//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: The Starlight Broadcast 
// by ponyfhtagn 
//------------------------------//

“You don’t know what it’s like to loose a friend because of a cutiemark,” said Starlight Glimmer.
The time portal had just closed above them. In the distance the filly Rainbow Dash was beginning her race against the fight camp bullies. And little Fluttershy slipped and began to plummet to the butterfly covered ground below.
Twilight and Spike stood exhausted on the small cloud opposite Starlight’s own.
“…but once I stop the rainboom,” Starlight continued – angry and disturbed from freshly returning to her childhood trauma, “You will.”
With a flash of azure-green light the backpack was stolen from Twilight and Spike, reappearing in the grasp of Starlight’s magic.
“And when I destroy this scroll,” Starlight said, extracting the paper from the backpack and unfurling it, “There’ll be no way for you to change it!”
Twilight and Spike heard the rip of paper as they watched the scroll being slowly torn. Their only chance to save the Equestria they knew and loved. Starlight was making a terrible mistake and everything was going to be destroyed.
“Starlight, you can’t do this!” Twilight tried, her voice desperate and pleading.
The paper ripped a little further as Starlight showed no signs of stopping.
Spike grit his fangs and leapt across the cloud gap, grabbing Starlight around the face and neck. She yelled in surprise and stumbled, trying to shake him off. She lost her grip on the paper and  it fell away to where Twilight could catch.
“Nice one, Spike!” Twilight cheered, taking up the scroll.
Spike held on to the mad horse but managed to give Twilight a thumbs-up.
“Get off!” Starlight snapped.
Her horn shone with azure-green light and Spike was forcefully rocketed up into the air. Starlight took aim and blasted him, encasing his body in a prison of pinkish glass crystal.
“No!” Twilight yelled.
Starlight glanced across at her with a smirk. Then Starlight’s magic took hold of the crystal-Spike and flung him far out across open sky.
Twilight’s wings clapped as she rushed out to save him. Flying to intercept, Twilight caught the large crystal between her forelegs and held him close.
“I got you,” Twilight whispered.
Spike blinked at her from behind the glass.
That’s when they realised that Starlight was laughing. Twilight looked up to see the paper scroll was in Starlight’s grasp once more.
“You’re so predictable!” Starlight scoffed. “It’s like you don’t learn.”
“Oh, I learned one thing,” Twilight said, lowering her horn.
Magenta sparks flew and a beam of Twilight’s magic shot the scroll from Starlight’s grasp, encasing the paper in another crystal prison. The block of glass landed gently on a cloud and began to sink. A second blast of magic forced Starlight to leap backwards and catch herself with her flying spell.
Twilight quickly flew Spike back to the solid ground of the runway and set him down safely. “Wait here. I’ll get you out in a minute.”
Spike blinked. It was kind of the only thing he could do.
Starlight approached the crystal-trapped scroll again, grabbing it up and examining it. Her eyes narrowed. “Wait… Was is—”
Magenta magic flashed past—a warning shot. Then the scroll was snatched away.
“Starlight, stop this!” Twilight pleaded, pulling the encased spell paper towards herself. “I’ve seen where this leads, and so have you—”
“Twilight, give me the scroll!” Starlight cried, suddenly panicked.
“Starlight, no. I can’t let you—”
“Twilight, you idiot just LOOK at it!” Starlight half-screamed. “Look!”
The urgency of her tone caught Twilight off guard. It was probably another trick but Twilight couldn’t help turning her gaze towards the crystal-trapped scroll.
A strange light was glowing from the crystal. The words on the paper inside were blazing with power. Even as she watched, spider-web fractures spread like frost throughout the pink glass. The very structure of the crystal seemed to be warping and distorting.
“Wh—” Twilight gasped. “Wh-what’s happening? What’s it doing?”
“It’s the spell, Twilight!” Starlight screamed at her. “It’s been activated but it has nowhere to go! It’s too powerful to be contained like this! The pressure will—”
With her magic Twilight flung the crystal upward into the sky, just a fraction of a second before the time spell broke loose.
There was a whine and a crunch—space folded and then expanded as the spell took form. Twilight and Starlight felt themselves pulled helplessly in as the time portal began to consume and to consume and to consume even itself—then there was a flash so bright it could be seen from all across Equestria.
…followed by the shockwave.