"Isn't there supposed to be a light?"
Sienna...
There it was again. The voice that was calling me. The last thing I remember was passing out. After that, I arrived in this place. There was nothing here. Even my body was gone. It was just... space. I floated for a few seconds. Voices whispered around me, but they had no source. Was I... dead? No I couldn't have been. I had been close to death when I saw my body that first night. I... couldn't have been. I wasn't dreaming either, though. It would have been peaceful. A soft roar grew around me. I did know that it sounded like a thunderstorm. That was the only real knowledge I had at that moment: It was similar to the sound of rain. I was forced to stare at nothingness, but even if I could have looked around, I probably wouldn't. I liked the sound. I felt like I was in a womb. Had I even been born? Did I reincarnate into someone else? Sweet. The sound was sweet. I just wanted to focus on that noise instead of the garbled voices.
Sienna...
The soft patter of the rain grew into terrifying clangs. The shutter made the nothingness turn black. I began to fly forward at lightening speed. The rumble became a resounding clang. It sounded like gunshots, but as though it were behind a concrete barrier. The voices were pushed together. I could barely tell them apart. Laughing. Crying. Screaming. It was a jumbled mess. I felt nothing, though. I had no emotion. Even my curiosity was lost. Light around me swirled, blurring colors. I willed myself to touch one of the odd shapes, but it was impossible without a body. I did manage to float closer to the shape. It didn't help as it was still fuzzy.
-ome on!
That was different. A different voice, too. It was too far away, but it sounded familiar. I couldn't put a name with it.
You - -by to take ca- of!
Strange. It was getting louder. More familiar. I knew this mare.
-not... be... "WIDOWED!"
Pressure filled my chest, followed by the feeling of being suffocated. The void quickly poured from my vision. Black replaced it. It only lasted a second as my eyes shot open. Pain and fear erupted in my head and breast. I gasped, pulling air into my aching lungs. Everything was swarming. Sounds of war filled my ears. Something touched my lips. A bottle. A potion, by the taste of it. I suddenly could remember the taste. Somepony was holding me. Fluttershy? No, Mom.
Wait... Pepper. She saved me!
I quickly sat up, much to the dismay of my mother. I grabbed the unicorn and hugged her quickly. "Thank... you." I rasped.
"You need to rest for a few seconds. You were dead for an entire minute, at least!" She yelled. I think her eyes were puffy, but I couldn't tell. My focus had deteriorated.
I ignored her demands, grappling any ground to get to my hooves. Once I was up, I stumbled. "Redd..." I whispered. I spotted the red and white blur a few yards away. "R-Redd! I'm coming..." I awkwardly limped towards him. His rifles were beginning to smoke. I grabbed my head trying to keep up with his maneuvering. My hooves slid out from under me, causing me to fall. I shook my head, trying to clear away the dizziness.
"Sia!" Nico stopped in front of me, panting. "You need to get back! We can try again when you're able!" He kept his aim at Blight, who kept her smile. She was doing nothing but toying with them. She knew we couldn't win.
"No..." I stomped. "No!" I flapped my wings, barely lifting myself off the ground.
"Don't be stupid!" He yelled, trying to pull me down with his magic.
"Let go!!" I yelled at him. "I need to do this!"
He stomped. "Damn it! You're an idiot! An idiot who doesn't need to die!"
I growled at him, shoving him away from me as I flew as fast as I could. The edges of my sight kept closing in, but I wasn't ready to pass out again. I unholstered my gun, aiming for Blight's chest cavity. My aim was too far off, though. I hit her appendage. She caught notice, turning towards me with a smile. "YOU CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD, I SEE!" She became a blur, until her claw grabbed me from the air. I tried to push her off my abdomen with my forelegs. I prayed the foal wouldn't be hurt.
"Sienna!!" Redd called. "Let her go you fucking tyrant!!!" He screamed until his voice broke.
Blight laughed, again. "IF YOU INSIST!"
I gasped for air in her tight grip. She reared back, then threw me as hard as she could. All I could think while the room zoomed by was how sorry I was for not being a better help to my friends. Tears sprayed from my eyes as I flew through the air. I tried to open my wings to slow myself but I was going too fast. I didn't think I'd survive this. Something big wrapped around my torso. A cream colored coat flashed from the corner of my eye. The wind seemed to slow, but only slightly. Large wings flared from either side of me. I turned my head just before we made impact against the wall.
Daddy...
With a thud, he took the majority of the blow against the hard concrete. His head threw back, knocking him unconscious. My eyes widened. He slid to the floor, unmoving. Pepper was already next to him, checking him over. I flew down as quick as I could. "Daddy!"
"He's still alive, but he has a pretty bad head injury." Pepper began wrapping an enchanted bandage around his head. "He may have swelling in his brain from that blow!"
Violet and my mother darted over. The former spoke quickly. "Take him to Moondancer. Blight means business, now! What do we do, Sia?!"
Everything is moving so fast...
I faced the direction of Redd's energy rifles, not before landing, clumsily on my hooves. Goddesses, I just wanted to cry. There was no telling how much longer they would last. Nico was aiming at any opening he could find. I grunted through the oncoming headache. "Mom, Pepper. Take Dad to the lab through the tunnel. Pepper, if you can, come back but stay out of Blight's line of sight. She may cast her spell."
There were no arguments from either of them. They carried my poor father towards the tunnel.
I blinked away the tears. "Violet, if we don't get those pearls soon, there's no telling what will happen. They're in a compartment inside of her torso."
She furrowed her brow, casting a sideways glance. "I... may be fast enough to get to them, but it depends how tightly it's shut."
"LET'S SEE HOW FAR WE CAN TAKE YOUR SANITY!" Blight began to grow in size, growing wings and horns. Right between the horns, I saw the rainbow colored aura. I grit my teeth, glancing between my friends. The three of them grabbed their heads.
"Vi! Fight it!" I yelled to the one closest to me.
"M-my parents... They hated me..."
I let out a grunt as I grabbed her shoulders. "No! They didn't hate you, Violet! Stop saying these..." I looked around. "things..." My husband caught my attention amongst them all. Redd's eyes were fixed on me. He still held his head, but his expression was softer. When he gave a hint of a smile, I sat with my mouth agape. He mouthed the words "I love you". When I gained my composure, I replied, "I love you, always". He stood a little taller, his shakes stilling a little more. He remained more composed than Violet or Nico.
Slowly, I returned my glance to Violet, who was in tears. Back in the lab, Redd managed to overcome the spell with something that made him happy. I couldn't just force them to be happy, they needed to be reminded of what brings them joy! I took a deep breath and loosened my grip on her. "Remember your favorite flavor smoothie at Sweet Petal's?" I gave her my best smile.
She looked up, thought a moment, then nodded. "Blueberry mint... What's this got to do with anything? We will never be able to go back there..."
I shook my head. "No, but now we can find another place to hang out. You're my best friend." I hugged her, softly. "Besides, you're going to be an aunt. I'll need you to take care of her once in a while."
Her sobs lessened. "M-me? W-What if... What if something happens? Nobody ever thought of me as... responsible."
I picked her chin up. "To me, you were always the bravest soul. You saved so many, already. How could you not be responsible? Hell, you've looked out for me many times." I chuckled. "Besides, I already have a name in mind for the foal if it's a girl."
She stopped crying. "R-Really? It's a girl?"
I sheepishly picked up my shoulders. "I'm not sure, but I have a feeling. Want to know the name?"
She nodded. I leaned in and whispered the name. I saw a flash in the corner of my eye, but I couldn't tell if it was my imagination. Her eyes went wide. "I love it... I-It's so... ironic." She chuckled. I knew she would like it!
"There's my Violet!"
She rubbed her eyes, looking around. "The guys!"
"I already know how to keep the spell from being overwhelming. Remember in the lab? Redd broke from it when I popped the question. I think we need to keep our mind on the things that bring us joy. That's what Blight's magic does. It takes away any joy and happiness we already have. No matter how small it may be."
She gasped. "That makes sense! So, Redd should have a handle on it. I'll go talk to him about the chest cavity. You should go snap Nicky boy out of it. I don't know if I could bring him any joy." She rolled her eyes.
I nodded and we went our separate ways. Blight was too busy typing on the terminal to notice any change in atmosphere. There was a screen booting up. As she tried to type the password, it gave her error messages. The security team probably made it as hard as possible to get into. I figured we had several minutes. I approached the tan unicorn fighting his tears. What could I say to help him? I didn't really know what made him happy. I caught myself frowning more. I really didn't know him like I thought I did. I didn't know his weaknesses or strengths. I didn't know what made him sad or what brought him joy. It almost made me sad to realize we may not have even been true friends. I couldn't show any sadness, though. All that mattered was that he needed to be better.
"Nico..." I said, softly.
He hid his face. "D-don't look at me..." He said through his teeth. "There's-There's nothing you can do."
I ran through my thoughts and what I did know about him. "No, there's not. But, maybe I can be here to listen?"
His eyes remained drilled into the tile floor. "Listen to what? I have... nothing to say."
I folded my hooves under me to rest. I sighed. "When I first started this mission, you were the main reason I wanted to fight."
Nico shot a look to me. "W-why?"
I shrugged. "At first I thought I might could pay you back for saving my life. It was probably guilt." I put my hoof on his shoulder. "Then, I got to know the real you. Underneath all that sarcastic attitude, was a stallion who needed to heal his broken heart."
Water splashed onto the floor below his face. "My heart? My... heart. What would you know about a broken heart? Sienna, I was in love with Pepper. Then, what I thought was abandonment, turned out to be a mistake. And when I was going to pack up and leave, you fell from the sky. The goddesses dropped you almost in my yard." He shook his head. "I started to fall for you, too. When we kissed, I had to hold myself back. I had to hold back. I couldn't do that to you, though. I couldn't let you wait for me to get my shit together. As soon as Pepper came back, I... I was so confused. My love for you never left, but I felt I could at least move on. I'm going to fail no matter what I do, Sia." He hiccuped, letting out more sobs. "Pops... My dad died. He fucking died and I wasn't there! I was off fucking around because I'm so stupid! He died cold and alone, waiting for me to come home and eat dinner with him. I-I deserve to die the same way!" His hoof pounded the floor. "Alone..."
The breath left my body for a second from his eerie comment. I wiped the tears forming in my eyes. I couldn't bear to see him this way. Finally, I grabbed his hoof. He looked up, his fur wet. "I'm so sorry for all of this. For what it's worth, I did love you in that way. It was hard when Pepper came around, but she really loves you. It's not fair to her, Nico." I pulled him into a hug. "Don't forget, you'll never lose me. Even if my heart belongs to someone else, I still want us to be able to talk and go to Ma's. I want to be able to hang out. All of us. I like to think I never really lost the bond I had with Wick and Chaser. I gained more. You'll never be alone. If you need someone to talk to, I'll always be here. You're one of the best friends I could ask for." I let go, smiling at him. "Your dad would be so proud of you, Nico. You never failed him. Please, believe that."
He grit his teeth for a second, searching my face.
"It's okay." I assured him. "Everything is going to be okay, no matter what happens."
I caught it that time. The necklace lifted slightly off my chest, glowing for a second or two. It was more intense, this time. I believe he had more pain and regret than any of us. I secretly felt shame for believing I had it so bad at first. I quickly looked back at my friend to see that his eyes also flashed for a second. I blinked, making sure I wasn't seeing things. Nico squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed them. When he opened them, he looked at me like he'd seen a ghost. "What the hell was that? I..." He scanned his hooves, perplexed. "think I feel..."
Before I could be happy, a loud scraping noise almost deafened us. "NO!! HOW?! HOW DID YOU BREAK MY SPELL?!" Blight's form grew even bigger, steam escaping every crevice. She telepathically picked up several machines and hurled them at us. Nico grabbed me and pulled me from the oncoming game machine. Redd and Violet zoomed towards us, dodging their own obstacles.
"Do you still have those spark grenades?" Violet asked, getting ready to dodge more attacks.
Nico quickly opened his bag with his magic. He levitated the stun devices in front of us. "Do you think they'll work?"
"I'd hope so. Maybe if you use all of them at once, but you need to make sure she's turned around." I felt for my necklace. "Focus and make sure she's turned before you activate them."
He nodded, giving me a sincere smile.
"Come on, Redd, Violet." I said, taking off towards the monstrosity.
Blight's eyes had turned even redder. The spines had grown larger along her back. She deployed the turrets from her shoulders, emptying rounds into us. Luckily we managed to scatter and avoid all of them. I rolled left and right, trying to move from the line of fire. Her focus was definitely mostly on me. I began to feel the dizziness come on, again. "No, not now!" I tried to take deep breaths, but it was difficult with the loss of blood. My heart raced, almost too fast. I began coughing.
"YOU WILL NO LONGER GET IN MY WAY!!!" She screamed, shooting a small RPG from her back. I quickly dove, the missile just clipping my mane as it whistled over me. It impacted the back wall, exploding and taking some of the interior wall with it. I had to give it to them, the prewar ponies definitely built this place to last!
I straightened myself out, getting as close to the machine as I could. "Violet, how much longer on the terminal until it reboots?!"
Violet shot passed, right behind Blight. She skidded to a stop briefly before zooming by me. "One minute! The enclave will receive a signal, after that!"
"Shit..." I looked between Blight and the computer. If Thunderhead received any signal from her, it wouldn't be good. I had to stop it. I flipped around, speeding towards Nico, trying not to get to close to him. I flapped as hard as I could, soaring just close enough to grab one of the spark grenades from his magic. I didn't understand what he yelled, but I was in a hurry. I traveled over Blight, pulling the pin with my teeth. Timing the detonation was difficult, but I managed to throw it at the terminal in time. Blight tried to catch it but she got caught in the vicinity. Electricity tendrils waved wildly over the equipment. Smoke seeped from the monitor. Sparks and lights flashed. The monitor shut off, buzzing and crackling. Blight's arm dropped, sparking, as well.
Redd hovered next to me. "Nice job."
I panted. "Thank you."
"Save your goo-goo eyes! You've pissed her off, now!" Violet pointed to the evil being.
Blight erupted into a robotic screech. By that time, she was about the same size she was when she had turned into the arachnid shape. I clenched my jaw, ready for her attacks. I was right to be weary. She unleashed a barrage of rockets, more than half a dozen barreled through the air towards us. All of us flew upward, but it was no use. They followed. Once we noticed, the three of us flapped for our lives to get away. Violet was too fast for them. She managed to trick the heat seeking technology into ramming into Blight, somehow. Redd and I had to try to out-fly the remaining four.
"Lead them to the wall and then split apart!" Redd commanded.
I nodded. I worked my wings, trying to keep up with stronger pegasus. Once we were inches from the wall, we made a sharp turn in opposite directions. The rockets hit the wall, exploding and sending concrete pieces everywhere. I wasn't far enough away, so the pieces pelted my hide. Luckily, they weren't big enough to do any real damage. I hissed from the stinging in my flank. There would be bruises and scratches for sure.
"Are you alright?!" Redd called to me. His wings fanned away the dust as he got closer to me.
"Yeah...I'm okay." I said, panting.
"You really should retreat." He held my hoof.
"Watch out!" Violet yelled.
Redd pushed me out of the way just in time for another wave of bullets to spray us. We took cover behind a desk, until Blight was done holding down the trigger. Too bad we forgot about her telepathy. The desk moved, being thrown across the room. Redd and I scrambled to get out of the way. More ammo unloaded into us. A couple of them hit my barding, but thankfully didn't pierce it. I looked back at my companion. Like me, his armor was taking the brunt of the bullets.
"We need to get to cover!" I yelled over the chaos.
Violet flew circled around Blight. For a moment, it slowed down the shooting. Blight's sent a large wave of magic, knocking us back, again. I heard Nico yell for Violet to back off, then I saw something being hurled towards Blight. The grenades! A bright light almost blinded me. Once that dimmed, electricity branched out all over the metal beast, causing her to spark and sizzle. Her eyes glowed brighter as her body began to temporarily shut down. I gulped, hoping it would hold her long enough.
"YOU ARE SO FOOLISH!!! YOU REALLY THINK THIS WILL KEEP ME DOWN?!"
"Oh, shut up!" Violet yelled.
The four of us joined together in front of Blight. I eyed the chest plate she had previously opened. There weren't any handles or even hinges for that matter. It must have been magically opened. I took a step closer, trying to inspect her. Nico crept up beside me. In thought, I glanced up at his horn. If Blight used magic to open it...
"Nico, you may have to open it. Don't get your magic near the pearls, though. I don't know what will happen." I pointed towards the pearls' hiding place.
He nodded, his horn flaring to life. The overglow enveloped a rectangular plate on her chest. Nico grunted, in an attempt to pull it open. When that didn't work, he grit his teeth and tried again. A layer of overglow surrounded the metal. It finally shifted.
Blight bellowed. I almost had to cover my ears.
"It's tough to get free, but I think I can do it." He grunted.
"Don't over work yourself. If you need a break-"
"No, I... I got it!" He said, triumphantly.
Just as the plate popped off, I noticed movement from the corner of my eye.
"Nico!!" I cried. Time slowed to a crawl like it did during the raider battle. Percentages appeared around my friend, but I didn't pay attention to that. A long, sharp piece of iron shot towards the unicorn. He only noticed after I brought out my gun and aimed at the rod. The percentage appeared around it, showing the number seventy-five. I fired off an energy beam. The shot was agonizingly slow, but it hit home.
I breathed heavily, the time warp going back to normal. The metal barely missed him.
"Whoa..." Violet said, staring.
Nico stared at the piece, then back to me. He smiled. "Thank y-"
He screamed. Another large piece of rebar pierced his chest, right where his heart would be. The unicorn fell. My stomach tightened. He convulsed as blood oozed around the foreign object, pouring onto the floor. I could do nothing, just stare. He gasped for air, clasping the rod.
No...
He looked down at his chest, tears forming in his eyes.
No!
"I-I'm s..." The light in his dark blue eyes began to fade.
"NO!!" I screamed. After I had processed what happened, I finally forced my hooves to move. "Violet, go get Pepper!"
I heard her flapping wings just as I started to pick up his head. I stopped, though. He was hurting. His lungs were quickly filling with fluid. I knew this, because his breaths became a gurgling pattern of struggle. "N-Nico..." My tears fell in his mane. "You'll be okay. Y-You'll be alright. You're not gonna leave us! You still have to help me, remember?" I inspected the wound. I could hear metal creaking. The stun grenades were beginning to wear off. Redd began unleashing more energy beams into her.
Sweat bled into Nico's brows. I wiped it away. "Please..."
His shaky hoof touched my foreleg. Somehow, he managed a half smile. "Th-this... it hurts." He hissed. "I don't think I'm making it out, this time."
My teeth almost broke, I clenched them so hard. "No! Nico, stop joking like that!"
He gave a dry chuckle, coughing up blood. "Don't worry. I gave you blood, so you'll always have a part of me in you. Isn't that what you told me?"
I collapsed in a heap of sobs. Why did I always do this? Why did so many have to die for my sake? And now...
I felt his hoof on my shoulder. His breathing became shallow. "Don't show... those tears. Please, watch over... Pepper. I'm gonna really miss you... Princess..." Nico leaned his head back, the life leaving his eyes.
I couldn't breathe. "N-Nico?"
No answer. His chest stilled.
"Nico!" I screamed. "Nico! Please!" I broke down. "Don't fucking go! Come back!" I slammed my hooves on the floor.
Redd swooped in, grabbing me and pulling me away from the incoming magic wave. I didn't even move. I just let him carry me. I looked back at the lifeless unicorn who had saved my life so many times. When it was time to save him, I couldn't do it. We landed behind a broken down wall. The blast knocked off a few pieces of dry wall. The pegasus held me, tightly. The Beacon burned around us. New Equestria was developing a new scar. I felt my mane being stroked as I buried my face in Redd's barding, trying to quiet my cries of despair.
"I... I couldn't-" I hiccuped.
He squeezed me, gently. "Don't blame yourself. He doesn't want you to do this."
I breathed a few times, before finally relaxing. Nico was really gone, this time. He would not be sneaking up on me on a rooftop, or waking up from a hospital bed. My friend was gone. I prayed, hard. Luna, take care of him. Please, let his heart finally be at peace. My head hurt, my chest ached, I felt nauseous. Nothing seemed to be going right. We were losing. I couldn't cry anymore. My eyes burned. I felt hate. I thought it was for Blight. No matter how hard I tried to cover it, my teeth stayed clenched. I wanted to kill Blight. I wanted to kill anyone who stepped in my way. This was no hate I knew before. Blight might have been the villain, but at the moment I was to be twice the evil she ever could be. She thought she came from me. My friend's body was all I could think about. My mentality had failed me again. I was going to show no mercy to her. The darkest part of me tried so hard to emerge. I thought of all she had already killed. She was going to pay. All at once, I felt my mother's hate for the Enclave. I knew it was directed to another, but it was all the same. Maybe it was directed to Blight. Maybe to myself. I screamed into Redd's chest.
"Stop, Sia. Don't be that pony, again. She was evil. She killed without reason. Those raiders are dead because of that, but what did you feel afterwards?" He whispered.
I hyperventilated for a few seconds before his words took hold. My anger stood, but it was being broken down. I killed many who I thought would relieve it. Did it help? My mother was so angry. She held so much hate. What was her ultimate goal? To eradicate an entire race? Pepper hated pegasi. Clockwork hated anything with feathers. Redd hated the ponies of the wasteland. Nico... hated himself.
My heart stung.
Redd pulled away, placing his hoof on my cheek. I nuzzled it, trying to get some comfort. My teeth almost broke from being clenched so hard.
"What do you want to do now, Sia?" He asked.
My ear twisted towards the sound of Blight. Her body seemed to be gaining more movement. I didn't know what to do. Nico was dead. My dad was fighting for his life. I honestly didn't want to put anyone else in harms way. There was nothing else that could be done. We tried, and we failed. I said I'd die trying, but now I was beginning to see what death was really costing. I looked up at the white stallion. He tried to give me a reassuring grin. I sniffed, emptying my mind. If we fought, we would probably die. If we fled, we would spend the rest of our lives hiding with only a small chance of survival, anyway. Did it even matter? Would any of my friends that have died back down?
Whatever was about to happen, I was going to be contempt. We did our best. Nico didn't die in vain. I was glad he didn't die alone like he previously thought he would. I looked behind the wall, seeing Blight struggling to get going. The entirety of her weapons had been drawn. Instinctively, I grabbed at my chest. The necklace still hung around my neck. I felt for it, rubbing the gem. Rarity and her friends wouldn't give up. They would have fought with their lives.
But I was tired.
"Redd..." I rested my forehead on his neck. "I'm done fighting."
Stunned, he sat for a moment. "O-okay... It's okay if you can't do it anymore. What do you want to do now? Go back to Moondancer's lab?"
I shook my head. "I want to win."
Level Up!
S- 7 (+1)
P- 6
E- 9
C- 4
I- 6
A-6
L- 5
Onboard- You have faced your worst enemy. +1 to Strength