How It All Began
The Melody of The Heart
Chapter One: How It All Began
Written by Star Origin
The pair of ponies left their houses a few hours after the crack of dawn. Star Blaze let out a yawn and brought a hoof to his mouth. Despite the two cups of coffee, getting up this early was still unbelievably harsh on him. He locked the door behind and made sure to check if the lunch basket was secured on his back.
His hours in Canterlot, coupled with the long hours of commuting every day, barely helped his condition. But a promise was a promise. He looked back at her sister, who was currently hopping left and right, and he couldn’t help but smile. She was a precious thing indeed, what with the skip in her gait and her broad smile. She did make sure to stay close to him, though.
Star looked into the distance as he guided himself and his sister to the train station. By this time, the train station was sure to be open, and trains would likely be departing. His only problem with their trip to Neighara Falls was that they would have to get off at the Hollow Shades station. He hated the prospect of going to the Hollow Shades.
He shook his head when he felt the negative thoughts pour in his mind. This wasn’t the time to sulk on having to go to the Hollow Shades. They’d only be there for a few moments anyway. As Star watched the streets come up empty at every turn, he could have sworn it wasn’t all that early anymore.. No doubt a consequence of the weekend syndrome, he reasoned as he shrugged and continued on his way.
The stroll through the streets of Manehattan was uneventful; it was rather pleasant, if anything. Apart from the sun glaring straight into his eyes, which he cursed at a few times under his breath, the light breeze that brushed through his mane was refreshing, and it offered an opportunity to change his mood.
“I’m so glad those bullies aren’t out today,” Melody squeaked from behind Star with a fragile voice.
Star nodded, keeping his smile curled on his lips. Inside, however, he boiled. That wasn’t the first time she had mentioned bullies, and he had talked to the principal multiple times. Nothing had been done so far, and it angered Star, resulting in him blowing a few puffs of smoke out of his nose. There was no need for her to be so apprehensive.
“Tell you what, Melody. Next time they try to bully you, just stand your ground and give them a stern talking to. That’ll take them by surprise. Stay calm, but speak your mind. Okay?”
Melody nodded and skidded up ahead. Star lowered his head and nuzzled Melody’s cheek. Her ears eventually fell atop her mane, and she looked back down. Looked like his little piece of advice met a stone wall.
“I tried to stand up to myself before, but this other filly, Glimmer Heart, still made fun of me. She keeps teasing me for liking different things.”
He’d heard of that one too. Glimmer Heart was the grade’s bully. Most of the children were scared of her and her gang. Star hadn’t been the first one to complain to the principal about that filly, but nothing was done about it.
He was about to say something in return when he spotted the train station in the distance and nudged Melody. Her ears perked, and her smile grew wider again, creeping all the way to her ears almost. She bounced up ahead before Star tugged her back by the tail with his magic.
She looked back at him with a frown and pout, before exploding in a bundle of giggles when she noticed his smile. “You’re lucky you’re big and strong or else I’d get you back for that, mister!”
He nodded, and he scooped her up in his magic. He sat her just in front of the food basket he balanced on his back. “Yes, yes. You can still tussle my mane and claim a victory if you want.”
He caught her poking out her tongue at him, and he flicked one of his ears and offered her a quick wink. Her reaction was priceless. She froze, her cheeks turning pink.
Objective accomplished! Star looked at the schedule board for the trains and slid a hoof against the glass until he saw what he was looking for. Departures for Hollow Shade. There was one departure bound in half an hour. They were going to board that one for sure. The only other departure wasn’t until another three hours.
He looked at the clock by the ticket booth and noted the time. Eight and a half. If the train ride was approximately an hour and a half, and walking to Neighara Falls took three hours at best, they would be at their destination come the middle of the afternoon or so. He winced when he considered the time he would get back with Melody. Way too late for a filly her age.
But a promise was a promise. Star walked to the booth and greeted the pony sitting behind the glass.
“Two roundtrip tickets for Hollow Shades, please.”
♫
Star stretched his legs the moment he stepped out of the train car. He took a look around and sighed. Hollow Shades was just so glum and dark. The Deepwoods was not a place he liked to visit. Through all of his few visits in the past, he always felt like there was animosity directed at him. This time was no exception, either.
Melody didn’t share the same apprehension to the Hollow Shades by the way she glanced at the ponies that strolled through the paths of the town. The city of Hollow Shades was not mighty or impressive like Manehattan, but for a town in the middle of the woods, it wasn’t too shabby. Their houses were mostly built with wood and other materials. There were barely any traces of cement or concrete anywhere, which made it impressive that the city was so lively, to begin with.
“Are those bat ponies, Star?” Melody asked, eyes wide and mouth agape. She was too busy gawking at the seemingly old town to notice, or hear, the ponies grumbling behind her as they tried to worm their way around and between the pair.
“They are. We are in the Hollow Shades, Melody. I don’t know if you saw that in class, but it’s where most bat ponies live.” He put her on his back looked up at the time. Fifteen before eleven. “Anyway, hang on tight. We’re going for a stroll!”
He bolted forward, and he heard Melody squeak in surprise. She wrapped her hooves around his neck and pulled herself against his back. He made a mental note about this, but he kept running as fast as he could. The wind blew past his orange mane as he followed the railroad, each one of his stomps slightly sinking in the soil beneath his hooves.
The faster he was out of the Deepwoods, the better he would feel. Time was lost to Star by the time he galloped out of the forest, and he was greeted by the sun’s warm light. He squinted and kept his head down. Right. The sun was likely near its zenith. No wonder its light was so unbearable.
He slowed his gallop into gentle trots and stared at the vast green distance as well at the massive waterfall that he could faintly hear from his spot. He stopped in his tracks and took a long breath. He flared his nostrils and exhaled slowly. The refreshing breeze of the outside world was a much welcome treat to the stallion.
Star gave his back a small bump, turning his head to look at Melody with a smile. She answered with a smile of her own. With a gesture of his eyes, he said, “All right. You can climb down now, Melody. From here, it’s just a matter of walking to the meadows. It shouldn’t take that long either.”
True to his words, once they began walking towards their destination, time began to fly off. They talked about everything and nothing, sometimes cracking a joke. The wind treated them fairly, and the occasional clouds spared them the sun’s harsh glare. It was the ideal day to spend some quality time with his sister.
When the sun became too much to bear, and Star took notice of Melody’s exhaustion, he stopped, yanked her up in his magic and pulled her close despite her insistence on continuing.
“Melody,” he said firmly. “The last thing I need is to have you collapse.” He gestured to the outskirts of a forest and arched an eyebrow. “We can afford to take a little break. The meadows aren’t going anywhere.”
Melody puffed her cheeks and crossed her little legs over her chest, staring harshly at her brother. Star pulled out his tongue and pressed a hoof against her belly. She burst in squeaks and giggled when he did, using all of her legs to try and push him back, but to no avail. She squirmed helplessly at his mercy until he gave her respite. She quickly scurried away from him, glaring at him once she had dried the tears in her eyes.
“No fair! You know I’m ticklish there!” she exclaimed, giggles still plaguing her voice.
“Yes, yes. I’m the big bad. Now, get to those trees before I tickle you again,” Star said, taking a quick step forward.
She leaped back and cried with a hearty laughter, scampering to the spot her brother had gestured some brief minutes before he assaulted her with tickles. With a nod, he followed behind with a slow and relaxed gait.
He looked up and immediately squinted his eyes. Too bright! He splayed his ears and let out a curse under his breath. He kept his head down as he joined his sister’s side beneath a large fir tree. Once he sat down, Melody leaned against him and poked her head up at him.
“Can I help you, princess?” he asked with a grin, to which she responded with a roll of her eyes, and a giggle nonetheless.
She nodded, taking a few deep breaths while he arched an eyebrow. What she wanted exactly, he didn’t know, but he’d likely find out soon enough.
“Do you think Mom and Dad are gonna come home anytime soon?” she asked, those golden eyes of her practically begging him for an answer.
He bit his lip and looked away for a moment. Think fast, he reminded himself. He lifted his head and took a deep breath. Try to look emotional too. After all, she didn’t need to know. Not yet.
“Maybe? I dunno, sis. You know how it is with them, they just come and go. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them too. I’m starting to worry work’s gotten the better of their time.”
Her ears splayed, and she looked down, resting her head on his hind legs. She sighed, looking away from him. Sweat rolled down his brow, and he continued looking down at her, dragging a hoof to parse through her mane. She jumped a bit, but she was quick to melt under gentle caresses on her head.
“Oh… I just want to see them and tell them all about what I’ve learned in school. Do you think they heard about the changelings?! I’m gonna tell them all about the changelings if they haven’t.”
Star chuckled, perking an eyebrow at her excitement, but he did nothing else. It wasn’t his place to crush her happiness. She deserved to be happy for as long as the world allowed her to be. In need of a change of mind, he roused his magic and dug through the small basket he had been carrying with his magic until now, getting a pair of sandwiches.
Melody gave him an odd stare, and she frowned. “H-hey! Those are for the meadow!” she squeaked angrily.
“I packed for lunch and dinner, Melody,” Star answered with a smug smile, wiggling his ears. “Now, eat up before I decide to eat your lunch.”
She squealed and wrangled the sandwich from his magic, stuffing it in her mouth and munching loudly, staring back at him and offering a single wink with a broad smile
♫
By the time they reached Neighara Falls or at least the general area where the meadows were most famous for, the sun had begun to set. Star guessed it was late afternoon by the way the sun still shone in the sky, but that was soon going to change.
There wasn’t much to be afraid of the immediate area. Neighara Falls wasn’t some kind of freaky forest like the Everfree. It was just a peaceful place, away from most ponies and dangers. It was essentially the safest place to enjoy dinner with friends and family.
As the pair walked through the forest, rambling and teasing each other, the sun finally set. Darkness soon began to creep on them, forcing them to hurry up. They would have continued on their path if Star hadn’t stopped dead in his track. Melody noticed it, and she turned back to stare at him, but before any sound came out of her, he pulled her behind him with his magical aura.
“H-hey! What are you doing? We need to hurry up before it gets too dark!” She cried, struggling to break away from his magic.
He gestured to his mouth and glared at her. She instantly went dead quiet. He rarely glared this intensely at her, and he wished he never had to do it, but this time was different.
His ears were perched high on his head, eyes scanning the forest around them. He knew he had seen figures dancing through the darkness the trees provided and he didn’t like that one bit. If it had been other ponies on the track, he would have ignored it, but this wasn’t normal. Normal ponies didn’t move this efficiently through the darkness.
“Stay quiet and stay back!” he hissed at Melody. Right now, her safety was number one, and whether or not she appreciated how he acted at the moment was way above his current list of priority. He needed to make sure nothing happened to her.
He charged his horn, rearing up, and then brought all of his weight down, hurling an orb of light in the forest until it hit a tree and illuminated the whole area. Star spotted some of the ponies under his spell’s light: ponies that wore midnight black garbs, masks included in that too.
“Come out! I know you’re there. Identify yourself, and no one will get hurt,” Star shouted, his voice echoing through the whole area. “I am a royal guard. Come out where I can see your faces.”
To his dismay, the ponies did as he ordered. The all made their way out of the bushes and the shadows the trees gave them. And each and every single one of them was armed. Mercenaries, no doubt about that! But what were mercenaries doing in the middle of nowhere?
“’Fraid we’re gonna have our differences if you’re with the guards, lad. Don’t struggle and we won’t hurt you. Now, step aside and let us through.”
“Go back to Salvation. Your kind isn’t welcome in Equestria!” barked Star, pawing his hoof on the ground and flaring his nostrils.
“Heh. Fine. Your funeral, then. Get him, boys. And grab that filly after you’re gone. She might fetch a good price at the trading house.”
Fury swelled in Star’s chest, and he shot a magical projectile at the presumed leader. The missile hit its mark straight in the face and sent the masked pony rolling back several feet away, grunting and hacking all the while.
All five ponies scattered to the darkness of the forest, leaving Star to rely only on his ears. He whipped his head left and right, extending his legs into an offensive stance. He pushed himself back when he heard the rustling of leaves near him, and barely dodged a blade aimed at his throat.
He charged his horn again and shot a magical bolt at the ground the moment he was back on all four hooves, pushing himself forward once the dust rose in the air. Star caught a glimpse of the assaulting figure, and spun on his front hooves, rearing his hind legs and striking that pony with a mighty buck. He heard a scream and the sound of something grinding against the ground
However, he was too slow on the uptake when the leader of those ponies emerged from the dust, blade in his mouth. Star did manage to evade the first strike, barely. His build was extremely restraining regarding mobility, and when that pony flared his wings and burst at him once more, Star was unable to save himself from the stinging bite of the blade.
The dagger sank into the fur and flesh of his flank, leaving a trail of blood trailing down his hind leg. He grunted and cursed loudly at the pain, charging his horn again when a loud roar split the air. All ponies, himself included, froze at the sound. Whatever creature that was, it was scaring every single one of them. One of the masked ponies fidgeted, while the others hauled the unconscious one over another’s back and then flocked to the leader.
“Boss! We didn’t sign up for this! Let’s take the filly and scram.”
“You heard him, boys. On your hooves and out of here!” the leader exclaimed as he began to run past Star.
But Star wouldn’t have any of that. Just as quick as he was to turn around, the stallion raised a barrier around Melody and glared at the ponies trying to break said shield. “Give it up. With each passing moment you spend trying to break this, the closer whatever this is will get to you all.”
The cloaked stallion scoffed and bared his teeth before he turned to his ponies and ran away. Star smiled and released the magic that shielded Melody. He huffed and panted once that was done, turning the other way to face whatever was coming.
To say he was overly surprised when a manticore burst into his vision was a massive understatement. He tried to move his body as the massive beast rushed at him, bloodlust in its eyes, but his legs refused to comply. Star’s eyes widened at the distance that separated him from the creature. Not only was a manticore the last thing he expected in Neighara Falls, he now found his body unresponsive to his every command.
No matter how much he willed legs to avoid the claw that quickly swooped down at him, he was left utterly helpless when it hit him, and he was sent flying into a tree. The air was knocked out of his lungs, and he felt the warm trickle of blood on his belly. With his breathing quickening, he looked down to see several gashes running all along his barrel, blood oozing out profusely from them.
His eyes shot up to Melody when Star heard her scream, and his heart clenched in his chest. He tried to get up, but whatever was plaguing his body held him in place, plus the pain of his wound was slowly starting to get more intense. Had the blade of that mercenary been dipped in paralyzing poison? Whatever that was, it was really potent.
He was forced to watch the manticore press its giant paw over Melody’s body. Its tail snaked through the air, the stinger sinking toward Melody and into her chest. The filly screamed, tears forming in her eyes before the pain and the ordeal knocked her unconscious. Star tried to move to get to Melody, but his body still refused to move.
Finally, his efforts yielded a result, and he fell forward, his chest and neck collapsing on the dirt, his eyelids growing heavy. As he kept struggling, keeping his gaze locked on the manticore and his sister, he blinked and noticed an array of swords stuck in the manticore’s back after his vision cleared. The creature roared again, the sounds deafening Star before his vision ultimately failed him and everything went black.
♫
Melody's eyes shot open, and she squirmed in the grass she lay in. Her back was moist and damp. Her eyes weakly traveled along her body to observed the crimson tint that adorned the white of her fur. Her eyes went wide when she finally noticed the hole in her leg. Her mind raced, and she wanted to cry. She wanted to screech and call out for her brother so much, but no sounds came from her. She weakly turned her head to look for Star. He had to be somewhere. He had to.
The right side? Nothing on that side. She painfully turned her head forward to let it fall on her left side. Then, her eyes went wide. Her brother was lying on the grass as she did, covered in blood as well. What shocked her the most was the changeling queen that was towering in front of him. She did not know what was going on, but she wanted her gone. She couldn't touch her brother. She needed him.
For the longest time, nothing seemed to happen between the two, except for the stares they exchanged. Were they talking to each other, or was it just something else? Or maybe— No! He was not dead! Her brother was not dead! Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she saw his chest rise. He was still alive. Thank Celestia.
That still didn't explain why that changeling was looming over him. Why was she there? What was her purpose here? Melody raised a hoof tentatively as if it could somehow reach her brother and stop that changeling from doing whatever she was up to. Her eyelids grew heavy once more, and as she watched the changeling lower her body and head to touch horns with her brother's, Melody wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, but all that came out was a weak dried out gasp that barely resounded without the clearing.
Before she could see much else, her eyelids fell over her eyes, but not before she saw a hint of green in the changeling's direction. She tried to struggle against her aching body, but eventually, her muscles gave up, and her body shut down, leg falling on the grass with barely enough sound to scare a small critter.
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Good chapter!
Changeling magic for everypony! One bit!
Seriously, though, I look forward to what comes next even if it might freak the main characters out a bit.
Pony slave traders? Yeesh, I guess Equestria is not all sunshine and rainbows as we're led to believe from the show. Then again, in another fic this is also mentioned and the word to define MLP:FiM is "propaganda". Showing only the good things, glossing over the bad, and all but hiding the evil underside.
So when will he tell her both parents died and it's just them against the world?
3371313
I can see him freaking out but Melody will be ecstatic and overjoyed, becoming the very thing she loves and talks about all the time.
3376100
Reality rarely matches the dream. It is one thing to wish to be changeling, and another to become one. I suspect there may be a few things she'll be upset about, even if it's nowhere close to "OH GOD I AM A MONSTER!"
3376100>>3378958
I guess you'll just have to wait and see what happens.
3379387
Good to know. I hope I won't disappoint, mate.
Why does everypony seem to have a Texan accent?
3397855 I honestly don't know, I never really think about the accent I use other than that it's a casual accent,at least in my opinion that is. Then, there's also the matter that the reader can read something differently from someone else depending on where that person comes from.
That aside, I would not know because as far as I know, I don't think I've intended to use a Texan accent in this case.
3397899 well its all the "yall"s and "young'un"s that started popping up (to be honest it was only actually noticeable with the slave trader and changeling queen, but I'm pretty sure a few other characters threw in one or two words of the like)
3398152 Oh, those. Well, "young'un" is something I picked up after reading Guardians of Ga'Hoole a few years back and "y'all" is just a speech pattern I use depending on certain situations and as an actual speech pattern in real life.
3398200 Ok, I'm just telling you that that is how it's coming off to me (not really a bad thing as I'm enjoying the extra accents). However I would personally suggest changing young'un to young one for the queen.
Najz chaptur. Aaand the deal with the devil trope.
Foals acting tough are amusing... until the little sister begins to cry! That is the line, buddy!
Wait, Star didn't put them down?! :laughing: I'm guessing he was too busy worrying about Melody's situation to remember that he was holding the foals hostage (teasing).
A bully with such an adorable name?! Say it isn't so!
Uh-oh. I smell repercussions in the air.
That... is a really sad sentiment lurking there, I think? They don't know about getting scolded or grounded? Well, I guess maybe I'm reading too much into it. Maybe it's just that they were really good kids and didn't get into trouble. My gut reacted differently, though... But I guess Star would be old enough where he could have been scolded/grounded as a kid.
Please be a rabbit or woodland critter or any kind of false alarm...
Wh-What?! Slave traders?!
Well... That's better than, like, assassins or murderers... marginally better...
Yeah! Go Star!
CHEATER.
Oh COME ON! What now?!
Oooh. Go Star!
Well... That's one small victory, but the roar is still out there!
No, no, no—
—no! Oh, manticore, you done messed up.
Thank Celestia indeed!
And that is a mystery that must be solved!
Auugghh! Noo! I'm glad Star is alive, but... AGH! Melody, no, sweet baby, I hope the next chapter does not end with such a heavy heart!
Well, that went by fast. Not gonna lie, a lot of unbelievable stuff happened in this chapter. First of all, the bullies. The chances of meeting them, the chances they would do anything, the way he reacted to them, the way the mare reacted to them. It was all off.
Secondly, the slavers. I get it, it's AU, they exist. But the chances of them being so close to a city? So close to a public area? So close to authorities? The way they acted? Didn't surround them like normal slavers would to prevent escape? That's not how slavers work.
Thirdly, the manticore, it was even questioned in the story, why was it there? Why did it attack? How was he able to fight it despite supposedly severe lacerations and blood loss as well as being poisoned? Not even adrenaline can fight that. By all rights, he should have been unconscious upon being struck, unable to move at all at the least.
Fourthly, the changeling, why was it there? What purpose could it possibly have? It has no reason to be there. Maybe it was nearby? But then why interfere? What could possibly be gained from doing anything other than draining them of everything they had or taking them for love extraction?
Globally, the pacing was fast. Everything happened so quickly, from one location to another in the span of a few paragraphs and from one situation to another in about the same time.
My thoughts are that this story needs refining. As it is, it's about average, but it can be better. Slowed down pacing, more development, explanations - whether subtle or not - as to how and why things are happening, etc.
I'm hoping the story improves further on.
This seems to imply something is breaking yet nothing does. There is no cause given for branches breaking. There is the cracking of branches when the crooks show up but the amount of time that passed does not match with the first branch cracking.
That seems awfully close to a city in a location that seems like it would be pretty populated on weekends. Again, the issue with distance and time is screwing with me.
I know I am a long way back, but so far the pacing is too fast and the narration too busy. Too much is happening in a short amount of time. I will try to withhold further judgement until I am closer to where the story is currently. Hoping the author improves because this premise has potential.