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

Becoming a Dream – Chapter 3
All They Really Want…

“… Doc! I think she’s coming to!” a familiar voice called out.

Melody’s eyes slowly opened. Alex’s tearful light blue eyes were staring back. She smiled. “Melody, sweetie, can you hear me?”

“I-I can…” Melody whispered weakly. “Wha-what happened?” She started getting up, but searing pain put her back down with a yelp.

“C-careful! You’re still healing!”

Melody glanced down past her chest, seeing her midsection wrapped up. A round dark-red blood stain was on the left side of her abdomen. “Where… Are we?” Melody asked.

“Some merfolk facility in the bottom of the lake. They rescued us!”

A merfolk man walked into the room. He was wearing a lab coat, but Melody could see the yellow webbing on his hands. It seems here, there was no point in hiding it. “Welcome back, Misses Melody Valain. I see you’re awake. Do you remember what happened?” he asked.

“I… It was kind of a blur in the end, but Haylie Arden-Smith was there. It was very clearly her, although I don’t know how she took a punch from me…” Melody explained.

“And whoever it was, they shot you with a fifty-caliber bullet. Went clean through, glanced your spine, even. Had you been a normal human, this likely would have killed you. But you and Alex have superhuman capabilities, so you both survived. She woke up a couple of days ago…”

“And froze a couple of attendants out of panic!” added a more familiar voice. It was Jupiter!

Alex blushed. “Y-yeah, that was kinda embarrassing.”

“Wait, a couple of days ago? What day is it now?” Melody asked.

“A little after six in the morning, Christmas Eve,” the doctor explained. “We weren’t sure you’d make it at first, but those divine magic blessings both of you have kicked in, and the tremendous damage that gunshot did to you healed up quickly. We’re confident you’ll be able to walk normally after probably another few hours. Just, take it easy.” He turned to Jupiter. “You too. She’s still weak.” Jupiter nodded as he walked out.

“It was that bad?” Melody asked. “I… I remember the gun, but I didn’t know it was something that big!”

“Melody, I heard the accusation. Are you certain it was Mrs. Arden Smith?” Jupiter asked.

“Y-yes. It makes sense. Her wealth comes from the DMR, which also goes back into funding their operations when she can. She owns most of the city. And… Ariel’s her trans daughter. She wouldn’t refer to Ariel as a girl at all, so it lines up with their transphobic views…” Melody explained.

“Damn…” Alex muttered.

“I see. But you said you tried to punch her? And she took it?”

“Yeah. I thought my anime girl strength would have broken her thin, lanky arms…” Then she thought about the tree, the thing that was getting horribly twisted and mangled – maybe corrupted – as Haylie seemed to exert control over it. “Wait, does anyone know if she practices some form of magic?”

Jupiter was stunned. “No, there are no eyewitness accounts suggesting she’s even performed a card trick, let alone genuine magic!”

“What are you saying?” Alex asked.

“There was a tree. She seemed to be in control of it. It was holding me over the cliff. The longer it held me, the more horrific it became… Like some sort of corruption!”

“That’s easily dark magic… Maybe even stronger. Melody, you might have just opened a new door into helping us understand what’s going on. Thank you!”

“What about us?” Alex asked.

“It’s far too dangerous for you to live in this state anymore, especially if Haylie tried – and almost succeeded – to kill you both personally. Either live here, in this facility, or go elsewhere; living in public view in Michigan is asking for certain death for you two. I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay…” Melody grabbed Alex’s hand. “We still have each other.” Alex shed a few tears.

Jupiter smiled at the heartwarming notion. “Well, you should be up and about in a few hours. We got a bunch of activities today, from a classic Christmas movie marathon in the theater rooms starting at noon, with a Christmas Eve pizza party at six to eight in the evening. If you two are up for it, you’re welcome to join!”

“Thanks, Jupiter!” Alex said, both of them smiling.

Jupiter nodded and left them to each other. As Melody held Alex’s hand, she kept hearing Haylie’s words ringing in her head…

“What a shame… She made such a horrible choice, staying with you…”
“You don’t deserve this power, or this false body of yours… It’s disgusting, really. You’re so weak.”

A bad choice…
Undeserving…
Fake…
Disgusting…
Weak…

Melody’s hand clenched Alex’s tighter as these words assaulted her wounded mind. Her face clenched as she started to let out tears.

“Melody, what’s wrong!?” Alex asked, worried.

“Am I a mistake? Am I-“

“No, stop! Please! Melody, you are one of the most fantastic people I know! Over the last few months, I got to see a girl unlike any other shine so bright! And when we were up against madmen and monsters, you were the one to keep her cool and guide us through! I couldn’t have made it this far without you, Melody.” Alex leaned herself against Melody. “Even before the real you came to light, you were always so kind and considerate. On days where I didn’t feel special, you made me feel special. You’ve been my light, Melody! My shining star… I don’t care about anything else right now. All I want… Is you. You are NOT a mistake.”

Melody slowly relaxed. Her eyes opened, looking at Alex. She smiled as tears ran down her face.

Alex smiled back, also with tears down her face. “Besides, if you’re thinking this because of something Mrs. Arden-Shithead said to you, just remember: she shot you for no good reason. She has nothing wise for you to think about.”

“Pfft. Hehe! … HAHAHAHA! – ACK!” Melody cried out, her laughing too hard causing her healing body some pain. “Oof, that hurt… But I still enjoyed the laugh! Thanks, Alex!”

“You’re welcome, Melody!”

Alex sat on Melody’s bed, the two of them pulling each other closer. Alex silently committed to staying there until Melody could walk again. There was nowhere else she’d rather be.

=======

Jupiter looked through her contacts. She had no idea who to reach first with the new information from Melody. While it wouldn’t be enough to bring Haylie to any trial (that’s been tried more than a few times), she could at least get the message out to the bureau and the wider community. She realized George Moltorn, her boss, should probably know first. But as soon as she hit “call,” she heard a voice – and a phone ringing – from behind!

“Oh, hello there, Jupiter!”

She spun around. It was indeed George! With a long scar over the left side of his dark, wrinkled face (and said eye perpetually shut), it wasn’t hard to tell who he was.

“Oh, you were just trying to call? Sorry about that, but I came here for the festivities this year,” he replied in his signature deep voice. “How are you doing, Jupiter?”

“Relieved, now that we got Melody and Alex here. And a bit terrified of what Melody just told us.”

“Oh?”

“Haylie Arden-Smith knows genuine magic. Melody reported that Haylie was using a tree to grab her, it becoming more corrupted the longer control was exerted over it. It might also explain why, when I tried to make contact with them on the trails, the trails themselves seemed to have shifted. I’ve been traversing them for years, and I haven’t gotten lost on them until that night. I’m just lucky I saw Melody falling from a distance, but I didn’t see who or what that threw her off…”

“At least you rescued her, as did the other merfolk in getting Alex.” Geroge shook his head, clearly upset about the wives’ ordeal.

Jupiter knew more than anyone how much George cared for others in the magic community. She was likely alive because of him. His injuries came from when he himself worked for the DMR, back when it was still a part of the government. He was ordered to retrieve a mermaid’s egg, and her mother was chosen. Jupiter’s own egg was his target. His missing eye and fingers (his pinky and ring fingers on the left) were from her mother’s frenzied defensive response.

They had told her the story many times. George managed to subdue her despite his grievous injuries, but when the DMR took her and the egg away, George and her mother locked eyes, and her look, one of pleading desperation, got him to see the harm he had caused. He would later help both of them escape, getting himself fired from the DMR. But that record of bravery and compassion netted him a position in the new FBI division to make peace with magic folks. He worked his way up with a drive to fix the ills of his past with the DMR, ultimately becoming the division head. He was getting old now, in his late 60s, but his drive is as strong today as it was then.

As his exploits for the community grew, Jupiter saw him as another father figure, and she decided to partake in merfolk Adept training to hone her magic and join the FBI to continue helping other magic folks like he was. But she knew George had never forgiven himself, even to this day. She knew, if anything went wrong, he blamed himself first. A fact that was about to come up yet again…

“I’m sorry, Jupiter, that you didn’t get to spend Christmas with your parents in the Gulf…”

“Don’t be! It’s what I signed up for. I’ve already talked to them; they’re happy that I helped rescue the poor girls from the DMR! Sure, it didn’t go exactly to plan, but at least they’re here, okay.”

She didn’t like the look he gave. She had long learned to read his face. “That’s not good enough” was clearly visible.

“Look, I know you’re not going to be satisfied with how anything goes, but I know you’ll think of something to mitigate the damage to these girls’ lives…” Jupiter leaned in closer. “Maybe find a really powerful friend to help reclaim some of what they lost?” Jupiter suggested with a whisper. She knew better than anyone that George had the ears of some sympathetic – and very powerful – people. He could probably literally get a continent moved, if needed!

“You know, it’s not a bad idea…” he whispered back.

“Otherwise, just relax, George. You’re here to celebrate, so celebrate, damn it!”

“Heh, not before I make some calls. After all, what are you going to be doing here in a moment?” he playfully asked, knowing Jupiter all too well himself.

“You got me. Terrance probably needs a call, given he’s on the ‘regular’ side of the Arden-Smith crimes case…” Jupiter gave George a scolding look. “But PROMISE me you’ll put work down after that, okay?”

“You have my word.” That held weight, coming from him. She smiled and nodded, turning back to her phone to reach Terrance as George walked away.

“Jupiter, what’s got you calling this early in the morning?” Terrance grumbled on the other side.

“Oh, sorry, I forgot you’re on California time right now. Sorry! But we got a major development regarding the Arden-Smiths…”

“Make my decade. Tell me you nailed them, and they’re in prison until the sun explodes.”

“Uh, no. Sorry. But it’s new details that might help with the case at least. It’s a mixed bag, though.”

“I’m listening.”

“We have an eyewitness here who claims Haylie used genuine magic, manipulating a tree, which became corrupted from it. I was also able to piece together that there might have been space-time distortions in the same area, leading myself and others astray as we searched for them. She’s credible.”

There was a pause on his end. “It makes sense. No one should have been able to worm their way out of as much as she’s gotten away with over the years. The magic explanation makes sense. But like you said, it’s a mixed bag. We know, but now, how do we counter that? What does she know, and how?”

“That’s what I was thinking. Still, it might help everyone on my end to know she’s that much more dangerous, and it might help you, being the go-between of magic and non-magic, to know this. Might help you sidestep a few issues you’ve been having in the case.”

“I appreciate the way you’re looking at this. I’ll try to take it to mind. Thank you, Jupiter.”

“You too, Terrance. Enjoy your Christmas!”

“You too.”

As they hung up and Jupiter started getting herself in the mindset to enjoy herself now that her work was done for now, George had been making his own plans…

“… So, these two need as much of their stuff back as we can get, correct?” asked the woman on the other end.

“Whatever you’re capable of. Might make their Christmas, given,” George replied.

“I know my apprentice accomplished that feat on her first day. Even still, I couldn’t grasp the complexity of the spells then. But I have a new partner who can help me with that, hopefully. Maybe I can meet you there later?”

“I’d appreciate that. Let’s keep this under wraps until we can figure it out. Make it a surprise for the girls.”

“Sounds like a plan! Give me a couple of hours, and we can discuss the details in person!” The woman on the other end hung up.

George was as content about it as he was going to get. This was far better than nothing!

=== 8:33 a.m. ===

Doctors failed to anticipate the strength Alex being with Melody gave her, and she was already able to get up and walk without pain – although she needed a cane or help to walk for a little while longer. Alex opted to help Melody walk around, given the rate she was now healing; she wouldn’t need a cane for very long.

Because the girls had nowhere else to go, the staff at the facility they were in decided, with the girls’ input, to rearrange Melody’s recovery room into a suite for the two! The rooms were modular by design, allowing them to be multipurpose for whatever the need was at the time. Now that Melody was on the road to full recovery, the team could rearrange the place while Alex and Melody were out, exploring and enjoying the activities.

They were bewildered by the sheer size of the place. It was like a deluxe shopping mall – all of it under Lake Superior and part of the Upper Peninsula! And yet, they had no explanation why it was down here yet. But they saw all sorts of beings walking the halls, from merfolk with their scaly legs and webbed hands (by far the most numerous, it appeared) to people with leaf-like ears. Some people looked like humans, but as they had just learned, not everyone who looked human was. And they couldn’t forget those colorful fox people! A fair few of them were down here too!

As they explored, they rounded a corner into a whole new unexpected sight: a freight train of dark bronze scales and muscles, a serpent at least 80 feet long, with five pairs of limbs to walk on! Its golden eyes caught notice of the two, and it stopped, rearing up in the front, pulling its forelimbs into the air.

“As I live and breathe! Melody! Alex! You’re both here, awake!” it bellowed cheerfully in a familiar voice…

“No way… Darron!?” exclaimed Alex.

“Indeed I am! Although, I’m actually called ‘Darronavarr the Bronze Rainbow.’ All of us dragons get stuffy titles like that."

“But Darron’s like a human name or something?” Melody asked.

“Of course. How many humans have a name like mine?” he asked back.

“Well, as someone who knows the value of being called by the name they want… Do you want us to call you just Darronavarr? No ‘stuffy titles,’ just the name?”

A grin the size of the two girls standing on top of each other spread across his massive face. “That means a lot to me! I’d very much appreciate that!” he roared gleefully, causing them to stumble back and his words to echo through the halls.

Melody and Alex fiddled with their hair to fix it, having been messed up by the sheer force of his voice. Regaining composure, Melody asked, “What is this place, even? I get it’s a magic folk stronghold, but beyond that…”

“No one’s gushed about it yet? This is a research facility! The merfolk wanted to study the Great Lakes, a place that has magic very similar to the Ocean. But it’s slightly different: there are no natural merfolk in the Lakes, and there isn’t a person alive that knows how to control this magic directly. Merfolk wanted to know more about it, but with the DMR and bigotry out there, it wound up becoming a stronghold to protect all sorts of people who need cover from them,” Darronavarr explained. “It’s now a hidden city for us magic folk under the lake.”

“What’s even out there?” Alex asked. “Until just a few days ago, we had only met one genie, an Angelic one…”

“We didn’t know this much magic existed in the world!” Melody added.

“Yeah, it’s everywhere. Merfolk you’ve seen plenty of now. I’m a serpent dragon myself, but there are plenty of subspecies of my kind out there – you’ve seen a fair few of the other kinds in movies, shows, and such. People with leaf ears are dryads, plant people who control plant life with their magic. Kitsunes are the fox people, from a parallel dimension of magic called the Hallow. And you’ve met genies already, even their rarest and most powerful ones!”

“Wow…” the girls muttered in awe.

“And there are all sorts of different magic types too. Humans can learn the ways of light or dark magic, aligned on good and bad, respectively. Dragons similarly learn this magic, but we have some inborn abilities as well. Merfolk get Ocean Magic, the manipulation of water, and dryads get Forest Magic, the manipulation of plant life. Kitsunes have a wilder magic that presents itself in ways still not fully understood by them,” Darronavarr explained further. “Genies get aligned magic too, but at a stronger level: divine and demonic. In fact…”

He leaned in closer, being at eye-level with them. “I sense it; you two have been given a rare honor in divine magic yourselves! Not just protections from an Angelic Genie, although they are there. I’m talking, honest to goodness, you have capabilities born of it now!"

“What does that mean?” Melody asked.

“It means that you can be trusted with some of the most powerful magic known to our world. Something about you two could be trusted with a fragment of the power, the magic, that fuels creation. There must be true kindness in your hearts.”

“So, our magical powers to use fire and ice… That’s divine magic?” Alex asked.

“It is… You two are very special! Humans are rarely given such an honor! Not without becoming something distinctly not human, anyway. But after watching you two for a while, we’re pretty sure we know why; you two didn’t want power for the sake of it, but to dazzle and entertain others. You’ve even both used your gifts in defense of others or to solve their problems. Everything you’ve done with your new powers is proof you deserved them.”

“Th-thank you!” Melody stuttered, getting a little choked up by the affirmation.

“They may try, but no one can take that from you two! These are your gifts, girls. For you two only.”

“Thank you!” Alex replied, smiling.

“Oh, Darronavarr, before we get going, can I ask you one more thing?” Melody asked.

“Oh?”

“Can I… We, shake your hands?”

“Haha! Of course! I got ten of them!” he joked.

He held out his forearms, and the girls wrapped their hands around just one of his massive, clawed digits apiece. Darronavarr was trying to not shake too hard, but then he felt the girls’ magical strength pulling back. He smiled wide as he let his own full strength through to the girls, knowing they were capable of handling it.

They smiled back. “Oh my gosh, we just shook hands with a dragon!” Melody squealed delightfully.

“It’s been an honor, you two! I hope we get to meet again later!” he gushed.

“Of course! You too!” Alex replied happily.

Alex and Melody held each other closer, smiling, as they watched in wonder as Darronavarr continued walking by them for several minutes with his massive serpent body.

They just met a dragon in the flesh. How could they not be happy about that?

=======

“Eris, I’m glad you could make it!” George greeted the red-haired genie in another part of the complex.

“Of course! It sounds like those girls lost so much. And given their wishes were granted by my apprentice, it doesn’t feel right they should lose so much just to be who they are… Especially with Ariel’s protections,” Eris replied.

George looked over the other. She was a long, pale-blonde haired woman in a fiery-themed silk dress, with irises like purple flames. She also wore some orange-rimmed glasses, but it was clear she didn’t actually need them – it was just a part of her “style.” He’d seen Eris many times, but never before had he seen this assistant to her… “So, who are you?” he asked.

“I’m Gwen! I’m an old friend of hers that made a wish to serve her for all time – even after she stopped me the first time,” Gwen explained. “I lived my life, she was called back to me, and I made the wish then.”

“Ah, a genie’s wisp. I never figured I’d see Eris with one, but I suppose a dedicated friend like you makes sense,” George replied.

“I was hoping to just get the information I needed from her via our connection, but…” Eris began.

“I wanted to see this place for myself! Until I joined her, I’d never heard of a lake the size of a sea, never mind a city built beneath such a place!” Gwen explained excitedly. “Oh, I should explain, I’m from the Medieval era, they call it now. The ‘modern world’ has been very interesting to live in!”

“So, you’re here to help Eris with…?”

“A ‘reclamation’ spell. You either copy or retrieve something from the past, bring it to the present. So, who and what are we dealing with again?”

“Melody and Alex lost their home to arson a few days ago, late December 20^th. Whatever they didn’t have on their person was consumed by flames.”

“Alright. Any magical details you know about them?”

“We discovered their bodies are flooded with divine magic. Some are protections from an Angelic Genie, but their fire and ice manipulation also come from it.”

“Then they’d be magic sensitive. Every object someone owns gets imbued with their aura over time, so those sensitive to magic would be able to sense if it was the real thing or a magic copy.” Gwen put her thumb to her chin as she searched her magical knowledge banks. “It’s going to be more complicated, but we’ll likely want to pull all their stuff to the present, create magical facsimiles of them, and send those to be burned in the fire to preserve the timeline. The girls would get their real stuff back while the look-alikes burn in the fire.”

“Sounds good to me. Think you can set it up to have it all appear tomorrow sometime?” George asked.

“Ah, Christmas presents, then. Well, we could either do it tomorrow, or we could set a time delay on it,” Gwen answered.

“I think I’ll just take to doing it tomorrow,” Eris suggested, rubbing the back of her head. “This is new territory for me, and you might need to help me understand it, Gwen…”

“We can do some practice throughout the day. I’ll relay the knowledge to you.”

“Think you can do this, Eris?” George asked.

“For sure, with Gwen’s help! We should still have time on our hands even with the practice, so we’ll join the activities around here,” Eris suggested.

“Great! It’ll be wonderful to have you two around! Good luck, Eris and Gwen!”

“Thanks, George!” the two of them called out in unison.

George left the room, leaving them to themselves. Well now, it looks like we might just be able to pull off a Christmas miracle after all… he thought to himself.

=== Almost noon. ===

Melody was finally back to full strength, although they kept some bandages around for her bullet wounds, which were still pinkish and sensitive to touch. But all of her internals were healed up, and she was starving! The wives figured watching some of those Christmas movies with a big helping of popcorn would fill them until the pizza party later.

As they stood in line, Melody and Alex saw a familiar face running up to them. “Hey, girls, I got some good news for you!” Jupiter said excitedly.

“What’s that?” Melody asked.

“We got your accounts back in order! All the money you had before the DMR took it, you have it back!” Jupiter explained.

“WOO-YEAH!” Alex exclaimed, actually jumping for joy. “Thank you so much!”

“We were able to trace and shut down some illegal DMR accounts too, so we decided, as a bonus, to refill Melody’s private account back to before she drained it, too! Keep the cash you got, a gift from us,” Jupiter suggested with a wink.

Jupiter was about to turn around when she felt the wives hug her.

“Thank you!” they said in unison.

“Well… Dang it, I don’t want to ruin the moment, but your car did get totaled by the DMR. We got the guys – certainly not expecting a trained mermaid and a dragon – but your car is a mess.”

“It’s okay, we could get a replacement with our accounts back up,” Melody suggested.

“Or… You’re one of us now. Magical folks, I mean. We take care of our own! We actually have two options for you!”

“Options?” Alex asked, intrigued.

“First of all, it’d be easy to get you a new vehicle. Or, we still have what’s left of your old car. Being a mangled mess, it wouldn’t be easy and it’d take a while, but we could repair it, add bells and whistles that can only come from the advanced technology being developed behind the scenes…” Jupiter suggested.

Melody and Alex looked at each other. “I really did like Melody’s old sports car…” Alex suggested.

“Yeah, I loved that thing. I think we know the answer,” Melody suggested.

“Ooh, I like that choice! It was a pretty car. We’ll make sure it looks like new – and works like nothing you’ve ever seen – when it’s done! I’ll work on getting it shipped out to California later today.”

“California?” Melody asked.

“Another stronghold, Citadel Harbor University. It’s the hub of our technological and magical research.”

“No way! I actually looked into that place before I met Alex!” Melody realized. “You’re saying it’s a magic people’s facility too!?”

“Yup! It’s an actual university, but that is also a front for the research we conduct with humans in both magic and technology. The city itself, while they often live in secret, is still a place for us magic folk to live freely in spite of the nuisances from the local DMR branch. Again, very disorganized and weak over there. If you needed a new place to go, that’d be my first pick!” Jupiter recommended.

“We’ll keep it in mind, thank you!” Alex said, smiling.

Jupiter smiled and nodded. “Oh, also, get the slow-cooked gourmet popcorn…” Jupiter suggested, winking before walking away.

“Oh, I was wondering what smelled so good up there!” Alex realized, swooning a little over the smells as they slowly approached the concessions stand.

Melody caught sight of Alex’s bracelet – the metallic pink one that Ariel gave them – and rubbed her own. For everything that happened to them, things were looking up! And all of this started because of one person’s genuine concern for her, a stranger from nowhere with powers she still can’t comprehend. Melody was finally able to look at herself in the mirror after so many years and see herself. She noticed Alex had much been the same way since. People said to her several times that a dream like theirs was silly and not something worth pursuing. Melody was finally able to not listen to those words. She was going to make sure others got the same message Ariel told her all those months ago… Perhaps that would counter messages from people like the DMR, help people accept themselves…

But the time to reflect came to an end as Melody and Alex finally got up to the counter. A short-haired dryad man greeted them. “Hello, ladies! What can I get you two?”

“Got any of that slow-cooked popcorn left?” Melody asked.

“It came highly recommended!” Alex added.

“Oh yeah, we got plenty of that! We just finished a fresh batch. What size?”

“Both large, I think,” Alex suggested. Melody nodded.

The man nodded, filled two massive buckets with the golden popcorn, and directed them to a nearby counter. “If you want butter, salt, cheese, or the like, head over there. While we’re at it, any drinks for you two? We got a custom drink machine over there, so we just give you the cups and you pick what you want!”

“Sounds interesting! We’ll take…” Melody looked at the “large” bucket she had, which might qualify as an “extra-large” or bigger elsewhere! But all that popcorn needed washing down with something, so… “Large, please!”

He handed them both eye-poppingly massive 78-ounce cups and smiled.

“Damn…” Alex muttered under her breath.

“Just curious, is there anything bigger than this? This seems huge compared to what we normally get!” Melody asked.

“Oh, you two are new here. Yeah, we got family sized and dragon sized after that. Seriously, dragon size is almost the size of a trash can. It’s for the dragons – they can eat a LOT.”

The pair chuckled at the thought. Melody used some of the excess cash to pay for the meal and the two got to work on their toppings and drinks. Melody went for her favorite popcorn topping, cheddar, while Alex went for the butter and salt (but given the two, it’s likely they were going to be sharing their popcorn with each other anyway). Melody was still feeling the effects from her healing, so she opted for a tropical electrolyte drink. Alex got a caffeinated cola to make it through the rest of the day, given she’d been up all night beside Melody while she was out from her injuries.

The two shuffled into the packed theater. While it was dark, they could tell the colorful mass of heads before them, some with triangles sticking out from their heads. It was at once an unusual and familiar sight; the theater looked like any other, and yet, full of people unlike anything they’d seen before. They picked a couple of seats in the middle that were still free. PSAs from the magic community started playing as they sat down, a prelude to the show. Behind them, they heard a large shuffling. Turning around, they saw a three-headed dragon making its way in, holding a trash-can sized popcorn bin in one claw and a bewilderingly large metal thermos in the other. Clearly something everyone here was used to, as no one paid the hydra any mind. Melody and Alex, new to this, watched as one head guzzled popcorn, the other taking drinks from the thermos, and the middle head staring at the screen with full attention.

They turned back to the screen. “Suddenly, three heads look very convenient…” Alex joked, whispering.

Melody chuckled lightly. “Right? Hehe!”

After a couple of minutes, the movie began playing. The animated romp about a living, singing snowman was so familiar to them at this point – after all, their parents were younger than this movie was! But here, now, was a dose of nostalgic familiarity they desperately needed. And too, hearing the others – most of whom “weren’t human” – giggling at the same jokes as they were, it helped them see even more the shared “humanity” they all had. Everyone looked so different, and yet they were all able to share in this moment alike. Any tiny remaining edge the girls had about their counterparts here vanished. Partway through, Melody and Alex started playfully throwing bits of their popcorn into each other’s mouths, something they always did. Every now and then, another attendant would catch a glimpse of them, smile, and return to the movie.

Eventually, though, Alex started having a thought. She had to wonder…

“Psst, Melody…” she whispered to her partner.

“Yeah?” Melody whispered back.

“I wonder how people would react if I brought the jolly snowman to life?”

“Think that’s wise?”

Alex looked at the screen. A musical number was about to start. “Won’t know until we try, right?”

Melody sighed. “Alright, just be careful, will you? We don’t know if this is against the rules or not…”

Alex nodded. She committed her gaze to the screen, taking in the images on the screen. Memories of what was coming filled her mind. She raised a finger towards the front. Several closest to the screen noticed flakes of snow fluttering about. Slowly, they came together, building into a realistic look-alike of the snowman on the screen. This perked up a number of theatergoers, who were now wondering if this was some special event going on that they didn’t know about.

As the musical number started, the snowman jumped to life with Alex’s input, mimicking the movements on screen near perfectly! The audience was in awe of the spectacle, joyful murmurs and some cheers ringing throughout the theater. Alex maintained perfect concentration, keeping up with the show. Some noticed her nearby and silently cheered her on!

As the sequence was ending, Alex materialized a hat and cane for the jolly snow puppet she created, then taking off the hat and flinging its arms out to mimic the pose on the screen. With the number over, Alex let the snowman dissipate into a flurry that quickly evaporated. She slumped down, a little drained from the experience…

But the cheers and clapping filled the room! Several nearby her and Melody patted her on the shoulders.

“That was a spectacular display!” said an older kitsune man. “You should be proud of yourself!”

Melody put her hand on Alex’s hand. “I know I am!” she gushed, smiling.

Alex smiled back. Totally worth it!

=== 6:12 p.m. ===

Alex’s display got people talking, and people were thanking her left and right for making the holiday even more magical than usual for them. Contrary to Melody’s worries, it seems they didn’t care about magic use around here, so long as it wasn’t hurting anyone.

A non-binary kitsune even mentioned that they hadn’t reached the level of ice control Alex had, which is probably why it dazzled so many; while others might have the same powers they did, it was likely anyone with the skills weren’t around to do that themselves. It made the two feel even more special.

By this point, they had joined the massive dining hall filled with all sorts of other beings. And yet, all of them were enjoying the pizza party. All sorts of pizza were available! Varying crusts, toppings, and the like were available, all pre-prepared. Melody was considering trying some of the varieties on display.

The girls got their first servings of pizza and sat down. On one end of the long table, they saw Darronavarr with a whole sixteen-inch pizza in his claw, like a small soggy cookie in his massive hands, getting them to chuckle at the sight.

“Gosh, what a place this is!” Melody gushed.

“I know, right? Sucks how we got here, but… This place is worth it,” Alex admitted.

They looked around at their surroundings. People of all sorts just being kind to each other. Had they any animosity in the past, they were well behind it. This place was open and free to an extent the girls had never truly seen before. They both realized it right there.

“Melody, we have to find a place like this out there,” Alex remarked.

“I know,” Melody agreed. “As much as we’d like to get back to the way things were…”

“We’d miss this. A lot.”

Melody nodded. “Something about this is so… Refreshing. Look at us! Two anime girls, and no one’s taking jabs at us for it. Heck, we blend in around here! I doubt anything will come close to a secret facility like this, but…”

“Jupiter did mention communities out there where magic people live freely. Maybe we can look into those? I’d like to be able to go out again – which we can’t do here – but-“

“We’d be on our own outside any communities like this. Limit ourselves to blend in more.”

“Yeah, no. Not after everything.”

“I know. Well, it looks like we’re going to have to start over anyway. So, let’s start over in a place where we can really shine!”

Alex nodded in agreement. But she noticed there was an older scarred man standing nearby, looking like he had heard the conversation.

He smiled. “Hard to leave this world once you get in it, right?” he asked in his deep voice. “I get it. Been here for nearly forty years. Not always on the best side at first, but I try to make up for it.”

“And you are?” Alex asked, confused.

“Ah, sorry. George Moltorn, head of the FBI Supernatural Investigations division. It’s a pleasure to meet you two!”

“Likewise!” they said simultaneously, smiling.

“You’re the one who’s been pulling the strings for us, I take it?” Melody asked.

He nodded. “Got a lot of power in my position. I try to use it to make things right. I once was on the other side, and I saw the misery these people used to live with because of actions my superiors made. You could say it left a mark…”

“No kidding,” Alex muttered, realizing he was referring to the scars.

“But I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation, there. Living in another magic community? I can get behind that. I just so happen to know that we’ve been acquiring land in California lately to build a new community. We even have a few folks lined up to move in as we finish houses.  I could easily add you two to the list… Free of charge.”

“No way, really!?” Melody exclaimed.

He politely nodded. “We failed to keep you safe from the DMR, so here’s me trying to make it right. Brand new oceanside home, where you’d be living beside others not hiding who they are. Sound like a place you two want to live?”

Alex and Melody popped out of their chairs and shook his hand. “Oh my gosh! Yes!” Alex exclaimed.

“It’ll be an adjustment for sure, but I don’t think we could refuse such a generous offer…” Melody admitted.

“Well, then, I’ll work on it for you lovely ladies.” George lightly bowed to them. “You should be able to move in in a couple of weeks. Just sit tight and enjoy the festivities for now.”

They smiled and nodded. He smiled back before walking off. He pulled out his phone and began fiddling with it. Down the table was Jupiter, who merely sighed at the sight of George continuing to work for the two. But she knew full well he wasn’t going to leave it alone unfinished before diving into the festivities. She merely let him be, knowing he’d join her eventually.

Melody and Alex, meanwhile, sat back down and hugged each other. Smiling and crying all at once, they were overwhelmed by their emotions. After the nightmare they went through, this was a dream come true for the two of them! They knew they’d bounce back from the mess they’d been in just days prior. There were some caveats, sure, but to get their car and money back, a new home, and a safe place to live in short order… Jupiter was right, this community really did look after its own! Under normal circumstances, they’d probably get a toothless IOU from whoever was in charge, and they’d likely be homeless…

But not here. Whatever transpired to bring these diverse people together, they didn’t take things for granted. If someone they knew was suffering, they came together to make it right.

And now, Melody and Alex were a part of that community. A community of dreams, one that did all it could for its own…

And it wasn’t over yet! They had no idea of the surprise in store the next day…

=== Christmas. ===

They awoke the next day, Melody fully healed and ready to go. Alex and her got ready with the various tools and toiletries they were given so that they could get ready for the day. Their suite now had a small bathroom and kitchen just for them. Given the events the facility had today, they decided to go out and get breakfast rather than try to make something.

As they left, they failed to notice the woman in the fiery dress, who had been waiting for them to leave. As they rounded the corner, the door to the next room over popped open, a red-haired woman with pointed ears nodding to her. Silently, they snuck their way into the girls’ suite. They had a surprise to set up…

Unaware of what was transpiring, the two joined one of the many gift-giving sessions planned for the day, watching as they had some cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate. They watched the exchanges with some amount of jealousy and regret.

“Sorry I couldn’t get you anything, Melody…” Alex muttered.

“It’s okay… Honestly, all the time we spent together yesterday was a gift itself,” Melody replied. “Besides, we only found out about the stores this place had when we were heading back to our room… I don’t think I would have had the energy to find a gift…”

“You’re probably right. You were kinda holding me upright at the end there…” Alex chuckled, agreeing with her. “Still, maybe we can still find something for each other? They said the shops are still open!”

“You know, that’s not a bad idea. Let’s finish breakfast first, then maybe we can split up and find something for each other!” Melody suggested.

“I like that!”

They smiled at each other before turning back to the get-together before them, slowly enjoying their breakfast. Once they were done, they gave each other a hug before parting ways.

Alex knew right away where she wanted to go. She wanted to get Melody a pretty necklace. Melody loved her necklaces, particularly ones that showed trans pride. Despite the fact that most thought she was cisgender due to Ariel’s magic, Melody still knew she was trans, and she wasn’t afraid to let people know about it. In fact, Melody came out to all their friends in the weeks prior to their ordeal about the truth of her situation. Every one of them was supportive, if a bit confused at first.

But when Alex got to the shop, she found all the shelves were empty. “Arg, dang it! Did you sell out already?” she asked the kitsune attendant.

“Of the pre-made stuff, it got cleaned out by ten last night,” the kitsune woman replied. “But I can sense it: you want something meaningful for a special person, right?”

“How did you know?”

“Intuition – and seeing you two hugging each other all day,” the kitsune admitted with a wink.

“You’re not wrong there…” Alex admitted, blushing with a nervous grin on her face.

“What are you thinking for her?”

“Trans pride necklace. You know-“

“Blue, pink, and white. Know it by heart, for personal reasons,” she suggested, winking again.

Alex realized what she meant at that moment. “Damn, you’re pretty…”

“Thank you! Worked hard to get here. I dig the trans pride idea. How should we set it up?”

“Well… Oh! I have ice powers. She has fire. We could make her a trans pride themed flame!”

“I like it!” The kitsune handed her a piece of paper and a pencil. “Think you could draw those out? Go crazy – I can work wonders. Also, you said you had ice? I’ll throw making one for you in as well, a Christmas treat!”

“Aww, thank you! For mine, we’ll do the bisexual pride flag colors,” Alex handed her the drawing. “Something like this…”

“Got yah. Let me make a copy of this real quick, then I’ll make the mold setting for the gems.” She scanned the drawing with a printer, copying it.

“How long will this take?”

“Not long, really. Metal takes longer to cool than it takes for me to get the right gemstones.” She used the original parchment to create molds for the metal backing to the necklaces, then she made her way in back for a minute. She came back out a couple of minutes later, slowly, holding the filled, glowing molds with a set of gloves.

“Wait, you have a whole smelter back there!?”

The kitsune nodded, smiling. “It takes time to cool, but I have a special device for that. But I still have to give it some time before sticking it in there. Meanwhile, I can get the gemstones made!”

“I mean, you told me, ‘go crazy’, and I did… But I don’t know how you’re going to recreate those complex curves of the flame like that..."

The kitsune jeweler simply winked at Alex before holding out her hand. She stared intently at the drawing of the necklace, and as she did, a pile of crystals formed in her hand! She placed each on the paper, one at a time, lining them up perfectly with the drawings of the necklaces.

“Oh my gosh! How did you do that!?” Melody exclaimed.

“It’s one of many hundreds of random kitsune powers. Crystallization. I can make any sort of crystal structure I want. While being a jeweler isn’t the only thing one can do with my powers, I always liked being around jewelry, making it for myself. So, I made it a business!”

“And just when I thought I couldn’t be any more amazed by magic…” Alex muttered.

“New to it all, I take it?”

Alex nodded. “Since September. And we didn’t know about the magic community until just a couple of days ago. But for us, this has been amazing.”

“I don’t doubt it. I don’t understand what made humans so afraid of magic, but it can help with so many problems. Like mine. Maybe one day, everything you’ve seen here will be in the open across the Earth?”

“Maybe…” Alex was lost in the thought of what an Earth like that might look like…

“Well, I should probably stick this in the hardener. Give me a few more minutes, and I’ll have your purchase ready for you…”

“How much?” Alex asked as she readied her wallet.

The kitsune thought about it for a moment. “You know what? I like you. On the house!” she declared as she walked into another back room.

Alex was floored. She stood there, silently, jaw agape, as she waited to be given their new necklaces.

=======

Melody was waiting by the door to their room, holding a large package in one arm. She saw Alex round the corner and waved to her. “Sweetie! How did it go?”

“I met a really nice kitsune jeweler! She made my gift for you for free!” Alex squealed delightfully. She handed Melody the small paper bag as Melody put her gift for Alex down.

She thumbed around and pulled out the pair of necklaces. “Wow, these are so pretty… She made them on the spot?”

“Magic apparently. She made the gems with her magic!”

“Wow… Still warm,” Melody remarked.

“Well, she did make the metal molds a few minutes ago. That she was able to cool with some sort of technology. Anyway, there’s one for each of us…”

Melody knew which one was hers, and she slipped on the trans pride necklace. “It’s amazing. Thank you!” She hugged Alex. “Oh, right! I got something made for you too!” Melody handed Alex the box.

Alex sat down and opened it, pulling out a sky-blue metal crown with an ice theme to it, with back bent icicles.

“I know you love playing the ice princess theme when we cosplay, so I got you the perfect crown for it! And wouldn’t you know it? Metal magic!” Melody explained, hinting at how her gift was made.

Alex put it on her head. “Wow… I feel like a real princess with this!” Alex hugged Melody. “Thank you!”

They kissed and smiled before they opened the door to their room. As soon as they turned on the light, they were met with a pile of gift boxes carefully placed around their room!

“Holy…” Melody began.

“Shit!” Alex finished.

“Who could have done this!?” Melody exclaimed as she darted up to one of the packages. She pried it open, only to discover something familiar… A dress of hers! “Woah, wait, I recognize this! But, it should be gone, right?”

Alex opened up another one, revealing a stuffed bear she grew up with! “N-no way! This is mine! I feel it! But… How?”

“Wait, does that mean… All of this is our stuff?” Melody asked.

“It does.”

They spun around, recognizing the voice: George Moltron. He was standing in the doorway.

“I-I would ask how, but I’m assuming magic?” Melody asked.

He nodded. “I got a genie to help. And as you can already seem to sense, this is your actual stuff! Retrieved from just before being burned, with fakes sent back to preserve the timeline. We have a couple of empty rooms filled with all your stuff – nearly everything!”

The pair, crying a river of joy, dashed up and hugged him tightly. “THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!” Melody and Alex cried out in unison.

“You’re welcome, girls. It should help you settle in quickly to your new lives. And I do hope it winds up being a good one, for your sakes. You two are kind and wonderful people who deserve the best!”

They simply absorbed his words, their smiles growing even more.

“Err, if you don’t mind letting me go…” They backed off, allowing him to step back. “All of your remaining belongings are in 17-H next door and 18-H across the hall.” He bowed. “Merry Christmas, ladies!” He stood up and walked out.

Melody and Alex hugged each other tightly and sat down. All they could do was joyfully cry and smile. They had hope for the future… And their lives back! They couldn’t ask for anything more.

But then again, they already had all they wanted for this Christmas… Each other!

END OF CHAPTER 3

By CrystalSeaDragon44