Retrieving the Staff of Sameness
For over a year I have been gathering the artifacts of Meadowbrook that I need to fulfill my destiny. Odd thing is, most of this time was not spent out on my quests, a majority of it was spent up here in the caves, hiding from the law. Today I just placed the seventh and eighth artifacts on their pedestals and the ninth has been revealed. Given that it is not too far away from here and that most of the cops that are looking for me were led to Vanhoover by a lie I told a security guard in Marentreal, I will not have wait to go get the Staff of Sameness, I can go and retrieve it now and that is what I set out to do.
As I got to the exit to the caves I checked the skies, just in case the authorities are scanning the whole country for me. I headed down the mountains into the high meadows with a smile on my face, something that I had not had in a very long time. I did have to be careful though because the path to the cave where it is located takes me within eyesight of my old village and the last thing I need is for some of my former villagers to contact the authorities, letting them know of my whereabouts. I know that if they saw me they would do it too as I know they probably still have it out for me.
As I pass off to the north of the village, I look off towards it out of curiosity. The strange thing is that nothing seems to have changed at all. The houses still appear the same and my old house is still standing. Perhaps they converted it into a municipal building or it houses the mayor. I'm not sure but I quickly realized that I can't just stand there and gawk so I headed up to the cave where the vault used to be.
As I entered the cave I got chills going up and down my spine. It felt weird to be returning to it after so long. I looked forward and saw what used to be a lovely device, the old vault with it's glass shattered and all marks gone. I then look at the base of it and see the most wonderful thing I have seen in ages, the Staff of Sameness. I quickly rushed over to it, grabbed it in my aura, kissed it and said, "It is so good to have you back in my hooves!"
Ok, I will admit talking to the staff like it is another pony or a pet is weird but this was a point where my life was about to take a drastic change for the better. Before I left the cave I again looked towards the sky just to make sure there were no pegasi patrolling the skies. As I headed down the path back to town I saw something suddenly appear overhead. I screamed, "What in the hay?" I was worried that a pegasi had appeared out of nowhere but after I heard it shriek, I looked up and it was just a hawk. I breathed a sigh of relief and headed back up to the caves.
Meeting My Ancestors
When I reached the chamber I looked at the glowing circle and wondered what would happen when I place the staff on the center pedestal. I walked up to it slowly and suddenly the staff was pulled out of my grasp and set in an upright position on the center pedestal. The back wall slid open to reveal a portal, illuminated by an aura the same color as my own. I was nervous as to what it was but I heard a voice say, "It's ok Starlight, enter the portal for your time has come."
I walked slowly towards the portal and once I got a foot away from it I was pulled in. As I was going through I saw all sorts of colors swirling around me. Finally I found myself sitting on the ground in a grassy area that was surrounded by gentle rolling hills. As I looked forward I saw two unicorns approaching me. I was terrified at first but as they got closer, one of them looked rather familiar to me as I had seen pictures of her before. The other one I had never seen in any form but quickly I realized that these could only be two ponies, Mage Meadowbrook and Mage Shadowstar, my direct ancestors.
I stood up and bowed before them but I was quickly pushed back up by Meadowbrook's hoof. She replied, "There is no need to bow to us Starlight, you are family."
I said, "I'm sorry."
Meadowbrook replied, "There is no need to say you're sorry, you are family."
After getting my bearings together I asked, "I know this is probably a silly question but you two are Mage Meadowbrook and Mage Shadowstar if I'm not mistaken."
Meadowbrook replied, "Yes Starlight, we are."
I asked, "Where am I? This place seems so peaceful and perfect, like the place one would go for a wonderful afterlife." I then got a nervous look on my face and asked, "I'm not dead am I?"
Meadowbrook replied, "No Starlight, you are not dead. You have fulfilled part of the prophecies of old, you have brought together my nine artifacts." Meadowbrook pointed her horn towards the portal and pulled the nine objects through. She smiled and continued, "Because of you, my nine artifacts can no longer be defiled by the ponies of the West."
Shadowstar added, "You have done us well Starlight, now your time has come."
I had a nervous look on my face as I asked, "T-Time for what?"
They stood apart and a third unicorn came walking towards us. When she arrived she stood between Shadowstar and Meadowbrook. She looked incredibly familiar, she looked just like me. I no longer worried what it was time for, as I realized that the time for my transformation had come. What kind of transformation it would be I was not sure of but I knew not to worry. I bowed to her and asked, "Grand Mage Starlight Glimmer, is that you?"
Before I could finish my bow she took her hoof and pushed me back up. She smiled and replied, "Starlight, there is no reason to bow to me either, after all, we are family."
I rushed to the three and hugged them and they gave me a tight embrace. I was shocked that I could actually touch them physically. After we broke our hug I asked, "I thought all of you had passed long ago, how am I able to make physical contact with you?"
Grand Mage Starlight replied, "Starlight, we have passed from the earthly realm but in this realm we are very much alive."
I replied, "I was curious. I guess all of this is just a bit confusing."
Shadowstar said, "That is understandable. Coming here while you are still alive in the earthly realm would confuse anypony."
Grand Mage Starlight interrupted, "Shadowstar, the time has come. We can engage in more small talk after her transformation."
A book appeared in front of Meadowbrook and she began to read from one of the pages,
"The old prophecy has been fulfilled as the Second Coming has arrived,
It shall be She who liberates our kin in the earthly realm from the West,
The ponies of the East shall celebrate Her return,
They will love Her as much as She loves them,
The time has come for prosperity to thrive in the East,
For Grand Mage Starlight Glimmer the Second has come."
I was shocked. I asked, "Grand Mage Starlight Glimmer the Second?" But I was never even a mage at first, how is it that I can be a grand mage?"
Grand Mage Starlight pulled me close and replied, "Starlight, you are the one who has been a part of prophecy since the day I passed. You bear my likeness, you have the same talent as me, you have the same cutie mark as me and you have the blood of me flowing through your veins."
I asked, "I do?"
Grand Mage Starlight replied, "You do!" She pulled me close and continued, "Starlight, this has been your destiny from the moment you were conceived. Unicorns like us are rare, but unicorns like you are one of a kind. It is time for the prophecy to be fulfilled." We then broke our embrace so we could begin the transformation.
She then nodded at Meadowbrook and Shadowstar, apparently indicating to them that the time had come for something. They pointed their horns down at the artifacts and their eyes began to shine white. They fired energy into the nine artifacts and they began to levitate. Soon they began to shine as bright as the sun and when the eight were all shining, they fired a powerful beam of energy into the ninth, which caused it to shine even brighter. Suddenly a burst of energy shot out of it enveloping me in a powerful circle of energy. I felt myself beginning to increase in size, I felt wings growing out of my back and my horn began to grow. This seemed to go on forever but in reality it was ten minutes.
When the energy stopped flowing from the artifacts my ancestors' eyes stopped glowing and I found myself quite a bit different. No longer was I a mere unicorn, I had been transformed into an Alicorn and was suddenly larger than my ancestors, likely larger than even Celestia. I also noticed that my mane was not the same as it was before. It was suddenly very wavy and had the same appearance as that of Celestia.
I gave the three a smile and asked, "Am-Am I an Alicorn?"
Grand Mage Starlight replied, "Yes Starlight, you are and now it is official. You are no longer merely Starlight Glimmer, you are Grand Mage Starlight Glimmer the Second, the liberator and champion of Eastern ponykind."
I asked, "Why is my mane like this? Why is it no longer like that of other ponies?"
Grand Mage Starlight replied, "It is because you have achieved what many desire but almost none do. You have become immortal. While you can still be killed by the blade, no illness nor age can claim your life. You may now forever protect Eastern ponykind from those who seek to do them harm."
I asked, "But what do I do to liberate the ponies of the East?"
Grand Mage Starlight replied, "When you return to the earthly realm your heart will guide you as to what you must do."
I asked, "How do I get the Eastern ponies to know that I am the one to liberate them?"
Grand Mage Starlight replied, "Do not worry about that. When ponies see you, those of mostly Eastern heritage and pure Eastern heritage will know that you are the Second Coming, they will know that you are the one to liberate them, they will know you are the one they will be loyal to."
Meadowbrook added, "Starlight, I know you have long thought that equality is the only way to true happiness but that is not the case. Ponies must have different talents, different strengths for the East to protect itself from invasions, from either the West or across the oceans."
I nodded and replied, "I have done much thinking since I was ran out of your village and I understand that now." I stood there and remembered how I had removed the marks of some ponies while I was gathering the artifacts and continued, "I have a question, during my quest I unmarked and killed some ponies. Were any of them Eastern ponies?"
Grand Mage Starlight smiled, "No Starlight. There is one thing that you can now know. Ponies of primarily Eastern heritage can not be unmarked. It is a strength of ours just as you are only the third pony to have that talent, it is exclusive to our race."
I breathed a sigh of relief knowing I had not done any harm to our kind. They pulled me in a tight embrace once more before letting go. Grand Mage Starlight pointed her wing towards the portal and said, "Grand Mage Starlight Glimmer the Second, the time has come for you to return to your realm and fulfill your destiny."
I nodded at the three and said, "I will not let any of you down, I will not let Eastern ponykind down and I will not let my parents down." I then turned towards the portal and returned back through.
When I arrived back to the earthly realm the chamber no longer had a dim green aura to it, it was pitch black. I lit up my horn and it shined far brighter than it did when I was a unicorn. The wall where the portal was slid shut behind me. As I headed out of the inner chamber into the library the wall slid shut and as I left the library, the door slid shut for the first time in over a year.
I headed over to the pond to get a drink of water. While I was drinking I felt a great sense of happiness that Meadowbrook's artifacts could never again be defiled by those of the West, that my ancestors have faith in me and most of all, I am happy that my transformation will allow me to do what I was destined to do since birth, liberate Eastern Ponykind. I said to myself, "I will not let any of you down, Grand Mage Starlight, Mage Meadowbrook, Mage Shadowstar, mom, dad, all of Eastern Ponykind, I will not let you down. I will liberate the Eastern ponies from Celestia."
After I finished guzzling my water I made my way out of the caves and as I stepped out into the sunshine I felt like a different pony. I felt like I could take on anything. I realized that with the powers I now have, that no patrol ponies could simply restrain me and haul me away. I looked off towards the west and said, "Celestia, your days of ruling over Eastern ponies shall soon end, for Grand Mage Starlight Glimmer the Second, the liberator of Eastern ponykind, has come."