The scorpion stepped back and Blackberry realized that it was waiting. Paralysis then. That wasn't good. Even if she somehow survived this scorpion, if she ran away, she'd just succumb to it later down the line - she'd be helpless against whatever else Hydra had to throw at her. It was a death sentence certainly.

She tried to focus on that magic that had always seemed so elusive, but her brain was moving too fast, she was too terrified to focus well enough so the spark of magicka that went through her gem went out almost immediately and there was barely even a shiver of refreshing, healing magic spreading through her body. Not good, not good, not good! At this rate...she wasn't going to survive.

She was taking too much time on the ground. She needed to run. Now. She wanted to fight against it, but one look at that plating and she knew she didn't stand a chance. Perhaps in her prime, but she'd far deteriorated. So it was time to run. Quickly scrambling to her feet, Blackberry took off across the desert. She didn't care what direction she was going, hopefully towards a place where she could try to cast that spell again, get out of the scorpion's way and maybe ride out the paralysis.

It hurt, her entire leg was burning with pain, but she ignored it in favor of sprinting as fast as she could.

After a while of running, running for her life from the scorpion, thinking of nothing but fleeing and surviving, the pain began to fade and for just a moment she thought that she was safe. But then she realized that it wasn't just the pain going away - it was all the feeling in her legs.

Suddenly, they stopped working and she stumbled forward. She snapped her beak shut, determined not to make a sound to draw in other predators as she fell, flopping into the hot sand. She was breathing heavily as numbness began to spread throughout her entire body, but even with the paralysis taking hold, the heat was becoming unbearable.

I have...to fight...this... Her eyes squeezed shut against a wave of heat-induced dizziness and tried to focus on that magic again. She sighed with relief as a cooling warmth spread across her body, slowly loosening her limbs, but when she tried to move, her body didn't budge. She was still stuck.

And the heat was unbearable.

Everything was getting blurry. She could hear her breath heavy in her ears. She blinked long and slow, trying to stave off a wave of sudden exhaustion and when she opened her eyes...somebody was there.

She couldn't move her head. She couldn't look up. But she knew who it was. She would recognize those hooves anywhere. The gentle face that leaned down to stare into her eyes, his deep green eyes brimming with emotion.

This wasn't possible. Was she dying? Was she already dead? Had he come back to take her away with him? No, wait, she wanted to cry out. This isn't how its supposed to be! I came here to get you! As if reading her mind, Blueberry's face went solemn. "But how can you get me in the state you're in? I thought you loved me more then this."

I do, how could you even say that? I love you to the ends of the earth... but he was shimmering before her, the heat of the sand rolling right through his body. She wanted to scream for him to stay, to never leave her again, but she blinked again and he was gone.

She reached forward, groaning, grasping at the place where he had been standing when she realized that she could move again. With a gasp, she heaved herself up, feeling incredibly heavy and delirious. Pain suddenly exploded in her leg and she stumbled forward with a hiss. She looked down at where the scorpion had stung her - it was red and swollen and cramping underneath her. It wasn't going to be easy getting farther like this.

She forced herself forward because now she knew, now she remembered - Blueberry was waiting for her at the end of this! She would get to see him again, the real him, in a new life. It gave her hope despite the darkness that was stewing in her mind.

She stumbled across the dunes, every step heavier then the last, but she fought through the pain because the image of Blueberry's face, filled with hurt and loss wasn't leaving her head. She had to get through and get to him. She had to see him. She had to get through this!

But then the dreaded clicking noise behind her started and she realized that the scorpion was still following her. She hadn't lost it yet. She gritted her teeth and focused back on what was in front of her. She was facing the Crucible now, at least. It was there now. She could make it there, she had to believe she would.

She'd suffered worse pain then this!

Bunching her muscles, she threw herself forward, panting heavily as the pain became close to unbearable in her sprint, but she didn't stop. She ran, ran faster then she'd ever run in her life, head bent forward, wings just barely lifting from her side. It was excruciating, but she wouldn't forget. This was her justice, wasn't it? She'd caused worse pain then this before. She'd bear this.

Blackberry looked behind her. The scorpion was no longer in sight, slowing down until she could barely see it anymore. Relief ran through her and she allowed her pace to slow just a little bit...but just as she turned back, she realized that the sand beneath her was moving.

Shit.

She redoubled her pace, trying to get back to that same sprint again, but she shouldn't have slowed down. It was harder, so much harder now to forge forward. The pain spiked suddenly and she stumbled forward, tumbling into the sand right as the shudder passed underneath her.

She watched as the sands parted, erupting around as as the giant creature came exploding from within the sands. Blackberry didn't have any time to think, no time to react. As soon as she touched the ground, she pushed herself away, desperately scrambling against the sands to avoid the sandworm's grasp. She managed to narrowly avoid its razor teeth, but now she had a problem on her hands. That thing was huge.

She gave it a glance over. It was completely covered with plating and spikes or quills or teeth or whatever the hell all that shit was. If she tried to attack, she'd surely end up either impaling herself or doing absolutely nothing. She thought she'd be able to physically fight her way through this, as was her forte, but now she realized that she wouldn't be so lucky.

So a moment later, she was on her feet again and running.