//------------------------------// // Birth of the Starchildren // Story: Starchildren // by Stratocaster //------------------------------// Starchildren by Stratocaster Chapter 1: Birth of the Starchildren Several Years Ago... No wind blew over the barren moon, to rid the surface of its prisoner's hoofprints. After almost a thousand years, the once proud goddess of the night, now corrupted by hate and jealousy, still brooded over the fateful battle with her older sister so long ago. Nightmare Moon's confinement on the lunar surface only made her more resentful of the sun goddess Celestia, and the ponies of Equestria who shunned away the dazzling influence of the night. The dark alicorn paced furiously and glared at the earth, as it was bathed in the light of the morning sun. "Confound you, Celestia." Nightmare seethed to herself. "And here I thought you would have regrets of confining me to this curse. I actually made myself believe that you would give in, and release me. Alas, you continue to control both night and day all on your own, as if you never even needed me in the first place. How ungrateful you are, sister." She made her way over to a small area surrounded by dusty gray boulders, where she had carved numerous arcane symbols into the rocks. During her time alone on the desolate satellite, she kept her dark magic in check by practicing spells and enchantments using what little resources she had around her. Nightmare turned to a makeshift calendar she had made in the rock, that helped her keep track of time. "Nearly a millennium since that day," she sighed. "And I still fail to break from this imprisonment every year. At this point, I will not have enough power to return to the mortal world on the thousandth year as prophesied." She then looked at an inscription she had made, after observing Celestia. "The Elements of Harmony." Nightmare said with disgust. "If my sister's plans come to fruition, then these ponies, whoever they will be, will surely thwart my return. It is clear to me now. I will not be able to bring about the endless by myself." Then, a thought came to her as she pondered on her own words. "Surely there is somepony in Equestria who would be able to carry out my revenge. If Celestia can use the power of other ponies, then so can I." Firing up her aura, Nightmare faced the earth again and used a powerful clairvoyance spell to scan over the land of ponies. This clairvoyance was her only connection with Equestria, and for a millennium, she had used it to spy upon the work of her sister. Recently, she learned that Celestia had predicted the union of the Elements of Harmony, a team of ponies bound through the magic of friendship meant to keep the everlasting night from spreading on the thousandth Summer Solstice. This alerted the goddess of night to prepare herself for an attempt to fight back against this kind of power. But on such an empty place like the Moon, she had failed to amass enough magical energy to make her return while vanquishing the future Elements of Harmony. But it suddenly occurred to her that, with the right focus of magic, she could manipulate ponies of Equestria to carry out her evil ways and cripple the Elements of Harmony. Only then would she have free reign to spread her beloved darkness through all corners of the mortal realm. Now, Nightmare took it upon herself to seek out the perfect ponies to be her agents of darkness. They would need to have the same amount of potential to spread eternal night, as the Elements of Harmony would have to defeat it. Before long, she found a sign. "Yes...yes, I feel their presence." Nightmare uttered. "I sense two...no, three of them. A unicorn, a pegasus, and an earth pony. Hmm, they are but simple colts. Why would I have need of mere children to carry out my...Wait...Yes I feel it! These three are connected with the Elements of Harmony. It's all so clear!" She grew a devious grin. "I must have them." After finishing her clairvoyance, Nightmare focused her energy on a new spell. It was a summoning spell she had worked on from time to time but never had enough magic aura to use it. But now that she had waited so long, she felt that it would be worth it. Nightmare concentrated her aura on the three points in Equestria where she had found magical potential. It caused her a great amount of strain to cast a summoning between the earth and the Moon, and she held her focus for several minutes. Finally, the rigorous spell was cast, and three forms were teleported from Equestria to the dusty surface of the Moon. As her aura receded, Nightmare relaxed from the magical strain and looked at her progress. Sure enough, three young colts, without even their cutie marks yet, sat before her and looked around in befuddlement. "Wha...where am I?" one of them spoke, a bright white unicorn with a wavy blue mane. "What happened?" another asked as he looked across space. "Is this the moon?!" This one was a blackish gray pegasus with a silvery mane shaped into a fin-like mohawk. "I don't like this." The third, a scrappy red earth pony with an orange mane, shuddered with fear. "Where's my home?" An insidious chuckle came from Nightmare as she approached the confused colts. "Ah, such innocence." She spoke almost soothingly. "How I miss seeing it in person." The imposing demeanor of the dark sorceress frightened the boys, and they huddled together in fear. "Ah! Wh-who're you?!" stammered the pegasus colt "Wait, are you...Nightmare Moon?" shivered the unicorn. "But I thought you were just a myth!" the earth colt said. "Oh I assure you, my little ponies," said Nightmare with a grin. "I am quite real. And you don't know just how lucky you are." "What does that mean?" the earth pony quivered. "I'm scared!" shook the unicorn. "I wanna go home!" "I want my mom!" cried the pegasus. The colts began to panic, and started crying in horror. Being transported to a desolate world only to meet the most terrifying face in Equestrian legend was too much for their young minds to bear. But then, a calming blue aura was cast over them. Immediately, their fear and dread seemed to completely vanish, as if they were in the presence of a loving parent. "Do not fear the dark, younglings." Nightmare spoke as she enveloped them in her aura. "Your former lives under the delusion of the Sun will soon be forgotten. Only the embrace of night shall keep you warm and safe." The three colts stared with walleyed expressions. Slowly but surely, the dark but soothing aura was draining them of their memories from their lives in Equestria. At last, the evil alicorn's magic was being put to good use. "Give into the night, little ones." She continued. "You shall learn the powers of the Moon Goddess. For I am the one true giver and protector. Under me, you shall follow." Finally, the aura lifted from their young heads. The colts stared frozen for a moment, then quickly returned to reality. At this point, they were even more confused than when they had first arrived on the moon not a few minutes ago. But now, they had absolutely no memory of anything from their past lives. "Huh? What happened?" the earth pony scratched his head. "Where am I?" asked the pegasus. "...Who am I?" the unicorn shook his head. Nightmare became quite pleased with herself, able to conjure so much magic in such a short time. Certain that her amnesia spell had worked on the little ponies, she knelt down and met them at eye level, in order to give them a better sense of security. "My children, do not be afraid." She spoke softly. "You are home." "This? This is our home?" the pegasus darted around in surprise. "I don't remember living here." The unicorn said. Nightmare quickly thought up a lie. "You were all struck by the effects of a spell cast by the wicked alicorn Celestia. It caused your memories to erase. But rest assured, you are safe now here on the Moon. And I will not let anything happen to any you." "Are you...are you our mama?" asked the earth pony. That took Nightmare by surprise. She never thought she would ever be called a mother, let alone be seen as a mother figure. But she figured if she was going to earn these young colts' trust, she would tell them anything they wanted to hear. "Of course. I am your mother." "I don't remember you either." The unicorn clutched his forehead. "Why do I feel so scared?" Nightmare gently wrapped her black wing over the white colt. "You have no reason to be, my child." She gave him a smile. "As long as the three of you are by my side, you will be as safe as possible." "But I don't even remember my own name!" the unicorn frowned. "Me neither!" said the other two. Nightmare thought for a moment. She couldn't help the foals remember their names obviously since she never learned them. Instead, she would rename them herself. "Well, your name is...White Nebula." "White Nebula?" the curious colt repeated, trying his new name out. "What about my name?" urged the pegasus. "You are...Dark Star." "And me?" asked the earth pony. "And you are Red Nova, of course." "But...why do we live on the Moon?" asked the unicorn, now White Nebula. Nightmare then wore an expression of remorse. "Because my sister, the evil Princess Celestia, Goddess of the Sun, banished us all here. She wanted to exterminate the night from the eyes of ponies, and imprisoned us here away from them. She is a wicked goddess who only wants to rule Equestria herself." "So why don't you fight back against her?" asked Dark Star. "In due time, my child." Nightmare continued. "Soon I shall unleash a night that will last forever, so that all ponies can rejoice under the dazzling beauty of the moon. But I will not be able to do so, without your help, my children. Only you have the ability to inherit the powers of the night." "But I don't feel very powerful." Red Nova said, scuffing the ground. With one more delve into her aura, Nightmare cast another spell. This time, the three colts glowed with magic energy, and seemed to gain auras of their own. Meanwhile, high above their heads, three stars shined with intensity, one blazing red, one shimmering white, and one in a shadowy blue, almost black. These stars connected each other in a glowing triangle, and their light seemed to rain down on the colts who were staring in awe. Within seconds, the spell receded. The stars maintained their prominent glow in the black sky, signifying that the young ones had been allowed the powers of the night. "Now you will be able to learn from me the divine magic of the stars." Nightmare said to them. "And when you are ready, you will return to Equestria, where you will defeat the Elements of Harmony, and help me return to the mortal world." "Will we able to live in Equestria then?" asked White Nebula. "Of course." She nodded. "And we shall thrive in the nourishing beauty of everlasting night." "That sounds amazing!" Dark Star beamed with excitement. "I wanna learn some of that dark magic now!" "Soon, Dark Star," said Nightmare. "But I have already used much of my magic today to defend our home against the evil Celestia. I will teach you three tomorrow. But for now, I must rest." Nightmare was about to stand up to head to a shady spot to sleep. But she instantly stopped when she felt something lean against her. She looked down at her side to see Red Nova pressing up against her wing and nuzzling her. "What are you doing?" she raised a brow. "I'm cold." Red Nova said, shivering. "Is it always this cold on the Moon?" "I'm cold too." Dark Star added, as he rubbed against her on the same wing. "Can we sleep with you, Mama?" asked White Nebula looking up at her. "Please?" Nightmare was not used to being in the presence of children. But somehow, she found herself feeling relieved, and even a bit warmer with them by her side. To keep up the charade of being their guardian, she smiled warmly at them. "I will keep you warm, little ones, as only the night can." Nightmare lifted her wing like a blanket and let the three young colts snuggle up against her. She lowered her head near theirs as they all drifted off to sleep. Although it only seemed like an act a moment ago, Nightmare suddenly felt at ease being their alleged mother. For the time being, the lives of these little colts would be the most important things to her. They meant her easy victory against Celestia and the Elements of Harmony. But they would soon mean a lot more to the lonely alicorn. ... Present Day... "Friends?" scowled Twilight Sparkle. "What does she mean make friends? Like I can't do that here?" The young pupil of Princess Celestia fussed about her study in Canterlot while packing her bags for Ponyville. She had been charged with the task by her teacher of travelling to the humble town to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration. However, the student saw no gain in managing a festival and socializing with complete strangers in another town, and she felt rather reluctant as she prepared for her trip. "The Princess has a point, Twilight," said Spike, packing a suitcase full of gemstones. "You've been pretty secluded lately." "Well I can't help it if I'm trying to study different spells for her." Twilight replied, organizing her books into a saddlebag. "How am I supposed to focus on my work during this big festival?" "Oh lighten up." Spike rolled his eyes. "A little fun will do you good. You should be happy about leaving the city for once." Twilight sulked as she stared at one of her oldest tomes. "It's not just that, Spike. To be honest, I'm a bit worried." She said. "This is the one thousandth Summer Solstice, ever since Princess Celestia defeated Nightmare Moon and imprisoned her away from Equestria. She told me that on the thousandth year, Nightmare Moon is destined to return to plunge the world into eternal darkness. What if this prediction comes true tonight?" "Come on, Twilight," scoffed Spike. "That prediction is just a myth. If Nightmare Moon was returning to Equestria, we would've seen her coming by now, would we?" "It's not that easy, Spike." Twilight said as she levitated a suitcase. "I haven't seen any signs of the prophecy coming true. Still, I have my suspicions." She then gave a heavy sigh. "Something else wrong?" asked Spike. "At times like these, I wish my brother was still here." She said, somberly. "I wonder if Shining Armor would know what to do about this. I miss him everyday. And yet I remember less and less of him." "It just doesn't seem to make sense for your brother to disappear like that." Spike shook his head. "No, but that was a long time ago." Twilight said reverently. "I shouldn't keep mulling over him." "Hey, you still got me, right?" Spike tried to cheer her up. Twilight couldn't help but smile at her little companion. "Of course, Spike." She gave him a hug. "You make a great brother too. Now let's get our bags outside." She headed toward the door. "Our chariot leaves in half an hour." ... "Fluttershy!" called the voice of a young male pony. "Fluttershy! You gotta come out here!" Fluttershy stepped out of the backdoor of her cottage, into her animal sanctuary. "What is it, Rumble?" she responded. The gray pegasus colt ran up to her nervously. "Fluttershy, I was spreading mulch over the backyard like you told me to, but I looked in the chicken range and saw all the chickens went missing!" Fluttershy thought for a moment. "Um, Rumble? Did you check inside the chicken coupe?" Rumble stood with a pause, realizing the obvious. "Oh...right. Sorry about that." He scratched his head sheepishly. "I guess I wasn't really thinking straight." "That's alright," giggled Fluttershy. "Maybe you've been helping me out with the animals too long. Why don't you come inside? I have lunch all ready for you." "That sounds great!" beamed Rumble as he stepped inside. "Hey Fluttershy?" he looked up at her sincerely. "Thanks for letting me come over again and helping you out today. I hope I'm not bothering you too much." "Oh not at all, Rumble!" she patted his head. "I really enjoy having you over. You can spend as much time with me as you want." "Thanks, Fluttershy." Rumble gave her a hug then trotted off to chow down on a home cooked meal. Fluttershy watched the friendly colt with adoration. She had grown quite close to Rumble ever since his parents moved to Ponyville several years ago. Back then, Rumble's older brother, Thunderlane had mysteriously vanished, and his family were beside themselves. The young Rumble became especially distraught, no longer having a big brother to look up to. On top of that, the news of Thunderlane's disappearance saddened Fluttershy as well. She had grown up with the strapping young pegasus in the same flying class and the two became dear friends; she would even admit to developing a foalhood crush on him. But before they could take their relationship further, Thunderlane was gone, and he was suspected to had run away from home. Later on, when she heard that Rumble's family was moving to Ponyville, Fluttershy took it upon herself to look after the lonely colt half the time, playing with him and letting him help with tending to her animals. Rumble quickly began to look upon his gentle friend as sort of an older sister, and in turn, Fluttershy felt that spending time with the colt was her remaining connection with her dearly missed Thunderlane. Before she could join her little friend in the kitchen, Fluttershy heard a knock at the front door. She walked over and answered to see Applejack standing outside. "Oh, hi Applejack." She greeted. "What brings you by?" "Did ya hear, Fluttershy?" said Applejack. "There's been word around town that some fancy Canterlot pony is comin' to manage the Summer Sun Celebration. And apparently she's a personal student of Princess Celestia herself." "Wow, she sounds really important. Wait, she's coming for the Summer Sun Celebration?!" she gasped. "Oh my goodness, that reminds me! I still have to warm up my bird choir for the festival tonight." "Well, if ya get any time," shrugged Applejack. "You should come by the farm later. I whipped up a whole buncha sweets to greet this Canterlot pony. You could help me make a good impression with her." "Oh, thanks for the offer, AJ," said Fluttershy. "But to be honest, I'd be too shy to meet her. Plus I still have a little time with Rumble today before he goes back home." "I understand, sugarcube." Applejack nodded. "How's little Rumble doin' lately, anyhow?" "Oh he's just been a joy." Fluttershy smiled. "I think he's almost through with accepting his brother's disappearance after all these years. And being with him has helped me cope with it too." "I reckon so," she replied. "I really feel for the little tyke." "Is that because of Big Macintosh?" Fluttershy responded with sympathy. "Yup." Applejack took a breath. "I still don't understand why he left all of sudden back then. It's hard goin' without your big brother." "You know something, AJ?" Fluttershy gave her a warm smile. "I'm sure wherever Big Mac is, I'm sure he's doing just fine." "I like to think that too." Applejack smirked. "In fact, I really hope I'll get to see him again one day. Gosh, no wonder Rumble looks up to ya, Fluttershy. You know just what to say." "Anytime!" she replied. "I'll see you at the festival tonight, okay? Good luck with the pony from Canterlot." "Thanks, Fluttershy. See ya later!" Applejack signed off as she left. ... As the afternoon sun drew slowly across the bright sky, its master kept an eye on other matters. Celestia sat alone in her private study with the windows open to let in the warm summer air. But despite the lovely weather, the princess was anything but relaxed. She poured over rolls of parchment on her desk, some of them giving accounts of her ill-fated battle with her lost sister. Celestia knew very well that today was the day she predicted that Nightmare Moon would return to Equestria, and spread her dark curse throughout the land. And she hoped deeply that she was wrong. Celestia looked over at an elaborate hieroglyphic painting of the former Princess Luna, with a heavy sigh. "I am saddened without your presence every year." She spoke, hoping somehow her sister would hear. "And yet, I also fear your return." She then walked over to the window to stare out at the vast sky. Already, she could see the rim of the moon peeking up from the far horizon, as if itching to bring the night early. It was not uncommon for the moon to make itself visible in daylight. Yet there was something about the luminous satellite that seemed off to Celestia. Normally she could faintly detect the trapped presence of Nightmare Moon residing on the lunar surface. But something was different. The magical presence on the moon seemed to have increased in power, since last time she checked. It was as if there were somehow more than one soul inhabiting the white rock, with an unusual amount of magical aura abiding them. The wheels in Celestia's mind began to turn. "What is happening on the moon?" she pondered aloud. "Could this be the sign of her revenge?" Then it suddenly occurred to her. "Oh goodness! I just sent my star pupil to Ponyville. If this is truly an omen of the prophecy, then it will surely affect Twilight there." That's when she noticed another change in the activity on the moon. As Celestia increased her magical sight, she could make out three auras descending from the lunar surface, and drawing closer to the land of Equestria. Her worse fears were suddenly coming true. "This isn't right." Celestia narrowed her eyes. "I must go to Ponyville before something terrible happens. For Twilight's sake, I hope I will not be too late." She then stepped up onto the windowsill and spread her graceful wings to soar off. It was then that she curse her own prediction for coming true.