Button Mash and the Machine for Ponies

"Father...what is she doing?"

"Seeking truth, my dear."

"And how will she find it father?"

"By seeking light."

"Where does his light come from?"

"A shining city upon a hill, a grand beacon of redemption!"

"Where is the beacon, father?"

"Here, darling."

"It's here?"

"Yes. We are the beacon."

"How so, father?"

"Because we are the redeemers."

☣☢☣

"What is she doing...Has she left me? Why..?"

"I don't...Know....What..."

"I need to...I need..."

"I have to find her...I have to..."

"SWEETIE!!!"

☣☢☣

"And the suffering begins."

"Father, hasn't it been enough?"

"No!"

"F..Father...?"

"Sorry..."

"Why father?"

"Their sins are too great."

"Father, I see no sins in them."

"Look harder, dear. Look into their souls."

"I'm looking...Father...I..."

"Yes?"

"I see his sins...but the mare...I don't...I don't see anything..."

"Look closely dear, why do you think she hasn't been harmed?"

"Do you know her too father?"

"Very well."

"How well father?"

"Almost as much as you."

"What do you mean?"

"You shall find out soon enough."

☣☢☣

Sweetie Belle was confused. Making her way through the labyrinth, she thought of nothing but to set forward to her foremost priority, to confront the minotaur. Everything else went through her mind at once, though the one thing still remained, find the machine, find the stallion, find...your closest enemy. She ran here and there, but couldn't reach her destination. Though eventually, she found something familiar.

Button Mash,  hurt and frightened, stressed and confused as he was, managed to get up and follow the trail of bloody hoofprints that Sweetie left behind. He had not the slightest clue at what he had to do, except to follow Sweetie Belle. Suddenly, the elevator went up Button crawled into a corner and rolled over. The elevator slowly came down and stopped at the catwalk. The doors opened. Button stare hard as a full grown stallion walked out of the elevator. The stallion was dressed in a suit, had a black and gray mane, and a brownish-tannish coat. He was a unicorn, levitating a small flashlight-lantern sort of device.

"The reactor is starting up..." The stallion said. He had a rough voice with a Canterlot Accent.

"S...Sir..?" Button muttered, reaching to the stallion for help.

"Dear Celestia!" The stallion said jumping. The stallion dropped the lantern out of fright, hitting Buttons hoof on accident. Button quickly exhaled as a sign of pain.

"Really...?" Button said.

"Sorry...I thought you were one of those...things..." The stallion said. He extended his hoof to Button.

"Thanks, but I kinda can't get up." Button said. He rolled over revealing the gashes in his chest.

"Oh my..." The stallion said. "Who are you?"

"Buttonmash..." Button said.

"Nice to meet you Button Mash." The stallion said. "My name is Oswald Mandus." Button jaw dropped open as soon as he heard the stallions remark.

"Oswald...Mandus?" Button asked.

"Yes...what about it?" Oswald replied.

"You...are real..." Button said.

"Why yes I---" Oswald stopped. He realized that Button didn't belong. "Foreign Influence.."

"What?" Button asked confusedly.

"You don't belong here..." Oswald said.

"Yeah," Button laughed in response. "tell me about it."

"Something pulled you into Everfree...." Oswald said, staring directly at Button.

"How do you know about Everfree?" Button asked.

"My recording....the professor..." Oswald stuttered.

"You're talking like Sweetie Belle now!" Button exclaimed. Oswald stopped talking and glared at Button. His expression was so ghostly that Button was nearly frightened.

"W...who?" Oswald asked.

"Sorry...my mare friend, Sweetie Belle." Button said, pausing for a moment to look at Oswald's blank expression. "What is it to you?" A tear fell from Oswald's eye.

"She's still alive..." Oswald said.

"What?"

"My daughter is still alive!" Oswald exclaimed.

"WHAT?!" Button exclaimed.

☣☢☣

"Papa?"

"Yes, my dear?"

"That man..."

"What about him?"

"He looks like you..."

"Yes. Yes he does."

"..."

☣☢☣

Sweetie made her way through tunnels and wires trying to get to the core of the machine. Finding herself in freezing cold environments, she had to pull herself together multiple times to avoid freezing to death. As ice literally built on her fur, her skin started to become cooler, and cooler. Sweetie ran as fast as she could in order to build some heat. She stopped when she heard something in the other tunnel. She looked back and saw nothing. After returning to her original route, she saw a flash of light, and heard another odd noise. She looked back again. Staring down the hallway for a few minutes, she noticed her eyes started to dry up. So she blinked. Suddenly...

Sweetie screamed and ran as fast as she could away from the monster, it kept disappearing and reappearing in different locations. Sweetie tried to make sense of it, but couldn't. She trotted towards an exit when the hybrid monster appeared in front of her, delivering a hard hit and scratch to Sweeties face. Sweetie pushed the monster to the side and ran. The monster appeared in front of her face again. She dodged it's second blow and punched it in the face. The hybrid squealed and cringed, covering its face.

"Stop! Stop it!" Sweetie screamed. The monster covered it's face in what seemed like fear. Sweetie looked at it and tilted her head confusedly. The monster looked like it was crying. "Monster, are you alright?" Sweetie asked. The monster faced Sweetie Belle. It's eyes were blocked out by two yellow metallic objects that were bolted to the monsters face, along with some rope that circled the monsters head a few times. "Oh my...you look awful." Sweetie said. "Let me help you up." Sweetie extended her hoof to the monster, which being confused about what was happening, hesitated momentarily. Eventually the monster decided to accept the help of Sweetie Belle and took her hoof. "Let me make you a deal." Sweetie said. "You don't kill me, I'll lead you to the man who did this to you, so you can take care of him! Sound like a deal?" The monster couldn't move it's head or mouth much, but Sweetie could tell that on the inside the monster was frantic to do so. "Alright then, monster." Sweetie said. "Lets go!"

☣☢☣

"Come on Button, we must hurry!" Mandus exclaimed helping Buttonmash up from off the ground.

"What do you mean daughter?" Button asked.

"I'm just as confused on why she is your marefriend, but nonetheless I will not waste my time trying to figure out things with my daughter wandering about this wretched place." Mandus replied.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Button said.

"I did..." Mandus responded with a confused tone. Button facehooved and motioned for Mandus to keep going.