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Protected from the scorching, deadly sunlight by the ethereal blue twilight, two women stand in a long since abandoned playground; turned graveyard by the remains of its once youthful inhabitants that littered the floor.

Rusted metal climbing frames, decaying oak benches. On the ebony, fissured tarmac I lay, crippled, fragile; a husk of a young girl that once drew breath.

At first I had screamed, louder than I had ever believed possible. Now, I lay sprawled across the ground, kneecap splintered into thousands of fragments of ivory bone; some of which even protruded from my withered, pale skin. I was so stupid to ever think I stood a chance. "You are weak, you are worthless; a pale blood with a death wish." You were right...you always are. The crackling on leaves underfoot shattered my thoughts. Closing my eyes I waited for its teeth to pierce my skin, or the strike of a deadly stone fist.

"Oh dear. Seems like you've got yourself into quite a mess," a soft voiced woman hummed, digging her shoe into my side.

I didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved. I winced beside her, no longer overcome by the needle pain that hindered me before.

"I tried to warn you Melody, but you just wouldn't listen," the words crawled out from her delicate, withered lips.

"Harmony..!" I began to retort, but she seized me from the ground by the collar of my tattered maroon shirt; pulling me to my feet, despite my injuries. "W...what's wrong with you?" I growled through laboured breaths, steadying myself on the side of a steel climbing frame. She did not respond "Harmony..?" 

She responded with a chuckled "Oh, my apologies sweet Melody, I was just admiring your spectacular handiwork."

Harmony crouched down next to a seemingly mundane pile of stone, however on closer inspection, the edges of the pile seemed to writhe and wriggle amongst the charred grass in which the stones lay.

"I...don't understand. How did I...?" It all came back to me. Knocking the winged monster to the ground, reaching through into the creature's chest, and prying the throbbing, crystalline heart from its chest...where? Where had the crystal gone?