The Tale of the New Pantheon
Prologue: Celestia's Meeting
Princess Celestia sighed, leaning back on her throne as the Day Court moved out of the castle; she was finally ready for some peace and quiet after a long day. And when all the Noble's left the Throne Room, Celestia sighed with relief. Never had she ever been so tired, even when she was stressful. It was odd, but she put those thoughts aside as she convinced herself that all she needed was sleep.
Standing up from her chair, she reached up and grabbed the tiara off her head and held it in her hands as she walked through the Throne Room and into the secondary hallway. It was quite empty, apart from a few guard patrols that passed every now and again, but as she neared her quarters, she saw a tall, broad shouldered man standing in the shadows with what appeared to be armor.
She stared at the figure in silence, before she couldn't stand it any longer and spoke up, "What is it, stranger?"
The man chuckled slightly, "Sdluvkol? Prouko, durr no Nuakh." The man stepped into the light, allowing Celestia to take a better look at his face; he was blindingly handsome, with tanned skin and a tall stature. The man's armor only covered his body, shoulders, and legs, allowing Celestia to see the muscles of the man. His white eyes, thick beard, and long black hair made him look somewhat wise and ancient.
Celestia hesitantly spoke, "I don't speak your language."
The stranger's eyes widened before he smiled, speaking Equestria's native language, "Sorry, I was saying, 'Stranger? Please call me Naish.'"
Naish continued to chuckle at Celestia, leaning on the wall a few feet away from Celestia, "I am what you might call, 'A Ghost', if you're a fan of such things. But in all reality, I'm a God."
Celestia raised a brow, folding her arms, "A God? Please, the only God known to man is Discord, and he's a psychopath. Why should I just believe you willingly?"
Naish stopped leaning on the wall and walked up close to her, looking down upon the Princess, "You don't have to, but I can give you some solid reasons and/or evidence as to why you should."
Celestia rolled her eyes, "Fine, but make it quick, otherwise I'll have the guards throw you out of the castle."
Naish chuckled, "In your hand is your nation's form of currency." Celestia looked down at her hand and gave a confused look as she saw the Bit. "Now watch as the coin turns from gold, to diamond." She stared intently at the Bit, waiting for something to happen. Eventually, the Bit began shaking in her palm, slowly becoming much shinier than it was, and eventually become crystal-like.
Celestia was in awe, but pushed those thoughts aside as she believed Naish was bluffing. "This isn't a real diamond, it's impossible to do such a thing, even with magic."
Naish walked behind her, casually putting his hands on her shoulders, "Then why don't you test it? Slam it on the ground and if it shatters, it's just plain crystal. If it does not, then it's an actual diamond."
Celestia shook off Naish's hands, dusting off her shoulders with her free hand. She then raised her arm up into the air, and brought it down, the 'crystal' coin falling from her hand and slamming into the ground. What amazed her was that it was an actual diamond. "H-How...?"
Naish strode in front of her, a small smile on his face. "Because, Celestia, I am Naish, the God of Wrath, Creation, and Abundance. And this 'Discord', is nothing but a mere insect compared to my power."
Celestia gave Naish a glare, "What do you intend to do with such power?"
Naish then slid his hands behind his back, "Reach out to the people of Equis, and watch as the Religion grows."
Celestia chuckled, "And how do you intend to do that?"
Naish smirked, looking off into a window, "Prove to them that we, the Gods, are the true hierarchy. And if any decide to not believe in us, we will punish them; not severely, but just a little."
Celestia's eyes narrowed as they met Naish's, "You intend world domination?!"
Naish's smile disappeared, and was replaced by a confused look, "World domination? No, I just intend to make sure that the world knows that what they do either has consequences or rewards."
Celestia rolled her eyes, "We already have that; it's called 'Court'."
Naish nodded, "Yes, but does your so-called Court punish the real villain? Or does it use evidence to determine who did the crime?"
Celestia thought about it for a moment, before shrugging, "Yes; we do punish the villain, and we do use evidence to learn who did the crime."
Naish chuckled softly, "Yes, you mortals always did like to pin the blame on someone, good or bad. But the way we do it? We listen, we see, we watch. No matter who you are or where you are, we will be the true judge. And Celestia, mark my words, tomorrow I will return, and I will watch how you deal with said crimes."
Celestia turned to her bedroom door and opened it, "What do you mean, 'deal with said crimes'? I don't recall there being a court case tomorrow." When she turned around to see if Naish would respond, she was shocked to see that he was not there, but instead there was a single feather with blood stain on it.
She picked up the feather and inspected it, twirling it around a few times in her hand. Whatever this, Pantheon is, Celestia knows better than to take the word of a stranger claiming to be a God.
She walked into her room, closing the door behind her and locking the door. She then walked over to her bookshelf and grabbed a book about myths and legends, reading intently. A few minutes of reading later, she found something in the book about Gods and Goddesses. Upon studying further, she learned that a Pantheon was built long ago when these 'Gods' made themselves known.
She flipped the page, seeing that it was labeled Myths and looking for Naish. She wanted to know everything about her enemy, no matter who or what he was.
The Tale of the New Pantheon
Naish landed above a cloud in the sky, standing up. "Maldurk... (Mortals)" Suddenly, the clouds slowly pulled themselves together, forming a tall Pantheon with pillars keeping the roof held up. If anything annoyed Naish, it was the non-believers; they're just too arrogant to realize who the true leader is, especially the Human Hierarchy.
"Whw hulli, Nauosh. (Why hello, Naish.)" A melodic voice greeted Naish. The God turned around and saw his wife, Zaker; the Goddess of Passion, Debts and Oaths.
Naish walked over to her and hugged her, "How about we speak this language instead of the Ancient Tongue?"
Zaker gave Naish a confused look, "Whatever for, Naish?"
Naish pulled away from the hug, walking towards the Pantheon. "Because, love, the mortals down there do not speak the olden language. If we are to show that we mean no harm, we must prove that we are not so different from them." He entered the Pantheon, noticing that its cloud walls had turned to stone.
Zaker walked with Naish, holding his hand, "But we are different than them; we're Gods!"
Naish narrowed his eyes, watching as a throne was forming at the other end of the Pantheon. "We'll lose our power if we lose our Believers, which is why we need more!"
Zaker realized the importance of Believers, and got serious, "Then what can we do? We can't exactly walk down there yelling, 'Hey! Look at us! We're Gods!'"
Naish nodded, walking up the now golden steps that led to his throne. "Yes, I know. What we need is a prophet who we will make immortal, like us, and only he will spread the word that we, the real Gods, are the ones who determine who is good and who is not."
Zaker nodded in agreement, "Yes, that would be best. But where would we find our Prophet?"
Naish smirked, "The only reason we left our deep sleep is because someone decided to believe in us, and so I will visit said person and see if the mortal is up to the task." He sat upon his throne, setting his arms on the armrests of the throne. "And if he is not, then we will give him the power to do so."
Zaker nodded, folding her arms, "Alright, that's one problem out of the way, but what of our children?"
Naish gave her a concerned look, leaning forward in his throne, "What is the matter? Are they in trouble?"
Zaker shook her head, "No, but they're at each others throats deciding who's the God of what."
Naish sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I'll summon them here and settle this swiftly." Naish's children were born a century ago, and they're still fighting over land. This is something the God has been dreading since that time; the day he separated the lands and territories for his children. He'll probably make a test of will or strength and determine who fits what role best.
Zaker leaned on Naish's shoulder, "So... how about we do something better than talking while we wait..." she stated sultrily, her bedroom eyes seducing Naish.
Naish caressed her cheek, "That's fine by me." He kissed her passionately, Zaker's hands finding there way to Naish's long hair, to which the Goddess began trailing her fingers through it.
Naish then stopped, smirking at his wife who stared back in confusion, "They're here."
Zaker's eyes widened and she turned to her left and saw that her five children were looking on in disgust. She sighed, patting Naish on the shoulder, "I'll be in the library if you need me." Naish nodded, watching as his wife left.
Once she was out of the room, he arose from his seat and put his hands on his hips, coldly looking down upon his children, "Now, based off of what your Mother has told me, you all have been fighting over who gets what role, correct?"
Frour walked forward, his black cloak crawling across the ground. "Yes, Father, we all have been fighting over our roles in life." He then stared at Naish with hope, "But, please, if you decide for us, let mine be something crazy."
Naish sighed, shaking his head, "Frour, you must understand, I can not just give you all the roles you want, otherwise there will be unassigned roles that are of great importance." Frour stepped back in line with the rest of his brothers and sisters. Naish spoke loud enough for them all to hear, "Now, I will choose what your role will based off your personality, morals, and appearance."
The children were all silent, their Father looking down on them with a judgmental look on his face. He then pointed at their sister, Rouin, and so the young Immortal stepped forward, her red hair flowing over her shoulders. "Rouin, I have seen how you've reacted to the torment of your brothers and sisters, especially during the most crucial moments in your life. Your main reaction was to fight them, and when they got hurt, you acted as though you were the winner. You also dress as though you're going into battle, but you think of what you could become and try to create such things." He knelt down to his daughter, "And so, I hereby make Rouin the Goddess of War, Creation, and Daydreams." He then waved his hand in her direction, a thin red beam slowly hitting Rouin.
She squealed happily, running off. Naish then pointed to Fechoc, his son stepping forward. The child removed his hood, showing his bald head. "Fechoc, you've always waken up before the sun arose and watched as it made its way over the mountains. You've also been brave enough to stand up for your brother when he got in trouble, and I also remember the time you got revenge on your sister for making fun of your baldness." Fechoc chuckled, rubbing his bald head. "So you are now the God of Dawn, Valour, and Vengeance." He did the same motion he did to Rouin, and the same thing happened.
Naish then brought Frour forward, "My child who's been in the most trouble. You've always liked breaking the rules, and such things have had you punished. One of the things that mortals did back when you were small was sacrifice animals to you, and you didn't even know it. And you also dress as though you're an evil overlord. So now you Frour, are now the God of Evil and Sacrifice." He patted his son's shoulder, sending the lad off to accommodate Equis with the evils of the Gods.
"Or'erli." Naish's daughter stepped forward, her thin, blue hair flowing in a non-existent breeze. "You always searched for a way to solve problems without force. You even tamed your Mother when a mortal slapped her. And whenever you played Hide & Seek with your brothers and sisters, you would hide in plain sight. So now I will make you the Goddess of Peace, the Sky, and Stealth." She nodded silently, walking off with a content posture.
"And finally, Scous." His ebony son stepped forward. "You've always loved life; the plants, the animals, even the Humans. But you also liked to watch me deal swift justice upon the bad Humans of Equis. I always knew, deep inside, that you were destined for this. You, Scous, are now the God of Nature and Justice."
Scous nodded, his low voice replying, "Thank you, Father."
Before Scous left, Naish quickly spoke up, "Scous, before you go," Scous turned to Naish, "I need you to go to the Equestrian Palace for a court case tomorrow, but do it undercover so Celestia doesn't know I'm there."
Scous gave him a confused look, "I can do that, but who is this 'Celestia' you speak of, Father?"
Naish chuckled, "You'll know when you see her, but for now, go explore the world of Equis, and smite those you deem villainous!"
Scous bowed, "Yes, Father." He then stood up and walked away, a large spear forming in his hand.
Naish smiled, leaning back in his chair. There is only so much roles he can give his children, but when they get older, he'll be able to give them a few more roles and remove the weight on his shoulders. Because whatever role they don't have, he has to deal with, and there is a lot of unassigned roles that Naish must monitor.
But, luckily, the next day he will visit the one believer and turn him into his own Prophet.
Author's Note
See what I did there...?
