A New Time, A New Place

"I'll ask again," Tara said, her blade pointed at the transparent figure. "Who are you?!"

"In life, I was Acheron Parthenopaeus, though immortals knew me by another name: Apostolos the Harbinger," Ash sighed. "My mother was Braith Apollymi, the Primordial Embodiment of Destruction. However, Noir… the Primordial Embodiment of Darkness, never found out that the Goddess that the Greeks and Atlanteans alike knew as the Great Destroyer was his 'sibling', if Primordials can be related. My immortal sperm donor heard a prophecy that his 'sister-wife's progeny' would be the doom of the Atlantean Pantheon… unknown to him, it was his own fear that set it in motion… and setting up my immortal aunt Epithymia, the Goddess of Beauty and Lust to touch my flesh upon my birth… thereby cursing me so that all, immortal and mortal alike desired me… some innocently such as Ryssa… my sister as a mortal… others like Artemis, the Greek Goddess of the Hunt, as little more than a plaything. Mortals made me little more than a sex slave… originally, as long as I lived, my mother, Apollymi would remain bound, trapped in Kalosis… the Atlantean equivalent of Hell. Of course… the Greek God of the Sun and Prophecy by the name of Apollo fucked that over…. though Artemis fucked me over just as hard… by drugging me so heavily I was all but paralyzed as Apollites murdered my sister and nephew… so Apollo in all his 'wisdom' gutted me from throat to groin," Ash sighed. "Which promptly released my mother… whom immediately began sending Greece's 'pinnacle of evolution' back to the Stone Age… after utterly annihilating Atlantis. Though as far as mortals knew, that was caused by everything from Zeus, to Apollo… by his own claims… to a massive continental shift or earthquake," he sighed.

"Of course, the other Pantheons panicked, thinking she was after them… no… she was after specifically Artemis and Apollo… the former for, though unknowingly, setting up my murder… the latter for actually fucking doing it," Acheron sighed, the slightest hint of annoyance entering his slightly echoing voice. "Rather ironic that, unknown to mortals, the true source of vampiric stories… were the 'immortal gods' themselves. Contrary to assumption, gods and goddesses can very much die… it's just far, far harder to do it… unless you know their true weakness which renders them truly vulnerable. Anyway… Artemis had a fondness for drinking my blood… apparently absorbing a small amount of my true immortal powers… though I did not find this out until close to five hundred years later… as she had been using my powers to ensnare mortal souls upon their deaths without telling me, binding them to her service as soulless warriors and resurrecting them as 'Dark-Hunters' to stop the Daimon problem. Apollo cursed the very race he'd intended to subtly supplant Zeus with after killing Ryssa with the senses of predators, the need to feed upon the blood of their own kind for survival, and a slow death upon their twenty seventh birthday. Of course, Strykerius found my mother after Artemis tricked me into a blood bond with her… which had the added effect of resealing my mother back into Kalosis… and was taught to subvert Apollo's Curse by absorbing souls into themselves… which had the unforeseen side effect of the death of said souls… no reincarnation… no nothing. That is, at least for our reality, where the myth of Succubi and Incubi came from. It was eventually found that absorbing the soul of a Sumerian Gallu demon not only bypassed the Curse, but allowed them to do the one thing they had wanted to do for close to eleven thousand years: walk in daylight without the fear of burning alive. Too bad that Noir woke up alongside Azura, his 'sister' and the Primordial Embodiment of Air. We had them at a standstill until Noir decided to bring down Yggdrasil… the only reason we had forewarning of his madness was Jared. We were able to save some… in Katoteros… myself, Soteria, my wife… and my mother… poured everything of ourselves into him," Acheron sighed, his swirling mercurial gaze shifting to where Fluttershy was wiping away what blood she could even as they could see Rarity Belle running up before a rainbow contrail shot through the clouds.

"The most I can do now is advise him so he doesn't have to suffer as myself or my mother did. My wife was born mortal, but was reborn as a Goddess," Acheron finished. "So she is much like you and your sister," he commented, assuming that Tara had Ascended as Twilight had.

"Unlike my sister I was gifted Godhood by being made of pure magic." Tara said as she lowered her weapon her Aura shattered once more. "I'm not sure how I was able to meet them but they said I was to be the protector of the greatest magic of all. I assume they meant the Elements but I'm not sure how I can do so, not with all the outside threats that use both good and evil magic against us, though if you have any insight into this creature that gave me my wings I would be eternally grateful."

"Unfortunately, the only Cthonian that I knew myself who knew the mysteries of magic was the one whom trained me as a Cthonian… the term you might know as a 'godkiller' or more precisely, one whom is able to safely absorb a deity's powers into the background power within a dimensional universe. Sadly, Takeshi was one of those lost in the Collapse. However, he was, by no means, a 'being of pure magic' as you claimed assisted your Ascension. So, unfortunately, I most likely lack knowledge in the way you are expecting. If it were delving into Soul Magic or, as you might know it, Necromancy, which in itself can refer to raising the deceased for information or closure… I was never one for calling the restless deceased blindly. Too much risk of calling entities with far darker intents… Malphas being one of the most prominent. There are 'reality bound' deities though they are usually bound to their particular reality of Ascension or, more rarely, their multiverse cluster. Only the stronger ones can safely traverse the Void between realities," Acheron commented.

"I was gone for 5 years, my time," Tara said. "I've been looking for all that time and have only come across hints that maybe something related to the Morphin Grid was the answer. So I understand why you cannot answer yourself. Thank you for at least looking into your memory for anything that could help."

Acheron chuckled. "I have almost twelve thousand years of memories, both good and bad. Admittedly, there are those in the Voids between worlds and realities much, much older, and thus more experienced in their ways than I… never was a fan of 'godly politics'.... fucking pain in the ass, in my experience," he commented wryly.

Tsukuyomi's eyes widened as the deep wound emitted pale golden steam as it closed.

Fengàri's eyelids fluttered as he felt a gentle something rubbing his cheeks and chin before he coughed a bit, gagging at the taste of burnt copper. "B-bloody 'ell… ugh… that is the nastiest thing I've ever tasted," he breathed, his voice hoarse and raspy before his ears twitched at a familiar accented voice. His entire body ached like the time he'd gotten hit by lightning. He blinked as he saw a carved gourd before he heard the soft slosh of liquid, never noticing the pulsing mark fading to a rich reddish copper upon his thigh where his pants were torn from mid thigh to knee.

"You look like shit," he heard Geiz deadpan.

"Heh… Goldar Maximus… got pretty… well fucked," he said slowly, coughing a bit. He took a careful sip of the liquid before blinking, realizing it was the jasmine tea, but cooled. Strangely, the flavors were much clearer, he noted. His gaze shifted as he saw something dissolving in the air, but couldn't tell quite what it had been.

"So where do we go-" Tara started before she collapsed to the ground unconscious.What caught his attention, however, was Tara's legs giving way abruptly with next to no warning. He managed to get his legs beneath him, but groaned as he felt her collapse… slumping squarely on his back. He felt hands pulling Tara off him, before hands also helped him up. It was the last thing he clearly recalled for quite a while.
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His eyes fluttered open to see a pale pinkish lavender room before he felt a warmth gently rubbing against his face before it ran slowly to his chest. He felt stronger than he had, though he had no intention of doing that again anytime soon. "Ugh…. definitely gonna feel that for a while," he murmured tiredly.

"That was foolhardy and irresponsible." Fengàri heard from his left side. "No matter if it was the only way to stop Goldar at the moment, Tara knows that even Alicorns have limits!"

" While I won't disagree with you, Miss Fluttershy, she couldn't morph due to the amount of dark magic corrupting her at the time. The fact that she could fight on par with a fully empowered Rider in that state is a miracle. While continuing to be able to move for so long after, even re-entering her energized State out of pure willpower after the aura shattered shows that she can to a certain extent exceed those limits." A familiar male voice said. "Though we'll have to shelve this conversation, it seems that our Rider friend has regained full consciousness."

"Shows how strong Willpower can be. Though I do pity Goldar… loyal though he is…. I have little doubt that Zedd would betray him given the chance… proving he is unworthy of said loyalty," Fengàri managed tiredly. He tilted his head as a soft sigh escaped him.

"What matters is that meanie is sealed away in his weapon." Fluttershy said as she hugged Fengàri tight, his head laying in her cleavage. "Though it makes me wonder if maybe Dashie could wield his weapon as a power boost." She said, tapping a finger to her chin. "Tara said he represents Loyalty and so does she, it might help her outside of her ranger form if she hasn't unlocked it yet."

"Hmmm… though if there are… shall we say 'dark' counterparts to those Elements…. whatever they are…. there stands to think that there could be a risk of the 'dark' aspect reacting to the user like a drug… making them crave more strength which could lead to a potential of corrupting the user," Fengàri murmured, his voice a bit muffled. He noticed a sound that almost sounded like a moan, but he wasn't quite sure. His hands lightly dragged over her sides and back, feeling the soft fur.

"Though the Another Riders are like dark counterparts to the Riders. Admittedly, there are also Dark Riders like Cronus, which was the one I used before," he sighed. He could feel her fingers dragging through his hair though he did notice that the scent he was smelling from her was the same as what had tickled his nose upon awakening. He tapped her forearm for a moment as he felt her arms relax. "Though I did notice that your fur smells very similar to what I smelled as I awoke. I'm guessing you were washing me with your soap? Which I don't mind at all… in fact, I rather like it," he commented, amused as he saw her cheeks darken subtly a bit, unaware of the almost purring growl that entered his voice as he paused before he noticed that she was staring into his eyes. He was unaware that his eyes had shifted from a swirling silver to a swirling golden amber.

"So beautiful." She murmured before shaking her head to clear the daze she had been in. "I did clean you both here in my animal sanctuary." She said before gesturing to the room around them. "This is the large animal/staff infirmary. We brought you here because while many humans have appeared in our world we haven't had the time or resources to fully establish medical procedures for the species in relation to the other sapients on our world just yet. Dr Fauna and I have stocked the clinic with the best medicine for all around care including for hybrids such as myself, the Belles, Rainbow and Scootaloo, the Pies, Twilight and Tara, and the Apple family. We even help Mitta with her problems as an undead."

Fengàri cocked his head. "You suspect that I'm a hybrid as well… which… is true. Though I seem to recall some less personal things in detail… just little to nothing about myself specifically. When I activated the powers of Kamen Rider Cronus whom is, as I said, a 'Dark Rider' who uses his power for either personal gain or malicious intent…. something happened where a primal part of myself took over… taking a very particular form… a KatagariaLykos," he said quietly. "Unknown to the humans of my… former world… the myths of werewolves were, in truth, Katagarian Lykos… you see… what they knew as mythology was not quite true. Specifically the story of the Greek Arcadian King Lycaeon… mythology claimed that he was turned into a Wolf for offending the Olympians… the truth… was that he was a sorcerer whom sought to save his sons from the fate his wife had…. dying at the age of twenty seven. He merged the essence of Wolf and Dragon with his sons, unknowingly creating two sides of each son. One side had the Dragon and Wolf as dominant… the other had the Human as dominant. The magicks had a side effect… increasing their lifespans from twenty seven to roughly eight to a thousand years. The Moirae… however… demanded he terminate the hybrids. Lycaeon refused… so the Moirae cursed the hybrids…. 'Never shall your sons know peace until the last of them draws breath' was the curse they placed. However, it was not just Drakos and Lykos, but also Balios, Gerakian, Helikias, Litarian, Niphetos Pardalia, Panthiras, Pardalia, Tigarian, Tsakalis, and Ursulan. That is… Jaguar, Hawk, Falcon, Eagle making up the Gerakian patria, Cheetah, Lion, Snow Leopard, Panther, Leopard, Tiger, Jackal, and Bear," he said quietly. "The 'Were-Hunters' knew this knowledge as the Allagi… their source," he finished.

"Besides the Pies, whom many speculate are the remains of Discord's species, we know for certain the hybrids of the other elements. The traits for each of us became more pronounced after we first wielded the elements but they have always been there in our families save for Twilight and Tara." Fluttershy said. "My family is not shy entirely by choice, our Vamppony side tends to come out the more we act in society due to some form of either magic or hormonal change. Twilight augmented me to be able to drain fruit juices instead of just blood when she gave me the fruit bat traits by accident."

Fengàri hummed in thought. "Intriguing. I know that Shinnosuke and Phillip are here… that is… Kamen Rider Drive… and the Cyclone and Fang half of Kamen Rider Double… so it's entirely possible that other Kamen Riders are here as well. I wouldn't be surprised, however, if what Twilight did was awaken something that was already within you and tweak it slightly… though between you and me, I wouldn't mind someone as adorable as you feeding on me. And you do look so cute dressed up like a nurse," he commented, unintentionally teasing her, noticing that she wore a white shirt not unlike a nurse's scrubs, though it appeared that she was wearing what appeared to be black shorts that contrasted very noticeably with her fur.

While she blushed, Fluttershy twirled around to show off the outfit. "Normally I work in the nude here in my sanctuary." She said, "But I keep a few of the outfits I was gifted from my modeling days here to wear if I'm feeling frisky or if a new person is here." Seeing the look she was getting from Saba she explained. "The sanctuary is a Nature Sanctuary meaning Clothes optional.

Fengàri hummed. "I'm guessing, Saba, that whomever helped Tara Ascend… also gave her you. I mean, if the Rangers existed, which I'm guessing they did, it's more likely that the 'canon Rangers' are long since passed… and I do recall Gosei talking earlier. Most likely, I wouldn't be surprised if Zordon implanted a safety in their Morphers so they would either activate on a command or from someone trained by Zordon himself," he commented thoughtfully. "Though I've never tried…. going around nude for extended periods," he sighed softly. He saw her ears twitching at his pause as a curious look crossed her face. He was unaware that whilst humans did show up from time to time, it was still quite rare… and most certainly… none were like him.

"Is that why I'm nude Flutters?" Tara groaned as her head lifted. "My guard uniform wasn't that damaged was it?"

"TARA!" Fluttershy said angrily, "BACK TO SLEEP NOW! THIS IS THE THIRD TIME!"

"Fine," She grumbled, "still can't move my body anyways." Tara lay her head back down on the pillow. "See you in six hours!"

Fengàri Kattalakis cocked an eyebrow before chuckling a bit. "If I didn't know better, I'd say she was hoping to get spanked for being stubborn. We all have times we're stubborn, though," he sighed. He let his fingers rise to his chest, thinking of that leather thong with the gator teeth. He blinked as he heard soft sloshing before a slight chill. He did, however, notice her sharp indrawn breath.

He looked down, realizing he was just as nude as Tara. More… a very particular part of his body stood at attention between his thighs, thick and engorged. His eyebrows rose, though he remained quiet. He did notice a faint golden scar, almost like someone had sprinkled golden dust upon his upper abdomen, running up to his first fixed rib, crossing his floating ribs. He cocked his head, his fingers tracing the scar for a moment.

"That scar has been glowing like that ever since I was able to get your outfit off you. It's been two and a half days so I have had to sponge bath both of you. That's why you're both nude." Fluttershy explained as she began to wipe down Fengàri's lower legs. "Though that part of you is far bigger than expected." She admitted this being the first time seeing it engorged. "It always fascinates me how big something so small can get."

Fengàri shivered slightly as he could feel the warmth gliding over his skin. "Maybe it senses somepony adorable and sweet," he said softly. Admittedly, he was a bit embarrassed, being so obviously aroused.

He paused. "Two and a half days? Damn… shows that brawl had some pretty heavy side effects. Though if I'm honest, seeing Tara like that… I'd be far too tempted to tickle her just to see her reaction," he said thoughtfully as he noticed the glow fading away from the scar. He did notice that from time to time, Fluttershy's gaze would shift to his engorged lap as she, seemingly unconsciously, licked her lips. He noticed that her pupils were narrowing to slits whilst staring before she pulled her gaze away. He was sure she didn't notice he'd noticed. 'It would make sense that if they're hybrids, that there would be times when certain instincts might try to surface more if not take over,' he considered. He shivered slightly although the water and soap she was using was warm and pleasant to his senses.

“Are you able to move your lower half Rider?” Saba asked. “Using some of those powers harms the user to the point of temporarily paralyzing them.”

"Sounds like Geiz when he initially got the ReviveWatch… though I do know that when Zeronos used his powers as a Rider, it cost his elder self memories of cherished ones to fuel said powers… then the Red Cards… cost him his own memories," Fengàri commented before his leg jerked when Fluttershy washed his feet, specifically between his toes. He shivered slightly at the strange sensation as he saw the small playful smirk Fluttershy had.

"Sensitive pads, Puppy?" She teases as she kept cleaning Fengàri's feet. "I'll be gentle."

Fengàri's eyebrow rose before a small smirk crossed his face. "Not really my fault when I've never had anyone wash my body or my feet before," he commented wryly. He saw her give him an odd look as if she'd ïnever heard of such an idea before.

"Public bathing isn't that uncommon where you're from, is it?" She asked, remembering one human couple she had met recently. "Your friend Han and his wife weren't surprised by the public baths in Ponyville."

"Han and his wife, Amaterasu, lived in Japan, where such things are much more common. I did not. I lived in the bayou of Louisiana… completely different parts of the world," Fengàri commented before he blinked, realizing that he could recall some things clearly from Earth. He froze when he heard Acheron Parthenopaeus in his mind. "Hmmm. So these advanced Rider forms can slip through the memory block, allowing memories to trickle through," he heard, unaware of the miniature silvery stars surfacing and 'dipping' within his golden amber irises. "If so, then Grand Zi-O should have shattered said block. More likely, it weakened the block enough for the other 'Final' Rider forms to punch through," he thought before he heard an audible slap in his mind.

"Well you will have to get used to it," Dash said as she entered the room. "Tara made it law that Ponyville no longer have private baths. She wanted to increase the traffic to the castle since it has three massive heated pool rooms. Two are public, one is reserved for Royalty. That includes us the Elements and Starlight and Sunset."

Fengàri shrugged as he slowly and carefully sat up, noting that all the Pegasus woman wore was a tight blue and black leotard that, frankly, hid next to nothing of what was beneath, so her B cup breasts were rather obvious including the nipple studs. "The Elements?" he commented with a cocked eyebrow. "That implies that I know what you're talking about, Dashie," he drawled, feeling his mind brush hers just enough to pick out her name.

"The Elements of Harmony." Saba clarified. "While you were in your semi-conscious state, I have been confirming things Tara had told me about her world during our travels. The Elements are a group of eight mystical artifacts that represent certain emotions or concepts, six of which must be together to work properly: the elements of Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, Honesty, Loyalty, and Magic. The other two are complementary, the Element of Empathy held by Sunset Shimmer, and the Element of Love represented by the Crystal Heart held by Princess Cadance."

Fengàri hummed in thought. "And I'm guessing you two have… Loyalty," he commented, his gaze flicking to Rainbow, "and Kindness… 'cause only the purest heart of kindness would spend seventy two hours straight looking over two semi-conscious people," he commented with a cock of his head before he noticed Rainbow's gaze on his lap, almost forgetting his body was very much aroused.

"Damn that's big!" Dash said plainly. "Have you gotten that measured?"

"Why would I do that?" he commented with a hint of confusion.

"Dude, that monster is at least 13 inches!" Dash said as a few sparks of lightning arced over her fur. "Most mares will kill to bed you! Though that's mostly during Estrus. A shame, really, we lose at least a few mares to that madness every season."

Fengàri's eyes narrowed slightly, mercurial silver blending into the golden amber. "You're saying that you have periods of amplified fertility and hormones? Sounds like something Aphrodite would have pulled out of her ass as a dirty joke and prank," he muttered gruffly, a hint of a growl in his voice. He saw both Fluttershy and Dash shiver as if something caught their attention about his voice, unaware the growl was arousing.

"I just came." Dash groaned as her bust expanded to a C-cup, her tight leotard getting tighter in the process. "And my studs just slipped, great."

Fengàri cocked his head in an almost puppyish manner. "Huh…. that scent… it smells almost like Hershey's and espresso," he commented. He'd noticed that scent, along with the scent of fresh lavender and apples, before he'd awoken. He was unaware dark gray tipped canine ears twitched, hidden in his hair. He did, however, notice Fluttershy humming softly as if interested in something.

"So…" Dash started blushing at her still obvious arousal. "I heard that this-" She held up Goldar's blade, the golden lightning of the villain arced off the weapon being absorbed by Dash. "thing has a golden flying monkey inside it?"

"Aye. Goldar Maximus is sealed within his own blade. However, I advise, if you ever start hearing him try to whisper in your mind for any reason, ignore him. I would not put it past him to try to corrupt you," Fengàri said grimly, the growl a bit more noticeable. He jumped in surprise as he felt warm, soapy water dumped on his head, exposing his canine ears. He saw Fluttershy's very interested look.

"Cute!" She squealed as she reached out to rub Fengàri's ears before stopping herself just shy of touching them. "Sorry," she pulled back and began to scrub Fengàri's hair avoiding his second set of ears for the moment.

Fengàri shrugged. "Hell, they'll be washed anyway, so it isn't like it's going to bother me," he commented nonchalantly, unaware he'd soon regret those words. "Hmmm… so the Riders I know for certain other than Geiz, Woz, and Tsukuyomi that are here are Cyclone and Drive… and I'm almost certain Decade's troublesome ass will show up at some point. Where Zi-O has power over Time, Decade's power, specifically, is Dimension Travel," he murmured thoughtfully. "And the fact Woz all but confirmed Shocker is most likely creating trouble," he murmured with a sigh. He abruptly stiffened and shuddered, his eyes drifting half-lidded as, unnoticed by himself, his engorged length twitched almost like a tail wagging. He could feel Fluttershy's fingers dragging through his hair, though something had his thoughts utterly distracted… unaware it was her fingers massaging those secondary ears.

"Good boy." She murmurs softly as she keeps cleaning Fengàri's hair and ears. "I'm almost done with washing your front but before we turn you over we need to take care of a certain treat in between your legs."

Fengàri blinked, still a bit dazed. "Huh?" he managed in a dazed, almost drunk, tone. "Take care of what?" he wasn't quite sure what she meant. He did notice Dash giggling at his actions.

"Ear rubs get you?" She said barely able to talk through her laughter. "No worries, it gets me too!" She then realized just what she revealed and quickly shut up her face erupting in a glowing red full body blush.

Fengàri hummed, tilting his head. "Raijū?" he sighed with a slight shake of his head. He had noticed the scent of fresh rain and ozone that clung to her.

"Lightning hydra wyvern, actually," Dash corrected automatically. "They're intelligent, but not very common to encounter. My little sister, Scootaloo, is an Abyssinian Raiju hybrid and my mother is an explorer and traveler, Daring Doo, so she tends to get around."

Fengàri shrugged. "I'll take your word for it," he said carefully.

"No big deal," Dash said. "My adopted family of Bow Hothoof Doo and Windy Whistles knew about my mother and her history." Dash then closed her eyes for a second before her bust shrank back down to its former size. "My cousin, Muffins Ditzy Doo also knows about all of that too. I flipped out upon learning this. I'm telling you all this 'cause like my Mom, I get around and I'm eyeing a prize right now. Which tends to make me ramble."

Fengàri tilted his head, noticing how Fluttershy was at a nearby sink refilling the bowl with steaming water. "What's stopping you two from sharing? Ain't like I'm going anywhere soon… pretty sure if I tried standing up, my legs would support me as well as a molten metal pole would hold anything up, ya ken?" he drawled, seeing Fluttershy returning.