Celestia’s Prophet
Part 3: A Sketched Stallion
The creature lay flopped on her back, head on her cot pillow. She had no shortage of pillows, all different colors—but the ponies had been unable to fit a bed down in her cell. Why they couldn’t build one or shrink one for a short time was a bit beyond her, but it was certainly better than nothing. She studied the nearest wall, now dotted with pictures of Armor Heart and Flower Power. They were quite good, really. She had an excellent talent for drawing ponies— even ones she’d not met before.
She sort of wished she had a clock, but to be honest one’s perception of time was quite different when one was a prisoner. Oh she could probably break out, sure, but then what? Have Celestia panic the entire city and send guards every which way looking for her escaped monster? Suppose somepony’s parents didn’t meet when they were supposed to, hiding in their own homes from the creature on the loose? Suppose a pegasus stopped pushing a cloud someplace when spotting her and a crop failed? The butterfly effects that might happen because of her were terrifying.
Having been there as long as she had, even under Celestia’s watchful eye, she’d been as careful as she could not to interrupt the grand scheme of things. Certain things were supposed to happen at certain times, in certain points of history. If they didn’t, or didn’t happen correctly, suppose this world’s entire fate were catastrophically messed up because of her? The thought made the monster ill, and she rolled on her side to contain the vertigo welling up inside her. They were so innocent. All of them, so innocent. Even mighty Celestia, in her own way. Why, just the other day she’d—!
She heard the section of wall moving. Another playmate? So soon? Celestia was certainly being kind. The news of her sister’s imminent return must’ve put her in a festive mood. Sitting up and draping her tender bare feet onto the floor, the creature stood. “Hullo?” she called.
“H-hullo?” it was a rather frightened sounding voice. Female, light and flighty. Certainly not a soldier this time around. “M-monster? Are you in there?” there was a pink Pegasus standing in the control area, peering into the much darker cell anxiously.
“I really wish Celestia would spread my name about. Or even tell it to the ponies she sends to see me,” it was tall, way taller than the poor Pegasus was ready for. At least twice her height!
“Er, I’m Butter Pecan,” the winged pony blurted. “I’m supposed to… uhm… play with you? I guess?” She jittered back a little when the slender, red-maned creature finally came into the light. It was naked of fur, the poor thing, but those eyes! She’d never seen such sharp and focused little eyes! They weren't beady, just… bright. Bright and alert and very intelligent-looking.
“Is that so?” it crossed the room in a couple of slow strides. “Are you military? I don’t imagine so, with a name like that. Sounds more civilian-like.” It sat at the little chair, too little for its comfort, taking in the new comer.
“W-well, I cater at the palace,” the Pegasus confessed. “Whenever there’s a formal meeting, or gathering, or gala, I get put in charge.” She tried to smile, but the unsettling creature was already smirking at her rather widely. “What?”
“The gala is gonna suck for you,” it said rudely, shaking its head with the same grin. “All those animals…”
“What?”
“Nothing, nothing… so! I don’t imagine they’d have an endless supply of soldiers to send my way, I guess they’d switch to regular palace staff at some point… what do you like to play, Butter Pecan?” The creature put its rather large hands on the table. The long, slender fingers had rather short nails and dainty, weak-looking wrists. The creature may have been large, but it certainly didn’t look very strong.
“Oh uhm… I’m just supposed to do as you ask, within reason,” the mare said, cocking her head nervously. “Wh-what games do monsters like to play?”
“I’m not a monster you know,” it said sharply. “I have a name. I have a home. And a family—” she trailed off very suddenly, a moistening in her eyes. She crushed the overwhelming sadness before it reared its head to destroy her. She’d suffered days, sometimes weeks, of sadness and depression pining for her home. For her husband. For anything but this. It was ironic really, being who she—!
“W-well, what’s your name?” Butter Pecan asked as the creature drew close. She flinched back a little when its large hands came to cup the side of her face. She took a few deep breathes. The general had promised her four figures in bits and a week’s vacation for this! She just had to be brave. If it tried to hurt her, there were soldiers waiting and stun-batons that were charged. The mare huffed twice, not retreating anymore.
The hand reached again, and the creature petted her up and between the ears. W-well, it could’ve been worse really. That did feel nice. “My name is Lauren,” she whispered, walking to her side and throwing a leg over her. Butter Pecan whinnied a little and the monster danced on her tippy-toe for a moment before sitting rather neatly on her back. “Giddy-up,” she giggled, digging her heels into her ribs a little.
“H-hey now!” Butter Pecan’s wings flared open, flapping this way and that. She couldn’t lift off with the creature on her back. Lauren scratched her between the ears again, and she settled out of her panic in a few moments. “You’re heavy!” she complained.
“Am not!” Lauren looked offended at her. “You’re built just fine for it. Why do you think ponies wear saddles, huhm? For fun?” Butter Pecan looked over her shoulder and stared at her in stark silence. The monster grinned, patting her muzzle. “Giddy-up,” she repeated, digging her heels in again. Butter Pecan, with no other real response, began a brisk canter about the room. It wasn’t a large room, so there wasn’t much space to do anything but go in circles. “What I wouldn’t give for a field to rush through!” The monster said gaily, holding onto the mare’s shoulder and mane with its large hands. They clippity-clopped around the room several times, Lauren teetering back and forth a few times but certainly doing her best riding bare-back. This went on for maybe twenty minutes before the poor mare began to slow down and pant a little. “It's okay, we can stop. Celestia is more my size anyway.” she giggled.
“I don’t think the Princess would let you ride her,” Butter Pecan snorted, a bit red-faced at how this had all turned out. She’d been expecting checkers or something, not this! She tried to remember the money and nice things promised. And it was good for crown and country, she’d been told.
Lauren smirked a little. “Hah! No I guess not. She doesn’t have a saddle at home. Not for the reason you do, anyw—wha-hahhh?!” Butter Pecan jolted to a halt, scarlet in the face. Lauren toppled off with a loud bump, rubbing her head and hips.
“H-h-how could you possibly—?!” Butter hadn’t let that saddle see the light of day… ever! She’d bought it at night, wore it at night, and only… well, in the bedroom. On special occasions. In spring. When she felt like it. Sometimes when her husband wanted her to.
“I know everything,” Lauren smiled from where she lay on her side. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell.” She put a finger to her lips to make a little hushy-sound, winking.
“What do you mean you know everything?!” Butter Pecan demanded, flushed. “Are you spying on me?!”
“Oh no no, nothing like that.” Lauren sat up, recovering and rubbing her butt a little. “It’s why I’m here. I know things I can’t know. Celestia thinks I’m a threat to national security.”
“T…tell me who’s out there.” Butter Pecan demanded pointing at the steel door.
“Lt. Sentry, my main guard,” Lauren listed off. “Nice stallion, very skilled with two-hoof’d weapons. Good with his hooves when it comes to carpentry.” She paused, as though in thought. “Noble Cause. A little ruddy around the mid-section, but she means well and loves foals. She wants like six when she finishes her enlistment for the military.” She shook her head with a smile, “Also General Night Light. Twilight Sparkle’s father. I’m sure you know who she is as well?”
“The sun’s favored foal.” Butter Pecan said in a whisper. “Princess Celestia’s new protégé?”
“That’s the one. That’s her Dad. He’s going to retire soon, I think, to spend more time with his wife and family while the foals are still young.” Lauren smiled wider and wider, for Butter Pecan looked positively spellbound. “There is one more pony—”
The bell sounded and the mare flinched. “O-oh, it’s only been a few minutes… I guess I have to go.” she said, looking uncertain.
“I understand,” Lauren said, shaking her head. “They tend to pull my playmates when I talk too much. If I never see you again, be happy, my little pony.” The scarlet-maned monster reached and scrubbed the mare’s head affectionately.
“You don’t seem so scary, Miss Lauren,” Butter Pecan admitted softly as the monster retreated back to its cell. Their eyes met, and Lauren smiled graciously at her kind words. “Maybe we’ll see each—” the wall had slid closed, leaving the monster alone in its cell. It sighed, flopping back down on its cot. Well, at least there was a little interaction for a day.
Later...
Outside the safe room, while all the cleaning crews and others were rushing about to sterilize the place again, General Night Light and Princess Celestia stood side by side. In front of them, inscribed on the wall, was a life-sized sketch of a pony. It appeared to be chalk by the dusty look, but nopony dared touch it to check. It was a stallion by its proportions, perhaps an earth pony. Most might mistake it for a cave drawing, if perhaps it hadn’t popped up in the lowest dungeons of Mount Canterlot. “See?” General Light said. “She’s doing it again.”
“Disturbing,” Celestia admitted, shuffling her wings in a shuddering sort of way. “I had Flower Power looked into, as you requested.”
“And?”
“She has a full history, family, school grades, and an entire legacy of paperwork to back-up her existance.” Celestia told him. “And yet she didn’t exist at all more than a week or so ago.”
“Your majesty if this thing can just make up ponies what’s to stop it from making up monsters? Or natural disasters? Or armies of warmongering griffins?” He said, looking at her with a frown.
“I don’t know, General.” Celestia said. “I’ve had it down here for several years now, and as of yet it’s done no such thing. We can only hope it doesn’t suddenly gain the desire to do so.”
“Why doesn’t it leave? Making something, or somepony from nothing… it’s like she wants to be here, but hates it. Why not make up a pony that specializes in jailbreaks or... or something?” Night Light frowned in scowly confusion.
“I don't know. It’s bound by enough physical rules that we can contain it.” Celestia said softly. “That’s certainly good enough for me. All we can do is try to make it comfortable, and hope it doesn’t come up with anything dangerous.”
“Yes, your highness.” He nodded. “Are there any adjustments you’d like to make?”
“Bring her flowers with her next meal. A big vase of them. Red, like her mane. Don’t skimp on the meal either, she can’t eat them like we can,” Celestia bade, turning for the door.
“I understand.”
“Have Butter Pecan’s memory wiped. Tell her the four figures of bits are a bonus for her years of service, directly from the crown, and the extra week’s vacation is for her to do with as she pleases.” Celestia paused at the door, her two guards ready to follow her. “…and General?”
“Yes, your highness?”
“Have that wall scrubbed. Whoever that was, he wasn’t real. Leave no trace.” She nodded towards the sketched stallion that the monster had willed into existence.
“Yes ma’am,” General Light bowed until she was gone, then set to do as she'd commanded.
I wonder if Lauren is the reason Shining Armor suddenly existed...
Oh yeah. Called it in the first chapter. Definitely interested to see where this goes.
I am quite in love with this concept.
A literal god hiding among its subjects, staying imprisoned in fear of disrupting the flow of their creations.
Rather benevolent, if you ask me.
Her name is Lauren and seems to know what is going to happen.
Either it's Faust or someone else that has the name of Lauren
Well, that's depressing.
So it's a subversion of the "God meet it's creations" huh?
5710739 You know you just predicted the future of this fic, right? Are you a prophet too?!
Will erasing the pictures erase the pony...? Celestia's a murderer!
Kind of figured there'd be some reason why she hasn't escaped yet, though she may just not realize her power. Then again, it really shouldn't be that hard to use her power to live both secretly and comfortably outside a cell. After all, if imagination is the limit, and I was in her position, I can imagine quite a few ways of getting around the whole "ruin history" thing... Actually, why does she even care about messing up continuity; she could fix things if she does. Heck, she could make six new ponies and write them into position to become the elements if things got really bad.
OC's to the rescue!
Well at least we know now, however I can't wait till Celestia have that big fat humble pie when she gets her flank beat down by the Queen of Changelings.
I like it so far.The updates seem consistent and i'm kept on the edge of my seat right now.
I am not entirely sure where this is going. Lauren has expressed already that she would not want to escape from her prison, because that would mess shit up. But where does that leave the story?
I guess more will be revealed about Lauren herself and her capture. Who knows?
Well shoot, there goes my simple explanation of the new OC ponies showing up are just sneaky changelings.
I seem to recall at least one story of a writer in their own fiction, able to will (pretty sure it was a typewriter that did it) anything to happen. It was one of those Twilight Zone knock-off shows.
5710733 At least until she can find a way to go back to the real world, were the city of New York is under attack by a giant marshmallow monster, a small city called Springwood is having several cases of teenagers dying during their sleep and, at Los Angeles, a woman is being chased by a machine from the future
I really like the benevolent angle of Lauren. I'm really curious when and how her existence will become known. Or who else might know of her. Discord? Other powerful sages or prophets?
She can't be all powerful, that would be boring. It'll be interesting to see the limits of her influence.
I really like seeing her interact with the common pony. She does love them, I think.
she just need to wait until the chaos from the changeling invasion to escape without noone noticing until it is too late, or she just can go and create fausticorn and have it show celestia who is boss
5710801
Well I am a human and I did watch all of the shows up to the end of season 4, so I guess I'm halfway there to being another one of Equestria's prophets.
It's clear that Lauren loves her little ponies and would never do anything to harm them, but I have this feeling she can only add additional things to Equestria, not remove them. Meaning villains like Discord, Crysalis and Sombra can't be removed by her power. Also there is the question of is she the only one who can add things? Then of course we have the issue of her creations growing beyond the limits they where created with, changing from simple creations to real beings as they accumulate experiences becoming more than they started as.
Gotta wonder if she let herself be caught. I mean, unable to walk over stones bare foot? Man I can do that, I do that during the summer frequently because to heck with foot wear.
Because if she really hadn't wanted to be caught I doubt getting sore feet would have stopped her.
Wait, wait ,wait.
Did Celestia and Night Light just kill whoever the drawing brought in to being?
By erasing the sketch, does Celestia plan on erasing the stallion from existence? That makes her a lot less benevolent.
For published story with a MC with similar abilities and in a similar situation (in a world they created as fiction, not the imprisoned bit.)see "The Dark Lord" (or something like that) by Ed Greenwood. It's pretty good and similar.
5710809 I doubt their existence is so fragile that they can be erased as easily as that. They are just covering up the evidence that they where created by her.
Hmm. You know, I wasn't expecting to see Faust made an SCP today, and certainly not a candidate for SCP-001.
Brilliantly written work. I'm thoroughly enjoying this up to now, and I can't wait to find out just where you're taking this narrative. Keep up the good work!
Pfft.
Everypony's tax dollars are bein' thrown into reimbursing contractually brainwashed ponies. Corruption or whaaaaaaaat.
Duuuuudeeeeee. Aegis Shield is tryin' ta tell us the truth about the Governmentttttt.
God is bein' held captive in a secret underground prison, sponsored by every world power institution.
Woooaaaaahhhh.
So does Celestia know there was a first human creator?
5711542
Woaaahhhhhh... Maaan...
That's, like, deeep...
you know when good ol sunass finds out that she's holding the their all mother she'll realized that she fucked up
This is better than Machinations in the Dark as far as setting. I think mysterious creator goddes-stuck-in-her-own-world human is much better than overpowered destroyer gon-wreck-some-shit-up-and-revive-the-evil-dark-lord-and-take-what's-mine human. I guess for me it's fourth-wall-breaking sad slice-of-sadness is better in my tastes than tragic dark adventure world-shattering stuff.
I hope, that like Machinations, you have enough content to get a good plot in motion. This good idea will be totally wasted if you don't.
Huh. I thought she was resentful of her imprisonment, judging by the first chapter.
breaths
Don't capitalize.
existence
Capitalize Your Majesty, add comma after Majesty and ponies.
Multiple times - capitalize Your Highness.
5711408
I think she meant that that pony doesn't exist anymore anyway, unlike the likes of Flower Power.
5711408 She wasn't very benevolent in the first place.
More please
If Faust is so careful about not changing the timeline... Is she completely unaware that she is creating new ponies? Is her omniscience flawed and she imagines ponies into existence to make it accurate?
Really can't wait for the meeting between Celestia and Lauren that happens after the wedding.
It's gonna be awesome. I can tell.
you said that Celestia here is kind, but she really isn't . Even if a pony was created by Faust he still exist and breath air; He IS real, and Celestia decided to kill him? She is cruel. Why Celestia want Faust to eat flowers knowing she can't eat that? Celestia is Torturing her. she is cruel.
what is the point of this fiction? Faust the creator of ponies, locked in a dark jail by Celestia who keep torturing her for information? Try to spice things a little!
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My take on it is that she was interrupted while creating a new pony. “There is one more pony—” Erasing the outline isn't killing anyone; he never existed and never will, unless she creates him all over again and finishes this time. You might say they performed an abortion by interrupting Lauren's act of creation. The biggest reason Celestia is so insistent on erasing the outline is that it's incredibly creepy; it's hard enough to keep the guards sane without leaving something like that around.
This chapter didn't answer our questions so much as show that the ponies are asking much the same ones themselves. Not that there's anything wrong with that! My big question now is why Lauren keeps on creating ponies. Is it just an urge she has little control over? Otherwise, wouldn't it make more sense to avoid doing it when it's a big reason her visitations are so short? Has her situation made her that antagonistic? Has Celestia even asked her to stop? Does she in fact realize she is creating ponies that didn't exist, or does she assume that all the ponies she's talking about already existed even if she hadn't thought them up previously?
Another lingering question is whether she can modify or tweak existing ponies. The way that Armor Heart's past "came rushing back" was a bit suspicious, but isn't very strong evidence.
5711017 No the boring thing is to write a normal character in a normal story, the fascinating thing is writing a literal god and does it well.
5711542 Illuminaty!
Yup, suspicions confirmed, she is Faust. Interested to see where this goes!
5712251 Nice to know about that....
5712013 Guess you're right!
5710921 There's a movie of it called "Stranger than Fiction", in which a man begins to hear the author of his life like an omnicient narrator... too bad it's a world-famous author known for killing off the main character in every book she's ever written. XD
5712512
#MindBlown
Celestia is Will Ferrell.
Author confirmed.
5712512
Yup, I watched that one but it was focused on the "character" rather than the "author" as this story is. It also appears that Faust doesn't quite realize how her idle doodlings are spontaneously adding to Equestria. From what I've read so far, she is convinced that the future is fixed and as long as she doesn't do something to alter it in a Butterfly Effect, she can just sit back and play the vague omnipresent oracle. From the apparent reality-changing powers, I wonder if her prophecies are more than self-fulfilling. They are in fact all but guaranteed due to her will making them so.
Probably a good thing that her dreams can't escape into the waking world so that only conscious, if idle sometimes, thought can change the world.
Still, it has to be nerve wracking for Celestia to know that she has, for lack of a better term, God locked up in her basement. Could be a letdown when she finds out it's more like Author, not an immortal being but a mortal one with all the flaws and vices that tend to crop up with them.
I do look forward to when Faust starts to get an inkling of what almighty power she has. Compared to a pc game, she's got access to the dev consol and merely needs to activate all the cheat codes. She can already spawn new entities, shouldn't be too much harder to turn on noclip or use the give command to decorate her little underground swag pad.
5712153
Sure thing - now try explaining it to Celly. =D
My view on her is that she's cautious and protective to a fault, whether she is on the 'good' side or not (like TCB). Her rationale is taking the safest route and doing what she has to do to minimize risks.
5712167
Damn, I totally forgot! So that's how Shining Armor "suddenly always had been there"!
5712571
She already knows she has power to break out - she just doesn't think her abilities are always active.
Huh, those name dropped guards... So, Judge Celestia suddenly became much weirder. Kinda wanna see more Sentry, is it the same one, or rather, his dad?
I really want to like this, but it always feels creepy to me to put a real person in a fanfiction.