Kamen Rider Lux: Sins of the Parent

by Rixizu

Chapter 5

Sweat trickled down Trixie’s forehead, hooves twitching with tension. This was it. One wrong move and she was finished. Logic dictated that she should surrender to the enviable. But she was the Grand and Marvelous Trixie, Kamen Rider, and Equestria’s greatest hero. Through second hoof accounts, she’d heard about how Lux had faced the Great Leader alone. And she’d prevailed and shattered Shocker forever, winning despite all odds being against her. Like her, Trixie wasn’t about to surrender, either.

Okay, here goes nothing! She prayed to Luna and any other higher power that might hear her grant her victory.

“Do you have any fours?” Trixie asked.

“Go fish!” Dinky replied.

“Darn it!” In frustration, Trixie tossed her remaining three cards onto the table. Despondently, she drew a card from the pile. It was a nine, nothing close to what she’d needed.

“My turn!” The filly said, hiding a smug smile. “Do you have any nines?”

“Here you go,” Trixie said, levitating over the card with little enthusiasm. Dinky had been seeking that number almost the entire game. Just as the Kamen Rider feared, the filly laid down a complete array of nines, emptying her hand. The filly had seven sets to Trixie’s five, grinning after picking the last remaining card in the pile.

“Do you have any fours?” Dinky asked sweetly, resulting in a glum nod from her opponent.

“I win!” Dinky threw her hooves into the air in a victory celebration after getting Trixie’s remaining cards.

“Yeah, yeah,” Trixie said, grumbling to herself. Already, she’d lost three games to the filly in a row. This foal was a devil at playing card games. She felt sorry for any casino Dinky walked into when she was older.

“Another game?” Dinky asked sweetly.

“Can we play something else?” Trixie replied, not keen on playing another game she’d only lose. Darn, this filly was ruthless. She was the most frightening Monopony player the Kamen Rider had ever seen, chipping away at Trixie’s money without pity or mercy.

“Link 4?” Dinky asked.

Trixie hide her smile, pleased with herself. Her adult brain was far too clever to lose at this game! She’d take great satisfaction in crushing Dinky under her hooves!

“How’d you become so good with cards, anyway?” Trixie asked, pulling out the Link 4 board from its box and assembling its pieces.

“My momma taught me! Just like Grandma had. Losing has never been our family’s forte!”

“Really? Do you play games with your mother often?” Trixie asked, a twinge of curiosity striking her.

Dinky was her prisoner, but she knew nothing about her or her mother. Trixie couldn’t help but her curiosity about the daily life of a Shocker Inquisitor. Did Inquisitor Doo boil puppies for fun? Trixie wondered? Dinky was a surprisingly well-adjusted little filly, considering who her mom was.

“We have game night every Sunday. Momma lets me play whatever I want!”

“Isn’t she usually too busy? Inquisitors can’t have much free time.” Shocker had no end of enemies.

Dinky snorted, rising to her full height. Her head almost touched the cage’s ceiling. “My momma always makes time for me.”

“Oh.” Trixie couldn’t find any other words.

Her relationship with her parents hadn’t been as familial. Like Dinky, both her parents had been Shocker to their bones. Trixie came in a distant second in her parent’s eyes. She’d always resented Shocker for that. How they’d convinced Trixie to join the Shocker Youth Program remained a mystery.

Trixie coughed, eager to change the awkward subject. She placed a plastic coin into an opening. It clicked against the column slots until it landed on the bottom. “Your turn.”

Dinky responded by placing a piece next to Trixie’s. They played in silence, the only sound of their plastic coins clicking. The further the game progressed, the more desperate each turn became. They responded to each move with a counter move, often blocking a four in a row of the player’s color. Neither one gave an inch, refusing to surrender. Five minutes passed, and the board was almost full of pieces. Dinky proved an adept Link 4 player, but Trixie hadn’t lost yet.

They continued to play for another few minutes until Dinky paused, her plastic coin hovering over the game board’s multiple slots. “Does it hurt?” Trixie winced as Dinky put her into an awkward position, getting into a position that provided three opportunities for a link of 4.

“What does?” Trixie asked, studying the board to salvage the situation.

“Turning.” Dinky paused, trying to consider the best word. “Liquidy?”

Trixie didn’t answer at first, pretending to consider the board. Then she surrendered and sighed. “It’s hard to explain. It’s a feeling beyond pain.”

“Beyond pain?”

“Like I can sense every cell.” Trixie wished it was pain. Then she’d feel more like a pony. Her lips extended into a smile, one that made her guest uncomfortable. “Three ponies died to create me like this. It’s funny. They’re dead, but I still feel their souls within me.”

Sometimes when Trixie slept, they spoke to her. They told her about their hopes and dreams and everything they’d lost. Not to egg Trixie further on to fight against Shocker, but to be remembered. Nothing was worse than being forgotten.

“Right.” Dinky gave a weak smile, profoundly unsettled by her captor’s stories. It led to distraction, which Trixie ruthlessly exploited.

“Four in a row!” Trixie said, sliding a piece down a far-right slot. Finally, she’d received a decisive victory. “Diagonal!”

“Darn it!” Dinky said, realizing her opponent had led her to distraction.

But Dinky didn’t protest as Trixie put away the plastic board and its pieces. Neither one seemed in the mood for games. Besides, Trixie had another lead that needed following up on. She had spotted Fuchsia Blush at a local bar, guided there by a rumor. After giving her goodbye, Trixie left. Dinky appeared on the verge of saying something, but decided against it. She curled into her bed instead, her expression miserable.

What’s her deal? Did the filly feel sorry for her? Trixie shook her head, deciding it didn’t matter. She was only a step away from her ultimate revenge.

---

“Fuchsia Blush?” Twilight asked. She sat behind her desk, levitating papers as she listened to a more organized position.

“She’s an old Shocker tech, very loyal.” Rarity replied. “My informants say she’s joined the Shocker remnant led by Doctor Shinigami.”

Twilight nodded in understanding. “And you hope to find him through her. You have my full authority to do whatever it takes to capture her. A Shocker General lurking around Equestria makes me nervous. I’d rather not fight on two fronts. Zol is bad enough.”

“Actually, darling, I didn’t ask because I was worried you might not approve of this mission.” Rarity said. “I wanted to ask if you’d be interested in assisting with it.”

“Huh?”

“We’ll likely need your Kamen Rider abilities to capture her. Besides, you’ve completely lost your social life, dear.”

“Well, I have been busy,” Twilight said wryly.

“Yes, and it’s taken its toll.” Rarity poked Twilight’s stomach with a hoof. “You’ve gotten pale, princess. You need to get out more.”

“I try!” Between her duties and creating Lux a new weapon, Twilight’s hooves were full.

Can I afford to leave the castle for even a couple of hours? She was due to speak with Applejack again about the crop situation at nine. That was only one of the multiple ponies demanding her attention. But she couldn’t deny the allure of going out to fight Shocker. It was simple. Good vs. evil. It didn’t require her to appease anypony or win their favor, just her and her hooves.

“Okay,” Twilight said, unable to escape the allure of leaving her office for a couple of hours. “Pinkie, push back my appointments for the day.”

“Okey Dokey Lokey, princess!” Pinkie said, saluting.

“Excellent. This smells like a trap.” Rarity said, watching Pinkie Pie scribble with vigor on her clipboard.

“Hold on. If it’s a trap, why are you endangering the princess?” Window Pane, who’d overheard the conversation, said.

“Because they won’t expect us to turn their trap against them! Besides, our resident basket case princess hasn’t left the castle grounds for several weeks.”

Twilight winced. Had it been that long?

“If that’s true, count me in!” Twilight said, unable to bear the thought of her chief spy getting hurt.

“Crazy!” Windowpane said, throwing up his hooves in surrender. “They could kill you, princess!”

“Oh, don’t fret, Windy. I’m not asking her to fight Doctor Shinigami,” Rarity said, playfully chastising the stallion. “The worst we’ll face is a Shocker monster and a few Combatponies. Nothing our Princess Kamen Rider can’t handle.”

“Right.” Twilight rolled her eyes at the address, but smiled. After her week, she’d enjoy roughing up some Shocker goons.

“Just point me where I need to go.” Twilight punched her hooves together. Compared to running an entire country, this would be easy!

---

“Distance from the target?” Twilight asked in her COM unit. While bulky around her glasses, the device fitted well enough.

Her stomach bubbled with eager anticipation, glad to be on a spy mission with Rarity. By Shocker, it was nice leaving her cramped office. The bush’s leaves ruffled as she swung her binoculars around the square.

“Found her.” Rarity said a moment later. “A half a klick to your right.”

“Uh.” Twilight mentally converted the unfamiliar slang term to hooves and spotted their target. Not that the direction was necessary. Fuchsia Blush stuck out like a flashing beacon. It was like she wanted to be seen, constantly sending nervous glances over her shoulder.

“I’ll follow her.” Twilight slipped behind a car, careful not to be seen. The darkness of the growing night helped, but she remained cautious. Ponyville citizens were going about their day, mostly going home, though. “If we’re lucky, she’ll guide us towards a Shocker hive.”

“Understood. I’ve got your back.” Rarity clicked off.

Unsurprisingly, Fuchsia Blush guided them to a more derelict section of Ponyville. Graffiti covered worn-down buildings that needed serious repair. Unfriendly eyes watched her through the boarded-up windows. Rough-looking ponies hung around on street corners. Their coarse language caused Twilight’s cheeks to flush.

I’ll need to speak to the Council about doing something about these slums. Ponyville should mirror the lost Canterlot, a dreamland city of wonder. But these matters could concern her later.

Some graffiti caught her eye, and Twilight recognized it. It boldly pronounced Shocker’s villainy. Some just said, “Shocker oppresses all!!”, in black spray paint. Others were elaborate murals, depicting the later Great Leader as a devilish figure who tormented his pony subjects beneath him. It was the art of the infamous graffiti artist Flanksy.

For a moment, Twilight stared, memorized. Its boldness captivated her, unabashed to speak the truth against Shocker. It brought Twilight momentary shame that she hadn’t rebelled sooner, too chastened by the potential consequences. Only Trixie’s bold courage had spurned her into action.

Still, the graffiti brought a slight smile to her lips. Shocker had never captured Flanksy, despite their best efforts. It heartened her that Equestria had such heroes, small or large. Returning to her mission, she slipped into a dark alleyway. Rats scurried away as she approached, but Twilight ignored them. With her friend Fluttershy around, you got used to seeing such creatures. She briefly wondered if they were friends of the animal-loving pony. From the other side of the alley, she spotted Fuchsia Blush entering an abandoned warehouse.

“She’s entered an old warehouse,” Twilight said into her COM unit. In its happier days, it had stored mattresses.

“Stay alert.” Rarity replied. “It might be a trap. I’m right behind you.”

“Understood.” Twilight was a Kamen Rider, danger second nature to her. If she was walking into a trap, she’d deal with it. “I’m going in.”

After studying its rusted walls and broken windows, Twilight decided on her best plan of attack. With nimble hooves, she climbed up some abandoned crates near a window. The gloom was difficult to penetrate, but she saw the remains of an office. Nopony appeared in sight, Fuchsia Blush’s hooffalls a distant sound. Broken glass slid past her fur as she slipped inside. With silent hooves, Twilight struck the cold pavement.

Bright lights blinded her when she touched the floor, a sword slashing towards her from behind. But Twilight’s nimbleness surprised her attacker, then she instinctually ducked and bashed her head into the pony’s skull. They cried out in pain and staggered back. As her eyes adjusted to the sudden light, the details of her surroundings became clear.

A bright red light emerged from the shadows, her face very familiar. “Hello, princess,” Inquisitor Ditzy Doo said, saying the last word with a tone of mockery. “We were expecting another fish in our net, but you’ll do.” Dozens of Combatponies gathered around the Kamen Rider, various weapons in their hooves.

“Our trap worked better than we expected!” Fuchsia Blush said, emerging from an office’s door. “With Lux dead, Equestria is ours!”

“Other fish?” A myriad of questions spun around in her head, wondering why Shocker would bother trying to trap somepony else? Wasn’t Lux their number-one enemy?

“Prepare to die, Lux!” Fuchsia Blush’s body transformed. Green fluff grew around her head, forming a misshapen helmet. The pungent, musky smell struck Twilight’s nose, and she realized it wasn’t green fluff, but mold. It spread past her shoulder to cover her right hoof. A red line streaked across her head, running around her new mouth. “Call me, Kabibinga!”

Her foes soon surrounded her, the nearest Combatpony slicing a sickle toward her backside. The blade passed inches from her flesh, just missing her. Her attacker cried out in pain and sudden surprise as Twilight delivered a back kick to their face. Seeing this as a signal, all the Combatponies attacked her at once.

Crap! They weren’t giving her a chance to transform. Twilight barely kept a step ahead of her attackers. The office’s small parameters offered little room to maneuver, trapping her between dozens of bodies. While scoring numerous victories, Twilight hadn’t emerged unscathed. Blood trickled down from a slash across her right eye, blinding it. Her bruises had bruises from blows she hadn’t been quick enough to avoid.

“Rarity, I need your help!” Twilight said in her comm.

“Sorry, darling, but I’m entangled at the moment.” Rarity replied. Her voice puffed from exertion, out of breath. “Some Combatponies were waiting for me. I’ll get there when I can!”

A staff’s tip slipped past Twilight’s face, and her eyes widened as a sword whipped toward her exposed stomach. Twilight hissed in pain as the blade almost bisected her belly, blood dripping from the shallow cut. A second blade slashed toward her head, but Twilight used the Combatpony’s staff to block it.

“You’re finished, Kamen Rider,” Kabibinga said, holding her twin blades in a fighting stance. “You’re useless if we don’t allow you to transform.”

Her bones rattled as a kick from Kabibinga threw her across the room, but Twilight recovered with a roll. She winced from a bruised rib as she struggled to rise.

“Die!” The mold monster slashed her twin blade down toward her prone opponent. But Twilight refused to surrender. With lightning-fast reflexes, she grabbed the fallen sword of a Combatpony and blocked the blow. The monster’s strength was incredible, both blades driving Twilight’s weapon back.

If I can’t transform, I’m doomed! A flash of red caught her attention. Twilight yelped in surprise as a red beam shot past her chin, missing by seconds.

“Did you forget about me?” Ditzy Doo said, her mechanical eyes burning with red energy.

Twilight cursed and kicked Kabibinga in the stomach. While it didn’t cause any damage, it staggered the monster long enough so she could slip by and return to her hooves. Another energy beam lanced by, Twilight just ducking aside in time. Combatponies assaulted her from every side, and the Kamen Rider fought to keep herself from getting pinned down. She couldn’t afford to get hit by the inquisitor’s energy beams. The burning holes in the warehouse wall displayed their deadly power.

“You’re making this too easy, Lux.” Kabibinga scooped mold from her chest and hurled it toward Twilight. Seeing the danger, she elbowed the nearest Combatpony into its path.

The mold’s victim howled in pain and fear as it consumed her, growing around her with astonishing speed. The Combatpony collapsed dead before her body even touched the ground, nothing left behind but bubbling flesh.

“Hey, be careful!” Ditzy Doo said, scowling. “Our forces are diminished as it is! One more unnecessary loss and I’ll have your damn hide!”

“Right, sorry!” Kabibinga said, tone bordering on panic. She knew the consequences of upsetting a Shocker Inquisitor.

“It doesn’t matter.” Kabibinga’s sword whistled past Twilight’s head, blood trickling from where the near-miss had struck. “She’s dead either way.”

Their swords clashed as Twilight fought the monster back, her opponent proving an excellent swordspony. But the power difference proved too great to match. Twilight’s skeleton rattled as she blocked too strong a blow. Kabibinga’s other blade knocked Twilight’s sword aside, leaving her defenseless.

“You’re finished!” Confident she’d finished Shocker’s greatest enemy, she bellowed an inequine laugh and slashed both blades towards her opponent’s throat. Only Twilight’s quick reflexes saved her from the fatal blow. But Kabibinga had driven her into a corner, leaving her trapped and weaponless. Combatponies moved to help pin her further, leaving her no room to escape.

If I leap off the wall, I might jump over them. But it seemed like a long shot with Twilight’s enemies everywhere to interpose her. With no better plan, Twilight steeled herself for the coming danger.

Here goes nothing. Twilight crouched, getting ready to leapfrog against the wall. But before she could enact her crazy gambit, a barrel collided with Kabibinga. It knocked her off balance, toppling over several near Combatponies caught unaware.

“Is this all Lux can do? I’m not impressed!” A newcomer said. It sounded familiar, but Twilight couldn’t place where.

A figure dressed in a dust-colored cloak jumped into the middle of the room, landing between the group of gathering Combatponies. A hood hid their face, but their exposed muzzle had a smug, triumphant grin.

With lightning-fast hooves, the stranger punched the head of the nearest Combatpony. They crumbled into a heap, and their nearby fellows suffered the same fate. Momentary indecision made the goons pause, unsure which target they should go after. This gap provided Twilight with just the opening she needed. She joined the newcomer, grabbing a fallen sword and slashing the nearest Combatpony across the chest.

“Thanks, I was in a bad situation there.” Twilight blocked a sickle armed towards her exposed backside.

“I didn’t do it for you.” The newcomer said, speaking with surprising vitriol. Had she offended her in the past? This unicorn’s voice sounded so familiar, but Twilight couldn’t place where.

“Who the hell are you?” Kabibinga said, knocking aside the barrel with a casual swing of a hoof.

“Yes, show yourself,” Inquisitor Doo said, her mouth tight in a firm line. For some reason, the stranger’s appearance had upset the inquisitor’s usual aura of absolute stoicism.

“Gladly. You saved me a great deal of trouble finding you, Inquisitor Doo!” Twilight gasped as the newcomer threw aside their cloak. The entire room froze still, shocked by the pony’s identity.

“Trixie?” Emotions whirled with Twilight, certain she’d never see her friend again. While the unexpected appearance of wings surprised her, Trixie’s sudden appearance was too welcome a relief to care for the moment.

“Trixie?!” The Combatponies backed away, descending into complete disarray.

“So, it is you.” Inquisitor Doo’s firm expression became harder.

“Trixie, thank Shocker! How did you get back?” Twilight asked. Tears pricked her eyes, but she wiped them away. They were still engaged in battle. She extended a comforting hoof, glad to have her friend back. Much to Twilight’s shock, Trixie knocked the offered hoof aside.

“I’m not that phony,” Trixie said, her tone filled with contempt. “I’m the real Trixie!”

Real Trixie? Twilight’s mind whirled with questions and possibilities. Was this their world’s Trixie? But how could that be? Didn’t she die?

The hateful glare Trixie gave her made Twilight’s heart shrink. “I’ll deal with you later. I need to kill everypony who screwed up my life first! Starting with you!” Kabibinga flinched when Trixie pointed a hoof toward her.

With a flick of a hoof, Trixie entered a battle pose. Light shone from her waist, and a belt appeared when the glare vanished.

A belt? Trixie’s a Kamen Rider?!

“I hope you’ll enjoy the pit of hell because that’s where I’m sending all of you! Henshin!”