Rainbow flew silently with Twilight on her back. Luna's moon hung above them, and they kept staring up at the sky. Rainbow had begun to shake under Twilight's weight, but they were still miles away from Canterlot. I don't want to stop now... but if I don't, I might crash and kill us both.

"Urg..." Rainbow grunted. "I-I gotta set us down and rest for a minute..."

"It's alright, Rainbow, go ahead," Twilight answered. She looked at the exhausted Rainbow Dash for a moment before looking away. She clenched her teeth. I should never have let her do this... it's too much on her.

Rainbow slowly began to descend, trying not to crash. She managed to touch down lightly, and she folded her wings. Twilight let go of her and stepped back. Raibow could see Canterlot in the distance, shining brightly in the beautiful night. The soft grass swayed lightly in the minute breeze, and it felt good beneath Rainbow's hooves. She lied down and tried to catch her breath.

Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash again, and she once more found that she could not hold her gaze. "I'm sorr--" she tried to say, but Rainbow cut her off.

"Shut...up, T...Twilight," she said through her panting. "I told you...that I...wanted to...do this."

Twilight looked down. "But I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"Who cares if I get hurt?!" Rainbow burst out. "All of Equestria is in danger here! If we don't do something, Everypony is going to get hurt!" She gritted her teeth and forced herself to her hooves.

Wow...no wonder she's the element of loyalty. I wish I could have a fraction of your courage and dedication, Dash. "I know, but we can't do anypony any good if you get hurt!"

"Look, we'll rest for a few minutes and then get on our way again. It's only another couple miles, and I'll have us there in no time." Rainbow lied down again, unable to stay on her feet.

Twilight gave Rainbow a quick glance. Rainbow was sweating and breathing heavily.

"Now, how about--" Rainbow began, but as her gaze drifted skyward, she grew silent. Her mouth fell open.

"Rainbow, what's wr-" Twilight tried to ask, but she, too, was unable to speak when she saw what Rainbow saw. In the sky above them hung the object from Twilight's pictures. It wasn't large, but it was close enough to be visible. A sinister, black aura was clearly visible surrounding it. "Oh, Celestia...it's closer, Dash."

Rainbow swallowed, trying to speak. "...I know. We have to go. Now." Rainbow quickly jumped up and motioned for Twilight to grab hold of her.

Twilight shook her head. "No. You need to rest." She sat down and crossed her forehooves.

Rainbow growled. "Twilight, either you grab onto me or I'll drag you through the sky. Which one is it?" She took a step closer to Twilight.

Twilight looked at the blackish green cancer in the sky for a moment. She's right. I feel sick just looking at this. We can't waste any time. Reluctantly, Twilight wrapped a hoof around Rainbow.

Rainbow silently spread her wings once more and lifted off from the ground. She flew in silence, forcing herself to remain focused. Below them were the endless plains of uncivilized Equestria, all covered with tall grass and the occasional trees. Canterlot was approaching rapidly, and Rainbow could at last distinguish the different buildings.

At last, they reached the royal city. "Twilight," Rainbow called, "where's the archives?"

Twilight searched for the familiar building. "There, that's it." She pointed to a large spiral building with an elegant garden.

Rainbow sighed. "Good." She slowly fluttered down and softly landed on the ground. "Lead the way." Twilight nodded and trotted toward the library.

Rainbow looked around at the garden. All these decorations... do fancy ponies really care about all this junk? She let out a disgusted sigh and followed Twilight.

When they reached the library gate, the guards raised their lances. "Who goes there?!"

Twilight stepped forward. "Twilight Sparkle, apprentice to Princess Celestia. Please let us through."

The guards relaxed. "Oh, sorry, Twilight! Go right in!" They opened the door for Twilight and Rainbow, and the mares trotted inside.

Twilight observed the Room names nearby. "Okay, if I'm correct, the astronomy wing is on the second floor. Follow me." She hurried down the hallway and Rainbow followed close by.

More terrible decorations. What is it with nobles and their stupid designs? Rainbow simply rolled in her eyes and continued to follow Twilight.The reached an ornate spiral staircase with a gold lined handrail, and Twilight quickly ascended it. Rainbow Dash followed suit.

"Okay," Twilight announced, "the wing is the second on our left. We should split up to try to find anything we can." Rainbow nodded, and they trotted to the door. The guard opened it for her without a word and they stepped inside.

"Let me know right away if you find anything," Twilight told Rainbow.

"You got it." Rainbow walked into the aisle nearest to her and began to browse the titles of the books. "A History of Astronomy," "The Planets and Their Locations," "Stargazing Magic..." Ugh, this is gonna take forever. She kicked her hoof and began to pull several books from the shelf.

"Miss?" a voice called from behind Rainbow. Rainbow screamed and dropped the books she was holding. "Oh, my apologies. I did not mean to startle you."

Angrily, Rainbow turned around to see a light brown pegasus staring at her. "Hey, bud, what's the big idea?! You scared the hay out of me!" she exclaimed.

"It was not my intention," the colt answered, never taking his eyes off of her. "May I ask why you're browsing this section so late?"

"That's my business, not yours, so unless you know anything about unexplainable stuff in the sky, butt out!" Rainbow turned and began to walk away.

The Colt smirked. "But I do."

Rainbow stopped in her tracks. She turned around and approached him slowly, watching him warily. "What do you mean...?"

"You have seen it, have you not?" His dark blue eyes focused intently on her.

"You...you know?" Rainbow's face lit up.

"I do, although it seems that no one will listen to reason. If you've seen it and you've come here to look for information, then you are aware of the gravity of the situation." The mysterious colt gazed intently at Rainbow, and she felt captivated. Wow, he's pretty handsome...But no time to think about that! If he knows something, I need to find it out!

"Look, uh..." Rainbow began before realizing that she hadn't even caught the colt's name.

"My name is Swordpoint," he answered. "I came here seeking answers just the same as you, and I think I've found something. You should come with me."

"R-right..." Rainbow stuttered. "Just let me get my friend. Hey, Twi!" She looked around for Twilight. When no response came, she simply sighed. "Let me go find her. She's probably got her face buried in a book." Rainbow walked out of the aisle and headed for the direction in which Twilight had gone. This Swordpoint... I don't know if I can trust him, but if he knows something, then I can't just ignore it. Plus... he is... no, wait; what am I thinking?! Not at a time like this! She shook it off and entered the first aisle she saw. Twilight was lying on the ground and reading a book. "Hey, Twilight. You should come with me."

Twilight looked up from the book and her eyes widened. "Have you found something?" she asked.

"There's a colt who came here for the same reason as us, and he says he's found something. We should see what he's got to say." She nodded her head in his direction.

Twilight sprang up. "What are we waiting for?! Let's go!"

Rainbow led her from the aisle to where Swordpoint waited. "Careful, Twilight," she whispered, "we don't know if we can trust this guy."

"Do we really have any choice?" Twilight whispered back. Rainbow didn't reply.

"Now, then," he began, "this is what I've discovered so far. According to the texts here, there was an ancient civilization of ponies with magic that was advanced far beyond anything we've ever seen. Few traces of them remain today, but from what has been found, it is clear that they did not simply die out." Swordpoint's face did not waver at all.

Twilight stood. "Ah! I remember reading about them. They were known as the Coltillians, correct?"

Swordpoint nodded. "Yes. Their tales told of a great evil which came from the sky, corrupting and killing all in its path. According to their texts, it appeared one day in the sky and drew ever closer until it finally unleashed its evil upon the earth, causing destruction and chaos and killing everypony in sight. The descriptions they give of the evil match the celestial object we've seen." Swordpoint stood up and walked to the window. He stared outside at the night, brooding silently.

Rainbow stared up at the ceiling. "But why is it coming back? Why now?"

Swordpoint spun around to face her. "I don't know why it would return, but it's clear that we are facing a global crisis. If we don't do something, I fear that we are all doomed."

Rainbow felt sick. Everypony...will die? What...what can we do? How can we stop this?! I've never been so scared in my life! But come on, Dash, you gotta hold it together!

"Swordpoint, how did you find this information?" Twilight questioned, giving him a quizzical look. "I've spent a lot of time in this section of the library, but I've never found anything about what destroyed the Coltillians. I've always heard that they simply vanished."

"Simple browsing," was his short reply. "I would show you the book, but I'm afraid I don't recall where it was. I was on my way out when I found your friend, Miss...Dash, was it?" His face was stern.

"So...how do we stop this thing?" Rainbow asked, fidgeting in her seat.

"Well, I doubt there's anything we could do with our present magic. However...the ancient civilization was working on a way to stop the calamity, although they failed. If we could try to find their project and complete it, we could potentially stop the disaster. I've already done some research on the civilization, although I don't know exactly where we'd need to go. Perhaps you two could help me find the information I need?" His gaze never changed.

"Yes," Twilight said earnestly, "anything to help!"

"Good," he sighed. "Perhaps we should start looking, then."

"Alright. So...how long do we have?" Twilight asked anxiously. She looked at Swordpoint with wide eyes.

"Judging by the position of the object...three days."

Three days... Dash thought. We have to do this. Not just for us, but for everypony. Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie, AJ, Scootaloo, Spike...EVERYPONY!

Author's Note

Enter Swordpoint. He's an OC I made specifically for the story.

Not really much else to say, other than the plot thickens. With only three days to stop the crisis and a hope residing in long lost magic, things look grim. But we'll see. Also, I know this isn't as long as the prologue, and yes, I suck. But bleh. Next chapter is in the works, and it should be longer. It will lead through the three days up until the event, so there. Something to look forward to :P