Ride 1
"Almost there," Flash said as he grabbed onto the tree branch. This was not the way the teenage boy wanted to spend his free period, but what was he to do? There was someone that needed help, and Flash was raised to assist if he can. Even if helping someone meant climbing up a tree like a monkey. Fortunately his goal was just within his grasp. A turquoise backpack covered in stickers was mere inches from his fingertips. With one last stretch, Flash was able to get the bag loose and have it fall right into his grasp. "Oh, yeah."
Flash had the bag and was really proud of himself, but the victory was short lived. A cracking sound filled the air, and unfortunately, Flash knew what was coming next. After a second, the branch the teen was standing on snapped, and forced him to the ground. After falling from that height, Flash landed on his back, with the bag landing right on top of him.
"Oh man, you actually got it, Flash! Thanks a ton," Scootaloo said as she ran up to Flash, and grabbed up her bag. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle weren't too far behind their friend.
"Ah still can't understand how ya got ya book bag up there," Applebloom said.
"It's ok, don't mind me girls. I'll just say here on the ground, in pain, possibly with some broken bones," Flash said as he slowly got up. There were a few audible pops that filled the air as his body recovered from the fall. Thankfully he didn't break any bones and was for the most part alright.
"Oh, sorry Flash. I really appreciate you helping," Scootaloo said. She was trying to show Flash as much gratitude as she could to make up for him falling from the tree.
"It's fine. Helping people is what I do," Flash said as he dusted himself off. "Not to mention I still have half an hour to study before class starts."
"We can always count on you, Flash," Sweetie Belle said as Flash made his way back to the school.
Rewind
The Library was filled with students doing research, homework, or just hanging out. Flash was doing the former as he was taking notes from a history textbook. All the while he had his headphones plugged into an old cassette player. As he was immersed in his music, he wasn't aware of what was about to snap him back to the world. Out of nowhere the music stopped. "Hey!" Flash yelled out.
"Wow Flash, I never took you as someone that likes this old stuff," Rainbow Dash said. She examined the tape player as the rest of her friends joined her. "Why would you use this, when you can have all the music you want on your phone?"
"What can I say? I want to live in what was one of the golden ages of rock 'n roll. Not to mention this doesn't request an update to use," Flash said as he took back his device.
"Yeah, well, will you be able to hear the new songs that just came out on that dinosaur?" Rainbow snarked as she pulled out her phone. "What?! Forty-five minute update required!"
"And my point has been made," Flash said, grinning.
"I think it's neat. This simple tape deck is a modern marvel. And to be in such good condition means you've taken great care of it," Twilight said taking a closer look.
"Actually, I had to have it repaired before I could use it, but I'm glad I could impress you anyway," Flash smiled.
"I still think these things are really amazing. Back in Equestria, we still used records to play music," Sunset commented, picking up one of the tapes Flash had on the table.
"Things like these magnetic strips would be a technological revolution."
"And then it would be a matter of time before everyone has a cellphone," Applejack followed.
"You wouldn't have any plans to get rich off our technology, do you, Sunset?" Rarity asked, teasing her friend.
"Of course not," Sunset laughed it off.
“Hey, if you're studying the works of the Iliad, I can help,” Twilight said as she took a peek at the book.
“Oh that's fine, I don't want to be a bother,” Flash said, suddenly nervously, gripping the book tightly.
“It would be no trouble at all!” Twilight declared, trying to wrestle the book from him with her magic.
“Is something bothering you?” Sunset asked, getting a bit closer to the boy. She then noticed that Flash’s face was all scratched up. “Why do you look all beaten up?”
“I was helping Scootaloo get her bag out of a tree. It's no biggie,” Flash answered.
“Flash, this is like, the third time this week ya did somethin' like this,” Applejack said
“No, it's not,” Flash retorted.
“Monday, you helped Bulk with his weight lifting, and got a sore back for it. Then Tuesday, you helped a guy on the side road, and that made you late for class. And then just today, where you helped Scootaloo, and fell out of a tree,” Pinkie Pie recapped.
“So what? I like to help people,” Flash said as he leaned back in his chair.
“Yeah, but sometimes you're a bit too helpful, and I'm afraid it may hurt you,” Sunset scolded him lightly, taking his hands. “You don’t need to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.”
“I- I can’t help it, Sunset. Whenever I see someone in need, I have to help them,” Flash said in a somber tone.
“Yeah, and that's a great quality, but you’ll burn yourself out sooner or later,” Twilight stressed. Flash looked around to see that all the girls shared the same look of concern.
Flash let out a chuckle, and smiled at the Rainbooms. “OK, OK. I’ll take it easy for a bit! Now if you don't mind, I have a history test to study for. Not all of us are geniuses.”
“Great, now just sit back, and let me tell you about one of the greatest epics of ancient Greece,” Twilight began.
Flash steeled himself for his time with the smartest girl in the school, but that was abruptly interrupted by the sound of students screaming. “Look out, the papers are attacking!” One of the students screamed. The young man’s face was covered with sheets of paper, that he couldn't seem to get off.
“When I said this test would be killer, I didn't mean literally,” another student followed, with papers attaching themselves to her legs.
“Looks like we have another surprise magic attack,” Fluttershy pointed out the obvious.
“I knew this long peace wouldn’t last,” Rarity said as the girls all made their way out of the library. Applejack was carrying Rainbow out, since she was too preoccupied in a vain attempt to make the update go faster.
“Hold on, let me help out,” Flash said as he got up from his seat.
“Flash, remember what I just said,” Sunset said. “Not to mention magic stuff is too dangerous.”
“I get it,” Flash said as he sat back down, glumly. With one last nod, Sunset left the library to join her friends. Flash opened this book, again, to where he had left off. “I’ll just sit on the sideline, like always,” he said, somewhat bitterly.
School went on just as it always did. Tests, lectures, it was just another average day for Flash. When he got home, things were pretty normal there. "Hello!?" He said as he opened the door. He was greeted with an empty house. With no one around, Flash entered the house. He threw his bag on the couch ,entered the kitchen, and raided the fridge for a soda. As he twisted off the cap his phone went off. He checked, and saw that it was his mother. He picked up the call, and brought the speaker to his ear.
"Hi Sweetie," the voice of an older woman rang on the other line. "I'm sorry, but the case I'm working is going to be an all-nighter."
"What about Slugger, do you need me to pick him up?" Flash asked.
"No, he's going to a sleepover with his friend, so it's just you tonight," Flash's Mother said. "I made you dinner earlier, so all you have to do is put it in the microwave."
"Thanks," Flash said as he looked in the fridge to see a plated meal in plastic wrap.
"Make sure to get to bed on time, honey. I love you," Flash's Mother said before hanging up.
Flash let out a sigh as he leaned on the counter. He then took a sip of his soda before logging into My Stable. Sure enough there were students online, all posting about the sheets of paper that came alive. Not the most dangerous of threats to attack, but there were a lot of paper cuts to be found. There were some funny comments that made him smile a bit, but overall he couldn't but feel... useless. The same feeling of uselessness he always felt whenever magic from the other world would show up.
The girls were very capable of handling any threat with their own magical powers. Flash just felt so helpless whenever magic went out of control. When Sunset turned into a demon he was turned into a mindless zombie. Something similar happened when the Sirens tried to take over. And every time after that he had just been sitting back and watching Sunset and the others take care of everything. He didn’t want to be useless, he wanted to protect everyone.
Especially Twilight.
“No, I shouldn't think that. She’s not my Twilight,” Flash said to himself as he scrolled down from the picture of the girl’s victory. Flash, for a while now has accepted the fact that the Twilight Sparkle he was playing around with in the library wasn't the one he fell in love with. The one he did fall in love with was a princess from another world. The same world where the magic that caused the papers to come to life and teenage girls to go mad with power came from. Flash knew for a long time that even if he had a relationship with the princess it was not something that would work out. They lived in two different worlds and it would be unfair to the princess to pull her away from her life for his sake.
But at the same time he wasn't replacing her with her counterpart. The feeling he held for this world’s Twilight was different. She was smart, beautiful, and charming in her own way. In some respects, Flash felt a stronger attraction to this Twilight then the princess.
Unfortunately whatever feelings Flash had for her, this Twilight would never return them. She even had her own boyfriend and Flash wouldn't want to get in the way of her happiness. But something deep inside his heart couldn't let go of the feelings he held. It was like something inside was telling him that this Twilight was the one. But all Flash could do was try and bury his feelings, and treasure the friendship he had formed with her.
Two towns over, something very strange was happening. “AHHHHHHHHHHHH!” a man screamed in a back alley. Sparks were coming off his body as it began to transform into a beast. Some kind of shell was beginning to form all around his body, but it soon fell apart. The man let out a sigh of relief as he collapsed on the ground.
“Darn, another failure,” Another creature said as he emerged from the shadows. The creature's whole body was white with black accents. His body had armor plates all over with a large horse head coming off his chest and folded wings on his back. He had a large horseshoe on his face between two blue eyes. On top of his head was a long mane of white hair in a Mohawk style the only thing that seemed to stand out on his white body was a dark gray metallic belt around the waist.
“Please, don't hurt me,” The man said, pleading for mercy.
“I just said you're a failure. I have no use for you so get out of here, before I dispose of you personally,” The monster said. The man was grateful for this, and he gave his thanks before he ran away. Once the man was gone the monster pulled out a cell phone and started to call someone. “It’s Cypher,” He said into the phone.
“Yes it was another failed experiment...I understand…Indeed, I have experiment 18-B with me… alright, I’ll relocate to Canterlot immediately,” The monster called Cypher said, before hanging up the phone. Cypher then held up a card. One side had a very elegant design while the other side had the picture of a half horse half dragon like creature with two horns. Below the image were a strange set of runes. After examining it for a moment, Cypher spread his wings and flew into the sky.
At the same time as Cypher’s departure, Flash was in bed asleep. It was a quarter past two and everything was as quiet as always. That is until a strange dark blue ball of light flew in through the window. The ball floated around the room filled with posters of rock bands and sci-fi movies, before making its way onto Flash’s deck. After a moment the ball of light found the old cassette player, as well as a tape before absorbing into them.
The device glowed brightly before it transformed completely. The tape player now only had two buttons instead of four, and the door the tapes would go into is now a thin slot. Its colors also changed from a basic black to a brilliant gold and blue color scheme. There were also two silver protrusions coming off the sides. The tape has also changed. What was once the greatest hits of the band Iron Flyer was now a thick card with grooves, and the same gold and blue colors in a circuit pattern. This whole transformation went unnoticed by the teen who was sleeping like a rock.
The clock struck seven as it sounded its alarm. Flash raised his hand to hit the snooze button, and went back to sleep. After a few minutes the alarm went off again and flash repeated the action of hitting the snooze button. However this time he saw the time and immediately sprung up and literally jumped out of bed. “Dang it, I overslept,” Flash said before completing his morning routine as fast as he could to get to school on time. He scooped up everything on his desk, not even noticing that his cassette player had been transformed.
Not even slowing down for breakfast, Flash barreled through the front door, and into his car. With no time to waste, Flash stepped on the gas and drove right to school. “I hope I'm not too late,” he said as he made the turn to exit the neighborhood. His back continued to glow without Flash even noticing.
“And that’s how Applebloom was able to get Winona to eat her homework,” Sweetie Bell said, finishing her story. She was walking to school with her older sister and Sunset Shimmer.
“Well, as fascinating as that story was, I think that would have been time better spent actually doing homework,” Rarity said. “Oh Sunset, do you have the notes from science class?”
“Oh yeah, I can give them to you once we get there,” Sunset answered. The three continued to make their way through the town, before a loud crash filled the air. Looking ahead, they saw that there was a major car crash. Wondering what was wrong, and worrying about the people, the girls ran over to the intersection.
What they saw surprised all of them. Instead of a car crashing into another car, the car had hit something unexpected. It was Cypher, whose foot was currently crushing the hood of the car. The man driving the car poked his head out of the window, nervously staring at the monster mere feet away. “I am terribly sorry, good sir! It looks like I accidentally rammed my car into your foot,” the man said, eagerly trying to get on the monster’s good side. Cypher responded to this by grabbing the car’s bumper and flipping it upside down.
The white monster held up the card, gazing at it, before looking around. “I know there is a compatible subject here somewhere,” he mumbled to himself, before noticing the three girls running up to the accident. On the corner of his eye, he noticed the runes on the card began to glow. “Looks like I found the target.”
“Wow, did not expect to see something like that,” Sunset said. She has never seen any like the monster before. Not even in all the books she read back in Equestria.
“Sweetie Belle, stand back,” Rarity said. The little sister did as she was instructed, and backed away.
The monster spread his wings, and launched himself towards the girls, at speeds nearing Rainbow Dash's. Acting quickly, Rarity grabbed onto her necklace, and a magical aura covered her other hand. As fast as she could think of it, a wall made out of hexagon shaped crystals appeared to block Cypher’s attack. “Ha! Bet you didn't see that coming,” Rarity said with pride. Cypher didn't pay the two girls any mind. He flapped his wings, right before impact, flying over the wall. In the blink of an eye, Cypher was now behind the girls, and directly in front of Sweetie Belle, ominously staring at the girl. “Get away from my sister!” Rarity demanded.
Again, Cypher paid her no mind as he pulled out the card. Sweetie Belle was so paralyzed by fear, it was easy for the monster to place the card on her forehead. Soon, the card began to glow, before turning into a green aura and floating away from the little girl. The aura began to take the shape, into something more solid. All Sunset and Rarity could do at this point was watch in horror.
The body standing before Sweetie Belle looked similar to the kind of monster that had been on the card Cypher had placed on her head. It’s body looked to be a bipedal, green Chinese dragon, wearing a robe with floral prints. In one of it’s clawed hands was a thin double edged sword. It has a large mane of red hair with two horns protruding from the top. It wore a white mask over its face, with red lines on it that resembled a cross between a horse and a dragon. “So, this is what it’s like to be flesh,” the monster said he felt his masked face with his claw.
“Indeed, Kirinos,” Cypher said as he greeted the new monster into life. “Take pride, for you are the first of many successful Magi-Beast to be born.”
“And I am eternally grateful for that,” Kirinos said as he gripped his sword with two hands.
“Good to hear. Now, take care of these gnats,” Cypher said, pointing to the Sunset and Rarity.
“With the greatest of pleasure,” Kirinos said, lunging forward. He swung his sword in a large arc, but Rarity created a shield to block it. The interruption of the attack didn’t stop him as he repeated the swing several times.
“Sunset, how dangerous do you think the creature is?” Rarity asked.
“It looks like a Kirin, Rarity. Unfortunately, that’s the only thing it has in common with the ones in Equestria. This thing, it’s an absolute monster,” Sunset said. Kirinos soon got so frustrated that he stopped swinging his sword. The mouth on his mask opened, and the furious monster began to spit a stream of fire onto the girl's shield.
Meanwhile, Flash had just turned the corner. As he did, he was immediately greeted by a large car pile up, caused by the winged monster only a few moments ago. He turned the corner so fast that he wasn’t able to react to the car in front of him, unfortunately rear ending it. “What the?!” Flash yelled. He grabbed his bag, and got out to look at the damage to his own car. As he did, he saw the commotion going on a block away. Curious and surprised, when he got closer, he saw the dragon-like monster breathing fire on the crystal shield.
Stepping back, Flash pulled out his phone, and pulled up Rainbow Dash’s number. As fast as he could, he texted her “SOS”, as well as sending his current location. With the message sent, all Flash knew all he could do was wait for help, but as he watched the flames fly he could see cracks begin to form on the shield.
Flash didn’t know how long the shield would hold out, or how long it would take the girls to get there. He was the only one there, and if he wanted Rarity and Sunset to get out of this unharmed, he was going to have to do something to buy some time. Looking around, the teen saw some rocks on the ground. He had a plan but it was going to be one of the most dangerous thing he had done in his life. As he picked up the rock, the teen couldn't help thinking back to what Sunset had said yesterday.
“You're a bit too helpful, and I'm afraid it may hurt you,” Flash repeated in his mind.
“I'm sorry, Sunset, but I can’t just sit on the sidelines anymore. If you girls take on all the danger on your own, then what'll happen when you need help?” Flash said to himself, turning his attention to the monster. After another pause, Flash steeled himself, and he threw the rock. “Hey, rancid breath, pick on someone your own size!” he yelled, getting the monster’s attention.
“Flash, get out of here!” Sunset yells.
“Such dishonor!” Kirinos yelled. He breathed fire onto his sword, setting it ablaze. He then swung the sword and sent a wave of flames hurtling towards Flash. Flash ducked out of the way, and started to run away. The monster gave chase after Flash, leaving Sunset and Rarity alone.
“What is Flash thinking?” Sunset asked as Rarity lowered the shield.
“I’m sure he has a plan, he can't be that reckless,” Rarity said, fearing the contrary.
“We need to follow him,” Sunset insisted, getting ready to do just that.
“Girls, look,” Sweetie Belle's voice interrupted, making the two girls to turn around. They saw that a few people were trapped in their cars due to the destruction the two monsters caused. “We need to help them first.”
Sunset let out a sigh. Flash was in real danger, but so were the civilians. Sunset had to make a judgment call, and she decided that the people needed her help more. Flash was pretty athletic, and there was a good chance he could get to safety before the monster got to him...
While Sunset ran to help out Rarity, Flash was running for his life. Thanks to his surprise attack, the teen had a decent head start, but the monster was starting to catch up. Flash soon got to his car and slid across the hood. He was hoping that the bulky robes would slow the monster down by the time he got to the vehicle. Unfortunately Kirinos had no such problem. He simply performed a flaming slash and cut the boy's car in half. “Dang it! I don't have monster insurance!” Flash yelled as he sprinted as fast as he could down an alleyway.
Flash ran through the winding pathway of the back alleys, in a desperate attempt to lose the monster. Unfortunately the path he took led him to a chain link fence. Hearing the monster approaching, Flash saw no other choice but to climb it. Unfortunately as soon as he got off the ground a blazing slash flew through the top part of the fence, forcing Flash to fall back to the ground. “Now, impudent boy, I’ll teach you not to take a Magi-beast so lightly,” Kirinos said as he slowly approached, wanting to savor the kill.
The teen was backed into a corner. This was where his life would end, at the hands of a strange horse/dragon monster. Flash wanted to put up a fight, but what good would it do? This guy was able to pin down Rarity and Sunset and they had magical powers. Things were looking bleak for Flash.
But not hopeless.
As if responding to Flash’s fear, a bright yellow light started emitting from his backpack. Wanting to know what this light was, Flash put his hand into his bag to pull out the device that had appeared on his desk this morning. “Is this my tape player?” Flash asked no one in particular. He inspected the elaborate designs on it as he felt something familiar. “This is the same thing that happened at Camp Everfree. This is Equestrian magic,” Flash said.
However Flash’s excitement over his discovery was short-lived, as he remembered the monster approaching. Panic soon returned to his mind, before turning back to the magical device. “OK, magic from another world. I have no clue how you work, but I could really use some help right now,” he said, holding the former tape player at the monster.
“Ha-ha-ha, like a rat you cower. Looking for any way to get out of danger,” Kirinos said as he raised his sword. As if to respond to the danger, the device let out a blinding light, causing the monster to stumble back. Flash had his eyes closed when it happened, but all of a sudden, he knew that the light was more than something to keep the monster away. It was the device telling him how to use it.
As if on instinct, the teen placed the device on his waist and two straps extended outward, forming a belt.
“LEGENDS DRIVER!”
He then pulled out the thick blue and gold card that was once a cassette and held it in his right hand. With his other hand he pressed one of the buttons on the driver, as it had called itself.
“LETS GO!”
The fear that Flash had been feeling seemed to vanish from his face as he stared down the monster. Kirinos finally recovered and was madder than ever. “So is the rat ready to fight?” he asked.
“You bet I am,” Flash said with a fire in his eyes. Soon a spark appeared on the lower left corner of the card. In an instant the spark wrote out the word “Rider” on the card in blue letters. Flash then threw his arm to the side before inserting the card into the driver from the side. “Henshin!” He announced, as if someone had told him earlier to say the word.
As the driver yelled out, a magical circle appeared. Within the circle were lines that started to form the silhouette of an armored figure. All while this was happening, Kirinos breathed out a huge storm of fire.
“A HERO’S STORY YET TO BE TOLD! FIGHTING TO PROTECT ALL!”
“R-R-R-RIDER!”
The magic circle passed over Flash’s body, and he was immersed in a bright light. As the light faded, the monster’s fire flew right at him. Flash put his arms up just as the flames hit. Soon the entire alley was filled with fire. “Looks like you met the fate all rats meet,” Kirinos said.
But when the fire died down, Flash was unharmed. In fact, he was better than that. When he lowered his arms, he found something was different. Looking down, the teen saw that his whole body was covered in armor. The body was all black, with segments being broken up with dark gray lines. He had a gold chest plate, with a blue diamond shape just below his neck line. He had one gold shoulder pad on his right arm, as well as a matching arm guard. He had thigh armor with blue accents, and boots to complete the look. His head and face were covered with a helmet with a black face plate with the rest of the helmet resembling a Greek warrior. The eyes were shaped like insect eyes, and a head crest in a V shape, rather than a traditional large plume on top. Around his neck, he wore a red muffler that billowed in the wind. On his back was some kind of weapon whose main body was a pole and a handle sticking out of the side. The only thing indicating this was the same person, was the driver around his waist.
“Oh no, I transformed,” Flash said as he felt the face of the helmet. The memories of what happened to the others when they transformed soon filled his mind. Sunset turning into a she-demon, Midnight Sparkle, Gloriosa when she used the whole forest to terrorize their whole class. Flash did not want to think about the kind of destruction he was about to unleash- before he realized he didn't feel different. “Wait, I’m still me, I'm still me! It’s just armor,” Flash said with excitement. The driver seemed to simply covered his body in armor, but that was not all it seemed it had done. Flash felt stronger, faster, more agile. He could feel that now he had the power to take on the monster..
“So, you think you can match up with my power now? I welcome you to try, but don't complain when I wipe the floor with you,” Kirinos declared, charging forward. The monster swung his sword down, but Flash was able to sidestep the attack. Kirinos followed with a horizontal slash, but the teen was able to duck down, avoiding it. This gave him an opportunity to go on the offensive, which he took with a deft uppercut that sent the monster sprawling.
“Wow, I’m doing it!” Flash yelled. He was surprised that he was putting up a fight.
While Flash was throwing a few more punches at the monster, he didn't notice that Sunset had finally caught up to him. Not only Sunset, but all seven girls that made up their gang. As they turned the corner, they were greeted with the mysterious fighter taking on the Kirin monster. “What on Earth?!” Sunset yelled as she saw the fight.
“Where did this guy come from?” Applejack followed.
“I don't know, but he is really kicking butt,” Pinkie said with excitement. None of the girls knew what to make of the situation, and ultimately decided to watch. The masked fighter looked like he was holding his own, but they were prepared to intervene should things go south.
Kirinos started to get frustrated by the sudden increase in the human’s power. He then breathed stream of fire at the teen. Flash responded to this by performing a slide under the fire blast, as well as under the monster’s legs. Once he was behind Kirinos, Flash stood up and kicked the monster in the back. For the moment, it looked like Flash had the upper hand, but the monster recovered quickly, and managed to knock Flash to the side.
“Oh no!” the girls cried out in unison.
“Once a rat, always a rat,” Kirinos said as he turned his attention to the girls. “And it looks like my previous targets brought some friends. It’s just like you vermin to travel in groups,” He said as he pointed to the seven with his sword.
“Get ready girls, this guy looks more dangerous than anything we have faced before,” Twilight said as the girls got ready to fight.
“You may have been able to pin me down before. However I’m not alone anymore” Rarity said.
“Hey, rhyme!” Pinkie remarked, before she put her game face on.
While the girls were preparing to fight, Flash was picking himself up from the trash cans he was knocked into. As his eyes stopped spinning, he noticed that the pole that had been on his back was on the ground. “What’s this?” He asked himself. He picked it up, and the pole instantly deployed into a spear. He looked the spear over, before looking over at the girls. “Oh, no, you don’t. I’m not out of the fight. Not yet,” He said as he ran towards the monster.
Right before Kirinos could perform an attack, Flash blindsided him. He performed a slash with the head of the spear on the monsters back. Kirinos stumbled, but recovered from the blow, turning back to his masked adversary.
“Back for more, I see,” Kirinos said as he raised his sword and brought it down in a vertical slash. This time however Flash didn’t dodge it. He blocked it with his spear, and pushed the monster back.
“This fight is between you and me,” Flash said, lunging forward with his weapon. Kirinos was furious now, and began to breathe fire. Flash started to spin his spear in an attempt to block the flames, which turned out to be a great defense.He dissipated the fire comepletely as he twirled the pole-arm. When the fire stopped, the teen stuck the spear head into the ground, and used it to hoist himself up. With the added leverage Flash was able to get above the monster and perform a kick right into the head.
“Whoever this guy is, he’s pretty strong,” Rainbow said, awestruck with how the battle was unfolding.
“Could he have Equestrian magic too?” Fluttershy asked.
“If he does, he seems to be controlling it very well,” Twilight pointed out.
“You can strike me all you want. My power is far stronger than whatever feeble attempt you muster,” Kirinos claimed proudly, though he seemed quite winded.
“Ya know, you shouldn't underestimate people. It just makes it harder to swallow when they surprise you!” Flash said as he pressed the second button on the driver.
“RIDER FEEDBACK!!!”
All of a sudden, several huge magical circles came out of the driver and took positions all over the area. This made everyone who saw them confused, not knowing their purpose. Everyone but Flash. Like before, he knew exactly what to do, as if on instinct. He crossed his legs, and jumped up high into the air, before landing onto one of the circles. He then hopped to the next one, and the next one. The fighter was jumping all over the place, hitting all the magical circles. As he stepped on the circles, energy began to build around his right foot. Once he hit the last circle, he launched himself right at the monster. Flash shifted into position for a kick and flew right towards Kirinos. When the kick landed, the energy built up discharged and the monster exploded. The explosion didn't stop Flash as he landed, and slid on the ground before stopping. He stood up, basking heroically to the light of the explosion behind him.
FEEDBACK END!
The back alley fell silent as Flash stood up. All the girls could do was stare at the mysterious fighter, and Flash stared back at them. Nobody knew how to react to the situation they'd just experienced.
“That was amazing!” Sweetie Belle's voice rang as she came out from around the corner. She had been watching the whole fight and
had managed to record some of it on her phone.
“Sweetie Belle! I told you to stay behind!” Rarity scolded as she ran over to her sister.
Rainbow Dash ran up close to the warrior with her breakneck speed. “You were so awesome. That kick you did at the end was SOO cool. I need to think of a move like that,” she said excitedly.
“Yeah, are you a superhero?” Pinkie asked as she got really close up, startling the boy.
As the two girls were talking to the fighter, Sunset noticed Flash’s backpack lying by the fence. She ran over to pick the bag up, to see that it was perfectly fine. “This is Flash’s bag,” she thought out loud. She then turned her attention to the masked fighter. “Who are you? And what happened to Flash?”
“Oh, um,” The fighter said nervously. He could see Sunset was worried, and she didn't seem to be too fond of this strange warrior who she had witnessed take down that even stranger monster. He looked at the bag, and thought back to the book he was studying inside it. Suddenly, he knew exactly what to say to her. “I am Achilles,” The fighter announced with a slightly deeper voice and striking a heroic pose.
“Achilles? Like the Greek myth?” Twilight asked.
“Well, I’m not as great as that guy, but it’s a name you can call me,” the masked hero, now christened Achilles said with confidence. “You need not worry about where I came from, but know the last thing I want is to hurt any of you. Your friend, Flash was it? I saw him climb over that fence, and I saw that monster causing trouble. I bought him some to make a break for it. And, well, you saw the rest,” He explained.
“Well, it was a good thing you were here,” Fluttershy said.
“Yes, I concur. Now if you don't mind, I should be on my way. Make sure your friend gets his bag back,” Achilles said, before he jumped high into the air, and over the fence. The girls watched as the hero jumped out of view.
“Is it me, or does that fella seem a bit off?” Applejack asked.
“Yeah, well, he’s probably nervous. How would you feel if people asked you a bunch of questions out of nowhere?” Pinkie Pie pointed out. “It would certainly explain why he had that mask on.”
“I’m more concerned by the fact that he may be using magic to fight." Sunset remarked, her eyes narrowing at the hero's back.
“Spike read all kinds of comics with masked heroes. Maybe he was inspired by the same thing, and wants to use that magic for good,” Twilight said.
“Good or not, we need to keep an eye on this guy,” Sunset insisted.
Once Flash knew he would not be seen, he pulled out the card from the driver, and in a flash of light, he returned to normal. When he finally calmed down, Flash sat down leaning onto a wall and looked at the mystical device. “OK, so you saved me back there, but that doesn't mean I trust you,” he said to the driver. “I’ve seen what magic like you can do to people. Things may be alright now, but I'm not taking a chance just to end up as some power crazy monster.”
There was nothing but silence. Flash didn’t know what he was expecting from a tape player, even if it was enchanted now. He briefly wondered if he had already gone crazy. “I don’t want to cause more trouble for the girls. No doubt they’re stressed out now with these crazy monsters. The last thing they need is me piling more onto their plates. So, if you're willing to behave yourself, we won't have any problems, and the both of us won't be rainbow blasted into jelly,” Flash told the driver. Again, there was nothing coming from the driver. “Oh man, I’m totally losing it. I’m talking to a glorified belt buckle.”
Flash picked himself up, and stored the driver in the inside pocket of his jacket. He then made his way out into the street, where he could hear a number of emergency vehicles. He knew he would have to report that his car had just been cut in half, and ended up on opposite sides of the street, so that would be where he was going. He was going to have to call school to say he would be late, and find Sunset to get his bag back. He could have taken it back in the alley, but that would have been too suspicious.
Flash didn’t know it as he walked back to the scene of the attack, but this was his first step of his journey. Though he was afraid of what this new power would bring, he would learn to do what others could not. He would learn that keeping his ideal of helping others, and protecting those he held close will be the key to becoming a hero that can stand up against the wickedness that created these Magi-Beasts.