Romance and the Fate of Equestria

I had realized when planning Chapter 95 that it had the potential to be the longest chapter in the story's history… and it was, even more so than I expected, nearly 8,000 words, beating the crap out of Chapter 34's 5,900. What I liked about Chapter 34 is that it was the longest even though it had no Author's Notes at all, and I wanted Chapter 95 to share that distinction. Unfortunately, all the self-indulgent junk I wanted to say at the end of 95 was over 1,000 words itself, so instead I'll put all of that at the beginning and end of this chapter.

Apologies to those who may have, say, flipped over their tables at the whole "Annihilara is not a villain" thing. Planned it all along, of course, but having Celestia actually say the words "Annihilara is not a villain" and calling it a ridiculous notion, that is a direct (but friendly!) stab at you guys, the readers. When I first introduced her, my intent was to create a character who was highly dangerous but morally ambiguous. Reader reception to the character was overwhelmingly positive, through the roof, everybody loved her, but after a while, I realized that every review was praising me for having introduced a great new villain, without a single mote of speculation that she might be something else. Come on, we're all bronies here; hasn't Friendship Is Magic taught you anything about books and covers and whatnot? Go back to Chapter 69 and you'll see that she doesn't commit a single remotely evil act. Chasing thieves out of one's own home and letting them live, to me, doesn't exactly scream "evil". And her line about being the reason that the castle is destroyed, that wasn't a boast, that was beating herself up, although that bit of double-talk was just me being a diabolical writer. I guess I should be proud that my deceptive veil worked so perfectly.

It occurs to me that the Pony of Shadows has also not engaged in any onscreen villainy. If it comes back and also turns out to be a non-villain, I'm going to be… let's say mildly put out. My little sister suspects that there's a Hasbro spy reading my material, hence the uncanny parallels that occasionally pop up. I pointed out to her that episodes are completed months before they actually air, and that the only person who knows what's going to happen in my story months before I actually post it is her. I'm not sure what to make of her horrified reaction to that statement. Should it be taken as a sign that she is the spy? I don't know. I just don't know. I've got my eye on you, little sis.

Chapter Ninety-Six

"It truly cannot be overstressed," Okapiopteryx said tersely. "I hope we all know that it'd be best—we must crack down hard, on Sørmur dï Mitgaeard, before she destroys us all, yes?"

"Oh, yes," Song Li said in sudden alarm. "Um… I… I quite agree. And… as this is a matter of global security, I believe all discussions thereof should be kept in utmost secrecy"—she cleared her throat and continued in more confident tones—"strictly between goddesses until such a time as true decisions are made."

"Quite right, yes, quite right," Celestia muttered, glancing around. She turned to Twilight and the others. "If you would all excuse us for a moment…"

"Yes," Luna agreed. "While the goddesses counsel, why don't you all enjoy yourselves… in this." She waved her horn at the center of the plateau, and summoned up a large cottage, white with green trim and gray slatted roof.

Kolassa vanished and reappeared out in the desert, several hundred yards away. Celestia and Luna spread their magnificent wings and flew out to join her. Okapiopteryx consulted under her breath with her high priest, then fluttered off on her own. Song Li nodded to her four guards and blasted off with the jets on the bottoms of her hooves. Annihilara's body seeped into the ground and vanished, coming back out of the ground where the rest of the goddesses had huddled.

"Can anypony read lips?" said Rainbow, squinting at the distant goddesses. "We can at least figure out Kolassa's part of the conversation…"

"Rainbow," Twilight chided, smacking her playfully. "Come on, let's go inside."

The various entourages started filing into the cottage Luna had created. Inside were a series of buffet tables, along with lots of space for standing around. The small windows allowed in an unusual amount of welcoming bright light, and the air within was pleasantly cool.

"All right!" Applejack remarked. "Now it's a social event." She grabbed a plate and scooped up some chips.

"Fluttershy," Twilight said absently, "if you get nervous, we'll be—oh!"

Fluttershy was already among Song Li's people, eagerly chattering with the four of them. "Your goddess seems like such a sweetheart!" she gushed. "It must be a joy working for her and having her looking out for your people. I get her, you know? I get her. Some might find it suspicious or disrespectful the way she doesn't look anypony in the eye, but I see that for what it is: a sign that she's purer and more well-meaning than any leader who can actually 'work the room'."

"Huh," Twilight said to herself. "How about that?"

"Ooh, what have we here?" Rarity muttered, gathering up some gelatin with little bits of pineapple and yams with marshmallows. An okapi was beside her at the table, and she examined the fabric of the creature's robe curiously.

She came upon Zecora, who was standing alone and still staring intently at the zebra in the red robe and gold crown.

"Somepony has high standards," Rarity said loudly in Zecora's ear. Zecora jumped in surprise and stared at Rarity in confusion.

"You're interested in that zebra," Rarity said smugly. "Who is he? He looks important. A high priest, perhaps?"

Rainbow Dash sidled up to them, scarfing down a bowl of pudding. "Just goes to show you," she said, "everypony's got a type. And your type, apparently, is… high priests. Who knew?" Zecora frowned at her, and she laughed. "Don't get me wrong, Z, I'm just bustin' your chops. He is handsome. Why don't you go and talk to him?"

"Hmm?" Zecora said in alarm.

"Well, come on," Rainbow pressed. "You've spent the night with him in your imagination like five times since he showed up, have I got that right?"

Zecora shrugged.

"What's this?" said Twilight, approaching with an eager and fascinated expression. "Zecora having an interest in romance? Ooh, maybe I can help. You know, since you've done so much for us over the years. Come on. Give me some data."

"Heh… very well," Zecora chuckled. "He's been the high priest for as long as I can recall, the wisest and holiest of us all. And for me, he's been a heart-fluttering source of delight since I was a fresh-faced young acolyte."

"Aww," Twilight said sweetly. "What's his name?"

"I know not," Zecora admitted, "but I can get my fix, just knowing he's the high priest of Okapiopteryx."

"Wow, you pulled that one off," Rainbow muttered. "Nicely done."

"He's as great as a mortal may get in my nation," Zecora went on dreamily. "I must make sure I meet all the qualifications. I can't present myself if I'm an imperfect priest. I should have brought along my robe, at least." She looked angrily over her attire, the usual gold rings around her neck and leg.

"Zecora, come on," said Rainbow. "You're the best priestess in the world. What should he care whether you follow protocol or whatever? Anyway, judging by all the clowns in this entourage, it seems like the biggest prerequisite to join your clergy is androgynousness, and you've got it in spades."

"Rainbow…" Twilight chuckled. "The word is androgyny, and I doubt that's the qualification Okapiopteryx looks for in her priests."

"How else do you explain that they all look like these chick-dude hybrids?" Rainbow countered. "Which I'm totally into, by the way," she added to Zecora.

"Anyway…" Twilight pondered. "If you want to approach him, you have an edge. Your goddess just gave you some very high praise. You're probably looking pretty cool right now. I bet he'll be thrilled to see you coming over to talk to him."

Zecora grinned. "Hmm…"

"There you go," Twilight said brightly. "Go talk to him, we're right behind you."

Zecora nodded gratefully, then made her way through the crowds and approached the high priest. She lurked nearby him until he caught notice of her, and she promptly bowed.

"The thing that I seek is a moment to speak," she said reverently.

"You may stand," he replied. "And don't you look grand. I've seen a lot of things, but I did not expect, to meet you today… Zecora, correct?"

"Yes I am, to say the least," she said, standing. "Might I have your name, high priest?"

"Tinder," he said.

"Ahhhh," Zecora replied, her knees shaking with delight.

"I've heard things about you, stories and tales," said Tinder, "but it's all in broad strokes, vague on the details. So tell me, strange priestess who's traveled so far, what would you say if I asked who you are?"

Zecora shuffled nervously. "I…" she forced out. "I… am an evil enchantress who does evil dances. And if you look deep into my eyes, I will put you in trances. Then what will I do? I'll mix up an evil brew, and I'll gobble you up in a big tasty stew." She paused for a brief moment, then added, "So… watch out."

She laughed, and Tinder looked puzzled.

Pinkie had joined Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow in watching Zecora. "Okay, that time she did steal my song," she said, affronted.

"She sure did!" Rainbow said with a triumphant laugh. "Hey, give her a break, maybe it's easy for her to rhyme on the fly normally, but here there's pressure to make the rhymes really good 'cause she's talkin' to her big kahuna, and she likes the guy so she's nervous… can't blame her at all for cribbing a bit of her material from outside sources. I know a bit about stage fright. Trust me, she's all bluster right now…"

"So tell me, why did you leave your home?" Tinder was asking.

"Oh, no profound reason: I wanted to roam," Zecora replied, finishing his rhyme smoothly. "I wanted to step outside of Web City."

"But to be alone in the north, it seems such a pity," Tinder muttered.

"But I'm not alone."

"Aren't you?"

"No, not at all," said Zecora. "I have many friends who drop by for a call. I serve as a mentor for ponies in my town. I have some knowledge…"

"So you spread it around," Tinder finished.

Zecora nodded.

"Okapiopteryx has correspondence with you," Tinder went on. "All sad tales."

"Yes, once that was true," Zecora agreed. "The ponies' rejection cut like a knife, but they opened their minds and let me into their life."

"You're not what I expected, if I may confide," Tinder said quietly. "You're not cold and lonely; you glow with pride."

"I'm so glad you noticed!" Zecora said brightly.

"Yes, I could tell. A child of Web City, but Equestria as well."

"My life in Equestria is truly sublime," Zecora said wistfully. "I—"

Tinder held up a hoof, and she fell silent. "Could I cast a summoning spell on you sometime?" he whispered.

Her eyes widened, and she nodded in agreement. He smiled and rubbed her shoulder. She nodded to him with respect and stiffly walked back to rejoin the pony friends, trying to look as aloof as she did normally.

"Look at that!" said Applejack. "Is it just me? Was that really romantic, with you two perfectly in sync and finishing each other's verses, or is that just how you Okapiopteryx people talk to each other?"

Zecora laughed. "I was nervous to speak with him, as he's somebody important. But apparently, I'm also… erm… pretty bloody important."

"Did you just rhyme 'important' with 'important'?" Rainbow demanded.

"…No," Zecora said unconvincingly.

"Dude, you're slipping," said Rainbow, shaking her head. "Maybe celibacy is the only reason your mind's kept its keen edge."

They all laughed, then found that Tinder was looking at them curiously.

"We were talking about your high collar," Rarity called to him, gesturing to her own neck. "You really pull it off!"

An indistinct shadow rose up on the cottage wall, then solidified into the shape of Annihilara. The shadow was faceless for a few moments, until the burning red eyes and shiny teeth appeared dramatically, producing a terrified reaction from every creature in the cottage.

"Ahhhhhh, hey," Annihilara sighed. "I just figured I'd hang out and enjoy some of this." A shadowy tendril slid across the floor and up to a table, grabbing a whole pineapple and pulling it toward her face, where her teeth shredded it viciously.

Twilight approached the shadow on the wall cautiously. "Princess, aren't you supposed to be counseling with the other goddesses?"

"Oh, I am," Annihilara said casually. "I'm over there. But I'm also here. Sometimes I multitask, and now's a pretty good time. It's pretty boring over there. Tactics and long-range planning, stuff like that—blech."

"The fate of the world is in jeopardy, and you're bored?" Twilight demanded. Annihilara stared at her blankly, and she flinched away in fear. "You're, um…" she stammered, "you're not giving your full attention to the ordeal the world is facing? D… don't you care?"

"Yes, and the rest of me is giving the matter my undivided attention," Annihilara said condescendingly. "So I'm gonna hang out. I'm fine on my own, don't mind me, just pretend I'm not here."

"Oooookay," Twilight said blankly.

The various followers of the goddesses, who had been filling the entire cottage in various small groups carrying on conversations, were now giving the wall with Annihilara on it a wide berth. Annihilara shrugged and began devouring an avocado, stripping it down to the pit.

Applejack shifted through the crowd, taking a deep breath to steel herself, and slipped out into the open space, approaching Annihilara. "Can I ask you a question, Princess?" she said softly.

Annihilara chewed up the avocado's seed and said, "Call me Annihilara. I never liked the 'princess' thing. And sure, what's up?"

"Annihilara," said Applejack, nodding. "You know, I betcha if I had a million chances I'd never figure out how to spell that. Ah, here's the thing: the Princess—your cousin Celestia—said somethin' about you bein' able to call the spirits of the dead?"

"Yes," Annihilara replied, toying with a kiwi in her weightless black tentacles. "I can hear them, all of them, where they are now. When I first became a goddess, I heard every living creature who had ever died, there in my head. I could sort through them, view all of their memories. And new creatures die every instant, don'tcha know, so the archive keeps on just expanding and expanding. A mortal mind would break instantly under this burden, but somehow I don't have any problems with it." She bit into the kiwi with her many teeth and started sucking on it.

"Do you think you could let me speak with my grandmother?" Applejack asked eagerly.

She gulped the kiwi down. "Absolutely. Granny Smith, right?"

"How'd you know?" Applejack said in surprise.

"Just a quick scan of my memories," Annihilara said. "It was easy enough to spot the moment of her death; you were there. Slashed throat, eh? Wow. You know, the slashed throat isn't what killed her."

"Yeah, I know."

"Good. Yeah, as it happens, it was just her time. I've never seen a more peaceful soul… which makes sense, with her age and all. She held in there for a long time." Annihilara leaned toward Applejack, her head becoming three-dimensional. "I seem to recall that she asked you, and you agreed, not to mourn her, to get on with your life. And I'm getting that she was quite proud of you for proclaiming it to your friends after she died, and again at her funeral. You really gonna go back on that?"

"Well, I… you know," Applejack said, embarrassed. "Ya talk about what you'd say if ya had another chance to talk to the ponies you've lost, but… you know, we talk about it 'cause it's impossible. Just somethin' to talk about, somethin'… abstract. But now I've got somepony standin' in front of me who can make it happen. I can talk to Granny again, or even my parents… I always thought I wouldn't need to, but now that it's not impossible, that kinda changes things."

"Well," Annihilara said gently, "maybe the fact that the opportunity has come up is all the more reason why you shouldn't do it. Calling up her soul isn't exactly moving forward, is it?"

Applejack bit her lip and looked up at the ceiling in contemplation. "Well…"

"I can still call her up if you want," Annihilara said hastily. "Your parents too. I just wanted to make sure we had all cards on the table."

Applejack shook her head. "You're right, Princess. It's good enough to know that she's at peace and proud of me. More than good enough, actually. Thanks for keepin' me honest."

"Hey, anytime."

Applejack attempted to hug the wall. Annihilara exclaimed in surprise, and pulled her two hooves off of the wall to hug her back.

Pinkie zoomed by; her hooves were armored with the golden shoes worn by Song Li's guards, and she was flying around the room on the jets they produced, and apparently having some difficulty steering, as demonstrated by her occasional scraping of the cottage walls and ceiling.

"This is so awesome!" she said in a sing-song voice. She collided with a window, which deflected her away. "Ow!"

Celestia appeared at the window and knocked on it gently. The cottage's walls and ceiling became transparent and pleasantly tinted blue. Through the walls, they could see that the goddesses had returned to the plateau—including Annihilara, standing alongside Celestia and Luna in her pony form.

"All right, everypony, now we can—" Celestia began. She paused, noticing the Annihilara inside the cottage, and turned in surprise to the one standing next to her. "Annihilara!"

"I was paying attention!" Annihilara said defensively. She held up a hoof, and the copy of herself inside the cottage drifted toward her and was absorbed into her body.

"You're done already, Your Highness?" Twilight said in surprise.

"Oh, there's much more to talk about," said Celestia. "It can't all be done in one day. But we've managed to lay down a foundation of a plan. We've got a very strong thread going—we'll be coordinating to keep it moving forward. The rest of the Gathering shall be more to enjoy ourselves and get to know each other, I think."

Okapiopteryx sighed and rolled her eyes, entering the cottage and joining in a whispered conversation with some of her priests. Many conversations resumed, some individuals leaving the cottage and others filing in. Kolassa leaned in close to listen in on something.

"So, Annihilara—" Celestia began.

"The answer remains no," she said coldly.

"Yes, I know," Celestia said, undeterred. "But I think I have a bit of an extra piece of leverage here, another bargaining chip." She wrapped an arm around Luna's shoulders and presented her to Annihilara. "Am I right?"

"What?" Luna said blankly.

Annihilara scoffed. "Every time we see each other, she asks me to come live with her in Canterlot. She was just about to do it again."

"Oh, yes, you must!" Luna exclaimed in delight. "That would be so wonderful. I miss you, cousin."

"No," Annihilara stated. "I would ruin everything for you."

"Explain that to me once and for all, Annihilara, because I still don't understand it," Celestia commanded, a thunderous edge creeping into her voice.

"Do I have to spell it out?" Annihilara snapped. "I bunked with you in Clovenshire. Now Clovenshire is gone. You want that to happen to Canterlot too?"

"Annihilara, don't be absurd," Celestia said in surprise. "You didn't destroy Clovenshire, it was Sørmur dï Mitgaeard's 'chosen one' who did that. You tried to defend the city and save it, and did quite a good job, all things considered."

"Yes, but the destruction never would have happened if I hadn't been there," Annihilara spat.

"He was after me, not you," Celestia objected.

"Well, he never would have found you, or even tried, if I hadn't been living with you!" Annihilara retorted. "And if not him, then something else horrible that never would have come for you if not for me!"

Celestia frowned. "You're saying that bad creatures can track you and find you?" she asked, taking a wild guess at what Annihilara was getting at.

"No," Annihilara said quietly. "I'm just saying that when I'm around, bad things happen."

Celestia and Luna's eyes widened. "Ohhhh," they said in unison, nodding in comprehension.

"That's what you're saying," said Luna.

"Lara, that is completely ridiculous," Celestia chuckled.

"And a little bit narcissistic, cousin," Luna said solemnly.

Annihilara stared. "Narcissistic?" she repeated. She leaned forward, and the sky turned gray for miles around. "Nar… narcissistic? I'm… isolating myself… to protect you two and your entire kingdom… and you're calling me… narcissistic? You… you… GAAAHH!" With a ghastly shriek, she transformed into a towering pillar of darkness, which vanished, turning the skies blue once again.

Annihilara dropped down from the sky, dangling from an endless black spiderweb, and swung in alongside Song Li and Fluttershy. "Hello, ladies," she said. "What are we talking about over here?"

Fluttershy squeaked in terror.

"Narcissistic is a bit of an extreme word, Luna," said Celestia uneasily. "I wouldn't have used it. It doesn't seem quite accurate."

"I know, but it's a word that pushes her buttons, gets her thinking," Luna explained. "We've had conversations like that many a time."

"Really?" said Celestia, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes," Luna said with regret. "Even before her untimely death, she always thought of herself as some sort of avatar of misfortune. She would often refuse to follow the call of her horn and heart, for she was certain that even though it led to joy and destiny for everypony else, it would lead her to disaster. If you ever wondered why she never got her cutie mark, that's it. She believed her problems—be they problems with work, finances, magic, or her interpersonal relationships—to be unique to her, freakish, and unsolvable by any natural worldly means. At any public place, she would turn on passers-by and demand of them why they, total strangers, were staring at her with such burning hatred… which she truly believed they were doing, though it was apparent they were doing no such thing.

"In summary, she thought the world was out to get her. Now, consider this: Is that a sign of an underdeveloped ego, or overdeveloped? Is it a simple case of low self-esteem… or is it narcissism, the belief that she is the center of all goings-on in the world? Lara and I would discuss such things at length. The possible implications it had on her character didn't help her self-esteem, but they got her reconsidering her approach, at least temporarily."

"I wish I had known that," Celestia whispered. "So much makes sense now. It's good to have you back for this, Luna. You understand her. I never did. It made living with her difficult. And it meant I couldn't get her to stay, no matter what I tried."

"You know, Rarity has some similar self-esteem issues," Luna said thoughtfully. "Perhaps we could get those two talking to one another. Would it help them, or sink them deeper?"

The two sisters stood together in silent contemplation.

"Rainbow, you haven't taken any pictures," Pinkie remarked, pulling off the golden shoes.

"Yeah, I know," said Rainbow. "I was, uh, only planning on taking… one." She flapped over to Celestia and Luna. "Princesses, do you think I could get a picture of all of the goddesses? For the folks back home?"

"Absolutely, Rainbow Dash, if my counterparts are agreeable," Celestia said with a warm smile. "Excuse me, ladies? My friend Rainbow Dash wants to commemorate the Gathering with a picture of us, just us goddesses. Would you be—?"

"Oh, most excellent!" said Kolassa, standing up excitedly and towering over the plateau. "If I may make a suggestion: take it way out in the desert, not here on the plateau. You know why? Because you're going to want me on the same level plane as the others in order to properly capture the sense of scale." She gestured to her own body, top-to-bottom.

"Ahhh, I see," Rainbow Dash said slyly, nodding her head slowly. "You get your picture taken a lot?"

"Not as often as you'd think," said Kolassa. "Tourists, mostly. Let's go!" She teleported out in the desert, even farther away than she had gone for the private conference, and beckoned.

Rainbow flew after her, joined by Celestia and Luna. Song Li turned to Fluttershy, and they both giggled and took off. "I wanna see this," Fluttershy whispered excitedly.

Okapiopteryx raised an eyebrow, then sighed and flew after them all.

Four goddesses set down on the ground at Kolassa's hooves as Rainbow set up a tripod she had pulled out of a saddlebag. Fluttershy stood at Rainbow's side, and Twilight teleported in to join them. Song Li's guards descended alongside them as well, and Tinder stepped in via a mirrored portal.

Rainbow glanced up at the guards and the high priest and chuckled. "What are you doing? Are you gonna protect the goddesses from me? They can protect themselves, you know. They can deal with any threat a whole lot better than you can. You guys are just like the Canterlot Royal Guard: you're just here for décor." She peered through the lens of the camera.

"Hey, Twilight Sparkle, is that you?" Kolassa called down.

"Yes, my lady," Twilight called back, surprised.

"Great. Could you please signal me when I'm far enough away?"

"Certainly," said Twilight.

Kolassa turned her body to the side and teleported away. Rainbow, her eye still in the lens, motioned to Twilight, who summoned up a huge swirling pink cloud which motioned for Kolassa to back up. Kolassa steadily increased the distance a few more times.

"All right, she's perfect," said Rainbow.

Twilight sent up a stream of sparklers. Kolassa nodded and laid down, turning her head toward the camera and smiling, holding perfectly still.

Luna looked up at Song Li. "Let me straighten you up, my dear," she said, getting on her hinds legs and lifting Song Li's chin with her hoof.

Rainbow peered out from behind the camera. "Hey, Your Majesty, you're not in the shot."

Okapiopteryx edged slightly closer to Celestia.

"O… kay, I guess technically now you're in the shot," Rainbow said, shrugging.

Celestia glanced at Okapiopteryx to her right, Luna and Song Li to her left, and Kolassa far in the distance. "Where's Annihilara?" she asked.

A cloud of swirling black sand was floating behind Rainbow Dash, Annihilara's face within its depths. "Right here," she said. "I'm just here to watch."

"Lara, come and be in the picture," Luna encouraged.

"No, no…"

"It's a picture of the goddesses. You're a goddess," Luna said pointedly.

"Oh, nopony wants me in—"

"I want you in the picture."

"I—"

"Princess Annihilara, get your ass in this picture, NOW!" Celestia growled, her eyes glowing yellow and her voice echoing. "I'm not indulging in your low self-esteem. My friend wants a group photo, please don't ruin that for her, and if you have any rational argument against your involvement, well, I don't want to hear about it, just get over here."

Annihilara sighed and drifted over, solidifying into her usual form. "Fi—INE," she grumbled, cutting out in the middle of the word due to the apparently pain of her cutie mark reappearing.

"Very good, sister," Luna whispered to Celestia. "Tough love, that's what this one needs."

"That's right, it all comes from love," Celestia agreed, nuzzling Annihilara's face with her own.

"Yeah, yeah…" Annihilara sighed. She stood between Celestia and Okapiopteryx, turned toward the camera, and opened her jaw slightly in an imitation of a smile.

"Aw, this is perfect," Rainbow said enthusiastically. She peered through the lens and took the picture. She looked over the camera at the goddesses. "Wow," she whispered. "Just… wow. I don't think I need to snap that a second time. That was perfect. Thank you all so much!" She gathered up the camera, and they all began to return to plateau in the same manner in which they had left it.

Twilight set up another burst of fireworks, and Kolassa nodded to her and stood up. She began walking back to the Gathering at a leisurely pace. Twilight teleported back, coming in directly between Rainbow and Fluttershy.

"If anyone wants copies of that picture," said Rainbow, pulling out a quill and parchment, "write down your address or whatever, and I'll… I'll try to get it to you. Not sure how that'll work."

"Oh, I know what to do," Twilight offered. "I'll send all the copies to my boyfriend. He's at the Bazaar, so he can send all the rest of the pictures anywhere in the world via the shadowravens. All you need to do is write your name, I think, and the names of whoever else you think might like a copy, and… that should work."

A few of Song Li's guards and Okapiopteryx's priests started lining up to write their names on the parchment as Kolassa slowly lumbered back to the plateau, grinning. When she reached them this time, she didn't sit down.

"Listen…" she said, "you must believe I'm being absolutely sincere when I say there's nothing I'd like more than to engage in more idle banter and shenanigans. Truly, I'm having a great time. However…" She gazed out into the desert. "There are a lot of folks in this desert who are praying for my aid. I must go to them. It's been so nice seeing you all again, spending time together. Thank you for your support. We'll be in touch."

"We will indeed," said Celestia, bowing down to her.

"Celestia," Kolassa said sweetly. "My dear friend." She leaned forward to nuzzle Celestia, managing to do so very gently despite her house-size snout. Celestia lifted a hoof and stroked Kolassa sweetly.

Kolassa turned around and started walking away, teleporting a few hundred yards ahead every few seconds as she walked. The six pony friends stood together to watch her go, still very much impressed.

"Annihilara," said Celestia, "one thing before the Gathering disperses. I'd like you to meet Twilight Sparkle."

"W-w-what?" Twilight demanded.

"Come," Celestia said gently.

Twilight approached Celestia, as Annihilara stood at her side and examined Twilight curiously.

"Twilight here is my prize student," said Celestia. "The best and brightest I've had in… oh, however many years I've been taking students. She's also family: her brother is married to the princess who's sitting on the throne of Equestria right now, who I assume has been spending the past few hours waiting for Luna and I to return so she can breathe." She laughed. "And she's also a close personal friend."

"Okay," Annihilara said uncertainly.

"Twilight," Celestia continued, "is an expert in an expansive field that covers such subjects as friendship, love, familial bonding, confident self-image, and having a healthy attitude toward life. If you're ever feeling down, or having a problem, or just need somepony to talk to… I'd like you to consult her. Would that be all right with you, Twilight?"

"Yes, Princess," Twilight said promptly. To Annihilara, she said, "You can always count on me, Princess."

Luna came up beside Annihilara and touched her leg. Her skin swirled like smoke at Luna's touch. "Lara, I'm sorry," she whispered. "I don't like having to do the 'tough love' thing…"

"Neither do I," Celestia muttered. "That did not come easily, I felt like a completely different pony… the pony who… well, you know."

"Don't worry about it, girls," said Annihilara. "And listen, about moving in with you two. I'm actually starting to consider it. Okay? I'll think about it."

"You'll think about it?" Celestia said, impressed. She turned to Luna. "I don't believe I've ever gotten that far with her. Well done, Lulu."

"Well, I mean it," said Annihilara. "And I'll see you later." She looked down at the ground and mumbled, "Awake now… might start visiting more often… I'm sorry I… you know."

Celestia nodded to her. Annihilara took a deep breath and launched herself up into the sky. Her body morphed into a shadowy serpent and flew off into the distance.

"I guess our time here is done," Celestia said solemnly, gazing at the horizon. "Ladies."

Song Li and Okapiopteryx turned to her.

"As Kolassa said, we will all be in touch," said Celestia.

They both nodded, Song Li doing so with bright enthusiasm and Okapiopteryx solemn and serious, never taking her eyes off of Celestia.

"Are we ready to go, girls?" said Luna. "Gather around."

The six ponies and Zecora gathered into a tight clump, and Celestia and Luna stood at opposite ends of them once again, igniting their horns. Once again, the group was surrounded by blue and gold rings of light, and in a flash of white, they were back where they had started, on the road between Ponyville and the Everfree, where it was now nighttime.

"So, that was the Gathering of the Goddesses," said Celestia. "Not exactly a riotous good time, but…"

"We loved it, Princess," said Twilight. "It's the greatest honor of our lives that you chose us… that you're always choosing us for things like this."

Celestia bent down and rubbed her nose against Twilight's. "I will always choose you, my most beloved subjects. A good night to you all."

The princesses took off into the sky, Zecora turned back into the forest, and the ponies started back to town, all wishing each other a good night.

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Endnotes

So, getting back to my various musings, let's talk about the goddesses. I'm not entirely sure what role I originally thought these characters would play in the story, just that I'd been foreshadowing their existence as early as Chapter 18, when Zecora mentions her goddess, and Chapter 34, when Vorpal Blade claims that all the other goddesses think Celestia is a sissy. I knew they'd finally appear in the latter half of Part Two, and so it's when Part Two began that I started to decide exactly who they are. I started with just their names, and little did I know that just from that, I'd get enough material to justify writing a whole damn prequel about them. And it was from planning the prequel, I may add, that I made the decision to include various veiled references to the "Old Gods", who started being mentioned during the Bazaar story arc. But now's not the time to discuss the prequel. And, now that I think about it, it's not the time to discuss exactly where I got the ideas for the goddesses' names, designs, and characterization either. Maybe I'll talk about that in the illustrated version.

So if you want to know about the big decisions I made about the goddesses… well, you'll have to just continue the story to see the role they'll play in it, and to really see who they are, well, you'll have to read Legend of the Goddesses. But maybe later. There's still one pretty big secret that this story has to reveal first.