Author's Notes:
Thanks to Deadinlight for beta-reading and helping me edit
Post Common Era Chapter Twenty-eight/War of Stars Chapter Twenty-four: To Be A God
Twilight stood in front of the human soldier that had aided Masao in getting back to Equis, at current there were demands that they return the “criminal” that assaulted several soldiers before retreating across the portal. Of course they would not say that the reason for it happening was the council trying to go back on their word concerning the Prince of Equestria. As it stood Twilight was torn, on one hoof the soldier saved her former teacher, on the other, it would help relations with the UEC…
- - -
Masao and Luna were fencing with their old broadswords, the human’s blade crossed with the lunar princess’s own.
“Your guard is a little slow” said Luna as she parried his clumsy counter. Masao grunted before twisting around swinging the sword around with him as he leapt towards her she barely blocked the attack when she felt flames burn below her seconds before she leapt away as a pillar of flames erupted where she had stood not a moment before…
This was the sight that Willow Leaf walked in on she froze seeing her herd mates fighting one another, the spells that were being thrown were scary powerful, even as an earth pony she knew that, she could feel the power radiating off of them at the moment. Fire and lightning were thrown across the room with reckless abandon. bolts of pure magic and darkness were tossed with little care, and it scared her, she was actually shivering, this was a battle of gods, when they met in the middle of their chosen battlefield, their blades would spark as they raced against the other…
How long Willow Leaf stood there she had no idea, all she knew is that one moment she was alone, the next, Shadow Eyes was standing beside her her magic field taking in the whole scene in awe, for the first time since she had become a dark mage, she understood how outclassed she was compared to the royal family, she finally understood and it scared her. This was her teacher, a venerable god amongst ponies, so was her friend’s teacher, Princess Luna. Before she just believed they were just very powerful beings, but this… She turned to Willow Leaf, this mare had the heart of her teacher, and for once she pitied the mare. Suddenly she shot up a shield as a magic bolt flew past the dueling pair and almost hit Willow Leaf and herself, she fell to her knees as the power of the bolt nearly broke through the shield, the feedback was astounding, it was crippling, was this the power of the gods? Struggling to keep on her hooves the mare suddenly felt a blast of pure dark magic hit the shield and he knees buckled under the sheer force of the magical blast and for a second she literally saw white as the pain shot across her visual cortex, damaged though it was…
Willow Leaf was frozen in shock, she could feel the magic in the air, she could taste it. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Shadow Eyes, she watched the mare buckle under the strain of the stray bolts from the two dueling gods.
Sweating lightly from the workout Masao glanced back door to the training room looking for Luna when he noticed the shield being cast by his student, he frowned as he walked towards the shield and placed a hand on it. The moment his hand touched the shield he heard his student cry in pain as the shield shattered and the student lay on the ground panting as tears flowed down her face, red tinted tears, hearing the sound of a crack of lightning fly towards him he erected a shield of his magic deflecting the spell away quickly. Luna landed on the other side of the shield intending on striking at him as soon as the shield was down.
“Hold, love, it seems my student and Willow Leaf stumbled upon our training match” said Masao and Luna nodded as she lowered her sword. Lowering the shield he watched Luna trotted up and checked on the student as he himself put a hand on Willow Leaf to check on her and she jumped and suddenly bowed to him.
“I am so sorry my lord, I am not worthy of your love, the love of a—” Masao pressed his lips to hers silencing her.
“You are every bit my equal, Willow Leaf,” Willow Leaf shook her head, there was no way she was equal to a god! “do you think I am a god?” a nod, “I am not, neither is Luna, nor the other princesses”
“B-b-but, all that power… Surely you must be gods!” argued Willow Leaf and Masao shook his head before picking up the mare, standing her on her four hooves.
“I can still die and no god can die, as for the power I use, given enough time Shadow Eyes will be just as powerful-” Willow shook her head with her eyes closed tightly her face scrunched up as she denied Masao’s words…
While Masao was dealing with Willo, Luna was caring for Shadow Eyes, the power behind the stray bolts were extremely powerful and she was surprised that the mare passed out in front of her had the power to block one, let alone two bolts of their pure magic. However she was not surprised to find the mare on her side passed out crying blood tinged tears. This mare defended a mare she didn’t know all that well, when she could have protected herself but instead. Luna nodded to herself and levitated the unconscious mare to the barracks clinic, careful not to bump her on anything…
- - -
“I am no god, Willow Leaf.” said Masao for the seventh time since as he forced her to her feet, she had seen fit to bow to him again. She truly believed that she was in a relationship with a god, and it scared her. “You are a princess, you bow to no one not pony or anyone at all”
“I never met anyone that powerful, there is no way you are not a god!”
“If I am a god, why am I fallible? Why can I not raise the fallen innocents of our people? If I am a god why can’t I stop this war that has broken out amongst my kind? I am human I am no god, I will never be a god, I am not the Almighty, and I not wish to be, let him handle all that I have enough troubles learning about the deaths of Equestria’s children, or the follies they make”
“But—”
“No buts! I am no god! I don’t have any wish to be and I am mortal, ageless but mortal! This is why Luna and I don’t let others see us practice like that!”
- - -
Groaning and opening her eyes, Shadow Eyes quickly realized she was not laying on the floor in the training room anymore, if the softness she was feeling beneath her was anything to go by, her thoughts were interrupted by Luna clearing her throat causing her to turn her unseeing eyes towards the sound.
“Ah, good you are awake, it seems that you stumbled on Prince Masao’s and my secret, and you nearly paid the price, you are extremely powerful for a unicorn, I haven’t seen the like since Princess Twilight”
“So it’s true she used to be a unicorn? I didn’t believe that was true!” said Shadow Eyes as she propped herself up. Luna smiled softly as she nuzzled the mare surprising the her. “P-Princess!” said the mare and Luna chuckled.
“I am glad you lived, you know Masao sees you almost as a daughter, he would hate for anything to happen to you, and I understand how he feels” said the ageless mare and Shadow Eyes blushed at the affection.
“Why don’t you use your abilities to defend yourself?” she suddenly asked Luna who froze momentarily surprised at the question. with a dry chuckle she gave a sagely nod.
“Because, as powerful as we are, we can’t be everywhere at once. We aren’t gods, and if ponies saw how powerful we are, they would start worshiping us again. Expecting us to always save them, even when we can’t…”
“But some ponies still worship you” pointed out Shadow Eyes and Luna nodded her head sadly as she reached over with a hoof, a cloth laying in it as she wiped it across the mare who was sweating heavily, her magic was completely drained, and it sapped at her strength she couldn’t even cast a magic field so she could see…
- - -
“But…”
“No, I am no god, Willow Leaf, sure if heavens forbid something happens to Celestia or Luna I can take one of their places, that is only from centuries of training, not godhood” said Masao fervently and his wife looked at him her eyes quivering, as if she was scared to keep looking at him, for fear of retribution. “Did I ever ask for worship? Have I changed from the man I was fifteen years ago and the man I am now? Am I different from the person you viewed me as, just because I am some power?” at Masao’s question Willow Leaf sighed, as usual, her husband was right, it felt wrong, she felt like he was worthy of worship, all of the immortal ones were, she may have been ageless thanks to her oath with Khorne, but… No, he was right…