Kamen Rider EqG Chapter 5 Preview

I know you're all waiting eagerly for the next chapter, and it's in progress. For now, how about I preview you a random side scene wherein we take a brief moment to completely deconstruct the genre:

Shortly after school, and Rainbow Dash was at soccer practice, standing at the end of the line for a practice activity run with hoops and cones and all that good stuff. She always volunteered to go last because, as she often proved true, she had “the performance to end the show”. She’d had to miss last Thursday’s practice because she and Fluttershy had been held up with the news station and police department surrounding their first run-in with the Mirror Monsters, but she was determined to make up for lost time this week.

Naturally, the obvious dilemma came to mind. Why did she break up the Rainbooms if she was still going to continue with the soccer team? Wasn’t that just ruining her friends’ fun while still keeping some for herself? She invoked a technicality. Part of why she’d disbanded the band…no pun intended—was because they’d reached the point of no longer using band practice time for the band. But this was different, because she actually used soccer practice time for soccer. Even if she spent half the time waiting around. Soooooo boring.

“So,” she said to the boy standing in line in front of her, faded red skin with pale blue hair, “is archery too easy for you or are you just an overachiever?”

“Huh?” he asked. Then he looked down at the bow-and-arrow pin on his uniform. “Oh. Ha, very funny. No, actually—”

“Sonic Arrow!” Coach Spitfire called from field. The boy pointed with his thumb and silently nodded to the field before running out for his go at the practice course. Now it was only Rainbow left in line. She clapped and rubbed her hands together in preparation. Just a few more—

The whistling ringing rose up in her ears, and in her mind, she could almost sense a roadmap to its source. It wasn’t far. She quickly glanced around the immediate area, seeing a tall mirror propped against one of the stands off to her left. A Gelnewt wandered slowly through the reflection, looking around.

‘Because she actually used soccer practice time for soccer.’ She had literally just thought those words a minute ago. Why, world? Why?

That aside, the fact that one of these monsters was so close to the school was something that couldn’t be left alone. It didn’t matter if it was here after her or not, she had to deal with it right now. She reached and slid her Advent Deck halfway out of her uniform pocket—

“Rainbow Dash!” called Coach Spitfire. Rainbow looked back to the field in surprise. Oh, wasn’t this just the classic hero’s dilemma? Which life would get priority, hero or civilian? Should the audience like their star character for their choices just yet? Would this be a telling sign of the ever-predictable character arc to come? No, not her, she would not fall victim to such an overused trope. If only both choices’ paths weren’t already their own separate tropes. What option did that even leave her with to be original? “Rainbow Dash?” repeated Spitfire.

Rainbow looked back down at her Deck and silently moaned. There was no winning, was there? Then she noticed a stray soccer ball sitting on the ground in front of her. She glanced over to the mirror with the Gelnewt, then back to the ball. Giving the Deck a bit of a squeeze, she casually stepped forward, then swiftly kicked the ball with the inside of her right foot, lines of light blue electricity jumping from her foot to the ball as it flew off to the left, warped through the mirror, and flew and hit the Gelnewt in the face. The monster promptly flipped over backwards and landed on the ground, feet in the air. It struggled back and forth, but like its friends earlier, the large X-weapon on its back had trapped it on the ground.

Rainbow Dash smirked as she slipped her Deck back into her pocket and ran out onto the field.

* * *

Less than a minute later, Kamen Rider Talon leapt out of the other side of the mirror armed with a pair of eagle-talon gauntlets, running out into the Mirror World’s CHS soccer field. Rainbow Dash slowed and spun around, scanning from corner to corner. The Gelnewt was nowhere to be seen.

I've also just finished another Henshin One-Shot that will drop on Halloween, though I'll have to think about what time during the day would get it the best audience. Here's…a hint…
Oh, it's happening.