Prologue
The day was bright and sunny, and the breeze light. The birds were singing, the cattle lowing, and Ponyville was busy. The day was perfect. Lyra Heartstrings, who worked with her Bon-Bon at her candy shop, received the rare privilege of leaving early; business was slow enough that her help was no longer required.
So, with a spring in her step, Lyra bid Bon-Bon farewell and left for home. Bon-Bon, being her roommate, would show up a few hours later, but, until then, Lyra had some free time. But how would she spend it? By reading and relaxing at the Golden Oaks library!
It wasn't long before she reached the gigantic, hollow-yet-still-alive tree, and she happily entered, the heavy front door creaking a bit as she pushed it open with one hoof.
"Hey, Lyra! How can I help you?"
"Oh hello, Spike. Um, well, today I was just going to browse a bit, maybe see if I can find something interesting."
"Alrighty then. I'll be around, and so'll Twilight if ya need anything."
The mint-green mare nodded and smiled. After Spike left to do whatever it is baby dragons do, Lyra walked over to the nearest bookshelf and peered at the spine.
"The Most Mythical Mechanisms of all the Millennium. Nah."
She walked over across the solid floor a bit more and read another.
"Mysteries of the Unknown World. That's more like it!"
Lyra's aura activated and the big blue book slid from its place on the shelf. Lyra trotted over to the stairs and lay down on the bottom-most. She decided to open up to a random page and see what was there.
What she saw made her pause. Slowly her mouth worked open, and then close.
"Oh wow."
Before her was the most majestic creature she had ever seen. Or at least a representation of it. It was tall, bipedal, and dressed in metal and thick cloth. There was a giant, red cross emblazoned on its chest, and the very same cross adorned what appeared to be a triangular-shaped shield attached to one of its appendages. The other limb grasped a massive blade. But that was not what caught her eye. It didn't have hooves, it had...what were those?
But just look at them! They had five mini-appendage-thingies on them! And they were grabbing his stuff!
Lyra slammed the book shut and hurried to the check-out counter. Neither Twilight nor Spike were to be found there.
"Um...hello?"
No response. Leaving the book on the counter, Lyra began to look around a bit. Her ear cocked when she heard something come from behind the only door in the room. Curiously, Lyra approached it.
More noises, and what sounded like shouting. Lyra got closer, intending to put hear ear up against the door, maybe see what was going on. She never got the chance.
Lyra startled as the door swung open and Spike leaned out and coughed heavily into his closed claw. Black smoke bean to pour from the basement.
"Spike!"
Suddenly, there was a flash of light and a massive ball of magical energy soared up the stairs. Lyra did not have the time to get out of the way, and it hit her. And then she was gone.
"Spike! No!"
Spike looked back up from the ground and blinked heavily as he attempted to clear his eyes. He tried to find Lyra but she was gone.
"Uh-oh..."
There was a scorch on the floor.
"Twilight! What was that spell?"
As a response, Twilight stumbled from the basement. She collapsed on the floor and coughed for a bit as the smoke cleared away.
"Duh..um...i-it was a spell that..."
"Nevermind, was it harmful?"
"No, not really. I mean it could be, but it shouldn't."
Spike pointed at the black mark on the floor.
"Well whatever it was, it just happened to Lyra."
The Princess's eyes widened and one could barley hear the word "Oh no" escape from her lips.
"Spike!"
The small dragon was taken aback at the sudden outburst.
"W-w-what?"
"I was going to tell you to not open the door because I could've gotten rid of the smoke with my magic."
"Y-yeah? So?"
"So, if you hadn't opened the door, this wouldn't have happened!"
"But you said that the spell shouldn't be harmful! What happened to her?"
Twilight sighed and slumped. She looked at the floor and Spike approached her a bit.
"Twi'?"
"She is no longer in the world."
Lyra couldn't stop moving. She was being thrown about, up, down, side to side, and she was getting very, very dizzy. Her eyes were being assaulted with hundreds of different bright colors and patterns that made her eyes hurt. It seemed to go on for ages.
The mint-green unicorn wanted to vomit on multiple occasions, but she never could. This went on for so long, that, when it finally ended, it took Lyra a while to realize it. As soon as she had the chance, she leaned over and was sick. She then collapsed back onto the ground.
There as a heavy, dull thudding in her ears and her joints punished her with a sharp pain whenever she moved. Slowly, she recollected her senses. It was hot. Very hot. The texture of the ground beneath her was sandy. As her hearing cleared, she became aware of a distant, constant roar.
The poor pony groaned and turned over on her stomach. She lay there for another while. She reached in front of her and, surprisingly, her hoof came into contact with something wet.
"Wha...?"
Lyra drew her hoof back and examined it. A jolt of shock attacked her when she realized that it was blood. The green mare scrambled to her feet as a pungent odor of many foul things permeated her nose.
She was surrounded by dead things. All of them bleeding and mangled. Once more, Lyra was sick. But then her gaze returned to the bodies. There was something familiar about these "dead things."
A sharp intake of breath and Lyra realized something. These were those creatures. The ones in the book. Frantically, excitedly, Lyra looked around but then she remembered that she had left it on the check out counter before...
That must be why she was here. Twilight's spell.
As Lyra sat and thought surrounded by corpses, the distant roar never left her ears. Soon, it became irritating to the mint-green pony. It sounded as if it were coming from behind.
"Alright, what in the name of all things Celestia is tha..."
She trailed off. Her eyes slowly widened and her ears sunk. Before her was massive, massive castle, much larger than the entire city of Canterlot. It was being destroyed bit by bit by massive devices that flung giant boulders into the walls. Flaming projectiles flew from the walls onto a massive army below, whom of which responded with their own volley.
Screams and shouts and rage and agony, the clashing of metal and the booming of drums became much louder. The sight and sound was one that would not leave Lyra's mind for the rest of her life.
