Chapter 4: Family
It had been a few days since the Mirage Smash and Night Rogue attack in the school parking lot. School had been canceled for a short period of time to ensure the students’ safety and to repair the building that Night Rogue destroyed.
The students were grateful for the reprieve when they learned that a vast majority of them had just missed a Smash attack, but some were disappointed they didn’t get to see Build in action.
Team Build was also grateful for the unscheduled break, in more ways than one. Since then, there had been no other Smash activity, which gave them a well deserved rest. It also gave them the opportunity to learn more about their equipment without interruption.
Currently, Flash was at home in the attic. He was helping his mother clean out some old items to make space. They had planned to do this for a while, but work and his new life as Build had kept them both busy.
The guitarist didn’t mind. He had nothing else to do today as everyone else was busy in their own way. Micro had to catch up on work he neglected to do in favor of working on Build. Sandalwood had to help his parents out at home. And Sol was scheduled to work at his part time job at the gym and had other appointments to attend to.
The last one wasn’t much of a surprise given his profession.
Plus, he was glad to give his mom a helping hand. She had done so much for him and his sister that it only felt right to help her in turn.
She had just taken down one of the boxes, leaving him alone in the attic for now. He went to pick up another box only to pause when he saw what was written on the top flap.
Trail Blazer. He came to a realization that these were his dad’s belongings. Ever since his accident, his father’s personal items had been stored away as an attempt to overcome their grief. Looking at his belongings brought too many painful memories.
But time had passed, and rather than pain, Flash felt a longing to see his father’s possessions once more. He always enjoyed playing with them. One time, he tried to dress up as a fighter pilot, wearing his dad’s oversized aviator jacket and goggles.
He still got embarrassed whenever his mother brought up that memory. Tentatively, he opened up the flaps and looked inside. It was all of his dad’s old air force gear. His uniform, badges, jacket, everything. On top of it all was an item he missed the most. His aviator goggles. He remembered when his dad always let him wear them, despite them being too big for him at the time.
He always felt a little braver when he wore them. Like he had part of his dad with him at all times.
“Flash? Is everything okay?” Misty Veil’s voice broke him out of his musings. As much as Misty loved his father, she couldn’t bear to even look at any of his air force equipment, the main reason why she stored them away. They reminded her too much about the accident. She wanted to remember Trail as the man he was when alive, not for the accident that took his life. Flash didn’t want to part with his dad’s goggles, knowing that everything they cleaned out would go to public storage.
He quickly stuffed the goggles in his jacket and closed the box.
“C-Coming, mom!” The musician picked the box up and carried it downstairs where a pile of dusty boxes were stacked. “Sorry, just reminiscing a bit…”
“It’s fine. I was just worried since you’ve been up there for a while. Now, how about we take a break? We’ve been at this for hours…”
“Sounds good.” The two made their way downstairs, and just in the nick of time as the front door opened.
“I’m home…” called a familiar voice half-heartedly.
“Welcome home, Scoots…” Flash then realized that something wasn’t right. Earlier that day, Scootaloo had been bright and happy. Now? She appeared very sad.
“What’s wrong sweetie?” Misty went to her daughter and hugged her. The young girl hugged back. Her brother squatted down next to her with a look of concern on his face.
“Did something happen, Scoots?”
The girl was silent for a few moments. Then she nodded and explained what happened when she was out with her friends.
Earlier…
“YOU’RE LEAVING CANTERLOT CITY?!” Scootaloo exclaimed in shock at Applebloom.
The three had grouped up at Sugarcube Corner at the youngest Apple’s request. She said she had something important to tell them, but they never thought it was something like this.
“…y-yeah…” Applebloom sighed sadly. Granted, she had learned of this shocking revelation a few days ago, but couldn’t find it in her to tell her friends until now.
“But…but why?” Sweetie Belle questioned. “Why is your family sending you away…?”
“Well…” She thought back to the conversation she had the other night…
“Whaddaya mean yer sending me away?!” Applebloom voiced loudly, her tone hurt and betrayed.
“Sugarcube…” Applejack tried to console her sister. “Don’t say it that way; it’s only gonna be temporary. As soon as the commotion dies down, ya hear? You’re gonna be in Manehatten with yer cousin Babs and her folks.”
“But yer still making me leave mah friends!” She argued.
“We know, dearie…” Granny Smith said apologetically. “But ya must understand, it’s for yer own safety.”
“Eeyup.” Big Mac nodded in agreement.
“But…b-but…”
“Applebloom…” her sister got up and knelt down to her. “Ah know it’s a shock. Ah know. We’re only doing this to protect ya. We just want ya to be safe and sound. These Smash fellas roaming around are just too dangerous. And don’t forget that you were almost kidnapped the other day…”
“But why would I leave if we have you? You…you protected us. You saved us!” The youngest apple tried to appeal her case, but it was not meant to be as her sister shook her head.
“We mighta saved you from those robots, but that monster was a different story.” Applejack titled her head down, her head covering her eyes. “…we….we couldn’t do anything. Our magic….our magic had no effect…we were useless…” It hurt her to admit it. It hurt her to admit that she was useless and couldn’t even protect her family if any of these monsters showed up.
It definitely hurt her to send her sister away, but at least she would be okay and away from danger.
“This…this isn’t…” Applebloom tried to find a refutation. Anything that would make them change their minds. Then she remembered and obvious one. “What about Build?! He can fight those monsters! He can beat them all! You saw it earlier, right?!” Whatever hope she had also died out as they all shook their heads.
“Ah’m sorry, sugarcube. We may have Build saving people, but he…he’s just not enough. Ah don’t know who he is under that there helmet, but I know for certain he’s only human. He can’t be everywhere at once. He may have saved a lot of people, but he can’t save everyone.”
Applejack raised her head, allowing her sister to see the unshed tears. “We…we just can’t risk it...” She pulled her sister in for a tight, comforting, trembling hug. “…we already lost ma and pa…we can’t lose ya too…”
“Nnope.” Big Mac agreed firmly as he and Granny joined in on the hug.
Applebloom remained distraught. Her family brought up good points, but that didn’t mean she accepted it…or liked it.
“And that’s that…” Applebloom said to her friends. Both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had trouble digesting this. While they could understand that her family had a point about safety, this was way too extreme!
“But…we have Build! He’ll keep the city safe!” the short haired girl argued.
“Ah already said that, remember? They are set on it. Let’s face it girls…Ah’m leaving for Manehatten…”
“How…how much longer…?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“…Tomorrow…”
“TOMORROW?!” Scootaloo’s scream garnered the patrons’ attention again. “You waited till just now to tell us?!”
“Well what was Ah supposed to tell ya?!” Applebloom shouted back, eyes misty. “That Ah was leaving for who knows how long and had say goodbye to mah best friends?!”
“We could’ve figured something out if you told us earlier!” She argued. “If we had more time, we could’ve-!”
“We couldn’t have done anything!” Now Applebloom was openly shedding tears. “Let’s face it y’all…ah’m going to Manehatten no matter what…It’s…you’re…you’re the best friends a gal could ever ask for…!” Unable to take it anymore, Applebloom ran out the building.
“Applebloom, wait!” Scootaloo tried to run after her, but was stopped by Sweetie. “Sweetie Belle, what aren’t you-?!” her words died down when she saw the tears streaming down her friend’s cheeks.
The young girl bit her lip and shook her head. She was doing everything in her power to stop from bawling. Scootaloo felt a flurry of emotions. Anger, disappointment, fear, despair, but most of all….sadness. She didn’t notice the tears falling until the store’s owners, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, kindly gave them tissues to dry their tears.
“And…and that’s what happened…” Scootaloo finished her tale with a sob. Both Misty Veil and Flash Sentry were speechless. They understood where the Apples were coming from. Canterlot had become increasingly dangerous since the Smash first appeared. But sending Applebloom away just like that?
It just didn’t seem fair. Why didn’t they consult with her about this before hand?
“Oh, sweetie…” Misty consoled her distraught daughter. Personally, she debated about doing the same thing for her own children. If these Smash monsters are a common occurrence, then no one was safe in Canterlot anymore. But she ultimately decided against it. As much as it worried her to know her children might be in danger, the thought of sending them away like that hurt even more.
Flash on the other hand could only comfort his sister. He knew that with the Smash around, the streets have gotten dangerous. But he didn’t think the Apples, the most tight-knit family in Canterlot, would ever decide to send one of their own away to ensure their safety.
Then again…such strong family bonds may have been what spurred them to make such a painful choice.
“Applebloom? Oh, Applebloom? Can we…can we talk?” Applejack knocked on her sister’s door. After the fifth time, she was greeted with no response…again. She sighed as she backed away. She would try again later. She made her way downstairs and sat on the couch, next to her brother.
“She was like this with you?” She turned to ask Big Mac.
“Eeyup.”
“Ah take it she’s still not happy about this?”
“Nnope.”
“…Big Mac, Ah understand you being a man of few words and all….but do ya think there’s a way we can help her understand?”
Her older brother thought for a moment before he sighed. “…in all honesty, Applejack? Ah don’t think she’ll ever be happy about this decision. Sure she may understand, but that doesn’t mean she’ll like it. We’re basically telling her to say goodbye to her friends for an indefinite amount of time.”
“Ah know, but it’s for her own safety.” Applejack argued. “With the Smash running around, she could get hurt, or taken, or worse…”
“Ah understand. I want her safe too, haystack.” Big Mac rested a hand on his sister’s shoulder. “And that’s why I’m driving her to Manehatten myself. I’ll stay with her for a few weeks to make sure she adjusts. Granny already gave me the go ahead.”
“Yeah. Ah got it. Granny and Ah’ll hold down the fort till you get back. Just promise me you two will be safe?”
“You have my word. Ah will do everything Ah can to make sure our little sister is safe and sound, no matter what.” The two siblings shared a hug. “For mah family, Ah’d even make a deal with the Devil himself if it meant protecting y’all.”
While the Apple siblings had their own exchange, the Sparkle siblings were the same way. Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle walked through the streets of Canterlot.
“I still can’t believe they’re just sending her away like that…” Twilight said in exasperation. She had learned of this decision from Applejack. She and her friends were quite conflicted over this snap decision. They knew that the farmer valued family quite highly. They just couldn’t believe they made the choice to send their youngest member away out of town.
While she understood the action was done for Applebloom’s safety, Twilight felt that it was simply too drastic and extreme.
They didn’t even give Applebloom a chance to talk to her about it before making said decision.
“I don’t know, Twily…” Shining Armor hummed in thought. “Maybe the Apples had the right idea. Canterlot’s gotten extremely dangerous as of late, with the monsters and robots running around.” He was unaware of his sister’s incredulous stare. “In fact, maybe we should follow their example. After what happened to you this past week, it would be a good idea to-Ow!”
An irate Twilight Sparkle growled as she pulled her brother’s ear with a telekinetic hold. “Don’t you dare finish that thought, big brother. I know it’s gotten dangerous, but I refuse to leave my friends like this!”
“But you told me your magic couldn’t affect them…” Shining Armor winced. “How can you and the girls even defend yourselves?”
“I…I don’t know…” She released the hold. “I honestly don’t know…the only times we were saved because of Build…”
“And you feel comfortable trusting a vigilante like him?” He asked skeptically.
“Well, there’s no other option, is there? His weapons seem to be the only thing that can injure the Smash…”
“But Twily, even if Build really is a good guy, he’s only one person. He can’t be everywhere at once. He can’t save everyone if multiple attacks happen simultaneously.”
"But he's not alone!" Twilight argued. "He has a partner with him now!"
"You mean that hooded guy? He just screams suspicious, Twily."
"But he still saved my friends! Isn't that enough?"
"It's not! If Build really wanted to help people, then he should share the technology he uses with the police so they can stop the Smash as well! Instead, he keeps it to himself and goes around playing hero!"
The two siblings argue back and forth on this matter.
However, as they argued, they failed to notice someone walk up to them. She was a tall woman with pink skin and long hair colored purple, magenta, and yellow. She was dressed in a blue blazer, teal blouse, and green skirt. This was Cadenza mi Amore, or Cadence to her friends and family, the principal of Crystal Prep Academy. She was surprised to see the two siblings and immediately stepped into their conversation.
"Alright, I don't know what you two are going on about, but break it up you two." She gently pushed them away from each other, grabbing their attention.
"C-Cadence?" Both of them questioned, surprised to meet her like this.
"Honestly, I haven't seen the two of you for over a week, and I find that you're at each other's throats? Just what were you arguing about that would cause a scene?"
They then explained their earlier conversation. About how Applebloom's family intended to send her away to manehatten to get away from the current dangers of Canterlot, which eventually devolved into an argument about the Masked Rider's position.
"I see...so her family is sending her to live with relatives out of town to keep her safe, but neglected to consult with her properly beforehand?"
"Yes! And Shining Armor even suggested doing the same thing with me!"
"For your own safety!" The man argued.
"Enough!" Cadence interjected before they broke out into another fight.
"Listen, the both of you, because I am only going to say this once." She spoke authoritatively. Usually, she didn't pull out this side of her outside of school hours, but she needed to get her words through to them.
"Twilight, Shining Armor has a point. Canterlot has gotten dangerous lately. As he said, I want you to keep yourself out of trouble, otherwise I would have to support his decision as well." She then turned to her fiance. "And Shining, Twilight's a big girl now. She is big enough to make her own decisions, and if you truly want her to be safe, then you should do your job and figure out where these monsters are coming from. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, ma'am..." Both siblings nodded. It was hard to refute Cadence when she donned her principal persona.
"Good. Now, how about we all head to your house. I promised your mother I would join for dinner tonight."
"Really? How come you never told me?" Shining Armor asked.
"Because I wanted it to be a surprise." She giggled.
Later that night…
Blood Stalk stood over the platform, observing the events below. Their test subject, the woman who was once the Mirage Smash, was now locked inside the glass chamber. She struggled against her bindings but it was all for naught. “How go the tests, Stalk?” Night Rogue question as he appeared.
“Welcome back, Boss. And to answer your question, the tests have been going great. The subject’s Hazard level has been restored to its original levels and we’re all ready to go.” The Cobra-themed man answered jovially.
“Excellent.” He then peered over the edge. After the Mirage Smash’s defeat at the hands of Build, the subject’s Hazard level was discovered to have dropped dramatically. They had to stop their actions for a few days to restore the subject’s Hazard Level to Smash transformation levels.
They originally planned to use the other subjects they had gotten in the meantime. But it turned out that they had such disappointingly low Hazard Levels. Not a single one managed to even survive the augmentation process. As such, they had to work with what they had left and acquire more lab rats later.
“Oh, that’s right!” Stalk exclaimed, getting Rogue’s attention. “Since we had free time these past few days, I took the liberty of synthesizing a new strain of Nebula Gas we can test out.”
“A new strain?”
“Yes. I made it from whatever was leftover in the subject’s body. If it works, then the Smash produced should be stronger than before.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“Then the subject dies. But the possibility is low given all the augmentations we made. It will be an excellent opportunity to test out. Who knows? Maybe it will get rid of that pest of a Rider.”
“Interesting…” Rogue took a moment to debate it. On one hand they were risking their last subject on an untested formula. On the other hand, if it worked, then the next Smash will be stronger to take care of Build. Besides…they could always get more lab rats later. “…very well. You have my permission.”
“Excellent.” Stalk then turned to the scientists below. “He gave the approval, gentlemen! Start the procedure.”
One of the masked scientists nodded and pulled the lever. The subject inside the chamber thrashed in pain as her body mutated into something else.
The Next Morning…
“Applebloom?” Applejack knocked on the door. It was almost time for her and Big Mac to leave, and she hasn’t even come down for breakfast. She knew that she was still depressed, but they had to leave. She and Big Mac were at their sister’s door, trying to get her own. But like last night, she locked it.
They still got no response. Seeing no other choice, Big Mac took the room key and unlocked it and let his sister handle it. Applejack quietly opened the door to her sister’s room. “Sugarcube?” She made her way to the bed, noting the lump beneath the covers.
The lump made no response. Sighing, the sister sat on the edge of the bed. “Ah know yer upset. But please understand. We just want ya to be safe. There…there’s no other way. Granny and Big Mac don’t have magic. While Ah do have magic…Ah can’t protect ya with it. Ah just feel so…useless….Ah’m the big sister, yet Ah can’t even do anything to protect ya from the Smash…”
She wiped the unshed tears from her eyes. “Ah’m sorry we had to do this to ya. But yer our precious family. If anything happened to you….” She didn’t dare finish that sentence. “…Please, Applebloom, can you please get up…and…” As she moved her hand on her sister’s head…
…she realized it wasn’t her sister’s head.
Panic filled her being as she tore off the covers to the bed. Instead of her sister’s body, she found a mass of pillows made to look like it. “Applebloom?!”
“What’s wrong?!” Big Mac entered the room in a panic.
“Big Mac! Applebloom’s gone!”
As the family inside the household went on full alert, the failed to notice the small figure out the window. The figure was revealed to be Applebloom, who had an apologetic expression on her face. “Ah’m sorry everyone….but I don’t wanna say goodbye…” She turned and made her way to her intended destination.
“Are you serious?!” Sol exclaimed. Team Build had assembled in the lab the early in the morning. Micro texted them the previous night to meet up early in the lab to go over a few critical objectives.
However, upon Flash’s late arrival, questions arose and the guitarist answered honestly. Suffice to say, the answer did not rest well with the group.
For a completely different reason.
“I don’t get it…Applejack’s not the type of person to do this. At least not without talking first. Why did she and her family decide on this so quickly?” Sandalwood wondered.
“Well, they’re not wrong.” Micro added while studying the item he had in his hand. “With the Smash, armed robots, Night Rogue, and some freaky energy Cobra, Canterlot has gotten dangerous. But you’re right. Why would they send her, and her alone, away from the city? Wouldn’t it make more sense to all move out of town for the time being?”
“I just can’t believe it!” Sol said as he plopped onto a chair, spinning around. “Why would a family do that? Why send her alone? Why didn’t they all go if it’s too dangerous? Would’ve been a lot less painful…”
“I don’t know. That’s something we would have to ask them ourselves…” Flash shook his head. He couldn’t believe it either. He knew how the Apples were such a tight-knit family. Why would they send only Applebloom out of town unannounced like this?
“As much as I’d like to continue to hypothesize their reasoning, we shouldn’t really intrude on family matters like this.” Micro tried to steer the meeting back on topic. “Besides, we still haven’t talked about what I texted you all about.”
“Oh, right…” Flash nodded as he brought himself on topic. Sandalwood and Sol did as well, much to the latter’s displeasure.
“For our first order of business, is this.” Micro held up the newly purified bottle in his hand. It was colored purple that was narrow at the mid-section with a shuriken-like design on it.
“Is that the newest Fullbottle?” Flash asked as he and Sol examined it.
“Yes. It was made from the essence you extracted from the Smash, and I am confused on its nature.”
“What’s so confusing about it?”
“Think about it. My brother’s logs said that all organic Fullbottles are based on living organisms like Rabbit, Hedgehog, or Hawk. On the other hand, all Inorganic Fullbottles are, as the name implies, themed after inorganic objects like Tank or Diamond. But this?” He held out the bottle. “This doesn’t make sense! I placed it in the Driver and learned it is an Organic bottle, but it’s completely illogical!”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, how the heck is Ninja even classified as an Organic term?!”
The three teens looked at one another before turning to their intellectual friend. “….THAT’s what you’re so worried about?” Sol questioned.
“Yes! Ninjas are warriors who rebelled against their feudal warlords centuries ago in Neighpon! They’re not a different species of organisms! How is this possible?”
“Well, from how I see it…” Sol deduced. “Ninjas, despite being warriors, are still human, right? And Humans are organic. So, Ninjas are Organic. That’s my reasoning.”
Micro opened his mouth to refute that statement before stopping. He stood silent for several moments before he handed Flash the bottle. “Please hold this for a moment.”
He made his way over to the bed and grabbed the pillow. He then proceeded to smack himself in the head with it, muttering “…stupid, stupid, STUPID!”
“…Should we be worried?” Sol asked, slightly amused that he somehow outsmarted their resident genius.
“Give him a few. He’ll calm down.” Sandalwood advised knowingly. “But you brought up a good point. I wonder if there will be more bottles like it. Like Astronaut or Pirate…”
A few minutes later, Micro calmed down and proceeded with the second order of business.
“I finally got around to upgrading our observation drone.” He showed off the compact robot. “It can now get audio feeds as well as visual. I also included a little scanner. It’s based on the one my brother left us, allowing us to scan the hazard levels of any organism within range.”
“Why would we need that? I mean, don’t we already have one?”
“It’s more for observation purposes. Based on the data from my brother’s files, it seems that the hazard level of an individual causes a Smash’s strength to vary. It coincides with your first battles, Flash.” Micro told their resident Rider.
“You mean, back when I first fought the Strong Smash, then the Compact Smash?”
“That’s right. Looking back, I hypothesize that the Strong Smash had a lower Hazard level than the Compact Smash, which could explain why the latter seemed to be stronger.”
“But is that for certain, though?” Sandalwood asked.
“No. Like I said, it’s only a hypothesis. I’m still not sure what the exact relationship is.” Micro shook his head. “But if it holds true, it can help us be more careful in future fights. It would be dangerous if we were to underestimate an enemy….like Night Rogue.”
“Yeah, that guy was brutal…” Flash winced. He was shot in the face by the unknown assailant. Twice! “Did you find anything more about him?”
“No. I tried looking for anything relating to Night Rogue’s equipment, but I haven’t found anything yet.”
“Well, that’s a bummer.” Sandalwood commented. “So we can’t prepare for this guy?”
“Not right now, no.” Micro shook his head in dismay. “I’m sorry. But right now, I got nothing.”
“It’s fine, Micro. At least you tried.” Sandal placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“So what is the next order of business?”
“Huh? Oh, right. Well, I’ve been thinking. Since we will likely be fighting Rogue in the near future, I believe it is best for Flash to wear a disguise under his armor so his identity won’t be compromised.”
“A disguise? Like Sol’s? Why?”
“In case you forgot, your fight with Rogue nearly depleted your armor’s reserves and forced you out of the transformation. If you hadn’t changed forms and reset the armor, the girls would’ve seen your faces.” Micro explained.
“Oh. Yeah, good point.” Flash scratched his head. “So…what am I supposed to wear for a disguise?”
“Fortunately, we already have one in mind. Sandalwood?”
“On it.” The eco-teen went to one of the tables and opened up a box. He pulled out a few articles of clothes from inside. One was a hooded trench coat like Sol’s only white instead of dark gray. Another was a pair of black gloves. The final piece was a mask that resembled Sol’s. It was a metal mask that covered his mouth and nose and made to wrap around his face. It had eight holes in the front to allow air in.
“Whoa…that’s pretty cool.” Flash said as he got a closer look at the items. “So I gotta wear these whenever I go out?”
“Yes. I also figured it would be a better option than to transform in the lab every time before running off. The transformation sequence is anything but subtle. Every time you change, everything on the shelves falls out of place.
“Sorry about that. But I couldn’t exactly hide away to change into Build.”
“Well with these, you no longer have to. You can now fight in the open like Sol. Why don't you give them a try?”
“Awesome.” Flash said as he put on the articles of clothing. He soon stood before a mirror, hardly recognizing himself. Despite being a few pieces of clothes and a mask, they hid his usual look pretty well. Yet...he couldn't help but feel like something was missing. As he moved, he felt something in his pocket. Then he remembered his Dad's goggles. He left them in his old jacket last night. He took them out and stared at them.
He always felt that wearing them made him stronger. Like his dad was watching over him. Given how much his life had changed the past week...he needed all the strength he could get.
He put the goggles over his eyes, completely concealing his face, completing the disguise.
"Whoa! That's an awesome look, Flash." Sandalwood complimented.
"Thanks." Flash nodded, his voice altered slightly due to the mask.
“Looks like everything fits. I must say, the goggles were a nice touch. Where did you get them?" Micro asked.
"...They were my dad's..." That was all that needed to be said. His friends got the silent message and left it at that.
Afterwards, Flash removed the disguise and sat down, allowing Micro to continue.
"Now, last but not least, there is one more item I need to address that concerns us. Most of all Flash and Sol.”
“What’s up?” Sol asked.
“Gentlemen...we tried our best to remain subtle and out of the public eye-“
“Which was doomed from the get-go thanks to Pinkie.” Flash added.
“…I’m afraid that in addition to the news, our actions are being kept close watch by another form of media.”
“Like what? We’re already on the news, papers, and internet. What else is there?”
“A blog.” He answered, dumbfounding the others. “More specifically, a blog run by the students of our very own High School.”
“A….blog…?”
“Yes.” Micro pulled it up on his phone and showed it to the team. The other three members read the blog about Masked Rider Build. Specifically called the Build-Blog.
They saw that the bloggers in question were Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and many other students. Flash was half-surprised. Given how much they talked about Build, as well as the rest of the student body, he wasn’t really surprised that they started up a blog about it.
Browsing through the site, they found some of the photos and videos Pinkie took of him over a week ago. In addition to that, there were several comments talking about him. A lot of them said that he was awesome, a hero, or just plain cool due to his many different transformations.
There were even comments talking about the most recent Smash attack in the parking lot, where he used Hawk-Gatling save the girls. And other discussing about his new hooded sidekick.
“What the-?! I’m not a side kick! I’m his partner!” Sol felt offended by their assumptions.
“That’s not what you should be worried about!” Micro yelled as he smacked him with the pillow. “This is serious! Now our fellow classmates are onto us more than before! Now you see the necessity of these disguises?!”
“Alright, alright! We got it, egghead!” Sol replied as he grabbed the pillow and tossed it aside.
“I hope so…kinnikubaka!” Micro insulted in Neighpon, utilizing his limited knowledge from anime.
“Hey! Don’t call me things in languages I don’t fully understand!” After a few seconds, Sol blinked in realization. “…Wait a second, did you just call me an idiot?!” He walked over and put Micro in a headlock.
“Wait! You understood that? HOW?!” He struggled to break free.
“You’re not the only one who watches anime!” Sol shouted back. “Of course I’d know what baka means at the very least!”
“Hey! Knock it off you two!” Flash and Sandalwood went to break up their quarreling. But as he did, his phone rang. He answered.
“Hello? What’s up, Scoots?” His eyes then grew wide in shock. “Wait, what?! What do you mean she ran away?!” His shouting drew the attention of his friends. “Yeah! Uh-huh! But-!...okay, got it. On it! See you soon!”
“What’s going on?” Sandalwood asked. Flash turned to them with a grave look in his eyes.
“Applebloom ran away from home!”
“WHAT?!”
Applejack, Big Mac, and Granny Smith waited at the front of their house anxiously. The eldest daughter hoped her friends came soon. They would’ve started looking for Applebloom, but she realized that they could cover more ground if her friends, no, her family helped out as well.
She called them all and explained their situation. They all promised to come over and help out, much to her relief. Rarity told her that she informed Sweetie Belle, who in turn informed Scootaloo. Both girls had a right to know about their friend. Scootaloo in turned contacted Flash to lend a helping hand.
“We’re here, AJ!” Rainbow Dash quickly limped over to the family. The rest of the Rainbooms, Shining Armor, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo followed after. Next to Twilight was a small purple puppy with green eyes. This was Twilight’s dog, Spike. Since they were such a large group and had so few who had their licenses, Shining Armor drove half their group while Pinkie Pie drove the other half. “What do you want us to do?!”
“Let’s split up and cover more ground!” Applejack instructed. “Ah’m hoping she didn’t get too far! Let’s start with searching the whole acres and go on from there!”
“The whole acres?” Rarity questioned. “Applejack, I know it may have been a long time since Applebloom might have left, but can we honestly search your entire property in time? What if she already left?”
“We’re all hopin’ she didn’t, and we ain’t got any other choice! So we gotta find her ASAP!”
“You got it!” Pinkie Pie saluted.
“Where do you want us to start, Applejack?” Sunset asked.
“We’ll start by breaking off into pairs and search the different fields.” She turned to each of her friends one by one. “Rainbow? Pinkie? You two got the East fields.”
“We’re on it!”
“Fluttershy? You and Granny will take the West fields.”
“Yes.” The normally shy girl nodded determinedly.
“Sunset, Shining Armor, and Twilight will take the South fields.”
“Understood.”
“Rarity? You and I will search the North fields.”
“Absolutely.”
“Sweetie Belle, Spike, and Scootaloo will go through the Southwest fields.”
“We’re on it!”
“Big Mac said he’ll handle the Northeast.” She then turned to the scooter rider. “What about Flash? Is he coming?”
“He said he and the others were on their way, but I don’t know how long.” Scootaloo answered. Just as she finished speaking, a truck pulls up.
“We’re here!” Flash announced as he, Micro, Sandalwood, and Sol got out of Sandalwood’s pickup. After Flash explained the situation to them, they all came over to help the Apple family search for their youngest daughter. The four of them wore backpacks, but no one really questioned their significance. They assumed they were things to help the search. “Do you have any idea where she might’ve gone?”
“No, but we’re splitting up to search all over the acres. Hopefully she’s still within the property. We’re splitting up into pairs. Flash? You and Sol will search the South East while Micro and Sandal handle the Northwest. If any of you find her, call any of us immediately.”
“Got it!”
“Fan out everybody! We got an Apple to find!”
“Drat…this would go a lot faster if my leg wasn’t in a cast!” Rainbow Dash huffed as she limped along the trail through the fields. “You know, out of all the magic powers we got, we couldn’t gotten one that heals injuries or something?!”
“Well to be fair, it would’ve made everything super-duper convenient and simplistic. Not to mention boring, anti-climactic, and predictable to the readers.” Pinkie Pie commented as she skipped behind her. Rainbow just looked at her in confusion before shaking her head.
“I just can’t believe this…I have super speed! I could’ve searched this entire sector by now if it weren’t for my stupid ankle.”
“Settle down, Dashie. We’ll find Applebloom in no time!” Pinkie smiled.
“How can you be so happy at a time like this, Pinkie?!” Rainbow rounded on her. “Applebloom is missing! We don’t know how far she is! And there’s still those Smash things running around! For all we know, she could be in danger and you’re here skipping and smiling?! What’s up with that?!”
Pinkie Pie stopped her skipping and her smile dulled a bit. “…I know this is a serious thing, Dashie. But let me ask. Haven’t you noticed something?”
“What?”
“Ever since we started searching, none of you had been smiling.”
“Of course we weren’t.” She said as if it were obvious. “This is serious! We’re looking for a runaway girl! She could be miles away by now, and now we’re stuck because of this conversation!”
“That’s exactly my point!” Pinkie declared as she pointed at her friend. “I know this a serious situation, but someone has to keep smiling!”
“But why?!”
“Because if all of us stopped smiling, then that means all of us had given up hope!”
“…what?!”
“…you wanna know why I can keep smiling like this?” Pinkie’s face was uncharacteristically serious. “I keep smiling to keep up hope. I wish to make others smile because it keeps me going. If we have smiles, then we can have joy. If we have joy, then that means we are alive. If we are alive…then we can have hope.” Pinkie looked to the sky above them, her eyes forlorn as if recalling a distant memory. “…if we lost hope now…what would we have left?”
Rainbow Dash didn’t have an answer. Her friend’s words sunk into her mind. Now that she thought about it, all of them had been in a panic. They were so worried that they thought that Applebloom was in danger if they didn’t hurry. None of them even thought of hoping that she was safe and sound.
“…you’re right, Pinkie.” Rainbow sighed. “I’m sorry for yelling at you. I was just worried….we all were…”
“I know, Dashie.” The party planner smiled lightly. “Just don’t forget to smile and hope. That’s all I ask.”
“You got it…so let’s keep searching and hope Applebloom is safe and sound.”
“Okie-dokey-lokie!” Pinkie Pie cheered as she skipped along the trail. Rainbow Dash limped after her. As they moved, she couldn’t help but wonder if there was a specific reason why Pinkie Pie was so adamant about smiles like this…
“Applebloom?! Please say somethin’ dearie!” Granny Smith called out worriedly as she and Fluttershy trekked through the West fields. Unfortunately, they had yet to see any sign of her.
After several minutes of searching, the two took a break to rest.
The two sat in silence for a while. Fluttershy wanted to break it, but was unsure what to say. Soon, the silence was broken by Granny.
“…Fluttershy? Be honest with me.” Her expression was solemn.
“Y-yes?”
“…Am Ah a terrible grandmother?”
“Wh-what?!” The girl gasped. Why would she even say that? “N-no! You’re not a terrible person at all! You’re one of the kindest, most generous people I know!”
“Thank you dearie…but that ain’t exactly what I asked.” She shook her head. “I asked if I was a terrible grandmother, not person.”
“O-oh…Well, you’re still not. Why…why would you say that?”
“It’s….it’s because Ah was the one who even suggested to send Applebloom away in the first place…” She admitted.
The pink haired teen gasped softly. She had heard it was a family decision to send Applebloom to Manehatten, but she never knew who first thought of the idea. “But…but why would you do that?”
“…It’s because Ah was afraid…Ah was afraid Ah would lose her like my son and daughter…”
Fluttershy didn’t respond that time. She had learned from Applejack long ago that her parents perished in an accident, but she and her friends swore to never bring it up again.
“With them Smash thingies running around, Ah thought the town’s gotten too dangerous. Ah didn’t think the streets were safe for her anymore. At first, Ah thought about the whole family moving away. But then I realized that if all of us left, we could end up losin’ the home my son and daughter started their family in one of them Smash attacks.
“And more and more problems came a comin’. Big Mac would have to leave college, leave his dream school; a place where he had worked so hard to get into. And Applejack’s got a role her with all that magic stuff happening lately. All of us had something to lose if we all left. Applebloom though? She still had her friends, and the leave is only temporary, she would’ve seen them again.
“In the end, Ah thought it’d be best to only send Applebloom. Ah thought Ah did what was best for her…but now I realize. What Ah did…she probably thought Ah was abandoning her….” Granny finished. “Ah later realized what Ah did was selfish. Instead of all of us leavin’, it was only her. She had her own things precious things in this town, and mah decision pretty much forced her to give it all up. Ah…Ah’m such a terrible grandmother…” The woman’s eyes grew misty.
Fluttershy sat there, processing what she just learned. She didn’t realize how conflicted the woman was over her choice. But what she just learned reminded her of something. Something that she and her family experienced not too long ago. She wasn’t sure if it would have helped, but she took a chance to say it.
“Mrs. Smith…I don’t think you’re a terrible grandmother.”
“Even after what Ah did?”
“Yes.” Fluttershy nodded. “You made a choice, a difficult one. You just wanted to protect a member of your family and make sure she had a home to go back to.” She smiled softly in reminisce. “To be honest …my family is similar. Or rather, we had a similar circumstance a while back.”
“How so, dearie?”
“Well, it’s about my younger brother, Zephyr Breeze. My parents were worried that he lost all direction of where he was going in his life. You see, he wanted to be a hair stylist. It had been his passion since he was young. But over time, he just…gave up on it. None of us knew why he did that, but when we asked he said that it was a pointless thing. Year after year he found that there was a decreasing demand for hair stylists and beauticians in the job market. He just jumped to the conclusion that even if he reached his dream, it wouldn’t be one he could live off of. So he just…gave up. But my parents never gave up on him.
“Just last year, he got the opportunity to study at the best beautician school in the country. He was hesitant at first, mainly because he was afraid of leaving home. He was afraid that if he left, that’d be it. He’d no longer be part of the family. We didn’t realize this until later when we sat down and talked with him about it. But my parents talked with him and helped him understand that this would be the perfect opportunity to him, and that no matter what, he would always be their son and love him. Eventually, he accepted. He’s been studying there ever since….I should really give him a call sometime.”
“That’s nice but…is there a moral to the story, dearie?” Granny asked, wondering the point of the tale.
“Yes. At first, my brother didn’t want to go because he feared of losing his family. But after talking with him he realized that we would always be a family. Maybe if you take the time to talk with Applebloom, maybe she would understand that too.”
Granny Smith took a moment to ponder. Now that she thought about it, Fluttershy was right. If only she had taken the time to properly explain everything to Applebloom. Maybe she would’ve been more accepting of the choice. If only she realized how afraid her granddaughter had been. She could’ve taken the steps to prevent it. But the past was in the past. Now was the time for action and make things right.
With renewed vigor and drive, Granny Smith hopped onto her feet. “Thank you very much, Fluttershy. You gave this old gal quite an epiphany.”
“O-oh, it was nothing…” Fluttershy stood as well.
“Nothing, smothing! You’re a wise young girl who told what this old lady needed to hear. Now c’mon! Let’s search some more! Maybe we can find her before the others can.”
Fluttershy nodded and two continued their search.
“Have you two found her?” Shining Armor asked as he regrouped with his sister and Sunset. They had split up at the start of their search to cover their sector much faster.
“Not yet.” Sunset shook her head. “I’m not even sure if she’s hiding in this section of the acres.”
“Well, we need to keep trying.” Twilight urged. “There’s a chance she may still be within the property. We need to find her as soon as possible.”
“You think one of those Smash monsters will appear?” Sunset asked.
“I…I will admit it’s a possibility…” Twilight admitted reluctantly.
“See? This is what I was talking about.” Shining Armor told his sister. “With those Smash running around, no one in Canterlot is safe.”
“Not this again, Shining. We just don’t have time for this!” Sunset sighed as the two siblings broke out into another argument. She wondered how her other friends were handling their search.
“Applebloom?! Oh Applebloom?!” Applejack hollered. Rarity trailed behind her, but did her best to catch up. The elder Apple sister had been relentless in trying to find her sister. She ran through the orchards like a woman possessed. Rarity simply struggled to keep up with her friend’s pace. Thankfully, her bruised diaphragm had healed enough to no longer be an issue.
“Applejack, slow down!” She called out as she nearly tripped over a root.
“No time!” The farm girl retorted hysterically. “Any time wasted means Applebloom could be further away! Or lost! Or hurt! Or even-!”
*SMACK!*
She was cut off as Rarity finally caught up and slapped her across the face. When she turned to glare at the fashionista, she was returned with a stern glare of her own.
“Applejack, darling? I am saying this because you are one of my closest friends and I care about you. But you need to pull yourself together and calm down! You panicking is only going to make this situation more stressful than it already is! We will find her!”
“But what if we can’t?!”Applejack retorted hotly. “What if she already got herself in trouble and we don’t even know?!”
“We don’t know that for sure! That’s why we’re looking in the first place!”
“This wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t run away in the first place!” The farm girl said in exasperation. “Just what went on in that there head of her’s?! “
Rarity shook her head as her friend failed to see her error. “You truly don’t get it? This might not have happened if you and your family hadn’t dropped the bomb on her that you were only sending her away!”
“Oh, so now it’s mah fault?!” Applejack was offended by the accusation.
“Not particularly, but look at the facts. You and your family essentially told her that she and only she would be leaving town for an indefinite period of time, and forced to say goodbye to her friends with no way of overturning said decision. If that happened to you, how would you react?!”
“It was for her own good!”
“In what way?!” Rarity shouted in frustration. “Sending her to another city all on her own, without her family to be there for her?! You didn’t even give her a choice in the matter!”
“She’s gonna live with Babs Seed and her folks! She’ll have family there for her!”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it!” Rarity yelled back. “None of you were even planning to stay with her! You were just going to leave and abandon her!”
“We would never abandon her!” Applejack grabbed Rarity by the hem of her blouse, just a hairsbreadth away from smacking her. But the Fashionista held firm.
“Then why send her away in the first place?!”
“Because Ah don’t want her to end up like mah parents!” Applejack shouted in her face. Rarity’s eyes slowly widened as Applejack’s followed suit, realizing that she slipped up. She let go of her friend and turned away from her. The rim of her stetson hat covered her eyes.
Silence reigned between them for a few moments before the farm girl calmed down and spoke. “…ya don’t know what it’s like. Remembering yer parents and knowing they would never come back. Big Mac and Ah still remember them but Applebloom? She was just a toddler back then. She doesn’t remember them. She doesn’t understand the pain of losin’ a piece of yer family. A piece of yer soul…” Tears dripped down her cheeks.
“…None of us ever wanted to feel that pain again…that’s why we had to do it, Rares. We had to keep her safe. I already loss two pieces of mah heart…Ah couldn’t bear to lose another…” She now openly sobbed. Rarity approached and wrapped her arms around her friend. Applejack openly cried, releasing all the grief she kept pent up for years.
After a few minutes, she calmed down. “Darling…” Rarity took a handkerchief and wiped the tears from Applejack’s eyes. “I’m truly sorry for yelling at you and for bringing up bad memories. I didn’t know…”
“It’s….it’s alright…” The farm girl panted as she came down from an emotional state. “Ah’m...sorry for yelling too.”
“Applejack. I know you’re still in pain from losing your parents, but don’t let that control your choices regarding Applebloom. Yes, sending her away would keep her safe from the Smash, but haven’t you considered what she would think?”
“To be honest…Ah didn’t really put much thought into it…”
“Well, after we find her…and we WILL find her, I want you to talk to her about it. Full disclosure. Come to an agreement and accept HER decision…understand?”
“Ah got it. And Rarity...?” Applejack hugged her friend once more. “Thanks a bunch.”
The fashionista happily returned the hug. “Anytime, darling.”
“Do you think Applebloom will be okay?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Of course she’ll be!” Scootaloo said with confidence. But with the way she said it, it seemed like she tried to convince herself.
“Don’t worry.” Spike assured the girls. “From what I know about her, she’s smart enough to make her own decisions. She knows that the streets are dangerous with the Smash running around. So she’s probably hiding away in one of the spots on the property.”
“Yeah…yeah, you’re right Spike.” The puppy brought up a valid point. Applebloom knew better than to just run away unprepared, especially since the city had gotten so dangerous.
“If she’s still around, then we can find her!” Sweetie Belle nodded before turning to the puppy. “Spike! Can you sniff her out?”
Spike was surprised by her sudden request. Scootaloo’s face brightened as she realized what her friend was getting at. “That’s a great idea! I totally forgot he was a dog!” The purple puppy took mild offense to that as the orange girl crouched down. “C’mon Spike! See if you can pick up a trail! We can find her faster that way!”
Spike just stared blankly at the two girls while they stared back with sparkling eyes.
“…”
“…”
“….Girls? I’m not that kind of dog…”
When they were being assigned sectors, Big Mac knew which one he had in mind. The Northeast fields. Because in his heart, he knew that if Applebloom left, there would only be one place she would go in all of the acres.
He climbed the hill that overlooked the entirety of Sweet Apple Acres. On top of the hill sat a unique set of trees. An apple tree and a pear tree intertwined with one another. A memento of his parents.
Sitting at the base of it, hidden in the shadows, was Applebloom. She had her legs pulled in with her forehead on her knees.
“…Haystack?” Big Mac said gently.
“Go away.” She refused to look up. Her older brother kept quiet. Instead, he sat down on the spot next to her. He maintained his silence until she was ready to speak. After several moments, she finally did.
“….why?” She raised her head, allowing Big Mac to see her puffy eyes and tearstained cheeks. “…Why would y’all send me away? Ah thought…Ah thought we were family…”
The elder brother looked her in the eye. “….Haystack, we ARE family.”
“But family doesn’t send each other away like that! They would stick together, no matter what!”Applebloom snapped back. She felt a flurry of emotions right now. Anger, sorrow, frustration, some resentment and grudge, but most of all, betrayal. “So why?! Why would y’all send me off all on my own like that?! Am I that worthless that only Ah need to go?! Is that it?!”
“Don’t EVER say that!” Big Mac yelled back, silencing the distraught sister. “Don’t ever say yer worthless, Applebloom! Yer not worthless! Yer my sister! Yer an important member of our family! We love you, and we always will!”
“B-but…” The red head stuttered. She never saw her brother so angry before. But she didn’t feel any resentment or malice in that anger, only the raging spirit of familial love. “…if y’all love me…then why send me away?”
“That’s because a true family does whatever they can to keep one of their own safe.” Big Mac answered firmly. He sighed as he leaned back against the intertwined trees. “…you were too young to remember, Haystack. But Ma and Pa…they were the greatest. They were hardworkin’, honest, lovin’, basically, they were the best parents any youngin’ could ask for.”
He hung his head as the painful memories resurfaced. “…it was a stormy time, and they were out makin’ a delivery. There….there had been an accident on the highway. A tire blew out and sent the truck skidding….right off the bridge. They didn’t survive it…In just one night….they were gone, just like that.”
He turned to his little sister, who cried with renewed tears. “…on that night, we lost two members of our family. Two pieces of our hearts. Two pieces of our entire worlds. We went through that pain once…and we refused to do that again. Ah agreed with sending you away because a big brother would do whatever he could to keep his little sister safe.”
He wrapped a comforting arm around Applebloom. “That’s why Ah was born first. Big Brothers are born first to protect their little sisters. Ah promised Ma and Pa that if anything should happen to them, Ah would do whatever I could to keep y’all safe. Even if it meant making a deal with the Devil, as long as it secured yer well-being, I would do it in a heartbeat.”
He then lifted her head so they could see each other eye to eye. “But looking back…Ah made a mistake. Ah was so caught up in yer safety that Ah forgot the most important thing…yer happiness. Ah’m so sorry, Applebloom.” He pulled his sister into a hug. “Ah’m sorry. Ah should’ve talked with ya beforehand. We all should’ve. Ah know it doesn’t undo what we did….but Ah’m sorry.”
At that moment, Applebloom couldn’t take it anymore. She buried her face into her brother’s shoulder and let the tears run free. She cried and cried for several minutes. She cried apologies. She cried out her forgiveness. She cried out everything.
Big Mac sat there and accepted it all. Eventually, she calmed down and lifted her head up.
“Feelin’ better?” The green eyed man asked. Applebloom nodded, her throat sore and scratchy from the crying.
He stood on his feet and helped her up. “C’mon…let’s head back to the house. Ah’ll be sure to call everyone there.” He had forgotten his phone in the house when he was rushing to find her. The two then left their parents’ memento and toward their place of residence. As they walked, however, they failed to notice the figure that stalked them from the shadows.
“So you think this will work?” Sandalwood asked. The two teens searched their assigned sector thoroughly, to no avail. After their attempts to seek out Applebloom on foot, Micro pulled out the drone from his backpack.
“Yes.” Micro nodded. “I figured it would’ve taken too long to search on foot. This way, we can get a birds’-eye view of the entire property and find her faster.” He had established a connection of the drone’s video feed to each of Team Build’s smart phones so they could remain in touch and keep up to date. He watched as the footage scanned over the farmland’s area.
“Good plan. But…what if she’s no longer on the property?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Hold on, I think I found something!” Micro zoomed in the image.
“What did you find?” Sandal leaned in to get a look.
“I think I see….oh….oh no…” The intellectual’s face paled.
“Is…is that-?!”
“Sandal? Call Flash and Sol! Call the others too!”
“Damn! Of all the days to leave the Machine Builder in the lab!” Flash cursed as he and Sol ran through the fields. They were in the middle of their own search when they received Sandal’s distress call on their phones. He had informed them that Micro had found a Smash chasing after Applebloom and Big Mac in the Northeast Orchard.
The moment they had heard the word, Smash, they were already sprinting through the trees. As they ran, they tore open their backpacks and hastily put on their disguises.
“Too late for that now, just keep running! We gotta get there before it attacks the others!” Sol shouted back. They had managed to equip their gloves, coats, masks, and in Flash’s case, his goggles. But as they broke through the last row of trees, they were shocked to see what awaited them in the clearing.
It was an army of humanoids clad in featureless, black helmets and gray jumpsuits. Each one was equipped with a gun or baton. They were the robots that attacked and kidnapped people at the mall last week.
“What the-!? What are these guys doing here?!” Upon noticing their presence, the robots with guns took aim and fired at them. Flash and Sol ducked behind a line of trees to escape their line of sight. They hid behind a large rock to shield their bodies.
Thankfully, it didn’t seem that the robots were shooting live ammunition at them. Based on how the projectiles ricocheted off the tree trunks and rocky surfaces, they seemed to be more akin to BB pellets. However, each impact seemed to set off a series of sparks and crackles of electricity. And it didn’t help that there were so many of them at once.
“Damn it! How are we supposed to get to the Northeast Orchard now?! We’re pinned down!” Flash cursed.
“Flash…you go on ahead!” Sol told him. “I’ll handle these guys!”
“Are you sure?!” Flash questioned him. “Can you even take on this many?”
“Dunno! But it’s a first time for everything! When I said that I dealt with robots like these before, I meant it. Now go! If you don’t go after that Smash, our friends will be the ones in trouble!”
“Alright, just be sure to get out of this safely!” Flash ordered.
“Please…this is me we’re talking about!” Sol dashed out from their cover, focusing the robots’ attention on him. “Come and get me you tin cans!” The riflemen open fired at the teen. He managed to evade most of their bullets due to their predictable aim. But one of the shots grazed his arm. He muffled a yelp of pain as his limb grew numb.
He took cover behind a nearby rock. As he kept their attention, Flash dashed out through the clearing, straight to the Northeast orchards.
He just hoped he wasn’t too late.
“Run!” Big Mac and Applebloom sprinted through the orchard and away from the monster chasing them.
It was one of those Smash monsters that attacked populated areas in the city. This was one was different than its predecessors. Its lower half was bulky and black, covered in light gray plating. Its upper torso was yellow and blue. Its left hand appeared normal aside from the elongated fingers. Its right hand was replaced by a giant knife-like blade. Its head was the strangest part of it, as it was an over-sized, yellow block with a blue rhombus pattern on the sides. This was the Square Smash. And it was on a rampage.
“What’s a Smash doin’ here?!” Applebloom screamed, completely terrified.
“Ah don’t know, just keep running!” Her brother urged her to go on. She started to tire, but the adrenaline kept her going.
Fortunately, they were able to outrun the Smash, as it seemed to be on the slow side. Unfortunately, that wasn’t all it was capable of. It slammed its right arm into the ground, cutting up blocks of earth and threw them at the two.
Big Mac quickly reacted. He scooped Applebloom in his arms and zig-zagged through the massive clumps of dirt. He managed to dodge each one as it impacted the ground. They through the attack and kept running.
However, neither sibling noticed the figure watching them.
From behind a tree, Stalk stepped out. He observed the Smash in action as it chased the two Apple siblings. Personally, he found it a bit....dull.
“Well....this isn’t getting us anywhere...” he shook his head. “Nothing noteworthy....until now that is.” He pulled out a gun of a unique design. He then pulled out a light blue Fullbottle with a rocket ship design.
He shook it a bit before he plugged it into the underside slot of the gun.
"ROCKET!"
The weapon charged up. “Now...let’s commence the experiment.” He aimed the rifle at the Box Smash and pulled the trigger.
"DEVIL STEAM!"
Out from the barrel, a rocket-like capsule shot out and impacted the Smash. The shell burst on impact, consuming it in a cloud of odd-colored gas.
Confused by what had happened, the Apple siblings turned to see their pursuer. They soon wished they had kept running.
Before their eyes, the Smash grew in size. It kept growing until its height surpassed even the Apple Family trees! It roared as it jumped high into the air and landed on the other side of them, cutting them off from escape.
Big Mac set Applebloom down and shielded her with his body. However, the Smash simply used its left arm and swatted her brother away as if he were a rag doll.
“Big Mac!” The red head cried as he was sent flying through the air and crashed into a nearby tree. She then shrieked as the Smash grabbed her and lifted her up.
To her shock, its box-like head opened up, revealing an empty space. It shoved her into its head and the walls closed back up. “Let me out!” Her screams were muffled as she pounded the walls from within.
“APPLEBLOOM!” Big Mac screamed as he pulled himself up. He gritted his teeth through the pain. He needed to save his sister.
However, the Smash hadn’t forgotten him. It cut up more blocks of dirt from the fertile farm soil and threw them at him. The young man tried to jump out of the way, but his body refused to move as fast as he wanted to.
“Look out!” He was tackled out of the way by Shining Armor. The brown blocks crashed where he used to be, effectively uprooting the tree. Out of the corner of his eye, the Rainbooms, Granny Smith, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike appeared. They had gotten Sandalwood’s call about a Smash appearing on his drone camera in the Northeast and rushed over.
“Holy crap! Since when could these things get this BIG?!” Rainbow Dash questioned in shock. None of the previous Smashes had been this big. Was there some sort of cause?
Shining Armor, upon seeing the danger they were in, whipped out his handgun from its holster, startling everyone else.
“Shining Armor?! What are you doing?!” Twilight questioned her brother’s actions.
“Protecting all of you!” He pulled the trigger until the clip was empty. Each bullet impacted the monster’s body, but barely seemed to faze it. But it did get the Smash’s attention, as it made even more blocks from the soil and threw them at the group.
“Scatter!” Sunset cried. Everyone got out of the impact radius as the attack landed. They all got covered in dirt, but they were relatively unharmed and alive.
“You okay, Big Mac?” The farm girl asked her brother as she helped him up.
“A-Ah’m fine but…Applebloom…!” The male Apple pounded the ground in frustration. He couldn’t protect her.
“Applebloom?! What happened to her?! Where is she?!” Applejack questioned rapidly, worried beyond belief.
Big Mac pointed a shaking finger to the giant Smash. “That…that thing’s got her in its head…!”
“What?!” All eyes snapped over to the Square Smash. The walls on its box-like head shifted a bit, becoming translucent for a moment. But that moment was all that was needed for them to see a panicked Applebloom trying desperately to escape.
The group fell into a terrified panic. The Apple Family’s worries came true in the worst way possible. Applebloom is held captive by a monster that is immune to the Rainbooms’ magic.
Shining Armor felt like throwing up. He opened fired at the monster while it had a civilian in its head. If it hadn’t been impervious to his bullets…
He didn’t have time to ponder as his sister dragged him away from another attack.
They kept dodging the flying blocks of dirt. While it would’ve been difficult for some of them to dodge the attacks effectively, such as Rainbow Dash and Granny Smith, Twilight was able to quickly move them out of harm’s way with her magic. Rarity also helped out by creating shields to intercept the blocks whenever she could.
Despite Twilight’s previous statements of her telekinesis failing to affect the Compact Smash’s junk balls, they were relieved that Rarity’s shields still maintained some degree of effectiveness.
Even if the Smash was immune to their magic abilities, the Rainbooms had to do something to protect themselves and save Applebloom.
Pinkie had been doing her best to distract the Smash at the very least, tossing exploding sweets to keep it at bay. While it didn’t seem to injure it, it seemed to stun it just for a bit.
The group took the brief opportunity to plan out how to get Applebloom from the Smash’s head. However, their planning came to a halt when the creature jumped up into the air to avoid exploding candy corn.
They were amazed such a big creature could jump so high.
When it landed, it slammed its blade arm into the ground, creating a rising wave of blocks that loomed over them. Pinkie Pie was thrown off her feet as Rarity jumped in to block the attack with the largest diamond shield she ever conjured.
The wave slammed into the shining surface with such a strong impact that her bones rattled. The wave died down, leaving the Northeast Orchard a clearing devoid of trees. The wave had uprooted them all and churned the dirt.
The Apple Family grieved the loss of one of their Orchards, but their priority was trying to save Applebloom.
The girls were of the same mind. But deep down, they felt despair. Nothing they did seemed to work against the Smash. And they were getting exhausted from their hit and run tactics. They needed a new plan, fast!
The girls were broken out of their thoughts by the sound of clicking, making them look around until they all spotted someone walking towards them. It was a figure in a white hooded trench coat, a pair of aviator goggles, and a mask, shaking a pair of bottles as he got closer.
"Who’s this guy?" Rainbow asked.
Twilight was about to say she didn't know, but then spotted a familiar belt like device on the figures waist. "Wait," she said, "is he...?"
"Let's begin this experiment," The figure said in a deep voice before placing the bottles into the Build Driver.
"RABBIT!"
"TANK!"
"BEST MATCH!"
"It is him," Twilight said in realization before the figure began to turn the crank.
“ARE YOU READY?!”
The belt produces the plastic model runner-like constructs with the armor pieces. The figure fell into a fighter stance.
“Henshin!” He then stood at attention. The constructs slammed into the figure’s body, donning him in the armor of Masked Rider Build, RabbitTank.
“FULLMETAL MOONSAULT!”
“RabbitTank!”
“YEAH!”
Build then held out his hand as he called out “Drill Crusher!” The Driver released a series of tubes that conjured the drill-like weapon. He then charged at the Smash, weapon spinning. The Smash raised its blade arm to intercept it. The drill ground against the knife-like blade, but was unable to tear through it before the Smash forced him back.
Build stumbled backward, surprised by the Smash’s great strength. Deciding to change tactics, she changed the Drill Crusher into its gun form and took aim at its head.
But he was stopped before he could pull the trigger.
“Don’t shoot that!” Big Mac shouted at him. “That thing’s got mah little sister in its head!”
“What?!” Build snapped his head over in shock.
The Smash took this moment of distraction throw a block of dirt at him. He rolled out of the way and shot at its limbs to keep the creature at bay.
He couldn’t land a direct attack on it, much less use a Voltech Finish, until he could save the youngest Apple sister. The best idea he had was to pry its head open to free her, but how was he going to get close?
He thought about using Hawk Gatling, but what if he hurt Applebloom in the process? He needed it to distract it somehow so he could find an opening…
As if to answer his silent pleas, two cupcakes landed on the Smash’s legs before they exploded. The hulking creature tumbled from the kinetic force. Build turned his head to see the determined face of Pinkie Pie.
“Go Build! We gotcha covered!” She hurled more sugary confections at it. The Smash tried to counter by making more blocks to throw, but was disrupted by a series of telekinetically thrown rocks hitting its arm. Build then turned to see Twilight.
“We’ll keep it distracted! You go and get Applebloom out of that thing!”
“I’m on it! Thanks for the help!” As the Smash’s attention was now divided amongst the Rainbooms, Build rushed in. Any stray attack that might’ve hit him was blocked by Rarity’s diamond shields. Once he got within range, he used Rabbit’s power to jump onto its shoulders.
He grabbed onto the box-like head’s eadges for dear life as it tried to shake him off. “Applebloom?!” He called out in his filtered voice. “Are you okay?!”
“Ah-Ah could be better!” She hollered back. While her voice was slightly muffled, he could still hear her. “All this shaking is making me queasy…!”
“Don’t worry! I’m getting you out! Just back away from the wall!” Flash use his Drill Crusher’s sword mode to drill a hole into the Smash’s head. He increased the power of the weapon’s revolution to speed up the job. To his delight, his plan was starting to work. Gradually, a groove was being cut through the wall.
He only needed a few more minutes to finish cutting out the escape hole, but the Square Smash had enough of him drilling into its head. It grabbed him with its left hand and hurled him towards the group. He impacted the ground hard, which made him lose his grip on his weapon.
The Drill Crusher bounced and clattered by the feet of a certain farm boy. Big Mac picked up the weapon in his hand. He glanced between it and the Smash. As he did two particular memories replayed in his head.
He would do anything to protect his sisters, even if it meant striking a deal with the Devil himself. That was the duty of an older brother. Gripping the Drill Crusher in hand, he knew what he had to do. What he will do.
Build tried to get up, but the Smash hurled another volley of dirt blocks and buried him alive.
“No!” Scootaloo cried in despair from her, Sweetie Belle’s, and Spike’s hiding spot. Their savior had just been blanketed by several hundred pounds of dirt!
The group now panicked. They had to dig Build out to continue this fight, but the Smash refused to give them reprieve as it hurled block after block at them. They tried to come up with a new plan, but they were shook out of their musings by a loud battle cry.
Big Mac charged at the Smash, screaming at the top of his lungs, Drill Crusher in hand. He weaved around the Smash’s swatting arms due to its sluggish movements. Once he got in range, he slashed at the creature.
But once he did, he received a blast of Nebula Gas to the face.
“Huh. Guess that dose caused it to produce more Nebula Gas than usual.” Stalk mused from where he observed. “That poor farm boy’s likely gonna kick the bucket or become another Smash for them to deal with….oh well.”
He was unconcerned about the farmer’s fate as it did not matter to him. Everyone else on the ground assumed the worst for him as they were unsure of the gas’s properties. However, what happened next surprised him and the others.
Instead of deteriorating or transforming into a Smash, Big Mac shook off the burst of gas to the face and swung the Drill Crusher again. The blade struck the monster and seemed to cause even more damage to it than before.
He swung harder and the Smash stumbled from the blow. He swung one more time, with all of his might. The attack hit the monster in the tendon, causing it to kneel down.
Stalk now became intrigued by the result. “….how interesting. It seemed that dose made him stronger instead….” Beneath his helmet, the Cobra-themed man had a devious grin.
“GRAAAAGH!!!!” Big Mac stabbed the Drill Crusher into the Smash’s hide and dragged it along its body as he moved up.
Once he reached the head, he yanked the weapon out and rammed his fist into the Square Smash’s face. To everyone’s shock, the wall of the box caved in under the impact. It left gaps between the edges of the box, which let him hear his little sister’s cries better.
Thinking quickly, he used the Drill Crusher to carve out a larger hole in the gap and pried the box open.
“Big Mac!” Applebloom cried in joy upon seeing her brother save her.
“Ah got ya, Haystack!” The pulled her out of the box and carried her away from the Smash as it began to recover.
It roared in pain as its head slowly closed up. It raised its blade arm to turn the fleeing duo into cubes. It almost succeeded if it weren’t for the barrage of stun bullet that deflected its arm. It impacted the ground next to the two, allowing them to flee to safety.
The group turned to where the bullets came from, and saw that it was the cloaked partner of Build with a rifle in its hands.
“Sorry I’m late!” He apologized with his modified voice. “Some robots tried to crash the party, but I took care of them.
Back by the Southeast orchard, the broken remains of all of the robots laid scattered across the ground. They were in pieces. Torn limbs, holes through their torsos, crushed heads…it was impossible to believe that the damage was done at the hands of a human.
Some of the pieces continued to spark before exploding.
“That’s great and all, but you gotta help Build!” Rainbow Dash told him. “That Smash monster buried him under several blocks of dirt!” She pointed to the spot where Build was buried. Sol was about to go over to dig him out, but noticed the mound trembling.
“Actually…” Sol said as he returned to shooting at the giant Smash. “I think he’s got it!”
“Huh?” Came the collective questioned.
They were answered when a light brown, gorilla-like fist punched through the dirt layer. A body crawled out of the ground soon after. It was Build, alive in his GorillaMond form.
“He’s alive!” Sweetie Belle cried in relief.
“That….was not fun….at all…” Flash panted as he got back on his feet. He nearly got buried alive back there. By some miracle, the dirt wasn’t tightly packed from that wave. After a bit of struggling, he made enough space underground to reach the Gorilla and Diamond Fullbottles and change to GorillaMond.
How the Driver managed to make the armor runners while under piles of dirt he may never know.
Either way, he was now free and ready to fight again. He was also surprised to see Applebloom in Big Mac’s arms, the latter also holding the Drill Crusher, which Sol took back. He didn’t know what happened, but he didn’t question it. Now that she was free, he was open to finish this fight.
The Smash roared as it sent even more dirt and stone blocks at him.
“Not this time box-face!” As the blocks drew near, Flash raised his arms and knocked each and every one of them back in a flurry of punches.
The Square Smash’s attacks hit itself, knocking it off its feet.
“Let’s end this!” Flash pulled out the Hawk and Gatling Fullbottles and shook them. He then replaced his current Best Match with a new one.
“HAWK!”
“GATLING!”
“BEST MATCH!”
He turned the crank as his new armor set appeared.
“ARE YOU READY?!”
“Build up!” The armor enclosed on him, donning him in his winged, Hawk Gatling combination.
“SKY HIGH VANDAL!”
“HAWKGATLING!”
“YEAH!”
His friends and family who watched him change were awestruck by his transformation. Scootaloo and Rainbow had stars in their eyes.
“With this…I now have the winning formula!” Build spoke his new catchphrase.
“That. Is. AWESOME!” They both cheered.
The Square Smash struggled to get back on its feet but Flash refused to let it. He took to the skies and summoned the Hawk Gatlinger. He spun the magazine.
“TEN!”
He aimed and pulled the trigger. Orange energy bullets shot out and impacted the Square Smash’s body. It staggered back as the bullets pelted it. It slammed its blade arm into the ground again. But instead of creating blocks to throw, it stacked them up as a wall to defend itself.
“Think that’ll stop me?!” Flash spun the magazine again.
“TWENTY!”
The power output of the Hawkgatlinger increased. The bullets tore through the earthen wall. Flash then flew around the Smash, keeping it in a single location like what he did with the Mirage Smash clones.
The bullets dealt significant damage. Flash decided it was just about time to end this fight. He flew high into the air, spinning the magazine repeatedly.
“TEN!”
“TWENTY!”
“THIRTY!”
“FORTY!”
Seeing the Masked Rider rising high above him, the Smash gave chase. It crouched down and launched off the ground in an extraordinary jump.
“FIFTY!”
“SIXTY!”
“SEVENTY!”
“Think again!” Flash flapped his wings, sending multiple energy rings at the Square Smash and trapped it in the energy glyph. The witnesses below were awestruck at what they were seeing.
“EIGHTY!”
“NINETY!”
“ONE-HUNDRED!”
“FULL BARREL!”
With the weapon fully charged, Flash yelled and unleashed its might. He pulled the trigger and a seemingly endless barrage of energy hawks flew and struck the Square Smash in its prison hard, swallowing it in a massive explosion.
Build landed on his feet as the Smash fell on the ground next to him soon after. He took an empty bottle and pointed it at the Smash. Its essence became absorbed into the bottle, allowing the creature to shrink back to normal size before reverting back to a human.
The Rider closed the bottle, satisfied with a job well done. Once the battle had ceased and the danger finally passed, the group slowly approached the former Smash. Upon doing so, Sunset’s eyes widened in recognition.
“Wait a minute…that’s the same person from last week!”
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.
“I mean that’s the same woman was the Smash that attacked Applejack, Applebloom, and I.”
“What? But how’s that possible?!”
“No clue…but I’m going to find out.” She grabbed the unconscious woman’s arm and activated her magic. Her eyes glowed white as she dived into her target’s subconscious.
Sunset tried to scour through and see into her memories. But all she got in return were indiscernible, hazy images, and blank, white backgrounds. She tried to peer in deeper, but was met with the same result. Frustrated at her lack of answers, she retreated.
Her eyes returned back to normal as she blinked.
“Well?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Did you learn something?”
“No…nothing.” Sunset shook her head. “I tried searching, but couldn’t find anything! It’s as if the woman’s memories were erased or something!”
“That’s disappointing…but it’s not a total loss.” Shining Armor said as he approached. “Because we can still get some answers from the Masked Rider and his friend.”
He turned to where the duo previously stood, only to find empty space. “…wait a minute, where did they go?!”
“Not again…” The red and yellow haired girl groaned as the same thing happened to her last week.
“We’re here!” Micro yelled out to the Rainbooms and company, prompting them to turn towards him. The young genius arrived with Sandalwood, Flash, and Sol trailing behind him.
“About time! Where the heck were you guys?!” Rainbow Dash questioned.
“Sorry! But when we tried to reach you guys, we were jumped by these weird robot guys with guns!” Flash explained, twisting their own story to keep their secret. Earlier, he grabbed Sol and flew out of the area and met up with Micro and Sandalwood as they ditched their disguises. From there, they acted as if nothing was wrong to avoid suspicion.
“Are you guys alright?” Scootaloo questioned in concern.
“We’re fine. We got lucky, actually. That hooded guy that worked with Build saved us.” Sandalwood added onto the story.
“So….what exactly did we miss here?” Sol asked as he saw the destruction around them.
“It’s….it’s a long story…” Applejack answered.
A long story it was indeed. During it, Shining Armor took the liberty to make two calls. The first was to his father, the second was 911. Several minutes later, workers from the Canterlot Research and Development Center were on the scene retrieving the mangled remains of the robots.
They don’t believe just how damaged they were given their internal workings and structure. The damage couldn’t have possibly been done by a normal human.
Help from 911 arrived in the form of several ambulances. The paramedics are currently checking out Applebloom and Big Mac for any injuries. To everyone’s relief, they were found to be fine.
Following the ordeal came a statement that surprised everyone.
“You mean you’re still going to Manehatten?!” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle questioned simultaneously.
“Eeyup.” Applebloom nodded. “Ah decided that Ah needed to stop being selfish. It was thanks to Big Mac Ah realized why they had to make the call.”
“But…but that means we can’t see each other again…” Sweetie Belle refuted.
“Yes we will.” Her red head friend countered. “It’s only gonna be temporary. Ah don’t know when Ah’m coming back, but Ah’ll be sure to see y’all again.”
“And she won’t be going alone…” Big Mac added. “Because Ah’m going with her and stay by her side the whole time.”
“WHAT?!” His sister and grandmother were the most surprised.
“But…but Big Mac…if ya stay with Applebloom, you could be risking yer whole college career! Ya haven’t even notified them ya were leavin’!” Applejack argued.
“Actually, Ah gave admissions a call the other day. Ah told them Ah’d be takin’ an extended leave from college due to family matters. As it stands, Ah’m out of college for the year until we come back.” Her brother replied.
“But…but what if this doesn’t blow over in a year?!”
“Then Ah’ll cross that bridge when Ah come to it. Ah made a promise, didn’t Ah, Haystack? That no matter what, Ah would keep y’all safe. But Ah’m not lettin’ our sister go in this alone.”
“But…are you sure, dearie?” Granny Smith asked him. She needed to be sure if this is his final decision.
“It is, Granny. Ah made my choice. Just like Applebloom.” Big Mac nodded firmly.
The non-Apple family members of the group stayed silent during the whole exchange. They had no right to interject or pry into the conversation as it was a family matter. Applejack and Granny Smith stayed silent for a few moments.
“…Alright…” The matriarch of the household gave her consent. “If that is yer decision, then Ah won’t stop ya. Just promise me that y’all stay safe, ya hear?”
“Yes, Granny.” Both siblings replied.
“Make it a Pinkie Promise!” Pinkie Pie interjected.
“Pinkie!” Her friends admonished her.
“What? Nobody breaks a Pinkie promise!” Pinkie pie argued. “It will be the surefire way to keep their promise to her!”
Seeing the pink haired girl’s point, both Applebloom and Big Mac performed the deed and sealed the promise, believing neither one to be bear to break it lest they feel Pinkie Pie’s wrath.
The Next Day…
Due to the commotion caused by the Smash, Applebloom’s, and now Big Mac’s, departure was delayed to the following morning.
All of their friends had arrived to help see them off. Big Mac loaded the rest of his and Applebloom’s luggage into his truck.
They all said their farewells and best wishes. Soon, the two Apple siblings drove down the road to their temporary place of residence.
All the while, none of them knew about the red figure that watched their car leaving Canterlot City.
Blood Stalk observed the vehicle with a critical eye. Particularly the man driving said vehicle. What he witnessed earlier was unique. Most humans he came across either died when exposed to Nebula Gas, or mutate into Smashes.
To see a human capable of gaining strength from it was a phenomenal sight to see.
“…how interesting…”
To be Continued…
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Big Mac will become Kamen Rider Grease.
9663568
That's exactly what I was thinking during the fight. It makes sense, too. Both are farmers that had troubles at home, so they ended up becoming the Rider to try getting help for their home. It would be so cool to see Big Mac as Grease. SCRAP FINISH!!!
9663904
Well, he could be recruited for the Sclash Driver once it's finished. Basically, he was scanned for his Hazard Level under the pretense of it being a mandatory medical checkup. T
The chapter was great and had plenty of focus on the families featured in the show as well as their concerns with each other. I liked the mentions of things from the comments like Micro insulting Sol (then saying he understood part of it thanks to watching anime, XD) and Apple Bloom going to stay with Babs. I'm wondering what will happen next, especially with what happened with Big Mac during the battle. I'm hoping that brings Kamen Rider Grease into the fic in the future.
Speaking of that, I'm wondering about the Hazard Trigger. It's a powerful item, but the risks are just as great. What makes it scarier than other Kamen Rider forms that go berserk is that instead of feral roars or deep grunts and growls, Build stays silent while beating down his opponent hard enough to kill them. That was horrifying in the actual show.
9663909
That makes sense. Somebody involved with the Smash and Blood Stalk would do that and learn of Big Mac's Hazard Level, then they recruit him. But since Grease was an enemy of Build to start, how and why would he go against Flash and Team Build if going in that direction to start?
9663919
Knowing Big Mac, I think Faust would try to use his family and blackmail him.
9663927
Yeah, then while fighting Flash, Sol could make sure they're safe. That way, Grease becomes an ally.
It was sad to see Apple Bloom and Big Mac go. Big Mac actually did pretty good against the Smash. I hope things get better soon because so far things haven't been going well for the Rainbooms and their families.
HAHAHAHA! Thanks for using my comment in the story!
9663568
"The fuel of my heart... passion."
9663904
9663568
9663904
Want to place a bet on which CMC members become the Three Crows? My guess: Apple Bloom is Castle, Babs is Kuwagata/Stag Beetle, and Scootaloo is Owl/Fukuro.
9664491
While that's a good idea, I don't want them involved in that way. Mainly because of the original versions. Hazard Trigger is terrifying and traumatized Sento when he had to use it.
9664800
I highly doubt the author being willing to subject such young people to the Hazard Trigger.
9664816
I'm talking about Flash using it. If he fights for too long in a Hazard transformation, he'll end up killing somebody when he goes berserk.
9664821
Simple way around that, when he first feels the effects, he takes the Trigger off and switches to new Bottles.
9666038
Yeah, but it can happen in the middle of a battle. Just watch the first use of it and ask yourself why Sento didn't do just that during his uses of it.
9666470
Some good thoughts, but we'll need to see about those last two.
I wonder how well the Nebula Gas will react to someone who has been using magic?
9667243 Don't worry, we have a plan for that. It'll tie into the story.
9667256
Is this a collaboration?
9667258 Well my name is on there.
9667256
That'll be interesting to see.
9663927
Considering what Big Mac said about "making a deal with the devil if it meant protecting his family", Blood Stalk is going to be responsible for it given the canon version's behavior and the armor's devil-like appearance.
Calling it now. Mac is gonna be Grease.
Course, this makes me question who Rogue will be.
9672332
Yeah, the question of who Kamen Rider Rogue might be is still a mystery. At least, Mac would be an awesome Grease. We just need to wait for later chapters.
One thing related to those two Riders that's on my mind is when we get to the Hazard Trigger. The first use of it was horrifying in the original Kamen Rider Build series. But it also makes me think of that one moment when a berserk Build nearly attacked his friend and she was able to transform Hazard RabbitTank into a RabbitRabbit form to snap him out of it. I'm betting that one of the Rainbooms (my money is on either Twilight or Sunset, if that's the case) will be able to fill that role and even help inspire the real RabbitRabbit and TankTank forms.
I can totally see Twilight helping Micro Chips in the lab when the Rainbooms are let in on the secret. I also see the CMC sticking around them if they do find out, but that's less likely. In any case, I'm excited to see what happens when we get to those points in the story.
9672332
Oh, maybe Rogue (if not whoever Night Rogue is, but that wouldn't make much sense) can be a version of Tempest Shadow. She would be an awesome Kamen Rider character.
9673599
Thank you so much for your support for this story.
I will not confirm or deny your little theories though. Just know that we have some big things planned later down the road. Just stay tuned and see what they are.
9673970
Looking forward to what you do with everything. I'm so excited!
I'm really interested in this. I recently read all in one go and its really good and I hope to continue to read it. I like how Sunset has alot of suspicions and most of them come because she doesn't know how to treat the situation and their powers have failed them.
I only turned into kamen rider fandom at the end of last year and I truly love the series even though I have only finished 4 series(Decade, Fourze, Gaim and Ghost and currently caught on ZI-O).
Will you do maybe a Hesei generations like chapters?
9675455
Yeah, it's a great fic. I recently got into Kamen Rider because of one fic on this site and I got some recommendations. Out of all of the shows I've seen, I've completed watching Kiva (love his basic armor because it was so cool), Double, OOO, Fourze (Gentaro is such a dumb goof and I love him for it), Wizard, and Drive. I've still got to catch up on other shows as well.
As for the girls getting suspicious, I feel like it's only a matter of time before they learn about Team Build and help out when they can. I can see a number of things for them like Twilight helping make equipment, Fluttershy and Sunset offering to purify the Fullbottles, and even a few possibilities when we get to a few certain moments that were featured in the Kamen Rider Build show.
9675594
I personally hope they are not that involved. In most power rangers/Super sentai and kamen rider stories, I have seen they are largely involved with being the main focus, helping or lending their abilities or powers.
Is interesting to see that their powers have zero effect on the smashs, and what you suggested feels will take from Micro and sandal. More for Micro as he and Sol are the most invested in the story.
What's with teenaged superheroes getting blogged by fans? Miraculous has the Lady Blog. I read a Spiderman story with a Spidey Blog. What's next? Is someone going to write a Power Rangers story with a Ranger Blog?
Wait, I think I might have already read a story like that and just forgot about it. 
If Smashes start attacking Manehattan now, I'm going to scream.
9666041 I say the Hazard Trigger's emotional effect will depend on who the beetle smash is. If it's a character everyone loves, then it'll be heart wrenching. But if it's a character no one likes, seeing Flash destroy him could be enjoyable. Oh...now I want Timber Spruce as the beetle smash.
9687516
It's not just that. When the characters from Hokuto were introduced, they were a team of friends already. The Stag Beetle Smash's death wasn't just heartwrenching for Sento because he actually killed somebody, Grease lost a friend and ally. The removal of the dog tags just made it even more emotional.
9686025
The blogs are mostly because of fans in the modern age. They make websites in order to share their love for the heroes and show that they are doing good.
9685981
She might do it in the future when it bugs her too much or the Rainbooms could follow Flash and the others.
9687516
Okay, even the depths of my dislike for Timber don't go that far.
Uhh
Was this idea taken from the "Spidey-Blog" in Equestrian Defender's story?
Pinkie should have also said
"I keep a smile on my face because it looks ridiculous anywhere else on the body!"
Astronaut! Friendship! Rider Match!
9704137
I also think that's the idea