Ponysona 4, the Campaign.

Eventually, Melody said her goodbyes to Koishite, smiling a bit as she trotted out, chuckling softly and generally seeming happy. "Well, not exactly how I planned to spend my time after school, but it's something, heh...You seemed pretty happy back there, though, Zeela...Good memories of working retail?"

"Yeah, back then, I meet some good ponies, mostly enjoyed the work I did. Felt like I did something... Then got to sent to another place... Working as a temp in Equestria was alright and quite fun for me." Zeela explains to Melody and adds quitely. "Also it was my last time in my life of when I had felt like a normal pony... The last "temp" job, sent me to Greendale..."

"I see...Well...Normal's overrated, if you ask me...Wouldn't have met you or the others if 'normal' had kept going for me, you know...? I figure it's a matter of taking the bad with the good...Same with anything..." Melody looked over, speaking quietly in response, thinking a bit. "Still, you had a good time, I'd say that's a success for today, all things said, ha, ha...Oh! Tomorrow, there's no class, so..." She trailed off for a second, trying to think of what she wanted to say...On the one hoof, she knew they needed to handle Star's shadow. On the other, she liked hanging out with Zeela and the others...

"We'll meet up early at like 8 for 'work' and we'll play it by ear?" Zeela suggests with a shrug. "Unless there's something on your mind we should deal with first... I feel like I'm forgetting something..."

"We could do that...I'm trying to think, but...N-No, nothing comes to mind, though I'm still thinking about that phrase from the midnight channel that got stuck in my head...I'm thinking it was a location, like how that school was there..." Melody shrugged as well, but nodded. "But yeah, we can meet up and figure out what to do..."

"Oh, we could head to see Arcana... That Unicorn that's here to help us on our task." Zeela offers recalling. "Might ask about what we can do to help save Star form his darker self... If we can do anything before the Darker-Self attacks Star or something."

"Yeah, we should probably see if there's a way to help defuse the situation...It's only smart...Hmm..." Melody nodded, chuckling a little nervously. "I'd rather not fight a really powerful one if we can help it, afterall...Much better to work things out another way...Hopefully we can..."

Zeela nods and leads Melody to the Velvet room.

The velvet room only has Arcana in there, who's shuffling his cards and looking out the window. "Ah, Miss Melody and Miss Zeela. How are you? What may I do for you?"

"Well... We were wonding if... By chance there's anything we can do to attack Star's Darker-Self before it attacks? Or something..." Zeela asked.

"Yeah...We were...Well, yeah. We were wondering if things go south, if there was a way to try and keep it from getting out of hand. It's a friend's flank on the line, ya know, I don't want to see him get hurt..." Melody said, thinking. "Be it jumping it before it goes berserk, or managing to keep it from snapping in the first place..."

Arcana looks at Melody and looks up, making a noise in contemplation. "The shadow's realm may or may not be opened before Star is taken. You might be able to find the 'Carnival', or you might not. I'd say prepare for now. Is there anything else I can do?"

---
George prodded by Shiro, who wants to talk. "Hey, what's up? You look Worried."

"What can we do to prepare?" Zeela asked. "It's a bit too vague for my tastes as is..."

"Train, grow closer to either yourself or others, learn about the allies you have and the bond you've made. And-" Arcana's eyes glow soft white and he looks at the two. "The strongest thing- get your group closer together."

"Okay, yeah, gotta admit I probably don't know how the others tick as well as I should...If we're gonna be workin' together, I should really get a feel for 'em..." She glanced at Zeela...Arcana had looked at her a little oddly, and she returned the gaze. "Uhm...Something wrong, Arcana? Wait...I don't remember mentioning the-" She paused. Had he read her mind or something...? She panicked for a moment, reciting her lessons from that morning in her head as if to ward off further intrusions.

"Something wrong Melody? You seem worried about something..." Zeela asked her mind trying to figure out what it was that. "I mean, you know about my past. And I'm figure there is something here that you fear Arcana knows... Given how he's kinda an unknown I wont be suprized if he knows everything... Even like stuff we don't know. Like what I had said to that Zebra/Dragon Snake God thing that allowed me to walk away with my life... You know my deepest secrets... I'll be willing to hold yours until you feel ready to tell the whole group."

Melody looked over at Zeela, her expression...conflicted, to say the least. There was a part, a small part, that desperately wanted to tell her, that knew it was best to say something...Unfortunately, that part and the rest of her didn't seem to be on speaking terms at the moment. "I-I...Uhm..I...It's...It's...P-Probably nothing, I just-..." She stepped away from Zeela, suddenly seeming very interested in the ground...It was not unlike a foal caught with her hoof in the cookie jar.

Spoiler:

(OOC: Well for the lulz lets see if I make the DC of 12...)

Perception check:

Zeela glares slightly anoyed at how bad a lie that way, she partly can't even believe Melody could lie that badly. "I can understand not wanting to come out with it... But please... If you hold any trust in me. I'll believe you and I don't think it'll be possible for me to think of you as anything other then my friend... If by chance that might be what's holding you back."

"Z-Zeela...That's...Y-You -can't- tell the others, EVER, please...I don't know what they'd-!!" She stepped back again, shaking her head for a moment...But...She was right...She was a friend...Friends were...They were honest with each other, right...? At least, she hoped so. "It's...I just...I'm not...I'm not like other ponies...It's...It's nothing major, just..." She took a deep breath, continuing in a small voice, barely above a whisper. "It's...I-I can tell what people are f-feeling...T-Taste it, literally...If I tried, could probably do more'n just taste...B-But...It's not...I'm not a monster or anything...R-Right, Zeela?" She looked up, feeling about a half-inch tall. She wanted to run away so badly, to sprint out that door, go straight home, bar the doors, and hide under her bed...

Zeela hugs Melody and holds her tightly. "I had seen a pony once rip out and then eat my eye... So I could have a space to implant this magical gem eye form that Snake God... And I don't even think of that pony as a monster... I don't think it's possible for me to think of you as a Monster Melody. I even was treated as if I was a monster by given my red eye, stripes, and odd potion magics for a time in this town."

Melody seemed surprised, returning the hug more out of surprise, listening, shaking her head. "T-that's what I'm scared of...That they'd see me like that, but go way past just mean words...I...I had to leave my last home because of...W-Well, it wasn't...M-my home, really...I f-felt terrible about that..." She took a breath, smiling a bit at the fact that Zeela, at least, wasn't going to push her away..."B-But, you can't tell the others. Please, you have to promise me...Please...!"

"Hay, the strangest thing I've ever ran into that was pony-ish was this shapeshifter-bug-thingie... And I didn't think of that as a monster. Between the two of us, I in fact tried to flirt with it..." Zeela said with a friendly giggle and light blush. "Your just a pony that has some odd powers, that's nothing to really worry about. But I will keep it privet if that's what you wish."

"Changeling...It was a changeling." Melody said softly, taking a breath, feeling a bit better, thinking about it. "T-Trust me on that one...I...I would know...But yes...P-Please, keep it between us...I don't want the others to know...Not yet...I-I'm sure that if nothing else, they'll know soon enough..." She was a bit surprised Zeela would flirt with a changeling, though...It was surprising, to say the least...

Zeela brakes the hug and looks oddly at Melody. "Um... I hate to ask... But... Um... How do you know about changelings? I admittingly didn't look that great into finding something. Just... I'd like to maybe learn more about them too... I found that well... Shapeshifting power, kinda really cool... and kinky..."

Melody froze a moment, as if she'd said something stupid, but she felt a little reassured that it was just curiosity..."W-Well...Uhm...I mean...That is...I...Sorta -am- one...B-BUT! I'm...I'm not a bad being...!" She added it quickly. "We're...I c-can really understand why others...don't trust changelings at all...Most really are...monsters at heart..."