“Page,” Luna said as she entered Skitters room. We had been back to Canterlot a couple of days now and while we had been busy, I made time to spend at least a hour here a day.
Not sure if it helped or not, but Skitter had earned it.
I looked up from my book and then quickly surged to my hooves as I saw the expression on her face, “What's wrong?”
Shaking her head, she nuzzled softly before she sighed, “We just received news. Tirek is less than three hours from the gates of Canterlot. What's even worse, Discord seems to have joined forces with him.”
No.
I didn't even have the energy to get mad, it was so predictable. I just felt drained and tired. I rested my head against the side of her neck, “So we fight.”
“No, My Page.”
“What?” I exclaimed and pulled back to look up at her in surprise, “Don't tell me you are just going to roll over and die!? Chrysalis might be able to...”
Luna looked down at me sadly and shook her head again, “No, we have a plan. Tirek is too strong to be defeated in battle, besides the Changelings have sealed their hive. He has absorbed too much magic. Now he seek alicorn magic. We will hide ours where he can never find it.”
“...And then what? Why don't we just run!?”
“It would not help. Not for us, all it would do is put more ponies in danger,” Luna said before she kissed me softly, “But you...”
I frowned up at her, “Me?”
She nodded and turned her head towards the door, “Swift Spear.”
My friend entered in his night guard armor and bowed for her, “Your Highness.”
“I'm giving you the most important mission of your life. You are to take Blank Page back to the Crystal Kingdom. Once there, you will retrieve the Crystal Mirror and then keep moving as far away from here as possible until it opens once more. Keep Page and it safe until then!”
“Of course, Ma'am. As you order.”
“Luna!?”
She shook her head, “You can't be here, Page,” she said and blinked, her eyes shining, “If Tirek threaten you, I... I would give him whatever he wanted. I can't have you here.”
No. No. Fuck no!
“Come with us.”
“I can't,” Luna answered quietly and kissed me again, tears straining my mane, “I love you.”
“I love you too. Please Luna... Please...”
Shaking her head she hugged me tight before pulling away and turning to leave, looking at Swift as she moved past, “You have your orders.”
“I will follow them, Princess. I'll do you proud.”
“I know you will, my little pony.”
Then she was gone.
I just sank down. No... no this can't be it. It just can't.
“Page,” Swift said, having crossed the room without me noticing, “We need to move.”
Shaking my head, I got up, “I...”
“Page, think. The Princess told you why, so you can't be used against them. If Tirek gets Alicorn magic, everything will be lost. As long as he doesn't there is hope,” Swift said, pain in his tone, “We need to go, the sooner the better.”
“I can't. I can't go. There must be...”
Swift punched me in the face and I rocked back, staring at him in surprise before feeling my nose and the blood, “Wha...”
He snarled at me, “Think of her! She is trying to keep everyone safe and I won't have you put that at risk by staying! I have my orders and if I have to drag your unconscious body behind me on a rope, I will follow them!” he yelled before he looked down, “...Don't you think I want to gallop out of here and find Minuette? To hold her close and get her safe? But I have my orders. I have my duty to the Princesses. I will follow my orders. No matter what.”
Swallowing I nodded, “Swift...” I started to say before I sighed, “...I'll come. On one condition.”
“Which is?”
“I want to see the fucker.”
“Didn't I make it clear when I say I would beat you senseless?”
I glared at him in turn, “Think you could?”
He snarled but backed down after a couple of moments, “We will be leaving by sky carriage. I need to get things packed away. You can see him... through a telescope from the tallest tower. If I say we go, we go.”
“Agreed.” I said and walked past him. I had some packing to do as well. Anything to keep moving and avoid thinking or I would start crying and I'm not sure I would ever be able to stop when I finally did.
XXXXXXXXXX
I stood by the edge of the tower, my telescope floating before me as I looked at the gate facing the main approach to Canterlot.
So that's Tirek.
A big black and red horned centaur.
He wasn't hurrying. He was just walking towards Canterlot, big and unstoppable like a glacier. Not that he would be walking in unopposed. The Royal Guard were setting up by the gate.
Not that it helped.
When he got close, they launched their first spears and arrows, pegasi diving towards him. They might as well not have bothered. The spears and arrows bounced off his thick hide as he raised his arm to protect his eyes from the projectiles and magic before he opened his massive jaw as he reached the gate. Streams of magic were drawn from the ponies and they started to collapse.
Tirek barely broke step.
“There, you have seen him. We are leaving,” Swift said from next to me as I watched Tirek pick a pony up and inhale its magic before dropping her.
He was just inhaling the magic like it was some sort of strange fucking noodles.
I lowered the telescope slowly.
“I'm sorry, Page,” Swift said quietly and took the telescope, putting it down before putting his shoulder against mine, “We are leaving. Now.”
“I'm sorry too,” I answered equally quietly and touched my horn against his, “Sleep.”
His eyes had just enough time to widen at the betrayal before they closed and he sank down onto the stone. I caught him in my magic before putting him in the carriage before moving around to the pegasi pulling it, “Go. Find an unicorn mare named Minuette, she should still be in the Crystal Empire.”
“But sir...”
“Go.”
“...Yes sir.”
As they took to the skies, I looked over at where Tirek was moving towards the castle before I turned and headed towards the stairs. There was a tiny chance, but there was a chance. I had to take it even if it killed me.
I needed Sunset.
Okay, now I'm interested. Why would Page need Sunset?
Yet again it seems that Page is left out of the loop on these important things.
And why does Luna and by extension the princess only care about Ponies? You control the sun and moon for fucks sakes! That effects a lot more than just Equestria!
also, first
Oh dear, this could go very badly for Blank Page and Luna. Tirek really is too strong to properly fight against, and I have a hard time imagining any way this resolves better than canon. I have a fear that he'll just end up being used against Luna, and making things a lot worse. I hope for the best though.
Like I said, we need DOOM GUY,
Great chapter BTW
7393889
It is getting to be an annoying habit. Especially since, you know, he had to lead in their absence that one time and it looks like that will be repeated again. This not going along with stuff could backfire horribly, but at the same time if he had come to another conclusion independently, it is in a way showing the others up if it does help resolve the situation.
7393942
One thing that is really starting to hurt these stories, and has actually really been hurting them for a while, is the insistence of ultimately sticking to canon in all major things. In the end, we already know that no matter what Page comes up with and no matter how hard he tries, it isn't actually allowed to change anything. Except for the matter with the changelings, he has been completely unable to influence anything. As a character, he's ultimately inconsequential - and the story will keep contriving outright stupid situations to make sure this stays true.
7393949 *Cackles in the background*
7393949
I actually don't agree. This was true of several events, but he was purposely kept from them or wasn't in the right area. In the two places where he was, he did make a major difference (Changelings, Sunset).
What if, he convinces Sunset to help attack Tirek, on the condition that they both use Dark Magic? We know that was part of the reason Twilight was sent to deal with Sombra, and we know exactly what kind of bad reaction Sunset has to it, but... setting that in motion, and having dark magic be harmful to absorb for Tirek while Page himself is mostly immune to the corruption effect... it could lead to some interesting alternative scenarios, I feel. Bad or Good, I think we are going to see Tirek play out differently.
7393936 <Tirek> Okay, I get the whole 'rip and tear' thing you guys are talking about. But why does he keep saying I need a good skull fuc... oh. I surrender. Nope. Mercy. I'm done. I'll behave. Uncle. I give. Nope.
Go page!
We will not quietly go into the night!
Also, this all "get drained of magic" can go very badly for Skitter, and it is impossible to move her.
seeks
7393963
Well, congrats. That will be two situations where he's actually allowed to matter over the course of three whole stories, then.
7393967
That's the kind of thing I actually wouldn't even consider an improvement, because that sounds dumb just on the face of it.
7393127
This might be exactly what's happening right now, or it's something completely different. Only one way to find out, I guess.
Hmm why Sunset? Anyway good chapter.
THIS IS IT! What we've waiting for! Oh my god I can't believe it! I also am pissed that the chapter is so short and that I have to wait in such a heightened state of anticipation!
KICK HIS ASS PAGE!!
7394105
I guess three if you include the Equestria Girls incident with Sunset, but I guess that more just brings Sunset into the story while being able to ignore the rest of those movies. It seems like the point of these stories has been to have Page not really be much of an influence as it's mostly just his day to day life. Well, at least the first two stories, this one has been foreshadowing the whole time that Page's small actions throughout the stories are going to lead to some kind of Consequences. I'm hoping for a different, but still nice ending to this situation; it's seems that all the stories I've read with a human/human turned pony interacting in the timeline always lead to a worse outcome. I guess we will see the coming days, thought I do hope that this last part of the story is not too rushed. These stories always leave me feeling that they should have been a tad bit more drawn out.
human non-magical weapons? sunset would at least know what he means....
Luna should totally have seen Page doing that. Now bring out the black leather and respirator, beacuse Darth Page is here and he's going to fail miserably.
7393699 rail guns would be nice, but I'm not sure if have tungsten and if they do, can they smelt it?
7393967
Or, you know, he tells her "We're making a magic railgun and blowing his fucking head off." to her. Because she'll actually get what he's saying.
7394788
It's a little short notice to improvise such a thing, isn't it? I mean Tirek already stormed the gates.
Bear with me here. Giant mech suit. Think about it.
7775756 if a high density explosive or propelled artillery isn't gonna punch through his hide, a brick wall of a robot fist don't got the chance!
Y'know... What if, just... what if... Discord knew what would happen? The whole time. From the beginning. What if, hypothetically, he knew the best of all possible futures, since Chaos incarnate could conceivably see possibilities themselves. What if he's been working for the Greater Good the whole time, and having as much fun as he can doing it?
Ok, I know that the next several chapters are already written, but I still have a theory on what he's gonna do. He basically converted Star Wars for ponies to read, so he must remember the AT-ATs on Hoth, and how they took out the four-legged monstrosities with tow-cables...
Why are they having him leave? What does that have anything to do with the alicorn magic? He does not have any, and unless they passed it to him offscreen...?
Not so much that he's supposed to run, but that it's mission critical to do so.
Oh, snap! I'm only a few paragraphs into this chapter, and I haven't read any comments, but if the alicorns are going to do what I think they're going to do, then this will get interesting pretty quick!
Edit: never mind. I could have sworn Page was going to be given alicorn magic instead of Twilight, turning him into an alicorn. Wouldn't that have been something? Imagine what if there was no way for him to turn back. Talk about awesome-sauce!
Too bad that didn't happen. He probably would have been able to beat Tirek, too. After all, he would have done more than "throw magic at it until I win" (or whatever the quote from the previous chapter was, I'm too lazy to look it up). Screw the elements of harmony, Equestria would now have an alicorn with common sense.
8994171
alicorn with common sense? this is MADNESS
He protected his eyes and mouth. Checov gun
10321745
Plan to dump the power of 3 alicorns into one? Yep pure madness. I'm sorry but if you take off like a rocket by just twitching your wings? That's JUST a bit to much power
Death is just the beginning, but unlike in my stories I doubt Necromancy will be a factor... Or will it?
DUN DUUN DUUUN
No way is he seriously gonna fight tirek?
So much for my comment in the previous chapter.
Maybe if they dropped anvils instead?
I guess poisoning him is out of the question with that time constraints?