I'll stand before the Lord of Song

“Where is my husband?” Mary demanded, slapping her hand down on the dining room table and glaring at her echo. She wasn’t the least bit intimidated by a copy of herself, not even one that had been given the powers of a host by the producers.

No matter how much this shadow of herself had been twisted and corrupted, she was still her deep down inside.

Echo calmly set down her teacup and raised her eyes, meeting Mary’s intense gaze with a calm look of regard of her own. Just as Mary had no qualms about standing up to her copy, she wasn’t fazed in the slightest by Mary’s aggression.

“He’s not here. Didn’t I already say that?” the short-haired Mary calmly replied. She looked around the Master’s Suite and smirked. “What- is there an echo in the room?”

She cackled madly at her own joke, but Mary wasn’t amused.

“We just want to know if he’s safe or not!” Holly exclaimed. “Where is he!? You didn’t tie him down in some sex dungeon, did you? Where he’s your helpless prisoner not even allowed to wear clothes, free for you to torment and tease to your heart’s content until a part of him begrudgingly starts to like it, and then-”

“Holly, not now,” Mary said sharply, snapping her friend out of her twisted fantasies. Even Echo seemed surprised by the degree of Holly’s degeneracy.

“…I assure you, it’s nothing like that at all,” Echo said, shaking her head. She regained her composure rather quickly. “Nick is perfectly fine. He’s off doing a little errand for me, that’s all. …Well, I say it’s for me, but… really, he’s the one who’s going to benefit. Assuming he goes through with it, anyway. But I have faith in him.”

She coldly narrowed her eyes. “He always was good for his word, wasn’t he?”

Holly flinched. Just as I thought. This Mary… she’s still hung up on what happened back at college. She’s still affected by my… by what I told her.

Having moved past her issues with Nick a long time ago, and having the both of them be in such a better place now that they were finally together (even if it was far from a conventional relationship) for Holly’s problematic past to resurface like this was a harrowing experience.

But I can’t just turn away from it. What happened between us happened. And even if everything is better now, even if we know that it was just in the past, it still hurt us all. We can’t just pretend that it didn’t happen.

“Mary,” Holly said, turning to her friend. She bit her lip. “I think…”

Her voice trailed off when she realized that Mary wasn’t even looking at her. She hadn’t taken her eyes off her sneering echo this entire time.

“Lying is a sin,” Mary said, narrowing her eyes. “If any part of you is still me, you know how wrong that is.”

“I’m a corrupted copy of you,” Echo said with a sneer. “I lie as I please! Like how I spent all of this afternoon pretending to be you, even when it made me sick to my stomach!”

“Is that really why?” Mary asked. “Because you were imitating me? Or because you were lying to everyone? I know if I had to maintain a charade like that, I would want to throw up myself. So is that it, then?”

Echo glowered at her. “Of course it isn’t,” she snapped, tightening her grip on her cane. “You think I’m some soppy little fool like you? I’m not nearly as weak and pathetic as you are, Mary!”

Mary raised her shoulders and dropped them slowly. “That’s your opinion of me. After you got corrupted by that transformation. So I’m not even going to bother trying to argue with you about it.”

She shook her head.

“Echo… that’s what you want to be called now?”

Confused for a second, Echo slowly nodded.

“Does that mean you’re throwing off any connection to me at all, then?” Mary pressed, leaning forward. “You’re really satisfied with just being thought of as a copy?”

Holly tried to get a sense of Echo’s feelings from looking at her face. But the freckled girl seemed completely unfazed. Not a hint of emotion showed on her expression.

Finished, Mary let out a sigh and sat down across from her duplicate. “…Fine then. Can I take it on your word that Nick is alright? That you haven’t done anything to him?”

“Nothing he didn’t enjoy,” Echo said with a smirk. “What, do you want me to swear on the Bible or something?”

“Yes.”

Echo flinched, clearly not expecting that answer. She narrowed her eyes. “Well, screw you, then,” she snapped. “I have no intention of doing something like that. But I will say that you can trust me. I would never lie about this!” She promised.

“Just about other stuff,” Holly muttered under her breath.

“No, she’s telling the truth,” Mary assured her friend. “She’s still me, after all. And I’m a terrible liar.” Holly may not have been able to get a read on Echo’s real feelings, but she was wearing Mary’s face. And Mary knew how hard she would find it to lie convincingly, even if the producers had a hand in creating the copy.

Mary didn’t trust Echo in the slightest, but she knew that her other self wasn’t lying.

“Sit down, Holly,” Mary said, patting the seat beside her.

Holly squirmed, equal parts surprised by Mary’s aggressiveness and also a little excited by it. She quickly took the seat indicated to her.

“So, planning to join me for tea after all?” Echo giggled. “How sweet and domestic of you. Us ladies here, gossiping, while the man is off at work.”

“I agree,” Mary politely replied. “This suits me perfectly, in fact. After all, there is quite a lot I wanted to talk to you about, Echo. Myself, you, and Holly, altogether. It’s time we clear up a few misconceptions about everything that happened between us and Nick.”

Echo scowled while Holly let out a sigh of relief.

“I see… so that’s what actually happened, then…” Echo stared down pensively into her cup of tea, looking at her twisted reflection in the dark liquid.

“That’s right!” Holly cried, standing up and clutching her chest. “It was all my fault! Because I was so upset and resentful of how things went between Nick and I and how he seemed to move on to you so quickly, I ended up taking that venom and bile and putting it all on you! I made it sound like Nick was some kind of monster! And I caused you to hate him… oh, Mary… …err, Echo too, I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t, I-!”

“Don’t take all the blame onto yourself,” Mary said, reaching up and placing her hand on her copy’s wrist. “The truth of the matter is that I share in the blame here as well.”

She turned to look at Echo. “I believed Holly’s words without question because she was my best friend. Even though I knew that what she was telling me didn’t match up with the Nick I had fallen in love with, I let her convince me that he was a bad person and that he deserved me shunning him. It broke his heart… it crushed him completely. And that was my fault- …No.”

Mary shook her head and corrected herself.

“That was our fault, Echo. You and I. You see? Nick made mistakes too, I won’t deny that, but he isn’t a bad person. So the anger and scorn you have for him… it isn’t deserved!”

“That’s right!” Holly wailed, struggling not to cry. “Even after everything I did to him, he still forgave me! He can still love a wretched, jealous girl like me! He’s truly a good person, and now that you know that… please, let go of your pain and let’s try and all get along. Please?”

“You’re still me, Echo,” Mary said firmly, refusing to accept that her copy was somehow anything different from her. “That means those feelings for Nick, that love for him, they’re still a part of you. You know that, don’t you? What he means to you? Even if you’re trying to suppress it… I know it’s still there. And now… now you know he really is that good person we thought he was. All of this was one terrible misunderstanding.”

Echo said nothing. She raised her head and brought her teacup to her lips, and took a long, slow sip of her sweet tea, demonstrating the exceptional manners of a (self-proclaimed) southern belle.

Then she set down her cup and looked up at Mary and Holly.

“Is that all?” She calmly asked.

Mary was shaken. “H-huh?”

“Didn’t… weren’t you listening to what we just said?” Holly asked hesitantly.

“Oh, yes, every word,” Echo said without blinking. “Quite a fascinating story of pain and loss and betrayal and love and heartbreak… an expected prelude and a twist fitting of an emotional season like this.”

A shadow crossed Mary’s face as the words of her duplicate sank in. “So that’s all it is for you, then?” She asked. “Just a story?”

Echo looked at her. “Well… I already figured it was something like that,” she explained. “So no, hearing the truth from the two of you hardly comes as a surprise to me.”

Mary’s eyes widened and she looked at Echo, stunned. “You… b-but how-?”

“The producers gave her a recap of the full season, I bet,” Holly muttered. “Like watching a television show or something. So it didn’t have any impact.”

Mary flinched. Memories of that dark room and the Black Tape resurfaced in her mind.

Holly was dead wrong. Even just watching the contents of another season could be an overwhelming and mortifying process.

And yet- Echo didn’t seem fazed.

“No, it IS news to me,” Echo said. “Mr. S gave me comprehensive information about how the show has gone up until this point, and the transformations of all the girls in Nick’s harem as well as a summary of their past challenges and the current point totals. But something like that… he must have figured that something so early in the season wasn’t relevant.”

“Or maybe he was hiding it from you because he didn’t think we’d tell you ourselves,” Mary challenged her. “Maybe he knew that your grudge against Nick was based on nothing substantial!”

“Regardless, I agree with him,” Echo said, drumming her fingers on the table. “I told you, from the start, I suspected something like this was the case. Even though I feel burning contempt and hatred for Nick over what he ‘did’ to me, and to you, Holly, a part of me still loved him, even back then.”

Mary flinched and looked down. “I-I did… I-”

“But one look at Nick now, and it’s obvious that a misunderstanding must have occurred somewhere,” Echo pointed out. “If Nick was the sort of man who had no qualms with jumping from one woman to the next, using them and tossing them aside when it suited him, he would never have become such a pathetic master. Don’t you agree?”

Echo’s rationale made sense. But Mary challenged it as a matter of principle. “He’s not pathetic,” she snapped. “He’s trying his best to get through an impossible situation without hurting anyone.”

“That’s right!” Holly nodded. “He’s the perfect master! That’s why I love him!”

“You’re in love with him because you’re cracked in the head,” Echo snapped at the shorter girl. “You’re so obsessed that you can’t even think clearly anymore. You realize that, don’t you?”

Then her lips curled up into a smile. “And that’s exactly why you’re my favorite,” she tittered, covering her mouth. “You see, Mary, Holly, the reason I’m doing what I’m doing, it has nothing to do with some hateful grudge against Nick, brought on from a misunderstanding! It’s my transformation! All my life, I was the good girl. Doing what I was supposed to do. But now? I have a chance to finally cut loose. To be the bad girl, to be in control of my own life and do what I want. Follow my desires. And right now, what I desire is to free Nick from the shackles of his own limited thinking!”

She leaned back into her seat, giggling up a storm. “He’s so cute… so stalwart… taking everything so seriously… but that’s not at all what I want! I want to see the Nick who’s completely corrupted, just like me. The man who gives into his desires fully and does whatever he likes, without worrying if he’s hurting people or treating them poorly!”

Mary looked shaken.

Could I… really ever have thoughts like this? She wondered. Could I ever do something like this? It’s so wrong, it sounds so wrong and evil, but… could I?

The fact that Echo existed at all was proof that, under the right circumstances, Mary herself could be just as twisted and demented as her duplicate.

That was a sobering realization to have, and Mary didn’t like it at all.

Her hands were trembling as she tried to hide from the fact that if Sylvia hadn’t vetoed her transformation back then, this was the woman she could have ended up as. Or someone even worse than her.

“Don’t worry,” Echo cooed, rising from her chair and walking around the table. She wrapped her arms around Mary’s chest and shoulders, hugging her in an almost motherly gesture. “I know you’re probably scared out of your mind right now… afraid that when I’m done with him, the Nick you know will be gone forever. But don’t worry… I won’t do anything like that.”

She licked her lips, and a chill rolled down Mary’s spine.

“Echo…” Holly squeaked, not sure what she should say. Echo’s eyes were so intense and her smile was so twisted.

And Mary…

Mary was…

“…Nick will still be himself. I have no intention of destroying him. It would be like editing and editing the greatest novel in the world and then throwing it in the garbage and changing everything in the plot… no… I’m not going to do that.”

Echo shook her head adamantly.

“I’m simply trying to turn Nick into the man we know he can be on the inside. The perfect man who will give into his desires completely, and in return, satisfy all the desires that you have as members of his harem!”

She stepped back and cradled her cheeks. They were practically glowing pink.

“It will be so amazing…” she whimpered, trembling like a leaf. “For Nick to embrace his deviant wishes… I can’t wait… haaaaaaahhh…”

Mary looked at her other self, in utter disbelief.

She’s insane, Mary realized. She’s been driven insane by the effect of her transformation. She’s so obsessed with the corruption that she’s planning to drag Nick down into the darkness with her, just to satisfy her twisted desires.

Mary’s heart wavered. Deep down, she knew she wasn’t the completely innocent girl that she tried to be every day. Back when she first started developing, she felt dirty and shameful for the desires running through her. Since reuniting with Nick again and getting married, she’d been able to moderate those desires (bar a few slipups) and take her time exploring her sexuality with the man she married, safe and secure in her marriage.

But the woman in front of her…

She doesn’t have any filter. She can’t regulate anything. It’s almost animalistic, she’s just chasing after her desires without caring about how she hurts others. But she’s doing it with my intellect!

Mary definitely wasn’t the smartest woman in her husband’s harem. Not by a mile. But she felt confident that she was in the upper half in terms of intelligence, and could be quite perceptive and intuitive. She loved reading mystery novels, after all!

Taking that insightful mind and putting it in the body of a woman who was so desperate to corrupt every inch of Nick… it left her shaken.

“Ah… Nick… come back soon…” Echo wasn’t even paying them any mind at this point. “Show me you’re willing to do what I tell you to, as a good little boy…”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Holly exclaimed, rising to her feet. “This has gone too far!”

“What?” Echo growled, snapping out of her dreamy state and glaring at the other girl. “What are you saying?!”

“Tell us where Nick is right now! And tell us about this secret errand you’re having him run for you!” Holly demanded. “Because something doesn’t smell right here, and my inner journalist is telling me you’re hiding something!”

Echo blinked, surprised.

Then she smiled again.

“…Perceptive as always, Holly,” she said, waving her hand. “I’ve got to give you credit for that much, anyway.”

Holly glared at her.

“…It’s nothing dangerous, I assure you,” Echo said to both girls. But she’d squandered any good will they’d spared for her, and neither of them believed her for a second.

“Then tell us,” Mary demanded. “Where is he, what’s he doing, and why did you TAKE him!?”

“Because I needed to talk to him in private,” Echo bluntly replied. “Consider it host/master tradition. He needed to know how things were going to change from here on out.”

“And how are they going to change?” Holly asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

Echo smirked. “…I’m so glad you asked,” she crooned.

Mary didn’t like the look on her face. Especially since it was her own face wearing it.

“Right now, Mary, I’m sorry to say, but… you may be worried about your husband, but you aren’t the person he’s thinking about right now,” Echo said. Her tone of voice showed that she wasn’t sorry in the slightest.

Mary glared at her.

“Right now, all he can think about… is his precious Dakota,” Echo said, twirling her cane just to make a mockery of its previous owner.

“He’s worried about her, of course he would think about her!” Holly said.

Mary frowned. Right now, she knew Dakota was trapped in a dungeon. Maybe somewhere on the island, or, hopefully not, stuck in some pocket dimension somewhere.

She wanted to say something, but she was afraid that the producers wouldn’t want her to. She remembered Mr. S’s threat well.

“Anyway, Nick’s desperate to see her again, to make sure she’s okay,” Echo sneered. “And being the magnanimous, generous Christian that I am-”

Holly snorted in disbelief.

“…I decided to lend a hand,” Echo said, ignoring Holly’s jeer. “…Not for free, of course. I may be Christian, but I’m not a charity. I told him that as long as he does these little tasks for me here and there, to become a better master for everyone, that I would grant him the occasional visit. You know, to pop in on his dear Dakota and make sure she’s okay. You know what I mean?”

“So you’re coercing him,” Mary scowled.

“Big word for a farmgirl,” Echo scowled right back. “‘Coerced’? I asked him, and promised him a reward if he did so. I’m not even threatening him with a punishment if he fails! Isn’t that just so nice of me?”

Neither Mary nor Holly were willing to indulge her.

Sighing, Echo shrugged. “…You two really aren’t much fun,” she scoffed. “But it doesn’t really matter.” She glanced towards the door. “Nick should be home any second now, mission completed.”

Mary felt another shiver. But she stood her ground, having faith that no matter how much Nick wanted to see Dakota again, he wouldn’t do anything that would compromise his morals.

That wasn’t the man she’d married!