I do not own Kamen Rider Ryuki or Ever After High. Those belong to their respective creators and not me. I am not writing this for profit and am only doing it for fun.

Knights of the Otherworld

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 6: Venom and Collateral Damage

Ever After High is always a place filled with drama and excitement. From the troll under the bridge to the clash between the Rebels and the Royals, there is always something to hear about on the gossip vine.

Today our tale comes to a pair of knights who either thrive on some of this attention or try their hardest to avoid it.

Good luck with that!

Ever After High - Halls

Kyle Raye walked through the halls of Ever After High, looking much like he was a prince himself. He certainly had a gaggle of princesses following him, chatting and flirting with him every step of the way. Kyle took it all in stride and managed to say the right words to leave them in giggling fits.

"Okay, girls, I've got to get ready for Hero Training and if I recall, you all need to get going for Princessing," Kyle grinned. "I'll be happy to help you all practice after."

The princesses giggled and cooed, but said their goodbyes and began to leave. Kyle watched them go with a smile.

"Life is good."

Kyle could be called goth with his current appearance. His hair was dyed pitch black, although he added a purple streak to it recently. He was handsome, sporting blue eyes and an easy grin. He wore a purple button shirt underneath a black vest with his sleeves rolled up. He wore black pants and sported a (fake) snakeskin belt. He was dressed to kill, as he learned most of the other princes did as well, so he followed the trend.

Since coming to Ever After High, Kyle decided to embrace it. Yes, he thought all the fairy tale rules and magic were kind of silly and didn't make sense to him. Still, as a young man in his prime, he saw something else entirely in need of his attention. Namely, the numerous princesses who didn't have princes of their own just yet. Although there was a decent selection in the school, the princesses outnumbered the princes and they knew it, being picky about dating. Kyle just decided to do what he did best in school and put his skills to use and earn some female attention of his own.

"Cute girls," Kyle remarked. "Maybe I'll get some numbers and get some dates."

"You're asking for all that attention to bite you in the butt, you know that right?" a voice asked next to Kyle.

Tristan Irons had seen Kyle flirt with the princesses from his locker. It seemed that confidence and popularity came easier for some people than most. Every day it seemed that Kyle had a following of princesses who just hung on his words like candy. Maybe if there were more princes, or boys in general in the school, he wouldn't be so successful, but that didn't matter to Kyle.

Tristan himself normally wouldn't lack for attention. He was reasonably attractive, a level above average in any case. He had brown hair he had tied back in a ponytail and green eyes. He didn't seem to care much about his looks, wearing a green hoodie with khaki pants and sneakers. He just focused on his work or his hangouts. Often, his friends noticed that he was just fine hanging out with his guy friends, but when girls started getting into the mix, he'd withdraw somewhat.

"Oh come on. We're knights in shining armor. They can't get enough of us," Kyle grinned to his friend. "I'd have to do something downright cruel to turn them away and I wouldn't do that."

"Until you play too much and they all decided you're the jerk even if they all fell for it," Tristan retorted. "It will happen. You know they all want Prince Charming and they're all but competing to get you and see if you're Mr. Right."

"And I will abide by their wishes and see the result. I never turn down a lady's request," Kyle shrugged. "You could do with some feminine attention yourself. Might raise that cloud of gloom you have hanging around you."

Tristan rolled his eyes in response.

"So far all I see are fickle and vain little princesses who'd dump me the moment I fail to live up to the fantasy they built up for themselves." Closing his locker, he took his books and headed for class.

"Your loss," Kyle shrugged, moving to get his own gear.

"Out of my way," a rude female voice spoke, bumping Kyle slightly so she could get to the locker next to him. Kyle mentally groaned and saw it was indeed who he feared it to be.

Duchess Swan was a pretty girl no doubt. Smooth pale skin with a dancer's physique in a ballerina-inspired lavender and white dress. She wore her hair in a side ponytail which was streaked with black, white, and lavender. She was a definition of grace since she was a ballerina outside of class and she had poise since she was a princess too. Her face was a portrait with her hair heart-shaped face with red lips and brown eyes.

Normally, Kyle wouldn't have an issue flirting with her, but Duchess proved to have a sour personality and she was clearly a manipulator and opportunist. He knew the type a mile away but tried to be nice only to have to suffer her attitude. She proved him right and he ended up getting into snark battles with her every day. It ruined his good mood after being fawned over by other princesses, so admittedly he snarked harder than he usually would.

"Are your slippers on too tight today, Duchess?" Kyle huffed.

"Oh? Is that bitterness I hear, Sir Kyle?" Duchess frowned at him. "Did someone have some sense and finally turn the empty-headed playboy down?"

"Hey, at least the girls know a good thing when they see it. You just send the boys crying home with the sound of your voice, Goose Princess."

"That's Swan Princess!"

"Not since Gwen claimed the title." Kyle grinned, referencing Blondie Lockes' last MirrorCast stream. It very clearly defined Gwen as the new Swan Princess.

"She is a fraud! She can't even walk in proper shoes!" Duchess hissed angrily. "She will not, nor ever be the Swan Princess!"

"The school disagrees," Kyle chuckled, closing his locker. "Anyway, I've got class. See you later, Goose Princess!"

"You plebeian!" Duchess roared behind him.

Ever After High - Castleteria

Lunch rolled around and Tristan sat with his comrades, at least the ones who weren't being monopolized by the girls of various cliques. Raven Queen had dragged Arthur off to sit with her friends for some kind of project they had going on. Lance had been seated in prime position with Apple White and her Royals. Gawain and Rosabella Beauty were spending time at the stables again, making Tristan wonder if they ate their lunch there or just worked with the animals. Gwen had been taken under the wing of Darling Charming, forced to wear heels and the clothes that went with them for Princessology tutoring, her least favorite subject. Rob had run off with some fairy girl and the Wonderlandians all but dragged Darren to one of their tea parties. Even the most down to earth of the group, Max, had been dragged off by Ramona Badwolf for lunch her way.

Their numbers were slowly dwindling.

His musings were cut off when Kyle sulked into the castleteria and took a seat with the others. Tristan snorted and shook his head, recognizing the look.

"Duchess crossed your path again?" Tristan questioned though he knew the answer already.

"What do you think?" Kyle huffed. "That manipulative witch just knows how to push my buttons."

"You do know when the two of you fight, everyone can sense the obvious sexual tension, right?" Tristan snorted with some amusement.

"Oh no! Never! Not in a million years!" Kyle growled. "No way would I hook up with a manipulative and whiny goose princess like her!"

"That's what they all say until the sparks between them explode into passion," Tristan reasoned.

"Was that Riddlish?" Kyle deadpanned.

"That girl knows which buttons of yours to push. She might be pressing the wrong ones now but what happens when she pushes the right ones?"

"Not a chance," Kyle denied. "That girl is just too toxic for her own good."

"Maybe there's a reason for it. Have you even read her story and seen how it ends?" Tristan offered, concentrating on his food.

"I don't even know what her story is," Kyle shrugged. "Her attitude though, I'd bet she's the villain."

"Considering her last name, look up something with swans," Tristan shrugged. "If nothing else, you'll have something to ward her off with if she's that much of a bother to you."

Kyle considered it. Maybe there was something in the library about Duchess' story.

Ever After High - Halls

Tristan walked down the halls, yawning from another class. Fortunately, he was doing well in Crownculus. He didn't look forward to the wooing classes, however. The teacher, King Charming, was busting down on him for his lack of enthusiasm for the course. He complimented the strong silent approach, but maidens needed to be spoken to if someone wanted to properly woo them.

'Right. Like I need that complication,' Tristan thought with the sour note. He knew, aside from it being necessary for princes and knights, everyone signed up for that course since it often partnered with Damsel-in-Distressing and the students hoped to find a romantic partner during those days.

"Ah, excuse me?"

Tristain stopped and glanced to see if whoever spoke meant him. To his partial dismay, a girl did speak, coming up to him from behind. She wore a shawl around her shoulders and a magenta top swirled with color and black pants. Oddly, her bangs on her right side were dyed purple while the rest was a natural auburn. Unlike many girls in the school, she had her hair cut short.

"Yes?" he asked politely.

"Ah, sorry to bug you," the girl began. "I'm kind of a prospective student and lost my sister. Ah, which way to the castleteria?"

"You're one floor lower. It's up the stairs," Tristan pointed to the nearest set of stairs. "Unless some gremlin or other troublemaker changed the signs again, there should be clear directions of which way the castleteria is from there."

"Oh, thanks," the girl sighed with relief. "My sister's probably getting split ends looking for me by now. I'm Poppy O'Hair. Maybe I'll see you around?"

"Tristan Irons. Maybe we will," Tristan nodded. With a wave, he and Poppy went their separate ways. It wasn't until he was heading down the stairs that Tristan realized that Poppy didn't announce to the world who her fairy tale parent was.

"Maybe there are some more than moderately humble people here," Tristan muttered before promptly pushing the thought aside.

Ever After High - Library

Kyle closed the book with a serious look on his face.

"So that's her story."

Duchess Swan's story was Swan Lake. That explained why she was a ballerina. In the story, Duchess' mother Odette was cursed to be a swan by day and turn back to her true human form by night. To break the curse, she needed to form a bond of unending and everlasting love with someone. She had fallen for a prince who returned the feelings, but the wizard who had put the curse on Duchess' mother sent his evil daughter disguised as Odette to seduce the prince. The prince ended up breaking his vow and Duchess' mother remained cursed forever after.

"Think I saw a movie about that as a kid," he muttered. "Happier ending then, but holy crap no wonder she's bitter."

It made him pity her. However, despite the sympathy, Kyle didn't exactly see her trying that hard to find a way out of it. She was firmly in the Royal camp, hounding on people who discussed not following their stories. Maybe misery really did love company, but if you're going to be that miserable about it and make zero attempts at escaping it, then you lost some major sympathy points.

Still, maybe it was being surrounded by guys like Rex and Arthur, but he felt he had to at least look into an alternative. To that end, he dialed on his MirrorPhone and waited for an answer.

"Hey, Merlin? It's Kyle. Listen, I know you've got a collection there so can you look up all versions of Swan Lake?"

Book End - Multi-Hex Theatre

Tristan pondered what he was going to do with school out for the day. Since he wasn't much into the social scene, he pondered if he should just try to see what was playing at the Multi-hex theatre. Everything had a fairy tale theme, but it could be entertaining even if none of it was really all that action-packed save for one scene or two.

While Tristan gave the impression he wasn't entirely too thrilled with having to live in fairy tale land, it wasn't exactly true. He felt that it was nice and there were a lot fewer pressures in life for him in Book End then there were on Earth. Sure, a lot of it was similar, but the teenage culture of frivolous social backstabbing or two-faced players for the sake of popularity was literally non-existent. All anyone needed was a good story and it seemed they would find a spot and no one bothered. The only real pressure one faced was either the Royals who wanted their destinies or Rebels who wanted to discover something else.

The one aspect which really made him withdrawn was all the romance that ran rampant in the school. Everyone was so, well, not love crazy but were just so determined to find their fair princesses or Prince Charming. It was one of the biggest goals of everyone aside from their destinies.

Tristan had one too many major failures in the romance department to be girl-crazy like some of the others. He didn't have much faith in what the princesses considered true love. It was too much of a fantasy for them, one which was not going to end well. Even an artificial destiny like the one Milton Grimm said was true wouldn't offer a 100% true love or happiness, just the ones who had the same destiny. It was only a path to disappointment in Tristan's mind.

"Let's see," Tristan muttered as he gazed at the posters of films in the theatre. "Fairy tale, fairy tale, and another fairy tale. Hasn't anyone considered anything else?"

"What's wrong with films like this? They're all the rage." Tristan looked up and found himself looking at Poppy O'Hair and she was not alone. The other was a girl of equal height wearing a pink dress printed with flowers and a pink jacket with princess-style shoulders. Her hair was her most recognizable trait, being a curtain of golden brown tresses that reached her calves. Amazingly, her face was a mirror image of Poppy's own. They were twins, from the look of it.

"Oh, hi Tristan. Fancy meeting you here," Poppy smiled.

"Hi, Poppy. Fancy that," Tristan nodded. He looked to the girl next to Poppy, "Um, mirror image or twin sister?"

"Oh, I'm Holly O'Hair, the next Rapunzel," the new girl giggled. "So you're the nice boy who helped my little sis today?"

"So I am," Tristan nodded. "Came to see a movie too?"

"Yes, but you don't seem to like them," Poppy answered. "What's wrong with fairy tales?"

"Overall, nothing," Tristan admitted. "But I've seen so many of them it's getting kind of stale for me. I mean, I don't mind fairy tales but why not do something with a twist? Like, why did the villains become villains? Why did they do what they did? Or maybe it turns out the conflict between a hero and villain was just a misunderstanding. Like, well, maybe the dark fairy who cursed Sleeping Beauty had reasons beyond petty jealousy."

"Why would people want to see that?" asked Holly.

"Why not? With this whole Royal Vs. Rebel thing going on, it might gain some interest and offer new views into fairy tales," Tristan shrugged.

"Hm, that might be interesting," Poppy admitted, looking actually interested in the idea. Her sister seemed shocked, although in a way that made her think it might be fun. "Say, want to watch a film with us? Maybe we could get ideas about that story you have in mind."

"Poppy!" Holly gasped. Then she turned thoughtful, "Well, it may be funny to think of funny reasons why the villains are so mean."

"A riff track?" Tristan pondered. "I might be up for that."

"What's a riff track?" asked Holly.

"Oh, you two are in for a treat," Tristan chuckled.

Theater

Surprisingly, Tristan had fun hanging out with the O'Hair sisters. He gave them the full experience of the riff tracks, usually sarcastic comments, and playing like someone was part of the story when they said it. Usually, he had seen them done for horror or sci-fi movies, but attempting to do one for a fairy tale was surprisingly fun.

Some of his quips Holly and Poppy didn't get, but they got them more often than not. One made Poppy laugh so hard that soda came out of her nose, making Holly do the same at the sight of it. Twins really did experience everything together.

"Tristan, Holly and I need to use the little princesses' room to clean up," Poppy said. "We'll be back, OK?"

"Sure thing," Tristan waved. "Hurry back. I've got more lines."

"Oh boy," Poppy giggled, napkin still on her face.

Tristan watched them go but part of him, deep down, worried they would just ditch him. That...that was fine. He was used to it anyway.

"No, they're not like that," Tristan told himself. "Not every girl is like Sarah. They'll be back."

*Eeeeeeeeeeee!*

"Ow! Sonnova!" Tristan groaned, but he didn't hesitate and got up to follow the sound. "Excuse me! Sorry!"

Theater - Washrooms

"I can't believe you snorted like that, Poppy!" Holly laughed as she checked her makeup. "You got me laughing and it happened to me too!"

"Sorry, sorry, but it was too funny," Poppy giggled despite trying to clean herself up. "I mean, whoever heard of the huntsman just say, 'look out, snake!' in that scene when he draws the knife on Snow White? I mean, it was just so random!"

"No, don't say it, you'll make me laugh again," Holly struggled not to laugh and smear her makeup.

"What in the world has gotten you two into such a giggling fit?" Duchess asked from her own mirror. She had come with some of her friends to watch The Nutcracker and she decided to freshen up during intermission. In came Holly and who Duchess assumed the sister she always talked about, soda on their clothes and in fits of giggles with napkins over their faces.

"A boy we came in with. He makes the funniest quips during the movie," Holly tittered. "When Snow White was singing her 'someday my prince will come' he sang along 'I'll be there in 40 seconds dear' and in forty seconds the prince showed up."

Duchess raised an eyebrow.

"What's so funny about that? It sounds like he's ruining the movie."

"You had to be there yourself," Poppy smiled. "It's the best way to get it."

Duchess wouldn't think so. It just sounded like some plebeian who did not know how to shut up and enjoy a movie. As she touched up her makeup, she noticed something in the reflection. Was that someone in a zebra costume?

"I do not need another prankster-!" Duchess spun around to address the fool in such a plebian costume, in the washroom of all places, but stopped short. She had seen the fool in the reflection directly behind her, but no one was there. Spinning around, she saw the fool in the mirror, but not in the real world. "What?"

"What is it, Duchess?" asked Holly. In front of her, the mirror rippled and a pair of arms shot out and grabbed Holly by her auburn tresses, attempting to drag her into the mirror. It made her shriek as she felt a painful yank on her hair.

"Poppy!" Holly screamed as she was being pulled in.

"Hold on!" Poppy pulled out her scissors. "Sorry about this, sis!" With a quick motion, she cut off a lock of her sister's long hair and pulled her free.

"My hair!" Holly gasped.

"I'll fix it later! Run!" Poppy grabbed her sister's hand and the two of them ran out of the bathroom together as the Mirror Monster fully emerged. It was a humanoid zebra in black-striped white armor with a golden chestpiece. It did not come alone as another zebra-like monster also came out. They were twins!

These were Zebraskulls.

The three girls burst out of the washroom in a panic. It caused several patrons and employees to look at them strangely. They looked especially weird since Holly had a large chunk of her hair missing and all three of them appeared to be in a panic over something.

Then the two Zebraskulls burst out of the washroom behind them and all hex broke loose.

People running for their lives for any exit they could find was what met Tristan when he got out of the theatre. Looking around, he tried to find where the twins went, or where the Mirror Monsters were. He didn't have to wait long before he saw the twins running across the main area with someone else, and two Zebraskulls hot on their heels.

"Holly! Poppy!"

Eyes narrowed, he pulled out his green Advent Deck and faced one of the movie posters, holding it up against the glass cover. His V-Buckle appeared around his waist. He then flexed his arm and began his transformation.

"Henshin!"

He slid the Advent Deck into the V-Buckle's slot and his armor appeared over him. Appearing first in grayscale, it soon filled with color. His entire bodysuit was a verdant green. His torso and shoulder armor though appeared completely mechanical and box-like, showing absolutely no sign of the monster he had contracted. Connected to his side was what seemed like an automatic uzi-type weapon which was silver and green with his emblem over the magazine chamber. Finally, his helmet was mostly green save for his visor, while slitted like the others, appeared like an apparatus with gears in it, a silver mouthplate with a chin guard, and pair of antennae rising from his forehead.

"Hrah!" the new Rider roared, charging across the battlefield like a freight train before he crossed paths with the Zebraskulls, shoulder checking one in a blast of sparks before it crashed into the second and they both tumbled to the ground, sliding across the polished tile floor.

"Ah?" Holly gasped, she and her sister turning with Duchess to see who had saved them. "A-Another knight?!"

"We're saved!" Poppy sighed in relief.

"Knight of the Bull, Kamen Rider Zolda," the green rider spoke out, pulling his Magan Visor gun from his side. "Now you three take cover. It's going to get wild in here."

One of the Zebraskulls decided to retreat and jump into a reflection, leaving its partner to face Zolda alone. Zolda saw its escape but decided to go after it once he finished the one that stuck around.

Zolda fired his Magna Visor at the remaining Zebraskull but his rounds just bounced off its forearm bracers as it charged at him. As it came close, its blades shot out of its wrists and it swung to decapitate him. Quickly, Zolda ducked under the blade aimed for his neck as the Zebraskull ran past him. The shots hit, but they didn't do much more than cause it to flinch and shield itself better.

"Need more firepower," Zolda decided as he drew a card and opened up his Visor's card chamber by pulling the slide to his gun, making the ammo chamber slide open. Drawing a card, one depicting a long cannon, he slid it into the Magna Visor before slamming it shut.

[Shoot Vent!]

The Zebraskull spun around to charge at Zolda when a shell exploded against its chest and sent it flying. More screams erupted from the unexpected loud noise. Smoke from the origin point lifted and revealed Zolda holding a long cannon with the barrel smoke from the shot.

Zolda had shot the Zebraskull with his Giga Launcher, which was a massive cannon with a long barrel. Due to its size, he held it at his side with both hands. If he was not in his suit, he would not be able to lift it.

Many of the people who were hiding behind obstacles or whatever cover they could find just openly gaped at the sight of the powerful weapon. The Zebraskull was flat on its back, groaning as a smoking crater in its chest showed it took a direct hit. Even Zolda himself seemed to be surprised at the firepower behind his weapons. In his defense, he had never actually called any of his Advent weapons before now.

"Better take this outside," Zolda muttered as he dropped his Giga Launcher and ran toward the Zebraskull. He grabbed it by the waist and dragged it away to take their battle outside into the street.

Zolda threw Zebraskull onto the ground and drew his gun to fire at it. It managed to flip back to its feet and slash him across the chest, sending him backpedaling. Zolda recovered and ducked under another slash before he drove his gun into the Zebraskull's stomach and pulled the trigger, firing several rounds into its hide. He then drove his fist into its chest, pushing it back.

"Huh, guess guns are a big equalizer," Zolda muttered. "Scary."

Zolda backed away to gain some distance between him and his opponent as he drew another card. Behind him, the Zebraskull stumbled to its feet, blades extending from its arms again as it snarled, ready to attack.

[Shoot Vent!]

This time, Zolda was equipped with a backpack that had a pair of cannons that rested over his shoulders. Taking aim, he fired the Giga Cannons and they blasted the Zebraskull with powerful bursts of energy. Blast after blast impacted against the Zebraskull. Suddenly, its body came apart into several pieces, launching into the air and flying over a building like an extended slinky jump.

"Oh, no you don't!" Zolda gave chase after the monster, dismissing his shoulder cannons.

Book End - Hocus Latte

Kyle was at Hocus Latte, enjoying a warm cup of coffee. When he asked about Merlin's full collection of Swan Lake, he had not expected so many variations of the retelling. He had seen how Disney had retold many classic tales, even granting the Little Mermaid a happy ending despite her true ending from the original story.

Although, there was a version of Swan Lake where Odette died of a broken heart instead of being cursed to remain a swan forever after and another where she was forced to marry the man who put the curse on her. Duchess would no doubt hate those.

Kyle had no problem with kids wanting to follow in their fairy tale parents' footsteps, but there had to be a line drawn somewhere. They had a chance to rewrite their supposed destiny to get their Happily Ever After. Peer pressure and the headmaster himself seemed bent on keeping them from doing that though.

Kyle honestly couldn't stand Duchess but before that he did find her attractive and he once had a dream of her where she did not act like such a witch. Then things got romantic and they did things that were not exactly fairy tale friendly. Then she opened her mouth on the second day he saw her and it kind of ruined that little dream of his. Still, even if she was a witch, she at least deserved to know that she had a chance to change her own destiny and not end up heartbroken and forever cursed like her mother. Maybe if she knew there was hope, she could change her attitude.

*Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!*

Kyle winced, but a grin came to his lips as he got up from his seat.

"Now we're ready for Ohja's debut!"

He barely got out of the door when he started hearing explosions coming out of the nearby Multi-hex Theatre. People were spilling out the emergency exits and he could see smoke coming up from the other side.

"Okay, this got a bit more serious," Kyle frowned. Looking to the cafe's windows, he drew his Advent Deck, purple with a gold cobra emblem on it. Presenting it to the glass reflection, his V-Buckle manifested, wrapping around his waist.

Kyle grinned and made a clawing motion in front of his face.

"Henshin!"

Sliding his deck into place, his body was soon adorned in his armor. It consisted of a black bodysuit while his torso armor was purple with gold accents, a plate of silver armor folding over his shoulders with gold accents, making it look like a cobra's hood. Gripped in his hand was a cobra-tipped purple staff, his Veno Visor. Finally, his helmet was themed after a cobra's hood and all. The face was silver with six slits to see through and a mouth plate styled like snake fangs.

Kamen Rider Ohja dashed towards the scene, trying to see where he could help. No one seemed hurt, but they were definitely scared. He weaved between some of the people fleeing, getting closer to the scene and-!

*Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!*

"Another one?!" Ohja gasped, looking around.

He didn't have to wait long as a Zebraskull, the one which fled from Zolda earlier, jumped out of a nearby window in pieces. Its hands grabbed a girl by the shoulders before the rest of the pieces followed, knocking the girl to the ground as the monster reassembled, lifting a blade to cut her down.

"HIYAH!" Ohja leaped in with a snap kick which struck the Zebraskull in the head, knocking it down in a heap.

"And the Snake Knight, Kamen Rider Ohja, arrives!" the purple Rider announced as he turned to the girl the Zebraskull had knocked over to devour. "So, my lady, how shall I…" he stopped when he saw Duchess curled up in fear of the monster.

"Wait, you?" Duchess frowned. She recognized that obnoxious voice anywhere. "I have to be rescued by an empty-headed playboy?!"

"My debut and I have to save the Goose Princess?" Ohja groaned. "Man, this just isn't fair!"

"Fair?! I wanted a real knight, not some wannabe!" Duchess snapped back, getting into Ohja's face.

"I wanted a fair and gentle princess, not a screaming harpy!" Ohja snapped back.

The Mirror Monster grunted and got up. Seeing the two were distracted by their argument, it snarled and charged for them, its weapon raised for the strike. Both Duchess and Ohja saw it coming and gave it a glare.

"BUZZ OFF!" they both shouted, kicking it in the chest and knocked it back. Duchess may have been a ballerina, but she did have developed legs from her many hours of dance practice. So when she kicked, it hurt. The Zebraskull fell back in a heap again while the pair continued to bicker with each other.

"Um...hello?" a new voice cut in.

"WHAT?!" Duchess and Ohja snapped, seeing the O'Hair twins looking confusedly at them.

"Shouldn't you be, uh, dealing with the monster?" asked Polly, pointing at the recovering Zebraskull.

"Oh, right," Ohja sighed.

"Typical. Can't even get that right," Duchess scoffed.

"Oh shut up, Goose Princess," Ohja sighed, making Duchess sputter in outrage. "Just pay attention and I'll show you how we knights get things done!" Approaching the Zebraskull, he drew a card from his belt before popping open a chamber on his staff. Slipping the card inside, he slammed it down to activate it.

[Sword Vent!]

Ohja's sword appeared, looking just as intimidating as he did. It was a saber but styled like a gold coil drill. Once it was in hand, Ohja charged for the Zebraskull, starting to slash at it. The monster proved competent, raising its guard before trying to slash or stab him back. Sparks flew from every impact, but neither struck the other just yet.

"This is better than the movies," Poppy admitted.

"The snake part is scary, but he seems nice," Holly added.

"Hmph!" Duchess crossed her arms with a huff.

*BOOOOOOM!*

A loud explosion suddenly came from another street, creating a visible mushroom cloud that rose into the air. The three princesses gasped at the sight before the shockwave made them stumble. Ohja and the Zebraskull likewise stumbled, losing their balance.

Ohja grunted but saw it as good fortune. Pulling out his staff and stabbing his sword into the ground, he pulled another card out. This one depicted a grasping claw. Slipping it into his Veno Visor, he slammed it down again.

[Steal Vent!]

Immediately, the shield/sword gauntlet of the Zebraskull vanished only to reappear on Ohja's free arm. Grinning behind his mask, he took his Veno Saber in his other hand and charged for the Zebraskull again. The monster tried to defend itself with its other shield, but Ohja would just parry one strike before hitting the monster's body with the other sword. The Zebraskull just couldn't keep up with half its defense gone.

"HAH!" Ohja roared, thrusting with both weapons and catching the Zebraskull in the chest. The force took the monster off of its feet where it landed in the street. "Okay, I don't have time to waste with you if something caused that explosion." Huffing, Ohja tossed his weapons aside and grabbed his Veno Visor again.

"Wait," Duchess blinked, "You're letting it go?!"

"Who said that?" asked Ohja, drawing his third and final card, this one sporting his emblem surrounded by bright purple light. Opening his visor, he popped it open before inserting the card. "I'm finishing it."

[Final Vent!]

From a store's large display window came the massive form of Venosnaker, a giant, purple, metal cobra with gold fins sticking out from its hood. It hissed loudly, making the three princesses cry out in fright, as no lady in fairy tales seemed ready to deal with snakes. Venosnaker ignored them as it and Ohja broke into a running charge in the Zebraskull's direction.

Ohja jumped into the air and performed a backflip as Venosnaker reared its head back. The giant cobra then fired a blast of venom which launched Ohja at the Zebraskull as he performed a bicycle kick. Ohja struck the Zebraskull several times, his kicks breaking the body while Venosnaker's acid melted it. With a scream, the Zebraskull flew back before exploding. Landing on his feet, Ohja stood straight and raised his arm victoriously while Venosnaker stood behind him, hissing loudly.

"Fatality!" he declared.

The three princesses weren't in much of a mind to celebrate while Venosnaker remained. Although they could tell that the giant cobra was with Ohja, it didn't stop the monster from being one of the scarier beasts they had ever seen. Fortunately, it didn't stay long. The orb of the destroyed monster's energy was quickly swallowed by the snake before it dove into another window.

"Okay," Ohja sighed, turning in the direction of the explosion. "You three hang back here and I'll check out that blast!"

Moments Ago

As the Zebraskull lay beaten, Zolda decided to finish the job. He drew his Final Vent card, which had his symbol on it surrounded by a shining green background and slid it into his Magna Visor to activate it.

[Final Vent!]

A pane of glass appeared on the ground in front of Zolda and his Contract Monster arose from it. To say Magnugiga was a minotaur would be too simple of a description. It was a robotic minotaur with a big blocky body covered in thick green and silver armor plating and armed to the teeth with a huge cannon for an arm. The only indication that it was a minotaur were the large golden horns on its head.

Zolda inserted the Magna Visor into a port behind Magnugiga, activating all of the monster's weapons. The chest plate split open to reveal rows and rows of bullets and cannons folded down from its shins as it pointed both its arms at the Zebraskull. There was even a gun built into Magnugiga's head.

After witnessing Zolda's firepower from before, the bystanders were quick to flee the scene. People dove behind doors, into alleys, finding cover just about anywhere they could. The Zebraskull gave off a groan before it managed to get up. It turned to face Zolda, but froze as it saw Magnugiga and the arsenal of weapons which were pointed at it.

"Bye-bye."

Zolda pulled the trigger and let Armageddon loose. Magnugiga roared as it fired all its ammunition, launching bullets, missiles, and lasers from every weapon in its body. The Zebraskull was blasted to oblivion by the destructive salvo. The explosion was deafening. The fire rose up in a large fireball even as the ground shook from the vivrations from the explosions. Zolda grimaced when he heard bits of the road start pelting his contract. Fearing he was destroying more of the surroundings than the monster, he let the trigger to his visor go. To his horror, Magnugiga just kept shooting.

"Okay, I let the trigger go!" Zolda shouted, but Magnugiga still kept shooting. "I SAID STOP!" He pulled his Magna Visor out of Magnugiga and this time it stopped firing. As the smoke cleared, Zolda was treated to a very messy sight. "Oh, this is bad."

The damage Gwen and Sparrow had caused with their jam session was nothing compared to the damage Zolda's End of the World had left in its wake. The road was pretty much gone, just leaving a big crater that opened up into the sewers underneath. Even then, several pipes had burst and water was spraying up into the air. Sewer water. Very smelly sewer water.

At least nobody got hurt but everyone who had witnessed what he had done was stunned speechless by all the collateral damage caused by one of the knights and their ears were still ringing from the loud explosion. It was a scale of destruction that most people of Book End would have attributed to a dragon going on a rampage. The only difference was that it was consolidated into a single spot rather than spread out. That just made it better and worse in their eyes.

"Holy shoot!" The cry cut through the air and Zolda turned to see Ohja coming out from between two buildings. "Tristan, what the hex happened?"

"Uh...he did it?" Zolda pointed to Magnugiga who was slowly stomping towards the sphere of power which somehow survived the explosion. The massive monster reached the edge of the crater before seemingly inhaling. The orb flew towards it and was absorbed in a flash. Letting off a satisfied groan, Magnugia stepped into one of the growing puddles on the ground and sank down, returning to the Mirror World.

"Man, you destroyed this place," Ohja observed. "Rex is going to be pissed."

"Ugh," the green Rider groaned.

Book End Library

Ohja's words probed prophetic. Rex had been downright furious when word got out about the sheer destruction that Tristan had caused with his Final Vent. Worse, since such damage had been caused, they had to be escorted back to the library by the local authorities, the local knights, but of a police variety instead of the heroic kind. Since Tristain was just a high school though, any responsibility for the damage fell straight on Merlin's shoulders. The wizard librarian went pale as his hair when he was passed an estimate of the damages caused.

"From now on, you are banned from using your Final Vent in Book End and in Ever After High!" Rex ordered.

"Yeah, sounds fair," Tristan would not argue.

"And thanks for throwing me under the bus!" Merlin whined from where he was busy writing cheques. "You blamed me for not knowing what your own Final Vent did? It's the highest number value next to Rex! Didn't you see it?"

"Well, as our mentor and advisor, you should have warned us since we don't know much about the cards or the system," Arthur shrugged. He was just glad no one got hurt beyond a few bumps, scrapes and ringing ears. "Naturally, when the authorities talked to us, we pointed to you as our guardian since we're all minors."

"Grrr! You're as aloof and logical as the real Arthur!" Merlin groaned. He groaned again when he saw another bill. "Really?! This much?! Milton's got to be inflating the numbers! He always likes taking stabs at me!"

"We really should've tested out our Final Vents in the Mirror World before using them in the real world," Rex sighed, ignoring Merlin's plight. To be fair, the other Final Vents were not as destructive as Zolda's. "Tristan, if you ever want to use your Final Vent, use it only in the Mirror World, got it? From now on, you are banned from using it in the real world."

"Yes, Rex." Tristan bowed his head.

"And I think it's time we did some training," Rex added. "We've been lucky so far but we can't afford to become careless anymore."

Ever After High - Halls

Everyone was buzzing the next day as Blondie, somehow, once again got the scoop for her Knightwatch segment of her MirrorCast stream. It made a brief mention of Ohja who, despite his scary snake armor and 'pet', proved as valiant as any of the others. More of it was focused on Tristan and his rather...explosive debut in Book End. Everyone was still watching the recording of battle in the halls, with various reactions.

"And to give his account of the event, we have the green knight, Sir Tristan here with us today," Blondie turned to Tristan.

"Ah...hello," Tristan waved at the camera. Rex had all but ordered him to do the interview as to prevent too much bad PR from hitting them.

"Tell me, Sir Tristan, do you have anything to say about the damage you caused during your battle?" Blondie asked.

"First, I'd like to apologize for destroying that part of the street. That was not my intention," Tristan sincerely apologized. "Sometimes I don't know my own strength or that of my partner Magnugiga and I promise that I'll be more careful from now on."

"Hopefully, that will remain true forever after. Coming up next, the brownies union is demanding a raise in their salary."

Tristan stood in the halls as he made his way to his locker as the stream played. He just groaned and planted his forehead on the door. This would not help his reputation, not like he really had one, but he heard whispers that he was too dangerous and destructive to be a good knight. The only consolation was that nobody got hurt. Still, people avoided him and gave him a wide berth, too scared to get close to someone with so much explosive power. It seemed they were afraid he'd whip it out again.

"Haah," Tristan sighed. Well, at least he wasn't expecting much of a social life so this didn't hurt...too much.

"Tristan," Poppy patted his shoulder.

"Oh, Poppy," Tristan turned to smile at her, well, it was a small smile, really. "How are you?"

"I'm doing fine," Poppy nodded.

"Good, good, and your sister?"

"She's fine too. I had to fix her hair but she's alright." That hadn't been fun. As the next Rapunzel, Holly took a lot of pride in her hair. She was, of course, upset that Poppy had to cut off a chunk of it to keep the monster from pulling her into the mirror. So Holly ended up having to lose several inches of hair since it was the only way to even out what had been done. Since she was the next Rapunzel though, her hair would have grown back in a day or two at most.

Tristan nodded with a sigh, "That's good, I'm relieved."

Poppy grinned, "Thank you for saving us."

"Are you sure you want to be seen talking to me? I'm now the 'lunatic knight' according to people." Tristan sighed, looking at the aspiring hairdresser

Poppy smiled gently, "Since I officially start today, I'd rather be in a place where I know there's a knight in shining armor who will protect me. It was your first time, so you know better now, right?"

"Oh yeah," Tristan nodded. Next time, he'd pull the monsters back to the Mirror World before blasting them with his Final Vent.

"Then I want to stick close to the knight who saved my sister and I," Poppy answered. "Anyway, Holly and I are going to see another movie tomorrow when the Multi-hex opens up again. We want to hear your riff tracks again."

Tristan smiled. "I'll be there. Just tell me when."

Maybe his time in Ever After High would not be so bad after all.

As Tristan was meeting with Poppy, Kyle was at his own locker getting his own supplies. Naturally, he had to cross paths with Duchess again. Considering the day she had yesterday, Kyle was willing to hold back on snarking with her. They two were silent at first, perhaps out of politeness, or perhaps out of having other things on their mind. In truth, it was uncomfortable for them to not be taking snipes at each other. So finally, Kyle just decided to let loose just a little witty sarcasm.

"Loosen those ballet slippers yet?" Kyle asked as he and Duchess met at their lockers again.

"Running around with more explosive lunatics?" Duchess retorted coolly.

"Glad you're okay, Duchess," Kyle sighed.

"You should be," Duchess sniffed. "At least you can destroy monsters and rescue princesses properly. Even if your taste in pets is rather poor."

The two were silent for a moment, neither really sure what to say. On Duchess' side, she could accept that Kyle had rescued her so she didn't want to tear into him too much in case he had to do it again. A bad attitude she may have, but she could at least give credit where it was due. For Kyle's part, he didn't want to be too harsh on a girl who had a day like the one Duchess had. Being attacked by monsters and witnessing a Rider's brand of violence wasn't exactly something one saw every day, especially in Ever After.

"You know, we have Swan Lake back home too," Kyle sighed, breaking their silence.

"So you know the story then," Duchess scowled. "You know what a fabletastic ending I have to look forward to. Cursed to turn into a bird, betrayed, and made the victim of a sorcerer with no happy ending!"

Kyle paused for a moment.

"...It's funny. We call it The Swan Princess and the Prince and Princess manage to kill Rothbart and break the curse to live Happily Ever After."

Duchess' head snapped up to Kyle, half furious. Was he mocking her now? Trying to offer some hopeless solution to make her feel worse about her destiny?

"Are you joking right now? If you are, I am warning you-!"

"No, I'm serious. In the version I saw, that's how the story ends so there might be hope for you too," Kyle interrupted. "The story was the same, but when enough people wanted a different ending, they just rewrote it. The original story still exists, but now we have two ways to tell it. We did it back home, so why can't you? Figure out where your mother went wrong and don't repeat it."

Duchess frowned at Kyle, still finding him insufferable, but it seemed he could be a true gentleman when the occasion arose. Still, she would not just admit that to him.

"If this so-called revision to my story exists, tell me about it. If that's too hard for your playboy brain, tell me where I can find a copy of this tale."

Kyle shrugged and closed his locker.

"Just ask for Merlin at Book End Library. He's got a copy of it."

Duchess frowned at Kyle.

"Why tell me this? We've made it clear we loathe each other."

"I'm a knight, princess," Kyle answered, turning to walk down the hall. "I don't have to like you to do right by you. No knight worth their name would ignore how much your story bothers you."

Duchess watched him go, not sure what this might mean, but decided to visit the public library after school.

Headmaster's Office

Milton Grimm sighed as he looked over the report.

"Should I be annoyed because of another troublemaker, or elated how I've really stuck it to Merlin this time? Since it happened outside of school I can't punish the boy, but taking it out on Merlin is such a satisfying alternative."

In his office, doing his budget, Merlin began to cry again.

And so the Knight of the Bull, despite himself, discovered that reaching out is not such a scary thing to do.

While the Knight of the Snake looked past his impressions and dislike of another in order to help them in their time of need.

I so ship them! Okay, the next story is about the Rhino Knight and the Stingray Knight. No spoilers this time!

That's our girl.

A/N: And now we meet Ohja and Zolda. I admit this chapter is a little shorter since the character development is a bit minimal. It's a slow burn in this case. Tristan obviously has some issues and the tsundere that is Duchess will need to develop a little more. In the meantime, explosions!