Desperation, Promises, and Eternity
The hotel room stood deathly still as Princess Luna’s enraged form broke the silence with a swift crack. As the alicorn teleported into the room, she surrounded herself with a magical aura and snapped her head to the side. Her eyes took in the empty room, and she swallowed nervously. “Button!” she cried.
No reply came from the darkness. With a magical flourish, Luna summoned a powerful spell to bathe the walls in brilliant light. The moon and stars outside offered no solace to the princess as she searched, in vain, for her love.
“Button!”
Nothing.
She gnashed her teeth and took off to the far staircase in a frantic gallop. As she ran up the stairs, she flung every door open and whipped her head from side to side. Nothing in the bathroom… nothing in the first bedroom… nothing in the second… Luna inhaled sharply and teleported back downstairs. A cry threatened to escape her lips, but she bit back in an attempt to keep herself calm. “Please,” she whispered. “Please…”
Couches were scattered around the room. Broken glass and shards of a shattered lamp littered the floor. Some dark liquid had stained the carpet, and Luna’s heart froze within her chest as she saw it. With a trembling hoof, she reached down to touch it. The sticky substance was still warm… She raised it to her nose, and—
“Wine?” she asked herself, confused. “Why would there be w—”
“Ahhhh, it burns!”
Luna froze and turned slowly to face the hotel room’s door. The unfamiliar voice had sounded like it was just outside… The princess crept forward slowly and cracked the heavy wooden door open.
“Just… just stay still! I can’t get the bandage on if you keep squirming…” a second voice spoke from out in the corridor.
“Oh, shit,” the first swore. “If I get my hooves on that blasted earth pony, I’ll wring his neck!”
The princess froze as she heard those words. Growling softly to herself, she glanced through the crack to see—
Changelings. Just outside of the door were two of the grey chitinous creatures. One of them leaned toward the other, his hooves holding a thick bandage that he was wrapping around the bleeding forehead of the other. Both of them wore Canterlot police uniforms.
“No, we’re not going to hurt him,” said the second, who was wrapping the bandage around his fellow changeling. “Even if the little bastard deserves it. General Chaput wants him back safe.”
“Hurt and safe are not mutually exclusive conceptsaaaaaaaaaaagh!” the changeling on the ground exclaimed as the bandage was tightened around his wound. “Shit, Ace, not that much!”
Ace snorted. “Grow up, Spruce. We need to get back out there to help the others find him.”
“Then finish up,” the smaller changeling with the head room retorted.
Luna reached out to the magic around her and threw the door fully open. In a flash, she lept into the room and raised Ace up into the air. The changeling yelped as he was held up against a wall with his hooves pinned apart from each other. A single burst of black and blue energy lashed out at him and struck him on the side of the head. With a resounding thud, the creature went limp as he lost consciousness.
Spruce gasped and stared up at the enraged alicorn standing up above him. “P-princess Luna!” he sputtered.
“Where is he?” demanded the Princess of the Night as her power coursed through her. Rage clouded her vision as she spoke with her Royal Canterlot Voice. “Where is Button Mash?”
The wounded changeling quivered as she roared down at him. “I don’t know. H-he attacked us and ran off. The others are looking for him.” His eyes darted from side to side. “They went that way!” One shaking hoof pointed toward the far stairwell.
Luna looked down disdainfully. “If a single hair in his mane has been harmed, you will learn exactly why I was banished to the moon for a thousand years.” She bared her teeth in a fierce grin. “I hope, for your sake, he is perfectly safe.”
And with that final statement, the alicorn once again channeled her magic into a kinetic blow. Spruce collapsed into an unmoving heap, and she turned toward the stairs.
The princess ran down the hallway in a furious sprint. Magic arced out of her body as she cast a detection spell and burst through the doors to the stairwell. The whole area seemed to flash as her eyes perceived the sensory input that her spell sent back to her. She could see through the walls of the hotel. Ponies were in their rooms. Some had somehow managed to sleep through her shouts, and others were up and moving. She ignored them. None were changelings, and none were her love.
Down she went. Floor after floor flashed past her enhanced vision, but she still saw nothing. Panic tugged at the edge of her mind, but she pushed it down. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, but the princess remained unmoved. “Hold on, Button…” she whispered. “I’ll find you…”
Eventually, she found herself at the ground floor of the hotel. Luna threw the doors to the lobby open and recast her detection spell. The ponies in the massive room gasped as the princess glowed with dark ethereal energy. Her eyes blazed silver and white, and she saw… nothing.
Her jaw clenched, and her wings flared outward. With a shudder, she glanced wildly around the lobby. Pony workers and a few guests stared at her, but they were just that: ponies. Not a changeling among them, and—
Something tugged at Luna’s extra senses. It was almost like a dissonant song was being played from across the room. Pain. Joy. Fear. Anxiety. Love… Button.
She gasped and snapped her head to the side. There, down the far hallway by the elevators! The princess took off into a canter and headed toward the source of the sensation. A few valets leapt out of her way, and one business pony threw himself to the floor to get out of her way. Without paying them any mind, Luna leapt into the hallway and extended her spell.
“Teleportation…” she breathed. “Oh, stars… where did they take him?”
Once more, blue and black energy swirled around her horn as she grabbed onto the residue of the powerful mass teleportation spell. She could practically see the etched symbols that had been mentally crafted by the spell’s weaver. Mass, designed for many targets. Swift. Pre-learned, as if the destination was familiar. And…
Castle.
Luna exhaled sharply. The path of the spell went out through the city and came to an end at the castle itself. As it neared its destination, the trail faded, but Luna knew it had to be somewhere on the grounds or within the building itself.
Her spell faded, and the alicorn stood straight up. Her eyes narrowed, and a small grin made its way across her lips.
“I’m coming for you, Button.”
And then she teleported once again.
~~~
General Chaput gently opened the ornate wooden box that sat upon the desk of his Canterlot castle quarters. The well oiled hinges made no sounds as the heavy oaken lid opened. With a smile, the griffon lifted a sheet of soft red fabric off of the contents of the container. Then, he reached inside and removed a large silver and white revolver with a handle perfectly crafted for his claw.
The corners of his eyes wrinkled as he slowly examined the shining metal. Beautifully forged for a Prench noblepony, the weapon had a certain splendor and majesty. The ivory handle that had replaced the original, which had been designed to be used by a unicorn, was well worn, and it had seen combat many times. Etched into the side of the old ivory read the inscription, ‘To my son: May light guide you home.’ Chaput gently ran a talon over the familiar words.
After checking to be sure that the weapon was loaded, Chaput quietly placed it into the holster for his left talon. The leather straps ran under his pristine white uniform, and his thick red cape hid the weapon itself from view. Once that was done, he reached back into the box and removed another layer of cloth and pulled out one more revolver.
This weapon was different. The longer barrel glimmered bright gold in the light from the fireplace. Intricate red carvings covered the entire weapon, and the design reflected modern ingenuity and power. A gift, from the old griffon king to a warrior who had prevented a war, against orders. A weapon given to a peacemaker. Chaput smiled at the irony. It, too, went into a holster after being loaded by the general. He grabbed several more bullets and put them into a pouch that joined his weapons beneath his uniform.
“I’m ready, Dmitri…” he whispered to the air. “For the country you betrayed. The griffons you have killed… and for the ones I have lost. May the light guide me home, and may peace overcome war.” His smile broadened and he turned to the door. “Three… two… one…”
Right on cue, a knock sounded outside of his quarters. “General Chaput?” a calm voice with a Canterlot accent drawled. “General. There is something we must talk about.”
The griffon growled to himself as he walked to source of the words. “‘About which we must talk…’” he corrected quietly before opening the heavy door.
A smug looking unicorn stallion in a Royal guard uniform stood before the general. His white coat contrasted with the red uniform, and the pony gave a very shallow bow that was betrayed by the twisted smile on his face. “General Chaput. For crimes against the nations of Equestria and Griffonia, you are hereby placed under arrest on the order of Father Dmitri and Princess Celestia.
Chaput did not respond immediately. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and met his enemies gaze with his piercing eyes. The guard’s grin faltered momentarily, and the Chaput snorted. He stepped into the corridor, toward his adversary. “Is this the way that Dmitri educates his operatives now? Tell a bold-faced lie with no basis in truth and express your enemy to go along with you without a single thought?”
“Oh, I never expected you to come quietly,” the unicorn retorted.
A sharp pressure pushd Chaput’s head forward, and the general turned to see a griffon holding a shotgun right at the base of his skull. A second griffon flew through the corridor and hovered next to the unicorn. He held a rifle that he pointed right at the general.
“Come with us,” said the pony, “or die. Your choice.”
Once again, Chaput stared into the eyes of the Equestria traitor. “Very well. But first, would you allow me to tell you something?”
Levitating his own weapon, a modified Germane hoofgun, the pony shrugged. “Eh, why not?”
“The easiest way to defeat a foe is to understand him.” Chaput’s beak clicked softly. “Understand their motivations. Probe their weaknesses. Divine their reactions before they themselves have an opportunity to even consider the possibility of having to react to the situation that you devise. Never tell a lie when the truth will work for you, and always remember that a half-truth is the most dangerous of the three.”
The guard scoffed. “And what does this mean? You talk about things as if it would make a difference. You are coming with me now, and—”
In an instant, Chaput spun to the side and gently redirected the barrel of the shotgun away from himself… and toward the other airborn griffon. The enemy behind him squeezed the trigger instinctively, and the blast from the weapon ripped the flying griffon soldier to shreds.
Chaput immediately pulled his golden revolver out of his holster and pressed it against the head of the one remaining griffon. He leaned back as he pulled the trigger so that the gore would stain the wall instead of him.
The unicorn reacted by raising his pistol, but Chaput’s revolver was too fast. With two shots, the general destroyed both of the unicorn’s front kneecaps. He fell to the floor with a shriek of agony just as another pair of griffons rounded the corner and charged at Chaput with a shout.
Diving to the floor, the general aimed his weapon and fired true. His first shot blew open one of the griffon’s helmets, and the creature didn’t even have a chance to make a sound before he fell to the ground.
Chaput was just about to aim at the second airborne soldier when the crack of a gunshot tore his gaze to the side. A bullet whipped past his face, and the general saw that the unicorn was still aiming his weapon, despite laying on the floor.
With a snarl, the general leapt ferociously toward the unicorn and swatted his weapon away. The other griffon tried to shoot him, but Chaput was too fast. He reached down to the ground where the unicorn lay and reached out for the first thing he could grab on his maimed floor— his horn.
A sharp twist to the side. That was all it took for the satisfying crunch of breaking bone to fill the corridor. A scream of agony followed, but Chaput was too busy turning to face the last griffon. The soldier flew toward him, sword drawn. Chaput calmly stepped to the side and slammed downward into the griffon’s neck as he passed, ramming the sharp end of the broken horn through his foe’s armor. Gurgling his last breaths, the griffon fell to the floor.
The hallway would have fallen silent if it were not for the pitiful cries of a broken unicorn. Blood poured from his utterly destroyed limbs, and sparks of random magic shot from the broken stump where his horn had once been.
His beak curving into a sharp smile, Chaput lowered his weapon to the pony’s head. “That is how you defeat your foes,” he said quietly.
“P-please…” Words barely broke through the outpouring of tears and gasps emanating from the stallion. “D-don’t kill m-me…”
Chaput snorted derisively. “So, we finally see the truth. Cowardice. You see it as fine for you to try to capture me, knowing that I am to be taken to my death. Yet when it is your life that fades into the everlasting dark, you suddenly understand. How typical.”
The guard’s tears intensified, and he lowered his head to the floor. “You w-wouldn’t kill somepony who was defenseless, w-would you?”
“The question is not if I am willing or capable of anything,” the general said coldly. The corner of his beak curled up, and he barely shook his head. “There is nothing of which I am incapable and nothing that I would not do to achieve my goals. If I were best served by sparing you, I would. If your death would further my goals, I would kill you in a heartbeat.
Another sob filled the air.
“No, little pony…” Chaput adjusted his grip on his revolver. “The real question is whether or not I can afford to allow you to live.”
“I won’t st-stop you!” cried the unicorn.
“Oh, you poor thing,” the general replied dryly. “That was a rhetorical question. And the answer…” He stared downward, his eyes cold. “Is no.”
His foe froze and looked up wildly. Tearstains marred the once handsome face, and he stammered, “N-no…”
“But I will promise you one thing.” Chaput put his weapon back into his holster. “I won’t shoot you.”
As soon as the revolver was away, the unicorn smiled. “Th-thank y—”
Chaput reached within his uniform and swiftly drew a wide bladed knife and rammed it downward into the pony’s skull. He pulled away as the blood spurted upward. The pony’s eyes barely had time to widen in horror before death claimed the last of Chaput’s enemies.
“I do not condone wasting ammunition,” Chaput finished as he calmly wiped the stained weapon on his foe’s jacket. “Besides, the blood splatter might have stained my uniform. That simply would not do.”
And, with that, Chaput walked away from the corpses and toward Celestia’s personal chambers. Gunfire echoed through the corridors of the castle, but the general stayed his course. The winding corridors held not threat for him as he calmly strode past mares and stallions who were running away from the chaos of battle. After a few moments, he turned a corner to hear a familiar voice speaking.
“—find out who is attacking, arm the full guard, and send Princess Twilight out to deal with the windigo threat.” Princess Celestia stood tall in the middle of the corridor, clothed in her regal battle armor. Her double bladed sword flashed in the air beside her, and even Chaput could sense the magical energy that surrounded the alicorn.
Clearing his throat, General Chaput approached Celestia. “Princess,” he said. “I see that I’m not too late to join the party…”
She turned to him with a stony expression. “General. Do you have any idea what’s happening?”
“Judging from the incompetents who just attempted to incarcerate me in the name of ‘Princess Celestia and Father Dmitri,’ I would wager that Dmitri has finally lost his mind completely.” Chaput shook his head wryly. “And what was that about windigos?”
“There’s an army heading our way right now,” Celestia replied, nodding toward a nearby window. Chaput turned his gaze to the side and saw a distant glimmer of a blazing army of windigos in the distance. “They’re headed for the castle, and we need to deal with them alongside whatever threat is already here at our doorstep.”
“Well,” Chaput began, “I would suggest that—”
A brilliant light flashed in the corridor, and six mares suddenly appeared in front of the alicorn and the griffon. Princess Twilight Sparkle glanced quickly to her mentor and readied herself. “I got the girls as soon as I received your message, Princess. What’s going on… here…” Slowly, she looked out the window, and her eyes widened. “Oh. That’s why you needed us…”
“Yes,” Celestia replied quickly. “I trust you know what to do?”
Princess Twilight turned to look at the other five former Element bearers. “Of course. Girls, get ready.”
They smiled back at her, and magic flooded the hallway. Light of every hue flashed, and Chaput had to hide his face. When he finally glanced back up, the mares were gone and a shining rainbow streaked out over the horizon to meet the oncoming horde of windigos.
“Are you sure that they can handle themselves?” the general asked. “That looks to be Dmitri’s full army…”
Celestia shot him a sharp glance, and Chaput winced inwardly. She shook her head, saying, “They are the best. I only hope that we can fare as well here.”
The distant gunshots continued growing louder, and screams joined in to form a symphony of violence. Nodding to his counterpart, Chaput turned to the source of the noise. However, before he could speak, the castle shook and all the lights flickered. The feathers on the back of his neck stood up, and Chaput stiffened.
A sinister voice echoed through the castle corridors, rattling the windows and permeating every cubic centimeter of space. Father Dmitri’s magically amplified words rang through Chaput’s ears as the madgriffon spoke. “Ponies of Canterlot… due to the massacre of Griffonian soldiers by your treacherous princesses, a debt has been created. A debt… of blood.”
Chaput snorted, but Celestia stood unmoving as she listened.
“For their crimes, I, Father Dmitri, demand the presence of Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and the betrayer General Chaput so that they may understand the consequences of their actions.”
The general heard Celestia inhale sharply, and he barely shook his head.
“I speak now directly to the three responsible for this atrocity. You shall come to the throne room. You shall come alone and unarmed. You shall be here within half an hour. If you do not follow these instructions, the consequences shall be, shall we say… severe.” Laughter followed, joined by a stallion’s shriek of agony. “I eagerly await your response. Griffons… continue your attack.”
“Typical,” Chaput muttered.
“He must be mad!” the princess snapped. Her magic flared and her sword was engulfed by white fire. “What does he think that he can accomplish here?”
“He can kill you,” Chaput replied quietly. “Princess, his goal is your death by his claws or his blade.”
“Why?”
His gaze became hard. “So that he can steal your immortality. He’s dying, Princess, and he possesses the ability to steal the powers of any being that he kills himself.”
Standing still for a moment, Celestia stared past him at the far wall. Slowly, so slowly, she clenched her jaw. “So that’s how the windigos that aren’t windigos are being controlled then?”
“Yes.”
The two beings stood silently for a moment longer as the battle continued to rage in the distance. Finally, Chaput said, “So, what would you have us do?”
Celestia turned to him and gave him a small smile. “I believe… it is time that we end this little game of ours.”
“One final gambit, then?” Chaput asked with a grin of his own.
“Not a gambit,” Celestia said, her eyes gleaming. “Are you familiar with the zwischenzug?”
His ears perked up at the mention of the chess move, and his smile widened. “But of course.”
“The unexpected move between moves…” Magic surrounded the princess’ horn, and a burst of energy filled the room. Three ponies and a griffon appeared, all standing in various states. They all reeled in shock as the spell deposited them onto the ground.
“Do not be alarmed, my little ponies,” Celestia said calmly to Agent Breeze, Captain Flair, Dr. Wing, and Captain Ivanov.
“What the hell was that?” Flair shouted. She leapt into the air and raised her weapon, a sleek black pistol that Chaput recognized as Equestria’s foray into magical artifact weaponry. It was exactly as described to him by his operative in Section Eleven.
“That, baby, is how a Princess of Equestria summons you for a date, one exceptionally catastrophic date.” Wing responded as he stretched his back. A second later, his ears perked up. “Wait… is that shooting?”
“The castle’s under attack!” Breeze exclaimed.
“No shit, Sheerluck!” spat Flair. “I was just about to charge those buckers and get ‘em!”
“Who’s attacking?” Ivanov asked Chaput after walking over to him.
The general leaned over. “Dmitri. This is the last stage. Are the troops in position?”
“Of course,” the other griffon whispered. “Now?”
“Now.”
As Celestia told the other ponies about the assault on the castle, Ivanov pulled a small claw-held communicator from his saddlebag before saying in Northern Griffonian, “All units, this is Eagle One. Duskfall begins now. I say again, Duskfall, Duskfall, Duskfall.”
Chaput allowed himself a small chuckle. Within moments, his own reinforcements would arrive, ready to protect the ponies against any enemy force.
Clearing her throat, the princess addressed the group. “I summoned the four of you here because I have a rather delicate mission that will require a small group of operatives.”
All the other beings stopped speaking and listened to her.
“General Chaput and I will be going to the throne room to meet Dmitri, as he has demanded. The four of you are going to use the emergency exit that is up above my throne to infiltrate the room and kill him and any of his operatives.”
Dr. Wing cleared his throat. “Uh, okay. Not that I’m not honored to be chosen or anything, but why us specifically?”
“You’ll have to break one of my spellwards,” Celestia replied simply. “Agent Breeze can get through it with you to guide her.” Once again, her horn glowed golden. A faint aura surrounded the pegasus scientist, and Dr. Wing gasped. “This will allow you to visualize spell frequencies temporarily. Direct her. Then, Captains Flair and Ivanov will kill the Father himself.”
Flair shook her head. “How is this going to work? They’ll know we’re coming, won’t they?”
“Not if they’re distracted,” Chaput interjected. “We’re your distraction. Dmitri is obviously prepared for Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. If he can stop their magic, he will. We need to hit him from two sides. A double attack.”
The ponies and the single griffon all nodded.
“Captain Flair, you know where the hidden entrance is. Lead them there.” Celestia dismissed her own bladed weapon with a gesture. “Hide your weapons, General. We don’t have much time.”
“This way,” Flair said. “Up the stairs!” She and the others raced away, and Chaput sniffed.
“Do you expect them to succeed?” he asked.
“No.” She shook her head silently. “However, I think that Flair and Ivanov will know that. They’ll be smart, and they’ll survive. I expect Dmitri to know that we shall try. And the instant that they move in…” Her blade reappeared as soon as her cold words ended. “We strike.”
“Zwischenzug.”
“Precisely. Now, to find Luna...” Celestia’s eyes smouldered with anger. “...and finish this.”
~~~
The sky had never been so bright before.
Button Mash lay silently upon the soft green grass of a field just outside of Ponyville. He’d come here often to play with his friends when he was younger. The wide open space had felt so free, almost as he if he were somewhere else so far away in his imagination. In his mind’s eye, he could see himself as a knight riding into battle for the honor of his princesses. His enemies would fall before him, and there were always adoring crowds there to welcome him home. And when he arrived, she would always be there,waiting for him.
The grassy field disappeared and slowly turned to cold, hard stone. Sunlight cascaded past lofty towers, and a screaming mass of ponies chanted a single call to the magnificent warrior who strode proudly down the street.
“Sir Button Mash! Sir Button Mash! Sir Button Mash!”
His armor gleamed, and he held his head high as he trotted past his rabid admirers. The stallion nodded to them with a massive grin plastered upon his face. But despite his acknowledgements, he paid them little mind. They weren’t why he went off to war against untold hordes of gruesome monsters. No, he went for her… always for her.
Questing eyes roamed over the raging sea of ponies, seeking to find a singular treasure. Her mane, so perfect. Her eyes, so wonderful. Her smile, brighter than the sun that gave life. His heart raced at the thought of pulling her close, feeling her coat against his. His love. His life. His princess…
There! Up high, on the bridge above him!
Sir Button Mash, Savior of Equestria and Blade of the Realm’s Honor, leapt mightily. His innate magic pulled from the air around him, catapulting him high into the air. The wind rushed through his mane, and the stallion came ever-closer to his ultimate destination… her waiting hoof, where he would plant the holiest of kisses.
She walked toward him. Her mane fluttered in the wind, and her elegant silver dress reflected all of the colors of the rainbow. Lips widening, she smiled and said, “Come unto me, my love!”
In a flash, he reached out and brushed against the hem of her garment with the most reverent of touches. “My Princess…” he breathed.
She smiled at him.
“My love…”
Her eyes shined radiantly.
“My Sweetie Belle…”
And then the earth shook, and darkness fell.
Button opened his mouth to scream as he plummeted toward the distant ground. The world around him tumbled over and over as day turned to night right before his eyes. What had been was lost. Dreams. Wishes. Prayers. All were washed away as the world tried to steal everything that had ever mattered.
He remembered. Spike. Sweetie. Alone for so long. Years of yearning. A short glimmer of happiness at college… and then loss again. Her. Always her.
But then…
“Button…”
He felt the air leave his lungs as the sensation of eternal freefall faded. Gasping, he stood to his hooves shakily.
A soft darkness broken only by the ethereal glow of the night sky still reigned over the world. But it was different. Not a darkness that spoke of evil and loss, but the darkness of a nightfall that called out to him in the most quiet of voices, as if… as if it knew who he was. As if it cared for him.
As if it loved him.
“I can’t lose you…”
A voice on the wind; a cry in the wilderness. The moon and stars, they wept. The evening sky was dead. One lone note from a song lost in time pierced through the void and called out to him.
“Please…”
Back and forth, it swayed. The wide open world answered the call and a sweet harmony played through, weaving around the melody set forth by the one who had called to him by name.
His love. His life… his Luna.
“Luna!” he screamed out. “I’m here!”
No reply came to him. Instead, the melancholy choir of mourning angels continued to sing… and he could make out words in a language lost from eons of disuse.
“Please!” Button stumbled forward in the dark, searching for any sign of her. Over rocks and across dry broken straits he ran. But the song played on, and Luna wasn’t there.
“I can’t lose you again!”
Button gasped as her voice ripped open the sky. Sinister purple clouds descended from the heavens, and an enormous ghastly figure stalked through the land.
“Tantibus! Do thy worst!”
He ran. Never before had he run so swiftly. Everything blurred out, blocked by his singular desire; his one need.
She couldn’t be alone. Never again.
The thought of her… Button roared up at the sky, and lightning slashed at the figure. The sight of his massive foe illuminated by the raw force of nature filled him with determination, and he pressed on.
“You can’t have her!” His scream lanced out and the creature turned.
A cracked and broken smile split the monster’s face, but Button refused to flinch.
“Luna is not yours!”
The tantibus stepped toward him.
“Not now, not ever!” His foe approached, and Button readied himself. “I will defend h—”
In an instant, the tantibus struck. A single blow fell from above, and Button felt his spine snap. It was almost surreal, but so vivid at the same time. He knew he must have been in impossible pain, but he felt nothing… Over and over, he turned as he sailed through the air, sent out by the strength of his enemy.
Finally, he fell.
Button slammed into the ground with a sickening thud. His eyes closed, and he couldn’t seem to open them… Blurry… Fading… Lost…
“B-button?”
Her voice was so soft.
“N-no!”
Was she crying?
“No! You c-can’t be d-d-d…”
Button barely managed to crack open an eyelid to look up to see…
Luna stood over him, her eyes rimmed with tears. Her crown was broken in two, and her mane was dirty and knotted. The once proud princess fell to her knees and grabbed him tightly.
“Button! No, no no no no!Please don’t leave me! P-please!”
No words would escape his mouth.
She looked down, her eyes as black as the night above.
“I love you…”
And then light returned to the universe.
Button slowly blinked his eyes as he woke from his slumber. His entire body ached, he was prone on the cold, hard floor, and his hooves were bound together by… something.
Trying to clear his eyes, he continued to blink desperately. Unfamiliar voices hissed around him, and he could barely make out words.
“—until the princesses arrive. Follow your orders, and everything will go according to plan!”
“Of course, Father…”
The room around him came into focus. He was in the castle again. It looked to be… the throne room? Maybe? Or was it—
“He’s awake!”
Something shoved Button, and he rolled over awkwardly. His eyes darted around until he saw the smiling face of a battle scarred griffon.
“Well, he awakens…” Father Dmitri rumbled. His eyes glowed an impossible shade of blue, and his beak leaked black shadows. “We’re ready.”
Something grabbed Button and pulled him to his hooves.
“Let the princesses in…” Dmitri muttered
And then the doors to the throne room opened, and Button screamed out in terror.
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airborne with an e
0 views? Why hasnt anyone seen this chapter?
Oh wait... Im the first.... Why didnt it show in my favs?
Oh. Good chapter
This is going to be messy af.
It's time for some science. *Shades*
Fucking cliffhangers.
~Crystalline Electrostatic~
0:58_1/23/2016
6863331
Or maybe i read it longer than everyone else sincewhem i submit it there were no comments
Oh well
Gaaaah. The plot is so intense right now I can't take the wait between chapters!
it's official. General Chaput is a badass.
Man, Dmitri is an asshole.
And so it returns... only to have poor Luna suffer more. Her pain won't last for long, I hope? :)
some how I have a feeling this is going to take a lot of cleaning to get this much blood out of the thrown room and it will not be pony blood.
I wonder how roosted griffin tats.
a really good chapter that is a lead in to a better chapter.
I can't help but feel this is a reference, but I'm not sure...
)
(P.S. Last I checked, it was "Tantabus", buuut you could be referring to something else, so...
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No, that couldn't possibly be a reference to anything...
Also, I think you're right. I probably misspelled it. I'll get that fixed soonish.
~Doc
Oh hoh hoh, shit!
Luna's gone full on NIGHTMARE!!!
Oh, the carnage will be glorious.
Should "express" be "expect"? I'm not sure what "express" means in this context.
"Pushd" should probably be "pushed".
You're missing an ending quote on this paragraph, since the next one doesn't start with dialogue.
AAAAAAARGH! ME WANTS MORE!
...
...
...
...
*clears throat* I mean, what an awful cliffhanger you have thrown upon us... Poor Luna...
...
...
...
And Button is an even bigger idiotic buffoon than Luna thought.
Anyways, I enjoy this story, and am looking forward to more! So, in the meantime, have a grinning Pinkie:
Annnnd, now Luna's pregnant.
Also, Darn it, Doc! That cliffhanger!
Huzzah! It lives again!
I'm trying to figure out who's in more trouble here: Dimitri or Button - both have this habit of doing boneheaded things at just the right moment to mess up the best laid plans. Of course, Dimitri tends to mess up his own plans while Button messes up others, so I have a feeling the odds are in our hero's favor.
Chess aficionado approves reference.
AaaaaAAAAaaaAAHH
CLIFFHANGERS DAMN YOU
The roar of night upon him,
The griffon quakes in fear.
The stars above wink out as one,
To hide in darkness clear.
A shadow rides the wind this night,
O'er filled with fury's brawn.
And woe to he who stands between,
The moon and love's bright dawn.
6866039 J'adoube
I FUCKING HATE CLIFFHANGER SO FUCKING MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oi another good chapter, definitely well worth the wait. I hope Tia's plan works and that Dimitri gets the comeuppance he's earned.
I tell ya this chapters got me thirstier than a vamp that hasn't drank in eons lost in the desert. Really can't wait for the next one.
It returns. Good to see this update finally.
Oh my, you are meeting all of my standards!
I can't wait for the next chapter!!!
Cap.
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Needs end " marks.
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pushed
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Well the ponies are between a rock and a hard place. I can't wait to see what happens next ^_^.
Well. I know I called Chaput out as a psychopath fairly early on... if his little display here didn't cement it, I don't know what will.
Wow, this story made me respect Celestia and her tactics.:
Too bad the show can't do that at all!
Chaput is seriously metal. Death by
teacupunicorn horn.So Chaput is basicly the lych king, his intrigue is complete and the scenario is wrapping itself up.
This can end with 4 difrent scenarios:
-Button can try to slip away from Chaput's grasp. Maybe can get some magical buff from afar in order to do so.
-Luna goes NMM berserk qnd after the Father falls we have boss battle nr2
-Luna posseses Button and will utterly destroy Chaput in this form.
-Evrything goes south and ends with eather a time travel or consequences.
I'm calling death by being eaten alive by windigos.
So things are finally coming to an end. Loose ends are slowly being tied... or severed, in this case.
Still a bit more to go... and I can't wait to read about it all
Chaput is the man.
Or griffon... whichever.
NOOOO! Not a cliffhanger!! Blast it!
Great chaper!
Knowing that the final battle shall commence...
Seeing the guilty parties unveil their talons...
It would discouraging for most...
But Button is not like most others...
This fills you with determination.
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Not giving any spoilers, but the game is an enormous part of book 2, which we are about to reach.
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Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.
I can't believe I've actually caught up. I read this, and pushed for the next chapter, only to be very confused when the button wasn't there after reading this the last few days. This story is so good. I don't even know what to say. By far this is the best political type story that I've ever read, and I think it's the only one I've ever actually enjoyed and been invested in. I started for the cute gamer luna romance, but I've stayed for all the epic levels of everything. I mean, what is there to say, really, other than this is really good. This could have gone in so many directions and could have gone down hill so quickly but you're doing an amazing job. I look forward to the rest of it.
Oooohoohoohoo... this won't end well... at all... ouchy Dx Awesome job on this dude, heheheh eue
Oh sweet horrors below.... i just thought of a way to destroy Luna in the instant.
Chain Button up above holding the door shut with his body, then there is the possibility that Luna, Celestia, or whoever was opening the door to resort to excessive force to open it, and rip Button into pieces.
Ugh, i feel ill for having thought that.