It's a Pony Kind of Christmas

by Infernity Zero

Merry Christmas

As perfectly placed pegasai clouds sprinkled down a dusting of snowflakes, Twilight Sparkle checked off the last item on her Hearth's Warming checklist, shivered, and opened the door of her castle home.

"Hey Twilight." Her most faithful assistant was waiting for her in the lobby. "How'd your errands go?"

Twilight had to put down a bag of groceries and several wrapped packages before answering. "T-T-They went just f-f-fine, S-Spike. I got everything I needed." She sniffed and rubbed her nose, which was starting to run.

Spike ran up at once and closed the door behind her. "Have no fear, your favorite dragon is here!" Grabbing the bag, he dashed it into the kitchen. Twilight heard a few pots and pans clattering about and moved away from the door. After a few moments, Spike ran back in with two steaming mugs in his claws.

"Spike the Dragon's Equestria-famous Hot Chocolate to the rescue!"

Twilight picked up the mug with her magic and took a sip. Warmth and comfort trickled their soothing magic down her throat and gently pushed away the cold and chill. She sighed and took another sip, walking towards the throne room as she did so.

"Thanks Spike. I needed that." She glanced out one of the windows as she walked. "I didn't think I'd be out for so long, but between getting presents for you, the girls, and Starlight, setting up the annual Hearth's Warming play with Princess Celestia, helping some of our neighbors with their decorations, and giving an impromptu holiday speech for the Mayor Mare, I was worried I'd have to rename myself Twilight Icicle."

"Twilight." Spike was putting the packages under the Hearth's Warming tree. "Why don't you take a break. Hearth's Warming is tomorrow; and for once, there doesn't seem to be any world-ending crisis on the horizon."

Jerking her head towards him, Twilight had to fumble with the mug a few seconds to keep from spilling it. "What are you crazy? I can't take a break now. I still have three checklists to go through just for today!" She opened the door of the throne room and walked inside only to be met by....

"Starlight? Girls? What are you all doing here?"

Her newest student and five closest friends were all siting a different seats at the Friendship Map. The map itself was covered in checklists and the girls were going through each of them vigorously.

"Let's see." Starlight was saying. "Bake gingerbread ponies with Flurry Heart. Check. Write newsletter for Celestia, Luna, and Cadance. Check. Get new comic book for Shining Amour." She looked at the list. "Did anypony take care of that?"

"Got it." Rainbow Dash tossed over a plastic bag with a book inside it. "He's gonna love it. Now which one of us had the job of cleaning up the castle?"

"Never fear Darlings." Rarity chimed in. "I've already scrubbed this castle so well, you could eat off the floor. I think we're almost done."

"Almost." Starlight moved to the end of her list. "There's still the matter of Twilight's special surprise. So when are we going to tell her?"

"Ah-HEM!" Twilight cleared her throat. The girls all turned to look at her with a few gasps. "Tell Twilight what?"

Starlight didn't miss a beat. "Tell Twilight about her Hearth's Warming surprise!"

"Surprise?" Twilight stared at them. "But Hearth's Warming isn't until tomorrow. Why are you doing all this...whatever this is... now?"

"Because that's part of the gift." Starlight gestured to the rest of the group who all smiled at Twilight. "We know how busy you get with all your holiday preparations, so we decided to give you the best gift we could think of: a free schedule."

"What?"

"We took care of all your work for you so you could have the holiday to yourself. Isn't that great?"

Twilight needed a few seconds to process that information before casting a wistful glance at the completed lists.

My beautiful checklists...gone.

But that sad thought was soon replaced by happier ones when she realized just how much her friends had given her. She smiled.

"Oh girls. You didn't have to do this for me. I'm sure you still have to prepare for your own Hearth's Warmings too."

"Of course we do." Fluttershy beamed at her, lacking all trace of her usual timidity. "But we all agreed that you deserved this. I mean, we wouldn't enjoy our Hearth's Warmings as much if we knew you were running yourself ragged trying to do everything for the holiday."

"Well thank you nonetheless." Twilight turned towards Spike who was rolling in a tray of more hot cocoa. "Did you know about this, Mr. The Dragon?" She asked while imitating Ms. Harshwinny's demeanor.

He gave the lamest grin he could. "Maybe I did. And maybe I called all the girls here a few minutes after you left."

A brief inkling of irritation was quickly snuffed out by a warm glow to her cheeks. "Thank you too, Spike."

Needing no further prompting, the girls, Starlight, and Spike all swamped her in a group hug. After holding them for a while, Twilight broke away.

"Sooo, do any of you have any ideas for what I should do with all this free time? I'd hate to let it go to waste after all you did."

"As a matter of fact, we do." Spike ran out of the room once again and headed upstairs. When he came back, he was holding Twilight's saddlebag which shone and buzzed as he held it. Inside was a journal emblazoned with Celestia's cutie mark. "It started buzzing right before you came back. I didn't want to open it."

"Oh, a message from Sunset Shimmer?" Twilight took the journal. "I wonder how she's doing?"

While the rest of the girls took Spike's offered beverages, Twilight examined the new message, reading it aloud to the group.

Happy Hearth's Warming Twilight. Or in my case, Merry Christmas. Isn't it amazing how both Equestria and the Human World celebrate similar holidays and traditions during the same time of year? Nightmare Night and Halloween, Hearts and Hooves Day and Valentine's Day, Hearth's Warming and Christmas, the list goes on and on. Anyway, since Canterlot High is out for Winter Break, I was wondering if you wanted to come visit for Christmas Eve. The girls would really love to see you again, and I'd really like it if you could come too.

Your Friend, Sunset Shimmer.

Twilight looked up from the journal at the girls and Spike, who were all looking at her. She opened her mouth to speak but was immediately interrupted by Starlight.

"Go ahead Twilight." The others nodded too.

"But what about--"

Spike cut in. "Twilight, if I know you as well as I think I do, then I know you're going to be spending the rest of the night thinking about all the potential differences between this Christmas and Hearth's Warming. You'll be asking yourself a whole ton of questions, and you won't be able to focus on anything else."

"But won't you all--"

"Miss you?" Back to Starlight. "Yes we will, but we understand. The girls on the other side of the mirror are your friends too, so you have just as much of a right to visit them as you do to stay with us. Besides, how often does anypony get a chance to study and analyze a brand new holiday?"

"Ugh, you both know me too well." In truth, Twilight's mind was already racing with possibilities. She stopped for another sip of cocoa. "All right. If you're sure you're okay with it."

They nodded again. And with no other words, she ran off to her room to pack.

Dear Sunset Shimmer,

Since my schedule suddenly cleared up, I'd be glad to join you for this Christmas. I'll see you soon. I'm always glad to revisit old friends and take the opportunity to learn something new about your world. Your Friend,
Twilight Sparkle.

---

No matter how many times she traveled through the portal, Twilight had never gotten used to the roller-coaster ride that was inter-dimensional travel. Having your body ripped apart, thrown through a giant kaleidoscope, and reconstituted as a different species would do that to you. Fortunately, she was much more prepared for the sudden stop at the end of the ride and braced herself accordingly. When the colors faded into the usual vision of buildings and automobiles, Twilight found herself standing perfectly on two legs in front of the Canterlot High statue.

She maintained that position for about two seconds.

"Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-WAAAAAAH!"

A small layer of ice had covered the concrete sidewalk, sending her legs out from under her and the rest of her falling flat on her rump and sliding into a nearby snowbank.

"Oomph! Owww."

"Don't worry." Said a voice. "The same thing happened to me on my first winter."

Shaking the circling stars from her head, Twilight glanced up to see Sunset Shimmer, heavily layered in snow pants and a winter coat, reaching down to help her up.

"Hey Sunset." The Princess gratefully took the hand up. "N-n-Nice to s-s-see you." She glanced down at herself. The portal had spat her out in her usual human clothes, which she was quickly finding out were rather insufficient for winter weather and already soaking through. The water on her skin started another wave of shudders, worse than she'd gotten in Equestria due to her lack of fur. "Do you see my s-s-suitcase anywhere? It has the rest of my...m-m-my...Aaaaaah-CHOO!"

Sunset looked around and found the suitcase slightly buried a few feet away. Then she turned back towards Twilight, who was dripping and shivering. "Found it."

Not wasting anymore time, Twilight dove into her belongings and pulled out a winter coat. She'd also brought snow pants too, but the former would have to do for now. She quickly wrapped herself and rejoined Sunset who was already walking toward the parking lot with her suitcase. Ahead of her was a parked minivan with two more people inside. Sunset hefted the bag into the trunk and then got in on the right side. Twilight followed suit on the left.

Sunset gestured to the other occupants once she and Twilight had buckled up. "You've already met your Human counterpart, and this is her mother, Twilight Velvet."

Human Twilight waved from the shotgun seat. "Hello again, Your Highness."

Princess Twilight blushed at the reminder of her title. "Please don't c-c-call me that. In Equestria, I'm a Princess; b-b-but here, it's j-j-just Twilight."

"Okay then," Human Twilight nodded and looked at Sunset and her mother. "Then to avoid any confusion, just call me Sparks. It's my last name."

Twilight's nose twitched." C-c-can...can...ACHOO! Can do."

With that, Twilight Velvet started the car. "All right. Time to get our guest some dry clothes before she ends up with a Christmas cold." She turned to Sunset. "Is it all right if we bring her back to our house?"

Sunset nodded. "It's fine by me. Especially since Spark's clothes will probably fit her better than mine would."

"All right then. Off we go."

As the rumble of the car's engine activated the heating system, Twilight sighed with relief as warm air swept over her body. Other than the train, most Equestrian transportation didn't have air conditioning, so ponies just had to deal with whatever weather was scheduled.

I guess since humans don't control their own environment, they have to adapt themselves to fit it instead of the other way around.

That must have been why they needed so many different types of clothes too. They used them for practicality rather than just looking nice. Heavy clothes for cold days, shorter clothes for hot days, barely-there clothes for swimming, special clothes for special occasions, and even clothes underneath their regular clothes.

Focus Twilight. You're here to study Christmas. Not help Rarity open a new shop.

And yet, as the car zoomed by people and buildings, she couldn't help but notice that most of them were covered in Christmas decorum. Wreaths covered windows and doors. Colorful lights strung from every structure. People dressed in bright red and green. Some of them were carrying presents.

Deja vu.

When it came to decorations, gifts, and lights, each of them had an Equestrian counterpart. That alone didn't provide much of a difference for her studies. She scratched her head. Then again, none of those things were limited to a single holiday or even event. Pinkie Pie in particular would set up similar spectacles just for somepony's birthday. She needed more specific information.

The crunch of the tires against a snowy driveway startled her out of her thoughts. "Last stop. Everybody out!" Called Twilight Velvet. Sunset and Sparks both dismounted and headed toward the house. Twilight lingered long enough to help her counterpart's mother out of the car.

"My my," the older woman chuckled. "Aren't you polite."

"Think nothing of it, Mo--er--Mrs. Sparks." Twilight caught herself. "It's the least I could do to thank you for the ride."

"Any friend of Sunset Shimmer's is a friend of mine."

Just like the town, the Sparks household was also heavily decorated to the point where Twilight had a hard time figure out where the baubles ended and the house began. The inside was no better, as garland, wreaths and, ornaments covered the downstairs. The line between tacky and beautiful grew ever thinner. Sunset and Sparks were already in the kitchen, happily slurping down frothy cups of...something.

Velvet put a hand on her shoulder. "If you head upstairs and to the left room, you'll find a dry set of clothes waiting for you."

Twilight wasted no more time and dashed to the designated room, practically ripping her clothes off as she did so. To her surprise, her human counterpart's clothes were the exact same size and length of her own.

I probably should be creeped out by this; but right now, I just want the warm.

And with the switch of attire, the warm did come. Her sneezing stopped and her shivers faded. The glow returned to her cheeks as she walked down the stairs to rejoin the others.

"Thanks for the new clothes, Sparks. How do I look?"

The other Twilight stared at her. "Like my identical twin. Seriously. Your legs are bigger than mine, and I have glasses; but other than that, we look exactly the same."

Probably because pony legs are better equipped for walking. Dunno about the glasses though. Maybe I should get my eyes checked.

Sunset chuckled. "If Rainbow Dash was here, she'd probably say something like 'Two Twilights are better than one' or 'Maybe you two were separated at birth.'"

Twilight and Sparks both shook their heads in unison. "One driving question at a time Sunny. Otherwise I'd be here for the next year. So what's that you're drinking anyway?"

"Oh this?" Sunset looked down at her cup. "It's called eggnog. It's a traditional Christmas drink." She tapped her forehead. "I don't know if Equestria has it or not." She put a mug in Twilight's hand. "What do you think?"

Twilight took a sip. "Mmmm. It's good. Thanks."

"Do you want to know where it came from?" Sparks had a drink of her own.

Twilight held up her hands and chuckled. "I'm good. I may be here to analyze Christmas, but drinks are still drinks regardless of where they come from. Let's focus on something more specific." She tapped her head again. "Like how on the way up here, I saw a lot of people dressed in red suits with white beards. What does that mean?"

"Oh him? That's Santa Claus." Sunset finished her drink. "He's basically the representative of Christmas."

"Oooh. Tell me more."

"Okay then. The story of Santa Claus first began with a man named Nicholas who lived in the fourth century."

Just like how the story of Hearth's Warming began with with ordinary ponies before Equestria was founded. Though something tells me there won't be any emotion eating winter spirits involved.

Sunset continued. "He became very rich from his parents' inheritance and took over their position as the town Bishop."

"Checkmate!"

"Not that kind of Bishop, Sparks." Sunset brushed off the interruption. "A holy man."

I don't think Equestria has those.

"Anyway. One day, Nicholas discovered a poor man with three daughters who wanted to get married. But they were so poor, they couldn't afford a dowry. So Nicholas climbed up to their roof one night and dropped a bag of gold down the chimney."

"I'm guessing that was before the postal service was invented?"

Sunset paused to stifle a giggle. "Yep. And they didn't have letter-sending dragons or magical journals either. As I was saying, the bag of gold fell down the chimney and into one of the stockings that had been hung up to dry."

Twilight pointed at the fireplace. "Like those over there?"

"Exactly. And because of that, the daughter could get married. And he did the same thing to the second daughter. But when it came to the third daughter, the father hid next to the chimney and caught Nicholas delivering the gold."

"Uh-oh."

"Though he tried to keep it a secret, word soon got out. As such, whenever someone got a secret gift, they assumed it was from him."

"So that's why you set up stockings for Christmas?"

"Yep. And when the legend of St. Nicholas crossed the sea, he became Kris Kringle. A big, fat man in a red suit filled with Christmas magic. Who delivered presents all over the world in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer."

"Flying reindeer?" Twilight's eyes lit up. "I guess the Human World does have some magic after all. So is he where the holiday originates?"

"Actually no." Sparks stood up. "That actually comes from a different historical figure."

"Really? Who's that?"

She checked her watch. "I'd love to tell you; but right now, it's time for us to go."

"Go? Go where?" Twilight watched as she reequipped her winter attire. Sunset looked equally confused.

Twilight Velvet walked down the stairs and headed out the door. Sparks followed her after waving to Twilight and Sunset. "The same place Mom and I go every Christmas Eve, Canterlot Church."

"Church? What's a church?"

Sparks grinned. "It's where you'll find out where the holiday started and what it means to everyone."

Twilight followed the girls out the door, her curiosity piqued once again.

---

Upon laying her eyes on this "church" for the first time, Twilight wondered if they were actually visiting royalty. But upon reassurance from Sparks that it wasn't actually a castle, she examined the building. It was a grandiose building in the shape of a crown, visible for a great distance in all directions. Cars were piled in front of it to the point where they barely managed to find a space. People were pouring into it. And atop the entrance was a giant banner displaying large green letters for all to see.

"'Come and Worship the King'?" Twilight looked at Sunset. "I thought Canterlot had a mayor, not a king."

"Don't look at me." Sunset moved her arms back and forth. "This is my first time too."

Once inside, the four of them all piled into a dimly lit room and sat down. Twilight noted that there were two jumbo screens on each side of the stage at the front of the room. Were they going to see a movie? Or maybe a concert? Once everyone was seated, her question was answered as a group of people walked out onto the stage carrying instruments. One of them picked up a microphone.

"Hello everyone. And welcome to our Christmas Eve service. I'm Pastor Bennett, and I'd like to extend to you our warmest greeting on this chilly winter day."

He paused to let the audience laugh. Sparks and Velvet did so. Sunset started at the stage intently. Twilight shivered again.

"It was a day just like this one when the First Christmas happened. A star shone brightly in the sky guiding travelers to a newborn King. The same King that we are here to worship tonight."

Who is this King? And what does he mean by worship?

To the best of her knowledge, even the Equestrian Sovereigns didn't command that level of reverence. Respect? Of course. Loyalty? Absolutely. Adoration? Maybe for ponies like her and Sunset who had grown up in their tutelage. But worship? That was reserved solely for a god. And Celestia herself would be the first to debunk the connection between divinity and alicorns. Had they gathered in service to some kind of deity? Or was it a summoning ritual? A sacrifice?

The questions must have shown on her face, because Sparks reached over to her.

"Don't worry Twilight. Everything's going to be fine."

If Sparks and her mother did this every year, then surely it wasn't anything dangerous. Especially in a building that was open to the public. Twilight shook her head and sighed at her brief regression.

Take it easy Sparkle. What-ifs lead to worries. You know that. So she silenced her concerns with Cadance's breathing technique.

The pastor continued. "So before we begin the sermon, let's take a moment to praise our Lord with songs, and hymns, and spiritual songs. Please stand everyone."

Twilight stood with everyone else as large white words appeared on the screens and the music began to play.

Silent night. Holy Night. All is calm. All is bright. Round yon virgin mother and child. Holy infant so tender and mild.
Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace.

Twilight stood through the song and three other ones. The second was about angels exalting their Lord. The third about angels singing to shepherds. And the fourth about a boy playing his drum for a King. Though the meaning of the music was lost on her, the sheer passion emanating from the singers and the audience left her shaking on her feet, though from what, she didn't know. Finally, the band stopped singing, and the crowd went silent.

The pastor retook center stage. "That was beautiful. I'd like to thank our worship team for their performance." He paused again as the audience clapped. Twilight clapped with them. "Now if you are ready, please turn with me in your Bibles to Luke chapter 2. And turn your minds back to two thousand years ago."

Two thousand years? How about that. Significant events in history happen in millennia here too.

The pastor held up a hand. "One aspect of Christmas that I feel that people tend to overlook is how different things were back then. In the First Century, the union between a man and a woman was considered sacred above all else. If either a man or a woman proved unfaithful to their spouse, they would be stoned to death."

Twilight took a sharp breath.

"So you can imagine how frightened a woman named Mary would be to find herself pregnant before marrying her betrothed. Especially since she had never known another man."

What? How did that happen? Her knowledge of love was rather limited; but so far as she knew, it wasn't possible for a woman nor a mare to have a baby by herself. Even alicorn magic couldn't defy basic genetics.

"When her husband-to-be found out about her pregnancy, he was shocked. But rather than have her stoned, he initially planned to leave her quietly to save her life."

While he was speaking, an image appeared on the screens. A man dressed in older clothes stood at his bedside clearly distraught. After a few seconds, the man knelt at the frame and began to pray. A gleaming orb of bright light appeared over the bed.

"But before he could send her away, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said to him, 'Joseph, Son of David. Do not fear to take Mary as your wife. For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bare you a son. And you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save the people from their sins.'" The glowing orb of light on the screen pulsed with each of the angel's words. Joseph dropped to the floor, bowing before the light.

The Holy Spirit? So this spirit gave Mary a child?

She tried to conceive the notion of a human woman carrying a divine baby in her womb, but only succeeded in giving herself a headache. The only spirits they had in Equestria were ones that gave people nightmares or fed off of ponies' hate. A benevolent spirit was completely unheard of.

I can only imagine how she reacted to finding this out.

She flipped back a few pages in the Bible to find out for herself and was astonished to find out that Mary had not only accepted her heavenly blessing, but did so faithfully without a single murmur or complaint.

Who was this woman to accept such a dramatic change to her life so easily? She could have DIED!

Her own experience with life-changing destiny had been much more reluctant both times it had happened, so all she could do was marvel.

How could she have so much faith in a being she'd never seen?

She leaned forward for a better look, almost bumping into the person in front of her. Spark and Sunset glanced at her.

"All you all right?" Sparks whispered.

"Yes. We'll talk later." Twilight didn't take her eyes off the stage.

Bennett resumed. "When Joseph awoke. He did as the angel instructed and took Mary as his wife." The screen shifted once again, this time displaying the words of the Bible. He read them aloud. "Now in those days, Caesar Augustus, the man in charge of the Roman empire, decreed that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. Since this included Joseph and Mary, they had to travel from their place in Nazareth to Joseph's hometown of Bethlehem. While there, Mary went into labor. But because there was no room for them in any of the town inns, she had to give birth in a stable instead and laid her baby in a manger." The monitors shifted to a picture of Mary and Joseph sitting in the stable among a group of farm animals with the baby in front of them in the manger.

A stable? Twilight's nose scrunched up. Surrounded by a bunch of unsanitary animals? And her baby was born in a food trough? Ugh. She'd been inside Applejack's barn a couple of times; and even if some of the animals were sentient, they still got themselves rather dirty nonetheless.

"But the heavenly work wasn't over just yet. For on the outskirts of Bethlehem, a group of shepherds were watching their flocks of sheep. But before long, an Angel of the Lord appeared to them. And they were so afraid."

Well, if I saw a heavenly messenger appear in front of me without any warning, I think I'd be scared too.

The screen changed again. Now, three men were standing below another orb of night in the wilderness.

"But the angel said unto them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'"

The single orb then changed to many as a group of angels proclaimed as one. "Glory to God in the highest. And on Earth, Peace and Goodwill towards men."

Messiah? So Jesus is the King they were talking about?

"So the shepherds went and found the child who was lying in the manger and then spread the word to all who would hear. And all who heard were amazed. But Mary took up these things and treasured them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen."

But why? Even if he was a King sent by God, why was there so much fuss over a baby?

She didn't have long to wait as the pastor turned towards the audience. "Now while I'm sure some of you have heard all of this before, there might be others that are hearing this for the very first time. And you might be wondering what all of this means. Why do we draw so much attention to a story that happened over two thousand years ago?"

Twilight jerked back, smacking her head on the back of her seat. What is he psychic?

"That is because Jesus was no ordinary man." He swept his eyes over the congregation. "Although he was born from a woman's womb like you and me, he was both human and God all at once. And it is through his birth on Christmas, death on Good Friday, and Resurrection on Easter that our sins are forgiven. So long as we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, he can wipe away any and all of our past misdeeds and wipe the slate clean. If we allow Him, he can redeem us. Now as the band comes back up, I would ask everyone to bow their heads and close their eyes."

Twilight obeyed and listened as the pastor walked the congregation through the steps of salvation. That they should repent of their sins, and accept His healing Grace into their lives. And once they were saved, they should commit their lives to him wholeheartedly.

Loss for words didn't even begin to describe her emotional state. That these people, forced to adapt to a world that didn't need them and could randomly sweep them away at a moment's notice, could devote themselves so utterly to a being that never showed up in person, that existed two millennia before they had been born, and didn't seem to have any physical effect on the world around them, was inconceivable. And yet, they still did so. It didn't make sense. It defied all reason. Yet she would be hard-pressed to call anyone in the room insane. Once the pastor was finished, the offering collected, and the audience dismissed. Sparks turned to her.

"That's what Christmas is all about, Twilight. What do you think?"

"I...." She looked down at the Bible in her hands. "I.... I need more time to think about it."

---

(Later)

Twilight Sparkle had returned to Equestria and her castle home. A book of her nation's history sat on her left, and a brand new Bible on her right. Sparks had seen fit to loan it to her so that she could continue her research. Under the light of an evening candle and her unicorn magic, she flipped through both books with gusto, cross-referencing every similarity she could find. She didn't know what she would find, why there were so many comparisons, or even what it all meant. A single desire drove her work forward.

I need to know more.

Author's Note:

You guys know I've never actually tried eggnog before? I'm weird like that.

Please note that this is NOT an attempt to push religion onto ponies. Despite being a Christian myself, I know better than to do something like that. This story was born out of the same curiosity as Twilight's here. To compare and contrast the two holidays. But when it came down to the actual meanings of both, I began to wonder. Equestria doesn't really have anything along the lines of God or Jesus. How can it when aside from the Everfree Forest, all of the weather and landscape is controlled by the ponies themselves? So my question going into this was just how Twilight (or Sunset to a lesser degree) would react to the idea. Then it just sort of snowballed out of control.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Comments

[MegaBrony95]

Such a pretty story. Merry late Christmas, my friend.

[HB_DS2013]

Eggnog is amazing... except when it's vanilla flavored. THAT flavor sucks.

[Babroniedad]

Okay - just want to go on record as stating this story is awesome! Thanks for writing this!

[KatonRyu]

Overall, I think the story is pretty well written, but there are a few things that I didn't like as much. It seems odd that Sci-Twi would refer to herself as Sparks; she just doesn't seem like the kind of person who would. It also seems odd to me that the magical pony princess would have a problem with a stable, even if you do give a rationalization for it. Lastly, I just don't think that Sci-Twi of all people would be religious. If any of the Humane 6 would be I'd probably guess AJ.

I'll admit that I'm a bit nitpicky here and for that I apologize. I really don't like religion in combination with ponies, but your story was written well enough that I did finish it despite my misgivings.

[Infernity Zero]

8689341
The fact that you finished the story despite your misgivings is a testament to either my own quality as a writer or my poor choice in story topics.

Religion is a sensitive subject regardless of what you believe; and like I said in the author's note, I'm not trying to shove my beliefs down anyone's throats. Much like Deafened By Silence, this was another experimental fic to try something I hadn't done before.

[vanilleah]

I love this so much <3 Amazing job!

[Infernity Zero]

8885841
Thank you.

[Mystic Sunrise]

... Yeah. Like every other fic that does this, the religion has no place here. I get Twilight wanted to learn about Christmas, but I feel it could have been skipped.

And just had her have a bible after getting back to Equestria. Being the bookworm she is, she'd read it no matter what probably.

[Infernity Zero]

10047234
Yes, it could have been skipped. But since the entire aspect of the story was to explore Twilight's reactions to the differences between Hearth's Warming and Christmas, not including the religion would have made it feel hollow and meaningless. I mean, how would you explain Easter without Jesus rising from the dead? Or Ramadan without Mohammed receiving the Quran? Or Vesak without Buddha? Should they all be reduced to just simple wholesomeness because reasons? No. There is a religious background for each of those holidays and to ignore it would be to ignore the core concept behind their foundings.

I get what you're saying though. I even mentioned in the author's note that this wasn't an attempt to push religion on ponies. I just wanted to see how they'd react to the concept, no more no less. It's a controversial subject to be sure as all hot-button topics are, but I feel I addressed it with the necessary tact. Twilight doesn't convert or anything, she just wants to learn more, something that is consistent with her character on the show.

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

"Thanks Spike. I needed that." She glanced out one of the windows as she walked. "I didn't think I'd be out for so long, but between getting presents for you, the girls, and Starlight, setting up the annual Hearth's Warming play with Princess Celestia, helping some of our neighbors with their decorations, and giving an impromptu holiday speech for the Mayor Mare, I was worried I'd have to rename myself Twilight Icicle."

lol twilight icicle. 😂

"We took care of all your work for you so you could have the holiday to yourself. Isn't that great?"

Well that was kind of them to do. 😊

Spike cut in. "Twilight, if I know you as well as I think I do, then I know you're going to be spending the rest of the night thinking about all the potential differences between this Christmas and Hearth's Warming. You'll be asking yourself a whole ton of questions, and you won't be able to focus on anything else."

And that's exactly what she'll likely do.

[Infernity Zero]

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Twilight's pursuit of new knowledge rivals my own. It's why I enjoyed writing this so much. We're never satisfied until we learn everything about everything.

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

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i see