//------------------------------// // Trixie Moonstone 1 // Story: The Game of Thrones: Pony History Anthology // by Theblondeknight //------------------------------// By the Four Kingdoms and the Sun itself.....could it actually be... The gasps of the crowd confirmed it for her. She dared make one, quick glance back, and there she saw her Lord Stark again. In the flesh. Alive. It took everything to keep the tears restrained and not do more than flinch. Alive! The rumors must have been false! She had cursed the day she left Lord Stark's company long enough to let her Liege Lord be taken. Everypony, even those who were fifty yards from the Great Hall that day told her otherwise. But there she was. Lord Twilight Stark returned. The questions and excitement and general energy of the crowded room pushed her out of her guise as an Iridian guard, for only a moment. The upheaval at the revelation her Lord was living and well, however, had distracted all the real Iridian guards, and Trixie left their midst before any of them could realize the mistake in their math that had corrected itself. She slipped by the open door and discarded the white and blue armor piece by piece as she went to her stronghold, hidden in plain sight. Did she even need it? It practically made her invisible. But practicality dictated that speed was more important than camouflage in the upcoming events of the night. With everypony of even minute importance inside the Great Hall, and the others in bed according to curfew, Trixie needed not concern herself with being found out. Even better, she could hear the shouting outrage Princess Iridia threw over the reappearance of House Stark. This was a day to be sung of by bards for centuries to come. As she rolled over the great stone in the public garden and found her trinkets in the dirt, she wondered briefly how she might compose an ode to this day, when things were more peaceful and times less turbulent. When we heard the grim news, to the Wall we would've fled, Refuge from tyranny, rest never again found in a bed, The Princess smiled bright, on the day bleak but untrue She thought she had won when down rolled Stark's head, But as it turned out, Lord Stark never was dead! Yikes. Thankfully, Trixie was no bard. She had always been a proud warrior of House Moonstone of the North, and never would that change. Her standard saber was a welcome comfort, she had never taken a liking to pikes. Spying was a nasty business, and one she was quite content to leave. With everything else, it wouldn't be very hard to make a break out. The escape was what worried her. Powerful and brave as she and Lord Stark, and even the new companions that had found Twilight, they were not worth betting on against the capitol's forces. But she'd sooner visit all Four hells than let this chance pass her by. Now, in the dissipating clamor, it was time to make their escape. Mercury had at last let them go. Most of them were bruised and limping, especially the barely conscious Lord Stark, though thankfully, it seemed Mercury intended to have them all executed at the morrow's light, for all the Four Kingdoms to see. This time, Trixie knew, it would be for good. Whatever miracle had revived Lord Stark could not possibly save her a second time, not when so much was stacked against them. As the guards escorted the strangers down the streets, Trixie shadowed them, leading them towards her traps whenever possible while still remaining hidden. By the time the entourage had arrived at the marked lane, Trixie had already stolen three lives from under their noses. Even the guards, among them Acid Flower, the newest member of the Queensguard, were afraid of the power of Lord Stark. And rightly should they be. When the band trotted onto the bridge, Trixie ignited her horn and let her magic loose. The smoke bombs went off on cue, and the fourteen or so guards still alive drew their weapons. Trixie was faster than they were, and let the blood run from two throats before she freed the unicorn who called herself Starlight Glimmer. They had never seen each other before tonight, but their teamwork was impressive none-the-less, and as Starlight freed her companions with her magic, Trixie activated more of her traps, felling two more guards with the crossbows she had placed in the waters below the bridge. With over half of Lord Stark's companions freed and the smoke thinning out, Acid Flower had had enough. Though new to the Queensguard (Acid Flower was the replacement of the knight Lord Stark ran her sword through the day she was sized by Mercury's forces), this caped warrior was confident and strong. "Guard Stark with your lives, the others are of secondary priority!" She shouted as her blade met Trixie's. The clanging was sure to attract more attention very quickly, as was the fresh blood all on the stone and in the water below them. Trixie and Acid Flower danced together, their metal striking evenly at almost every lunge. For an Earth pony, she was extremely gifted, and the lack of maneuverability provided by a horn was not holding her back. She even managed to gash a flesh wound on Trixie's forehoof, much to the young Lord Moonstone's dismay. "Brought some friends with you?" Acid Flower asked from behind the hilt of her sword, "good. We can crush you all tonight!" Trixie paused and found that swords were ringing against one another all through the streets, though she did not bring any allies into Queen's Landing. Possibly troubling, but definitely helpful at the current moment. Acid Flower lunged in again and followed up with a low sweep that cut Trixie's legs and brought her to her back. Her sword rose instantly to meet the killing blow Acid Flower slugged down. It would be a while yet before Twilight's friends were done fighting off the rest of the guards, though they were doing a fine job of it together. That meant Trixie's last trick was needed to save her own life. "Just like her...too proud to concede when you're beaten..." Acid Flower taunted as she gnashed her teeth against the hilt and engaged in the struggle of attrition with Trixie. Slowly, both blades lowered, and Trixie was nearly crying with the effort to resist the earth pony's vast brute force. But if she could just edge Acid Flower to the side. Even a little bit would be enough... "If you quit trying...it'll be over quickly. More than you deserve I'll admit, but I like your tenacity. Not half bad for a traitorous lout!" Acid Flower continued. Just a little bit more wiggling, and she'd be set up perfectly. The branch was almost over her head. Not long now..... "Just don't put too much hope of coming back by your Lord's sorcery. Whatever she did to push death away for herself, she won't be able to do for you...or for herself a second time!" They gave it their all, and in a sudden move, Trixie slanted her aim and Acid Flower's blade stuck into the stone. Now! Trixie let the magic grasp on the plug go, and the the succession of rocks fell from the mighty, old tree branches overlooking the bridge, striking Acid Flower on the back and freeing Trixie from her place. After a few hits on the head to boot, Acid Flower was dazed enough to let a solid swing of Trixie's sword put a cut along her cheek and scar her helmet, but the Queensguard regained her bearings and sword thereafter, and they circled once again. "Admirable...but futile effort," Acid Flower resumed her wordplay. "You talk too much," Trixie returned. "I know," Acid Flower said with a devious smile, "Keeps ponies like you offset. I almost had you there." WHACK! "Almost. Not quite," Starlight Glimmer affirmed to the now unconscious Queensguard and hoisted the spear above her head. "Thank you, but we need to start moving, now!" Trixie told the other unicorn. Starlight nodded, and the rest of the envoy followed, newly acquired weapons in hoof, the unconscious Twilight being levitated by Starlight and Rarity. They'd really done a number on her. How fortunate they'd be to escape, even with her help. She had to wake soon. Very soon. Cutting through the alleys and backstreets, and taking more unorthodox routes, they ought to be able to avoid many guards, but House Iridia was well rooted in Queen's Landing, and had been since before Princess Platinum. It would be close either way. Still, with the mystery commotion going on in the streets unseen, there was room to hope. Though they could hear the marshaling of guards and readying of posts, and more ringing blades, they ran into few, and those unlucky enough to come across them were cut down swiftly, until they rounded the corner of an alley and found a bridge leading to the lower station of the royal gardens. Freedom was within the bushes, a secret tunnel created in the rebellion and gifted to Lord Stark, only used once before, and not by anypony present. But atop the bridge was the last unicorn Trixie was hoping to see. The company halted, and the green magic surrounding this Queensguard was harnessed in sounding the alarm. The guards refocused on the sound coming from the royal garden, and the lone enemy on the bridge drew her sword. "Take Lord Stark into the gardens. Under the very center of the azalea bushes, you will find a hole. Slide down and run out the old sewer network, just don't fall out the back of the cliff. Block the other side when you get out," Trixie whispered to Starlight, "All of you should go. I'm the one best suited to face this foe." "We can't leave you behind alone," Rarity objected from behind. A despair fell over the Nothern Unicorn when she replied, "Yes you can. You half to. My sister won't let me escape, but I can make sure you all do." It might kill her. "Trixie!" The Queensguard shouted, "This escape dies with you!" "As soon as you can, go," Trixie told them, and quickly began shouting back as a group of Iridia guards rounded upon them. "I think not, Tira! You're mine!" Trixie shouted back as they charged on the other, their blades hoisted over their heads. But dying would be worth it to let Lord Stark reignite the rebellion. The North Remembers...hopefully she too would be remembered. Steel twanged against steel, horn locked with horn, magic collided with magic; the Queensguard was knocked into the railing of the bridge, her face staring down at the long waterfall not ten feet away. Trixie was thrown into the dirt after rolling backwards on the stone bridge. Despite this, she was also first to recover and bared down upon her older sibling at the railing as the other escapees ran into the gardens, the company of guards trailing after them. Trixie let her sister up in exchange for throwing her sword in a long arc, cutting down only two. Tira did not waste the chance, and kicked Trixie into the ground. In a snap decision, Tira opted to swat away the returning blade and watched Trixie's steel fall into the water below, and roll down into the dark abyss below Queens Landing. More Iridia guards swarmed towards the gardens, but Trixie distinctly heard battle sounds from behind the veil of stone and bush. "Should I run my sword through you now, I wonder.....or show you to the Princess alive? And make a spectacle of your death, just like Stark?" Tira asked with a very satisfied smirk. "Lord Stark is back!" Trixie rebutted quickly. "Aye...but you're no Lord, no great figure, just a faceless soldier in a hopeless war. And you picked the wrong side." "I'd rather die a loyal member of our House than live here and serve an unfit Princess, whose madness will be the end of the Four Kingdoms! I'd sooner break down the Wall myself and let the Wendigos turn everything to ice!" "That's enough out of you," Tira snarled and ran the hilt of her great sword into Trixie's cheek. Trixie let the blood fall and held her silence. Tira always was a pain, and was rarely wise, but to be so lost in Mercury's folly...what a pathetic first born heir she was. "You never could understand why the important and miserable things had to be done, could you?" Tira chided, "You never wanted to grow up. You never wanted to be anything the world and our family needed you to be." "Don't talk to me of miserable," Trixie muttered back, the red spittle still slowly falling from her lips, "You've been doing what you most wanted since before they died." "You think dreams are nothing but joy? I've suffered my share." "Liar! You suffered nothing. You left all of the suffering at home with me." An outraged look came upon her craven sister's face, as though she desperately wanted to challenge that notion, disprove Trixie's facts. But in the end, facts were facts, and selfish viewpoints could not contend, so Tira remained quiet in her disillusioned stance. It was odd when Trixie reminded herself that she used to hope no matter what she would grow up to be just like her older sister. Thank the gods she grew up to be very different. Another two guards drew near, chains and swords in hoof, but Tira denied them their duty. Miserable lout. Traitor. "No. Dying like her hero would only give her a sweeter death. There will be no public execution." Witch. Trixie closed her eyes and prepared for the worst. Tira's sword came within inches of her little sister's throat, and then after a small pause, a fine red line began to fall where the sword ran across it, slowly, methodically, so that she could enjoy the moment. "Any last words?" Tira asked. "Yes..." Trixie spoke with a shaken voice, but a proud one all the same, "Winter is coming."