Potion Mare

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.”