Chapter 1
Every girl dreams of being princess, but for Twilight Sparkle, who most likely never dreamed of being one, becoming a princess gave her a lot of stress, and stress for Twilight can lead to disaster.
The Princess of Friendship sat in her carriage looking over the documents and agreement made between Equestria and the Changeling Kingdom. They would be given to Princess Celestia for her signature.
Currently her escort made its way to the Crystal Empire, where they would stop, resupply, change the Crystal Guards of her escort to Equestrian Guards and escort her to Canterlot and then back to Ponyville. The reason for the Crystal Guard being one of familiarity to the recently enthroned King Thorax.
Apart from Spike, her number one assistant and kind of little brother, who happened to be a dragon, at roughly toddler age, for a dragon anyway, the Princess sat the carriage alone. Using her magic, she levitated the documents over to Spike. He looked them over briefly and smiled. “Thorax really seems to be a natural at leadership. Then again he did think outside the box compared to the other Changelings, and Ember's advice must have helped.”
“Yeah Spike,” Twilight said before murmuring an addition of “a natural.”
“Twilight?” Spike tucked the documents away. “What’s the matter? Something wrong with what's being proposed?”
“Oh no, the documents are fine, it’s just,” she sighed again and looked away ashamed. “It’s just the effortless takeover by Chrysalis and the Changelings got me questioning.”
“Questioning what?”
“What’s my destiny?”, Spike blinked. “Your destiny? Twilight, you’ve discovered your purpose, you’re the Princess of Friendship, the Element of Magic, you go around helping ponies, you bring harmony to Equestria, in both big and small ways.”
“Is that really all there is Spike? Do I have to sacrifice so much? As a filly, I was happy being Princess Celestia’s student and learning all there is to know about magic. Then discovering the Elements and discovering the true meaning of friendship, that was the happiest day of my life, then those months with the girls learning about the magic of friendship, I felt complete, and somehow still growing becoming a better pony, then the Princess sent me the incomplete spell of Star Swirl’s.”
Spike raised an eyebrow.
“My coronation should have been my happiest day but it was all sudden, I went from researcher to ruler, my best friends and ponies’ I passed every day in Ponyville suddenly bowed before me, thank Celestia I convinced them to stop after the first month. Back then I was still the librarian, I was a princess by name, yes, I wondered what my role was, but I could at least fall back on the familiar, a quiet life, then, Tirek destroyed the Library, that was the worst day of my life.”
“But we got the Castle.”
“A mostly empty castle where I spent night and day waiting for the map to pick me. I spent so long in the castle library I re-read each book at least twice. By that point all I really wanted to do was go back in time, again and try and change a thing or two. Then Starlight show us what would happened when some-pony tampered with time. All I could do was continue, knowing I was important to Equestria.” She sighed and looked out the window back the way they came. She returned to her seat. “Then the Changelings came and I couldn’t do a thing. It was Starlight who saved the day. I felt like I was rejected for something I have no idea what I did. And now Starlight's graduated from being my student I have virtually nothing to do.”
“So, your questioning what’s the point?”
“Exactly, do I just follow a path I have no idea where it leads to? Is that what my life is now? Do I even have a choice?” A tear rolled down her cheek. She then laid down on the seat and let the gentle rocking of the carriage guided her into sleep.
Spike lowered his head. He pulled out a spare parchment and a quill. ‘Dear Princess Celestia…’
‘Maybe sleeping in the carriage wasn’t such a good idea.’ Twilight thought as she explored the corridors of the Crystal Palace, she didn’t even know where she trotted truth be told, she just picked a direction and went forward.
A voice echoed through the hall. One of vague familiarity to her and the sense of bumping into. Quietly she inched towards the door and peered in.
An orange Pegasus stallion sat with his head down, the upward fringe of his blue mane pointed at a cross shaped ornament on the table before him. He spoke with a quiet but projected voice, “I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of all things seen and unseen. I believe in one Lord, Silver Light, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, begotten not made, of one being with the Father, through him all things were made.
“For us and our salvation he came down, was incarnate and made mortal. He was crucified under Sea Spear, suffered death and was buried, on the third day he rose again, in accordance with the scriptures he ascended as is seated at the right side of the Father. He shall come again in glory to judge the living and dead, and his kingdom will have no end."
Twilight eyes widened at the mention of the name Silver Light. ‘Flash is a Silver Enlightened?’, religion is not a big part of pony life, given Alicorns are almost divine, but Twilight found mention of one throughout the history books dating long before the founding of Equestria, a movement called the “Silver Enlightenment.” To see it being practised today she just couldn’t help but watch, she would defiantly take notes, this creed especially.
The Pegasus, Twilight knew as Flash Sentry continued “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, I look forward for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.” With the tip of his right wing he made a sign of the cross. Starting from his forehead to his naval and then across his shoulders. He stood up and took the cross off the table. He turned around.
Twilight ducked away from the door.
Flash put the cross away inside his wardrobe and went to sleep.
Twilight return to her room, her mind full of stuff to distract her from the questions she asked about herself.
Twilight awkwardly went to the front desk of the Crystal Palace library and whispered to the librarian, “Do you have anything relating to, religion?”
The librarian checked the index cards and pointed the Princess in the direction.
A single shelf alone in the sea of books caught her attention. One book in fact, a thick snipped, leather bond codex with silver lettering saying ‘The Holy Books’. Twilight pulled it out with her magic, she went over to a nearby table, and then opened it.
She filed through the content pages making at note of there being two categories of these books, the ‘Old Testament.’ And the ‘New Testament.’ She found the first book entitled ‘Genesis.’ Which having learnt Pegasopolitan, more commonly called Pony Latin, the ancient language of Pegasi and one of the base languages of modern Equestrian, genesis meant origin or beginning.
Indeed, it spoke about how the Father created the universe. Everything, the stars, the many worlds included Equus, Celestia’s sun, Luna’s moon, giving Equus day and night, all the creatures of the Equus and lastly the First Ponies, to her surprise it described them as Alicorns, and the Father said to be fruitful and multiple. So, to Twilight this mean there used to be male Alicorns, the thought stunned her.
She got other creation stories throughout the wide world compiled on the same shelf as well as many scholarly studies on these religions and compared them to Genesis. The most well-known off these, the Griffon creation story spoke of Equus forming amid primordial chaos with warring gods and monsters clashing in countless battles. The victorious god become the Chief of the Gods and he creates Equus. From the blood of his emeries he creates the first creatures as his servants, the piece of the story saying what creature the God created is lost to time, and per reference material many scholars thought the Griffon adopted this story from the Dragons.
When Twilight compared the two creation stories she realised the Genesis story did not have any violence it, the Father merely calls these things into existence.
Twilight continued reading Genesis. It spoke about a being called the Devil, which Twilight researched through the reference books to find it derived from of Pegasopolitan word for slanderer, a liar ruining some-pony’s reputation. The Devil in the disguise of a serpent deceivingly persuaded the Alicorns to disobey the Father’s instruction. The Father told them not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Thanks to the Devil they did and brought original sin into the world, causing them to no longer be Alicorns.
The Father expelled them from the paradise he made for the ponies and sealed it away. The ponies then started to multiple and change.
At one point the pony society discovered a magical artefact which protected them from both magic and weather, however the effect of it meant ponies could not use magic or fly. They tried to build a great monument around this artefact and at the top of it they would put a plaque praising the glory of pony kind. The Father did not like this and thus added divisions within the factions and changed up the languages of the leaders meaning little could be done.
The division broke into three factions. The first faction wish to be safer against the weather than their enemies if they possessed magic to defend themselves with. The second wished to be safe against magic more so than the weather having evolve tough hides to handle said weather. And the third, a minority compared to the other two wished to stay as they were and didn’t wish to be a part of the other groups.
They divided the artefact into two parts and the factions spilt up. The first faction went north. The second faction ventured south. The third settled in between the two factions as a buffer zone.
Twilight paused “Wait,” she bookmarked the placed she got to and went to the cartography section and found a new map of the world. The Crystal Empire sat to the North, the Changeling Kingdom sat far South, and in between them, Equestria. Twilight quietly sat down and wrote her findings, she knew the Crystal Ponies must be related to the Equestrian Ponies, but the Changelings? If Genesis spoke the truth then, the artefact divided in two, one half must have become the Crystal Heart, the other must have been carved into Chrysalis’s throne. The magics of the those two must have mutated those ponies.
Now Twilight eyed the book with more curiosity. She decided to continue. The story covered hundreds, if not thousands of years in a few mere sentences until the narrative focused on an Equestrian Unicorn, his name she couldn’t quite make out but the Father made a covenant with him. He became the patriarch of the Father’s “Chosen Ponies.”, these ponies took their name from the Patriarch’s grandson, who the Father renamed Unicorn. Twilight blinked and continued reading.
As the Unicorn race struggled to create an existence the Father gave them sacred laws. Some of them amazingly survived into common Equestrian law.
As Twilight continued to read the Old Testament it spoke about how the Unicorn eventually forgot the Father forming their own society with a monarch and focusing more on rituals and magic. The Father sent Prophets to speak out against this but it did not appear to work.
Twilight being born of Unicorn stock ashamedly stop reading the Old Testament and move onto the second lot of books, the New Testament. The first four book, while different documented the life of Silver Light. The fourth, the Book of Gracious Thunder began with ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the Father and the Word was the Father. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him and without him not on thing came into being.’
Twilight read amazed, it seemed almost as if Gracious Thunder wrote his account directly for her, or at least some-pony without any real knowledge of Silver Light.
She re-read one line from the early chapters ‘What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.’
Twilight recalled her studies of magic, Princess Celestia told her never allow any darkness into her mind, for it would corrupt her. Light should dominate her studies. The passage made sense of this but it also seemed to personifies the darkness. ‘The Devil, was he created by the Father?’, why would the Father create something which undermined his creation? The Devil convinced the first Alicorns to disobey and bring sin into the world.
She closed the Holy Book and got out of her chair. Angry she didn’t look where she walked and ran into some-pony, looking up from the ground she went silent.
Flash smiled down at her before offering his hoof. She took it and he pulled her up “Princess Cadance order me to keep you company Princess.”, Twilight remained silent unsure of herself.
Flash looked at the table and at the Holy Books, he grinned with a sigh.
Twilight quickly came to his side “I was just interested that’s all, Flash Sentry isn’t it.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I thought I heard some-pony outside my room last night.”
“Can I ask something about your religion Flash?”
“By all means Princess.”
“Twilight, you can call me Twilight.”, Flash shook her head, “Not while on duty.”
“Oh, okay. My question then, how can you worship the Father when he made the Devil, and from what I’ve read so much stronger than any pony.”, Flash sighed “The Father didn’t mean for the Devil to turn evil.”, Twilight raised an eyebrow and Flash opened the Holy Books, he filed through the Old Testament to the Prophet Keeper and tapped his hoof on a poetic line.
Twilight’s eyes unsure scanned the passage ‘How you are fallen from Heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart ‘I will ascend to heaven, I will raise my throne above the stars of God, I will make myself the Most High.''
Twilight’s mouth hung open “Day Star?”
Flash nodded “He’s also known as Lucifer.”, Twilight shivered at the mention of the name, she turned to him and he continued “The Father made Day Star, to be among the brightest of his messengers, but Day Star wanted more, as close to the Father as he was, he wanted more. He convinced a third of the Heavenly Host to join him. They chose to rebel. And Michael, the Archangel chose to fight and defeat Day Star, banishing him for the immediate presence of God. Just as I choose to follow Silver Light.”
“Choose?”
Flash nodded “The Father gave us free will Princess. But every choice is a restraint from others and even the best freedom itself has boundaries. My mentor in the Enlightenment told me that the Father’s Commandments are like the edges of a piece of parchment, we cannot go beyond them, but we have still so much free space within them to do with as we like.”
Twilight froze ‘I can choose? Even within my bounded existence.’, a tear and a smiled crept on her face. Without thinking she jumped up and hugged Flash “Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“Princess!” Flash yelled. Twilight blinked and looked at her current situation, she blushed and quickly let go, she cleared her throat “Sorry, it’s just I’ve never felt so happy for a while.” She then explained. Flash nodded “Well I’m happy your happy Princess.” He walked off “I’ll be in the music section just around the corner. I won’t bother you.”
Twilight nodded and watched him go, she sighed and blushed. Then she returned to the Holy Books and to Silver Light.
She read the four accounts. A thousand years before the founding of Equestria the Pegasi began to conqueror most of the land, both of Unicorns and Earth Ponies.
Silver Light’s mother came from Unicorns, the Father chose her to carry the Word made Flesh, the Son of God, the Saviour and the Lamb of God. An Earth Pony foal came unto Equus. Of course, per genetics he had half of his mother’s appearance.
Thirty years later Silver Light start travelling the lands of the Unicorn preaching about friendship and forgiveness, to love your neighbour as yourself, and preforming miracles, Unicorns could use magic, but an Earth Pony performing feats beyond some of the most skilled? Silver Light gained disciples. He went to the capital of the Unicorn Kingdom and spread messages which trod the line of rebellion.
The authorities, both the Unicorn Mages and the Pegasi Governor, Sea Spear, arrested Silver Light as a threat to their authority. The arrest became possible thanks to Admirer Red, one of Silver Light’s own disciples betraying him. The Mages and Sea Spear put him to death by crucifixion, possibly the worst way to die.
Twilight frowned her eyebrow ‘The symbol of this religion is the cross, why would Flash and his fellow Enlightened worship the thing that killed their central figure?’
Even while nailed on the cross, Silver Light said ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’, Twilight blinked ‘They sent him to his death and he asked for their forgiveness? What an incredible pony.’
Silver Light in his last moments called ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’, Twilight got up and went to Flash. The Royal Guard pony came back and explained, something which has confused even the greatest Enlightened scholars.
It happened at about the ninth hour of the crucifixion. At the time a darkness came over the land. One of the Prophet declared of the Father ‘Your eyes are too pure to behold evil and you cannot look on wrongdoing.’
Silver Light is called the Lamb of God because in ancient Unicorn ritual they sacrificed a perfectly healthy lamb as an offering for the forgiveness of sins. Silver Light chose to became to the greatest sacrifice, he took up his cross and suffered to carry the Sin of the World. Flash turned to one of the later small books, or “Letters” as he referred to him.
An Earth Pony disciple named Listener Stone, who Silver Light chose as the first leader of the Silver Enlightenment after him, wrote ‘He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that free from sins, we might live for righteousness by his wounds, you have been healed.’
Flash explained what his mentor said “Because Silver Light carried the Sin of the World, the Father had to turn away. When Silver Light dead, the Sin of the World died with him.”
Twilight brushed a tear away “He did that, to, save us all?”, Flash nodded “That’s why we use the cross as our symbol. It’s not the cross itself, it’s the event we acknowledge by it.”
“And Silver Light came back to life?”, Flash nodded again “On the third day he rose again yes, he became fully God Incarnate before ascending to Heaven he commanded his disciples to bring his teaching to all nations. If it wasn’t for Inquirer of Bridle then the Enlightenment would have only been for Unicorns, he was a Pegasopolis citizen and taught of a universal salvation, I mean Silver Light was born an Earth Pony.”
Twilight nodded “Thank you Flash.” She used her magic and put the books back into their place “I found this very, will enlightening.”, they shared a laugh and they left the library.
The journey from the Crystal Empire to Canterlot allowed her time to really consider the Silver Enlightenment and in truth she found herself really wanting to be a part of it.
She considered the history of the movement, after the founding of Equestria a thousand years after Silver Light, the leaders of the movement can to together in the settlement called Bridle, today known as Bridle City and worked out the exact nature of the Silver Enlightenment movement making a basic statement of faith in the Bridle Creed. However, like any other religion in Equus, the movement remained small.
Twilight entered the throne room and found both Celestia and Luna sitting on their thrones. Celestia flew down to greet her former student “Twilight, Spike sent me a message saying you were again questioning your purpose.”
Twilight smiled and shook “It alright Princess, while in the Crystal Empire I found I can have a certain amount of choice in my life.”
Now Luna joined them “And what told you this.”, Twilight explained about Flash and the Silver Enlightenment. Celestia and Luna listened to every word.
When she finished Celestia walked up and embraced her “I am so very proud of you Twilight.”
“Princess?”
Luna walked up and looked to her elder “Sister perhaps we should tell her.”
“I think you right Luna.”, Celestia charged her horn and the three teleport away.
Twilight blinked and found herself in a cave illuminated by candlelight. She turned around and gasped.
Celestia and Luna sat before a large crucifix and bowed their headed.
Twilight trotted up “Princess, you're Silver Enlightened?”, Celestia smiled “Yes Twilight, for family reasons.”
“Family?”
The sound of large hinges creaked. The three turned.
A gothic door opened and to Twilight’s surprise a male Alicorn stepped into the room. Taller than Celestia with a grey coat, his mane short but like the Royal Sister flowed by itself with the twin colours of blue and white, his yellow eyes widened at the two sisters before exclaiming “Celestia? Luna? What in the world are you doing here?”
Luna smirked “It is nice to see you again, Brother.”, Twilight’s eyes widened and nearly fell out she whispering gasped “Brother!”
Celestia smiled. “Yes, Twilight this is mine and Luna’s elder brother, Orcus, his duty to take care of this tomb and it’s secret. Orcus this is Twilight Sparkle, my student and the Princess of Friendship.”
Orcus bowed “A pleasure to meet a living ascended Alicorn.”
“Living?” Twilight asked and looked to Celestia. “Ponies have ascended to become Alicorns before me and Cadance?”
Celestia nodded. “Yes, it is rare but, it’s true. It takes a powerful feat, the ultimate expression of your talent.”
Twilight narrowed her eyes and thought for a moment “So when I fixed Star Swirl’s spell and created a new magic, the literal Magic of Friendship and without having to channel it through the Elements, I become the living embodiment of that magic, so I became an Alicorn.”
Celestia smiled. “Exactly Twilight. The living embodiment of the Magic of Friendship. And now you’ve discovered Silver Light myself and Luna think it’s time you know more about Alicorns, and our family specifically.”
Orcus nodded and returned to the room he came from. Celestia and Luna followed, Twilight hesitantly brought up the rear. She stopped as she found herself met with a tomb. Written on the side in Pegasopolitan ‘Prue Gift, Disciple and Patriarch.’
“Prue Gift?” Twilight said and turned to Celestia “Wasn’t he the one chosen to replace Admirer Red after he, well hanged himself. The Holy Books don’t document him much, only that he followed Silver Light since his baptism and then his appointment as an Apostle after the resurrection but before the Holy Spirit gave them the Father’s powers.”
Celestia nodded “During his ministry Prue Gift ascended to an Alicorn, other early disciples did, Prue Gift married and had children, and grandchildren, all but one of his bloodlines fail in the last two-thousand years.”
“Yours?” Twilight asked, Celestia nodded “We’re Prue Gift's grandchildren, but sadly he died long before we we’re born. Ascended Alicorns age like regular ponies, Born Alicorns age differently to regular ponies.”
“So, me and Cadance will live regular life spans but, Flurry will,” she shuddered, Celestia nodded “It’s only when she gains her full power that dear Flurry Heart will slow her aging, and that will not happen until after she gains her Cutie Mark, as you must have read in our journal.”,
Twilight nodded “So Silver Light did exist?”
“He did, but the proof is not the important part my student, it is the faith, we keep it secret so ponies can choose of their own free will to follow. But onto the matter we must discuss. The Essence of the Alicorn. Do you recall the Trinity?”
“The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit?”
Orcus and Luna made the sign on the cross with their wings. Celestia nodded “Three in one and one in three. Just as there are three races of Pony, Earth Pony, Pegasus and Unicorn. The Alicorn is the three races in one. We represent the Trinity in Pony form as the Father intended the First Ponies, created in his image.”
“Does that mean the three races represent the three aspects of God?”
Celestia nodded “The Pegasus represents the Holy Spirit. It gives life, moral guidance, and freedom, much like flight does to us and our fellow Pegasus friends. Think of your friends Twilight, Rainbow Dash possesses the gift of the freedom of flight, while Fluttershy while she is not a gifted flyer she has the gift of effortless communications with animals, a type of freedom very few possess.”
Twilight nodded “And Unicorns?”
Celestia chuckled “They represent the Father, the creative being who brought the universe into existence. Rarity has a creative mind for fashion, or you yourself Twilight, you completed Star Swirl’s incomplete masterpiece and created the literal Magic of Friendship.”, Twilight felt her eyes water.
“Finally, Earth Ponies, they represent Silver Light himself, so humble and yet also divine in their own way. Silver Light served pony-kind as it’s Saviour. Pinkie Pie and Applejack serve. Pinkie uses her talent to help the community of Ponyville, to become friends with all. And Applejack, she does that work some would reject. Selfless and careful with an ultimate propose in mind.”
Twilight blinked “I never considered…”
Luna walked up next to Celestia “We we’re once in the same situation as you Twilight, after we gained are Cutie Marks we thought ourselves trapped within destiny however we relearned are family history and concluded we should rule as the Father does using aspects of the Old and New Testaments, rule in love, to hold a firm grasp on order, and to protect our own.”
Celestia nodded “And my faithful student, do you not recall the Tree of Harmony having your Cutie Mark. You had a destiny before you were born, everyone does. God provides the called with what they need, he does not call those who already have their needs. He guides them with advice, gives them power and it is their chose how they use it. Your started out unqualified Twilight, but as you learned about friendship you become qualified, and you must…”
“Rule with love, grace and propose, just like the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Twilight said, making the sign of the cross with her wing.
Celestia smiled and a small tear formed in her eyes “You understand now.” She embraced her student “You cannot imagine how proud I am at this moment.”
“Princess? Can I create a Chapel in the Castle of Friendship?”
“It’s your home Twilight, you do not need my permission. But I think now is as any to tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
“You said you should rule with love, grace and propose, well Twilight I think it’s time you should be allowed to govern your own nation.”, the Princess of Friendship’s eyes widened and further when Celestia said “I have been thinking about it, ever since your fight with Tirek. Without training and while being unable to fully control the powers we gave you did what we thought impossible, again, I underestimated you Twilight, I should have been the one to apologise, not you for saving Equestria, again.”
Twilight listened almost unbelieving, the Princess of the Sun apologising and praising her so much.
Celestia waited before continuing “I think the best option would be to make Ponyville and its surrounding area, the Everfree Forest an autonomous region of Equestria, much like the Crystal Empire. I still need to consider it.”
“Sister,” Luna said “we have also overlooked the fact that Twilight has no Royal Guard.”
Twilight blinked and smiled before looking up to the Royal Sister “Can I request that Flash Sentry be a part of my Guard?”
Celestia smiled “I do not see why not, indeed Cadance has been saying we should send him to you.”, Twilight rolled her eyes ‘Princess of Love and all.’ She blushed slightly, “I think I’ve got the name for my nation, the Everfree Kingdom.”
“A fine name.” Celestia nodded.
Twilight continued “Maybe the Chapel can serve as the centre of a Church of Everfree? Ponies can choose to join if they wish, it may just be something for my and Flash.”
Orcus cleared his throat “If I may get a word in? You must be baptised Twilight before even considering ministry.”, her ears dropped, but Orcus spoke again “If you wish I will do it for you.”, she looked up, smiled and nodded.
Orcus charged his horn and a large bowl of water on a pedestal appeared before him. The floating above him a silver spoon with oil in it. Celestia and Luna walked behind Twilight.
Orcus spoke with authority “In the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”, the Royal Sisters repeated the Amen, Orcus said “The Lord be with you.”
Celestia and Luna responded “And also with you.”
Orcus went on to talk about what Silver Light taught, about being reborn in water and spirit. The he read from one of the four accounts of Silver Light’s life, the “Gospels.”
After closing the Holy Books Orcus looked to Twilight and asked “Do you wish to be baptised?”
Twilight nodded “Yes.”
Orcus looked to his sisters “Faith is the gift of God to his people. In baptism, the Lord is adding to our number those whom he is calling. People of God, will you welcome this and uphold them in their new life in Silver Light?”
“With the help of God, we will.”
Orcus nodded and returned to Twilight “In baptism, God calls us out of darkness into his marvellous light. To follow Silver Light means dying to sin and rising to new life with him. Therefore, I ask: Do you reject the devil and all rebellion against God?”
Twilight closed her eyes and shuddered, before nodded very assuredly “I reject them.”
“Do you renounce the deceit and corruption of evil?”
“I renounce them.”
“Do you repent of the sins that separate us from God and neighbour?”
“I repent of them.”
“Do you turn to Silver Light as Saviour?”
“I turn to Silver Light.”
“Do you submit to Silver Light as Lord?”
“I submit to Silver Light.”
“Do you come to Silver Light, the way, the truth and the life?”
“I come to Silver Light.”
Orcus smiled and levitated the spoon, he dipped his hoof into the oil and made the sign of the cross just under her horn “Silver Light claim you for his own. Receive the sign of the cross. Do not be ashamed to confess the faith of Silver Light crucified.”
Twilight smiled.
Orcus then blessed the font going on about water, pure, staining and cleansing. After this he looked to the three “Let us reaffirm our faith with this candidate in the Bridle Creed.”, Twilight did her best to remember what Flash said, thankfully with the Royals there to help her.
After this Orcus motion her to come up to the bowl. The male Alicorn with his magic levitated the water and washed her in it saying “Twilight Sparkle, I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
Twilight smiled and repeated “Amen.”, Orcus smiled and nodded his thanks. Twilight turned and ran into an embrace with Celestia. Within her soul, she felt a click, like something fit into place, and see felt assured she had a place within the universe, taken care of and necessary within it.