Kamen Rider Unicorn: Hyper Battle Special!

Chapters

S: Special Episode / Arm and A Leg
S: Special Episode / Clipped Wings
S: Special Episode / The Mystery Unfolds
S: Special Episode / The Two-In-One Kamen Rider!
S: Special Episode! / Case Closed!

S: Special Episode / Arm and A Leg

Author's Note

Disclaimer!

This is a side story to Michael_Ravencroft's excellent crossover fic "Kamen Rider Unicorn", written with the author's approval. Knowledge of both the original fic and the original source material, Kamen Rider Double/W, is necessary before reading.

S: Special Episode / Arm and A Leg

Alarm bells rang through the normally idyllic Canterlot streets, originating from the Canterlot First National Bank. Inside, patrons pressed themselves against the bank floor, trembling in terror as they kept their heads low to the ground. One of the bank’s security guards lay off to the side in a heap, groaning as he clutched a still bleeding bullet wound on his side.

“Move it! Come on, come on!”

A female bank teller flinched in fear as the barrel of an assault rifle was shoved even harder against her temple while she frantically shoveled stacks of bills into a burlap sack, trying not to look at the masked man with his finger still on the trigger.

“And don’t even think of trying any of that dye pack crap,” the robber threatened, his eyes narrowing behind his balaclava. “Or you’ll get a bullet straight through the eyes!”

Barely ten minutes had passed since the three masked men had charged into the bank and opened fire, blowing out the security cameras in seconds and sending patrons to the ground in a panic as they desperately scrambled for cover. The on-duty security guard had barely had time to draw his sidearm before being clipped in the side by a hail of bullets, dropping to the floor and losing his grip on his gun. One of the robbers had quickly kicked it aside to ensure he wouldn’t be a further threat. While the lead robber took control of acquiring the money, his partners patrolled the bank floor, aiming their guns threateningly at petrified patrons as a warning to any would-be-heroes.

Zipping up the now full burlap sack, the trembling teller handed it off to the robber. Yanking it from her hands, the robber kept his gun trained on her head as he backed away, glancing at his partners. “Alright, we’ve got the loot! Let’s bolt!”

Nodding, the three set off for the front gate, only to skid to a halt as the blare of police sirens cut through the air. Five police cruisers came grinding to a halt outside the front door, blocking their escape route as nearly a dozen of Canterlot’s finest stood posed outside, training their guns on the front entrance.

“Shit, the cops!” One of the robbers cursed, suddenly losing his nerve at the very real prospect of going to jail. ‘What are we going to do, Jack Ham—”

“Idiot!” The lead robber yelled, whacking his buddy in the head with the butt of his rifle. “Don’t call me by my real name!” Growling, he ripped off his balaclava and ran a hand through his messy black hair. “Right, new plan!” Whipping around, he shoved the sack of money into the left robber’s arms and handed off his gun to the other. “You two make a break for it with the dough. I’ll deal with the fuzz.”

“B-b-but Boss! You can’t take on all those guys by yourself!”

“Hmph, lucky for you idiots then that I came prepared.” Reaching into his pocket, Jack Hammer withdrew a black USB shaped device. White bone-like markings covered the outer casing, giving it a sinister appearance. Engraved on the front was the symbol of an “A” formed by a knife and a rifle.

Grinning sadistically, Jack Hammer clicked the button on the Gaia Memory.

< ARMS! >

Bending his neck, Jack Hammer rammed the Memory into a tattoo on his neck resembling a USB port. Glowing, the USB sank into his flesh as Jack Hammer’s body began to transform.

Within seconds, he had transformed into a monster resembling an apocalyptic motorcyclist. His upper torso was covered in silver armored plating with spikes adorning the upper chest and shoulder pads while leather armor hung against his sides, bullets embedded into the leather in such a way as to resemble sharpened teeth. The bodysuit underneath the armor was an almost blood red, with similar coloured spiked gauntlets adorning his forearms. Hung against his back was a massive claymore, and covering his face was a clear white skull mask larger than his face.

Now transformed into the Arms Dopant, he cocked his head to the side to glance over his shoulder at his partners with a pair of burning red eyes. “Head to the hideout. I’ll meet you there when I’m done dealing with these clowns.”

“R-r-right, boss,” the left robber stuttered, the two of them just about ready to piss their pants in terror.

Outside, the lead officer stepped forward and bellowed into a megaphone. “This is the police! We have you surrounded! Come out with your hands up! This is your only warn—”

The rest of the officer’s words were drowned out by a loud explosion that rattled the courtyard and blew the bank doors off their hinges and skidding down the front steps. The officers briefly flinched back from the force of explosion before aiming their guns into the wall of smoke billowing from inside the bank.

Strolling out from within the smoke, the Arms Dopant stood on the front step of the bank. “Well?” He taunted, holding his arms out at his side and giving the officers a clear shot at his chest. “I’m waaaiiittting…”

“Fire!”

Though shocked by the monster’s appearance, the officers wasted little time in opening fire on it, striking the Dopant square in the chest with a hail of bullets. Though sparks leapt off from the points of impact, the Arms Dopant seemed physically unphased by the gunfire.

“You call those guns? Let me show you a real gun!”

Raising his left arm, the armor around his hand and forearm morphed into a wide-barreled grenade launcher.. The officers stopped firing at the sudden appearance of the deadly weapon, their eyes widening in disbelief. Taking aim, the Arms Dopant cocked his arm back and volleyed a grenade at one of the cruisers, sending it flipping up into the air in a towering wall of flame with a single shot, the totaled remains of the vehicle crashing into the pavement with a metallic crunch seconds later.

Cackling wildly, the Dopant took one shot after another, sending officers scattering as they ran to avoid shrapnel as their cruisers were taken out one after another. Staring down at the flaming carnage before him, a grin split across the Dopant’s face.

“Oh, this is sooo much fun!”

Leaping down onto the pavement, the Dopant advanced towards a group of officers. He didn’t so much as flinch as they continued to pepper him with bullets, backhanding one officer across the face before whirling around and kicking another in the stomach, sending them both sprawling against the pavement.

“Freeze!” Came a cry from behind him as more 9mm rounds ricocheted off the back of his armored skull. Grinning, he slowly turned towards the officer, who was visibly trembling as he tried to keep his gun steady.

“Oh, bad move, buddy…” Grabbing the hilt of his claymore, he slowly drew it from his back, revealing that the top third of the sword had been broken off, leaving jagged edges at the end of the large sword. Slowly, the Arms Dopant began to stalk towards the officer, his fingers curling around the hilt in glee.

Off in the distance, a motorcycle came hurtling down the road, the roar of its engine muffled by the ensuing carnage. At the sight of the towering flames ahead of her, the rider pulled her right hand from her handlebars and called forth a device in the shape of a unicorn head: the Uni Driver. Slapping the device against her waist, a belt with an additional port on each side shot out of the device and wrapped tightly around her waist. With the belt secure, she pulled out a turquoise colored Gaia Memory and pressed down on the button.

< UNICORN! >

“Henshin!”

Gripping the Gaia Memory, she placed into the slot at the top of the device and slammed the palm of her hand onto the Memory, sliding it into the Driver.

< UNICORN! >

Revving the engine, she sped down the road as a field of turquoise coloured energy swirled around her and her bike in a whirlwind of energy. When the field dissipated a moment later, both the rider and her bike had transformed, now donning a suit of turquoise armor with sun metal lines over her body with a pair of compound aquamarine oval eyes over her eyes. Protruding from her forehead was a green crystal horn with a silver edge.

Back at the bank, the Arms Dopant raised his sword over his head, poised to bring it down on the petrified officer’s head, only to pause as the sound an engine reached his ears. Glancing aside, he caught the briefest glimpse of a motorbike barreling through the flames seconds before the bike jackknifed into him, sending him flying back and smashing into the door of a nearby police car.

Blinking, the officer gasped at the sight of his savior. “You’re… you’re…”

Picking himself up with a shake of his head, the Arms Dopant glared at the sudden arrival. “Oh, great! You!”

Dismounting her bike, the masked rider turned to face the rampaging Dopant, her horn glinting in the light. “That’s right… Kamen Rider Unicorn!”

Growling, the Arms Dopant raised his sword again and charged at Unicorn. Swinging it wildly, Unicorn easily ducked under his swing and punched him hard in the chest, sending the Dopant reeling. Not willing to spare a moment for the Dopant to recover, she quickly followed up with a uppercut to the jaw before finishing with a kick that sent the Dopant flipping head over heels across the smashed hood of the same police vehicle.

“You and your men need to get out of here now,” Unicorn said, glancing at the still shocked officer. “It’s not safe. I’ll deal with the bonehead, you just worry about getting to safety!”

Snapping out his trance, the officer stammered a quick, “R-right!” before running over to a nearby downed officer and picking him up by the arm in an attempt to haul him to safety. Other officers still on their feet quickly followed pace, not wanting to go a second round with a monster capable of shrugging off their bullets like BB pellets.

With that taken care of for the moment, Unicorn dashed over to the cruiser the Dopart had cartwheeled over. Leaping onto the hood of the car, she peered over the side in time to suddenly find herself staring down the multiple barrels of a Gatling gun.

“Surprise!” With a cackle, the Dopant unleashed a stream of bullets at Unicorn. Acting fast, Unicorn leapt off the hood of the car, twisting her body as she flipped through the air. Her horn glowed with a turquoise light as she summoned three orbs of mana in the air, flicking her wrist to send them shooting into the Dopant’s back and knocking him flat on his face. With one more flip, Unicorn landed back on her feet behind the prone Dopant.

“Son of a…!” Leaping back to his feet, the Arms Dopant gripped his broken claymore tightly as he morphed his left arm into a second blade, roaring as he charged at the masked hero.

Deftly dodging the wild swings from both swords, Unicorn channeled mana into her fist, which glowed with magic as she saw her opening and punched forward, aiming for the Dopant’s head.

However, her attack instead collided with the face of the Dopants claymore as he swung it up like a shield. A metallic clang radiated outward as the shield withstood her attack, sending a shockwave of force rebounding up Unicorn’s arm that knocked her back a foot as her attack was deflected.

Seeing his chance, the Dopant lashed out with his left arm again, cutting straight across Unicorn’s torso in a shower of sparks before following it up by stabbing his claymore into Unicorn’s abdomen and finally spinning on his heel and slashing both blades across her body with enough force to send her flying back and rolling across the pavement.

“Ha! How does that feel?!”

Grunting, Unicorn tasted blood as she rolled onto her side.“So... that’s how you want to play, huh?” Unicorn said as she got back on feet. “Well, two can play that game!” Pulling out a second Memory, Unicorn parried another slash as she slotted the Memory into her left hip port and pressed down on the button.

{< FANG! MIMETIC DRIVE! >}

A burst of light blue energy wrapped around Unicorn, curving the pauldrons of her armor into crescent spikes as the armor around her arms and legs became segmented, sharpened claws extending from the tips of her gloves along with curved blades jutting from the heels of her feet. Finally, the horn on her head extended several inches and sharpened to a deadly point.

As the Dopant brought his claymore down towards her for another slash, Unicorn caught the edge of the blade against her right arm, stopping it dead in its tracks.

“Unicorn: Fang Edge!”

Knocking the claymore aside, Unicorn swung her leg in an arc, catching the Dopant across the chest with her bladed heel. As he retaliated back, she easily caught the edge of his claymore with the palm of her hand, grinning as she shoved it aside and backflipped, slashing her bladed heels vertically across his chest. The Dopant stumbled back as Unicorn backflipped twice more before flipping back on her feet.

“ARRRG! You’re beginning to bug me!” Morphing his left arm from a sword to a rifle, he aimed the gun at Unicorn and let off a burst of three shots in her direction.

Before the shots had even left the barrel, Unicorn slapped the port containing the Fang Memory with the palm of her hand.

\ ARM FANG! /

A pair of curved blades sprang up from Unicorn’s forearms as she spun on her heels, becoming a whirling sawblade as the rifle rounds were sliced apart by her fangs in an instant. Skidding to a stop, she held her bladed arms in front of her in a fighter’s stance.

“Only beginning to? Seems I might have to start getting serious then.”

“Why, you—”

“Heads up!”

The Arms Dopant barely had time to look up before a blue and vermillion blur dropped from the sky, slashing him vertically across the chest and knocking him back with enough force to send him spinning. He groaned as he tried to pick himself back up, smoke coming off a damaged chunk of his armor.

“Huh?” Unicorn’s posture relaxed as she recognized the newcomer.“Nasca?”

A pair of sky blue scarves with vermillion ends drifted in the wind as the figure turned around. Covered in light blue armor with vermillion lines similar to Unicorn’s, she wore a Driver around her waist in the shape of an N with a red button in the centre, one half of Driver blue while the other half was bright vermillion. The Bird Nazca Line were depicted on both her right and left bracers and similar black wings stretched across her shoulders. Instead of a pair of compound eyes like Unicorn, a yellow-orange visor resembling wings spread across her face, with a single horn curving back over her helmet. Gripped in her hand was a silver shortsword.

“Yep!” Raising her sword over her head, the newcomer struck a pose that seemed plucked straight from a comic book. “Delivering justice at sonic speeds! Kamen Rider… Nasca!”

Rolling her eyes at the display, Unicorn disengaged her arm fangs before crossing her arms over her chest. “You know, you didn’t have to jump in like that. I had this under control.”

“Oh, I know.” Nasca replied, resting the blade of her sword against her shoulder. “I just happened to be passing by and thought you could use the company.”

Unicorn quirked an eyebrow behind her helmet. “You just happened to be passing by, huh?” she said suspiciously. “And I’m sure the dramatic entrance was just a coincidence too?”

“Nope! That was all me!” Nasca declared with a hint of pride in her voice. “I mean, what’s a hero without a dramatic entrance?”

Unicorn raised a hand as if to argue, before recalling her own dramatic entrance minutes before. “You know… I can’t really argue with you on that one...”

“Hey!” The two Kamen Riders glanced over to find the Arms Dopant glaring back at them. They could almost see the fumes blowing out his ears as he angrily stomped his feet. “Don’t ignore me!” Pointing his claymore at them, he declared, “I’ll rip you both to shreds!”

“Pleeease...” Nasca gave a dismissive shake of her head as she leveled her sword at the Dopant. “You couldn’t open a can of soup with that rusted can opener!”

“Say…” Walking up next to Nasca, Unicorn put her hand on Nasca’s shoulder. “Since you’re here anyway, how about helping me wrap this up?”

“Like you even have to ask!” Tossing her sword up into the air, Nasca pressed the button in the centre of her driver, ejecting the Nasca Memory as the driver rotated from its blue half to orange. Slotting the Memory into the orange slot, a ripple of energy passed over Nasca as the color of her armor shifted to a bright vermillion.

\_/ NASCA! VERMILLION MODE! \_/

At the same time, Unicorn removed her hand from Nasca’s shoulder as she tapped against her left hip port twice in quick succession.

\ LEG FANG! //

Another pair of curved blades sprang up from Unicorn’s armor, this time extending upward from the back of her ankles.

Catching her sword by the hilt as it flipped back down, Nasca leveled it at the Dopant once more as the two Kamen Riders stood side by side.“Come on, Unicorn! Let’s make this showy!”

Swapping his rifle for a Gatling gun, the Arms Dopant opened fire on the pair of Riders. Unicorn leapt away to avoid the oncoming hailstorm, but to Nasca the bullets might as well been moving in slow motion.

Moving at speeds faster than the naked eye could follow, Nasca weaved around the bullets and slashed the Dopant across the side as she ran past, before whirling around and slashing him again across the back and then his other side with another pass before finally slashing him three times across the chest, all in the span of a second.

The Arms Dopant stumbled backward as sparks cascaded off his body, just barely staying on his feet. Glancing up, his eyes widened as he saw Unicorn barreling towards him, frantically holding up his claymore to intercept her attack.

Lashing out with her right leg, Unicorn delivered a bladed spin kick against the claymore, the impact sending the Dopant skidding back a few inches and digging a deep crack in the sword’s surface. Following it up with another spin kick from her left, the cracked widened even more as the Dopant was pushed back even further.

The blades on the back of Unicorn’s legs resonated with pure energy as she leapt up and drop kicked the weapon, smashing it into pieces and sending the Dopant flying back from the attack. Flipping in the air, Unicorn landed back on her feet, Nasca fading in beside her seconds later.

Seeing the Dopant flopping around on the ground like a fish, Unicorn glanced at Nasca, who had the exact same idea as her partner. Once more, Unicorn pressed the port on her left side, three times this time.

\\ HORN FANG! ///

Unicorn’s crystal horn glowed bright blue as it grew into a curved blade. “Time to restore Harmony!”Transferring the Fang Memory from the port on her left hip to her right, Unicorn pressed the side of the port with the palm of her hand.

} FANG! MAXIMUM DRIVE! {<

“Time to go into Overdrive!”Ejecting the Nasca Memory, Nasca mimicked Unicorn in sliding the Memory into her right hip port.

} NASCA! MAXIMUM DRIVE! {<

Climbing up to his feet, the Dopant glanced up in time to witness Unicorn leap into the air, her horn glowing with a blinding mix of blue and green energy. Back on the ground, Nasca held her sword vertically in front of her, the blade sparkling with a growing aura of electric energy as a pair of yellow electric wings burst from her back

“FANG KLINGENSCHNEIDER!”

“VERMILLION THUNDERBOLT!”

Spinning in the air, a blade of pure energy extended outward from Unicorn’s hang as she swung herself downward, slicing the Dopant straight down the middle. At the same time, Nasca charged forward in an orange blur, slashing horizontally with the energized blade of her sword across the Dopant’s waist before skidding to a halt several feet behind him. Her Driver flipped back to the blue half as Nasca’s armor reverted back to its original blue.

The Arms Dopant let out one final cry before exploding in a ball of fire. The flames lasted but a moment before parting, revealing an unharmed Jack Hammer as he collapsed onto the pavement, the Gaia Memory ejecting from his neck and bursting apart into a pile of smoking fragments.

Landing back on her feet, Unicorn strolled over to the unconscious Jack Hammer and collecting the shattered remains of his Gaia Memory. Clenching her fist, she crushed the remains into a fine dust that scattered into the wind.

“Well, that’s that,” Unicorn remarked as she cleaned any remaining dust from her gloves. “Thanks for the assist, Nasca.”

“Ah, no biggy,” Nasca replied with a wave of her hand, extending her arm outward. “That’s what partners and friends are for.”

Chuckling, Unicorn reached out grabbed Nasca’s hand, gripping it firmly as the two shook hands.

Off in the distance, the blare of more police sirens rapidly approached.

“Aaaand… that’s our cue to leave.” Releasing Unicorn’s hand and stepping back, the same electric wings from before burst from Nasca’s back as she rocketed up into the sky, leaving a vermillion streak in her wake as she sped off.

Running back to her bike, Unicorn climbed back on and revved the engines, her tires squealing against the tarmac as she spun around and took off down the road, vanishing in a burst of magic.

In the silence that followed, nobody noticed the remaining two robbers as they peered out from behind the wall of the bank. “Uh… Jim?”

“Yeah, Frank?”

“I think it’s time we got out of here before the cops arrive.”

“Good thinking.”

Turning around, the two crooks stood petrified at the wall off police officers standing behind them, their guns drawn and pointed in the two’s direction

“Freeze!”

“We surrender!”

***

In a flash of sea green magic, Unicorn reappeared in the alleyway of a building a block and a half away from the bank. Dismounting her bike, she quickly glanced around to make sure she was alone before pressing down on and ejecting the Unicorn Memory from her Driver. Her armor faded to a dark grey before dispersing in a wave of energy, leaving Sunset Shimmer standing alone in the alleyway.

Wiping away a line of blood from her lip with her thumb, Sunset sighed as she leaned back against the wall of the neighboring building, running a hand through her hair. Raising her hand, she glanced at the Unicorn Memory still clutched in the palm of her hand.

“To think so much destruction and suffering could be caused by something so small…” If there was anyone who knew how much pain could be caused by something so small, it was Sunset. Not a day went by where she didn’t in some way make up for the years of suffering she had directly caused, made harder after her actions had inevitably channeled Equestrian magic into a world previous bereft any magic of its own.

Things had only gotten worse since the day of the earthquake, unleashing a massive column of emerald light into the sky visible from every corner of the city. The light had brought the Gaia Memories with it, scattering them across the city to be picked up by an unsuspecting person and twisting them and their desires into horrific monsters called Dopants capable of untold destruction in their wake.

And yet, the Memory she now held had been drawn to her that same day, giving her a means of fighting back against the threat of the Dopants. Thanks to Twilight developing the Uni Driver she now wore, she was protected from the harsh influences of the Gaia Memory, allowing her to fight as Kamen Rider Unicorn.

“While it’s not the Canterlot I grew up in, this city is still my home…” Sunset gripped the Unicorn Memory tightly as her resolve vulcanized, a fire burning in her eyes. “And I’ll stop anyone who thinks they can harm this city or any of my friends.”

“BOO!”

“Ahh!” Nearly jumping out of her skin, Sunset whirled around and glanced up, scowling at the figure standing over her. “Rainbow! Don’t startle me like that!”

Kamen Rider Nasca snickered. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” Leaping down from the roof, she ejected the Nasca Memory from her Driver as well, her armor fading to grey before disappearing to reveal Rainbow Dash in her place. Pocketing the Nasca Memory, Rainbow stuck her hands in her pockets as she strolled deeper into the alleyway. “Now… where did I hide my bike?”

Sunset huffed as she watched Rainbow search for her bike. It had only been a few weeks since Rainbow Dash had found the Nasca Memory, joining her as a fellow Kamen Rider thanks to another Driver designed by Twilight. While a bit rough around the edges, Rainbow Dash had been quick in learning the ropes of being a Kamen Rider and thus far proved herself a capable partner.

“Aha!” Rainbow exclaimed as she wheeled her bike out from behind a stack of trash cans. “There you are!”

Placing her helmet over her head, Sunset mounted her bike as she glanced behind her at Rainbow. “Come on, if we don’t hurry we’ll be late for school!”

“Right behind ya, Sunset!” Donning her own motorcycle helmet, Rainbow leaped into the seat as she gunned the engine, the two peeling out of the alleyway and tearing down the street.

***

“— Robbery attempt was thwarted early this morning thanks to the timely arrival of Canterlot’s very own heroes, Kamen Riders Unicorn and Nasca. An on-duty security officer at the Canterlot First National was injured during the initial robbery and has been rushed to hospital with serious, but non-life threatening injuries and is expected to make a full recovery. All three suspects have since been taken into custody and are expected to face charges including—”

“Sounds like you and Sunset had a busy mornin’, eh?”

Still lying on her back across the piano, Rainbow Dash looked away from her cellphone to glance at Applejack from across the room. “Sunset did most of the work. The dude was already on his last leg by the time I dropped in.”

“I appreciated the help all the same,” Sunset replied, sitting against the wall as she tuned her guitar. Nearby, Fluttershy worked on grooming Angel Bunny while Rarity fiddled with her keytar. The group had convened in the music room they regularly practiced in after school had ended.

“Speaking of this morning…” Setting her guitar down, Sunset stood up and stretched her arms over her head. “I don’t remember ever seeing that particular attack before. New trick?”

Sitting up, Rainbow draped her legs over the edge of the piano as she set her phone down next to her. “Yep, little something I’ve been working on. I can only do it while in Vermillion Mode, but it takes the boost of energy I get from it and slams it into the bad guy at full speed!” Her smile slipped into a frown as she added, “Downside is it pretty much drains Vermillion Mode from full to empty in one go, no matter how much time I had left, so I gotta be careful how I use it if’n I don’t want to end up a sitting duck.”

“Continuing with our Kamen Rider coverage…” Came the newscaster’s voice from Dash’s phone, attracting everyone’s attention. “... public support for the masked heroes has been on a constant rise across the city. More and more citizens are showing support for the pair of crime fighters with each passing day, with many saying they ‘feel safer with Unicorn and Nasca around.’

“However, the Canterlot Police Department has yet to give a statement on their opinion of the two masked vigilantes, with the Chief of Police quoted as saying, ‘All I will say is that these “Kamen Riders” are possible suspects regarding the recent string of monster reports across the city and that we will do our best to protect our city’s people through these turbulent time.”

“Hear that? They’re talking about us!” Pumping her fist in the air, Rainbow grinned from ear to ear. “Oh, yeah! The people love us! This is what being a hero is all about!”

“Careful, Rainbow…” Sunset warned with a frown, “any bigger and your head won’t be able to fit in your helmet anymore.”

Rainbow replied with a dismissive snort. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Being a Kamen Rider isn’t about fame or glory, but about protecting people from the Dopants. Still, it’s nice to hear that people actually appreciate everything we do dealing with these punks. Were this a comic book, there’s a good chance they would rather throw rocks at us on sight.”

“I would have to agree with Rainbow,” Rarity interjected, playing a few notes on her keytar. “As long as you don’t let such praise go your head, there’s nothing wrong with accepting some respect from time to time. Considering how much you two have sacrificed to keep these ‘Dopants’ from running afoul, I would say you’ve earned it.”

Sunset sighed, but a small smile still slipped across her lips. “I suppose you’re right. It is nice to know we’re actually making a difference. Now…” Tapping her finger against her chin in thought, she added, “If only we could figure out where these Gaia Memories are being distributed from…”

“I can help with that!”

Everyone glanced at the door as Twilight came bursting into the room, wheeling a massive whiteboard into the room with Pinkie’s help.

“Uh...Twi?” Applejack asked, “Why did ya go and steal the art room’s whiteboard?

“Borrowing, not stealing!” Twilight stressed as she finished wheeling the board inside. “It’s for visual aid, because I think I might have stumbled upon a potential lead! It was so obvious I’m amazed I didn’t think of it sooner!” Grabbing a red marker, Twilight began frantically writing across the board as her friends all watched with mixtures of curiosity and building dread that Twilight might just explode at any minute from sheer excitement.

“So! Refresher!” Twilight announced once she had finished scrawling across the board, pointing with the tip of her marker at a pair of lines that read, “T1 Gaia Memory” and “T2 Gaia Memory” respectively. “We all know there are two types of Gaia Memories, right?”

“Duh!” Rainbow replied. “The ones me and Sunset use and the kind that robber had this morning.”

“Correct! The ones that have been used primarily by criminals thus far would be the T1 Memories, which all have a distinguishing bone design on them. While these Memories are quite powerful, they are also very fragile and break upon being struck by a Maximum Drive.” She added “Bone design” and “Fragile” beneath T1 Gaia Memory.

“More on those in a minute, but the ones you and Sunset use are classified instead as T2 Memories. Besides being more refined Gaia Memories based on my research, they don’t break upon being hit by a Maximum Drive.” Underneath T2 Gaia Memory, she jotted down “Smoother appearance” and “Don’t break”. “Right now the Memories you two have gathered so far are the ‘Unicorn’, ‘Fang’, ‘Cyclone’, ‘Queen’, ‘Joker’, ‘Metal’, Shining’, ‘Nasca’ and ‘Accel’ Memories.”

“Queen… That was the Memory that possessed Sunny Flare, wasn’t it?” Rarity gained a dejected look across her face as she recalled the pain that her friend had suffered under the Memory’s intoxicating control. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forget the monster Sunny Flare ended becoming by using that… thing to enthrall everyone at Crystal Prep. I can’t thank you enough, Sunset, for freeing her from its influence.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I couldn’t just stand by and let her suffer like that.“ Especially since I know what that kind of power feels like and the regrets that come with it, Sunset thought, wincing at the all too vivid memory of when she had made that same mistake, ending up consumed by a power beyond her understanding and seeking to bring the student body under her heel.

Even now, just having the Queen Memory in her possession made her terrified of potentially repeating the same mistake twice. “How is Sunny Flare by the way?”

“She’s… recovering.” Rarity replied delicately. “I can say she’s definitely in a better place mentally and physically than before, but it still left a few scars behind. Sometimes, all I can do for her is to be there to help her through it.”

“Sometimes, just bein’ there is more than enough.” Applejack reassured her, placing her hand comfortingly on Rarity’s shoulder and smiling down at her.

“Anyway!” Twilight interrupted, gesturing back at the whiteboard. “Every Gaia Memory, whether T1 or T2, has a symbol on it that corresponds to what it represents in the form of a letter. And, while there have been several T1 Memories bearing the same letter, I noticed we’ve yet to see a repeating T2 Memory. Which means…”

“... That there might just be a single T2 for every letter,” Sunset surmised.

“Exactly!” Drawing up a column, she jotted down the alphabet while filling in the Memories she had already mentioned next to their corresponding letter. “If I’m right, then it means we might have a way of tracking how many T2s are left!”

“Well, somebody palmed one of them off onto Gilda,” Rainbow remarked. “‘Violence’, I think it was?”

“‘Puppeteer’ was the one that varment Svengallop was using to take advantage of Rara’s talent.” Applejack growled, grinding her teeth together at the memory of Svengallop treating her oldest friend like a mere object.

“Glitter Glam was using one to frame Sunset,” Fluttershy added. “I think it was something with a G.”

“‘Gene’.” Sunset remembered vividly how Glitter Glam had boasted about the Gaia Memory’s power and how she was going to use it to systematically ruin Sunset’s life.

“About those three, this is where it gets complicated.” Drawing three boxes, Twilight doodled three crude images of an icy Dopant, a fiery Dopant, and an avian Dopant. “All three Memories were snatched up by three unknown Dopants before Sunset could retrieve them. I tried looking them up in the Infinite Library, but I didn’t have enough keywords to make a clear match. The closest I could get were ‘Winter’, ‘Burning’ and ‘Harpy’.” Writing the possible names under each box with a question mark next to them, she drew a line connecting the three boxes to ‘T1 Gaia Memories’.

“Assuming the three of them are all working together and not separate entities, it’s very likely that they’re the ones distributing the T1 Memories to criminals and the like. Analyzing the remains of the destroyed Memories leads me to believe that they were designed by reverse-engineering the tech of the T2s, meaning that the T2 Memories are the originals and the T1s are simply mass-produced knock-offs.” Stepping away from the board, she muttered, “Why they’re even creating more Gaia Memories I can’t even begin to fathom though...”

“Question!” Pinkie shouted, waving her hand in the air like in class. “Do we know where these things even came from?”

Twilight sighed. “Sadly, no. It’s likely they appeared through that column of emerald energy we saw during the earthquake, but as to where they originated from before that I can’t say. Their energy is like nothing I’ve ever seen before!”

Sunset bit her thumb, unable to shake the still lingering feeling that somehow this was all her fault, jumpstarted by her bringing magic into a world that had previously been magicless. Dispelling that thought with a shake of her head, she stepped up to the whiteboard and scanned Twilight’s notes. “Well, seems like we have a plan then.”

Snatching the marker from Twilight, Sunset circled the boxes with the three Dopants inside. “We find these three, follow them back to wherever they’re producing the Gaia Memories and shut it down. That should stop the flow of new Gaia Memories into the city while we hunt down the remaining T2s.”

“So we find ‘em, beat ‘em to a pulp and force ‘em to tell us where they’re making all these things, right? Sounds like a plan to me!” Rainbow replied, driving her fist into the palm of her hand. “I still owe that ‘Harpy’ a beatdown for giving one of those things to Gilda!”

“Now, adding in the ‘Puppeteer’, ‘Violence’ and ‘Gene’ Memories as well as assuming all three of these Dopants were also using T2s and that just leaves…” Twilight paused as she counted down the list. “Seven… eight… nine more T2s unaccounted for! We should start doing patrols of the city, dividing up the city into sections while canvass… canvassing…” Bringing her hand up to her mouth, Twilight fought back a powerful yawn. Lifting her glasses to rub at her eyes, she slid them back down as she returned to the whiteboard. “As I was saying, we should—”

“Twilight?” Sunset asked, placing a hand on her friend’s shoulder. As Twilight turned her head, Sunset noticed for the first time how bloodshot Twilight’s eyes were, not helped by the heavy bags hanging under her eyes. “Are you alright?”

“I’m… I’m fine…” Twilight replied, failing to suppress another yawn. “We should get started on… on…” Twilight wobbled on her feet, before suddenly collapsing forward.

“Whoa!” Reacting fast, Sunset caught Twilight before she could slam into the floor. “Twilight, you look exhausted! When was the last time you slept?”

“Uh… what day is today?”

“Twilight, I think you need to lie down—”

“No!” Pulling away from Sunset, Twilight vehemently shook her head. “I’m fine, really! There’s far too much for me to do to waste time lying down! I need to help you and Dash find the rest of the Gaia Memories, not to mention I still need to work on my latest mech-animal design and then there’s... there’s…” Twilight pressed a hand to her forehead as she wobbled again, collapsing into Sunset’s arms.

“That’s it,” Sunset said firmly. “You need to get some rest. Now.” Supporting Twilight onto her feet, she slowly walked her towards the back of the room.

“But… Sunset—”

“No buts. You won’t be helping anyone if you collapse like that again. Besides, I seem to recall a certain someone reprimanding her brother for much the same thing.”

“... I guess a nap couldn’t hurt.” Yawning again, Twilight let herself be lead towards the back wall. As they walked, Twilight rested her head against Sunset’s shoulder, sinking deeper into Sunset’s embrace. She’s so warm… Twilight thought, too tired to reprimand herself for thinking about her friend like that.

By the time the pair reached the back wall, Twilight was fast asleep. Smiling, Sunset sat down with her back against the wall, careful not to disturb Twilight. Removing Twilight’s glasses, she set them carefully aside as she cradled her sleeping friend, brushing a lock of stray hair from Twilight’s face. “Sweet dreams, Twilight.”

Snickering from the front of the room reminded Sunset that it wasn’t just her and Twilight there, glancing up to find her friends all trying their hardest to hold in their laughter. Glaring them down, she silently mouthed, “Not. A. Word.”

***

Under the blanket of night, a pair of figures stood beneath a bridge on the outskirts of the city. Bundled up in a thick jacket and a bowler hat, a sleazy looking man meticulously counted through a suitcase bursting with stacks of hundred dollar bills. “One hundred and ninety-nine thousand nine hundred… two hundred thousand. Everything seems to be here. Now, as promised…” Closing the suitcase and setting it at his feet, he retrieved his own suitcase and held it up, clicking the locks open before lifting the lid up.

Nestled inside atop a cushion of velvet was a golden Gaia Memory, a pair of outstretched wings extending outward from the top. Reaching in, the second figure pulled out the device, holding it up under the moonlight.

“No refunds, all sales are final,” the man quickly declared as he closed the suitcase. “This Memory wasn’t easy to get a hold of, hence the price tag. With that, our business transaction is done.” Picking up the suitcase full of money, the man tipped his hat before beating a hasty retreat.

Now alone, a devilish grin spread across the figure’s face as they pressed their thumb against the device.

< QUETZALCOATLUS! >

S: Special Episode / Clipped Wings

Rainbow Dash whistled to herself as she cruised down the street on her bike. The town had been relatively quiet the last few days, with not a single Dopant attack since the incident at the bank. With the weekend right around the corner, her and her friends had decided to hold a movie marathon tonight at Pinkie’s and Rainbow was abuzz with excitement.

Coming to a stop outside a convenience store, Rainbow took a second to park her bike before removing her helmet and tucking it under her arm as she strolled into the store. Making a beeline for the snack aisle, Rainbow scanned the shelves as she tried to decide on what snacks to bring with her. “Let’s see… BBQ, Ketchup, Sour Cream and Onion…”

While perusing the aisle, Rainbow’s phone went off in her pocket. Pulling it out, she saw Sunset’s name on the screen and brought the phone up to her ear. “Hey, Sunset. What’s up?”

“Where are you? You promised you’d be here by now and everyone’s waiting for you.”

“I took a bit of a detour, okay? I’ll be there in a tick, just grabbing some snacks.”

In the background, Rainbow could pick up Pinkie Pie screaming, “Tell her to pick up Cheese Puffs!”

“Pinkie wants me to tell you—”

“I heard, I heard. Jalapeno or Crunchy?”

“I’d go with the Jalapeno.”

“Got it. Sit tight, I’ll be there in a—”

SKREEEEEEEE!

Rainbow’s phone and helmet clattered to the floor, a massive crack splitting across both the visor and phone screen as a shrill shockwave rebounded through the air. Clamping her hands over her ears in an attempt to block out the noise, Rainbow grit her teeth as the front store window shattered into a million pieces, glass shards raining down from the taller buildings as the upper windows also shattered under the force of the shockwave.

Scooping up her phone, Rainbow fought through the noise and raced outside. The streets were utter chaos, people running back and forth as cars careened into one another as their windows blew out, the klaxon of car alarms adding to the already deafening noise.

In the midst of all this, a massive shadow passed over the street as something soared overhead. Looking up, Rainbow gasped at the colossal beast that flew by, its wingtips almost brushing against the buildings lining both sides of the street and creating a buffering gust of wind from the beating of its wings.

A Dopant! No way I’m going to be able to deal with that thing from down here!

Glancing around, she spied a fire escape running up the side of a nearby building straight up to the roof, breaking out into a run towards it. Praying her phone still worked, she pressed it against her ear as she ran. “Sunset, you still there?”

There was a brief hiss of static before Sunset’s voice came through the line. “Rainbow, what in Equestria was that noise!?”

“We’ve got a Dopant on the loose! And he’s a big one!”

“What!? Where?”

Bounding up the fire escape ladder, Rainbow grunted as she hauled herself up and over onto the scaffolding. “East side of town! I’m tailing him now. Gonna try and cut him off at Fairview and Main!”

“I’ll be right there! Don’t engage him until I get there!”

“Fat chance, that jerk owes me a new phone!” Ending the call before Sunset could argue further, Rainbow bolted up the fire escape at breakneck speeds. Reaching the top, she broke into a flying leap and grabbed onto the roof’s edge, pulling herself up. From this height she had a decent view of the city, easily spotting the huge Dopant soaring above it.

“You picked the wrong day to mess with me, buster.” Calling forth her Nasca Driver, Rainbow slapped it across her waist as she pulled out the Nasca Memory.

< NASCA! >

“Henshin!” With a twist of her arm, Rainbow slotted the Memory into the Driver.

< NASCA! >

In a whirlwind of blue energy, Rainbow Dash transformed into Kamen Rider Nasca. Her electric yellow wings shot out of her shoulder blades as she took to the sky, creating a mini sonic boom of her own as she streaked towards the escaping Dopant.

Down below, people ran about in a panic, covering their heads to try and protect themselves from the still raining glass. During all this, someone pointed towards the horizon and shouted loud enough to be heard, “Look, it’s Kamen Rider Nasca!”

A cheer rippled through the streets as others caught sight of the blue armored Rider barreling through the sky on electric wings. Up above, Rainbow was swiftly gaining distance on the monster, coming within a dozen feet or so of it in a matter of seconds.

Now up close, she could finally get a good look at the beast. It looked to her like the outcome of a one-night stand between a turkey and a dragon, covered head to talon in dark golden-brown feathers. A massive beak stretched outward from its face, with a literal crown of feathers perched atop its head. Its wings were actually devoid of any feathers, instead consisting of a leather membrane stretched across its arms, scales covering the skin of its clawed arms and talons. A long serpentine tail dragged behind its tail feathers, a curved blade attached at the end.

“These things just keep getting uglier and uglier,” Nasca muttered as she swooped in closer. As she did, the beast tilted its head in her direction, its massive eyes passing over her.

Uh oh, I think it saw me!

Instead of attacking, however, the monster banked sharply and steered itself towards the far side of the city, seemingly ignoring the buzzing pest fluttering by.

“Hey! Where you going?! Get back here!”

Keeping a bead on the beast, Nasca streaked behind it as the clean streets of Canterlot gave way to more dilapidated and decrepit sections of the city. Multiple campaigns had been made over the years to clean up this section of the city, before either running into financial trouble or stalling out before even getting started.

Barely any people around here… Why do I get the feeling this turkey is leading me somewhere? Though irritated with herself for flying right into a trap, Rainbow nonetheless plowed forward. “If this thing wants a fight, then I’ll give it one!”

As the monster banked towards a courtyard flanked by crumbling buildings and chain link fencing, it wrapped its massive wings around itself and glowed with a golden light as it plummeted like meteor towards the ground, creating a smoking crater at the impact site. Following behind, Nasca swooped down and dropped onto the ground, her electric wings vanishing once her feet were on solid ground.

“Alright, you turkey! Come out with your hands up!”

A female voice came from within the crater. “Turkey? How rude.” As the smoke cleared away, a much smaller, humanoid form of the Dopant stepped forth. Its long beak jutted from its face like before, the crown of feathers looking even gaudier up close. A coat of feathers clung to the Dopant’s body, draping across it like a fur coat complete with a fluffed up collar. Its claws and talons were still covered in thick navy scales, but the leather membrane of its wings now hung from her arms like long flowing sleeves. The length of its serpent tail was wrapped around its waist like a belt, the bladed end flicking behind it. Held between two claws on the Dopant’s right hand was a slender black cigarette holder, a thin trail of smoke rising up from the lit end.

Sauntering forward, the Dopant took a long draw of her cigarette, exhaling a puff of smoke as she cast her gaze over Nasca’s form. “A pity…” She muttered, looking away from Nasca with thinly veiled disinterest. “I was hoping to encounter Unicorn, but I suppose you will have to suffice for now.”

“Oh, I’m more than enough to deal with you, ya peacock.” Summoning her sword, Nasca pointed it at the Dopant. “I’ll carve you up in ten seconds flat!”

The Dopant chuckled, unfazed as she raised her cigarette holder to her lips once more. “We shall see…” Taking another long draw of nicotine, she exhaled as she said, “Do try to entertain me, would you?”

Without bothering with a response, Nasca dashed forward, slashing her sword in a downward diagonal slash at the Dopant.

The Dopant barely flinched. “1…” Holding out her left hand, she caught the blade of Nasca’s sword in the palm of her hand, stopping it cold.

“Wha—”

“2…” Grabbing Nasca’s arm with her other hand and twisting it painfully until she released her grip on her sword, the Dopant jerked her leg upward and kneed Nasca in the stomach hard enough to knock the wind from her lungs and send her reeling.

“3…” Grinding her talons into the ground, she whipped around and kicked the reeling Nasca in the chest, sending her flying back into the nearest building before coming crashing down onto the ground with a hard thud. Several bricks came loose from the impact, peppering the ground around the prone Nasca.

“4…” Holding up Nasca’s sword, she tossed it aside like a piece of trash as she took another puff of her cigarette. “5… 6… 7...”

Nasca grunted as she picked herself up, clutching a hand to her abdomen. Damn, feels like I just got hit by a truck! Who is this lady? Now back on her feet, Nasca spread her electric wings as she charged at the Dopant, her fist sparking with electricity as she blitzed across the courtyard.

“8… 9…” Rolling her eyes, the Dopant easily sidestepped the attack with speed identical to Nasca. Flicking her cigarette holder behind her, the Dopant whipped around and grabbed Nasca’s face with her right hand, pushing her down and forcibly slamming her head into the concrete. A deafening thud echoed through the area, the impact ripping a foot wide crater in the ground beneath Nasca’s head.

“10.”

A pained groan left Nasca’s throat as the world spun around her at dizzying speeds. What… what just happened? Before the world could fully right itself, Nasca felt the Dopant’s claws wrap tightly around her throat, grunting as she was hauled up by her throat. Grabbing onto the Dopant’s arm, she struggled desperately to free herself, but to no avail.

“Well, that was a bore,” The Dopant muttered, sounding even more disinterested than before. “Ten seconds and you couldn’t even touch me. How pathetic.” Pulling her arm back, she tossed Nasca bodily across the courtyard, sending her rolling across the ground.

“Now…” Retrieving her cigarette holder, the Dopant twirled it idly between her claws. “I think you’ve wasted enough of my time as it is. Summon your partner already so I can deal with her as well.”

Grunting, Nasca rolled onto her side as she tried to pull herself back to her feet. Such power… She’s tougher than any of the Dopants I’ve faced before. Getting to her feet, she drew panting breaths as she steadied herself. Right then, no more fooling around. Time to get serious!

“Hmph,” the Dopant scoffed as she watched Nasca stand back up on shaky feet. “Seems that last hit must have rattled your brain if you’re even considering the notion of taking me on after the thorough beating I just gave you.” Shaking her head, she muttered, “Some people just refuse to learn their place…”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but it’ll take more than that to make me bow out. Besides…” Pulling out a red Gaia Memory, Rainbow grinned behind her helmet as she held it up. “That was just the warm-up. Time for the main event!”

< ACCEL! >

“Let’s shake things up!” In a flash, Nasca slotted the Memory into her left hip port and slammed her hand against the trigger.

{< ACCEL! MIMETIC DRIVE! >}

A cascade of crimson energy flowed around Nasca, forming a sphere of power around her that shattered to reveal her new form. Crimson armor overlaid atop her own, flaming wing decals extending from her shoulders with ridged silver armor resembling car grills covering her abdomen. Silver armor atop red ran down her arms and legs, with six silver tailpipes lining the sides of her legs, three on each leg. A silver crescent arced up her now red helmet, her winged visor having changed from a yellowish-orange to a dark blue. Lying flat against her back was a tire connected to a pair of spokes. ,

“Nasca: Full Throttle!”

Now surging with power, Nasca held her hand out at her side, palm facing outward as if expecting something to appear…

… Only for nothing to happen after several awkward moments. A cricket chirped loudly in the distance.

“... Huh?” Waving her arm around, Nasca kept expecting something to suddenly fly into her hand, and yet still nothing happened. “Oh, come on!”

The Dopant cocked her head to the side at the odd display, not quite sure what to make of it. “Is this supposed to be an attempt to make me laugh? Because I’m not laughing.”

Growling, Nasca clenched her hand into a fist as she pulled her arm back, shifting into a fighting stance. “Whatever! I’ll fight you without it!” Flames spewed from the tailpipes on her legs as she raced towards the Dopant.

“This again?” The Dopant muttered with a shake of her head, sidestepping Nasca’s punch like before…

… Only to suddenly receive an elbow across the jaw as Nasca streaked passed.

“Score!” The soles of Nasca’s feet squealed against the concrete like tires as she spun back around and came in for another strike, elbowing the Dopant across the face a second time and sending her spinning. Making a third pass, she held her arm straight out and clotheslined the Dopant in the back of the head, knocking her to her knees.

“Ha!” Nasca gloated as she came skidding to a stop. “Not so high and mighty now, are you?”

A low growl resonated from the back of the Dopant’s throat, growing louder by the second. “How… how dare you…” Whipping her head up, she glared at Nasca with pure hatred in her eyes. “How dare you strike a GOD!”

Throwing her head back, the Dopant unleashed a deafening cry that rang through the air. Nasca pressed her hands against her helmet, twisting in pain as she felt the shrill scream penetrate into her skull.

In a blur of feathers, the enraged Dopant came hurtling at Nasca, ramming her in the chest with her beak. As Nasca stumbled back, a massive bulge began to form in the Dopant’s throat, making a sickening gurgling noise as she reared her head back and hurled a soccer-ball sized fireball from her gullet at the Kamen Rider and sending Nasca crashing back into the chain link fence behind her.

“Ok... Ow.” Nasca winced as she propped herself up, the Dopant stalking towards her. The sound of an advancing engine caused the Dopant to glance to the side, squawking as a riderless motorcycle came barreling towards them.

“What the…?”

“About freaking time!” Taking advantage of the Dopant’s surprise, Nasca leapt to her feet and vaulted over the Dopant’s head, skidding against the ground as she held her hand out in front of her.

Using a chunk of debris as a ramp, the motorcycle launched itself into the air, flipping end over end as it emanated a crimson aura and folded in upon itself with each flip. In an instant, it had transformed into Nasca’s Engine Blade, a long-sword type weapon with a hilt formed from the bike’s handlebars and a speedometer attached at the base of the blade. A pair of wheels extended outward from the centre of the blade.

The sword practically flew into Nasca’s outstretched hand, who swung it in an arc with the ease of lifting a feather, yet the blade’s true weight showed itself by digging a groove into the ground as the tip of the blade scraped against the concrete.

With another shrill shriek, the Dopant tilted her head back as another bulge formed in her throat. Whipping her head forward, she launched another fireball straight at Nasca, who responded by swinging her sword in a forward arc and batting the fireball aside, sending it careening into a nearby building and exploding harmlessly against the vacant building.

Now armed with the Accel Memory’s signature weapon, Nasca gripped the hilt with both hands and revved it twice, causing the needle on the speedometer to spike.

SPEED OF HEAT! <<<

The wheels in the centre of the blade quickly started rotating, smoke radiating off the blade as it became engulfed in intense flames.

“Eat this!” Swinging the Engine Blade in a downward arc, a crescent-shaped burst of pure heat shot out of the blade, smashing into the Dopant and engulfing her in a fiery explosion that reached several feet into the air.

“Fried chicken, anyone?” Bringing up the Engine Blade and resting it on her shoulder, Rainbow chuckled as she stared at the tower of fire where the Dopant had once been. Wait till Sunset hears about this! Now all I have to do is collect what’s left of the Memory and I can— “Hmm? What’s that noise?”

Nasca perked her ears as a strange noise began to fill the air, which sounded almost like… gulping? Suddenly, the tower of flames started to flow into itself, as if being drawn towards something. As the flames parted, Rainbow’s eyes widened at what greeted her.

“No freaking way!”

Standing in the eye of the flames, completely unharmed, was the Dopant, her head tilted back as she sucked the fire down her gullet, making loud gulping noises as the flames poured into her stomach. Nasca could only stand aghast, disbelieving at the sight of the Dopant literally eating the flames.

Sucking in the last streak of flame like a loose spaghetti noodle, the Dopant loudly swallowed before tilting her head forward and wiping the back of her claw against her beak, moaning contentedly. “Ah, that hit the spot. All this fighting was beginning to make me a touch ‘peckish’.”

Clearing a puff of smoke from her throat, she patted her now full belly with her left hand as she rested her right on her hip. “Sadly, it is unbecoming of someone of my stature to partake in any sort of roughhousing so soon after a meal, so in the meantime…”

Raising her right hand, she loudly snapped her claws, summoning four balls of light to her side, two on each side that morphed into humanoid constructs. The ones closest to her took the form of adult males, both dressed in fine suits that made them look like butlers while the outer spheres morphed into two adult woman, both wearing maid outfits with knee-high white socks. All four wore golden bird masks that completely covered their heads and faces.

None of them would have looked the slightest bit threatening if not for the fact the men were each carrying a halberd taller than their body and if the maids weren’t wielding crossbows, a quiver of spare bolts strapped to their thighs.

“... I’ll have my toys deal with you first.” Pointing at Nasca, the four servants took up their weapons and charged Nasca with murderous intent.

Swinging her Engine Blade up, Nasca blocked one of the butler’s halberd, shoving him aside before feinting to the left as the second halberd whizzed by her face. Grabbing the halberd with her free hand, Nasca used it as leverage to flip the butler over and onto his back. As she did, a crossbow bolt pierced into her shoulder, sending her stumbling from the impact and forcing her to drop the halberd still in her grip on the ground.

Whirling around, she spotted one of the maids just as she loaded another bolt into her crossbow. The moment Nasca charged towards her, she let the bolt fly, only for it to be deflected by a swing of Nasca’s blade. As Nasca swung her sword in an effort to destroy the crossbow, another bolt blindsided her in the centre of her back from the second maid, causing her to cry out and allowing the first maid to cartwheel out of her reach.

Keeping her footing, Nasca whirled around as the still armed butler came charging towards her. Bracing the end of his halberd against the ground like a pole vault, he launched himself forward and slammed his feet into Nasca’s chest, her armor spitting sparks as his kick managed to push her back. Before she could recover, the butler grabbed his halberd and swung the axehead across her chest, sending her reeling further back. Two more bolts striking her from behind halted her movement, sending her to her knees.

Using the Engine Blade as a crutch, Nasca struggled to get back on her feet, panting as she watched the constructs circle around her like sharks having caught the fresh scent of blood from a wounded animal in the water.

“Alright, that’s it!” Nasca shouted as she got back on her feet. “No way am I about to get my ass kicked by the serving staff!” Grabbing the hilt of her blade, she revved the handlebars three times in quick succession.

SPEED OF SOUND <<<

With in-human synchronicity, the four constructs acted as one, the butlers hefting their halberds as they charged their foe, while the maids each launched three bolts in rapid succession at Nasca, aiming for her head.

In that moment, Nasca became a crimson blur, like a comet streaking through the sky. With speed on par with her Vermillion Mode, she caught three of the bolts out of the air before swinging her sword up and splitting the remaining three straight down the middle. Spinning on her heels, she whipped all three bolts towards the butler in front of her and the two maids, nailing all three in the shoulder and sending them reeling against the pavement. As the three went down, she sidestepped to the right, creating a momentary after image as the remaining butler lanced his halberd through where she’d been previous, only to then receive a kick to the chest that sent him flying back and his halberd clattering to the ground.

The four constructs flopped against the ground for a moment before disappearing in a shower of gold light. Gasping, Nasca thought she heard the telltale sound of clapping behind her, spinning around to face the Dopant once more. Sure enough, the feathered Dopant was clapping her scaly claws at the display.

“My, my… that certainly was an entertaining performance. Although I am a bit miffed that you had to go and break my toys like that. Now I’ll need to go to the trouble of making more.”

“Screw you!” Nasca shouted back, her blood beginning to boil. “I’m not here to entertain you, you stupid bloated turkey!”

The Dopant jerked back, a growl building in the back of her throat. “Bloated?! Turkey!? Oh, you have finally worked my last nerve!” Her tail unwound from around her waist, slithering behind her like a cobra poised to strike. “I was considering letting you off the hook, but it seems you need to be taught a lesson on respecting your superiors!”

} UNICORN! MAXIMUM DRIVE! {<

“Hmm?” A flash of green out of the corner of her eye caught the Dopant’s attention, glancing aside as a cone of turquoise energy came barreling towards her.

“SPIRAL BREAKER!”

Extending her leather wings, the Dopant shot into the air like a missile, milliseconds before the attack struck the spot she had been standing in previously and smashing the pavement into dust. Perching herself atop the chain link fence, a smile spread across the Dopant’s beak at the sight of the newcomer.

“Ahhh… Unicorn,” the Dopant practically purred at the sight of the horned heroine. “How nice of you to finally join us.”

“You’re late!” Nasca complained as she ran up and slapped Unicorn on the shoulder. “What happened to ‘I’ll be right there’?!”

“Save it,” Unicorn cut in irritably, glancing at Nasca over her shoulder and muttering, “We’ll talk about this later,” before turning her attention back towards the Dopant staring down at them. “Right now, we have a Dopant to deal with.”

“Fine! Careful though, this feather duster’s got some nasty tricks up her sleeve!”

“Lucky for us…” With a flick of her wrist, a purple Memory seemed to materialize between her fingers.

< JOKER! >

“... I have a few tricks of my own.” Flipping the Memory in her hand, Unicorn slotted it into her left hip port and slapped her palm against the trigger.

{< JOKER! MIMETIC DRIVE! >}

Purple energy wrapped around Unicorn, curving her shoulder armor upward as patches of black armor with purple stripes formed on her forearms, biceps, lower legs below the knee and thighs. A black stripe ran along the centre of her helmet from the base of her horn to the top of her head, a similar purple stripe running down the back of her head and neck.

“Unicorn: Ace High!”

Leaping down off the chain-link fence, the Dopant snapped her claws once more, summoning four more orbs of light in front of her that morphed into a row of four maid archers. “Fire at will, my toys.” At their mistress’s command, the four maids all took aim and let fly a volley of crossbow bolts at the two Riders.

Using the innate abilities of her Ace High Form, Unicorn sprinted forward like an Olympic sprinter on a direct course with the flying crossbow bolts. With her reflexes and reaction time augmented by the power of the Joker Memory, the bolts appeared to be flying at a snail’s pace to Unicorn.

In a flurry of movements, Unicorn punched one bolt out of the air, caught the second in her left hand and crushed it in half, kicked the third one into splinters before whipping around and spin kicking the final bolt aside.

Before the row of maids could reach for their quivers to reload, Unicorn barreled through them, scattering them like bowling pins as she reared her arm back to punch the Dopant in the face. Before her fist could connect, the Dopant jumped back, spreading her wings wide as she launched herself into the air, hovering several feet above Unicorn’s head.

“As much as I would love to play with you, Unicorn,” the Dopant taunted her, glancing across the courtyard, “I have a little annoyance to take care of first!” With a shrill screech, she launched herself like a missile, her feathers igniting with golden flames as she hurtled through the air.

“Nasca, look out!” Unicorn shouted, dodging to the left as one of the maids swung her crossbow like a bludgeoning weapon.

Seeing the golden missile hurtling towards her, Rainbow grinned behind her helmet. “Bring it on, ya turkey!” Switching the Accel Memory to her right hip port in a flash, she slammed her hand against the button before gripping the hilt of her Engine Blade and revving the handlebars until the needle spiked into the red.

} ACCEL! MAXIMUM DRIVE! {<

SPEED OF HEAT! <<<

A maelstrom of fire engulfed Nasca’s body, a corona of flames swirling around her that were bright enough to be seen for miles. Gripping the Engine Blade with both hands, she roared as she swung it forward, meeting the Dopant in an explosion of pure power. Nearby flora disintegrated into ash as a massive wave of heat swept through the area, a tower of flame shooting into the air from the collision.

In the midst of all this, Rainbow grit her teeth as she poured all her strength into pushing the Dopant back. Her feet dug into the pavement, trailing a groove as she was gradually repelled back. The struggle lasted for several agonizing seconds, during which neither side were willing to yield to the other.

Then, one side finally won out, the golden flames wreathed around the Dopant reaching a crescendo as she broke through, knocking the Engine Blade clear from Nasca’s hands and sending it shooting into the air. With nothing to hold her back, she slammed into Nasca with the force of a freight train, driving her back into the wall of the bordering building and engulfing the structure in a fiery explosion.

“NASCA!”

For a moment, all was silent before the flames parted to reveal the aftermath. The entire outer wall of the building had been demolished, partially melted bricks raining down onto the pavement. As the smoke cleared, Nasca was revealed to still be standing, a massive scorch mark burned into the front of her armor. On unsteady feet, Nasca took one shaky step forward, then another, before dropping to her knees and collapsing face first onto the ground. In a burst of crimson light, Nasca’s armor vanished, leaving Rainbow Dash lying exposed on the ground.

Nearby, the scorched remains of what had once been Rainbow’s bike smashed into the ground in a twisted heap of warped metal.

“A child?” The Dopant muttered dismissively as she landed back on the ground, strolling up to the teenage girl. “Kamen Rider Nasca was but a child? How pathetic,” she scoffed. “To think she hoped to oppose me. Such misguided ambitions.” Turning around to walk away, she stopped when she felt something grab onto her leg. “Hmm?”

Glancing down, she was met with the sight of Rainbow’s arms wrapped tightly around her leg, holding on for dear life. Several bleeding cuts covered Rainbow’s face, but a small sparkle of determination still shined brightly behind her eyes as she refused to release her grip on the Dopant.

“Where…” Rainbow sputtered, visibly struggling to remain conscious. “Where… do you think… you’re going?”

“Know your place, mortal!” With her tail, she whipped Rainbow across the face, forcing her to release her grip as she flopped over onto her back. A choked gasped was forced from her lungs as the Dopant drove the heel of her talon against Rainbow’s chest, pressing her against the pavement.

“This is where your kind belongs. Trapped beneath the heel of a god!”

} JOKER! MAXIMUM DRIVE! {<

“JOKERS WILD!”

From behind her, a burst of purple energy came crashing into the Dopant, knocking her back and sending her rolling to the ground. Though several sparks leapt off her body, she still retained her form as the Gaia Memory still remained intact within her body.

As the purple energy subsided, Unicorn kneeled down next to Rainbow in a panic. [b]“Rainbow!” she cried out, grabbing the front of her friend’s shirt. “Rainbow, say something!”

“Sun… set…” Rainbow gasped, her head rolling to the side as she gasped for breath.

Grabbing Rainbow by the arm, she slung Rainbow’s limp arm over her shoulder. “Hang in there just a little longer!” Unicorn desperately pleaded. “I’m going to get you somewhere safe.” A swell of magic radiated outward from Unicorn’s horn, enveloping the pair in a bubble of magic.

The Dopant looked up just as the two vanished in a flash of turquoise light, leaving her alone in the battle-torn ruins. “So, they ran? No matter, they’ll both meet their end eventually. None can escape the will of a god.”

***

“Ugh…” Rainbow Dash groaned as she regained consciousness. The first thing she became aware of was the fact that everything hurt, almost like her whole body was just one big bruise. The second thing she noticed was the dim fluorescent light hanging over her head, along with the steady beeping of a heart monitor next to her.

Struggling to sit herself up, she glanced around the room, taking in the sterile grey wallpaper and the medical charts littering the walls. “Is this… a hospital?” Looking herself over, Rainbow saw that both her arms were covered from her palms to her elbows in gauze, an IV sticking out of her right arm. Wincing as she reached her hand up to her face, she felt a similar band of gauze wrapped tightly around her head, along with bandages on her right cheek and left side of her face.

“How… how did I...”

The sound of the door opening made her glance over as a man in a pair of scrubs underneath a white doctor’s jacket stepped into the room. A stethoscope was draped around his neck and he carried a clipboard tucked under one arm. Noticing her looking his way, he smiled. “Ah, you’re awake. Good!”

Rainbow Dash recognized the man. “Dr. Forceps?”

“Yep!” The doctor said with a smile. His skin was a light orange color and his reddish-brown hair was cut short and slicked back. “Glad to see you remember me. That’s a good sign.” Strolling up to her, he took a small flashlight out of his pocket and shined it in her eyes, making her flinch back from the bright light. “Hmm… your optical response is normal, another good sign.”

Shaking the spots from her eyes, Rainbow Dash asked, “How did I get here?”

“Your friend carried you here, a Miss Shimmer, I believe.”

“Sunset did?” At that moment, it all came flooding back. Her fight with the Dopant, Sunset coming in to save her and finally the thorough beating she’d received from the Dopant. “Right…”

“Now, Miss Shimmer said you two were out motorcycling, correct?”

“Y-yeah, we were racing to see who was faster.” Rainbow lied, trying to keep her expression neutral as to not give herself away. “I… I remember pulling off some wicked trick and then… everything goes black.”

Dr. Forceps hummed in thought as he jotted something down on his clipboard. “That is largely consistent with Miss Shimmer’s story as well. I must say, this might have been your most spectacular crash yet.” Flipping through his notes, he muttered, “Fractures to both arms and wrists, minor fractures to your right leg, a twisted ankle, a minor concussion to the right side of your skull, a split lip, various cuts and scrapes…” He whistled as he scanned further down the list, eventually letting his notes drop back onto his clipboard. “You were in pretty rough shape when you arrived, but considering how worse a crash like this could have been, I’d say you’re lucky you’re not in a body cast.”

Pointing at the bandages wrapped around her head, he added, “And this is why you’re always told to wear a helmet. It likely saved you from needing a new skull plate.”

Rainbow just nodded her head silently.

Tucking the clipboard back under his arm, Dr. Forceps stuck his hands in the pockets of his doctor’s coat. “Well, we’re still going to need to run some more tests, so sad to say you’re going to be stuck here for a while. Now, I have other patients to attend to, but I’ll check in with you again later. Until then, try and get some rest. Doctor’s orders.”

“Kay…” Rainbow muttered, only partially listening to what he was saying.

“Right, I better leave you to get some sleep. Au Revoir!” With a final parting wave, Dr. Forceps slipped outside into the hallway. As the door closed behind him, Rainbow flopped back onto her pillow, sighing as she stared up at the ceiling.

“What a mess…”

The door handle rattled as the door was pushed open, allowing Sunset to slip into the room before closing the door behind her. “Hey, Rainbow.”

“Hey, Sunset…” Rainbow replied, still staring up at the ceiling. An awkward silence settled over the room.

“How you feeling?” Sunset asked after a moment.

“Like I just got run over by an eighteen wheeler. Twice.” Sitting up, Rainbow set her hands in her lap as she glanced at Sunset. “Give it to me straight, Sunset… how’s my bike?”

“Totalled,” Sunset replied bluntly, walking up next to Dash’s bed. “Be glad that the same can’t be said about you.”

“Yeah, Dr. Forceps said as much.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “You know him?”

“We’ve met,” Rainbow remarked, grinning. “He stitched me back up after I fell out of a tree when I was six. Then, when I was ten, I was going top speed down an incline on my bike and ended up hitting a rock and flipping clear over my handlebars. I must have skidded halfway down the street before I finally stopped. Skin was hanging off me in chunks, and my left arm was bent all the way back—”

“I think I get the picture…” Sunset interjected, suddenly looking a tad green around the gills. Swallowing back a rising tide of bile in her throat, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Why am I not surprised this isn’t your first time being in the hospital?”

“Oh yeah, I’m a regular at this point.” Any mirth in her voice quickly vanished as Rainbow hung her head, unable to meet Sunset’s eye. “Look, Sunset, I—”

“What were you thinking?” Sunset harshly reprimanded her, beginning to pace the room. “I told you to wait for me, not run off and pick a fight with that Dopant alone! Me and the girls could hear that thing’s screams from miles away, which should have indicated just how powerful it was.”

“I know, I know!” Rainbow shouted, flopping back against her pillow. “Geeze… I really dropped the ball on this one. Sheesh, some partner I am…”

Sighing loudly, Sunset sat down at the foot of the bed. “What you did was reckless, I won’t lie… but you did manage to draw the Dopant away from the city, which meant she wasn’t able to cause as much damage as she could have. The problem was you underestimated her.”

“What was I supposed to do, then?” Rainbow asked in frustration.

“Always assume your opponent has an advantage over you from the start,” Sunset replied, resting her hands on the bed and gazing up at the ceiling. “Whenever I fight, I go in with the mindset that my enemy is fully aware of what I’m capable of, while more often than not I’m left in the dark as to what they can and can’t do. That way I can avoid being caught off guard by their abilities and instead focus on coming up with a counter strategy.”

Gazing over her shoulder, she added, “While I’m not expecting you to go full out from the get-go, I do advise exercising some caution until you can get a proper gauge on your opponent’s strengths and possible weaknesses. That way, you can avoid further injuries in the future.”

“I’ll keep that in mind…” Rainbow muttered, her mood still soured despite the sound advice.

“Look, don’t let it get you down too much,” Sunset replied in an attempt to cheer her friend up. “The important thing is that you’re alive and now we have a better idea of what that Dopant can do for next time.”

“Damn straight!” Shooting up, Rainbow clenched her fist. “We’ll show that turkey a thing or two next time!”

“Oh no, you’re not going anywhere!” Standing up, Sunset crossed her arms as her gaze bore into Rainbow. “You’re in no shape to take on that Dopant. Just sit tight and focus on getting better. Twilight and I’ll figure some way to deal with the bird lady.”

“But—”

Rainbow’s protests were silenced as the door to the room was nearly thrown off its hinges and a blue blur came barreling into the room and bear hugged Rainbow. “Oh, Rainbow! My poor, sweet baby!”

“Ack! Mom! That hurts!” Rainbow winced, trying desperately to wiggle her way out of her mother’s vice-like grip. Windy Whistles largely ignored her daughter’s pleas as she cradled her in her arms.

Sunset snickered, holding a hand to her mouth to hold back her laughter. Rainbow’s father, Bow Hothoof, hobbled into the room, using the doorframe for support as he panted from trying to keep pace with his wife.

“We… came as… soon as we… heard…” He gasped, out of breath.

“Oh, I almost forgot…” Dr. Forceps popped up from behind Bow’s shoulder, glancing into the room. “I contacted your parents already and they’re on their way here now.”

***

Twilight sat on the edge of her bed, kneading her hands nervously in her lap. After Sunset had called them from the hospital regarding Rainbow Dash’s injuries, she and the others had wisely agreed to postpone their plans and returned to their respective homes for the night. Twilight had tried working on her latest mech-animal in an attempt to take her mind off of everything, only to give up after she blew out its primary circuit while distracted.

Staring blanking at the wall, Twilight bit her lip as her ever-increasing worry continued to build, especially since it had been over an hour since she’d last heard from Sunset regarding Rainbow’s condition.

“I hope they’re both alright…”

A sudden knock on her bedroom door snapped her from her thoughts and nearly sent her tumbling off her bed in surprise. “Y-yes?” she called through the door.

“Twilight, it’s me,” came Sunset’s voice from the other side of the door. “Can I come in?”

Rushing the door, Twilight threw it open and embraced a very startled Sunset.

“Tw-Twilight! What—”

“I was so worried!” Twilight cried, tears running down her face as she clung to Sunset. “Af-after you called saying Rainbow had been hurt, I couldn’t help but think about the same thing happening to you. I… I…” Twilight hiccuped between sobs, burying her face into Sunset’s arms.

“Oh, Twilight…” Guiding the distraught girl back into the room and closing the door behind them with her foot, Sunset led Twilight back to her bed and gently urged her to sit down. Running her hand comfortingly through Twilight hair, Sunset held her friend as her sobs slowly lessened.

“I’m sorry for making you worry like that,” Sunset said once Twilight’s sobs had mostly subsided. “I guess I’ve been so caught up in all this Kamen Rider stuff, I didn’t stop to think about how seeing me put myself in danger like that might affect you.”

Sniffling, Twilight pushed up her glasses to rub at her eyes. “I… I know you can take care of yourself just fine, but it’s just… I can’t help but worry sometimes. You’re my best friend, Sunset, and I can’t imagine what I’d do if I were to lose you.”

“Hopefully you’d continue living your life freely with the rest of our friends instead of isolating yourself in grief.” Lifting Twilight’s head to gaze into her eyes, Sunset smiled reassuringly as she brushed a stray tear from Twilight’s cheek. “Don’t worry, I don’t plan on checking out for a very long time, that I promise.”

“Pi… Pinkie Promise?”

Sunset couldn’t help but chuckle. “Cross my heart, hope to fly…”

“Stick a cupcake in my eye!” They both finished at once, breaking out into cheerful laughter.

Pulling away from Sunset, Twilight’s mood had noticeably improved, her frown sliding into a smile. “Thanks, Sunset. I needed that.”

“Anytime, Twilight,” Sunset replied, placing her hand on Twilight’s head and ruffling her hair. “Anytime.”

“Oh!” Twilight flinched, her mouth creasing into a frown once more. “I almost forgot! Is Rainbow… is she…?”

“She’ll live, thank Celestia,” Sighing, Sunset shifted atop Twilight’s bed. “Her parents are keeping an eye on her back at the hospital so she doesn’t try anything stupid, but it’ll be a while before she’s back to fighting shape.”

Twilight sighed in relief. “That’s good to hear.” Standing up, Twilight clenched her fist tightly with renewed resolve. “Right, time to stop moping around! We need to figure out what Memory that Dopant you two fought was using!”

“Are… are you sure you’re okay accessing the Infinite Library?” Sunset asked, a hint of concern in her voice. “If you’re not up to it, we can wait until tomorr—”

Twilight gave a firm shake of her head. “I’ve wasted enough time as it is, time I started contributing my part in protecting this city from the Dopants!” Stepping into the centre of her room, Twilight held both arms out at her side as she closed her eyes, entering a trance as her consciousness momentarily left her body.

When next she opened her eyes, she found herself floating in an expansive white void that stretched outward into infinity, containing an innumerable sea of bookshelves flying around her, each filled to the brim with books containing knowledge on any and everything. The tricky part about this Infinite Library was finding one particular needle of information in a haystack of knowledge. Luckily, Twilight knew how to do just that.

“Ok, I’m ready to start the look-up. First Keyword?”

---“Try ‘Bird’.”---

“Keyword: Bird.” At Twilight’s command, hundreds upon hundreds of bookshelves flew off into the void, greatly cutting down the number of possible options. “Next?”

---”Leather Wings.”---

“Keyword: Leather Wings.” Again, the number of bookshelves were greatly reduced, leaving only nine left. “Anything else?”

---”Serpent.”---

“Keyword: Serpent.” Once more, the number of bookshelves dwindled until only one remained, ejecting a dozen or so books from its shelves before flying off into the void. “Still not enough to find an exact match. I need a little more to narrow it down.”

“Hmm…” Sunset paced the room, tapping her chin in thought as she thought back to her encounter with the Dopant. “Hold on, there was something the Dopant said that struck me as odd…”

This is where your kind belongs. Trapped beneath the heel of a god!

Snapping her fingers, Sunset said, “Try ‘God’.”

“Keyword: God.” In seconds, all but one of the remaining books flew back to their shelves. The spine of the book glowed as its title appeared in gold font, an image of a beaked serpent with large wings curled up in the shape of a Q emblazoned on the cover.

“Jackpot!” Plucking the book out of the air, Twilight flipped it open as she skimmed through its pages. “The Dopant was using the Quetzalcoatlus Memory.”

---“Quetza-what-a?”---

“Quetzalcoatlus,” Twilight repeated, running a finger along the words on the page. “It was an ancient deity worshipped at the height of the Aztec culture. They described it as a feathered serpent, similar to a dragon in size and power and with a massive set of leather wings on its back.”

---“Yep, that sounds about right. Any info you can give on how to deal with it would be nice.”---

“Checking now. Let’s see… Uh oh.”

---“It’s never a good sign when someone says ‘Uh oh,’ is it?”---

“It says here the Quetzalcoatlus Memory is an incredibly powerful, but very unstable Gaia Memory. Its ideal match would be an equally unstable individual, prone to random bouts of anger, intense delusions of grandeur and extreme possessive tendencies.”

“And the good news just keeps on coming!” Sunset muttered sarcastically, walking over to Twilight’s window and staring out at the city in the distance. “Now we need to find her even more than ever… before she levels Canterlot to the ground.”

***

“You daft imbeciles!” A shrill voice echoed through the dwelling, followed by the sound of glass smashing against the wall. “You call this wine?! This is cheap grape spit not fit for a toddler! Get me some real wine before I toss you all out into the street!”

Several floors above, a young girl barely old enough to attend Canterlot High cowered beneath her covers, her pillow pressed over her ears to try and block out the horrible sound from below. She always hated when Mother drank. It made her even meaner than usual, sending the girl running upstairs to hide under her covers like a child fearful of the monsters lurking under her bed or in her closet.

Honestly, she would have preferred the imaginary monsters under her bed and in her closet to the very real monster downstairs.

Another smashing of glass sent her retreating further under her covers, trembling in terror. Clutched tightly in her hand was her phone, the light of the screen her only source of illumination in the darkness of her room. Tapping her thumb against the screen, her phone replayed a video for possibly the hundredth time, one that brought with it a minuscule glimmer of hope during nights like this. Though the video quality was awful, there was no mistaking the armoured figure in the video.

“Time to restore Harmony!”

“Unicorn…” the girl whispered, clutching her phone against her chest. “If you can hear me… Please… Save me…”

S: Special Episode / The Mystery Unfolds

From her office at the top of the PhoenEXE Corp. building, Starlight Glimmer peered through the full-body window lining the wall, looking out across the city. Her city, for Canterlot was her personal kingdom to do with as she saw fit, and she would be damned if she let anyone get in the way of that.

A light knock echoed against her door. “Enter,” she replied, not bothering to even glance towards the door.

The door opened to allow Double Diamond entry, the white-haired man carrying a tablet computer under his arm. “Starlight,” he said as he walked up to Starlight’s desk, “we’ve determined the Gaia Memory used by the perpetrator of yesterday’s attack.”

“Good.” Stepping away from the window, Starlight strolled over to Double Diamond as he tapped against the screen of his tablet before handing the device over to her. Depicted on the screen was the Quetzalcoatlus Memory, a sidebar on the right of the screen quickly scrolling through a readout of the Memory’s abilities and parameters. “Have you located the buyer yet?”

“See, about that…” Double Diamond muttered, scratching the back of his neck nervously as Starlight’s eyes burned a hole through his head. “Going through our records, this particular Memory was deemed far too unstable to be of use, so it was marked as a failure and shipped off for disposal. H-however…”

“However…” Starlight repeated, the tone of her voice balancing on a knife’s edge as a sickly sweet smile tugged at the edges of her lips.

“I-it’s possible someone was able to smuggle it past security before it could be sent for disposal. As such, we’ve yet to determine the Memory’s user as of this moment.”

Starlight’s face was a neutral mask, save for a single vein bulging on her forehead. “So… let me see if I have this right. Not only was a potentially dangerous Gaia Memory removed from the building from right under our noses, but now it’s lost somewhere in the city and we have no leads on its potential user?”

Double Diamond nodded his head.

Holding up the tablet, Starlight whipped her arm back and chucked the tablet against the wall, the device smashing against it with a loud bang before dropping onto the floor with a smash. A scowl etched across Starlight’s face, pure rage burning behind her eyes that made Double Diamond recoil in fear for his life.

“First the incident with the Spider, Bat and Taboo Memories and now this?! Why am I even paying for a security detail when they constantly fall asleep at the wheel!? Someone is out there using one of my Gaia Memories to cause chaos in my city without my permission and I want them found!” Breathing deeply through her nose, Starlight growled as she whipped back around and strolled back over to the window. Taking a moment to collect herself, Starlight folded her arms behind her as she gazed out the window.

“Overhaul our security detail immediately,” Starlight commanded, her voice simmering with barely contained rage. “I don’t care what it costs, I won’t tolerate any more incidents like this in the future. In the meantime…” Glancing over her shoulder, she froze Double Diamond with her gaze as she coldly added, “... I expect you to find our little smuggler and deal with them. Permanently.”

“Y-yes, Starlight,” Double Diamond replied, bowing before turning towards the door.

“Oh, and Double Diamond?” Starlight suddenly said over her shoulder, causing the man to stop with his hand inches from the doorknob. “Don’t fail me again or else I’ll have to start looking for a new assistant. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal.” Double Diamond quickly replied as he left Starlight’s office, silently closing the door behind him.

***

Twilight grumbled as she rolled a pen cap back and forth in her mouth, tapping her pen against a blank page as she stared listlessly at her laptop screen. After determining the Gaia Memory the Dopant had used, Twilight had attempted to look into possible candidates, only to come up empty despite hours of searching.

The only working theory she had been able to devise was that the user was fully capable of hiding their unstable nature from prying eyes up, meaning that whoever they were were either completely aware of their nature and/or incredibly well connected to ensure any records of their condition were kept secret under the most stringent of lock and key.

Groaning as she slammed her head against her desk in frustration, Twilight spat out the pen cap and pushed her chair back. “I need some water…” she decided as she got up from her seat and set off for the kitchen.

As she entered the kitchen, she noticed Shining Armor sitting at the table, a sea of papers in front of him as he sipped from a mug of fresh coffee. His eyes drifted up as she entered, smiling at his little sister. “Hey, Twily. Finally decided to venture outside of your cave?” he said, grinning as Twilight glared at him. “I’m kidding, Twily. Working on a project for school?”

“Something like that,” Twilight replied, grabbing a glass from the cupboard and filling it to the rim from the tap. Bringing the glass to her lips, she downed a mouthful of water, sighing with relief as the cool liquid flowed down her throat. Leaning against the kitchen counter, she glanced over the piles of papers scattered haphazardly across the table. “New case?”

“Something like that,” Shining Armor replied with a chuckle, sighing as he put his hand over his eyes. “All these monsters popping up around the city are making my job harder and harder by the day. Not to mention the still outstanding warrant for these ‘Kamen Riders’.”

Twilight gulped, trying her hardest to keep her nerves in check at the mention of Kamen Riders. “Bu-but the Kamen Riders have saved people from the monsters, including you! Surely that means they’re good people, right?”

“Be that as it may, I can’t in good conscience let a pair of masked vigilantes continue to run around unchecked.” Leaning back in his seat, he met Twilight’s eye. “I know due process can be a real pain sometimes, but it’s because of laws and regulations that society has been able to progress as far as it has. If we just let anyone run around in a mask and do as they pleased wholly ignorant of the law, then we’d be little better than our uncivilized ancestors.”

Sighing, he added, “Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for what Unicorn did in saving you and me from that Garble fellow, but I would prefer it if she and her partner worked with the police publically instead of hiding their identities behind a mask. Someone who has to go to such lengths to keep their identity a secret inevitably has something to hide.”

Like the fact that they’re both two of my closest friends and that one of them is from another world entirely? Twilight thought, keeping her mouth shut as she sipped from her glass. Pulling out a seat for herself, she sat down and looked across the deluge of papers, spotting one showing the blasted out remains of a business. Picking up the photo, she stared at the destruction as she asked, “What happened here?”

“Arson, supposedly,” Shining Armor replied, glancing aside from a document in front of him. “Originally we were looking into a possible insurance fraud scam, but that became less likely when we were called in to investigate two more businesses across town with nearly identical damage.”

“Any suspects?”

“None so far, but…” Shining Armor bit his lip as he debated whether or not to indulge any more information. I mean, it’s not like Twilight’s going to start looking for the culprit herself, right? he thought, deciding to take his chances. “Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but our investigation determined that these weren’t simply isolated incidents, possibly even carried out by the same culprit.”

“Really? What made you come to that conclusion?”

“This.” Sliding a photo across the table, Shining folded his arms against the table. “One of these was found at all three scenes, hinting at a possible ‘Calling Card’ scenario.”

Picking up the photo, Twilight’s eyes widened at the photo. Lying on the concrete was a slender golden brown feather. Just like the kind Sunset described!

Taking a long gulp of her water, Twilight slid the photo back towards Shining. “That’s… strange,” she replied, trying not to let her surprise show and make Shining worry. “I hope you catch them soon.”

“Me too, Twily,” Shining replied with a sigh. “Me too…”

“Well, I should let you get back to your work. I still have a ton of homework to finish upstairs!” Getting up, Twilight dropped her glass into the sink before bolting from the kitchen. “Nice talking to you, Shining!”

“Don’t forget to take a break every once in awhile!” Shining Armor called out as Twilight ran upstairs.

“I will!” Twilight hastily replied. Shining Armor didn’t know it, but he had just given Twilight the one piece of the puzzle she had been looking for.

***

“How you holding up, Dash?” Sunset asked into her phone. She was reclining against the couch in her loft as she checked in on Rainbow.

“I’m bored out of my mind,” Rainbow grumbled. “These doctors keep wanting to run more and more tests, and I swear my parents are encouraging them!”

Sunset chuckled. “They’re just worried about you, Dash. They are your parents after all, and, considering what happened to put you in the hospital in the first place, I don’t blame them really.”

“Yeah, yeah, you don’t need to remind me.” Sighing, Rainbow Dash dropped her voice as she asked, “So… any luck in finding our little feathered friend?”

“Not much, I’m afraid,” Sunset replied regrettably. “We were able to pinpoint the name of the thing, but no such luck in tracking down a possible owner.”

“Really? What’s she called, then?”

“Quetzalcoatlus.”

“Quetza-what-a?”

“That’s what I said!” Sunset chuckled. A steady knocking against her door made her look up. “Sorry, there’s someone at my door so I’m gonna have to let you go. Talk to you again soon!”

“Don’t take too long, I’m going stir-crazy in here!”

Sunset just chuckled again. “Bye, Rainbow.” Ending the call, Sunset got up and strolled over to the door, peering through the peephole. A smile spread across her face at the sight of Twilight standing outside her door, clutching a laptop bag against her chest. Pulling open the door, she stood in the doorway. “Hey, Twi—”

“I think I’ve found a potential lead on the owner of the Gaia Memory!” Twilight hastily replied, rushing past Sunset and into the apartment. Running over the couch, she sat herself down and removed her laptop from her bag. Setting it on the coffee table in the centre of the room, she flipped it open and hastily began typing

“... Just let yourself in, that’s fine...” Sunset muttered as she shut the door. Walking over, she leaned over the back of the couch to get a glimpse at the screen of Twilight’s laptop. “What is all this?” Sunset asked as notes and photos filled the screen.

“Police reports. I hacked into Shining’s personal files and downloaded a copy of them into my laptop.”

Sunset blinked, her jaw nearly hitting the floor. “You… you hacked into your brother’s files?!”

“And I feel like the worst ‘Little Sister Best Friend Forever’ because of it, but desperate times call for desperate measures!” Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she scanned through file after file, eventually finding what she was looking for and bringing up the photo Shining had showed her. “Look familiar?”

Sunset’s eyes widened. “That’s one of the Dopant’s feathers!”

“Precisely.” Tapping away at her keyboard for a moment, Twilight called up the three crime scene photos. “A feather was found at each of these crime scenes, suggesting that the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant was responsible for all three.”

“Any idea as to why she targeted these three place specifically?”

“I’m checking into that now…” After several moments of searching through Shining’s files, a frown began to form across Twilight’s face. “That’s strange…”

“What is?”

“I can’t seem to find anything linking these three businesses. One was a toy shop, another was a fish packing plant and the third was a bar and grill.”

“There has to be something,” Sunset said, bringing her hand up to her chin as she considered the new information Twilight had found. “I can’t imagine the Dopant going out of her way to attack three separate business for no real reason. There must be some kind of connection, we just have to find—”

“Aha!” Twilight shouted, making Sunset jump. “I found something! According to this, all three businesses were owned by ‘Rich Industries’.”

“Rich Industries?” Sunset replied, the name ringing a bell or two. “Isn’t that the conglomerate that owns like a third of the city?”

“Thirty-four point eight percent of the city to be exact,” Twilight said as she brought up information on Rich Industries. “According to this, the company has been run and operated by the Rich family as far back as the early nineteen hundreds. As of today, the company is run by the current patriarch of the Rich family, Mr. Filthy Rich, after his father, Stinkin’ Rich, retired.”

“Do terrible names run in this family or something?” Sunset remarked as Twilight brought up a photo of Filthy Rich. He looked exactly as Sunset imagined him to, looking to all the world like the quintessential businessman. “Keep digging, Twilight. Someone must have it out for Mr. Rich if they’re going to the trouble of attacking his businesses.”

“On it. It says here that Filthy Rich is currently married to his wife of fifteen years, Spoiled Rich, maiden name Spoiled Milk, and has a daughter named Diamond Tiara.”

Sunset nearly fell over from laughter. “Who names their kid Spoiled Milk!? That’s just begging for— wait… did you say Diamond Tiara?”

Twilight nodded her head, bringing up a photo of a smiling young girl with pinkish skin and violet hair streaked with white. True to her namesake, a diamond tiara styled hairpin was woven into her hair. “She looks familiar…”

“She should, she goes to our school,” Sunset said, beginning to pace the room. “But if the Rich’s are… well, rich, then why is she attending a public school like Canterlot High instead of some fancy private school?”

“Perhaps the answer to that can lead us as to why Mr. Rich is being targeted. Perhaps a former employee has a grudge against him, or maybe Mr. Rich has run into some financial trouble and—

“Hold on!” Sunset suddenly said, sitting down next to Twilight and pointing at the screen. “Go back to the photo of Diamond Tiara for a second.”

Scrolling back up, Twilight enlarged the photo to cover the screen. “See anything?”

“Her eyes…” Sunset muttered, focusing on the smiling Diamond Tiara’s face.

“What about them?” Twilight asked, unable to see anything wrong with them.

“They look so… sad.”

***

“I’m open! I’m open!” Scootaloo shouted, waving her arms wildly above her head.

“Head’s up!” Sweetie Belle called out as she kicked the soccer ball towards her teammate, sending it spinning through air. However, she ended up kicking the ball too hard and inevitably the ball came colliding with Scootaloo’s forehead, knocking her onto the grass as the ball went careening off into the bushes.

“Oh!” Sweetie Belle gasped, holding her hands over her mouth. “I’m so sorry!” Rushing over, she crouched down next to her friend. “Scootaloo, are you okay?”

“I’m… fine…” She grunted, holding her hand up against her forehead. “More importantly, where did the ball go?” she asked, glancing around.

“I’ll go get it!” Apple Bloom announced, running off into the bushes to retrieve the ball. After a moment of searching, she found it not far from the field. “There you are.” As she crouched down to retrieve the ball, she noticed something sticking out from behind a nearby bush out of the corner of her vision. “Hmm…” Curious, Apple Bloom poked her head around the foliage, gasping at what she saw. “Diamond Tiara?!”

“Eeek!” Diamond Tiara shrieked, jumping up and whirling around to face the sudden intruder. Upon seeing Apple Bloom, a scowl worked its way onto her face. “What are you doing here, loser?” she said with a sneer.

Apple Bloom blinked, not expecting to run into Diamond Tiara of all people out here. “I… I was retrievin’ our ball,” she replied, glancing down at the soccer ball in her hands. Glancing back, she raised an eyebrow and asked, “What are you doing out here?”

“None of your business!” Diamond Tiara quickly replied, turning her nose up at Apple Bloom with a, “Hmph!”

“Alright…” Apple Bloom muttered, glancing to the side. From where they were standing, Apple Bloom had the perfect vantage point to observe the field from a distance. Was she…

“Were you watchin’ us play?”

Diamond Tiara threw her head back and laughed. “Me? Watch you bunch of losers play a silly game like that? Why would I ever do something as stupid as that, hmm?”

“Maybe… because you wanted to play too?”

In a blink, the scowl disappeared from Diamond Tiara’s face, her aura of superiority vanishing with it. She didn’t respond, turning her back to Apple Bloom.

“You do, don’t you, Diamond Tiara?” Apple Bloom asked, noticing how suddenly Diamond’s attitude had shifted.

“N-no, I… I—”

“Hey, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo’s voice echoed across the field. “What’s the holdup? You find the ball or not?”

“Comin’!” Apple Bloom called back, sparing one last glance at Diamond Tiara, who still had her back to her. “Well… see ya, Diamond Tiara.” With the soccer ball in her hands, she turned to make her way back to the field.

“W-wait…”

Apple Bloom stopped, glancing over her shoulder at Diamond Tiara.

The young girl suddenly looked frightened, wrapping her arms around herself as she nervously chewed on her nails. “I-if… if I wanted to play with you— which I don’t— do you think…” Turning slowly to look at Apple Bloom, she asked almost in a whisper, “... do you think I could?”

Apple Bloom was at a loss for words. Normally Diamond Tiara acted like she was better than everyone else, but looking at her now, Apple Bloom couldn’t find a single trace of her usual confidence. AJ always say I should try and make friends…

“I could ask if you want. We could always use another player.” Tucking the soccer ball under her arm, Apple Bloom held her hand out to Diamond Tiara.

Diamond Tiara stared at Apple Bloom’s hand, glancing back and forth between it and Apple Bloom’s smiling face. Slowly, Diamond Tiara reached out to take Apple Bloom’s hand. As her fingers brushed against Apple Bloom’s hand, she suddenly recoiled back, clutching her hand to her chest and staring at the ground.

“What’s wrong?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Oh, just… just forget it!” Whipping around, Diamond Tiara took off running.

“Wait!” Apple Bloom cried out, but Diamond Tiara was already too far away to hear her. She just stood there for several moments, glancing down at her hand. “What in the world was all that about?”

Diamond Tiara didn’t stop, even after leaving the soccer field far behind. She only finally stopped to catch her breath when she reached the road, resting her hands against her knees as she gasped for breath. Her face was flush red, but not from running for so long.

“Stupid… Apple Bloom…” Diamond Tiara muttered, clenching her teeth and balling her hands into fists. “Her and her stupid fun game... and her stupid kindness and her stupid... stupid… cute face!” Growling, she ran her hands frantically through her hair in frustration. “What is it about her that makes me freeze up every time?!”

Sitting down on the sidewalk, she brought her legs up to her chest and curled herself up into a ball. “Why do I even bother?” she muttered, sighing. “She’d never want to be friends with someone like me…

The sound of a car horn made her glance up in time to see a limousine pull up beside her. Rolling down the driver side window, an older man stuck his head out the window. “Ah, there you are, miss Tiara.”

“Randolph?” Diamond Tiara asked, not expecting to see her father’s head-butler suddenly drive up. “What are you doing here?”

“I was asked to come find you, my lady,” Randolph explained. “You mother and I have been combing the city searching for you.”

Diamond Tiara gulped, her face paling. “M-mother was looking for me?”

“Indeed. She’s been worried sick about your well-being.”

I highly doubt that… Diamond Tiara thought.

At the back of the limo, the side door opened and a voice that made Diamond Tiara’s blood run cold called out to her. “Diamond Tiara, where have you been? Get in here and explain yourself this very instance!”

Diamond Tiara felt a chill run down her spine. “Y-yes, Mother…” Dragging her feet like a death-row inmate, the pre-teen walked to the back of the limo and climbed inside, slowly closing the door behind her. She rested her head against the window frame, watching the world pass her by as Randolph drove off.

“Well? Explain yourself, young lady.”

Sighing, Diamond Tiara turned to face her mother. Spoiled Rich sat across from her, wearing a finely tailored wine red dress that Diamond Tiara had a good feeling cost more than most people earned in a year. The woman had a slightly darker pink skin color than Diamond Tiara’s, piercing green eyes and double toned dark purple hair. Fine jewelry practically hung off her body, countless golden rings, bangles and bracelets running up her arm, a pair of pearl earrings dangling from her ears and golden choker around her neck.

Spoiled Rich hadn’t even bothered to look at her daughter, instead admiring her reflection in a compact as she touched up her make-up. “I’m waiting, Diamond Tiara.”

“I was… out,” Diamond Tiara finally said. “With friends.”

“None of that riff-raff from that school of yours, I hope?”

“No, Mother,” she hissed through clenched teeth.

“Good.” Closing her compact, she glanced out the car window, again not once meeting her daughter’s eye. “Why your father chose to send you to that filthy commoner school I’ll never know,” she said with her voice dripping with utter contempt. “A girl of your stature shouldn’t be wasting her time with these peasants, but instead forging relationships that will ensure your future. Like that Silver girl, what was her name? Silver Fork?”

“Spoon,” Diamond Tiara replied, clenching her hands against her knees tightly. “Her name is Silver Spoon.”

“Ah, yes. Building good relations with her and her family at such a young age will undoubtedly blossom into profitable connections later down the line.” Finally sparing a glance towards her daughter, Spoiled Rich’s face was devoid of emotions as she said, “By the end of the week, if all goes as plan like it should, I’ll finally be able to pull you from that ridiculous school and enroll you in a proper private school where you belong. Understand?”

A million possible responses whirled through Diamond Tiara’s head, most of them consisting of yelling at her mother, refusing to be sent to some stuffy private school and possibly jumping from the car to escape the monstrous woman.

But instead, Diamond Tiara just hung her head and said, “Yes, Mother…”

***

The Rich family estate was a massive structure, a larger than life mansion rising three floors high, covering acres of land well the size of multiple football fields and with a driveway long enough to comfortably fit over a dozen luxury vehicles. Filled with countless maids, butlers, chefs, waiters and other staff needed to keep the estate running on a daily basis, the entire area could have easily been classified as its own micronation.

Despite all this, no one noticed as a figure slipped out from one of the side entrances. Using the shadows of the mansion as cover, he carefully slipped into one of the vehicles parked in the driveway and started the engine. Pulling out down the driveway, the front gate opened up automatically at his approach, allowing him to pass by and onto the connecting street.

A robotic hawk soared high overhead, tailing the vehicle as it cruised down the road.

“I’ve got movement from the Rich Estate,” Twilight’s voice said through the earpiece in Sunset’s ear. “Currently on route down Nobles Avenue.”

“Got it,” Sunset replied with a tap against her earpiece, sitting inconspicuously outside a coffee shop a few streets down from the Rich Estate. Getting up, Sunset tossed her coffee cup into the trash bin as she put on her helmet and climbed onto her bike, taking off down the road.

“Give me an update,” Sunset spoke into the mic of her earpiece.

“He just turned left onto Lunar Crescent. Make sure to keep a safe distance so as to not arouse suspicion.”

“Noted.”

Taling far behind, Sunset followed the car as it snaked through the city, seemingly picking streets at random to turn down and more than once turning back around completely and taking the same route again in the opposite direction.

Where is this guy going? Sunset pondered as she was lead on a seemingly wild goose chase across the city. After over a half an hour of driving, the car finally turned onto a dirt road as it came to a stop beneath a bridge. Quietly parking her bike behind some bushes, she tiptoed as close as she was willing to get to try and get a closer look.

“I can’t see anything from here!” Sunset whispered into her earpiece, the car blocking her line of sight. “I need visual.”

“Sending it to your phone now.”

Pulling out her phone, the screen changed to show an image from the robotic Hawk’s point of view. A man was standing underneath the bridge, nervously pacing as he glanced at his watch. Clutched in his right hand was a large briefcase.

“Zoom in.” As the image got closer, Sunset got a good look at the man’s face. “Yep, that’s Mr. Rich alright.”

“What’s he doing all the way out here? Elicit business deal?”

“I think you’re about to get your answer.” Watching the screen, Sunset saw Mr. Rich flinch slightly, turning to face a figure she couldn’t see from Hawk’s current angle. “I think he’s talking to someone.”

“Switching to audio now.”

Her phone hissed as Hawk activated its microphone. “—uo better have a good reason for calling me out here in the middle of the day,” Mr. Rich spoke, noticeable traces of anger in his voice.

“Were you followed?” A female voice asked.

“Of course not! I didn’t call the cops either, just like you said.”

“You brought what I asked, I hope?”

Lifting up the briefcase, he clicked it open and held it in front of him. “Five hundred thousand, all in untraceable bills, as promised. It was difficult getting all this together on such short notice, but I managed to call in a few last minute favors.”

“Excellent…” The sound of crunching graveled heralded the arrival of the second figure, her serpent tail swishing happily as the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant stepped into frame.

“It’s the Dopant! Now’s my chance!” Summoning her Uni-Driver, Sunset pulled out two Gaia Memories: the Unicorn Memory and a second grey Memory with an ‘M’ on the front. “Hens—”

“Wait!” Twilight suddenly shouted, halting Sunset in place. “They’re still talking. I want to listen to what they’re saying.”

“Twilight, this isn’t the time for—”

“This could be important!”

With a sigh, Sunset reluctantly held back, glancing back down at her phone screen. Currently, the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant was fanning a stack of bills with an almost sexual obsession.

“Ah, sweet money,” she purred, returning the stack to the briefcase. “You did well, my obedient servant.”

Filthy Rich ground his teeth together as he slammed the briefcase shut. “I’ve given you what you wanted. Now leave my family alone!”

“Ah, ah…” the Dopant muttered, dragging a claw carefully under Filthy Rich’s chin. “You aren’t in any position to make demands, now are you? Not if you hope to keep your family safe, that is.”

“You leave them alone!” Rich shouted, clenching his fist. “If you hurt them, then I swear I’ll—” Rich froze as the bladed end of the Dopant’s tail snapped out faster than he could blink, stopping a hair’s width from his throat.

“You will do nothing,” the Dopant taunted, slowly pulling her tail back. “You will do what I say and when I say it like a good obedient servant if you want your family to remain in one piece. Now… hand over the money.”

Filthy Rich’s face contorted into a look of barely repressed rage, his mouth moving like he would like nothing more than to tell the Dopant where to shove it, but he bit his tongue as he held the briefcase of money out to her.

Suddenly, the video shifted as Hawk swooped down smashed into the briefcase, sending it toppling to the ground and scattering stacks of bills along the ground.

“Sunset, now!”

“Finally!”

< UNICORN! >

< METAL! >

“Henshin!”

< UNICORN! >

{< METAL! MIMETIC DRIVE! >}

In a burst of turquoise and silver light, Sunset leapt out of the bushes as her armor formed around her. In addition to her Unicorn armor, silver riveted gauntlets appeared on her forearms, sleek metal boots forming on her feet as silver armor formed over her thighs and biceps. A thick slab of riveted metal formed into a chest plate and wrapped around her torso. Finally, a metallic sheath encased her horn as a blade resembling a horse’s mane ran down the back of her helmet.

“Unicorn: Iron Heart!”

Leaping onto the hood of the car, she launched herself at the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant, punching her straight in the sternum and sending the Dopant careening back into the ankle deep water beneath the bridge with a splash.

“U-Unicorn!” Filthy Rich gasped, his eyes widening at the sight of the armored hero.

“Rich!” The Dopant squawked as she stood up, her feathers soaked. “You cur! You lead Unicorn right to me, didn’t you?”

Rich’s eyes widened. “N-no! I didn’t—”

“He didn’t have to,” Unicorn interjected, putting herself between Rich and the Dopant. “I could smell your stench from halfway across the city. It wasn’t hard to sniff you out.”

“How dare you!” Hurling her head back, a bulge began to form in her throat. The moment Unicorn saw it, she hit the trigger on her left hip port twice.

\ ARMOR UP! //

As the Quetzalcoatlus hurled a fireball from her gullet, the silver armor covering Unicorn’s body expanded, becoming several inches thick in an instant. Unicorn didn’t so much as flinch as the fireball impacted her armor, the flames dissipating without so much as a scuff mark on Unicorn’s armor.

“That almost tickled.” As her armor returned to normal, Unicorn charged into the water, ramming her shoulder into the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant with enough force to send her reeling back.

As the Dopant’s talons skidded through the water, she glowered at Unicorn. “Servants, to me!” With a snap of her claws, four balls of light materialized in front of her, quickly transforming into four butlers wielding halberds. “Attack!”

As one, the four constructs charged Unicorn, brandishing their halberds with the intent to protect their mistress. The first one swung its halberd at her in a downward arc, which Unicorn quickly sidestepped and kicked the butler in the gut, sending him flying back into the water with a splash. Ducking under the second halberd, she plunged her hands into the water and braced them against the ground as she spun her legs out, knocking the feet out from under not one but two butlers and toppling them onto their backs.

As she stood back up, the last butler raised his halberd over his head and brought it down on Unicorn’s shoulder…

… Only for a metallic clang to echo through the air as the halberd head snapped clean off, spinning in the air for a moment before falling into the water. The butler stared at his now broken stick for a moment, then down at the halberd head lying at his feet, then back up at Unicorn.

Reaching up, Unicorn nonchalantly brushed a spot of dirt from her shoulder. Eyeing the construct, she asked, “Well?”

“Meep!” Holding up his arms in surrender, the butler vanished in a flash of light, followed soon after by the other three constructs.

With the constructs taken care of, Unicorn returned her attention to the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant, who looked about ready to blow a blood vessel.

“Unicorn…!” The Dopant snarled, clenching her right claw into a fist. Suddenly, her entire demeanor changed in a blink, as her posture relaxed and she held her hand under her chin with contemplative, “Hmm…” After a moment, a wicked smile began to appear across her beak. “I do believe it is about time I dealt with you personally. Yeeesss...”

Holding out her right hand, a shaft of golden light formed in her hand, taking the shape of a golden brown club with obsidian “teeth” around the length of the weapon, sharpened to a lethal point. Gripping the hilt with both hands, she widened her stance as she brandished the weapon. “Shall we, then?”

“Let’s.” With a twist of her arm, Unicorn slapped the button on her left hip port.

\ METAL RING! /

A metal ring forged from copper, iron, and steel appeared in Unicorn’s hand. Tossing the ring into the air, she looped her left arm through it and began to spin it around her wrist. In unison, both Unicorn and the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant charged forward, their respective weapons clashing between them in a shower of sparks.

Pressing forward, Unicorn slashed her arm upward, slamming the spinning metal ring into the side of the Dopant’s weapon. Twisting her body, she flipped the still spinning ring over her head and onto her right arm, striking out again and again before the Dopant could retaliate. The way Unicorn was spinning around, it looked less like she was fighting and more like she was dancing.

The Quetzalcoatlus Dopant was forced into fighting defensively, using her club more like a shield as she intercepted Unicorn’s attacks. Even still, she was steadily being forced back, and, as she raised her weapon again to block another attack, she left her abdomen exposed, allowing Unicorn to whirl around and drive her heel straight into the Dopant’s gut, knocking the wind from her lungs and causing her to skid back as she clutched a claw to her abdomen.

With the metal ring still carrying the momentum of her previous attack, Unicorn whipped her arm and hurled the ring at the Dopant, the weapon whirling through the air like a buzzsaw.

Recovering quickly, the Dopant held her weapon horizontal in front of her, catching the metal ring between the obsidian teeth lining the weapon. Sparks cascaded off the clashing weapons as the sheer momentum behind the metal ring caused the Dopant to grunt as she physically tried to hold back the spinning blade.

With a mighty grunt, the Dopant gripped the hilt of her weapon with both hands and swung it like a baseball bat, sending the metal ring shooting away and embedding it into the side of the bridge. The metal ring spun for a moment against the bridge wall before coming to a stop, dropping into the water several feet away.

The Dopant chuckled, leveling her club at Unicorn with a smug grin across her beak. “There goes your weapon. What is a warrior without a weapon?”

“A warrior still!” Clenching her fists, Unicorn charged at the Dopant and punched her hard against the jaw.

The Dopant barely avoided losing her grip on her weapon as she glared at Unicorn, lunging forward with a shrill shriek and swinging her weapon at her enemy.

Crossing her arms in front of her, Unicorn took the blow head on, expecting her thick armor to soften the blow. A scream of pain slipped through her teeth as the blade slashed across her gauntlets, the obsidian teeth digging into the thick metal with little resistance. Reeling from the blow, she was unprepared for a diagonally slash across the chest, digging a groove into her chest plate.

“Fall!” Gripping her weapon tightly, the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant slashed Unicorn vertical down the middle, sending sparks shooting off her armor as the blow sent the Kamen Rider toppling back onto her back in a shower of water. Grinning, the Dopant snaked her tail out and wrapped it tightly around Unicorn’s neck, lifting her struggling body a foot in the air.

“Pathetic.” With a swish of her tail, she slammed Unicorn hard against the ground, the water doing little to cushion the impact. With a dismissive turn of her head, she lifted up Unicorn once more before slamming her a second, then a third time into the water, before finally whipping around and hurling Unicorn against the bridge wall and crashing onto the ground.

Unicorn groaned as she lay prone on the ground, reverting back to her base Unicorn form from the force of the assault. Lifting her head, she gasped as she found the Dopant’s weapon held an inch from her face, the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant standing over her with a gleeful look on her face.

“I win.” Grinning, the Dopant raised the club over her head, the obsidian teeth lining the edges glinting in the sunlight.

“Sunset!” Twilight yelled into her ear through the earpiece.“Incoming!”

From out of nowhere, an orange ball came shooting over Unicorn’s head, slamming into the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant with the force of a cannonball. A retching gasp escaped the Dopant’s mouth as the air was knocked clean from her lungs, the force of the speeding projectile propelling her back several feet and forcing her to her knees.

Rebounding off the Dopant, the ball spun in air as it unfurled into a mechanical armadillo, landing in front of Unicorn and glaring menacingly at the gasping Dopant, ready to defend Unicorn.

“...Stupid… pest…” The Dopant wheezed, using her club as a crutch to prop herself up. Growling, she unfurled her wings at her sides. “You will pay for this transgression, Unicorn!” With those parting words, the Dopant rocketed into the sky in a burst of golden light, quickly disappearing from view.

“Damn it…” Wincing, Unicorn clutched her right side as she climbed back to her feet. Trudging from the water back onto dry land, Unicorn limped over to Filthy Rich. “Are you alright, Mr—”

“Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?!” Filthy Rich shouted, positively livid as he stomped up to Unicorn and jabbed his finger into her chest. “I had the situation completely under control until you just had to stick your nose in and play hero!”

“Under control?” Unicorn replied, brushing Filthy Rich’s hand aside. “Is that what you call paying off a monster threatening your family instead of calling the police?”

“You heard that thing! If I had called the police, then she would have…” Growling, Filthy Rich turned his back on Unicorn and began walking back to his car.

As he did, Unicorn called out to him. “Even if you had given her the money, she obviously had no intention of leaving your family alone. Is that how you want to live your life, at the mercy of that thing?”

Filthy Rich stopped, his hand reaching for the car door. Pulling his hand back, he was silent for a moment, refusing to look Unicorn in the eyes. “Do you have someone you care about more than anything else in this world?”

The abruptness of the question startled her, taking her a minute to form an answer. An image of her friends formed in her mind, especially Twilight. “... Yes, yes I do.”

“Then tell me: are there truly any lengths you wouldn’t go to in order to keep them safe, no matter the cost?”

Unicorn was silent for several moments. Finally, she reluctantly replied, “No.”

“Then you understand why I have to do this. From now on, I request that you stay out of my business and let me handle it. Otherwise... “ Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and held it up. “All it will take is one press of a button and the cops won’t be far behind. Understand?”

Taking her silence as an answer, Filthy Rich pulled the car door open and climbed inside, slamming it shut behind him. Moments later, the car started up and he pulled out back onto the road, taking off down the road.

Now alone, Sunset ejected the Unicorn Memory, her armor vanishing in a flash of turquoise light. Her teeth ground together as she clutched the Unicorn Memory tightly in her hand.

“... Sunset?” Twilight asked. “Are you okay?”

“I…” Sighing, Sunset ran a hand through her hair as she walked over and crouched down next to the pool of water. “I can’t blame him for wanting to protect his family… If someone threatened you or the girls, I…” Staring at her reflection in the water, she reached down and slowly dragged her fingers through the water, the ripples distorting her reflection.

Several moments passed in silence before Twilight asked, “So… what do we do now?”

The mechanical armadillo toddled over to Sunset, looking up at her with almost sadness reflected in its eyes. Despite everything, Sunset felt a small smile cross her face as she reached over and scratched under the armadillo’s chin, the artificial animal wagging its tail delightedly. “Now… we find out who the user of the Memory is and confront them directly.” With renewed confidence, Sunset stood up. “For Filthy Rich’s sake… and for his family’s.”

***

“In other news, Filthy Rich, head of Rich Industries, is currently facing investigations into allegations of embezzlement after an anonymous tip was sent into the police several days prior. Rich has refused to comment on these allegations, but a lawyer representing the Rich Estate has been quoted as proclaiming these claims as ‘baseless lies in an attempt to throw mud on my client’s name.’ Rich has been fully cooperative regarding the investigation, and—”

Filthy Rich glanced away from the news report at the sound of knocking against his door. “Yes?”

“Father?” Came Diamond Tiara’s voice from outside the door. “Can I come in?”

“One moment, dear.” Turning off the tv, Filthy Rich stood up from his desk and walked over to the door. Swinging it open, he smiled at the sight of his daughter. “Hey, Diamond. Come in.” Ushering his daughter inside, he closed the door behind her and strolled back to his seat. As he sat down, he noticed his daughter standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, glancing randomly around his study. “What’s wrong?”

“Um…” Diamond Tiara bit her bottom nervously as she avoided her Father’s eye. “Do you think I could… sit in your lap? Like when I was younger?”

Filthy Rich raised an eyebrow at the odd request. “Aren’t you getting a little old for that, honey?”

“I… I know! It’s just…” Diamond Tiara hung her head, staring down at the carpeted floor. “With everything going on, I haven’t been able to see you as much, and I just thought— Eeek!” Diamond Tiara shrieked as she was picked up by the armpits, giggling as she was lifted up into the air. “Daddy!”

“And… there we go!” Filthy Rich said with a laugh, sitting back down and setting his daughter down on his lap. “Ooof, you’ve gotten heavier since last time,” he said with a smirk, ruffling his daughter's hair. “What are they serving you at Canterlot High, rock soup?”

“Dad!” Diamond Tiara grumbled indignantly, which only made Filthy Rich laugh harder.

“I’m kidding! So, how has school been going, honey?”

“Good. Though Silver Spoon heard that we might have to dissect a frog for Science class!” Diamond Tiara stuck out her tongue to emphasize her disgust.

“A frog, huh? Better make sure it’s not still kicking, or it might just jump up and lick you on the face!”

“Eeewww!” Diamond Tiara squealed, causing both of them start laughing uncontrollably.

Suddenly, the phone on Filthy Rich’s desk began to ring, causing both of them to cease laughing to glance at it. Pulling the phone off its receiver, Filthy Rich pressed it to his ear. “Hello? … Yes?... Sorry, I’m in a meeting right now, I’ll have to call you back.” Slamming the phone back onto the receiver, he reached over and hit the button on his intercom. “Juliet?”

“Yes, Mr. Rich?”

“Screen all my calls for the next hour. I’ll be preoccupied until then.”

“Right away, Mr. Rich.”

“Thank you, Juliet.” With that done, he turned to look at his daughter, who was looking up at him with a frown on her face. “What? I’m the boss, so I can do stuff like that. What are they going to do, fire me?” He laughed at his own joke, but Diamond Tiara could tell a forced laugh when she heard one.

“Dad…”

“Oh, hey, I almost forgot!” Filthy Rich said, changing the subject. “Did you make any friends today?”

“I… I tried, but...” Diamond Tiara muttered, glancing down as she twiddled her thumbs. She appeared to almost shrink slightly as she mumbled, “It… it’s hard sometimes… making friends…”

“I know, honey,” Filthy Rich said comfortingly before his smile slipped into a frown. “Look, Diamond Tiara, I… I know what’s been happening lately hasn’t been easy to deal with, for any of us, but I just want you to know that no matter what happened, I will always love you.

“I know, I just…” Sniffling, Diamond Tiara buried her face into her father’s chest to try and hide her tears. “I… I just wish we could be a family again…”

Sighing, Filthy Rich held his daughter close and rested his hand on her head. “Me too, Diamond. Me too.”

***

Twilight yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. A glance at the clock on her nightstand told her it was now 2:15 at night.

“I should really turn in…” Twilight muttered, tapping away at her keyboard. She had been searching for hours trying to find a possible culprit for wanting to blackmail Mr. Rich, which had quickly turned out to be a very long list. The Rich family had made scores of enemies over the company’s lifetime, even more so than was usual for most cutthroat businesses.

Closing the lid on her laptop, she yawned as she got up from her seat and strolled over to her closet. After spending a minute switching into her PJ’s, Twilight walked over to her bed with the intent of crawling under her covers, only to pause with her hand inches from her covers.

“One last check in the Infinite Library. Then it’s right to bed.” Sitting down on her bed, Twilight folded her hands in her lap as she concentrated, entering a trance as her consciousness was once more transported to the Infinite Library.

Floating through the void of the Infinite Library, Twilight suppressed another yawn as she muttered, “Filthy Rich.”

Just like before, the number of possible bookshelves began to rapidly decrease.

“Diamond Tiara.”

Again, the bookshelves shuffled around, leaving about half a dozen remaining.

“Blackmail.”

Three more bookshelves flew off. At the sheer number of hits still remaining, Twilight loudly groaned.

“What else is there to try?!” she yelled, randomly shouting out, “Rich Industries? Bankruptcy? Spoiled Rich?”

Suddenly, the remaining bookshelves flew off into the void, leaving only a single book remaining.

“Huh?” Twilight blinked, having not expected any kind of response. Plucking the book from the air, Twilight flipped it open and began scanning through it, her eyes widening more and more the further she went through. “This… this is… But, then that would mean…” Twilight gasped, slamming the book closed and clutching it to her chest. “I’ve got to tell Sunset!”

Returning to her body, Twilight nearly toppled off her bed as she scrambled to grab her phone off her nightstand. Calling Sunset’s phone, Twilight pressed the phone to her ear, frantically pacing back and forth. “Pick up, Sunset… Come on…”

On the third ring, a groggy voice came through. “Tw-Twilight?” Sunset yawned, sounding like she’d just been stirred from a sound sleep. “It’s two in the morning, why are you—”

“Sunset! I know who the Dopant is!”

That woke Sunset up in a hurry. “W-what!? Really?”

“Yes, and what’s more… I know what their ultimate goal is.”

S: Special Episode / The Two-In-One Kamen Rider!

“All rise.”

Diamond Tiara felt numb as she stood up, staring at the ground with her hands balled together. The air in the courtroom made her sick, filled with the musty odor of sweat, old cigarettes, and cheap cologne. As everyone in attendance sat back down, she briefly glanced up towards the centre of the room, where her father sat nervously alongside his lawyer at one desk, while the other was occupied by her mother and her own lawyer.

Diamond Tiara didn’t need to see her mother’s face to know she was sporting a smug grin, so astute in her ensured victory. And why wouldn’t she be? Even Diamond Tiara knew that this hearing was little more than a formality, and that her future had already been decided for her. In just a few hours, she’d be shipped off to some rich private school and her life as she knew it would be over.

On and on the proceedings went, as both her parent’s lawyers stepped forward to present their respective case and evidence. Diamond Tiara largely ignored the legal jargon, sitting quietly. Every so often, she would glance towards the courtroom doors, holding tightly onto a thin sliver of hope that any minute her hero would come strolling through the doors and rescue her from her fate.

Sadly, the doors remained shut. Eventually, the court came to an end, the judge raising his gavel as he prepared to announce his decision. “It is by the power vested in me that I do declare—”

“HOLD IT!”

Everyone in attendance looked back as the doors to the courtroom were thrown open, a hushed gasp sweeping through the room as none other than Kamen Rider Unicorn strolled into the courtroom. Though her face was hidden by her helmet, the way she confidently walked towards the podium made it clear she was here with a purpose.

Whispered muttering began to fill the room. “Is that…?”

“It-it’s Unicorn!”

“Really?! Take a picture, quick!”

“What’s she doing here?”

“Isn’t she a wanted vigilante?

“Why then would she come to a courtroom of all places?”

Diamond Tiara gripped the back of her seat tightly, her eyes wide at the sight of the hero she had watched again and again on tv now standing before her. “She… she’s really here…”

Reacting to the sudden intrusion, the bailiffs all drew their sidearms and aimed them at Unicorn as she stopped at the front of the spectator’s Gallery. Not one of them lowered their weapon

Glancing around the courtroom, Unicorn took in the shocked expressions of the spectators around her. Looking over at the Defendant and Prosecution benches, both Filthy Rich and his lawyer looked floored, their mouths hanging open at the sight of her. The same could be said for Spoiled Rich’s lawyer as well. Spoiled Rich, on the other hand, seemed to regard Unicorn’s presence as little more than a minor annoyance, rolling her eyes at the interruption.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” Unicorn greeted cordially, like you would greet a room of guests attending a fancy party. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything, your Honor?”

The bailiffs all tightened their grip on their weapons, slowly taking cautious steps towards the Kamen Rider.

Leaning forward in his seat, the judge rested his hand against the desk as he cast his gaze over Unicorn. “As a matter of fact, you are,” the judge stated matter-of-factly. “I was just about to announce a verdict before your disruptive arrival.”

“Then it would seem I’m just in time,” Unicorn replied, meeting the judge’s eyes,“because I have information pertaining to this case that I would like to submit to the court.”

“Oh?” The judge raised an eyebrow, taken aback by the response. “Do you now?”

“Your Honor, this is preposterous!” Spoiled Rich’s lawyer shouted, pointing accusingly at Kamen Rider Unicorn. “Unicorn is a known vigilante wanted by the police, and she thinks she can just waltz in here and disrupt a court of law?! She should be removed from the premises at once!”

The bailiffs seemed to agree with him, taking another step towards Unicorn.

The judge placed a hand on his chin, taking a moment to consider the matter. After a few moments of pondering, he replied, “Be that as it may, I would still like to hear Unicorn’s testimony.” Before Spoiled’s lawyer could argue further, the judge banged his gavel loudly against his desk. “Penned Brush, swear her in.”

One of the bailiffs, Penned Brush, flinched slightly at the sound of his name, glancing briefly at the judge before turning to Unicorn suspiciously. Reluctantly, he holstered his side arm, the other bailiffs following his lead as he walked up to Unicorn. “Raise your right hand.”

Doing so, Unicorn stood tall as Penned Brush recited, “Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to present to the court is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?”

“I do affirm that the evidence to be given by me, Kamen Rider Unicorn, shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

With a nod, Penned Brush stepped back to his post, not once taking his eyes off her. A hush had fallen over the room at the sudden turn of events. It was so quiet that a pen hitting the floor would have sounded like a jet engine.

The silence was finally broken by the judge taking a deep breath, his chair creaking as he leaned back. “Proceed.”

“Thank you, your Honor,” Unicorn replied with a respectful bow. “Before I begin, there is something I would like to confirm first. The basis for this gathering is to determine who will take custody of Mr. and Mrs. Rich’s daughter, Diamond Tiara, correct?”

“That is correct,” the judge confirmed.

Diamond Tiara watched with bated breath as Unicorn stood before the judge. As Unicorn glanced over her shoulder, her eyes met Diamond Tiara’s. Though no words were spoken between them, Diamond Tiara felt Unicorn’s message in her heart loud and clear:

It’s going to be alright, I promise.

“Unicorn…” Filthy Rich growled, clenching his fist. “This case is none of your concern. Shouldn’t you be out hunting some monster or something?”

“Funny you should say that, Mr. Rich…” Unicorn muttered with a chuckle, glancing at Filthy Rich. “Because that’s exactly why I’m here.”

Filthy Rich blinked, his mouth hanging open.

“Several days ago,” Unicorn continued, “a monster attacked the city, causing massive damage to a large area of the city. Prior to this, someone also attacked several businesses, all of which were owned by Rich Industries. Further investigation into the monster’s whereabouts led me to discover threats sent from an unknown person to the rich family, demanding large sums of money.”

Spoiled’s lawyer shot up from his seat. “Object—”

“Overruled!” The judge harshly yelled, slamming his gavel harder than was necessary. As the room fell silent again, he nodded at Unicorn to continue.

Nodding, Unicorn held up her hand, raising a finger as she listed off one after another, “The attack on the city, the attack on businesses owned by Rich Industries and finally the extortion of money. I have reason to believe that all three were carried out by the same perpetrator.”

“Interesting…” The judge muttered, before asking, “However, you’ve yet to explain to the court as to a motive for these attacks, besides mere financial gain. What was this perpetrator seeking to gain from all this?”

“Why don’t you ask them yourself?” Unicorn replied. “They’re standing in this very room right now.”

Many in attendance gasped at the brazen accusation before a thick silence fell over the room. Spectators glanced nervously around the room, trying to spot the monster hiding amongst them.

“And the culprit…” Whipping around, Unicorn pointed towards a single person in the room, her gaze falling on the true culprit. “... Is you, Spoiled Rich!”

Everyone in attendance turned to gaze at Spoiled RIch, who seemed unfazed by the accusation. She shook with barely restrained laughter, glaring at Unicorn with her arms crossed over her chest. “Have you no shame?” she condescendingly replied. “You, a known vigilante, come barging in here and accuse me, a law-abiding citizen, of being some kind of nefarious monster? How absurd!”

Sparing a moment to toss her curls over her shoulder, she looked down her nose at the masked hero. “I would sue you for slander if it weren’t the least of your problems. Why would I, matriarch of the Rich estate, go to such lengths to ruin my own family’s company like that?”

“I asked myself the same question,” Unicorn replied, lowering her arm and turning her back to Spoiled Rich. “As the wife to Filthy Rich, you would obviously hold a sizable stake in the company, meaning that extorting your own company through threats and public destruction would only hurt you in the long run. That was until…” Turning back around, Unicorn snapped her fingers, causing a vanilla folder to appeared in her hand in a flash of turquoise light. “... I found this.”

Filthy Rich’s eyes widened at the sight of the folder. Even Spoiled Rich’s haughty demeanor seemed to slip at the appearance of the folder, her face noticeably paling. “Where did you get that!?” she snarled, taking a step forward as if to snatch the folder from Unicorn’s grasp.

“I have my sources. I would like to move to present these files as evidence to the court.” She looked to the judge for approval.

“Motion carried. Penned Brush?” The same bailiff walked up and collected the file from Unicorn, passing it over to the judge for review. Silence once more fell over the room as the judge reviewed the files presented to him.

After several moments, the judge set the files down in front of him. “These are divorce papers, with both Mr. and Mrs. Rich’s signatures signed in full. Filthy Rich, can you confirm the legitimacy of these documents?” Handing the files back to the bailiff, they were presented to Filthy Rich, whose eyes grew wider and wider as he scanned through the documents.

Gulping loudly, Filthy Rich finally replied, “Yes, your Honor, these are the divorce papers I signed with my wif— ex-wife, Spoiled Rich.”

“Objection!” Spoiled Rich’s lawyer once more objected. “Whatever the state of the Rich’s marriage may be, it matters little regarding the current case!”

“Oh, I would say it has everything to do with the current case,” Unicorn interjected. “The date on the divorce documents makes it clear that they were signed three months ago, and yet Mr. and Mrs. Rich have remained together since then to keep up appearances and to likely iron out the final details of their divorce. However, this means that Spoiled Rich no longer holds any claim to the Rich estate and its fortune. Isn’t that right… Spoiled Milk?”

Spoiled bared her teeth at the mention of her maiden name, picking up light snickering from the spectator’s Gallery. “So what?!” she hissed, her previous smug superiority giving way to incensed anger.

“So, it explains everything. At the prospect of being cut off from the Rich family fortune, you conspired to claim what you see as rightfully yours, leading to the threats and demands for money. However, that was only the beginning. The destruction you caused was all to put further pressure on Rich Industries and, by extension, Filthy Rich himself. All leading up to today when the fate of your daughter is to be decided, to ensure the court would rule in your favor and she would be all yours to do with as you pleased. Admit it, Spoiled Milk!”

All eyes were once more on Spoiled Milk, who looked about ready to explode. Even her lawyer’s confidence seemed to vanish under the weight of these accusations, slowly backing away from his client.

Taking a deep breath through her nose, Spoiled seemed to dial her fury back as she glared at Unicorn. “You spin a good yarn, but do you know what I don’t hear? Any. Actual. PROOF!” Several people jumped as Spoiled slammed her hand against the table. “All you’ve done is spout baseless slander and go rooting through my secure files in an attempt to drag my name through the mud! Did Filthy hire you to stage this ludicrous show to win the court’s favor? It certainly sounds like something he’d pulled… ” She glared at Filthy Rich out of the corner of her eye.

Unicorn was silent for a moment, her expression hidden behind her helmet. “Even if you argue everything I’ve presented is ‘baseless’, I have one final question. Everyone is here to decide the fate of Diamond Tiara’s future… yet has anyone stopped and asked her what she wants?”

Spoiled scoffed. “Why should that matter? I am Diamond Tiara’s mother, and I know what’s best for her. Asking her would be pointless!” Stomping her heel against the floor, she glanced wildly at the bailiffs standing around the room. “I’ve heard enough of this hogwash! Won’t someone remove this interloper already!?”

Slowly, the bailiffs once more moved to remove Unicorn from the courtroom, their hands inching towards their sidearms. Unicorn stood tall as they approached, not once raising a fist in her defense.

“WAIT!”

Everyone came to a halt as Diamond Tiara ran from the stands and embraced Unicorn. Looking up at the judge, she cried out, “I want to testify!”

“Diamond Tiara!” Spoiled scowled, glaring harshly at her daughter’s presence. “This matter doesn’t concern you! Return to your seat at once!”

But Diamond Tiara refused to budge, burying her face in Unicorn’s chest.

Spoiled’s scowl only increased at Diamond’s insubordination. “This is not up to debate! Return to your seat NOW!” Stomping her heel, Spoiled moved to reprimand her daughter.

“Hold, Spoiled,” The judge interjected, stopping her in her place. “I would like to hear from miss Diamond Tiara.”

Spoiled spun around, staring incredulously at the judge. “But… but your Honor! This is pointless!”

“I will decide what is and isn’t pointless in my courtroom.” The judge coldly replied, turning his attention to Diamond Tiara. “Step forward, Diamond Tiara,” he calmly said, urging to her to speak.

Diamond Tiara wanted to do as he asked, but she felt her body freeze under her mother’s imposing gaze, her legs trembling as the refused to move. Suddenly, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her shoulders, gazing up to find Unicorn looking down at her. Even with her face hidden, Diamond Tiara got the impression she was smiling down at her.

“Go on, Diamond Tiara,” Unicorn said, reaching up and patting Diamond Tiara lightly on the head. “You can do it, I believe in you.”

Hearing those words from her hero seemed to ignite a fire in Diamond Tiara. Nodding, Diamond Tiara stepped back from Unicorn, holding her arms against her side as she stepped towards the podium. As she back by the desks, she felt her mother’s icy glare bore into her. Despite that, Diamond Tiara managed to step up to the podium, looking up at the judge.

“I… I…” Diamond Tiara stuttered, her confidence beginning to waver. Glancing behind her, she met her father’s eyes. He was smiling at her, his eyes filled with warmth that made Diamond Tiara’s heart warm. As her confidence reignited, she looked the judge in the eye and yelled, “I don’t want to stay with Mother! She’s a monster!”

“Diamond Tiara!” Spoiled shouted angrily, but Diamond Tiara would not be deterred.

“She treats me like some kind of doll, forcing me to do things just for her benefit! She constantly abuses the staff, and that’s not before she drinks too much! She’s the reason I have trouble making friends, because she thinks the entire school is full of nothing but worthless peasants and punishes me if I so much as even think of making friends! All she wants to do is ship me off to some stuffy private school so she doesn’t have to deal with me!”

Panting heavily following her emotional outburst, Diamond Tiara ran from the podium into her father’s arms, burying her face in his coat as tears streamed down her face. “I want to stay with you, Father! Even when you’re busy with work, you still make sure to find time to spend with me and you’re always there to listen to me when I need you! I love you, I love going to Canterlot High and I don’t want to leave you!”

Filthy Rich crouched down and wrapped his arms around her, barely holding back his own tears as he consoled his daughter. “I love you too, Diamond Tiara. That’s why I sent you to a public school like Canterlot High instead of a private school like my father did. I hated every moment at that school, forced to treat people like business acquisitions instead of real people and I refused to put you through that. I wanting to make sure more than anything that you made real friendships that would last you a lifetime.”

Holding his daughter close, Filthy Rich ran a hand comfortingly down Diamond Tiara’s back. “You’re the single most precious thing I could have ever asked for, and I only ever wanted you to be happy. I got so caught up in my company, I became so blind to your struggles. Oh, Diamond, will you ever forgive me?”

“Of-of course! Of course I forgive you!” Diamond Tiara said between choked sobs.

Not a word was spoken as everyone let the Father and daughter have their moment together, with many spectators now glaring at Spoiled Milk, since many of them had children at Canterlot High and didn’t take too kindly to hearing them being called “worthless peasants” behind their backs. The judge leaned back in his chair, the smile on his face giving away what his final ruling would ultimately be.

Spoiled Milk’s teeth ground together so harshly it was a wonder none of them chipped from the pressure, able to do nothing but stand there as her carefully crafted plan crumbled around her. Carefully, her lawyer put a hand on her shoulder as he tried to reassure her. “Do-don’t worry, Spoiled. I can try to get the courts to review the case and provide us a second chance to—”

“USELESS!” Whipping around, Spoiled slapped her lawyer hard across the face, sending him reeling as the spectators all gasped at the outburst. “Useless, all of you!” Snarling, she turned to glare at Filthy Rich and Diamond Tiara, the fury on her face prompting Filthy to hold his daughter protectively. “If none of you useless fools can do anything right…” Pulling out a golden Gaia Memory with wing decals extending from the top, she gripped the Memory tightly in her hand. “Then I’ll have to do everything myself!”

< QUETZALCOATLUS! >

“No!” Unicorn moved to stop her, but Spoiled Milk was a second quicker, pulling one of the golden bands on her left arm back to reveal her Living Connector mark and jabbing the Gaia Memory into it. A golden light envolved her body as a fierce wind surrounded her, knocking Unicorn back and sending loose papers and hats flying. When the light and wind finally dissipated, the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant was now standing in Spoiled’s place.

Cries of panic filled the room as spectators scrambled for the door, tripping over one another in their mad dash to flee. The bailiffs all wasted little time and drawing their weapons and peppering the Dopant with gunfire, all of which bounced harmlessly off her body. Ignoring them, Spoiled Milk charged Filthy Rich, her claws raised. “Give her to me!”

“No!” Whirling around instinctively, he cried out as her claws tore across his back, leaving three jagged claw marks across his back.

“Daddy!” Diamond Tiara cried out as her father fell onto his side, the back of his suit in tatters. She shrieked as she was harshly grabbed by the wrist and hauled to her feet, staring wide-eyed at the face of what had once been her mother. “Let me go!” she demanded, struggling to wrestle herself free from her mother’s grip, only for her mother to tighten her grip enough to dig her claws into Diamond Tiara’s arm. “Ow, that hurts!”

“This pain is nothing to what I’ll do to you for disobeying me, Diamond Tiara! You belong to me!”

“Let her go, Spoiled Milk!”

Spoiled glanced over her shoulder to see Unicorn back on her feet and running towards her. Growling, she grabbed Diamond Tiara by the waist and clutched her against her chest as her wings unfurled. Bracing her talons against the ground, she shot into the air, crashing through the courtroom windows as she took off into the city, Diamond Tiara’s cries growing more and more distance by the second.

“Diamond Tiara!” Sunset yelled out as the Dopant took off with the girl in tow. Quickly kneeling down next to the injured Filthy Rich, she breathed a sigh of relief after seeing he was still breathing. “Mr. Rich, can you hear me?”

Filthy Rich’s arm shot out and grabbed Unicorn by the wrist, grunting as he turned his head to look up at her. “For-forget about me…” he muttered through the pain. “Please, rescue my daughter… I beg of you…”

Unicorn was silent for a moment, before nodding her head. “I’ll get her back, I promise.”

“Unicorn!” At the sound of her name, Unicorn glanced up to see Penned Brush running up to her before kneeling down next to Filthy Rich. “I’ll get him out of here, you go and get the girl back!”

“Right! Thanks!” Pulling out a green Gaia Memory, Unicorn slotted it into her left hip port.

{< CYCLONE! MIMETIC DRIVE! >}

In whirlwind of emerald wind, Unicorn stood empowered by the energies of the Cyclone Memory. Parts of her armor were now tinted the same emerald green with wispy patterns tracing across her armor, while her gauntlets now possessed winged edges. Wing-shaped frills extended out from the sides of her boots and helmet, while a long red scarf wrapped around her neck, its twin tails flapping in the wind.

“Unicorn: Mystic Cyclone!”

An aura of wind encompassed Unicorn as she leapt into the air towards the shattered windows, the twin tails of her scarf transforming into gilder wings. Concentrating, Unicorn formed stepping stones of hardened air in front of her, creating a path as she raced after the fleeing Dopant.

As Penned Brush threw Filthy Rich’s arm over his shoulders and hauled the man up onto his feet, he glanced up at Unicorn’s fleeing form. The animosity he had held towards her had greatly diminished, causing a smile to peak at the edges of his lips as she took chase after the monster. “Give her hell, Unicorn.”

***

“—They’re magically delic— Can be yours for only twelve easy payments of nineteen ninety— Cloudy with a chance of showers later— Luke, I — Didn’t see you playing with your dolls again, sir!”

Rainbow groaned for the hundredth time as she flopped back onto her pillow. She had been wracked with boredom for the last hour or so with no end in sight. After staring at the clock had grown tiresome and the bulb in the lamp next to her bed had blown after flicking it on and off again, Rainbow had resorted to trying to find something to keep her sane on the hospital’s tv, which had yet to yield fruit. Staring up at the ceiling, she idly flipped through the channels one after another.

“Breaking news, Kamen Rider—”

“Wait, what!?” Shooting up in bed, Rainbow quickly flipped back to the previous channel, stopping on a news station. A huge bulletin at the bottom of the screen loudly proclaimed “Monster Attacks Courthouse! Unicorn in Pursuit!”

“And now we cut to our on the scene reporter, Rainy Days. What can you tell us, Rainy Days?”

The scene cut to inside a helicopter soaring above the city, the deafening whirl of the helicopter blades requiring the reporter to shout as she gripped tightly onto the restraints inside the aircraft. “I’m currently flying across Central Canterlot, where only moments ago a monster fled from the courthouse! Early reports seem to indicate it as the same monster that previous attacked the city just days ago! As I speak, my crew and I are moving in for a closer— There it is!”

The camera suddenly panned before zooming in, focusing on the of a winged monster soaring across the sky.

“It’s the turkey!” Rainbow gasped, her eyes fixated on the image on the screen.

“Hold on, what is it carrying? Zoom in more!” Again, the camera zoomed in on the Dopant. Though the image quality was blurry, there was no mistaking the form struggling it it’s grip. “I… I think it’s got a hostage with it!” Suddenly, the camera jerked as something flew into frame. “My god, it’s Kamen Rider Unicorn! She currently seems to be in hot pursuit of the creature and gaining fast!”

Sure enough, Unicorn was leaping through the air in her Mystic Cyclone form, swiftly gaining on the fleeing Dopant.

“Come on, Sunset,” Rainbow muttered, clenching her sheets tightly. “I know you can do it…”

***

Wind whipped past Sunset’s head as she bounded after the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant, literally running on thin air. I need to get Diamond Tiara away from her somehow, but if she lets go of her, then Diamond will… Pushing that thought aside, she picked up the pace as the distance between her and Spoiled milk grew shorter and shorter.

Despite it all, Diamond Tiara continued to struggle against her mother’s grip. “Let… me… go!”

“Stop squirming, you stupid brat!” Spoiled Milk screeched as she held onto her daughter. “Don’t think I won’t hesitate to let you fall if it means your pathetic father can’t have you. Once I’ve taught you some proper manners, I can send you off to a boarding school like I planned.”

“You’re horrible!” Diamond Tiara replied, only struggling more. “I’ll never obey you, never!”

“Oh, you will, child… no matter how much pain I have to inflict before you kneel before me!”

“Give it up, Spoiled!” Whipping her head around, the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant squawked at the sight of Unicorn only a few feet away. “Hold on, Diamond! I’m here to save you!”

“Unicorn!” Diamond Tiara cheered at the sight of her hero, only to shriek as her mother’s claws tightened around her.

“You dare defy the will of a god!? I won’t let anyone else have her, she belongs to me!” With a shrill shriek, she turned around and belched a fireball at Unicorn.

Using her glider wings to angle her descent, Unicorn swerved to avoid the fireball. However, a loud explosion caused her to glance down, gasping at the sight of several cars coming to a squealing halt to avoid driving into a wall of flame. “The citizens!”

“That’s right, Unicorn!” The Dopant taunted. “Either you or the citizens, what’s it going to be!?” Another bulge formed in her gullet before she hurled another fireball at the Kamen Rider, forcing her to brace herself as the fireball slammed into and sent her plummeting several feet before she steadied herself.

Diamond Tiara watched in horror as her mother launched one fireball after another, cackling as Unicorn was forced on the defensive as she threw up walls of wind to protect herself against the onslaught. Still, it was a losing battle, as Unicorn continued to lose altitude from the constant barrage. I’ve got to do something!

Thinking fast, Diamond Tiara waited until she heard the sickening squelching noise of her mother forming another fireball before whipping her head back and slamming it against the forming bulge, causing the fireball to explode in Spoiled’s throat. The Dopant hacked and gagged as fireball burst in her throat, losing her hold on Diamond Tiara and dropping her towards the ground.

“No!” Angling her wings, Unicorn spun into a nosedive as she blitzed towards the falling girl. “Almost… there…”

As the ground came closer and closer, Diamond Tiara’s screams only intensified as she tumbled through the air in freefall. Suddenly, she felt something slam into her as a pair of arms wrapped around her.

“Got ya!” Banking sharply, Unicorn held onto Diamond Tiara tightly as she descended to the ground, touching down on an empty section of highway. Crouching down, she set Diamond Tiara on her feet. “Are you alright?”

“Y-yes, I’m alright…” Diamond Tiara stuttered, her heart hammering away in her chest from the near-death experience she’d just experienced.

“That was reckless! What were you thinking?”

“I had to do something! Besides, I knew you would save me! You’re my hero, Unicorn!” In a blink, Diamond Tiara reached up and hugged Unicorn, startling the Kamen Rider for a moment before she returned the hug.

The moment was broken by the blare of rapidly approaching police sirens. Looking up, the pair watched as several police cruisers came to a screeching halt several feet from them. The driver’s side door of the lead car was thrown open as Shining Armor leapt out. Rushing over to them, he kneeled down next to Diamond Tiara. “Miss, are you alright? That monster didn’t hurt you, did it?”

“I’m fine,” she replied with a smile, glancing at Unicorn. “Unicorn was here to protect me!”

Looking up at the Kamen Rider, Shining Armor didn’t even try and hide his distrust of the masked hero, a frown creasing across his face. Even still, he turned to face her and muttered, “Thank you for rescuing her, Unicorn.”

“It was nothing,” Unicorn replied. “I made a promise to her father to get her back safely.”

“Daddy!” At the mention of her father, Diamond Tiara ran up to Shining Armor and looked up at him with a pleading look in her eyes. “Is my daddy okay? Where is he?!”

“Don’t worry,” Shining Armor quickly reassured her. “You father is currently being transported to a hospital to have his injuries treated. I can take you to him.”

“She’s not going anywhere!” A loud crash rang through the air as the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant slammed into the highway, carving a crater in the road from the impact. “Get your hands off my property!”

“Get her out of here!” Unicorn commanded, placing herself between Diamond Tiara and the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant. “I’ll handle this, you just focus on getting her to safety!”

As much as it riled him up being ordered around by her, Shining Armor knew there was little else he could do. Scooping Diamond Tiara up in his arms, he took off for his cruiser.

Seeing him taking Diamond Tiara away, Spoiled shrieked as she flew forward, her claws posed to snatch her away from him. Before she could get close though, she slammed face first into a wall of magically charged wind in front of her, sending her crashing back. By the time she recovered, the police cruisers were already speeding away.

“Sorry, Spoiled," Unicorn taunted as she raised her fists and widened her stance. “You want to get to her, you’ll have to go through me first!”

“Gladly! I’ll tear you apart just as easily as I did that foolish partner of yours!”

***

Rainbow watched the fight unfold on the news, feeling the sinking feeling of dread building in her stomach. Even though Sunset was putting up a good fight, Rainbow knew just how powerful the Dopant was and she could tell that Sunset was just barely holding her own again the monster. “She still has her trump card, but even that might not be enough… I’ve got to do something!”

Leaping out of bed, Rainbow ignored the throbbing pain in her arms and legs as she summoned her Nasca Driver and slapped it against her waist. Pulling out her Nasca Memory, she held it out in front of her.

< NASCA! >

“Hen—Ahh!” Rainbow’s legs seemed to fall out from under her as she collapsed face first onto the floor, the Memory slipping from her grasp and skidding across the floor out of her reach. Grunting, Rainbow struggled to raise her head, extending her arm as she slowly crawled across the floor to retrieve the Gaia Memory. “Can’t… give up… now… Sunset… needs me…”

As her fingers finally curled around the Nasca Memory, the door to her room opened. “Hey, Rainbow! We’re here to vis— RAINBOW!” Slamming the door behind them, Rainbow’s parents ran over to their daughter and helped her up and back onto her bed. All it took was one look at the Nasca Driver around Rainbow’s waist for their looks to turn sour.

“Rainbow, you can’t seriously be thinking about going out there like this!” Her mother harshly reprimanded. “You need to rest!”

“I can’t just sit here!” Rainbow argued, turning her head to glance at the tv. Her parents followed her gaze in time to watch Unicorn get knocked clear across the highway, losing her Mystic Cyclone form in the process. “She shouldn’t have to fight that thing alone! I have to help!”

“How?” Her father interjected, staring her down. “By getting in her way? You’re not stupid, Dash. Even you know that you won’t be any help with those injuries.”

“But… but still…” Hanging her head, Rainbow ground her teeth together as she glanced down at the Nasca Memory still clutched in her hand.

With a sigh, Bow Hothoof sat down on the bed and placed his hand on Rainbow’s, causing her to glance up at him. “Listen to me, Rainbow. Your mother and I have never stopped you from doing what you thought was right. When you told us about all this superheroing stuff, we were proud of you for wanting to help people in such a big way. Yet, after everything that’s happened and seeing you put yourself at risk time and time again, we can’t help but be parents and worry about you.”

Pulling his hand back, he stood up. “This isn’t the first time you’ve hurt yourself and I know for a fact that it won’t be the last, but if you go out there like you are now, all you’ll do is get in the way and risk inflicting potentially permanent damage to yourself. Again, I know you can be reckless, Dash, but you’re not stupid.”

Rainbow was silent, hanging her head again. “... I know…” she grumbled. “I just hate when I can’t be there for my friends… I wish there was something I could do…”

“Sadly, all you can do now is trust Unicorn and hope for the best.” Glancing up at the tv, Bow smiled. “Afterall, if she’s your partner, then she must be something special.”

***

Sunset gasped for breath, panting as she stood opposite the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant. Though she’d managed to get more than a few hits in, she could feel the strain starting to show, while her opponent still looked ready for more.

“Give up, Unicorn, and I’ll make your death quick and painless.” Spoiled Milk taunted. “Afterall, an insignificant mortal like you could never hope to stand up to GOD like me—ACK!” She flinched back as a bolt of mana struck her shoulder, glaring at Unicorn as the glow slowly faded from her horn.

“Give it a rest, Spoiled Milk,” Unicorn said in annoyance. “Hate to break it to you, but I’ve met a real goddess before and you don’t even begin to compare to her.” In a flash of golden light, a yellow Memory appeared in Unicorn’s hand, the symbol of an ‘S’ in the shape of a shining sun on the front.

< SHINING! >

Only got one shot at this, so better make it count!

{< SHINING! MIMETIC DRIVE! >}

A pillar of blinding light enveloped Unicorn’s body, bright enough to be visible for miles and forcing Spoiled to cover her eyes to avoid being blinded by its brilliant radiance. In a flash, the light vanished to reveal a new Unicorn.

The turquoise of her armor had changed to a golden yellow, the previously sun metal lines now turquoise as they weaved across Unicorn’s body to form runic sigils. The aquamarine eyes of Unicorn’s helmet had changed to turquoise as well, with golden wings similar extended from the sides of her helmet like her Mystic Cyclone form. The metal edge around her crystal horn had been transmuted into gold alongside her armor. Finally, a pair of shimmering cloths extended from her shoulders, emanating an aurora as if woven from liquid rainbow.

“Unicorn: Shining Day!”

In a blitz of golden light, Unicorn dashed up to Spoiled and clocked her clear across the beak, sending her stumbling back. Before Spoiled could recover, Unicorn unleashed a flurry of punches at the Dopant, her punches becoming a golden blur as she forced Spoiled back. As her last punch connected, she hit the trigger on her left hip port.

\ HONESTY! /

“BUNKER BUSTER!” Orange energy wrapped around her fist as she punched the Dopant straight in the chest. A burst of air followed the blow as the Dopant was sent rocketing onto another stretch of highway, several cars coming to a grinding halt as the monster crashing through the median. Numerous drivers fled their vehicles as Unicorn came soaring in on wings of golden light, touching down as Spoiled managed to pull herself to her feet.

Growling, Spoiled snapped her finger and summoned a line of maid archers in front of her. “Fire!” At her call, the four maid constructs let fly a volley of crossbow bolts at the golden armored Rider. As the bolts sped towards her, Unicorn hit her left hip port again, twice this time.

\ KINDNESS! //

“Graceful Melody.” A soothing wind swept around Unicorn, stopping the bolts in mid-air and dispelling them into motes of light resembling fireflies. With a wave of her hand, the same wind enveloped the row of archers, carrying with it a soothing melody reminiscent of a mother’s lullaby. At once, all four archers lowered their crossbows, no longer possessing the will to fight. In a burst of light, all four constructs disappeared, leaving the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant staring flabbergasted at their disappearance.

“Traitors!” Summoning her weapon, she charged at Unicorn, swinging her weapon wildly. Unicorn swerved to avoid one swing, ducking under another and leaping over a third before kicking Spoiled square in the jaw and sending her reeling.

Golden energy burned around Unicorn’s fist as she punched forward, slamming her fist into Spoiled’s bladed club as she raised it to protect herself. Cracks rapidly spiderwebbed across the weapon before shattering into bits, the force of the attack sending Spoiled stumbling back.

Seeing her chance, Unicorn hit against her left hip port five times in quick succession.

\\\ LOYALTY! /////

Bracing her hands together, a blade forged from crackling crimson energy formed in her hands as the shifting blade of energy grew to several feet over Unicorn’s head. “This is for Nasca! UNDYING LOYALTY!” Letting out a battle cry, Unicorn swung the sword at Spoiled Milk, whose eyes widened at the sight of the oncoming attack.

Grabbing the side of an abandoned van with her claws, Spoiled hurled it into the path of the oncoming blade, hoping to use it to stop the attack. The crimson blade slammed into the car in a shower of sparks, before slicing clean through it like a hot knife through butter and slashing across Spoiled’s chest.

The two halves of the vehicle exploded violently in a ball of fire, causing Unicorn to skid back from the shockwave. Holding an arm over her face, Unicorn stood her ground as metal shrapnel peppered against her armor, doing little if any damage. Peering through the wall of flame left in the wake of explosion, she spotted the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant on her hands and knees, visibly struggling to pick herself up. Her feathers were signed and her crown now lay in pieces on the pavement.

“Time to finish this!” Unicorn reached for the Shining Memory to perform a Maximum Drive, only for a jolt of energy to painfully shoot up her arm as her fingers came in contact with the Memory. She recoiled back as more and more sparks arced across her armor, wincing as the feedback of energy coursed through her body. “N-no! Not now!” In a flash of golden light, Unicorn reverted back to her base armor, dropping to one knee as she gasped for breath.

Cackling laughter bubbled up from the Dopant’s throat as she managed to get back on her feet. “Well, well... looks to me like you’ve reached your limit. As for me…” Golden flames enveloped Spoiled’s body as she began to grow, transforming into her monstrous form. Her talons dug into the pavement with each movement, her form towering over Unicorn and blanketing her in her shadow.

“I’m just getting started!”

***

Rainbow watched horrified as Unicorn was picked up in the monstrous Dopant’s beak and hurled across the highway like a rag doll, a sentiment shared by her parents, the newscaster and the majority of viewers practically glued to their screens at that very moment.

“Folks… I… I don’t know how much more of this I can watch. Could… could this be the end for Kamen Rider Unicorn?”

“Damn it... “ Rainbow cursed, her grip tightening on the Nasca Memory.

***

“Sunset!” Twilight shouted, shooting up out of her seat as she stared unblinking at the scene playing on her laptop screen. With every hit against the concrete, Twilight felt her heart leap into her throat as panic shot through her body.

“Come on, Sunset…” Twilight pleaded as she watched Sunset roll across the highway, tears threatening to spill down her face at how utterly helpless she was. “Please get up… You can’t…” She clamped her eyes shut as a tear rolled down her cheek and dripped onto her desk.

“You promised…”

***

Sunset grunted in pain as she slammed against the highway yet again, rolling to a stop. Her body screamed in agony and it took all her concentration just to hold onto her transformation lest she truly be at Spoiled’s mercy.

“Got… to… get ...up…” Her body felt like lead as she tried to push herself, wincing in pain. Suddenly, something slammed into her back, pressing her hard against the road. Struggling to turn her head, Sunset found the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant standing over her, it's massive talons trapping her to the concrete.

“Not so powerful now, are you, Unicorn?” Spoiled taunted as she pressed down harder, smirking as Unicorn cried out in pain.

***

“That it!” Rainbow shouted as she moved to get up. “I won’t sit by any longer!” Before she could get up, she felt her mother’s hands press against her shoulders and forced her back down. “Let me go!” Rainbow shouted, fighting against her mother’s grip.

“Dashie, you can’t go out there—”

“Am I just supposed to sit here then and watch as my partner —my friend!— is killed right in front of me!?” Rainbow replied, causing her parents to step back at the force in her voice and the tears running down her face. “I don’t care if I end up being crippled for life, I’m not abandoning her like that!”

Suddenly, the Nasca Memory in Dash’s hand began to shine with a golden light, illuminating the room and causing all three occupants to glance down at it.

“What… what’s going on?” Windy Whistles asked, staring in awe at the bright light.

Rainbow couldn’t take her eyes off the Gaia Memory. Though no words were spoken, she felt in her heart that it was trying to talk to her. “You feel the same way, don’t you? You want to go out there and help Unicorn as much as I do, right?”

The Nasca Memory flashed twice as if to confirm her suspicions.

A second light drew Rainbow’s eyes to the Nasca Driver still strapped around her waist. The left port was flashing in time with the Nasca Memory, as if instructing her what to do. “I hear ya loud and clear.” Holding up the Nasca Memory, she pressed down on the device.

< NASCA! >

Bow grabbed his daughter by the wrist to stop her. “Rainbow, you can’t—!”

“Dad, just trust me!” Rainbow replied, staring her father straight in the eyes. “I know what I’m doing, so please…”

Seconds passed by at a snail’s pace as Bow kept his gaze locked on his daughter. Eventually, he released his hold and stepped back. “Just… promise us you’ll come back to us, alright?”

Rainbow smiled. “I promise, Dad.” Glancing down at the Nasca Memory one last time, she steeled her nerves. “Right, here goes! Henshin!”

With a twist of her arm, she slotted the Nasca Memory into her left hip port and hit the button. The light radiating from the Memory only intensified as it shot into the air, forming into a bird with a body of pure light before flying through the window and disappeared into the distance.

“Rainbow!” Bow lunged forward as Rainbow collapsed back, her body falling limp in his arms. Her chest rose and fell steadily with each breath, but she was unresponsive otherwise. “Rainbow, what happened? Say something!” Rainbow refused to respond even as her father shook her by the shoulders, having seemingly fallen into a deep sleep.

***

“This is all your fault!” The Dopant squawked as she ground Unicorn into the tarmac. “All those stupid videos of you swooping in to save the day, they’re the reason Diamond Tiara got the idea in her head that she could disobey me! But heroes only exist in fairy tales, and once I kill you I’ll finally stamp out all of those rebellious fantasies of hers!”

Is… is this the end? Sunset gasped as her lungs desperately begged for air, the edges of her vision going black. Twilight... Looks like I won’t be able to keep my promise…

CAAAW!

In a streak of golden light, something slammed dead centre into the monstrous Dopant’s chest, forcing it back and toppling over onto its back. No longer trapped under its talon, Unicorn gasped for air as she pushed herself up, shaking the spots from her vision. Glancing up, her eyes followed the bird of light as it soared overhead. “A new Gaia Memory?”

The golden bird let out a cry as it banked downward, allowing Unicorn to snatch it out of the air with her hand. Flipping her hand around to catch a glimpse of the Gaia Memory, her eyes widened at the familiar golden yellow Memory in her hand, the symbol of an ‘N’ emblazoned on the front. “This… this is…!”

The Nasca Memory flashed with a blinding radiance, forcing Sunset to shut her eyes as the light became too unbearable. When next she opened them, she was somewhere else altogether. No longer in her Unicorn armor, Sunset found herself standing in the centre of an expansive hallway that seemed to stretch on for miles. The tiled flooring had been polished to an almost mirror shine, alongside a velvet red carpet with golden siding running straight down the middle from one end of the hallway to the other.

Marble pillars spaced equal distances apart ran from floor to ceiling on either side of her, banners depicting the image of a sun and moon hanging from the ceiling. Massive windows lined the walls, letting in the light of the sun and casting a kaleidoscope of color across the floor.

Walking up to one of the windows, Sunset pressed her face up against the glass to peer outside. An exuberant garden lay outside the window, filled to the brim with flowers of every known description delicately arranged across the grounds, birds chirping happily as the flew the air and passed by the window Sunset was peering through.

Her breath caught in her throat, a familiar longing sensation filling her chest as she recognized the surrounding landscape.

“Is this… Canterlot palace?”

“You just gonna let that turkey walk all over you like that?”

Sunset spun around at the sudden voice, her eyes widening at the sight of the rainbow-haired girl leaning against one of the pillars with her arms crossed over her chest and a smirk on her face. “R-Rainbow?!”

“Yo,” Rainbow greeted, waving at Sunset. “Nice place ya got here.”

“What… how…” Sunset stuttered, a million questions on the tip of her tongue. “What are you doing here? And where is here exactly?”

Rainbow shrugged her shoulders. “Best guess? We’re in your head.”

“My… my head?”

“Don’t ask me how cause I have no idea either.” Sticking her hands in her pockets, Rainbow began to pace the width of the hallway. “I saw you on the news getting your ass whooped by that Dopant. I wanted so badly to run off and back you up, but because of my injuries…”

Holding out her hand, Rainbow glanced down at her open hand. “After you got hurt in that bash with Gilda, I was… scared.” Rainbow admitted, curling her fingers into a fist. “Scared that you were getting in way over your head and I couldn’t do anything to help. And if there’s one thing I hate more than anything, it’s being useless when my friends need me the most.

“After the Nasca Memory chose me though, I was so happy. Not because I had a chance of becoming an amazing super hero, and not even because it meant I got to whoop some baddies either. No, what I was happy about was the fact that it meant I wouldn’t have to sit uselessly on the sidelines anymore and watch you shoulder all this on your own.

Turning around, she pointed at the Nasca Memory still clutched tightly in Sunset’s hand. “Seems like that had the same idea. So, here I am! Not in person, but in spirit!” Crossing her arms over her chest, she asked, “What’s the plan?”

“... Plan?” Turning back towards the window, Sunset let her hand drop to her side as she stared out across the palace gardens. “There’s isn’t one.” Sighing, she placed her forehead against the glass. “This Dopant… she’s stronger than anything I’ve ever encountered before. I’ve thrown everything I have at her and she’s still standing. I’m at my limit…”

“Bull!” Rainbow shouted, stomping up to her and grabbing Sunset by the shoulder. Whirling her around to face her, Rainbow placed both hands on Sunset’s shoulder and looked her dead in the eyes. “After everything you’ve sacrificed to protect everyone, you’re just going to give up like that? Where’s the Sunset I know who refuses to give up, even when the chips are down?”

“But—

“But nothing! Take it from an athlete like me, limits are only there so you can inevitably push past them! Besides, isn’t it a Kamen Rider’s duty to protect people, no matter what?”

Sunset remained silent, hanging her head.

Releasing her grip on Sunset, Rainbow stepped back and crossed her arms once more, staring Sunset down. “So I’ll ask again: you just gonna let that turkey walk over you like that?”

Sunset was silent for a moment, her eyes fixated on the Nasca Memory. Then, a smile slowly spread across her lips as renewed determination flashed across her face. “Hell, no.”

“That’s the spirit!” Rainbow cheered, pumping her fist in the air. “Let’s go out there and kick that turkey’s tail feathers! After all…” Holding out her hand, Rainbow grinned. “Looking out for each other is what partners and friends do.”

Grinning, Sunset reached out and grabbed Rainbow’s hand, gripping it tightly. “Let’s do this, partner.”

“Right back at ya!”

In another bright flash of light, Sunset found herself back on the highway in her Unicorn armor, the Nasca Memory still held tightly in her hand. Getting to her feet, she spared one final glance at the Nasca Memory. Thanks, Rainbow.

With a shrill screech, the massive Quetzalcoatlus Dopant sprang back onto her talons, glaring at Unicorn from across the highway. “This ends now!”

“You’re right about one thing: this ends now...” Raising her arm up, Unicorn held the Nasca Memory out in front of her. “... for you, Spoiled Rich.”

< NASCA! >

An ethereal wind swept through the air, a transparent image of Kamen Rider Nasca appearing standing next to Unicorn. With synchronized movements, the two Riders slotted the Gaia Memory into their left hip port and slapped their palm against the side.

{< NASCA! MIMETIC DRIVE! >}

The wind suddenly kicked up into a roaring typhoon, surrounding Unicorn as the image of Nasca scattered into streams of energy and wrapped around Unicorn, bathing her in azure blue light. Bolts of vermillion lightning arched from the walls of the tornado as it climbed higher and higher into the sky.

“Whoa!” The newscaster cried out as she clung to the side of the helicopter door as the winds batted against their helicopter.

“Things are getting serious down there!” The pilot shouted over his shoulder as he yanked back on the controls. “Should we turn back?”

“Are you insane?! This is the scoop of a lifetime!”

Despite the massive whirlwind, the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant was undeterred, beating her massive wings and hurtling towards the raging winds. However, the moment her beak struck the typhoon, she was violently repelled back, squawking loudly as she bounced down the highway.

In the middle of the swirling winds stood a silhouetted figure, slowly raising their right arm and swinging it outward. The blade of a silver sword pierced through the wall of wind like a hot knife through butter, dispersing the winds in a single swing. With the winds gone, Unicorn stood revealed, now transformed into a new form.

The sun-metal lines on Unicorn’s armor had changed to an azure blue, now running across the length of her body in stylistic lines indicative of the Nazca lines. Sections of sky blue armor lay atop her own turquoise armor, covering the front of her forelegs and the sides of her legs up to her thighs. Blue bracers depicting the Bird Nazca line in black covered her wrists and forearms, black winged decals stretching across the pauldrons of her armor. Covering her torso was an armored blue chest plate, the Nasca symbol emblazoned on her left breast while the Unicorn symbol was on her right, a golden ‘X’ running between them.

An azure blue scarf wrapped around her neck, two trailing cloths slowly fading from blue to orange along the length of them fluttered against her back, The sides and top of Unicorn’s helmet had changed to the same blue color, her aquamarine eyes now shaped like a pair of wings. Finally, a crest of vermillion feathers fanned out from the base of her horn, a second horn curving back over her helmet.

Up above, the newscaster was at a loss for words. “I… I… I don’t know what I’m seeing, folks. Unicorn and Nasca… they’ve… merged somehow!”

“Big deal!” The massive Dopant scoffed, unimpressed. “Doesn’t matter what form you take, you’re still powerless before the might of a god!”

“Guess again, ya bloated turkey!” Came a new voice, Unicorn’s left eye flashing with every word.

The Quetzalcoatlus Dopant squawked loudly, recognizing the voice. “Y-You! You’re the child from before! But I defeated you!”

“You got lucky, that’s all! This time I’m here to help Unicorn put you down for good! Right, partner?”

“Eloquent as always, Nasca,” Unicorn replied with a chuckle. “Like I said, Spoiled Milk , I’ve met a real goddess before and you don’t even begin to compare to her.”

“Begone!” Throwing her head back, the Dopant hurled a car-sized fireball at Unicorn, intent on eliminating her once and for all.

Unicorn didn’t so much as flinch as she brought her sword up and sliced straight through the oncoming fireball, splitting it straight down the middle and sending the two halves shooting off to the side to explode behind her.

“Ready, Nasca?”

“Ready when you are, Unicorn!”

“Perfect.” Swinging her sword up, Unicorn leveled her blade at the Dopant, a pair of electric yellow wings shooting from her back as her scarf fluttered in the wind.

“Time to restore Harmony at sonic speeds! Kamen Rider Unicorn: Nasca Cross!”

Author's Note

Sorry to those who may be disappointed by the reveal of the Dopant's identity. There's a reason I didn't add the "Mystery" tag.

Next time, the thrilling conclusion!

S: Special Episode! / Case Closed!

“I… I… I don’t know what I’m seeing, folks. Unicorn and Nasca… they’ve… merged somehow!”

Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof stared agasp at the tv, their jaws hanging open at the image displayed on the screen. Behind them, Rainbow Dash was still deep asleep, only now she was smiling.

***

“Incredible!” Twilight shouted as she pressed her face up against her laptop screen. “Combining the powers of the Unicorn and Nasca Memories together… I didn’t even know they could do that! Come on, Sunset! Show that Dopant who’s boss!”

Nearby, a napping Spike raised an ear at the noise, tilting his head up with a sleepy, “Huh?... What’s going…?” With a yawn, Spike went right back to sleep.

***

Power surged through Sunset’s body, power like nothing she had ever felt before. Arcs of blue and orange energy leapt across her form, energizing her previously fatigued body and filling her with renewed strength. Her fingers curled eagerly around the hilt of her sword, getting a feel for the new weapon. Yet, in the back of her mind, Sunset couldn’t shake the sudden feeling of deja vu, like she’d used this sword before.

You haven’t, but I have, Rainbow’s voice spoke in her head, an image of a grinning Rainbow popping into her head as well. You’ve got Nasca’s power now, so anything I can do, so can you! Now use it to show that turkey you don’t mess with a Kamen Rider!

Got it! Sunset replied back, staring up at the towering form of the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant. Somewhere inside this monster lay another monster in the form of Spoiled Milk, a greedy, self-centered woman who abused everyone around her and saw her daughter as little more than an object to obey her every whim. Spoiled’s desires had already been twisted from the start, the influence of the Quetzalcoatlus Memory had only succeeded in twisting them further, elevating them into a god complex.

No matter how much she believes herself to be a god, she’s still a criminal, which means... Pointing her sword at the Dopant, electric yellow wings burst from her shoulders as her and Rainbow shouted together, “Time to restore Harmony at sonic speeds! Kamen Rider Unicorn: Nasca Cross!”

“Change your armor all you want, it matters not!” Spoiled Milk countered, her massive talons digging craters across the highway. “I’ll still tear you to pieces with my own hands!” Screeching loudly, the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant beat her wings and blew a fierce gust of wind towards Unicorn, sending pieces of debris flying across the highway and toppling the abandoned cars still scattered across the tarmac.

Unicorn stood unflinching against the wind, her scarves fluttering behind her. “Yeesh, what a blowhard…” In a burst of speed, Unicorn blitzed down the highway, her wings creating a yellow trail in her wake.

In response, Spoiled grabbed a pair of abandoned cars in her talons and hurled them towards Unicorn, hoping to crush her beneath them. Sunset didn’t even blink as the hunks of metal hurtled towards her, leaping into the air. Arcs of vermillion energy flowed from her feet as she ran horizontally across the hood of the first car before leaping to the second one and using it as a springboard to shoot herself above the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant’s head.

Gripping the hilt of her sword with both hands, Unicorn raised it over her head as she plummeted towards the Dopant and slammed her sword into Spoiled’s head. Sparks flew in every direction as the steel blade met hardened scales, forcing Sunset to grit her teeth as she tightened her grip on her sword.

In a flash of light, the blade cut through the scales like a hot knife through butter, sending Unicorn falling to the ground as she sliced straight through the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant from head to talon, leaving a glowing slash down the length of the massive Dopant’s body. Spoiled barely had time to cry out before she became engulfed in a massive explosion, the fireball visible from clear across the city.

Silence hung in the air as Unicorn stood up, gazing into the wall of flames. “3…”

“2…”

“1…” As if on cue, a bladed tail sliced through the flames towards Unicorn, only for her to easily sidestep it and grab the writhing tail with her free hand. “Knew it!” As the tail struggled in her grip, Unicorn brought up her sword and sliced off a good two feet of tail, earning a shrill shriek in return from behind the flames.

“This turkey doesn’t know when to quit, does she?” As the flames died down, Unicorn looked across the highway at the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant, who was nursing her severed tail in her claws.

“Damn it…” Spoiled grunted, glaring at the Kamen Rider with hatred in her eyes. “You’ll pay for this!” Extending her wings, the Dopant shot into the air, clearly intent on fleeing to fight another day.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Running up onto the roof of a nearby vehicle, Unicorn extended her electric yellow wings as she took off after the fleeing Dopant, a mini sonic boom following in her wake as she streaked through the sky.

Glancing over her shoulder, Spoiled growled at the sight of the pursuing Unicorn. Whirling around, her gullet bulged to larger than ever before as she hurled a car-sized fireball at Unicorn.

As the fireball bore towards her, slapped her left hip port.

\ NASCA CHARGE! /

Holding her sword straight out in front of her, a swirling mix of turquoise and azure blue energy swirled around her body as she shot forward like a bullet, driving the point of her sword straight into the fireball and causing it pop like an overinflated balloon, obscuring her in a cloud of acrid smoke.

Hovering in mid-air, the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant squinted as she tried to see through the wall of smoke. After a moment, the smoke began to dissipate, revealing that Unicorn had vanished. As much as Spoiled wanted to believe she had finally rid herself of Unicorn once and for all, even she was suspicious of how remarkably easy that had been.

"Where— Squawk!” Spoiled was knocked from the air as something smashed into her from behind, slamming into her spine and sending her plummeting towards the ground. Desperately trying to steady herself, she extended her leather wings outward in an attempt to catch the wind and slow her descent.

A blue blur out the corner of her eye was her only warning before a silver blade sliced through her left wing, cutting clean through it and rendering it utterly useless. With only one wing, all Spoiled could hope to do was flail about wildly before she slammed into the ground, hard enough to send up a cloud of dust from the impact. As she struggled to pull herself free from the imprint she had carved into the ground, she looked up to see Unicorn drift down across from her, setting down gracefully as her electric wings vanished.

“No more running, Spoiled,” Unicorn said, looking down at the battered Dopant. “Surrender now and pay for your crimes.”

“Never!” Pounding her claws against the ground, she pulled herself and snarled as she snapped her claws and summoned a troop of her halberd wielding butlers. Pointed a claw at Unicorn, she commanded, “Destroy her!”

“I’m getting reeeaaalll sick of these guys…”Rainbow remarked as the four constructs ran towards them and quickly surrounded them. “Any ideas?”

“I think I have something in mind...” Holding out her left hand, a turquoise glow coalesced around her horn as a second silver sword materialized in her other hand, held reverse style with the blade pointing towards the ground. Gripping both swords, Sunset brought them up and slammed the hilts together at the base, causing them to become engulfed in a bright flash of light. When the light faded, the two swords had merged together at the hilt, the combined handle lengthening considerably to create a double-bladed staff, electricity crackling across the length of the weapon.

“Sweet!” Spinning the weapon above their head, the image of Rainbow in Sunset’s mind was grinning from ear to ear. “Come on, Unicorn…”

“... Let’s make this showy!”

At once, the four constructs charged the Kamen Rider, swinging their halberds with deadly intent. With ease, Unicorn sidestepped one, ducked under another, leapt over a third and finally kicked the fourth one in the chest as he came in for a swing, sending him reeling back. Spinning on her heel, she slashed the three nearby constructs across the chest with such speed that it appeared to the naked eye they had all been struck simultaneously.

Running up to the first one as he regained his footing, she slashed him diagonally across the chest before spinning her staff around and slashing him again with the other end, carving an X shaped mark in his tailored suit. Before he could bring his weapon up, she braced one end of her staff against the ground as she used it like a pole vault to kick the construct in the chest, pushing against him and using the momentum to flip herself up and bring her staff up to slash him vertical across the chest…

… Before flipping over and bringing her blade down on the second construct, slicing clean through his halberd as he held it up to try and block her attack and slashing him vertical across the chest. As her feet touched the ground, both constructs fell back and dissipated in a flash of golden light, leaving the two remaining constructs as they stood ready to oppose her.

Removing her left hand from the weapon, Unicorn triggered the Nasca Memory in her left port once more.

\ NASCA CHARGE! /

Gripping the staff again with both hands, Unicorn held it at her side as turquoise and azure blue fields of energy wrapped around the bladed ends, creating blades of pure energy extending from both ends of the weapon.

“CROSS SLASH!”

With a swing of her staff, a crescent arc of energy shot from the first blade to cleave through the left construct before swinging her blade around a second time and slicing the right construct with a second crescent arc from the back blade. Turning her back to them, she turned her attention back towards the Quetzalcoatlus Dopant as the last two constructs faded away.

“Destroy my servants all you want, I’ll just make more!” Raising her hand, Spoiled snapped her claws again… only for nothing to happen. Glancing at her hand, she tried snapping again and again, receiving the same response each time. “Im-impossible…”

“Looks like you’re out of servants,” Unicorn said as she began walking towards the Dopant, gripping her staff tightly in her right hand.

“W-wait!” Spoiled pleaded, holding her hands out shakily in front of her as she took unsteady steps back from the advancing Rider. “We can work something out! I have powerful connections! I can get you anything you want! Power, fame, money, anything! Just name it and it’s yours!”

Unicorn suddenly stopped, lowering her head in seeming contemplation.Without raising her head, she coldly replied, “You attack my home, put countless people at risk, injure my partner, threaten and abuse your own daughter in a cruel attempt to lord over your husband… and after all that, you still have the nerve to try and bribe me with worthless platitudes!?” Her shoulders shook with barely repressed anger as she triggered the Nasca Memory twice in quick succession.

\VERMILLION MODE!//

The Nasca symbol on Unicorn’s left breast glowed golden as vermillion energy began to flow along the lines running across her body, feeding the energy to her armor as the blue sections of armor transitioned to an identical orange color. An electric aura surrounded her body, letting off frequent bolts of vermillion lightning.

“There’s nothing you could possibly give me… because I already have everything I could ever ask for.”

Blitzing forward, Unicorn shortened the distance between them in an instant, slashing Spoiled at the waist as she passed her by before whirling around and slashing her across the back.

“You—!” Spinning around, Spoiled snarled as she brandished her claws and charged at the Unicorn. Throwing a punch, her fist was easily caught by Unicorn, who shoved it aside before punching the Dopant square in the jaw. As Spoiled stumbled back, Unicorn slashed twice diagonal across her chest, creating a shower of sparks as Spoiled flew back and flopped onto her back, struggling to get back on her feet.

“It’s over, Spoiled Milk.” Tossing her weapon aside, Unicorn reached for the Nasca Memory and transferred it to her right hip port, pressing on the trigger.

} NASCA! MAXIMUM DRIVE! {<

A maelstrom of vermillion and turquoise energy wrapped around Unicorn, sparking outward from her body. As the energy channeled down her body to gather at her feet, Unicorn braced herself as she leapt into the air, her electric wings shooting from her shoulders as she dove towards the Dopant.

“VERMILLION CROSS BREAK!”

The Quetzalcoatlus Dopant got to her feet in time to witness as Unicorn dove towards her, kicking her hard in the chest. As the energy shot through her body, Spoiled had enough time to cry out, “Curse you… UNICORN!” before exploding in a massive ball of fire that consumed both her and Unicorn.

As the tower of flames touched the sky, the blare of police sirens filled the air as six or seven police cruisers came squealing to a halt at the scene, numerous officers running out and staring at the fire.

“Look!” One of the officers shouted, pointing to a silhouette visible in the flames.

The flames parted like water as Unicorn stepped forward, carrying an unconscious Spoiled Milk in her arms. Behind her, the shattered remains of the Quetzalcoatlus Memory melted into slag in the flames. As several officers ran up to her, Unicorn knelt down and laid Spoiled gently on the ground before stepping back as the head officer reached down and placed his finger against Spoiled’s neck in search of a pulse.

Finding a steady pulse, he glanced back towards a nearby officer and shouted, “Call an ambulance!” As the officer ran to do just that, the head officer stood up and regarded the Kamen Rider. “Thanks for the assistance, Kamen Rider… err…” He scratched his head as he tried to figure which of the two he was speaking to. “Unicorn? Nasca?”

“Yes.”

Blinking, he shook his head. “Anyway, while we appreciate the help…” Signalling to his men, almost a dozen pistols were pointed in Unicorn’s direction. “...we’re going to need you to come down to the station and answer some questions.”

Time to bale? Rainbow asked.

Yep. In a blink, Unicorn spread her electric wings and shot off into the sky, knocking the officer’s caps from their heads from the burst of wind generated from the takeoff. By the time the officers looked up, she was already a speck in the distance.

From the roof of a nearby building, Kamen Rider Equal observed the scene with disinterest. “So… it took them combining their powers to take down that weakling? Pathetic.” Scoffing, she turned her back to the scene and began to walk away. “Seems I was right in letting them hold onto the Memories for me. Once I’ve located the remaining Memories, retrieving the rest will be child’s play.

“Now, all that’s left is for Double Diamond to finish tying up our little ‘loose end’...”

***

Hours later, Shining Armor cruised down the road in his police cruiser, passing through the industrial sector of the city. He never liked coming here, the fumes expelled from the numerous manufacturing plants in the area made him sick to his stomach. Still, he had been called here specifically to inspect a crime scene, so all he could do was suck it up and get on with his duties.

Soon, Shining spotted the banner of yellow police tape sectioning off the scene, a pair of officers stationed at the edge of the scene. Pulling to a stop nearby, Shining Armor exited his cruiser and walked over to the two officers, who eyed him as she approached.

“Shining Armor, Special Crimes Unit,” Shining Armor introduced himself, flashing his badge. The two officers nodded their heads before stepping aside to let him step under the police tape. As he walked onto the scene, he gauged the area around him.

Forensic investigators paced back and forth, marking potential evidence around them before taking photos for review. Shining Armor made sure to watch his step as he walked by, not wanting to accidentally destroy critical evidence. In the centre of the scene stood one of his fellow officers, standing next to a still body covered with a white sheet. The man had short blue hair similar to Shining’s and light brown skin. In addition to his regular uniform, he was also wearing a red scarf around his neck.

“Spearhead?”

The other officer turned at the sound of his name, smiling at the sight of Shining Armor. “About time you got here. I said I needed you down here asap.”

“Yeah, well I was stuck dealing with the paperwork from the last monster attack, so I got here as fast as I could.” Standing next to Spearhead, Shining glanced down at the white sheet at his feet. “Is this…”

Spearhead sighed, his smile disappearing. “Wish I had some good news for you, buddy, but…” The two men crouched down next to the body as Spearhead pulled back the sheet covering the face.

Staring back at them were the lifeless eyes of a man in his late forties, his face literally frozen in a look of sheer terror as a thick layer of ice clung to his body.

Shining recognized him instantly. “Open Skies… damn it,” Shining said, sighing as he hung his head. “He was our only lead in tracking down whoever’s distributing these monster making devices.” Looking over at Spearhead, he asked, “Who found him?”

“Garbage man. Guy nearly tripped over the body as he was collecting the trash. Spooked him real good.”

“Time of death?”

“Don’t know, Forensics can’t get a clear TOD considering he’s frozen straight through. It’s as if whoever killed him dunked him in a vat of liquid nitrogen afterwards.”

“So you’re certain it was murder?”

“Yep. Signs of a struggle, clear defensive wounds on the victim, not to mention if he did fall into a vat of LN, he sure as hell didn’t climb out of it himself.” Standing up, Spearhead stuck his hands in his pockets as he gazed down at the body. “I don’t know, Shining. Something doesn’t sit right with me about all this.”

“How?” Shining inquired, standing up as well.

“For starters, whoever did this didn’t even attempt to hide the body, just leaving it out in the open for anyone to stumble across. Almost like he was trying to send a message.”

“Or a warning,” Shining surmised, glancing around the area. “We’ve suspected Open Skies might have had ties to the organization distributing these devices, so it’s possible he mistakenly crossed the wrong person and ended up paying the ultimate price as an example to others.”

“I was thinking the same thing, but that’s not the scariest part of all this.” Glancing down at the body, a glimmer of fear passed across Spearhead’s face. “The method in which he was… ‘dealt with’, leads me to a, if you’ll pardon the pun, chilling conclusion that they might very well not just be distributing these things… but using them as well.”

“Based on some of the reports I’ve read, you might not be too far off.” Sighing, Shining ran a hand through his hair. “Course, that doesn’t exactly make me feel better about this whole situation.”

“I don’t know, Shining… I think we might be in over our heads in all this. We’re police officers, not monster hunters! Maybe we should call in some help on this.”

“Like who? S.W.A.T? FBI?”

“Actually…” Spearhead seemed nervous, sweat dripping down his forehead as he said, “I was thinking about calling in some more… ‘local’ help.”

Whipping around, Shining’s gaze bore into Spearhead, making him sweat even more. “Are you suggesting we call those two ‘Kamen Riders’ to help?” Shining’s tone was even, but there was no mistaking the simmering anger behind his words.

“Well, I… it’s just…” Using his scarf to dab at his sweating forehead, he cowered beneath Shining’s gaze. “You’ve seen what they can do, right? Besides, Gotham always has Batman to call upon in these kinds of situations, so I was just—”

“This isn’t a comic book!” Shining Armor barked, drawing the attention of nearby investigators. “We are the Canterlot Police Department and we are not about to call in a pair of vigilantes to do our jobs for us! For all we know, they could very well be in league with the organization behind these things, or did you not stop to consider that?”

Spearhead gulped loudly. “But—”

“But nothing! I don’t want to hear another word about ‘Kamen Riders’ unless it’s to tell me you have them both in cuffs! Understand?”

Reluctantly, Spearhead nodded his head, gripping his scarf tightly like a security blanket. Nearby forensic investigators went right back to work, lest they find themselves on the receiving end of Shining’s anger. Without another word, Shining Armor stomped off back to his cruiser to report to headquarters.

***

“Freedom!” Scootaloo shouted as she blitzed down the front steps of Canterlot High on her scooter. “First one to the field is a rotten egg!” she shouted over her shoulder as she took off, leaving her fellow Crusaders in the dust.

“Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle huffed as she took chase after the daredevil.

Apple Bloom was about to chase after her as well but stopped when she noticed a figure sitting solemnly against the side of the school. Sparing one more glance at her friends, Apple Bloom turned and walked towards the figure. “Hey, Diamond Tiara...”

Diamond Tiara glanced up, scowling at Apple Bloom. “What do you want? Come to gloat?”

“I… I just wanted to see if you were alright.” Apple Bloom muttered, sitting down next to Diamond Tiara. “I… I heard what happened to your parents…”

“I’m not surprised,” Diamond Tiara muttered dismissively, refusing to even glance at Apple Bloom. “I’m sure the whole school knows by now how awful my mother was and what she did to Father and me…” She drew her legs up to her chest as she buried her face in her knees.

An awkward silence began to settle over them. Coughing, Apple Bloom asked, “How’s your dad? I heard he was in the hospital.”

“He’s alright,” Diamond Tiara replied after a moment, raising her head slightly. “The doctor’s said his injuries weren’t that serious, so they released him. Right now he’s busy doing damage control after everything that’s happened.”

“That’s good,” Apple Bloom replied, her smile disappearing when Diamond Tiara didn’t respond back. After a moment, Apple Bloom stood back up, holding her hands behind her back. “So… me and the other Crusaders were thinkin’ about headin’ out to the field for a game.”

“And this concerns me how?” Diamond Tiara bitterly replied.

“And I was wonderin’g if ya’ll wouldn’t mind joinin’ us?” Turning back around, Apple Bloom smiled. “We could always use another player.”

Diamond Tiara felt her heart leap into her throat, a horde of butterflies fluttering around in her stomach as she glanced away. “You… you really let me join? No joking?”

“Yep!” Still grinning, Apple Bloom extended her hand out to Diamond Tiara. “Come on, it’ll be fun!”

Diamond Tiara sat petrified as she stared wide-eyed at Apple Bloom’s outstretched hand. Glancing up, she studied Apple Bloom’s face for even a glimmer of deceit or dishonesty, only to find none. A sliver of a smile poked at the edge of her lips as she reached up and grabbed Apple Bloom’s hand with her own. “I… I’d like that…”

***

Case Report: Quetzalcoatlus Dopant

Looking back over previous cases, I don’t think I’ve ever been more relieved to see it finally come to an end than I was with this one. This Dopant was a league above anything we’ve faced before, and yet I can’t help but feel that this won’t be last time we encounter something like this. Knowing that though, I know for certain we’ll be much better prepared next time one shows up.

After everything she’s done, Spoiled Milk will undoubtedly face heavy charges, but that might not be for some time as she’s been unconscious ever since her fight against Unicorn, possibly due to feedback from the destruction of the Quetzalcoatlus Memory. Despite everything, though, I can’t help but wish that when she does wake up she receives the proper medical help she deserves.

Moving on to good news, the Judge, unsurprisingly, ruled overwhelmingly in Filthy Rich’s favour, granting him full custody of his daughter. From what Applejack has told me, Diamond Tiara seems to be doing much better now that she’s been freed from her mother’s influence, even making friends with Apple Bloom and her friends. So happy endings all around!

I’ve witnessed first hand how Gaia Memories can twist even the noblest of people into something dark, but Spoiled Milk proves yet again that they’re the most dangerous when in the hands of someone who has no qualms about abusing such power for their own ends.

A sharp whistle reached Twilight’s ears, making her blink as a can of pop was held between her and her laptop screen. Glancing up, she smiled as she took the can from Sunset. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Popping the tab on her own can, Sunset flopped down onto her couch and took a quick sip. The two of them were relaxing in Sunset’s loft, which was a much-needed reprieve after the chaotic madness of the last few days. “Almost done your report?”

“Almost. Actually…” Closing her laptop, Twilight set it aside as she looked over at Sunset. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask. It’s about that form you achieved by combining the powers of the Unicorn and Nasca Memories together.”

“You mean Nasca Cross?”

“Yeah. I didn’t even know you could perform a Mimetic Drive with the Nasca Memory, though in hindsight it does make a certain kind of sense.” Sparing a moment to take a sip of pop, she added, “However, I seem to recall you mentioning how it was different from your previous forms?”

“That’s because I wasn’t alone this time. I had Dash with me in spirit the whole time, quite literally in fact.” Setting her pop can on the coffee table, Sunset leaned back against the couch. “Thinking about it, I guess it’s similar to how you access the Infinite Library, though Dash’s consciousness didn’t just leave her body, it went into the Nasca Memory and then transferred to me when I activated it.”

“Really? What was that like?” Twilight eagerly asked, her eyes taking on an analytical look. “Having two people sharing a body like that?”

“It was—” Sunset was interrupted by an abrupt knock on her door. “Hmm? Now who could that be?” Getting up, Sunset walked over to the door and peered through the peephole. Gasping, she threw the door open, staring wide-eyed at the person standing on the other side. “Rainbow Dash?!”

“What, were you expecting Daring Do?” Rainbow Dash replied with a cheeky grin.

“Shouldn’t you still be in the hospital?” Sunset asked as she looked Rainbow up and down. The rainbow-haired girl still looked like she’d been put through the ringer, with gauze still wrapped around both her forearms and a few bandages stuck to her face, all while balancing on a pair of crutches due to the protective brace on her right leg and foot.

“Hey, give me some credit!” Rainbow replied, jabbing a finger against Sunset’s chest. “I may not be some kind of magical otherworldly pony like you, but I’ve got my own ‘Friendship Magic’ too! Sides, I’ve been through worse. The docs said as long as I don’t do anything too strenuous, I should be back on my feet in a couple of weeks.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“So… ya gonna let me in or not?”

“Oh! Sorry!” Blushing slightly, Sunset stepped aside to let Rainbow hobble inside before closing the door behind her and walking back to the couch.

“Rainbow!” Twilight’s eyes seemed to sparkle at the sight of the rainbow-haired girl. “You’re just in time!”

“Uh… hi, Twilight,” Rainbow greeted, looking almost worried as she asked, “In time for what?”

“Well, I was asking Sunset about the nature of the form you used to defeat Spoiled Rich, and your input could prove very useful.”

“Sure!” Making her way around the couch to the other side, Rainbow sat down next to Twilight. Setting her crutches aside, she asked, “What ya want to know?”

“Well, Sunset was just about to tell me what it was like, having two people sharing the same body.”

“It was weird,” Rainbow and Sunset both replied in unison, sharing a quick glance before Rainbow shouted, “Jinx! I’ll be taking that!” Snagging Sunset’s abandoned can of pop, she quickly chugged it down, ignoring Sunset’s pointed glare. Smacking her lips, Rainbow held up a finger for a moment before letting loose a loud belch. “Ah, that hit the spot. But seriously, it was pretty surreal sharing a body like that. I didn’t think about it much since we were a little busy at the time, but it certainly felt like I wasn’t in my own body at the time. What’s that thing where people feel like their soul leaves their body for a bit?”

“Out of body experience?” Twilight replied.

“Yeah, that’s it. Gotta say, as sweet as it was to kick that turkey’s butt together like that, I kinda hope we don’t have to do that again if we can help it.”

“That makes two of us, then,” Sunset interjected, flopping back onto the couch after going to grab another can of pop from the fridge. “No offense, Rainbow, but having you in my head like that was creepy. Just the way I could hear your voice like you were standing right next to me, or how I just knew how to use your sword and all of Nasca’s abilities…” Shaking her head, Sunset held her can up as she met Rainbow’s eyes. “Here’s to not having to do that again?”

“Here, here!” Knocking her own can against Sunset’s, the pair took a long sip. In perfect unison, the pair loudly belched before breaking out into shared laughter.

Twilight sighed, looking a touch disappointed. “Are you sure you two couldn’t do it again? Just once? Just think about the data I could get if you let me—” Pausing, Twilight glanced down. “I’ll… be right back.” Shooting to her feet, Twilight bolted for the bathroom.

Rainbow chuckled as the door to the bathroom slammed shut. Scooting closer to Sunset, Rainbow threw her arm over Sunset’s shoulders, a devilish grin slowly spreading across her lips. “Sooo…”

“So…?” Sunset echoed, eying Rainbow suspiciously out of the corner of her eye as she took a drink from her can of pop.

“When are you going to ask Twilight out already?”

Sunset sputtered, gagging as pop went down her windpipe and up her nose. After taking a moment to clear her airways, she whipped around to glare at Rainbow. “Wh—What!? I don’t—”

“Oh, no!” Rainbow cut her off, her grin only widening. “You ain’t fooling me anymore. See, while I was in that head of yours, I couldn’t help but pick up on a few things. Most of them weren’t anything new, but one thing I did see loud and clear was your little crush on a certain egghead. It’s the glasses, isn’t it? You’ve got a thing for girls with glasses, don’t you?”

“Wha—No!” Sunset replied as she pulled away from Rainbow Dash. “That’s not it!”

“So you just have a thing for smart girls then, right?” Rainbow Dash said. “Or are you just a really big fan of purple?”

“No, I— You’ve got it all wrong!” Sunset sputtered, staring wide-eyed at the still grinning Rainbow. “Twilight and me are friends! Just friends!”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow, the grin still plastered across her face making it clear she wasn’t buying it one bit. “‘Just friends’, huh? Well then…” Grabbing her crutches and standing up, she waited for Sunset to raise her can to her lips before asking, “So you don’t mind if I ask Twilight out on a date then?”

Unsurprisingly, Sunset once more had to endure pop shooting up her nose. “What!?” She shouted, glowering at Rainbow Dash.

“What? It’s not my fault Twilight’s cute in that adorably nerdy way. And since you two are ‘Just friends’, that means you shouldn’t have a problem with me asking her out, right? Oh, won’t Twilight be surprised when I tell her all about your little crush on her!”

“Don’t. You. Dare.” Sunset hissed through clenched teeth, gripping her can of pop tight enough to risk crushing it.

“Calm down, I know when to keep my mouth shut. Course…” Glancing over her shoulder at Sunset, Rainbow’s grin seemed to only widen, if that was even possible. “... you’ll have to catch me first!” Laughing, Rainbow Dash took off.

“Rainbow Dash, get back here!” Sunset shouted, leaping to her feet and taking off after her friend.

“Sorry about that!” Twilight said as she exited the bathroom. “Now, where were—” Twilight stopped, blinking at the sight that greeted her. Sunset and Rainbow Dash were running around and around the room in a big circle like two characters out of a cartoon as Sunset desperately tried to catch a madly cackling Rainbow Dash. Even hobbling on crutches though, Rainbow was still managing to outpace Sunset at every turn.

“Run, run, as fast as you can! Can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread M—”

“Hold still so I can strangle you!”

Twilight blinked again, snapping her jaw shut. “Uhhh… did I miss something?”