//------------------------------//
// Day 1: Spa Day Disaster 
// Story: Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider Unicorn & Decade: Shocker Resurgence 
// by Michael_Ravencroft 
//------------------------------//

And so the promised day arrived, it was Sunday morning and the girls had gathered in front of the Wondercolt Statue. Sunset had a couple of saddle bags with her, not much was in them. Rarity noticed her lack of baggage and had to ask, “Darling, is that really all you’re taking to Equestria? You didn’t pack any nightwear or anything else?” 

“Just my toothbrush and some toothpaste. But remember, back there, clothing is optional, and more or less to make a statement of that pony’s individuality. But otherwise, the majority go around without, like me.” 

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “So it’s a society of nudists, sounds like fun.” 

“You do realize that when I’m a pony I have fur, right?” Sunset asked in a deadpan tone. 

“Still makes you wonder,” said Rainbow. 

“I’ll be sure to pass that along to your pony counterpart when I see her.” Sunset reached into her saddlebag and pulled out the journal. She then handed it Twilight who gingerly took the journal into her grasp. “Remember, if you guys need me just write a message in the journal and I’ll come straight here. Or if you just want to see how I’m doing, that’s cool too.” 

Pinkie Pie appeared next to Sunset and patted her on the head. “Aww, don’t worry your pretty little head, Sunset, you just go there and distressify yourself, and say hi to the other me!” 

“Will do.” 

Suddenly, the statue began to ripple like water, followed by a small shimmer of light signaling the way was open. Sunset released a breath she didn’t know she was holding, she felt nervous for some reason, but it didn’t make sense why. She was going back to her home world, it was just for a vacation and it wasn’t like there would be armed guards waiting to take her away. Princess Twilight had made it clear that Princess Celestia hadn’t harbored ill will towards her or was looking to lock her away in a dungeon, or banish her to the moon. 

“Here it goes, see you girls in a week.” 

“Sunset!” Twilight spoke out. Sunset turned around and in that same moment, found Twilight giving her a hug. The action made Sunset blush noticeably. “Please…just be careful over there. I mean I know it’s your home, but that doesn’t mean you can be careless.” 

Sunset smiled and gently separated herself from Twilight and rested her hands on Twilight’s shoulders. “I’ll be fine, Twilight, and thanks.” 

The fiery haired girl turned and walked straight ahead, reaching out with her hand first. The portal rippled like water, and as her hand sunk in, light began to shine. Taking one last breath, Sunset made the plunge and went all in. The result was a spiraling tunnel of rainbow light, Sunset felt her whole body swirl as if she were in a never ending roller coaster. Her body began to glow, becoming pure light as her clothes were removed and scattered into particles of light. Her body began to morph, going from bipedal to quadrupedal, her feet and hands becoming hooves, her face elongated a little, becoming a muzzle, and from her forehead she grew a horn. 



***___________<U> X [D]___________***



On the other end, Princess Twilight’s portal device began to glow, and in less than a couple of seconds, Sunset Shimmer was jettisoned from the portal, and came flying straight into stacked towers of books. The impact had all the books fall on top of Sunset Shimmer, burying her in the tomes of Princess Twilight. Some of the books were moved by a sea-green aura, revealing Sunset Shimmer as she blinked and tried to regain her senses. Her vision was blurry and spots danced in her vision as she tried to focus on the figure before her. 

“Uh…Princess Twilight?” Sunset asked. 

“Nope.” Sunset’s vision finally started to come into focus, revealing a unicorn mare. Her fur was lilac colored, with a purple mane that had a sky-blue streak through it, and her eyes were violet. “Starlight Glimmer.” 

Starlight offered her hoof to the new arrival, Sunset gratefully took hold of the hoof and began to stand. However, upon doing so, her sense of balance was completely thrown off by her new center of gravity. Sunset wobbled forward for a few steps and Starlight feared she’d fall on her face, but after a second, Sunset managed to stand on her back hind legs, confident now she was able to find balance. However, Starlight just stared in utter confusion as to why she would be standing like that. 

Sunset turned around and saw the look Starlight was giving her, she then looked down at herself and realized what was wrong. Chuckling nervously, Sunset lowered her upper body and stood on her front legs. “Heh, heh, sorry, it’s been awhile since I was in my normal body, gotta get used it again. Starlight Glimmer? You’re Princess Twilight’s student right?” 

“Yep, I am, and you’re Sunset Shimmer, right? Princess Twilight’s been excited about your week stay,” said Starlight. 

“I’m sure, but, uh, where is she?” 

A flash of rosy light went off between the two mares and from it appeared Twilight Sparkle. “Sunset Shimmer!” 

“Princess Twilight!” 

The two mares quickly moved towards each other, but Sunset mostly stumbled forward, forcing Twilight to catch her. Both mare’s chuckled and proceeded to hug each other. Secretly, Sunset had always wondered what Princess Twilight felt like as a pony, now that she was here, her fur felt surprisingly soft, and smelled of lavender. 

“Ahem, you two need a minute?” Starlight asked with a grin. 

The alicorn and unicorn separated, blushing at the probably longer than necessary hug. “Sorry about that, it’s just that I haven’t seen Sunset for a long while, guess I was overexcited.” 

“Same, so where were you earlier?” Sunset asked. 

“Oh, follow me!” 

The three mares began to traverse the long halls of the castle, during their walk Sunset was taking in the sight of the place. She remembered Twilight saying she had a castle, but never imagined it would look like this. Crystal walls and floors, with beautiful chandeliers, ornate doors, and the light glow of the crystal allowed for perfect illumination. “And this all sprang out of a box?” 

“Yep, it was right after my friends and I defeated Tirek,” said Twilight. 

Starlight and Sunset shuddered at the mention of the centaur’s name. 

“Ugh, I still remember that day, all my magic just sucked away! That feeling of powerlessness was soul crushing,” said Starlight. 

“I remember stories about Tirek, but they were mostly to scare foals. To hear that he was real and was actually kicking around here while I was in the other world, ugh, I’m glad you beat him, I’d hate to see the destruction he would’ve brought to the other world. Ugh, even now I’m still thinking of what stuff could happen over there, ” said Sunset. 

Twilight put her right wing over Sunset’s back. “Hey now, none of that. You’re here to relax and enjoy being back home. If I know those girls as well as I know my friends, then they’ll be fine.” 

Sunset sighed. “Sorry, guess I really do need a vacation.”

“From what Twilight told me, sounds like you got a lot on your plate,” said Starlight. 

Sunset sighed again, “You have no idea. We have Equestrian magic leaking into that world which can cause any number of random magical mishaps. On top of that, there's somebody or a group of people, who are peddling devices that grant a person the ability to transform into a super powered monster. Lately it’s been more the latter than the former.” 

“Well, you can relax here, and that’s all you have to do,” said Twilight. “And to answer the question of why I wasn’t there to greet you, well we’re here!” 

Sunset, Twilight, and Starlight stopped before a pair of double doors. Sunset instinctively reached to grab the doorknob, but found her hoof pump against the door. The unicorn mare tried several times to turn it with her hoof, growing increasingly frustrated with each attempt. Deciding to help out the mare, Twilight and Starlight cleared throats loudly and gained Sunset’s attention. The alicorn and unicorn pointed to their foreheads, more specifically to their horns. 

The fiery maned mare glanced up and then face hoofed herself. Concentrating, Sunset’s horn glowed with turquoise light that wrapped around the doorknob and turned it, opening the door wide. Sunset pranced in place in sheer joy at the ability to use magic again, and without having to transform into her Kamen Rider form at that. The sun-yellow pony entered the room and took a look around. There was a large queen sized bed, with crystal nightstands on either side of the bed, along with a lamp. Next to the closet was a dresser with a mirror hanging over it, a window that was positioned to the east where the sun would rise and give a great view of Ponyville and the horizon. Off to another wall was a desk with a few assorted tomes on magic, along many sheets of parchment paper, ink, and quills. 

“Twilight you didn’t have to do this,” said Sunset. 

“I know, but the castle is so big and I don’t have anypony else here besides Spike, Starlight, and myself. So I keep a few rooms set aside for my friends in case they decide to spend the night for whatever reason. This is just my way of saying that you’re welcome here anytime, Sunset Shimmer.” 

Sunset fought the urge to shed a tear. “Thank you, Twilight, I don’t know what to say.” 

“Don’t say anything, that’s just the kind of pony she is. She even let me stay and become her pupil, a mare who has done some really terrible things and nearly broke time in the process,” said Starlight in a remorseful tone. 

Sunset walked to Starlight and placed her hoof on her shoulder, looking the other unicorn mare straight in the eyes. “Hey, you’re past does not define you. What you do now, what you’re doing now, speaks to the kind of person – uh – pony you’re trying to be, never lose sight of that, speaking from personal experience here.” 

Starlight eyes began to water a bit, hearing that somepony else had been through a similar experience as her and came out a better mare gave her hope for herself. Twilight smiled at seeing their interaction, Starlight always carried the scars of her misdeeds, and rarely forgave herself, but here was a mare who had similar scars and crawled out from the bottom to become somepony better. 

“Okay, let’s give Sunset some time to rest up before we all start breaking into tears.” Sunset and Starlight nodded. Starlight exited first, with Twilight following behind, but paused and glanced over her shoulder to Sunset. “Spike’s making dinner, I’ll come up and get you after he’s done, and maybe I can give you a full tour to walk off the meal?”

Sunset smiled. “Sounds great, Twi.”

With a nod, Twilight closed the door, leaving Sunset alone in her room. Sunset took a moment to bask in this moment, she was back home, she was a unicorn again, and she could feel magic again. The sun-yellow pony teleported until she was a couple of feet above her bed and let herself plop down onto it, bouncing twice before settling. Sunset let out a little giggle of happiness as she took it all in. 

I’m home, again.  




***___________<U> X [D]___________***




The morning sun crested over the horizon, bathing the sky in hues of orange and reds. The light of the sun struck against the crystal castle, making it sparkle brilliantly for all to see, and those very same rays peeked into the room of one Sunset Shimmer. The unicorn mare was facing towards the window, with the rays creeping up steadily until they landed on her face. Sunset groaned as she turned around to avoid the light for as long as possible to enjoy sleep. However that would prove to be a futile effort. 

The door to Sunset’s room opened, ushering in Starlight Glimmer. “Good morning, Sunset!” 

The fiery maned mare gasped from the sudden rousing from slumber, tossing the sheets every which way. Out of pure instinct, Sunset draped a foreleg over her barrel, and at the same time put one between her hind legs. “WHOA-HA, AAAH, I’M NAKED DON’T LOOK!”

Starlight tilted her head in confusion at Sunset’s peculiar reaction and was trying to figure out why she as covering those particular areas. 

Sunset took a moment to analyze Starlight’s reaction, she then looked down at herself, paused, and then face hoofed herself. I’m a pony again, not a human. Sunset sat up in her bed and gave a nervous chuckle, “Sorry, human habit.” 

“No big deal, I’m sure I’d have to adjust to some things if I ever decided to go over there,” said Starlight with a coy smile. 

Sunset shot one back at the mare. “Uh-huh, yeah, nice try.” 

“Had to try, so, you ready for some serious relaxation?” Starlight asked. 

Sunset smiled and jumped out of bed. Using her magic, she made the bed until it was nice and neat, Celestia she missed being able to do that. “Let’s go.”

The two unicorn mares traversed the halls and walked down the stairs until they were in the Main Hall, all the while Sunset was glancing about. “Is Twilight coming with us?” 

“Nah, she said she had some Princess-y things do, so it’s you, me, and one other.” 

“Oh, who?” 

Starlight opened the front door and immediately smoke bombs went off, along with several sparklers and fireworks. From all the commotion emerged an azure unicorn mare, with a silver mane, and magenta colored eyes. Upon her head she wore a purple wizard’s hat with several yellow and silver stars, and a cape to match. 

“Newcomer, gaze in awe at the amazing entrance of the Great and Powerful –!” 

“Trixie,” said Sunset. 

And just like that all the wind was taken out of Trixie’s sails, the unicorn mare plopped onto her hooves as the smoke and fireworks fizzled out. Trixie turned her annoyed gaze to Starlight and pouted. “Starliiiiiight, I told you not to tell her about me so I could make an amazing first in impression!” 

Starlight shook her head vehemently. “I-I didn’t, I swear!”

“It’s not her fault, Trixie. I recognized you because I know the other you in the world I’m from. And she’s quite similar to you,” said Sunset. 

Trixie blinked. “Oh…well…naturally the Great and Powerful Trixie is amazing in whatever world she’s in.” 

Starlight playfully rolled her eyes. “Hope you don’t mind having her as our third, she can be a hoofful.”

“Hey!” 

“Don’t worry, I’m used to it.” 

“Hey!” 



***___________<U> X [D]___________***




During their walk, Starlight pointed out various parts of Ponyville. Sunset remembered being able to see Ponyville from the towers in Canterlot Castle, she had never been but heard it was a nice town. And judging from the smiling faces of the townsponies as she passed by, it was also quite friendly. Along the way they passed Rarity’s house, Sunset whistled at the sight of it. 

“So the Rarity here has how many stores?” Sunset asked. 

“Three, one here in Ponyville, obviously. Another in Canterlot and a third in Manehattan on Saddle Row,” said Starlight. 

“Dang, I remember Saddle Row being a fashion hotspot, and getting a store there is practically the height of acknowledgement! Heh, oh man my Rarity’s going to flip when she here’s this,” said Sunset. 

Trixie glanced to Starlight and mouthed, “What does she mean by ‘man’?” 

Starlight shrugged. 

After some walking all three mares arrived at the Ponyville Day Spa and were greeted by the Spa’s dual owners Lotus and Aloe. The trio were slipped into their robes and began their treatment. The first was a massage, Sunset briefly got a feeling of dread when she saw a rather large and buff pegasus stallion come walking towards her. Upon further inspection of the large stallion, she noticed some similarities between him and a boy she remembered from school. 

“Bulk Biceps?” Sunset asked. 

Bulk tilted his head in confusion. “That’s my name Miss. Just relax and we’ll work out those muscles.”

Sunset placed her head down and prepared for the massage, but thankfully, the musclebound stallion was quite gentle and found all the problem areas on her back, making Sunset practically turn into goo.

“Bulk looks intimidating, but he’s very good at what he does,” said Starlight. 

“Not to say that these mares don’t either – oohh, a little to the right – Ahh~” Trixie purred. 

The next stop was to the sauna. Sunset had removed her robe and reclined back, letting the heat sweat out all the stressful toxins in her body. As she laid there, she couldn’t help finding that there were eyes on her. 

“What’s up guys?” Sunset asked. 

“You seem to recognize a lot of the ponies in town on the way here,” said Trixie. 

“And we were wondering what it was like over there, the world you’re from?” Starlight asked with a twinkle of curiosity in her eyes. 

Sunset hummed for a moment as she closed her eyes and thought. “In some ways it’s not that different from here, just in the few minutes of spent walking around. Almost everypony has a counterpart there, except for me, and as far as I know, Starlight.” 

“So there’s another Twilight over there? Guess she’s the top of the magic game,” said Trixie with slight hint of annoyance. 

Sunset chuckled. “Well no, she’s mostly into science, magic is more like some fantasy thing for most people over there.”

Trixie and Starlight shuddered. 

“I can’t imagine a place without being able to use magic, how else would the Great and Powerful Trixie flourish and show her talents?” Trixie asked. 

“When you learn to actually concentrate and think of the spell rather than say it out loud,” said Starlight. 

Sunset snorted and then chuckled at that, followed by Starlight. The magician mare’s cheeks were turning red from embarrassment and then she huffed and turned her nose up at them. Starlight smiled at Trixie’s pouty face and quickly used her magic to bring the mare closer to her, where she then draped her right foreleg around her shoulders. 

“C’mon now, you know I love you,” said Starlight. 

“Really? When you quip at Trixie like that it’s hard to tell,” said Trixie. “And let me go, you’re all sweaty.” 

“Since when has that bothered you?” 

Starlight began to nuzzle the azure mare, making Trixie giggle and release sounds of “eww” as she continued. 

“So, you two need the room? Otherwise I don’t mind a show,” said Sunset with a smirk. 

Starlight froze in her actions and blushed, having forgotten that there was another pony in the sauna. After their steam they were whisked to the mineral baths to soak and were provided with glasses of water to replenish their fluids. Afterwards they were treated to a hooficure and facial treatment. Once they were done, all three mares exited the spa, rejuvenated and relaxed, Sunset in particular felt all the tension had left her body. 

“Oh wow, I never realized how much I missed that as a pony,” said Sunset. 

“By the way, what do you look like when you’re over there?” Trixie asked. 

Sunset thought about it for a moment and concentrated her magic. Before them was a sphere of light, that sphere began to morph taking on Sunset’s human form. Trixie and Starlight examined the image with confusion as they tried to make sense of it. 

“Where’s your tail?” Trixie asked. 

“Human bodies don’t have them.” Sunset answered. 

“Why is your muzzle all scrunched up?”

“What happened to your hooves?” 

“And what are those two bumps on the upper part of your barrel, are those your –?” 

Sunset snuffed out the image as her face began to heat up. “Okay, I’ll give you two an anatomy lesson some other time and in some place more private than out in the open.” 

“AAAAHH! THREE HEADED DOG!” 

Sunset, Trixie, and Starlight’s ears perked up at the sound of the scream. Sunset was ready to spring into action, but Starlight and Trixie didn’t seem as worried. “Didn’t you two hear that?! A three headed dog!” 

“Yeah, it’s probably Cerberus, I’ll go and get Fluttershy she’ll calm him down,” said Starlight as she began to walk away. 

Sunset cocked an eyebrow at this reaction, as if it were no big deal. 

“Don’t worry, things like this happen all the time, whether it’s a bugbear or Ursa Minor, Ponyville has a monster scare once in a while,” said Trixie. 

Suddenly, one of the buildings came crashing down as a giant beast appeared. Cerberus had gone through a transformation. The hound had grown a couple of feet, its fur gleamed in the sunlight as if made of metal. On each paw were three razor sharp claws that gouged the earth below it. Cerberus’ heads did not resemble that of a bulldog’s anymore, instead each head’s muzzle was stretched out, with rows of dagger like teeth. Its eyes were burning crimson red as it gazed down upon the ponies below, even as it drooled the spittle that dropped to the ground hissed as if made of acid. 





“That’s…Uh…That’s a different Cerberus, right?” Trixie asked. 

Starlight quickly teleported Sunset Shimmer and Trixie to her side and teleported them further away from the beast. They reappeared a few yards away, but even from their location they could still spot the giant canine. “Okay, this has officially moved into ‘Call Twilight and her friends’ territory! Trixie, you and Sunset get to the castle and stay there!” 

“Where are you going?!” Trixie asked. 

“I have to go and find her, just head there!” Starlight ordered. 

The lilac unicorn teleported away in a flash of magical light, off to find Princess Twilight. Meanwhile, the sounds of the rampaging Cerberus continued as ponies screamed in terror. Sunset gritted her teeth and clenched jaw, she may have come to Equestria for some relaxation, but that didn’t mean she could just stand by and watch this unfold. “Trixie, I need you to promise me you won’t tell anypony what you’re about to see unless I say it’s okay! Okay?!” 

Trixie shook her head. 

With that established, Sunset focused her magic. In a flash of turquoise light two items appeared before Sunset Shimmer. The first was her Unicorn Gaia Memory and the second was the Uni-Driver. The girls thought she was crazy for bringing them with her while on a vacation, but evil and disasters never care about that kind of stuff. 

Sunset balanced on her hind legs, much to Trixie’s utter confusion as to how she was doing that. With her telekinetic aura Sunset brought the buckle to about her barrel and the straps immediately shot out and connected. Sunset then used her spell to push down on the button of her Gaia Memory. 

< UNICORN! >

“What the hay?!” 

“Henshin!” 

> UNICORN! <

Sunset inserted the Gaia Memory into the slot and pushed the switch down with her left hoof. A field of turquoise energy appeared around Sunset, making Trixie jump back in shock. The armor, surprisingly, was actually able to form over her now pony body. Her forelegs were covered in turquoise armor, along with her lower hind legs, her chest and head were armored and her head was wrapped in a helmet with two large, oval eyes colored aquamarine. Sunset’s horn was covered in an emerald crystal, with a single silver edge at the front. 

“WHAT! THE! HAY?!” Trixie shouted. 

Sunset felt different, when she looked at her body, she noticed her magical power created a fine glowing layer of turquoise light that shimmered and sparkled. “What…Why do I feel so much stronger?”

“AAAAAAHH!!” 

The scream of two fillies grabbed Unicorn’s attention, she didn’t even think twice before teleporting to the source of the scream. Upon arrival she saw two young fillies, one was strawberry pink, with a three toned mane of magenta, goldenrod, and red, and a two toned tail of light blue and violet. The other filly was coconut white, with a three tone mane and tail of neon yellow, neon green, and purple. Both Earth pony fillies hugged each other close as Cerberus loomed closer to them. But before the hellhound could take them, a flash of turquoise light went off in front of them, and in the next second both were gone. 

When the fillies blinked they now saw a unicorn mare, dressed in strange armor. “What are your names girls?” 

“I-I’m Toola Roola,” said the strawberry pink filly. 

“C-C-Coconut Cream,” said the other filly. 

“Alright then, Toola, Coco, you need to run as far as you can, get to Princess Twilight’s castle, you’ll be safe there!”

“Miss…who are you?” Coconut Cream asked.

The armored mare glanced over her shoulder to the two fillies. “I’m Kamen Rider Unicorn!”

Cerberus roared at the armored pony and began a mad dash towards them. Unicorn glared at the great beast and super sprinted to meet the creature head on. 

“So cool!” Toola Roola and Coconut Cream stated at the same time. 

Sunset got underneath the beast’s first head and jumped straight up. She met the lower jaw of Cerberus with an uppercut making the hellhound stumble backwards. Unicorn spun in midair and landed on a nearby rooftop with perfect grace and balance, on her hind legs. Cerberus’ middle head shook back and forth as it tried to regain its senses, the other two heads were keenly focused on Unicorn as she stared down the behemoth. 

Unicorn’s horn glowed bright as spheres of condensed mana began to form around her, the Kamen Rider jumped into the air and with a swipe of her hoof commanded the magic bolts to fire in rapid succession at Cerberus. The giant dog was pushed back from the constant barrage of magic bolts, making it go further and further back until it was at the edge of the town. 

“Time to restore harmony!”

Unicorn’s horn glowed as she concentrated on the Gaia Memory, making it slide up and release, and then placing it into the right hip port. 

>} UNICORN! MAXIMUM DRIVE! {<

Sunset aimed herself at Cerberus and shot down towards him with her right hind leg forward. A cone of energy appeared as it spun out at great speed. 

“SPIRAL BREAKER!” 

The behemoth dog didn’t have time to react as Unicorn’s Spiral Breaker struck the center head, leading to an explosion the rocked the town. Fiery turquoise light lapped off of Cerberus as Unicorn walked away from the flames, but up above, she watched as a black mass began to seep from the flames as if something was being purged from the magical fire. Once the dark mass was fully exorcised, it imploded on itself and gave a light puff as if fizzling out. 

Unicorn found this curious, but decided to inquire Twilight about this later. But when she looked back at the crowd, she found Twilight, and the counterparts to her CHS friends, Starlight, and Trixie watching the turquoise flames burn behind her. Fluttershy separated from the group as she marched towards Unicorn with a glare that might as well be burning a hole through her head. 

“WHAT! HAVE! YOU! DONE?! You didn’t have to –!” 

*BARK, BARK!*

The turquoise flames evaporated, and from them emerged Cerberus, but his demonic form was gone, and was back to looking like a three headed bulldog. The giant dog lumbered over to Unicorn and sniffed her, and then all three heads licked Unicorn. Sunset was particularly glad that she was wearing armor and could not feel the slimy drool of Cerberus. 





“Cerberus, are you alright?” Fluttershy asked. 

*Bark!*

“Oh good, I thought she hurt you.” 

*Bark, bark!*

“Something took control of you?!” 

Sunset remembered the dark mass that came out of the flames, wondering now if her Maximum Drive had somehow purified the beast. Princess Twilight stepped forward and reached out with her hoof towards Unicorn. 

“Thank you for protecting us, may we know the name of our hero?” Twilight asked. 

“I’m Kamen Rider Unicorn,” said Sunset. 

Twilight smiled. “Thank you, Unicorn, if you don’t mind would you please assist with escorting Cerberus back to the Gates of Tartarus?”

“It would be my honor,” Unicorn bowed, “your Highness.” 

Twilight rolled her eyes playfully and led the way to take Cerberus back to his post, with Unicorn walking alongside her. Once they were far enough away from the town, Twilight hung her head in apology, “I’m sorry Sunset, you came home to relax and now this happens.” 

“It’s fine Twi, besides, that went a lot smoother than most of my fights. But I’m also guessing you want me to come with you for another reason?” 

Twilight’s brow furrowed as she thought of what Cerberus’ possession could mean. “The last time that Cerberus left his post, Tirek was able to get loose and roamed Equestria until he was strong enough to make his move.” 

Sunset had a worried look under her helmet. “I remember you saying it was defeating Tirek that allowed you to gain that castle and everything, but you never really went into detail as to what happened.”

A pained expression befell the Princess of Friendship. “He destroyed my home, the place where I created so many memories with my friends, good and bad. He tricked Discord into turning his back on somepony who actually cared about him, and drained their magic. Compared to others my friends and I have faced, Tirek was evil incarnate.” 

Sunset placed her armored hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, trying to comfort the alicorn as best she could. Even Cerberus whimpered and lowered his three heads to nuzzle the little Princess. Twilight smiled at the affection she was receiving from both her friend and Cerberus. 



***___________<U> X [D]___________***




It took some time but Twilight and Sunset finally arrived at the Gates of Tartarus. Upon getting close to the gates they found that it was in a forest, but the closer they got to the gate they were able to watch a transition of the trees going from wilting to dead and gray. An area of fifty feet was comprised of nothing but dead trees, not even any grass grew around the area of the Gates of Tartarus. The gates themselves were intimidating to see. Wrought iron, with rivets at certain intervals. The doors were colored a dark, crimson red and bared ancient Equestrian runic markings. 

Sunset walked alongside the gate and saw that that there was no back, it was strange. It was basically a giant door standing in the middle of nowhere.

Twilight looked up to the hellhound and asked, “Cerberus, can you take me to see Tirek?” 

Cerberus’ three heads looked at the Princess in confusion, as if asking “Are you sure?” But her determined look swayed him. The giant dog released a powerful bark that shook the entire forest. Just as soon as the beast uttered that bark the gates started to open inward, and once they did, Twilight and Sunset beheld the dark void of Tartarus, with stone pathways that lead to numerous corners of the supernatural prison. 

“Twilight, are you sure about this?”

“To this day we still don’t know who or what lured Cerberus away from Tartarus the first time, and that’s when Tirek escaped. This time I want to make sure he’s still in his cage with my own eyes,” said Twilight. 

Sunset didn’t think this was a good idea, but the last thing she wanted was to worry that an evil like Tirek was running loose. So Sunset accompanied Twilight and Cerberus into the depths of Tartarus. Along the way they saw several cages, each one containing a nightmarish creature, some were as big as a dragon, some the size of Timberwolves, and others were pony sized. As they continued along the stone path, Cerberus stopped and growled as they approached a large cage. Twilight glared as she saw its occupant. 

A scrawny, red and black centaur with yellow eyes peered from behind the bars of his prison at the familiar faces, and the newcomer. “Oh I am so lucky that Princess Twilight has decided to grace my humble cell. To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

“I’m not here for pleasantries Tirek! I just wanted to make sure you’re still in here, where you belong. You won’t be escaping again,” said Twilight. 

Tirek hummed. “Well, we shall see. Life has a funny way of making unexpected things happen.” The dark centaur glanced over to the armored mare with curiosity. “And who might this be? I haven’t felt so strong a magical aura since…well, since we had our little battle, Princess. That was quite fun for all intents and purposes, I haven’t had any creature, pony or otherwise push me as hard as you did. I commend you for that.” 

Twilight narrowed her gaze, her horn sparking as if preparing to fire a spell at Tirek. In Tartarus, the dark centaur’s powers were nullified, his absorbing power would not save him if Twilight decided to strike him now. But after a moment the Princess of Friendship’s horn dimmed as she released a deep breath. “We’re done here. Thank you Cerberus.” 

*Bark.*

“I hope to have another visit from you, Princess, and you too armored one.” 

Sunset turned around and the eyes of her helmet glowed. “Just so you know, if you even try to hurt the Princess or anypony, you’d better pray I don’t get to you before the Princess and the Elements do.” 

Tirek watched as Cerberus, Princess Twilight, and the armored mare disappeared into the distance. The scrawny centaur chuckled as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes. “So, how long do you plan to hide there in the shadows?” 

The sound of rock crunching echoed in the darkness as a being stepped from behind a tall stalagmite. It appeared as a black and gold, wingless dragon. His left claw was only a sharp, golden boney hook. Upon his shoulders was a mantle with a black cape that flowed down his back, and a head ornament that resembled that of the pharaohs of ancient Southern Equestria. The creature had a short muzzle, with golden colored eyes that glowed bright in the void, and a row of razor sharp teeth. On his waist was a belt with a double headed golden eagle. 

“How did you manage to avoid Cerberus’ gaze?” Tirek asked. 

“I am Ambassador Hell, in such a place, I can make my presence known or concealed,” said the dragon. 

“Hmm, so I take it you’re here to free me?” 

“I need your power and strength, I can provide you with a means to regain your full power, but you will need to swear loyalty to me.”

Tirek gave a slight bow to Ambassador Hell. “You have it.” 

Ambassador Hell opened his right claw and to it appeared a red barbed whip. The dragon took the whip and slashed at the bars of Tirek’s cell. After a delayed reaction, the bars were sliced apart and fell away, allowing the dark centaur to exit his cell. 

“They will be suspicious of my departure, after my first exit.” 

Ambassador Hell grunted as he waved his claw over the cell, the bars reformed and a copy of Tirek was now inside the cell. “They will not suspect so long as they see. Now come, I did not expect a Kamen Rider to be here, we’ll have to deal with that nuisance.”