---------- Melody’s Tale: Broken Love, Part 1 ----------

The blasts of energy were getting more and more intense the further Melody limped up into the castle. All the while, her escort kept glancing furtively about, grasping his spear tightly. Dust sifted down from cracks in the ceiling, showering them in plaster and cloying, choking clouds. As they advanced up to the second level, Melody’s feet kept hurting worse and worse. She’d correct the pain if she had the time, but as it stood, they could get where they needed to go on them. What wasn’t helping was the guard, who now jumped at each new scintillating blast, thin whimpers escaping his throat now and then.

“Oh for the love of… Here, give me your spear, you big baby.” Melody snapped at the guard, who all but threw the shaft of the spear into her hands, bolting back the way they had came and out of the castle.

’That was mean.’ Verse grumbled inside of her breast. She slapped a hand against her sternum, silencing him.

“He was new. Trust me, no soldier who fought through the war with Chrysalis would be jumping at magic. He probably joined after the war to help the relief effort. Poor sap.” Melody gripped the spear in her fists, using the butt to support her weight as she limped up the steps. “We have more important things to –ow, worry about.”

One particularly vicious blast rocked the stairwell, sending Melody sprawling onto her side near the landing. She grunted as her ribs flared with pain, indicating something else that had gone wrong with the teleportation. Indeed, they felt papery, and very frail. Laying a hand on her side, she felt them buckle under the gentle touch.

“Shit. Hope I’m not bleeding internally.” She grimaced, pushing herself to her feet. Taking the spear once more, she followed the unintelligible sounds of shouting down the hallway, and around the corner she could see flashing lights. Debris littered the hall from various cracks along the walls and ceilings, as well as perfectly-cut, fist-sized holes in the masonry. Twilight was wreaking havoc inside the castle, and nobody could stop her.

’She had to have forgotten about Ephemira inside of her. Either that or Lily. Or both.’

“I can’t even imagine. It’d be like forgetting you.”

’Or Faith.’

“… Or Faith.” Melody sighed, wincing at the pain, but fighting through it. Faith’s memory still stuck to her, even more than Connor’s had. Connor was dead and gone, buried in the mine in Hearth. But last she had heard, Faith was commanding the forces in Eyriewatch, a large leap for someone who had previously been a courier. That was months and months ago, though… Where Faith was now and what she was doing were beyond Melody.

’We can go and see her again, you know.’

“Yeah, we can.” Melody smiled at that. Verse’s tone was sincere, mirrored by his feelings inside of her. They shared even that, it seemed. Still, there were far more pressing matters at-hand. As they approached the intersection at which it seemed the soldiers had made their stand, Melody picked up the pace.

“She’s casting wildly,” a nearby Captain informed her as she approached. “… something has her so upset she’s lost control of her power. The other Elements of Harmony are in there with her, along with Lily, the Changeling Queen. We can hardly see what’s going on, other than Applejack is keeping the elements safe, while Lily does what she can with Twilight.”

“Thanks.” Melody grunted, limping past the checkpoint. She felt something wet running down the outside of her thigh, on the side she had broken her ribs. Breathing was becoming painful as well, making her head swim with each labored wheeze she struggled through. Her feet were like blades, cutting deeper into her legs, feeling almost as painful as when she was missing feet at all. Yet still she limped forward, leaning more and more on the spear as the castle rocked around them. Twilight wasn’t pulling any punches.

The five souls around her were growing restless, though even more dim. One of them was hardly an outline in the air beside them, occasionally flickering into existence for a heartbeat. Only two of them were strong at all, if faded. They were tired souls, too long without a body to call their own. They were due for the afterlife, but first needed to be reunited with their counterparts. The degradation that had caused Twilight to lose her memory was effecting them as well, no doubt.

“Just hang on, everyone… We’re almost there.”

Melody’s body may have been weak, but her magic was still strong. As they passed the guards and walked down the hall to Twilight’s bedroom, crackling energy spilled forth, threatening to rip her apart. Her hands glowed on the spear, casting a dense shield that deflected those brilliant lavender bolts. They weren’t directed at her, thankfully, else even her magic would have buckled under the stress. Instead, they slid off of her shield, cutting through the ground around her clubbed feet.

’We need to get in there fast. She’s going to bring the castle down at this rate.’

“Better safe than sorry.” Melody turned to the guards behind her, jerking her head to the side. “You want to evacuate now. Get as many people as you can and get out.” The guards didn’t wait any longer after that. They ducked around the corner, and the sound of running boots saw them out. Melody turned back to the hall before them, making her way towards the epicenter of spellcasting. More lancing bolts of magic rocked towards them, and she had to pause her limping pursuit to focus on protecting herself. Their pursuit slowed to a crawl, pools of blood gathering under her right foot whenever she had to stand for more than a few moments. She was getting dizzier as well, finding it more and more difficult to focus on the shields.

All the while, the magic was growing more wild, causing the floor beneath them to buckle and shift. “Please,” she prayed to no one in particular. “… please keep this floor from collapsing and killing me.”

They arrived at the room after what felt like an eternity of agony, standing on the threshold of madness. Twilight stood opposite Lily, who had just shifted back to her regular form. She opened her arms to Twilight, her expression pleading. Twilight just snarled at her, roaring that one last word.

“OUT!”

Lily wasn’t a naga, nor had she erected a shield to defend herself. Not that anyone could, with how powerful and primal Ephemira was. Twilight herself could likely shatter any shield Lily would manage in her regular form, let alone as tired as she had been.

Time slowed. Lily’s eyes went wide as the energy in Twilight’s hands condensed. Melody threw the spear aside, willing her broken and frail body forward. Too slow. Applejack stood to the side, her arms thrown aside to protect the others, despite her own injuries at the rampant magic of Twilight gone mad.

Light hung in the air, one heartbeat away from shooting forth and ending Lily’s life. Melody’s own hands glowed, summoning everything she had. It would be too little, too late. The bolt began to shoot forth, and even as slow as time was, it shot across her vision impossibly fast. In its light, Melody saw her mother’s eyes wide, coming to the realization of her death just one blink of an eye before it happened.

She heard screaming as the world turned white.

----------

“What in blazes was that?!” Noth, the changeling lieutenant-turned-Equestrian-general had been coordinating the evacuation effort. Rainbow Dash had wandered off several long minutes ago, looking dazed and confused. He knew of the degradation in their memories, and was grimly holding out hope that the Children of Love that Hurricane and Gale had spoken of would fix this problem. When three bodies had arrived on the lawn, two of them dead and the third dying, he feared the worst. He’d begun the evacuation of not just the castle, but Canterlot as a whole.

He stood on the steps of the castle, watching a steady stream of soldiers and retainers flee the impending destruction. Magic still echoed out of the castle, shaking the whole structure to its very foundation. Some soldiers had been injured by the errant blasts, and limped out or were carried by their fellows.

But as he had gone to help someone carry their bloodied comrade out, a wind whipped past him, almost like a carriage flying past faster than it had any right to go. The streak left behind was confusing, an afterimage of… was that a person? As soon as he saw it, it had disappeared, gone inside of the castle.

“Was that a person?” He asked, rubbing his eyes. Through an upstairs window, he saw a flicker, the same image appearing for half a second before its passing blew a cloud of dust out of the same window.

It looked almost like… no, it couldn’t have been.

Could it?

----------

The last echoing blast of power had nearly blinded Melody. She had expected to see Lily either completely gone or sheared into bits, her scorched remains left standing on the spot she had last been. Instead, she saw something else entirely. Something far beyond comprehension.

A man stood in the middle of her two mothers, his hands glowing more brilliantly and densely than anything else in that moment. Even Twilight’s shocked, limp hand didn’t have the glow his did. What’s more, there was an aura about him, a radiating energy that cast him as a beacon of both hope and salvation. It poured off of him like a river, flowing into the room. Melody felt empowered in his presence, her pains lessened, her breathing easier.

She felt like she knew him. Like he was familiar to him. Just as it clicked, Verse arrived at the same conclusion within her. Together, they whispered his name.

”Uncle.”

“Shining Armor!” Lily gasped, falling to her rear. “Where did you-“

“No time!” Shining barked, jarring them all out of their shock. “Melody, do it now! Resolve this dissonance!” He whirled on her, his firm magic gripping her whole body. She felt herself rushing forth, towards Twilight, propelled by his magic. With her came everyone else. Rainbow Dash, Lily, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and in the blinding light she saw the other five souls, the anti-elements. Closing her eyes, Melody and Verse opened themselves to the magic.

“End this madness.” Shining’s voice chased them onto the white plane.

----------

“What?” Noth blinked as the nascent magic in the air dissipated. Not gradually, as if Twilight were done casting, but it disappeared entirely. The castle groaned, several spidery cracks finishing their journey, but in the end it settled. There was massive damage where Twilight’s magic had broken out of the walls themselves and into the grounds or the city nearby, but it seemed she was gone. It happened in a heartbeat, there and prevalent in one moment, and gone the next. The transition was so sudden he felt as if a vacuum was pulling him closer to the damaged castle. He and everyone else staggered towards the release of pressure, shocked and confused.

“General!” One of the soldiers ran up to him. “We have reports from the edge of the city! A checkpoint had accosted a traveler, but he blasted past them the moment Twilight went rampant! It’s Commander Shining Armor!”

“Shining Armor is back?” Noth reeled at that, looking up into the damaged castle. “That’s impossible, he abandoned Equestria during the war… He and Cadance both fled into Hearth and disappeared.”

“It was him, sir. There was no mistaking his signature. The mages at the checkpoint evaluated his spell, too, it was time magic; forbidden.”

“Unreal.” Noth blinked, then looked around. “Continue the evacuation, and focus on the wounded. We aren’t out of this yet, the castle may collapse at any second. Clear the city, and start transporting to Fillydelphia and Baltimare. If Twilight is dead or gone, we may see a power struggle for rulership, and I don’t want civilians caught in that.”

“Sir!” The guard saluted and dashed off to follow his orders, while Noth stood on the precipice of the castle, debating whether or not he should go inside.

“Fuck it.” He grumbled and shifted into a house cat, nimble, light, and quick. He dashed through the damaged castle, following the trail of blood Melody had left on her way in. The sudden silence in the aftermath of such violence was appalling; it felt like a tomb inside of the castle. Still, Noth didn’t pause until he arrived at the epicenter of the violence. Inside, blood and dust still remained, shocks of it splattered across the floor, puddles sitting in random spots. Arcs of magic ground outwards from the point Twilight had stood, carving slivers and points into the stone as they radiated out. Noth could see the parts where Lily had stood during those assaults, withstanding the magic in her naga form, and others where Applejack had shielded herself and her friends.

And in the middle of it all stood a man.

A legend.

A traitor.

“SHINING!” Noth bellowed as he shifted on the fly, transforming from a docile house cat to a fierce tiger from the southern jungles. His claws swiped through the air, intent on ripping Equestria’s most brilliant military genius to shreds before he had the chance to run again.

His claws passed through thin air, catching nothing. He landed and spun, impossibly quick, and found Shining standing just a short distance away. His face was somber as Noth launched himself forward again, snarling at the traitor. Again, he passed through nothing. Shining blinked, there one moment and gone the next, only to appear just a short distance away. His hands were glowing, intent on grasping Noth and keeping him still.

“TRAITOR!” Noth screamed, shifting into a magic-resistant naga and lunging forward. Shining’s magic died against his scaly hide, stunning him for half a moment as Noth went to wrap himself around the man. Just as he tightened his coils and went to sink his fangs in, though, Shining disappeared, making Noth collapse in upon himself. Tangled and confused for a moment, Noth felt feet on his body, and powerful arms wrapping themselves around his neck. Shining wasn’t using magic on him, the traitor was grappling! Noth twisted and writhed, using all of his muscle to try and thrash away, or wrap around Shining, but he couldn’t quite get him. The arm around his neck tightened, choking his breath out of him, until consciousness fled. Just as he slipped off, Shining whispered.

“I’m sorry, brother… But I’m not going to let her die.”

“Wh-who?” Noth choked, on the brink of darkness.

“Cadance.”

----------

There were seventeen souls in total on the white plane, each of them separated from their bodies and standing in a large circle. The only ones who kept their bodies were Twilight, Lily, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Melody. The rest were wisps, formless souls shifting and pulsing together. Eleven of them there were, though Melody recognized the one immediately next to her as Verse. That one floated closer to her, resting warmly against her shoulder. She felt the same reassuring touch of her brother in that contact, and drew strength from it.

She was still bleeding from her injuries, and her feet felt like white-hot coals strapped to her legs, but she was alive and breathing. Twilight was in a poor state as well, bleeding from her face and standing on one leg while the other hung at an odd angle beneath her. As Melody watched, she wobbled and fell over, whimpering on impact. Lily dashed to her side, obviously ignoring her own injuries as she scooped Twilight into her arms.

“We don’t have long.” One of the souls spoke, his voice clear and loud. “The memory degradation is accelerating. If we are not reunited, we will begin to forget things that ought not be forgotten.” He looked at Fluttershy, who was staring vacantly into space. “Quickly.” Ten of the eleven souls began to mingle and move, each one swirling around the others as if in an intricate dance. As Melody watched, two of the souls grew nearer and brighter, until the light was nearly too much to look at.

“Woah!” She gasped as the two souls merged into one, no longer flickering or weak, but strong and whole. Soon after, the other four followed suit, their conjoined lights making her cover her eyes lest she be blinded. When it was all over, there were only six souls, but one of them was her brother and stayed by her side.

“Now what?” Melody asked, watching the five elements having been reunited. She idly wondered if this is what had happened all those months ago, when they had given Chrysalis’ soul to their mother. The light had been intense then, as well, and had spurred on this whole cataclysmic change.

“Now,” one of the souls sighed. “We need to be taken.”

“Taken? Taken where?” Pinkie Pie spoke up from the opposite side of Melody from the five glowing souls. “What’s even happening?”

“We’re reunited.” Another of the souls chimed in, a feminine voice, very quiet and soft-spoken. “The Elements of Harmony and Disharmony were once six people, their souls split in two to strike a balance. Now that we are whole again, we may die as we were destined to so long ago.”

“And that’s where I come in.” Death flashed into existence, appearing on the white plane as if it were his god-given right. In a sense, it probably was. He crossed his petite arms and glared at the five souls, even as those with a physical body stepped back from him. “If you only knew,” he sighed, hanging his head. “… how much trouble you five have been making. Why couldn’t you be like dear old Rarity and Elizabeth? They joined together and went off properly. Speaking of which,” Death turned to Lily, who blinked at him from her position next to Twilight. “Some of Rarity’s soul still clings to you, child. It’s why the memory loss effected you as well, if at a slower rate than the others. I’ve come to claim what’s mine.” A scythe appeared in his hands, gleaming and deadly. “Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle.”

In a blink of an eye, the scythe flashed out, cleaving through all five souls simultaneously. There was a breath of a moment as all five wavered in the air, but split into two and faded away. They flickered and died, gone at last into the hands of their steward.

“So much better.” Death cooed, hoisting the scythe. Melody and the others simply stood in slack-jawed wonder. Just like that, they had witnessed the death of the Elements. Their force was gone from the world, and they’d no longer hold sway over their respective energies. Even Ephemira’s sway over magic was gone, sliced in twain and laid to rest like the others. “Now, dear Lily.” The child stepped forward, leveling the scythe’s blade at her. “Sit still, this won’t take long. And I promise, I’ll not take any bits of yours. I’ll be more careful than I was last time around.”

Lily, in all of her composure and grace, nodded and swallowed hard, allowing the child to bear the scythe at her. The blade passed through her skin with ease, not cutting, simply disappearing inside of her. It delved into her chest, and as Melody watched, wisps of ephemeral smoke sluiced off of her body, dissipating into the air.

“There we are.” Death nodded, opening his fists and letting the scythe flash away. “Those bits will find their way to their master, and Rarity will finally know true rest. Although.” He reached out, snatching a piece before it could disappear. It writhed in his tiny fingers, as if in agony. “I can keep a piece of her inside of you. She should be able to come see you as a ghost, now and then.”

“No.” Lily answered immediately. “If she hasn’t been put to rest yet, I’ll not keep her from that.”

“As you wish.” Death released the sliver of soul, which sifted away until it too was nothing. “My work here is complete.”

“But what about our memories?” Rainbow Dash asked. Her wings had reverted to their normal state, no longer glowing and brilliant, but typical of the slender avian. “Will the degradation stop?”

“Some of it will reverse itself completely.” Death nodded. “But there has been damage done. Three months is a long time for such magic to go unchecked. Some things, you six may never be able to remember. What those things are, I cannot say.”

“And Twilight?” Lily choked, still holding the broken mage’s body close.

“It’s not nearly her time yet.” Death shrugged, turning away. “I’ll come for her when it is, but she’ll survive. Uglier than before, but then again, none of you really cared about looks, did you?” With that, the child disappeared, leaving them all on the white plane. It was just Melody, Verse, Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Lily.

Soon, even the other six disappeared, leaving only Melody and Verse alone. She was still bleeding, and still in pain, but a smile spread across her lips.

“We did it, Verse… We saved them.” She panted.

“We sure did, sis.” Verse couldn’t smile, but the feeling she got from him was much the same. Joy, triumph, and happiness abounded between the two of them. It lasted for a long minute before melancholy took its place.

“We’re gonna die now, aren’t we?”

“Probably. But, it isn’t so bad.” Verse nestled into her breast. Slowly, the white plane disappeared from around them. Darkness rushed in, until it crept up her legs, obscuring the pool of blood she stood in, washing up her legs.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore.” Lily smiled. Her legs buckled, the bones finally done supporting her weight. More broke as she fell, but she didn’t even feel the agony erupting into her veins. “It feels…”

The darkness wrapped around her splayed arms, crept up her chest.

“It feels almost…”

Verse’s soul flickered inside of her.

“Almost like I’m…”

She closed her eyes.

“Falling asleep.”