Midnight and the Prince

He had no idea what to do in that instance. He was privileged with everything, from his money, to his power and fame that came with it. He was not, however, going to approach a lady with the mindset that she was there for him. Midnight was troubled, she did not want to play in the game and he was only bringing her unwanted attention.

Prince Fraguer ached, though. He was stuck in a world of his own making, as he saw her as a beacon. She was a beacon he could view from afar, but never approach without knowing where her heart truly lied. His only solution was to get in line for the VR game.

As the other viewed him, they backed up a bit. One of them was a taller, skinny pony with a Demonhoof V shirt on, while the one beside him was short, quite tubby, but no less astounded to see him. “Your highness!” He said with obvious startled mannerisms. Fraguer smiled at this as if it were adorable.

“Non, I am not of this country, and you are not my subject. I am a player here, just like the two of you. You may call me Prince or Prince Fraguer, as you wish. Thank you for the respect, of course.” He nodded to him and both of them stepped out of his way as they smiled and beamed at him.

“Please, go on ahead.” He turned and then shouted to all of them in line. “Hey! Prince Frag is gonna munch some devil flesh!” There were several eyes on him and there were more who stood out of his way. “Dude! Move!” He said to some others who looked hesitant.

They stood out of his way and he nodded his thanks to them.

Midnight looked at all of the games, all of the drinks and all of the gamers who thought they could dance. The dance floor was a little more empty, as the night was beginning and more and more of them were getting tired. The games were packed with ponies and some of them viewed her with waves of their hands and even a few invitations.

The name “Axel” kept echoing through the crowd as the music started back up and the DJ took the stage once again. She couldn’t help but notice that she sounded a bit winded and even reluctant to move in some ways. The music became loud once again and the gray bat pony sighed.

She took in the atmosphere and she couldn’t help but grow a bit of a prickle in her arms as she remembered the arcades her and her siblings used to frequent. Her mother would take them to gaming conventions and that was basically how she came into this scene in the first place. It all ran through her in that moment as she looked out at the crowd that either revered her, accepted her, or lied in wait to challenge her.

“Dude! It’s Fragger! It’s DemonTer!” A voice said, pronouncing it completely wrong and drawing a look of annoyance from Midnight.

Still, she looked up to the screen to see him in his custom armor that was black as the night itself with molten lava like cracks all through the metal. He also held his signature double-barreled shotgun with the skull-head laser scope that he never used.

The face plate visor was blood red and he stood in a hellscape that belched fire all around him. The brimstone and the distant geysers of lava surrounded him as he came up to a level with a stairway of bone leading to a tower of fire. Within seconds, the ghouls began to come from the ground, filthy and blood red skinned. As soon as they stood up, he fired his shotgun once and took down three of them. They burned into a puff of ghoul pieces as he popped open the gun and jammed two more shells into it.

Midnight’s eyes widened as she saw him jump from his position and rain shells down on yet another group of them. Then came a charging beast with a head made of long demon horns. Its maw opened as it charged with its jaws open until he loaded the grenade attachment onto his shotgun and fired.

The grenade exploded horns everywhere, busting the armored face into cracks and finishing him off with a powerful burst of shells right into his face. The head of horns was blown apart and the demon bull thing dropped to the rocks at his feet as large soldier demons began to charge in with their own shotguns.

Midnight was quite taken by his technique in strafe shooting, jumping and his use of his fiery sword. He pulled the sword from his back and lodged it down into a demon shotgunner’s head before blasting him along with the one behind him. He reloaded uncannily fast, as if he’d practiced the motion twenty million times before and with such succession that when he ran out of shells, he switched straight to the chaingun.

Ponies cheered as the Prince began to mow down entire rows of demons as they approached, taking damage from shotgun flack and even getting his health down to fifteen percent before he rolled over a health object.

“Sweet mercy, he’s fast!” Shadow couldn’t get over how he took down yet another three with a string of headshots. “How are you going to beat…” He looked at Midnight, who gave him a glare. “Oh, right, sorry.”

Then there was an empty soda sound as Vanilla Soda finished a soda that was, indeed, vanilla flavored. She looked over toward Midnight with an innocent look. The sound she made sucking on the straw with partial liquid began to grate on her ear and make her eye twitch.

She stopped, then cleared her throat with a little apology and a look the other way. She hummed and Midnight sighed very big. She looked back toward the screen to see the Prince had moved down into the fiery tower’s halls and stabbed his sword into yet another foe.

As he entered the main chamber, though, there came a rumbling. There was a tall beast, flaming wings on its back and a skull for a head that was molten black with glowing orange eyes. His fanged skull roared toward him, looking down at the armored pony who stood far shorter.

On came a fight of the ages, as he was in the highest setting of Demon Rage difficulty and the Prince sprinted for the health item, as he was at thirty percent. He switched back to his double shotgun and then switch on the attachment to give it six smaller barrels. The aim was taken down, but the damage was increased monumentally.

He took a skull fireball to the shoulder and was knocked against the wall with five percent remaining of his health. He had to duck behind a broken down pillar alongside the chamber to avoid yet another projectile. He rolled across the floor once again, this time firing off a powerful burst that sent the huge demon sprawling. With a grenade exploding at its feet, it was taken aback once again, but then it smashed its fist into him.

His armor was depleted as it showed heavy damage. The last health pickup was nearly useless, as the hit took him down to ten percent. He fired off yet another blast, this time when the demon reared back for another strike. A chunk of demon hyde was taken from its chest before the Prince did something none of them could have imagined.

He climbed the demon, kicking his foot off of his knee and pulling himself up by the tall shoulder, he came up above the war torn devil and jammed his shotgun straight down its throat, breaking off its teeth into shards.

One pull of the trigger blasted the giant demon apart and DemoneTueur stood strong as his hooves hit the floor to a thunderous applause. He stood with a behemoth’s skull still attached to his enormous shotgun until he flung it off and it shattered onto the ground. His cool factor went off the charts as every single patron, it seemed, began to bark as many pumped their fists in the air.

“Dude, that guy’s going to break me on his fist.” One tournament goer said to his friend beside him at the bar. Midnight rolled her eyes and watched as the Prince left the booth and was met with renewed vigor as the crowd began to pat his back and shake his hand as Regal held them back to make them come a few at a time.

Her first thought was, when in the hell did he get such a gigantic bodyguard? Then her next thought came in the form of butterflies all through her stomach, pulsing through her veins as he set eyes on her. Those eyes spoke to her and she pursed her lips. There was no mistaking it, he was looking directly at her.

“Is he seriously coming this way? Are you fucking serious?” Shadow was unbelieving as Vanilla watched. As the Prince made his way to them, Regal barred off the rest of the patrons, telling them to go back to their own shit, essentially.

Midnight was speechless. All of her sassy demeanor, confidence and doubt seemed to be at war with one another in her brain. Wasn’t she just some Equestrian girl he could eat as a snack and discard the wrapper? That was a horrible profiling stereotype, but really, there was always a very good reason for it.

“Bonsoir, mon chéri. Sil vou plait…” He took her hand and kissed the back of it. Her teeth gritted and she tried especially hard not to show that her face was blushing while making her blushing face worse. “I would be honored to join you and your friends, if you would have me. Please, can we start over?”

There was a thought. As much as the other patrons acted like they were going back to their own business, many of them couldn’t help but eye the two main attractions there at the biggest party in Manehattan. What did that matter, though?

“Fine, let’s have some more wine.” Midnight shrugged and then sat at the barstool.

Both of her friends nearly spat their drinks in surprise. After her fourth cream soda, with such a shock, Vanilla suddenly needed to pee.

He was charming, as he always was, but Midnight couldn’t help giving him another look. “What is this expression you have, Midnight? I promise you, that is the truth. My father made me shine my own shoes, prepare my own breakfast, take out my own trash and made me work for a farmer for a year. He told me, if I cannot work as a stallion, then I cannot be royalty. It is the reason my brother tried to give the crown to me.”

“You seriously did all of that willingly?” Midnight asked and he nodded.

“I was not blind to the men and women around me working and sweating. They bleed so that I might eat and they sweat so that I might sleep. I must be willing to do these things or I am a fraudulent leader.” His accent on fraudulent made it sound like he was gathering spit in his throat, hitting the accent on it hard.

“But you’re not going to be king, are you?” Midnight asked and Fraguer smiled at her.

“My dear, that is not certain. My brother could die tomorrow and I would need to crown then, as my sister, God rest her, she has gone to the angels.” He said and Midnight suddenly widened her eyes. “I was very young, and it made me very angry. It is the reason I am the way I am. I know loss and I know luxury and I must be ready to become a leader as my father has put such influence upon me.”

There was a very long, pregnant silence as Midnight stared at him. Both of her companions had no idea what to make of this guy. He blinked at all three of them, but then waved.

“It is alright, I have made my peace with my beloved sister, Melodie, but please, tell me more of this Vera. You say she is not with Monsieur Ember but I must confess, I have seen the two of them. They walked around in costumes that were ever so adorable and they were kissing like the lovebirds.” As he said this, Midnight’s eyes went completely wide. “Oh, well, I do not wish to dabble in family matters. I do apologize.” He said and Vanilla came back with more drinks for all of them.

Instead of wine, Fraguer had a beer at Shadow’s behest. He tasted it and his eyes widened a bit. “It is strange, but I do admit, I love the bitterness.” He took another drink and tasted the hops in the bubbles.

“Dude, I gotta ask, how did you get all of those moves on Demonhoof? That was unreal!” Shadow said as he took a long swig of his beer and the Prince gave a very small chuckle.

“I test the boundaries of games that I play and this one appealed to my more… aggressive nature. It is a way to relieve frustration.” He admitted and Midnight cleared her throat.

“Look, I know a lot of people want me to play you in the tournament, and from what I’ve heard, I’m in the standings already.” Midnight lamented as she sighed.

“Non, you must not listen to these people. You are going to go to the tournament if you and only you want to go to the tournament. I let my pride get in the way and I am sorry, Mademoiselle. If you do not wish to compete with me, I will not force your hand.” Fraguer took another drink of the beer and suddenly belched off to the side. “Oh, sacrebleu, pardon moi.”

“Wait, what do you mean, ‘compete with you’? I am not going to enter the tournament to try and prove I’m better than anyone. I’m not really… feeling this scene…” She looked off to the side as she spoke and she watched as more and more people tried to do what Fraguer did, only to be blasted apart by a demon shotgun or the behemoth itself.

“Please, do not misunderstand.” Fraguer held up his hands. “I would love to pit myself against one with such a reputation as you. I must admit, since you have come to know me, I have watched some of your early work with the Knights of Chaos. You are very skilled. I would love to fight you, Midnight, if you would like. We can do so without public eye and I can find a place where we can do this, if you so wish.”

“I’m sorry, what?!” Midnight was taken completely aback. “You… wait, no people at all?”

“Non, no ponies, only my guard, who will assure that we will not be disturbed again and then he will leave to go to his hotel room for the night unless he is needed further. Or whatever he does, he is a nice man, I have seen.”

“Awe shucks…” Regal said from the other stool as he sat at arm’s length from them. The Prince gave him a cheeky smile before he turned back to Midnight.

“So, what do you say? Will you battle me in Demonhoof?” He asked, and received an expression of furrowed brows and pursed lips. The gray bat pony looked over toward Shadow and Vanilla, who were very enthusiastically nodding their heads. This furrowed her brow further.

“Guys! Check it out!” A high pitched voice squealed, and the Prince thought the girl who disturbed them earlier had found them again. It was Vespa, though, and she pulled her top up to reveal more signatures covered her titanic tits. “I got seven more! And three lovely ladies signed Providence’s cock!”

She dropped his pants as soon as he made it up to the bar with her and all of them were treated to a cock that was, indeed, signed by no less than two markers and one big lipstick that had smeared on him from sucking him off.

“Sweet screaming babies!” Midnight’s jaw hit the floor as she saw the sheer size of the massive melons that nearly flopped down on her elbow.

OOOoo

Regal followed them up to the hotel room, which was a royal suite, and bid them adieu. He opened the room for her and it reminded her of her higher end conventions she attended. Though, she did not have so much room as this one.

Before she could even ask, he turned on the lights and there came two gigantic screens into view. The living space was massive and had an upstairs. The screens were decked out with sound systems, VR coms and even full running pads below them where they could feel the floor beneath them as they moved.

The kitchen was fully stocked, as was the bar, the billiard table, three arcade machines and a bedroom on the other side of it.

“Please, make yourself at home. If you are hungry, I can send for food or even cook.” As he walked, he suddenly came to a stop and then turned to her with a bit of a bashful smile. “On second thought, pardon moi, but let’s not eat my cooking. It is not very good.” He admitted and she shook her head at him. At first, it looked as if she had a mean face or an angry expression, but there were trace marks of a smile.

“Maybe later.” She gave him a very exaggerated smile with a bright perky voice. Then she went deadpan serious again. “Suit up.”

His eyes widened a bit and the two of them did just that. As she walked out of the bathroom, she cast her clothes aside and walked into the room. She was poured into the high tech game suits. It hugged their curves in shining rubber-like material. The two of them looked at one another and it was revealed that he had a body. As her body also became revealed, the two of them had a few measurements to take, both figuratively and very literally.

He passed her a headset with visor, as he held the other in his hand before putting it over his head. “En garde…”

She came as a dark, luxurious midnight purple armor. Her tits were chiseled into the breastplate of alien demon titanium and she held the rocket launcher on her shoulder. Her wing expanse was glorious and her helmet visor was a gunmetal gray.

The two of them stood on either side of a Hell temple arena. “Welcome to The Demon Arena! First to twenty wins!” The announcer stated into both of their visors. She read her health, ammo, weapons and messages on the visor. All around her, there was a temple of fire and he was somewhere in there.

“Ready, my lady, Midnight?” He asked her on her ear piece.

“When you are.” She replied in something of a growl as it was clear her game face was on. He locked his shotgun shut as she held her rocket launcher at the ready.

“3… 2… 1… Destroy them!” The deep voiced announcer said as the game was on. She hit the floor running, grabbing ammunition from posts and armor from other ones. She knew this arena by heart, but she knew he was by soul. Every single corner turn made her nervous, but then she heard it as she kept going down the middle hallway. He was to her right, and she turned the corner into an open area of the temple, but she jumped over a mote of fire.

One shower of shotgun buckshot grazed her side. She immediately turned around and fired off a rocket toward the black Demon Slayer. He was caught in partial explosion damage, but his shotgun went off once again. One good hit in her chest and her armor was gone. She attempted a rocket jump, but it was too late, he hit her with a grenade and she went boom!

She respawned with a curse. Gathering armor, ammo and this time switching to her alternate weapon. She locked and loaded with a “cling clang” as she charged the gun. One moment later, she saw him. He fired off his shotgun, but she was already behind the pillar of molten temple rocks. As soon as she turned the corner, she introduced him to her large black metal sniper rifle that went off with a crack across the air!

Before he could even breathe a gasp, his head was gone. He landed on the ground once again as he respawned. “Merde…” He breathed, then chuckled some as he switched to his chaingun.

There came clashes after clashes of firefights. He took her down twice with his chaingun but she came back with a rocket to the side of his head. She shot him out of the air as he jumped one of the motes and caused him to lose a kill as he died by environment.

“Merde!” He cursed even louder, now the grin on his face was accentuated with a sweating brow. He sword cut her down as they clashed once again, but then she brought out her pike. The pike was a blue flame on the end of its crystal blade as she swung it around herself and began to take him in melee combat.

He fell to her three times before they switched to assault rifles. The kills were at their last ones for the match and the two of them stood at either side of the arena. They saw one another in the distance, but it was too far, even for her sniper rifle. She had two kills left, he had only one. She would need to take him down in quick succession for this to work, but he was too damned fast!

She was a powerhouse when it came to gathering armor and dodging until she could get the upper hand. He made that very, very difficult. It seemed if she moved wrong once, he would lay a devastating hit in a blindspot. Midnight, noticing she still had the “[KOC]Axel” screenname still, decided she would just need to catch him off guard.

She took off in a sprint, and he was quick to comply. The two of them began to charge and soon, she could see that he was about to start jumping and strafing. She pulled up her rocket and fired off one as she jumped, straight down into the ground, propelling her upward. As soon as she went upward, she fired off the rockets like a machine gun.

“Ooohhh tres magnifique…” He grinned even harder as he pulled out his large shotgun and fired off his shells at three of them, causing them to explode. What he did not see is that she landed directly behind him and he was struck by her flaming pike. He had no time to turn around, she wheeled around him and then fired off a sniper through his chest.

The final bout, the two of them were not hesitating. It was then or never and Midnight was focused to the utmost. The Prance Prince also jumped from the wall as he parkoured straight toward her with a spray of bullets! She was only hit once and her rocket she fired was dodged immediately after. He caught some of the wind on the fire it produced from the explosion, but he came back with a shotgun spray. She lunged forward, dodging the spray as she got straight into him.

It became a grappling match as the two of them began to try and gain the upper hand with their closer ranged weapons but both of them kept tripping up the other one. When she dropped her assault rifle, he dropped his grenade and both of them went sprawling!

The explosion sent them both into the wall and they hit it hard with thirty damage. Their health running alarmingly low, his sword came out and barely missed an inch to the side of her face and she grasped his tricep! They struggled to gain quarter on one another as he wrapped his arm on her shoulder and then shoved them both over the railing!

They both fell and landed on the ground, but were quick to roll. She punched off his helmet, revealing his face was caked in sweat and his mane was no longer beautiful. It was like a green glob on his head as he gasped for breath. The struggle kept going, but it was clear that both of them were breathing heavily.

“Damnit! Just stay down!” She shouted as they kept trying to bash each other into a wall or with their elbows.

“Non! You will submit or die!” He growled and she started to snort. As she snorted he kept struggling but then stopped as he saw she was laughing. “What? Why are you laughing?”

“Your face when you said that!” She started laughing even harder and leaning toward him to put her head on his armor and bump against it. “You looked like such a dork!”

“What is this, dork?” He asked, befuddled as she started knocking her fist against his shoulder as she kept laughing harder. “I was going to… kill you… and these things… they happen.”

“Stop! Oh my God Stop talking!” She was screaming with laughter at this point before she took off her helmet and threw it aside. “You’re going to kill me!” She stopped breathing she was guffawing so hard.

“Sacrebleu, is this how you win the matches, you start laughing at ponies?” She nodded as she kept laughing, but then she grabbed one of his grenade pins and pulled it out.

“No, this is a tie.”

“Oh, shi—” Boom.