Long ago, before the dawn of time, there was a goddess. She is known to modern mortals as the Sundered Goddess. Such was her power that the other gods grew envious. All of the gods -- except for Harmony -- ambushed her. They tore her to pieces, killed her, and used her Heart as the foundation of the universe. Her last breaths as she died became the magic that flows through the universe.
This is not her story.
The twenty-four pieces of the Sundered Goddess each held tremendous power. So much power, in fact, that each one became a god or goddess in its own right. One of those pieces was named Okami Amaterasu. She manifested in the form of a beautiful white wolf and traveled the world. In her journeys she did so much good for mortals that they began calling her the Origin of All that is Good and Mother to Us All. Revered as a wild, playful goddess of good, she used a wide variety of powers to fight the demons that plagued the world.
This is not her story.
Harmony, daughter of the Sundered Goddess, carried out a plan to reincarnate her mother in a form that would be graced with such compassion that she could forgive the other gods for murdering her, yet still use all due force to keep herself alive. The mortal she chose to become the Heir of the Sundered Goddess was a little lavender unicorn named Twilight Sparkle. Manipulating the gods of Chaos, Day, Night, and Love, along with many demons, Harmony orchestrated Twilight’s ascension.
Twilight Sparkle, now the Goddess of Magic, started seeking out the Twenty-four Fragments of the Sundered Goddess, with the intent of restoring her full power. Three years after her ascension, Amaterasu came before Twilight and merged with the young alicorn. Twilight gained the ability to assume Amaterasu’s form and use her powers. She also inherited the wolf goddess’s duties. Among the most important of those duties was raising Amaterasu’s son, Chibiterasu, more commonly known as Chibi.
This is the story of how Twilight tried to find a foalsitter, or rather, a wolfsitter that could look after her new son for a few days.
Easier said than done, considering that one aspect of Chibi’s domain is Cuteness.
Twilight trotted through Ponyville. She carefully maintained a glamour around the precious bundle on her back so that she would not distract anypony. After all, wolves are a rare sight in normal life.
As she approached Fluttershy’s cottage, she noticed an unusual abundance of butterflies. Twilight took a second look. Wait, those are not butterflies, those are breezies!
Moving carefully through the fluttering breezie crowd, Twilight finally reached the door. A small note on the door explained that Fluttershy was in a meadow behind her house tending to the butterflies that had been displaced by the breezies.
With an amused roll of her eyes, Twilight walked around the cottage and spotted Fluttershy surrounded by a flock of butterflies.
“Hello, Fluttershy,” she called out. Fluttershy turned to the sound and saw Twilight. She gestured to the butterflies, and they parted to allow Twilight through. One landed on Twilight’s ear.
“Hello,” Fluttershy said, her voice its typically gentle volume. “Is it time for our weekly afternoon tea party already?”
“No. I was just wondering if you could look after Chibi for a couple days.”
“Chibi?”
Twilight dropped the illusion hiding Chibi. A wolf cub, his fur white as driven snow with red marking across his body, slept between Twilight’s wings.
“You have a new pet?” Fluttershy’s voice had reached the level of excitement it got when she talked about the animals in the royal gardens. Soft, but with audible excitement.
Twilight’s ear, the one with the butterfly, twitched. “No. He is not a pet. He is the son of the goddess Amaterasu.”
Fluttershy processed that. “Why would you be taking care of her son?”
Twilight thought about explaining, but decided that it would take too much time. “That doesn’t concern anypony except Ammy and me. I just need somepony to take care of him for three days while I deal with a small problem.” Mentally, she added Yeah, seven thousand demons of varying strength marching on Neighpon qualifies as a ‘small’ problem. Twilight’s ear twitched again.
Fluttershy opened her mouth to reply when the ear butterfly, disturbed from its perch on Twilight, landed on Chibi’s nose. He sneezed, shook his head, and gave a squeaky yawn.
Fluttershy gave a big “daaaaww!” before rushing over to stroke his ears. Chibi blinked the cobwebs from his mind for a few moments before leaning into the gentle touch. When Fluttershy lifted Chibi off Twilight’s back, he pawed at her nose. Setting him down, Fluttershy started petting his back. He rolled over, giving the clear canine request for a tummy rub.
While the pegasus continued to lavish the wolf with affection, Twilight started going over a small list of rules.
“I will leave you with a bag of Holy Bones. He is only allowed one small Holy Bone a day. If he is injured, he is allowed one large Holy Bone. Do not let him into anything you own that is religious in nature; bad things will happen if he plays with them. Most importantly, if his Holy Mirror appears on his back, let him go where he wants.”
Fluttershy collapsed. Chibi had started batting at her mane like a cat with string.
Twilight blinked for a moment before moving to place her ear against the downed pegasus’s chest. After confirming that there was a heartbeat, she turned to Chibi.
“Well, she can’t take care of you if she passes out from your cute behavior.”
Chibi just gave a canine grin.
Twilight sighed. “Come on. And you are walking since you are awake.”
Chibi just gave a yip in response.
As the pair walked past the cottage, Twilight spotted the resident bear carrying the pegasus to her cottage. Twilight happily noticed that the breezies were not passing out thanks to Chibi. Though a couple appeared to be experiencing a squee-fit.
Twilight shook her head at the antics of the breezies. Chibi, you need to tone down the cuteness.
Applejack had her ear to a tree. She punched it. *Thump* “Ah can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Ask Granny Smith.” With that, Applejack continued checking the trees for parasites.
Twilight turned to the farmhouse. She spotted Chibi and Winona playing with a rope with Applebloom watching. Somehow, Winona was winning.
Inside the farmhouse, Granny Smith was making a batch of apple tarts to sell.
“Good morning.” Just being a goddess was no excuse to be impolite. “Applejack said I should ask you why your family cannot watch Chibi.” Being a goddess with a job to do was an excuse to get straight to the point.
The old farm mare finished measuring the sugar she was about to add to her mix before replying.
“When ah was a little’un, the great goddess Amaterasu visited Ponyville. Her divine presence blessed all the farms in the area with stronger crops. She also set off the Zap Apples.” Grany Smith’s next words were quieter. “Said it was somethin’ to do with an ogre problem.”
“I think you mean oni.” Twilight blinked in internal shock for a few seconds. It still caught her off guard that she could access Amaterasu’s memories. Then she caught onto what the elderly mare had said.
“Set them off?”
“Yes. They went straight to being ripe faster than we could prepare. We lost about fifteen trees worth of apples.”
Twilight did the mental math. Her eyes widened. “That would have cost you…”
Granny was nodding at Twilight’s realization. “A lot. We get a lot of our yearly income from those apples. If that son of hers has any of her fertility power, he could cause us to lose product.”
“I understand. Thank you for at least explaining your refusal.”
“Not a problem, Princess. Ah just wish we could help you. Our whole family worships the Great Mother Amaterasu.”
I know. I can hear your family praying to her, and thus, me. Applebloom’s prayers are cute, when they are not about Cutie Marks; those are just repetitive. Babs Seed’s prayers to help her friend find that doll are also in the middle of being granted. Three… Two… One… And there is the doll.
~-~=~-~
In Manehattan, Babs paused. She had been helping a friend find a doll that was lost under the bed when she felt a sensation like a brush on the cheek. She turned toward the sensation and spotted a small bundle of fabric. Grabbing it, she climbed out from under the bed.
Her friend glomped her before she could speak.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ve been looking for Mr. Fuzzles for days!”
~-~=~-~
As Twilight left the farmhouse, she spotted Chibi catching a stick; Applebloom was apparently playing fetch with a godling without realizing it.
Applebloom noticed her approach. “Hey Twi? What’s with this doggie’s markings?”
“They represent the belief that you have in certain gods. A more detailed explanation would leave you with a headache.”
“So that puppy is a messenger of the gods?” The filly’s eyes could not go any bigger. “What god does he serve?”
Twilight chuckled. “He is no messenger. He is the heir of the goddess Amaterasu.”
Applebloom gaped in awe for a few moments before bowing to the god puppy. The god puppy, for his part, simply gave her mane a lick. Twilight shook her head.
“For three years, you have lived in the same town as a goddess, namely me,” Twilight said. “You can see my combined castle and temple from some of the taller hills in the Acres and from the upper floors of your house. Yet you bow in religious reverence at a godling that is not even half your age?”
Suddenly bashful, Applebloom said “Um, well ah… ah don’t really understand magic, so ah don’t worship you like ah do Amaterasu.”
Twilight failed to contain her chuckle. “Don’t worry. I’m not upset that some ponies don’t worship me.”
Applebloom’s responded with a sigh of relief.
Twilight said her goodbyes and left with her son in tow.
“Chibi, I have seen you beat Cerberus in a tug of war. Why were you letting Winona beat you? Were you flirting with her?”
Chibi stuck out his tongue.
“We could watch him, but…” Carrot Cake began.
“Between him, the bakery, and the foals, we would have our hooves full,” Cupcake stated apologetically.
“Would Pinkie be available?” Twilight asked.
“Check with her in back.”
In the back rooms of Sugar Cube Corner, Pinkie worked on mixing cookie dough.
“Pinkie, could you---”
“I heard you asking the Cakes. Sorry Twi, but no. My Pinkie Sense told me that I have to refuse to watch over any godlings in the next month.”
Twilight could only ask “Any idea why?”
“Yep.”
“… So, will you explain?”
Pinkie paused in mixing the dough. “Twilight, I am a follower of Dionysus, Lord of Parties. I am aware of what happens when an Avatar plays around with blessed artifacts owned by another god.”
*sigh*
“Um, Twilight?”
“Yes?”
“Is Chibi speaking Alligator with Gummy?”
Twilight turned to see the alligator and the wolf blinking out of sync at each other.
“He is a nature god. It stands to reason that he can speak with most animals.” Twilight groaned. “And now it would be impolite to leave because alligator is a slower language.”
Twilight had summoned Celestia and Luna to Ponyville.
“Daww. Look at you. You are cuter than Fenrir was at your age.”
“He’s as cute as Twilight was when she was little.”
Chibi ignored Luna and Celestia as he tried to pounce on the rope that Celestia was waving around.
“Can either of you take him?”
Both goddesses paused in their attentions toward Chibi long enough to shake their heads.
“Twilight, you must remember that this is the busier season for the Solar Court,” said Celestia.
Luna looked up from petting Chibi. “I would love to, but I am needed to deal with a trade policy revision with the sphinxes. They are more problematic when I am not the one dealing with them.” Luna gave a pointed look at Celestia.
“Hey, it’s not my fault they live in a desert.”
“Thou could try to get along better with their pharaoh.”
Just before Celestia and Luna could get back into an old argument, a low grumble interrupted them.
Chibi was staring at his mother with professional-grade pleading eyes.
“Chibi wants lunch.”
~-~=~-~
After preparing a simple salad in the castle’s kitchen, the Princesses retired to a reading nook. They decided to take the chance to catch up on the latest news. Celestia brought up a few of the more annoying petitioners she had dealt with recently. Luna happily described negotiating the peaceful end to an issue between the gryphons and minotaurs. Both elder alicorns congratulated Twilight on reuniting with one of the Fragments of the Sundered Goddess.
“So, what is it like being the Goddess heralded as ‘The Origin of All that is Good and Mother to Us All’?” Luna asked between bites of salad.
Twilight contemplated the best way to answer the question for a few moments. The only sound that could be heard was the crunch as both Twilight and Chibi chewed on Holy Bones.
“It is jarring. I suddenly have access to so much memory and experience from Ammy that I’m struggling to maintain my sense of identity at times. The sudden increase in prayers is also strange. Then there is the pronoun confusion.” Twilight swallowed a piece of the bone. “My constant appetite for Holy Bones is proving to be a minor irritant. There are also the demon infestations that I am called upon to purge. Those are very similar to the times I have fought against monsters to protect Equestria.”
“That reminds me,” Celestia said. “Where do Amaterasu and Fenrir get those bones they are always snacking on?”
Twilight looked a little uncomfortable with the question for a few moments. “Some individuals that worship us offer their bodies in sacrifice when they die. The burned offerings create the Holy Bones. The intensity of their faith, and the faith of other worshipers, condenses in the bones and fills them with collected praise. They taste like hope and belief.”
“Isn’t that disrespectful of the dead?” Luna asked.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “You two have never demanded blood sacrifices in your holy rituals. Ammy, and thus I, have no choice. We need the power from those sacrifices to keep up with the demon war since I am a front line fighter. Besides,” Twilight added defensively, “they offered their bodies for her and the war. To refuse to use them would be the bigger insult, like refusing to use a cadaver to further the cause of science, when they specifically asked for that.”
“If Fenrir had bothered to explain it like that, I might not have dumped him,” Celestia mused.
Twilight coughed on a bone fragment. “You used to date Fenrir?”
“It was a three way between Fenrir and us.” Luna’s reply was nonchalant.
“Please tell me that you are using the Royal Plural.” Luna only shook her head. Twilight groaned.
“Fenrir and I had quite a bit of fun. We even had a child together. Fenrir named him Jareth.”
“Jareth? The chief God of the Diamond Dogs, Lord of the Stars, and all around recluse? That Jareth?”
“Yes.”
Turning to Celestia, Twilight asked “Did you have any offspring with Fenrir?”
“No.”
Luna had a sly grin on her face. “What my sister means is that she was too busy getting kinky with Fenrir to actually get either of them pregnant.”
Twilight’s head met the table.
“Did you two forget that Fenrir is one of the Sundered Fragments? Which means that I will eventually merge with Fenrir and become one entity?” Celestia and Luna both sported blushes. “It’s bad enough that I have distinct memories of Celestia and Amaterasu having intercourse during the Third Equestrian Imp Insurrection. Now I know that I will have to deal with memories of you two with Fenrir?”
Awkward silence ensued.
Chibi remained oblivious to the subject of the Princesses’ discussion as he continued to nom on a Holy Bone.
Twilight walked toward Carousal Boutique. Chibi raced around, energetic after his lunch.
Voices came from within the shop as Twilight approached.
“--- add a strip right here, it will solve the support issues without much added weight.”
“We would need a few hidden strings to keep it all lying flat.” That was Rarity’s voice.
*knock**knock**knock*
Rarity’s responded. “I am sorry, but the Boutique is closed for today. If you want a commission, you will have to come back tomorrow.”
“Rarity, it’s Twilight.”
For a few seconds, the only sound was the tapping of Rarity’s hooves on the floor of her shop.
“Oh, do come in. Sorry about the mess.”
~-~=~-~
Chibi slinked backwards and out of Twilight’s field of vision. He had noticed some interesting smells from a nearby garden. Bouncing over, he took a deeper breath.
The flowers smelled… blue. The flowers looked orange. Chibi realized there must be a demon about. Following the blue smell, he found a small ogre. Small enough that a simple bite was enough to kill it.
Once it was dead, he decided to play with it a bit more.
~-~=~-~
Indeed, the dress shop was a mess. Papers covered the walls and parts of the floor; some of them had written information, while others had sketches of dresses. Small samples of various fabrics covered the chairs. And the couches. And a ceiling fan. Discord occasionally left things more organized, though usually on accident.
Twilight blinked at the mess. “…Did Opal and Angel team up to go on a shredding spree?”
The other voice that Twilight had heard sounded from behind a pile of fabric. “This was us. We’re working on a joint commission.”
“I guess I shouldn’t be bothering you then.” Before Twilight could leave, Rarity put a hoof on her shoulder.
“The commission isn’t due for two weeks. We could spare a little time for tea. What do you think, Coco?” The last was directed to her unseen friend behind the fabric mountain.
Coco Pommel walked out from around the fabric. “Tea with an alicorn. I don’t think I will ever get used to that.”
The three mares left the chaotic main room behind and entered the cleaner kitchen. Rarity set the tea to boil.
“So, Twilight, what have you been up to? You disappeared for a couple weeks without warning. Not even a note.” Rarity stared at the alicorn expectantly.
“Emergency alicorn duties.” Technically true. Meeting with a fragment of your previous form’s soul is an important duty. “Now I’m looking for somepony to watch over Chibi for a few days.” Twilight blinked for a moment before a flare of her horn poofed Chibi inside. Chibi quickly transmuted the ogre he was chewing on into a flower.
“Daaawww.” Coco reacted similar to Fluttershy. She picked up the puppy god and started scratching his ears. “We could watch him for you.”
Rarity stared. The white puppy filled her head with inspiration. She grabbed a measuring tape and encircled the puppy’s throat and head. “Such beautiful fur should have an equally fabulous accessories.”
“Rarity,” Twilight deadpanned, “Chibi is a guy. He does not go for accessories.”
“But imagine how fabulous he would be!” A few pieces of black cloth levitated to Chibi in Rarity’s blue aura. They formed up into a top had and bow tie combo and settled onto Chibi.
Chibi in a top hat and bow tie being held by Coco Pommel. If Twilight was not Chibi’s mother, and thus inoculated against cute, that would be dangerous. Then Chibi gave a shake of his head to knock the top hat off. He wriggled out of Coco’s grasp and scurried behind Twilight.
A grey pegasus with a blond mane and seven bubbles for a cutie mark flew over town. She was heading home after a busy day of delivering mail. After the appearance of Princess Twilight’s castle, the town had had much more postal traffic. It had been decided to add a few new postal service ponies after the first week. It changed up her job a bit, but it also gave her more time for her daughters. Win.
One eye spotted a droopy, purple princess. Twilight was lying on a park bench. Her wings were almost brushing the ground.
Swooping down, Derpy landed in a small cloud of dust.
“Hi, Twi.”
Twilight mumbled something that could have been a greeting.
“What’s got you down, huh?”
“I have spent this whole day looking for somepony to watch Chibi, but every time it went wrong.”
“Chibi?” Derpy asked before noticing the white ball of fur between Twilight’s forelegs. Chibi lifted his head and looked at Derpy. “What’s the problem? Surely somepony would want to watch over your dog?”
“God. Not dog. And everypony is unavailable or unacceptable. Fluttershy passes out, Rainbow is at the Wonderbolts Academy, Applejack can’t take him, The Cakes and Pinkie are not options, Celestia and Luna are busy, and Rarity tried to dress him up against his will. Chibi did not take kindly to that.”
“I could watch him for you.”
“Do you think you can take his cuteness?”
Derpy did not respond immediately. She reached into her saddle bags and pulled out a small book. Opening it, she leafed through until she found the picture she was after.
“Twilight, this is Dinky last Nightmare Night. If I can take care of my daughter, I can take care of a godling.”
Twilight stared at the picture. Dinky in a ladybug outfit. “You can have the job.”
The next morning, Twilight dropped her son off at Derpy’s home bright and early. After going over the rules one more time, she said her goodbyes to them.
Twilight nuzzled Chibi as she whispered in the language of the gods. ::Remember, my son, do not get into any fights with demons beyond Class I. Play nice with Derpy and her daughters. They are distant relatives of mine.:: Chibi nodded.
Twilight vanished in a shimmer of mist.
Derpy and Dinky both pulled Chibi inside for breakfast. Oatmeal for Dinky, muffins for Derpy, and a Holy Bone for Chibi. After breakfast, Derpy decided to take them to the park.
For the first few minutes, everything was fine. Dinky and Chibi played fetch with a ball while Derpy looked on. When Dinky threw the ball too hard and it landed in a pond, things got interesting.
Dinky tried to levitate the ball out of the pond, but something pulled back. By the time she realized what was happening, a blue and white energy was picking her up and dragging her into the center of the pond. Derpy, seeing her daughter being dragged away, immediately flew in to pull her daughter back to safety. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, the force continued to pull at them until it drew them into a swirling thing that appeared in the pond’s center.
Chibi simply shook his head. He charged forward and started paddling out to the vortex. All three went into it at the same time. The ponies closed their eyes and clung to each other. Chibi simply relaxed into the flow. The lurching energy caused Derpy and Dinky to pass out. They had no idea where they were being taken, but hoped that having a godling present would protect them.
They did not expect to wake up in the Crystal Empire.