> Over-Infinite Bonds and Friendships > by ShogunWriter106 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Omen, Transported, and Revival > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ancient Equestria Deep within the chambers of the Castle of the Royal Sisters, Star Swirl the Bearded hummed in thought as his eyes gazed at the wrinkly pages before him. He looked at the symbols in thought before he diverted his attention away from the unknown tome to write down some notes. "Teacher? Why are you still up this late at night?" An orange robed unicorn stallion with a brown mane and tail spoke up as he walked into the room. "Mystic Warlock..." Star Swirl sighed as he magically closed the book after bookmarking it with a prismatic quill, "Every night when I go to sleep, thoughts tend to interfere with my rest. I don't understand why would the King of Germaney hire you for some mysterious purpose, but I bet it has something to do with this!" Star Swirl lifted the book in his magic and tossed it with great accuracy onto a nearby podium where it landed perfectly. "I'm telling you Mystic!" Star Swirl humphed, "I don't trust that greedy fool! He's up to something, I can feel it! When he send that book to me, it made my suspicions grew worse! Why would the King discard something he won't relinquish to anyone?" "Maybe he doesn't need it anymore..." Mystic Warlock suggested before he yawned as he covered his mouth with his hoof, "Now if you excuse me, I need to sleep and I suggest you do the same!" The door slammed while Star Swirl stared with a solemn gaze before he turned his attention to the book. "Maybe he doesn't need it anymore," The bearded unicorn repeated in thought as he walked to the grey tome with metal corners as three slanted blue O's conjoined together glinted on the cover, "You might be right Mystic because the King must have found something terrible! This book is too dangerous for pony kind! I must send it away where it will not do any harm like the Sirens!" The book was immediately surrounded by his magical aura before it vanished into thin air. "I hope no one finds that tome, or the book will bring great danger to the one who does!" Star Swirl muttered gravely. (One Year Later) Star Swirl swept Mystic Warlock's chambers in silence. It has been one year since his apprentice left to Germaney, and he hasn't been receiving any letters from him; It was bothering him a lot. As he continued to sweep, the wooden end of the broom bumped into a hanging portrait of Mystic Warlock as it swung open to reveal a hollow space containing a book with an alchemist circle on it. Confused, Star Swirl took the book from the safe and started to read it, but then his confusion changed into shock before his eyes narrowed as he blasted the book with a bolt of rage fueled magic. He then abruptly teleported out of the room as thunder outside started to clash. Star Swirl stomped throughout the castle as the thunderstorm boomed outside with great anger as he snorted before he slammed two doors open while brushing off guards in magical bursts. "Mystic!!" Star Swirl bellowed as he walked into a chamber filled with many chemicals and grimores, "I know you are here Mystic! Reveal yourself! I know you kept a book containing forbidden spells in your room! Come out so I can see you!" "As you wish, teacher," Mystic spoke in a mocking voice as he walked out of a shadow while carrying a stallion's body with a crown on his head before he dumped it in front of his teacher, "But it doesn't matter, the King has outlived his usefulness to me! He sent you the book in hopes you can come up with a failsafe for this project, but HA! What a fool he was when you of all ponies sent the book to another dimension! I thought it was going to be a win for me, but he managed to stop me all by himself by sabotaging the creation process of the Core Medals!" The body before Star Swirl twitched as it weakly raised its head as it slowly got up from the cold stone floor. "You are a fool Warlock!" The King weakly spoke in anger before his legs wobbled until Star Swirl caught him, "I've sent the book not to let him to come up with a failsafe, but to make sure the book never falls in the wrong hoofs again! I never thought it was you who placed that spell on the book! Where did you get it?!" "You pitiful king," Mystic sneered as he walked on what appears to be shattered gems as they crunched beneath his hooves, "I found that book at the edge of Everfree, and when I opened it up, it was filled with many notes written in an unknown language! But I saw the meaning behind them as they were a blueprint to great power! I knew you wouldn't allow me to perform such a dangerous feat, so I placed a temporary spell on it that makes somepony's desires run rampant! I was near completion on my success if you hadn't barged in at the last minute!" To emphasize his point, Mystic held up two blue coins, and one red coin in his magic, "All I have left now are these! If I haven't reverse engineered these that were with the book, I would have kept working on those Core Medals for 10 years! I would have been one more step closer to ultimate power!!" "Warlock! You have no idea what dangerous forces are you dealing with!" The King shouted as he leaned against Star Swirl for support. "Oh, I think I know what I am doing your majesty!" Mystic mocked as he levitated a flask with an unknown magenta liquid, "I'm going to make sure you won't interfere again when I redo this experiment!" Suddenly a lightning bolt crashed through a stained glass window and blasted the flask into smithereens, causing the contents inside to splash on Mystic! The mad stallion roared in pain as his body slowly changed right before Star Swirl's and the King's eyes until all that was left were the three coins Mystic held and a pile of silver ones. "Is he gone?" the King asked as he watched Star Swirl perform a scanning spell on the pile of coins. "I don't think so," Star Swirl concluded as he stepped back and magically moved the pile of coins into a stone container, "He may be a pile of coins, but I can sense his mind. He might learn to control his new form in the future, so I'm taking precautions and sealing him with the other coins into this container in hopes he will never return!" The King gazed at the floor in shame before he turned to Star Swirl with remorse, "Star Swirl, I'm sorry for dragging you into this. I will make sure this chamber's research is completely destroyed so nopony can use it again. This might be my way of repenting my earlier actions when I was controlled by that spell." "Your majesty, it wasn't your fault," Star Swirl comforted as he walked with the King while the guards were busy torching the research inside the laboratory, "That spell on that book was broken once it finished its purpose. I doubt anypony with evil intent would be able to make the same mistake. I have made sure of that by placing a protection spell on the book when I teleported it away." "That may be true old friend," The King stated before his expression turned grim, "but it's my fault for allowing that spell to take control of me." "Nopony's perfect, your majesty. All we could do now is to learn from our mistakes," Star Swirl stated as he placed a hoof on the elderly king as they left the castle. Earth Slow dripping tears ran down from Sozui Shunsen's face as he continued to listen to "Dearly Beloved" from Kingdom Hearts 2 on his I-Pod. It was one of the few known songs that can bring him to tears while he reads something emotional, but that's not the case at this moment for he is currently looking over a website page of Kamen Rider OOO's enemies: The Greeed. Out of all the Kamen Rider enemies, the Greeed were so far the most pitiful. The one he is currently reading is Ankh, the bird Greeed. At first he thought Ankh was just an apathetic person, but when he found out more about his origins he couldn't but start to feel pity for every Greeed in that show! "If only there was some way to make things right for them..." Sozui lamented as he clicked to another page. KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! "Nani (What)?" After shutting down his computer and pressing the stop button on his I-Pod, he got up from his couch and walked to the door of his one room apartment. "Hello?" Sozui spoke as he opened the door only to see no one. He stepped out for a moment, but then his foot touched something. His eyes drifted down to see a tri-folded letter with a wax seal of three slanted O's on it, "Is that?" He bend down to pick up the letter and opened it to reveal the contents. Sozui Shunsen- If you want to make some changes to desire, then come to the warehouse at 000 Haunted Drive. I have something that might interest you. The map is on the back of this letter with the location marked. We will discuss business there. "Changes to desire?" Sozui muttered as he flipped the letter over and pulled the wax seal as a brown rectangular piece of plastic peeled off with it to reveal the map, "Are they referring to what I think they are referring? If they are, what do they have that could do that?" "This must be the place," Sozui muttered as he got out of his car. The warehouse he was standing in front is rather shabby with a bit of worn paint here and there. He winced when a bit of wood fell off from the roof as lightning stormed in the distance, "I got a bad feeling about this..." Slowly taking out his I-Pod from his pocket, he selected "Thriller" and walked slowly into the dark damp building. When he entered through the entrance, the door suddenly slammed shut enveloping the inside into total darkness! The lights immediately flashed on making Sozui squinted as his eyes blurred until they fully adjusted to the light. "Hello Sozui," A voice spoke up as a figure in a black coat approached Sozui. "I have been waiting for you." Sozui flinched and took a step back as he turned off his I-pod. He was about to run for his life if the Mysterious Person had not grabbed him by the shoulder. "Wait! Wait! Wait! Let's not be hasty," The Mysterious Person calmly spoke as he let go of Sozui when he stopped struggling, "Don't you want to know what I have that can 'change desires.'" "Yeah, if the door hadn't suddenly slammed shut and you popping out of nowhere near Halloween maybe I wouldn't have started to-" Sozui's rant stopped when the figure reached into his coat and pulled out a book with a familiar symbol on the cover. "What's that?" "Sozui, I have been watching you for quite some time. I know of your hobbies and fascination with the Greeed and Kamen Rider OOO," The Mysterious Person admitted, "And I must say, I never thought to see someone to have such emotions for the antagonists of that particular show." "Speak for yourself," Sozui huffed, "I just want to help the Greeed sedate their insatiable hunger and try to teach them how to live with humanity." "Aah, but to do that you must first remake the Tenth Core Medals of the Greeed by using this book." The Mysterious Person noted as he held out the book to Sozui but he quickly took it out of his reach, "However, to remake them you must first introduce each of the Greeed to a certain concept that synchronizes with them." "Certain concept?" Sozui said in confusion as he was handed the tome, "But what can I do to defend myself if I don't have the OOO Driver? Or the O Medal HoldEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRR!?!" Sozui screamed the rest of his statement as he suddenly dropped through a vortex that appeared under his feet. "Oh, don't worry," The Mysterious Person chuckled as his hand stopped glowing with white energy while his eyes seemed to glow beneath his hood, "You'll receive them when the time comes." The Mysterious Person then started to hum as he started to dump five big buckets of Cell Medals into the vortex before he stopped and tied five small burlap sacks to an anvil. He then whistled the last few notes of "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" as he pushed the anvil into the vortex and dusted his gloves off as he chuckled. Equestria (During Discord's Second Reign of Chaos) Now Discord would be basking in the chaos as he watched ponies ran in fear from the abnormal events, but strangely he was surprisingly bored and has tried several attempts to relieve his boredom. Discord snorted as he hanged upside down with his chair before he immediately went right side up with it. "Rgh! I don't get it! Why am I feeling so down?" Discord grunted as he stretched his mismatched body parts to long lengths across the sky before they snapped back to him like a rubberband as he sighed with relief. He then transformed into a version of The Thinker and started to mutter to himself. "Hmm... I tried watering the plants..." A white mare with a grayish cyan mane shrieked in horror as she was chased by humongous venus flytraps as they snapped at her! "I tried fishing and boxing..." A stallion screamed in fear as he ran away from a determined octopus with boxing gloves. Discord poof back to normal, "But none of them amused me even the slightest! The only thing that managed to do so was 'tweaking' those six mares. What is it going to take to get some descent chaos around here?" He slumped back in his throne as he watched the chaos he made so far with a depressed face as he took out a bag of corn kernels and started to chew on them by tossing them one by one into his mouth. Suddenly, one of Discord's ears twitched when he heard a high whistle that came from above causing him to look up. His eyes instantly widened comically before he quickly scrambled out of his throne while it ran in the opposite direction just as the unknown object crashlanded on the checkerboard ground. Discord and his throne peeked into the crater and saw a bipedal figure completely unconscious as it groaned in discomfort. "Well, well. What do we have here?" Discord muttered as he noticed a book in the figure's hands and stretched his lion paw to grab it, but as soon as he touched it, he received a shock equal to ten million lightning bolts! Discord's Throne could only watch in apparent amazement as Discord's skeleton flashed in and out before he was blown out of the crater! A moment later Discord teleported back, grumbling with a stray hair burning on his head before he pinched it out. He then strapped on a surgical mask and rubber gloves before pulling out a rod connected to a measuring device. "Let's see what we got..." He muttered as he waved the rod over the book and the measuring device clicked progressively fast and loud until it somehow screamed in horror with the rod, and they immediately hopped out of the crater in a fright and ran away as fast as they could! Discord blinked as this reaction before smacking himself in the face in realization, "Star Swirl, you old coot! This is your shield spell work isn't it!? Hmm... and that wasn't the first spell that landed on this bundle of papers. There is a faint trace of a mind-control spell on here as well, but why would such a strange creature have a important book?" Discord snapped his eagle claw as a phantasm book titled Memories floated through the figure's head as the chain connected to his head rattled when he took the book and opened it up. "Hmm, Let's see," Discord murmured with glassless bifocals as he flipped through the pages, "His name is Sozui Shunsen... He is 20 years old... Likes to listen to music..." Discord's eyes wiggled back and forth as he scanned through the pages until they stopped on the last page that describes Sozui being given the book before he was teleported to Equestria by the Mysterious Person. "How odd... yet strangely... chaotic!" Discord smirked as he slid the book back in Sozui's head before he rubbed his eagle claw and lion paw eagerly, "If he wants to help these 'Greeed' so badly, I'll grant his wish!" He then snapped his eagle claw and watch as fragments appeared out of thin air before they formed into red, yellow, green, blue, and grey Core Medals, but he frowned when he saw them, "Strange... why am I getting a sense of déjà vu? Oh well! It will come to me eventually! Now! Let's see what I can do with them!" Discord's Throne quivered in fear as it stepped back when its owner pulled out a chainsaw and cackled like a maniac! The coins seemed to have reacted to this response as the red Core Medal displaying a hawk hit him on the head while the green Core Medal displaying a stag beetle socked him in the gut. "OW!" Discord yelped as he rubbed his head before glaring at the Core Medals floating before him, "Oh so that's how you want to play huh? Well I'll-" He didn't get to finish his statement when a horde of Cell Medals suddenly poured down on his head. Discord quickly pulled out a parasol and turned it upside down to shield himself from the 'Cell Medal Rain.' "What the-?! Where are these things coming from? Pootey! Yuck! I think one fell in my mouth!" Discord complained in disgust. The Cell Medal Rain continued for seven more seconds before it finally stopped. Discord held out a lion paw to check if it is still raining metal coins before he closed up the parasol. "Well, that wasn't so bad," He stated as he shook the small umbrella for a bit. CLANG!! Unfortunately, Discord's statement was immediately declared untrue when an anvil suddenly fell on his head! "Daisy~! Daisy~! I'm all crazy..." Discord deliriously sang while cotton candy clouds swirled around his head before he collapsed to the ground. Discord's Throne crept over to its master as it nudged him with one of its legs in worriment, but then a jingling was then heard as five burlap sacks near the anvil trembled before Cell Medals spewed out in an amazing speed! Discord's Throne whimpered as it watched the recreated green, blue, grey, and yellow Core Medals became surrounded by the moving masses before each of them flew off in four different directions. The red Core Medal, however, stayed put as the Cell Medals converged around it until they formed into a humanoid body with avian aspects. The body seem to look around for a moment before it rested its gaze on the unconscious Sozui holding the book in his arms. It walked over to him and hoisted him up in its arms before it became a mass of Cell Medals and flew towards the Everfree Forest. Discord's Throne could only watch in confusion until it heard Discord groaning as he woke up. "Ogh! Why do I have such a splitting headache and where did this crater come from?" Discord asked in confusion as he rubbed his head in pain. Discord's Throne just walked over to him slid him back to his seat and took him to a nearby hill as six mares rushed towards it. Near the Everfree Forest, the avian creature continued to stare as it watched a double rainbow surrounded the chaotic place before it disappeared to reveal a normal town. "Humph, I don't know what is going on or why I'm still alive," The avian creature stated in a masculine voice as he stroked his right hand over his half-faceless face before he turned his attention to Sozui, "But something tells me this is going to get strange." > Injury, Zebra, and A Scared Beetle > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Everfree Forest (Noon) Deep within a cave in the Everfree Forest, the avian creature hefted three logs into a circle of stones and placed some twigs under them. He then shot a small fireball into the pile of timber and the fire started to blaze. The avian creature stared at the fire for a moment before turning to the unconscious Sozui as he continued to snore softly in his sleep while clutching the book in his arms. "Tch! This is just my day! I was dead for about five minutes and then I wake up to find some freaking chimera about to use a chainsaw on me and an unknown human holding a book with OOO's symbol on it. I could have left him back at that awkward place if that thing didn't caught my attention, and Eiji wouldn't approve it... More importantly I'm missing three of my Core Medals!" The avian creature muttered as he poke the fire for a moment, but then a small groan came from Sozui as he started to stir in his slumber, "Well, look who's finally awake." "Ugh, where am I?" Sozui groaned as he rubbed his throbbing head until he noticed the avian creature before him, "Nani? Ankh? Is this a dream?" Ankh tensed before he suddenly pinned Sozui to the ground with a murderous glare in his gaze! "NOT A DREAM! NOT A DREAM!" Sozui screamed as he struggled to get out of Ankh's grip. "Omai! How do you know my name? Who are you?!" Ankh demanded as he put more pressure around Sozui's throat. "Are you one of Maki's subordinates!?" "If you can at least take a chill pill and let go of my throat, then maybe I can answer your question!" Sozui choked in a raspy voice. Ankh grudgingly did so and watched with a suspicious look as the almost suffocated human started to take deep breaths while he rubbed his hand over his sore throat. "Now, you better answer my question or else!" Ankh growled as the flames from the fire pit flickered wildly. "Would you believe me if I told you I'm from another dimension where everything in your world is fiction?" Sozui asked. The flames suddenly went out at the same time Ankh tensed, "I guess so." After starting another fire pit, Ankh sat across Sozui as he glared at him with suspicion. "If you claim what you say is true, what is your proof that I'm fictional in your world?" Ankh asked. "Well... I can name a few things..." Sozui smirked, "Let's see: you were tricked by Koumagi to pay sixty percent of the Cell Medals you collected, you got whacked in the head by a lovesick Eiji multiple times, and I think you were pranked once by a wasabi filled icepop!" "Enough!" Ankh bellowed before he took a deep breath and let it out, "Fine! I believe you, but let me ask you one more question: Where did you get that book?!" "This?" Sozui asked, "I got this from a strange guy in a black cloak. He said it would help me remake your Tenth Core Medal as well as your siblings'." NANI?! WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO REPAIR MY CORE MEDAL, BUT REPAIR THEIRS AS WELL?!?!?!? Ankh demanded as the fire's blaze increased in strength lighting up the cave in the process. "I can explain!" Sozui quickly added as he hastily backed up while shielding the book from the flying embers, "You had a friend once before you met Eiji, right?!" "What?! I- I don't know what you are talking about!" Ankh denied as he turned his head away, but there was a faint hint of sadness and regret within his anger and annoyance. "Don't try to play dumb Ankh," Sozui scolded as he placed the book behind him, "I told you! I know everything that has happened so far that happened within your world! You met a blind girl, didn't you? That is one of my reasons for helping you so I can help you fulfill your promise to her!" "Hrgh!" Ankh grunted as he crossed his arms in angry embarrassment. "Come on Ankh! I know deep down you still care for her and Eiji. Can't you at least cooperate with me for them?" Sozui pleaded as he walked over to Ankh, "I just want to help you and your siblings." "URUSEI!" Ankh snapped as he threw a haymaker to Sozui's face causing him to stagger from the blow and slumped against the cave wall, "LIKE HECK YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME! IN MOST OF MY LIFE I WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A FLOATING HAND WITH BARELY TWO CORE MEDALS LEFT TO SUSTAIN ME! YOU'RE JUST A HUMAN WITH A BLUE VEST, WHITE SHIRT, JEANS, AND STUPID SNEAKERS WHO'S LOOKING FOR AN IMPOSSIBLE RESULT! HOW EXACTLY ARE YOU GOING TO RECREATE OUR CORE MEDALS WHEN YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE TO MAKING THEM?!" "Ough!" Sozui groaned as he struggled to get up, but the pain from the punch made it hard for him to stand correctly, "Okay, maybe I went too far with that one..." Sozui was then immediately grabbed by his vest and lifted against the cave wall by the enraged phoenix Greeed. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't roast you right now!" Ankh deathly whispered as flames appeared in his unoccupied left hand as it clenched into a fist, but then a deep growl came from the darkness of the cave as two glowing green eyes opened to the flickering light of the fire pit. "Maybe so we could run for our lives from that!" Sozui suggested in fear as he pointed to a manticore stepping out from the shadows and roared at the intruders to its cave causing the fire pit to go out. Ankh was surprised at first but he growled as he shouldered Sozui and immediately made a break to the exit while Sozui managed to grab the book along the way. The manticore roared as it chased after them while using its scorpion tail to sting at them. Ankh kicked off the walls as he dodged the dangerous appendage while he threw a few fireballs to stall the creature's progress before they managed to reach the exit. Sozui sighed with relief as he thought they were going to make it until a pained yell came from Ankh as the manticore managed to score a lucky hit on his right foreleg before it retreated back to its cave to treat its burns. "Ankh! Are you okay?" Sozui spoke in concern as he got off of Ankh and set him against a tree. "I'm fine! Get your hands off me!" Ankh grunted but then he hissed in pain as he clutched his leg. "No you're not! I'm not going to let you move until we take care of that injury! You may be a body composed of many Cell Medals, but that doesn't mean I can let you treat an injury like it's nothing!" Sozui chided as he watched Cell Medals pour from the wound as it healed slowly from the attack. He then looked around his surroundings and found some vines and a fallen tree limb near him. Getting an idea, he reached into his vest pocket and pulled out some rolled up gauze and wrapped it around the open wound. He then took the tree limb and broke it into the appropriate length before he used the vines to tie it against Ankh's foreleg. Ankh watched with annoyance as Sozui continued to make the makeshift-splint, but he noticed that the pain is starting to lessen when Sozui finished. "There!" Sozui gasped as he wiped his head free of sweat, "It's not much, but it will give you enough time until the poison is completely removed from your body! I guess you're stuck with limping for a while." Ankh didn't say anything as he tested his leg, it still hurts but not as much as it did previously. He then felt Sozui shouldering his right arm and started to carry him while he kept the book in his inner vest pocket. "You know, I was kind of like you when I was younger," Sozui spoke after a moment of silence, "Rude. Stubborn. Hot Tempered. I just wanted to be by myself at some times, and it did land me in a couple of troubles." "Then what made you turn around?" Ankh asked in curiosity. "Let's just say... I had some help from an unexpected source," Sozui cryptically stated. Ankh stared at him in confusion as they continued to walk through the forest. An hour later, Ankh and Sozui found themselves standing in front of a hut inside a very old tree with potions hanging from its branches. "Do you think somebody lives here?" Sozui asked before a gust of wind suddenly pushed them through the front door as it closed behind them. He quickly got up and tugged at the door only to find it unable to budge. "Great," Sozui muttered before he felt something gently tapped his shoulder. "Strange guests who are in my home, why were you in the Everfree such it is a dangerous place to roam?" A voice mysteriously rhymed behind him. Sozui turned his head around and found a zebra holding a tray with three steaming cups and a pile of crackers on it, "Come in to my chambers, I have some tea and crackers." Sozui blinked in bafflement as he turned to Ankh who only groaned and rubbed his leg in pain before asking the strange zebra, "Aren't you the least bit surprised by him?" "I have seen many strange creatures more or less, he is just merely a bird wounded by an injury and stress," the zebra explained calmly with a smile. "Bird?!" Ankh growled with a visible tickmark, but he received a whack from Sozui as well as a quick 'bear with it' glare as he helped him got up from the floor and carried him to the zebra's chambers. "So you live here to keep others safe when you are doing dangerous spells?" Sozui asked as he slumped in his seat on the couch next to Ankh while chewing on a cracker. After the zebra showed them to her quarters, she introduced herself to be Zecora, a shaman from Zebrica. It also turns out she has the antidote to a manticore's poison and was able to apply it to Ankh's wound which quickly sealed up as soon as the medicine was applied. "Yes I don't want the other ponies to be harmed, and I certainly don't want them to be any more alarmed," Zecora explained while Ankh blew on his tea to cool it off. "I see," Sozui muttered as he sipped his tea while Ankh did the same, but then something clicked in his mind that made him did a spit take on Ankh much to his annoyance, "WAIT! Other ponies?! You mean there are others like you?" Zecora nodded as she took a sip from her tea, "There are three types: earth, pegasus, and unicorn, but the most royal of them all is the alicorn." Sozui's eyes narrowed in thought as he nudged Ankh's arm beside him, "Ankh, I'm going to see what's inside that tome. Think you can stand still through her explanation of the alicorns?" "Oi! You may have treated my wound and helped me across the forest, but that doesn't mean-!" "Would ten ice pops change your mind?" Sozui asked as he stopped Ankh from executing another of his rants. "Rgh! Fine! But don't you forget it!" Ankh sternly reminded. Sozui quickly jumped behind the couch as Ankh started to ask Zecora about the alicorn. "There are two alicorn sisters that have existed through out the history of Equestria. The eldest is Princess Celestia while the youngest is Princess Luna." Zecora started to explain while Sozui managed to quietly open the book and started to skim through the pages quickly, but all he could see is ancient gibberish on every page. "Come on, please tell me there is something legible in here!" Sozui whispered urgently as he flipped page after page frantically until he suddenly stopped on the last one where it doesn't contain any writing, but an indention of something rectangular, "Oh you got to be kidding me..." Suddenly, a scream of horror came from outside as Ankh, Sozui (who placed the book back in his vest pocket), and Zecora went out and the former two saw someone familiar as he scrambled in fear away from something. That someone is Uva in his incomplete form as he frantically shot green lightning at a pink blur that is chasing after him. Some of the green lightning strayed from its target and zapped where Sozui was standing causing him to spasm a bit as his skeleton was seen a few times before he stopped completely black as coal with an afro on his head. He quickly shook the soot off of him and watched in confusion as Uva scurried up a tree and clung onto a branch. The pink blur immediately stopped in front of the tree to reveal to be a pink mare with a poofy mane and tail as she looked around for the cornered bug Greeed while holding a big fly swatter. "Uva?! What's he doing he-UMPH!" Ankh started to speak out loudly, but Sozui quickly slapped a hand over where his mouth was suppose to be. "Quiet Ankh! Don't let her see us! Zecora, please distract her!" Sozui whispered as he ducked out of the pink pony's view while Zecora nodded and made her way to the pink mare. "Pinkie Pie my dear friend, are you looking for someone to apprehend?" Zecora asked in confusion. "Oh hey Zecora!" Pinkie Pie cheerfully greeted, "I was baking cupcakes at Sugarcube Corner when I heard something clattering outside, and I went out and found some sort of big bug searching through the garbage cans eating some of the baked bads I accidentally made. I thought it was some sort of crazy bug so I brought out my big flyswatter and started to smack it and then it managed to get away! Did you see it around here!? I want to teach that big beetle not to mess around with my garbage until he apologizes!" "Good luck with that... Uva might be a tough nut to crack," Sozui muttered to himself as he and Ankh quietly tiptoed behind her to the tree. "Ah if you are looking for that beast, I think he ran to the east," Zecora explained as she pointed to a direction. "Thanks!" Pinkie Pie yelled as she zoomed off at an amazing speed but then she came back a second later, "He wasn't there sorry! Say my Pinkie Sense just went off earlier and wowie zowie was it a doozy!! I don't know what it is but something big will happen here! I wonder what it is? A sudden lightning bolt? A failed experiment? A new pony to welcome in Ponyville!?! Oh Zecora, you know how much I like to throw 'Welcome Parties!'" While Pinkie Pie was rambling to Zecora, Sozui and Ankh started to climb up the tree to get Uva down and managed to get to the tree branch from where he was hanging. "Ankh?! What are you doing here and who is he?!" Uva whispered as he clung on the branch. "Shh! Don't let her hear you! I'll explain later just grab my hand!" Sozui quietly spoke as he held out his hand to Uva. The bug Greeed stared at Sozui for a moment but he grabbed his hand none of the less, "Good, now gently... Gently..." Sozui and Uva were almost to the trunk of the tree when the branch suddenly snapped off completely, but Ankh managed to grab on Sozui's vest at the last second as the helpless duo hung for their life. "Whew, that was close!" Sozui sighed with relief as they were gently lowered to the ground by Ankh's flight ability, but his relief was cut short when Uva suddenly sneezed when one red feather landed on his face. Pinkie Pie's ears flicked making her turn her head to see three strangers behind her. Her eyes then comically flamed as they turned red with anger when she saw Uva. She snorted steam as she scraped her hoof against the ground while her tail started to spark like a lit fuse as her teeth clenched around the handle of the fly swatter. "Shall we run for our lives now? I've seen what she does with that fly swatter! It wasn't natural!" Uva gulped in fear as he stepped back. "For once Uva, I agree with you..." Ankh fearfully stated as he stepped back as well as the spark on Pinkie's tail reached to her flank, the fly swatter then started to spin like a high-speed eggbeater! "RUN!!!!!" Sozui screamed as the terrified trio ran for their lives as a mad pink pony chased after them like a rocket while Zecora just shook her head at this spectacle before she went back inside her hut. > Haunted Mansion, Fear, and Name > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Everfree Forest (Dusk) "GO!GO!GO!GO!GO!GO!GO!GO!GO!GO!" Sozui screamed in panic as he, Ankh, and Uva ran out of the dense forest and into an open field of dead grass before a mad Pinkie burst from the forest suddenly wearing a hockey mask with the fly swatter now spinning her hooves! "How is she doing that?!" Ankh yelled in disbelief as he watched PInkie chased after them while running on two hooves perfectly. "LESS TALKING, MORE RUNNING!!" Uva shouted as he quickly dodged a swing, "AND DOUBLE TIME!" Sozui darted his eyes in every direction until he saw an old rickety mansion a few yards away, "Quick! In there!" Without hesitating, the trio managed to run through the open door of the building as it closed behind them while Pinkie Pie suddenly stopped in front of it and lifted her mask off to show a face of fear. She gulped as rumbling clouds gathered above the mansion and lightning started to clash above it and rain started to pour down. Sozui, Ankh, and Uva all panted in fear as they leaned against the door. "That... was... close...!" Sozui wheezed as he slumped to the wooden floor in exhaustion while Ankh and Uva managed to recover their breath and looked around the interior the house. It was dark with a huge staircase leading to the second floor and there was some furniture covered in sheets with old fashioned paintings hanging on the wall. "What is this place?" Ankh asked but his attention was soon grabbed by the flash of lightning through a nearby window as rain hammered against it. "I guess we're stuck here for the night," Uva stated as he went to a nearby switch and flicked it up as the lights flickered on but they immediately died off, "Great..." "Hang on, I found a candle!" Sozui called out as he took out the mentioned object before he started to feel around his vest, "Now where did I put those matches? Ah! Here they are!" He struck one and lit the candle as the dark room was filled with its glowing orange light. Uva came up to Sozui and grabbed him by the shoulder causing the latter to look at him in confusion. "All right, now that pink terror is gone, mind telling me who you are before I slice you apart!?" Uva growled as he held out his scythe hand with emphasis. Sozui, however, just rolled his eyes as he calmly pushed Uva's hand off before he walked to the stairway much to Uva's slight surprise as he followed after him. "Oi! Didn't you hear me?! I said-!" Uva started. "Uva, after what I saw when you ran like a scared little girl, I don't know if I am going to be scared by you," Sozui interrupted causing Uva to turn white in shock and fainted to the floor. Sozui shook his head at this before he pulled out the tome from his vest, "Ankh catch!" Sozui tossed the book through the air before the bird Greeed caught it in his hands after he fumbled with it for a moment. "I'm going to investigate this place. Can you hold on to that book while I'm gone? Also, I want you two to stick together at all costs! Understand?!" Sozui grimly spoke as the dim light from the candle made his face eerie in the dark. "Crystal..." Ankh answered after a moment of silence. Sozui nodded before he walked up the steps to the second floor with the only indication he's up there is the dim light from the candle before it disappeared. Ankh stared at the second floor before he looked at the book in curosity and opened it up as lightning flashed outside when his eyes went wide at the contents. "What is this?" Ankh asked to himself as he flipped through the pages that are filled with an ancient language until he saw the last page, "This shape... Masaka..." "What you got there Ankh?" Uva asked after he snapped out his shock-induced faint as he walked to his sibling. "Nothing!" Ankh quickly answered as he hastily shut the book and stored it inside his body. Uva growled in suspicion, but a sudden scream of horror emerged from the top floor as it captured Ankh's and Uva's attention as the duo ran up the stairs to see a lone blown out candle with smoke lingering from its burnt wick. "...Sozui?" Ankh weakly asked in shock as he picked up the candle while thunder continued to clash outside. Mansion (Evening) The dining room was dreadfully silent as Uva leaned against the wall while Ankh sat on a chair hands clenched together in thought while Uva tapped his incomplete foot to the floor. "Would you cut that out?!" Ankh snapped, his patience finally worn out from the excessive tapping, "I'm trying to think here!" "I do whatever I want! Since when did you start to care so much about that human!?" Uva growled as he glared at Ankh. "Since I found out that he is our only chance to gain back all of our Tenth Core Medals!" Ankh retorted, "He may not be Eiji, but he cares for all of us Greeed! Even when I nearly choked him, he still helped my leg when I got injured by that beast! He even spared you from the Pink Terror!" Uva grumbled as he crossed his arms in defeat. Suddenly, some words started to scribble on the wall beside Ankh and Uva in black ink as they glowed unnaturally! Ankh shivered slightly at the phrase that was written: GET OUT! WHILE YOU STILL CAN! "Oh yeah?! Well what you are going to do about it?!" Uva taunted as he shook his fist angrily. A dark feminine laugh then echoed as forks and knives floated from their positions on the table and took aim at Uva and Ankh! "You just had to say it..." Ankh groaned before the floating utensils shot at them! Ankh and Uva ducked at the last second as they struck the wall behind them. The former grabbed Uva by the arm and ran out as dishes started to fly after them! Uva roared as he wrenched from Ankh's grip and started to blast lightning at them, but the dishes moved in flashing motions as one beaned him, knocking him back for a moment as he collapsed to the floor. The other dishes attempted to attack as well, but a flurry of fire balls destroyed them before they had the chance! "Uva! What the heck is your deal?!" Ankh demanded as he picked up Uva as he wobbled a bit before he leaned against the wall next to a painting of a ghost holding a bubble blower. "Shut it! I don't want to be near you! You and that human have irked me all day! I want to take care of this myself instead of being hauled around like someone's luggage!" Uva growled. "Sozui specifically told me to stick together by your side at all costs! I'm not going to disobey that order!" Ankh growled as he butted heads with Uva. "Oh? So the chicken is starting to take orders again!?" Uva mocked as he put some force into pushing Ankh's head back. "Well I don't see any other way if he is our only chance at getting our Core Medals back, dung beetle!" Ankh retorted as he push back with equal force as lightning darted between their eyes. "Oh please, like I've never seen arguments like these before!" a voice spoke up out of nowhere stopping the feuding Greeed. "Who's there?!" Ankh called out before flames swirled around in the air for a moment before a female black winged creature appeared out of the flames as she crossed her arms mockingly while her black sclera blue eyes stared at Ankh and Uva. "Hello Ankh and Uva, it is finally a pleasure to meet you! Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Sunset Shimmer and welcome to my Mansion of Horror!" Sunset greeted as she held out her arms dramatically. "Mansion of Horror? Pfft! You call floating utensils and plates horrifying!? That wasn't even scary that was an insult!" Uva mocked as he crossed his arms. "Oh?" Sunset asked as she snapped her clawed fingers and a familiar pink pony holding a chainsaw materialized in front of Uva as she laughed maniacally. The sudden appearance caused Uva to cringe as he stepped back in horror. "When I captured your companion, I managed to get him to talk about you and your newfound weakness. I must say I never thought a big stag beetle would be scared like a pathetic flea!" Sunset laughed as she took pleasure in the torture. "ENOUGH!" Ankh boomed getting the evil creature's attention, "What do you want with us?" "Now, now Mr. Bird let's not lose our tempers so easily," Sunset childishly warned as she wagged her finger as she notice Ankh's hand twitching before it clenched into a fist causing her to smirk, "If you want your friend back, you'll have to pass a little test." "Test? What test?" Uva asked from his perch on the ceiling while Crazy Pinkie Illusion was preparing a huge grill under him causing him to tighten his grip. "This test will show how long you can endure before you will snap from being so close to your deepest fear." Sunset remarked as she folded her hands while 'laying' in the air, "And the only way you're going to get out of it is conquer that fear!" Ankh shook with unbridled fury as he glared at the creature before him, "Omai! You didn't just ask about Uva's fear but mine as well!" "Bingo! Give the bird a prize!" Sunset announced in a fake cheerful voice, before it turned into a dark smirk, "Now, face your fear for it is..." Ankh tensed. "A Zombie Chicken!" She declared. Ankh almost fell over from the sudden shock as he, Uva, and Crazy Illusion Pinkie stared dumbly at her as an uncooked chicken covered in dirt materialized before him. It moaned in a clucking tone as it walked slowly towards Ankh as he stepped back. Sunset thought Ankh was stepping back in fear, but in his head was another story... "This is strange. Why would Sozui think my worst fear is a zombie roast chicken?! I thought he knows everything about me unless..." Ankh train of thought stopped in realization as he looked behind him towards the hot grill and smirked before he took a tragic pose and shout in an overly dramatic voice, "Oh no! Not a zombie chicken! It's my greatest weakness! Oh please whatever you do, don't put me on that grill! Whatever you do, please! Not the grill!" The Zombie Chicken moaned as it grabbed Ankh and hoisted him over its missing head and slowly walked towards the grill. Sunset chuckled as she leaned back in the air to enjoy the show while Uva cocked his head in confusion, but he immediately paled as Crazy Illusion Pinkie put on a bib with Uva's face with crossed-out eyes on it. She then took out a fork and a knife as she slurped her tongue across her face. "Oi Ankh, whatever you are doing please make it quick!" Uva urged as the ceiling started to crumble. The Zombie Chicken moaned as it prepared to throw Ankh unto the raging fire on the grill, but Ankh quickly grabbed the chicken and the illusional Pinkie and tossed them into the grill before he covered it up with the top. "Uva! Now! Zap them!" Ankh called out. Uva immediately dropped down from the ceiling and fired one of his most powerful lightning attacks and incinerated the grill into oblivion. "Well, well. I never thought you would be the sly type," Sunset complimented as she clapped her hands slowly, "So the kid didn't tell me everything, maybe if I talk to him one more time..." "Zip it! Forget what you are going to say because I'm on to you! This is all but a big stupid prank isn't it?" Ankh declared as he pointed an avian claw at Sunset. "Really? What proof do you have that it is?" Sunset asked as she filed her nails. "The first thing that got my attention was the candle. The candle's wick is blown out and the body was intact! Normally, the candle would have started a fire if it were to be dropped and this whole place would have burned down!" Ankh stated causing to Sunset to raise an eyebrow at this but she made no denial as she leaned back, The second thing is that your illusions of our so called 'fears' are nothing more than less serious ones! Sozui wouldn't be dumb enough to tell you our secrets so easily!" "I see, your point?" Sunset asked in a bored tone as she finished filing her nails and started to examine them. "Yeah Ankh, what are you getting at?" Uva asked in confusion as he rubbed his hands to soothe the pain from hanging on the ceiling too long. "My point, exactly, is that Sozui is in never any real danger at all!" Ankh stated before he turned to a nearby door, "Isn't that right, Sozui?" "Very good, Ankh," Sozui congratulated as he walked out of the door, "I'm impressed you managed to solve this mystery, but surely something brought your attention to this." "Indeed, I sensed someone with a desire in this mansion and it's not coming from little Miss Sunshine in front of me! This thing is nothing more than a projection!" Ankh pointed out. "I see," Sozui said before he called out, "Okay Sunset! Fun's over!" The 'Sunset' creature fizzled for a moment before it faded in a flurry of magic as yellow mare with a red and yellow mane walked out of the room Sozui was in before she waved a hoof at Ankh and Uva. (One Hour Later) "She's once a student of a royal monarch?" Ankh asked as he sipped from his tea while Uva took his pent up stress out on a magical sandbag Sunset whipped up for him as he punched the nonliving daylights out of it! "Yeah, but she was caught trying to go to a magical mirror and as a result she was sent to this place," Sozui explained while he gazed at Sunset, "Eventually, she has grown used to it and decided to make it her home." "Why did you two pull that prank?" Ankh questioned just as Uva winded up and delivered an uppercut to the magical sandbag as it obliterated into particles. "I wanted to scare Uva," Sozui answered with a smile. Uva growled as he marched to Sozui and grabbed him by the shirt. "You better not do this again, or so help me-!!!" Uva started to threaten. "Relax, it won't happen again!" Sozui promised. Uva roughly let go of his shirt as he grumbled to a couch and lay down on it and started to snooze, "Uva has the right idea, we should get some sleep." "I agree," Sunset yawned as she curled up on another couch and fell asleep. Sozui was about to go to sleep on an empty bed mattress, but Ankh stopped his progress by grabbing his shoulder. "Matte Sozui," Ankh spoke as he reached into his chest and pulled out the book, "Here's that book back and I saw what was on the last page." "You saw it too? I guess we need to find that if we want to decipher the text within the book," Sozui stated as he placed the book in his vest, "You know, I think we should give this book a name. I don't want to keep referring to it as a book." The book suddenly pulsed with light as it floated in-between Ankh and Sozui much to their surprise and opened up as reveal three words of light floated out of it: Tome of Desire. The three words immediately dissappeared as soon as they came before the book floated back to Sozui's vest. "What just happened?" Ankh asked in surprise. "I don't know, but at least we know what to call the book now," Sozui stated before he yawned as he covered his mouth, "Right now, I suggest we should get some sleep..." Sozui went to his mattress and lied down on it before he almost immediately fell asleep while Ankh pulled out a red sheet of fabric and laid it across a bookshelf. He jumped on it and nestled on it as he fell to world of dreams known as sleep. Everfree Forest (Midnight) Meanwhile in another part of the Everfree Forest, a black rectangular device with blue lines and three slots, a sword with the same colors and a coin slot, and a black album with three blue Os on it slightly glowed beneath an old tree before they floated from the ground and flew towards the direction of the mansion. > Birthday, Yummy, and OOO > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Everfree Mansion (Noon) Uva was in a state of peace as he continued to snore on the couch that not even the light of the sun stirred him from his slumber. It looks like he was going to sleep in for the day. BREEEEEEEE!! Uva screamed from the sudden noise as he shot off his perch and fell to the floor. He then lifted his head up to glare at the culprit as Sozui tossed an air horn idly in his hand. "Uva, you should know better than to sleep in late," The 19-year-old stated disappointingly. "What do you want?!" Uva grumbled as he got off from the floor. "Oh, nothing much, I just want a few questions answered!" Sozui stated as he walked around Uva. "Why?" Uva asked while crossing his arms. "You are a Greeed, correct?" Sozui asked for conformation as the bug Greeed nodded, "As I recall, you feed on Cell Medals. So did you or did you not make any Yummies before you were chased by Pinkie!?" Uva shuddered from the mention of the name of the mare that chased him. "Err... Well... I..." Uva muttered in discomfort. Sozui stared at the Greeed in confusion until he sighed and started to leave the room before he stopped at the door, "Never mind. Now if you excuse me, Sunset is waiting for us in the dining room so you better get there." Uva watched as Sozui left the room before he stared at his hand as he clenched it in irritation. "Sozui...! Just... Who are you?! More importantly, how did you know my name when we first met!? You still didn't explain that to me!" Uva growled before he slammed his fist onto the floor, "What are you hiding boy?" "Okay Ankh, I promised you ten ice pops when you sat through Zecora's lecture. So tell me, which one is your favorite flavor?" Sozui asked as he held a notepad and pencil in his hands while a plate of ten different colored icepops sat on the table before Ankh. "Oi Sozui, I don't know if I should do this. What did you do to them? I think I saw one glowing!" Ankh spoke as he sat uncomfortably in his chair. "Come on Ankh, I made these with normal ingredients from with some of Sunset's magic applied to them. Relax, just think of them as normal icepops with different flavors," Sozui convinced as Sunset came up beside him. Ankh stared at Sozui for a moment before he slowly took one, examined it for a moment, and looked at Sozui who motioned him to go ahead. He sighed as he took a small bite from it. He then took a moment to examine its flavor even though his senses are dulled. After a moment, he took the plate and started to walk away from the dining room. "I still can't taste the flavor of these, but at least you reminded me of the cold sensation of them," Ankh remarked bitterly before he quickly gobbled them up and threw the plate at Uva, who just came in, as he caught the plate. Then suddenly, Ankh immediately grasped his abdomen as groaning noises came from it and rushed to the nearest bathroom. "What's with him?" Uva asked as he tossed the plate back to Sozui. "Okay... Sunset, take a note for me to remind you not to add medical magic to the ice pops," Sozui muttered uneasily as he wrote down on his notepad, "Something tells me that different magic can affect the Greeed in various ways." "Right!" Sunset stated. Uva, completely confused by the conversation, questioningly raised an insect eye ridge, "What are you guys talking about? Sugarcube Corner (Noon) Pinkie hummed cheerfully as she stirred up some prisimatic frosting in a mixing bowl. The timer on the oven dinged as she zipped to it and put some oven mitts on her hooves. She opened the oven, and with lightning speed, threw three cakes perfectly onto a cooling rack in a neat tower! "Voila! A three-layered red strawberry, yellow vanilla, and green lime cake all ready for frosting!" Pinkie cheerfully announced as she took out an pastry bag and tossed the frosting into it, "I'm not sure what came over me, but I got the strangest urge to make this cake! Oh well, maybe Sunset will know! It's too bad I didn't get to visit her ever since I lost those strange guys in her mansion yesterday. I wonder if she chased them out... Oh well, maybe I'll know once I deliver this cake! Now..." She then cocked the pastry bag like a gun and took aim at the cake! "Let's do this!" Pinkie said with a determined grin. "Pinkie?" A voice spoke out. The stream of frosting stopped in mid-air as did Pinkie as she turned to see a lavender unicorn mare standing beside the door with a confused look on her face, "What are you doing?" "Oh hey Twilight!" Pinkie greeted as she quickly frosted the cake in lightning speed, "I was putting the finishing touches on a brand new cake I baked! Hey! That rhymes!" "Right..." Twilight drawled out before she took out a notepad, "Pinkie, I just came by to see if you can deliver a cake to Sunset. It's her birthday today and I doubt she'll be able to remembe-" "SUNSET'S BIRTHDAY IS TODAY!? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME HER BIRTHDAY IS TODAY!?" Pinkie screamed in horror as she quickly packed up the cake in a white box and tied it with a cyan ribbon, "I NEED TO GET TO HER MANSION ON THE DOUBLE AND SUPER DUPER FAST!!" In a pink blur, the party pony was out the door before somepony could say 'Good Morning!' leaving behind a wide eyed Twilight. Everfree Mansion (Noon) "Feeling better?" Sozui asked as he and Uva watched as Ankh painfully walked out of the bathroom. "Ogh! Your icepops are a menace!" Ankh groaned. "I'm sorry! I had no idea how Sunset's magic would affect your Core Medals like that!" Sozui placated. "The next time you treat me to icepops, get them from a store!" Ankh shouted. "You better do what he says," Uva whispered as he towards Sozui's ear, "The last time Ankh was this mad was when someone made the mistake of insulting him by comparing him to a chicken! The poor idiot barely made it out with his hair intact!" "Gulp! Okay..." Sozui weakly promised. DING-DONG! "Sunset! Can you get that?" Sozui called out. "In a moment, I'm cleaning out the basement!" Sunset replied. DING-DONG! DING-DONG! DING-DONG! "Great! Whoever is at the door must really want to see us! This is going to be difficult unless..." Sozui muttered until an idea lit up in his head, "Hey Ankh, can you shapeshift into Sunset?" "Nani?! Uh-uh! No way! Forget it!" Ankh denied strongly and turned away from Sozui. "Come on Ankh, if we don't answer the door someone will get suspicious!" Sozui pleaded, "If someone finds out you're a walking pile of Cell Medals, they will take you, me, and Uva somewhere and experiment on us!" "Oh? Like how you did on me?" Ankh retorted as he pointed a claw at Sozui. "Touché..." Sozui admitted. "Hey Sunset!!" A cheery voice familiar to Ankh, Uva, and Sozui rung out from downstairs, "It's me Pinkie! I brought something for you!" "PINKIE!?!/PINKIE!?!/PINKIE!?!" The trio cried out in horror. Not her! Why does it have to be her and not some other quadrupedal creature?! Uva demanded as he clasped his hands over his head. "Oh man! This is bad! If she finds us, we are toast!!" Sozui spoke fearfully as he tugged at his hair. "What do we do!?" Ankh asked frantically as he grabbed Sozui's shirt in fear. "Sunset! I'm coming inside!" Pinkie announced as a creakily door was heard opening. That was the last straw for the horrified group as Sozui spoke the thought that rang through their minds: "HIDE!!" Sozui screamed and everyone ran in three separate directions! "Sunset~! Where are you~?" Pinkie called out as she carried the tower of mouth-watering goodness on her back. "Right here Pinkie," Sunset spoke up as she came out of the basement wearing a handkerchief over her mane, "What brings you here all of a sudden?" Meanwhile, Ankh is quietly hiding in the rafters above Pinkie as he gazed at her with caution while Sozui and Uva were peeking from a nearby closet. "I want to be the first pony in Ponyville to wish you a..." Pinkie started before he quickly took out a blue cannon out of her poofy mane and fired it! In a burst of confetti, the foyer was immediately decorated with birthday decorations and games! "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Ankh nearly fell off from his position in shock, but he quickly regained his balance in the nick of time! Sozui gulped in tension from this event while Uva growled as his hand clenched around the door frame. "Oh great! As if dealing with that Kougami was bad enough, now I have to deal with a pony version of him!" Ankh harshly whispered. "Did you hear something?" Pinkie asked while Sunset looked up to see Ankh in the rafters as he signaled Sunset to be quiet, "Oh well, maybe it was just a teensy mouse! Say Sunset! Do you want to have any friends today for your birthday party!? Do ya?!Do ya?!Do ya?!Do ya?!Do ya?!" "Well..." Sunset muttered as she rubbed one foreleg nervously. "Oh come on Sunset! I know you want to have a super-duper awesome birthday party! Hey! Maybe I should go find those three strangers I saw yesterday!" Pinkie declared. "The what?" Sunset asked. "Yesterday when I was baking something, I came across this creature that was rifling through my garbage! I kind of got a little mad from that... but hey! I was just recovering from that meanie Discord's mind mixing! After that encounter, I chased him into the Everfree Forest and I saw two more strangers helping him! Long story short, I chased them to your mansion. Did you see them by any chance?" Pinkie asked. "Discord?" Sozui whispered in confusion as he and Uva leaned in to hear better, unaware that the door frame is creaking and cracking at the same time as Ankh's perch on the rafters. "These strangers? How would you describe them?" Sunset asked nervously for a different reason. "Well, one of them looks like a beetle..." Pinkie recalled as she counted on her hoof while the rafters started to creak some more. "...the other resembles a red bird..." The door frame to the closet groaned as the boards started to slide out of the wall. "...and the last one is some sort of hairless monkey!" Pinkie finished, but then her tail started to twitch and she quickly moved Sunset and the cake out of the way. As she did that, the rafters came falling down with a surprised and dazed Ankh laying on the pile of rubble! The closet then crashed out with Uva and Sozui as they groaned with pain on the floor! "Like those guys!" Pinkie pointed out not realizing it was the same trio from yesterday until her mind finally clicked, and her mood changed from happy to excited, "Hey! I was just talking to Sunset about you! I'm really super-duper crazy absolutely sorry on how I chased you yesterday! Can you guys forgive me whoever you are?" "Um... Sure..." Sozui muttered as he got up followed by Uva who immediately retreated behind Sunset. "Okay..." Ankh said awkwardly. "I guess..." Uva spoke. KNOCK! KNOCK! "Nani?" Sozui asked. "Oh! That must be Zecora! I told her about Sunset's birthday and she said she'll be coming!" Pinkie declared cheerfully as she bounced towards the door and opened it to see a growling humanoid monster with mantis aspects, "Hey... You're not Zecora and I don't remember you inviting to this party!" "Give me... the Tome...!" The monster growled as it reached for Pinkie, but a well-timed kick from Sozui made it stagger back as the door immediately slammed shut by Ankh. It was immediately, to the surprise of Sozui, followed by Uva nailing boards to the door and blocking it with a bureau. "Uva? Is something wrong?" Sozui asked as he watched Uva quivered with his back against the impromptu barricade. "Sozui? Remember when you asked me if I made any Yummies before I was chased by Pinkie?" Uva reminded as Sozui nodded, "Well, the truth is... I made one Yummy..." "You what?" Sozui asked in surprise. "I wasn't like this..." Uva confessed as he gestured towards his incomplete form, "I still had all of my Core Medals when I was revived until I created that Kamakiri Yummy!" "What do you mean?" Ankh asked as his hands lit up in flames for a second. "When I revived, I was confused from the sudden change of scenery, but I knew my objective to create Yummies and consume the world!" Uva explained before the door banged a bit from the charging Yummy outside, "Since I was really eager to create one and I was unfamiliar with this world, I took a page out of Gamel's book by flinging a cell medal at myself, but then something went wrong! Instead of emerging as a White Yummy, it came out as a green sphere of energy before it was suddenly encased by a strange blue and red miasma and then it took three Core Medals out of me as it pierced through me! After that, it flew off in another direction!" "Blue and red miasma?" Ankh repeated, but then another bang sounded off as the barricade broke more. "Uh guys... I hate to break up this important discussion, but big, green, and gruesome is coming at us!" Sozui screamed as he watched through a window as the Kamakiri Yummy went back a far distance, took a starting position, and charged with its shoulder. TWEET! Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and turned to the pink party pony as she blew a whistle. "Everyone! Let me at him! This guy thinks he's gonna come in here and wreck this party, but OH NO! Not this time! He just awoke the full fury of the party!!!" Pinkie spoke seriously as she cracked her hoofs before pulling out her Party Cannon out of her mane and positioned it in front of the door, "So back away and cover your ears!!!" Everyone stepped back and covered their ears as the Kamakiri Yummy finally broke through the door and could only stand in shock as Pinkie shouted out: "FIRE IN THE HOLE!!" A combination of cake batter and confetti exploded out of the cannon and shoved the Kamakiri Yummy back outside before it exploded in a burst of flames. Everyone stood in shock at this event. "Whoa..." Sozui spoke in awe, "Pinkie, what did you put in that cannon!?" "Oh, three cups of baking soda, one bag of flour, some cake batter, two buckets of confetti, a dash of gun powder, one tablespoon of disulfide, and one of those Cell Medal thingies Uva dropped when I was chasing him!" Pinkie cheerfully explained. "Disulfide?" Sozui gulped. "Relax! I was kidding on that part! It was just vinegar!" Pinkie snorted. "But the other parts are true!" "Hmm..." Sozui hummed in thought as he stroked his chin while his head begin to fill with ideas involving with Cell Medals. "TOME!!!" An angry voice bellowed as the Kamakiri Yummy trudged out of the flames and threw blades of energy at the mansion. Sunset quickly conjured a barrier and the attack rebounded away, but that didn't stop the monster as it continued to throw more energy blades to achieve its objective. "Aw come on!! What does it take to kill him!? He's like a souped up mega tank!" Sozui exclaimed. "I guess our only chance to defeat that monster is to use the OOO Belt!" Ankh stated as he covered his head from the slight ceiling debris. "And how exactly are we going to find that!? It's not like it's going to fly in here while striking that monster's head in the back knocking him into a daze!" Sozui ranted as he glared at Ankh. Three glowing objects soared out of the Everfree Forest at speeds that rival Kazari's, and they beaned the Kamakiri Yummy into said state. They then phased through the barrier like a pebble dropped into a pond and floated in front of Sozui. He was at a loss of words as he held out his hands to receive the O Medal Holder, Medajalibur, and OOO Driver. "I stand corrected..." Sozui muttered dumbly before he shook it off, "Okay, let's see what we got here..." Sozui opened the O Medal Holder to find: one Tora Medal and three Cell Medals. "That's it??" Sozui gulped in dread and shock, "Just one of Kazari's Core Medals and three Cell Medals!? I can't make a Combo with these!!!" "Maybe not..." Ankh muttered as he stepped behind Uva, "This may hurt a bit..." "Nani? Ggh!" Uva grunted in pain as Ankh reached inside him took out the Batta Medal and tossed it to Sozui with his Taka Medal who managed to catch them by reflex. Sozui stared at the Core Medals in his hand before he rolled his eyes in annoyance at himself, "Of course, I just had to forget that Combo..." As he started to walk outside, he placed the OOO Driver on his waist as a belt magically wrapped around it much to Sunset's surprise. The Kamakiri Yummy growled as it stopped its attack and turned its attention to Sozui. "Alright you walking pile of Cell Medals! You want the Tome of Desire!? You'll have to go through me!" Sozui stated as he slotted in the Core Medals in their respective positions before he took the O-Lung as it hum with energy before sliding it over them as it dinged in rhythm. "Henshin," Sozui spoke. TAKA! TORA! BATTA! TA-TO-BA! TATOBA! TA-TO-BA! Three holographic rings of five medals circled around him briefly before they slammed into Sozui. It resulted in forming a suit of armor that is mostly black but with a red hawk on the head spreading its wings with its beak acting as the gem. The chest sports a a roaring yellow tiger face with its claws strapped around the forearms. Lastly, the lower fraction of the emblem has a grasshopper with its legs wrapped around Sozui's like armor. This is Kamen Rider OOO's TaToBa Combo, the Multi Combo! OOO flexed his hands as he growled from the power coursing through him before he slammed his fists together, "All right, Bugsy! Let's see what you got!" The tiger section on his chest roared as the claws on his hands folded out before he charged at the Kamakiri Yummy with a roar while it did the same as it raised his scythes against him!