//------------------------------//
// Epilogue: Case Closed/The E that Ends It 
// Story: Manehatten Noire: Fang and Nazca 
// by The Bricklayer 
//------------------------------//

Foundation X Headquarters: Tokyo, Taishū

Ryu Terui had thought he’d seen the last of Foundation X, and to be frank after the events of teaming up with Kamen Riders Mach and Drive to defeat Roidmude 077 as it was called he thought he’d be hanging up his Driver and Memories for good, settle down with his wife and daughter. But apparently, fate had different plans in store for him.

He’d heard of the goings on in Manehatten, New York lately, new Dopants and even three new Kamen Riders -Including a second Eternal of all things!- appearing to fight them. And now, through a series of events relating to Manehatten’s police force he’d finally learned the location of Foundation X’s headquarters.

He knew he should have left this to others, there were plenty of other Riders who’d tangled with Foundation X from what he’d heard, but he couldn’t just live and let be. In his pocket, he fingered a picture of his wife, holding up her new-born daughter taken a few years back just before the whole Megahex Crisis he’d heard about.

“Akiko, Haruna…” Ryu thought as he stepped inside the main building, Masquerade Dopants rushing up to greet him. To a normal, untrained human, their increased strength and numbers might have presented a few issues but Ryu? He’d dealt with their like before. Swinging his katana around, he easily cut down the Dopants. “I promise by Kami, I will come back to you and this group will never trouble us again. And after this, I’m hanging up my belt forever.”

He flashed back to about a few days ago, when he told his wife he was going to be taking on Foundation X, try to finally bring down Neon Usland and her particular bout of insanity.

“You’re absolutely sure about this?” Akiko had asked, looking him in the eye with dead seriousness. In the back of the room, behind the corner of a doorframe lurked Haruna sucking her thumb and watching anxiously. “...Foundation X? I mean, I understand what you’re doing here, but…”

She gestured to Haruna.

“Yeah, I know. If I fail at this, they’ll come after her, and anyone close to us. Philip, Shoutaro, the Fuuto Irregulars…” Ryu trailed off, clenching his fists hard enough to draw blood. “I’ve already told Philip and Shoutaro, asked them to stay out of this. Shoutaro protested and requested he help but Philip talked him down, knew this was a personal thing for me.”

“But-” Akiko started, before Ryu held up a hand to stop her.

“No, I have to do this. Foundation X is like Hydra from those Neighmerican comics, you cut off one of their heads, they’ll just grow another. They have to be burned to the ground at the very source, and now thanks to a friend of mine in Manehatten we finally know where that source is.”

“I… I understand. To be honest, hearing the sheer idea of Foundation X finally being put to rest would make me sleep better at night. But you going in alone like that…? Even with your Trial and Booster upgrades, I’m not sure that-”

Ryu laid a hand on his wife’s shoulder. His distinctive red leather jacket, the one that read: “The spiritual state of nothingness makes even fire itself cool.” It was an old praise, one derived from the Buddhist philosophy. Personally, Akiko thought it tacky, and unneeded and that her husband looked much better in his suit. Not that she ever brought this up, considering how stubborn Ryu was about his garb, and how much he dwelled on the past at times. She honestly suspected that’s why he alone -aside from not wanting Philip and Shoutaro to be put in unnecessary danger- was taking on X. He wanted to deal with them personally after how much Jun Kazo AKA the Utopia Dopant had nearly come close harming her and the city he loved so much.

“Who said I’m alone? As soon as I learned about Dove’s Child Laboratories being the headquarters for Foundation X, I received a contact. Someone who’s been in in the Kamen Rider business I suppose you could say since the beginning. He’s the commander of this whole operation, gathered up a few Riders who have a bone to pick with Foundation X as well.”

Akiko sighed in relief, at least her husband wasn’t going into this alone. “Just… Just be careful, okay? Come home safe.”

“I will Chief,” Ryu smiled, using his old nickname for her before kissing her on the forehead. “I promise you that.”

Of course, Dopants were not the only thing X had up their sleeve, as evidenced when Ryu found himself faced with a man in a white suit with the Birth Driver around his waist and a silver Cell Medal in hand.

“Ah, mou… This is so troublesome…” Ryu muttered as the X member changed into a gray and silver robotic-like warrior with green detailings. Ryu slammed on his driver and pulled out his Gaia Memory just in time to dodge a shot from the Birth Blaster.

“Hen-SHIN!” Ryu exclaimed, inserting the Accel Memory into his Driver, and twisting the motorcycle handlebars on it as the Driver made an engine revving sound.

\ Accel! /

With a flash of red energy, he changed into Accel, a red warrior with a blue visor over his eyes resembling a motorbike’s headlights. “Saa, furikiru ze! Zetsubō ga omae no gōru da!” he proclaimed as he clashed swords with Kamen Rider Birth, his Engine Blade meeting his opponent’s own in a shower of sparks. “Now X, got a message for you, not just from me but from everyone who you’ve screwed about with. Ruined their lives. I’m asking you now to count up your sins!”

Blocking a blow from Birth’s sword once more, before kicking him in the stomach making Birth stagger back, Ryu was then forced to raise his blade to block a shot from the Birth Blaster.

Birth fired off several more shots, and Ryu activated his Maximum Drive, turning into a motorcycle and slamming right into Birth sending him flying through a wall. Ryu resumed his normal state, and smirked under his helmet before his eyes widened as he saw Birth stumble out of the wreckage.

“He… He survived that? Impossible!” Ryu shouted to himself, wondering if it was time to bring out his version of the Trial Memory. “Aw mou, this guy’s going to be tougher to take down than I thought. Guess X upgraded Birth’s armor. Least I should be thankful this particular Birth doesn’t seem to have as many modes as his predecessor. Last thing I want is to be facing his Birth-Day mode and it’s armaments.”

Ryu rolled to the left and then to the right to avoid Birth’s shots from his weapon, before loading up the Jet Memory into his Engine Blade. “Like I said, Despair is the only thing awaiting for you at the finish line.”

He then performed three consecutive slashes in the shape of one giant red glowing A on Birth, and this time the damage was noticeable. Birth’s armor was cracked and his helmet partially shattered. But then, Ryu’s eyes widened as Birth’s armor began to regenerate.

“Right, Foundation X… Damn labrats of theirs can do almost anything they set their minds to. This guy doesn’t need pure power on his side if he can take whatever I can throw at him. Come on guys… where are you?”

“You’re just one man,” the newest Birth stated. “And Foundation X is many,” he remarked as Waste Yummies, creatures created from Cell Medals joined in the fray alongside more Masquerade Dopants. “How do you possibly expect to win?”

“Who says he’s alone?” a white Rider asked as he used a Rider Kick to destroy some of the hoard, before slamming his left boot into the ground and creating a massive shockwave that knocked several more into the ground. “You’d be surprised on what’s created when friends band together. A Rider’s friendship… Well, it can even take on the Universe! Compared to that, you guys are just so small!” 

“Thank Kami, it’s about time…” Ryu thought to himself sighing in relief.

“Who do you think you are?” Birth asked as the newest Rider launched a series of freezing missiles at him from his other boot making Birth stagger back. The new Rider, he’d removed some sort of switch from his belt, and then replaced it with another. Astroswitches, the source of this Rider’s power. Created from cosmic energy, each represented one of many different scientific principles. Each materialized some sort of armament called a Fourze Module.

“Representing the 2011 graduating class of Amanogawa High School, Gentaro Kisaragi!”

The newest Birth’s eyes widened under his helmet, and he staggered backwards in shock just in time for Accel to slash him across the chest once more with the Engine Blade. “B-But your powers… They were destroyed!”

Ryu chuckled, as if at some private joke. Poor guy didn’t know who he was messing with. Foundation X wasn’t the only one with partially insane geniuses on their side.

“Gachan! Level up! Mighty Jump! Mighty Kick! Migh~ty Actio~n X!”

“Right on time…” Ryu thought to himself. “Took him long enough, but…”

“Call it a favor, a blessing from God!” another Rider’s voice exclaimed as he leaped in, this one black and purple with what looked to be a game controller as his chest plate, and anime styled hair on his helmet. “Remember me X? You stole from God, and now I must give you your judgement. In short, today’s just going to be a really bad day for you lot…”

“Hasn’t changed much I see…” Ryu thought to himself. “I need to talk to Emu about his friend’s little… quirks. I really hate egotists like him.”

It really wasn’t going to get any better for Birth and X, as evidenced by a red and gold medal of sorts rolling up to Birth’s feet, before a hand picked it up with the owner of that hand apologizing profusely. “Sorry, so sorry I got lost, and for the lateness. You’d be surprised how hard it is to keep track of these things! Henshin!” he called, running what looked to be some sort of scanner across his belt.

“Super Taka,  Super Tora, Super Batta:  Su~per Tatoba, Ta-To-Ba!”

With this call, he transformed into yet another type of Rider, one with green legs, a yellow chest plate and a crimson red helmet resembling a hawk or condor’s head. On both of his wrists were absurdly sharp claws.

“You’ve got some nerve…” Birth growled.

“No, I’d say that applies to you, taking up that identity like it’s just something to be tossed around. Me, I’ve got this little set of words to live by,” Eiji stated, placing a hand on his chest. “Wanna hear them? If there is a hand reaching for help, and I don't reach out my hand when I can, the regret would make me wish I were dead... I reach out my hand, because I don't want that. And everyone’s crying out for help because of what you’ve done over the years, you and your damned Foundation.” he stated firmly, pointing a finger right at the newest Birth.

Fourze/Gentaro nodded, remembering how a Foundation X member killed the love of his life right in front of his eyes, all for her power. With that, he activated his Cosmic Switch slamming it into his own Driver.

“Cosmic On!”

“Kid’s got a point,” a final voice joined in, as a fifty to sixty-something-year-old man wearing what looked to be a miniature turbine around his waist stepped into this. “You bunch, you’ve been hanging about far too long. Should have stepped in when everyone first heard of you, I regret not doing that. Name’s Takeshi Hongo, and the man who fights for freedom of everyone in this world. Henshin!”

With that, all five Riders charged into battle. Today would be the day Foundation X would fall. That was a promise.






“So, in conclusion I suppose, everything’s back to normal,” Daring typed on her blog’s website. “Okay, maybe not entirely normal, but everything’s calmed down. The threat of the Dopants, and the Destiny’s Child Group has passed.

“Me and Philip, we’re still protecting the city as it’s Masked Riders. Speaking of Riders, heard a new one popped up in Taishū recently. Calls himself Kamen Rider Ghost. Least I think it’s a he, I’m not sure. God knows I’ve been mistaken for a guy in my suit at times. Not sure how that could happen, I mean I certainly don’t have a boyish figure! Apparently, Ghost uses the powers of fifteen different historical figures to fight evil. Well, best of luck to him and I tip my hat for someone willingly taking on the burden being a Masked or Kamen Rider carries. 

“Now, Tidal Fury. I’d say he’s beginning to pull his life back together really, he’s not started dating anyone new and I wouldn’t blame him as I believe you only fall in love once but he’s getting back to normal. Gave up Gaia Memory dealing as promised, even sold out some of his fellow dealers. Now, he’s one of our informants. Like one of our own Baker Street Irregulars in a way I suppose. Just not homeless.”

“Speaking of ponies we’ve helped, Fleetfoot. We managed to keep her from being sent off to Sleipnir's Island. Apparently someone ‘convinced’ -And by that, I mean bribed- the judge to let her off of her crimes, as long as she helped others with dealing with the aftereffects of Gaia Memory addiction. Doing quite well from what I hear, and she and Bee have apparently reconciled. Think she’s dating someone now as well, some colt in the Blue Angels by the name of Soarin’. Fancy that.

“But on ponies we’ve helped… Honestly, I’m worried about Blueblood, finding out your wife was a madmare who experimented on and dealt out Gaia Memories for a living… That’s harsh. That’s just fucked up. As for what became of him, and the Eternal Memory? I dunno. Maybe he chucked the Memory in the sea. Maybe he’s living the quiet life now, pulling himself back together at his family home as he said. Maybe we’ll never know. All I can do is hope for the best in that buck…”

New Jersey: Blueblood Family Residence

Blueblood sighed to himself as he found himself once again wandering the halls of his family’s country manor home aimlessly. For a brief moment, he imagined himself chasing after children through the hallways, with Saffron -devoid of any scars- laughing all the while while cooking up family recipes in the kitchen.

He sniffed the air, and for a moment he imagined the phantom smell of a spicing hot curry wafting from the kitchen. 

“If only…” he thought to himself as a small tear dripped from his eye, the stallion eying the Lost Driver and the Eternal Memory he’d set on a nearby table. Ever since his battle with Saffron alongside Philip and Daring, it’d stopped working. Glitched out on him really. Whenever he tried to transform back into Eternal, it was only for a brief second and it was really a shadow of itself frankly lacking all the power the Memory originally granted amongst other things. He’d called it the Red Flare mode, as it lacked the blue accents of Eternal’s true form, replacing those blue flames on the armor’s wrist gauntlets with red ones.

The transformation only lasted for about three minutes tops, and that was if he was if luck was on his side. Usually, it wasn’t these days.

He knew why of course the transformation never lasted, or why the Eternal Memory couldn’t be used to its fullest extent anymore. His faith had been shattered, his faith in leaving behind an eternal legacy as Manehatten’s hero. He’d never been a hero, in hindsight. He’d just been a man that had been used by his wife.

He flashed back, to just only a few short days ago. It’d been two weeks since the battle atop the Shard, and after finally mustering up the courage he’d gone to talk to his wife.

“Why?” he asked her, the bars of Sleipnir's Island separating them. “Just… why?”

“You know why,” Saffron replied, the bandages on her face having been removed. Once again, Blueblood could see her face in all it’s ugly burned and charred glory. The handprint from where the Heat Dopant had touched her was still present, blackening the broiled skin and fur that surrounded it. “Simply put, I wanted to make a bit of money, all to further humanity’s evolution. Show them what they could really be if they really tried. If you had given me more time, I would have worked out, ironed out the flaws in the original memories. Stopped them from being so… addictive.” she replied, in a perfectly calm state of voice. It was odd really, she’d already been put on death row. 

Blueblood remembered an old quote, went like this. “Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.”

“I wanted to grant life, a new form of life to everyone around me, better everyone and yet you stood in my way. You, Philip, and Daring,” Saffron continued. “Those Gaia Memories I gave you all, they were just a test bed, to see what powers they truly beheld. I chuckle at the irony,” she laughed humorlessly. “The Pony Memory? The one Philip used to defeat me in the end? It was meant to draw on all the power of every pony race. Alicorn, Earth Pony, Pegasi, and Unicorn. I wanted to mass produce that memory, give it to everyone and accelerate life’s growth.”

“Fine way of going about it, funding drug dealers and working with a terrorist organization,” Blueblood replied, his voice flat. Emotionless. “You speak about granting life, but… There is no life to be found in violence. Every act of violence brings us closer to death. Whether it's the mundane violence we do to our bodies by overeating toxic food or drink or the extreme violence of child abuse, domestic warfare, life-threatening poverty, addiction, or state terrorism. That’s what you did Saffron, if I can even call you that anymore. You threatened death to this city, this city I so loved…” Blueblood replied, his voice now beginning to crack, tears threatening to break. “You made this city weep, and that I cannot forgive. Not even if you’re my wife. I loved this city, and I still do, and you made it cry tears of sorrow.”

“Oh, the shackles that bind us, morality. Ethics. They’re just rules made up by those who don’t dare to dream high enough,” Saffron continued. “Weep not for me, but for those poor sad fools. That Pony Memory? It was never meant to be used but only once before it would shatter in a self-induced Memory Break, just once to see what it could really do. It all comes back to that single memory. In hindsight, it was a folly of mine to hand it out to that fool Philip. Had way too many ethics. He’s a good man, and maybe… Maybe…” she trailed off, choking on her laughter.

“Maybe what?” Blueblood asked, wanting to know exactly what Saffron was trying to say.

“Maybe you’re right, and maybe I was a fool. He and you my dear, perhaps you’re better ponies than I ever was, or will be,” she coughed out. Blueblood rushed inside her cell, fear casting itself across his features as his breath caught in his throat and his heart started to race. He knew what was happening, a Memory Overdose. Those who used unrefined Gaia Memories far too much, or far too many had the grave risk of this occurring. And it seemed Saffron had fallen to it. “Weep not for what I am Alexander, but for what I could have become,” Saffron coughed out, her entire body beginning to turn to dust little by little, and Blueblood sobbed.

“J-Just hold on a little longer Saffron, p-please!” Blueblood whispered through his tears. 

“No, it’s my time. Do not grieve, we all know this was never meant to be. As soon as I became consumed by my rage, and my hatred… I died. I died, and now for just one brief moment in time, I got to live again. So thank you Alexander Blueblood the Third. Thank you....” she whispered, before finally turning to dust in her husband’s arms, her wedding ring clattering to the floor with a small clinking sound. And finally, Blueblood let the tears flow as he let out a scream of rage and grief.

In the present time, Blueblood wiped away his tears before he turned to the TV, hoping to catch his favorite television drama. Suddenly, the opening credits of that drama were replaced by a special news broadcast. Along the bottom of the screen, ran a message in bright red letters. It said: “Dopants overwhelm Masked Riders Fang and Nazca! Is this the end of our city’s beloved heroes?”

Above that, he saw a creature, silver in skin tone and with a singular eye firing off electric blasts of energy at Philip and Daring, the two barely holding their own.

Blueblood’s eyes whipped back to the Lost Driver and his Gaia Memory before he jumped off the couch. He knew what he had to do. Slamming the Gaia Memory into his Driver, he stated one simple word even as his horn glowed a brilliant arctic blue.

“Henshin.”

A few hours or so before, Daring and Phil alongside Arc and Bee had been combing the city’s warehouses and train depots for a group. Rumors had been in abundance that a new bunch, calling themselves Dai-EXE had been handing out new Gaia Memories. It seemed this city’s curse of having evil without purpose or reason would still persist.

Service revolvers and flashlights in hand, Arc and Bee searched a nearby warehouse with Philip and Daring doing the same to one opposite them.

“You lot see anything?” Phil called.

“Not a person to be found, maybe these rumors are simply that,” Arc commented, the unicorn shaking his head. “Rumors.”

“I dunno,” Bee remarked. “Tidal seemed pretty damn sure of himself when he caught wind of all this. Man’s an expert on picking up street rumors it seems,”

“True enough I suppose,” Arc replied. “Hey. You hear about what happened over in Taishū? Apparently, this group of masked warriors raided Dove’s Child Laboratories, took down Foundation X. Arrested their head chairwoman, this Neon lady.”

“Sounds pretty badass, really. Wish I could have been there to see it,” Bee remarked. “...Or maybe not, from how chaotic I heard it got.”

“Clear!” Daring shouted from behind them, as she and Phil rushed inside the warehouse to join them. Flash was right behind them, having joined up at the very last moment.

“Oh relax,” Arc said, ruffling Bee’s hair. “I would have been able to protect ya, you doof.”

“Oh, you two need some alone time?” Daring teased in a flirtatious tone of voice. Arc faltered in his stance.

“What? Eh? Who said I like Bee?” Arc stammered out.

“...Just about everyone who watches you two…” Flash muttered to himself. “Seriously, the day you two stop dancing around each other…”

“I say we shove ‘em in a closet and see what happens!” Daring replied with a devious grin. By this point, both Bee and Arc had considerable red flushes cast upon their muzzles.

Suddenly, everyone heard the sound of weapons cocking as a bunch of guys in leather jackets filed into the room. Each jacket had the EXE logo on the back, which was basically a green lightning bolt. In the lead of the group, was a mare with an electric-yellow mane slicked backwards and sky-blue fur.

“Lightning Dust. Such a pleasure to see you,” Phil stated, though his tone indicated otherwise.

“Wish I could say the same, you still owe me my bike!” the mare snapped. 

“...You’re still hung up about that?” Philip muttered to himself even as Lightning’s henchponies turned into various Dopants. Masquerade ones were the most prevalent here but there were others as well like a Luna Dopant, and a Heat one as well. “Man, you know how to hold a petty grudge. Well, nothing for it I guess. Henshin!” he stated as he slammed his Nazca Memory into his Driver. Daring soon followed and mirrored her boyfriend’s movements with her Fang Memory.

Gunfire echoed throughout the warehouse as Arc, Bee, and Flash opened fire on the Dopants, but they were outnumbered and outmatched. A Jewel Dopant jumped Bee, and pinned him to the floor as Arc let out a shout. Flash stayed calm, and like Tempest before him fired at the Jewel Dopant’s waist knowing that’s where the armor’s shatterpoint would be. Daring then followed up with a Rider Kick before twirling around to avoid a blast of energy from the Luna Dopant.

A shot rang out from Arc, and the Luna Dopant crumpled to the ground dead. His memory flew from his body, and into Daring’s hands before she slammed it into her Driver. Her whole costume turned yellow, before like Mr. Fantastic, her body split apart into various halves and her right arms stretched out to barrage the Heat Dopant with a flurry of punches.

Sadly, a swing from a Metal Dopant’s bo staff smashed her through a wall, bricks flying everywhere and canceling her transformation. The Luna Memory went flying before being smashed to bits by the Metal Dopant’s hoof.

Daring, however, was quick to recover and swung her whip pulling the Dopant’s bo staff out of his hands, before quickly transforming back into Fang and taking the Dopant down with a Memory Break. Daring then had to fly backwards as the Heat Dopant leaped out of the warehouse firing fireball after fireball, before getting in close and attacking with a flurry of flaming punches. Daring managed to fend these off with twin arm fangs before slashing the Dopant across the chest several times and then spinning like a tornado she took him out with a Memory Break.

She looked to the left, and saw Phil in Trigger mode firing upon who she could only figure was Lightning Dust as a Dopant. Lightning managed to block with her metal armor or dodge the shots, and fired a jolt of lightning at Philip even as news choppers hovered overhead filming this whole thing and Daring let out a scream of terror.

Suddenly, before the bolt could reach Philip, a blue flash of light lit up the area, and when the flash cleared Blueblood stood in his full Eternal armor, having used the cape to block the strike.

“B-Blueblood?” Daring whispered as she ran up.

“Yeah, call this returning a certain favor. Now… How does it go again? That catchphrase of yours? Oh yes… Count up your crimes!” he said, pointing directly at the Energy Dopant/Lightning Dust.

“Agreed,” Philip smirked as he went back to Nazca Mode. “Let’s finish this.”

All three ran forwards, using a box and cardboard ramp as a springboard before all three activated their Maximum Drives and slammed into Lightning smashing her memory before they landed behind her, and Blueblood turned on his hoof facing the now unconscious Lightning before stating: “Now… Enjoy your Hell!” giving a thumbs-down gesture Romane Emperor style.

“Case… closed.” Daring stated as Arc ran up, and cuffed Lightning with Bee and Flash doing the same to the rest of the other former Dopants.

Time flew by, and Blueblood became a valued member of the detective agency, helping out when he could. Recently, the threesome had heard of a mysterious set of killings all revolving around a new pop single called Smiling Princess.

Already, Philip had a theory.

“Subliminal messages underlaid in the song by a-” Philip started, with Blueblood finishing.

“Dopant or a highly skilled unicorn? Well, Finder, I believe the game as they say, is ahoof!” he declared before all three brought out their Gaia Memories.

\ Nazca! / 
\ Fang! / 
\ Eternal! /

“Henshin!”

FIN