Past is Present

Chapter 4

An Errand of Mercy

"Princess Celestia needs us to go to Ponyville immediately to see if we can find a cure for Princess Luna!" Twilight Sparkle relayed the words from the scroll to her friends who looked at her aghast.

"Oh this is terrible!" Moaned Rarity.

"It gets worse." Twilight continued. "Princess Celestia has slowed the spread of the poison for now. She says that an attack from the Changeling Army is coming. She sent for my brother and Princess Cadence to protect Canterlot but she wants us to make sure all the ponies in Ponyville are evacuated to the old Castle for their protection."

"Why do we need to move the ponies out of Ponyville? We can take those Changelings with one hoof tied behind our backs." Rainbow Dash punched the air with her forehoof and kicked with her hind to illustrate her point. Twilight continued to scan the letter.

"She doesn't say why exactly. Just that a grave danger is coming the like of which we have never seen. She says the Changeling Queen told her "The Master is coming to reclaim his throne."? What does that mean?" Twilight Sparkle tilted her head, confused.

"I don't know, but I reckon it sure don't sound good. We'd best be getting home." Applejack replied.

"Alright, let's go!" Twilight Sparkle said decisively, tying the rope back around her waist.

The balloon touched down in Ponyville as evening settled upon the valley. Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash whipped their ropes off the instant they touched ground and anchored the balloon while a worn out Fluttershy more slowly followed suit. The others were out of the basket in a flash and Twilight Sparkle met them on the ground.

"Alright: we need to split up if we want to have any chance of getting all of Ponyville to the old Castle by nightfall. Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie I want you to tell all the ponies on the east side to meet at town square in an hour and to be ready to go - Rarity, Spike, and I will take the west side. Fluttershy: tell the animals that danger is coming and to stay in their homes."

"What about me?!" Rainbow Dash interrupted.

"I was just getting to that. Rainbow Dash: I need you to fly to Zecora's tree in the EverFree forest. Tell her what has happened to Princess Luna and ask her to bring any books she has on poisons with her to the meeting. Alright everypony - we don't have much time!" The seven friends split up, each set going in a different direction.

"Okay, so that takes care of Cheerily. Whose house is next?" Twilight Sparkle asked, looking at Spike who was checking off Cheerily's name from a very long list.

"Looks like... Lyra Heartstring and Bonbon." replied Spike squinting at the next entry on the paper.

"Oh no." Twilight groaned.

"What's the matter?" Rarity inquired.

"It's nothing." Twilight replied with a hoof to her head in exasperation. "It's just that Lyra always wants to show me some new book on humans and then talk about them for hours. Just last week she said she found a book that "proves" human beings once lived in Equestria."

"But how could that even be?" Rarity asked. "Isn't it impossible?"

"I know, I've tried to tell her as much but she won't listen." By now they had arrived at the door to the house. "Well, let's get this over with." Twilight pawed at the door twice with her hoof. There was a rustling sound from behind the door, a voice called out:

"I'll be right there!" this was followed by a thud and the sound of books falling over onto the floor - a sound Twilight Sparkle knew all too well - finally the door clicked open and a young mint colored unicorn stood in front of them, a little disheveled. She shook her head and her mane fell back into place. "Twilight Sparkle!" she cried out with a large smile. "Have you come to see the book I told you about? Come in, come in." She stepped away from the door revealing the disaster that was the interior room. It looked as though she had been researching again and things had gotten a bit out of hand. Stacks of books and sheets of paper were scattered about the room, drawings hung on the walls and sheets of notes spilled off of tables.

"Well actually we're here to-" Twilight Sparkle began.

"I'm actually really glad you're here, I just put some cookies in the oven." Lyra continued.

"Cookies?" Spike raced forward excitedly.

"Yes, they'll be ready in...a... few..." Lyra's voice trailed off. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth gaped at the baby dragon.

"Lyra? Lyra? What's wrong?" Twilight Sparkle looked worried.

"Oh my gosh!" Lyra exclaimed to herself more than anyone else. She immediantly started running about the room picking up books and quickly flipping through them. "Ohmygosh ohmygosh!" Finally she seemed to find what she was looking for and set the book on the reading pedestal. She began flipping through the pages furiously.

"What is it, Lyra?" Twilight Sparkle asked with mounting concern. Lyra stopped flipping the pages of the book and stared. For a moment she seemed frozen and she backed away slowly from the pedestal her eyes still fixated on the pages in front of her, then, suddenly, she rushed over to the trio. The locket around Spike's neck glowed a minty green as Lyra lifted it to her eyes for a closer examination. She squinted at it turning it this way and that. Spike gagged and gacked as the chain moved, tightened, and loosened about his throat - Lyra had clearly forgotten the locket was still attached to the baby dragon. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity stared, startled, at this strange behavior. "Lyra, what's wrong?" For a moment Lyra seemed unable to form her thoughts into words, finally she managed to speak,

"Come see." she said, beckoning to the book with her horn. The three friends tentatively followed Lyra from the doorway to the book which sat upon the pedestal.

"What is it Lyra? What do you want us to-" Twilight Sparkle asked as they came upon the book but stopped, stunned, staring at the pages in front of her.

"Twilight, what is it?" Spike looked at his stunned friend and then at Rarity who was now also staring at the open book. "Rarity? What's going on? What is it?" Spike turned his attention to the open page the other two were staring at. "Woah." he gasped. There, nestled in a gentle pair of human hands, was the heart-shaped locket. On the opposite page was another drawing, this one of a young human girl with her straw blond hair tied in an ponytail, wearing the locket around her graceful neck... and sitting on the back of a rose colored pegasus with a blue mane and two blue lightening bolts on its hip.