RIDER TIME old chapter repost, part 4

Chapter 4: Nocturne of the Party Pony

------2008-------

Rarity groaned as she woke up. She remembered getting a strange watch from a secret admirer and then...nothing. As she threw the covers off herself, she noticed she was wearing something. Nothing could have prepared her, or anyone in earshot, for what happened when she looked in the mirror...

----2008--------
It had been about a day since the battle with Another OOO. After they had gotten their friend back to her home and moved all her belongings back into her house (and patching the holes she made in the surrounding houses), they had rested for the night, and were now eating breakfast. Tom leisurely sipped some coffee with a little bit of milk, and an insignificant 8 packets of sugar.
"Do you really need THAT much sugar in your coffee?" Twilight asked. Tom gave her a look that said 'Don't go there.' She backed up a bit. "Alright, alright, just stop giving me that look!"
"Hey, after the last few days, I think I've EARNED this cup of coffee." Tom said. He continued sipping. "Say, didn't you say one more of your friends was coming back to town today or something?" He asked.
"Oh...oh yeah, Pinkie Pie's coming back today...oh dear sweet Celestia, Pinkie Pie's coming back today." She realized how crazy things would most likely get, especially with Tom around.
"Something you're not telling me about this Pinkie Pie?" Tom questioned.
"Um...well, Pinkie Pie is really friendly to everypony-or human- she meets, and loves throwing parties." Twilight explained.
"That doesn't sound so bad." Tom stated.
"Trust me, you'll NEVER forget meeting Pinkie Pie." She said, as Spike came back with the morning newspaper.
"Save the comics for me please." He said, placing the paper on the table, as Twilight started reading. As she looked at the front page, she suddenly did a spit take...all over Tom and Spike.
"Gah! What the hell, Twilight!?" Tom yelled. Twilight handed him a towel and the paper.
'SPOOKY SPECTER STRIKES WITH SUDDEN SICKNESS' Read the headline, with a picture of what appeared to be a bat-like creature. Tom read the article out loud.
"Last night, reports were made of a suspicious figure making its way around Ponyville. At the same time, 5 ponies were hospitalized, from a sudden drop in blood pressure. Each victim was also noted to have a mark of sorts on both sides of their necks..." Tom trailed off.
"You don't think..." Spike started.
"Another Kiva." Tom said.
"Is that another one of those Another Riders?" Twilight asked.
"Kiva was a Kamen Rider who hunted down a race of vampiric monsters called Fangires. Even though he was half-Fangire himself, he never attacked anyone else besides hostile Fangires. He was also something of a recluse, to boot." Tom explained. "Keep in mind, Another Riders are monsters, so Another Kiva acting on Fangire instinct may very well be what's going on."
"So you mean...there's a vampire on the loose in Ponyville!?" Spike panicked.
"Well, yes and no." Tom answered, with Twilight and Spike paying close attention. "Fangires don't actually drain blood, but the total life energy of their victims, after which the remains usually shatter like glass."
"That's even worse!" Spike started to panic again.
"BUT. As none of these ponies are dead, it suggests that Another Kiva is being suppressed somehow, like whoever turned into it is trying to resist." Tom noted. "So, we need to find out who Another Kiva is, and try to stop the watch before there are more victims."
Suddenly, an incredibly piercing shriek rang out from somewhere.
"Was that...Rarity?" Tom asked. "We need to go to her-she might be in trouble!"
The three ran out the door to save their friend from whatever had made her scream.

------2008-------

Within the vicinity of Sweet Apple Acres was a small treehouse, often occupied by Apple Bloom and her two friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. They called themselves the "Cutie Mark Crusaders", or "CMC". They were meeting in there, talking about the appearance of Kamen Rider Zi-O, and what had been happening recently.
"I don't know, Apple Bloom. I don't think we should get involved- those monsters sound dangerous." Sweetie Belle said, frightened after her sister had been turned into one yesterday. As far as she knew, Rarity still wasn't awake.
"Oh come on, Sweetie Belle- we're just gonna see what was in that big can he came in. I mean, besides him, of course." Scootaloo assured.
"Ah think sis put that thing in the barn- don't think she'd mind if we just looked." Apple Bloom noted.
"Well...alright, as long as we don't end up going bonkers like anypony else did." Sweetie Bell said.
The three exited their treehouse and headed over to the barn, hoping to learn more about the mysterious hero.

-------2008-------

Tom and company had made their way to Rarity's boutique, and were actively searching for her.
"Rarity!? Are you here? Are you okay!?" Twilight called out. Tom heard sobbing and whining coming from upstairs.
"I think she's upstairs...sounds like she's really upset about something." Tom stated the obvious.
They walked up the stairs and Twilight knocked on Rarity's bedroom door.
"Rarity? Are you in there?"
Rarity opened the door, she had been crying a lot. "Oh, Twilight, it's awful! Simply awful!"
"What's awful?" Twilight asked. Rarity produced the newspaper from this morning, showing a story about Another OOO from yesterday.
"Oh, Rarity, you don't need to feel guilty about that- you weren't yourself." Twilight said soothingly.
"Not that, Twilight- THIS!" She pointed to another picture in the article, showing Rarity in the odd outfit she was wearing yesterday. "I can never show my face in Ponyville again after wearing that horrid thing!"
Tom was at a loss for words. Apparently being turned into a monster against her will was not as bad as being photographed wearing a silly outfit for the unicorn. It confused him greatly.
"I'm ruined! Utterly ruined!" Rarity sobbed. Tom decided to try something.
"You could...chalk it up to the RideWatch?" He suggested gently.
"...the watch? What about it?" Rarity asked, her tears slowing.
"Those watches have been doing similar things to other ponies." He said, pulling out a couple photos that were taken of both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy during their corrupted episodes. Though there were a LOT more of Fluttershy...
"...yes, you're right! That wasn't moi doing those things, it was that horrid little timepiece's fault!" She proclaimed, turning to Tom. "Thank you for that...um...I' m sorry, I don't believe we've met."
Twilight remembered that Rarity hadn't actually met Tom in person yet, at least not when she wasn't under the control of a RideWatch. "Oh, right. Rarity, this is Tom- I told you about him the day before, he's the one who's been resolving the RideWatch incidents, including yours." Twilight explained.
Rarity took a good look at the creature who had apparently saved her and others. "Oooh, you're quite a specimen, aren't you?" She said, flirtingly. Tom started blushing and stammering.
"Uh...um...er..." Tom tried to speak, but the sudden flirting had rendered him unable to do much but stammer awkwardly.
"I think you broke him, Rarity." Twilight snarked, as Spike crossed his arms in irritation.

------2008------

Starlight Glimmer stared at the ceiling in her room. She couldn't get yesterday's encounter with Geiz out of her mind at all.
"You of all ponies HAVE THE NERVE!?"
It reminded her; not too long ago, she had been driven to try to alter time for petty revenge. And, remembering that event and the devastation her grudge had caused...she was harshly reminded of those things.
"Revenge gets you nowhere, I know that..." She said to herself, rolling over in her bed. "But...what exactly happened to Geiz to make him go this far? At least, I wasn't trying to kill anypony...even though I most likely did..." She pondered.
"Oh, Starlight...don't beat yourself up over this! That's Butterfly-face's thing!" A familiar voice came from nowhere.
"...alright, come on out Discord, I'm really not in the mood." She commanded, as the chaotic god appeared in front of her. He was covered in bandages.
"What happened to you?" Starlight asked. Discord looked irritated as he answered.
"Apparently Mr. Butterfly's not very fond of me either. I've made ponies angry, I know that, but usually I've done something to them first! That's just cutting out one middlemare too many!" He pouted.
"...tell me what happened." Starlight requested.
"Well, it went something like this..."

------2008-------

Discord was sitting at home, about to dig into an upside down cake. Though whether the cake was upside down, or everything else, who knew? Suddenly, he had a ringing in his head. Reaching into his ear, he pulled out a telephone.
"Hello?" He asked. Another Discord was next to him, also on the phone.
"Oh, it's good to hear your handsome voice today!" The left Discord said cheerily. "But you know, you haven't been to Ponyville in a while-I'm sure Fluttershy would love to see you!"
"Yes, you're right! It would be a good day to go down to Ponyville!" He hung up the receiver and shook his doppleganger's hand. "What would I do without you?"

Discord teleported down to Ponyville, nearby Fluttershy's cottage. He knocked on the door, but there wasn't any answer.
"Hm...did she go out?" Discord asked, before noticing a red-and-black armored figure behind him, breathing rather heavily.
"You're a new face. Or rather, you're a butterly design on a new head!" he chucked, but immediately stopped as an energy blast whizzed past his ear. The armored figure was pointing his gun right at Discord, with full intent to kill!
"Whoa! Let's put the gun down, okay-" His plea went ignored, as the armored man rapidly shot at Discord, with the chaos god attempting to dodge his way around.
"I'm GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU MISMATCHED BASTARD!" Geiz yelled, changing his gun back into an axe.

-------2008------

"...and that axe really hurts, if you couldn't tell already." Discord finished. "What is that boy's issue with us anyway?"
"I really don't know...he seems insistent that we were responsible for whatever happened to his world, but none of us had even heard about the World of Riders until Twilight picked that book up!" Starlight stated.
"Hmm...well, he seems to recognize us from somewhere, but my chaos powers just bounce off that armor of his!" Discord complained. "I would have been able to read his mind if it wasn't for that!"
Suddenly, Starlight thought of something. "Maybe if we can catch him untransformed, we can find something out!"
Discord agreed, but also realized the flaw. "Easier said than done. I doubt he's gonna go around advertising where he's hiding, after all." He said, showing a pic of a cartoonish Geiz on a billboard saying "Evil Lair- Next Left!" before banishing it.
"Hmm...well, we know he's been distributing the RideWatches, and he does tend to show up whenever an Another Rider is formed...I think the best thing to do is try to get the jump on him when an Another Rider is present." Starlight stated.
"Sounds like a plan! However, right now I need to go find some painkillers." Discord whimpered, and vanished.
Starlight gazed out a nearby window. "I really hope this works..."

------2008-------

It took about an hour, but Tom was finally back to speaking in complete sentences again.
"Well, I guess superheroes do have their weaknesses..." Twilight said, nervously. It had taken a lot of effort to get the Rider to stop babbling like an idiot. Thankfully, it was discovered that the mention and partaking of lunch was enough to help Tom out of his flirting-induced stupor.
"Yeah, sorry about that...I'm not used to girls flirting with me." Tom added.
"What? Why, every lady should have been swooning over you, my knight in shining armor!" Rarity flirted again, and Tom was about to go back into babble mode, but Twilight whispered "Just take the compliment." into his ear.
"Um...well, thing is, back where I'm from, Rider powers aren't uncommon. Not EVERYONE has them mind you, but having Rider powers or not was kind of just a trait like hair or eye color." Twilight and Rarity stared at Tom like he had suddenly grown an extra head.
Tom looked confused, but pieced it together. "Ah, right...well, usually it's the first born child of a Rider family who gets the exact powers of that family's namesake, but other children can be born with 'surprise' Rider powers. I happened to be the latter, but they never manifested until recently." Tom recalled. "I wasn't exactly Mr. Popular either, more like 'Mr. Popular's nerdy little brother.' " He glanced down at the floor. It was obvious Tom had lost a lot, and was still working through it. Twilight placed her hand on his shoulder.
"You take all the time you need, Tom. We'll be there for you." Twilight reassured the regretful Rider.

------2008-------
After some time, the Rider and his companions departed Rarity's store, Rarity having taken Tom's measurements to design clothing for him. He was still wondering if she was normally that touchy-feely with others however. The sun had started its descent, though while the sun's jerky movements alarmed Tom at first, an impromptu lesson about the princesses from Twilight explained things to him.
"You know, we never did meet that other friend of yours today." Tom reminded the lavender alicorn. Twilight started thinking.
"That is odd. I thought Pinkie Pie would be out and about, planning your party." Tom was about to ask how she would know that, but Twilight cut him off and said "Pinkie somehow just knows these things. Just go with it. Trust me." Twilight said, remembering the time she had attempted to figure out what made the pink pony tick.
Just then, they heard a scream from down the road.
"Let's go!" Tom ran into action, Twilight and Spike struggling to keep up. When they got to the scene, they found another fainted mare, she had the marks on her neck that indicated Another Kiva's doing, but also a curious white substance that had dripped on the ground.
"What's this?" Twilight asked.
"Is it some sort of ooze the monster uses on its victims!?" Spike asked, freaking out. One of these days Twilight was gonna have to break him of his comic book obsession. Tom walked over to the small pool of the substance, and, swiping it with his finger, sniffed it.
"No, this is..." He gave the sample a lick to confirm his suspicions. "...buttercream icing. Quality stuff too. Never figured an Another Rider to have a sweet tooth." He said, wiping his hand off.
Just then, Twilight became worried. "Buttercream icing...? Oh no, what if the monster got to Pinkie!? That may be why we can't find her!" She panicked, and started sobbing at the fear of losing one of her best friends to a vampire monster. Just then, she felt the embrace of her Rider friend.
"Calm down. Calm down, okay?" Tom asked, trying to assuage Twilight's worries. "We'll find her." Twilight was soothed by the Rider's words, and felt so safe in his arms...before they realized what they were doing and broke the embrace, facing away from each other with reddened faces.
"...let's go see if we can find any more clues." Twilight suggested, with Tom agreeing and Spike shrugging as the three left the area. But, they were being observed by a mare in a trenchcoat, who also appeared to have an interest in the situation.

------2008-------

Tom, Twilight and Spike had split up to ask their friends if they had seen any sign of Pinkie Pie at all. Tom went to Fluttershy to ask, but she hadn't seen Pinkie at all, and was staying inside because she heard about Another Kiva. Before Tom left to resume the search, Fluttershy hugged him from behind and asked yet another blush-inducing question.
"You'll protect me from that monster, right?" Tom nodded , concealing the redness of his face.
Twilight, being the only one among them who could, visited Rainbow Dash to ask after their friend, but she hadn't seen her either. She then asked if there was anything she could do to help, but when Twilight suggested she search Sweet Apple Acres, she suddenly got nervous.
"IjustrememberedIhavealotofimportantthingstodosorryabouthatbye!" She said quickly, shutting the door in her face. Twilight blinked a few times, trying to process what just happened.
Spike had gone back to Carousel Boutique to find Rarity. Not that he was complaining, mind you; he has had a massive crush on the fashion designer since he first arrived in Ponyville. He knocked on the door, but to his slight disappointment, it was Sweetie Belle who answered.
"Spike?" Sweetie asked.
"Hey Sweetie Belle, is your sister around? We think something bad might have happened to Pinkie Pie, and we're trying to track her down." He explained with a seriousness in his voice.
"No...Rarity said she had to go somewhere. She didn't say exactly where, but she put on that trenchcoat and fedora she wears when acting out detective fantasies-I mean...!" Sweetie Belle instantly clamped her hands over her mouth. Spike just shook his head.
"Well, if you see her, tell her what's going on, okay?" Spike asked, leaving Sweetie Belle behind. Two thoughts ran through the young unicorn's mind at that time. 'Wow, Spike has gotten a lot more confident recently.' And the more pressing thought of 'Rarity's gonna kill me!'

------2008-----

The three had reconvened in front of Twilight's castle, as the day finally gave way to the night.
"Nothing?" Tom asked the other two.
"Other than Rainbow Dash still being embarrased over the other day? No." Twilight replied.
"Nothing on my end either, Rarity wasn't even home." Spike added, but was cutoff by a snarling from behind him. "Uh, guys? Is that snarling coming from either of you?" The Rider and Princess shook their heads. "Thought so. Next question, is that Another Rider we've been looking for right behind me?" They nodded. "Right then." Spike suddenly ran for his life, with Another Kiva chasing him.
"Oh no, Spike!" Twilight cried out, but Tom had just transformed and gave chase to the monster.
"Spike...please be safe." Twilight prayed. AS she said that, Rarity approached her with the detective outfit from earlier.
"I've figured out what's going on." She said, pulling Twilight along with her in pursuit of the monster.

-------2008------

Spike had taken refuge behind some crates, but Another Kiva was slowly closing in on him...or it would be if not for the Rider Kick Zi-O delivered to it. However, Another Kiva seemed to shrug it off.
"Crap...usually that works." Zi-O lamented, as Another Kiva pinned him down.
"Double crap!" Zi-O struggled to break free.
"HOLD IT!" A voice rang out with a tone that would make any porcupine-haired lawyer proud. Rarity walked up to the Another Rider.
"Pinkie Pie, please compose yourself." She said gently, the others looking at her with shock.
"Wait, THAT'S Pinkie Pie!?" Twilight yelped.
"The first clue was that Pinkie hadn't been seen, despite her being scheduled to come back today." Rarity then turned around for a moment. "The second clue, was the trace amounts of frosting found near all the victims."
It all began to add up. Kiva was known for being a shut-in, so Pinkie must not have been able to leave her room. What's more, this was Pinkie Pie- she probably had vanilla icing as her bood type! And Another Kiva's victims weren't completely dead because of that! Pinkie Pie would never try to hurt anypony, ever! She was actively fighting Another Kiva from within!
"Rarity, Twilight; keep trying to talk her down! She's still in there!" Zi-O commanded.
"R...Rarity...?" Another Kiva grunted out. "Tw...Twilight?" She had backed off of Zi-O, and was clutching her head.
"Rarity...Twilight...it hurts... it really hurts..." The Another Rider's voice started changing back to a high pitched feminine voice that sounded all too familiar to everyone but the Rider. The two friends, and Spike, came up and placed their hands on her.
"Remember who you are." Twilight said gently.
"I...Kiva? N-no...I'm not Kiva...I'm Pinkie Pie...Ponyville's party pony....PINKIE PIE!" She yelled, having untransformed, and separated from the watch. Rarity and Twilight both caught their friend in their arms, and let her down gently. "Zi-O! The RideWatch!"
Zi-O nodded, and took out his own RideWatch, pointing it at the Kiva Watch, currently sparking with purple energy. "I am the heir to all Riders, Zi-O! O Hunter of the Fangire, silent guardian who prowls in the night..." Once again, Zi-O's watch emitted a beam, dispelling the darkened energy.
"...I will find you the sounds that you've sought." Tom said, untransforming.
Pinkie Pie started to regain consciousness. "I'd like to get off the merry-go-round now." She said dizzily. She then snapped out of it, and stood up. Upon seeing her friends, as well as the one she sensed the other day, she gasped with excitement, her hair suddenly poofing out.
"Twilight! Rarity! Spike!" She tackled all her friends in a big pink hug. "Oooh! And you're new to town, aren't you? My name's Pinkie Pie!" She ran up to Tom, bouncing up and down like she had ingested a year's supply of coffee.
"I'm Tom, nice to meet you. And you're okay now, right?"
"Yeppers! That nasty ol' watch isn't gonna make me go all spooky anymore!" Pinkie cheered. "This definitely calls for a party...after I go lie down for a little while, I'm pooped." Tom chuckled a bit at the pink pony, she seemed like a lot of fun. She then fell asleep, Tom catching her as she fell. Carrying her in his arms, he made a gesture for his friends to stay quiet, as they brought her back to Sugarcube Corner.

------2008--------

The Zap Apples were almost ready to be harvested. They were a staple crop of Sweet Apple Acres, and were one of the farm's biggest sellers. Applejack took it upon herself to check on the tree every night until harvest, so as to ensure the crop came out as well as possible. However, she noticed that one apple had already fallen from the tree.
"Huh? This one couldn't wait, huh?" She chuckled, going to pick it up. Upon further inspection, the apple had a strange purple and green swirling color, as well as an unusually large stem. Applejack felt around the apple for defects, but when she touched the stem...
"W!" The apple yelled, suddenly turning into a RideWatch.
"Oh consarn it-" She started before her eyes glowed purple and green. Just behind another tree, Geiz was observing the results of his experiment.
"Heh, so it was a success. Hope you enjoy being hard-boiled." He snarked and walked off.

------2009-------