Okay, this just wouldn't get out of my head once I'd thought of it so I went ahead and typed it out:
Nothing had quite worked on the ultimate form of the most recent Lost Logia construct. While it wasn't the most destructive artifact that had ever
encountered, it was destructive enough, and with a defensive capability that was simply incredible. Durable enough, that it had been more or less still fully
functional, albeit with a few chunks missing, while the most powerful members of the temporarily reassembled Riot Force Six were if not heavily injured, then
exhausted from trying to beat it into submission.
Then it had made the mistake of turning back on the city that they had been trying to protect.
That action had removed any semblance of restraint on one Nanoha Takamachi, especially when considering that she numbered _family_ in that city.
The resulting Starlight Breaker had.... dwarfed anything she'd ever cast before, consisting of nothing less than the cumulative magical residue from more
than an hour of heavy magical combat, two entire _belts_ of cartridges, all augmented full bore by a refined blaster system.
There wasn't even any smoke to register where the Lost Logia had previously existed, not that anyone could tell for a few moments afterwards. Even years
later, Fate would occasionally comment teasingly that ever since then, everything seemed just a few shades... pinker.
All in all, a reasonable operation, after all no one had been more than scuffed up in the fight... except for one.
The newest Blaster system that Nanoha had used was much less damaging to her body, but the price was that it was several time _more_ damaging to Raising Heart.
It was implemented at the insistence of Raising Heart herself, after all, the Device had implacably reasoned, she could be reinforced, while Nanoha could not,
short of some very questionable procedures.
Unfortunately, the subsequent reinforcement wasn't designed to take this type of punishment. While the attack had obliterated the Lost Logia, Raising Heart
was in terrible condition, most of her haft had simply crumbled, while the housing around the central crystal core had been shattered into three distinct
pieces. And even the core itself was shot through with hairline fractures. Most ominous of all, where a gentle spark had always glowed in the center of the
orb... there was only darkness.
"Raising.... heart....", Nanoha, herself quite the worse for wear, and now in civilian dress after her barrier jacket had dissappeared, curled
herself around the shattered remains of what no... who had been her most constant companion for a little more than a decade. The rest of the former Riot force
six reacted in similarly in grief, and even their devices somehow managed to droop visibly.
Until in the silence, they heard Nanoha gasp slightly, uncurling herself. And... yes! where there had only been dull darkness, a spark of light gleamed again
in Raising heart's Core.
"Raising Heart?" Nanoha whispered, almost as if concerned her voice would somehow damage the Device and send it into a relapse.
For a moment, there was silence... and then Raising heart raised her voice.
"This was a Triumph."
Nanoha blinked as she looked down at her Device incredulously.
"I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS"
Nanoha vaguely noted a choking sound from behind her.
"It's hard to overstate my satisfaction!".
It was at around this point that Nanoha realized that the choking sound was badly suppressed laughter.
"T-S-A-B we do what we must, because, we can. For the good of all of us... except the ones who are dead".
"But there's no sense crying over every mistake, you just keep on trying 'til you run out of cake.".
"and the science gets done, and you make a neat gun for the people who are... still alive!".
Nothing had quite worked on the ultimate form of the most recent Lost Logia construct. While it wasn't the most destructive artifact that had ever
encountered, it was destructive enough, and with a defensive capability that was simply incredible. Durable enough, that it had been more or less still fully
functional, albeit with a few chunks missing, while the most powerful members of the temporarily reassembled Riot Force Six were if not heavily injured, then
exhausted from trying to beat it into submission.
Then it had made the mistake of turning back on the city that they had been trying to protect.
That action had removed any semblance of restraint on one Nanoha Takamachi, especially when considering that she numbered _family_ in that city.
The resulting Starlight Breaker had.... dwarfed anything she'd ever cast before, consisting of nothing less than the cumulative magical residue from more
than an hour of heavy magical combat, two entire _belts_ of cartridges, all augmented full bore by a refined blaster system.
There wasn't even any smoke to register where the Lost Logia had previously existed, not that anyone could tell for a few moments afterwards. Even years
later, Fate would occasionally comment teasingly that ever since then, everything seemed just a few shades... pinker.
All in all, a reasonable operation, after all no one had been more than scuffed up in the fight... except for one.
The newest Blaster system that Nanoha had used was much less damaging to her body, but the price was that it was several time _more_ damaging to Raising Heart.
It was implemented at the insistence of Raising Heart herself, after all, the Device had implacably reasoned, she could be reinforced, while Nanoha could not,
short of some very questionable procedures.
Unfortunately, the subsequent reinforcement wasn't designed to take this type of punishment. While the attack had obliterated the Lost Logia, Raising Heart
was in terrible condition, most of her haft had simply crumbled, while the housing around the central crystal core had been shattered into three distinct
pieces. And even the core itself was shot through with hairline fractures. Most ominous of all, where a gentle spark had always glowed in the center of the
orb... there was only darkness.
"Raising.... heart....", Nanoha, herself quite the worse for wear, and now in civilian dress after her barrier jacket had dissappeared, curled
herself around the shattered remains of what no... who had been her most constant companion for a little more than a decade. The rest of the former Riot force
six reacted in similarly in grief, and even their devices somehow managed to droop visibly.
Until in the silence, they heard Nanoha gasp slightly, uncurling herself. And... yes! where there had only been dull darkness, a spark of light gleamed again
in Raising heart's Core.
"Raising Heart?" Nanoha whispered, almost as if concerned her voice would somehow damage the Device and send it into a relapse.
For a moment, there was silence... and then Raising heart raised her voice.
"This was a Triumph."
Nanoha blinked as she looked down at her Device incredulously.
"I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS"
Nanoha vaguely noted a choking sound from behind her.
"It's hard to overstate my satisfaction!".
It was at around this point that Nanoha realized that the choking sound was badly suppressed laughter.
"T-S-A-B we do what we must, because, we can. For the good of all of us... except the ones who are dead".
"But there's no sense crying over every mistake, you just keep on trying 'til you run out of cake.".
"and the science gets done, and you make a neat gun for the people who are... still alive!".