//------------------------------//
// Act I: Chapter 1: Melody Roseshine 
// Story: Unlikely Heroes 
// by Raptor 
//------------------------------//


~ACT I~
Assembly


We begin our story with a young stallion miner, off-duty at the moment, making his way to Canterlot castle, where his first selection awaits, completely unaware of the fate that is to become of her on this day...



Day IV
Canterlot Castle, Canterlot, Equestria
Fourth stage of Rising Sun

Melody trotted- or rather, skipped happily down the hallway towards the throne room. The pink unicorn hummed to herself a sweet, happy tune. She was excited. Well, more excited than usual. She was on her way to put on a show for Princess Platinum. After the dragon incident, Melody figured it would be a nice way to cheer her up. She had no instruments this time, just her sweet, high-pitched voice and lots of energy.
There were an unusual amount of guards around today, but that was expected. Things have been tense and worrisome the past few days. That, as well, is to be expected from a dragon threatening to burn the capital city down to the ground. And considering Canterlot was built on the side of a mountain... the ground was a long ways down.
Her mind was wandering. It did that sometimes. Oh well, it was up to her to keep everypony's spirits lifted. What a better place to start than with the princess? As she approached the throne room doors, the guards looked at her and stepped aside. After living in the castle for so long, Melody was well-known by the majority of the Royal Guards, more profoundly as "the funny pink girl."
When Melody entered, she spotted the princess sitting atop her throne, talking to a guard, who had taken his helmet off- a common courtesy when having a discussion with, or delivering a report to, royalty. Every guard patrol and post Melody had seen on her way here had no vacancies, so she assumed this one was from a different wing of the castle entirely. As she approached, she overheard their conversation concluding.
"She said that?"  Princess Platinum asked.
"Yes, your Highness," the guard replied.
She sighed. "Did you tell her what Star Swirl said?"
"I told her, your Highness. Many times. She can be quite insistent if she wants to."
"I suppose she can... but I don't know how Star Swirl will feel about it. I doubt he wants-" The princess spotted Melody approaching and smiled at her. "Ah, good day, Melody."
"Good day, your Highness!" Melody replied, bowing respectfully.
The princess returned her attention to the guard, who had turned to Melody, given her a nod, then turned back. "Alright. Please tell her that if she is that insistent on leaving, she may." She held up a hoof. "But please warn her that I do not know how Star Swirl will feel about her doing so, and that she runs the risk of his appropriate punishment, whatever he may feel it to be." The guard nodded, bowed, then donned his helmet as  he turned and walked away, giving another nod to Melody, who smiled at him. She approached Princess Platinum, who gave her a kind, but tired smile. "What can I do for you, Melody?" she asked rather quietly.
"Actually, Princess, the question is, what can I do for you!" she said cheerily. "I was thinking because of that mean dragon coming in, you could use some cheering up! So I came to sing you a song~!" On the last note, she hopped up in the air and said it in a sing-song voice.
The princess sighed. "Well, that certainly does sound lovely..." she said.
Melody beamed.
"...But I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline."
Melody deflated.
"I'm sorry, but I'm just too overwhelmed with work at the moment, I just don't have the time." She returned to her kind yet tired smile. "But I certainly appreciate the offer, Melody. Thank you." The doors to the throne room opened, and the princess looked up to see some ponies in robes and formal attire approaching. "Ah, and there's the work now." She looked back down at Melody, who had rose to a less disappointed mood. "Run along now, dear. I know how politics can bore you. Once again, I'm sorry I don't have the time."
Melody bowed. "That's alright, your Highness. I understand. Farewell!" She waved as she walked off.
"Farewell!" The princess waved back. 

Melody exited the throne room and started walking down the hallways towards no where in particular. Oh, well, she thought. I can understand if she's too busy. I guess I'll just-
"Melody Roseshine."
Melody perked up at the mention of her name and turned to see the speaker down the hallway to her left. He was a light gray Earth pony stallion with a darker gray mane and a pickaxe cutie mark.
"Hello!" Melody said with a smile. "Do I know you?"
"No. Well..." The stallion paused. "...I guess you kind of did. You used to know me."
"I did?" Melody paused. "That's nice, I guess. What's your name?"
"Silver Mine."
"I'm sorry, I don't remember you."
"I wouldn't expect you to." He sighed. "Look, I need to talk to you." He looked over to the pair of guards at the throne room doors, who were eying him suspiciously. "...In private."
"Okay!"
Silver seemed to be caught off guard by Melody's sudden agreement. "Uh... Right." He began walking down the hallway he had come from, followed closely by Melody, who had trotted up to his side, and was smiling at him. Silver seemed to pay no attention to Melody's chipper behavior, and as soon as he rounded the corner, he turned to her. "Three days ago, you sent me a letter."
"I did?"
"Yes. Even if you don't remember doing so, you did." He stuck his muzzle in his saddlebag and rummaged around in it before pulling out an opened letter and dropping it in his left hoof. "This is from you." Melody took the note with her magic and opened it. It was a form describing her in almost every aspect; appearance, personality, occupation, history, everything. "You're probably wondering why you would send me this," he continued. "Right?" Melody nodded, but kept the smile plastered on her face. "You sent me this because you wanted to sign up for something."
"Ooh! Ooh! I know! Was it a singing competition?" Melody asked, waving a hoof in the air.
"Um... no..." Silver shifted his eyes.
"Trumpet competition?"
"No, it-"
"Drums?"
"It wasn't-"
"Lyre?"
"It was-"
"Harp?"
"It-!"
"Bango?"
"...What's a b-?"
"Clarinet?"
"IT WASN'T A MUSIC COMPETITION!" Silver yelled. After a few seconds, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "It was for a mission. A very important mission. An... adventure."
"Oooooh... an adventure?" Melody's cheeriness shifted to curiosity and wonder.
"Yes. I assume you're aware of the current dragon threat?"
"Yeah... I was gonna cheer up the princess today... but she was too busy."
"Well, I'm assembling a team to resolve the dragon problem, and you made the cut."
Melody cocked her head at him and blinked. "But... What can I do...?" she asked.
Silver looked out the window to their left. "You like to make ponies happy, right?" he said after a while. Melody nodded with a smile and a 'mhm'. He looked back to her. "Well, the ponies on this mission are going to need all the happiness they can get. His mouth ever so slightly curved up. "I thought that you might be a good morale booster."
Melody smiled back at him. "Aw, thank you!" she said. "I'll be happy to come along!" Once again, Silver was surprised at the sudden willingness.
"...R...really?" She nodded. "Huh..." Silver looked off to the side, in thought. "I... thought it would be harder to convince you for some reason." Melody just stared at him with a smile on her face. "...You realize it could be dangerous, right?" She nodded. "You... haven't even heard the details... how long it's gonna be... who you'll be with, where you're going..." She continued to stare. He shrugged. "Alright. You'll need to pack."
"Right! And I also need to check with my mother first."
Silver froze. "Your... mother...?"
"Mhm. I'm only a teenager after all. I can't go running off on an adventure with a mysterious stallion that I just met without my mother's permission!" she giggled.
"Right..." He paused. "I think I'll come with you, if you don't mind... It would be better if I were to explain it to her."
"Okay! Our house is this way!" She started skipping down the hallway, rather quickly, causing Silver to scramble to catch up.



Day IV
Middle-Class district, Canterlot, Equestria
Fourth stage of Rising Sun

The two walked up to a rather normal sized home, by Canterlot's standards. It was well decorated on the outside, with flowerbeds and flowerpots lining the garden. It hadn't taken the two long to get there, it was fairly close to the castle. Silver had donned a black wide-brimmed hat that, when tilted down, shadowed his face. He had pulled it out of his saddlebag as they stepped out- the weather was particularly sunny, and he wasn't quite adjusted to it yet.
Melody unlocked and opened the door (where she was keeping the key was beyond Silver). "Mom, I'm home~!" she sung. "I brought a guest with me!" The interior was just as well decorated as the exterior. Fancy furniture in the living room, a crystal chandellier, several paintings...
"Oh?" came a mare's voice from somewhere else in the house. "I'll be right down, dear." A few moments later, a purple coated and pink maned unicorn mare came down the stairs that lead into the living room. She saw Silver and gave him a kind smile.
Silver took off his hat and brought it to his chest, smiling back. A common courtesy when in another's home. "Good day, madam," he said.
"Good day," she said back. Her smile disappeared however. "I-is there something wrong? Did Melody get in trouble?" Melody just smiled and rolled her eyes.
Silver couldn't help but smile, too. "No, madam. I just have an... offer for her, and I believe it would be best if you had a say in it."
The mare's eyes widened slightly. "Oh! I see... well- please, do come in!" She ushered him over to one of the chairs, and he thanked her. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Velvet Roseshine, Melody's mother." Silver noticed the pink rose cutie mark she had on her flank. That would explain the garden flowers, he thought.
"My name is Silver Mine, Mrs. Roseshine."
"A pleasure. Would you like some tea?"
"No... thank you. I don't want to be here for long, I have... other appointments."
"I understand. So what was the... offer?"
Silver paused and looked at Melody, who was standing next to his chair. She smiled at him. "I'm sure you're aware of the current dragon threat, correct?"
Velvet's smile disappeared and she somberly nodded her head. "It's horrifying, isn't it? Just simply terrifying!"
Silver nodded. "Yes. It is. Which is why I am assembling a team to travel to the dragon homeland and solve the conflict before it begins. And... well... how do I put this..."
"I'm gonna be on the team!" chirped Melody.
Silver cringed as Velvet snapped her head towards Melody with a look of utter shock. "Wha-what?" she stuttered. "Wha...bu... you can't... Melody..." She turned to Silver. "She's only a teenager!!"
"Mom..."
"What could she possibly do? She's an entertainer! She's not a soldier, or-or, or a diplomat!"
Silver held up a hoof. "She was chosen because she likes to cheer- and is good at cheering- ponies up. As you can imagine, the members of the team going on this mission are going to have very low morale." He smiled. "Who else is better at raising morale than your daughter...?"
Velvet was silent. Her mouth moved a bit, but no words came out. "I just have one more question..." she said.
"Yes?"
She looked up to Silver with worry in her eyes. "Can you guarantee her safety...?" Silver remained silent, and looked down. "Mr. Mine..." He looked up into her eyes. "Can you guarantee that my daughter will be safe?"
There was a pause.

"No. I can't."

She shook her head. "Then Melody isn't going anywhere."
"Mom!"
"Melody, go to your room."
"But-"
"No 'but's. Go to your room."
Melody pouted. "I'm not a child..." She stomped upstairs.
Velvet turned back to Silver, who was still looking at her. "I'm sorry. But you'll have to find someone else."
"She applied for the position, you know," Silver said.
"I don't care. She's not going."
"She's the only one who's qualified."
"You'll have to find someone else. Now, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Silver sighed. I didn't want it to come to this... he thought. "Did you ever find out what happened to your husband, Mrs. Roseshine?"
Velvet's mood shifted to one of surprise and confusion. "What...? How did you..." Silver reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a folder of sorts, and tossed it onto the coffee table in between them. "What's this...?" Velvet asked.
Silver looked at her. "This is what happened to your husband." Velvet put a hoof to her mouth and gasped. She stared at the folder in front of her. Moments passed. The room was quiet. Only the faint sound of the wind from outside could be heard. Slowly, she reached over and picked up the folder, slowly opening it. "He's done a lot of work with portals, hasn't he, Mrs. Roseshine?" She said nothing. She just kept reading the folder. Her eyes slowly welled up with tears. She shook her head multiple times. "Now you understand." No response. "She's more than just a morale boost. Much more." No response. More time passed. Silver sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I had to play this card... but these are desperate times, and you left me no choice." Again, no response. Silver chose to just remain silent and let Velvet speak when she was ready.
Finally, she looked up from the folder and stared into Silver's eyes. Silver looked back at her with an emotionless expression. "What does this mean...?" she asked quietly.
"You know exactly what it means," Silver replied. "The question is... can you honestly keep Melody here... knowing this?" Velvet slowly closed the folder and set it down on the table.
She looked down. She was about to say something, but stopped herself. Then she turned towards the staircase and called up- "Melody?"
"Yeah...?" came the faint response.
"Come down here please..." Moments later, the pink unicorn came down the steps. She wasn't smiling like usual- she had a blank expression on her face. Velvet got up and slowly walked over to her daughter. "Melody, dear..." she said quietly, looking at the floor.
"Yes, mom?"
She looked up at her, revealing that she had been crying. Melody's jaw dropped slightly. "...Pack your things..." Velvet croaked. "You're going on... an adventure..." Melody's face perked up instantly.
"Really?!" she squealed.
Velvet smiled at her eagerness. "Yes. Really."
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!"" Melody gave her mother a crushing hug, which Velvet complied with.
"Don't bother packing necessities," Silver said. "Like food or water. I've got that taken care of. Just be sure to bring a bedroll and anything else you'll need. Don't pack more than you can carry, though..."
Melody nodded to him. "Okay! When are we leaving?"
"As soon as possible. Now, preferably."
"Okay! Be right back!" She zoomed up the stairs and into her room, squealing with excitement.
Silver got up and walked over to Velvet, who was looking up the stairs with a solemn expression. He put a hoof on her shoulder. "Do you have faith in her...?" he asked.
"Of course," she replied. "She's my beloved daughter. And besides... after seeing what was in that folder..." She paused and looked at Silver. "I don't think I have anyone else to have faith in." Silver nodded and took his hoof away. "What about you?" she asked. Silver cocked an eyebrow. "Do you have faith in her...?"
Silver looked up the staircase. After a while, he smiled. "I wouldn't have picked her if I didn't." He looked back at Velvet, turning his smile to her.
"Can you promise me something...?" she asked.
"What is it?"
"...Promise me you'll protect my daughter." Silver gave her a doubtful look that said 'We just discussed this'. "Promise me you'll try to protect my daughter."
Silver smiled. "I promise I will do my best to protect her." Velvet nodded.
"I'm ready!" came Melody's chipper voice. she skipped into view with saddlebags bulging with musical instruments at her sides and a rolled up bedroll on her back. She came down the stairs, and Silver donned his hat, walking towards the door, giving the two some space. "See? I got my bedroll, and my lyre-"
"Melody..."
"-and my drums-"
"Melody-"
"-and some other stuff like-"
"Melody!"
"-Hm? Yes, mom?"
Velvet sighed. "I'm so proud of you..." she stroke Melody's mane back. "Look at you... you're almost all grown up... going on adventures..." She let out a quivering sigh. "I don't think I've told you enough how much I'm proud of you..." She wrapped her hoof around her daughter in a more controlled and intimate hug.
"Thanks, mom..." Melody said quietly.
"There's one more thing I want to tell you before you go..."
"What is it, mom?"
Velvet took a deep breath. "When you're on your journey, you may find things that will scare you, or leave you unsure, or confused. If you ever feel like you are making a tough decision... ignore everything around you..." she put a hoof on Melody's chest. "...and just listen to your heart."
Melody nodded. "I will, mom!"
Velvet nodded back. "Okay... good. Now run along, dear. Go make me even more proud."
"I will!" Melody beamed and skipped over to Silver, who opened the front door for her. She turned back."Bye, mom!"
Velvet's eyes started watering again. "G-goodbye, M-melody..."
"Hey!" Melody chirped. "Turn that frown upside down!"
Velvet couldn't help but smile. After she did, Melody smiled wider and skipped out the door. Silver followed her, but stopped in the doorway. He looked back at Velvet and nodded to her. She nodded back. Silver stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

"So where to first, Mr. Silver?" Melody asked.
"Next," Silver corrected, "We're going back to the castle. We're going to find the next member of our group."
"Sounds good to me! Let's go!"

The two set off back down the road to Canterlot castle, while the lonely mother sobs over the words in a mysterious folder, given to her by a mysterious stallion, under mysterious circumstances, that changed her life forever.

...

...

...

...

"...Are we there y-"
"-Don't you dare."