//------------------------------// // Chapter 42 // Story: Consequences // by Hiver //------------------------------// I stood with my eyes closed as I listened to the heavy hoofsteps moving past outside the doors towards the throneroom outside the closed doors of the side passage. I'm not here. I am a hole in the air. A shadow of nothing. Think empty thoughts. The ground trembled beneath my hooves as the massive centaur moved past. I was terrified. I couldn't afford to be, but I was. The hoofsteps slowly moved away and I could hear the gates of the throneroom opening and then closing again. Pushing the door open I exited and turned to follow, taking a slow deep breath. Focus. If I fuck up, I'm dead. What's more importantly, if I fuck up, Luna and Celestia are dead. Cadence and Twilight. Everyone loses forever. So no pressure or anything. Pausing I took a quiet and deep breath, gathering all my fear into a tiny little ball and pushing it away. Then I gathered my magic and lashed out at the doors. The doors crashed open with a loud bang as they hit the walls and I stalked inside. “Tirek! You will not touch them!” I roared, floating my four spears around me as I entered. The Princesses by the thrones looked towards me in pure surprise, even Tirek looked back at me in surprise. Luna mouthed 'No... no please...' I looked away, focusing on Tirek. He chuckled and turned towards me, “Who is going to stop me? You, little pony?” “I am Blank Page. Consort of Princess Luna, Warmage and negotiator with the Hive. Take one more step towards them and I will fucking murder you. And mark my words, it will be a murder not a fight.” Tirek just laughed and stepped towards me, the ground shaking at his step, “Her consort, was it. Perhaps that can help convince them...” I didn't wait for him to get close, I set a spin on my spears around their axis and launched them at him as I dodged to the side, pulling my cloak free and flying to block his view as I sent my chakram spinning after them along with a pair of daggers in an arch. Tirek ignored the spears and them just bounced off his hide, raising his arm for the daggers and chakram. I didn't let him, I dodged them around his arm and stabbed towards his eyes. He ducked and twisted his head as he reached out faster than I thought possible to catch the weapons and throwing them to the side, breaking my hold on them. Pulling another pair of daggers from my belt, I floated them next to me as I faced off towards him. They started to trail frost as I infused them with ice magic. Tirek just chuckled and then moved towards me fast. Faster than his massive bulk should be capable of. Pulling magic around myself, I threw it from here to there and suddenly I was behind him, gathering up the spears as I finished the teleport, spinning as I launched them towards him before even orienting myself again. I gasped for breath and dove to the side as he caught one of the spears and launched it back at me hard enough for it to land tip first into the stone floor. He was almost at me and I gathered my magic around myself again and I was a couple of meters further away once more, stumbling as much from exertion as from disorientation, sweeping my magic to gather up the fallen chakram, spinning it around myself as I rolled onto my hooves and danced back with the sound of the medallions of my necklace hitting each other, just barely avoiding his hand as reached for me. My weapon lashed out, spinning against his massive forearm. It actually drew a line of red and he roared, pulling his arm quickly back, looking at it. I readied myself and moved slightly to the side before sending it spinning at him again. With a annoyed snarl he opened his jaw and I lost control of the metal circle. He caught it in his hand and then simply squeezed before dropping it onto the floor, all twisted up. I quickly looked around and reached out for the closest dagger when I suddenly couldn't move anymore. Suddenly there was a massive wham and I was laying on the floor, the world spinning around me, leaving me wondering what the hell just happened. The floor shook beneath me and my left frontleg protested in pain as I tried to move it. “Enough playing.” Tirek growled and reached down with his large arm, picking me up and I screamed as it moved my left frontleg. I felt grinding motion in it before it was drowned out by sheer pain. Something in there was broken. You would be surprised about the things you notice at strange times. Tirek smelled badly. Like seaweeds. I tried to kick him. He just chuckled and squeezed a bit harder, making me gasp for breath as he turned back towards the Princesses, “There. Perhaps we should continue. You were about to tell me where your magic is.” Cadence looked away. Luna and Celestia stared at me in horror before Luna slowly shook her head, “...No...” “You are certain?” Tirek asked with a ugly grin, “Tell me what I want to know and I'll just take his magic. I'll even send him with you to Tartarus... if not...” Luna ground her teeth, tears dripping down her cheeks as he looked at me. It hurt more than my arm to see her like that. “...We'll tell you.” Celestia said quietly and Luna looked at her in surprise, “Put him down. I'll tell you what you want to know.” Tirek nodded with a smirk before opening his massive jaw at me and I could feel it. Pain racked through my body as my golden magic started to flow from my horn into his mouth. I could see all the way down into this throat. Game over. I win.