//------------------------------//
// The Wand of Wonders 
// Story: Kamen Rider Justice 
// by RuinQueenofOblivion 
//------------------------------//

"Alright, this is your basic training simulation," Fancy Pants' voice said over the intercom in the training room that Scootaloo had been taken to. "Do you still have the card that was given to you?"

"Minor Swords Ace?" Scootaloo asked as she reached into a pouch on her belt and took the card out. She had been given this before they left the lab to go to this training room.

"That's your weapon card," Fancy Pants said with a nod. "You need to use it like you did your transformation card and it will manifest your weapon. Your cards are the swords, they are your lifeline and what you use to survive in battle. Try it out and use the weapon on the training dummy."

"Alright, lets try this," Scootaloo said as she slid the card through the slot in her belt. The belt said "Arcana Rapier" before a thin sword appeared in her hand with intricate designs in it. "A sword from a swords card, how original."

"We're not quite sure how the weapon cards work, but for now just use it as he said," Fleur said over the intercom. "You're going to do fine Scootaloo, its better to get a feel of it now than to do it in the middle of a battle."

Scootaloo glanced up at the observation booth where Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were watching along with the two government agents. She nodded and held her sword upright and ran forward as she swung it around, slashing at the training dummy.

She was surprised to be knocked back as the dummy held its own sword up and intercepted the strike. "Okay, so this place isn't nearly as easy as I thought..." she muttered and backed off a little, she was still getting used to walking around in the armor but it wasn't as hard as she expected.

"This is only on its lowest level, don't worry," Fleur said over the intercom again. "You're doing fine Scootaloo, just keep on your feet and get in three strikes and we'll call it good."

Scootaloo nodded as she held the sword aloft again and gave it a light tip to the opponent as she swung at it again. The dummy tried to parry the blow for a moment but she managed to slip through and catch it in the shoulder. The dummy swung its sword back at her and she barely managed to jump out of the way.

"Okay, this is getting tricky..." she muttered to herself as she swung back and stabbed at the dummy only to have the rapier knocked away.

"Come on Scootaloo, you can do this!" Sweetie Belle called down to her. "You're better than some dumb old computer program ever can be!"

"Right," Scootaloo said and swung her sword around again and caught the dummy in the hand briefly which made it drop the sword it was holding despite being a projection. "Ha, I've got you now!"

She swung the sword again only to be caught by surprise when the dummy materialized another sword and caught her blade with it. She frowned a little behind her mask and pushed back against it, swinging her sword around and catching the target off guard as she raked it and it fell back.

"Good, good, you're doing fine," Fleur said. "There's one more thing you need to try before we're satisfied, you need to try a finishing move."

"What's that?" Scootaloo called back.

"Its unique to each Rider, but you should be able to land a hit on this thing easily," Fancy Pants replied. "Now go on, lets see what this new Rider can do."

Scootaloo nodded as she held her sword off to her side for a moment as she stared the target down. She ran forward and slashed at the hologram with her sword with one hand and swung a punch at it with her free hand.

"Justice Blade Strike!" She said, not really sure why she said that as her fist connected with the hologram at the same time her sword did. The holographic dummy fell back and then  got to its feet for a moment before it bowed and vanished.

"Well done, you've taken to your new abilities quite well," Fancy Pants said with a smile as Scootaloo raised her sword in a slight salute before the armor vanished around her. "You're definitely Rider material, we just have to make sure that everything is working right."

"What do you mean?" Sweetie Belle asked as she looked at him.

"Nothing to be concerned with, we just need to go over the data from her while she was in Rider form," Fleur said with a nod as she pointed at a series of computer monitors that had data on them. "Its something that is pretty standard for this kind of thing. Don't worry, your friend is going to be just fine, the worst that could happen is she doesn't work out."

"Ah hope yer right," Apple Bloom said as she looked back down at Scootaloo who looked tired. "Ah just hope that ya'll know what yer doin'."

"Believe me, she's going to be fine," Fleur said as she shook her head a little as Scootaloo started up the stairs towards the viewing room. "Its true that things aren't going to be easy for her, but I know that she's got two good friends to help her out."

"Yeah, but that's why we don't want anything to happen to her," Sweetie Belle said and crossed her arms a little. "If anything happens to her because of what's going on here..."

"Don't worry," Fancy Pants said as he adjusted his monocle a little. "She's going to be just fine, we will do everything we can to keep her safe. She is possibly the most important person in the city right now and we're not about to let her get hurt because of what's going on."

"You better not," Sweetie Belle said as Scootaloo walked into the observation room. "Hey Scoots, you looked good out there, how'd it feel?"

"It was, interesting, like nothing I had ever felt before," Scootaloo said as she took the two cards out again and looked at them for a moment. "I'm still kind of trying to figure all of this out, was it this hard when you first became Magician?"

"Oh it was much harder, we didn't have much of a frame of reference," Fleur said with a shake of her head. "Don't worry, you're going to do just fine Scootaloo. You're already off to a good start, just get some training in with your sword every so often and you'll be able to hold your own against anything."

"And, what do we do if that monster comes back?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Its a threat to the city, and like you said she's going to have to help fight against threats like it. Are you sure that she's going to be okay?"

Scootaloo paused as she looked over at Fleur who frowned for a long moment before she sighed. "It's not an easy job or life, you will have to do everything you can to protect the city from the Order's threat. I'm not going to lie, you have your work cut out for you if you really want to help us deal with the Order."

"You can take some time to think it over, but if there are any reports of attacks then you may need to act," Fancy Pants said with a shake of his head as he took out a business card and gave it to her. "Take the Driver and cards with you, talk with your friends and adopted family if you have to. Call the number on that card when you've made your decision, we will respect whatever choice you make. But either way, we would prefer if you didn't talk about everything that's happened here outside of that."

"Okay, I'll think about it," Scootaloo said with a sigh as she took the business card and put it away along with her Driver. "Are you sure I'm the right person for this job? I'm not even sure I can fight that well."

"Don't worry, the card wouldn't have chosen you if it didn't believe you were capable of doing the job," Fleur said with a shake of her head. "Now come on, lets take you three home."

Scootaloo nodded as they headed out of the room and back up the elevator. She had a lot to think about right now, and she just had to hope that she was going to be able to make the right decision before it was too late.


00000


"You're kidding right?" Rainbow Dash asked as Scootaloo spoke to her on facetime on her phone. "They actually told you all of that?"

"Yeah, I know it sounds crazy," Scootaloo said with a shake of her head. "I'm still having a hard time figuring it all out myself and Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom are trying to help as best they can."

"I see, well I wish I could give you some advice but this is all pretty new to me too," Rainbow Dash admitted as she brushed her hair back a little. "What do you think you should do Scootaloo?"

"I don't know, I feel like everything is getting harder and harder to understand around here," Scootaloo said with a sigh. "I'm starting to feel like the world is going crazy and I'm the only one sane. Monsters attacking people, Kamen Riders, secret government agencies that are fighting the monsters, what's next? Teenagers with attitude dressed in spandex of different colors?"

"Well, you never know, it might not be spandex," Rainbow Dash said with a chuckle and a shake of her head. "Scootaloo, you're a good person. Whatever force picked you for this probably did so for a reason, what that reason is I don't think I'll ever really understand, but I do know that they couldn't have picked anyone better."

Scootaloo smiled a little as she gave her adopted sister a nod. She paused a moment and looked at the video image of Rainbow Dash playing and sighed a moment. "You knew my parents right? Your parents were my godparents, its why they took me in, did you know anything about this?"

"Well..." Rainbow said with a pause and shook her head a little. "No, I didn't know anything about it personally, but you'd have to ask mom and dad if they knew anything. Back when we adopted you, I remember them saying something  about a creature or something like that. I don't know what it means and it might be nothing, maybe they were talking about a horror movie for all I know."

"Well, thanks anyway," Scootaloo said with a sigh as she played with a strand of hair. "I'm still not sure exactly what's going on or why I'm doing this. This isn't my fight, or at least it doesn't feel like it, am I really the one who's going to have to help protect an entire city?"

"What does the card mean again?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Justice, at least that's what they told me," Scootaloo said as she took out the card again and showed it to the older woman. "I think its a tarot card or something, I'm not really an expert on this kind of thing."

"Justice, fairness, passing judgment in a fair and meaningful way," Rainbow Dash said and Scootaloo blinked a little. "Uh, one of Fluttershy's friends is into Tarot, its not my thing personally but I've picked up a few things."

"Oh, okay," Scootaloo said with a shake of her head and chuckled a little. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash's wife, tended to have a lot of weird friends that she hung out with, though Scootaloo didn't know all of them.

"So, how are things going with Sweetie Belle?" Rainbow asked with a smirk which made Scootaloo blush deeply. "You get her in bed yet?"

"That's, none of your business," Scootaloo said and shook her head as she tried not to think about that. "You're one to talk, how long did you and Fluttershy wait? I could hear you from the next room."

"Touche," Rainbow said and the two women just laughed a little. "But really Scoots, if you ever need anything don't hesitate to call me. I would do anything for you, you're my little sister."

Scootaloo smiled a little and nodded. She had found it difficult to settle into life with Rainbow Dash and her family, but once she had she and Rainbow had bonded in ways she hadn't imagined, she had never had a big sister before and she was glad that she had one in Rainbow Dash.

She just wished that she could figure out everything that was going on right now. She gave Rainbow a nod as she placed the card on the table next to her and stared at it for a long moment.

"Scootaloo, do you want to be able to help people?" Rainbow asked softly and Scootaloo paused and looked back at her.

"Yes, but I honestly didn't think it would be as a grasshopper themed superhero," she admitted with a chuckle as she brushed her hair back a little. "I'm not much of a superhero really, I'm still kind of figuring out how to even use a sword. Its, been kind of an interesting experience all things considered. I'm just worried that something might happen to my friends if people find out."

"Scootaloo, your friends are there to help you," Rainbow said. "Just like my friends are there to help me, you're going to protect them and anyone else who might be put in danger, I just know it. I think you should think long and hard about this, but I have a feeling that you're going to be just fine."

"Maybe, I hope so," Scootaloo said with a sigh and a shake of her head. "Its hard to believe, but I actually kind of want to be able to do this. I'm at least going to be able to stop those who killed my parents if it really was them, and protect anyone else from being hurt the same way."

"Yeah, I know, and that's why you're my favorite little sister," Rainbow said with a chuckle.

"I'm your only little sister," Scootaloo said with a chuckle. "Unless mom and dad aren't telling me something about my adopted family."

"No, no I'm pretty sure you're my only younger sister," Rainbow said with a chuckle. "Don't worry Scootaloo, I know that whatever you decide will be the right choice. Stay safe, okay? I know you're going to be just fine, let me know if you ever need anything."

"I will," Scootaloo said as they ended the call and she laid back on the couch as she closed her eyes. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were out getting dinner for them at a nearby restaurant and left her to just relax and try and process everything that was going on.

She sighed and picked up the strange device that Flim and Flam had called a Tarot Driver for a long moment. She really had no idea what to make of all of this, she wasn't really superhero material in her mind, she was just a young woman who was stuck in a weird situation.

What was she going to do? Was she even going to be able to make a decision with everything that was going on? She wondered if any of the other Kamen Riders had to go through anything like this, did she even count yet? She didn't feel like she had done anything to earn it, whatever that meant.

She sighed and set it back down just as the door unlocked and opened as Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom came in. Scootaloo smiled as she sat up and the girls set the food on the table.

"So, anything interesting happen while we were gone?" Sweetie asked as she leaned in and gave Scootaloo a soft kiss on the lips. "Any monster attacks?"

"No, I just talked to my sister and that's just about it," Scootaloo said with a shake of her head as she held Sweetie Belle close for a moment. "She's doing pretty well at least, we're just kind of figuring everything out and she at least gave me some advice on what I should do."

"So, what are yah thinkin' about doin'?" Apple Bloom asked as she set out the food and drink for them as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle got up and headed over to the table together. "Ah mean, Ah know this is a lot ta take in, have yah made a decision about what yer gonna do?"

"I'm still kind of figuring it out honestly," Scootaloo said with a shake of her head as she looked at the Tarot Driver for a long moment. "I'm not sure I'm ready for this kind of responsibility, but at the same time I want to be able to help people."

"Yeah, well don't worry about it," Sweetie said as she put her arm around Scootaloo gently. "We're going to be there for you no matter what you decide."

"Thanks," Scootaloo said as she rested her head on Sweetie's shoulder and sighed a little. "I'm lucky to have the two of you as my friends. I don't know what I would do without you."

She smiled as she felt Sweetie squeeze her a little. She had known these two since she was 8 years old. She and Sweetie Belle had been dating since High School and she couldn't be happier than when she was with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, she just wished she knew what she was supposed to do about all of this.

"Come on, lets have some food," Sweetie said as they dug into their dinner.


00000


Scootaloo laid back on the bed as she stared up at the ceiling for a long moment that night. She was still having a hard time deciding exactly what she was going to do as she sighed and rolled over and looked at the sleeping Sweetie Belle. The pale skinned girl was sleeping peacefully next to her and she smiled softly as she put her arm over her.

There had always been something special about her relationship with Sweetie Belle, even before they had started dating. Maybe it was because they had always been there for each other even more than Apple Bloom. They were the best friends anyone could find, and now for a few years they had been something oh so much more.

She thought back to the attack by the creature from earlier. If they hadn't run there was no telling what it would have done to them, it could've hurt people or worse. She hated that, she hated that it was probably some person who did this for power and it put everyone she cared about in danger and more.

Maybe she really should become a Rider, she couldn't do any worse than she had today. She looked over at Sweetie Belle and smiled softly as she leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

She knew that if she made this choice, there was no turning back from the road she was set upon. She just hoped that  it really was the right call to make.

"Scootaloo, are you still up?" Sweetie asked with a yawn as she looked at Scootaloo confused for a moment. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm still just thinking about what happened today," Scootaloo said with a shake of her head. "Its crazy really, what would you do if you were in my position?"

"If I was the only thing that could possibly help protect the city from monsters? That's kind of a tough call," she said with a shake of her head. "But I know that if I didn't at least try to do it and if people got hurt or worse, then I'd have a hard time living with the fact that I refused to help."

"Yeah..." Scootaloo said with a shake of her head as she laid back on the bed and looked back up at the ceiling. "This is a tough call to make, but I think I know what I have to do."

"Have some fun with your girlfriend before she gets too tired to stay up?" Sweetie asked with a giggle as she ran a finger slowly along Scootaloo's chest and she blushed.

"Mmm, that is not what I had in mind, but I still would say yes," Scootaloo said with a giggle as she pulled Sweetie Belle on top of her and gave her a deep, passionate kiss.

For tonight they didn't want to worry about what was going on, they just wanted to spend time with one another.


00000


Scootaloo paused a moment as they stepped out of the apartment complex the next day. She was going to tell Fancy Pants and Fleur that they were at  least going to try, but she still hesitated for a moment.

What if she wasn't good enough? What if she failed and more people got hurt with her trying to help than would have without her? She reached into her pocket and took out the two cards again.

"Why Justice?" She wondered out loud as her friends looked at her confused. "The cards are based on the Major Arcana right? That's 22 different cards, why did Justice appear to me of all things?"

"Because it felt like you fit it best maybe?" Sweetie asked.

"Because yah want justice for what happened ta yer parents?" Apple Bloom suggested.

"Maybe, or maybe just because it felt like I'd use it best," Scootaloo said with a sigh as she examined the card for a long moment. "I'm no superhero, but if the card thinks that I was the right choice and there are monsters threatening the city, I'm going to do this."

"That's tha spirit," Apple Bloom said with a soft smile but Sweetie wasn't nearly as confident. "Yer gonna be a fine, Kamen Rider right? Ah swear, that sounds like a cheesy action movie hero name or somethin'."

Scootaloo actually chuckled a little at her friend's comment and shook her head. She knew that she was right of course, but at the same time she knew that she had to do this, it was the only way to keep people safe from the creatures that had taken her parents away.

She just hoped that she really was ready for this.

"Come on, lets get goin' ta..." Apple Bloom said as there was suddenly a scream and a familiar looking monster came into view. "Well, that figures don't it?"

"Guess that means you're being tested sooner than we thought," Sweetie said as she looked at Scootaloo for a moment. "Are you sure you're up for this?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Scootaloo said softly as she took out the Tarot driver and placed it on her waist as it formed around it and she took out the two cards. "Henshin!"

"TIME TO TIP THE SCALES!" The voice said from her belt.

As she slid the card into the slot in the belt the same energy formed around her as the familiar black and green armor formed around her. She took a deep breath as she slid the other card into it and the Arcana Rapier appeared in her hand, she took a deep breath and looked at the monster and then back at her friends.

"Do you think I'm ready for this?" She asked, her suit's red eyes masking her concern but her voice gave it away.

"Scootaloo, if you don't do this no one else will," Sweetie said with a soft smile as she patted Scootaloo on the back. "Get out there and show the world that you can be a Rider. Just, stay safe, I don't want something happening to you."

"I will," Scootaloo said as she held the sword aloft and ran forward at the creature, which caught it off guard for a moment. "This is my city, and its time to doll out some justice!"

"What? That's impossible!" The creature said as its eyes went wide at the sight of the woman dressed in armor. "That's impossible, there are no cards out of our possession that could be used like this!"

"You've been misinformed Mr... What's your name? Do you even have a name?" Scootaloo asked as she held her sword aloft. "I can't just call you ugly monster, that would be an insult to ugly things and monsters."

"Zauzwei is my name, and I will take you down and bring your card back to my masters," Zauzwei said as as he swung his cudgel and a stream of fire shot out at Scootaloo which she just barely dodged. "You're sloppy Rider, I'll take you down easily!"

"We'll see about that," Scootaloo said as she looked back at her friends. "I'm not going to let you beat me, not when I have something to fight for!"

She swung her sword only to have it be caught by the monster's cudgel. She growled as she kicked at it hard and it was pushed back a little before managing to pull up again. "I may be new to this, but I'm not about to let you spread injustice in this world!"

Zauzwei snarled as it sent another stream of flames at Scootaloo who dodged it again. She didn't like having to be on the defensive right now, she had to destroy this monster before it could do something else.

She charged forward and swung her sword a little as she connected with the monster's chest this time and it flew back with sparks coming off its armor. "Come on, I've had tougher fights from toddlers."

"Your taunts are useless human, I will not let you get to me," Zauzwei said as it swung its cudgel again and sent Scootaloo flying into the ground. "You're going to have to face facts, this fight was lost as soon as it began. I'm not going to relent, and some insect themed superhero isn't going to stop me."

'He's right,' Scootaloo thought as she looked at the monster and held her sword aloft. 'I can get a few hits in, but I'm not going to be able to stop it unless I can figure out what its weak spot is. And that's easier said than done right now, but I'm not going to give up either.'

"Is she okay?" Sweetie asked as she and Apple Bloom looked at Scootaloo worried for a moment. "She took that last hit harder than I thought, I don't know..."

"Sweetie, calm down," Apple Bloom said as she shook her head and placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Scootaloo's gonna be okay, in tha meantime do yah have that card they gave us?"

Sweetie nodded and took the business card out of her pocket. She dialed the number and flinched a little as Scootaloo took another hit, but she managed to retaliate with a slash from her sword. "Come on, come on, pick up..."

"Sweetie Belle, is everything okay?" The familiar voice of Fancy Pants said on the other end as he picked up. "We're getting reports of a monster in your area, what happened?"

"I don't know, we were coming to tell you what decision was made and then the thing from yesterday attacked us," Sweetie said with a shake of her head. "Scootaloo's fighting it, but she's not in the best position right now."

"I see," Fancy Pants said and shook his head a little. "Alright, we're going to send some back-up, but she should be fine as long as she doesn't take too many blows. Keep an eye on her and stay on the line, I want to know what's going on."

"Right," Sweetie said as she gulped and looked back at her girlfriend who dodged another swing of the monster's cudgel before she slammed her armored fist into the monster's stomach.

"You're going to have to try harder than that Rider wannabe!" Zauzwei said with a cackle as he slammed his cudgel into the ground and a wall of flames appeared around him and threw Scootaloo back. "Come on, give me a proper fight or there's no fun to be had here."

Scootaloo struggled to get to her feet as she pointed the sword shakily at the monster. She wasn't going to stop, not now, she had to fight on and make sure that this thing was stopped once and for all. "This is my city, and I'm not going to let you hurt it..."

"A strong sentiment, but lets see if you can back it up!" Zauzwei said as he sent another stream of fire at Scootaloo and this one connected as she screamed out, the armor only providing so much protection from the heat. "Cry, cry for your city, I will make you burn until there is nothing but ashes!"

"I'm... not... done..." Scootaloo said as she struggled to get to her feet, she was tired, more tired than she had ever felt before, but she was not going to let this monster win. She couldn't take it anymore however and collapsed as the armor shattered around her, leaving the card lying on the ground.

"Pathetic," Zauzwei said and started to head forward when there was the sudden sound of an engine revving up. "What?"

A motorcycle flew forward and hit the monster square in the face with its front tire. The rider was a woman dressed in a jumpsuit and helmet and aimed a pistol at the monster.

"You're not going to do anything to hurt this young woman," she said in the familiar voice of Fleur de Lis. "This is not your city, and Scootaloo proved it. Get out of here before I make you leave."

The monster growled and backed away finally before running off. Fleur got off her bike as Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom ran over to where Scootaloo was barely conscious.

"Scootaloo, Scootaloo, talk to me," Sweetie Belle said as she held her girlfriend in her arms. The tanned skinned girl was bleeding in several places. "You're going to be fine, she's going to be fine right?"

"Don't worry, the armor took the brunt of the hit," Fleur said as she held Scootaloo's hand gently. "You're going to be just fine."

"Ugh, did you get the license plate of that truck that hit me?" Scootaloo asked with a groan.

"Yeah, she's gonna be fine if she's makin' bad jokes like that," Apple Bloom said with a chuckle. "Scoots, yah did fine, tha monster is gone."

Scootaloo smiled softly as she looked up into the face of Sweetie Belle. "That's good..." she said before she slipped off into unconsciousness.

"Come on, we need to get her to a doctor," Fleur said as she and Sweetie helped Scootaloo up. "Are you two going to be okay taking her to the base?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine," Sweetie said as they eased Scootaloo into the car and started it up and headed off towards their destination.


00000


"You said that she was going to be fine if she did this!" Sweetie said as she pointed at Fancy Pants accusingly. "Her first outing and the creature nearly beat her to death!"

"We were afraid of this possibility," Fancy Pants said and adjusted his monocle. "In truth she was probably not ready, I would have preferred she got more training before..."

"You're telling me that she was hurt because she wasn't ready?" Sweetie said as she crossed her arms. "I knew this was a bad idea, we shouldn't have let her agree to this."

"Sweetie, calm down," Apple Bloom said as she sighed and looked at her friend worriedly for a moment. "Look, Ah'm as worried about Scootaloo as yah are, but Ah'm sure they have some sort of plan ta help her out."

"These cards have powers that we are still only starting to understand," Fancy Pants said as he picked up the Justice card for a moment and looked back at the other two. "There is a power to cards like these. When one of these cards bonds with someone, it can heal them slowly, we documented it back when Fleur was bonded with the Magician card. It should do the same for Scootaloo."

He placed the card gently in Scootaloo's hand, she was still unconscious. The card started to glow as it enveloped Scootaloo and her eyes fluttered open. "Ugh, what hit me?"

"Oh thank goodness," Sweetie Belle said as she hugged Scootaloo and the other girl flinched a little before she smiled and hugged her back, still holding the card in her hand. "After that thing hurt you I was so worried about you..."

"Thanks Sweetie, but I'm fine, just a little sore," Scootaloo said with a soft smile as she hugged her girlfriend. "Did I at least beat that thing?"

"Beat? Not so much," Sweetie said with a shake of her head. "I think you were lucky to make it out of the whole thing alive honestly."

"Though, I believe you managed to damage the monster at least," Fancy Pants said. "That's the good news at least, but even if you defeat it you're going to need more training if we don't want a repeat. For now, you need to just relax and let the card do its thing."

"Which means ya'll are gonna have ta refrain from doin' certain things," Apple Bloom said with a smirk which made her two friends blush deeply. "So, Ah'm guessin' there are cards like this fer all of tha Major Arcana or whatever its called?"

"Yes, as far as we can tell, though we have yet to see most of them," Fancy Pants said with a shake of his head. "The only one that we know of for sure, outside of the ones that belong to Riders, is the Strength, but he's been gone for awhile."

"Well, that's not entirely true," Fleur said as she came in. "I crossed paths with another one a few times before she vanished altogether. One that even the other monsters were afraid of, but she vanished, a long time ago. I think she may have stopped being much of a threat."

"Of course," Fancy Pants said. "Well, we'll leave you three alone for awhile. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about right now."
He and Fleur left the room together as Scootaloo leaned back in the bed and looked down at the Justice card again for a moment.

"Scootaloo, you're not actually considering going back out there are you?" Sweetie Belle asked as Scootaloo looked up at her. "You could've been killed last time, and you are thinking about doing it again?"

"Sweetie, as long as that creature is out there it poses a threat to innocent people," Scootaloo said with a shake of her head. "I may be new to this whole thing, but I know one thing. If there's even a chance of stopping it before it hurts someone else, I need to do what I can to make sure its stopped."

She held up the card and nodded a little. Justice, a card of a fair and just individual, she was going to make sure that she lived up to that title.

"Scootaloo, just because yah lost your parents ta one of those things doesn't mean yah need ta put yer life at risk," Apple Bloom said with a shake of her head. "But if yah think that its tha right thing ta do, we're gonna be backin' yah up the whole time."

"Yeah, we will be," Sweetie said quietly as she looked down at her feet and then back at Scootaloo. "Do you really think this is the right thing to do though? What if you get hurt again."

"Then that's what happens," Scootaloo said with a sigh and a shake of her head. "But honestly, I'm starting to think I need to do this. Even if it would be good to have a bit more back-up."

She laid back and closed her eyes as she sighed a little. She hated that she was putting her friends in this position, even if she knew that it was the right thing to do. They didn't like what she was doing and she honestly didn't blame them, but she needed to at least stop Zauzwei.

At least, she hoped she could.


00000


"You haven't been doing very well Zauzwei," a towering male figure dressed in armored robes with a laurel crown on his head and a face with strange markings across it said as he turned to look at the monster. "You promised us results, but right now all I am seeing is failure."

"I wasn't expecting that armored woman to attack me like that Lord Caesar," Zauzwei said, he was looking weak. "You have to give me another chance. I can stop her, she's weak and wounded from our last fight, if I can find her then she won't stand a chance, just give me one more chance!"

"You really expect me to just give you another chance to fail?" Caesar said as he drew his sword and pressed it against the creature's neck. "You are more foolish than I thought, perhaps we gave you too much power already if you are just going to waste it."

"Now, now, lets not be so quick to judge," another male voice said and they both turned to see a male figure dressed in an elaborately designed suit leaning on a cane walking towards them. "We did only give him one of the weaker cards after all, perhaps we are lucky that we were able to draw out a new Rider like this."

"Lucky? If you call this debacle lucky then I don't know..." Caesar said and was interrupted by the man swinging his cane and pushing the sword away from Zauzwei's neck.

"Our master wants this world and will test its champions," the strange man said with a wicked smile. "Perhaps we should send you against this new Rider instead. There are plenty of ways that can go wrong, especially if they are under the protection of our old enemies."

"Then what would you suggest?" Caesar asked, though it was clear that he wasn't happy with having to listen to this man. "You know I serve the master faithfully."

"I know, and that is why you will not be thrown to the wolves, at least not yet," the strange man said with a laugh as he returned his cane to his side. "So, instead we are going to send our little friend here to draw out the enemy. If this Rider is truly drawing power from one of ours, then we will be able to gauge her skill and plan accordingly."

"Yes, that would make sense," Caesar said as he felt the man's cane wrap around him and pull him in closer. "You would waste one of our cards on such a task though?"

"The Two of Wands is a minor card all things considered, and we need information," the man said with a wicked smile. "After all, I was the one who made the deal with him, and I will make sure that all terms of that deal are kept."

"Yes, of course," Caesar said as he bowed politely and looked back at Zauzwei. "You have your orders, you are to go out and find out everything you can about this new threat. You will either return with her defeat or you will not return at all, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Lord Caesar," Zauzwei said and bowed a little before running off.

"I swear, the criteria for cards are getting more and more lax," Caesar said with a snort. "I should have a word with..."

"You will do no such thing, the master knows what he is doing," the man said as he vanished into a puff of smoke.

"Right, I'm sure he does," Caesar said with a snort as he vanished too.


00000


"Are you sure she's okay to leave?" Sweetie Belle asked as she and Apple Bloom helped Scootaloo to her feet. "She's only been in there a couple of days."

A couple of days had passed since the last meeting. Scootaloo was doing much better and she had her arm around Sweetie Belle.

"I feel fine Sweetie," Scootaloo said with a shake of her head. "Don't worry about me, whatever that card did did the trick."

"I don't want you to get hurt again," Sweetie said with a sigh. "I still don't like this, it feels like the next time you're out there you could..."

"But I won't," Scootaloo said as she placed her hand on Sweetie Belle's shoulder. "I swear, I'll do everything I can to make sure that I don't get hurt. I don't want to worry you."

"Yah worried both of us back there," Apple Bloom said with a shake of her head. "Do yah really think yer up fer this? Ah'm sure if we just..."

"No, I want to do this," Scootaloo interrupted and sighed a little. "I know its dangerous, I know any number of things could happen to me out there but I want to keep this city safe. The Order, they're trying to hurt innocent people, they already killed my parents, and I'm going to stop them from doing that again."

"Okay," Sweetie finally said with a sigh as she hugged Scootaloo gently. "We'll be there for you every step of the way."

"So, uh where are we going?" Scootaloo asked as she looked around. She didn't recognize this part of the base and was a little confused as to what they wanted her to do.

"We're going to talk to Stone Breaker," Fleur said speaking up. "He's our other tech expert, he makes some of the equipment that Flim and Flam can't. You'll see why shortly."

"Okay," Scootaloo said as they walked on in silence.

She took out the Justice Card again and looked at it. Even though the woman's eyes were covered she felt like they were on her, judging her worth. She shook her head, it had to be her imagination.

When they opened a door she was surprised to find that they were standing on the edge of an underground track. There was the sound of a motorcycle running as it sped along the track before coming to a stop in front of them.

"Having fun Stone Breaker?" Fleur asked with a chuckle.

"Just doing the final checks," the rider said in a male voice as he climbed off the bike and removed his helmet. He had short slate grey hair that he shook loose and gave them a nod. "And you must be the new Rider, I was just putting the finishing touches on your bike."

"My, bike?" Scootaloo asked confused.

"Where do you think the Rider part comes from?" Fleur asked with a chuckle. "Have you ever ridden a motorcycle before?"

"No, not really," Scootaloo admitted. "Well, I've never driven one at least. I've been on the back of one before, but I've never actually tried to drive one."

"Well, that's understandable," Stone said as he nodded to the bike. It was sleek with a black body with the same green color in it. "This is Forseti."

"Forseti?" Apple Bloom asked. "Ah've heard that name before somewhere..."

"The Viking God of Justice if I remember correctly," Fleur said. "Stone Breaker has a tendency to name his gear after mythological figures."

"Right, mythological, because normally people wouldn't ride around in armor fighting monsters," Stone Breaker said as he gave Scootaloo a nod. "Well since you're new to it I think we'll have to start you on the simulators. You've got a lot to learn, and not a lot of time to learn it."

"Right now's not the time," Fleur said with a shake of her head. "But we'll figure it out in time. In the meantime Scootaloo, check it out, I'd like to talk with him about something."

Scootaloo nodded and went over to the bike and investigated it while Fleur took Stone to the side and whispered to him. "Did you get anything on the footage from when the other bike was stolen?"

"I'm afraid not," he whispered back. "Whoever did it was clever, they managed to sneak in and override the security systems."

"This isn't what we need right now," Fleur said with a shake of her head. "We've got a potential new Rider and we can't afford to have any security breaches."

"I know, I know," Stone said with a shake of his head. "There was something, different about this. I've had Flim and Flam running every test they can but I don't know where the thief even came from right now."

"Alright, keep looking," Fleur said with a nod before she walked back over to the three friends. "We'll get you some formal training with how to use the bike but for now you should get home. I'm sure your family is worried about you."

"Yeah, thanks for everything Fleur," Scootaloo said with a smile as she offered Fleur a hand. "And, I wanted to say thank you for saving my life 13 years ago."

"You're welcome," Fleur said with a smile that turned sad after a moment. "I just wish that I could've saved your parents too. They were good people, never forget that."

"I won't," Scootaloo said with a soft smile as Fleur lead them out.

Stone watched them go and sighed a little as he went back to working on Forseti.

00000

"Are you sure you're okay enough to walk?" Sweetie Belle asked as they headed out of the store and to their car that was out front. "You were in pretty bad shape and that thing is still out there. Odds are its going to try and grab us again."

"I know," Scootaloo said with a sigh as she thought about the Tarot Driver which was resting in her backpack. "But if they try to hurt anyone, then I want to do everything I can to try and stop them. I promise, I'll be more careful from now on though, I promise."

Sweetie let out a sigh of relief as she and Scootaloo got in the backseat of the car while Apple Bloom got behind the wheel and started it up. Scootaloo smiled softly as her girlfriend rested her head on the purple haired girl's shoulder and sighed happily.

"Don't worry Sweetie, nothing is going to happen to me," she said softly as she stroked her hair a little. "And I'm going to make sure nothing happens to you and Apple Bloom. You two are my best friends, and I wouldn't be anything without you."

Sweetie smiled as she leaned up and kissed Scootaloo gently. She was still not sure about this, but she knew that when Scootaloo said something like that she meant it.

"You're really set on this aren't you?" Sweetie asked.

"I am, its the right thing to do," Scootaloo said.

"Alright," Sweetie said with a sigh. "Just don't go running off to fight monsters all the time okay? You need to rest sometimes and I'd rather have my girlfriend than a superhero."

Scootaloo smiled softly as she held Sweetie close. "But it doesn't hurt to have both right?"

Sweetie just rolled her eyes and slugged Scootaloo lightly. "No it doesn't hurt, as long as nothing happens to you."

"Ya'll might want ta look ahead and stop snugglin' with each other," Apple Bloom said as the car came to a stop. "We've got company up ahead."

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked up to see the hulking figure of Zauzwei in the road ahead attacking cars. The monster sent a fireball over the head of a convertable which made the people inside duck down.

"Bring me the Armored Woman!" Zauzwei shouted. "I will lay waste to this entire city until she is brought before me!"

"Okay, that's not good," Sweetie said as she looked at Scootaloo. "Good luck out there Scoots, stay safe."

"I will," Scootaloo said as she leaned in and gave Sweetie a kiss. "I love you Sweetie Belle, never forget that."

Sweetie smiled and nodded as she gave Scootaloo a long kiss before letting her go. "Go get 'em."

Scootaloo nodded as she got out of the car and put the Driver on her waist as the belt formed around her. "Hey ugly!"

Zauzwei snapped up from the car it was going after and looked at her. "So you finally showed yourself hero. This time you won't get away so easily. You don't have a biker chick to back you up this time."

"I won't need her this time," Scootaloo said, she hoped that she was right as she took out the Justice card. "As long as I draw breath, I'm going to keep fighting to keep the likes of you from hurting people."

"Well, then I won't let you draw breath any longer!" Zauzwei said as he charged at Scootaloo as he sent a stream of fire at her just as she prepared to slide the cards into her belt.

"Henshin!"

"TIME TO TIP THE SCALES!" The voice said once more as the black and green armor appeared over her body as her sword appeared in her hand which she swung around and caught the flame from the monster in the blade as it moved around it.

"I can see your future, and its not bright!" Scootaloo said as she redirected the flame right back into Zauzwei which knocked him back.

"That's not fair, how did you suddenly get so good?" Zauzwei said angrily. "You're cheating!"

"I'm cheating, you put this city at risk!" Scootaloo said as she rolled out of the way of another fireball from the monster. "You put my friends and everyone who lives here at risk. I'm not going to let you get away with that!"

She charged forward and swung her sword at the monster who tried to catch it with his weapon. He was caught off guard when an armored fist came swinging around and hit him hard in the stomach. He kicked at her for a moment before he realized that she had dodged the hit and the sword was coming down right on him.

"Justice Blade Strike!" Scootaloo said as her sword glowed with an energy like nothing it had ever glowed with before.

"No, I won't lose, I can't lose..." he said as the sword slashed through him and he fell where he once stood.

Energy flew off the monster as it transformed into a human with short green hair that let out a pained moan. A card flew into Scootaloo's hand and she looked at it curiously. It showed a woman holding a ball with two long sticks poking out of the ground around her.

"The Two of Wands," she said as she looked at it curiously before she slid the two cards out of her belt and powered down.

She was feeling more exhausted than ever, but she had beaten the monster. It was over, at least for now, she just hoped that she had done enough.

Up on a rooftop, Caesar and the mysterious man were watching the fight as it progressed. Caesar frowned a little as he saw Scootaloo defeat Zauzwei.

"I knew sending him was a bad idea," he said with a snort. "He was pathetic, the weakest of our servants right now. I told you this wasn't going to work."

"Yes, but we now know more about our enemy," the man said with a smirk as he tipped his hat a little. "Now we know who she is and what she protects. We can use this to our advantage."

"You had better be right," Caesar said as they both vanished into thin air.


00000


"And we've got video in of the fight between the unknown creature and an armored figure earlier today in Canterlot," the anchorwoman said as the TV switched to footage of the fight between Scootaloo and Zauzwei. "There's been a lot of activity on the internet ever since the videos started going live. Some are comparing this armored woman to stories of similar figures in Japan. It seems that Canterlot may have their very own superhero, more on this story as it continues.

Scootaloo sighed as she laid her head back on Sweetie's chest as the pink and purple haired young woman stroked her hair lightly.

"Really subtle, you're lucky they didn't have any good footage of your face," Sweetie said with a shake of her head.

"Well, it was bound to wind up on the internet eventually," Scootaloo said with a shrug as she leaned back and snuggled with Sweetie a little. "So, how does it feel to be dating Canterlot's mysterious new superhero?"

"I'm still worried about you," Sweetie said as she rolled her eyes a little. "Don't let all of this go to your head. You need to be careful, especially if this Order now knows who you are and that you're out there."

"I know," Scootaloo said as she closed her eyes. "We'll figure this out, I promise."

"Okay," Sweetie said and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I love you Scootaloo."

"I love you too Sweetie," Scootaloo said with a yawn as they looked at the news where they were interviewing some of the witnesses from the attack.

"She was like nothing I'd ever seen before."

"How do we know she wasn't responsible for that monster that attacked?"

"If she is really a hero, then if you ask me this is only the beginning," the last interview subject said, he was a man with asian features and medium length reddish-brown hair. "Something tells me that there is a lot more to come. If she is what I think she is, I wish her the best of luck."

Scootaloo paused a moment and sighed as she shut off the TV. She smiled as she looked back at Sweetie as they drifted off to sleep together.