Kamen Rider Lux: Sins of the Parent

by Rixizu

Chapter 7

“Woah! Zol is attacking Equestria! No way!” A pony said, equal parts excited and terrified.

“Couldn’t he have waited?” Another recruit said, unable to hide her terror. “I haven’t even begun basic training yet!”

“They aren’t expecting us to fight yet, right?” Another said, fidgeting with nervousness.

“Pathetic,” Gilda said, letting out a derisive snort. “This is Equestria’s best and brightest?”

“Be nice, Gild!” Princess Gabby said, rebuking her captain’s blunt words. “They’re working hard to do their best!”

“Against Shocker, that wouldn’t be enough.” This was why she hated weaklings. Clearly, most ponies couldn’t match Princess Sparkle’s stock. To nogriffon’s surprise, the world needed to count on the Griffon Kingdom for protection. Her talons scraped together in eager anticipation for battle.

“Line up, recruits!” A commanding tone said. Each of the recruits gathered in an orderly line, ready for further instructions as an older pony strode past, heads held high.

“How did you do that?” Princess Gabby asked, impressed by the display.

“I was captain of the Wonderbolts for decades.” Stormy Flare, head of war, winked as she trotted towards them. “I’ve learned a few tricks to keep discipline during troubled times. We’re more than just a stunt team.”

“Neat!”

Gilda ignored her princess’s star-eyed admiration. Instead, she flew towards the middle-aged pegasus. “What’s the situation?” Gilda wanted to charge in, but common sense overrode her eagerness for battle.

“Not good,” Stormy Flare replied. “Zol’s forces are attacking en masse. We’re not sure how they entered Ponyville without being spotted. No matter, we’ll drive them back.”

“They’re in the castle!” A newcomer said, blood trickling down his forehead. “They’re so strong! And they’ve got monsters with them!”

Grim-faced, Stormy Flare nodded. “Understood. Recruits prepare for battle. Protect Princess Sparkle and her cabinet with your lives!”

“Yes, sir!” The recruits saluted. Despite herself, Gilda found herself impressed. They appeared eager to protect their pretty pony princess.

“Princess, get to the safe room. I’ll handle this.” While the announcement of monsters was troublesome, it only heightened her excitement.

“Yes, Captain Gilda,” Gabby said with remarkable seriousness, understanding the graveness of their situation. Without another word, she flew towards some waiting guards who guided her to safety.

“Now that’s dealt with. We can address the real problem.” Stormy Flare said, giving Gilda a nod of respect.

“I won’t lie,” Stormy Flare told her talonful of recruits. “This will be bloody, but we’re the only force standing between Zol and total domination. Grab a weapon and prepare to fight!”

“Yes, sir!” The recruits each grabbed a random weapon from a rack. From the haphazard way they held it, Gilda surmised they’d received little training in their use. This just got better and better.

“You’re a credit to Equestrian bravery. Do your country proud.” Stormy Flare gave an approving smile. She tapped at a piece in her ear, listening to an unheard conversation. “Prepare to back up, Princess Sparkle. She’s arriving in the east wing. Follow me.”

For her sake, let’s hope Lux has gotten stronger since our last encounter. Gilda followed the recruits to the place with the thickest fighting, already audible from this distance. Unlike the weak ponies around her, it excited her griffon blood. Her smile made her pony companions distinctly uncomfortable.

When they arrived at the main entrance chamber, their attackers weren’t what Gilda expected. The ponies fighting the royal guard weren’t the usual Combatponies. Instead, they wore scorpion patterns on their pitch-black uniform. It didn’t matter. They’ll fall like the usual Shocker trash. The scene was complete chaos, the royal guard fighting hard for their princess’s honor. But it was a pitched battle, the guards’ losses heavy.

With a bestial shriek, Gilda prepared for battle. She extended her half-mechanical wings toward her enemy. Like the predator she was, she targeted the weakest Combatpony available. The goon was already limping from a terrible blow to the leg, engaging with a guard wielding a spear. Her mechanical talons sliced across his back as she caught one unaware.

“Thanks.” The startled guard said, poking at the fallen Combatpony with the blunt end of his spear. But Gilda paid him no heed, already searching for her next opponent.

A Combatpony gulped as Gilda approached, eyes dilating as she noticed the blood dripping from the griffon’s mechanical talons. The pony’s fortune improved when a dozen friends joined to back her up. They moved to surround the bloodthirsty griffon, cutting off any escape. This only brought a smile to Gilda’s beak.

“Hold the line. The bird can’t defeat us all!” Those words were the Combatpony’s last as Gilda slashed through his torso. From behind, a sword stabbed at her exposed back. Instincts honed by years of life and death battles, Gilda ducted the blow. The pony howled when Gilda gave the pony a broken muzzle for his trouble. Even without her talons, her mechanical hand could shatter bone. With impressive coordination, the other Combatponies attacked at once. Each brandished a deadly weapon, wielding it with skillful hooves.

Two Combatponies collapsed in the first exchanges of combat. A staff and a spear lanced towards Gilda from two different directions. A talon caught the spear’s shaft, jabbing its end into its owner’s chest. Gilda leaped over the sweeping blow from the staff, smacking the spear across its wielder’s head. The spear snapped in half, and Gilda tossed the useless weapon aside.

“So strong.” A Combatpony gasped in pain when Gilda’s punch almost doubled her over. She stood, but just barely. Her fellows weren’t as fortunate, gasping and moaning on the tiled floor.

“Back!” A newcomer said, the scorpion Combatponies parting way for them.

“Impressive.” The monster was hideous, a bizarre mismatch of jaguar and machine. Two metal horns protruded from its bulbous jaguar head, red with black spots. One half had fur matching the coloration of its head. The other half had gray metallic armor, tough as steel. Instead of claws, the creature had blades attached to each arm. A dagger-like digit protruded from the larger blade.

“Help me, please!” A guardspony moaned in pain. The monster dragged her across the decorative tile floor, pulled by her armor’s collar.

“We were never told about you.” The machine-jaguar mismatch eyed Gilda, ignoring the injured pony. It clashed its two blades together. “But against the mighty Destron, you are nothing but a nuisance, griffon. I am Hasami Jaguar!”

Destron? Different name, still the same chumps. She cared little about what they called themselves. They’d still be bloody bags of flesh once Gilda finished with them.

“You will die like the rest.” The monster said. The injured mare didn’t even have time to scream as Hasami Jaguar stabbed a blade into her chest. Instead of gushing blood as Gilda expected, the poor mare’s body dissolved before her eyes. It reduced the unfortunate to a black stain on the tiled floor.

“You’re going to regret that!” Gilda played with the hatch of her arm cannon, ready for action.

“Don’t worry, Gilda! I’m coming!” Tile cracked to pieces as Kamen Rider Lux landed some steps away from her.

“Lux!” The Combatponies cried with equal parts fear and outrage.

“Perfect! You save me the trouble of hunting you down!” Hasami Jaguar said, delighted his enemy had landed in his lap.

“I can handle this myself!” Gilda said, annoyed by the interruption.

“Is this really the time for this? We need to work together!” A Combatpony yelped in pain and surprise as Twilight flipped him into his fellows, bowling them over. Her hooves were merciless, devastating any Combatpony who dared cross her path.

She’s improved, at least. Gilda joined the fray, showing her foes what true terror was. Stormy Flare, her recruits charging behind to provide support. They managed themselves well, keeping several Combatponies off their backs.

“Working together is lame!” Gilda said, engaging Hasami Jaguar by herself. “Griffons fight alone! Just keep these dweebs away from me!”

Metal clashed against metal, Hasami Jaguar parrying her talons with a curved blade. Gilda’s mechanical parts sizzled from the contact, leaving a black stain. They circled each other, both predators hunting for weakness. While some might become daunted at facing a monster capable of killing with a touch, it only excited Gilda. This was why griffons became warriors.

Each combatant vied for advantages as they exchanged parries, keeping their opponent at bay. Hasami Jaguar showed impressive ability, both an agile and skillful warrior. He refused to surrender an inch as they fought. She might need her buster cannon after all. Behind her, the pony princess tore through the ranks of Combatponies with impressive skill. But she detected a slight hesitancy in the pony princess’s movements, worried about Gilda’s safety. Sloppy. Such weakness could get her killed.

A burn mark scarred a mechanical wing, but she was having fun. She was biding her time, searching for weaknesses within Hasami Jaguar’s fighting style. Gilda almost scored a slash across the monster’s chest, but it missed by inches. Hasami Jaguar enjoyed himself too, but Gilda’s instincts screamed something was wrong. Her opponent seemed too pleased with himself.

There! Reflected in Hasami Jaguar’s yellow eyes, Gilda caught a green shape staring back at her. Instead of turning to identify the figure, she leaped clear of her current position. It was a lucky break as fiery destruction filled where she’d vacated. Their fight was only a diversion. Typical Shocker cowardice!

“Lucky! You wouldn’t be so fortunate next time!” Her new attacker was a bizarre pony-turtle hybrid. Attached to his shell was a bazooka almost half the monster’s height. He bent down to open fire, heedless of what target he hit. To Gilda’s dismay, the onslaught blasted the new recruits to pieces. Only Gilda’s quick wits and wings saved her from a similar fate.

“Call me, Kame Bazooka!” The turtle monster said. “You were foals to think any of you stood a chance!”

“Cover me. I got this.” Hasami Jaguar charged toward Gilda, blades raised to strike.

Gilda fought to stay a step ahead of death. When Kame Bazooka wasn’t firing upon her, he was taking potshots at any guards or recruits that came into view.

“Don’t worry, Gilda!” Twilight Sparkle said. “I’m coming!”

Gilda’s heart thumped like thunder as the blade passed inches away from her face. With another monster on her heels, defending herself seemed almost impossible.

I can’t keep going like this! If she positioned both monsters just right, maybe she could blast them together with her cannon! That hope proved short-lived, a careless explosion from above blowing her into a nearby wall.

Pain stabbed at her back as she landed hard on some rock debris. Through blurry eyes, she tried to make sense of her surroundings. Gilda knew unless she moved now, she was a fried griffon. Senses befuddled, she stumbled about in the dark. Fear stabbed her heart as her vision cleared, revealing Hasami Jaguar standing above her. He smirked in triumph, blades raised to deliver death.

Move! But her battered body refused to budge, leaving her helpless.

“No!” Sparks flew as something white stabbed at her attacker from above, something glowing in their talons. No hooves. Lux had arrived to save her. While this irked her greatly, Gilda didn’t mind if it meant not dying. The mechanical monster staggered back, gripping his sizzling wound.

“Kamen Rider Lux!” Kame Bazooka said, his voice sly. “I’m going to enjoy this.”

“Lucky shot.” Hasami Jaguar clashed his twin blades together. “You wouldn’t be so lucky next time.

Twilight prepared her energy sword to fight the two monsters with impressive valor. Gilda tried to regain her bearings to join the fray. No pony would fight for her sake. But abruptly, the fighting stopped. Combatpoines parting for someone new. With clipped, precise steps, they entered the castle’s hall. Fire burned in Gilda’s blood as she recognized the face immediately.

“Colonel Zol!” Gilda spat.

The pegasus’s military uniform was immaculate, gray-blue with a white undershirt and matching pants. His golden trim hat had a golden wreath surrounding a red dot sitting under a hawk in flight. The pony’s features were granite, radiating authority and demanding respect. His muzzle wore a thick mustache, with an eye patch covering his left eye.

Gilda’s hacks raised, forgetting her injuries. She readied herself for a sudden, unexpected strike with her cannon. But she paused, detecting something off. Was it her imagination, or had Zol’s figure flickered?

“Lux, we meet at least,” Zol said, extending the riding crop in his hooves towards Twilight. “We’re here to crush this pitiful little kingdom you’ve tried to create for yourself. You lead your ponies astray with this talk of democracy and freedom. Ponies can only thrive with a firm hoof guiding them.”

“Never!” Twilight said, growling. “Only through freedom can ponies be happy! Ponies have suffered enough under your heartless rule! Your dream would will only lead to desolation and ruin! Tyranny is anathema to life! I will create an Equestria where ponies will never stop smiling!”

“Sure, whatever,” Gilda said, struggling to her feet. “Save the namby-pamby speeches and focus on kicking this guy’s butt!” Seriously. If Princess Sparkle started talking about friendship next, she would puke.

“Right,” Twilight said, somewhat annoyed. But she focused on the task at talon, reading her energy sword.

With a crack of his whip, Zol made a dismissive gesture. “Not yet. Destron has completed its objective for today. We have decimated your sad excuses for recruits. When my entire army comes, your forces will offer no resistance when we attack in full. Equestria will be crushed and absorbed into the Destron Empire. Savor these precious moments of peace while you can. They will be your last, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

Hasami Jaguar slashed his metal blades together. “You got lucky, griffon! Next time, I will have your head!”

“If she lasts that long before I blow her to smithereens!” Kame Bazooka said.

“Goodbye, Lux,” Zol said, and his form vanished as if it’d never been there. Gilda cursed, realizing it had only been a projection. Their enemy was still safe back in Pferdreich. His forces followed suit by pulling out white tablets and tossing them to the ground. Everyone coughed as smoke filled the room. But when their vision cleared, Destron’s forces had vanished.

“Wait!” Twilight kicked a nearby wall, cursing very unladylike oaths. Her ears drooped when she surveyed the damage. Zol hadn’t been kidding about the state of the recruits. Only a handful had survived the battle, Gilda’s heart seizing when she realized something.

Rainbow Dash! If the idiot had participated in the battle, she might have gotten injured or worse! Terrified, she bolted from the room with her wings extended out high. Twilight called for her to wait, but Gilda ignored her.

“Please be okay!” Gilda repeated his manta, hoping it might come true if she repeated it enough times.

While the damage wasn’t as severe as Gilda feared, many guards and recruits had suffered serious injuries. Some would likely never see action again. EMTs rushed to the scene, starting with the most grievously injured. The yellow pegasus helped with them, offering a kind hoof to suffering. Zol hadn’t been lying. Destron had retired Equestria’s army before it even saw action.

“Rainbow Dash!” Relief flooded Gilda as she spotted the dweeb.

“Careful!” Rainbow Dash said, helping an EMT move a bloody pony onto a stretcher. The pony gave RD a grateful nod and flew out a window towards the hospital.

“Gilda?” Her friend said, surprised. Fear quickened her heart as she saw crimson staining her friend’s fur, sighing in relief after realizing it wasn’t Rainbow’s.

“Yeah, I’m just here to see how badly you got your butt kicked,” Gilda said, hiding her relief that her pony friend was unharmed. “But it seems you did alright for yourself.”

“Ha! It takes more than a bunch of Combatponies to keep me down!” But Gilda noticed the heartache RD tried to hide under that bravado. Her first taste of battle hadn’t been as glorious as she expected.

“They hurt a lot of good ponies.” Rainbow Dash said, her tone turning hard as steel. “I won’t let this happen again.”

“Glad to hear it,” Stormy Flare said, walking towards them. “We need pegasi like you if we’re to win this war.”

“Thanks!” Replied Rainbow Dash, awestruck. She was speaking with a living legend. “I kicked as much Shocker butt as I could, sir! They couldn’t even catch me, sir!”

“So I saw,” Stormy Flare said, amused by Rainbow’s blatant hero worship. “Your team suffered the fewest losses of everypony. That’s why I want you as part of the Wonderbolts.”

“Wonderbolts, sir?” Rainbow Dash said, uncertain she’d heard that right.

“I didn’t stutter, recruit,” Stormy Flare replied, her tone going serious. “I want you at the Wonderbolt Academy at 6:00 tomorrow.”

“B-but you rejected my application. I’m not ready to be a Wonderbolt!” Rainbow Dash said, overcome with both doubt and hope.

“That doesn’t matter.” Stormy Flare said, kindness creeping into her tone. “We’re at war! We need every talented pegasi we can get. Like it or not, you’re ready now.”

“Sir, yes, sir!” Rainbow Dash said, giving a crisp salute.

“Good. I’m expecting great things from you, Miss Dash. Don’t disappoint me.” Stormy Flare said, giving a brisk nod. “Now, I’ll leave you to help the survivors. I believe Nurse Redheart next door requires the help of a Wonderbolt.” With that, she took her leave.

“Can you believe it?” Rainbow Dash said, her tone full of wonder. “I’m a Wonderbolt! Yes!” She flipped in the air, dancing with her hips. Her ears flattened when a nearby nurse gave Rainbow a scathing glare.

“But celebrations can wait for later.” RD coughed into her hoof. “See you around, Gilda. Go see a nurse. You look like crap.”

Did she? Eh, Gilda had suffered worse. She was more worried about someone else.

“You too, Dash. Congratulations.” Not that Rainbow didn’t deserve this honor, but it only filled Gilda with dread.

“A Wonderbolt?! Yes!” Rainbow Dash whispered, stomping a hoof in delight.

“Yes, wonderful,” Gilda said with little enthusiasm. The appointment only heightened Gilda’s fear of Rainbow’s safety. But this was her friend’s path. Gilda knew she needed to honor it.

Yes. Destron will receive a rainbow-colored butt-kicking. Why am I worried? While it didn’t elevate her fears, it made her concern marginally better. She hoped.

---

“Well?” Ditzy asked, clutching at one arm. The limb throbbed something fierce. But she’d survive.

“The casualties were high, sir.” The Combatpony said, nervous sweat dripping down his brow. Nopony liked giving an inquisitor unwanted news. “It’s still early, but it’s estimated we’ve lost almost seventy percent of our forces.”

“I see.” Inwardly, she cursed.

Destron had been ruthless in their sneak attack. Ditzy almost hadn’t survived. They’d received reports that the old castle had suffered a similar attack. They’d underestimated Zol’s power, and he’d almost broken both his enemies to pieces. While, in time, the false Princess could recoup her forces. Shocker wouldn’t be so lucky, already hunted close to extinction.

“That bad.” Doctor Shinigami ran a hoof past his horn and long white hair. “The experiment survived intact, but that’s the only good news.”

“And you survived, doctor,” Ditzy said. “A Shocker General is worth a thousand Combatponies.”

“But what chance do we have against Zol, inquisitor?” Doctor Shinigami sounded defeated, older than she’d ever heard from the general.

How could this happen? Despair tore apart her heart. Ditzy’s most beloved was slipping from her grasp, both her muffin and Shocker. She couldn’t bear losing either, but what could she do? In Shocker’s current state, they couldn’t stop Trixie or Destron. Tears pricked at her eyelids, and Ditzy didn’t have the energy to wipe them away.

Doctor Shinigami gave her a sad smile, knowing her thoughts. But he remained silent, knowing they’d be empty encouragement. Shocker was dead.

“Or is it?” Doctor Shinigami said, reading her glum expression.

“What? Will your experiment be enough to turn the tide?” Ditzy asked, wondering what her general was thinking.

“No, but there’s a chance. But to do it is unthinkable.”

“What?” The Combatpony and Ditzy hung on Doctor Shinigami’s every word.

“What’s the old saying? An enemy of my enemy is my friend?” The Shocker General said.

“You can’t mean?” Ditzy couldn’t even finish the thought, it being so ludicrous.

“We’re weakened too, but together we might stand a chance,” Doctor Shinigami said. “If we join forces with Lux, victory might be possible!”

“No!” Ditzy said, her mind automatically rebelling.

But she stopped, considering the suggestion further. She recalled how much Trixie hated Lux from the night earlier. Unsurprising, considering Twilight Velvet had ruined Protean’s life. And Twilight Sparkle wasn’t an unfeeling mare. If she found out Trixie kidnapped a foal, she’d help rescue the filly.

And we’d have a stronger army to fight Destron, of course. But Ditzy was a mother. Her muffin came first, always.

This could work. While the suggestion still left a bitter taste in Ditzy’s mouth, Zol and Trixie needed to be stopped. For Dinky and Shocker’s sake, she’d swallow her pride. Besides, they wouldn’t be allies forever. Ditzy’s mouth extended into a wicked grin. They hadn’t lost yet.