“Diamond dearest, could you please leave? I wish to talk to Button alone for a little bit.”

Button glanced to Diamond Tiara, who reflected his own, confused expression. So far during the dinner, past pleasantries, Filthy had stayed absolutely silent, and just had been staring, watching Button throughout the whole damn thing. And now, he wanted to talk alone.

The brown stallion set his jaw and straightened his back. “I’ll make sure to stop by your room before I leave and say bye, alright Dia?”

Diamond glanced between the two of them, biting into her lip as she thought of what to do. While she wasn’t afraid of her father, she still knew that Button wasn’t exactly what ponies would… want for her. One wrong word, and she could lose everything she had gained, but she didn’t know what the right ones were.

She took one more look at Button, and watched as he kept his eyes on her father, and that edge in his eyes that he had gained over the past couple weeks gleamed at the edge of it. A smile crept to her lips, before she stood, and curtsied to Filthy. “As you wish, father.”

Filthy nodded back to her, but said nothing until she was gone. At that point, he took another sip of his whiskey, and turned back to Button, his eyes looking over the rim as he inspected the young man. He wore a t-shirt and slacks, something that he couldn’t blame him, as the invitation had been on fairly short notice. Something told him though that, no matter what the occasion, the boy would at least want to be in a similar outfit.

No matter what though, none of this told him what he really needed to know.

Filthy lowered the glass, letting it clink slightly as it touched the wood, and said, “So, what should I do with you?”

Button let a smile crack on his lips as he leaned back slightly, trying to pretend that his muscles were not screaming for him to run as fast as he possibly could. “Well, if you have a gaming room, we could move there. Diamond Tiara usually likes that option at least.”

Filthy forced his face to stay stoic as the image of his daughter smiling came to his mind, even as she tried to hide where she just had been. “Yes, or so I’ve gotten the impression of. It takes more than a touch of skill at games to be a stallion though, let alone one with as much responsibility as you have found as of late.”

A cold finger ran over Button’s heart as, for a moment, he did think about all that had happened, and so quickly too. Just a few weeks ago, he had a mother, could play games all through the night without a thought of whether or not he could be spending it in bed with another, and any mare who asked him about love might have been laughed at.

On the other hand, he had gained so much. New partners to raid with, friends and lovers that he could possibly spend the rest of his life with, and a confidence that… that his mother could be proud of. He looked back at Filthy, a new fire in his eyes as he said, “Then, I am happy to have two ponies of such capable skill to help me as I put everything I can to fulfil all that I have put on myself.”

That made the older stallion stop, and re-examine the colt. There were hints of his fear, his worry, his awkwardness in how he sat, but before one could see that, the absolute drive had to be acknowledged first. That was a rare one to see in most, as the rest was simply an issue of age, and could be grinded out. Even he had faced the same issues at one point, before the industry forced it out of him.

Yes, he would do well there, especially since he thought he knew the answer he would gain when he asked, “And who might those two be?”

“Why you and your daughter, of course. One for business, and one to…” Button paused for a moment, before placing his hands on the table, and bowing his head, “hopefully help me through the quagmire of love and lust.”

Filthy smiled at the word choice, assuming it had to be from some game. It also was useful for his one real demand of the boy. “I would love to, so long as it’s only with my daughter.”

Button glanced back up, and raised any eyebrow. “Umm, isn’t it a little awkward to talk about your daughter that way? I mean, wouldn’t you rather just give general advice?”

Filthy tapped the side of his glass, his smile fading completely as he shook his head. The boy couldn’t be perfect after all. “That is not what I mean. You see, while I do not mind the existence of herds, or polyamory, I will not tolerate it for my little filly.” He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as the other stallion paled. “If you desire to continue to date my daughter, then you will give up the rest.”

Button blinked a few times, before looking to the ceiling. An out. In all honesty, he could call it that. Say his feelings only were with Diamond in the end, and stay with her. She was the first, after all. The images of Scootaloo naked in his apartment, or Apple Bloom laying with him in the afterglow, stopped him dead. Even Silver had accepted the herd idea, and now Filthy…

His hands balled into fists on his lap as he looked Filthy in the eyes, and saw a cool, steely look coming back. What he didn’t know was that he was giving the old stallion the same glare. “No.”

Filthy leaned in, his scowl deepening to bare his teeth. “I won’t have you go just forgetting about her, you know. She is meant for more than just being a floozy in some gamer’s journal.”

Button stood up at that, the force of his legs straightening slamming the chair back, and sending it clattering to the ground. Now he was shaking, the image of the book in his mind as he looked at Filthy.

And for a moment, it was all directed at himself. He had used the book to help him get with her, and the rest, but it was only for a moment. He never wished for them to love him, or the others. If they hated each other, no amount of wishes, at least the sort that he had made, would ever have overcome that. And that was how he wanted it.

Button took in a deep breath, stepped back, picked up the chair, and bowed to Filthy. “Sir, I wish you a good night, for I do not wish to try to prove to you how I feel.”

And now, Filthy saw something for a moment. It wasn’t Button standing there, but him, talking to his own father about the woman he loved. It was some drifter, on her way through town, now pregnant with his child, all while he was to be married to some spoiled bitch.

“I love her, she loves me, and that should be all we need. The rest doesn’t matter.”

He looked back up, watching Button as he took steps towards the door, and found himself shouting, “Stop!”

Button looked back, ready for a full on argument, but instead found himself looking at an almost panting Filthy. Normally, the strong businessman looked tired, at the most, but now, he looked exhausted. The gray in his coat was more pronounced, and it looked like he could fall over at any moment. But still, he stood, watching the young colt.

Filthy took a step forward, and Button did the same, letting his arms drop to his sides. “What is it, sir?”

He shut his eyes for a moment, before nodding. For his little filly, he would need to accept this. “Can you promise me that you’ll do right by her? That you’re absolutely certain about your feelings, because honestly, I don’t know any time I’ve seen her as happy as when she comes from your home.”

Button placed a hand on the other stallion’s shoulder, his heart swelling at the praise. He blinked away a tear, and nodded. “Sir, I promise that I love your daughter. She is my Zelda, my Peach, and I would fight Colossi just to bring her smile back to this wor-”

Smack!

“Don’t you start mouthing off references that I’m not going to understand, got it? It’s stupid, and if I hear you do it at your wedding, I’ll tape your mouth shut.”

Button chuckled a little bit as he rubbed the back of his head, before his mind caught up, and he just paused, and looked to Filthy. “So does that mean…”

Filthy shook his head, and put his hands on his hips. “I’m not going to be able to stop you two, so why not? It’ll be better than exhausting myself with a fight that I’ll lose no matter what.”

A smile came back to Button’s features, before he held out a hand. “Then thank you, sir, and I promise not to let you down.”

Filthy took the hand in his own, pleased to find the grip strong, and confident as he shook it. Yes, if his little filly truly wanted this colt, then she could definitely do worse. “I know you won’t.”

Filthy stayed in the dining room long after Button’s hoofsteps faded into the distance, staring at the painting on the wall. It held his ‘family’, of Diamond Tiara, him, and the bitch he had been forced to marry. For a moment, he wondered if things would have been different if he’d had this young stallion’s courage, before dismissing the thought. What had been done was done, and he could not change it, just like their love, or his alimony payments.

Author's Note

First, there was no wish this time, as a day hadn't passed. The question at the end of the last one was for the world in general. Also, we're drawing near to the end of all of this, with 2-3 chapters remaining. I just feel like it's time, and that the story has come to an end. We'll see about sequels though.

Also, I now have commissions back open, mainly because I'm also trying to become a full time author. I thought I would let you all know, as this helped rekindle me, and I wrote the chapter while waiting for a better time to blog.