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They felt their legs tremble, barely able to support their weight as they witnessed their best friend become reduced to nothing in a matter of mere seconds. It was a horrifying sight to behold, seeing the most life filled person you’ve ever met get all that sucked out of them in the blink of an eye.
Before they knew it, a sob escaped their mouth. It was an odd feeling, foreign to them. It... hurt. Everything hurt. Their eyes, their throat, their chest. And it made them cry even more when they realized they couldn’t even remember the last time they cried. Or the first. Have they ever cried at all? Was anything real? Why were things so hard to remember?
Why did they lose Lightbulb right when they just got her back?
They took one final moment to look at Lightbulb, gently picking up her fragile body. Without thinking, they hugged her body tight, as tight as they could without breaking her, burying their face into what would have been her shoulder.
Reluctantly, they moved over to Fan’s body, carefully moving to pick him up, taking their time balancing two bodies that could break or tear at the slightest hiccup. It was an uncanny and unfamiliar experience, feeling as broken as they did. They always felt like they had to be the glue holding things together, even if they weren’t exactly the leader type. It wasn’t like them to feel so helpless.
Painty, I know you obviously never wanted this, but.. it’s time for you to be the leader.
Those words rang in Paintbrush’s head over, and over, and over. It’s all they could hear in this silent, barren landscape. But it gave them strength. Gathering their bearings, they took a deep breath and began to work their way to the mansion, stifling any urges they had to cry. It was time to be strong.
For one last time, they were going to make their team proud of them.