Spring Rising
We all know and love Twilight Sparkle: Princess of Friendship, savior of Equestria, and recipient of the Best Principal in Ponyville award, a royal honor she created and then bestowed upon herself.
Everypony agreed she was the best principal in Ponyville, but many felt that the award ceremony was a little overdone. And slightly mean to Cherilee.
If Twilight has a great flaw then, it is her pride. She thinks very highly of herself, and frequently feels she is smarter than the ponies around her. As a princess, these emotions often express themselves as frustration or a sassy wit. A royal may not tell her subjects to “knock it off and stop being so stupid,” but she may let out an aggressive sigh, roll her eyes, or demonstrate that the Royal Canterlot Voice is the highest form of sarcasm.
But once upon a time, Twilight was not an alicorn, but merely a young unicorn. Young unicorns can say whatever they want. Thus it was that in her first year in Ponyville, as Winter Wrapup concluded, Twilight had occasion to express herself more fully, and thereafter learned a valuable lesson in humility.
It all started with five little fillies and colts. They knocked on Twilight’s door, with their faces painted red and orange. Each of them carried a little torch in their saddlebags or teeth, and with it a bag already partially filled with candy.
“Knocking knocking on your doors,” they shouted, “open up your candy stores!”
“Oh,” Twilight said. “Hello there!” She lifted the bowl she kept beside the door.
The foals froze. Their eyes tracked the bowl. Then from the back of the group, Pinkie Pie shouted: “It’s not candy! It’s fruit and educational toys. She’s gonna give us toothbrushes!” Panic gripped the group. “Everypony run!”
In the sunlight of a bright spring day, the children screamed like they’d seen Nightmare Moon herself, and fled.
There is an earth pony holiday known as Spring Rising.
Taking place exactly twenty-one days after Winter Wrapup each year, it celebrates the revolution that so long ago freed the earth ponies from unicornian rule. After the first Spring Rising, the earth ponies would never again be oppressed by unicorns’ dark magic.
There would be several later points in history where they were oppressed by another earth pony’s dark magic, but that was different. Besides, it was good to remember that earth ponies were magic too, and could become deranged mystic tyrants if they wanted to.
In Twilight’s first year in Ponyville, the town celebrated the holiday with great vigor. Orange and red ribbons festooned every shop. Sugarcube Corner was selling gingerbread castles. Barrels of torches and pitch were set out for the bonfire celebration, and parents shooed their overly eager foals away from them. Pinatas filled with candy were laid out next to the trees, waiting for the foals to come by in the afternoon.
Most impressive of all was the mock castle erected on the outskirts of Ponyville. “Bonfire” wouldn’t do the closing ceremonies justice. It was a story and a half tall, with little battlements and towers and banners that waved in the wind. Big Mac and a few other stallions were still hard at work on it, coating the lower beams with oil to ensure a spectacular blaze.
Then there were the children. Groups of foals went to the houses of all the unicorns in town, pounding on the door and shouting their little chant: “Knocking knocking on your doors, open up your candy stores!”
Rarity handed out taffy. Lyra handed out gummy dragons. And Twilight grabbed Pinkie by the tail with her magic, dragging her back towards the door before she could flee.
“No, no!” Pinkie cried, her hooves carving divots into the dirt as the struggled to resist Twilight’s telekinetic pull. “I don’t want to be educated. You can’t make me learn!”
Eventually, she realized she was alongside Twilight. She lifted her head, looking up into Twilight’s glowering face. Without a trace of her earlier fear, she let out a friendly: “Hey, Twilight.”
“Pinkie,” Twilight sighed and released her tail. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going door to door getting candy. You want some?” Pinkie Pie held out her bag, already stuffed with sweets. “Lyra’s gummies are the best. I think Bon Bon made them.”
“First, Pinkie, you are an adult you can buy your own candy.” Twilight let out a sharp sigh and pushed the bag away. “Second, no, I don’t want any. Because third, I don’t celebrate Spring Rising, because this holiday is terribly discriminatory and its roots are historically awful.”
“Whaaat?” Pinkie tilted her head to the side. “But Spring Rising is great. It’s like Nightmare Night in the spring, only instead of carving pumpkins we make gingerbread castles.”
“It literally celebrates mob violence against unicorns.” Twilight pointed out at the town. “Big groups of earth ponies with torches and sacks going to every unicorn in town and demanding things?”
“But that’s a terrible way to look at it! It’s not about anything bad. Spring Rising is about earth ponies getting our own… oooh.” Pinkie Pie lowered her head. “Oh, I get it. You’re from Canterlot! Full of stuffy noble pony unicorns. Of course ponies don’t celebrate Spring Rising there.”
“They don’t. And I appreciate—”
“That means you’ve never seen it in person.” She gripped Twilight by the shoulders. “Trust me, once you see how much fun everypony is having, you’ll know this holiday is great. Let’s go!”
Twilight tried to object, but Pinkie Pie already had her hooves around Twilight’s shoulders.
“See?” Pinkie Pie said. “Pinatas. Pinatas are fun!”
A group of colts and fillies surrounded a pinata hanging from a tree. The paper-mache pony had a little horn, and a golden crown made from peanut brittle. The foals took turns beating it with a heavy bat, hoping to knock a few bits of candy from its crushed torso or broken legs.
Twilight opened her jaw. She shut it again without making a sound.
“The unicorn foals are playing too,” Pinkie added. There were several unicorn foals in the crowd, all of them wearing silly festive hats to hide their horns. The pegasus foals tended to wear something over their wings, like a saddle cloth. Everypony had their faces painted.
“Pinkie,” Twilight finally said, “What does Spring Rising celebrate? Like, why is it on this specific day in the spring?”
In front of them, one of the foals finally got a good strike in on the pinata. It sheared clean in half, sending candy flying everywhere. The foals all piled in under it, laughing and grabbing at the treats.
“Because today’s the day the earth ponies overthrew the evil Duchess Ruby Glow and burned down her castle.” Pinkie Pie sniffed the air in front of Twilight. “And the rebels were starving. So they took all the food. So to celebrate, all the foals go around to the unicorns of Ponyville and get candy, and then we have a big bonfire to-”
“Yes!” Twilight silenced Pinkie with a glare. “Yes, I am familiar with the tradition.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Pinkie Pie implored, gesturing at the foals. They were already shouting for the adults to hang up another pinata. Apparently, there hadn’t been quite enough candy for everypony. “Ruby Glow was an evil, bad unicorn who stomped all over the nice innocent earth ponies, and it was like a billion years ago, and it’s a super fun day.”
“Pinkie…” Twilight drew out her words. “What makes you think that Ruby Glow was an ‘evil, bad unicorn?’”
“Um. She hoarded all the food inside her castle? So all the earth ponies were hungry? Duh.” Pinkie Pie pulled a gingerbread castle out from the depths of her mane, taking a large bite out of the side. “See?” she mumbled through a full mouth.
“Really?” Twilight asked. “She hoarded so much food in her castle that the entire earth pony nation was starving?”
“Well, yeah.” Pinkie circled a hoof in the air. “That’s the point of the holiday.”
“She fit a million tons of grain into one house, and hundreds of thousands of apples, and cut all the grass so ponies couldn’t graze?” Twilight flicked her tail. “Because that seems like it would take up a lot of room.”
“Um…” Pinkie Pie tapped her chin. “Okay, maybe that part of the celebration isn’t a hundred percent accurate. But look over there. Cherilee is painting faces.”
Before Twilight could object, Pinkie Pie hurried her along once again.
Cherilee did have a little stand set up in the square. Colts and fillies came by, and she painted their faces red and orange—putting lines under their eyes and down their cheeks in the traditional manner.
“Hey, Ms. Cherilee!” Pinkie called. “Twilight needs her face painted.”
“Well hello, Twilight.” Ms. Cherilee called. “Will you be wanting a hat as well?” She had a collection of stetsons, fezes, dusters, and top-hats for the unicorns. Plus a big-hair wig.
“I will not. And I don’t need my face painted.” Twilight huffed. “But could you answer a question for me?”
“Well, sure.” Cherilee smiled. “What do you want to know?”
“What was the name of the seven-year period after the first Spring Rising?”
Cheerilee's face froze. Her expression tightened, and she let out a stiff laugh. “Well, I’m painting faces right now, not teaching history class. But I suppose you’d just call it ‘the seven years after the revolution.’ Ha ha.”
“Does it have another name?” Twilight pressed, her eyes narrowing into the slightest of glares. “A name you might use if you were teaching history class?”
“Um…” Cherilee looked between Pinkie and Twilight. Pinkie tilted her head to the side. “Some historians, that is, call it the ‘Reign of Terror.’”
“Whaaat?” Pinkie Pie’s ears shot up. “Why would they call it that?”
“Who knows?” Cherilee laughed again. “One of those big mysteries of history.”
“Do you think it might have been because of all the lynchings?” Twilight asked. “Or maybe the burnings?”
After a moment, Cherilee mumbled that that might have something to do with it.
“Whaat?” Pinkie Pie asked, her face turning down into a frown. “But why would the earth ponies do that?”
“Because there was a famine, Pinkie,” Twilight said, her voice stern. “Between the years 242 and 244 AF there were widespread crop failures across greater unicornia, primarily due to infestations of the purple grass sprite. The population was reduced to grazing on wild grass to survive, and after that was gone, ponies started turning on eachother. And some ponies decided that if their unicorn neighbors were dead, the rest of the neighborhood could split up their food.”
Quickly, silently, Cherilee packed up her face painting stand and fled. The air between Twilight and Pinkie grew chill. “But…” Pinkie frowned. “That’s not right at all. Spring Rising is about good, heroic rebels overthrowing an evil tyrant. See!” She turned Twilight’s head. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders are all enjoying it together.”
Across the way, the CMC were indeed going door to door. All three of them had their faces painted. Sweetie Belle wore an extravagant hat that had obviously been made by Rarity, while Scootaloo wore her Nightmare Night costume from the previous year. She’d been a pegasus warrior.
“Knocking knocking on your doors,” Sweetie Belle called outside Doctor Stable’s house. “Open up your candy stores!”
Stable opened his door, looking out at them with a smile. A bowl of candy floated beside him. “Well, aren’t you three terrifying,” he said. His eyes focused on Scootaloo. “Aren’t you supposed to an earth pony today?”
“No, I’m a pegasus warrior!” She buzzed her wings. “Now gimmie candy or I punch your stuffing out, ground pony.”
“See?” Pinkie Pie gestured. “They’re having fun!”
“Well, I can’t deny it’s traditional,” Twilight’s tone bit, the sarcasm laced throughout.
“No, Twilight…” Pinkie Pie bit her lip. “You’re not getting it. Maybe we’re focusing too much on the candy thing. Bonfires are fun, right? Everypony loves bonfires!”
The mock castle at the edge of town really was impressive. It had crenelations and battlements, arrow slits and a drawbridge, faux-unicornian banners hung from the side, and there were even little wicker ponies manning its defenses.
“See?” Pinkie Pie gestured. “How many holidays are there where the town gets to burn down a house? Some years, we even have a mock battle, and Stop Motion uses her unicorn magic to animate the little wicker ponies so they can be all, ‘Grrr! You will be oppressed forever, mud ponies!’ and then ‘Oh no! Aaah! My evil reign is ended.’”
Pinkie Pie reared up to make gestures. She growled and swiped as she spoke, mimicking the battle itself.
“So this is supposed to be Ruby Glow’s house,” Twilight said after a moment. “The evil duchess Ruby Glow. We’re burning her in effigy, basically.”
“Yeah, but Twilight,” Pinkie Pie let out a plaintive whine. “She was the bad guy.”
“Did you know she had a husband named Diamond Sparkle?”
Pinkie Pie froze. Her tail, normally held high at attention, dropped to rest against her rear legs. “I, uh…” She coughed. “I mean, Sparkle is a really common—”
“She’s my great-great-great grandmother, Pinkie.” Twilight said, her tone icy. “You know, because I’m from Canterlot, with all those stuffy unicorn noble ponies who know their genealogy back six generations. Her cutie mark was a ruby and a magnifying stone. Her special talent was gemcutting. And she was made duchess of the earth pony nation because she liked earth ponies. She made friends with earth pony gemcutters when she was learning her trade. And she was a deeply kind mare. So kind that when a revolution was brewing and her peers told her to rule with an iron hoof, she refused, and tried to keep everypony happy. And look what that got her.”
Twilight swallowed, her ears pressed flat against her head. “So no, Pinkie, I don’t think I’m going to enjoy a holiday about beating unicorns and burning my ancestors in effigy. And I don’t think you should either.”
“Well… I…” Pinkie Pie sniffled. “I didn’t know, Twilight. And I just…” She bit her lip and sniffled. “I gotta go.”
Pinkie Pie ran away.
Later that evening, Twilight and Rarity sat on Twilight’s porch, looking out at Ponyville. The sun was setting, and the bonfire celebration would begin soon. They had a pot of tea between them, enchanted with unicorn magic so it would never get cold.
“I’m not sure it helped though,” Twilight was saying. “I handed out two boxes of fruit and twenty educational pamphlets, and I’m not sure any of the foals kept them.”
“Mmmhmmm,” Rarity agreed, turning a lazy eye on Twilight. Door-knocking wrapped up before dusk, and so she did not need to be at the Boutique anymore. She’d handed out six bowls of taffy.
“It’s just so frustrating.” Twilight let her head slump back to her chair. “It’s like Pinkie Pie doesn’t care about the truth at all.”
“Is that how you feel about it?”
“Yeah, it is!” Twilight sighed. “The truth matters. The absolute, objective truth. Not just what makes you feel good. And this holiday is based on a pack of lies and historical revisionism. I mean, does it bother you at all? When Sweetie puts on a hat and goes out with her friends?”
“Oh, not at all.” Rarity smiled a soft smile. “I was raised in Ponyville after all. Most of my friends are earth ponies. And I think we should celebrate the earth ponies having their own, independent nation.”
“But you’re still a unicorn. You don’t feel…” Twilight struggled for the word. “Excluded?”
“Should I?” Rarity let the words hang in the air. “After all, the earth pony nation is ruled by a mare with a horn.”
Twilight froze, turning to look over at Rarity. Rarity, for her part, continued. Her voice was saccharine sweet, almost sing-song: “A mare with a horn that makes a unicorn city her capital. A mare with a horn who makes a unicorn city her capital and who personally tutors the most gifted unicorns of each generation. And that mare with a horn who makes a unicorn city her capital and personally tutors the most gifted unicorns of each generation then goes on to appoint those unicorns to governmental posts in earth pony towns without consulting the earth ponies living there first.”
Rarity raised her cup of tea. “For instance, our librarian.”
“Are you…” Twilight ears folded back. “Are you serious?”
“Am I serious about what?” Rarity batted her eyelids.
“That…” Twilight made a complex series of gestures with her hooves, her tone turning strained. “You just said that Equestria is ruled by some kind of unicorn elite.”
“I said no such thing. I stated a series of facts. You’re the one who drew a conclusion.”
“But it’s not true!” Twilight sat up, her tone insistent. “Celestia made Canterlot her capital because it’s centrally located and highly defensible. She tutors unicorns personally because pegasai and earth ponies prefer to learn their crafts from their own traditional schools. And appointing librarians centrally makes more sense for the efficient distribution of books.”
“But, doesn’t that all add up to the same thing?” Rarity tilted her head. “Historically, I mean. Unicorns ruled the world before, and unicorns rule it now?”
“It’s not about history,” Twilight snapped. “It’s about Celestia doing what’s best for Equestria.”
“Ah, I see.” Rarity nodded and sat back in her chair. “So, the history of a thing doesn’t matter. Even if it has terribly bigoted, violent, morally abhorrent origins. What matters is that right now, it makes ponies happy, and makes Equestria a better place.”
Twilight didn’t answer, and so Rarity continued: “Or perhaps, if you’re so devoted to, ‘the absolute, objective truth’ you might suggest that Ponyville stops celebrating the holiday. On the basis that it celebrates the independence of a nation that is not actually all that independent.”
“So you’re saying I just need to lie and go along with whatever makes ponies happy,” Twilight drew herself up and squared her shoulders. “Is that it?”
“What I’m saying, Twilight, is that Pinkie Pie gets one day a year when her people are on top of the pile, instead of being on the bottom. And you told her that if she enjoys that, she’s a bad pony.”
“I didn’t…” Twilight paused. “I didn’t use those words.”
Rarity looked at her.
“Oh.” Twilight said. Her ears folded back, and her tail drooped.
As the sun sunk below the horizon, Twilight knocked on the door of Sugarcube Corner. She had her face painted red and orange, a torch floated beside her, and she rather awkwardly wore a slightly-too-small blue fez.
It caught on the tip of her horn, and so did not rest on her head so much as hang from her like a tassel.
“Hey, Pinkie,” Twilight called up. “They’re going to start the bonfire soon. I thought you’d want to come see.” When Pinkie didn’t answer, Twilight raised her voice. “I was going to animate some of the wicker ponies. You know. Make it more fun. I um… I got a torch.”
“Go away,” Pinkie shouted from the top window. Her voice was ragged and harsh. “Having fun is racist now.”
“Ah. I may have done some damage there.” Twilight hung her head. She took a breath and squared her shoulders. “Pinkie? I um… can I tell you something?”
“Is it a story about how Hearths Warming is really a celebration of werewolf cannibals?” Pinkie Pie came to the window, shouting down into the street. “Or how Nightmare Night is just making fun of Princess Luna? Any other holidays you can ruin?”
“I mean,” Twilight said softly, “that second one is actually true. But…” She shook her head and raised her voice again. “No, it’s about Ruby Glow. I told you she was a very kind pony, and she was. And I told you that she liked earth ponies, and she did. But Princess Platinum still told her, ‘I want you to go rule the earth pony nation because they’re too dim to rule themselves’ and she said, ‘Okay.’”
Twilight dragged a hoof over the ground. “I mean,” she said, “that’s not moustache-twirling evil? But it’s still pretty bad. Like, when you think about it, she probably… you know. She wasn’t perfect.”
“That’s it?” Pinkie demanded. “That’s all you want to say?”
“No, there’s more.” Twilight looked up to the window. “Because, even if Ruby Glow didn’t rule with an iron hoof, a lot of her peers did. And she didn’t do anything about it. She personally wasn’t a cruel pony, but she wasn’t willing to do anything to stop the unicorns who were. She was a good pony, but she was a loyal unicorn before she was a good pony, which um… kind of makes her a bad pony in certain ways. I guess. In a few ways.”
Pinkie stared down into the street, looking down at Twilight with an exaggerated squint. “So you’re saying she was evil?”
“I’m saying that…” Twilight kicked the dirt. “I’m saying that this holiday still really offends me, and I still don’t like it, and I still think parts of it aren’t okay. But it was wrong of me to act like my side was the good ponies and yours was the bad ponies. And it was even worse of me to act like you were a bad pony. I know you. You’re the nicest, happiest pony I know! You’d never do anything to hurt me on purpose. And I acted like you did.”
Finally, Twilight cleared her throat. “So I’m sorry, Pinkie. I’m sorry. I wasn’t a very good friend today. And…” She swallowed. “It would make me happy if you’d come with me and we can go light a building on fire.”
Pinkie Pie sniffed. She rubbed her eyes. “Twilight,” she said, a smile dawning on her face. “You had me at ‘fire.’”
“That was literally the last word I said.”
“Oh yeah,” Pinkie agreed. “I totally didn’t forgive you right away. You were a huge jerk.”
Despite herself, Twilight smiled back.
“Oh no!” the wicker Ruby Glow cried, as her castle was consumed by flames. “My evil reign is ended. Though, I would be remiss if I did not point out that my reign, while evil by modern standards, was above average by the standards of the era and the historical depiction of me as a deranged tyrant is largely inaccurate.”
Then she cried: “Aaah. The fire!” Still aflame, she leapt from the battlements down towards the crowd. The ponies of Ponyville pulled back, but when the wicker effigy hit the ground, it exploded into a shower of candy.
It was a strange celebration, but at the bonfire dance after, everypony agreed Twilight gave the mansion burning a lot of class.
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This quote reminds me of Purge: Election year's candy girl
i.imgur.com/htUdS09.jpg
9388721
Nope. You're thinking of "Twilight Sparkle vs Social Inequality," which is a completely different story.
Right for the jugular, this one.
This is a very good story, but with a title like that, I don't think you're going to attract the sort of audience you're looking for
Quality.
Oh god, you didn’t tell me you would give it that title.
You seem to make a hobby of poking beehives Jaxie, but damn if you don’t write some good horsewords.
There is definitely something here. Everyone should be sure to read through to the very end.
9388751
I swear he didnt tell me about that title.
I mean... hopefully people will read the story through before they assume this story is something it isn’t?
9388759
If you really don't like the title, I will change it! It's your commission.
But you're right. I adore throwing stones at beehives.
You really should change that title.
This story shows exactly why "Social Justice" is so harmful, most SJW'S like Twilight at the beginning act like their the "good guys" and that anyone who disagrees with them are the "bad guys" which only leads to blind hatred. Sadly, most SJW'S won't actually ever reevaluate their believes like Twilight did and will continue to push everyone close to them away like she almost did to Pinkie because their too stuck in their black-and-white mentality to even consider that they might be actually be hurting real people.
Every political movement needs to be reminded once in a while that they can be full of it. Great story!
Though I do think the name is either going to attract a bunch of people whining about SJW's or a bunch of SJW's whining about... I dunno, what's hot now? The idea that hot is inherently good?
Also, caught a few minor Community references!
Congrats Pinkie, you won the quote of the decade.
9388765
Thank you! I tried to make it deep. Stories are better with a real friendship lesson at the end.
This is what made me laugh hardest. Great story.
I say keep the title. Ree-er's gonna ree. Let them complain to someone who cares.
9388785
Hm, I'm not *too* bothered by it, since I already got the funny twilight/pinkie banter I wanted, and if this comment section becomes a minefield I can just ignore it. I wonder what we would even change it to, though?
"Twilight Sparkle Vs. Historical Revisionism"
-would be slightly less loaded, maybe?
"In which Pinkie and Twilight burn the Latter's Ancestor in Effigy"
-can communicate that this is still a humorous story and don't take it too seriously, y'all!
Any ideas?
9388817
Community references? :O
I must have missed them! Do tell!
9388863
I'm curious too, since that wasn't intentional.
9388716
... Hey, I remember, I have to go to Silent Hill to pick up something... (Laughs nervously, then runs.)
This story was much more nuanced then expected from the title, but I don't really agree with the moral of it. Most of it anyway. but if a holiday, or anything really, has terrible origins in something, I don't agree with turning a blind eye to it's unfortunate implications and ideals, just so a few can feel better about themselves.
If the Princesses have ruled Equestria for over a thousand years, how can Diamond Sparkle be Twilight's great-great-great grandmother?
This bugs me, and I think the reason why is the implication in it that Celestia is just a unicorn with some extra appendages, and calls into question the legitimacy of her government.
This is why I stay out of politics: It invariably becomes a bloody quagmire of nonsense that doesn’t do anything except turn neighbor against neighbor and distract them from the true enemy.
Honestly, I'm way more sympathetic towards Twilight since it's literally a holiday about burning her ancestor to death. An ancestor that had a couple problems yes, but who was still a pretty nice person overall. Who wouldn't feel personal about that?
Twilight Sparkle DESTROYS Pinkie Pie with FACTS and LOGIC!
*shrug*
My parents' generation became refugees after the Chinese government stole their property and kicked them out of the country. As far as I'm concerned, Twilight is a white snowflake crying about a 500 year old lie and Pinkie Pie is a hick who will never win the argument because she can't afford a "I was personally tutored by the 1000-year old ruler of the country, if you give a convincing argument, I'll have you executed for treason"-education.
9388798
You have it backwards. Twilight is the white person in this scenario that is told, because of her race, that she is not allowed to be offended because her feelings don't matter. She isn't even anti-SJW. She is just uncomfortable about a holiday that literaly celebrates the vilification and murder of one of her ancesters.
9388970
Provocative statement which has no relation to the story or the parable attempt being drawn.
One person is whiny bitch for being asked to celebrate the burning and lynching of their ancestor, and the other person is a noble doomed everyperson for wishing to continue said celebrations about the burning and lynching of their friend's ancestor after being explicitly told that the celebration is about the burning and lynching of said friend's ancestor.
9388863
9388867
I re-read it, and I think I just linked Twilight to Britta and jumped at shadows. Twilight "I may have done some damage there" is one my favorite punchlines, but it's probably a coincidence.
Now that I'm thinking about it, Twilight isn't even Britta, seeing as Pinkie ended up dragging her around Ponyville instead of Twilight attacking Ponyville or something.
More than a bit surprised at the number of downvotes on this, to be honest. As always, you're pretty good at writing conversation-starters, old pal.
Rather than comment on who is right or wrong, I actually think this story does a good job on reaching a compromise, something far more of us should strive for. Twilight is within her right to be offended, just as Pinkie is within her right to celebrate. Not every real life situation is probably as nuanced, of course (Columbus Day can f
k right off), but Rarity really was the perfect one to make Twilight see the situation from a different point of view and at least accept that there was some legitimacy to it. And even if it isn't totally accurate or politically correct, what's the harm in having a little fun and pride in one's culture?
I look at this way: I'm an athiest, but I don't get pissy around Christmas with people who post nativity displays in their yard or put up signs that say "Remember the REASON for the SEASON!" with a big ol' Jesus picture on it even though I know that:
Why not? Because it doesn't matter. If they feel more spiritual at Christmas for being religious about it, well, good for them. At the end of the day, we can all still sing stupid carols, be with family, and get completely plastered on eggnog. And that's good enough for me.
9388932
Diamond sparkle lived 5 generations ago, but from the dates (244 (years) After (the) Fall (of nightmare moon)) 5 generations ago must be about 756 years. I guess ponies just live for almost 132 years before having foals in this world.
There might actually be some canonical truth in this. If I'm remembering correctly, there was some sort of conspiracy about Granny Smith's age from some pictures in an episode where she hadn't aged much but the gap was something like "50 moons".
You could not have botched this harder if you tried. You could have ended it with Twilight and Pinkie understanding that the holiday means something different to the other and respecting each others feelings. Instead the story says that since Twilight is a unicorn she is completely in the wrong and that her feelings don't matter, and since Pinkie is an Earth Pony she is completely in the right and her feelings are more important. Creating this horrendous black-and-white scenario. This story is incredibly racist.
Also, the title could not be more accurate.
9388931
Personally, I'm just a bit bugged by the whole "foals go round knocking on all the unicorns' doors." Why only the unicorns' doors? Why should they have to pay for their ancestors' (perceived) sins? I know that I'm over-dramatising here but it is a tradition that has carried hatred from the past to the presents and encourages the association of unicorns with evil in the foals that do participate.
9388986
Then I guess we need to outlaw the Fourth of July because of all the British ancestors killed. And Halloween cause of all the accused 'witches' ancestors who were literally raped, tortured and burned alive. And Veterans Day because of all the veteran ancestors who were killed. And children's day because of all the sibling ancestors who were smothered because their parents couldn't afford to feed them all. Actually, we should just outlaw all holidays cause theres always someone who died on every day of the year.
9388994
You make a good point!
Whenever it actually was that Christ was actually born it certainly isn't the reason we have Christmas on December the 25th.
Source Link Here
Nevertheless I'm not gonna be a jerk about it to people wanting to celebrate the more religious/spiritual side of the holiday.
Then again, Christmas generally sends a message of charity, goodwill to all,
and letting that poor immigrant family stay in your manger.Certain other historically revisionist holidays like Columbus day I might not be as positive about... but even then I guess I won't go out of my way to bother people about it when they're just trying to celebrate? I mean, it isn't their fault: they never learned about some of the messed up shit Columbus did. Heck sometimes I wish *I* didn't know, so I could go back to that innocent time when I thought Disney's Pocahontas was a more or less accurate representation of how American settlers acted.
I guess broken pedestals and learning your heroes weren't as good as you thought is part of growing up. I'm just not very eager to rush in and tell everyone Santa isn't real.
What about requests? Do you do requests?
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Independence Day (for the United States) celebrates exactly that, which followed a war in which both sides had casualties and committed atrocities which are acknowledged to this day.
Hallowe'en has grown from an amalgamation of various festivals which have coalesced around 31 October in various cultures, predominantly in western Europe, which venerate the dead, martyrs, and saints, and which in modern times has picked up elements of fun with the occult; the historic execution of witches has no relation to it, except for the occult.
Veterans' Day literally venerates the fallen of previous wars and their sacrifice.
I am not personally familiar with Childrens' Day, but my passing knowledge would indicate that it too is a celebration of children generally.
None of these is about celebrating the specific death of a specific person, based on known fallacy. You may have wanted to suggest Guy Fawke's Night, in which Britain celebrates the execution of a specific Catholic hired as a mercenary to act on behalf of other Catholics who wished to blow up parliament, if you wanted to at least partway, squintingly match what the story actually contains.
Anyway Jaxie I've made up my mind: please keep the title as-is!
Its been fascinating watching people come in and disagree not just about SJWs themselves but also to disagree whether it is Twilight or Pinkie who represents the SJWs in the story.
-The first few seemed to think Twilight was an SJW for thinking herself the "good guy" and Pinkie the "bad guy"
-Then a buncha folks thought the SJWs were the ones "telling Twilight her feelings didn't matter" because she was of the privileged class.
-Still more people are likely to show up who have other interpretations entirely!
I don't know if I can ask you this simply because I commissioned the story, but I would prefer if you don't yet explicitly say which side was meant to represent the titular "Social Justice" here. I mean, I guess even if you did specify then they might go all Death of the Author on you, but still, I want to watch this fascinating discussion of "what an SJW even is" play out.
9389070 IKR? I've been tempted to reply to a few people here over and over, but there's throwing rocks at the beehive, and then there's sticking your head in it.
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Independence Day (for the United States) celebrates the successful capture and occupation of New York City by British forces until the end of the war? Someone must've forgotten to inform the parade organizers because I didn't see a float for that last year.
Halloween/Harvest Festival is a pagan holiday. It never celebrated saints.
Veterans' Day celebrates US solders. What about all the poor boys who were killed on the other side? We need to include a parade float for all Osama Bin Laden in the next Veterans' Day parade to be fair! *bullshittears*
Your passing knowledge of holidays in general is weak.
Spring Rising isn't a holiday about a specific death of a specific person either. Its about the era and how little has actually changed.
UNICORNS DID NOTHING WRONG!
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I'll categorize them thusly:
Group A: Those who think Twilight is an overly sensitive snowflake getting offended at harmless traditions.
Team Nickname "There's a War on Christmas"
Group B: Those who think the story is saying Twilight's feelings shouldn't matter because unicorns are privileged, and only the underprivileged Earth ponies' feelings mater.
Team Nickname "Thats reverse-racism!"
I hope you'll stick around to be my control group, Wanderer D! More categorization will ensue as more groups show up! ;)
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While I would like to see that, being British (I think it would be humourous), no: US Independence Day does not celebrate an action of a war which was resolved prior to the ending of said war, more than two centuries ago. It celebrates the result of said war, as I previously mentioned.
Hallowe'en, as I mentioned, is an amalgamation of various festivals in various cultures (including Celtic harvest festivals and Gaelic Samhain, among further others) which coalesced around 31 October. These include, but are certainly not limited to, All Saints Eve, All Saints Day, and All Souls' Day, which form part of the calendar for Western Christianity and do indeed celebrate saints, martyrs, the faithful, and the departed.
US Veterans are indeed venerated on US Veterans Day, just as the veterans of other nations' armed forces are venerated on their respective days (such as Armistice Day or Anzac Day); these are days of remembrance for the sacrifice and bravery of said armed forces, not a celebration of conquest or victory. Indeed, there has been (for almost 70 years, if memory serves) growing momentum behind the veneration of all fallen in all wars through the symbol of the white poppy. This has naturally been castigated by tablod media types as SJW-ankery.
Again, none of these celebrate the specific death of a specific person, based on historic fallacy. A key component of Spring Rising was the specific lynching / burning of Ruby Glow to death, as celebrated through the use of effigy (much like in the Guy Fawkes example I gave you). The death of the "evil" Ruby Glow and the ending of her reign of error, separate to the subsequent and ignored "Reign of Terror", is central and fundamental to the modern Spring Rising festival.
9389134 I'm morbidly interested in the comments, that's for sure. The fact that there's no predominance in either category's side is indicative, I think.
I just kill all SJWs and let God sort em out.
And by 'sert em out', I mean send them all to hell!
And NOT the hell ruled over by South Park Satan. But the BAD hell invented by the Chinese... where everything breaks the day after the warranty end date!
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Trust me, if there is something you want to say, say it as soon as possible. Right now you still have critical thinkers that can stay civil. Eventually though, the crazy extemists from both sides of the arguement will come and chase everyone else away. That's when you want to get the Hell out of Dodge.
9389134
I love how both categories are technically anti-SJW in mindset.
Top fucking notch. You really did manage to create a thought provoking piece.
The ending reminds me of the controversial Starlight Glimmer/Discord episide, where Glimmer ended up backing down simply to defuse the situation.
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Can't the author just delete any uncivil posts? Wouldn't that stop the crazy extremists from taking over, and chasing everyone else away? Or am I being naive?
Don't know how to feel about this one.
Mainly because Pinkie doesn't acknowledge Twilight's feelings at all at the end and why she has a good reason to feel upset about the holiday. Even more so than any other unicorn when she's a direct descendant.
Maybe if Twilight wasn't directly related I'd feel better.
Of course Twilight's know it all and ruin it for everyone else attitude wasn't OK either. Though she does bring attention to a problem about many people's ignorance about the holidays they celebrate.
Also did not like the "mare with a horn". Because Celestia isn't just a "mare with a horn" when she is supposed to be all three tribes in one.