Dragon Wind awoke in a brightly lit room, on a small, padded bed. Rainbow Ribbon lay beside her, still unfazed and in the middle of a peaceful slumber. Sunlight streamed through the large glass window on her left, contrasting with the harsh fluorescents above. She flicked a switch on the wall and they turned off. There, that's better… she thought. She looked to her hooves, and a look of terror spread on her face. Remnants of what seemed to be large, iridescent scales the color of her fur adorned them. What had happened while she was out? The last thing she remembered was a flurry of wings carrying her off, and a strong feeling of evil power. Numerous cuts and bruises still covered her body. She heard a noise to her right; Ribbon was stirring. Dragon Wind quickly hid her hooves under the covers and pretended to have just woken up. "Oh, hey, Dragon Wind. Ahh…" yawned Ribbon as she stretched, pawing the air with her hooves. "Where the heck are we?" Dragon Wind tried to look clueless for a second, then turned to Ribbon. "I-I think we're in a Healer's Hall, but I can't tell which one it is. Looks pretty fancy, though." she replied.
  Ribbon looked to a bed table between them, piled high with books. The top one was a copy of Daring Do and the Diamond Dog Dilemma. Amongst the many volumes were copies of Ribbon Dancing for Pegasi, Strut with Silk, the October 2003 issue of Pegasus Dance, and at the very bottom was a withered old book, pages fraying, and a spine so loosely attached that Dragon Wind was scared to even look at it for fear it would break. While Ribbon chose a copy of Clouds with Silver Lining; My Silky Story by Agatha Twinkletoes, Dragon Wind carefully removed the old book from the bottom of the pile and set it on her blankets. She proceeded to wipe the dust off the cover and was astounded by what she saw. It was a copy of the Complete Book of Dragons; All You Ever Wanted to Know About Dragons and More by Fluttershy of Ponyville. The book had everything; dragon anatomy, behavior, magical properties, egg-raising, and much more. "Hey, Ribbon, who do reckon sent all these? They're like, meant for us or something!" she asked. "I don't know. Maybe we should ask? Meh." replied Ribbon, still buried deep in her reading. Dragon Wind sat up in bed, put the Book of Dragons back on its former resting place, and fumbled out of bed, headed for the door. Ribbon had noticed and was doing the same. "Hold on," she said, walking back to the table. "Why didn't we notice this before?" she asked while unfolding a small piece of parchment. "It says," read Ribbon, clearing her throat. "Hello, young Pegasi. I hope you will enjoy the books I have picked out for you, as I expect they will fit your interests nicely. All your questions will be answered later by my sister. For now, feel free to explore the palace; though don't go anywhere where more than four guards are posted. Best wishes, L-Luna!?" cried Ribbon in shock. "I think I know where we are now," she said. "Yup," replied Dragon Wind. "We're in Canterlot, in Celestia's castle!"

  The two fillies quickly flew out of the royal Healer's Hall, where they found a luxurious garden complete with statues of famous ponies and honored ones. The two Pegasi settled under a statue of Octavia, the famous cello-player. "So," inquired Ribbon. "What do you think happened to us back at the Crystal Empire?" Dragon Wind faked a look of thought. "I don't really know. All I remember is lots of wings and a powerful feeling." she replied. She glanced over to Ribbon and caught her eye. Lying in a small crater was a gold-and-yellow lump, next to a smoking boulder. "Whoa, what's that?" asked Dragon Wind, intrigued. "I don't know, but I'm going to check it out." replied Ribbon, heading over to the odd shape. Dragon Wind followed. As they drew closer, the two fillies saw that the lump was a Pegasus colt, a bit bigger than them. He seemed to be out cold and was a quarter of the way under the boulder, which now looked to be a comet of some sort. A starry aura seemed to surround his motionless wings and hooves. "We've got to help him!" cried Ribbon. Dragon Wind paid no attention. Instead, she started stroking the colt's gold-tipped mane, feeling its plush softness. "Dragon Wind, come on! We have to get him to the Healer's Hall!" suddenly yelled Ribbon in Dragon Wind's ear. Startled, she began trying to lift the colt. She didn't realize that she was saving a knocked-out Pegasus colt that fell from the sky until they were at the Hall. Why were his wings and hooves sparkling so mystically? Why was he wedged under a comet? Who is he, anyway? Only time would tell.

  After the colt had been taken to a spare room and taken care of, the two fillies were stopped by none other than Princess Twilight Sparkle, who ran into them as they were heading to their room. "Oh, there you two are! The other princesses have been looking all over for you! Come on, follow me!" she said in a rushed manner. Ribbon and Dragon Wind followed Princess Twilight over to the main tower of the castle. The oak doors opened with a flick of purple magic from Princess Twilight's horn, revealing three other Princesses; Cadence, Luna and Celestia. Twilight took her seat on her throne. The two fillies bowed. "You may rise," said princess Celestia in her usual, relaxed tone. "Now, young fillies, you might think it strange to be invited to the royal throne room, but I assure you, there is nothing to worry about. We all wanted to talk to you about what happen back in the Crystal Empire, as it concerns us very much." The two fillies looked at each other with disapproving looks. Oh, dear… they both thought.
  Princesses Cadence and Luna stood up. "Young fillies," remarked Cadence. "I understand that back at the Empire, a mass dragon flurry snatched you up and carried you off to Dream Valley, in the southwest. There, the dragons were intercepted by Luna and dropped you; where she caught you and brought you back here. Now, that was almost two days ago. Is that so, Luna?" Princess Luna stepped forward. "Your descriptions are correct, Cadence. You left out something important, however." replied Luna. All the other princesses turned to her, intrigued. Luna obviously knew something nopony else did. "Those dragons that carried off these two fillies were actually something else." Luna then turned to them, and saw that Dragon Wind's eyes had once again formed into slits. Startled, she jumped back. "You are excused, young fillies." she stated, and led them out the doors, which snapped shut behind them.

  A young Astral Pegasus woke with a start in a comfy bed. Where the heck am I? he thought. He stumbled around his room after getting out of bed, confused. He eventually found a bedside table with a small scroll of parchment on it. It read; Dear Whoever You Are, We found you under a great big rock. You were passed out and looked dead, so we took you out and carried you here. If you want to say something to us, look for a pink Pegasus filly with a ribbon tied to her back leg. The colt went to look for them outside.

  "What in the hay do ya think that was all about? I've never seen somepony that startled, much less a princess." asked Ribbon. "Hey, your eyes are all weird again. Doesn't that mean something's up?" Dragon Wind looked to her friend, then to the view from the castle walkway. "Meh. Maybe Luna got scared of me!" she joked. Suddenly, a sparkly yellow-and-gold rush hit them with so much force that it knocked them over. "Sorry, sorry!" said a voice from somewhere behind them. A young Pegasus colt emerged from the cloud of dust he had kicked up. Dragon Wind understood. This was the same pony that they had rescued earlier! "I didn't mean to knock you over, I just wanted to say thanks, for getting me out from under that comet." he said. Dragon wind was instantly enthralled. His voice seemed to match his sparkling wings. "Oh, um, you're welcome, then. Heh." replied Ribbon sheepishly. "Um, can you, um, come with us? I want to ask you some things." blurted Dragon Wind. The Pegasus looked around him quickly and nodded. The trio made their way back to the fillies' room, where they all sat down on the beds. "So, what did you want to ask me?" asked the colt. "First of all, what's your name?" asked Ribbon. "I'm Shooting Star." replied the colt. "Why were you under a comet?" asked Ribbon again, seemingly full of questions. "Well, I was riding it, and I crashed." replied Shooting Star, obviously uncomfortable. "One last question," interrupted Dragon Wind. "Why are your wings and hooves sparkling like that? It's amazing." Shooting Star raised his hooves to his face. "You really want to know?" he asked. The two fillies nodded. "Well alright then," he replied. He stood up shakily, placed his hooves gingerly on the wall and closed his eyes. Before long, a deep shudder spread through his wings. His hooves started to glow. Suddenly, his eyes opened, full of stars and his hooves swirled across the wall, painting a picture with stardust. Soon, millions of galaxies and stars and planets covered the wall of the room, bathing it in a majestic aura. But the light was short-lived. Soon, Shooting Star fizzed out, and the stars went with him. "I'm an Astral Pegasus; we're in charge of clearing space clouds just like Pegasi here in Equestria clear regular clouds." he explained. "I'm sorry, but my wings start hurting every time I do that. I've got to go. Bye and thanks!" Before he left, Dragon Wind rushed over to him and gave him a tight hug. "Thank you for showing me what I would've never seen." He left, red-cheeked, and smiled back as he headed, stumbling, back to his room.