> A New Time, A New Place > by KukriRyuTsukino > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Be Careful What You Might Order... > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Earth 411711-12201922 Fengàri Kattalakis grimaced as he sighed, staring with silvery ultramarine irises at the quintet of Towers holding various Ridewatches. One held the primary Riders such as Agito, Ex-Aid, and Faiz, another the 'secondary Riders' with Geiz, Gill, Specter, and both Delta and Kaixa. A third held the Ridewatches of the Another Riders. The last two held the 'advanced forms' of the Riders such as Shining Agito, Blaster Faiz, Emperor Kiva, and Geiz Majesty. The last held the alternate modes of the Riders such as Pegasus Agito, Trinity Agito, Burning Agito, Water Style Wizard, and various others. There were two Ridewatches he lacked, however… Grand Time Zi-O as well as Zi-O II. Perspective Shift - First Person     As my gaze drifted over the ranch home I lived in within the city of Pierre Part, Louisiana, I noticed a flicker of light brown. The majority of the locals in the area usually wear darker shades of brown and green if not camouflage tones. I personally prefer darker metallic tones although it's not difficult to dull them enough so they aren't heavily reflective.  That's why the light brown caught my eye. My head tilted as I spotted the slightly smirking face of someone whose gaze seemed far too knowing to be a Woz cosplayer. On top of that, he had the book… the Shin Ōma Kōrin Reki. My eyebrow rose slightly as he came closer before pausing. "I would say that seeing an Acolyte of Ohma Zi-O is surprising… but I'm more aware than most how odd the world really is," I deadpan. A small smirk crosses his face at that. "Actually… I'm not an Acolyte of Ohma Zi-O… I was… before he died," Woz commented with a small shrug and a momentary grimace. "I'm guessing that you couldn't stop whatever happened… and, most likely… whatever it was took advantage of the fact that Sougo knowingly bound his powers… because even if you bind talents… hiding them… it doesn't change the fact they will still be part of you," I sigh. My hand rises as golden white electricity flickers over my hand and forearm.  "It, I'm afraid, is a group the Riders have fought against… much like a hydra… it has taken many forms, yet always a similar goal," Woz said, his eyes taking on a hard gleam before he pulled out a box. My eyebrows rise upon seeing the UPS box. "I would make a 'cut off one head, two more shall take its place' reference, but I doubt you'd get it. I'm guessing Sougo knew about me?" I comment dryly before Woz shakes his head. "No… what he did destroyed the Rider Worlds. It may be possible that the Heisei Riders survived, but I do not know," Woz commented before holding out the box. "Though I have read stories where Shocker went multiversal…. and I wouldn't be surprised if they had a way to artificially mimic Tsukasa's ability with Dimensional Walls," I mutter as I rip open the box, seeing two Ridewatches inside… on red velvet. My eyebrow rose as my gaze shifted towards Woz. "Call it a gut feeling, but I suspect Geiz and Tsukiyomi aren't with you," to which he shook his head. "They are not. They have gone ahead of us," Woz commented. A small smirk crossed my face. "Funny… you and those other two counterparts sought to bring forth either Geiz Majesty or Ohma Zi-O and were 'prophets' heralding them… and now Geiz is in the same position you were. Though I'm guessing that both Tsukiyomi and Geiz lack their Ridewatches and Drivers, aye?" I comment with a smirk. I notice the subtle look of surprise crossing Woz's face for a moment before he spots the Ridewatches on the towers… including his own. The Drivers, a dull copper lacquered one representing Zi-O, a metallic red lacquered one for Geiz, as well as a silver lacquered Driver for Tsukiyomi. The Beyondriver was also there. I notice an odd look on Woz's countenance before he clears his throat. "You know, it doesn't make you weak to show emotion. If anything, it makes one stronger…. given the right stimuli. Look at Kamen Rider Blade… willing to go so far as to give up his humanity for someone he saw as a brother. Or the two-on-one Rider, Double… they fought to protect innocents, as did Ex-Aid, Hibiki, and even Sugou. Though that still doesn't explain why you're here," I comment as my gaze shifts to the Ridewatches before shifting to Woz. "There are always worlds in need of protection… my liege… even if it is not necessarily a human world, for there are those whom will always take advantage of peace and harmony," he said softly, swallowing hard.   I saw his eyes widen as I spun. "Another world?" I murmured in mild surprise. His gaze dipped to where my hand clasped his forearm before a slight smirk crossed his face as I felt his hand wrap around my forearm.  "Of course. Though I do hope they have it set up," Woz commented. He opens the book before he hums, though I get the sense he uses it more to view events from a distance and gain a sense of potential futures rather than a certain timeline. Equestria 61514-15135-260914    Geiz grimaced as he stared at the statue of the cringing anthropomorphic unicorn, glaring minotaur, and snarling emotivore insect that sat in a clearing deep in the Everfree Forest, as locals called it; he sensed no life in the statue, so it was probably meant to startle if not scare. "Still haven't found a good location for the gate," he grumbled. His gaze shifted to Tsukiyomi. They knew exactly what had occurred. A Shocker group with technology from OOO's time, as well as that of Kabuto and Gaim's times, had attacked, decimating much of Tokyo even as an unknown company calling themselves the 'Infinite Angels' had swooped in to build goodwill with the community and people.  Unfortunately, they had discovered that the 'Infinite Angels' were a subsidiary of the Shocker group whom had identified themselves as Guówá Dápí, Chinese for 'legion of kings'. They only knew of one member for certain: a being referring to itself as Fandaniel. Tsukiyomi took a soft breath, hefting the Rift Gun before she pulled the trigger. The beam struck the ring of stones which flared brightly in the clearing. To their surprise, Woz was not alone. A young man with crystalline ultramarine-silver irises wore what they recognized as a copper lacquered Ziku Driver. Their eyes widened slightly as his hands ignited in ruby and silver flames before he pushed his hands forward, the fireballs striking them both even as the Rift Gun overloaded and tore itself apart. Geiz stumbled back as the fireball hit before dissipating…. revealing a red lacquered Ziku Driver. His gaze shifted to Tsukiyomi, whose Ziku Driver was a soft, creamy silver. Perspective Shift - Fengàri FPoV      "You know… what I know of Sugou's story… it showed Tsukiyomi as rather cute… but I'm pretty certain that what I know has some gaps, as you ain't cute," I comment. I notice a vein pulsing slightly in Tsukiyomi's forehead. "What's that supposed to mean?" she growled in irritation. I step closer to her, only to trip over one of the stones that are slightly higher than shin level. Fortunately, I'm able to roll through the tripping motion, noticing her taking a step back as her hand rears back. "You didn't let me finish, chèr… you're not cute… because you're hot… though if I'm honest, I'm tempted to hug you," I comment. Geiz smirks, I notice, as Tsukiyomi blushes. A soft exhalation escapes as I twist my hand, revealing the Zi-O II Ridewatch. I see Tsukiyomi's eyes widen as did Geiz's. "Didn't expect what happened when I hit the button… as the next thing I knew… moments before that… rift…. activated… it felt like a machine gun pelted my back," I comment quietly. It was then that I heard howls.  My head turns slightly before my eyes narrow slightly as, abruptly, my hand flicks out, the Zi-O II Ridewatch vanishing in lavender edged golden flames before the flames turned a brilliant iridescent crimson…. to reveal the OOO TaJaDor Ridewatch. Geiz's eyebrows rise before my hand slots the Ridewatch into the right side where the Zi-O or Zi-O II Ridewatch usually slots in.  "Let's see if I can do half as well as Eiji… or Sugou," I deadpan. My fingers depress the button atop the Ziku Driver. Normally, it'll flash the year of OOO, but I hear the familiar chime of Zi-O's ticking. "HENSHIN," I mutter. For an instant, I see Ankh in his Greeed form as if he's charging at me before the flare of intense heat erupts before my vision gains a reddish tint as, unknown to me, the Ziku Driver has shifted to the OOO Driver, complete with the Taka, Kujaku, and Condor Core Medals. "That is not your true form, is it, beast?" I deadpan. It snarls before, with a sickening wet crunching sound, the flesh of the Timberwolf is rent and torn apart from within as the beast manipulating it reveals itself. > Because What You Might Unpack Is Rarely Expected. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fengàri Kattalakis - FPoV - Everfree Forest, 61514-15135-260914    The fact that Woz was looking at the beast with unabashed interest did not escape me. It gave out a moaning cry before it fired off close to a dozen half inch thick, two inch long spurs of wood that only shattered against the breastplate of OOO TaJaDor Form before I spun, ducking as I twisted as a good inch thick vine with nasty looking thorns that looked to be a good quarter inch in diameter at the base and at least three inches long every half inch or so flashing out, missing me by inches. Had I not moved, it'd have wrapped around my throat and no doubt tightened like a noose.  "Shit… this is not what people mean by dirty fantasies… cause I hate thorns," I grumbled as I let my hand rest lightly on the Tajaspinner before I shifted my weight, flicking a couple of burning shots at the beast. To my mild surprise, the creature slaps away one fireball that turns a brilliant iridescent silver as it shoots at Tsukuyomi as it narrowly evades the second fireball, though I notice what seems to be a thick sap burn away from the creature's shoulder. The red fireball gains arcs of yellow before both Geiz and Tsukuyomi snatch the fireballs from the air, the embers blowing away to reveal their Ridewatches.  I feel a warmth on my shoulder blades as the wings extend as the creature sends a surge of thorny vines ripping up the ground, noticing Woz employing his scarf to take to the trees as I take to the air as I see both Geiz and Tsukuyomi transform. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1SdJj6VpH6h A soft sigh escapes me as my fist clenches as I shift, diving into a low dive before my fist ignites in bluish purple crimson tipped flames as my fist plows into the beast, a shockwave of flames throwing it backwards. This was the Magna Blaze technique. My feet brushed the ground as the wings retracted before I tumbled, barely being missed by a thick foot and a half wide knotted wood 'fist'. I was a bit surprised by an abrupt eruption of sparks and smoke before a white glove was in my face.  "You're definitely not Sugou… he wasn't that clumsy, one… and two… how'd you change the Driver?" Tsukuyomi commented as I grabbed her hand before I blinked. "Changed… the Driver? Huh?" I repeat in confusion before looking down to see, rather than the Ziku Driver, the OOO Driver. I blinked several times before cocking my head, scratching the helmet. "I… have no idea. But I'm guessing that thing tanked a Rider Kick?" I deadpan.  She sighed, seeming exasperated. "I don't know how it did, but hai," she groaned. "It seems to have a coating of some sort of sap or honey over its body. Probably disperses attacks like an armor… though the fact that thing was using that Werewolf basically as a meatsuit…. I don't know why… but it pisses me off," I sigh, noticing Tsukuyomi staring at me. "Your voice shifted in pitch… almost like a growl… at the end," she observed. I cocked my head, realizing she was right. Though I don't see how. "I'm gonna see if it'll block a Giga Scan Prominence Drop," I mutter as my hand dips, gripping the OOO Scanner as my hand pushes the Driver down so it clicks sharply. "Ready to take that thing off at the root?" I quip. I get the sense she rolls her eyes, but let's out a small giggle as her fingers depress the button atop her Ziku Driver even as I notice Geiz pelting the wooden beast with shots from his Zikan Axe - Yumi Mode. "Yo, Geiz!! Overcharge!!" I call. He cocks his head before getting the message as I take two quick strides into a diving roll as the beast fires more thick wooden spears before I hear the declaration from both their Ziku Drivers. "TIME JACK!!" TIME BREAK!! YUMI YUMI SHOOTING!" even as I swiftly Scan the Medals before I push off as I hear Ankh's voice cry out "GIGA SCAN!!" as the wings extend, blazing with prismatic flames before the creature leans up and back, blasts of dark purple sludge being spat at me even as I notice the barbs on the toes of the boots extend as the shin guards flip up, the barbs on the sides extending to form the talons of the Prominence Drop as they ignite in goldenrod flames as I lean slightly, drifting a bit as I drop, the sludge shooting past me twice before I slammed into the wooden beast as an explosion enveloped the beast as its honey sap armor ignited as I somersaulted back from the landing, gagging from the foul stench of the sludge before I hear: "HISSATSU!!" which sounds like it's coming from Geiz's Driver before I hear a louder boom as the ground shudders as I spin before I feel someone collide with me, tumbling me onto my back before I realize it's Tsukuyomi. "That thing certainly was a hard stump to break," she mutters. "And you thought my wood pun was bad, chèr," I tease before she swats my chest as she manages to stand before her hand dips, the OOO Driver shimmering back into the Ziku Driver as she tugs free the TaJaDor Ridewatch. "Huh," she commented thoughtfully, sounding surprised even as she tugged off the Tsukuyomi Ridewatch before holding both out to me as her armored form dissolves in golden dust. I gently press her Ridewatch back towards her. "Just because I collected the Ridewatches… doesn't mean I'd use them all. Besides… I don't have the body to pull off your armor… not much up top, if you get my drift," I quip with a small smirk.  She definitely blushes before her gaze dips to the Ridewatch. "They did release Ridewatches for most of the female Riders. Those will most likely go to you as well. And I do have all of Geiz's Ridewatches as well… though I have no idea how the heck the Zi-O II Ridewatch turned into the OOO TaJaDor Ridewatch… or even how I know I have the others… as I'm certain that the only Ridewatches I had when that Rift opened… was the Grand Zi-O and Zi-O II Ridewatch…. in that box," I comment. "You're no Sugou, kid, but you've got some potential if the idiot noticed you," Geiz deadpanned as he flicked a thumb at Woz as his feet touched the ground. "Curious… but the Shin Ōma Kōrin Reki seems to be on the fritz… I believe the phrase is. It shows some things more clearly than others," Woz commented thoughtfully. "Damn… you're lucky you dodged whatever that thing was spitting," Tsukuyomi commented as the insectoid woman was half liquified with a grayish purple slime dripping very slowly down. "Speaking of… that shit smelled so foul, I damn near passed out. Smelled worse than rotting gator in the middle of summer… an' some of them can reek to the point of knockin' ye outta yer boots," I drawl with a cough.  "Let's find our way out of here, preferably without more of those things showing up," Geiz deadpans. "Hey, at least it didn't have a hard on for anyone in particular," I drawl with a small smirk before Tsukuyomi swats me hard in the back of my head.  "Baka," she commented bluntly, rolling her eyes. "All right…. you don't have to be so wooden about that pun… though… ugh… I can't keep that up… not even sure where that came from," I sigh, shaking my head. I blame those Yang Xiao Long RWBY videos. "They are a bit broken under the pressure," Tsukuyomi commented nonchalantly with a slight smirk. My eyebrow twitched upward at her humor. I wonder if RWBY was known in their Worlds before, if Woz is to be believed, Sogou went hyper-nuclear. Thankfully, it didn't take us long to get out of the Forest. > Meetings and Greetings > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fengàri Kattalakis - FPoV    My gaze swept around cautiously as we reached the edge of the Forest, seeing anthropomorphic ponies, griffins, odd insectile ponies not unlike the feminine one we'd noticed against the wooden demon.  "Y'all lost? Ain't often too many come outta the Everfree, with them werebeasts in there," a Southern drawl commented. "Then you're obviously unaware they are victims of some sort of wooden demons that appear to be using them as hosts," I deadpanned. I saw the blonde farm mare blink several times, clearly confused. "Say what? They ain't more'n ravening…" she started. My eyes narrow, unaware of the silvery glow in my irises swirling violently. "Beasts?" I cut off. "Anyone and anything can be lethal and animalistic when driven. The Apollites didn't have much choice due to Apollo's Curse… the wanker… cursed to have the fangs and night vision of predators, feed on the blood of each other to survive… and die at the age of twenty seven years of age because four of their kind murdered one of Apollo's mistresses… Ryssa," I barked sharply, unknowingly recalling memories that weren't mine… but that of an Atlantean Cthonian and God…. known amongst the deities as Apostolos, the Harbinger of the Great Destroyer. I see her emerald eyes widening. "I don't know what it is corrupting those Lýkofos… but I will find a way to destroy its hold on them," I mutter. I feel intense warmth around my fist and forearm before I let my gaze drop as the bright golden orange flames wink out before my eyebrows rise upon seeing a Ridewatch…  My head tilted as I notice Woz opening his mouth. "Woz… not right now. Just because I gain access to a particular Ridewatch doesn't mean I need it declared. If anything, strategically… it could throw off any threat, hmmm? Though I did notice you mentioned a certain Destroyer," I deadpan, a bit amused as he flinched as if not expecting me to have noticed it. Woz grimaced. "Tsukasa suspected that there was a chance something might happen. The kind of power your predecessor had… cannot be sealed away. Not completely. He said that if things went downhill, there were Worlds that knew of… us… but Worlds without a solid connection to us in the same way…. as the Worlds we knew. Best chance to find help would be not only to set up a fail safe, but find a place that knew of us but lacked a connection," he sighed. "To Shocker… you needed a place with power, but not a connection to Sentai or the Riders… nor to Shocker. So you're saying that… there are timelines, even dimensions… where Shocker successfully went Multiversal… making them a threat to far more than just the Rider Worlds," I finished. My gaze slid over the fields before I took a deep breath before smirking slightly. "Fuck it. Let's forget the doom-and-gloom shit and let's Ride… even if it's just for a little while," I deadpan.  I blink as Tsukuyomi and Geiz flick out Ridewatches that expand into their Ridestriker bikes. Tsukuyomi's was a deep gray and white with some golden accents. Geiz's was black and red with orange accents. My gaze shifts before I turn the dull bronze and gray Ridewatch before I depress the button and fire it out with a flick of my arm. My eyebrows rise upon seeing the bike that speeds off before it whips the rear wheel around before skidding in a tailwhip before settling into an idle feet from me. "Well, damn… a '63 Indian Scout," I commented with surprise.  Perspective Shift - Woz Third Person Woz hummed in mild surprise as it was a bit different from the bikes most Riders went with. He saw his new liege straddle the bike before his foot rose before a deep bellied roar sounded as the bike revved. He saw both Geiz and Tsukuyomi jerk in surprise, though the young man had an unrepentant grin. "Now that's a ride, sugarcube," the farm mare commented with an impressed and appreciative look. "It doesn't seem suited for stealth, my liege," he observed. His new liege shrugged. "Not really. Best form of stealth, in my opinion, is by foot, though I rather doubt that I possess a connection to the Speed Force, so going on foot to match the speed of a bike is unlikely… nor do I possess chakra, so enhancing my potential with that is out as well," he commented. "Geek," Tsukuyomi teased, his eyebrow rising in mild confusion.  Perspective Shift - Fengàri FPoV  A small smirk crosses my face at Tsukuyomi's verbal jab. "Takes one to know one, though 'geek' could refer to more than a few previous Riders… such as Sento Kiryu… or Philip who works with Shotaro," I deadpan. Unknown to me at the time, a physicist in Celesta's School for the Gifted sneezed, as did a detective in Ponyville. A small smirk crossed my face before shrieks of fear echoed as I saw the farm mare's head whip around before she started running before I revved the engine of the Scout before accelerating. My finger depresses the button on the Mighty Kuuga Ridewatch, hearing it's short fanfare before my other hand snaps out, catching the farm mare's arm as she reaches out and pulling her onto the bike behind me. (Specifically the third one.) "Mighty Kuuga!" I hear the declaration as I slot in the Ridewatch before thin trails of golden flamelike light form the edges of the armor. "Iwae… this is the moment the Lord of Fate and Time uses one of his inheritances… the Rider of Humanity's Boundless Potential… Mighty Kuuga!" A soft chuckle escapes me as I hear Woz's yell. 'Lord of Time… and Fate? Not King of Time and Space? Hmmm, I wonder if he even notices the difference,' I consider as I rev the bike faster, feeling the farm mare's arms wind around my abdomen and hips.  I notice Geiz accelerating as well out of the corner of my eye as the digitized watch bands form his armor. My head tilts before I notice a tall, roughly seven foot tall anthropomorphic stallion with brick red hooves and a lighter red fur with half an Granny Smith apple on his jeans staring up at a tree, his slightly sap green eyed countenance very worried looking. Next to him is a scared anthropomorphic mare with light purplish violet fur, a deep violet curly mane, and magenta irises is staring up at an anthro Pegasus stallion who couldn't have been more than four months old close to fifteen feet from the ground on a branch I could see fine splinters falling from. 'Rotten branch, though,' I note before a growling snarl that I recognize immediately as a gator sounds before I hear the mare cry out in fear.  My wrist tenses as I accelerate faster. "Gotta get that Cragadile away from that tree and my nephew!!" I hear the farm mare say sharply. "Before that branch breaks," I comment bluntly before I push up slightly before I hear her startled "What?!?" response as I push off sharply, the bike rocking only a bit as I feel my senses sharpen as I shoot through the air, closing in on the toddler before the branch breaks with a report like a gunshot a matter of seconds before I snatch the toddler, cradling him close as I flip twice as I angle my body, feeling energy building in my arm, not seeing the golden electricity and burning trails of golden flame as I see the Cragadile rear up before I drive my fist into its skull. Feels almost like punching a piece of slate with a half inch of granite beneath before I hear the meaty thud and crunch before the beast drops heavily to the ground.  I hear the Scout go to an idling sound as I hear three sets of footfalls. "By Celestia's Grace!! Thank you so much!! If there's anything we can repay you," the violet mare says breathlessly with a trembling smile before I look at the toddler, noticing his fur is a rich reddish violet whilst his mane is a deep golden orange. His eyes are a warm magenta fading to a warm amethyst. "There is a way to repay me… and you already have, right there," I comment. I smirk at her confusion. "Your smile. Let me guess… he fell for your cooking and your smile," I tease, amused as she blushes as I let her take the toddler back. "I'm… a baker. My name's Sugar Belle," she says, introducing herself.  "Huh… I would comment that you're most definitely sweet and cute, but I suspect the big guy there would ring my bell in a different way, chèr," I comment as the big stallion steps closer. "You'd be right, though what possessed you to punch a Cragadile? Even we Apples wouldn't do that, and we're amongst the more," he comments. "Imposing and, most likely, physically capable people in the immediate area?" I comment, amused by his mildly surprised reaction. I shrug. "Don't have a knife on me nor a pistol or rifle… so use what Ah got, brother," I comment. I see both him and the gamboge furred farm mare blink at my accent, which is a bit thicker than theirs, but very similar.  "Besides, Ah have plenty of experience with gators… hmm… though that 'un… I'd say, is probably a good nine an' a half feet long… good sized gator. Back home, that'd be a good five hundred fifty bucks minimum for the skin alone. The meat… probably another four hundred, at least. Though from what I felt punching it… the bones are hella dense… probably heavy as hell," I comment.  "The small Cragadiles go for around forty five Bits a foot up to six feet. The bigger ones up to eight feet are around sixty Bits. Bigger'n that are rare. I'd guess that 'un would be around eighty or eighty five Bits a foot," the big stallion comments. "Hell… the biggest gator I pulled in with Troy… was twelve eight. Think the biggest he said he ever pulled in was fourteen and a half. Though I can definitely say that once they hit ten, ten and a half feet… they get to be some heavy fuckers," I comment. I see the stallion's eyes widen as his jaw drops in surprise. "Whoa, nelly… they must have some big gators where ya come from," the gamboge mare comments. "I'm Jacqueline… friends call me Applejack… or AJ. This big lug is my older brother, Big Macintosh," she comments. I hum, noticing the belt buckle with the trio of Red Delicious apples. "What about the Granny Smith apple on his ass?" I comment. I see Sugar Belle's eyes widen before she breaks out into a fit of giggles as AJ snickers. "Granny Smith is up at the house, not…" Big Mac commented with an embarrassed look. "I mean the species of apple. For example, the ones on her belt buckle, unless I'm mistaken, are Red Delicious apples. There are also Fuji, Honeycrisp, Golden and probably thirty or forty other species of apples," I comment with a smirk. I see AJ's gaze dip to her belt buckle before she shrugs. "Only apples we know are Sweet Apple Acres apples," she commented thoughtfully. > A New Challenge > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fengàri Kattalakis - FPoV I exhaled softly, my fingers finding the filet knife with ease. I recall that Jaqueline had commented that Cragadile skin was tough on blades, yet I found it only a bit thicker than that of an average gator. I stripped most of the leaner meat in the limbs away as I had found it made really good jerky when smoked. The majority of the meat, I cut into strips and cubes for grilling. I hummed softly, noticing Woz and Geiz watching me from the corner of my eye. I was very aware of, yet didn't care less about the frilly grayish brown apron.  I had already boiled potatoes and cut up some thick andouille sausage as well as thyme, vanilla, garlic powder, and added salt and both black and red pepper. A small smirk crossed my face as I wasn't surprised by the fact that these anthropomorphic ponies had no problem eating meat, though they did not do it very often in most cases.  As I added the Cragadile meat to the pot and set it on low to medium heat to cook, I exhaled as I washed my hands in the outside sink nearby. My head tilted as I thought of something before, to my mild surprise and interest, my hand sank into the air, which rippled momentarily before I pulled my hand back, the rippling air fading away into nonexistence as I stared at what was in my hand. It was a 1965 Chet Atkins hollow body Stratocaster. My irises swirled slowly and lazily, much like water going down a drain in a small whirlpool. A soft hum escaped my throat as I missed the startled looks both the Prophet and Resistance Fighter traded. My ears twitched at a low mutter. "He's definitely different from Sugou… the feel of him is… utterly different," I heard Geiz mutter. "Indeed," was all Woz murmured back. My head tilted at the moment a sharp beeping sounded on the other side of the window before I saw Jaqueline dart in, sliding a pair of oven mitts on before she pulled first one, then a second apple pie out. I saw her tap a button which ceased the beeping before my ears twitch at dual toned squeaking. One was slow and steady, the other slightly discordant as if the person, whom I presumed to be Tsukuyomi, wasn't quite comfortable with the rocking chair. I did notice that the oven, whilst slightly futuristic looking, did not seem to run on natural gas or fossil fuels. My head tilted as I noticed Geiz giving me a strange look. My gaze shifts before I blink several times in mild surprise…. as I'm floating a good two feet off the ground without even a thought. Even as I consider it, my feet hit the ground with a small thud. "Makes me thankful that I tend to save food in a subspace pocket just out of habit," I comment with a small sigh and a shrug. I noticed the male Riders trading a glance out of the corner of my eye again. "Why would you need to do that, my liege? You were treated," Woz started. "Like trash. So I know very well what it means to save and work your ass off for what you get, unlike most people. I know what it's like to assist others and gain assistance when in need myself. Though unlike some, I went the old fashioned way of surviving… kill what I eat, use what I kill, and, when possible, leave as little a mark on nature as possible," I deadpan before I notice the border collie staring at me, her tail wagging. My gaze shifts as I turn, spotting the tail end of Jaqueline's ponytail leaving the kitchen through the saloon style doors as a slight smirk crosses my face. I don't comment on how her kitchen makes me think of a cross between a kitchen in the late 1800s in the Western Territories, as the areas such as California, Nevada, Utah, the Dakotas, and much of Texas were known as in what the majority knew as the 'Wild West' combined with a bit more of a modern appeal. I hear Tsukuyomi say something, but, somehow… I know that I'm purposely choosing to not quite hear and understand her comment. Strange, it sounds, I'm certain. It's almost as if a small part of myself is aware of how nasty life can be. My head tilts as I notice a siren before my gaze slides towards the road before my eyes widen slightly at the sight of a car a recognize: the Tridoron… from Kamen Rider Drive.  "I'm guessing you recognize the car?" I hear Jaqueline drawl. "Kinda hard not to, chèr, if you know anything about Decade… considering Drive was one of the Worlds he visited… though, Geiz… I would be interested in hearing how you acquired the Drive Ridewatch before you met Sugou," I deadpan.  I see Geiz gape with surprise as he obviously has no idea I knew of him and, by extension Woz and quite a few of the various Heisei Riders before they'd 'rescued' me. I don't know how I know, but I'm certain deep inside there is no going back… because there's nothing to go back to. "How exactly do you know about that?" Geiz snaps warily. "Another Ex-Aid. You used the Drive Armor against him… though you did force him to retreat with that… it didn't defeat him," I drawl. I see Geiz grimace. 'Rather intriguing that Geiz and Tsukuyomi recall the events of the series despite Sugou's Time Reset… perhaps he set up something with Woz and Tsukasa to restore their memories in the case whatever forced him to do what he did with Shocker… if Shocker has truly gone multiversal, then they're a threat to more than just Kamen Riders and, by extension, Super Sentai and Power Rangers teams,' I considered. My gaze drifts back towards the Tridoron as the door opens before my ears twitch as my eyes narrow as Shinnosuke slides out of the car.  My gaze snaps to the side as a swirling dark orange rift opens as a dozen creatures I recognize as Tarkatans exit before the portal closes. My eyes narrow as an animalistic snarl escapes me as my irises bleed to a hard golden amber as I feel my teeth sharpen. Six are unarmored, I note. Whilst of the other six, four are lightly armored, whilst the last two are heavily armored and armed with more than their natural bio-metal weapons. "Geiz, get Tsukuyomi. Make sure Jaqueline's family are inside. Woz, with me. We're going hard," I deadpan, my eyes on the Outworld natives. I'm not surprised to see Shinnosuke grabbing a case before he straps a belt around his waist. "Konichiwa, Shinnosuke-san, Krim-san," I comment as my hand snaps out as silver and bright golden flames flare between my fingers, resolving into the Zi-O and Grand Zi-O Ridewatches. "Huh… been a long time since someone identified me by my old name. However, we got a report of a rogue Cragadile," Krim Steinbelt, or simply Belt-san, commented. "Guessing there's a police station between here and that mountain city, hai? Either way… that Cragadile is lunch… literally. Those Tarkata are the threat, however," I comment with a small grimace as I roll my shoulders. "You're right, though I don't know how. However you know that can wait until after that threat is finished," Shinnosuke deadpanned before he slid the car into the bracer as I hear the music of the Beyondriver before I smirk as I slide the Ridewatches into place, releasing the lock holding the Ziku Driver in its locked position. "START YOUR ENGINES!" I hear Belt-san say which makes me smirk as I instinctively shift into Sugou's pre-Henshin stance, noticing Woz glance at me with a wistful look as I catch his gaze, nodding slightly before my hand shoves the Ziku Driver around before it clicks into position. "Rider Time! Kamen Rider Zi-O! Grand Time!" blares out as orchestral rock music surges "Kuuga, Agito, Ryuki, Faiz, Bla~de! Hibiki, Kabuto, Den-O, Kiva, Deca~de! W! OOO! Fourze~! Wizard, Gaim, Drive~! Ghost! Ex-Aid! Build~! Iwae! Kamen Rider~! Grand Zi-O~!" My head turns slightly as I see the flare of prismatic purplish blue and pale green light as Woz shifts into Kamen Rider WozGinga. > A Reason To Fight > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fengàri Kattalakis - FPoV      My head tilted as mingled orange and sapphire flames flared to life as I flicked a hand, hearing a yelp before I heard Geiz gasp in mild surprise as he held his GeizRevive Ridewatch. Within moments, however, I heard three separate Henshin triggers. "Drive: Type Tridoron!!" as car horns blared. "Rider Time! Tsukuyomi! Tsu-ku-yo-mi!" "Rider Time! Kamen Rider Geiz! Revi-Revi-Revi! Revi-Revi-Revi! Revi-i-ve Shi-ppu! Shippu!" A slight smirk crossed my face as I shifted my weight, the Zikan Girade materializing in my grasp. My head tilts down slightly, noticing its form was different. "This is going to be fun," I comment as I roll my shoulders. "You're a bit crazy," I hear Shinnosuke deadpan. "'Crazy' is a relative term. In my case, it's more pragmatic and primal… huh… took them long enough to notice us. Besides, I'm sure some of your colleagues called you crazy, too," I comment dryly as two of the Tarkatans seem to be pointing our way. 'Hmmm… logically, the unarmored Tarkata will be the fastest, the lightly armored, the next faster, with the heavy armored bastards being the slowest, though in terms of defense the inverse is true, speedy but low defense or slower with stronger defense,' I note as I tense my legs, my irises swirling faster. Considering that Kamen Riders, to my knowledge, hit in terms of multiple tons of impact, this shouldn't be hard, especially when I know for certain that Geiz's ReviveShippū form as well as Woz's Ginga form and my current Grand Zi-O form hit in terms of over a hundred tons each though I have little doubt that Shinnosuke in his Tridoron form isn't too far behind. A slight smirk crosses my face as I hear Geiz mutter. "Ready when you are," he mutters as he shifts the Zikan Jaxclaw - Tsume in his grip. "Hai, mon ami. One thing's for certain, their timeline will end here," I comment with a slight growl. His head turns slightly. "Interesting catchphrase for a threat," he drawls before we both push off, Woz, Tsukuyomi, and Shinnosuke close behind us. "For me, this might as well be working with legends, such as if you found yourself working alongside, say, Winston Churchill or George Washington," I deadpan. I hear him hum thoughtfully before his reply. "I see," he replied before my hand tapped Kiva's miniature form twice as the Zanvat Sword materialized in a gust of bloody mist. "I recall Kiva using this… though I only encountered a few Fangires before Woz showed up," I comment, feeling the blade quiver in my grasp. "You are not the King, but your life force is strong enough that I can only slightly drain it. Curious. I sense you know of my King as well as the Traitor," the sentient blade whispered in my mind. "I assume you're referring to Ixa as 'the traitor'. Always struck me as far too convenient that those idiots seemingly had just randomly come up with technology effective against Fangires. Highly doubtful it was a coincidence,' I replied with a slight chuckle. My eyes narrow as hints of red enter my swirling irises. 'Regardless, Zanvat-san, I won't do Wataru dishonor," I comment with a small smirk. I'm not that surprised as the Tarkatans, at least the lightly armored and unarmored ones, start trying to pelt us with Blade Spark projectiles. Most of them, save for a few which I see Geiz deflect and Tsukuyomi evade, miss in bursts of sparks before I hurl the Zikan Girade like a discus, the blade decapitating one of the unarmored Tarkata before it returns, impaling the Tarkatan from behind through the chest. My head tilts slightly, noticing the dual blades had merged or closed as one. The interest lasts only a moment as the Tarkatan drops before I lightly grip the Zanvat Bat that doubles as a hand guard before pulling it to the tip then pushing it back down the blade. "Eh?" both I and the sentient blade comment in surprise as the crystalline blade flares with a burning reddish copper light. A feral grin flashes beneath my helmet as I see the Tarkata pause for a moment before attacking harder. I notice blood spray as Geiz catches one Tarkatan in the shoulder before he spins, energy barbs firing at high speed from the Zikan Jaxclaw and puncturing the Outworld-Netherrealm hybrid in multiple places as I swat aside one Tarkatan's arm as it swings wildly and, in my opinion, very sloppily with the flat of the Zanvat Sword. I hear the sword hum with interest in my mind as I notice the angry red burn that looks borderline between second and third degree. "Bloody hell, your breath smells like ass… what, that's your position in the horde? Professional Ass Eater?" I comment dryly. I see Woz trip and roll, evading the blow that, had he been unarmored, would have been a decapitating strike.  I hear Tsukuyomi gag. "That's just crass, Zi," she deadpanned as she tumbles into a fluid arm drag, tossing one of the lightly armored Tarkatans at the heavier armed duo. Unfortunately, all that happens is that it's slapped aside but very obviously dazed. I see her push off into a back handspring to evade a swing from the heavily armored Tarkatan nearest to her. "I'm guessing you can concentrate demonic power through the crystalline blade. Can you sap life energy from injuries caused?" I comment.  "Intriguing. I've never tried, but I think so," the blade replies as I blink as I cock my head, feeling the 'foresight' of the armor kick in before I spin, leaning down as the decapitating strike misses my throat by no more than half an inch before I open up several painful cuts that visibly sizzle much like bacon on its arms, abdomen, right shoulder, and its chest. I notice that the glow intensifies with every wound. I kick it hard in the chest, sending it tumbling backwards before I slash downward, a crescent arc surging forward before the Tarkatan smirks before a line of burning crimson bisects from right shoulder to the mid point of left thigh just beneath its hip before its upper body drops backwards in a spray of blood before its corpse ignites in bright golden flames and is consumed before I pull the Zikan Girade free before I flick my wrist, the blade folding down and splitting as it looks almost like the Devil Arm Artemis as it locks in place. I see meteorites of energy pelting down as WozGinga uses his finisher. It leaves the unarmored and lightly armored Tarkata heavily injured but barely does much to the heavily armored duo, though I can see cracks and smoke rising from their armor. My head tilts as I tilt the Zanvat Sword. "It was a pleasure to wield you for a short time, Zanvat-san," I comment. I get the sense it nods though it does not move before I lightly flick my wrist, Kiva Emperor's blade being dismissed. My eyes narrow as I focus on the ground before all of the Tarkatans freeze, even their falling blood in mid air. Somehow, I know I've locked them in Stasis. "Let's finish this," I comment bluntly. > We Were Meant To Thrive > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kamen Rider Drive- Third Person Shinnosuke's gaze shifted to the new Zi-O before shifting back to the attackers. The way they were frozen reminded him uncomfortably of the Roidmudes. It was rather surprising that he had such a skill. He exhaled softly as he triggered the Tridrop finisher, an over-accelerated aerial kick. He gave a nasty, brutal kick to one of the heavily armored Tarkatans, a blast of sparks and light remaining hanging from the impact before he landed, half turning. He saw the Tarkatan stumbling from the strike before he slowly froze. 'Definitely like the Slowdown caused by Roidmudes,' he noted. He saw Geiz's chest armor close, shifting from blue to orange as his weapon shifted to look like a handheld buzzsaw. "Goretsu!!" blared out. His head tilted as the glow in the Zikan Jaxclaw pulsed rapidly, before ReviveGoretsu Geiz's arm lashed out, seeing the energy saws zip out at high speed before they steadily slowed to a halt. He saw Zi-O tilt his head before he vanished abruptly before he saw no less than three dozen baskets beneath the ten nearest trees filled with apples as Zi-O reappeared.  Perspective Shift- Fengàri FPoV  I stumbled a bit and I slid to a stop beside Tsukuyomi and Woz. "Let's put our foot down. Show these Tarkata that they won't be invading here easily," I comment as I quickly tap the buttons on the Zi-O and Grand Zi-O Ridewatches before releasing the lock on the Driver as I see WozGinga prep his Time Explosion as he releases his Ginga form for his normal one before Tsukuyomi releases her Driver's lock after hitting her Ridewatch. A slight smirk crosses my lips as I swat the Driver into a full rotation as I hear three separate calls from three separate Drivers.  Time Break!! Time Jack!! Time Explosion!! We pushed off into a flying side kick, golden temporal energy surging over my leg as silvery celestial energy surged over Tsukuyomi's leg as pale emerald energy surged over Woz's leg before our kicks hit. The crimson, orange, golden, silvery and pale emerald energies clashed before I tilted my head before an almighty explosion kicked up as I saw the cube of Woz's Time Explosion rip itself apart. A small smirk crossed my face as I noticed every bucket I'd set out was full of apples. "Whooee doggy… ain't never seen a light show like that durin' the day," a wise elderly voice commented.  "Probably have at night, I'll bet," I comment with a small chuckle. The elderly mare cackles. "True. Celestia was good with her nights, but better was Luna," she commented.  I shrug at her comment, not quite sure who she's referring to or what world this is, only that it seems to be anthropomorphic ponies.  I have to wonder what the reproductive rates of these Cragadiles are. If they're anything like the gators I'm familiar with, then this one, which was a good eight and a half feet long, is just a bèbè compared to some Troy and I dealt with… most of whom were between nine and eleven feet with a rare twelve thirteen footer. 'True, some places we hunted,' I thought as my fingers tugged free the Ridewatches, canceling the transformation, 'had six or seven footers which were smaller'n you'd expect,' before I blink as Shinnosuke's hand lands on my shoulder as my gaze shifts to the police detective as we walk back towards the farmhouse. "What exactly were you cooking over there?" he questioned curiously. "A small shift from an old-fashioned gator gumbo using that Cragadile thing. I can definitely say that the usual way we drop gators… a .22 bullet to the base of the skull at the kill spot… probably wouldn't have done anything to that one. Hell, if I remember right, Jacob, Troy's boy who tends to snipe 'em in open water if he ain't runnin' bait lines… uses a .308 with his rifle… that would have probable stunned it… 'cause when I hit it with a Rider Punch, even with the armor… felt like punching a good inch an' a half of solid granite," I deadpan. My gaze shifts to the pot before I blink several times in surprise as I immediately recognize who's stirring the pot. Her pale skin, dark burgundy irises, and crimson tipped black hair is immediately recognizable to me… having seen her numerous times in Sanctuary with the quadruplets, Wren, Maggie, and Fang. I see her smirk playfully before she bounces over and hugs me abruptly. A soft chuckle escapes me. "Hey, Simi… at least I have one very recognizable face around," I comment.  "Who's recognizable? Police Wheel there? Or Pretty Moon Girl?" Simi quips childishly. My eyes roll at her nickname for Shinnosuke, though as I glance over my shoulder at Geiz and Tsukuyomi, the latter is blushing faintly. "I'm referring to you, 'Hornay Girl'," I comment with a small chuckling smile, teasing her way of referring to her Charonite horns. I'm not that surprised by her tilting head before she shakes her head, tugging me towards the pot. I boop her on the nose, amused as she goes cross eyed before she sneezed out a small burst of flames. "Though… where's Acheron?" I comment before she giggles.  "Right here, silly god," Simi quips as she taps my chest with two fingers. My eyebrow twitched upward as I know I'm not Acheron Parthenopaeus, though I can sense she knows more than she's telling. I sigh before shrugging, stirring the pot a bit before tasting it. I shiver slightly as, despite the unfamiliar spices here, it tastes just as I recall. Spicy and smoky with a hint of sweetness and just the slightest hint of sour from the lemon juice. The Alaskan Salmon and Cragadile make for a very fragrant blend combined with the local spices. "Find a seat and bowls, everyone," I comment, noticing a stack of bowls, one roughly twice the size of the others before I meet Simi's gaze, chuckling at her grin. For just a moment, a memory flickers in my mind before I blink, seeing a girl with E cup breasts and poofy raspberry pink hair as well as a fine layer of light raspberry fur. My eyebrows rise before flicking to Simi. "Didn't know you had another sister, Simi-sè," I deadpan. I'm kinda surprised as the light raspberry furred girl giggles as Simi snickers, punching my shoulder. "Xiamara is in Katoteros, like the others, Akri-Fen," she comments before I exhale softly. Obviously, there's far more than she's telling or implying, but at the moment, we have empty bellies to fill. > Meals, Reunions, and Parties > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fengàri Kattalakis - FPoV    A soft sigh escapes me as I get the sense there's going to be quite a bit of stories revealed in the future. I notice the young woman whom could only be a certain party pony grinning my way as she eats without a care. I'm not that surprised that it's been rather quiet save for murmurs of 'This is delicious' from Jaqueline or 'I wonder if the Cakes might be interested in this' from Pinkamena. I hear a deep grumbling growl as another car comes up the driveway before I blink at who steps out. An unbidden grin crosses my face at seeing an old friend. "'Sup, Dom? I assume Woz and Geiz were able to grab you and the guys," I comment.  Dom blinks before he laughs. "The Crazy Gator, damn, man. Talk about a blast from the past," he replies with an easy grin. "The crazy prophet even managed to save Brian, Mai and Letty alongside the kids… before the Collapse. Kinda surprised us that he modified our rides to work on those funky ass electromagnets," he continued. I blink a couple of times, glancing at Woz. That was information to me. "You had the blueprints and idea, my liege. I simply helped bring it to fruition," Woz comments. "This is quite delicious, by the way," he finished. "'Liege'? What, you too good for us?" Dom quips. "Psh. You know what's most important, Dom, and damn if you ain't family to me, brother. Hell, Brian may be an ass at times, but he's family too… and not because he tied the knot with Mia, as I heard. Besides, you an' I both know the only one crazier than your ass is me," I deadpan with a lazy smirk. "And when it comes to family, we both will move the heavens over the earth and the hells beneath," I said. I saw him wince at that.  "You ain't gotta worry about that bitch Cypher… heh… found her ass after you tossed her outta that cargo plane… let's just say she was so foul that there are predators that wouldn't go near her ass," I finish. Which, considering that I dumped her ass at not only a Charonite bar, which refused her for a meal and even Kessar's goons refused her… and Stryker's Daimons. In their words, they claimed 'at least the Dark-Hunters can regain their souls and have honor. This bitch is so dead inside, a black hole wouldn't eat her ass,' said a lot if the supposedly 'most feared and damned predators' refused someone whom was 'dead inside'. "Now… enough of the past and its shit. We have the future to look to, and you sound like you need a little vittles in ye. Hell, I wasn't sure if I was hearing your engine or your guts grumbling," I jab. Not surprisingly, Dom gins at that after slugging my shoulder. "Smart ass. No wonder you and Roman get along so well. Both of you got mouths as big as your balls," Dom deadpans with a smirk. I shrug. "Hey, we talk shit, and we can damn well back it up," I comment. He smirks before his eyebrows rose slightly before he smirked. "Heh, now this brings back some memories," he sighed with a small shrug.  It doesn't really surprise me that we do the usual prayer, though the fact that Woz and Geiz are part of it is interesting. Now that I consider it, the various series of Kamen Rider never really specified if certain characters were part of a particular religion, if any. Me, I've never been too interested in religions. Too busy living life. My head tilts as a soft exhalation escapes. "I'm guessing the crew went their own ways?" I comment. Dom nods.  "Letty and I, as well as Brian and Mia, are here, though Han and Roman headed for 'Las Pegasus'. Slight pun on Las Vegas, I guess," he replied.  My head tilts before I shift my jaw before spitting out a salmon bone which shoots out, impaling a horsefly moments before it landed on the grandmother's forearm before it was pinned to the table. "My opinion of the multiverse is much like a bath… the Void between clusters of realities is the water… the clusters of bubbles are the various realities. Some can burst and Fade Away, others can drift or even link to others," I comment thoughtfully. "Hun, that's an interesting analogy, but a bit too deep for me, sugarcube. Twi would be more interested, though," Jaqueline drawled. "Does make it a bit easier to understand, though," she commented after a moment.  Simi giggled as she turned with a small burp as she started playing with the border collie I'd noticed earlier. My eyebrows rose slightly as she'd had four servings double the size of everyone else and seemed satisfied.  I noticed most were having seconds in terms of servings, as was Dom and Woz.  "You do know how to cook, sonny. Pretty darn impressive, considerin' all you asked for was tomatoes an' spices," Granny Smith commented.  I chuckle. "Hey, there's probably gonna be at least a day or two of leftovers, though it ain't half bad chilled, just a bit thicker," I comment. I'm not that surprised as Pinkie tries to stuff my head in her breasts in a hug, though I'm pretty sure she's hoping for some of the leftovers. I boop her nose, amused as she wrinkles her nose before sneezing a small burst of flour before she blushes. "I'm sure they'll let you have some, Rosy," I quip. "Rosy?" Pinkie giggled as she cocked her head.  "Like those cheeks when you smile or smirk," I comment, amused as she blinks before blushing more. Jaqueline chuckles as she watches us. "Geez, makes ya wonder if he's a playa or just that smooth," Dom deadpans which I hear Geiz snicker as I see Woz smirk. "You know me, Dom… I'm as smooth as nutty peanut butter," I deadpan.  "Oooh, are you just as nutty?" Pinkie giggles. "Hun, with the shit Dom an' I've gone through, it ain't a matter of if we're nuts, but how nuts are we," I comment with a small shrug. "Though at least he ain't like Xander… geez…. now that guy was an adrenaline junkie," I sigh, referring to a guy that could have been Dom's physical twin, save for one big difference… his eyes were a paler shade of brown, almost like chocolate milk compared to Dom's dark chocolate eyes. That, and their personalities were quite different. Xander was a huge adrenaline junkie, looking for the next insane stunt, legal or not. Dom, whilst he, too, was an adrenaline junkie, got his 'fix' through high racing speeds and the occasional wild job for the government. His gaze shifted to Dom's car, one he'd seen in the driver's driveway quite often. He hummed as he drank down the warm, spicy tomato sauce that was almost the consistency of tomato soup. "I see you got it repaired after that nasty flip ya took, from what I heard from Brian. Rammed through the wheel well and up over the engine of that semi like it was a ramp. Considering you snapped the axle assembly, both tire rods, caved in the driver's side front quarter panel, wheel well and collapsed the brake caliper like a steel can, getting out with a dislocated shoulder was lucky as hell, brother," I deadpan. I see him shiver. "Shit, man… that sounded scarily like," Dom started. "Jesse… who do you think he worked with before he headed out to LA?" I comment with a chuckle. I see his eyes widen at that. "Damn. Huh… would have never thought that," Dom chuckles.  I shrug nonchalantly. "Heard about what happened to him with Tran's little bitches. That, he didn't deserve," I sigh.  "He's safe, Akri-Fen… Akri-Ash saved him, he's at peace," Simi cut in. My gaze snaps to her. "Simi… I know how you saw Ash and how he saw you, especially considering Nick… but to me, you're closer to an adelfì," I comment. I see her eyebrows rise before I grunt as I find myself on the ground, Simi having tackle-hugged me. "Fen-adelfòs," she mutters atop me before I wince slightly as I feel her teeth nip my shoulder near my throat but, thankfully, not draw blood. I hear Dom, Geiz, Jaqueline, and Pinkie laughing, likely at my expense, but it doesn't matter. Dominic is like a brother to me and he knows it. I doubt he knows that, despite looking no older than my early twenties, I was actually born closer to the end of World War II, not that I had reason to reveal that. As we sit up, I hear Pinkie mentioning something about a party welcoming myself, Geiz, Woz, and Tsukuyomi. My eyes roll as I'm not that surprised, as I can sense the magic in the air. I can also sense that Dom is stronger, most likely the magic within the atmosphere is altering his body not unlike Jaqueline's or Macintosh's. > Parties and Explorations I > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fengàri Kattalakis - FPoV I was mildly surprised that Jaqueline and Pinkamena insisted on handling the cleanup. I did, however, notice the troubled look on Shinnosuke's face. "Yen for your thoughts? Or penny, bit… or whatever currency they use here," I comment.  "How did you employ a Roidmude's Slowdown?" he said bluntly. "Honestly? No idea, considering… wait… if I was able to summon Geiz's and Tsukuyomi's Drivers as well as Ridewatches… what if?" I mutter before pausing. "I'm guessing that you recall Sugou, considering you didn't seem surprised by either Woz or the others," I sigh. He nods once. "You see, where I came from, as I told Woz, had no connection to Kamen Riders nor Super Sentai… and by extension, their villainous counterparts. The most we had as a 'connection' to them were television shows. And, of course, collectibles of said shows. In my case, I had a rather sizable collection of Ridewatches… specifically. And… that includes the Ridewatches of the Another Riders. Do I know for certain if I have them with me? No. I do hope so… as we know what kind of trouble they can create if out… there. At least with me, we know where they are… but I'm not likely to use them," I sigh.  Shinnosuke grimaced at that. "Summon one, then, just to make sure," he said dryly, crossing his arms over his chest. I wince as I take a deep breath. "Dunno how to, honestly. The show never went heavily into what really drove the Another Riders. I'm guessing there was jealousy of some sort involved, considering the Time Jackers took advantage of it," I comment. "Though I do my best not to dwell on that emotion… jealousy, lust, and greed are closely entwined," I sigh.  I focus, even as I speak, tendrils of dark purplish fog gathering in one hand before dissipating. I blink several times at the sight of the Ridewatch in my grasp. "Well, that explains it… Another Drive has the same Slowdown ability as the Roidmudes, likely to cancel out that of the Roidmudes," I comment with a grimace. "However, unless something occurs that demands that I use these, I have no intention of doing so," I  comment bluntly. "You are wise in abstaining from such things, my," Woz started before I covered his mouth. "Look, Woz, I understand that you respect the power of Zi-O, but I was never raised as royalty and frankly, I have no interest in acting as such… but it is said that it is those who never desire power for self-gain that often gain the most power," I comment. "So, though I don't mind the 'my liege' stuff… don't call me as such unless it's in front of idiots calling themselves 'nobility'. It's 'Fengàri' or 'Rei', I don't care which," I deadpan.  Geiz's eyebrows are rising. "I thought," he commented.  "That I was like Sugou? Nope. And most of all, I'm not oblivious to the fact that Tsukuyomi was glancing at you repeatedly whilst we were eating," I comment with a small, playful smirk. From how he blushed almost immediately, he knows exactly what I'm hinting at.  Geiz shivers slightly as my eyebrow rises. "Whilst you do whatever with Tsukuyomi, Woz and I will explore a bit… see what's around," I comment. Knowing Dom, if he hasn't contacted Letty and Mia, and by extension, Brian, yet, he will soon. Makes me wonder what the equivalent of a cell phone is in this world. I turn as I give a sharp two toned whistle that, to my amusement, makes Woz jump. To my mild surprise, I hear the rumbling growl of the Scout almost immediately before I notice embers rising from the fuel tank before it halts a few feet away, idling. "Sugou couldn't do that trick," I hear Geiz mutter with a murmured "Indeed" from Woz before my eyes land upon the medallion fused into the fuel tank. "Well, I'll be damned. Guess it's a good thing blood wasn't shed on this… or it would have woken him… though if I recall correctly… it was Noble Kale merged with Danny… unlike Johnny… whose partner was far less pleasant," I sigh, my fingertips tap just shy of the Medallion. I can feel the energy within it. "Though that raises the question of whom will wake him," I murmur under my breath. I sigh softly as I straddle the bike before I see Woz summon his Ridestriker bike. A slight smirk crosses my face, noticing his is light green, cerulean blue, and silver with some black, exactly like his Kamen Rider armor. "You know, for some Kamen Riders, like W, Accel, us, and even Tsukasa, I've always suspected that there was an energy hiding our identities from sight, or more precisely, memory, unless they were in on the secret in the first place," I comment.  "You would be correct. Sugou did research and found that Singularity Points do have that sort of protection not unlike the Super Sentai and their Power Rangers counterparts," Woz replied with a small smile as if he liked the fact that I, in many ways, saw things from 'outside the box' so to speak, much like himself.  I shrugged slightly as I rev the bike. "I found that I have the Another Drive Ridewatch. However, it is safe to presume the others may be in the wind and hopefully they aren't activated," I sigh after a moment before I accelerate. I feel my ears twitch as I hear Woz's Ridestriker behind me, though I have a sneaking feeling that some of my forms may be subtly different from Sugou's.  My head tilts as I ride up the driveway, pausing at the exit, noting the roads aren't paved. 'Best to keep my speed low, so the dust trail doesn't choke out Woz or anyone else who happens to be outside,' I consider. I noticed earlier that Pinkamena had darted out as soon as the dishes had been finished, likely to prep a 'welcoming party' for a bit later. As Woz and I pull away from the farm, my gaze sweeps around, scanning thoroughly. Hmmm… I notice that I tend to pick up the surface thoughts of others when I stare for longer than a few seconds. Only Woz, Geiz, and Tsukuyomi seem to be immune to it. Perhaps because they, like me, are alien to this world… or former and now returned Riders? Though I have little doubt that there are other Riders in this world. It's a gut feeling. My hand lightly squeezes the brake, noticing Woz go several yards onward past me before he, too brakes, turning.  It is a quaint little music shop. My nose twitches at a scent that I note to be similar to the natural shampoos that Sunshine Runningwolf always sent me. 'Apartment on the second floor, bathroom and a half if not two,' I note. 'Various varnishes and cleaning solutions for instruments. I hear muted classical music, as well as more noticeable dubstep. Hmmm… I have an idea,' I consider. My head tilts, scanning around before landing on the cream furred body and dual toned dark cerulean and electric blue mane before I see her head turn before she straightens, revealing that all she's wearing are black Daisy Dukes as well as a dark gray vest. She has a set of dark purple glasses with purplish magenta lenses. I notice her irises are a rich ruby color. "Damn… your eyes remind me of someone I knew on a foreign exchange trip… Kurenai," I comment. A slight smirk crosses my face as she blinks as she blushes. "I noticed the scents of the lacquers and oils from outside. Gotta say there's a good selection here, huh… well, well, well…. and that catches my eye," I comment, noticing a very familiar violin: Wataru Kurenai's Bloody Rose.  My hand flicks out to the side as my Stratocaster materializes in my grasp. "Interested in a little exhibition?" I comment at her look of great interest.  "Sure, what style?" she replies with a smirk. "Little of everything. But the one I have in mind is rather fitting," I comment. "Oh? What do you have in mind?" I hear Woz comment. "I can replicate Kiva's family song, especially with that," i comment, tilting my head at the Bloody Rose, "but what I have in mind is a bit more… unique and personal, especially for our situation," I comment to Woz. I see his head tilt with interest as he likely knows what I'm referring to in more than one way. "However… the second… is what we need to do," I finish,  making his head tilt almost like a curious puppy, though the idea of his actor looking like that is rather… silly. > Parties and Encounters II > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fengàri Kattalakis - FPoV I breathed a bit hard after both songs, amused as Woz was staring at me like he'd been poleaxed. Vinyl, on the other hand, looked very excited. My gaze shifted to the gray furred mare with a slightly curled bob and violet eyes staring at me with an inscrutable look, wearing only a coffee colored robe hugging her DD cup breasts. "Those did not seem like Heartsongs," she observed. "To the original writers of said songs, they were quite similar, relaying an outpouring of emotion," I comment dryly. I see her shrug as if she didn't really care much.  "So those aren't 'your songs'?" the other mare comments, her vest hugging her C cup chest. "Considering that the world I came from suffered a Dimensional Cascade Collapse and is, in all likelihood, dead? They might as well be," I sigh. I notice that both mares gain a befuddled look, as did Woz.  "In terms Woz would understand, essentially what Shocker intended Tsukasa to originally do to the Rider Worlds… in terms you girls would understand… think of it like a tree rotting from the bottom up… that tree, and every leaf, branch, and fruit… will be destroyed when that tree gives way. What few realize is that the Norse Myth of Níðhöggr… was, in truth… a warning about the God of Betrayal and Darkness. He destroyed the roots… his own realm of Azmodea… which acted like someone dropping a stack of dishes… sending everything, immortal and mortal alike… living and dead… human, demon, Apollite.. crashing down on top of each other…" I sigh before pausing. "Though… I have no idea how I know that," I mutter under my breath. I see them staring at me with shock. "Can't do anything about it, unfortunately. I don't even know how many, if any, survived. From what Simi said, I'm guessing that Acheron hid every survivor in Katoteros… a dimension only he could access… as technically he was the only remaining Atlantean God," I comment before shrugging.  A soft sigh escapes me as I pause, sensing malicious intent. My head turns before my eyes narrow as unfamiliar creatures are creating havoc.  As a butter yellow Pegasus mare darts in, her rose pink mane swaying before she turns at a squeal of fear. "Angel Bunny!" she cries in worry, seeing one of the jacketed mooks holding the bunny as dark green light gathers in its other hand. My eyes narrow as my hand snaps out to the side, golden silver flames igniting before the Zi-O II Ridewatch rests in my grasp. "I don't fucking think so," I snarl, a predatory growl edging my voice as my irises flare to a swirling golden amber. I dart out the door, releasing the lock on the D-3 side, detaching it from the gold-and-black D-9 side before catching the dark man in the chest with a flying side kick.  "Moiázeis me maláka pou chreiázetai éna kaló gamiméno," I deadpan as I see the bunny, freed, dart after the butter yellow Pegasus mare. My eyes narrow as I slide the Ridewatches into position and release the lock. "So… get fucked, Karen," I drawl before I swat the Driver Into its rotation even as the energy bands block no less than seven blasts of dark green and foggy black energy, more than enough to kick up a heavy blast of dust. I push off sharply through the dust, shoulder blocking the one that had grabbed the bunny before my heel drove sharply into its chest as I sensed they were not native to this dimension. My arm snapped out, swatting the oily arm before the oily flesh extended into a crystalline obsidian tinted blade before I twisted, hyperextending its arm before ducking under a kick that missed my head by inches yet tagged my captive full in the face.  I let him go before, in a gust of golden edged pale rose light, I materialized the Zikan Girade before slashing outward, a shockwave of golden edged light shearing through the oily body before its form crystallized before disintegrating into dust. "Not very tough," I sigh. The misty shadow creature seems to sneer at that before he tossed a bolt of malevolent bloody light at me before he hurls a second just as fast, almost like flicking out shuriken though I deflect both bolts aside with the Zikan Girade before it started tossing pairs of bolts. 'He's testing us. Then let's show him our bladework,' I realize as my body shifts into a more flowing stance, the Zikan Girade shifting in form ever so slightly. My eyes narrow as I swing twice, the vertical downward slice opening a cut from right collarbone to thigh that spills dribbles of purplish red liquid light before the second, a disemboweling strike, spills out much more of the light before he detonates in a burst of dark green edged reddish purple flame. I swat aside two bolts of malevolent light which  kick up dirt as I push off, unaware the blade ignites in golden temporal fire as I tag one, two, four of the oily creatures who crystalize not unlike deceased Fangires before shattering. It is then that I hear it. Fang! MAXIMUM DRIVE!" as arcs of bluish white energy shear through the other two in sprays of purplish red liquid light before they explode like the other. My head tilts before a bit of a chuckle escapes me. "Bloody hell… first Woz shows up at my house, delivering the last Ridewatches for my collection… then I end up finding out that I'm apparently Sugou's successor… and meeting one of the actual Riders that inspired me into a brief police career… and now one of my personal favorite Riders in front of me… fuck me sideways," I sigh as I dismiss my armored form, frankly overwhelmed. Kinda surprised it's taking this long to finally hit me. I feel my legs weaken before my consciousness flees in a matter of seconds, never feeling either the arms catching me from the front nor the softer, furred arms from behind. Location - ????? I groan as my eyes flutter open before I push myself to my hands and knees before hearing a voice I recognize immediately. "Easy there. You'll get help from the locals, Fengàri," I hear. I shake my head as I feel a hand on my shoulder before I look up. "You can imagine how pissed I was when I found out that my maternal aunt, pun intended, was the reason why my life was fucked in so many ways. Though when we heard about Noir's scheme from Jared… we were running heavy damage control," Acheron Parthenopaeus sighed. I hear a tinkling laugh before I turn. "So we chose an innocent yet very powerful Aristi whose inheritance had not yet awoken," I hear a soft, feminine voice comment, seeing a slim, yet busty woman with hair of the palest silvery blonde and swirling silver eyes. My eyes widened slightly, recognizing her from the ancient stories. "Lady Apollymi," I sigh in surprise. Her reaction surprises me more, an offhanded wave as much as Acheron's muttered "Matera." My head snaps around, staring at Acheron as I unconsciously translate the term, unknowingly employing 'Godspeech' or the ability to understand and speak any language as needed by a deity. I see him smirk almost playfully as everything blurs as my consciousness returns.  The first things I notice are the scents of, surprisingly, jasmine tea with honey as well as the subtle hint of lavender and the slight hint of hay and sunshine warmed fur. My head tilts to see a squirrel sitting on my chest wearing a dark green vest before my eyebrows rise slightly at the cunning intelligence in her eyes.  > Unexpected Visitors > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fengàri Kattalakis - FPoV  My head turned to see Phillip, a.k.a Kamen Rider Cyclone or one half of Kamen Rider W. My head was pounding mercilessly. "Bloody hell… my head feels like a blacksmith mistook it for a metal billet and beat the everloving shit outta it, ugh," I mutter. Phillip winces at my rather blunt comment, but chuckles. "I don't believe I know that reference, unfortunately," he said quietly. "Ben Grimm… the wild Thing of the Fantastic Four… big rocky dude with a heart of gold and a mind like an adamantium trap… even if he won't admit it," I sigh. "Knowing my luck, we may end up running across someone from Marvel or DC at some point. Knowing my luck, it'd be Victor Von Doom or Elektra Natchios," I deadpan, referring to two sometimes villains, sometimes anti-heroes depending on their mood. I blink as I see the butter yellow mare stepping through the archway from the kitchen with a tea set in her hands. "Holy shit…. I'm not sure whether to call you cute or beautiful, chèr," I drawl before wincing. "I thought you could use some tea to soothe your throat and nerves. From what your retainer said, he was rather surprised that you weren't overwhelmed before now. I'm Abigail Fluttershy, by the way. Most just call me Fluttershy," she said softly.  "Woz isn't the only one. Though considering I made a living as everything from a chef to a musician as well as gator hunting… whew… I suppose I get used to the unusual," I sigh before seeing Fluttershy's crystalline cyan irises staring at the leather thong around my throat. "The teeth catch your eye, aye? The bigger two inch one came from a nasty thirteen two footer… we'd dubbed him 'King Ghidorah' 'cause he had an area a good third of a square mile to himself… the other two at an inch an' a third… came from an eleven eight footer… that bastard's head was so hard, Jacob had to unload two .308 rounds into 'im… found out the hard way when we dragged his ass halfway into the boat… the first bullet knocked him out temporarily… when he came to… first thing he latched on was right here," I deadpan, sitting up despite the surge of vertigo that thankfully passed quickly. I tugged up my right pants leg, exposing the series of puncture scars, clearly from sharp fangs, running from where my ankle met my foot to just beneath my knee.  I'm not that surprised to see Phillip cringe. Fluttershy, however, to my surprise, despite wearing naught more than a pair of dusky orange panties, after putting the tea set down, sweeps over and hugs me tight. I had already noticed her EE if not F cup breasts… though at the moment, I was getting, no pun intended, a very close look at them. I could feel her fingers dragging through my hair before she hummed. "No offense, but you smell… just a little bit. Want me to give you a nice hot bath after tea?" she murmured, my ears twitching. "On that, I'm out," Phillip deadpanned. I heard the tea being poured before I heard the door close firmly. "You know you don't," I comment dryly as I pulled back from pretty much motorboating her breasts before her fingertips on my lips caused me to pause. "I don't have to, obviously… but I want to," she murmurs softly, blushing. "Well… that and...I kinda need a bath myself," she mumbled in embarrassment. A small smirk crosses my face. "You know, Abby… I don't mind scrubbing every inch  of your body. No doubt Pinkamena likely has a party set up by now, and I doubt they'd want a smelly ol' gator hunter showing up smelling like Cragadile," I sighed.  She giggles at that before passing me a cup of tea. "And Jackie told me and the girls about saving her nephew… punching a Cragadile? Really?" she commented teasingly.  I shrug. "Had I not been using Kuuga Ultimate it would have hurt like hell… I suppose I could have gone with Wizard Land Dragon but I wasn't aiming to decapitate it. Either way, it felt like punching a good inch and a half of solid granite even with a charged Rider Punch, although I'm not quite sure how charged I had it compared to other Riders," I comment nonchalantly.  I see her shrug a bit as she sips her tea. I sip my tea, a bit surprised by the fragrant flavor. A soft sigh of relaxation escapes before I hear her giggle. "You like it? It's a Chineighse blend," she commented.  "The equivalent of China, hmm…. actually,  yes," I hum. --- Near the entrance to the Everfree closeby Fluttershy's a purple disc of energy opened. "Which world did this thing open to this time?" A androgynous voice said as a white suited figure stepped out of the portal. Looking around the figure tensed briefly before relaxing. "My gods, I'm home!" Suddenly the figure tensed up once more. "Something's wrong, my tech is picking up minute traces of void energy. Seems that something came here while I was away." The figure dissolved into white light which began flowing towards Fluttershy's cottage. --- Fengàri Kattalakis - FPoV  I paused as my ears twitched before my head tilted. 'Woz must not have done much research on this world. If what I just got a flash of was correct. Hmmm… always did like Todoroki's powers, myself, mainly because I'm naturally learning towards guitars,' I consider as I feel Fluttershy's fingers lightly gripping my wrist before I notice Todoroki's bracelet on my wrist. 'Hmmm… intriguing,' I note. --- The unknown being coalesced into a female form briefly before their suit reappeared in front of Fluttershy's door. "Hope they remember me." They said as they knocked on the door. Fengàri saw Fluttershy's head turn at the knock. "Expecting someone?" he commented. She shrugged.  "The only ones other than my friends and Discord that drop by would be…" the butter yellow mare commented before she tugged open the door before hugging the suited figure tightly. "Tara," she murmured, sounding relieved. "It's been almost two months, you know," she said with a hint of sternness.  "You deal with an inter-dimensional Empire trying to destroy all life," The figure powered down, immediately revealing a dark purple alicorn with a midnight purple, white, and gray striped mane and tail wearing police riot gear that was obviously stretched to fit her G cup bosom. "I gave you all morphers!" Fluttershy rolled her eyes. "Doesn't make them active morphers, you know. For some reason, they're dormant," she sighed sassily. "Your outfit reminds me of Kamen Rider G3, somewhat," Fengàri's deadpan comment cut in with an observation. "He, too, was a police officer, working to save lives," he commented. "Shut it, human." Tara said aggressively. "You're lucky I don't boot you home."  Fengàri's eyes narrowed slightly, glowing molten silver with slight embers of crimson. "You wouldn't be able to, unless you wanted to damn me to a slow, agonizing death either of suffocation or of the Void burning my life force away before doing the same to my body, one cell at a time… remaining conscious the entire time despite being pretty much dead in every way that matters. Call it a gut feeling, but I rather doubt that you're willing to do that to what essentially amounts to an interdimensional orphan. My home dimension suffered a Catastrophic Cascade Collapse, so there's no 'home' to go back to. Not to mention that it killed pretty much everything and everyone I knew… family and friends alike. And that includes those who died," he deadpanned coolly. Considering there were seven billion known mortals and probably another ten or eleven billion major and minor immortals and deceased souls that had perished, that showed a lot. Fluttershy shot Tara a look, cocking her head. She didn't know how much of that was true, but it sounded like a magical blade through the head or spear through the heart would sound like a mercy in comparison. "Though it probably doesn't help that there were what I suspect to be two incursions of hostiles… one at an apple farm, the other in a local marketplace as I was shopping for a guitar," he commented. He saw Fluttershy's head snap to look at him upon mentioning the apple farm. "Fortunately, beyond a minor mess in the marketplace, there were no injuries that I saw in either case, save for the hostiles," he finished. He didn't miss how she relaxed upon the mention of no bodily harm at the farm. Tara stared wide eyed at Fengàri before falling to the floor. "I saved one." She exclaimed in relief. "I was able to save one!" Her eyes hardened as her goggles beeped at her. "No from the void signature you either saved yourself or something else did."  Fengàri Kattalakis cocked an eyebrow before his ears twitched at screeching cries. His head turned as he paused. "Woz was the one that brought me here. Apparently… Sugou Towika was a real person and something occurred that forced him to find a successor…. me," he sighed before his eyes narrowed as he shifted his weight as he stepped around Tara as he saw creatures he recognized immediately. "Friends of yours? Exes?" he quipped, tilting his head at the septet of Tengu. His hand snapped up, a trio of hardened feathers caught between his fingers inches from his chest. As his hand dropped, he shifted, revealing what was in his other hand. "Ugh" she responded as she drew her blaster shooting the Tengu in the head causing it to blow up into feathers. "Ivan Ooze's foot shoulders." "So Ivan could well be nearby if possible… though I suppose we should be glad they don't seem to have backup," Fengàri deadpanned as he opened fire, bolts of ruby light pelting the Tengu, more intended to distract. The sound of caws rang out as Fluttershy gasped. "You had to jinx it, Fen!" Tara said as she turned to see a single Tengu holding Fluttershy with a sharp feather to her neck. Fengàri's head turned as his irises flared a bright amber with swirls of golden amber within them. "Let her go… or you're gonna lose an eye… then your head, your choice," he spoke. His tone held a growling edge to it, showing he was more than merely human. His head tilted slightly as his hand rose as his empty hand shifted to the wrist with the Kigen Onjou upon his arm. "Awaken ranger!"  A familiar voice said as the Tengu exploded and Fluttershy became wreathed in a golden light momentarily before the light dissipated revealing her new suit. "Well, we know they work." Tara deadpanned. "Gosei must not like how I copied his master's work to make them. Petty Tiki head," she grumbled. "I suppose he never heard the expression 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery', but then…" Fengàri deadpanned before he charged out the door, tackling three of the Tengu still standing and tossing them into the remaining two as they'd taken four out thus far. "What do I know? Henshin! Let's party!!" he barked as he flicked the strings of the Kigen Onjou  before arcs of emerald lightning surged over his body as he assumed the form of Kamen Rider Todoroki complete with the Ongekigen Retsurai purification guitar-spear. "I'm certain he has, considering the Legendary Ranger Keys. I just think he's butthurt that I stole the copyrighted design." Tara said before pulling out a wrist mounted device. "Harmonize! Titanus Ranger!" In a flash of white light Tara transformed into her suited form from before. "I'll never get used to using Zordon's ranger form." She said her voice androgynous like before. "So you can imagine how it feels for me, actually using the powers of characters that, as far as I know, are fantasy… but then, if Woz is to be believed, they most certainly did exist and, much like the Power Rangers or Super Sentai… stood for justice and protection of those who cannot protect themselves," Fengàri deadpanned with a cock of his head.  "Iwae! The future lord of time and fate uses one of his inheritances! The power of the brash yet pure young Todoroki is yours, my liege," Woz's voice bellowed out from where he leaned against Fluttershy's roof.  Fengàri smirked, noticing that the Tengu were thoroughly distracted and confused. "See what I meant now, Woz?" he commented, amused as he started employing the Kitōjutsu: Raigekiken and Raigekikyu Oni martial arts techniques to lay into the Tengu.  "Shy, you need to help us!" Tara said as she bashed a Tengu with her shield. "The Tengu are never alone," she muttered cautiously. Fengàri's eyes shifted around warily. He could sense a dark, corrupt presence darker than any Makamou he knew instinctively that any Oni save for Hibiki himself had fought. He turned before he spotted a pair of Fangires. His eyes narrowed slightly as he felt energy course over his body as his armor became s pearlescent mercurial silver before shattering.  However… it was whom stood between the Fangires that caught his eye. > Revelations of Darkness > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fengàri's head tilted. "You know, the Tengu may be more your style than those Tar Babies, but one thing the movie never mentioned was how dark your Aura is," he drawled, noticing his voice came out as a Norwegian accented tone. 'Hmmm… intriguing, though I can't say it wouldn't be handy. Either way, if Ooze was watching, he would know at minimum two forms I can take. Though it'll be very interesting if I can learn to channel those powers without transforming,' he considered. "Thank you, although I rather dislike dealing with… teenagers and young adults… rather unruly and more, unreliable," Ivan Ooze drawled dramatically, taking a pause to breathe deeply. "Took me quite a long time to regenerate… though I can feel at least three other regenerating fragments out there," he sighed. "So you're just like Majin Buu, we would have to completely and utterly turn you into an atomized Ash to destroy you. Thanks for the info." Tara said as she lobbed her shield Captain America style at three of the Tengu, bouncing off of their heads before returning to her arm. "Now Fen!" Fengàri's quick strides caught both Fangires and knocked them both close to a dozen feet back before he snapped off a scathing heel kick and roundhouse kick simultaneously. To his surprise, hands gripped his legs before he was spun before being tossed bodily backwards. He heard a sound that sounded eerily similar to crashing bowling pins as he slammed not only through the Tengu, but into Tara. He groaned as he swiftly rolled off her  before he stood. "The movie obviously never showed anything of Ivan's martial arts skills… and considering his reputation, he ain't gonna be no slouch," he growled. He felt a burning in his veins as, in a surge of golden flame, he saw something shoot out of the chest plate of the Saga armor, arcing into the distance. He coughed a bit, confused. "What if Wataru is here?" he muttered. "Though the fact that this armor can kick with an impact force of 35 tons… and Ivan just blocked two with almost obnoxious ease…" he commented with a grimace. That implied that Dark Kiva's Darkness Hell Crash would have little effect unless Ivan were caught by surprise.  "Oooh… thanks for getting rid of that cramp in my shoulder and bicep," Ivan chuckled with a smirk. "I can always get rid of two cramps between your legs with a good punt… how high should I aim, orbital impact? Or maybe knock your ass into the sun?" Fengàri said sarcastically.  "Let the old-timer have his fun, Fen." Tara said with an evil smile under her helmet. "He's about to learn what a Zordon empowered battlizer can do."  Right after saying this Tara was engulfed in White Light which blinded everyone. When the light dissipated her armor was completely different now resembling Tommy Oliver's White Ranger armor. "Battlizer ready!" She shouted, her blade and body still lightly glowing. "Saba we have to completely vaporize this guy otherwise he'll just come back later. I know you don't like using your full power off the bat, but this is Ivan Ooze we're talking about... it's necessary." "Understood Tara." The living sword said. "Though even at my maximum output I am not sure we can completely destroy this being." "We have to try, he took two hits that can crush 35 tons with ease. I'll be pouring my magic into this to empower you similar to an Omega charge." Tara said.  Fengàri took a deep breath. He focused on a particular Ridewatch, that of Dark Kiva. He heard the mechanical wings before he dismissed the Saga armor as his eyes opened to see whom he expected… Kivat the 2nd. "Hmmm… your blood has tremendous power locked away. Though it will hurt drawing it out," he said. "Fine. This motherfucker is worth a bit of pain," Fengàri said bluntly as he noticed Fluttershy pelting both Fangires with energy arrows from a pair of dual crossbows. "Don't say you weren't warned. GABU," Kivat deadpanned before Fengàri grimaced as Kivat's fangs punctured before he growled as stained glass tattoos formed on his skin as a crimson belt formed before his eyes snapped open, revealing they were swirling silver with pearlescent shimmering within. "Henshin," he snarled as he hung Kivat inverted, triggering the change. He saw both Fangires charging up a laser blast as he pulled free a Fuestle before letting Kivat activate it. "Wake Up One!!" Kivat invoked as he pushed off, letting dark burgundy flames ignite over his fists as everything darkened with a slightly red Moon and pale red fog drifting around. He darted at the Fangires before he slashed a chopping strike that forced them back a couple of steps and interrupted their charging blasts before he paused. "Jigoku de o ai shimashou, shikashi sonogo, owae ma shideru," he deadpanned in fluent Japanese before he let his arms flex, the one-inch-strikes sending both Fangires backwards close to ten yards before they both detonated in glittering stained glass dust and large bright green fireballs. "Oi… can't find good help these days," Ivan sighed, shaking his head with a bemused tone, hiding a hint of fear. "Who's next? You're next," Fengàri growled, pulling a Fuestle free that had the tiny Roman Numeral II upon it. The glow around Tara coalesced into Saba's head as her suit shattered revealing her Alicorn form with spread wings to Ivan making him start. "No!" He shouted recognizing her silhouette. "They were wiped out 50,000 years ago! I made sure of it!" Tara Glared at Ivan, her eyes glowing with the amount of magic she was channeling. "Whenever you're ready Fen!" "Let's put a boot to dat bitch," Fengàri growled gruffly as he hooked in the Fuestle. "Wake Up Two!" Kivat invoked as Fengàri crouched, unconsciously mimicking his predecessor as the skies darkened as the fog roiled. He then shoved off the ground hard as he shot skyward before somersaulting and dropping at high speed in an inhumanly fast flying kick. Dark emerald wings of energy flared out like serrated blades from his greaves. "Now Saba!" Tara shouted as the living sword used his laser eyes to shoot a massive energy blast. "Neither of us can keep this up Rider. We need to end this." The sword said. Fengàri saw Ivan cast a barrier sigil though he saw the sigil crack from the sustained blast before he slammed into it, hearing a booming gong as the blast enveloped him and shattered the barrier sigil, launching him at Ivan Ooze at just under Mach 3, or around 2,400 miles per hour, before his foot slammed into the corrupt sorcerer's chest. He saw oily black blood spurt out of the sorcerer's mouth and chest before he was hurled backwards close to forty yards before he hit the ground in an almighty detonation that was bright purple. "Holy shit, he exploded into Kool-Aid, though I'm certain ain't nobody gonna drink it," Fengàri deadpanned before wincing as his armor shattered as Kivat the 2nd flew off. "Ugh… feels like I ran a forty eight hour gator marathon without rest… think the longest we went was a thirty two hour run," he managed, breathing heavily. He blinked in mild surprise as he felt two arms helping him stay upright before he realized it was Woz and Fluttershy. "Though… logically…. if I was going as fast as I think I was… how did that impact not kill either him… or… more likely… me?" he muttered.  "Ooze, in tandem with casting his barrier sigil, chose to create a portal for you to fall into. your kick knocked him into that portal, detonating it." Saba said. "I suspect our attack weakened him significantly while throwing him back into the Multiverse. Our course of action is clear. Tara, one who has experience with the Multiverse and I shall go and find him. While you prepare for his other fragments to attack here," Saba commented. "Besides, it seems like you have a newbie to train anyways. Maybe all of the girls have the ability to morph and something is just blocking them for some reason." Tara said. "Though I am going to stick around for a little bit. Say hi to my sister and her friends before I leave. Let them know that I'm okay and all. I have to recover enough magic to open the portal again anyways. Otherwise I would have to use one of the ranger portal devices and that destabilizes the morphing grid." > Reunions and Training > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Pinkie has probably made adjustments to the party she's hosting since we beat Ooze and Saba here is also new to Ponyville." Tara said. Fengàri shrugged as best he could. "I wonder if AJ told Dom about my hunts… considering I only know rumors of what mischief he and Brian got into. I can say that my hand is still sore from punching that Cragadile in the head… although I had intended to get it to close its mouth so the toddler wouldn't land in it," he sighed. "Dominic Toretto?!" Tara shouted. "He's here too?!" Fengàri cocked an eyebrow at her surprised tone. "What's wrong with Dom? He's effectively 'retired' and with his son… not to mention he seemed rather surprised that I taught Jesse most of what he knew. Though Brian and Mia are also here… and Dom said Roman was in some place called 'Las Pegasus' which is a rather cute pun on 'Las Vegas'," he commented. He blinked as a white 1995 Toyota Supra Mark IV pulled up. "I warned Dom about the collapse." Tara said plainly. "If he and Mia are here there's a good chance their Psycho brother John Toretto will show up." "Hmmm… Dom said that Woz was the one that got him and the gang. Though I have no idea if I have any surviving family outside of Dom and the gang," Fengàri sighed as he straightened carefully, taking his weight off Woz and Fluttershy. "You know, your hair colors are pretty interesting," he commented thoughtfully.  He wasn't too surprised that Brian and Mia both climbed out of the Skyline. He saw Brian's eyes widen slightly before he grunted as Mia tackle-hugged him. "Been taking hugging lessons from Pinkie?" he teased.  "I wouldn't be surprised if John figured out how to create a portal or he teamed up with one of our enemies just to get at Dom." Tara said as she walked over to Brian. "Considering John's connections with governments… I wouldn't be surprised. Though it would be pretty damn hard to lock onto a particular location and land there reliably, considering when we landed we were scattered from Ponyville to Canterlot and Baltimare and a few places in between," Brian deadpanned. "Huh… didn't know Dom had a brother, though we both know he's got loyal brothers, don't we?" Fengàri quipped. He saw Brian grin at that. "Damn right," he replied with a chuckle.  "Though personally, I can do without those Shaw idiots… if half of what I heard about those two is true, one was an anarchist, the other an overprotective asshole," Fengàri deadpanned. He saw Mia smirk at that, as Dom had been an 'overprotective asshole' at one point as well. "Though I will admit that Simi is much like Pinkie… both acceptably and adorably crazy," he commented. "Aw, that's so sweet," Pinkie giggled from where she leaned against Woz's back, head down in complete defiance of gravity. Woz, however, jerked and stumbled, yet Pinkie only gracefully flipped off his back with a smirk. Fengàri smirked at the startled look on Woz's face, rather amused, yes, at Woz's expense. To the pink mare's surprise she was tackle hugged by Tara. "How's Ponyville's Premiere pink ball of sunshine?"  Pinkie giggled, hugging Tara back. "Mostly the same as ever, though I think it may be partly a mental block that's keeping our Morphers inactive… unless the Morphing Grid has some plan we don't know about. For all we know, Zordon or the purified Mystic Mother could have something planned that they haven't told anypony about. I wonder if the Authors have thought if Ninjor and his baby girl are here," she commented quickly before inhaling deeply. Fengàri cocked an eyebrow at the light raspberry furred girl's comment. He noticed she was round in all the best ways, yet at the same time, not pudgy or overweight.  Woz hummed. "Curious that it seems easier to look into the past than the future," he commented absently. "That's because the past has already been written, whilst the future has yet to truly be formed by the choices we make in the present, hence why it's clouded," Fengàri deadpanned before shrugging. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if Dulcea or Ninjjor were around," he sighed. 'Though at the same time, the idea that Zordon is still around wouldn't be much of a surprise… after all, Eltaran Sage or Ninja Sage… a guy has certain needs,' he thought. "Ninjor was Ivan's greatest enemy so it's possible that Ivan was hoping that he was dead. Though, I can't seem to sense anything from the great ninja master." Saba said. "Rough one there, buddy, he did help give you your power so he is basically your father." Tara said. "Doesn't mean he's dead, though, only that we cannot sense him at the moment. Though I do sense a stirring… distantly… to the southwest of here. Though I cannot tell what is causing it. It doesn't feel like Ivan or his Yakitori minions, though," Fengàri commented. He saw Pinkie start giggling though she covered her mouth trying to muffle it. Woz snorted a low chuckle. "Hmmm… it appears that there are Elemental Magic users in the past that embodied Elemental Forces. It is thought that even someone by the name of 'Tia Flashheart' held an odd title… 'Solaris'," he commented, looking over past events through his book. Fengàri's eyebrows rose slightly before he chuckled. "Magiranger, eh?" he sighed softly, thinking. "Tia Flashheart is just Celestia." Tara said "She carries the title of Solaris because of the fact that she is powered by and moves the Sun; she's basically what the Solaris Knight is to the main magiranger/mystic force group to our Kind." Fengàri Kattalakis cocked an eyebrow at her comment. "That implies that I know what you're talking about. Though I have noticed that even a few days before I ran into Woz here, that… my awareness seemed… sharper. As if I'm more aware of things, though I'm not sure how I know them. It's like instincts that I never noticed are awakening," he commented before his eyes widened fractionally as he heard rustling before his hand snapped out as, in a gust of flames, a pair of blades rested in his grip. He blinked a couple of times in surprise. "Huh… makes me wonder if Kratos actually existed in my home dimension at some point. Not that the Gods would have likely admitted that anyone, mortal or demigod, actually kicked their respective ases," he commented. Thankfully, it was only a certain zebra shamaness pushing through the undergrowth.  "I heard numerous shrieks during the night, and early in the morn, as I sought herbs that only bloom in the pre-dawn, I saw creatures of darkness and bone. I suspect that you and Twilight should know," she rhymed. Fengàri's eyebrows rose slightly. "Well… it's safe to say we may have a hint to one of Ivan's 'fragments', wouldn't you agree?" he commented. 'Sunny Town… a village of damned, unrepentant souls, save for two… the one the rest were damned for and the one that sought to protect said innocent,' he realized. His eyes narrowed at more rustling before a raggedly dressed mare with pale gray fur as well as a dark maroon mane with red highlights and dark maroon eyes staggered out of the undergrowth, breathing heavily. He noticed numerous scrapes and cuts that were bleeding sluggishly. 'Mitta Heartblossom, the one who was damned for unsuccessfully protecting a young filly who was murdered,' the awareness filtered into his mind. "Mitta!" Tara shouted running up to hug the zombified Mare. "Thank the gods you're here." "Mitta is an old friend." Tara told Fengàri via telepathy  "I met her a long time ago when exploring the Everfree. I have been able to rework the curse to link her lifeforce to me. That's how I gained my Cutiemark." "Though I rather doubt that wherever she fled from is the only place that these 'creatures of darkness and bone' are going to show up. We should check on Twilight. Best place to create unrest and chaos would be to strike at the highest hierarchy, as well as the heaviest number of guard," he replied. "As relaxing as a nice hot bath would be… better to make certain that those 'creatures of darkness and bone' are only in this forest. My gut feeling… they won't be. I don't like that fact, but strategically… I would not be surprised if there were tunnels or caverns that act as an underground network," he deadpanned.  Fluttershy gasped, shooting Tara a look of realization. Though it was rare, there could be deeper caves beneath the Everfree few knew of or visited that connected to Diamond Dog tunnels which were known to run for miles underground. Woz cocked his head. "I rather doubt that there are subways on this world," he said dryly.  "Maybe not, but there could be an equivalent. Not to mention how dangerous sinkholes can be. Those can open without warning," Fengàri sighed. "And I'm pretty sure that it's unlikely that there are any Huntsman Academies around, unless they're outside of the areas ponies tend to frequent," he finished.  "No Huntsman Academy but there is a hunter's guild similar to both Bloodborne and Monster Hunter." Tara replied helpfully. "Cragadials and such are similar to Monster Hunter monsters. In fact their skin can be used as armor. A Hunter's Guild was started to help reduce the dangerous creature population and to create awesome armors. Daring Doo is head of the archaeological division of the Hunter's Guild." A slight smirk crosses Fengàri's face at that. "Then you ought to check on the one that I took down at… Sweet Apple Acres. Pretty sure that one was a good nine or ten feet long… pretty damn hard headed to boot. Turns out that Big Mac's kid somehow got treed… gator was beneath it. Didn't help that the branch the kid was on was rotten… and a good three inches in diameter, so had it fallen, it would have hurt anyone beneath it… and probably would have only annoyed the Cragadile. But one thing I can confirm… the breath of those things and the breath of a cannibalistic gator back home… smells the same," he drawled, not realizing his accent was rather heavy. "Later as you said before we need to check in on my sister." Tara said as she led Mitta over to the others. " I hope she took my advice and moved the castle staff and major place of governance to her god-given castle instead of moving back to Canterlot. The damn thing was made for her by a force above good and evil so I hope she decided not to abandon it." . "We do need to bind these wounds first. I rather doubt they'll get infected, but better safe than sorry," Fengàri commented. He saw the surprised look from Fluttershy as she closed her mouth, unaware she'd been about to say the very same thing. He noticed Mitta also looked surprised that he would care about a stranger. "I was raised Cajun, chèr. There are three things we do… eat spicy food, cook spicy food… and help those in need," he quipped. "I… don't," Mitta started. "If you say that 'you don't deserve it', I'm calling bullshit. I know what it's like to fight for everything ya got… just to survive. And thanks to a guy who became a good friend, I gained not only a job that gave me access to things I never thought I'd have, but respect from others. I'll be damned if I don't help another gain, if not respect from those around them, then respect for themselves," Fengàri said firmly. "After all, unlike Sugou, I may not have a straight, focused goal of being a King… but if it happens in the future, so be it. But I will never let a lust for power or destruction consume me nor would I knowingly forsake someone in need," he finished, noticing Fluttershy had darted off and was returning with a first aid kit. He noticed Woz watching him with a thoughtful look as he half turned away before giving a sharp whistle. Almost immediately, a distant grumbling roar sounded before the Scout shot over a hillside, gaining quite a bit of air before landing and bouncing twice before slowing to stop by the Skyline. Brian's eyebrows shot up, as did Mia's. "How exactly did you do that?" he commented curiously.  Fengàri cocked his head, a slow smirk crossing his face. "Do what? I whistled, nothing more… though I have a suspicion how the bike can do that," he commented innocently. He saw Mia bite her lower lip, likely realizing Fengàri was trolling them. Tara roared in a manner similar to a particular red lion as a turtle-shaped portal opened in the sky and out flew a flaming ball which landed next to Tara. The fire vanished as the Wild Force Rider appeared. "You're not the only one who has a unique flaming ride." She said with a wicked grin on her face. "Ever since the Muteorgs were destroyed this baby has been sitting in the animarium gathering dust. I asked Shayla if I could take it out for exercise since it is a living being and she said yes. So now I'm able to call upon it whenever I want to just by using the Red Lion's Roar. Fengàri hummed. "I wouldn't mind meeting Shayla. She was one of the few 'mentors' the Power Rangers had that were active in more than just intel," he commented. He blinked once, then twice. "You sensed him as well, eh?" he commented, noting her choice of words.  "Yeah but he's surprisingly calm." Tara said. "Ok everyone either summon your rides or take to the skies!" She called out. "Zecora, Mitta you're with me and Fen." Woz chuckled as he summoned his Ride Striker as Fluttershy unfurled her wings. Fengàri could feel Zecora's arms around his abdomen before he revved the bike a bit. "I must say, your ride is quite loud, though I am curious what Spirit to it is bound," Zecora rhymed. "A noble man, fooled by a Deal made in desperation. It appears his lineage either does not exist here… or I am distantly related myself, though I could not say which is more likely," Fengàri commented. "It would be interesting to know others of that bloodline," he murmured softly, too low to be heard over the engine as they accelerated steadily if not at extremely high speed.  Fengàri Kattalakis cocked his head, his eyes widening slightly as he felt a surge of awareness. "Shit… Tara…. wouldn't you agree that us managing to take out Ivan seemed a bit too easy? And the fact he conveniently made a portal to evade getting killed… he was fucking stalling us for time, and if I'm right… we ain't gonna like why he was stalling," he said suddenly. He felt Zecora's arms tighten. "I can all but feel your body abuzz. Something troubles you, it does," she murmured.  "it was somewhat easier than it should have been, you're right." Tara sent back as the group reached Twilight's castle."Something had better not have happened to my sister." Fengàri took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing as he let his gaze scan around before he heard two voices before his gaze snapped upward. "Ugh… just our luck. Orgs. Hmmm… wanna bet Ooze's Fragments found fragments of other 'master' villains and absorbed them?" Fengàri growled as his eyes narrowed. Unluckily, close to three dozen Putties and Shadowmen and those he'd dubbed as Oil Fangires showed up as well. His head tilted as the Putties formed sharp talons from their fingers. His eyes narrowed, glowing bright golden amber as a growl rumbled in his chest, the sound far too deep to be human as a dark mist gathered in his hand. "Shy use your crossbows on the Putties!" Tara shouted. "Their weak spot is the chestplates with the Z on them!" She then sent Fengàri  "The orgs might be Jindrax and Toxica's doing. Like a nobody Orgs can grow hearts so we should make sure they're bad Orgs first." Fengàri Kattalakis nodded fractionally as he swayed around the slashes from the Putties, hearing shrill cracks before a dull crunching crack as if busting bulletproof or safety glass followed before he ducked, rolling beneath the axe of the Baron Org Retinax as he dropped down. "Stay still, you human trash!!" Retinax snarled. "Pardon the pun, but have you looked at yourself? You look like someone sat on a Pollock painting and twisted, ya ugly bastard," Fengàri deadpanned before he ducked underneath another slash from the Baron Org. He ducked a third slash before lightly tapping the lower chest of the Org with his fingertips before he drew his fist back and struck hard.  "Reppuken," he barked, a concussive shockwave of air shoving the Baron Org a dozen feet back, more than far enough to activate the Knight Advent Deck and access the V Buckle. He glanced to the side, seeing Retinax charging a laser blast as he slid the Deck into place with a whispered "HENSHIN." before the blast narrowly missed him as he pushed off hard, detonating on impact with the ground in a fireball as the armor of Kamen Rider Knight formed around his body in inverted reflections before he quickly drew and slid in the Sword Vent card, accessing the Winglancer as well as his sword. "Reppūkiri," Knight growled, slashing with both weapons as he sent arcs of blue tinted wind at the Bell Org, distracting it from Tara and Fluttershy as arcs of sparks blew off its dense skin. He noticed Woz alongside Fluttershy, having used the Shinobi Miraiwatch, was dealing with the other underlings.  "Mind if we join in?" A Male voice asked as another turtle shaped portal opened by Tara. Out of the portal dropped two semi-familiar figures. "We don't really need another set of problems you two!" Tara shouted as she revved her bike before taking to the sky, Mitta gripping her chest hard enough that she felt her ribs creak and Mitta's fractured arms ache.  "C-careful, T-tara… just because I'm technically dead doesn't mean I don't feel pain. If anything, I feel pain more keenly since that was her intent," Mitta gasped, wincing. "Just returning the favor for Toxica's horn!" Jindrax said as he blasted one of the Fangires knocking it back into some of the Shadowmen and causing the whole group to fly apart from the force. "Besides we picked up traces of Master Org's influence even from our pocket dimension, we don't need another incident like the last!" "Frankly, you two, I rather doubt it's Master Org again… but someone just as dangerous… and the fact that Orgs are showing up that need to meet the boot in ass," Knight deadpanned, his voice holding a faint Japanese accent, "is troubling. But as Zen-Aku proved, even supposedly 'heartless Orgs' can care. After all, why else would you have worked to resurrect her? She your girlfriend, hmmm?" he quipped with a smirk.  'But this confirms our suspicion… that Ooze is able to absorb the powers and, by extension, acquire the control over other villains. Hope he doesn't find anything of Master Xandred or Dai Shi… from the fact Putties are here, at least one of his Fragments have either Rita's, or more likely, Zedd's powers. And another must have Salem's control over Grimm… ugh…. mendosei,' he thought with a soft sigh. > Darkness Within Us All > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fengàri grunted as he landed in a crouch before rolling as Retinax hurled arcs of malevolent electricity at him that only succeeded in kicking up plumes of sparks. He slid the Guard Vent card in, closing the hilt's cover over it before he quickly drew another card, the Trick Vent. It created mirror copies of himself, three of which charged at Retinax, himself and the fourth going after the Bell Org, assisting Tara as he saw the Oil Fangires crystallize and shatter. The Shadowmen simply exploded in clouds of dark mist. He glanced at Jindrax and Toxica. "I'm pretty certain that not if, but when we run into that motormouth bastard Mandilok, you two are gonna want in on stomping a mudhole deep in his ass," he deadpanned. The two nodded while continuing to fight the fodder. "Trust us we'll be the ones to destroy him." Jindrax said.  "I owe him for what he made me do!"Toxica growled, speaking for the first time since she exited the portal and it was obvious why she kept mute. Her voice had a demonic rumble to it and like Fluttershy when affected by poison joke she sounded distinctly male in her super form. "You have free rein my friends!" Tara said before she jumped off her bike, spreading her own wings and then diving the bell Org with Saba blade out. "You on the other hoof are mine!" Fengàri noticed absently that Tara's wings were sheathed in a light, flexible layer of white light. He drew a Card before glancing at it. His eyebrows rose upon seeing the Advent Riders Deck symbols in a pair of circles within a whirlpool. "Shift Vent… hmmm… this should make things interesting. But first," he muttered as he drew another Card before smirking and scanning it. "Blust Vent," was the declaration. A screech followed as a mechanized bat shot out of the crystal of the castle before it angled its wings as powerful blasts of air hurled Retinax backwards and shoved the Bell Org at Tara faster.  "Darkwing," he murmured as the doubles summoned by the Trick Vent were now able to hit more decisive blows on Retinax. He took a soft breath as he slid the Shuffle Vent Card in before scanning it. To his mild surprise, the symbols glowed as a hologram before shuffling as a wheel in a slot machine. To his mild surprise, it stopped on a rather familiar bull symbol.  "All right… Engage Shuffle - Zolda," he muttered as his armor shone before shattering into glowing glass as his armor shifted forms. He pulled free the Magnuvisor before opening fire with green tinted plasma bullets as numerous showers of sparks kicked up from both Retinax and the Bell Org. He knew instinctively this was a slower form that was heavily reliant on what most gamers might refer to as 'zoning'... or in this case… ranged combat. True, Zolda could hit with a minimum strike impact of fifteen tons per blow with both kicks and punches, but compared to some ranged forms, this was a slower form that hit harder, especially with some of his Shoot Vent attacks. Compared to Kabuto's Dragonfly, Zolda was very slow, yet at the same time had access to not only a heavy shield, but heavier weapons in the Gigashooter and Gigacannon to say nothing of his truly destructive End of the World Final Vent.  Tara took to blocking the strikes of Retinax and the Bell Org while unleashing her own devastating slashes with Saba. Knowing that while his laser blast was powerful, unless she supercharged it with her magic she was outclassed currently in ranged attacks. "What are you two made out of!?" She asked her attacks only doing a minimal damage even with the obsidian Sharp edge of Saba's blade. "I know you spring up from pollution but neither of you should be this hard to damage!" "Wouldn't surprise me if Ivan enhanced his little bitches to make them a bigger pain in the ass, but everything has a durability limit…" Zolda said dryly before he started laying into the Bell Org with heavy blows that sounded like numerous gongs ringing off. "And there are other places that tend to be sensitive regardless of how toughened they are," he drawled as he turned, ducking beneath a wild swing from Retinax before he kicked the Baron Org square between the legs, sending him several feet off the ground. He snickered as he saw Jindrax cringing as Toxica nodded with what almost seemed like a smirk from how her head was tilted. He was mildly amused as Retinax rolled on the ground, his deep snarls decidedly more high pitched. "You know, they never did go into how heavy Orgs were, though clearly some are light on their feet, unlike this fat bastard," he deadpanned. "I'm going to kill you slowly, human," Retinax snarled as he sat up before he took a heavy punting kick to the 'head'... right in his central eye. "Trying to be cliche with threats implies that you will be around to carry said threats out," Zolda said in a dangerous tone as he drew a Card before slotting it in and scanning it. It was then that his armor gained a pair of heavy cannons over his shoulders, the Giga Cannons. They would hit with an impact force of 150 tons per shot and could fire a shot from each cannon roughly every three seconds. The Bell Orb took the chance to unleash a sonic blast and Tara instinctively folded her wings around her body in response, blocking the attack. Fengàri fired off a pair of shots at the Bell Org as he felt Fluttershy get tossed into him before he caught her. "Careful, mon amour," he murmured, unintentionally slipping into French, or Phrench as it was known in Equestria.    "Fuck this shit!" Tara shouted as wisps of smoke began to emit from her eyes before She launched a salvo of magic enhanced slashes from Saba badly damaging both Orgs and nearly bisecting the Bell Org.   "Holy hell," she muttered in surprise. "If you can knock them airborne, I can put them down, especially since I rather doubt that Ivan has access to someone else with those Growth Seeds," he deadpanned. He saw Toxica turn away, though out of shyness or if she knew something she was reluctant to share, he couldn't tell.  "I can do far better." Tara said as the wisps grew and her eyes were now glowing with power.  Suddenly the light shrouding her wings shifted from white to black as she released her shield with a roar of effort. The energy from the deflection threw all the opposing forces into the air before they were clumped together in the same black aura. "Do it now before I do it for you!" Tara roared, her voice seeming to shift as she said it. "Right," he barked instinctively as he focused, gathering the energy before he fired off two overcharged shots that shoved him back several feet, each totaling 450 tons of force in dual blasts the size of beach balls. The resulting detonation was quite large, tearing the Orgs apart. "I'm guessing the reason the other Elements are not showing up is that  they aren't in town at the moment," he drawled. He saw Fluttershy's head tilt. "Unfortunately, Rarity Belle and Sweetie Belle are visiting family in Manehattan, whilst Rainbow is having one of her training days with the Wonderbolts. AJ… I think… is still at the farm. Pinkie… is preparing for a party up in Trottingham," she said softly. "And I suspect that she's likely running her round ass off, 'cause there ain't no way she and probably more'n a few others didn't notice that," "Reliable though Rainbow is at times, there are times when we must all face our own trials of flames," Zecora rhymed. Zolda facepalmed. "You just had to joke about a 'trial by fire', didn't you?" Fengàri drawled as he dismissed the Zolda armor, letting it vanish as it shattered.  As the wisps disappeared Tara stumbled nearly falling over. "Holy hell, it happened again!" She grumbled. Fengàri cocked an eyebrow before his ears twitched at a snarling roar that he could tell echoed, otherwise they might not have heard it. His eyes narrowed as he turned, glowing a bright golden amber. He snorted before sneezing. "Ugh… what the hell smells like wet ape?" he growled, not noticing his voice was a snarling growl. "And what exactly was that?" he deadpanned, his voice a lower growl. > Darkness' Wrath > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Not long after finding me Tara was exposed to the dark magic of Master Xandred." Saba explained floating under his own power. "Xandred had been helping to create the collapse and saw a powerful being of magic such as Tara as a useful asset in his campaign. So he tried to force his influence on her and partially succeeded at first anyways." "Xandred was able to force me to use dark magic," Tara said solemnly. "but what he didn't realize was that Equestria has its own form of dark magic. One that transforms the user, corrupts their body for power at the cost of their own lifeforce, their very soul. As an alicorn I'm Immortal thankfully." The group finally reached the Castle doors but they were occupied by Tara's explanation to notice. "When I became that monster I was still somewhat in control thanks to Nightmare Moon and how it was her curse that I rewrote to gain My Cutie Mark. But now whenever I see someone I care about get hurt and am drained of magic the darkness inside me takes over sometimes partially to help me survive sometimes completely. In that state I become like an animal , a slave to my wrath, ready and willing to destroy anything in my way as long as I destroy the thing that hurts those I care about."  "Uh that's interesting at all but should those doors be like that?" Jindrax asked.  The group turned to the castle doors shattered off their hinges and the front hall nearly completely destroyed.  A  woman's scream echoed before an evil laugh rang out. "No!" Tara said absolute terror engulfing her as she began racing towards the map room. "Not again!" "I recognize that laugh… Goldar…. heh… always wanted to beat his ass. His irises gained a ring of pale green as he pushed off, hearing the footfalls behind him. "It'll make an interesting Chronicle," he muttered, unaware his voice distorted on the last word as an icy sensation surged around his waist as the Buggle Driver II materialized alongside a very particular Gashat. His eyes were utterly focused as low predatory growls escaped with every huffing breath. He didn't notice the concerned look Fluttershy was giving to him from behind.  The group raced after Tara. They reached the map room where they found Goldar Maximus with his blade to Twilight's throat. Tara stood there, utterly motionless with her head down and Saba floating beside her.  "So another Ranger comes to fall by my blade!" Goldar said with joy. "I'm glad you all appeared. This one barely put up a fight." He pressed the tip of his weapon into Twilight's neck drawing a drop of blood. "get away" Tara mumbled her voice trembling. "what was that?" Goldar responded "I said get away from her you bitch!" Tara roared, her voice now doubled. A demonic echo in each word. Her aura erupted into black flames as the wisps from before appeared once more. She raised her head. Revealing that her eyes no longer glowed but were empty black pools.  Everyone, even Goldar himself, startled at the pure and utter malice within those words. But he immediately blocked Tara's blade when she appeared in front of him. The force of her attack briefly parted her flaming aura revealing that she had summoned the Sword of Darkness. She had no midnight purple in her coat now, no it was a sickly Gray. Her mane and tail had shifted into pure black and her horn smoothed and sharpened into a deadly point. "This isn't good we've lost her to her rage!" Saba said. "Goldar Maximus is even more powerful than his previous form and if she fights wildly she'll surely lose." "Then it's good she isn't fighting alone, is it?" Fengàri growled, his irises swirling with golden amber and lime green tones as he depressed the button on the Buggle Driver II. "BUGGLE UP!!" "Henshin," was the growled declaration as the Roman numerals counted upward from I to XIII before surging inward in arcs of emerald lightning, transforming him into a very dangerous Dark Rider… Kamen Rider Cronus. "NO!" Tara roared once more as a barrier of her black flames sprang up blocking any attempt to join in while allowing them to still watch. "HE'S MINE!" Then to everyone's shock and horror, Tara opened her mouth wide, biting into the exposed flesh on Goldar's neck, ripping a chunk out of it which quickly regenerated. "Then gain control over your rage as Agito did his burning rage or I'll finish it before you can blink," Kamen Rider Cronus growled in a deep rumbling voice. ----- Fengàri, however, found himself in a dark forest on the edge of a swamp that made him think of the video for Warrant's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" video. He noticed the moon was a pale, icy teal tone. His gaze slid around warily before he heard a deep rumbling growl. His eyes widened fractionally at the growl before he turned, seeing a just under nine foot tall creature he recognized immediately as a werewolf. His head cocked before he exhaled softly. "You're my other half, aren't you? The predator within…. my senses have been keener than that of other humans as long as I can remember… but then…" he sighed before the lupine predator leaped at him before Fengàri cut himself off as he fell backwards before kipping up as the werewolf thrashed in the water for several moments. ----- Tara began attacking Goldar as Twilight fled. "My wrath is controlled rider." She said as Goldar met each attack with his own.  "Whatever you have become Ranger you are far more ruthless than any other that I've fought." Goldar said. "You impress me with your blade work and your cunning so I shall use my full power against you!" The Golden armored ape like being begin firing energy blasts from his eyes and his blade as ropes of fire and golden energy chains snaked their way towards Tara. "I respect your. Technique Warrior but I despise what you have done!" Tara said as she swatted away all of Goldar's energy attacks before cutting through the fire ropes and golden energy chains in a single slash. "You drew the blood of my sister, the one mare I would kill for you woke a fury within me that's beyond anything I've ever felt!  A calm rage that is honed on a single point, a single goal, ending you forever." With that Tara kicked the flying ape out the nearest window before taking to the sky herself. "I believe she is right, Rider." Saba said. "When she lost herself before against Xandred's forces she couldn't talk, just roar like a beast wildly striking out at anything, even myself and Fireheart the dragon that she had been protecting when she lost herself." The living sword sounded worried. "This is different, it seems that seeing her sister in Peril after trying to return home for so long, 2 months of your time but over 5 years of her time. It broke something in her, bringing her into a calm rage as she calls it. I just hope she can defeat Goldar as he is now. I scanned his energy output and he's even stronger than when he was a shadow Ranger." Saba looked out the shattered window. "Back then I wasn't around but Thomas barely defeated him with his team backing him up. I worry that Tara will not just destroy him but herself by the end of the battle." Fengàri Kattalakis cocked his head before he took a slow, deep breath. "Strategically, if Tara is the strongest amongst her friends, taking her out in a way she may not expect is sound. However… what Ooze failed to take into account was a critical fact: that Riders and Rangers alike are never alone," he rumbled as his eyes flashed twice a bright golden amber before he swiped his hand out, grabbing Saba before he pushed off, vaulting over the flame wall before he employed a rising elbow strike that shattered a digital block, revealing a blue disc Game Item. "Perfect… a Speed Up," he rumbled before it merged with him before, in a matter of seconds, they'd shot out the shattered window in time to see several golden energy arrows fire from Geiz's Zikan Axe in its Yumi form…. as a bow… at Goldar Maximus. "This armor has a curious ability, one we can put to our advantage," he rumbled, speaking to Saba. ------ In Fengàri's mindscape, the muddy and sodden werewolf glared at him before stalking out of the swamp water. Fengàri's eyes narrowed as he knew the Wolf was part of him. "Either attack or not… as it stands, you dragging me in here has us distracted. So either you relinquish control for the moment and let us deal with the threat as one or we will likely be injured as a result… and knowing you're part of me… we won't be forced to heel to a psychopathic ape," he growled. He focused, the scent of Goldar Maximus in the air as the werewolf recoiled before snarling. A slight smirk crossed his face. "Yeah… damn dirty ape makes an outhouse in the heat of the bayou summer smell pleasant, eh? Let's make him our bitch, what do you say?" he commented with a faint, predatory smirk as he held out his hand. The werewolf let his tongue loll out as his fangs gleamed in the twilight of the forest before a hand half again the size of his own gripped his forearm and hand as light flared outward. ----- The eye lenses of Kamen Rider Cronus flared silver before fading to an eerie silvery green. "We can freeze time for a localized area, what do you say to that, Saba?" he drawled with a growl in his voice. "Tara can do so as well thanks to Dr. K." Saba said. "She modified Tara's Morpher to use Ranger operator Blue's time manipulation burst which works in a similar fashion." Saba scanned the area as he talked. "We have a problem. Tara and Goldar have taken to the skies. Both are fighting in the upper atmosphere." As he said this the sounds of sonic booms and clashing metal were heard above them. In the atmosphere Tara and Goldar were rapidly clashing both using the expanded scope of their battlefield to their advantage. "I'm surprised you can fight with such skill unmorphed Ranger!" Goldar said as he deflected another swipe of Tara's blade. "For the others it took months to absorb the implanted skills of their ranger forms and even then they only beat my lesser form morphed!" "That is where Zordon failed." Tara said as she ducked a slash at her neck. "Zordon used teenagers with barely any fighting experience instead of calling upon the great warriors that he had been in contact with to use the power of the morphers." She then countered with a thrust to Goldar's neck, the only exposed flesh besides his wings. "Me and my sister were trained in the guard ever since we were children. As students of the princess of the sun here on this world we were constant targets so we had to learn to defend ourselves." The thrust was deflected by Goldar using his clawed gauntlet to push himself back with the force of her attack.  "Morphing just gives me a similar amp to my overall ability as now." Back on the ground the rest of the group had exited the Castle Twilight in tow. "Then it appears I'm gonna have to reach for the heavens," Cronus drawled as he removed the Gashat, dismissing the armor before he coughed a couple of times, not noticing the fine crimson spray dotting the grass. However, Geiz and Woz both did, as did Twilight's Captain of her Guard, Tempest Shadow. Fengàri's eyes were narrowed as he focused before a bright iridescent blue flame flared up in his hand. "You know that may well leave you unconscious, going with Fourze's Cosmic form, my liege," Woz commented. "So be it. If I can avert a painful fate for those around me even at the cost of myself, I'll do it," Fengàri deadpanned flatly. "After all, who can call themselves a king or a warrior if they are unwilling to not only lead into battle… but cover any needed retreat with their own strength and body? After all, what is Friendship but freely giving and receiving of yourself and others?" he commented as his thumb slid, clicking the edge of the Ridewatch into position before depressing the button. [- The particular Ridewatch is at 8:21 -] "Tomo to no kizuna ga umidasu chikara! Uchuu saikyo no cosmic energy! Fourze Cosmicstates!" the Ridewatch cried out as the Fourze Driver materialized in a gust of bluish white cosmic light around his waist. "You know, I always wanted to do this," Fengàri commented with a smirk as he flicked all four Switches. He missed how the anthropomorphic ponies were murmuring about his comment  "3…. 2…. 1…" the Driver counted down. "HENSHIN!" Fengàri barked, pushing in the Lever before his hand snapped skyward as a column of cosmic light surged around him. The CosmicStates Ridewatch ignited, shifting forms into the Cosmic Astroswitch. Fengàri took a deep breath, tempted to do as Gentaro so often did, but restrained himself. He withdrew the Rocket Astroswitch before placing in the Cosmic Astroswitch.  He glanced over his shoulder at Woz, noticing the concerned look on his face. "Even if I do pass out afterward, better for my body to adjust to the energy of the different Rider Forms… that way they take less stamina to use," he sighed. > Goldar Maximus' Fall > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fengàri's head tilted skyward before his gaze flicked about, tracking the combat before a faint, slow smirk crossed his face. For just an instant, his irises shimmered bloody crimson with pale yellow and dark orange… the eyes of a Primordial Destroyer…. his gloved fingers depressed the front of the cover, exposing the red trigger of the Cosmic Astroswitch. Moments later, two synthesized words rang out. "COSMIC ON!!" In a surge of bluish white cosmic light with radiant surges of purplish blue and pale green light, his armored form shifted into one of Kamen Rider Fourze's strongest forms. Goldar Maximus' gaze skirted downward for just an instant as an intense surge of cosmic energy flared up, a flare of pale bluish purple light flickering for a couple of seconds.  In those scant few seconds of distraction, a surge of bright bluish white light, swirling like a spiral galaxy blinded him before a fist slammed into his face. A heavy clubbing blow caught him just underneath the ribs, pushing him backwards before he heard a hiss of escaping air before several rapid kicks caught him high in the abdomen before the glare from the gateway faded away. https://youtu.be/dMdge2fwqvM "Huh… if there was any way to know for certain I'm not on Earth anymore… this is it. A beautiful world… and if you or Ooze thinks you can take it over… you're mistaken. Now, we're gonna kick your ass so hard, you're gonna need an ass transplant operation, 'cause you're not gonna have any left," Fengàri's voice was a sigh. His head turned, not surprised at Tara glaring at him.  "You seem to forget that no Ranger nor Rider fights alone… just like the Elements… we're stronger together," his tone was low before he reversed his hover, just evading Goldar's enraged slash. "If there's one good thing about being this high… I don't have to smell your ugly ass. Kinda sad that you were one of the few villains I actually liked," he drawled lazily, fairly certain that would not only confuse Goldar Maximus, but also distract him. "So you come from a world where you observe us, not interact. Surprising, but not unexpected." Goldar said as he glared at Fen. "We've known about the Multiverse ever since Rita was banished and even before that Master Vile suspected." He tried using the conversation as a distraction to attack both Tara and Fen with his fire ropes. Fengàri lightly tapped two triggers, 2 and 32, activating the Launcher and Freezer Modules. The rockets fired at Goldar Maximus. "Frankly, that doesn't surprise me. Though I do know something that Rita and Zedd would be very interested in. I know that the Red Space Ranger shattered Zordon's containment tube, which for the majority of villains proved a fatal reaction. I know for Rita and Zedd, it more than likely suppressed their more malevolent sides… which I'm guessing happened to you as well. I do, however, know that the Eltaran survived… how, I don't know nor do I know where he is," he commented nonchalantly as his rockets hit, turning one chain into a frozen mass and more than two-thirds of the other chain. "I'm guessing it never occurred to you that being on the side of good might make you stronger. True, darkness and hatred makes you strong, focused… however… it's like an emergency flare. Burns hot and fast and eventually burns out," he deadpanned. "But fighting for what we fight for? It inspires others and pushes yields of far higher strength because we never fight solely for ourselves, the pleasure, or for power," he commented.  "It was Zordon's tube shattering that killed me the first time as the Rangers were never able to truly destroy me." Goldar clarified. "I have a score to settle with Zedd. He forced me to kill my own brother after my brother betrayed us. Once I'm done here,  I will hunt him down whether or not Ooze absorbed his power from his son's staff or not. I am still going to slaughter him." A slow chuckle escapes Fengàri. "He already has… as Putties were amongst those flunkies outside the castle, though you could do something the Rangers would never expect nor foresee… and help us kick Ooze's ass until there aren't even atoms of that fucker. And whether or not Zedd's still around or not… which wouldn't surprise me if he is out there somewhere… I'll help you beat his ass myself. Besides… if there's two villains I always wanted to fight it was you and Zedd… more precisely… I'd like nothing more than to kick Zedd in the balls so hard that his balls are so thoroughly crushed that a black hole couldn't destroy them more," he deadpanned. He smirked as he rolled his shoulders. "Besides, I think you and your brother are much like Spartans of Ancient Greece. Warriors of honor who are more than willing to throw down… Zedd… was never worthy of your loyalty. I mean, how much respect did he really show you? From what I know, you and Silverback were amongst his strongest warriors and generals… yet what word did he use for you two? 'Dog', if I recall correctly… and he thinks treating others like that ensures 'loyalty'... psh…. the only thing that ensures is distrust and wariness," he deadpanned as his eyes behind his lenses were glowing a brilliant iridescent silver with hints of ruby and amber. "And if there's one thing a Wolf knows, it's loyalty to the pack," he growled. He suspected that Goldar would notice that he had referred to Goldar's brother in the present tense where Goldar had referred to him in the past tense.  "Test me as you wish Rider but I am on the side of evil through and through that is the reason I want to slaughter Zedd." Goldar quickly dived before using his momentum to increase the force of his rising strike. "He has become good and since Rita was destroyed by Xandred I do not have any other from my past that has changed sides." "Hmmm… last I heard, Zedd was lost in the timestream… so he could have escaped at any point, though the idea that Rita's power was consumed by Xandred wouldn't surprise me," Fengàri commented. 'Though I'm guessing that Zedd's darkness grmay well have been stripped away from him by Zordon's energy wave, since I'm sensing something very dark to the far northwest of Equestria,' he thought as his gaze shifted, unaware the eye lenses were glowing a pulsing silvery gray. He could sense the dark energy coming from a cloaked individual. "And if I told you the Dark Lord that ordered your brother's murder is alive?" he drawled. His hand tugged back on the handle of the Barizun Sword, revealing its blade as he blocked Goldar Maximus' upward slash, using the momentum to spin in a back somersault several times in a shower of prismatic sparks. He tapped the 20 trigger, activating the Fire Module before he fired several shots of fire plasma at Goldar Maximus. "I shall rejoin my master." Goldar stated firmly while deflecting the balls of plasma. "If I was willing to kill my older sibling on his order for the mention of betrayal I am loyal to the core." He began to charge forward ready to attack Fengàri but was stopped by the blade of the sword of darkness sticking through his chest. "Then it's lucky you attacked my Sister first." Tara said as her voice still held an echo but it no longer had the demonic rumble from before.  Goldar painfully turned his head to look at the mare who had stabbed him. In his pain filled haze he noticed that her eyes were closed. "How?!" He groaned the pain of his impalement making his voice weak. "Surprisingly it is the fact that you embody a darker half of one of the Elements of Harmony that brought me back into focus." Tara said opening her eyes, revealing the blood-red splits that were her pupils showing that she had gained control over her dark form. "Your deep-seated loyalty, even to a being as evil as Zedd, resonated with my magic, awakening me from a blind yet calm rage. Now that I'm in control I have even greater strength than in my enhanced Ranger forms or my battlizer allowing me to pierce your armor as I have."  Tara proved her point by summoning the golden Sword of Light and tossed the weapon to Fengàri. "Use this. It's the counterpart of the sword I currently wield. It can transfer power between Rangers by copying them. Using it on him will most likely seal him within his blade and we can destroy the weapon afterwards, removing his threat completely." Fengàri caught the Sword of Light, his eyebrows rising as it shifted forms before igniting with silvery white golden tipped flames as he focused, the Cosmic Astroswitch locking into the Barizun Sword before the blade flared with prismatic blue cosmic fire,  activating the Cosmic Limit Break. "Yours is an obsessive Loyalty… a twisted and corrupted Loyalty, yet Loyalty all the same. Regardless… Kaichō Ginga Assai-ki!!" Fengàri roared as he slashed with both blades, a spiraling duo of energy discs, one a prismatic bluish white, the other a brilliant golden with prismatic rainbow edges surging at extreme speed at Goldar Maximus. As the attack closed in Tara drug her blade through Goldar's torso before backing away and launching her own empowered attack one which, like Fengàri's, glowed with the shades of a rainbow but the colors were a dark mockery of the normal rainbow. "Harmonic Dissonance! Final Strike!" She shouted as the attacks collided, vaporizing Goldar Maximus before wrapping around his sword and being absorbed into the blade. Song end "Didn't think the sealing thing would really work but I'm not going to complain." Tara said as the blade began falling. "Let's get back down there Fen, I'm not sure if I'll last much longer right now." "I know the feeling. Though I think the best thing to do with that blade… is toss it into the nearest black hole as the Tenth Doctor did the matriarch of the Family of Blood… he tossed her ass right to the edges of a black hole… not quite on the event horizon… but so close to it that from an outside perspective she'd be frozen… whilst from her perspective centuries if not millennia would pass… yet she'd still be stuck there… watching, yet never able to interact… yet never having the escape of death, either," he commented as he opened a gateway to the planetside. As their boots hit the ground and the gateway closed behind them even as the beam of golden flame hit yards from them, his armored form shattered in a shower of iridescent sparks and mist as he dropped to one knee, coughing up a gout of blood to which Geiz and Tsukuyomi winced, the former knowing the feeling himself. Woz cringed. "Much like Geiz when he initially came into possession of his Revive Ridewatch," he started, "using multiple forms and powers will put a strain on his body as some forms use energy already within the body or enhance one's potential as Kuuga and Kabuto did, representing the powerful potential within the human spirit and will. Others draw upon other forms of power, Kiva's Fangire power, Fourze's Cosmic power, and Build's power streamlined from the Nebula Gas, to name a few. Ixa, Drive, Blade, and the first two Riders were enhanced by what they gained," he sighed. "Over time, his body will strengthen and adjust," he finished. "How's Twily?" Tara asked as the black aura around her shattered. "Is she ok? I kinda snapped when I saw her blood and didn't really see if Goldar hurt her more."  Tempest exhaled softly. "He didn't get the chance to do more than draw a bit of blood. Had you not put him on his ass, I would have given him a massive electrical blast right where Celestia's Sun doesn't shine," she grumbled with a glare at Goldar's steaming blade. Twilight stumbled down the steps, her dress a bit torn as she saw Tara and the odd stallion, though she could smell the blood immediately. A bandage was on the left side of her throat just shy of her trachea. She blinked several times as he tried to stand up but nearly collapsed before Fluttershy caught him alongside Geiz. "What an idiot," Geiz grumbled.  "Like you… when… you died for…. Sugou? Dumb… ass," Fengàri managed to slur as he lost consciousness.  "Does he need to go to the Hospital? I'm pretty certain that coughing up blood implies internal injuries, though we have no idea how magic would affect him," Twilight rambled hurriedly. "And this right before Celestia was going to retire for a calmer time… not that Luna wants to, of course," she rambled nervously. "You know that Luna can overrule Celestia saying that she's retiring considering they both have equal power and Luna needs more time on the throne. Taking a vacation to finish catching up to modern times is fine. Retiring completely would be a bad idea as I suggested, lil Sis." Tara said as she slowly walked over to Twilight before hugging her. "But right now I'm glad you're ok. I'm sorry too, sorry I let Goldar get that far and that you saw what darkness lies in me now thanks to my mistakes." "But considering the usual stresses of dealing with politicians and those damn selfish Noble pains in the flanks, especially for at least a couple of millennia minimum, that takes a toll on anypony, immortal or mortal. Although you aren't the only one who's felt Dark Magic's touch…. the first time I faced Sombra… I had to use Dark Magic to break his nasty illusion. I'm pretty sure if I'd died in the illusion, it would have reflected physically," Twilight rambled. "I have no idea how he merged weaves with such a powerful illusion with Dream Magic," she sighed, well aware that true Dream Magic usage came only from Princess Luna or her bloodline. "Yeah, I remember." Tara muttered "I couldn't protect you or Spike back then either, all I did was hold the Umbra in their stasis. Important for sure but not a combat role like I usually take."  "You'd be surprised how Fate weaves her threads. Even those deemed as 'Gods' and 'Goddesses' aren't immune to it. Even I, a deity representing the true Final Fate, am not immune. Though I can see more of her weave than most, having been both a God and Godkiller from birth… I could not see everything," an unfamiliar accented voice sighed, the accent sounding like a rolling cross between British, Irish, Italian, and Greek. The speaker was close to seven feet tall, lean with tawny muscle. His eyes were a pure swirling silver beneath red streaked raven locks. He was also semi-transparent and barefoot, wearing baggy light creamy tan pants as well as an open Formesta robe that brushed just beneath his knees. Tara reacted quickly, she let go of Twilight and drew the sword of darkness while her Aura reappeared in a flash. His name… formerly… Acheron Parthenopaeus a.k.a 'Apostolos'... the Atlantean God of Fate… and the last survivor of their Pantheon. "I can't do anything in this form… even to shift a breeze," he sighed at the Alicorn's reaction. "I gave everything… body, mind, life force, my godly domains," he deadpanned. > Mysteries of the Past, Eyes to the Future > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I'll ask again," Tara said, her blade pointed at the transparent figure. "Who are you?!" "In life, I was Acheron Parthenopaeus, though immortals knew me by another name: Apostolos the Harbinger," Ash sighed. "My mother was Braith Apollymi, the Primordial Embodiment of Destruction. However, Noir… the Primordial Embodiment of Darkness, never found out that the Goddess that the Greeks and Atlanteans alike knew as the Great Destroyer was his 'sibling', if Primordials can be related. My immortal sperm donor heard a prophecy that his 'sister-wife's progeny' would be the doom of the Atlantean Pantheon… unknown to him, it was his own fear that set it in motion… and setting up my immortal aunt Epithymia, the Goddess of Beauty and Lust to touch my flesh upon my birth… thereby cursing me so that all, immortal and mortal alike desired me… some innocently such as Ryssa… my sister as a mortal… others like Artemis, the Greek Goddess of the Hunt, as little more than a plaything. Mortals made me little more than a sex slave… originally, as long as I lived, my mother, Apollymi would remain bound, trapped in Kalosis… the Atlantean equivalent of Hell. Of course… the Greek God of the Sun and Prophecy by the name of Apollo fucked that over…. though Artemis fucked me over just as hard… by drugging me so heavily I was all but paralyzed as Apollites murdered my sister and nephew… so Apollo in all his 'wisdom' gutted me from throat to groin," Ash sighed. "Which promptly released my mother… whom immediately began sending Greece's 'pinnacle of evolution' back to the Stone Age… after utterly annihilating Atlantis. Though as far as mortals knew, that was caused by everything from Zeus, to Apollo… by his own claims… to a massive continental shift or earthquake," he sighed. "Of course, the other Pantheons panicked, thinking she was after them… no… she was after specifically Artemis and Apollo… the former for, though unknowingly, setting up my murder… the latter for actually fucking doing it," Acheron sighed, the slightest hint of annoyance entering his slightly echoing voice. "Rather ironic that, unknown to mortals, the true source of vampiric stories… were the 'immortal gods' themselves. Contrary to assumption, gods and goddesses can very much die… it's just far, far harder to do it… unless you know their true weakness which renders them truly vulnerable. Anyway… Artemis had a fondness for drinking my blood… apparently absorbing a small amount of my true immortal powers… though I did not find this out until close to five hundred years later… as she had been using my powers to ensnare mortal souls upon their deaths without telling me, binding them to her service as soulless warriors and resurrecting them as 'Dark-Hunters' to stop the Daimon problem. Apollo cursed the very race he'd intended to subtly supplant Zeus with after killing Ryssa with the senses of predators, the need to feed upon the blood of their own kind for survival, and a slow death upon their twenty seventh birthday. Of course, Strykerius found my mother after Artemis tricked me into a blood bond with her… which had the added effect of resealing my mother back into Kalosis… and was taught to subvert Apollo's Curse by absorbing souls into themselves… which had the unforeseen side effect of the death of said souls… no reincarnation… no nothing. That is, at least for our reality, where the myth of Succubi and Incubi came from. It was eventually found that absorbing the soul of a Sumerian Gallu demon not only bypassed the Curse, but allowed them to do the one thing they had wanted to do for close to eleven thousand years: walk in daylight without the fear of burning alive. Too bad that Noir woke up alongside Azura, his 'sister' and the Primordial Embodiment of Air. We had them at a standstill until Noir decided to bring down Yggdrasil… the only reason we had forewarning of his madness was Jared. We were able to save some… in Katoteros… myself, Soteria, my wife… and my mother… poured everything of ourselves into him," Acheron sighed, his swirling mercurial gaze shifting to where Fluttershy was wiping away what blood she could even as they could see Rarity Belle running up before a rainbow contrail shot through the clouds. "The most I can do now is advise him so he doesn't have to suffer as myself or my mother did. My wife was born mortal, but was reborn as a Goddess," Acheron finished. "So she is much like you and your sister," he commented, assuming that Tara had Ascended as Twilight had.  "Unlike my sister I was gifted Godhood by being made of pure magic." Tara said as she lowered her weapon her Aura shattered once more. "I'm not sure how I was able to meet them but they said I was to be the protector of the greatest magic of all. I assume they meant the Elements but I'm not sure how I can do so, not with all the outside threats that use both good and evil magic against us, though if you have any insight into this creature that gave me my wings I would be eternally grateful." "Unfortunately, the only Cthonian that I knew myself who knew the mysteries of magic was the one whom trained me as a Cthonian… the term you might know as a 'godkiller' or more precisely, one whom is able to safely absorb a deity's powers into the background power within a dimensional universe. Sadly, Takeshi was one of those lost in the Collapse. However, he was, by no means, a 'being of pure magic' as you claimed assisted your Ascension. So, unfortunately, I most likely lack knowledge in the way you are expecting. If it were delving into Soul Magic or, as you might know it, Necromancy, which in itself can refer to raising the deceased for information or closure… I was never one for calling the restless deceased blindly. Too much risk of calling entities with far darker intents… Malphas being one of the most prominent. There are 'reality bound' deities though they are usually bound to their particular reality of Ascension or, more rarely, their multiverse cluster. Only the stronger ones can safely traverse the Void between realities," Acheron commented. "I was gone for 5 years, my time," Tara said. "I've been looking for all that time and have only come across hints that maybe something related to the Morphin Grid was the answer. So I understand why you cannot answer yourself. Thank you for at least looking into your memory for anything that could help." Acheron chuckled. "I have almost twelve thousand years of memories, both good and bad. Admittedly, there are those in the Voids between worlds and realities much, much older, and thus more experienced in their ways than I… never was a fan of 'godly politics'.... fucking pain in the ass, in my experience," he commented wryly.  Tsukuyomi's eyes widened as the deep wound emitted pale golden steam as it closed. Fengàri's eyelids fluttered as he felt a gentle something rubbing his cheeks and chin before he coughed a bit, gagging at the taste of burnt copper. "B-bloody 'ell… ugh… that is the nastiest thing I've ever tasted," he breathed, his voice hoarse and raspy before his ears twitched at a familiar accented voice. His entire body ached like the time he'd gotten hit by lightning. He blinked as he saw a carved gourd before he heard the soft slosh of liquid, never noticing the pulsing mark fading to a rich reddish copper upon his thigh where his pants were torn from mid thigh to knee. "You look like shit," he heard Geiz deadpan.  "Heh… Goldar Maximus… got pretty… well fucked," he said slowly, coughing a bit. He took a careful sip of the liquid before blinking, realizing it was the jasmine tea, but cooled. Strangely, the flavors were much clearer, he noted. His gaze shifted as he saw something dissolving in the air, but couldn't tell quite what it had been. "So where do we go-" Tara started before she collapsed to the ground unconscious.What caught his attention, however, was Tara's legs giving way abruptly with next to no warning. He managed to get his legs beneath him, but groaned as he felt her collapse… slumping squarely on his back. He felt hands pulling Tara off him, before hands also helped him up. It was the last thing he clearly recalled for quite a while.  ☆--------------------☆ His eyes fluttered open to see a pale pinkish lavender room before he felt a warmth gently rubbing against his face before it ran slowly to his chest. He felt stronger than he had, though he had no intention of doing that again anytime soon. "Ugh…. definitely gonna feel that for a while," he murmured tiredly. "That was foolhardy and irresponsible." Fengàri heard from his left side. "No matter if it was the only way to stop Goldar at the moment, Tara knows that even Alicorns have limits!" " While I won't disagree with you, Miss Fluttershy, she couldn't morph due to the amount of dark magic corrupting her at the time. The fact that she could fight on par with a fully empowered Rider in that state is a miracle. While continuing to be able to move for so long after, even re-entering her energized State out of pure willpower after the aura shattered shows that she can to a certain extent exceed those limits." A familiar male voice said. "Though we'll have to shelve this conversation, it seems that our Rider friend has regained full consciousness." "Shows how strong Willpower can be. Though I do pity Goldar… loyal though he is…. I have little doubt that Zedd would betray him given the chance… proving he is unworthy of said loyalty," Fengàri managed tiredly. He tilted his head as a soft sigh escaped him.  "What matters is that meanie is sealed away in his weapon." Fluttershy said as she hugged Fengàri tight, his head laying in her cleavage. "Though it makes me wonder if maybe Dashie could wield his weapon as a power boost." She said, tapping a finger to her chin. "Tara said he represents Loyalty and so does she, it might help her outside of her ranger form if she hasn't unlocked it yet." "Hmmm… though if there are… shall we say 'dark' counterparts to those Elements…. whatever they are…. there stands to think that there could be a risk of the 'dark' aspect reacting to the user like a drug… making them crave more strength which could lead to a potential of corrupting the user," Fengàri murmured, his voice a bit muffled. He noticed a sound that almost sounded like a moan, but he wasn't quite sure. His hands lightly dragged over her sides and back, feeling the soft fur. "Though the Another Riders are like dark counterparts to the Riders. Admittedly, there are also Dark Riders like Cronus, which was the one I used before," he sighed. He could feel her fingers dragging through his hair though he did notice that the scent he was smelling from her was the same as what had tickled his nose upon awakening. He tapped her forearm for a moment as he felt her arms relax. "Though I did notice that your fur smells very similar to what I smelled as I awoke. I'm guessing you were washing me with your soap? Which I don't mind at all… in fact, I rather like it," he commented, amused as he saw her cheeks darken subtly a bit, unaware of the almost purring growl that entered his voice as he paused before he noticed that she was staring into his eyes. He was unaware that his eyes had shifted from a swirling silver to a swirling golden amber.  "So beautiful." She murmured before shaking her head to clear the daze she had been in. "I did clean you both here in my animal sanctuary." She said before gesturing to the room around them. "This is the large animal/staff infirmary. We brought you here because while many humans have appeared in our world we haven't had the time or resources to fully establish medical procedures for the species in relation to the other sapients on our world just yet. Dr Fauna and I have stocked the clinic with the best medicine for all around care including for hybrids such as myself, the Belles, Rainbow and Scootaloo, the Pies, Twilight and Tara, and the Apple family. We even help Mitta with her problems as an undead." Fengàri cocked his head. "You suspect that I'm a hybrid as well… which… is true. Though I seem to recall some less personal things in detail… just little to nothing about myself specifically. When I activated the powers of Kamen Rider Cronus whom is, as I said, a 'Dark Rider' who uses his power for either personal gain or malicious intent…. something happened where a primal part of myself took over… taking a very particular form… a Katagaria Lykos," he said quietly. "Unknown to the humans of my… former world… the myths of werewolves were, in truth, Katagarian Lykos… you see… what they knew as mythology was not quite true. Specifically the story of the Greek Arcadian King Lycaeon… mythology claimed that he was turned into a Wolf for offending the Olympians… the truth… was that he was a sorcerer whom sought to save his sons from the fate his wife had…. dying at the age of twenty seven. He merged the essence of Wolf and Dragon with his sons, unknowingly creating two sides of each son. One side had the Dragon and Wolf as dominant… the other had the Human as dominant. The magicks had a side effect… increasing their lifespans from twenty seven to roughly eight to a thousand years. The Moirae… however… demanded he terminate the hybrids. Lycaeon refused… so the Moirae cursed the hybrids…. 'Never shall your sons know peace until the last of them draws breath' was the curse they placed. However, it was not just Drakos and Lykos, but also Balios, Gerakian, Helikias, Litarian, Niphetos Pardalia, Panthiras, Pardalia, Tigarian, Tsakalis, and Ursulan. That is… Jaguar, Hawk, Falcon, Eagle making up the Gerakian patria, Cheetah, Lion, Snow Leopard, Panther, Leopard, Tiger, Jackal, and Bear," he said quietly. "The 'Were-Hunters' knew this knowledge as the Allagi… their source," he finished. "Besides the Pies, whom many speculate are the remains of Discord's species, we know for certain the hybrids of the other elements. The traits for each of us became more pronounced after we first wielded the elements but they have always been there in our families save for Twilight and Tara." Fluttershy said. "My family is not shy entirely by choice, our Vamppony side tends to come out the more we act in society due to some form of either magic or hormonal change. Twilight augmented me to be able to drain fruit juices instead of just blood when she gave me the fruit bat traits by accident." Fengàri hummed in thought. "Intriguing. I know that Shinnosuke and Phillip are here… that is… Kamen Rider Drive… and the Cyclone and Fang half of Kamen Rider Double… so it's entirely possible that other Kamen Riders are here as well. I wouldn't be surprised, however, if what Twilight did was awaken something that was already within you and tweak it slightly… though between you and me, I wouldn't mind someone as adorable as you feeding on me. And you do look so cute dressed up like a nurse," he commented, unintentionally teasing her, noticing that she wore a white shirt not unlike a nurse's scrubs, though it appeared that she was wearing what appeared to be black shorts that contrasted very noticeably with her fur. While she blushed, Fluttershy twirled around to show off the outfit. "Normally I work in the nude here in my sanctuary." She said, "But I keep a few of the outfits I was gifted from my modeling days here to wear if I'm feeling frisky or if a new person is here." Seeing the look she was getting from Saba she explained. "The sanctuary is a Nature Sanctuary meaning Clothes optional.  Fengàri hummed. "I'm guessing, Saba, that whomever helped Tara Ascend… also gave her you. I mean, if the Rangers existed, which I'm guessing they did, it's more likely that the 'canon Rangers' are long since passed… and I do recall Gosei talking earlier. Most likely, I wouldn't be surprised if Zordon implanted a safety in their Morphers so they would either activate on a command or from someone trained by Zordon himself," he commented thoughtfully. "Though I've never tried…. going around nude for extended periods," he sighed softly. He saw her ears twitching at his pause as a curious look crossed her face. He was unaware that whilst humans did show up from time to time, it was still quite rare… and most certainly… none were like him. "Is that why I'm nude Flutters?" Tara groaned as her head lifted. "My guard uniform wasn't that damaged was it?" "TARA!" Fluttershy said angrily, "BACK TO SLEEP NOW! THIS IS THE THIRD TIME!" "Fine," She grumbled, "still can't move my body anyways." Tara lay her head back down on the pillow. "See you in six hours!" Fengàri Kattalakis cocked an eyebrow before chuckling a bit. "If I didn't know better, I'd say she was hoping to get spanked for being stubborn. We all have times we're stubborn, though," he sighed. He let his fingers rise to his chest, thinking of that leather thong with the gator teeth. He blinked as he heard soft sloshing before a slight chill. He did, however, notice her sharp indrawn breath.  He looked down, realizing he was just as nude as Tara. More… a very particular part of his body stood at attention between his thighs, thick and engorged. His eyebrows rose, though he remained quiet. He did notice a faint golden scar, almost like someone had sprinkled golden dust upon his upper abdomen, running up to his first fixed rib, crossing his floating ribs. He cocked his head, his fingers tracing the scar for a moment. "That scar has been glowing like that ever since I was able to get your outfit off you. It's been two and a half days so I have had to sponge bath both of you. That's why you're both nude." Fluttershy explained as she began to wipe down Fengàri's lower legs. "Though that part of you is far bigger than expected." She admitted this being the first time seeing it engorged. "It always fascinates me how big something so small can get." Fengàri shivered slightly as he could feel the warmth gliding over his skin. "Maybe it senses somepony adorable and sweet," he said softly. Admittedly, he was a bit embarrassed, being so obviously aroused.  He paused. "Two and a half days? Damn… shows that brawl had some pretty heavy side effects. Though if I'm honest, seeing Tara like that… I'd be far too tempted to tickle her just to see her reaction," he said thoughtfully as he noticed the glow fading away from the scar. He did notice that from time to time, Fluttershy's gaze would shift to his engorged lap as she, seemingly unconsciously, licked her lips. He noticed that her pupils were narrowing to slits whilst staring before she pulled her gaze away. He was sure she didn't notice he'd noticed. 'It would make sense that if they're hybrids, that there would be times when certain instincts might try to surface more if not take over,' he considered. He shivered slightly although the water and soap she was using was warm and pleasant to his senses. “Are you able to move your lower half Rider?” Saba asked. “Using some of those powers harms the user to the point of temporarily paralyzing them.” "Sounds like Geiz when he initially got the ReviveWatch… though I do know that when Zeronos used his powers as a Rider, it cost his elder self memories of cherished ones to fuel said powers… then the Red Cards… cost him his own memories," Fengàri commented before his leg jerked when Fluttershy washed his feet, specifically between his toes. He shivered slightly at the strange sensation as he saw the small playful smirk Fluttershy had.  "Sensitive pads, Puppy?" She teases as she kept cleaning Fengàri's feet. "I'll be gentle." Fengàri's eyebrow rose before a small smirk crossed his face. "Not really my fault when I've never had anyone wash my body or my feet before," he commented wryly. He saw her give him an odd look as if she'd ïnever heard of such an idea before. "Public bathing isn't that uncommon where you're from, is it?" She asked, remembering one human couple she had met recently. "Your friend Han and his wife weren't surprised by the public baths in Ponyville." "Han and his wife, Amaterasu, lived in Japan, where such things are much more common. I did not. I lived in the bayou of Louisiana… completely different parts of the world," Fengàri commented before he blinked, realizing that he could recall some things clearly from Earth. He froze when he heard Acheron Parthenopaeus in his mind. "Hmmm. So these advanced Rider forms can slip through the memory block, allowing memories to trickle through," he heard, unaware of the miniature silvery stars surfacing and 'dipping' within his golden amber irises. "If so, then Grand Zi-O should have shattered said block. More likely, it weakened the block enough for the other 'Final' Rider forms to punch through," he thought before he heard an audible slap in his mind.  "Well you will have to get used to it," Dash said as she entered the room. "Tara made it law that Ponyville no longer have private baths. She wanted to increase the traffic to the castle since it has three massive heated pool rooms. Two are public, one is reserved for Royalty. That includes us the Elements and Starlight and Sunset." Fengàri shrugged as he slowly and carefully sat up, noting that all the Pegasus woman wore was a tight blue and black leotard that, frankly, hid next to nothing of what was beneath, so her B cup breasts were rather obvious including the nipple studs. "The Elements?" he commented with a cocked eyebrow. "That implies that I know what you're talking about, Dashie," he drawled, feeling his mind brush hers just enough to pick out her name. "The Elements of Harmony." Saba clarified. "While you were in your semi-conscious state, I have been confirming things Tara had told me about her world during our travels. The Elements are a group of eight mystical artifacts that represent certain emotions or concepts, six of which must be together to work properly: the elements of Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, Honesty, Loyalty, and Magic. The other two are complementary, the Element of Empathy held by Sunset Shimmer, and the Element of Love represented by the Crystal Heart held by Princess Cadance." Fengàri hummed in thought. "And I'm guessing you two have… Loyalty," he commented, his gaze flicking to Rainbow, "and Kindness… 'cause only the purest heart of kindness would spend seventy two hours straight looking over two semi-conscious people," he commented with a cock of his head before he noticed Rainbow's gaze on his lap, almost forgetting his body was very much aroused. "Damn that's big!" Dash said plainly. "Have you gotten that measured?"  "Why would I do that?" he commented with a hint of confusion.  "Dude, that monster is at least 13 inches!" Dash said as a few sparks of lightning arced over her fur. "Most mares will kill to bed you! Though that's mostly during Estrus. A shame, really, we lose at least a few mares to that madness every season."  Fengàri's eyes narrowed slightly, mercurial silver blending into the golden amber. "You're saying that you have periods of amplified fertility and hormones? Sounds like something Aphrodite would have pulled out of her ass as a dirty joke and prank," he muttered gruffly, a hint of a growl in his voice. He saw both Fluttershy and Dash shiver as if something caught their attention about his voice, unaware the growl was arousing. "I just came." Dash groaned as her bust expanded to a C-cup, her tight leotard getting tighter in the process. "And my studs just slipped, great." Fengàri cocked his head in an almost puppyish manner. "Huh…. that scent… it smells almost like Hershey's and espresso," he commented. He'd noticed that scent, along with the scent of fresh lavender and apples, before he'd awoken. He was unaware dark gray tipped canine ears twitched, hidden in his hair. He did, however, notice Fluttershy humming softly as if interested in something.  "So…" Dash started blushing at her still obvious arousal. "I heard that this-" She held up Goldar's blade, the golden lightning of the villain arced off the weapon being absorbed by Dash. "thing has a golden flying monkey inside it?" "Aye. Goldar Maximus is sealed within his own blade. However, I advise, if you ever start hearing him try to whisper in your mind for any reason, ignore him. I would not put it past him to try to corrupt you," Fengàri said grimly, the growl a bit more noticeable. He jumped in surprise as he felt warm, soapy water dumped on his head, exposing his canine ears. He saw Fluttershy's very interested look. "Cute!" She squealed as she reached out to rub Fengàri's ears before stopping herself just shy of touching them. "Sorry," she pulled back and began to scrub Fengàri's hair avoiding his second set of ears for the moment. Fengàri shrugged. "Hell, they'll be washed anyway, so it isn't like it's going to bother me," he commented nonchalantly, unaware he'd soon regret those words. "Hmmm… so the Riders I know for certain other than Geiz, Woz, and Tsukuyomi that are here are Cyclone and Drive… and I'm almost certain Decade's troublesome ass will show up at some point. Where Zi-O has power over Time, Decade's power, specifically, is Dimension Travel," he murmured thoughtfully. "And the fact Woz all but confirmed Shocker is most likely creating trouble," he murmured with a sigh. He abruptly stiffened and shuddered, his eyes drifting half-lidded as, unnoticed by himself, his engorged length twitched almost like a tail wagging. He could feel Fluttershy's fingers dragging through his hair, though something had his thoughts utterly distracted… unaware it was her fingers massaging those secondary ears. "Good boy." She murmurs softly as she keeps cleaning Fengàri's hair and ears. "I'm almost done with washing your front but before we turn you over we need to take care of a certain treat in between your legs."  Fengàri blinked, still a bit dazed. "Huh?" he managed in a dazed, almost drunk, tone. "Take care of what?" he wasn't quite sure what she meant. He did notice Dash giggling at his actions. "Ear rubs get you?" She said barely able to talk through her laughter. "No worries, it gets me too!" She then realized just what she revealed and quickly shut up her face erupting in a glowing red full body blush. Fengàri hummed, tilting his head. "Raijū?" he sighed with a slight shake of his head. He had noticed the scent of fresh rain and ozone that clung to her. "Lightning hydra wyvern, actually," Dash corrected automatically. "They're intelligent, but not very common to encounter. My little sister, Scootaloo, is an Abyssinian Raiju hybrid and my mother is an explorer and traveler, Daring Doo, so she tends to get around." Fengàri shrugged. "I'll take your word for it," he said carefully.  "No big deal," Dash said. "My adopted family of Bow Hothoof Doo and Windy Whistles knew about my mother and her history." Dash then closed her eyes for a second before her bust shrank back down to its former size. "My cousin, Muffins Ditzy Doo also knows about all of that too. I flipped out upon learning this. I'm telling you all this 'cause like my Mom, I get around and I'm eyeing a prize right now. Which tends to make me ramble." Fengàri tilted his head, noticing how Fluttershy was at a nearby sink refilling the bowl with steaming water. "What's stopping you two from sharing? Ain't like I'm going anywhere soon… pretty sure if I tried standing up, my legs would support me as well as a molten metal pole would hold anything up, ya ken?" he drawled, seeing Fluttershy returning.  > Waking Up and Relieving Stress [- Lemon -] > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "So how do you want to do this?" Dash asked as she began to remove her Wonderbolts leotard. Fengàri shrugged. "Hell if I know. Never been intimate with anyone before," he drawled. His eyebrows rose slightly upon seeing the nipple piercings. His ears twitched at a whisper of sound before his head turned to see Fluttershy had shed her white shirt, revealing she wore nothing beneath. He noticed that Saba was floating to another room. "As Tara would say 'Have fun!'" He quickly turned to look at the group. "Don't wake her up or my lasers are going to burn a tribal brand on your asses." "Damn, there's a twist on a 'pain in the ass' threat," Fengàri deadpanned before shrugging. He focused, a sound blocking runic seal flickering into sight beneath Tara's bed before fading away. It blocked sound in, but not out. Unbeknownst to the others, Tara was still awake and had cast a astral projection spell, as she had the last two days, letting her body sleep while still being able to travel the world. "Damn he's really going through with it." She said as she floated nearby letting her bust expand to it's normal size. "Heh, in here I can let the girls free. Feels good." Fengàri's head turned slightly, sensing something, but not quite able to figure out what he was sensing… unknowingly sensing Tara's astral form. "Guess his senses are stronger than I thought, maybe I'll pass through to the physical world and ride him myself later." She said as she began playing with her ½ inch thick nipples. "For now I'll enjoy the show." Fluttershy's demeanor seemed to shift after she disrobed, her eyes had changed color to a glowing red and her pupils shifted to a vertical slit. "Dash." She commanded, causing the wonderbolt to stiffen from the lusty growl Fluttershy's voice now contained. "Studs out now." She said as her fangs slid out of her lips. "You're going to give this puppy a boobjob." Fengàri's head tilted at the shift in Fluttershy's tone. "Yes my lady." Dash said as she did as she was told. "It has been quite a while since my girls have been their true size and weight, so let me adjust before we begin please." Fengàri's eyebrows rose slightly at dash's comment. "Oh? What do you mean?" he commented curiously. "Dash uses those nipple studs to reduce her bust's weight and size." Fluttershy explained "Twilight made them before she met us based on a unicorn self enchantment that does the same. That invention helped her become Celestia's student." "And I'd wager quite rich to boot," Fengàri observed.  "No, she was already a minor noble so they never needed the money." Dash said as her bust slowly expanded. "Tara convinced their parents to patent the studs as prosthetic devices, which lowered the price, but it still made a large sum of bits." "Most of our friends wear the studs. I even have a pair." Fluttershy said as she pulled on her nipples exposing the holes in them, causing her to moan. "Are you ready, Dash?" Dash's bust had stopped growing and she had straightened up, walking over to Fengàri placing her J cup bust around Fengàri's engorged dick. "I'm ready, my lady." She said as began rubbing her boobs against him. "Like that?" She asked him. Fengàri Kattalakis shuddered as a low growl escaped him, his eyes widening at the heat and softness. "Holy shit," he managed to groan. "I forgot that Flutters is a Switch. Guess seeing Fen like this has brought her Dom out." Tara said as she floated over to Fengàri and wrapped her I cups around his dick while straddling him in her astral form. "Sorry Dashie can't resist this"  "Don't just rub it Dash suck the tip," while commanding her momentary Sub Fluttershy had rolled a faux leather office chair from the counter into a position that allowed her to watch while fingering herself. This was also in the perfect spot for Fengàri to watch both the mares without him straining himself. Fengàri could feel a subtle, barely noticeable heat over him. "So, Tara, I'm guessing you weren't intimate in those five years? I'd wager that heat tends to build up over time, aye?" he teased, fairly sure who it was as he saw Dashie dipping her head. "Pah!" Dash said as she pulled off of Fengàri's dick to lick the tip. "It's getting bigger, you must be a tits guy." Fengàri shrugged slightly before smirking. "Kinda hard not to admire the female form. I don't mind the male form, but I don't get aroused by it," he commented before he let his fingers massage her breasts gently, admiring her body. "Although I'm guessing that if your kind needs a way to shrink those down, then larger sizes are much more common, which logically would imply that spas here have pretty good business," he commented thoughtfully. He saw her shiver as if she wasn't sure how to react to his touch.  "Dear goddess!" She moaned "I forgot just how sensitive they are at their full size!" Dash then sped up her ministrations, alternating directions of her rubbing and sometimes twisting them around Fengàri's cock trying to maximize the pleasure she was giving him while also taking advantage of how sensitive she was. Fengàri shuddered, his eyes drifting half-lidded as a low, almost purring, growl escaping him as a spurt of slightly glowing precum spurted up. He shifted his weight a bit, not realizing that had Tara been visible, his chin would have been resting squarely on her ass. "Heh seems I might get some of my own fun after all." Tara said as she began to grind herself on Fengàri's face, her slit leaking slightly and her projection becoming more solid unconsciously. Fluttershy stopped fingering herself, determining that she was wet enough for the next step. "Now that the warmup is done, it's time I play with the puppy myself." She said quietly while standing up and going over to a cupboard by the counter. "But while I play with him you won't be left out Dash." She opened the cupboard and reached in, sliding a false back open revealing a set of collars and a large collection of dildos, plugs, and many more toys.  She pulled out a rainbow collar with Dash's mark for the tag, along with a dildo gag/dual vibrator plug set that had tubes extending from each before closing the secret compartment and going over to an odd looking freezer and pulling out a gallon sized tub of preserved semen labeled "Cerberus". She then opened a large cabinet that contained a large plastic device that had three openings to attach tubes to and a clear plastic reservoir that could hold a gallon of liquid. Fluttershy quickly attached the dildo's rubber tubes to the inseminator's holes and poured the semen into the Reservoir before turning to Dash.  "Dash, stop." She said, which the cyan and rainbow Pegasus obeyed instantly. "It's my turn so get off him and get in that chair." She pointed to the chair she had been playing with herself in, which upon a closer look had a few odd quirks: multiple sets of straps were attached to the armrests and a metal ring was present on the bar that attached the headrest to the rest of the chair at neck level. On top of that there was a small hole in the center of the seat big enough to expose a mare's slit and asshole if sat in the chair nude.  Again Dash obeyed, raising her legs up to rest just over her arms in a breeding press position. Fluttershy strapped her in to keep her in that position before running the coller through the metal ring at the back and locked it around Dash's neck keeping her head and neck in a relatively straight position. "Good girl Dash!" She said with a fanged smile as she tightened the straps. After the straps were cinched tight Fluttershy quickly slid the plug and vibrator in Rainbow's exposed lower holes. "Such a good girl deserves a reward, obeying her lady just as she orders. Do you want that reward, Dash?" Knowing what was coming Dash just nodded. "Very well!" Fluttershy said to Dash as she slid the gag down her throat, locking it in place with the attached strap and activating the vibrator in her slit. "I'm going to turn on the inseminator and once the semen is warmed up it will start flowing down those tubes and Into you. These plugs are made specifically to lock in place after the inseminator is activated thanks to magic allowing them to expand knots within you. No matter what, once the semen starts flowing it won't come out of you until the inseminator is turned off. Don't worry about the gag in your throat, you'll still be able to breathe thanks to Magic built into the gag's strap letting you breathe through your nose by passing your clogged throat and directly pumping the air into your lungs safely." She then turned to Fengàri, still smiling even with him looking confused at  the setup.  "Normally, I use that machine for artificial insemination for endangered species when we can't find a male, but have stored semen." She explained as she turned the machine on. "But with Cerberus' overproduction, I tend to have a gallon or two on hand specifically to play with, and all of the girls have had a turn with the machine because of it. As long as we're not in estrus, only a pony can impregnate another Pony, and that is extremely rare even outside of estrus." Finished with her explanations Fluttershy then proceeded to straddle Fengàri's waist, her ponut poised to engulf his throbbing length.  "But how many have the essence of a Primordial, Harbinger, and Ascended within them?" Fengàri breathed as his eyes glowed, his voice dual toned before his head fell back as he unknowingly nuzzled Tara's slit. He did, however, notice the scent of blackberries and roasted hazelnuts, also from the projection of the Alicorn. From the chromatic Pegasus hybrid, he'd noticed the fresh rain and ozone scent, mingled with cocoa. From the vampiric pony, he got a slight hint of copper scent, but the strawberry scent was stronger. "Unless one of your titles is a God of fertility I'm good Discord and Celestia both put a seal on my womb since I tend to travel the Multiverse for fun." She said with a mischievous smile, "Celestia being a fertility goddess herself is why I mentioned that specifically. Besides this first round is going to be anal only which will reduce the chances to near-zero even if you have a fertility God in your lineage." With that she sat on him taking the majority of his length inside. "Dashie was not lying, you are big!" She shouted with a moan which Tara echoed from her position in the Astral realm.  Fluttershy held still to adjust to the ramrod in her ass. "I'm glad I douche and enema daily, otherwise with how big you are this might have gotten messy for you and me both!" Fengàri's eyes widened as a low, growling moan escaped him. "To my knowledge, no… but… hell… are you tight," he managed. Admittedly, he had no idea what she was talking about. "Kegals work with all bipeds." Fluttershy said as she began to move up and down, loving the feeling of fullness that his manmeat gave her. "Fill me, big boy!" Fengàri shivered as he bucked his hips upward as she sank down, seeing her eyes widen slightly as he pushed a bit deeper, matching her pace. "Not sure what those are, nor what an enema is," he muttered gruffly as he licked his lips, unknowingly speaking almost directly into Tara's astral slit even as he teased her as well. "Kegels are a form of pelvis exercise that help keep the muscles in the lower area tight. The other two are ways to clean the lower holes especially so that you don't get infected or to make anal sex much more yenjoyable." Fluttershy explained between moans. "Fuck! Fuck my ass hard!" In the throes of pleasure, she leaned over and hugged herself hard to Fengàri, somehow pushing Tara's astral form down with her making the alicorn suck on his dick though Fluttershy's body. Fengàri shrugged slightly as he pumped his hips faster to drive both ponies wilder as he could faintly hear gurgling and gagging as well as muffled moans. Fluttershy's passage suddenly tightened as she squealed in pleasure. Her slit gushing so hard she flooded the sheets just as Tara came herself.  Both mares fell limp and the sound of Dash's own groans and squeals of pleasure filled the room along with the slight whir of the inseminator's pump as it filled each of her holes.  Fluttershy lifted her torso off Fengàri's chest, the action freed Tara but she continued to bob her head slowly sucking Fengàri to keep the mood going. Fengàri shuddered as he began pumping his hips again as he noticed the scents of fresh Honeycrisp apples and raspberries with a hint of honeysuckle. He gently tugged Fluttershy closer. "You smell like my favorite kind of apples," he murmured in a low purring growl in her ear before he nibbled said ear lightly, more to tease than hurt. "Oh gods!" Fluttershy moaned as she began bucking her hips again. "You still need your reward, puppy, give me your seed!" "You mean your moans and scent aren't a reward? Huh…. well, let's see how much I can pump in," Fengàri said in a teasing growl as his hips pumped a bit faster, hearing muffled gags and whines as if Tara wanted more as well, though he wasn't quite sure.  His fingers dragged up her thighs to her hips, circling the intriguing marks there, yet not quite touching them. "Play with them!" She groaned, "They're yours to play with! Don't tease me!" Fengàri's head tilted as he massaged the marks, unaware that for most mares, they tended to be an erogenous zone. "Hmmm… your fur is like silk," he murmured thoughtfully, unknowingly massaging Tara's scalp at the same time.  Fluttershy's ass squeezed Fengàri alongside Tara's throat, their constricting tightness causing his pleasure to soar.  Fengàri's eyes widened slightly as their color became a glowing amber. "Close… ugh…" he managed as a copious spurt of pre surged up his length into Fluttershy's depths. <"Huh, while still salty, it's sweet too."> Tara thoughtspoke.  "So much," Fluttershy groaned. "Need more!" She grabbed Fengàri and the two began floating, Tara and Fluttershy's Pegasi magic unconsciously causing the group to lift off the bed slightly. Fengàri shivered as he heard Tara's astral voice, noticing it held a throaty purr to it even as he heard Fluttershy's hungry groan. A small smirk crossed his face as his hips began pumping even faster, not noticing the ever so slight arcs of golden electricity flickering over his skin. Suddenly, a high pitched squeal rang out as Dash began spasming in a multi-orgasm. The squeal nearly breaking through the soundproofing seal from a resonant frequency.   Fengàri's ears twitched at the squeal, his head turning slightly as he unthinkingly reinforced the seal even as his balls visibly tightened, a heavy surge of cream surging up his length…. and only the first of a half dozen. He didn't notice that, in reinforcing the seal, it actually burned into the floor. Fluttershy wrapped her legs around Fengàri's waist locking him in and popping his swollen knot into both Tara's jaw and Fluttershy's ponut causing both of the mares' wings to stiffen as the group fell back onto the bed with a small splash and Fluttershy to emit her own squeal so high pitched it made the glass on Fengàri's bedside table to crack. "Wingboner…. though I suspect it won't be the only noticeable change," Fengàri teased as he noticed Fluttershy's belly swelling slowly but surely. "So full," both Fluttershy and Tara said audibly. The yellow mare then looked over at Tara who, to her surprise, somehow had a swollen belly as well. Dash's belly had ballooned to an equal size to her bust thanks to her triple stuffed holes. Fengàri smirked, tilting his head. "Saba said 'not to wake her' and we haven't… if anything, she may actually sleep better like that," he commented before he blinked as Tara exhaled a long burp. He tilted his head innocently as his fingers brushed over her hips before teasing her slit just to see her reaction. The sound of glass breaking rang out as Tara's nude torso phased into the normal plane. "Don't fucking tease me, asshole." She said, shocking the others that she was not just awake but moving around. "Tease you? I was thinking of doing more… and from the feel of it, you were hoping for more than a meal, weren't you? Though I suppose Saba's threat doesn't count much if you're resting rather than actually sleeping," Fengàri commented nonchalantly as he twisted, knowing he likely surprised her as his lips met hers. "Five years has to be exhausting… no satisfaction in all that time," he said softly. He knew she'd likely notice that, despite her large and soft breasts in obvious view, his eyes didn't leave her face. His gaze shifted to Fluttershy before he kissed her slowly and gently, his swirling golden amber irises hypnotic. "Safe to say if there's one thing that's true… I won't have to worry about having beauty to admire… and love," he commented,  whispering the last two words in her ear. Dash, despite the euphoria she was feeling at present, after seeing how hot it was to see Fluttershy fucked hard. Her eyes widened slightly at his daring to kiss Tara unexpectedly. She heard him comment about 'beauty to admire' but wasn't quite sure why Fluttershy blushed so deeply right afterward. "Master, are you planning to add Tara and Twilight to the herd?" Fluttershy asked, nuzzling herself into Fengàri's chest. "I'm willing to share myself with them." Tara pulled away "We are a package deal, we made a deal that if one of us found a stallion we'll share." Tara then wrapped her wings around the three of them. "For now though we should all get some real sleep." "I see nothing wrong with that…. though I'm guessing this 'herd' thing is implying that there's an imbalance between men and women unlike on Earth," Fengàri commented as he shivered, feeling Fluttershy's inner muscles tensing and teasing him, though he got the sense it was unintentional on her part. "Though I do have to admit that I'm not very familiar with relationships outside of work… bad luck on my part… like… really bad luck," he sighed softly.  "Depending on where you go, the gender imbalance is as big as 20 to 1 or as small as 60% females to males." Tara said her astral body warming the group. "Polygamy and polyamory are the norm here on this planet along with large groups of lesbian couples, while not explicitly looked down upon. Having one male to a female in a relationship is rare and discouraged except for in the case of nobles where inbreeding is a large problem legally, though unlike with other worlds, inbreeding doesn't cause birth defects due to Magic helping stabilize DNA so it's mostly a legal problem with inheritance." Fengàri shrugged slightly, unsure how to admit that the majority of what she said went right over his head.  The knocking on the door caught the group's attention. "Fluttershy I'm here for my session with the Inseminator!" An unfamiliar female voice called out. "Also the weekly delivery of rare semen is here! The usual gallon from Cerberus was accompanied by two more and for a surprise it seems Ember sent some from the dragonlands! Though it is labeled human for some reason!" "That's doctor Fauna like me and some others, being exposed to so many animals with varying Heat and fertility cycles causes her to be almost constantly horny." Fluttershy explained as she slowly pulled off of Fengàri somehow keeping all of his come inside her with pure muscle control. Quickly she heads over to her cupboard with the hidden panel open up the panel and reaches for an extra large plug which she  in her ponut to make sure that her muscle control isn't the only thing keeping her filled. "So once a week she visits me here or at my cottage and just bliss's out as Dash is currently." She then produced another set of the same type of dildos as what was currently inside Dash.  "Thankfully I have multiple Inseminators and Fauna has seen me after a few rounds with Harry, so this isn't the first time she's seen me this big." Quickly she set up another inseminator, this one with an empty Reservoir having used up the last gallon that she had on Dash. "Door's unlocked Fauna!" She shouted "Bring everything in! Dash is taking a turn and I need one of those gallons to fill the reservoir of your Inseminator!" Fengàri tilted his head as he exhaled softly. His gaze shifted to Tara's astral form where it floated. "You ever run across the Phoenix Force or her Avatar?" he commented curiously. His canine ears twitched as he heard the door open before soft, muted footfalls became more noticeable. "Honestly, if you'd said that you had assistance Ascending from a 'psychic powerhouse' she'd have definitely fit. You don't get much stronger than an Omega level mutant… though there are those beyond that level… like Legion… if he were in full control of his powers," he sighed. "Was the avatar of it and the Omnipower at separate points in time." Tara admitted, "They both gave hints at the identity of the Being that gifted me my wings saying it was a goddess."  Fengàri's eyebrows rose slightly. "Damn… if they didn't know, but hinted… though I'm sure they likely do know… it could be a benevolent equivalent of Darkseid," he commented with a hum. "Though the idea of someone Displaced as him would be terrifying… it'd be entirely likely that he'd become an echo of the 'true Darkseid'...or an avatar of him," he sighed before he noticed a pale grayish olive mare with a platinum blonde mane. He assumed it was Doctor Fauna that Fluttershy had mentioned. He noticed, however, that she glanced his way. He didn't realize that, despite filling Fluttershy with a sizable load, his cock was still mostly hard and engorged. "Fluttershy?!" Fauna asked as she noticed Fengàri, "You got a human male to study, and such a specimen!" She said as she approached the bed. "Such a big boy!" Fauna started pumping her hand over Fengàri's length before turning to Fluttershy. "Mistress, I humbly request to play with your new friend." She Then noticed Tara. "Princess! I humbly apologise for debasing myself in front of you! Astral form or not." Fengàri shivered at Fauna's actions before he smirked a bit. "Heh, you can play however you like, can't she, Fluttershy?" he commented teasingly.  "My slaves are yours, Master." Fluttershy said, "Bitch, this is our Master, you're now his breeder, act like it!" She said to Fauna, "Tara and Twilight are his Alphas, and me and any others not in a relationship he adds are their betas, you are nothing more than a breeder and my bitch right?" "As I have always been," Fauna said before looking to Fengàri. "Master, may this bitch please you?" "However you like, Fauna. You are quite pretty, which, I'm guessing, is rather common here, aye?" he commented, glancing at Tara and Fluttershy, noticing the hoses and plugs. He tilted his head thoughtfully.  "Yes," Tara said, "unlike in most other Equestrias, even Granny Smith looks good." Fluttershy seeing that Fauna wasn't going to bring the gallons of semen so she slowly left the room, moaning as the plug in her ass shifted rubbing against her G-Spot as she moved. "Have to do everything for my bitch." She grumbled bringing in the gallon tubs of cum the one labeled "human" surprisingly the same size as the others. "So cock drunk she can't follow orders, maybe you can train her better, Master." Fengàri cocked an eyebrow at the jugs. "Unless it's a thing around here that people tend to let a lot of seed loose, I'm guessing the human jug didn't, pardon the pun, come from one person," he deadpanned before he saw the small smirk Fauna gained at that. His eyebrow twitched upon catching her surface thoughts. 'Maybe we can try that out, Master. After you fill me up,' he heard. From how her gaze didn't rise to meet his, he doubted she realized he'd picked up her thoughts, though he had little doubt that Tara most likely had as well, especially if she was telling the truth about being a former Phoenix Force host. He cocked his head at that thought. "Do you think it may be possible that that's how universes gain an equivalent of the Phoenix Force in the multiverse? That a former host of one carries a spark that becomes a new Phoenix Force for a new universe?" he hummed telepathically to Tara. "I think so," she said, "that might explain my energized dark form. Dark Phoenix perhaps? It's not all dark magic but that could have been a mix of that and the Dark Phoenix." "It doesn't exactly explain how I can pick up surface thoughts and emotions  from others… suffice to say, some emotions are… shall we say… like needles… panic and fear especially. And from the sound of it, Fauna seems pretty damn horny. I'm pretty sure I've noticed such thoughts and emotions in the past, but never focused directly on them… or it could just be that Fauna's just radiating her thoughts really loudly," Fengàri sighed. "From what I remember, Jean's version of the Dark Phoenix was overwhelmed by emotions she wasn't used to nor familiar with," he commented wryly. It was vague, but the awareness felt right. He could feel Rainbow Dash's emotions like a tingling in the back of his mind, whilst Fluttershy's was almost like a cool mist. Tara's, to him, felt like touching a warm pool. Fauna's, however, felt… like a slow bubbling pot of water, if he had to put it into words. "I've never felt the pain and anger that triggered the transformation before. Even the Lesser forms were only my normal rage, something pushed me beyond when I saw what Goldar did." Tara said as she too in the info. "You have to remember I was also host to the uni-power at one point. Another Cosmic sentience on par with the true Phoenix though it does not have a dark counterpart."  "I suppose. What memories I can recall are more like a half-forgotten dream. I can remember some things, but not in the right context or maybe even not the right order," Fengàri sighed before he jumped slightly as he felt Fauna's lightly calloused fingers stroking his cock. He shivered, unsure what to do or say. While this conversation had been going on Fluttershy had been looking at the receipt for the delivery which also listed donors for each semen from the sapient's shipment. "The list reads one donor, a Mr. Anon?" "That's not funny Fluttershy." Tara said "No pure human can produce that much in one sitting!" "At least in nearly all the worlds I went to." "There is a note on the side saying that the amount produced was not in one sitting but preserved throughout 4 days." Fluttershy replied. "Along with saying that this human is a Mutant who has the ability to produce far larger amounts than normal." "I've heard stranger. In fact… one of the few clear memories I have involves three men… Julian Alexander… a son of the Titan of Love, Aphrodite,  as well as Kyrian Hunter… and Marius Valerius. Kyrian Hunter… was an ancient Greek General… Marius Valerius… a Roman General… and, as unimpressive as it may sound… Julian… was a novelist… and those three were the most normal in my life," Fengàri commented before he groaned. "I wonder how much he would produce," he heard Fauna murmur softly. "Though the extraction process would be the most fun part," she murmured, still pumping his cock whilst staring at it.  "We're destroying that sample," Tara said as she took the tub in her magic. "In fact," The tub was engulfed in fire before a portal to a lava lake opened and the burning tub was thrown in. "There problem solved!" She said as the portal closed. Fengàri Kattalakis cocked his head, having noticed a variety of scents in that brief moment alongside the ashy sulfuric scent. "Kiluea? Nice choice," he commented thoughtfully before he jerked as Fauna dragged her tongue over his cock from base to tip with a hungry smirk on her face. "Though short of time halting runes that halt time within the jug, it was the right move. No idea how rancid the first dump might have gotten… and there are some scents I'd far rather avoid," he deadpanned dryly. "Those runes are standard for biological preservation of living samples." Fluttershy said as she glared at Tara. "You know that, so why did you throw that sample in a volcano?!"  "The simple fact is as you said this sample came from a mutant, anyone compatible with his genetics will become one when they reach their late teens." Tara said " the mutant Gene is carried in the mail part of the genetic code so I had to destroy that sinful you don't need another Screwball or the CMC running around!" Tara gestured to the place the portal had been. "What's even worse is when mutant genetics are exposed to Magic bad things happen, that's where Wanda Maximoff came from! We don't need another Nexus person in this reality Discord is enough!" "How dare you bring my daughter into this!" Fluttershy roared. "Screwball may be different but she's still young!"  "Fluttershy there is a person pretty much exactly like Screwball where that man came from." Tara said worry was evident as her astral projection started to glitch out. "His name is Franklin Richards, a kid who can create a universe in his hands!  I'm just worried that if another reality warper besides Discord or Screwball shows up the world will destroy itself! We can only handle a few beings that have the ability to manipulate reality outside of magic as is! What do you think would happen if a kid like Franklin met Screwball! Or hell have another kid who wasn't the child of a reality warper gain the powers and almost destroy the world in their childish playing!"  Fluttershy finally noticed just how bad the mere thought of something like that was affecting Tara as her astral projection almost broke up entirely. "You've seen it haven't you?" She asked as she hugged the Alicorn. "What happens when someone so young uses that much power without any control. That's why you fear it isn't it?"  "I saw a universe die because of that very senario Shy," Tara said as she gripped the kind vampony in a crushing hug. "I have nightmares of it every night." Turning to the others, she saw how her declaration affected the mood. "Sorry everyone," Fengàri hugged Tara, ignoring the fact he was as bare as the day he was born. "We all have scars, whether mental, physical, or emotional. Mental scars are often the hardest to help heal as they tend to be from traumatic incidents. For example… the one who sold Acheron as an Atlantean tsolus… the equivalent of a sex slave… was his uncle. All because of unrequited lust for Ash's brother, Styxx… whom was untouchable as he was the Crown Prince of Didymos," he said quietly. "Physical scars… they fade with time, but emotional scars are almost as bad as mental ones… in my case… I will admit that I tend to have loneliness issues… what memories I can pull up are not pleasant," he said quietly.  He saw Fluttershy's eyes widen as did Doctor Fauna's. "Huh… seems I'm picking up on some of Ash's memories… and his mortal memories aren't much better than what remains of mine," he commented thoughtfully.  Tara's projection disappeared as her body began to shift. "That won't be a problem anymore!" She said as she sat up and pulled herself out of the bed. "No matter what, nothing hurts my family which as you've seen I take seriously." She stumbled over to Fengàri's bed before hugging him tightly, not caring about the wetness and fluids covering him or the bed. "I'm more than glad to add you to my family, Fen." "The strange thing is… I'm almost certain I did have blood family before the Collapse. Saw two guys chained up to a cypress branch… they claimed they weren't related to me despite sharing the same last name… Kattalakis…. call me crazy, at the time, I thought they were telling the truth… but looking back… I think they were lying… though I never saw them again after that night," Fengàri commented quietly. "Though as they say… there's emotionally bonded family, chosen family, and blood family… and you… I'd say… fall into the first two," he said softly. A small smirk crossed his face. "But you and I are alike in being protective of family… someone fucks with my family… they'd better start praying," he finished.  > Recovery and Discovery > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Later that night, the group found themselves all resting in Tara's bed as the other one in the infirmary needed to be cleaned desperately. Fauna, the somewhat outsider, was at the top of the pile Cuddling With Dash while the rest were wrapped around Fen. The pony-pile started in mild surprise when a Knock on the door rang out. "Ah heard that Somepony was finally awake and moving about." A Southern-accented voice said from the other side of the door. "Be a shame if'n this bottle of celebratory cider got warm before they could drink it." Mention of cider got Dash squirming, trying to get out of bed as both Fauna and Fluttershy held her down. "We have a hold on Dash, Applejack, you can come in!" Fluttershy called out. Fengàri Kattalakis blinked a few times, cocking his head. "I'm guessing she's referring to apple cider… which I've no memory of trying," he murmured sleepily. He knew they'd been right on the edge of sleep, though if he was honest, he wasn't all that tired. However, the varied scents of the mares and their body warmth did make him rather sleepy. He was still unaware of the mark upon his outer thighs a couple of inches below his hips. He suspected that the mares were, no doubt, quite aware of it. Especially Fluttershy and Dashie. He focused, feeling a tingling surge up his spine before he blinked, hearing a startled yelp of surprise, realizing he was somehow out of the pony-pile though he had no clear idea how. He cocked his head as tight dark burgundy leather jeans materialized over his hips as well as a pale cream ribbed robe over his shoulders. Unknown to him, as he turned towards the door, a sun pierced with a trio of lightning bolts resided upon the back of the robe.  He tilted his head, his gaze shifting to the stained and odorous bed. A slight smirk crossed his face, recalling how Fauna had gagged and choked herself on his cock repeatedly. His head tilted slightly as the door swung open, revealing Jaqueline 'AJ' Apple. "Land Sakes! It smells like the stables in the summer in here!" Aj said. "Ah'm not complaining but Rarity will be here soon so you lot might want to air the room out before she gets here." Fengàri saw not only Dashie but Fluttershy and Fauna blush a bit at that. "Hmmm," he hummed softly, thinking. He unconsciously twisted his wrist not unlike a certain repeating Rider, hearing a fan nearby startup before the odor faded away swiftly. "Your nephew doing well after that scare of getting treed by that Cragadile? The only animal I know of that usually gets treed when startled would be a mountain lion… also known as a lynx… and ironically… is the largest feline that can still purr… quite loudly," he commented. He missed the looks of interest from Fluttershy and Fauna at his knowledge of animals. "Wait… 'treed by a Cragadile'? When did that happen, AJ?" Dash commented. "A couple of days ago when Fengàri first showed up here, Sugarcube." Applejack said. "And Lynx aren't the only animals that Tree themselves, raccoons are known to do so as well. Landsakes, there's a whole storybook about it, ask Twilight!" Fengàri shrugged slightly with a hum. "Wouldn't know, as I haven't met her… short of the two or three-second glimpse I got of the Golden Shit Tosser holding her," he commented wryly. He tilted his head, noticing AJ was wearing a casual white shirt over Daisy Dukes, though, looking closely, he noticed her fur was a bit shaggier in some places, mainly her bosom, forearms, and just barely noticeable above her cowboy boots, though it was so slight, if he hadn't been looking closely, he might have missed it. He cocked an eyebrow as Dash started snickering, though he did notice Goldar's blade trembling ever so slightly.  "Well, that will change soon as Twi will be visiting her sis when Rarity shows up," Aj said. "Knowing Zedd is out there… is troubling. Though it seems he no longer has Rita by his side… though I wouldn't be surprised if Rito may be near him," Fengàri sighed, thinking. He noticed the bottle of apple cider in her hand. He blinked as a thought occurred to him. "Can you set that on a table? I have an idea…. see… one of the Kamen Riders before Sugou Towika… my predecessor… was a guy who fought against despair as his was a world where the ability to truly employ Magic was rare, but was often awoken through emotional trauma… namely fighting through Despair…. holding onto Hope. One of the Spell Rings he had was an ability to duplicate items… even himself," he commented, seeing AJ's skeptical look. "If I'm right, and Haruto Sohma is in this world… then he will feel me using one of his particular Spell Rings," he finished.  "Haruto Sohma? Who is that?" Fauna said with a hint of confusion. "He went by the title of Kibō no Mahōtsukai to the Phantoms he fought… those whose inner beasts broke their Human Gates… taking their lives and forms… but to the other Kamen Riders… he was known as Wizard," Fengàri commented.  He took a deep breath as he saw AJ set the frosted bottle down as he concentrated, his eyes drifting half-lidded as his irises shimmered an iridescent crimson.  His hand rose before a pale golden amber Runic Seal flared to life. "Chō: Kyū," he invoked. He felt the pulsing response as nine Sigils duplicated the single bottle of frosted Sweet Apple Acres cider. He sagged slightly, shivering a bit. "Oooh… that felt like pins-and-needles," he commented. He rolled his shoulders as he took a deep breath. For just an instant, he felt the resonance to the northwest before it faded away. "Yup… pretty sure he noticed that," he commented wryly.  He smirked at Rainbow's widened eyes as she was almost drooling. "Close your mouth, Rainbow, before we end up swimming in drool," he commented nonchalantly. He wasn't surprised that she blushed deeply.  "Let her," Tara groaned, "she's so addicted, to say to her she literally has to be prevented from getting it during season, otherwise she'll drink the whole town supply in one night." The Alicorn sat up still completely nude. "Remember what Fluttershy said earlier, clothes are optional. You didn't need to get dressed, AJ wears that as her walking outfit so you can understand why she's wearing it." "Tara, how've you been!" Applejack asked as she moved to hug her old friend. "Fluttershy wouldn't let me in to ask you myself until you had the ability to move on your own again. Thankfully she messaged us a little while ago to let us know that you were finally able to move about." She passed the alicorn one of the bottles. "Consider that a welcome home gift." Fengàri blinked, glancing down at his clothes. "Honestly, I'm not even sure how I got dressed, since I'm reasonably sure that whatever clothes I had on after we sealed away Goldar Maximus were ruined…. blood is a bitch to get out. I speak from experience," he commented. "Though I don't think I've ever had any apple cider… that I can remember," he sighed.  "You're joking, right?" Rainbow said incredulously. "Well, ya can't say you haven't had the best apple cider around, at least not now," she said with a smirk as she grabbed up two bottles before popping one and passing him the other. "Call it a gut feeling, but I suspect that Geiz and Tsukuyomi, as well as the self-proclaimed 'herald' Woz, are doing their own thing, aye?" he commented wryly. "Though I was kinda surprised that Tsukuyomi had medical training. Admittedly, the series that I remember… after Sugou essentially sealed his own power away… it showed Geiz, Tsukuyomi, Schwartz, and the other Time Jackers reborn as normal people, though from what I gathered, Sugou must have set things up if something went wrong that Woz would step in, which led them not only to here… but me… though why Sugou's power chose me as his successor, I couldn't begin to guess," he commented before he pulled off the robe, noticing that it was finely woven yet at the same time felt almost weighted. His eyebrows rose slightly upon seeing the symbol on the back. "Curious. To the Atlantean Pantheon, Archon represented the past, whilst Apollymi represented the future… the third… her Harbinger… represented the present," he muttered, not realizing that Tara would notice Acheron's curious rolling accent surfacing in his voice, which sounded like a cross between an Irish accent and a Greek one. A slight smirk crossed his face as he hummed softly. "Though even if events force us to fight and protect, we will do what is necessary for the next generation… for it is they who are the future, and I'll be damned if I stand by as those like Zedd and Ooze fuck up life for innocent people," he said bluntly. "We stand for our families, aye?" he said. He saw Rainbow grin at that. He was unaware that, for just an instant, he'd glowed a soft ruby red and rich amber. "No one fucks with family," a male voice said as the door opened once more. "Fen glad you're awake. We might need your help later." Dominic Toretto said as he led Rarity and Twilight into the room. "The princess, here, said she found someone that looks like me but with shining eyes a little while ago. Now I have no idea who it could be, but something tells me that if we don't get him on our side, he will be a thorn in this world's leadership for a long time to come." "Dom darling," Rarity started. "We both thank you for the ride but did you have to wear that to meet with Princess Tara?"  "Rarity how many times have I told you not to call me princess, I'm just as much your friend as my sister is," Tara said. Fengàri blinked before chuckling softly. "I think I know the guy you're talking about. See… I had a bit of a talent before I met Woz… and there was an Earth that I… shall we say… brushed that had a particular actor who played two particular characters… one whom you know well, Dom, considering you look at him in the mirror… the other… is the guy you're talking about. Richard B. Riddick is his name. He looks human, but is no more human than I am," he commented. He saw Dom cock an eyebrow at the 'no more human than I' part, absently forgetting that Dom didn't know he was more than he appeared. "You're kidding me," Dom said. "Aliens that look like humans! Next, you're telling me someone who looks like me has incredible superhuman strength!" "Considering that Riddick is an Alpha Furyan? Compared to a human, yeah, he does, considering he killed a guy with a metal teacup… severed his aorta, and fractured his sternum which takes around 820 pounds of force... with about as much effort as you or I might put into turning a wrench," Fengàri deadpanned nonchalantly. He wasn't surprised by Dom's eyes widening. "However, Riddick will not willingly harm women or children. We can only hope we don't end up having Necromongers show up… ugh. If there's a group that all but makes killing an art, it's them… more through the equivalent of using a nuke when a nine-millimeter will do. Riddick… he's more a surgeon compared to them," he commented. "But I'd never piss him off… guy tends to hold a nasty grudge," he sighed. He didn't mention that he'd `projected` into an animated film of Riddick known as 'Dark Fury'. "But that bitch Antonia… reminded me way too much of Cypher, just as screwed in the head," he muttered under his breath.  "Well then," a similar voice to Dom's said, "guess I won't tell you about the time I fought mud demons, considering you already know so much about me," Riddick said, walking in his eyes uncovered thanks to the low light of the darkened room. "You a Bounty Hunter? Cuz if you are…" he threatened. "Please, Riddick, I have standards… the majority of the bounty hunters you've run across if they're like the ones I've run across, they got big mouths but tiny balls. The only Bounty Hunter I have the slightest respect for is Hobbs and a certain blonde. The rest, I have about as much tolerance for as, say, you do for most Hunters, like that idiot Johns you ghosted before those Bioraptors got him… though I'd wager they didn't get much gray matter from his skull, hollow as it was," Fengàri deadpanned, an eyebrow risen as he spoke. Besides, as you can tell, I'm unarmed, though we both know true apex predators don't always need weapons," he commented with a small smirk. His ears twitched before he cocked his head, not noticing the gust of bright silver flames as his arm lashed out, the Blay Rouzer resting millimeters from a certain Air Elemental's throat. "Aereon. Keeping an eye on our Furyan friend?" he commented nonchalantly. "Please refrain from attacking," she said. "I'd rather not harm another of the elder races, Lord Marshal Riddick, I come with a warning, Vaako is coming." "Figures… motherfucker's scared shitless of Riddick. He knows that Riddick made the previous Lord Marshal his bitch, and he fears getting his ass put down. Just our luck, eh, Woz?" Fengàri sighed. "That is not the threat. Vaako is Riddick's last ally in the Necromongers; the false Lord Marshal was killed by a group you may know as Shocker." "Astute as ever, my Lord. Though we have reason to believe that the group your predecessor fought may have a presence here," Woz said with a slightly bowed head. Fengàri's eyes narrowed slightly before he shifted the Blay Rouzer, dismissing it in a gust of navy-tipped silver fire. "Then it seems we have a reason to team up… ghosting these fuckers," he deadpanned in a rumbling growl. He missed Fauna shuddering at the growl as she inhaled sharply. Fengàri's head tilted as his gaze shifted to Fauna. "Go shower, Lysandra," he sighed with a hint of a growl. He'd been tempted to call her 'Lyssie', as she'd most certainly responded to that name and had revealed her first name as he'd thoroughly filled her up. He saw Dom's gaze follow Fauna as she did walk a bit gingerly from how full he'd stuffed her. "Yes Master." She groaned as she walked over to the emergency industrial shower in the far corner of the room.  Fengàri saw both Woz and Dom glance at each other. A slightly amused smirk crossed his face.  "Master?" Woz commented thoughtfully. "Something tells me that her meaning behind that term and the one I tend to use is very different," he commented dryly.  "I was never raised a King, nor a Lord. Though if there's one of the few things that old asshole Albus, before his ticker gave out, did say was wise was that it's those who rarely seek power that find themselves gaining it," Fengàri sighed. "Why so quiet Sis?" Tara asked Twilight. "Our new master is right there." She gestured to Fengàri. Twilight shivered slightly. "I'm… a… um," she murmured shyly. "A virgin? So am I," her new Master commented, surprising her. "Unlike Dom, who until recently was a manwhore," he quipped. "Where's my wrench?" Dom muttered with a smile on his face. "Having gotten some has swelled your head so I think I'll knock yah around a bit to pop it."  Fengàri snorted. "Hey, you can't say that we ain't been like that. True, I rarely indulged myself in that particular aspect… usually massaging them… though more than once I heard they were as good as sex. But those of us who have a fondness for speed, we tend to have a certain level of adrenaline we prefer to keep up," he commented with a smirk. "And not all of us have a bad bitch who all but allowed us to take a very long vacation," he deadpanned, referring to their massive heist with Braga as the target. Dashie blinked, glancing at Rarity, who had an intrigued look on her face. She wasn't that much into massages herself, not that she'd admit it. After a long training session, either with stunts or with the Wonderbolts, though, she wouldn't refuse such. She cocked her head, noticing what looked like a serpentine dragon tattoo moving on Fengàri's skin, specifically his upper right abdomen towards his chest and left shoulder. "How do you do that… the moving tattoo?" she commented. Fengàri blinked, glancing down before he noticed the slight burning tingle. "Huh… she isn't a tattoo, though she does tend to take that form when sleepy," he commented.  "Who?" Tara asked. "Acheron's 'daughter'... a Charonite Demon. Personality-wise, Simi's like Pinkie… although she does have a little obsession with burning people she really doesn't like… with her breath," Fengàri deadpanned.  Twilight cocked her head, confused. "Wait… wait... wait… what? You're a demon summoner?" she said cautiously.  "More like 'demon inheritor' as I see Simi more like a sister, an' I know nothing about demon summoning, nor do I want to," Fengàri deadpanned. He saw Twilight relax at that. "Though admittedly, I suppose that there are some allies of Riders that are close to being species of demonkyn… Imagin are creatures with the ability to traverse time through the memories of others, though they are associated with Kamen Rider Den-O," he commented idly.  "I would say the closest to true demonkyn… may be the Fangires. Stained glass-themed Vampires that feed on the life force of others. Those killed by them… turn to glass and shatter," he deadpanned. "Though there are Fangires that choose not to feed on life force… mostly because they're powerful without doing so," he drawled.  "Wonder if Discord is related? He likes glass too much for it to be a coincidence." Tara said before the sound of snapping fingers signaled the Draconequis' teleporting in. "D-uuurp," Discord announced his presence with a loud burp… that smelled like rotten eggs. "Wh-whzyu shaying?" he slurred. "Doubtful. Fangires were dealt with by Kiva, at least the rogue ones," Fengàri commented. "Though I'm pretty certain that…. ugh… damn…. he didn't get this shitfaced alone," he drawled, waving a hand in front of his face. "That's true but I handle my leaded glass far better thanks to Bat-Mite." A two-and-a-half-foot-tall man wearing an orange vest and pants with a small purple bowler hat on top of his mostly bald head wearing gloves of matching color said as he popped into existence. "Mytzlsptlyk at your service, 5th-dimensional imp and good friend to Discord here." He said as he swayed from side to side floating in mid-air. "Discord and I decided to share a few before we came over. I'm here to warn you guys about keene's crossing over from my home universe's third dimension. It won't be for a while but Miss Power Ranger here has opened the door thanks to meta-narrative." He said pointing his thumb at Tara. "My Pal Superman might be the first one considering he's one of the few that have interacted with Power Rangers before. I just hope that it isn't one of his multiversal counterparts that are far more brutal, the reason he's mislabeled as a God is definitely a good one. In fact, he did become a god multiple times, though he never matched me in power but he's pulled the wool over me quite a few times. Another might be Bat-Mite's biggest Obsession: The Dark Knight Batman. Considering he's one of the smartest people on his Earth and the second greatest detective, maybe third if Tim Drake has surpassed him, means that he will probably figure out how to trace Miss Power Ranger's Universal travel signal." Mitzy started to lay back in mid-air as he began manipulating small orbs of light into a galaxy-like formation. "Truth be told, I'm only giving you this much information straight up because I'm drunk. Usually, I like to be a bit more cryptic but the leaded glass has loosened my lips." Fengàri Kattalakis cocked an eyebrow. "Hmmm… no doubt someone like you would have felt the Collapse of our home reality, so for the Bat, it'd be kinda hard to track our signature when our home reality collapsed faster than a house of cards… though… 'second or third Greatest Detective'?" he commented wryly, knowing the inebriated imp may notice his interest. A small smirk crossed his face, noticing Dashie scratching an ear. "Got something caught in your ear, Dashie?" he commented nonchalantly, ignoring how she blushed at the nickname as he stepped closer to her before he let his fingers drift around her ear before his hand seemed to sink into her ear… and kept going up to the elbow. "Huh… well… damn... found two things. One's a squirmer, though," he commented before he pulled Angel Bunny out of Rainbow's ear… followed by a very particular blue and gold Zecter. He saw Fluttershy's eyes widen at how he did that, smirking. "Wonder if the Big Blue Boy Scout knows of Kamen Riders," he commented wryly.  "Some people think Lobo is a Kamen Rider due to his Spacehog," Mitzy said as he rolled over in mid-air arms crossed under his head. "Those of us in the know definitely know that he isn't, although I know there might be someone on New Genesis who can create them." Fengàri tilted his head. "Considering the technology levels of New Genesis, I wouldn't be surprised if they may have well backed the Smart Brain organization in Faiz's world," he commented. "What the hell are you talking about?" Riddick grumbled. "Should we show them, Woz?" Fengàri commented idly. "Of course, my Lord," Woz's comment came from right beside Dom. Fengàri tried not to snicker at how Dom jumped in surprise. Fengàri shrugged, his breath hissing inward as bright wine red and duller red flames ignited between his fingers before puffing out to reveal a Ridewatch. "That's a different watch," Rainbow pointed out. Fengàri smirked as he depressed the button before, in a gust of wine red flame, a silver suitcase materialized in his grasp. He set it on the slightly raised step on the floor which he guessed was a bathing area for animals on the opposite side before opening it. Fengàri hooked the Knuckle to the side of the belt opposite the Pointer beam emitter before he hooked the belt around his waist. It was then that they heard a crash outside. Fengàri's eyes narrowed as Dom darted out the door, not all that surprised. He ran after him, seeing a half dozen Orphnochs with crystalline growths on their bodies before his eyes narrowed as he sensed corrupted magic.  He noticed a brown-haired young man sprawled against the heavily dented door and quarter panel of Dom's car.  "Leo, you fucking idiot," Fengàri growled, seeing Dom stalking toward him. "Fuck it," he growled as he flipped open the phone, entering 5-5-5 into it before tapping ENTER. "STANDING BY," it intoned in a mechanical voice. A small smirk crossed his face before he barked "Henshin," as he slotted the phone into position, folding it from vertical to horizontal.  Streams of Photon Blood that appeared as streams of light formed before they flared a brilliant silver as the armor formed. He saw Leo's head as well as Dom's turn before he pushed off, tagging one crystallized Orphnoch with a flying side kick in the upper chest close to its throat before he twisted, turning the landing into a scything roundhouse kick that caught another across the face, sending him tumbling backward. He rolled to evade the black quartz blade that radiated malice. He spotted the Psyga phone as well as the empty port on Leo's belt before he kicked an Orphnoch back from where it went to grab the phone before he lightly pressed his foot to it before kicking off, the phone flying into Leo's hands. "Don't just sit there with your thumb up your ass, Leo. These wankers are enhanced with malicious Crystal Magic… most likely enhancing their durability and strength on top of manifesting crystalline weapons," he deadpanned before he turned his kick into a spinning heel kick that sent another Orphnoch stumbling back. His eyes narrowed as he noticed slightly glowing points on each Orphnoch. Right clavicle, left armpit, right tricep, floating ribs on the back right side, instep of left foot, the base of the skull, he noted on each. "Time to ghost these fuckers," he muttered, unaware his irises bled crimson.