//------------------------------// // Opportunities // Story: The Melody of the Heart // by Star Origin //------------------------------// Melody rolled in her bed as the first rays of dawn gleaned through her window and shone down on her face. She scrunched up her nose and rolled away from the pesky sun. She cracked her eyes open and groaned, pulling the sheets over her head. A few minutes went by, but sleep refused to reclaim her. Letting out another groan—a much louder one— she slowly got up on her bed, her mouth parting as a yawn filled the silence that had previously occupied her bedroom. She ran a hoof through her mane and looked around. Choir wasn’t there. Melody tilted her head and scratched it while she tried to figure out where her sister had disappeared to. Had she overslept? She probably had. With a stifled grunt, she slid down from her bed and trudged her way to the kitchen, letting another yawn escape her lips in the process. She looked about the kitchen and found her parents to be nowhere to be found. She rubbed her chin and moved toward the staircase, poking her head to look upstairs. “Mom? Dad?” she called. No answers. Melody shrugged. Maybe they were both out cold, and Choir had gone out to play with some friends. Or maybe she had a sleepover. Thoughts were muddled and disorganized in her brain. “Huh. Well, I’ll get myself some breakfast, then,” Melody said plainly, moving back into the kitchen and getting everything necessary to start her day. Her eyes drifted to the clock than hung above the fridge and she froze when she saw the time. It was ten in the morning?! Her eyes grew wide. Sweet Celestia, no wonder her parents and Choir were nowhere to be found. They had gone to one of Choir’s recitals. That did mean she had the house all to herself, though. She finished preparing her breakfast and settled in a chair, gently levitating the bowl of cereal followed by a spoon once her breakfast was secured. She dug the spoon into the bowl and lifted the contents of the spoon up to her mouth when she heard a series of knocks coming from the door. She perked her ears up as she munched on her breakfast—part of it anyway. Who could possibly be knocking on the door? She set down her spoon and slowly got down from the chair. She aimed for the door and chirped, “Coming!” Her magic unlocked the door and her aura soon engulfed the doorknob. She opened the door with a chipper mood and a little bounce to her legs. Part of her was curious about who it was, but her mind hoped it was Raine or Cherry coming to hang out with her. When she opened the door, she was greeted by the sight of an ebony-furred mare. At first, she squinted her eyes when the sun greeted her at the same time. She quickly recognized the mare when she managed to distinguish that orange mane and those dark purple eyes. “Occento? What are you doing here?” Melody asked, tilting her head as she took a step back when the tall mare walked in and closed the door behind her. “Call me Serenade, Melody,” she replied in her signature sing-song voice, ruffling Melody’s mane before shifting her attention and heading to the kitchen. “Come along, now. I need to discuss things with you.” Melody arched an eyebrow. What was there to talk about? If anything, she was the one who could do the asking instead. There were quite a few things that swirled in her mind, and she needed answers. Not because she was overly curious, no. Far from that. She just wanted to be in the loop for once; she wanted to be included in something without having secrets kept from her. Whatever Occento wanted to talk about, she was going to ask a few questions herself, including why the queen hadn’t shed her disguise yet. The changeling settled on a chair in the kitchen and eyed the bowl of cereal with a crooked, sly smile. “Come on. I’m sure you’d like to finish your breakfast,” Occento said, gesturing a hoof at the hoof in front of her. Melody maintained her frown. She made her way to her seat, looking at her bowl for a moment and contemplating if she wanted to finish it or hear Occento out first. Reluctantly—and after a few minutes of silence between the two—she pushed the bowl away and bore her gaze in Occento’s. Occento arched an eyebrow and shuffled in her chair. She stared back at Melody, a playful glint in her eyes. “Not going to finish breakfast?” Melody shook her head. She wasn’t all that hungry anymore. She craved answers now. She readjusted in her seat and asked, “What’s the occasion, Occento?” “Pardon?” Occento tilted her head, and her playful glance shifted to a confused one. “What forced you out of Serenus Melodia? I thought you ran a busy hive.” Occento visibly staggered from Melody’s venomous tone. Her smile faltered, and she narrowed her eyes. The queen flared her nostrils and shifted in her chair once more. Melody gulped once she realized she might have angered the temperamental mare. Not only this but if she continued on this path, she would likely spill the beans about her eavesdropping a month or so back. “You.” Okay, Melody had not expected that answer. Her lower lip dropped, and she stared back at Occento with wide eyes. She tried to find anything to say, but nothing managed to find its way outside of her mouth. Only stutters and stammers crawled their way out of her lips. “Me? What’s so special about me that you’re taking time off to govern your city?” Melody asked after shaking her head. “I’m sure you heard during your eavesdropping,” Occento started, wiggling her ears while her smile sprung back on her lips, “and we were aware of you eavesdropping, don’t worry. Crescere asked me to make it up to you for all the trouble you’ve gone through because of my decisions. And so I have come to do just that.” If Melody’s cheeks could have burned any brighter, she would have turned completely pink. She splayed her ears over her mane, and she rubbed her hooves together. They knew. They knew! Melody was pulled out of her panicking mind when she heard the sound of bits jingling together, and she looked at the source of the noise to see a large bag manifesting itself out of nowhere. Melody frowned as she tried to figure out how it worked until she remembered her stay in Serenus Melodia. Oh, right. Occento was able to shift objects on her with a flick of her magic. The bag was put down on the table and pushed toward Melody, the content on the bag grinding slowly on the smooth finish of the wooden table. “Why are you giving me these bits, Occento?” Melody asked, pushing the bag away. She looked back at Occento with her mouth hanging wide open. Occento remained in silence, staring at Melody. Melody looked back at her, perking her ears up. She wanted answers. And yet, Occento stayed seated, horn ignited with her aura. She lifted the bag, forcing the bits inside to jingle once more. “I visited Canterlot some weeks ago and talked to a physician there about your case. She said that she might be able to fix your leg. You might or might not recover full mobility, but she said she could rid you of the pain permanently at least.” Melody gestured at the bag of bits and raised an eyebrow at Occento after she had managed to fix the case of her gaping mouth for a second time. “What do those bits have to do with that?” she queried. “This is half of the fee negotiated with the doctor. I talked it over with Crescere, and he agrees with my initiative. You will have to find a small job to help you gather bits for the other half of the payment. Preferably in the coming weeks. You don’t want to worsen your injury any more than possible.” Melody’s ears drooped, and she felt something clench over her chest. Get a job? Couldn’t Occento have given her the whole thing so she could get rid of her injury as soon as possible? That didn’t seem like a good solution at all. “Occen—“ “Serenade,” Occento said abruptly, making Melody frown and stare. “Serenade,” Melody repeated, her voice veiled in mild annoyance, “Why should I have to get a job in the first place? Wait… I remember dad asking you to make it up to me. Is that your way of making it up to me? And dad agreed to it?” Melody’s tone turned from annoyance to indignation and Occento hung her head as each word sank in as Melody’s voice got louder. Her stare turned into a glare, and she followed the mare’s gaze around. “Occento—no, I’m not calling you Serenade. I’m twelve! Did you really think I would just accept that offering of peace because you suddenly feel guilty for letting one of your changeling mess up my leg after my dad gave you a stern talking too? “Please! I’ve been told lies and kept in the shadows long enough to see fake emotions when I see them. So now, I want you to tell me exactly what Dad meant when he said you made me your heir? You are certainly not my mother, and I am tired of being kept out of the loop!” Occento looked back with round and wide eyes. Her gaze shifted to the table, a deep breath inflating her chest before she let it out in a long sigh, closing her eyes after a few moments. Her fidgeting came to an end quickly soon after, resting her hooves on the table and bringing them together. She rubbed them and raised her head to stare back at the glare and frown of the white changeling sitting in front of her. “Changeling medicine wouldn’t have saved you. I knew that more than anybody…” “W-what? What are you saying? I should have died?” Melody shot back, her glare softening to a frown while her head craned to the right. “That is precisely what should have happened. Despite what medicine we have in Serenus, we couldn’t save you. You were about to go into cardiac arrest when I took extreme measures. I am a universal donor, Melody.” That choice of words hit Melody like a freight wagon, and all her defenses fell. Dead? She should have died that day? And Occento saved her…using her blood as a catalyst. She remained in silence, a lump growing in her throat. Occento licked her lips, eyes looking down at the table. “They tried everything they could and failed. As a desperate measure, I used my own blood for a transfusion and harmonized your body with the changeling cells. The change induced a coma, though, and you slept for a whole year. After that, I’m sure you know the rest of the story. Through your veins runs my blood—royal blood—and it marks you as my heir. Never worry, however. As long as I live, you are never going to rule, and even when I die, I will have made sure you will never have to either.” Wait, after her death? Weren’t changelings queens almost ageless, like the alicorns were rumored to be? Melody’s lips quivered as she tried to process all that information. Was that her punishment for seeking truth she wasn’t supposed to know just yet? She stretched a hoof forward and let it fall flat on the table a few inches away from Occento. Melody withdrew her hoof and looked away, blinking more times than necessary, the dampness under her eyes slowly drying off. She took a deep breath, her mane and ears deflating on her head with each throbbing second that passed, making her intensely aware that her mind and heart ached. She sought more. She needed to know more. “What does that mean for me? Am I going to change further…Am I going to do like a caterpillar and change forms when I reach maturity?” Melody inquired once her breathing had evened out, though the rubbing of her hooves remained in spite of that. And like that, the dramatic tension that had once occupied the kitchen some few minutes before vanished. Laughter instead replaced it, with Occento lurching forward and exploding in a fit of giggles, putting her hooves to cover her mouth. One glance at Melody was all it took her for Occento to direct her attention elsewhere. “Oh, sweet, sweet chitin,” Occento began, her voice barely containing her laughter without drawing large breaths and holding them in. “You are a treat, Melody. But you will not change at all. You’ll remain you, grow up with this form you currently have and everything else is going to be relatively fine. “Now then,” she coughed, pushing that chair away from the table and springing to her hooves. Her aura latched on the sack of bits once more and she pushed it all the way over to Melody. “I insist you keep it. You will need it far more than I will, especially if you want to become a royal guard.” Melody’s maw dropped momentarily once she made the connection and rolled her eyes. Changelings. Ugh. She didn’t mind being one, but discussing with Occento was always awkward. It was like all her secrets were put on display; an open book just about anypony could take and borrow from without restraint Melody sighed, though her ears perked up from the sight of the changeling queen trotting away from the table. She returned her attention to Occento, her visage still very much red from the embarrassment that had befallen her. “Where are you going?” she asked quietly, eyeing boring in Occento’s. “Home. I’ve done my part here. All I can do now is wish you good luck. Have a good day, Melody,” Occento said in return, waving her hoof and smiling warmly. Melody remained in her seat and watched in silence as Occento disappeared in the small hallway of the house. Creaks split the silence, and she heard a series of hoofsteps step out, followed by the forceful slam of the door, magic locking it from the other side. Melody arched an eyebrow. Why even bother knocking at the door? Left with her thoughts only, Melody eyed the bits and got up. She scooped them up in her magic and dragged herself to her room, thoughts roaming her brain all the while. She possessed Occento’s blood. She was her heir, something Crescere had been denied from birth. Speaking of Crescere, if she was technically the queen’s heir, did that mean she was sister to… “Nope, nope, nope!” she cried vehemently, throwing herself on her bed and slamming her muzzle on her fluffy pillow. ♫ “I’m afraid we’re not hiring currently, miss. And we’re certainly not desperate enough to hire fillies to work here,” said the owner of the bakery, barely paying any heed to Melody. For her part, Melody cocked her head back and let a tiny gasp. Desperate? Was this mare implying that the only way somepony was going to hire her was out of a desperate need for employees? Surely there was somepony out there that would not mind hiring her. She had plenty of perks to offer too. For the past week, she had taken Occento’s advice to heart and had since then been going from place to place that seemed like nice, inviting, and interesting places. This specific bakery, The Sweet Embrace, looked inviting enough at first, although first impressions rarely lived up to the real thing. The insides, what with the various brown and white sections of the walls, looked bland at best to Melody. They didn’t seem inviting at all. Not to her. As she looked at the overall atmosphere and the cramped space available, Melody began to ask herself why she had even considered that confectionary shop. With a huff and puff, she swirled back, flicking her mane and tail, and lifted her nose. “You could have at least been polite about it. Good day, ma’am!” And with that, she left the shop, her fur bristling with the raw indignation of her treatment. Still, she knew better. She opted against slamming the door shut. She let the door settle back nicely inside its frame while she trotted down the street, each of her step falling harder than the last. What a farce! If that was how Melody was going to get treated, she might as well call it quits early, then. But that would likely mean she’d never get her leg fixed in any foreseeable future. Her chest sank, and she let out a sigh. Of course, that was the only condition that Melody cared about. All in all, she had to give Occento due respects. She had played her game well. Melody hung her head. Another place to cross off her list, then. That had been the twentieth refusal she had received throughout the week, although the other owners were far politer about their reasons for refusing Melody as an employee than that stuck-up unicorn at that bakery. She kicked a pebble in the distance and just growled in annoyance. At this rate, she was never going to find anypony that wouldn’t mind hiring her. She pulled a notebook and a pen from her saddlebags, and she crossed the name of the Sweet Embrace. She wasn’t ever going back there, that was for sure. Her list was nearing its end, and she still had no results showing up for getting a job. She did find most of them to be right. She was far too young to be holding any kind of job. But where most would otherwise fail, she could maybe succeed thanks to her shapeshifting abilities. Being a changeling had its perks As she looked at the remaining names on her list, a sigh wormed its way through her lips, and she stopped in her track. “Be realistic, Melody. Who would ever empathize and offer a job to a twelve-year-old filly?” she asked out loud, dragging her hooves to a nearby bench. Looking about, she was surprised that winter didn’t affect the Empire as it did Canterlot. While the streets of Canterlot were covered in snow, the Empire’s streets still had their glimmering, shimmering charm, unbothered by even a single speck of snow. Such was the power of the Heart. Or something like that. She didn’t quite remember Cadance’s exact words during the tour of the Palace and the lecture about the history of the Crystal Empire. Not that anypony could blame her for that. A lot had happened in these short few months. She knew far more about herself than she did in years, and she had Wishing and Astral to thank for that. Her mind was pulled out of its musing when the chime of bells resounded in the distance. She lifted her eyes to meet the source of the disturbance and she blinked. At the corner of Cluster Street was a building with a new sign on it that read “The Sweetspot.” That hadn’t been there a few days before. In fact, that very same building had been empty when she had made her rounds a week before. What were the odds? Her eyes met and followed a cream-colored pegasus mare that held a small sign. Melody felt her breath become much more erratic, having to hold it down. Was this going to be a new place to work at or a potential place to try? And so, her prayers were answered when that mare hung a “Now Hiring” sign in the window. Melody had to bite down the urge to rush up to the mare and talk to her, but that wouldn’t be right. Instead, she waited for the mare to go back inside once she had thoroughly inspected that the sign was well positioned, as well as taking another look at the front of her new place. Once she went back inside, Melody took the opportunity. She leaped from the bench and quickly approached the building, uncaring to the weird looks she got as she beelined for her newfound objective. She stopped in front of the door, hoof half extended to take a leap of faith. Doubt wrestled her enthusiasm, and she put her hoof down for a moment. What if she got rejected by the owner? What if she was left without a job, without an opportunity to fix her leg and achieve her dream. She was sure that without the full mobility of her leg, there was naught she could do efficiently She shook her head. She was better off rid of those thoughts. She inhaled deeply and pushed the door open. Her ears splayed as the chime of those bells fell on her, and she jumped to the side, barely stifling a shriek. Of course, that was enough to draw the attention of the mare, who poked her head from outside the door frame by the back of the room. She looked at Melody with wide eyes, her head quickly adopting a tilt, all the while maintaining a smile. “Hello there! I’m afraid I’m not open for business yet, darling. I’ll have to ask you to come back in about a week if you’re interested in buying anything here,” she said with a sweet voice, the underlying hint of curious mirth swirling around her. Deep breaths, inhales and exhales. Melody’s body started shaking like a leaf, and her vision fell to her hooves. Doubt once again wormed its way through her mind and paralyzed her “Actually,” Melody muttered, lifting her eyes despite the anxiety eating her every thought, “I saw the sign on the window. I’m currently looking for a job! Even she didn’t believe herself. That was off to a fantastic beginning. But she held fast. This wasn’t going to be like the other times. She would use her changeling abilities if she needed to. The mare’s expression fell, and she retreated to the room at the back for a few moments, coming back out to meet Melody face to face, a worried and skeptical look on face. Melody couldn’t blame the mare. She stopped prodding emotions around her and met the other’s gaze. “Darling, you’re not meeting the working age. If I hire you and get caught, I could get in big trouble.” And there it was. Melody was sure this was going to be summoned at first. After all, that’s how every visit to a business went. They looked at her, gauged her too young and turned her away before she had a chance to explain herself. “So I’ve been told, ma’am. I promise you I have good reasons for asking around,” Melody said calmly. One step at a time, she repeated in her mind. She hoped this mare would take the bait and poke the topic further. Otherwise, her search would resume its course. The pegasus nodded, arching an eyebrow. She sat down and raised a leg to rub her chin. Maybe panic mode was considerably more tempting now. But no, Melody ignored the antics of her brain and focused on the mare in front of her. “I’m listening.” Melody gulped, drowning her ears in the process. Her heart thrashed about in her chest. Sweat started rolling down her brow. What if she wasn’t convincing enough? She’d most likely get thrown out with no further lead on where to get a job. Melody focused her gaze deep into the mare’s forest green eyes. She saw interest and curiosity deep in those pupils, which only made it harder for her. That meant she would have to impress, or at least make a good impression. She could do this. She just had to believe in herself and in the fact her story could reach this mare’s heart. She took another deep breath, puffing her chest. She could do this. “An incident made me a cripple of sorts,” she said, getting up and pulling her left leg back, much to her dismay as the muscles clenched and sent lightning through her body, “and I only recently learned that a surgeon in Canterlot could try and get it fixed. My parents can’t provide much to pay for this surgery. They suggested I could seek a job to help pay for it.” Further sweat rolled down Melody’s brow. Now that the arrow had been knocked, it was all up to the mare to decide if she wanted to believe Melody or not. Besides, Melody had done nothing but tell the truth. The mare nodded all throughout Melody’s little speech. She remained silent a few minutes after the filly was done and just peered down at the disguised changeling. Melody, for her part, gulped loudly and hoped that it was enough to convince the mare. “An admirable goal, I admit. I wasn’t expecting something like this. However, the problem still remains that I cannot hire because of your age.” Of course, the return of the usual song. Age and whatever. Melody didn’t let that bring her down. She had been expecting a response like that. At least, she now knew that this mare believed her story enough to want to consider hiring her. Determination returned to her, replacing the dejection from many days and hours of countless rejections all over the Empire. If her current form wasn’t apt for the job, she’d just have to make a new one. She just needed an image in her head. She shook her head. Copying looks from somepony else was easy, but it was just identity theft. She needed a brand new personality. Instantly, the thought of her mother crossed her mind. She could use those colors to fuel her working appearance. Not the same shape, though. She would never be able to look at Wishing if the bat pony ever caught her wearing Lilac’s face. A shiver ran through Melody’s spine, and she bit her lip. Think quick, she repeated in her mind; the ticking of the clock at the back of the room now surprisingly louder than it used to be. A chubbier form, maybe with a bit of pudge, not unlike Cherry’s pudge, came to her head. That wasn’t a bad idea. And not a unicorn. Definitely not a unicorn. That would give it away. Now, a bat pony was just perfect. Melody willed her horn to life, drawing a deep breath. Numbing serenity invaded her, and her body relaxed while bright emerald flames engulfed her, eliciting a sharp gasp from the pegasus mare. Melody didn’t see it, but she heard the mare stumbling back, or rather felt the ground vibrate under her hooves. Once the smokeless fire disappeared, sparing the floor of a charred fate, Melody was replaced by a taller mare, with a bit more weight than she ever had as a filly. Her mane had turned from bright green to dark pink, but her coat had not changed color at all. Her muzzle felt longer, but definitely not as long as those models in the magazines Coral read at home. Slim, athletic legs pawed at the floor, and she stood proudly in front of the cream-colored pony. Smirking, she puffed her fuzzy chest—her now much shorter mane barely grazing her shoulders, with a few strands licking away at her nape every time she moved her head—while she attempted to inspect her disguise’s every detail. It was a shame she lacked a mirror to look at her creation. She released her breath, her chest sinking while a chuckle shook her chest and throat. She spread her leathery wings and stretched her legs, popping her back at the same time. She did quickly refrain from doing it any further when her hind leg had its differences with her. It felt weird to her to be in a much taller body. “Y-you’re a ch-ch-changeling?” the mare asked with trembling lips, slowly backing away from Melody. The filly-turned-mare nodded and let her magic engulf her form once more, pink mane washing down in strings of green hair that gracefully fell over her back and shoulders while her tail did the same to the floor. Bright golden changeling eyes stared in the mare’s green eyes. Melody sat down while the two shared their staring contest, although Melody declared this mare the winner by looking at the empty space of the building around her. The darkly lit room, surrounded by dark gray walls and dark blue floors offered no warmth whatsoever. Had this mare thought a setup like this would allow her to make a living? The building, save for the sign outside, was so unattractive that Melody thought she might lurch from all the negativity that seeped from the walls. She flared her nostrils and wiggled her nose, sitting in front of the mare and planting her gaze deep into those eyes again. “Yes, I am a changeling,” Melody finally replied, raising a hoof to point at her chest and the fur that stood out from it. “Half changeling, anyway.” The filly expanded her senses again, nearly gagging when the stench of fear hit her nostrils. She grimaced and turned her eyes away from the mare. Yet, hidden underneath the thick layer of fear was the sweet strawberry scent of curiosity. Melody furrowed her brow. This mare was curious despite all of this. She had expected her to run and hide somewhere until she had gone, but she remained there, unmoving as an icicle. Her tail flicked a few times, and her ears were perked at attention. “So, you aren’t here to drain me of my love?” This time, Melody groaned, and she rolled her eyes. Of course, the draining part had to be mentioned. A timeless classic for changeling-fearing ponies. Although Melody only had Ocean Breeze as somepony else that embraced that ideology, she couldn’t deny that it was probably a rampant feat after the events of Canterlot. She shook her head. “No, I am not,” she responded lightly. “I’m here to try and get a job and pay for future surgery.” A sigh of relief washed over the silence of the large room. The mare began to breathe normally, a hoof coming to rest on her chest as she tried to get her breathing as stable as possible. She slowly pushed herself off the ground with her wings, carefully landing back on the floor, eyes locked on Melody. The filly could feel the stare peering into her, observing all that she was. The atrocious aroma of distrust and wariness made Melody wrinkle her nose. And yet the curiosity remained. Not too preoccupied with the idea of prodding that tinge of curiosity tingling her nose, Melody instead focused on the mare. “And if it’s any comfort, I can dine on regular food. Half changeling and all,” Melody added, giving a smile to the mare, who replied with her own, although it looked and felt very much forced. But more and more, the mare’s lips pursed into a full smile ere long, and she looked back at Melody with that growing smirk, eyes glimmering with intents unknown to the filly. What was she thinking about? For that matter, why was she looking at her like that? It was a bit off-putting, if not a lot. The mare leaned closer, offering a hoof to Melody. The recipient of that gesture stared back and tilted her head, mouth gaping only slightly. “Proper introductions might be in order, then. My name is Sweet Tooth. Why don’t you start by telling me your name?”