Once upon a time, in the magical floating city of Cloudsdale, there was a sad little trio of sisters. Their names were Midnight Blue, Sky Blue, and Vivian Blue. They lived in a small cloud home, nearby the Rainbow Factory. Despite being near this "source of joy", the three of them couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor souls who had to work there. All of them, even the youngest, Vivian, knew what went on in the real Rainbow Factory. It was operated by a Cyberpony named Hate Seed. He was responsible for the deaths of many ponies, and the conversions of many more of them into his own kind.

The Cyberponies, like the Windigoes before them, didn't have emotions, but they had the knowledge of them and used them against the ponies. Unlike the Windigoes, the Cyberponies didn't use the ponies' own negative emotions against them, but instead used logic. They believed themselves to be invincible, despite having seen some of their own kind killed. They had but one goal: To convert everypony to their kind. And who better than the Blues to be their next victims?

I hope Midnight will come back to protect us. Sky thought to herself. Vivian and I can't do this alone. Sky sighed as she stared longingly out her glass-free window, thinking deeply about her heartfelt wish to see her mother and father again... but she knew that her parents were the last folks she'd ever see... everypony from Cloudsdale, (save for the Blue sisters) even Mr and Mrs Blue, had already been converted. What's taking her so long anyway?

Midnight, being a former Rainbow Factory worker, may or may not have already been converted to a Cyberpony... or a pile of ashly dust. The very thought of it made Sky start to bawl in tears. Suddenly, whilst lost in thought, Sky felt a hoof stroking her mane and knew, without turning around to look, whose hoof it was. "Are you thinking about Midnight?" that familiar, sweet, and innocent filly voice asked Sky.

"Of course I am, Viv." Answered Sky, her words barely comprehensible due to the despair she was wallowing in. "Aren't you?"

"How could I not, Sky?" Vivian answered, a hint of sadness in her voice. "You know I miss her just as much as you do... but that's no excuse to cry about her. Is that what she would have wanted? Crying may be an important way to calm you down, but it's not exactly gonna solve the 'where is Midnight' problem. We have to take action."

"How can you be so sure of yourself at a time like this?" Sky asked Vivian. "We have no leads on where she is, and even if we do find her... what would we do then? Viv, this is the end for us Blues. Our whole family is gonna either be dead... or worse. It's only a matter of time before..."

Vivian interrupted Sky's pessimistic remarks and exclaimed loudly. "SKY... CLOUD... BLUE!!! LISTEN TO YOU! I KNOW THINGS AREN'T EXACTLY THE BEST FOR OUR FAMILY... OR ANY FAMILY, FOR THAT MATTER... BUT THAT IS NO EXCUSE TO THROW IN THE TOWEL WHEN THE BEST THING TO DO IS LOVE, HOPE, DREAM, IMAGINE, AND BELIEVE!!! THINGS WILL GET BETTER, TRUST ME! WE WILL FIND JOY! WE MAY NOT HAVE CLARITY OF THIS SITUATION, BUT WE WILL GET WHAT WE DESIRE! HOW CAN YOU GIVE UP ON ALL PASSIONS??? ANSWER ME SKY!!!!!!"

That yelling of Vivian's snapped Sky out of her moping and wallowing... "You could have deafened me, Viv!" Sky responded, her sorrow switching to anger and her newborn rage made obvious with her tone. "But you're right. You know, you're very wise for such a young filly." Sky's tone changed again, suggesting that the anger had died and been replaced with a neutral, unnamed emotion. Somewhere betwixt joy and sorrow, definitely an emotion, but one that hasn't been felt many times and thusly doesn't have a name... unless tiredness counts as an emotion. "I'm going to bed. You should too, Viv. Maybe we'll get a message in our dreams that will tell us what to do."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you, Sky." Vivian calmly told her sister, as though all the rage in her previous outburst had been sapped and replaced by a newfound calmness and tiredness. "Lulu will tell us something important. She's never been wrong before. Why should she start now, when she's the only one we can truly count on now?"

Lulu, what a cute nickname for an almost-all-knowing deity like Lucilia. Sky thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep. She didn't even need to get into her cloud bed, comfortable as it was... just the very reassurance that Lucilia, the Blue family's spiritual guide, was watching over her was all she needed to feel comfortable. And as Sky drifted off to sleep, Vivian did the same. And in their sleeps, they shared a dream.

In this dream of theirs, the two Blue sisters saw their trusted guide, Lucilia. Even though she was over nine thousand years old, her beauty stayed young. She was almost angelic in appearance, with her silken-white fur, her dove-white feathers on her wings, her luscious golden mane and tail, and her dazzling sky-blue eyes that glimmered in the starlight. Her entire body had a supernatural shine, and, as a spirit, she maintained these beautiful features all throughout her afterlife. "Salu, Sky. Salu, Vivian." Lucilia spoke in a kind and calming voice that would turn random words of gibberish into pure poetry. "I believe you are here to ask me for advice about your absent sister, Midnight?"

"She's not absent, Lia!" Sky snapped at the spirit. "She's in our hearts... or mine at least. I'm sorry for snapping at you, Your Holiness."

"Sky, being a spirit is no laughing matter." Vivian whispered to Sky. "Lulu has an important job, guiding us... and she does it with grace... please just give her the courtesy of listening to her."

"I understand how you feel, little ones, but really... if you follow my instructions, all will be well... if not... you'll suffer the same fate as your parents." Lucilia said, her tone changing from sweet to stern but remaining kind all throughout her speech. "I understand that this information might scare you, but you need to know it. Fear may be a negative emotion, but it is an important one nonetheless. It's linked with love, and oftentimes, the two emotions are sources for each other. For instance, if you love someone, you're more than likely afraid to lose them. And because you're afraid to lose them, you try to protect them. Like Midnight. She may be absent from this dream, but she is not absent from our hearts and minds. Likewise, if you're afraid of something, you're going to bond with someone else who fears it, thusly creating new love out of old fear. Do you understand this, my little ponies?"

"I do." Vivian replied.

"I don't." Sky replied. Understanding the science and magic of emotions was never her strongsuit. "But I can understand that we need to learn something from you in this dream and apply that knowledge to reality. I don't believe in patience, so can you please hurry up and teach us?"

"Certainly not, Sky." Lucilia snapped. Even her snapping sounded calm and tranquil. "Patience is a virtue, and you must learn to believe in it, or else there will be a lot more for you to worry about than the Cyberponies." The beautiful charm in her voice had finally faded, and Lucilia showed the Blues a vision inside a spiritual crystal ball. The ball was crystal clear, and surrounded by ebony flames that were cold to the touch. The crystal was beautiful, but its beauty was of the sinister nature, and thusly not to be taken lightly.

As if the crystal ball engulfed in dark flames wasn't ominous enough, the actual vision within the ball showed a trio of dark figures, all of them evil for their own special reason. The Blues immediately recognised one of them: Hate Seed, the current leader of the Cyberponies. The other two were not recognised, but equally terrifying, despite their differential appearances: One of them was a dark-grey unicorn with a crooked, curved, crimson horn, ruby-red eyes, and an emotionless expression on his face. The other one was inside a cloud of mist that was different shades of red, as if it were a gaseous form of blood. Though his actual body was hidden, his cloud of blood-mist gave the impression of something sick and twisted, not to mention sinister.

"Who are those creeps?" Sky and Vivian asked Lucilia simultaneously.

"Those creatures are more than just creeps, children. They're pure evil, and nothing can save them... not even love. Hate Seed, well... you already know his story, but I'll tell you again in case you forgot. He was once known as Fate Seed, a young unicorn who would give anything to see the future... but when he finally got his wish, he regretted wishing for it. He saw his own father's invention, the Cyberponies, become corrupt. He thought he could make them good again by reasoning with them, so he let them 'upgrade' him into one. And then he lost all emotions, including love, desire, and even hope. And although he had no emotions of his own, he got the new name 'Hate Seed' when he no longer had control of his own fate."

"As for the other two..." Lucilia continued, her voice now more grim than beautifully charming. "The dark pony is Shadestar, Sombra's son. His one dream is to avenge his father's death by bringing Twilight Sparkle and her friends to dust. His hatred for the Elements of Harmony, along with his love for his father, has made him more powerful than most ponies... but you have something he doesn't: honor. You can defeat him as long as you follow your own morals."

"As for the blood cloud..." Lucilia kept on speaking, for she most certainly wasn't done with her message. "that's covering up a villain known as Dilunius. He is called this because, as you'd be able to see if he wasn't covering himself, he has two heads, each of which is shaped like a crescent moon. Di for two, Lunius coming from Luna, which means moon. He can manipulate minds and trick people into believing anything... ponies from a couple centuries ago recognise him, and that's why he hides himself. If Luna saw him in this dream, she would try to kill him, for there is no possible way to reform someone as deformed as Dilunius. Of course, if he dies in his own dream, he wakes up in reality."

Lucilia paused briefly before finally asking the Blues "Do you understand what you're up against now?" After seeing them nod, she continued. "The Legion Of Relentless Darkness, or LORD, is a force to be reckoned with... and its members are more than just the three leaders... all of their subjects and minions are in it too... if there's any advice I can give you, it's to be careful who you trust. Luna once said those words herself, also in somepony's dream."

"You know, Lulu?" Vivian asked. "You talk a lot... but that's what I love about you. Your advice keeps us safe, even when we're in danger."

"I agree" Sky replied. "Although it wouldn't hurt to explain the situation in briefer messages, would it? Patience is hard, especially when you're anxious to get things over with, like me... but thanks anyway for the advice... even if it was mostly warnings instead of lessons. I guess if you're not gonna teach me, I'm gonna have to develop a learning tactic and use it to teach myself."

"You are a wise pair of ponies, little ones..." Lucilia complimented the fillies. "and with time and experience, your wisdom will grow. Know that just as you two have faith in me, I, too, have faith in you. Now, farewell, children, and may the stars forever light thy path."

And with that final message, Lucilia was gone, and the Blue fillies woke up from their dream of guidance.

Author's Note

I begun rewriting Starlight Sorrow. I'm sorry, but I haven't saved the original. The new one will be more well loved by me, and thus the other people who love it as much as I do will be better friends with me. I'm making this story a bit more... "me" than it was before. And that means changing the story because, and I quote, "We all change, when you think about it. We are different people, all through our lives. And that's OK, that's good. You've got to keep moving! So long as you remember, all the people, you used to be." If you don't like it, click that dislike button. If you DO like it, click the like button. I don't care what the rating is, as long as it's honest.

Three Star Points to whoever is the first to find a particular similarity between the old story and the new one. (Such as the presence of a certain character, and of course, Sky Blue doesn't count, and neither do the other Blues. Words I used to describe certain situations will also be counted, as long as the wording is exactly the same or almost exactly the same as in the original...) If you haven't read the original, ignore the hunt for Star Points... If you're wondering what they're for, Star Points are an EXP-like system I use. Earn 100 and you level up, which gives you certain rights and privileges depending on what level you reach. Most of these rights and privileges involve me, or your friendship with me... or my stories. Or your presence in my stories. (If your OC is in my story, he or she might get noticed.) I'll also give you some Star Points for any references you can find. (Such as the title of the prologue being a song by Owl City, of course, I won't count that one.)