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// Time one arrival at canterlot! Rider time 2018 
// Story: Ruler of Time & Space! Zi-O 
// by Kamen rider yokai 
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Time and space was something that was always at strange odds. Ever constant in the multiverse as much as the eternal struggle between light and darkness.

In a large wasteland stood a rather unique statue its base was a pillar of four mirrors and standing on the pedestal was a statue of a human man with messy hair that grew long in the back held in a ponytail, the hair curled at the end. A plaque was placed at the foot of this life-sized statue while around it was nineteen statues of the figure’s predecessors. 

Standing in front of the monumental statues, a man stood, facing away from it. But this was no ordinary man. This man wore regal yet demonic-looking armor, colored in black and gold. His body was mostly black with a giant watch band going from his chest down to in front of his legs. His shoulders looked like wings of an eagle colored black with golden patterns, and his arms were mostly black with golden bands and slot-like wristbands. His matching legs were golden on the sides, on the rim of his boots and at the toe of the shoes, with golden watch knobs as knee armor. A golden watch band went diagonally down to his left waist from his left shoulder like a bandolier, while the right shoulder, along with the right side of his chest, held black watch-like decorations. On his back were a large set of two hands of time: hours and minutes, acting as a cape. His helmet was black with a gold rim on his face, two golden hands set at 2:00 and 10:00 with three golden clocks on the forehead, a silver symbol resembling NXO, with the "X" having an arrow pointing out, and red visor saying "Rider" in Katakana Japanese in a bold, sharp font, all of which protected by a spiked black and gold neck guard. On the right side of his head was a golden knob, like that of an old wristwatch. Around his waist was a golden belt designed after a watch with a red screen spelling out 2018. This was the dark tyrant who could bend time and space to his will. The very being who brought the very chaos that destroyed the world of 2068. This was the Demon King of Time…

…Oma Zi-O…!

ライダー = "Rider"

Turning oma Zi-O spotted an army waiting before him. An unnoticeable sigh was heard as the Kamen rider inwardly wondered when these resistance members will get the hint he can’t be beaten.

These people were the resistance who fought against the tyrannical rule of Oma Zi-O and his dark forces. They were all dressed in black with very little coloration as they wielded machine guns and fired at Oma Zi-O.

"CHARGE!" A soldier yelled as they got closer and closer to the Demon King, not letting up on the shooting.

However, the bullets did not even hit Oma Zi-O, as every shot seemed to explode a few yards on all sides. Deciding he had enough of these weaklings, Oma Zi-O raised his right arm and flicked his hand up, palm towards the sky. When he did this, a shockwave hit everyone charging at him, causing explosions that brought them down to ground. No matter how hard they were trying, they didn't seem to have the power push forward after that attack. The Demon King then heard screeching sounds before turning his head and seeing a barrage of missiles heading his way. But that failed given that he used his dark power to freeze the missiles in place. That's when he noticed a giant, cycloptic robot about to step on him; of course, this was just a number of them about to attack them. Oma Zi-O didn't let up though. He threw the first robot far away and used his dark powers to take them out one by one. Once all the robots were annihilated in explosions, he then froze time again with his right hand as more showed up. He then looked at the resistance fighters, feeling very little pity for them as they struggled to get back on their feet. With a soundless wave, the demon king turned every one to ash. Hearing a noise oma zi-o looked to see there were some survivors.

The rider looked at two of the survivors of the massacre. One a black with yellow highlights in her hair girl teen with tanned skin wearing a dirtied mantle of white cloak and dress. The other a boy with red hair and pale skin dressed in red and black military style clothes.

The rider spoke in an aged yet dark voice.

" You cannot possibly defeat me. Do you know why? Because I was born to be king!” 

-fifty years ago-

Well, this was finally happening. It took me ages but I was going to a tokusatsu convention dressed as Sogou Tokiwa aka Kamen rider Zi-o himself in a way. I wore a grey jacket over a black shirt and blue jeans with a blue and white bead necklace with a crescent moon pendant as the centerpiece. I ran a hand over my curly brown hair that was messy and short except for the back which reached to the back in length held in a ponytail that curled at the end. Hidden by my jacket was a ziku driver and in my pocket was the Tsukuyomi ride watch. I had gotten the driver in the mail from eBay but instead of the zi-o ride watch or geiz, I ended up with Tsukuyomi ride watch.

The only differences besides my hair between me and Sogou were that my eyes were green.

My name is James McCain and I was a Kamen rider fan with an eager expectation to add to my ride watch collection.

Attention will a mister McCain come up to the entrance a package has arrived for you.  Was heard over the convention hall and I grew confused. A package? Who would send me a package at a convention hall?

I walked over to the convention entrance and I rose an eyebrow as I passed by someone with a very convincing black woz cosplay. I actually thought it was actually Woz himself.

Approaching the front desk I was handed a small box and heading to a nearby cafe area I opened it and falling into my hand was a blank ride watch. What surprised me was the weight actually felt like it was real machinery and it definitely felt like metal. It glowing and releasing a bright light was not normal and I thought back to that black Woz who looked very smug and realized it really was Woz.

‘Oh shit!’ Was my last thought before I blacked out.



When I came to it was to find myself at a school courtyard I recognized from an animated movie back in my sophomore year in high school though I felt like I was back in that school year. Pushing myself up I saw from my reflection I was 15 years old again instead of nine years older. And before I was that ride watch I was given. 

Picking it up I frowned and pitched it as far as I could throw it which turned out to be a river seventy feet away. Not long after that, I heard the mirror ripple and I turned around only to find myself suddenly pushed to the ground as who was obviously sunset shimmer if the bacon colored hair was any indication.

‘Huh so I’m in the point of time she left Equestria that is just confirmation I’m not in my home reality anymore’ I thought as I looked into her shocked green eyes.

“Today has officially gone very strange for me before you coming out of a mirror so let’s both agree to keep that a secret I’ll help you up as I doubt you're used to walking on two legs,” I told her not letting her exactly know I know about Equestria.

I let her pusher herself off me and I got up and lifted her arm over my shoulder as I helped her get used to how to walk on two feet. I took her to the nurse after getting directions from a janitor and soon had sunset at a nurse checking her legs.

“Well looks like she has low muscle tone way too low for a girl her age she needs to exercise more if she doesn’t want her legs to collapse on her again she was lucky you stumbled onto her when you did,” the nurse said having bought the story I told her.

“Well if I’m going to be a student here I better get a good reputation at least just moved into town so I was wondering and getting used to the city. Getting my bearings so to speak. And I’m guessing I’m not the only new arrival as she was just as lost as I am on how to navigate this school. My family forgot to tell me the address for where I’m staying while they're stuck on a business trip.” I told the nurse glad I took three years of acting classes the first go around of high school.

“Ah, I see if your both new students you both need to speak with principal Celestia about enrolling and find your living arrangements from there. Well she should be okay to walk now so I’ll let you both go talk with her” said the nurse giving us directions.

As we both started walking she gave me a look.

“Why are you helping me when you barely know me,” she asked.

“Your not the only one not native to this world only in my case it wasn’t by choice. We are in the same situation so our best option is to stick together. I arrived a minute before you did so like it or not we need to both get used to this world and with our ages we need to have the education to blend in. So let’s get to know each other I’m James McCain and currently very far from home” I told her being honest.

She saw it and sighed knowing I had very good points. “Sunset shimmer former unicorn,” she said.

“Your lucky I was born like this I’ll help you get used to being human. This world seems to be an in-between version of both our native worlds. People normally don’t have technicolor skin in my world and you seemed to recognize the name of the principal of this school. So familiar names to you might pop up a lot” I told her what I was noting so far.

“That explains a lot so local versions of ponies I know exist here but don't know me,” said sunset.

“And if I’m right much like my world this one doesn’t have magic like your used to,” I said as if she mentioned her former species that meant her world normally had magic.

It didn’t take us long to talk to Celestia about enrolling and our current situation without telling her we were from other universes.

Turned out the two of us were in the same place. A clock shop that had the second floor of apartments.

Apparently, run by my current legal guardian and uncle. I mentally blamed Woz for that. The two of us went to find the place as we started school next month to settle in and get our school supplies.

“Sunset I think whoever brought me to this world set up where I was going to stay and for some reason made sure you would have a home here not long after I arrived as if knowing we would meet,” I told her.

“I was thinking it was too convenient” she muttered having tried to test my claim of no magic and was not happy to find I was right.

Finding the place we met my apparent uncle clockwork gear at his clock repair shop and like Sogou's uncle he can repair more than just clocks but rarely get clocks to work on. So we both chose rooms close to each other and spent the month getting things to personalize our rooms and get our school supplies. As I was a year older than sunset I was going as a sophomore after taking the placement test. Luckily sunset under my coaching quickly adapted to being human. And so in the next year, our odd friendship and general personalities would confuse everyone while I had to work at keeping sunset from going too far if Equestria girls were going to happen. And I still can’t believe my ziku driver and Tsukuyomi ride watch became real even if I kept tossing the one that brought me here into the river every morning but kept reappearing the next hour on my person. I hate soul bound rider gear when it landed me in this situation.

Still, sunset found out I was as good an actor as she was and slightly manipulative myself while I was a nice guy. If I was going to be zi-o in this world I better make sure to avoid becoming OMA zi-o. I didn’t mind becoming a demon king but I won’t become one without good reason. That and I was going to trust sunset and her future friends to keep me in line once 2018 hit.

I was surprised sunset asked me to the fall formal and I apparently butterflied her dating flash sentry by taking the boyfriend role myself. Turned out In the time we got to know each other I got past her walls. In her words, I was the only person she could actually stand and enjoyed being around. So yeah I was confused on when we actually started to date. Both of us got motorcycle licenses but the only sunset actually owned a motorbike as I was still waiting for 2018.

Then came the day I was dreading way early just after sunset went to steal the element of magic. Woz had appeared before me. This meant my time secretly preparing has run out and now zi-o’s story has just begun.