The day that Astral Stream got the letter was the day everything changed.

She had opened it feeling bemused at first. Most of the ponies she knew lived in Ponyville with her, though she did have a few candidates in mind for who would write to her. Once she had opened the letter, her brother’s name immediately caught her eye, and she had broken out into a smile as she began to read.

“Dear Astral,

“It’s been a while since I last wrote. A while might be an understatement. What’s it been, six months? Almost seven, I think. I’m sure a lot has changed with you, as a lot has changed with me.

“I’m writing because I have some pretty big news. I’m being promoted! You are now hearing from the Royal Guard’s brand new first lieutenant. It still sounds surreal to me. I still think of myself as that bright-faced cadet, the one who’d do anything for his kid sister.

“I’m sure you remember all of that, though. After all, you were the reason I decided to join the Guard in the first place. And since you’re the reason I joined altogether, perhaps you’d care to join me in a celebration this Friday? Just the two of us, like old times.

“Yours, First Lieutenant Stone Shield.”

Astral had felt elated upon reading the words that Stone had sent her. It had been over half a year since she heard from him last, and she was beginning to wonder why he hadn’t contacted her. Now that she had an explanation, she was excited again, and had immediately set about making preparations for the visit…

The sharp blast of the Friendship Express’s steam whistle jerked the midnight blue unicorn out of her reminiscing. She turned and glanced at the clock on Ponyville’s station platform -- five fifteen. She had been stuck in her head for a few minutes, and while she was thankful for the distraction from waiting, she now focused all of her attention back on the present.

The Express pulled into the train station with a screeching grind, and the train doors hissed open. A small crowd of both tourists and Ponyville natives poured out of the train, mixing with the ponies already on the platform as everybody moved to get to their destination. Astral just barely squeezed into the passenger car, managed to get a window seat, and settled in for a long train ride.

After a few moments, the steam whistle blew again, the entire train lurched forward, and the Friendship Express was on its way to Canterlot.

For most ponies, the towering spires of Canterlot Castle were a sight to behold, but Astral wasn’t interested in the castle. She supposed the first time she had seen the royal palace she was as awestruck as anyone. But now that she had been inside the castle over half a dozen times, it wasn’t anything more than another building to her, albeit a regally-decorated one.

She was more consumed by her thoughts than sightseeing as she headed up the walkway leading into the castle plaza. She wasn’t focused on her surroundings as she approached the castle. She barely even registered the guard stationed at the end of the walkway until his wing came out and blocked her path.

“Uh--” Astral started, immediately brought back to earth. “I’m sorry? Is there a problem?”

“State your name and business, please, miss,” the guard said formally, his crimson eyes boring holes into Astral.

Astral was unnerved by his intense expression. “I’m, Astral Stream… here to visit my brother, Stone Shield? The new first lieutenant?”

The guard blinked a few times before he retracted his wing, nodding politely. “Of course, miss. Go right ahead.”

“Do you mind telling me why you asked my name and business?”

“A threat has been spotted in Canterlot,” the guard explained at once; he seemed to have been expecting Astral’s question. “The castle has been placed on a state of high alert until the threat’s been dealt with. Only those with official business are allowed inside.”

Astral blinked. “A threat? What kind of threat?”

The guard shook his head. “Sorry miss, but that information is on a need-to-know basis. We don’t want to cause a panic.”

“Of course…” Astral said uncertainly. As she trotted past him, she glanced back and saw him resume the stoic posture of the guards.

Despite being put off by the guard’s unusual behavior, Astral was still determined not to let anything put a damper on her visit. Once she had entered the throne room, however, she immediately felt something was wrong.

While the castle usually had a warm, inviting feel, Astral was struck by an almost oppressive atmosphere. The castle’s grand foyer was darker than usual, lit only by candles and torches lining the walls instead of the massive chandelier hanging overhead. The stained glass windows of the five princesses at the top of the stairs were covered with a black tarp, blocking them from view entirely. An increased number of guards were stationed at every entrance and exit to the castle, all of them with emotionless expressions as they stood sentry.

Astral took a steadying breath as she walked into the grand foyer, all heads in the room turning towards her. She could feel her heart racing as she approached the door that headed out into the garden. She stopped a few feet in front of the two guards, both of their eyes the same crimson color as the guard out front. Their expressions shifted from indifferent to hostile. Astral explained what her business was within the castle, and after exchanging a look with each other, the guards stepped aside, allowing Astral to proceed to the garden.

The atmospheric changes that Astral had sensed in the foyer had also seeped into the garden. Over half of the lights lining the path were dimmed or extinguished altogether, filling Astral with a mild sense of dread. Even more guards patrolled the garden, either supervising the few gardeners working at night or just on the lookout for threats. Their expressions were identical to their comrades inside: blank and emotionless, with the exact same crimson eye color that Astral was unnerved by.

What in Equestria is going on? Astral thought, standing and observing the guards patrol the grounds. I can understand the patrols -- those threats must be serious if the princesses are increasing the ranks -- but what’s with the light? And that tarp? And the eyes?

Determined to ask Stone about the changes around the castle, Astral soldiered on, igniting her horn’s light and keeping to the path. She wore a brave expression as she trotted through the garden. Her apprehension grew, however, as every pony she passed gave her a suspicious or threatening look. Astral quickened her pace, eager to reach the familiarity of her brother.

Astral soon reached the barracks, and broke into a canter as she approached the commanding officers’. She knew that waiting behind the door was her older brother, who she was sure would explain everything to her. She grasped the door handle in her magic and pushed it open, stepping inside.

She wasn’t expecting what she found.

Astral’s eyes immediately fell on the stallion sitting on Stone’s bed. He was large, almost twice as large as Astral herself was, with a neat coat colored an ebony black. In sharp contrast to his coat, yet still adding to his ominous appearance, his mane was a rainbow of colors, ranging from a hot pink to the same shade of crimson that the guards’ eyes were, and had a magical flowing quality that Astral had only ever seen in the princesses’ manes. Yet what she found most unnerving about him was the fact that he was an alicorn.

“Who are you?” Astral demanded at once. “Why are you here?”

“Oh, finally,” the alicorn smirked. “You’ve arrived. I was starting to get bored waiting for you.”

Astral was taken aback. “Waiting for me? What do you mean? Who are you?”

“Yes, yes, who I am… It’d be rude to not introduce myself.” He stood up, staring down at Astral as he spread his wings. “I am the Collider. You must be Astral Stream.”

“How do you--”

“Patience, Astral… Is that not one of the qualities your brother taught you?”

Astral glared at the Collider. “Where is Stone, then?”

“He’s right here, of course.” The Collider gave a short whistle, and out came Stone Shield, wearing the uniform worn by the lieutenants of the guard. His expression was blank, and Astral noticed that his eyes were the same dull crimson as every other pony’s she’d encountered that night.

“That’s not Stone,” Astral said, before demanding, “What did you do to him?!”

“Oh, nothing that you should worry yourself about,” the Collider chuckled.

“You…” Astral gasped. “You’re the threat they talked about, aren’t you? The one they found in Canterlot!”

The Collider shook his head, smirking “Oh, no, Astral, it’s not me...

“You’re the threat.”

Astral took a step back, her expression hard. “I’m no threat! I don’t hurt innocent ponies, unlike you!”

The Collider plowed on as if he hadn’t heard Astral. “Yes, you’re the threat, and here in Canterlot, we take threats to our safety very seriously… I do believe the proper punishment for a criminal of your magnitude is life imprisonment.”

Astral barely had time to react before the Collider’s horn lit up, remove Astral’s saddlebags and enveloping her in a magical force so powerful she couldn’t move. She tried to struggle against it, yet as she was lifted into the air, Astral found she was frozen; the only body part she was able to move was her head. The Collider’s magic brightened, and Astral felt a searing pain in her hooves. Glancing down, she saw that her flesh and blood was being transformed into gray crystal.

Astral was being turned into a statue.

She tried her hardest not to express the agony shooting through her body, not willing to give the Collider the satisfaction that he wanted. Instead, she forced herself to speak.

“You’re not going to get away with this,” she said through gritted teeth, glaring at the Collider.

“Here’s a news flash, Astral: I already am,” the Collider answered with a derisive laugh.

Astral turned her eyes from the Collider, instead focusing on Stone, standing to one side like a broken doll. She realized that this was going to be the last time she’d see him, and unconsciously, her thoughts drifted to others she was never going to see again: Her mother, Willow, Violetta, Falcon...

Blast…

I’m sorry… she thought, hoping that her friends could hear her through the aether that separated them. But I’ll make sure he never finds you.

As suddenly as the pain had come, it stopped. Astral felt a pins-and-needles sensation in her hooves as the crystal shattered. The spell had failed, and Astral fell roughly onto the floor. Chancing a glance at the Collider, she saw that he was clutching his head and wincing in pain.

Astral grabbed her saddlebags with her magic before she sprinted out the door, her hooves pounding into the ground as she galloped away. The static sensation in her legs faded away as she rushed down the path, eager to get away from the Collider. The sound of hoofsteps coming up behind her made her increase her pace, adrenaline coursing through her body. Risking a glance behind her, Astral saw Stone approaching, his expression having changed to angry and threatening. The bloodlust in his eyes reminded Astral of a wolf hunting its prey, and as she was the quarry, she didn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

“Stone!” she shouted. “What are you doing?! This isn’t you!”

“Quiet! You’re nothing more than a criminal, and a threat to my prince!”

“Your prince?! Stone, don’t you see?! He’s got you under his spell -- This isn’t you! I know you’re in there, and you would never try to hurt me!”

Astral took another glance back, hoping to see Stone come to his senses. Instead, he was gaining on her. She let out a strangled shout of fear and involuntarily sent an attack at him. A projection of a meteor came shooting out of her horn, crashing into the ground at Stone’s hooves and creating a crater. Stone tripped, allowing Astral escape into the castle ballroom.

Astral cleared the ballroom in no time at all and found herself in an unpatrolled section of hallway. She took a few moments to catch her breath and orient herself, recalling where she was, as well as where the few exits were. She moved slowly through the castle, careful to not to let herself get caught as she wandered the maze of hallways and corridors. It wasn’t much time until she found the kitchen, and she smiled to herself as she saw an exit door. Opening it, she found herself in an alley behind the castle. Astral dashed down it into the crowded main street.

Blending into the Canterlot crowd was simple enough for Astral, as her wavy black-and-blue mane matched the city at night. Her brain shifted into overdrive now that the worst part was over, attempting to organize what she just experienced into cohesive thoughts.

Who was the Collider? That was the biggest question for Astral at that moment, as she wasn’t aware that stallions could even be alicorns. She hadn’t heard or read anything about him, which she thought was strange; a sixth alicorn would be national news.

What was the spell he put on all the ponies in the castle? She didn’t know of any mind-control spells powerful enough to affect so many ponies for so long. And their eyes… They all had crimson eyes. What was that about?

Why did the Collider want her? She wasn’t anything special, as far as she knew; just an ordinary unicorn from a small town. She didn’t think her status as one of the youngest astronomers to be published would be enough for him to want to hurt her, let alone turn her into a statue.

And what was she meant to do now? She couldn’t just leave Stone in the clutches of the Collider; she cared too much about him to do that. But to charge back into the castle, with all of the guards and the Collider himself, would be suicide. If she were to save her brother, she’d need help.

While she was thinking, Astral had made her way to the airdocks. She figured that the Collider would be watching the train station for her, and she needed a way out of Canterlot. A hot air balloon seemed a perfect way.

“... moonlit ride over the plains of Equestria,” a vendor was explaining to a married couple. “Enjoy your anniversary from a pegasus’s point of view.”

“Excuse me,” Astral interrupted, walking up to the vendor. “But I need a way out of Canterlot.”

“Of course!” the vendor said, giving Astral a friendly smile. “Perhaps after these two get their--”

Astral pulled a small bag of bits, which more than covered a two-pony fare, out of her saddlebag, her expression severe. “No, I need it now. No questions asked.”

The vendor, at the sight of money, waved off the couple and set about preparing the balloon for a journey. “So where do you need to go?”

“Ponyville,” Astral said frankly, climbing into the balloon’s basket.

“Ah, Ponyville! A lovely, quaint town. Perhaps you’d enjoy visiting the Willow Groves? It’s a beautiful--”

“The Willow Groves is perfect, actually. Could you try to land there?”

The vendor gave Astral a look at her unusual request. “I… suppose, though it’ll cost a bit more.”

Astral rolled her eyes in annoyance, adding an extra ten bits to the total. “Just get me out of here.”

The vendor nodded and climbed in alongside Astral, untethering the balloon with his magic. “Ma’am, if I may, why do you need me to land IN the Willow Groves? It would be closed now.”

“The owner is a friend of mine. I need her help with something.”

“With what? Why did you need--”

“I said no questions.” Astral glared at the vendor. “Why I needed to get out of Canterlot so fast is none of your concern.”

The rest of the trip was in silence. Astral was afraid that telling the vendor anything he didn’t need to know would cause disaster, and she didn’t want to risk putting him in the Collider’s crosshairs.

Ponyville fast approached as the vendor shut off the flame, allowing the balloon to sink down. A small grove spread out underneath them, with a cottage placed close to one of the edges.

“Well, there you are. Willow Groves, just as you asked,” the vendor said, nodding at Astral. “I hope you had a pleasant flight.”

Astral just nodded back as the balloon touched down in the ponymade forest. She climbed out of the basket and walked away, indifferent to what happened to the vendor now. Astral trotted swiftly through the darkened grove, knowing her way around it by heart. She soon saw the dim light of a lamp, and as she followed it, more and more of the cottage she saw from the air came into her view. She gave a short sigh as she stepped up to the front door, knowing that there was no turning back.

Astral knocked on the door.

Author's Note

The opening part of this chapter took me forever to get right. Out of the week-long period between the prologue and the first chapter, the first THREE DAYS were spent trying to get Astral on the train.