------- Melody’s Tale - Westward -------

The white, blank background was beginning to become familiar to Melody. She had been here twice already, and this was the third time.

“I swear,” she grumbled, rubbing her sore rear. This time, she had fallen over when they had been slammed into the alternate reality. “I’m never going to get used to that…”

“Hah. You fell.” Verse offered his hand, chuckling at her misfortune.

“Shut up, you.” Melody scowled even as she accepted his help, still rubbing the sore spot.

“Well. Now what?”

“I guess we wait for her to show up…”

“For who to show up?”

“Gah!” Melody jumped as Fluttershy’s voice made them both wheel about, spotting the nude avian amongst the rest of the white background. If Fluttershy was attractive clothed, she was beyond that nude. Her frame reminded Melody how completely feminine Fluttershy was. The avian was probably in her sexual prime, looking for a true love to settle down with. Somehow, though, there was no sexual attraction. Melody could appreciate Fluttershy’s beautiful body, her naturally good looks, and her alluring posture… But she felt no inclination to have sex with the avian. In fact, Melody couldn’t recall ever feeling that way whenever they arrived in this place. Even towards her brother, whose bare body obviously was very attractive.

“I’m sorry, did I frighten you?” Fluttershy raised her hand, as if to lay it on Melody’s shoulder, her expression worried.

“No, no…” Melody waved her off, smiling warmly. “Just… A little shocking is all. This place has a habit of making things appear behind you.” She sighed and looked up, beckoning Fluttershy closer.

“Have you… Done this before?” Fluttershy asked hesitantly.

“Twice, technically… You remember with Twilight? Were you there for Dash, as well?”

“No, I’m afraid I was busy that day with Dash. She does seem much more different, though. Her wings are beautiful.” Indeed they were… Melody remembered well what they did with Dash, and how violently the brash avian had reacted to her transformation… How this change would affect Fluttershy, neither of them knew.

“Well… With Dash, the transformation was very shocking. In fact, she almost hurt herself in a panic when it happened.”

“Oh, my… Believe me, though. I know how valuable it is to be relaxed when someone else is doing something to you… I will try my hardest not to interrupt.” Fluttershy’s smile was both disarming and reassuring at the same time. She and Verse nodded at one another before joining hands. Together in a slightly uneven triangle, she and Verse summoned their magic…

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“So… That actually went rather well, right?” Lily asked as all three of them rose up.

“Were you not watching? Through the link?” Melody asked, rubbing her eyes. Why did she feel so tired? It was like she had been awake for a week… Melody felt like all the strength had gone from her body. She wobbled on her feet, fighting to stay upright… What was wrong?

“Hon… We all stopped watching. Three days ago.” The silence was oppressive. At least, until Melody passed out…

When she woke, it was in bed next to Verse. Her dreams had been a muddled mess of confusing images and sounds. It was restful, whatever she had been doing… Was it sleeping? She groaned and rolled up onto her side, turning her back to her brother. She was thankfully clothed. She lay there for a few long moments, trying to make sense of all that had happened… She and Verse had touched Fluttershy with their magic, just as they had with Dash and Twilight… And then it was three days later? Or how many days was it? She was so confused…

“Aah. You’re awake. Good morning, sleepyhead.” Lily slipped into the room, smiling at both of her children. Verse slumbered blissfully on.

“Morning… Ugh.” Melody smacked her lips, working her tongue against the musty taste of morning mouth… That was likely a week or so old by now. She REALLY needed to clean up…

“Don’t worry. I took care of… You know… Bathroom stuff.” Lily sat down next to Melody, rubbing her shoulder softly. Melody peered up at her mother with wide eyes, a little afraid at what they had done. Not for herself. She was fine… But for Fluttershy.

“Is she…?”

“Fit and healthy. She’s been working at the compound and helping me with you two for five straight days.” Lily said with a nod. “She hasn’t slept yet. What’s more, it doesn’t seem like she needs to. You did it.” Melody breathed a sigh of relief, even as Lily leaned in to kiss her forehead. “I’m so proud of you. Both of you.”

“Thanks, mom… Uum…” Melody squirmed a little, feeling an urge arise. “I gotta…”

“Oh! Right! C’mon, kiddo.”

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“It seems like we just got here, though…” Verse muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Hmm? Maybe because you’ve been out for five days.” Fluttershy teased, patting his stomach with the back of her hand. “I’ve seen you for almost three whole weeks.”

“I am sorry about that,” Melody interjected, hoisting her pack up onto her back. Fluttershy turned to her with a smile. “We didn’t know WE would be the ones who had an adverse reaction… And I REALLY didn’t mean to take you away from work for those three days…” After Verse and Melody had done what they did, their bodies were too exhausted to do anything else. They slept for five days straight, and had to rest for another few days after that before they were able to walk on their own. Three days later, they were preparing to leave. Apparently, they hadn’t planned on staying in Fillydelphia that long. While the city was just as safe as any these days, it seemed Twilight was not comfortable with the three of them so close to Canterlot and the recent skirmishes that had flared up.

When Melody had asked if there was anything they could do to help, Lily had answered in Twilight’s words, using the link. ‘Just work on getting out of Fillydelphia… I’m tempted to send you South right away, to get further. Baltimare should be safe, though.’ Melody groaned and acquiesced, if reluctantly. She had REALLY wanted to stay and help more at the hospital… She had learned so much in the week before they had awakened Fluttershy.

“Don’t worry about it, Melody. I’m just glad we got the time together we did. Granted, much of it was… You know… Talking to a sleeping person…” She chuckled and wrapped her arms around Melody as best she could, pulling Verse into the group hug as well. Lily joined in, and they held that embrace for a long while… When it ended, Melody had to fight back tears. They shined in everyone’s eyes, even Fluttershy’s.

“Think about it this way,” Lily said gently. “This isn’t goodbye… It’s just-“

“See you later.” Fluttershy finished the thought, making them all smile, at least marginally. One last quick hug, and they were off… Fluttershy watched them all disappear into the sky, not moving from her spot until she lost sight of the three dots on the horizon. Whenever Melody looked back, she saw the beautiful avian’s slender arm raised in a goodbye wave.

“Where to next?” Verse asked much later. They spent close to three hours flying in silence, the rising sun at their backs.

“Baltimare.” Lily answered stoically. “And… It seems like Cloudsdale is going to be a viable stop along the way. Twilight says it’s maybe three miles off-course between Baltimare and Southbay.” After that, the only sound was the roaring of the wind and the flapping of wings… They flew as long as they dared, pushing tired muscles. Why? Melody didn’t know… But when they finally left the metropolis of Fillydelphia and made it out into the countryside, she felt like she could breathe again… She hadn’t realized it, but Fillydelphia was a filthy, oppressive place. How Fluttershy could ever stand it, she’d never know…

Now, underneath a clear blue sky with rolling green hills and lush grass from horizon to horizon, Melody felt relaxed and at-home. She realized she would never be able to live in a large city like Fillydelphia… This was where she belonged. Out under the wide blue sky with wind in her hair and adrenaline fueling her every movement… Being the best flyer of the three, Melody took the time to do some loops and dives, enjoying the feel of flying free. She just wished her pack wasn’t weighing her down. Maybe when they stopped for the night, she’d take a little while for an unhindered flight…

“Dash wants to know if you’ve tried flying naked yet.” Lily suddenly called out. Melody faltered in her flight, flapping hard to correct the mistake as she stared at her mother’s grinning face incredulously.

“Wh-WHAT?!” She stuttered. Lily laughed so hard she nearly fell out of the sky herself. It was getting later on in the day, and Verse looked like he needed a break. Melody followed her mother’s descent down to the nearest hilltop, the three of them landing less than gracefully. Lily was still laughing at Melody. “What did you say?!” Melody asked, still shocked.

“Dash wanted to know if you’ve tried flying naked yet. She says there’s nothing like it.” Lily managed to choke out between chuckling and wiping tears away. Melody flushed furiously, and even Verse seemed embarrassed. Though that could be attributed to his heavy breathing. They all sat down and pulled an impromptu dinner out of their packs, mostly dried jerky and water. Verse had some fruit he had brought along with him from Fillydelphia. To Melody, it tasted like the choking air spewed from the factories.

“How is Dash, by the way?” Melody asked about halfway through their meal. Daylight was fading, and Melody wondered if she had the energy for a solo flight… Let alone a nude one.

“She’s fine,” Lily said, brushing crumbs off of her stomach with a sigh. “Still hasn’t adjusted to flying when her feathers drop off and grow back almost continually, but she’s getting along…” Melody watched her mother’s expression sort of fade off, as she had seen each of the six do whenever they went into the link… “Yes, she says she’s doing well. The diversion into Hearth is going smoothly. The chimera have almost completely withdrawn from Stalliongrad, and are about halfway gone from Trottingham. They say in two month’s time, the chimera won’t be a factor in the war…” She came back with a few blinks, smiling at them. Melody shook her head in awe of the link… What a truly powerful bit of magic.

“I think…” Verse said, yawning wide. “I’m going to get some rest.”

“That’s a good idea…” Lily agreed, nodding tiredly. While Melody felt pretty worn, she wasn’t quite ready to sleep just yet… She stood and stretched, leaving her pack behind. “You’re not going to sleep?” Lily asked, looking up at Melody even as she started unrolling her bed. Melody looked out over the surrounding countryside, the open, wide plains dotted here and there by shrubs or a lone strand of trees… The wind ruffled her hair playfully, almost begging her.

“I don’t think so…” She said softly, inhaling through her nose. She exhaled the breath, feeling the tension melt away, her muscles relaxing in an instant. “I think… I’m going to go for a walk.” Lily looked at her inquisitively for a moment before shrugging one shoulder and curling up in her bedroll. Verse, for all anyone could tell, was already asleep.

As she padded down the hillside, Melody was alone. Perfectly, wonderfully alone… The bright, full moon began to rise over the horizon, even as the last strains of a dying day burned a toasty, dull orange on the western horizon. She inhaled deeply the scent of fresh countryside, open air and grass. Vegetation. Life.

Melody wasn’t even aware that she had lifted off… It came so naturally to her, so easily, that the only indication she was even airborne was the wind tugging her long hair. She lost herself in the breeze, subjected herself to the winds, and flew with the current. In that moment, Melody could forget everything that had happened, everything that was expected of her… For a few blissful minutes… It was just Melody and the sky.

At least, until the first arrow whizzed past her ear. At first, Melody didn’t think anything of it. She thought it was a trick to the wind, a strange updraft or a powerful gust… But her mind scrambled for a few moments, thinking about what had just happened. She felt a fluttering, buzzing wind… It had actually touched her ear… Smacked it, even… Whatever it was… It had cut her. Her eyes snapped open in an instant. Someone was shooting at her!

Melody immediately twisted into a dive, heading for the ground. Two more arrows flew by, cutting through the air with a vicious, rattling sound, like high-paced blades cutting through grass. She swooped out of the dive ten feet from the ground, shifting out of her wings and tucking into a roll. Her forward momentum carried her across a hillside, her feet scrambling for a moment before she skidded to a stop. There, atop the next hill, a group of five figures stood out amongst the dark background of the sky. Three of them had bows raised, arrows drawn. She gasped and threw up a shield, two of the arrows fizzling away against her impromptu defense. The third shattered through, cutting the flesh on her shoulder. Melody felt her left arm go limp, a numb sort of feeling taking hold of that side of her body. She grunted against the white-hot flash of pain, one hand raising to build another, stronger shield. Just in time, too, since another two arrows arced out of the darkness to shatter against the solid wall of magic. She re-enforced it, pouring more magic into the pattern.

She did what all healers do, at least for a moment. She forgot about everything else. The pain, her attackers, the way her arm tingled and wouldn’t quite respond to her nervous impulses… Another arrow clattered away against her shield, though she didn’t register it. Her attention was fixed solely on the arrow protruding from her shoulder. She looked over the same wounded shoulder, spotted a bloody tip poking out from the back. Good. A through-and-through. Using a thin thread of magic, she sheared the wooden shaft off below where the metallic head was attached, then firmly grasped the base, just below the feathers. Exhaling, Melody drew the remainder of the arrow out through her skin, wincing just a little at the fresh wave of white-hot pain. Feeling returned to her fingers, and she was at least able to flex them. Working a bit of quick magic, Melody stopped the bleeding and focused on her attackers once more.

One of whom was directly in front of her, wielding a wicked-looking knife. She watched, eyes wide, as he raised the knife, ready to cut her down.

Time slowed.

Melody exhaled, her voice lifting in a long, loud scream that didn’t seem to come soon enough.

Her hands were afire with magic, lifting slowly… Ever so slowly…

Too slowly.

She shifted.

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“MELODY!” Verse bellowed, his hands cupped around his mouth. He could hardly hear himself over the sound of the rushing wind, but he knew she would be able to. Wherever she was… If she even was anymore… The morning had dawned bleak and misty, a heavy fog clinging to the ground all around. Verse was the first to wake, but it was only him and Lily on the hilltop… Melody’s pack was there, but his sister was nowhere to be found. First came the questions, then the panic… He and Lily now flew over the landscape, searching through the slowly dissipating mist for Melody.

“Verse! There!” Lily pointed to a dark stain in the mist, a shadow amongst shadows… Verse narrowed his eyes, but saw the blur begin to gain definition. The first thing he noticed were the misshapen lumps. The next, and this made his heart hammer in his ears, was the blood. Black, viscous blood. Lots of it.

“Melody!” Verse’s panicked scream broke through the still morning mist, even as he poured on the heat. When he landed, he stumbled and fell, scrambled to his feet, and dashed into the center of the carnage. “Oh no, oh no, oh no,” He chanted it like a prayer, his eyes turning faster than his head could keep up with. All around were broken and mangled bodies, black blood, and long, vicious-looking gouge marks. Whatever had happened here was not good. Not good at all.

“Uuhn…” The thin groan froze both of them. Lily, while markedly more level-headed than Verse, was still panicked. Both of them stared at one another, ears piquing towards the sound… “Uuh…” It came once more, maybe just a little more pronounced than it had been… Verse whirled around, looking for the sound… In the mist, things were very confusing. When he thought he saw movement, he dashed towards it, searching a small pile of bodies for whatever lay underneath…

“Lily! I found her!” Verse’s panicked voice rang out through the mist, and his mother soon helped him extract the unconscious girl from the mess. She was smeared with the viscous blood, marked with a few wounds herself. When she was free of the dead bodies all around, Verse immediately set to work. His hands glowed as they worked over her, closing wounds and healing bruises as best he could. There was a nasty gash on her thigh that would require professional attention, but Verse did what he could for it before moving on. Melody slowly began to come around…

“Hnn… Verse?” She muttered, her eyes fluttering as they half-opened.

“Shh. Lay still.” Verse urged. His hands were working on knitting a broken bone in her calf. “Where’s mom?”

“I’m here, love. Just lay still, let your brother work.” Lily’s voice shifted as she spoke, soft footfalls following her as she moved about. She was obviously trying to make sense of what had happened… To Verse, it almost appeared as if Lily had seen this sort of mess before… Verse knew what it was. Or he at least had an idea… Right now, though, his sister’s wounds required all of his attention.

“She’s on her way.” Lily said after another minute of walking around.

“Who?”

“Fluttershy. She’s bringing an emergency response team. They’ll be here in seven hours. Can you keep her stable until then?”

“I can sure as hell try.” Verse muttered, looking down at Melody. He passed hand over her injured thigh. “This cut here is going to be her undoing, if anything. The others are fine.”

“Can you use a tourniquet?”

“Not for seven hours. She’ll lose the leg if I do.”

“Right… Hang on.” Lily pulled the pack off of Verse’s back, interrupting his work for just a moment. Once it was off, Verse was able to breathe a little deeper, focus a little better. He couldn’t see what Lily was up to, but there was the sound of fabric rustling behind him. When he glanced over his shoulder, he was greeted with Lily’s bare form, struggling to fit into the trousers that Hurricane had given Melody. He quickly looked back to his work, knowing now what she was up to.

When Lily whistled long and clear, a piercing scream filled the skies. Through the mist, Verse saw the immense form of the massive roc emerge, flapping it’s wings, making the mist swirl and billow. He covered his sister’s body, his hands still glowing as he fought to keep the bleeding stemmed.

”Hmm? Verse, is that you? What poor creature has been wounded so? Is this changel-“ The roc’s introduction was cut short as it finally caught sight of Verse’s charge. ”Oh my… Child, this is not good… What is wrong? How can I assist?”

“Are you able to heal?” Lily spoke for Verse, who was still working at Melody’s injured leg. Her artery was endangered, close to rupturing. He fought to keep the pressure off the thick vein, to keep it from opening and turning this wound truly fatal.

”I’d do more harm than good… I’ve the power to heal the sky and the wind, but not one such as yourselves. Not even a regular human or avian or magi… This is beyond me.”

“Please, clear this fog, then. We have help coming, though they are a long ways away. They will need to see us when they arrive.” Lily pleaded, her tone sounding very desperate. Verse glanced up to see his mother, clothed in Melody’s tunic and trousers, speaking with the massive god. Hurricane’s brilliant red and green feathers seemed dulled in the mists.

”Pah! I’ll do more than clear the mist! I’ll assist the help in their arrival. Brace yourselves!” Hurricane’s wings spread wide, the whooshing sound coming as a dull roar in Verse’s ears. He grimaced at the noise, hands still glowing as they worked at the wound. It was worsening… The internal pressure of Melody’s skin was trying to equalize, and the extra muscles and veins were bulging in around the artery, threatening to cut it off or rupture it. He tried to hold them in place while stemming the tide from the veins already cut. If he were more skilled in healing, this might be easy. But Verse’s magic had always been strong, not very dexterous. While he had learned much from Ephemira, he still wasn’t as good a healer as Melody.

“Hang on!” Lily said suddenly. Verse glanced up, spotted the dark spot in the sky above them. The sound of a low, dull roar began to intensify, to grow louder in his ears. His hands clamped down on Melody’s thighs, his body leaning over hers. When the wind broke upon them, Melody’s frail body threatened to tumble over, both of them skidding across the grass a few inches. He grunted and dug his toes in, stopping their advance, if just barely. He forced his eyes closed, shuddering in the chill gust that blew past them. When it was over, he blinked and looked up, the sun’s light shining brightly now. The oppressive mist was all but gone, just the faint streamers following Hurricane as he flew back to the East.

“The benefits of having a god as a friend.”

“Tell me about it.” Lily grunted, straightening herself. She looked worriedly down at Melody, who had since fallen unconscious once more. Verse immediately set back in to work, trying to ignore the ringing in his ears and the ruffled feeling he was experiencing in the aftermath of the god’s overhead passing…

The hours dragged on. Verse was finally able to regulate the pressure around the artery, but Melody was still losing a lot of blood, and was still in danger of de-stabilizing. The less-than-sanitary environment wasn’t helping, either. The stinking, black blood all over smelled like burned insects… Like a moth that had flown too close to the flame of a lamp. Lily had resorted to pacing back and forth restlessly, her expression vacant. Verse could only guess she was conversing with the others through the link. They weren’t particularly close to any one of them in particular, save for Fluttershy, who was anywhere from three to six hours away. Less, now that Hurricane had gone to help them… Verse began to wonder what an emergency response team really was, if they were magi or avians or both… Fluttershy was tireless, but she wasn’t a very skilled flyer, from what he had heard.

“There they are!” Lily nearly squealed with excitement. She pointed to a spot behind Verse’s back, one that he couldn’t see very well without turning completely away from Melody. That was something else he didn’t feel like risking at that moment. How long had it been since Hurricane left? Four hours? Five? Better than seven, that was sure, but still… Verse was flagging. His eyes threatened to close any second. “Hang on, buddy. They’re almost here.”

“Kay.” He grunted, forcing himself to focus. Lily looked very pale. Her breathing was shallow and very faint. Verse focused so hard, he didn’t even notice when the thudding footfalls sounded around him.

“Verse, it’s me.” Fluttershy’s voice broke his reverie. He looked up into her eyes, his own very wide and teary. “You did a great job. Let us take over. Let us help her.”

“Please…” He muttered, the tears spilling over. Two of them slid down his cheeks, dripping off of his chin to fall unchecked onto the grass below. “Help her…” The transition was flawless. He felt the tingle of magic as three pairs of hands replaced his own. The brilliant glow of mixed lights completely burned out his own sickly, weak green glow. Fluttershy squeezed his arm with a smile, and his eyes slid closed… The last word he spoke before he passed out was his sister’s name…

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”Hmm… It’s been a while, Melody…” The voice was low, full of menace, and very frightening. Melody felt a shiver pass through her system as it pulsed through her being, making her shudder. She felt naked. Exposed. And very, very afraid… Like a small child cowering from the beast in their closet… Only this beast was anything but imaginary. This beast was very real, very threatening, and standing directly before her. Try as she might, Melody couldn’t get her eyes to close… Couldn’t get her breathing regular. She couldn’t look away, cower, curl up, or scream. She just had to watch as the tall, frightening creature approached her.

Melody knew who it was. She knew very well. This woman, or thing, or whatever it was, had plagued her nightmares erratically, sometimes every day for a week, and other times she’d go a whole month or even two without seeing her. Tall, slender, her arms and legs filled with holes… At least, the one remaining arm she had. The other, her right, was sheared off just above the elbow. The remaining appendage was ragged, filled with round holes that flapped and jiggled in an obscene fashion. Her teal hair was the same color as Melody’s… Her eyes the same neon green. Melody managed to choke the name…

“Chrysalis…”

”Aah, but to you, my dear… I’m known as ‘my queen.’ At least, for a short while longer.” Chrysalis slowly closed the gap between the two of them, the slender fingers of her left hand raising to caress Melody’s cheek. The touch was as cold as ice and three times as chilling. Melody flinched, but couldn’t pull away.

”Don’t fret, child… I haven’t been fighting an eighteen-year war for nothing. My power is fading… What you did to my patrol unit was evidence of that. Here I thought I had delayed the inevitable longer… Ah well.” She shrugged and pulled away, her fingers leaving searing marks on Melody’s cheek. She thought they did, anyways… It sure felt like her skin was on fire.

”You see… I started this war for one purpose. I wanted to sit on the throne of a country so filled with love that I would reign forever. My changelings would infest every corner of Equestria, surreptitiously feeding off of every man, woman, and child. With your mother’s discovery of the essences, I would feed off of every soul from here to Hearth and back again. Every one of my changelings who had sex would feed from them, deliver their soul to me, and I, in turn, would live forever…” Her expression wilted, turning from a smug grin into an ugly scowl.

”Shame that won’t be the case… No, Equestria’s forces are far too resilient, too strong for me to overpower on the military front… I can’t have what I want. So I’ll see to it that none of you can, either.” Chrysalis started pacing a slow circle around Melody. For the times that the matte-black-skinned creature walked around her, Melody felt her chest tighten with fear. When she saw the nasty look on Chrysalis’ face, though, the fear didn’t abate. It remained, cold and slimy and pulsing, deep within her chest. Chrysalis spoke again, her tone still low and menacing.

”Since I am eventually going to die and a new king or queen will take my place, I’ll see to it that whoever rules my horde after me has nothing to rule but a barren, scorched wasteland. If I die, then so do my changelings. If I die, Melody…” Chrysalis turned to face her once more, her grin back. ”So will everything you have ever loved.”

Melody wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to run away and hide in a hole and wait for the end this woman so adamantly promised. It gripped her heart with terror, made her eyes dilate and her breath pulse fast and hard from her open mouth.

”But.” Melody froze. Not that she was moving, but the parts that were froze solid. Her breathing stopped, her eyes quivered slightly before settling on Chrysalis’ thin black lips. ”I have a proposition…” Melody felt her hopes soar. Anything! Anything she asked, Melody would do. Anything to stop the cold, black swarm from enveloping all of Equestria. All of the world.

”Oh, not yet, darling. No, no… Not yet… You need to see what I’m capable of.” Dread. Fear. Anxiety. Again, they swept through her. Melody grimace at the metallic taste of bile in her mouth. ”It’s time for you to wake up now, dear. Your ‘family’ needs you. I’ll see you again soon, Melody. I promise. And the next time I come, I’ll come with a proposal. One that, I think, you’ll accept readily. As for what I’m capable of… Well…” Chrysalis’ grin was devious. Melody thought she could die in the grip of Chrysalis’ cold, green eyes.

”You just go see with your own two eyes what’s left of Baltimare.”