//------------------------------// // Interlude VI: Button's Flight // Story: Her Knight in Faded Armor // by Doccular42 //------------------------------// Gone. Button paced back and forth across his dining room, fuming as he went. Her last words to him echoed through his head. “I’ll be back, Button…” And then, in a flash, she was gone. He’d said goodbye to their guildmates before shutting down their laptops. She hadn’t even said where she was going… A minute of sitting still in his seat hadn’t given him any ideas about why she’d left, so he’d decided to try walking. So far, it was about as effective as his previous strategy. Clenching his jaw, Button turned to look back at his hotel room’s door. Maybe he could make it to the castle and— No. Let her be. She must have had a good reason to… He sighed and ran a hoof through his mane. “Nothing I can do…” he muttered to nopony in particular. The glow from the moon shone through the windows into his large room, and the stallion tapped on the hard wooden floor impatiently. “I hope she’ll be back soon, though.” He shook his head wearily and— A crisp double-knock interrupted Button’s thoughts, and his ears perked up. A smile split the stallion’s face as he ran over to the door. “Oh, you’re back!” he cried as he swung the door open. But instead of his marefriend, two stallions in police uniforms stood outside of his door. The first, a pale green coated pegasus, nodded to him. “Hello, Mr. Mash. I’m Lieutenant Spruce Wind, and this is my partner, Sergeant Ace Reflex.” “Uhh…” Button said, gazing at the officers. The pegasus’ eyes were narrowed, and he glanced back and forth warily. “Hello?” The second stallion, a unicorn with a red coat and grey mane, flared his nostrils and looked at Button through his sunglasses. “Sir, may we step inside? We have an important matter to discuss with you.” Button hesitated for a moment as he gazed at the two of them. He pursed his lips and slowly said, “Do... do either of you have any identification? Not to be rude or anything, but this is kind of weird.” Lieutenant Wind raised an eyebrow. “Sir, we really have to speak with you. Please let us in.” Standing completely still, Button looked into the officer’s eyes. He slowly shook his head. “Umm, I don’t think I can do that unless I see a badge or something…” Silence reigned for a moment as they stared at one another. After a moment, Sergeant Ace growled, “Well. I suppose that we’re just going to have to—” Button slammed the door shut in their faces and turned the lock. “Celestia damn it!” he cried as he leapt over to the living room and started to push one of the couches toward the room’s entrance. “First changelings, then kidnapped by secret agents, then attacked by windigos, and then freaking griffons.” He shoved the heavy furniture right up against the door and glanced frantically around the room. “If you think some stupid costume is gonna fool me, then you’ve got something else coming!” “Mr. Mash!” Lieutenant Spruce yelled as he pounded on the door. “You don’t understand! We’re here to—” “Here to kidnap me again?” Button interjected. Quickly, the stallion dashed over to one of the cabinets. “Yeah, no! I’m not stupid! You’re changelings or something, and I’m not falling for it again!” The banging on the door grew louder, and Button heard the sergeant swear. “Open the door now! You’re in danger, and we’re here to help you!” “Bullshit!” He reached inside the cabinet and grabbed a large wine bottle. “Get the hell out of here! I’m gonna call the actual police!” The imposters said something to each other, and the door shook as something heavy impacted on the heavy wood. “Mr. Mash! You have to open the door!” Spruce cried, his voice cracking slightly. “The only things I have to do are die and pay taxes!” Running over to the window, Button glanced out frantically to check for any possible escapes. He started to unlatch the window so that he could have a better view. Maybe there was a balcony below him… “No!” Ace shouted. “Don’t open the window! You can’t!” Button turned back to look at the door, and his face contorted into an incredulous sneer. “Oh, and now you know what I’m doing inside my own room! Who the hell are you?” “Please! You’ll let them in!” Button shoved the window open and scoffed, “Bullshit!” He looked downward to see no balconies whatsoever. The building went down to the ground smoothly, without a single platform to interrupt somepony’s fall. At the base of the building stood three ponies in police uniforms who held a radio. A chill ran down Button’s spine, and he shivered in the cold draft from outside… “That’s it!” Sergeant Ace shouted. Gunfire sounded behind Button, and the doorknob exploded in a shower of splinters before the two ponies kicked the door in. Button raced toward the room’s entrance and stood beside the doorframe. Raising the bottle, he inhaled deeply. One… two… three… Lieutenant Spruce was the first one through the now destroyed door. He shoved past the couch and— —fell over with a cry as Button’s wine bottle shattered when it impacted the back of his head. Button rammed his shoulder into the other fake officer before spinning around to deliver a precise buck to his midsection. Sergeant Ace flew back into the hallway and slammed into the far wall. Both of the uniformed ponies stirred briefly before lying unmoving on the ground. “Huh,” Button said. “That was… way easier than I’d expect—” And that was when the windigo struck him. He screamed in shock as his new foe’s hoof hit him in the side of the head and sent him reeling into the wall. With a gasp, he spun and raised his hooves just in time to swat the next blow away. Three of the glowing blue horses hovered further into the living room. They stared blankly at him, spears in hoof. With a strangled shout, Button shoved his nearest enemy out of the way and tried to throw himself toward the door. His hooves scampered across the wooden floor, and the windigos swooped down with their weapons raised. He couldn’t get away, he couldn’t move fast enough, he couldn’t— Two shots rang out, and the first windigo crumpled to the ground. The barrel of Sergeant Ace’s pistol smoked as the unicorn aimed at another of the ethereal monsters. A trio of bullets flew outward to rip through the next foe. Lieutenant Spruce groaned and stood to his hooves. He shakily raised his own weapon and slew the final windigo. He and his partner growled and turned to Button Mash. The stallion grinned sheepishly at the saviors he had just attacked. After clearing his throat, he said, “Umm, thanks…” “I have such a bucking headache,” Ace snarled. “You’re just lucky that the general wants you unharmed…” “The g-general?” Button stammered. “General Chaput? I thought you two were changelings or something…” “Oh,” Spruce said as green fire engulfed him. “We are.” The two ponies blazed in magical flame, and a pair of sneering changelings stood in front of Button. He took a step backward and inhaled sharply. “You’re an idiot,” the changeling who had been Ace said. “We’re here to help you—” Button leapt sideways to grab a lamp off one of the coffee tables. In a split second, he jumped back and slammed the heavy object into Ace’s head and pushed Spruce into the wall before bolting out the door at a full sprint. Spruce roared, “You bucking buffoon!” “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shiiiiit!” Button panted as he raced down the hallway toward the staircase. “Hell no! This is not happening again!” The door at the far end of the hallway flew open, and three other ponies in police uniforms moved toward him. “Stop right there!” bellowed the first. “You’re under arrest!” “Oh, buck…” Scampering to the side, he slapped the call button beside the elevator. “Come on, come on, come on! Just give me this one!” As if the universe was listening, the elevator dinged open, and Button jumped inside and mashed the key for the ground floor. The imposter officers raced toward him, but the doors slid shut just before they could reach the elevator. Soft music played over the intercom as Button stood shaking up against the wall. Thoughts raced through his mind. Attack. Pain. Scent of fresh flowers. Shock. Pretty painting in elevator. The slightly tinny piano echoed off the walls as the stallion gingerly touched the bruise that had formed on the side of his neck. He hissed and grit his teeth as he fought against the sting, and— The elevator stopped at the third floor. Button froze as the door opened up to reveal… A young filly skipped into the small space and smiled up at Button. “Hello, Mithter! I’m going to the pool!” With a quiet laugh, Button shook his head. “Okay then.” He grinned down at her. The doors shut, and the elevator slowly started to move again. The little pink filly cleared her throat and said, “Have you theen my mommy?” He glanced down at her, brow furrowed. “Uhh… I don’t think so…” “Mommy really wants to thee you!” she replied, smiling toothily. “Like, really, really, really! You ran away from the meanieth, and now we can go thee her together!” As he looked down at her, the filly’s form began to shimmer and warp. “Oh, stars…” Button swore. He backed up as she grew taller and her mane disappeared. Fire engulfed her, and a changeling stood before him. “I’m so glad that you left Chaput’s guards…” the creature gurgled. “It’ll be far better for you to come with me…” The elevator reached the ground floor, and the door slid open. Button tried to dart out into the open hallway, to escape, to run free, but— A sharp sting bit into his flank, and energy arced through his body. Button screamed as the taser activated, bringing him down to the floor. The changeling set the weapon on the ground and chuckled. “Oh, Button Mash… Queen Chrysalis will be so happy to see you.” She smiled once more. “I’m coming home, mommy…” A pair of windigos appeared at her side and swooped down to grab Button. The changeling pressed a key on her wrist-pad. “Package two is recovered. Moving to return point.” Energy filled the air, and everything went dark as Button felt a teleportation spell whisk him away to somewhere else...