> Tidings
>  by Divide
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Tidings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I awoke with a fright, eyes glued to the ceiling;
It was the middle of the night, and I had the strangest feeling
Of destruction and doom and another dark tiding
From the midnight gloom shining on the bed of which I was residing.

I felt such strong trepidation towards this event of colossal magnitude
That I feared complete damnation and the presence of total solitude.
Where this onset of knowing came from, I hadn't the slightest;
Somepony else must've felt the showing and responded, like I, unbiased.

Immediately I leapt out of bed and traversed down the corridor
Searching for Bon-Bon to share this dread and hopefully respond with ardour.
She wasn't in her room, nor the study, so I went to the kitchen:
There I found her, in the cuddy, so I told her my fears with diction.

Bon-Bon laughed and dismissed my vision as a mere nightmare
Saying, "I hope your night terrors desist and give up this warfare
On you, Lyra; if they don't adhere
Then I outta give 'em something to fear!"

It was painfully obvious to me that I couldn't convince Bon-Bon
So I left, hearing her echoing plea radiate behind, saying I was foregone.
"Hear me out!" she implored. "This isn't the first time this has happened!"
The warbling voice I ignored as I carried on, though I still felt saddened.

Something was wrong here; something wasn't right.
All I felt was fear; I wanted to take flight.
If I couldn't convince others that my worries weren't misguided
Would we be smothered together or fall divided?

I narrowed my eyes, my purpose known:
I would apprise everypony; I couldn't postpone
These unrelenting, unyielding feelings of collapse and death
That my knowledge could be shielding. I would go until my last breath.

My fate was sealed the moment I decided, for a frightening chill ran down my spine.
"You can't stop it with a perspective so one-sided. Spread the word; the knowledge is not benign,"
Whispered a voice directly into my ear, stirring anxiety and terror deep within my heart.
The words were icy and clear, but I firmly believed that I must impart—

The knowledge bestowed unto me by forces unknown.
"Regardless," the voice forebode, "the end cannot be postponed."
Lies and slander! Misdirection of prose!
I sensed a distinct lack of candour in the information disclosed.

The being now silent and still, I made my rounds
Around the neighbourhoods of Ponyville that were abscond of sounds.
With speed, concentration, and a little bit of luck
I could prevent our termination and stop chaos from running amok.

Carrot Top, Noteworthy, Caramel, and Berry Punch
All looked at me soberly and said they had more than a hunch
That I was playing them for a fool and slammed the door with a simper—
These setbacks would only fuel me to not go out with a whimper.

Colgate and Roseluck responded much the same
Detailing that they had absconded from all participation in this 'game.'
Even Mister and Misses Cake seemed peeved;
"Lyra, for Pinkie Pie's sake, please leave."

"Pinkie Pie? What's wrong with her?" I questioned.
"She says she no longer belongs," they replied, "and is destined
To spread the word of a terrible catastrophe.
Oh, Celestia: I think she heard. Tell Pinkie it's not her 'destiny!'"

Looking into the normally cheerful, happy eyes of Pinkie Pie
And seeing sunken, mournful ones made me want to cry.
A small part of me had hoped that my qualms were not validated
But Pinkie's expression evoked the realization that they were indeed vindicated.

"You know, too," was all she said. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.
"I hope that we can stop everpony from being dead," Pinkie finished, tone bleak.
I made to say something hopeful, something uplifting, but
Our brief conversation made the Cakes fearful, and they slammed the door shut.

There were others that knew; it couldn't have been a coincidence.
Despite the fact that we were few, the knowledge gave me confidence.
I doubled my effort; I tripled my speed.
It gave me a minor comfort; others thought my proclamation a screed.

I tried many more homes over the course of the night.
Nopony else dared leave their tombs, suspended as they were with fright.
I hung my head in failure and made my way to my favourite spot:
An escape to nature in the form of a small hill with a tree on top.

I climbed and leaned against the soft bark, staring off into the distance.
The feeling that had once guided me, a single spark, had faded into nonexistence.
Sitting there, beside my own prelude;
I waited and prepared, watching the sun rise in solitude.

Forced to watch it all occur through a single pair of eyes, a single window;
Tired from all the work I was forced to do and alone except for the company of my shadow;
I mused how it used to be better; it used to be simple;
But now I was locked in fetters and simplicity had dwindled.

Nothing could stop it; all my attempts would fail.
Nervously I'd flit, stumbling out of the veil.
Kingdoms came and fell to strife; memories lasted until they faded to black;
I'd had a good life, yet despite all that, I refused to go back.

If the lies the voice was spinning were true—I didn't forget—
Then from the very beginning, this was all pre-set
And nothing, not a single thing could be done about it,
So I should just stop worrying and rest while I still had my spirit.

When it all ends, and I hoped it came soon,
I shan't make amends or come crawling to the moon.
The sky started darkening; the clouds turned into death.
I could feel the finale approaching and felt my last breath.