A Heart of Light Shines in the Darkness

I felt like writing a follow up to Blue Bird Lamentation, which is a companion fic to chapter 18 of Hiding in my Skin, Broken from Within. This is Lucina struggling to break free from Dharkon's control as her lover, Captain Falcon, reaches out to her, with the perspective focused on her and what she's experiencing. Still in third person, of course. I'm AWFUL at first person lmaooo

Content warnings: violence, mild blood, a slight sexual reference. And yes, Dharkon uses they/them pronouns here.

Recommended BGM for this fic, at least until Lucina is freed: Light of Nibel from the Ori And The Blind Forest OST (original, and the fan made Definitive Edition remix by Asterfank on YouTube), as well as Restoring The Light, Facing The Dark, from the same OST. omg Ori has amazing music and visuals PLEASE PLAY IT;;;

oh and obligatory Super Smash Prose server plug, a discord server to chat with other Smash Bros. fanfic authors and share your stuff! The invite ID is gDX48ua.

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A Heart Of Light Shines In The Darkness

Naga...please...give me the strength to break through and reach him...!

Lucina's heartfelt wish shone through the darkness and allowed her to break through, after struggling to reach out to her lover, Captain Falcon, who was trying to free her from Dharkon's control. After what felt like a painful eternity of listening to the agonized screams of her beloved, she managed to resist Dharkon's imprisonment of her consciousness.

When she opened her eyes, she saw she was no longer in that ominous bubble of dark miasma. Instead, she was on Arena Ferox, or rather, a replica created by Dharkon. She took a few moments to take in her surroundings and register what was happening. Her body emanated that glowing red aura, brimming with a dark energy. It was a sign that Dharkon was controlling her, but in this moment, she resisted with all her might. She just wanted to see him again... and warn him.

She could see the Captain's arm grabbing her by the collar, but didn't question it in the tension of the moment. Now was the time to act, because she knew if she didn't, she might not get another chance.

"C-Cap...tain...?"

"Lucina?!" Captain Falcon immediately let go of Lucina's collar, causing her to lose her balance. Before she could hit the ground, however, she felt him wrap his strong arms around her tenderly and pull her close to him. The feeling alone filled her heart with gratitude.

After all, she longed to feel his embrace again for so long.

"Is that really you...?"

And to hear his voice again.

"Can you hear me?"

And most importantly, to see his face once more.

Slowly lifting her gaze, she saw the face of the man she loved so dearly, his eyes still concealed by his visor, but his mouth shaped into a look of gentle concern, his voice soft and comforting. That gentle side of him was part of why she had fallen in love with him in the first place.

"I...It's you..." She murmured faintly, slowly reaching out her right hand to caress her lover's face. As her exposed fingers made contact with his slightly rugged skin, comforting memories and emotions flooded over her.

Not even Dharkon can take this happiness away from me...

The warmth emanating from his slightly rough skin which nevertheless felt soothing to her touch, hearing the relief in his voice to see her safe and alive, just having him present there... all of it filled her heart with intense joy. Even though she saw Dharkon's signature aura emanating from her hand as she lovingly stroked his face, she paid it no mind as the only thing she could think of was the memory of the time they let down their barriers and became one back in the BLADE Barracks on Mira. He didn't let go, and neither did she, nor did either of them want to. Her face bore an expression that was both grateful and sorrowful at the same time as she whispered, "I'm so happy... I could cry..."