Ever since Flash woke up in that alleyway, with that first Mimicore, he had had many questions about what was going on in his life.

But now that he was staring at a new Kamen Rider, who was actually a Mimic taking the appearance of Thorax, many of those questions appeared to have been answered. But in their place, a billion more had suddenly appeared. And it was clear that he wasn't the only one wondering what the heck was happening.

"Thorax?" Twilight whispered. "What happened to him?"

Flash looked at all the girls, who had finally discovered his and Shining's secret. But at the moment, they seemed more concerned with what had happened to the Mimic that called himself Torin. "That Mimic just became a Kamen Rider?" Rainbow asked, turning to Flash and Shining. "How the heck did he do that?"

"I...I don't know." Shining was clearly having a hard time processing this as well, his gaze turning to Corvyn as the cloaked figure stood besides the suited individual. "What have you done?"

Standing in front of the now suited up individual, his brother and mother stared at him in shock. "Torin?" Maya whispered, "what has he done to you?"

Corvyn turned to Maya. "This isn't your spawn anymore." The dome around them began to disappear, as Corvyn turned to the new Rider. "Thorax. It's time to save your brother." He suddenly pulled something out of his cloak. A kind of gun that looked more like a megaphone.

With a pull of the trigger, it unleashed a high powered sonic wave. This wave flew through the warehouse and slammed into everyone except Byon, sending Maya, the other Mimics and the humans flying backwards as they let out a cry.

"What?" Byon saw his mother being thrown back, then glared at his brother. "Don't just stand there. Fight that guy!" But Torin didn't and as everyone else began to pick themselves up, Torin charged forward. "What are you doing?" The next thing Byon knew, he was getting punched in the chest and thrown backwards. "Gyah!"

Everyone watched as the mantis monster slammed into the ground, whilst Torin/Thorax moved forward.

"Torin!" Maya cried, trying to run to her spawns. But before she could, another dome appeared. This one encased the two and Corvyn within it, keeping Maya from getting to them. "Let me in!"

"What the heck is happening?" High asked Frill, who was just as lost as everyone else.

Byon groaned, as he began to pick himself up. He then turned to the Rider, glaring at him. "What's wrong with you? And when did you get so confident?" He stood and prepared to fight. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but this is your last warning. Stand down before I make you regret it, brother."

"I'm not your brother," Thorax stated. "My brother is the one in that cocoon. And I'm going to free him."

Byon had had enough of this and charged forward, swinging his blade-like arms as Thorax. But the suited teen was able to duck under the blades and roll to a safe distance. He then spun around and slammed a foot into Byon's back, knocking him staggering forward. "Augh!" He quickly spread his wings and took to the air, flying as high as the dome would let him go.

Thorax got into a fighting stance and as Byon dived at him. he side-stepped the attack at the last minute.

He then swung his leg around and kicked Byon away, as the gauntlets around is arms began to melt. The dorsal fins on the sides of his arms disappeared, as part of the slime slid downwards into his hands. As soon as he handed them, he gripped the slime and it suddenly solidified in his grasp.

Everyone watched, as the slime formed downwards into a pair of single-edged swords with cutlass handles. The blades were white with a purple line running down the sides, whilst the handles were black with green cross-guards.

Thorax held the weapons in a reverse grip, holding them up like how a mantis would hold its arms. He then charged, Byon charging as well with the pair swinging their blades towards one another. The metal weapons glassed, sparks flying off as the metal collided.

Thorax was showing incredible skill with his dual blades, using them to block and deflect Byon's attacks like they were nothing. The teen spun around and kicked one blade aside before slashing at the Mimic with his cutlass, then leapt up and over Byon as the monster tried to cut him.

He slashed at Byon's back with both swords, making him scream in pain as Thorax landed.

"Wow," Applejack whistled, "he's good."

"How's he doing that?" Twilight asked, with Flash and Shining frowning.

Flash then spoke up, the girls almost forgetting he was there for a moment. "The first time I transformed, it was like I was on autopilot. I was moving and doing flips and kicks I'd never been able to in the past. It wasn't until after the fight that I was able to move on my own."

"Same with me," Shining nodded. "Best guess, the Driver's doing most of the work right now. It's likely if Thorax wins this and fights another opponent later, he'll be completely on his own." They watched as Thorax dodged another slash before blocking the second with his sword, forcing it away from him before flipping backwards and slamming his foot into Byon's chin.

"Augh!" He staggered back, as Thorax landed and flipped one of his swords into a frontward grip. He then charged and tried to stab Byon, who barely managed to block and knock Thorax's attack away. But the new Kamen Rider used this and leapt up to spin in the air.

This allowed him to transform into a swirling vortex, his swords slashing at Byon several times before the Mimic managed to leap back to a safe distance.

"Gaaah." The mimic staggered around, Thorax landing as he brought both his blades together and ran forward. Byon tried to slash at him, but Thorax dropped down onto his knees before sliding forward. Both his blades slashed into Byon's stomach and cut him up, making him cry out again. "Aaaah!"

Maya saw her spawn being covered in cuts, the dark green mantis bleeding the Mimic slime all over the ground. She then turned to Thorax, who was looking ready to end Byon. "Stop this! Don't you see? That's your brother. Torin!" It was then she saw Corvyn, who was watching over the cocoons with Thorax and Pharynx inside of them. "What have you done to my spawn!?"

Corvyn chuckled. "I gave his host back control and the power to protect this world from the likes of you."

"I thought so," Frill frowned. "He somehow made it so that the human is in command of the link. But how is that possible? How could he know so much about how the Mimics work?" But then, he seemed to realise something. "You're clearly not from this world. You're from one that we've already destroyed."

Corvyn said nothing to this, but didn't deny it. And before Frill could say anything else, Byon charged at Thorax.

He slashed at the Rider, attempting to cut off his head. But Thorax was able to duck under the blade and slash at his side once again, then spun around and sliced at one of Byon's wings.

"GYAH!" The limb was cut clean off, grounding him as he staggered around.

Thorax stood there, watching as Byon turned to glare at him. The mantis then raised his blades and charged again, swinging them around in a wild fashion that made him seem like his arms were nothing but a blur.

"Look out!" Fluttershy cried, fearing Thorax was about to be cut to ribbons. But before any of the blades could touch him, Thorax thrust his own swords into the whirlwind before swinging them apart. This knocked Byon's arms apart and sent him staggering backwards, as Thorax swung both his swords around as fast as he could.

In the blink of an eye, Thorax's blades hit the ground and something else was sent sailing into the air.

Everyone watched as a pair of blades flew away from Byon, who screamed in agony as he started at the stumps that now made up his arms. Fluttershy actually looked horrified, whilst Maya seemed like she was about to be sick and the others weren't sure how to feel.

The blade arms hit the ground and melted, as Byon fell to one knee. He appeared to be panicking at the loss of his arms, whilst Thorax pointed a sword at him. "This is your only warning. Release my brother from your hold and I'll let you live."

Byon barely seemed to notice what he was saying, but then glared at the Rider. "You don't wanna do this. This isn't you, Torin. Don't betray our kind." Thorax clearly wasn't listening, waiting to see if Byon would actually release Pharynx. But it was quickly made clear that he wouldn't. "You do this and there's no going back."

Thorax didn't answer and slammed the side of his Driver, causing it to light up as it yelled out.

"CLIMATIC SLASH!"

He spun his swords into a frontward grip and held them both up, as the blades began to glow. And as soon as the light enveloped the entire blade, he swung them both downwards in an X formation.

The light flew off the blades and flew towards Byon, slamming into him before he could really defend himself. The smashed into his front and made him cry out in pain, as he was locked in place.

Thorax then ran forward, his swords melting back into his armor as he picked up speed. And before he reached Byon, he leapt into the air and thrust his foot forward. "HYAAAAAH!" He slammed his boot into the centre of the energy X, which caused the attack to slam into Byon again and cut through him.

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHH!" Byon roared in agony, as the X exploded out of his back before it disappeared. Thorax had back-flipped away from him and landed a good distance away. And when he picked himself up, he spun around so his back was to Byon.

He stared at everyone, as the Mimic let out another roar before falling forward and exploding.

"BYON!" Maya screamed, seeing her spawn being destroyed. She actually looked heartbroken by what had happened, as the explosion disappeared and there was no sign of the spawn.

As the dome began to disappear, a cracking sound could be heard.

Everyone turned their attention to the cocoon holding Pharynx within it, which began to break before shattering off the teen. And as he began to fall, Thorax rushed over and caught him. "I got you." The Mimics watched his and were shocked, whilst Flash, Shining and the Rainbooms chose this moment to race over to their side.

"I can't believe it," High whispered. "Another one. How is this possible?"

Frill frowned. "We've wondered for a while how the first two Riders were created. It seems that now we have the answer." He turned to Corvyn, the cloaked figure staring at them and looking ready to blast them with another sonic attack. "We need to inform the master of this development." He turned to Maya, who was still staring at where Byon had been destroyed. "Come on. We can't stay here."

"My...my spawns."

"We'll find a way to fix this." He pulled her away, as a portal began to open up. The three leapt through it, as everyone else remained focused on Pharynx.

"Please," Thorax told him, "please wake up." He then seemed to realise that he was still wearing his suit, causing him to look down at the Driver around his waist.

He hit the switch on the side and the draw slotted out, the Mimicore inside powering down as he took it out. This caused the suit around his body to melt and merge with his body. Thorax was revealed beneath, looking like a normal everyday human. But everyone knew differently.

The Driver shrank and melted into his body, as he focused on Pharynx. "Please. Wake up." This seemed to get a reaction out of Pharynx, whose eyes began to flicker open.

"Thorax?" He moaned out, Thorax sighing in relief.

"You're okay?" He hugged him, whilst Pharynx looked confused.

"What happened?" He clutched his head. "I remember. I remember getting hit by that Mimic's slime and felt like I was being squeezed by a boa constrictor." His face flinched, "everything after that's a blur. I remember..." He looked up at Thorax, "you. You were captured by the Mimic too."

"You remember that?" Rarity asked. "How? You were cocooned when that happened."

"But the Mimic he was cocooned by saw it," Twilight pointed out. "Timber has memories from when Gule was controlling him. Pharynx must have been able to see through his eyes as well." Everyone frowned, as they watched Thorax hold Pharynx.

"Alright, dude." Rainbow looked ready for a fight, "put Pharynx down and step back."

"What are you talking about?" Thorax asked, "I'm not leaving my brother's side." Pharynx nodded, but the girls clearly weren't taking no for an answer. As such, Twilight used her magic to grab Pharynx and pull him out of Thorax's grasp. At the same time, Rarity put a wall of gemstones up between Thorax and his brother.

"What are you doing?" Pharynx cried, as Twilight put him down on the ground.

"That's not Thorax," Sunset told him. "That's the Mimic that trapped him." Pharynx's eyes widened, as Sunset turned to where the cocoon holding his brother was. "The real Thorax is-" She stopped when she saw the cocoon was gone.

The others saw this and all panicked, fearing the Mimics might have taken it. But then, Flash spotted the cocoon as it was floating beside Corvyn. The hooded figure had was using some kind of device to make it hover and was pulling it like a dog on a lead, as he moved towards the wall of the warehouse that he had appeared from.

The rest of them soon spotted him and saw a light appear, as a portal formed in the same spot as before. Corvyn then stepped through it and pulled the cocoon behind him.

As they watched the cocoon disappear, Flash and Shining glanced at one another before they both nodded. They had had enough of being clueless.

"Wait!" Twilight cried, as the pair ran towards the portal and leapt right through it. Moments later, the portal closed and the group were all left in the warehouse. They all looked worried, as they wondered what the heck was going on.

When they reached the other side of the portal, Flash and Shining found themselves back in the dark area.

The portal quickly faded, causing the place to be dropped into darkness. And as they looked around, they saw Corvyn and the cocoon moving through the darkness. Eventually, a part of the wall opened up and a light flowed out of it. Corvyn stepped through this light with the cocoon and disappeared, leaving Flash and Shining perplexed as the door closed.

They waited, as they slowly made their way through the darkness. Despite being in this room multiple times, neither of them had explored it. When they finally reached the wall, they checked it out until they found the door.

It took them a moment, but they were able to find a button on the wall and pressed it.

The door opened inwards, allowing them to step through despite almost being blinded. But once they recovered, they opened their eyes and looked around to see they were in some kind of laboratory. Machines lined the walls and the Riders were amazed by the sight of the place.

"Wow," Flash moved over to one of the devices to try and figure out what it was. "What is this thing?"

"Don't touch anything," Shining told him. "At least until we know what it all does." Flash nodded, as they made their way through the lab. As they did, they spotted one machine which had a bunch of familiar looking devices inside of it. "Mimicores."

"So this is how they're made." Flash was about to take a closer look, only to then hear a door opening a few feet away.

They leapt behind a device and looked around it to see said door opening, as Corvyn stepped out of it. The figure stood there before raising his hands to his hood and flipping it back, finally revealing his face. And they were in for quite a shock.

Corvyn was blue skinned and had pointy ears, along a gemstone of some kind on his head. He also had brown hair that was cut rather short.

Flash and Shining were amazed to finally see what Corvyn looked like, whilst he moved away into another section of the lab. And as he did, Shining gestured for Flash to follow him towards the door. Flash nodded and they both snuck across the room, eventually reaching it and looking around to see if Corvyn was around.

Seeing he wasn't, they hit the button next to the door and it opened.

Taking a deep breath, they both stepped through the door into a small dimly lit room. The overhead light glowed faintly and as the Riders stared into it, their eyes slowly widened at the sight before them.

A trio of Mimic Cocoons were located inside the room, with a bunch of wires wrapped around and struck to them. One of the cocoons was the one Corvyn had just taken, with Thorax located inside. But the other two cocoons, had two individuals that they knew all too well. Themselves.

"What?" Flash gasped, seeing himself trapped inside the central cocoon. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Shining stared at the cocoon he was inside of. He slowly stepped towards it and reached out to place a hand on it. As soon as he did, he was suddenly bombarded with an image. "Augh!"

In the blink of an eye, he wasn't in the lab anymore. Instead, he was in Canterlot. He was standing atop a building as he stared down at the street below.

He was staring at the many people littering the street, when he suddenly locked on to one in particular. "STOP!" He saw himself, running through the crowd in an attempt to catch someone currently pushing people out of the way. "I said STOP!"

The other guy ran into an alleyway and Shining felt his body run along the rooftop, leaping over a gap onto another roof before moving to look down at a back alley that nobody was in.

And as the criminal ran into the back alley, Shining leapt down off the roof and landed behind him. He didn't seem to even notice him, too focused with escaping as he ran around a corner. Then, Shining saw himself suddenly run into the back alley. And as he saw whatever the current Shining was, he stopped whilst looking shocked.

"What the hell?" He staggered back, reaching for where his gun was. But before he could fire, Shining watched his body raise an arm that was dark blue and covered in spikes. Then, the arm melted before shooting forward and slamming into Shining's chest.

He gasped, as he tried to fight against it, but the slime quickly surrounded his body before completely encasing him in amber that hardened. As it did, Shining saw his arm reform. And as it did, it transformed into a perfect copy of his own arm. This was followed by the rest of himself, as he soon looked exactly like the Shining Armor that was trapped in the cocoon.

After that, Shining suddenly found himself snapping back to reality. He gasped, pulling his hand away from the cocoon as Flash turned to him. "You okay?"

Shining shook his head. "I just saw...me. I...I think i just saw when I was placed in this thing." Flash frowned, not liking the sound of that.

He turned to the cocoon he was inside and after a deep breath, he placed his hand on the cocoon. And like Shining, this seemed to spark something in his brain. "AUGH!" He closed his eyes and when he opened them, he was somewhere else.

He was in a dark alleyway, in the middle of the night. He appeared to be hiding on the roof of said alleyway, staring down at it whilst waiting for someone. Then he appeared.

Flash saw himself, walking down the alley without a care in the world. He was humming to himself, not aware of the danger he was in. And before his other self knew what hit him, Flash leapt down and landed right in front of him.

"WOW!" The other Flash staggered back, as the current Flash watched his arm raise. When he did, he saw that it wasn't human. It almost looked like an orange version of Gule's arm, which melted and slammed into Flash.

The teen gasped, as he tried to fight against it. But he couldn't and in five seconds, he was completely cocooned whilst Flash felt his own body changing. That was when the vision ended and he pulled away from the cocoon.

"What the heck?" He cried, as Shining held him. "What was that?"

"I think this proves what we've been trying to deny for a while," Shining frowned as they stared at the cocoons. "Thorax was taken over by a Mimic and then became a Kamen Rider. That means..."

"We're Mimics too," Flash felt like he was going to be sick.

"I should have known you'd sneak in here." The pair spun around and found Corvyn, standing on the other side of the door. He did not look happy, as he stared at the pair. "I hoped you wouldn't discover any of this, but I guess it was only a matter of time."

Both Riders glared at him, as Shining stepped forward. "Alright. Time for some answers." His Driver suddenly appeared, as he took out his Tri-Horn Mimicore. "Tell us what's going on or I destroy this whole place."

"Alright," Corvyn held up his hand, "relax. I'll tell you everything. But please understand, I didn't hide this from you out of a sense of malice or as some grand scheme."

"Then why did you hide it from us?" Flash asked, as he and Shining stepped out of the cocoon room. "First question, what are we? Are we Mimics?"

Corvyn sighed, "yes. You, Shining and the boy named Thorax are all Mimics. At least, your physical form is that of a Mimic." Flash and Shining looked horrified, as they turned to their cocooned selves.

"What happened to us?" Shining asked. "Why do we think we're...them?"

"Because you are them," Corvyn stated. "I told you. Physically, you are Mimics. But mentally, you are humans."

"What does that mean?" Flash asked, as Corvyn sighed.

"I think it would be easier if I told you the whole story." He stepped back, allowing the Riders to follow him through the lab into another room. Said room was some kind of living space, with a kitchen, lounge and a large window with blinds keeping them from looking out. "I warn you. What you're about to see won't be pretty."

The two stepped up towards the window, as Corvyn hit a button that made the blinds raise. And when it did, they were greeted to a horrible sight.

A desert. A giant mass of sand that spread out as far as the eye could see. And from out of the desert, buildings were sticking out of the sand like they had been buried. All the buildings were skyscrapers and none of them had a door or any entries where the sand was.

"What is this place?" Shining asked, as they looked out at the waste land.

"This is my home," Corvyn explained. "Or what's left of it after the Mimics arrived." Flash and Shining turned to Corvyn, the look on his face one of utter sorrow. "It was just like your world, so long ago. Green and beautiful. This city was a bustling metropolis, where millions of people lived."

"But then the Mimics came," Flash realised.

Corvyn nodded. "They started capturing my people and replacing them, using that to get into areas of importance. By the time we realised they had been replaced, it was too late. They took over, wiping people out. By the time we found ways to defend ourselves, it was too late. Once they had a foothold in our world, it was all over."

"They did this?" Shining asked, as Corvyn nodded. "Why? Why do this?"

"That's the one thing I could never find out about the Mimics," Corvyn replied. "Why they wish to destroy. I was never able to ask one. All I ever did was study their abilities and how to fight them. But by the time I'd discovered how to stop them, it was too late." He gestured to the desert. "That's all that's left of my world. I don't know if I'm the last survivor or there's more, but I do know I'm the only person in this part of the world."

"I'm sorry," Flash told him. "I can't imagine what that must feel like."

Corvyn nodded. "I couldn't save my world. That's why I've been doing what I can to save yours. But I'm not a fighter. I don't have a way for a normal human to defeat a Mimic." He turned to them, "but I discovered a way to use a Mimic against a Mimic."

The two frowned, "us?"

Corvyn nodded. "During my time studying them, I discovered a way for a human host to overpower the Mimic trying to control them."

"How?" Flash asked.

"What do you mean, overpower?" Shining inquired. Corvyn moved over to a chair and sat down, crossing his arms as he thought about it.

"The way a Mimic's abilities work isn't just through physical manipulation. Mimics are also psychic. They create a psychic link between themselves and whoever they cocoon. This allows them to copy not just their physical features, but their memories and personality. That way, they're able to blend in perfectly and replace their hosts without worrying about being caught out."

"I guess that makes sense," Shining nodded. "I mean, I didn't know Timber that well. But every time I talked to Gule, I couldn't tell he wasn't Timber."

"Exactly," Corvyn nodded. "This mental link pulls the victim's mind out of their body and traps it inside the Mimics. The human's mind is sealed and unable to do anything except be an encyclopedia for their Mimics to read from. However, the process leaves the Mimics vulnerable. You all saw what happened with Thorax."

"Yeah," Flash nodded, "it almost seemed like he was fighting against himself."

"He was," Corvyn smiled. "The human and Mimic's minds were fighting for control. Thorax clearly has a very strong will. Strong enough for him to temporarily gain partial control of the Mimic. The same way you two were able to, when you were taken over."

The pair looked shocked by this, as they shared a look.

"Yes. When your Mimics cocooned you, the pair of you were able to fight against the control. And that brief opening was all I needed." The Rider's belts suddenly appeared around their waists, the pair staring down at them as Corvyn continued. "I created the Mimic Drivers to help anyone strong enough to fight against the Mimic's controls. When the two of you managed to gain the slightest bit of control over the Mimics, it allowed me to swoop in and give you full control."

"Like how you helped Thorax?" Shining asked, with Corvyn nodded.

"I used the Mimicores you woke up with to drain the Mimic's monster forms out of you. Once the Mimic Drivers were locked in place, it reversed the process and trapped the Mimic's minds within their bodies. It granted you two complete control and gave you the ability to transform into the warriors that could fight against the Mimics."

Flash nodded. "The first time I transformed, it was like something else was controlling me. Showing me how I could fight against them."

"That was a little something I built into the Drivers. It allowed some of the Mimic's natural skills to bleed into you, almost giving both of you a combined psyche. Training wheels, to help you understand how it worked. But you've done quite well without them."

Flash and Shining both stared down at their Drivers, which had obviously saved them from becoming Mimic pawns and helped them protect their world. Even so, it still felt strange to finally know all this. They could only wonder how Thorax felt.

Back in the warehouse, Pharynx and the girls were staring at the wall that Flash and Shining had disappeared through.

They were all nervous, as they stared at the wall. Twilight was the most nervous, as she thought back to all the times she had seen Flash and Shining before Shifter and Morphic had shown up. The mall, the aquarium, the zoo. "Huh." Everyone turned to Twilight, obviously wondering what was up.

"You okay?" Sunset asked, with Twilight nodding.

"I was just thinking about that time at the zoo. I saw Flash there, looking through all the birds. He asked which one I thought was the best."

"So?" Rainbow asked.

"I told him an owl was the best. I told him about all the great things owls could do. Then, during the fight at the zoo, Shifter transformed into his Flight Form. I can't believe I didn't realise it sooner. Flash took my answer and used it to make a new form for himself to fight that monster." This caused Fluttershy's eyes to go wide.

"Shining did the same thing." Everyone turned to her. "He asked me what animal I thought could help the Riders in a fight and I showed him a Coyote."

"His Rush Form," Rarity realised. "Those two really weren't subtle about this, were they?"

"Subtle enough to fool us," Applejack pointed out. "A'h can't believe all that time, Flash was Shifter. Why didn't he tell us?"

"Maybe he was afraid," Pinkie suggested. "Afraid we wouldn't trust him anymore."

"Can we trust them?" Rainbow asked. "I mean, if they really are Mimics..." Everyone frowned, unsure how to answer that. Despite all the good they had done, they were still Mimics. And Mimics that had obviously taken the forms of those they loved. How could they trust them after that.

"Hey, guys." They looked around and saw Thorax. The teen was currently tied to one of the pillars that held up the warehouse. "Can someone scratch my nose. It's really itchy." Pharynx moved over to him and started scratching his nose, Thorax sighing in relief. "Thanks." Pharynx said nothing, as he just stared at the teen. "Bro, come on. Untie me. This is getting ridiculous."

"Not happening," Pharynx told him. "You say you're Thorax, but you're definitely a Mimic. I can't trust you."

"Pharynx," Thorax looked heartbroken. "You can trust me. I don't know what I am. But I do know that I'm Thorax. Your brother." Pharynx frowned and just looked away. "Remember when we were five. Those bullies that were mean to me, because I liked to play with my action figures out on the street."

"I beat them up and made sure they never bothered you again."

"See. How could I know about that if I wasn't who I said I was?"

"Mimics copy memories," Twilight told him. "That's how Gule was able to impersonate Timber. Same with Maya pretending to be your mother. Mimics somehow gain all the knowledge of the person they encase in their cocoons."

"Come on," Thorax cried. "Look into my eyes. I'm on your side." Pharynx stared at him, the pair's eyes locked as if Pharynx was looking into Thorax's very soul. "It's me."

Pharynx sighed before looking away. "I can't know that for sure." He returned to the girls, as Thorax felt his heart break. He didn't know who or what he was. All he could do was hope that when Flash and Shining returned, they would be able to help him understand.

In the Mimic's Lair, Greye had just returned from completing his task.

When he arrived, he spotted the three other generals and smiled. "Another three Doom Pillars down. How did things go on your-" He stopped when he saw the upset look on Maya's face, whilst the other two looked confused and worried. "Did something happen?" He looked around, "where are the two new Mimics?"

"Gone," Frill stated. "Or, at least one of them is. The other..."

"What?" Greye asked, but Frill said nothing and stood up. High did the same and the pair moved over to their communication device. "What are you doing?" Frill began to type at the device. "Wait. You're not actually calling him, are you? Nobody calls him."

"This is important." Frill stepped back, as the device powered up and eventually created the hologram.

Frill, High and Greye all bowed, as the figure turned to them. "Why have you contacted me? This had better be important, or you will suffer the consequences."

"Master," Frill stated, "we have news of a very disturbing nature. A new Kamen Rider has been created." Greye looked at them in shock, whilst the figure just sat there.

"Explain."

"We attempted to distract the Riders, so they won't interfere with the Doom Pillar set up. To do that, we attacked two humans in an attempt to make them Mimics. The Riders arrived and we were able to transform the humans into Mimics. But then something unexpected happened."

"It's that cloaked guy," High cried. "He did something to one of the Mimics and somehow gave the host control. He then put one of those belts on the kid and gave him the ability to transform."

"I see. Then this would also explain how the other two Kamen Riders came into existence."

"I believe so," Frill nodded. "But I don't think the choice for Riders was random."

"Go on."

"Before the figure appeared, the Mimic appeared to be having issues with their host. You remember the rare occasions when a Mimic lost control at the start and the host managed to gain partial control?"

"Yes. That's always annoying to see. Are you saying that happened this time?"

"I do. I believe the Kamen Riders were all humans who managed to resist their Mimics for a short while. And that short while was all that cloaked figure needed to give the human full control over the body."

"That makes sense. What can you tell me about this cloaked individual?"

"We believe he is from a world that we once conquered," High explained. "It's likely he studied us during the invasion and developed this Rider System. It came too late for his world, so he's using it to save another."

"If that's so, he may be somewhere in this world. Find him and take him out. We remove him, we remove all the help the Riders have."

"Yes master," Greye nodded. "But what about the Doom Pillars?"

"Split your focus," the master replied. "Find this person and set them up." With that, he cut the call and the Mimics were able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"So what's the plan?" Greye asked, as they tried to think of how to divide their efforts. Frill and High began to think, whilst Maya just sat where she was. She was still thinking about what had happened to her spawns, taken away from her before she got a chance to really know them.

"I will make that man pay. And I'll find a way to get Torin back."

Back with Flash and Shining, the pair had returned to their cocoons and stared at their real bodies.

Corvyn was with them, working on something in his lab. And as he finished whatever he was doing, Shining turned to him. "Can we change back?" Corvyn looked up at him. "Can we return to our real bodies?"

"Of course," Corvyn nodded. "You've seen it happen before. You might be controlling them, but you're still Mimics. That means that you'll return to your bodies the same way all the other ones did."

"By being destroyed," Flash realised.

"Exactly. Throughout all your battles, your lives were never really at risk. If you had been destroyed, you would have been freed from the cocoons and could have returned to your normal lives." Flash and Shining sighed, happy to hear that was still possible. "However, that'll also mean you'll lose all the abilities you have. The only reason you can fight the Mimics, is because you are Mimics. If you go back to being human, Kamen Rider Shifter and Morphic will be gone."

Now they frowned. "So if we want to keep fighting the Mimics, we have to stay this way?"

"Exactly," Corvyn stated. "Which is why I was hesitant to tell you the truth." They frowned at him. "If I had told you right from the start, would you two have agreed to stay as you are? I didn't know you well enough to have an answer. That's why I kept you both in the dark."

Shining sighed. "I get it. If I had known from the start, I might have wanted to turn back to human right away."

"Same here," Flash nodded. "But now...I can't just walk away." He took his Strike Mimicore out. "If I hadn't had these powers, a lot of people would have been hurt. Killed, even." He gave Corvyn a serious look, "I'm gonna keep fighting. Until the Mimics are stopped, I'll fight as a Mimic as well."

Corvyn smiled, "thank you. And again, I'm sorry for keeping this from you. But now that you two know, we can work more closely together. The Mimics won't know what hit them."

They nodded, but Shining kept talking. "Before that, I need time to really come to terms with all this." Flash nodded, also feeling like he needed to really determine what he was. "I'm guessing our Drivers keep the Mimic Detectors from...detecting us?"

"Pretty much," Corvyn nodded. "You don't have to worry about being found out. Although, it seems you'll have a lot of questions when you get back to your world." They nodded, as Corvyn held out a device and pressed it. A portal opened in front of them. "Oh, one more thing." Corvyn threw something at Shining.

When he caught it, he found it was a small bike toy similar to the ones the two of them had. This one was light green, having dark green sections below the bodywork and a purple lightning on it. The pair quickly realised it was likely meant for Thorax.

Shining pocketed the toy before moving towards the portal. And as the Riders took one final look at their real bodies, they walked forward and into the light.

In the blink of an eye, they were back in the warehouse and found themselves staring at the Rainbooms, Pharynx and a tied up Thorax. "You're back!" Twilight smiled, only to then look worried. "Answers. Are you two really Flash and Shining, or are you Mimics like Thorax?"

They sighed, with Flash turning to Shining. "Can you handle this? I'm wiped." Shining nodded, as Flash reached into his pocket and took out his bike.

Everyone watched him take out a toy bike and throw it, summoning his larger vehicle before getting on it. "Flash." Sunset tried to talk to him, but he revved up the engine and shot off. As he drove off, Shining moved over to Thorax.

"What are you doing?" Pharynx asked, as Shining began to untie him. "You're letting him go? After what he did to my brother?"

"He is your brother," Shining explained as Thorax looked at him in confusion. "It's a long story. Flash and I just found out about it ourselves. If you guys are willing to hear us out, I'll tell you everything." He turned to Thorax. "And when this is over, you're gonna have a choice."

"What choice?"

"Whether you want to return to your normal body, or remain as you are and help us fight against the Mimics." Thorax was still confused, but clearly eager to know everything there was to know about what was happening.

It wasn't long before Flash got home.

Having biked to where he had parked his car, he drove home and arrived to find his sister and her two best friends playing video games. The three were so engrossed in the game, they barely noticed him as he stepped inside before heading up to his room.

Once there, Flash reached up to take off his hoodie. But before he could, the whole thing suddenly melted into a brownish orange slime that his skin seemed to suddenly absorb.

Flash stared at his body, surprised by that. "What just..." He then remembered that his clothes were also part of his Mimic body. Had he actually been unknowingly doing that whenever he thought he was getting changed? Had it been a subconscious block he had had until now?

The million questions that raged through his head were trying him nuts and causing him to feel more and more tired.

Eventually, he couldn't take anymore and just flopped down on his bed. His face rested against his pillow and soon enough, he was falling asleep. And it wasn't long before he found himself in a dream.

But this dream was rather unusual. For Flash found himself in a white void, with nothing around him.

"Hello?" Flash called out, as he made his way through the void. "Anyone here?" But nobody answered and he was starting to feel uncomfortable. That was, until he spotted some kind of spec off in the distance.

Moving towards that spec, Flash was able to make out more details.

The figure was humanoid, with orange yellow skin and blue hair. He was wearing a black hoodie, blue pants and a white shirt underneath. Flash was looking at himself.

His doppelganger was kneeling on the ground, almost completely encased in amber. Only his head and chest were uncovered, the rest being trapped within the solidified slime that was stuck to the ground.

As Flash moved closer, he was suddenly reminded of the last time he had seen this. When he and Gule had connected and he realised the general was Timber. And as he stared at the monster, he realised what was happening. "It's you, isn't it? The Mimic that encased me in that cocoon."

Slowly, the Mimic's eyes fluttered open and he looked up at Flash. As he did, he glared at him. "My name is Sheave. Sheave-Far-Tar."

Author's Note

Thorax freed his brother and did so in a pretty kickass way. And we finally got an explanation for how our heroes were able to become Riders, along with confirmation they won't stop being Riders until the job is done. So what did you all think? I know most of this was probably already figured out by a lot of you, but now we have confirmation.

So, where will things go from here? Only time will tell.