Chapter 6
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
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Again I know I said that but that's a lot of risk if the plan did not go as smoothly that Anatankha thought of this plan it was just pure luck that Sunburst found the book or else they will never Discover it
11255710
I like to think the spell would have worn off after a couple thousand years if it never worked out how she intended it. Either that or she was driven so mad by revenge that she didn't care or think of it when she cast the spell.
You know what yeah that's actually true if it wasn't for Anatankha it will never be possible to bring back the pillars and defeating the shadow of pony and saving stygian
Wow I would say this was a pretty interesting story so Somnambula and the others if they can try to talk with her and once they got to the throne room Anatankha she looks like she's in a miserable state the other really bad for her knowing the story that he was been humiliated after Somnambula solve the puzzle back in thousands of years ago she asked her that maybe there's another way to turn this thing around but Anatankha thinking that she couldn't because after what she's done and her reputation would never be clean but flurry heart told her about the other villains who were like that but somehow redeem their self and actually become good ponies and creatures and some of them actually made a good point about Anatankha Gathering up all those artifacts if it wasn't for her all of this would never be possible and probably the pillars would not be here and never figure out how to defeat the shadow Pony and she never thought of that despite her revenge she actually did help them without noticing it and Somnambula offer Anatankha a friendship which she took it and apologized for everything she's done yeah it's going to take awhile for the village to accept it but I'm sure it will be okay even stormy thinking about this whole pyramid can be actually a an attraction which yeah that's actually a pretty cool idea of except for not life-threatening lol but it looks like everything is okay now and flurry heart is giving her friendship report to Twilight after that it looks like they're heading back to Ponyville but stormy was still pretty disappointed that he lost the Hat but Somnambula gave her own had to him which he was pretty excited that she gave it to him he's such a lovey dovey kid well this was a pretty good one here I wonder what else flurry heart and her friends will do next I guess that's another story keep up the good work
I love this ending.
I'd say this was a successful trip. The kids all got to meet another ancient hero, they redeemed their first villain, and they helped create a tourist attraction. Turning the temple into a haunted house sounds pretty fun.
It is pretty interesting to think that Anatankha indirectly helped lead to the return of the Pillars and the defeat of the Pony of Shadows, and everything that happened afterwards thanks to the Pillars.
This was a fun story that I enjoyed the whole way through. I am excited for the next installment.
I bet it will be a running gag that Stormy's never going to get her name right.
Aww, that's adorable. Somnambula giving Stormy her headdress to replace the one he lost is heartwarming. Plus since he got it directly from his crush that makes it better than the old one. Best souvenir ever!
Opps, I stand corrected. That is his best souvenir ever. Congratulations to Stormy for scoring a kiss on the cheek from his crush. Hope he enjoys it while it lasts.
Then that’s the moment Anatankha will be rich running a theme temple for tourists to come play and enjoy the Temple.
Good story! Can’t wait for the next one
A sweet and wholesome ending to this exciting and suspenseful story. Somnambula's made peace with her old enemy, Anatankha can move on with her life knowing she doesn't have to be restricted by her past and what she endured from her fellow sphinxes (the reveal that she inadvertently aided in defeating the Pony of Shadows was a nice touch), and Flurry and her friends have quite the story to tell everyone back home. Plus, Stormy got the one thing that could make this trip complete, besides a replacement for his lost headdress: a kiss from his crush. Lucky colt. =)
Another excellent story in this saga, Aleximus. =)
If I recall correctly, the next one will involve Tirek getting his revenge on his backstabbing brother. Still don't understand how what Scorpan did was consider an act of good? I mostly viewed it as a brother who sold a member of his family for friends he barely knows. And before anyone say he was saving them for a good cause, he willingly join Tirek to steal the magic of Equestria and instantly he became their friends? I find that suspicious to be honest, no one can be easily swayed by friendship.
Awww, that was such a sweet ending!
11255720
It helps to make sense of things. It does make you wonder, how did each of those talismans end up where they were in such convenient spots. Only one that it doesn't make sense for is Somnambula's blindfold since it was down the drain of the pit, but maybe it fell into there by accident or something...
11255750
I knew I had to end it with something super cute involving the moment where Stormy finally gets that kiss. :3
11255825
Thanks! It all started with the idea of Stormy teasing some giant character that he can't get away from because he can't fly, and then the Sphinx came to mind because of her ability to take away flying and then I thought of how I could have the Sphinx be a returning villain and be reformed. Along the way I also addressed other things like how the talismans from the Pillars ended up where they were so conveniently and that was where I got the idea that Anatankha hid them like that so someone could figure out how to undo the spell and release Somnambula.
Heheh. Stormy will get her name right one day. :3
I thought it would be interesting to see Somnambula finally take off her headdress and if Stormy had lost his earlier, it would really make up for it if she gave hers to him as a gift.
I was a bit iffy about doing it at first, but since Rarity did it to Spike in the actual show, I figured it would be a pretty cute thing to insert into this story for the very ending. :3
11255892
Thanks! I had a lot of fun writing this one and it felt great to add a fan-favorite villain and my favorite of the Pillars! I got a lot more covered in this story than I expected like with the part about Anatankha inadvertently helping them defeat the Pony of Shadows, and I do plan to use Somnambula and Anatankha again in future stories!
11255978
Yes, that is the next story and I will be adding some lore to make sense of things.
Great job on this whole story in general. Definitely liked the work that went into the exchanges, characterizations, action, general wrap-up and future chapter set-up. Not much I can say that the other reviewers haven't already said better (which, along with self-admitted laziness, is the reason I waited until the story was finished before I reviewed). Still, I liked the stuff about Anatankha moving the Pillars' stuff past Ponehedge as well as the point outs to how many reformed villains the gang already knew.
Certainly looking forward to more of your work.
Pretty cool wrapup to this story & quite interesting that Anatankha helped (indirectly) the Mane 6 in getting the pillars out of limbo by moving their stuff left behind, clever!
LOL be thankful it's not a kiss RD!
Great story Alex, till the next one!
11256549
Well he did get a kiss right after that. :3
A very nice ending to this episode. :)
Somnambula and the others doing their best to comfort Anatankha was very kind and noble of them, and I like the way they set an example with plenty of previous reformed villains to show that she also has good odds at being accepted, at the very least. I do hope she doesn't backslide like Discord did... but for what it's worth, I'm not thinking such a thing is likely to happen.
The nod to how Anatankha was ultimately responsible for the Pillars' return and Stygian's release was a poignant inclusion, and it being pointed out it was a good deed from her (even an accidental one) was nice of them. The Temple becoming a tourist attraction certainly was creative.
On another front, Somnambula giving Stormy her hat and a kiss was sweet. I'm sure that alone made his vacation. I only hope it doesn't turn out to have been a mistake - but for what it's worth, I haven't seen anything suggesting that it will be one. Somnambula seems good at drawing the line, so to speak, and I'm sure Stormy will also realize it needs to be drawn.
Flurry's ending letter to Twilight was really heartwarming too, and I like the lesson she drew from this as well as her joy that the story has a happy ending now. I only hope she won't become disappointed by meeting some antagonist that just doesn't have it in them to change.
All in all, a great episode! The summer vacation adventure was greatly executed, the character interactions between everyone were wonderful, and I loved seeing Somnambula and the sphinx again! I hope both of them return in the future! Looking forward to future episodes, whenever they come.
11268428
Thanks for the praise! This one definitely had some care taken into getting a lot of things lined up, especially with the bit about Anatankha admitting her connection to the talismans and how it helped to bring back the Pillars. :)
The pictures look great! You made Stormy's reactions so adorable!
11273808
Yeah, Stormy is really fun to draw, especially in this story. :3
11274006
Indeed, the cute little thing
I think there’s a typo here
11289894
Thanks. That is the result of me restructuring the sentence but forgetting to delete certain words. Surprised you're the first to notice it.
11290066
You’re welcome,and me too
11732025
Nice
I would call the sphinx kingdom "Sphingard".
11828166
That actually works. What real place is its name based on?
11828413
Is based in the name of Isengard. It's a place in The Lord of the Rings.
11828429
Oh. Well that sort of gives it a villainous vibe…
11828451
What would you call the sphinx kingdom?
11828493
I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it yet.
This one was pretty dang good. I enjoyed Somnambula being around and Stormy being a love struck fan only made it more enjoyable. Great to see he got his kiss in the end.
I can understand where Anatankha is coming from, having been bullied as well. It's not an easy thing to deal with, especially when it's encouraged by everyone. It's not an easy thing to deal with. I really do feel sorry for her.
Okay, time to see what the next one will be about.
11833229
When I got the idea to have Stormy like Somnambula, I knew it would be really entertaining for my readers. XD
Anatankha was definitely a character I wish we could’ve seen more of but since she’s from centuries ago, that wouldn’t work unless she was somehow preserved like in stone, so this came to mind. I’m glad I reformed her the way i did and gave her a reason for desiring revenge so much. Now she’s the first villain i reformed and there will be more, especially in the next story! Thanks again for reading!
11865048
If you didn't see it, how did it occur to you the thing of the green glow? It is not in Somnambula's flashback.
11865817
I don’t know.
11828451
Isengard was a good place before Saruman's betrayal, I know other name finished in "gard", Asgard, a kingdom in Marvel Universe.