“Scootaloo, are you okay?” Sweetie said as the beaten Scootaloo pulled herself into the apartment and fell down onto the couch. “What happened?”
“One of the commanders attacked me, he was more powerful than I expected,” Scootaloo said as Apple Bloom ran to get the bandages. “I think he was the Devil card…”
“The Devil, of course,” Sweetie said as she sat down next to Scootaloo. She thought about it for a moment before asking. “Was he dressed in black? Like, a black coat and hat with a mask pulled over his face?”
“Yeah, at least at first,” Scootaloo said. “Why, have you seen him?”
“Yeah, I think he showed up at the restaurant a while back,” Sweetie said as Apple Bloom gave her some bandages. “But he didn’t exactly scream Devil back then.”
“Yeah, well the red skin and horns was kind of a giveaway,” Scootaloo said as her friends bandaged her up. “He had a chain that he used to grab me too. Is it just me or are they getting less and less subtle?”
“I think subtlety went out the window when we fought that Skinwalker monster,” Sweetie Belle said with a laugh as Scootaloo rest her head on her fiance’s shoulder. “The Order doesn’t really care about that kind of thing if you ask me.”
“Well, Ah’m just wonderin’ why he decided ta go after yah now of all times,” Apple Bloom said. “We should probably call Fancy Pants about this too. If they’re doin’ stuff like this, it ain’t gonna be good fer us.”
“Yeah, I agree,” Scootaloo said as she removed the Driver from her waist and looked at it for a moment. “They’ve got something big planned, and it seems to me more like he was sending us a message. Keep messing with them and they’ll hurt us or worse.”
“Good thing we’re not good at listening,” Sweetie said with a chuckle as they finished bandaging her up. “Are you going to be okay, Scootaloo? That thing didn’t exactly leave you unscathed.”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Scootaloo said as she closed her eyes. “Whatever he thought his point was, we can’t let them win. It just shows how desperate they are to keep us from fighting them. We’re going to win this together.”
“Yeah,” Sweetie said as she squeezed Scootaloo’s hand gently causing her to flinch. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Scootaloo said as she smiled slightly. “All that matters to me right now is that you two are okay.”
Apple Bloom nodded a little as she dialed the number for Fancy Pants’ office and put it on speakerphone. There was a long moment of silence only broken up by the sound of the phone’s ringing.
“Is everything okay?” Fancy Pants’ voice finally said after a moment. “Did something happen?”
“You might say that. I think I encountered the Order’s Devil,” Scootaloo said. “He attacked me when I went to take the trash out. Beat me up pretty bad, but I should be okay.”
“The Devil? That’s concerning,” Fancy Pants said with a sigh. “Alright, let’s figure out what to do from here. I’ll have Tempest and Agent Drops head for your apartment. Right now that’s the best clue we have to their activities at the moment.”
“Right,” Scootaloo said with a sigh as she looked at the Driver and cards for a long moment. “Thank you for your help though. We’ll let you know if anything else happens.”
“Alright, thank you, the others will be there shortly,” Fancy Pants said. “While you’ve always been a target, we have to consider the possibility that this is a plan for something bigger. Don’t take any unnecessary risks. Be careful, okay?”
“We will,” Apple Bloom said as they hung up the phone. “Well, it seems like we’ve got more questions ta answer. So, what are we gonna do now?”
“Right now, let’s sit tight,” Scootaloo replied. “There’s really not much else we can do right now. So, let’s just wait for Agent Drops and Tempest, there’s not really much else we can do right now I guess.”
“Yeah,” Sweetie said as she leaned in and gave Scootaloo a light kiss on the lips. “Let’s just hope that everything will work out for now. There’s really not that much else we can do, unfortunately.”
Scootaloo nodded as she looked back out the window. It was dark out, but she knew that strange man was still out there somewhere. There was a lot they were going to have to figure out from here on, but for now, they would just have to wait.
"I'm scared," Scootaloo finally said with a sigh. "Dealing with monsters is bad enough, but that guy. He wiped the floor with me before I could even do anything to try and hurt him. I don't know if I can stand up to that kind of power."
"Maybe, but you don't have to do it alone you know," Sweetie Belle said with a soft smile as she rested her head on Scootaloo's shoulder. "We'll figure this out, I promise. Don't worry, we'll take him down eventually, together."
"Yeah," Scootaloo said as she leaned back and closed her eyes, gently wrapping her arm around Sweetie Belle.as she did.
"We ain't gonna let him get away with messin' with yah, Scoots," Apple Bloom said as she gave her a nod. "But we're gonna have ta worry about that later yah know. If that Cobra lady shows up again, we're gonna need ta worry about her first."
"Right," Scootaloo said. "Let's just hope that we won't encounter him again for now."
00000
"Did you have fun?" Priellit asked as the man in black walked back into the throne room. "I didn't think you'd do something that insane."
"I learned what I needed to," the man in black said as he leaned on his cane a little bit. "What is the latest from our Agent in the field?"
"She will be making her move against the Riders as soon as possible," Caesar said as he crossed his arms looking at the screen. "Her host is being strangely compliant with everything that's going on. You normally don't see that in these humans."
"Well, perhaps its nothing," Priellit said with a shrug. "Also we got word from Kuagua, it seems like they may have found someone. They're in pursuit of the target now."
"Really?" The Man in Black asked curiously as he looked over her shoulder. "That is surprising news. Do they know who they've found?"
“They said they believe it is the Magician, but they’re still tracking it down,” Caesar answered. “We’re expecting an update at any time.”
“Excellent, if they’re right then it will certainly help with our goals,” the man in black said as he leaned on his cane for a moment. “What is the latest on Kapasa?”
“She’ll make her next move soon enough,” Priellit said. “It’s only a matter of time before she deals with the Riders. That being said, you did put them on edge.”
“Yes, but we also know that they’re all going to be in place,” Caesar pointed out. “And Kapasa should be fine against all of them. She’s going to be just fine. Right now, we should just see what happens next.”
"Of course," the man in black said as he adjusted his hat for a moment and turned to look at the screen showing the current location of Kapasa. "Hopefully this will finally do the trick. We've had enough setbacks in dealing with the Kamen Riders right now. However, we're not about to let them get away with this."
"Indeed, so let's show them what it means to threaten the Order," Caesar said as he crossed his arms. "I'm starting to get tired of this. Why don't we just take them out ourselves?"
"Because we need more energy for the Convergence," Priellit pointed out. "If we're going to be able to succeed at this then we have to make sure that everything is in place. You know the Master wants to make sure that everything is ready for his arrival."
"Yes, yes, I know," Caesar said with a sigh. "But it feels like it could be much easier if we just took them out ourselves."
"Perhaps, but at the same time, we cannot put ourselves at risk either," the man in black said with a slight nod. "So, for the time being, we need to hold back and figure out what to do next. The Agents still have a chance of succeeding at least, and if we lose either of us we won't be able to summon any further Agents."
"Yeah, yeah," Caesar said as he waved his hand for a moment. "I'll get back to you on that. Once we're done getting everything taken care of, then this world will be ours."
"Indeed, but we're going to have to be careful," the Man in Black said as he leaned on his cane again for a long moment. "The fact of the matter is that the mistake that everyone else has made is that they underestimated their enemies. We'll watch them for now, as long as everything is in place we'll be fine."
"You had better be right," Caesar said as he eyed the man in black for a moment.
"The Master isn't happy with our last two attempts to take this world," the man in black said with a shake of his head. "So, if we don't succeed this time we will all be in trouble. For now, get everything ready for the next stage of the operation."
"Yes sir," Priellit said as she stood up. "We will await word from the others. Hopefully, there will be good news. Another summoner will help us manage to summon stronger Agents. Hopefully, Granforca and Kuagua are right about that."
"Yes, well if they are smart they will succeed, or if not I'm sure we can work out some new living accommodations for them," the man in black said as he walked off. "If you need me, I will be in my chambers."
"I don't like dealing with him," Caesar said as he straightened his metal collar out a little bit. "He gives me the creeps. Why'd he even go after Justice anyway?"
"Oh, you know how he is," Priellit said as she shuffled her deck and placed it back on the table in front of her. "He is always scheming something after all. I doubt whatever message he sent to the Riders will be heeded though. We're not dealing with humans that can be easily tricked after all."
"I know, but he's not about to succeed by risking showing his hand," Caesar said with a shake of his head. "I have things to attend to as well. Let me know when we hear anything from the others."
Priellit nodded as Caesar walked out of the central chamber. She turned to look at the screen once more for a moment as she eyed the location where their agent was.
She hoped that they were really doing the right thing here. Otherwise, everything had the chance of falling apart at the seams.
00000
"So, is there anything new on who the Agent is possessing?" Scootaloo asked as Sweetie Drops and Tempest Shadow set up in the apartment's living room.
"Not a whole lot, we're still tracking her last known address in Louisiana," Sweetie Drops said with a shake of her head as she looked at the three of them. "Unfortunately, it may not be nearly as simple as figuring out who they are. The weird thing is that, well, she seems to have just appeared out of nowhere in Canterlot."
"That's odd," Apple Bloom said as she stroked her chin thoughtfully. "How's that possible? Shouldn't she leave some sort of paper trail behind her?"
"Yeah, maybe..." Sweetie Drops said thoughtfully for a moment as she looked back at Tempest. "What do you think, Tempest? What could explain this?"
"A number of things, she could be in witness protection or is just trying to start a new life," Tempest commented as she stroked her chin thoughtfully for a moment. "I don't know, it feels like we're missing something very obvious right now."
"Yeah," Scootaloo said with a sigh as she plopped back down on the couch next to Sweetie Belle. "I hate it when they're tricky to figure out."
"Do you really think that figuring out who she is under that will help?" Sweetie Drops asked. "I mean, it might but there's no guarantee that it will you know."
"I know," Scootaloo said. "But in the past, we've managed to weaken the Agent by getting through to the host. Talking to them seems to work sometimes, we have to consider the possibility that it will work this time. I don't know, I just feel like its worth a shot."
"Yeah, maybe," Scootaloo said as she pulled up a picture of Victoria Kane on her phone for a moment. The woman's smiling face looked back at her and she frowned a little bit. What secrets was she hiding? And was she going to regret dredging them up in this case? "I don't know, it just feels like we're missing something somewhere. Why would someone have such a little social media presence in this day and age?"
"I dunno, maybe they used to be someone else," Sweetie Belle said with a shrug as Scootaloo blinked a little and turned to look at her fiance. "What?"
"You might be onto something," Scootaloo said thoughtfully as she looked back at the picture. "I mean, she left Louisianna for some kind of reason, right? Maybe she felt she had no other choice."
"I'll have them run it through facial recognition again," Tempest said as she took out her phone and called Fancy Pants again. "What kind of parameters do you think we should try?"
"I don't know, anything at this point might be true," Scootaloo said thoughtfully. "Try anyone who's had extensive plastic surgery for example or..."
Something clicked in her brain after a moment. She wasn't sure if there was a chance of it being the truth or if it was just her imagination. There was something about the facial features that felt, off to her as she glanced at it for a long moment before finally making a decision.
"Male."
"Male?" Sweetie Drops asked confused.
"We've been working under the assumption that she's a she, right?" Scootaloo asked. "Well, what if she's transgender? That might explain why she's not coming up in any of the records."
Tempest paused a moment before relaying the suggestion to Fancy Pants. "Alright, thank you, hopefully, we'll hear from you soon," she said as she hung up the phone. "Okay, I have to ask, what made you think of that?"
"I don't know, just a theory I had," Scootaloo said as she put her arm around Sweetie Belle for a moment. "Sometimes coming out to your family and friends can be hard. And if she lives in Louisianna and came here so suddenly, I dunno, I thought maybe it was possible at least."
"Yeah," Sweetie Belle said as she looked down at her feet for a moment. "I knew I was interested in girls ever since I was about 10 or 11. I guess it took me a while to come to terms with it too. Though at least my family didn't have much of a problem with it."
"And you had two great friends there ta help yah out too," Apple Bloom said as she hugged Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. "Ah told yah before, yah got nothin' ta worry about from me."
"But I guess not everyone is so lucky," Scootaloo said with a sigh as she looked up at Tempest and Sweetie Drops. "If I'm right, what do you think this means?"
"Getting to her won't be easy," Tempest commented. "She's used to burying herself at this point probably. She came here to escape that kind of thing and be herself... maybe if you can appeal to that you can..."
Her phone suddenly started going off again and she raised it to her ear. "Agent Shadow here, is there something new?"
"Agent Shadow, we just picked up readings down the street from you," Fancy Pants said on the other end.
"Is it the Agent?" Tempest asked with a determined look on her face.
"No, the signature is much too powerful," Fancy Pants replied. "It's possible that the Devil has come back. I want you and your agents on guard, we need to know exactly what we're dealing with here."
"What is it?" Sweetie Belle asked with a worried look on her face.
"We might've picked something up down the street," Tempest answered as she hung up her phone again. "Come on, we need to get going and fast."
The three younger women nodded as they got up and went to get their gear. Quickly they made their way to the door, whatever was waiting for them out there wasn't going to get a chance to cause problems without them being ready.
00000
"Do you see anything?" Tempest asked as she looked over at Pharynx who was scanning the street ahead of them.
"No, not yet," Pharynx said with a shake of his head. "Maybe it was a false reading?"
"No, not something that powerful, we have to be missing something," Tempest said as she narrowed her eyes at the street behind them for a moment. "Scootaloo, Agent Drops, I want you both geared up just in case. I don't know what we're dealing with here and I'd rather not have to wait."
"Right," Scootaloo said as she and Sweetie Drops took out their Drivers and placed them on their waist. The belts formed around them as they raised the cards and prepared to slide them into their Drivers.
"Henshin!" They said in unison as they slid the cards into the Drivers.
"TIME TO TIP THE SCALES!"
"LOVE CONQUERS ALL THINGS!"
As the armor formed around them and their respective weapons appeared in their hands they heard a light tune being played on a harmonica. They tensed up a little as a humanoid figure started walking towards them. They were dressed in a brown coat and hat over a tie and undershirt as they played the harmonica for a long moment.
"Who are you?" Scootaloo demanded as she pointed her Rapier at the approaching figure.
"Yeah, that's definitely them, I'm picking up a powerful reading on this thing," Pharynx said as he lowered the portable reader and they drew their weapons.
"So uncivilized," the man said as he lowered his harmonica and slid it back into his coat pocket. "I expected much better from the lot of you."
Before they could say anything his form changed. Now he resembled a vaguely humanoid shape with robes and a domino mask with designs on it. He held a staff in his right hand and when he brushed his robes back they saw he had several symbols on his belt resembling the suits of the Minor Arcana.
"Who are you?" Sweetie Drops demanded.
"You may call me Alrasahir," he said with a slight bow. "Once the personal magician of the Master of the Court. Now just a mere wanderer. It's been a while since I saw Kamen Riders though, that brings me back."
"He's the Magician," Sweetie Drops whispered to Scootaloo. "But he was on our side before. What's going on here?
"I can hear you, you know," Alrasahir said as he raised his staff and pointed it at them. "And yes I once worked with one of your kind. But that was a long time ago, I'm simply here on a walk, especially with the Convergence so close again. You really should get out of my way."
"You're still a Commander of the Order," Sweetie Drops said as she raised her bow. "Even if you used to be our ally, you went missing 13 years ago."
"Ah yes that little scuffle with Granforca," Alrasahir said thoughtfully for a moment. "Hardly what I'd call a fair fight really. One Kamen Rider against a Commander? Not exactly an easy task. But still, it provided some entertainment for me. A shame that I had to leave so suddenly really."
"Yeah, a real shame," Scootaloo said as she pointer her rapier at Alrasahir. "So, how about you tell us what you're doing back. Something about this whole thing feels fishy to me."
"Well, of course, I'm hardly going to not fill you in after all," Alrasahir said with a smile as he leaned on his staff for a moment. "The truth of the matter is that I have little interest in continuing this little game you Riders and the Order are playing. That being said, I am not about to let you get in our way again. I've come to realize that perhaps the Master was right about the Convergence being necessary."
He struck the ground with his staff and waves of energy radiated out and knocked Scootaloo and Sweetie Drops back for a moment.
"Yeah, I don't think he's on our side anymore," Lyra said in Sweetie Drops' mind. "This isn't going to be easy, is it?"
"No, its most certainly not," Sweetie Drops said as she narrowed her eyes at the Magician and drew her bow back and fired several arrows at him. Two of them caught him in the chest but he dissipated the others with a wave of his staff.
"Ah, I see that SMILE has learned a few new tricks since I left," Alrasahir said as he held the staff up and pointed it at them. "But then again, so have I. Lightning!"
Lightning crackled from the tip of his staff and shot out at the two of them, catching them in the chest. He chuckled a little bit as he lowered his staff for a moment and gave them a nod.
"Such a shame really, but that's beyond my control," he said as he walked forward and swung his staff around at Scootaloo's head only to have it be caught by her sword. "What the..."
"You may have caught us by surprise, but we've learned a lot over the past few months," Scootaloo said as she kicked him in the chest and sent him flying back. "I just got attacked by your boss, and I've dealt with some rather nasty customers ever since this whole ordeal began. I'm not about to let some Harry Houdini wannabe get the better of me."
"Heh, you've got spunk," Alrasahir said as he raised his staff again and sent a fireball flying at her.
"ARCANA CIRCLE SHIELD!" Scootaloo's Driver said as she slid the card into her disk and the circular shield appeared on her wrist and she used it to block the attack.
"I'm not going to let it be that easy for you," the young woman said as she ran forward and thrust her sword at the magician who tried to block it but he was caught across the chest. "You're a joke, I've dealt with worse from the Agents."
"I see that Justice hasn't lost her touch," Alrasahir said with a wicked grin as he dodged another thrust from Scootaloo's sword. "But she has poor taste in champions. You're just a broken little girl who lost her parents on the worst night of her life and you're trying to fill that space with friends and loved ones."
"Shut up, you don't know me!" Scootaloo said as she spun around and blocked another fireball from Alrasahir as he vanished to avoid another arrow barrage from Sweetie Drops. "I'm not some little girl, I'm going to take you and your whole Order down!"
"Then why's your hand trembling?" Alrasahir said with a laugh. "You know I'm right deep down, you have just as much doubt as anyone else. You know that I'm right and that you're not nearly strong enough to take us down. At least not on your own."
He was about to raise his staff to cast another spell when he suddenly saw a black and green fist flying towards his face as she punched him as hard as she could. He fell back onto his butt, wiping fluid from his mouth as he stared up at Scootaloo who was breathing heavily as she held her sword pointed at his throat.
"You may have been our ally once, but clearly you aren't anymore," she said as she narrowed her eyes from behind the red visor. "You're not going to get away with this you know. I'm going to do everything I can to stop you and the rest of the Order."
"I'd like to see you try," Alrasahir said with a laugh as he grabbed the blade of her sword. "Go ahead and try it, but I don't think you have the guts to actually strike down an unarmed man, even a monster. You don't have that look in your eyes yet, the fighting hasn't worn you down enough."
"Maybe..." Scootaloo said as she hesitated a little. What would happen if she actually finished this guy off? She was about to swing her sword again when suddenly there was the sound of laughter. "What the..."
"Oh please tell me I'm not being rescued by who I think I am," Alrasahir said with a groan.
Well, that's hardly any way to talk about your rescuers," a familiar voice said with a laugh as Kuagua and Granforca came in for a landing on the street near them. "Come now Riders, you didn't think it was going to be that simple did you?"
"You..." Scootaloo said as she looked at Granforca and gripped her sword's hilt harder. "I'm not going to let you get away!"
"You say that like you have a choice in the matter," Granforca said as he cricked his neck a bit. "I'm just here for Alrashir this time so I don't have time to deal with you."
He grabbed Alrashir and pulled him away as he looked at Scootaloo for a moment. "You're going to have to try harder than that anyway."
"Now, I believe our friend here is late for a very important date, so ta-ta!" Kuagua said with a laugh as the three of them vanished.
Scootaloo groaned as she stomped her foot hard, nearly cracking the pavement from the force of her armored foot hitting it. She sighed as she powered down and placed the cards back into her deck box while Sweetie Drops did the same.
"I swear, it's like the Order is having a convention for their Commanders here," Sweetie Belle said as she walked forward and placed her hand gently on Scootaloo's shoulder. "Are you okay, Scoots?"
"Yeah... I'm fine, I think," Scootaloo said as she closed her eyes for a moment. "Just feels like we're running around in circles more than anything. Every time one of those things show up we get a few good hits in at best. How are we actually supposed to stop them?"
"I don't know," Tempest admitted as she crossed her arms. "But we're going to need a plan in case they come back. And we still have to deal with the other monster."
"Right," Scootaloo said as she placed her hand gently on Sweetie's shoulder and gave her a light kiss. "So, what should we do now?"
"For now, let's go back inside and see if the Director has found anything out," Sweetie Drops said as they headed back upstairs together.
00000
"Well, I see you haven't redecorated this place in 13 years," Alrasahir commented as he was lead into the main chamber by Granforca and Kuagua. "Maybe you should try converting an interior design expert, might help brighten this place up a little."
"Very funny," Caesar said with a roll of his eyes as he and Priellit walked over to Alrasahir. "You're already skating on thin ice with us Alrasahir after that stunt you pulled last time. You're lucky you get this second chance."
"Well, with Wanler gone and what's his name flown the coop I don't entirely blame you," Alrasahir said as he leaned on his staff a little. "So, what did you call me here for anyway? Let me guess, you want me to help with the summonings of more powerful Agents or something."
"Right in one," the man in black said as he walked down the steps. "Your power as a summoner has been missed, Alrasahir. I admit I wasn't expecting you to come back willingly, however."
"Yeah, well I've got my reasons, Morningstar," Alrasahir said as the man in black stared at him curiously. "What? I never bought into that old superstition surrounding you that much. Personally, I think you just wanted to create an air of mystery or something. A whole bunch of nonsense if you ask me.”
"What is he doing talking to him like that?" Caesar whispered to Priellit. "He's got some balls on him if he thinks he won't just kill him where he stands."
"Unfortunately with how things are going, he knows that he's the only chance we have at succeeding at this," Priellit pointed out. "He's the only other summoner we have right now after all. If anything happens to him, it'll set back the plan."
"Great, so of course he's able to get away with it," Caesar said with a shake of his head. "Well, since he's here now what is our next move?"
"For now, we need to continue with our current plan," Morningstar said as he walked forward. "Have our Agent hold back. After two attacks they're going to be on edge, we're going to need a new plan."
"Agreed, but I'm not sure what we could do to draw their attention away without summoning another Agent, and the time isn't ready for that," Priellit said as she stroked her chin thoughtfully for a moment. "That's not going to be an easy task. We're going to need to do something to draw the attention away from them at the very least."
"For now, let them sleep," Morningstar said as he adjusted his hat for a moment and leaned on his cane. "The time will soon come that we will emerge victorious. I will make sure that everything is in place."
"Yes, sir," Caesar said with a nod as Morningstar walked off, the sound of his cane hitting the floor as he walked faded into the distance. "Let's hope that he's right."
"If there's one thing I know, it's that Morningstar is not a man to be underestimated," Alrasahir said as he leaned on his staff for a moment. "He is after all second only to the Master. The question is how is he going to deal with this. Right now we don't have a lot of options now do we?"
"No, no we don't," Priellit said as she shook her head. "Well, if there is nothing else then we should return to our duties in the Master's Service."
Alrasahir nodded as he walked up the stairs and into the rest of the building that the Order called home.
00000
The rest of the night went by normally. Though Scootaloo could barely sleep as she looked back at Sweetie who was curled up next to her. There was so much that had happened lately, and she was impressed that her fiance was able to sleep. She smiled softly as she stroked Sweetie's pink and purple hair gently and leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead.
Finally, after what felt like hours she drifted off to sleep with Sweetie snuggled up against her. She smiled a little as she fell into slumberland. Her dreams were pleasant, filled with her hopes and dreams for her future together with Sweetie Belle.
She just hoped that she'd be able to have that happy life with her.
The next morning they yawned a little as they headed back out into the living room and kitchen area. Tempest and Sweetie Drops looked exhausted as if they had barely slept the night before.
"Are you two okay?" Scootaloo asked as she and Sweetie Belle took a seat at the table in the dining area. "Did we have any luck finding any information?"
"Well, we've been up all night waiting for some sort of result, or me being woken up by Tempest's snoring," Sweetie Drops said with a roll of her eyes as Tempest chuckled lightly. "But yeah, they found something."
"It seems that Victoria Kane used to go by the name Henry Scotts," Tempest said as she read off a tablet. "Born into an old money family in Louisianna. Apparently, when they found out about their daughter they didn't take it well. They've legally disowned her since then. My guess is she left town and headed west to Canterlot to start a new life as herself as you said."
Scootaloo frowned a little bit at that as she thought back. Sweetie Belle had felt very much the same when she was coming to terms with being a lesbian, so she didn't blame Victoria for being afraid. So, why did this make her a target of the Order? What was going on here...
"So, tha question is why tha heck is tha Order usin' her like this," Apple Bloom commented. "Ah mean, based on what we heard from Diamond, they're deal makers, right? What could they offer her?"
"Other than the obvious?" Sweetie Drops pointed out. "There's a lot a group like the Order can offer a person like that. If she's ashamed because of her family they could offer a chance to fix it so to speak. But the Order doesn't do things like that, not really."
"So she's just being used as a pawn," Scootaloo said with a sigh. "Alright, so what can we do?"
"Right now? Nothing, we don't even know where she is," Tempest answered. "Unless she shows up on either satellite readings or CCTV we can't track her."
"And we can't rely on Riderwatch this time," Sweetie Belle added. "If word got out about her, who knows what might happen. Her family might track her down or something."
"Yeah," Scootaloo said as she looked thoughtful for a moment. In truth, she was drawing a blank on exactly what they could do to track her down. "I guess all we can do right now is wait. She's after us, so she's going to have to make a move eventually, right?"
"Right," Sweetie Drops said.
"But they can't just attack us all here," Scootaloo said with a nod as she looked around the apartment for a moment. "We've got strength in numbers here. They'll have to either draw us out or tip their hand by sending more monsters or even Commanders. Something tells me that's not what they're going to do though."
"Why not?" Apple Bloom asked. "It makes sense ta me."
"We're stronger as a group, it's simple divide and conquer," Scootaloo said as she closed her eyes for a moment. "But we can't just leave either. I guess for now we just have to..."
She was cut off when Apple Bloom's phone started ringing. She blinked a little bit when she looked at it and realized that it was Tender taps calling as she answered it.
"Hello? Ah'm sorry this ain't tha best..." she started to say.
"Hey, Apple Bloom? Look I don't exactly know what happened the other day but I've got a bit of a problem," Tender taps said on the other end. "That thing from the other night, she's here."
"What?" Apple Bloom said as the agents' phones started going off.
"Confirmed, we've got three signatures," Sweetie Drops said as she looked at her phone. "And the team we sent to keep an eye on Mr. Taps is reporting the cobra woman has arrived there as well."
"Figures, wait, what are the other two?" Scootaloo asked.
"One is in Whitetail Park and the other is in Canterlot University," Tempest said. "We're the closest teams right now, the Director is telling us to get out there."
"This feels like a trap..." Scootaloo said with a groan as she got up. "Alright, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, we'll check on Tender Taps' house."
"Right," Apple Bloom said as she went to get their weapons.
"I'll deal with the one at the University," Sweetie Drops said as she headed out of the apartment.
Tempest nodded as she headed out to meet with her team in order to get going to the last location in the Park. She just hoped that they weren't going to be too late.
00000
"Well, I didn't think they'd send you," the Cobra woman said with a fanged grin as Scootaloo and her friends pulled up to the road outside of where Tender Taps lived. "You saved me the trouble of tracking you down I suppose."
"Yeah, well you're going to wish I hadn't," Scootaloo said as she raised her Driver and glared at the Cobra Woman. "I'm going to take you down right here and free Victoria from your clutches."
"I'd like to see you try," Kapasa said as she drew her bow and pulled her bow and fired an arrow at Scootaloo as she rolled out of the way. "I'm never going to give up this body. She agreed to the deal and I'm going to make sure that she keeps up her end of the bargain."
"You have no right to that body," Scootaloo said as she took the Driver out of her jacket pocket and placed it on her waist as it formed around her. Kapasa was about to fire another arrow at her before several shots rang out and hit her in the chest from Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom's guns. "And we're going to take you out together."
"I'd like to see you try," the snake woman said as she bore her fangs at Scootaloo, her forked tongue sticking out as if tasting the air. "You and your little friends can't hold me off forever. And soon this body will be mine forever."
"We'll see about that," Scootaloo said as she grabbed her cards out of her deck box and slid them into her Driver. "Henshin!"
"TIME TO TIP THE SCALES!" The Driver said as the energy once more flowed out of the circle at the center of her Driver.
"I'm not going to let you do it!" Kapasa said as she spat poison at Scootaloo only to have it be caught by the energy and slide off it onto the ground as the armor formed over her and the rapier appeared in her hand.
"Well, I guess that didn't work," Scootaloo said with a chuckle as she pointed her sword at the cobra woman. "I can see your future, and it's not bright."
"That still sounds corny whenever she says that yah know," Apple bloom commented as she lined up another shot on the monster and fired, catching her in the shoulder.
"Yeah, well I figure its just a superhero thing, let's just go with it," Sweetie Belle said as she fired another shot. "I can certainly think of weirder things to be saying."
As the two were talking, Kapasa had looked down at her shoulder and looked up in time to see Scootaloo's fist flying towards her face and connected with it. The snake woman hissed as she took a step back for a moment. "A cheap shot."
"Yeah, well I'm not about to give you another chance to hurt someone," Scootaloo said as she thrust her sword forward only to have it be caught by Kapasa's wrist gauntlets. The snake woman hissed as she struck fast and caught Scootaloo in her shoulder, the armor taking most of the blow but she screamed as she felt the fangs hitting her skin.
Scootaloo pushed her knee up into the snake monster's stomach and kicked her back as she did. She cringed a little when she brushed against her shoulder, that wasn't good. She didn't know if it had been enough to poison her but she wasn't about to let that stop her from fighting this monster.
"Victoria, I know you're in there!" She shouted as she threw another punch into the Cobra woman's face and she cried out as she was struck again. "You know this isn't you!"
"Victoria's not here, she wants this!" Kapasa hissed as she avoided another thrust only to have another bullet hit her in the arm. "I can free her from her pitiful old life! I can give her a chance to be what she was always meant to be!"
"Victoria, you don't have to listen to her," Scootaloo said as she thrust her sword forward, this time catching the cobra in the chest and making her cry out. "You're not a monster or whatever else you've been told. This thing is lying to you!"
"But... she promised... she could make me... who I was meant to be..." the strained voice of Victoria managed to come out of the snake's mouth. "This is my only chance."
"No, this isn't your only chance," Scootaloo said as she gripped the hilt of her rapier and slashed through an incoming spit attack as she reached into her deck box once more. "This is how the Order works. They pray on people at the lowest points of their lives and makes them into monsters. You're being used!"
"You're not going to get through to her," Kapasa hissed as she fired another arrow at Scootaloo, this time catching the Rider in the chest as she fell back a little. "Victoria, you and I both know that this girl can't give you what you truly want. The Order is more powerful than any mere mortal medicine, we can give you exactly what you want."
"Yeah, and at what cost?" Scootaloo said as she slowly got up and drew a card out of her deck box. "You'll lose yourself to the monster. Your family rejected you, right? Well, that doesn't mean you have to spend the rest of your life in fear!"
She quickly slid the card into her Driver as the ornately designed katana appeared in her hands as she held it outright and stared Kapasa down.
"I know what you're going through," Sweetie Belle called over to her. "You're not alone in this world, Victoria. All you have to do is give us a chance to show it to you. Fight back!"
"I..." Victoria's voice started to say.
"DON'T!" Kapasa snarled. "YOU ARE MINE!"
"Listen to that, she wants your body and doesn't care about who you used to be," Scootaloo said as she ran forward and kicked hard at the cobra woman. "And even if she really could give you want you want, do you really want it to be at this high a cost?"
Kapasa started to raise her hand to her bow and pull it back a little bit as she aimed for Scootaloo only to stop.
"What the..." Kapasa said in shock. "No... you're not allowed to resist!"
"Justice, finish this, please!" Victoria said in pain. "I don't know how much longer I can hold her back!"
"You're not going to get away with this, this is my body!" The Cobra Agent protested as Scootaloo leaped up and energy started to gather in her foot as she flew towards the monster.
"JUSTICE KICK!" Scootaloo cried out as she hit the cobra woman square in the chest, shattering her as the card fluttered to the ground. Scootaloo just barely managed to catch Victoria before she fell to the road beneath. "It'll be okay, we're here for you."
"One of yah, call an ambulance," Apple Bloom called to the SMILE agents who were gathering everything together. They nodded as one of them picked up a radio and called it in.
"Is it gone?" Victora asked in a hoarse voice.
"Yeah, it's gone, and it won't hurt you ever again," Scootaloo said with a smile from behind her visor as she picked up the card and put it in her deck to give to Sweetie Drops later. "You're going to be just fine, I promise."
"Thank you," Victoria said weakly as she leaned back and closed her eyes. Scootaloo checked her pulse, it was weak but it was still there. She smiled a little as she gently picked the woman up as the ambulance started to arrive.
"Another one?" The EMT asked as they wheeled out a gurney and Scootaloo placed her gently on it. "It's been a few months since we last had one of these."
"Take good care of her," Scootaloo said with a slight salute as they wheeled her off to the ambulance. She reached into her Driver and took out the cards as she powered down and slid them back into her deck box.
She wondered if maybe she didn't have such supportive family and friends, would she have been just as susceptible to the Order? Would Sweetie Belle have been? She shook her head a little as she walked back to her friends and flinched a little when she realized her shoulder was sore from where the Cobra woman had bitten it.
"Hey Scootaloo, you did good out there," Sweetie Belle said as she kissed Scootaloo gently on the lips. "How are you feeling?"
"Pretty well," Scootaloo said with a sigh as a medic from the SMILE team headed over and started dressing her shoulder wound. "Snake women hit hard, who knew."
Sweetie Belle chuckled a little as she brushed a strand of purple hair out of her fiance's eyes. "But not as hard as Kamen Riders apparently."
Scootaloo smiled a little as she shared a kiss with Sweetie Belle. The two women closed their eyes and enjoyed the moment for the longest time.
"Hey Apple Bloom," Tender Taps said as he walked up to the other young woman. "I'm sorry for calling you all of a sudden but I didn't know who else to call when she showed up."
"It's okay, Ah'd have done tha same in yer shoes," Apple Bloom said as she watched Victoria being loaded up. "This kinda thing ain't easy ta stomach some days."
"Look, I don't even pretend to understand what you and your friends are doing," Tender Taps said. "And I'll admit, being attacked by one of those things did freak me out a little bit. If you want though, I wouldn't mind giving it another try."
"Really? After everythin' that just happened?" Apple Bloom asked as she blinked in confusion.
"Hey, I was inspired by dancers from a town that had its own Riders and everything," Tender Taps pointed out with a chuckle. "I was a bit freaked out is all, you can't really blame me for that. What do you say, want to give this a second try Miss. Bloom?"
"Ah'd be happy ta," Apple Bloom said with a soft smile. "What do yah say we go get a cup of coffee or somethin'?"
"Sounds good to me," Tender said with a smile as he put his arm through her's. "I know a place just around the corner that's perfect."
"Hey Ah'll catch up with ya'll later," Apple Bloom said as she waved to her friends. "Sounds like we're givin' this a second chance."
"Have fun you two," Scootaloo said before adding jokingly. "She better be home by Midnight young man."
They all shared a laugh as Tender Taps and Apple Bloom walked down the street together. Scootaloo smiled a little as she looked at Sweetie Belle for a moment.
"I think those two are going to make it work," she said.
"Yeah, at least I hope so," Sweetie Belle replied with a chuckle. "I think if she had to put up with it much longer she might've asked to join us one night."
"Darn, oh well," Scootaloo said with a smile as she kissed her fiance for a long moment. "I love you Sweetie Belle."
"I love you too," Sweetie answered as they shared a long kiss together.
00000
On the other side of the city in Canterlot University's Quad, Sweetie Drops had already transformed and was looking around for the source of the signal they had picked up from the area. She was about to write it off as a false reading when she heard chucking behind her and she drew her bow and spun around quickly to find Alrasahir standing there in his human guise.
"What are you doing here?" Sweetie Drops demanded of him.
"I believe I don't have to answer to you," Alrasahir said as he pushed the bow down a little. "Put that thing away before you shoot someone's eye out. I just want to talk right now."
"Talk about what?" Sweetie Drops asked as she eyed the man suspiciously. "What would a member of the Court want to talk with a Kamen Rider about."
"You'd be surprised," Alrasahir said with a smile as he adjusted his hat a little and stepped back. "But more importantly, I wanted to tell you something important. The Convergence is coming, possibly sooner than you could ever anticipate."
"And why are you telling me this?" Sweetie Drops asked as she narrowed her eyes from behind her visor. "How do I know you don't have some sort of ulterior motive?"
“You don’t,” Alrasahir said as he leaned on his staff. “But I’m here to tell you something. In order to complete the Convergence, they’re going to need more than just what they have right now.”
“And what do you mean by that?” Sweetie Drops asked.
"The Order is looking for the lost ones, the members of the Court who left during the last two attempted invasions," Alrasahir said as he leaned on his staff a little. "Myself, the Empress, the Hermit, the Hierophant and the Hanged Man. I have reason to believe that another one of the lost ones returned to their grasp recently as well but I have not seen them."
"I see," Sweetie Drops said as she eyed him. "And how are they going to pull off this, Convergence?"
"They need energy, that is what the Agents are for," Aslrasahir said as he shook his head a little. "They need human life force for the Convergence. Even if you defeat them, they're still powering it. That little stunt with the Fangire gave them a boost that I hadn't expected."
"Exactly why are you telling me this? Who's side are you even on?" Sweetie Drops demanded of the man. "Tell me, what's going on?"
"No, not yet," Alrasahir answered with a shake of his head. He reached into his pocket and took out an old fashioned pocket watch. "There isn't much time left, they'll realize I'm talking to you, my spell won't work forever."
He tossed the watch to Sweetie Drops and she caught it. "What's this for?"
"Give that to Director Fancy Pants, he'll understand," Alrasahir answered as he walked off. "In time, everything will make sense, I promise."
And with that, he tapped his staff's bottom against the ground and vanished into thin air. Sweetie Drops frowned a little bit as she pressed her hand against the side of her helmet.
"Director, I just saw Alrasahir again," she said.
"What? What happened? Did he say anything?" Fancy Pants' voice answered.
"Yeah, not a lot that made sense, but it seems like we've got bigger problems than originally anticipated," Sweetie Drops replied. "I'm heading back to HQ."
"Alright, let me know when you're here, we'll give you the full debriefing," Fancy Pants said.
Sweetie Drops climbed back aboard her bike and looked back out onto the quad. Something about all of this was weird to her, why had he approached her like that? What was his game and what else was going on?
She sighed a little as she took off down the road on her bike, she'd have to figure these things out later.
00000
"I have to say, I wasn't expecting to see you again, Miss. Dash," Doctor Heartshine commented as Scootaloo took a seat across from her. "I haven't seen you in a few months, how's everything going?"
"It's been, complicated," Scootaloo said as she looked at the therapist for a moment. "And yeah, I know I've been bad about keeping up the appointments. But the truth is, I've got a lot on my mind lately."
"This is about the dreams you had before?" Heartshine questioned.
"That's one way to put it," Scootaloo said as she looked down at her feet for a long moment. "I guess, what I've been doing now I had hoped that it would help put my mind at ease. It would, you know, help me overcome my past and what happened to my parents."
"And has it?"
"Sometimes, a little," Scootaloo answered as she tried to avoid making eye contact with the therapist. "Then a few months ago I came face to face with the thing that killed my parents. With everything that's going on, I've gotten closer to my friends. Heck, I asked my girlfriend to marry me, but somehow..."
"You don't feel like its enough to make up for what happened to your parents?" Heartshine finished as she raised an eyebrow. "Scootaloo, I don't know everything you're going through right now. And with everything that's going on, things are getting crazy in this city."
"Yeah, tell me about it," Scootaloo sighed.
"But if you want to talk to me about it in more detail, everything that you say here stays between the two of us," Heartshine offered. "You've got nothing to be worried about."
"I..." Scootaloo started to say before she closed her eyes and then opened them again. "I'm Kamen Rider Justice, I've been that ever since this whole thing began a few months ago. I've been fighting the monsters that are plaguing this city for months, and I've seen some screwed up things. I've seen monsters willing to massacre hundreds if not thousands of people. I've seen creatures out of a horror writer's worst nightmares. But today, the reason I actually came here, is because the Order went after someone that I admit it kind of close to home."
"Right, the snake woman, I've seen the Rider Watch Blog," Heartshine said and Scootaloo nodded a little. "What about her hit you so hard?"
"Somehow, it made me think, that if my life had gone differently I could've wound up the same," Scootaloo said as she clasped her hands together a little. "She was transgendered, I'm a lesbian. It's not an easy world for people like us, it never has been. I guess I'm not sure what to think about all of this."
"I see," Heartshine said as she looked at Scootaloo thoughtfully for a moment. "Well, in my experience, there's a lot of what if's and what could have been. But there is only one present. You did what you could to help her, right?"
“Yeah, I did everything I could, and I saved her,” Scootaloo answered with a nod. “I saved her from the monster, but I don’t know. Just feels like I could do more sometimes.”
“Scootaloo, you’re only able to do what little you can do to help people,” Heartshine answered. “I’ve dealt with a few people like police officers and firemen before, and while you may be my first superhero, I do know one thing. Sometimes all you can do is hope that you’ve done enough. You can’t tell them how to live your life Scootaloo, all you can do is give them the chance to.”
“Yeah,” Scootaloo said as she closed her eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry for lumping this all on you. I’m not exactly used to talking to people outside of my friends and everyone else who knows about this.”
“Its okay Scootaloo,” Heartshine reassured her. “You’ll be just fine, and I think so will she. Just do what you can, that’s about all you can do, unfortunately. Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Scootaloo said. “Thanks, Doc.”
“Any time,” Heartshine said with a nod. “Now, do you want to talk some more? I’m sure you could use it.”
“Yeah, that sounds good to me,” Scootaloo said as she started to talk about what had been happening since she became Kamen Rider Justice.