Notes: This chapter has sections that may need to be hovered over in order to display a separate text. If you are on mobile, tapping on them will work as well.

If a section is

rose

, then it may have additional text. Not every bit of rose-colored text has additional text.

If a section is

grey

, then it has been shown before.

---

Reality flashed before Elara’s eyes, interlacing itself with her dreams. She felt sunshine pulse its way through her veins, as her vision shattered into two.

Her vision went gray, and she arched her back in her seat. A howl erupted from her vocal cords, and her eyes rolled in their sockets until they locked onto her monitor.

---

A pause.

---

Face Reality.

Elara saw the Sunset sculk out from behind a building, its head turning to focus on the Moonrise. They stood at opposite ends of a street, transfixed on one another.

A hurt girl, looking for the one that she loved.

A hound, seeking her master’s adoration.

Neither would find what they wanted here.

The Sunset launched a blast at the Moonrise’s hand, knocking its blade out of its grip. The weapon clattered to the ground behind Elara. She raised it in a fist in response, readying herself to launch at the Sunset. Her other shoulder sparked as energy meant for an arm no longer attached to it couldn’t find its target.

Pyralis readied herself to launch an assault against the Moonrise. She had to remind herself that whatever was inside that wasn’t her. This wasn’t a reunion, but the fight that would decide if she deserved to have her back.

Elara, on the other hand, prepared herself for the coming assault. It was something she never would have expected before, but it was an inevibility now.

They would be together in spirit once more, if it meant Pyralis taking her last breath.

A pause.

Pyralis launched the Sunset forward, kicking off the ground behind her with the Sunset’s kinetic boosters. She was going to rip Elara out of whatever was standing in front of her, find that beautiful girl that she once called master.

Elara followed suit, kicking every last bit of fuel the Moonrise had into her thrusters. She flew towards the incoming Pyralis, grabbing its paw mid-air as it came at her. The two were almost torn apart from the collision.

The Moonrise was spun around as the Sunset passed by it, their hands interlocked. The machines gripped each other tightly, the Sunset coming back around to collide with the Moonrise.

A scream came out of Elara’s throat as she was lost in the rage of battle, raising one of the Moonrise’s legs and wrapping it around the Sunset.

Pyralis was going to make everything okay.

The Sunset moved its paws upward and around the Moonrise, clawing at its back. The Moonrise’s thrusters went offline as Pyralis clawed through them, a shower of fire raining down from behind the Moonrise.

Pyralis didn’t let go. She never would again.

Without the thrusters supporting the two, both mechs fell to the ground. Elara was slammed into the back of her seat as the air was knocked out of her lungs. She gagged for a moment, using the Moonrise to rip at the Sunset’s head in an attempt to get it off of her.

Shifting tactics, the Moonrise moved its hand down towards her scruff. She tore at the machine in desperation, begging to be let go. She wanted to go home to Handler, to be freed of her mistakes.

Despite her pleas, the Sunset refused to release its prey. She would never let Elara slip out of her grasp again.

It was a hope that she could not expect to uphold.

Relive the Dream.

Elara saw her on the other side of the field, just as radiant as the day they met. Pyralis stood still, twitching as she stared back at her once master.

A lost dog, searching for a place to call home.

A daughter, just looking to help victims of a war.

Both found what they needed in each other’s embrace.

The canine stared with longing at her lost master. A bouquet of flowers dropped from the daughter’s hand, as she held it out in front of her. She invited the dog to join her. Come to her side. Her other arm laid limp at her side. Damaged. Blood dripped down from an open wound, staining the flowers at her feet.

In another time, the canine would have jumped at the opportunity to jump into her master’s. Joined the owner she once thought lost. This wasn’t her owner though, even if she had her beautiful eyes, that same smile that she could get lost in.

Of course, the daughter was no longer her owner. No matter how much either of them wished it to be so, Elara was no longer able to take care of herself, let alone a pet.

They could not be together in spirit, but in body, the two still yearned to be in each other’s grasp.

A pause.

Pyralis ran forward, with Elara quickly following suit. Pyr jumped forward, landing in her arms. She planted a kiss on Elara’s face, as if begging for her to come home. She was finally with her master again.

Elara spun around, grabbing Pyralis in her good arm. She smiled, tears falling from her eyes as she was reunited with her love once more. She took Pyr’s hand in her own as the sheer momentum tore them apart from one another.

The two held on tight, refusing to let go of one another so soon. Pyralis let out a cry as she was swung back into Elara’s arms.

Elara laughed, just happy to be in the embrace of her lover once again after so long. She wrapped herself around Pyralis tight, a smile plastered on her face.

Everything was going to be okay.

Pyralis grabbed Elara into a bear hug, squeezing her tightly. She gripped onto her back, burying her head into the crook of Elara’s neck. Elara allowed herself to drift away into Pyralis’ warmth. This was where she belonged.

Don’t let her go. Not again.

Elara fell back, unable to keep herself standing under Pyralis’ weight. The wind was knocked out of her lungs as Pyr landed on her chest, continuing to sob into her shoulder. The two couldn’t bring themselves to do anything but laugh.

Caressing Pyr’s head with her good arm, Elara rolled until she was on top of her lover. She moved her hand down, clutching Pyralis’ neck, afraid that she would slip out of her grasp. Never again.

Pyralis leaned into the embrace. She would be even better this time. No reason for her to be punished. Elara would be safe in her arms, at home.

A dream never to be realized.

---

Elara struck her target’s neck, hitting where she knew Pyr’s cockpit was.

She needed to disable her, keep her alive. Handler would fix them both. It would be okay.

Beep.

Beep.

Elara’s right cybernetic arm blared a warning. It showed Pyralis’ heart rate, or rather, the lack of one.

Zero beats per minute.

She was dead.

Elara stopped her assault immediately, removing the Moonrise’s hand from the Sunset’s corpse. She couldn’t be dead. It was a bug.

Beep.

She got out of her seat, ripping free the safety brackets keeping her down. Elara quickly fell to the back of the cockpit, the Moonrise still on its back. The door refused to unlock, another one of Handler’s measures.

“Let me out!” Elara cried, screaming out the words as she pounded on the exit. She needed to see Pyralis. Handler promised she would be okay.

Sorry, Hound.

Elara sobbed at the door, her knuckles now bleeding from the force of her assault on the exit. She coughed, unable to get in enough air to supply her rage. “You promised she’d be okay, you said she would!”

That wasn’t the deal, Callisto.

It wasn’t, was it? She would do as Handler asked. Pyralis would never be on that list. She wasn’t. Elara had killed her. Handler had to let her join her.

Beep.

Elara recalled the terms of her deal, the day she was muzzled, the day she was made Handler’s Hound. I’ll slam that knife you gave me into my heart the second she dies. She didn’t have the knife on her.

A pair of hands placed themselves on Elara’s neck, squeezing tight. Commander Callisto’s hands. Avenging the death of Pyralis. It would have to do.

She would be freed. She needed permission. “Please, let me go.” Elara choked the words out, tears running down her cheeks. She wanted to be with Pyralis. Pyralis was waiting for her.

I’m sorry, Callisto.

Handler’s voice stayed calm, not showing a hint of remorse. The light buzzing noise behind her voice made Elara want to believe it wasn’t her. Handler wouldn’t do this to her.

Beep.

“No! You promised! You told me that I could join her once she-” Elara was cut off by Handler.

Off leash.

---

Back to that lovely dream, then.

Elara positioned herself over Pyralis’ leg, grinding into it as her pet howled out. She missed her embrace, her love so much. Elara would make the most of her time with her lover.

Pyralis squealed as Elara continued pressing herself into her lover’s thigh, losing herself in the slurry of their love. She pushed herself up, now facing the disheveled Pyr on the ground.

As Pyralis opened her mouth to voice her gratitude, Elara spat in her mouth. A little bit of something to remember her by, a taste of the master she lost so long ago. She swallowed diligently, smiling as she tasted the sweetness in her lover’s saliva.

She didn’t know what that sweetness was from, really. The taste of sunshine that Elara so often consumed, mixed with her own synthetic vaginal fluids.

It didn’t matter now, they were together again. Elara paused for a moment to continue removing her clothing, each bit of cloth a barrier between her and Pyralis. Something to be eliminated.

Pyr followed suit, whimpering as she lost the little contact she had from Elara. That issue was quickly rectified, Elara almost throwing herself back onto Pyralis as she fed herself on the helpless animal beneath her.

The synthetic juices from Elara dripped down Pyr’s thigh, clear and vaguely sticky. Pyralis basked in her lover’s hunger, grinding her own crotch against Elara’s leg.

Her shaft was rock hard, rubbing against Elara’s leg. The movement from Elara pleasuring herself on her leg made Pyralis go wild, bucking her hips with every thrust of Elara’s hips.

Elara paid no attention to her needy pup, continuing to focus on her own needs first. She felt the soft skin on Pyr’s leg slip between her legs, rubbing against her inner lips. Her clit nudged against her lover’s flesh, sending waves of pleasure rocking through Elara.

She groaned, her eyes rolling back in her head as Pyralis begged for more attention.

Clicking her tongue, Elara smiled as she stared down. Her pup was begging for more than usual, although that was to be expected given their time apart. She was more than happy to give it, of course.

Positioning herself over Pyralis, she let herself fall onto the hard member under her. She collapsed onto Pyralis, kissing her as she humped the now moaning pet.

A just reward for a well behaved dog.

---

Rose-tinted

lenses.

Hound took its seat at the helm, interfacing with Moonrise once more. The machine sputtered to life, jerking as the clustered thoughts of Hound fluttered through its systems.

Beep.

Its hand positioned itself between its legs, ripping a hole in the sweatied pilot’s uniform. The Moonrise positioned itself, pushing the Sunset off of it, and kneeling as it straddled the beast’s stomach.

The scream of metal could be heard as the two machines began to rub against each other, scraping against each other as Hound thrusted its fingers inside of Elara’s vaginal implant.

The Moonrise continued to lodge the Sunset between its legs, squeezing tight as to keep its balance on top of the corpse.

Beep.

Hound bounced up and down in her seat, the Moonrise’s cockpit rocking around as it did the same to the Sunset. The elegant black and white machine reduced to nothing but a toy to be used.

Howling, Hound continued its little game. The beeping of Elara’s arm didn’t stop, continuing to alert Elara to her last target’s death.

Just another thing to please Hound. To please Handler.

Beep.

The wreck of the Sunset groaned under the weight of the Moonrise. It’s head rolled limply as the Moonrise continued to slam into its stomach, abusing the damaged machine.

Hound spat in its hand, continuing to rub its fingers in between Elara’s folds. It could feel the sunshine pumping through it from Elara’s arms, enhancing the pleasure it was already feeling. It whimpered as it continued to work away, its hands almost unconsciously pumping between its legs.

It thought about Pyralis, imagining that the Sunset beneath her was still alive, that Elara’s love was still alive beneath the metal frame. The thought of reuniting with her brought it comfort.

Beep.

Yearning for more, it raised one of its hands to its mouth, licking Elara’s fluids coating its fingers. Her internal synthesizer had long been changed to remove the ability to produce sunshine, but the reminder of a drug-stained orgasm was enough for Hound.

The Moonrise reached down to grab the head of the Sunset, tearing its jaws open. The insides were still red-hot, the core’s heat being released through the Sunset’s maw. Hound reached into the heart of the beast, gripping its reactor core through its open mouth.

The fingers of the Moonrise melted around the red-hot center of the machine, fusing itself to the Sunset’s dying heart.

Beep.

The screech of metal tearing filled the air, Hound letting out a gasp as it finally reached its peak. The Moonrise held aloft the disabled core of the Sunset, raising it high above its head as Hound screamed in pleasure.

It had done well. Twelve kills. She was forgiven.

Good girl.