Equestria Girls: Kamen Rider Karasu

Ten minutes later...

The seven girls were gathered back in the music room. Since arriving in the room, Nebula had been giving the girls a brief summary of her own knowledge of the situation. She sat with her back to the wall, the others gathered around her in a semi-circle. On the floor in front of her sat seven Fullbottles—her original four, the one she got last week, the one she just filled, and an empty one. When did last week’s bottle become like the others, though?

“... since then, I’ve been doing everything possible to figure this whole thing out,” she concluded, holding out her phone. “I think this belonged to a researcher on Project Re:Build, and it’s full of all sorts of encrypted data. No first name so far as I can tell, but she was the original project lead’s daughter, one Dr. Daisuke Satonaka.” She let out a sigh. “They’re unfortunately digital ghosts, and someone clearly went through a lot of effort to erase their existence on the net.”

The others seemed to consider this. It’s not every day that you find out that the mysterious new girl started moonlighting as a superhero after being roped into it by an equally mysterious stranger with unknown motives. Then there was the fact that the gear provided to her was created from the same research that led to the Smash. Clearly there was more to things than met the eye.

There were a variety of questions or opinions of course. Fluttershy expressed concerns about how scary it must be for Nebula to fight monsters. Although she hadn’t actually considered it, it was a valid worry. Sure, it was scary, but it was that fear of what might happen if she didn’t defeat the Smash that drove her; it’s what allowed her to ignore concern for what might happen to herself.

Rarity asked if it was possible that Nebula and Ms. Satonaka were one and the same. It wasn’t anything that she’d thought about as of yet, but the way the fashionista explained her reasoning made a certain amount of sense. Sure, it was a reach to assume that because Nebula was amnesiac, and someone had wiped out any trace of Satonaka’s existence from the public eye, the two were one and the same. Her instinctual familiarity with the Build System definitely narrowed the distance for the necessary logical leap, but that also just left her with more questions.

If I really am Satonaka, what happened? I could imagine leaving over the creation of the Smash, but I’m missing pieces of the puzzle. Important ones.

“What I wanna know is how you just happened to show up when I was showing off what I discovered,” Rainbow Dash finally pressed, earning a nod from AJ. “That timing was a little too convenient.”

“Ayuh,” Applejack remarked. “Ya done showed up, hackles raised, like when Winona knows a fox is trying to get in the hen house.”

With a sigh, Nebula held up her phone again. “This has sensors that can detect the energies emitted by Nebula Gas.” Much like when she initially voiced the term, that got immature snickers from Pinkie and Dash. “I was going home when I got too close to the statue out front, and it triggered an alert from one of the apps on it. It detected an energy waveform very similar to the purified and impure NG.”

She set her phone down and picked up the Raven Fullbottle, and the one containing the essence of the Smash she just fought. “These both have a distinct signature, the latter of which is shared by the Smash.” Setting them both back down, she pointed back at the phone and said, “So I was examining the mirror, since it seemed to give off the most energy, when I detected a build-up of that same energy in this room.” She fixed Rainbow with an even look, pointing over at the girl’s guitar and amp, hoping to impress the fact that it was not a small surge. “I detected that all the way from the front of the school.”

Applejack, Dash, and Pinkie all looked as though they weren’t following, but Sunset finally spoke up. “So you came running, thinking that there was a Smash or something, and that we were in danger?” When met with a nod, the redhead frowned. “This will probably sound insane to you, but what you detected here and at the statue? That’s magic—specifically, Equestrian magic. That mirror is a transdimensional bridge that opens for three days, every thirty moons.”

If Sunset expected Nebula to immediately scoff at the idea of calling the energy ‘magic’, she would be disappointed. Just as the others seemed to keep an open mind, she merely raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. There were more things in Heaven and Earth, Nebula, than are dreamt of in your philosophy; challenge your worldview, or become stagnant in thought.

Unchallenged, Sunset launched into what was likely a very abridged tale of her homeland and life. It all sounded very fantastical and very unscientific. A magical land of talking equiforms and mythical creatures, led by a mage so powerful that their solar-system follows the geocentric model. She had been a unicorn apprentice to that all-powerful mage ruler, but grew too prideful and ambitious for her mentor’s liking. Her desire was to ascend to the ruler’s level and rule alongside her, but when she was denied, she fled through the mirror, thinking she’d be able to find the means to ascend here.

Glossing over the several years she claimed to have spent in this world, instead skipping to the point of the Fall Formal. It was a plot involving a stolen magical artefact of great power and importance, derailed by another Equestrian royal following after—the crown’s rightful owner. In only two days, the Equestrian princess completely undid everything Sunset had done over a few years to get the school under her thumb, taking back the artefact in the process.

She spoke of trying to use the magic of the artefact for herself, only to be transformed into a dark reflection of her heart—or a demon, as Rainbow Dash so helpfully chimed in. The pony princess and the five other girls in this room today were then empowered to stop her before Sunset could lead an army of brainwashed teens to Equestria. Ultimately, they used their combined magic—the ‘Rainbow of Light’—to purge the darkness from her heart, and the rest was history. Rainbow Dash’s afternoon revelation was just as much a surprise to the Equestrian as it was to the heroine.

Nebula didn’t exactly know what to think. It all sounded so ludicrous, and yet Sunset spoke with such conviction. Clearly it was something that she truly believed, and the other five corroborated her story. Plus, something was nagging at the back of her mind. This all started from scientists apparently studying an unstable tear in reality. Could it be another portal to this Equestria? It would explain the similarity between the NG waveforms and what I detected coming from the statue.

In the end, she simply leaned closer, a smile beginning to form. “So what you’re saying is that this... magic has remained within your friends, even though it should have returned to your homeland with this Element of Magic?” she asked, grabbing for her phone. “I take it you intend on studying this phenomena?”

The other five began to look nervously from Sunset to Nebula. “We probably should study this, if for no other reason than to check the extent of it, but we might have to take a raincheck.” Sunset glanced at the clock. “It won’t be long until they start closing up the school.”

Nebula nodded before grabbing her stuff and standing up, everybody else following suit. When Rainbow started moving over to where her guitar was, however, she remembered something important. The Fullbottle that had changed outside her notice, that had been in her pocket and gotten very hot in the presence of Rainbow Dash’s transformation. Could it be that...

“Ne, Rainbow-san, before you put your guitar away, could you do me a favour?” She walked over to the stool where Rainbow’s stuff was and set the boated fiery bottle with the spiderweb markings down atop it. “Could you transform again? I do not need to get any readings right this instant, but there’s something I need to confirm...”

The others all looked at her in confusion, so she sighed and fished the other Fullbottle back out of her pocket. It contained a red essence, and on it was an etching of some sort of shrimp or prawn. Mantis shrimp, maybe? “This was like that one this morning, and the only thing I can think of is exposure to that surge that accompanied your transformation,” Nebula explained. “If that one there changes, it will confirm my hypothesis that the NG energy and your equestrian magic are linked and that it’s not a mere coincidence the two seem similar.”

When Sunset nodded as if to encourage her, Rainbow smirked. “If you wanted to hear how awesome I am, you should’ve just asked,” she crowed, picking up her guitar. “Cliffs of Dover, let’s rock!” What followed was an impressive display of shredding. The melody felt chaotic, but flowed with a great degree of grace.

Before too long, her phone’s detector app started altering her to the surge in energies. Rainbow began to glow about forty-seconds after beginning. As she began to float off the ground, the Fullbottle on the stool began to brightly glow as well. By the time the ears and wings manifested, the bottle’s glow dissipated. Rainbow touched down shortly after she stopped playing, and her changes dissipated into motes of light.

“Fascinating,” Nebula said, reaching to pick up the newly purified Fullbottle. Unlike all of the others, this one was a solid gold in colouration, with absolutely zero transparency. Its etching bore the stylized flame. When she took a scan of it with her phone’s sensor suite, her eyebrow only rose. It registers as having the magic waveform. “Thank you, Rainbow.”

As Sunset approached, Nebula held the bottle out to her. “Wait, why are you giving this to me?” she asked, freezing in her tracks. “I can’t do anything like you can.”

With a shake of her head, Nebula grinned. “Maybe not, but this registers as magic and not purified Nebula Gas.” When the redhead’s eyes widened, the scientist forced it into her hand, clasping it between her own. “You are the expert in that field, so I trust you are the one best suited to care for it until we can find a place to begin testing.”

This was clearly not an answer that Sunset Shimmer expected, or wanted to hear, as a slightly scared expression crossed her face. “But what if I turn into a demon again,” she whispered. “I don’t want to lose control like that ever again.”

One by one, the others crowded around. Each of them placed a hand over Nebula’s and Sunset’s. “Darling, I think I speak for everyone when I say that we don’t believe that will happen,” Rarity said. Everyone gave her a soft smile as tears began to rim her eyes. “We believe in you.”

“Research Log: Project Unity. Audio Log #1. Timestamp: 21 October, 2013, 9:27pm. Location: Shady Oaks Group Home.”

“I have debated how to go about this, but in the end, these logs are more of a means to collate my thoughts in regards to everything that is happening than anything else. Getting it all down makes it feel more... real. Given that we don’t even know my real name for sure, having things feel real is important.”

[A period of silence fills the audio recording, followed by a long, drawn out sigh.]

“Honestly, I have not even the slightest idea as to where to start. I have been digging into the Project Re:Build files as much as possible since getting home, and it’s starting to paint a really strange picture. Some would call me a madwoman for even thinking to accept what Sunset-san and the others told me at face value, but who am I to question what my own eyes have borne witness to?”

“The best place to start is Nebula Gas. It is an energised gas that possesses metaphysical and mutagenic properties produced by whichever organisation backed Re:Build. Given that it has been used to turn people into Smash, I am led to believe that—whoever it is that is making it—they have no regard for laws against human experimentation. It also is found contained in the Fullbottles utilised with the Build System, allowing transformation into an armoured form of various interchangeable capabilities.

“There are three separate energy waveforms that I’ve found related to Nebula Gas. The first, which shall hitherto be referred to as Type-I, is the form that is found within the Smash. Although I have been unable to find what other energies are tied up in it to make it impure, it has been shown to have a deleterious effect on the human body. Both the Strong and Burn Smashes I’ve encountered were in a feverish state when purged of the contaminant.”

“The Type-II waveform is the purified form. At first, I thought it was only found within the Fullbottles that Karasu uses. That belief changed this evening, when I took a close-up scan of myself. The sensor practically had to touch me, so perhaps the skin acts as a barrier masking the signal, but it was there, and at a particularly high level, as well. I cannot tell if this is because of my multiple uses of the Build Driver and Fullbottles, or if it was there even before that.”

“Addendum: It is possible that I might have been a human test subject for that organisation like the two Smash I defeated. If so, it may be that either my body itself purified it, usage of the Build System did so, or I myself was exposed to the purifying effects of magic. It would not explain the strange familiarity with the devices, though.”

[The sound of a box spring creaking and cloth being disturbed can be heard on the recording.]

“The final waveform worth mentioning I am referring to as Type-M. My running theory is that this energy is a sort of precursor or sibling to the NG waveforms. Since it is identified as matching magic from the world Sunset-san claims to originate, I have dubbed it Type-M. It sounds unscientific, but to be honest, so does a girl floating in the air growing wings, a foot or so of hair, and equine ears.”

“Type-M energy has been recorded in the previously described manifestation, as well as an object identified as a portal to Sunset-san’s homeworld. It also exists in the form of a Fullbottle that was purified from today’s Type-I collection. As I have no experience where magic is concerned, I have left it in her possession.”

“Somehow, I do not think this Smash threat is going to let up any time soon, and I know I will not always be able to be there for them. I need to dig up more data from the Re:Build project files, but I am legitimately considering whether it is within my ability to give them, even if it is just one for now, the tools to protect themselves.”

“With the Tempo Reaper in mind, I was able to get into another project file. It seems to be schematics pulled from the original data transmission that Dr. Satonaka retrieved: a weapon that utilises the power of a Fullbottle that can be used without being transformed. I think it’s what served as the basis for the Tempo Reaper, and from the look of it, it should not be too hard to scavenge the parts necessary to make it. It’s a longsword dubbed the Pulling Instrumental Sword Beat Closer, but that’s a mouthful, so Beat Closer will do.”

“I think I shall sleep on whether I really want to become a weapons manufacturer, however. Something inside me makes it feel so wrong, and yet... I want to do anything I can to protect those six. This is Nebula Moonlight, Project Unity Lead, signing off.”