//------------------------------// // Chosen by a God // Story: Truly Divine // by Onomonopia //------------------------------// With a grunt Autumn managed to pull out a photo of her family from underneath a huge pile of stone, making the photo one of the few items that she had managed to recover from what remained of her home. On the other side of the destroyed structure was her mother, who was trying to salvage anything of importance that she could find. Autumn looked around at what remained of her home with a sad sigh, recalling all the memories she had. But then a glance around the rest of her town showed that she was one of the lucky ones. Despite Thor having dealt with the titans with ease, much of her town hadn't survived the battle. Countless homes had been wiped off the face of the planet and many of the ponies she had grown up with had moved on to the next life. And while emotions had risen thanks to the arrival of Thor, there was still an air of despair that all could feel. "Sweetheart, could you come over here for a moment?" Summer asked her daughter, who shook her head free of the dark thoughts and bound over to her mom. Summer spied the photo that Autumn was holding and gently took it from her, smiling bitterly at the image. She placed the photo in a pouch with other items of importance from their home before pulling her daughter into a hug. "You doing okay?" "I'm fine mom," Autumn Breeze replied, pushing herself closer to her mother as the two of them gazed at the ruins of their home. "I know and that's what worries me," Summer Sky replied before turning her golden eyes down towards her daughter. "You've seen death, pain and the destruction of your home, yet you don't seem...well, bothered by it. I don't know whether that means you have an unbreakable will or are in serious need of some therapy. How are you doing it?" "It's...it's really hard to deal with mom, I can't deny that," Autumn replied before a smile spread across her face and she flashed that smile at her mother. "But the reason I can deal with it okay is because, well, my prayers were answered. In our darkest hour, the heavens helped us. And I never thought that would happen." "And sadly young one, you are not the only to think that way." Autumn and Summer turned their eyes towards the heavens in time to see the god of thunder descend into their village, landing next to their ruined home. He quickly glanced from the pair of them to the destroyed building, understanding instantly what had happened. "I am sorry for the loss of your home. Had I been here soon, perhaps I would have been able to save it," Thor apologized, but Summer instantly shook her head. "Please Lord Thor, do not disparage your actions. You saved my daughter, my only family. There is nothing I can do to ever repay you for that," Summer quickly said to Thor while bowing her head slightly. "Yes our home is gone, but it is only a building and items. All of those can be replaced. My daughter is irreplaceable. All of the lives you saved are." "Yeah, not to mention that you totally smashed all of the titans plaguing our land!" Autumn reminded Thor. "If you weren't a god I'm pretty certain that we'd all be hailing you as a hero! Heck, you're both!" "Thank you for the kind words, my friends. I am grateful that I was able to help," Thor replied with a smile before his face became more serious. "However, I would like to ask a favor of the both of you, if you would be alright with heeding my words." "Of course Lord Thor, what is it you wished to ask?" Summer asked. "Despite my divine nature, I am still a stranger in this land and am...unaccustomed to the ways and people of this land," Thor began as he lay his hammer on the ground and sat down before the two ponies, but even sitting down he was still easily taller than the both of them. "I have asked your rulers if they would be fine with me taking the mantel of god of Equestria, due to your lack of a deity." Both Summer and Autumn's eyes went wide at Thor's words, but he was too busy speaking to notice. "Celestia, princess of the sun, has asked that the ponies of your land decide whether or not I become their god, instead of agreeing to allow me to take up to role. Out of respect for her courage, I agreed. Now I wait to hear from her, but even if your species does not grant me my request, I will not be abandoning you until I am certain that your prayers will never go unanswered again." "I am thankful to hear that, Lord Thor. But, if I may ask, what does any of this have to do with the two of us," Summer asked once more. "That is simple, Summer Sky. I request that while I am in this land, the two of you will be escorts and show me the ways of your world," Thor requested and once more his words caused the two ponies jaws to hit the floors. Summer looked down at her daughter with uncertainty in her eyes, while Autumn looked up at her mother with amazement in hers. "I...I am honored that you would choose me out of everypony in this land to ask, but I am hardly qualified," Summer stammered out, trying to wrap her head around what Thor was asking of her. "Before the titans attack, I was just a nurse at the hospital. Being an escort to a god is...beyond my experience." "Do not sell yourself short, daughter of Spring, you proved during the attack on the titans that you have a courage and strength that is more than worthy enough to stand with a god," Thor corrected for her with a smile, before he glanced down at Autumn. "And young Autumn has shown that her faith is stronger than many I have come across, if it was able to draw the aid of Thor. The two of you are a perfect fit for the role of escorts and I will hear no words otherwise." Autumn smiled up at her mom with excitement, but Summer was racking her brain with any way she could say no to a god. Then she looked back at what remained of her home and then glanced at the bag of belongings that she had managed to scrounge up, what little they had left. 'We've lost our home and almost everything we owned. I can't take care of my daughter like this...I can't protect her like this,' Summer realized before she looked up at the smiling face of Thor, who was waving to the ponies that were standing around him with awe on their faces. 'But if she is in the care of a god, a being that took down those titans with such ease...' "Very well, Lord Thor. If it is alright with my daughter, then I will do my best to escort you around the lands of Equestria and show you the world you may become the god of," Summer Sky said with a bow, her actions getting Autumn to bow to Thor as well. "Excellent! I am glad that I will be able to learn about this land in the company of you both," Thor said with a chuckle before he rose to his feet, backing away from all of the ponies and beginning to swing his hammer. "Celestia has asked for three days to be given before she will have an answer for me. However, I shall ask her if she would be willing to spare one of her many rooms for you and your town. It seems that you all need temporary shelter." "Thank you for your generosity, Lord Thor," Summer said with another bow while Autumn ran up to Thor. "Don't worry, Thor. After what you did for us, I have no doubt the ponies of Equestria will have no issues making you the god of Equestria," Autumn told Thor with such confidence in her voice that even Thor felt certain. "And I'll be praying for those three days just in case. Now that we actually have somepony to pray to." "And worry not, little Autumn. I will do everything in my power to ensure that those prayers are answered," Thor replied with the promise of a god before he hurled his hammer into the sky, ripping him from the ground as he ascended towards Canterlot, leaving Summer to rise from her bow and join the rest of the townsponies in watching the god fly away. {([])} "Well, the results are in and the are essentially unanimous," Celestia said with an amazed sigh to her sister, the two of them having spent an entire day counting up all of the votes. For three days the princesses had been going from city to city, asking about Thor and the idea of him becoming the new god of Equestria. Celestia had expected their to be hesitation and some confusion about Thor. She couldn't have been more wrong. "My votes count the same, sister. The ponies wish for Thor to take up the mantel as Equestria's god," Luna finished for her sister, tossing the last of her list onto a large pile of votes and opinions. "Though I cannot say that I'm all that surprised. After the terror and fear that the titans instilled upon us, the idea of a divine being looking out for them would be comforting. Especially considering that divine being destroyed the titans like they were ants." "So far Thor does not seem like the worst choice to become the god of our nation. He, at the very least, genuinely seems to be here to help, like he says," Celestia continued on as she shook her head at her list before placing it on the ground. "And there is no denying that Thor has done nothing but help since he came here. Not only did he slay the titans, but he also has been helping those that are now homeless find places to stay." "Unfortunately that means that the castle is far more cramped than it was meant to be," Luna added on before her face took on a darker shade. "But I am still uncertain about the god of thunder. Cadence said it herself: gods are fickle creatures. Perhaps Thor wishes to help us now. What if he no longer wishes to? What if he desires this land for himself?" "Then sister, I doubt there is anything we could do to stop him," Celestia admitted to her sister, who gave her Celestia a confused look. "We have both felt his power. We know that we are no match for his divine might. And then there is the issue of that hammer he carries." "So you have felt it as well," Luna whispered as both princesses lowered their head. "Thor's power is beyond anything that I have felt, but the hammer he carries...it's power surpasses his. There is no magic, no eldritch abomination that I have fought that comes even close to the power within that hammer. As if Thor wasn't strong enough on his own." "Then our best bet for the time being is to avoid doing anything that may anger Thor," Celestia whispered in reply, remembering the look on Twilight's face when she had first met Thor. "And I believe it is best for now to keep the Ambassadors away from the god of thunder. If they sense what his true power is..." "I agree sister. For now we shall deal with Thor. Perhaps Cadence, after some time. But for now, let us deal with the god," Luna agreed as she rose from her chair and walked towards the window, firing a blast of lunar magic into the sky in the style of a firework. A rumble of thunder followed the explosion of lunar light and a moment later a being descended out of the night sky, coming to a stop over the balcony. Thor landed on the balcony with such force that the entire castle shook and it took everything Luna had not to physically back away from the god of thunder. He nodded to the princesses before he walked into their chambers, dropping his hammer at the edge of the balcony. Luna glanced at the hammer before following Thor inside, offering a chair for him which he took. "I saw your message. You have an answer for me?" Thor asked Celestia, whose response was to smile before motioning to all of the paper strewn around the room. "They have decided?" "Trust me, after the first few answers it became clear what the general consensus would be. But I checked every vote, just to be certain," Celestia told Thor before a bitter smile crossed her face. "The ponies have voted that they wish for you to become the god of Equestria by ninety five percent. I've never seen them be so united on an issue before." "Then again, never before has a being from on high descended upon our land and saved us from a terrifying evil before. Though I do wish it would happen more often," Luna joked and Thor gave her a polite smile in reply. "So with the votes tallied, all that's left to do is announce to the world what they have decided and give you a proper ceremony. Are you fine with waiting a few days for that, Lord Thor?" "It is no trouble at all. But I hope that the both of you would not mind if I begin my godly duties right away?" Thor asked the both of them, who gave him confused looks in reply. "I have barely been here for a week in your time and already I have heard countless amount of prayers for me. While most of them are selfish and petty, there are the few that are in desperate need of my aid. And Thor has sworn that he would never ignore prayers for his aid again." "Again?" Luna whispered as Thor rose from the table and began to walk towards his hammer. "Please Lord Thor, allow me," Luna said as she grabbed the hammer with her magic, but when she went to lift it she found that the hammer wouldn't budge. She pulled on it with all of her magical might, might strong enough to move the sun and moon, yet the hammer didn't even budge. "What in all of the..." Celestia cast a quick glance at Thor to see that he was watching Luna attempt to move his hammer with a smile upon his face, a smile that told her there was even more to the hammer than she had thought. After a moment of watching her try Thor extended his hand, instantly causing the hammer to fly from the ground and into his grasp. Luna looked from where the hammer lay to Thor, a smirk crossing her face. "I loosened it for you." "And I am grateful for your efforts. But if you excuse me, I must be going," Thor said as he moved to the balcony, before turning back with a stern expression on his face. "Also, may I trouble the both of you for the location to the one known as Discord?" "Um, sure. He lives in Fluttershy cottage, on the outskirts of Ponyville," Luna stated, using her magic to create a map for Thor. Thor nodded as he memorized the location, before his hammer began to spin. "If I may ask, why do you want to know?" Thor's response was to smile before he hurled his hammer into the sky, sailing away from Canterlot in an instant. Celestia and Luna shared a look with one another, before the both of them decided that they were both glad that neither of them were Discord.