Faust's Commandment

The ball of light that had broken off from the Tree of Harmony was hovering and bobbing in the air like it was floating in water. Peter doggedly followed along.

Now that he was out of the cave and plodding back up the stone staircase to the Everfree tree line, Peter once again felt cold, and he felt fresh pebbles in his heels.

But there was a burning in his veins now, something that electrified his entire being, hardened his muscles, and made his body feel like a new car. It was the effect of his baptism by fire, but Peter wasn't exactly sure what that had accomplished beyond giving his body a reset. Perhaps Faust would explain later.

Peter finally reached the top of the stairs and followed the ball of light to the left, hugging the edge of the cliff. It wasn't long before Peter saw what Faust was leading him to.

On the ledge of the cliff was a slumbering bear. His nose flared with every quiet snore, taking in the scent of the other nearby feature: the bloody, torn corpse of an alligator. A dozen flies circled and buzzed around it, and even more were stuck to its exposed ribcage.

The sphere of light made a small circle around the slumbering bear's head. "This animal shall provide you food and raiment. Kill it."

Peter, startled, eyed the slumbering bear with trepidation.

Evidently sensing his discomfort, Faust elaborated. "I maneuvered events so the bear would be sleeping, and the scent of his meal would disguise your own. You also have the weapon you need to put him down. If you're scared or hesitant, know this: I permitted this, and I will be there with you."

Peter slowly nodded, then took several light steps approaching the bear. Peter had never gone hunting before, but he knew what killed people, so he knew what killed bears. More or less.

"The best way is to go for the throat," he whispered in thought. "What's sharp enough to pierce his hide?" He brought his head up. "What do you mean, I already have the weapon?"

The ball of light drifted down to rest right in the middle of the alligator's open ribcage. The bones curled up like fingers, and the ends were broken off at an angle and jagged.

Understanding, but still reluctant, Peter knelt down and grasped the sturdiest-looking rib. He held his breath and wiggled the bone so it detached the red meat stuck on it. He used his foot to push on the rest of the half-eaten skeleton as he yanked on the bone, and the rib tore off with a soft crunch of cartilage.

After examining his makeshift tool, Peter looked towards the bear. It was still slumbering away contentedly on its side. The throat was wide open.

Peter took several deep breaths before striding over. And, without pausing, he struck the bear right in the windpipe.

Blood immediately rushed out, soaking its fur. Peter struck again, piercing a deep hole through the bear's throat. Peter wiggled the bone around and tried to yank it out, but the bone had gone in too deep. All that could be left of the rib couldn't even be pinched with his fingertips.

And the bear himself had woken up by now.

Peter realized this with a start as the bear rose up, snarling and hacking for breath. Peter immediately ran for the edge of the cliff, and the bear shakily followed, his movements jerky and late.

Peter reached the edge. A fifty-foot drop awaited him. Peter turned to see the bear swipe at him. He was well out of range, however, and the bear knew it. So the wheezing bear came forth and reared up for a heavy downward swipe.

Peter jumped to the side just as the bear came down, and the bear went just a little too far. His front paws came down on nothing but air, and the heavy animal slammed on the edge of the cliff, slid off, and tumbled down fifty feet.

Peter heard its impact with a heavy slam. His heart slamming equally hard, Peter slowly rolled onto his stomach and peeked over the edge.

The distant brown bear's broken body was lying in a bloody mess. Peter thankfully couldn't see many details, but he needed to go down there and retrieve it anyway. He was not looking forward to it.

Peter felt a hand on his shoulder.

Startled, he scrambled to the side and put his arms up for protection. Upon seeing who it was, Peter lowered his hands.

A tall woman in flowing conservative white robes, like a wedding dress, stood with her hands clasped. Only her hands, head, and collarbone were exposed. Her perfect ivory skin contrasted with her long, vivid red hair. She, too, had the tail and ears of an anthropomorphic pony, and her radiant glory defied imagination.

The woman extended her own hand and smiled. Her violet eyes were warm and inviting.

"I promised I would be here with you," Faust said with his mother's voice.

Peter, after some time gazing upon Faust's beauty, reached out and grabbed her hand.

It was approaching nightfall; rich purple reigned in the skies to the east over the castle, while swaths of vivid orange flame accompanied the setting sun in the west, over Ponyville.

A single column of smoke rose from the canyon floor, merging into the darkening skies. Just outside the cave containing the Tree of Harmony, a merry ball of flames sat in a cradle of dry wood scavenged from the nearby Everfree, and Peter sat right beside it.

Peter's arms and upper chest were covered with old maroon blood and dirt and bear hair, to the point that only a few spots exposed his skin. His light blonde hair was also dirtied and mussed. But luckily, his nether regions were protected by another leafy apron virtually identical to his first. A pile of makeshift tools made of sharpened stones was in front of him.

At the moment, he was busy dutifully managing the bear's remains. Faust had helped him carry it over to the cave and was now beside him, instructing him on how to skin it and manage the meat. A sizeable portion of the bear's leg was now roasting on a rock in the coals.

"So we aren't going to be doing anything with the organs?" Peter was asking.

"No," Faust said, indicating the pile of removed and raw insides further away. "They are toxic if eaten by humans. They would do better as biodegradable vitamins for the Everfree."

And Faust indicated the top of the cliff face with a flick of her hand. The pile of remains vanished with a small pop.

Peter watched this happen before chuckling and shaking his head. "You could be doing this whole thing yourself, you know."

"It would accomplish nothing," Faust answered. "I have given you the tools and equipment, though."

"Yeah," Peter acknowledged. He returned to using his sharpened stone knife to cut into a section of the bear's skin. He only got several inches before pausing. "...Thanks for the help. I've never done anything like this before."

Faust sat up a little straighter. "Was your family the outdoors type?"

"Not really," Peter recalled. He made another rip. "What with the fact that we lived in the suburbs. Maybe if I was in Oklahoma or something. I did the Boy Scouts, went on a few campouts, but I wasn't too invested."

"Did you have any siblings in the Scouts?" Faust probed.

Peter gave Faust a sideways glance. "You're a God. You should know this. At least when you took me, you should have seen my file."

"I already did," Faust revealed. "I don't ask these questions for my sake."

Peter quizzically examined the white Goddess before sighing and tossing his stone knife on the soaked bear carcass. He turned to face the fire and held his hands to its warmth.

"...Mom had complications for the first two pregnancies," Peter finally said. "She was so happy when I finally came along, and then she gradually had three more. Two sisters and a boy. So no, they weren't in the Boy Scouts. But then again…" Peter dryly chuckled and drew a circle in the air around him. "My sisters introduced me to this show. Thought it was dreck at first like everything else, then, you know… I saw more in it. I enjoyed the world and the characters. As I grew older and I saw other creations, I also saw… you know… that stuff."

Faust nodded. "I understand."

Peter shuddered. "That introduced me to something I wish I never got into. It took years before I was able to cast it aside, and now I'm stuck in a world where that's the norm! And then… you come along and you tell me I need to… what, convert your kids?"

Faust shook her head. "No, Peter. Not convert."

"But what else did you mean when you said I would do your mighty wonders?" Peter asked.

She stood up. Faust was only partially illuminated from below by the snapping firelight. "This world does nothing but evil in my sight. I have some cleaning to do before something better emerges from the ashes."

Peter felt his stomach turn to lead, and a lightning bolt surged from the base of his spine to the soles of his feet.

"Faust?" Peter cautiously spoke up. "I know these characters almost personally. And you're asking me to kill them."

"You do not know these ponies," Faust reminded him. "They are perversions and caricatures, twisted by the dark powers of men's imaginations and mutilated to become monsters in pony form. It would be more respectful to the memory of who the ponies are supposed to be to destroy them, rather than let these abominations live and stain their good names."

"But I'm still killing them!" Peter objected, looking up to Faust's vivid but firm violet gaze. "I would kill ponies, I would have so much blood on me. And I would do it in your name! I would feel like such a hypocrite! What about the commandment to not kill?"

Faust folded her arms and flattened her ears. "Don't try to counsel me on heavenly law. Is it not also written that murderers and adulterers must be punished? Is it not written that the will of God must be obeyed? You truly become a hypocrite when you say you will follow me, but then shirk at a task that must be done. I will ask nothing of you that Elohim would not. Would there be any objections if Elohim demanded this?"

"I haven't killed anyone before!" Peter erupted.

"First time for everything." Faust had said it in a perfect recreation, like an audio recording, of the same voice and tone Peter had used when he had threatened Applejack.

Peter's heart turned to cast iron right in his chest. "Please, Faust, I-I can't do this! Even if they're sinners, even if they're monsters, I can't just spill their blood! This bear is the first thing I've killed that's larger than a spider, and even then, it was more gravity than me! What would my mother say if she saw me killing mares? Killing fillies?"

"She would be proud of you for following the will of God," Faust firmly rebuked. "What would your mother say if she saw this world's depravity?"

Peter opened his mouth to argue. But he soon shut it as he truly considered the question. If Peter even had the option, would he take his mother into this world? Would he trust this world to treat her right? Could Peter take his teenage sisters safely into this world? His future wife and daughters?

The thought nearly made Peter retch. He knew precisely what would happen to them. They would be violated, turned into whores and slaves, exhausted of their potential, and then cast aside. Peter didn't want to admit it, but the conclusion was firmly there: this world simply couldn't be trusted.

Faust circled around the campfire to the opposite side, still facing Peter. "Allow me to use some more scriptural examples. Abraham was told to kill his son despite the commandment to not kill. Was Abraham wrong for following the Lord? Moses slew those who worshiped the golden calf despite the commandment on the stone tables he had just smashed. Was he wrong? The Israelites destroyed the heathen nations in Canaan despite the commandment to not kill. Were they wrong? And were they right for allowing the heathen's influence to continue?"

"Look-" Peter began. But the thought perished on the tip of his tongue: It was justified.

Faust relentlessly continued. "Elijah slew 450 priests of Baal despite the commandment to not kill. Was he wrong? King Saul was commanded to slay every living thing among the Amalekites, even their animals, but he spared the animals. Was he right? Was God, a perfect being, wrong for commanding them to do these things?"

"Okay, I get it!" Peter irritably finished. He knew about all these stories before, but never before had they impressed upon him like this. As pressure to kill…

"These things in what you call the Bible were done to test faith and resolve. The children of God are given life to see if they will follow God's commands, and learn for themselves that my ways are above theirs. Are you above following my commandments, Peter? If so, then you are no better than the beast who raped you."

Peter froze in place. He hadn't thought of it like that before. Not just the rebellion against God, but the fact that he had been raped! And Applejack had been planning on doing more to him! She was fully intent on turning his life into a living nightmare.

Peter finally found words. "It's just… not easy to take a life. It shouldn't be! It would weigh down on you."

Faust's demeanor turned far more gentle, and she came around the campfire to Peter's other end. Sitting down, she clasped her hands. "I understand how much this turns your stomach; these are my own children. I have wept over them for many days. Though I have shown them the path through the Elements of Harmony, they will not listen to what brings joy, opting instead to what brings stimulation. My children willingly suffer every day until they die and return to me in shame. I can't stand it any more. Their smug mockings and self-inflicted sufferings cannot continue. The patience of a God has worn out."

"Patience?" Peter blinked. "What do you mean? I thought a perfect being didn't run out of patience."

Faust used several slim fingers to reach the fire. With a slight curl, the flames and embers rose up higher and flattened out into a sheet, allowing Peter to see the scene that was now playing. The pictures wavered, but retained their shape.

"There comes a time when the defilement of society becomes so great that the rising generation does not have a fair choice between light and darkness."

A vague outline of a small child stood in between two taller figures. One on the right had initially been bright yellow, but it slowly turned to black as Faust spoke, matching the accompanying figure on the left. The child between them soon turned black as well. Then the child grew older, and became the left side of another dark pair of parents to three more children between them. All the yellow in the sheet was gradually burning out.

"When such a point is reached, their agency is rendered forfeit, the cup of iniquity is full, and the society that neither can nor will change its ways must be removed physically and forcibly from the earth."

A floating spherical bubble materialized in the picture, and the flames all around it soon consumed the bubble. The world was burning.

Faust dismissed the image with a wave of her hand, and the fire returned to its normal state. Peter, spellbound by the short display, blinked several times before returning his attention to a grim Faust.

"I reserve the right to slay the wicked," Faust quietly finished. "The billions of spirits yet to be born are clamoring for me to give them a chance for survival in a dark world. And so I make a judgment call, because I love them. Godly love was in the Creation, but also in the Flood. The love that raised the city of Enoch was the same love that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah."

"So it isn't just out of hatred of sin," Peter said, treading carefully. "It's out of... love for your children."

"With a love of light comes a hatred of darkness," Faust elaborated. "A love for cleanliness accompanies a hatred of filth."

Peter rubbed his face. "Sorry, it's just… clearly, you tried before, and it didn't work, but… It's just a hard thing to digest."

"It is because this commandment to destroy runs contrary to ordinary laws that it is so difficult for you to follow." Faust reached out and took Peter by the hand. "But I trust you, Peter."

"It doesn't sound like I have much of a choice," Peter grumbled. Faust's clean and dainty hand was small in his own bloodsoaked and sore one, and it made Peter squirm.

"You do have a choice. You can bring about my eternal purposes. Or you can shirk your calling like so many others have done, and rebel against the commandments of God."

"That's not a choice at all!" Peter protested.

"Then your answer should be obvious. Will you be on my side, Peter? And if you are not on my side, on whose side are you?"

Peter didn't answer. After struggling to find words, he sighed heavily, withdrew his hand, and rested his head in his palms, gazing into the flickering campfire. "Is there no other way?"

Faust shook her head. "I have numbered the days of this world and brought it to an end. My children in this age have been judged of their sins and found guilty. And their inheritance is now taken from them and will be given to others. The scales of justice must be balanced, whether by their own repentance or their own suffering."

Peter swallowed something with effort and avoided looking at Faust. Suffering. Surely Faust's suffering wasn't arbitrary or meaningless.

Peter reflected on his own mother. When she gave punishments, they usually reflected the crime he had committed. And they did seem very unfair in the moment. But Peter always knew, subconsciously, that his mother did this because she loved him. She wanted him to realize that he needed a course correction.

Perhaps if this was the only way to get through to them, this truly was the best way to open their eyes. Perhaps to correct this world's injustices, Faust needed to do some deep cleaning.

"Peter," Faust quietly said. "Do you have faith that I am perfect in my fairness, mercy, and justice?"

Who was he to deny it? "Yes," Peter said.

"Do you wish to serve me after all you have seen and heard?"

Where else would he go? "Yes. But… I just…" Peter stared into the snapping, crackling flames of his campfire. The examples from the Bible She had thrown at him were running through his head. "This is a test," he said. "If I will obey no matter the cost. Killing those I grew up watching."

Faust began to rub little circles on his craned back. "Why else do you think I brought you here to deal with a problem I could solve by myself? Is it not obvious that I can destroy the planet as easily as I made it? What truly matters is testing growth and discipleship. Not just my children. But also you. You are someone who neither loves nor hates this world, which would make my commandment impossible or too easy. I needed someone strong."

Peter, flabbergasted, gestured at himself. "Me? Strong? Even with all the things I've done before I was taken here?"

"You are caring, but not ignorant. Willing to do what it takes, but with an empathetic heart. And someone who knows how this world otherwise should be, and knows firsthand the horrors of this grave sin my children revel in."

Peter swallowed something lumpy. His nether regions tingled. Firsthand indeed.

It was too perfect, wasn't it, how he was taken to the one alternate dimension he would be most uncomfortable in? This world that took something good and pure, and then mixed it with filth.

What would the normal girls think about this version of Equestria? Once the thought came into his head, Peter could clearly imagine their reactions to this version of Ponyville and their counterparts. As if in a vision, Peter could see their uncomfortable postures, horrified stares, as they huddled together in the midst of an encircling crowd of hungry mares.

A scared and overwhelmed Fluttershy hiding behind a sick-looking Rainbow. Rarity's exaggerated expression of disgust and fury. Pinkie Pie, deflated and disappointed in the town she had served so much. Applejack, grim and determined to eradicate this influence from her friends and family. And Twilight, horrified at the butchering of her hometown and the bastardization of their personalities. She would have assumed it was the work of an evil villain, or a scheme by Discord. She would have assembled the Elements and shot rainbow lasers at, well… everything.

The very world, the soil and earth, was burdened by the inhabitants. There was no way to reverse it at the same speed it was advancing. Where was the world speeding to? Certainly nothing good. Collapse was inevitable, which would simply exacerbate the degeneracy problem and lead to even more Godlessness.

Is this world virtuous? Peter asked himself with all seriousness. Is this world doing good, or praiseworthy, or does it have worthwhile things about it?

There was only one way he could honestly answer that.

This world can't be allowed to stand, Peter concluded. He was afraid to say it out loud, but his thoughts relentlessly continued: This Equestria is an affront to beauty and progress. Left unchecked, Equestria would destroy itself anyway, but it would happen in ignorance, attrition, and misery. If done the way Faust orders, they would know of the judgments of God and have one final chance to realize their awful situation.

"I would be seen as evil," Peter whispered. "A party pooper."

"Prophets have always been party poopers," Faust confirmed. She took her comforting hand off his back. "You would take upon yourself the mantle of their villain. But would you rather be their ally?"

Peter didn't answer. A villain. The term sounded ugly.

But the world was far uglier.

"...I will follow you," Peter finally decided. And the instant he said it, he knew there was no turning back. So he solidified his tone and continued. "No matter the cost. You… know better than I. But I know this much: I don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else again."

Faust, smiling gently, took his hands again and stood. Peter awkwardly followed her up. He still had to look up into her eyes, but they were full of warmth and love.

Faust embraced him in a soft hug, and Peter felt overflowing, intense, and comfortable warmth envelop him from head to toe. Gritting his teeth as tears began to form, Peter hugged back as hard as he could and buried his face in her robes.

God and mortal remained embraced for as long as Peter needed. Peter wished he could stay there forever, but he didn't want to get on her nerves. So he eventually broke away. Despite the blood and gunk all over him, Faust's robes remained pure and spotless.

Peter turned his gaze down and sat back down on his rock. The fire's heat was crude by comparison.

"There is still much you must learn before you are ready," Faust explained, coming to the other end of the fire. "Like how to manage your bestowal of power, your responses to my children's questions, and the rest of the bear. This will take longer than tonight, so for now, just eat up. I will take care of preserving your work and protecting your sleep."

Peter only then remembered that there was bear meat cooking in the coals. He reached for the rock and took it out of the fire, and was shocked to discover that his hasty action did not burn his hand. The dried blood on it had burned off, but Peter remained unharmed.

It must have been the bestowal of power Faust had been talking about. She was right; it would take some time to figure it out.

Peter grabbed the brown meat, which also did not burn him, and tore it apart. He frowned. "It's well done."

"Good," Faust taught. "Game meat is not the same as cow meat. It's only safe to eat if it's well done."

Peter pointed at the Goddess. "What would happen if you ate raw meat?"

"I never tried," Faust admitted. "But it wouldn't hurt."

Peter looked down at the two pieces before proffering one of them to her. "If you want…"

Faust grinned broadly. "Thank you." She took it out of his hand and sat back down beside him. She took off a large piece with her teeth and began to chew.

Peter raised an eyebrow. "Does God need to eat?"

"No," Faust replied after she had swallowed. "But He still can."

Peter huffed with laughter. "Must be nice." And he took a bite himself. He immediately realized something was wrong. "No salt," he lamented with the food in his cheek.

Faust smiled and flicked her hand.

Peter resumed chewing, and was shocked to discover that the bear meat had been professionally seasoned. He swallowed as well, let out a small burst of laughter, and lightly smacked Faust on the arm. "Coulda done that beforehand."

"I'll do it from now on," Faust promised, putting her hands up.

Peter chuckled once more and returned his attention to his bear steak. "Or just teach me that trick. I have your bestowal, right?"

"There is much you can do with Godly power," Faust said before taking another bite and chewing around it. "I usually try to not use it on frivolous things, but I also know that whatever's important to you, I will help with."

Peter gave a small smile. With every passing hour, he felt more and more love for Her. "Thank you."

They ate more. Even when Peter felt full, he continued chewing on bear meat. The notion that the leftovers would be wasted sickened him; he had killed the whole bear, so he was going to use the whole bear, dang it!

He did notice, once he laid down beside the campfire, that the bloody body was covered in a translucent sheet of sorts. Evidently it was Faust's way of preserving the bear. She really did think of everything.

On his back, Peter then turned his attention to the sky. The sun had completely set by now. Even with the light pollution of his fire, Peter could see endlessly into the dark depths of the full cosmos. It was awe-inspiring, how many stars and galaxies were reduced to clusters of pinpricks. But none of the constellations were familiar to him. There was no Polaris, no Big Dipper, no Andromeda or Orion or Casseopea. Peter felt adrift, paralyzed, in the black ocean.

"Faust?" Peter asked.

"Yes?" was her gentle response; she was across the fire.

Peter pointed lazily into the sky. "Where's Earth?"

Faust took a moment. "You won't find it up there."

Peter felt something obstruct his throat at those words. No Earth. So he couldn't even look into the distance for a future destination. Peter squinted into the night sky, his ears filled with the crackling of flame. Despite Faust's close presence, those earlier feelings of loneliness surged back. He was a caveman staring with wonder into an unfamiliar sky in a hostile world. It was as if he were the last of his kind.

Or the first.

Peter frowned. Now that he thought about it, there were a lot of similarities to Adam. The first of his kind in a new world, dressing in leaves to hide nakedness, eating fruit from a tree, being clothed with the skins of a beast... Faust was either being poetic or had a sense of humor.

"I will teach you about the stars here, if you wish," Faust was saying. "I understand you wanted a degree in astronomy."

Peter nodded, his interest piqued. "Yeah, right. Thanks. I'll take you up on that. But not tonight. I'm..." He yawned and hummed once he was done.

"Long day," Faust murmured in understanding.

A long moment passed.

Peter eventually sensed her stand up from her squatting position and come over to his side. She squatted again and slipped her hands under his knees and upper back. Peter was taken off the chilly ground and enveloped in the warmth radiating off the Goddess as she stood straight once more.

Peter let it happen. He was so tired, and so touched by her act of love, that he closed his eyes and made no resistance as Faust carried him back to the cave and deep inside until they reached the Tree of Harmony. It was no longer on fire, but the cave was still as comfortably warm.

Faust's foot pushed down on an elevated smooth boulder until it was at a slight angle. Then she laid Peter down in it. The rock fit his body perfectly, and Peter felt himself go limp.

Faust didn't go far. She sat by another boulder somewhat behind him. And the thought that She was nearby made him feel even more secure, made it seem more appropriate to simply drift away...