//------------------------------//
// Dazzling Adagio Arc 4: Why Did Niko Displace Kim? 
// Story: A Golden Drive Through Equestria 
// by Psyga315 
//------------------------------//

“… I’ve been brainwashed.” I told Banno. Technically, it was the truth. “Not by Seeker, though. Apparently, there’s these singing ladies that made me unable to fully interact with them without me passing them off as nice girls.” 

“… Pffftahahahahahahahaha! Are you serious!? This is hilarious!” Banno said.

“Banno…” I muttered.

“No, no, let me revel in this. You have the intellect of Ryoma Sengoku and yet you ended up being fooled by three girls?” Banno asked.

“I did try to fight them.” My voice was reduced to a mumble. 

“And now, you’ve come crawling back to me, is that it? I should let you learn from this idiocy. Fix up your other Drivers and use them instead of me.” Banno said. Damn it, guess I had no other choice.

“Banno, as a machine, you’re unable to be manipulated by magic. I can try to fix the Sengoku or Genesis Drivers, but I won’t be able to properly fight those… sirens.” Decided to give them some sort of nickname. “I put you on, let you take over my body, and you can do whatever you want with them. Cattle prods, trapping them in Slowdown, turn them into data, whatever. The sooner they’re gone, the better.”

“I’m still unconvinced. You’ve always seen me as a tool, even back when it was just the two of us against the Roidmudes. Now that I’m free from the confines of your waist, what reason is there for me to help you now?” Banno asked. Damn, so giving him free reign didn’t work. Time for plan B.

“Banno, these sirens are likely going to take over the world. As someone who is as ruthless as yourself, are you really going to let a bunch of girls beat you to the punch through song?” I said.

“The moment I stop them will also be the moment you’ll try to stop me. You’re on your own for this one…” Before I can tell him anything else, the golden LEDs on the belt shut off all at once. I tried to open the Lapis Lazuli program, but it automatically closed. Damn it! 

Before I can do anything else, the doors opened. I quickly stowed the Banno Driver away. I turned around to see Ivan hauling in Kim. 

“Kelly, we need you to make a serum.” Ivan said.

“How much do you know of Freeze?” Krim asked. I sighed.

“Let me guess, the memories of her past were frozen?” I asked.

“Exactly!” I got a shiver of joy when I heard Krim say that. “I’ll tell you what you need for the antidote.” I nodded, then left the desk where Banno remained motionless and hopefully unaware of Krim’s presence.







It was Ross’s first time being at the Wonderbolts Academy. He sat with Blake in a hallway as the two waited to hear from either Cam or Joey. The memory of Miss Oxton disappearing before his eyes still played out in Ross’s head.

“… I did this.” Blake muttered. Ross turned to her. “If I hadn’t been so weak… She wouldn’t have…” Ross could feel something boiling inside himself. He took a moment to breathe and speak up.

“Blake, this is not your fault. If it was, then I need to share the blame as well. We were both trying not to cripple her for different reasons.” Ross said. He looked at Blake’s slumped shoulders and the subtle motions in her bow that most would pass off as the wind. He recalled what she said to him when they first met. “You… really do regret running, do you?” Blake’s eyes widened as she turned to him.

“How did you-” Ross shook his head.

“I wish there was an easy way to tell you, but… The best I can sum up is that I’m able to recall Ruby’s memories… And they included Yang telling her about you…” Ross said. He could see the bow flatten, or at least struggle to.

“How… How was she? Do you remember that?” Her body tensed up as Ross spoke up.

“… She’s depressed. Bedridden, in fact.” He could see Blake almost begin to wince. Ross bit his lip. “Your decision… wasn’t the massive factor in that.” No… It was. That pain. That anguish in her voice… That wasn’t anything minor. “She lost her arm, the school, and even a few friends that night. Your departure was a drop in the pool.” 

“Please… Stop… I… I don’t want to hear anymore.” Blake frowned.

“Sorry…” Ross looked down, then, after a while, the door opened up.

“Hey, love!” Ross jumped up when he saw Miss Oxton in the flesh. Blake firmed up her body a bit and had her frown fade, but nothing like Ross’s enthusiasm.

“Oxton! I… I thought…” Ross was about to say something but a man with glasses wearing blue overalls and a blue and white striped shirt also entered the hall from the same room.

“All it takes is to fix up her stabilizer and boom, she’s right as rain!” Ross knew that, from process of elimination, that this was Cam, the tech expert of the Wonderbolts. 

“Huh? What do you mean?” Ross asked.

“Well… I was a victim in the Everton Eruption and… I fell into that Black Hole…” Oxton said. The Everton Eruption. Ross heard about it from Double Diamond. An experiment dealing with dimensional travel caused a rift to open… Oxton was one of the survivors. “I… barely got out of the portal. I was trapped in between the Void and here. It wasn’t until people at the Wonderbolts Academy created this. A Void Stabilizer.” She pointed to the chest plate. 

“It pools the remnant Void energy and pulls her being into reality. In short, it’s a magnet that keeps her from disappearing.” Cam said.

“Well, that’s a relief. I thought you died for real…” Ross said. Just then, Blake got up and ran off.

“What happened with her?” Oxton asked.

“… It’s… complicated.” Ross muttered as he looked at Blake.







“Alright, here’s the antidote. Admittedly, it was hard to make with just instructions alone, but hopefully it’s as good as Rinna’s formula.” I said to Krim as I got the serum ready in the form of a spray bottle. It looked kinda like it did in the show, albeit lacking in coloration. 

“Yes I… Wait, Rinna? How do you know her?” I froze as he asked that. Shit! I thought he would namedrop her at some point. 

“I… Well… I heard about her from an article I’ve read of you.” I hoped that was enough to make him believe that.

“Ah, right! Must have been when Kamen Rider Drive’s identity was revealed…” Krim closed his ‘eyes’ as I sighed.

“Well, here we go.” I held the spray carefully over Kim’s face and gently sprayed her face with the serum. After a minute of inhaling it, Kim began to stir awake.

“Huh? Where… Where am I?” She got herself up from the makeshift bed and looked around.

“You’re at a safe location. My name is Officer Dorian. Do you remember anything at all, like your name?” Ivan asked her.

“Y-yeah… It’s… Kim. Kim Locksley.” Kim said.

“That’s good. The serum was successful.” I said before Ivan turned to me.

“Serum?” Kim asked. That’s when her eyes widened just a bit as she felt the back of her ear, right where the scar was. “Where is he? Is he close?” She asked.

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out. We haven’t seen the person who did this to you in person, but I feel like we will soon.” Krim said. Kim looked down and noticed it. 

“You… You’re…” To my surprise, she wasn’t freaking out over the belt, though, I started to realize that she might have retained her memories as the Dragon. 

“There’s a lot to take in, but for now, we should take a breather. Ivan, see if you can find a café. I think after what happened, you might want to have a coffee.” Krim said. Kim nodded, all while she continued to feel out the scar.

“Yeah…” As Kim said that, Ivan helped her up and, without hesitation, propped her body up against his shoulder before walking off. As he left through the door, I sighed before returning to my desk, praying that Banno didn’t overhear me. 

“Finally snapped her outta it, huh?” Immediately I felt the urge to take Banno out of my desk as I heard Niko’s voice. I noticed he had come in through the window, carefully closing it before adjusting his hat.

“Finally!? … How long did you know about this? The whole “Kim’s the Dragon” thing?” I asked him.

“About as long as I knew about Silverbolt’s involvement with this whole shebang. Both happened at the same time… Same world.” Niko said.

“… Same world?” I recalled the place that Silverbolt was seemingly killed at. Admittedly, there wasn’t much to figure out considering that the camera footage was shakier than Cloverfield. The only hint I had was his killer, what seemed to be a giant or even a… “… You fucking bastard. You didn’t…” 







It took Ivan a while before he found a good enough café to take Kim to. Once there, he ordered three cups of coffee, much to the cashier’s confusion. He reached to his wallet, noting how the money he had changed to match the currency of this world. Good, less of a struggle that way.

“Keep the change.” He said as he gave ten dollars to the cashier. Coffees in hand, he took Kim over to a seat. He even put Krim up on the table and fitted him with a straw to drink his coffee. In spite of this, it took about five minutes before any of them spoke up.

“So… You’re from my world?” Kim asked.

“Yeah. Beverly Hills. You were missing for about… two years now. What happened? How did you end up here?” Ivan asked her. Kim adjusted herself as Krim sipped a bit of his coffee. 

“We shouldn’t bombard her with too many questions. She just began to regain her memories.” Krim said. Kim then shook her head.

“No, it’s fine. It’s slowly coming back to me. I remember enough to tell you the basics…” Kim said.

“Well, I guess that’s a start.” Ivan said.

“Well, it was about an hour or so before the prom was to begin...” Kim stared down into her coffee as she began to remember what happened in the summer of 2013.







“Kim, your outfit is amazing!” Kim remembered her friends cheering for her as she exited her house wearing a white dress with matching pumps. 

“Thanks. Would you actually believe me if I told you this was a hand-me-down from my mom?” Kim asked before she chuckled. Her friends joined in the laughter, especially after another comment put her at ease.

“You managed to make it work!” Kim’s smile grew.

“Though, it’s a little plain.” As one of her other friends said that, it made Kim’s smile fade.

“Yeah! It needs something to complement it.” Another said. In an instant, all three of her friends spoke in unison: “JEWELLERY!”

“Well, I don’t really have any…” Kim sheepishly chuckled.

“Come, we have to do some last-minute shopping!” One of her friends said before grabbing Kim by the hand and walking off.

“W-wait!” Kim shouted.







The trip to the mall, however, proved fruitless as the jewellery shop had closed for the evening.

“Aaah, come on! Now where are we going to get the perfect bling for Goldie?” Kim’s friend said. Goldie was the nickname she was given for her long, golden, curly hair.

“Well, seems the market is ripe for me to come in.” The girls overheard a man in a cowboy hat sitting on a set up table. On it was a set of trinkets, some the girls definitely recognized from the 90’s and some looked brand new to them. Front and center was a golden bracelet, something that Kim, upon seeing it, couldn’t take her eyes off. “Pick one. Fifty percent off.” Niko said.

Kim walked to the table as her friends cautiously approached it. They called attention to various treasures, such as a set of five Fabergé eggs, a few pendants and compact mirrors, a bird-headed key, and oddly enough, a stuffed teddy bear. Kim, however, liked the simplicity of the bracelet. Even though it looked like it should have a ‘twin’, it was being sold by itself.

“Excuse me, but… Where did you find this?” Kim asked as she pointed to the bracelet.

“Hmmm…” Niko picked it up and glanced at it. “This wasn’t too long ago, actually. It has an interesting story behind it, but… it’s not for the faint of heart. Let’s just say that it was lying on the floor.” Niko said before wiping something off the bracelet.

“I’ll take it.” Kim said.

“On its own? If you want, I can find its matching pair, though it will take a few days to-”

“That’s fine… How much is it?” Kim asked.

“… Well,” he then went off into a few calculations, discussing large numbers followed by a few ‘carry the one’s, before concluding to his final price of: “About twenty-five dollars. If you find me again after, I’ll throw in the second one free once I find it.” Niko said.

“Much appreciated.” Kim handed over the money to Niko. Niko handed her the bracelet as she fitted it on her right arm… Though, as she did, she began to feel woozy. She closed her eyes…







As she opened them, she found herself in what seemed to be an old Germanic village. She looked around. Neither her friends nor Niko the vendor were there. It was just her and the seemingly empty streets. She nearly began to look around to ask for help when she suddenly felt several trembles beneath her feet, almost rhythmically. Moments later, she could hear screams.

While they were different, each of them had a similar outcome: one large, blood curdling scream before they were suddenly cut off. Kim’s breathing became short. She ran over to the closest building she could find and started banging on it. 

“HELLO!? IS ANYONE THERE?!” Kim said as she looked around. There were more trembles, more screams… Was this an earthquake? If so, where would she find shelter? She tried the next door, and the next, and the next… All of them had no response…

Just then, Kim heard a scream that was louder than the others she heard… Might be close… Though, it sounded abnormal… Standing around for empty homes wasn’t going to solve things. Kim ran, not knowing the direction where the scream was. All she could do was hope that the screaming went away. Instead, it sounded louder, and along with it, she could hear the sound of a large impact. She could almost feel the shockwave. 

Her heart began to beat harder as she tried to run for any sort of shelter. However, she could feel more tremors, more screams, and even loud thudding noises that she could almost swear were stomps… She couldn’t take it. She ran into one of the houses and, without even thinking of it, punched it.

BLAM!

The door suddenly flew off as she ran into the house, the heel of one of her pumps breaking off as she toppled into the house. She took some time to breathe before taking a look at her hand. She noticed the bracelet had expanded into a full-blown gauntlet, with smoke coming out of a silver barrel where her knuckles were. 

“What the…” She muttered. She felt more tremors. She looked and noticed what seemed to be someone who thrice her size on its hands and knees. Its large, bulging eyes stared directly at her. The large person mindlessly squeezed its hand through the door as Kim ran from it. She tripped as it caught her leg. It then began to pull her towards itself, its mouth opening up. Kim’s eyes widened as she realized what was going to happen. “No… Stop… Please… No!” 

Her body was close to its lips as she could feel an uncomfortable warmth at its mouth. As its jaw began to pivot, she correlated the bloodcurdling screams she heard… This was what was causing those screams. And she would be next.

“STOP!” Kim closed her eyes and shielded herself from its large teeth, only for her entire body to explode, blowing off part of the monster’s head as it stumbled back. Kim took more moments to breathe as she felt fire around her. She trembled as her hair was lit with a golden flame and her eyes were as crimson as the blood that she inadvertently spilled on the monster before it seemingly evaporated. As the monster, missing most of its upper portion, looked for her, she could hear a strange sound…

WHOO-WHOO-WHOOSH!

And suddenly, she saw the monster go down following the sound of metal cutting into flesh. The monster went limp as its killer leaped down. Kim saw the figure that was dressed in magenta and white armor with black lines outlining an X on its chest and the number 010 plated on its forehead. She stood there motionless as the masked figure took off its belt. The armor spit into ten grayed out images of itself before she could see a man with spiky black hair in a black and magenta colored jumpsuit.

“Don’t hurt me!” Kim shouted.

“I won’t. In fact, I wish to save you.” The Roidmude King said.







“… You. Fucking. Son of a…” I threw a punch at Niko. “BITCH!” He caught it with his hand while I began to bark. “Of all the worlds you could have sent her, you picked the one with motherfucking titans!?” 

“Yes. It just so happened to be where Professor Silverbolt was at the time, so I figured that, while I was on a small trip to find him, I might as well bring along someone for the ride. It was nice, though. As you can see, this suit I have is a souvenir from that world.” Niko kept that damned smile on his face. I took him by surprise and strike him with my other fist. He stepped back a bit, but not much to incapacitate him.

“She could have died!” I shouted.

“And she didn’t. She survived.” Niko said.

“By joining the enemy!” I said.

“Yeah, that was a bummer, but she’s good now, so that’s all that matters.” As Niko shrugged, I pushed him onto the desk, causing a large rumble that knocked open a few of the drawers. 

“What the fuck is your game, prick!? It’s one thing to throw us at the enemy to save the world, but it’s another to throw people into a blender and see if they climb out!” I loomed over him, fists balled up as tight as they could.

“Yes. I believe the strongest of people would be able to climb out the jaws of death. It’s what I went through.” As Niko said that, I recalled the time he mentioned that he was trapped in another world once.

“Is this some sort of tradition Displacers do? Because if so…” As I was about to finish my sentence, he shook his head.

“Not quite. My entrapment was… way different than being Displaced. It’s… hard to describe, actually.” As he said that, I shrugged.

“Try me. I fight robots and magic people almost every day now.” I chuckled, keeping my rage to a minimal.

“It might be better to say that I was more… trapped in a game.” Niko said. I nodded along.

“Oh, okay, so TRON.” I said.

“Nah. It was kinda like being stuck in Runescape, actually. Right down to the shit-ton of skills now that I think about it.” Niko gave a smirk as I deadpanned.

“So, you’re telling me that, because you got trapped in World of Warcraft, you decided it’d be fun to send someone to get eaten by Titans.” Niko’s smirk faded when I said that.

“If only it was that simple. Unfortunately, the only way I… or anyone for that matter, could escape, was one of two ways. We beat the impossible game or… we die.” Niko said.

“And considering you’re here, you beaten it.” I said.

“… I tried. Alongside my friend Joey.” There was a pause before he continued. “We didn’t go far. He died to the first boss and I sat there processing his death. After that, I gave up and just stayed where I was. I made the best of my situation. I survived.” 

“Wait, if he died, how is he here now?” I asked him.

“That’s an entertaining tale involving pissing off Hades of all people, but… Allow me to finish this story first. See, I wasn’t the only one trapped in that world… There were many others. Enough of us to create an economy in that world. We looked after the young, we farmed for resources, and we forged weapons to sell to people who could pull their own weight while they went out to hunt down monsters. After Joey died, I thought I was safe if I just stayed in town…”

One day, there was a guy. He was hanging by a rope, high up on a building, impaled to the wall by a weapon. A crowd of people, myself included, just bore witness to his final moments of suffering. People tried to save him, but he died before they could even reach him. I never quite found out what caused his death, but I knew one thing: I couldn’t just be idle and hide away in some town. I had to prepare myself… in case I end up like him. And during that time that I spent running away and struggling to survive… I felt something:”

A passion. Throughout all my time trapped in that world, all I could focus on was trying to survive. This included doing things like work for a girl who ran a weapons shop to even hiding out in an old wooden cabin… After I ended up leaving that world… everything I did just… didn’t give me that thrill anymore. Only when I was in that world… only when I was trying to survive… Fighting to live, just for another day, was perhaps the best feeling I could ever have.”

And that’s what I wanted to present to you guys… That rush of survival. I guess I went overkill.”

“No shit, Sherlock.” I muttered.

“Though… to tell you the truth: You, the cop, that student… You’re the exceptions. I was hired to Displace you two… Or rather… convinced.” Zoloto got up and took his suitcase.

“Who hired you?” I asked.

“She couldn’t say. But I think you’d know her. Creepy blonde girl with an evil red eye ring any bells?” With that, Zoloto left as I realized just who he meant:

Takatsukasa Mai, or as she is known in that form, The Woman of the Beginning.







Kim finished her cup of coffee. She looked down at the empty cup, the memories of her meeting with the Roidmude King fresh in her mind.

“I know this is a lot to take in, but what I’m saying is the truth.” Kim said.

“No, I believe you. You won’t believe how many times an older man would prey upon a teenager.” Ivan paced himself with the coffee, even though it was long cold.

“Except that, instead, he groomed me to be his personal attack dog rather than…” Kim shuddered to imagine the other option.

“We have reason to believe that a Roidmude by the name of Freeze was responsible for that, making you think you were someone else entirely by suppressing your memories.” Krim said. Kim hesitated before she felt the back of her ear once more. Like a scab on the knee, she couldn’t resist picking at it.

“No… He was the one that did it… The Roidmude King.” Kim said. There was a pause before Krim spoke up.

“I don’t understand… The Roidmude King is a different Roidmude altogether. He wouldn’t have the ability to halt memories like Freeze would.” Krim said.

“I saw it with my own two eyes though… Along with…” Kim began to shudder again as she thought back to what happened.







“You’re telling me there’s many worlds beyond my own?” Kim asked the Roidmude King as they walked through the now empty streets. The sounds seemed to have halted for the time being.

“Yes. I was just passing through when I encountered you. You have a power the likes of which I have never seen before… One I think would benefit me.” He said.

“I… don’t even know what this is… The flames… this weapon…” Kim held up her arm to look at the gauntlet, now back to its bracelet mode. “I just want to go home…” Kim muttered.

“I can teach you how to better use those powers. I doubt anyone here would be able to help you to the same ability as I could, let alone take you in… In fact…” As the Roidmude King said that, Kim tripped over something. He smirked as she got up.

“Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was…” Kim smiled briefly before she looked at what she tripped over. At first, it looked like someone slumped over, dead, but as she looked at the body, she noticed that it was missing almost half of its upper body. She then noticed the blood on her white dress and screamed, falling on her ass before trying to get away from it.

“You wondered what those screams were? They came from people like him, throwing their lives away in vain and meeting an untimely ending. If you think anyone in this world will help you, you’re wrong… Dead wrong…” He gave a smirk and, with the flick of his wrist, unleashed a wave of Heavy Acceleration particles. Kim felt her whole body slow down, her thoughts now hyper focused on the corpse as there was no way for her to look away. “I am not a human… Rather, I am superior to one. My goal… No… our goal is to subjugate humans to my will. I am not the only one with this power. I offer you this one chance. Join me and you will be by my side once we have enslaved the human race that exist in every world… If not, you will be like this boy. Dead and forgotten…” 

Kim began to cry as her eyes barely budged. Her thought process was unimpeded, and yet, thoughts of despair and death were the only things occupying her mind. As the particles died down and her body resumed to normal speed, she still sat there, frozen. The Roidmude King approached her and knelt to her.

“So, what shall it be?” The Roidmude King said. She looked at him, and one look at her tear-filled face was enough to tell him what her decision is. “I’m glad you’ve made the right choice… Though, I can’t possibly bring you back like the broken mess that you are. Luckily, I have just the thing…” She noticed him taking out what seemed to be a strange, phone-like device before he pressed on its touch screen.

FREEZE!

He held out the phone as it shot out a small, ice needle that flew around her head and struck behind her ear, leaving behind the scar. Kim jolted up before she went limp. The Roidmude King smiled before he lifted her up. He summoned a gray wall, walking through it with her on his shoulders…







“That’s… horrible…” Krim had no words beyond those two, not even paying attention to his coffee. 

“I’ve… seen grooming tactics before but… That…” It was normal for Ivan to come across sick cases like this. There were few cases where it challenged his faith in humanity, some even having him consider reaching for the bottle. This exceeded any of that.

“It was beyond just that… He was able to use Freeze’s power… I don’t know how, but from what you’ve described, that device might be the reason as to why.” Krim said.

“I don’t know a lot about it, but I know what a Roidmude is comprised of. Its programming, its soul, is regulated to a string of data called a Core. If the Roidmude is damaged too much or the Core is directly attacked, the Core could be destroyed, killing the Roidmude with it. I know this because he was insistent to heal and preserve some of them inside that device, Nerve and Tornado being his recent acquisitions.” Kim said.

“Nerve? I don’t recall that Roidmude… But… Healing… That’s Medic’s power. And given how Tornado’s among the collected… It’s a theory, but these may be the first nine Roidmudes he’s gathering. And if that’s the case…” Krim said.

“Yeah, the phone is said to contain up to nine Roidmudes… Four are left to fulfill what he calls the Promised Number.” Kim said.

“The Promised Number? The last time they did something like this, they only needed four… If they need nine... This is bad.” Krim closed his eyes.

“What? What do you mean?” Ivan turned to Krim.

“Simply put, four was needed to power a device that would send the entire world into a slowdown. With more, he might be able to do more than that…” Krim said.

“And he already has five of the nine needed…” Kim closed her eyes and shook her head. “Ivan… Please… Just… Take me home.” She got up.

“Huh?” Ivan asked.

“I… I want to live out the remainder of my life back in my world. I want to experience a normal life for how ever long I have until he takes over the multiverse.” Kim said.

“… We’re not going to let him win, Kim. I can assure you of that. Right, Krim?” Ivan asked Krim, who’s ‘face’ was tense, eyes closed.

“I… am afraid it might not be as easy. Before you, there was another partner who used me to transform. His name was Tomari Shinnosuke. He, along with the other Riders, fought valiantly against the Roidmude King… Only… he managed to defeat every one of us by mimicking the form of the strongest Rider. I was separated from my partner and was forced to watch another partner be lost to me…” Krim said.

“Wait… another partner?” Ivan asked Krim.

“Yes. Ivan, the choice is yours. I’ve seen the determination in your eyes when you saved Kim, but I fear that the Roidmude King might overpower that. I’m not going to stop you if you wish to continue being Drive.” Krim said.

“… Kim. This extends to you too. Were this any other case, I would have sent you back to your family… But… I fear this is bigger than I have anticipated. I understand if you want to return, but do realize that you can fight.” Ivan smiled before he finished his drink. “We’ll be waiting in the car.” Ivan left after he picked up Krim. Kim was all alone to her thoughts before she stared blankly at the cup. 

“A castle?! You have your own castle?!?” She could overhear someone shouting at the top of their lungs, which she felt was a much-needed levity.







No Banno, Niko’s a psychopath who wanted to share his rush for surviving a video game to his victims, and I’m brainwashed. Just a typical Tuesday afternoon for me it seems. Regardless, I spent the next thirty minutes to an hour calculating a plan to approach the sirens without my directions activating. So far, I concluded that I can think about the three, but the moment I see them, I go back to disregarding them.

So, my idea would be to indirectly take them out somehow. But that’s a challenge and a half. There’s three of them and they’re always together. If I so much as mess up and only take one down, the other two will work their magic on me. It had to be quick, decisive, but most of all, not require my interaction. 

BILL! BILL! BILL! BILL! BILL!

Of course, when I am planning out the solution, someone is always there to interrupt my thought process. I took out my phone and answered it.

“Applejack, what is it?” I asked her.

“Twilight’s back. We’re gonna try and take on the sirens, so you just sit back and relax for this one.” Applejack said.

“Well, that’s… Wait, you mean Pony Princess Twilight? How the hell did she come back? Isn’t the portal supposed to be closed?” I asked her.

“No time to explain, we’re at the school now. Catch you later.” Click. Well, this aught to be interesting. I decided to head down to see the sirens defeated up close and personal.







As I made it to the gym, I noticed there was a bit of a party set up for the bands. Admittedly, it seemed a little too soon for one, but what the hell? I might as well get some punch and food for this entertaining show. I also noticed that Twilight was there, along with her friends (and Sunset). Along with them were the sirens. This was much easier than I thought. 

“KICK THEIR ASS, TWILY!” I shouted as I poured myself a cup of punch. I then looked at one of the sirens, the meek blue one, give me a raised eyebrow before I cleared my throat. “Assuming they’re joining the Battle of the Bands.” I shrugged, the brainwashing taking its effect.

“Right! Friendship… is magic!” As Twilight declared that…

Nothing.

Crickets chirped as the entire room was silent. I partly allowed the brainwashing to take control of me, but only because I felt it was hilarious to break the awkwardness with this classic line. I held the hand to the side of my mouth to make myself louder as I screamed:

“You suck!” Hoping Twilight didn’t see that I was the one who said it, I deepened my voice. Seemed to work, though only because Twilight was thinking of something else.

“Huh? I… I don’t understand… We’re all together and holding hands and everything!” Twilight said. 

“You’re a bit too ambitious. Hey, everyone! They think they got this contest in the bag!” The leader of the sirens, Adagio, said. 

“No way! We’re the ones that are going to win!” Flash Sentry shouted.

“No, the great and powerful TRRRRRRRRRRRRRIXIE will win!” Another student, one who was admittedly a lot more egocentric, shouted.

“The Crusaders are going to win!” Applejack’s little sister said.

“We’re the only winners here!” Another band leader shouted. As everyone got into a shouting match, the marks on their hand glowed as they suddenly began to rush into each other and beat each other up. Fortunately, I only felt aggression. I gave a confident smirk as I looked at my gloved hand. As they fought, I noticed a thick green smoke emanate from the infighting. A portion of it got absorbed into what seemed to be ruby necklaces that the sirens were wearing.

Bingo!

Just gotta destroy those and their days are over. But… How would I manage to?

“Right, that’s enough deprivation for one day…” I heard Banno’s voice as I saw the belt slam through the doors.

“W-what the!?” Adagio muttered as Banno flew over to me. Twilight’s group collectively screamed.

“WHAT THE HELL!? HOW IS HE STILL ALIVE!?” Rainbow Dash shouted.

“Kelly, what the buck did you do?” Applejack said. 

“Oh no…” Twilight shoved her face into her palm. 

“Banno! You came!” I exclaimed, ignoring the panic coming from the group.

“I had some reflecting and thought of a compromise. I’ll help you defeat these… sirens.” Banno said.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Adagio said before they turned to me. As they began to sing, the command to ignore the sirens rang up, to the point where I turned the other way.

“Seems I’m the only option… So, I’ll make this deal brief. You let me take over your body permanently. How does that sound?” Banno said.

“…” As I thought about it, Sunset stepped forward.

“Kelly! Don’t make the same mistake I did! He’s only trying to trick you!” Sunset said. I turned my head only to see her from the corner of my eye.

“I know but… He’s right. What choice do we have? You failed… Now, it’s up to him.” I closed my eyes as Banno flew to my waist, belt forming around it.

“Good servant… Now, start my engine.” Banno said.

“Kelly! Don’t!” Fluttershy cried out.

“You can’t do this! There has to be another way!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“You’ll look so tacky in that suit!” Rarity’s comment made everyone stare blankly at her. “What? Someone had to say it.” She shrugged. All the while, I looked onto the belt. 

I was reminded of the time Banno told me of my martyr syndrome. When the Crush Roidmude was destroying Canterlot. He was right about one thing. No matter how cruel I may feel… I still want to help. And if that means becoming a monster to do it…

“… Henshin.” I would gladly accept. I twisted the key and transformed into Gold Drive. Banno cocked his head and sharply inhaled.

“It’s good to be back…” Banno then ran towards the sirens, who proceeded to sing to him. Their melody fell on deaf ears as he smacked Aria Blaze down before grabbing Sonata Dusk by the neck. “I’m not as flawed as my host…” Banno tossed Sonata down as he took out the Steering Sword. Adagio gritted her teeth as several of the students rushed to her defense. Banno laughed as he smashed the wheel part of the sword across several of the students. For as much of an asshole as he was, he was at the very least mindful enough to not use the actual sword part on the students. He marched his way to Adagio and I realized he was reserving all lethal force towards her.

All while I was forced to watch…







Ivan arrived back at Canterlot High with Kim in the shotgun. 

“It’s a little hard to drive around in this… I’m adjusted to driving on the right.” Ivan chuckled. 

“I built the Tridoron in Japan, hence its placement. Were I to build this in America, though…” As Krim said that, he stopped upon hearing laughter. “…” He remained silent when he recognized the laugh. “Ivan… We need to go.” Krim said.

“Huh? What do you-” As Ivan said that, Krim got out of the dash and onto Ivan’s waist.

“There’s no time to explain!” Krim shouted.

“What’s going on?” Kim asked.

“I don’t know!” Ivan said as he opened the door. 

“Something worse than the Roidmudes is here…” 

“Well, why didn’t you say so?!” Ivan took out the Speed Shift Car and placed it on the Shift Brace. 

“Ivan, I don’t think Type Speed will work against him… Or Deadheat… You may need to use Shift Cars that you aren’t prepared for.” Krim said.

“I’m willing to take that risk. I didn’t come this far just to give up midway.” Ivan said.

“… Start your engine.” Krim said.







Adagio was on her knees as Banno kicked her in the face. She fell to the ground, at the mercy of the dark Rider.

“Banno, their rubies siphoned some green mist… I think that’s either their power source or a bank of sorts. Either way, I think you can destroy those and-” Banno ignored me as he kicked her again.

“Where’s the fun in that? Didn’t you tell me I had a blank check to do what I want with these sirens? I’m going to take my time here…” Banno raised the Steering Sword just before we heard someone smashing through the doors. “Hmmm?” Banno turned around to see Ivan in Drive’s Type Speed, Krim’s face glaring at Banno’s belt. I froze as I saw them in front of me. “… Ahehehehehe…” Banno started to laugh.

“I knew it… With the Roidmudes returning, you also returned from the grave… BANNO!” Krim said.

“Aaaah hah… Aaaaaaaaah…” He didn’t even focus on Adagio, who I could hear making her getaway. 

“Wait, two Drives!? I… Is this supposed to be cool or should we be afraid of that?” Rainbow Dash said. 

“Ahahahahahaha! AAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHA! Krim! Long time, no see!” Banno’s sadistic tone was clear for all to hear. As immediately as I accepted the deal, I regretted it, as now the worst fear I had when I saw Krim is now realized:

The two genius scientists will have a conflict once more…