Afterword & Sequel
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!
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Seriously, though, I love you guys.
Ah, somepony learned a valuable and good lesson! Good for you!
Also, I want to thank you for sharing your wonderful story with us.
It was quite an adventure!
Dear Blue Print,
It is good to see you have learned a valuable lesson. Keep this in mind as you keep writing, share what you want to, but even if nobody likes the work right away, somewhere down the line, chances are someone will. Never forget that.
A loyal reader,
ultra1437
Oh god... that was so cheesy. It had to be done.
It was a fun journey that I was glad to tag along for
And now that we started a new one I'm humbled that I can be a part of what is important to you
YAY SEQUEL!
Now time for some serious readin
Sequel?
Gonna go read now.
WOOHOO!!!! This is one of my favorite fics on this site. The sequel is sure to be awesome
*goes off to read the first chapter.*
1815836and we love you to Blue Print
So you finally got around to writing that sequel, also thanks for clearing up the names of the chapters, I thought they were some kind of flower or something.
Nice to see the source of the Mara name. It's a shame i know someone with the same name (at least in writing) and that i hate that person so much that reading the name bothers me.
Could it be? A fellow Greek on this site?
Pos paei re file? Tin kano favourite autin tin istoria!
1816107 Hay, you're welcome. It was quite fun. I'm pumped for the sequel.
1816204 Eeyup. And I'm glad you were the one to do it.
1816342 I'm humbled at the response to my little fantasy doodlings.
1816345
lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_AYzJXhoVr8/UM_OUL6eN8I/AAAAAAAAAL0/9HhVYE3boMA/s786/Extreme+Reading.jpg
1816442 Please do, and let me know what you think.
1816522 Well, if you say it's gonna be awesome, who am I to deny it?
1816607
iambrony.jsmart.web.id/mlp/gif/226812026149283126024430.gif
1816752 Ah, interesting theory. Nope, it was Greek all along.
1816753 A lot of people thought that. However, I think they sound horrible as names. Mara is much more lilting.
1816772 Yikes. That's unfortunate. Love and tolerate?
1817207 Signomi, ala then milao elinika. I can sorta kinda read a little of it though. Languages are a bit of a hobby of mine.
Let me tell you though, I do not understand your pronouns... 
1817633
>Love and tolerate?
Haha, no.
1817633
fim.413chan.net/art/src/130703277489-Rainbow_dash_thinks_.jpg
its not my fault you are just
A fitting name for Applejack, I think.
Still gotta visit her temple in Riften.
Don't mind me, I'm insane.
1817633
I understand, that's cool with me.
And sorry about that, you probably have a hard time reading it because my Greenglish (spelling intended) is weird.
1820675>>1820676>>1820726>>1820768>>1820803>>1820836>>1820896>>1820936 So, I get the feeling my story bugs you.
Also, about the crying, seriously? Learn some empathy dude. Chica's world just got rocked. Do you even watch MLP?
1821060 Well, Duh [I ever made a MLP FIM crossover with DS's game's plot
1821060 I appreciate you running to my/AJ's defense, but your last comment crossed the line of decency. I deleted it. Still, I do appreciate the thought.
1821197 It's almost like you are an entirely different species from the cultured and mannerly commenters I usually get...
Thanks for the compliment though.
1821696 Glad you had fun! The sequel is currently up. Go check it out!
1821868 lol. Eeyup. Theory confirmed.
1821996 I'm definitely Human, and I wouldn't have it any other way... I love Humanity. For it's power.... the ability to destroy a planet, and the ability to overcome all odds. Well... maybe i'd rather be a Pegasus or Unicorn, but that's just because I wanna try it out.
Very cool. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Applejack makes a surprisingly good alicorn!
1846098 Yes she does!
1852101 Neat little paper, but it tries too hard to make a point. There are several underlying assumptions to it that are rather silly. First, that every immortal being that is in a state of despondency must necessarily also be suicidal. Secondly, they abuse large numbers to make things sound worse than they are. Sure, any fraction of infinity is infinite, but there are larger and smaller infinities. Say that you were despondent about 1% of the time, I would trade about fifteen minutes of misery per day to feel awesome the rest of the time in a heartbeat, regardless of the duration of the deal. Thirdly, the author seems confused about the size of infinite numbers as they relate to the cycle of all possible experience (assuming that's even a bounded quantity). There would be no functional difference between a being who cycled through the whole of possible experience and one who was somehow 'outside' of time. In addition, he seems to irrationally feel that there is something 'special' about being mutable and thus alive while being terrified of losing his identity through loss of memories. Finally, his point about the ever-widening circle of experience, that's true of mortals as well, but is also easily dealt with. He has obviously never studied Buddhist philosophy. One can easily place just as much meaning on a single moment as matched against a duration orders of magnitude longer.
tl;dr Sorry, I just wrote a very cerebral short story, to be published this afternoon, and am still in heavy philosophy mode.
1852558 I really don't care for the more exaggerated portrayals of her character, but I do love the general concept behind her.
1855588 It seemed like the right sort of thing for the setting.
1855910 Oh, that would be such a funny dynamic.
1857156 Yeah, not as much raw power, but have you ever been in an earthquake*?
That would be a neat fic to write, if only for the sake of something different.
*The author has an irrational fear of losing his balance, and can't stand ladders or skateboards, though cliffs don't give him a problem.
im surprised you didn't call her Gaia
1863131 Because, as I have mentioned to several commenters, appropriateness aside, it's a terrible sounding name for using every day. Try saying "Hi Gaia!" and/or "Hey Gaia!" (depending on your accent) without sounding foolish. I dare you.
Anyway, thanks for the comment! Be sure to check out some of my other stuff, especially the sequel!
1863179 way ahead of ya
Read this in one go.
Gosh you sure do know how to string an epic piece together 
The fact that there is a sequel makes it all the better.
I look forward to stalking you on fimfiction mate
1877139 Thanks! It helps that I have been steeped in epic fiction since I was a wee little lad and have gently marinated in the mind-altering slurry that is TVTropes, while flirting with literary analysis and religious literature of all stripes and creeds. (Mixed metaphor much?) Chapter two of the sequel comes out this evening!
1889448 Just chop 'em up, huh?
lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Voy1uYIEleo/UOO72LEvVqI/AAAAAAAAANM/8WrCzlQJeOE/s800/pinkamena+axe.jpg
Well, I finally read the whole thing. Sorry it took so long.
I really liked it!
I thought it was very-well written, with a lot of imagination. I specially like how you developed the backstory of Celestia an Luna.
Congratulations for having written such a good story
Psst! Nightmare Apple!!!!
What a ride that was.
well read the whole story and boy was that a good one, i tel you what, i like the references sometimes you did, like the come in and know me better mare. classic. anywho keep up the awsome job and you will be one of the greats.
1889715
media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lnq3olxRNg1qi5jk5o1_500.gif
1907016
Yep, I'm a rebel. 
1921920 Thanks! It means a lot to me whenever I know that I made someone happy.
1964891 Um. Ok. I really didn't find him all that funny.
1964999 She spends a lot of time around Rainbow Dash. It's not like she wouldn't pick up a word or two from her.
1985797 Hold onto your hats, 'cause it ain't done. I have so much cooking for the sequel.
1989595 Thanks. I'm trying!
1996584 Sort of. It's a combination of rank and intimacy. Basically, you have to outrank them enough that they can't get offended if you say something along the lines of, "Look, kiddo." or, "Listen, son." Or, you know, be actual family.
2001163 Heh, oops. You, uh, found that, did you?
It's a pretty good read, though occasionally flawed, if the general opinion can be trusted. Let me know what you think if you do read it. 
1: Merry May is new best pony <3
2: You don't know how happy I was when I saw there was a sequel xD
Great story, probably somewhere in my top 10.
Well, this was brilliant and original.
Quite frankly... AJ is so down to Earth, so full of family pride... I'm a bit surprised she didn't pull a "Well alright, Ah'll be a princess an' all, but Ah'm keep'in'mah name... Ah'm an Apple fer all time."
OK, Finally got around to reading this. I have things to say.
Firstly: Great story. I thought the actual transformation into an Alicorn seemed a wee bit too fast, but that might be me thinking that ascension should be some big thing.
Secondly: I love seeing how AJ adjusts to all of this, and how everyone around her reacts to it. It seems like how it would actually go down.
Thirdly: Poor Luna.....
and lastly: WHY DID THE JERK WHO STOLE A FEATHER NOT GET WHAT'S COMING TO HIM!?!
All right! Finally got to this one, and it's a treat. I've never been fond of too much inflection of A.J.'s dialect, and this story strays into that territory (I think the "Ah" for "I" is my personal dividing-line). I also know that it's important to your theme that A.J. is bullheadedly putting on a no big deal face, but her absolute calmness in the face of the first transformation begs credibility enough that the audience (well, me) was wondering if she was actually all right in the head. While A.J.'s toughness and pragmatism are very credible at most of the stages of this story, this very first moment feels like it should have had a touch more startle to feel like an accurate representation of the character.
Other than those two niggles, this is a great story. It's got a lot of memorable scenes (the first telekinesis lesson is exceptionally well-done) and a lot of smile-moments, interspersed with some good (if a bit glossed) pathos for Luna, reaching climax in a massive head-canon info-dump that I'm amazed comes off as completely palatable, given everything that it is. Very, very nice work; looking forward to cracking the sequel!
at first I thought it said 'defication'
2472112
Hmm... might go check that out.
1857065 Look for the fic Stories in Stone... Pretty long one, that addresses that very concept!
1863179
"Terra" works rather well, though.
I finally got around to reading this! A very interesting story. I especially liked the parts about the past of Celestia and Luna, but I noticed several comma splices and similar errors that were rather obnoxious, particularly in the last chapter. Overall, a good story.
Finally got off my ass and read this story. I was not disappointed. Fantastic writing, characterization, imagery, everything!
Just started this fic this morning. Other than a few times where you shift from the proper use of ya, and you, then switch to y'all [you all]. And that one earlier comment I made since the comment (in story) that didn't make sense. Was a really good fic.
I would have liked to have Apple Jacks side of things acknowledged in the story. Where Luna gets the misinterpretation that she's giving away wings, kicking ponies off her property, and fears that she's turning into another Nightmare. Her entire reason for chasing AJ like a mad mare and shooting freaking Meteors at her.
Yet never once is it brougth up, or talked about between them. It feels disappointing. That it was worked up and built up, only to drop it without resolution. That being said this story has lots going for it. It was nice seeing how AJ took to being a Princess, her training felt short, but was nice. Pinkie Pie throwing out Montage Powers and teaching AJ Pinkie Sense was awesome. I don't know if AJ used that in her fight with Luna but would be cool if she did.
The character interactions weren't too fast, too slow, it was all in all a well written fic. I highly look forward to reading this fics continuation.
2991047
By the way, I don't know if the author knew this, but not only is Gaia a bad name to use with everyday greetings, but the original goddess isn't a very motherly figure.
In Greek mythology, Gaia (or Terra), is shown to be quite evil, despite being shown as motherly, since she convinced her son, Kronos, to kill his father, Uranus, so he could rule the world. After Zeus and his brothers defeated the Titans, Gaia became enraged at Kronos' defeat and conceived the Gigantes with Tartarus, the god of the abyss, to overthrow the Olympians and bring the Titans back to power. Unfortunately, they were also defeated by the Gods. The only thing more evil then Kronos is his mother!
So in reality, Applejack being renamed 'Princess Gaia' would look bad! It would also lean more to Applejack becoming corrupted! This is why I like the author decided to rename Applejack 'Princess Mara'!
I had my doubts at first, I mean AJ as an Alicorn but again I found myself drawn deep into a story seemingly woven by magic, thank you very much !
This was very well written. Thanking for creating and sharing this.
Don't forget to tell ItSotG that this story is its prequel.
~Vriska Serket