Warriors: Beyond the Stars

Rainpaw rested her head on her paws. The apprentice den was strangely snug with moonlight streaming through the walls. Her nest was soft; moss free of thorns and soft down feathers lining.

Her friends were already asleep, their slow breathing lulling her to sleep.

Rainpaw's eyelids slowly forced themselves down. Apprentice training was tougher than even the most hardcore Wonderbolt tryout.

She closed her eyes, covering her rose irises. Welcome darkness greeted her. Rainpaw's breathing gradually slowed.

She opened her eyes. She was not in the apprentice den.

Rainpaw jumped to her feet in the pitch darkness. Suddenly, a familiar sight greeted her.

The moon was rising, just a claw scratch in the sky. It grew larger as it rose, turning from a luminescent silver to a deep blood-red.

As it rose, it illuminated her surroundings.

Tall trees loomed above her; massive pillars of smoke that could be easily batted. Brambles circled around the apprentice, barring any escape routes.

"Hello Rainpaw. I didn't expect to see you so soon." an eerily calm voice commented from the brambles.

Rainpaw spun around. "I didn't expect to see you either," she countered. "What the buck are you doing in my head, shadow-dust-cat-thing?"

It's glowing eyes narrowed as it stepped out of the bushes, it's body moving through the pricker bush like a ghost.

In the light, she saw truly how small it was. It was slightly larger that the boisterous kits in ThunderClan, yet possessed a great calm. The kind of calm you had to look out for.

"I am not in your mind. You are in my territory." it looked another way.

"What I meant was who are you, what are you, and why am I here!" she grit her teeth.

"Tsk, tsk. I do not approve of impatience. You will find out in good time," it turned it's ghostly gaze toward her. "Though you are here because I called you."

"Let me rephrase: Tell me who you are or I'll shred your face off." Rainpaw unsheathed her claws.

It looked down. "Quite a colorful set of claws there."

She briefly glared at her paws. Her claws had at least one hue from her mane. "You didn't answer my question." she growled.

"Oh, fine." it sighed. It's tone changed. "I suppose loyalty being in your nature means suspicion of anything new."

"That's not true!" she snarled and lunged at the shadow cat. It didn't even try to dodge; it just stood there.

Rainpaw raised her forelegs and raked them down on the cat's face, feeling-

Nothing. She attacked absolutely nothing.

"Where are you?" she growled.

"Over here,"

she blindly leaped toward the call, eyes closed.

Yowling, Rainpaw scrambled out of brambles.

The cat sat on the opposite side of the circle looking amused.

"Aggressive. You know, the saying goes 'look before you leap'. You should try that."

Rainpaw turned. "Answer me," she hissed.

"I'll tell you. But you have to return for little chats with me, as I am very lonely."

"Tell. Me."

"Oh bother, not very fun, are we?" it's gaze leveled with her glare. "You can call me Scourge."

Twilightpaw awoke peacefully, stretching as she blearily opened her eyes. They widened with shock as she examined her new surroundings.

Oh no! Am I in another universe? she thought, panicked.

Suddenly, a she-cat with a pelt like Rainpaw's burst into sight, sprinting after a rabbit.

"Um, hello? Where am I?" she asked the cat.

The cat stopped chasing the rabbit and turned to face Twilightpaw. "You're in StarClan, little one. But you are not joining us, not yet." she purred, apparently pleased by the starled apprentice's appearance.

"Um, why am I here?" Twilightpaw asked.

The cat padded over. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Bluestar."

"That gray tom said Rainpaw looked like a Bluestar. My name is-"

"Twilight Sparkle. StarClan is honored by your presence." Bluestar bowed her head.

"How do you know my name?" Twilightpaw asked suspiciously.

"We are in Silverpelt; we look down on the lake and guide our Clans," Bluestar explained. "We know all Clan cats."

"We? Do you use the Royal We?" Twilightpaw asked, a mischievous glint in her eye.

Bluestar chuckled. "No, we don't use 'the Royal We'. StarClan is where all honorable warriors go when they die."

"What about medicine cats?"

"They go here, too."

"Good. And, if I may ask, why are my friends and I here?" Twilightpaw once again questioned.

"You ask a lot of questions," Bluestar's tone darkened. "You were called here to serve your ancestors once more, to-"

"Ancestors? We're from Equestria." Twilightpaw said quizzically.

"I know. you were born here in a past life, Skypaw remembers this and chose her ancestor's name to honor it."

"So you're saying that I was a cat?"

Bluestar nodded. "Yes. Your name was Dawnsight of SkyClan. Gempaw's was Whitepelt of SkyClan. Applepaw's was Poppynose of SkyClan. Skypaw's was Skystar of SkyClan. Rainpaw's was Stormflight of SkyClan. Oddly enough, she was a tom." Bluestar allowed a small laugh on her part and continued. "Do you see the pattern?"

"We're.... all from SkyClan?" Twilightpaw hesitantly answered.

"Yes. You've got it. Just in time, too. Wouldn't want to miss the morning patrols." Bluestar's voice faded as the her eyesight went dark.

Flutterpaw skipped through a bright forest, happy as a dove. A deep rumble announced a coming storm and she stopped skipping. The sky darkened and lightning flashed red. It began raining; a raindrop landed on her forepaw. She lifted it to clean it off, but froze when she saw it. A droplet of blood was on her paw, and more were raining down from the sky.

Flutterpaw was frozen in a stupor as noiseless rain pelted her from above. Lightning flashed once again, catching a large branch on fire.

The branch creaked and moaned as flames licked at it, blood fueling the growing inferno. Finally the branch gave way, pounding the forest floor in front of poor Flutterpaw.

The blaze reared, growing ever taller. It formed the shape of a cat raising it's paw to swipe at her when-

a downpour of rain, glorious rain doused the flames.

Pressing Flutterpaw's fur to her sides, words ominously repeated themselves in her head.

From the sky comes threat, and from that threat, salvation the voice echoed.

In the distance, Flutterpaw saw a tri-colored lightning bolt strike a tree. Then the light flared and she woke up.