Chapter Seventy Eight: Awake 2.0
It seemed almost surreal, Sassi hopping off the medical bed so she could sit in front of Astral. Her hoof was visibly shaking as she gently pressed it against his side.
He smiled, then let out a hacking cough and spit up some black tar.
“Still here, Sassi,” he said with a wince, “but I certainly don’t feel so great. What’s going on?”
His stunning green eyes met hers, unclouded by medications.
He’s ok. He’s here.
As the tears trickled down Sassi’s cheeks, Astral reached over and squeezed her hoof.
“Are you alright?”
That simple question nearly broke the mare, Sassi laying her head down next to Astral as she cried. He squeezed her hoof, scooting over to nuzzle her cheek with his.
“You saved me, didn’t you?”
Days of suppressed anxiety and fear overflowed, and Sassi was only able to sob. But this time, she wasn’t alone.
It took a while before the mare trusted her voice, wiping her eyes and taking a deep breath.
“You…it got bad, Astral,” she said, her smile nearly making the tears restart. “And welcome back.”
Astral’s eyes met hers, his cheek reaching over to nuzzle hers again.
“It’s good to be back,” he whispered. “You going to be ok?”
She nodded, happy to simply hear her stallion’s voice again.
“Much better now. You were out for days. Four, I think.” The playful smile that twitched onto her face seemed to perk Astral up immensely. “And since when did you get so cuddly?”
Blinking in surprise, Astral was about to reply. Sassi cut him off by nudging her head underneath his with a happy sigh. “I love it.”
He laughed softly, wincing at the gesture.
“Ow…no laughing,” he gasped, “but I’ll never complain.” The stallion paused, noting how Sassi hadn’t moved. “Speaking of which, you’re rather cuddly yourself.”
It was Sassi’s turn to giggle, the feeling of Astral’s fur against her cheek and his familiar scent almost intoxicating.
“You battle through hundreds of Skitters and other monsters, threaten a Queen, and modified yourself just to s-save me,” she whispered, voice hitching. “You’re getting hugs and cuddles for the next thousand years. I’ll find that rejuvenation spell just for that.”
Despite his playful tone, the affection in Astral’s eyes, along with the serious undertone in the stallion’s voice made Sassi’s heart do a flip-flop.
“That sounds like a pretty good plan to me.”
Astral winced, Sassi helping up into at least a somewhat-upright position.
“Thanks,” he said, spitting up some more black tar. “Have we got any water? Or food? Not too much, but my stomach feels ok for now even with that tar stuff. I’d like to know what in the world has gone on while I’ve been out.”
A simple bottle of water and ration bar was set close by, the stallion taking a few small, experimental bites. It was all incredibly hazy; a few moments standing out from when he had passed out.
One of such moments made his heart thud in his quickly-reddening ears, but Astral tried to not focus on that for now. The foul taste in his mouth was washed out by the water, the ration bar going down at least without much trouble.
“Well, I discovered new horrifying monsters in this Silo, built a barricade, scavenged supplies, and…well, that’s pretty much it,” Sassi said, sitting down next to him. “You can watch the helmet footage later.” The mare’s gaze was brimming with concern as if Astral was a glass figure that could shatter at any moment. If he was being honest, he felt like one. The stallion’s limbs responded sluggishly, and his bones ached.
“That sounds…well, horrible,” he mused, reaching down to gently poke the crystal in his chest. “And the fashion statement here?”
Despite the levity in his words, Astral saw a darkness flicker across Sassi’s expression.
“Your DNA was completely destabilizing,” she explained. “The RASP AI said that was the only way to save your life. They can be surgically removed, but now they can heal you internally, far better than the medical bed crystals. You’ve got some on your sides too.”
“Huh,” Astral said. “Well, at least I don’t really feel them. Not yet at least.”
Sassi was quiet, a lot quieter than Astral had expected. Her gaze occasionally flickered up to him, but it was obvious the mare was troubled. Oddly, the stallion simply knew that as a fact. Even if he closed his eyes, something was ringing a soft alarm bell that Sassi wasn't alright.
"It was bad, huh?" Astral asked quietly. "Sassi, I'm-"
"I almost lost you."
Her words were quiet, barely above a whisper. Sassi was only able to glance at Astral briefly before shaking her head, bangs falling to hide her eyes.
"Multiple times, you almost died. I don't...I..." Words failed her, the mare still not looking up. "I've never been so scared. The power cut out, and the healing crystals failed."
Astral heard a soft hum, and he looked over onto his back. Two pinecone-like protrusions spun gently above the reactor, pink sparks zipping into their frame.
"Are these why I’m still here?" he asked cautiously. "I thought the reactor could power it all. Vial said there were other experimental options, but nothing specific.”
"The reactor couldn’t power both sets of crystals, only keep you alive temporarily. But there was another way. Some experimental dynamos that use...emotion." Sassi's demeanor changed as she spoke, the trepidation fleeing. An embarrassed glance made Astral's curiosity pique.
"Huh. So, it's using my own emotions to power it?" he asked, still not understanding.
"Not yours. Mine."
Staring at Sassi, Astral tried to understand, his thoughts still feeling like they were being pushed through a dense fog bank.
"Does it hurt? I don't want you to-"
Sassi shushed him by walking over and placing a hoof on Astral's lips. Her jaw trembled, the mare's eyes shimmering with surprise and confusion.
"How is that your first concern?" she whispered, "you just went through Tartarus and back. How can you be concerned about me when you're a wreck?"
That was when Astral saw it. A familiar shard of hope, of longing behind Sassi's confused eyes.
"Because I care about you, Sassi," he said firmly. "I promised to never leave you alone, didn't I?"
The tears broke free from Sassi's restraint again, slowly trickling down her cheeks.
"I kept my promise. I wasn't going to let you go." An affectionate smile dawned on Astral’s face as he spoke. "But I get the feeling you weren't going to let me go either."
She shook her head, a single word exemplifying the confusion and denial that swam in her gaze.
"Why?" Sassi whispered. "I understand fighting for me, as a partner, as a friend. but not this. You were willing to die just to get to me. Why? What do you want from me?" her voice choked up. "I thought I knew the answer before. But now, I'm afraid of what it could still be. I know what I want it to be, more than anything. I'm just not strong enough to believe it. Not if I’m the one saying it."
The pieces fell into place for Astral, the stallion sighing. Of course, that was the issue; he was just being dense. Even after everything he went through, it couldn't combat an entire life of being treated as a tool to be used, your only worth being measured by what could be provided.
"I don't want anything from you," Astral said firmly, forcing a leaden hoof to flop over and gently rest against the mare's armored chest. "I just want you. To see you happy. I..."
I love you, Sassi. But I don't want to scare you with that. Not when you're struggling as it is.
He reached up to gently tug on Sassi's shoulder. She got the message, scooting forward to rest her head next to his on the bed. If she wanted to pull away, nothing was stopping her.
Astral reached forward and gave her a simple, chaste kiss on the lips. Nothing heated, but a simple affirmation that couldn't be mistaken. He certainly didn’t imagine that Sassi kissed him back ever so slightly.
He gently pulled away, an awkward but loving smile on his face.
"Please don't ever doubt how much I care about you, Sas. I'd go through it all again in a heartbeat."
The mare's expression trembled, confusion battling elation. A bright blush finally rose to her cheeks, a shy, hopeful demeanor settling over Sassi as she sat up in front of him, still hiding behind her bangs.
"There you are," Astral whispered. "I don't want to make things even more overwhelming, but I don't want you to doubt."
She leaned down to press her forehead against his, the mare letting out a tired sigh.
"Thank you, Astral," Sassi whispered. "I'll believe you until I can believe myself. That I'm worth all of this."
"You are. And I'll gladly give you reminders of that."
"Can you wait for me?"
The odd question made Astral's head tilt in curiosity.
"Hmm?"
The mare's eyes drifted down, brow furrowing.
"You can wear your heart so openly. I'm trying, but it's hard. I don't want you to doubt either. How much I care. It's just...scary for me to consider things."
"I guessed as much."
Sassi set her jaw firmly, eyes sparkling from behind her bangs. There was a fire in her gaze, a blaze that made Astral's heart thud in his chest. She was struggling to speak but reached a hoof up to hold his.
“The dynamos take in any emotion and boost the reactor,” she said, voice loosening as Sassi spoke. “Positive emotions are more efficient.”
A shy, sensitive smile managed to break past the battling fear, pushed on by the fire behind Sassi’s eyes.
“The AI said that love is the best,” she managed to say, her gaze dropping, only flicking up to meet Astral’s briefly.
Astral didn’t have any words. Considering how hard it was for Sassi to open up to him in the past, to say this was groundbreaking was an understatement. He could only nod, the warmth in his chest bubbling up to make his eyes water.
“So, you saved me too,” he finally whispered, squeezing her hoof tightly. The dynamos on the reactor brightened briefly, the pink light reflecting off the various glass objects in the room.
This amazing mare. I’m literally being kept alive by your love, Sassi. I’m never letting you go.
“Thank you, Sassi.”
The two didn’t say much else for a long time. Oddly, Astral could feel something else as Sassi reached over to rest her head against his. He simply knew she was happy. A lot of turmoil, but a simple, warm glow in his mind.
Curious, but Astral wasn’t about to give it too much thought.
The incredible mare who loved him was ok and still safe. He had kept his promise to her.
And she hadn’t let him go.
I’ll wait for you, Sassi.
And whenever you’re ready, maybe we can have a moment like that nice dream I had.
Please pick up your anti-fluff medications by the door...
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Isn't enough in the world.
Aww, yeah. She can't bring herself to say the words, but a technical explanation of the dynamo's mechanics certainly leaves no room for ambiguity.
Oof, too late. Can't warn me after I read it.
I....I'm not cryiiiiing!! YOU'RE CRYING!!!
Woo, more fluff! All the fluff!
I am assuming the only one dressed is Sassi in some remaining armour. It kinda feels like Astral is wearing nothing but crystals, which feels weird after a long time of trekking through the facility with heavy gears
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FEELINGS!
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ALL THE FLUFF!
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She has her previous combat armor, just the RASP helmet. The rest of the RASP system is still being worn by Astral (well, most of it.)
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Is he wearing the RASP suit, or is it wearing him?
Good emotions. Let’s go blow some stuff up now.
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Indeed
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Hmm, considering what was used as the base to their "Super Serum", I might have an idea why that is happening.
It's just a hypothesis though. Nothing really proven.
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If I'm right, I don't want to spoil it before it is revealed.
That and I could be entirely wrong, so I'll 'hold my tongue', as it were.
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Best to wait and see!
I'm just waiting for the day when someone actually has a heart attack from emotional overload, lol.
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I hope that doesn't happen...in the story OR in the comments!
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Watch your cholesterol! Lol.
I don't get it... How the hell does one make an incredible romance story... In the middle of a horror story? I never thought such as thing could be possible.
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Glad I'm succeeding thus far!
To be fair, I have no idea why it works so well, but it does!
THERE ARE NO MEDS LEFT! They're all out of date you fool!!!!! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIIH-H-H-H-HIIIIIIE!!!!
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AIRDROP INCOMING!
I'm starting to wonder if their shared dream was the result of some sort of hivemind connection that is forming between Astral and Sassi, given they're both modified in the same way, which is based on using Queen Joro's blood. That makes too much sense for it to be anything else. This would also explain why Astral can tell what Sassi is feeling without her saying it and without even looking at her.
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