Chapter 2: Clouded Resolve
A short time had passed since the resolution of the Smash attack. Back at the underground laboratory, Sandalwood Forests was nowhere to be seen. And Flash Sentry sat in one of the spinning chairs, a look of deep contemplation on his face.
The moment he returned, Micro requested to have the bottle filled with the Smash essence from the mall. He explained he wished to test out his brother’s purification machine, and Sandalwood volunteered to operate it. Curious about the prospect himself, Flash allowed them to do so.
The intellectual of the group had been examining the other devices and equations his brother had within the lab. During his search, he came across another hidden panel in the wall. Like the door, it was password protected, but he cracked it easily. Inside the compartment was a strange panel of some sort. It was square in shape and seemed to be made out of a blue metal that he was unfamiliar with. It had a circuit-board motif and there were some slots lined up on one side.
While Sandalwood handled the purifier, Micro took the time to study the unique object. It was nothing like he ever saw before. He wanted to learn more about it, but didn’t know where to start. However, he couldn’t help but wonder what else his brother hid inside the lab.
*DING!*
“It’s done!’ Micro exclaimed excitedly as he set the panel aside went over to the microwave-like door, which they had come to learn was called the Bottle Fabricator. He reached in the opened door and pulled out and orange Fullbottle that seemed to be modeled after a gorilla.
“And thus, the Gorilla Fullbottle is born, gentlemen.” He then turned to the door next to the Bottle Fabricator, which slid opened and revealed an exhausted Sandalwood. “Thank you so much for purifying the Smash Essence, Sandalwood.”
“No problem…” The green haired teen slurred in exhaustion. “Just doing my part…bro…” As soon as he made it down the steps, he collapsed face first on the floor, immediately snoring softly.
“…You know, if this is gonna be a common thing, we should probably move the bed out here for him…” Flash pointed out. They had learned that Gizmo had actually constructed a living quarter’s right next to the laboratory. It had a bed, a small kitchen for meals, even a bathroom. To their surprise, the amenities still worked. It was either that both the shop and laboratory themselves were off the grid, or he paid utilities way in advance.
“Uh-huh…sure…” Micro Chips only half-listened as he focused on the bottle in his hand.
The musician sighed as he turned his attention to the main monitor. Micro had turned it onto the news channel to learn of the aftermath of him defeating the Smash. Said story played right now.
“Right now, we are here with you live, at the site of what was supposedly a fight between a monster and a mysterious armored figure. Here at the Canterlot Mall, a strange group of people stormed the establishment, shooting and kidnapping civilians for reasons unknown.” The reporter informed. “However, while they succeeded in capturing a small number of individuals, casualties were kept to a minimum thanks to seven young girls, who also ended up becoming targets of said monster.
“However, based on these witnesses, it appears they had been saved by a mysterious figure that drove a motorcycle through the Mall window and engaged the creature in combat. Here is what our witnesses and heroes have to say about the matter.”
To Flash’s surprise, the camera shifted over to the Rainbooms. The one who spoke first was Pinkie Pie. “It was so amazing! This guy, Build, he was covered in armor, and went all, WHAM! POW! KABLAM!” The party planner pantomimed profusely.
“So he said that his name was Build?”
“Yeah! Whoever he is…he really saved our butts. The way he fought that thing was just…so…awesome!” Rainbow Dash complimented.
“It was truly fortunate that he arrived when he did. Although…if I were to see him again, I would have to ask him about the design of his suit…” Rarity said being the critical fashionista she was.
The Camera panned over to Fluttershy, but the timid girl continued to hide behind Applejack, who spoke in her place. “Ah gotta say. Ah thought we were just about done fer when that thing showed up. That strange fella really saved us. Wish we could thank him in person…”
“I don’t know who he is, or where he came from…” Sunset was next. “…But if he hadn’t, then we probably wouldn’t even be here right now. Although, that doesn’t mean I’m not…concerned.” Annnnd there was the Sunset Shimmer skepticism he’s seen so much before.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…where was he when the people were getting kidnapped? It seemed like he arrived only at the worst possible moment.”
Flash frowned. It wasn’t his fault that he arrived too late. None of them even knew this was even happening until that Smash Alarm went off. Apparently, it failed to detect the robot kidnappers that appeared beforehand.
“But even so…We still appreciate what he has done. If he hadn’t arrived, then that monster could’ve gone after the people we evacuated, making things even worse.”
“I see. And you claim that this armored figure….this….masked rider….was able to beat the monster with ease?”
“Of course!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “I even got pictures of it all! Video too! See?!” Pinkie shoved the phone into the reporter’s face.
The conscious teens snapped over to the screen. She got pictures?! How did she….knowing that it was Pinkie Pie, they gave up trying to question it.
Of course, this little spiel now exposed Project Build, the secret project that Gizmo Poindexter had been working on, to the world.
This prospect was a curse…yet also a blessing…minutely. It was a curse because it brought attention to them, attention that could impede their search for the missing scientist. A more terrifying prospect was that there may be people who would actually try and target them just to get their hands on the Build System. But the slight blessing was that because they brought attention to themselves, whoever was after the Build System would come after them. As a result, they could end up finding answers without searching haphazardly.
The more he thought about this, the more anxious Flash became. He….he wasn’t sure if he should keep doing this. Granted, the Build System was their only key to finding out what happened to Gizmo, but it just seemed to dangerous. Kidnapping robots? Smashes? It was all too much.
He only used the suit because his friends were in danger. And that was before he realized that his sister had been caught up in the crossfire as well. Fortunately, to his relief, when he called her to make sure she was alright, she answered back, telling him that she was fine and the Rainbooms saved her and her friends.
It was at the spur of the moment, and now that the adrenaline had died down, he now felt conflicted. He wanted to help Micro find his brother, he really did. But lives could’ve been lost today, and it would’ve been his fault had he not been fast enough. Heck, some lives are still missing because he was unaware of what happened! The pressure was simply overwhelming…
Just what should he do…?
Ultimately deciding he would sleep on it, Flash headed out of the lab and began to make his way home.
Across Town
The Canterlot Research Development Center was one of the three largest companies in the city, rivaled only by ChangeMaker Incorporated and DarkShroud Industries.
Inside one of the office rooms of said building, we find a man sitting at a desk with three computer screens in front of him. He was a middle aged man with dark blue skin and darker blue hair, wearing a business suit. On one screen was a man with grey skin and hair that was both black and red, while the other showed a woman with bluish green hair and black skin.
In the center screen, were the images of the Masked Rider fighting the Smash.
"So," the woman said, "…anything you'd like to tell us Night Light?"
The man, Night Light, frowned. "No. This has nothing to do with us."
"Are you sure," the other man said. "Because that looks an awful lot like the weapon we heard rumors about your best scientist had developed. You know...before he took that career change to psycho murderer." He laughed.
Night Light rolled his eyes. "I told you. That system and all the data we had on it went missing months before that incident. How can I be sure it wasn't one of you who stole and completed it."
The two both sneered. "Don't go throwing accusations around without proof," the woman said.
"Then I advise you to do the same," Night replied. "And don't worry, I have a connection with the CCPD that's going to look into it. Once we know something, I'll tell you." He cut the video and they both disappeared, causing Night Light to sigh before hearing a knock on his door. "Come in."
The door opened and a man with dark purple skin and black hair stepped in, a pair of white rimmed glasses sitting in front of his eyes. "Excuse me sir, but your son is here."
"Thank you Dusk Walker, send him in." The man nodded before heading back outside, returning with a man in his twenties with white skin and blue hair. "Hello Shining."
"Hey Dad," the man replied as he stepped around the desk and saw the still playing footage of the rider. "Pretty weird, huh."
"More like worrisome. I'm even more worried after seeing your sister on the news. We'll need to talk to her, but right now we've got bigger issues." He pointed to the screen, "I need you to find out whose under that mask and where he got that tech."
"We both know it's not Gizmo," Shining told him. "If he could fight like that, I doubt he would have been bullied as much. You think he gave the gear to someone?"
"Or they took it from him," Night replied. "Either way, them having it is dangerous. Especially if this isn't gonna be the only Smash attack. We need it under control, not in the hands of god knows who. There's another issue I want you to look into. Faust."
"Faust?"
"I've been hearing rumors, of a secret underground organization that's also been experimenting with Nebula Gas. Before he disappeared, Gizmo took both of panels we had. If whoever's running this Faust thing has one of them, it could be using them to create these smashes."
"Is that even possible?" Shining asked. "I thought the Nebula Gas could only be extracted from the box, not the panels."
Night sighed before standing up and walking over to one of the walls, which had a large mirror on it. He pressed a button and the mirror suddenly turned into a window, which let him look out into the building common area. In the center of that area, surrounded by guards, was a large glass case. And inside that case, was an object that fell from the heavens nearly two decades ago. "There's so much we don't know about that thing. Who knows what secrets it holds? All I know is, we've opened Pandora's Box and the evils that it held are running amok. And after hearing what almost happened to my daughter, I can't sit by and watch as my home is put in danger."
"I understand dad," Shining told him. "I'll find out what you want to know." With that, he turned and walked out the room with Dusk Walker.
Once outside, Dusk Walker turned to Shining. "So what are you really going to do?"
Shining smirked. "What he asked me to do, find out who this masked rider is. But to do that, I'll need more info. Who should I talk to about the box that would know the most?"
Dusk hummed. "I'd suggest, Mrs. Misty Veil. She's been researching that thing longer than anyone."
"Good, where do I find her?"
"I think she left earlier today. She's been working long hours lately, so I think she's making it up to her kids."
“I see. Well, I guess I’ll just have to speak with her tomorrow. Please let her know of the meeting when she comes in.”
“Understood.”
“I’m home…” Flash called out as he entered the front door.
“And just where have you been, mister? It is extremely late! Are you okay?!” The voice of his mother, Misty Veil, exclaimed as she rushed over to him. She was a middle aged woman with a silver skin tone and purple hair tied in a tight bun. She was dressed in a black business suit and lab coat. On the lapel of his coat was a badge that signified her occupation as a researcher in the Canterlot Research Development Center.
Originally, his mother was an archaeologist that specialized in otherworldly culture. It usually pertained to relics like Out-of-place-artifacts, or OOParts. She was recruited by the Research Center to study said OOParts that have been unearthed within the past twenty years.
The musician was surprised. Usually, she wasn’t home until later. “M-Mom?! What are you doing here?!”
“I got off work early. I wanted to surprise you and your sister, but I ended up being the one surprised when I heard that she was nearly kidnapped by robots at the Mall…” She turned to said girl at the kitchen table, chewing her dinner.
“But mom, we’re fine! Rainbow Dash and the others saved us! They took out those monsters like it was nothing!” The girl replied after swallowing.
“But you were still in danger, young lady!”
“How were we supposed to know robots would invade and start shooting and kidnapping people?!” The young girl retorted back. While she appreciated her mother’s concern, it could be a bit stifling at times.
The argument went back and forth and continued for a few minutes. Knowing that he would be the next target of his mother’s worry, he set his stuff aside and ate his portion of dinner, which consisted of simple meat loaf and mashed potatoes. He figured he might as well eat now before getting chewed out.
“Do you understand me, young lady?” Misty questioned her daughter.
“I got it, I got it…I’ll be sure to let you know where I am at all times from now on…” Scootaloo droned.
“And if something dangerous happens again, I want you to get out of there, no questions asked. I don’t care how cool you think this Masked Rider is, if he ever shows up again. Getting a glimpse of him is not worth risking your life!”
Apparently, after the incident and seeing the news story about how the Masked Rider named Build saved the Rainbooms, Scootaloo had wanted to get a glimpse of the man who saved her friends and idol. She had wondered if she could see him in action in case something like this happened again, but her mom shut those plans down.
“Yes mom…”
“Good. So long as you understand.” She then turned her focus to her son, who paused mid-chew. “As for you, mister…”
The musician gulped down his food as he was subjected to a thorough interrogation of what he had been doing earlier today. Knowing that he could NEVER tell her the through about the Build System, Nebula Gas, the Smash, especially the fact he was Build…he decided to tell her as much as she could without giving too much away. He couldn’t lie to his own mother…she had a genuine skill of accurately perceiving lies or fakes. A skill she honed during her time at the Research Center.
So he informed her that he had been hanging out with his friends Micro and Sandalwood. He and Sandalwood noted that Micro seemed a bit down since it had been six months since his brother went missing, and decided to cheer him up. That included an afternoon spent watching videos and discussing videogames at his house.
It wasn’t technically a lie. He did hang out with his friends and tried to cheer up a downtrodden Micro. They also DID technically watch videos and talked about a trip to the arcade.
His mother gave him a brief critical eye before relenting. “…Alright. I believe you. I just want you and your sister to be careful from now on. Things have been getting dangerous and strange in this town this past year…” Flash gave a mental grimace. The past year had been filled with magical incidents, and now the normally quiet town is being subjected to monsters transformed by an alien gas.
As they spoke, his little sister cleaned her plate and went upstairs to get started on her homework. Once she was out of earshot, Misty spoke again. “…I’m serious Flash. I want both you and your sister to stay out of trouble and be careful. I don’t want anything to happen to either of you…I don’t want either of you to end up like your father…”
Flash grimaced as his eyes slid over to the hanging photo next to him. It displayed his family…back when it was whole. A younger Misty Veil dressed in a blouse and pants smiled as she carried a baby Scootaloo in her arms. A younger Flash in a hoodie and shorts was present as well, smiling happily as he sat atop a man’s shoulders. The man looked to be an older version of Flash Sentry with defined muscles, and a growing beard. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a jacket wrapped around his waist.
The picture had been taken when they went on a family trip to Manehatten years ago, back when his father, Trail Blazer, was present in their lives.
He remembered that his father was a bit brash and easy-going. But he was also loyal, brave, and had an unshakeable sense of justice. His father had also been a member of the Air Force. He had been one of their best pilots, and a hero that Flash aspired to be.
However, that all came to an end abruptly.
It had been a normal flight to test a newly designed jet plane. It had been going well for the most part, but then there was a malfunction in the engine while in the air. Its flight path spiraled out of control. Trail Blazer tried to make an emergency landing, but by then, it was too late to pull out of it. It crash landed nose-first and exploded.
And the ace pilot Trail Blazer was no more.
Flash’s family was heartbroken the day they got the news. Scootaloo was too young to remember it, but Flash wasn’t. Even now, it hurt to think about his dad. He kept wondering why such a thing would happen to him. He was a great person and even better father. Why was he taken from them so soon?
He wouldn’t stop crying about it for weeks. It even got to the point where he even tried to investigate the matter, despite his young age. He refused to believe it was a simple malfunction. He instead thought it was sabotage. He wanted someone to blame, someone to pay for taking his father away.
He got in trouble for it more often than not. It wasn’t until his mother stopped and talked with him that he stopped.
She told him that sometimes incidents like what happened to Trail don’t happen for any particular reason. They sometimes simply happen by chance. The investigation towards the flight had concluded soon after. It turned out that there was a faulty component in the engine. The company responsible was sued for quality negligence and his family was compensated.
But it didn’t matter to Flash…he just wanted his father back. It took time for him to get over it, but eventually, those scars faded.
But remembering this did not help him in the least. In fact, it made his inner turmoil even worse.
“Do you understand, Flash? I want you to promise me that you won’t do anything dangerous or reckless.” His mother repeated, her eyes glimmered in concern.
The blue haired teen had his head tilted down. He raised it and looked at his mother in the eye. “…I promise…”
After excusing himself, Flash went upstairs to work on his own homework. As he passed by his sister’s room, he heard squeal of excitement with a series of voices. Being the nosy person he was, he knocked on the door.
“It’s open…” He entered his little sister’s room. He saw her at her desk, watching the news video about the mall incident and the brief sightings of Build courtesy of Pinkie Pie.
“You’re STILL watching that story?” He asked as he sat at the foot of her bed.
“Uh-huh! It’s so awesome! We have a mysterious masked rider who saved Rainbow Dash and the others from a vicious monster! He’s a hero!” His sister cheered.
Flash chuckled, a tad embarrassed since indirectly, Scootaloo was glorifying him since HE was Build. It…oddly felt nice. She was holding the Masked Rider as high of a regard as Rainbow Dash, which was saying something given how much of a fan she was about the latter. “But we don’t know too much about him. I mean…the only videos and stuff we had on hand are Pinkie Pie’s photos…”
It was actually the truth. During the fight, Micro hacked into the security cameras once more and deleted the footage of the fight. None of them wanted the truth of the Build system and Flash’s identity as Build to leak to the public. Unfortunately, they couldn’t stop it completely due to Pinkie’s randomness.
While he was at it, though, he also erased video evidence of the Rainbooms using magic. No sense getting the government involved in trying to dissect the girls to understand the powers, or so he said….
“Yeah, but still, he’s just sounds so cool! I wish I can meet him in person.”
“I advise against that. You heard mom. The first sign of danger, and we gotta get out of there.”
“I know, I know…” She sighed. “I’m just glad she’s not making me go straight home for tutoring sessions. Because I have one with Twilight tomorrow…”
“Oh? So you’re studying with Twilight tomorrow?” Flash questioned.
“Yeah, so I might be late coming home tomorrow. I really need her help with my science class, I have a test later this week.”
“I’m sure you’ll do fine, especially after Twilight’s help. She’s a great tutor.” He said with confidence. It was the truth, as she helped him greatly for studying for his math test the other day. He then checked the time and noted how late it’s gotten. “Alright, well, don’t forget your own homework, and don’t stay up too late or Mom will have our heads.”
“I got it, I got it. Goodnight bro.”
“Goodnight sis.” He ruffled her hair and went to his room, his thoughts weighing down more than ever. He honestly wished that Scootaloo didn’t revere Build so much. Now he’s got another set of expectations on his shoulders. To find Gizmo and defeat the Smash, to keep safe and away from danger, and now a heroic figure that young kinds like his sister seem to idolize. It was getting to be too much for him.
It was times like these he wished his dad was around…What would he do in this type of situation? What would he tell him how to handle it…?
Flash simply laid back, mulling his situation over, completely unaware of what was happening in a different part of the city.
“-----!!!!” Screams of agony and terror were muffled within the dark laboratory. Trapped inside a glass chamber filled with a certain gas was a young man who was only clad in a pair of pants. His arms and legs were strapped to the table below him while a respirator was latched around his face. Multiple wires and tubes were connected to the chamber. Surrounding the glass box were several computers and machines hooked up to it. They were each operated by people dressed in white hazmat suits and black gas masks.
Next to them was a massive cylindrical container that contained a certain colored gas.
Watching over the operation sat a figure cross-legged on his throne on the metal loft. It was the figure clad in bat-themed armor. In his hand was a strange device molded after a handgun.
The subject continued to spasm as his eyes darted wildly. They soon focused on the armored figure.
“Wh-why…?” The youth croaked out through the pain, although his words went unheard due to the soundproof container. Another jolt surged through his body. “…are…yo-you….doing…this…?!”
Another scream tore from his throat. While the man remained silent. His left leg bobbed on his knee while he rested his head on his free hand.
“…he’s ready.” One of the men in suits said.
“Then begin the procedure.” The armored figure ordered. One of the operators nodded and pulled a lever. A strange, colored gas entered into the chamber. The subject thrashed even more intense than before. On the screen, a bio-reading of the person displayed the gas becoming infused throughout his body.
He continued to scream as his body glowed brightly from the infusion. His flesh begun to distort as his mental state dimmed. Soon, the young human was replaced by a different creature entirely.
“…let us see how you will handle this one…Masked Rider…”
The next day, the school was buzzing in activity. A majority of the conversations were about the events at the mall yesterday. Some of their fellow students were even missing, chalked up to be some of the victims of the mass kidnapping yesterday.
However, the group that currently had the most attention now was the Rainbooms. Since they were seen on the news, many students went to them and asked questions about the incident. However, they were completely overwhelmed by the amount of students who came to them. Applejack, Rainbow, and Sunset tried their best to stave off the crowd while Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight did their best to answer any stray questions. Fluttershy was huddled behind them, unable to properly handle the amount of attention.
It was lunch time, and none of the girls were getting a reprieve to eat their meals.
Watching all of this commotion were Flash, Micro, and Sandalwood, seated at a table of their own.
“Dude…must be harsh for them.” Sandalwood commented.
“I know. Due to the fact they were at the mall yesterday, evacuated civilians, AND fought that monster…practically everyone’s wanting answers from them.”
“But it’s not like they can tell them anything. I don’t think even they know what’s going on…”
“Yeah. Only we do…” Micro nodded in agreement.
Flash simply nodded as he took a bite out of his grilled cheese sandwich. Even sleeping on it didn’t help. He’s still as conflicted as he was yesterday. He wanted to help Micro as Build, since he was the only one of the three of them that had the minimum Hazard Level needed to use the system. But he also promised his mom not to get involved in anything dangerous, and fighting mutant monsters definitely classified as such.
And while the fact the girls can use magic remained a secret kept from the public due to Micro’s hacking, it did not stop circulating in the school, where everyone knew of magic’s existence.
He debated whether or not getting a second grilled cheese, because this mess was seriously stressing him out.
“….don’t you think, Flash?” Micro questioned.
“H-Huh?” He looked up from his sandwich to both of his friends in the eye. “…Sorry Micro, what did you say? I kinda spaced out…”
“I was asking if you wanted to go back to the shop again. There are so many things I want to learn more about the system…” The intellectual stated as vague as possible. It would be disastrous if the information about the Build System got in the wrong hands, so he decided to keep the matter as broad as possible to steer off suspicion and told the others to do the same whenever the topic was brought up.
“Weren’t there instructional videos for that earlier?” Flash questioned back in code.
“There were. But like they say, experience is the best teacher. So I thought we could try it out first hand. You’re not busy after school, are you?”
The musician paused in thought. He still hadn’t made up his mind. He needed more time to think things over. And yet…he was also curious about what the Build System could do…
Ever since he used it yesterday, he’s felt a sense of….fulfillment. The power it produced energized him. Wearing it was a pleasant experience that invigorated him. He felt like a hero. In all honesty, he was kind of eager to don it again.
However, his mother’s words brought him back down. As much as he enjoyed being Build, his family came first. They couldn’t handle another loss…
“I….I’ll think about it…” Flash responded finally. “I just…have some things to handle after school…I’ll let you know if I can make it.”
“Oh, okay…” Micro nodded. He seemed a tad disappointed of a lack of a guaranteed answer, but accepted it nonetheless. Sandalwood was the same as he took a bite out of his hoagie.
Flash ate the last of his grilled cheese. A second helping sounded really good right now…
Afterschool, Flash immediately left school grounds. In the past, he would’ve spent some time in the afternoon to practice with his band. However, his band, Flash Drive, had not been able to meet up for weeks.
The reason? Their Bass Guitarist, Ringo, had been missing for weeks. It happened a few days after they got back from Camp Everfree. He hadn’t shown up for school. Originally, he and his drummer, Brawly Beats, thought that he was out sick.
But that didn’t turn out to be the case at all.
According to his parents, Ringo had left for school that morning. But he never showed up. He never returned home either.
His disappearance unsettled the student body and faculty quite considerably. Since then, Flash and Brawly agreed to suspend band activities until further notice. A police investigation is currently taking place to find him. But so far there was nothing notable. Many students speculated what happened to him, some of the possibilities being outlandish to the point of alien abduction. Although…given their experience with magic, it can certainly still be plausible.
But after what happened yesterday with the Smash and the robots…Flash had gotten a solid clue.
However, right now, he needed time to just get away and think about what to do now. That and he needed to blow off some steam. This mental conflict has got him stressed. Usually, he would play his guitar to vent out his frustrations. But he just wasn’t in the mood today. His mind was too conflicted.
So he resorted to his second-favorite hobby: videogames.
He entered the Canterlot Arcade, his senses greeted by flashing lights and a mesh of sounds. As usual, the arcade was filled with kids and teenagers looking for a way to goof off for the afternoon. Flash made his way over to the air hockey table. He debated if he should find a person to play against, or if he should just do something else…
“Wanna play a game?” A male voice interjected his musings. He turned to his left and came face to face with a young adult male with white skin and two-toned blue hair. He was dressed in a pair of gray slacks and red polo with a shield emblem with a pink, six-pointed star on the breast pocket.
“Uh…sure…but who are you?”
“Oh, apologizes. I should’ve introduced myself first. My name is Shining Armor.” He extended a hand.
“Flash Sentry.” The teen returned the gesture and shook it.
“Nice to meet you, Flash. So…you up for a game?”
“Sure, I guess…” Shrugging, Flash paid for tokens and started the table. At first, he hadn’t paid much thought into the game. But that changed when he noticed Shining’s aggressive play style. He also managed to block or counter each move he made. Flash realized that this man was good. He even showed it through his smug grin.
Flash started to take the game seriously, feeling the spark of competitive spirit. However, despite some of his drive returning, his concerns over what he should do from now own continued to lurk in a dark corner of his mind. In spite of this, he tried to enjoy the game. Eventually, they got bored of air hockey after ten matches and decided to try the other games to compete on. This consisted of foosball, race games, shooter games, fighter games, etc.
Throughout it all, both men had fun in their little game matches.
“You’re pretty good, Flash.” Shining told him as they took a break. “Didn’t really expect that from a musician. Guitarist I take it?”
“Y-Yeah…” Flash answered, surprised how he was able to deduce such a thing. “How did you know?”
“Well, while we were playing those shooter games, I noticed the amount of callous on your fingertips. That much usually represents a dedicated, string instrument player. And your posture doesn’t strike out to me as someone who uses a formal instrument like a violin or cello, so a guitar is what I guess. Unless I was wrong and you play bass instead?”
“N-no…it’s guitar…” The musician was surprised. He learned all that just from a few observations? “…Out of curiosity, are you some sort of detective?”
“No. But I am a member of the force. I’m an officer of the Canterlot City Police Department.” He stated proudly.
“You’re a cop?!” Flash asked in shock. “But, but…why would a police man hang around at an arcade?”
“Well, I got off work early, and this is one of my favorite hang outs.” Shining Armor shrugged. “Plus, I enjoy the games here. It’s a nice way to spend a free afternoon.”
“Okay, then….You know, for a police officer, you seen a bit easygoing…” The teen commented.
“Well, that’s because I’m off duty. Otherwise, I’m a pretty serious law enforcer. So don’t let me catch you breaking the rules, hoping I’d let it slide…” He playfully warned. Yet somehow, Flash felt that wasn’t entirely a joke.
“Yes sir…”
“Good. So…mind if I ask you something?” Shining Armor questioned.
“Uh, sure. What’s up?”
“I hope I’m not overstepping my boundaries, but is something bothering you? While we were playing, I couldn’t help but notice a conflicted expression on your face. As if you were at an impasse over something…”
“You…you noticed that?”
“Yes. It comes with my occupation. I have to be observant. Now, will you tell me what’s wrong? If that’s alright with you…”
The musician didn’t answer for a few moments. Should he really disclose what was troubling him to a stranger? Well, not really a stranger, since he got to know the guy over the past over. Plus, he was also a police man. They’re usually upstanding citizens, and Shining Armor seems to hold his profession proudly. Sighing, Flash complied.
“Well, the thing is….I’m…I’m just confused on what to do.”
“What are you confused about?”
“It’s about a series of promises I made. You see, I promised a good friend of mine I would help him. An…incident took place a few months back that hurt him emotionally, and is still recovering now. And only recently, we found a way to help him overcome that incident, but realized that going about it is dangerous…”
The fact that said method was dangerous set off alarm bells in Shining Armor’s mind. “Dangerous? In what way? Nothing illegal, I hope.”
“No, no no…nothing like that…” Flash shook his head quickly and sincerely. ‘At least, I hope nothing we’re doing is registered as illegal…’
“I meant it’s dangerous in the sense that it’s risky. We could end up getting hurt by accident, or if we’re not careful. Which brings me to my other promise. You heard of what happened at the mall yesterday, right?”
“I’d be hard-pressed not too. It was a major event that sent the public in an uproar. Not to mention my sister was caught up in it…” The policeman gave a wry expression. “I still regret not being able to help when I had the chance. But the time I got there, it was already over…”
“Really?” Flash noted. “It’s a coincidence, really. My little sister was also caught up in that incident. She was nearly kidnapped if it weren’t for my friends who had been there at the time to save her. But when my mom heard of it, she immediately put her foot down. She made us promise not to get caught up in anything fishy or dangerous. And if something was even the least bit risky, that I had to leave immediately.”
The musician sighed again. “…I had no choice but to promise her.”
“What do you mean?”
“…You see, there’s only three of us in my house. I used to have a dad, but he lost his life in an accident years ago. Ever since then, my mom has made sure that my sister and I would be safe and well. She couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to us. We just…can’t take another loss like that. That’s why I’m so conflicted about this. I have the ability to help my friend out, but I can’t otherwise I’d be making my mom worry. I can help, but if I do end up getting hurt, I would also end up hurting my family. I just don’t know what to do…”
Exasperated, Flash held his head in his hands. Shining Armor remained silent as he processed what the teenager just told him. In a way, he could sympathize with his plight. Finally, he gave his answer.
“…I’ll be honest. What you just told me, I felt the same way ever since I joined the force.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I can understand where you’re coming from. Like you, I have the capability to help others, but I also have a family to worry about. Deep down, I was afraid. Being a police man is a dangerous and risky profession. We could get shot in the line of duty. Thinking about it, I worried for my family, as I could end up hurting them if something happened to me.”
“But…you’re still a police officer. Then that must mean you got over it, right? How did you do it?” Flash asked, hopeful for an answer.
“At first, I spent time thinking about what to do. At times, it got to the point where I nearly tore my hair out. But eventually, I figured it out. It was something so simple. Something I had almost forgotten.”
“What is it?”
“It’s courage.” Shining Armor answered him with a resolute look in his eye.
“Courage? Like, you’re not afraid of what could happen anymore?” Flash asked with a raised brow. That didn’t seem helpful.
“Oh heck no, I’m still afraid of that; terrified even.” Shining Armor waved his hand. “But that’s a common misconception. People usually assume courage is the absence of fear, but it’s not. Courage is the ability to act in spite of fear; to trudge forward even if things seemed bleak and hopeless. I’m still afraid what could happen when on duty. But I also know that if I have this ability to help others and refrain from doing so, then others could get hurt in my place. As a result, there would be many more families mourning over their losses. All of that could be prevented if I took action.
“It is all risky for sure. But when you think about it, many risks are present in life as well. If people spent their whole time living in fear of those risks, then we wouldn’t really be living, wouldn’t we? When it comes down to it, life is all about having courage to face the unknown future.”
“Courage to face the future…” Flash stared at his hands. He pictured the possibilities. If he hadn’t been Build, then that Smash would’ve decimated his friends, something he would’ve greatly regretted if it came to pass. But because he was Build, he prevented such a tragedy. It was dangerous, but he had the ability to help and save others. To be a hero. As much as it pained him…he had to break one of his promises.
And now, more than ever, he knew what to choose.
“…Thanks, Shining Armor.” Flash said gratefully as he stood up. “I really needed that pep talk. I know what to do now.”
“Glad to hear it.” The man smiled before donned a serious expression. “I was serious though. I don’t know what this sort of danger entails, but I warn you not to deal in illegal activities. If I even catch wind of it, I’m bringing you in. Understood?”
“Crystal, sir.” Flash saluted, slightly fearful of being arrested. Another risk of being Build, apparently. “A-Anyway, I gotta get going…promised my mom I’d be home as early as possible.”
“Well, don’t let me keep you, then. Just be safe going home. It’s gotten pretty dangerous around town recently.”
“I will, see ya.” Flashed waved goodbye before heading to his car.
He immediately left the arcade….but not for home.
Meanwhile, in another part of town, two girls made their way to the Canterlot Public Library to begin their study session.
Scootaloo slowly pushed off on her scooter as Twilight Sparkle walked beside her. The younger girl had been talking nonstop, asking numerous questions about Build as her tutor had seen him first hand. Twilight answered as much as she could, but her own mind was plagued with other matters.
After the news interview yesterday, her family had all but glomped her as soon as she got home. They had been worried sick when they learned of what happened on the news and went a tad overboard in treating her injuries, but she knew they meant well. They only wanted her to be safe. However, she wasn’t sure if she fully agreed to what they had in mind.
Her mother and father wanted to limit her afterschool outings and to go straight home where it’s safe if she didn’t have important obligations, like her job and tutoring.
She could see the merit in their decision, but she didn’t like the fact that doing so would prevent her from spending time with her friends. She had been troubled by these thoughts even during school, when she and her friends tried to fend off the endless questions from students.
It…it just wasn’t fair. For so long, she had lived her life without people to call her friends. And now that she had found the companionship she was starved for so long, she had to give it up? For her own safety? In all honestly, it infuriated her.
She wanted to scream and cry out, but she knew that her parents were right. Those robots and that monster at the mall were ruthless. Many more people could’ve gotten hurt. She and her friends themselves could’ve been victims were it not for their magic powers. But in the end, it all proved fruitless against the monster that had complete resistance over it.
She just….didn’t know what to do now…
“….llo…Twilight, are you listening?” Scootaloo’s voice interrupted her musings.
“H-Huh? What? S-sorry, what?” Twilight asked the concerned girl.
“I’ve been asking what we should get started on at the library. Are you doing okay? You seem spaced out…”
“I’m…sorry about that, Scootaloo. I’ve just…had a lot on my mind lately…”
“Does it have to do with what happened at the mall yesterday?” Scootaloo asked as they neared their destination. However, both were unaware of the figure slowly stalking them.
“Yeah…how did you know?”
“I get where you’re coming from. My mom and brother were worried sick over me when they found out. My mom even went full Psycho Mother Hen mode over me.”
“Psycho Mother Hen…?” Twilight questioned. It sounded very familiar with her mother.
“Yeah…she’s always making sure my brother and I are safe. She works, cooks, cleans, and takes care of us. She does it all…and that’s why she’s so worried about us…”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s….well….it’s pretty complicated. There’s a reason why my mom does whatever she can to keep us out of danger, even to the point of suggesting a transfer for us when she learned of those incidents at school…”
“R-really?” Twilight asked. She knew what exact incidents Scootaloo referred to. She had been responsible for one of them. But to that extent? “If…if you don’t mind me asking, why did she want to do that?”
“Well…it has something to do with our family. She tries to tip-toe around me whenever it comes up, but I know what she means. I figured it out a long time ago…” Scootaloo stopped riding her scooter and instead walked it alongside her friend.
“What…happened…?”
The girl opened her mouth to speak, but the shrill sound of metal invaded their ears. They spun around, and were greeted by a crumpled ball of metal hurtling towards them.
“Get down!” Twilight tackled Scootaloo to the ground. The mass of metal narrowly missed them. However, Scootaloo’s scooter was not as fortunate. It got struck by the metallic sphere and crushed into the pavement. Both girls gulped in fear from the near death experience and turned to where the ball came from. To their shock, a hulking figure slowly approached them.
It was a monster similar to the one yesterday, but with notable differences. It had the same, bulky armor as its predecessor. But instead of orange, its body was colored a dull, cyan blue. Its form was also asymmetrical. One side had a large, metal canister in place of the right side of its torso while its arm seemed to resemble a large, suction-type device. The other arm was bulky and resembled a cannon barrel. Its head resembled a cylindrical container, about half the size of the body canister. This was the Compact Smash.
It raised its right arm and seemed to suck up any and all, random objects into itself. The canister on its body glowed and shook for a brief moment. Then it raised its cannon arm and shot out another compacted projectile at the girls.
Now thinking quickly, Twilight activated her magic and tried to divert the ball’s trajectory. However, she found herself unable to as it moved too quickly and heavier than expected. She ended up rolling off to the side with Scootaloo to avoid it.
“We gotta get out of here!” The younger girl cried, now fearful for her life, as well as mourning the loss of her scooter.
“Quick! Follow me!” Twilight scrambled up and pulled Scootaloo along with her. They ran as fast as they could. But the Smash continued to follow them as it fired another shot.
Flash Sentry arrived at Gizmo’s tech shop like he promised his friends. He made his way down the stairs towards the underground lab. However, as he descended, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of danger steadily growing.
It wasn’t until he reached the ground floor that his instincts told him to move! Reacting quickly, he dove to the right. Not even a second later, a mass of energy spikes impacted the spot he had been standing on previously.
“What the heck!?” The musician screamed at scene. “Are we under attack?!” His head then snapped over to Sandalwood, who had been holding some sort of gun with a conical barrel.
“Sorry! Sorry! I’m so sorry!” The green haired teen panicked as he immediately removed the Hedgehog Fullbottle from the slot in the gun.
“Sandalwood, what the heck was that?!” Flash demanded as he stood up and walked over to him. “You nearly made me into a pincushion!”
“I’m really sorry, Flash!” He then set the weapon and Fullbottle down to the side. “…I was just testing out this device Micro found in a desk drawer. Apparently, it’s a weapon for the Build System….I just wasn’t expecting the recoil on it…”
“Technically, it’s called the Drill Crusher.” Micro interjected as he looked over the schematics. It showed the weapon in two modes: the gun mode that Sandalwood had demonstrated and a form that resembled a small lance. “It’s supposed to be the primary weapon of the Build System, allowing for melee and ranged combat. In its gun mode, it can shoot lasers and even the power of a Fullbottle for a Vortex Break attack, which is strong enough to defeat a normal Smash.”
“Okay…but why are you guys testing it indoors while it could’ve been safer to use outside?”
“Because it’s risky. We could end up alerting some random passerby and expose everything. And we didn’t know when exactly you would be here.” Micro answered.
“Seriously, sorry about that, dude.” Sandalwood grimaced.
“Just…give me a little warning the next time you decide to test out experimental weapons, alright…?” Flash rubbed his forehead, still shaken up from the near death experience. “So anyway…the Build System can use this? How do I even store it? I can’t just lug a weapon everywhere and go unnoticed.”
“I’ve thought of that as well. But apparently, the Drill Crusher can be stored inside the Driver. Watch.” Micro held the weapon up to the Driver. Before their eyes, the weapon disassembled into a series of energy lines that connected into the Driver before being assimilated into it. “And to call on it again, just say, Drill Crusher.” The weapon materialized in his hand again.
“…okay. Micro, I know your bro is a genius, but this is freaking futuristic sci-fi stuff. How did he even build something like this?!”
“I…have no idea….I mean, he has the blueprints and schematics, but I’m not entirely sure what materials he used to make all of this.” He then turned to the Bottle Fabricator. “I don’t even know how he made that…”
“You don’t suppose it’s some sort of alien technology?” Sandalwood scratched his head. “I mean, the Nebula Gas came from space, right? What if the Driver was the same way?”
“Hm…maybe….but it’s too early to say for certain…”
Before the conversation could continue, the Smash Detector alarmed. Micro went to the computer and opened the locator map. The coordinates indicated that the Smash was by the abandoned warehouse.
“I know that place!” Flash announced as he grabbed the Build Driver and Drill Crusher. “My band used to go there to practice when the music room was in use!” He put on the Driver and grabbed the Rabbit and Tank Fullbottles. He shook them and the equations appeared once more, surprising Micro and Sandalwood.
“Fascinating, what is this phenomenon?” The intellectual adjusted his glasses.
“No clue, decided not to question it!” Flash then inserted the bottles.
“RABBIT!”
“TANK!”
“BEST MATCH!”
He turned the crank and the constructs appeared
“ARE YOU READY?”
Unlike the first time, Flash was more confident. He took a fighter pose before declaring, “Henshin!”
He was donned in the armor once more, a cloud of steam forming around him.
“FULLMETAL MOONSAULT, RABBIT-TANK!!!”
“YEAH!”
Now transformed into Build, Flash grabbed the Build Phone, Hedgehog Fullbottle, and Lion Fullbottle before heading out, but was stopped by his friends.
“Wait! But before you go, take this with you!” Micro handed him a small drone with a camera inside. “I can’t be your eyes everywhere. Some places don’t have cameras to hack into, so I figured this would be a good alternative.”
“Awesome, thanks!”
“And take these too!” Sandalwood handed him the newly made Gorilla Fullbottle and the Diamond Fullbottle.
“Why would I need these?”
“Call it a gut feeling, but I think these would make a pretty sweet combination!”
“Okay, I’ll take your word for it.” Build rushed up the stairs, activated the Machine Builder, and drove off. As he did, the Drone activated the shot off to the designated Smash Sighting. Micro figured that he could do some reconnaissance before Flash arrived so they knew what they were dealing with.
Twilight Sparkle wondered if the world was out to get her for some strange reason.
She had to go through a lot of torment during the Friendship Games, and even turned into a magical she-demon when she just couldn’t let go of the aspect of learning magic. Truthfully, it wasn’t all bad since she met her friends.
She got attacked by a corrupted mother nature and tormented by a figment of her imagination during Camp Everfree. But that wasn’t really terrible as it did allow her to form tighter bonds with her friends and access magic powers for the sake of good.
But now? She was running for her life with Scootaloo in tow from a monster that was similar to the one from yesterday. Including the fact that it was immune to her magic!
She did her best to try and slow its advance as they fled. If she couldn’t use her magic directly on it, then she would use it on random objects to make obstacles. However, it simply sucked up any object blocking its path and used it as ammunition for its junk balls. A piece of information she learned the hard way.
She tried to divert the trajectory of the junk balls with her telekinesis, but to her disbelief, her magic did not even affect the projectiles! Could it have something to do with the weird gas that surrounded them?
She tried to call her friends for help earlier, but the Monster actually shot a cannon ball of compressed debris and knocked her smart phone out of her hands!
Now they had no contact. No help. And the thing was STILL on their tail. They were getting desperate. Their retreat eventually led them to the abandoned warehouse several blocks away.
“Quick, through here!” Twilight led Scootaloo into the building, hoping they could lose it inside. They went through several turns before they settled down to rest in a secluded area, away from the Smash’s line of sight. Both girls panted heavily, their legs aching from exertion. “Okay…I think….I think we’re safe for now. How are…you doing, Scootaloo…?”
“I…I….I’m scared…” The young girl admitted. Under normal circumstances, she would hide her fear or play it off to appear strong. But she nearly died this time. If she had been just a bit too slow, one of those junk balls would’ve knocked her head clean off. Now that the adrenaline died down, she trembled. “I…I wanna go home…”
Twilight’s heart clenched at the sight. This wasn’t supposed to happen. They were supposed to be at the library studying for a test right now, not running and hiding from a monster out to get them. Breathing deeply to calm herself first, Twilight gently wrapped Scootaloo in a hug.
“It will be okay…” She tried her best to reassure her. “Everything will be fine…We just need to hide and hopefully that thing goes away…” It was all they could hope for.
However, those hopes were dashed as a loud crash resounded not too far from them. Another junk ball had broken down a wall and the Compact Smash shambled in through the opening.
“Move!” Twilight, grabbed Scootaloo and they fled from the monster once more. They exited the building and entered the clearing behind the building. But before they could make it out, a junk ball impacted the ground before them and blocked their path.
The two girls turned and their stomachs dropped. The Smash was right before them. Its right arm sucked up empty metal barrels and crates and compacted them into its next attack. It aimed its cannon arm at the two. No matter where they fled, they would be too slow to dodge them, and she couldn’t repel them with her magic. The best she could do was shield Scootaloo with her own body.
‘I’m sorry mom, dad….Spike….Shiny…!’ The bespectacled girl apologized mentally, a stray tear leaked from her eye.
The Smash aimed to fire….but its aim was ruined when a laser blast struck its cannon arm. The junk ball shot out but impacted a spot several meters away from the girls.
Twilight and Scootaloo looked up to see a familiar armored figure driving straight toward the monster with a laser blaster in hand.
“Get away from those girls!” Build screamed as he pulled the trigger on the Drill Crusher. Even more lasers struck against the Smash’s warped flesh, forcing it to back away. Inwardly, Flash was just happy that he made it in time to divert its attack.
The Compact Smash shied away from the blasts. But it then sucked up the earth around it and fired a ball of compressed dirt and stone. Flash waved the Machine Builder around the attack. The Smash fired repeatedly, but he maneuvered his way around the projectiles.
As soon as he got in close, he swerved around the Smash and extended his right leg and kicked it with his tank treaded foot. The kick sent it backpedaling, but not enough to knock it down. He turned the back around and stopped it right in front of a crouched Twilight and Scootaloo.
“If you wanna get to these two, you gotta get through me first you trash compactor reject!” He got off the bike and went to the girls.
“Are you two alright?” He extended a hand down to Twilight Sparkle. Inwardly, Flash couldn’t help but feel this scene familiar, but decided not to dwell on it due to the dire situation.
“W-We’re fine…” Twilight responded. Scootaloo had stars in her eyes.
“Omigosh…! It’s really you! Build! You saved us!” Flash grimaced beneath his helmet. His sister was a fan. A real big one. However, that would have to wait.
“Well, there’s no way I would let innocent people get hurt. Especially not a couple of lovely ladies like yourselves.” He said in a light-hearted manner. Twilight felt her face flush lightly from the compliment, but suppressed it. “But things are about to get dangerous! I need both of you to get to safety, now!”
The Smash roared as it tried to gather materials to shoot at them again. But Beat him to the punch by shooting its arms to disable them.
“Run, now!” He then rushed at the cannon-armed beast, changing the form of his weapon into a drill-like lance. The conical blade spun rapidly as he swung. Each hit from the rotating drill whittled away at the Smash’s armor.
“Let’s go, Scootaloo!” The bespectacled girl finally regained her bearings. “We can’t stay here!”
“R-Right!” Scootaloo replied with very brief hesitance.” Watching Build fight the monster wiped away her previous fear. She was actually seeing him fight in person! She may not get another chance like this! But she also realized that if she didn’t leave with Twilight that might just be the case.
The two girls fled the scene and took shelter behind the decrepit warehouse wall.
Relieved that the girls were safe and sound, Flash could now fight seriously. Above him, the drone Micro made sent all visuals back to the lab.
“Flash!” Gizmo spoke over the radio. “Based on what we could see, it seems this Smash is a ranged attacker! It sucks up objects with its right arm, compress them into cannonballs inside its chest, then shoots them with its left arm.”
“So I just gotta disable the arms, right?” He swung at the cannon arm with his weapon, but the blow was deflected. He was then smacked away by the suction arm. Flash tumbled but rolled onto his feet. But he was knocked off again as a compacted ball of trash struck him down.
He actually felt the pain from that attack. Inside his helmet, he found a damage report for the armor. Apparently, he can’t take too many of those hits before the suit forcefully shuts down. “Damn! It’s not letting me get closer to use the Drill Crusher on it!”
“Try using the Hedgehog Bottle with it!” Sandalwood suggested. “You can probably pin it down with those energy spikes then deal the final blow!”
“Now that’s an idea!” Flash changed the mode of his weapon. He then pulled out the Hedgehog Bottle and inserted it into the Drill Crusher.
“HEDGEHOG!”
“VOLTECH BREAK!”
Flash aimed the weapon and pulled the trigger. A volley of energy spikes shot out of the spinning barrel toward the Compact Smash.
Unfortunately, to his and all observers’ shock, the Smash raised its right arm and sucked up the energy spikes into its body! Its canister glowed and trembled before it raised its left arm and counter-attacked with a glowing, spiked cannon ball.
“Crap!” Build dove out of the way as the attack tore up the earth where he once stood. The attack spun wildly as it dug and churned the ground beneath it before it ground to a halt.
“Well…that didn’t work…”
“You think?!” Flash snapped back as he stood up. “Just how am I going to beat this thing? It’s keeping me at a distance and apparently it can now suck up my energy blasts! How can I get close?!”
“Dude, maybe having speed and power isn’t the right way to go!” Sandalwood advised.
“What do you mean?!” The Masked Rider questioned as he dodged another projectile. “I need to be fast, otherwise those junk balls will crush me!”
“Maybe you don’t need to dodge, but you need to tank those shots! You just need a tougher combination!”
“Tougher? But what can I use with…? Wait a minute…” he pulled out the two bottles Sandalwood handed him before: Gorilla and Diamond. “…The strength of a Gorilla and the hardness of a Diamond…maybe…” He put away the Drill Crusher and shook the bottles in hand. Like before, the equations appeared, slowly guiding him to a new, winning formula.
“….I got it!” Flash replaced the Rabbit and Tank Fullbottles with his new ones.
“GORILLA!”
“DIAMOND!”
“BEST MATCH!”
“A Best Match…? Awesome!” Flash fist-pumped as he turned the crank. Inside the Driver, the Nebula Gas stored in the new bottles flowed through the device and manifested itself as new constructs formed with a new set of armor pieces.
“ARE YOU READY?!”
“Build up!”
The armor panels converged onto Flash, donning him in his new armor. The blue segments were replaced with lighter blue armor pieces. Diamonds are adorned on his left pectoral and shoulder while his right eyepiece was replaced by a sparking streak. The red Rabbit segments were placed with orange ones. The left eyepiece resembled a gorilla, and he now had a large armored fist in his right hand.
“DAZZLING DESTROYER!”
“GORILLAMOND!”
“YEAH!”
“Now with this…the law of victory has been set!” Flash pounded his fists together, feeling the surge of power this new form provided. Feeling invincible, he charged right at his foe.
The Compact Smash sucked up more debris and fired compressed spherical projectiles. But unlike before, they failed to faze Build as his new form provided unparalleled defense and physical might, allowing him to tank the hits easily.
Once he got in range, he punched the enemy dead center. The impact produced a shockwave that threw the Smash off its feet. As it scrambled to stand, Flash struck it again. He then picked up the Smash and proceeded to punch it repeatedly in the face before punching it away.
It tried to back up to gain space for its range attacks, but Flash refused to let up. He continued to press onward attacked the Smash.
Twilight and Scootaloo could not believe their eyes.
At first, they were concerned when they saw that Build’s attacks hadn’t had much affect on the monster. They were especially worried when they saw the creature SUCK UP what appeared to be energy blasts, and used it to amplify its own attacks.
However, they were soon relieved as Build seemed to have had another trick up his sleeve. The new form he had, Gorillamond, if they heard correctly, seemed to boast extremely powerful strength and defense.
Plus, if Rarity were here, she would no doubt swoon over the diamond aspect of the form.
Still, it was crazy powerful. Scootaloo had been cheering the whole time while Twilight remained analytical and observant. She couldn’t take her eyes off the fight or Build at all. Watching him battle was just so…compelling to her.
“Aright…” Flash announced as the Smash was now weakened to a point where he could end it. “…time to finish this!”
He turned the crank again and raised his right arm. A series of diamonds manifested from his arm and swirled around his body. It then converged around his armored fist. He pulled said fist back as if ready to punch.
“READY GO!”
He threw his arm forward with all his might, shooting the diamonds off in a flurry of projectiles.
“VOLTECH FINISH!”
The brilliantly cut diamonds trapped the Smash in a spinning tornado of gemstones. Flash then rushed forward and punched the imprisoned creature one more time, engulfing it in an explosion.
The Smash then collapsed on the ground, unmoving. Satisfied with the result, Flash pulled out an Empty Bottle and absorbed the Smash essence, returning the monster to normal. Like before, the bottle swelled up and gained a spider-like pattern, but now had a light blue essence inside.
However, he was surprised to see the face behind the monster, as were the other witnesses.
“R-Ringo?!”
Indeed, it was the bass guitarist of Flash’s band who had been missing for weeks, unconscious and hurt on the ground.
He tried to go over and see if his friend is alright, but the sound of blaring sirens cut him off.
“Flash! You gotta get out of there! The police are on their way to the scene!” Micro ordered.
“B-But…Ringo!”
“He’ll be fine! There’s an ambulance on the way as well! They’ll get him to the hospital! Just get out of there, now!”
As much as Flash wanted to argue, he knew his friend was right. He didn’t think the police would take kindly to his little acts of vigilantism….even if he was the only one capable of fighting the Smash. Plus, he needed to keep the Build System away from the public.
He quickly got on his bike and started it. But Scootaloo stopped him as she rushed over. Twilight followed her.
“E-Excuse me! Mister Build?!” Flash turned to his little sister. “Thank you….thank you for saving us…!”
“Yes! Thank you so much.” Twilight bowed her head in gratitude as well. “If it weren’t for you…I don’t know what…”
“It’s alright.” Build stopped her from finishing that thought. “You don’t have to worry about the Smash anymore…” Twilight and Scootaloo were surprised at what those monsters were called. At least they had a name now. But how did Build know about it? “Because now? I am here…”
He revved up the Machine Builder and drove away from the clearing. The girls could only look on as his form retreated down the road. Behind them, the police cars and ambulance arrived…
“Awesome job out there, Flash!” Sandalwood slapped the musician on the back as he returned.
“Th-thanks…” Flash grunted from his friend’s strength. “But really….it was too close for comfort. I’m just glad I got there in time…”
“Still, you saved Twilight and your sister! That’s all that matters! Plus, we found another Best Match! Gorillamond…what a tough combo!”
“And it seems like the drone works.” Micro stated as the device returned to him. “Although, I was only able to get visual information. I may need to install a microphone to get audio feed as well.”
“Well, it still worked. If you guys hadn’t been able to see what was going on, I’m not sure if I would’ve won that fight…” He then set the Driver and Fullbottles, including the newly filled bottle, or Smash Bottle, on his desk. But as he did, he noticed a strange panel of metal on the desk as well. “Hey, uh, Micro…what is this?” He held up the unknown item.
“Oh, that? That’s a panel I found yesterday. It was hidden in a secret compartment in the wall, so I figured it must’ve been of some significance to my brother. But I still don’t know what it is or what it does…”
Flash turned the panel in his hands, noticing the series of slots lined up; ten in all. In his opinion, they looked to be the same size as the Fullbottles. He glanced at said bottles on the desk and took the Rabbit and Tank bottles. Deciding to experiment a little bit, Flash inserted the bottles next to each other in the slots. When he did, the Panel reacted by glowing in his hands, a phenomenon that also awed Micro and Sandalwood.
“Amazing…!” Micro said as he took the panel from the musician. “How did you know how to do that?!”
“I…I didn’t…I just noticed that the slots were about the same size as the Fullbottles and just…experimented…” Flash scratched his head.
“Well either way, I think you just figured out a lead to uncovering the mysteries behind this Panel. You’re a genius, Flash!”
“Huh. Go figure. Would you call my mom and tell her that?” Flash asked jokingly.
“I’m home…!” Flash called as he entered his house. It was late in the afternoon before Flash left the lab. Micro and Sandalwood had wanted to get a head start on purifying the newest Smash Bottle.
“Welcome home, honey. We have guests!” His mother called out from the kitchen.
“Guests?” He then noticed the extra set of shoes by the front door. Two more pairs to be exact. Both of them seemed familiar. Shrugging he made his way to the kitchen. He stopped at the doorway, his expression one of shock.
Sitting at the table with Scootaloo were Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor.
“Oh, hey Flash!” his sister waved to him upon his entrance.
“Sorry for intruding…” Twilight grinned sheepishly.
“N-no problem but….what brings you here?” He then turned to Shining Armor. “And you as well?”
“Well, I’m not sure if you knew, but the girls here were caught up in another Smash attack.” Shining answered. “Thankfully, the Masked Rider was there to save them. Someone contacted 911 about the disturbance the monster caused and sent the police and ambulances. When I heard from one of my co-workers that my little sister was one of the people attacked, I immediately rushed over to pick them up and escort them home. Then your mother invited us in…and here we are…”
“Ah…I see…” The blue haired teen nodded before a certain set of words processed in his head. “Wait…you’re Twilight’s brother?!” He looked back and forth between the two siblings.
“Yeah. Didn’t she tell you?” Shining raised a brow at her sister, who fidgeted under his gaze. “….guess not. Heh…classic Twily…”
“Shining…!” She girl groaned before realized something. “Wait…how do you know Flash?”
“I met him at the arcade earlier and played a few games with him. He’s pretty good.” He answered.
“Well, I’m just glad that both of my babies are safe and sound…” Misty said as she placed a freshly made casserole on the table. “I’m glad you two could stay for dinner. As thanks for saving my baby girl.”
“Please, ma’am. No thanks are necessary. I wasn’t even there. It was all the Masked Rider’s doing.” Shining Armor waved a hand. “Besides, I should be the one thanking you for the interview earlier. I really needed the information for the investigation.”
“It was no trouble. But I do wonder why you wanted to know about Pandora’s Box…” She replied.
Flash paused. Pandora’s box? Was that one of the object his mom was studying at the research center? But she told him that she was studying a strange object that fell from orbit eighteen…..years ago…His eyes widened as everything seemed to fall into place.
“As I said before, ma’am. I can’t divulge too much. Classification and protocol. But unofficially speaking…I believe it has something to do with the missing Gizmo Poindexter…” The young man then turned to Flash, who had a different look in his eye than what he saw before.
“So Flash….I take it that you came to a decision…?”
Flash blinked before he realized that he was referring to earlier that afternoon at the Arcade. The musician’s eyes looked over Scootaloo and Twilight, who were going over the former’s science notes. “….Yeah...I have…”
Later the Night…
“So…it seems like this Masked Rider is learning…” The Bat Man stated.
“Looks like~” A new voice spoke through the darkness. The Bat figure turned to see another armored figure step out of the shadows. His armor was similar to the Bat man’s, but was colored crimson and seemed to be fashioned after a cobra. On his chest was an emerald colored cobra, and had a cobra-themed visor of the same shade. On the right side of his helmet seemed to be a lightning bolt-shaped extension of the visor. “He’s making much better progress than initially anticipated.”
“…What brings you here, Stalk?” The Bat figure turned to face the newly named figure.
Blood Stalk leaned against the wall with folded arms. “Oh, nothing much. I was in the neighborhood and decided to drop by and give an update. It seems our little missing package is on the move.”
“Really now?” The bat man, Night Rogue said as he reclined in his chair. “That is most fortuitous. After all these months…it finally reappears.”
“Looks like. Well, I shouldn’t keep you waiting any longer. I’m sure you have your own duties to attend to, Boss.”
“You would be correct.” Night Rogue stood from his chair and raised the gun device. Rogue pulled the trigger and a gray mist ejected from the barrel. The moment it dissipated, he was gone.
Blood Stalk giggled as he plopped into the chair his superior sat in, spinning around and around with glee. He then lounged back and pulled out a tablet, revealing a map of Canterlot. “Now then…let’s see how our new attack dog tracks down the little Dragon…”
It was late at night. A lone, hooded figure strolled through the park, taking a shortcut back to his home. However, he was not alone. Quietly stalking the man was another strange, armored figure. Its lower half was covered in black armor while its upper half was red. Its head seemed to be half-human with what appeared to be a red stealth plane on the upper half. Its arms were large and wide, resembling wings.
It quietly followed the hooded person. Finally, it found an opening as he crossed an empty clearing. It swooped down from its perch with the intent to kick him down and capture him. However, it missed as the figure immediately ducked underneath the diving sweep and rolled backward. The moment the Flying Smash landed, the figure pushed itself off and rammed his fist into the creature’s back.
The Smash squawked in pain as the attack struck home. But the figure was not done yet as he shook his fist and punched again. A blue flame exploded from the impact, further injuring the creature. He repeated the process again and again in a mad rush. Finally, he wound up his right fist once more and delivered a devastating uppercut to the Smash.
The final punch had a force unlike before. In a massive explosion of blue flames, the Smash was launched into the air and was launched past the tree line.
The hooded figure panted as the threat was now gone. He pulled down his hood and stared at the item he held in his hand the whole time.
It was a small, blue bottle….fashioned after a Dragon.
To Be Continued….
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Another great chapter. I can understand why Flash is conflicted, he has the power to help is friend but he also wants to keep the promise to his mother to stay safe. In times like this I remember the old saying “with great power, comes great responsibility”. I think Flash has already made the right choice. Also, his heart to heart with Shining Armor was touching.
This is starting to get interesting. I'm especially interested in who this "Dragon" is.
real talk Cross-Z is one of my favorite riders
Oh, this is getting more interesting. Shining Armor gets involved, another awesome battle, and we even have the Dragon Fullbottle showing up already. I wonder if that means we'll be seeing this version of "Cross-Z" soon.
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We will get to how the Hazard Level is what it is eventually.
And really? I honestly couldn’t tell in the show. I thought it was a different shade of orange.
Maybe, maybe not. That’s all I can say about the matter.
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Don’t you worry. The holder of the Dragon Bottle will be revealed soon. Cross Z is my favorite as well. I just hope I can do this character justice.
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Also a bit of a suggestion. If you want micro to improve the drone I'd suggest going the route of the rider buddies. Ya know like the memory gadgets, Candroids, disc animals, etc
9625352
Well, the Cross Z Dragon has got to come from somewhere, right?
9625352
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y not go just a little bit crazy? pull out a Buddyroid? (Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters/Power Rangers Beast Morphers)
You know, having just seen Captain Marvel, a part of me wants Trail to come back as Captain Marvel.
That ending though. I'm on the edge.
Oh boy, this can only be interesting.
huh, so is the purificator, interesting.
To quote one of my friends, never let her see Ex-Aid.
It's a path one should actively choose and it's a hard choice.
Geee, wonder who would be the boss of this one...
Geee, what a surprise. I hope they have a bigger role than their Build counterparts.
Huh, so he Rouge I assume?
Huh, Scoots living with Flash, interesting.
Huh, ok Build rules still apply, aka, all dads are dead. Let's hope he stays that way, I don't want a repeat of that bullshit.
If the government hasn't noticed yet, they are idiots.
Faust at it again I see.
Fair enough, I personally prefer the word Kamen, but I can work with that.
You would be a vigilante, of course, that is considered illegal.
I wholeheartedly agree.
Huh, interesting idea.
I can't remember that one, is this one new?
In another universe "To Build the Winning Formulare" just ended because someone fired a gun willy nilly.
What? Never, that would be ridiculous.
Ah, the abandoned warehouse district, I see.
You might even call it... a best match.
Thank god he is wearing the armor or he would have been laughed at.
Hmh, seems he has a few similarities to our genius inventor.
Ah, I see.
Oh, so he is still the piece of shit we all love, nice.
So he figured out how to harness the power of the bottles.
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Thank you for the comment. And just to give you a heads up, we plan on incorporating the movies as well like the Heisei generations movie(with our own liberties as this world does not exist on the same continuity as the Heisei riders) and Blood movie. As for who's one of the main villains in the Heisei Generations movie....let's just say that it will Flash's toughest opponent thus far.
And I also enjoyed writing out Stalk. He's just so interesting.