Sassi stared, putting on the helmet with shaking hooves. The metal pinecone devices spun in place; white sparks being yanked into their interior. The vitals monitor pulsed, a blue tint briefly pushing back the red, dangerous warning color.
'Changeling dynamos at full power. Collection process active. All emotions available for power conversion and processing.'
Emotions?!
Sassi didn't know what these dynamos were, but she could put two and two together. The healing crystals above the bed began to spark and sputter, activating with a dull red glow.
'W-what emotions are best?" she whispered, still refusing to let Astral go.
'Positive emotions have superior energy conversion ratios. Love is cited as the most....'
Sassi hugged Astral tightly, burying her face into his mane, the rest of the recommendation fading away.
"Love?" Sassi said softly, the smell of Astral's fur making her heart twist.
Of course, I love him. How could I not?
He’s given everything for me to just be happy.
Out of the corner of her eye, Sassi saw the white sparks that appeared from thin air abruptly change into bright pink ones as they dove into the reactor.
"Will you wait for me, Astral?" Sassi asked, tears still running down her cheeks as she nuzzled into his fur. "I want to tell you everything. How I feel. What I want..."
The mare's words were choked off by emotion, the vitals monitor now beginning to glow a bright blue as the healing crystals above the bed glowed with a furious pink light.
"I can tell you that at least. I just want you. I want...." her shaking hoof reached up to gently stroke his ears, her other forelimb firmly wrapped around his barrel. "I want you to look at me like you did the stars, to be the reason you’re happy. I'd give anything for that. Please…."
Her eyes closed, and Sassi shook her head. Outside her field of view, the glow from the dynamos was nearly blinding, pink sparks no longer individually distinguishable. Two bright pink roaring flames chased away the shadows in the room.
"I don't know why somepony as amazing as you would ever fall in love with a mare like me..., but I want to find out. I trust you to see something in me that I don't. I don't care what I have to give."
The exhaustion crept up without warning, Sassi feeling herself drifting off into sleep. She still managed to force out a few words.
"I'm not letting go."
The Thestral then drifted off, the vitals display from the helmet now flashing a cheerful blue.
'Dynamos functioning at 110% capacity. Reactor synergy bridge stable. Limbo reactor output at 500% and stable. Power output now exceeds intake from supplemental healing crystals.
Primary user’s vitals stabilized.
Constant energy source signature locked in. Emotional draining monitoring subroutine, active.'
Sassi woke up with a jerk, the mare finding her limbs unable to move. She was back in the odd, metal room. It wasn't like the usual nightmares; this felt so real. Thankfully, Astral would walk through the door in front of her, and-
The door opened, and Split Tie trotted in.
The cold fingers of dread gripped Sassi’s heart. The mare wanted to scream, to do anything. But all she could do was stand there. A sinister smirk began to slide onto Split’s face as he trotted closer.
Sassi blinked, and a familiar Thestral was already flying through the air next to her. Astral’s hoof connected, ripping Split’s head clean from his body as the figure disintegrated into dust.
“How many times do I have to kill you?!” Astral growled, skidding to a stop as he stood in front of Sassi protectively.
The mare’s heart immediately melted into a puddle at hearing his voice. Even if it was just a dream, she could enjoy the non-loopy version of her stallion.
He turned around, eyes widening.
“Sassi?”
She wanted to cry. Hearing her name solidified it all. He was ok. His chest didn’t sport the crystal implants, and his green eyes were bright and alert. Was this what she was hoping for? A dream of the future?
The Thestral’s eyes drifted down, Astral frowning as he began to sink into a suddenly-appearing pool of black tar. Somehow, the stallion didn’t seem too concerned about it.
“You can’t move?” he asked, quickly sinking up to his chest. “Waiting for orders, right?”
She couldn’t even nod.
Astral smiled, even as the tar began to climb up towards his neck.
“Well, I order you to be free. That’s the only order you ever should have been given.”
Tears abruptly began to stream from her eyes. A weight she had never known even existed was now gone. It was the oddest sensation, but Sassi was already moving. Dashing over and reaching down to grip Astral’s hoof, the mare leveraged her entire weight. She flapped her wings, yanking the Thestral out of the tar.
“Don’t you dare leave me!” she growled, heaving with a final effort. “After everything you went through to save me? I’m not letting you go!”
The room shattered.
Somehow, Sassi’s head hurt even in the dream, the mare groaning. Looking around, any previous tension abruptly fled.
It’s beautiful.
The flower-strewn hill she sat on overlooked a peaceful, pine forest. A distant lake twinkled in the star-lit distance, the moon shining cheerfully down onto the outcropping. The grass appeared a soft blueish-green in the night’s light, moving in a gentle, warm breeze. Thousands of stars were spread out across the sky’s canvas.
“Sassi?”
The flowers around her ignited like fireflies, Sassi whipping around to see Astral sitting in front of her.
“Are you-”
His words were cut off as the mare tackled, him, Sassi crying into his fur as she hugged him close, lying next to him but hugging the stallion as she lay across his chest, rising and falling with his breath.
He’s ok.
Even with the knowledge that this wasn’t real, Sassi could pretend, if for but a moment. Her stallion was alive and well in this place. The usual fears and hesitation that accompanied being this close simply was mist in a wind, letting Sassi enjoy a brief moment of peace. She hadn’t even known feeling like this was possible. No preconceptions or doubts, just the familiar, welcome sensation of her stallion’s fur brushing against her own.
Astral hugged her back.
Heartfelt sobs now made Sassi’s sides shiver. For a dream, it felt so real. He held her close, the stallion’s gentle breath on her neck, a gentle caress against her neck and cheek. The stallion’s cheeks were abruptly wet with tears, a soft whisper making her heart ache.
“You’re ok.”
The realizations Sassi had come to terms with, or at least acknowledge, carried over into the dreamscape. Everything felt so much more important now, every touch actually meaning something. Even the familiar smell of Astral’s fur made everything somehow easier to process, problems losing their sharp edge.
It should have been more of a shock, but it was more of a gentle realization, one that should have been obvious from the start.
I’m not wearing any armor.
She didn’t want to ruin the feeling of peace, of knowing someone cared, so the mare shoved that thought down. Sassi pulled back slightly, gently pulling a hoof around to caress Astral’s chest. Looking down at him, she couldn’t help but smile amid slowing tears, the handsome stallion meeting her gaze curiously.
“Thank you, Astral,” she whispered, the tears slowing briefly. “Thank you for saving me.”
His eyes reflecting the stars, Astral smiled. His jaw trembled, and Sassi nearly started crying again. Was this how it felt?
To be looked at like I mean everything to someone?
Sassi would fight a thousand Skitters if this was even a fraction of the future she could have. That thought made her lean down for another hug, her hoof reaching over to trace across Astral’s furry chest.
“Even though it’s a dream, maybe I can tell you,” she whispered to herself. “I just hope I can say it to you face to face when you wake up.”
She heard him let out a soft, curious hum. Pulling back again, the mare brushed the bangs out of her eyes with a smile.
Why not? It was a dream, after all.
Wrapping Astral up in a hug again, Sassi gently brushed her lips against his. A simple kiss, even though-
Astral kissed her back, a bit longer of a gesture as warmth spread from the tip of Sassi’s nose to her hooves. There was no disgust, revulsion, or hesitation. There was only the simple want of more. More of just…this. A soft warmth on her lips that spread to every part of her body.
She slid her head underneath the Thestrals, sighing happily.
“I love you, Astral,” Sassi said with a peaceful smile. “I just hope the real-life you can wait long enough for me to say it.”
As the dream world fragmented, Sassi felt Astral shift.
“Real?” he paused, and his soft chuckle chased the mare into wakefulness. “But I…”
Sassi yawned, blinking as she took stock of her surroundings. She was still hugging Astral, the stallion’s sleeping face shifting.
“…love you too,” Astral whispered.
The mare blinked, scrubbing the sleep from her eyes. His lips had moved, but barely. The mare’s sensitive hearing had picked up a mumble, but the words hadn’t just been in her ears. They had echoed in her mind, which was a strange feeling in and of itself. Was she still half asleep?
The thoughts were chased away as two familiar green eyes slowly opened, Astral smiling as he looked up at her.
“Sassi?