Chapter 27: Another Rider Falls

Just then an enormous shimmering gray wall appeared in the air above the battle. From it poured dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of Salis Worms.

"Oh crap!" shouted Briar as she and the others realized that they were about to be overwhelmed.

But then a shimmering gray door appeared and from it emerged the Cyber Worm.

"Double crap!" said Ashlynn.

"This changes nothing!" shouted Sasword as he slashed through more Salis Worms, "we have to destroy those Negative Plants!"

"Easier said than done!" shouted Drake as he blasted more Salis Worms, "they die easy enough but there's no end of them!"

"There's got to be an end!" shouted Cerise as she and Lizzie fought back to back.

"But how much time to we have to reach that end?" Duchess asked, "those horrible flowers look as if they could bloom any minute!"


The Enemy Lair…

"As a matter of fact," said Dr. Falchion as he and the others watched the battle, "the Negative Plants still have quite a bit of growing left."

"They should be ready to bloom and spread their spores just after sunset," said Dr. Scimitar after making a few calculations.

"It's almost poetic," said Manfred as he watched Briar, Daring and the others fight valiantly against the seemingly endless hordes of Salis Worms, "the last sunset of the fairytale realms. Come the dawn, the world shall be corrupted to the darkness forever more!"

"All according to plan," said Dr. Halberd smugly.

"Bull crap!" snapped Dr. Stiletto, "you didn't plan any of this!"

"Of course I did!" exclaimed Dr. Halberd, "how dare you accuse me otherwise!"

"You've been playing by ear the whole time," said Dr. Stiletto, "all your talk of foresight and preparation, lies, all lies."

"That's a serious accusation, Dr. Stiletto," said Ophelia, "can you prove it?"

"Show me your notes," said Dr. Stiletto to Dr. Halberd, "a true scientist always has notes of his or her work."

"I keep all my notes in my head," said Dr. Halberd, "and what difference does it make? The fools are all about to die and the world is about to be corrupted! And you know what, I'm going to The Dreamstone Mountains to gloat over the rabble before they die!"

"I think I'll join you," said Manfred, "just because."

"Better get there soon," said Dr. Falchion as he saw the Cyber Worm make its move, rushing up to and disabling first Ashlynn, then Lizzie, then Maddie, while Daring, Sparrow, Duchess, Kitty, Cerise and Cupid found themselves surrounded by more and more Salis Worms.


"Get away from them!" shouted Drake as he aimed and fired at the Cyber Worm. His blasts were on target yet did no more than distract the creature from Ashlynn and the others.

"I think you made him mad," said Ketaros as the creature stalked towards them.

"That's the idea," said Drake as he kept shooting at the Cyber Worm, "I'll distract it, you take it down!"

"I think not!" shouted the Cyber Worm. It then accelerated and appeared behind Drake, unleashing its electrical discharge attack on Drake, dealing enough damage to knock him down and canceling the transformation.

"Hunter!" Ashlynn shouted as she tried to crawl over, yet several Salis Worms stood in her way.

"You bastard!" shouted Ketaros as she rushed up to the Cyber Worm, only for her to duck and dodge several vicious claw strikes from the creature.

"You humans have such a way with words," said the Cyber Worm, "you create such works of verbal beauty, yet use such profanity that you have to clean your tongues with soap."

"That's a metaphor, you ignoramus!" shouted Sasword as he rushed in and slashed at the creature with his Sasword Yavier, yet the blade barely scratched the creature's armor-like carapace.

"Oh please," said the Cyber Worm as it punched Sasword hard enough to knock him down.

"Oh, this is delicious!" exclaimed Dr. Halberd gleefully as he and Manfred watched from near the still growing Negative Plants, "I couldn't have planned it better myself!"

"So you did play it by ear," said Manfred.

"What difference does it make?" Dr. Halberd asked irately.

"I suppose none," said Manfred as he watched the battle, "not in the long run that is. On a similar yet different note, if we're here, we won't be able to watch Clare destroy Avery Manning."

"Trust me, Kabuto is as good as dead," said Dr. Halberd.


Ever After High…

"They're still going at it!" said Raven as she and Apple kept chipping around the metal housings securing their chains to the stone railing, "Clare and Avery, they're still fighting like there's no tomorrow. And there may not be a tomorrow if our friends can't stop those Negative Seeds."

"We've got to trust them!" said Apple, "just as we have to trust ourselves to try and get out of this before that bomb goes off!" She then cried out in pain as her stone slipped and cut her fingers, "though sometimes it's hard to keep your faith going."

"Well, I'm not giving up!" said Raven as she looked around the top of the tower, "Clare set up that anti-magic field generator somewhere. If we disable it, I'll have my magic again."

"She'll have put it somewhere we can't reach," said Apple as she picked up her stone again and began chipping away around the anchor for her chains.

"Or maybe it's a lot closer," said Raven, "my mother told me that anti-magic field generators require a lot of power, depending on the range of the anti-magic field. The devices have to be big, but not so big if it's just to deprive me of my magic."

"Then it'd be small and close by," said Apple as she looked around, "but disguised so we wouldn't find it. But there's nothing up here but stonework and little pieces of lose stone."

"It wouldn't be this small," said Raven as she looked at her stone.

Just then the tower shook violently for a few seconds. Apple looked out over the railing to see two streaks, one red, the other yellow, zooming to another part of the school.

"If they're not careful, they'll bring the tower down and us with it," said Apple.

"That's Clare's plan all along," said Raven, "to kill us, one way or another. And there's nothing we can do to stop it! Damn it!" she then threw her stone at the floor of the tower roof. The stone bounced onto a few tiles, but Raven noticed something odd about the second tile the stone bounced on.

She picked up another stone and threw it at the tile, hearing the odd sound it made on impact.

"That tile's lose," said Raven as she struggled to reach it, yet her chains kept her just out of reach. She still strained to reach it, stretching her legs out to kick the tile, "if I could just…" she then kicked the tile away, revealing a small circular device with several blinking colored lights.

"That's no bigger than my hand," said Apple, "that little gadget is what's depriving you of your magic?"

"It won't for much longer," said a determined Raven as she strained to reach the device and smash it with her heel, yet she couldn't reach it.

But then Apple picked up her stone and threw it at the device. The stone missed but not by much.

"One good hit is all I ask," said Apple to the heavens as she picked up another stone and threw it. This time the stone connected yet didn't damage the device.

Apple looked around and found just one more stone she could get to, while Raven couldn't reach anymore.

"If there is a God," said Apple, her eyes closed in concentration as she gripped the stone, "if there's any justice in the world, please, please!" she opened her eyes and threw the stone. It hit the device square on. Sparks flew from the machine as the blinking lights went out.

"You did it, Apple!" said Raven joyfully, "I can feel my magic starting to come back."

"That's great," said Apple, "now please get rid of these chains so we can get out of here."

"Uh…I can't yet," said Raven, "I'm still weak from the anti-magic field."

"You mean we have to wait for the effects of the device to wear off?!" Apple asked.

"That's why my mother hated anti-magic field generators so much," said Raven, "even if you turn it off, you have to wait a while before you can use magic again."

"How long then?" Apple asked.

Just then the tower shook as the two brawling Riders struck it again.

"Not soon enough for my taste," said Raven.


Down below the two accelerated Riders continued their high speed battle, neither giving no quarter or expecting one.

CLOCK OVER

Returning to normal time, Kabuto and TheBee found themselves back where their fight began, at the front steps of the school. The two Riders glared at each other from several paces away, both breathing hard from their exertion in hyper time.

"This can end here and now, Clare," said Kabuto as the two of them got their breath back, "before anyone else gets hurt. Tell me where Apple and Raven are and you can walk away."

"And have nothing to prove myself with when I take my place with Obsidian?" TheBee asked, "I think not!"

"Damn it, Clare!" shouted Kabuto, "you're selling your soul to the devil! Or devils as the case may be. 'For what will it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeits his soul?'"

"Another stupid quote from your grandmother?" TheBee asked.

"Matthew 16:26," said Kabuto.

"I always hated Sunday school," said TheBee, "Clock UP!" she then pressed the button on the side of her belt, just as Kabuto did the same.

CLOCK UP

The two accelerated into hyper time again, rushing at each other and resumed their grapple. TheBee then jumped away from Kabuto and onto the roof of the school, heading for the tallest tower.

But this time Kabuto caught up with her before she reached the tower and caused her to trip and nearly fall over. Kabuto then delivered a hard kick that knocked TheBee back into normal time.

CLOCK OVER

"Why are you so eager to bring down that tower?" Kabuto asked after he returned to normal time, while TheBee regained her footing on the roof, "is that where you've got Apple and Raven?"

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," said TheBee as she faced Kabuto, "you want to check it out? You gotta get past me first! I intend to go all out and break you here and now!"

"Gladly!" said Kabuto as he walked towards TheBee, but then stopped and staggered, shouting with pain as electricity crackled across his body.

"What's the matter, Avery?" TheBee taunted, "static cling got you down?!"

"What…did you…do to…me?!" Kabuto demanded as the electricity continued to course across his armor.

"A little electromagnetic trap I had set up," said TheBee, "just for you. Don't worry, it's got a very short battery life, but the only freedom you'll get is the sweet release of death. She then pressed the button on her Zecter, "Rider Sting!"

RIDER STING

"Here it comes!" said TheBee as energy crackled across her armor, focusing onto her fist, "give my regards to Jeffrey and Connor. Tell them that they'll be seeing Madison, Tobias and Dorothea soon enough!" She then rushed at the restrained Kabuto.

But then Hercus ran in and tackled TheBee to the roof, her fist sparking and smoking as her tachyon-charged punch discharged against the rooftop.

"You won't be killing anyone else, traitor!" shouted Hercus as she punched TheBee.

"Dorothea!" shouted Kabuto as he fought against the electromagnetic trap, "what…are you…doing here!?"

"Figured you could…use some…help!" shouted Hercus between punches, "don't…worry about…Apple and…Raven! They'll be…fine…soon!"


Up atop the tower Apple and Raven were surprised and overjoyed to see Cedar as the living puppet worked diligently on picking the lock on the chains.

"How'd you know where we were?" Apple asked.

"I didn't," said Cedar, "but since Clare was so eager to destroy this tower, Dorothea and I figured that you guys were here." She then finished unlocking Apple's chains, then went to work on Raven's.

"Never mind me!" said Raven, "I'll be able to zap the chains away soon. Just get Apple away before the bomb goes off!"

"A bomb?!" exclaimed Cedar, "no one told me about a bomb!"

"Which is why we have to get Raven free now!" said Apple as she found another stone and began chipping away at the anchor for Raven's chains, while Cedar worked even harder at picking the lock.

"No! Leave me!" shouted Raven.

"Oh just shut up and let me work!" shouted Blondie as she rushed in from the stairs and grabbed the chains, freeing Raven. With that Cedar and Blondie helped Apple and Raven to the stairs down.

They reached the bottom and ran out a nearby fire escape to the outside, just as the bomb detonated, collapsing the tower in a gush of dust and debris.

"This will give Headmaster Grimm another heart attack," said Cedar as she and the others looked at the rising dust cloud, "at least I think it will, or maybe it'll just make him plain mad."

"Never mind that old liar!" said Apple as she and Raven rubbed their sore wrists, "What about Avery?"

"Humphrey!" said Blondie into her phone, "what's happening with Avery, Dorothea and Clare?"

"They're all fighting now," said Humphrey back at the base, "and Clare's winning!"

"That can't be," said Apple, "two good Riders against and evil one? How can Clare be winning?"

"She's running on anger and hate," said Raven, "as much as I wish it were otherwise, those two can be very powerful weapons."


Back on the rooftop, TheBee was more than holding her own against Hercus and Kabuto. Even with Hercus wielding her own Kunai Gun, TheBee was able to keep her and Kabuto on the defensive.

"Where'd you get so strong, Clare?" Hercus asked as she dodged a punch and aimed her Kunai Gun at TheBee, yet the dark Rider dodged the blast.

"Where'd you get so weak, Dorothea?" TheBee asked as she rushed in and punched Hercus, "you should have stayed with your computers underground! How's the WiFi down there? 'Cause you'll need it to download all that fetish porn!"

She then threw another punch at Hercus, yet the silver beetle-themed Rider grabbed TheBee's wrist and stopped her from going further, "how dare you!" exclaimed Hercus, her voice resonating with righteous fury, "I would never do something so stupid as downloading porn from the internet!" She then punched TheBee hard enough to force the wasp-themed rider back a few paces.

"Do you have any idea how many computer viruses are out there?!" Hercus demanded as she punched TheBee again, "how many worm and Trojan horse programs?," she punched TheBee again, "All just waiting for some idiot to click on a popup ad for free junk or an email from an unfamiliar sender!" she punched TheBee again, "And don't get me started on spy ware and malware!" she punched TheBee again, "Do you realize just how expensive it is to purge a computer that's been infected and corrupted by malicious programs? Well?! Do you!?" she then punched TheBee again, this time forcing TheBee to the edge of the roof.

Hercus then twisted the horns on her Zecter, "Rider Beat!" she said as she twisted the horns again.

RIDER BEAT

She then switched her Kunai Gun from blaster to axe mode, the blade of said weapon crackling with tachyon energy. She then rushed at TheBee and slammed her axe into TheBee's chest plate. Sparks flew and energy crackled as TheBee cried out in pain. Hercus then pulled her axe downward, causing more spark damage as the full charge of tachyon energy hit TheBee, knocking the dark Rider over the edge and to the ground below.

"Dorothea," said Kabuto in a slightly startled tone as he walked up to Hercus and the two of them looked down at the unmoving TheBee, "are you okay?"

"Technology is a gift," said Hercus, "we must take respect that gift, not throw it away for a few moments of sexual pleasure. There's a quote for your grandmother right there."

"She'd be impressed with you," said Kabuto.


A few minutes later, having powered down, Avery and Dorothea rushed down to the grounds below. They were met by Apple, Raven, Cedar and Blondie.

"We're okay," said Apple as she and Raven leaned on Cedar and Blondie for support, "I mean, we will be as soon as we get to the hospital."

"There's one thing we have to do first," said Avery. He and the others then walked up to Clare, who's transformation has canceled. Clare, having suffered numerous cuts, bruises and broken bones, was trying to crawl over to where her Henshin Brace has fallen off of her wrist, while TheBee Zecter hovered nearby.

"I don't think so," said Dorothea as she picked up both brace and Zecter and walked away from Clare.

"Give those back!" shouted Clare as she glared up at Dorothea with one blackened eye, the other swelled shut, "those are mine! Mine, you heart me?! MINE!"

"You forfeited all right to these the minute you willing crossed over to the darkness," said Raven.

"Don't…talk to me about darkness," said Clare as she tried to stand up on unsteady legs, "you think…this will stop me from taking my rightful place with Obsidian!? You're wrong, Raven Queen! I will kill you! I will kill all of you! I shall be Obsidian's chosen one! Not you! Me!"

"She's gone crazier than all of Wonderland put together," said Blondie.

"Let's just knock her out for now," said Raven, "we'll decide what to do with her later."

At that Clare laughed like the villain she aspired to be, "you won't take me!" She then glared with hate filed eyes at Avery and the others, "I'd rather die than be your prisoner!" She then pulled out a remote control device with a single red button, "and I'll take all of you with me if I can!"

"She's got a bomb!" shouted Cedar. With that She and the others ran for a nearby large piece of rubble to take cover. But after several seconds, nothing happened. Dorothea looked around the rubble and to her ire, Clare was gone.

"That freaking psychopath!" snapped Blondie as she and the others emerged from hiding, "she pulled a fast one!"

"Let's go find her before she causes more trouble!" said Dorothea.

"No!" said Avery, "let her go."

"Are you out of your mind?!" exclaimed Raven, "we can't let her go! Did you get hit in the head one too many times?!"

"It's a distinct possibility," said Apple as she walked up to and examined Avery.

"There's nothing wrong with me," said Avery, "Just getting you and Raven back safely is enough."

"And we've got the TheBee Zecter back," said Cedar, "she's powerless, still evil, but powerless."

"A powerless villain is still dangerous," said Raven, "we have to find her before…" she then nearly fell over, only to be caught by Cedar and Blondie.

"We need to get you to the hospital first," Avery insisted, "and I've got to get to the Dreamstone Mountains. I've got a horrible feeling that the others are in the worst trouble yet."

"You're right," said Dorothea, "before I got here, the scanners picked up more Worms than we've seen before, and that Cyber Worm's back too."

"Then there's no time to wait," said Avery as he hurried up to his motorcycle, "I'll meet you all at the hospital later!"

"Avery!" Apple called out to him.

Avery looked and saw Apple walking towards him.

"I…I'm…thank you for coming after us," said Apple nervously, "Raven and I…Clare would have killed us if it weren't for you. And…I'm glad you're alright."

"Me too," said Avery, "I'd never forgive myself if something were to happen to you." He then walked over to Apple and before anyone could react, kissed her on the forehead, "I don't know if it's because we've been around each other so much or because of what Oberon and Tatiana said, but I care for you, Apple, more than as a friend, more as someone I have to protect."

"I care for you too, Avery," said Apple, "more than a friend, more than as my bodyguard. Now go help our friends, we'll talk later."

Avery nodded in agreement, walked back to his motorcycle, got on, started it and rode off.

"If he's not your soul mate, I'll buy a hat and eat it," said Raven as she and the others watched Avery ride out of sight.


…The Dreamstone Mountains…

"This is so pathetic, I'm almost bored," said Dr. Halberd as he and Manfred watched the Cyber Worm throw Cerise down to the others. She, Cupid, Ashlynn, Briar, Kitty, Lizzie, Hunter, Tobias, Sparrow and Duchess were all laying about, battered and broken in several places.

Only Daring and Gatack stood between them and the Cyber Worm, while more and more Salis Worms flooded the area and converged on our heroes.

"Well, Dexter," said Daring, his hands dripping blood from several cuts on his arms, while the rest of him suffered from more cuts and bruises, "at least we'll go down with our blades in the air and our heads held high."

"We're not dead yet, Daring," said Gatack as he gripped his Double Calibur swords, his armor severely dented and cracked, yet he was still able to fight, "we can still win!"

"No you can't!" said the Cyber Worm viciously. It then accelerated, appeared behind Daring, grabbed him and threw him into the air. Daring managed to land on his feet but was now separated from his brother as scores of Salis Worms closed in on him.

"Just you and me now, Rider," said the Cyber Worm as it advanced on Gatack, "then I get to tear your friends to pieces."

"No!" shouted Gatack as he rushed at the Cyber Worm, "I won't let you hurt them anymore!"

"Pathetic," said Dr. Halberd as the Cyber Worm blasted Gatack with another electrical discharge, knocking the blue beetle Rider back, "they should just lay down and die already!"

"And yet they still keep fighting," said Manfred, "you should never underestimate the ones in the light," he indicated Daring, whom fought furiously at the seemingly endless throngs of Salis Worms, "that one won't quit so long as his brother still lives," he then indicated Gatack, whom was still standing as well, "same goes for that one. The others," he indicated Briar, Ashlynn and the rest, "they're just about finished, yet their spirits are far from broken."

"They will break before the might of my superior planning!" snapped Dr. Halberd.

"I almost didn't notice him," said Hunter as he and Ashlynn held onto each other for support, "you think he's with Foundation X?"

"He's too young to be a mad scientist," said Kitty as she licked a cut on her arm.

"Since when do age and villainy go together?" Duchess asked.

"We're still in this!" said Ashlynn as she and Hunter helped each other back up, "we can still stop the enemy!"

"You fools!" shouted Dr. Halberd as he pointed at the setting sun, "the Negative Plants are almost fully grown! With the advent of nightfall, they shall spread their spores across the world! Consider yourselves fortunate that you won't live to see your world corrupted!"

"There's still time to stop you!" shouted Gatack, "so long as we believe in ourselves and the light, we'll never give up! And you'll never win!"

"Poor pathetic heroes," said a disgruntled Dr. Halberd, "you're a waste of skin and breath." He then looked at the Cyber Worm, "finish him!"

"Gladly," said the Cyber Worm as it advanced towards Gatack.

Just then everyone heard a motorcycle engine revving. They then saw the Rider form of Kabuto on his bike, jumping over a rock and hitting the Cyber Worm, knocking the creature down.

"Avery!" said Gatack as Kabuto got off his bike, "what about Raven? And Apple!?"

"They're safe," said Kabuto as he walked up to Gatack, "thanks for holding the line for me."

"No problem," said Gatack as he and Kabuto shook hands, "what are friends for?"

"To make individuals stronger," said Kabtuo, "if we work together, we can destroy this vile cretin once and for all."

At that the Cyber Worm laughed as it got up, "friendship, another human weakness. Only by standing along can one truly be strong!"

"Hey! Asshole!"

Everyone looked and saw Lucian walking into the area, his face bruised and a bandage below his left eye, "you still the same creature that put my sister in the hospital earlier?"

"Traitor!" exclaimed Manfred, "you shall die for your transgressions!"

"Whatever," said Lucian as he kept his glare on the Cyber Worm, while Kick Hopper Zecter bounced into the area and leapt into his hand and his Rider Belt appeared around his waist, "you caused Lilia pain, I cannot forgive that. Henshin!" He then clicked his Zecter into place on his belt.

HENSHIN

Energy hexagons flowed from the Zecter, materializing around Lucian as the green and silver grasshopper-like armor.

CHANGE: KICK HOPPER

"Let's try a triple combination attack," said Kabuto, at which Gatack and Kick Hopper nodded in agreement,

"Go ahead! Hit me with your best shot!" shouted the Cyber Worm, "you have nothing that can defeat me!"

"Let's go," said Kabuto.

At that Kick Hopper flicked the legs on his Zector, "Rider Jump."

RIDER JUMP

Kick Hopper then leapt high into the air, while at the same time, Kabuto and Gatack pressed the buttons on their Zectors.

ONE

TWO

THREE

"Rider Kick!" said both Gatack and Zecter as they flipped the horns on their Zecters.

RIDER KICK

At the same time, Kick Hopper flipped the legs back on his Zecter, "Rider Kick!"

RIDER KICK

The three Riders, their legs charged with tachyon energy, converged on the Cyber Worm, with Kabuto delivering a flying roundhouse kick, Gatack a flying tornado kick and Kick Hopper a double kick. All three attacks hit the creature in the torso and knocked it to ground, its body emitting massive amounts of spark damage and crackling with the triple tachyon blast.

The Cyber Worm struggled to its feet as the triple charge crackled more and more, before it finally cried out in agonized fury as it exploded.

"Yes!" shouted Briar triumphantly as she and the others got to their feet.

But then the creature reassembled itself before the horrified eyes of our heroes.

"I don't believe it!" exclaimed Ashlynn, while Briar's phone rang, "what kind of monster is it?!"

"The kind that will eat you alive and devour your souls!" exclaimed Dr. Halberd as the Cyber Worm and throngs of Salis Worms began moving towards our heroes.

"That's a little redundant," said Manfred, "but no less true. They're finished."

"Any other bright ideas, Manning?" Kick Hopper asked irately.

"You have to destroy all of it!" said Briar as she held up her phone, "Humphrey scanned the creature! We have to wipe out every single cell in one shot or it'll just regenerate again!"

"But how?" Gatack asked, "every time we blow it up, there's always a few scorched pieces left over."

"There might be a way," said Kabuto, "we just have to reach for it." He stretched up his left hand and the Hyper Zecter appeared. He grasped it and then placed it on his belt. "Hyper Cast Off!" he shouted as he flipped the lever on the device.

HYPER CAST OFF

Energy crackled as Kabuto's armor morphed to its more advanced and powerful form.

CHANGE: HYPER BEETLE

"We're going to have to do something about that," said Manfred as he glared at Hyper Kabuto.

"It doesn't matter what form Avery Manning takes!" said Dr. Halberd, "he's still no match for the Cyber Worm!"

"We'll see about that," said Hyper Kabuto as he held out his right hand. A portal appeared and from it emerged the Perfect Zecter, which Hyper Kabuto caught and held aloft, the blade pulsing with a bright light.

At that both the Drake and Sasword Zecters hurried away from Hunter and Tobias, "now what?" Cupid asked as a portal appeared and from it flew TheBee Zecter.

The three Zecters then attached themselves to the Perfect Zecter, with TheBee at the tip of the blade, while Drake and Sasword attached themselves to the blade on the middle and near the hilt.

Hyper Kabuto then pressed a switch that hinged the handle of the sword so that the Perfect Zecter was now more like an energy blaster.

GUN MODE

"I don't like this," said Manfred to Dr. Halberd, "I suggest we withdraw to a safe distance."

"Nonsense!" said Dr. Halberd, "the fool is just wasting his time!"

"We'll see about that!" said Hyper Kabuto again. He then pressed the four colored buttons on the Perfect Zecter.

KABUTO POWER

THEBEE POWER

DRAKE POWER

SASWORD POWER

ALL ZECTORS COMBINE

At that Hyper Kabuto took aim with the Perfect Zecter at the Cyber Worm and the throngs of Salis Worms behind him, while his armor morphed to its 'Clocked Up' form, his energy wings forming a brace as a massive charge of tachyon energy in the form of a vortex built up at the point of the Perfect Zecter.

MAXIMUM HYPER CYCLONE

Hyper Kabuto then pressed the trigger button on the Perfect Zecter, unleashing a massive blast of tachyon energy at the throngs of Worms, vaporizing the Salis Worms and eroding away at the Cyber Worm's body.

"NO! This cannot be!" exclaimed the Cyber Worm as its body was atomized, "how can mere humans destroy me!? How!? HOW!?" with a final screech of defiance, the creature was gone.

The blast continued on, destroying nearly all of the Salis Worms in the area, while Manfred and Dr. Halberd barely survived by teleporting out of the way at the last second.

"And that's that," said Hyper Kabuto. He then gasped with shock as energy crackled across his body and he vanished into time, only to reappear a heartbeat later.

Sighing with relief, Hyper Kabuto canceled the transformation. All four Zecters flew or scurried to their respective portals as the Perfect Zecter, while Avery nearly fell over with exhaustion.

"I got you, man!" said Gatack as he caught Avery, canceling his own transformation.

"Did I get them all?" Avery asked weakly as Dexter helped steady himself.

"Almost," said Daring as he slew the last of the Salis Worms in the area, "but who's counting."

"And you took out the Negative Plants too," said Ashlynn as she, Hunter, Briar and the others hurried forward.

True enough, seven of the thirteen Negative Plants had been vaporized by the tachyon blast, while five more were on fire and crumbling to ashes.

But then our heroes heard Dr. Halberd laughing vicious as he and Manfred emerged from behind a rock, "you pathetic pubescent punks!" said Dr. Halberd, "all your efforts are in vain!"

"You're nuts!" said Cerise, "that Cyber Worm is gone for good and we wiped out all those other Worms!"

"And your garden of Negative Plants has been whacked like the weeds they are!" said Duchess.

"One still stands!" said Manfred as he indicated the remaining Negative Plant, "and if my friends from Foundation X are correct, it has matured!"

At that our heroes were horrified to see in the waning light of the day the bud atop the towering Negative Plant open up, revealing a massive flower with blood red peddles and venom-yellow stamens full of black pollen-like spores.

"All according to plan!" said Dr. Halberd as a steady wind began blowing through the area, "any second now the Negative Spores shall be unleashed upon the wind! The sun has set on the realms of Ever After for the last time! Come the dawn, nothing will be left but corruption and despair!"

But to everyone's confusion, the peddles of the Negative Flower began to close up before a single black spore could drift away on the wind.

"What? What is this!?" Manfred demanded.

"Why did it close up?" Kitty asked.

At that Briar began laughing like she had just gotten the punch line of the greatest joke in history.

"Mind cluing us in on what's so funny?" Duchess asked irately.

"The enemy," said Briar as she calmed down, "they made the Negative Plants too well!"

"What does that mean?!" Manfred demanded.

"The Negative Plants!" said Briar as she started laughing again, "they're just like real flowering plants; the flowers, they close up at night!"

It took Avery and the others to realize that they had just been on the receiving of some sheer dumb luck and began laughing heartily at their good fortune.

"Oh," said Dr. Halberd in a sheepish tone, "I never took that into my plan."

"You and your plans!" shouted Manfred. He then grabbed Dr. Halberd by the arm and threw him into a summoned shimmering gray door. Manfred then glared back at Avery and the others, "enjoy your reprieve, for the next time we meet, you'll be shedding tears of unbridled grief!" At that he walked through the door, which vanished after him.

"Well, that was nice of him to drop by," said Maddie as she picked up her hat and began reaching into it, "but we've got one last bit of gardening to finish today. Now, where'd I put that chainsaw?"

"Why would you have a chainsaw in your hat?" Tobias asked in a slightly uncomfortable manner.

"Same reason she has a tea set in her hat," said Cupid as Maddie found and pulled out her chainsaw and used it to cut down the last Negative Plant, "because she's Maddie."


The Enemy Base…

"We are so dead," said a very nervous Dr. Scimitar as he, Drs. Falchion, Stiletto and the rest of the Foundation X technicians franticly scurried around the lab, "we're dead, dead!"

"How could this have happened?!" exclaimed Dr. Falchion, "I designed the Negative Plants to be perfect."

"And you did," said an irate Dr. Stiletto, "the damn things close up at night!"

"All this time the Negative Plants had a flaw and we never figured it out," said Dr. Scimitar, "we've failed, and we're all going to die."

"They wouldn't dare kill us!" said Dr. Falchion, "we're not as incompetent as that degenerate Claymore, or that wet behind the ears pup, Halberd."

"Oh, wake up, you fool!" snapped Dr. Stiletto, "the Foundation hasn't suffered a setback of this magnitude since that fiasco with Remu Kannagi. Mixing that alien Astro Switch with those Core Medals from the future, add in a few irate Kamen Riders and you've got a recipe for disaster in any book."

"How right you are," said Cuthbert as he and Ophelia walked into the area.

"Are you going to kill us, Mr. Snyder?" Dr. Scimitar asked with shaking knees, "you too, Ms. Katzenberg?"

"The thought crossed our minds," said Ophelia, "but Manfred overruled us after he returned with that idiot, Halberd."

"Manfred will deal with you as soon as he's done punishing the punk," said Cuthbert, "and by punishment, he means to torture the little bastard to death."

"It's just a question of how to do the moron in," said Ophelia, "so many fatal methods of torture yet only one can finish the brat off. Decisions, decisions."

"It wasn't that hard," said Manfred as he walked in, "I took a leaf out of your own book, Cuthbert, and introduced Dr. Halberd to The Worm Mother. If he's not dead by now, he soon will be."

"Oh god!" exclaimed a horrified Dr. Scimitar, while Drs. Falchion and Stiletto looked as if they were about to either faint or throw up.

"Oh, go change your pants, you fool!" snapped Cuthbert, "I'm tired of your sniveling and whining." He looked at Manfred, "can we throw him to The Worm Mother next?"

Manfred was about to respond, when his PDA beeped with an incoming message, "I'm afraid further torture will have to wait. The Obsidian Council demands an immediate meeting."

"They know already?" Dr. Stiletto asked as a large holographic view screen was set up.

"The Council knows all," said Ophelia as the screen activating, displaying the six shadowed and irate forms of Chairman's Dusk, Taube, Onyx, Chairwoman's Noir, Sable and Umbra.

"Well, Manfred," said Chairman Dusk, "what have you and yours have to say for yourselves?"

"My Council," said Manfred as he, Cuthbert and Ophelia bowed somberly, "I regret the loss of so many Worms and Negative Plants in one incident."

"And incident," said Chairwoman Sable, "thousands of valuable Worms and a baker's dozen of Negative Plants, all eradicated in the space of a few minutes, and you call it an incident."

"I almost fear to wonder how you would define a true disaster, Manfred," said Chairman Taube.

"We still have over ten days to rectify the situation, my Council!" said Cuthbert. He then gasped in shock and pain and nearly fell over, clutching at this throat.

"If we wanted your input, Cuthbert," said an annoyed Chairman Onyx, "we would have asked for it, so kindly remain silence until called for!"

At that, Cuthbert gasped with relief and relaxed. He then stood up, straighten is suit and tie, yet didn't speak.

"Now," said Chairman Dusk, "considering today's debacle is the latest in a long line of setbacks and delays, and no excuses! We've had enough of your pandering excuses and apologies!"

"Today's failure was the last straw!" said Chairwoman Umbra, "no more delays, no more time limit!"

At that the digital countdown on display throughout the lair vanished, "no more excuses," said Chairwoman Umbra, "this is your final chance to redeem yourselves."

"One more failure and you shall all suffer long and excruciating deaths," said Chairman Noir, "your suffering will be so great, you'll wish you shared the fate of Dr. Halberd."

"What could possibly be worse than being locked in the same room as The Worm Mother?" Dr. Scimitar asked.

"Fail and you will find out," said Chairman Taube.

"This is indeed your final chance," said Chairman Onyx, "your final chance to eliminate the Riders and all the others protecting Apple White."

"Your final chance to secure The Storybook of Legends and the acquisition of Raven Queen," said Chairwoman Sable.

"And your final chance to spread corruption throughout the fairytale realms," said Chairman Dusk, "fail and your suffering shall be legendary, even in Hell!"

"We understand, my Council," said Manfred, "and we will not fail you. Dai-Shocker Banzai!"

"Banzai!" shouted Cuthbert, Ophelia, Drs. Falchion, Scimitar, Stiletto and the other technicians as the image of the Obsidian Council faded out.

"Okay, we're on our last chance," said Dr. Stiletto, "so, anyone have any idea how any of us are supposed to succeed where so many have failed before?"

"Uh…I think I have an idea," said Dr. Scimitar meekly.

"Well, don't hold it in, man!" snapped Ophelia, "What is it?"

At that Dr. Scimitar hurried to a storage cabinet and pulled out the Connect Shooter and three blank Gaia Memories, "Dr. Claymore left this behind, so maybe we can use them."

"Dopants," said Cuthbert in an intrigued manner, "yes, that could work."

"It didn't for Claymore," said a disapproving Ophelia, "even so, those Gaia Memories are blank. We don't have the time to program them."

"Actually," said Dr. Scimitar in a more confident manner, "I have been working on some Gaia Memory programs," he then lead everyone to a computer terminal and opened three files, "they still need a bit more work to get all the bugs out, but they should prove highly effective against the Riders."

"My dear Dr. Scimitar," said Manfred as he, Ophelia, Cuthbert and Drs. Stiletto and Falchion looked at the files, "you're my new best friend."


Book End General Hospital…a few hours later…

"All in all I'd say we were lucky," said Briar as she, Ashlynn, Hunter, Cupid, Tobias, Avery, Madison, Maddie and Dexter sat in a large recovery suite where Apple and Raven were laying on two separate beds. Raven's head was bandaged, while Apple had two different IV tubes connected to her arm.

"Lucky how?" Duchess asked via Mirror Face Time. She, Sparrow, Daring, Dorothea and the others were back at The Base, recovering from their various wounds.

"We're all still alive," said Madison as Maddie instructed her in the best way to pour tea, "while the enemy is out thirteen Negative Plants and who knows how many Worms?"

"A lot of Worms," said Daring, "it'll be a while before Cuthbert can hit us with anything as big again."

"It doesn't matter how many chickens you count before or after they hatch," said Maddie, "not so long as the hen has all her feathers."

"That actually makes sense," said Cerise, "and that's what worries me."

"It's no less true," said Cedar, "we've got to stop the Worms at their source."

"The enigmatic Worm Mother," said Tobias, "I can only imagine what nightmarish monstrosity that creature must be for it to give birth to the horrors that are Worms."

"Imagining the thing won't help us if we can't find it," said Hunter.

"Assuming there really is a Worm Mother," said Kitty.

"There is!" said Maddie, "I saw it when I looked at The Storybook of Legends. I'll look again if you want. In fact," she then stood up, "I'll go look right now." With that she marched right out of the room, just as Lucian pushed Lilia in on a wheelchair.

"So this is where you two are hiding," said Lilia, whom had two broken legs and a broken left arm, while her right hand was bandaged up and she had several small bandages across her face. Lucian's black eye was healing, while the gash on his face was sewn up and bandaged.

"Thanks again for coming to the rescue, Lucian," said Dexter.

"That thing tried to kill my sister and I," said Lucian, "it nearly crippled Lilia. I was merely paying it back in kind."

"Oh for crying out loud, big brother," said Lilia, "I'm not crippled. It'll be a while before I can fight again, let alone stand up without screaming my lungs out, but I'm not crippled."

"You think you're suffering?" Raven asked as she undid the bandage on her head, revealing a small stitched incision just above her left temple, "Doctor Anderson had to operate on me for an aneurism. He said it was a miracle I didn't bleed to death in my brain."

"I nearly bleed to death elsewhere," said Apple as she revealed a bandaged incision on the lower right side of her back, "ruptured appendix."

"And yet you two are awake and smiling happily," said Luician.

"Magic and medicine are a welcome pair," said Apple, "but this time we really pushed

Dr. Anderson's buttons."

"We're not allowed to do any more fighting or running around until we're surely healed," said Raven, "and for me, no more magic until Dr. Anderson says so, he's worried about that anti-magic field I was stuck in."

"Which means both of you are more vulnerable than ever," said Daring, "as soon as Cuthbert finds out you're stuck in the hospital, he'll send everything he has here to get Raven and finish off Apple."

"Which is why we're all gonna take turns keeping watch here," said Madison, "at least three of us and one Rider will be nearby round the clock, week in and week out. If Cuthbert wants to get to Apple and Raven, he'll have to get through us!"

"No," said Avery, "we can't do it like that. There's no more time to sit around and wait."

"Why's that?" Dexter asked, "What? Did you find out something when you went back in time again?"

"Is it something about Clare?" Raven asked, "she knew why Obsidian wants me so badly."

"Bet she was messing with you," said Briar irately, "that traitor would lie to you like that."

"Whether she was lying or not," said Avery, "we can't wait for the enemy's next move. I did go back in time, this time much further than ever; back to the night of the eclipse and meteor shower."

"That far back?" Madison asked, "what did you see?"

"I was in the enemy lair as they were setting it up," said Avery, "And no, I didn't find out where it is, but I did see Cuthbert and the team from Foundation X. They were having an initial planning meeting; dispersing Worms and how to best go about using the Negative Seeds. Cuthbert reminded the scientists of their objectives; corrupt the world, kill Apple and take Raven," he then looked at Raven, "Obsidian wants you to take over Dai-Shocker."

"Is that it?" Raven asked in a dumbfounded manner, "me? Lead Dai-Shocker? Are they nuts or something?!"

"Oh, they're crazy alright," said Lilia, "crazy enough to do it."

"It makes sense now," said Lucian, "the last Great Leader of Dai-Shocker, Kadoya Tsukasa, otherwise known as Decade, he refused to play Dai-Shocker's game and wound up defeating them several times, with the help of various other Riders and heroes."

"But much like Hydra," said Lilia, "Dai-Shocker isn't so easily destroyed. Kill one leader and another takes his place, bringing the organization back stronger than ever."

"But this time around Obsidian is playing the game," said Avery, "they plan to groom Raven as the next Great Leader, all the while she will obey Obsidian."

"Like an evil puppet," said Cedar, "She'll rule Dai-Shocker, with Obsidian pulling Raven's strings."

"Well, that's just not going to happen, is it?" Maddie asked from The Base, "we just won't let them turn Raven into some kind of horrible puppet! Peas and Crackers! It's just not right!"

"How'd you get here so quickly?" Cerise asked.

"Plot convenience," said Maddie, "I'm needed for this part. Now where's that little Storybook?"

"I've got it," said Dorothea as she handed the book of Maddie, while she pulled out and put on The Eyes of Effervescence. She opened the book and looked at the chaotic images, "hmmm…yes…but what if you're wrong?"

"What is it?!" exclaimed an exasperated Briar, "what does the book say now?!"

"The cataclysmic climax is coming closer," said Maddie, "in fact, it starts in the next chapter. And this chapter's almost over."

"What are you talking about?" Sparrow asked.

"I'm talking about this," said Maddie.

The End Is Just The Beginning…