A Golden Drive Through Equestria

by Psyga315

Shimmering Sunset Arc 7: Who Will Fall?

Fire…

The smoke choked out the young pony’s vision, to the point where she could only see the dancing flames that she had caused. The pony looked around.

It was meant to be a simple spark. How did she managed to cause a massive fire?

“Mom!?” She shouted out her name as she weakly walked across the smog of smoke and ash. She coughed and fell to the ground. She began to sweat, the heat overbearing her body. She was about to black out had it not been for a golden light. In this light, the heat died down, the smoke faded, and even the fires went away.

The filly struggled to get up, her vision slowly returning as she saw a pony before her. At first, she thought it was her mother, but she noticed just how big she was. No. This was her ruler. She began to tremble. The large winged unicorn merely looked down to the younger unicorn. She observed the destruction the fire brought. What was once her beautiful home was now reduced to cinders and ashes.

“Where’s mommy?” The pony asked. The alicorn needed to only look at the two collapsed unicorns, their furs a scorched black. The alicorn then looked down to her and frowned.

“… I’m sorry. Your mother and father can’t be with you anymore.” She said. The unicorn just froze, looked to the smolders that were once her parents, then began to sob.

“I’m sorry! I just wanted to practice my magic!” The little unicorn whimpered.

“I know… You were born with an unusually high amount of it, however. I’m sorry for the loss of your parents…” The alicorn said as she laid her large wings over the unicorn. There was several moments of silence or sobbing before the unicorn spoke up.

“… Where will I go?” The unicorn cried.

“Don’t worry. I will help you control your magic and ensure it will never hurt anypony anymore.” She said.

“… Y-you will?” She asked.

“Yes. I’m even considering you living with me while you learn.” The alicorn said.

“… Thank you, Celestia…” She didn’t smile, but her frown faded.

“… Do you need some time to say goodbye to your parents?” Celestia asked. The unicorn merely looked to the corpses, then nodded. “Very well. I will be waiting for you when you’re ready to leave, Sunset Shimmer.” With that, Celestia flew away. Sunset went to her parents, knelt, and cried.

“I’m sorry… I just… I wanted to be the very best… like no pony ever was…” She said.

---

Sunset glared at Ross as he readied something behind his back.

“Ross, I’ll give you to the count of three to step away from the computer. One…” She got up on her fours, relying on her pony instinct to grab Ross if need be. Ross just stared. “Two…” Ross crouched. Sunset gritted her teeth. “THREE!”

Before Sunset could jump though, Ross disappeared in a flurry of rose petals. She heard mechanical whirring as a blade suddenly came inches before her throat.

“If you’re not gonna be nice, then I won’t.” She heard Ross growl into her ear. Ross could feel Sunset tremble as he held the blade of Crescent Rose against her throat.

“Nngh…” She muttered.

“You said that the Princess of the Fall Formal represents how thankful she is… But I have not seen that from you. Do you think you can become the Princess by being such a jerk?” Ross asked.

“…” Sunset had no idea how to respond. She felt Ross press against her back. She remembered how she found him injured on the streets. She expected Ross to be at the very least controllable.

“No. You can’t. Which is why I will do everything in my power to ensure you don’t become the Fall Formal Princess.” With that, the blade goes away as Sunset heard the whirring again. Ross then walked away, leaving a shocked and confused Sunset on her bed.

---

Papers of various notes were scattered across the table. I decided to take Silverbolt’s lab to my advantage and move my study over there, far from where the girls were. I didn’t want to send them into a panic by telling them that their bully is intending to commit world domination. Speaking of, I had Colorful Commercial track down Sunset and continue to record her. Something told me that she’d be doing just more than speak with psychotic edgelords.

I had a lot of things to recap on now, such as who the man that Sunset talked to was or the significance of his dagger. I occasionally had Banno recite to me the statistics of various items, such as when I previously scanned the crown, to see if there was anything I could piece together.

I stood back when I ran out of space on the whiteboard to place my sticky notes on. When I looked at the monstrosity of sticky notes, with some even beginning to peel off, I felt ill.

“Think I’m gonna faint…” I had no idea where to begin. I only got one piece of information right: that Sunset is planning to take over Equestria, but other than that, I don’t know who the guy she talked to was, how she’s gonna get to Equestria, where I can best stop her, when will the plan take place, and why Sunset would be stupid enough to deal with a psychopath.

“So, you met him, I take it?” I turned around to face Niko. For the first time since I met him, I didn’t aggressively attack him. Rather, I just looked at him.

“You know him?” I sighed. Of course he does. “No, forget that. At this point I’m not surprised. Let me guess, one extra layer of the bullshit cake you’ve fed me?”

“No. I always intended you to fight the Roidmudes. He just went and changed up everything. I didn’t even know he was here.” Niko said.

“Oh, you mean like the Displaced or the pony from ponyland?” I rolled my eyes. “Everything would be so much easier if I didn’t have to handle all this crap! Did you know that since I met Twilight and got wrapped up in her bullshit, I never once faced a Roidmude? I’m scared they’re setting up some sort of operation that I don’t know about because I’m too busy with stupid high school shit and when I’m not doing that, I’m fending off random assholes like that fatass! Now you’re telling me there’s a new threat I have to be aware about?” I yelled.

“… Yes. He is far more dangerous than the Roidmudes can ever be. They can destroy a world, yes, but their numbers are reduced, thus their efforts will be notably slowed down. This man, however, can destroy multiple worlds and all he has to do is whisper sweet nothings to some fool’s ear.” Niko said. I then groaned.

“Sounds like he’s your problem. My problem is apparently goddamn prom. PROM! I’m too old for this shit!” I turned back to the board, only for Niko to grab my wrist.

“He is my problem. I’ve been trying to make sure no idiot grabs his Token and summons him for the past five years. I’ve spent more time in other worlds than in my very own home just to make sure that monster never destroys anyone again. You feel pissed about being Displaced? Try being away from your family for longer than you’ve spent in a goddamn hospital! You’re sobbing about your belt taking over you? Try falling asleep and praying no monster comes and eat your face off in your makeshift shelter made of sticks and stones! You’re bitching about high school life? I’d kill for that life! I’d kill to take back the years that were stolen from me!” Niko shouted.

I just stood there and saw him pour his heart out. When he was done shouting, I was rendered speechless. What do I say to him? I always saw Niko as this smug git, always having some new piece of information whenever he pops up… But now? I saw something in him in his eyes. I saw something in his fists. I saw something in the way he glared at me.

I saw humanity.

He sighed and began to speak.

“Sorry… This whole Roidmudes issue is to me like this prom thing is to you. I’d rather be done with it now so that I can deal with more stuff like my Displacer and giving people the thrill of survival.” Niko said.

“You know…” I closed my eyes. “I never really saw things from your perspective before.”

“Hmm… Maybe I should yell at you to get you to understand my perspective.” Banno said.

“You just had to pick the mouthy belt, didn’t you?” Niko chuckled.

“Hey, you’re the one who propped it dead center for me to see!” I barked.

“Regardless,” Niko raised his voice slightly, “I’m warning you that what you’re dealing with is more than you can handle. That crown you’re after? That’s a powerful artifact in Equestria. It has such magical properties that it can be able to bring magic to any realm that lacks it. Case in point…” He then points to the floor.

“… So now I have to deal with magic. Great. Let me know when aliens come to Earth.” I said.

“Goddamn it, Kelly! This is no laughing matter! This guy is a powerful sorcerer! With magic coming to this realm, he can simply flick his wrist and kill you. If he sets his sights on you, you’re dead!” Niko said.

“Let him. I’m practically the strongest person in this world. Were it not for my son, I would have been ruling the Earth with an iron fist. I was never a believer in magic anyways.” Banno said.

“I’ve seen the things his magic can bring. Even the best of heroes fall to its might. This is the only warning I’m gonna give. If you ever see that guy… run. Don’t fight. Just… run.” Niko said. With that, he walked away.

“Like you have?” I retorted. Niko only turned back.

“… Yeah. But I’m different. Running… is the only thing that makes me feel alive now.” He then zipped away. I then looked at the notes and realized something.

Somepony has a lot of explaining to do. Ugggh… Did I just say “somepony”?

---

“I have to say, Sunset, your studies in magic have been growing in excellence.” Celestia trotted down the long ivory hallways of her kingdom with her pupil, Sunset Shimmer, by her side.

“Thank you, Celestia. I do try to make the most of my talents.” Sunset smirked as she strode alongside Celestia.

“However, I realize that you have been neglecting one aspect of your studies.” As soon as Celestia said that, Sunset leaped in front of Celestia, eyes widened.

“W-what is it!? Is it my abjuration spells? I admit, I’m rusty in the shield spells, but-” Though Celestia just chuckled at her.

“No, my faithful student, the aspect I’m talking about is one of friendship. You haven’t been taking the time to work with your fellow students and all your group projects ended with you taking the whole project for yourself. Alone, you are great, but with friends, you can be even better.” Celestia said.

“Hmph. Friends… I hate to disagree with you, but-”

“Then don’t.” Celestia noticed a shimmering object her way. A mirror. Perfect! This would be the thing she’d need to give Sunset a lesson. “Now, look into this mirror and tell me what you see.” Sunset went over to look at the mirror.

“I see…” Sunset looked into the mirror and then swayed her hair so that her red-and-yellow colored hair could cover one of her eyes. She smiled. “A beautiful pony with great potential and power…” Celestia rolled her eyes.

“Mmmm… Can you be a little more humble about it?” Celestia said. Sunset sighed and looked into the mirror some more. As she did, Celestia stood behind her. Sunset could see herself in the mirror.

“Humble, huh? Okay…” Sunset’s voice was reduced to a hush as she closed her eyes. When she opened them, she looked into the mirror again. “I see somepony who’s not perfect…” Celestia smiled for a bit until Sunset continued. “Not yet.” That’s when Celestia’s smile faded. “I see a pony who needs to be more great. A pony who wants to be more powerful. A pony…” Sunset could see a faint light in the mirror. The light ended up shimmering over Sunset’s body and in a moment, she could see wings and a crown on her. “… A pony who will one day rule Equestria.”

“Weeeeeeeell… We should move on...” Celestia said as she walked away. As Sunset turned around to follow Celestia, she noticed a flash of light from the mirror. She turned around and saw the brief glimpse of flames.

“Huh? What was that?” Sunset asked.

“Hmm?”

“There! In the reflection! I think I saw something!” Sunset said.

“I think we’re done for the evening.” Celestia unfolded one of her wings and began to push Sunset towards her. “For homework, I want you to reflect on this conversation we had.” Celestia said. Sunset simply scowled. Celestia’s wing obscured any vision of the mirror.

Celestia gave a heavy sigh. She had just realized what the mirror she showed Sunset was. It was an invention from her old friend, Star Swirl the Bearded. One that, as it pains her to recall, could cause tons of devastation if one is to get too curious with it. As she saw the disappointed student in her wing, she knew that would be the case for Sunset.

---

As I walked down the hallway, I began to overhear some people.

“So who are you voting for?” One guy asked.

“I dunno. The options are limited.” His friend responded.

“Well, at least we have options this time around!” The guy said.

“Yeah, but we have to pick between a bully and some psychopath. Have you seen the video?” He then took out his iPhone and showed his friend the video. Already I knew what he was talking about. I walked faster, trying to get to Twilight as soon as I could.

---

Principal Celestia sighed as Luna stood next to her in her office. On the Principal’s laptop was a site called YouHoof, in which a video entitled “PSYCHO STUDENTS AND THEIR PSYCHO TEACHER BEAT UP FAT GUY” played. She frowned as it showed not only five of her students, but also Golden Drive and her newest transfer student, Twilight Sparkle, fighting a small chubby man with spikes growing out of his bald head.

“To think this would be uploaded the eve of the Fall Formal… The students will be hard pressed to vote.” Luna sighed as Celestia turned her chair around.

“What do you mean by that?” Celestia raised an eyebrow.

“The students have to pick between a school bully and some new kid who ended up making not only an ass of herself, but also is an accomplice to a beating. It is like witnessing a presidential election.” Luna sat down and massaged her forehead.

“Have faith, sister… Hope will spring eternal soon.” Celestia clicked off the video.

“I heard the students in the hall on my way here. They saw this video as well. They are scared.” Luna then grabbed the mouse and clicked on FireHorse and restored the closed window. She then scrolled down to where the uploader’s name is at, then moved her cursor towards the uploader’s avatar. Celestia looked at it and just scowled as she saw it was a picture of Sunset Shimmer. To further confirm it, it had the name S. Shimmer on it.

“One side is obviously attacking the other and the damage is already irreversible. There’s no favorable option, sister… I suggest we cancel the Fall Formal.” Luna said.

“Absolutely not.” Celestia clicked off the browser again.

“Why not!? This is barely a contest anymore and I cannot bear to see that ruffian win again! Especially when she is using dirty and underhanded tactics!” Luna shouted so hard, students outside stopped to look at what was going on. One simple glare from Luna caused them to scurry by.

“Even if the people are scared, you have to remember why we chose to do these ceremonies in the first place.” Celestia got up and went over to the bookshelf.

“Yes, you don’t need to remind me of that fable.” Luna crossed her arms. As she said that, a melody of chimes and rings prompted Celestia to look at her computer. She saw a message in front of her saying:

INCOMING MEETING FROM THE HEADMASTER

“Luna, we can discuss this another time.” Celestia said. Luna simply nodded and left the room. Celestia opened up the messenger program, ChatNoir, and saw four small windows opened up. Each window showed one face and titled with one title. “What seems to be the problem?” Celestia looked at one of the windows. It was grayed out, showing no face. It still showed the title of ‘Principal of Everton Independent Study’.

“It would appear that Everton has gone rogue.” The Principal of the Wonderbolts Academy spoke with such a gruff voice. He had brown skin, a black beard shaped to be an upper portion of a bat, short black hair, hazel eyes, and an olive green coat.

“Gone rogue?” Celestia widened her eyes.

“I knew there was something suspicious about that school the moment they took an interest in one of my professors.” To contrast the brown-skinned Principal, this Principal had a bluish hue that could have her easily mistaken for a cadaver. She had purpleish curled hair, purple eyes, and wore a preppy enough business uniform. Celestia knew her personally as Principal Cinch, who ran Crystal Prep Academy. Cinch then smirked. “Speaking of, how is Silverbolt doing?” She asked.

“Let’s not change the subject, Cinch.” Celestia knew that dry tone anywhere. She looked towards the upper left window, having the title of Headmaster. There she saw the silver-haired bespectacled man wearing a green turtleneck underneath a black business suit. Celestia, in her history with talking with this man knew that, when he isn’t seen with a mug of coffee on the ready, some serious shit was about to happen.

“Everton has allied with what would appear to be a terrorist organization. The same one that is responsible for the recent attacks and experiences of slowdowns.” The man simply had his hands clasped. “I presume you’re thinking about the upcoming Fall Formal, correct, Celestia?” He asked.

“Y-yes. A new student has entered the contest of who would be the Princess of the Fall Formal.” As soon as Celestia said that, she noticed the man’s hands tighten slightly.

“I see… Then my decisions to have Tracer and that boy enter your school have been in the right. Which also means that my hunch was correct.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “Rainart, have the Wonderbolts increase security throughout the city. Cinch, because of Professor Silverbolt’s ties to Everton, I’m assigning you to hunt down their allied organization. As for you, Celestia,” he proceeded to glare, as if directly staring at Celestia, “prepare for the worst case scenario. If the Fall Formal Crown falls in the wrong hands, then our hope with Canterlot High surviving tonight will dwindle to almost nothing.” Before Celestia could even comment on it, the Headmaster logged off. The remaining three went into silence.

“Prepare for the worst!? What the hell is this man talking about? He’s senile! That’s what he is!” Cinch began to speak up.

“Shut it.” Only for Rainart to bark up. “I have faith in him. Celestia, I pray things work out.” Rainart then logged out. Cinch was left to just babble a little before she too logged out. Celestia was now left alone. She simply lowered her head and began to softly cry.

How the hell could she ‘prepare for the worst’?

---

As soon as I entered the library, I shook Twilight awake. I noticed the other five girls were fast asleep, leaving me and Twilight to have our chat.

“What happened?” Twilight slurred as she slowly got up. I decided to drag her by the wrist over to behind one of the bookshelves. I had no time for Twilight to sober up.

“Did you know?” I growled.

“K-know what?!” Twilight took a considerable amount of time to let my question enter her mind as she shook.

“Don’t bullshit me, Twilight! Did. You. Know!?” I restrained myself from grabbing at her collar.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Twilight tried to lower her voice.

“That your little crown brought magic to this world?!” I said. She paused a bit before I calmed. “No… Of course not.” I muttered.

“The Element of Magic… Of course! That’s what Sunset was talking about!” Twilight then froze up again before making a somewhat silly looking face as her eyes went wide, her pupils shrunk, and her mouth ridiculously huge. “Oh no! Sunset must be wanting to use the crown to increase her magical potential!” Twilight said.

“Not only that, but she’s in cahoots with this guy who wants her to invade Equestria.” I said.

“I-invade Equestria!?” I reached out to her mouth to shut her up.

“Yes.” I hissed. “Obviously your crown is a powerful item. Ross is right. The sooner it’s out of here, the better.” I pulled my hand away from Twilight’s mouth.

“So we have to win it no matter what!” That’s when I looked at her.

“So what do you stall for?” I asked. Twilight just winced, then tilted her head. I looked behind me and saw the five girls sleeping. “So?” I asked.

“You may know Equestria, but the others don’t. If I up and tell them I’m some pony princess, they’ll just look at me funny.” Twilight said. That’s when I saw Spike approach Twilight.

“Twilight, these people have supported you ever since you came to this place. I doubt they’ll easily dismiss you if you claim to be a princess.” Spike said.

“But what if they will? What if when I needed them most, they’ll just abandon me?” That’s when I could see Twilight tear up. I slightly looked down, only because I too felt that same way before.

---

BANG!

I remembered myself falling against the locker as my glasses fell off. I tried to get to them, only to end up cutting my finger at the glass. The harassment began before I even stepped into the school, when some of the girls tripped me and made me fall on the pavement on my knees. I was too busy walking off the scrapes to notice someone else pushing me into the locker when I went to it.

“Wow, look at her! What a total dork!” One of the girls said to me as I struggled to get up. I saw a crowd of girls in front of me, all of them laughing. I began to wonder what had happened that caused this to happen. That’s when I saw something get tossed at me.

It was a picture of me singing karaoke. It took me a while to piece two and two together. I remembered the cute pair of pajamas I had when I sang the song “Sunflower” by the band SOPHIA. I then remembered when that exactly was.

It was a sleepover with just me and one other girl. And sure enough, I saw her standing in front of the bullies. Ashley Neige. She was my closest friend… In fact, she was my only friend. It was weird in retrospect. I was the nerdy, nose-in-her-book type while she was your ordinary rich bitch. Well, not really. She was actually very sweet.

Was being the keyword. There was a rumor circulating the school that Ashley’s father had been embezzling funds ever since a cop investigated them. I had supported her while she got ridiculed for the scandal. But as I saw her look at me and heard the students, I realized what happened.

“Nice work!”

“Yeah, you really exposed this nerdy bitch!”

“You can sit with us back at the cool kids table!”

I began to tear up as Ashley began to sink back into the crowd of girls. My body trembled and I continued to sob by the lockers.

---

“Then that’s when their true friendship is tested.” I muttered. Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“If they abandon you in your time of need, then they’re not your friends. They just use you as a stepping stone to up their own status. If they don’t, then they are indeed your friends.” I said. That’s when Spike spoke up.

“Yeah! You helped them reunite. I doubt they’ll easily forget that when taking you into consideration.” Spike said. I smiled a bit.

“Yeah… Let Spike do the talking. He makes a lot more sense than I’ll ever be.” I bit my lip as my personal past came back to haunt me. Twilight went over to the girls, but before she spoke up, we all heard a crashing sound. I ran off to investigate the noise.

---

As I arrived, I saw nobody, but rather an entire gym decorated with what were the remains of party decorations. The girls entered at the same time as me, only to look at the carnage that went on, what with tossed tables, broken chairs, and even popped balloons. I could almost hear Pinkie about to scream before Celestia entered.

“What in the blue blazes… Oh my!” Celestia said. She was soon followed by a dark-skinned woman with long midnight blue to light purple hair. I presumed this was Luna.

“W-who would do such a thing?” Luna held her hand close to her mouth.

“I have a hunch…” I then eyed a toy car barely trying to wheel itself close to me. I just walked over to it, picked the Shift Car up, and placed it in my pocket.

“Professor, we don’t need to be pointing fingers.” Celestia said.

“Even if it’s obvious who did it?” I rolled my eyes and looked at her.

“It doesn’t matter who did it… What’s done is done. There’s absolutely no way we can clean this mess up in time.” Luna stepped forward. “I’m going to have to cancel the Fall Formal.” That’s when I saw Twilight lose it.

“What!? No! Nonononononononononononononononononono!” Twilight cried out. I merely tittered as she sunk to the floor on her knees, her hands pressed onto the ground.

“What’s wrong, Sugarcube?” Applejack placed a hand behind Twilight’s back. Fluttershy knelt over and held Twilight.

“Yeah, you can tell us.” Fluttershy said. Twilight simply got up and looked to Celestia. “Principal Celestia, please, reconsider!” Twilight said. I decided that we weren’t gonna do things her way.

I walked over to the doors, intent of marching right into Celestia’s office and grabbing the crown myself, when suddenly I saw a red blur zipping into the room with several rose petals following him. The blur created such a wind that it picked up all the debris off the floor. The blur stopped and unraveled itself, revealing Ross. As the debris

As the debris fell, Ross ran over to set the tables back up. Rainbow Dash looked at it, then proceeded to run to the debris as well, helping Ross fix the tables and chairs. The other girls realized what was going on and went over to fix up the room. I merely smiled as I saw Celestia and Luna look with widened eyes at the sheer velocity of Rainbow and Ross.

By the time Ms. Oxton came, they were already done with the gym and it looked as good as new. Celestia and Luna blinked. As Ross and Rainbow stopped running, the tables gently dropped to the ground, legs touching the floor, along with new sheets to cover the tables on.

“Hey loves, what did I… Oh… Oh wow…” Oxton was able to see the tail end of the girls fixing up the gym. I merely looked to Luna.

“So… About that cancellation?” I asked.

“… Yeah, let’s pretend this never happened…” Luna took a moment before speaking up. “The whole ‘cancelling the Formal’ thing, I mean, not the kids who are suddenly super-fast…” Luna gulped, though ultimately, me, Celestia and Oxton all nodded. I could hear a bit of crying nearby. I looked around to see where it was coming from, but aside from Ross who did the same thing, I didn’t find the source. I noticed Ross stuck his head at one particular area before glancing away.

He knew something.

---

By the time we left the gym, I looked over to Ross. I stopped walking and let the other people go, then glared at Ross.

“So… Was it her?” I asked.

“… Yeah. It had to be. Kelly, I think Sunset’s upset.” He said.

“No shit, Sherlock.”

“No! I mean… I broke up with her last night.” Ross frowned.

“Broke up? What, you two were dating? Well, it does explain why you were kissing her ass.” I chuckled.

“W-what!? No! I-it’s not like that!” Ross blushed and hid his face. “I… I told Sunset that I won’t help her become Fall Formal Princess because I saw who she really was…” I proceeded to pat him on the back.

“Bra-vo! Congrats on being smart for once in my entire time of meeting you!” I said.

“But I feel bad about how I reacted! I held my baby to her throat!” Ross said.

“… Baby? What, did you guys have some secret love affair or some shit?” I asked.

“N-no… That’s what Ruby called this…” He lugged the scythe in its inactive form out a bit before tucking it behind his cape that he seemed insistent on wearing on his school uniform.

“You could have…” I bit my lip as I caught myself about to finish the sentence with: ‘done this world a favor by killing her right then and there’… I could hear Banno chuckle darkly.

“I was tired. It had been a long night of me busting my ass to try and clear your name.” Ross said.

“Oh, so that was you? Thanks, by the way.” I said.

“Stop changing the topic! I was tired and Sunset pissed me off and… And…” I then saw Ross have a thousand mile stare. That very same thousand mile stare that I saw Fatty had.

Ross was remembering something from this Ruby’s past.

“… Could that be why?” Ross muttered to himself. He then looked at me and sighed. “I’m sorry. But, rest assured, I will help you help Twilight from now on.” With that, he ran off. As he ran off, I had some time to reflect on what I was about to say to Ross. Sure, I hated bullies, but to suggest for Ross to murder her? Have I really become that ruthless?

I frowned as I remembered a Kamen Rider character who was also a bully before she became a good guy: Miu Kazashiro. In fact, I actually remembered a similar story arc in which Miu tried to be a prom queen…

Soon, the wheels in my head started to turn as I smirked. I had thought of a master plan.

---

Ross slowly approached the tombstone. He was surprised that, despite his last sortie resulting in him revealing his true form, Tachibana still got a funeral. Ross smiled, though he then shed a tear.

“Hey, mom.”

Sure enough, it began to trigger memories of Ruby. He didn’t want to admit it, but ever since he left Sunset Shimmer that night, he began to think about what caused him to put a blade to Sunset’s throat. At first, he thought it was his tiredness and stress taking over, but the more he thought, the more he remembered of the nightmare he had. He trembled as he saw the entire turn of events play out, starting from the tombstone.

There was a tournament, Ross could definitely conclude that it was the Vytal Festival, the tournament RWBY hyped about for the past two volumes. It was going well, and telling from the memories of Qrow, Ruby’s uncle and mentor figure was gonna be a pretty cool dude. At first, Ross wondered why the events playing out in his head were happy memories…

Then it came down to Ruby’s sister Yang and a man known as Mercury. The fight ended with Yang seemingly injuring Mercury’s leg, thus causing a downward spiral of events from doubt being placed on Yang to RWBY being disqualified from the tournament.

It got worse. Now were the memories that kept playing in Ross’ head. He remembered himself… No… He remembered Ruby going on a lead that put her in a maintenance hallway where Mercury was, completely fine and standing on his two legs. A fight ensued, with Ruby escaping, but gaining some wounds in the process.

As soon as Ross saw what Ruby saw upon entering the stadium, one of her friends brutally killing one of her other friends, he fell on his knees, much like how he remembered Ruby. The next few events became a blur. An attack ensued, Ruby fought a man by the name of Roman Torchwick who was quickly dispatched by a Grimm, her own sister brutally hurt… And then…

The moment that always haunted Ross… It soon became clear why he was remembering it. A woman named Cinder had become friends with Ruby. Of course, this was merely a ruse, but the way she revealed her true colors was far from how Sunset revealed her true colors.

Ruby had to witness Cinder murdering a close friend of hers… Just then, in the middle of a cry, everything became white, and that voice came up once again.

“It's alright. I got ya, kiddo. I got ya.”

Ross took a while to get up from that, but that’s when he noticed there was more to Ruby’s memories. Not much, just her recovering from that night and Qrow coming to talk to Ruby about what happened. Chills went up his spine as he began to hear Ruby say Cinder’s name with such malice and anger. What shook Ross to the core, however, was that he felt the exact same way.

As he dwelled on the memories, he began to think about the feelings Ruby had. Ross had always thought of Ruby as a nice, sweet, kind girl, always optimistic about the world. Of course, Cinder and her friends did quite a number on that worldview, as telling from the memories he saw, but he never quite expected the mood to take a downpour.

He never thought Ruby would have an outright desire to kill Cinder, or at least avenge the deaths of her friends by her hands. The last memory seemed to confirm it for Ross as he saw Ruby going off with some of her friends to pretty much hunt down Cinder, or at least get some answers. Ross wasn’t sure Ruby wanted to kill Cinder or if he wanted to kill Cinder. The more he thought, the more he began to feel as though he had lived through all of Ruby’s memories, as if he had became Ruby.

Then he remembered how he attacked Sunset. Those memories played in his head when he was confronted with the fact that Sunset Shimmer was a jerk. He had been a spectator to Ruby’s most tragic moments for the past week now. If anything, he was the one reacting to those moments with such vile desires to kill Cinder, not Ruby.

Not that it helped him calm at the slightest. That just meant that he’s the one out for blood, not Ruby. Ross simply cried at the tombstone and began to weep out some words he’d never thought he’d say.

“I want to go home… I want to look up cute images of puppies on the internet…” Ross soon felt a hand on his shoulder. He got up and saw… “Fluttershy!”

“Ross, what are you doing here?” Fluttershy asked. She was in a yellow dress with a cyan, see-thru fabric draped over her dress with yellow high heels. Ross just got up and shed a tear.

“I… I was just…” He then looked to Tachibana’s grave. “Tachibana was a friend of mine. He’s the first guy I met upon coming here. I… I owe everything to him. You?”

“… Tachibana died to save my life. The least I can do for him is pay my respects before I have to go for the Fall Formal.” Fluttershy left a bouquet of roses at Tachibana’s grave. “Speaking of, are you going?”

“I guess.” Ross said.

“Anyone in mind?” Fluttershy asked.

“Huh?”

“Who are you taking to the Formal? Flash is taking Twilight, Applejack’s gonna chaperone her little sister, same with Rarity and Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie’s gonna be too busy running the guest list to dance.” Fluttershy said.

“And you?” Ross asked.

“…” Fluttershy simply blushed. Ross just sighed.

“Well, if it makes you feel better, I’m not going with anyone as well. I sort of blew my chances with Sunset.” Ross said. Fluttershy’s eyes widened.

“You what?” Fluttershy squealed.

“I know she can be rude at times, but, I really liked being with Sunset. It was like she had my back and-”

“No! That’s amazing!” Fluttershy said.

“It… is?”

“Yeah. She may be rude, but I doubt she was born that way. If you could see the good in her, maybe the others can as well!” Fluttershy said.

“So… Even if Sunset ruined your lives, you still think she has a chance to be a nicer person?” Ross asked.

“Well, if Tachibana can change, so could she.” Fluttershy and Ross looked at the grave. Ross then extended a hand to Fluttershy.

“To the socially awkward.” Ross smiled. Fluttershy merely laughed and shook his hand.

“We should hang out together after the dance. It’d be great to know who Tachibana was to you.” Fluttershy looked into Ross’ eyes.

“Yeah. Same with you.” That’s when Ross looked at something at the corner of his eye.

It was Rose, the person from last night that destroyed that one Roidmude. He approached three gravestones that were positioned closely together compared to the other graves. Ross turned to Fluttershy.

“I’ll see you at the dance. There’s someone I have to talk to.” Ross said. Fluttershy simply smiled and went away as Ross ran to meet Rose. He saw Rose kneeling before the three graves. Ross then noticed that the three graves each had the same symbols that Rose had as dog tags: the lightning bolt, the winged heart, and the shooting star. The graves also had their respective names etched in: Sky Stinger, Angel Wings, and Vapor Trail.

“So… Who are you visiting?” Ross suddenly saw Rose stand up and turned to stare at Ross.

“Who’s ther-… Oh, it’s you.” Rose sighed and looked back at the graves. “Sorry. I’m just a little tense right now is all. I’m always like this when I’m here.”

“So… who are they to you?” Ross asked.

“My team. My… My former team, at least. They were some of the nicest friends I met…” Rose shed a few tears as Ross began to remember some of the fonder times of Team RWBY’s exploits, such as fixing up their room for the first time or eating food during the tournament.

Of course, once he thought of the tournament, he began to think about the series of unfortunate events that followed. From there, he remembered one thing about Rose that stuck with him the entire night.

“Rose, I was wondering… Miss Oxto- Er… Tracer, told me that you were a Displaced.” Ross said.

“And?”

“Well… I’m a Displaced too! Erm… How long were you a Displaced?” Ross asked.

“… About a few years now. You?” He asked.

“Well, since July.” Ross laughed quietly.

“Hmm… So, I guess you want to know about being a Displaced?” Rose asked.

“Y-yeah! Well, one thing…” Ross looked to the graves. “The memories, they’re a common occurrence to Displaced, right?”

“Yeah. You remember the past deeds of your hero or villain, for better or worse. It comes with the territory of having your body be modified to accommodate for the newly obtained powers. I mean, without them, you’d have no idea how to hold that weapon, correct?” Rose asked. Ross remembered someone asking Ruby who taught her to fight with a scythe, citing it as one of the most dangerous weapons of all time. He slowly nodded to that statement.

“So… is there ever a moment where you start to feel like you’re thinking and acting like your character?” Ross asked.

“All the time. When I turned into BioRosemon yesterday, that was still me… But deep down, I felt like a monster had taken over my body. The real me would never be that cruel or sadistic. That’s what I always say to rationalize myself, at least. I’m guessing you’re getting that feeling too?” Rose asked.

“Yeah… I… don’t know what happened, but I reacted negatively to a friend of mine, and I’m not sure if my intent was truly my own or if it was my character’s.” Ross said.

“You feel like someone’s possessing you.” Rose said.

“No. I just worry that I’ll become something I’m not one day.” Ross said.

“… Well, that’s life.” Rose began to walk away from the graves before Ross ran to him.

“No! It’s not! I never asked for this! I never asked to feel like I’m being torn apart!” Ross screamed out.

“Well, you did when you accepted that damn merchant’s offer, did you not?” Rose asked. Ross became silent. “I didn’t even have a choice.” Rose continued to look at the graves. “I should be dead. I have died. I remember my time in the afterlife quite well… It wasn’t until a friend of mine came and rescued me with that offer. It was either get Displaced or rot in hell. And quite frankly, I didn’t enjoy the underworld.” Rose closed his eyes, exhaled, then looked into the sky.

“We became Displaced because we wanted to be something we’re not: our heroes. The best we can do now is live like them, lest we get ruled by them.” Rose began to walk away, before he stopped. “Kid, what’s your name? Like, your actual name.” Rose asked.

“Ross… Ross Roosevelt.” Ross said.

“Joey. Joey Chandler.” Joey turned around and shook Ross’ hand. “If you still remember your name, you are still yourself. Remember that.” Joey then proceeded to leave. Ross stood still for a bit before doing the same.

---

“Come on! Where is it?” Sunset thrashed through the library as she looked for a specific book. “It’s not this one… nor is it this one!” She tossed away several books, all of them having such lovely titles such as ‘Magic for Evil Overlords’, ‘The Art of Displacement’, and ‘The Secrets of the Heart-Shaped Moon’. One book even had just a face on it. Well, several books did.

“Hah! Here we go!” Sunset pulled out a book from the shelf entitled ‘Starswirl’s Forbidden Fruits of Labour’. Confirming her suspicions as the cover showing the exact same mirror she saw. Sunset began to read.

“The Crystal Mirror was perhaps one of Starswirl’s most exquisite and refined inventions. Based off the Looking Glass, his prototype, the Crystal Mirror allows for one to jump to a certain realm, the magic inside allowing them to take a form to blend in to society, an improvement from the Looking Glass. However, the realm lacks Equestrian Magic and thus, the only way to be able to cross into it is to wait until the moon is at its peak, which happens every thirty moons, thus granting you a window of time for you to cross over.” Sunset pulled her nose from the book. “Why would Celestia keep this from me?”

“Why don’t you ask me up front?” Sunset turned around to face Celestia, who had two guards on her side.

“… I will. How dare you keep this from me?! This could grant me great power!” Sunset said.

“It’s always about you and power, isn’t it? True power rests on compassion and sincerity, not ambition and selfishness.” Celestia said.

“I am not being selfish! I merely want to be the best!” Sunset threw the book at Celestia, who created a brief shield that stopped the book from hitting her. The book then fell onto the ground and opened to a random page. Both Celestia and Sunset read the title of the chapter: “The Destiny Spell”. The book was situated right in front of Sunset, ready to be read by her.

“Starswirl’s unfinished spell, no pony knows what his intent with the spell was, but it is able to switch Cutie-” before she could finish, Celestia took the book away from her. “Hey!”

“You are not ready for this kind of power, Sunset. Power like this must be earned the correct way.” Celestia said.

“It said it was unfinished… I could finish it and unlock its true potential!” Sunset said.

“Sunset, I’ve seen the price of this spell. It can destroy lives. Are you willing to ruin the livelihoods of ponies everywhere?” Celestia asked.

“Yes! I’m destined for greatness! I can solve this spell and gain so much power that I can-”

“No longer be a student of mine.” Celestia closed her eyes.

“W-what?” Sunset asked.

“That mindset confirms that you are no longer a student of mine. No pony should ever make their fellow pony suffer for their personal gain and ambitions. You might mean well with fixing the Destiny Spell, but deep down, we both know you won’t stop there. Eventually you’ll want more power, believing that you deserve it. Reality is, Sunset, you don’t deserve more power.” Celestia said.

“Why not?! I am meant for-”

“Do not confuse entitlement for destiny. Just because you’re my student does not mean you have a free pass to be selfish and ambitious. In order to have that sort of power, you need to think with kindness, honesty, generosity, loyalty-”

“SCREW ALL THAT! I am going to rule Equestria as the greatest and most powerful pony who ever lived! If this book can give me power, then I will take it for all its worth!” Sunset’s horn began to glow. Celestia merely smirked before Sunset fired a blast at Celestia. Celestia’s horn merely flashed, redirecting the scorching ray to Sunset, burning her horn and knocking her into a bookshelf. Celestia then marched to Sunset.

“If that is where this conversation is going, then you are no longer welcome in this castle. You are no longer my student.” Celestia began to make her horn glow.

“Am… Is that all I ever was to you? Just a student? Nothing more? Did you… Did you not in your entire life consider me more than just a student?” Sunset said.

“If I did… then I’d be hurt by what I’ll do next.” Celestia said as she caused Sunset to glow as well. “I’m going to cast a simple teleportation spell. If you ever step foot into this castle again, I will cast a much more potent spell to get you to understand that you are not welcome here.”

“You are making a huge mistake!” Sunset cried out as Celestia caused Sunset to pop out of the room and into her garden. Celestia then looked to the sky and saw a full moon containing the outline of a horse’s head. She then closed her eyes and shed a tear.

“One of many…” She said as she walked away.

---

“Flash Sentry, you’re clearly not well to go to the Fall Formal!” Soarin’ watched as Flash staggered. There some bandages still on his body from last night, but most of the bandages applied were absent. However, Soarin’ only needed to look at the way he walked, a staggering, almost hesitant walk from his closet to the door, to know his condition.

“I’m fine, dad. I can go.” Flash didn’t give any sort of aggression in his voice. Only when Soarin’ tried to block the door did Flash attempt to commit some violent act. “Dad… Move!” He subtly pressed against Soarin’s chest, though it wasn’t strong enough to push him. “I promised Twilight a dance at the Fall Formal and I’m gonna commit to it.”

“You’re not gonna be dancing much. You can’t even walk right!” Soarin’ said.

“I was able to hold my own against some kinda robot, I can dance fine enough.” Flash said.

“You are not going- Wait, what?” Soarin’ asked.

“At Everton, I got into a fight with one of those robots that attacked the school a while back.” Flash merely sighed and went over to wardrobe, pulled out a drawer and pulled out the Frubask Driver and the Orange Lockseed. “I was given these by one of Everton’s researchers. She told me to use these to protect myself… And I did. I almost defeated it, dad.” Soarin’ merely closed his eyes and sighed.

“You’re that determined to find out the truth, huh?” Soarin’ asked.

“No. I just want to defend people. Sometimes I think you and the police can’t handle everything. I don’t want what happened to the school to happen to anyone else… I… I don’t want people to lose their mom like I have…” Flash frowned for a brief moment before realizing something. “I… I saw my mom!” Soarin’ looked to Flash.

“You did?” Soarin’ raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah… Though, she didn’t seem to confirm or deny it. I… She looked like my mom! So… Maybe… Maybe my mom is alive and is out there!” Flash looked at the Frubask Driver. “She only came when I started using this… Perhaps… Perhaps if I continue to use it some more, she’ll come again and I can talk to her some more… Even… Even if she wants me to be a monster.”

“… A monster?” Soarin’ asked.

“… It’s a long story.” Flash said. Soarin’ just smiled and sat on Flash’s bed. Flash sat down next to him.

“Son… I have something to say. It’s… something I dwelled upon for a while.” Soarin’ closed his eyes.

“I hope he chokes on the dark truth once it is revealed.” He still remembered his old coach’s words to him. For a moment, he hesitated to say the truth.

“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.” But it was Professor Silverbolt’s words to him that helped him get the words out.

“Flash… You’re… You’re not really my son.” Soarin’ said.

“I’m… not?” Flash asked.

“I know, I don’t like to drop a bombshell on a night like tonight, but recent events had me thinking about it. The night your mom disappeared, I took you in and tried to find your real father.” Soarin’ said.

“You couldn’t find him, did you?” Flash asked.

“No. I did. The problem was that he didn’t want to accept you.” Soarin’ said.

“What?”

“I first found it dickish, especially with the reasoning he gave, but… in retrospect, I can now see where he’s coming from.” Soarin’ said.

“What did he say?”

“He told me that your strength needs to be your own. If he were to raise you, you’d just rely on his strength and can never truly get strong yourself. Last night… you were able to find your own strength. I doubt I’m the only one who’s proud of you.” Soarin’ said. Flash simply smiled before he thought of something.

“Who… Who was my dad?”

“…” Soarin’ sighed. “He… he’s a leader of a notorious street gang. That’s all you need to know.” Soarin’ got off the bed. “Now go, your dance awaits.” Flash just looked to Soarin’ before he nodded and got up. It seemed that question time is over. He left the room as Soarin’ simply frowned.

---

I think I made it clear that I hated prom. That I wanted nothing to do with prom. That it was contributing absolutely nothing but wrecked psyches and yet another tale to tell at the shrink. And yet, I’m forced to attend not because Celestia intended to do so, but because an artifact that could very well be the thing that can end not just this world, but another world entirely is on the line.

And it’s being used as a goddamned crown for the prom queen.

“Evenin’ Professor!” Miss Oxton kept a cheery voice towards me. I just glared and grunted before heading towards the dance hall. There I saw several students dancing the night away. I spotted Flash and Twilight dancing. Huh, wonder if I should burst the hormonal kid’s bubble and say he’s gonna make out with a horse. Though, I saw that there were some bandages on him. The kid must have gotten in a scuffle. Well, time to play the role of teacher and ignore any sort of injury this kid might have had.

I continued down the dance hall, inspecting everything, but more importantly, locating Sunset. That’s when I noticed two that weren’t dancing. Fluttershy was obvious, but Ross was different. I would have guessed he’d dance his way into someone’s pants by now. The two were drinking punch as everyone else danced. I eavesdropped on what they were saying.

“You like it? Rarity had this made for me. She’s just loves fashion.” Fluttershy said. She wore a, admittedly, lovely blue and yellow dress. Ross, on the other hand, wore his usual black school blazer, something I found odd due to the fact that CHS lacks any dress code. However, underneath was a gray waistcoat with a red bowtie. Huh, guess he considers bowties as cool as well?

“Huh. Um… Don’t tell anyone this, but I sort of like fashion as well. See this?” He pulled up the blazer. “I sewed this. It took a while, but I managed to get the right materials for it.”

“Oh, it looks great!” Fluttershy said.

“… Thanks. You have no idea how much that means to me. I’m… Well, nobody expected me to be a fashion designer and to be truthful, I don’t think they even wanted me to be one. But… I decided to stick to my guns and continue my passion. So, yeah, I’m glad you like it.” Ross then chuckled. “Maybe me and Rarity could do a collab one day.” That’s when Fluttershy joined in on the chuckling. I frowned only slightly.

I caught the implication of what Ross meant, though I didn’t exactly have the time for sympathy. Especially since I saw Celestia and Luna approaching to the stage. I merely walked towards the stage as well.

“Professor?” Miss Oxton tried to follow me, but I soon heard a vibrating. “Hello? … W-what? Now!? How many? Oh God!” I slightly turned around as Oxton hung up and ran off. I blinked. What the hell was that? I saw Ross looked somewhat concerned towards the teacher, but I had no time to wonder what is going on.

I need to take a certain bitch down a peg.

---

Sunset Shimmer ran off far from the castle grounds. She knew she wasn’t welcome anywhere near Celestia’s vicinity anymore and the further she got, the better. Tears streamed down her face as she screamed out a loud sob, louder than when her parents burned away in the fire she made. Eventually, her legs gave out and Sunset stopped in front of a lake. She took some time to look at the lake, even looking at her own reflection. When she noticed something odd in the distance.

It was a swan. A swan with wings of such a shiny white that when it opened its wings, she mistook it for Celestia and hid away.

“I’m sorry, Celestia!” She cried out.

“No… You are not sorry.” The swan spoke out. Sunset poked her head out from her legs and looked at the swan. Its wings were spread wide before it flapped and flew into the air. It expanded its wings and neck before exploding in a flash of light. What remained of the swan turned into a grayish smoke and swirled towards Sunset. She prepared to defend herself when the smoke passed her, then settled on the ground before forming into a man.

The man with bleached hair that she would soon associate as an ally.

“She is.” He sneered.

“Who? Celestia?” Sunset began to shake.

“Yes… I am just one of many who Celestia has betrayed and left for dead. Just like you.” He said.

“You are?” She asked.

“Yes… I am. Let me ask you, do you believe in destiny?” He asked.

“Of course I do! I just saw my fate in the mirror and Celestia denied me it!” Sunset said.

“Funny… I always saw her as one who would cram destiny onto others. Regardless, we both share a common enemy.” He said.

“… I… I don’t see Celestia as an enemy.” She muttered.

“You said it yourself! Celestia snubbed you out of a life you deserved! Just like she did with me!” The man went on his knees and had his hands close to Sunset’s neck.

“She… She what?” Sunset asked.

“…” The man pulled away and sat down. “I am not from this world, obviously. In fact, I am not in this world right now. I am merely a projection of residue magic.”

“Residue magic… So you were here… To cast some sort of magic spell that could be triggered long after it’s placed. Right?” Sunset asked.

“You are talented at magic. I am surprised Celestia snubbed your position so quickly.” Sunset frowned as the man continued. “But yes, I placed part of my magic onto this lake in the hopes that someone like me would come across it and hear my tale of why Celestia needs to suffer.” He said.

“So, what are you waiting for? Tell it! I doubt this magic’s gonna last long.” Sunset said.

“… I fell in love with a Pegasus. She was the most beautiful Pegasus I have ever laid eyes upon. But Celestia insisted that we should not be together. She insisted that she’d marry some dumb soldier. All on the insistence that it is her destiny. And my love bought her lie. It’s one thing to have your true love be torn from you… It’s another to have them be torn from you because someone else had plans for them. I suffered without my love… But I found a new one. One who understood my pain. One who will help me exact revenge on Celestia. I’m here to help you do the same.” He said.

“… I’m sorry, this is all too much for me. I-”

“Do you want that power you thirsted for? It is waiting for you.” He then looked at the moon. “The moon is at its peak tonight.”

“It is?” Sunset looked at the moon.

“Indeed. Are you still unconvinced? Then perhaps this will convince you. Do you know why we have a mare in the moon? Do you wonder who the mare in the moon is?” He asked.

“Of course I do! It’s a bedtime story! The story of Nightmare Moon. One day, a monstrous pony vowed to plunge Equestria into eternal night. Celestia stopped her before any damage could be done and she banished her to the moon.” Sunset then paused. “Nightmare Moon is some pony she betrayed too, isn’t she?” Her mouth drooped as her eyes simply watered.

“… Yes. Her sister.” Sunset ended up shaking in her hooves. “She merely wanted her nights to be cherished by the other ponies, but Celestia insisted otherwise. Eventually, she grew tired of her sister’s complaints and banished her to the moon. If she can be that cruel to her own sister, imagine just how cruel she can be to anyone. That’s why I vow to snuff out the light. So what do you say?” He asked her.

“…” Sunset merely looked to the castle, her horn alit with her getting a cocky grin. “I don’t want to snuff out the light.” She then ran towards the castle. “I SHALL REPLACE IT WITH MY OWN!” The man just smiled as he faded away in a shimmer of light, leaving behind a few swan feathers as they floated away.

---

“Rose, talk to me, what’s going on?” Tracer spoke into her phone as she ran through the streets, blue streaks lighting up the night sky as she continued to run.

“There’s a bunch of Grimm on the horizon. Way more than we could account for!” Loud energy blasts punctuated his sentences, causing Tracer to clench her teeth when she heard them. “They seemed to be heading towards-” That’s when Tracer ran into the claw of a large black furred werewolf with bones jutting out of its body and its face covered in a skull like mask that was decorated with red tribal markings. Tracer fell onto the ground before she got up and saw the creature. She recognized it as a Beowolf-class Grimm, but it was slightly larger and had more sharp bones.

It roared and tried to pounce on Tracer before a violet-colored slash cut the wolf in half. Its remains began to fade away as the sword that cut into the Grimm boomeranged back to its holder.

“Shadow! Thank God you’re here! We need all the help we can get! Grimm are-”

“Fall back.” Shadow merely spoke in the coldest tone she could.

“Fall back?” Tracer got up and raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this many Grimm at once.” She said. Tracer looked to Shadow as she sighed. “The last time this happened…” Shadow froze for a bit before holding the side of her belly. “Urg…” She grunted. Tracer merely stood back.

“Are you alright?” Tracer asked. Shadow nodded. She then let go of her stomach and looked to Tracer. She paused a bit before she took her hand to her mask. As she took them off, she showed her eyes to Tracer. Tracer stepped back a bit, if only because of just how vivid her golden eyes were. Not only that, but Tracer can’t help but admit that Shadow was beautiful underneath the mask. Though that was only before Tracer noticed the tears from her eyes.

“The last time this happened, my friends and I got hurt. Buildings were destroyed. People died.” Her voice cracked. Tracer stopped moving. For a moment, she was a statue. However, her ring tone managed to break her concentration. She went for the phone.

“Talk to me.” Tracer said.

“Tracer, it’s Cam! Rose is still holding off the Grimm, but some are slipping his notice!” Cam said. The two then felt rumbles on the ground. Shadow turned and saw a gigantic black elephant with the same bony structure and tribal markings as the Beowolf. It stampeded across the street, knocking away cars and stoplights before running into Shadow. Tracer ran and got Shadow out of the way. As the two got up, they saw a few Beowolves latching onto the elephant.

“That’s not good!” Shadow said.

“Cam, where are the Grimm going?” Tracer asked.

“Let me see… They seem to be heading… Oh God!” Cam asked.

“What? What is it?” That’s when Shadow got up and shed a few tears.

“It’s happening again…” She cried. It didn’t take Tracer too long to figure out where they were heading. She then ran off, hoping to beat the elephant there.

---

“If I may have your attention, please!” Celestia had the envelope ready. I knew I had to get to the stage pronto. I pushed some of the students aside as I went on the warpath to the stage. “Although there weren’t a number of votes, there were enough to decide a clear winner.” She then proceeded to open the envelope. That’s when I marched onto the stage.

“Atatatatat!” I spoke up as I snatched the envelope from her hands.

“Professor Silverbolt, just what do you think you’re doing?” Celestia glared at me.

“As a teacher in the science department, I am meant to promote the idea of making a well-informed decision. And unfortunately, these students are not well-informed.” I said.

“Silverbolt, give that back this instant.” Celestia said.

“Hang on…” I opened the envelope and pulled up the result. I read the paper and instantly groaned. “Really? Only seven people voted.” While the results were a landslide in my favor, I began to feel a rush. I looked to Sunset and began to imagine her as Ashley. All Celestia could do was pound her foot and pester me. I merely glared daggers at Celestia and began to have a smirk.

This was it. This was the moment where I betrayed Celestia. Where I usurp all power from her. In this one moment, I would experience a power rush that rivaled Ryoma’s own rush when he finally staged his coup against Takatora.

“I propose we extend the voting by just a few minutes… Because that’s all I need to convince you of who to vote.” I took Colorful Commercial from my pocket. I placed him on the podium as it began to play video footage of Sunset recording the battle between me and Fatty. It then switched over to her editing the video to purposefully look like we picked a fight with him instead of the other way around. It soon switched to her talking with the goth about invading Equestria.

Though, the kids were not convinced. By the time it showed Sunset trashing the gym with tears flooding her eyes, I smirked as the kids gasped. It then showed how Twilight and her friends managed to fix up the gym. It continued to show Sunset harassing some of the students to get her votes all while Twilight and her friends comforted those exact students. I turned to see Celestia merely face palm. I was tempted to laugh, but I felt it would be over the top. The footage ended as I took the Shift Car and placed it in my pocket.

“Tell me now, who’s the real psycho?” I asked. In an instant, the students all turned to Sunset and booed at her. The moment I saw Sunset glare at me, almost about to pop a blood vessel, I began to cackle like the mad scientist I was dressed up as. Finally. Perfect. Sweet. Revenge. “It’s already unanimous,” I turned to Celestia, “so I doubt we need this anymore.” I tore up the envelope. “Twilight, congrats, you won in a landslide!” Twilight just looked at me. She looked around and saw the students nod. But as soon as she got up onto the stage…

“Help!” Spike cried out as Sunset ran off with him in her hands.

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” I screamed out. Twilight and I began to chase Sunset as some of the students, Twilight’s friends included, followed.

It was just one bitchy bully being chased by half the student body. Part of me wanted this to happen every day when I was in school. Another part just smiled so wide, you could have thought I inhaled some Joker Venom. As we ran, I saw the flurry of rose petals as Ross ran alongside me.

“Joining in the hunting season?” I asked.

“What the hell were you thinking? You destroyed her reputation! Sunset’s just acting desperate!” Ross said.

“She did this to herself!” I barked back. I saw Sunset run off around a corner across a hallway filled with windows. As we tried to catch up, a large freaking elephant ran across the hall, shattering the windows and destroying the hall. Some werewolves hopped off the elephant as Ross and I stopped in our tracks.

“Grimm…” Ross muttered. I turned the ignition as I muttered the word:

“Henshin!”

Transforming into Gold Drive, Banno ran to attack one of the Beowolves while Ross took out his scythe and cut through the other Beowolf.

“Go! We’ll hold them off!” Ross shouted. Twilight and her friends complied while the rest of the students no doubtedly ran back. Banno sidestepped the claw of his opponent before punching the Grimm in the gut and then roundhouse kicking it to oblivion. One more Beowolf was left, but before any of us could move, I heard the sound of tiny pistols blasting out. The Beowolf began to get mowed by what appeared to be bullets of pure plasma.

“Cheers, love! The cavalry’s here!” I saw Miss Oxton holding two pistols and sporting a goofy smile before she began to pant. Ross just turned to me.

“Yeah… See, there’s this superhero league and Oxton is one of them and-”

“And the rabbit hole just goes deeper and deeper… Look, I have someone to stop, so if you excuse me…” Banno ran off, out of the exit that the elephant had made. I could feel Ross and Oxton beginning to follow me.

---

“Let go of Spike!” Twilight cried out to Sunset just as the two were in front of the statue. Twilight’s friends caught up to her as Sunset began to laugh.

“Alright then…” Twilight tensed up as she feared the worst. As she closed her eyes, she waited for the painful moment where Sunset would torture Spike to break her…

Instead, he felt Spike climbing up to her. She blinked for a moment.

“I’m not a monster, Twilight.” Sunset said.

“Yeah, right! You bully people left and right and break their hearts! I doubt you can even feel!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

“There’s a difference between what I do and what a monster would do. For one, I would have just smashed Spike in with this!” She pulled out a sledgehammer from her coat. She grunted a bit as she lifted up the steel attached to a wooden shaft. “But instead…” Sunset began to smirk. “You know something, Twilight? I wish to make a deal with you. Give me the crown, and I’ll let you and Spike return to Equestria… You don’t? I smash this and seal you in this realm forever!” Sunset held the hammer, pressing all her strength into positioning the hammer for the right swing. “Of course, there’s the alternative. We stand still and this portal closes, sealing you here either way!” Twilight stood still.

“Twilight, don’t do it!” Rainbow Dash said.

“Yeah, we got this!” Applejack prepared herself, only for Sunset to twitch her muscles.

“I bet I can smash this faster than you can stop me.” Sunset said. Rainbow Dash only growled. However, that’s when the group heard what could be the worst sound they could ever hear.

A mad scientist driven to the lowest point of sanity laughing hysterically. The girls turned to see Banno walk down towards the statue.

“Stop bluffing. My host has been doing some digging around last night. You need the portal more than Twilight does.” He said. I saw Sunset lower the hammer for a bit. “Even if you are intent on being a woman of your word, which I highly doubt, all I have to do is make your entire body so heavy that it would feel like time has slowed down. While I,” Banno then pulled out the Door Gun, “can move freely. I bet I can shoot you faster than you can break the statue.” Banno said. I could see Sunset tremble. Banno merely chuckled as he stepped forward. “Tick tock, Sunny…” He sang out in a slow and eerie lullaby. That was when he froze. I could sense it, our time as Gold Drive was running out.

“Banno, switch!” I said to him. Banno just groaned as his fingers reached to the ignition. That’s when I saw Sunset smirk.

“Seems you’re locked to a cage. Luckily, I’m an opportunist. The Element of Magic can grant me unlimited power. It might grant me enough magic to free you.” Sunset said.

“Hmph… And what is there to say that you can’t?” Banno asked.

“Well, if I can’t free you, I’ll let you have the first hit.” Sunset said.

“Banno, don’t do it!” … What the hell am I trying to say? I know what Banno’s first response will be.

Banno invoked Slowdown as he walked towards Twilight and took the crown. Rainbow Dash was the first to respond, followed by Ross and Oxton. All three of them threw a punch towards Banno, only for him to walk towards Sunset and cancelled his Slowdown, causing all three of them to collide into each other thanks to their super speed. Banno merely walked to Sunset as the other girls tried to go to him.

Pinkie Pie teleported to Banno, only for him to teleport behind Pinkie Pie and continue his walk. Rarity tried to throw an explosive gem at him, only for Banno to casually launch an energy lance behind him at the gem, creating a giant explosion. Applejack ran to Banno and grabbed him, her strength stopping him from reaching Sunset. Sunset, however, chuckled and went to him. She took the crown from his hands.

“Finally, after all these years, I finally have the power!” Sunset laughed as she placed the crown on her head. As Applejack tried to stop her, something happened. Sunset’s eyes began to glow in an orange aura as she began to float up into the air. Waves of fire began to circulate around Sunset Shimmer before creating a shockwave that knocked Applejack back, causing her to fall and creating ripples of orange aura around her. Sunset was soon concealed in a cocoon of flame as we all heard her screaming. These screams, however, turned into laughter. As the flames died, a monster had taken Sunset’s place.

It had Sunset’s hair, but it flowed like fire. She had blood red skin and devil wings with some holes in them (I wonder how the hell she uses them to fly), she wore clothes that were burning like fire (obviously a pattern here), pointy ears and black eyes with only cerulean lights coming out of them.

“Yes… I can feel the power!” She cackled.

“Now, test it out. While I have time, that is.” Banno said.

“Of course…” She waved her hand and I felt the one thing I never thought I would ever fear feeling:

Banno being off of my waist. Gold Drive’s armor came off of me as I saw the belt levitate towards Sunset as she gave a smile that only Satan could adore, what with the pointy teeth and all.

“See? I told you it could work… But, I’m curious… How much more powerful would I become if I were to put you on?” She said.

“No! Don’t!” I shouted. Sunset only smiled more.

“All the more reason for me to put you on, right?” She asked.

“Yes… Start my engine!” Banno said. Sunset grabbed Banno and placed him on her waist, a belt forming on her waist.

“This is more than I ever dreamed of! More power! Yes! Unlimited power! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” She and Banno began to laugh as I saw something that Banno never showed off for a long time. Tendrils came out of Banno, each with very pointy blades at the end of them. These were the tendrils used to kill 006 and…

And…

My eyes widened as Sunset’s laughing stopped cold as Banno’s tendrils impaled right into her skull. Banno continued laughing.

“YOU IDIOT! BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! FINALLY! I AM FREE TO DO WHAT I WANT! And I know what to begin with.” Banno’s voice came out of Sunset’s mouth. I looked around and everyone else felt the same fear as I did. No doubt I could guess that they were concerned for Sunset’s well-being. However, I was afraid for a completely different reason. “I’ll erase you off the face of the earth! I won this race, after all!” As his fingers reached the ignition, I knew my fears would be realized with just one little word:

“Henshin.” As he turned the ignition, his body erupted into a burst of flame. Gold Drive’s armor came onto Banno, but along with it was fire that seared the armor until it created a long red cloth that hung off of Gold Drive’s belt, draping over the black spandex. Red pauldrons that were molded to look like fire were placed on Gold Drive’s shoulders. Perhaps the most notable feature was his helmet. It was more akin to a Roidmude’s helmet, with a smiling set of shark teeth as the mouthpiece and the spoiler on his head replaced with devil horns. The eyes were the same cyan that the demon had, though on the outer edge were a shade of orange. Banno levitated in the air as he looked at his arms.

“This… This power is exactly what I need to destroy those who would stand against me.” He laughed and raised his hands, creating pillars of fire around him. I could only watch as the world began to burn around me. I could only stand as what would likely be my executioner stared down at me. The moment I feared since he spoke was realized:

Banno is back.

Comments

[KR Chrome]

And shit just hit the fans! Banno has a new body and is going to destroy everyone. They need a miracle.

[Hopelight]

8127993 DRIVE: TYPE MIRACLE! HEART THE KAMEN RIDER!
8135936
I wouldn't be surprised if when Banno is separated again he gets a Chekhov's Sledgehammer to the face!

[blazikenking]

The best way to stop an out of control Rider is with another Rider. Here's hoping Buki joins the fray.

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Oh shit...

[The Fourth Monado]

#FuckBanno2017

[Psyga315]

8172413
Glad someone got the reference.

[ElNeroDiablo]

Awww cwap, this is gonna be hell for Kelly and the others.
To quote a certain Gashat - "What's The Next Stage?" :3