Chromabloom

Celestia's snarl ripped through the heated air as she lunged at the abomination. The great sword's fire left sizzling heat trails as it swung through the air. Nidus tried to block only be sent flying for the effort in a splash of embers, rolling several times before getting his footing back. He got up slowly as Its minds swarmed for an answer.

"Pony?" he asked the voices higher pitched in curiosity. Celestia gave her sword a twirl throwing off charred material her sword had scraped from his scythe.

"Alicorn, Abomination." She declared never taking her glare off of It.

"Food." It corrected lunging at her like a feral animal. With a pure hop back she smacked It down to the ground with her blade and tried to drive her sword through Its back. Missing as It rolled the ground sizzled and cracked under the heat of the massive edge. Boiling away to lava at its mere touch, forgoing drawing the sword from the field she dragged her blade through the earth spraying fiery chunks at Nidus as he stood. The bare miss set the Frame over the ignition point as he howled in pain at the fire proc that washed over him.

"Feel the wraith of Equestria monster." She taunted, taking calm steps towards It, her face a mask of rage that never wavered.

"Burn with us!" It howled throwing out a Link towards her. The fleshy tendril snapped to her chest, and she grimaced in disgust. Frost grabbed his Nikana and urged forward only a wing from Luna stopped him he turned to glare, but Luna smirked.

"YOU DARE TO TRY AND CORRUPT ME WITH YOUR FILTH?" Celestia roared eyes like burning coals as her mane and tail combusted into hellish solar flames. The tendril caught fire spreading back to Nidus before burning away like a fuse between Celestia and the Frame. Celestia trotted forward wing spread full, head high. A trail of burning hoofsteps in her wake. "They call you Warframes..." She started, "Yet you! You act no more than a parasite feeding off the life of others." Nidus backed away from her as the flames began to die. "Recognise your end and face it with dignity." Nidus drew It's Soma and faster them most could blink Celestia cleaved the Frames head from Its shoulders. Celestia didn't turn away to address them before calling to her sister.

"How many lives remaining?" She asked

"Two before the creature respawns," Luna informed.

Nidus jumped into the air now whole once again and let out a burst of energy. Celestia covered herself with her wings, only moving a mere inch. On instinct, she pulled up a magic shield before Soma rounds started pinging off it in a seemingly endless spray. He strafed around her, trying to find a weak spot, Celestia calmly sat on her haunches and watched him fire at her. He stopped to reload, and she pulled a cup of tea out of a magic circle and preceded to drink it. Nidus ran out of ammo and started wailing on the shield with his scythe, like a child having a tantrum.

Frost stared in a mix of horror, amusement, and a bit of embarrassment. He almost started rooting for Nidus because at this point he was making the Tenno look bad in front of the princesses. After finishing her cup of tea, Celestia put the empty teacup and stood. Nidus began to glow in golden sparkles, and she ripped him in half. Frost jumped at the sudden brutality.

Every frame there collectively let out a startled "Son of a bitch!"

"Language!" Celestia scolded motherly as Nidus's blood slid off her shield like rain on a roof.

"How'd you do that so easily?" Vauban asked bewildered.

"Please Tenno we have the magical strength to move Celestial objects through space, You know how much restraint it takes to hold a simple cup of tea." Luna looked at the ground remembering the thousands of innocent tea cups lost.

"Luna still has problems." Celestia added to her sisters dismay.

"CELLY! Please, not in front of the Tenno." Luna whined, hiding her blush under a wing. Valkyr patted her shoulder, understanding the pain.

Nidus revived, and Celestia stood dissolved her shield and took up her sword again, swatting the Soma out of his hands with a quick swipe. He swung his Scythe, and Celestia took a step forward and blocked. Soon they were in a sort of waltz. Celestia started counting as they moved.
"1," She blocked a horizontal swipe
"2," Nidus spun swiping the other way to be blocked again as Celestia took a step back.
"3," Nidus cartwheeled at her scythe twirling around him, and Celestia sidestepped.
"And Duck" Nidus swung high, missing her as she spread her legs and lowered her wings and head.
"Tenno, are all your moves so predictably timed?" She asked the crowd, and every Frame felt a cold breeze as they were called out.

"I think we were just roasted" Volt looked at the ground unsure how to feel about that.

Nidus planted the Scythe head in the ground and kicked it at her sending it in a buzzsaw motion. He went to grab it and pulled back Celestia's sword instead. His pause of confusion gave Celestia a perfect chance to slash him with his scythe. He stumbled, touching the acidic burn across his chest. Celestia didn't let him enjoy the pause as she twirled, giving the weapon a reaping spiral. The frame blocked her swipe barely. But the Alicorn charged it up and unleashed a wave of acid. He rolled through it, taking the acid bath to spin into a massive arc with her blade.

Celestia hopped into the air and glided over him. He turned and swung only to swing his scythe once again after a golden puff of magic. The size difference between the weapons meant he swiped the empty air in front of Celestia. "Your certainly adaptable Monster."

Nidus quivered in fury as infected water poured out of him and he surged forward in a Tidal wave. Celestia stood like a mountain as her shield parted the foul sea as he passed her. He dropped into a deep puddle under her, and Celestia disappeared below. Every Tenno watched the pink pool with bated breath. Steam began to rise from it. Then pour from it as the water started to shrink. Nidus reformed steaming on all fours crouched like an animal dying of thirst. Celestia's flaming form stood over him, eyes full of pity as she turned and retrieved her sword. He grabbed her hoof, and she cut it off like pruning a dead tree. Only a congealed pink oozed from the wound from where the blood had boiled away to plasma.

His shields flared as they recharged, but he didn't move merely panted there. Suddenly throwing out an infected lump, Celestia dodged the savage attack by moving her head. The Larva spawned behind her and instantly lashed out. Celestia jumped and turned to swipe with her sword at a Tendril that wasn't there. Instead, a Kavat got entangled, and Celestia realized the distraction to late. Nidus lashed out again only a well-timed magic shield saved her wing from being cut from her.

She was out of practice; she chastised herself but could feel the bloom of excitement swell in her chest. It had been eons since anyone challenged her. "Ah Sombra," she remembered almost fondly. She blocked a Scythe swing on autopilot. As her mind wandered to the past, "If only he hadn't turned evil, such a nice flank..." She lamented only to be interrupted by a fist to her cheek. "Oh right, you silly old mare." She giggled verbally freezing Nidus in her magic "Where were we before I spaced out?" Celestia asked with a grin

"SHE SPACED OUT MID-FIGHT!" Every Frame thought in horror — Luna face-hoofed.

"The plan dear sister this is his last revive." She stretched the Dear part in annoyance.

"Oh right silly me,"
Celestia said downright cheerfully as she raised her sword. Funneling more magic into it, causing the flames to turn blue. In a single swipe, she cleaved Nidus through his shoulder and chest. "Kaylee now." She ordered, and the Tenno stepped out of her warframe void dashed over to Nidus. Connecting to the Frame through Transferrance, she passed into the twisted mind of Nidus.

Screams and cries of pain. Hundreds of them, thousands of them. So many she felt her head might explode. Kaylee pushed them away and floated through Nidus's mind.

"Luna?" She called into the dreamscape looking around for support in that tainted headspace.

"Fear not you don't dream walk alone." Luna's calm voice reached her as the Alicorn floated to be at her side. The raven hair tenno nodded.

"Nidus's Tenno has to be in here." She looked around at all the distorted and twisted memories. "Somewhere in all this twistedness." Kaylee tried to sound optimistic, but not sure where to start.

"Perhaps we can follow the memories to there source," Luna suggested, and Kaylee nodded. They fought against the tide of derangement memories of blood and feasting it made Kaylee's stomach churn. She'd recognized some of the poor relay workers.

"Only true monsters mark such massacres as pleasant thoughts." Luna worked to keep her breathing focused. The crimson stained dreamscape shuttered violently, Kaylee let out a startled cry as a wave of pressure sent her tumbling back.

"Nidus is fighting back..." Kaylee huffed, shaking her head from the tumble.

"Then we must work fast, Time may work differently here, but it is still passing." Luna urged and pulled the Tenno back to where they were.

They followed the memories towards a sickly infested light. Kaylee shielded her eyes as it grew more intense as the closer they got. They passed through, finding themselves in a sizeable dome-like area. It reminded the Tenno of an Orokin assembly hall. Except for it was left to decay. Infested matter clung in fleshy spiderwebs all over. The whole place felt feverish and sweaty. Kaylee's breathing came with effort in the unhealthy air. Luna coughed and gagged at the smell of rotten festering flesh. Kaylee looked around covering her nose, and mouth trying to filter the smell. She found what they needed, and pointed at the Orokin pod in the middle of the room. The pod looked like a closed flower waiting to bloom.

The two floated over pushing against the current to reach it. Kaylee grimaced at the overgrowth that sealed it tight. Removing a hand from her face, she focused her void beam into a cutting laser and begun to work her way through. The dreamscape shuttered violently with a Nidus howl. The roof shattered as a giant Nidus head smashed through. Kaylee almost lost her footing holding onto the infected pod for dear life. Luna pulled her straight silver sword from her side. The Nidus head mutated opening its mouth in a feral screech so loud Kaylee had to cover her ears not to lose her mind to the infected beast as it tried to crawl into her brain with its words. Tossing her head, she Void blasted the head, leaving a smoking burn on it. The screeching stopped, and Kaylee focused on the pod once again.

"YOU WILL SUBMIT TO US! YOU WILL BECOME US!" IT screeched at them as the infected webbing began to boil, and bugle out, as hundreds of Nidus sprang from the walls to fly at them.

"Kaylee?" Luna looked at the Tenno for instruction, as she cut through the first to reach them.

"Keep them off me I need to open this." Kaylee's beam worked slowly through the months if not years of built up infected gunk. Luna nodded and put a magic bubble around Kaylee and herself. The Niduses swarmed and pounded on the bubble. The strain of the assault made Luna grimace. The mental weight of the sickness was immense. More, and more kept piling on as Kaylee worked as fast as she could. "Halfway!" She shouted, seeing the Princess strain was scarier than anything the Grineer had thrown at her over the years. The Grineer she could rip apart with her bare hands... Not her hands she realized it was never her hands.

"GRRRAW!" The familiar female warcry hit Kaylee's ears like a victory bell as the Niduses were, thrown off the shield in large clumps, as Valkry's claws ripped through them. Luna fired beams of pure magic, cutting a Nidus in half before it could pounce on the mental Frame. Kaylee worked with confidence now. Her Warframe was strong, and she was never alone. Cutting through the last bit, the Pod opened with a hiss of pressurized air.

Nidus screeched in pain at the noise, and all the antibody Niduses screeched holding their heads as the pod opened up like the flower it resembled. The world shattered away, leaving behind darkness, and isolation. Kaylee had to keep herself at the sudden coldness of it all. She looked around the abyssal darkness that surrounded her.

"Hello?" Her voice echoed emptily. Nothing answered her as she floated in the cold space. Until she felt something in the dark, something that called to her with no voice like he had forgotten his voice after so long. She let it pull her in. She floated for what felt like hours endlessly through the abyss. She blinked, and she arrived seeing the young tenno still in the Nariman suit with its hood up. He knelt on the floor as if waiting for something. Waiting for her, Kaylee realized as she knelt in front of him. He bowed his head, and she returned the gesture.

"Do you remember your name?" She asked, and he shook his head no. Kaylee sighed. She was trying to figure out what to ask from here. The Tenno pulled something out from behind his back. It was a miniature version of the Tenno's pod. She looked into it only to herself forced into another memory, one that was all too familiar to her. A Nidus approached the Tenno pod cautiously. She could feel his fear and curiosity as he neared the Orokin relic. All that came to a fever pitch of emotions when the Frame dropped to the floor as Transferrence was interrupted. The scene changed, and she was seeing through the tenno's eye now. She didn't want to because the Nidus frame was standing over the pod dripping hungry goo at them.

The memory ended when the infected frame lunged forward. Kaylee was back kneeling in front of the masked Tenno. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and her breath was ragged as cold sweat dripped off her forehead.

"Your frame..." Kaylee had to swallow the bile in her throat. "Your warframe ate you." She said the words with the abstract horror it deserved.

The Tenno nodded grimly and leaned forward to place something between them. It was a dagger, and Kaylee realized what they were asking of her. Kaylee picked up the ceremonial knife and stood walking behind the other tenno. A golden thread trailed from the back of their neck into the wall. A naga drum sounded mournful as she touched it. She took a breath and positioned the knife. Kaylee looked away as she cut the cord, unable to look at the kid like herself as they fell limp, the nightmare ended.