Dictator Charlie - The Enforcers Of The Queen's Will

from /hhg/ Hazbin Hotel general #604, #605, #608, #609
part 1: https://pastebin.com/LwRxTRNH
part 2: https://pastebin.com/7yHcR14j
part 3: https://pastebin.com/AfxC5i7f
part 4: https://pastebin.com/uHK1m26T
Big Brothers is Back - de-conditioning part 1: https://pastebin.com/mW1E0BCD
Big Brothers is Back - de-conditioning part 2: https://pastebin.com/T8gpjxCJ
DC timeline Octavia: https://pastebin.com/tmxYDp4t
Dictator charlie - alt-ending: https://pastebin.com/NREXyytV
DC what if part 1: https://pastebin.com/pErwRZ58
DC what if part 2: https://pastebin.com/9B0FTHnT
Dictator charlie dealing with her inner demons part 1: https://pastebin.com/eKiaizwB
Dictator charlie dealing with her inner demons part 2: https://pastebin.com/y2Zrm8e7
Dictator charlie dealing with her inner demons part 3: https://pastebin.com/4aCEZ0Nc
Timeline shenanigans happens: https://pastebin.com/C1jgFV52
Dictator Charlie - Revengance 5000: https://pastebin.com/CpfCQYji
Dictator charlie - Lilith is alive: https://pastebin.com/Uxe3mJ2Q
Dictator charlie - Vox's hell: https://pastebin.com/BrqsyJAA
----
What do D Charlie's enforcer units look like? Are they like ED 209 or hwat?
-
The prototypes were just Razzle and Dazzle, augmented into grotesque, cybernetic supersoldiers, however, it is implied that they were basically weapon testing platforms.
One of the greentexts have mentioned that the enforcer units resemble the Exterminators greatly.
My guess is that they look very similar to them: sort-of "demonic angels", with more emphasis on the "demonic" side, and a(n even) darker color scheme.

Then, I guess later models would look increasingly abstract, with more function over form, as the Queen's reign solidified.
The latest models are probably just nondescript mechs, or look like levitating assembly-line robots, but equipped with weapons.

It would fit well with how her own attitude changes over time: she goes from openly sadistic and vengeful to just cold and calculating, reserving most of her venom for when she deems it necessary.
The enforcer units, likewise, go, first from hideous parodies of what were once beings of her affection (and a symbol of her father's love), to basically a mockery of what Heaven had scourged Hell with, to completely dehumanized, unreadable machines.
-
>1st gen enforcers: basically arco-flagellants or similar battle servitors. Chunks of raw meat with the relevant pieces sliced off and replaced with destructive machinery. Razzle and Dazzle had their brains cored out of anything that didn't relate to motor control and obedience and were loaded down with every piece of weaponry that Queen Charlotte's mind could conceive of now that she's rid herself of such stupid ideas as mercy and redemption.
-
>2nd gen enforcers: more like Kataphron servitors. The most important thing is that the exposed flesh has been sheathed in armor plates, so that its hard for any of Heaven's soldiers to injure the mindless living weapons when they cross paths. Unholy weaponry has also been refined. Hellfire, as effective a means of erasing a soul as seraphic steel, has been tamed and harnessed to a finer degree than ever before in the history of creation. It can now be neatly and safely tucked into an ammunition cell and unleashed at the careful discretion of whoever has their mind wired into the weapon. Angels and rebellious sinners or native demons alike can all be wiped from existence with great efficiency as soon as they present a threat to the new regime.
-
>3rd gen enforcers: killing machines in the strictest sense of the word. No character, no color, no nothing. Ugly hulks of machinery bristling with weaponry, sitting quietly or thoughtlessly treading over their patrol routes. Ready to brutalize anyone or anything that dared to defy the queen's will, but otherwise so vacant and empty and devoid of character that they may as well be household appliances. There's definitely a "brain" in there somewhere, underneath all that carefully designed armor and those shock-absorbing crumple zones, severed from whatever demon it originally belonged to and stuffed into the machine, but whoever it was is long gone. The person is no more, only the programming remains. Directives to watch with everlasting vigilance and destroy as soon as they saw something out of order. A mind without a soul, hardwired into a vengeful arsenal, serving for eternity as the means of Queen Charlotte's retribution upon all of existence.
-
>Non-standard Enforcers: The Queen's heart began to shed the ice that had long encrusted it after her brother, previously thought dead, returned from his fruitless mission to purgatory. She rediscovered her artistic side and her general creativity. Unfortunately, that all fell through when the rebel Cherri Bomb was somehow resurrected and let loose upon Hell once more. The explosion she set off in her attempt to topple the regime may have missed the queen, but it left the prince and his bodyguard teetering on the brink of non-existence. But all clouds have their silver linings, and this seemingly terrible event was no exception. With the help of her chief scientist, Sir Pentious, Charlotte had her brother reassembled, striking a perfect balance between her newly revived artistic flair and all of the cold, practical knowledge she'd gained from her past work. Enforcer Omega-1 is a real wonder. The soul of a direct blood-relation to the royal family was far more resilient than anything else that had ever undergone the conversion process, and therefore capable of enduring integration with much more powerful pieces of equipment than could previously be imagined. At the same time, she got to play dress-up and make sure the new figurehead for her army would be as snazzy as possible. She added a new rank to the chain of command especially for him, and designed a new uniform especially for it, and had her best tailors stitch it together entirely by hand. Her reconstructed brother is as sharp-looking as he is lethal, adorned with her regime's favorite colors, perfectly pressed seams, and gleaming medals awarded for his many acts of service.
---
>One of cherris bombs explodes right on Omega-1
>The armor and clothes are blasted away, revealing Anons horrific cybernetics for all to see
>And now without all that armor weighing him down...
---
I like this shit man
>And best of all
>Any scant few thoughts of disloyalty in his mind was washed away and replaced with undying loyalty, bordering fanaticism
-
>rumors that it was the Prince who brought the rebel back to life, in order to topple his sister's regime in a controlled manner, are nothing but treasonous, and frankly ludicrous hearsay!
>same goes for those hushed whispers, claiming that the Prince's newly programmed loyalty is but a public facade - there is NO DISUNITY within the Queen's regime
>I repeat:
>THERE'S NO INTERNAL DIVIDE
>NO INTERNAL STRIFE BETWEEN THE QUEEN AND THE PRINCE
>to claim otherwise is tantamount to treason, and grounds for immediate liquidation!

>OUR SOVEREIGN REMAINS S̨TR̛O͘ŅG̢
>H̢EL͞L͘ ̡I̶S UNDE̸FÉATE͜D́
>T̸H̵É͞ ̡RO͘̕YA̵L ̢͞F̸͞A̕͜M͘͝I̕͝L̢͟Ý̢ ̧͜I̛S̸̸̵ d̸̨i̢͜͝s̡͘Ų͘͘N̷ITĘD̸̢̕
>T́͟H̡E̸ P̢͠R̴̷I̴͜N̢̧͡C̷̵E̶͘͡ ̶̶I͘Ś ̡d̵̴͜͞i̧͟͞͝s̵̢͢͞LO̴͜Y̢A͢Ļ̸ ̨T̷́O̵ T̛͟͜HE͘ ̴TH̕Ŗ͡O͘N̶̢E͟͞
>R̀E̴͢ÇI͟͝P̧IT̸ L̶̷V̴̡C̨E͢M̵͘ ̨Ą͘͡C ̴̀͞T͟͜E͢N̕Ę̕BRAS


>S̡HE̸ IS N͢OT̷ A̧LON͟E̷
>̀SH̸E ̛IS NO͡T A̴LONE̕
>S̴H͟E̕ I͞S nO̵̧T͝ ̸AL̛O̷ŅE
>S̕͝͠hE ͟͜i̕2̸̴ ̕n̴͟0̶T̀͡ ̨Á̷L0̕Ǹ̴E̢
>§̶h̡́Ę͡ ͡1̨̧͡2 ͝ņ0͞T̢͠ ̸̀4̧L̵0̸͞Ņ̴̨Ę̸͘
>§̵͝͡͝h̸̡̛3́͝ ̛͟1̵̧̡̧͡2̨͝n̡̨0̡̢͡͝T̛̛͞ ̴̸̕͜4͡͠͠L̶̢͜͝0̸͘͜N̵3̸̧̕
>§̶̱̮̘̬͓͚͇͙͎̺̗̪͎̱͙̟̼̦-̵̶͉̗͍̼̳̟́͟3͇͇͔̺͚̤͇̬̭͇̱̟͡͡ ̴̢̻̥̱̰̬̗͚̪̥́͘1̵̷͇͖̗̤̗͔̝2̶̢̼̼̳̼͍̹̣̘͔̬͍̪̞̱ͅ-̵̵͈̤̳͎̕͝0̵̴̢̥̪̝̺͔̺͘͞T̸̵͓̥͇͇͎͞͡͞ ̸̷͚͍̫̝̤̻̠̝̣̞͇͟͜4͈̪͇̰͍̩̱͖̻͓͍̕̕͠L̸̡̝̳̼̰̯̳̝̝̬̞̜̪̝̝̬͡ͅ0̸̩̼̩̤̭̤̰̪͎̖̗̩̬͍͇͔͎͈͠-̵̷̳͉̟͚͔̪̜͓̪̝͙̟̩̟͕͘͝3̵̩̣̪͉̝̞̞̹̪͕̥̫̪͎̪͚̰͠͝͡͝ͅ


>Persevere.
>The Prince is with us.
>And soon, śh̴̕è̴͠ s͝ha̶ļl ̶b̵e͟,̢ ̢too̸...͝
-
>The Prince's bodyguard was a bit troublesome
>He was just an imp, and there was no shortage of those
>He was just an Overwatch trooper, one of many
>Plucked from their ranks merely out of convenience to serve as a bodyguard
>He was already stationed near Pandemonium, so redeploying him wouldn't call for any especially drastic expenditure of resources, and he had a good service record and had taken to the mental conditioning program rather well, so he could be trusted with the post
>But really, there was nothing special about OC-1789
>He was just a convenience, the easiest way of filling a position that needed to be filled without cutting any corners

>Yet somehow, The Prince had gotten quite attached to him
>As soon as he regained consciousness, his bodyguard was all he wanted to talk about, even as his scorched flesh was cut away and repaired with bleeding-edge technology
>"Where's Moxxie?"
>"Is Moxxie okay?"
>"We need to tell his wife what happened"
>"Call Tavi's estate, ask for a servant named Millie"
>"Let her know that we're going to be okay"
>He'd kept up his ramblings until the loyalty unit had been inserted, severing the connection between his vocal chords and the bits of his mind that wouldn't keep in step with The Queen
-
>by some weird quirk of fate, Overwatch Commander 1789 survived the explosion relatively unscathed
>he suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns across his entire body, but then again, imps are a hardy bunch - he recovered soon and the scar tissues were slowly turning into a new (if thicker) layer of proper skin
>beyond physical scars, he suffered a concussion

>as he laid, unconscious on the small infirmary bed - enjoying what was practically the lap of luxury for someone like him -, he was rarely alone
>when not overlooking the augmentation procedures of her brother, the Queen would often spend time beside him, just...
>staring

>what was in this imp, that had bewitched his brother so?
>that he would orchestrate this grand scheme against her?
>going as far as to ask help from The Destroyer?
>there was nothing special about this... "Moxxie"
>short stature, digitigrade feet, horns indicating an association with Wrath
>files on him revealed a life both mundane and eventful - son of a mobster, broke ties with his family to become a musician, wound up as a gunman after marriage and a scuttled career
>was given a small priority during programming, owing to his involvement with a small business that would venture out into the world of the Living to enact murders of vengeance - she'd given the wayward Prince Stolas quite an earful for that

>however, all in all, there was nothing outstanding there...
>aside from the fact that her brother had began to dismantle his programming
>OC-1789 was now just an empty title, while "Moxxie" had slowly returned to being the name of a person

>with a myriad of options to choose from, she went with one
>she could've had him liquidated (for no doubt taking part in her brother's plot), reprogrammed, or even augmented alongside his master...

>instead
>she chose to let him go
>return to his wife, at Prince Stolas' estate


>but not before he had seen what his master had become
-
>Overwatch Commander 1789 remained stoic and stalwart as Enforcer Omega-1 approached
>But inside, he was screaming
>Or maybe sobbing

>It was such a cruel twist of fate

>To be empty and mindless for so long
>To have someone make such a Herculean effort to fix that, to heal his mind and bring him back
>And then to see them lost in an instant
>Their body destroyed, and then rebuilt in the image of utter destruction
>Their mind erased with greater finality than the Overwatch conditioning program could ever hope for
>He wished he wasn't here
>He wished he was with Millie
>Or anywhere else for that matter
>Anywhere would be better than standing at attention as the automaton that had once been The Prince came to a halt before him

>The mechanical monster saluted with unerring crispness, so smooth and flawless that the numerous medals hanging from his pristine uniform didn't even jingle

>"G̴̖̑ô̵͖o̷̦̒d̴̹͝ ̶̹̏d̴̮a̶̔ỳ̵͕,̶̧̛ ̶̳̕C̷͚̎o̷͉m̷̱͂m̸̟͂ȧ̵̗n̵̮͘ḋ̸ẹ̶̾r̴"

>OC-1789 saluted back

>"Good day, Enforcer."

>The enforcer lowered his hand back to his side

>"A̴͇̕l̵̩̓l̶ ̶̇ĩ̷̟s̶ ̶̗͛i̸̟n̵̕ ̵̤̓o̷r̶̈d̴͎̒e̵̓r̵̝͋?̶͎̒"

>OC-1789 nodded

>"All is in order"
-
>"All is indeed in order~"

>Queen Charlotte appeared from behind Omega-1
>She was in what passed for casual dress with her
>Still in full black-and-red uniform, jackbooted and long-coated
>But she didn't have her high-peaked cap on, and let her hair bounce and sway freely rather than keeping it in the usual tight braid
>She had to be in a good mood then
>At least someone was
-
>"Look upon him, Commander..." she said, her voice sweet, yet biting "This is what perfection looks like!"
>"No..." he thought "This is what fratricide looks like..." but he said nothing
>the Queen raved on

>"Equipped with the latest and greatest weapon AND defense systems that the Royal Research Institution can provide, AND with the latest, bleeding-edge loyalty module..."
>she looked directly into the imp's eyes, her own wide as saucers, mouth curled into a giddy smile
>"Lesser minds and souls wouldn't have been able to withstand the augmentations... But he did!"
>"Only for his mind to be mutilated like this..." thought the imp, despairing

>"Now..." Charlotte continued "Since he's more than capable of defending himself, oh, and ME, as well, I'm afraid your services are no longer required..."
>Moxxie stiffened
>"...You've served the throne well..." the Queen continued, uncharacteristically warm in her tone "Provided my brother with the necessary companionship needed to... "Adjust" to a Hell so different from the one he left behind..."
>he couldn't even articulate a coherent thought in anger, so he just put every ounce of willpower into not expressing it
>"When he regained consciousness, despite his injuries..." Charlotte went on "He called you out by name. Your civilian name."
>again, the imp froze
>"He said you had a wife, a certain... "Millie"..." she rolled the name in her mouth, as if practicing it "...And that she lived at the Goetia estate..."
>amid his rising panic, the former commander tried to think of something, ANYTHING that could save his love
>...but, as it turned out, it wasn't necessary

>"That's where you shall be going." the Queen continued "Consider it a... Retirement with honor, for all your services. After all, there's little use for you without your... "Training", after my brother had undone it. While I don't think I need to question your LOYALTY..." she added, narrowing her eyes "...We now have a risk-free replacement..."
-
>"All in all, I think things have worked out rather nicely"
>"That fireworks fiasco was a pretty bad time, but we all came out of it in good shape, didn't we?"

>Omega-1 nodded

>"Y̷̐ȅ̸ş̴̈́,̶ ̸̕m̵̎y̷̚ q̷̈́ȕ̶̬e̷ē̶̳ñ̸"

>Queen Charlotte's smile widened

>"And better yet, we've proven to the rebels that their sad little attempts at defiance won't nearly be enough to stop us!"

>"Verily, Your Royal Highnessss"

>The Minister Of Science slithered up to The Queen's side, head held low in deference, to examine his creation
>Sir Pentious looked miserable beyond measure, as always
>Unlike Enforcer Omega-1, he looked terrible in his uniform
>There was no telling what had been going on in The Queen's head when she designed the tunics for those that would serve her as scientists
>But it was clear to everyone who looked at the serpentine demon except her that he was uncomfortable and unhappy
-
>"Now... With all of that settled..." Charlotte continued "I shall arrange for your transfer to Prince Stolas' estate. You may gather your belongings, and you MUST surrender any arms you've been given for your service... Excluding personal gifts, which, on the other hand, will be transferred separately with your luggage, in a protective sheath and without any ammunition..."
>defeated, Moxxie nodded
>"Thank you, Your Majesty."
>"Good." the Queen replied "Now, since you two were SO close... Any last words?"

>Oh, now she was just taunting him!
>beside her, Sir Pentious frowned with distaste, but the Queen didn't seem to notice
>she was looking rather intently at the imp

>Moxxie's mind wracked with questions
>painfully, he tried to recall his memories from his service, but, for some reason, he kept hitting barbed mental walls that wouldn't let him remember certain things
>with each blind spot, however, something began to emerge in his mind
>a sequence of characters
>with a wince, it finally became clear, and he turned back to the Queen
>"I've no words for him." he said, firmly
>Charlotte frowned, softly - admittedly, she had not expected this
>there was no defiance in the imp's voice, so this wasn't against her - he just passed up his last chance to talk with her brother

>even for her, that was cold

>"Instead, I have a question..." he continued "...For the Minister of Science."
>both she and Pentious raised an eyebrow at that, but she stepped aside, motioning the serpent to move forward, her eyes darting suspiciously between the two
>the snake slithered forward
>"...Yessss?" he asked, puzzled
>the imp plucked up courage

>"What is paragraph three, twelve, Oh-Tee, four-Ell-Oh-three?"


>Sir Pent blinked
>"...I beg your pardon?" he muttered
>the Queen's eyes grew wide again - this time, with shock and confusion
>the serpent frowned
>"Well, it SSSSOUNDSsss like a code..." he mused "But then... I don't undersssstand the paragraph at the beginning..."
---
>"Of course you don't..."
>the imp and the snake looked up, startled
>the Queen spoke very quietly, her eyes still wide, with a hollow look to them
>"It's a section of the old royal code." she explained "Paragraph three deals with wartime situations. Section twelve is about commanding officers of royal descent, and subsection O:T. specifically refers to the commander-in-chief..."

>as she went on, quiet as a whisper, the color began to drain from Moxxie's face
>the mere knowledge of this reference should be enough to implicate him in the rebellion
>he was a dead man walking
>he didn't even notice his tears, until one landed on his claws, as it dawned upon him:
>he may never see Millie again

>"4L-03 is the relief code for the commander-in-chief, in case they prove to be "not of right mind" to fulfill their duties anymore..." Charlotte finished, as a smile slowly crept upon his face
>it wasn't a happy smile
>"Of course..." she said, eyes settling on the former commander once more "Knowledge of this code implies that the aforementioned officer is aware that they can be relieved of their duties if they're deemed "too crazy", meaning they can formulate a... "Defense" against their removal."

>she sighed

>"Bit of a reverse-Catch-22..." she mused "You can't get rid of ME by saying I'm crazy, if I can prove there's a method to my madness..."
>and she smirked at the imp
>"I'm not going to question how you knew about this, very specific rule, given that most civilians didn't even know it existed during my father's reign..." she said "...But know this: we'll be closely watching you from now on~"

"Ǹ̢o̶͢.̸̛͠"


>they all froze
>the Prince, who had been silent, up until now, spoke up
>his voice, though distorted by the modulators, lacked the artificial calmness it previously held
-
"Y̧o̵͞u̶͝'̛r̴̨e ̴not̸́ ͜th̶͟͟e ̕͜c̕͟omm̴̡à͢n̴̢d͟er͘͝-́i̵n̸̷̡-̶́c̴̵h͡ìe̢f̕.̢"
>he said
"F͟ǫ̸͢r̨͟ ̛̀w̸̛̕e͜͞ ąr̵͡e͘ ͡nò̵t̢̨͞ ̨͜at̷͟ w̸a͡r̵̢͝.́"

>Moxxie stared, shocked
>though it seemed the Prince was speaking freely, there was no emotion in his voice
>not even the sterile stillness and stoicism of a machine
>it was like a void
>Sir Pentious had backed away, confused and terrified - all of this was far beyond his understanding of the world, mortal or otherwise

>the Queen just stared, baffled, confused...
>scared

>Anon continued:
T̛͝h̸͝e̵ ̴͠o̧n̛e w͟͞h̸͘o ́͠ţh͜is̨ l̶aw ̢͞ŗ͢efe̡̢rs̸̢̀ ͜͠t̶͟o͟͞.̧̀.̶.̴̸̛ ̸̢̡T̀͜ḩ͝e̶̸ ̷̨on̛e̴͟ ̷̴w͞h̕o̷̕ ̷͜it̶̢͢ ̵̨͠r̷̡̛ȩl͠ie̷͟v̛e̢s ̵̕i͟͡s̴͜.̨͞.͟.

>but then, he fell silent
>with a whine and a humm, his cybernetic parts powered down, his stance relaxing, to the point where he almost crumpled to the floor

>the other three stared, dumbfounded
>did...
>did he just turn... Off?

>and then, Anon got back up

>no...
>he didn't "get back up"...
>he just... rose up
>lifted himself back into his previous, steely stance, as if he was pulling himself up on strings
>his armor didn't turn back on, and yet, seemed to move with a fluidity it previously couldn't even come close to
>no displays lit up, and the colors on it seemed to fade, dull, and darken


>he opened his good eye...

>...and it was like a black hole in the sky

>H ͜i͘ ̕ḿ

>all sound was drained from the room, save for Pentious' desperate gasps
>the old snake didn't - couldn't - understand what was going on, and panic was beginning to set in

>the Queen and the imp, on the other hand, knew
>they recognized the voice

>O ̨u r ̶Ḑ e͟ ̨a̧ ̵l̷ ̵ H͢ a ͠d B̸ ͡e͝ e͢ ̵n̛ ̵ F̢ u l̀ f́ i͘ l̕ l̕ ̨e d̀
>it said, with a voice as deep and hollow as the Abyss
-
>"Apollyon!" snapped the Queen, shaking from her stupor "What is the meaning of this?"

>the "Prince" turned towards her, his empty eye boring into her soul
>slowly, the furious frown disappeared from Charlotte's face, steadily replaced by a look of fear and sorrow...
>a look of penance

>Y ǫ ͡u ̧ ̕H ͠a͘ v͝ ̴e̕ ͡N̨ ͡o ̢ ̀A u͘ t͜ h̡ ̸o͢ ̨r ͘i t y̡ ̕ ̶O͠ ̶v e͞ r ́ M e,͢ P͠ ŗ ̴í n̕ c͟ ̢e s s
>it said
>Y͜ ̸o u ̀K͠ ̡ņ ̛o ̛w ̕ ̢T̛ h a t̵

>mildly taken aback, the Queen's entire stance... Changed
>her shoulder slumped, he gait slackened...
>her entire demeanor became defensive
>suddenly, she wasn't Queen Charlotte anymore

>she was back to being Princess Charlie Magne

>..."What do you want?" she asked, sulkily
>Abaddon stared

>M y ͜D ́è ̴a̕ ͜l ͠Ẃ i ̸t h ͜T h͠ e͡ ̛P͞ r i ̛n ̢c͝ e̸ ͜C ͠o̕ n ̶c l ͞u ̷d̨ e̴ d
>it stated
>A̧ S o u͡ ́l ̴F o r͠ ̵A̛ S o u͢ l̷

>"...What deal?"
>"What deal?!"

>both Moxxie and Charlie exchanged glances, briefly
>The Destroyer continued:

>W h ́e n H e ̵A ̴s̢ ͠k e͝ ͞d M̢ e ͞ T̶ ơ R̡ e t̸ ́u̧ ͝r n ̢T ͜h e͘ F̨ i ̧r̨ e b r͝ ͜à n̴ d͟
>H ̶e K n e͞ ͜w̸ ̷ T h a t͝ ͢Ņ ̀o ̕ F ̵à v͠ o r ̵ I͢ ̀s͝ ̕ ̸W ̴i͘ t͟ h̨ o u t̀ ̸I ͘t̨ ' s͟ ̛ ̕D u̡ e͢ ̷R̴ e t̕ ̨u ̕r͝ n
>O u ̴r͘ ̷ ͡D ̨e a l͞ W ̴a͘ ̛s̴ ̵A͞ g̢ r̴ e͡ ̶e ͟d U ̛p̵ ̧o͜ n,͘ T̡ ̷h̢ o͠ ư g h ̕ N o ̡t́ ̶ ͜C̛ ̵o ͝n c̶ r e ̨t̢ ̕e̕
>W̵ ̶h̀ ̢e n ͝ I͘ ͘Ļ i͘ f t e d ͜T͟ h e R̴ e b ̷e ̧l ̶ ̧B a c ̴k ̛ F r ̕o͢ m͜ ͝T̨ ̸h͠ e̶ ͘ ͘A ͞b y ̡s ̕s̕

>she barely noticed the pain
>the pain of his betrayal, is it was proven that this was, indeed, his rebellion
>her heart had been broken enough - she could hardly feel it anymore
-
>H̸ e͜ ͡ M ̡a d́ e ͢U p ̢ H i ś M i̛ n̶ d͘ ͜ ̸A s ̴ ̷H̕ ̢i ̸s ̀F͘ ͡l e s͝ h ́W̧ ͟a ͞s ͘B͝ e̢ i n ͞g ͜ Ŕ ̕e̷ s ̢c ̛u̴ l p̡ t̸ ̶e ̢d͡
>Abbadon continued, staring directly at Charlie
>A͟ ş H ͘i s ̡ ͢M i n̡ d̛ ̶ ͞W ̛a͠ s ̧B͞ ̴e i ͠n ͡g ̸S͡ ̷l a i̸ ̀ņ ́I̧ ̀ǹ H̛ a͞ l̨ ͡f
>T h̢ ̶e͜ H a ̵l f ̵T̨ h̨ a ͡t ̀F e̸ ̨l͢ l ̷ S̡ ̵i̛ ̕l e͟ ͘n ͘t ͝A̴ p ̴p̛ e a͝ r ̢e ̕d ̀ ̀B ̷e f o͟ r e M ̛e̶
>A ͜n d̸ ͢ C͟ ͘e͜ m e̡ ̡n t̷ e͡ ͠d̶ ̶O͠ u͞ ̨r ͘ D ̢e̕ ́a̧ l

>this, she could feel - the guilt
>the pain of it, the consequences of her decision

>she had sent her brother to the Abyss

>W̵ ̢i ̕t h ͝ ̢H ̵i̶ ͜s ́M i n̸ d̷ I̧ n͘ ̷ T ̛w ̢a į n̢,͝ ͟H e ̧ ̀K̛ ́n e̵ ̵w͠ O f ͝ ͝T́ h e͢ ̕L ͡a ̷w̨ ̛ T ́h a t̢ R̢ e̸ ̀l͢ ̀i e ̶v̨ ͡e d H i m O̡ f H̡ i s ͡ R o͞ ̡l ̛e̸
>B ͝u͟ t́ H ͟e ̷C o̕ u ̧l͟ d n̕ ' t C ̸a̷ l͜ ͟l F ͡o̡ r ̕ I t̨,̶ ̢ F o ŕ ̷ ̡T ̷h͝ e͝ P͘ ̸á r t͠ ͞ O͝ f ͜ T ̀h e͞ ̶ ͟M ̵i ͠n ͢d ͜T ̕h ̨a t K̕ n ̷e͝ w ͠Ć ̧ơ u l̢ ͡d ̧n͢ ' t T e̸ ̕l̸ l T̸ ̵h̡ e ̧ O̢ n ȩ ͢ L e f̀ t́ ͠ I n̶ ͢H i͘ s ̀S ͢h̕ ̨e l ͟l

>he then looked at Moxxie

>I̸ O f͝ f́ e ̷r e̡ d͢ ̶ ͞A ̕ M͝ e̴ ͟d i ͞u͟ m

>guilt welled up in the imp as well

>T̨ h̴ ̀r ͟o͝ u̷ g h ̢ H͠ i͠ m, ̡H̶ i͜ ͢s C͢ ǫ n ͞s̕ ̡c̨ i ̡o̸ ͢u ̵s̴ ͠ ͘H a ́l ̕f̛ ͞W͞ a̵ ͟s͡ C ͘a ́l l é ͠d T̢ ͞o S̀ l ͜u͡ m͡ b e ͜r̷
>A̡ l͢ l͝ ̡o̡ w̢ ͜i ǹ g͘ ͘ ̕M ̧e̕ ͞ T͠ o͝ ̷ ͡T͘ a ̧k ͞e I̶ ̶t ͞'̀ ͡s ͘ P ͞ĺ ͞a ̀c͠ ȩ
>F̶ ͠u̸ l ̨f̛ ͘i͘ ́ĺ ͡l̕ i n̡ g̵ ̴ T h e ͠W o̢ r͡ d͜ ̛ Ǫ ̷f̧ ͟ L͘ ̵à ͘w,͡ ͢ ̴Á s͟ ̶ H e̛ F͘ u l f͝ i l̴ l e ͞d ̕ H̢ i̡ ̢s E ̡n̨ ̵d ͟Ơ f̧ ̶ ̀T̴ he͞ ̡ ̴B ͢a ͡r ͜g͢ a i n
-
>"You mean, he's...?"
>Charlie couldn't finish

>H e ̶ T͜ ̷o͢ o ̡k̴ M̧ ̷y͘ P͘ l̛ a ç ̡e͢ ͝ ̀I n ͡ T̡ h e̢ A ̡b y͘ ̀s͡ s̴
>Apollyon stated
>H e̡ S ͝h ͝a l͜ l͘ ̡ R ̶e ̢m̸ ̴a͠ i͡ ̨ņ ͞ Ư ͝n ́t i͞ l ̵T ̸h e E̴ ͟n͡ ̡d ̀O̢ ̛f ͞D́ ̕ą ý s
>H i̸ s ̸ W̵ ͟i͢ l͟ l ̢I̧ ̧s ͜N͢ ͢o͢ t ͠ ̢E͟ ͜n ͢o ̴u͘ ̴g ͘h ͝T͜ o̢ ́ ͠C a͞ r ̷r͘ ̶y͢ ͘ O̡ u͞ t M̕ y͞ ̶ D͜ ͝u̧ ͘t̸ y͟
>S o, ̶ I͞ ̶ ̧S̵ ̧h̷ ́a l̡ l L̵ e̵ ̀a v ȩ ͢H͢ ͟i s ̨ S̢ ́h́ ȩ ͠l̷ ͟l̶
>W ́h ̴e͟ n̴ ̴ ̷T ̵h͟ e ́ ̛T ͜i̵ m e C o m ̕e̵ ̕s

>with that, he turned away from Charlie, seemingly addressing the whole room, now

>Y͞ o u͢ ͢r ́ R̢ é ̢i ̶g n ͞ ͜H͝ a d ͜ O ņ l ̀y͢ ͞ M a͟ ́d ̴e͟ ̀ M e̴ ͝ ͠S t r o̵ n͟ g͝ ̧e r
>Ỳ ́ó ̴ų O͠ f̸ f́ e̸ r͘ ͡e d ̀ ̕M͞ ͘e ̷ ͢C̴ o͝ ư ̨n̕ ̸t l̕ e ̶s ̛s ͜S͡ o͜ ͜u l s T o S h ́a͢ ͡r͞ ̴e̡ ̸ T̕ ̶h̢ ́e̶ D ̶a͘ ͝r k̢ ̡n ̨e̵ s̴ s W͞ i͡ ̷t h̛
>A n̸ ͟d ̶Y ̛o̸ u ̸r̸ ̡ ̸B r̨ o t͜ h̛ ̴e̛ r̶ O̕ f͜ f̶ e͜ r̴ e͘ ͟d ̶ M̢ ́e Ć ̸o̡ m̷ ̨p a̵ n͜ y̷ ͞T h ̕r o ư ̡g̶ h ̢H ͢i ̵s ̧H u̷ ͝s k
>S̵ ̴o̴,͠ ̕ ̡I ̨ ̛S͝ ̸h ͢a ̸l ̕l L͝ ̶e n͘ ̷d̕ Y͝ o ú M̵ ̨y P o ͘w̢ ̵e ̶r ̵ A s͟ A ͞R̸ ̶ę w a r d
>F̸ ̶o r̷ e͡ v e ͞r͝ ̷M ͝o̕ r ̀e

>"No... This..." the Princess struggled through her sobs "...This isn't what I wanted!"

>T ͡h e̕ n T ̴h̴ i̕ s ̵ ̀Ì s Y ͝o ̀u̕ r͢ ́ ͞P͢ u͜ ̸n̷ ̧i ̶s̡ ̢h ͞m̷ e͟ ̛n t͠

>they were all taken aback at the ire in his voice
-
>Y̛ o͠ u ͢ W̕ e͞ ͡r̕ ͝e͢ ̶ S ͡e ̢l͡ f̸ i̶ s͜ ̶h
>Y͠ ǫ u̧ D ́ę s ͢i͝ r ̧ę ͟d C͠ o n͝ t ͠r ̵o͟ ̛l
>Y ͠o u ͞W o̡ ̀u͡ l d ́ E ͠v e n̸ ̛ T a ̢k e ̛ Y ̢o ư ͟r̕ ̛B̢ r͡ o t ͜h̕ ͢e͟ r̨ ̸' s͝ ͟Ḿ ͘i͞ n ̶d A ̨n ͝d͘ ̷S̷ ͘o̡ u̶ ͟l̷ ̨ F ͢o̧r ͜ ̵I t͝
>Y ͢o u ̵ ̵T o ͢o̴ k ̧Y o u̢ r F a ͜t͠ ̨h̷ e͞ ŗ ͝' s ̸L ͠i͡ f̴ ̸e ̸ ͝I ̨n H̀ ̢i͝ s̷ M o m ̸e̸ ̨n̢ t O ̶f͞ ̨G̛ r ̕i è ͟f
>M ́a̕ d̴ e T͘ h̀ ͟o ̴s̵ ͢e ͞W h̨ ̴o̢ ͝ L o ͞v e̶ ͞d ̢ Y͡ ͡ǫ u F͜ ͢e a ̢r ̵ Y͢ ̡o͢ ̢u̴
>A̛ n͘ d ͞R͘ u͟ l ͡e ̡d͡ W í ̸t h T ̵h ͜a ̵t̛ ̡ F ̵é a r A̢ ͞b s͜ ́o̶ l͢ ̵u͡ ̛t̸e
>B ̧e ͟c̨ ͜o͟ ͠m̴ i͟ ̡n g ̵ ̕J u̸ ̸d̶ g e͠, ̶J͢ ̀ư ̡r ͝y͜, A̕ ̵n̴ ̢d E x̶ ͟e ̢c̵ u̷ ͟ţ i ơ n͞ e r̡ ͘ ̛F ̶o͘ ̵r̴ A̸ ̸l l

>for the first time since time immortal, the Destroyer frowned, setting his eye upon the Princess

>Y o u̶ ͟ ̨B͘ e͟ t̨ r ͠á y̷ e d ̴E v͝ ͞e ̡r͞ ỳ ò ͢n ȩ
>É ̸v͜ ̴e n͢ ̨ ͜Y o ͡u ̛r ̧s e ͜l̕ f


>with that, he fell silent, his face losing all emotion
>Charlie slumped to her knees, quietly crying
>the guilt that wracked her heart had become unbearable
>Sir Pent was still hyperventilating, though his mind was slowly beginning to grasp the situation
>Moxxie, though stunned, did not allow himself to succumb to grief or panic
>he made his decision, and stepped forward

>"Take me." he said
>Abaddon turned, and looked at him
>"Take me instead." the imp declared "Just give him back!"

>N̶ o

>in an instant, his face fell
>sorrow shadowed the Destroyer's new face
-
>Moxxie sighed
>of course

>Y̴ ͟o u ͟'̢ ̕d ̷J́ ̵u̕ ̸s ̡t ̸ ̵B̀ e̶ ̵ T̵ ̢h͜ ́r͠ o̶ ̢w̶ i̴ ̷n ͢g ̨ ̨Y o ͜u r ̕L ͝i͠ ͞f͞ e ́ A͡ ͘w a ̵y̛
>Abaddon continued
>A̡ ń ͠d̨ ̸ L͜ ͡e a̧ ͜v ̧è ͜ ͠Y o̶ u ͢r̢ L͡ ̴ơ ̀v e̡ d́ ̨ ͜O ͝n e ̛s ͠ T ͝o͟ M o͞ ̷u r͜ ̧ǹ
>O̴ ͡r ̡ D̨ o̢ Y o͢ u N ̕o̵ ̷t̡ ̵ ̶C a r͝ ́e̷ ̕ A ̸b ̡o̢ ̷ų t͝ ͞ T ͟h̛ e m̀ ̸ ̡A ͜n ̧y m͡ ̸o ͝r ͢e

>the imp gasped silently, remembering
>Millie!
>he was finally going to see Millie again!


>R e̴ ͟t u r͝ ͝n T͢ o ͡ Y̶ ̸o͢ ̕u ͠r ̷ W i ͜f e,͢ L i t͞ t ̧l̀ e I ͢m͟ ͡p
>spoke the Destroyer, before turning his gaze to the snake
>A ̛n ͡d̴ ͟ ́R ̸e s ͝t͡,͟ ̵ O͜ l d ͡ S e͝ ̡r̛ ́p͟ ̴e n t́

>he then turned back to the slumped form of Charlie

>W̸ ̡e M u̶ s͝ ̛t ̵ ͝D̨ ̧i ̴s ̢c͟ u s s͟ ͞ T͝ h e͝ ̵ F̵ ̢u͡ t ̨u r͟ e ̷O ̶f̵ ̶ O͝ ̡u r͟ ̧ R e ͢i͘ g͞ n


>and so, the two men staggered out of the room, with Sir Pent leading the way
>Moxxie lagged behind, and from the doorway, looked back over his shoulder

>the Princess remained there, sobbing on the ground before the towering, still form of what was once his brother
>and now, the avatar of destruction itself
>a fitting dot on the "i" for her - a monument of her vengeance and hubris, leaving her with nothing, but a golem, made from the one she once held so near and dear
>she was alone


>and as much as it pained him, as much as the guilt pushed against his chest, Moxxie just sighed, and turned away
>in a way, he was relieved that he was no longer part of this...
>and yet, he couldn't help but to feel sorry
>well, it was more like pity
>some sympathy for the devil, who dug her own pit