"Hey, Stormy, are you..." Purity's voice fell as she walked across the roof, looking at the girl who had called her over.

What struck her was just how small the other hero looked. All of that presence, the loudness, the bigness, it just wasn't there. Stormwave looked like a balloon deflated, every breath sucked out of her. It took a moment for the mare to even notice she was breathing, barely able to notice the subtle rise and fall of her shoulders. It brought memories of the last months, flash backs to their confrontations in class and their scant meetings outside. Worry rose in her chest as she stepped closer, watching the girl she'd thought of as a friend simply...

Exist.

"Oh... I see." the tall horse slid onto the roof beside the fox, a few feet apart. She knew better than to rush to make contact when someone was this out of character. Would she panic? Reciprocate? Get angry? There was no confidence in any option, so she would wait. Let the girl make the first move. "What's wrong?"

The question hung in the air for a long time. It vanished into the deepening night like the setting of the sun, burning bright amber as it waited for an answer. The whole world around the two seemed to dim into silence as the blaring cry of cars faded into the background. No words were shared but that didn't mean nothing was said. Rather, it was this silence, this blanketing and oppressive emptiness, that told Purity all she needed to know. She could just feel the pain, the weight, as it came from the newer hero in waves. There was something, so deep inside, that she was holding back. And she was showing cracks, more than she'd ever done before.

"Everything." Zyla eventually whispered. Her eyes remained down on the street below them, watching the last few stragglers of the day's end. They'd retreat home, watched by two heroes above. At the end of the day, as always, they'd never notice until something went wrong. No one ever looked up. Not the civilians.

And not the fox.

"It can't be everything." Purity said, her voice calm but resolute as she took away an inch between them. Carefully. "But what is it? Did something happen with Belle or..."

She trailed off, trying to think of what else it could be. It was only now that she realized just how little she really knew about the electrical hero. She might teach one class with her, might run into her on patrol, but they'd never really spoken or connected. Whatever mutual respect they had was mostly just the professional style of one hero to another, not the camaraderie of a real friend. She didn't even know where the girl lived. Was this her apartment they were sitting on? It wasn't far from school. It could make sense...

What am I doing here? Kathryn wondered to herself, terrified. Could she be what the girl needed? Even without anything to help?

"You know, I...." the fox sniffed once, struggling to keep herself talking. "I grew up watching you. On TV. Back home. The biggest, best... strongest hero. Everyone loves you, you know?"

"And that's why you... wanted to be a hero?" Purity didn't pursue the old topic. She knew better than that. Let her talk. Let her get it out. She needed this. "Because of me?"

"I..." a pause, thoughts collected and memories fought. "No." Zyla eventually admitted, her voice lacking anything that her professor was used to. No energy, no anger, no accents. Just flat, empty, exhaustion.

"I wasn't ever gonna be a hero. Just some kid on the farm. Had brothers for doing stuff important. And I had Wy... I had a friend. He was gonna come out here, be a cop. Help the city. Always thought he'd... be a great hero. Should have been. Not me. Never, ever, ever me." The dying light glanced off of Zy's face. Tears. "I don't want this. Any of it. I'm not... I'm not..."

One strong arm wrapped around the new girl's shoulders, tugging her close. It was a risk, but it was only now that Purity was really remembering how much younger Zyla really was. How new to this scene she was, how little time she'd had when it came down to it. It'd been, what, a year since Stormwave showed up? Probably some little bits before she became active? Where Purity had years of experience and lifetimes of memories to grow into the responsibility. How hard it must be for someone like this, someone so small and vulnerable, to shoulder the responsibility of saving lives and stopping monsters. The weight had to be dragging her down.

But what else was there?

"He'd be proud of you, I'm sure. I don't know him but... you've done so much, Zy."

"I haven't done shit." Zy eventually choked out, her voice strained as if she was fighting her own throat. Words were hard, tears were not. "Just played pretend and..."

The powerful grip tugged her closer, resting the vulpine head on the legend's shoulder. Her squeeze was firm, powerful, but kind. There was no pain to it, no haste, just the comforting hold of someone who didn't want to ever let go.

"I really respect you, you know?" Purity spoke with authority, enough to silence the tired girl. "You don't have to be here. You're not... invincible, not unbreakable, hell, not even super strength or weapons. But you're out here, fighting harder than anyone should. And I've seen you win, lose, all of it." One hand rubbed over Zyla's shoulder softly, the fingers squeezing once more. "But you get up. You always have. You've always chosen to get back on your feet for others. It's why I don't get mad at you in class, for the homework thing."

Zy chuckled a little. That was good.

"And we're both out there. I talk to some of the new heroes. They keep cropping up, all over the place. Some kid can punch really hard, stops a bank robbery, becomes a hero. Seems every few weeks I'm meeting some new person who wants to help you." Her eyes narrowed as she looked, right at the vixen. "Do you know what I hear, time after time?"

No words but a shake to the head.

"They want to be like Stormwave. Like you. All of this? This new... wave, group, whatever? You're the spark that started the fire." Purity smiled a little bit, trying to give some confidence. But even then? She could feel something wasn't right. There had to be more. Something hidden, unsaid. "So tell me. What's wrong?"

"..." Zy waited a moment before she mustered the courage to speak. It took an effort that could move mountains to say it, to shift the boulders of pain and fear enough to let someone else in. "Pure.. the last few months."

And they spoke.

Mostly, it was Zyla. Her words came like water, a dam broken and unstopped. Once that first trickle of pain, the stories of her past and loss came out, she couldn't plug it back up. It was a flowing tide of her backstory, things only a few people knew. Stuff that she'd rather forget but had shaped the hero the city knew so well. Stories of Fracture, and Wyatt, and Jessica. People she'd come to care about, those found and lost. The guilt, the hatred, everything she kept bottled up and unsaid. A lifetime as a hero and a failure.

But then the story shifted. A new topic, one of the White Rabbit.

And yet, still she spoke. Torment and pain, memories dragged to the surface and used against her. Things that could never have happened, shouldn't have been possible, but they were. They had to come free. The life she had built, the mask of Stormwave, ripped away from her grasp. And so much more, so many things she couldn't understand. All said until her voice was hoarse and her throat dry.

"... Oh.. Zyla." Purity eventually whispered, holding her friend as if to chase the world away from this tired, exhausted, vulnerable girl. Not the loud, brash hero. Not the aloof student. Just a girl. Someone so small. There was no bigness, no power, to this one. "You've been through so much. More than anyone your age, anyone ever... anyone should. But you've been brave. You've been good. And you'll be you again. And I'll be here, with you."

"I promise."

---

Part 1 of 2 for a little Purity interlude! Finally got some muse for posting so I have a few things I wanna do tonight. Just been... not enough spoons. Hope this one works out for you guys! It's a month after the White Rabbit plot which I might post the next part on the weekend... plus a lot of patreon and stream stories. Like, a lot a lot. They're done!

Purity is, of course,  purity_dewinter who also got this art, and is too good of a friend.
I'm Stormwave! Read my stuff!
And art by  cinnameana

This and the next one are like poetry... you'll need both to see a whole picture of Purity. Be ready, it's coming later!