The room after the battle had a long flight of stairs leading up to a corridor with pillars on the side. This section was more decorative and no traps could be seen, though there were some torches lit. Everyone continued to walk quietly up the stairs to find Anatankha. Flurry asked Somnambula more questions about Anatankha’s story.
“Wait, so the reason Twilight and the others were able to find the talismans so easily is because Anatankha put them all right were they needed to be?” Flurry asked.
“That is what she told me,” Somnambula answered.
“I always wondered who moved all those talismans away from Ponehenge.”
“Then that means it’s because of her that we were able to stop the Pony of Shadows,” said Rainbow Dash.
“And bring me and my friends out of limbo,” Somnambula added. “I don’t think she realizes just how much good she has actually done, and I did not know she went through all of that torment.”
“I actually feel pretty bad for her,” Annie said.
“She just needs a friend. That’s all,” said Pumpkin, cheerfully.
“Shhh. That’s her throne room,” Stormy said, pointing to a large door that was still opened a bit.
They all crept quietly to the door and walked in slowly with Somnambula leading the way. In the throne room was Anatankha, lying on the ground like a resting cat. She was not facing them and had her head buried in her crossed arms, with her necklace and armbands removed. In the center of the room, a ray of sunlight shone down from the hole in the roof above, but Anatankha was in the darkness behind it. The particles in the air made it hard to see through the filter of light, but her tail was visible in the sunlight.
“Anatankha?” asked Somnambula, stepping into the light.
The sphinx did not make a sound, though she was aware they had entered. Somnambula tried getting closer until Anatankha responded.
“Shouldn’t you be far away from here by now?” the sphinx grumbled.
“Anatankha, I’m sorry to hear about what happened to you after you left my village. I did not know.”
“What difference does it make? I have done enough damage. There’s nothing left for me any longer.”
“Then why did you let me and my friends go?”
Anatankha turned her head around. Some of her mascara had mixed in with her tears and was now smeared on her face.
“Do you think it was easy for me to plan all of this? Do you think I didn’t have second thoughts? Of course I feel sorry. I didn’t want to come back and do this, but the torment from the others was too much. I felt I had no other purpose.”
“Anatankha, it has been over a thousand years since the day I went into limbo and you turned yourself to stone not long after. Those sphinxes are long gone now and the new sphinx kingdom is far more accepting of ponies. It is clear you feel sorry and do not want to do this anymore.”
“If you are asking me to apologize, it will not change anything. Your people have demonized me for everything I have done. They will never accept me.”
As they were speaking, Flurry noticed Spike walking in carefully past the door with the Journal of Friendship in his arms. He signaled for Flurry to take the book and she made her way to Anatankha.
“Um…Anatankha?” asked Flurry, stepping forward.
“What do you want, princess?” Anatankha replied.
“If it makes you feel better, there are other villains in Equestria who have done things far worse than you and some of them have already joined us.”
“Joined you?”
“That’s right. Why do you think we mentioned calling Discord for help earlier? He’s on our side now. A friend of ours named Fluttershy actually tamed him and it was because Princess Celestia had faith he could be reformed.”
“What? That is preposterous. Discord plunged their whole kingdom into an eternal state of chaos. The princess and her sister were the very ones who turned him into stone. The Equestria I knew would never give such a monster a chance at redemption.”
“Well maybe back then it was like that, but times have changed now. It’s not just Discord either. Look at this…”
Flurry flew up to Anatankha’s level and opened the book to the chapter documenting Twilight’s confrontation with Starlight.
“This is Starlight Glimmer. She started off by enslaving and brainwashing a whole town of ponies and forcing them to give up their cutie marks. After my aunt Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends all stood up to her, Starlight came back a while later and tried using a really dangerous time-travel spell to change the course of history. It took some convincing, but Starlight showed remorse and she’s a good friend of ours now.”
Anatankha looked closely at the pages of the journal and saw that Flurry was right. Flurry then turned the book back to her and flipped through some more pages.
“And here’s Trixie. She put on the Alicorn Amulet and enslaved the entire town of Ponyville, and Twilight and the others had to outsmart her to get her to remove the amulet. Trixie felt bad later and apologized, but it took a while for her to really come around until she befriended Starlight over their past mistakes.”
“There’s also Mommy’s griffon friend, Gilda,” Storm Streak said, pointing to his mother.
“Ahuizotl and Dr. Caballeron,” Rainbow Dash chimed in.
“Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon,” added Mrs. Cake.
“Flim and Flam,” added Applejack.
“And a whole lot of changelings,” said Chip.
“We’re still working on their queen though,” said Annie.
“Let’s not forget Captain Tempest and Grubber,” said Pound.
“Ooh, ooh! And Stygian!” Pumpkin said, hopping up and down.
“Oh that’s right!” Flurry said, turning back to the sphinx. “Anatankha, I don’t think you’ve realized it yet, but by returning all those talismans in their rightful spots, not only did you bring back the Pillars, but you helped us defeat the Pony of Shadows!”
“I…I did?” Anatankha said, wiping away her tears.
“Stygian was a unicorn I was friends with who lost his way and turned his back on us after a misunderstanding. The Pony of Shadows manifested itself within him, but we freed him from its clutches and banished it into limbo,” Somnambula explained. “Anatankha, you did a good deed for us already and you didn’t even know it!”
Anatankha took a moment to think to herself. It became evident she no longer had the desire to do villainous deeds, especially after hearing all of this. She had no idea she would find herself in an Equestria where some villains had their hearts changed already, but she already hated herself for everything she had done. She wasn’t sure she was worthy of a second chance.
“Why did you come back for me, Somnambula?” she asked. “I invaded your village, plundered your peoples’ crops, kidnapped your prince, and on top of that, I kidnapped you with no intentions of letting you go. Why should you give me a second chance? How could you trust me after everything I’ve done?”
“Because that is what friends do,” Somnambula said, tenderly.
Anatankha was moved by her words. Her nemesis was actually willing to give her a chance and accept her apology. There was no turning back now. Anatankha had to let go of all her hatred and accept Somnambula’s friendship. She walked into the light and held out her paw. Somnambula flew up and landed in it as Anatankha nuzzled against her.
“I am sorry, Somnambula,” she said with tears flowing from her eyes. “You are right. I didn’t think there was anything else I could do. You showed me today what friendship really means.”
Flurry closed her book and breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone smiled warmly as they watched.
“She did it, Mommy!” Stormy said, hugging Rainbow Dash.
“Phew!” said Applejack. “Good job with the book there, Flurr! Didn’t think ya had it in ya!”
“Especially after what happened the other day with Cozy,” Mrs. Cake added. “Good to see we now have another reformed villain!”
“It’s good to have you like this, Anatankha,” Somnambula said as Anatankha let her back down. “I will talk with the pharaoh about this and I’m sure he will have you pardoned.”
“Thank you, Somnambula,” said Anatankha, bowing her head. “I hope the others don’t mind. Only one question still remains: what am I going to do with this temple? This was an ancient enclave for sphinxes during the age when the ponies shared their kingdom with us. I outfitted it as a trap for you, but now it has no use.”
“Uh…maybe you can use it as a haunted house?” Stormy answered as everyone turned to him.
“A haunted house?”
“I think what he’s talking about is a themed attraction,” Rainbow Dash clarified.
“Yeah, like ponies come in and go through all these puzzles and stuff it’s scary but it’s supposed to be for fun.”
“A themed attraction. It is a form of entertainment for ponies in modern Equestria,” Somnambula clarified. “Like Flurry said, much has changed.”
“Hmmm. Strange way for ponies to be entertained, but that does sound like an idea. I would have to change things to make the temple a bit safer, but if ponies enjoy it, then I could convert this temple into an attraction after all. Whatever it takes to help rebuild my reputation from the ground up.”
“That would actually be nice,” Annie said. “The temple is still quite a sight and I wouldn’t mind coming back one day to visit this place.”
“Me too! We’re gonna have to give it a name though,” Chip said.
“You can call it Anta…Antana…Antonia’s Temple!” Stormy suggested cheerfully.
“ANATANKHA!” all of his friends shouted in unison.
“Er…whatever.”
“Just make sure you make that drain hole a little wider next time so dragons my size can fit down it.” Spike said, patting his belly as everyone else laughed.
Everyone went back to the village that afternoon to finish the rest of their planned tours, while Anatankha stayed behind to clean her temple. Somnambula spoke with the current pharaoh about Anatankha and he agreed to have her pardoned for her misdeeds. Soon the whole town knew about what had happened and while there were some who were still suspicious of the sphinx, Somnambula did her best to assure everyone she could be trusted. Flurry and her friends all made the most of the time they had left in Southern Equestria. They got to visit the sphinx statue and the pyramids in the Hayza Neighcropolis just outside of town, taking plenty of pictures throughout. After pondering their adventure in Anatankha’s Temple, Flurry thought up a friendship report to give to her aunt that reads as follows:
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
Today I learned that sometimes the ones who do harm in our lives are only doing it because someone else may have harmed them in the past. Sometimes someone’s anger in such a situation can get the best of them and cause them to do horrible things, but if we hold on to hope that they can be redeemed, they just might change. It’s always a good idea to talk to our enemies to get their perspective. I’m pleased to report that the legend of Somnambula and Anatankha the Sphinx now has a happy ending for both of them.
Your niece,
Flurry Heart
When the trip was nearing its end, they all packed up their belongings, said one last goodbye to Anatankha and went to the train station to meet with Somnambula and then return home to Ponyville.
“Well guys, I’d say that was a successful trip,” Flurry said confidently as they waited on the platform. “Bit of a hiccup along the way, but at least we reformed a villain.”
“We’ve got a story to tell dad when we get home, don’t we, Pumpkin?” Pound asked his sister.
“Ohoho, you bet! Dad’s gonna be so jealous!” Pumpkin responded.
“I don’t think he’s going to be quite so jealous that we were in a spooky temple, but I’m sure he’ll want to come with you two next year for sure,” Mrs. Cake told her twins.
“Tex is probably gonna be jealous I got to go on this wacky adventure,” Applejack added.
“Well, there’s the train, you guys,” Spike said as the train arrived and stopped in front of them. “Everypony got your luggage?”
“Everpony except me,” Stormy said, sullenly. “I still never got my hat back.”
Just then, Somnambula removed her headdress and put it on top of Stormy’s head.
“Why don’t you take this, Storm Streak,” Somnambula told him. “A brave little colt like you deserves an heirloom like that.”
Stormy sat still for a moment and could not speak. Rainbow Dash nudged him.
“She just gave you a gift, squirt. You gonna say something?” she teased.
“I…I…THANK YOU SO MUCH, SOMNAMBULA! I’LL NEVER TAKE IT OFF!!” he squealed as he hugged her tightly.
“Aw, you’re welcome, little one!” Somnambula replied before giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Stormy jolted like he had been zapped by electricity while his eyes opened as far as they could. His face turned beet-red and hearts floated out of his head once again. He began to close his eyes and smile as he fell to the ground in a love-dazed shock.
“Best day ever…” he said contently.
Everyone else laughed hysterically as Rainbow Dash patted him on the head. Somnambula giggled and then looked off to the side and noticed something in the corner of her eye. Not far away in a nearby mountainous area was Anatankha, perched atop a cliff, wearing her sphinx regalia again. She smiled at Somnambula and gave her a wink. Somnambula smiled and winked back to her old friend.
THE END