//------------------------------// // That's the Power of Love! (Poison) // Story: A Passing Through Kamen Rider // by thunderclap //------------------------------// It had been a few days since Wyatt and the girls returned from the desert, dragging Daring with them. Of course, they had made a stop at Dodge Junction first, only for no one there to have known anything about Agito. Daring was obviously not happy at all, but had accepted that there was nothing to do except try to draw him out through a plan. Wyatt was walking around town, a part of him noting the pink and heart-shaped decorations all over light fixtures and buildings. He then noticed that ponies were paired off, making goo-goo eyes and kissy faces at each other. He sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Great, this world has an equivalent of Valentine’s Day,” he muttered. “Looks like I’ll be celebrating Single’s Day as always.” It made part of him wish that Cassie and Mira had stuck around, if only to have others to  sulk with. He then remembered that Cassie had mentioned that Mira was seeing another displaced. “Nevermind, the traitor isn’t allowed to celebrate with us,” he grumbled, his aimless wandering bringing him to Sugarcube Corner. “Hi Wy-Wy!!” Pinkie greeted from behind the counter. “Are you enjoying Hearts and Hooves Day?” “Hey Pinkie,” Wyatt greeted, her cheer infecting him and forcing out a smile. “I’m celebrating a different holiday called Single’s Awareness Day today. Think you can make me a special treat for that?” he joked, walking up to the counter. “Sure I can!” Pinkie nodded. She zipped around the back of the store, placing a box on the counter. “Done~!” Wyatt blinked, reaching into his pockets to pull out bits. “Pinkie, how did you make baked goods in less than ten seconds?” “I’m just really good at baking!” Pinkie smiled, taking the bits. Getting him his change, she pushing the box forward. “I hope your day improves, Wy-Wy.” “With the stuff you make, it’s sure to,” he said, sliding the change in his pocket before taking the box. “So, what’d you make for me?” “I made you some eclairs. I made them just how you like them!” “Uh, how do you know how I like my eclairs?” Wyatt questioned. “I never told you eclairs were my favorite pastry.” “It’s a secret.” Pinkie winked. She busied herself in the back, humming a soft tune to herself. “Hope you like em!” Wyatt shook his head, quickly thanking her and exiting the bakery. “I swear that mare has superpowers,” he said to himself. He started walking again, looking for a place to eat his eclairs. Finding himself in the park, he took a seat, waving at a few passing couples. He placed his box of treats next to him, pulling one of the tasting confections out and taking a bite. “Mmm, Pinkie does great work!” he said to himself, quickly taking another bite. “I wonder what else I can get up to during a holiday dedicated to couples?” Maybe he could help out in Fluttershy’s cottage? He was pretty sure she wasn’t spending the day with anyone. He knew to avoid Rarity like the plague. He was absolutely certain she would try to play matchmaker for him. He shuddered at the thought of her forcing him to go on a blind date. What was worse was that she’d probably insist on making a suit for him to wear on said date. “Not falling in that trap,” he muttered, taking another bite. “I could hang out with D.D. Get some more info outta her.” He finished off his eclair, debating with himself whether or not he should grab another one. He decided against it, grabbing the box and started walking towards the hotel she was staying in until she could find a home in or near Ponyville. Stepping up to her door, he gave  a few solid knocks. “Hey, A.K, you in?” The door opened and a hand pulled him inside roughly before the door closed behind him. He stumbled a bit before quickly recovering. He took notice of Daring, who had traded in her adventuring gear for a simple olive green t-shirt and shorts. “Sorry for the rough treatment,” Daring said. “I didn’t feel like putting on my disguise.” “Don’t worry about it.” Wyatt waved her off, offering her the box. “I uh, brought some eclairs. Being single today kinda bummed me out. I figured we could hang out. Or something.” Daring thanked him and grabbed an eclair. “It’s Hearts and Hooves Day?” she asked taking a bite. “I’m either on an adventure or home alone this time of year, so I always forget about it. As for your offer, yeah, hanging out would be better than spending the day here.” she indicated the plain room with simple decorations. “How’s Ponyville treating you?” Wyatt asked, sitting down on a free chair. “You’ve been on the down low since we got back.” “It’s an alright little town,” Daring answered, taking a seat on the bed. “Folks are pretty friendly so I can’t complain there. How’s it treating you? Ponies can get kinda weird around non-ponies.” “I still get some odd looks here and there but everyone seems to have accepted me,” Wyatt answered, grabbing an eclair. “I think the welcome party Pinkie threw for me helped.” Leaning back, he grinned. “She still hasn’t thrown you yours yet.” “Ugh, don’t tell her this, but I’m not a big fan of parties. I’ll probably find a comfy corner and deal with the meet and greet as best I can.” She stretched her arms above her head and laid down on the bed. Swallowing a bite, Wyatt thought of his first question. “How much do you know, about Earth I mean? It’d be nice to talk about it with someone. I realize you haven’t actually been there, but still...” Closing his eyes, he fought off another wave of homesickness. “I know some stuff about Earth culture,” Daring answered. “Dad also talked a lot about movies and stuff like that.” “Oh yeah? What was his favorite movie?” Daring chuckled. “That depends, he had categories. His favorite Disney movie for example was Lilo and Stitch. He’s half Hawaiian, said it always hit him in the feels.” A light smile graced her lips. “He taught me a lot about the islands.” “That sounds pretty cool. Did he teach you about the culture of the islands?” Daring let out a barking laugh. “Damn right he did! Did the same thing of Japanese culture. I had the time of my life growing up.” Gazing up at ceiling, a thought struck her. “Guess that’s why I wanted to learn about other cultures.” Wyatt chuckled, taking another bite of his eclair. “Sounds like we have something in common. My mom’s a photographer and taught me everything about cameras.” He sniffled, ignoring the tear running down his face. “Dad’s a costume designer. He made the costume I was wearing when I got sent here.” “Sounds like an interesting family,” Daring commented. She scrunched up her muzzle, taking notice of his condition. “And sorry you can’t see them.” Sitting up, she brushed a few strands of her mane out of her face. “Dad used to get like that sometimes. He told me it wasn’t so bad, because he had me.” “Can’t even imagine being away from my family for a thousand years,” Wyatt said, leaning down towards his lap. “The potential of being immortal has been the weirdest part of becoming a rider.” “Kid, look at me.” Daring got his attention, looking into his eyes. “Live in the now, alright? You’re what, 17, 18? Don’t worry about it for now. Maybe you should get a job, so you don’t have as much free time to worry.” Eyes widening, Daring snapped her fingers in inspiration. “You’re a photographer, right? Maybe you should see about getting a job at a newspaper?” Wyatt nodded, sitting up in the chair. “I think I could like that.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Only problem is that I don’t have any formal experience. Or a recognized education in this world.” “Kid, you’re friends with the princess's personal student, and you’re risking your life to fight monsters, just ask Celestia to throw you a bone.” Wyatt frowned. “I don’t know if I’d be comfortable having strings pulled for me like that. It’s my choice to fight monsters, I’m not looking for handouts for doing it.” Daring crossed her arms. “Would you rather just mooch of off the bookworm for the rest of your life?” Wyatt winced, the sentence hitting a nerve. “Okay, good point. When I get back to the library I’ll write a letter and have Spike send it to the princess.” After a moment, Wyatt shot up from his seat. “That’s actually perfect!” Daring blinked. “Well, that’s a sudden attitude change.” “Hear me out.” Wyatt conjured up his card case, removing the Kuuga card. “Kuuga was Agito’s brother right? What if I photograph myself as Kuuga and submit them to a few newspapers? Agito’s bound to investigate.” Daring nodded, sitting up in the bed with a smile. “Yeah, I think you’re on to something!” She chuckled. “Just be ready to get punched.” “I had a feeling something like that would happen,” Wyatt replied, standing up from his chair and stretching. “You wanna head out into town? We could make fun of the couples or something.” Daring shrugged, standing up from the bed. “Going out to get some fresh air doesn’t sound too bad. Just give me a sec to put on the old lady clothes.” Moving over to her dresser, she removed a shawl, wrapping it around her shoulders. “So, why do you have a secret identity?” Wyatt asked. “Is it for privacy’s sake or something?” “Well, that’s part of it.” Daring fit her glasses on, turning back to him. “If ponies found out that everything I write about is real, they’d go after that stuff themselves. I don’t need that kind of trouble. So, I made up A.K Yearling, and based a persona around her.” Wyatt nodded, opening the door and holding it for her. “Yeah, that makes sense. Twilight let me read the first of your books so I could see how ponies hunting for that stuff would go wrong.” Daring placed her hat on, stepping out of the room. “If anyone asks, we’ve been talking about your home. Inspiration and all that, got it?” Giving her outfit a final adjustment, she began to walk into town. Wyatt gave her a two fingered salute in affirmation, grabbing the eclair box and following her through the streets. They chatted as they went, avoiding topics they wouldn’t want anyone to overhear. Their wanderings had them come across Twilight, who was sitting on a bench reading a book. Wyatt took note of a red stallion and purple mare approaching a picnic blanket in the distance, but paid it no real mind. “Hey Twi,” Wyatt greeted, offering her the box. “A.K and I were just on our way to see you.” Twilight looked up from her book, placing something in it to keep her place before closing it. “Hey Wyatt.” She took the offered box and looked inside. “Ooh, don’t mind if I do.” She grabbed an eclair and took a bite. “So why were you two looking for me?” “Because we had an idea to draw Agito out.” Wyatt sat next to her, placing the box in his lap. “We need Celestia’s help though.” Twilight perked up. “If you’ve thought of a way to draw out Agito then I’m sure she’d be happy to help. How are you enjoying Hearts and Hooves day?” “About as well as anyone could on a holiday dedicated to having someone you love,” he retorted. “Sorry, that came out a bit harsh. I decided to just celebrate singles day, like always.” Twilight chuckled, patting her book. “I guess I’ve been doing the same thing. I’ve never really dated anypony so I always celebrate by studying the history of the holiday.” “Is it based on a saint?” “A what?” Twilight asked, tilting her head. “I’ve never heard that term before.” “Don’t worry about it.” He waved her off. “It’s just something from back home. Our version of Hearts and Hooves day is called Valentine's day.” “Oh, that’s fascinating,” Twilight noted. “But to answer your question, this holiday is based around a pair of royalty that drank a love potion and nearly let their kingdom fall to ruin due to the effects. Sources say they started the holiday as a joke and then became a serious celebration later.” “The more you know,” Wyatt commented. Not wanting to fall into uncomfortable silence, he spoke up. “Anyway, why don’t we get some lunch and get you up to speed with our plan? Beats walking and talking.” Of course, he wasn’t looking forward to eating another salad. Maybe he could ask Celestia about getting him some meat? He’d fight a dozen monsters at once just for one sandwich that didn’t have hay or flowers in it. He then caught something out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw that the mare and stallion from earlier were walking away from the picnic blanket with everything on it. He also thought he heard somebody shout angrily, but chalked it up to a trick of the wind. “Hey.” he nudged Twilight, pointing at the blanket. “Looks like we got ourselves lunch.” Twilight scrunched up her muzzle. “Do you think it’s okay to eat food that somepony else abandoned?” Her eyes then locked on a plate with daisy sandwiches and her stomach growled loudly. “Well, it does seem like they didn’t want it,” she said, walking over to the blanket. Wyatt took a seat on one side of the blanket. He frowned, searching for something he could eat. He looked through the basket, finding a sealed container of what looked like quesadillas. He opened it up and examined it for anything that he couldn’t eat. Satisfied, he took a bite of one. “Mmm... this is pretty good,” Wyatt muttered, taking another bite. “You wanna get in on this, A.K?” Daring stared at the blanket with an unsure look on her face. “I think I’ll just stick to the pastries,” she said. “You two have fun though.” “Suit yourself.” Wyatt shrugged, focusing on his newly acquired meal. Twilight meanwhile was busying herself with one of the daisy sandwiches. After a few bites though, her mouth started to feel dry. She scoured the blanket before finding two cups with a purple, fizzy liquid inside. She grabbed one for herself and offered the other to Wyatt. “Here, for when you get thirsty,” she said, taking a sip. “Thanks.” Wyatt took the cup, giving it a taste. “Huh, tastes like... Raspberry.” His body then stiffened and his eyes locked on Twilight. He couldn’t explain it, but a surge of emotions started coursing through him. His eyelids lowered and he leaned closer to the mare. “I love you my little smarty pants,” he cooed, unable to hold it back. Twilight blinked, before her eyes focused on his. “Just looking at you makes my brain go crazy.” Daring gaped at the pair before her eyes settled on the cups. She picked one up, looking into it and giving it a sniff. “Um Twilight, did you tell anypony else the story of the first Hearts and Hooves Day?” “Just the Crusaders,” Twilight replied absentmindedly, reaching out and taking Wyatt’s hands. Wyatt grinned dopily, giving hers a squeeze. “Uh huh, and where might I find these Crusaders?” Daring pressed, watching the pair make kissy faces at one another. A frown creased her lips as the pair ignored her. “Hey, I’m talking to you two.” Wyatt pried himself from looking at Twilight, regarding Daring with a confused look. “Huh, did you say something, A.K.? I was a little busy staring into the most beautiful eyes in the world.” He turned his head back to Twilight with a grin. “Don’t let her distract you, dear.” Twilight lit her horn, putting a small dome around the pair. Daring groaned, rubbing her eyes with her forefinger and thumb. “Fantastic, now I’ve gotta deal with this on my own.” She inhaled a sharp breath through her nostrils and quickly released it. “Okay, I’ve got a name, I’ve worked with less before.” Movement off to the side caught her eyes. “I don’t really like being spied on. If you don’t want me to come over there, come out.” Three fillies stepped out of the bushes. The one on the left was an earth pony with yellow fur and a long red mane with a pink bow resting on it. Her body was covered by overalls with the sleeves of a pink shirt poking out. The filly in the middle was an orange pegasus with a short purple mane. She was wearing a purple t-shirt and a black pair of basketball shorts. The filly on the right was a unicorn with a curly mane made up of purple and pink. She was wearing a light purple dress that hanged down to her knees. Each of them had a nervous smile on their faces. “I’m just going to assume you're the crusaders, and that this is your fault.” Gesturing to the translucent purple dome. “Love potions? Really?” She held a hand up. “Doesn’t matter, you’re helping me fix this.” “Is it really so bad?” the unicorn asked, indicating the pair. “I mean, they look pretty happy.” Daring just stared down at the unicorn. “As I was saying, you’re going to help me. Now, what did Twilight tell you about the potion?” “Just that the holiday started with one,” the pegasus answered. “And the book she lent us had the recipe for it. We were planning on using it on our teacher so she’d have a special somepony for the holiday, but,” she rubbed her neck, “she didn’t go for the picnic.” “Where’s the book now?” Daring questioned. “In our clubhouse,” the trio answered in unison. “Well, go get it!” Daring ordered, sending the trio scrambling away. A hard growl escaped her throat. “This is why I hate kids.” The three fillies shot up for a moment before scrambling away, bumping into each other once or twice along the way. “I swear to Faust, if a monster attacks before they’re cured.” Daring paced around, glancing so often at the dome. Twilight and Wyatt were rubbing noses now, most likely proclaiming sweet nothings at each other. “Ugh, how can people enjoy that stuff?” She blinked, glancing at the cups still on the blanket. “Oh yeah, while drugged. That makes sense.” “At least they're not taking each others clothes off...” Daring muttered. “Those girls are in enough trouble as it is.” Daring winced, realizing the hornet’s nest she had just kicked. “I really hope I didn’t tempt fate there.” She looked over at the dome, relaxing slightly at the sight of the pair still engaging in innocent, yet sickeningly sweet acts. “Well, at least they’re just talking.” A few minutes later and the fillies returned, the earth pony carrying a large book in her arms. “We got the book, Miss!” she called out, displaying it for Daring. Daring snatched the book from her, flipping through the pages. “Love potion, love potion...” Daring groaned, pinching her brow. “This wasn’t a love potion, it’s a love poison. This book says the effects’ll be permanent if we can’t separate them for an hour.” “Alright.” She snapped the book shut, turning to the fillies. “This should be easy. I’ll just knock one of them out.” Walking up to the barrier, she rapped her hand against it. “Hey! There's a monster attack!!” Twilight and Wyatt shot up, the human summoning his belt while the dome started to fall. Jumping over the vanishing wall of the dome, Daring drew her arm back, and threw a punch at Wyatt’s jaw. There was a loud crack and he collapsed to the ground in an unconscious heap. Twilight let out a shriek, dropping to her knees to lay her hands on him and teleported away. “That seemed mean,” the unicorn filly commented, frowning at Daring. “I should have figured the teleporting,” Daring grumbled.  “Alright, we know where she lives. You three will keep her busy, while I grab Wyatt.” “How are we supposed to keep an even crazier Twilight busy?” the pegasus asked, her wings buzzing on her back. “Put books in the wrong places on her shelves?” “Figure it out,” Daring responded, dropping the book into the unicorns arms. “This is your fault, you have to fix it.” “Alright girls,” the unicorn said, looking between her two friends, “we can think of something on the way. Let’s go!” She pumped a fist into the air, leading the charge towards the library. Daring shook her head, wiping some dirt off her glasses. “Kids suck.” Once her glasses were clean she started walking towards the library. Her mind started to race with potential plans to keep Wyatt and Twilight apart. That was assuming the fillies could do their part. “Just keep him knocked out.” Daring ignored the ponies around her, picking up her pace. “Just make sure he doesn’t suit up.” She shuddered at the thought of dealing with a crazed rider. From how her father had described the powers, she’d be nothing but red mist if she attempted a straight on fight. It wasn’t something she’d have to worry about, if Wyatt was the hero he said he wanted to be. Then there was Twilight. It was obvious the mare was skilled with magic. Whatever training the princess had given her had paid off in a big way. Luckily, the the unicorn seemed to lack real combat expertise. ‘Let’s just hope I don’t have to crack her horn or something’ Eventually, the library came into view. Daring walked up to the door, the faint sound of a commotion coming from within. “Sounds like the girls have gotten started,” she muttered. Throwing the door open, she braced herself for whatever mayhem awaited her. The girls were in fact running around the shelves and rearranging the books. Twilight was in hot pursuit, using her magic to put the books back in their proper resting place. “Good thing OCD trumps love...” Daring moved into the library, keeping an eye out for Wyatt. Sneaking upstairs, she peeked into the first room she came across. She found herself in a loft, with a bed, a basket with a blanket and pillow and a window that led out to a balcony. She cursed under her breath, the baby dragon was watching over Wyatt. Lucky for her, he hadn’t noticed her entering. “Hey kid,” she spoke, alerting the dragon to her presence. “We got a problem, and I need your help to fix it.” “Is it the fact that Twilight called Wyatt…” the drake took a moment to wretch. “Schnookums.” “Those crazy fillies accidentally gave Wyatt and Twilight a love poison,” Daring explained, walking over to the bed. “The only way to cure em’ is to keep them separated for an hour. I knocked Wyatt out, but, Twilight teleported them away before I could make off with him.” Spike nodded in understanding. “Okay, how do you want me to help?” “You got a direct line to the princess right? So, tell her what happened, and have her take us to Canterlot or something.” Spike nodded, walking over to a table in the corner of the room and grabbed a quill and parchment. He scrawled out a quick message, rolling it up and sealing it with a red ribbon. He then blew flames on it, watching as the smoke floated away before turning to Daring. “Hopefully, she won’t take too long,” Spike said, giving her a smile. “We just gotta wait.” “Considering her prized student and monster fighter are on the line, she better,” Daring said, relaxing slightly. She took a seat, glancing over at Wyatt. “I really gotta stop hitting this poor kid.” Spike chuckled, grinning at her. “I dunno, you could just give him a punch-card. If you hit him enough times then he gets a prize!” Daring held in a laugh, giving him a hearty slap on the shoulder. “I like you, kid. You don’t annoy the tartarus out of me.” Spike smiled. “Thanks, you’re obviously cool too, Double D.” The two continued to chat until a flash of light caught their attention. Wyatt returned to consciousness with a groan. His head was pounding, specifically in his jaw. He rose a hand to touch his jaw, wincing in pain. He felt a haze in his mind, struggling to recall anything past approaching the picnic blanket. “How many times am I gonna get punched in the face?” he bemoaned, glancing around his surrondings. “Considering you are in the business of fighting monsters, I would say it’ll be a regular occurrence,” a motherly voice said, getting his attention. There was then a soft clinking sound. “Princess!” Wyatt sat up, which in hindsight was a terrible idea. A fresh wave of pain shot through his brain, nearly sending him to the floor. “That really hurts,” he hissed, rubbing at his forehead desperately. “Sorry to have startled you,” Celestia said, floating an ice pack over to him. Taking it from her magic, he placed it against his head. “Thanks. That actually really helps.” Celestia smiled warmly and placed a cup of tea in front of Wyatt before taking a sip of her own. “Between my niece and Twilight, I have plenty of experience performing minor first aid.” “Do you know what happened?” Wyatt asked, picking up his tea cup with his free hand. “The last few hours are just gone for me.” Celestia giggled, putting her cup down. “You and Twilight drank a love poison.” “A love poison?” Wyatt asked, raising his eyebrow. “What does that do? Death by sn-” Deciding it was best not to finish that sentence in the Princess's presence, he closed his mouth. “I take it I’m cured?” “Yes, the cure is rather simple, keep the victims from looking in one another’s eyes for one hour, or the effects will be permanent once a certain amount of time has passed,” Celestia explained. “Daring Do contacted me, and I brought you here.” Wyatt nodded, a weak smile on his face. “Thanks for helping me out. I guess this is kinda fortuitous, I was going to write a letter to you anyway. Now I can just say what I want to you directly.” “Ah yes, Daring told me about your plan.” Celestia set her tea down. “It’s a good plan, though, I cannot help you get a job with any of Equestria’s major newspapers. It just wouldn’t be fair.” “That’s fine,” Wyatt waved off. “I just need a job where my photo and article can get spread throughout the country.” “I didn’t say I couldn’t help.” A grin grew across Celestia’s face. “I just happened to let it slip to a few editors, that you might be the man to go to for rider photos.” Wyatt grinned with her, a chuckle escaping his lips. “You have no idea how much I want to submit photos under the pseudonym Peter Parker right now.” “Bring me pictures of Spider-Man!” Celestia giggled, her grin growing at Wyatt’s surprised look. “Kuuga used to have a laptop, we watched Spider-Man once. You humans certainly know how to create entertainment.” Wyatt rubbed the side of his head, a soft smile on his lips. “Feels kinda good to finally have someone that got one of my jokes.” Celestia hummed, tapping her leg. “You know, I still have that laptop. If you can find a way to charge it, I don’t think Kuuga would mind if I gave it to you.” Wyatt scratched his chin. “I’m sure Twilight and I can think of something. I’m willing to bet a horn can sub in for an electrical outlet and charger.” “Then I’ll send you back with it.” Celestia leaned back in her seat. “Are you alright, Wyatt? I know all of this has been sudden, and I doubt you’ve had time to fully process it all.” Reaching over, she took his hand. “If you wish, we could talk about it.” Wyatt smiled, taking a sip from his cup. “I think I’m pretty used to how insane this world is compared to Earth. Thanks for the support though. And the homesickness is something I’m coming to terms with.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Having Twilight as a roommate and a teacher certainly helps. She crams my head so full of Equestrian history and culture that I can’t think of anything else at the end of the day.” Looking into his eyes, she nodded. “Still, if you ever do want to talk, I’m all ears.” Flopping her ears a bit, Celestia pulled her hand back. “Thanks for that.” He chuckled at her antics and let his hand rest in his lap. “I’ll listen to you too if you ever want to vent about your job. Or for whatever else you could want,” he added with a shrug. “It’s a deal.” Celestia smiled lifting her cup up, holding it out in front of her. Wyatt lifted his up as well, gently clinking it to hers. “Tell Luna this goes for her too. Can’t let you be the only one to have someone to vent to and let your hair down with.” He blinked, taking note of her waving mane. “Uh, does gravity every actually affect your hair?” Celestia rolled her eyes and lit her horn. A moment later, and her mane fell and hanged off her shoulder like normal hair. “Yes, my mane can in fact behave like normal hair, my little human.” The two talked late into the afternoon, and for a moment Wyatt forgot all about his troubles.