“BRRRIIIIIIIIIIING!!!!!!!!!”
The noise jolted me awake with a sudden rush of adrenaline and my eyes shot open to see a beige pony peering into my eyes with a dry expression on her face.
“Lyra, you’ve got to stop sleeping in this late,” said the mare. “I’m so sick of having to wake you up every single time you have an important engagement. You really owe me.”
“You didn’t have to scream, Bon Bon,” I replied with my heart still racing.
“How else am I supposed to get your lazy flank out of bed on a Sunday morning?”
“But I thought it was Wednesday.”
Bon Bon let out a deep sigh and her left hoof met her face. As much as I always hate to admit it, she was probably right. I have such a bad habit of putting my research before my secondary gig as a musician for hire. And that morning I had to go to Twilight Sparkle’s castle for a special luncheon with all the princesses. Twilight had invited me to show up and play some music on my favorite little instrument: the lyre.
“You and your ‘research,’ Lyra,” Bon Bon grunted. “Every single time I have to get up in the middle of the night for a drink of water I catch you with your nose in some encyclopedia.”
“The one and only Starswirl Foundation Encyclopedia of Cryptids, Bon Bon. Volume two.”
“Don’t tell me it’s those two-legged huge-mans again.”
“Humans, Bon Bon,” I corrected her.
Ever since I was a foal, I’ve had these vivid, recurring dreams of creatures who stand on two legs. They’re so weird. I’ve never seen one here in Equestrian, but for some reason it’s as if the idea of them has been etched deep into my mind.
Are these things real? Is my brain not just making this stuff up? I pondered over and over as I grew into a young mare. I remember when I finally got sick of wondering what they were, so I went to go see Twilight Sparkle and ask if she had any books that could help me. The Encyclopedia of Cryptids has the most information on these creatures out of all the books I could find in the Ponyville library. So I fell into a habit of frequently borrowing the book and gazing into it late at night when my roommate and best friend Bon Bon couldn’t bug me.
“Whatever,” Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “Just get ready, okay? Remember, I have to be there too because Mrs. Cake and Pinkie Pie wants help preparing cupcakes for the royal audience.”
“Right…” my voice trailed off. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine, Lyra. You can be high maintenance sometimes, but it’s fine. Anyways, I’m gonna get ready. I think we should leave in half an hour or so.”
I got out of bed, fixed myself a quick bite to eat out of what was left in the pantry, put on the dress Rarity had given me for this occasion, and went out the door with Bon Bon. Princess Twilight’s castle lay ahead in the distance, towering over the edge of Ponyville.
I gently strummed my lyre in tune with my fellow musician on a small stage set up against the castle's crystalline wall. Octavia Melody stood to my right, intricately gliding across the strings of her cello. A graceful tune crooned from our instruments, echoing through the corridors and into the massive library, filling the entire castle with the sweet vibes of our music.
The three princesses sat at a table across the ballroom from us, discussing various royal matters as Pinkie Pie regularly bounded in and out, pouring refills for the guests and occasionally bringing more food. Each giant plate was filled to the brim with anything from hay sandwiches to fruits and steaming hot bowls of soup. My mouth started to water, especially when Bon Bon and Pinkie Pie came out with a plate of pie and cupcakes.
My stomach growled loudly, momentarily disrupting the peaceful melody from my instrument. Octavia glared at me with disapproval and I looked away in embarrassment, missing a note. My stomach groaned again and I tried to avoid eye contact.
"Lyra!" whispered Octavia as I turned my head toward her with a frown.
"I'm sorry, I'm just can't help it," I whispered back. "I can't help it. Bon Bon's cupcakes are my favorite."
"That's not an excuse to play so... well, how do I put it, Lyra?" Octavia sighed in reply. "Badly."
I toughed it out for what seemed like an eternity until the princesses were finally done discussing their royal business. Octavia and I wrapped up our last song and we sat down at the table with Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Bon Bon, and Mrs. Cake. A plate of leftovers sat free for us to eat from.
"Thank you so much for your help, everypony," said Twilight. "Bon Bon and Mrs. Cake?"
"Yes, Princess Twilight?" the two mares replied in unison.
"Thank you for all the yummy food. I'm pretty sure the princesses enjoyed it," Twilight said giddily. "Pinkie Pie?"
"Yes, Twilight?" Pinkie grinned.
"Thank you for your help as well!"
"No problemo! I tried to make it into as much of a party as possible," Pinkie replied.
As Twilight offered her thanks to Octavia and I, I was distracted by the sight of Twilight's gigantic library through the open archway behind her. She had let me see inside of it while visiting, leaving me in awe each time. How could a single room contain that many books? After finishing my last bite of food, I knew I had to ask Twilight for another look.
Who knows? I thought. Maybe I can find some more human books in there.
"Hey, Twilight?"
"Yes, Lyra?"
"Can I take a look in your library?"
"Anytime, Lyra!" Twilight grinned. "You're always welcome to check it out while you're here."
We excused ourselves and trotted into the library. Bookshelves towered all the way to the ceiling which must have been a hundred feet above the floor. I bet there are a million books in that room, just waiting for the knowledge within to be discovered. An imposing mirror lay against the edge of a shelf, filled with the dazzling reflection of books.
"Any particular subject that interests you?" said Twilight.
I told her I was looking for information on cryptids and legendary creatures. She led me to the shelf, just above the mirror that sat curiously against the books.
"Here you go, Lyra! Enjoy--" she grinned as her cutie mark suddenly started to glow.
All I could do was stare in confusion.
"Oh, it's nothing, Lyra. My cutie mark does this sometimes, means there's urgent business to get too with the Cutie Map in the other room."
I had no idea what she was talking about, but I was in no position to ask questions if she was in a hurry.
"Excuse me, I need to get going. It was great to see you, Lyra!"
"It was great to see you too, Princess Twilight! Goodbye!" I waved and she waved in return, leaving me alone in the colossal library.
I trotted over toward the shelf I was looking for and gazed up at the books. My horn glowed as I used my magic to retrieve one of them. It barely moved, likely stuck from being sandwiched in between countless other volumes. I tried again and it budged a little more.
"Ugh," I sighed to myself as I tried to gauge how high it was off the floor. "Might as well jump for it," I muttered.
I extended my hoof into the air, leaped, and freed the book. It slipped from my hoof before I was able to securely grasp it with my magic. It hit the edge of the mirror and tumbled down to the floor. I fell after it and landed face first into the mirror.
My face inexplicably passed through it and I screamed for help. Suddenly everything went white, followed by a torrent of swirling colors and shapes as I felt myself sucked entirely into the mirror. My body twisted unnaturally as an unseen force shot me into oblivion...