Part 6: Soliloquy - Lines in the Sand and Revelations
Fluttershy’s eyes darted from right to left, left to right as she heard the sound of chittering coming from somewhere above the darkened hallways. Almost like the sound of rats squeaking, and then she heard the sound of loud hoofsteps coming from somewhere down the darkened hallways.
“Oh… I don’t like this Milady…” Kivat muttered to himself in a worried tone. “Not one bit you hear?”
Twilight was hearing the sounds as well, a loud Thoom! Thoom! Thoom! coming from somewhere nearby.
“What’s that?” she asked slowly, her horn lighting up like a candle. She swore quietly, even as the sounds began to grow louder by each passing moment, before casting a glance to Tempest who was still fast asleep in her hospital bed. She thought back to a few moments before and the conversation that had been exchanged.
“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?”
Twilight let out a small squeak. Was it possible, was it possible that Fangires really did exist? And if so, was it possible she’d sent Tempest after one of her own best friends for no good reason? Sure, Twilight could rationalize that Tempest or herself for that matter didn’t honestly know that Fluttershy was Kiva but that still didn’t change the fact that Tempest as IXA had tried to kill her.
And now here they all were, standing alone in a darkened hospital with no way out and what was possibly at least two Fangires of unknown capabilities surrounding them, boxing them all in for the kill. If Tatsulot and Kivat’s words were correct, then chances are Twilight, Tempest and Fluttershy were the only ponies left in this hospital. Living ponies anyways, considering a Fangire’s hunger was insatiable really. They just wanted their next meal, and they didn’t care how they got it or who from.
“I’ve… I’ve been such a fool.” Twilight thought to herself as she fought back a sob.
“Hey, I know what you’re thinking,” Grubber said to her in a soft tone of voice, and Twilight nearly let out a yelp having forgotten the little hedgehog-like creature was there in the first place. “Probably about how you were some kind of idiot right? Hey, just for the record I don’t blame you and neither does Fluttershy.”
“She… She doesn’t?” Twilight whispered in shock, nearly at a loss for words. Even after all Twilight had done, she still honestly couldn’t understand why Fluttershy could find enough space in her heart to forgive her after all the mistakes she’d made, the manhunt she’d sent her Royal Guards on to find Kiva. Or rather as it seemed, Fluttershy Breeze of all ponies.
“Course she doesn’t,” Grubber replied with a small laugh. Twilight failed to see what was so funny even as she gave him a look. “I mean… why would she? You didn’t know that the Fangires existed, and really all the evidence did sorta point to her. From the looks and sounds of it, Fangires don’t seem to leave much evidence behind after Kiva… No, Fluttershy deals with them.”
“Still, you’d think we would have noticed something like say… shattered shards of stained glass!” Twilight whispered back. “I mean, small as they are, that’s kinda hard to miss!”
“You can try and rationalize it all you want Princesa,” Grubber replied. “But the thing is, I hadn’t noticed much, and half of me did believe Kiva was a killer. It was those small shards of glass that I only saw every so often that tipped me off. Think about it, if me, a trained member of the Royal Guard can barely notice such things half the time why should you be able to?”
“I… I suppose you’re right,” Twilight whispered before swearing again as she looked at Tempest. “Damnit! Likelihood of moving her?”
“Not very high,” Grubber replied. “Not in this scenario. Don’t think we want to risk a teleportation spell. Even if you weren’t in such a worried and stressed state hermana mía, with Tempest’s current injuries we shouldn’t take that risk of something happening in transit.”
“...Guess that means it’s all up to Kiv-No, Fluttershy.” Twilight murmured, even as she watched the Kamen Rider stand outside the room ready to defend against all threats. Twilight noted the normally green lights of the security cameras covering every inch of the hospital corridor had changed to red signaling that they were off. She was willing to bet that all other cameras in the hospital were in the same sort of condition. If she was staging a lockdown, that would be the first thing she’d do.
Seems the Fangires wanted to keep the populace in the dark -both literally and metaphorically- about their existence a little while longer. Twilight’s eyes narrowed, not on her watch.
“Fluttershy!” Twilight shouted, and the mare in question whirled around in shock eyes widening under her helmet. “Can you keep Tempest safe?”
“So, finally decided to trust us?” Kivat asked in surprise.
“Not much choice in the matter really, not when I guess you could say my eyes are wide open for the first time since this whole mess started…” Twilight murmured, no small amount of shame in her voice.
“Trust me,” Kivat said. “The Lady and I have this covered. No Fangires are getting past us to your Mistress.”
“She’s not my-” Twilight squawked, but decided it best not to argue the point. Least, not right now anyways. Besides, she had to admit if only to herself that she had felt certain… stirrings whenever she looked at Tempest. Recovering her composure, the mare smiled back at the bat-like creature. “Okay, me and Tatsulot… Well, we’re going to go ahead and try to get the generator started back up. Kiva-La?” she requested, taking charge of the situation. Grubber smiled in pride, that was the Princess he’d come to know and love.
“Yes?” the little white bat asked.
“Go to the barracks down near my castle, I assume you know the way right?” Twilight asked, and Kiva-La nodded. “Good. Go there and get ahold of the Royal Guard. Just in case we’re dealing with a large infestation here, which is a plausible scenario as I wouldn’t put it past the Fangires to deal with all of their enemies at once if they had a chance to, we’re going to need all the help we can get.”
“On it!” Kiva-La exclaimed before flying out through the gaps of the bars now encasing each and every window towards Ponyville proper.
“It’s up to you now, Fluttershy,” Twilight said with a small reassuring smile and teleported down to the generator room with Tatsulot taking Grubber with her to keep him out of danger.
“Guess that means it’s time we draw our line in the sand, Kivat,” Fluttershy stated, now filled with a confidence she hadn’t had before as Kiva. Twilight believed in her, she didn’t think her a murderer anymore. It was all she could do to return the favor and protect her friend’s love. “Nobody passes us, understand? Nobody.”
“Agreed. Let’s dance then!” Kivat cried as the Rhino Fangire smashed through a wall, sending pieces of plaster amongst other things everywhere. “As Tatsulot likes to say… Tension Fortissimo!”
With a loud shriek resembling that of an angry bat’s, Fluttershy went right into Garulu Saber form and clashed blades with the Rhino Fangire a few times before whirling around to kick him in the face. Not a Rider Kick, just a regular kick making him stagger back before the Queen of the Fangires slashed him across the chest.
“Father, I’ve finally accepted this responsibility and I will NOT let you down!” Fluttershy thought to herself as she continued her duel with the Rhino Fangire, the two smashing through a wall more plaster and wood splinters flying everywhere and into a lobby of some form. Fluttershy scored several strikes across the chest, before she faltered when she saw what exactly had happened to the nurses and doctors of the hospital. Each and every one of them, drained completely of life energy.
“No… No…” she whispered as she saw the form of Nurse Redheart shatter to bits. All the while, the Rhino Fangire cackled up a storm.
“Oh Faust,” he said, patting his belly. “There’s nothing like a good meal before facing off against Kiva, I say. And of course, I saved the best for last. Namely you, Tempest Shadow and that little Princess both of you look up towards…”
With an indescribable shriek of rage, Fluttershy lunged out with her blade only for a gunshot to ring out and knock the Garulu Saber from her hands, as a rat-themed Fangire stood in the hallways, holding a shotgun of some sort. He fired several more times, catching Fluttershy in the chest and making her stagger back. The shots were so powerful in fact, that they cut through her armor and actually made Fluttershy bleed.
“What, did you think I was this stupid to challenge you without some form of insurance policy?” the Rhino Fangire asked as a Grizzly Bear-like Fangire emerged from the shadows as well with claws bared. “Seriously, we Fangires have been dropping like flies right and left no thanks to you, so decided it was best we put aside our differences and personal squabbles for the moment just so we can deal with you.”
“Smart move on our part, I have to say…” the Rat Fangire chittered out.
“Tch…” Kivat grumbled. “So you’re not as dumb as you look. Here I thought you had the intelligence of mere horseflies. Granted, this will probably improve your longevity past their own, but not by much!”
“Kiva, tonight you die…” the Rhino Fangire smirked, and Fluttershy briefly faltered upon seeing all the other dead ponies and the Fangires closing in -Much to the Rhino Fangire’s visible pleasure- but shook off her fear at least for the moment. No, there wouldn’t be any more death for ponykind… at least not tonight. For the Fangires, that was another story entirely.
“Kivat…” Fluttershy breathed out, rolling to the left to dodge another shot from the Rat Fangire. “I’m going to need all the power you can give me.”
“Dogga form then?” he asked, before Fluttershy shook her head.
“No, more than that,” she stated firmly even as she blocked the Grizzly Fangire’s claws with her shoulder armor before tossing him over her shoulder with the Fangire cracking the floor upon impact, and Kivat’s eyes widened.
“But… But the only power beyond that, at least that I know of at the moment that’s available to you is DoGaBaKi Form, and if you stay in that form for any sizeable length of time…” he trailed off in fear.
“I know, but if it’s to protect the ponies I care about for just one more day, then I’ll gladly risk death because that’s what being a Kamen Rider is about, isn’t it? Protecting those who cannot protect themselves.”
“But-!”
“No buts Kivat,” Fluttershy stated even as she brought out all three of the Arms Monsters Fuestles. “We’re doing this, whether you like it or not.”
“Okay then…” Kivat trailed off, not liking this one bit but his Lady’s word was law. “Garulu Saber! Next up is the Basshaa Magnum! And then Dogga Hammer!” he barked out.
Through the pipes leading down to the basement, the sounds echoed through and down towards Tatsulot, who’s eyes widened upon hearing all three Arms Monsters summoned at once.
“...So, she’s actually risking that?” Tatsulot thought to himself. “Well, I’ll give her this. If anything, she’s definitely earned my respect, and the next time she needs power to protect those she cares about… Well, she’ll get that in my abilities. It’s high time the Fangires bow down to their Queen.”
Deep within Castle Doran, even as Riki and Ramon were all transformed to their Arms forms, a sword embedded deep within the walls stirred and the wall crumbled away to reveal it. Soon, the true power of the Queen would be revealed, and she would need to take up her sword to prove she was worthy of the throne.
Meanwhile, Kiva felt even more chains wrap around her body as she gained both the arms of her Garulu and Basshaa forms, and the chest armor of the Dogga form, with both the Basshaa Magnum and the Garulu Saber flying in her hands smashing through a window while the Dogga Hammer rested itself on her back.
“So, I guess anything goes from here on in right?” the Rhino Fangire asked, and although he didn’t show it, he felt more than a slight tinge of fear as he felt the sheer power wafting off of Fluttershy now. It was beyond anything he’d ever experienced. The only time he’d experienced this much power before was in the presence of Rook, and even then this felt somewhat stronger. Even as Fluttershy advanced forwards, the Rat Fangire finally lost his nerve and fired several shots from his gun that simple bounced off Fluttershy’s armor. He staggered back in fear, and began making duplicates of himself to try and surround Kiva.
“Just like a rat…” Kivat muttered in disgust before Fluttershy inserted the Basshaa Magnum Fuestle into his mouth. “WAKE UP!”
Even as Fluttershy pulled the trigger on the Magnum, the little propeller on the weapon spun up and created a powerful whirlwind of water sweeping up all the Rat Fangires and shattering them like glass, one by one. Well, almost all of them anyways. The original, he’d decided it was high time to take his leave and had vanished sometime during the chaos.
“Damn her!” the Rhino Fangire thought even as he saw the Rat Fangire swept away by the Magnum’s Aqua Tornado attack. “Damn him as well for losing his nerve!”
Fluttershy had realized something long ago about Fangires, that in some ways they were not that different from ponies really. Disturbing as it was, that was the real truth of the matter. That' was the thing about the Fangires for the most part. Really, they held no such illusions about what they really were, monsters. And quite a few of them with the odd exception, of course, reveled in that fact.
Even as she smashed the Dogga Hammer into the ground sending out an electricity-infused shockwave that made the Rhino and Grizzly Fangires stagger back, she continued to think. One… Well, they probably could make a good-sized argument that some if not all Fangires were just doing what they did based on pure instinct alone. Instead of just being monsters for the sake of that, their desires were based on a need to feed. The rank and file Fangires, they were hungry, simple as that as opposed to malicious intent. They were simply predators whose prey just so happened to be ponykind. That old pony instinct of self-preservation, that was the reason why they didn’t have any real natural predators for the most part and that put them at odds with the Fangire race, at least in the modern day. Things were different in older times, such as when Kuuga was around but nowadays, it was simply because Fangires needed to feed like any other animal. It was when the real monsters like Rook, King, and the Rhino Fangire popped up that they -They being Fluttershy and the residents of Castle Doran- had a problem on their hands.
Which led to a rather disturbing realization actually in Fluttershy’s mind. The simple reason Fangires are and were so terrifying, because they are in truth, the same as ponies were at times. Predators fed on species that they considered lesser than themselves, they were driven by simple ingrained instinct. Ponies… Nowadays and perhaps in the past, condemned the Fangires all because they held a stained glass mirror up to their faces, and they were afraid of what they saw looking back at them.
So in that matter, Fluttershy could pity some of the Fangires. Not all of them, of course, but some of them. She took no pleasure in killing these creatures, they were acting out of simple instinct at times. Sure, even those that did it for sport like Rook, she took no pleasure in killing. She was just putting rabid animals down, that was all there was to it.
With that, she swung the Dogga Hammer over her head the weapon crackling with lightning even as it entered its wake up mode and Fluttershy smashed it into the Grizzly Fangire, shattering him.
“Just… Just you left…” Fluttershy panted out looking at the Rhino Fangire even as she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She knew what it was, the powers of DoGaBaKi finally getting to her. She really could only spend five minutes in that form, at least right now, before it started to eat away at her life energy. And she was getting very close to that limit. She had to end things, and fast…
Meanwhile, unaware of just how close their friend was to courting death itself, both Twilight and Grubber worked tirelessly to repair the smashed up generator that powered the whole hospital. Faust only knew how many ponies had died by now, either it being due to the generator taking them off life support or the Fangires and their rampages. Their insatiable hunger.
Twilight was cursing herself even as she slowly, little by little put the parts of the generator back into place. She’d only now just realized how single-minded ponies could be, and that included herself really. They were scared of what they didn’t understand, and Kiva and the possibilities of other monsters out there were counted amongst those things they didn’t understand. As long as ponykind was stuck in this stance, nothing would ever change. Tatsulot had informed her of the duties of a Queen of the Fangires, and that simply was to foster peace between the two races and keep them at bay.
Twilight sucked in a breath, to think Fluttershy had been burdened with such a great responsibility and now every week she fought to protect Ponyville from the shadows never asking for a thank you or never even getting one. “Well, after tonight…” Twilight thought to herself. “That’s changing. If I can, I will be awarding her the highest honors I can possibly bestow upon her with my powers as the Princess of Friendship. Celestia knows she deserves them, and with Faust as my witness, I will see to it she gets that which she’s never been given.”
“So, I have to ask,” Grubber commented from somewhere in the background of the darkened room. “Assuming if-no, when we get out of this,” he stated, swiftly correcting himself. “What next? I mean, now that we know our foe isn’t Kiva as we previously thought but these Fangire things, what do we do next? Inform the populace?”
“No, I’d rather not incite mass panic, and if you may remember there may be Fangires in our own guard and we may not even know about it. Best we don’t alert them. No, what we will do is tell Tempest the truth, the full truth. Completely unabridged and have both Kamen Rider IXA and Kamen Rider Kiva working together to bring about a new age of peace between these two races.” Twilight stated firmly, leaving no room for argument.
“I can see why you became an Alicorn with an attitude like that Princess,” Tatsulot complimented. “And why Fluttershy speaks so highly of you!”
Twilight blushed before she turned to the small gold dragon. “T-Thanks, I guess. Now, I’ve got a question for you. How do the Arms Monsters become… Well, weapons?”
Tatsulot was all too happy to explain even as Twilight continued to work. “Well, it started with Fluttershy’s daddy, Eiji ‘Sky’ Shy…”
It was some years ago, Tatsulot couldn’t remember the exact date in time but he knew it took place only a few short months after he’d been rescued from Tiamat/Kamen Rider Poseidon.
Since then, several more refugees from the Fangire’s culling had been found in Riki, Ramon and Jiro. Nervously, Night Light peeked out from behind Eiji’s backside at the sight of the legendary Frankenstein’s monster in the flesh.
“He can really stop staring ya know, so rude…” Riki muttered to himself, crossing his arms with a small huff.
“Is that a pony?!” Night Light squeaked out, trying to make himself as small as possible under Riki’s gaze. While he’d met the other residents of Doran before, this was his first time seeing Riki.
“Actually, it's seven ponies - parts of them, anyway,” Eiji corrected him. “Found him wandering the old ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters, me and Jiro over here did.”
Jiro, he was one of the first refugees the twosome had found together. While it went against Night Light’s natural instincts to help a known predator of ponykind, considering both were hounded by the Fangires he figured it made logical sense for the two to band together for the time being. And, as it turned out Jiro had lost the taste for pony blood. So last season, as he put it. Much more interesting to socialize with ponies then try and kill them. He’d then stolen a leather jacket and some sunglasses for whatever reason -he’d claimed it was to help him better understand ponykind- from a shop a few hours later.
As for Ramon, well Eiji just took pity on him thanks to his natural kindness. Well, that and a sense of pragmatism, as he’d heard a siren’s blood could cure all poisons. He’d hoped at the time Ramon’s blood would cure the Vipertooth venom running through his veins even now. Ramon after hearing of this was all too happy to help -which was rather strange for a siren, but given both Night Light and Eiji had rescued him from hunters he had a debt to repay Ramon felt- and offered a small sample of his blood but it seemed that the Fangire venom mixed in with the Vipertooth’s own was beyond even his powers to cure.
“Now you understand why we’re all here, right?” Jiro asked, and both Riki and Ramon nodded even as Eiji went into his Kiva Emperor state with the help of both Tatsulot and Kivat. A week before, Jiro had been witness to both Night Light and Eiji combining the powers of unicorn magic and the King of the Fangires’ power to enchant the bells of Doran, make them detect whenever a Fangire went into their true form.
“Yes… To help Lord Shy, although I wish he would elaborate,” Riki grumbled, before rolling his eyes at Night Light’s cowering.
“Sadly, I was informed ahead of time exactly what our Lord plans to do with us. He plans to seal us away and change us into weapons to help his daughter in the future, knowing that he cannot continue as Kiva thanks to that damned Fangire,” Jiro explained.
Riki stayed silent for a long moment, before he answered. “I… see,” he stated, before turning to Eiji who was pulling out three white fuestles. “Understand this, I do this not for you Shy, but for your daughter knowing that she will have to grow up without your guidance sometime in the future.”
“I understand.” Eiji answered, before placing each fuestle one by one into Kivat’s mouth.
“Garulu Seal! Basshaa Seal! Dogga Seal!” Kivat proclaimed, as each of the three was changed into a weapon of some form, before they changed back.
“Now, so I understand this correctly,” Ramon asked. He, like Jiro had been informed of Eiji’s plans ahead of time. It only was because Riki had been so recently found that he couldn’t be told about this. “Using another type of fuestle, as you call it, your daughter whenever the time comes will be able to summon us to her aid?”
“That’s about the size of it,” Night Light replied, holding up the Fuestles in question. One green, one blue, and one purple representing each of the Arms Monsters. “Worked all night to create these. ...I swear, I don’t know what King was thinking when he created these items, nor what I’m thinking following in his dark hoofsteps.” he muttered in self-disgust.
“King, he was only thinking of subjugation,” Riki answered putting a hand on Night Light’s shoulders. “You however, you’re thinking of what’s best for your godchild. For that, I do have to commend you even if I don’t have to like either of you.”
“T-Thank you…” Night Light whispered.
“So, it was just like that?” Twilight asked. “Just using these fuestles my dad developed to create the weapons Fluttershy uses?” she continued, only now starting to get a real understanding of just how closely tied her family along with Fluttershy’s own was to the history of Equestria and the Fangire race. Made her sicker the more she thought about it, now that she knew who Kiva really was and who she’d sent Tempest after.
“Pretty much…” Tatsulot trailed off. “And for the record, I’m so sorry you had to get dragged up into the Shy family’s mess. We should have dealt with the Fangire’s long ago, but we were far too weak…” he whispered in shame, Twilight looked him dead in the eye, even as the sounds of clashing blades echoed from above.
“No, you weren’t. Never think that, okay? None of this, none of it’s on you. It’s all on those damn Fangires.”
Speaking of those damn Fangires, Fluttershy despite her courage had canceled out her DoGaBaKi form before it ate her up and was now challenging the Rhino Fangire in her base state. And she was on the back foot, with the Rhino Fangire overpowering her with ease.
Suddenly, a blast of hot air cut through the corridor and knocked the Rhino Fangire to the floor. Tempest, wearing nothing but a hospital gown and holding onto her IV Drip in one hand with a smoking IXA Knuckle in the other indicating it’d just used its Broken Fang attack.
“T-Tempest?” Fluttershy asked in shock, her helmet partially shattered. Kivat's eyes widened in fear and he swore quietly under his breath before he sighed in relief upon seeing Tempest's expression. He smirked, leave it to Tempest Shadow of all mares to take... well, whatever she took with that strange system of hers and still have the ability to get up and fight. He had to admire that quality at least. And it seemed she was a mare worth trusting via actions alone just now.
“That’s my name, don’t start wearing it out,” Tempest said with a smile of reassurance that said all was well. She’d seen enough to know who was who, and who to trust. “Now, finish that thing.”
Tempest Shadow, now she'd had her eyes opened if you will. While she still fully didn't understand what was going on around here, seeing Kiva fight off this monster and actually seeing who was beneath the mask was forcing her to reevaluate her priorities. After all, if Fluttershy was Kiva, then something was definitely fishy here. Mare couldn't hurt a fly unless provoked, and that rhino-like thing did not look friendly at all.
“Makes one wonder what else I've been wrong about lately...” Tempest thought to herself grimly, her whole ideology having been thrown for a loop. If Kiva wasn't a killer, then what the hell else didn't she know about the world. One thing was for certain though at least. After all this was over Fluttershy or at least somebody like that damn bat of hers she had as a partner owed her some explanations.
Fluttershy nodded firmly, and pulled out a fuestle before placing it in Kivat’s mouth.
“WAKE UP!” Kivat boomed before Fluttershy launched herself at the Rhino Fangire, who’d only picked himself up off the floor just in time for his body to get hit by the Darkness Moon Break.
His body cracked little by little, before finally shattering. Fluttershy panted and sweated even as the lights came back on all over the hospital before her transformation canceled itself and she slipped into unconsciousness...
Okay, sorry for the long wait, but to be honest I've had so many things on my plate lately not least of which was my crossover with RuinQueen's story Kamen Rider Justice. Seriously, go check it out if you want to see a Black-inspired Rider teaming up with Kiva and IXA against monsters based on Arcana and the Shinigami Fangire.
Anyways, I also have Ruin to thank for the little thought experiment on the Fangire race presented in this chapter. She's got a point, aside from absolute monsters like Rook, a lot of the Fangires are like the Inves from Gaim in a lot of ways, just creatures who are just acting on their base instincts and we're not that really far removed from them.
On a side note, almost used this as the Rhino Fangire's theme for this chapter, but decided it didn't really fit after looking at the lyrics and I have enough lyrical songs (Including yes, Supernova) planned out for this story anyways.
Anyways, as ever, comments, thoughts, and feedback are welcomed.
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Strange, and I thought you didn't like it one bite.
I'm not apologizing.
Let me get some sip!
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/hellsing/images/8/81/Ultimate_feast_of_blood.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/180?cb=20160916020209
👍
Ok, this kinda loses its meaning when the ponies are not meat eaters, they eat daisys, hay, and other plant stuff. The metaphor kinda loses a lot of its impact.
"Rest? I don't need rest! ...Why are there so many beautiful strs all of a sudden?"
*thud*
9348482
Knew you'd like that one.
Actually, you'd be surprised. Ponies can actually digest meat, and there are flesh-eating horses in myth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mares_of_Diomedes
9348488
Gee, wonder why...
Oh, interesting, but from what we can gather from the actual show, no they don't. And since I just assumed that this world is mostly similar I just assumed that the ponies here don't eat meat, so the metaphor didn't really work. It works great with humans, not so much with ponies.
9348495
I'm personally happy I can finally give Fluttershy some sort of speech that isn't borrowed from another Rider.
For the sake of this universe, let's assume they can.
9348499
Speeches are fun.
I wasn't doubting that... and now I have the image of Fluttershy butchering Angel for a little snack... You know, that rabbit would actually deserve it...
Still, this isn't the equestrian Wasteland where they would have to and judging by Equestria's rather peaceful demeanor I don't think they are that big on the meat train and... ah forget it, just role with it really, that is not the hill I chose to die on.
9348506
Hard as Hell to write, but yeah, fun. Especially when you pull off a really great one like the ones Riders, the Doctor or Captain Picard do all the time.
Anyways, here's the lyrics to the song that almost got used in the chapter, titled Roots of the King. (AKA Kamen Rider Saga's theme.)
The crest rising from the palm of the hand is proof
Clad in the merged color of Darkness, just like an aura
Roots of the King... (x4)
What must be protected are the laws of the race
Judgement will be passed in an instant to those who have sinned
For the power that can destroy the world
A pure-blooded successor has appeared
Judge it, King, this Saga of fates has come spinning
Entrusting everything into those skills
The one who bares his fangs/Kiva shall wander in the depths of Hell for eternity
What is real? This overwhelming rule shall now
Be commenced in the heavens
This unshakable existence, the Roots of the King...
Sitting on that throne is but just one person
There is only erasure for this incompetent imitation
Roots of the King... (x4)
In the blessing of Darkness, he continues walking
Ascending up onto the promised stage
Without the world ever realizing, continuing in a cycle
A pure-blooded successor has been chosen
Judge it, King, this Saga of fates has been inherited
Time to dye this era black
The one who bares his fangs/Kiva should know a second death is waiting
What is real? What has already begun
It is not hope, but despair that he is sneering with
This unshakable confidence, the Roots of the King...
No matter how secretly Light shines
There will always be shadows lurking
That is something decided, and will never be erased, the Roots of Blood
Judge it, King, this Saga of fates has come spinning
Entrusting everything into those skills
The one who bares his fangs/Kiva shall wander in the depths of Hell for eternity
What is real? This overwhelming rule shall now
Be commenced in the heavens
With the rise of the wind, the figure shall emerge
Roots of the King...!
You can sorta see why it works for the Rhino Fangire, and why it sorta doesn't.
9348518
Yeah, definitely. Thankfully I always managed to get completely into the scene before writing one, helped a lot... I already dread the one that will eat up an hour of my day, if not more, because I can't find the right words...
Yeah, I see what you mean. That is always the fun part, finding the right music for a character, especially when something seems to work, but just doesn't... fun.
9348534
Pat pat
Yeah, I've been jokingly looking around to find a theme for Kamen Rider Justice, and the only ones that actually works are these pieces I think.
(And the only reason Justice works is because in this case, it's an instrumental!)
9348548
I actually recently did suggest a song to Ruin, hasn't really said anything about it though, probably forgot about it again, but I chose this:
Here was my reasoning:
A traumatic experience in the past she can't really let go of, a person she loves being a guiding light towards her, and with the receiving of the Rider powers she has started a new point in her life, aka, a new her.
9348562
Actually, she does remember. Been speaking with her all day, mostly about who Oma Zi-O could be which is a whole 'nother can of worms that's hardly relevant to this conversation but she still does remember.
9348573
Ah, interesting. Now I kinda feel bad about assuming so little of her.
Oh yeah, that one is interesting. But right now I'm contented with finally seeing him in action. "The most virtuous overlord!" Looking so forward to episode 15
9348495 To be fair, this was actually based on a conversation me and Brick had about Fangires vs. Humans, but like Brick said it still can work.
I wonder how Twilight will react to this revelation when she has had more time to think on it and not have her life in danger so she must focus elsewhere?
9348894
Well, you can be safely assured Kiva's got another Princess on her side, and chances are Twilight will now actually be able to iron out the IXA system's... flaws.