This story is meant to be fairly wholesome and for most viewers. However…
*There are numerous LGBTQ characters in this story.
*Action and peril are depicted.
*Mild profane language is used.

Becoming a Dream – Chapter 2
Living the Nightmare

Not long after their fateful encounter with Ariel Hope, Melody and Alex ended up proposing to each other on the same day! They were absolutely smitten with each other, and with their transformation into living magic anime girls, the true sparks of who they were shined bright.

They kept their mid-October wedding small, with their friends and families attending. They opted to lean into the fire and ice theme of their powers, Melody wearing an icy blue dress for Alex, and Alex wearing a fiery red one for Melody.

So absorbed in their moment, they didn’t realize they had two uninvited guests: Ariel snuck in for a few minutes to see these two together in the flesh, absorbing the warm vibes. She knew she made the right choice, helping Melody like she did. These two were made for each other, and their true selves shined through like brilliant stars in the night sky!

… However, another in attendance was there, simply observing. Like Ariel, he snuck in, but more by human ingenuity than by magic. And his motivations were… Dark. His boss wanted eyes on these two, to discern any powers they had and figure out how to exploit them. Months-long reconnaissance had begun…

But in the moment, these two had nothing to fear or worry about. It was them and their new reality. They enjoyed every minute of it! Halloween came around, and they opted to wear a set of matching armors they had to attend a party with friends! Everyone was amazed by their magic tricks, and everyone wanted pictures with the “busty anime girls,” something they fully relished in!

November came around, and the holiday season was in full swing. Melody and Alex invited their parents to come to Thanksgiving for a big feast, and the pair dazzled them with expertly prepared foods, thanks to their powers. (Melody in particular knew the perfect temperature and time to cook the food, making for some of the most delicious food any of them had ever had!)

Efforts to talk with Ariel did prove troublesome, however. Ariel was exceptionally busy a lot of the time, dividing herself between her “charge,” Heather, a teen that lived in the area, and her friends, one of whom she explained was going through a slow transformation of her own. It was particularly arduous, and her friend needed a lot of support to get through her trying times. After it was finally over, Melody and Alex were well into their holiday plans, too busy themselves.

As December rolled in, the two toyed with each other over gift ideas, playfully teasing each other over their first Christmas together – and as their ideal selves. They thought nothing could ruin the season for them…

=== December 20. ===

“You were right! That pizzeria was fantastic!” Alex swooned.

“I wasn’t sure at first, but the reviews were great. Now we know why!” Melody agreed.

It was only a couple of blocks from their home. They walked there in their sequin dresses (and coats, given the time of year) to enjoy a romantic dinner together. They were finally on their way back after a couple of hours…

But something was wrong. As they approached home, an orange glow warmed the night air. Along with the smell of smoke.

Sensing something was wrong, they dashed for their home, only to find it in flames!

“NO!” Alex screamed.

“Alex! We can fix this! Our powers!” Melody suggested.

Alex quickly nodded, raising her arms to prepare to extinguish the flames. But then she started seizing up, collapsing to the ground. A man had been behind them, shocking her with a very powerful-looking cattle-prod.

“Don’t move!” the man shouted.

Melody raised her arms. “Please, that’s our home! We can fix this if you just-“

Another approached from behind Melody and shocked her. She fell to the ground in pain. “W-we didn’t do this! I swear!” she cried.

More people, obscured by the flames at first, made their way over.

“You are in violation of the laws of the United States. You two have unauthorized use of magic,” one of them “explained.”

“Wh-what are you talking about?” Alex stammered, as handcuffs were clapped to her wrists.

“The Magic Defense Act of 1938 clearly states that any person who uses magic without the expressed permission of the United States government has violated federal law. You are to relinquish your powers – or have them removed by force. We, of the Department of Magical Resources, are here to enforce this law.”

Melody and Alex looked into each other’s eyes as Melody’s hands were also tied behind her back. They both felt it. Fear. Horror. Terror. This was supposed to be the happiest time of their lives, and now, these government agents were readying to lock them away – or worse.

Alex cried as they lifted her up. Melody started thinking deeply. Something wasn’t right. For as “official” as they sounded, they were here, waiting for them. Their house was in flames. She couldn’t help but put the two together… They must have set their house on fire! Frauds or not, THEY were in the wrong!

Melody summoned all of her newfound strength to pull her handcuffs apart, throwing her escorts several feet in both directions. With the rest stunned by her sudden turn, she threw fireballs at Alex’s captors, blowing them away from her. Melody raced up and melted Alex’s cuffs away.

“Melody, what the hell are you doing!?”

“No time! We gotta get out of here!”

One of the men picked up a rifle. “Sedate them!” he barked, several more picking up rifles. They realized they were loaded with darts.

Alex quickly created an ice barrier, which started absorbing fire from the mysterious adversaries. Realizing their car was still intact, they raced up to it and threw themselves in. Alex slammed the key in as Melody took the wheel and slammed on the gas. They peeled out of the driveway, leaving their attackers in the dust.

"Melody, what are we doing!?” Alex screamed.

“Are you hurt? Did they hit you?”

“What?”

“Are you okay?”

“Other than that shock, they didn’t hurt me. Melody…”

“Whoever those were, I’m pretty sure they set our home ablaze. Frauds or not, that was uncalled for! I don’t know about you, but I’m not letting myself be taken in by people like that…”

“B-but, they sounded so official. And that law…”

“There’s a lot we don’t know right now. All I know is, it’s not safe to be here. W-we have to keep moving. Let’s get to an ATM. We might need to take out money to survive on for now…”

“O-okay…”

After an hour of driving, Melody pulled them into a gas station with an outdoor ATM machine. She had already pulled her card out and put it in the machine. Her account was lesser, using Alex’s instead as their joint account. It was just something she used to have a little bit of her own spending money for gifts and such.

The screen read $2018. She decided to empty it and take some fees, leaving her with just over $1900 in cash. She sighed, hating every moment of this.

“Look, I don’t think it has enough if you want to do the same, but who knows if we’ll be able to use our accounts going forward…” Melody suggested.

“Alright.” Alex plugged her card in, giving them their joint account. A much healthier $75,000 appeared on the screen… But only for a moment. The screen flickered, and then it suddenly displayed: “Error: Account Not Found.”

“Nonononono!” Alex stammered as she tried several times to get into their account, only for the message to keep popping up. “Why!? WHY!?” she screamed, falling into Melody’s arms, crying.

“W-we have to go… Alex…”

Alex nodded. Melody guided them to their car, uncertain of where they should go…

=== The next morning. ===

Jupiter thumbed through the smoldering wreck with her mittens. She was surprised by how difficult it ended up being to get the fire department to do their damn job and get this place put out. Then again, she knew Fireleaf Hills was “enemy territory” – the fire department here likely listened to criminal elements that ran the town. She touched a warm, warped piece of metal. It was a shoulder pad to one of the girls’ armor sets, badly warped and charred by the inferno…

She sighed as she pulled her phone out. Her boss had to know.

“George, they’re not here. They must have fled when the DMR cornered them. Looks like a fight broke out, and they might have taken off in their car. I see tire marks from that… Otherwise, the place is a total loss.”

“Damn. But they at least got away. I was able to track an ATM transaction from Melody’s account an hour north. She drained it, but the DMR got to their joint account shortly after.”

“Bastards.”

“We’ll see about getting their account back, but you need to get to them. They’re likely confused, terrified, and paranoid of the danger trying to track them. See if you can use your navigation skills to get to them, Agent Artimus.”

“I’ll link up with some backup. We might have to create a divergence for the girls to get to safety.”

“Good idea. Keep me informed.” George hung up.

She thumbed through her contacts. She found one she knew was in the state. “Darron, I need you right now.”

“Huhg, sry – gulp – you caught me having breakfast.”

“Look, get your meal on the go. Those magic girls from Fireleaf Hills were attacked last night. We have to intercept them and get them to safety before DMR finds them again.”

“I’m in Grand Rapids right now. Want to meet halfway?”

“Yeah, I’ll chart a course while I’m on my way. I’m hoping I have an idea of their plans, anyway.”

“Well, you’re the navigation expert. I’m just the muscle.”

“Hey, don’t cut yourself so short, you know well more about other forms of magic than I do… I can’t even comprehend some of the things you’re capable of!”

“Thanks! I’ll see you as soon as I can!”

“Alright, see you soon.” The two hung up, with Jupiter closing her eyes. “We’re coming for you… Hang on, girls…”

=== Around noon. ===

Melody was behind the wheel again. They took a busy highway north. She figured no one would be crazy enough to try to run them off the road on a busy highway. Too many witnesses. Whoever cornered them last night, they were trying to keep a low profile. She rationalized the fire might have been to cover up their eventual “disappearance.”

She turned to Alex. Bags had formed under her eyes, unable to sleep the night before. She was curled up into a ball in the passenger’s seat. Melody had no way to console her wife right now. They both knew they were in danger, but from who – and why – they didn’t know.

But as she was looking around, a black SUV with tinted windows pulled up behind them. Melody’s anxiety spiked, fearing this was some clandestine vehicle. She kept her cool as best as she could and signaled Alex to keep her head down.

She maintained her speed. The SUV pulled into the lane beside them and matched. Melody sank down, bracing herself. Then, the radio started crackling.

“Bzzt – H-hello? I know you can’t respond right now, but I’m in the vehicle next to you!” said the voice of a woman. On cue, one of the windows rolled down, showing a woman waving to them with mittens on. She started talking again through a device, clearly linking into their radio. “Look, I know you two are scared and confused. We're here to help! I understand if you can’t trust anyone right now, but if you can trust us for just a little bit, there’s a diner off the next turn in a couple of miles. We can meet there – but only if you two want to. We won’t follow you. We leave this to you…” The window rolled back up, and the SUV pulled ahead of them.

“Sh-should we trust them? How were they able to hack our radio like that!?” Alex asked, concerned.

“I don’t know, but if they were after us like that, they could have easily taken us out with that SUV. Maybe we should see what they have to say…” Melody suggested.

“… And be prepared to fight our way out?”

Melody nodded.

They followed the SUV for another minute, which turned onto the road in question. The road cut through a wooded area, eventually leading to a diner that looked like it came from the 50s, nestled among the trees. The SUV pulled into a parking spot next to an RV. As Melody pulled into a spot a couple of yards away, she watched a dark-skinned man and the woman from earlier casually get out. She saw them and lightly nodded, looking relieved.

Melody got out of the car, and she helped Alex out, who was shivering. Melody wrapped herself around her terrified wife and guided the both of them over to the mysterious pair. “So… Who are you?” Melody asked.

“I’m Jupiter Artimus – yeah, my parents are ancient mythology nuts – and this is my colleague, Darron. We’re… Friends,” answered the woman, if vaguely.

“Well, you’re a step up from burning our house to the ground…” Melody remarked, suspicion still hanging over her voice.

Jupiter sighed. “You don’t deserve any of this. But this place should be safe for the moment. How about we treat you to lunch while we explain what’s REALLY going on?”

Melody and Alex looked at each other. Jupiter seemed warm and inviting enough. And she didn’t skirt around the idea they were in danger. Maybe they could trust her… They nodded.

“Alright!” She opened the door for them, a bell ringing. She looked at the waitress. “We’re going to need some privacy,” Jupiter hinted. The waitress nodded, and when the door closed, they heard something activate. A faint buzzing from the door could be heard.

“Uh, did you just trap us?” Alex asked.

“More like keeping unwanted guests out,” Jupiter suggested. “Please, sit. I’ll pay for everything, don’t worry!”

A waiter came up to their table. “So, what will it be, everyone?”

“We probably don’t have a lot of time. Got any pies around?” Jupiter asked.

“Ah, yes, we got apple, cherry, and seasonal pumpkin fresh out of the oven! Sound interesting?”

“You know, the pumpkin sounds good…” Melody suggested.

“Without whipped cream of course,” Alex agreed.

“Bold choice. Same for you two?”

“We’ll let them have the full pumpkin pie to themselves – they might want more for later. I’ll take some cherry,” Jupiter suggested.

“I’ll have the rest of the cherry… And the full apple pie too,” Darron suggested in his deep voice.

“Of course you will…” Jupiter muttered, barely holding her professional composure together.

The waiter nodded and walked off.

“So… What the HELL is going on!?” Alex asked.

“You two are Melody and Alex Valain, recently wedded, and both having undergone magical transformations, leaving Melody the opposite gender and both of you looking like living anime girls – both with magic. Sound right?”

Their blank stares said everything.

“Sorry, yes, we knew about you. We were eventually going to make contact with you, but we didn’t want to interrupt your lives. Darron and I, we’re a part of the FBI’s ‘Supernatural Investigations’ division. We monitor and interact with supernatural beings and investigate events. You two caused a stir, but we figured you to be harmless, so we let you live out your lives.”

“But then why are your Magical Resources agents after us all of a sudden!?” Alex growled.

“Alex, please, calm down!” Melody pleaded.

Jupiter sighed. “Those extremist asshats aren’t an official government agency. Not anymore.”

“Extremist?” Melody asked.

“Born under those ideas of ‘some are superior to others,’ they were created back in the 1920s. But in the 90s, it was determined magic folks were too powerful to try to subjugate, and cooperation became the goal. In fact…” Jupiter slipped off a mitten, revealing she had webbed hands. “I wouldn’t be here today if that mindset hadn’t changed. I’m an ocean dweller – a merfolk or mermaid, if you will.”

“Holy shit…” Alex muttered.

“No way…” Melody muttered at the same time.

Jupiter nodded to Darron, who pulled down his sunglasses. Melody and Alex were confused when it looked like he had normal brown eyes, but then he reached for his eyes and pulled out contacts, revealing golden irises with slit pupils.

“I’m a dragon. We learned long ago how to transform ourselves into humans – but we can’t change our eyes,” he explained.

“Woah…” both of the girls muttered at the same time. Their food arrived at this moment.

“But to answer your question, the ‘Department of Magical Resources’ went rogue when the governments of the world switched tactics. For a time, we almost had all the zealots in their ranks rounded up, but two chapters managed to gain a following: a Northwest faction, and a Michigan one. We’ve struggled to nail these two, for different reasons. The Northwest faction is squirrelly and disorganized, making attempts to shut them down difficult. On the flip side…”

“Let me guess, the Michigan one is well-funded and highly organized,” Melody guessed.

Jupiter nodded. “You two lived in what we believe to be their hive, Fireleaf Hills itself. Evidence is hard to come by, but what we have suggests they run the town. Magical folk are constantly under surveillance, never mind if they decide to attack.”

“Why did they burn our place down?” Alex asked. “That was an insane move!”

Jupiter closed her eyes. “It’s because of Melody. They’re run by an ideology that hates trans folk. So, it’s especially infuriating to them when a trans girl gets the magic they desire. We’re sorry, we should have come to you sooner…”

“Great, so they’re transphobes with a superiority complex…” Melody muttered. “Wait, then that genie girl who gave us these powers…”

“Ah, yes, Ariel. We know about her. But because she’s an Angelic Genie, they’re not going to make a move on her. She’s too powerful. There is nothing they can do about her. It’s likely why they retaliated against you like they did: pent up rage.”

“Wh-what about our families? Our friends?” Alex asked.

“The Michigan branch is too smart to target average civilians. It nearly destroyed them once. As long as you don’t meet your friends in person, they’ll be safe.”

“O-okay, I think we can make that work…” Alex suggested.

“What about us?” Melody asked as the lights flickered. “And what was that?”

Darron looked behind them at the front door. He could see three men in black armor twitching by the door. “It seems the DMR decided to pay a visit. They got the ‘ten-thousand volt special,’” he chuckled.

“Well, that’s a few more we can cart off to prison…” Jupiter added.

“The heck is this place?” Melody asked.

“Both a legit restaurant and a waystation for magical folks,” Jupiter answered. “There’s a reason we picked this place! But with a few of them already here, it looks like our time is closing…”

“What do we do?” Melody asked.

“First, unless you’re in danger, and your magic is the only way out, don’t use it! It creates mini space-time distortions that can be tracked,” Jupiter answered.

“Got it,” Melody replied.

Jupiter handed them a set of keys. “Take the RV, head north. We have a stronghold in the UP. If you can meet with our people up there, we can get you to safety.”

“Alright, thank you. What are you going to do?” Alex asked.

“Both of us are here to create a diversion. We’ll use our own magic to make a trail they’ll be drawn towards, away from you two. We know how to handle ourselves. I’ve had Adept training…” Jupiter suggested.

“And I’m an ornery beast that’s lived for two thousand years. I ain’t planning on dying anytime soon, either!” Darron joked. “And maybe we can get a few more of these guys in the process.”

“Thank you, both of you!” Melody said with a polite bow.

“You two get to our stronghold, and we’ll see each other again! For now, go!” Jupiter ordered. The waitress pressed a button under the counter, disarming the door traps. Melody and Alex stepped over the twitching mess of men as they made their way over to the RV. They boarded it and Melody took the wheel.

“You know how to drive one of these?” Alex asked.

“I drove a school bus before we met. It should be a breeze without kids kicking the back of the seat every few seconds…” She put the vehicle in reverse and maneuvered it out of the lot and onto the road.

Alex investigated the RV. It was way more modern inside than the outside suggested. It had top-end screens, an internet hot-spot, and she could make out strange devices that looked way more advanced than anything she’d seen before. The pantries were well stocked, and she even found a stash of cash in a compartment, with a note: “If you’re reading this, and we’re helping you, use this as needed. We’re rooting for you! – Agent Jupiter Artimus.”

“Aww…” Alex muttered, touched by the message.

“Seems like they had this planned out. We might not even be the first they’ve helped…” Melody realized.

“It sounds like these DMR guys are no joke…” Alex suggested as she sat down next to Melody.

Melody grabbed for her hand while keeping her eyes on the road. “We’ll make it through, Alex. Together. Like we always do,” she suggested in a reassuring tone.

Alex gripped Melody’s hand. She didn’t want to let go…

=======

Alex handed the attendant the toll for the Mackinac Bridge, and the pair made their way over. (She didn’t bat an eye at the girls’ unusual appearance, as she had another family come through with a fox woman, some ambassador of some sort, just a few days prior…) It was busy, and the traffic was slow. Weather had caused speed reductions, and they spent some time over the straights.

Alex watched Melody tense up. Melody didn’t swim all that well, and there was this fear that, if something should happen with the bridge, it was a long fall to a deep watery grave. Melody started shivering.

Alex rushed over to rub her wife’s shoulders. “Hey, it’s okay. Everything will be fine. We’re almost to the other side! Just a couple more minutes…”

Melody’s stress faded a little. “Thanks, Alex…” she said as she reached for Alex’s hand.

They reached the other side and continued north for several hours. There was a single brochure in the RV, one for the Pictured Rocks, a cliffside on the Upper Peninsula that was known for spectacular images from stains on the slowly crumbling cliff face. There were trails in the area – Alex suggested that’s where they should go.

It was deep into the night when they arrived. They left the RV behind and made their way into the dark trails. They were huddled together as they wandered the trails for hours, not knowing what to expect. Eventually, they lost the trail completely and wandered the thick, cold pine forests.

“So, someone’s supposed to meet us here or something?” Alex asked.

“M-maybe they haven’t found us yet…” Melody hoped.

They continued wandering until the tree line – and almost the ground itself – disappeared! Alex quickly grabbed Melody before she fell off the cliff into Lake Superior.

“AIEEEEEEEE! PULL ME UP! PULL ME UP!” Melody screamed frantically. Alex threw herself back, pulling Melody with her. They stood up and looked down. The dark waves of the lake bashed up against the brown rock cliff several hundred feet below.

“Shit, that was close!” Alex muttered.

“I guess we should turn back, huh?”

“You got that-“

Alex suddenly lurched forward, a force hitting her from behind. She screamed as she tumbled into the lake below!

“ALEX!” Melody screamed in horror. She could only watch as Alex disappeared under the water below. Furious, she threw herself around to see what had caused Alex to fall, only for something to grab her from behind, lifting her up over the cliff. The color left her skin when she looked down and saw the fate being teased to her.

A tall, petite woman appeared before her. But this was impossible – there’s no way someone of this stature should be here!

“What a shame… She made such a horrible choice, staying with you…” the woman muttered.

“Haylie Arden-Smith!?” Melody asked, bewildered. “You’re Fireleaf Hills’ most prominent community member! What are you…” That’s when it all started coming together. Who else could be in such command as Jupiter implied earlier? There was no one more influential in Fireleaf Hills than her. She was everywhere, her name on half the buildings in the city.

But where did she get all that money and power from? No one knew what work she and Duke did that made them so rich. But now, it made sense. She was heading the Michigan branch of the DMR!

“You-you bitch! That was my wife!” Melody screamed as she threw a punch with all of her anime girl strength.

Haylie threw her hand up and grabbed the fist. She caught it without flinching. An impressive feat for someone who appeared to have no muscles of any sort.

“Is this really all you can do…” she asked sarcastically, shaking her head. “You don’t deserve this power, or this false body of yours… It’s disgusting, really. You’re so weak.”

“You…” Melody muttered, unable to find more words. She looked around at the situation. She saw a tree branch from an increasingly horrifying, twisted-looking tree holding onto her. Somehow, Haylie was controlling it.

“And of course, my own son had to live, and then go around granting wishes like yours. Yuck.”

Melody put it together. The Arden-Smith’s son had disappeared some time ago, and yet, they didn’t bat an eye. It was like he was erased from existence. Then comes Ariel. A genie, who granted hers and Alex’s wishes… Ariel was Haylie’s trans daughter! They must have thrown her out for being trans, and Ariel lived, somehow, by becoming the Angelic Genie she now was.

“You monster… Ariel’s a good person. Unlike YOU…” Melody growled.

It was at that moment a searing pain shot through her abdomen, flying through her back. Her ears rang, and she felt herself falling. As she did, she saw the suppressed handgun Haylie had pulled out, as well as the wound it had inflicted on her. Her final image of the monster of Fireleaf Hills was a look of coldness and disgust.

After what felt like an eternity, Melody hit the water, her world going black.

END OF CHAPTER 2

By CrystalSeaDragon44