Chapter 1
"Thanks for helping me, Twilight," I said, pouring the grape juice into a goblet.
She ruffled her wings, and smiled. "No problem, Luke. That's what friends do: they help each other."
We were sitting on the grass in a secluded meadow, in a far corner of Sweet Apple Acres. The sun had just risen, and the birds were still chirping in the trees. Morning dew was on the grass, courtesy of a pre-dawn agricultural watering service. In front of me was a tree stump that served as a table. Next to the stump was a picnic basket with a bottle of juice, a piece of flatbread, some utensils, and a picnic breakfast.
I placed one piece of the bread on a plate. "No, really. Not just for helping me find the juice and bread. For telling me about the spring equinox. For teaching me about Equestria's cosmology. You've helped me adjust to life here in ways that mean a lot to me."
"You're welcome." She said it in that quiet, honest tone I'd loved on the show, and I loved more in person; that moment when the joking fell away, and pure equine sincerity flowed like sweet wine. She blinked, and looked at what I'd prepared. "So, you said you'd tell me what this was all about when you'd gotten it set up." She levitated a quill and parchment
I took a deep breath. "A long time ago, my teacher, the King of the universe, had a garden, and in the middle were two trees. One was for eating, and one was just for looking at. My ancestors, the first family of humans, stole a fruit from the wrong tree on purpose and ate it. When the King saw them again, he told them that they had been cursed by their choice: they would become monsters, and then die."
Twilight gasped. "That's awful! It sounds like something out of the Everfree Forest."
"I know," I said, "He also said their children would carry the curse, and their childrens' children, because it wouldn't kill them right away. And they did it because an evil spirit possessed a dragon and convinced them that the King wasn't their friend at all. Well, the woman ate it because of that, and her husband ate it because she told him it was good for eating."
"Lies and mistrust, and an ancient curse? I'm so sorry, Luke."
"The King told them that the curse was so evil that the only cure was the blood of a slaughtered lamb," I said, "He killed one for each of them and made clothes for them from the skins."
She gasped, her eyes wide in horror.
"But it was only a temporary cure," I continued. "He banished them from the garden, because he couldn't let monsters stay, but promised them that one day, the curse would be broken forever. This meal is only a symbol of the final cure, which I took a long time ago, back on my world." I gestured to the grape juice and the unleavened bread. "Everyone who takes it is cured of the curse."
"Fascinating. So what happens now?" she asked.
"Well, I never learned the date calculation for the anniversary of the first dispensing of the final cure, which took place in spring a couple thousand years ago," I said, "So I've decided to honor it here on the Sunday closest to the spring equinox."
"I can tell it means a lot to you, Luke," said Twilight. I could tell she meant it.
"Thank you. Okay, here goes." I felt a bit silly, and I grinned nervously. She was sitting there with that studious look on her face, quill and parchment ready to take extensive notes.
The portal to Equestria had been a one-shot deal, the result of some magical experiment with mirrors. I had leaped through with only the clothes on my back, and the contents of my pockets and my memory. Consequently, I didn't have access to the exact words.
"Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took the bread, and said, 'Do this in rememberance of me. This is my body, broken for you.'" I picked up the bread, tore off a piece, and held it in one hand. Twilight watched intently, her quill capturing my words.
"This is my blood, spilled for your sins." I held the goblet in the other hand, then ate the bread and drank a sip of the grape juice.
Twilight waited to see what would happen. I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. God, I thought silently, whatever happens to me here, let me never forget you, or stop relying on you.
The writing stopped. I breathed deeply a couple more times, thinking about my family back on Earth, hoping that my hasty disappearance hadn't hurt them too much. I thought about my job, my church, and everything else I'd left behind. Not for the last time, I regretted my decision. Yet I knew in my heart that I'd been forgiven if it had been the wrong choice, and what mattered now was living. Then I opened my eyes, and saw the beautiful world that had become my new home, the horse princess who had become a stranded alien's friend. Onward and upward, I thought to myself with a small grin.
I looked at the remains of the bread and grape juice in front of me. "That's the ceremony. And for clean-up, we just eat the rest with breakfast."
As we ate, I told her of my teacher, who had brought hope to the hearts of a world of monsters with his words, and died for the cure. I told her about my family, who had seen the cure fulfilled in their lives. I told her many personal things I hadn't thought of since coming to this magical land. And she listened, like a good friend. It was a good morning.
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Nice despite the religion. And the fic warning is good to warn those who really don't like that sort of thing. I'm largely an agnostic myself but I still think that this was well written.
I can tell this was written with heartfelt sincerity, and even as a person who is hostile to theism, I can appreciate it. I would imagine that a true believer who found themselves in Equestria would seek to carry on being in communion with the lord and even share the knowledge of God's grace with ponies who were interested.
AWSOME!
Very good. Thank you for writing this. It's comforting to see others out there who care.
You're one of the few I'd trust to handle such things so well, Dup.
I love this fic.
That is all.
Splendid and simplistic; the best way to teach is to boil a hundred thousand words into a thousand.
> And they did it because an evil spirit possessed a dragon and convinced them that the King wasn't their friend at all.
Equestria doesn't have snakes?
Otherwise, interesting look at how myths might translate across borders, and the religious angle totally aside, it was worth appreciating for that.
Hope you had a good Easter.
4273459 "Luke" was going to say dinosaur, but didn't want to have to explain a non-draconic walking snake to someone who lives with a dragon. Besides, Revelation has a dragon: "The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray"
As far as using the language of myth, "Luke the believer" found it refreshing to be able to just tell the honest truth about his faith without having to hem and haw about details like "some people believe" and "the historical evidence says" and "other cultures say". Twilight has a royal mentor who raises the sun? "Luke" has one who created his world's sun and everything else, and who saves monsters from their fate.
I like the concept of trying to preserve knowledge and tradition "organically" through one persons casual memories.
Also like your take on his faith (the christian faith specifically, but I like to think more generally as human faith), and have him recontrextualize it to reflect the reality of the ponies world. May likely make him a more devote Christian doing so. Interesting idea to take that direction (more of a missionary, or much more similarly to a prophet), instead of something more common, like how Celestia's existence calls into question the existence of (his) god.
4363288 When surrounded by a world of literal magic akin to Narnia (which this Luke is a lifelong fan of), he finds words like "theology," "atheism," and even "faith" unnecessary. Instead of building a cathedral with words and defending against the barbarians at the gates, he can tell the truth without expectation that the other party will disbelieve his sincerity and level of knowledge.
As for "missionary" or "prophet," without evidence that Equestria is a fallen world, he has no reason to preach. Only the lost need salvation. Without evidence that Celestia and Luna are more than angel-level ponies, there's no need for a holy war.
I will read this. it intrigues me.
I found out about this story when I read your comment on "Faith and Fandom: Guest Post by Dr. Andrew Crome." I am definitely looking forward to reading it, but I don't exactly have the time right now haha
Since I've always read HiE stories featuring nonreligious fans, It seems very interesting to finally read a story with a Christian sent to Equestria. Perhaps I can relate
Oh noooo, I've been triggered, how dare you write a story about a religion that I don't believe to be true! Nag, nag, nag. Lol. Okay, now that I've gotten that out of the way, I'm off to see how good this story is. XP
P.s. No disrespect intended.
[Edit] Pretty good for a quick write. Information for the specific occasion matches up pretty well, though (as another comment mentioned.) I am curious as to why you went with dragon instead of snakes? Did you not see the Winter Wrap-up episode by the time you posted this? Forgot about? Didn't think about it? Or maybe it hadn't come out, yet? Or you hadn't seen it yet? All in all, decently done. Would have liked a little more description of the character, luke, but that isn't a necessity.
P.s. Agnostic atheist, out! XP
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The word "serpent" is used in most English translations of Genesis, and "dragon" is used in Revelation. Combining those with the concept that God cursed such beasts to crawl on their bellies from then on, the obvious inference is that Lucifer possessed a "dragon," either an extinct legged and/or winged snake/lizard, or a dinosaur such as a velociraptor. As to whether that's Scripturally accurate, I think it would make a fantastic scene in a movie, and I'm going with it.
First off, from one brother to another, let me thank you for writing this, and I hope I will have the guts to go ahead and publish my own meldings of Faith and Fandom one of these days, rather than remaining caught up in if they are good enough... help welcome.
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Well, to be fair there was the whole business with Luna->Nightmare Moon->Luna. My fanon has that as an archangel granted the privilege of incarnation following her bosses example in how to handle monsters. The scene where they reunite in the second episode of season one brings tears to my eyes: In this world that didn't fall as far as our own did*, when the prodigal
sondaughter returns from disowning his father and squandering his inheritance the olderbrothersister, rather than gripping about how the father is preparing a feast for the younger's return despite never having given the older anything to celebrate with with his friends the older sibling figuratively runs his father over to welcome the lost one back."Norm"? I am unfamiliar with what that would mean in this context? Please enlighten me?
* Regarding fallenness, here is something you said and my response.
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Well, Ponies certainly are capable of violating moral standards that they subscribe to. I would welcome more detail on your perspective, because I can't see how they could be anything other than morally imperfect and in need of Salvation. I suppose that one could hypothesize that they were created in that state, rather than falling into it, but that seems VERY theologically dodgy for the God I know.
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Allow me to provide a LINK to at least one place where that appears, and please tell me if it is not the one you recommend.
Also, if anyone is so interested in Crome's perspective that they are willing to pay to read what I am fairly certain is a peer-reviewed journal article on the subject here is a web page where you can get access to it for 24 hours (and, I assume, save it to (re-)read at one's leisure).
Very happy to see that this got accepted for publication, since it was very moral-boosting when he consulted with me on using a VERY incomplete scrap I wrote as one of his sources.
And he believes him? Why?