//------------------------------// // Prologue: Signs and Portents // Story: Rise of the Runelords: Burnt Offerings // by redtau //------------------------------// Princess Luna smiled at the gradure of her work. The heavens above Equestria shone brilliantly in the clear night. It took but a moment to pull and correct a few stars that had wandered since her last fine tuning. There was the belt of the warrior, always wanting to sag slightly. There was the great bear and its little cub, how she wished she could let them snuggle like they seemed to want. There- There was a star that should not be there. Princess Luna frowned in concern. She knew every star by heart and each location backwards and upside down. Quickly she scanned the skies, worried that this star had wandered from its own constellation. As her eyes swept in a wider and wider circle around the errant glowing star she became more and more troubled, for none of her creations were missing any points. Stars do not just appear! she thought, And while they move on their own, this seems a mite ridiculous! Glaring at the point in exasperation, she finally gave in and turned to her notes. The bookshelves along her wall were filled with journals, each written in complex shorthand and code that only a few could decipher. She lifted the appropriate book of the shelf and pulled her telescope to her eye. The book fell to the floor. Every star is unique, like a snowflake, and each can be placed by its size and shape. Decorative stars were simple points as they were easy to make and move. Two point stars anchored the array of constellations to the sky. Three point stars were wishing stars, granting their power as the fell. Stars of power had four points, like the four she had used to free herself from the moon. Stars of fate had five points, marking their importance. This star didn't have five points. It had seven. "SISTER!!!" Princess Twilight Sparkle stood in the Canterlot Castle throne room before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Princess Celestia was looking more serious than she had at Discord's release. Princess Luna was pouring through scrolls and books with a worried expression on her face. Even the guards looked nervous. "Princess Twilight Sparkle, I am happy that you and your friends could come on such short notice." Princess Celestia said. "We wish that it was a happier occasion that we called you here for." "What's the problem your majesties?" Applejack asked stepping forward. "Whatever it is, we can handle it no sweat!" Rainbow Dash chimed in. "I certainly hope so," Rarity said, brushing a hoof over her simple but elegant dress. "Sweat would absolutely ruin this outfit." "We can throw a party afterwards right?!" Pinkie Pie asked eagerly. Fluttershy sat quietly, waiting for an explanation and hoping it wouldn't be too scary. "A new star has appeared in our sky." Princess Luna announced, "One that brings very ill tidings." "Long ago," Princess Celestia began, "so long now that even for creatures like Discord it must seem little more than legend, this world was connected to another." "Canterlot High?" Twilight asked, "But I've already been there and back a couple of times." "No," Princess Celestia corrected, "The mirror was little more than Starswirl the Bearded attempting to recreate the magic that originally connected this world. You have seen the world of Canterlot High Twilight, the magicthere is so minimal that they have no control over their sun or moon. Our land is saturated with magic, but that is how this world was made to be." "By Faust." Applejack said. Celestia shook her head. "While it is true that we have much to thank Faust for, this world is older still. It was made as a paradise for another land, a kingdom where strong magic ruled. When it started, this world was simple but good. As the magic of the kingdom grew and became more complex, so too did our world." "The wizards in charge of that other kingdom wielded great power." Princess Luna said, "And like many with such power, they became corrupt.That corruption tainted their world and began to taint ours as well." "What happened to them?" Fluttershy asked timidly. The princesses looked at each other for a long moment, each willing the other to speak. "We are.... unsure," Princess Luna admitted. "All we know is, before the age of Faust there was a great collapse, and the stars themselves seemed to fall. There was a long time of quiet before this world was remade by Faust into what it is today." "The star in the sky," Twilight asked, "How is that important?" "The star that now shines in my night sky used to be a sun," Luna said to the shocked looks of the ponies, "Controlled and fed by the power of the corrupted wizards. It is approaching us at an alarming rate and when it arrives its corrupting influence may destroy us all." "But we've got plenty of time before that happens, right?" Rainbow Dash asked a little worried. "The light only just appeared last night." "Princess Luna, how far away was the sun?" Twilight asked worried. Luna looked grim, "As near as we can calculate the star is almost thirty trillion miles away." Every pony but Twilight looked relieved. "What's the matter sugar-cube?" Applejack asked, "It'll take years to reach us!" "It already has," Twilight said, "That's about five light years, meaning the star started glowing bright enough for us to see it five years ago. Who knows what kind of power those wizard might have gathered in that time. We need to go stop them now!" "It will not be so simple," Princess Celestia said. "What little we have gathered from ancient records show that world was a violent place before the connection fell silent. If you travel there you will likely have to fight, maybe even kill." It was clear such an idea was shocking to the ponies and it nearly brought Fluttershy to tears. "In addition, you would have new forms and possibly even different abilities. I cannot ask this of you lightly, but if any of you are willing to volunteer, we need your help." The friends shared a long look. Some were frightened, some were uncertain, but in the end, there were solemn nods between them all. Princess Twilight Sparkle stepped forward. "Equestria needs us." She said. "We will not back down."