Chapter 8-2: 鬼顔 (Demon Face)
Rainbow Dash was reclining on a cloud, trying to put Zephyr’s obnoxiousness out of her head.
“Seriously, that stallion needs to get a clue.” She sighed. “But, whatever. Time for a little siesta.”
She was about to nod off as she suddenly saw smoke rising from the Everfree. Her eyes shot open as she tossed her sunglasses aside.
“What the fu…” Rainbow said, startled. “I’d bet my entire bank’s worth of bits that isn’t somepony having a campfire.”
She sighed. So much for her chill. Spreading her wings, she raced towards the rising smoke. Maybe it wasn’t her brightest move, but it simply didn’t sit right with her just sitting on her flank and doing nothing.
“Maybe some awesome heroic action will put me in a better mood!” The adrenaline junkie pegasus rationalized.
When she got closer, she saw the aforementioned manchild that had annoyed her, about to get mauled by an angry bear!
“What!? Urgh…I have to clean up his messes now too!?” She grunted as she charged the bear. “I’m starting to regret giving up my chill.”
“Rainbow, dudette, you really gotta relax, I had this well in hand,” Zephyr said, shockingly relaxed for his situation. “Like this bear fears me! I’m awesome right? Tell me I’m awesome.”
“No, the bear was about to eat you,” Rainbow said, the bear looking offended. “Oh, sorry Harry, I didn’t realize it was you. I forgot, you’re a vegan. I wouldn’t recommend eating him anyways, it’s bad for anyone’s diet. I’d consider it cruelty to animals.”
Harry just snorted and trudged away. “Hey! Come back here!” Zephyr yelled after the animal.
“Okay, seriously? What is going on with you? You’re acting like an idiot…well, more of an idiot!” Dash said scoldingly, but alas Zephyr wasn’t listening.
“Oh, so I’m some sort of manchild that needs to be protected now?” The stallion angrily retorted.
“Uh, yeah! Especially if you’re going to pick fights with BEARS!” Rainbow said, completely ticked off by the stallion’s astounding lack of common sense.
“That’s it! Even if it’s you, Rainbow, a stallion’s got his pride!” Zephyr said, furiously. “You! Me! Race! I’ll show you how awesome I am!”
“How about I check my calendar. How about the 17 of never in the month of never gonna happen,” Rainbow said snarkily, before gesturing to herself. “Wonderbolt, like actual wonderbolt and you’re just a layabout.”
“Not anymore I’m NOT!” Zephyr growled, a sinister aura forming around him.
“Aw crap baskets, Fluttershy was right! You have been taken over!” Dash said.
“Taken over!? Stop making excuses! I’m going to make you eat my dust!” The stallion replied. “Bring it on!”
“The day you finally decide to get inspired and it’s not even your brain doing the talking,” Rainbow said to herself in a mutter. “Alright then, you want to get your ass kicked? 3, 2-”
And with that she was off in a streak of light, leaving nothing but a rainbow trail behind her. Zephyr flew in the same direction, and while he started at a sensible speed, he began to speed up.
And up, and up, and up… until he seemed to be catching up to Rainbow!
“The hell?” she blinked.
“I’m…awesome! I’ll prove it! I’ll prove I CAN DO ANYTHING!” Zephyr yelled out. Rainbow rolled her eyes and ramped up the pace, but then she started to hear drums again…and began to waver.
“Oh no you don’t…” Rainbow said, fighting the drumming in her head. “I know how this works, I’ve been here before and I refuse to let it happen again. Yeah, you want to take me over, watch? Well, excuse me, but my head is my head. I don’t offer renters!”
The drumming continued, but Rainbow tuned it out. It tried to get louder, but Rainbow instead bit herself and pushed the drumming out, only focusing on the pain.
Zephyr raced forward, but he noticed Dash was still ahead. At that point, he heard something talk in his head.
“ArGH! YoU REalLY aRE WOrtHLEsS!” The voice roared as Zephyr felt all the strength leave his body at once. He began to fall towards the ground.
“Zephyr!” Dash yelled out, surprising even herself as she dove to try to save him, but was preempted by a blast of fire from below.
The mare barrel-rolled out of the way, spying what had to be the Another Rider of the week atop a roof.
She landed on an opposing roof, wings spread before snarling out: “You don’t get to touch him, he’s mine to beat up.”
Her wings flapped hard, creating gusts of wind that sent the monster tumbling end over end. Leaping down to Zephyr, she held him.
“You alright?”
“I knew you’d save me Rainbows,” the stallion said, puckering his lips. “Now how about a kiss?”
She just dropped him in disgust, shuddering. “...yeah, you’re fine. Yeah he’s fine. Ewwwww…”
“ThAT moROn STiLL couLDN't beAt yoU, EveN wiTH ME heLPInG him!” The monster snarled. “WHY!? WhY dO yOU havE to BE THE ONE!?”
It blew more fire in Dash’s direction, the mare diving to the left and frowning. Something… something about that voice sounded familiar but she couldn’t place exactly why.
“Hold it!” Zephyr hovered back up, still tired. “You mean all that stuff I did…it was just you?”
He sounded actually sad about this, disheartened. The look on his face made even Rainbow feel pity for the poor stallion.
“Of COUrSE you DOLT! You’RE COMPLETELY USELESS!” The monster growled back. “WhY WouLD RaiNBoW DaSH wanT anYTHIng to DO WiTH a PATHetIC LosER likE YOU!?”
Each word uttered struck Zephyr like a knife to the heart. “I-I’m not…”
He sounded like he was close to sobbing.
“JuST gO fiND soME HoLE TO DiE in, YoU jusT maKE eVerYThiNG WorSE by ConTinUinG to BREATHE-”
A blast from Tom’s gun cut it off, the monster staggering back.
“Man, do you ever shut up? Like your mouth is like a black hole, it sucks majorly,” Tom said, helping Zeyphr up. “Get somewhere safe.
“Maybe I shouldn’t…” the stallion said softly to himself. “You heard it, I’d only get in the way. Maybe it would be better if-”
“Not another word. That piece of crap says words, but they don’t mean anything. All of what you did? Sure the monster made you do it, but it was only influencing you.”
Rainbow kicked the monster in the face. “Yeah, he’s right and loath as I am to admit it, you could really do all of those things if you just put your mind to it.”
“Really, Rainbows?” Zephyr asked, his voice still hollow.
She grimaced. “Yeah, and please don’t tell anyone I said that. Made me a bit ill.”
Zephyr just paused. “...I have a lot of thinking to do.”
He floated away, with a shout of: “Don’t you dare die to that thing! I still want to ask you out on a date!”
“Dude just doesn’t know when to stop barking up the wrong tree, huh?” Tom asked.
“You have NO idea.” Rainbow replied, as the monster pulled out a pair of clubs and started drumming them. The sound of drums filled the air, as everything seemed to become heavier…even the plant life around them seemed to be dying.
“Ugh…! The sound…it’s sucking the life out of everything…” Tom groaned. “Rainbow Dash! I need you to get every instrument and musician around here you can find!”
His voice was commanding, like a general to his troops.
“WHAT!?” She asked, covering her ears to protect them. “WHY!?”
“Just DO IT!” The Rider replied. “I’ll hold it here!”
He produced the GaimWatch and inserted it into his belt. As he did, the giant orange armor came down out of the dimensional fly. While this happened, the Another Rider launched a fireball at him.
As Tom spun the driver, explosions erupted from either side of him.
“Armor Time! Soiya! Ga~i~m~!” the driver proclaimed to the splash of fruit juice and Tom pulled out twin swords, ready to turn Another Hibiki into fruit pulp.
“A samurai… to slay a demon,” Tom said, leveling his blades at it. “Hip hip hurrah! You’ve been running roughshod over this town all day, well here’s the juicy climax to your act. It’s my stage now!”
“Honestly, your one-liners are the real danger here,” Geiz’s voice rang out as a few shots hit the Another Rider. “But things are gonna get bananas.”
He produced the BaronWatch.
“Like your puns are any better, jerk.”
“Bitch,” Geiz said, spinning his driver. A large banana armor emerged above him.
“ARMOR TIME! COME ON! BAROOOON!~” The belt sang out as the banana armor descended onto Geiz and latched on. Geiz’s weapon became a banana-like spear as he pointed it at the Another Rider.
“You’re…”
“Going to be nothing but fruit juice?” Tom offered.
“I was going to say nothing but six feet under,” Geiz replied.
“Edgelord,” Tom said.
“EnOUgH! YoU tWo aRE SoMeHoW moRE AnNoYINg thaN SHe was!” Another Hibiki roared, charging.
“Time to slay a demon,” Geiz said, ready to meet it. “Back me up, and don’t get in my way, hero king.”
“Hero king?” Tom asked, confused. “Fine, but you’re backing me up!”
The pair of them rushed the monster, but it jumped up and the two ended up colliding into each other.
“Agh! You idiot! Watch where you’re going!” Geiz groaned, seeing stars and birdies. “Are you blind? Can you even see out of that helmet?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” Tom muttered to himself. “Remember, hit her, not me.”
“I heard that,” Geiz said. “I’m not braindead, which is more than I can probably say for you.”
The two Riders stood and readied their weapons, but Geiz rushed ahead first, attempting to skewer the monster. However, the Another Rider balled up it's fist and struck him in a very unpleasant place.
“GYAAA!” Geiz yelped, his voice becoming high pitched. “It…it just punched me in the dick…why did it punch me in the dick!?”
The red Rider nearly fell to the ground in pain, Tom wincing in sympathy.
“I mean… he’s a dick but he shouldn’t be hit in the dick,” Tom said, firing off a revenge shot from his Musou Saber.
“If you keep acting like a moron, I swear to Fruit God I will punch YOU in the dick!” Geiz said, er threatened.
“Is that like your fetish or something?” Tom deadpanned, slashing the monster clean though.
Geiz tried to form words but a seemingly inhuman growl was the only thing to escape his mouth.
“Get ready to party, get ready to die,” he finally managed to snarl. “Get ready to party, get ready to die!”
“And now he’s totally lost it,” Tom sighed, the monster coming back around and delivering a similar attack to Tom himself!
“AAAAAGH!” Tom squealed in pain.
“Not so funny now, is it!?” Geiz said, looking like he was about to bust up laughing. “Turnabout’s fair play.”
“HA! YoU twO arE supPOSeD to BE HerOES!? ThE PaIR oF yoU arE noThInG BuT a JokE!” The monster taunted. “KamEn RiDerS aRe alL taLK afTER aLL!”
But at that last sentence, something snapped inside Tom.
“What…did you just say!?” Tom snapped, his voice filled with rage.
“I saId thaT KaMEn RidERs arE-” It was cut off by a blow to its face from Tom. Geiz blinked.
“...woah, I didn’t know you had it in you, green bean. I thought you were just a sprout,” he said. “That’s kinda metal actually.”
“YOU! DO! NOT! EVER! INSULT! KAMEN! RIDERS!” Tom roared as each word was punctuated with another punch. “Now say you’re SORRY!”
“YeAH, I’m SorRY…thaT yoU’rE sO DUMB!” Another Hibiki kicked Tom back. It then took its clubs in hand again, twirling them “ALLoW mE to PLaY yoU oFF…to YOUr DEATHS!”
Then, the loud squeal of a guitar chord and a series of notes straight out of an eighties metal album.
“Sorry, the only funeral dirge we’ll be playing today,” Rainbow said, guitar in hand and running up with a bunch of other ponies, including some that looked weirdly like the characters of that one movie. The Big something or other. “Is yours.”
Pinkie had a drum strapped to her back, and various other instruments. “Hit it, everypony!”
The ponies started playing as loudly as they could, to the point where the drums couldn’t be heard at all over their instruments. The two Riders stood up, slowly.
“Ha…that’s more like it…” Tom panted, pulling out the Kiva watch and getting an idea.
“Could be a worse soundtrack…” Geiz groaned. “Long live rock, be it dead or alive. But I think we need to add something to this concerto don’t you?”
“Agreed,” Tom said, as they spun their drivers.
“ARMOR TIME! ADVENT, KNIGHT! WAKE UP, KIVA!” both drivers sang in unison.
“YoU won’T stOP mE! I AM THE STRONGEST!” Another Hibiki roared as it blew more fire.
“Yeah, well guess what?” Tom taunted.
“We’re the night, bitch!” Geiz continued as the two of them spun their drivers again.
“FINISH TIME! KIVA! KNIGHT!” they sang.
Darkwing reappeared and swarmed around Geiz, flying high above him with a screech.
“Bloody Rose!” Tom pulled a violin out of seemingly nowhere and began to play a fast tune on it. “Fire on the mountains, run boys run. Another Hibiki’s in the house of the rising sun.”
“StOP! ThiS iS MY SHOW!” The Another Rider demanded, however its demand fell on deaf ears.
Waves of sound erupted from both beast and instrument, their owners conducting them like an orchestra. The sound waves became unbearable to the monster, as it fell to its knees and clutched its head.
“NO! I CAN’T LOSE AGAIN!” It roared in pain, voice sounding awfully clear to Rainbow’s ears as it started to spark. “NOOOOOO!”
It flew backwards, the armor vanishing as a RideWatch flew out of Lightning Dust’s body.
“Oh! It’s… a mare I’ve never met before…” Tom said.
“And they say a party of bards can’t clear a dungeon,” Geiz said in his usual deadpan.
“Wait, you’re Lightning Dust!” Rainbow realized as it hit her.
“Wasn’t that the one who got booted out of the Wonderbolts for being selfish and reckless?” Pinkie asked.
“DAMN IT! Even with that power, I STILL LOST TO YOU! You are my curse, Rainbow Dash!” Lightning punched the ground, tears staining her eyes.
“Awfully dramatic, isn’t she?” Geiz said. “Are you sure she hasn’t been on Broadway?”
“Pffft. The only thing she’s good at is running her mouth and putting everyone else in danger.” Dash snickered. “I’ll go get the guards.”
With that, she flew off.
“So, exactly what was the endgame here?” Tom asked, genuinely confused. “And why do I get the feeling I’m missing half of the story?”
“Oh, I know! She was obviously still sore about what happened at boot camp so she decided to get revenge by using Zephyr to beat her but Zephyr was so bad at stuff that she couldn’t until she was given a RideWatch and then used it to drain other ponies of their motivation and give it to Zephyr and then that plan failed so she decided to just murder Rainbow Dash out of spite!” Pinkie explained, seemingly without breathing.
“...what.” Geiz said flatly.
“I guess you think you’ve got me figured out,” Lightning Dust snarked. “Like a head doctor or something.”
“Nah, just a hunch,” Pinkie replied with her usual pep. “You ever know how hunch rhymes with bunch? Like a bunch of hunches with punches!”
“I just want to say for the record that the pink one scares the hell out of me,” Geiz murmured to Tom. “Like consider me officially freaked and I fight monsters for a living.”
“You get used to it,” Tom muttered back. “Just be glad you didn’t have to take her to get a shot.”
He shuddered at the memory.
“I… Yeah, you have my sympathies man,” Geiz said with a nod. “Just don’t call me the next time you have to do it.”
“Heh, fair.”
“And now that things are settled, I’m out of- ooough….” Geiz started, but he groaned and fell to his knees.
“Whoa, are you alright?” Tom asked. Geiz just stood up.
“I’m…fine…” He moaned. “This…is…nothing…” He said before collapsing.
—--------
A short while later, the group had transported Geiz to Ponyville Hospital and were now sitting in the lobby.
“Thankfully, he’ll be okay,” Tom said. “But the doctor said he’ll need to be on bedrest for the next few days.”
“Oh, we’ll take care of him!” The group turned to see a familiar unicorn and Earth Pony duo dressed as nurses, said Earth pony looking like she’d rather be doing literally anything else.
“Lyra, this is embarrassing…” Bon Bon squeaked.
“Come on, you know you love it,” She said, sashaying her hips. Everyone just blinked, not knowing what to say. “Now come, our patient awaits!”
She rushed into the hospital’s deeper areas, Bon Bon just groaning as she gave chase.
“I still have no idea how to react to them,” Tom said, holding up his hands. “Like uh kudos for Geiz getting friends I guess?”
“Miss Dash?” A doctor approached the pegasus. “We need you to come talk to Miss Dust, please. She’s demanding you.”
Dash thought it over momentarily, but nodded. “Alright, I’ll catch up with you later, Big T.”
“...Big T?” Tom asked, but shrugged. He left the hospital building and headed back home.
—-------
Lightning Dust lay on her side, her arm handcuffed to the bedpost. Her eyes were swollen and puffy from crying.
“So… was it worth it?” she asked, not even bothering to look at Rainbow. “I heard you got into the ‘Bolts. Tell me, was it all worth it? The fame and the fortune, leaving everypony else behind in your dust. I bet you even shit rainbows, because you’re sooooo perfect.”
“You could have been in them too, Lightning,” Rainbow said, leaning up against a wall. “We could be squadmates. So I have to ask you, was it worth it? Nearly getting everypony killed for the sake of your own selfish pride?”
“Nobody would have been killed if they hadn’t wandered onto a military installation. Your friends are civilians, they shouldn’t have even been there!” Lightning argued. “It’s their own fault.”
“Maybe, yeah, but that one incident is still an indicator of a larger problem. The Wonderbolts are a team, they’re supposed to have each other’s backs,” Rainbow said, wings briefly flaring up in anger. “And how can I trust you with mine if you can’t contain your own recklessness?”
“Do you have each other’s backs?” She asked. “Heh, it’s fun to think that way, isn’t it?”
“I don’t think,” Rainbow narrowed her eyes. “I know.”
The green pegasus scoffed. “Nopony has anypony else’s back in this world, Dash. Least of all me…”
“...I tried to, when we were in camp together,” Dash replied. “Is it really that hard for you to trust anypony?”
“...ever since I was a filly, I pushed myself to be the best I could. I put everything I had into flight training. But everyone around me began to push me away.”
Rainbow sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want your sympathies.”
“But… and I’m sorry again,” Rainbow sighed. “Did you ever stop to think that it’s partially your own fault? That you push others away with your attitude?”
Lightning was about to reply, but stopped. “...I know the guards want me to tell you about where I got the watch from. Some weirdo in armor gave it to me. I don’t know anything about them other than they were a mare and that the armor looked like a bunch of crocodile jaws.”
“Lightning…” Rainbow started.
“Save it, Rainbow. You won. That’s all there is to it anymore.”
Rainbow couldn’t think of anything to say.
“Miss Dash, your time is up,” A guard explained. Rainbow nodded and turned to the door.
“Someday, Lightning, let’s fly together again.” She said as she left. Lightning said nothing, just curling up into a fetal position.
—-------
“...how is Zephyr?” Tom asked. He had decided to go to Fluttershy’s cottage to check in on him.
“He was really shaken up by everything, but I think maybe this will be good for him,” Fluttershy said. “He’s going to be going back to mane therapy school after this.”
“That’s good,” Tom replied.
“Thank you for looking out for him, Tom…and us, too,” She said.
“Well, I better head back…I’m sure Twilight will want to know what happened today,” Tom said.
“Oh, um…okay…see you later then…” Fluttershy murmured to herself, her wings falling sadly.
Tom noticed this, and turned around. She felt his arms wrap around her in an embrace.
“Thank you for being there for me too, Fluttershy,” Tom said. Fluttershy didn’t say anything, she just returned the hug.
—------
Meanwhile, in the city of Canterlot, the streets bustled as usual… except for one, which was known as Restaurant Row. Normally, there’d be customers aplenty to dine on the delicacies each establishment provided, but as of late, rumors of ponies going missing, and sightings of bizarre monsters kept customers away..
“Quiet night in Canterlot,” said a female voice. “Seems almost wrong.”
“Well we’d know a thing or two about wrong,” a male voice joined in, Ouja walking up. “So Another Hibiki failed as usual, no surprise there. Hip hip hurrah. Apparently that kid managed to rally the town to his defense, how incredibly charismatic of him.”
“You’d be surprised how far a little charisma can go.” Idunn replied. “Those changelings can’t tell the difference between me and their queen, which provides us with plenty of specimens to work with.”
“Everything’s always an experiment to you, huh?” Ouja said.
“Just as everything is a game to you, Ouja,” Idunn replied. “So the next Another Rider is one of yours?”
“Yeah, she’s perfect for this- self-absorbed, bitter and completely out of her mind,” Ouja chuckled. “If I wasn’t a one mare draconequus, I’d probably ask her out on a date!”
“You? You’ve got a mare at home?” Idunn scoffed.
“Is that a hint of jealousy I hear?” Ouja teased.
“No, I’m just surprised, that’s it. It always seemed like something that’s beneath you, that’s all,” Idunn said. “You like playing games, making ponies scream.”
“Well I assure you,” Ouja said, turning to her, and obviously grinning under his helmet. “My Shy is always doing plenty of that!”
“I guess your Another Rider can chew on Canterlot for a while then,” Idunn nodded. “I wonder if it’ll be as interesting as what I’ve cooked up for Ponyville…”
“Oh, is that a wager I hear?” Ouja asked. “Are you challenging me to a bet?”
“Maybe,” Idunn teased. “If you feel like eating your words.”
“And it is on!” Ouja declared. “Whoever makes the most chaos with their next attack wins.”
“What do I win? And trust me, I will win,” Idunn said, probably smirking. “Come on, give a mare a hint.”
“Well, I don’t know if you noticed, but one of your ‘test subjects’ ran away from you with some important stuff. Like a little bitch, tail between his legs. You win, and I tell you exactly where to find him.”
Idunn clapped her hands. “Oooooooh, I get to make some more screams, and they’ll be the fun kind!”
“I thought all screams were fun coming from you.”
“Down boy,” Idunn said with a little wag of her finger. “One mare snake, remember?”
“Dear Celestia, you two are disgusting,” a third voice said, the sound of footsteps following. “Like really, I’m going to be sick in my armor.”
“Ah, the new girl.” Ouja said with a hiss. “I still haven’t paid you back for that little stunt with my precious pet by the way. I loved him and you killed him. What brings you to our neck of the woods anyway?”
“Well, you two seemed so intent on upstaging each other, I felt I should throw my hat in the ring. I’ve got a scheme brewing that’ll make both of yours look like nothing. You two are only plotting in the small scale, I’ve got big ideas. Well, just one really.”
“And when your scheme blows up in your face, we both get a good laugh out of it,” Idunn snarked. “Don’t forget, you’re still the new meat. No ideas above your station, alright? Don’t get cocky just because the boss seems to like you.”
“He likes me better than he likes you,” Gaoh pointed out. “But for now… let’s see this scheme blow up in your faces before you worry about mine eh?”
“Tomorrow then… we feast on the screams of Canterlot.” Ouja grinned
Gaoh groaned. “Again with the puns. Someone kill me now!”
“Don’t tempt me!” Ouja said with a laugh.
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I see Another Agito is up next(given how the pre-rewrite did)
I see DBZ Abridged reference, lol
I don't believe it. Gaoh is one of the Grudge Riders. And I'm talking about the female Gaoh which I had no clue of who she is and what's her motives.
And why do I get the feeling that when Discord/Ouja say, 'One of your ‘test subjects’ ran away from Chrysalis/Idunn is a foreshadow and something that would've been done in the old story that you used to work on before the rewrite?
11161380
That's a good foreshadow and that was a coincidental one.
11157668
Even the Reiwa Riders like Zero-One, Saber and Revice?
11172034
But they're already went to the afterlife after their kids were born and were raised by Granny Smith.
"don’t get in my way, hero king.”
I would've responded with something like "whatever you say, your majesty...!"