A Spark Ignites

“Whoa,” Rainbow Dash groaned. She felt like a tree in apple-bucking season.

What happened…

Memories of rocketing through a never ending void burst into her mind, accompanied by the feeling of being ripped apart at the seams. She remembered leaving Ponyville, and finally she remembered the bomb. Suddenly, the lethargy that had been gripping her was gone and Rainbow was distinctly aware that she was most certainly not dead.

Leaping to her hooves, she gave herself the once over. Four legs, good; mane, messy as always; wings, a bit sore but no worse for wear. Yes, Rainbow Dash was definitely alive. With issue number one solved, Rainbow had to deal with a more pressing issue: where the hay was she?

Her surroundings were utterly alien. She seemed to be standing on some sort of immense metal platform; shaped as if someone had taken a circle, cut it in two, and slid the halves slightly apart before reattaching them giving it two pointed edges. Around and above the platform, Rainbow could see only a night sky filled with unfamiliar constellations. The sight of them reminded her of Twilight, and brought upon a sudden and crushing loneliness that nearly brought her to her knees. It was then that Rainbow noticed another figure on the other side of the dais.

Ignoring her body’s complaints, Rainbow shot into the air and rapidly closed the distance between them. “Hey!” she shouted. “Yeah, you! I’m talking to you!”

As she approached the figure, Rainbow was able to determine a few things. First, and most importantly, it was a mare—not that she would have been upset had it been a stallion, Rainbow was just glad she wasn’t shouting at a statue. Secondly, it wasn’t one of her friends. This realization stung a little, but for the moment Rainbow would have taken Discord himself if it meant she’d get some explanation of what happened and how she might get home.

The mare had a sandy brown coat with strange patches of golden metal sprouting from her joints. Her white mane was spiky and short, and a long braid hung before each ear. Rainbow’s gaze was drawn immediately to the mare’s right leg, which Rainbow realized was made entirely of metal! Unlike the gold that seemed almost natural, this limb was obviously artificial—though more advanced than any prosthetic Rainbow had ever seen. When the mare leapt back in surprise from the speeding pegasus, the appendage acted just like a ‘regular’ leg would. Rainbow came to a stop barely a foot in front of her and stared expectantly.

“Alright, start talking,” she said, crossing her front hooves.

“…I’m sorry?” The mare stared at her in disbelief, as if Rainbow was the weird one.

“You heard me! One minute I’m heroically saving my friends from this magic-battery-bomb-thing, the next you’ve brought me here!” Rainbow said impatiently. “So come on, get to it!”

The mare merely cocked her head, “I didn’t bring you here.”

“A likely story! I need to get back, my friends need me!”

A confused expression came over the mare and she began to speak, though it seemed to Rainbow that she was more talking to herself than the pegasus. “Let’s see… I was helping out in the medical tent, then dad came rushing in and he said—“ a look of horror came over her as memories came flooding back “—They found us!” Her words turned into incoherent cries, something about her dad and ‘them’.

“Whoa- whoa!” Rainbow grabbed the panicking mare by the shoulders “Whatever ‘they’ are, they’re not here now. If you didn’t bring me here—and I’m still not convinced that you didn’t!—we’ve got to figure out who did!”

“I did.” Rainbow spun around, searching for the source of the voice. It was hollow, almost mechanical sounding, but with an undeniable wisdom that reminded her of a masculine Celestia. In the center of the platform, where there had previously been nothing, stood an incredibly lifelike metallic statue of alicorn. It was so lifelike, in fact, that Rainbow only freaked out a little bit when the statue took a step towards her.

The white maned mare recovered from her shock faster than Rainbow, and with a sudden composure so distant from her actions a moment ago she took a defiant step towards the statue. “Then you can send us back, right?”

The statue’s long strides closed the gap between them quickly, and Rainbow realized that it was at least as tall as Celestia, and the starlight shining off its silver plating made it seem almost as regal. When it responded, it sounded as though it felt genuine regret. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

Rainbow’s confusion and anger boiled over and her courage came back with a vengeance. “Can’t? Or won’t?”

The statue turned its gaze from the sandy mare to Rainbow, its blank expression remained unchanging. “Both.” When the mares reacted with outbursts of anger, it continued. “I am truly sorry, but I cannot send you back. Even if I possessed that power, I would not use it. You are both here for a reason.”

“Whatever reason you had for bringing me here, it can wait! I need to get home, there was a bomb!”

“And I need to get back to my family—the Phyrexians found them!”

The statue visibly winced when the other mare spoke, and when he spoke his voice was brimming with remorse. “Again, I am sorry. This bomb you speak of must have detonated, and if Phyrexians found your family then there is no helping them now. You know this.”

The other mare choked back a sob as Rainbow flew face-to-face with the statue. “Detonated? Are you trying to tell me I’m dead?!”

“No.”

“Then can you please explain what the hay is going on here?!”

If the statue was irritated by Rainbow’s close proximity or her shouting it showed no sign of it. “Certainly. One in a million sentient beings are born different. Inside these beings resides a certain potential—a ‘spark’ if you will—that is tied to their very essence. For each million of these individuals, only one will ignite their spark, transforming into a being known as a planeswalker.”

“But what does that have to do with us?” asked Rainbow with irritation. “Get to the point already!”

With patience only afforded to beings made of metal, the statue nodded at her. “This spark can be ignited in many ways, though one of the most common is in a moment of great crisis or trauma. I believe that the detonation of this bomb, and the encounter with the Phyrexians, triggered the igniting of your sparks. You two, like me, are planeswalkers.”

“That still doesn’t explain how we got here,” interjected the other mare.

“The primary purpose of the spark is allowing the planeswalker to do just that—walk between the planes. When your sparks ignited, they instinctually whisked you away from your respective dangers and with no destination in mind, they brought you here. This is not something to rely on, however, a planeswalker is not invulnerable.”

“So where is ‘here’ exactly?” she asked.

“A creation of mine. There was a time that the planeswalker’s spark brought unimaginable power to all those who were lucky enough to wield one, power enough to create an entire world from nothing. Those times have passed, but I retain enough power for this: a nexus built between the nearby planes, an island afloat in the chaos of the Blind Eternities. From here I can watch over these planes, and guide those who get lost in the chaos to a safe place. For this reason, I call it ‘The Hub’.“

Rainbow thought for a moment. “So if this spark lets us walk between ‘planes’ or whatever, does that mean I could just walk to whatever plane Equestria is on?”

“Unfortunately, no,” before Rainbow could argue with the statue, a large sphere appeared before her. She instantly recognized it as a globe, with the kingdom of Equestria proudly carved into it. Before she could comment, the statue continued “I’ve watched your plane for a time, but have never been there. You see, for many years there has been a barrier preventing beings such as us from entering.” Around the globe, a mesh of red light appeared, capsuling it completely. “But when your spark ignited, your journey into the eternities ripped a hole through this barrier.” Something seemed to force its way through the red mesh, distorting it and leaving a small cone shaped point over the region of Equestria.

“Do you see? Through this hole you could, perhaps, find your way home. But such precision in planeswalking is difficult, if not impossible for one who has not taken the time to practice. It could be many years before you are powerful enough to accomplish such a feat.”

As Rainbow fumed, the other mare spoke up. “What about me? Does my world have a barrier like that, too?”

For the first time since she’d met him, to Rainbow’s surprise the statue’s stoic expression changed into a look of pain. “No. You are from Argentum—or Mirrodin, as you would know it. There are no magical defenses preventing planeswalking to your home, not any longer. But I fear returning there would prove unwise. Your kind is at war with the Phyrexians, a war I’m saddened to say you’ve already lost. If you ‘walk to Mirrodin you will die, and your potential will be wasted.”

“Hang on a second!” Rainbow held up her hooves, the outburst surprising both the other mare and the statue. “You’re telling me there’s a whole world being attacked by these Phyrexian whatevers? And we’re just standing here doing nothing?!”

“We are not doing nothing. As planeswalkers, it is our duty to prevent the abomination that is Phyrexia from spreading. Unfortunately, this may not be as easy as I had hoped.” The statue looked grimly at Rainbow Dash. “Long ago, the Phyrexians tried invading another plane. Through the machinations of some of the multiverse’s greatest minds and heroes, they were stopped. But as you can see, Phyrexia does not give up that easily.

“I have little knowledge of their plans, but I do know that the old Phyrexians had many dark schemes to spread their corruption across the blind eternities. I believe that in ages past, an artifact of great evil was sent to your world to herald the coming of the Phyrexians, and to make the conquering all the more simple by corrupting the world from the inside. Sometime after, the barrier that surrounds your world was erected—effectively cutting off the artifact from its creators and rendering it mostly powerless. With the barrier broken, the Phyrexians will learn of the artifacts presence and seek to use your world as their first step into the multiverse.”

“So you’re saying that these monsters from her plane are going to attack Equestria if we don’t stop them?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Rainbow flew high into the air, fiery determination burning within her with such strength she thought she might burst into flames in any moment. “Let’s take the fight to them! Show them they’re messing with Equestria’s best flier—and best planeswalker, too!”

“If there’s any chance of stopping what happened to my people from happening again… Count me in” Rainbow beamed at the sandy mare as she spoke.

“It will not be quite that simple,” cautioned the statue. “There is no hope in fighting the Phyrexians head on—they are much too strong. What we need to do is go to this ‘Equestria’ and destroy the artifact, severing the link between the planes. We must then discover the source of the barrier around the plane, and replicate it so we might trap the Phyrexians within their own world, where they will be unable to harm anyone else.”

“But I thought you said I wouldn’t be able to get back!”

“Not yet, but I believe I have a plan. There are three ponies that have come to my attention—ponies with unignited sparks. If we can ignite these sparks and recruit the walkers to our cause, I believe we may have a chance. With a planeswalker of each distinct type of magic, we should be able to combine our power and use it to trace your path back through the Blind Eternities, back into your homeland.”

“Hang on—magic? Hate to break it to you, shiny, but I’m a Pegasus. We don’t do the whole ‘magic’ thing.” Rainbow pointed at her wings for effect. Beside her, the other mare indicated with her mechanical limb that she, too, was lacking a horn.

The statue merely let out a hollow chuckle, his grim expression making it seem a little more sinister than was intended. “You know so little about the power granted by the spark. Do not worry, it will all become clear in time.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Why does everypony always have to be so cryptic?”

“I believe I have spoken far too much already. In order for our plan to succeed, we must act quickly. The two of you will be headed to the plane of Innistrad. In the city of Havengul in the province of Nephalia, you seek the one called ‘Shade’. But be warned: knowledge of the planes is very secretive. Tell none but Shade of your mission, or disaster will surely strike. Now come, I will guide you on your walk to Innistrad.”

“You won’t be coming with us?” asked the other mare.

“No, I must prepare other pieces of the plan. When you return from Innistrad, I shall be here to show you the next step on your path.”

“But we don’t even know your name!” Rainbow argued, before sheepishly turning to ‘the mare’ beside her. “I don’t actually know your name, either. I’m Rainbow Dash.”

“You can call me Steel, Steel Shaper,” she responded with a small smile.

“And I am Karn,” spoke the statue. “Now come, there is little time and much to be done. Allow me to tell you what I know of Innistrad.”