Chapter One: Friendship is Magic PT.1: Nightmare Moon
Melissa was having a quiet picnic on the grass, reading an old book of fables that her teachers had given her from the Restricted Section of the Canterlot Archives. She couldn't see why it was restricted, of course, but she was currently on most peoples' absolute favorite story, the Tale of Nightmare Moon.
Once upon a time, there were three queens who ruled Asteria. The eldest, Queen Astra, brought out the stars, the middle, Queen Celeste, brought out the sun, and the youngest, Queen Luna, brought out the moon. Together, they created peace and harmony throughout the land.
But Queen Luna was often overlooked, shadowed by the might of her elder sisters. The people of Asteria worked and played in Queen Celeste's day, but slept through and shunned her beautiful night. This caused her to grow resentful, and one day, she'd had enough.
Queen Luna refused to lower the moon, and while her sisters tried to reason with her, she was stubborn. Because this came at a time of harvest, Asteria could ill afford a prolonged night, and so the combined powers of Celeste and Astra wrested control of the moon and lowered it.
Luna snapped and turned into Nightmare Moon because of remnants of the dark magic Sombra used inside her, and the battle between the three raged for hours. Finally, Celeste and Astra pulled their trump card, the most powerful magic known to the world: the Elements of Harmony. When the dust settled, however, the two were horrified to see that the Elements had not purified their little sister . . . they had banished her to the moon, and they weren't sure when they would see her again.
Only the prophecy of the Oracle of Delphi calmed their fears . . . a little bit.
On the longest day of the thousandth year . . .
the stars will aid in her escape . . .
and she will bring about nighttime eternal . . .
unless new Magic cannot stop her.
She will be joined by Laughter . . .
she will be joined by Honesty . . .
she will be joined by Loyalty . . .
she will be joined by Generosity . . .
and she will be joined by Kindness . . .
and together, they will lead Asteria into the Age of Harmony, or they will destroy it . . .
. . . on the longest day of the thousandth year . . .
This immediately turned suspicion to Queen Astra, who denied all involvment. In time, the public forgot about the prophecy, but the two Queens never did.
On the longest day of the thousandth year . . .
Melissa stared, alarmed, at the book. That wasn't in the fables! Suddenly, a Royal Guard ran up to her. "Lady Reading, the Queens request your presence. They say it's urgent."
Melissa leaped up and ran.
When she got to the throne room, both Queen Celeste and Queen Astra looked rather grave. "We assume you have red the edited version of the Tale of Nightmare Moon?" Astra asked.
They were talking formally. That meant to tread cautiously around them. Mel blinked. "I-I have, Your Majesty," she said hesitantly.
Celeste nodded firmly. "Good. That, student, is the truth of what happened on that dreadful night, and the prophecy was indeed given by Our Oracle. You know the current one."
Melissa nodded. Rachel, a nice girl that she often went to for a good talk on philosophy, morals, and ethics. She also painted beautifully.
"Our long lost sister will soon be returning, and We have deployed forces in Our highest confidence to turn her back. We are telling you this so that you can be on lookout for any suspicious activity in Avalon."
Mel wrinkled her nose. Avalon was a small farming village roughly five hours by train from Camelot. "Avalon? Why would I need to be there?"
"We have decided to chose you as Our event coordinator for the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration." Celeste fixed Mel with a piercing stare. "This is a high honor, Mel. Treat it well."
Mel swallowed. She didn't know why the Queens would want to hold the celebration in Avalon, but there was no denying that it was an honor and that she would do her best. "Yes, Your Majesties. I will make you proud."
"See that you do, Melissa. We have taken the liberty of arranging transportation for you; you will take one of Our personal chariots."
Melissa bowed her head. "Yes, Your Majesties."
"Now, come here and give Us a hug!" Celeste exclaimed and wrapped her in a hug that could crack ribs. She somehow got Astra to comply, too.
Grinning, Mel bowed herself out of the room to get Raymond (her apprentice) and pack her things.
Celeste watched her student depart and sighed, her tattoo glowing. A glass of red wine appeared on the table, and the Queen of the Sun picked it up and took a delicate sip.
Pinkie out, of course.
"Do you think she will succeed?" Astra asked, her eyes still trained on the door, as if their corrupted sister could jump into the room at any minute.
"Have faith, sister," Celeste chastised.
"I had faith in Roxanne, but look what happened to her. She went through the mirror. Of course, Cadence will soon rule the Crystal Empire." Astra ignored her sister's flinch. "Accept that we failed, sister. We revealed the mirror to Roxanne too soon and it cost us what could have been a valuable asset."
"Do not speak of her that way!"
Astra finally turned around. "Do not be foolish, sister. I will go inform Marcus to keep the guard on high alert. The best thing we can do is prepare and hope that our student opens her heart."
Melissa was leaning against the side of the gilded chariot, closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of the wind canceling out the sun's heat. It was her favorite type of weather. Ray, her nine-year old assistant, was glaring at her with serpentine eyes. "Are you going to tell me why we have to suddenly go to Avalon?" he asked.
Mel groaned as the peace was broken and open her eyes to give an annoyed glare to her pyrokinetic assistant. She then lowered her voice so that the guard directing the pegasi pulling the chariot wouldn't hear. "The Tale of Nightmare Moon is real, and the Queens believe she's coming back tomorrow. I've been assigned to arrange the Summer Sun Celebration, but also look out for suspicous activity in Avalon, especially since it's so close to the Everfree, where the Castle of the Three Sisters is."
Rays's eyes widened. "That's - that's really bad, Lissa," he stammered.
Melissa gave a wry smile. "What an understatement . . ." She trailed off as Ray's eyes glowed green, a sign that he was about to recieve a letter. He held out his hand, They huddled together to read it.
Remember to make friends!
Mel groaned, Ray snickered, and the note got chucked off the side of the flying chariot.
"Mel!"
"I have much more important things to do than make friends, Ray. Nightmare Moon, a Queen corrupted by darkness, is retuning, and they want me to plan a festival and make friends? Why can't I help, Ray? Why don't they trust me?"
Mel buried her face in her hands.
Ray, caught off guard by the display of emotion (Mel usually valued logic over emotion; that wasn't to say she was emotionless), didn't say anything for a moment. Then: "Mel, it's okay. This person, whoever it is, is in their highest confidence. The Queens will be fine. You need to wind down. The Queens trust you; but this is something for the military to handle, not you." He put a comforting hand on his sister figure's shoulder. It felt good to be the one comforting, for once.
Mel took a deep breath. "You're right. You're absolutely right. This is fine. We're fine."
A small crowd had gathered in the town square to whisper and point at the sky. Royal chariots were quite rare, especially in Avalon, where nothing exciting ever happened.
The pegasi landed and Melissa and Ray got off the chariot, their Harpy driver assuring the luggage would get to the place they were staying - the town library. Mel tipped him and she surveyed the crowd, looking for their tour guide. Suddenly, a girl about Mel's age but taller with shockingly pink hair hurried out of the crowd with a big smile on her face. "Hi! I'm Mina!" She held out a hand and energetically shook Mel's.
Rubbing her sore hand, Mel said, "Hi?" It came out like a question, but Mina didn't seem to care.
"Where do you want to go first?" Mina chirped.
Mel considered the list the butler had given her before she left. "A place called Sweet Apple Acres."
"Oh! My friend Jackie works there! Come with me!" Mina . . . bounced away, and an uncertain Mel and Ray followed.
Sweet Apple Acres turned out ot be entirely self-sustaining, growing a number of different things than just apples, though those were the majority. A blond girl with green eyes and no shortage of freckles was sitting on a branch of an apple tree, picking said fruit.
"Ja-ckie!" Mina sang.
Jackie looked down and smiled. She jumped off the branch and set down her basket. "Hiya, Mina! Who's this?"
"I'm Melissa," Mel introduced. "I'm the event coordinator for the Summer Sun Celebration, and I understand Sweet Apple Acres will be providing the food?"
"You got that right!" Jackie said. "Would ya like to sample some?"
Mel thought that it was a good idea. After all, the standards for the Summer Sun Celebration were quite high, especially because it was Avalon. Most people who traveled here would be expecting some run-of-the-mill celebration, and Mel intent on destroying those assumptions.
"Sure, as long as it doesn't take too long."
Jackie grinned and balanced the basket of apples against her hip as she beckoned the three visitors inside the farmhouse and to their kitchen. "This is only some of the food we'll be serving."
Mel surveyed the spread, impressed. Their were at least five different types of beverages, and the variety of food was made to cater to people from every corner of Asteria. "This is great, Jackie!" she said.
"Thank ya kindly," Jackie said. "The samples are right over here."
Mel took a spoon and took a delicate bite of each portion, trying to channel her Camelot manners. Her mother was quite a famous author and her father was a quite sought-after bookbinder - and he also made most of the stained glass windows in the Hall of History in Camelot Castle. Therefore, she herself had to be quite well-mannered to live up to her parents' legacy.
After she'd finished eating, she gave a nod of approval to Jackie. "These are great! I think that the Queens will be quite pleased. Also, on an unrelated note, have you girls seen anything suspicious around town?"
They both shook their heads. Disappointed, Mel gestured to Mina. "Do you know where to find the head of the weather team?"
They were standing in Avalon Square once again and Mina was looking at the cloudy sky, frowning. "Iris doesn't seem to be doing her job," she sighed. "Honestly, will that girl ever take anything seriously?"
This side of Mina surprised Mel. "Anywho . . .
"IRIS DEANNE LEE! YOU BETTER GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!"
Mel winced and clutched her ears as a nearby Harpy with rainbow-colored pixie cut tumbled out of a cloud, screeching. Summoning her wings just a few seconds before she hit the ground, she glared at the innocent-looking Mina. "What the heck, Mina?"
"While that may have been a bit excessive, if it was what was needed to get yout o stop sleeping, then it was acceptable. I am Melissa Aurora Reading, the event coordinator for the Summer Sun Celebration, and I am here to say that you are not doing your job," Mel interjected crisply.
Mel was surprised at how bold she'd been. Even Mina was staring at her, while Iris had turned an interesting shade of red. "I can clear this sky in ten seconds flat, Reading, and I can prove it."
Melissa raised an eyebrow and stepped back. "I would be pleased to witness that, Miss Lee. Go ahead."
Ten seconds later, every single cloud in the sky was gone.
Mel was sure to keep her neutral/unimpressed face on, but she knew that the minute that she had some privacy she would be hyperventilating. That kind of speed, even in a Harpy, who were naturally inclined to it, shouldn't have been possible. "That was a most impressive demonstration, Miss Lee," she allowed. "Thank you, and be sure to keep the weather this way until the Celebration."
Iris's smirk faded a bit into a genuine smile. "Thanks, Melissa," she said.
"On another note, have you seen anything suspicious lately?"
Iris's smile faded. She leaned in to whisper. "I didn't want anyone to panic, so don't tell anyone, okay? But the weather in the Everfree has been even wilder than usual, and there's been this strange blue glow coming from the Castle of the Three Sisters. It's disconcerting and a few Mages have reported feeling an imbalance in the magical plane."
Mel paled. That wasn't good. "Thanks, Iris."
Iris nodded. "Bye.
She sped off.
"Well," said Mel, consulting her list, "we have to see someone named Sophia Belmont next. She's head of the decorating team."
Melissa's eyes almost popped out of her head when she entered the town hall. Whoever this Sophia was, she obviously had an eye for decorating. Every color blended together perfectly with the architecture, windows, and stage, forming a cohesive whole that just seemed . . . right. Like all the different parts of a song.
"At least someone seems professional today," Ray remarked. Mel jumped. She'd almost forgotten Ray was even there, honestly. Then his eyes popped out of his head.
Melissa followed his gaze to a beautiful Mage, with perfect proportions and who was directing the other decorators. "That's Sophia," Mina told them, and they all made their way to her, trying to avoid all the clutter on the floor. Sophia noticed them coming.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, mes chers," the purple-haired girl said in a delicate French accent. "Things tend to get quite messy in here while decorating!"
"It's okay," Mel reassured. "I'm the organizer for the Summer Sun Celebration, and I was just here to check that everything was in order. It seems that it is, so have you seen anything suspicious lately?"
Wow. Great transitions, Mel. So much easier in essays.
Sophia's eyes darkened. "I felt a big disturbance on the magical plane. It may just be the inherent magic of the solstice, but it's what I have."
Shoot. Mel had half been hoping that Iris had been lying. "Okay. I'll just be going, then."
Sophia nodded, smiled, and waved them out distractedly, yelling to someone called Dee that dots did most certainly not go with stripes.
Ray sighed, lovestruck. "She was beautiful."
"You didn't even talk to her!" Melissa exclaimed, exasperated. "This is ridiculous, Ray. Snap out of it right now."
"That isn't very nice," Mina argued, frowning.
Mel leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Ray can go a little . . . overboard with these types of things. Best to nip this in the bud before it gets out of control."
Mina frowned again but didn't object. "Soph's single," she said, "but Ray's a little young. Anyway, who's next?"
Melissa glanced at her list. "Angelina Calliope, providing the music."
They arrived at a cozy cottage that was pretty close to the Everfree Forest. Angelina - or who Mel presumed was Angelina - was in the front, conducting a choir of birds. It really was lovely.
"Hey, Angelina!" Mina called after the birds were done. Angelina, surprised, turned around and smiled at her.
"Oh, hello, Mina," she said quietly. "Who's this?"
"That's Mel. She's the organizer for the Summer Sun Celebration, and here to check off the music-"
"Which sounds beautiful, thank you," Mel interjected, not wanting it to take longer than it already had. "Have you seen anything suspicious lately?"
"My animals have been acting a bit crazier than usual," Angelina replied. "And the forest's getting wilder."
The situation was getting worse by the minute. "Okay. Thank you! We'll be going now."
"Okay," Angelina whispered. She turned back to her birds, giving instructions to an off-key bluejay and starting again.
Melissa sighed contentedly as she followed Mina to the Golden Oak Library, truly a feat of the Human work ethic. It was a library inside a living tree, neither proving detrimental to the other's condition. Mel simply stood and admired it for a while before going in.
The library was . . . dark?
"SURPRISE!"
The lights switched on, and at least half the town was probably crammed in there. "Mina, w-what is this?"
"A surprise party!" Mina said excitedly. "I figured you didn't have friends, so this is your opportunity to get to know people!"
Melissa blinked. "As much as I appreciate the gesture, Mina, I'm not sure-"
"Nonsense! You're going to enjoy this," Mina said firmly. "And now you can make lots and lots of friends!" Jackie, Iris, Sophia, and Angelina came over.
Mel sighed and stalked over to the wooden table and picked up a red bottle, pouring herself a drink. Faust knew she needed it.
She picked up the glass and took a long sip. Then she reddened quickly and started panting. Then she leaped up, her face red and her skin pale, with her hair on fire. Fire came out of her mouth in a long stream.
"And I thought I was the pyrokinetic," Ray snorted. He picked up the bottle. "Hot sauce. Today's just not Lissa's day."
"Aw, she's so happy she's crying!" Mina gushed as Melissa practically ran up the stairs. Everyone looked at her skeptically. She shrugged and poured the sauce over a cupcake and proceeded to shove it into her mouth. "What?" she asked. "It's good!"
Mel was ashamed of herself. She'd been so caught up in her preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration that she'd forgotten the most important thing - to concentrate on looking for clues on Nightmare Moon! She'd forgotten to pay attention to her surroundings, and now she couldn't browse the library for any references, and her phone was charging.
The music was booming downstairs, and judging by the time of night, it was probably the party of the century. But Melissa wasn't interested. She was an introvert, and an introvert she would stay. She rolled over, clutching a pillow.
A quick glance up at the sky unnerved her. The stars were closing in around the moon, which was imprinted with a silhouette of a woman. Mel frowned and levitated the book (which she'd brought with her) in front of her, covering up the unusual formation.
The unusual formation of which the book had an exact replica drawing: four stars around the moon.
Melissa sighed and returned the book to its place on her nightstand. "I hope the Queens were right," she said quietly.
"I hope that 'forces in Our highest confidences' don't fail."
Queen Astra stood on the balcony, alone. Her eyes were completely white and glowing with power. Celeste came and put a hand on her arm.
"It's not your fault."
Astra shook her head in frustration, trying to shake away the urge to move the stars. "I-"
"Prophecies must come to pass," Celeste said quietly. "Even when you think you're working against it, you're actually playing right into its hands."
"Damn Rachel," Astra growled.
"It's not her fault."
"I know," Astra sighed, "but I just want someone to blame. This could all end horribly."
Celeste turned her eyes to the sky.
"But succeeding would give us our sister back. Stars, sun, and moon, together once more."
Astra was silent.
Then, she relinquished control to the force of the prophecy, and her tattoo glowed. The stars closed in around the moon, and the silhouette of the woman in the moon disappeared.
The glow from Astra's eyes faded, and Celeste took her hand.
"Now we wait."
Mel was waiting in town hall for the official Summer Sun Celebration to start, all the while keeping an eye on the sky. However, her attention was drawn away when the mayor stepped up onto the podium and cleared her throat to speak. Phones instantly went up to record.
"Greetings, citizens of Asteria. Today, we celebrate a most auspicious occasion; the thousandth anniversary of the Summer Sun Celebration. Now, I'm sure we all want to get to it, so let us bring in a warm welcome for the good, the wise, the summoners of the sun, stars, and moon - Queens Celestia and Astra!"
Angelina was hovering with her birds high above the crowd, and cued the big reveal song. The curtains drew apart to reveal . . . nothing.
The crowd gasped. Mayor Maru smiled nervously. "Now, calm down everybody, I'm sure that there's a reasonable explanation for this . . ."
Her voice died as dark blue mist swirled over the balcony. Melissa cast a surreptious glance at the moon, and, sure enough, the silhouette of the woman was gone. She gulped.
The mist swirled to reveal a woman, but not just any old woman. Her skin was pitch black, and she was wearing full-on regalia, like Celeste and Astra would wear at only the most important of ceremonies. Her eyes were slitted like a pyrokinetic's, and her hair was the blue mist. When she smiled, it was revealed that her teeth were filed down to a deadly point. "Well, hello, Our beloved subjects," she whispered, but it still carried around the hall. She held the people captivated.
"It has been far too long since We have seen your precious sun-loving faces." The words were spat like poison and Mel knew she was not the only one who felt the hostility that permeated the air.
"What?" she asked when she saw the confused faces. "Did you not read the stars? Not see the signs?"
Melissa was quiet. It would be foolish to speak up, and she wanted to assess her opponent before doing anything drastic.
Her tutors had trained her in all types of magic, and not just that. She was trained in politics, in business, and, most importantly, in the art of warfare and siege. She now knew why, and the very first lesson was to gather intel. Identify your enemy's strengths and weaknesses, make a plan, and know that no plan survives first contact with the enemy, so be fully prepped to improvise.
Never let them know your name.
Meanwhile, the woman up on the balcony raised an eyebrow. "No one? Our sisters have let you go soft." She sighed mockingly. "That will be the first thing We shall have to remedy. Before, however, you must know who We are. We are the so-called 'mythical' Mare in the Moon; Nightmare Moon!"
The now-christened Nightmare Moon smiled cruelly. "As for what We intend to do? Well, know this, Our faithful subjects: from now on, the night
"will last
"forever!"
Author's Note
Recognize the name of the Oracle? Yes, that's Rachel Elizabeth Dare from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus/Trials of Apollo series. I just couldn't resist putting her in. In any case, it's definitely a recommended read.
Also:
Human Unicorns
Human Pegasi
Also, Roxanne means sunrise, because I was too lazy to find a good name that meant sunset. And if anyone can find an even marginally better name for Mayor Mare, I'm open to suggestion.
As you can see, Melissa/Twilight is considerably more Slytherin in this fic. I feel like that would be more the influence of Queen Astra. After all, you can't expect her to turn out the same with two mentors, and I'm still trying to flesh out Astra's character as much as I can right now, so this is what I came up with.
