People, Ponies, Particularities and Parallels

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“Really, little dolls instead of stockings. That is fascinating. I wonder how that tradition came to be. Stockings were originally hung by the fire to dry overnight, but why would you want to put dolls on the hearth?”

Sunset lifted a hand to her mouth, covering a yawn as Twilight continued to babble rhetorical questions to herself. School had been let out for the winter break hours ago, yet here she and Twilight remained, haunting the library well after dark. Why? It wasn’t for a school assignment or any magical problem. It was because she had mentioned something about going back to Equestria for part of the holiday, to celebrate Hearthswarming.

Just mentioning the holiday was all it took. Twilight was learning about friendship, but she still wanted to understand more about magic and Equestria as a whole. Her ever growing research into the similarities and differences between the two worlds had become almost an obsession. Whenever Princess Twilight came over, human Twilight would have a stack of new questions. Thankfully, the information between the two of them was flowing both ways. Princess Twilight was just as curious about the human world.

They wanted to try and find the “crucial” differences as they called them, the things that defined the two worlds and set them apart and would help them predict other differences. Some were easy to find: humans instead of ponies, a lack or abundance of magic. Some were more puzzling. Both Twilight’s were still puzzled why Celestia and Luna were princesses in one world and just principles in another. 

Usually, Sunset had a mild interest in the subject too, but she had also learned to be more careful when mentioning things about Equestria to Twilight. This wasn’t the first time she had been pulled into this kind of intense interview about some subject she had mentioned off hand, and Sunset doubted it would be the last.

She just wished she hadn’t done it on the last day of school before the start of winter break.

“Are there any other differences you can think off?” Twilight asked as she was flipping through her notes. “I mean, Hearthswarming is so similar to Christmas it's shocking. The decorations, the meals, the presents, yet the reason behind the holiday is entirely different. Not only that, but the nuances. The little changes, like a lack of Santa Claus or the use of dolls instead of stockings. It’s like the holidays themselves follow the same guidelines as the people and ponies: similar but different. I wonder if I compared world histories similar parallels could be drawn?”

A march-step trumpet fanfare cut the silence of the library, making Twilight flinch before quickly reaching for her phone. “It’s that late already. Wow, time sure flies when you're delving the mysteries of parallel worlds.”

“Yeah, where did the time go?” Sunset asked as she stood up from her chair and stretched, a few of her vertebrae popping in response. “When did you change your ringtone, by the way?”

Twilight finished shuffling her notebooks and pens into her backpack, and slipped it over her shoulders before starting to walk towards the door with Sunset. “Oh, that’s just the special ringtone I use for Shining Armor. He’s picking me up to give me a ride home today. I’m just lucky he was on a date with Cadance, otherwise we wouldn’t have time for all this.”

“How is that going for him?” Sunset asked as they left the library and moved into the school’s hallways, their footsteps echoing off the vacant corridors. “I mean, we both know the pony Cadance and Shining are already married, so I imagine their hitting it off.”

“They really are connecting, and I think they may have started dating earlier if their situations were different. Though it’s another point of data that somewhat proves my theory that the pony world is a few years ahead of this one. All of our friends’ pony counterparts are already living and working largely independently, but we’re all still in high school. Also, I believe Princess Twilight told me the pony Cadance and Shining started dating in high school, and—”

As the pair neared the foyer of the school, Twilight’s phone rang again with Shining’s ringtone. This time, instead of just glancing at a notification, Twilight tapped on the touch-sensitive surface and then brought the phone to her ear. “Hey, Shining, are you outside? Sunset and I are just coming out the doors. Wait… you’re not… is it really snowing that bad?”

Twilight and Sunset rounded the corner, the school’s front doors in view. Through the glass, they could see a swirling, howling blizzard, with snow packing up against the front of the school. Twilight moved quickly to the door, placing her hand on the glass. “I didn’t even… Sunset and I were doing something in the library. I saw the storm through the skylight, but I didn’t think…” She turned and leaned her back against the door, then cringed and stepped away from the cold surface. “So what’s the plan? All right. I’ll figure something out here, and text you when I have a plan.”

Twilight ended the call and slipped her phone into her backpack. “Shining’s stuck at Cadence’s because of the storm, and my parents can’t come get me either. The roads are just too dangerous.” She glanced over at Sunset, forcing a smile. “I don’t suppose…”

Sunset rolled her eyes and fished her winter gloves out of the interior of her coat before zipping it closed. “Like you have to ask. I’m not going to leave my friend stranded with nowhere to go in this storm.”

“Oh sweet, merciful Celestia,” Sunset said a half hour later, her and Twilight rushing through the door to her small apartment. Both of them were visibly shivering. Snow had frozen to their shoes, socks, and pants. Everything from their shins down was chilled and numb. Thankfully, Sunset’s apartment was toasty and warm, the central heating successfully combating the cold. Sunset felt her face tingling as she worked to strip off her shoes.

“This is nice,” Twilight said through her chattering teeth as she followed Sunset’s lead. “I guess I never thought about where you’d be living when you came over.”

“Rarity made a fuss about it a while back, before we met you,” Sunset said. She took a seat in a desk chair near the door as she freed her feet from her damp, frozen socks. She tossed the socks over where she had left her shoes, then began inspecting her toes for any sign of frostbite. “She feared I was living in some halfway house or something, but I came over from Equestria a bit more prepared than that. The gemstones that grow like potatoes in Equestria’s magical soil go for a lot of money here in the human world. It took some time to find a landlord that would lease to me without doing a full background check, but Mrs. Baker was sweet enough to give me a chance. That and I think she has obsession with gemstones. I asked her if I could pay her once with a sapphire, since I didn’t have time to get it sold, and I think she nearly had a heartattack.”

Satisfied none of her toes had turned blue, Sunset tried to shake some of the snow off her pants before standing up. “Here, let me give you the tour. This is the main room. Through that door is a bathroom, and that’s about it,” she said with a chuckle, looking over her studio apartment.

The nice warm colors of the space were reminiscent, appropriately enough, of a Sunset, though the space was accented with festive greens, red, silvers, and golds. On Sunset’s work desk was a tiny, foot tall tree, and garland had been strung across the shelves of her bookcase. It was minimal compared to some of her decorations in her friend’s home, but it had always been enough for her.

“Here, sit down on the couch and I’ll make us something warm to drink,” Sunset said as she began to stride towards the left hand wall of the apartment, where her kitchen was. “Would you like coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?”

“Hot chocolate please.” Twilight moved over and took a seat on Sunset’s two-person couch, which faced her bookcase. There was a notable lack of a television, though there was a line of DVD movies on the bookcase that would work with the computer on Sunset’s desk.

“You want any whip cream on that?” Sunset said as she pulled the hot chocolate powder from her cupboards. “I’ve may not have the same stockpile Pinkie Pie has, but I have enough for a few mugs.”

“Just a little,” Twilight said she turned her head slowly, taking in the space. “So you’ve been taking care of yourself the whole time you’ve been in the human world?”

“Yep. You said it yourself, Equestria seems to be a few years ahead, so I was already used to it. I’ll admit, I wasn’t fond of having to get a studio apartment when I first got here, but this place has grown on me.” She place a tiny pot on the stove, poured milk into it, and began heating it up. She did have a microwave, but its handle was dusty from lack of use. As the milk warmed, Sunset spooned the dry chocolate powder into a pair of mugs. “I just realized, I haven’t seen Spike all day. Did you leave him at home?”

“He had a vet appointment today my father was going to take him too. Just needed to get some booster shots, nothing serious.”

Sunset nodded her head, continuing to focus on making the hot chocolate. “Well, guess he was the lucky one. Have your parents found out he can talk yet?”

Sunset heard Twilight shift, getting up from the couch for some reason. “No, he’s been pretty good about buttoning his lip when he isn’t at school. I was actually planning on tell them over this winter break. It will be harder for Spike to stay quiet if we’re at home most of the day, and that’s really not fair to him. That and my parents didn’t freak out too much when Principal Celestia told them what happened the day of the Friendship Games. If they can kind of keep their cool about their daughter turning into a raven-winged sorceress, then a talking dog shouldn’t be more than they can handle.”

“Hey, better than a raging she-demon,” Sunset said, using wooden spoon to stir the milk. “How hot do you want your drink, by the way?”

“I actually don’t like my hot chocolate that hot. I hate the way my tongue feels if I burn it.”

Sunset nodded, holding her hand close to the surface of the milk to get a sense for its temperature. “Well, then this should be ready really soon. I actually like my hot chocolate the same way.”

“I guess they have hot chocolate in Equestria?” Twilight asked, though she sounded a little distracted.

“We have coffee and tea too, but coffee isn’t nearly as big as it is here. I think it’s partially because of Princess Celestia. She almost exclusively drinks tea, and over the centuries, I think public tastes swayed to match hers.” Sunset flicked off the heat on the stove and lifted the pot over to the cups. She poured the milk in, dribbling a little, but not enough to make a big mess. She then placed the pot in the sink, used a paper towel to tidy up the spills, then used a pair of spoons to stir the cups. The final touch was a few quick squirts from a can of whipped cream, which was removed and put back into the fridge promptly.

“There we go, hot chocolate is served,” Sunset said as she held the two mugs and turned around. It was then she able to see what Twilight was doing. She had stood up from the couch, moved over to Sunset’s bookcase, and pulled something down from the highest shelf. It was a little, yellow, crocheted pony doll with red and yellow mane.

“Is this the Hearthswarming doll you mentioned earlier?” Twilight asked as Sunset came up beside her. Twilight held the doll out, trading it with Sunset for one of the cups of hot chocolate.

Sunset nodded as the pair sat down on the couch. “Yeah. This is the doll my grandmother made me back when I was just a little filly. That’s part of the tradition, or at least our tradition. I’ve got a small family. So for Hearthswarming, when we’d all get together, everyone would bring their dolls and any dolls they had inherited when other family members passed away. We’d line them all up on the hearth. The dolls are supposed to remind everypony of the warmth shared that fateful night, but for our family, it was also a way for us to remember family.”

Twilight sipped a bit at her hot chocolate as her eyes remained focused on the doll. “I’ve always been a little curious what you look like as a pony.”

Sunset chuckled a little. “Well, don’t get the wrong impression. This doll was made when I was really small and a little pudgy.”

“So, you were a pudgy little pony,” Twilight said with a teasing grin on her face.

“What? I…” She blushed a little before standing up to return the doll to the bookcase. “I’ll have you know most ponies are a little pudgy when their growing up.”

“Human’s aren’t really that different. My parents will probably say I was a bit pudgy when I was a baby too.” Twilight let her eyes linger on the doll, even as Sunset sat back down on the couch. “So this is the first year since you came to the human world you're going back to visit your family.”

“Yeah. They don’t even know that I’m coming, and… I never really told them where I was going when I left. The only reason I have the doll is my mother wanted me to have it when I went to Celestia’s school.” Sunset took a sip of her hot chocolate, smiling at the warmth. Yet, slowly, her lips fell into a frown. “Do you think they’ll be angry with me when I get back? Do you think they’ll even let me in after all this time?”

“Well, it’s all about constants and variables,” Twilight said. “The traditions between the two worlds are similar yet different. People are similar but different from ponies. Here the sun moves because of the spin of the plant. In the pony world, it’s because a princess pony raises and lowers the sun. There are a lot of things that are different.

“But,” Twilight said, smiling and setting a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “One thing I’m sure is constant is that parents normally love their children. I’m sure they’ll just be happy you're back in their lives. After all, whether it's Christmas or Hearthswarming, the important thing is being with the people, or ponies, that care about you the most.”

“Yeah… you’re right,” Sunset said with a nod before taking a large drink from her hot chocolate. “Still, enough of that mushy stuff. I doubt your brother’s going to be able to come get you until morning. How about I put a frozen pizza in the oven, move my computer monitor over to the coffee table, and we cozy up with a few blankets to watch a movie?”

“Okay, but only if you let me help this time. I might be a guest, but that doesn’t mean I’m helpless.” Twilight’s eyes moved over to Sunset’s collection of DVD’s, smiling and pointing at one in particular. “I haven’t seen that one, but Rainbow tells me it's really good.”

Sunset nodded, setting her hot chocolate on the coffee table. “Yeah, it’s one of my favorites. Still, if you want to help, I’ll let you move my computer monitor over here. You can then log in on the guest account and pop in the movie. While you’re doing that, I’ll get the pizza in the oven and pop some microwave popcorn.”

“Perfect,” Twilight said with a nod, setting down her hot chocolate as well. The two separated, but within a few minutes they were back on the couch. They stole the blanket from Sunset’s bed, wrapping it around their cold feet as they sipped their hot chocolate. The movie played, popcorn and pizza were eaten, and Sunset found herself smiling.

For the first time in several years, winter was actually feeling like Hearthswarming.

Next Chapter: Amending Fences II (for Pearple Prose) Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 14 Minutes