//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: Star's Log 
// by dracone 
//------------------------------//

Star Log hummed a jaunty tune as she traced a simple map, one that was clearly decades old. Star Log was eight years old, and she was already drawing up maps of the surrounding area. Of course, she would have been lost if it hadn’t been for her little sister, Daring Do. Daring was only five years old and overly adventurous; the filly had followed Star into the wilderness near Melody Brook. Star had lost track of their progress; she knew which direction town was but not which way that was. Daring had managed to find a hidden place in the forest, and the two had managed to navigate the area.

Star had found an old recording book and decided to look through it. Her cutie mark was a night-themed chart and book with a star fountain pen and wave quill; it would be a waste not to check this sort of thing. It had been two weeks since she had gotten her mark, and the talent was proving marginally useful. She still didn’t know which way was west, though, she knew that was the direction of the town. She knew the sunset in the west, but if they waited that long their parents would be distraught.

She caught a flash of light from the corner of her eye; she quickly closed the book that she had been tracing in and scooped all the materials on the table into her bag along with the book itself; she would look them over in detail later. Daring scurried in a few seconds later with a look of excitement on her face; she showed Star Log an old rose compass. It looked like it was in excellent condition, and very functional. Star wanted to just take the compass and follow it out but decided against it, she didn’t want to ruin her little sister’s joy, and instead decided to say something that would show her sister some encouragement, and if Daring got them lost for a few hours, she would make a comment about Daring doing her best and request the compass so she could navigate them out of the wilderness.

“Alright, Daring,” said Star, “we need to go west to get home; it’s marked by the letter that looks like to v’s lined up end to end; it’s actually called double-U, though. Think you can lead the way out?”

Daring giggled a bit before looking down at the compass for a moment before looking straight up and turning a bit to the right and walking in the direction that Star Log could have sworn was north; she really was turned around more than she thought.

“Daring, what was that flash I saw?”

It was almost time for her to start her first day of school, so their parents had gotten Daring her first backpack. Daring went everywhere with it; it was practically a miracle the thing hadn’t been torn as she followed Star through the forest. Daring stopped for a moment and put the compass in the pocket of her shorts before taking her backpack off and opening it to reveal an old magic light lantern; she turned its wheel quickly to the right and then left, and it gave off a flash that was easily mistakable for that of the acquisition a cutie mark. Daring thought about something for a moment before handing it to Star, who accepted with a few words of gratitude.

Daring then resealed her bag and threw it back on herself before reaching into her pocket and checking the compass before once again leading the way. About a half hour later, they were out of the forest and much closer to the town than Star had anticipated. “Well,” said Star, “aren’t you the clever little navigator,” she then ruffled her little sister’s mane. “We should go on more adventures together.”

There was a flash of light, and Star took a quick look at the lantern before looking over to see her sister checking her own flank and grinning with excitement; Daring had pulled up her shorts to reveal a rose compass similar to the one she had used to guide them out of the forest.