A Passing Through Kamen Rider

by thunderclap

When Wyatt's Away the Twilights Will Play Pt. II

Red and Sombra didn’t have long to consider what the pod was as it opened itself. A hydraulic hiss filled the air as the front slid upward. Stepping out was a massive humanoid figure, easily eight feet tall and nearly half as broaad. Its skin was grey and looked diseased with a number of deep set wrinkles. A greyish coat covered its body, a matching hat resting on its head.

Wasting no time, Red put herself in front of Sombra and slipped her rings onto her fingers. “Sombra, go get Spike. Now!”

Nodding, Sombra took off towards the tree house.

Red charged forward, pulling her sword from a magic circle. “I’m going to charbroil you!”

The massive figure moved its hand forward, easily catching her sword mid swing. Bringing its other arm to bear, its meaty fist barreled into Red’s chest. Her body tumbled away, the breath knocked out of her. Her tumble only ended when her back hit something, her vision swimming too much to make out details properly.

With melee out of the question, Red switched her sword to its gun form and fired a few shots in her opponent's general direction. “I’m not afraid of you, asshole!” She heard the sound of impacts, bolstering her confidence. Said confidence faltered when her vision started to clear and she could make out the giant starting to approach her, unphased.

Rolling to her hooves, she fired a few more shots into the giant’s chest. Reaching down to her ring chain, she quickly realized her lack of rings.

The giant was still unphased, the shots not even piercing its skin. Cursing under her breath, Red searched her opponent for any signs of weaknesses. Nothing revealed itself, the silent monster just as blank as it had been minutes ago.

Grunting, she rose to her feet, darting around the behemoth and firing at his knees. “What? Don’t have a stupid joke? No ravings of superiority? Come on, gimme something!”

The giant made no response, his thunderous footsteps only growing louder. Red’s bullets did nothing to slow him, nor did they seem to have any effect. The behemoth threw another punch, Red only barely managing to avoid the blow.

Red felt her anger boil, threatening to blot out her rational mind. Switching her weapon back to sword mode, she stabbed at her opponent's leg.

The blade sank into the coat, actually reaching flesh beneath it. The brute gave her nothing, not a cry of pain, not a curse. Only it’s cold stare as its fist was brought down on her helmet.

Red went down, swearing she could hear a ringing sound. She struggled to get up, her vision swimming. Snarling, she rolled away from another strike. “Okay, I guess I’ll have to get serious!”

Forcing herself to her feet, Red gripped her sword and charged. Her charge was short lived, the giant slamming his fist down and knocking her face first into the dirt. Groaning, Red pushed herself into a kneeling position.

Red trembled, her anger ebbing with her energy. She was out of options and she'd barely landed a blow on her opponent. Her anger sparked anew at her own weakness. Calling upon her magic, she teleported away.

She reappeared in the treehouse, collapsing to the floor in a heap. Her armor dispelled, revealing to the world all of her growing bruises. Groaning softly, she barely noticed as someone came to her side. With one last grunt, her eyes fluttered shut as her consciousness waned.

Yellow was the first to act, carefully picking Red up and putting her on the nearby sofa. Lighting her horn up, she brought over the cyber elf capsule. "Apologies Nana, but I'm going to have to replace you for a moment."

“Do you have to? It’s so boring in there,” Nana whined from across the room.

"Yes, we need to get her treated." Yellow opened the case and pointed it at Red. Nana’s form dissolved into light, returning to the now activated case.

"Please choose your assistant."

"Cinnamon," Yellow stated. "Set personality to caretaker."

"Complying, copy accessed and caretaker accepted," the case stated, a light rising from the case.

After a moment, the light took shape. It was unmistakably feminine with a pair of golden wings on her back attached to a blue and white outfit. Her head piece had two hair buns and a traditional nurse's hat adorned with a red plus sign that framed her blonde hair.

No sooner had the new cyber elf taken shape, she flitted over to Red with a gasp. "Oh goodness! This poor dear has had it rough. Time for some medicine!” Hovering above Red, Cinnamon hummed softly. “Let’s see, concussion, bruised ribs. Oh my, and a fracture along her horn.”

Clicking her tongue, Cinnamon continued to examine Red. "I have my work cut out for me. Can one of you give her something to bite down on? Healing all this is going to be painful for her."

Green was quick to act, grabbing a wooden spoon from the kitchen and propping it in Red's mouth. Backing away, she cringed as Cinnamon began exposing Red in a soft blue light. Red screamed, muffled by the object in her mouth. She writhed, joints popping as everything was forced back into place.

Green looked away, her ears pinning against her head. “I’m certainly not going to end up like that. No sir.”

The door burst open, Sombra barreling into the room. "Uncle Spike! Moms! We've got a big monster attacking Ponyville!" He froze, his eyes locking on Red. “S-she’s okay, right?”

"She's being healed," Yellow said, shielding Sombra from seeing Red. "Now, what's this about a monster? Can you describe them for us?”

Sombra went on to describe the monster, using grand gestures to emphasize its size. The trio of Twilights exchanged a look before glancing at Red.

"Th-that must've been what hurt Red," Blue noted, doing her best to not tremble in front of Sombra. “W-we can fight something like that, r-right?” She poked her fingers together, trying and failing to put up a brave face.

"We have to," Yellow affirmed, slipping her ring on her finger. "Otherwise, ponies could get hurt. Come on, we're wasting time." Suiting up, she grabbed a handful of rings. “Green, I need you to get Spike up to speed. Blue, you're with me.”

Green saluted, zipping up towards Spike's room. Blue gulped, but grabbed her own ring with shaky hands.

“I-I don’t know about this...” Blue muttered, putting a hand to her belt. “I-I’ll just g-get in the way...”

"You're a Rider, Blue," Yellow snapped, opening the front door. "You either help people or you give up that belt. Now come-” her body tumbled back, eliciting a pain groan. “Okay... Now I know why Red’s a wreck...”

Blue wanted to scream, an odd humanoid figure staring blankly at them. She fumbled with her gun, firing off a few shots at them. “S-stay away!”

Standing up, Yellow switched out one of her rings. "Bind, please!" A magic circle formed around the grey brute, rock chains wrapping around his limbs. They strained as the creature struggled, exerting far more power than Yellow expected.

"Blue! Go for it now! Open fire and go for the eyes!" Yellow shouted, gritting her teeth while she focused on keeping the giant in place. “Blue!”

Blue froze, her hands trembling. Beneath her helmet her pupils contracted to pinpricks. Hyperventilating, she fired off a score of shots. Most went wide, some hit only the bonds holding the creature and only a couple found their mark.

Their links disrupted, the creature broke free of its chains. Grabbing Blue by the neck, it tossed her out of the building and onto the street. Yellow dove under its next swing, joining Blue outside.

Coughing, Blue wheezed out a string of apologies while trying to catch her breath. Yellow only hauled her counterpart to her feet and dusted her off in response. The two braced each other, staring their opponent down as it stepped out with them.

Yellow took off the bind ring, switching it out for a new one. "Okay Blue, new plan. Just distract it until Green and Spike get here; I'm going to try something."

"Drill, please!" A magic circle appeared beneath Yellow's leg, her body suddenly rotating quickly. Diving into the ground, she kicked up a spray of dirt.

With Yellow out of sight, the creature focused squarely on Blue. It stomped towards her, murderous intent rolling off it in waves despite its impassive gaze. Blue eeped, fumbling to get another ring on her finger.

Blue succeeded in getting the ring on her finger, desperately tapping it against her belt. “Liquid, please!” Her body lost cohesion, becoming naught but water. A fist swung through her body, only managing to get its coat wet. Blue's body resolidified, grabbing the creature in an arm lock.

"Don't hit me!" Blue cried, holding on for dear life. Her grip was like a vice, resisting the monster's attempts to dislodge her. She finally let go when swung its other fist at her head. Her body turned to liquid again, slipping away from the monster.

Her liquid form kept the brute occupied, allowing Yellow to complete her plan. The ground buckled beneath the behemoth before falling away and burying him in a hole just its size. The ground settled, the silent giants hat laying on the dirt.

Yellow reappeared from underground, cancelling her transformation. "Good work, Blue. I think that's the last we're seeing of that thing." Grinning, she patted her fellow Twilight on the shoulder. “You did great.”

Shaking her head, Blue cancelled her own transformation. “No, all I did was cower. You were the great one.”

“Don’t be like that. You did your best.” Yellow pulled her into a hug, nuzzling her head. “Take some pride in yourself.”

Blue accepted the hug, a ghost of a smile on her face. "I think Red got pride enough for all of us. Still, doesn't it feel like this was too easy?"

“Maybe. Still enjoy the small victories, ya?”

"Are we too late?!" Spike called out, his belt around his waist. Green was close behind, her head whipping in every direction in an attempt to find the monster. He deflated, sagging his shoulders. “Take one shower and all hell breaks loose.”

"Maybe next time, killer," Yellow joked, pulling away from Blue. "All we needed this time was Twilight power. How is Red doing?”

"Still unconscious," Green answered, settling down. "But Cinnamon says she's healing nicely." Her magic lifted the hat up, bringing it to her hands. “Any idea what that thing was? Sombra said it was some kind of human?”

"It looked human, but I don't think it was," Yellow posed, staring at the hat. "Though, given its appearance that was an obvious observation.” Her shoulders shrugged. “Probably some weird experiment.”

“D-didn’t it seem like it was focused on us?” Blue questioned. “I-I mean, it came right to the library and didn’t seem to be interested in the town at all.” The very idea made her tremble, clutching onto Yellow’s arm.

Yellow patted Blue's back, offering what comfort she could.

"Well, at least we've taken care of things for now," Green interjected. "Let's see if we can turn four Twilights back into one."

Everyone nodded, heading back into the library. With Yellow at the lead, the trio went into the lab to get to work on the Magic Timer. Reigning in Green's energy made progress even slower, which was rough considering there seemed to be nothing wrong with the little device.

“Hey, you hear something?” Yellow asked, swiveling her ears. “I think someone just opened the front door.”

"I'll check it out!" Green called out, running up the stairs. Once she was out of sight, there was a quick scream followed by the sound of splintering wood. “There’s another one!!”

Yellow put down the Timer, turning to Blue. "Come on, we've gotta help her!" Transforming, she rocketed up the stairs.

Blue whined, her ears pinned to her head. “B-b-but we just beat a monster...” Fumbling with her ring, she transformed and reluctantly made her way downstairs. She steeled herself, hoping this one wouldn’t be so intimidating.

---

Wyatt squared up against Psycho Green, lashing forward to put his opponent on the defensive. Rover took up the rear, using his chain mace to crush the evil Ranger's defenses. His mind buzzed with shock, thinking that somewhere, some cosmic force was mocking him.

Come to think of it, he knew there was; his current powers and home proving it. Clearing his head he kept up his assault, narrowly dodging a wicked swing of Psycho Green's dagger. “Do the others have magic armor?”

"Course," Rover answered, swinging his mace over his head. "They be here soon." He swung it into a group of Mastodon troops, their bullets plinking off his armor.

Wyatt nodded, drawing Ninjor's sword and using it in conjunction with his card case sword. "Good, was gonna feel outnumbered otherwise." Countering a slash, he cut Psycho Green across the shoulder.

Psycho Green laughed, ignoring the sparks coming from his armor. “Drakkon told me you had some, small, hint of promise. I think he may have been exaggerating.”

"I've got more than enough to deal with you," Wyatt countered, blocking another slash and kneeing the Ranger in the gut. "Best you've done is cheap shot me. So if I have no promise, what does that say about you?"

“Talk too much!” Rover barked, swinging his mace at Psycho Green’s chest.

Sparks flew off of Green, the man forced to stumble backwards a moment. While Wyatt couldn't see beneath the helmet, he didn't need to to know that he'd struck a nerve with Psycho Green. Green threw his hand out, sending a green bolt of energy into Rover’s chest.

Letting out a yelp, Rover's body locked up. The evil Ranger followed up with a stab of his dagger, catching the armored diamond dog in a gap of his armor. Before Psycho could press it in deeper, Wyatt jumped to Rover's aid.

An arrow whistled across the battlefield, burying itself shallowly into Green’s breastplate. A torrent of sound erupted forward, a burst of air emitting from the arrow. Green flew back, slamming into the disabled tank.

Vines crept along the ground, wrapping up groups of sentries as they went. Eventually, a group of them disappeared, completely covered head to toe in the plant matter. “Good, we weren’t too late then!” Bramble’s voice called.

A torrent of flame tore through the encampment, turning many of the structures to ash in an instant. "Yeah, but at least there was an easy trail to follow," Autumn's voice agreed, a red and gold knight walking through the flames. “What say you, Capper?”

"Kid's got style, I'll give him that," Capper's voice responded, a pillar of ice flipping over a tank while a blue and gold knight strolled onto the scene. "But he might wanna exercise more caution; unlike me he doesn't have nine lives t o lose."

Another arrow sent a gunship into a death spiral, thrown out of the sky by a short lived tornado. Ocellus landed by the group, her colorful chitin peeking out under white and gold armor. “C-can we save the jokes for later. Please?”

Lightning crashed, downing another gunship. A purple and turquoise knight appearing. "I'm with Ocellus, we can joke when we're not surrounded."

Psycho Green extracted himself from the tank, tossing the arrow away. “You're certainly colorful enough to be rangers.” Turning, his hands crunched grips into the metal of the tank. “Tell me, are you any better?” With unmatched ease, he lifted the tank over his head, sending it crashing towards them.

Ocellus fired another arrow, creating a wall of wind that slowed the tank down enough to let everyone dodge. Her wings beat frantically as Psycho Green lunged from the whirlwind, his hands wrapping around her throat.

Wyatt charged the Ranger, throwing a kick at his side. A spiked mace collided with his side, sending him to the ground. Groaning, he turned to find a man in red armor, a crab-like helmet obscuring his face. Wyatt recognized the assailant as Marshal Armor, leader of Destron.

Yanking his mace back, Marshal Armor readied it for another swing. “Rise once more, young Rider. If I am to strike you down today, it shall be in the heat of battle.”

Groaning, Wyatt picked himself up. "Okay Crabcake, I'll take you on." Squaring up, he saw in the corner of his eye that the knights had freed Ocellus.

“No.” Moondancer stood between Wyatt and their opponents. “Leave them to us, Wyatt. You know what you have to do.” Brandishing her staff, the weapon crackled with lightning. “Don’t make me say it twice.”

Nodding, Wyatt put his swords away. "Fine, but don't have too much fun without me." Breaking into a sprint, he began a run out of the camp and onto the bridge. He had to ignore the giant chasm beneath him, keeping his eyes on the gates lest his vision start swimming.

Slowing his run, Wyatt patted at his belt. A few frantic moments before he found the key. It took his adrenaline addled mind to find the socket. Slipping the key in place, he took a step back as the bridge began to tremble.

Slowly but surely, the gates swung outward, revealing the inner workings of Tartarus. A great circular room opened before him, three other doors visible across the distance. A deep growl caught his attention, a previously unseen form rising from the floor.

Following the growl, Wyatt saw a three headed figure stalked towards him. The floor shook with its every step. Once it came closer to the light, he could see that it was Cerberus.

Sniffing the air, Cerberus barked, all six eyes locking on Wyatt. Before he could react, the multi-headed dog pounced, knocking the young man over. Wyatt's life flashed before his eyes, only for a tongue to drag against his armor. Then, Cerberus started to whine and paw at where Wyatt's pockets were.

“Okay, okay.” Wyatt pushed at the paw, retrieving the desired item. “Were you looking for this?” he asked, waving a handful of jerky in front of the hound's noses.

Cerberus yipped, though it came out more like a roar from the giant dog. Once Wyatt tossed the jerky, the three heads seemed to fight for a moment before each came away with a share of the treat. It was almost adorable, up until a glob of drool fell from the center head's maw and completely drenched him.

“Blegh.” Wyatt wiped his helmet, sitting up. “Good dog.” Patting Cerberus’s leg, he turned towards the door. “Keep the bad guys out, okay? Don’t want any of the prisoners getting out.”

Cerberus barked happily, curled tail wagging as he took up his post at the open door. Wyatt pressed on, following Celestia's directions towards Velvet's tomb.

"What is it with me and tombs lately?" He muttered to himself. "Why can't I get to traverse a luxury resort or a cruise? Something nice." A sudden tremble made him brace himself. Wyatt cursed, feeling several more. “They must be shelling the prison.”

He quickened his pace, ignoring everything so he could focus on replaying the directions in his head. The various sounds of the monstrosities made it difficult, those able to speak promising to devour him if given the chance.

The calls for his devouring only fueled his desire for an actual vacation. He swore to himself he’d petition Twilight for a beach trip for once he returned. Another temor made him stumble, nearly being caught under a falling door.

Whipping his head, he checked the cell only to sigh in relief when he found that it was empty. That elation slowly crumbled, eyes slowly turning upward. A faint outline of something moved against the cell's ceiling; some kind of predator eager to pounce.

Reacting quickly, he drew his card case off his side, changed it to its gun form and fired off a few shots at the outline. Bullets ricochet wildly, its disguise fading as it lunged at him. The thing that slammed into Wyatt resembled a changeling, if a changeling had been made of nightmares.

Green spittle dripped from its fanged mouth, its horn glowing and a strange force prodding at his mind. He vaguely registered that this must be a wispling, his hands keeping its jaws open. Positioning his gun, he put the barrel to its mouth and pulled the trigger. Jerking its head to the side, the bullet burrowed through its cheek.

The wispling snapped at him, the prodding at his mind getting more aggressive. "Oh, don't like that? Too bad, stop trying to snack on me!” Wyatt opened fire, shots ricocheting off the wispling's chitin.

Swiping its claws across his helmet, it shattered one of its eyes. Sneering, it bounded off vanishing in a blur of movement.

Scrambling to his feet, Wyatt trained his gun down the hall, daring the wispling to lunge at him again. Spotting no movement for at least a minute, he removed the bits of lens from inside his helmet and continued his trek.

He kept his head on a swivel, not wanting to be caught by surprise again. He did his best not to jump at shadows, his steps echoing off the stone walls. He would've had an easier time keeping calm if the entire prison wasn't being bombarded every few seconds.

Several more cells broke open, barring Wyatt’s path. Growling, he slipped his Kabuto card out. “I’m getting a little tired of this nonsense.”

He gave a silent prayer, hoping against hope that the belt would cooperate for once. "Kamen Ride: Kabuto!"

"Thank you!" Wyatt cried, quickly using the Clock Up card. The world came to a halt, the horrors from the cells stuck mid snarl or pounce. Wyatt walked calmly past them, stabbing or shooting them as he passed to keep his path clear for later.

Now with nothing but time on his hands, Wyatt easily made it to the chamber containing Velvet's sarcophagus. The sarcophagus itself was eerie, made to resemble an iron maiden. At its center was a keyhole, made to look like clasped hands.

Shifting out of his armor, Wyatt slid the key into place. “Sorry about this but we need you to get up.” Locks hissed open as he turned the key, cold air rushing out. Jumping to the side, the front of the sarcophagus slammed into the ground.

Velvet was still asleep after it first opened, giving him a chance to give her a look over. Her red coat was tattered, all her clothes were really; making Wyatt think of edgy anime characters. Her black hair was long, easily going past her lower back. Her entire left arm was hidden beneath bandages. Her right bearing a gauntlet.

"Wake up sleeping beauty," Wyatt joked, tapping the side of the sarcophagus. "And no asking for five more minutes." Grasping her shoulder he gave her a hard shake. “Come on, wake up.”

Velvet’s left arm latched onto his neck, a black fire consuming her bandages. A massive black claw replaced her arm; a demonic hand wrapped around his head. Her eyes opened, an animalistic fury dancing on her pupils.

Wyatt let out a muffled shout of her name, patting at her shoulder to get her to release her grip. He flailed in her grasp, claws digging into his scalp. Her hand released him, throwing him against the wall.

Groaning, Wyatt's head pounded and he could feel blood trickle down his face. If he didn't have a concussion he'd be amazed. "H-hey, I’m on your side lady...” Bracing himself against the wall, he slowly stood up. "I've already got an army to fight out there."

Velvet snarled, her demonic arm raised above her head. Staring down at Wyatt, the rage bled from her eyes, giving way to shock. Her arm lowered, reverting to its bandaged state. Eyes widened, tears beginning to streak down her face.

"Whoa, are you okay?" Wyatt asked, carefully approaching her. "No need to feel bad. With my looks I can get how you'd confuse me with an escaped demon."

Stepping forward, Velvet collapsed into Wyatt’s arms. Choked sobs were the only sounds she made, gripping the young man in a bone crushing hug. He could only offer what comfort he could, doing his best to not let his confusion show.

“I-I never...” she tried to begin, her voice failing her. “I-I never thought I’d see you again.”

Wyatt looked down, the words catching him off guard. "Uh, come again? We've met?"

Cupping his chin, she stared into his eyes. “I-it’s me, Kelly,” she all but whispered, clinging to him.

Wyatt's mind reeled from more than just the concussion. In an instant the raven haired berserker was replaced with the red head he had known since he had gotten out of diapers. He examined her, searching for any hint of deception. "K-Kelly? Wh-but how, why are you here?"

Pulling back, Kelly wiped at her eyes. “I-I went looking for you. I went to so many cons and events, hoping to find anything.”

"And someone tricked you into buying something?" Wyatt guessed, unable to believe what he was hearing. "And why go that far for me?"

Kelly shook her head. “No. I chose this. I chose this because you needed my help.” Reaching into her coat, she held out a small card case. “These... these are for you.” Grabbing his hand, she placed it firmly in his hand.

Opening the case, Wyatt found cards for all the Showa era Riders within it. There was even a card for easy summoning of his bike. "Who gave these to you? Did they tell you that you coming here would help me?"

“She called herself Chocolina,” Kelly explained. “She said they’d help you. That’s all I bothered to ask.”

"Chocolina?" Wyatt repeated, the added info only piling onto the swirling slush that was his thoughts. "Sounds like a chocolate mascot." Gripping the deck of cards, another tremor nearly started a game of fifty-two pick up. "Reunion later, evil army now," he said, turning to exit the chamber.

Getting her to follow him out, he jogged back the path he had came in through. "Quick recap to get you up to speed, there's a guy in armor that looks like a crab along with suped up Power Rangers equipped with heavy artillery outside fighting magical knights from various species native to this world."

“And why are they attacking my prison!?” Kelly demanded, her emotions falling to anger.

"Pretty sure it has something to do with the cards you just gave me," Wyatt answered, glancing back at her. "I think the leader of the group I'm fighting doesn't want me to hav-” His words were overpowered by an insectoid shriek as a hulking form fell on top of him.

Wyatt's limbs were pinned, preventing him from properly summoning his belt. He struggled against the hulking beast, though its strength easily dwarfed his.

“Get the fuck off him!” Kelly’s arm exploded in demonic fire, the massive appendage shoving the wispling into the wall. Her claws dug into its exoskeleton, a sickening crack beginning to spread across its torso.

Wyatt watched her carefully. The display of power was a far cry from the behavior he'd seen from her. Sure, Kelly wouldn't take anything from those that tried to dish it out, but violence was never one of her solutions.

“Kelly!” Wyatt grabbed her leg, pulling himself into a sitting position. “Stop! You're going to kill it!” Digging in his heels, he tried to pull her off. "That thing used to be a changeling!"

Kelly peered over her shoulder, regarding Wyatt for a moment. Her claw released the wispling, taking a step back from it. “You’re a better person than I am, Wyatt.” Her demonic features subsided, as did her rage.

Wyatt smiled, keeping an eye on the wispling as it slinked away. "Are you kidding? I was following your example for years. Remember when you talked Floyd and I out of putting a skunk in Mr. McCullen's car? Something I still stan-”

Putting a hand to his mouth, Kelly shook her head. “Not here, not now. Focus, Wyatt.”

"Right, we've got people that need us." Taking point, he resumed his walk out into the hall. Pulling out his card case, he began to transfer over the new showa cards. His hands shook, desperately trying to get them in before something else happened.

His mind raced with possibilities on how to use the cards. Super One and Black RX would prove to be fun with their arsenals. Amazon with the animalistic fighting style and so much more. J’s growth would make any future kaiju much easier to beat.

Kelly chuckled, glancing at Wyatt. "Calm down. Take a breath. You won’t be good to anyone if you're shaking like a crack addict.”

Blinking, Wyatt paused before putting the cards away again. "Sorry, been a bit of a day. Pretty sure my adrenal gland is going to go on strike after all this.” Taking a slow breath, he tried to steady his hand. “I just don’t want to be caught with these unsecured.”

"Huh, you being careful, sounds like Equestria has changed you too." Kelly's head swiveled, lashing out towards a suddenly open cell. Her demonic arm wrapped around what could only be described as a dragon merged with a suit of armor. Black energy ruptured from the being, greedily absorbed by Kelly’s arm.

"Anyone else wanna try to escape?!" Kelly challenged, holding her arm up as she looked among the cells. Dropping the now limp body, she brandished her still glowing claws. “I fucking thought so. Stay in those goddamn cells or it’s open season.”

Wyatt didn't say anything, impressed by the commanding aura she gave off. Most prisoners were cowed by the display, stepping away from the bars. The few that weren’t merely glared back at her. Satisfied, Kelly let her arm revert to its original size, flicking a part of her hair over her shoulder. With her authority established, she resumed her journey out of Tartarus

---

Green grunted, struggling to keep the strange creature off of her. Its grey, naked body made her skin crawl. It’s left arm was pitch black in color, its clawed hand jabbing at her throat. She narrowly dodged the claw, strands of fur falling to the floor.

“Will someone get this thing off me!?”

A flash of yellow caught her attention, Yellow suddenly appearing on the thing's back and pressed her sword to its throat. “Get off of uh... me!”

The creature remained silent, doing its best to shake Yellow off. Using its clawed hand, it moved to grab the dangling mare. Awkward shifting her sword, Yellow thrust at its chest. The blade sank in, getting stuck. Yellow wiggled her hand, trying to force the sword in deeper and do as much damage while she was at it.

With the beast distracted, Green managed to wiggle free enough to transform. “Spike! Get down here! We got another monster!” Shoulder checking the beast, she ripped Yellow’s sword from its chest.

"Are you serious?!" Spike's muffled voice called. "I'll be right down!"

Blue fumbled with her weapon, firing a few wide shots at the creature. “W-why did everyone have to be out of town?”

"Now's not the time to worry about that!" Green chided, swiping across its chest. "We've already dealt with one of these things."

The creature swiped back with its claws, going for Green's neck. Bringing up her swords, she cut into its wrist. “You enjoying the ride, Yellow?” Digging her hooves in, Green attempted to scissor its hand off. Metal met bone, the swords releasing a sickening grinding sound.

It pulled back, blood gushing from the wound. It’s emotionless face stared into Green’s helmet, showing no reaction to its wounds. Reaching a hand back, it grabbed Yellow’s horn and tossed her into Green.

The two mares bowled over, becoming a tangle of limbs more than anything else. Reacting quickly, Blue put herself between the two and the creature and fired wildly.

“Get away from my moms!” Cell medals impacted the beast's chest, embedding themselves in its grey flesh.

Sombra was knocked back, holding a strange gun that had a large container for the medals hanging under the barrel. He pulled the trigger again, sending another barrage of medals out. The kickback sent him into a nearby wall causing him to grunt. Firing another blast, he used the wall to brace himself and steady his aim.

“Get it out of the house!” Yellow shouted, pushing Green off her. “Blue! Get it to chase you! Spike! I don’t care if you have to smash through the floor. Get! Down! Here!”

A black blur rushed down the stairs, crashing into the monster. The collision caught it off guard, allowing it to be carried outside and tossed on its ass.

The blur stopped, revealing itself to be Spike. "You rang, Yellow?" He was in his full yellow combo, standing at the ready. His claws extended, glinting in the sunshine. “Guests usually wear pants, ya know.”

The creature said nothing in return, swiping at the drake with its own claws. Ducking under the claw, Spike zoomed his arms out, claws slashing and stabbing at its solar plexus. Ending with a roundhouse kick, Spike knocked the beast to the ground.

Rising from the ground, it’s body began to convulse. It’s upper torso bulged out grotesquely, it’s right pec almost like a bowling ball. Tiny claws grew on its right hand, while its left arm nearly doubled in size. It’s left hand now bore claws that might as well be dragon fangs. Screaming in new found rage, fangs meeting the light of day.

"Uh, is it just me or did this thing get even uglier?" Green asked, looking between the group. "And it looks like it's all healed up."

She was right, where there were once fresh wounds there was only dried patches of blood. With previously unshown fury, it tackled Spike digging its fangs into his shoulder. Armor screeched, several fangs stabbing into it

"Spike!" Yellow called, charging the beast and thrusting her sword at its neck. Her charge stopped, a vice like grip wrapping around her leg.

Rising out of the ground like some graveyard spectre the coated assailant pulled Yellow off her hooves. It’s expressionless face bore down at her, a booted foot slamming down on her abdomen. Yellow gasped, the wind knocked out of her lungs. Gasping like a fish, her attacker picked her up and threw her into a nearby building.

Green sneered, slipping on her kick strike ring. “Okay, I’m done with this. Blue, make sure Sombra can’t see this.”

Blue nodded, getting Sombra and forcing him to look away by shielding him with her body.

Meanwhile, Green tapped the ring to her belt, the driver calling out the attack like always. A magic circle appeared beneath her hoof as she summoned a whirlwind beneath her to rise into the air. Once she was well above the surrounding buildings, she dropped pointing herself like a living arrow aimed at the coated figure.

Her hoof rammed into its chest, sending the coated monster exploding backwards. Its coat burned off, her hoofprint stamped into its ribcage.

Yellow managed to pry herself off the wall she had slammed into, spine creaking as she did. "Good shot, Green...” she trailed off, noting that the creature was still moving. “Oh come on.”

The beast convulsed, various parts of it bulging outwards. Stag beetle horns grew from its head, knocking the thing's hat loose as they crackled with energy. Chitin grew over its arms, converting its hands into drills. It’s burst of speed caught Green off guard, a drill aimed at her head. Jumping back, the drill only barely grazed her helmet. That contact was still enough to send a spiderweb of little cracks near her eyes.

“We need to get serious,” Yellow said, pushing away her soreness. “Hit it with everything we got. You too, Blue.”

"O-okay, but I don't have much to give," she said, putting on a ring. “U-Um... d-do you have a plan?”

"Less of a plan, more of a loose concept," Yellow admitted, putting on a ring of her own. "Focus attention on the nudist, his defenses look thinner than the big one."

"Okay, I'll try to corral them." Green summoned a whirlwind beneath her, Green took to the air and quickly tried to strike at the leaner creature. “Come on, ugly. Leave my little brother alone!”

The beast released Spike from its maw, swatting at Green. Spike used the time to crawl away, nursing his shoulder. The nude creature leapt up, pouncing at the flying dragon-pony. Its claws cut through her armor, stabbing into her hip.

Green cried out in pain, the whirlwind beneath her dying and gravity pulled her back to the ground. Her hands grasped at her wound, hot blood pouring out between her fingers. She didn't have time to dwell on it, forced to go on the defensive as the creature tried to bite her head off. She narrowly avoided the fangs poised for her throat, stabbing her sword into its open jaws.

---

Red’s ears twitched, the sounds of battle reaching her ears. Her limbs twitched futilely, body refusing to listen to her commands. There was a haze over her mind, likely brought on by painkillers. She was dimly aware of a form in front of her, but paid no attention to it.

Are you just going to lay there?

“Who said that?” Red grumbled, puffing smoke out of her nostrils. “Are you calling me lazy?”

Your family, parts of your very soul, are fighting for their lives and you just lay there.

“And who the hay are you supposed to be? And how the hay did you get in my house?”

I have been part of you since the dragon blood began to burn in your veins.

"Yeesh, how hard did that thing hit me?" Red groaned, trying in vain to rub her head. "This is one crazy hallucination."

For one who is supposed to be brilliant, this part of you is remarkably dim. The blood of Bahamut flows through you, through kin if not by birth..

"Yeah, and I'm proud of that blood. Proud of my brother for finding himself." Realization struck her and her awareness started to sharpen. "Are you some kind of hallucinogenic manifestation on my draconic instincts?"

Think of me what you will. Your fragmented selves will not survive this conflict. A house divided cannot stand

"You learned that from Wyatt," Red pointed out, finally able to see again. She was standing in a dark void. Despite that, she knew the owner of the voice was nearby. "He said that was a quote from a famous leader of his world."

It does not make it any less true. You must draw your pieces back together, Twilight Sparkle

“And how do I go about doing that? I’d need a lot of time to figure out what went wrong with the Timer.”

The voice growled, sharing its displeasure. This is not a matter of magic, nor a matter of science. This is a trial of will. Your will must be unbroken, comparable to the hardest of adamantine

“If it’s will you want, then I’ve got that in spades. I’m Twilight Sparkle, a student of Princess Celestia! I have my pride to protect!”

The voice snorted, a rumbling chuckle behind its words. That is meaningless boasting, action is required not words

“I’m more than just words,” Red pointed out. “Action is my specialty. Now, how do I get back to my copies?”

You are but one fraction of Twilight Sparkle. Anger, Fear, Morality and Excitement. Each a piece of the whole. Power sleeps in your blood, power that if not tempered by your will, shall destroy you.

"Will that power be enough to save my son and brother?"

You should already know

"Then that's all I need to hear," Red said, hands clenched at her side. "I don't care what it takes, I'll master that power."

The rumbling chuckle returned, bemusement coming through the void. Then go, show the world the fire of the Bahamut bloodline still burns bright.

Red’s eyes opened, fire consuming her form. Her exhaustion meant nothing to her, fallen away with so many other concerns. One of those concerns being the broken glass as she jumped through the window. She could see the two beasts nearby, her copies and Spike barely fending them off. Blue was holding onto Sombra shielding him from the thin one's wicked claws.

"Is this what happens when I take a brief nap?" Red taunted, the flames surrounding her growing before converging on her on her hand. "I guess four Twilights aren't better than one. Let's fix that."

Stretching her arms out, the flame grew into a pyre. Almost like fingers, they reached out to grasp the other Twilight’s.

The three rose into the air, the flames on Red's hand solidifying into a ring. Flipping her belt, Red tapped her ring to the hand on it. "Flame! Dragon!" The three other Twilights merged with the fire, the flames taking the shape of a dragon. It circled Red, her Driver now chanting, "Burn, burn, burn, burn!" A magic circle formed on Red's back, the fire dragon flying into it.

***

Twilight blinked, her consciousness waking to a sea of stars. Endless and in all directions. Yet, her hooves walked as if there were something solid beneath her. “H-hello?” she tentatively asked, her voice echoing throughout this strange cosmos.

"Twilight, I am so proud to see what you've accomplished," Celestia's voice echoed through the star field, seeming to come from each of the twinkling lights. A moment later she appeared, stepping out from nowhere and looking more radiant than usual. “Even if the method of your arrival isn’t what I expected.”

"Princess Celestia, you're here too?" the younger mare questioned, her mind racing. "I-I mean, where is here? There were four of me and then a hallucination dragon talked to one of me and then I had a new ring and now I'm here…" she rattled off the events hurriedly, each word spilling out faster and faster.

“I am no hallucination.”

"Sorry, just… long day," Twilight said, rubbing the back of her head. "I have four ponies worth of perspective to sift through." Coughing, she collected herself. "So, what is this place?"

"Now that is a profound question," Celestia said, motioning for Twilight to follow her on a stroll. Suddenly, images of the unicorn's life appeared in the starfield. "One that may have many answers. But for our purposes, the best one is that this is the wellspring of all magic."

Twilight peered into one of the images, the moment she and her friends had freed Luna. “But, why are we here? Wait... am I dead?!” Panic gripped her heart, pupils shrinking in fear.

"No, far from it, Twilight," Celestia answered, giggling as she put an arm around the smaller mare's shoulder. "You're very alive. You have achieved a very important kind of harmony, self-harmony. Being in harmony with yourself is crucial to establishing friendship with others. But more than that, you've achieved harmony with your pony and dragon sides. As such, you've ascended."

“I-I’m sorry? Ascended?” Twilight questioned, looking up at Celestia. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

"Tell me, Twilight, do you know how Cadance came to be my niece?"

“She saved a village from an emotion spell, didn’t she?” Twilight asked.

"Correct, and when she accomplished that, she too found herself here," Celestia said, grinning. "Back then, she was a pegasus."Giggling at Twilight’s expression, she poked her nose. “What, did you think alicorns were born?”

"I had no idea what to think!" Twilight blurted out, blushing as Celestia paused at the image containing her and Wyatt's near kiss in Baltimare. "I've never found any books on the subject and every time I asked you directly you'd say I'd learn more someday with that little smirk you do. That knowing, motherly smirk."

The smirk in question rested comfortably on the solar diarch's face as she gave Twilight a pat on the back. "Keeping ponies in the dark about alicorns is a necessary evil of sorts. If more was out there then some might seek to create more inorganically. Ascension's rarity is part of its beauty. That two ponies have ascended in the same century is miraculous."

“I just... me an alicorn? I-I don’t know if I’ve actually earned something like that...” Twilight looked down. “I couldn’t even keep myself together.”

"Twilight, your accomplishments are literally staring you in the face," the princess countered, waving a hand at the line of memories. "And while you did get broken apart, you pulled yourself back together again. I have met many ponies, Twilight. And none have impressed me more than you." She pressed her cheek to the smaller mare's squeezing her close. "Not even Starswirl."

Gazing up into Celestia’s eyes, Twilight nodded. “I’m glad, Princess Celestia. It means a lot to me, knowing I made you proud.” Tears built up in her eyes. Was this really happening? Was this all some coma dream after her anger was beaten to a pulp?

"Proud is an understatement, Twilight." Celdstia pulled away, pointing at the last memory. "But, we should cut this short. While time has no meaning here, you still have a fight to resume."

“That’s right.” Twilight steeled her gaze. “I need to protect Sombra and Spike.”

***

When Twilight returned to consciousness, fire coated her body, turning into armor. Her coat turned solid red, a dragon head just poking out from her chest. Her shoulder pads were silver with a red gem in the middle. The silver brackets on her helmet went up and to the sides, forming wing-like horns. The yellow gem on the helmet had grown larger, turned gold and had a red portion at its center.

Twilight clenched her hand into a fist a few times, a sense of power and confidence swelling in her like never before. Was this her dragon blood, or her new alicorn body? No. It was both. In an instant she knew it was both sides working in concert.

Slipping a ring onto her other hand, she opened the hand on her sword and activated the spell. "Copy! Please!" A magic circle appeared in front of her hand, and she pulled out a second sword from it.

With a flourish, she hamstrunged the naked beast. “Sombra, go into the basement and stay there, okay?”

"Mom? D-do you have-?" Twilight motioned with her head, silently letting him know that she'd answer everything later. Nodding dumbly, the colt rushed back to the library.

The bigger creature's drill arm rocketed forward, coming towards her helmet. Bringing a sword up, she easily deflected the blow to the side. With her other sword, she stabbed down, digging deep into the chitin of its arm.

In her mind, Twilight felt her two aspects at work. Her dragon blood burned, demanding satisfaction for the attack against her kin. Meanwhile, her alicorn senses kept her focused, tempering her rage into a fine point.

“Spike, can you stand?” Twilight spun on her hoof, digging her other sword deep into the taller creature’s thigh.

Struggling for a moment, Spike managed to return to his feet. "Yeah, yeah, I'm still in this. Glad to see you back in one piece."

“Excite, please!” Twilight's body expanded, growing and bulking up until she matched the larger monster's physique. Spinning on a hoof, she kicked the lean one clear across the street.

Leaping after it, she brought both her fists down on its chest. Snorting, she felt bones crack beneath her blow. The power felt amazing, her blood speeding through her veins faster than a rainboom.

Unfortunately, the Excite ring didn't last long. Her tests under the best circumstances put it at just under a minute. She had one, maybe two good attacks left in her before she'd shrink back down again. Lucky for her, she had an idea to capitalize on that. Picking up the reeling beast, she spun it around like an Olympic medalist performing a hammer toss. At the apex of her swing, she sent it flying right at the other monster.

“You’re up, Spike!”

Grabbing his scanner, Spike ran it along his belt. "Scanning Charge!" Three yellow rings appeared in front of him and he sped through them. At the last ring, he swiped his claws striking the moment the two monsters collided.

"And that's a sibling combo!" Spike cheered, falling to one knee. "Nice toss, Twi." Sighing, he gave the two beasts a skeptical glance. "Think they're down for the count?"

“No, not quite," Twilight said, grabbing a ring from her side. "But this'll be the finale."

"Very nice! Special! Fabulous!" A magic circle appeared on her back, the fiery dragon emerging from it once more. She rose up, the dragon flying back to her. When it did, a large, silver and gold dragon head emerged from her chest, breathing a massive surge of flame onto her foes.

Twilight felt the adrenaline bleed off, a weight of exhaustion falling upon her. Her armor vanished in a flash of magic, bathing her in the warmth of the cleansing fire. “It looks like one of those things had some of your medals.”

Spike let his own armor fade, walking up to the crispy remains of the beasts. "Ugh, guess I gotta fish them out of this thing." Retching, he dug a claw into the bodies. "Want me to get some tissue while I'm at it? I bet you wanna study these things."

“I’ll let it stop burning first,” Twilight replied, trying to fight back a yawn. She felt a twitching on her back, suddenly reminded of her new appendages. She ran a hand through her feathers, the reality setting in. "Heh, Wyatt's probably gonna flip when he sees these wings."

---

The ceiling above Wyatt and Velvet exploded into a shower of dust and rock. Psycho Green’s sneering visage made itself known, several sentries standing around him. “Ah, so this is where you scurried off to. And here I thought I’d have to make a mousetrap.”

"So this is who's attacking my prison?" Kelly asked, her claw forming. "It looks like some kid dressed their Power Ranger toys like their G.I. Joes. Now, get the hell out or you'll see how I put down a riot."

“Cute.” Psycho Green dropped into a run, slicing at Kelly’s gut. The sentires, a mix of Mastodon and swat troops, opened fire onto the pair.

A blade extended from Kelly's gauntlet, sparks flying from it as she deflected Psycho's dagger. With her claws she swung down at his helmet, moving at supernatural speed. Her body continued to move, dragging her claws down across his chest. Green energy crackled around her claws, greedily absorbed into her being.

Wyatt was forced to duck behind a corner to avoid the oncoming gunfire. Once more, he transformed and created his clones to return fire. With careful aim, he pinged most of them in the helmet, dropping a couple of them instantly.

"Man, you guys just can't aim for shit," Wyatt taunted in stereo, letting loose another barrage. "I mean, I'm in bright magenta armor and you still miss me. I even gave you-” He sucked in air as multiple lasers tagged his chest. "Note to self, insults raise their accuracy," he grunted.

Getting an idea, he grabbed two cards from his case. He dropped the first one in, changing into Den-O, his clones faded from existence. He dropped the next one in the belt calling out, "Form Ride: Gun Form."

Wyatt's armor shifted, turning purple. Two extensions went up and away from the shoulders, shaped like dragon claws holding jewels. The visor was a clear purple and shaped like a dragon's head. In his hand was a gun shaped like the hybrid child of a laser and an old flintlock. Feeling the call of an unheard rhythm, he began to move. "Let's kick it!"

In what could only be described as dancing, Wyatt started to dodge the oncoming fire while returning it in time with music only he could hear.

"Stop mocking us!" The leader of the squad growled, firing at the empty air where Wyatt's head had been just a split second prior.

"Pretty sure your outfits do that by themselves you Rob Liefeld rejects," Wyatt countered, spinning on a heel. With one last flourish, the last Sentries dropped, leaving only the squad leader. "You just got served, drop the gun."

The leader complied, putting his hands up. Not a moment later, Wyatt clocked him in the side of the helmet with the butt of his gun, sending the Sentry crumpling to the ground. “And that’s that~” Strutting confidently, he fired a few shots at Psycho Green.

They struck the ranger’s back, though did nothing to gain his attention. The blows exchanged between himself and Kelly showed the dichotomy of their fighting styles. Kelly moved swiftly, her whole body a weapon. Psycho Green hit with brutal force, each blow designed to send his opponent reeling.

Frowning beneath his helmet, Wyatt approached Green, shooting him in the back of the head. Green’s body twisted, a hand wrapping around Wyatt’s helmet. Searing green electricity surged forth, coursing through his body.

"Get off him you bitch!" Kelly sneered, shoving her claws upward and into his stomach. With another grunt of exertion, black flames erupted from her claws and into Psycho Green. Pivoting her body, her leg slammed into Psycho Green’s side.

With the grip loosened on his helmet, Wyatt managed to wrench himself free. Reverting his armor to normal, he took a swing at the evil Ranger's other side with his sword.

"Never thought I'd be kicking ass alongside you," Wyatt commented, following his swing with a quick parry of Green's dagger. "At least not without polyhedral dice being involved."

Kelly made no response, her only utterances being of exertion. Claws slashed, greedily sipping at Psycho Green’s power. The more of it she sapped away, the faster her body moved. She actively had to hold herself back, not wanting to give into her demonic nature. The surging power whispered to her, begging her to indulge.

“You’re trying my patience.” Wrapping his arms around a pillar, Psycho Green tore the bottom section away, swinging it into Wyatt’s back.

Wyatt went flying, crashing against the nearest wall. Grunting, he took a step forward, only to have the pillar thrown into him. His body screamed in pain, the constant fighting of the day taking its toll.

"That all you got?" Wyatt asked, staying on his feet despite the pain. "I barely felt that." He gripped his weapon tight, approaching the evil Ranger. Pressing his reach advantage, Wyatt slashed at Green, summoning up all his speed to force Green to block attacks on two fronts.

A low growl escaped Psycho's throat, Kelly managing to sneak a blow past his defenses. When she pulled her blade away it was wet with blood. A blast of lightning struck her chest, blasting her back into a cell.

Kelly shot daggers at the occupants, daring them to attack her while she was down. Brandishing her claws, she thrust her demonic arm forward and shot out black flames at her attacker. Psycho Green was already moving, pushing Wyatt into the oncoming flames.

The instant she saw Wyatt caught in the attack she cut off the flames. Despite the intense pain, Wyatt still managed to stab at Green. Green leaned to the side, slamming the hilt of his dagger into Wyatt’s helmet.

Wyatt staggered, amazed that his armor was still intact. Thinking quickly, he feinted with his main sword before quick-drawing Ninjor's and slashing at Green's stomach. “Kelly! This isn’t getting us anywhere!”

"Then what would you suggest?!" She barked back. "Because I haven't been holding anything back." Spinning on a heel, she kicked at Green's head. Her boot made contact, dazing the ranger.

Wyatt checked his card case, finding what he was looking for. "Well, I do have an idea but I don't know if you'll like it. This might tickle."

"Final Form Ride: V-V-V-Velvet!" Getting behind Kelly while Green reeled, Wyatt put his hands on her back. Spreading them apart, Kelly started to change. After a moment, she became a set of gauntlets and greaves that attached to Wyatt's armor, both as demonic looking as her clawed arm.

Green recovered, his hands surging with power. “It never ceases to amaze me what the weak do to get a leg up. I need no such tricks.” Closing the distance, his dagger cried for Wyatt’s blood. Bringing one of the gauntlets up, Wyatt caught the dagger and kicked the evil ranger in the stomach.

Psycho Green was sent sliding back, his spine slamming into a nearby pillar. Following up, Wyatt let loose a flurry of blows against his foe, the pillar cracking from the force.

“Don’t get up,” Wyatt growled, glaring down at the man.

Psycho Green's only response was a low growl, his body tensing. "It's not often I'm pushed this far. Maybe Drakkon was right about you having potential. Playtime is over, brat." Energy surged over his body, crackling like fire. His form pulsed, almost doubling in size.

Psycho's face turned demonic, complete with horns and spectral light coming from his eyes and mouth like a demented jack-o-lantern. Spectral fire wisped from his head like a knight's plume and emerged from two holes on his shoulders.

“Oh shit.” Eyes wide, Wyatt fumbled at his driver. “Come on, come on, come on!”

"Wyatt, calm down!" Kelly snapped, his gauntlet moving on its own to whack the side of his head. "We've got an ace in the hole. Cerberus! Here boy, fetch!"

A low sound echoed in the distance before steadily getting louder. A few moments later and the ground started to shake as Cerberus bounded into the hall.

"Good boy," Kelly praised, raising Wyatt's arm to point at Green. "Fetch." Cerberus barked happily, swatting a paw at Psycho Green.

The evil ranger caught the paw, sliding back from the momentum. Wyatt leapt forward, sweeping Green's legs out from under him with one of his claws. “Push him out of the building, Cerberus!” Cerberus barked in an inquisitive way, throwing more weight behind his paw. "Yes, there'll be more jerky in it for you!"

Barking happily, Cerberus turned his attention to the monster before him. A low growl escaping his throats, he pushed against Green, using his size and weight against the ranger. With a triumphant howl, he threw the growing ranger out of the closest set of doors.

"Good boy!" Wyatt praised, rushing out behind the large hound. Looking out across the bridge, he could see the battle still raging on.

“Annoying little gnat,” Green snarled, his growth continuing. Rising back to his feet, he easily matched the height of Tartarus. “Know your place, worm.” Raising his leg, he brought it down on top of Wyatt.

Grunting, Wyatt caught the leg, fighting against being crushed under the monstrous heel. With a heave of effort he rolled to the side, narrowly escaping. The bridge under him cracked, several pieces of it falling away into the abyss.

A sinking feeling hit Wyatt, forcing him to scramble towards the end of the bridge. If they didn't get off the bridge then both of them would drop into that hole. Calling forth all the strength in his legs, Wyatt made a mad dash across the bridge. Green was close behind, causing the ground to rumble with each step.

“You really think a bug can outrun me?” Green asked, not even bothering to run after Wyatt.

Wyatt cursed under his breath, his mind racing. He had a new solution for this, but growing as J would likely destroy the bridge with the two of them on it. He just needed to reach open ground.

The end of the bridge came swiftly, a relieved grin splitting Wyatt's face. With a motion, Kelly regained her normal body and Wyatt reached into his card case. Pulling out J's card, he slipped it into his belt.

“Oh this is going to be fun! You help the knights with the ground forces, okay?” he asked, activating his belt.

"Are you seriously going to try fighting that thing alone?" Kelly questioned, utter disbelief on her face. "What're you gonna do, stab it in the shin?"

“Kamen Ride: J!” Wyatt's armor shifted, turning to green. Unlike many of his forms, this armor seemed to be one continuous piece with light green highlights at the joints hiding where it came apart. The only parts that weren't green were the red jewel at his waist, the red eye lenses, the grey ridged mouth area and the red caps atop the green antennae.

Striking a pose, Wyatt began to grow and his body stretched out until he was easily as tall as Psycho Green. Of course, Psycho Green wasted no time in slugging Wyatt in the jaw.

Wyatt moved with the punch, lessening the pain. Pivoting on his heel, he elbowed Green in the side. Grabbing Green’s side, he dragged the monster away from the prison and into the surrounding area. With the two out of range of the battle, Wyatt cut loose and a flurry of punches came rushing towards the opposing giant.

Psycho growled in frustration, forced onto the defensive as some of the punches managed to hit their mark.

"Guess this bug can do more than run, huh?" Wyatt questioned, planting an uppercut on Green's jaw. “But go ahead, keep reassuring yourself that you're going to win.”

Green's face contorted in rage, the fire on his body billowing wildly. With a roar of anger, he slashed at Wyatt's helmet with his claws. “I’ll rip your skull from your spine!”

Wyatt reeled from the blow, putting his guard up. Despite that, he was grinning. He had gotten into his opponent's head, taking up space where tactics would normally go. He dug his heels in, wishing J had some kind of weapon.

Wyatt pushed the thought out of his mind, dropping down to sweep the legs out from under Green. Green pounced on Wyatt, the two of them crashing to the ground. Trees and land were torn asunder, leveling anything under them. The two struggled against one another, both of them trying to pin the other.

Rearing back a fist, Wyatt gave the monster a quick jab to the solar plexus. Psycho wheezed, his grip loosening on Wyatt for a split second. This was the opening Wyatt needed, twisting his body to force the monster into a pin. “Still cocky, asshole?”

"Do you ever shut up?" Green spat, struggling against Wyatt. "Drakkon said you'd run your mouth, but this is maddening!"

Wyatt tsked, slamming a fist into Green’s face. He brought his fist down, again and again. He almost wondered if Green’s jack-o-lantern skull would shatter under the force of the blows. His question seemed to answer itself, one of his opponent's horns went flying off and buried itself into the ground in an explosion of dirt and grass.

Wyatt stood back up, grabbing a card from his belt. "If you really wanna stop hearing my voice, I have a solution." With a flick of the wrist, he slotted the card into his Driver.

"Final Attack Ride: J-J-J-J!"

Leaping high into the air, Wyatt positioned his leg for a massive kick, leg crackling with energy. "Rider Kick!" he boomed, crashing into Green and cratering the earth beneath the monster.

Green roared out in pain, his body bursting apart in an explosion of green flames. When the fire cleared, Wyatt stood triumphant and struck J's signature pose. His body began to compress, shrinking back to his normal size.

Sighing in relief, Wyatt stopped to catch his breath. His body throbbed with dull aches as his adrenaline waned. With a grunt of effort he forced his legs to move so he could return to the battlefield. Eventually, he made it back to where the others were, the Sentries scattered and in disarray.

"Fight one and suddenly you miss all the fun," Wyatt said to himself, shaking his head. He winced, exhaustion had crept into his voice. Pushing his body along, he searched for Kelly and the knights.

He decided to follow the vines along the battlefield, thinking that where they were thickest would be where at least one of the knights was. It took a few minutes, but he found a brown and gold knight keeping an eye on a handful of captive Sentries. Based on the antlers poking out of the helmet, Wyatt assumed it was Bramble.

"Hey Bramble, good to see you guys handled yourselves okay," Wyatt said, getting the deer's attention. “You guys doing okay? I was afraid that armor wouldn’t hold up to assault rifle fire.”

"Stings after a while, but the magic armor holds up pretty well all things considered," Bramble answered, turning to face Wyatt. "As for this battle, we've got most of the heavy artillery downed, just dealing with scattered forces now."

Wyatt nodded, using the moment to catch his breath. “What about that armored guy? The one with the chain mace?”

"Last I saw, Miss Velvet was engaged with him." Looking out across the battlefield, he pointed to his left. "They went that way."

“Alright, stay safe, Bramble.” Clapping Bramble on the shoulder, Wyatt ran in the indicated direction. He had no illusions that Kelly couldn’t protect herself. However, it was his job to put those of Dai-Shocker in the ground. His limbs screamed for relief, but he ignored them, there'd be time to rest later. He reverted to his base armor, knowing which form he'd need to take on the Marshal.

Eventually, he came across Kelly and Marshall locked in their conflict, Kelly having caught the chain mace in her claw. Wyatt grinned, stepping atop a nearby boulder. "Marshal!" He boomed, grabbing a card from his holder. "You wanted a fight with a Kamen Rider, right?!"

Activating the card, he leapt down behind Marshal, kicking at his back. “Kamen Ride: Riderman!”

Wyatt's armor shifted in a flash, turning mostly black with a red, vest-like chest piece broken up by a green inverted "V". The mostly blue helmet covered only the top half of his face and left his mouth exposed. Between the red lenses was a green "V" that started at the bridge of his nose and went up over the top of his head. At the top of his helmet were a pair of antennae and around his neck was a yellow scarf.

Marshal swung his mace backwards, grunting in effort. “Take whichever form you wish. I fear no one.”

Wyatt dodged the swinging mace, raising his leg to kick the other man in the chest. Kelly struck at Marshal’s chest, her claws cutting through his breastplate. Marshal grunted in pain, looking down at his torn armor.

"Impressive, not many can tear my armor," the villain commented, flourishing his mace. “Allow me to drop all pretenses. We shall battle at our peak!” His body began to morph, his armor seamlessly melding into his flesh. His body bulged out, growing a crustacean's shell. His fingers on one hand fused together, forming a crab claw. The last change was his eyes, bulging out and growing out on stalks into beady little things.

"Oh nice, now we can have crab legs after this fight," Wyatt joked, looking at Kelly. "I bet you're starving after your nap." Cracking his knuckles, he bounced on his heels. “Let’s crack some shell.”

"Ugh, why with the puns?" Kelly groaned, rushing up to the monster and stabbing at his shell with her armblade. “Just fucking kill it!” Contorting her body, she twisted into the air, her boots colliding one after the other with Marshal's neck.

Pulling out a card, Wyatt slipped it into his belt. "Wow, didn't think my jokes would make you crabby."

"Attack Ride: Power Arm!" a silver gauntlet grew onto his hand, one capped with a crescent shaped blade.

He met Marshal’s own claw, the ringing of metal cracking through the air. With a heave of effort, Wyatt pressed forward, using his other hand to punch the crustacean in the gut. Two of the legs in Marshal's shell extended, stabbing at him.

Wyatt jumped back, the appendages grazing his shoulders and making him clench his teeth in pain. Grabbing one of them, he brought his elbow down on the closest joint. It snapped, blue ichor pumping out. Wyatt turned his head, not wanting the substance to hit anywhere near his mouth.

Kelly jumped up, landing on the beast's back and prying off a couple more of the appendages. “Are you supposed to be threatening?” Kelly questioned, leashing out with her demon arm. Her claws drank deeply, tugging at Marshal’s life force.

"Do not think lightly of me!" Marshal boomed, falling twisting his body to throw Kelly off. With a roar, he slammed his shell and Kelly into the boulder Wyatt had made his dramatic entrance from. “Even enemies deserve respect on the battlefield.”

Kelly grunted, dropping from Marshal's back to avoid being crushed. Without responding, she strafed around the crab monster, keeping her eyes out for an opening. Lashing out, she stabbed her blade in the gap between one of Marshall's legs and his shell.

Several arrows thunked into Marshal’s chest, each exploding into a small whirlwind. Occellus knocked another arrow, her wings buzzing furiously. “I’d give up, if I were you.”

"Giving up is not an option," Marshal spat, his shell cracked in several places. "My death would only serve the Great Leader's goal." He turned to Wyatt, a heavy air surrounding him. "Keep growing stronger, Rider, it is as our leader wills."

Wyatt's face scrunched up in annoyance, brandishing his arm. "Don't know why that jackass would want me stronger, it'll only come back to bite him when I kick his ass." Charging forward, he slashed at Marshal’s face.

Marshall attempted to dodge, only for a bolt from Ocellus to catch him in the shoulder and knock him back into Wyatt's path. The crustacean cried out in anguish, one of his eye stalks dropping to the ground. Following up, Kelly jumped up, digging her claw into the hole where the stalk once was.

Marshal’s body wavered for a moment before it began to slacken. “For... Deeeestron...” His body went limp, held up only by Kelly’s claw. The world was silent for a moment; a calm before the storm. Marshals body exploded, the grand finale to the siege.

Wyatt's body relaxed as he cancelled his transformation. He looked out across the battlefield, his fatigue finally catching up with him. With a dry laugh, he fell back on his ass and looked up at the sky. "Ugh, my aching everything."

A figure staggered closer, a blade raised to the sky. Psycho Green’s armor had all but shattered, much of his helmet gone. His features were contorted into a sneer, eyes gleaming with hatred.

Wyatt's body went on alert, tired legs whining and forcing him upright. "Are you serious?" Wyatt questioned, hand drifting to Ninjor's sword "How are you still standing?"

Green spat, his dagger held in front of him. “Always a joke, hm? A wonder anyone would want an empty headed jester like you.”

"Have you been talking to my insecurities? Because that sounds like something they'd say," Wyatt retorted, drawing the blade. "Then again, hard to feel insulted by a psychopathic weasel." He braced himself as Green charged forward, only for Kelly to snatch up his opponent.

Holding the struggling psycho ranger above the ground, her demonic arm greedily drank in his energy. Green electricity surged over her, wearing her own mask of hatred. Green’s dagger slipped from his fingers, his armor dissolving into devoured energy. After a few moments, his body went limp and Kelly dropped him to the ground.

Inspecting her claw curiously, she nudged Green’s body. “Huh, he’s still breathing. That’s new.” Her clawed hand closed, focusing the energy. Turning back to Wyatt, her fury melted away. “This... this isn’t how I wanted to see you again.”

Wyatt smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I've gotten used to not being able to get what I want. The important thing is learning to appreciate what you can have."

Kelly grunted, opening her hand. On her palm rested a small forearm length object. “Here, you can have this. I separated out the negative stuff and this was what’s left.”

Gingerly taking the object, Wyatt inspected it. "This must be his morpher." Despite being told there was no negative energy in it, he made sure to avoid doing anything that might activate it. “I think this might be from one of those older sentai.”

"I'm sure you can figure out your nerd stuff later," Kelly said, her clawed arm reverting to normal. Reaching into her pocket for bandages, she bound the arm once more. “You have someone. Back home. Don’t you?”

Wyatt quirked a brow, her tone striking him as odd. "Yeah, I somehow convinced a mare in my Equestria to date me. Don't ask me how, she's way too smart for me to have tricked h-” His lips stopped moving as Kelly placed her own against them.

Wyatt froze in shock, unable to move for a second or two before grabbing Kelly's shoulders to push her away. "Wh-what the hell was that about?" he questioned, his exhausted mind now further put through the ringer.

Kelly turned away, keeping her back to him. “You can’t hate me. Not for a single kiss. You can’t...” Her words tapered off, leaving the pair in silence.

"I never said I hate you," Wyatt countered instantly, taking a step toward her. "But back on Earth you were the one who said we were better off as friends." He watched her, wondering what might have happened if their lives had been normal. It was all so absurd, a dry humorless laugh passed by his lips. He put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. "Sorry I couldn't be like some Romcom character and kept pursuing. You said no and I respected that."

“You guys alright?” Moondancer asked, jogging over. “I saw that explosion all the way from the bridge. I have some gels if you need them.” Glancing between them, her ears splayed back. “Ah, am I interrupting?”

Wyatt sighed, pulling his hand away and shoving it in his pocket. "I'm more exhausted than hurt, so I don't need your gel. Ocellus?"

“I’m okay,” Ocellus said, shaking her head. “How is everyone else doing?”

"Rover took a few hits but given his fighting style that was to be expected and Capper said he still had eight lives to fall back on." Moondancer visibly relaxed, seeming to have forgotten her intrusion. “Bramble didn’t get a scratch, as usual.”

Ocellus giggled, nodding. "I swear he's part ghost or something.”

Kelly bent down, lifting Green’s dagger up. Inspecting it, she ran her fingers over the blade. “I’ll keep the bastard here, consider it a parting gift.” Taking Wyatt’s hand, she placed the weapon in his palm. “Our contract is complete.”

"Call on me whenever," Wyatt said, a portal opening up behind him. "I'll be there."

“Oh here!” Ocellus flittered over, passing him a small book. “Some gel recipes for when you go home! I think the pineapple flavor is the best.”

Wyatt smiled, adjusting his arms to hold everything. "With everything you're giving me you're making me feel bad for not having anything to offer myself." Exchanging a few goodbyes, he shared a long look with Kelly before stepping through the portal.

---

When Wyatt returned to his home on the other side of the portal he was greeted by a large hole where the front door had been. He blinked, setting everything he had been given onto the nearest table and examined the hole.

"Huh, either I missed something big or Twi decided to do some renovating." Turning back, he cleared his throat. “Twi? Sombra? You guys home?”

At the sound of his voice there was a disturbance upstairs. A moment later and there was a flash of light that blinded him followed by arms reaching out to pull him into a hug. "Wyatt!" Twilight's familiar voice called, squeezing him tight. His response died in his throat, the air squeezed out of him. Was it just him or was her hug tighter than normal?

“H-hi, Twilight...” he gasped out, returning the hug. “Can I breathe... now?”

"Sorry," came her sheepish reply, easing her grip. "Been a really long day and I missed you. You wouldn't believe what happened. I uh, kinda went through a big change." Turning him around, she stole a kiss. “Why don’t we sit down and talk about it?”

Finally able to get a good look at her, Wyatt gaped. His tired mind wasn't prepared for what he was seeing. Dumbly, he let Twilight lead him to the couch. "Talking is good."

Twilight smiled, gazing into Wyatt’s eyes. So much had changed in such a short amount of time. There was time now to unwind; to share their experiences. She began with her own recounting, and for once, all seemed right with the world.

Comments

[Kamen rider yokai]

Well glad that's over with so can you please answer my question of if your willing to let Wyatt be the Kamen rider decade of my Kamen rider Zi-o displaced? Once I hit the ghost/decade arc for my story at least.

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Nemesis.... frickin Nemesis....

[thunderclap]

10229019
Close. Mr. X and Hypnos.

[thunderclap]

10228929
No thank you.

[VictoryGreymon X]

Will there be a sequel that's not "Kamen Rider: Fire and Steel"? I would like to see more of Wyatt in the future!

[BestinDworld]

so what happens now will there be a sequel

[Grey Ghost]

10230035
Yup

[Deltorix]

To the author: great story loved it and can't wait for more great works

To other readers: welp he finished this story time to read his other story's and support him while he works on the sequel. Who's with me!

And finally I have this to say to everyone: this story was amazing and I honestly look forward to what happens next but won't bug the author about it as that just slows them down.