//------------------------------// // Interlude: Rainbow Rocks Part 3 // Story: Elements of Heroism: Season 4 // by Bahamut0 //------------------------------// Burst, the guys, and the girls noticed how much strife was going on between everyone. "This is insane!" Inferno noted. "The school's torn apart!" "Just like when I was in ruling the school." Sunset said sadly. Gold put a hand on Sunset's shoulder. "We did mess things up. But that also means we're capable of making things right." Gold smiled. "And we've got good friends to help us on our way." "Someone's sounding more hopeful." Burst said with a small smile. Gold shrugged. "What can I say? You're rubbing off on me." Gold's face then turned serious as he looked to Twilight. "I hope you've found a way to counteract the Dazzlings' spell." "I did. But it needs to be sung." Twilight said sadly. "And trying to find the right lyrics so that it flows as a song is harder than I thought!" Twilight sighed as she gathered herself. "But there's no way we can give up now." "Heck yeah!" Rainbow Dash cheered. "Me and my band are gonna wipe the floor with those sirens!" Steel frowned. "Watch that ego Dash. Chances are, the Dazzlings aren't gonna go down easy." "Uh, guys? I think they're gonna be harder to take down." Tyrannus said as he pointed to Night Terror and his band playing the insturmental parts of the music while the Dazzlings were singing! North nervously swallowed. "Well lads, I'd say we've got our work cut out for us." "Then let's rock the dragon." Burst said with a nod. And with that, both bands set to work climbing their way to the finals. However, the Rainbooms were starting to be at odds with each other. Especially after all their attempts to take the center stage. "This doesn't look good...." Gold narrowed his eyes as he saw the Dazzlings feeding off the negativity. "And I think it's getting worse. But right now we gotta focus on making it to the finals." And with that, the band took the stage. Fortunately, they made it through to the finals. Just in time to see the Rainbooms at each other's throats and Twilight looking distraught over the whole thing. However, things only got worse. When the girls went to practice, Trixie and her band pulled a trap door that sent them falling below the stage! Spike ran off to get help while the other guys rushed towards the entrance! "C'mon! Let's go get them!" But as the guys made their way to the locked door, Night Terror and his goons stood in their way! "Well, well. What do we have here?" Night Terror said with an evil smile. "A group of fools trying to be heroes. But trying is as far as you're going to get." Night Terror slung his guitar to the front of his body, and unleashed a wave of dark magic by strumming it! Sending the guys flying! "Imagine how that'll feel when I'm truly paying. Farwell. Heroes." Night Terror put as much mockery into the word "hero" as possible. The guys groaned as they slowly got to their feet. The girls had been released just in time by Spike finding Vinyl Scratch. "Looks like they've got sound to match their fury..." Steel groaned. "Just means we gotta rock harder." Inferno replied. "But how the heck are we going to match power like that?" Then, they noticed the symbols on the decks they'd found were glowing. "Never mind." Sure enough, the Dazzlings were on stage. Feeding off the adoration. And the instrumentals provided by Night Terror and his goons more than helped fuel the audience's attention. But the Rainbooms countered with their own song! However, the Dazzlings had amassed so much power that the Rainbooms were on their last legs pretty quick! But all that changed when Sunset joined with her friends! Together, their magic was released! However, Night Terror and his lackeys weren't about to give in! They played furiously! Looks of madness and fury in their eyes! A dark warrior projection materialized and did battle with the female projection brought forth by the girls! However, there was a sound of a new band entering the fray. And their arrival was heralded by Burst screaming out two words. Song Burst and the guys perform: As soon as the guys started playing, a dragon projection burst forth! Releasing a mighty roar as it rammed the evil projection brought forth by Night Terror! The more the guys poured themselves into their performance, the harder the dragon struck back! The two groups of friends nodded, and their projections unleashed a final blast of magic that struck the Dazzlings and Night Terror and his lackeys dead-on! When the light faded, the Dazzlings' pendents were destroyed. And they ran off with Night Terror and his lackeys close behind. Ace, Venus, and Fang noticed, and immediately gave chase! "Fools!" Night Terror screamed as he and his goons cornered the Dazzlings! "You said this power would assure our victory!" "Hey! Don't blame us for those guys joining up!" Aria shot back! "Besides. We would've lost sooner if you hadn't gotten so desperate." Adagio nodded. "I'm all for putting up one last stand. But what you did reeked of madness. It wouldn't have held long." Adagio sighed. "At the very least, our final performance was memorable." "IT'S NOT OVER!" Night Terror screamed as an aura of dark power exploded around him! Night Terror's new form had demonic wings, and his nails had turned into claws. Lastly, his pupils had turned into cat-like slits. His lackeys freaked out, and bailed immediately! Night Terror looked over his new form, and a dark smile crept across his face. "Well. It seems this isn't a total failure after all." He then turned his attention to the Dazzlings. A wicked grin on his face that bared his new fangs. "Now that I have this power, I think it's time I start practicing it. Fortunately, some training dummies just so happen to be before me." Adagio put herself before her sisters! "How sweet. You actually do care about them. Don't worry they won't be alone. They'll be joining you in destruction soon enough." Night Terror raised his fist! "HOLD IT!" Ace cried out as he, Venus, and Fang arrived! "You're not gonna lay a finger on them!" Night Terror turned to face them, and laughed. "You fools think you can take me on? Please. With the power I hold, you're little more than ants." Ace didn't care, and charged at Night Terror! Night Terror caught Ace's fist! "You would give your life for theirs? After what they tried to do? How foolish." Night Terror then broke Ace's hand, and threw him to the ground! "What's...more foolish?" Ace groaned as he got to his feet. "To look out for yourself alone? Or turn your back on the people you care about? No. I'd say I made a pretty wise decision in coming back for Sonata." Within himself, Ace felt something spark. "Ace..." Sonata whispered as she saw Ace get to his feet. Night Terror sneered. "And I assume you and your friends are stupid enough to go against me? I won't waste my time with you." Night Terror then spread his wings. "And now, I shall reclaim what was taken from me." Night Terror flew off, and searched for Nightmare Moon. He soon found her walking with Burst, and scooped her up! He then looked down at Burst. "If she means anything, you're more than welcome to try and take her back! And free, of course, to meet an early doom!" Night Terror flew off, and Burst clenched his fist. Burst was about to run after Night Terror, but was stopped by his friends! "Let me go! I've gotta save Moon!" "Not alone you're not." Inferno said. "We're going with you." Gold put a hand on Burst's shoulder. "Going forth worried isn't gonna do you any good." Gold's gaze steeled with determination. "It's gonna be alright. We WILL rescue Moon." Gold was about to leave with the guys, but Sunset stopped him. "What's up?" "I just wanted to say thanks. For making sure I know I wasn't alone." Sunset said with a smile. "And for giving me hope when things seemed bad." Sunset then pulled Gold into a kiss! "Thank you. And please. Come back safe." Gold took hold of Sunset's hand. "I don't plan on coming back any other way." And with that, Gold ran off to join the guys! At the same time, Night Terror smiled wickedly as he approached a now captive Nightmare Moon. His hand glowing with dark power. "You still look as lovely as when I first set eyes on you. And with this power, you shall become a beauty beyond compare." Nightmare Moon didn't have any time to protest before she was encased ina sphere of dark power! Burst soon arrived on the scene, and noticed the deck he had was glowing! "You know? Now I remember. You were that loser who performed the Power Rangers theme. What're you going to do? Use some Power Rangers moves on me?" Burst held out his deck. "Something like that." A stream of energy crackled around Burst's waist, and a belt appeared! Burst then slid his deck onto the belt and cried out a single word! "HENSHIN!" A sphere of energy exploded around Burst! It then shrunk and Burst stood in full armor! Modeled after a dragon, and was whitish-silver in color! The helmet was modelled after a dragon's head with a blue visor! Burst's eyes blazing behind it! "Kamen Rider! Bahamut!" Burst then got into a fighting stance! "I'll give you one last chance to let Nightmare go!" "And let you ruin her with your presence? I think not." Night Terror said with a sneer! He then noticed the others show up. "Guys! Hold out your decks and then yell henshin!" Burst called out! The guys quickly complied save for Gold. Energy exploded forth before condensing into armor similar to Burst's! However, each rider's armor was modeled after their respective monster partner. "Now you guys gotta give yourself rider names." "Ignitis!" Inferno called out! "Paladin!" Steel joined in! "Strider!" Akage shouted! "Polarity!" North cried out! "Rex!" Tyrannus called out! Night Terror scowled. "Call yourselves whatever you want. You'll all be dust when I'm done with you!" Night Terror charged at the riders! Trading blows as they clashed! Burst and the other riders put up more of a fight, and gave Night Terror a run for his money! "Time to escalate." Night Terror summoned a sword made of dark power and slashed at the riders! Sending them flying! Burst got to his feet, and took a look at the cards in the deck box that was now a part of his belt. Burst held out the card, and the card turned into a sword! "Guys! Check if any cards in your deck have weapons on them!" And with that, the other riders followed suit! Inferno summoned a sword and blaster, Akage summoned a simple sword, Tyrannus summoned a cannon, Steel got a shield and sword, and North got a twin wrist mounted blasters. "Let's go!" Burst and the guys mounted another charge! Tyrannus fired a blast from his cannon! Forcing Night Terror to block with his sword! Long enough for Steel and Akage to rush him and execute a series of swift slashes! North kept peppering Night Terror's defenses with shots from his wrist blasters! Burst and Inferno then slashed Night Terror across the chest! Leaving cuts that glowed from where Night Terror had been slashed! "ENOUGH." Night Terror growled as he unleashed a wave of dark power that sent the riders flying! He sneered over the riders on the ground. Gold had seen enough. Things looked bad for his friends. And he wouldn't stand by any longer! "I'm not gonna sit around scared anymore." Gold said to himself as he stepped in front of his friends, and raised his deck! "I'm gonna fight on because the hope within me burns! HENSHIN!" In a flash of light, Gold stood in armor modeled after his monster partner! "This is the hope burning within me! Kamen Rider Plasma!" Gold then charged at Night Terror, and blazing wings sprang from the back of his armor! Cutting and burning Night Terror! "Burst! Let's end this together!" "RIGHT!" Burst called out as the wings on his suit deployed! Burst took to the air while Gold launched Night Terror into the sky! Burst and Gold then executed twin flying side kicks right at Night Terror! Gold from below and Burst from aboe!Both of them screaming out their attack! "TWIN HOPE ...." The boys cried as energy projections of their monsters trailed them as they got closer to Night Terror! "RIDER KIIIIIIICK!" The two's kick rippled through Night Terror! Both Burst and Gold landed, and struck a triumphant pose as Night Terror exploded! The dark power surrounding Nightmare Moon disappeared, and Burst and the other riders powered down. Nightmare slowly opened her eyes, and saw Burst holding her. "You...came for me..." Nightmare Moon said. Burst smiled. "I always will." Burst then carried Nightmare Moon home with him. "Especially since I helped you move on Nightmare. I couldn't live with myself if I left you behind." "Then...call me Moon please." Moon said with a smile. "Because my nightmare's over." And with that, the two left. However, a small portion of dark power remaind with Moon. And took the form of a deck box with a moon symbol on it. But that is a story for another time. Back with the girls, Ace, Venus and Fang had returned with the Dazzlings. "So I'm guessing you three will be keeping watch over them?" Twilight asked. Ace nodded. "We've gotten to know them. We know we can help them change." "I knew something felt different about you." Adagio said with a small smile as she looked at Venus. "I could sense magic from Equestria radiating from you. It certainly explains why you're so spirited." "Well, I'll make sure to tell Celestia about this." Twilight said with a nod. And with that, the group went back through the statue portal. Once on the other side, Aria saw that Fang had wolf ears and a tail. "So that explains why you were good at making puppy dog eyes." Aria noted. However, the second Ace set foot in Equestria, he was engulfed in a sphere of magic, and found himself before Aether! "So...what did I do to ascend?" Ace asked. "You've shown true wisdom Ace." Aether said with a kind smile. "You chose to put the welfare of others before your own. Choosing to protect the one you love despite all the danger that stood before you. But I suppose I've kept you from her long enough." When Ace opened his eyes again, he saw his hands were covered in a light blue magic aura and his wings were still ice wings. But they had an angelic design to them! "Welcome to the club." Ice said with a smirk. Shadow took note of his two brothers, and came to a quick revelation. "Aw man! Now I'm the only one of my brothers that's still single!" Back at CHS Gold met with Sunset. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting." "Not for too long." Sunset said with a smile as she hugged Gold tightly. "Looks like our future's hopeful." Gold returned the hug and smiled as well. "You're the reason why my light of hope still shimmers." "And you've been the one who rises to the occasion." Sunset said as she and Gold shared a kiss. Her friends looking on with proud smiles.