> Christmas Makes a Human Rather Moody
>  by Heartland Picker
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Holiday Woes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The School of Friendship was abuzz with the anticipation of Hearth's Warming break. The holly hanging from every post and lintel, the smell of spiced hot apple cider, and all of the mares claiming to be cold just to have the excuse to cuddle with their stallion. Of course, there was always the one lazy slob who was going stir-crazy because he put off gift shopping until the last minute. Ponies would usually spend their time chuckling at this fellow while he or she would slip around on the snow that had been packed by others trotting through. There was enough snow on the ground for the foals to build a few snow forts in anticipation of a snowball fight to come.

While most ponies would be in pure bliss at this image, Starlight was only getting a sliver of it. She had only recently become reacquainted with the holiday spirit compared to most normal ponies. Granted, she couldn't deny that she kind of missed the fun of being a filly, but she still had a job to do. That job was to be a friendly ear for struggling students, especially with final exams wrapping up.

However, she knew that Twilight (along with the rest of the Mane Six) could be a bit soft due to the holiday affecting their spirits as well. This meant that she didn't have near the number of students coming in just to unload the stress of studying for exams. She wouldn't complain, but she was still pretty stressed from some of the ridiculous questions that would pop up on occasion. Seriously, if Sandbar had a shred of sense, he wouldn't be coming to me for dating advice. Good grief.

That colt would end up driving her to an early grave if she had to live with him. This made her all the more thankful that the semester would be over within the hour. She often wondered if Sandbar might have been better off if his parents were boozers instead of potheads.

Hold on! Now that I think about it, I haven't had a stiff drink in over a month! This perked her up, as it got her thinking about how she got to start enjoying alcohol in the first place. Her first experience with the sauce had been excessive due to the new friend who had taught her how to enjoy it. The result: a bad hangover with a side of amnesia. However, the main effect was what they were after. It was a much better means of stress relief than, in her experience, messing with mind-bending spells. Not to mention it made for some memories that would make her laugh every time she would reminisce about them.

This left her wondering about something else. Ever since Nightmare Night, she'd seen less and less of Benjamin William Murdoch. She couldn't say that she knew him as well as she would have liked, but they did become fast friends after that crazy/stupid coachgun game. Maybe he got a bunch of rush jobs that needed his full and undivided attention, or maybe he was just trying to work something out with his tonewood suppliers. Ben, being a luthier, had explained the importance of tonewoods to her before, though the most she was able to retain was that some materials were tougher to acquire than others, so this had the certainty of causing setbacks in contract fulfillment.

Even still, it didn't sit right with her to just let it be like this, especially considering it was Hearth's Warming season. Speaking of which, I don't know if anypony has ever even spoken to him about this holiday. If anything it might give him an excuse to get out of the woodshop. She was just starting to warm up to the idea of the holiday, so she'd be damned if she would let him struggle through the holiday alone. At this, she decided that it might be best to ask Twilight if anyone had talked to Ben about it yet. She was about to teleport to Twilight's office when she caught sight of the time.

Oh, right. Last class is still in session. Ugh, here's hoping a something pops up to distract me from this conundrum. It was then that her door exploded with confetti and purple smoke, which resulted in a coughing fit for not only herself, but also the new guest, who was none other than the unlikely duo of Pinkie Pie and her best friend, Trixie. Pinkie was fairly hyper/chipper (as usual), as she was talking with speed that was only barely perceptible to Starlight.

"HIYA STARLIGHT!!! You're probably wondering why I'm here with Trixie now! Well, since I don't have to teach during the last class period I figured I'd put together some Hearth's Warming fun! Figured it would make a good send-off for the students before they have to leave for home! But then I thought 'how much better would it be to get ALL of my friends in the spirit?' So I went to search for everyone when I ran into Trixie, who mentioned she was coming to see you, so I figured she might like to join us as well! Anyhoodies, care to help us? Huh, huh, HUH?!"

Trixie spoke up. "The Great and Powerful Trixie usually doesn't go for entertaining mere foals, but it's Hearth's Warming, so Trixie supposes that she can offer some of her greatness for the students."

Starlight, despite her current ponderings about Ben, figured it was futile to resist Pinkie's contagious attitude. "Um, sure. I'd be happy to help! I could use a bit of distraction at the moment anyway since Twilight's probably busy anyway. Besides, I wouldn't be doing my duty as a counselor if I weren't spreading some cheer."

Pinkie, perceptive as ever, picked up on the hesitation in Starlight's voice. She said, "oh Starlight, Hearth's Warming is a time for smiles, not worrying! Tell ya what, we'll get this party put together and you can tell your Auntie Pinkie all about what's got that frown going that you're hiding from everypony!"

Starlight rebutted this sentiment. "Erm, Pinkie, it's not that I'm feeling down, not even close. I wanted to talk to Twilight about it, but you might be able to help me with this."





The school foyer was crowded with students and staff alike. Hearth's Warming carols were being chanted on high (after someone finally clarified the whole thing to Ocellus). Holiday cheer was abundant between themed party games and ponies chasing each other with mistletoe. Pinkie Pie, Trixie, and Starlight, however, were discussing more serious matters off to the side of the room regarding Ben, who was nowhere to be seen.

Trixie had a pensive look on her face. "So you're worried that Ben might not know about holidays like Hearth's Warming, and you'd like to bring him around to it?"

Starlight nodded. "Yes. While I'm not fully on board with the holiday myself, maybe getting him to take a break to enjoy the festivities might be good for both of us to by stirring the holiday spirit."

Pinkie interjected at this. "Oh, believe me, he knows about it. Twilight and I went to see him three weeks ago with the exact same intent, only to find out that back in Human-world they have a similar holiday. But...…." Pinkie then had a concerned expression on her face.

It was Starlight's turn to look worried. "But what, Pinkie?"

Twilight happened to walk by while chatting with Rarity, and felt the need to chime in. "Oh, I should probably answer this. He's not exactly thrilled about the prospect of this holiday. Almost like there's something haunting him about it. Every time someone has tried to press the issue with him, he always says that he's either got some order to fill or that he needs to head back to the Everfree to go cragadile hunting again. He's obviously trying to keep himself occupied just to avoid the subject. We've already asked Princess Luna to stage a dream intervention, but apparently his dreams aren't usually lucid."

Starlight only became more worried. "Twilight, you know him better than I do. Is he in his workshop now?"

Rarity took to answering this. "Actually, he's been hiding out more at Berry Punch's tavern since Nightmare Night. Last night I spied Roseluck walking home crying her eyes out after her last attempt to seduce him. After I asked her about it, she wouldn't say more than 'what was I thinking? How could I expect an ape to behave like a gentlecolt?' It was terrible!"

Starlight, Twilight, and Pinkie then looked to each other in shock, followed y Twilight's alarmed tone. "RARITY! Why didn't you say anything sooner!? This can't go on any longer! He needs to be confronted NOW!" With that, all five took to leaving the school party to find the belligerent Neanderthal. Twilight and Starlight chose to teleport while Pinkie loaded herself, Rarity, and Trixie into her party cannon. "Pinkie, what do you think-"

"RARITY, THERE'S NO TIME! This is faster than running! FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!!" Pinkie shouted. BOOM!!!

After (somehow) launching clean through an open window, Trixie took to reassuring Rarity. "Oh don't worry. In Trixie's personal experience with being a pony cannon ball, it gets easier after the first time!"

Rarity obviously didn't hear her, as she could only scream. "AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"
> A Case of the Bah Humbugs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Somehow, Pinkie managed to pull a pair hippity-hop balls from only God knows where, thus Rarity and Trixie were able to make a safe landing at the front door of the tavern where Twilight and Starlight looked like they were about to storm the door. Pinkie took to turning her tail into a makeshift airfoil impeller to ease her descent to the ground. Thus Twilight and her protégé were at least stymied enough for their tempers to settle.

Twilight, now with a bored look, turned to Rarity. "Party cannon?"

"Party cannon," Rarity replied, clearly miffed about her mane being ruined. Again.

Starlight and Trixie glimpsed at each other with mixed expressions, the former irately rolling her eyes and the latter fighting the urge to laugh (and slowly failing). Starlight commented, "I would be laughing if I weren't so mad at Ben right now. Let's just head in and see if he's here. I'd like to give him a piece of my mind!"

Twilight followed up. "Oh trust me Starlight, he'll be getting the riot act at least three times over for sure! This goes beyond the call of duty for me as Princess of Friendship, but whatever he did to set off Rose was probably uncalled for. I know she's not easily convinced by a single rejection, so this has to be serious!"

Rarity harrumphed in agreement as they trotted in the door. "Agreed! Whatever he said or did had to be something barbaric for me to see that! I'LL TEAR HIM TO SO MANY SHREDS THAT DRAGONS WILL LOSE THEIR APPETITES!"

Upon entering, they were met with the sight of your typical bar during Hearth's Warming. The lights that illuminated the bar were decked with holly, booths were set with maroon candles and green placemats, and Berry Punch was serving spiked eggnog and Hot Toddies at a table. Filthy Rich was at the bar with a couple of empty shot glasses next to him. Although he seemed to be smiling a bit for some reason, most anyone could tell that his mood had been more depressing prior to his arrival. This got Starlight worried for the stallion. "Twilight, I've never seen Filthy Rich in that bad of shape. What happened to him?"

Twilight now looked over at the stallion with much sympathy. "Spoiled Milk just divorced him and took almost everything that he had. A few months ago his business took a hit due to a class-action lawsuit, which forced him to make some sacrifices to keep the doors open. Spoiled didn't like the idea of giving up her jewelery, so she left him with nothing but enough bits to keep himself and Diamond Tiara in a small apartment in the old part of Ponyville. Applebloom has been doing her best to keep Diamond's spirits from falling any further, but it seems like Filthy is still trying to get past the whole thing. I hope Applejack has something up her sleeve for him." Starlight was moved by this, and would have went to give the stallion a hug. However, their mission came first: confront Ben for his atrocious demeanor to Rose. First they had to track him down.

The mares didn't have to search long, since Ben was on stage, with his guitar, making all sorts of slurs that put a couple of patrons on edge. His face was beet-red and he was waivering a bit. On a wooden barstool next to him, an empty scotch glass with ice accompanied by a bottle of the best bourbon this side of Canterlot. with the opened seal next to , almost half-gone. Clearly, he was already drunk. Twilight, Pinkie, and Starlight were all in a state of shock, while Rarity held a lace of disgust in her own expression. Trixie, however, looked amazed at what she was seeing.

"Well, Trixie has performed some alcoholic indulgence of her own, but could never make it past Round Four. This stallion is clearly a master of the craft. Trixie is humbled by his skill in holding his liquor."

Starlight hip-checked Trixie really hard at that comment and scowled. "Trixie, after this is over I'll explain all the things that are wrong with your assessment, but for now we have to focus on Ben. Unfortunately, the riot act won't stick if we talk to him tonight: he's too drunk. Most we can do is take him off the stage."

Unfortunately, reality had other plans for everyone that evening. Ben was front and center again, and was ready to go on again. "How's everyone doing?! The holidays can be a drag with the craze of shopping, ya know what I mean!? Well here's a song to flip the bird at the whole thing! HUH!!!" He stuck his middle finger out to the ceiling and began his most brash performance by far

"There ain't nothin' more depressin' than a pine tree...….."

As the song went, some ponies were laughing at the song (especially Filthy Rich, who saw the irony of the whole thing in his horseshoes), some were appalled, and others yet were simply dumbfounded at the blunt observations laid out by the lyrics. Rarity and Pinkie fell into the second category. Rarity was just miffed at the language, and Pinkie was just irritated that anyone could mock the holiday. She'd rather deal with the tale of Snowfall Frost again. Starlight and Trixie, on the other hand, slowly turned their heads to face each other. After one brief moment of looking at each other, they hit the floor laughing their asses off.

It was then that Trixie's cackling had caught Ben's attention. He turned towards them, (somewhat) realizing who had walked in. "STARLIGHT! TWILIGHT! WELCOME TO MY 'SCREW THE HOLIDAY' Party! Oh, and you brought Pinkie and that flamboyant gal with the weird chuckwagon! More fun, am I right?!"

To his detriment, Pinkie began to deflate while it looked like she was dealing with constipation. She then moved to make her opinion known. "This is not a party at all! This is just mean! Who in the cockleburs would mock such an amazing holiday!" Rarity found her own voice by now, and spoke her piece. "I am afraid that I am with Pinkie Pie on the matter. I would also like to add the following: your behavior in the last five minutes has been downright boorish, and has frankly been a waste of your gift! I'm well aware that making ponies laugh is something that tickles your fancy, but I do not approve of the methods you used just now! Sure, you're intoxicated, but my point still stands! Thus, you will receive an encore of my summary when you're sober!" With an audible "Humph!" she turned her muzzle upward with the snooty expression of disdain.

Twilight, however, was just standing there with disappointment of the likes that he saw on his mother's face. It was then that he, along with Trixie and Starlight, started to settle down. Not that it made him think, but the resemblance was uncanny. The alicorn then spoke. "Ben, you're too drunk to process what I would like to discuss with you right now, so you leave me no choice. You're coming home with us. Now. We'll discuss your appalling behavior in the morning, hangover or not."

Ben really couldn't say anything at this point. It felt too much like his childhood when he got too rambunctious and his mom, Eileen, had reprimanded him. What he didn't realize was that he had more in store for that night, as his mind was in the right state for a proper intervention in the night.
> Understanding The Depth of One Man's Horror
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was afternoon of Christmas Eve, and Ben was out in the cattle shed looking after a calf born the previous week. He was relieved to see that the little guy had turned spunky before today. The cold December blizzard made it too risky to let the heifers do their calving out in the open pastures of northern Oklahoma, so his dad opted to move the new herd inside from the gales of the winter until February. Although Ben didn't hold the passion for ranching like his folks, he still liked a good home-raised fillet mignon as much as the next fellow. Plus, cattle duty made decent personal therapy for him when he needed to take a break from working on instruments.

After seeing the little one hop around like a rodeo bull in the making, he figured it was time to head back to the family cabin. After all, there was one rule that was forever maintained on the Murdoch ranch: if it's Christmas Eve, it was practically required that you get back to the house and cleaned up before the 6:30 mass at St. Michael's, no matter what you were doing. If you didn't have everything wrapped up before you got to that, you better have a damn good explanation for the holdup. Sure, a cattle emergency would give him some leeway, but he was relieved that he didn't have to drive to the next town for a matter of over two hours just to find another Catholic church. It wasn't that he was the best example of a good Catholic man, but he did the best he could. His mom Eileen taught him everything about the faith that she could, and he definitely took it to heart, because God forbid that him and his dad could ever see eye to eye past the point of just getting things done.

He was just approaching the cabin when he noticed his stomach had involuntarily tensed up. Something is not right here! I just spoke to them two hours ago! Forgetting the mess of manure and snow on his boots, he ran the last fifty yards to the house to figure out what the deal was. As soon as he walked into the kitchen, what he saw would make his bones chill on a hot summer day.

Everything in the room was covered in dust, a sight that would definitely have never existed on a normal day. From his best guess, it looked like the room, along with the rest of the house, had been long since abandoned for more than 30 years. Out of terror, he moved into the living room with the fireplace. The embers looked like they had gone out several decades prior. The sofa was moth-eaten, the old oak rocking chair was splintering along with evidence of termite damage, making it brittle to the touch. The coffee table had dry-warped along with the frames of old family portraits standing on it. Though the glass was shattered, it looked like the damage was more from brute force than some random animal passing through and knocking them over. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the points of impact were directly over his own face. His gut tightened more. The mantle over the fireplace was also covered in dust and cobwebs. However, this is not what disturbed him the most. Looking at the mantle, the old figurines of the Holy Family and the crucifix had faded and were on the verge of turning to fine lime with the lightest touch. The statue off to the right was the family's all-too-recognizable statuette of the blessed Virgin Mary bowed in prayer.

There was one new detail that made his stomach drop: there were dried tears of blood flowing from all of their eyes.

After the shock of witnessing bloody tears (he heard stories about this unexplained phenomenon), Ben had screamed and backed away to the opposite wall, his entire being trembling at the possible implications. Then hellfire rose from the hearth. It blazed as an inferno for a mere instant, consuming everything it touched and turning it to black ash. After a moment, the entire cabin had turned to ash, yet the inferno only became larger in the face of the howling blizzard wind. The highest flames reached over 20 feet into the air. Then the inferno took on a form: a small horse, a mare that was alien to him, yet eerily familiar. It approached him, causing terror to flow straight through his heart. Oh no, this can't be what I think it is. This hell-horse then spoke in a shrill, raspy voice that could be heard for miles:

"Benjamin William Murdoch. Your soul has been tainted by your presence in that abominable world that calls itself Equestria. For indulging in its deception of delight, you are now cursed to an eternity in this presence. Your family went berserk when you were reported missing. After finding that you 'went native' they proceeded into total insanity, leading all to either depressed suicide or becoming committed to an asylum. Leaving your faith for empty promise, you shall spend the rest of eternity here, to be reminded of your sins in that depraved land. Your death has-

"THAT'S ENOUGH!!! BEGONE, DEMON!!!"

It was a good ten seconds before Ben had realized that the miserable blazing heat was now gone. However, he wasn't willing to open his eyes, as he did not yet comprehend that last line spoken by a different voice. He knew he had died and would spend the rest of his eternity with a reminder of the shame of his alleged actions in Equestria. Wait, Equestria…..

It was then that he opened his eyes. The cabin had returned to its former glory, no dust or stains to be seen anywhere. The fireplace was now in a state that it felt comfortable to sit next to it with a cup of black coffee. The ceramic figurines were good as new without the mysterious blood stains. However, this was all of minor note, as his focus was on something else: Princess Luna was standing in front of him. Her expression was that of a dear friend who wanted nothing more than to comfort him in his suffering, despite being on the verge of tears herself simply from what had just happened. He could only produce a single thought from all of this: holy shit, this whole thing was just a dream.

So why does it seem so real? "Luna, you know I've explained this before. It's not unusual for human beings to experience extremes in their nightmares. I can deal with this."

Luna, however, wasn't buying it in the slightest. She was well aware that Ben had a stubborn streak that outclassed the entire Apple clan put together by a country mile. Although he was no longer petrified, he was still trembling from the experience, breathing heavily. Luna proceeded to rush over to him and give him the biggest bear-hug she could muster, hoping it would settle his nerves. He needed to talk. Now.

"The realm of dreams tends to amplify the musings of the living mind, whether it be of mild bliss or of the smallest of worries. The level of detail in this dream clearly betrays your deception. Please, you need help." Her face and tone were imploring him to do so.

Ben, being the kind of guy who would take this as a challenge, immediately shot down such an idea: Luna had a better grasp of the workings of the subconscious mind than anyone alive. She was too experienced at handling troubled minds. There was no way out of this even if he tried to force himself to wake up. He was willing to bet that she could tell when someone was trying to do that, and could counter it for as long as it took to get the answers she was looking for.

He sighed. "Well there's no point in putting it off now. If it's getting this freaky, I shouldn't ignore it. Speaking of which, I don't remember falling asleep. Last thing I did.....was...…...ooohhhhhhhhhhh." He realized what had happened in reality (if he could call it that).

Luna interjected before he could even think. "Don't keep me in the dark: tell me what happened."

Ben went ahead and laid it out. "I was having a rough week. Rose has been bugging me for a 'good time' ever since I took Starlight's dare a couple months back. I guess you already heard about it through the Celestial rumor mill."

Luna would have snorted at the quip against her sister if she weren't so experienced with dream counseling. That joke was meant to distract her: a classic lead-in for a different conversation for the sake of avoiding the problem at hoof. Ben's mental state was too critical to even acknowledge the wisecrack. "Yes, we are well aware of your shenanigans. Focus please."

Ben continued. "Right. Anyway, ever since this 'Hearth's Warming' season started, she's gotten more persistent. I had to do something to put it to an end. Yesterday I told her that I'd had enough of the bullshit. I said just about anything that I could think of just to get her to go away, reaching the point of calling her a slut. I know that wasn't right, but she just wouldn't leave if I didn't get drastic. I'd meant to get to work on customer orders or just personal necessities to get past it, but all it did was make me more irritated. So I'd been trying to drink the whole thing off ever since."

It was a start, but Luna knew he wasn't telling her the real problem. Granted, his real-world behavior was not what she would consider 'gentlecoltly', there was definitely more to it. Either way, he'll have to answer for his boorishness later. "That still doesn't explain the nightmare. Am I correct to assume that this was your home on Earth?"

Ben was starting to tremble a bit again, but only for being nervous. "Y-yeah. I was raised on a Catholic cattle ranch. I wasn't crazy about doing it for a living, but it was a welcome break from my bread and butter job. Especially during Christmas." It was a moment before he realized that he hadn't given Luna any kind of context about the holiday. "Oh, umm, Christmas kinda resembles your Hearth's Warming, but its origin is very different." He paused, then considered something else. "It's connected to what you saw in the dream, but the history spans for thousands of years in my world. Should I explain?" I will if I have to, but I wouldn't put it past her to have the ability to extract that information nonverbally, considering her abilities. It would make this go much faster.

Luna, sensing a long lecture, spoke up. "Mr. Murdoch, this is the dream realm. Time is relative and malleable here: what seems like hours here only amounts to a few minutes in the waking world. We have all the time we need here. You need not concern yourself over being at a loss for words."

Ben was mildly intrigued by this notion. Huh, she has a point. I know it would be a lot to cover, but considering her age, she might be able to process it. "Alright Luna. I'll admit I may not remember all the details, but I'll go over the highlights about how this dream and Christmas are tied to my troubles."

Luna took a seat, embodying the definition of patience. "Please, begin."

Ben started. "Well, it starts with the creation story at the root of Christianity and the fall of mankind altogether....."





Ben had explained everything he could recall about Catholic teachings, ranging Genesis 1 to the Virgin Mary's heavenly coronation, church dogma, the sacraments, and other strange phenomena that had been determined to be of divine origin after thorough investigations by the Earth's best scientists. Explaining all of this had left him winded, as though he had just carried a newborn bull for half a mile. Luna was only silent. He was a bit concerned, still uncertain if the dream pony avatar had processed it all. Any normal person would be overwhelmed or dazed at his just by the amount of information that was just processed, human or not.

Luna spoke gently to him. "Ben, that is a lot to take in. So explain this: where does this tie into your behavior and the nightmare?" No mortal could make up stories like that on a whim: habitual liars usually follow a pattern in their storytelling. She now noticed that Ben was starting to shudder again, and it wasn't anything to do with the Dreamscape. It doesn't matter what your species, adults are always fearful of revealing any personal flaws. "Please, Ben, do not be veiled. I only wish to help you."

Ben could tell that she was being genuine, something that he had forgotten long before he ever got to Equestria. "Luna, the bloody-teared figures of the Virgin carry symbolic meaning. They are not 'trick novelties' for Halloween- uh, Nightmare Night I mean- for the sake of scaring people. They're always made from a solid material. It normally occurs when a grave sin has been committed, and is meant to be taken as a call to penance." Ben's hands and speech were shaking at this point.

One would not think that Luna was moved in the slightest by looking at her, but one look into her eyes would tell otherwise. Luna could relate to this need for penance on a deep level: the Tantibus was too fresh in her mind. She only hoped that she was wrong about this.

"Ben, I must know one thing. The hellish mare had sentenced you to eternal misery for 'going native' in our land after spotting the bloody weeping. What did she mean by that? Have you committed this sin?"

He couldn't take it anymore. Ben, in all of his effort in holding it together, finally broke down and started weeping, as it was at the heart of his hurt. "Luna, the only reason that I act so snarky is because I've been severed from partaking in the gift of Christ's sacrifice and grace as we were instructed. It's been eating away at me since I found out I was stranded here for good. The reason that the issue of going native is so punitive is because of the legacy of Adam and Eve. Human beings were never meant to have spiritual bonds with other species: it's a violation of nature for us. To commit such an act would not only destroy the human soul that has committed the act, but it leaves a black mark on those around us as well: it's an act of dishonor against the family unit in the eyes of the Lord. While Christ had sacrificed himself, being pure as he was, as the means to salvation, to commit the sin would still be the same as spitting on his face for it. That sacrifice is why Christmas is even a major feast day to Christianity in the first place.

"Also, as you've seen, I raised animals so that others might have food on the table: such a relationship is not even natural to me on a personal level. You equines, sentient or not, aren't held to that standard. Does this make any sense to you at all?"

The torment that this man was enduring was palpable to Luna: she was shaking as well. Out of sympathy, she rushed to hold him tight again. Luna let him succumb to her embrace for a minute to let it all out. "Ben, while an interspecies relationship being dishonorable is unheard of for us, I understand why you're in such pain. I have also done things that I take no dignity in being responsible for. Don't entertain the notion that we do not understand nor care about the consequences of our actions."

Luna went silent again to let him process those words. It was necessary that he knew one thing: just because he wasn't equine did not mean that his well-being mattered any less to them. "It is regretful that such pain can even exist in a single being, and that one of our own may have only served to exacerbate your struggle." Ben had stopped shivering again, thus Luna released him. "Still, you have done a great disservice to your friends by leaving them in the dark about this. I can see how they would not understand what you have explained to me, but you cannot take that for granted. Also, you owe somepony else and apology."

The cabin began to disintegrate into nothing, and Luna began to back away into the fog that was forming. It only meant one thing: the dream state was ending. Luna then offered him a sendoff. "For understanding to exist, one must relate their concerns to their friends! Have faith in your friends!!"

With that, Ben started to return to the waking world.
> What Did We Do Wrong?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight and Pinkie were only mildly relieved to know that the school Hearth's Warming party went on without a hitch. The young alicorn was still too miffed at the guy who, in her eyes, deserved to wake up with the worst hangover of his life. Ben, I don't know what possessed you to act like that over the last couple of days, but you're getting an earful once you're in here. She was hoping that he wouldn't pass up the note she left on coffee table in the den. Rarity agreed that he belonged on the couch for his attitude the night before.

However, something was nagging at the back of her mind. She couldn't put her hoof on it, but something felt wrong about the whole thing. He's done some crazy things before, but last night he was exceptionally wild. What in Tartarus could have possessed him to act like such an asshole!? Was he gruff, yes. Was he a jerk? Only to an extent on a normal day. That didn't excuse his obnoxious behavior, especially with that dumb song that sounded like an insult aimed at Hearth's Warming. How dare he insult our most unifying holiday! I have half a mind to-

"Uh, Twilight? Should I come back later?"

She was startled out of her mental rant by her adoptive brother, Spike. He was only mildly perturbed by her angry expression, but still enough for Twilight to take notice. Her expression softened. "Um, sorry Spike. I'm just worked up from this whole deal with Ben's douchery over the last couple of days."

Spike was unfazed by this. It was at this point that Starlight had walked into the room. She heard enough to know what Twilight was getting at, thus she held her silence as she moved to brew a pot of coffee. God knew they were going to need it with how the night had turned out. Spike then said, "well, as long as you're not ranting at the moment, maybe you should read this scroll that came in the middle of the night. The outside noted that you should read it first thing this morning."

Twilight noticed that the scroll carried Luna's mark. Huh, I wonder what this is about. I haven't spoken with her for months. She proceeded to open the scroll and began to read:



Twilight:

You and the others Elements have become more acquainted with the human Benjamin Murdoch in recent times. I am aware of his recent behavior and that you and your friends might be upset with him. If you're speaking with him anytime today, please be gentle with him. His heart is in a delicate state as evidenced by his dreams. I will not speak of what I happened in his nightmare last night, but I will tell you that he is very troubled and in need of your support as Princess of Friendship. Please correspond if you have any further concerns after you have conversed.

-Princess Luna



Twilight's anger had dissipated the instant she read the bit regarding his troubles. "Oh dear Celestia."Is this why he was so drunk last night? Have I misjudged him? While she didn't realize it, Starlight had noticed the change in Twilight's demeanor. "Twilight, what's wrong?" she asked.

Twilight simply passed the letter on to Starlight, her gaze remaining unchanged. One quick glance and she had her hoof over her mouth with concern written all over her face. "I don't get it. He always said that he was used to working during the night. Why would he feel the need to lie to us?"

Twilight came out of her trance at that. "Starlight, you're aware of how stubborn he can be when talking about himself. Rarity suggested that we pair him up with a romantic partner shortly after his business was established. I suggested we ask him first, but Rarity reasonably argued that being subtle would be the best approach. I only agreed because either way, we just wanted to see him be happy, and any mare would be lucky to be with him."

Starlight then had a puzzled look. "Okay, that sounds reasonable. So what's the problem?"

Twilight then sighed. "It didn't seem to matter what we did. Our first attempt was a liquor tasting with the rest of the town along with a few ponies from the nearby settlements, but he kept his focus on the event. Any time that we tried to spark a conversation that might lure him into regular correspondence with another, he would simply shrug it off with saying he was behind on something. We tried other things like inviting him to dinner with friends while we disappeared, an Apple family hoedown, but he never would take the bait. 

"We'd just given up at that point, but after your drinking games incident mares started lining up for him all on their own. We figured that this would force the issue to resolve itself, but all he's been doing is blowing it off saying that he had work to do. However, we could tell he was lying to the point that he may be denying himself the magic beyond friendship that Rarity likes to talk about from time to time. We called him out for it, but he refused to talk to us about it. Every time that we asked him to consider it, he would immediately raise his voice with an absolute 'NO'.

"Shortly before Nightmare Night, it looked like he was starting to come around. I realized that I was wrong when he put a notice on his cabin that all visits should either be about business or community concerns. However, mares only became more adamant about seducing him, and things got ugly: he started to threaten them with excessive force if they didn't leave his property. He would show up from time to time asking for restraining orders just to get the message across. I told him that he was being dumb at that point and should just get over himself. He was getting lonely and I figured that an occasional visit from a mare wouldn't hurt him. When he left, he was downtrodden, just like-" Twilight then had the look of a deer in headlights.

This was a cause for alarm to Starlight. "Just like when, Twilight?"

Twilight then finished. "Just like when he realized he was never going home! Starlight, I had a hunch long before then that something else might be going on. The problem was there was no hard evidence to prove it. Rarity said his eyes scream for companionship, but that wasn't enough for us to intervene. That's when I figured it was a good idea to get Luna involved: she can get a better grasp of the situation from the dream realm. It's where the mind tends to be more truthful. We have to talk to him now!"

Starlight then telekinetically grabbed Twilight by the tail before she could rush off. "Twilight, I'm well aware that you're concerned about him, but there's one problem: he'll be in a bad mood if you wake him now. Remember, he was drinking heavily last night."

Twilight then blushed, realizing the implications. "Oh, right. He'll hate us for that. I am again reminded of why I made you a student counselor in the first place. So what do we do?"

Starlight then made a gentle smile. "First we'll need to fill a pitcher of water. If he really drank half a bottle of whiskey, then he's definitely dehydrated. We can head up to him, but we wait for him to wake on his own. It's like Princess Luna wrote: we need to be gentle with him. Forcing anything out of him would only make things worse. He needs us now more than ever."

Twilight relaxed, upon which the grip on her tail was released. "You're right. He won't open up if he's under pressure. Go ahead up I'll be right behind you."

Starlight nodded and disappeared. Twilight summoned an empty pitcher and filled it at the tap. After the pitcher was full, she took the opportunity to just walk up to Ben's room so she could contemplate what all of this could mean, considering the implications of his behavior. Did we set something off in his mind? Maybe he already had a serious girlfriend before he got here. Did he take it as an insult when we admitted to our matchmaking? The more she thought about it, the more she felt guilty for meddling in his personal affairs. Here I thought he was over the fact that he might never go home again, but is realizing further implications now. Now I feel terrible for going along with Rarity's approach. I should have just went ahead and asked him if he'd be okay with it.

Twilight didn't realize that she was approaching the guest room until she heard the man's snoring from outside. She set the pitcher of water on the bedside table and took a seat on the floor beside Starlight, who noticed Twilight's downcast eyes. Starlight then spoke. "Twilight, don't feel so glum. Sure, you mishandled the situation, but now's the time to set it right by getting to the bottom of this." Starlight had her own thoughts though. I'm more aware now that certain things take time to work out, but I hope this will help him. I just don't want him to be miserable for Hearth's Warming.

And thus, they waited. It wouldn't be too long though.
> Laying the Cards Out
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ben started to wake up, upon which the hangover hit him immediately. Ugh, why do I do this to myself? It's like I'm on the freeway in Tulsa surrounded by those ghetto punks playing that hip-hop with the bass at full blast. If I keep this up I'll end up in an early grave. His head was throbbing to the point that holding it in his right palm was just enough to take the edge off of the symptoms from the all-too-familiar hangover. He kept his eyes shut as he very slowly rose from his bed. When his feet his the floor, he slowly became aware that something was off.

Okay, the mattress is sitting too low and the floor is hard with a bit of a chill. Obviously not at home. He kept his eyes to a squint just to avoid that extra aggravation that came with the morning light. Strangely, the room's light was still fairly dim despite the morning being as bright as ever for mid-December. He went ahead and opened his eyes to normal to which his suspicions were confirmed. He looked over to his right and noticed that there was a pitcher of water on the bedside table. Oh thank God! He went for it and started to chug it like he had just been in the desert for three days, not even bothering to come up for air until he had downed at least two quarts. After heaving a couple of breaths, he paused to look at the floor. "I owe either Starlight or Twilight big time for this one." He went in for another drag.

He wasn't expecting an immediate response. "Umm, we're right here, so you're welcome," Twilight's said quietly.

Ben almost dropped the pitcher to do a spit-take. He looked to his left to see Starlight and Twilight sitting five feet away with concerned looks on their faces. He only barely noticed this as the hangover decided to poke fun at his foolish motions of haste. "Oooohhhhh, this is bad. Ugh." He moved to hold himself steady again.

Starlight, sensing that he might end up sick, decided to intervene. "Woah, take it easy there Murdoch." She rushed to hold him steady. "Now hold still." Her horn lit up in a baby blue aura that had arced towards Ben's left temple. After five seconds, his balance had been restored and he no longer felt like someone had dropped a steel ladder on top of his skull, thus preventing his mounting wish to empty the contents of his gut.

His mind was now full of questions. Did Starlight just administer a hangover cure? How much did I drink last night? Hell, how rowdy did I get last night? How come- his mind came to a halt. Wait, I get obnoxious when I get that drunk. Yet they don't seem all that mad, just..... worried. Not good. "What's wrong you two? Why are you looking at me like that? I'd expect you two to be pretty pissed off, whatever I did last night."

An explosion rang out from the floor below, followed by an angry scream. "WHERE IS THAT NEANDERTHAL!?!?!? I'LL HAVE HIS HEAD FOR HIS BOORISH NONSENSE, THAT PIG!" Twilight now had an alarmed look on her face. Oh horseapples! We need to get Rarity under control. Her fury will not be the least bit helpful here. "Starlight, stay here. I need to do damage control." With that, the young princess disappeared in a lavender flash.

Starlight remained at his side with her hoof resting gently on his leg. They stayed like that for a moment until Ben needed to get up. "Sorry Starlight, but I need to piss. Excuse me." With that she moved away in total silence to let him head for the bathroom. As he was heading over, the cacophony of Rarity's demands were continuing until Twilight had used the Royal Canterlot voice, after which there was dead silence followed by words too faint for Ben to make out. The fact that 'neanderthal' was quoted clearly means that she was mad at me. What did Twilight say to get her quiet? After he had made it to the toilet, he remembered his nightmare.

"It is regretful that such pain can even exist in a single being......"

Oh no, now I remember. The imagery that his mind conjured up sent chills down his spine. His hands were tremoring beyond his conscious control. Luna had told him he needed help, but it didn't seem right to tell them now. Shit. I don't want to burden them during their Christmas, all that would do is dampen their spirits. After washing his hands he moved to splash water on his face. This did practically nothing for the shaking. Dear God, I need to go before they have a basketcase to deal with.

Ben Murdoch, despite his maturity, was immediately reminded that reality has a way of throwing a wrench into life. When he opened the door, all three mares were waiting for him patiently with sad, worried looks (although Rarity's was laced with a hint of confusion). Damnit. He couldn't help feeling bad for whatever led to these faces, and couldn't shake the feeling that this was likely his own fault. "Um, sorry about whatever mess I caused, and thanks for looking after me...… again." He moved to head out.

Twilight took to the air to head him off. "You're not leaving yet. We need to talk." She flew behind him to the right and nudged him with her snout. Once back in the bedroom, all three mares followed in with Rarity closing the door behind them all. "Take a seat, Ben."

Ben did as he was told, after which Twilight softly dropped to the ground to take a seat with the other two equines. They sat there for a good five minutes, different thoughts circulating in their heads. Twilight spoke again. "Ben, we know that you haven't been yourself for the past month. In the events of the last couple of days, you've become particularly rash. There's clearly something that's bothering you, and we want to help. However, we can't do that if you don't tell us. What's wrong?"

Ben started shaking again, and his eyes betrayed his struggle to open up about the state of his mind and soul. How can they understand? They have no problem with mingling with other species, but it's so wrong. Even if we weren't the only sentient species, it wouldn't work like they think. Blurring the lines only makes the mind more lost. "It's complicated."

With his head still down, he noticed that someone had placed a hoof on his leg. Starlight had moved in at some point while his eyes were downcast, deep in thought. "Ben, nopony has seen you since Nightmare Night. Then we heard about what happened the other day with Rose, and we were ready to rip your ears off for that."

This only served to make his head drop further in shame. Twilight then spoke up. "When we found you at the bar last night, you were pretty far gone. We've seen you drink before, but not to that extreme. There was no way that you would process anything that we had to say to you, so we figured it would be best to bring you back here to sleep it off." Twilight then pulled out the scroll from Luna. "I was planning to give you a rude awakening until this came." Ben recognized the seal on it. His face couldn't have looked more defeated if he had tried. There was no way out of this.

His memory kicked in again: For understanding to exist, one must relate their concerns to their friends. It was time to fess up.

He began to speak. "Ladies, I'm sorry that you got dragged into this. I was hoping that I'd be able to deal with this on my own once the holiday season kicked in, as I doubt you would get it." He then became disgusted as he recalled the night before. "When I got home from a failed hunt the other day, Rose was on the front step of my cabin..... again. She asked if she could come in to 'talk'." He was sneering at this point. "I figured I better play nice with her since it's Christmastime, so I let her in. I'd put my guns away for the day and was about to remove my winter garb when she came in to 'assist' me. I told her I was fine, but she wouldn't have it. However, while she was helping, she was sneaking whiffs of my clothes. Ugh, creepy. I asked her to just go wait on the couch and I'd be in shortly." 

Realizing his anger was starting well up again, he clenched at the mattress to reel it in. "I brought in some cuts of leftover oak and ash to put on the fireplace. What I saw when I walked in was, well..... I'd rather not speak of what I saw, but Rose was getting desperate to persuade me. You've known her longer, so you might be able to piece it together. All I could think was 'yeah, this has to stop'. I basically told her to cut the shit because I wasn't interested in that kind of thing. She argued otherwise, and the 'conversation' that followed broke the last of my patience."

Two nights prior.....

Ben was standing in the doorway, absolutely furious at Rose's bull-headed attitude. He was barely holding the reigns of his temper. "I've told you before, I don't go for this sort of thing. My answer will not change regardless of what you try."

The flower mare tried to turn it around on him again. "Aw, come on you whip-poor-will. It's not good for anyone to be lonely for Hearth's Warming. You've already won me over, so I'll keep you happy and warm for the rest of your life. Now how about a glass of mulled dandelion wine while you sing me a lullaby, sweetie?"

Ben snapped, which made the rest of his words gravely. "I've had enough of this shit. Let's get one thing clear: I will never sleep with you or any other creature on this planet! It's disgusting that you mares would even consider this! The last thing I need from anyone is temptation! I posted that sign on the door for a good reason, ya floozy!"

Rose was upright and shaking with tears threating to fall, finally crumbling under Ben's stubborn refusal to her wiles. "B-but I-" she stammered. "I-I thought y-you were-"

Unfortunately the man of the house wasn't finished. "If you're so damn bent on getting your rocks off, go find one of your own kind! You ain't gettin' it from me! Now GET OUT!!"

Rose didn't need told again. It wouldn't matter what anypony did: he would never lay with anyone. She gathered up all of her things as fast as she could and ran out the door. She couldn't help what came out of her mouth while she was galloping through town. "How could I ever expect an ape to be a gentlecolt! Wah-ha-ha-haaaaa!!!" She locked the door to her home and threw everything off to the side while throwing herself on her bed to cry for the rest of the night.

Present day.

Rarity sat there in total shock, now starting to process what Twilight had said in the foyer. "Rarity, your little matchmaking scheme may have set this whole thing off!" Only now did she realize that telling him off would do nothing for his opinion on romance or make it worse. "Ben, I am so sorry. But we have to know: do you simply think that a relationship with us would not be acceptable to others? You've seen evidence against that fear already."

Ben, however, was not in the mood to be defensive after thinking about how rude he was to a guest. Instead, he opted to enlighten them. "Girls, you've asked before why I wouldn't ever consider the idea. Well, I'll explain. Back home, my species is the only one that is sentient."

While this statement of fact slowly donned on Starlight and Twilight, Rarity was still a bit uncertain. "Why should that stop you here? We feel, speak, and think with just as much complexity as you do. Where's the problem?"

Ben decided to fall back on what little he had left of his faith: truth. "Rarity, I'll tell you a story that explains my foul demeanor over the holiday, as it's related. The sapience of my species came at a grave cost. We became aware of the difference between right and wrong in an unnatural manner, thus our very souls were doomed to eternal death once our physical forms had expired. That was until a savior was born by divine intervention to offer repentance for our wrongdoing, thus granting us eternal salvation."

The mares were confused now. Twilight was the first to come around. "Go on."

Ben started again. "Our people are aware of a lone, divine, almighty creator God who brought all life into existence. He made the heavens and the Earth from nothing. When he made the first humans, the man Adam and woman Eve, he instructed that they not eat a certain fruit that would grant them the knowledge of good and evil. You know what, they were seduced by an evil being and did it anyway. They and all of their offspring for the rest of eternity were cursed with total mortality for it."

Now it was Starlight's turn to ask a question. "Ben, what does this have to do with Hearth's Warming?"

He decided to address this. "We have a holiday called Christmas rather than Hearth's Warming. God decided that after a few thousand years that humanity needed a savior to absolve them of the sin of Adam and Eve. By divine intervention, this savior named Jesus was not stained by sin: he was born pure so that He would ultimately absolve us from sin. Christmas celebrates his arrival along with the path to forgiveness and life eternal.

"Sin is still problematic, but Jesus gave us the way to be absolved from it. Interspecies relationships are a grave form of sin, as it warps the mind while removing the chance of any natural offspring being possible. Being stranded, it's not worth that risk of eternal damnation. It's practically the same as spitting on the face of someone who has forgiven you for a past wrong."

All three processed this to an extent. Ben then spoke again. "There's something else. When God created Adam, he said that it wasn't right for Adam to be alone, so he attempted to make a suitable partner for him, thus he ended up creating all the other species that roam our planet. Though Adam would acknowledge them, none were suitable as life companions. Thus God had to remove a rib from Adam while he was sleeping and with it he created a woman. When Adam awoke, he said: 'This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. They had not eaten the forbidden fruit at the time, so Adam was not blinded by the persuasion of evil at the time. That's why interspecies romance is a dangerous idea."

At this point, his lashing out at everypony made so much more sense to Twilight. He wasn't willing to go against a dogma that was not only predetermined by his faith, but also validated by nature. This alone caused Twilight's face to falter into sorrow. Also, both Ben and whomever he ended up with would eventually have a fallout, and both will end up hurt forever. They'll both still feel lonely in the long run. Starlight wasn't in much better shape, understanding how lonely he likely felt, almost like when Sunburst moved away to Canterlot when she was a foal.

He spoke again, "Now, before I wound up here, I was in a serious relationship with a nice girl. I was kicking around the idea of proposing to her, but landing here basically threw that out the window with the bathwater. When Christmas came around, I was immediately reminded of what was lost. No family, no practice of faith in its fullness, and no more chances to set things right with our Maker. It's been hard, so I started shutting myself in to avoid spreading the gloom to the community, and started drinking hard just to deaden the loneliness."

It was too much for everypony. Everyone in the room was now spilling out tears in silence for the next five minutes. Though the sun shined a bit brightly into the room, the room felt colder than ever.

Starlight, however, had a lace of anger in her sadness. Being the bold and blunt one, she grabbed Ben's face with her hooves to make him look her in the eyes. "Ben, I don't know where you get the idea that we wouldn't understand what's bothering you, but you're dead wrong. We may not be human, but we also feel pain and sorrow. I won't go into as much detail, but I know exactly how you feel: completely isolated. That scares you because you're the only one of your kind to exist here, and it worries you that you'll end up in the wrong place when it's all said and done. Well guess what? We won't let you suffer through this alone! You're our friend, and we'll stick by you no matter what happens. Understood?"

Rarity came out of her funk after that. "Starlight is right! You shouldn't have to suffer through difficult times alone, it'll drive you insane! As for romance, your stance is understandable. I will never bother you about it again."

To this, all three mares moved in to hug him and openly bawled their eyes out. Ben was about to break earlier, but this outpouring of sympathy and support calmed his nerves entirely. Thus he no longer felt any reason to fight the tears, and he began to weep himself. "Thanks girls. You're too good to me." They stayed like that until the cries had all subsided. Then a thought crossed Ben's mind. "Well, I guess I need to forgive someone else. I hope Rose doesn't mind seeing me after what I said to her."

Twilight then spoke. "Yes, Ben. That would be the right call, but for now, just stay here with us. You need this."

Ben wouldn't argue with that, as it had been a long time since he had received a genuine hug from anyone, at least in the physical world. However, one thing that all halfway-civilized beings tend to forget is how nature likes to mess with a good thing. Thus, the liquor from the night before decided to play a specially noisy tune to ruin the moment.

PPPPPLPPLPPLPLLTTTT!!!!!!

The noise was alarming for everyone. Then the girls took a light sniff, which they immediately regretted. They yelled in unison "OH CELESTIA!!" Everypony teleported out just to get out of the newly-made natural gas chamber.

Ben was unable to apologize for the breach of etiquette, as he was laughing himself senseless.
> Crossing Broken Bridges
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the streets of Ponyville….

Ben wasn't so much walking as he was meandering, as he was wrapped up in how to explain the relationship problem to Rose in the midst of forming his apology. I should know better than what I did. It never does any good to insult a lady even if she did cross the line. While it wasn't right to insult another, he was reminded that he was still a sinner like any other human being despite being the only one this side of existence. I don't know if He created this planet or not, but that doesn't give me the right to spit on it. Last rights or not, I can't leave this unresolved.

Finding Rose's home was a bit troubling, as the old proverb about small towns still held true here. Word about his outburst spread pretty fast. How it started, it didn't matter. Most of the ponies were avoiding him at this point. It made sense, considering that it was ultimately his own fault. He traded one sin for another, and he was reaping the consequences.

A brief moment of thought at the time left him wondering if he deserved worse. Yeah, Rarity was right to smack me across the face; what I said was completely over the line. He wondered if she wouldn't have hit him as hard if he hadn't unintentionally cut that fart on them. He started to chuckle again. Farts can still be funny no matter how old you get. One brief look at the sky reminded him that humor wouldn't really be the best medicine at the moment. The only path forward was to talk to Rose, if anyone was willing to help him find her. It didn't matter if he heard ponies caroling or if he saw a couple enjoying some time watching over their foals playing in the snow whilst discussing how to pull the wool over their heads for Hearth's Warming gifts (at least he assumed it worked that way here: he learned the truth about Kris Kringle at a young age). His voice carried and cut through a lot of the normal noise that they were used to hearing.

Ben went up to the pear stand to ask for directions, where an elderly dark caramel stallion was going about his business. Hope he's not one to hold a grudge. "S'cuse me sir, do you know where I can find Rose?"

Grand Pear looked at him like a deer in a headlight. "Sorry sonny. I'm afraid I don't know who you're talking about. You may want to try someone who's more native to this town."

Ben might have questioned him further, but could tell that the stallion was being truthful. He stood there for a moment wondering why he took off from the castle without asking where to go. Nice going, dumbass. His self-incrimination was cut short by the sound of a party whistle and confetti going off next to him, which nearly caused him to go into cardiac arrest. "Ahh!!!"

Breathing a little heavier, he found the source of the commotion. "HIYA, GRAND-PEAR!!! HAPPY HEARTH'S WARMING!!!!"

Grand Pear, who already had partial hearing loss for unknown reasons, had simply laughed at the display. "Thanks, Ms Pie. Happy Hearth's Warming."

Ben was still on the ground trying to catch his breath while still dumbfounded at how Pinkie was able to show up out of nowhere like that regardless of the situation. This was when Pinkie noticed that she had unintentionally jump-scared him. Normally she would move to help him up, but she was a bit hesitant to do so at this point. "Oh. Hi Benjamin. Surprised to see you walking straight." she said a bit coldly.

Ben understood the implications. She's mad. Means she was there too. "Pinkie, I know you're mad about what I did last night. Just know that I'll back off on the liquor for the time being."

Pinkie wasn't impressed despite his sincerity. "Ben, everypony drinks hard at least once in their lifetime. I'm just upset that you insulted our holiday! What was that about?"

This shook Ben up a bit. "Insulted your holiday? What did I say?"

Her choice of words couldn't have been more icy. "Leave this god-damned Scrooge the fuck alone? What did we ever do to you to bring out your version of Snowfall Frost? That's just mean! Nobody should be left alone for Hearth's Warming!"

Ben was able to piece it together. "Ohhhhhh. Pinkie, that song was a piece of satire from home. I'll explain it later but for now, I'm sorry."

Pinkie wasn't blind to the fact that he was being genuine, thus her anger was replaced with her normal happy-go-lucky demeanor. She approached him in a more civil manner than before. "Here, let me help you up." She got behind him and gently propped him back to his feet. "So what are you doing out here anyway? Looking for a special gift for somepony special?"

This caused Ben to double-check his pockets. There was a problem: his pockets were all empty. Crap, I spent several hours on that! Where is it!? Halfway through his panic, Pinkie had stopped him by holding a small box in his vision. "I think you dropped this. Gasp! Who's it for? You finally have a special somepony!?"

Ben let out a sigh of relief and grabbed the box. Oh thank God. "Thanks again Pinkie. No, it's nothing like that. I'm just looking to make amends with someone. Do you know where Rose lives?"

Pinkie understood right away. "Oh. You had me worried. It's not good for ponies to stay mad at each other, especially during Hearth's Warming. We know you're about as stubborn as Applejack, so why the speedy change of attitude?"

Ben answered as simply as he could. "I got a wake-up call. There are worries that I've been ignoring as of late Despite my aggravation with Rose, that was no reason to blow up on her. What I did was disre-"

Pinkie put her foreleg against his mouth. "Stop right there, Mister. I think you should save that explanation for Rose. I understand you're sorry for what you did, but I can wait for the long story. Go see her! Apologize!"

The stout man was more bemused at this point. "Uh, Pinkie, I still don't know where to go. Where can I find her?"

This brought the bubblegum-colored mare back to Earth. "Oh, right. She's probably at home. Go two blocks down and take the street to the right. Third house on the left, daisies hanging at the windows, can't miss it. Just help her understand why you won't date her, whatever the reason. 'Tis good to be gentle and kind, for it's the season!"





Any other day Ben would have passed through this neighborhood without a second thought, usually because he was heading over to Sweet Apple Acres to hunt for various trees that might suffice for tonewoods. Fruitwoods were always a bit tricky to work with back home, but when someone got one right, they usually packed a deep, solid punch when played. He wasn't sure how Applejack would take the idea of busting up one of her trees, but was surprised that they had couple of trees that were alive and strong, but had gone sterile for unknown reasons. The one log they let him have was still drying at the moment, as it would be a long time before it was properly aged for quarter cutting, at which point he could experiment with it.

This was in the back of his mind, as he was now actually viewing the neighborhood without his usual tunnel-vision that he normally had going when he was heading to the orchards. When he found the place that Pinkie told him to look for, he noticed two things. First there was the flowers that were kept inside the front windows. It's the dead of winter, yet somehow they can still keep the flowers alive. Magic will never make sense to me.

The second thing actually got his attention. The front gate was still open and the front door was still cracked, but both holly wreaths were on the ground with mild snowdrift to the right of them. He made a beeline for the door and knocked.

After a few seconds, he heard a couple of hoofsteps followed by a sneeze. Another five seconds passed, and Rose had answered the door. She looked pretty bad. Her eyes were bloodshot, her eyelids were swollen, black and raw like she'd spent the night rubbing pepper spray out of them. Her snout was also red, raw, and runny. Her mane and tail were a mess, and she was shivering while sniffling.

When she realized who was at her door, Rose was worried. Why is he here? I'm already suffering, he doesn't need to rub my muzzle in it. "What do you want?... Achoo! You're the last creature I want to see at the moment."

Ben, however, could only look at her in deeper regret. What he saw wouldn't do for anyone. I'm such an asshole. She basically ran over here and left the door open. Now she has a bad cold. Damnit. "Rose, do you mind if I come in for a bit? We need to talk."

Rose was taken aback by his demeanor. He wasn't just humoring her now. His speech and body language were sincere. Maybe I should give him this one, he's not being a jerk this time. "Okay." She didn't have the ability to argue with him over it.

Ben hung the wreath back on the door and shut it behind him, but then decided that it might be best to carry the mare inside.She's already in a bad state, might as well help her any way I can. "Which way to the living room?" Ben asked. Rose weakly responded to the question, "Just head to the kitchen, first door on the left." 

Ben spotted the kitchen and took her through to place her on the couch.  Once he did so and laid a blanket over her, he noticed that the living room was in a similar state to Rose. Vases were knocked over and the fireplace was barely smoldering. On top of that, the trash bin next to the couch was full with used tissues. He spent the next five minutes rekindling the fireplace. Once he got a couple logs lit up, Ben gently said "Just get comfortable while I brew up something for that cold." He went into the kitchen and started making tea.

After ten minutes, Ben had returned with two mugs steaming from the brim. He handed one to Rose as she made an attempt to sniff it despite her condition, and she was actually surprised. Rose asked "This is pungent, what did you do?" Ben smiled meekly and said "Ginger tea with some extra spices blended in to ease the effects of the sniffles. I hope you don't mind."

Rose took another sniff, and noticed something new. The fumes alone were causing her head to clear up. She took a sip and she was met with a nice blend of cinnamon, lemon, and ginger: it was lovely to her taste. After spending the next few minutes sipping the man's healing tonic, she felt her cold symptoms start to subside. Wow, he seems to know what he's doing. He's so sweet. "Okay, big guy, why did you come over here? Just letting me know what I'll never have? Kick me while I'm down?"

Ben had bowed his head low. "Um, no Rose, I came to apologize."

Rose was slow to pick up on that last bit, considering that she was addled with the sniffles. However, once it registered, she became hopeful. "Oh? So you wouldn't be against dating one of us?" One can only hope.

Ben was mildly amused, thus he quietly snorted. "Don't get ahead of me." He calmed himself again to say his piece. "I only came to let you know that I'm sorry for what I said the other day. It was cruel, low, and likely untrue. I shouldn't have lashed out like I did. I should have just been civil and just stated it to you bluntly. I should have figured you would be so upset as to let yourself go like this."

As Rose sat there nursing her tea (which was also working wonders on her head), she started to consider her own actions. Unfortunately, she let out a violent sneeze before she could make a thought. "ACHOO!" She rocked back into the couch, nearly dropping her tea. However, the sneeze was hard enough to make her muscles ache, which caused her to wince.

Ben recognized the reaction immediately and took the mug out of her hooves. "Give me your foreleg." Rose obeyed, and Ben set to massaging it.

Rose couldn't have been more grateful for this. Wow, this feels really nice, even if those hands do feel......odd. This brought a stark realization to the front of her mind. Wait, all I've been doing is trying to get him buttered up to roll in the hay, yet here he is tending to my health. I never bothered to consider his side of this whole thing. She felt like a lowlife when that last thought passed, especially since she considered her own actions. Once he had moved to her other foreleg, she spoke up. "Ben, can I say something?"

Ben nodded. After she let out a light cough to clear her throat, she began. "Ben, ever since that night at the bar, I was hooked to the sound of your voice. I just kept imagining what it would be like to wake up to that sound, probably better than the birds." She paused before speaking again. "Thinking about it now, it selfish to want that. I never considered how you might feel about dating me with that in mind. You're looking after me now, and it's giving me a perspective on the whole thing: I was never thinking about your feelings. I was stubborn, which pushed you over the edge. So, I guess I'm saying that I'm sorry too. I should have just listened to you the first time you told me 'no'."

Ben smiled a bit after that, and felt it was time to break his silence. "Rose, your apology is appreciated, and I forgive you. However, I need to clarify something. Feel free to interrupt if you have any questions."

For the next twenty minutes, Ben went about explaining the limits of relationships outside of the human species and the mental problems that occur. Rose asked the occasional questions to which she got some fairly reasonable answers. Once she understood that sapience was exclusive to his species alone back on Earth, his responses to her advances made sense. What drove the whole thing home was his upbringing: his childhood was nearly a cookie-cutter of the Apple clan.

Rose would admit that she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but she could kind of understand where he was coming from. "So, if I'm following what you said, it wouldn't be in anypony's or your own best interest to pursue romance with any of us, right?" Ben nodded lightly. Rose couldn't have felt worse than she did if she were dying. "Ben, now I feel awful about what I did. You had every right to be angry with me." She started to cry softly in her regret.

Out of nowhere Ben had picked her up and just hugged her. "Rose, it's fine now. You didn't know why I couldn't until now. We both said lousy things, and we ended up hurting each other." He held her tight for a minute before he set her back down and wrapped her up again. "Also, I wanted to give you this."

He pulled out the small box that was in his pocket. Rose took it with great care and gently opened it. Inside was a carved wooden rose with a female human figure clothed in a cloak and tunic with a flowy "hood" covering her head standing on top of it. Her hands were folded and her head was bowed forward like she was in meditation. Rose couldn't help but look at the figure in awe. "This is beautiful. Part of it is a rose, but what about the rest?"

Ben looked at her. "She's a major figure in the Catholic faith, Mary the Virgin queen. She was chosen by the Father himself from the time of her own conception to be undefiled by the stain of sin for the birth of the Messiah. In times of struggle or sorrow, the faithful ask for her intervention to carry our plea to the Lord."

Rose only partly understood what he meant, but including the female figure with the flower actually made some sense to her. "Thank you Ben. I guess there's more to you than I anticipated." She went to hug his midsection again, to which Ben only responded to stroking her mane.

It was then that he noticed that her mug was nearly empty. "Need some more tea, Rose?"

Rose looked to him with a grateful smile. "Yes, please." He left the room with both mugs and refilled them. When he returned, Rose took it rather hastily as the effects from the first round left her near begging for another. "Thank you. Also, I won't bother you again."

Ben looked out the window and noticed that nightfall was approaching. He went to put a few more logs in the fireplace for the night and started speaking again. "Rose, it's getting late. That second mug should get you through the night if I'm not mistaken. I'll be back tomorrow, okay?"

Rose was taken aback at that. "Really? I thought dating was out of the question."

Ben's expression became soft and remorseful. "Rose, you're sick because of how I handled the situation. I just want to set things right. I figure getting your health back might be a good place to start."

She pondered his words. With that face, I can't deny him that action, even if it might be a bit much. "I never realized that you could be so sweet. I guess there's no way to tell you not to worry about it?" Besides, I won't say no to those leg massages when I start sneezing again.

Ben didn't even bother to consider that statement. "No. I just want to set things right. Besides, misery loves company, right?"

Rose smiled and said "Right. Well, thanks for taking care of me today. I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"Sleep well Rose." With that, Ben took his leave, shutting the door gently on his way out.





Ben had just walked into the castle library where Twilight and Starlight were waiting. The silence in the room was a tense one, as the mares had concerned looks on their faces. Starlight decided to break the silence. "Is everything okay now?"

The stout human faced them. "More or less. We talked it over, and we have a bit of an understanding now. However, she's down with a cold at the moment. I'll be heading back over tomorrow to help her recover, just to make things right."

The tension had disappeared with that, and Twilight took a turn to speak. "Thank goodness for that. Knowing Rose, she likely didn't take your spat very well. I'm just relieved that you two resolved this mutually. Is there anything else?"

Ben didn't realize until now that he was pretty drained. "Actually Twilight, can I ask you a favor? I'm not sure if it's a good idea for me to be home alone for the time being. You mind if I stay another night or so?"

Twilight picked up on what he meant, and smiled sweetly. "Of course. Is there anything you need from the cabin?"

He only had one thing in mind for the evening. "Actually, would it be too much to ask to grab my D-18, please?"

Starlight hopped out of her chair. "I'll be right back." She teleported away for a few minutes, and she returned with the guitar he asked for. "I guess you're in a bit of a somber mood, huh?"

Ben hugged her and grasped the neck of the guitar. "Yeah, just need to do some gentle tunes before calling it for the night. Thanks you two. You're great friends."

Twilight beamed at him. "Of course. We'll see you in the morning."

With that, Ben took the old mahogany dreadnought and went back up to the room from the night before and set the guitar on the mattress for a bit to get ready for bed. Once he was settled in for the evening, he grabbed the D18 and started to pluck and strum. Then he started to sing quietly. "There are bridges on life's highways, but we never see them there."

Even though the song was soft and low, the castle had a tendency to carry sound. When they mares heard the faint tune, they snuck up to his door and took the time to listen, hanging on to every lyric and note that followed. With that, everyone turned in to their respective rooms for the night.
> A Heartfelt Gift
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hearth's Warming Eve, Canterlot Castle

Celestia and Luna had decided to invite the Elements along with Starlight and Ben to join them for Hearth's Warming. While the presence of Starlight was warranted for her role in patching up the sisters' relationship, Ben was a bit surprised to receive an invite of his own. Knowing the mares, he figured he could glean some answers from them. Strangely enough, they were just as much in the dark as he was. That is, except for Twilight, who kept looking for a distraction when he would ask about it. Twi, you can't bluff to save your life. Still, he knew her well enough that it wasn't anything nefarious, so he just let it go.

It was evening, and they had just finished with the normal gift exchange in Luna's personal lounge. Ben was at least thankful that he pulled Pinkie's name from the hat, as it simplified things for him. A good recipe will definitely work for her, plus she'll have a good reason for a bottle of whiskey. If there was one thing that Ben could cook that made any species with taste buds drool, it was his bourbon-fried apples. Pinkie was a bit concerned when he made them for breakfast once in September, but that first taste sent her in a whirlwind of excitement, as it had a nice twist compared to using ground cinnamon.

However, they all asked him to stay in the room for a few minutes. Not really all that concerned, he agreed. He took the time to reflect on everything that happened in the past month. He made someone cry, got stupid-drunk, and made a huge mess of things in the span of three days. After getting his head straightened out, he set out to right his wrongs. He spent the whole week tending to Rose, which set his mind back to what was important in life. It was during that time that he started praying again, asking for forgiveness and grace from the Spirit. He was in the middle of a prayer at the moment.

Half an hour later, Starlight had entered the lounge with a gentle smile on her face. When she noticed what he was doing, she stood and waited for him to finish up, as she had become acquainted with this "renewed" practice of his. He made a certain gesture that indicated he was done, and he opened his eyes. "Hey Ben. You okay?"

Ben smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. What's up?"

Starlight cleared her throat. "I just figured you had something on your mind since you were in prayer mode. Feeling guilty about something?"

He chuckled at that. "Nothing serious, just the usual blessings and thanksgiving." He may be away from Earth, but he was still thankful for what he still had: his health, a roof over his head, and friends to knock sense into him. There was also the added bonus that he was able to explain Christmas from the perspective of the church, which the equines took to pretty well. Weird though. I thought they would have gotten a bit more confused the deeper I went into the historical context, but it seemed like a few of them weren't all that shocked, particularly Luna. It was a strange detail, but decided to let it slide since, aside from Starlight and Big Mac, he didn't know them well enough to guess their thoughts. "Speaking of which, thanks for the new woodworking tools."

Starlight gave him an amused, knowing look. "Oh, don't sweat it. What you were using couldn't be described as anything less than 'cheap iron' by Apple standards. You needed real steel to get done faster." This was especially true when it came to smaller details that Ben occasionally added to his violins. Then Starlight softened her expression. "Still though, if there's ever anything wrong, please don't hesitate to talk to us. We're not human, but you're still a friend to us, almost family." Especially to me. You're like a brother to me now, knowing that.

Starlight took his hand. "However, we still have one more thing to do before we call it a night. Come with me."

Ben was a bit confused at this point, but let it slide. They walked out of the room and spent the next five minutes moving through the corridors of the castle until they found a set of doors that he guessed was a meeting hall at first. However, when Starlight opened the left door, he noticed that it was a darkened theater with the stage curtains closed.

Starlight led him to the fourth row in the viewing area. He realized that they weren't alone: Celestia and Luna were there with a seat empty between them. He posed his first question. "Starlight, wasn't the Hearth's Warmi-"

Starlight cut him off with a shush. "You know it's rude to talk in the theater, monkey. Take a seat."

Ben, not wanting to argue, just did as he was told. Luna had gestured to him with a warm smile to take the place in between herself and Celestia.

Since the hellfire nightmare, he and Luna had kept in touch regularly. They became fast friends, as they enjoyed little things in life, their conversations got deep from time to time, and they weren't always content with leaving things as they were if anything felt a bit 'off'. There was no reason to question Luna's presence alone, but Celestia was a different can of worms. This left him feeling somewhat awkward. He wasn't sure what to make of this. This is strange. What are they planning? 

The stage began to light up softly, followed up with the main curtains being drawn. Starlight and Twilight had their horns lit, and the sound of a breeze was present, though there was no wind. Their magic had formed a large orb floating over he stage, some areas of the surface brighter than others, some darker. Then came the sound of a voice in the dark that sounded like.....Fluttershy?

She was stage-left at a podium, yet she wasn't reading off of anything. "In the beginning, before life, the earth was a formless wasteland. Then the Lord God said 'Let there be light', and it was so. Then the Lord made the heavens, the waters, mountains, plains, hills, and all abundance of different living things, all existing male and female for each creature. Among them was the Lord's chosen species, the humans Adam and Eve. They were given dominion over all the creatures after being placed in Paradise in harmony."

As she was speaking, the events of Genesis began to play out from the formation of planet Earth to the events of Eden, including the bringing forth of Adam and Eve (thankfully with some censorship, which would amuse him later). He couldn't make a coherent thought due to what he was seeing.

"Though their hearts were pure and unstained, temptation by an evil being called Devil, who took the form of the serpent, had persuaded them to obtain forbidden knowledge. Thus all were cast out of Paradise to roam the rest of the Earth, and all were doomed to death in both body and soul for their disobedience. Over several thousand years, mankind multiplied, and many continued to do evil. Bloodshed, avarice, lust, drunkenness, and destruction were prominent throughout history. Yet, every generation there were a few who remembered to humble themselves to his existence and power. Thus through flood, fire, bondage, war, exile, and occupation He showed mercy to those who honored and glorified him: the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

Ben couldn't believe what he was hearing. Sure, Twilight's friends were constantly asking him questions about his faith when he wasn't, as Rarity would put it, 'in the zone'. To see and hear this much detail, however, he was simply dumbfounded. They only covered the basics of the events in a matter of ten minutes.  Not that he didn't appreciate it, but there were details that he knew he never told them: they were touchy about discussing death. He only confided in-

He looked at Luna, who only smirked briefly before directing his attention back to the stage with a shift of her eyes. This was enough for now. Yeah, my questions can wait until later.

"However, they were still tainted by sin. Even though His law was prescribed to them through Moses the Levite, they still faltered due to the strength of sin. In time, they came under oppression by other men through the later ages with the intent of obtaining absolute power over all lands and waters, who in turn imposed their own ways on Israel. In time, they were barely recognizable from their original tribes, thus they had pleaded for the salvation foretold by prophets."

Fluttershy stepped down from the podium and went alongside a few others at center stage. It took Ben a second to recognize that it was the Ponytones along with a few others. The secondary curtain behind them lifted to show a full string orchestra. He immediately recognized more than half of the orchestra members, as he had done repair work on their instruments. Applejack, along with a select few from the orchestra, began to play as the singing began with Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack. "O come, o come, Emmanuel...."

Ben had finally caught on to what was happening, and simply resigned himself to not questioning what they were doing. True, he could tell that Fluttershy was nervous as usual, but she was doing it. Rarity had taken over for 'Come Thou Long Expected', which was almost flawless. Ben was touched that she was willing to go along with it.

Starlight had taken the podium at this point. "In time, the prayers of Israel were answered. In the small village of Nazareth there was one couple to be betrothed. One was Joseph, who was a direct descendent of King David from the line of Judah, son of Jacob. The other was Mary, who by unknown circumstance was with child. Though they were fearful for the implications and possible retribution, the Lord sent a messenger named Gabriel to them both to be at peace, for Mary was anointed by the Most High and was carrying the Messiah, who would be named Jesus. Thus, they remained engaged, and they traveled to Bethlehem, thus what the prophets foretold would be fulfilled."

The music began again, this time with the entire orchestra joining in with the Ponytones as they changed the diction. "Could this be the day?"

Ben had a tear in his eye, but he was still wondering how they knew these songs. Also, he couldn't wait for more.

"Joseph took Mary to a small village called Bethlehem, for the...…….Romanes? Romans! The Romans had declared a census on all occupied lands. Upon their arrival in Bethlehem, it was past twilight, and every dwelling was fully occupied. However, an innkeeper took pity on Mary, and took them to a stable. It was there that the Christ was born, wrapped and laid in a manger. It was then that a great light shined through all the land. The nearby shepherds trembled and made to flee, but a voice called out loud and clear:"

Big Mac called out "Fear not! For behold I bring you tidings of great joy! For unto you is born in the city of David, a savior, which is Christ the Lord! This shall be a sign unto you: you will find the child wrapped in swaddling cloths laying in a manger!"

Fluttershy spoke again. "The shepherds began to draw in to see that it was so. Thus they fell prostrate before him."

The music began again, with a full choir joining this time led again by Rarity, loud and clear. One thing that Ben noticed was that Rose was with them. "Oh come, all ye faithful!!!" It was too much for Ben, he couldn't help but join from his seat. Though Celestia didn't know him very well, she couldn't help but smile at it all, since both herself and Luna had to put a hoof over his chest just to keep him seated.

Once the piece ended, Twilight took the podium, and the music changed with Big Mac leading solo with a string accompaniment. Ben's fingers started to twitch, as this was one of his all-time favorites. "Even though Jesus the Messiah was born among the lowly, the signs of his coming were noticed by others from afar. Three wise men had followed a meandering star from the far East. They were kings, each of a different age bearing gifts. The youngest bore gold, for His richness in spirit. The second, a middle-aged man, carried frankincense for his divine origin. The third, the eldest, had brought myrrh as a sign of His sacrifice."

Twilight stepped down and rejoined the choir. Starlight now took the podium. "As all present were on bended knee, the heavens could be heard singing a joyous tune of their own. Yet, among those still on Earth, despite the message, still had questions unanswered, but one being the same in them all, which would remain a mystery for years to come." She stepped down and joined the Ponytones who were congregating again with the Apples, who had instruments in hoof, with Toe Tapper at lead.

"What child is this, who, laid to rest.....". Ben had tears flowing from his eyes, as to him, this carol was the most revealing to those who listened to the very end.

At this, Ben and the two sisters got up and applauded. All on stage stood up and took a momentary bow, followed by the curtains closing. Celestia, Luna, and Ben went backstage to join the crew. Turned out that Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were just zooming around getting things set from scene to scene.

Ben spoke first. "That. Was. BEAUTIFUL!!!" He rushed in to hug all of them at once, to which he was held up in a telekinetic grip.

Turned out he was being held back by multiple spells: Twilight, Starlight, Celestia and Luna all had control over a different limb. Starlight chuckled and said. "Hold up there, Murdoch. Your hugs are about as painful as Pinkie's. We'd rather not end up in the hospital again."

Pinkie only gave a momentary glare at Starlight, which nopony paid mind to. Ben took the opportunity to speak again. "Okay, that can wait. Now, first off, how did you get all of this put together?"

Twilight spoke up first. "Well, considering your explanation for your holiday, we figured you might like this. We tried to put a production together ourselves, but Starlight had the idea of reaching out to your customers from the area just to get some pointers."

Starlight spoke again. "Yep, but it turns out your instrument skills can put the best native luthiers to shame. They contacted some other performers and asked if they'd like to join." Then she lowered her voice. "I know you'd say you're just meticulous, but they think you have some kind of 'golden touch' in your work. It's strange, but nice."

Ben chuckled for a brief moment and then got serious. "Okay, so I have an unofficial fan club. Truth is I'm just passionate about what I do. There's one question: how did you know all of this material? I never went into detail about how corrupt the human mind can get."

Twilight had a guilty smile. "Wellll…….you'll need to defer to Luna for that."

Luna stepped in to explain. "Mr. Murdoch, you know about my abilities to move into the subconscious. However, another ability that I have is to be able to read your memories. I can see anything that has stuck to your mind over time. The stronger the memory, the more detail I can see. However, I cannot change, erase, or modify it any more than you would be able to move the stars. It is only viewable, unchangeable."

Starlight now spoke. "We know this is important to you, so we figured that we should at least offer you a celebration to remember."

Ben couldn't help but smile at everyone. "You girls are too much. Thank you!" He pulled them all into a group hug, which they returned in earnest.

After he released them, Rarity spoke up. "That music was too beautiful to pass up. I can't explain it, but there was something about it that just......drew me in to learn it, pulling me in. Almost like it was calling me, asking me to understand."

That last bit drew the attention of all within ten feet of her. This was followed by unanimous nods of shock. Fluttershy then spoke "I think I know what she's talking about. Reciting the story only had me wanting for more, begging to ask more questions." Ben raised an eyebrow at that one. Calling, wanting? Could it be possible? I'll have to talk Luna in private about that.

They stood in silence after that. Celestia broke the silence. "All of you girls did well this evening. I have never heard such a beautiful performance in all of my years." Then she turned to Ben. "However, this never would have happened had you not showed up Benjamin Murdoch." Then something crossed her mind. Sorrowing and sighing? Nail and spear shall pierce him through? "This historical root in your beliefs intrigues me. I would like to know more. Not simply to understand your world, but it seems as though this story is...….unfinished, like there's more."

Ben nodded to her. "Well, it's getting late. We probably better turn in." He turned to leave, but paused next to Celestia for a moment. "You're right, there is more. This wasn't the whole story of Christmas. The full story of human salvation comes later in the life of Jesus. However, you look like you're about to pass out. Luna wants to know more anyway, so I'll save it for tomorrow."

He then turned to the whole crew before leaving. "Thank you, all of you! This whole performance was amazing. You have no idea what this meant to me."

Starlight still had some of her own questions, but was feeling her own eyelids start to drop. She just came up beside Ben to give him a hug before the night was out. "Ben, just one more thing. Merry Christmas."

Ben replied softly. "Happy Hearth's Warming, Starlight."