The Legend of Lyra

Ponyville, Town Square

Night

After being swiftly and near harshly scolded by Bonbon on the etiquette of eating at the table during meals, Lyra started making her way out of the house. She waved a hoof toward Bonbon while holding the basket in the grasp of her golden magic. It reached out, like some sort of magical boneless arm to grasp at the basket, the basket handle floating in the air suspended only by the end of the magic tendril. Her magic seemed to have its own odd shape to it, coming from her horn rather than floating beside her horn. She paid it no mind however, much like that of her companions did much the same. Some unicorns just had odd ways to control their magic, ponies surmised.

She made her way through the starry night while on her way toward the apple orchard. Her hooves trotting in place as she was running somewhat late. The alarm as it turns out had been rather slow on the upbeat, just short of a few minutes... Or well... A few tens of minutes. Her mind began to wonder on the monotonous repetition of hoof falls on her way to the same place she worked day in and out. The sight of a few fillies and colts playing caught her eye, and she couldn't help but frown somewhat as she watched them play.

"Its like they don't even know whats going on around them," she thought darkly, "At least they don't have some crummy over hyped job ye-Oof!"

She oofed rather audibly as she bumped into somepony else, dropping the basket to the ground, thankfully on its bottom. Looking forward from her somewhat jarred resolve to blankly stare at children while she thought she turned to look the pony straight in the... armored neck. "Oh no..." She looked slightly up, taking in the armored exterior of the stallion. The blackened neck guard, the silver trim on the neck line, the opened jaw area and to top it off, the rather pissed off and annoyed stallion wearing it. She could just barely make out the tips of his wings as they stood tall in agitation behind him.

The stallion looked down, patting down the chest guard with a silver clad grey hoof. He glared down at the mare Lyra, watching her closely. "Oh no? You find it troublesome that you'd just so happen to bump into a guard of the Nightcore?" He said with a sinister infliction to his tone. "What makes you believe its such a bad thing as to have to say "Oh no" Little mare." He was starting to lean in toward her with that scowl on his face.

Lyra couldn't help but fall back onto her rear, trying to scoot back some as she kicked off with her rear hooves. "H-Hey, I didnt- I mean that is to say- It was just...-"

"Just what...Mare," his wings lowered for a moment like he was actually relaxing for a moment. His face grew somewhat curious, a raised eyebrow and a neutral expression. He kept staring at her waited as if wanting to hear what 'good' excuse she would come up with.

"It was just an... Accident?" She tried, smiling nervously. "A-Accidents happen, right?" She started to slowly get up, letting the basket float in her magical grasp still as she tried to not drop it yet again. She reached up with a mint colored hoof to gently pat at and dust off the armor of the guard. "See? All better!" She tried though failed to hide the nervousness that filled her body. The last thing she wanted was to be assaulted by an angered guard for not watching where she was going.

He snarled before turning and brushing her hoof away. "Listen here. I am a Warlord of the Lunar Guard, elite member of the Nightcore, and you..." -He spread his wings to stand proudly.- "Are in my way..."

Lyra took a moment to let it all sink in, not yet getting the hint as she stood there with her nerves still trying to calm themselves. Slowly but surely the hint dawned on her as she felt her eyes widen, quickly scrambling to stand on all four hooves once more and stepped away and to the side just making sure she was no where within his walking distance.

He nodded simply and lost any expression to his face, stepping forward and wearing the traditional guards neutral face while he walked around the town.

As she turned to leave she bumped into yet another guard, armor clanking off of her horn and knocking her onto her flank. This time she learned and quickly kept hold of her magic on the basket. She rubbed her head with a single hoof as she slowly crawled up onto a standing position, looking up into the dark guards eyes for a moment before stepping back. "Let me guess," she rubbed her hoof along her horn once again, bumping into hard metal kind of hurts... "I'm in your way?"

"Eeyup," he said simply, looking down onto her with a short glare before making his way around her, seeming to have some more decent courtesies than the last Nightcore buffoon.

Lyra reached up with her hoof to wipe her brow. "Muscle bound jerks..." she mused within the confines of her own mind and imagination. She lowered her hoof to pat herself down, dusting her fur off and checking the basket as she did. Thankfully, the foods were still perfectly fine, aside from some lost heat which seemed to be all that fueled the moment.

She gasped as she finally realized what it was she was doing. "I'm going to be late!" She thought aloud, quickly placing her hooves back on the ground before galloping off into the distance toward the apple family farm.

Sweet Apple Acres

Night

She galloped as quickly as she could, rushing with... Little grace. She managed to make it there though sadly she was indeed late. It turns out she wasn't late by much however as she ran up the gates of the apple family farm. She was only late by a mere thirty minutes... "Oh I'm so dead."

As she galloped to the farm land, she realized just what was going on. They were hard at work while she was just getting there.

Lyra felt rather bad for how the situation played out so far. She was just arriving to work, the workers were already busying themselves with the daily chores and the other ponies who weren't working were working overtime because she was late on her scheduling.

She slowed herself down to a simple trot while making her way on the dirt road over to the farm house. She lifted a hoof and knocked on the door several times. The door creaked open for a slow but careful measure as a green eye peaked out toward her. Suddenly, the door whipped open. "You're late," Applejack said, her eyes narrowing. "You know as well as everypony else that your time is supposed to be half an hour ago, just after Vinyl, and you're already making her work thirty over!"

Lyra nodded and gave an apologetic look to the farmer. "I know, I know but don't worry, I brought you breakfast at least!" She lifted up the basket for Applejack to inspect, watching her look into it and waiting for her happy-

"Its cold," Applejack said flatly.

Lyra blinked, getting a bit of a sheepish grin. "R...Right, about that...I-"

"Now I darn near told ya twenty times, Lyre-"

"Lyra."

Applejack smacked a hoof to her face. "Lyra... I told ya twenty times already," she said through gritted teeth,  "That you're supposed to be here early so things like this don't happen, got it?"

Lyra was quick to nod her head. "Y-Yeah, got it Applejack." She said rather hastily.

"Good, now go get your flank out there!"

Lyra nearly tripped over her own hooves as she turned on her rear hoof to descend down the stairs and away from the farmhouse. She instead made her way over toward the barn where she saw a rather powerful glow coming from the doorways crack. Wandering over she took her hoof and gently pushed the door open, trying to not disturb the concentration of any of the other workers before making her way inside and shutting it just as carefully.

Looking around, there was a lot to take in. Scientific charts, bar graphs, the occasional earth or pegasus pony, the fruits and vegetables as well as various other plants that lay in the ground, and then there was the main event. The glowing miniature sun. She stopped to admire it for some time, just starring upward at it. Lyra still marveled at the thought of creating your own sun, and yet they somehow did it. The strength of a sun held in a room sized orb, how clever of the unicorn race. Thankfully Nightmare Moon had, like Bonbon told her, enough sense to allow them to keep it in order to grow harvests.

Her thoughts were interrupted with a hoof to the side of her head as a white unicorn with purple shades stood beside her. "O-Ooh, hey Vinyl." She rubbed the back of her head. "Did you have to hit me so hard?"

Vinyl laughed lightly. "Sorry, but you know you were supposed to be here an hour ago."

"Half an hour."

Vinyl shook her head. "Right, half an hour. Either way, Vinyl you cant keep dropping times like I drop beats." She placed a hoof supportively on the mares shoulder. "You know we all like having you around, you just cant keep being late." She patted the mare on the shoulder before placing her hoof back on the ground. "Now come on, I'll show you which lot you're taking today." She said, moving to the ladder leading up to the seven other unicorns with goggles that all had their horns pointed toward this giant glowing ball of energy. Lyra nodded, wandering closer to the wall and reaching up with her magic to grasp at a pair of goggles, taking them and stretching the band to fit around her head as she put them on just under her horn.

Hours went by as Lyra kept up her work diligently as did the other unicorns, Vinyl having long since made her way back home. Things were running well and smoothly. Lyra kept up her focus on the orb, but would occasionally glance at the clock, knowing that in just a few more seconds she would be on break. Thankfully, nobody could see her eyes from under the goggles.

Tick...

Tock...

Tick...

...

"..."

Tock...

"Come on already!" she thought angrily.

Suddenly and swiftly, the doors were opened slowly from the outside in. A force of magic unlatching the doors in and pushing them inward. She kept her gaze focused on the clock however, just wanting to go on break.

Ponies around her gasped and some started to breath a little more intensely. She paid them no mind. One started to make his way to the back of the barns second floor, she ignored him. "N-Nightmare Moon..." one said... That managed to catch Lyra's attention.

Looking down, she herself had gasped as she realized just who it was that entered the barn. The powerful figure of Nightmare Moon standing within the artificial sunlight, narrowing her eyes upward at it. "On who's order is this... Solar flare sanctioned?" Nightmare had asked, her powerful voice subtle yet with a certain air of strength behind it.

The various ponies had looked about the room at each other, some hiding, one cowering and the rest...Too fearful to speak. Lyra herself found her voice to be caught somewhere in her own throat, like her throat locked up at the sight of Nightmare Moon and was too scared to even allow her to breathe.

Nightmare looked no more pleased than when she had entered, and considerably less now. Applejack was slowly creeping up behind her, tentatively walking closer toward the barn but keeping her distance. For now she was just to be seen and not heard.

Nightmare Moon lifted a single metal armor clad hoof, the majority of the room falling prey to such a simple gesture and crumbling in their resolve. They all quickly bowed at the sight of her even moving.

Lyra stayed low to the ground, closing her eyes under her goggles. One of the stallion guard ponies wandered up the ladder to the top floor, finding Lyra staying prone to the ground and tapping at her shoulder. She gave a slow look upward, but was too afraid to do more than look. "Y...Yes?"

The stallion gave a rough grunt like he was trying to clear his throat, though his voice came out more like gravel than anything else. "You are under arrest for conspiracy against the ruler of the night." He said shortly.

"W-What?!" She rose up swiftly, only for the guard to turn swiftly and give her a rough kick to the chest, knocking her down onto the ground and causing her to slip off the edge of the top floor, tumbling to the ground and onto her side with a harsh crack. "A-Ahh!" She cried out, the feeling of something cracking in her side as she did.

The guard wasted no time in jumping down and swiftly wrapping his foreleg and cannon around her neck. He gestured for another guard to make his way over, quickly slapping some iron shackles onto her fore and back legs, connecting each pair together to its mate. The stallion guard let up off of her neck and stood at her opposite side. "Get up," The guard mare said. When Lyra didn't move the mare guard gave her a swift kick in the side, causing her to cough and wheeze as she shakily took her stand.

Standing on shaky hooves, Lyra tried to do her best to speak but only managed another cough, she could swear she tasted copper that time. "B-But I didnt...I-I would never!" -She took a step forward, trying to further assert her point.- As she approached, the guards mare on her side whacked her in the side, causing her to cough and nearly collapse again.

Nightmare Moon however watched the whole display, her expression never changing from the serious and unnerving expression she wore. "You shall not speak those vile lies to me, Lyra of Ponyville." She started to get closer, the guards taking their own steps back as Nightmare approached. "I've seen you before, and while I do not know how it is you've gotten into my castle before, I do know that you will not ever again." She gestured for the guards to do their work.

"I-I think they're taking her into the Nightcore."

"I-Is she going to become another one of those guards?"

"Is that even how it works?"

Nightmare turned her head up at the whispers and quiet speaking of the other ponies, stomping her hoof onto the ground. "Be silent!" Her voice shouted out, echoing off the now very quiet walls of the barn, the faint hum of magic fading with nopony to maintain the artificial light. "Now then..." She began in a much softer voice than the last. "Take her into custody... Oh, and one last thing."

Lyra looked up meekly, lifting her head and trying to answer as respectfully and carefully as possible. "Y...Yes, Nightmare Moon?"

Nightmare looked down upon the mare, and with a sickened grin she spoke. "Welcome to the Nightcore." She nodded to one of the guards. Lyra felt her eyes widen, turning quickly to glance at the guard beside her only to see a pair of hind hooves thrust into her face and a blinding pain that followed it. It knocked her brain around and forced her to the floor, she blacked out.

A soft groan emitted itself from a tired mint mares mouth, just barely pushing past her lips. Lyra tried to get a feeling for what was going on around her... She... She couldn't move, not yet. She surely didn't want to be kicked again. She decided to risk it, trying to slowly open her eyes. She was in luck, they decided to let her keep the goggles it seems which means they wont see her peaking.

Wood. Wood and some cloth overhead, a slit in the cloth. Lyra grunted as she felt the floor raise up for an instant, like they hit a bump.

"Ok, I'm... I'm in a cart... I think." Her head was still spinning somewhat, only made worse when she tried lifting her head. The dizzying haze, the moving and shifting floor, and evidently the bumpy road was only working to further upset her shaky sights. She reached with a hoof to pick herself up off of her side, the sound of chains rattling around was a swift reminder of her current position. "R-Right..." She looked slowly from where she could.

Looking up, she saw what looked like a wagons roof, or maybe it was a caravan. Lyra wasn't really sure and nor did she care. All she knew was that she was taken somewhere, and they weren't quite there yet. She tried to stand herself up, the shackled hooves making it difficult. She tried to twist her body, yelping as she got a very harsh reminder in her side. "Y-Yep...I broke something," She thought, pretty sure of it, or of that much for now. Reaching up with a tentative hoof, she slowly rubbed at her side, she could feel something shifting as she did.

Suddenly, the cart abruptly stopped. "Get the mare," Lyra could hear one of the guard stallions saying. The cart flap opened up as a dark bat pony like wing brushed it aside. Lyra thought it may be best to feign injury, to pretend she was still unconscious. With a sigh the bat pony mare reached in and grasped onto her shackle connecting her forehooves, forcibly dragging her across the cart floor and tossing Lyra onto her back. Lyra  nearly yelped as she felt herself get tossed onto her bad rib, nearly yelping but biting her tongue.

With her goggles still thankfully intact, she managed to sneak peaks at the surrounding areas. There were some simple ponies around from what she could tell, though this must be the castle courtyard. Various fruit and vegetable vendors were standing around, their own carts set up with similar tents over them.

Canterlot Castle, The Commons

"So this must be where the trades go on." she thought, "There has to be some way they get in and out." she continued. Glancing about with her eyes alone she managed to catch sight of the tunnel network they were about to go through. Trying to keep track of it was going to drive her nuts. So many twists and turns. She tried to count them all, Left, Right, Left, Down some stairs, Left, Right, she started to lose it there.

Deciding it might be best to just give up there, she thought about how many cells there were. At least six to the long walls but only two to the far walls. Each one had a different host within. Some wore collars, others wore shackles, and some had nothing at all but the things they came in with. The guardsmare came to a stop, the sound of lock being turned resounded against the walls before Lyra was rather unceremoniously thrown into the cell. Again on the rib! If she kept this up, she was going to lose her tongue.

The guard leaned down and with a key produced from its side, she held it in hoof and unlatched the shackles from Lyra's hooves. Lyra, for as good an actor as she was, she knew that it was only a matter of time before she reached up with lightning reflexes and-

The guard shut the cell door.

"Crap, there goes my ingenious plan."

She waited for the hoof falls of the guards pony to leave, sighing out as she slowly stood up. Now that she got a chance, she looked around the cell and- "Ahh!" She shouted, quickly holding her mouth with both hooves. There was somepony else in the cell! the brown stallion looked up slowly from his position in the bed off against the wall, glancing at her for few seconds. Moving slowly revealed that on his chest was a rather harsh looking metal collar that ran down over his chest. He slowly sat up, sitting against the bed and partway against the wall. A rather odd position to sit in but who was Lyra to argue with some strange pony.

Lyra decided to be the first to speak up, "U-Um... Hey there..." She tried.

The pony scoffed at her. "Greetings, fellow Nightcore."

"Nightcore? What do you mean, I'm just a pony... Just who are you anyway?" She asked.

He gestured with a hoof to his collar, tapping a hoof against the metal. "The name is Strong Soldier, and this is my prison. Don't worry, you'll get one too."

"Huh?" Lyra took a peak down toward her chest, she felt around her neck for the collar, not finding one there, she sighed out. It seems someone was looking out for her, or at the very least she hadn't been crafted a collar yet. She wandered over toward the stallion, taking his collar in her magic and trying to gently give it a tug.

"Don't bother. Its stuck on tight, and I'm afraid there is no way to get it off. Not that we" -his hoof pointing at the other cells.- "have been able to discover."

"W-Well there has to be something, how does it work?" Lyra asked, trying to yank the thing off from over his head.

He laughed lightly. "It works well."

"No, I said how, not how well." She just sat herself down and resigned to letting go of the collar, patiently sitting down and waiting to be told the details.

"Right... It works like this, or at least that's how I've seen it." Strong slouched off the bed, moving to stand up and pointed a hoof to the cell across from theirs toward a mares simple collar, walking up and pointing at the mare across the way. "These collars are enchanted with Nightmare Moons dark magic. Its a portion of her power that keeps her soldiers under this curse. This is stage one and It lasts about three days." He tapped the bars twice. "I'd say she's new here so she must be on day one." He pointed with the same hoof toward his own, the collar with the odd chest cover. "This is what stage two looks like, it takes around about the same time, three days." His face turned a little grim, he turned toward one of the other cells down the way. She perked her ears up, trying to listen in.

The sounds of metal hinges on a prison door opened up to her, she watched as a darkened pony wandered out of his cell in a full chest and neck armor accompanied by the mare with the gray shackles for a cutie mark. "That is what stage three looks like. It happens on day seven." he said, watching the guard and newly turned Nightcore member wander out of the prison area.

They stayed silent for some time, just letting Lyra let this new information sink in. "You know...I'm on day six."

Lyra turned her head quickly to Strong Soldier, "W-What? You're already on day six? B-But...But you seem fine to me, there has to be some way to get this thing off of you, right?"

"Don't worry too much about me, um..."

"Lyra."

"Right. Really though, don't worry about me. What we need to worry about is you. My collar is already far too gone even if there was some way to remove it you'd have a day to do it." He sighed out, but perked up shortly after. "But you, however... You have a lot of luck not being collared yet. And I'm sure its only a matter of time before they collar you too." He thought for a moment. "Listen, I know I'm cursed to be another nightcore drone, but you don't have to be, and I'll do what I can to help you, Liar."

"Lyra."

"Lyra, sorry." He nodded. "Either way, we need to get you out of here."

She gasped lightly. "G-Get me out, but...Why would you help me if you barely even know who I am?"

He grasped onto her shoulder for a moment. "I believe in chances, and if you were lucky enough to make it here without being collared, you're worth taking a risk in getting you out. Besides, I hardly have much time myself so I'd rather you savor what time you have with your loved ones."

"B... But..."

"Guard! Guard! Come help, quick! This mare is injured!" He started to shout, giving a wink to her. Lyra looked shocked, unsure of what to do. They hardly even talked about an escape plan much less acting one out! He shoved her over, hoping she would at least play the part.

She started writhing about, not because she was acting out, but he managed to push right into and against her broken rib once again. "W-What is with you ponies and breaking ribs!" She shouted.

His face paled a little. "She really was injured...Oh buck me..." He gave a nervous laugh. "Ehehe, I um...-"

A guard quickly made her way toward the cell, seeing Lyra writing a bit on the ground before placing her key in the lock, unlatching the door and quickly coming into inspect her. As she leaned over, the stallion quickly turned and bucked her in the side of the head. "Go Lyra, go!" He said, knocked aside as the mare guard got back up, tackling him and rushing after Lyra to keep her pinned, too slow as the stallion grasped at her tail in his teeth.

Lyra may have been injured, but that didn't mean she was out in the slightest. She quickly rushed up onto her hooves and out the gate. She stopped for a moment, taking the key from the door and slamming it shut. "I-I owe you one, Strong!" She said, rushing away through the castle dungeon.

As she made her way down the catacombs of the dungeon, she tossed the key at one of the cells. "Get everypony else out, just trust me!" She tried, but the stallion refused to move.

"Why bother..."

She was struck dumbfounded. "W-What? What do you mean Why bother?!" She rushed up to the gate holding him in the cell, latching her hooves onto the bars.

He simply shrugged. "Have you even thought this through? There is at least a hundred guards out there, and you don't even stand a chance against that."

Her heart was racing, she just stepped away from the gate and slowly backed up. "No...No I will escape...I have to!"

"Have...to...what...?" A dark and sinister voice spoke out.

Lyra was too scared to actually look behind herself, just slowly turning her head only to be knocked aside by a powerful blast of magic. She went flying through the air, landing near the stairs on the far side of the room, grunting as she coughed up a bit of blood. "N-Nightmare..." She said softly.

"Nightmare indeed..." She lifted up with her magic a metallic collar, holding it open before approaching slowly. Right as she was nearing the pony Lyra started to rush up the stairs, rushing toward the throne room.

Lyra looked for any way out that she could find, checking the doors, the windows, they were all locked!

"Going somewhere?" Nightmare spoke out, ascending the stairs with an air of power. Her darkened aura near palpable as she held the collar just above her head in her ethereal magical glow.

Lyra started to pant, fear catching up to her. The adrenaline coursing through her veins was the only thing that was really keeping her running at this point.

"You have nowhere to run, my little pony. You are trapped within these castle walls with myself and my Nightcore." She started to grin with a sinister fashion. "What do you have to say before I throw you back in your cell to become yet another guard?" She asked, giving her the choice of her final words.

"I-I....I..."

A thunderous crack resounded against the castle walls, some of the windows shattering and the door rattling.

Nightmare Moon's eyes widened. "No...it cant be, not yet!" She rushed toward the window, dropping the collar onto the ground with an audible clank. As she forced her gaze out the window she was witness to a large shooting star falling from...The moon! "She has escaped!" Nightmare rushed to the door, taking a peak outside and looking out from her balcony and down to the court yard. "Follow that star, guards! Do not let it touch down or I shall have all of your heads!"

As she turned to look back, she found the room was...Empty? "And where might you be, you clever little pony..."