The Ninth Enchantment of Mage Meadowbrook

by Thornwing

8 - Just Desserts

“Curious, very curious indeed.” The Sphinx waved its paw and the two missing ponies appeared.

Starlight gasped as she regained her footing. Starswirl stumbled forward, legs locked at the first and second joints, nearly falling flat on his face.

Twilight basked in the glow of the magic portal only a few feet beyond the open gate. Her cutie mark restored, the energy flowed through her, filling her with a renewed strength of purpose and vigor.

Starlight rushed forward and tackled her friend in a hug. “I knew you could do it, Twilight!”

Twilight hugged her back. “I couldn’t have done it without you, Starlight. You got us here, and you made the tough call when it really mattered.”

“Excuse me?” Starswirl grumbled. “Could somepony tell me what in the Goddess’s name is going on here?”

“Horseshoe’s on the other hoof now, hmm,” Starlight said. “We just beat the test!”

“Oh goody,” Starswirl said in a wholly sarcastic tone. “Not much to it then, I gather?”

Starlight and Twilight just side-eyed each other and shared a quick giggle.

“Your audience awaits,” the Sphinx said, pointing at the portal. “Just through there. I’ll be along shortly. Have to close up shop first; get things ready for the next wandering soul.”

“We’ve come a long way,” Twilight said. “Let’s say we go meet our Fate.” A swelling sense of accomplishment made the hassle and struggle of the past couple days weigh less on her mind.

Starlight nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.”

Holding a moment and gathering Twilight’s bags while they waited for Starswirl to get his legs moving in the right direction again, the trio approached the portal, stepping through one by one in single file.

Stepping out the other side of the portal into the Temple of the Swirling Winds felt a lot like stepping through the portal to the human world. Twilight and Starlight could attest to the oddity and relief of coming through with hooves, tails, and horns in tact. On first glance, the new setting could only be described as Twilight’s version of heaven instead of a typical high school full of gangly teenagers. Cloud-lined shelves stretched in every direction, row after row filled with the sum total of every book ever conceived in existence. Passing down the aisle, each vibrantly colored book had a unique mark on the spine for visual identification. Beams of golden light streamed through the crystal glass ceiling shedding a rainbow of color on all below. The path ahead led straight to a light oaken lectern set on a central dais at the cross-point of the simple maze of library shelves. Just above that, an inky black pegasus sat atop a pillowed seat holding the Fork of Destiny at her side.

The trio cautiously approached and bowed.

“Hello,” Twilight began. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, and this is Starlight Glimmer and Starswirl the Bearded. I assume you are Volara, Fate of Wisdom?”

The pegasus smiled and nodded.

“I have to say, I love your library.” Twilight could barely contain her excitement. “But that’s not why we’re here.”

Volara shrugged and waved a dismissive hoof.

“So, uhhh.” The words didn’t come easily given the roller coaster of the past couple days. “We met your guardian downstairs and passed your test in order to get here, so you see—”

Volara shook her head and raised a hoof to silence Twilight. Stretching out her other forehoof, she pulled back the cover of a black velvet bound book perched on the lectern in front of her and set a bright red quill freshly dipped in ink into a small holster strapped around her fetlock. With a flourish of flame from the top of the phoenix feather quill, she quickly scratched out a note on the open page.

She waited.

The others passed glances at one another and back to Volara. The blank stares bordered on uncomfortable.

Volara scanned right, and then left, and then stomped her hoof twice against the stand. The thud broke the silence, but only slightly ahead of Twilight.

“Do you want me to come read what you wrote?” Twilight ventured to ask.

Deftly sliding past the ponies and swiftly taking a place at Volara’s right side, the Sphinx suddenly rejoined the party. “Please excuse my tardiness, Priestess.” It bowed it’s head toward Volara, and she reached up and gave it a gentle pat.

“It seems I’ve missed the introductions, so straight to business then.” The Sphinx pulled out a set of old reading glasses, and placing them over the bridge of its nose, glanced down at the book and then back toward the ponies. “Only one of you passed my test, and only they have earned the right to an audience.”

“That’s not what I was just told,” Starswirl said.

“Yeah, I thought if one of us passed, we all passed the test together,” Starlight added. “We all deserve an audience, and some answers.”

Volara went back to the page, jotting a longer note this time.

The Sphinx quickly read it out loud as she continued writing. “I will tolerate the ascended presence, but I maintain my dispute on the the validity of her merit in the aforementioned test. My objection stands to reject the appearance of my sister’s Champion. His spectacular failure in the trial went as expected and validates my previous position. But you, Starlight Glimmer, you have demonstrated your worth in wisdom, in courage and in power. Still, you remain a fool. Now, step forward and let me examine your cutie mark.”

Volara motioned for Starlight to approach.

“I—I don’t know about that,” Starlight said. “That staff doesn’t get along very well with cutie marks in general.” Her flank felt, in a way, naked without her mark. Even if she had her doubts about its purpose, it remained a part of her. Motioning toward the twisted relic and shrinking away, she nodded to Twilight for assistance.

“Speaking of the staff,” Twilight said, quickly chiming in again, “we do need to return it to the Altar of Magic. So if you don’t mind, we’ll—”

Volara opened her mouth full wide to laugh, but no sound escaped her lips. She rolled on her side and shook her head, all the while chortling in complete silence.

The Sphinx glanced out over the top of its reading glasses. “I believe the answer is, no, Princess.”

“But why not? That’s where it belongs.” Twilight pressed forward coming up to the edge of the dais.

The Sphinx reared up and brandished its claws. A deep growl rumbled in its throat. Twilight quickly retreated to her former spot.

Volara recovered and stood. Her height exceeded Celestia by a few inches, not counting the horn difference, and she exuded every ounce of royal stature. She tucked the staff under her left wing and stepped down from her perch all the while keeping a stern eye follow on Twilight. Circling around the princess, she swung over toward Starlight, passing close to the nearby row of shelves. Starlight held her ground, but felt an uneasy sway in the presence of the dark Fate bearing the staff that had started her down the path of forced equality not so long ago. It felt like a ghost of her past come to pay her a visit.

The shine of Volara’s raven wing reflected the light shining from above which caught Starlight square in the face. The staff sparked with an energy and intensity that she had never witnessed in her time of stewardship. Her flanks tingled as the strange yet familiar magic reached out to her. Her mane and tail along with every bit of hair on her body stood on end. She shrank a touch from the attack on all sides, but took no aggressive action to fight it or rally in defense. It almost felt like an acceptance of her guilty conscience in not fighting back against the assault.

Volara brought a hoof to her chin in quiet contemplation. She stood for a moment with Starlight waiting on the edge of baited response. After a long pause, she continued her journey completing the loop around Starlight before raising her wings and deftly swooping up and over, returning to her seat at the book on the lectern.

A few more notes, and the Sphinx began again, “I see now why my sisters entrusted you with this great honor. Few could have made it this far, but you are the exception. The irony is, you remain oblivious to your own destiny, Starlight Glimmer, heiress to the legacy of the Great House Stella. Nevertheless, you have passed the final test and are proven worthy of the blessing of the Goddess. I am duty bound to honor my mother’s wishes and convene the Council of Fates.”

Volara stood at her full height and spread out her wings, brandishing the Fork of Destiny with both forehooves as she raised it high above her head. The staff began to ripple and spark with magic current. A wind blew through the corridor and swept past the trio, gathering from each of the four points of the structure toward the center.

Stunned, the ponies watched in awe.

“This can’t be,” muttered Starswirl.

The Sphinx backed away. A portal opened in the space above the dais just over the tip of the staff. Starlight dug her hooves into the clear crystal floor but found no grip as the gust pushed her forward. She struggled to maintain her balance, turning and bracing against the wind.

The others weren’t affected, standing just outside the jet-stream path.

“What’s happening?” Starlight yelled.

Twilight tried to take a step toward her, but found herself unable to cross the plane of the gusting channel. “I don’t know,” she yelled in response.

Starswirl had already retreated into his thoughts. Twilight could hear him mumbling to himself amidst the growing chaos. “Family? How could she?”

The swirling vortex swept past the books on the shelves without them moving a hair. Starlight continued to struggle, finally losing the battle and tumbling head over tail toward the Fate’s portal. The updraft lifted her off the floor and sent her sailing through the magic gateway. Volara beat her wings in one giant sweep and followed her through the opening.

---

Starlight opened her eyes.

The heavenly plane spread to infinity in all directions. A chaotic twinkle of stars both near and far gave light to the otherwise empty void. The ground beneath her hooves didn’t appear solid; in truth, it didn’t even appear. Taking a step seemed to move and turn as would be expected, but with so far to go and nothing in between, movement in any direction could not be quantified.

“Hello?” Starlight called out. “Is anypony there?”

No answer.

“Am I dead?”

It was neither hot nor cold. It was neither light nor dark. It just was. Eternity and her. Though she could have felt frightened or angry being lost without direction, floating aimlessly through the great void, she felt more at peace than ever.

“You are not dead, but I see how you might think that.” A warm voice, deep but female, caused Starlight to pivot and stare. The imposing form of Volara, draped in a full set of golden battle armor and carrying the Fork of Destiny like a jousting lance under her wing, made her appearance.

“Where are we, and when did you start talking?” Starlight asked.

“The limitations of my mortal form do not impede me here. In the Eternal Plane, I am free to be as I am.” Volara reached back and withdrew the staff from it’s holster. “Take care, for I must now summon my sisters.”

“Hold on,” Starlight said, “I’ve got sooooo many questions.”

“Destiny waits for no pony.” Volara lifted the staff which produced two magic beacons driving divergent paths of light out into the void. The light traveled out and returned just as fast along with two passengers seemingly along for the ride. Neither looked all that happy.

“Celeste. Terrara. I can’t say it pleases me to see you both again so soon, but here we are nonetheless.” Volara lowered the staff, but kept a tight grip on the shaft as she crouched into a seated position.

“So, it was you all along?” Celeste said. Her radiant silver glow sparkled in the light of a million stars like a disco ball across an infinite dance floor. Brilliant blue iris shone like sapphires from her previously vacant, yet glaring eyes. “I should have known Terrara wasn’t smart enough to break through my defenses alone.”

“But I did, and I would have gotten it all to myself had I chosen a more loyal Champion to assist.” Terrara with her golden coat and perfectly coiffed mane draped about with a lustrous red velvet cloak sat and crossed her forelegs, sulking. “I tricked you both into fighting over that last ascendant trial so I could focus on getting the staff without either of you knowing. Unfortunately, I had to pull some strings and enlist a unicorn — power hungry mortals — to retrieve it from where it landed in the desert. And now my fate is ruined.”

“No offense, but I’m right here.” Starlight raised a hoof in the middle of the squabbling sisters. “Could somepony tell me where exactly that is?”

“You are on the Eternal Plane, Starlight Glimmer. A place beyond worlds and physical limitations. A place where the Fates sometimes meet to make an offering unto the Mother Goddess, if they can stop their foalish bickering long enough to honor their sacred duty, that is.”

“Ahh, thank you, o wise one,” Celeste said, mockingly. “Finally opening your mouth to share your great wisdom with us lesser beings.”

“Who are you calling lesser?” Terrara said. “I am a proud earth pony and greater than you in every way that counts.”

“Being older doesn’t count,” Celeste spat back.

“Mom always liked me better,” Terrara countered.

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

Volara drove the staff into the pseudo-ground causing sparks to shoot from the tip and immediately gaining everyone’s attention. “Ladies! Have we forgotten our manners? There is an acolyte present.” She gestured over to Starlight with her free hoof.

Starlight looked around, still getting her bearings. The trio of Fates made a triangle with her at the center. Trading glances among the three sisters, so different and uniquely flawed, the realization hit like she’d been struck by the staff at full force. Finally making the connection, she blurted out, “I get it! This is the friendship quest! Three separate places, but linked by three unique ponies. The staff isn’t our quest — you are!”

“We are the Fates of Destiny, here in our true forms and gathered for a singular purpose — which is you, Starlight Glimmer,” Volara confessed.

“Why me? Don’t you have better things to worry about, like Terrara’s broken vault? Or the staff needing to be returned to the Altar of Magic so everypony doesn’t lose their magic? Let’s talk about your sisterly differences so we can get things straightened out here! Now what’s your problem?” Starlight said.

“We don’t answer to you, Starlight,” Celeste said. “We answer to a higher power.”

“What do you mean?” Starlight countered.

“Destiny has chosen you, Starlight Glimmer, and we are honor bound to answer,” Terrara said. “Even if that means we must suffer every indignity and humiliation as a result.”

“Oh come now, sister, it’s only four for me. You’ll catch up at some point.” Celeste gave her sister an evil grin and flicked her mane over her shoulder.

“This isn’t a competition, Celeste,” Volara said, scolding her sister like a mother would her foal. “Must I remind you that our place is only to observe and report. Your greedy power grab led to a millennium of twisted fate and unrealized destiny!”

“And you did any better?” Celeste scowled at Volara. “I saw the future, and I took action. You can’t blame me for realizing my own destiny.”

“You stole the future, Celeste,” Terrara said, interjecting. “At the expense of the present, you jeopardized everypony’s future, and for what? Power?”

“At least I had the courage to take what was mine, Terrara,” Celeste said.

“That wasn’t courage. That was cowardice. You were afraid of letting anypony else share the glory. Always needing to stay ahead of the pack.”

Starlight twirled around trying to keep track of the conversation. The more intense it got, the more confused she became. Seeing the Fates in their regal forms gave a sharp contrast to her first encounters with each of them. Just the thought of these powerful ponies, each representing their corresponding race and culture, fighting, gave her flashbacks to history class and the subject of the great pony wars prior to the unification of the races under the Princess Celestia and Luna.

“Why are you fighting?” Starlight cut in. “Aren’t you supposed to be sisters? Don’t you care about each other at all?”

*a collective sigh*

“We used to, back when our goals were the same.” Volara spoke, and the others ceased their bickering for a moment. “Many centuries ago, we had a common purpose to unite our tribes and direct our races to help one another. We began with our champions, but they proved only to divide the tribes further, each clinging to their own or seeking to consolidate all power in one. We thought that by granting the blessing of the Goddess to a worthy few, we could better focus our intentions. The idea was sound, but there were those among us that felt they knew better. And so, it took the better part of a thousand years, and the corruption and banishment of one of her own, for her to finally come around.”

“And you still blame me for it,” Celeste said. “We all agreed to follow the selection of the staff.”

“And you took it for yourself and manipulated the results,” Terrara added.

“Lies!” Celeste replied. “You’re just jealous that the staff hasn’t selected one of your race yet. More proof that Mother likes me best.”

“Mother cursed us!” Volara shouted, standing once again and brandishing the staff. “We are Power, Courage, and Wisdom — yet blind, deaf, and dumb. Take a lesson from history, my sister. We are slaves to our past and bound in the present to an already determined future. We have no choice in this, and neither does anypony else.”

“Keep your history lesson to yourself, sister,” Celeste said, ignoring Volara’s comments. “I see my future is bright, and the staff shall be mine again.”

“You have no future if you don’t learn from the past and tend to the present,” Volara said. “And I shall be keeping the staff safely out of your hooves.”

“There’s not much left to tend to as it stands,” Terarra said. “The marks are starving and grow weaker by the moment, not that anypony cares.”

“I care!” Starlight, waiting on the sidelines, kept mulling over the comments made by each of the Fates. “So, let me get this straight, Celeste can see the future but is blinded by power; Terrara, you’re supposed to be courageous but fear for the present; Volara is wise with a whole library with knowledge of the past, but—”

“But, I don’t usually share with those I deem unworthy or those who choose not to listen.” Volara settled back down. “Some have called me a hoarder.” She flipped a hoof in the direction of Celeste.

“Yeah, of dead cutie marks.” Celeste made a face and stuck out her tongue.

“I prefer to think of it as an archival of all the deeds of pony history, not a cemetery to mourn the dead.”

“Yeah, nothing like a magic crystal battery farm that you siphon extra power from,” Terrara said, still sulking. “At least her archive isn’t broken.”

“If you’d both do as you are told, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” Volara said.

“What sort of mess?” Starlight asked. “Maybe I can help? I mean, it’s kind of why I was sent here in the first place.”

“Of course you can help.” Volara bowed down to address Starlight. “Acolytes are the answer to our plight, but my sisters just won’t listen. Quite honestly, they could both be deaf for all I know.”

“So much to unpack here,” Starlight said collapsing on her haunches. “Where to begin?”

“Let’s get this over with,” Celeste said. “I need to inform my Champion of the whereabouts of the staff. Don’t expect to have it much longer.”

“I’m fine with that,” Terrara added. “Sooner we’re done, the sooner I can get back to my dying cutie marks. More work for me the longer we wait.”

“Then we are agreed,” Volara said once more bringing the staff to bear. “By the power of the Fates combined, we present our offering to the Goddess. May Her blessing shine upon you as we fulfill our sacred destiny. Rise, acolyte, to the form of the ascended Alicorn.”

“Wait, what?” Starlight said.

The staff glowed and connected an arcing magical bridge between the three sisters. Starlight stood in the center and felt a strange tingle from inside. Her cutie mark began to glow, and a piece of herself pulled away from her chest. She felt no pain. The essence congealed with the surrounding magic and began to circle in a dozen different pathways around her. Lifting off the ground, the eternal plane began to drift out of sight.

From deep within her, she screamed, “No!” Her cry echoed into the void.

From the edge of existence came a response.

“What is the matter, my little pony?”

“I don’t want this. I’m not ready. I need my friends.”

“You are frightened, but have no fear. I am with you.”

“I’m not afraid.”

“Then be at peace and accept my gift.”

“I don’t want your gift. I want what I choose for myself.”

“Is this not why you are here? Is this not your fate?”

“I’ll make my own fate, and I’ll choose my own destiny. This isn’t what I’m here for. Some day, I may be ready, but I’m not there yet. I’m still discovering who I am.”

“Have you not the cutie mark? A shooting star with unlimited potential?”

“A falling star, set up for failure, you mean.”

“Both the same, only a difference of perspective.”

Starlight pondered. “I hadn’t thought of that, but I still have to decline your offer. I’m not ready for this. I need to go back.”

“You are truly wise and courageous, Starlight Glimmer. Power over one’s choice is the greatest power one can have. I do not doubt my daughter’s selection, but I will respect your choice, for now. If not my blessing, what would you wish of me in the meantime, my child?”

Starlight thought for a moment, or quite possibly a lifetime.

“I wish we could all be friends.”

“A fine choice. A fine choice indeed. Carry that wish in your heart, and light the way for others.”

“I will. Thank you.”

“Now, let’s go see if we can’t help a few others see the light.”