Tentmaker
Loqui Veritatem In Caritate
“He drew a circle that shut me out—
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle and took him in!”
―Edwin Markham, "Outwitted"
~
With one last puff of smoke, the stallion finished his pipe. He tapped it against his weathered forehoof, ensuring the embers had cooled to his satisfaction. After tucking it beneath his fraying robes, he took a fresh, clean, deep breath. Then, he reached into the pockets of his vestment and withdrew a rusted key.
As he entered the chapel, his wizened eyes beheld his destination. The altar was just as he had left it the evening prior. Humming an ancient melody, he made his way down the aisle. His colorful robes flowed behind him as he moved.
Scattered hymnals littered the pews. Fewer and fewer in recent years, but enough that it made his heart sing to see them. As time wore on, ponies found new ways to worship. No matter. He would be here as long as he was needed. He knew all too well that what traditions he treasured would likely die with him. That realization stole no joy from moments like this.
Once he made it to the altar, he withdrew a box of matches from his vestment. With slightly shaky forehooves, he sparked a fresh ember. For a moment, he grinned down at that burning light, thanking Solaris for his bounty. Next, he brought the flame low, marrying it to the stick of charcoal incense awaiting the sacred fire. The two cleaved unto each other. A sweet-smelling scent rose from the altar towards the skylights.
Laying a forehoof over his heart, he whispered, “May the fire of Friendship light the way.”
As the smoke filled his senses, he moved to the next task. The gold-handled brush lay inside the silver chalice. The vessel was still full of the fresh river water he had filled it with the night before.
He submerged the brush in the chalice. Then, he brought it above the bouquet. The arrangement of white lilies drank in the holy rain he provided from above. He silently praised Galaxia for her beauty and grace as he watered the flowers. Then, he murmured, “May the waters of Love sate our hearts.”
Finally, he turned to the sword on the edge of the altar. Across its blade were ancient runes written in a long-forgotten language. With practiced precision, he raised the blade high. He paused, feeling the magic and power coursing from blade to pommel. Though he would have had to squint to read the hallowed runes, his heart and mind picked up where his eyes failed:
“May we fight against the Darkness with the forces of Magic and Harmony. Above all, through all, and in all, in the—”
“My, my, Mister Waddle!”
Behind him, a serpentine shape coiled through the mist. A pair of red irises, followed by golden sclera, joined his side.
In his early days of his priesthood, Mister Waddle would have been terrified to have Old Scratch himself join him at the sanctuary. In his youth and vigor, he might have even turned the consecrated weapon on the beast, ready to defend his congregation.
Now, he was used to it.
“All these years, and you’ve never missed a syllable. How quaint.” The Serpent hovered before him, crossing lion paw over eagle talon. “Though—” he looked over the empty pews— “I have to say, it makes no sense to engage in such a performance without an audience.”
Setting the blade down, Mister Waddle heaved a sigh. “Discord, it is not a performance, as I have—”
Discord waggled a claw. “Yes, yes, yes, I know. Far too well. But!” His eyes lit up with an unmistakable glimmer. One that reminded Mister Waddle of where his last pipe had gone… along with most of his mane. “What’s the fun in all this pageantry?”
Discord snapped his fingers. The pews filled with lollipops. A rainbow menagerie of candy jumped up and down in their seats. They giggled and cheered with half-mouths across their gooey centers, spewing sugar and taffy and Celestia knows what else everywhere.
“Discord!” Although he scowled, Mister Waddle chose his words carefully. “I just polished those pews! Please, take them away!”
“Oh? Not the usual suckers you want joining you for morning service?” Discord snickered. “Very well, then.” He clapped paw and talon. The lollipops disappeared.
Mister Waddle smiled. “Please, could you do an old stallion a favor and clean up the mess, too?”
Regarding him with narrowed eyes, Discord crossed his forearms, then muttered, “I suppose, since you cleaned up last time.” A wry smirk replaced his minute look of contrition. “And the time before that. And the time before that. And—”
“Please, Discord.”
With another burst of magic, Discord clad himself in a janitor’s uniform. A mop and bucket appeared in his claws. He dipped the mop in the bucket and hovered over to where the audience of candy-folk had marred the seats and floor. Whistling a jaunty tune, he drew the mop across a row of pews. Rainbow paint washed over oak and cherry.
Sighing, the priest made his way over. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Ohhh?” Fluttering his eyelashes, janitor-Discord glanced over his shoulder. He applied a fresh coat of rainbow across the back of the pew he was currently “cleaning”. “But I thought your kind liked rainbows.” He pointed at the priest’s vestments. Upon the robes, the two alicorn sisters stretched their forehooves towards a rainbow containing the Elements of Harmony.
Chuckling, Mister Waddle shook his head at the Chaos Spirit’s antics. “I’ll give you credit where credit is due, Discord. You at least pay more attention now than before.”
Scoffing, Discord plopped the mop back in the bucket. “Than before? P’shaw. As if there was ever a before, Señor Waddle.” A pair of thick, black mustaches sprouted on both of their muzzles. Stereotypical, wide-brimmed hats completed the look. Discord twirled his mustache with a wicked grin. “The entire time I’ve known you, I’ve always been that delightfully whimsical thorn in your side.”
The hat didn’t fit right, and the mustache was rather itchy. Better than the goatee and monocle from last time, at least. “Always a thorn, yes. But one less prickly than usual.”
Their costumes disappeared with another snap. “Hmm. Well, I suppose I’ll have to try harder then.” A sweep of Discord’s paw, and the pews were free of rainbows. Instead, the hymnals took flight. The white books, bound in golden thread, sprouted wings and horns as they glided above the seats.
Shaking his head, Mister Waddle made his way back to the altar. While he felt the eyes of the draconequus following him, he sought to finish his ritual.
After taking hold of the blade and pointing it skyward, he completed the last prayer. “May we fight against the Darkness with the forces of Magic and Harmony. Above all, through all, and in all, in the spirit of the Sisters and their Ancestors. Amen.”
When he finished, he looked up to see that the alicorn hymnals had perched on the pews. Discord was looking around, a puzzled frown replacing his jovial grin or prankster sneer.
Mister Waddle blew out the incense, put away the watering brush and jar, and returned the sword to its resting place. “Something the matter?”
Discord snapped his claws, restoring the hymnals to their natural state. For a few moments, he stared Mister Waddle down.
Then, Discord floated over. “Why do you still do this?”
“You know why.” Mister Waddle took his seat in the front pew. His joints protested as he sat down, a pained grunt betraying his smile. He patted the seat beside him.
Rolling his eyes, Discord joined him. His serpentine form scrunched as he sat beside the old priest. “Luna’s been back for years, you know. Almost as long as I have been reformed. Surely, you can’t be serious about this anymore.”
Mister Waddle looked up at the skylights. “What do you mean, ‘surely not’?”
“It made sense when it was just Celestia. Well, somewhat.” Discord brought his lion paw to his muzzle and groaned. “Worshipping a being you could schedule teatime with makes no sense. At least other species have the excuse of not being able to see the things they build altars to.”
Eyes fixed on the above, Mister Waddle replied, “Who said it was worship? Reverence is not always worship.”
Discord snorted. “Incense and prayer count as worship in most other worlds.”
“Well, it’s never counted here. And I don’t know of any world but this one.”
Discord face-pawed, muttering, “Somewhere, there are other beings listening in on this conversation and laughing about it.”
Despite his years, Mister Waddle heard him. “Then let them laugh.” He traced the pockets of his vestment. When he withdrew a pocket watch on a broken chain, he saw that they had less than five minutes to go. “It bothers me none. Nor does it my congregation.”
“Your congregation?” Discord whooped a belly laugh. His patchwork limbs gestured to the empty pews. “Take a look around! Nopony, and no one, is here in the mornings anymore. Evening services? Maybe. The occasional holiday? Well, sure. Celestians are still Celestians on Hearth’s Warming and the Summer Sun Celebration, aren’t they? But the rest of the year, they’re—”
“—Still Celestians.” Mister Waddle turned to face him. “And you are still Discord, Spirit of Chaos, the Prankster God, the Serpent of the Forest.” He let his words linger between them. “At least once a week, you come here, and I tell you the same things. If you were a pony…” His smile fell. “I would think there was something on your mind.”
An anvil appeared atop Discord’s head. “Now, what would make you say that?”
When the weight magicked away, Mister Waddle nodded up towards Discord’s head. “Even without the visual pun, there are still some things an old priest knows.” Turning his attention back to the skylights, he cleared his throat. “Now, it’s almost time. If there’s something you wish to get off your chest, I recommend you do so now.”
Silence reigned between them, interrupted only by the slow ticking of his pocket watch as one day wound into another.
Then, Mister Waddle witnessed it. It must have been the thousandth—no, at least the ten thousandth—time he had witnessed it in his priesthood, let alone his entire life. Still, it was evermore brilliant. Evermore magical. A ritual far beyond that which his puny Earth pony hooves could exact, even with the wisdom of his years.
Together, they watched as Princess Celestia did what she was born to do. The thing that, if she didn’t have her courage and conviction and will, would have left their world lost and cold and broken. To have this heart, this soul, this undeniable force of Being, was something that the last Celestian would revere to their dying breath.
“You know…” Discord punctuated their silence carefully, almost gingerly, as if he knew he would spoil the ritual unfolding before them. “She… she meant a lot to me… once. I wonder if…” Discord sighed, then shook his head. “If coming here is some… atonement for it.”
Mister Waddle glanced at him from the corner of his eye. He opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it.
“I don’t think it will ever be that way again. Not after what I did. Not—not after what I became, but…” As he trailed off, Discord’s eyes traced the skylights, then the altar, then the pews. “Tell me. Did this place ever bring her comfort… during…”
“Yes…” Mister Waddle fidgeted with the pipe beneath his vestment. “It did.”
Discord’s ears flattened, then flicked, before he faced the priest fully. “Well… Old fool or not, I guess you were there when she needed you, right?”
“Yes. All of us were, back to the Day of Her Banishment.”
Discord’s eyes traced back up towards the skylights.
Though he felt something welling in his chest, Father Waddle—the last priest of the last Church of Equus—bit it back. There was a majesty in mysticism. A journey far too personal to belong to anypony. Or any draconequus.
Instead of beginning that morning’s prayer, he merely sat beside a god, and watched a miracle happen anew.
This is the shortest story I have ever been satisfied with. Thanks again to the great folks on Bean's Writing Prompt Discord server for their feedback and help with this little story.
As always, thanks for reading! Comments are appreciated. Happy New Year! Here's to better things in 2021. Peace be with you. 
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This was a wonderful story! I’m a little ashamed to say I’m glad I was here before it got sent to the featured page
As for the prediction I’m guessing if this isn’t up on the featured page later tonight then possibly early tomorrow!
Who could have thought that one serpentine boy disrupting a religious rite could lead to such deep, powerful conclusion at the end? The brief talk about reverence is something else, moreso how seamlessly it is weaved into the story and leads to a natural wrap up at the end.
Not a lot that i havent said already, but swell job as usual. Didnt expect anything less from you~
Also, happy new year! even though you are many hours away from escaping 2020
Color me pleasently surprised. Based on the description, I thought this was going to be a ponified version of The Last Church which suffice to say had a far less happy ending.
Short and sweet. It’s an intriguing concept and an interesting look at the possibility of Discord harboring hidden depths.
I would have been disappointed if you wrote this and weren't satisified. Bravo.
Interesting take for sure. But this is 100% based on The Last Church from the Horus Heresy novel series. Whether that's on purpose or not is another story.
But there it is 😎. It's not a perfect pony copy of it for sure. But they share quite a bit.
10607709
Considering the fact that this didn't end with Celestia and/or Luna burning the church to the ground with the priest inside, I respectfully disagree.
Glad to see this up, huzzah!
I hadn't had much to say on this, between my schedule and that, well, everyone's got it covered, but this was an intriguing story out of the prompt. Especially loved how Discord, with all his quirks and depth, is portrayed here, heh.
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So I had to do a bit of Googling to find out what was being referenced here. Not into Warhammer 40K at all, nor have I heard of this story before. This prompt was actually an idea I've had for some time—the idea of incorporating religion into pony in a way that doesn't completely break the setting or devolve into authorial proselytizing.
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I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I'm surprised to say that you are correct, and that this story already is Featured! Wasn't expecting that from this little prompt.
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Thanks again for your feedback, Smokey! Happy New Year to you! I've still got eight more hours left in this wretched year, but it'll be over soon!
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Thanks Dave! Glad you enjoyed it.
10607704
Glad this experiment was a success, then.
Thanks!
10607949
Thanks, Sledge! I'm glad the prompt experiment worked with this one.
Consecrated weapon. Also, in a place that reveres Harmony to such an extent, equating Discord with the Devil both amuses me and shocks me that I've never seen it before. Well done.
This is a pleasant touch, to have holy objects, even sown with disharmony, gathering to pay tribute to the service.
I'm always happy to see religion pop up in a fantasy setting. It's something I see so rarely, and even then sometimes doesn't get the proper treatment, that I admire you for touching on these themes. Thank you.
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Thanks for the catch! Fixed.
Glad you enjoyed the story. Thanks for reading!
Maybe I am not well-versed in religion, but I don't quite get the ending. Was Celestia dead? What did Discord mean when he said "not after what I became"?
Awesome story the religion story was cool😁
There’s a reference I don’t know
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No, Celestia wasn't dead. The story ends with them watching Celestia raise the sun together. As far as for what Discord said, that bit, along with him saying Celestia used to be important to him, was a hint towards a pre-chaos-takeover relationship (back before Nightmare Moon as well) he had with Celly, which would have been friendship or otherwise. Originally, I had this spelled out more explicitly, but decided to make a bit more vague to fit in with the mystical vibe of the piece and leave it more for the reader to decide.
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Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
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What reference is that?
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I see. My guess did go a little toward that but I got a little confused there because they were talking as if Celestia was dead, so I was not sure if you were implying Discord turned crazy and took down Celestia.
Just my overthinking conspiracy theorist mind.
Going to have to hop aboard the "I don't get it" train. It's a pleasant story, but if there's some deeper meaning here, I'm not seeing it.
"Priest made peace with the devil, the devil had mellowed by this time, and they shared a nice moment of reverence together, the end."
Is there some deeper metaphor here that I'm just not getting?
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Nope, that's pretty much it!
Alondro smirks, "In many cultures, for thousands of years, they worshiped the rulers they routinely saw with their own eyes, who often DIED before they did! I would think that actually SEEING a being live for over a thousand years, who physically MOVES THE SUN with her own power would tend to lead to even MORE worship than we ever had on Earth. I tend to find that people in this highly self-delusional modern age wish to believe themselves to be little gods beholden only to themselves even as the universe casually flings black holes about, with energies beyond the comprehension of 99.999999999999999999999999999999999999999% of the mortal life on this planet, and utterly exceeding everything, the planet itself included in destructive capability."
When one knows as much as Alondro, one finds it wise to bow to a being that actually IS a god in every way, shape and form, for such people KNOW they are dust in the wind, and those beings are the ones blowing it.
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I'm more surprised they have a consecrated weapon at all.
And that the triad is fire, water, a sword instead of something that scans to the tribes.
Very interesting, regardless.
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"Priest made peace with the devil, the devil had mellowed by this time, and they shared a nice moment of reverence together, the end."
This is a good summation but if you are looking for some deeper meaning there is some to unpack here. The devil here could symbolize modernity. The priests church is empty and his congregation is moving on. Instead of anger and lashing out he sees the good in it. A congregation of 1 or 1000 he does his duties, and even for the "devil" (modernity) he can take time to be there when needed. There is worth in tradition but there is no failure in being replaced. The old generations will always have to make way for the new, and in sitting quietly with the devil and watching a new day be born, he takes joy in that rebirth.
At first, judging by the description, I thought this would be a pony version of The Last Church, like this fic.
This was really good regardless.
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Glad you enjoyed it!
Hello! A review for this story has been posted in the Reviewer's Mansion group. I hope you find it helpful.
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Wow! This was beyond helpful. Thank you so much, Jarvy! Really appreciate the time you took to analyze and review this little story of mine.
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Thank you for giving me the opportunity! This story was an atmospheric triumph.
This was a beautiful piece. Something on the Celestian religion that actually invokes feelings of religion.
For some reason it really reminds me of the Mainline Protestant churches in the United States. Old buildings, old priests, and empty pews. But there is something beautiful there. All of the meaning of what these institutions once were, distilled and concentrated into what little remains. In parallel, the rituals as well, denied their central role as the stuff holding the social fabric together, discard their earthly attachments and are also distilled down to their true meaning.
Then the religion itself will die, as all things do and are but newborns as old as the cultural contexts they are experienced in, but that does not matter. It was meaningful for those who lived in its time, including the gods, and that was the value. The courage to be, until we are no more.
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Thanks! I'm glad the piece accomplished what I was hoping it would.
That's basically what I based it on, so I'm glad to hear that came across.
Amen to that.
Between work and writing, I hadn't had a chance to sit and read this all the way through (although I started a few times) but I'm glad I finally sat down and finished it. This is, by far, my favorite story you've written. The quiet, somber mood, and the way Waddle so idly converses with Discord gives the story a sense of quiet melancholy that appeals deeply to me. The gentle musings on religion and faith told in so few words really is a talent that needs more appreciation. The last few paragraphs definitely bring the story home in the same way a song hits that last note perfectly, and you managed to capture so much mystique in such a small space here.
Really excellent work.
It's hard to imagine religion being able to wax and wane in a world with literal, living gods one can meet. Nevertheless, there's a lot of powerful stuff in here, and it's a world I would hope you would revisit soon.
Especially because I spied that DisLestia.There aren't a lot of stories on the site that treat such things so seriously or with such eloquence, and this was a really beautiful piece. Discord was in top form here. Nowhere did it feel like his character or might was lessened for the sake of anything else.Though, I'm not sure what the title translates to.
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The title is Latin for "To Speak The Truth In Love," which is a paraphrase of Ephesians 4:15.
Thanks for all the recent comments! I'm glad you enjoyed the latest batch of Gadot stories.
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Pls bake more batches 🙏
I liked this story it was very short and sweet. Didn't get it right away but it finally came to me. I would love a return to this universe some time. I mean it doesn't have to be a direct sequel but something else set in this universe.
Just a thought.
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Glad you enjoyed it! I may return to this idea/universe at some point, but no promises.
My Little Reviews & Feedback I review your story take a look. :3
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Thanks!
Howdy, hi!
I'm not much for stories with religious overtones but this one really hit a sweet spot for me. The theming of the cathedral and Waddles being the last priest of the church is such an interesting concept plus the near mythological vibe of the piece just gives this really warm feeling to the whole narrative that I truly appreciate.
You really struck a good characterization of Discord. Him still being his wacky self but also having that introspective part that really ties the whole piece together. This story was just super enjoyable to read.
Thank you for the piece!
It makes sense that the show never got too deep into religion. Not only is it a heavy topic for a kid's show, but the way the lore works in MLP does imply that Celestia and Luna are deified to some extent. This is an interesting way of poking at that concept. There must be a different texture to a religion where the gods objectively exist and you can can talk to them personally.
I appreciate the discord characterization here. Some fic writers have issues translating him to the page, but he managed to be alive without getting bogged down with explanations.
I'm not a religious person, but I can see the appeal of faith, and the attitude Waddle takes toward it is something I can sympathize with.
Focused, engaging, and thought provoking. There isn't much more I can hope for from a one-shot. Nice work!
I've not really seen much written about Mr. Waddle, so this was an interesting read. Somehow, him and Discord work so well together, and I can't exactly put my hoof on why. Maybe it's the parallel of a religious pony conversing with a god, or maybe it's just their attitudes, but there's something special there that I never saw coming.
Your prose is amazing, possibly the best I've ever read. The description of the smoke is gorgeous, and the fire is similarly great. It's such a mystical, but grounded window into a daily routine.
Discord is interesting, and bear with me because I'm not religious so I could be taking this the wrong way. I feel like this is supposed to be a story about accepting religion, which is all the more of a complicated predicament when the pony he's supposedly praying to for atonement is someone he's known in the past. To him, I guess it's like his way of apologizing, because as we all know, Discord isn't exactly the type of person to speak his deeper thought on a whim. There's a lot of wisdom to be deciphered from this, and you do so much with so little. The ending especially intrigues me.
This story could have a set message or moral, but considering the topic of the story, I don't think that's something for us to know. We just have to make our own answers. Bravo!
Well, this was interesting.
On one side we have Waddle, a priest in MLP lore, and you do a great job translating the actual practice to a world where gods are in many ways equal to the gods they worship. Were this not the first time I see him characterized, I would say this is my favorite interpretation of him and the matter.
On the other we have Discord, who I find to be a bit more of antagonistic than usual with Waddle, but considering the talk right at the end, I can see that it's Discords own way of coping, and centered with the pony who would give him some kind of answer.
Both combined make for an interesting exploration of pony religion and a hint of something more, which i found really interesting.
Good job, Gadot
You're goddamn right, because you should be
. Such a lovely, atmospheric piece, Gadot. I think you mentioned that you wrote this based on personal experience, and it shows! Religion is always a fickle thing to portray, yet here you translated it perfectly to MLP, heh. You didn't just shove it into the world, you've woven it in. And it works.
Discord is on his A-game here, as I've mentioned. His banter with Waddle is great, yet he's not just portrayed as lolrandom, and neither is Waddle someone helpless in the face of a trickster. There's depth to the two of them, from the way Discord reflects on his shared past with Celestia, to Waddle resolutely carrying out his duties as the Church grows smaller still - and of course, that lovely final exchange.
I don't know why I didn't favourite this the first time, but now I have
Kudos!
I agree with a previous reviewer that one doesn't often see religion treated in a fantasy setting, and it's always good to see it treated respectfully.
Growing up in an extremely low-church Protestant culture, I have come to appreciate the place of highly ritualized liturgical religion as well. It's good to see it here (though the service was a bit short).
Good work!
I don't think this needs the alternate universe tag.