My name is Kelly Randall. About a month or so ago, I picked up a belt from a vendor at Comicon while cosplaying as Ryoma Sengoku. That belt was a deluxe edition Banno Driver from Kamen Rider Drive. Little did I know that it was the real Banno Driver. However, I only realized it once I was transported into another world where humans have various skin colors.
To make matters worse, time stopping robots called the Roidmudes wish for the belt so that they can reclaim the mad scientist inside the belt: Tenjuro Banno. However, the Belt was stuck onto me, meaning if they want the belt, they'll also want me too, hurting anyone who would come between them and their prizes.
Thus, me and Banno made a pact to defeat the Roidmudes. It's not an easy alliance though. I want to save the world while Banno wants to take it over. There's no doubt that we'll come to blows once the threat is gone... Which may come sooner rather than later, as we took out one of their generals: Roidmude 006, who had evolved into the Nerve Roidmude during a rebellion against their former leader Heart.
There had been a quiet resistance, though. The Judge Roidmude had been silently resetting the Roidmudes one by one with the help of the Roidmudes' Grim Reaper, a human by the name of Ross Rosevelt who seemed to have been put in the same situation as I have, being transported into another world possessing the memories of the person you're dressed as.
In his case, it was apparently Little Red Riding Hood if she had a scythe and could move so fact, it could counteract Slowdown, the method the Roidmudes used to stop time. With Ross' help and Judge's sacrifice, Banno and I have managed to defeat Nerve and save the city...
Now I wonder about the possible calm before the storm as I had recently defeated a corrupted Roidmude with the help of a mysterious rider by the name of Buki. During this battle, I recovered a rifle... That's where this story continues.
It wasn’t easy getting Soarin’ to hand the rifle over to me, but when I told him I would do some research, he gushed about how he was contributing to Professor Silverbolt’s work.
The harder part was hiding the rifle in the library. I’m pretty sure the school had a zero tolerance towards guns. I inspected the gun.
“Yep, pretty Halo.” I said. I remembered playing a little bit of the game, but I wasn’t exactly hard-core. Turning on the belt, I transformed into Gold Drive. Banno sighed as he switched over to hand me the Technic Shift Car. I plugged it in and my HUD changed to create some charts.
“Hmmm… This is strange.” Banno asked.
“What is?” I asked as I saw a swirling aura of dark energy.
“I remember this from college… It was a theory some professor made exploring alternate universes. The theory that alternate universe travel is possible through pseudo-black holes called Voids.” Banno said.
“Voids, huh? So what? We can use this to create portals?” I asked.
“No. The gun is affected by the Void in some way. There’s evidence of residue.” Banno said.
“Hmm…” I wanted to test it out and fire the gun, but I didn’t wanna alert the school. “Guess we have a new weapon for now.” I stowed it away in my back though before I left, I remembered what Zoloto said.
“The category of people who are willing to abandon their old lives, even their old identities, in order to be a part of something bigger. To make a change. To be a hero. To be Displaced.”
To be Displaced? What was he talking about? I pulled out the gun again. No. It couldn’t be by accident that I had this. I had to have come across it for a reason. The HUD began to flicker, indicating my time is running out, so I scanned the gun quickly for something. Anything. Sure enough, I could feel something. A presence.
“So, found a Token.” I pointed the rifle to Niko.
“Do you know a Kamen Rider by the name of Buki?!” I asked him. He chuckled.
“No, no, that Kamen Rider had nothing to do with me, rest assured. However, I’m quite intrigued with that as you are.” I stayed silent and had my finger hover slowly over the trigger. “However, that Token is a special kind of Token. You want to see how it works? You need two of them.” Niko pulled a chainsaw fused with a sword out of his jacket. “Take it! The more, the merrier, I always say!”
“The more, the merrier?” I asked.
“All will be explained in due time. For now…” He walked over and handed me the chainsword. “Just… listen.” He said. Without any sort of choice, I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to hear something. Anything. Just then, I heard a simple whisper in my head and I began to repeat the whisper.
“AVE IMPERATOR, FOR THE UNSC, FOR TERRA!"
Then two voices were heard fully in my head and the full message was then said: "This is Sebastian of the Dark Angels Chapter... And I'm Spartan Sebaste-915 of the UNSC.... Together, we are humanity's last hope in the grim darkness of the far future. If you're in need of the galaxy's most powerful super soldiers, or if you are needing to bring death to the enemies of the Imperium and the UNSC, we will answer the call... AVE IMPERATOR, FOR THE UNSC, FOR TERRA!"
“Cool, is it not? Now, just think of whatever reason they can be summoned. It can be for a good ol’ fight, hanging out, or-”
“I know what I want. I want them to help me protect this town from the Roidmudes. That’s my reason: we need more protectors. We need more guardians.” I said. Niko smirked.
“There we go, m’dear! Call them now!” He said. As if I was motivated by sheer determination, I shouted:
“AVE IMPERATOR, FOR THE UNSC, FOR TERRA!”
A portal suddenly opened a few inches above near where I was, and as it opened, I heard two voices emanate from it.
“NOT AGAIN!”
“FRAAAAAAG!”
Two armored figures fell out of it, one bigger than the other. The smaller one used what looked like thrusters built into his armor to arrest his fall while the larger one slammed down into the ground, landing on a hand and a knee.
“Ugh, I hate it when that happens!” The smaller figure, who I now saw looked like a Halo 4 Spartan Orbital with red and silver armor, said. “Whoever came up with using portals to travel has a very bad sense of humor!”
“Take it easy Seb, at least we didn't land in a war zone like last time.” The larger figure said before looking around in a confused manner. “Speaking of which, where the heck did we end up? Manehatten?”
Manehatten? Did… Did he just make a pun? I stood there with my jaw dropped. In that time, Niko stepped in.
“Ah! Welcome! No, you are not in Manehatten, sadly. You are in…” Niko had a moment to think. “Well, this place never really had a name, so we’ll call it Simtopia.” No. I take that back. That was dumber than Manehatten.
The two spun around, weapons suddenly in their hands before they relaxed and lowered them. “Who the heck are you guys?” The Spartan asked.
“Ah, well, allow me to introduce you two. My name is Niko Zoloto. Most call me Sid.” He said.
“What, like Sid the Sloth from Ice Age?” Was the reply from the red and silver armored man.
“No, I think more like Sid the Lock Dealer from Kamen Rider Gaim. Slime and all.” Was my response.
“No. Sid as in Cid from Final Fantasy.” There was a pause. “It was the only name I could come up with that was cool, alright?”
“So which one of you guys summoned us? We heard someone shout the battle cry from our message, next thing we know, we’re here.” The second figure asked, and I got a good look at him for the first time. His armor looked both high tech and also archaic. His helmet had a mouth grille on it and the lenses were colored red. He had two massive shoulder pads, the one on the right had what looked to be a winged sword while the one on the left had a red sideways double headed arrow with a number 4 over it. His armor was dark green and on his knee was a single red diagonal stripe. On his back was a strange looking backpack that looked more like an astronaut’s backpack
“It’s a long story, but if you want the answer… She did it.” Niko pointed to me.
“H-hey! You told me to do it!” I said.
“That, I did…” He turned to talk with the two summoned. “Well, I can tell from your reactions that this is the first time you’ve been summoned before, correct?” Niko asked the two marines.
“Actually, no it's not.” The Spartan said. “We’ve been summoned… damn, forgot how many times we got summoned by other Displaced… But needless to say, this isn't our first time at the rodeo.”
“Perfect! So you probably won’t mind telling our dear Kelly here about the wonderful world of Displaced and how she has just signed up for war!” Niko said.
“Wait, what!?” I barked at him.
“Whoops! Look at the time!” He checked his wrist which obviously had no watch. “I gotta head! Take care of Kelly for me!” He said before running out and jumping out the window.
“HEY! WAI-”
ZIIIIIIIIP!
Before I could even react, a mechanism attached to Niko’s legs activated and shot out a rope. He was then immediately yanked out of the window and into the sky where that same mechanism shot out a bit of steam, giving him what seemed to be a steampunk jetpack/hookshot combination.
“What the…?!” The Spartan yelped, “He just went all Attack on Titan on us!” I looked at the city landscape as Niko flew away.
“Well, he was wearing the jacket.” The Astartes said. I sighed and turned to the soldiers.
“So… Displaced, huh?”
“Yep… So who exactly are you supposed to be? I don't think I recognize the character you’re supposed to be…” The Spartan asked.
“Well, I’m Kamen Rider-” That’s when the armor cancelled out. “... I was Kamen Rider Gold Drive. Now I’m just dressed up as Ryoma Sengoku. Or as this world had decided to call me, Jetstorm Silverbolt.”
“Kamen Rider? I don't think I've heard of that series… I was more into Power Rangers.” He took his helmet off to reveal a tired face with blue eyes and a mop of short reddish brown hair.
“Well, Power Rangers is how I got into Kamen Rider. It’s the perfect gateway show.” I said. The Spartan cleared his throat.
“The name’s Sebaste and my friend in the Astartes armor is Sebastian, or Sasha to his friends.”
“I’m Kelly. Well, around here, I’m called Professor Silverbolt.” I said, noting the term Astartes.
“So where exactly are we? This isn't like any Equestria I’ve seen…” Sebastian said. He looked outside and then said, “Scratch that, I don't think we're even in Equestria anymore,” he looked outside the library where he could see the parking lot, “they don't have cars where they are!”
“What?!” Sebaste looked over to Sebastian, a look of shock on his face.
Equestria? Hm… From what I gathered, it seemed they came from a world where horses are a dominant species. I remembered the jacket Niko wore, with the unicorn on the patch.
“You wouldn’t happen to know that asswipe Niko, right?”
“You mean that loony? Nope, never even met the guy until now, seriously, that guy reminds me of a mix of both Pinkie and Deadpool!” Sebaste said.
“Wait, you know Pinkie?!” I asked.
“Yeah. We sorta do.” Sebaste said. I took a moment to process that. Well, gotta interrogate Pinkie to see what she knows about this Equestria.
“Alright, thanks for answering. I presume you guys are Displaced like me. You’re soldiers, so that’s good. I called you here to help me protect this town from a threat. Ever heard of Roidmudes?” I asked them.
“Nada.” Sebastian said. “I’ve heard of many types of movie, T.V. and game enemies, but those don't ring a bell.”
“Basically, they’re time stopping body snatchers. I have been fighting them for the past month or so.” I said.
“And you need help taking them out?” Sebaste guessed. “You do realize that we can't exactly stay long here? We have priorities of our own back in our Equestria.” Our Equestria? That implied that there’s more than one of these horse dominated realms.
“Hm… Perhaps just for this day. Any dent we can put into these Roidmudes is a good enough dent.” I said. I went over to the map where I put the locations of possible Roidmude hideouts back when Fluttershy was kidnapped. It had been a week since the Roidmudes had been last seen, not counting the incident last night, but with the help of the Shift Cars, I was able to pinpoint where there might have been activity.
“Normally I’d patrol the area, but I have class to attend. See that warehouse over there?” I pointed to a place right around the Rabbit Hole. “Last I heard, some Roidmudes were trying to make this spot a hive for them after one of their leaders died.” I said, referring to Gunman. “If you can go over there and clear it out, I’m pretty sure that can be enough of a task.” I said.
“Copy that. We’ll have that place cleared out in seconds.” Sebastian growled. “Anything we need to know about what exactly we’re going up against before we do this? We’re not exactly familiar with the Kamen Rider universe.”
“Well, first, take these.” I clicked my tongue as two Shift Cars rolled over to them. Sebaste got a black dune buggy Shift Car, Shift Wild, while Sebastian got a green garbage truck Shift Car, Shift Technic. “These two will help negate any sort of time distortion you guys may find. Hold them dear to yourselves… Oh, and I think you guys may need these.” I handed them their weapons.
“Thanks, but we're pretty much covered on the weapons.” Sebaste said before an assault rifle materialized in his hand. “You keep them. As for the cars, we’ll make sure nothing happens to them. That we promise.” Both he and Sebastian picked them up, then Sebaste asked, “Erm, where do we store them?”
“I have just the thing.” I went over and grabbed two sets of Shift Car Holders. Then I gave it to them. “Clasp them onto the side of your waist.” I said.
They both nodded and did just that.
CLICK
The two clasp onto the side and the Shift Cars click into them.
“You have transportation?” I asked them.
Sebaste smirked. “Yep, when you're able to summon any vehicle from your game universe, you don't need outside transport.” I smiled.
“Perfect.” I said. “Let’s go, Banno.” I said.
“This… has been quite an experience…” Banno muttered. I stopped, knowing they might ask who Banno is.
“By the way, I have a mad scientist in my belt. See?” I turned around and showed them Banno’s face on the Driver.
“Huh, if he was in Girl Genius, he’d make quite the Spark.” Sebastian said. “But then he'd be a plug.”
Sebaste face palmed before putting his helmet back on. “Dude, let me do the jokes from now on.” He said.
“Agreed…” Banno said. With that, the bell rang.
“Ah, class is beginning! I guess I can see you two off before I go.” I began to walk away. Sebastian followed me to the doors.
“Where do you want us to rendezvous after we take the warehouse out?” He then asked.
“Probably back around here. Though, probably sometime after three, when the students have gone back home. Well, see ya.” I said. I walked away from the two as they looked at each other.
“Students?” Sebastian asked. That’s when they saw several students walking in the school, each of them with very colorful skin. Sebaste froze in shock.
“Oh you have gotta be kidding me…”
“What? What is it?” Sebastian asked.
“Two words: Equestria Girls.” Sebaste replied.
“Wait, wait, wait, you mean that alternate universe where the ponies are humans? THAT universe?!” Sebastian then groaned. “Well this got awkward…” Sebeste shook his head.
“Let's roll!” Sebaste said as the two got outside. A Gauss Warthog appeared next to them. He jumped into the driver's seat while Sebastian took the turret. Sebeste revved the engine and drove off towards the warehouse.
Ross woke up to notice he was in a different place, and in a nice, comfy bed. Last he remembered, he was out in the rain struggling through the pain he just received. He could no longer feel any of his muscles tensing up. He sighed. Seemed the Roidmude had been taken care of.
“Good job.” He said. That’s when the door opened.
“Ah, I see you’re awake.” Ross was almost entranced by the woman’s calm, almost seductive tone of voice. He found it very familiar for some reason. It wasn’t until he saw her face that he realized why.
Ross rolled up the sheets as he saw a woman with dark orange skin. Despite the color, he recognized her supermodel physique, her long brown hair with bangs that hid her right eye, and even the red gown, though it a more simplified version of it.
“Is something the matter?” That voice stung Ross more than Nerve could ever do to him. His arms shook as his eyes wandered the entire room looking for Crescent Rose. If she was what he thought she was, he’d probably need it really soon before she put an arrow in his chest. “My daughter found you in the streets last night and took you in. You’re safe now.”
No! No, I’m not safe! Ross thought. He couldn’t find the weapon and he was pretty sure his Token was back at the Roidmude headquarters. The only thing he could do now is wait for the inevitable.
“You probably need more rest. I’ll fix you up some breakfast, okay?” She asked him. Ross nodded, if only to get her out of the room so that he could plan for what to do when she goes into the room again.
The two marines arrived by the warehouse. Already, the place looked devastated. The doors were busted down, claw marks were all over the walls, and even the windows looked smashed in.
“Geez, whoever fought here had quite the party!” Sebaste said, his eyes on the HUD inside his helmet. “Right, let's check and see if anyone's home, if there are any civilians, make sure they don't get hurt.” Sebastian nodded before the two dismounted and readied their weapons, Sebaste was equipped with a beam rifle while Sebastian had a heavy bolter.
The two could hear heavy snoring sounds. One thing was for sure, they didn’t belong to a human.
Grrrrrrr…
“Oh shit…” Sebaste muttered. “Great, freaking robots… as if I didn't have enough to worry about!” The two went further into the room.
Upon further inspection, they could see torn apart robots, pieces of scrap put over the floor. Resting on a pile of them was a large black bear. No. Literally black. Much like the wolf that Kelly encountered, the bear had white bones jutting out of its body, but it also had boney plates all over it as well. It too had a mask with a red line pattern. However, its orange eyes were closed. It appeared to be sleeping.
“What the…, that's no robot, that's a Grimm!” Sebastian exclaimed. “When did RWBY get involved here?!”
“I don't know, but I'm putting it to sleep permanently.” Sebaste said before activating his active camo ability and moving towards a staircase in order to access the higher levels.
“Sebaste, wait! Be careful of-!” Sebastian started to warn the Spartan, but just as he started to speak, Sebaste's foot brushed against a piece of scrap metal.
The eyes soon opened up, showing a bright orange light that stared right at Sebastian. However, as it just woke up, it took some time to get up.
“Damn it!” Sebastian swore before firing a hail of mass reactive shells at the Grimm. “Sebaste, hurry up and take your position!” He yelled.
The Grimm got up and roared out, standing on its hind legs as it bore the chest plate with the number 102 on it. Particles around them flashed, and while they stumbled a bit, they were able to move in slowed down time thanks to the Shift Cars.
The bullets smashed into the Roidmude before detonating inside its body.
Part of the Ursai’s chest exploded and left a hole in it where the glowing number resided, though still stuck in the Roidmude. It leaped towards Sebastian, though it seemed to fly over him and landed on the roof, sticking to it like a spider. It then crawled up to the ceiling, ready to jump down onto Sebastian. Only for a plasma beam to smash into its head as Sebaste fired from a concealed position.
Headless, the Grimm exploded, leaving the core to float harmlessly towards Sebastian before it faded away into nothingness.
“Geez, that… was terrifying…” Sebastian muttered. “But at least that thing is taken out.”
Sebaste jumped down from his spot and walked over to the Astartes. “Sorry about that, I honestly wasn't meaning to brush against that scrap metal!”
“It's fine, just-” Sebastian suddenly fell silent as his enhanced hearing picked up something that sounded like it was approaching the warehouse. “Someone's coming, let’s get out of here.” He said before sirens were heard from down the street.
The two ran out and jumped into the Warthog and were gone just as the police arrived.
A couple of cops, Spitfire included, got out of the car.
“Man, betcha it’s just another prank call, right?” One of them chuckled. Spitfire sighed. Ever since Tachibana’s death, the cops had become less civilized. It didn’t help that the clown Soarin’ took over the department afterwards. She closed her eyes and sighed.
She wished for the days when Wind Rider was their chief.
As the Warthog drove off, a man on the rooftop took pictures of them and smirked. He wore a purple scarf over his white and silver uniform, had white hair and icy blue eyes.
“So, how was that?” Niko asked the man.
“I gotta say, Sid, this is good research. You say these are Displaced, correct?” He asked.
“Yes, they are.” Niko said.
“The overseer will be thrilled to see this. Now, for your reward…” He said. He took out a briefcase containing a dreamcatcher. Niko took the dreamcatcher and with one hand, crushed it.
“W-What did you just do!? Do you know how potentially powerful that was? We could have cracked the code on this whole Displaced thing and everything!” He asked.
“If you knew what powers this dreamcatcher had, you would not even touch it with a twenty foot pole. Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Diamond.” Niko said as he walked away, then leaped in the air and let his 3D Maneuver Gear take him off the roof and elsewhere. The white haired man stood stunned as he saw the dreamcatcher on the ground, broken. However, it was merely a setback. Mr. Diamond smirked as he looked at the footage he took of the marines defeating the Grimm.
“She will be pleased to see this indeed.” He said.
I stared at the class room. Only half the students came to the school. The others were either in the hospital healing from their wounds, too scared to even go to school, or dead. I looked at how empty the classroom was. Only a select few students came. It was silent. The students expected me to say something.
But how could I? What do I say? My mind wasn’t exactly in the right place. I didn’t want to teach. I want to fight. I want to make sure the Roidmudes were extinct. I want to be free from Banno and reduce him to tiny little pieces. But most of all…
I want to go home. But I can’t. I have to make sure the kids graduate. I have to make sure this world is safe from the Roidmudes and their Recreator. I have to make sure Banno doesn’t take over while I’m away. I heard an engine hum from outside. I looked out and saw the Warthog.
“Kids, I know a giant amount of crap had happened, so I say we should just relax. I have an idea.” I got up and went out. When I got back, I dragged in a cart with a CRT TV on it. I already had the VHS put in, so I hit play and stormed out of the class while the TV’s speakers announced their entertainer for the class:
“BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY!”
When I got out of the school, I saw the Warthog parked outside. I walked over to the two.
“So, how’s your Roidmude hunting? Killed a bunch, I hope?” I asked them.
“When we got to the warehouse, it was a total wreck, like an animal had rampaged through there. We went in to investigate and….well, we found a Grimm, somehow it was fused with a Roidmude. We managed to bring it down, but before we could investigate more, the police showed up.”
“A Grimm? Like... As in the Brothers Grimm?” I asked. I was curious as to how someone was able to fuse with the Roidmude.
“No. Like one of the creatures from RWBY. It was an Ursa.”
An Ursa… The name implied that it was a bear. A giant bear monster? And it fused with a Roidmude? “Ah… RWBY. There’s actually someone who knows about that show more than me.” I said. I then clenched my teeth. “Unfortunately… I sort of ran him down with a car... Well, more like I shot a car at him.” I said. The two didn’t seemed that surprised.
“Let me guess, he’s in the hospital?” Sebaste groaned.
“Actually, we checked… He wasn’t at the hospital.” Banno spoke up.
“Yeah, some of my students were in the hospital after fighting the Roidmudes, but not Ross, surprisingly enough.” I said.
“I'm guessing this Ross has more intel on the Grimm?” Sebastian asked.
“I presume so. He seems to know the show more than me, at any rate. I also presume these Grimm are not in Equestria?” I said.
Sebaste shook his head. “They only show up if there's a RWBY Displaced in that Equestria. And if the Grimm are here, my guess is there’s a RWBY Displaced here.” He said. “Each Displaced faces foes from the game, TV show or movie in their own Equestrias.” That line shook me to the core. It was almost like I was drawn to fighting the Roidmudes… But Niko himself had stated that the Roidmudes came first, not me.
That’s when I remembered a little law that was a constant in Kamen Rider: The Cross of Fire. It goes something like this: Bad guys try to do bad guy stuff. Someone gets caught in the crossfire. They’re given the powers that the bad guys have and dedicate their lives to fighting them. In a way, the bad guys create their nemesis, much like how most superheroes end up creating their own archenemies.
In this case, the Roidmudes arrived into this world, and in response to all their terrorism here, I had to step in and fight to protect myself and everyone close to me as Kamen Rider Gold Drive. In a way, it was destiny that tied us together. I focused back to the boys.
“Well, Ross was dressed as an edgy Little Red Riding Hood. Does that count as RWBY Displaced?”
“Wait… did you say he was dressed as a person with a red cloak and hood? He didn't happen to have a scythe that also functions as a Sniper rifle, did he?” Sebastian asked.
“And Bingo was his name-o.” I said.
“Huh, well call me an ork, a gender bent Ruby. That's the first time I've heard of a male version of her.” The Astartes chuckled before turning serious. “You need to find him if you are to fight both the Roidmudes and the Grimm. The universe that Ross’s character comes from deals with these creatures on a daily basis. He’ll have the knowledge on how to combat these things.”
“Well, I’ll be sure to ask him about these Grimm when I find him… If I find him.” I said.
“Speaking of which, when we were driving away from that warehouse, I picked up two signatures on a roof nearby. One of them was Niko, but the other… I have no idea who it was.” Sebaste said. “But something tells me that there's a bigger plot to all of this, you and Ross getting Displaced here cannot be a coincidence.”
“Yep. That wackjob Niko told me about that. How me and Ross were assigned to this world…” I sighed. “The rabbit hole just got deeper.” I said.
“I know. There is a way to help others, however. Plus, you'll be able to see other Equestrias. Create your own token.” Sebastian said.
“A Token?” I asked.
“Basically your calling card in the Multiverse, and a way for others to request your help.” Sebaste explained. “It basically holds a bit of your soul. And the voice is you telling them that you're ready to either help or hang out.”
“Hm…” I pondered it. I could help people across different worlds, or Equestrias, as they put it. Seems there was more than one. “How do I make one?” I asked.
“You choose something that's related to your character or yourself, then you say a phrase that tells others that you’re available to help. As for putting the bit of soul in there, you need someone with magic to help with that.” Sebastian said, his hand suddenly surrounded by a green aura.
“Guessing that’s where you come in.” I said. I knew exactly what item to use. I took out the Shift Speed Shift Car and handed it over to them as I whispered out. “Start my engine.” I said.
Sebaste facepalmed. “If you heard our message when you picked up our tokens, it needs to be more than that. You actually need to let others know who you are and what you are capable of. It doesn't have to be too long, but not too short either.”
“Alright… My name is Kelly Randall. Along with Tenjuro Banno, I am Kamen Rider Gold Drive. If you can handle Banno’s cruelty, then you may summon me. Do so by telling us one thing: Start My Engine.” I said. “Would that work?” I asked.
“Yep, that definitely works!” Sebaste said with a thumbs up.
Sebastian's hands then glowed before a copy of the Shift Car appeared in his other hand. Oddly enough, it was now golden colored instead of red. “I find it easy to create a copy to create the token so that you keep the original.” He said before gesturing to me to put my hand on the copy. I placed my hand on it. He then concentrated and his hands glowed again, and I felt a piece of… something separate from me while the replica started glowing. In seconds, it was over. Sebastian then stumbled back and knelt down. “Ugh, that took a lot outta me…” he groaned.
“Arg… Me too.” I said.
“Now all that you need to do is send it into the void.” Sebaste said. He glanced at his chronometer. “Sash, we need to get back. Alex is gonna kill me if we don't get back and you know how she worries about us.” The Astartes nodded before his hand glowed again. A portal opened in front of us.
“So, that’s the void?” I asked.
“No, this is our way back to our Equestria.” Sebaste said. Sebastian then opened a much smaller portal right next to me. “This is to the void. It’ll close after you send your token through.” Both Displaced then saluted. “It was an honor meeting you Kelly, and I hope we'll see each other again one day.” Sebaste said.
“An honor meeting you. Perhaps one day I’ll visit Equestria and see how your armies are at fighting.” I said with a chuckle.
Sebaste sighed. “We don't command any armies. The only defenders are us. Some Displaced do command armies, but others? You’ll find out soon that power isn’t always the best path. Sometimes you give up everything to protect those closest to you or to protect others that need it. Think on that before you think that everyone commands everything. ” He said before the two entered the portal, which closed immediately after.
I looked to the swirling vortex and dropped the golden Shift Car into it. It immediately swallowed the Shift Car up and disappeared. I soon heard clapping and I turned around.
“So, who the hell was that guy you spoke to?” I asked Niko.
“Am I really that predictable? Well, I guess I can explain.” The merchant chuckled a little. “There’s a company who’s really interested in this Displacing business as I am. However, they want to use it as a vehicle for armies and the like. They offered me something in return for showing them how Tokens work.” He said. That’s when my mind clicked.
“You set me up, didn’t you?” I asked. Niko chuckled and clapped his hands again.
“Bright as ever, Miss Randall. You’re practically fit to wear the lab coat!” He said. My body shivered.
“H-how do you know my last name?!” I asked.
“After I displaced you, I went back to your world and noticed a couple of missing posters scattered around… What was it again? Ah yeah, Portland.” Portland… my hometown. My body shook. I could no longer feel any muscle in my body. It was as if Nerve had struck me from beyond the grave. “But yes, in exchange for a Token, I showed them the power of said Tokens. They are rather impressed with the display of power those two have shown.” He said.
“Wait, another Token? Maybe it can hel-” That’s when Niko gave me a cold glare.
“Don’t. Think about it. The Displaced tied to that Token is one of the most dangerous Displaced I’ve bared witness to. So dangerous, in fact, that I dedicated myself to destroying every one of that Displaced’s tokens across the many Equestrias.” He said. He paused and chuckled. “Oh, yeah, when you dumped that car into the portal, you just made, like, a million copies. Some schmuck can just pick it up and probably bring you over to do something as mundane as open a pickle jar.” Niko laughed a little. I couldn’t even speak. Every time Niko opened his mouth, my entire body goes cold.
“Your resolve to fight the Roidmudes is cute, I’ll give you that. But if you make that your burden, then you’re never going to go back home.” He turned around and walked away.
“HEY!” I finally gained the courage to scream at him. But he didn’t even turn around. All he did is say:
“Sad thing is, I pity you. You remind me of myself from a long time ago. Trapped in another world until you could accomplish that goal.” With that, he flew off with his 3D Maneuver Gear. I stood there, unsure of how to process all that. That’s when the phone rang.
“Hello?” I asked.
“Hey! Professor! Wanna go patrolling with me?” Soarin’s voice actually perked me up.
“Sure…” I said.
I chose to ride with Soarin’ rather than get into the Tridoron. The night I used it, he gushed and asked me if it was one of Silverbolt’s many inventions. Out of fear that he would take it for himself and add it to his Silverbolt collection, I opted to ride.
Plus, it helped me, for I was about to bring up something that had been burning in my head for quite some time.
“What’s with Wind Rider?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” Soarin’ asked.
“I mean… He retired, right?” I asked.
“Yeah. He did. He came to an age where being a cop would just prove detrimental to his health and so he was let go. I mean, he didn’t like having to do it, obviously, but I’d rather know he’s safe and living a comfortable life rather than risk his life just to protect people.” Soarin’ said.
“… I saw a picture of you, Spitfire, and Wind Rider at Canterlot High… When the Roidmudes attacked. You guys were close?” I said.
“More than close! We were the Wondercolts! We won more trophies than we could count. When it came time to graduate… Well, let’s just say we all chose the same career path to make sure we never got separated.” Soarin’ said.
“Being cops…” I said.
“Yeah. Wind Rider was our coach, so naturally when a new district was formed, he became our chief. And then… Well, you know the rest.” He said.
“And I guess his reputation at the department is bad?” I asked.
“Well, people say he refuses to retire. That he’s the very definition of a workaholic. To be fair, if I retired and I constantly saw that people were still suffering…” Soarin’ paused and looked at his wheel. Conveniently, we stopped by a set of stoplights. “Around the time we graduated, there was a huge disaster. No one knew what happened. A massive black hole emerged from a research facility near CHS. It destroyed the facility from the inside out…” Soarin’ frowned a bit before the light turned green. He started the engine and went forward.
“Flash Sentry was just a baby when it happened. His mom… His mom was one of the victims in the explosion. I… I tried to save her.” He pulled over and looked at his hand. As he did so, I couldn’t help but feel a familiarity.
I remembered a Kamen Rider who had felt the exact same thing that Soarin’ went through. Not being able to save a single life. But, as I thought of that, I also remembered another Kamen Rider. One that was so recent, I could still remember the images playing out.
The gun firing just as time froze.
The rain that poured down on that tragic night.
His partner being unable to move as steel girders fell upon him.
His bloodied hand in the heap of fallen beams.
“Shinnosuke…” I muttered.
“What?” Soarin’ asked.
“Oh, n-nothing… You… You have my sympathies.” I said.
“I know exactly how you felt back at the hospital. The reason I became a cop… It was to make sure that tragedy never happened again.” He said. It was barely a moment before alarm bells rang. Soarin’ and I turned to see the bank we parked in had two masked men inside.
“Great. A bank robbery. How original.” I muttered as I got out.
“H-hey! Wait!” Soarin’ took out his gun and followed me.
“Rainbow Dash?” A nurse entered to the room. Rainbow Dash was just staring at the window. The doctors said it was a miracle that her spine wasn’t critically damaged. However, she merely had to feel the steel rims on her sides to know that she’s not magically healed.
Squeak squeak squeak…
The wheelchair turned around to face the nurse.
“Yeah?” She rasped out.
“Someone is here to see you.” The nurse backed away. At first, she had no idea who would want to see her. Applejack? Fluttershy? Kelly? She knew that they were also sent to the hospital after the fight with Nerve. She even thought of that Ross boy, though it was a mere doubt. However, when she saw who came in, her eyes widened. She smiled and, for a brief moment, it was like she was able to get off of her chair and dance towards him.
“Rainbow Dash, come with me. It’s urgent.” It was Wind Rider, veteran coach of the Wondercolts and former chief of the Canterlot Police Department. And he wants her.
“DOWN ON THE GROUND! NOW!” As soon as I entered, a masked man held a gun at me. I rolled my eyes and kicked him in the face. While he pulled the trigger, I shifted his hand so that the bullet didn’t reach anything but the wall. It made a few people freak out, but other than that, I was able to defuse the situation and knocked down the robber with a well-placed chop to the neck.
I trembled a bit. I had to remind myself that I was in the middle of a bank robbery. But then I looked down and saw both the knocked down man and Banno. I wasn’t a victim in this. I was the hero. I glared at the two other robbers. They hesitated. I calmly walked to them.
“Not another step!” One of them pointed a gun at me. My heart didn’t race. In fact, the only time my heart raced was when I considered invoking Slowdown. If only because I wanted to hold true to Shinnosuke’s moral code regarding it, how using it scares others.
Though, I’m supposed to be dressed as a mad scientist and I’m wearing a mad scientist on my belt. Morality went out the window a long time ago. I readied myself to use the Banno Driver when all of a sudden…
POP!
A red balloon erupted as it touched the hot florescent light. This was followed by a girl’s crying and one of the robbers pointing his gun at her.
“SHUT IT!” He barked.
“No!” Soarin’ ran towards the girl and shielded her from the potential bullet. The man who held the gun towards me cowered a bit towards the back. That’s when I saw Wind Rider tackle him. I smiled. Thank God he’s here to help, I thought. He picked up the gun and aimed at the second robber…
Though by that point, I felt an uneasiness in my heart. Especially after the robber lowered his weapon. My body went cold as I began to feel déjà vu. And for once, I wasn’t remembering a memory of Ryoma’s.
I swore I saw this before. My heart pounded and my perception of everything slowed down. I began to piece together everything that happened in this bank. The balloon. The kid. The robbers. Even the way Soarin’ and Wind Rider moved just felt… familiar.
That’s when Wind Rider moved his gun to the right… Towards Soarin’. As if in a brief moment, I saw someone else in Wind Rider’s place. A man with glasses with an anger in his eyes, the feeling of humiliation and desire to get revenge on the man who belittled him at every turn. I froze. I remembered when Wind Rider glared at Soarin’. I remembered when Soarin’ told him that he had faith in him.
And then it all clicked in.
No wonder this was all familiar. This entire moment was exactly like the bank robbery incident that claimed the life of Shinnosuke’s father. Right down to his murderer being an envious cop. If I couldn’t do something…
No. Not again. I won’t let that happen again.
“HENSHIN!” I shouted and transformed. I knew Banno would be too much of a douche to stop this, so before he took over, I turned again to invoke Gold Conversion. I immediately took over as Dimension Cab flew to my hand. I emitted Slowdown Particles to slow down the bullet that fired from the gun. Much like with Shinnosuke, the Slowdown managed to throw off Wind Rider’s aim. Now the bullet was heading towards the little girl’s leg.
I threw Dimension Cab right towards the bullet as it glowed. It created a small portal on its hood in which the bullet entered. The other portal opened up right where Wind Rider’s leg was at. I cancelled Slowdown as the bullet flew into the portal and right into Wind Rider’s leg.
“AH!” He shouted. I ran to shield Soarin’.
“Impressive. You managed to confiscate my control before the transformation was complete.” Banno said.
“Well, I’d have to step up my game if a psychopath is gonna use my body for world domination one day.” I said. The crowd of people screamed and ran out of the bank. The remaining robber tried to fire at them, but I created a golden barrier to block the bullets. He then aimed his gun at Wind Rider.
“Who the hell are you!?” He shouted. Wind Rider just aimed his gun at him. The two fired almost simultaneously. However, thanks to the adrenaline rush I had in stopping him from killing Soarin’, I was able to observe that Wind Rider shot first. The robber fell down with a shot to his heart while his bullet whizzed by Wind Rider. Wind Rider struggled to get up as Soarin’ moved next to me.
“Wind Rider! What’s going on?” Soarin’ asked. His voice didn’t sound angry or even annoyed. Rather sadness. Wind Rider pointed the gun towards him before I threw an energy spear at his hand, knocking the gun away.
“He’s trying to kill you.” I said.
“What? W-why?” Soarin’ asked. Wind Rider laughed.
“Why? Why?! I’ll tell you why, Soarin’… Ever since I retired, I had to sit idly by and watch the youth waste away humanity through their stupid decisions… You let yourselves be led around by the enemy and as a result, you let those students die!” Wind Rider shouted. I gripped my fist.
“Tachibana had nothing to do with them!” I said.
“He covered their tracks! He let them go unnoticed and it resulted in that massacre!” He said. I shut up. He had a point. Even if he was reforming the Roidmudes from within, he admitted to me that he would cover up the incidents soon after.
“And now I see you’re the new chief…” Wind Rider glared to Soarin’. “I can’t help but imagine how many lives would fall under your command.” He said. Soarin’ backed away. “Kelly, did Soarin’ tell you how he sacrificed the life of a newly made mother over his own girlfriend?”
“N-no!” Soarin’ barked out.
“Fifteen years ago, there was a disaster at the Canterlot Research Department. Scientists were working on a means to create teleportation, though a freak glitch created a black hole instead. We were all there trying to rescue some of the people, but Spitfire managed to slip and nearly fell into the Black Hole. Soarin’ managed to grab onto both her and the mother…” Wind Rider said.
“Stop! Shut up!” Soarin’ took out his gun.
“And the idiot thought with his dick! He chose Spitfire and made the baby an orphan!” He said. I turned as soon as I heard the gun drop to the ground, followed soon after with Soarin’ kneeling to the ground. “Do you see, Miss Randall? The youth think with selfish and immature minds. They can’t see the forest for the trees. If they can, they’ll cast aside the old and wise.”
I looked at Soarin’, who could only shoot a glance at me. He shook his head. I understood that he was trying to apologize. I nodded.
“Tell me… Do you agree?” Wind Rider asked as he began to pull out something. I hesitated. I knew just by looking into his eyes that Soarin’ regretted making that decision. I knew it must have been a hard decision to make, and even if he made the other decision, we’d probably still be here, just that Wind Rider would bitch about how he betrayed his own teammates.
However, I couldn’t help but see where Wind Rider is coming from. Not a single week passes where I don’t worry about today’s youth. People making bad decisions that would forever impact their lives just because of the logic of “yolo”, teens partying and throwing away their futures as they drive intoxicated, not to mention my memories of high school. However, my thought process was interrupted when Wind Rider pulled out a Shift Car.
Well, it was similar to a Shift Car. It had the same aesthetic as a Shift Car, a Hot Wheels-style toy, but it didn’t exactly look like a car. Rather it looked to be a giant bat that had perched itself onto a slab of stone. The fact that the car was entirely red sent me into a bit of a shock. Especially with what he said next.
“You will.” With that, slowdown particles erupted as time slowed down. I dropped Dimension Cab for Soarin’ to grab as I ran to try and stop the following event from happening. A Bat-Class Roidmude ran towards Wind Rider before it turned into a blur of data and entered into the red car. Wind Rider’s body soon shifted as he transformed into a Roidmude. I threw a punch, though I was blocked by a steel hook.
The Roidmude, much like the car, was mostly red. He retained the plate that most low-class Roidmudes had, but now it was obscured by a steel plate with red veins. He had a cloak around him and a single, cybernetic eye. I obviously knew what Roidmude this was before he even transformed. It was Roidmude 106, the Thief Roidmude.
“Bastard... You chose to side with the Roidmudes!?” I asked Wind Rider. This red coloration, much like the golden coloration of Super Roidmudes, denoted a different type of evolution: Fusion Roidmudes. As the name implied, these Roidmudes are a fusion between man and Roidmude, not unlike how me and Banno fuse to become Gold Drive. The fact that the fusion requires synchronization with a human could only mean that the human had to have been allied with the Roidmudes.
“Of course!” He said. “With their help, I’ll be able to reformat this world and allow the wise to command the dumb! I’ll not let age dictate who will be our guardians!” He struck me with his hook as I fell down. The Roidmude’s face plate glowed as the number 106 showed up on it.
“Tell me something… Did you think it was by chance that you came across this robbery? We set this whole thing up with the intention to have that idiot Soarin’ get here.” Thief said as I saw the other robbers get up and shift into their Roidmude forms. As if to make matters worse, I heard the klaxons of my transformation ending. My hand hovered over to the ignition… But then I’d have to have Banno take the wheel.
“Does it feel good to mope there when you have the means to fight? Or are you simply afraid to lose yourself?”
I remembered Buki’s words and realized that I couldn’t just stand here and let myself and Soarin’ be killed. I turned the ignition and had Banno take over. He grabbed both the Handle Sword and Dream Vegas. Slotting Dream Vegas into the sword, he got up with almost inhuman reflexes and turned the wheel a few times.
“TURN! TURN! U-TURN! THE FINISHER! VEGAS! FULL THROTTLE!”
He spun around a few times while he skidded across the bank. He slashed at the three Roidmudes twice each. One strike was horizontal and the other was diagonal, making a 7. When he was done spinning, there were three sevens over the Roidmudes before they exploded in a shower of digital golden coins. Their cores, 38, 39, and 40, floated up before they all exploded. Banno turned to see Thief cower.
“W-wah… How?” He asked.
“I created the Roidmudes. I can just as easily destroy them…” Banno walked towards Thief before he used his hook to swing himself out of here.
“Hey! Wait!” I shouted. The slowdown particles faded away, though none of us were effected. “Soarin’, get to safety. I’ll finish this.” Banno seemed to agree as he handed controls over to me. I gained Shift Formula. Immediately, I plugged it into the Shift Brace and ran out with blurring speeds.
It took me until I got out onto the street for me to notice that Thief seemed to make himself scarce. I turned the ignition to hand controls over to Banno as he gained Shift Technic. He swapped out Formula for Technic and his HUD changed. He scanned the street.
“As I thought. He’s evolved his powers beyond the point where not even Technic can spot him.” Banno said. That’s when we saw a large energy hook head towards us. Banno slashed it apart rather easily. I figured that I could spot the Thief with the energy hooks, but that’s when we got knocked down by another one behind us.
“Damn it!” I said.
“There is… One other way…” Banno said.
“…” As if my mind was fused with Banno’s, I knew exactly what he meant. He turned the ignition as I got the Door Gun and Max Flare. I put Max Flare into the gun.
“THE FINISHER! MAX FLARE! FULL THROTTLE!”
I spun around and shot a huge stream of fire all around me. Cars began to steer out of the way of the flame while some managed to crash into each other. I bit my lip, but found the ruthlessness paid off, as the Thief Roidmude began to scream out as he burned. My teeth slid off my lower lip as it turned into a smile. I turned the ignition as Banno got a hold of a different kind of Shift Car.
This was also red, but the way it was made, it was more of a side car with a white motorcycle molded into it. On the front wheel of the bike was a golden D, for Dead Heat. The Dead Heat Shift Car was designed to allow the Riders to access a state called the Dead Zone, allowing them to steadily build up energy during a fight, though at the cost of going berserk.
Seeing as this is Banno, he’s way past berserk. The light in Gold Drive’s eyes shifted to the bulls ‘eye design. We had hit Type Overdrive.
“THE FINISHER… TECHNIC… DEAD HEAT… FORMULA… FULL… THROTTLE!” Banno shouted as the Shift Cars all arranged themselves, Technic in the brace, Dead Heat in the gun, and Formula in the sword. Scanning the Roidmude with Technic’s HUD, we fired at the Thief Roidmude’s weak points with red bullets that shocked and burned the Roidmude. Each bullet became much stronger until the final blast split him and Wind Rider up, reducing the Roidmude back to his low-class form.
We then ran to the Roidmude at a blurring speed and slashed at him so fast, I lost count after half a second as we chopped away the Roidmude to tiny pieces. The remains of the Roidmude fell to the ground and blew up, as the Core floated upwards before it too exploded. As soon as the Roidmude died, the transformation cancelled out as I dropped to the ground. I wasn’t as exhausted as I was when I fought Nerve, but it still took a lot out of me.
I saw Wind Rider stumble away, before I saw Soarin’ approach him and slap the cuffs on him.
“Wind Rider, you’re under arrest for attempted murder and being an accomplice.” He said. For the first time, his tone of voice matched that of a responsible police officer. While I would smile for finally seeing some competence in Soarin’, I had to frown a little bit. In the past month, I had considered Wind Rider my closest ally, but as he is led away, I couldn’t help but see him as a traitor.
“The youth…” Wind Rider muttered. “It’s funny how we throw away everything for them… and yet when we ask them to throw away everything for us, they leave us for dead.”
“… I never stopped regretting that day, Wind Rider…” Soarin’ said. “I tried to make amends.”
“You mean Flash Sentry? HAH! I hope he chokes on the dark truth once it is revealed.” He then laughed. I walked over and slapped him.
“Professor!” Soarin’s eyes widened.
“… I did that for you.” I said to him. “You may not be the best cop in the world, but damn it if you’re not trying to be. I appreciate your atonement, Soarin’, and I hope Flash will if and when he finds out.” I said to him. He smiled to me.
“Th… Thanks… Professor.” He said. Wind Rider got up and walked away as we saw a police car pull up.
“So… You decided to side with the youth? I honestly hope, then, that you don’t come to regret this decision.” He stopped. “Allow me, then, to give you a clue before I hand myself over…” He turned and grinned. “Don’t you think for a minute this is over.” He then walked away, laughing. As Spitfire grabbed Wind Rider and put him in the car, I sat next to Soarin’.
“So it’s true then? You’re not Professor Silverbolt?” He asked.
“Yeah. Celestia just gave you that lie so that she could look into matters herself. I didn’t mean to carry this lie.” I said.
“No… It’s okay. I think… I think it’s almost time for me to come clean to. Yeah… I did have to choose over Spitfire and Flash’s mom. If I could go back in time-”
“Don’t. You made the best decision you could and you’re trying to salvage the consequences that followed.” I told him. I saw Flash look at Spitfire and frowned, especially as she came over.
“I put Wind Rider in… What the hell happened?” She asked.
“He sided with the Roidmudes.” I said. Spitfire glared to me, though she soon closed her eyes. “Soarin’, is it true?” She asked.
“Y-yeah… He tried to kill me and helped the Roidmudes rob a bank.” He said.
“…” She turned around to see Wind Rider in the window. “A shame, huh? He was our greatest teacher and now… now he’s nothing but a criminal.” She said. It was at that moment that I recalled the photo of the Wondercolts. That’s when I realized what he meant when he said that it wasn’t over. I stood up.
“Crap!” I ran off while shouting to the two. “Check the hospital! CHECK THE HOSPTIAL!” I shouted. My heart raced once more. I just hoped I wasn’t too late.
“Rainbow Dash, I’ve looked into the old Canterlot High School records, lately, and I noticed your personal records are slowly and steadily going to reach mine.” Wind Rider spoke with Rainbow Dash as the two were by a cliff.
“Yeah! I am!” She then gasped. “Oh! Are you acknowledging me as your equal? Are you going to have me join the CPD?! Oh man, I’m so excited! You’re always the coolest Wondercolt player!” She turned around to see the vast ocean. The sea breeze shifted through her hair as she smiled. That’s when the sea breeze began to shift in the opposite direction. “H-huh?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I’m afraid it isn’t as simple as that…” She turned around to see Wind Rider sport a grin before he transformed into the Tornado Roidmude.
“What the!?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
“Wind Rider prefers that his record isn’t stolen by some bratty youth. He would do anything to preserve his precious record… His only reminder of his pathetic wasted life.” The Tornado Roidmude said.
“N-no! Wind Rider would never want that! You’re just a faker! You don’t know how he thinks!” Rainbow Dash shouted. She tried to run down the Roidmude with her wheelchair. However, the Tornado Roidmude created a small current in the shape of a drill with one of his hands.
“Let’s see then if he is indeed lying. I’ll push you off this cliff. If I feel a surge of power, then I have fulfilled his desire… If not, well… You’re still going to be a smear on the ground!” He then fired the current towards Rainbow Dash, blowing her off the chair and off the cliff. As she plummeted to the ground, Tornado’s body had a few golden lightning bolts crackle underneath his cyan swirls.
“Hmph… Looks like he wasn’t lying.” He then laughed. “Finally, I achieved it… Super Evolution!” His entire body erupted into a blast of golden light.
Ross looked outside as he saw a golden beam erupt from a cliff side. He got out of the bed and limped away. He knew this would be the right time to get away from Cinder.
I remembered what Rainbow Dash said regarding beating Wind Rider’s personal record and knew what he would intend. However, as I got to the car, I saw a pillar of golden light shine from afar.
“Another Super Roidmude?” Banno asked.
“…” I was silent. Inside, I knew it was too late.
The Roidmudes have already got to Rainbow Dash.