The Lady of the Shooting Stars stood gracefully atop the Observatory's garden entrance. Stars flew past everywhere beyond the soft, blue streams of light encasing the whole structure. Outside the protective walls of streaking light, the stars clashed in the dark cloak of space. The small, white specs became one and lit up the dark blue universe beyond. Though the Princess of the Universe had seen more of the dark sphere of heaven than had any other human, she had never seen the sky so bright.

Her Comet Observatory neared the bright planet of Earth. She would not reveal herself to the people of the blue planet, not yet. But there seemed to be no harm in watching what used to be her own world and people. She knew that the night on Earth would be a glorious sight. Long ago, she too had seen it once. Brilliant tails of the fabric of space had rained upon the blue world the entire night. White and silver shooting stars streamed across every section of space. She smiled in the memory. Maybe now she could see it once more, maybe from the green hill with the big, protective tree reaching its branches out to the sky, maybe through her favorite telescope from her father. She was but a flight away, and she could see it with her Lumas one more time.

Satisfied with the speed of the comet, she reached up toward the spire and pointed to the stars with her left hand. Her sparkling star wand fell back into her hand and she retrieved it with a grasp of certainty. There was a glow about her as well. She too shined like her little Lumas of the Observatory, but she shined in knowledge and light. She smiled and jumped off the garden entrance platform, barely touching the constant streams of blue light formed around the Observatory. Now, she left it to time. Time would take her to Earth, to home.

Alighting softly in front of Polari's clear map of the universe, she turned to watch the beacon before proceeding back to the Bedroom. One last night of travel was between the Comet and the Earth. The beacon too was bright as the little star creatures about it. For years, it had been their hope and light, carrying the very power of the golden stars within its bright blue sphere. For years, nothing had been able to touch or dull it.

But, as she turned to face the stars again, the Comet began to slow. The walls of light about its structure faded and broke. She ran forward calmly and stepped onto the edge of the Observatory. The far arm reached out to space and stood just under the blue encasing of the sky. But the streams cut off and faded into the dark universe beyond. The Comet Observatory stilled and stood in the dark of space. Lumas from everywhere around the domes came floating up next to their mother, watching and wondering in glowing silence.

Something flew out of the far darkness. As Polari zoomed up next to her, all turned into silence. They waited and watched, anticipating some deep danger from out of the stars. But even she could not know what was just beyond the shadows. Even she, who had seen even the far extents of the dark universe, did not know what it was.

And it came steadily, ominously, spreading darkness and fear. The little lumas around her were afraid; she could see it in their eyes. She would have to stand for them. She knew in her mind that it was no peaceful song of space that came, no part of the chorus of light, but some strange, dark entity of the blackness and evil that hid behind the starlight. She knew that she would have to save the Lumas. She knew, then, that she would have to protect them from whatever stood at the edge of her light.