Melanie's lament (based off of a friend's au)

The dream was golden.

Soft, warm light cascaded from an unseen sky, bathing the endless ballroom in a glow that felt almost real. The walls stretched into eternity, painted in shifting colors of memory—scenes half-formed, thoughts never spoken. The floor beneath Melanie’s feet gleamed, its marble surface reflecting a version of her that she barely recognized.

She had been here before.

And so had she.

Footsteps echoed through the vast, empty space. Slow. Gentle. Familiar.

Melanie turned.

Dreamer stood at the other end of the ballroom, just as she always did.

Her fluffy yellowish-white hair caught the golden light, a soft halo-like light around her head. The sweater she wore was the same as Folly’s—high-collared, light gray at the cuffs—but there was no resentment in the way she carried it. Her white pants shimmered faintly, patterned with yellow diamond stars, twinkling like the distant remnants of something once whole.

And then there was the mask.

Unbroken. Smooth. Except for a faint, thin strike on the left side—an imperfection that only appeared in Melanie’s dreams. A scar of something inevitable.

Melanie’s fingers curled into her hoodie, grasping onto it like it's the only hold left on their life. “Dreamer…”

The girl smiled, but there was something tired behind it. “You called me again."

Melanie swallowed hard. Their breath hitching as they stared. “I—”

“You always call me.” Dreamer took a slow daunting step forward. The dreamers expression almost saddened as they spoke up. “And yet, you know I’m not really here.”

Melanie looked away, ears twitching. The truth of it stung hard as their ears slowly lowered to the side of their head. “I don’t know how to stop.”

Dreamer sighed softly. “I know, But you have to, Melanie. You have to move on. for me, for us.” She reached out, brushing her fingers against Melanie’s. They were warm. They felt real. But they weren’t.

Melanie knew this was the last time.

And so the music began—soft, slow, familiar. A waltz of something almost forgotten. Melanies mind felt hazy, the nostalgic scenario making her crave this moment was real all over again.

“Come on,” Dreamer said, tilting her head slightly. “Let’s dance.. One last time.”

Melanie hesitated, but she knew there was no refusing her. So, with a quiet breath, she took Dreamer’s hand. Anxious that at any moment this could all fade away, but the idea of holding dreamers hand after a years worth of time put her mind at ease.

The moment their fingers intertwined, the dream shifted.

The ballroom brightened, glowing with something soft and beautiful. Dreamer led, guiding Melanie in a slow, steady rhythm. Their steps echoed, light and effortless. It was just like before. Just like how it used to be.

For a moment, Melanie let herself believe in it.

She let herself believe that Dreamer was still here. That nothing had changed. That she hadn’t lost her.

But as they moved, something did change.

The warmth in Dreamer’s touch began to fade. The glow of her golden hair dimmed. The edges of her mask cracked, the faint scar widening.

Melanie’s heart clenched earnestly.

She tightened her grip. “No—”

Dreamer only smiled, Their expression somewhat saddening as beaded tears started to form slightly under their wooden mask. Although desperately trying to blink them away “It’s time, Melanie.”

Melanie shook her head, panic rising in her chest. Her hands grasping desperately for dreamers wrists, wanting to anchor herself to this reality forever. “Wait—just a little longer!—”

Dreamer spun her one last time before stepping back, out of reach.

The ballroom darkened. The golden light flickered, swallowed by creeping shadows.

Dreamer’s fluffy hair darkened at the ends, the soft yellows fading into black spikes. Her white sweater, her glowing pants—they all changed.

The cracks in her mask deepened, splintering apart, revealing the burning red eye that Melanie had spent so long trying to forget.

And then, Dreamer was gone.

In her place stood Folly.

Her gaze was unreadable. Her posture lacked the warmth that had been there just moments before.

Melanie felt something inside her break. “No…”

Folly tilted her head slightly. Her voice, when she finally spoke, was steady, quiet, final.

“You can’t keep dreaming of me, Melanie..”

The ballroom shattered.

The music stopped.

And Melanie woke up to an empty world.

A world without their lover,

the one thing that kept them from tearing themselves apart.

Dreamer never came back.

End.