//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 // Story: Godly Promotion // by Dapper_Dan //------------------------------// There was always an undercurrent of pride and superiority within each of the pony races after magic started playing with their genetics. The Alicorn’s didn’t really have that superiority complex of theirs, despite being one of, if not the most powerful species to walk this planet. Not many a species could really match them in any aspects, being strength, speed, or magical prowess. It’s why I had to spend so much time around them to ensure they didn’t let their power go to their heads, sometimes literally. Their decedents however, they were a completely different story. All three of the subspecies thought they were better than the others, be it the Earth Ponies constantly spouting about their strength and stamina or the Pegasi with their speed and flight. Neither of the two could really hold a candle to the degree of superiority the Unicorns boasted though, and it definitely showed. They took great pride in their magical ability and constantly lord it over their brethren, meaning every chance they could get; they would show what their magic could truly do. This college, upon finally laying eyes on it, was definitely one of those times. The Earth Ponies pretty much stayed out of this conflict, happy with their farming villages and such, but the Pegasi and Unicorns have been having a metaphorical dick measuring contest since their first cities were built. The cloud towers the winged ones created were no doubt impressive, trumping just about anything the other two could create using stone or wood, but the Unicorns couldn’t let them have that. No, they invented transmutation magic as a response and started building their most iconic building with magically enhanced minerals, meaning things like stone and wood were thrown out the window. Instead, the building was made using magically hardened obsidian glass, turning the normally fragile material into something akin to steel. The parts that were actually made up of stones I had never actually seen before, the color far brighter than the obsidian, almost as white as freshly fallen snow. It was not a small building either, the damn thing took up nearly a quarter of the mountainside, with spires of pure moonstone, named as such since they gave off a soft glow like moonlight at all times. I won’t deny that it was impressive, but to me, it seemed like such a waste of time and money, and personally one hell of an eyesore. ‘They didn’t half-ass it, that for sure’ I chuckled as I followed along with my two companions, Silver having mysteriously disappeared after the Ninth Order incident. The girls were chatting amongst themselves as they walked along ahead of me, comparing notes and exchanging a bit of gossip here and there. I wasn’t terribly interested in the details, far too busy letting my eyes wander across the building and the multitude of guards patrolling the rampart, a few stopping their patrol to focus on the three of us as we approached what looked like a guard station with a pair of guards in heavy plate armor separating us from the large set of doors leading into the Institute. “Security looks pretty heavy for an institute of higher learning.” “It has to be, were dealing with some of the most dangerous and revolutionary spells of the era.” “So the Unicorns are still researching combat magic?” I asked, receiving a nod from them both. “Lovely...hope they aren’t trying to create black holes again.” That stopped them dead in their tracks, their heads slowly turning towards me. “How could you possibly have known about that?” “Studying history is a pass time of mine, and I still remember the Umbral Cataclysm.” That was an interesting time in history, an age of war and death that almost no one knows about since most knowledge of the era was either burned or forgotten in time. The last of the Alicorn’s had just died out and the ponies found themselves having to run their lands instead of leaving it to their ancestors, meaning that the true racists’ had risen to power and started vying for control. Earth Ponies made armor and weapons strong enough to cut through steel while the Pegasi took full control of the weather to try and assert dominance. The Unicorns took it a step further and started working on spells that would be considered war crimes to the more sane individuals, including weaponizing magical viruses and chemicals, to the truly retarded side of the spectrum by trying to summon either a black hole or a very pissed off me. Not proud to admit it, but it was actually pretty fun to watch the chaos and carnage, even though I knew those were my creations down there. Thankfully they tired themselves of war after about a year or two and I was able to destroy any knowledge of cataclysmic spells that weren’t already burned in the Great Slave Uprising that followed. “How could you have possibly learned of the Cataclysm, that knowledge is forbidden, we know next to nothing about it, the Queen herself doesn’t even know about it.” “Forbidden by your people, Lady Rain my dear.” I chuckled, gesturing for them to continue on, to which they reluctantly obliged. “I am truly starting to think you know more about our history than even we do Sir Ash.” ‘Oh you have no idea.’ I mentally snickered, following closely behind the two past the guard post and stopping right before the door, the two guards crossing their spears without so much as glancing at the three of us. “State your business” the Mare to the right ordered finally turning towards us and letting her eyes rest squarely on me. “Professors Mystic Dawn and Professor Night Rain requesting permission to enter,” Dawn replied, making the guard on the left hold out their hoof to receive several small papers from the pair. “Identification accepted, welcome back.” The mare said after a moment, hoofing over the documents before joining her partner to stare at me. “Thestral, state your business.” “At ease soldier, he is my companion.” “Acknowledged ma’am, you all may pass.” With that, the great doors were opened, revealing a large two story lobby area where dozens upon dozens of unicorn scholars and guards moved throughout the room and into the several hallways leading to the different areas of the Institute. “It is good to be back” Mystic sighed, smiling as several of the ponies stopped whatever they were doing to throw a smile and a wave at the white unicorn while Night simply smiled and watched her companion before nudging my shoulder. “Come on, I’ll show you around, Dawn’s gonna have her hooves full for the next few hours while I have nothing else to do.” I simply tilted my head before looking back at the scholarly pony that was already off and talking with two other ponies, making me snort in amusement. “She certainly doesn’t waste any time does she.” “Don’t worry about her, she’s probably just showing off some of her research she got out there, not to mention she’s been gone for almost three months so she’s finally getting reacquainted with her students and colleagues.” She pointed her hoof to the pony on the right, “Last time she saw him, he was just getting started in his career here, now he’s one of the most dedicated researchers the institute has to offer.” “Much can happen in three months, we can agree on that.” I nodded before turning to the mare beside me and giving her a small smile. “I guess I’ll leave her to it, let’s see what kind of show you people are running here huh.” I don’t think my new acquaintance could have smiled any wider as she nodded almost frantically before grabbing my leg and dragging into one of the hallways and past several Unicorns that threw knowing looks to their colleagues as they watched the two of us pass. All while I thought to myself ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ “And for our last stop, the Biology department, the most important department in the entire institute, and don’t let anypony tell you otherwise.” Rain concluded her little tour, having let me through the entirety of the Institute (barring the several restricted zones). All in all, it wasn’t as much as I thought it would have been, the college being mostly only large on the outside, no doubt to flex on the other races. Freaking ponies. The Institute seemed to be separated into three wings, with several different departments making up the bulk of the building; Physics, Sociology, and Engineering, or at least the Unicorn equivalent of the three, with most of the actual engineering being replaced with magic, which fell under the Sociology department because why the fuck not. Really wasn’t all that amazing, but seeing as how the planet was still stuck in the middle ages in terms of technology, it was the best that it was gonna get. And it definitely showed as Night led me into the Biology area, which consisted of way more surgical tables and sharp objects than I would have liked. Several ponies milled about the room, reading from tomes and such while three or four crowded around a large magical containment crystal that housed a small wooden wolf, making me stop and stare for a moment. ‘I thought I destroyed the last of that botched creation years ago.’ Guess I missed one though, that or the Unicorns have been attempting to make bio-weapons again. “I see you noticed our latest specimen, quite the catch if I do say so myself.” Rain smugly commented, rubbing a hoof to her chest as it jutted out proudly. “Timberwolves are quite rare, thought they went extinct in the purges.” “As did we, but it seems a few managed to slip through and still survive to this day.” “I’d say more than a few, that’s a pup, and Timberwolves tend to breed like rats if left alone long enough...where did you find it?” “On the edge of the Grand Forest” she replied, moving to stand before the crystal with a sad smile. “Seems this one was considered a runt and its pack abandoned it, only reason any would have left the tree-line.” “I’m inclined to agree, but you didn’t bring me here just to show me your new pet did you?” That’s when the sadness faded in an instant and her eyes turned to me with a sparkle in her eyes. “Of course not, come with me please.” She replied excitedly, nudging me with her magic towards another door with a giant viewing window next to it. “Just take a step into the observation room and we’ll get started.” That’s when she got a disturbing grin on her face as the door closed behind us with a soft click that seemed to echo in the small room, trapping the two of us together in the room that looked disturbingly like an operating room. I was already starting to regret my decision to follow the scientist mare. “Now just take a seat on the table and we can get started” My ear twitched as the sound of metal clinking together graced my ear drums. That’s when I turned around to see several tools floating in the mare’s magic before she settled on what looked like a bone saw. “Now then, let’s get started on the examination.” God help me...wait...oh shit. Well...I can safely say that Ms. Night is terrifyingly dedicated to her research, which I figured out after about three hours of poking and prodding while constantly encouraging her not to cut off a wing with that bone saw. And no, “B-but...science”, was not a valid argument. Others stopped by to watch and take notes during the examination, with Rain monologuing the whole time. Most left satisfied with the findings, seeming far too happy to go back and reread their notes for reasons I don’t quite understand while others were in the same department as the crazed scientist mare. Honestly, I thought half of them were just sadist’s that were getting off to watching a borderline operational snuff video, and I know for a fact at least two left that window with a blush that was clear as day. I wasn’t worried about them though, no, my focus was still on the manic researcher that looked like she was one discovery away from a heart attack. Several papers flew through the air as she constantly shuffled through stacks of research material while constantly mumbling to herself, saying something about bats...probably, I wasn’t really paying attention. I was a bit more focused on not getting a scalpel shoved through my eye sockets as several tools joined the papers in flight. I decided to try and get out of dodge as quickly as possible, which actually wasn't all that difficult since the mare was far too engrossed in her work, letting me slip out of the room without so much as an ear twitch on her part. Which is how I found myself wandering through the college, not a care in the world while several unicorns worked on what was obviously either groundbreaking research they would do nothing with, or useless subjects that could and most likely would end with either millions of taxpayer bits down the drain, or something so revolutionary that they wont know what to do with it, almost like instructions for making penicillin being used as a book marker. Wasn’t really my problem though, least not yet. If the Unicorns want to destroy the planet, more power to them, it’d definitely save me the trouble of hitting the reset button and letting me start again from scratch. It was actually a pretty uneventful wandering, all things considered. Not a single guard or researcher challenged me as I walked through the halls, casually nosing my way into other labs and making a few of the more dangerous research notes disappear. You would have thought that there would have been some kind of security set up, maybe even something like a hall monitor at the lease, but nope, all I got was curious looks and a question or two I was more than happy to answer. I eventually ended up in the library where several dozen Ponies already were, shuffling through the walls of books or tirelessly writing within some of the tomes while quietly muttering to themselves. It was here where I found myself spending the next two or so hours reading some of the material available, and trying my hardest not to laugh at some of the theories the idiots here could come up with. They actually thought Brussel Sprouts were cursed, along with the whole spontaneous generation thing. Gotta love the medieval ages. “Ash!” My ear twitched and I glanced up from the book I was reading to lock eyes with Mystic, who quickly found herself a seat across from me, making me drop the book on religious studies I was reading, mostly for laughs. “Mystic” I nodded, gently placing the book on the table and crossing my hooves as I gave the mare my full attention. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, after we got through the door you just kind of disappeared.” “You can blame your dear friend for that, practically dragged me away towards her lab for research… at least I think it was research, might have turned into an organ harvesting operation if I wasn't paying attention.” Mystic gave me a knowing look as she sighed and held her face in her hooves. “Yes, dear Night Rain can be a bit...overzealous in her research.” I couldn’t help but laugh at that, giving my wings a soft flap before resting my chin on a hoof, giving her a small grin while her horn began to glow and the book I was reading made its way into her possession. “ The Primum studium, the first study.” She hummed, flipping through a few pages before stopping on a page with a stylized Kitsune prominently displayed on it. “I thought you already knew all there was about the all father.” “I do, I just wanted to see what you ponies got wrong.” The book snapped shut, revealing her face which sported a look of curiosity. “And how much was that?” My silence told her all she needed to know, making her cringe slightly as she gently placed the book back on the table and lean back in her seat, rubbing just under her horn with a hoof. “I was afraid of that...the religious studies department will not be happy to hear this.” “Definitely a headache I wouldn’t want to deal with.” I muttered, receiving a nod from her. “Well then, would you like to correct these mistakes? I have a feeling it would greatly enhance our understanding of the all father and history itself.” I couldn't help but snort at that. “History, maybe, but there ain’t no way in hell your ever going to understand old Primus, pretty sure even he doesn't understand half the stuff he cooks up in that noggin of his.” Which is completely correct. Everything going on up in my head got kind of mixed up after about five thousand years into this whole god gig, especially after that whole sociopathic phase I had for about seven hundred or so years. Or as the mortals so affectionately call it, Tenebris Saeculorum, commonly referred to as the dark ages, called so because it was the age where nobody was creative and I may or may not have abandoned creation within that time. I came back though, and I believe that's what truly matters. “But I don’t think that’s what’s really important here in the grand scheme of things.” I replied, making her snort this time. “What could possibly be more important that truly learning our history and our understanding of the one above all?” “How about not pissing off the godly entity that probably has way more power than should be even remotely reasonable.” That got her attention, making indignant look melt away to be replaced with confusion before realization as I slid another book towards her, this one with its ink still wet, metaphorically speaking of course. “The Book Of The True Goddess” she muttered the words plastered across the cover, a familiar butchered pentagram printed on all four corners. “The Church of the Platinum Cross, that’s what they call themselves, which is a stupid name if you ask me, but names don’t really matter in the long run. Right now they serve as the main thing that would probably cause ol’ Primus to blow a gasket. The guy isn’t all that concerned with people worshiping him, but you better damn well not worship mortals.” Mystic magic’d open the book, reading through the first few pages before snatching up the first book and reading through the first few pages containing the commandments of my religion. Basic stuff really, don’t kill, steal, all that good stuff. One of the main one’s though, was never put Apotheosis, or the deification of a mortal, into effect. “Yes...that does seem to be pretty high up there in the list of things to avoid.” She muttered, reading between the two tomes before setting them down and once more holding her face in her hooves. “So that means we’re going to have to put your questions on hold until I can figure out what’s going on with these guys and looking into a few theory’s I already have on them.” “Why have you taken a sudden interest in them though, you have only been in the city for a day, yet your treating them as if they have personally wronged you.” I just gave her a deadpan look before taking the book back, flipped though a few pages, and slid it back to her after finding the page I wanted. “Third chapter, section five, verses seven through nine.” I stated before leaning back in my chair. “And so it is written, that any found unworthy within the eyes of the Goddess must be purged from the Earth, their bodies returned to the dirt to feed the planet so that it may feed its true masters. The True masters of Equss, the Unicorns, shall take their rightful place as rulers of all races, be they creatures of the earth or sky, all will kneel before them, and they in turn will worship the one true goddess. The Heretics of Primus and Sheagoth shall burn in holy fire to cleanse them of their sins so they may know peace with the goddess, or they will join their brethren in eternal damnation.” I recited, the mares eyes following along with me before I snatched the book from her hooves and literally ripped the damn thing in half in a fit of rage. “Those two verses go against everything that both Primus and the Ancestral mothers taught their creations. That no creature was superior to another, that all were equal in the eyes of the father.” It was at this point I had garnered a little bit of a crowd, the Professors and Researchers surrounding us having turned from their materials in indignation that quickly turned to interest after seeing who was speaking. I paid them no mind though, I was already lost to my own ranting. “The Book of Primus, chapter one, section three, verse one.” I started, pulling said book from my saddlebag and slamming it onto the table. “And it shall be known that all creatures, no matter who they may be, were all created equal within the eyes of the father, be they pony, griffon, minotaur or dragon, all are loved by the creator all the same. No species may claim superiority over the other, for each was created from the dust of the earth. All are precious to him, all may find comfort in his embrace, and all will find that they are loved in his eyes.” “That book is nothing more than blasphemy against the creator, and if they want to go about claiming superiority, then they better damn well hope their ‘goddess’ will have even a modicum of mercy on their souls, cause Primus sure as hell won’t.” And with that, I practically flew out of my chair and towards a conveniently open window, not sticking around to hear what Mystic had to say on the matter for fear of me loosing my cool and venting my frustrations on something I couldn’t fix without a lot of explaining. In the end, I chose to simply vent my anger on the landscape before finding the nearest inn and passing out to relieve my stress in the astral plane where no one would get hurt. Which is how the country of Equestria ended up with two new canyons and a waterfall, and I now have to recreate several new vessels. ‘...Tomorrows problems’ I thought to myself before deadening myself to the world and letting my spirit wander for the first time in a millennia.