Dear Princess Celestia,
Today I learned that while writing is fun on its own, it's more fun when you take the leap and share it with friends. Also, even though it makes you nervous to let the world see things that are really important to you, good ponies will appreciate the fact that you took the time to share it.
Your Faithful Scribe,
Blue Print
So, thank you all for coming on this little journey with me! There are just a couple of things that I need to clear up that caused a bit of confusion. Both of them deal with foreign stuff. First, the chapter names. The chapter names were all Greek words, most of them having some sort of biblical or mythical significance. All of them are related in some way to the content of the chapter. The basic translations are as follows:
1: Pneuma = Breath or spirit
2: Gnosis = Knowledge, esp. hidden knowledge.
3: Hypsos = Height or altitude
4: Euchomai = Prayer or supplication
5: Theophaneia = The presence or manifestation of a god
6: Dunamis = Miracle or show of power
7: Aisthanomai = The faculties of sense
8: Thumos = Wrath or forcefulness
9: Pheugo = To flee
10: Oneiroi = Dream or vision
11: Eirene = Peace
12: Atheteó = Rejection
13: Phrike = Horror
14: Parakaleo = To exhort, plead with, comfort
15: Barbarizein = To imitate the crude speech
16: Diatheke = Covenant, contract, promise
17: Perihelion = The point closest to the sun
18: Apotheosis = Deification
Second, the name Mara. There are a few mythological figures that bear this name. Some of you thought I was referring to the Hindu goddess of Death and Evil. This is not the case at all. I was referring to Māra (pronounced May-rah) of Latvian mythology. While it's true that a lot of Slavic cultures adopted various corruptions of the Hindu goddess, Māra shares absolutely no roots with them. Her more ancient name is Mat Zemlya, or Mother Earth. The name Māra came about when some Latvians got confused by a bunch of Catholic missionaries extolling the virtues and glory of Maria, as in the Virgin Mary. The description kind of fit Mat Zemlya, so the local Latvians just inserted Mary into their little pantheon and said, "Close enough." Māra was the goddess of the soil and co-ruler of the Latvian pantheon. She is also associated with industry, the fruits of agriculture, prosperity and the whole cycle of life from birth to death. That's why I chose hers as the formal name for Applejack.
Lastly, the sequel is finally here! In the Service of the Goddess has been approved and can be found at the preceding link. It follows the events directly after the coronation and is gonna be a wild and fun ride if I do say so myself.
As always, you guys rock. Stay frosty!