Destiny

A misty gray fog swirled around Lyra's hooves, sending shivers down her spine. She looked around, in the familiar black void. For months, in her dreams, she has been sent here. Every night the dream differs, but still makes her wonder in the morning when she wakes up.

Lyra began to slowly trot forward, her dark yellow eyes scanning the void for any other pony. She came to a halt suddenly, and shivered again.

"Hello?" Lyra called out, her voice echoing. "Anypony there?" She knew that nopony answered, as this was probably the twenty-third time she dreamed of being in this place and she was the only pony here, but tha didn't stop her from trying. Lyra waited a minute for an answer, but heard none. She sighed softly, and began to trot forward again.

Oof!

Suddenly Lyra tripped and fell face first into...dirt? Lyra scrambled up onto her hooves, and looked around. She found herself standing in a large field, with a large rushing river cutting straight through it. She looked behind her shoulder and saw she had tripped over a rock. Her left front hoof throbbed gently, and Lyra shook it. Suddenly she saw ponies walking along the stream.

The ponies were of all races; some pegasus, some unicorns, some earth ponies. Old ones and young ones, mares and stallions. Lyra's heart drummed in her chest. Finally! Other ponies.

"Hello!" Lyra yelled, running forward. "Where are you ponies heading to?" But to her surprise, the ponies didn't react. They kept on walking forward, to them Lyra wasn't even there.

Lyra stomped her hoof in anger. Why?! She was so close, but she wasn't there. Lyra gave a sigh of defeat.

"Mama," a small earth-pony filly suddenly spoke. She had a tan coat, and light blue mane and tail. Her eyes were pale green, and her cutie mark was a quill. "why are we running away?"

Her mother, a light brown mare with light red mane and tail and hazel eyes, whose cutie mark was an apple, replied, "Because our village was destroyed, and those villains took the life of half our village. And it's not us, t's the remaining survivors."

"Villains?" Lyra thought. "What villains are they talking about?"

"Oh," the filly said sadly. "Where are we going?"

Her mother sighed softly. "I don't know," she replied, "but it will be somewhere far away."

Lyra had had enough. She ran up to them, yelling, "What villains?! Who are you ponies?! Answer me!" She screamed. But the herd of ponies didn't reply, didn't even look in her direction. Suddenly Lyra tripped on a rock, and water rushed into her mouth as she went under.

Lyra paddled to the surface, where she coughed and sputtered and gulped in air. The water was freezing, and she was being swept away fast. She was getting farther and farther away from the herd of ponies.

"No!" She cried, slamming into a rock. "No-" and she went under again, being pushed around my the current. She hit another rock, and everything went black.

Lyra fluttered opened her eyes to see faint sunlight filtering through the window. She rolled onto her back and groaned. It was another one of those dreams! She was glad she was in her warm dry bed though, and not being swept away by that river. Lyra sighed and got out of bed. Her room was small but cozy. It had a white carpet floor, a bookshelf, a small window, and a small bed with light red blanket and white pillows. She yawned and exited her room.

She lived in a small apartment in downtown Ponyville with her best friend Bon Bon. The two had known each other since they were fillies, and were friends through thick and thin. Lyra's room exited into the main room, and on the other side was Bon Bon's room. Her door was still closed, so Lyra knew she was still asleep.

The main room had hardwood floor, two windows, two small gray couches and a coffee table in between, and near the center of the room was a small wooden table with one chair at each end, and two chairs on either side(for guests, obviously). Against the wall near Lyra's room was a larger bookshelf, and left of the entrance door, a little near Bon Bon's room, was the kitchen. The kitchen had a fridge, stove and oven and microwave, and a sink and cabinets. Finally, a few feet from the door to Lyra's room on the other side, the one without the bookshelf, was the bathroom, which had a separate bathtub and shower, sink and mirror, and a toilet. The apartment was nice and cozy.

Lyra trotted to the kitchen, and levitated a small cup with her magic. She opened the fridge and took out some cider she and Bon Bon had bought from Applejack, and poured herself a cup of it She placed the cider in the fridge, closed the door, and sipped from her cup, still levitating it.

As she drank the cider, she thought about her dreams. She wondered what they were about. Every time it was the void, with voices calling out to her, saying "Save us" and "Help...please..." but tonight she had seen actual ponies, and they had mentioned a villain.

"But who is the villain?" Lyra thought in frustration.

"Lyra?" A sleepy voice asked. Lyra turned her head and saw Bon Bon standing in her doorway. "Why are you up so early?" She yawned. Lyra blinked.

"What time is it?" Lyra asked.

"'Bout a quarter to ten," Bon Bon replied, trotting up to her friend.

"That's not early for me, you sleep late," Lyra said, smiling. Bon Bon shrugged.

"Did you have another-" Bon Bon began.

"Yes," Lyra cut her off. "But this time I actually saw ponies." She placed down her cider on the counter top. "They mentioned a villain, but they didn't say it's name or what it looked like." Bon Bon nodded as she rummaged through the fridge and took out an apple. Closing the fridge she bit into it.

"What do you think?" Bon Bon said with her mouth full. Lyra shrugged.

"I've been having these dreams for weeks, and I've confronted every pony in Ponyville about them, and they know nothing!" Lyra said, sighing.

"So what will you do?" Bon Bon asked, taking another bite. "See the Princess or something?" she said with sarcasm.

Lyra's eyes lit up. "That's it!" She said excitedly. "The Princess is over a thousand years old, so she must have heard about these ponies!"

"I didn't really mean it-" Bon Bon said. Lyra ignored her.

"Pack your bags, Bon Bon!" Lyra said, smiling, "we're going to Canterlot!"