“After them! Don’t let them escape!” Golden Wolf yelled, guiding his forces to surround their prey.
“We ain’t running, you villain,” Applejack said. “We’re hankering for a fight. Just hope you’ll ready for it!”
Despite their dire situation, this earned a smile from Twilight. Applejack was the bravest pony she knew. Her other friends stood ready, behind her to the end. Red, the other Trixie, had taught her the value of friendship. Somehow, it’d pull them through this. The Combatponies charged, keeping her friends engaged while the Rider confronted the real threat.
“Then prepare to die, little pony!” Golden Wolf howled, jumping into the fray.
Her bones rattled as the hilt of her sword intercepted the blow, sparks flashing as the general’s claws left deep gouges in her weapon. They separated, prowling around each other as they vied for a better position. Despite her terrible wounds, Twilight didn’t dare show any weakness. The slightest slip would mean defeat.
Their dance had them dodging, weaving through the other’s attacks, neither able to gain an advantage. They separated, prowling anew as they each searched for a weakness to exploit. Both breathed heavily, their strength taxed. Twilight grunted as her hoof struck a loose stone, making her stumble.
Sparks flew as Golden Wolf took full advantage of this slip, pain exploding in the Rider’s chest as the general’s claws dug deep. But Kamen Rider Lux wasn’t an easy foe. Her sword left a deep gash across her opponent’s face. They both staggered, pulling away from their opponent to gain some breathing room.
But Twilight was in worse shape, standing becoming almost impossible. That last exchange had pushed her too far, leaving her reserves empty.
“At last, Kamen Rider Lux falls!” Golden Wolf said, howling in delight as his opponent faltered. Before Twilight could respond, several missiles from the monster’s fingers blasted toward her.
Half-blinded by the wound to his dominant eye, most missiles flew past harmlessly. One, however, struck its mark, launching the Rider across the throne room.
“Twi!” Applejack said in alarm, knocking a Combatpony’s skull into a pillar. She rushed towards her princess’s side, taking a protective stance over her.
“And what do you expect to do, little pony?” Golden Wolf said, hobbling towards the pair.
“Getting ready to kick your flank.” The farmer said, stubbornly refusing to leave Twilight’s side.
“No, go!” Lux said, her tone frantic. Despite standing no match for the Shocker General, Applejack remained resolute despite Twilight’s pleas.
“Foals.” Golden Wolf said, his tone both mocking and amused.
“No way, meanie!” A high-pitched voice said. “Fireworks are meant to make ponies smile!”
“Gah!” Golden Wolf staggered back, a flash of fireworks exploding against his face. While they inflicted minor damage, the colorful explosions stunned the monster.
“Nice shot, Pinkie!” Starlight said, giving a wave from behind a pillar. While never the brave sort, she still proved her worth by stunning a Combatpony that tried to attack Twilight from behind.
“You’re not hurting my friend!” Fluttershy said, eyes red from rage. The general howled in pain as the mare’s bear ally decked him across the face.
Wow! Shy little Fluttershy is tougher than she looked!
“You will regret that, traitor.” Golden Wolf said, regaining his hooves. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten your treachery.”
The hateful glare from the Shocker General made Fluttershy tremble in fear. But she stood her ground, refusing to surrender to this bully.
“Die, all of you!” The general unleashed a barrage of missiles, blasting Twilight and the rest of her friends back. They groaned, bloody from getting blown clear by the blast. Thankfully, while bruised and battered, they still lived.
“No, you ain’t hurting her!” Much to everypony’s surprise, Applejack still refused to surrender. She staggered back to her hooves and stood tall and resolute, despite her wounds. She extended her hooves, ready to get into hooficuffs to protect her friend.
“No, yet!” Fluttershy said the next to stand to her hooves. While her bear friend was unconscious, she was still prepared to fight.
“Yeaperooni!” While blood matted her poofy hair, Pinkie wore a beaming smile.
“Guys.” Despite the ravages of her body, her friend’s support buoyed the Kamen Rider’s spirit. Was the power of friendship Red liked talking about?
“Then die together!” The general’s fingers opened, eager to unleash a barrage of missiles at the helpless pair.
But Golden Wolf howled in pain, his missiles diverted to shoot past their intended targets. They exploded harmlessly against a wall. “Who?”
“What? Did you forget about me, darling?” Rarity asked, her tone sugar-sweet. In her hoof, she held a dagger whose tip gleamed in the sun as blood dripped from it.
“You? The spymaster?” Golden Wolf grunted, clutching at a wound on his right rib.
“Of course. Did you think I’d miss the party?” Rarity fluttered her eyelashes. “I’ve been waiting a long time to snuff out the rest of Shocker.” Her tone turned deadly, positing her weapon in a fighting stance.
“Get ready, darling.” The spy said towards Twilight. “Let’s finish this and go home for a much-deserved spa date.”
“Typical Rare!” Applejack said, rolling her eyes but smiling.
“The only place you’re all going is hell!” Golden Wolf slashed his claws forward at Rarity.
But the spy slipped away with remarkable agility, almost gliding across the floor. No wonder Shocker had considered her a terror and locked her up in their most inescapable prison when they’d finally caught her. But the monster was quick and relentless, pushing his opponent hard. Despite her incredible skill, Golden Wolf proved too agile a foe to evade forever. Rarity hissed as her pure white coat was strained crimson by a glancing blow to her side. But Pinkie and Fluttershy backed her up, acting as a distraction to keep their friend from their enemy’s grasp. Starlight aided from a distance, but her shots went wild.
“I’ll need your help. Can’t fight much in this condition.” Despite her friends’ bravery, they couldn’t last forever. Twilight winced as Golden Wolf crushed Pinkie’s party cannon to scrap.
“Sure thing, Sugarcube. Just leave it all to me. Pinkie, Flutters, Rare, Starlight! Set ‘em up, will ya?”
“Got it!” All mares cried in reply.
“I’ve had enough of you, meanie!” With deft hooves, Pinkie darted under the wolf monster and kicked with everything she was worth. Twilight winced as a cracking sound reverberated through the throne room.
“Yes, we’ve had enough of you already,” Rarity said, taking advantage of the monster’s pain and leaving an X-shaped gash across his chest with her blade. A magic blast from Starlight Glimmer blasted into the monster’s chest, stunning him. For good measure, Fluttershy kicked Golden Wolf with an ineffectual but heartfelt kick, knocking him several degrees over, “Now!”
“Hang on, Sugarcube, this is gonna be a wild ride!”
“Sorry?” Twilight yelped as a rope slipped over her, grabbing hold tight. She screamed in surprise as her friend sped her around in a circle, threatening Twilight’s lunch.
“Now get him!” Applejack said, flinging the Kamen Rider right at their greatest foe. While discombobulated, Twilight knew what she needed to do. Her friends had risked everything to win this, and she wouldn’t disappoint them.
“Protean Rider Kick!” A radiant hoof stuck Golden Wolf in the chest, light exploding as Twilight released her remaining photon power.
“Impossible.” Golden Wolf staggered back, returning to his pony form. Blood dripped from his lips, and he collapsed to the ground. With a shaky hoof, he rose back to his hooves.
“Don’t think you’ve won,” Zol said, haggard but resolute. “As long as evil exists, so will Shocker, whatever form it takes. Hear me, Kamen Rider Lux. I will return for my revenge, even if I have to fight my way from the depths of hell itself!” His strength spent, Colonel Zol, the final Shocker General, exploded in a ferocious fireball.
“We did it! We vanquished Destron!” Twilight said, flopping to the ground.
“Not bad guys,” Starlight Glimmer said, exiting her cover. “I always knew we’d beat Zol!”
“Right,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes but smiling.
“Thank goodness it’s all over,” Fluttershy said, examining the shape of her bear friend. While he’d live, the animal needed medical attention.
“Victory! Finally!” Pinkie Pie threw confetti into the air, doing cartwheels despite her injuries. This earned a smile from Twilight, amused by the earth pony’s boundless energy. “Oh! I should bake a cake to celebrate! A super party, yay we save Equestria from eternal evil, cake for everypony can enjoy!”
“I’d like that,” Twilight said, disengaging her transformation.
“Um, er, if it’s not too much of a bother, can it be cherry?” Fluttershy’s voice dropped several octaves. “If that’s okay with you, of course.”
“Cherry would be fantastic.” Twilight wondered if Trixie would be interested in joining their little celebration party. It was a little disappointing that she hadn’t helped defeat Colonel Zol. Like Red, the mare enjoyed the spotlight. But such was life. They could rest easy knowing the war was over. While there were still Destron stragglers, Rarity could handle that business, calling on Kamen Rider Lux if things got sticky.
“Let’s get…” A stab of fear drove into Twilight’s heart, almost driving her to her knees. What was this? Her friend fared little better, almost debilitated by this malevolent aura.
Booming hooffalls echoed through the chamber as a black figure entered, Twilight flinching as she stared into its baleful, singular eye. It wore ebony armor, so dark, it sucked the light from the air. Its crab-like face was monstrous, reminiscent of Ika Devil, but with mandibles for a mouth. Tentacles draped across its body and arms like rich silk.
“I see, so Zol has fallen.” The creature said, his deep baritone voice shaking the room. He radiated power and authority, demanding total obedience. “Nevertheless, I shall take the throne from undeserving hooves.”
Impossible. It couldn’t be. Twilight recognized the voice. “Doctor Shinigami?”
The black figure approached the ruined remains of the late Great Leader’s throne, flicking a hoof. The broken stones cogitated in the air, bending to the newcomer’s will. In place of the destroyed stone was a throne fit for a dark king, ebony with skulls ordained over its surface.
“Correct, and I have been reborn as Type: Devil. Your new king and master.” The creature lounged on his new throne, giving Twilight a baleful look. To him, she was an insect barely worth his attention.
“No.” Just looking at the reborn Shinigami brought an uncontrollable urge to either flee or submit to the creature’s will. But she was a Kamen Rider. Surrendering wasn’t an option. “The throne belongs to the people!”
“Such bold words, but can you back them up, Kamen Rider Lux? You sway like a leaf in the wind. It’ll only to a breath to blow you away.” Type: Devil said. “I shall show you why your romantic notions of a free Equestria are only a foolish dream.”
“Never!” Twilight said, snarling.
“Come, if you dare. But I won’t even need to leave my throne to defeat you. Throw yourself against my perfection and perish!” Type: Devil said, raising a hoof. Only Twilight’s highly honed instincts saved her, jumping out of the way as a dagger appeared from nothing to strike her in the heart. What the heck? Had Type: Devil formed it from thin air?
“Die, Kamen Rider Lux. Your pathetic and inept reign ends today!” Dozens of more knives surrounded her, slashing out at impossible speed. They left her little room to dodge, her situation becoming even more perilous.
“Never. Hen…” Twilight didn’t get to finish, hissing in pain as a knife reopened the half-healed wound given to her by Doctor Shinigami’s treacherous sneak attack.
“Pathetic. Did you really expect you could do something against me?” Type: Devil stomped a hoof, spears thrusting from the stone beneath. Twilight barely escaped with her life. Applejack’s lasso tugged her away, the lances just slipping past her throat.
“Thanks,” Twilight said, using her friend to stand up.
Despite their enemy’s power, this stubborn mare refused to surrender, ready to battle despite the hopeless situation. “Not yet! Not until I knock you off that dang fake throne!”
“Well said, darling.” Rarity hurled a knife at the seated Type: Devil, but a wall of stone formed from the floor and deflected it away.
Neither Pinkie, Starlight, nor Fluttershy was idle, either. Starlight’s magical bolts peppered the monster, keeping him distracted. With her party cannon destroyed, the earth pony fought by other means. Type: Devil grunted in annoyance as the mare hurled party poppers at his face, more an irritant than a threat, but it bought them time. Time which Fluttershy used to assess Twilight’s injuries.
With deft hooves, the former Combatpony wrapped Twilight’s wounds in hasty bandages. While imperfect, they’d at least reduced her bleeding. The pegasus tried hoofing over several pills of painkillers, but Twilight rejected them.
“No, I’ll need my pain to keep sharp.” She couldn’t afford to dose herself in any capacity. The slightest dulling of her senses would only get her killed.
“Enough!” With a wave of his hoof, a surge of darkness struck Pinkie midair. It drove her hard against a far wall, denting the stone and shattering a nearby window. Rarity was the next to get swatted aside, but thankfully she hadn’t gotten struck so hard. Starlight didn’t fare as well, smacking her head hard against the marbled floor.
“Dear Shocker. How do we deal with this monster, Twi?” Applejack said, her mask of confidence cracking. Fluttershy trembled, giving out tiny whinnies of fear.
We can’t win this. I can’t fight in this condition. Yet, surrender was impossible. If Shinigami won, the world would descend into a never-ending nightmare of darkness. The Rider’s heart almost stopped as the monster directed his baleful glare toward her.
“And now, it’s finished.” The creature said, extending a hoof. But a loud crack echoed through the chamber as a hoof struck the monster from behind, staging him.
“Trixie?” Twilight said, amazed. Where had she come from? While she hadn’t knocked Type: Devil from his throne, she had displaced him somewhat.
“Insect!” A piece of the throne formed into a spear to impale the interloper, but Trixie pivoted away on her wings.
“Nice try,” Kamen Rider Protean said, hovering out of range of the monster. She zipped back, her hoof smacking the creature’s muzzle.
“Any ideas?” Starlight said, crawling up to her princess.
“We’ll back her up the best we can,” Twilight said, though she wasn’t optimistic. To her dismay, Protean’s attacks did little besides annoy Type: Devil.
“Okay,” Starlight replied, giving a weak smile.
He must have a weakness. Twilight watched Trixie fight their opponent, keeping a close eye on how Type: Devil fought. She narrowed her eyes, observing how his reality-warping powers worked. Daggers zipped around in the air, slashing at the flying Rider. But Trixie kept out of their reach, using her finely tuned instincts to avoid them. More dangers materialized from nothing, pushing Protean away from her opponent in her attempts to dodge.
While not instantaneous, Type: Devil could form whatever he wanted from nothing. But the materialization took time, giving Trixie precious seconds to formulate a defense. Their mutual enemy wasn’t omnipotent, unable to affect anywhere beyond his line of sight. But what advantage did that afford them? She winced as Trixie misstepped, sparks flying as a dagger slashed against her chest. These distractions gave Type: Devil time enough to grow cords from the floor, lashing out to wrap around Protean’s leg.
“Hey.” Trixie howled in pain as dozens of daggers slashed into her chest, and more cords reached out to restrict her movements. She struggled against her bonds, but they only tightened.
“And now, another Rider falls.” Type: Devil lifted a hoof.
Rock coalesced in the air, forming a spear. Its sharp tip glinted in the light, sharpened to an impossible degree. Twilight’s heart froze in fear, knowing her fellow Rider’s armor wasn’t as impenetrable as hers. Type: Devil lounged on his throne, indomitable. With a dainty flick of a hoof, he sentenced Kamen Protean to death.
“Die.”