“It’s nearly Spring Break, and nothing weird has happened.” Said Twilight as she played fetch with Spike in her back yard. “Maybe we’re finally adjusting to everything that’s happened?”
“Yet, anyhow,” scoffed Spike as he grabbed the Frisbee in his mouth and brought it over, dropping it at Twilight’s feet. “C’mon Twilight, you know as well as I do that nothing stays quiet for long, right?”
“I don’t know Spike, it’s a week before the Spring Break, and the Rainbooms and I are invited to Crystal Prep’s cruise to play for them. Gentarou is going back to his old school to attend his students’ graduation, and Princess Twilight has plans for next week too. Even the Dazzlings are on vacation right now. It feels like everything’s just slowed down.”
“Yeah I get it,” said Spike, flopping on his back to allow Twilight to scratch his stomach. “Are you going to miss Gentarou when he leaves though? Cause you know, eventually he’s going to return to Neighpon.”
“I don’t know Spike… I will miss him. And a part of me wants to be selfish and say he’s everything to me.” Sitting down next to Spike, she fussed with Spike’s belly, the dog grasping her hand as she did so. “But I know he’s got a life outside me. But he was my first real friend in Crystal Prep since Moondancer left.”
“Do you… have feelings for him?” asked Spike carefully.
“What?! No! I mean, of course not, it’s not like I couldn’t like him I mean…!” stammered Twilight.
“Ah ha, you do!” Said Spike with a grin. “I know it’s not working out with Timber, but can you not? I mean, I’m supportive of you having relationships and all but…”
“Spike! It’s nothing like that, I mean, he’s my best friend, apart from all of the girls and Moondancer but…”
Twilight was a deep red now, a contrast to her purple skin as she stammered, trying to find reason as she started dragging out a whiteboard to explain just why she didn’t have a crush on her teacher. Spike sighed. “TWILIGHT!” He exclaimed, as Twilight paused in the middle of an intricate equation. “Twilight it's okay to have crushes. I mean, he is pretty young all things considered, AND he’s cool, AND he’s a former superhero. I mean that’s a step up from Timber who could just only nature nerd all day. And we both know that you like older men.”
“Where’d you find that last part?” Defended Twilight. Spike gave her a look and Twilight deflated.
“But it seems to me, that you’re having trouble finding your voice around him lately. Is it just because he’s actually leaving in a week?”
“It might be, Spike. It might be.” Twilight held her arm, biting her lip as she said, “He taught me so much. He opened up to me, before I could withdraw completely. He protected me from Cinch, as much as possible, and set up the Friendship Club… he did a lot of things.”
Twilight took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “But it wouldn’t work out. I’m a first year student, he’s a teacher from another country. He won’t be here forever, and when I graduate, he’ll be gone. The eternal school hero, Kamen Rider Fourze – Gentarou Kisaragi will be moving on without me. Sure I can email him, and talk over the phone but it won’t be the same.”
“Twilight. Look, I’m just a dog. I don’t know much about relationships. But I do know is WWGD.”
Twilight looked at Spike curiously as he clarified. “What Would Gentarou Do?”
“I… don’t know the answer to that.”
Which Spike smiled. “I know you don’t. It’ll come in time. Now c’mon, you owe me a few more reps.”
With a small smile, Twilight picked up the Frisbee and threw it once more.
=====
“You seem quiet today, Sunset.” Said Ranma as he served the guest in front of them. His skillful hands pressed the sushi together with quick efficiency.
“Oh, it’s really nothing, shishou,” replied Sunset, slipping into Neighponese so their guests wouldn’t worry too much about them. “I’m just thinking about our teacher who is leaving to check on his students back home in Neighpon.”
“Ah, Gentarou-kun,” replied Ranma. “He’s quite the catch, for a strapping young man. It’s really too bad he’s a teacher, so pressed for work all the time.”
“Principal Celestia wants him to stay, but he’s still planning on returning to Ama High after our graduation,” replied Sunset, as she worked on mixing the wasabi together from scratch. “He’ll be leaving this week to attend his student’s graduation, and then leaving altogether for the summer since Ama High will be in session afterwards.”
“I see, I see.” Said Ranma as he served up another plate to his two customers. “Ne, what do you think?”
“I think it’s torn between two worlds,” replied one of the customers in smooth Neighponese. He held up a salmon sushi and a cucumber sushi. “When two things happen at the same time, a third interaction can occur.”
“Ah, saa, it’s young love, that’s what it is,” laughed the other man, elderly as well with white hair. “There is no boundary when it comes to love.”
Sunset turned red. “Love? I don’t love him like that! I mean…!”
The men laughed as she fidgeted. With a grimace, Sunset exclaimed, “I’m taking my break, shishou!” And she tore off in a flustered manner.
Turning towards the two men, Ranma smiled. “Thank you for playing along, Eijiro-kun. Narutaki-kun.”
“Oh please,” said Narutaki. “This world has been connected, but not by any means of Decade’s troubles. I will be surprised to see where it leads.”
”Tsukasa-chan needs to wisen up too,” replied Eijiro Hikari, shaking his head. “He’s avoiding his friends right now.”
“Well that’s what happens when you deliberately start a Rider-Sentai war.” Dishing out more food to the two younger men, Ranma added, “A new Game is beginning here in Canterlot High. Are you certain you two won’t stay to watch the fireworks?”
”Alas, Decade is too angry about the last world we visited,” replied Narutaki. “Almost being eaten was a major letdown.” Narutaki got a distant look in his eyes. “Those poor Combatmen.”
“Natsumi is also busy heading up that all-womens team she has,” added Eijiro. “I’ll be waiting for her call. I’ll be certain to send her and her friends over if they show up.”
”What about Kuuga and DiEnd?” at the mens headshakes, Ranma sighed theatrically. “I was hoping for a few more players. Aw well. More for me, then!”
“It sounds like you have Players already,” said Narutaki. “Good luck to your endeavors… Discord-sama.”
The old man smiled, rubbing his hands together before resuming his elderly countenance as Sunset returned, less flustered.
=====
“Running test number fifty,” said Kengo Utahoshi, as Moondancer looked up from her computer. Giving him the thumbs up, Kengo slotted in four AstroSwitches, one by one.
[ROCKET! LAUNCHER! DRILL! RADAR!]
“Systems all green, Professor Utahoshi,” said Moondancer, pushing up her glasses.
“All good to go, Kengo-kun!” Exclaimed Yuuki from her end.
“Commencing transformation.” Said Kengo as he flipped the red switches on the front of the belt, and with a whine of energy, it hummed to life.
[3… 2… 1…!] Grasping the throttle, Kengo struck a pose. “Henshin!”
Wind and steam hissed from the transformation as the pillar of energy formed, and in a flash of light, Kengo stood there on the platform, dressed in the armor of Fourze. “IT’S SPACE TIME!” Shouted Kengo in concert with the celebratory yells of the two women who shared a double high five with each other.
“Congratulations!” Exclaimed Moondancer happily. “Professor it’s a success!”
”Gen-chan will love the new Fourze!” added Yuuki. “It’s practically complete!”
“Not quite yet,” said Kengo as he stepped off the platform, deactivating Fourze as he went, and walked over to his computer where a Switch was being brought to life through constant tuning. “The new States for him isn’t ready yet.”
“A new States?” asked Moondancer, peering it at. “Isn’t Fusion his most powerful?”
”If anything’s taught me, it’s that Kisaragi breaks all expectations brought upon him.” Kengo turned on his work and said, “Friendship States. It’s a more powerful version of Fusion, but highly unstable still. With the new readings from the magic brought over from Equestria, I can only assume that Gentarou is swimming in it now. This will stabilize it into a new form.”
“I wouldn’t have thought of making it, if it weren’t for your research Moondancer.” Said Kengo, turning his chair to face her. “Friendship States was directly born of your research, as you seamlessly married several technologies together to make Southern Cross.”
“Not my best moment ever, but thanks?” said Moondancer. Yuuki patted her on the shoulder.
“You should be proud of it.” Said Kengo. Folding his arms, he added, “This was an inspired piece of technology, and even if we don’t have the original Switch anymore, your notes allowed me to rebuild Fourze even faster than expected. I didn’t expect to be able to finish it within months, instead of reverse engineering my father's work for years to come.”
Moondancer nodded. “I’ll do my best. Thank you Professor.”
Kengo nodded moments before a warning beeped at the trio as Yuuki went over. “Burgermeals from Canterlot are sending data,” she said, her fingers dancing across the keyboard. “Kengo-kun, it’s a Level!”
Kengo was immediately out of his chair as he hurried over. “A Level generated in Canterlot City? How?”
Running over towards the Driver, Kengo started packing it into a suitcase. “Yuuki, call Miu and Shun, have them warn Gentarou that a Level generated in his town. We don’t know what’s going on and I don’t like not having answers. Moondancer, call the airlines, book a emergency red-eye. If you have to go through the Kougami Foundation to get a private jet, do it.”
The two nodded as they scrambled to work. “And what will you do, Kengo-kun?” asked Yuuki.
“I’ve got a trip to pack for.”
=====
Touchdown on the tarmac, as a red eye flight landed in Canterlot Airport with little fanfare. As the warm morning light from the overseas flight bathed the plane, two men and a nurse got off it, the only passengers aboard. It had been a rush decision to send their top surgeon for this conference, much less his clumsy intern, but Emu Houjou yawned, stretched as he took a step – and tumbled all the way down the stairs of the plane to sprawl in a heap of human and carry on bags.
Following behind, top surgeon Hiiro Kagami and a registered nurse Asuna Karino, sighed in unison as Asuna quickly went to help Emu up. “Intern, you really need to pay more attention. What happens if you hurt your hands during this trip?” said Hiiro in Neighponese, his tone scolding but not judging. It didn’t sound like it, as the man descended from the plane that he cared, but Hiiro was long since accustomed to Emu’s bouts of spontaneous clumsy.
“Sorry,” said Emu, getting up and picking up his bag as Asuna frowned a little. He yawned mightily and stretched. “I’m just… so tired.”
”You can sleep on the taxi to the hotel,” said Hiiro. “I won’t have you sleeping in conference.”
Emu made a long, pouty face as he tried to direct that gaze towards Hiiro, but it melted against Hiiro’s glare. “Right, right.”
Hiiro rolled his eyes for a moment before adding, “The Ministry of Health is taking a big risk sending both of us here. But the International Conference won’t wait, and I’ve already missed several.”
“Right,” said Emu, falling into step behind Hiiro and Asuna, who carried a much larger bag, this one oversized to carry their specialized luggage.
“I’ve got communications with CR covered,” said Asuna. “You should really focus on the three day conference.”
As the two men and women headed into the airport to check in, Emu suppressed a loud yawn as he nearly ran into another person. “Sorry,” he said automatically, still in his native Neighponese.
“Not a worry young man,” said the wizened old Neighponese national with his usual toothy grin. “You get going sonny,” he said, giving Emu a pat on the side as he headed off towards the entrance of the building. “And enjoy your Game.”
“Eh?” Turning around to look at the old man in the mismatched suit of brown and plaid, he was nowhere to be found. Emu frowned a little, as he followed Asuna and Hiiro as they called for him.
An hour later, after morning traffic delayed their trip to the hotel where the conference would be held, Emu flopped on his back and winced as he landed on a solid object. “Ow, what the…?”
Sitting up and patting down his coat, Emu found a familiar object. With a little dread, remembering the last time someone slipped him said device, Emu pulled a Gashat from his pocket. “Oh no…” he groaned before noticing the design.
The design was frilly and pink, like it was based on a girls game that you found in a drugstore for half off. The Gashat didn’t bear the GENM Corp logo, but on it read HASBRO on it.
Turning it over, Emu looked over the Gashat. For some reason, a strong urge overcame him as he stood up, and pressed the switch.
Behind him, the game title appeared as its theme played, and Emu whirled as the Level materialized, encapsulating not only the hotel but the whole town. “MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC!” Exclaimed a loud female voice as the logo resolved, a picture of six cutie marks spiraled together around a symbol.
“Eh?”
Rushing to the window, Emu stared at what he had done. The entire city had changed, from a modern day city to half of it being a lovely rural town with thatched roofs. A building had changed to a living gingerbread house. A school was made out of crystal nearby, and there were big markers over each area describing the locations like it was a game pop up for a mobile game. Where Canterlot High was, a huge crystal tree stood behind it and a mall sported the trappings of a palace.
And from the other room, Hiiro’s voice yelled, “INTERN WHAT DID YOU DO?!”
=====
The first thing Sunset Shimmer noticed was the world changing around her, and a sense of dread struck her as the Level materialized. “No, no, nononononono!” Exclaimed Sunset in horror as the world turned Pony around them.
“I DIDN’T DO IT I SWEAR!” Exclaimed Twilight from across the road as she ran up to Sunset. “Sunset, I swear I didn’t…!”
“It’s not you… it’s something else,” said Sunset as she saw several ponies trot by like it wasn’t anything special. “Excuse me, hello?”
One of the ponies, a somewhat pink mare with a purple mane looked at Sunset curiously. “Um, this is going to sound weird but what just happened?”
“It’s Saturday,” said Amethyst Star with a smile. “You’re funny looking minotaur tourists. Didn’t you know everything weird happens on Saturday at 9:30 in the morning in Ponyville? Don’t worry; it’ll be solved in 22 minutes or 45 minutes. Depending on how bad it is. Princess Twilight probably has this all in hoof. Anything else you need to know?”
“Uh… no, that’s pretty much it,” said Twilight faintly. Amethyst Star nodded and with a smile, trotted away, leaving the two bewildered girls staring for a moment.
“So what now?” said Twilight.
”Now? We make calls.” Said Sunset, pulling out her phone.
=====
Gentarou had been in the middle of paperwork at his office when the Level materialized. Jumping up in alarm, he quickly exited the room and peered around at the changed scenery. “What in the world’s going on?” he said, frowning. Looking up behind him, he jumped in surprise. “WHOA! That’s a huge tree!”
Going up to the tree castle that was now standing in the yard next to the still broken statue, he rapped the door and waited for a moment. It wasn’t long before a small purple dragon with familiar colors arrived at the door. “Yeah, yeah, what is it this time?” Spike looked up at Gentarou who proclaimed, “Yo!”
Turning around, he yelled into the castle’s depths, “Twilight! It’s for you!”
The clattering of hooves could be heard as Princess Twilight ran up, staring up at Gentarou who blinked in surprise. “Gentarou? What are you doing in Ponyville?”
“You haven’t looked outside?” said Gentarou, stepping aside to let her look into the mixed modern landscape and Ponyville landmarks.
Twilight face-hoofed. “I hate Saturdays. Starlight! Get my books, we need to research!” Turning to Gentarou, she said, “Come on in.”
As Gentarou made to step inside the tree, Sunset and Twilight ran up, out of breath as Princess Twilight looked at the pair and added, “You two, come in. Spike, get some muffins and apple juice for our friends. We’ve got some research to do.”
Once properly settled down, and Sunset and Twilight had caught their breath and had been fed, Twilight looked over at the map of Equestria which had changed rapidly with their arrival. Spike was letting in the other girls who were piling into the room with varying degrees of impressed by the decor. “Something caused our worlds to overlap,” said Princess Twilight, happy she had some answers instead of floundering around. “It’s something that I’ve never seen before though.”
”We kind of have,” said Spike, and Starlight nodded.
“Remember when Discord made the inside of the castle a giant gameboard?” said Starlight. “This is just like it.”
The three shared a look, and chorused, “DISCORD.”
“You mean the Spirit of Chaos?” asked Sunset. “I thought he was reformed!”
”Kind of.” Said Spike drolly. “There’s been some moments where he just likes to do THINGS and not tell us. This is definitely one of them.”
”I never realized Discord had the power to even partially merge a world,” said Starlight. “I’m glad he’s on our side.”
“That’s just it: I don’t think he HAS. Not without some kind of magic amplifier. What kind of thing could do that?” said Princess Twilight.
“That kind of answer, I have,” chimed in a new voice from the window as the group whirled to see a messy haired Neighponese man, dressed in a white jacket with a camera around his neck. He threw the group photographs and he smirked. “Go Shijima. Freelance photographer at your service. I took those this morning.”
Looking at the photograph, Twilight adjusted her glasses. “Some kind of hand held device?”
“That picture was taken at 9:29AM this morning at the center of Canterlot City,” said Go. “It seems someone used a Gashat, and generated a Level in this entire town. Whoever made it knew what they were doing.” Go smirked cheekily. “Looks like your lucky day, because you have me around.”
Sunset regarded him for a long moment before exclaiming, “You’re a Kamen Rider, aren’t you?”
Go grinned and saluted. “Kamen Rider Mach, at your service. What do you say, girls, Fourze, dragon? Do we want to team up and kick the hell out of Ex-Aid?”
“Ex-Aid is in town?” said Gentarou. “What’s he even here for?”
“Medical conference up on the Ponyville Hoofington,” replied Twilight automatically. “I was going to check it out. I saw Ex-Aid and Brave were on the guest list.”
“We should probably figure out why Ex-Aid was given a Gashat that could do all of this,” said Princess Twilight.
“So if Ex-Aid is here, then why is Discord giving him weird Gashats then?” asked Pinkie
”Most likely causing trouble, if everything is to be expected.” Said Rainbow.
Rarity huffed. “Well I don’t appreciate getting up so early for this, so let's hope he’s got a good reason.”
“Discord does things for fun,” said Princess Twilight, returning the photograph to Sunset who was still puzzling out why the old man was behind all of this. “This must be one of his games.”
“That makes sense,” said Applejack. “Isn’t the biggest crisis over in Neighpon a video game virus? That Bugstar thing?”
“Yeah, but there’s no infections here overseas,” said Twilight. “I don’t like this.”
Princess Twilight looked between the girls and the two Riders, and demanded, “Games? Infections? Can you PLEASE tell me what’s going on here?”
“I can answer that, but the best thing is not to worry too much about it,” Said the amused voice of Discord as he appeared in a whirl of theatrical stage smoke. Standing there with his hands spread jovially, he laughed and laughed. “Welcome everpony to my little Game!”
“Discord, what’s going on?” asked Sunset.
“Well since you’re asking nicely my dear student, I’ll tell you.” Discord stepped along, walking around the group as he lectured. “The Game is simple. At each major location, which I am not telling you, you’ll just have to figure them out by yourself, there are Gashats waiting. Collect all of them, count of six in total and you win a prize! Simple as that. Of course there’s a few obstacles here and there, but it’s nothing too hard for a group so united in your skills to accomplish.”
“What is it you’re not telling us Discord?” asked Princess Twilight. “What happens if we don’t get the Gashats in time?”
“Nothing major, I mean, this is a Game with very few consequences. However, I will be starting the clock here.” Holding up another Gashat, he pressed it as the voice in Discord’s own proclaimed, “GANBARISING!”
“You see, I’ve nicked a little something from a certain man, he might come looking for it, but I doubt it. This game contains the powers of the Heisei Riders, and will activate once you obtain one of the Gashats. Fight or flee, it’s up to you. But flee too much, and allies might become your opponents later on. These Extra Players will bestow great power if you defeat your opponents alongside them too.”
Turning to the group, Discord exclaimed, “A fair trade isn’t it? Amazing that nothing lasts forever of course. Unlike your pony friends, you still have lives to live, to grow as people? Think about it for a moment: what do you have to lose to gain such momentum in your game of Friendship?”
Smiling, Discord added, “You have until sundown tomorrow to complete the game, I suggest you get going. Ta taaaaaa~!” And with that, he vanished into thin air.
Twilight was silent at the last part, as she had caught his statement when he said nothing lasts forever, and quietly she said, “We need to win this game. No matter what.”
“Agreed.” Said Princess Twilight. “Let's get going everypony, and see what we’re up against.”
Running outside, it was a literal army of mooks of all kinds, most of them from Fourze’s side of enemies. Go whistled as he strapped on his MachDriver. A few people had run screaming but others, like the ponies, were staring in bewildered confusion. “I haven’t seen this many enemies in ages.”
Sunset looked at the monsters who milled about aimlessly, some of them walking in groups back and forth. They patrolled the streets, but seemed to ignore the people and ponies for now. “Those enemies look like they’re… ignoring, the civilians?”
“That’s unlike them,” said Gentarou seriously. “It’s almost like…”
”Who cares if they’re ignoring civilians? I’m going to go bust some heads.” Popping his driver open, Go slotted the miniature racecar he held into the belt and shutting it. [SIGNAL BIKE! RIDER! MACH!]
Performing a set of poses, he proclaimed, “Let’s henshin! Track. Eradicate! I’m always at mach speed!”
Striking a flashy pose, he exclaimed, “Kamen Rider Mach!”
For a long moment, the numerous enemies stared at Mach, and then ignored him. Mach fumed for a moment and yelled, “Don’t ignore me!” And he shot one, destroying it in a burst of data.
Silence as all heads turned towards Mach. Gentarou carefully took a step backwards as the others did too.
And then as one, swarmed Mach; grabbing him and dragging him away bodily. “Hey! Hey, one at a time!” Exclaimed Mach, as he was carried away in the tide of monsters, leaving a group of bewildered humans and ponies and one dragon behind.
“I saw that coming a mile away,” deadpanned Spike.
“What’s wrong with them?” asked Gentarou, puzzled.
“It’s like they’re NPCs in a game,” said Twilight thoughtfully. “They won’t attack unless you ENTER the game, and in this case, it’s stepping into the game as a combatant.”
“Let’s hope people don’t do that then,” said Sunset. “We need a battle plan.”
In short order, the girls had been assembled in the map room of Princess Twilight’s castle, as Princess Twilight cleared her throat. “Okay girls, listen up. We’ve got a bunch of monsters hanging around the town, my world is partially merged with yours and we need to figure out what to do. We need to research this phenomenon, while simultaneously figuring out how to clear this Game that everypony keep saying it is. Any questions so far? Yes, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy who had her hand raised, asked, “I know this is a bad time Twilight, but can I brush your mane?”
Princess Twilight face-hoofed, but minutes later, Fluttershy was fussing over the princess as Sunset, Starlight, Twilight and Rainbow Dash, looked over the altered map of Equestria. Pinkie Pie, Twilight and Applejack had several magazines open, looking over the possible games that they could be facing. Spike was serving drinks, while Gentarou was on the phone with someone else.
“Look here and here,” said Rainbow, pointing at the major landmarks. “The Cakes place is turned into a giant gingerbread house. So’s Crystal Prep, CHS, that high rise apartment in town with the big castle on it, and the stadium where we had the Battle of the Bands. I’ll bet anything they’re locations we need to visit.”
“That’s a pretty fair assumption,” said Sunset. “Each area is within spitting distance of the school. With the School in roughly the center of each location, it’s like a game of connect the dots.”
“It’s like a MyStable game,” realized Twilight as Starlight looked up at them. “You travel from location to location, clearing objectives as you go along.”
“I get a game but MyStable? This world really is a lot similar to ours.” Starlight floated a string over and connected the locations in a rough diagram. “If we start at the Stadium, we can travel north towards CHS where Twilight’s castle is. Then we can cut South-west towards the Cakes. North up to Princess Celestia’s castle and then down again to Crystal Prep which looks like the Crystal Empire.”
“And I’ll bet there’s objectives in each place,” said Rainbow, grinning widely. “Like a big fight or something.”
“Fighting would slow us down though, we’ll need to split into groups.” Said Sunset. Turning towards Gentarou she asked, “What do you think?”
“I think we’ll have to pair to strengths,” said Gentarou, getting off the phone. “And cover our weaknesses. That incident with Southern Cross taught me that we need to make sure everyone has a partner when we do these things.”
“Unfortunately the Dazzlings are on vacation right now and our other selves seem to be awol, so it’s just us, both Spikes, Starlight and Princess Twilight,” said Twilight. “I think we need to make sure that no one gets into trouble.”
Gentarou nodded. “I’ll start setting up parties then.”
In short order, the groups had been set. Applejack would go with Fluttershy and Princess Twilight towards CPA. Twilight, Spike, Dog Spike and Gentarou would head up to Celestia’s Castle. With the most distance, Rainbow, Pinkie Pie and Sunset would head towards the Stadium which left Rarity with Starlight and one opening.
“Where is Go when you need him?” grumbled Gentarou, moments before Go ran in, shutting the door behind him, looking disheveled. “Oh there you are.”
“I’m not doing that again,” said Go sourly as he was placed with Rarity and Starlight.
Twilight looked up at Gentarou, wanting to say something but he exclaimed, “All right, everyone’s got their routes! Let’s head out and do our best!”
A chorus of agreement was heard, as they headed out to the town.
=====
“Dai Henshin!” Exclaimed Ex-Aid.
“Proceeding with Level 2,” said Brave as the pair leveled up, and started cutting down enemies. “These aren’t Bugsters,” said Ex-Aid as he struck down a few monsters with easy strikes of his Gashacon Hammer.
“Keep focused,” said Brave, cutting a swathe through the enemies. “Poppy, some assistance?”
“I’ve got my hands busy here!” Exclaimed Poppy, throwing a few monsters into the others with a strong attack of her BugVisor. “They weren’t paying us any attention until we transformed,” said Poppy. “Why is that?”
“They must be programmed to ignore civilians until a Player comes into play,” said Blade, slashing a few more monsters. “They’re barely coherent as enemies, but there are a lot of them.”
“We should probably push towards the landmark there,” said Ex-Aid, pointing at the bakery which had been changed into Sugarcube Corner. “Poppy, Hiiro, that way!”
Fighting their way into the Sugarcube Corner, the group slammed the door on the monsters. “They’re not coming in,” said Poppy after a moment of holding her BugVisor at the door. “Why is that?”
“I don’t know,” said Hiiro as he turned around to the bakery which had patrons in it, awkwardly staring at the three of them. “Nothing to see here.”
“You’re here for the game then?” said Mrs. Cake as she smiled at the Riders. She went over and held out a game for the three to look at. “I was told to hold onto it until someone unusual walked in.”
“And ponies and humans eating lunch together isn’t odd?” questioned Ex-Aid.
“It’s Saturday,” replied her, and a pony who looked like Mrs. Cake from behind the counter.
“In any case dears, come sit down, you might be able to find what you’re looking for.” Said the pony Mrs. Cake. “Dear, come bring out some food for our guests!”
“Coming sugarmuffin!” exclaimed a pair of male voices as a lanky orange pony and a lanky orange human walked out with food. Poppy undid her transformation first and exclaimed, “Yay, cake!”
”Wait!” Exclaimed Hiiro, transforming back and holding up his hand for Poppy’s ever-present utensils. “I will cut it. Scalpel.”
Poppy pouted, and handed over the knife as Hiiro set to work cutting the cake. Annoyed, Ex-Aid canceled his transformation. “Hiiro, do we really have time for this?”
“You need to keep your strength up, Intern,” said Hiiro, cutting into the cake and taking a bite of it. Satisfied, he took another. “Those monsters are not following us inside, which means this is a Safe Spot in the Game.”
“A save point,” surmised Emu. “These areas need to be in the game, or it becomes unbalanced.”
Taking a bite of her food, Poppy chewed thoughtfully. “So… these places. They’re all connected with the dots, correct? Which means…”
“Which means,” said Emu. “We’re in a game board. The whole town was turned into a game town.”
“We should move on towards the goal point.” said Hiiro, finishing with his food. “Otherwise we won’t be able to clear.”
“Then you three will be needing this.” said Mrs. Cake, setting the game down. Emu picked it up and read off the label.
“Ms. Pac-Man. A game developed as a sequel to Pac-man in 1981.” Emu’s head thunked onto the table. “Perfect.”
“There’s no time to waste.” said Hiiro immediately. “If Dr Pac-man is behind this…”
“Then the game world and the real world will be threatened.” finished Poppy. “Eat quick, we’re off in a bit.”
=====
Rainbow Dash, Sunset and Pinkie arrived at the stadium, Pinkie riding with Rainbow Dash on her own bike as she whistled. “It looks normal but uh…”
The area was brightly lit up even though it was morning as the Stadium had been turned into a large maze-like row of chairs with 3D looking rocks floating overhead. There was also a straight line towards a large block with a question mark on it. A large timer was ticking down with the time reading 44:00 on it. “We’re being timed?” groaned Sunset. “I guess Amethyst Star was right.”
As the girls approached, a huge graphic appeared as a Level materialized. The words GAME START was emblazoned across the sky as a theme song played. “Dig Dug,” said Sunset, recognizing it from the classic games that she owned. “It’s a classic game from Namco where you need to defeat underground dwelling monsters by inflating them with an airpump, or dropping rocks on them. Obtaining the highest score wins you the level.”
“That’s what this is for then,” said Pinkie, obtaining a large pump that stood next to it. “I expected this to be heavy too, but it isn’t.”
“Well, it looks like a straight shot down to the thing there,” said Rainbow Dash, pointing at a Gashat that stood there, floating suspended in a large Question Mark block, the block translucent in color. “I’ll get it in two seconds!”
“Rainbow Dash, wait, there might be--!” Exclaimed Pinkie Pie as Rainbow Dash shot forward, but was suddenly sprung high into the air by a trap that sent Rainbow careening into a large airbag. “Traps…”
“Ow,” said Rainbow as a display counter on the newly affixed counter read “Rainbow Dash -1 Life” and she grimaced. “Darn.”
Two more displays appeared out of nowhere, and it displayed Sunset Shimmer X3 and Pinkie Pie X3. “Looks like we have three chances each,” said Sunset, bringing out a Burgermeal from her pack and activating it. Holding out her phone, the small device started winding down the rows, carefully scanning for traps. Suddenly, a monster appeared, the childish looking Pooka lumbering towards the Bugermeal.
Said Burgermeal panicked and zoomed away, only to run right into a Fygar, who knocked out of the maze-like level. Sunset winced as a life was docked and she said, “Looks like we need to run this game by ourselves.”
“Then it’s my turn!” Exclaimed Pinkie, taking the pump and moving into the level.
Walking over to where Sunset stood, Rainbow folded her arms. “I hope she knows what she’s doing.”
“Silly, you don’t stay within the maze,” said Pinkie cheerfully as she held up the pump and it changed to a jackhammer. She burrowed through the wall, startling a Pooka inside. With a bop of the air pump, the little creature poofed out of existence as Pinkie continued burrowing through the walls until she reached the stage.
“Of course, Dig DUG. The whole reason here is to dig through the walls, isn’t it? Normally you dig through the ground, but since we can’t do that…” said Sunset.
“We dig through the walls! Go Pinkie!” Exclaimed Rainbow as Pinkie leaped onto the stage and applied the jackhammer to the box. It popped open and the game fell from the sky as Pinkie caught it.
[GAME CLEAR!] Shouted a male voice as the area of the town returned to normal and Pinkie ran up.
“Dig Dug Gashat get!” Exclaimed Pinkie cheerfully.
A moment later, the ground erupted into flames as the girls yelped. “What the hay?!” Exclaimed Rainbow as a new game activated in the middle of the one they were playing.
[GANBARISING!] Exclaimed the game. [LEVEL UP!]
From it, Wizard jumped out, accompanied by an unfamiliar Rider in red. He had a crown-like set of horns on his head, and the pair took fighting stances. “Oh you wanna go huh?” said Rainbow, dropping into a fighting stance.
The Riders made no reply as Sunset said, “I don’t think they can talk…!”
“Oh, so they’re like puppets or something?” asked Pinkie Pie. “Whoa they’re coming right at us!”
The two Riders had broken into a headlong charge at them, and the girls prepared for a close in fight when suddenly the ground lit up with gunfire as a woman in a suit ran up. “Are you three alright?” she asked.
“We’re fine, but you need to get out of here,” said Sunset.
The woman smiled in response as she held up a Kamen Rider Driver and said, “That’s kind of you, but I can handle this. I’m Rinko Daimon, Metropolitan PD, Tokyo. And I…”
She held up a small grey cell medal, not unlike Eiji’s as she tossed it to her other hand. “Am a Kamen Rider. Henshin.”
Slotting in the cell medal, she twisted the device as a sphere of energy formed around her, as armor clamped down, forming a helmet which lit up in response to the activation of the suit.
”Oh that is so cool, where can I get one of those?” asked Rainbow as Rinko drew a Birth Buster.
“Kamen Rider Birth,” said Rinko by way of introduction. “Well, you talk to Kougami for one. You three head on out, I’ve got this.”
“Wait,” said Sunset, turning to her friends. “Discord said we need to either flee or fight. What do you two think?”
“I don’t know about you, but I didn’t bring this bandolier of sprinkles for nothing,” said Pinkie, pulling said item out and putting it on. Rainbow smirked and she said, “The three of us can take one.”
“You sure?” said Rinko and the other nodded. “All right, watch each others back!” And she started off with a volley of shots as she and the girls charged into the group.
=====
“Got it,” said Applejack, having climbed the tower of Crystal Prep from the outside, and she held up the Gashat triumphantly. “That was easy enough.” She held the Tower of Druaga Gashat in her hand.
”Easy because of our mobility,” said Princess Twilight as she lowered her and Applejack to the ground, Fluttershy touching down gently next to them. “I wonder why Crystal Prep looks like the Crystal Empire’s palace.”
”Probably because the two areas are linked thematically,” said Fluttershy, stooping down to fuss with Princess Twilight’s mane for a moment. “Don’t you think this is a little too easy for a challenge?”
“I think you’re right,” said Princess Twilight. “There’s too much that’s just handed to us. I don’t think Discord intends it to be this easy. Where’s the challenge? The sudden plot twist?”
“You have a point. This is far too easy compared to the last adventure we’ve had,” said Applejack. “There’s not even any real monsters to fight, and these fellas over here are just keeping everyone from interfering.”
“Which begs to wonder: why?” said Fluttershy. “I don’t like fighting as much as the next girl, but when it's’ this easy, you wonder why this is even happening.”
Suddenly the street exploded around the trio as they ducked down instinctively, Twilight throwing up a magic wall in response. “Everypony okay?” she asked as a tall image appeared in front of them. “Another game?”
[GANBARISING! LEVEL UP!] Exclaimed the game, displaying over two dozen Riders on the image before two jumped out of the screen. One was a half and half Rider, in green and black with purple and gold highlights. The second was a riot of red and silver, his face themed like a heart or peach.
“Kamen Riders,” said Applejack as they slowly advanced. “They don’t look like they’re here to help.”
As the three backed up from the two who advanced, a voice called out, “Stop right there!”
Standing there was a woman in a school uniform, who smiled at the trio. Her companion was a taller Neighponese woman with long straight hair going down to her back, holding up a belt. “You three handle this, we’re here to even the odds.”
“We’re friends of Gentarou,” said Nadeshiko as she and Natsumi Hikari placed their belts on. “Also, fellow Kamen Riders. We’ll deal with these imposters and you three go finish the game.”
“Right, you two be careful!” Exclaimed Princess Twilight. “C’mon girls.”
As they ran off towards the next location, Natsumi held up a Lockseed in her hand and popped it. [Summer Orange!] Exclaimed the Lockseed as Nadeshiko threw the two switches on her belt.
[LOCK ON!] The pair took their stances as [3… 2…1!] rang out from Nadeshiko’s belt accompanied by a Neighponese sounding techno music. “Henshin!” they chorused.
[SOIYA! Natsumikan Arms! Through the Flowering Path, On Stage!] Steam billowed as a orange dropped on Natsumi’s head and in a flash of light, the pair stood there, dressed in armor.
“It’s Space Time! Kamen Rider Nadeshiko!” Exclaimed Nadeshiko, pointing at the pair of Riders. “Let’s do this one-on-one!”
“Kamen Rider Gaim Natsumikan Arms. This is our stage now!” Drawing her Musou Saber, the four clashed in the middle of the street.
=====
The battlefield that had become Sugarcube Corner had boiled over immediately as the Ganbarising game had summoned a double of Drive, as well as a double of Faiz. Between the two of them, they had cut off Rarity, Starlight and Go.
Go had opted to fight, and he threw himself at the riders with his belt announcing his transformation. “You aren’t Shin-niisan at all!” he proclaimed, punching Drive square in the face.
“Well, he’s certainly enthusiastic, I’ll give him that.” Said Starlight as she fended off Faiz. Faiz unloaded his gun at the pair, only for it to spring off the diamond walls thrown up by Rarity. “Thank you!”
“No problem darling,” replied Rarity as she and Starlight worked together on fending off Faiz. “Go, did you need help?”
”Feh, this fake has nothing on my big brother,” replied Go flippantly, seconds before the fake Drive leaped backwards and summoned Formula. “Oh. I didn’t realize he could do that,” said Go seconds before Formula plowed into him, sending him rolling backwards into Rarity’s shields. “I think we need some help here.”
[SKULL! MAXIMUM DRIVE!] Announced a male voice as a female form flew in, yelling, “RIDER KICK!”
The hit smashed against the fake Drive as he went flying backwards without a sound, a woman in black armor with a silver skull for a face landed gracefully. “Yay, I got him!” Exclaimed Akiko Terui gleefully.
“Geez Akiko, running on ahead!” A beautiful woman with brown hair and dressed in white arrived, shaking her head as she turned towards the others. “You three okay?”
”Handling it for the most part,” replied Rarity. “I love your dress!”
Mai smiled as she turned towards Faiz and Drive, the latter getting to his feet. Faiz reached for his wrist and Mai gestured, vines springing up from the ground and encircling the Rider, holding him in place. “I’m Mai Takatsukasa, and this is Akiko Terui, we’re part of Natsumi’s team.”
“Starlight, Rarity, Gou Shijima,” replied Starlight, grateful for their help. “You’re those Extra Players we’ve heard about.”
“Pretty much,” replied Akiko, twisting her Driver, the belt letting out an engine roar as she crouched again. “Let’s work together!”
=====
Twilight paused in her hurried walk towards the building with part of Canterlot’s grand castle, her footsteps slowing as Spike turned towards her. “Twilight, what’s wrong? Hurry up, we’ll be late.”
Dog Spike looked at his counterpart, and said, “Hey, other me. I need a bathroom break, can you walk with me to the nearest restroom?”
“Ugh, fine. You two just wait here then.” Said Spike. “C’mon.”
Leaving the pair there, Gentarou sighed a little. “To think today would be like this. I kind of miss it, to be honest.”
”Do you?” asked Twilight as she didn’t turn to face him, but rather looked out onto the city which was bustling with ponies and humans. Two worlds, mingled together and yet so distinct and separate. “Gentarou… I… never mind.”
”Hmm?” Gentarou looked at Twilight, puzzled. “What’s wrong? We’re buds, you can tell me.”
Twilight’s jaw set as she said, “I don’t know about that. We’re friends, yes. But… you ever think we’ll stop being friends one of these days? And just… be us?”
“What do you mean by that?” asked Gentarou, worried about her. A strange tight feeling, familiar in nature welled in his chest. “Oi, Twilight I mean…”
“Forget it, it’s nothing important,” said Twilight. “We should probably get going.”
“Twilight. I… I’m not really good with matters of the heart.” Said Gentarou, resting his hand on her shoulder. “But… I do know, is that if you don’t follow it, you’ll only get hurt later.”
“That’s just it. Following my heart is going to get me hurt. I gotta go.”
“Twilight, wait!” Exclaimed Dog Spike as he took chase as Twilight took off down the road.
Spike looked up at Gentarou and asked, “What’d you do?”
For a long moment, Gentarou clutched his chest, watching her run off with her dog hot on her feet. “That’s why I’m terrible with the Springtime of Youth.” He said despondently as he turned towards the castle. “I’m not in the mood to play this game anymore. C’mon Spike.”
“Well suit yourself. It’s not like this won’t bite us in the flank later.”
=====
Evening had fallen and the first round of hunters had cleared the stages. Rarity and her group who were holding the fort looked up at the seekers who had 4 out of 5 Gashats. “Well I see most of us came home with something,” said Rarity, looking over the games. Dig Dug. Tower of Druaga. Tekken and Ridge Racer. “I take it the last one is still in the penthouse?”
“It is,” said Dog Spike. “We ran into some issues.”
“It’s a start, and we have another day to get the last one. I think for now, everypony should go get something to eat and rest up. Tomorrow will be a big day.” Said Starlight. “I think we should get the injured some rest before tackling the last one.”
“Sounds good. Everypony is allowed to stay over tonight, so we can touch base tomorrow,” said Princess Twilight.
“If it’s all the same to you, ah need to head on out.” Said Applejack, getting up from the chair with apples emblazoned on the back. “Granny needs me to do some chores tomorrow, before we can continue.”
“The animals need to be fed. And my brother is home from school.” Said Fluttershy with a not-quite-scowl on her face. The girls all sighed simultaneously at the implications of Zephyr Breeze coming home for school, even for a weekend.
“Gah. Yeah, no offence, but I’m going to give Zephyr a complete miss tonight. I gotta jam too; my guitar needs tuning and I need a shower. It’s hard enough avoiding mom and dad and I’m running out of excuses for when I come home bruised from a fight.” Said Rainbow. “Later girls.”
“I’m out of sprinkles, I need to find some in the grocery store before I start using frosting bombs,” said Pinkie, skipping out the door without adding anything else.
“Then I will be heading to my guest room,” said Rarity, drawing looks from the others. “It’s a CASTLE! I am NOT letting myself sleep in my house tonight without partaking in such a refined environment!”
Sharing nods, the group slowly disbanded until Gentarou and Go stood in the main room, Twilight, Starlight and Spike having gone to the library to do more research. “Okay, what’s going on?” asked Go, turning to Gentarou. “You were the one who came back empty handed.”
“It was just a bad moment,” replied Gentarou with a shake of his head. “Nothing really important.”
“Uh huh,” drawled Go. “You’re a terrible liar. It’s got something to do with the girl, Twilight, right?” At Gentarou’s expression, he sighed. “You’re just like Shin-niisan when he’s around neechan. Look, just talk to her. Tell her you like her!”
“I am a teacher, you know.” Said Gentarou, utilizing the lamest defense possible.
Go snorted. “For how long? You’re going back to Ama High and losing all of this. You won’t be her teacher anymore, which means you can deal with it. She’s going to miss you when you’re gone.”
“Stop it,” replied Gentarou with a sideways glare.
“You know I’m right.” said Go with a smirk. “Look, she’s not that much younger than you. And you’re special to her. Stop being so damn wishy washy and do something about it. This is why Riders are always alone you realize it, right?”
“I’m not alone,” protested Gentarou feebly. “It’s just that…”
“You don’t want her getting hurt. Well, take some of your own advice and follow your heart. I’m going to get some coffee and pass out. Or something. Who knows. It’s a nice night.”
Gentarou watched Go leap through a window in a headlong dive, and he bit his lip before going to the door. There was one person who he could talk to about this.
=====
Luna was unprepared for Gentarou to show up at their door, but his expression said it all. “Come on in,” she said, letting him into their fairly roomy two person house. “Celestia’s upstairs doing paperwork, so we can talk down here.”
Following Luna into the kitchen, he asked, “Pajamas with ponies on it?”
“It was a gift,” replied Luna testily as she opened the fridge and grabbed a soda. “You’re not a drinker are you?”
“It would be worse with alcohol trust me.” Said Gentarou as Luna started putting together a warm drink for the two of them.
“Tia has a bad habit of getting into vodka when she’s upset. Which is why I lock the cupboards as soon as something explodes in the school.” said Luna as she opened up a can of rich cocoa and started adding it to the pot of milk. “She’s polluted my hot chocolate mix one too many times with her cheap potato liquid.”
“I knew she had a stash but I didn’t realize it was that stressful.” said Gentarou as Luna snorted and opened up a sealed can of cinnamon.
“You haven’t seen the ugly side of education then.” said Luna as she set the gas to medium heat. “But that’s Tia’s problem not mine. So, what’s the trouble now?”
Gentarou bit his lip and sighed. “Twilight’s in love with me.”
“That it?” said Luna, turning to look at him. “That’s your problem?”
“Of course it’s a problem, she’s a student…” he started to protest.
“And you’re a teacher, yes I know. But how long will that last?” asked Luna. “Eventually, she will graduate. Two. Years. Gentarou. And she’ll be a independent girl. Not that she isn’t already.”
Turning to look at him, Luna folded her arms. “Look, I don’t want to tell you how to run your professional life. But once she graduates, she is going to go to you if you don’t crush her dreams. Do you want to be crushing a girl’s heart?”
“NO!” Exclaimed Gentarou, a little too loudly, and there was an irritated stomping from the floor above. “No… I don’t want to do that.”
“Then don’t. Honestly, you’re younger than I am. You’re what, 23? 24? 25? Whatever. The point is, she’ll wait for you, even until you’re old and grey. I’ve seen how she looks at you. It’s not admiration or puppy love anymore Gentarou. It’s real love.” said Luna as the heat began to rise from the stove.
“Cadance’ll kill me,” said Gentarou, rubbing his face with his hands.
“Let her. She’ll be more excited than murderous.” snorted Luna as she started to dish out the two drinks into cups. Passing him one, she took a sip of the rich chocolate. “Wait, and let her decide on her own. Tell her what she wants to hear. Just don’t break her heart because you know deep down you want this too.”
“Since when did you become such a good relationship consultant?” asked Gentarou, taking a sip of his drink.
“It beats yelling at randos in my video games, and I’ve been doing that all night.” said Luna with a smirk. “They can take some time off being yelled at by Nightmare Moon.”
=====
The next day, Twilight didn’t want to get out of bed.
Faking a cough, she had begged off breakfast and was laying in bed, staring into the ceiling. Spike was downstairs, doing dog things as she let out a long, tired sigh.
“That’s the fifth sigh in three minutes,” came a voice from the door as Sunset was leaning against it, arms folded.
“Um… I’m sick?” said Twilight sheepishly, glaring at Spike who was at Sunset’s feet.
“Hey you said fend off the rents. You said nothing about answering the door.” retorted Spike as he went over and shut the door while Sunset stepped inside and sat down on the edge of Twilight’s bed.
“He means well,” said Sunset. “Look, the girls are clearing the last level of the Game right now. Can you please talk to me and tell me what’s wrong? We’re friends, right?”
Twilight made a non-committal noise as she rolled over to face Sunset. “I don’t know what to do right now.”
“You look like you’ve had a rough night first off.” said Sunset, reaching over and smoothing some of Twilight’s flyaway hair. “C’mon, sit up, straighten up and tell me what’s wrong.”
Relenting, Twilight let her friend fuss over her as she explained what happened, how she almost confessed her feelings and retreated the moment when the awkward question was posed. Sunset in the meantime, untangled Twilight’s hair with slow strokes of the brush.
“And you’re worried he won’t say yes,” said Sunset finally. “I know how that feels. Not having the ability to say you love someone.”
“Did you ever go about it, Sunset?” asked Twilight.
“Yeah, I did.” said Sunset. “I mean… I never confessed before but… there was, are, a couple of people who I can’t say I love them. It’s hard, you know? Maybe that number’s bumped to three now. Or four or seven… I can’t tell anymore.”
“Wow, real herd mentality.” snorted Twilight.
“You laugh but we don’t have the same relationship taboos back in Equestria,” replied Sunset. “But… to be honest, I have very strong feelings for at least three people.”
“Oh?” asked Twilight.
“Yeah. Princess Twilight…”
Of course that was expected. Everyone knew how Sunset looked at the Princess like that. Hope springs eternal that Sunset found the opportunity to talk to Princess Twilight.
“Gentarou…”
Hope springs dashed. Sunset liked Gentarou. Her world was over. And her other better version. She should just...
“And you.”
Hope gets run over by a truck driven by astonishment. “WHAT?! Me?!”
“Yeah.” Blushing, Sunset smiled weakly. “Surprise?”
Turning to face her, Twilight asked, “Why me?”
“Why not? Why would anyone fall in love with you? Well… you’re cute… smart… great looks… beautiful singing voice…”
“Well those are just superficial…” said Twilight, trying to protest but Sunset continued.
“Warm, caring, you get excited so easily…” continued Sunset.
“Well, I wouldn’t be that way if…”
“And most of all, you’re you.” said Sunset, cutting Twilight off a third time, placing a finger onto her friend’s lips. “You. Are you. Not Princess Twilight, not Gentarou, certainly not any of the other girls. You are special, in your own way that makes you a person who is worth getting to know, and love. I realize your heart lays in another direction, but I like to think that I can be a bigger girl and root my best friend, and the woman I love, on.”
“Sunset…” said Twilight, tears coming to her eyes as Sunset blushed.
“Just… promise me one thing?” asked Sunset. “Now that I’ve poured my heart out to you I mean.”
“Anything.” said Twilight.
“Help me go on a date with the Princess? I mean… I’d at least like to try things out with at least one Twilight-shaped person.”
Twilight laughed, all the tension drained. “Deal. As long as you make sure I don’t lose my nerve when I talk to Gentarou about how I feel.”
“Deal.” And the pair shook on it.
“So me huh?” said Twilight. “What did you have in mind when you were going to confess anyhow?”
“Let’s just say Pinkie Pie would not appreciate the PG rating of this story going up to Mature, that’s for sure.” said Sunset. “She made me Pinkie Promise.”
“And a Pinkie Promise you can never break.” chorused the pair, seconds before Pinkie’s head burst from Twilight’s bedsheets, two fingers doing the I’m watching you motion as she intoned, “Foreverrrrrrrrrr…” before sinking back into Twilight’s bed without a sound.
“... you know what I’m totally up for finishing this Game,” said Twilight, throwing off her pajamas in a hurry and dressing almost instantly. “That was way too cartoon even for Pinkie Pie.”
“Pony is one thing, that was downright terrifying.” agreed Sunset, also suddenly in a hurry as she and Twilight bolted downstairs. “Spike lock up the house, we’re going out bye!”
“But I have eggs,” said Spike seconds before the door slammed. “Aw well, more for me.”
=====
Kengo played a tune on his finger as his cab driver seemed to be taking the long route. “Can you hurry up?” he asked quickly.
“Sorry, there’s a lot of traffic on the main road today,” replied the driver, a pony with a flatcap. “And it’s a little too close to little Yanxia-town for me. Super bad traffic there.”
“Kengo-kun,” admonished Yuuki. “Sorry, we’ve had a red-eye in.”
“Hey no problem lady,” replied the driver. “Look, we’ll turn down here, cut some time off.”
As Moondancer looked up, the road abruptly turned spooky as ghosts hurled past them. “What’s even happening here?” she demanded.
“G-Ghosts! Ghosts Kengo-kun GHOSTS!” shrieked Kengo.
“That’s not possible,” replied Kengo, stammering.
“Ah what are you complaining about kids?” asked the cabbie as he maneuvered around the spectres. “They’re just class four free floating vapor. They’re completely harmless. Look, you said go faster, I’m going faster.”
With notable effort, the trio calmed down as the cabbie deftly dodged around several spooks and soon pulled up to the road where the large purple tree palace was. “That’d be twenty bucks.”
Paying the cabbie, Kengo burst into the building where the group minus Natsumi’s team were standing around the five Gashats, said Gashats glowing and floating in the air. “Kisaragi what did you do?” demanded Kengo. “It looks like a literal video game apocalypse out there!”
“Ah, well… um… surprise?” said Gentarou. Yuuki had to visibly restrain their friend.
“What’s the situation?” asked Moondancer, moving up to the game.
“Once the fifth Gashat was obtained, a Bonus Stage was created.” said Princess Twilight. “Out there it’s madness. We’ve sent Natsumi’s team to contain most of it, but it’s a video game invasion as you said.”
“That’s because it is.” said Emu from the door. “The game is Ms. Pac-man. And this entire level, is called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.”
Holding up the two video game Gashats, Kengo heaved a sigh. “Ex-Aid…”
“My fault I know.” replied Emu and Poppy added, “Not really.”
“We’re here to excise the last bit of the game.” said Hiiro, hands in his pockets. “For that, we’ll need the help of everyone here.”
“We need to clear the level, and to do that, we need to complete both games.” surmised Princess Twilight. “How do we do that?”
“Leave the Riders to the first bit,” replied Gentarou. “You girls focus on finishing this My Little Pony game.”
As the group broke into two teams, Kengo stopped Gentarou at the door. “You’ll need this.” said Kengo, holding out the suitcase for Gentarou. Gentarou opened it up and inside sat the clear plastic blue material of Fourze. “I brought Fourze just in case.”
“Thanks Kengo,” said Gentarou, taking his old friend and strapping it on. “I won’t let you down.”
As the Riders dashed off, Twilight watched them go as the girls discussed strategy. For a long moment, she watched Gentarou’s receding back moving further away into the distance. But then, a hand came up to rest on Twilight’s shoulder. “Go to him,” said Sunset, giving Twilight a little shove.
Turning to her friends, Twilight’s eyes widened at the sight of all of them smiling at her. “You girls…” she said softly before smiling and running after Gentarou.
“She’ll be fine,” said Sunset, trying to reassure herself.
“Of course she will be silly,” said Pinkie Pie. “I had a good set of Pinkie Sense twitches. Or maybe it was the pie I had before bedtime...”
“Now if only we can figure out how to stop the first game,” said Applejack. “Doesn’t this map do anything?”
“It only shows friendship problems,” said Princess Twilight. “I don’t know if…”
“Of course it does,” grumbled Rainbow. “I’m sure a friendship problem will just miraculously pop up.”
“Wait a moment though,” said Rarity. “Isn’t the name of the game Friendship is Magic?”
“That’s right,” said Fluttershy. “So maybe if you give the map a jumpstart of magic…”
“Friendship magic,” said Starlight. “Like the Elements of Harmony!”
“Worth a try,” said Spike, nodding. “What have you got to lose?”
“Works for me. Twilight went off with Gentarou, so I’ll fill in for her,” said the Princess. “Everypony, form up! Sit in each of your chairs and let’s do this! Starlight, I need your help to stabilize the field. Spike, watch the door. Sunset, uh… take my chair.”
The girls sat down in the chairs as Twilight and Starlight stood atop the map. “All right, everypony, focus. We’ve got one shot at this.” said Starlight.
“Yeah, no pressure,” scoffed Rainbow as her magic flared to life.
One by one, the team flared with magic, and fed their energies to the ball of light being generated by both mares. With a grunt, the pair fed the magic into the map, where it swirled around, and started to focus. Down, down, into the streets of Canterlot City until two symbols blinked.
One, was Twilight’s Cutie Mark.
The other was a familiar head, black and white with red eyes.
=====
Walking into the middle of the attack, Gentarou adjusted his sleeves a little as he took a breath. “All right, let’s do this,” he said to his companions; Mach, Ex-Aid, Brave and Poppy.
Emu nodded as he held up his Gashat, as did Poppy and Hiiro, pressing the buttons on the side of the games.
[Mighty Brothers XX!]
[Taddle Fantasy!]
[Toki Meki Crisis!]
“Henshin,” chorused the three as they plugged in their games as Go slammed his driver into action.
[Signal Bike/Shift Car!]
“Let’s henshin!” Exclaimed Go, activating his belt as he closed it. [RIDER MACH!]
As the four Riders transformed, Gentarou grasped Fourze. Throwing the switches on Fourze, Gentarou prepared for the countdown, but was met with silence. “Eh?” Asked Gentarou, flipping his switches several times. “C’mon, what’s wrong?”
“Gentarou, what’s wrong?” asked Dead Heat.
“I don’t know, Fourze is refusing to respond,” said Gentarou. “Go on ahead!”
As the four Riders piled into the ghosts who were shambling towards them, he shook his device, scowling. “C’mon bud, work with me here!” Exclaimed Gentarou, shaking Fourze. “We’re friends, right?”
“Gentarou!” Shouted Twilight, running towards the group. Running up, she exclaimed, “I’m here to help!”
“Twilight? It’s dangerous out here…” started Gentarou but one of the enemies had reached them and took a swipe at him. With a yelp, he dodged away as Twilight yelped and fired a beam of light that slammed into the ghosts. “You should be back inside where it’s safe!”
“I want to be with you, Gentarou!” Retorted Twilight as she used her magic to push away several enemies, and Gentarou punched another, throwing it over his shoulder. “You keep saying friendship this and friendship that, but have you ever understood anything else?”
“I told you I’m no good with matters of the heart!” Exclaimed Gentarou, finishing off his opponent and whirling on Twilight.
“Well neither am I!” Shouted Twilight, firing a burst that scattered enemies like tenpins. “I just want… to know what you feel, Gentarou.”
“What I want… I want to keep you safe,” said Gentarou, as he was punched and he put the ghost into a headlock. “I want you to be happy. I want you, to be happy with what we have!”
Twilight seized a enemy with her magic and threw it aside. “And what would that be? Just being ourselves? Day after day? Gentarou I love you! And I want to know your feelings…”
For a moment, in the middle of the chaos, the pair stood staring at one another as Gentarou tried to reply. “I…”
Without warning, an enemy snuck up behind Gentarou and tried to slash him, but a thrown picnic table slammed into it. “For lands sake, I can’t take this no more!” Cried Applejack as the girls were handling the fight, much to the surprise of the Riders.
“Everyone,” said Poppy. “It’s dangerous out here!”
“You think we don’t know that?” demanded Rarity. “We need to hear this!”
“She’s right,” replied Fluttershy, directing a bear at the enemies who bowled them over. “Because Twilight’s trying to say what she feels!”
“She’s baring her soul,” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, punching another and zipping around with a line held by Pinkie, tying up several ghosts. “She needs to be heard!”
“Yeah, and having a down-feeling Twilight is really upsetting!” Proclaimed Pinkie.
Sunset smashed an enemy with a thrown bin. “Don’t let this chance go to waste! Twilight, Gentarou!”
“You can do it,” urged Princess Twilight, as the Spikes and Starlight nodded. “You can do this!”
With all the ghosts held at bay, Gentarou swallowed. “I…”
“I…” repeated Twilight.
“I’ll catch you when you fall, for now and forever.” replied Gentarou.
Twilight smiled. “That’s good enough for me.”
Back at the castle, Kengo’s briefcase chimed as he, Moondancer and Yuuki gathered around it. “Fourze is reacting,” he said, as the unfinished switch flared to life in the shape of an intertwined pair of star-shaped symbols. It shot out of the building, and slammed into Fourze with a pitched whine.
“You were waiting for this, old friend,” said Gentarou, turning towards the melee. “Well then… time to finish this game. Together.”
“Together.” said Twilight as the pair smiled.
Grasping the handle, Gentarou threw it as he proclaimed, “IT’S SPACE TIME!”
Smoke and light billowed across the group as Gentarou stood there, standing in a brand new Fourze armor. Twisting the switch, it announced [FRIENDSHIP STATES!]
A massive pillar of light erupted around Gentarou, as his colors changed into a rainbow hue, and a pair of white wings billowed from his suit and reformed. “Friendship, love… we’ll see this man to man!”
And with a cry, he flew into the skies, as a giant rainbow appeared overhead. Throwing the lever twice, Fourze announced it’s intent.
[FRIENDSHIP! LIMIT BREAK!]
“RIDER ULTIMATE FINAL KIIIIIIIIIICK!” Shouted Gentarou, slamming home into the epicenter of the battlefield, trailing a brilliant rainbow light.
=====
1 week later...
=====
“I can’t believe we’re on the same plane,” said Emu, looking over at Gentarou with a half smile on his face.
“I can’t believe you fell to Discord’s plan,” said Kengo, giving Emu a side look. “So… this is it, we’re all headed back to Neighpon.”
“As it should be,” remarked Hiiro, already ignoring the group with a book in his hands.
Gentarou twisted the necklace he wore around his neck thoughtfully. “It’s okay, Gen-chan,” said Yuuki. “You’ll see her again. Call it a woman’s intuition.”
Gentarou smiled. “Yeah, you’re right. And this time it won’t be 5 years.”
As the plane lifted off, Twilight watched it take off at Canterlot International. “There he goes,” said Sunset, reaching over to give her a hug. “You okay?”
“I will be,” said Twilight, twisting the other half of the necklace she wore. “We promised each other we’ll see one another.”
Sunset smiled. “C’mon,” said Sunset. “You have to help me plan a date.”
Nodding, the pair left the terminal, as Discord watched them go. “And so the happy ending begins now,” he said with a smile, vanishing from sight.
=====
2 years later….
=====
“And so,” said Twilight, valedictorian of her school. “We part ways, knowing everything we’ve done, all the craziness, the stories we’ve shared… the magic… all of it. Is inside us. We’re the graduating class of Canterlot High… and I wish you all, a fond hello. Because there are no sad endings, only sad partings, and happy reunions. Thank you.”
As Twilight descended the stairs of the auditorium, she was met by her friends. “That was awesome!” Exclaimed Rainbow, teary eyed. “It was the best speech ever!”
“Indeed,” said Rarity, dabbing her eyes and trying not to run her makeup.
“I PROMISED MYSELF I WOULDN’T CRY!” Bawled Pinkie Pie.
“Y’all did a fine job today, sugarcube,” said Applejack.
Sunset looked at Applejack, already misty eyed. “Why aren’t you crying?” she asked.
“Applejack cries on the inside,” replied Fluttershy, sniffling into a handkerchief.
“It’s a step into another world,” said Princess Twilight, having come for their graduation. “Everyone is proud of you.”
Twilight nodded as she looked over the crowd. People they had befriended over the years had been present for this, but no familiar face graced it. Sunset grasped her hand. “He’s here, I swear,” said Sunset.
Twilight nodded as she turned to her friends, “I’ll get pictures with mom and dad and Shining and Cadance, and then I’ll meet up with you all.”
“Don’t be late,” said Princess Twilight, linking hands with Sunset as she smiled at her double.
Twilight nodded as she ran towards her family. “Sorry bout that,” said Twilight as Spike leaped into her arms.
“Hey, not a problem,” said Shining. “Anything for my little sister.”
“You okay?” asked Cadance.
“I’m just overwhelmed, it’s my final week at CHS,” replied Twilight. “I don’t know if…”
Looking up, Twilight rubbed her eyes as she glimpsed a man in a grey suit. Her heart leapt to her chest as she said, “I… I need to go.”
Taking chase, she followed the glimpses of the grey suit into the courtyard where a brand new horse statue stood. Under it, was dedicated the names of her friends. And there, standing in front of it was a smiling Gentarou.
There were no words. She leaped into his arms as he hugged her back.
=====
3 years later...
“What about this?” asked Miu, showing off the dress.
“Oh darling that’s perfect!” Exclaimed Rarity, smiling as she applauding. “Honestly, this is the most fun I’ve had designing your outfits.”
“Miu! Rarity!” Called out Shun as he walked up, Rainbow behind him. “C’mon, we’ve got dinner at five.”
“Oops!” Exclaimed Rarity and Miu in unison.
=====
“I read your latest book, Nozoma-sensei,” replied Fluttershy politely as the groundskeeper for the Canterlot Zoo presented it to Tomoko with a smile.
“I’m sure you have. What did you think?” asked Tomoko.
“It has hope,” replied Fluttershy and the pair laughed at the injoke. The cover of the book read “Within Hope” and showed a unicorn and a man together.
=====
“The plane back won’t land for an hour,” replied Princess Twilight, as she and Sunset looked over the records. “We should be more careful next time when we disembark.”
Sunset smiled at her girlfriend, shaking her head. “These people need our help,” said Sunset. “Besides, we’ll be state-side in a while anyhow.”
“I can’t believe it’s three years since everyone parted ways,” said Princess Twilight.
“And another three since we officially started our work together, helping people.” said Sunset with a grin. “Working with Dr. Date really opened borders for us.”
Twilight grinned at that. “Yes, yes it did.”
=====
“It’s almost ready,” said Pinkie as her younger assistants, the cake twins, worked at decorating the last minute food. “And then everyone will be together again!”
“I’m glad,” said Pound. “The amount of work you put Pumpkin and I through is insane!”
“Hey, it’s not so bad,” replied his twin. “Two time winner of the dessert of the year award.”
“Hey, baking’s not all I do. There’s eating too,” laughed Pinkie.
=====
“We’ll be arriving shortly,” replied Applejack, as she pulled up with her family. “Can’t believe it’ll be a five year reunion now.”
“Did you hear from the girls?” asked Sonata curiously, as she and the sirens piled out of her car.
“They’ll be here,” said Applejack with a grin. “Happy to see them again?”
“Sonata’s just hoping Pinkie will feed her,” snorted Aria as Adagio rolled her eyes.
“Well, let’s get a move on and unload here.” said Applejack.
=====
Stepping off the plane, Gentarou looked at his companion, as she held his hand. Years had passed and now… “You ready to see them again?” he asked.
Twilight nodded. “Yes, it’s been a while.”
“Nervous?” asked Gentarou.
She shook her head. “Not really I just... “
“It was abrupt,” said Gentarou. “One minute you were graduating, and the next, attending college to become a teacher…”
Twilight smiled. “It’s my calling. As is yours. Gentarou-sensei.”
He laughed a little as they stepped into the terminal and were met by a pile of people. The pair shared a glance at one another, and nodded.
“Everyone, we’re back!” Exclaimed Gentarou and Twilight in unison.
=====
On the road, everyone is in the midst of a journey
In order to encounter their true selves
Let’s keep on walking for now, for We’re all travelers
Everything’s spreading out right in front of my eyes
Just when will the 9 paths ever overlap
The road will probably change
To continue into a new dawn
- Journey Through the Decade, GACKT
=====
IT’S SPACE TIME
SEE YOU NEXT GAME
=====
Equestria Girls: Heisei Generations
Author's Note
Completed 10/4/2017
Compliant with Edits to Cosmic Friendship
Series: Kamen Rider Fourze, My Little Pony, Equestria Girls, Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, Kamen Rider Drive
