Part 5: For Whom the Bell Tolls - Her Beginnings
Fluttershy always hated hospitals, really. Always much too sterile for her liking, and then there was the multitude of bad memories associated with them really. Chief amongst which was the obvious case.
“Flutters, for the sake of our family, and by Faust I know you’re far too young to take up this burden, you need to protect the world.”
“P-Protect the world from what daddy?” Fluttershy asked.
“After I leave, you will learn. I’m sorry my daughter, I wish it didn’t have to be this way, I wish I didn’t have to pass on the burden I should be carrying to you but…”
“But? But what?” Fluttershy asked before she realized her father’s hand had gone limp, and the heart rate monitor had flat-lined. “Daddy! DADDY!”
Fluttershy had pounded on the bedsheets with her tiny fists for what must have seemed like an eternity, till all her tears were finally spent and the doctors and nurses never did try to pry her away from her father. They’d just let her cry. After all, what else could they do really?
Eventually, Fluttershy found herself waiting out in the lobby, her mother sadly had been far too caught up with work to learn of her husband’s passing until an hour after the tragic event and was currently en route to pick up her grieving daughter and her husband’s remains for a proper Cloudsdale burial. These generally consisted of spreading the ashes of the deceased to the wind, back to the gales from where the pegasi were originally rumored to come from.
It was said long ago, the great creator Faust had breathed life into the winds and the very first pegasi had taken shape. Crude, and barely able to fly they eventually learned and evolved over the years into the modern day pegasus specimen. But that was neither here nor there.
“I’m sorry Ms. Fluttershy, I truly am…” a voice said in Fluttershy’s head as a strange little bat creature with a coat the shade of blade and bright golden eyes said sorrowfully as he landed next to her.
“W-Who are you?” Fluttershy squeaked out in fear at the creature’s sharp little fangs. They… They almost reminded of her of a vampire’s. She squeaked out in fear once more, a vampire bat! “St-Stay away!” she yelped out.
“Relax, I’m not here to hurt you, and I never will. My name is Kivat. Kivat the Third at your service,” he introduced himself, doing a little bow. “I apologize for surprising you Ms. Fluttershy, I fully assure you that was not my intent. I wish meeting you was under better circumstances, I really wish it was, but-”
“But what?” Fluttershy squeaked out, even as Kivat wiped away her tear stains with a wing.
“...Like I said, my name is Kivat the Third, and one of your family’s personal retainers. I was instructed never to show myself around you, never to do so unless your father was to leave this world. He didn’t want you to meet with me, and I can’t say I blame him.”
“H-How come?” Fluttershy whispered.
“Because he knew if we were ever to meet, you would have to take up a responsibility that should have been his, and his alone.”
“What r-responsibility?” Fluttershy whispered, not sure she really wanted to know.
“...The responsibility of being Queen of the Fangires, a race Equestria’s best warriors in the Veil of Shadows or whatever they call themselves now have long been fighting. Your father was supposed to become King and stay in that seat till the day he died and peace was fostered when Luna returned from the moon, but sadly that seems that’s not fated to be.”
“F-Fangires?” Fluttershy whispered.
“Vampires, only made of stained glass. Your father, he was the previous King, in charge of keeping them in line but one Fangire, who I nor the rest of his retainers have yet to discover saw fit to it that would not come to pass,” Kivat explained. “They’re an unruly bunch, they don’t like to be controlled except by a Fangire of pure blood, and your father was anything but. He was only half-blood, a Dhampyr. While that technically counts as enough to sit on the throne, some would not see that, and conspired against him.”
“Throne? Retainers? King, a Queen? Fangires? C-Conspired?” Fluttershy whispered, this all being too much to take in at once for the time being, and her head was beginning to hurt from all the thoughts beginning to swarm through it.
“...I’m sorry, I really wish I didn’t have to dump this on you. I… I wish your father was given more time, so he could explain this to you in person, and train you in the art of defense. Make no mistake Fluttershy of Cloudsdale, no matter what position you found yourself in, you would have been targeted. ...By the Lady Luna, you’re only ten and now this…” Kivat whispered, sounding as if he was close to tears himself. “Damn that dragon. Damn him, he had to set things into motion far too soon! You weren’t supposed to ever become Kiva!” he hissed out, thankful the lobby was quite empty so nobody would ever learn of the long-held secrets being exposed.
“Kiva?” Fluttershy whispered, her fear being replaced by another emotion common to that of a child her age. Curiosity.
“Another title for the ruler of the Fangires. Old word, most know it as Kiba or simply Fang today in the common tongue but it was originally meant as the term for the armor worn by whoever ruled the Fangires. The bond between a member of the Kivat species such as myself, and one who Fangire blood running through their veins.”
“And this… dragon?” Fluttershy squeaked out.
“Unknown, long ago your father went out on an expedition to find a mysterious legend known as Tatsulot, free him from his captives accompanied by a member of the modern-day Veil of Shadows, a stallion known as Night Light,” Kivat continued to explain. “Somewhere beyond Equestria in this place known as Klugetown, if what I’m told is correct they encountered this dragon, who poisoned your father in a battle to free this ‘Tatsulot’. It was a slow burning poison, but it was fatal nonetheless. I… I just didn’t expect for it to catch up to your father this fast, only two years after he was bitten. I was hoping you’d have a little more time before, well… You know.”
“I… I understand.”
In hindsight, Fluttershy suspected this was what kickstarted her fear of dragons, and why when a certain red dragon came to roost in a mountain high above Ponyville for his hundred-year hibernation she was so scared to face him in case it turned out to be who she feared it to be.
Spike was another story, he was a baby dragon and hardly dangerous, especially with such a wonderful mother. But she was terrified of every other dragon to exist on this earth, simply because they’d taken her father away from her. Maybe Ember and her little sister Smolder were exceptions, but they’d proven themselves to be hardly anything to be afraid of. Maybe a bit rough around the edges, but both bore hearts of gold underneath their rough exteriors.
“But who is this we you keep talking about Kivat?” Fluttershy had to ask. Kivat blushed.
“Ah, apologies Milady, if you permit me to call you that.”
“I… I don’t mind,” Fluttershy replied with a small blush. If her father was a King of some sort, that technically made her a Princess right? It was only proper in that case for Kivat to refer to her as he did.
“Okay then! Milady I shall call you from here on in!” Kivat declared happily before his expression turned serious once more. “Anyways, well I believe it’s best they explain in person. Well, not maybe person but you’ll see what I mean.”
With that, the air around Fluttershy shimmered and she found herself inside a grand castle of some sort, moonlight shining through the massive windows. The Mare in the Moon stood watchfully from her position, as three creatures stepped out of the shadows. Fluttershy knew what they were, just from the many books about animals -even mythical ones- she’d read.
“Jiro, Ramon, and Riki,” Kivat stated as each of the three waved a little hello. Fluttershy nervously waved back. Despite feeling no ill intent from these creatures, they were still rather scary in appearance and Jiro, in particular, was a member of a known pony eating species. “A Timberwolf, a Siren, and of course the legendary Frankenstein’s Monster, who needs no-RIKI! Get that damn filth out of your hands! There’s a filly present!”
He’d smacked a piece of magazine our of Riki’s large hands and out a window with glass shattering and tinkling to the floor nearby. Fluttershy didn’t really see much of the magazine before Kivat had disposed of it, but it did depict a mare with very large flanks with very little covering them.
“Honestly, honestly…” Ramon muttered. “Have you no class?”
“Well, he was made from the parts of seven ponies, seven ponies already dead and brought to life via black magic, so what do you expect?” Jiro asked. “A world-class gentleman? I mean, hello Ramon, get realistic here!”
Kivat facewinged, not the introduction he would have liked for poor Fluttershy.
“For the record,” Jiro said solemnly, laying a wooden paw on his new mistress’s shoulder. “We’re very sorry for your loss. Your father… he was a great man. Rest assured, his death shall not go unavenged. We will track down the Fangire who did this to your father, and we will kill him.”
Like that, a friendship was born, the two eternal partners. The pony and the timberwolf, two creatures which never should have met let alone become friends but because of their shared pasts, they overcame that barrier of predator and prey.
“You don’t have to do this, you know,” Kivat stated. “We’re not forcing you into this battle.”
“No, I want to find whoever killed my father, and avenge him. I want you all to train me.” she asked, and Kivat and Jiro shared a sorrowful look.
“Then, starting tomorrow it shall be done. But for now,” Kivat stated, putting a claw to Fluttershy’s forehead and sending her into a dreamless slumber. “Rest. Luna knows you need it.
Fast forwards seventeen years, and Fluttershy was ready. The Fangires had seemingly gone into hiding upon their King’s death almost as if in fear as to what was to come next. They had every right to be afraid, as shown when Fluttershy finally tracked down her father’s murderer.
“You…” she stated coldly to the one who ruined her life. The dragon? He was none the wiser and just saw Fluttershy as another chance to feed. Just like that, the black dragon changed into a deep blue kirin-like monster. Almost as if in mockery of the very races Fluttershy was trying to protect. A fury filled her, and she bellowed out one simple name.
“KIVAT!” Fluttershy shouted, and the Fangire’s eyes widened in fear as a strange little crimson bat fluttering down to Fluttershy’s side.
“No, no… It can’t be. No, not-” the Fangire stuttered out in fear, his stained-glass coat showing his dragon form frozen in an expression of absolute panic.
“Guess what, it is,” Fluttershy hissed out. “Have you made your peace with the Lady Faust, Fangire? Because congratulations, you’re about to meet her. You took my father away from me 17 years ago to this day, and now it’s time to pay the piper. Henshin!”
“Biting!” Kivat nodded before he bit down on Fluttershy’s arm -A distorted violin’s strings filling the air- and a strange power began to fill her before she found herself clad in silver and red armor, two bright moon-like eyes adorning her winged helmet. Blood rushing, she stared down the Kirin Fangire and let out a low growl. This… This was what her father had died trying to protect her from, the responsibility of trying to take on these things alone. She was beyond mad, no she was furious her blood beginning to boil.
Letting out a loud screech of unadulterated pure anger, the newly crowned Princess Kiva let out a flurry of punches not even the Fangire was expecting. The Fangire was on his last ropes, and Fluttershy was about to strike one final blow. She pulled back her fist, and just before she could shatter the creature something stopped her, something seemed to hold her back. She looked, and saw a figure, faintly shimmering in the crimson moonlight.
The eyes of his helmet shone a bright green as he slowly became visible. win black wings stuck out of the back of the helmet He, as he could only be of the male gender via the build alone was dressed from head to toe in crimson armor with a black chest plate that like the wings of a bat, seemed to extend past him and into his black billowing cape. The figure resembled Kiva in all respects, but much more regal and missing a Kivat roosting on his belt.
“D-Daddy?” Fluttershy whispered, and from his shocked expression on her belt Kivat seemed to see him as well.
“Please Fluttershy,” her father whispered, in that warm loving fatherly tone his daughter knew all too well. “Restrain yourself, your powers… I never meant them to be used as an instrument of murder or vengeance. I only wanted the best for you, you understand? I don’t want you to become this cold monstrous creature. Don’t kill this beast out of simple rage, but just do it to save those who cannot defend themselves. That’s the duty of a Kamen Rider, not a warrior who strikes down those who oppose them out of simple fury, but someone who protects. Kill him yes, but do it not because of vengeance.”
“I… I understand,” Fluttershy whispered, as her father’s armor briefly changed to this red phoenix-themed warrior before shifting back to that of the Kiva armor. “T-Thank you, Daddy, for reminding me of who I am.”
Her father’s helmet faded away, and for one brief moment, Fluttershy was allowed to see her father’s smile again before he faded away into the dark once more. Her features hardened, and she placed a whistle-like device into Kivat’s mouth.
“WAKE UP!”
Leaping upwards, before rocketing towards the Fangire with the bloody red moon at her back, Fluttershy smashed into the unicorn monster before it shattered into pieces. Panting, Fluttershy canceled her transformation and looked at the massive imprint left in the ground by her kick, before walking away. “I understand now Dad. I will pick myself up as many times off the ground as possible, all to protect the smiles of the ponies I care for. My name is Fluttershy Breeze, and I am Kamen Rider Kiva.”
The Present Day:
Returning her thoughts back to the present time, Fluttershy nervously watched as Tempest was rushed to the ICU on a stretcher by Nurse Redheart and another pony. She sighed, and sat herself down on a nearby chair, next to this little hedgehog Fluttershy recognized as Grubber. Grubber, he was reading this manga about this skull-masked wearing character. The reader was getting a few strange looks, which was understandable as this ‘Skull Man’ was ruthless, almost to Kiva levels, in taking out his foes.
“You alright?” she asked Tempest’s loyal assistant.
“Y-Yeah, I’m fine, Tempest will be alright. She’s been through worse than this. I know she’ll be alright, I just know it!” he stammered out quickly, sounding like he was trying more to reassure himself than anyone else.
To his surprise, Fluttershy then pulled Grubber into a hug.
“It’s okay, you can say it. You’re worried about her, just as I am.”
“...Yeah, I am. I promised myself to always be by her side, and now when she needed me most, I… I was never there to protect her!” Grubber whispered, his manga left forgotten. Fluttershy suppressed a wince, if only she could tell the poor little thing the truth.
“Did… Did I ever tell you how me and Tempest met?” Fluttershy asked nervously, and Grubber shook his head.
“Wait, didn’t you guys meet when Tempest was… y’know, consumed with rage, vengeance and all that?” Grubber asked.
“Yes, I suppose, but I meant met as friends.”
“Oh, in that case… no, definitely no.”
“Hey, you okay?” Fluttershy asked as she walked up to the mare formerly known as Tempest Shadow. Behind them, fireworks exploded in the sky in a multitude of colors and music blared in the background, DJ-Pon3 showing off her stuff.
“...Does it look like I’m okay?” Tempest asked in her usual sarcastic biting tone she reserved for just about everyone really.
“Want to talk about it?” Fluttershy asked as she sat down beside the broken mare.
“Not really, no,” Tempest replied grumpily. “But as I have a feeling you won’t leave until I spill my feelings or some such shit, I might as well tell you. The question I keep asking myself is… well, why? Why did I get sucked into the Storm King’s lies? Why did I want to believe so hard he’d restore my horn someday, even when I knew deep down inside that’s all his lies were, just lies.”
“Because you did want to believe it, it’s as simple as that. Twilight told me what happened to you, you know that right? Between you, your friends, and that Ursa Minor.”
“She shouldn’t have…” Tempest growled, her horn sparking angrily.
“To be honest, and I can’t quite believe I’m saying this, maybe those friends of yours weren’t really worth the trouble,” Fluttershy sighed to herself, and Tempest stared at her eyes widened in shock. Fluttershy, the so-called Element of Kindness bad-mouthing ponies? It was unthinkable! “They left you Fizzlepop, when you needed their help and support the most. I can’t forgive anypony for that. That Ursa Minor… He crippled you. I don’t know a lot about unicorn culture, but I understand this much, magic is a way of life to you. Losing access to that… Faust above I can’t simply imagine wh-”
She then heard Tempest sniffling, trying so hard to fight back the tears that had been threatening to break all night. Fluttershy pulled the older mare into a hug, and whispered: “Hey, it’s okay. Shh… It’s okay,” Fluttershy whispered, stroking Tempest’s back as the mare sobbed into her shoulder. “I won’t ever give up on you, I won’t ever leave you.”
And through her tears, Tempest managed to choke out a small, whispered: “Why?”
“My father, he had this saying. It went: “Because if there is a hand reaching for help, and I don't reach out my hand when I can, the regret would make me wish I were dead... I reach out my hand, because I don't want that.” I don’t want to see you become a shadow of yourself Tempest, you understand? I want to help you.”
“T-Thank you…” Tempest whispered.
“Holy cow…” Grubber muttered after he’d heard the story, the two now walking down the hallways to Tempest’s room. Eventually, they reached it, and inside they could see Tempest laying in a bad gently sleeping as if nothing had ever happened. “I… I wish I could have been like you, you know? Supporting Tempest all throughout her life.”
“Silly-billy, you have been, you’ve been there longer then I have for her, ever since she first joined up with the Storm King. You’ve been trying to make her smile, and honestly, it’s you I should thank.” Fluttershy replied kindly.
“Really?” Grubber whispered and Fluttershy nodded.
“Yes, really.”
Twilight rushed in about then, panting and sweating. “I… I heard what happened, is Tempest alright?”
“I… I don’t know. I saw her in this strange form of armor collapse in front of me! I brought her here as soon as I could!” Fluttershy exclaimed in fear.
“Oh, Faust… I thought… I thought I’d fixed those flaws, but I…” Twilight whispered out in what was a mixture of shame, self-digust and fear as she saw Tempest laying in bed in front of her.
“Flaws? What flaws?” Grubber demanded.
“The armor, the one used to fight Kiva, it had… issues. It wasn’t supposed to be used in prolonged battles, not until the flaws were ironed out and it became less of a danger to the user! Damnit Tempest, why… why did you have to be so stubborn!?!” Twilight exclaimed, fighting back tears.
“Because she thought what she was doing was best,” Kivat’s voice said as he flew through an open window. Fluttershy’s eyes widened before she sighed. Guess there was no sense in keeping this secret any longer, at least from Twilight and Grubber. Tempest as well, once she woke up.
“W-What do you mean? And who are you?” Twilight stuttered out at the strange bat-like creature.
“Name’s Kivat the Third, so pleased to finally make your acquaintance Princess.”
“How… How do you know Tempest?”
“Because he’s my partner,” Fluttershy sighed as Kivat landed on her shoulder. “Because I’m Kiva.”
“No, that can’t be true. It… It just can’t! Kiva’s a murderer, and you’re… well, you!” Twilight shouted, staggering back in shock.
“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong!” Tatsulot exclaimed as he alongside Kiva-La flew in through an open window like Kivat before them. “If anything, you owe Flutters here a thank you! Seriously, she’s been working her ass off fighting off Fangires day and night!”
“Who are you?” Fluttershy asked. She knew Kiva-La from seeing her around Castle Doran but not this little creature cute as he was.
“Tatsulot, at your service MIlady!” the little gold dragon exclaimed, doing a small little bow. “Tension Fortissimo!”
“F-Fangires?” Twilight stuttered out. “I… I thought they went extinct years ago!”
“...Seriously?” Tatsulot asked. “Per Faust, Princess, sei davvero cieco!” he exclaimed. “Seriously, surely Luna told you!”
“N-No, she didn’t!”
“She’s got a good reason not to, remember Tatsulot?” Kivat remarked, shooting a look at his fellow castle-mate. Unlike Jiro and the rest, he knew he’d taken up residence in Castle Doran. “I’m sorry Princess, Luna just didn’t want to incite panic. Fangires! Just imagine your classic vampires crossed with Changelings, they could be in your guard and you’d never know it!”
“Y-You mean…?” Twilight stammered out. She’d heard brief references to things called Fangires in her books, but as they were so fleeting and far between she’d dismissed them.
“Yeah, pretty much,” Kivat remarked. You’ve been chasing after the wrong suspect this entire time Princess.”
“See, told ya,” Grubber said. At any other time, he’d probably be wearing a smug smile but given the seriousness of the situation at hand…
“How… How do I know any of what you’re saying is true?” Twilight stammered out. “How do I know I shouldn’t just call the guard on all of you here and now?”
“Because I actually have proof?” Tatsulot smirked. “And because I’m a genius who knows everything?”
“No, he’s an idiot,” Kivat snarked, looking directly at the little gold dragon. Kiva-La looked quite annoyed at her brother calling her mate an idiot but said nothing. “But as this as his story to be told…”
“Right, well! Here we go. Prepare yourselves, principesse, for I’ve got quite the tale of heroism and tension fortissimo to tell you!” Tatsulot exclaimed, flapping his wings ever the more excitedly.
“...I swear he doesn’t really know what that phrase means…” Kivat muttered before his sister hissed at him to be quiet as Tatsulot began to speak…
Groaning out, both Night Light and Sky Shy, the future King found themselves trudging through the desert wastes far beyond Equestria, a ramshackle city with air-ships attached to it via ropes off in the distance.
“Kludgetown,” Kiva-La chirped. “Never will you find a greater hive of scum and villainy. Seriously, that place is chock full of ne'er-do-wells from the ground up. Can’t believe we had to wind up here off all places…” she muttered.
“...Remind me again why we’re coming to this place?” Night Light asked. He had a newborn son at home, and yet here he was going off on some adventure with his friend. He understood the need for the Blue Sky Organization to track down any rumors of any potential Fangires and follow them up, but this was ridiculous even for them!
“Aside from the rumor of this Fangire in the area,” Sky Shy explained as they trudged into town, eyes from every corner of the city and every alleyway watching them leerfully as dark chuckles came from various locations all around him. Night Light swallowed nervously as he saw a stall selling unicorn horns. “I’m here for someone. Both me and Kiva-La are.”
He spied a cage, and a small gold dragon-like creature flapping about inside it trying to break free.
“There!” Kiva-La shouted, and flew over to the cage only to be knocked aside by a massive black claw, belonging to this dragon that had two tusks jutting out of either side of his head and sharp fangs. Around his waist, he wore this strange belt that looked to have slots for three different medals or something similar.
“Sorry, you’re not getting your hands on my little prize. This little thing, he’s been on the run for far too long, quite hard to catch I must admit. But now, he’s going back to Lord Torch where he belongs.”
“Drop the act, I know what you are… Fangire.” Sky Shy said, holding up his palm and displaying a tattoo of the Kiva insignia on it. The dragon’s eyes widened in fear before he launched a breath of flame at his King. Market-goers screamed in fear as both Night Light and Sky Shy rolled out of the way to dodge it. Night Light brought out a little rod and swung it with it changing into this whip-like sword or jute. He struck the dragon several times, but didn’t seem to do much damage.
“There’s… There’s got to be a way to beat this guy!” Sky Shy shouted before his friend spotted some very distinctive red medals on a nearby market stall. They seemed to call out to him, and the dragon -whom they would later know as Tiamat- shot a blast of flame at Night Light as soon as he realized what the unicorn had seen.
Thankfully, Night Light was much too nimble for him. “Here, catch!” Night Light shouted as he tossed the avian themed medals to his friend.
Tatsulot nervously watched as Sky Shy caught the tossed medals in his hands. Tiamat's eyes were soon to follow as a belt with three slots formed on Lord Shy’s waist, a golden scanner-like device also coming into existence with a flash of red flame. Tiamat snarled. If that’s the way it was going to be...
“Shark, Whale, Seawolf: Sa~Ku~Oo!” the dragon’s driver proclaimed as water gathered itself up from the desert sands all around Tiamat and changed him into this gold eyed warrior, with a shark-themed helmet, with a chest plate themed after some sort of whale. In one of his claws, he held this massive red lance. “Call me… Kamen Rider Poseidon. I have to admit, for a Fangire -Yes, I know what you are- even you have nerve taking those medals and using them for your own, just to free that worthless winged rat.”
Sky Shy begged to differ on that aspect.
“It doesn't matter if I'm not a pony. Even if I have the same powers as you, I'm not like you. And if you say you want to destroy the world, I will use this power for love and peace. That's the kind of Kamen Rider I believe in!” the future Lord Shy stated, dropping all three metals into his belt, and running the scanner across them.
“Hawk, Peacock, Condor: Ta~Ja~Dol!” the driver proclaimed, even as it’s user was turned into a bright red warrior with a winged helmet, a chest plate depicting all three animals used in the medal combo and a shield on the right arm. Six flaming wings erupted from the newest Kamen Rider’s back.
“Who do you think you are?” the dragon/Kamen Rider Poseidon snarled.
“I don’t know, guess I’m a Kamen Rider. Kamen Rider OOO, I’m above such titles like naming myself after ancient gods.” the newly coronated OOO remarked. With that, he rocketed towards Poseidon, a burst of hot air erupting from behind him before smashing him through several market stalls and into the interior of some poor sap’s apartment.
“Okay, that is it, Verko is relocating! I am outta here!” some naked mole rat-like creature shouted as he grabbed a couple of cages full of exotic birds and ran out the nearest exit. “I should have listened to my mother and become a crime boss instead! Just you wait and see, I’ll be running this town within a few years!”
Snarling as he slid back, wings flared, Kamen Rider Poseidon then leaped forwards to perform a corkscrew kick as water spun around his foot like a whirlpool. With a loud clang, it connected with the shield on OOO’s arm before Sky Shy grabbed his opponent by the leg, and slammed him into the ground, cracking the floor beneath him.
Poseidon was quick to recover and launched a flurry of punches at his opponent some which were caught or blocked. Sadly, as Lord Shy was so caught up with trying to block this particular onslaught he didn’t exactly see what was coming next. Poseidon used this chance given to him to pick up his lance and slice Lord Shy across the chest with it several times before kicking him back out onto the street and into the dirt below, a small cloud of dust being kicked up where he landed.
“For the current King of Fangires, I was expecting much more of a fight. Huh, guess today really is a day full of surprises,” Tiamat shrugged to himself as Lord Shy struggled to pick himself up off the ground. “Hmph, who knows. Maybe I’ll be able to take the throne for myself.”
“Now see… That’s not going to happen, not in my lifetime,” the future Lord Shy replied as he stepped forwards, his boots leaving behind small flickers of flame in their wake. He smirked under his helmet, even he could tell Tiamat was intimidated by that by how he staggered backwards in fear, and was starting to rethink battling his King. “Not ever, you understand? No monster like you will ever be seated on the throne.”
“Oh, we’ll see. We’ll see,” Poseidon remarked overcoming his fear even as he began to create a ball of scalding hot water in his hands. “See, the Fangire race has been on the downturn as of late. We’ve been hiding out, just trying to etch out a living on meager feedings here and there. Hikers vanishing on woodland walks, explorers never returning from their adventures. That sort of thing. Someday soon, we will RISE!”
With that, he fired the blast of water right at OOO, causing him to roll to the side. Night Light’s eyes widened, before he threw up a shield of magic to block the attack. Sky Shy’s eyes narrowed under his helmet before he launched a series of flaming disks from the little shield on his arm. All three disks of fire hit, making the so-called Kamen Rider Poseidon stagger back.
“Look at you, so selfish!” Poseidon snarled, as he launched a series of cyclonic winds from the tip of his lance towards Sky Shy, who was just barely managing to hold them back with his shield. “You could be so much more, with both the powers of the King of Fangires and these medals combined, instead you choose not to use either of them to their full potential!”
“And you know why?” Sky Shy/OOO asked even as he began to slide backwards from the sheer force of the howling winds. “Because I’m not like you, a monster. I’ve heard of the power of the Greeds, and those Core Medals of yours? They’re consuming you, and soon you’ll just want more and more of that power until there’s nothing left of you.”
At the time, the Future Lord Shy would think nothing of it, but he did feel a strange desire inside him as well, those three Core Medals he’d used calling out for more and more. Poseidon was actually more right on the money than he realized, he was dangerously close to mixing Fangire and Greeed genetics and whatever the end result would be, it would be a terrifying combination.
“I’m going to take those Medals from you, and then seal them away where nobody else can ever find them,” OOO declared, pointing a finger at Kamen Rider Poseidon’s chest. He smirked when he saw the Rider visibly stagger back in shock, and slightly loosen his grip on his lance causing the howling winds to calm themselves somewhat. “And then, I’m coming to do the same with my own, and my driver so nobody will ever be consumed by these things and their lust ever again.
Tiramat let out a loud nearly-earsplitting roar of rage, before unfurling his wings and rocketing towards his fellow Kamen Rider who flipped over him at the very last second, and launched another series of flaming disks at his opponent. However, it seemed Poseidon had anticipated this, and pulled out his lance and created a shield of more cyclonic slashing winds to block the attack.
“This… This is getting too dangerous to wage this battle in this marketplace,” OOO thought to himself, as he looked around to see various Kludgetown residents scattering and hiding behind various stalls. He’d also saw the damage caused by the battle between the two Riders. “Time to take this battle to the sky.”
With that, he rocketed towards Poseidon and fired another series of flaming disks, and the sea-themed Rider only chucked. “That again?” he asked, as he sidestepped to avoid the attacks. “You’re getting predictable. Try something-”
“New?” Sky Shy asked. “Just what I was thinking, how about we take this elsewhere?” he asked, as he grabbed Poseidon by the waist before tossing him upwards. “We’re both flyers, right? Sure, you may be Overlord of the Sea, and me Overlord of the Flame, but we both understand the freedom of flight right? The appreciation the wind and the gales brings us, nobody to bother us but our fellow flyers.”
With that, they began to clash over and over, leaving behind trails of blue and red in their wake becoming blurs in the sky above. As the two rocketed above the skies above Kludgetown, both Night Light and Kiva-La watched nervously, before the little bat set herself about freeing Tatsulot.
“Long time no see eh Tatsulot?” Kiva-La asked kindly, as she handed Night Light a lockpick and watched as the unicorn began trying to jimmy the lock open.
“Kiva-La, surprised you even made it out this far,” Tatsulot teased. “But Molto Bene! So glad you came when you did, never thought I’d ever be free again with that monster about. He wanted to sell me to the highest bidder, can you believe it?”
“...Considering he’s let himself be taken over by those core medals and become half-Greeed, I sorta can.” Kiva-La remarked.
Eventually, blade and lance clashed, as OOO summoned the Zanbat Sword into his hands and met Poseidon's lance. Shy’s brilliant amber eyes stared down Poseidon’s own.
“I’m right, aren’t I?” Poseidon snarled. “Everyone just wants to look out for themselves!”
“No, that’s where you’re wrong. We just want to live without any regrets!” OOO shouted back in return before he kicked his foe in the stomach before slicing him across the chest with the Zanbat sword, the blade seemingly making a growling sound as the blow struck. It was almost as if it was waiting eagerly in anticipation for the next attack.
Poseidon grabbed his foe by the neck, and threw him into a nearby windmill, wooden splinters flying everywhere before he was headbutted by the future Lord Shy who had rocketed towards him creating a miniature Sonic Rainboom. The wake left behind that was left behind began decorating the skies the color of crimson. Roofs were ripped off the top of houses by the sheer force of the blast.
Metal rang out in the skies above, as the weapons clashed once more, both Poseidon and OOO coming in for a strike before flying away. This pattern repeated, contrails of red and blue left behind as the two met weapons again and again.
“Why… Why do you persist!?!” Tiamat roared out in rage, and Sky Shy let his helmet retract briefly so his foe could see him smile.
“Because… Because if there is a hand reaching for help, and I don't reach out my hand when I can, the regret would make me wish I were dead... I reach out my hand, because I don't want that. That’s what a King should be like, helping others when needed. My ancestor, the original King, the one who went up against Princess Luna failed to understand that. I intend to amend that mistake, and be the King of the Fangires he never could,” Sky Shy explained. “If I gave up, thinking “I’m weak” and I let regret accumulate I’d never be able to live with myself.”
“Then… Don’t live at all!” Tiamat snarled, before retracting his helmet and then biting down on Sky Shy’s arm making him scream out in pain. “You feel that? That’s my venom running throughout your veins. Never did tell you what type of dragon species I was, did I? I’m a Vipertooth, we have a natural poison. Give it a few years, and you’ll be dead. I don’t know how long it’ll be, but it’ll happen. I wish I’ll be there to see it, I like to see how dramatic those deaths always are.”
“Then, I’ll just have to make sure you never will be able to see it,” Sky Shy replied, forcing the pain down. If he died, so be it. He’d ready his daughter, and perhaps she could be the ruler of the Fangires he never could be. He deployed a set of talon-like attachments on his boots, and then drop-kicked Tiamat with a loud cry of “Prominence Drop!” shattering his armor and sending the medals Tiamat had used to transform flying out into the desert hopefully never to be found again. As for their user, he crash-landed into a building, knocked unconscious.
“A-Are you alright?” Night Light asked his friend, as Sky Shy canceled his transformation. In the background, Tatsulot flew free of his cage, with Kiva-La nearby.
“Been better, but I’ll be fine,” Sky Shy lied. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“Wait, you’re saying just because my father helped your father I’m supposed to believe any of this crap!?!” Twilight shouted, and Fluttershy winced.
“Believe what you want Princess,” Kivat stated. “But right now, Fluttershy’s one of your only hopes of defense against the Fangires, whether you refuse to believe in them or-”
Just then before Kivat could finish, the lights all over the hospital went out one by one, and both Fluttershy and Twilight shared a nervous look before both swallowed as a loud growl came from one of the corridors.
“Oh, Tartarus…” Fluttershy muttered, before she and Kivat shared a look.
“You ready Milady?” he asked, and Fluttershy nodded.
“Time to prove who we are.” she thought.
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Luna did not tell twilight because she knows that twilight would try to confront them and die.
9304530
Pretty much.
More.
9304530
I also think she would have problems keeping it secret. When she is doing most things ponies tend to notice as she isn't very suitable.
Nice to see that Fluttershy has gained some allies but will this be enough to stop Fluttershy’s foes?
Shame he wasn't an Orphnoch.
Oh, so they came in during a poker round?
‘Skull Man’, huh, nice reference.
Well, from a certain angle, sure.
Uhm, you are a few years too early OOO...
Hi Banjo!
Actually, it's Greeed, with three eee
9306236
Really sure about that? Pretty sure the last thing any of us wants is Smart Brain in this world.
It had to be done, almost referenced the other early Kamen Rider concept "Cross Fire" but I figured nobody would catch the gag because of how obscure it was. Tried to ponifiy Shotaro Ishinomaki's name as well, but couldn't think up a good enough name. Or any name at all really.
(Sorry, only joke I could think of as a response.)
Wait for it... “Hawk, Peacock, Condor: Ta~Ja~Dol!”
But seriously, I wanted to get Riders from all phases of the Heisei era in considering that phase of the show's era is coming to an end in ZI-O, so that meant the one who started it all in Kuuga, then, of course, Kiva and finally a Neo-Heisei era rider in OOO.
Also, fun fact? Kamen Rider Poseidon? I didn't just make him and his Medal combo up. https://kamenrider.fandom.com/wiki/Poseidon
Yeah, figured the quote worked well enough, summing up one of Kamen Rider's key concepts in the Cross of Fire. https://kamenrider.fandom.com/wiki/Cross_of_Fire
Ugh, yeah, I know. But the Grammer Nazi part of me sometimes begs to differ.
9305578
Well, once Tempest gets out of the hospital and has everything properly explained to her, we'll have our Double Rider duo of the story.
9306259
Well, but they have cool stuff, doesn't that make it worthwhile?
At least you played with the Cross of Fire...
Well, from a certain point of view, the Jedi are evil, strangely one I can very much support. Fuck the Jedi... Where were we?
Ah, interesting
Oh, I know. Funny that it is a dragon who has some of OOO's powers, isn't it
9306276
Think about it this way, Word of God stated Yggdrasil from Gaim was based on them in some ways. ...Plus, they have Riders like Kaixa. Not an appealing prospect to have in the MLP world.
There's a reason during the end of the Clone Wars I probably would have switched to this code.
Flowing through all, there is balance
There is no peace without a passion to create
There is no passion without peace to guide
Knowledge stagnates without the strength to act
Power blinds without the serenity to see
There is freedom in life
There is purpose in death
The Force is all things and I am the Force
Neither Light, or Dark. Just balanced.
...I honestly swear that wasn't an intentional reference to a APKR. You only now just made me think about it.
9306283
Kaixa... Do you want me to want them more? Kaixa was a delight, unbearable prick.
Sounds way more reasonable.
Nice
9306289
Here's a fun little factoid for you on Masato then. From the Wiki:
A meme holiday many Kamen Rider fans on the internet partake in is called "Kaixa Day", which takes place on September 13 (A play on the Kaixa Phone's transformation keycode [9-1-3]). The fans partake in a celebration of what an "irredeemable jerk" Masato is and do various posts on forums that make fun of or celebrate the character. [2]
So even Masato's actor knows how hated his character is, and even knows about a holiday originally started as a joke devoted to everyone's hatred to Kaixa. Props to him for taking a joke in such good stride.
Agreed, while the Oath was from the Fanon wiki I admit, the Gray Jedi do have an official basis in canon. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Gray_Jedi
9306283
The problem with changing the Jedi code was that Yoda refused to allow change to happen to the Jedi. He promoted only one line of thinking the 800+ years he was a Jedi and most of the Jedi Council parroted his view points. It took Palpatine literally throwing parts of the Senate building at him to have Yoda realize his folly and by that point it was time to run and hide and lick his wounds.
9306298
I know of Kaixa day, comes from his transformation code. It's a very cool idea and deserving of that prick. What a great character.
Yeah, heard of it.
9306299
Yeah, sadly that's the truth. There's a reason I enjoy the concept behind this story so much.
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9084643/1/The-Order-Redeems