It was a Saturday when Lyra showed me the book.

I remember that for two reasons. First of all, it was the day after the Grand Galloping Gala commemorating Luna’s return. That gala continues to be a pain in my flank because everypony who was actually there won’t describe it beyond the vague terms of “a travesty” (as one certain mare put it), and it took me years just to figure out that property damage had, in fact, occurred. Any other investigation of mine has been waylaid by the fact that that gala was far past, and the one that Discord attended was much more interesting anyhow… But I digress.

The other reason I remember that day was that it had been exactly one year since Lyra and I had met.

Lyra actually did a lot of things for me that day, that sweet mare. She set up a veritable buffet of pastries and sweets for us, courtesy of the Cakes and herself (It took us two weeks to actually get through all the baked goods). She also made sure that we would have the entire day to ourselves, so we could spend it however we chose. We chose to spend a lot of that day at home, just talking. After a slightly heated debate about whether cherries or apples go better with ice cream (Apples have a full, natural sweetness, which perfectly complements the structured sweetness of ice cream!), Lyra spoke up.

“So, I guess you’re wondering why I sit like this,” she began, gesturing to her position on the couch.

In truth, I had wondered about that at first, but over time I just assumed that it was a trend from Canterlot. Twilight didn’t sit like that, but she didn’t seem like the most “in-the-know” mare either. Therefore, I was kind of confused when Lyra started a conversation with this comment.

“Okay, why do you sit like that?” I replied, a slight smile ghosting my face.

“I’ll show you.” Lyra led me into her room, where she pulled a book out from under her bed. The book had a hard, black cover, obviously worn with age. The pages were yellowed and slightly disjointed, as if somepony had turned them many a time. Other than that, the book had no distinguishing features; it just seemed like an old book.

“What’s this book about, Lyra?” I inquired, looking for any anomaly on the cover. In response, she motioned me to sit by her on the bed. After I had settled down, Lyra opened the book to a page that wasn’t far from the front.

The page was filled with uncolored sketches of weird creatures. These creatures were bipedal, not dissimilar to some monkeys. However, these animals lacked fur and a tail, only seeming to have a (generally short) mane on top of their heads. Perhaps in response to the lack of hair, these creatures were always adorned with clothing. The only parts of their bodies that seemed to be uncovered were their heads and their hands (as the front hooves were called on the aforementioned monkeys). The most ape-like features these creatures had were their faces, although they had more pronounced eyes, noses, and eyelashes. The variation between each sketch was subtle, perhaps the length of their mane or the width of their chin. yet the subjects seemed to be different. One of those subjects was sitting down in the way that Lyra sits… all the time, now that think about it.

“I had to search for a long time,” Lyra faced me, interrupting my train of thought, “but I finally found a pony who knew what these creatures are. They’re called humans, and they’re an ancient species. They were extinct before the princesses were born, even before ponies as we know them existed!” Lyra continued, extremely excited. “Only a few relics of their existence remain, yet those relics imply that they were quite similar to today’s ponies!”

I might have stopped Lyra’s rambling, but honestly, I was quite interested in humans as well. I was especially intrigued as to how these “humans” could match ponies.

“Legend says they made huge cities in every part of the world. Imagine if all towns were as big as Canterlot and Manehatten! Yet, they still found a way to preserve all the other life that inhabited the world. They were geniuses!”

Lyra paused, turning her gaze from me to the book, now serious. “I’ve proven that this book is from a time long past, yet… Look here.”

Lyra turned the book to a dog-eared page that I hadn’t noticed. As she revealed the page, I could only stare in anticipation, then shock.

There was a sketch of Applejack, performing her daily duty of bucking a tree. There was a sketch of Rarity, looking through different fabrics as if deliberating what the next fashion trend would be. There was a sketch of Pinkie Pie, frozen mid-bounce in a state of glee. There was a sketch of Fluttershy, caring for a variety of her animal friends, including that one rabbit that seems to be a permanent resident at her cottage.

There was a sketch of Rainbow Dash wearing a Wonderbolt’s uniform, her head uncovered by the way she wore it.

There was a sketch of Twilight Sparkle, using her magic to flip through a book while hovering with her wings.

The wings she didn’t have, at the time.

How could this sketch have been drawn? I trusted Lyra (especially after the time with the wooden conveyor belt, but I don’t want to go into another rant), but if she was telling the truth, then… I couldn’t fathom it. Those ponies, the elements, were alive right now, about the same age as Lyra and me. Humans had been dead before the princesses, before ponies… how could this be real? Could the elements time travel? Were humans more powerful than princesses? Was it just a coincidence? Is Rainbow Dash truly a Wonderbolt in this sketch, or is she in a costume? Is Twilight a princess?

Lyra must have seen my shocked expression because she wrapped her foreleg around me. She worriedly asked, “Are you okay?” I could only quiver for a while, so she held me. Eventually, through counting the clouds outside of the window, I calmed down. Once I had, I said that I was okay. It was the only thing I could make myself say.

Lyra tried to comfort me. “I don’t know what to make of it either. My predominant theory is that humans could view the future, like in a play or something, but they couldn’t affect it.” That explanation actually made sense, and it helped me calm down more.

Lyra then continued, “Can I show you one more thing? You don’t have to subject yourself to anything else that would cause you to… shut down, but… I don’t want to feel like I’m hiding this anymore.”

I knew a bigger revelation was coming. She looked scared, most likely for my mental health, and she implied that this “thing” was the last she wanted to show me. It was a battle between my curiosity about what could be more impactful than seeing ponies in a human sketchbook and my fear of the same thing. In the end, my curiosity won.

“Yes, you can show me,” I replied softly.

The page Lyra turned to was also dog-eared, and it wasn’t far from the page with the elements. Trepidation chilled my bones as the page was flipped, even though the action took half a second.

The page was dominated by a sketch of Lyra and I sitting on a bench. Lyra was sitting in her usual, human way, while I wore a hoodie I swear I’ve never worn around her. Otherwise, the depiction was scarily accurate to our lives.

Despite my attempts to steel myself for this sketch, I was still extremely impacted by it. If humans could see the future, why would Lyra and I be important? We’re just two roommates who have a relationship like any other two friends. Does something happen to us? Will we be okay? Will Lyra be okay? If she… I won’t make myself think about it. I can’t make myself think about it.

Lyra continued to hold me tightly. As I hyperventilated to calm myself, I kept repeating, “I’m okay. We’re okay. You’re okay…”

Lyra closed the pages of the book, but she must’ve forgotten to close the cover itself. As I recovered, I could see writing on the inside of that cover. I could see who was responsible for all of these sketches.

This book belongs to:

Alex Wylder

A proud brony

5R�� �

Author's Note

This is the prologue to a story I will continue later. Please comment any tips or thoughts you have!