//------------------------------// // Chapter 25: The Eclipse Protocol // Story: Lake of Reflection // by Richer19 //------------------------------// You know what I just realized? After looking back on when I started this story, I realized that we are actually close the date when I posted my first chapter for this story. I really can’t believe that it has been almost a full year and I’m still working on it. Ah well what can you do…well besides enjoy the new chapter of course. Chapter 25: The Eclipse Protocol It was actually rather unfortunate that Trixie decided to chose this moment to finally regain full consciousness. She opened her eyes to find that her vision was filled with that familiar face belonging to her new marefriend. Marefriend…now that was a word that Trixie was no longer feeling any kind of doubt or hesitation to; her time spent in that half-aware state had allowed her to finally have a moment to reflect on all that has happened. It was during that period of self evaluation that she came to the rather simple conclusion that she was very fortunate to have captured Twilight’s heart. No matter how much she tried, she just couldn't think of any other pony she would want to spend the rest of her life with. Trixie was about to open her mouth and try to convey what she wanted to tell Twilight like some kind of medical drama, but whatever mood might have been established was quickly destroyed when both unicorns became aware of the constant pounding of a door. They both turned and saw what appeared to be an earth pony guard wearing blue armor that looked similar to the ones Twilight saw when Luna came to Ponyville on Nightmare Night. The stallion had his back pressed against the door and they also notice a blue/black metal pole that was propped up on the door handle. Moonsaber looked up at the two unicorns, noticing with some mild relief that Trixie was now awake, before saying “Hay there. Glad to see you’re up.” There was another slam on the door which caused the Moonsaber to give a slight grunt before continuing “So…as you can see, there are a lot of ponies here who wanted to pay you a visit however” another slam and Moonsaber almost lost his grip on the door before adding “Somepony forgot to tell them that visiting hours are over.” Moonsaber tried to force out a chuckle but his laughter died when the sharp end of a sword was impaled through the door and just barely managed to hit the Champion of the Moon. No longer thinking that it was a good idea to try and alleviate the two unicorn’s obvious fear, Moonsaber gave a silent sigh of defeat and said “Okay I need you two to get as far away from the door as possible. It’s not going to last much longer but I promise you two that I will protect you.” Twilight and Trixie both nodded their heads and started making their way towards the far wall, Twilight keeping close to Trixie to help keep her on her hooves. As Moonsaber watched them, he heard the dragon spirit say “Never make promises you can’t keep.” Moonsaber gave a silent mental sigh before replying “What do you want me to tell them? That we are essentially trapped in this room where the only way out is through a mob of creatures who are very eager to cut us up and they are unable to teleport out of here because our own lockdown is preventing that from happening.” The spirit only gave a mild shrug in response, not really having an answer to give him. Moonsaber noticed the shrug and felt the need to change the topic so he asked “How long until Solarshield gets here?” The dragon spirit was silent for a moment before saying in a tone of finality “Not soon enough.” There was a sense of dread worming its way into Moonsaber’s heart. For the first time he felt a complete sense of failure and incompetence. He was supposed to be the Champion of the Moon but he couldn't even protect two ponies inside his own domain. Why couldn't they have attack at night where it would have at least been fair? Moonsaber looked at the two unicorns and saw the fear clear in their eyes. That fear gave him a sense of final resolve and he silently vowed that as long as he held breath, he was going to keep them safe. With that final thought in his mind, Moonsaber detached himself from the door while at the same time grabbing his staff. Moving so that he was in between the unicorns and the door, Moonsaber gave one final thought to the rest of the castle. “This is Champion Moonsaber. Our defenses will not hold for much longer and I feel we will not live to see another night. I want every guard here to know that it was an honor and a privilege to be able to serve under the Princess again after my banishment. To Celestia and Luna, I thank you for sharing your vision of Equestria and I hope that I was, in some small way, able to help shape that vision. To Solarshield…I’m sorry I never got to tell you how I really feel and that maybe someday you will find a stallion that will make all of your dreams a reality.” The smashing of the door was getting more and more constant and Moonsaber response was to tighten his grip on his staff before ending “This is Moonsaber signing out.” Saferoom codename “Banana Cake” Luna heard what her Champion had said and she couldn't help but let a few tears fall from her face. In all her wisdom, she had never expected things to turn out like this. Now she was going to lose not only one of her best Champions but her only friend while banished on the moon. The sadness quickly turned into anger though. She was angry at those creatures for attacking while the sun was up, the time when Moonsaber was at his weakest; and she was angry at herself for being unable to do anything to help him. “There is one way you can help him Luna” Celestia said in a gentle voice. Like Luna, she too was a good friend of Moonsaber, having met long before he became a knight and they took up the crown. However, she also knew that Luna and him shared a much stronger bond of friendship and knew how much the earth stallion meant. Luna looked up at her sister with eyes that were full of hope as she asked in a breathless whisper “How?” Celestia gave a small smile and gestured towards Luna’s Cutie Mark. Luna was slightly confused as to what her sister was getting at but it didn't take long before realization dawned on her. However, despite the fact that every part of her body was screaming to act, some small part of her mind forced her to say “But surely the…” Celestia held up her hoof to silence her younger sister and replied “Whatever problems arise, I will take full responsibility. Now you must hurry before it is too late.” Luna needed no more motivate and galloped as fast as she could to the nearest balcony. Hallway #24, Medical Wing Approach; ETA 2 minutes “You blasted selfish, ignorant, foolish, waste of air. I swear by her Highness Royal Flank that you better be alive when I get there or I’m…I…” Solarshield raged in her mind but was unable to complete her threat for the simple reason that she couldn't think of one at this moment. She was currently ahead of Shining Armor and two squad or Royal Day Guard. Every single guard, minus Shining Armor, was in their combat uniform and armed with a wide range of weapons from swords to crossbows. They had all heard Moonsaber’s final message but unlike Solarshield and Shining Armor, they were more concerned with rescuing Celestia’s Personal Student rather than rescuing the Champion of the Moon. They all figured that, as long as Twilight was still alive, Moonsaber’s sacrifice would have been justified. If Solarshield had heard their thoughts just now, and if she had any time to spare; she would have personally given each of them third-degree burns and put them on latrine duty until they were only enough to have grandchildren. The reason was that Solarshield was still repeating Moonsaber’s message inside of her head; specifically the part that was address to her. Shining Armor managed to get alongside her and asked in a quiet tone “Are you all right there Commander?” Solarshield didn't look at him, her eyes still focused in front of her. However, Shining Armor did hear her say in a soft voice as well “I’m not going to lose him…I can’t lose him. Without him…I…” the words stopped in her throat, due to being backed up with her rising emotions, and she was unable to make them come out. Shining Armor didn't need to hear anymore. He could see that look in her eyes; the same look he saw whenever he looked into the eyes of his own beloved. Shining Armor was about to offer some words to try and lift her spirits when a guard said “Commander! Look up there in the sky.” Solarshield and Shining Armor both looked up at the sky without so much as breaking their stride and they each saw what it was that the guard was talking about. For Shining Armor, he wore and expression that was a mix of disbelief and wonder. However for Solarshield, she felt the rising feeling of hope surging in her body and she couldn't help the few tears of joy from matting her fur. Shaking the tears away, the Champion of the Sun renewed her mad dash towards the medical room. However, she was now no longer feeling any kind of doubt or worry. Instead, she was now more concerned if the maids would be skilled enough to remove bloodstains from the walls. Room 1138 *SMASH* The door, after taking more punishment then any door should take; finally had enough and toppled onto the ground. The creatures, mildly shocked by the sudden noise, were quick to regain their focus and started pouring their way into the room. Twilight and Trixie’s breath were caught in their throats as they witness the gleaming blades being held by each of the hooded creatures. Moonsaber only tensed his body in preparation; waiting for the first of them to make the first move. However, before any of them could do so much as raise a sword, Trixie said in a startled voice “Look! Up there in the sky.” The hooded creatures, probably feeling a mixture of confusion and curiosity; turned their attention to the window that was opposite the door. Moonsaber, not trusting himself to take his eyes off of them but still somewhat curious as to what they and Trixie saw, turned his attention to the window. What he saw was something that made all the feeling of hope and belief returned to his body. Throughout Equestria and the world over, every sentient creature watched as the moon, which wasn't suppose to appear for a few more hours, was now slowly rising on a direct course with the sun. Time seem to slow down as everyone witness the rather frightening but strangely beautiful moment when the moon itself appeared to move in front of the sun; turning what was a bright day into a calming dusk. Back in the room, Moonsaber was looking at the moon with a mixture of relief and joy. His only thought was a quiet thank you to Luna before returning his attention back to the hostiles. By that point, they had started to lose interest in the sky and were now focusing back on the three ponies that were still trapped. However, underneath those hoods, they were all feeling a sense of surprise followed by a new feeling, one of complete dread and terror. Twilight and Trixie first noticed the rather sudden and almost violent surge of magic coming from the earth stallion. It was such a large amount that the actual magical energy was starting to become visible; swirling around Moonsaber in a mixture of blue and black waves. With the pole still in his mouth, Moonsaber gave his best confident grin as he started doing what should be impossible for any pony. Everyone present watched as the Champion of the Moon started to rise on his two hind legs, his center of gravity changing to match. Once he reached full height, the armor that he was wearing started to glow before morphing and expanding to cover all of his body minus his forearms and head. There was no need for any armor on his arms because at that moment, said arms begun to morph as well. What was once blue fur became black dragon scales and what was once a hoof became a paw with five razor sharp silver claws. But, the changes didn't stop there as Moonsaber spat out the staff and caught it with his left paw. Bringing his right paw to hold it diagonally across his body, The Champion of the Moon gave one single toothy grin before moving the staff slightly. That slight movement was enough to cause the last change to happen. There, jutting out of the staff was a large curve blade that had designs of skulls, gravestones, and dead trees all being watched under a crescent moon. There, under the full effects of the moon; was the real Moonsaber, the dragon-pony hybrid who became the Champion of the Moon. His armor, named Full Moon, was forged with metals recovered from falling stars and smelted under the full moon. Sharing properties that are similar to its counterpart the Aegis Armor; Full Moon’s only real weakness is solar magic. However, the armor pales in comparison to Moonsaber’s weapon; the deadly scythe known as Crescent Blade. Legend has it that Luna herself won this blade after outsmarting Death itself in a game. The blade will never dull or break, the staff will never wear out or bend and any creature that falls to it are said to be dragged into the darkest pits of Hell for eternity. However the scythe, like the armor and even Moonsaber himself, all share one single flaw. Their true potential can only be achieve whenever the moon is in the sky. Moonsaber grin only grew wider as he watched the creatures start to slowly back away towards the door. He could smell the fear, as well as some rather unsanitary liquids, coming from them. They appeared petrified, their eyes glued to his own, which had changed so that one was blue while the other was blood red, and couldn't help but give a deep chuckle before saying “NoW tHeN? WhO WaNt’S tO tRy FiRsT?” Naturally, their response was getting out of that room as fast as they could and heading for the escape. However, they didn't get far from the one demon before encounter another, and possibly even more demonic, pony. What they saw was a hallway that was blocked by no less then thirty fully armed and armored ponies that were all eager and spoiling for a fight. What didn't capture their attention was those thirty guards nor the guard in the purple armor that had a look of extreme distaste and suppressed anger. No, there attention was the one guard pony that was separate from the rest. Solarshield had never really had a moment where she felt so much anger at something or even really a desire to utterly destroy something as she did right now. Her mane, which was usually a normal orange-red color, was now literally on fire. The fiery mane however could be equaled to that of an ember when compared to Solarflare. The blade was lodged into the floor, a magical grip still around the handle ready for Solarshield to use. The blade’s runes that traveled the metal were glowing bright blue which complemented the blue fire that was burning around the metal but never melting it. The floor around the point where the blade was connected was already turning into blacken mark on the ground. And if anypony could actually believe it, the fire around Solarflare was nothing compared to the barely controlled berserker rage burning in her eyes, giving the impression that she was trying to burn their own minds just by looking at them. When faced with such a menace, the hostiles did the only logical thing they could come up with. Dropping their weapons in a panic, every single one of them started running in the opposite direction away pass the broken door and further down the hall. Solarshield only paused for one moment before shouting in a slightly broken Manehatten accent “After them! Don’t let any single one leave this castle without being in a body bag.” Her order was met with the criers of ‘Yes Ma’am’ from the guards who quickly started to chase after the fleeing hostiles, leaving only Solarshield and Shining Armor behind. Wasting no time, the two officers hurried past the broken door and saw Twilight and Trixie huddled together on one side of the room while Moonsaber was on the other. No longer facing any threats, Moonsaber was now in a more relaxed posture and his draconic spirit had been tone down a bit. He still had his draconic arms and Crescent Blade was still in its scythe form but he was now standing on all fours and his eyes had returned to their normal all blue coloration. As Shining Armor made his way towards the two unicorns, Solarshield made her way towards Moonsaber. Moonsaber gave a rather sheepish grin and said “Hay there Sol how are you doing…” he ever got too finished because Solarshield decided to strike his head with the hilt of her sword. Moonsaber gave a soft groan of anguish and replied “Owe. What was that…” once again he was interrupted by Solarshield but this time it was due to her lips smashing onto his own. The importune kiss lasted for a moment before the two separated. Solarshield could feel the tears of joy threatening to pour down her face and she said in an almost chocked whispered “You stupid, brain-dead stallion. Don’t you ever, I mean EVER, do something like that to me again.” Before Moonsaber had a chance to respond, Solarshield wrapped her for hooves around his neck and engaged in another make-out session. While both parties enjoyed the reunion, they also knew that this day wasn't quite over with. That turned out to be longer then I had expected. Ah well, I’m sure you all aren't complaining.