The Deity Star

by Laarsgaard

Inner Lights

Celestia returned home with a smile on her face. The lights had been extinguished and her parents had, thankfully, gone off to bed without even worrying where she was.

Celestia quietly made her way up to her bed. She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, thinking about her life. It was very odd, how she had come to this precarious situation. She did not know what to expect in a year’s time.

After that day life seemed to return to some form of semblance. Her father went back to his usual ignoring and her mother continued to feed her books and spells to practice. Neither of them had any idea that Celestia had actually passed the test and the prophet would return. Celestia did not want her parents to know. If they did her mother would lose her mind and her father would probably beat her for somehow undermining Luna. Celestia felt it was just best to stay quiet.

After some time the Alicorns managed to settle their raging world. Ferrus led his fellow magi in calming the land into a state of rest. Ferrus was never happier then, his job was finally over. Ventia had managed to summon the wind. She coaxed it into giving its gift freely so that all creatures would enjoy the breeze.

Celestia was present at the first changing of the seasons. It was beautiful to see the new autumn leaves change from bright green to a golden brown. Celestia thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever witnessed.

Soon after the snow was ushered into Canterlot, a wet and heavy substance that would pile high and hide entire homes. Celestia would got and roll around in it just to feel the cold embrace. It was exhilarating to learn of ‘snowballs’ little balls of snow that could be hurled and hit other foals with little to no consequence. The battles were legendary as the foals of Canterlot ran amok in the streets hurling snowballs at one another in city wide fights, screaming and bellowing war cries of victory.

Winter was one of the most blessed times for Celestia. Her parent’s duties were finished and therefore spent every day at home, sitting by the hearth. Her mother usually had a large book held in front of her face as she rocked slowly back and forth in her favorite chair while her father would sit in his overstuffed recliner with an enormous pipe he would smoke out of.

Soon winter was pushed along and made way for spring. Celestia would wander the streets of Canterlot and see dozens of young couples in all stages of their relationships. Some would be just beginning, some were expecting, and
others were promising their eternities to each other. Celestia wondered if she would ever find a very special somepony.

She spent the warm spring days like that. Wandering and wondering, seeing the parts of the city and hoping that maybe her future wouldn’t be as bleak as her life seemed to be.

Spring made its way into summer. Every day Celestia would check the palace for the prophet. He had told her one year and the time was quickly running out. But he had not been seen. Days passed, then weeks without his sighting. Celestia felt crestfallen that the mad stallion had not reappeared as promised.

Celestia soon found herself locked in her room for days on end again, curled up with one book or another. She rather enjoyed the magical ranting of Starswirl the Bearded. She had actually managed to meet this eccentric wizard and his beard was quite impressive. He was talking about the true capabilities of a simple lifting spell. Celestia knew the spell rather well and found the applications of its extended use rather intriguing. Starswirl had taken this simple levitation spell and used it on the most obscure things and objects. His narration actually talked about how he lifted a section of a river, not just water, but the actual river and it continued flowing like normal, fascinating.

Celestia heard somepony knock on the front door. She didn’t move to answer the door, her father would do it. He did everything he felt stallions should do, and considering he was in a house full of mares he did a lot of things that Celestia thought were mundane or unnecessary.

She heard the door open and her father began exclaiming. Celestia slid off of her bed and opened her door.

“-what are you doing here then?” Ferrus asked angrily. Standing in the doorway was the prophet, his coat racing and his mane flowing as if it was being pulled by a million things at once.

“I am here for your daughter.” The mad stallion stated matter-of-factly. Ferrus snorted.

“That’s it, you’re here for my daughter, not my home, my livelihood or, you know, anything else that might be incredibly important to me, just my daughter.” Ferrus stared at the prophet, unflinching. “You can’t just show up and take her, she failed your test remember?” Ferrus stated bluntly, his irritation showing in his voice. The prophet stepped into the house and glanced about.

“But she passed, she showed me exactly what I wanted to see.” Ferrus was unconvinced.

“She didn’t even manage to turn your little rock into a diamond, something that should be easily enough accomplished at her age.”

The crazy Alicorn paused.

“She did well enough, better than any other, that is why I’m here, she’s to be next.”

“The next what, last time you were here you took Galaxia away and we haven’t seen her for the last five years.”

“That is because she was the first, the first of many.” Ferrus was losing his patience.

“What was she the first of?” he asked menacingly. The prophet locked eyes with Ferrus.

“The first of the Gods.” He said. Ferrus stood silently, looking into the ever changing eyes.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, but I am quite serious. In fact I think it has been some five hundred years since I last laughed, yes I’d say quite serious.” The mad stallion’s expression never changed, he never smirked, or hinted at any humor. Celestia could believe that the multi-hued mad pony hadn’t laughed for half a millennia, if he was truly that old. Ferrus was still not impressed.

“Fine, you may have my daughter, but my wife and I are coming with you.” The prophet nodded his consent, he expected nothing less.

Ferrus left the mad stallion in the foyer as he went to fetch his wife and his daughter. The prophet looked around and he locked eyes with Celestia. Celestia smiled and slowly made her way down the stairs.

“You really did come back for me, didn’t you?” she asked, already knowing the answer. He nodded at her.

“Do not worry child, you will be coming with me. You are the next in line.” Celestia felt excitement well up inside of her.

“What do I do?” she asked. The color in the prophet’s body slowed down and took a somber tone.

“You are to come with me, after that I know not, but I do know your fate and where you will sit in the growing pantheon.” Celestia’s curiosity was piqued now.

“What do you mean?” she asked him.

“Child, I will tell you this and no more.” He began. “You will find that your life will be filled with sorrow due to your role to take. Make no mistake, you are now fated to become this new being of power, but you will serve a purpose darker than you perhaps anticipate.”

Celestia was only further confused by his answer, but she didn’t have a chance to probe further as her father returned with the rest of the family in tow.

“Celestia,” her father said as glared down at her. “What are you doing talking with this nut job?” Celestia cowed under her father’s glance.

“N-nothing, papa, I was just asking him about his color.” Ferrus didn’t challenge her, but he was obviously irritated. He looked up at the mad stallion.

“Do not speak to my daughter. She may already be an enormous screw up and incapable of doing anything right, but she still might come out alright if she stays away from those like you.” Ferrus pointed at the prophet. The prophet didn’t flinch he just stared into Ferrus’ eyes, meeting the intensity of his gaze.

Without another word the prophet opened the door and stepped out into the day. As Celestia stepped out into the sunlight she could see a huge crowd had gathered around their home to see the mad stallion walking in their midst once again.

The prophet looked around at the face of the Alicorns surrounding him. And he spoke.

“I have found your next leader, the next in the line of succession.” He pointed to both Luna and Celestia who were standing side by side. “She will be seen to the star, and given the chance to be judged finally, and if the star sees what I hopefully have found, the filly will become your next benevolent leader.”

His announcement was met with silence. Then from the back of the crowd a stallion spoke up.

“That’s a load of crap, LIAR!” the crowd followed his example and began to boo and hiss at the prophet. To his credit the prophet didn’t flinch or yell back even when they began to throw things at him.

He turned back to Ferrus.

“Shield your children, they will attempt to take your daughters from you as you will be deemed as mad as I for your association.”

Ferrus nodded and put both of the girls on his back. The prophet turned about and began to make his way through the crowd. The jeers and catcalls only intensified as he lead the way under the assault of rotten food. Ferrus flared his wings to protect his daughters.

Celestia sat on her father’s back and watched the angry mob follow them for what seemed like hours. Eventually the crowd began to break away as the group came to the entrance of Canterlot. The prophet looked back at Ferrus and Ventia.

“Now we fly.” He spread his wings and took to the air. Ferrus looked at Ventia. Ventia shrugged and took off after him. Celestia felt Ferrus’ back muscles surge.

She watched the countryside fall away as her father flew after the mad stallion. It was her first flight ever. She felt free, uninhibited, and it was something she never wanted to have taken away.

They flew for hours. Celestia watched the sun set on her father’s back. The world below her was a barren plain of grass. An endless sea of greens and yellows that stretched from horizon to horizon that turned burned orange in the setting of the sun. She could’ve stared at those plains for forever. Soon she fell asleep to the rhythm of her father’s moving muscles.

She dreamed of light, a bright light that hovered over her and her family. The only darkness was a shadow cast by her father. Celestia burned brightly, aided by the power of the light, as did Luna and her mother. But her father, he was a raging vortex of darkness. He was silhouetted against the light and he grew ever darker the farther they flew. Celestia trembled to see her father in such a way, so dark, so angry. If she peered deep enough she could see the root of this anger. It was her, it was the day in the mountain.

The darkness stemmed from sadness, a loss so tragic and terrifying that Ferrus could not even admit to himself he felt it. But Celestia could see his true emotions clear as the sky. He did not hate Celestia, he feared her. He feared the potential that sung within her and it made him angry.

Celestia looked to Luna. The light she cast was even brighter than her own. It was pure and free, free of all of the burdens that Celestia had come to know about in her sojourn to avoid her father’s wrath in any way.

Celestia did not dwell on these things though, she was too distracted. She was distracted by the light her mother let out. It was a sad little light. It burned exquisitely, but was going to burn out before any of the others around her. Celestia felt the sorrow her mother had been holding. Ever since the incident at the mountain Ventia had felt pain for her eldest. Everything that had ever brought sorrow into Ventia’s soul came from her daughter and her husband and the rage Ferrus held for Celestia. It was almost too much to bear for the little filly and she wept. In her own dream she wept for them all. For Luna who would always be better, for her mother who would always be sad and especially for her father, who would always be angry with her because he feared her.