-------- Melody’s Tale - Betrayal --------

Following their episode in Baltimare, Melody, Verse, and Lily were all much more reserved than they normally were. They hardly spoke, and when they did it was short and clipped. They were somber and moody, and more often than not, Melody cried herself to sleep quietly. The group of four medics that had followed them said their farewells, and when asked where they were going, they said they’d try to fly north to meet up with whoever was arriving from Canterlot. If no one was coming, then they would personally share the bad news.

That, and true to her word, Chrysalis visited in Melody’s dream once again.

”So. You’ve seen what a determined changeling force can accomplish. You realize that if I don’t get what I want from you, I’ll personally burn every city I can, kill as many as I can.” Melody didn’t doubt it. Chrysalis had already demonstrated her power. She had leveled an entire city, left nothing standing in her wake. Then she had vanished. There wasn’t a single changeling to be found in the three days they had been travelling away from Baltimare.

“Wh… What do you want?” Melody whimpered, shaking with the terror. She hated this dreamscape. It was just as barren as the white place they went to, but completely black. No amount of light or shadow, just complete and utter darkness. Chrysalis stood out easily enough, but as she paced around the immobile Melody, she would disappear and reappear from her vision, making Melody’s heart jump.

”Simple, darling.” Chrysalis smiled, her face appearing out of nothingness before Melody. ”You help me take Canterlot from the inside out. If you put me on that throne, Melody, I can guarantee everyone lives. Granted, they’ll exist almost solely as sustenance for me and my changelings, but they’ll live. They can run about and fall in love and toil away at fruitless things. Either that, or…” Her eyes flashed dangerously, filling Melody with a horrid sense of dread once more. ”I kill as many as I can before I’m done.” Chrysalis faded away, leaving Melody alone in the dark, but her voice still came across the dreamscape, making Melody shudder.

”Your choice, Melody. If you accept, you’ll find me one mile inside the southern edge of the Everfree forest. You have two weeks to get there.”

Melody awoke with a gasp. Thankfully, she avoided screaming, though she wanted to oh so badly. Tears coursed freely from her eyes, staining her hand, which was clamped against her mouth to keep her from being too audible. Across the other side of the burning fire, Verse stirred but did not wake. Lily slumbered on peacefully. Off across the open plains, crickets chirped and sang, and the air was heavy with the scent of growing grass. Slowly, Melody composed herself.

It was a warm night, for a temperate southern climate… Why did they need a fire? There was no sense in lighting a fire. Melody flicked her wrist, killing the magical flames and plunging their small camp into darkness. Once her eyes adjusted, Melody looked around. Camped out on the windward side of a small hill, they could look West out over the plains. At the edge of the horizon was a thin gash of black, darker than the blue mountains behind them. The Everfree Forest. Where Chrysalis was. Melody shuddered and stood up, glad that she could walk once more without limping. She felt the need to do so right now. She never left the sight-range of her mother and brother, walking in as wide a circle as she could manage. It felt good to stretch, to exercise a little. She let her thoughts and her eyes wander as she walked, looking for constellations, trying to think of anything other than what had just happened…

But she couldn’t shake it. Chrysalis’ threat permeated her every thought, made her think hard about the offer. If Melody took it, if she… If she betrayed Equestria, and helped Chrysalis win the throne, then they would live. If you could call it living. The only problem with that path was the trust issue… Could Melody trust Chrysalis to keep her word, and let everyone live? Or would the vicious queen turn around and kill them all anyways? Perhaps not… She DID need their love, after all… Melody gnawed on her thumbnail as she paced absently through the night, considering all the options… If she refused to work with Chrysalis, then they would likely see Baltimare happen once more. They could protect large cities… Fillydelphia had been well-protected, Southbay was easy to defend, Cloudsdale even more so… But what of smaller cities and towns? Ponyville and Appleoosa, or even Eyriewatch? If Chrysalis truly wanted, she’d likely be able to take the small city. Sighing, Melody rubbed her tired eyes, wishing she could get some more sleep.

“Huuhh!” The gasping inhalation made Melody start. She whirled around, spotting someone back at their camp sitting straight up in their bedroll. As she made her way back, she saw it was Verse. In the light of the moon, his bare chest shone with a thin layer of sweat, and he looked pale.

“You too, huh?” She asked, slowly settling down in her own bedroll. Verse looked up at her, his expression haggard.

“Yeah.” He grunted, sounding exasperated and tired.

“Was that the first time?” She asked. Verse looked at her and shook his head.

“No… Second. She came to me the night after you were hurt. After you… You know, the whole prime business.”

“Right… Well?” Melody drew her knees up to her chest, laying her chin on the crown of her kneecap. Verse wiped a hand across his face and lay on his back, looking up at the night sky.

“I don’t know, Melody.” He sounded defeated. She watched his chest rise and fall, his eyes closed. In that moment, he looked very tired, very fatigued. He probably looked not unlike herself. “What do you think? Should we help her or no? That’s… I don’t want to see another Baltimare. No one does.” She had to agree with him on that, but should they help Chrysalis?

“I don’t know, either, Verse…” Melody’s mind was still weighing heavily on Death’s command. She still had to give him five names, and time was running out… She only had one week left. Lily knew her life was forfeit if Melody couldn’t think of any names, and had told her daughter ‘I will skip into the nether with a happy tune if it means keeping you from making that choice, Melody.’ The words had touched her, sure, but they also worried her. Would Lily really be willing to give up her life just because Melody couldn’t pick one name over another? The two of them were silent for a few long moments. Melody almost felt like she could go back to sleep…

“You know what?” Verse suddenly said. “I can’t stand the thought of another Baltimare… I’m going to tell mom when she wakes up, then I’m going to the Everfree Forest.” He sat up, looking at Melody. “If it means Chrysalis takes Canterlot, then so be it… I’ll do what I can to help. But… I won’t let her cause that kind of pain and suffering again. Not ever. Not if I can do anything to stop it.” Melody listened to his words with a growing sense of dread. She knew it was true. If they didn’t help Chrysalis, the queen would continue to raze the land, one city, one town, one family, one life at a time. This was the only way they would be able to truly stop Chrysalis from hurting anyone else… And even then, they were only taking the queen on her word.

“You’re right.” Melody agreed, gently nodding her head. “I won’t let it happen, not if I can’t help it… If turning the throne over the Chrysalis is what it takes to keep everyone safe, then so be it.” She pointed her chin at Lily, who was still sleeping peacefully. “But there’s no way we can tell mom… You know she’ll forbid us going to Chrysalis.”

“You’re… Suggesting we just leave?” The way Verse asked the question made Melody feel horrible. Not that she already didn’t, but what alternative did they have? What would Lily do if she woke up and her two children told her they were going to turn themselves in to the worst enemy Equestria had ever seen? No… Lily had to remain in the grey. Melody hated herself for doing this, but when she stood up, she did so without her pack, without anything to call her own save the clothes on her back and the boots on her feet. “I can’t believe we’re doing this…” Verse muttered softly, following her lead. Silently, leaving empty bedrolls and packs behind, they slipped away from camp…

“This is madness. Absolutely bat-shit crazy.” Verse muttered quietly. Melody shushed him as they inched further into the tree cover. Earlier that morning, they had left Lily behind. Now, at around noon, both of them were inside the Everfree forest. This was a strange and eerie place that made Melody feel somewhat insecure about herself. Rumor had it the creatures here were biologically resistant to magic, making all but the most powerful spells ineffective against them. She wondered how well she and Verse would be able to defend themselves if it came down to it…

Then again, the local fauna was the furthest thing from her mind at that one particular moment. They looped around two more trees and pushed through a bush, their eyes finally lighting on the moderately large clearing. Immediately, both of them dropped to a low crouch. The only sound Melody could hear was her own heart beating in her ears.

There she was.

“Oh come now, you two…” Chrysalis’ haunting voice called out across the open space to them. “No need to be so shy. I’m happy you’ve come so soon…” Her voice was every bit as frightening as it had been in her dreams, and twice as hollow… Melody couldn’t suppress a shiver as it shot up her spine, making her swallow hard and rise to her feet. Verse followed her lead, if hesitantly. Together, the two of them approached the nightmarish figure that was Queen Chrysalis.

“Aah… Melody and Verse. Fantastic. Come, let me get a better look at you…” The two of them never strayed more than a foot apart, their elbows occasionally brushing against one another’s as they hesitantly approached Chrysalis. When they finally arrived before the tall, nightmarish woman, Chrysalis looked down at them with a smile on her thin lips. “Melody. You look like your mother. You have her eyes… And Verse. Strong and handsome. I’m sure you’ve broken your fair share of hearts.”

“Better than breaking lives.” Verse countered, his jaw set strong.

“Oh? You don’t approve of my tactics?” Chrysalis chuckled at him, a very dark and scary noise. It came straight from her throat, and it seemed to pulse through both of them. “Tell me, Verse… When you’ve lived for over four thousand years and you’re facing your doom, what lengths would you go to just to see another dawn? Hmm?” She started out sounding amused, almost like entertaining the silly thought of a child, but her voice slowly grew more and more dangerous, low, and threatening. “What would you give, what would you sacrifice, just to live another day? Or two? Then, when you discovered you could live forever, what then? What would you do to make that happen?”

“I certainly wouldn’t burn an entire city of innocent people to the ground.”

“Innocent. Bah. Two sides of the same coin, boy.” Chrysalis grunted, waving him off. “Baltimare will only be the first if I don’t get your cooperation.”

“What if we refuse to give it?” Melody asked. Her tone was not insolent, merely inquisitive. Chrysalis eyed her up and down nevertheless.

“I’ve changelings in several small towns across Equestria, as well as waiting just outside Ponyville. Refuse to cooperate, and I burn them one at a time. All the prisoners will be brought back here, and I’ll ensure you watch as I do as I please with them.” Melody shivered visibly. Anything but that…

“So you burned Baltimare just to prove a point?”

“Precicesly.”

“You’re sick.”

“I’ve been called worse by prettier-looking men than yourself, Verse.” Chrysalis countered. “I just want to see to it that I live. That, and… Well…” Chrysalis looked at Melody then, her lips curled upwards in a devious grin. “Melody knows what happens when a queen dies. Do either of you want to revisit that nightmare again?” Melody glanced sideways at Verse, who was looking at her with an inquisitive expression.

“She means the primes.” Melody groaned. “When the queen’s magic begins to fade, the primes emerge out of the regular drones and lieutenants, each of them attempting to re-establish the dominant role the queen has over all changelings… When I was injured, that’s what I shifted into… It’s sporadic, difficult to predict, but it gets worse as time goes on…”

“She’s correct, you know.” Chrysalis teased. “If I pass away, then the primes will rage unchecked until one of them is crowned. They’ll be killing one another, but anyone caught in the crossfire will undoubtedly die as well. For that purpose, I’ve sent at least a hundred changelings to every major city, each of them deep in cover. Fillydelphia, Southbay, Canterlot, Eyriewatch… All of them. I die before I get on the throne, and they ravage everything they possibly can. You put me on the throne, and you never have to worry about them again.”

“At what price?” Melody asked, shaking a little. “I mean… You have to have some ulterior motive…”

“Ulterior motive? Melody, darling, I’m just trying to survive.” Chrysalis chuckled at her. “What, you think I’m some dictator stuck on killing everyone who’s ever wronged me or something like that? Hardly. I just want to keep living. I could care less if Celestia, Luna, Lily, Twilight, or any of the others live… I may have been motivated by petty anger or vengeance when I started this war, but it quickly turned into something much more… Primal.”

“Then I want something from you… Given what you’ve said, I think it’s perfectly reasonable.” Melody said, straightening her back a little. Chrysalis eyed her up and down, but she appeared ready to listen. “I want your personal assurance as few people as possible die.” She glanced at Verse, who gave her a subtle nod. “We’ll do our best to put you at the top without any casualties, but I want you to promise you won’t kill anyone more than is absolutely necessary. And after you’re on the throne, we get to leave Canterlot. We return to our home in the south, and you never bother us again.”

“Hmm…” Chrysalis tapped her lower lip, appearing to be thinking hard. Given the absence of her right arm just above the elbow, it looked like a rather odd gesture. “I was looking forward to murdering Liliana… But, as I just said, that’s not necessary for survival. Very well. I promise you, if I take the throne, I shall not harm either of you, Liliana, Twilight Sparkle, or any of the elements of harmony. However.” She raised her hand, one finger extended. “If any of them get in the way of me, I can and will kill them. But only if they are a threat. Otherwise, I shall not let danger get even a glance at them. You see? I can be rational. This is, after all, about my survival.” Melody almost visibly sagged with relief when Chrysalis gave the promise, her body going limp for a moment. It appeared Verse was relieved as well.

“Good. Now that we have that out of the way…” Melody swallowed hard, her hand raising to rub her temples. “What do you need of us?”

“Aah, now that…” Chrysalis lifted a finger. “Is an excellent question. First thing’s first, I want to hear about everything you two have ever done. Widespread as the horde is, I don’t see everything that happens. You tell me about your run-in with Imoheen, what happened at Naga-Haal, and how you two managed to arrive at Eyriewatch after that. All of it.”

--------

Melody and Verse were, for lack of a better word, Chrysalis’ students. The changeling queen rushed them to learn as much as they could about the horde, offering drones for them to study on and talk with, the knowledge of several battle-hardened lieutenants, and even access to some sensitive books she had managed to bring with her from Canterlot. While the entire process felt incredibly rushed, the week passed by slowly. Melody would spend anywhere from four to six hours a night asleep, and the rest of the time doing nothing but studying. There may have been a mutual understanding between Chrysalis and the two of them, but Melody and Verse understood they were, more or less, prisoners.

After an entire week of studying day in and day out, Chrysalis spoke with them once more. This time, it was about Melody’s time constraint… “You said Death himself has given you an ultimatum, correct?”

“Y-yes…” Melody muttered. It was coming close to the time she was going to have to pick the names of five people to die. She dared not inform Chrysalis that Lily would be the first to go.

“I know what you are to do, then. Melody, call your master, tell him you’ve made your mind.” Melody blinked as Chrysalis glared at her, the queen’s expression set in stone. She swallowed and slowly reached a hand into her pocket. There, she found one of the seeds Death had given her. They were still stone-cold and heavy. She was glad she didn’t leave them with her pack, otherwise Death likely would have killed Lily, and who knows who else… Using her magic, she churned up a small bit of earth near her feet, then dropped the seed onto the soil.

”Death seek me this day.”

Cold. Pain. A dark abyss. All these things were soon making Melody whimper and cry, tears streaming down her face. She felt her heart hammer in her chest as the shadows amongst the trees began to coalesce, to slowly come towards the seed she had dropped… A Mord, skeletal and frightening, slowly rose up from the ground. With the sound of dried bone-on-bone, his hand pulled the hood of his robe over his bared skull, the hollow sound of his breath causing everyone present to shiver. Even Chrysalis.

”Melody Sparkle, I speak to you and you alone. You have called me, your voice is the only I shall hear… Let none other talk in your place, or their life is forfeit…” No one said a word. Chrysalis and Verse were silent. Even the changelings all around them stopped their chattering, incessant noises… The only sound was the empty breath of the Mord.

“I-I have an ultimatum from Death…” Melody managed to stutter… She suddenly felt deathly cold, her body quivering as the Mord’s empty sockets turned towards her. Shrouded as it was in it’s hood, she could still see the faint outline of the skull underneath…

”You must give five names, or Death will take five lives from you… The amount of time you have left to choose is fourteen hours, seventeen minutes, fourty-seven seconds… Have you decided? Its voice was a thin whisper, eerie as it washed through her, yet it vibrated in her chest, making her breath catch in her throat…

“I have decided.” She nodded.

”The names?”

“Have not been given to me… With your permission, Mord, I would hear from another…”

”This is your will?” The Mord’s raspy breath made her shiver.

“It is.” She blurted.

”Allow the one with the names to speak… If it is your will that they die, then they shall die… None other may speak than Melody Sparkle and the one with the names…”

“Chrysalis…” Melody panted. “Tell him the names… Please…” The queen, previously silent, suddenly started as the Mord turned its lifeless gaze upon her. She worked her mouth a few times before listing off the names of five individuals, each one of them preceded by the word ‘General.’ The Mord nodded at each one, before turning back to Melody.

”Five names have been given. Five bodies will fall. Five souls will be claimed. Do you acquiesce?” Melody and Chrysalis shared a look. Between them, there was nothing but pure hatred. Chrysalis hated Melody because the five names weren’t exactly whom she wanted them to be. Melody hated Chrysalis for giving her five names at all. Chrysalis nodded finally, sealing the deal. Melody felt the blood and strength leave her body. She was going to kill these five men.

“I… I agree.”

”They shall die.”

With a quick, sudden motion, the Mord gripped his wicked-looking scythe in both his skeletal hands. With a sound not unlike metal shearing flesh apart, the Scythe cut through the air. Melody watched as five misty apparitions appeared suddenly, each of them clutching at their throats, their eyes bulging in their heads. The Mord gripped them one by one, pulling the apparitions into his own body, swallowing them through its open mouth. Melody realized she had just seen five souls being reaped. Somewhere in the world, five men had just died.

In an instant, the Mord was gone. Melody wept. Chrysalis shrugged the whole thing off like it never happened. She spoke, her tone bored and dull… Though Melody could swear she heard the undertone of triumph in the queen’s voice…

“Your job has been learning for the past week,” She said curtly. “Now, your job is to practice. Just like any other changeling, I’m giving you two an assignment. To prove yourselves, so to speak. Fly north, to Stalliongrad, and successfully impersonate a husband and wife. While you’re at it, I want you to study ancient fauna in Hearth at the library there, and report back to me your findings. You will impersonate that couple for at least one week. I will have a drone check in on you daily. Look for the library aide named Jon McIntyre. He is a changeling. Now, go. You have a long flight ahead of you.

Without question, the two of them left immediately. Outwardly, they appeared worn and exhausted. Inwardly, both Melody and Verse were glad to be away from the horde. The ever-present drone of hundreds upon thousands of wings, the beady green eyes watching their every move, the tireless studying… Melody flew as fast and hard as she could away from where the changelings were in the Everfree forest, flying north towards Stalliongrad. She and Verse remained silent for three whole days, saying nothing and looking at one another very briefly. Both of them knew what the other felt… Betrayal, sickness, concern, and most importantly, peril. Their lives were forfeit if they didn’t do this properly… Every night they camped under the stars, Melody cried herself to sleep over what she had done.

Only once Stalliongrad came into sight did they finally speak. Even then, it was short and clipped, only meant to talk about their current objective. “Them?” Melody asked, pointing down from their vantage point.

“Hmm, too far from the library right now. We’ll follow them home.” They tailed a happy-looking couple, but found they were staying in a nice-looking house halfway across the large city from the library they needed. Flying over the rooftops, they were shifted into two average-looking avians, blending in almost perfectly with the others that flitted here and there. They managed to evade any patrols by landing in the streets below and hiding in a shadowy doorway here or there. Eventually, though, the patrols became too numerous for them to fly without being accosted. They proceeded on foot, their wings gone and their clothes changed to something bland.

They chatted amicably about nonsense, their attention obviously fixed elsewhere. It took them a while, but Melody spotted what looked to be an acceptable couple across the small square they were now in. Stealthily, Verse and Melody followed the couple, ducking from doorway to doorway in the fading light of day. The shadows grew longer, making it difficult to track the two, but before night time was fully descended upon them, the couple approached a home. Small, tucked inbetween a closed store and what looked to be a small office building of sorts, they appeared to be living alone. Melody and Verse passed the time until nightfall on a bench one block away, their eyes fixed on the lighted windows.

“Now?” Verse asked.

“Now. Phone ploy?”

“Phone ploy. Our excuse?”

“Hmm… Medical emergency.”

“You or me?”

“You do it. I always was better at panicking than you were.” Smooth and easy, just like they had practiced a dozen times before, Verse slumped against Melody, one arm over her shoulder, the other clutching his own stomach. Together, they limped up the front walk of the home, and Melody reached out to hammer on the front door.

“Who in the blazes could that be…?” Locks clicked, and the door swung inwards. The man of the couple stood on the threshold, eyeing the two of them warily.

“Please!” Melody gasped, the fake tears already coursing from her eyes. “Please, I need to use your phone!” She was hysterical, sobbing and blubbering helplessly.

“What in the-“

“My boyfriend! He’s sick, I need to call the doctor right away! Please!” Melody gasped and sobbed, her fake tears flowing fast and free.

“Oh shit! Is he okay?”

“No! He isn’t! Please, I need to use your phone!” Melody begged, nearly screaming at the man. Stunned, he stepped aside, letting Melody drag her groaning brother across the doorway. That was all they needed. When Melody spotted the woman they had tracked back here standing a little ways in the hallway, looking at them with a confused expression, she whirled on the man. Verse lunged away from her, his form already shifted back to its normal complexion. Melody was herself once more, her hands glowing as she sprung at the man. One thread of telekinesis shut the door, the other leapt for his mouth. All the man was able to emit was a panicked squeak before Melody shut him up, her fingers already twisting in the intricate pattern she needed.

When she cast the binding spell, the man’s muscles tensed up immediately and he stopped moving. Eyes wide and staring straight forward, he was as still as a statue. Down the hallway, silence. Melody threw the locks on the door, flicking off every light switch she could find. Verse did the same, leaving the both of them in relative darkness. The only light remaining was a solitary lamp in the main hallway, which they left on for now.

“Check the basement.” Verse said quietly. “I’ll make sure they can’t move.”

“Are they magi?”

“She is, but he isn’t.”

“Alright. Magesbane?”

“Magesbane. I think I saw a plant outside of the city. I’ll go get it tomorrow.” Melody nodded and quietly slipped away, searching for the way into the basement, provided this house had one. As it turned out, there wasn’t one. A small crawlspace underneath the pantry, but that was it…

“Nothing.” She reported back to Verse, who was busy finishing the spell on the woman. The man was slumped on the floor, his chest rising and falling smoothly.

“We’ll use the bathroom, then. I’ll put her out for the next twelve hours, but after that, she’s going to need to be locked out some other way.”

“We’ll go get that magesbane. I’ll check the bathroom.” She patted Verse’s shoulder, the two of them sharing a sympathetic, if understanding look. Downstairs had nothing but a half bath, located off of the dining room. Upstairs, however, there were two bedrooms, both with their own bathrooms. She waved at Verse, leading him to the guest room. The bathroom here was completely interior, with no outside windows at all. The floor was large enough for the two of them to lie down, so Melody worked on hauling both bodies up the stairs and into the bathroom while Verse began casting the spells they would need. A sound field, barrier, and monitoring spell were all in place shortly after Melody dropped the second body off, and the two of them were looking rather haggard.

“Go lay down,” Melody said, nudging Verse. “I’ll make sure they’re okay. It’s Saturday, so they shouldn’t have work, if they work at all.”

“Right… It might not be standard, but… Do you think we should tell them?”

“What, that we’re changelings?” Melody sighed, mulling the option over in her mind. “Maybe… Do you think it’ll be an issue?”

“If they seem off after a week, I’ll modify their memories. I don’t think I can do a major overhaul, but I think I can make them believe they’ve been sick for the past week.”

“Right. Go sleep, Verse. I’ll take care of them.” Her brother nodded slightly before slipping away. Both of them were completely out, chests rising and falling smoothly. She surveyed them for wounds… Nothing more than a slight bruise from the man, possibly when he fell to the floor. The woman, her magic all but completely locked away, was out cold. She didn’t even respond to the firm pats Melody gave her face. They both wore rings around their third fingers… They were husband and wife.

Straightening with a sigh, Melody closed the door, and locked the spells up. In that moment, the bathroom was completely sequestered from the outside world. No noise escaped, no amount of magic would blast through the barrier without them knowing, and the monitoring spell allowed Verse and Melody to spy on them whenever needed. Come morning, Melody would have a talk with them, to explain their situation… Verse was already out when Lily entered the room. She stripped down to a t-shirt and shorts before slipping under the covers, her back pressed against her brother.

She was scared. She was anxious. She was frightened for her life…

But she was with her brother. Together, they could do this…

---------

“Find it?” Melody asked. Verse slipped in through a back window, having just left an hour prior to retrieve the magesbane. He nodded and produced the devious plant with a flourish, smiling despite the bags under his eyes. “Good… I think I have enough time to make the undiluted mixture before she wakes… Even then, she’s bound, so we can subdue her before anything.”

“Alright. Here you go. I’m gonna do some snooping.” He nodded and patted Melody’s shoulder as they both slipped into the kitchen. She set about to boiling the plant while Verse shuffled through mail. In under an hour, both had completed their task.

“Mary and Balthazar Heartstrings… He’s a dentist, and I’d assume she works as his secretary…” Verse muttered, reading through some of the mail. “And… They have a daughter… Lyra… She lives in Canterlot, but stays with her girlfriend in Fillydelphia since the war started… This letter’s dated two days ago, so she won’t be visiting any time soon. Hmm.” He continued to shuffle, mumbling to himself. Melody focused on pouring the hot liquid into a glass, to be given to Mary upstairs.

“Ready when you are.” She muttered, swirling the glass.

“Aah, perfect… There’s a number we can call. We’ll call it in tomorrow, tell them that we’re sick, so we can spend the week at the library.” He set the sheaf of papers down and followed Melody up the stairs, the glass of undiluted magesbane in her hands. Verse undid the spells on the bathroom, and together, they slipped inside. Thankfully, the real mary and Balthazar with still out. Melody breathed a sigh of relief before slowly feeding Mary the magesbane. Verse rubbed her throat, making sure she swallowed it. Melody felt horrible for doing this, but she knew it had to be done… It was either this, or Chrysalis would have them killed. Just like those five generals…

“Mary. Mary, wake up.” Verse was patting her cheeks, trying to rouse the slumbering magi. Melody watched as Mary’s eyes flickered for a moment, her face scrunching as if she were trying to wake up. “Come on, Mary, you can do it…”

“Ngh… Wha… Bill, where are you?” She mumbled, her hand reaching out.

“Bill?” Melody muttered, glancing over her shoulder. “Who the hell…”

“Wake up, Mary. We need to talk.” Her eyes finally opened at Verse’s insistence. She blinked at the two of them unevenly for a few moments.

“Who are you?” She asked. “Why… Where am I?”

“You’re in your home, Mary.” Melody said quietly. She glanced at Balthazar, who was beginning to show signs of life.

“Wh… Who are you?”

“My name is Melody.” She leaned in, looking straight into Mary’s eyes. She was greeted with many emotions in those eyes… Confusion. Doubt. Fright. That survival fight-or-flight instinct Melody herself had been subject to more often than she could care to recall… “And we’re going to be impersonating you for the next week.”