//------------------------------// // Hostage Time // Story: The Light Beyond Despair // by Ultimate Mayhem //------------------------------// "...back then we were very close but things changed as we got older. Our parents were often working abroad and thus it was only the two of us but neither of us really minded. Despite the difference in our grades we were usually together but once I got to high school I didn't have as much free time. Luna wasn't the most social child but she often prefered to be outside. Unfortunately because I was so busy she would sometimes go to a park which was in our neighborhood by herself. She would always make sure to tell me before hand and she would always return once the sun began to set. However one day things changed. I was busy for a few weeks because I had an important project due. Luna went to the park as she normally did for those days but..." she explained as her eyes began to well up. "...one day she didn't return." Lemon grabbed Celestia's hands. "My little sister's been gone for a while now so I know it hurts to remember." Celestia smiled softly before sighing. "I'm ashamed that it took me as long as it did to realize she was gone. I was so focused on my homework I didn't realize my own sister hadn't returned until it was three in the morning." said Celestia bitterly. "I went out looking for her but the streets were empty. I immediately called the police and they began a search but they couldn't find her. I contacted my parents but it took a few days for them to return. They searched for days but were unable to find anything. While they searched they had been expecting a ransom letter or call but none ever came. Eventually they called the FBI but they didn't make any progress either. It wasn't until a few months later that when we finally had news about her. A police officer had found her in a warehouse by an abandoned school after receiving a call. My parents had returned abroad a month after he disappearance so they called me first. When I got there the doctor told me she'd been unconsious the entire time so I stayed with her. She didn't awaken for about thirty six hours but once she did the doctor ran some tests on her. Overall she seemed fine so after the police questioned her and I signed some paperwork I took her home. For the first few days she seemed okay. I was given permission to skip school a few days to watch over her. One night I awakened to screams and ran to check up on her. When got to her room she was in tears and holding her head. I tried to ask her what was wrong but she just grabbed onto me. I ended up sleeping in her room that night. After that she began sleeping my room until she went back to school. During that time I noticed she started becoming quieter. I would ask her what was wrong but she started getting defensive." "And that was when it started?" asked Sunset. Celestia nodded. "At the time I believed Luna thought she was outgrowing being close to her sister and didn't think much of how we'd begun to grow distant, not realizing the true problems she was having." "What kind of problems?" asked Indigo. "The night I found her screaming she'd had a nightmare. When the police interviewed her Luna said she didn't remember anything that happened while she was gone but that she remembered a nice person with odd eyes. When she slept she had nightmares of what she went through. Nightmares so vivid she would have a hard time going back to sleep. This eventually led to her turning to drugs to forget her fear and keep herself from dreaming. I never even found out about her drug use until she was arrested for shoplifting and assault." "Yikes. What happened?" asked Indigo. "She'd made unsavory friends and it seems they attempted to shoplift from the mall. When they were caught the others ran but Luna elected to fight and injured many security guards until the police arrived. She was arrested and they called me. When I arrived they informed me of everything I'd been ignorant of." As she explained Celestia's eyes became distant. "She was put on trial and declared guilty but because of her mental and drug problems she placed in a rehabilitation facility with psychiatric watch." "How long did it take for her to get better?" asked Indigo. "She never actually got better. In order keep her from turning to such things again they gave her an experimental medication specifically made to supress a person's ability to dream." "Then she's still on this medication?" asked Sunset. Celestia nodded. "Did you ever hear anything about what her nightmares were about?" "I'd hear her talking in her sleep. She would cry out about needles and electricity going through her at first. Some time later she would cry out saying things that almost made it sound like someone had gotten into her head." replied Celestia. Sunset's eyes widened. "I guess it stands to reason they may have figured it out way before I thought of it." said Sunset placing a hand on her chin. "What do you mean?" asked Celestia. Sunset thinks for a moment. "Remember how I mentioned to you that I knew your counterpart from Equestria and how Princess Twilight mentioned that she's met pony counterparts for just about everyone here?" Celestia nodded. "At one point while I was gone I began to think of something. As far as I could tell the reason Princess Twilight and I could Pony Up was because we were born in Equestria which has an abundance of magic but why were the others able to as well? It wasn't long before I came up with a hypothesis. When the portal was open and Twilight used the power of the Element of Magic it connected the five of them with their Equestrian counterparts. The Elements of Harmony are powerful artifacts which are all connected to one another and the pony they're connected to. I started wondering if it would be possible to connect someone here to their Equestrian counterpart." "If it was possible to do such a thing then they could possibly create a tunnel by connecting a person to their pony counterpart but there's too many unknown variables." said Twilight. Sunset nodded. "There is one thing though. From the information I could gather they didn't know about the Elements of Harmony but they somehow knew about the rulers of Equestria, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. The two whose role is to move the sun and moon." "If they're that powerful then it's possible they figured one of the could be used to connect to one of Princesses." said Sunny. "Yes but considering everything it's possible things were far worse." said Sunset. "What do you mean?" asked Celestia concerned. "When Equestria was formed by the union of the three races the two Princesses ruled together but something changed. You see over time Princess Luna became jealous of her sister because ponies would play and live their lives by day but would shun the night by sleeping. One day...or night, hard to say, Princess Luna refused to lower the moon. Princess Celestia tried to talk to her but her heart had become so overwhelmed with jealousy that she decided she would not allow the sun to rise ever again." "She didn't really think that one throught, did she?" asked Sour. "Probably not. Jealousy tends to cloud your mind." replied Sunset. "So what happened?" asked Celestia. Sunset looked away from Celestia confusing her. "Luna gave in to the darkness in her heart and took on a new form as well as a new name. She became Nightmare Moon. Princess Celestia continued trying to reason with her but a battle ensued which ended when Celestia used the Elements of Harmony in order to stop Nightmare Moon...by sealing her in the moon." Everyone's eyes widened in shock. Everything was quiet for a bit before Celestia fell her to knees. "H-How? How long was she trapped?" asked Celestia, her voice quivering. "A thousand years." replied Sunset. "It was at the end of that time that the seal came undone and she broke free. It was around then that Twilight met her friends and they found the Elements of Harmony in order to purge that darkness from Princess Luna." Celestia's fist shook. "Did your sister ever display anything that might be considered super human or has her appearance ever change from one moment to the next?" Celestia relaxed before sighing. "Now that you mention it there were a few instances. What I mentioned before about the security guards, she didn't just beat a few guards. She injured numerous police officers. It seems she was able to withstand being hit by multiple tazers, tear gas, and was somehow able to dodge gunfire. Something that caught their attention." "What about her appearance?" asked Sunset. "Occasionally when she got angry there were time when her eyes would become almost cat-like and some when her hair actually became pitch black although neither of these seemed to last for long." "It's no wonder." said Sunset. "What do you mean?" asked Celestia. "It took them a long time to find the portal here in Canterlot. I imagine what happened is that they tried to use your sister to connect her to Princess Luna but in doing so they let some of Nightmare Moon's power leak into your sister. I think the problem started with her having nightmares but then became that she was fighting being influenced by Nightmare. The same Nightmare who developed a hatred for Princess Celestia and might have hurt you if given the opportunity. It's possible that her struggle was Nightmare's hatred against her love for you. That what she wanted to do was protect you and turned to self destruction to try to stop her." Celestia stood up looking to the side. "Of course this is just speculation on my part. I could be completely wrong." she adds trying calm Celestia down. "Perhaps but the fact remains that I couldn't help my sister then." said Celestia solemnly. "So if their whole plan was to give the cops a reason to take Vice Principal Luna in for questioning what's the end game?" asked Indigo. "At best I've got two guesses." replied Sunset. "They're either gonna try to use her to open up a rift like before or they're going to try to make an attempt to have her consumed my Nightmare's power and try to make her into a living weapon." "Then what's our next move?" asked Lemon Zest. "To be honest I'm not sure. The most we can really do at the moment keep her safe here." said Sunset. "Let's head back to the apartment so we can have some dinner." she adds with a smile. Zeal walked into the lab as Pixie watched him with disinterest next to Amaya who wore a sloth mask. "Seems like you're having fun." said Amaya. "You could say that." he replied turning to the doctor in who seemed to be mixing something. "Is there something you needed?" "I need to borrow some of your lab rats to get her." said Zeal. "Oh? Whatever for?" asks the doctor with a mad grin. "To draw out some darkness." replied Zeal. "Seems like it'll be fun." said Amaya. "Care to join me then?" asked Zeal. "I guess. Just to be clear we're not helping you." she clarifies. "Understood." said Zeal. In a more mechanical lab Next stood on a platform on a knee and Medic, out of her human form, on a platform next to him. "What am I doing wrong?" he asked. "I'm not sure." said Brain. "It might have to do with the feelings we used to evolve." "What do you mean?" asked a new voice entering the room. The four looked to the entrance and saw Surprise walk towards them. "All of us Roidmudes started essentially the same but in mimicking humans we began to change. Each of us became our own being and we grew thanks to it. That was our first evolutions. From there we each connected with an emotion and when we pushed that emotion beyond the limit we were were finally able to reach our ultimate evolution." explains Brain. "So that's why you three are all gold?" asked Surprise. "Right." said Heart. "That may be the problem." said Brain typing. "What do you mean?" asked Next. "In order to enter our ultimate forms we needed to push one emotion to its limit. It's entirely possible that for you to be able to use our power you will need to do the same." explained Brain. "On top of that there is one other detail to consider." "The fact that Banno was the one who enabled me to enter this state." said Medic. Brain nods. "Seems like you're gonna have it rough." said Surprise crossing her arms. "So how's my equipment?" "I've upgraded your system and weapon." explained Brain. "Sweet!" exclaims Surprise causing Brain and Heart to chuckle. Brain gets up and opens a cabinet, pulling two items which he hands to Surprise. "Just make sure to be careful." said Heart. "Don't worry. I'm reckless but not stupid teach." she said with a wide grin. The others couldn't help but laugh. After returning to the living space they had dinner and the students were able to interact with their principals in a much less professional manner. Something which made them feel a bit more comfortable. The former Shadowbolts couldn't help but compare how Celestia and Luna were on good terms where as Cinch and Cadance seemed to usually be at odds. Sunny had to admit she definetely felt more comfortable around them. After eating they watched some movies that were on tv while talking continuing their conversation but were interupted when they heard a phone ring. Lemon grabbed her phone and answered. "Miss Lemon, please help!" cried out a panicked voice causing her to flinch. "Sorry but who's this?" asked Lemon as she put her on speaker phone. "It's Sweetie Belle. I'm Rarity's sister." replied Sweetie still panicking. "You said we could call you if anything happened, right?" "Yeah. Just calm down. What's wrong?" asked Lemon with the others listening. They heard her breath slowly for a moment. "A wierd bug monster showed up and took my sister and Fluttershy!" This immediately caught their attention. "What happened?" asked Lemon. "Rarity brought Fluttershy to try on some clothes and someone who looked like Vice Principal Luna showed up, turned into a weird bug monster, and took them. It also left a note but I can't read it." "Can you switch to video?" asked Lemon. "Yeah. Hold on." said Sweetie. After a bit they saw Sweetie's eye. "Wrong camera." At that the view changed and they saw a note but most of them couldn't understand what the note said. "Odd." said Sunset. "Can you tell what it says?" asked Sunny. "Bring the moon to the place of return." replied Sunset. "Sweetie don't worry about anything. We're on it." said Lemon before hanging up. "So do we have a plan?" "If it's me they want then I'll go." said Luna. "Not so fast." said Sunset. "We don't know even know if they'd actually turn them over. They'll could keep them hidden to ensure cooperation." "We can't just leave them out there!" declared Luna. "I'm not saying we are." said Sunset. "What if Sunny just sped in and looked for them?" suggested Indigo. "They'll probably have measures against most of us." replied Sunset. "Sunny's actually the fourth Zect Rider so they could already have counter measure against using clock up." "It's too bad I can't just turn invisible at will." said Sour. "You can turn invisible?" asked Lemon surprised. "It's one of the power ups that comes out when I activate my Gashat." replied Sour. "There's two problems though." "What?" asked Celestia. "Each game releases different objects which can hold items but it's entirely randomized and as far as I've seen it seems that if the Rider in question touches an energy item they absorb it." explained Sunset. "So what do we do?" asked Sunny. "I think I have a bit of an idea but first I need to make a call. I'll be right back." replied Sunset. About an hour Sunset was walking with Luna towards an old warehouse. When they were a yards away Sunset placed a hand on her ear. "Going silent." she said before tapping her ear. "Are you ready?" asked Luna. Sunsets nods. "Let's go." Luna nods and the two walk to the warehouse. "Hopefully we can buy them enough time." she mutters before opening the door. They saw there were crates all over the place and the place seemed pretty clean. "Welcome." said a voice. They looked up and saw Zeal in human form. Sunset clenched her fist. "We're here so let them go." said Sunset. "I don't think you realize what position you're in." said Zeal. "Now then let's begin." he said with a smirk as two rings fly at them. Both of them jump to the side and hide behind boxes. "It looks like this is gonna be a fun game." The rings turn and head for them again forcing them to dodge. 'Hopefully we can buy them enough time.' Sunset thought to herself as she dodged again. The others had been on stand by while Twilight used the city's network to try to find where Rarity and Fluttershy had been taken and noticed an area which had monsters who were clearly visible but were spread out through out an area around three blocks away from the warehouse Sunset and Luna had gone to. "So how are things looking?" asked Sunny. "There's a lot of monsters near you guys so you're gonna have to sneak through." replied Twilight. "Explain to me why we couldn't just fight our way through?" asked Indigo. "Because we don't know what they'll do if we draw their attention." whispered Sunny. "Is everyone clear on what the plan is?" "Get to them, have them ride Lemon..." begins Sugarcoat before Indigo starts stifling a laugh. Sugarcoat smacks her behind the head. "Grow up. We keep them busy while Sunny and Lemon get them somewhere safe and then we meet up with Sunset and VP Luna." she finishes. "Let's get to it then." said Vinyl. "I'm itchin' for some action." "There's five buildings that seem to be guarded evenly." explained Twilight. "Decoys?" whispers Sour. "Considering the situation I think it's more likely they're traps." said Twilight. "Worms might impersonate them." said Sunny. "Right." "So what do we?" asked Indigo. "Since I'm connected to the city I can connect to your phones." replied Twilight. It was then all of their phones vibrated. They opened them and saw an icon for an app that said Connect. "Did you just make that?" asked Lemon surprised. "No. It's a program that was already in here. I just installed it remotely since I memorized your numbers." replied Twilight. "I don't think many of them have low windows so you'll need to sneak inside to use the application." "And here I thought things couldn't get any easier." whispers Sugarcoat sarcastically. "Just give me a little time to calculate the quickest paths to avoid the creatures." said Twilight. Back in the warehouse the two had begun getting tired when the rings were shot back, though not destroyed. They looked to the entrance and saw someone aiming a gun like weapon with a wheel on the front. "Nice try." says a voice in a cocky voice. "Who are you?" demanded Zeal. The figure put a Driver at their waist, which was only a small hand held object with a single compartment, extending the belt. "You wanna know who I am?" asks the figure, which they can definetely tell is a girl, as what looks like three toy motorcycles seem to form roads in the air and go towards her. She grabs the white one and opens her Driver before inserting it. "Signal Bike!" called out an excited sounding voice before she closes it causing an R within a circle to be projected from the bike's back wheel. "Rider!" it called out as at the other end there were bursts of fire. The figure holds her right arm at a forty five degree angle with their left right under it. "Let's henshin!" she declares as several lines began glowing around her forming the outline of an armor as what sounded like mariachi music played. The lines stretched outward before snapping onto her and forming a white suit with red stripes which included what looked like a scarf and had a helmet which resembled a motorcycle helmet with a black mask that had two large blue eyes under the visor. Afterwards she pointed at Zeal. "Searching! Destroying! Both done at Mach Speed!" she she declared posing dramatically before rotating her right arm and pointing at herself. "Kamen Rider..." she said before extending one leg and pointing her other arm outward. "Mach!" "What do you think you're doing?" asked Luna. "Relax." replied Mach. "A friend of mine gave me a handy little device to stop their transmissions." she said. "As it turns out transmissions made by Roidmudes have a very unique signal and someone who's familiar with it can jam it pretty quickly." "What?" asked Zeal. Hidden above them were Amaya and Pixie who both smiled. "Very interesting." said Amaya. "I wonder what the others are doing." "I'll go see." said Pixie before disappearing in a flurry of pixels. The others had split up into two pairs and one group of three. Each group snuck into warehouses following Twilight's instructions. "By the way..." whispered Indigo. "What exactly does the app do?" "The organization basically created the app with data they got from several years of Worm observation. Basically it can tell Worms apart from humans. I can explain more when we're not on the clock." replied Twilight as Indigo opens the app and points the camera to the Rarity and Fluttershy her and Octavia spotted. "What's the verdict?" whispered Indigo. "Negative. They're both Worms." replied Twilight. "Move on to the second point." "Roger that." replied Indigo. Vinyl and Sugarcoat headed into one of the others though they had to navigate through more narrow areas. This helped them remain hidden with less effort though Vinyl had some trouble moving enough to point her phone's camera straight. "How's this?" whispered Vinyl. "Move your arm a little to the left." replied Twilight. Vinyl did so until she was told to stop. "Confirmation. Negative. They're worms. Move to the next location." "Alright. Just give us a minute to get out." replied Vinyl. The last group headed into a different warehouse and were able to sneak a bit more easily because they found a vent outside though they needed to stay quite out of fear that they might make an echo. After getting in they were able to spot the two tied near the middle of the warehouse. They moved through until they were able to move to a vent above them where they took the cover off and Sunny pointed the camera at them. This time the scan took a bit longer due to the distance and angle. "Another negative." Twilight told them. The group scowled but continued moving. By this point Twilight was beginning to stress out. At this point who could really blame her since she was taking point on a hostage situation? It was then a thought occurred to her. If this were a game then securing the hostages would mean victory but since this was real there weren't any actual rules that they needed to abide by. "Twilight. Got another scan." she heard Sunny whisper. "Same here." added Vinyl. "Dammit. This was a waste of time." said Twilight surprising the others. "They're both negative." "Seriously?" whispered Lemon. "I'm sorry. It's my fault. I should've seen it sooner." "Seen what?" asked Indigo. "They knew their numbers focused in an area would draw us to them thinking they were being guarded there." explained Twilight. "They baited us to waste our time and since Sunset and VP Luna are waiting for us this would make things easier for Zeal." whispered Sunny. The two groups who had gotten together exited the warehouse they'd entered before Twilight directed them to a clear area just under a tree. The second group took a bit longer to get out but once they did Twilight directed them to the same area. "Great. So they tricked us and now Sunset's on her own trying to protect VP Luna." said Indigo irritated. "Let's just think about this for a second." said Sunny. "What we do know is that they set up five points to make us believe they'd be in one of them." "So you were tricked." said a voice above them. They looked up and saw Pixie sitting on the tree. They were about to transform when she held up her hands. "Easy. I come in piece." "Is that so?" asked Lemon. "Ever hear the expression no honor among thieves?" asked Pixie with a smile. "Just beause we work together doesn't mean we'll help each other. In fact right now I'm here to help you." "How do we know you won't betray us?" asked Sugarcoat. "You don't but I was with Zeal when he set everything up so I know just where they are." "If that's true just tell us where they are." said Sunny. "Not quite yet. There's some new Rider trying to help your friend but there's only so much she can do right now. I'll take one of you so the rest can head to help them." "It might be best of you take two of us." said Sunny. "You actually believe her?" asked Indigo. "I don't know if I trust her but for now it would be best to stick to the original plan unfortunately we don't have much choice. We're not far from the warehouses so if we start fighting we'll alert them and likely doom them. Not to mention I'm not sure we'd fare well if we tried to fight her without transforming." "Yeah...I can tell you how that'd go." said Pixie. "But I could need a little bit of a favor." "And what might that be?" asked Sunny cautiously. "Simply put I would get in trouble for this if the doc found out so if anyone asks the girl who's ordering you around figured this out." said Pixie. "She knows about me?" asked Twilight surprised. "Of course I do. Your transmissions are digital and as a Bugster I'm digital too so it's not hard for me to listen in. I'm just the only one who can control it because none of the other Bugsters have ever figured out how to do it." "Is that so?" "So are we going?" asked Pixie with a smirk. "Are there guards?" asked Sunny. "No. That jackass thought the place where he hid them was so perfect he didn't bother placing anyone to guard them." replied Pixie. "Alright then. Just this once we'll trust you. Take us to them." said Sunny as she and Lemon got closer to Pixie as the others left. Pixie held out both her hands. They each took one of her hands and they vanished in a flurry of pixels. They reappeared in an alley, in front of a door which had wooden boards. "What is this place?" asked Lemon. "Some shop that went under some years ago." replied Pixie. "Your friend's about two blocks that way." she added. "Good luck." she said before disappearing. "Alright. Let's do this." said Lemon putting on her Driver. The two transformed and Accel slashed the door before kicking it causing it to fall apart. "Why did you slice the door before kicking it?" asked Kabuto. Accel shrugs as they enter. Inside they spot Rarity and Fluttershy who are both shackled and hanging from pipes. "Is there any way to confirm this is them?" "Give me a minute." replied Twilight. "Alright I'm in your visor." she said. "Just give me a minute to..." she begins. "...got it. Positive match. It's them." "Alright." said Kabuto as they go up to the two. Accel uses her sword to cut the chains and Kabuto catches them before they hit the floor. Kabuto softly shakes Fluttershy while Accel shakes Rarity a bit harder. "Wh-...what?" asked Fluttershy as she opened her eyes. Rarity did the same but didn't say anything. "Are you alright?" asked Kabuto. For a moment the two were trying to remember who the two were before their eyes widened. "You...helped us." said Rarity. "Why?" "For one because your sister called me scared out of her mind." replied Accel. "Besides whether or not we like you our job is to protect everyone no matter what." "Thank you." said Fluttershy. "Don't mention it. Hopefully Sunset and VP Luna are alright." said Kabuto. "Let's get you somewhere safe." Mach had been able to tell they weren't gonna do much until they knew Fluttershy and Rarity were safe. Zeal was about to start gloating when a large hole exploded into a wall allowing the other Riders to enter. "See? I told you I could do it." said Meteor cracking her knuckles. "Whatever." said Necrom. "Sunset. They're safe!" "Perfect." said Sunset putting on her Driver. "Impossible! There's no way you could figure out my plan." said Zeal shocked. "You did a pretty good job of tricking us but our tech girl's smarter." said Gaim. "Fine then. I suppose we'll be doing this the hard way." said Zeal. It wasn't long before the ten Worms from the decoy warehouses arrived in their natural forms. "We might have some trouble." said Gaim. "Definetely gotta call back Sunny." said Meteor. "She's good but ten Worms might be pushing it." said Seikō. "Do we have a plan?" asked Zangetsu. "Maybe Twi can help us like before?" suggested Gaim. "As much as I'd like to I was able to calculate the enemy's trajectory because I was seeing them from above. Right now I can only to see through your visors." replied Twilight. "Maybe the others can't keep up but I can." said Mach hitting the button on her Driver four times. "Zutto Mahha!" called out her Driver before speeding off. "She might be overestimating herself a bit." said Seikō. "I've got more where they came from." said Zeal as several more creatures showed up. "Great. This should be a pretty good exercise." said Meteor. "Everyone just keep an eye on your surroundings." ordered Seikō bringing out her weapon in sword form and then splitting it. They charged at the creatures who also attacked. They found themselves at a disadvantage when some of the Worms were able to keep Mach busy enough for them to attack the others. It wasn't long before Kabuto arrived having left Accel to watch over Rarity and Fluttershy. Unfortunately only the two of them matching the group of Worms wasn't enough resulting in the others still being hit. Even Gaim had switched to her Ichigo Arms in an attempt to hit them but was only able to destroy one of the others creatures. What they hadn't quite noticed was that Luna was watching them. As Amaya and Pixie watched Luna seemed to appear in front of them. "So you had more of that nightmare's power." commented Amaya. "Interesting." said Luna looking at Pixie. "So you're part human." Pixie glared at her. "Are you stupid? I'm a Bugster." she said angrily. "I see." said Luna before turning and jumping. She landed behind Meteor and Necrom. However it was then they heard heard something. "Overdrive, please." said an odd sounding voice. The two didn't notice a magic circles on all of them which passed through them causing them to begin glowing. "What?" Necrom. Seikō became surprised and turned to Luna. "This spell..." she said. Luna smirked and placed her right hand on her belt causing a ring with a hand pointed diagonally to the left and a similar belt to form. "Driver on, please." the same voice called out as the belt seemed to grow into a driver. A ring formed on her right middle finger which had a ruby with a bird's head over it. She moved the sliders on the edges causing the hand to turn, now pointing left. "Shabadoobie, touch to henshin! Shabadoobie, touch to henshin!" it sang. She placed her hand over the middle of the hand positioning the ring over the center. "Phoenix, Please!" it said as she held her hand with her palm down causing a red magic circle with a bird in the center. It began to rise as her body began glowing red and the bird flew out of the circle in a blaze. "Kaen! Ka-Ka-Ka-Kaen! Phoenix!" it called out as the circle began forming a black suit where it passed up until it got to her upper body where it also formed ruby a ruby chest plate, arm guards, and helmet with the gem on the front part of the helmet. After the phoenix flew around her it attached itself to the armor with the wings folding on the chest stone, talons forming at the edge of the forearm with metal edges on the rest, and the bird's face forming an outline on the stone. "You've done well Sunset." said a male's voice. "Nii-san." said Seikō. "What?" asked Gaim. "What is this?" asked Zengetsu feeling a surge of energy. "It's a spell called Overdrive." replied Sunset's brother. "It allows me to place a mark on anyone I consider an ally so they can draw from my power directly. In turn I can see, feel, and sense everything all of you can." he explained before turning the slider on his driver and switching the ring on his right hand to one that had a similar red stone but with an image of chains with fire. "Chain, please." it called out as he formed a large circle with his hands before extending his arms causing the large magic circle to scatter into several smaller ones all around the area. "Rensa Han'nō!" he yells out as chains begin growing out of the smaller circles. What really caught them by surprise was that whenever the chains hit something that wasn't an enemy they would bounce and change direction while continuing to grow. This led to three Worms and four of the other creatures to be impaled by the chains before a surge of fire begins flowing through them causing each of the creatures to shatter. "Those chains weren't even sharp." said Ex-Aid. "Any weapon is only as dangerous as its wielder." he commented. "And if you'd prefer you can just call me Sage." he adds. "Good to know." replied Meteor. "I hope you have a plan because I think we're still outnumbered." "Ex-Aid, have you reached level 3 yet?" asked Sage. She turned to him. "Level 3?" asked Ex-Aid confused. "Guess not." he said looking at the others. "Hey Mercy, do you think you can call Len?" "Got it." they heard her say over the their comms. He turned his driver back and forth before using a different ring. "Connect, please." he held up his hand forming a magic circle above himself before taking a step to the side. From it fell a blond girl in jeans with a red and blue shirt, along with a trench coat and some sunglasses. "Sorry to bother you on your day off with your siblings." said Sage. "It's not problem." she said putting on a driver which had two open slots and a crank. After she pulled out two bottles and began shaking them before turning the tips and inserting the red one followed by the blue one. "Rabbit! Tank! Best Match!" they heard a different voice call out, as it displayed an R/T, before she began to turn the crank. "Please stand back." she said as she stopped turning the crank. "Are you ready?" asked the driver as tubes extended in front of and behind her. "Henshin!" she called out as they saw it was forming like a plastic mold which had the front having the left leg with a spring, right arm, and left lens of the helmet red while the right leg, left arm, and right lens of the helmet was blue. Once the parts fully formed from what came out of the belt the two parts closed on her and steam was expelled from the torso armor. "Hagane no Moonsault! RabbitTank! Yay!" it called out. "Kamen Rider Build at your service. What did you need?" she asked. "We're dealing with a large number of enemies, some of whom are molted Worms, and we currently have two who are attempting to deal with them." explained Sage. "I see you've also got a Gamer." said Build. "So you just needed me?" Sage nods. "Very well." "Ex-Aid, change the stage to the battle field with the drums." called out Sage. "Got it." said Ex-Aid pressing the button on the slot at her side. "Stage Select!" it called out as the stage roulette formed around her before changing to the training field. "So what's the plan?" asked Meteor. "We'll create an opening for the rest of you to finish them." replied Sage as Build removed the two bottles and replaced them with two new ones. "Gorilla! Diamond! Best Match!" her driver called out as it displayed G/D before she started turning the crank and stopped shortly after causing the tubes to extend creating two new halves, the brown gorillla part with a large fist there to replace the red rabbit part while a greenish blue diamond part was formed to replace the blue tank part. "Build up." she said as the two halves closed on her. "Kagayake no destroyer! Gorillamond!" it called out. "Mercy can you help guide the two speedsters?" asked Sage. "Understood." she replied. "Ready?" asked Sage. Build nodded as Sage switched rings. He turned his driver and placed his hand. "Extend, please." it called out as he extended his arm into the circle, stretching his arm in a cartoonish manner, around several drums before making his arm go taut launching them into the air and towards Build who began turning the crank as they got near her. She stopped when they were close enough. "Ready? Go!" her Driver called out as the drums became outlines which became a clearish blue and changed shape forming a diamond shield. After she punched it with the gorilla arm shattering it into several fragments. In that time Mach had caught the Worms off guard with a scattershot which launched them into the other creatures causing all of them to be hit by the diamond fragments as Mach and Kabuto stopped with the rest of the group. "Alright. Let's hit them together!" ordered Seikō taking Cure Whip's module and inserting it in the slot on her side as Ex-Aid did the same. Mach opened her Driver before hitting the button on the top. "Hissatsu!" it called out before she closes it. "Full throttle! Mahha!" "Orange Squash!" "Melon Squash!" "Saishū-waza! Hissatsu!" "Kimewaza! Mighty Critical Strike!" "Limit Break!" "1, 2, 3! Rider Kick!" "Destroy! Dai Tengan. Necrom. Omega Ulord." As soon as they all activated them the eight of them went in for the kill together while the creatures were still dazed. Once it was over they found themselves back in the warehouse. "That was so much fun." said Pixie as she and Amaya landed in front of them. "What do you want?" asked Meteor. "Nothing. We just enjoyed the show. See you next time." said Amaya as the two disappeared. "More enemies?" asked Build. "As far as we can tell." replied Sage as all of the others changed back, minus Mach. "I should get back to my siblings." said Len. Sage nodded and turned the hand on his Driver. "Connect, please." it said forming a magic circle which she jumped in. "So was there a reason you didn't tell me you switched places with Vice Principal Luna?" asked Sunset. "Considering the situation it seemed like a better idea." shrugged Sage. "Plus I got an idea of some of the enemies we'll see here. It's good to see you've made friends kid." Sunset pouts. "You know I'm not a kid." "Yeah but I've been around a while. Besides you're our kid sister." said Sage placing a hand on the side of his helmet. "Wouldn't you say, Mercy?" "Indeed. You're our adorable kid sister." said Mercy causing Sunset to blush with a grumble. After he looks behind at the others he nods. "It was nice meeting you all." "Likewise." replied Sunny. "It's nice to meet you as well." said Octavia. He nodded to them and turned to his adopted sister. "Sunset, I want you to keep a close eye on what happens around here." he said, his tone becoming serious. "I'm not sure what it is but I've got the feeling there's something else in the works here. It's entirely possible this whole thing with Luna might've been for something different." "What do you mean?" asked Sunset. "I'm not entirely sure. It's just a hunch. Just make sure you watch your backs until we can come here." replied Sage. "So you're not staying?" asked Sunny. "As much as I'd like to I'm still on a mission. I came here because Mercy informed me of what was happening. Plus I had a bit of free time." explained Sage. "Sunset I'm not sure how much longer the others will be but as far as I know Chase and Marika will only be a few days but I guess you've got a lot of back up already." "I made some new friends." replied Sunset with a smile. "I can see that. I'll try to finish my mission as quickly as I can so I can help you out but I'm still not entirely sure how much longer it'll be." "I can take care of myself." said Sunset. Sage turns to the Shadowbolts. "Watch over my little sister." he said. They couldn't help but giggle a bit causing Sunset to blush. "You have our word." said Sunny. "By the way there's one other thing." said Sage. "Your cards should be arriving within the next week." "Cards?" asked the others. "In any case I'll talk to you as soon as I can." he said turning his Driver. "Connect, please." called out his driver as a magic circle formed under him which he descended into. Once Sage was gone Mach approached Sunset who smiled. "Thanks for helping us." said Sunset. "I needed to make up for what happened to you." replied Mach opening her Driver before taking out her Signal Bike and closing it. "Otsukare!" called out her Driver as she changed back revealing Surprise. "You're..." "I'm Pinkie's cousin. Surprise." she said. "What my cousin did to you was unforgivable...so I want to take the chance make up for what happened." "You don't have to." replied Sunset as she looked at her friends and then turned back to Surprise. "It would probably be better if we just if we worked together and leave that issue in the past." "Maybe some day." replied Surprise. Sunset chuckled. "Well...if nothing else would you like to join us?" asked Sunset. "I'd like to but I'm working with someone else right now." replied Surprise. "Next?" guessed Sunset. "How'd you know?" asked Surprise. "The Mach Driver is the device Chase uses and the only similar tech to it is the Drive Driver." replied Sunset. "Just don't expect me to tell you who it is." said Surprise. "It doesn't matter." replied Sunset. "We haven't seen him a lot but the one thing that's clear is he's an ally. As far as I'm concerned that's all I need to know." she explained before extending her hand. "So what do you say? Friends?" Surprise smiles before taking it. "Friends." she replied with a handshake, which was the one Sunset had done with Sunny when they first became friends. "Boy...that's a funny handshake." "Fourze calls it the friendship handshake." replied Sunset. "I guess we'll see you around." Surprise nods and leaves. Sunny then places a hand to her ear. "Twilight tell Lemon they're safe and that we're heading back." "Understood." "Man after today I definitely need a good night's sleep." said Sunset as they left. In a room Mercy looked at some information she received. "You're right. There's definitely something up with this girl." she said looking at some information on Amaya and Pixie. "This might be a hunch on my part but I don't think the pink haired one was actually born a Bugster." said Sage over their comms. "What are you thinking?" asked Mercy. "Honestly I've got nothing but a hunch. There's something about this girl that's definitely off but I can't put my finger on it." replied Sage. "Maybe Sunset and the others can find out more." "You seem to get along with Len very well." teased Mercy. "So do you." he replied not seeing where she was going with this. "In any case do you have my equipment?" "I modified it to your specifications so you should be good to go. The Bio-metric readers are in optimal condition so I'll be able to track you. Do you mind if I ask you something?" "What is it?" "Why do you need this kind of armor when you can transform?" asked Mercy hitting a few keys on her keyboard causing a large cylinder to rise revealing a blood red and black armor which included a helmet which had no features. "Because this doesn't have to do with any kaijin." replied Sage, entering the room, as a red magic circle formed at his feet and arose undoing his transformation. "And I don't use my magic on civilians. After all there's no fun in fighting enemies with with magic." Mercy giggles. "You're such a child sometimes." she said as he put on the armor. "While you're gone I'll run scans on the footage of the Bugster." "Thanks. Keep me posted." "Will do."