//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: A Blackened Equestria 
// by NightLord 
//------------------------------//

	Lyra cautiously peeked through her window into the barren streets of Ponyville. Almost two weeks ago, Changelings invaded Canterlot. There had been many rumors spread that the forces in Canterlot were unable to contain the invasion, and that the apocalypse was nigh. Of course, there was no official news to back this up, and she did not believe a word of it. She was one of the only ponies who had not fled into the forest, following that crazy zebra. She remained in Ponyville, along with the mayor and a handful of other level-headed ponies. She was determined to stay here and wait for her friend to return. It had been one week since Bon Bon had left for Canterlot to help the cause, and she had not received any news. Although she knew her friend would be safe, she had to admit that the lack of any communication from Canterlot was unsettling.

A blaring noise interrupted her thoughts. As far as she could tell, it was coming from outside. Hesitantly, she walked to her door and slowly opened it.
“EVACUATE, NOW! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! THE CHANGELINGS ARE HERE! RUN FOR-”
Lyra immediately recognized it to be the mayor's voice, amplified by a loudspeaker. Suddenly, it was cut off with a splat. Lyra could hear her heart threatening to burst from her chest. The Changelings had spread from Canterlot. They were here now, in Ponyville. And they had just killed the mayor. Just then, Lyra realized that everything had gotten darker. She looked to the skies, and was horrified to see that the swarm of Changelings that were swiftly descending on Ponyville had blotted out the Sun. At that moment, she knew she must make a choice. She could either stay in the temporary protection of her home, allowing her a few extra moments of life, or she could take her chances in the streets with the goal of escaping this nightmare.

After a few seconds of thought, she chose the latter. She swiftly burst open her door and sped into a full run. As she galloped through the streets, she could see the ruins of what used to be so familiar. It was worse than she possibly could have imagined. In the distance, she could see huge clouds of smoke rising from Sweet Apple Acres. As she passed by Town Hall, she saw Mayor Mare's lifeless body lying on the ground, confirming her suspicions. She was speeding past Sugarcube Corner, which had already been reduced to rubble, when she spotted Mr. Cake, causing her to stop in her tracks. He was valiantly fighting off two Changelings with a rolling pin, his wife standing behind him, cradling their children.

Without thinking, Lyra rushed to help. She was too late. As she rushed to tackle the Changeling closest to the family, blood spattered onto her face. An ebony blade was protruding from Mr. Cake's back. She pummeled the Changeling at fault until it was still, and the other quickly fled, but that could not undo what already occurred. Ms. Cake was frozen in shock, tears streaming down her face.
“Hello? Mrs. Cake, I know this is hard, but I need you to listen. We have to get out of here.”
The blue mare was unresponsive. Already, another group of the bugs had taken notice of them.
“Please, I'm begging you. Do it for your kids!” Lyra pleaded. It was no use.
Lyra then made a decision, one that would haunt her for the rest of her life. She grabbed the foals from their mother's arms and placed them on her back. Mrs. Cake did not react at all. Lyra gave the mare one last, sorrowful look and ran. She didn't look back, but she could still hear the screaming, and the sickening sound of blade meeting flesh. It was the only option. Ms. Cake would not have been mobile in time, and Lyra was not about to let these innocent children be slaughtered.

She kept running. The edge of the Everfree was now in sight, and Lyra let out a sigh of relief. Almost there. She glanced behind her back, just to be sure. Nothing. The group that had noticed them must have been too occupied with Mrs. Cake to notice their departure. All of the gore she had just witnessed flashed back into her mind, causing her to vomit. She noticed that both of the children were now crying very loudly, and would soon give away their location.
“Hush!” Lyra insisted. She had never been very good with children. They ignored her, and continued their wailing. She kept them both on her back, and continued running. Soon, she was well into the forest. Both children had fallen asleep at some point during their ride, and she realized just how tired she was. Lyra collapsed to the ground, barely mustering the energy to remove the foals from her back and place them on the soft ground. Although she was physically exhausted, she realized after a few hours that it would be impossible to sleep. Staring up at the sky, she then noticed something very peculiar. When she first left her house, it had been sunset. Now, as far as she could tell, several hours had passed, and it was still sunset. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, for she knew who was always responsible for raising the Moon and Sun. Could it be? Are the princesses... She pushed the thought away as soon as it had appeared. Of course they weren't. The day-night cycle had been just fine for the last week, even after Canterlot was first attacked. Why would something have happened to the Ruling Sisters just now? And why, Lyra wondered, was she thinking about something as small and trivial as this right now? It was probably a defense mechanism of her mind, blocking what had happened today from her thoughts for the the time being. After another uneventful hour or two, sleep didn't see so impossible. She closed her eyes, and everything faded to black.