Kamen Rider Scarab

"Do you ever wonder how we do it?" Sea Spray asked as she looked out at Ponyville from the balcony of the Golden Oaks Library.

"Do what?" Jasper asked as she stood next to her friend.

"Keep living like this every day," Sea sighed a little as she looked down at a group of fillies that were playing with a ball in the street below. "We're just doing this like there isn't a constant threat of the Changelings every day. Anyone of us could be grabbed and taken away. How do we survive every day?"

"Yeah, it's weird," Jasper said as she thought about it for a long moment. "If you ask me though, it's because we know that it could happen at any time."

"What do you mean?"

"We live in the moment, we know that life and freedom are fleeting, so we hold onto the hope that nothing will happen," Jasper said with a shrug. The Pegasus mare turned around and leaned on the railing as she gave Sea Spray a smile. "The fact is that most ponies these days only know this life. Imagine if tomorrow the Changeling Princesses themselves came into town and apologized for what they'd done and let us live wherever we want. What would happen then?"

"We wouldn't know what to do," Sea Spray said with a slight nod. "All we've ever known is the Safe Zone. Sure there are older ponies like your Grandmothers, but they can only teach us so much."

"Sea, you've been given a rare opportunity that nopony else in this town has been given," Jasper said. "I have to admit, I'm a little jealous. You have the chance to actually do something about this. To change the world, and show these ponies that we don't have to live in fear. That we don't have to live day to day as we have for years."

"I'm no fighter," Sea Spray said with a sigh as she looked at her Driver for a moment. "I was willing to save you and the others because it was the right thing to do. Scootaloo was in danger and I ran to her aid because I didn't want you to lose her. I don't know if I'm going to be able to fight against the next Changeling that comes into town."

"No one's going to force you to do anything," Jasper said as she looked at the town for a moment. "Do you remember those games we used to play growing up?"

"Oh yeah, we always dreamed of being warriors or superheroes or whatever," Sea Spray said with a chuckle as she thought back to her foalhood for a long moment. "We always dreamed of fighting the Changelings and doing what we could to stop them from causing trouble. But those were just childish fantasies, this is real life."

"Maybe, but at the same time you have the power to do it," Jasper said with a soft smile as she looked at the Scarab beetle that was resting on Sea's head. "What do you think Scarab thingy?"

"She does realize she can't hear me right?" The Scarab said in Sea's mind.

"Yeah, she does, but I don't think she cares that much," Sea said with a chuckle as she looked back at Jasper for a moment. "He says you realize you can't hear him right?"

"You've got a snarky mechanical bug, cute," Jasper said with a laugh. "But seriously, what does it say?"

"While I don't like the idea of fighting against Changelings..." Scarab said which made Sea roll her eyes a little bit. "I do have to admit I've taken a bit of a liking to you strange, pony thing. Don't let it go to your head though. You wanted the power to help your friends and get away from the Changelings. I've given you that power. What you do with it is entirely up to you."

"He doesn't seem to like the idea of fighting Changelings," Sea Spray said as she shrugged a little. "But he does say that it's up to me. All he did was give me the power, what I do with it is my choice."

"A decent summary," the Scarab said.

"Ah, well that's not very helpful," Jasper said with a laugh and Sea joined in a moment later as the two smiled a little bit. Sea looked at the weird Scarab for a moment before Jasper spoke up again. "So how do you know it's a he?"

"He's got a male voice," Sea said with a shrug. "That's about as good a reason as I can think of. Really I don't know, do you even have a gender?"

"Princess Dusk Shadow did not take gender into consideration when making myself or my siblings," the Scarab answered. "However if you must assign a gender to me, then calling me male would be acceptable."

"Alright, male it is," Sea said with a shrug as she looked back down at the town for a long moment. "Do you really think I'm capable of doing this, Jasper?"

"Sea, you're one of the bravest ponies I've ever known," Jasper said with a smile. "If anypony can keep this town safe from the Changelings it's you. Well, really it better be you because right now we're screwed if you can't."

"But no pressure, right?" Sea asked with a roll of her eyes.

"Yeah, no pressure," Jasper said with a chuckle. "But really, I think if you try your best you'll do fine. This is our town, and we're going to do everything we can to defend it. That was the pledge we all made, right?"

“To keep our fellow ponies from being lost and defend it when we can,” Sea Spray said as she looked out at the town again. “That doesn’t make me any less worried though. I’m not even sure how to fight on my hind legs like this apparently requires.”

“You will get used to it in time,” Scarab’s voice answered. “Do not worry about that for now.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Sea Spray said as she looked at the Scarab and then back at Jasper for a moment. “I guess I kind of asked for this didn’t I?”

“How’s that?” Jasper asked curiously.

“When we were in that cage the Scarab asked what I wished,” Sea Spray said as she held her hoof out and the Scarab landed on it. “I wanted to get us out of there and keep the Changelings from hurting anypony again. You gave me exactly what I asked for. Now I just have to find it in myself to use it.”

“Hmm... I’ve got an idea,” Jasper said as she fell forward onto her forelegs. “Come with me. I know just where to take you.”

“We better not be going to the bar again,” Sea Spray groaned as they walked together. “Because I do not want a repeat of your last birthday.”

“Oh come on, you enjoyed it,” Jasper said with a laugh.

“We woke up in the same bed the next morning, I nearly had a heart attack!” Sea protested.

“You’re only mad that I got under your tail that night,” Jasper said with a laugh as they headed into the library. “It’s not my fault you can’t hold your liquor.”

“You did no such thing! And you were drunker than I was!”

“Really? Because I remember you basically throwing yourself at me,” Sea Spray laughed. “Come on, it wasn’t that bad was it?”

Scarab just listened to the two of them argue from his perch on Sea’s head as he let out a light chuckle. These ponies were interesting creatures. He had not been programmed to work with Ponies, however, and his first thought should have been to return to his intended mistress.

However, there was something about this Sea Spray mare that intrigued him. Perhaps if he stayed a little longer he’d learn more about ponies. And that could only do good for the Hive, right?

00000

“You realize the Queen is not going to tolerate you trying to go after Scootaloo again, right?” Moonbeam said as she and Prism walked down the streets of Cloudsdale together.

“Hardly a concern, ponies belong in the Hive,” the voice of the hive echoed around them. “One must add to the greater whole.”

“I know that,” Prism said as she snorted indignantly. “And if it wasn’t for that mare I would have succeeded before.”

Moonbeam looked at Prism for a long moment. She could feel the Princess’ emotions through the Hive, even if she kept her own guarded. Prism was angry, sad, regretful, a weird mix of emotions was coming from the Princess. Moonbeam stroked her chin thoughtfully as she examined the rainbow-maned Changeling Princess.

“She is part of your old life, that is why you want her in the Hive is it not?” She asked curiously.

“Yes!” Prism said angrily. “She is… she was the closest thing I ever had to a sister before now. I just want what’s best for her. The Hive is my family now.”

“Do all the Princesses feel this way?” Moonbeam asked. “If I recall, Crab Apple and Elusive have sisters in the Safe Zone too.”
“I don’t know, you’d have to ask them,” Prism snorted. “The Cloudsdale Hive are the warriors of the Great Hive. We’re the first line of defense in the event that the Ponies ever try something. I don’t see why we don’t just convert the whole lot of them, would save us a lot of trouble.”

“Maybe, but you cannot allow your emotions to get in the way,” Moonbeam said. “This is your Hive, they feel and connect with your emotions as well as each other. If you continue on this path, you will suffer more losses trying to get one pony than anything else.”

“The Hive must endure, the Hive is more important than one pony,” the voice echoed in the minds of the two female Changelings.

“You’re using my own Hive connection against me, clever,” Prism lamented with a shake of her head. “Didn’t think some bodyguard would be this smart.”

“You shouldn’t underestimate me,” Moonbeam said with a fanged grin. “I am not one of her Majesty’s top enforcers for nothing after all.”

“We will not disappoint her Majesty,” Prism said as they stopped on the edge of the clouds and looked out towards the barely visible Ponyville in the distance. “But the Hive is getting restless. We’ve lived for decades on the promises of being able to survive without having to rely on Pony love.”

“Feed… love cannot sustain us all forever…” The Hive echoed. “Harmony calls for a Hive that needs no outside help for food.”

“The Hive has survived for generations on this, you cannot expect it to be solved overnight,” Moonbeam said as she stared out at the town. “The Eastern Hives are making progress, however. Her Majesty believes that it will only be a matter of time before they succeed in perfecting the technique.”

“Good,” Prism said with a hiss. “In the meantime, we still have to deal with this new threat to the Hive. My warriors will do what they can, but I can’t imagine it will be easy.”

“No, but the time will come when we will be able to use our own armored soldiers,” Moonbeam pointed out.

“Yes, I know,” Prism said. “And I will make sure that I get my revenge on that mare for stealing the Driver from me. My Drones will make sure that it’s back in our hooves soon enough.”

“Ponies are not worthy of the power of the Hive Warriors,” the hive echoed.

“And when we’re done, she will join the Hive,” Prism said as she ran her tongue along slowly along her fangs. “She will rue the day she stole from me.”

“You said that already.”

“I know, just reaffirming it,” Prism said as a voice reached out to them in the Hive.

“My Princess, I am ready with my Combat Form,” the voice of the Drone Stormwind said over the combined voices. “I am ready to go to Ponyville on your command.”

“It is given,” Prism replied. “Bring back the Change Driver and the mare who dared steal it from us. Show her the true joy that comes with living in Harmony with her brothers and sisters of the Hive.”

“Yes my Princess,” Stormwind answered.

00000

“So, why are we here?” Sea Spray asked as they headed towards a building in Ponyville’s center. “I mean, it’s just the old Orphanage, I’ve been here a million times.”

“Yeah, but this time we’re here to put things in perspective,” Jasper said as they stopped by a playground that had been set up. Fillies and colts were playing on the equipment, a few of them noticed the mares and waved at them. “Do you see what I mean?”

“I think so,” Sea Spray said as she watched the foals play for a moment.

“Everypony in the Safe Zone is warned about the Changelings,” Jasper said. “We don’t hide our foals from the truth because doing so would only put them in more danger. Do we live in fear of what might happen though? No, we live our lives day to day as I said. But we need more than just that, we need somepony willing to fight to protect this town, to be something that we haven’t had in a long time.”

“What’s that?”

“The one thing that should never be taken from us,” Jasper sighed. “And the one thing that we’ve had the hardest time holding onto. Hope.”

“So, you want me to be the Hope for Ponyville,” Sea Spray said as she watched the young ponies. “I honestly don’t know if I can actually do that though.”

“Tch, you’re selling yourself short,” the Scarab’s voice said. “You’re a Hive Warrior or Kamen Rider, whatever you ponies want to call it. I don’t give my power to just any being, so you might as well take advantage of it.”

“You’re not helping,” Sea Spray said with a groan.

“Come on, let’s go inside,” Jasper said as she took her friend’s hoof and lead her into the orphanage. “Do you remember what it was like growing up here?”

"Yeah, I remember everything like it was yesterday," Sea Spray said with a sigh as she looked around. The Orphanage was one of the best-kept houses in Ponyville in order to keep the foals comfortable. "Every day hoping that some family would show up and give me a home, which never happened. Why? Because everypony's afraid that the Changelings will come and take them away."

"Yeah, my Grandmas know this all too well," Jasper said. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle ran the orphanage, they had for as long as anypony could remember. "But I also remember something important about that young Unicorn filly. She never gave up, she never gave into the dread that surrounded her."

"I guess I never was faced with it before," Sea Spray sighed. "I'm afraid that if I try doing that again, it'll just get me and anypony else hurt or worse. I'm not cut out for being a hero Jasper."

"Maybe, but you may not have a choice in the matter," Jasper said with a sigh. "Unless you want to just roll over and let the Changelings take the Driver back and probably convert you."

"Miss. Spray, Miss Jasper!" A voice said and they looked up to see a young Earth Pony filly running up to them and hugging the two of them tight. She had a dappled grey coat with some freckles and a blonde mane.

"Hey, Dazzle," Sea Spray said softly as she ruffled the filly's mane a little. "It's good to see you again too kiddo."

"What brings you two here?" Dazzle asked as she looked between the two older ponies curiously for a moment. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

"Well, Sea Spray here just needed a little reminder of what we're fighting for around here," Jasper said as Sea shot her a look."

"What a curious little hatchling, is she yours?" Scarab asked curiously. "I didn't think you had any..."

"No, no, she's just a friend," Sea Spray said quickly. She honestly hadn't expected that reaction from Scarab. While she definitely had no familial connection to Dazzle, she had been one of the fillies that she had connected to best when she still lived in the Orphanage.

"Uh, who are you talking to?" Dazzle asked with a tilt of her head.

"Long story," Sea Spray sighed. "So, how's everypony doing around here?"

"Okay I guess, the usual really," Dazzle said with a shrug as they started walking again. "A couple from Appletown actually came by and adopted a couple of fillies the other day, so there is that. I just wish that you were still here sometimes, Sea, you know?"

Sea paused a moment as she walked past a room and glanced inside. Sitting inside was a Unicorn colt with brown fur and a tan mane. He was staring down at the floor in silence for a moment as he did. Sea Spray's heart dropped at that, she knew that look, there was only one reason a foal would have that look.

"Is he a new arrival?" She asked softly as she looked down at Dazzle.

"Yeah, he just got here yesterday," Dazzle said sadly. "I don't know everything about what happened, but it doesn't sound good."

Sea flinched at that. It meant that the ponies she had freed from the camp weren't the only ones who had been taken away. She gritted her teeth a little, anger was starting to rise in her mind. Most of the foals that wound up in the Orphanage were here because of the Changelings.

Here because they didn't have somepony to protect them. This was what Jasper was showing her. And it just made her angrier as she remembered all the ponies who were hurt because of this. Hope really was a fleeting commodity in this world.

"I think you've made your point, Jasper," Sea said as she looked at the Pegasus mare. "But I'm just one mare, what can I do against the Hive?"

“You’re not just one mare, you’ve got a lot of ponies backing you up,” Jasper said with a smile as she put her wing over her old friend. “You’re never going to be alone. And one group of ponies, even a small one, can do a lot.”

“Yeah, you’ve got the whole town backing you up, even if they don’t know it,” Dazzle said with a big smile. “Whatever you two are talking about, it seems important. Come on, you’re the coolest pony I know. You’ll do fine!”

“Hey, what am I, chopped liver?” Jasper protested with a pout. “I thought I was the coolest pony you knew.”

“Okay fine, you two are tied,” Dazzle giggled. “But seriously Sea, I think you’ll be fine. Just do whatever you feel is needed. Okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Sea Spray said as she rubbed the back of her head a little. She finally smiled a little. Jasper was right, this was exactly what she needed to be reminded of what this town needed.

She was going to give this town back what the Changelings had stolen from it. She was going to give them hope. Or, at least she was going to try to.”

“Thank you, both of you,” Sea Spray finally said after a long moment. “I just hope that I won’t let you down.”

The three ponies shared a hug. None of them noticed that Scootaloo was watching from a nearby room as she closed the door gently. She smiled as she looked back at Sweetie who was using her magic to finish packing things up. The old Pegasus walked over and nuzzled her wife gently, causing her to giggle.

“Well, somepony is affectionate all of a sudden,” Sweetie chuckled. “Is everything okay, Scootaloo? What’s on your mind?”

“Just thinking about everything,” Scootaloo said as she brushed her short mane back a little. “Do you think we should heap all of this on Sea? I mean, we know that she’s the only one who can right now, but maybe we should look into alternatives.”

“I talked to Tinker, she said she can reverse engineer the technology again to make a working Driver,” Sweetie sighed. “But it’s going to take a while to be done. So, what do you suggest?”

“Honestly? I’m not sure,” Scootaloo said as she thought about the young Unicorn. “This place is her home, it’s all she’s ever known. We don’t even know where she came from because she just showed up on the doorstep one day. And then there’s what Vira told me. We don’t know what kind of effects that thing is going to have on her.”

“True, but at the same time it’s not our choice,” Sweetie said thoughtfully for a moment. “Sea Spray is her own mare. She left this Orphanage a few years ago and is on her own. I think we should let her decide instead of taking that choice away from her. As for the effects, well we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. She deserves to know eventually though.”

Scootaloo smiled a little as she kissed her wife on the cheek. “And that’s why I’m glad I married you. You’re so smart and you always know just what to say.”

“Really? I thought it was because you thought my flanks were cute,” Sweetie said with a laugh as she kissed her wife again. “So, when are you going to tell Sea?”

“I don’t know yet, I’ll figure it out,” Scootaloo said with a sigh. “Now I wish we knew more about her family though. I mean, what if she really is half Changeling? What are we going to do if it does something worse to her?”

“Shhh, calm down,” Sweetie said soothingly. “She’s a strong pony and we both know she’ll be okay. I know you’re worried about her, so we’ll do what we can to back her up. The Resistance has survived this long and we’re not going to let these Changelings get the best of us now. We’re not going to let something like yesterday happen again.”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said with a smile as she pressed her head against Sweetie’s. “I love you Sweetie Belle.”

“I love you too Scootaloo,” Sweetie said. “Come on, help me get this packed up. The sooner we get this packed up the fewer things we’ll have to worry about.”

Scootaloo nodded a little as she helped get everything packed up. Some of it was things that belonged to the recently adopted foal and would be sent to Appletown. The rest was just the general things that they used to keep foals comfortable.

She smiled sadly as she remembered back to her own foalhood. Her parents had been on an expedition out of Equestria when the Changelings invaded. She had spent her foalhood after that being raised by her aunts Holiday and Lofty. She didn’t even know what had happened to her parents, but she had always held out the hope that they had avoided the Changelings.

That was why she was here. She wanted to give foals that had lost their families a place to live, so she had run the orphanage for years with her wife. She smiled softly as she folded up the blankets and put them away.

“Come on, let’s go get these put up,” she said as she and Sweetie walked out of the room.

They walked past Sea Spray and Jasper who were now talking with a small group of foals. Scootaloo smiled as she heard the Unicorn laughing. That gave her some hope at least that everything was going to be okay with her.

So then it was just a matter of figuring out how to tell her. She was worried about Sea Spray, the Unicorn mare was her granddaughter’s best friend after all. This wasn’t going to be easy on her, but she had faith in the mare.

00000

Dusk sighed as she trotted into the main lab of the Canterlot Hive Castle. Drones with lavender carapaces were hard at work on different projects. She pushed one of the doors open at the back and entered the Driver lab.

“Princess, this is unexpected,” A Drone said as they looked up to see her. Five more Change Drivers were being worked on as the Drones poured their magic into them. “What brings her to our humble lab?”

“You’re working based on the plans I gave you, right?” Dusk asked as she looked at the Drivers for a moment.

“Yes, we’ve been following the instructions you gave us based on the captured data,” the scientist Drone said as they examined it for a long moment. “The Change Drivers are exactly as you designed them. They use our natural transformation magic to create the armor around the Changeling.”

“So, a normal pony shouldn’t be able to use it at all,” Dusk said with a nod as she examined the Drivers. “That includes the one we sent to Prism for testing, right?”

“Right,” the Drone said with a nod.

“Why is she asking?” The Hive echoed around her. “Our work is perfect… perfect, in harmony with the Hive. In true harmony.”

“What happens if a Hybrid uses it?” Dusk asked.

“Hybrid? Who would betray the Hive with a mere pony?”

“We never tested for that eventuality,” the Drone replied. “But if a Hybrid was to use it, any number of things could happen. It may do nothing, or it may fully awaken the Changeling DNA in them.”

“Wayward children of the Hive must be returned,” the voice of the Hive said. “Long lost children are to be absorbed. No one is exempt from the will of the Hive.”

“I see,” Dusk said with a frown. “So then we all have to figure out how to get the Driver and Shifter back. We don’t know exactly what’s going to happen otherwise. It may be the only way to make sure that our plans succeed. How much more magic would it take to create a seventh Driver and Shifter?”

“Uh, that’s a good question, we’d have to run the math,” the Drone said as the hive swirled for a moment before he spoke again. “Yes, we’ll need more magical energy. But we cannot spare it without either bringing it in from the other Hives or increasing the Hive. We cannot currently spare the magical energy from the Canterlot Hive.”

“That figures,” Dusk said with a sigh. “Alright, I will get in contact with the other Hives. For the moment, finish the other five Drivers. The last thing we need right now is for things to fall behind.”

“Yes my Princess,” the Drone said and bowed his head slightly. “In the meantime, the rest of our part of the plan is on schedule.”

“Good, I have other things to deal with,” Dusk said as she headed back out of the labs. She levitated up a scroll and unrolled it as she checked something else off. “Let’s see, that’s the Driver project up to date. Prism’s not going to like having to wait, but I’m sure the next Festival should give us what we need as long as they are willing to share.”

“Well, things seem to be going well,” Solar Wind said as she walked up to Dusk. “The Queen will be pleased to hear that.”

“Yes, though the question remains where did this Hybrid come from,” Dusk said thoughtfully and stroked her chin for a moment. “I don’t like this. Hybrids are rare because the Hive makes it hard to keep such things hidden.”

“Are you going to send your own Drones to the Safe Zone then?” Solar Wind asked. “Prism’s Hive is already on it. She will get the Driver back in no time.”

“I’m not sure about that,” Dusk said as her wings buzzed a little for a moment. “You’re probably right and Prism’s warriors will deal with it. But at the same time, I need to be ready for every eventuality.”

“So, you’re going to send a Drone?”

“At least for the time being,” Dusk said. “If the Warrior Drone succeeds then we can always recall the Drone. Though I don’t see the point to her Majesty sending you here. We have everything under control.”

“Under control… the Hive is perfect…” The voices echoed around them “Perfect harmony. We must serve the will.”

“The remaining five Drivers will be done soon enough, that is enough for now,” Solar Wind said with a nod. “The Ponies are only the beginning. We are going to need ways to protect ourselves from the rest of our enemies.”

“Equestria’s old allies and competitors will not be held at bay forever, and we can’t convert them like the ponies,” Dusk said with a frown. “War is coming to these lands. And we’ll need the Hive Warriors to protect us.”

“And the Queen knows this, and she knows that we must secure the last of our territory,” Solar Wind said with a nod. “I just hope that your technology is going to work as promised.

“It will, if anything this incident is a proof of concept,” Dusk said as they walked through the halls together. “If there is nothing else, then I have work to do.”

“Of course,” Solar wind said as Dusk went back to her throne room.

The Drone stroked her chin thoughtfully as she watched the Princess walk off. She was in no position to argue with Dusk. She had other things that she had to get done, her Queen had duties for her to carry out.

“Drone Solar Wind, what is your report?” Chrysalis’ voice echoed in her mind.

“Dusk seems to think that everything is under control here,” Solar answered. “Everything seems to be in more order than in Cloudsdale at least. I believe that the Driver Project will be completed as promised.”

“Excellent,” Chrysalis replied. “Is there anything else?”

“No, that is it at least for the moment,” Solar Wind answered. “I will let you know if anything else happens.”

“Keep me informed,” Chrysalis said before the connection broke again.

00000

“Thank you, Jasper,” Sea said as the two friends made their way through Ponyville together. “That was definitely something that I needed right now. I just hope that it’s going to be enough if the Changelings decide to attack.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jasper said with a soft smile as she gave her friend a nod. “You’re going to be just fine. Remember that we’re fighting to protect others, and you’re never going to be alone.”

“Right,” Sea Spray said as she took a deep breath. “I hope you’re right though. We’ve got a lot to do if we’re going to keep the Safe Zone, well, safe.”

“Yeah,” Jasper said. “Come on, let’s get home. Right now we need to check in with everypony and let them know we’re still ponies.”

“Yeah,” Sea Spray said as she glanced up at the Scarab for a long moment. “Though I think Scarab here is going to be hard to explain. I mean, how do you explain the weird mechanical insect sitting on my head?”

“I don’t know, a new fashion statement maybe?” Jasper said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, they’ll totally buy that,” Sea Spray said with a roll of her eyes as they approached the communal house they shared towards the center of town. “Hey everypony, this bug on my head is just a new hat I made. Yeah, they’ll believe that the most unfashionable pony in town made it.”

"Why do you ponies even care about fashion?" Scarab mused. "You don't even wear clothes most of the time. That is very weird."

"I... never thought about that before," Sea Spray admitted as she looked at Scarab for a moment as she thought about it. "That is kind of weird."

"Talking to the Scarab on your head again? You know that makes you look crazy right?" Jasper said with a chuckle. "What is he saying this time?"

"Oh, just commenting on our fashion since we don't usually wear clothes," Sea Spray said with a shrug. "I never thought about that before honestly. That is kind of weird."

"Yes, I wonder how Princess Elusive stayed in business back when she lived here," Scarab said as he buzzed his wings a little for a moment. "So, what are we going to do now? What do you weird, pony things do with your life? Boring things I suppose. Must be so boring to have to stay in just one form."

"Eh, we manage somehow," Sea Spray said. "But having one form isn't too bad. It's just how we live I guess."

"Tch, what an odd species you are," Scarab said with a slight buzz of his wings. "Hardly a surprise though, you aren't nearly as advanced as the Changelings. I wouldn't be surprised if you lived in a... HEY!"

Sea Spray had finally had enough of the Scarab's behavior at this point and levitated him in front of her. "Look you annoying little bug, I'm not going to put up with this bullcrap much longer. If you want to keep this up, then you're going to have to find somepony else."

"Oh, if it only was that easy," Scarab replied. "But I'll shut up. You need me right now, and I need you if I want to learn anything about you ponies."

"Good," Sea said but smirked a little as she smacked the Scarab lightly.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"For being an annoying prick, that's what," Sea Spray said with a roll of her eyes as Scarab returned to his perch.

"You know, talking to yourself really isn't making you look sane," Jasper said with a chuckle as she reached to start to open the door to the Communal House. "Or are you going to claim its some sort of new game to play with your new hat?"

"Shut up," Sea Spray said with a groan. "Let's just..."

She stopped in mid-sentence as Scarab suddenly felt very tense in the connection the two of them shared. She looked up at the mechanical insect who was now looking around.

"What's going on?"

"I just sensed another Changeling in town," Scarab said quickly. "Unless you've got some friendly Changelings hiding out around here, I think we've got a problem."

"Just my luck," Sea Spray said with a sigh as she nodded over to Jasper. "Get to Golden Oaks Library, it sounds like we're about to have some company."

"Great, just what we needed right now," Jasper said with a sigh as she ran back towards the library quickly.

"Smart move letting the pony run away, now it's just you and me," a voice said from behind them and she turned to see a Pegasus stallion with grey fur and a darker mane standing there. She narrowed her eyes a little at him, this was not a pony she recognized from Ponyville or any of the other settlements.

"Who are you?" She demanded as she pointed at the strange Pegasus. "What are you after?"

"My dear Sea Spray, I wouldn't worry about such things," the Pegasus said as he bowed his head slightly. His teeth sharpened to form into fangs as he grinned at her. "I am merely a servant of the Princess you stole from. I am here to carry out the Will of my Hive. You may call me Stormwind."

"Good luck with that, you're not exactly in any position to fight me," Sea Spray said as she nodded to the Scarab who got ready to make his move.

"Oh dear Scarab, wouldn't you be much happier serving the Hive as you were meant to?" The Changeling's voice echoed in Scarab's mind. "What did this mare do to you that made you want to turn on the Hive."

"Nothing, I am merely here as a curiosity," Scarab replied. "I will return to the Hive once I am ready, that is all you need to know."

"Then I will make sure you return to the Hive now!" The Changeling said as his pony form was lost as he became a Changeling Drone. He laughed a little as he took a step back. "You two are in for a treat. We finally mastered our combat form, now I will use it to bring down you and your town."

He shuddered a little as his body changed. It wasn't like your usual Changeling transformation, the body grew out until it was bipedal. It had antennae growing out of its head and a distinctly insectoid appearance as a contrast to the still equine appearance of the other Changelings. He cackled as he spread his multiple legs and clicked his mandibles as he looked at Sea Spray.

"Okay, that's not good," Sea Spray said as she took out the Driver and swung it around so it formed around her barrel before she stood back up. "Do you know anything about this, Scarab?"

"Only what the rumors say. Apparently, the Cloudsdale Hive has been experimenting with creating stronger forms in order to fight," Scarab replied. “I think you’re going to need to fight this guy.”

“Because of course, I do,” Sea Spray said as she nodded a little and pulled herself onto her hind legs, finding it surprisingly easy to stay upright this time as Scarab flew into her hoof. “Henshin!” She said as she slid it into the slot on her Driver.

“WHAT IS BORN IN THE DARK MUST COME TO THE LIGHT!”

The Scarab broke up and attached to her body again as the purple armor formed over her body. She struggled to stay aloft for a moment as she felt it forming over her body. She finally took a deep breath as the beetle-like helmet formed over her and the two tonfas appeared in her hooves. It was something she was going to have to get used to apparently but she wasn't going to let it stop her.

“You’re not going to hurt the ponies of this town,” Sea Spray said as she gripped the Tonfas as best she could. This strange armor was something that still confused her, but she knew that she needed to use it in order to protect the ponies of this town.

“You’re not going to stop me,” Stormwind said with a wicked grin. “No, I’m going to do something worse. I’m going to take back that Driver and convert you. You’ll come to love turning on your friends one by one.”

“No, you’re wrong,” Sea Spray said as she walked forward. “I’m going to fight to keep this town safe. I’m this town’s last hope, and I’m not going to let you take that away.”

"Then I'm going to have to rob this town of its hope," Stormwind said with a laugh as he held his legs out to prepare to strike at Sea Spray when she got close before she suddenly became a blur and spun her leg around and kicked him hard across the face. "What the..."

"Super Speed, very useful don't you think?" Scarab's voice said in Stormwind's head. "I don't think you were prepared for that were you?"

"Shut up Traitor," Stormwind said through his clinched mandibles as he eyed the purple and pink blur. "You think you're so smart, don't you? Well, I'm not about to let some pony get the best of me!"

He extended his limbs out a moment and caught Sea Spray off guard as he tripped her up. She skittered to a stop, falling forward onto her face in the dirt as she struggled to push herself back up.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Stormwind cackled as he walked forward as Sea Spray got back onto her hind legs. "You're not used to fighting bipedal, are you? Too bad we've been trained in how to do it from hatching!"

He sent more legs out at her, catching her again as he advanced closer, wrapping them around her with a grin on his face. His body started to glow with the familiar sickly green aura of a Changeling as he pulled her in closer.

"Well, I'm sure you'll have plenty of practice soon enough, guess you weren't that much of the tow's last hope after all," he said as he pulled her in close with his mandibles wide.

"I'm... not going to... let... you... WIN!" Sea Spray said loudly as she pushed against his grip. For a moment nothing seemed to happen until she realized that she was actually starting to loosen the grip on her body. She finally pushed out one more time, breaking his hold and sending the Drone flying back as she connected her two tonfas together.

"TRANSFORM: SCARAB TONFA RIFLE!" The Driver said as magical energy enveloped the Tonfas as they turned into a rifle with the same colors and markings as she leveled it at Stormwind.

"You and the Hive have been plaguing this town for decades, well no longer," she said as she pulled the trigger and fired several energy bullets into the Changeling. "This town is under my protection, and I'm never going to let the likes of you or your Princesses hurt these good ponies again!"

"Pretty words..." Stormwind said as he got up again, his fangs bore at her as he swung his legs at her again, only to have them caught by her arm. "You're going to have to do a lot more if you want to back them up though. The Hive is stronger than anything you've ever faced. And eventually, you will falter and lose."

"Then if that day comes, let it come as long as at least one pony has heard my message and takes up the cause," Sea Spray said as she kicked at him hard. "You may be strong, and you may have numbers but we have something you will never have..."

She pulled her hoof back and slammed it hard into the Drone's face, damaging him a little as parts of his mandibles started to crack and fall off.

"We have a willingness to fight back no matter the odds," she said. "You put us in a bad position, so we're going to do what we can to survive. That's what counts at this point, so the Hive can take their strength and stick it up their plots!"

The Drone's eyes went wide when he looked at her. She was radiating an aura of magical energy like nothing he had ever seen in a pony as she pulled her hoof back again, preparing to strike at him once more. The Drone felt fear as he realized that she wasn't about to let him go.

"RIDER KICK!" She shouted as she leaped into the air as energy started to gather in her hoof. She slammed down hard on the Drone, sending cracks through his body as his form shattered around him.

"This... isn't over..." The Changeling said as he struggled to recover from the attack. "You... can't escape your fate forever... pony... the day will come... when you too... may... join... us..."

And with that, his body was consumed with magical energy as it wasted away to ashes. Sea Spray stared at the remains of the Changeling for a moment as she reached to her belt and powered down, the armor vanishing from around her.

After the armor faded, she fell onto her forelegs and threw up.

00000

“Stormwind failed,” Moonbeam said simply as the two watched the fight through the Hive connection they shared. “Your combat forms don’t seem to be working well in the field.”

“I know, I know,” Prism said with a hiss as she sighed a little. “We didn’t expect her to sync that well with the Driver and Scarab.”

“So, what do you plan to do?”

“I don’t know yet,” Prism sighed. “We will have to figure out how to strengthen our Combat forms. Right now, they have the Driver and Shifter. There’s not a whole lot we can do about that.”

“Yes, unfortunately, for now, we may not have a choice,” Chrysails’ voice said in the Changelings’ minds. “Princess Prism Flash, this is merely a setback. Have your combat techs figure out how to combat this Sea Spray’s new abilities. This is merely a setback. We will not allow this mare to continue to get in our way.”

“We will make sure that the next Soldier Drone is better prepared,” Prism replied. “This Sea Spray will not get away with stealing from the Hive.”

“Good, I expect the best of my Princesses, and you are no exception,” Chrysalis said. “Reclaim your Driver, but only once you are sure that your Drones are capable of defeating this mare. We’ll explore another avenue in the meantime.”

“Yes my Queen,” Prism replied in reverence as Chrysalis broke the connection. “Moonbeam, I have work to do. So unless there is something else you need, I should get on it.”

“No, of course not,” Moonbeam said with a slight bow of her head. “I will leave you to your business then.”

Prism nodded as she trotted off towards the training grounds. She gritted her teeth a little, that mare had stolen from her and she wasn’t going to let her get away with this. She would have her revenge.

“Sea Spray, you will pay for this,” her voice echoed through the Hive.

“Well, she’s in a good mood,” Moonbeam said through the connection she and Solar Wind shared. “How are things going with Dusk?”

“Fine, fine,” Solar Wind replied. “She’s being her usual self really. Unfortunately, it’s going to be a while before she can make a seventh Driver and Shifter. I know that isn’t going to be good news for Prism, but she will need to wait.”

“I’ll make sure she knows when she’s in a better mood,” Moonbeam said as she trotted off into the Cloudsdale Hive city.

00000

“I don’t know if I’m cut out for this…” Sea Spray said softly as she slumped in a chair in Golden Oaks Library. It was just after her fight with Stormwind. Jasper and Scootaloo had helped her back to the old library in the town where she was holding her head in her hooves.

“Sea… are you okay?” Scootaloo asked as she walked over to the Unicorn mare. “You look like you’re in bad shape after that fight.”

“I’ve never killed another being before,” Sea Spray said softly as she looked at her hooves for a long moment. “I mean, he wouldn’t have hesitated to kill me or worse. I just went on instinct alone, he was a threat and I…”

“And you removed him as a threat,” Scootaloo said with a sigh. “Taking a life isn’t something to be done lightly. I know, I’ve had to kill more than a few times to keep these ponies safe. Every time you do it, you lose a little part of yourself.”

“It’s not going to get any easier, is it?” Sea Spray asked softly as she looked between the two Pegasi. “I can’t do this. We can’t let them hurt ponies sure, but I don’t know if I can kill them either.”

“You’re going to have to look deep in yourself and make that choice for yourself,” Jasper said as she looked at her Grandmother. “We can’t tell you what you should do. You need to decide whether or not you’re ready for this kind of thing.”

Sea Spray leaned back in her seat for a moment as she levitated a mug of tea to her lips and took a long drink. She had grown up in Ponyville, she knew how much this kind of thing would mean to the ponies who lived there.

She had said that she was going to be their last hope. Was she actually going to be able to do that though? She looked between the two Pegasi for a long moment as she tried to think about it for the longest time.

She took a long drink of her tea and sighed a little as she set it down again. “I don’t know what I want to do honestly. Part of me wants to help ponies, but part of me is afraid of what’s going to happen next. Still, I know that I’m the only one who can do this right now. I’m going to do what I can, and hopefully, we’ll figure some way around that.”

“Okay, I understand,” Scootaloo said softly as she hugged Sea Spray gently. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I don’t know honestly,” Sea Spray smiled weakly. “But this Driver has marked me for the Hive. I’m not sure if I should even stay in town.”

“We’ve all got a mark on our heads,” Jasper said. “And you’re not going to do this alone forever. We’re going to use the technology that we found here and build our own Drivers. Right Grandma?”

“Right, we just need some time,” Scootaloo replied. “But we’re going to be fighting by your side, we all will. The resistance has survived this long without Kamen Riders, and we’re not going to let you get hurt or worse.”

“Thanks,” Sea Spray said and smiled softly. “Scootaloo, thank you.”

“For what?”

“You, Jasper, and Sweetie Belle were the closest thing I had to a family growing up,” the Unicorn replied. “I never knew my biological family, and sometimes I wonder about them. But at the same time, you’ve been the best family I could ask for.”

Scootaloo and Jasper nodded and hugged her tightly. Sea Spray closed her eyes and just enjoyed the hug for the longest moment. There was still a lot of uncertainty, she just had to hope that everything was going to be okay.

00000

Sea Spray took a seat on the stage in Sugarcube Corner. She smiled a little as she looked out at the gathered ponies. The old restaurant was still in the hooves of the Cake family and she had played here a few times over the years. She leaned down and opened her guitar case as she strummed it experimentally for a moment, using her magic to tune it a bit.

“This is a little something I wrote recently,” Sea Spray spoke into the microphone as she looked at Jasper, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo who gave her a nod. “This is something that I think we can all related to in this town.”

She started to play a song as the drummer behind her joined in after a moment. It had a strange beat to it, sounding almost like something moving as she began to play.

“She’s good,” Sweetie Belle said softly as they listened to the younger Unicorn play. “Did she really just write this?”

“Yeah,” Jasper said. “I helped a little, but I think she’s proud of it.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Scootaloo asked. “It’s been a few days since the attack, how do you think she’s doing?”

“I think, she’s going to be just fine,” Jasper said after a long moment. “It’s not going to be easy for her. It’s not really going to be easy for any of us, but I have faith in her.”

She looked between her grandmothers who shared a smile for a moment and gave her a nod. Jasper looked back at her old friend who was singing along to the music. The Unicorn mare closed her eyes as she sang, letting the music run through her.

Somehow, this felt right to Jasper. The song had the sound of a train moving down a track. There hadn’t been a train in the Safe Zone for decades, but it had become a symbol of hope. Of moving on and finding a place outside.

This was her song. This was everypony’s song.

“I want to breathe the open air,
I want to see the world out there.
And Run,
To leave the tunnels of the mind.
I want to breathe the open air,
To shed the masks I’ve had to wear.
And run,
To leave the depths and dark behind,
Free, unconfined.

I watch the sun rise,
In skies so clear.
We learn the outside,
There’s hope out here.
Free, unconfined.”