A Real Goddess Would Let Nobody Die

Twilight was still skipping, grinning over her fancy outfit, when she entered the main chamber. The Goddesses, waiting for her near the main door, noticed her entrance and knelt together with arms wide. She was back at full power, so she jumped straight to Their group hug, partly out of excitement and to skip the walk across the enormous Dome, and partly to use some mana up. It was difficult for her to have conversations at maximum power, because she would hear what the other person was currently saying at the same time as she heard what they were about to say a tiny moment later. Mennie had said that it made sense for someone who could look across space to be able to look across time, too.

"Hi there cutie pie! I missed you!" Izzie said.

"We both did!" Keekee nuzzled into her neck. Twilight squirmed. Keekee's fuzzies used to make her go completely limp when it was like this, but now at least she could still act mostly normal. Mostly.

Twilight was feeling very pretty and cute right now, and the only other people in the Dome were Guards, so she decided she could be brave, and kissed Love on the cheek. Keekee giggled and grinned at Izzie.

"Birthday," Izzie said, and pointed at Her Own cheek. That was true, and Twilight wanted to anyway. She leaned over and kissed Izzie's cheek too.

Oof. Fuzzies.

"A few years ago, I was wondering where My 8000th birthday Star Temple was," Izzie said with a wide smile, hugging Twilight a little tighter. "But here she is!"

...Twilight was used to being famous and all now, and she was getting better with Love's fuzzies, and it was starting to feel normal to get her hair done by Goddesses every day, to live in Their Sanctuaries and have the Guards and the glowing and the praise and the magic, but getting called a Star Temple by Justice Herself was a little too much. Her face was a lot closer to dawn than twilight.

"Even at Her Own festivals, She manages this," Keekee groaned. Her 8000th was coming soon.

Izzie snorted. "This is not really My festival and You know it." Her grin was stuck on Her face. "It is Twilight's surprise debut! Speaking of which, it is time. We need to get out there before the Sun rises."

The public was normally hushed around the Goddesses, but the centurial birthday festivals were the exception. When the door opened, there was a thunderous roar--even though it was still the pre-dawn dark, the Goddesses' intrinsic glow made Them clearly visible to the sea of black--but then it silenced immediately.

A miniature glowing Fourth was with Them today, and She was utterly adorable. Already blushing when She walked out the door!

Ninety-four years? They had to wait ninety-four years, 8071, right? The younger members of the audience resolved to make it. Modern medicine was very good. No, wait, surely there would be a special festival in nineteen years, when She turned twenty-five and got Her statue? That would be...7996? Probably in Rokesha? They should reserve rooms now. Or would it be in Esto? Ahhh.

Keekee giggled from behind Twilight, hands on her shoulders.

"Give them a wave," Izzie said, still grinning, and following Her Own advice from Twilight's left.

That was easier said than done. Twilight stared out at the crowd. She could not see as many stars in the Star Temple as there were people looking at her now. She knew tens of millions was a lot, she knew the crowd would be big, she knew she was a famous person now, but it was different when you saw them all with your own eyes, and they were all staring at you, and there were massive displays showing what was being sent to billions more around the world, and you were on those displays in your ridiculously girly and pretty outfit, and the Goddesses were standing next to you, and you were glowing just like Them, and then the displays added a name tag underneath you. Then she saw her parents in the front, her father holding her mother up, and decided that she should at least wave to them.

As she prepared to do that, she foresaw the reaction that it would cause, and would have collapsed if Love hadn't noticed and supported her.

<It's alright, My little Goddess of Omens,> She said into Twilight's mind. <You are just being you--your appearance, your magic, your adorable personality, with no pretending--and everyone loves you for it. That's fine. You were born this way. Be proud of it. You don't have a shred of arrogance in your entire body. You have nothing to apologize for, or to be embarrassed about. Your parents would like it if you waved to them.>

Gulp. "Ahhhhhshaaaaaa."

Twilight made a little wave to her parents, and the crowd let out a thunderous...squeal. A mini-Goddess, right there, in that doorway! You could just look and see Her, right now! She would last forever, there would be uncountable festivals, but only this generation would see Her as She was now. This was like getting to see Love when She was a little girl called Izenakee. It was so good to be alive. Oh--oh my...She--She's hiding behind Love now. Kiiiiiii.

...This world has the kind of omnipotent benevolent gorgeous Goddesses that will group hug and nuzzle into the neck of Their infinitely adorable baby-est Sister in front of tens of millions, on live broadcast to billions, as pre-dawn twilight turns the sky violet.

Izenakee was approaching empathic delirium, and it wasn't even Her festival.

As Twilight and her ten-out-of-ten perfect big Sisters proceeded along the road to Solenn, she was repeatedly asked by children around her age to show what she could do. Soon, word got out about her most amazing trick, and she started to get really good at it as they travelled.

A boy rattled balls inside a box. When they stopped, Twilight made a call with her mage-voice.

"(2,2), (5,7), and (11,1)," she said, then jumped the cover of the box into her hand. Jumping other things to herself was much more difficult than jumping herself to somewhere else. She had to make the exact sounds that her target called back when she called. She couldn't do it right for most things because the sounds were just too complicated for her to make, never mind things that were too big or moving, but for something very, very simple and small like the cover of a stationary, plain rectangular or circular box held right next to her, she could get it right within a few tries.

She'd gotten the ball positions right, again, and the boy shouted that fact to everyone who could hear, like all the others.

She had a little bit of mana exhaustion now, and told her Sisters. They had been very strict about resting when she started to feel this way. For the rest of the way to Solenn, she only waved and said hello, and waited for her mana pool to settle and refill.

----

Izena was the most happy-to-be-ignored birthday Girl in the history of the world. Twilight was on Her lap the whole time. And then she got tired and leaned into Izena's chest to rest while doing her completely adorable limp, halfway-asleep and staring at nothing, zoned-out deep breathing with half-opened lips thing. Menelyn had been so jumpy at this age, never ever ever relaxing like this. She had always needed Izena to lay with her until she fell asleep, but been too timid to ask for it. Izena had made sure she received everything she never asked for. And now They not only slept in the same bed, They slept in the same body! For nearly 8000 years. What a life.

Ha, jumpy! Wow. Izena was such a subconscious genius with puns, She even amazed Herself. She could feel Menelyn's will-never-admit-She-likes-it nervous anticipation as She detected Izena's swap to Her scheming state. How best to deliver that one aloud?

What a Star Temple this day was.

----

When Twilight and the Goddesses arrived in the Temple of the Beginning, Izzie stopped being so happy.

<I enjoy meeting the singers whenever We are here, but the trip is so boring,> She grouched, as Mennie did the Filling at the Fountain.

...Couldn't Twilight help? She made a call.

<My range is longer here. I think I could get to the bottom in a few jumps.>

Izzie paused, stared for a moment, then turned to her, kneeled, extended Her hand, looked straight into her eyes, and said only, "Star. Temple."

After reaching the bottom, Izzie pressed Her forehead to the ground.

"You have vanquished the Infinite Boredom, the most enduring enemy this world has ever faced. For 7977 years, it has plagued this world and haunted My sleep, yet no others have answered this Goddess' call. Ask a boon, and I shall grant it."

Twilight thought for a moment. That meant she could ask for a big favor, right? She really shouldn't waste this chance. What did She want most in the world? Um...

"I want to see the biggest boom Izzie can make."

This was both the answer that Menelyn had hoped for, and the one that She had feared.

The Goddess of Destruction wasn't able to say anything for a while, because She was laughing too hard. At last, She wheezed a response.

"And you will, once you are able to use your magic to take Us to a world I can destroy without it being a problem for anyone."