The Chronicles of Melody Quill S1

by MiraculousDragonMaster

Rating: everyone
Tags: Alternate Universe, Main 6, Drama, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Mystery, Spike, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Adventure
Length: 8445

A mysterious young mare with a very strange power finds herself in the safety of the Mane 6 after escaping a horrible truth she learned about herself. Join her as she adventures with the Mane 6, all while she learns to embrace her gift.

Melody Quill seems like an ordinary mare living in Canterlot, but she has a very strange power: she can shapeshift into either an earth pony, unicorn, or pegasus. Given the outcast treatment because of this, she basically keeps to herself.

But one night, she is captured by somepony, but escapes and crashes exhausted into the library home of Twilight Sparkle. After getting back to full strength, the Mane 6 learn of Melody's unique talent and don't push her away, but instead welcomes her.

Join Melody Quill as she joins the Mane 6 on their adventures, all while trying to learn to embrace her gift and keep a dark secret away from her new friends.

Takes place after Luna Eclipsed.

Published 2018-01-01 19:00:07 UTC
Last updated 2018-04-23 20:42:00 UTC

Introduction

The Chronicles of Melody Quill

Season One

Introduction

In the dim candlelight that slightly illuminated a bedroom, a red quill enveloped in yellow sparkling magic dipped into a nearby ink bottle on a desk. When it emerged back out with the tip was covered in black ink, the magic then opened a nearby diary with a hard brown cover. The quill then began scribbling words onto the first page.

Dear Diary,

Well, I got this diary or journal from my dad a couple of days ago, and now, I finally decided to start writing in it.

Let's first start with me and who I am. My name is Melody Quill. I'm from Fillydelphia, but now I live in Canterlot because my father had the opportunity to expand his piano business.

I live with my dad, Greyscale Key. He has his own music shop right here in Canterlot, where he sells musical instruments; mostly pianos and keyboards. I suggested that he could try and sell keytars, but all I got was a possibility. Well, that's better than nothing.

My mom, well, her name was Raven Grace. She was the best singer that I know, but she passed away when I was a filly. She was pretty famous before she met Dad and the two of them tied the knot. But, she had to be on breaks from concerts and touring to take care of the family. But, I remember her voice singing me to sleep. It was the most beautiful thing I would hear every night. I really miss her, and Dad does, too. But, he seems to cope with it. I guess I am, too, though it still hurts. Dad says that I have an angelic voice like Mom's, and that I inherited her singing voice. Well, whenever I sing, I feel close to her. So, I guess music kind of runs in the family.

And I have an older sister, but, I hardly hear from her these days. When Mom died, she seemed to forget that I existed and focused on her literature studies. Then, she moved to the middle of nowhere to begin her writing career. The publication of her first book was an instant success, and she kept on writing that series ever since. But still, she never writes to me or Dad and hasn't in years. I'm still angry at her for not reaching out in so long, but then again, I remember that I was the same way when Mom passed away; hardly ever talking to anypony. But, I remember all the fun times she and I would spend together, pretending we were jungle adventurers and fighting bad guys.

And now, well, I'll give you one more thing about me. I'm... different than most other ponies. I can actually change my form at will. I can be a unicorn (which I am right now since I'm using magic to write), a pegasus (my personal favorite and what the rest of my family are), or an earth pony (which can be pretty awesome despite what others think about them). I don't know why I have this... talent. I've had it ever since I can remember. Probably since I was born, which doesn't make sense. My dad, my mom, and my sister are all pegasi, so why am I like this? A lot of those pish-posh snobs think I'm a freak because of it. It's just terrible. The only solace I find is singing or writing my songs, which is how I got my cutie mark.

The only pony who doesn't think I'm a freak besides my dad is Princess Celestia herself. When Dad and I moved to Canterlot, he had enrolled me in her magic school. He thought that it could help me learn more about my powers and to make some friends. Well, it worked halfway. I learned what I'm capable of with my unicorn magic, but the other students avoid me like the plague. However, Princess Celestia thinks that my "gift" is very unique because she had never seen anything like it. And that's something, if it's coming from the ruler of Equestria. Well, that gave me a little bit of assurance.

I gotta head to bed now. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.

Until next time, Melody Quill.

The quill was magically put down and the book shut closed. A tired unicorn then walked towards her bed. She was a pretty mare, with a raven black mane that was loose over her shoulder and her bangs were down over the left side of her face, with a matching tail, chocolate brown eyes, and a sandy tan coat matching her horn. Her ears were pierced with ladybug shaped earrings, and her cutie mark was a yellow writing quill with six black musical notes around it.

Melody Quill slipped into her yellow bed sheets and looked out her window, glancing up at the stars. She sighed sadly. If only she did have friends, then, she would finally feel like she belonged. With that thought and a small yawn, Melody finally closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Before she closed her eyes, she caught a picture on her nightstand. A picture of her family. Her father, Greyscale Key, had a mane and tail having of the greyscale shades; going from black to light gray, cerise raspberry eyes, and a brown coat and wings. His cutie mark is a keyboard.

Her deceased mother, Raven Grace, had a pure black mane and tail going down in waves, brown eyes, and a tan coat and wings. Her cutie mark was a blackbird singing, with two musical notes coming out from the beak.

Lastly, there was her older sister. She and Melody look a lot alike having the same tan coat they inherited from their mother, but she instead had her father's greyscale mane and magenta eyes. Her cutie mark was a compass marking.

Melody smiled at the picture before finally closing her eyes. Hopefully, things could be happy between her family again. That was what her mom would want.

The tan unicorn mare had only been asleep for about a few minutes when she suddenly woke up with a start as she felt herself being magically lifted from her bed and roughly stuffed into a dark sack.

Melody screamed for her father. "Dad!" She then started to struggle in the sack. "Let me out! Let go!"

But, the sack only opened a bit to let a magic dust fall in. The spell was making her super drowsy again, but against her will, she fell asleep again.

Author's Note

A/N: I had first posted this on wattpad, but I deleted it and decided to post on the other sites I'm a part of.

Yeah, my OC is kind of based off me, and has my pen name on wattpad. *rubs back of head embarrassed*

But, that aside, what did you think? Pretty mysterious, huh? Let me know what you think.

Got to fly! ;)

Crash Landing

The Chronicles of Melody Quill S1

Chapter 1

Crash Landing

A few days later…

Melody panted as she flapped her wings, as she is now a pegasus. She had barely escaped her captor that took her in the middle of the night away from her father, and despite still being in shock, she still managed to make her wings appear on her sides and take into the air. But she felt like she had been flying like she had been flying at top speed all night. And Celestia had just raised the sun.

But, her sleep deprivation and exhaustion was starting to make her lag in flight. Luckily for her, there was a small town right below her. Unluckily, Melody couldn't keep up her strength, since she has not eaten in a couple of days, and her eyes shut as she began to plummet.

Up in her room of the Golden Oak Library, Twilight Sparkle was reading a good book. She is a unicorn mare with a lavender purple coat, purple eyes, and an indigo mane with pink and purple highlights. Her cutie mark was a magenta star surrounded by five white smaller ones. Twilight was relieved that today was peaceful. No villians trying to take over Equestria, and no ruckus being caused who knows where.

CRASH!

Twilight groaned. She just had to think it. "Spike!" She called to her dragon assistant. "Did Rainbow Dash crash through the window again?" She asked with a huff. She knew that the athletic pegasus always liked to stay on top of her game, but sometimes, Twilight would think that one day, her stunts would land her in a hospital bed.

There was the sound of a sigh, and then tiny feet pattering as Spike went outside to the library balcony. "TWILIGHT!" He screamed.

Twilight immediately sprang up from her spot at her desk and bolted towards the balcony. To her shock, it wasn't Rainbow Dash who was unconscious on the floor, but a different pegasus mare. She had a long and wavy black mane and tail, which were tangled and windswept, a tan coat, and her ears were pierced with ladybug earrings. Her cutie mark was a yellow writing quill surrounded by six black musical notes. There was bruises and scrapes all over her body, and her wings looked like the feathers haven't been preened in days.

"Spike, send a message to the hospital!" Twilight quickly ordered, lighting up her horn and magically sending a red quill and a scroll enveloped in magenta sparkles to Spike. The young purple dragon with green draconic eyes and matching spines wrote at a fast pace, then rolled the paper up and blew green fire on it. The message evaporated into a trail of smoke and it headed towards the direction of the Ponyville Hospital.

"Should we let the others know?" Spike asked Twilight as she magically levitated the unconscious pegasus mare inside and onto her bed.

"That might be a good idea." Twilight complied.

A few minutes later, Spike sent five more messages to Twilight's friends as they waited. Immediately, a cyan blue pegasus mare with a rainbow mane, magenta eyes, and a tri-colored lightning bolt for a cutie mark zoomed into the library.

"I came as soon as I got your message." Rainbow Dash said. "So, what happened?"

"She just crashed right into the library, and now she's not getting up!" Spike quickly said in one breath, and pointed to the mare.

Rainbow's eyes widened at the sight. "She looks like she had been to war and back!" She exclaimed. "And she looks like she hasn't eaten in days, either."

"But, who is she?" Spike asked.

"I don't know." Twilight answered. But the mare did seem familiar, like she had seen her at least once.

An hour later, Twilight, Rainbow, and Spike were in the waiting room of the Ponyville Hospital. Their other friends, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, had arrived much earlier, when the doctors brought the mare into the emergency room.

Applejack is an orange earth pony mare with a blonde mane, green eyes, and tiny white freckles on her cheeks. On her flank was a cutie mark of three red apples, and on her head was a beige Stetson hat.

Fluttershy is a pale yellow pegasus mare with a long soft pink mane, teal eyes, and her cutie mark was three pink butterflies.

Pinkie Pie is a light pink earth pony mare with a poofy hot pink mane, arctic blue eyes, and on her flank is a cutie mark of three balloons; two yellow ones and one light blue one.

And Rarity is a white unicorn mare with a curly purple mane, sapphire blue eyes outlined in black mascara, and her cutie mark is three blue cut diamonds.

"Is she going to be okay?" Applejack asked, her voice having a Southern accent.

"I'm getting worried for the poor darling." Rarity added. "She looked like she didn't have a decent meal or seen a mirror in days."

The girls, mainly AJ and Rainbow, gave a look that said, "Seriously?"

"I know, not that important right now." Rarity sighed.

Just then, the doctor came into the waiting room. "Twilight Sparkle." He called. The lavender unicorn turned her attention to him.

"How is she?" She asked him.

"She'll be fine." The doctor assured her. "She has been through quite an ordeal. She was half-starved, and was driven to exhaustion."

"But, do you know who she is?" Fluttershy asked.

The doctor shook his head. "She's new to town, that much I know. It seems we will have to wait until she wakes up." With that, he left the waiting room, saying one more thing. "You can come and see her, but then you will have to come back tomorrow."

As the girls followed the doctor to the room where the mare was resting, Pinkie Pie was hopping up and down with her usual excitement. "Yipee! We will have a new friend, and I will throw her a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party when she wakes up!"

Rarity placed a hoof over the hyperactive mare. "Shush, Pinkie." She quietly hissed. "We are in a hospital."

Applejack noticed that Twilight had a pondering look on her face. "You okay, Twilight?" She asked her.

"It isn't possible, though." Twilight was muttering to herself.

"What isn't?" Fluttershy asked her.

"I keep thinking that she looks familiar, like I had at least seen her once or twice before." Twilight explained. "But, this mare is a pegasus, not a unicorn like I remember."

"That is a little weird." Rainbow piped in. "Well, we can ask her when she wakes up."

Twilight nodded in agreement as the six of them saw the sleeping mare in the hospital bed. Hopefully, she will wake up so they can get some answers.

Author's Note

A/N: The next chapter, we'll have Melody wake up, and the Mane 6 will get their answers; some if not all.

Until then, I'll see y'all! Please leave a review about you think.

Got to fly! ;)

Waking Up

The Chronicles of Melody Quill S1

Chapter 2

Waking Up

Melody felt her eyes slowly open up groggily. In her mind that was still throbbing in pain, she heard unfamiliar voices.

"Is she...?" A country female voice asked.

"I think she's waking up!" A chipper voice piped up excitedly, this one also sounding feminine.

"Shush, Pinkie!" A prim and sophisticated voice admonished the hyper one. "She is slowly coming around, and still needs a lot of rest, even when she leaves the hospital."

Finally, Melody saw her vision clearing up enough and saw that there were six mares in front of her, circling the bed, all looking relieved to see that she was okay. But, what really got her attention was the lavender unicorn and cyan blue pegasus. She thought she had seen them somewhere before.

"Thank Celestia!" The white unicorn said in relief. "You certainly have taken a tumble, darling."

Melody blinked at all of the ponies that surrounded her bed, while slightly rubbing her head. "What... what happened?" She asked, her voice hoarse.

"Easy there, sugarcube." The orange country mare said. She then got a glass of water with small ice cubes floating and had a small straw in it. "Here ya go."

Melody took the cup. "Thank you." She whispered and sipped the water through the straw until there was not a single drop left in it.

"Whoo-whee!" The country mare exclaimed, impressed. "Ya just guzzled that down like a water buffalo during a drought."

"You acted like you haven't drank in days." The cyan pegasus mare with the rainbow mane commented.

Melody felt her throat finally at ease. "It sure feels like it." She said. "I haven't actually drank fresh water in five days."

"FIVE DAYS?!" The six mares shouted, making Melody wince in pain of the volume in her ears. "Sorry." They all said.

"It's okay." Melody assured them.

"Well, allow us to introduce ourselves." The lavender unicorn said. "I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"Name's Rainbow Dash!" The cyan pegasus greeted.

"I'm Applejack." The orange country mare said with a smile.

"I'm Fluttershy." The buttercream yellow pegasus said quietly, but was still loud enough for Melody to hear her voice.

"I am Rarity, darling." The white unicorn greeted while flipping her royal purple curled mane.

Suddenly, the hyper pink mare zoomed up to Melody. "And I'm Pinkie Pie!" She said with a wide and cheesy grin. "Once you're out of here, I'm throwing you a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party!"

Melody was a little uncomfortable about Pinkie being a little too close for her liking. But then, Rainbow Dash pulled her off the bed.

"Geez, Pinkie!" She said. "Give the girl some air."

Melody felt herself smile a little bit. But then, her tiny grin faded. "Um, I appreciate the kind gesture, but, I'm afraid I can't stay here."

Pinkie's face drooped down sadly. "Why not?" She asked.

"I have to get back home." Melody explained. "My father must be worried sick about me."

"Uh, pardon me, darling." Rarity said. "But, where are you from? And what is your name?"

"Oh! I'm sorry." The tan pegasus apologized to the girls as she carefully sat up better. "I'm Melody Quill."

"Oh, that's a lovely name, darling." Rarity said.

Melody slightly blushed. "Thank you." She said. "And as for your other question, I'm from Canterlot."

"Canterlot?" Twilight asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Canterlot?!" Rarity squealed loudly, making every pony flinch at the high-pitched volume. "Oh, so sorry, darlings." The prim unicorn apologized.

"I thought you looked familiar." Twilight said. "Did you go to Princess Celestia's school?"

"Yeah, I did." Melody answered. "And I have to say that it is an honor to meet the personal pupil of the Princess."

Twilight smiled bashfully.

"But, how could you be in Twilight's school?" Rainbow Dash asked. "You're not a unicorn."

Melody looked over at her back, and sure enough, she had wings. She frantically tried to think of an answer. But then, she sighed heavily. "I'll explain everything later." Suddenly, she realized who was speaking to her. "Hey, aren't you the Rainbow Dash, the one who won the Best Flyers Competition up in Cloudsdale?"

"The one and only." Rainbow confirmed with a smug smile.

Melody rolled her eyes, but smiled widely. "I saw your performance with my dad, and I have to say, that Sonic Rainboom was just awesome!" She then turned to Rarity. "And you had those butterfly wings that burned up in the sun. No offense."

Rarity turned away, still a little bitter about that incident, but then smiled. "None taken, darling." She said.

"I have to agree with Rainbow Dash." Twilight said, changing the subject. "I remember seeing you as a unicorn, yet you are a pegasus."

Melody looked away for a couple of seconds. Should she tell these ponies of why they are confused. She hardly knew Twilight, because she was too caught up with her studies, while Melody was just trying to survive all of the relentless teasing. Every pony else, she didn't even know. But, they are showing that they care about her if they saved her and brought her here. They also definitely seemed nicer than those ponies back home, where they all avoid her like the plague. Her father warned her to be careful about who she trusts with her ability. And these six mares her age seem trustworthy enough.

"When will the doc let me out?" She finally asked them, after some consideration.

"Any minute, sugarcube." The one called Applejack answered.

"Once I'm out of here, I'll show all of you why." She said. "But, can all of you promise not to freak out?"

"We promise!" Pinkie assured her. "Cross our hearts and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in our eye." She crossed her heart with one hoof, and then placed it over her right eye. The others copied the gesture.

Melody slightly giggled at the sight. Every pony then started to leave to let her wait for the doctor to release her. The tan pegasus sighed. She really hoped she knew what she was doing.

Author's Note

A/N: Short, I know. But, I hope you have enjoyed it anyway. The next chapter, Melody will finally demonstrate her unusual ability to the Mane 6, and share more about her background.

Until then, I'll see y'all! Please leave a review about what you think.

Got to fly!

Revealing Her Ability

The Chronicles of Melody Quill S1

Chapter 3

Revealing Her Ability

A couple of minutes later, Melody was released from the Ponyville hospital and now was walking along with the Mane 6 out towards a nearby field. Well, most of them were actually walking. Rainbow Dash, however, was hovering up in the air.

Soon, they had arrived. "Not that I don't love this exquisite field, but why, may I ask, are we here?"

Melody sighed heavily. "Not a lot of ponies know about this quirk I have, and for a very good reason." She said. "If word gets out, I might become a lab rat for some crazy pony, or sold as some wild animal."

"Why?" Fluttershy asked. She slightly shuddered at the thought of their new friend being locked up because of what she can supposedly do.

"I'll show you." Melody said, heading up in front of the other six. "But remember, you promised. Don't freak out, and don't tell any pony." She added, turning back to them.

The Mane 6 all nodded. Melody took another deep breath, exhaling slowly. She really can't believe she was about to do this. She was placing her trust in ponies she had just met with her most darkest secret. But, there's no turning back now.

The tan pegasus mare closed her eyes and began to concentrate hard. She then felt a very gentle tingling on her sides. From what the Mane 6 was seeing, they saw golden yellow flickers of aura spreading along her wings. Then, with a magic pop, her wings vanished!

They all gasped as Melody opened her eyes again and looked at her back. Her wings were gone. She was now an earth pony. She nervously looked back at the Mane 6, and would've tumbled down laughing at their dropped jaws if she wasn't so timid as to how they might react.

Finally, Twilight spoke up. "How... did you... do that?" She squeaked.

Melody looked down at the ground below her, shuffling her hoof against the grass. "I don't know." She answered hesitantly. "I've had this weird ability ever since I can remember. My father said that I was born with it. Apparently, I can change my form between a pegasus, a unicorn, or an earth pony. It just doesn't make any sense though, since all of my family are pegasi."

"Does it hurt when you do it?" Fluttershy asked.

Melody shook her head. "All I have to do is think it, and I can change my form." She explained.

"So, you can, like, shape shift or something?" Applejack asked. The tan now earth pony mare gulped nervously, then nodded her head.

"That. Is..." Melody closed her eyes tightly and waited for the worst. "AWESOME!" Rainbow exclaimed. Melody's head shot straight up, her eyes wide. Did she just hear that correctly?

The Mane 6 began to gather around her, asking questions excitedly. Melody, however, felt very confused.

"You... you don't think I'm a freak?" She asked them, stopping them in their question spree.

"What do you mean, darling?" Rarity questioned back. "No pony has a talent as unique as yours."

"Well, this is why I have been looked down on by a lot of ponies." Melody said.

"Then those ponies are crazy!" Rainbow said, wrapping a hoof on her shoulders.

"I agree." Twilight said. "And this explains why I remember seeing you as a unicorn when we were at Princess Celestia's school."

"Yup." Melody said. "Since I can shape shift into a unicorn, my dad thought that it would be best that I learn how to use magic if I need it, since I can change into a unicorn."

"Can you show us?" Pinkie asked, giving her a wide and cheesy grin.

"Um..." Melody trailed off for a second. This definitely was a first for her. "Sure?" She complied uneasily.

"Yipee!" Pinkie cheered as the Mane 6 gave her a little more space.

Melody closed her eyes again, and this time, there was golden colored magic circling a spot on her head. Then, with another magic pop, a tan horn appeared with sparkling yellow magic engulfing it.

"Cool!" Rainbow exclaimed.

Feeling a little more confident, Melody decided to show them some more. With her horn still having the golden yellow aura around it, she magically began levitating Pinkie up.

"Whee!" Pinkie exclaimed.

Melody carefully set her down. She then began igniting her horn again, and fired a yellow magic blast at a tree, making a large scorch mark appear in the center of the bark.

Then, she once more closed her eyes. With two pops, her horn vanished, and she spread open her regained tan wings.

"That was amazing!" Twilight said amazed. "I had never seen anything like this before!"

Melody smiled brightly. This was the first time in a long time that she felt this way; being accepted and not being judged.

"Hey!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Now, that was the first real smile I had seen from you. The other ones, you were just being polite."

Melody raised an eyebrow. Rainbow Dash then zoomed in close to whisper in her ear. "It's best to not question it." She advised. "Just learn to roll with it." Melody nodded, taking her advise.

"So, your family members are the only ponies that know you can do this?" Applejack asked her.

Melody's smile vanished, and then she shook her head. "Apparently, somepony had found out, and then captured me a week ago." She said. "It's best that the less ponies who know about my ability, the better." She then looked down on the ground, shuffling a tiny rock near her hoof. "I just wish that it was enough to stop rumors about me. That's why a lot of ponies don't like being near me."

Applejack moved closer to her and wrapped a hoof over her shoulders. "Oh, buck up now, sugarcube." She comforted her. "If we ever hear anything rotten about you, ya can bet your cool ability that we will set 'em straight."

Melody found herself leaning into the warm embrace, and returned it. Soon, the others joined into the hug.

"Thank you all." Melody said. "I'm glad I decided to trust you."

The Mane 6 broke the hug to smile at her.

"Now, you said that you needed to get home?" Fluttershy reminded her.

Melody's eyes widened. "Oh, man!" She exclaimed while smacking her forehead with her hoof. Suddenly, she had an idea." Hey, do you girls want to come with me?" She asked. "Now that you know my ability, I think it won't be too much if you met my father."

"Sure. Why not?" Twilight agreed, while the others voiced out their own.

"So, does anypony know when the next train leaves for Canterlot?" Rainbow Dash asked.

No sooner did she ask that, a train whistle blew out loudly in the distance.

"And I guess that answers that." Dash mumbled.

"Come on, girls!" Twilight encouraged. "We have about four minutes before the train leaves!"

"Hey, Rainbow!" Melody flew up to the cyan blue pegasus mare. "Want to race over there?"

Rainbow smirked. "Is that a challenge?" She asked.

Melody returned the smirk. "I'll let you know that I am a pretty fast flier." She said.

"You're on!" Rainbow accepted the challenge, and the two pegasi zoomed towards the train station, Dash leaving her signature rainbow speed trail, while Melody left behind a solid black trail.

The other five mares blinked for a second, but then began galloping towards the station to catch up with them.

Author's Note

A/N: How was that? Pretty cool, huh? I thought it was. The next chapter, we will meet Melody's father.

Until then, I'll see y'all! Please leave a review about what you think.

Got to fly! ;)

Meeting Her Family

The Chronicles of Melody Quill S1

Chapter 4

Meeting Her Family

The train bumped and rolled across the rails one the way to Canterlot. Melody kept her eyes outside, waiting for the train to enter the city premises. The Mane 6 saw that she was getting a little tense.

"So, Melody darling." Rarity said, trying to help ease their new friend. "What is your father like?" She asked.

Melody turned her eyes away from the window to look at the white unicorn. "Well, my dad is really cool." She said. "He owns a music shop in Canterlot."

"What does he sell?" Twilight asked.

"Mostly pianos." Melody answered. "But he also sells drums, guitars, and violins."

"So, it's like music runs in yer family, right?" Applejack guessed. The tan pegasus mare nodded while rubbing the back of her head.

"What about your mother?" Rarity asked. "She must be quite lovely if you are her daughter."

Melody looked down at the floor of the car. "Well, she... she is in a better place now." She spoke softly.

The Mane 6 realized what she meant. "Oh, I'm so sorry." Fluttershy said.

"It's okay, I guess." Melody assured her. "I was just a filly when she passed. But I do remember her vividly."

"What was her name?" Rarity asked.

"Raven Grace." Melody answered. All of the Mane 6 immediately had their eyes widening in recognition. "Yeah, the very same as one of the greatest singers in history. She was half of the famous singing duo, the Freedom Angels."

"So, if she was your mom, then you probably have a pretty good singing voice yourself, huh?" Rainbow Dash guessed.

Melody blushed. "Well, I guess I'm pretty good." She said. "If I had managed to get accepted into the Fillydelphia Academy of Performing Arts and graduated at the top of my class just a couple of years ago before my dad and I moved to Canterlot so that I could attend Princess Celestia's school."

Twilight's eyes widened even more. "Wow!" She said. "Then, you must be pretty good if you even got accepted into the most pretigious music schools in all of Equestria."

Melody's blush of embarrassment deepened.

"Do you think you can sing for us?" Pinkie asked her.

Melody froze. "Um, now?" She asked nervously. "With strange ponies around me?"

"What? You have stage fright or something?" Rainbow asked.

"Not really." Melody said. "I just don't like getting too much attention. Remember, I kind of have to keep a low profile because of my shapeshifting."

"Well, you don't have to sing right now." Twilight assured her.

Right then, Melody felt something stirring inside her. It was her special talent, which is how she got her cutie mark. Besides, she knew that she loved to sing. It was one of the only things that can make her forget that she was different from most other ponies.

"Actually, I want to." She admitted.

Fluttershy smiled softly at her. "Don't worry." She said. "I get nervous in front of other ponies a lot. Just pretend it's only us around."

Melody nodded. She then remembered something her father said to her once when she was nervous about singing in front of a crowd.

"The best way to deal with nervousness is to face it." He told her. "Once you start singing, just keep singing."

Melody took her father's advice and sung her heart out that night. And that was how she got her cutie mark.

Feeling that stirring inside, Melody opened her mouth and began to sing. The Mane 6 immediately were in awe at how good she was.

Melody: Seems like I've spent my whole life hoping,
Dreaming about things I've never tried.
Tangled in knots, just waiting
For my time to shine.

What if the doors began to open?
What if the knots became untied?
What if one day, nothing stood in my way
And the world was mine? Would it be this fine?

Melody knew that once she had begun singing, her confidence began growing, and she began singing louder and clearer.

'Cause I got the wind in my hair
And a gleam in my eyes,
And an endless horizon.
I got a smile on my face
And I'm walking on air.

And everything life oughta be,
It's all gonna happen to me out there,
And I'll find it, I swear,
With the wind in my hair.

When the train arrived in Canterlot station, Melody was still singing, with the Mane 6 following her off the train and onto the platform.

So many roads I've yet to travel.
So many friends I haven't met.
So many new adventures just around the bend.

Plenty of mysteries to unravel,
Tons of mistakes to not regret.
So much to see, and to do and to be;
A whole life to spend, and it doesn't end.

And I got the wind in my hair
And a song in my heart, and the fun's only starting.
I got a skip in my step
And I haven't a care.

That beautiful breeze blowing through.
It's gonna carry me who knows where,
But I'll take any dare
With the wind in my hair!

I got a smile on my face
And I'm walking on air!

And everything life ought be,
But I know that it's waiting for me out there,
And I'll find it, I swear,
With the wind in my hair!

Melody finished her song while taking off in the air and spinning around, making her ebony black mane blow in the breeze. Then, she came back down and smiled shyly at her new friends.

"Wow!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Darling, you definitely have a most fantastic voice." Rarity complimented, making the tan pegasus mare blush bright pink.

"Yours was definitely one of the most clear voices I ever did heard." Applejack added with a smile. "Where did ya learn that song?"

Melody smiled. "Well, my mom used to sing it to me whenever I felt down." She explained. "These days, I would sing when to remind me of her and when I feel like adventure is waiting for me."

Then, Melody felt her blood starting to run cold. That song she just sang, she had sung that same song the very afternoon before she was kidnapped.

Rainbow Dash then came beside her, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You want adventure, then maybe you got to hang around us more often." She said, wrapping a hoof around her shoulders.

Melody laughed. "I'll keep that in mind." She replied. Then, she removed Rainbow's hoof. "Come on then. I live just a few blocks away."

Soon, everyone had arrived at a small little house on the outskirts of the city. Melody took a deep breath and knocked on the door three times. When there was no answer, she tried again. "Papa?" She called out. "Are you here?"

There was another moment of silence, before the door handle began to move, and the door opened. On the other side of it was a light brown pegasus stallion with red violet eyes and a short and tousled mane having multiple shades of grey. He wore a black collared shirt, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. His cutie mark was a piano board.

The stallion looked at the much younger mare in front of him like he was seeing a ghost. "M-Melody?" He whispered, not believing what he was seeing.

Melody had tears springing into her eyes. "It's me, Papa." She told the stallion. "I'm home."

The middle-aged stallion immediately took Melody in his forelegs and wrapped her in a giant hug, tears cascading down his face, holding his daughter tight. "My Melody." He said. "My beautiful Melody. You're alive." Melody knew that her tears were dampening the front of his shirt, but she was too happy to care.

The Mane 6 watched the heartfelt reunion with tears all building up in their own eyes. Even Rainbow was getting a little misty-eyed.

The stallion released Melody to see his other guests. "Are you ladies the ones who brought her home?" He asked.

Melody pried herself away from her father. "Yes, Papa." She answered for them."These are my new friends." She said.

The stallion looked over the six young mares that his daughter had befriended. Melody then held her father's hoof. It wasn't everyday when she would make a friend. "They know." She admitted, making her father's eyes widen. "But I trust them, Papa. If it weren't for them, I would've starved to death."

Melody's father glanced back at the Mane 6. "If you trust in them that much, then they are okay with me." He said. "Come on in, ladies." He gestured the Mane 6 to come into his home, keeping a hoof wrapped around his daughter's shoulders. "I actually was making myself some lemonade. You ladies want some?"

Soon, everypony was seated into the living room, which consisted of two large couches against the walls, and two sofa chairs. Everypony had a glass of lemonade either in their hooves or levitating them with their magic. Melody had become a unicorn, so she was drinking her glass as it floated in the air surrounded by golden yellow magic.

"Now, let me introduce myself." Melody's father said. "I'm Greyscale Key. Thank you all again for saving my daughter."

"It was no problem." Twilight said. "After all, we had to help you after she crashed into my home."

Melody blushed with embarrassment. "Yeah, sorry about that."

Twilight brushed it off. "Don't be. You were near exhaustion, so I'll let that one slide. At least you were not Rainbow Dash practicing a new stunt."

"Hey!" Rainbow exclaimed, making everypony laugh.

"I thought you looked familiar." Greyscale said. "You were the one who won the Best Young Fliers Competition in Cloudsdale a few months back, am I right?"

"That's right!" Rainbow said with a smile. "Mel said the same thing after she was getting back on her hooves."

"You know, I grew up in Cloudsdale." Greyscale said. "Then, I had moved to Fillydelphia where I had attended the Fillydelphia Academy and soon met Melody's mother."

"Raven Grace?" Twilight asked, earning a nod from Greyscale.

"She was the most beautiful pony who ever lived." He said, having a fond look in his eyes. Melody touched her father's hoof with her own. "And whenever she would sing, it darn near breaks your heart." Greyscale then looked at his daughter. "I keep telling you that I see your mother every time I see you."

Melody smiled softly. "Of course, Papa." She said. "I'm like the spitting image of her."

The tan unicorn magically put her glass of lemonade on the table and then magically brought a picture down from one of the shelves. "Take a look, girls." She said, showing the photo to the Mane 6.

The framed picture showed Greyscale a few years younger, and beside him was a pegasus mare that did look a lot like Melody. They shared the same eyes, coat, and mane. Even the ladybug earrings that Melody wore matched her mother's. The only differences was that Raven's mane was shorter and more wavy, and that her cutie mark was a black silhouette of a bird with three music notes coming out of its beak.

They thought that they saw an older filly next to a much younger Melody, but the tan unicorn mare then put the photo back on the shelf.

"You do look so much like your mother, Melody." Rarity said. "And those lovely earrings you have were hers?"

Melody nodded, bringing a hoof to gently touch one of the earrings. "Mom gave me these before she passed. Said that they would bring me good luck." She then brought her hoof down, looking down at the floor. "It's like she's always with me."

Greyscale wrapped a hoof around his daughter's shoulder. "And she is." He said. "She's always with you, just like I feel her around me all the time."

Melody smiled up at her father and hugged him again, nuzzling into his shirt. The six other mares softly smiled at the touching scene.

Greyscale looked out the window and saw that Celestia was setting the sun down. "Well, it's getting late." He said. "How would you ladies like to stay here for the night?"

"Are you sure?" Twilight asked. "We wouldn't want to impose."

Greyscale chuckled. "Oh, nonsense." He said. "It's the least I can do for you six for bringing Melody home."

Melody beamed up at her father and hugged him tighter. "Thank you, Papa." She said joyfully.

Greyscale grinned as he lovingly stroked the top of his daughter's back.

Author's Note

A/N: Hey, y'all! I'm on a publishing spree today! Now, in this chapter, we have shown a little more about Melody's background.

As you have already known, I love music. So, it's obvious that my OC loves to sing. But, I can only dream that I have a good voice as I depict Melody. I'm decent enough, and a lot of people say I have potential, but I'm not too certain about that.

The song that I used is "Wind in My Hair" from Tangled: Before Ever After. I just thought that this could fit Melody. And I love the song. I don't own it in any way however.

Now, we will have one more chapter before we start adding Melody into the adventures of the Mane 6. So, I hope y'all stick around.

I'll see you guys in Chapter 5! Please let me know about what you think.

Got to fly! ;)

A Decision

The Chronicles of Melody Quill

Chapter 5

A Decision

That night, Melody was in her room lying in bed, feeling the familiar softness of the bedsheets she haven't felt in almost a whole week. She carefully sat up from her bed and saw Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Twilight sleeping on the floor of her room. Rainbow was snoring softly, while Twilight and Applejack were just breathing softly through their noses, and the both of them were looking peaceful while they slept. But for some reason, Melody just couldn't sleep.

Giving up, the tan Pegasus mare slid out of bed and tiptoed out of her room. Once she was in the hall, she looked over at the room next door to the left. There, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity were sharing that room to sleep. Melody then turned over to the right, where her father's room was. Quietly, Melody went over to the kitchen to get herself some hot chocolate. Warm drinks always eased her mind.

A couple of minutes later, she was relishing in the sweetness of the warm drink that flowed down her throat. Oh, how she missed hot cocoa after not having it, or anything good to drink at all, for the past week. When she set the mug down, she wondered why she was feeling so restless. In all honesty, she was thrilled to be back home and with her father. But now, she was still feeling like something was wrong.

Then, it hit her. She doesn't want to say goodbye to her new friends. They were the first friends she had since she was a filly and she had to move to Canterlot. She hasn't felt this way since she was a student in the Fillydelphia Academy of Performing Arts, when all she did was blend in the background, then shine out on stage. That was the only good attention that she got.

Now, the Mane 6 were like the missing part in her life that vanished when she felt like her life was falling apart. Her mother had died, her sister left without a word, and she was moved to a distant city and had to say goodbye to her only friend.

"Sweetie?" A voice asked her, making Melody's wings pop out in fright. She whirled around and saw her father standing in the hallway entrance.

"Papa." She said, making her wings relax and close to her sides. "Did I wake you?"

Greyscale shook his head. "I was up anyway." He said, walking up to his daughter. "Looks like you can't get some rest either."

Melody gave out a sigh. "You got that right." She said.

Greyscale pulled up a chair so that he could sit beside her. "Do you want to tell me why you can't sleep?" He asked.

Melody looked over at her father. "I just...." She huffed softly before continuing. "I just don't want to say goodbye to my friends. They didn't shun me like everypony else would do if they know about my shapeshifting."

"I know, honey." Greyscale said softly, placing a hoof over his daughter's own. "They seem to be very special and very kind mares."

The younger mare smiled fondly. "They are." She said.

Greyscale looked at how Melody was staring into her cup with a deep, pondering expression. After they got the Mane 6 accommodated for the night, Melody had told her father about what had happened to her in the privacy of his own bedroom. When she was finished with her tale, he had felt his blood freeze.

"Is it true?" She had asked him, tears quickly welling up in her brown eyes. The beautiful chocolate brown eyes that she had inherited from her mother.

Greyscale didn't have the stomach to answer her, so he had only nodded. Then, he had held his daughter in his arms as she quietly wept as if he had told her that her mother, his beloved Raven Grace, had died again, or that her sister was gone, or that they were moving again. She cried as if her life had fallen apart once more.

And that was only a couple of hours ago. Now, it seems that in five short days, Melody had changed from the timid and talented filly into a braver, stronger mare with even more talent.

Now, as Greyscale looked at Melody, he knew that as much as it would break his heart, he knew that his little girl was growing up faster than he would've liked, and this seemed like the better way on how she could cope with whatever is pulling on her.

"And I think that it's best if you stay with your friends." He said.

Melody removed her widening eyes from her cup to her father. "Are, are you sure?" She asked in disbelief.

When her father nodded, the younger mare threw her forelegs around him. "Thank you, Papa." She said. Then she removed herself away from the hug. "I'll tell the girls in the morning." She said.

Greyscale chuckled. "Now I know that you will be too excited to sleep, songbird." He teased, making Melody blush and giggle when he used her pet name he would use back when she was a filly. "Just promise me that you'll visit once in a while so I know that you are okay."

"I will, Papa." Melody said. "I promise."

That following morning, everypony was up and eating some breakfast that Greyscale had prepared. Melody wanted to share her news with her friends, but her father told her to just eat for now. The Mane 6 were curious why their new friend was acting so anxious, but all decided to ignore it for now.

Finally, their plates were clean of food and Fluttershy and Applejack were helping Greyscale and Melody with the dishes while everypony else was putting away the excess food.

Once she put away the last plate, Melody turned to the girls. "Hey, girls." She said. The Mane 6 turned to her. "I've been thinking about it last night, and I decided that I want to come back to Ponyville with you."

Pinkie gasped loudly and zoomed right up to her face. "You mean it?" She squealed, her grin nearly breaking her muzzle in half. Though Melody didn't like the lack of personal space, she nodded. "YIPPEE!" Pinkie cheered, nearly jumping all the way to the ceiling.

The others were just as glad as they all gathered around her. After a quick ecstatic hug, Twilight turned to Greyscale. "And you're okay with it?" She asked him.

Greyscale nodded with a smile. "Since you girls have been the first ponies in a long while that Melody and I trust with her secret, I think it would be best for her to learn how to embrace her ability better if she had such supportive friends beside her."

Twilight returned it. "We promise to keep her safe." She vowed, making Greyscale smile even wider.

In a matter of minutes, Melody had some of her things packed in a couple of suitcases, and now as a unicorn, was levitating them with her golden yellow magic.

As the girls all left the house, Melody took a moment to give her father one last hug. "I love you, Papa." She said.

"I love you too, Melody." He said. "Now, go on. Have an adventure."

"I'm pretty sure I will." She said, laughing slightly. Then, she hurried to catch up with her friends.

"This is going to be so great!" Pinkie said excitedly as she hopped up and down the sidewalk. "Now I can throw that 'Welcome to Ponyville' party for you! We'll have cakes, balloons, confetti- Oh! I need to know what things you like at parties, Melody...."

The others rolled their eyes as Pinkie continued going on and on. Rainbow Dash then came up beside Melody. "You know, I have a lot of spare rooms at my place. You mind staying with me?"

Melody nodded. "Sure." She said. "Though staying in a library sounds fun, I'm pretty sure that Twilight only has room for her and her dragon assistant you guys told me about."

"Yeah. Spike's pretty cool for such a young dragon." Rainbow said.

The both of them giggled as everypony made it to the train station.

Author's Note

A/N: Soon, we will see how Melody will affect the adventures of the Mane 6. And it seems that her father knows something about her that she herself only just realized. But what is it?

We'll have to wait and see. Until then, I'll see y'all in Chapter 6, which is the episode, "Sisterhooves Social." That one might take a while, though.

Got to fly! ;)