Fall Of Dark Tyrant Eclipse

by The REAL Mister Pkmn

Land Of Deceit, Mare Of Honor

Lightning and Trixie walked the long road towards what was rumored to be the next location of an Element of Harmony, the Swamp of Deception. The silence of their journey so far gave Trixie a chance to think. They had a common cause to fight for, but was that enough to wield the Elements of Harmony? Was a bond that only brought them together for the same goal really going to help them bring down Eclipse? Trixie wasn’t sure it was enough, so she broke from her inner musings and posed a question, “Say Lightning, I’m curious… what's your life been like up to our meeting?”

Initially taken aback by that line of questioning, Lightning quickly realized why Trixie would ask this. So Lightning decided to oblige her. “Well, my parents left me out in the world when I was young, so I had to make it on my own. What you saw was practically my daily life for years—ensuring the town doesn’t get sacked by sandworms.” She looked downcast for a moment. “I feel kind of guilty leaving them, though. That town was the only home I’d ever known.” She looked to Trixie as they walked. “Do you think that they’ll be alright without me? Do you think that I did the right thing?”

Trixie paused. That was hard to say. She knew that this might not work—after all, Discord, Sombra, Tirek, and more had tried usurping Eclipse, but all had failed. Even the one case that used the Elements of Harmony didn’t succeed in his bid. But she had to believe that they could succeed where the last Trigem failed. She then nodded. “Don’t worry, Lightning. I’m sure everything will be alright in the end. We’re doing the right thing—we have to believe that.”

Stunned by this assessment, Lightning pondered for a bit. What could drive this mare to be like this? She just had to know. “So, now you know a bit more about me, but I’m wondering what your life was like before we met.” She anticipated the answer with bated breath.

Looking off to the night sky, Trixie sighed. “I grew up in a shaken home—my mother was a changeling, so I was ostracized when I was young. Not only for that either, seeing as my father had ideas that most ponies didn’t agree with. He wanted to change things, but knew that he couldn’t do it alone. When he saw me get my Cutie Mark however, he realised that I was meant for something great. He expressed how happy he was that I represented something that others had long given up: a chance for this world to change. That’s part of why I’m doing this—to make my father proud of me. To prove that his faith was justified.”

Silence prevailed as Lighting let that sink in. Trixie wanted to help others, not just for the benefit of the general populace, but also for her family. This gave Lightning pause. She really felt now that they had a stronger bond, now that they weren’t virtual strangers. They both knew now what drove the other from the past. But the road ahead was long, and Trixie didn’t want to travel in silence, so she posed another question, “What are your hopes for the future, presuming this all works out, huh?”

Pausing for a while, Lightning took a moment to think on that matter. She then aired her thoughts, “Well, first thing that I’m going to do is search for my family. I hazily remember them, so it won’t be too hard. And when I find them… Well, I haven’t thought that far ahead quite yet. Maybe I’ll find it in my heart to forgive them, but I don’t know.” She then looked over to Trixie. “What about you, huh? Got any plans for the future?”

Nodding slightly, Trixie indulged her companion. “It’s nothing exactly grandiose, but when this is all over, I plan to become a stage entertainer. Just to cool off from when the dust settles. Aside from that, I’ll try to keep things low-key.” She sighed as they continued on. “Though, if we do manage to pull this off, I don’t expect keeping things low-key will be easy.” Now that the two had talked of what future they wished for, they both appreciated what the other was working towards. Together, with others along the way, maybe they could actually pull this off. It was still a little ways yet, so Trixie posed yet another question. “What do you like doing in your downtime?”

Glad to oblige her companion, Lightning opened up. “Well, in my free time I try to beat my previous speed record. I’ve gotten close to pulling off a sonic boom, but I’m always just a little too slow…” She shook her head. “Other than that, I like to see how long of flights I can handle without rest, among other things.” She then turned to Trixie. “What’re your hobbies, then?”

Appreciating this little heart-to-heart, Trixie replied immediately, “I like memorizing new and challenging magic tricks, to help improve my show-stopping abilities! It doesn’t hurt to try and get into character, either. Other than that, I sometimes peruse spell books to build other talents.” She looked over to Lightning, and shook her head. “I know that it seems cliché, but I just love stage magic.” The two quieted down as they finally reached the small hamlet on the edge of the Swamp of Deception.

As they walked into the small village, they noticed that the townsfolk were constantly trying to deceive one another—almost like there was some sort of competition for such a thing. However, there was one mare that did not participate in this “competition”. She stood on her porch, minding her own business. Taking note of her attitude towards the rest of the town, they had to check something. Moving to a better vantage point, they noticed that she had a Cutie Mark of a G-clef. This information could mean that she was Octavia, one of their fellow “Marked Ones”. Despite this ray of what seemed to be fortune, Lightning and Trixie approached with caution, and overheard a conversation between the gray mare and one of the townsfolk. “Say, miss, how would you react if I told you that I could give you all the riches you could ever want?”

The mare gave the townspony a “seriously?” look, and then turned her attention to tuning a cello on her porch, intent on showing how disinterested in his lie she was. “I’d call your bluff in a heartbeat. Nopony in this hamlet is that rich.” As the townspony approached from the street, the mare pulled out a bow, and brandished it like a sword. “I’ve had quite enough of this conversation, thank you. Please remove yourself.” The creepy pony wrinkled his nose in agitation, and went away. The mare shook her head and turned to our two intrepid heroes. “So? What is it that you two want?”

Stepping forward, Trixie spoke quietly. “It isn’t something for prying ears to hear, Octavia Melody. We’ll tell you why we’re here, if you follow us.”

Quirking an eyebrow, Octavia posed a question to them, “You know of me? It seems news travel faster than I’d thought… either that, or rumors.” She turned to Lightning and raised an eyebrow. “I suppose you expect me to believe that you aren’t with the Royal Guard, then? Despite the fact that very few outside of them have Cutie Marks?”

Huffing with a little agitation, Lightning rolled her eyes. “If I was a member of the Royal Guard, wouldn’t I be making more of a scene about capturing you publicly? So can’t you suspend your doubt for a little bit, just to humor us?”

Blinking for a bit, Octavia huffed in resignation as she went back into her house to put her cello away. She returned shortly, locked the door and adjusted her bowtie. “Fine. I’ll hear what you have to say. Lead on.”

Lightning and Trixie walked to a small shack that they had noticed earlier on the edge of town. They approached the shack with caution, and Octavia followed at a respectful distance. The townsfolk seemed too busy trying to sell lies to each other to notice anyway.

Before entering, Trixie cast a spell to scan the shack, just in case. Once she gave the all clear, the three of them went inside and the door was shut. Once all three were safely inside, Trixie scanned the area using her spell once more. After the secondary check provided evidence that nobody had snuck in, Trixie summoned a magic lock to hold the door shut. Once the lock was in place, Trixie dropped her disguise in a flash of green fire. Startled, Octavia backed away. Before she could flee, she noticed Trixie’s Cutie Mark. “You’re a shift-blood… and you have a Cutie Mark? Who… who are you?”

Putting a hoof to her chest, Trixie addressed Octavia, “I am Trixie D’Glamour Lulamoon.” She gestured to Lightning. “My erstwhile companion here is Lightning Dust. We’re here because we need your help.”

Setting aside how odd all this was for now, Octavia aired her thoughts, “You certainly seem trustworthy, but what exactly do you want my help with?”

Looking to Trixie and sharing a nod, Lightning explained, “The two of us are seeking out the locations of the Elements of Harmony, as well as searching for our fellow ‘Marked Ones’, as the Royal Guard has taken to calling us. We are doing this because we see what is wrong with the way things are, and want to change them. Trixie convinced me to join her, and now we hope that you’ll stand with us against the tyrant. What will convince you that we tell the truth?”

Octavia went to the door. “Well, there is something that I have in mind. I’ll show you.”

Restoring her disguise, Trixie then dispelled the lock on the door so that the three of them could proceed outside. As Trixie and Lightning followed Octavia, they noticed that the townsfolk seemed to be… judging them. Some of the older residents looked upon them with disdain, while those that were their peers scoffed and turned their heads away. The young children were even encouraged to throw dirty looks by the adults, even if they might not have quite understood why. Octavia looked a tad uncomfortable, but tried to ignore them. Then, as the townsfolk encroached closer from the ragged streets and torn buildings, they became more… aggressive. Some of them from the more dilapidated parts of town looked outright ready to at least bruise bones, but some from the “cleaner” streets looked more likely just to pester with “tempting offers” and “deals they couldn’t refuse”. Seeing their aggression, the three quickened their pace, in hopes of losing them. However, they couldn’t quite get rid of the mob until they actually made it to the swamp itself.

When the mob saw the three were intending to go into the swamp, they backed off faster than a dragon finding a hoard of another, much stronger dragon. The three intrepid heroes then ventured into the dense foliage of the swamp.

As the three traveled deeper into the swamp, it soon became clear how it got its name. The natural dense miasma that permeated the area made it near impossible to find a safe route forward. The thickness of the foliage was well adept at concealing the dangers that lurked behind the fog, so they were on high alert throughout. However, though the gas of the swamp didn’t seem harmful, it soon started having effect on the travelers. It was subtle at first, and they hardly noticed it. But once strange thoughts started weaseling into their heads, they stopped in a clearing. The three of them turned towards each other, and tried to think clearly. They tried to sort out in their heads what was there before, and what had cropped us since they entered the swamp. After a few moments they were able to deduce what thoughts had only recently entered their conscious minds. Thoughts of hidden motives and agendas, or outright thought of insincerity were the most common. Regardless, the foreign thoughts were troubling, if they were to be believed. But seeing as they were caused by the miasma of the Swamp of Deceit, it was simple enough to get the truth out. Trixie went first. “Neither of you has it out for me, right? I’d like to believe we’re all friends here, but…”

Twitching her wings a little, Lightning shook her head. “Nah, I wouldn’t do that to you. It’s not in my nature.”

Adjusting her bowtie, Octavia addressed the accusation. “I may not exactly know either of you very well, but it would behoove me to take away the chance I’m giving you half way through.”

With Trixie’s doubts averted, Lightning aired what was troubling her, “I know it seems silly of me, but I need to know… You guys aren’t just using me for my battle prowess, right?”

A little affronted at that, Trixie consoled Lightning. "Lightning, come on! I wouldn't do that to you! We fought Sandworms together! Together to the end, no matter what!"

Feeling as if the answer was rather obvious, Octavia rolled her eyes a little. “To be frank, I’ve yet to see those skills personally, but I assure you I would never use you like that.” However, her eyes looked a little worried after saying that. “Though, I have my own worries… Do you really like my company, or is this just for defeating Eclipse? Am I just a tool to you?”

Though they didn’t know Octavia well, Trixie and Lightning had felt a bond form between themselves. Trixie shook her head, and dismissed the idea. “No. We may not know each other all that well, but I want to change that, and help this friendship work. The Elements would require more from us than just an alliance born of convenience.”

Lighting nodded in agreement. “I wouldn’t just do something like that. I’ve got my own share of honor, too. You needn’t fear that we’d do that to you--we’re in this together, to Eclipse and beyond.”

After they had assuaged each other’s fears, a rumble came from the distance. As the fog dispersed slightly, they saw a truly titanic creature rise from the murky waters of the swamp. It was obscured by the water cascading off of its form for a moment, but soon they realized what the creature was. From the massive dragon-like head with cat eyes, to its rather small--for its absurd frame--frog arms, and finally to its slender snake body that lurked beneath the surface.

An Adraldid, a species of chimera that was often reported to expel toxic fumes out of its body, which had a variety of effects. This one seemed to regard the trio for a moment, before inhaling the fog from the surrounding area, and diving back beneath the surface. The trio blinked for a moment, then went back towards the town. However, they didn’t notice as an orange glow collected above the swamp waters. Said glow plusated for a moment, as if to gain its bearings, then floated from the swamp. It found the trio, looked between them, then absorbed into Octavia with grace. This caused the mare to blink a moment as she felt a warm feeling wash over her, but she shrugged it off.

---

When they arrived back in town, the Royal Guard was in the area, once again with Commander Chromablade at the helm. They were a bit astonished to see that the guards had caught up this quickly. Trixie’s disguise dissipated out of the sheer shock of seeing him here.

The commander pointed at Trixie. “So, we meet again, Miss Lulamoon! By divine decree of His Majesty, you and your cohorts are under arrest! The charges being: Treason to the Crown, and illegal possession of a Cutie Mark. However!” He smirked a little, and tossed her a fencing foil. “I’m a sporting person, you see. I’m giving you a chance to fight back. Though, your compatriots will be kept occupied by my soldiers. We will have a wizard’s duel, with weapons-- non-lethal ones, of course. After all, His Majesty wants you alive. If you win, or duel me to a draw, my troops and I will withdraw for the moment. But, if you lose, you and your compatriots will surrender to me, and be brought before His Majesty. Do you agree to these terms?”

Trixie looked to her companions, then to Commander Chromablade. He seemed earnest, unlike many of the ponies that they’d met. She had a feeling that he would keep his word, but she had no idea why. She nodded, and glared at him with determination. “I accept your terms!” After she said those words, a dome of magic surrounded the pair, cutting them off from everyone else. She saw her two companions through the dome, ready to square off against the soldiers.

Her attention was then drawn to Commander Chromablade. He gave a slight nod, then produced a fencing foil of his own. Their blades crossed, and the two started the duel. It was quite clear that the commander had the advantage from the start--his sword strikes were sure and quick, and his spells were powerful and hard to avoid. He capitalized on Trixie’s shabby experience with swordplay, yet he seemed no worse for wear himself.

Every attack with spell or sword was just as sure as the last, and Trixie could only barely manage to guard enough to ensure that she didn’t take the intended full force of his attacks. She was constantly on the move, barely keeping up.

For a moment, she thought that she had an opening, and she tried to take advantage of it. Yet, the commander’s blade intercepted hers easily, and he deflected her advance skillfully. As he once again pressed his advantage, Trixie realized that she was outmatched and outclassed.

She had no hope of winning, but she could at least even things out. After she dodged his attack, she lit up her horn, and cast an illusion that duplicated herself. She smirked. It was time that she took full advantage of her talents, and even the playing field. She shuffled herself with her illusions, and started to gain the slightest edge against her foe.

The commander was impressed. This girl was something else--he’d never had to use more than a slight effort against any opponent, aside from that one duel with King Eclipse. He had to put effort in to discern which of the illusions was where Trixie was at any given moment. He hadn’t felt this alive dueling somebody in… He shook his head, and turned his focus back to the fight. He still had the advantage, he just had to press it. With a sure strike, he swung. The Trixie that he’d attacked dodged, so he knew he had the right one. It was time to bring this to a close. He lit his horn, and was about to disarm her. However, before he could claim victory, he received a message from Eclipse. “Hold!” The duel stopped, and all waited with bated breath as he read the scroll that had appeared before him. He huffed in irritation. “We shall call this a draw, for now. Alright, men! Move out! We’ve got new orders!” As he sheathed his sword, he looked one last time at Trixie. “As for you… We will meet again. I will bring you to Eclipse myself, one way or another. Until our next meeting, farewell.” He took the fencing foil back from Trixie, then led his troops out of town.

The day had been exhilarating, to say the least. Octavia and Lighting went to stand by Trixie, and she smiled. They had a long journey ahead, to be sure. Their next destination was to the west of Canterlot, a small town known as Ponyville. They had all heard that the town was the closest place to where one of the Elements of Harmony was said to sleep, and if the rumors were true, one of their fellow Marked Ones was there as well. They knew not what trials awaited them there, but they would face it together. They decided to set out in the morning, staying the night in the small hamlet that had started to wake to honesty, if only slightly.

Author's Note:

Finally finished Chapter Three! Sorry about the many delays, just had quite a lot of times where I had no energy to spare on it. Thanks go to Everfree Pony for editing. This wouldn't be possible without you.