> Potion Mare
>  by BlacklightBuggo
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A Day In The Life.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The mare awoke with a start. She bit her lip, reaching a hoof up and brushing her soft orange mane out of her light purple eyes. She gave a soft sigh, before slipping out of bed, her wings fluttering softly as the moonlight shining in from the window across from her bed illuminated the racks of empty or half-full potion bottles hanging on the hand made wooden racks. The light reflecting off of the puddle on the floor was what caught the mare's eye, a reddish liquid surrounded by shattered glass pieces that scattered light along the ceiling above her. 

"Ugh. Great." She groaned, staring over at the rack that was now laying on the floor, surrounded by a pool of different colors and glass pieces, a mixture that could only be compared to a rainbow slowly seeping into the floorboards. "I knew that nail was loose. I KNEW it." She sighed, bringing a hoof to her forehead. She glared at the source of the noise that had woken her up, picking the rack up with both hooves, careful not to cut herself on the glass littered around it, and set it down on the table it had fallen next to. Sure enough, the nail on the far right had fallen out during the night. She rubbed both eyes with a hoof, trotting into the next room. The contents of the room outside her doorway were a small staircase leading down, and a door a couple feet to her left, down an incredibly short hallway. She carefully shut her bedroom door behind her, opening the door at the end of the hallway. She trotted into the tiny bathroom, flicking on the light switch with a spare hoof. 

She brought her eyes up to the mirror in front of her, groaning wearily as the bags under her eyes seemed to contrast horribly with her soft yellow fur. She narrowed her eyes, growling out, "Wow Melody, you look like SHIT. What's that? Get some more sleep and stop talking to yourself? That sounds like a great idea, me. You're always so great with coming up with those. Keep it classy." Melody grinned, flicking off the light once more and trotting back into her bedroom, flopping down into her bed. She messily tugged the covers up over her face, shutting her eyes, and promising herself that she'd clean up her mess tomorrow.

When Melody allowed her eyes to slip open the next morning, the sun was burning a mean glare through the window at the lazy mare. She sighed and pulled herself out of bed, trotting up to the coat hanger behind her bedroom door, and beginning to struggle with her large, ruby-red robe. She slipped her front hooves into the clothing first, then her back, finally, raising it over her back and tying the costume off at the neck with the two strings that hung from it. She fiddled with the wing slots for a couple seconds, before they finally poked through, Melody giving them a couple soft shakes to smooth the ruffled feathers. Her tail eventually poked through the hole in the back, the mare grinning at her small achievement and trotting downstairs, completely forgetting the cleanup work that needed to be done back upstairs in her bedroom.

"Ahhh.. home sweet-- Oh. Fuck." She stopped mid sentence as she arrived in the kitchen, a slightly larger space than her bedroom, and joined with her living room. Where a potted plant had been resting on the counter, was now a mess of roots spanning the entire room, curling around chairs and drawers, the stem leading up to a large yellow bulb with a gaping jaw, purplish gums, and very, very sharp teeth. On The ground next to the kitchen island the plant had been on, was a dried puddle of a reddish liquid. Melody made a quick roll toward the staircase as a root went for her leg, the mare giving a stressed huff. 

"Oh, my stars... You stupid, stupid mare.." She said as she grimaced, hurrying up the stairs and into her bedroom as a snarling sound could be heard faintly from below. She reached into a nearby drawer, grabbing up a small dagger and stuffing it into her robe, just in time as well. A root poked up from the floor boards, squeezing around her hoof and pulling her toward the floor. Melody screamed, as 5 other roots forced their ways up, curling around her hooves and struggling to pull her through the boards as she wriggled and struggled with them, one larger root slowly slipping it's way up from the boards and attempting to tear at her robe. 

"No! NOT this again!!" She shouted angrily, just as the floorboards gave way, the mare falling through down to the floor below, caught in the air by her robe grabbing on to a jagged piece of board extending from her bedroom, which now had a melody sized hole in it. She growls, her wings flapping as she dodges a root, dropping to the kitchen island below and directly in front of the creature. She grabbed the dagger from within her robe, slicing at roots as they began to creep toward her from all angles, the mare leaping directly into the creature's mouth and beginning to slice the insides, the creature bleeding a bluish blood. She was quickly becoming covered in saliva, the plant monster closing its mouth with her inside. 

Melody kicked at its throat, attempting to trigger it's gag reflex as she stomps and bucks in anger, shouting slurs at the hungry, carnivorous plant.  A good slice lands at the back of the abomination's throat, the big dandelion spitting her out on to the kitchen island, cups and bowls clattering to the ground with a smash as they collide with the hard roots, more glass spreading in separate directions. The overgrown flower beast rears its head back, collapsing to the floor of the kitchen, the roots beginning to wither and die. She takes some time to catch her breath as it finally curls back up into an octopus like form, resting in the middle of the shattered pot it had grown out of. 

"Well, that was.. a great way to start the day. Thanks, life.." She muttered, picking up the creature and trotting upstairs, grabbing a potion bottle, and forcing the now tiny and mostly dead creature inside, popping a cap on it to keep it trapped until she could find a use for it or a more suitable home. She placed the bottle on her desk, sighing, and sitting on the edge of the hole in her floor.
> Setting Off.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Melody poked her head up over the kitchen island, having mostly cleared it of debris. She took a moment to reflect, taking in how lucky she was to not have been killed by the shrapnel when she was tugged through the floor.  Melody brought her eyes up to the hole in the ceiling, giving a sharp sigh as she trotted into the living room, stepping over the mess of glass shards from broken bowls and cups. As the distressed mare plopped down on to the couch, she reached behind the cream colored sofa, pulling out a small suitcase. 

"Well, not like this isn't a normal occurrence." She sighed, reaching into her robe and depositing the contents into the blue, leather suitcase, a total of one dagger, a worn, leather journal, and a half empty potion bottle with yellowish liquid swishing back and forth as she slipped it into the case. She stood up, scanning her eyes over the room, her purple eyes searching for anything of importance. The room was mostly barren, save for the mass of the sofa, a small coffee table in the middle of the room, and a couple of small shelves along the far end of the room. She trotted up to the small shelf directly across the room from her, grabbing up a small picture frame. A deep guilt filled her stomach as she made eye contact with the mare in the image, a smiling, young light gray mare, with a soft pink mane. 

"Don't.. look at me like that..." Melody frowned, tears forming in her eyes as she forced her gaze away. She held the picture frame against her chest, sniffling. "I'm fucking TRYING, alright?" She whimpers, swallowing hard, and trotting hurriedly over to the suitcase, and shoving the picture frame in, upside down. Melody rushed off to the staircase, stomping up, and arriving in her room. She grabbed up all of the remaining potions from the rack that had miraculously survived the scuffle, hurrying back downstairs and carelessly tossing them into the suitcase. She hurried upstairs, grabbing a bag out of one of the drawers. Peeking inside the cloth bag, it was filled to the brim with herbs, mushrooms, and tiny jars of what appeared to be shimmering liquid.

By the time that Melody had finished packing everything she considered worthwhile to take with her, the suitcase was JUST full enough. She sighed, grabbing the handle, and slowly forcing herself to the door. 

"Here we go, Melody. On the road again. You can do this." She sighed, stepping out into the fresh air, closing the door behind her. It took Melody a moment to adjust to the light, the mare caught off guard as she brought a hoof to shield her eyes. When she had finally gained her bearings, she took the time to scan the area around her. She was in a small meadow, surrounded by trees on all sides. The cottage she had been staying in was very broken down and seemed rather old. As she brought her eyes up to the treeline, power lines could be seen in the distance, their black outlines against the blue sky giving Melody an odd sense of hope. She sighed, beginning to trot into the woods in the direction of the possibility of civilization.

Nearly 45 minutes into her hike, she felt her hoof catch on something on the ground. As she tumbled down to the ground, impacting hard on the dirt, she felt herself hoisted up into the air by her back hoof. With a squeak, she turned, striking a hoof into the direction of whatever had grabbed her. She felt her hoof connect with something wet, whatever the thing holding her was, dropping her. She flung herself around on the ground to get a good look at whatever had grabbed her, groaning.

"You have GOT to be kidding me." She growled as her eyes flicked over the form of a humanoid creature, but.. very off. It was short, ugly, and hairy. It was holding its mouth with a three fingered hand, blood trickling down from where she had struck it, she assumed. Melody quickly hopped to her feet, grabbing a low hanging tree limb in her mouth and tugging it down. She charged at the monster, striking it right where it's ribs would be. A cracking sound filled her ears, the mare dropping the stick as the troll-like creature fell over with a near silent groan. She took a few seconds to look for a quick escape route, a possibly fatal mistake on her part as she was tossed to the ground by the grotesque, pink, and small troll. 

Melody rolled to the side as the troll slammed its face against the ground the poor mare had been occupying only seconds ago, her mane flowing around her face from the wind created. Melody, having decided that sticking around to fight wasn't worth it, hopped to her feet and sprinted toward the nearest accessible exit route, a gap between two trees. The tough little monster gave chase, crashing through the bushes after her. She veered off to the left, widening her eyes as she could see what seemed to be a black circle, simply floating in the air. She looked back at the creature, back at the circle, and decided to take her chances. With a gulp, she leaped into the air, giving a couple puffs of her wings to push her through the air and into the circle. The last thing she felt was a sinking sensation covering her body before she blacked out. 

-------------------------------------------------------

When Melody opened her eyes, she was laying on the floor of something hard and cold. She groaned, staggering to her hooves and looking left and right. She seemed to be in a basement of some sort, with the little light she could get from the small window in the top left of the room. It was barren of anything other than a wooden door, across the room from her. She sighed, trotting toward it and opening it, moving up the familiar stairs. "Really? AGAIN? Well, this could be good, depending on the year." She muttered, stepping into a modern room. Her eyes scanned over the contents of the area, very clean and tidy. There was a kitchen table in the center of the room she was in, with two chairs on either side. It branched off into a full kitchen, in the shape of a rectangle. The kitchen sink, fridge, and other accessories all seemed to be in working order, the hum of electronics giving Melody, yet again, a sense of hope. On the other side of the rectangular kitchen area was a living room, complete with a sofa, two chairs, and a television set on a table pressed against the wall. 

She entered the living room, glancing to her left and gasping silently as she eyeballed the calendar hanging there. "1999, June 2nd." It read, the mare grinning widely and plopping herself down on the sofa. "Alright, yes! Proper time! THAAANK you, Celestia.." she muttered, before quickly jumping into action. The sound of keys jingling in the door attached to the kitchen forced her into action, the mare hurrying off into the hallway connected to the living room. There was a door at the end of the hallway, with an empty coat rack hanging on the wall. She quickly trotted up the staircase located halfway down the hallways, running up the stairs and diving into the first door she could access, one of three along the hallway. The room consisted of a queen sized bed, and a dresser, on opposite sides of the small room. She tugged her suitcase in behind her, tossing it under the bed quickly as she slithered under along with it. 

"Hello!? Is someone here!?" a mare's voice shouted from below, the sound of rummaging heard as whoever had been fiddling with the door had now made it inside, most likely noticing the basement door ajar, Melody cursing herself for forgetting to close it. The mare downstair's voice had grown silent, but Melody could hear the steps creaking as someone ascended. The steps stopped in the hallway, Melody holding her breath. They opened a door, the yellow coated mare giving a sigh of relief, as it was fortunately not her's.
> Sacrifice.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Melody slowly lifted herself out from under the bed, once she was sure the other mare in the house had gone to bed. She wriggled out, leaving her suitcase, and standing up, giving her wings a soft shake to smooth the ruffled feathers. She trotted to the door, reaching a hoof out and twisting the knob, wincing at the metallic, 'POP!' that the lock produced. She stood stock-still for a couple of seconds, her ears flicking up as she concentrated on making sure no one had woken up from the sound. After the robe-clad mare was absolutely sure that the other mare in the household was still asleep, she crept into the hallway. She descended the stairs like a ninja, not daring to make a sound, seemingly having done this before. She trotted to the window sill in the kitchen, peeking out and grinning as the sun began to rise over the skyline of a small city. 

"Ahhhh... Trotston.. never get's old." she sighed happily, glancing over along the skyline to see the shimmering tides of the ocean, reflecting the light from the golden-orange sun. It was a small port city, the ships simply black outlines as the sun, taking its time, rose over the city. Melody simply relaxed, watching it to its completion, the hovering, fiery ball now casting a glare of light over the nearby boardwalk, the water, and city, revealing their pure colors, mostly blues and whites. She suddenly jumped up as she spotted a very familiar mare seemingly fall out of nowhere, simply popping into existence over the boardwalk and slamming into it. The mare wore a red robe and had an orangish mane. 

------------------------------------------------------- 

Melody laid on the floor of the basement in the house, the same one she had fallen into. Four hours had passed since she had seen herself, and she was waiting for her to show up. Finally, she heard some scrambling of hooves as a pony, seemingly a mare by the weight of their hoof-steps, sprinted into the house, followed by another. Had she not heard the mare in the house leave? Maybe not. Perhaps she had fallen asleep... How long had she been out? She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and slowly crept up the stairs, pressing her ear against the shut basement door. The sound of arguing could be heard between herself, and the home's occupant.

"HEY! I JUST SAVED YOUR ASS!" Past!Melody shouted, a hint of anger in her voice. "The least you could do is let me stay here and work on my research for a couple of days."

"No, the LEAST I could do is let you sit at the table and drink tea for 0.01 seconds, before booting you out the door." A mare, seemingly older by the sound of her voice, replied to Past!Melody.

"Ok, fine, that's a fair point, sorry for getting angry." Past!Melody sighed, rolling her eyes and taking a couple hoof-steps toward the other mare. "BUT! Aren't you the least bit thankful? C'mon, those guys were going to catch you if I hadn't stepped in. And why were they after you in the first place? You seem to have an odd obsession with clocks, but, other than that.." She trailed off.

Present!Melody slowly leaned forward and opened the door, very slightly, to catch a look at the scene going down in the kitchen. Her gaze was met with a tall, thin, and stunning mare. Her coat was clean and kept, as was her long, flowing tail and mane. Golden chains wrapped around her left front hoof, a small clock attached to one of them. Her tail drooled almost to the ground, a watch tied around at the base, golden chains mixed in with it. They strung themselves up her tail, ending at her base. The same phenomenon continued in her mane, the long strings of hair intertwined with golden chains, and finished with a watch wrapped near the bottom of the flowy, white sheet. Her ears were rather fluffy near their bases, an earring attached to both, one very tiny clock per ear. She had a small spiral design near the bottom left of the eye that she could see, the mysterious pony INDEED having some kind of obsession with clocks. 

"Will you at least tell me your name? You look more coocoo than a--" Past!Melody cut off, stopping herself before she made the joke. "I mean, really, will you at least tell me your name? That really IS the least you could do." She frowned, raising an eyebrow and thumping the other mare's chest with a hoof. 

"Ugh, don't touch me. Fine.. It's Steel, Steel Gear. Yeah, haha, I know. I like clocks, gimme a fucking break, alright?" Steel growled, rolling her eyes and turning slightly. Present!Melody narrowed her eyes at the cutiemark on the mare's rump, which was, unsurprisingly, a yellow framed clock, pointing to the time, 6:30. She gave a soft sigh, reaching into her robe and patting it down for the dagger, a look of fear filling her eyes as she realized she had left it in her suitcase. She bit her lip, slowly backing down the stairs and into the farthest corner of the basement, muffled voices arguing as she pressed herself as flat as possible. A solid thirty minutes passed before Steel trotted down the stairs, flicking on the light. Melody bit her lip, making herself as small as possible as she began to creep toward the door, Melody now noticing some things about the well-lit room. On the wall across from the door, there was a picture of what seemed to be a pirate crew, which Steel was inspecting now. There was also an overturned chair near the picture and several wilted roses. 

As Melody hurried up the stairs, having narrowly avoided Steel, and somehow staying out of her earshot as she bolted upstairs, hoping to reach her suitcase before Past!Melody got too bored sleeping in the room upstairs that she had invaded. As she made it to the upstairs hallway, she slowly opened the door, widening her eyes as she was met with a Melody who was wide awake, and going through a blue suitcase, who had, in fact, turned to see who had opened the door. Past!Melody and Present!Melody locked eyes, a heavy silence covering the room, the tensity of the situation so thick you couldn't cut it with a saw blade. Past!Melody took a hard swallow, grabbing the dagger out of the suitcase, and turning toward Present!Melody. 

"Who... are you..?" She growls, stepping toward Present!Melody, the knife held at length, and toward the stone faced mare. 

"I'm you. From the future." Present!Melody says, taking the advantage of the distracted Past!Melody to give her a hard buck to the face with her front hoof, Past!Melody reeling back as Present!Melody grabs the knife out of her hoof, immediately going for the throat. Past!Melody screams, struggling as Present!Melody tackles her, one hoof holding Past!Melody down, the other struggling with the mare as she attempts to slit her throat, Past!Melody putting up quite the fight. 

"GET OFF ME YOU CRAZY BITCH!! IF YOU KILL ME, YOU'LL DIE TOO--" Past!Melody attempted to say, her shout cut off by a gurgle as the blood began to pour from her throat, Present!Melody having won the shoving match. She stood up, panting, hooves soaked in blood from the quickly growing pool surrounding the Past!Melody. 

"Yeah, already got that one figured out, don't worry. I'm sorry, but... This isn't the first time I've had to do this. Just close your eyes, you'll be with Golden soon." She sighed, as the life slowly slipped from Past!Melody's eyes, tears forming as she desperately struggled to crawl toward the door, dropping flat and giving one more hard spasm, the scent of urine filling the room as her robe turned a darker shade of red near her rump. Present!Melody gulped hard, this situation never getting easier the times she's had to do it. "I'm sorry, me. It was necessary. All for the greater good."

She rooted through Melody's robe, gritting her teeth as she attempted not to cover herself in more blood, or.. other, bodily fluids, gulping hard and placing a journal, and a potion bottle filled with blue liquid. Her eyes lit up as she tugged a short oak wood wand out of the mare's robe pocket, grinning widely and stuffing it in her own robe, her job almost finished. 

"Sorry hun, it's a watery grave for you. Can't risk Steel finding you." She sighed, hefting Past!Melody over her shoulder, and carrying her downstairs, knowing full well that Steel wouldn't be out of the basement for a good 45 minutes. She trotted outside through the door at the end of the hallway adjoined with the staircase, making her way to the end of the boardwalk, tugging the corpse of Past!Melody behind her. As she reached the very end of the wooden platform, she frowned, closing Past!Melody's lifeless and gaping eyes, and shoving her over the edge with a sharp kick to the side, watching her form sink to the bottom, wearing an emotionless expression as it disappeared into the blackness below the surface of the murky water, the moonlight catching one last glimpse of the body as it sank, Melody turning away and trotting back up the boardwalk.
> Time.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Melody was snapped out of her train of thought as she heard Steel trotting up the basement stairs. Melody had completely forgotten of her presence while cleaning up the blood that trailed the hardwood floor. Melody's ears perked up, as she hopped up over, and on to, the couch. Melody smiled softly, pushing the experience of killing herself into the back of her mind and focusing on Steel as the white mare trotted up the stairs. She gave a soft turn of her head to glance at her as she pulled her journal from her robe, flipping through it casually, bookmarks and sticky-notes poking out of the top and sides. 

"Heya Steel!" The mare said, closing the journal in an attempt to have seemed busy, but stopped what she was doing to talk to Steel. "What's up? Why were you down there so long?" She frowns. 

"I'm alright. It's six, time to get drunk." Steel shrugged at Melody, turning her head back to the door and giving a sigh. "Nothing. Just working on something, don't worry about it. So how long do you plan on staying here? I'm not really going to give you housing forever, so gimme some kind of timeframe." She said, opening the fridge and tugging out a bottle filled with some amber-ish liquid, setting it down on the counter as she poured herself a tall glass of the stuff. Seeing that there was only half a bottle left afterward, she chugged it. 

"Oh! I.. Uhm..." Melody started, trailing off, raising an eyebrow as she watched the mare finish off the bottle. "You.. uh... like that stuff a lot, don't you? Anyway.. I think a week will be enough for me. Should give me time to explore the local area and collect some materials!" Melody said happily, trotting over to her and smiling. 

"Ehhhhh.. fine, whatever. Now let me get wasted." She sighed, settling down at the kitchen table with the glass and taking a long sip. "Aaaaaahhh... that's some great shit. Want some? Oh, wait... I finished that bottle, didn't I?~ Sorry..~" She said, giving a soft hiccup and rolling her eyes, giggling to herself at her abuse of the substance. 

"Well... I wanted to ask you a question! Have you seen this?" She frowns, whipping out her journal and flipping it open to a page featuring an amulet of some kind, many notes surrounding it. The amulet was shaped like a heart, and to the left of it was a paragraph, that read, 

"This artifact of unknown origin seems to haunt me, at this point. I've spent almost seven years looking for it, and this is the thanks I get? Dead ends, and hiding out in a random cabin in the woods. I haven't seen or heard from Steel in months, and really, does it matter? I still have the scissors, but what use are they if I don't even know where to look? This feels hopeless, and every day, the more I stare at that picture of Lily, the more I realize I'm never going to see her again. Even if I did, I haven't figured out how to beat the demon possessing this thing. If found the amulet again, I'd just need the picture of Lily to bring her back, but this piece of shit thing would just make her all evil. I guess magic always DOES come at a price." 

Melody slid her hoof over the passage, directing the drunken mare's eye to the page with the art. Melody studied Steel's face, Steel's reaction one of being lost in thought. 

"Oh yeah! I've seewn thaght before." She said, her words slurring as she put a hoof up to her chin. "It's in my treawsure cooooove!!" She giggles again, taking a sip from her glass and grinning at Melody. 

"Y-you have!!? Take me!!! NOW!" Melody squealed, jumping up and tugging at Steel's shoulder, already knowing she would anyway. "NOW!!!"

"Jesus... FIIIIIIIINNNNEEE.." Steele groans, hopping out of her seat and trotting out of the nearby kitchen door, Melody shutting it behind her and trying to hide her excitement. "Lead the way!!"

------------------------------------------------------- 

Steele and Melody trotted along the beach. It had been almost an hour now, and they were so far along, that Melody could no longer see anything over the cliffside. Finally, after what seemed like forever to Melody, they approached a cave. Steel entered first, giving a drunken giggle.

"Here it iiiissss..!~ You like it? Huh? HUH?~" Steel chuckled, trotting into the cave, revealing an entire cove full of gold, trinkets, treasure chests, jewels, amulets, and as many bits as a pony could imagine. Steel took a belly flop into the center after climbing it, fake-swimming around. "Yep! This is it! MY COOOOOOOOVVVEEE!" She squeals, tossing bits everywhere as she flails her hooves. Melody hurriedly took Steel's drunk and distracted state to rush around, hunting for the amulet she so very much needed for her mission. 

"Oh my god.. here it is." Melody widened her eyes, slowly picking up the amulet in her hooves. It gave a soft shimmer as she tucked it into her robe, the mare grinning and beginning to stuff bits in as well, as many would fit in the couple pockets she had. It took Steel a good ten minutes to notice Melody doing any of this, poking her head up out of the pile and glaring at her.

"Hey! Are you stealing my biiiiits?" She narrows her eyes, trudging through the piles of gleaming gold, the moon illuminating all of the clocks on her body. "Those are MINE, put em baaaaccck! Don't be a MEANIE mare..." Steel trails off, taking a couple more steps, and passing out on a pile of bits. She gave a couple snores to solidify Melody's belief that she had indeed fallen asleep, at such a climactic point, as well. Melody grinned softly, luck having won out for once. She did some math in her head, and agreed that she had around two days before Steel would be attempting to travel back in time. She slipped a couple more gems into the now considerably heavier robe, trotting back out on to the sand, and turning to get herself on course back to the local town. 

"Sorry Steel, but, it's for the greater good." She smiled, trotting away, leaving her to find her own way home once she awoke from her alcohol fueled sleep. 

------------------------------------------------------- 

Melody licked her lips as the waiter set the tray of maki down in front of her, the mare settling down in her seat. She was at a beach side restaurant, and it had been awhile since she had seen Steel. She ended up buying herself a fancy hotel room the night after Steel passed out, and she had slept comfortably for what felt like the first time in months. Afterward, having slept away an entire day, she had wandered out in search of something to eat. She had ended up here, a small sushi restaurant with the name, "I Su-Shi's a Pretty One." She had ordered an eel roll and decided this was a situation as good as any to try out her magic. She grabbed the wand from the confines of her robe, and concentrated, straining. As she bit her lip, a piece of maki slowly floated towards her, a blue aura enveloping both the wand and the sushi. She opened her mouth wide, dropping the piece in giving a relieved groan, at both the taste and the successful magic.

"Ok, THAT... was stressful. Back to eating, and maybe I should grab some stuff later." She thought to herself, not bothering to speak out loud in public and look like a psycho. After awhile, she had finished the maki, leaving a tip of 40 bits on the counter and trotting off. She had a lot more money than any normal mare needed, and where she was headed, she wouldn't need more for the rest of the foreseeable future. As she stepped out into the fresh air, the boardwalk had come alive with activity. Ponies were playing silly, unwinnable carnival-style games to get that plush they just HAD to have, chatting, eating unhealthy but incredibly delicious food from nearby vendors, and trotting around the nearby seemingly monthly flea-market. Melody trotted around, waiting for something to catch her eye, before smirking and entering a beachside building called, "Madame Mystics Magical Supplies!" With a smaller, nearby sign that read, "Tools and Ingredients for all your Magical Practice Needs!" Both made from driftwood painted black with white lettering. She pushed the doors open, slinking in and looking left and right, studying the walls.

From top to bottom, the entire room was covered in a space-like coloring. Blackness, with white dots, and a supernova here and there. Racks upon racks of strange items in jars covered the walls, and the entire room was lit by soft white lights embedded in the ceiling to look like stars. She trotted over to a rack labeled, "Herbal ingredients." along the wall, in little plastic baskets nailed to the wall, were separate ingredients. She reached into the baskets and grabbed a blood root, a tiny cut of deerstongue, and a small mushroom that looked like a sunflower. Melody pocketed them and continued on. She trotted along the wall, until she arrived at a small tent, completely black. She had missed it when surveying the room, it was so small. She curiously opened a flap, and as soon as she entered, she could tell something was up. The tent was MUCH bigger on the inside, the size of a small room. In the center was a pony, head hidden in a red robe, with an orange mane sticking out of the top, as well as two whitish-cream hooves resting on the table. In the center was a misty crystal ball. 

"Welcome. I've been expecting you." The mare in the middle of the of the room spoke, nodding from within her robe. "Take a seat. This reading is free."

"Uhhhh.. alright. Sure, lady, but realize we're in the same business. I know every trick in the book." Melody said, taking a seat on the floor, and placing a hoof on the ball in the center. "Yeah, I know this stuff already, let's just get to it."

The mare in front of her nodded again, still not revealing her face. "We must speak quickly. What you think you know, and what you have, are two very different things. She is waiting for you. I'll leave who she is up to your own thoughts. It is also waiting for you, which I will also leave to you to figure out. Be prepared. You think you know what you have to do, and you thought what you did was necessary, but everything will make more sense soon. Take this." She frowned, grabbing an incredibly rusted sword from under the table and shoving it at Melody. "You have to go now. You're almost out of time. Be prepared. She's waiting for you." The mare said, pointing to the door, and lowering her head even further.

"Wait, but.. why.. who.." Melody frowned, grabbing the sword and waiting for a reaction. After getting none, she shook her head hard, hurrying out of the tent flap, only to find the store completely black, other than a bit of moonlight shining in from the window. She gave a puzzled groan, stepping out of the front door and staring into the night sky. "How is it already night time..? It was noon when I came in!!" She frowned. She sighed, trotting over to the fence overlooking the beach and ocean. Suddenly, a large cylinder of light grew up from the ocean, the wind picking up and blowing her mane behind her head. "WAIT, NO!" She shrieked, leaping over the fence and taking flight, flying over the ocean, closing in on the light. She suddenly felt a heaviness on her back, beginning to plummet toward the ocean. As she landed hard in the water, something continued to drag her down. She spun around, met with... Herself. The Melody grabbed at Present!Melody's neck, holding her under the water. Present!Melody broke away from her, kicking her way toward the light circle, splashing furiously as the wordless other Melody grabbed at her legs, pulling her back. 

"GET. OFF. ME!" She screamed back at the random Melody, grabbing the sword the mysterious mare in the tent had given her, and swinging wildly. She felt something connect, the sword making a shattering sound as it sunk into the other Melody's throat, and ripped off half of the sword along with it. Present!Melody widened her eyes in horror, pulling back the broken sword and struggling towards the light, Steel seemingly standing in the middle, right on top of the water, her body surrounded by light. As Present!Melody struggled up, panting, there was the sound of an explosion, and everything went black.
> Reunion.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Melody woke up, Steel was standing over her, narrowing her eyes and poking her side repeatedly. Melody gave a groan of annoyance, rolling over and stumbling to her hooves, which felt like utter jelly. 

"HEY! YOU!" Steel whisper screamed, tugging Melody back by her mane and dragging her toward an alley, the mare kicking and grunting as she did so, but making as little sound as possible. She had never made it this far before, and she was damn sure not to ruin anything that would help her. Steel sat her down against the alley wall, looking both ways before stepping over her. "EXCUSE ME, BUT, HOW DID YOU FUCKING GET HERE!?" She shouted, giving the dazed, cream colored mare a slap across the face that turned it a soft red. "HOW!? You had better fucking have a GREAT explanation, and have it now." 

"Ugh.. ouch! Steel, get the fuck off me you crazy hoot, your ship leaves in 45 minutes. Ok, I can explain, but you're not going to believe me. I'm from the future." She sighed, giving Steel a couple of seconds to raise both of her eyebrows, Melody leaning on the wall. "Yeah. Now that we've got that out of the way... I came back with you in my original timeline. We're now in a sixth timeline, other Melodys rushing around and trying to accomplish the same mission I am, to get back to you, and to get back to your pirate ship. You already know why, we're in the same BOAT here, sorry for the pun. I just want to save your crew. We both know that once you set sail, in two weeks, you'll be raided by another ship, and they'll kill everyone on board. Neither of us wants that to happen. Here, I imagine you'll want these back, right?~" She smirks, reaching into her robe and tossing out a pair of golden scissors, the dial in the middle in the shape of a clock. "I can't use them myself, but I know you can, and that's why we're both here. Now, let's go out there, buy some supplies, and set sail for The College of Foreign Magicks. I need supplies if you want to save your crew." She said, finishing off her rant, and taking a couple of deep breaths. 

"That's... alright. Ok. There's no way you could have known any of this if I hadn't brought you with me when I ditched this place. So how did YOU get here? Wouldn't you be, like, a couple thousand years old? It's fucking 1735. You know I can't take us to the future, I smell bullshit." She said, narrowing her eyes, and pressing a hoof to the mare's chest, shoving her up against the wall. 

"Hey Steelie, hey, take it easy. I don't know where they come from, but essentially, there are these holes in space-time. There are very few, and I have spent a VERY long time attempting to find them. As for the question of age, I made a deal a very long time ago with a gypsy mare. She slowed down my aging process, and in return, I gave her something very dear to me. That's as far as I'm willing to go on that subject, and that is also as much as you need to know. We've wasted 10 minutes now, let's go. I'm pretty sure I'm the first of me to get this far, and I am NOT getting assassinated by myself. I've avoided it this far, and I'd like to keep doing so." She frowned, shoving Steel off of her and trotting toward the exit of the alley. "Oh, and Steel..." She raised her eyebrows, turning to her left and ripping something off of the wall. "Don't forget you're a wanted criminal." She spouted, pressing a wanted poster featuring a very talented drawing of Steel into her face, her crimes listed as pillaging, murder, rape, and blackmail, with an award of five thousand bits.

"That's.. quite an interesting story. But, I suppose time travel is my thing... and if you dare report me, I'm feeding you to the first sirens we sail across." Steel frowned, shoving the paper out of her face with a hoof, but honestly... glad to have Melody back by her side after all these years. She trotted to catch up with Melody, ponies trotting around busily in the open market, the two getting lost in the crowd.

The town center was very circular, with a large fountain in the middle. On the far end of the square was a huge pirate ship, anchored near a large dock that extended from the water's edge. Along the walls of the town were small businesses, all kept around by the port activity, most likely. There were quite a few bars, a general store, an inn, a potion supply area, and a small bakery, each marked by tiny signs made of driftwood. All the stores were split into two sides by a street that led into the rest of the town, most likely residences. From what Melody could see over the buildings at the far end, there were a couple of steeples in the distance, as well as a school bell erected between them. She avoided all of the storefronts other than the potion supply, trotting up and pushing her way in. 

The room was lit by a couple of blue lanterns hanging on the walls, opposite each other in the middle of the room. The entire place smelled of herbs and spices, several incenses being burned at the front counter, run by a young plucky mare, seemingly a golden filly in an orange witch's hat that was way too big for her head. Melody trotted up to the counter, leaning over and staring at the filly who was sitting on a small stool. 

"Heya! Welcome to Golden Mane's potion supplies!! What can I get ya? A focus? A book? One of my world famous Golden Mane Elixers?" She said, hopping up and setting two hooves on the counter, grinning expectantly. Melody gave a grin and put 30 bits on the counter, the little filly's eyes widening. "I'll take three bottles of your best magic enhancing elixir. Keep the change." She sighed happily, leaning down and booping Golden, who gave a gasp before hurrying under the desk and returning with 3 small, round potion bottles. "THANK YOU, MISSUS!!" She shouted, Melody nodding and hurrying out the door before any other pony could attempt to mug her after seeing the amount of bits she was carrying.

Melody hurried up the dock, trotting up on to the deck of the large ship EXACTLY as it lifted anchor, a bread roll still hanging out of her mouth from her lunch at the bakery. Steel scowled at her, tugging her by the robe sleeve to the front of the ship, right up next to the captain's wheel. 

"HEY! FUCK FACES, ATTENTION!!!" Steel shouted angrily, every pony on deck stopping what they were doing as soon as the ramp was pulled up. The mix of leather and cloth clad stallions and mares stood in a crowd under the captain's wheel, ears flicked up, all eyes on Melody. "This is Melody, our new local mage. She'll be handling magic, making elixirs, cooking up grub, and is our go-to for magical defense. Treat her with care. If I see any of you touching her flank, I will give her permission to geld you." She teased, grinning at Melody as the crowd's ears flicked down, all except for one, a gray mare with a soft pink mane who simply shuffled her hooves, licking her lips. Melody's eyes locked on to her, and she felt herself begin to take shallow breaths. Once Steel let her go, Melody, trotted over to the edge of the railing, gazing out at the ocean, the sun high in the sky as they began to sail away from the small port town.

------------------------------------------------------- 

Melody sighed, blushing as Lily brought her lips to the pale mare's cheeks, making them flush a deep red as they laid next to each other in the small bed.  Several candles were lit around the room, dimly lighting the scene. Melody wrapped her hooves around Lily, pulling her closer in the covers, embracing her closer as they shared each other's warmth. Lily brought a hoof up, pushing Melody's chin up and bringing it to her's, tilting her head to the left and pulling Melody into a deep kiss, her tongue probing around and poking its way into Melody's mouth. After a bit of wrestling with their tongues, they broke the kiss at the same time, Melody panting and blushing. 

"Ok, wow, you're the most amazing mare I've ever met. Let's just be together forever, ok?" Melody said, blushing and grinning widely, her hooves caressing Lily's body. 

"Agreed, sweetie pie.~" Lily replied, pulling Melody into a tight hug and squeezing her rump with a hoof, drawing out a soft squeak from her. "Now let's get some rest, we have a big meal to prepare tomorrow. If you remember to turn off the burner, I might give you a little somethin' somethin' once we curl up at the end of the day." She said, punctuating it by squeezing Melody's other flank.

"Eeep!~ A-alright Lily, yeah, sure.. goodnight.." She sighed, resting her face in Lily's chest floof and dozing off into a peaceful, warm, and happy sleep.

------------------------------------------------------- 

Melody was knocked out of her flashback by a hoof tapping on her shoulder, bringing her back into the world of the conscious, and urging her to spin around.
> Demons.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Melody was met with the gaze of one of the most beautiful mares she had ever laid eyes upon when she spun around. Lily pulled back her hoof as Melody spun to stare at her. Lily's eyebrows went up as Melody's face flushed red, Lily grinning and rolling her eyes. 

"Hey. I'm your new roommate, as well as the head cook. Steel requested I show you the ropes, so... let's do that, kay'?" Lily insisted as she grabbed Melody's robe sleeve, tugging her along the deck. Melody gave a surprised and hurried shake of her head, shaking her hoof free and trotting up next to Lily. Melody sighed and turned to face Lily as they walked.

"So, what's your name?" Melody asked as they walked along next to each other. Lily spoke without looking next to her, instead glancing around the ship and waving at ship members.

"It's Lily. Lily Pearl. Now, let's get to the nitty gritty." Lily said, pushing open a door and trotting down into the wooden depths of the gargantuan ship. Melody and Lily passed a couple of doors in a long hallway, large enough for the two to both fit comfortably inside of. Finally, Lily pushed one of the doors open and welcomed Melody inside behind her, letting it swing closed. "Alright, this is my kitchen." Lily informed Melody, giving a proud grin at how well it was maintained.

"Wow... this is pretty good for a ship." Melody spoke, proceeding to do a slow three-sixty to cover everything she could see. Along one wall was a bed laid sideways, as small bedside table directly next to it as well. On the small table was a brass candle holder. The walls in a whole were painted white, contrary to the rest of the ship, which remained its wooden color. On the wall in front of Melody was a stove top, as well as an ice chest on the floor next to it. In the far corner of the room was a gas tank, with a pipe that led to the stove. Behind her, above the door, was a row of cabinets attached to the ceiling.
"Yeah, I know. It's nothing from in-land with their fancy magical batteries or anything, but it's pretty nice for what we have. You'll be helping me make mostly fish stew, but sometimes I get lucky and the crew catches a lobster or two I can watch them fight over. You'll work the stove when I get bored or tired. We'll share that bed in the corner, because it's all Ms. Steel Gear can afford, apparently." Lily growled, punctuating the sentence by hopping on to the cot. "Any questions? We should be on to the island by tomorrow if I'm to believe that these new fancy-smancy magical generators work like they should. I think that's your job too, but Steel will have to show you those. Now get lost, I wanna get a nap in." She said, giving Melody a wave of dismissal and curling up on the cot. 

Melody took her leave, closing the door behind her and trotting up on to the deck of the ship. She trotted around among the ponies on board. They were sitting around small tables, playing cards, chatting, or generally just being around each other. There were around sixty members on board, each partaking in a task. There seemed to be a small group at the far end of the deck in a circle, two ponies in the middle brawling it out as the crowd chanted. Melody eventually made her way up to the captain's wheel. She tapped Steel on the shoulder, not wanting to distract her from her current activity. Steel continued to steer, glancing at Melody from the corner of her eye. 

"Hey, Melody. I picked up some of these magical things from the market, apparently they'll get us to the island by tomorrow. I need you to go down and rig them. I left them in my office, right next to the map on my desk. How was Lily? You make any moves on her? If I recall correctly, you two seemed attached to each other right after the first night. Good luck with that, it's obviously the real reason you came back here." Steel said, winking and bringing her full attention back to the wheel.

"Oh, generators? Interesting, Lily mentioned them to me. Perhaps this will change things a lot since last time. I'll go set those up. Lily introduced me to the kitchen then essentially told me to buzz off, so I guess everything is right on track." Melody replied, leaning against the railing behind Steel.

"Hmm, fair point! How's Card Trick? Did she survive the raid all those years ag--" Steel started to say, Melody cutting her off.

"She's fine. Card is fine. Let's not talk about Card, I don't want to talk about Card." Melody frowned, beginning to trot off. "I'm going down to set up the generators. Thanks for the help." She sighed as her heavy hoof-steps disappeared down the stairs, leaving Steel confused and uncomfortable. 

Melody trotted down the stairs into the hallway Lily had shown her, peeking into Lily's room. She grinned softly as the mare slept, pulling her head back and closing the door as she continued down the hallway. After a bit of walking Melody arrived at a door slightly larger than the others, with a lable that read, "Captain" above the door. Melody stepped in, raising an eyebrow at the decor. 

The room was much larger than the others Melody had seen, and it was painted a darker brown than the rest of the ship. Maps covered most of the far left wall. The desk in the middle of the room was also covered in maps, with an ink bottle and quill laying next to them. There were two large, blue magical cartridges placed right next to them, stacked on top of each other with a note. Along the back wall, above a queen sized bed, was a painting of Steel standing in front of the ship. Melody trotted right up to the batteries, grabbing the note and laying it out to read it. 

"Dear Melody,
The store mare told me that these take one charge to activate, and should last us a month. I paid a fortune for these, so I hope you have a focus on you. Attach them to the rudders down in the bottom of the ship, using the spool of twine in the corner to tie them off to each oar. I'm sure the stallions down there will be glad to be relieved of their positions.

Love, Steel Gear."

Melody grinned, always loving a chance to flex her magical prowess, her wings stretching as she prepared herself. She tucked the note as well as the batteries into her coat, trotting out of the room and up the stairs, quite a pep in her step. She made her way to the end of the deck, avoiding another alcohol fueled brawl as she trotted down another flight of stairs. It took her around a minute to make it all the way down, Melody grinning as she finally entered the room she was looking for. It was a wide expanse, with the beginnings of oars jutting out from along the wall in four separate places. She smiled, setting the batteries down as multiple ponies turned to give her an annoyed look. She grabbed the spool of twine that Steel had left her groaning as she began the tiring task of wrapping the lines around each oar. 

------------------------------------------------------- 

Melody sighed, the work stallions standing back from the oars as Melody concentrated hard, growling as she pulled her wand from her robe. She extended it toward the batteries, turning her head to the side and gritting her teeth, shutting her eyes tight, and-- a shot of blue lightning fired from the end of her wand, striking the battery. It glowed blue, crackling as it shared its electricity with the one next to it. They both began to glow blue as the oars started to turn by themselves, at a much faster speed as well. The crowd around Melody hooted and shouted for her success, lifting her on to them and carrying her up the stairs, Melody shouting happily as well as she let herself be carried up to the deck. She spotted Lily in the crowd, who gave her a wink, making Melody's face burn red. The rest of the night was a long celebration of her success. 

By the time it was over, Melody was standing alone in front of the mirror in Steel's room. She slowly slipped the amulet out of her robe, slipping it around her neck, watching the gem begin to glow red in the dark room. 

"Hello there, Melody. Nice to see you've come back to me after all this time. Have you brought me a new victim? Maybe you're one yourself?" A deep, distorted voice boomed in Melody's head. It was loud, dark, and evil. 

"No, you fucker. I've come to finish you off, and this time, I AM finishing the job." She growled, staring at herself in the reflection. 

"Oh, I'm very sure. I'm in here, and YOU'RE in there. Even if you tossed me away, you know I'd find my way back. Why don't you just feed me a new victim? Don't you want to bring that pretty mare you couldn't save back? What was her name, Lily? I could bring her back to you, if you just give me the power to..." The voice tempted, a hint of persuasion tinting it. 

"No. You might think you're safe in there, but not for long. I'm going to fucking end you, and that will be the end of this. I'm training up my magic. Once I can figure out how to get in there, it will be over. I'm not feeding you Lily again, I'm not giving you ANYONE's souls. Maybe you'll fucking starve, huh?" Melody spat, growling at herself. 

"Ha! You think I'll starve? Really? I've gone this long without, I just want a body to possess... Don't you want to see Golden again? Or maybe Violet? How about Lily? Is Card Trick still around? If not, I could always being her back.. wouldn't you want to see your--" The voice stopped as Melody screamed out at it, wishing she could block it out.  

"DON'T BRING UP HER NAME!! I'M NOT GETTING HER INVOLVED IN THIS!!!" She shouted, growling and stomping her hooves. "I'm going to find a way to kill you, and I'm going to do it. I thought you deserved a fair warning. Your days are fucking NUMBERED, okay?" Melody said in a shallow voice. 

"If you're so sure of that." The voice replied, this time booming from Melody's mouth. She gave a horrified gasp, tugging off the amulet and tossing it to the ground, panting for a couple of seconds. She snarled, picking it up once more and tucking it into her robe. She shook her head, trotting out of the room and up the stairs towards Lily's room. 

Melody entered and sighed with relief as she found Lily still asleep and in bed. Melody crawled in, careful not to disturb her as she bent against the wall, back facing Lily as her muzzle pressed against the cold wood, wishing it could mesh with Lily's warm lips. 

"Soon enough," She thought, "Soon enough."
> Magic.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Melody gave a sigh of frustration as she felt the boat bump. Lily had already been up, cooking breakfast. She trotted over, giving Melody a gentle shove. 

"Hey. Sleepyhead, we're here. Steel told me to drag you around, so get up and get ready. We're at the mage's college, or, well, the island that it's on." Lily rolled her eyes, setting a pot on to slow-cook for dinner that night. Melody gave a grunt as she rolled out of bed, stumbling to her hooves and shaking her mane out of her face. 

"Yeah, yeah, alright... I'm ready when you are." Melody sighed, patting herself down, eyes widening as her hoof passed over the amulet, which had somehow made its way around her throat. She gave a small squeak as she unclasped it, tucking it into her robe. The cream-colored mare trotted towards the door, Lily beating her there. Lily's pink mane brushed along her side, curling along her cheek as she exited, turning her head back.

"You're kind of cute when you're asleep, ya know." Lily grinned, disappearing up on to the deck, leaving Melody to blush and regain her bearings in the kitchen. Melody shook her head, following her along up on to the deck. The air suddenly became rather frigid, snapping Melody out of her just-woken daze. She gazed over the edge of the boat, surveying the island they had just anchored at. 

The island was a large land mass, but a castle on a cliff overlooking the sea took up most of the terrain. It sat at the far end of the island, two huge towers jutting out from both ends, blue flags extended off of them and bellowing in the wind. There was a dock directly in front of the boat, which led to a small town area. There was an assortment of stores, mostly magic related. The ground was covered in a light snow, and frost tinted the trees of the area flowing around the buildings. There was a small bakery and blacksmith in the area as well, surrounded on all sides by potion supply and spell book stores. Melody gave an excited giggle, trotting down the ramp that a couple of ship-ponies had rolled out, Lily walking up beside her. 

"Alright, Steel said she would meet us here, so don't go anywhere," Lily spoke, cutting off Melody by sticking a hoof out to block her. "While we wait, we might as well get to know each other better. Like I told you before, my name is Lily, Lily Pearl. And your's was?" She said, tilting her head and batting her eyes. 

"Melody. Just Melody." She grinned, pressing herself a bit closer to the other mare, giving a puff of air which resulted in a small white cloud. "Pretty cold out here if you ask me." Lily gave a raise of her eyebrow but didn't stop her.

"Yeah. I suppose it is. So how did you and Steel meet?" Lily questioned, breaking the awkward silence. 

"Uhhh..." Melody said, widening her eyes slightly and trying to decide whether or not she should lie to her. "We... Met... At... A potion supply store! In Trotston! Yeah, she picked me up there and asked me if I would like to join the crew after she saw me demonstrate some magic. It's no big deal, really." Melody blushed, looking away to hide her shame.

"Oh? Magic? But aren't you a pegasus?" Lily teased, bumping Melody's wing with a hoof. "I didn't know that was possible. Why don't you show me what you got, ya know, show off a little?~" Lily said, her eyes sparkling.

"Well, alright, fine." She said, giving a soft giggle and purring. "Watch this." Melody said, reaching a hoof into her robe and grabbing her wand, extending it toward a small patch of snow. She bit her lip, concentrating hard. Suddenly, a short bolt of fire extended from the tip, melting the snow in a circle. Lily gasped and clapped rapidly, grinning and patting Melody's side. 

"Wow! That's amazing! I didn't know regular ponies could use magic!!!" Lily squealed, leaning forward and poking at the melted water, looking from the wand to Melody and back again.

"Yeah, yeah, it's not a big thing!" Melody replied, blushing and sitting down. Lily sat down beside her nuzzling her cheek as Steel trotted up to the two, grinning and grabbing Melody's hoof to help her up. 

"Oh, you two are getting close, aren't you?" Steel teased, glancing between the two and winking at Melody, Lily just giving a blush and rolling her eyes. "Anyway, here's what we're going to do. We'll dock here for two days, so Melody can get in whatever she needs to do up at the college. Lily, you'll accompany her for these days. Once we're done, we'll set sail for the next town over." Steel informed, Lily, nodding in response. "We'll meet back here in two days. Sound good? Good." Steel said, not even waiting for a response as she walked off. 

"Well.. lead the way, I suppose." Lily smiled, pressing her side against Melody's and nuzzling against her side gently before pulling back. Melody gave a sheepy grin, pressing against her and testing the water by resting her wing along Lily's back, Lily blushing, but not saying anything. Melody gave a silent, triumphant sound as they walked along.

"I need to pick up some ingredients, so let's stop in here real quick." Melody said, trotting into the nearest potion supply and holding the door open for Lily. As they both walked inside, it became very obvious something was off about the place.

The walls were all a soft red, and they seemed to pulsate as if they were alive. The floor was black, with soft purple tints here and there. The entire room smelled of red wine and spice. Along one wall were individually capped vials of spices with labels, held in place by leather straps nailed to the wall. Along the other end were different herbs, held in pouches in the same way the spices were suspended. In the middle of the floor was a red and glowing pentagram, shedding soft light around the room, most of the illumination coming from the windows in the front of the store. At the far end of the room was a countertop, a couple of magic related items hanging from the wall behind it. A blue unicorn mare sat on a stool at the counter, hooves up on the desk, head against the wall. She glared at the two as they trotted in, blowing her soft white mane out of her eyes as she sat up. 

"Hello, welcome to Misty's Potion Supply. Is there anything you're looking for?" The mare said, sitting up and leaning her front hooves on the desk. 

"Well, actually, I'm looking for three things in particular. Grapevines, Silk, and Evening Primrose." Melody smiled, glancing back at the wall. The blue mare nodded, grabbing a pencil and jotting some numbers down on a notepad. 

"Will that be all?" Misty replied, tapping her hoof as her magic carried over two small pouches, and a spool of grapevine. Melody nodded, throwing her a couple of bits, much more than were required. 

"Wow, what's all that stuff for?" Lily said, grinning and nudging against Melody's side as they walked back out of the door, tucking herself under Melody's wing once more. 

"Eh, just some stuff for some rituals. Don't worry about it." Melody threw back, trying to dodge any questioning on the materials. 

"No! Cmon, tell me! I wanna know, don't leave me in the dark here." Lily groaned, looking over at Melody and giving puppy-mare eyes.

"Alright, alright..." Melody said, taking a deep breath. "Grapevine is supposed to be a useful herb for protecting a place or ritual. Silk is used as a sort of protection material, to prevent demons from getting into something you want to protect. Finally, Evening Primrose is useful for protecting foals. Any questions?" Melody smirked, turning and looking down at Lily as they walked, the two pressing noses together as they began to slow down in unison. Their eyes locked, the two slowly pressing forward and closing their eyes, Melody turning her head slightly to the right. Their lips locked, Lily giving a near silent huff. As they pulled away, letting the situation hang in the air for a couple of seconds, Lily was the first to break the silence.

"Ok, wow, that was amazing. You're pretty good at that, you know?~" Lily said, letting it sink in as the moment began to fade, Melody feeling as if she had only just returned to her body after her soul had left to do a couple of loop-de-loops in the sky. She gave a soft shudder, pressing back against Lily's side and resting a wing over her back. 

"Yeah... Let's just stay like this, alright?" She smiled, cuddling Lily close as they began to walk again. Lily gave a small nod in response. As they walked, Melody steered them toward the blacksmith, both in complete silence, bodies working in unison, a perfect team, as if their souls were connected. Melody stepped in, giving a gentle sigh as Lily pulled away to look at a couple of swords hanging on the wall. Just being this close to her after so long felt magical, like a high. There were no words to describe what she felt other than bliss, and even that felt like it wasn't doing the situation the true justice it deserved. Melody glanced around the small shop, taking a mental bookmark to come back later. Lily walked back to her again, and Melody glanced at the dirt path that lead up to the mage's college. 

"Hey, how about you stay here while I check out the college? It's important I do it alone, they don't really allow non-mages. How about you get us something nice at the bakery? Here, take some bits." Melody sighed, frowning as Lily looked a bit hurt, but took the bits. "I promise I'll be back ASAP, alright hun?" Melody smiled and gave Lily a peck on the cheek, trotting off and leaving Lily to blush with a stupid grin. 

After around a thirty minute hike up the path to the mage's college, she arrived at the front doors. The gaurd raised an eyebrow at her, pointing at her wings with his spear.

"Mage's only, sorry sugar." He said in a gruff tone, eying her robe. Melody rolled her eyes and wordlessly reached into her robe. She tugged out two potion bottles, one purple and one yellow. 

"Alchemist." She grinned as the gaurd nodded, stepping aside and opening the door for her, shutting it behind her. As soon as she stepped in, she knew it was a mistake to come here. There was no pony in sight, and the hallways were long and empty. Blue torches lit the walls, the hallway she stood in leading to one door at the far end of it. "Hello?" She called out, the only response her own voice as it echoed off of the towering ceilings. She began to walk, reaching into her robe and gripping the handle of the sword she had gotten from the mysterious mare at the boardwalk. She gulped hard, remembering to look over her shoulder now and then. She made it to the door at the far end of the hallway, slowly pushing it open. 

"Hello? Is this the office of the high mage?" Melody spoke, her voice quivering. All of the torches in the room suddenly blew out, and the door closed behind her. Blackness covered the windows, blocking out any trace of sunlight that would have helped her. A large pentagram in the middle of the room began to glow blue, bright enough to illuminate the entire room. She pulled the half broken and rusty sword out, holding it at length. 

"How nice of you to turn up." A voice called from behind her, causing her to squeak and spin on her heel, the familiar voice making her blood run cold and her heart drop. A couple of feet across the room was... her.
> Air.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Melody turned to face the mare who had spoken to her. She came face to face with another Melody, this mare much older. They locked eyes for a couple of seconds, before ???!Melody trotted up to Present!Melody and swatted the sword out of her hooves, giving her a swift kick to the chest. Present!Melody crumpled to the ground and gasped for breath as she felt the air knocked out of her lungs. Present!Melody glanced up at the other Melody, noticing the amulet around her neck. Present!Melody gagged as she felt herself lifted up by the neck, her body enveloped in a red glow, the same color as the gem of the amulet both around ???!Melody's neck, and in Present!Melody's pocket.

"I told you I'd find my way back." ???!Melody spoke, her voice tinted with an evil distortion. Present!Melody screamed as her body was flung across the room. She impacted against the wall hard, the slimy black layer of pure evil thankfully cushioning her, but only slightly. She fell to the ground, feeling something crack. This magic was too powerful for any version of herself that she knew. It was obvious what had happened. The amulet had claimed a victim, in the form of her own alternate self. 

"You piece of SHIT! LET ME GO, AND LET ME GO!" She screamed, biting her lip hard as a stinging pain shot up her right back leg. Present!Melody fumbled with her robe and uncapped a bottle of soft red liquid contained in a potion bottle. She poured it down her throat, stumbling to her hooves. Demon!Melody gave a soft chuckle, dragging Present!Melody toward her by her front hoof, suspending her in the air. 

"What's wrong? I thought you said you'd kill me, right? That you were training up your magic?~" Demon!Melody said with a teasing tone, dragging a hoof up Present!Melody's side. "Hmm... I've only been in this body for a couple of hours, and I must say, it's in a quite good condition... mind if I test it out?" 

"Don't you fucking DARE." Present!Melody spat in disgust, rearing up and giving Demon!Melody a hard buck in the face with her back hooves. Demon!Melody stumbled across the floor, turning to her side and spitting out a small patch of blood. She simply trotted back up to the restrained mare, dragging a front hoof gently and slowly between Present!Melody's legs, barely touching anything. Just enough to get the poor mare wriggling in the air.

"Well, let's put it this way. Would you prefer I went off and found Lily in this body?" Demon!Melody poked knowingly as she groped Present!Melody's thighs. Present!Melody gave a silent groan, crossing her legs and struggling in the air. She gave no response. Demon!Melody gave a slow, wide, and toothy grin as she nodded, eyes wide. "That's what I thought. Now, shall we get started? What shall you call me..." Demon!Melody said, reaching into her own robe and pulling out the dagger Present!Melody had used to kill another of herself in the past. "How about Lucy? Yeah, I like that." She chuckled, swiping the knife in a straight line down Melody's chest. Melody screamed in agony as blood poured from the cut, Lucy ripping away the front of Melody's robe and dragging her tongue up the cut. "Yummy." Lucy said with a giggle, her eyes glowing red as Melody dropped to the ground, whimpering. 

"You really are a fucking demon, Lucy." Melody said with disdain as her hooves were pinned by the red glow. Blood continued to drool from the cut down her chest as tears began to fill Melody's eyes. Lucy just gave another demented giggle, ripping the robe away from Melody's plot, revealing her goods to the disturbed demon. Lucy licked her lips with a smirk as she clambered down to Melody's floor level. She dragged her tongue up Melody's slit, judging Melody's reaction. Melody gave a huff, looking away. 

"Awww, someone's not enjoying herself, is she? C'mon, show me that smile!" Lucy teased again with a chuckle, bringing a hoof to Melody's clit and giving it a couple of rough rubs with the frog of her hoof. Once her hoof was sufficiently soaked, she dragged it in a slow line up Melody's body, giving it a nice coating of blood as well before stuffing it into Melody's muzzle. Melody widened her eyes, huffing through her nostrils before the red glow of Lucy's magic pressed them closed, her back hoof giving Melody a harsh kick to the rib cage. Melody screamed against the hoof, taking her only option other than death. She began to slurp at the mixture of her own fluids on the hoof, crying openly as Lucy tugged her hoof away, letting Melody breathe. 

"GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!!" Melody screamed in agony as she felt like vomiting from all of the pain she was experiencing. She couldn't handle it as she leaned over, vomiting up a mixture of blood and acids, the scent filling the room. Lucy turned her head at a one-eighty degree angle, spitting into Melody's open mouth and putting a hoof against her cheek, standing on her and pressing her face into the pool. 

"Sorry, was that a command? I'm the one in charge here." Lucy said with a dark tone as her voice shifted pitches. The red magic grabbed Melody up by her mane, slamming her back down on to the ground, Melody letting out a squeal as she felt multiple things crack in her left front hoof. "We CLEAR?" Lucy said in a disturbingly calm voice, punctuating the sentence by driving her hoof into Melody's side. Melody screamed in pain and gave a small nod, coughing up more blood as her tears dripped from her face. Lucy grinned once more, lifting up Melody's rump in her hooves and glaring at her pussy. "So, what have we got here? Been awhile since I've used a body like this. I don't have a cock in this form, so I guess it's just hooves and tongues, huh?" Lucy said as she pressed her tongue into Melody's dripping snatch, probing deep and flicking along her inner walls.

"You... fucking... bitch..." Melody said, moaning in both pain and forced pleasure, feeling disgusted with herself as her body betrayed her. She felt herself flex and tighten around Lucy's tongue, Lucy having moved on to her clit, nibbling and pressing Melody's plot to her face. "Please, just fucking... Ahn..!~ Kill me..." Melody groaned and struggled, Lucy widening her eyes and growling, biting down hard on Melody's clit, the poor victim throwing her head back and howling. 

"Excuse me? I decide when I do something, not YOU, you filthy, pathetic whore. Go ahead, get up, and kill me! End me! You said you could do it, so fucking get up and stop letting me toy with you. Hm? Not doing anything? That's what I thought. You've always been a failure, and you always will be. You're a waste of space, and I'm going to make sure you bleed to death slowly so that you KNOW that, and in your last moment, I know what your thoughts will be. That you can't die now, that you've come SO far, not to just curl up and DIE at MY hooves. Well? You're WRONG. No one is coming to save you now. It's just me and you, and you're done for, so just cling to what LITTLE life you have left, and pretend you deserve it, because you DON'T. You're a failure. You couldn't save Lily, you couldn't save Card Trick, and you couldn't even save yourself, something you seemed so good at doing when you watched Lily bleed to death and saved your own life rather than hers." Lucy said, her voice maintaining a disturbing deepness as she finished off the rant. Melody responded with silence, the only sound in the room being her sobbing as she finally stopped struggling. 

Melody relaxed her body. It was over for her, and Lucy was right, nothing could save her now. Only some kind of divine intervention would be the answer here, as if she even deserved any. Lucy trotted over to the broken sword Melody had dropped, lifting it over her chest, and locking eyes with her. 

"Say goodbye." Lucy said, rearing back, and... gasping as something pierced her chest. She crumpled to the ground, the amulet being tugged off of her body by a pair of white hooves. Melody gasped happily, gritting her teeth as Steel Gear stood over her. 

"Hey, friend. Thanks for grabbing me those scissors. You saved your own life, hun." She smiled gently, grabbing a dark red potion out of her mane and pouring it down Melody's throat. Melody let out pained huffs as she felt her broken bones fix themselves, and the cut on her chest heal. Steel tucked away the sword she had used to slaughter Lucy's host body. She looked up at Steel, hugging her tightly and whimpering as they simply embraced each other. "In my timeline, Lucy finished you off and I found your body a couple of days later. I used the scissors to come back and save you." She said, holding up the golden scissors and trotting a couple feet out of the way to show Melody the large rift in time. "I need to get back, but take the amulet and bring it to a zebra mare all the way across Equestria. She can remove the curse, but for a price. Go to Lily, and never let her go. Good luck." Steel warned, stepping back through the rift, disappearing as quickly as she had appeared.

"THANK YOU!" Melody called, stumbling to her hooves and grabbing the amulet from the dead host body. She looted it for the dagger as well. Melody bolted for the door as the darkness that had consumed the room dissipated  with nothing to control it. She kicked open the door, sprinting down the hallway and out of the front door, running on pure adrenaline, passing the gaurd who simply raised his eyebrows. She leapt into the air, flicking her wings open as she soared above the trees, making a course for the bakery. After a ten minute flight, she landed, panting and opening the door, finding the seat Lily was staying at and dropping into it. 

"Melody! I missed you! Is everything alright?" Lily smiled, helping her into the booth and giving her a kiss on the cheek. Melody simply grinned, taking a moment to catch her breath. 

"Yeah, everything is fine, Lily. Remind me NEVER to leave you alone again, okay?" She smiled, leaning forward and giving her a nuzzle, staring deep into her eyes, and hoping what Lucy had said wouldn't be true this time around.
> One.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Melody sighed as she trotted beside Lily, nuzzling into her cheek. After their lunch at the sandwich shop, Melody was ready to put the fight scene further back in her mind. She steered her way into the blacksmith’s shop, Lily in tow. Behind the counter was the same zebra shop owner. Melody trotted up to the counter, laying her front hooves onto it and reaching into her robe, dropping the broken and rusted sword onto the counter.

“Looking to get this repaired, how much will it cost? It's pure Silver, and is supposed to be a longsword.” Melody informed. The zebra scoffed, picking up the handle in his hooves and staring back at her.

“THIS… Now, this? It's a piece of work. It'll cost you 100 bits, no less.” The zebra said with a grin. Melody reached into her robe and deposited a bag of bits. She still had many to go around.

“Alright, that should be enough. I'll come back tomorrow, I imagine it'll be done by then? It's only half of a sword.” The mare spoke, poking at Lily as she slumped onto the counter. The zebra nodded, and Melody turned to begin walking out. Lily hung on her shoulder, nuzzling against her cheek.

“So Melody, what do you wanna do now?” Lily inquired, giving Melody a quick peck on the lips. Melody thought for a moment.

“Well, I wanted to search the caves around here for treasure or something, but without a sword that wouldn't be very wise. Hmmm..” Melody said, lowering her head in contemplation. “AH! Ok, let's practice some magic!” She smiled, trotting toward a wooded path that she already knew lead to a clearing. Lily followed her like a bee to honey.


When the two mares arrived, Melody sighed and opened up her robe, slipping out of it. She decided it was wise to take inventory of the items she had on hand. She spread out her robe, frowning at the long gash, and removing items from separate pockets. She came up with her wand, 3 potion bottles, Magic Strength, Fireball, a blue, glowing, unlabeled bottle, and her journal.

“Alright Lily, what would you like to see?” Melody said, pointing her wand around and stretching her wings. Lily perked up excitedly.

“OOOOH! TURN A FLOWER INTO SOMETHING!!” She squealed. Melody rolled her eyes playfully and pointed her wand at a Dandelion, concentrating. With a yellow wisp from the end of her wand and a soft pop, the flower turned into a yellow bird and flew off. Melody was vaguely reminded of almost being eaten by a plant.

“Ok, now shoot a fireball!” Lily said, her eyes sparkling. That was a heavy request, and Melody was still feeling light-headed, but she didn't want to let the cute mare down. Melody concentrated on a patch of snow on the ground, gritting her teeth and firing a round ball of fire at it, the snow dissolving, leaving only burnt grass and steam. She felt the rush of energy leaving her body, and desperately struggled to hold on, but felt herself slam face first into the snow. The last thing she heard before blacking out was,

“Melody? Why are there two of you?”

---------------------------------------------------------------

When Melody awoke, she was floating in darkness, almost like that of space. She didn't feel water, nor did she feel like she was falling, it was just nothingness.

“Wow, ok.. am I dead? Is there a god out there?” Melody reached out into the void, and a spiral of light sprung up from the ground. Her bottom hooves found a surface, the white spiral a platform. She reaches a hoof out to test the void. Nope, only the light was hard here, apparently. Suddenly, a figure clothed in a red robe with a hood appeared at the other, farthest side of the spiral.

“Yes, there is.” The figure spoke with a chuckle, pulling her hood back to reveal a very familiar face. Melody squinted.

“Hey, you're that me from-” Melody spoke before she was cut off.

“Now is not the time to speak. I can only keep you here for so long, so you must listen.” The elder Melody spoke. “Your timeline fuckery has doomed more than I can count.” She said. Melody gasped as all of the Melodys that she had ended appeared, their bodies littered in the void. “I'm the only successful Melody, and you seem to be the most successful other than me. But your own actions, the timeline hopping, have made so many others. Call me one.” One said, catching the head of a Melody and tossing it out into the void.

“Listen carefully. When you wake up, Lily will have failed to have defended you from another of us. Take this.” One trotted across the void, seemingly able to traverse it at will. She opened her robe and removed a metal chest plate. She strapped it onto Melody, Melody simply struggling to remain quiet. “This will stop the knife. Good luck.” One promised, pressing a hoof to Melody's chest.

“WAIT!! I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!! HOW DO I KILL TH-” Melody begged, but One pressed forwards, shoving her off of the side of the spiral. Melody screamed in desperation. She spread her wings in an attempt to fly back up, but they caught no wind. She looked down and saw a light source coming on fast. She closed her eyes and braced for impact as she plummeted through it.

As she opened them, there was a Melody on top of her, holding a dagger. She plunged it down toward Current!Melody’s chest, her newfound chest plate taking the stab with stride, the blade barely making any impact other than a dent and a metallic clang. She took this opportunity to buck the attacking Melody off of her. The dagger went flying into the snow next to them, both mares beginning to scrabble toward it.

“Melody!? Er, MELODY!?” Lily shrieked from off on the sidelines. The attacking Melody was caught off guard and turned back toward her. Current!Melody took the chance to deliver a swift kick to her face. Current!Melody dove for the dagger but felt herself lifted into the air by her throat. Blackness began to swim in her vision as she saw the attacking Melody brandishing a wand. Current!Melody felt herself getting weaker and weaker until suddenly, she fell to the ground. She lay there motionless, looking up at the lifeless eyes of the attacking Melody.

“Are you okay..?” A frail voice came from behind the body, as it fell over to reveal Lily, dagger in hoof, and a pool of blood drooling from the back of the attacker Melody's head.

Melody took a couple seconds to let the feeling of life flow into her lungs, panting and nodding weakly. Lily reached a hoof down, helping Melody up. The pale yellow mare was covered in blood from the recent altercation. She let out a heavy sigh. “Let's just get back to the boat. I'll explain all this there.”

When they arrived on deck, Steele Gear was the first to greet them. She was wearing a flashy new pair of black leather boots.

“Hey, dolls! I see you're getting along nicely. What happened to your robe?” Steele asked, cocking an eyebrow. Melody looked down at the severed robe, and the gleaming chest plate underneath.

“A.. Uh.. Changeling attack. Two of them. One split my robe, then the other tried to kill me.” Melody shot back, Lily wide-eyed.

“Huh, spooky. Well, it's almost sundown, and I want to get out of here tomorrow. Rest up, lovebirds.” Steele chuckled, trotting away toward a crowd of pirates. Melody shrugged over at Lily and walked toward the underbelly of the ship to rest in their shared room.

“So, changelings, huh? It DID seem odd that's two of you were in the same place..” she purred, nudging her chest. “And I've yet to get a thank you for saving your life, missy.”

“I know, I know. Thank you, Lily, I really appreciate it. Now let's get to bed, I'm beat from today.” She sighed, tossing off her ruined robe and new chest plate, a wave of sadness washing over her as she studied the ripped garment. “Was there a seamstress in town? I need to get that thing repaired.”

“Well, I'm very handy with a needle myself,” Lily assured, plopping herself on the bed. “I'll make it nice and new tomorrow. Now come rest with me, Hun.” She giggled as Melody settled in beside her. Lily leaned up and blew out the candle on her bedside table.

“So, you seemed to handle killing that changeling pretty well,” Melody said, lying through her teeth.

“I’m a pirate, what did you expect? It’s literally what we do.” Lily replied, snuggling closer into Melody’s chest fur.

“Eh, I dunno. Goodnight, honey.”

“Goodnight, Melody.”

“I love you, Lily.”

“I love you too.”
> Possessions.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Melody stepped out into the marketplace, this time alone. She had left Lily at home to work on her robe, with the assumption she would only need the bits at her side. She was wearing the chest plate she had received from One yesterday, along with pockets sewn to its straps. In one strap was a bag of bits, and in the other was a dagger. She glanced up at the morning sky, covering her eyes slightly with her foreleg. The sun had just risen, casting its piercing stabs of orange light along the light snow that covered the island, dispelling the shadows around Melody and stretching out her own.

"How pretty." She smiled, trotting into the center of town and glancing around at the several local stores. She had already been to the potion supply store, so she checked that off of her mental list. She brought her eyes to the bakery. She had yet to actually order anything herself, but Lily had gotten her a little something yesterday. Next, she brought her attention to the blacksmith. She doubted he was done working on her sword already. Lastly, she brought her gaze to the clothing store. She thought long and hard on whether or not she needed anything. Lily was already fixing up her robe, but it couldn't hurt to look inside. She sat there in a confused silence while thinking about her options. 

"Eh, I'm pretty hungry." She giggled, trotting up to the bakery door and stepping in, a little bell attached to the door jingling. Melody raised her eyebrows as a bouncy white mare stood up near the counter. "Hello!! Welcome to the bakery! I'm Shirley! Can I take your order!? Can we be friends? The special today is a tomato soup and a biscuit for the low price of 4 bits! We also have fresh te-" The mare said before Melody cut her off.

"Whoa there, slow down. Yeah yeah, I'll get the special please."  Melody said, reaching into the bit bag at her side and depositing four of the tiny coins on the counter, Shirley reaching forward and swiping them.

"I'll have that out to you in a jiffy!!!" Shirley said while rapidly nodding, bouncing off through the kitchen door behind her. Melody shook her head slightly, settling down into a booth and staring out of the window. In a matter of minutes, Shirley reappeared with the food Melody had ordered. 

"Here it is Miss! ENJOY!!" Shirley said, plopping the bowl of red liquid and the biscuit down on the table and bouncing away. Melody brought her eyes back to the window and studied the snow-covered grass. The rising sun cast it's glow through the window, and it gave Melody a  small sense of hope. She dipped the biscuit into the soup and then gave it a firm bite. She let the warm soupy mixture fill into her mouth, and raised an eyebrow. She had forgotten how chunky tomato soup was in this period. She shrugged her shoulders and buried her face into the bowl. She hadn't realized how truly hungry she was. 

When she had finished her bowl of soup, she decided it was time to go pick up her sword. Enough time had passed, right? She shrugged and trotted out of the door, leaving her bowl on the table. She trotted along the storefronts over to the blacksmith's and stepped inside. She gasped silently as she saw it resting on the counter, recently finished. Her sword. She stepped forward silently, hefting it in one hoof. It was heavy but just heavy enough. Melody held it up, the lanterns in the shop casting a glow on it that could only be described as magical.

"Enjoy your purchase, ma'am. It really is a beauty." The zebra stallion said from behind the counter. Melody would need to request Lily sew a holder for this in her new robe. She trotted outside into the snow, only to be met face to face with a mare wearing a red robe. She instinctively raised her sword, before a kind voice eased her nerves.

"Hi, Melody! Here it is, nice and fixed up! Is that the new sword? It's so... impressive." Lily smiled, having put on Melody's robe. It was split down the front, in two equal halves. They met back up around the back and folded around. "Also, do you mind if I keep this? I thought it was really pretty, and I don't know if it has any magical powers or anything." Lily spoke, lifting a familiar, glowing red amulet from under the front of the garment. Tears slipped from Melody's eyes as she lunged forward, attempting to remove the amulet. It wouldn't budge.

"NO! NO, NO, NO!!!" Melody cried, screaming into the shrill morning air, steam puffing out of her nostrils as she sobbed. She felt Lily's hoof wrap around her neck and shove her off. 

"What's wrong? Miss me?" Lily's voice spoke, distorted into a lower pitch. Melody tossed the sword aside. She would need to deal with this non-lethally. Lily gave an inhuman grin. She drove her heel into Melody's chest, the armor blocking it. Melody rolled over and screamed. 

"STEELE!!!!! STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELE!!" She shouted into the air, a white figure sprinting off of the ship in the distance. She felt another swift kick into her side. Melody thought she felt something crack. "Lily, PLEASE! FIGHT IT!" She screeched, towns ponies gathering around to watch the display. Lily floated into the air, body hanging limp, but head straight up. 

"Help me! It will maaaaake me huRT yooOU." Lily struggled out, her voice shifting pitches mid-sentences. Melody felt herself lifted into the air, struggling to break the magical grip, Lily's eye's glowing red as tears dripped from them. Melody was flung from the air into the front window of the bakery. She clattered against the ground, rolling through a pile of glass and yelping as some pieces stuck into her hooves. She ignored them, charging out of the front door and turning a hard right as Lucy swung a fallen tree into the store she had just been in. Steele appeared from behind the tree, crawling under. 

"MELODY!? WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!?" Steele Gear said. Melody shook her head. 

"NO TIME TO EXPLAIN, GET HER AND GRAB THE PARALYSIS POTION IN MY ROBE!" Melody screamed as she rolled backward, the Lucy-controlled Lily slamming into where she had just been. Steele jumped onto her back angrily but was flung like a rag doll. Melody tackled Lucy, catching her off guard. she grabbed the potion bottle and nodded to Steele. Steele jumped onto Lucy again, and Melody poured the potion down her throat. 

Suddenly, Lucy stopped. Lily's body froze. The pedestrians gathered around. Melody noticed the mare from the potion shop she had visited yesterday, who rolled her eyes.

"Textbook possession, everyone. Get on with your lives." She said, walking back off into the crowd. Steele lifted Lily over her shoulder and nodded at Melody. They returned to the ship in silence. 



When they arrived, they tied Lily to a chair in Melody and her's shared room. Steele and Melody went back upstairs to contemplate on what to do. 

"I need to get to a zebra mare somewhere far away. She can help us... she can help me... she can help me help her." Melody finally spat out. Steele nodded in response and was silent for awhile. She picked up a bottle of aged wine from under her desk. 

"I know the gal. Alice, right? I can get you there in a couple of days." Steele said solemnly, both mares thoughts obviously weighing heavily on them. Melody began to cry. 




Steele handed her the bottle.



Melody tilted it back against her muzzle and drank.
> End of Act One. Intermission.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You have to see her endurance, please ma'am. She's fought through so much." A voice spoke. Two figures were standing along a white spiral in what seemed like a dark void. 

"She's failed Lily. She has to go." The second voice declared, stomping a hoof. 

"NO! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" The other figure shouted back. "Look at how much she fucking cares. Any other version of us would have given up by now. She hasn't slept for days. She's stranded on a fucking mountain top alone with herself and a fucking SHELL of Lily." Figure one spoke. Figure two turned on her hoof and glared at figure two.

"She's nothing but another loose mare, doomed to fail like the rest of them. I refuse to leave another thread uncut. I don't care how resilient she is. She must go." Figure two growled. "I want you to find her, and take her out. Do you want her to just starve to death out there anyway? Go for the head, she won't feel a thing." She said.

"Ma'am, please, with all due respect!--"

"It was an order, not a request."

"Ma'am, please!"

"Please nothing."

"Ma'am.. No. I won't do it. I can't."

Figure two growled and brought a dagger up to figure one's neck. "You WILL go, if you want to keep your own life." 

Figure one gulped and nodded slowly. Figure one reached into her garment, clipping open a void in space time, Melody visible on the other side. She grabbed figure one around the throat and shoved her through, the void closing behind her. Figure one swallowed hard, raised a familiar sword from within her garment, and took a shakey breath. 

"I'm sorry."

She brought the sword down toward Melody's chest.
> Second Contact.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

TWO MONTHS AGO.

Melody stumbled off of the ship, Lily in tow, hooves bound and muzzle gagged. She looked down at the poor mare, covered in magic restricting charms. She turned her gaze to Steele, frowning slightly.

“Well, thanks for taking me this far. I suppose it's time we split.” Melody said solemnly. Steele nodded and gave a bitter smile.

“Hey, don't look so sad. I need to do what I need to do, and you need to do what you want to do.” Steele assured in response. “I wish you good luck in your travels. I hope you're successful. Goodby--” Steele started to say, before she was cut off. Melody shook her head, leaning forward and wrapping her hooves around Steele.

“Not goodbye,” Melody said, stealthily swiping Steele’s timeline scissors. “Just until we meet again.” She smiled at Steele as she pulled away. Steele nodded, shaking off any tears. Melody turned around and trotted off. She felt the scissors in her robe. She knew she had just sentenced Steele to her death by taking them, but there was an infinite amount of Steele's, all doomed to the same fate. Melody needed these.



PRESENT.

Melody sat under the tall oak tree, shivering and whimpering as she desperately attempted to light the fire she had made. She had Lily's restrained body on her lap, the struggling demon making it rather annoying. She longed to have her back, but it was just too dangerous. Finally, fire poured from the front of her wand and engulfed the wood in front of her. The wind and snow howling around her seemed to disappear as she took in the warmth. She held Lily’s body tightly, frowning as the possessed mare thrashed.

“Ugh. Stop moving and warm up!!” She shouted, tightening her grip and rolling her eyes, sighing. “I wish we had some food. I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.” Melody sighed once more, rolling over and laying next to the fire. She grabbed a short pair of rope and tied Lily off to her back hoof. “Good, now let me sleep.” She frowned, turning over and facing the fire, the restrained host body wiggling helplessly before giving up.


Melody awoke to the clang of Metal as her own sword slammed down into her chest. The chestplate had stopped the blade. Her eyes flew open as she locked eyes with One, the mare standing over her. Melody shouted angrily and rolled backward, tripping over Lily and falling into the snow.

“I’M SORRY!” One shouted, thrusting the sword into the snow right where Melody had just been. Melody quickly untied Lily, grabbing her own sword and swinging it up to block another strike.

“Sure, that's a great thing to say after attempting to fucking KILL ME!” Melody said as her and One struggled along the terrain, sparks flying as their swords met. One rolled to the left and bucked Melody’s hooves out from under her as Melody swung her blade. She toppled over and face planted into the snow, rolling just in time to bring her blade up and block another swing. The two held each other at bay, pushing back and forth over Melody’s chest. One frowned.

“I don't want to do this, but I have to!! There's NO WAY you can bring her back and survive! Please, just listen!” One pleaded, pressing the sword harder. Melody grit her teeth and bucked One’s chest, knocking her off.

“You don't know that. You don't know the future. All we EVER have is the past.” Melody grunted, panting and holding her sword in front of her as One struggled to her hooves. Melody growled and slammed her back hoof into One’s muzzle. She shook her head and glared at the defeated mare. “Tell me why I should spare you.” One coughed, wiping blood from her lip.

“Please. I’ve been one of the only successful versions of us. You can't change the past, you HAVE to leave her. Even if you're able to get her out of harm's way, you can't stay with her. There has to be a sacrifice for there to be a successful timeline.” One pleaded, slowly lowering her sword.

“No.” Melody firmly replied. “I'm going to find that zebra mare, and I'm going to kill the demon.” One shook her head in disbelief.

“It's impossible. She's thousands of miles away. Even if you get to her, how do you think you'll kill Lucy?” One responded knowingly. Melody shook her head.

“I'll find a way. I always do.”

One was silent, studying Melody. “How? How do you have so much resolve? Why haven't you given up?” She said, the wind howling.

“Because I care, obviously. I recommend you get back in that portal and get out of here.” Melody said, rolling her eyes. One turned around and waited for her co-Melody to open a rip in time. She continued to wait as snow swirled around. Nothing happened. She realized that nothing WOULD happen until she had killed this Melody. She turned around and faced Melody, sitting down at the fire.

“Must be on the fritz.” She frowned. Melody raised questioning eye toward One, continuing to stand there.

“If you think I believe you for one second, you’re wrong. But if you’re being stubborn, and think I’ll fail, you might as well fill me in.” Melody said, sitting down opposite the fire and re-tying Lily to her hoof. “So, will I need that hood at some point?”

One shook her head. “Nope, stylistic choice.”

“Hm, alright. How do I kill Lucy?”

“You can’t.” One said matter-of-factually, shaking her head.

“That’s not true, everything bleeds. I’ll find a way. Anyway, how do I get her out of Lily?” Melody asked, sighing angrily.

“You have to kill Lucy.” One responded, smirking.

“Oh aren’t you just a fucking smart ass. I stole Steele’s scissors, just use them to get out of here.” Melody groaned, reaching into her robe and tossing the scissors to One, who raised an eyebrow.

“Uh, I can’t use these. Take them back.” She said, throwing them back over the fire. Melody rolled her eyes.

“Oh, then how did you get here, asshole?” Melody said, giving a look of mock pondering.

One gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes. “Another Melody did it for me, one who knows how to use these. And can you stop fucking berating me? We’re basically the same pony.” One said, standing up and glaring at her.

“We’re not the same.” Melody said with a sharp hiss. “And don’t you ever think that we will be. We may look the same, but I am NOT like you. And you SURE as hell, aren’t like me.”

One looked slightly upset, but sat back down and stared into the crackling fire in silence.
> Discovery.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Melody groaned as she rolled over onto Lily. She sat up and quickly looked left and right for the other version of herself, One. One was sleeping on the other side of the fire. Melody almost felt jealous at the sight of her. She compared her clean coat to hers, nice and sleek. Melody’s coat was rugged and dirty, blood caked in more than one place. She sighed and brought herself back to reality, turning her body over toward Lily. It hurt to see the poor mare like this, but it was necessary. Lucy would kill her otherwise. Melody clambered up and looked through her redesigned robe that Lily had sewn months ago. She retrieved a map that she had bought at the last town and flipped it around until she identified her current location.

She was headed for a cave 536 miles away from her location where a zebra mare that could undo the curse of the amulet supposedly lived. Her stomach rumbled, and a pang of hunger ran through her.

“Fuck. It won't even be Lucy to do me in, I'll fucking starve to death out here.” Melody muttered under her breath, patting herself down and sighing as she once again realized she had no food. There were 8 dungeons marked on the map, supposedly containing un-stolen loot, and one of them was within a mile. She took a mental note of the location and decided to take stock. She really needed some paralysis potions. She could barely keep the Lucyfied Lily in check without them, and resolved that the best course of action was to search terms cave. But what to do about this foreign, yet familiar version of herself, One?

Melody turned and stared at her, studying her as she slept. Thoughts ran through her head. Could she really trust her? She sighed and trotted over, nudging her with her back hoof. One opened her eyes wearily and immediately grabbed for her sword. Melody sprung into action, kicking it to the side into the snow.

“Hey you prick. If you want to earn my trust, you're going to come with me. I need to find food and potions, and I need them fast. There's a dungeon nearby.” Melody said grumpily. One widened her eyes in alarm, but quickly contained her panic. One slowly nodded.

“Alright. Let me up and we'll go. What are you doing with Lily?” One asked, pulling herself to her hooves. Melody stepped away.

“Bringing her with us, of course. I can't leave her here.” Melody replied, lifting Lily’s body onto her back. “Cmon, this way.”

One bit her tongue and followed, keeping comments to herself as they marched in silence, clutching her sword to her side inside her robe. When the mares arrived at their location, Melody reached back and untied Lily from her back, tying her instead off to a large rock near the entrance. Melody grabbed for her wand, and muttered an incantation. A bright light shown, and a purple bubble bearing the alchemic symbol of life surrounded Lily. One gave an impressed look.

“Shield spell? Good idea.” One said. Melody narrowed her eyes but said nothing in response. She made her way over to One and thumped her head. “Let’s just go in and get out.” Melody said with a tint of toxicity in her voice. One gave a soft sigh and rolled her eyes.

“Alright, but let’s get this done quick, I don’t like the feeling of this place.” One said warily, slowly slipping her sword out and getting it at the ready. Melody took the lead and lit a stick from the entrance on fire, lifting it in one hoof. She remained silent as they began their expedition into the cave. One took up the back, resisting the urge to poke the bats that they passed on the ceilings. The walls of the cave were damp, and the whole place smelled like mold. Glowing purple mushrooms lit the path every now and then, Melody stopping every now and then to collect a couple and stuff in her robe.

One, growing tired of trotting, poked Melody’s shoulder. “Hey, I see a water pool up on that next turn. Let’s stop for a bit.” Melody gave a gruff sigh, never liking to leave Lily alone for too long. Although, she was growing tired herself…

“Sure, fine.” Melody spoke, trotting into the opening in the wall. She gave a yawn and relaxed against the wall of the cave as One trotted right up to the water and dipped her feet in. Melody heard a soft mechanical click, and suddenly, there was a rumble as the entrance behind her slid shut, a stone tablet covering it. Water began to pour in from the walls of the cave, and Melody simply muttered, “Oh, fuck.”

One jumped back in fear. “Ok, shit, sorry. I should have seen this coming, fuck! Where’s the exit!?” One said in a panic, Melody busy concentrating on finding a way out.

“It looks like we’re going to have to find a way to move this stone out of the way, otherwise, it’s a watery grave. That’s not something I’m ready for.” Melody spoke, feeling along the walls and beginning to worry. One joined her in her task, biting her lip as the water flooded halfway up their legs.

“God damn it..” Melody muttered, diving under and swimming toward the bottom of the pool in the middle of the room, deciding to follow classic puzzle solving rituals she had learned. Sure enough, there was a hatch marked with ancient symbols. Attached to the hatch was a code lock, which could be rolled into place along 3 separate axises. Melody pressed back up to the surface, breaking the water and spitting out some.

“We only have at MOST a minute left of air in here. Please tell me you have a water breathing potion.” One begged. Melody shook the wet mane out of her eyes and took a mental note to get a cut if she survived this.

“THERE'S A CODED LOCK DOWN HERE. Do you remember seeing ANY symbols on the way here? Anything?” Melody said, no longer able to stand on any solid ground. One thought long and hard on the question, long enough to waste 20 seconds of air as Melody gritted her teeth, sucking in what bits of air she could.

One screamed, “GOLD, WIND, WATER DROP!” She gasped in a desperate breath and plunged herself down into the water. Melody nodded as their last bit of air escaped. She swam down into the center of the room, rushing to move the symbols into place, trying to exert the least amount of energy possible as black started to swim into the edges of her vision. Melody’s lungs burned for oxygen as she searched desperately for the water droplet stone. It was nowhere to be seen, Melody whipping her head left and right. Melody saw One lift something up onto the lock before One’s body went limp.

Melody coughed out her bits of oxygen, pulling at the hatch. It didn't budge. Her lungs were on fire now, and she could feel water beginning to slip into her mouth. She reached into the robe, grabbed her wand, and closed her eyes tight. She sent up a desperate prayer and attempted a levitation spell. She heard water gushing before she blacked out.



When Melody came to, One was laying next to her and coughing out water. She felt the urge to vomit out some as well, and turned the opposite direction. Along with everything else, her fur had been drenched, effectively cleaning it. She puked up what felt like gallons of water as her lungs desperately sucked in air. Melody finally drank in enough oxygen to lean up and pant. Melody began laughing hysterically, One coughing on the ground next to her.

“What's so funny?” One asked as she coughed up more mucus-y water. Melody turned toward her, and continued with light chuckles.

“I'M ALIVE!!” Melody shouted simply, completely ignoring the contents of the cave they had just landed in for now, cradling her mortal life in her mind for the moment. One sat up and retched one last time. Melody grabbed her by the shoulder. “You almost got me killed just now. But you also saved my life. If I kill you, does that count as killing myself?” Melody said, narrowing her eyes. One lifted her head and met Melody’s fiery gaze.

“I thought you said we were weren't the same?” One replied with a smirk. Melody couldn't help but chuckle in response, shoving her away. Melody staggered to her feet, surveying the room. They were standing on a platform, the water around them having drained out through grates in the floor. In front of them was a large stone door with a golden knob. One looked at it and shrugged to Melody. Melody trotted forward and opened the door.

Melody’s muzzle dropped at the sight that laid before her.

On the other side of the door was a sight that left even One in a stunned silence. On both sides of the door were torches hanging high above the two mares. Melody trotted forward slowly, and rubbed her eyes with a forehoof. Much to her disbelief, they came out of the hall into a full alchemy lab. One blinked a couple of times to solidify what she was seeing.

“Oh. My. Gods.” Melody said, feeling almost lightheaded with joy. Covering the walls on all sides of the room were bookcases, filled to the brim with books on almost every magical subject under the sun. Some were molded from all of the moisture, but not beyond repair. One and Melody exchanged glances of complete disbelief. There were several alchemist tables at different points along the walls, with accompanying baskets of herbs and materials. A large enchanting table bearing marks of years of use sat at the front of the room. On the lower right of the table was a book titled, “The Dark Magicks: Enchantments and Summons.”

A shiver ran down both Melody and One’s spine instantaneously as they turned their gaze to the glowing blue summoning circle in the middle of the room. What at first Melody had assumed was a pool of water, was a dark purple void, swirling with a thick evil essence. Black wax stained the floor inside the hollows designated for candles. One gulped and Melody drew her sword.

“What do you… What do you think happened to the previous owner?” One muttered to Melody, readying her weapon as well. Melody nodded to the portal, sweating as she felt a heavy presence before them. Hate, malice, and raw evil essences began to drift around the room. Melody swallowed another lump in her throat.

“I think we’re looking at it.” Melody spoke with a quivering voice. "And I think we're about to meet them." Purple tentacles rose from the open portal, and the two mares got themselves ready for a battle.


    The tentacles sprung into action, knocking Melody off her feet. One rolled backwards to avoid a swiping tendril. It made a wet slap as it collided with Melody and knocked her free of the other tentacle, slamming her into the far wall and knocking books off of the wall behind her. Melody struggled to her feet and sliced at a tentacle as it honed in on her. Her mind flooded with visions of Lily, giving her just the edge she needed. The tentacle split right at her sword blade, and flopped on to the ground, The creature let out a telepathic screech that brought Melody to her knees. The tentacle flopped around on the ground, severed.

    It began to change form as Melody struggled to her hooves. It turned into some kind of lizard creature, about the size of a wolf. One went flying past Melody and slammed into an alchemy table. Melody took flight to avoid a jumping bite attack from the shadow lizard. A tentacle swatted her like a bug and tossed her to the ground. She felt one wrap around her neck, and one around torso. Melody let out a gasp as she was lifted into the air, the tentacle attempting to tear her apart.

    “GOT YA!” One shouted and took a running leap, swiping both of the tendrils in half. The damaged tendrils retreated back into the portal. The other two parts of the tendrils dropped to the ground along with Melody shouted her thanks to One who landed on the first shadow lizard, crushing its head under her weight. Two more formed from the lopped off tendrils as Melody coughed, hopping to her hooves and surveying the specifics of the situation. There were three tentacles left, one of them distracted by attempting to break One’s neck as she was flung against the bookcase.

    The other two tendrils swung their way toward Melody. One of the tendrils knocked her back against the other, which grabbed around her chest and began dragging her toward the portal in the center of the room. “NO! NO! FUCK!” Melody shouted, attempting to get One’s attention as she managed to grab her wand out of her robe. She bit her lip and concentrated. A blaze of fire surrounded her body and incinerated the tendril wrapped around her chest, just short of the portal. Melody struggled up, flames nipping at her fur. Only one tendril remained, the other having been hacked in half by One’s surprisingly useful sword management.

    One was busy fighting off the lizard creatures, going hoof-to-hoof. One stored her sword in her robe and began cracking their skulls with her back hooves, delivering hard kicks and tossing them around the room. It looked like she was having WAY too much fun doing so. The last tendril slithered around the room, creeping along the floor like a purplish snake. It sprang toward Melody, but she was ready. She readied her wand and set it ablaze with a fireball. Melody dropped to her knees, that last magic attack having taken a lot of energy out of her. She raised her head just in time to watch the portal close up.

    “YEAH! FUCK YOU!” Melody shouted at the creature. She knew it couldn’t hear her since it was mostly dead, and also knew that it probably couldn’t even understand pony-speak. One crushed the last shadow lizard and helped Melody to her hooves with a grin.

“We make a good team.” One said smoothly, Melody tucking away her wand as she stood up.

“Whatever, One. Let’s loot this place.” Melody chuckled out, trotting along the walls and examining the books. She searched for anything on potion recipes. One trotted the opposite direction, beginning to collect the potion supplies necessary for a paralysis potion. She looked underneath one of the alchemist tables to find a potion brewing station, and lugged it out onto the floor, getting to work on something to restrain Lucyfied Lily. Melody smiled softly at the help she was receiving, but said nothing.

    “Score!” Melody shouted as she lifted the top off of a basket she had bumped into. She reached in and found a stockpile of fruits and veggies, mostly red apples and carrots. One set a couple of potions to brew, and grabbed an apple. She took a bite.

“Nice find. Let’s take a little break.” She said. Melody shrugged and grabbed a book of spells off of the shelf, plopping down with a musty carrot. One sat down beside her, crunching on the apple. It wasn’t the best quality, but it was still alright. Melody got comfortable and began reading. One leaned her head against Melody’s shoulder and stared at the book. Melody cocked an eyebrow in response, but said nothing, simply holding the book in one hoof and the carrot in the other, content for the moment.

    Over the course of the next two hours, Melody learned a spell which allowed her to shrink and grow objects. She found a jar, and filled it with tiny carrots and apples. Growing and shrinking was surprisingly less strain on Melody than making fire. She only needed to take occasional breaks to rest her body. One had gotten busy making the rest of the paralysis potions, and when finished, moved on to some others. She ended up with 5 Healing Potions, 8 Paralysis potions, 3 Fire Breathing potions, and 2 Protection potions. After around 30 minutes of searching, they discovered a ladder hidden along the watery entrance of the underground lab.

    The two mares climbed for what felt like forever in the tight, cramped space, before they finally arrived at an opening hidden behind a bush, not too far from the cave. One pushed the hatch open and clambered out, stretching her legs. Melody hefted herself over as well.

    “Ugh. Finally. Let’s go pour one of these down Lily’s throat and then set up camp, it’s almost nighttime.” One said in a tired voice, yawning as she trotted up the hill to the cave entrance. Melody followed, yawning as well. Lucyfied Lily had fallen asleep in the bubble. One undid the spell without a wand, Melody widening her eyes and taking a mental note to ask about that when she wasn’t so tired. One forced the tip of the bottle between Lucyfied Lily’s lips and poured it down her throat. Lily didn’t even wake, but her body froze.

    “Thanks.” Melody said, curling up near the edge of the cave entrance. One grabbede a couple of sticks and set them ablaze, making a small fireplace in the middle of the cave opening. One curled up next to Melody and sighed, wrapping her hooves around her. Melody rolled her eyes, but was too tired to protest.

    “Goodnight.” Melody said wearily.

    One replied with a soft snore.
> Round 2.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Melody awoke to the sound of rummaging. One was foraging through her robe, looking for something and muttering to herself. Melody rolled over, yawning and glancing at her.

“Lose Something?” Melody asked, still trying to wake most of her body up. One turned and squeaked.

“Oh, didn't mean to wake you up.” She said calmly, fully turning herself around. Lily was still frozen in a ball in the corner, Melody trying to look literally anywhere else. One gave a shrug. “Just making sure we have everything before we pack up and go.”

“Alright, our next stop is a small town called Lingale.” Melody groaned as she stumbled to her hooves, opening her robe and retrieving her map. It was a bit wet, but still in good condition. It was around 5 miles away, a small community with only a couple shops and residents.

“So, are we just like a team now or something?” One raised her eyebrow and peeked the map, glancing in the general direction that they would need to walk. Melody sighed and poked Lily to make sure that she was still paralyzed.

“For now. Just don’t stab me to death when my back is turned, please?” Melody said with a chuckle, rolling her eyes. One snickered in response while Melody worked on tying Lily to her back.

“Oh, trust me Melody. I have had more than enough opportunities to lop your head off by now, and guess what? It’s still attached.” One said with a smirk, thumping her head with a hoof as she trotted past. “You ready to go?”

Melody squeaked and finished affixing Lily to her back. “Yeah, I’m ready. If you really aren’t against me, then you’ll be willing to answer a couple questions for me.” Melody prodded as they set off. One gave a quick nervous twitch of her tail, but remained calm.

“Sure, what exactly do you want to know?” One replied, reaching into her robe and beginning to munch on an apple. Melody took a second to ponder that question, and realized she barely knew what she didn’t know.

“If everyone else has failed, like you say I will, why did you help me? Why did you give me the sword? You must have known I would need it, and I did. I’ve been to your little home in between space and time. You must have access to timelines, somehow. How do you do it?” Melody said in an almost pleading tone, studying One’s face. One was silent for a moment, before opening her muzzle, thinking twice, and closing it again.

“I can’t tell you how. But I CAN tell you that you’ll find out in time. If I told you right now it would probably ruin everything you’ve worked for.” One said with a sigh. “I wish I COULD tell you.”

Melody rolled her eyes and said nothing for awhile. “Well, that is just SO helpful of you. On to the next question. I know I can’t kill Lucy in her true form, which I imagine is how I have to finish her off. I know I can kill her hosts, but how do I make her mortal? Everything bleeds somehow.” Melody asked.

One thought for a moment, and wincing at a memory. “You can’t make her mortal. You’ll need to fight her face to face. Inside the amulet, on her home turf. You’d be stupid as hell to attempt to fight her, but that’s the only way to free poor Lily here. Normal weapons won’t harm her, but…” One trailed off, reaching into her robe and grabbing her sword. “You can get an enchantment on this baby that will allow you to harm her. But in reality, your magic will always be your best weapon.”

Melody nodded, suddenly remembering something. “HOW DID YOU USE MAGIC WITHOUT A FOCUS!? That was amazing.” Melody said, blushing slightly. One gave a tiny grin in her direction as they rounded a corner through some trees and made their way toward a dirt path.

“Yeah, that is a pretty sweet ability. Little tip: We specialize in setting shit on fire.” One said with a grin and made a tiny fireball in her hoof. “It’s something you’ll learn to do soon enough. It’s necessary to finish off Lucy, I’ll tell you.” One said and sighed, flicking the fire ball into a patch of snow.

“Are you only going to give me incredibly vague answers? You’re an asshole sometimes.” Melody said with a snorty, One prodding her side.

“Once again, we’re the same pony.”

“Oh my god, just shut up.



When the two arrived at the small town of Lingale, they were met with an interesting sight, to say the least. Blood covered most of the snow, and a single pony stood in the middle. She was a pale green mare with a light orange mane. She widened her eyes and ran up to them, bleeding rapidly from her chest and dripping blood all the way up to them. She collapsed to her knees and looked up with a pleading look in her eyes.

“Please, help me!! Do you have any healing potions on you!? Our town is being terrorized by a mare that is.. She’s..” The mare stopped and hacked up a clot of blood into the snow. “She’s not of pony kind.. She’s in the tower on the far end of town, please… help… me…” She said, before fully collapsing into the snow in front of Melody and One. The two mares exchanged glances and nervously stepped forward and over her, both of them drawing their swords.

As they passed through the town toward the tower, it was clear that what the mare said was completely true. Buildings were smoldering, and blood soaked most of the snow around the houses. As they approached the tower, an all too familiar presence tinted the air with raw hate and evil. Melody and One exchanged glances, nodded, and Melody trotted through the door.

The feeling that Melody felt when she entered the room cannot be described by any words known in the human language currently. What would come closest to the almost indescribable feeling was the french word inquiétude, which means a feeling of utter horror.

A wave of malice swept across Melody from the mare in front of her. She was a pale grey mare with a blue mane. Her head turned a full 180, but the rest of her body did not move. Her eyes had a familiar red tint. One made a gasping whimper sound, and spun to sprint away. The moment that she made it through the door, it slammed behind her. The mare’s mouth cracked a wide grin.

“How NICE of you to join me for ROUND 2.” The mare said, her body no longer her own. Melody started getting flashbacks of their last showdown. “Looks like your backup ran away. And.. you brought a friend!” Lucy grinned, nodding at Lily. Lily’s body quivered as feeling began to return to her. “Although she won’t be a problem. I’ve made sure to take care of her, haven’t I?” Lucy sneered, Melody growling and getting into a fighting stance as she dropped Lily off of her back.

“Let’s just fight and get it over with.” Melody shook her head and readied herself as Lucy trotted toward her. Melody rolled just out of the way of a lunging tackle.

“Why don’t we? No weapons, please. Let’s make this FAIR.” Lucy’s voiced boomed. Melody ducked as Lucy tackled at her again. Melody tossed away her sword and nodded. She grabbed her wand from her robe and gulped.

“Good, let’s go, then.” Melody said, voice quivering as she shot a fireball at Lucy. Lucy ducked and rolled to the side, running forward and kicking Melody’s hooves out from under her. Melody pushed herself back up with a groan, spinning around and delivering a kick to Lucy’s face. Lucy grinned wide and spit out some blood, leaping onto Melody. The two struggled around on the ground.

Lucy pinned Melody and leaned forward, biting at her neck. Melody screamed and kicked Lucy off of her, panting angrily and giving her another hard buck to the face. Lucy growled and peeled herself off the ground, right before Melody slammed another buck into her ribs and sent her flying across the room. Lucy snarled, baring her teeth and raising her host’s hoof. Melody felt herself lifted up into the air by her neck.

She began to choke as Lucy trotted forward slowly, tightening the grip around her throat. “No one to save you now. It’s OVER.” Lucy grinned, snickering and laughing liking a maniac. Melody felt tears drip down her face as for the second time in the last 24 hours, she felt her lungs on fire, her face beginning to grow blue as she desperately gasped for air that refused to reach her lungs. Shadows flooded her vision as she started to go limp, giving in.

Suddenly, as if by divine intervention, the door exploded inward and knocked Lucy across the room. Her magical grip was dropped, and Melody desperately sucked in air as she felt two hooves lift her off the ground and onto her hooves. One stormed forward and leapt into the air, bringing her blade down in a slicing motion, slicing Lucy’s host in half.

Melody simply gasped in as much air as she could get into her lungs, puffing in and out. One stood in silence, blood covered blade in front of her. She trotted back over to the crying Melody and stood over her. She raised her sword… and dropped it next to Melody. One collapsed onto her, pulling her down into a hug. Melody sucked in air through her sobs.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me, just seeing Lucy… I couldn’t handle it. I’m sorry. I don’t plan on doing that again.” One sighed and patted Melody’s back. Melody glared at her and shoved her away.

“You’re nothing but another pony who’ll ABANDON ME. I appreciate the help, but you’re a PRICK.” Melody said in disgust as she picked up the writhing Lucyfied Lily and trotted out of the room. One was left alone with her own thoughts as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
> Fractured.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A robed figure trotted through a snowy, bland wasteland. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but occasional trees and powdery snow that crunched underneath the character’s hooves as they trotted. The pony flipped up their hood. Melody’s long mane flowed out forwards. It was messy and unkempt, much longer than she normally kept it. 

“YOU CAN’T JUST HIDE OUT HERE FOREVER!” Melody shouted angrily into the wasteland before her. A closer look at Melody’s robe revealed battle scars - slices, cuts, holes. Whatever she had been through recently, it must have been a tough battle. 

Suddenly, Melody was knocked off her feet and into a snowbank by a harsh kick to the side that seemed to come from nowhere. 

“Oh, what, can’t get up? Come on. Get up. GET. UP.” A gruff female voice commanded. Melody struggled to her hooves again, brandishing her sword quickly. Before she could even brace herself once more, another sharp kick to the face sent her flying across the landscape. Melody skidded to a stop in the snow, her sword lost to a nearby snowbank. Melody coughed up a clot of blood into the snow. 

“I SAID. GET UP!” The voice commanded. Melody felt herself lifted into the air by her throat slowly. “LOOK AT ME.” the unidentified female voice boomed into Melody’s face. Melody kicked her hooves in the air, desperate for breath. 

Melody brought her eyes up to meet the figure slowly choking her to death. She saw flashes across the face of the pony holding her. First, it was a dark blue mare she recognized that sent a shiver down her spine, their red eyes piercing her soul to its barest point. As dark shadows and faint stars swam in her vision, she watched the face and body of the mare flash to that of a golden coated filly. As Melody felt herself losing consciousness, the face flashed once more to one Melody recognized all too well. 

Suddenly, Melody was not in a snow covered bank at all. In fact, she was in a nice, comfy and warm bedroom. If only anything could ever be that simple. The face in front of her had changed to one of horror and agony, as Melody felt herself thrust her sword deep into Lily’s chest. She staggered back in horror, disgusted by what she had done. Lily let out a piercing scream and began to sob. A picture of a dark blue mare hung on the wall above Lily, it’s disturbing red eyes following Melody as she backed against the wall and began to scream. 

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!” Melody erupted, a scream so emotion filled that she felt her throat scratching and becoming worn from the force she put into it. Lily slumped to the floor, eyes forever giving a terrified and betrayed expression as life left her body. Melody pressed herself back against the wall, wishing she could just fall through and disappear. 

Moments later, she got her wish.

Melody felt herself begin to fall, phasing through the wall into a black abyss. Thoughts ran through her head as she fell, her wings failing her in her time of need. They flapped and fluttered uselessly. Suddenly, Melody’s descent was slowed to a stop. A scene was unravelling before her. She found herself unable to close her eyes.

A robed figure, holding a muffled and crying bundle of blankets hurried down a dark street. The moon shone in the sky above her. Melody caught a glimpse of the newborn foal in the blankets that the figure carried, and felt herself begin to weep. The figure approached a dark tent. They hurried inside. Unknown to anyone involved in the scene, a wide eyed dark blue pony watched silently from the shadows. Melody felt tears running down her face, begging her body to turn away, to not look, to do anything else but watch the scene unfold before her. Her biggest regret, her oldest mistake. The loss of her child. The tent glowed a light white, so white that it blinded her through her tears. How could she be so selfish..? She felt her body drop away once more. 

Melody felt herself falling, falling, falling. Falling for minutes. All feeling had left her body. Suddenly, there was light, and she felt herself slam hard into a body of water. She looked up with wide eyes, and watched a fractured reflection of another Melody above the water as she floated down. Just as she felt like she could no longer hold her breath, light flooded her vision once more. 

Melody bolted up from her dream, clutching her head and groaning in pain at the splitting headache she was experiencing. Lily lay beside her, the possessed mare’s body twitching and struggling in her bonds. Melody let out a low whine, her body quivering. Melody was laying on a bundle of blankets in the corner of a shadowy room. One appeared in the only doorway that Melody could see in her pained rage. One hurried to her aid, caressing Melody’s sides and shushing her. 

“Hey. Hey. What’s wrong? Bad dream?” One whispered, looking around nervously and patting her back lovingly. Melody thrashed in pain from her agonizing headache. One of her eyes shut as she struggled to focus on One. 

“I… FEEeeel.. HHHEeeerr..” Melody sobbed and shivered. “IN MY HEAD! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!” Melody thrashed in pain. The darkness seemed to be swallowing her up. Fear shrouded One’s face. She hurriedly stood up and grabbed her sword, swinging aimlessly at Shadows. Melody’s mind grew more and more fogged by pain and dysphoria. The shadows almost seemed to shift around One’s sword. 

One sighed and grabbed her wand, focusing and lighting a little flare at the end of it. The room was quickly illuminated with orange light from the fire hovering at the end of One’s wand. 

One didn’t see her. Melody did. Melody screamed. Melody collapsed once more into the covers. 

One looked around the room, slightly afraid. Of course, there was nothing there. No one but the souls of the dead lingered in this abandoned village. But… maybe Melody had a point. One could feel her too. One gripped her sword tightly and shut the door, the only entrance to the room. She sighed and flopped down in her own corner of the room. Melody had gotten one hell of a flu in the past day, and it was driving One insane. The poor gal.. One decided to rest her eyes along with Melody in the silent house, nothing but the creeks of floorboards to disturb her.

When Melody opened her eyes once more, she saw One struggling to hold her down. “You're having a fucking fever.. dream..!! God damn it, stay down!” One shouted. Melody blacked out again.

When Melody awoke, she could feel that things were different inside her. Rather than her recent… well, honestly disturbing dreams, she had only experienced deep blackness. She fluttered open her eyes and groaned. She was no longer in a tiny little room, but somewhere more familiar. The smell of.. Pancakes? Was filling the air. Had EVERYTHING just been a dream? Was she back at home, with Lily? She moved her legs. Everything felt stiff from neglect. How long had she been sleeping?

She was… in her bedroom. In her home in Trotston. Her bedroom. “How did I get here?” She wondered silently to herself. She studied the room, taking in every detail. It was exactly as she remembered it. Next to the bed, a small table stood, with objects littering it's surface. It's most noticeable feature was a picture frame, containing a picture of Melody, Lily, and a young mare with an orange and pink mane she didn't recognize resting between then in a family photo style. The Potion rack hung on the wall, freshly used. Books lay open on the table. Had she somehow gone back in time? 

The smell of food pulled her out of her dazed state. She struggled to her hooves, deciding that she could figure this all out later. She felt hungry, and very dehydrated. Melody muttered uncomfortably at the stiffness of her joints. It was only then that she realized she wasn't wearing her trademark robe. She gave her wings a little stretch, enjoying having them free for once. She took careful steps toward the door, gently pushing it open into what she remembered to be the living room and kitchen area.

It was like Melody WAS dreaming. The air was filled with the smell of breakfast. The living room was nice and tidy, the carpet freshly vacuumed. A large chair, and long couch, and a loveseat were laid out along the wall. On the far side of the room, there was a wall mounted TV and a bookshelf below it being used to display various interesting artifacts. The living room was separated from the kitchen by a countertop bar, a couple of stools resting on the living room side. The kitchen was your standard kitchen, with appliances along the walls and cabinets lining the top of the room. 

One stood cooking at the stove. The scent of pancake batter lingered in the air, eggs already done and waiting on a plate. She turned and smiled when she noticed Melody, awake and standing there in bewilderment. 

“Oh. Hey. Glad to see you're alive. I know you probably have a fuck ton of questions, but.. save them. We have a lot to go over. Just enjoy some food, will you?” One said, hoofing her a plate of freshly made pancakes and less fresh, but still recently made eggs. No one said she was the best cook. Melody just stood there in silence before finding her way to one of the stools and setting her plate down.

One turned and took in a breath, shouting towards the hallway Melody had just emerged from, “GIIIIIIRLS!! BREAKFAAAAST!!~” 

Lily emerged groggily from the bathroom. She stumbled into the kitchen and smiled at the fact that there were two of her girlfriend there. “Melody! And.. Melody!” She hurried over to One, giving her a kiss and sitting down next to Melody. Melody gave a loving stare at the mare, but resisted giving her a quick smooch. Not hers, she reminded herself. Though aren’t they all hers?

She shook the thought out of her mind and shivered softly. A third plate rested on the counter, One tapping her hoof angrily. An awkward silence filled the room, only interrupted by the scratching of forks against glass plates. One waited a couple moments longer, then turned to Melody. 

“I think there’s someone you’d like to see,” One muttered, nodding down the hallway. “Or that would like to see you.”

Melody widened her eyes and shrugged, taking the last bite of her pancake and joining One as she began to walk down the hallway to the last door. One slowly pushed it open and stepped inside. Melody entered behind her. In the bed, laying there, was a mare with an orange and pink mane wrapped in a dark red robe, darker than One’s. One chuckled.

“Card. Wake up!” One teased, standing over the mare. Melody’s eyes widened as she slowly began to realize who she was studying.

The mare slowly lifts her head, muttering in confusion.

“Mom… s?”
> Information.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Card rubbed her eyes a couple of times to make sure she was seeing the two Melody’s before her correctly. One gave a loving smile and nodded to Melody. Melody was speechless, staring at Card as she had just seen a ghost. Card muttered uncomfortably and shuffled her hooves as she stumbled out of bed. 

“Well.. uh... good morning..?” Card mustered, waving a hoof in front of Melody's face. One chuckled a bit. 

“I think she needs a moment.” One said quickly, nudging Card and gesturing for her to join her and Lily for breakfast. Card shrugged and trotted after One into the kitchen. She sat down on the cozy chair in the living room with her plate, flicking on the TV. One and Lily took the love seat.

“So. Did you clone yourself or something?” Card asked, taking a quick bite of her pancakes. She spooned a couple more bites into her face hungrily once the taste impacted her mouth. One opened her mouth and then stopped. She thought for a moment.

“Kind of. She's like… me from another timeline. Imagine hundreds of melo-” One started to explain before Card cut her off with a wave. 

“Nnffo morrfe. I gfet it.” Card said with a full mouth, Lily giving her a Stern glare. Card swallowed. “It's way too early to be explaining the universe to me, mother.” Card sighed and set her plate aside. “But why is she here?”

One thought for a moment once again.

“She’s visiting. It’s pretty complicated, darling. I don’t think you’d be able to understand it if you tried. At least definitely not right now.” One said, shaking her head. “I should go see how she is.”

One trotted out of the room and down the hallway to where Melody was standing in confusion.

“A lot to take in, huh?” One teased, giving her shoulder a thump. Melody just muttered to herself and turned to One, still adjusting to everything she was witnessing. 

“I… I don’t understand. There must be some mistake. How is this even possible?” Melody said softly, confusion clouding her mind like pea soup. One nodded for Melody to follow her down the hallway. She entered the last door along the wall, opening it to reveal One and Lily’s room. It was relatively clean, with a glass door leading to a balcony on the other side of the room. Melody followed One out onto the balcony. 

“Time has a way of being like that, huh?” One pondered, staring out at the bustling city of Manehatten. The two identical mares watched the ponies below them for a while, staring as they bustled from place to place, bumped into each other, beeped their car horns, hurried along through life like slowing down for just a moment would invoke death upon them.

“Eternal life is such a gift, isn’t it?” Melody asked, shaking her head uncomfortably. “They move around constantly, and never slow down until they realize their time is over. They never realize what they have until they don’t have it anymore.” She said with a solemn expression. 

One nodded silently in agreement.

“I can’t tell you how. What you need to know. What you want to know.” One said quickly, staring ahead. “She’s watching. I feel her. I always do.” One hurried out. 

Melody gave a baffled expression. 

“She isn’t DEAD!?” Melody shouted, quickly restraining herself. “Then how are you able to live here like this?” 

One was silent for a couple moments.

“The city works as a bubble of protection. All of these ponies around, living their lives, they prevent her from being able to find us. She knows we’re here, but has no idea where.” One finally spat out. “I’m sorry Melody, but you can’t stay here. This is my life, and I’m willing to die defending it.” One said with a harsh glare to her. “And I know you would do the same in my position.”

Melody nodded once again in response, just looking out over the city. An intriguing piece of information, being able to use the place as a kind of shield.

“Is she… okay?” Melody asked One. She made sure to word her questions so that anyone watching would have no idea what they were talking about.

“Yes. And it’s possible to keep her that way.” One said, turning to Melody. “Remember: Time isn’t as linear as you think it is. Remove the limitations on it you have in your mind. Think like…” One said, trotting into her bedroom and gesturing for Melody to follow.

One opened her bedside drawer and grabbed a pair of golden scissors.

“Think like her.”

Melody widened her eyes and nodded. 

“But we can’t use them. Only ponies like her can.” Melody replied, tilting her head in confusion.

“Has that literally ever stopped us?” One replied, setting the scissors on the bed and plopping down next to them. “Take a good look around, Melody. Nothing is here forever, except us. The devil has laid her hoof on us, and this is our curse. Just remember that nothing good comes without sacrifice.”

Melody considered her words for a while, then sat down next to her in silence. 

“I guess it’s time for me to go,” Melody said with a slightly sad tone. “I’ll go get my robe.” Melody stopped before she got up. “Wait- where’s my Lily?” She gasped out with an uncomfortable flutter of her wings.

“Relax, she’s in good hooves.” One replied. “She’s with Nick. I dropped her off before taking you here. He’s working on the amulet. I’ll cut open one of those holes for you so that you can get back there. He’ll help you with a couple of things.” One informed, giving her a reassuring pat. “Good luck.”

Melody nodded and trotted out the door and down the hallway. She gave Lily and Card a longing look, before grabbing her robe off the rack in the room where she had been sleeping, returning to One and straightening out the robe around her body.

One smiled and closed her eyes, then cut open a hole in space-time with the golden scissors. It was pure black, so Melody just had to trust her. One gave her a reassuring smile. 

“Alright. Stay safe out there, Melody. I know you’ll do fine.” One said.

Melody took a breath and jumped into the portal.
> Respite.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Melody crashed against the hard, stone ground of the cave entrance. Immediately, there was a sword in her face. She looked up, bleary eyed, to see Lily holding the blade strapped to her hoof. The two started at each other for a moment, before Lily lowered her sword and burst into tears, clutching Melody tight on the the ground. Melody melted into the warm mare’s embrace. Her mare. For the first time in a very long time again, she felt Lily as she should be: warm, filled with love and happiness. Melody didn't cry very often, but right now she was pouring her eyes out against the mare's coat.

The two lovers laid there on the ground clutching each other for a few minutes time. For them, however, it passed much slower. They gripped each other as if the universe would tear them apart the moment their hooves separated.

When they finally separated, they shared a deep kiss. Melody started into Lily's eyes, unable to find the proper words. 

“It is… amazing. It's amazing to see you.” Melody said, voice shaking as she stared into her lover's true eyes. Not clouded by hate or malice or a demon's influence, instead glazed by tears and a happy expression. Lily gave a gentle purr back at her and helped the weak mare to her hooves.

Melody took a slow look around the cave, leaning against Lily. She didn't want to stop touching her, to let her out of her sight; didn't want to let the darkness claim her again. It was covered in moss around the entrance, a slow rain storm taking place just outside. Along the inside, was a massive workshop. It seemed to be sectioned off.

Melody was standing inside the entrance, on a mat that said “Welcome! Rest your head.” Further in was the main room. It was a full magical lab! A cauldron sat in the center of the lab. Potion bottles lined the far wall, hanging on a large pegboard rack. On both sides, cabinets were built into the wall. This placed seemed familiar to Melody, like a childhood scent you can't quite place but associate a fond memory with. There were two brewing stations, both currently in use.

To the left of the lab, still in the same room, was the beginning of hardwood flooring. It covered a large, house-like area's floor. A large, pink, circular carpet sat in the middle of the floor. A blue beanbag was against the left wall, next to a small bookcase filled with fairytales and spellbooks. Along the far wall, a bad had been built and screwed into the cave wall. It was nearly made. The lab doubled as a kitchen, a homemade refrigerator in the corner of the home-like side of the room. Lily smiled at Melody, just staring at her silently and enjoying her warmth.

The lab ended with access to a hallway. It was more like an opening, considering this was a cave. It ended in a doorway that opened cautiously to reveal an older looking Zebra monk. He stepped out, looking around for the source of the sound, and then gasped when he saw Melody. He hurried toward her, grabbing her in a tight hug and giving her happy squeezes.

“Melody!” He spoke in a thick zebra accent. Melody was flooded with memories for a moment, potion brewing and adventuring and demon killing and magic training. A zebra friend by her side. Language barriers never mattering. A tear formed in the corner of her eye as she squeezed him back. One of her oldest and closest friends, who she knew simply by the name Nickolas, or Nick for short. 

Nickolas had aged since Melody had last seen him. His coat seemed duller, his mohawk mane flatter than she was used to. Time had taken its toll. For a moment she saw something flicker through his eyes, almost too fast to tell. Was he worried? Anxious? He seemed happy to see her.

Melody smiled warmly. 

“It's great to see you, my friend!” She nodded at him as their hug parted. “It's been quite awhile since I've shown up around here, hasn't it? Been on any quests lately?” She teased at Nick. A frown briefly flashed across his face.

“I'm afraid not, dear friend. Time does not slow, even for me.” Nick gestured to his body. “Those days are sadly behind me. I had hoped you would return before this point, but…” he turned away and bit his lip before turning back to her. “But I understand you had other obligations.” He gestured to Lily, who gave an almost guilty chuckle. 

Melody tried not to show her pain in her face. She had neglected her best friend for this quest, her daughter.. time she couldn't get back for them, no matter how many spells she casted. Melody was gifted with immortality, but it was beginning to feel more like a curse. She choked back her tears and instead changed the subject. 

“Hey! Your pony language has gotten much better!” Melody interjected. Nick gave a wide grin. 

“I'm glad you noticed! Much time alone has given me time to educate myself. Recently, your lover has given me pleasant company to…” he thank for a moment, silently mouthing something over and over. “Perform my skills.” Melody gave him an approving nod to indicate he had gotten it right. 

“I hate to change the subject again, but.. what happened? How is she normal again? Is… she, dead?” Melody questioned, staring at Lily and scanning her up and down as if she could disappear at any moment and only be redrawn from memory.

Nick gave a proud smile. 

“I have freed her from the demon's hold. She no longer inhabits your lover. Unfortunately, this means she is free to posess another being, and every day she grows stronger. My home is protected by a set of runes to ward her off, but I fear they will not last forever as Lucile grows stronger. She is out for your blood.” Nick frowned and put a hoof on Melody's shoulder. “You may stay in my cave for a few weeks, but I am afraid you are not safe here. I cannot protect as I once could, my sanctuary no longer a safe space. I have aged, and my talent is not what it once was.” Nick said, sadness visible in those tired old eyes. 

Melody struggled not to burst into tears, but it has been weeks, maybe months since she had been safe from danger, and this Zebra had just saved her for the moment. She moved Nick's hoof away. 

“It’s fine. I'm a nomad, you know this. But I would love to hear as much from you two as possible. It's been.. forever, since I've been able to talk to you two.” Melody sighed, making a beeline for the bed nearby. Lily settled next to Melody to hold her. Nick grinned at the two, and trotted to the kitchen portion of the cave. He began to make some kind of baked fruit meal, preparing ingredients in a baking pan and covering it. He set it on top of the cauldron on a wire metal holder, lighting the cauldron with a stomp of his hoof. No matter what he said, he was still a powerful magic user.

The smell of baking fruit filled the room. Nick headed to the front of the cave, closing a large curtain that blocked out the rain and kept the cave nice and warm. Melody held Lily tight, the two too scared to say anything that might ruin the perfect moment. Melody slowly closed her eyes, knowing she was safe and warm.

Melody drifted off to sleep to the sound of the boiling cauldron, Nick turning pages in a book, Lily's warmth, and the slow rise and fall of her chest.

-

When Melody awoke, it was not to danger. It was not to darkness, it was not to fear. It was to love and kindness, to the warmth of Lily beside her. She had a restful sleep, and for once, a moment of solace. Melody slowly lifted herself up and pushed out of the blankets. Lily blindly reached for her. Melody smiled and settled back down next to her, giving her a gentle smooch as Lily wrapped her hooves around her.

“I've missed you.. so much..” Lily muttered. A tear trickled down her face. “I was scared I would never see you again.” Lily admitted, holding her tighter. Melody swallowed hard and squeezed her tighter. She thought very carefully about what to say. 

“I've missed you too. I've gone through hell to be with you again. I met the devil and beat her ass.” Melody winked. She wiped Lily's tear away.

“Unfortunately, we’re not out of the woods yet. There’s a very complex set of things happening right now, and it’s just.. It’s so much.” Melody sighed uncomfortably. The feeling didn’t last for long as she rested next to he marefriend, the warmth of her embrace reviving her like a phoenix from the flame.

“To put it as clearly as I can… Ok. So, I have the ability to traverse multiple dimensions, at different times. I’ve gone through hundreds, thousands of these to find one where you are alive and well. But I made a mistake, a long time ago.” Melody sighed and bit her lip, studying Lily’s face. Lily tried not to show much emotion, listening to the astounding tale.

“I traded…” She paused for a moment and swallowed hard. “I traded our daughter. Card Trick. I traded her to a gypsy mare for infinite life. I don’t age. I can still die, of course, but I haven’t aged a day in thousands of years.” Melody sighed as she felt a shiver run through Lily’s body. Lily’s lip quivered, and tears swelled in her eyes.

“But no! I can get her back. I know how to, and I know I can. But there is a bigger problem.” Melody rushed out before Lily could speak. “There is a demon. Her name is Lucy. She is a powerful demon whose power knows almost no bounds. And she wants to eat my soul. She feeds on suffering and anguish.” Melody rolled her eyes and nodded. “Yes, I know, this is fucking insane. But it gets worse.” Melody admitted.

“So, there's this other version of me. She wears a cloak with a hood. She calls herself One, and she said she had to kill me because there can only be One version of me that succeeds in creating a successful timeline where we’re a nice happy family. We weren’t able to kill each other, so she sent me on my way here to get you.” Melody took a moment to take another deep breath.   

“Now that I’ve got all of this explained, I’ll get to what needs to be done. I need to leave here soon. I have to take care of Lucy before she can wreak any more havoc. She’s achieved occult level status in some places, or so I’ve heard. So I have to kill her now.”

Melody let the long winded explanation hang in the air for a moment. Lily opened her mouth, then stopped. Then did so again. 

“That’s.. A lot to digest right now. Nick told me a lot of things about Lucy. I know I was possessed. For me, it was like a very long sleep.. Filled with nightmares and anxiety. But I’m okay now, my love. And right now, we have each other. I trust you.” Lily pressed forward and held Melody tighter. “And I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the whole entire world.” 

Melody felt a single tear roll down her cheek. She gripped Lily tightly and fluttered her wings softly. 

Melody couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t ruin the moment, so she kissed Lily’s forehead and held her until she slipped into unconsciousness once more.

The next time she woke up, the rain had stopped and the curtain in front of the cave was open. Her bed was empty, and no pony seemed to be around. 

She clambered out of the makeshift bed and slipped her robe on, patting it down to make sure everything was still in the correct position. She clipped on her under layer of metal body armor. There was an eerie silence. Something didn’t feel right. Melody swallowed hard. These things always seemed to happen, didn’t they?

Slow hoof-steps came down the hallway of the cave, from the direction of Nick’s bedroom. Melody gripped the sword in her cloak and slowly turned to see who was approaching her.

There at the entrance to the kitchen, stood and eerily familiar mare with an equally eerie face. She pursed her lips into a scowl, and began to speak. 

“It seems like One couldn’t finish the job after all.”