LEGEND OF THE GODDESSES
Mooneye Lagoon, 735 years ago
Kopé had grown older. She had the gangly look of a foal having hit an awkward growth spurt, and her shiny black horns had grown longer, enhancing the androgyny of her appearance.
She had found a gaping hole in the stone wall around the back of Mooneye Lagoon's waterfall, and along with Ngala was exploring the pleasantly warm cave of tan-colored stone contained within.
"You know, I think I can do this, Ngala," she said conversationally. "Mooneye Lagoon is such a wonderful place, and still full of surprises even after all this time. I'll be able to bring myself to refuse him when he tries to make me leave."
The microraptor, making her way deeper into the cave by climbing along a vertical wall, turned to Kopé and warbled happily.
"I'm glad you approve, my friend," Kopé said, beaming.
She spotted a grove of mushrooms growing in the moss on the cave floor; the fungus was blue-white and glowed. Kopé bent down and sniffed at the mushrooms, then backed away hastily. "Ooh, deadly poison," she commented. "It'd kill us before we even had time to process the flavor…"
At almost the exact moment Kopé finished her sentence, the ground under her hooves heaved mightily, followed by the earth rumbling and vibrating. Kopé braced herself, then realized that boulders were falling from above, blocking the mouth of the cave one by one until every trace of sunlight was gone.
The earthquake ended as it had begun, with a lengthy heave and a loud creak. Kopé's eyes took a moment to adjust to a cave lit only by the glowing mushrooms.
"No, no!" she cried out, racing to the entrance and clawing at the boulders with her hooves. "There must be some way out… BOGGLESBY! BOGGLESBY, ARE YOU OUT THERE? I'M TRAPPED!" She turned to Ngala in disbelief. "I'm actually calling for him. Him! For help! This is awful—Ngala, we must search. There must be another way out."
Ngala nodded and took to the air, flying along the walls and ceiling, looking for a weak point.
"He will help me find a way out," Kopé said nervously. "He still needs me for… something, right? BOGGLESBY! BOGGLESBY, HELP ME!"
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Directly on the other side of the wall of boulders, Bogglesby laughed wickedly. "I need you indeed," he said quietly. "As I said, one can't just drink the water of Mooneye Lagoon and become immortal, no, there's a special procedure. The moon must be in the right place… and one must be dying. One must need this water more than you've ever needed anything. The drops of water must save your life if they're to prolong it forever."
He walked away, grinning smugly. "Like I said, being immortal would be a load of trouble—even a moment's discomfort is too high a price to pay for eternal life. I needed a dupe to become immortal for me, and you? You nearly dying from thirst is something I can handle."
He stood at the bank of the lagoon and stared at the horizon, where late afternoon was dissolving into evening. "All our years together, I've had absolute control over her," he told himself. "And when she's a goddess, all that grooming will have paid off—I'll still have absolute control. I'll be the one who guided this goddess to fame and glory. They'll be telling stories about me when I've died, yes indeed, they'll be telling stories about me forever, I will never be forgotten as the one who shaped the goddess Kopé into everything she is. So there's my immortality."
Bogglesby continued staring serenely for a moment before a huge smile cracked across his face. "Hahahahahaha! The name Bogglesby the Scholar will be spoken with reverence and respect, no longer in fearful hushed whispers! No more will there be whispered rumors: 'he has a cutie mark so unspeakably evil he can't show it in public'. 'He's a member of a cult who'll aid in Nightmare Moon's ascent when she returns'. No, those rumors will vanish. Ponies will instead speak openly in their knowledge that these things are ABSOLUTELY TRUE! HAHAHAHA! No more hiding for me! The world shall forever know the truth of Bogglesby! FOREVER! And when Nightmare Moon returns, she'll have an ally. An immortal ally placed here by her most faithful servant—seven hundred years in advance."
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Weeks later, Kopé sat in a crumpled, tangled heap on the cave floor. She was thin, her lips and eyes dry. Her head was resting very near the illuminating mushrooms, and she licked her lips and smacked them together, almost tempted.
"No," she whispered to herself. "I might yet live. I am not dead."
Ngala, in a similarly starved state and curled up in a bed of moss, peeped miserably.
Outside, Bogglesby looked up at the moon. "Ah, marvelous," he said with a grin, the light of the moon glimmering off of his teeth. "The moon shines brightly this night. It is time. Aaaaaaah HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAAAAAAAAAH!" He threw his head back with that final, mighty howl, then cleared his throat and took a relaxing breath. "Have another earthquake, Kopé. I'm sure you're aware of how concerned I've been all these weeks, trying to save you, haha!"
His horn flared up with magic, and he calmly stood there as the other half of the lagoon was overcome by quakes, which produced a crack in the cliff face.
Kopé stared blankly at the fissure that led to the outside. In her weariness, she could scarcely comprehend it. Dazed, her eyes wandering, she noticed that Ngala had passed out, which promptly sobered her. She picked her up, carrying her friend on her back, and hobbled toward the crack.
It was only barely large enough for her to squeeze through, but she managed. She heaved and coughed a few times before a maniacal grin made its way to her desiccated face.
She spotted the waterfall and, zombielike, dragged herself toward it. She stuck her head under the falls, dousing herself in the water.
Laughing wildly at her situation, she turned over her shoulder and nudged Ngala. "Ngala. Water, Ngala. Wake up."
She shifted so Ngala rolled off her back and landed on her waiting hoof. Kopé thrust Ngala's entire body under the falls, and the unconscious animal jerked and thrashed in surprise for a few seconds before awakening completely and fluttering, somewhat indignantly, back onto Kopé's back, then scuttling to the top of her head. The two smiled at each other before starting to drink their fill from the waterfall together.
Bogglesby, who had passed unnoticed by the duo, watched them from several yards away, and grinned wildly as he saw a powerful blue-white light expanding inside Kopé's chest cavity.
"Yesssss," he hissed giddily. "Come to me… my goddess… my slave."
The light exploded, blinding him. He blinked rapidly, anxiously trying to force his eyes to readjust. He realized that Kopé was no longer in the spot underneath the waterfall where she had stood. He looked around wildly, and realized that she was floating high above him, silhouetted against the moon. "Oh!" he exclaimed with wonder.
Kopé was sailing on a wind current on four clawed, iridescent blue wings. Her hindquarters were covered with feathers of the same blue, which included a long stiff tail. Her forelegs remained as they had been, while her hind legs had become a pair of strong blue thighs and long, scaly black bird legs ending in powerful talons. Her eyes were closed, and she opened her mouth and released the lengthy, beautiful screech of a majestic predatory bird.
"Outstanding," Bogglesby laughed.
Kopé floated down, almost touching the surface of the lagoon before another gust of wind brought her to the stony shore. She was still tiny, and Bogglesby towered over her as he chuckled and approached.
"There you are, Kopé," he said tenderly. "I've been trying for weeks to get you out of there. Now here you are, and look at you! The stars aligned at just the right time for you to drink of Mooneye Lagoon's water of immortality! What are the odds? My dear Kopé, you are the world's newest goddess."
Kopé slowly opened her eyes, revealing that she now had prominent, fluttering eyelashes. "Where is Ngala?"
Bogglesby shrugged. "She drank of the same water you did, and at the same time. There's nothing in Mooneye Lagoon's legend about that, but clearly… well, just look at yourself."
Kopé examined her body, her four wings and dinosaur-like hindquarters. "Oh!" she exclaimed, tears suddenly filling her eyes. "I remember things. Things she must have seen, things she must have thought. She is with me. Ngala and I are one now."
"Well, that's delightful," Bogglesby said insincerely. "Things are going to change for you and I now, Kopé. You're my humble research assistant no longer. You are a goddess. Stick with me, and I shall deliver you to a position where you can influence millions. Can you comprehend such a concept? Millions?"
She glared at him.
"Good, good," he said jovially. "Under my tutelage, you'll be showered with jewelry, riches, things you never could have enjoyed out here in the jungle. You'll have to get yourself a nice name, though. Kopé is a bit too plain, you need something fancier. How about—"
"Please don't saddle me with an appellation of your design," Kopé snapped. "If I let you do that, it'll stick with me forever whether I like it or not. I'll choose my own name."
Bogglesby looked alarmed. "Very well," he said cautiously. "I suppose I can make a few concessions. I am, after all, only your mentor."
"You are right, though," she said. "I cannot go by Kopé, for I am not Kopé. I am Kopé and Ngala. Our minds are one, as well as our bodies. I'll have to think about it."
"Of course, of course, my darling, whatever it is that you want!" Bogglesby laughed. "Would you like help coming up with a few ideas?"
"I'll figure something out," she replied. "You taught me much about ancient languages and their significance—I think I'll run through a few ideas with you, yes. But before that, my first act as a goddess must be something very significant."
"Oh, indeed it must!" Bogglesby crowed. "What did you have in—grrk!"
She had wrapped one of her bird feet around his throat and was now hovering in midair, carrying him even though he was substantially larger and heavier than she.
"You heard my screams for help and didn't respond," she said coldly. "Do you know how I know that?" She lifted him over her head. "Because I could hear you. All those weeks, I heard every word you said as you wandered around laughing to yourself. You are a fool. Why would you think a goddess would ever answer to you after these years of abuse?"
She started squeezing his throat, while her other foot began crushing his skull.
"After finally getting a taste of power… I think any sensible goddess would punish you."
She flew higher and higher as he flailed and struggled pointlessly. He attempted using magic, and she promptly grabbed his horn and snapped it off, squeezing it so hard it crumbled into powder, all while she continued grasping his neck so tightly that his jaw broke.
"You wanted to live forever," she sneered. "To be known by history as my teacher and benefactor." She leaned in close to him and whispered, "Well, hear this: you're not going to live for even one more minute. I'm going to murder you, and I will never again speak your name, never mention anything about you to anyone. And, slowly but surely, as the centuries go by, I will forget you. And then, you will be gone forever."
She leaned back and smirked at him. "Farewell, whoever you are. As consolation, let this be the last thing to run through your head…" She leaned back and let out her majestic scream again, then whispered in his ear: "Our name is Okapiopteryx."
She screeched a third time as she snapped his neck and crushed his skull, killing him instantly. She dropped him onto the stone, where his body shattered and splattered in a heap. Okapiopteryx flew down and landed next to his corpse.
"So, what is this 'unspeakably evil' mark of yours, that gives you the power to create an earthquake on a whim?" she mused. She reached out with a hoof, intending to peer under his robe, put paused. "Hrmm… no. On second thought, I don't care."
She picked him up by the tail, flew up into the air, and pirouetted once, throwing him so hard that he flew all the way over the lagoon and into the ocean. Impressed by her strength, she dove downward as fast as she could and pounded the ground, causing cracks to radiate in the stone all the way through the lagoon, then a bit of dust to rise in the jungle; a few birds flew away in fear.
Okapiopteryx giggled, seeming again like a little girl, then she fell silent, listening intently to the sounds of the jungle.
"At last…" she said, with deep, passionate satisfaction. "Silence."