Her Story
"Maybe Cocoon is past saving, but it's our home. And we'll protect it or die trying!"
This is a very basic runthrough of Lightning's experiences in the game's storyline that ended up being much longer and more wordy than expected. Needless to say, the entire game is spoiled here! Don't read if you don't to know the ending yet!
The Thirteen Days; The Prologue
The 13 days before the gameplay begins is slowly revealed in flashbacks. It starts on the day Vanille and Fang awake from their crystal slumber. On Day 2, Lightning meets Snow, her little sister's boyfriend, for the first time. Snow is thrilled; Light is not. She tells Snow to stop this relationship, which he laughs off, leaving a bad impression on the overprotective big sister.
On Day 11, Light discusses strange PSICOM activity occuring in Bodhum with her superior officer as they watch fireworks. Lt Amodar tells her not to associate with them - a hint at the danger to come.
It's Light's 21st birthday on Day 12. She has a celebration at her house with Serah and Snow. The party quickly turns sour as Serah reveals she's cursed by the l'cie AND she's engaged to Snow. Light doesn't believe her, which causes Serah to run out crying. Shortly after that, Light sees news footage of the Pulse Fal'cie in Bodhum and realizes the truth. Serah is already taken prisoner by the fal'cie before LIght can speak with her again.
On Day 13, Lightning quits the Guardian Corps to be purged with the other Bodhum civilians. Her real intent: to ride the train to the pulse fal'cie and bring back Serah.
Chapter 1-2: Soldier of Rage & Sorrow
In Chapter 1, at the Hanged Edge, Lightning starts the game off with a bang by creating havoc on a train. She disposes of enemy soldiers, inadvertantly frees civilians who are being purged, and runs off in the warzone. During this time, she meets Sazh, who becomes her circumstantial ally.
In Chapter 2, everyone enters the Pulse Vestige, location of the fal'cie that landed in Bodhum and who holds Serah captive. When they finally reach Serah, she crystallizes in Lightning's arms. While Snow believes Serah is just sleeping, Light is convinced that Serah is dead. She attacks the fal'cie Anima with silent grief.
Chapter 3-4: Looking for an Objective
After the fal'cie battle, the vestige falls into Lake Bresha. While everyone is lamenting by their new tattoos, Lightning simply seems irritable, still thinking of Serah's "death." Being pursued by PSICOM forces, the l'cie run. Light and Snow have an argument over what to do with Serah, as one believes she's a living statue, while one sees that crystal as just a corpse. The crew leaves Snow behind.
Light, Hope, Sazh, and Vanille end up at Vile Peaks, a canyon filled with scrap metal from Pulse. At this time, Lightning is desperate for a target, a goal to get her refocused. She reaches out to others, but because she's unwilling to show weakness, she ends up just looking arrogant and leaves the party. Her new goal: topple the government in Eden. It's not a reasonable goal at the moment, but she just needs something to latch onto. Hope follows her, despite her statements that he's slowing her down. Her Eidolon, Odin, then appears. After the fight, Lightning composes herself more, and allows Hope to accompany her.
Chapter 5-7: Breaking Down the Walls
Light and Hope decide to go to Hope's hometown. To do so, they must pass through the Gapra Whitewood. This is where we finally get to defrost the ice queen, as she starts talking more. We also see into her thoughts and flashbacks as she reflects on her past with Serah. Here, she builds a strong relationship with Hope, whom she called a partner and takes on as a protege of sorts.
When they reach the port city, Palumpolum, Light and Hope head underground to evade detection. Light has a personal breakthrough about her past struggle to transform herself into a stronger person, her identity, and her previous subservience to the fal'cie. She acknowledges that she was wrong to allow Hope's murderous plan for revenge. They are later ambushed by PSICOM, but saved by Snow and Fang in a spectacular scene showcasing the power of the Shiva sisters.
The l'cie are split into pairs once again. Light and Fang team up, during which, Light discovers the truth about how Fang and Vanille contributed to Serah being chosen. Light also learns that Fang and Vanille were released from a crystal slumber, giving her new hope for the possibility of Serah reawakening as well. When everyone (minus Sazh and Vanille) reunite at Hope's house, Lightning delivers an apology to Snow for her previous behavior. Their unique relationship turns over a new leaf as Lightning recognizes the ways in which she overlooked Snow's genuine compassion.
Chapter 8-11: Becoming a Leader
With the most significant part of her personal transformation over, and a newfound appreciation for her companions, for here on Lightning takes less of the spotlight (story-wise) and more of a strong, leader role. Light and others befriend Cid and the rest of the Calvalry faction. With the Calvary's aid, they are able to board the Palamecia, the military flagship where Vanille and Sazh are being held prisoner. Once both parties are reunited, they confront Primarch Dysley, leader of Sanctum. They discover a intricate fal'cie plan which involves the sacrifice of Cocoon's citizens.
The fal'cie Barthandalus transports them to the Fifth Ark, a pulsian armory hidden by the fal'cie in the middle of Eden. The l'cie use this chance to train and become stronger. They encounter Cid raines again, who reveals that he too is a l'cie, and longs to break from his destiny. After a melancholy battle, Cid fades away. His painful desire to be absolved from fal'cie control strikes a chord with Lightning, who also wants the power to control her own fate.
Our heroes head to down to Gran Pulse. The place believed to be a hellish nightmare (from Sanctum propaganda) is actually a lush wilderness that, despite being dangerous, is exquistitely beautiful and shows signs of advanced civilizations now abandoned. It is insinuated that the party stays here exploring for a long time, as Hope gets distraught from such a long period of searching with no results. The crew journeys to Oerba, Fang and Vanille's hometown from 500 years ago. Often times during the long journey, people waviered in their resolve, but Lightning reinforced their drive. She now acts as support pillar for others, reminding them that they're all in this fight together.
Chatper 12-13: Making the Impossible Possible
After Barthandalus confronts the party again in Oerba, he gives them an airship to return to Cocoon. The l'cie show up with a bang in Eden by riding in on their Eidolons and disrupting a race. This turns the raceway into a fantastic battle field. At the same time, Sanctum released a wave of Pulsian monsters in Eden, throwing the capital city into mass chaos. The l'cie fight their way to the seat of the government, Edenhall. As they rush off, the Cavalry completes their coup de tat of Sanctum, only to realize they were just pawns in a fal'cie game. The fal'cie turn both Cavalry and PSICOM soldiers into monsterous Cieth when they outlive their usefulness.
In Orphan's Cradle, Lightning and company fight against Orphan. Here, Lightning delivers a somewhat cliche yet inspiring speech that summarizes what she has learned over the course of the game. She chides Orphan for giving up hope so early on. After all, it's hope and faith that Light has acquired during this journey. "To make the impossible possible! That is our mission!" she cries. After Orphan's defeat, Cocoon plummets toward the planet, but is saved by a noble sacrifice that joins the two worlds together. Serah is returned from her crystal state. Things will be different, for all of humanity, now. But now they have liberty, and their future is finally in their own hands.