd faced throughout the Exodus. It's not going to be a straightforward story, which is why some find it dreary."

"Well, no sense in wasting another second," Clean Sweep proposed. "Maggid starts with a recitation about the 'poor pony's bread'. Let's get to it."

The hosts and guests nodded and, in a collection of voices, read the text aloud:

"Ha lachma anya di achalu avahatana b'ara d'Anutzrayim. Kal dichfin yeitei v'yeichul. Kal ditzrich yeitei v'yifsach. Hashata hacha, l'shanah haba'ah b'ara d'Equestria. Hashata avdei. L'shana haba'ah b'nei chorin."

The Crusaders managed to join in the recitation only halfway through it, but they didn't understand a word. "What does all that even mean?" Kirby inquired.

"It's in Aramareic," Sunset explained. "It's basically saying how we, the herd, ate the same unleavened bread as they were freed from their bondage, and that all who are hungry should join us and eat from it. Some scholars propose that the bread, which is made so simply that slaves eat it, become 'bread of freedom' from the willingness to share it with others."

"This Seder isn't just bland; it's hard," Scootaloo declared. The other Crusaders nodded in consent.

"Maybe the next part will appeal to you more," Twilight proposed, giving Sunset a pat on the back. "After the recitation of the bread, we need the youngest of the members to ask some questions relating to things we do during the Seder.

“Yesssssss!” Pinkie Pie reached for the juice bottle, before she remembered to play the princess and gave the bottle to Rarity so she could serve.

“It’s not easy being royalty,” Twilight commented, holding out her cup for Feather Duster to fill. “How do the princesses manage?”

“With dignity. Thousand years of practice. And don’t get all parched for it yet, ponies,” Fang advised, noticing several of the guests staring hungrily at their brimming goblets, “cause this cup of grape is going to remain untouched for all of Maggid.”

"So the quicker you ask the questions, the quicker you'll get to the next part of Maggid, the quicker you'll get to drink," the older dragon informed the crowd. "Spike, if you would—"

Apple Bloom leaned towards the other Crusaders. "This is tirin', gang. Ah don' know how Ah'm gonna make it to the end."

"I know what you mean," Sweetie groaned. "We've barely started the Seder and I'm already exhausted."

"But we have to... get through this thing," Scootaloo insisted, blinking over the course of five seconds. "That afikomen could get us our cutie marks."

Kirby pulled the fillies into a huddle. "Listen, girls. The afikomen won't be needed until later in the Seder, during the Tzafun stage. There's no point trying to look for it before then; I'd wager Spirit made it magically undetectable until a certain point. I say we grin and bear it; just keep yourselves alert, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Don't let yourselves fall to Luna's call. Stay awake."

"What I do is sit up straight against a high-backed chair and think of all sorts of loud and wild things," the colt suggested. "Hopefully, it'll keep us all awake through the sleep-inducing parts of the Seder."

The four young ponies jumped in their seats, having not noticed Fang bearing down on them with his glimmering grin until he spoke. "You just missed the Four Questions. Spike had to do them all on his own."

"Which works out, considering he is the youngest of us all," Twilight said. "Traditionally, it's the youngest who's supposed to ask the questions."

The Crusaders quickly straightened in their seats, giving out apologies like candy baskets. "It won't happen again," Kirby assured them.

"Hope not. It'd be a shame to fall asleep during the Seder, especially with all that grape juice left to drink comfortably. Speaking of which, I'd better fluff up those pillows of yours." Fang immediately set about punching the cushioning on everyone's seats, including the stiff-sitting Crusaders. "There! Now you're properly free."

Free to fall asleep, Scootaloo thought helplessly as Fang returned to his own chair. The plushness of the seats was already soporific, but the dragon's meddling had made it almost impossible to heed the call of the dreamscape. But Scootaloo was determined, as were her friends, and they were going to make it through the Seder to the end!

The assembly looked into their Haggadahs and read aloud. The Crusaders did the same, though Scootaloo could already feel herself drifting off. No, no no nonono no.... Come on, Scoots.... 'We were slaves..... we were slaves to.... in Anugypt...' Try as she might, the little pegasus couldn't kepe her eyes opened, her back bending into the shape of the cushions.

Maybe just a minute, a power nap, and then I'll consult the others on a new plan.

So while the others read on, Scootaloo allowed herself to nod off, the collection of voices helping her out. Out of the corner of her closing eye, she noticed Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Kirby being of a similar mindset and doing likewise. Guess Fang fluffed up their pillows good, was all Scootaloo could think of as her brain put down the rest of her senses.

Scootaloo woke to a strange tingling sensation on her back, which she attributed to an attention-grabbing back-rub from Fang. She opened her eyes and quickly squinted, the light beaming down harshly on her. Why's it so bright in here?

Attempting to rejoin the Seder properly, Scootaloo reached for her Hagaddah only for her hoof to bump into something hard. Focusing her gaze, she found a huge block of stone sitting in front of her on the sand. Wait, sand? But before she could think up another thought, a sharp voice bellowed into her ear.

Passover in Ponyville

by Spirit Guide

The Seder Started