The Champion's Oath
Luna’s Story 2: Wrath of the Moon Champion
Part 4: The Champion’s Oath
A little mare stood in an alleyway, having just witnessed a purse-snatching. She’d had no idea that Canterlot had so much crime in it. The underbelly of the place was worse than Manehatten! Ah well, it was certainly darkest at the base of the lighthouse anywhere else in the world. Splashing through the darkness, she chased after the culprit with all her might. Hooves splashed through puddles as she twisted and turned between buildings, crates, and passages. Whoever he was he was certainly a nimble one! She caught a quick glance of him, a skinny thing that was light on his hooves. He leapt a fence by sheer springing of his hooves, and she had to scramble over it rather slowly.
She looked around, finding herself in low town. Low town being the lowest tier of Canterlot where the seedy bars and seedy sorts were. She growled when she saw him sidestep between a tavern and a store, dashing down an alleyway. Following quickly with gritted teeth, she lit her horn to light the way. The moon was only half-full, so it made seeing difficult. “Stop thief!” she shouted shrilly, coughing and heaving with her poor lungs. “Give! Back! My! Bits!” she coughed, almost bouncing off the wall of the alley in her full-tilt run. She suddenly emerged into a ratty courtyard, and skidded to a halt. “I’ve got you now!” she said, only to look up and realize her mistake.
“Who’s your friend, huh Mouse Runner?” he was a massive stallion with a grizzled chin and huge muscles. “Bringing home the ladies already? That’s fast work, you just moved here!” The mare began to back up, but she hit her butt on the chest of another gang-member, wielding a chain around his front-left leg. “Wonder what else is in her saddle-bags, huh?” he jeered, striking the ground a few times with the chain. It spat sparks. “I’m more interested in what’s under them, I think.” A third melted out of shadow, tossing a weaponized pie up and down. “She must have pretty strong legs if she can keep up with Mouse Runner!” She whimpered as they spoke, backing into a corner.
“J-just let her alone, guys. I got her bits, just like you wanted. Let her go, huh?” Mouse Runner said timidly. When he stepped into the half-moonlight his ribs suddenly became visible, as were the little bags under his eyes. “She ain’t worth anything like this.” He showed them the bits bag, easily containing fifty or more of the little gold coins. The other three guffawed, and the largest of the three whistled with his hoof. (How one whistles with a hoof is a trade secret, sorry I cannot describe it to you, dear reader) There was a shuffling of movement, from the nearby tavern. A small grouping of stallions emerged, all with various brandings and marks in their fur.
“How about this one, huh? She looks upper-teir.” The largest of the three asked.
“Well I never!” The unicorn said, sidling sideways to try and make for an exit. They closed in around her.
“I bet she’s got a rich daddy or husband, huh?” There was general agreement. “With a wallet like this, she’s bound to!”
“Hey! I earned those bits myself making dresses!” the white mare said indignantly, angry. She shifted back and forth, very very aware there were no mares among her attackers. It was a bachelor herd. Well, that was the technical term for such a street gang. There were worse titles, but it would hardly do for the dressmaker to voice them. Only Mouse Runner didn’t seem to fit. He was much younger, much smaller, and looked underfed. “N-now hoof them over! I mean it!” Her horn lit up and she glared at the nearest stallion. Tossing her purple mane, she made ready for battle. He flicked a pebble at her forehead and she squawked, losing her concentration. Wow, was that really all it took?
“Yeah, she’s a soft aristocrat mare. Just grab her.” The leader decided, gesturing. “We’ll ransom her back to her upper tier family and scrap up the profit.” The group closed in around the poor mare, who shivered as she looked back and forth.
“Back off!” she said shrilly. “I mean it!” her horn lit once more, but she was cuffed by a large hoof. Yipping, she fell like she was made of glass, unconscious. So fragile, they snorted at her with laughter. The stallion with the chain leaned down and began to bind her hooves together, like a hog-tied pig.
“She sure is purdy.” One of them said, leaning over her. They studied her cutie mark. Three diamonds? She must’ve been from a super-rich family! They were gonna be rolling in the bits! The speaker ran a hoof over her perfectly brushed white fur, smudging it with grime in the process.
In the background, Mouse Runner fretted and drummed his hooves, looking back and forth. He was just a purse thief, he hadn’t agreed to pony-napping! Scratching at his matted fur and showing ribs, he glanced to one side when he sensed a figure in the dark. “Hey, who’s that?” he said. Everypony turned to look, ears perking. There in the blackness of the alley at the edge of the courtyard was another unicorn mare. Cloaked in shadow they couldn’t see anything but her outline and her horn sticking up. At least, they thought it was a mare, by the shape.
They were about to shout threats at her, standing over the white unicorn they had bound up, but they were interrupted. The stranger spoke, and something around her neck started to give off a silvery white glow. Some kind of necklace? The voice, though feminine, was powerful:
“Under the moon I stand to fight,
To root out evil through sheer might.
Magic and steel, swords that bite
None left standing, blood this night!”
The clouds parted all by themselves to spill moonlight over the mare in the alley like a spotlight. Suddenly her medallion exploded with a million shards of silvery metal, which latched themselves onto her body like dragon scales. They hardened and became one piece, covering her flanks and back. Melting up her mane came a helm, which slammed a visor over her eyes right as they turned gold. She seemed to sprout wings for a moment, but no, they were weapons. Wing swords! The sleekness of the chest plate melted over her front, reflecting the dazzling moonlight while gauntlets crawled across her hooves like silvery serpents and hardened in place. Her white fur was almost put to shame, so shiny was she in the night. Wait, was she white a moment ago? Hmm… She reared up on two legs for a moment, whinnying with exhilaration as her teeth turned into terrifying triangles of a piranha’s smile. Lunar goddess’ avatar, the Moon Champion!
The bachelor herd stared at her in shock and awe, none of them moving for the longest time. Finally the leader regained his voice. “Get her!” They drew out pies, chains, and pipes, making a mad dash to beat her to a pulp. “Twice the mares is twice the bits!” They rushed as one. This wasn’t anything like the movies where the bad guys circled and one came forward at a time to fight the main character. No, this was a bum rush of a dozen stallions! Behind her visor and helm, she smiled as she drew out one of her wing swords.
The sound of drawing metal made the frozen Mouse Runner shudder. He’d not joined the rush, instead moving quickly to unbind the unconscious mare. There was a big difference between stealing money and stealing ponies. If he starved, so be it, he just couldn’t hold somepony against their will. No matter how much his belly ached with lack of food. Pushing his muzzle under the mare’s side, he hefted her onto his back. She was heavy! Finding her bits bag on the ground and taking it in his teeth, he slid between buildings and out of sight just as the battle began.
Not waiting for them, the Moon Champion rushed forward with her sword raised high. The poor bastards never knew what hit them. The first raised his pipe to cross weapons with her, but the blade she wielded went through it like hot cheese. His head flew off mid-shout, and the spray of blood was magnificent. Mid-stride she LAUNCHED one of the gang-members into the sky with magic. He was an earth pony. Turning with a wild whinny of battle she bore the chain striking her cheek before she sliced through it and the leg of its owner. Barrel-rolling in midair she blasted three of them down with her horn. Icy needles of augmented magic went straight through their bodies and out the other side. Moon magic was not gentle. Thrusting out a hoof she used her magic to BLAST one of them into a brick wall, crushing his spine and rib-cage in the process. Panick and spraying blood took over the scene as they tried to knock her down and take her sword. They lost a few hooves in the attempted dog-pile. She just couldn’t be stopped. Two more of them went down hard, tumbling across one another in a bloody mess of carcasses, sliced open like slaughtered beasts. The Moon Champion danced wildly, sword a flickering flame of seemingly liquid metal that never stopped. She never stopped moving, never panted from the effort, never stopped her cruel smiling.
Before long only the leader remained. She skidded on her hooves, leg cocked to take his head off. Turning with more speed than she’d given him credit for, he BUCKED her right in the face! Her head snapped with an audible crack back like he’d broken her neck, sword sailing to one side.There was silence after she fell. The stallion was panting hard, looking around. All his fellows, dead! He stared, slack-jawed, at the bloody mess of bodies strewn around the courtyard. All his friends, all his gang, murdered! By a mare, no less! She fought like a demon, but… “Gotcha, you bucking monster.” He told her, still breathing hard. Not trusting that he’d killed her, he rushed over to pick up her silvery sword in his mouth. Taking the handle in his teeth, he cantered over to turn her into a pincushion. Murder had not been on tonight’s docket, only ransom, but this new monster had brought him to it. She would pay for what she’d d—! Suddenly eight-inch spikes erupted in all directions from the handle of the weapon, driving themselves through his head, muzzle, and brain. He didn’t live long enough to look shocked, he merely dropped like the others.
Bones slowly rearranged themselves in the mare’s neck, and she groaned painfully. Gingerly sitting up, she rubbed her head and tried to ignore the ringing in her ears. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to touch other ponies’ things?” she mused, prying the weapon from his mouth and sheathing it. The blood dripped off as though the metal had rejected it, and soon it looked brand new again. Another enchantment to keep it clean and sharp, no doubt. Her stomach growled loudly, and she briefly held it with a weak expression. Golden mist flowed from the slits of her visor. Huffing a little, she surveyed the scene. “Nine… ten… eleven… Eleven.” she rolled her eyes a little. One was missing. Turning, she followed the scent of fear and guilt.
Mouse Runner was several blocks away when the Moon Champion caught up to him, going between alleys and sticking to shadows. The unconscious mare was still on his back, limp and helpless. Right as she was about to tackle him to the ground and take his head off, she saw him turn into a medical clinic. Waiting in shadow, she saw him through the window as he found help for the wilted unicorn, huffing and puffing. He even put the bits bag on the bed with her, shaking like a leaf as he did so. The Moon Champion watched him with narrowed eyes. He came out nearly a half an hour later, looking exhausted and mentally drained. All too easy to snatch up. He screamed bloody murder as she mare-handled him into the alleyway and thrust a hoof in his mouth. He squirmed and fought her, moaning and weeping streams of tears from his eyes. Hyperventilating, he stared at her with pinprick pupils, fearing for his life.
She gave his neck a good snap by magic, and he went limp. Not enough to kill him, but enough to knock him out. She eyed his showing ribs and starved body. The bags under his eyes. Closing her eyes, the Moon Champion consulted with the ancestors. There were less than thirty of them, their voices raised in a siren’s feminine song. They’d been pleased with the battle and destruction of evil. Did they hunger for more? She had one more to kill, if they did. Mumbling quietly, she waited to hear their judgment of the street urchin. The ancestors mumbled back and forth with themselves, the song slowly fading from their gathering. Each mare had a silently-given opinion, cocking their heads and debating infinitely over the space of a few minutes. The Moon Champion waited patiently, as she had been trained to do. Suddenly they gathered back into their choir-like rows and raised their voices as one once more. They never spoke with words, but their meaning was always clear to her.
The Moon Champion dragged the unconscious stallion back to the scene of the bloodbath. Tossing him amongst the bodies, she summoned quill and parchment. Scribbling briefly, she fastened the note to his forehead. Smirking a little, she spoke to him. “Don’t waste your second chance, stallion. I shan’t spare you twice.” She patted his messy, tangled mane. The solar guard would no doubt find him in the morning, the sole survivor.
This one repented. Regards.
=-=-=-=
“Hey!” Aegis Shield poked his head into the hospital room. Stalwart Hide looked up, and his face lit up. He had a hoof-full of balloons, and he let them go to the ceiling. “To brighten the room.” He chuckled. “I heard you were getting better, thought I would stop in!”
“Have you caught the Moon Champion yet? What’s happening out there? Nopony will tell me!” Stalwart Hide said, squirming in his hospital bed. “They won’t let me wear my lunar armor either. It could heal me faster!”
“We haven’t heard anything new yet, still looking. And sorry no armor, princess’ orders.” Aegis said gently, coming to stand by the bed. “Heal naturally, so the armor doesn’t kill you or something.” Turning, he reached into his saddlebags. “Besides, your fellow lunar stallions sent gifts for you.”
“Oh?” Stalwart said, cocking his head. Aegis smirked, setting a big stack of dirty magazines in front of him. Playstallion. Barnhouse. Manehatten Mares. “Oh for Celestia’s sake!” He face-hooved and groaned. “Why? Why would you even—”
Aegis threw his head back and laughed, “I think the joke is that you got your flank kicked by a mare, and they want you to study the enemy so you’ll do better next time.” Stalwart Hide gave him a dirty look, but his friend went on. “Oh, there’s more though, not just those.” He dug into his saddlebag again. Stalwart Hide also received a variety of sweets, some art supplies, a lunar stallion action figure, several get well soon cards, some money, and even a little bracelet with ‘hope’ carved into it. The bedridden stallion smiled at the spread, spirits visibly lifted.
“Wow, I had no idea I was so popular amongst the corps.” Stalwart Hide said, flattered.
“Well, you are one of only two Captains. They miss you.” Aegis said, smirking at him. “I’ve had to be extra hard on them by royal order.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Princess Luna beat the hell out of the other two stallions from your group. Gave them double drills and yelled at the entire squad.” Aegis said a little painfully. “Nopony was supposed to leave anypony alone, and you got left alone. Your injury really got under her skin.”
“I had no idea…” Stalwart said, wilting a little embarrassedly. “If I’d been smart, I would’ve led her towards the others and gotten them mixed up in the fight.” Aegis stepped up to hush him about the battle, since he was still recovering. But, the injured stallion would have none of it. “Listen to me, Aegis.” He said seriously. “She’s strong. She’s so strong…” his face fell and he stared at the bandages across his chest and belly. He’d been lucky to recover his sight, thankfully the blast of magic hadn’t blinded him permanently. “She kicked my flank and she wasn’t even breathing hard at the end. Not even a little. Princess Luna was right, she’s far too powerful for any of us to face alone.”
“Did you get any sort of… of… gauge, from fighting her?” Aegis whispered, leaning close.
“It’s hard to tell. We tangled hard, but it never really felt like she was out of control.” He winced as he relived the battle in his mind’s eye. “Even her magic felt stronger than the average unicorn. I mean, we’ve trained hard amongst ourselves… but being hit by one of her blasts was like getting hit with a boulder. I hit that wall so hard it broke behind me.” He said, rubbing sorely at his back and wings.
“Then she wasn’t trying to kill thou, Stalwart Hide.” None other than princess Luna had appeared in the doorway. “If she had, those blasts would’ve been razor sharp and gone right through any exposed flesh.” Both stallions flinched, caught conspiring about the enemy when Aegis Shield wasn’t supposed to mention her. Aegis bowed and Stalwart tried to, but she quickly waved them off. “This is a social visit, we assure thou.” She sounded a little formal, but her eyes portrayed pity. She’d not visited the stallion in the hospital yet, so she was seeing him for the first time in almost a week. Approaching the bed she looked him over with a concerned face. She eyed all the cards and presents, then the stack of dirty magazines on the side table. Stalwart Hide wanted to die, right then. Let his injuries take hold and just stop his heart. Or spontaneous combustion. That would be fine too. Luna snorted. “Thy comrades would do well to take the address labels off of the magazines they give you.” She peeled one off of the top issue, peering at it. “Tsk tsk, Melancholy…” she mumbled bemusedly, flipping through the magazine briefly. “Thy taste in mares is deplorable.” Stalwart Hide sighed in relief, allowing himself to laugh at last. Luna tossed down the magazine, smiling genuinely this time. “How art thou doing in thy recovery?” she finally asked.
“Better. My vision came back. The nurses were worried I might lose partial vision in one eye, but it got better after a few days.” Stalwart Hide reported. “And Aegis just brought me all these presents from the corps, so I’ve got plenty to do while I rest.” Luna nodded in approval. The princess and Aegis Shield stayed to visit with him for an hour or so before heading out to let him rest. He would be on his hooves again in a few more days, hopefully without problems.
When he was alone, he sorted his gifts and smiled over the get-well cards. Feeling more at ease, he lay on his back and stared at the balloons on the ceiling. When he was bored, he doodled on the sketchpad he’d been given. Little stick-ponies and houses and things. He felt like a foal doing art class. His thoughts wandered, though, and he turned the page of the sketchbook. Frowning, he traced the pencil back and forth with his mouth without touching the paper. Reaching over, he flipped one of the magazines open. Folding the naughty bits back, he focused on the head of a charming-looking unicorn mare. Looking between his sketchbook and the page, he made a fairly accurate representation of a feminine face. Setting the magazine aside again, he drew a helm over it. Adding the slitted visor, he turned the mouth up to show the smirk he’d seen her make. “Why do you wear a face-concealing helm like that? Mm?” Stalwart Hide asked the drawing as he drew her horn. Sketching shadows in where they belonged, he stared at her after some time. “None of the other lunar armors are like that. Just you.” He said to her. “Who’s under the helm?” he whispered, drawing the sketchpad close to his face after he’d set the pencil in his mouth aside.
...Her kiss haunted him.
End of Part 4
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Oh my damn I have a feeling he found out what she really is a porn model lawl
SO BRING ON SOME MORE!!!!!!!
Excellent chapter.
532571
I doubt its Twilight because she didn't give Rarity a second glance or any thought at all. It could still be Trixie but that's also unlikely for the same reason. I also see no reason for them to be in Canterlot at all or kiss a lunar stallion and act flirty with them. Neither have that personality and this writer seems to keep ponies in character.
Another good chapter, I really enjoy reading this.
Your Muse is just rocketing along on this, I approve! We got a glimpse under the armor of the Champion, and I see that you're definitely taking Kipling to heart. And it still has the feel of a case of the armor bearer not having quite gotten out of the original transformation shock feral state, especially when you take the altered Oath into account. Nice touch with the anti-theft enchantment on the swords, and that's a truly excellent burn comment she scored when recovering her property.
Yeah, based on her internal dialog with her set of ancestors and the mention of training I doubt she will end up being Trixie.
I imagine the Lunar Champion is an OC. Her being Trixie would make no sense and I can't see Twilight killing ponies so she's out too.
532549 That'd be funny, haha.
532964 What's "Kipling?"
i808.photobucket.com/albums/zz6/penultimatepage/clapping%20gifs/tumblr_lflgfg8csS1qdufy3.gif
532980
I'll agree, it does look less likely, though I could argue that said training is all in learning how to accommodate dealing with the ancestors' voices after the first time the armor is activated. I'll grant you, though, that with Trixie's canon personality, if she had access to the medallion in the first place, she would likely not have been traveling and making a living as a stageshow magician... unless she was simply rebelling against family duty for personal reasons in the first place. Her trigger to accepting family duty and taking up the armor could have been the disgrace she received in Ponyville at the hooves of Twilight Sparkle; after all, one thing that she would know that she'd automatically be better at than Miss Element of Magic would be her position as Moon Champion.
Am I jumping to a concussion on this one? (shrugs) Could be. But as Adam and Jamie would say, "condition plausible with the known data," at least for now.
Edit: Hmmm, just went back and looked at the timeline in the first story for the Lunar Stallions. It's hard to pinpoint individual episodes, but I'd also say that it could very well be that Luna's collapse was tied to the first time that the Moon Champion donned the armor. I would imagine that the deeper link it engages could have been a system shock that put the Moon Princess down in the first place.
533310
Rudyard Kipling, author of the lovely little poem, "The Female of the Species." It's a cautionary tale about why males need to be wary when dealing with females. Made a lovely filksong when put to music by Leslie Fish a bunch of years ago now.
Check here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05MImdJIrLo
533648 You do make some good points about the MC possibly being Trixie. One more connection might be there if we accept Lulamoon as Trixie's last name.
I really like your idea about Luna's collapse.
533267That would though, but mostly unexpected to find a porn model turning into a blood thirsty pony.
I....I'm sorry I have such bad taste in mares my Princess...please forgive me....
Stalwart... You're in love with the mare that kicked your flank. And i half expected Luna to keep one of the magazines.
OMG why was rarity beat up?
i don't know why, but i want to say it's sweetie bell
Poor rarity, despite my lack of liking for her, poor rarity
533593
This.
Alonsy to the next chapter!
585211 OK, that's beyond ironic. That's freakin legit.
thats just cruel he was gelded for luna's sake! then they send him porn? jerks!
585211 i know this is 84 weeks old but im laughing so much i cant breath ahahahHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
"Stalwart Hide wanted to die, right then. Let his injuries take hold and just stop his heart. Or spontaneous combustion."
This is the most obvious manga reference I have seen in a while, that is, if you read fire force?
Priceless brother in arms ribbing.
The Mare viligant is not without mercy, though it seem the armor is to name for the murder happy attitude.