What Only the Blind May See
The Gospel of Sunset Shimmer
When Sunset came through the mirror portal, she wasn’t expecting her first action to be saving an intelligent ape-thing from being nailed to a piece of wood. She had at least expected the ape-thing to be bucking greatful for her timely intervention.
"Me damnit Sunset, you know not what you do." Jesus’ tone wasn’t angry, it was just, disappointed. Just like Celestia. Ugh.
“You swear to yourself? My old mentor used to do that.” Sunset replied, “Do humans try to worship you as a god too?”
“I am just a man.”
“Ugh, not you too.” Sunset groaned.
“What troubles you, my child?”
“Some ponies call my mentor a goddess, so I asked her about it once,” Sunset fumed, “And do you know what she said?”
Jesus remained silent, not answering Sunset’s rhetorical question.
“She told me she was just like a pony like everypony else.”
Sunset had expected the ape-thing, which she now knew was called a human, to question why she was talking about ponies when her body was now also that of a human, but the man kept his infuriating, all knowing demeanor.
“Is she not a pony?” Jesus questioned.
“She's an immortal with the power to move celestial bodies at will!” Sunset exclaimed. “Heck, we named them ‘celestial bodies’ after her!”
Jesus kept a look of serene understanding as Sunset continued to rant.
“I found out that she had the power to grant me immortality, but she held me back from it!” Sunset’s hands shook as she resisted the urge to begin pacing, “I gave her everything, I devoted my entire life to her and then she cast me out, just because I wanted to be like her!”
Jesus was silent for time enough for Sunset to regain her calm.
“God may grant everlasting life, but it is not something that can be earned, it is not something that can be yours by right. The path to salvation and everlasting life is not through works, but through faith.” Jesus explained, “That is why I must face my execution, my death will pay the blood debt that damns all of mankind so those who have faith and accept my sacrifice will be saved from death and live for eternity in the Kingdom of God.”
“Wait, so this is some afterlife thing? Wow, you almost had me going for a second,” Sunset was becoming angry again, “But you’re actually insane, aren’t you? This was all some kind of superstitious ritual.”
Jesus did not take offence to Sunset’s accusations, but his look of disappointment was deepening.
“I want to actually be immortal, like as in, ‘not die’.” Sunset used air quotes, “Signing up for some suicide cult for the promise of some afterlife that I won’t even know exists until after I die is not something I'm keen on.”
“Blessed are those who will have faith in what they cannot see. Three days hence there will be those who see and believe, yet there will be one among my disciples who sees yet still doubts.” Jesus intoned, “I will grant him the proof he needs to quell his doubt, and he will serve as an example of God's wisdom and forgiveness, that he will grant unto his children all they need for them to have faith if they merely ask.”
Jesus got to his feet gesturing with his arms at the world around them.
“You are not of Earth, Sunset, but all that is, ever was, and ever shall be is by God's will.” Jesus said, “You are the wayward disciple of another of God's incarnations and our meeting as with all things is no accident.
Celestia is the light of your people. So too, I shall be the way, the truth and the light that guides humanity to my father. You will not believe what you cannot see, but the light of the face of my father is blinding.
Like Saul on the road to Damascus you shall look upon the face of the father and then you too will know the truth.
As with Saul, who became Paul you will pay a price. For you to see the glory of heaven your earthy sight shall be taken, and you will learn, as you must, to have faith when others must guide you.”
A portal, ripped through the very fabric of reality by some screaming, insane force beyond normal comprehension, spat out a red-armored form that towered over the both of them. For the brief moment the portal was open, Sunset saw into an ocean of madness. The armored... thing that came through was in itself nauseating to look upon. Its form was cloaked in a glowing miasma of sickening energies that bled off as its thundering steps carried it toward them. Then, it spoke.
"I am Argus Kaethon, the Scion of the Eightfold Path. This charlatan knows nothing of true power. His way will lead you to folly, and for your soul to be devoured as many are, ignorant of the true Gods and their plan." Sunset's head throbbed as the helmeted man-thing spoke. It was as if she were staring at Discord on Tuesday.
“I am the son of man, light of humanity and I will not allow the taint of chaos on my father's creation.” When Sunset looked back to Jesus he had grown to over ten feet tall and was adorned with thick, heavily decorated golden armour with impractically large shoulder pieces. “You know not where you tread, Demon.”
"You cannot fight Chaos, weakling," Kaethon's baleful eyes settled on Sunset, and behind him another portal tore open the fabric of reality. "Your charade will be your doom, and your corpse will adorn my armor forevermore, grandfather." Kaethon spat. "Your Throne is not here to save you, and neither are your lackeys. Witness the power of CHAOS!"
The portal widened, and widened... and through it came a hulking mix of machine and flesh that, if Sunset looked, she could swear touched the clouds. Her stomach did a flip as its warhorn blared, and the air around it charged with power as its cannon-arm prepared to fire. At its feet, there were hundreds of humans dressed in desecrated rags, armed with anything from a kitchen knife to a lasgun. The larger forms of traitor Astartes and their daemon allies loomed on the other side of the portal, waiting.
And the heavens opened and the Earth shook. Stones wreathed in holy fire fell from the sky and the holy waters of the firmament welled up from below. A blinding light which eclipsed the Sun split open the fabric of reality out of which flew squadrons of Angels wielding weapons forged from sacred flames and clad in blinding armor of condensed light. Time itself stood still so the battle could be waged and the the Sun stood still in the sky and delayed going down about a full day.
Sunset had not believed, but now she saw the light. The power that terrified and comforted in equal measure that she could not hope to possess or control
The traitor Astartes took this moment to step through the portal. Their footsteps tramped the ground as they spread out from it, and the Chaos Titan unleashed its laser blaster at the Emperor himself, casting screaming purple energies across the relatively short distance between them.
Strangely enough, the daemons that were not of Khorne's brood were less eager to join the fight and they hung back from the angels, sending their minions forward to do their dirty work. Plaguebearers, Nurglings, and Bloodletters joined the seething horde of cultists as they charged toward the angels with reckless abandon.
"Our power is infinite, Anathema. Can you say the same?" Shouted Kaethon.
The world had faded from Sunset's vision and she could see naught but the angels as they served the will of the almighty god. Though she walked through the valley of death and chaos, she feared no evil for god was with her and by his light she would be guided according to his perfect will.
And when she saw Jesus taken by the warp she did not despair. She knew that he alone would return from the warp uncorrupted, and through his sacrifice all humanity could be saved from the ruinous powers.
