Episode 05: Apple Rumble
It's been a few days since the Auriga Zodiart was defeated. Gilda stopped going to classes ever since. Everyone guessed that she was probably too embarrassed to face Rainbow Dash since she was the one who defeated her while she was Auriga. Rainbow Dash tried contacting Gilda but there were no responses and she was blocked on all of her social media accounts. The rainbow-haired tomboy had a feeling this wasn't something she'll get over within a week.
It's currently Friday and the student council quickly organized an assembly regarding the two attacks on Monday and Tuesday. It wasn't hard to convince the faculty to organize this last-minute assembly. They were all equally concerned about the safety of their students such as Rarity. The student-body president stood on the stage with several other students council members standing behind her. Students were gathering in the gymnasium. Gentaro, Twilight, and Kengo sat together since they had the same homeroom teacher.
"I'm glad that Rarity is doing something like this. This kind of awareness will help students avoid the temptations to use the Switches and thus preventing Zodiart attacks" Twilight pointed out.
"I hope it does but I think it also brings a minor disadvantage," Kengo said.
"How so?" Gentaro asked.
"The trail that leads us to find those who're giving the students Switches will be colder," Kengo explained.
"Good point. Looking for the ones responsible for the Zodiarts will be even more difficult," Twilight said.
"At least the students of this school will be safe, right?" Gentaro asked.
"Of course, and we should be prepared for those who become Zodiarts," Kengo said.
Once everyone was seated, Rarity walked up to the podium and cleared her throat. She said, "Good morning, my classmates. I'm sure you're all aware of the attacks that have been happening to our school these last two weeks. Last week, a monster attacked the gym, and earlier this week another one launched an all-out attack. It's all thanks to the efforts of these magical, spectacular ladies, and their sidekick that we're protected from these monsters."
"Sidekick," Gentaro scoffed quietly. He thought, "I pull my weight too!"
"Unfortunately, I have some pressing news. The monsters who attacked our school were our own very students," Rarity spoke. A lot of students began to whisper among themselves, a few had panicked and distressed expressions. "Someone in this school is distributing devices that transform people into these this mysterious distributor is, you must avoid him and not give in to the temptation to use these devices! Do your part and help our wonderful community by reporting this individual to the authorities!"
"The teachers, student council and I organized these guidelines to ensure the safety of our students in an emergency of an attack…" Rarity said as she pulled out a list.
After school, Gentaro and the rest of the Kamen Pony Club went to the Rabbit Hatch. According to Kengo, he has the next Astroswitch prepared. Gentaro already transformed into Kamen Rider Fourze since he was enthusiastic about testing the new Astroswitch. Kengo left his workstation and showed everyone the new Astroswitch.
"#10, Elek," Kengo said.
"Number 10?" Pinkie asked with a confused expression. She began to count with her fingers and said, "Rocket, Chainsaw, Launcher, Drill, Handy, Parachute and Pogo Stick… that's eight Astroswitches, what's the 9th."
Kengo tossed the Elek Astroswitch to Fourze. He pulled out Burgermeal and pulled out an Astroswitch. Kengo said, "#6 Camera. While Fourze can use the Camera Astroswitch it's better off being used by Burgermeal for reconnaissance purposes."
Rainbow Dash took the Astroswitch from Fourze's hand. Rainbow Dash said, "Seriously? Electricity? I thought I called dibs on that element!"
"The blueprints for the Astroswitches were made by my father 10 years ago so technically you're 10 years late," Kengo said as he snatched off Rainbow Dash's hand. He handed it back to Fourze.
"Just how many Astroswitches did your father invent?" Fourze asked.
"He developed blueprints for 40 Astroswitches but he never had the chance to develop any of them."
"Forty? And we're on our 10th one? Maybe we'll have them all done by the end of the year," Fourze commented.
"I wouldn't be so sure. The development of our Astroswitches depends on the amount of Cosmic energy we retrieve whenever we defeat a Zodiart," Kengo said. "We barely have enough to make a few more Astroswitches after this one."
"Alright, then let's hope this one is good enough to last us the entire semester then," Fourze said as he entered the testing chamber. He replaced the Rocket Switch with the Elek Switch.
Elek
Fourze flicked the Astroswitch.
Elek on
Fourze's right arm had a golden band on it. A rod-like weapon appeared in his right hand. It had a plug coming out of the bottom of the handle and attached to the side of the handle. Multiple power outlets were on the handle as well.
"Wow! This is amazing!" Fourze shouted.
"Try plugging it into one of the outlets."
"Okay," Fourze said as he detached the plug from the side. He hesitated to plug it in because there are three different outlets. "Which one?"
"Try the one on the left."
Fourze plugged the power plug into the rod. A surge of electricity flowed through it. "I can feel a sudden surge of power-wielding this!"
"Hey, Gentaro, remember who's the original lightning fighter here," Rainbow Dash said. She thought, "Seriously, how come he gets to have a swiss-army knife of abilities!"
"Someone sounds jealous," Pinkie Pie teased.
"I-I'm not!" Rainbow Dash stuttered.
"Aw, a little jealous that someone…" Pinkie smirked before saying, "... stole your thunder!"
"Alright, that's it!" Rainbow Dash said as she began chasing Pinkie Pie.
Kengo nodded disapprovingly as he saw Rainbow Dash chasing Pinkie Pie around the table. He turned back to Fourze and said, "Okay, now hit the dummy behind you."
Fourze turned around and saw a dummy standing tall. He chuckled before whacking the dummy. The electricity rod flowed through the dummy as well as the Kamen Rider. He jolted from a large amount of electricity tasing him.
"That's weird," Fourze said after panting. "Okay, let's try this again!"
The Kamen Rider swung the rod at the dummy again and got the same results. The electricity tried to expand throughout his arm but stopped at the shoulders. Fourze rubbed the back of his helmet, confused about why it isn't working properly. Fourze swung the rod again and unsurprisingly to both Kengo and Twilight, he got shocked again. The electricity was trying to flow through his body but Fourze tried to reject it through willpower. Fourze panted as he tried to regain his footing.
"How about you stop before you hurt yourself and we lose a Kamen Rider?" Twilight asked.
"Right…" Fourze nodded before undoing his transformation. He pulled out the Elek Switch and said, "This thing is wicked scary…"
"It looked like the electricity was trying to flow through your body," Kengo said as he looked at the results screen from the testing.
"The electricity tried to consume me. You should try to put some safety features on this thing."
"Hm, my father designed the Elek Switch to give you a boost of power. I'm assuming all of that energy was trying to distribute throughout your body," Kengo explained.
"It did it in the most painful way!" Gentaro said. "I refuse to use this Switch until something is done about that! I don't want to end up like a fried bird that touched a powerline!"
"My father's design work, maybe it's you."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"To put it lightly, it's not the Astroswitch, it's you," Kengo said. He grabbed his belongings and said, "I'm making no changes to the Elek Switch so you figure out what's wrong with yourself."
"Come on, Kengo. Your father must've made some mistakes when designing the Astroswitches. The Hopping Switch wasn't perfect when you first made it," Twilight said.
"That mistake was mine, not my father's. I double-checked everything and I made the Elek Switch following my father's instructions."
Kengo left the room and Twilight could only sigh as she placed both of her hands on her hips.
"Sometimes you're really hard to work with," Twilight said.
"What's with the sudden meeting?" Scorpion asked. The Zodiart stood in a room surrounded by red curtains. Libra stood in the corner while Scorpion stood in the center of the room. In front of him was a figure shrouded in darkness while sitting on a chair. Next to him was a female Horoscope with pink, spiral hair and held a halberd in hand.
"Luna sent her knights when I was under my civilian identity and told us that she wants to meet with us," the female Zodiart said.
"This is the first time where we're being summoned by the princess. She spent the last 17 years in our realm doing as she pleased," the Libra noted.
"Hm, it's clear to us that she has no interest in our plans. All she wants us to do is to kill those girls that defeated her a long time ago," Scorpion spoke.
"I suggest we put all of our focus on finding our Heralds so we can proceed with our plans" the female Zodiart suggested.
"You forget that the value of Princess Luna," the man in the shadows spoke. "She's the reason why we have the powers of the constellations in our hand."
"With all due respect, sir, that was all she was good for," Libra said. "I agree with Virgo, let's just ditch about her. We still need to find the remaining six Heralds."
"I would've abandoned her when she was stuck on the island but our enemies have aligned with themselves," the man in the shadows explained. "Equestrian magic is out of our expertise so it would be within our interest to answer her call. That's why I want the three of you to go to her prison and see what she wants."
"As you wish," the three Zodiarts bowed their head.
Luna was busy sitting in the shade under a tree. Two Lunar Knights stood guard beside her. A portal opened up in front of Luna. Vigo, Libra, and Scorpion walking out of it.
"What is the meaning of this? Why did you summon us?" Virgo asked. Luna got up as she looked at the Zodiarts in the eye. "
"That's because I have to file a few complaints," Luna said. "You fools accidentally awakened an Element of Harmony. Twilight and her friends are getting closer to gaining enough power to defeat me."
"And yet here you are, unable to do anything about it because you thought it was wise to lure all of your enemies into one spot," Scorpion said. Luna glared at the Zodiart.
"Oh, please. If it wasn't for my sister's interference, I would've killed those damn brats," Luna complained. "You Zodiarts aren't doing any better. Your second Zodiart in Canterlot was destroyed and as I said, you awakened the third Element of Harmony. Those are four enemies you have to constantly deal with."
"Don't blame us as if we had full knowledge of who's bonded to those Elements!" Scorpion exclaimed.
"Well, looks like we're in a tough situation and you're lucky that I have a solution," Luna said.
"And how do you suppose we solve this problem?" Virgo questioned.
"Hm, easy," Luna said as she snapped her fingers. A black portal appeared to her right. "I may be trapped in this island but my Lunar Knights can operate around the world."
Three humans walked through a portal; one female and two males. All three of them wore dark clothing with a lightning bolt design alongside the zipper of their black jackets. They also wore dark, blue jeans with black sneakers.
"And who are they suppose to be?" Scorpion asked.
"We're the Shadow Bolts, Princess Luna's loyal followers back in Equestria," the young man in the middle said. He wore blue goggles with yellow lenses. His hair was blue and spiky. "Name's Descent."
"I'm Nightingale," the young woman said. She had short, blue hair and wore a sleeveless jacket.
"And I'm Haze," the last Shadowbolt introduced himself. He had dark skin and a large build. Haze wore a hood that obscured most of his face.
"And how are they suppose to help us?" Libra asked.
"They'll help even the odds against the Elements of Harmony and the Kamen Rider," Luna said.
"How can we be so certain that they'll be useful against them?"
"As an Alicorn, I can restore the memories of fellow Equestrians," Luna explained. "When the Lunar Knights took them here, I restored their powers and personally trained them. At this point, they're more prepared for combat than those girls and the Kamen Rider"
"I see, well they look like they'll be helpful," Scorpion said.
"Princess Luna told us that we'll have to be following your orders," Descent said.
"Just point as at a direction and we'll do as you say," Nightingale said.
Scorpion approached the Shadow Bolts and said, "I found a potential Zodiargt back at Canterlot High, and if this person becomes a Zodiart I want you three to protect him from Fourze and those girls."
Monday
Applejack was dropped off at the front of the school by her big brother, Big McIntosh. She looked at the school gates and watched as students walk into the building. It's been a while since she's seen this view. A part of her was glad that she was back but she would've much preferred to continue her work at the farm.
"Just a few months and I'll be free to work at the farm," Applejack said before she walked into the school. When she entered the school, Applejack looked at the message board to see if there was anything she missed. When she looked at the board she saw a page from the school's newspaper that had the article regarding the attack from last week. She saw a photo of Fourze engaging against the Dustards.
"Hm, so that's what he looks like up close," Applejack thought. "Is he trying to go with a rocket theme?"
"Well, look who's finally back," a female voice from behind. Applejack turned around and saw a female teacher approaching her. She had green hair and purple eyes. The female teacher was also wearing a red tracksuit with a white undershirt. She was Coach Scorpia, the PE teacher, and the staff member in charge of watching over the athletic clubs in the school.
"Good mornin', ma'am!" Applejack greeted.
"Hm, no need to be so formal during the off-hours," Scorpia said with a smirk. Applejack walked with the coach to catch up on what she missed but Scorpia took the time to do a little small talk. "So how's the farm doing?"
"We've been doin' fine. Thanks to me, business went as usual when my brother was absent."
"That's a relief. Now that you're back, I expect you to give it your a-game!" Scorpia proclaimed.
"Of course!" Applejack said. Before she gets too sidetracked with the small talk, Applejack asked, "So mind if I ask you somethin'?"
"Well you just did but I'll let you ask me another," Scorpia said as she smirked at her own joke.
"What's with the attacks on the school?"
Scorpia paused and took a second to sigh. She said, "Well... some evil villain is turning some of our students into monsters that attack their classmates. We don't know who they are or why they're doing this. All I can say is that I'm thankful that Fourze and his entourage of magical girls are protecting the school."
"Magical girls? That's the first time I've heard about them. Maybe Dash might know about that since she personally knows Fourze," Applejack thought. After giving it some more thought, she kinda figured it out. "Wait a minute, could those girls from last week be them?"
"Hey, Applejack, you okay?" Scorpia thought. Applejack was silent as she was lost in thought for a second.
"Oh, sorry! I've been trying to remember my schedule," Applejack said before chuckling. "Ah guess I kind of forgot about it."
"Well, if you forgot about it you can always go to the counseling center and get your schedule from there," Scorpia said. Before she left, she said, "I'll see you around, Applejack."
"You too, miss!"
"Hey, AJ!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she caught up with Applejack in the hallway. She asked, "You going to head to soccer practice after school?"
"I don't think I can. I have a lot of work to do back at the farm," Applejack replied.
"What? Your brother's broken arm should've been healed by now. You should have enough free time after school."
"When Big Mac got hurt, it made me realize that there's a lot of work that needs to be gettin' done at the farm," Applejack explained.
"But Applejack, you're still young! Enjoy the opportunity of having this free time to do what you want," Rainbow Dash said.
The sound of metal being crushed was heard a few hallways down.
"What was that?" Applejack asked.
"It sounds like trouble," Rainbow Dash said before running to investigate the noise. Applejack followed her friend to make sure that there she's safe and doesn't do anything that might make the situation worse. Several students were seen fleeing from the scene. One of the students was wearing workout clothing. She pulled him aside and asked, "What happened?"
"One of those monsters attacked the workout room with a bunch of ninja henchmen!" the student explained before he ran off.
Rainbow Dash leaned against the wall and peaked her head onto the hallway. She saw four Dustards escorting a green Zodiart with a giant club. He wore a green trenchcoat with black clothing beneath it. He also sported a silver chest piece and a golden crotch piece. The Zodiart had a horn sticking out of its head.
"Is it one of those monsters?" Applejack asked as she ran up to Rainbow Dash. She turned around tried to hush.
"He's right around the corner," Rainbow Dash said. She pulled out her phone and texted Gentaro that a Zodiart is attacking the school. She looked around as she pulled out her gem. There was no one except Applejack around that could see her. "Alright, don't freak out."
"Transform!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she transformed into her Element form.
"You didn't tell me you were one of Fourze's sidekicks!" Applejack exclaimed.
"Sidekick?" Rainbow Dash scoffed. "I can pull my own weight. Anyways, you should hang back and let a superhero handle this!"
Rainbow Dash jumped in front of the Zodiart and his ninja henchmen.
"I thought the student council told you that using those Switches is a bad idea!" Rainbow Dash proclaimed.
"Who cares about what Rarity says! I need to prove myself that I'm the strongest one around here!" the Zodiart exclaimed.
"Strongest?" Rainbow Dash thought. The Dustards immediately attacked Rainbow Dash. The Pegasus' body was electricity and flew towards the Dustards. She kicked a Dustard in the chest, launching him back. When she landed on her feet, a Dustard swung its sword at Rainbow Dash. She ducked and swept his legs. Rainbow Dash smirked as she fired electricity from her fingertips at the last two Dustards. The Dustards that she kicked down and swept stood up and charged them.
"Electric blades!" Rainbow Dash shouted as electric constructs in the shape of swords appeared in her arm. She charged at the Dustards.
"You're fairly strong!" the Zodiart said before charging at Rainbow Dash. The pegasus easily sliced through the two Dustards but didn't notice the Zodiart that was coming from behind her. When she looked up, Rainbow Dash used her superspeed to create distance between her and the Zodiart. She zoomed past Applejack, who held onto her hat as Rainbow Dash ran past her. The Zodiart scoffed and said, "... and fast."
Before the Zodiart charged towards the Element of Loyalty, he felt a splash of water from behind. The Zodiart turned around and saw Twilight, Pinkie, and Fourze standing behind him.
'Telling by the positions of the stars across the body and the giant club, he's the Hercules Zodiart," Twilight said.
"Really? I was going to say that too because of his giant horn reminding me of the beetle, "Pinkie said.
"So you're Fourze! I've been looking forward to fighting you!" the Hercules Zodiart shouted.
"You should probably give up! There's four of us and one of you!" Fourze shouted.
"That's the best part! when I beat all of you, I'll be the strongest one in the school!" Hercule Zodiart shouted. He raised his club and charged at the trio of heroes. Pinkie used her powers to break the sprinklers and wet the floors.
"Freeze!" Pinkie shouted as the wet floor turned into ice. The Hercules Zodiart slipped on the frozen floor and slid out of the building.
Rocket on!
Fourze used the Rocket Module to fly towards the Hercules Zodiart and punch him further away from the building. A dozen Dustards and two Lunar Knights soon moved into the scene and stood in the way between the Kamen Pony Club and the Zodiart. On top of the rooftops were the Shadow Bolts sitting on the sidelines and spectating the fight that was going to happen.
"Ugh, why are we on the side when we should attack?" Nightingale complained.
"Scorpion suggested we use our mooks to see the extent of the powers of the Elements of Harmony," Descent said.
"Who cares? We already know their powers!"
"That's true but we only remembered them when they were Equestria so we don't know the extent of their powers in this world," Descent explained.
"We'll strike when necessary," Haze said.
Back down below, Rainbow Dash used her speed to stand next to the rest of her clubmates in the KPC. Applejack snuck up to the entrance of the building and watched the fight unfold.
"Alright, I'll deal with the Zodiart! You guys can fight the knights and ninjas!" Fourze shouted.
"Hey, I encountered him first so I call dibs on the Zodiart!" Rainbow Dash snapped.
"Is this really the time to argue this?" Twilight asked. She explained, "Fourze needs to defeat the Zodiart himself so he can collect as much Cosmic Energy as possible."
"Fine," Rainbow Dash scoffed.
"Alright! Let's fight this man-a-mano!" Fourze proclaimed as he pointed at the Zodiart.
"This is what I've been waiting for," the Hercule Zodiart shouted.
Fourze used the Rocket Module to ram into the Zodiart. The Hercules Zodiart raised his club and blocked the rocket punch. The Kamen Rider pushed the Zodiart back. The Dustards and Lunar Knights charged forward and fought against the Elements of Harmony. Applejack spectated the fighting from the distance. Kengo arrived at the scene with Burgermeal rolling next to him. The Foodroid scanned the Hercule Zodiart while Kengo sets up the Linkup Monitor.
Chainsaw on!
Fourze slashed the Chainsaw Module across the Zodiart's chest twice. Hercules didn't seem to be affected by Fourze's attack, barely flinching when the chainsaw was slicing through his chest. This didn't stop the Kamen Rider from slowing down. He raised his leg once more but Hercules grabbed it before tossing him to the side.
"You won't be able to penetrate through the Zodiart's armor with the standard Astroswitches," Kengo said. He tossed Fourze the Elek Astoswitch. "Using the Elek Astoswitch will transform you into a more powerful state."
"Are you serious?" Fourze questioned. He rubbed the back of his helmet before finally replacing the Rocket Astroswitch with Elek.
Elek
Fourze flicked the Elek Astroswitch.
Elek on!
A gold rod appeared in Fourze's right hand. He inserts the plug into the left outlet and electricity began to pulse on his right arm. The Kamen Rider began to sweat nervously beneath his helmet. The test of the Astroswitch from Friday made Fourze afraid to use it. Hercule ran towards the Kamen Rider while raising his club. Fourze thrusted the rod at the exposed torso of the Zodiart. The weapon zapped both Fourze and Hercules. The latter was being electrocuted at a higher voltage but that didn't mean that Fourze was being hurt by the attack.
"You have to let the Astroswitch's energy spread throughout your body!" Kengo proclaimed.
"And let it fry me to death! No way!" Fourze snapped. Hercules smacked the Kamen Rider with his club. Rainbow Dash noticed that Fourze was down and quickly decided to help.
"Deal with the knight while I support Fourze!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew up the sky. Twilight nodded and dealt with the Lunar Knight by herself. Applejack leaned in and anticipated something crazy about to happen.
"Time to show off who's the real master of lightning!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Li-"
The pegasus was kicked down by Descent. Rainbow Dash landed on the ground and looked up to see Descent.
"Rainbow!" Applejack shouted as Rainbow Dash crashed into the ground. Pinkie and Twilight stopped fighting their respective opponent and saw Rainbow Dash on the ground. They and Fourze looked up and saw Descent landing on the ground.
"Is that another Equestrian?" Kengo asked.
"I think he is," Twilight said with an unsure tone. Nightingale and Haze soon followed and landed next to Descent.
"There's more of you!" the Hercules Zodiart shouted.
"Calm down, we're on your side," Nightingale replied.
"Just who are you, people?" Rainbow Dash asked as she got back up.
"We're the Shadowbolts, loyal followers of Princess Luna," Descent said. "My name is Descent, and these are my comrades, Nightingale and Haze."
"I don't need your help! I'm stronger than Fourze so I can fight against his sidekicks!" the Hercules Zodiart snapped.
"You don't understand how powerful Equestrian magic is when it's used to its fullest potential. Just let us deal with the girls since they're our main target. Fourze is all yours," Descent said.
"Hm, alright," Hercules said as he faced Fourze.
The Kamen Rider quickly took out the Elek Astroswitch and replaced it with the Rocket Astroswitch. Fourze raised both of his fists before charging towards the Hercules Zodiart. Back with the Equestrians, Rainbow Dash was chasing around Descent. Despite being significantly faster than Descent, Rainbow Dash is having trouble trying to catch him. The Shadowbolt has the advantage of having his experiences from Equestria transfer to his current form. This meant that Descent was a better flier compared to Rainbow Dash. Descent allowed the loyal pegasus to chase him around the skies in a game of cat-and-mouse.
Pinkie Pie's opponent was Haze. She had tendrils of water grab onto his arms and legs. She instantly froze them in an attempt to trap him. She formed an ice mallet and jumped towards Hazel. The hooded Shadowbolt broke through his icy entrapment and uppercutting the head of the mallet. Pinkie's weapon shattered and she laughed nervously as she stepped back. Haze's expressionless face intimated Pinkie. He charged forward in tried to punch Pinkie.
"Bubble!" Pinkie shouted. A bubble quickly formed around Pinkie right before Haze landed his attack. Haze's punch launched Pinkie away from him and bounced off a wall. The bubble bounced back at Haze and pushed him down.
Twilight was busy dealing with Nightingale. The female Shadowbolt fired a barrage of black, fiery projectiles. The magic-user quickly summoned a protection spell that shielded her from the attacks. Twilight fired a magical projectile from her hands. Nightingale easily dodged them and laughed as Twilight missed her attacks. The Shadowbolt flew towards Twilight and tried to fling a fireball at Twilight in point-blank range. The explosion from Nightingale's knocked Twilight back.
"Haha, is that all you got amateur," Nightingale laughed hardily. As Nightingale closed her eyes to laugh, Twilight prepared a spell.
"Precision bolt!" Twilight shouted as a quick, narrow projectile blasted from her hands. The attack hit Nightingale's head, making her lose balance temporarily.
"Oh, you son of a..." Nightingale groaned as she rubbed her head. She charged towards Twilight as she prepared an attack while the magic user did the same.
As she chased around Descent, Rainbow Dash used a burst of superspeed to close in the gap between her and Descent. It would be difficult to fly if Rainbow Dash constantly used her speed as it would make it difficult for her to control. When Rainbow Dash's burst of speed ended, Descent quickly dropped, allowing Rainbow Dash to fly over him. He blasted her with a projectile made out of the black fire. Applejack gasped as Rainbow Dash crashed into the ground. Descent hovered over her as he raised his hand. A black fireball began to form at his palms. The apple cowgirl's teeth ground as she got out of her cover and charged towards Descent.
Haze, who was busy dealing with Pinkie Pie, noticed that Applejack was about to attack Descent. It would've been very dangerous if Applejack attacked Haze as he was charging his attack. He quickly rushed in and blocked Applejack's kick. The apple cowgirl believed that she was significantly stronger than the average person so it came as a shock that her kick didn't even make Haze flinch. Descent depowered his attack as he glanced at Haze and Applejack. Haze jabbed Applejack onto her stomach and launched her into the air. Applejack crashed through a window on the second floor.
"Applejack!" Rainbow Dash cried out.
Fourze stopped fighting against Hercules to see a shattered window. Rainbow Dash quickly charged towards Haze but he easily knocked her to the side with a backhand slap. Kengo was on the side and watched as the entire fight went on. If Fourze used the Elek Astroswitch, he will be able to defeat Hercules and support the girls.
"Use the Elek Switch to defeat Hercules!" Kengo commanded.
"There's no way in hell you're convincing me to use that Astroswitch!" Fourze snapped. The Kamen Rider was confident that the strength of his current Astroswitches will be enough to destroy the Hercules Zodiart.
Rocket on! Drill on!
Fourze used the Rocket Module to fly around the Hercules Zodiart to confuse the Zodiart. He quickly pulled on the handle.
Rocket + Drill: Limit Break
Fourze aimed his Rider Kick directly at his back.
"Rocket Drill Space Kick!" the Kamen Rider shouted as he kicked the Hercules Zodiart from behind. The Drill Module tried to burrow its way through the Zodiart but the monster blew up early and knocked Fourze back. Fourze deactivated the Modules so he can get up faster. He gasped before saying, "What?!"
The Hercules Zodairt still stood tall despite taking a heavy hit from Fourze's Rider Kick. Kengo used Bugermeal to scan Hercules' vitals. The Zodiart became wounded after taking Fourze's Rider Kick.
Descent looked at Hercules, who was showing signs of injury.
"Nightingale! Haze! We need to get that Zodiart out of here," Descent said. He and the other Shadowbolts flew towards the Hercules Zodiart. Twilight tried to blast them with magic while Pinkie tried to ensnare them with water.
"Shield!" Haze shouted as a protective shield formed around the Shadowbolts and Zodiart.
"Nightingale, get us out of here," Descent said.
"Shadow Corridor!" Nightingale shouted. Shadows consumed the Shadowbolts and the lone Zodiart and teleported them out of the scene.
"They disappeared!" Fourze exclaimed.
Rainbow Dash, who was getting back on her feet. She immediately ran into the building. Everyone outside realized that Applejack was attacked by the Shadowbolt, Haze. The force of his attack could've seriously injured her. Everyone soon followed Rainbow Dash inside the building. When they reached the second floor, they saw Rainbow Dash holding onto an unconscious Applejack. The KPC quickly gathered around Rainbow Dash.
"Is she alright?" Pinkie asked. Kengo placed down Burgermeal and had the Fooddroid scan her vitals.
"She has a concussion and a broken rib cage," Kengo said. He turned to Fourze and scolded the Kamen Rider. "If only you used the Elek Switch to its fullest potential she wouldn't be in this condition!"
"Kengo, this isn't the time to lecture Gentaro!" Twilight snapped back. "I've been practicing healing magic over the weekend in case civilians get caught in the crossfire of our fights. It will take me some time to heal her so let's take her to the Rabbit Hatch."
"No, I refuse to let another stranger into our base," Kengo said.
"Who cares about keeping this a secret?!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "She's hurt and needs our help!"
Kengo looked down at the injured and unconscious Applejack. He clenched his fist and said, "Fine, but as soon as she's healed I want her out."
Sometime later...
Twilight spent the entire noon trying to heal Applejack. Luckily one of the regulations on the guidelines for a Zodiart attack is that the school will remain in lockdown for the rest of the day. Students are to remain in the classrooms for the rest of the day. They wait an hour after the attack has died down and remained in the classroom until the end of the day to ensure the safety of the student. If the attack happened during an off-period then that meant classes were out for the rest of the day as students are to go to the closest room nearby and remain there until the end of the school day or if things get bad enough, evacuate the school. Luckily Hercules attacked the school during lunch so that meant the Kamen Pony Club operate in their clubroom without missing class.
Applejack was inside the testing chamber on top of a stretcher. Twilight had her hands over Applejack's body as she tried to heal her with magic. Rainbow Dash anxiously watched from the outside as Twilight focused all of her strength to heal Applejack. Kengo observed the apple cowgirl's vitals from his workstation. He was impressed at the rate of Twilight's healing magic. She informed them that healing magic isn't her strength. However, she ensured that whatever she can do, it will be faster than letting Applejack's injuries naturally heal. After a few minutes, Twilight lowered her hands.
"Her injuries should be gone..." Twilight panted. Kengo entered the room with Rainbow Dash. He handed Twilight a bottle of water. "Thanks."
Applejack groaned as she woke up. She asked, "What happened? It felt like I got hit by a truck."
"You got hit by something harder than that," Twilight said.
"The Zodiart launched you in the air and gave you a few broken ribs and a concussion," Rainbow explained.
"It was idiotic of you to attack a powered individual when you're just a civilian," Kengo said.
"Well, I had to step in. I couldn't let them kill Rainbow Dash," Applejack said. "So if I got myself a concussion and broken bones, how did they heal so quickly?"
"That would be because of Twilight's magic," Rainbow Dash explained.
"Well, thanks for healin' me," Applejack said.
"No problem," Twilight smiled. Pinkie leaned against the window of the test chamber.
"Oh, boy! Applejack is back to full health!" Pinkie exclaimed. She ran into the room with balloons in one hand and party favor in another.
"I don't think we have time for celebration, Pinkie," Gentaro said as he walked in. "Although it's good to see you back in full health."
"Did you guys find anything?" Twilight asked.
"Well, the Zodiart first attacked the exercise room and started attacking students he thought were pretty strong. Three of the victims of the attack were three members of the weightlifting club," Gentaro said.
"That narrows our search quite a bit. If we learned anything from Miura, the Zodiart must be someone from within that club," Kengo explained. "We should start our search tomorrow for possible suspects."
"Right," the rest of the KPC members nodded.
Applejack got off the stretcher and stretched out her arms.
"I appreciate ya'll looking after me," Applejack said. "Good luck in your search."
"Wait, you don't want to help us?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Why would I want to help?"
"Revenge?"
'You know I'm not the vengeful type," Applejack said as she crossed her arms.
"Alright, you have a point but I kinda expected you to be down to help protect this school."
"You four seem to be doing a good job at doing it without my help. Besides, I have my family to look after," Applejack said. Before she left the Rabbit Hatch, she said, "I wish ya'll good luck."
Once Applejack left, Rainbow Dash sat down on the bed and sighed.
"Y'know, this isn't the AJ I know," Rainbow Dash said. "First she decided to dip soccer practice and now she rejected a chance to do some good. She would jump in an instant to help out the school if it meant protecting it."
"Do you think her time away from Canterlot changed her?" Twilight asked.
"It probably did. I guess she finally realized that her brother has a lot of weight on his shoulders when it comes to running the farm."
"We shouldn't try to force Applejack into joining the Kamen Pony Club-" Twilight was interrupted by Kengo.
"I refuse to call us that," Kengo said.
'"Anyway, Applejack seems to be concerned about her family and there's nothing wrong with that," Twilight said.
"I think there is something wrong with that," Gentaro said. He explained, "Applejack is still a high school and she's getting closer to becoming a full-time adult. Instead of worrying about the mantle of responsibility of an adult, she should enjoy the freedom she has as a youth."
"That's a fair point, Gentaro!" Pinkie exclaimed. "We need to throw a party to remind Applejack of the wonders of youth!"
"Guys! We should focus on the Zodiart that just terrorized the school," Twilight said before she sighed.
The current hideout of the Shadowbolts was an abandoned warehouse in the city. The three rogue pegasus sat around a table while the Hercules Zodiart was standing to the side. Hercules grew impatient and irritated since he was pulled from the fight so suddenly.
"Come on, why am I being benched?!" the Zodiart complained. "I didn't ask to be pulled away!"
"Don't blame us, blame your boss," Haze said.
"Your boss wanted us to ensure that you don't expose your identity or lose the Switch when you get defeated by Fourze. Consider yourself lucky that we got you out of there to fight for another day," Descent explained.
Nightingale scoffed and said, "We didn't need to fall back just because our weakest link was about to lose."
"Hey, screw you! I didn't ask for your help!" Hercules snapped.
"Orders are orders," Haze said.
"Scorpion and the other Horoscopes need you alive because they have plans to make you stronger. They can't do that if you lose your Switch," Descent said. He looked at both Nightingale and Hercules before saying, "Whether you like it or not, we're going to have to work together.'
Haze nodded and said, "We're going to need to figure out a way to get rid of the Elements of Harmony."
"Hm, I've been thinking about that," Descent said.
"The Elements of what?" the Zodiart asked.
"Those magical girls that we kicked around earlier," Nightingale said. She glared at her brother and said, "We could've handled them!"
"Right but you have to consider that Fourze was close to finishing off Hercules. Princess Luna would've been mad if we failed to upkeep our part of the alliance between her and the Horoscopes," Descent said.
"This is so strange..." the Hercules Zodiart muttered. He said, "Look, I only accepted to become a Zodiart because I wanted to become the strongest person in the school. Actually not the strongest, the only one with real strength. Scorpion told me that I should use this Switch however I want. Whoever this princess is, or these elements are not my concern."
Hercules left the room and transformed when no one was looking.
"That Zodiart will get himself destroyed if he acts out on his own," Haze said.
"Yeah, but we have to keep him alive. As you said, orders are orders," Descent said as he nodded.
The next day...
Applejack was sitting next to her brother as he took her to school.
"I heard that the school was attacked yesterday by those monsters," McIntosh said. "I hope your school is prepared to handle those disasters"
"Well, the drill for a monster attack is to hide in the closest classroom until the danger passes. All we can do is hope that Fourze and his pals stop the monster," Applejack explained.
"Fourze?" Big McIntosh questioned.
"He's the superhero that's been stopping these monster attacks. He's accompanied by a few magical sidekicks," Applejack said.
"I see," Big McIntosh said before he parked the car in front of the school. "I hope you're trying to stay safe during the attacks."
Applejack scratched the back of her head because she did get hurt yesterday. Since she was healed by Twilight, it didn't matter so she could get away with this one lie. Although it didn't prevent her from feeling a bit of guilt.
"Don't worry about it. If anything I try to help keep others safe," Applejack smiled.
"Heh" McIntosh chuckled. "Always carry that trademark Apple Family selflessness."
"Will do!"
Applejack left the car and decided to drop by her locker in the girl's locker room since she left some of her stuff in there. It's pointless to keep stuff if she's not going to be around the gym. When she entered the building, she ran into Scorpia.
"If it isn't one of the star members of the soccer team. Coming in for morning practice?" Scorpia asked.
"Nah, just picking up my belongings," Applejack said. Scorpia looked surprised.
"It makes it sounds like you're leaving the team," Scorpia said.
"That's because I am," Applejack said. "A lot of work needs to be done in Sweet Apple Acres so I don't have time for extracurricular activities."
"But this is your final year here. Don't you want to stick around and help your team?" Scorpia asked.
Applejack paused for a moment. She said, "There's a lot of things going on back at home."
Scorpia nodded out of respect and said, "Well, then I hope you'll continue supporting the teams."
"Of course," Applejack said as smiled.
Deep down to her core, Applejack regretted her decision to resign as soon as possible. She kept telling herself that this was to help her family. It makes her feel better and the decision more justified in her eyes. Applejack picked up whatever spare clothing and textbook she4 left in her locker and went back to the main building. When she left, Applejack saw Shun and Rarity going at it again.
"What's with the budget slashes for the football team?" Shun asked as he read a document handed to him by the president.
"The student council and I thought that we should cut the funding for the football team and distribute it to the clubs that started this semester," Rarity said.
"You did this without consulting Scorpia?" Shun said with an irritated tone.
"The student council got her permission for these budget cuts," Rarity said. She explained, "Scorpia agreed that the football is well-off with a significant cut of the team's budget."
"We needed that money to purchase new gear. All of our current gear is old and worn out," Shun said.
"Well, you're going to have to find a way to make up the money you need then," Rarity said.
"Those two should really kiss and make up. They've always been fighting ever since 9th grade," Applejack thought. Somewhere in the distance, a Japanese student glared at Shun.
"I'll show you who's not good enough," the student muttered. He lifted a Switch from his pocket and pressed on it, transforming into the Hercules Zodiart. He walked out of the trees and shouted, "I'll show you all who's the strongest around here!"
Everyone turned to the Zodiart as he grabbed onto a bench and tossed it in the air. The bench flew towards Rarity and Shun. The football captain instinctively tackled Rarity down as the bench flew over them. Shun helped Rarity up. When the class president got back on her feet she wiped the dirt off her skirt. Rarity glanced at Shun, surprised that he saved her. Shun looked at the Zodiart with a glare.
"Are you another benched player from the team?" Shun asked.
"What? Me? I don't care about your braindead game of football. I just want to show off my strength!" the Zodiart shouted. "If I take out the king of the school, no one will question it!"
Hercules raised his club and charged towards Shun. Applejack quickly kicked the Hercules Zodiart from the side and pushed him down.
"Unless you want to be squashed like roadkill, I suggest you get out of here!" Applejack shouted.
Shun nodded before leaving and Rarity soon followed him. Applejack got in a defensive stance as Hercules got up.
"You bitch!" Hercules snapped. Applejack rolled back as Hercules smashed his club on the ground she once stood. Descent and the other Shadowbolts were on top of the roof, spectating the scene from afar.
"Hm, she likes to butt in a lot," Haze commented.
"Well, she is certainly close to one of the Elements of Harmony. Maybe she's one of the Elements of Harmony," Nightingale said.
"That wouldn't be too much of a stretch," Descent said. The Shadowbolt smirked and said, "I think I have a plan..."
Applejack dodged another Hercules' attack. She's trying to keep the Zodiart occupied until Rainbow Dash and the others get here. The apple cowgirl wasn't sure why she was doing this but it felt right when she saw Shun and Rarity make it out okay. Applejack quickly jumped back when Hercules slammed his club against the concrete. His predictable attacks made it easy for Applejack to dodge them. Before she could move, Haze suddenly landed behind her and got a hold of her.
"You!" Applejack shouted.
"I'm surprised you survived," Haze said.
"Well, it wasn't for those girl's magic, I woulda been a goner!" Applejack proclaimed.
"Hey, back off! She's mine to deal with!" Hercules shouted.
"Sorry about that, but this one has caught our interest," Descent said as he hovered above. "She could be an Element of Harmony for all we know. Besides, I think we should worry about Fourze and those girls."
"He's right, y'know!" Fourze proclaimed Hercules turned around and saw Fourze entering the scene. The Equestrians soon followed along with Kengo.
"Looks like they made our job a lot easier by attacking first thing in the morning!" Fourze proclaimed.
"Yes, that means I get to skip English!" Pinkie proclaimed.
"Try to keep your personal lives a secret!" Twilight barked. Rainbow Dash noticed Haze was holding onto Applejack. It surprised her as she knows Applejack was one of the strongest people in the school.
"They got AJ," Rainbow Dash said as she clenched her fist.
"The Shadowbolts must've put two-and-two together that Applejack is friends with one of us," Twilight said.
"That's a low blow to use a friend as a hostage!" Fourze proclaimed.
"Let Fourze deal with Zodiart while you guys focus on the Shadowbolts," Kengo said. Twilight, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash nodded before running around the Hercules Zodiart. The Zodiart looked confused as they ignored him. Haze flew back as Descent and Nightingale pushed forward to engage in a fight. Rainbow Dash used a burst of speed to zoom past the two Shadowbolts and chase Haze.
Launcher on! Radar on!
The Zodiart turned around as Fourze fired several rockets from the Launcher module. Fourze used the Radar module to have the rockets lock onto Hercules. The barrage of missiles blew up around Hercules. When the smoke cleared, Hercules was on his knees and remained largely unaffected by the attack.
"Barely a scratch!" Hercules taunted.
"That's one of the most powerful Astroswitches I have at my disposal. Well, other than..." Fourze thought as pulled out the Elek Astroswitch.
"I've looked into the blueprints of the Elek Astroswitch once more. It isn't a module that creates armor attachments or a weapon, it's an entirely different form," Kengo explained. "That electrical pulse that's shocking you is the Astroswitch attempting to transform you into an even more powerful form."
"Are you serious?" Fourze asked. The Kamen Rider pulled out the Elek Astroswitch. Fourze was still very reluctant to use it but he trusted Kengo's words enough to go through with it. He replaced the Rocket Astroswitch with the Elek Astroswitch.
Elek
Fourze gulped and said, "Alright, let's try it out!" He flicked the Elek Switch.
Elek on!
The gold rod and band materialized in Fourze's right arm. Electrical pulses started to spread from his arm and throughout his body. Hercules stood there and watched. He gripped onto his club in case the Kamen Rider suddenly attacked. The Zodiart was smart enough from his last encounter to not attack Fourze with the Elek Astroswitch on. When Fourze allowed the electrical charge to spread throughout his body, it didn't hurt him one bit.
"I see now," Fourze thought. "It only hurts when I tried to reject the Astroswitch instead of allowing it to use its power to its fullest."
Several circular batteries materialized around Fourze before attaching them around Fourze's torso. Two of them acted as shoulder pads while two remained on his front and back. Nearly the entirety of Fourze's suit was changed. He now sported a gold suit with a black lightning bolt in the center. Fourze's helmet was now golden. The eyes were now blue instead of orange. A shock of electricity was printed on the black faceplate. The only part of Fourze's suit that remained was his left gloves and both of his boots.
"He transformed!" Hercules shouted.
Fourze chuckled and said, "I feel juiced up now! I think I can take on the whole world!"
The Kamen Rider quickly plugged the cord into one of the sockets. Hercules swung his club at Fourze but the Kamen Rider managed to find an opening to attack. He slashed the rod across the Zodiart's chest before thrusting it into his chest. The attack stunned Hercules and Fourze pushed him away with a powerful kick. The Zodiart stumbled to regain his footing. He rushed forward while swinging his club from the side. Fourze ducked under the giant, blunt weapon and slashed the Zodiart in the chest multiple times. He ended his attack chain with an uppercut.
As the Kamen Rider was fighting against the Zodiart, Twilight and the others fought against the Shadowbolts. Rainbow Dash tried to chase Haze as he held onto Applejack as a hostage. Even though Haze was slowly compared to Descent, Rainbow Dash held back from using her lightning abilities as it might also hurt Applejack. So for now, he planned to catch Haze and attack him from a blindspot. However, she was distracted and didn't notice Descent coming in and kicking Rainbow Dash down. The rainbow-haired pegasus landed on her stomach.
"Two against one? That isn't fair at all," Rainbow Dash said as she stood back up.
"Didn't the four of you fought alone Zodiart all by himself? I wouldn't be the one to complain about unfair numbers," Descent taunted.
"Hey! You're the ones with an army of knights and ninjas," Rainbow Dash pointed out.
"She does have a point," Haze commented. The two Shadowbolts landed and two Dustards arrived on the scene. Haze lifted up his arm and said, "Shadow Constriction."
A shadowy tendril came out of Haze's hand and wrapped around Applejack's arms. The two Lunar Knights then grabbed onto her arms. Applejack tried to use break free through sheer force but it was a pointless effort. Haze turned around and faced Rainbow Dash.
"Incoming!" Pinkie Pie shouted as she ran into the scene. She bent down and put her hands on her knees while she tried to catch her breath.
"What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be helping Twilight against the other Shadowbolt?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Well, Twilight has that fight in the bag but you on the other hand might need a little help to even the odds," Pinkie said.
"Thanks, I call dibs on the blue-haired jackass," Rainbow Dash said.
"Oh, now we're doing petty name-calling?" Descent questioned. Rainbow Dash jumped into the air and swooped down. She began to chase around Descent once again, shooting bolts of lighting in an attempt to shoot him down. Pinkie leaped into the air, forming an icy mallet in her hands. She swung her weapon downwards, causing Haze to take a step back. Haze lunged forward and tried to punch Pinkie in the face.
Pinkie ducked under the attack and shouted, "Geyser!"
A powerful stream of water from Pinkie's hands launched Hazel into the air. The Shadowbolt used his wings to recover in the air. Hazel smashed the ground as he landed. His punch created a powerful shockwave that knocked Pinkie back. She was slammed against the wall and fell flat on the ground. As Pinkie got up, she quickly had water ensare Haze and freeze up. Haze struggled to break free and managed to crack the ice a bit. Eventually, he broke free from his icy encasement in a few short moments. Pinkie gulped nervously as she knew this wasn't going to be an easy fight.
"Try plugging the cord into a different socket!" Kengo shouted.
"Okay," Fourze said as he unplugged the cord on the gold rod. He plugged it into the middle socket. Electricity began to pulse throughout the rod. Fourze swung the rod at Hercules. He fired a wave of electricity at the Zodiart. He shouted, "Nice!"
Fourze swung his sword multiple times at the Zodiart, striking him with an electrical projectile. Hercules tried to withstand Fourze's projectiles as he walked towards the Kamen Rider. As Hercules raised his club, Fourze unplugged the cord and plugged it into the right socket. Fourze stepped back to dodge Hercule's club. The Kamen Rider swung the rod at the Zodiart and he was immobilized by an electrical trap that shot out of the tip of the rod. Hercules was sent flying back and landed on his back.
"finish off the Zodiart by plugging the Elec switch into the bottom socket," Kengo explained.
"Alright," Fourze said as he plugged the cord into the left socket and insert the Elek Switch into the bottom of the rod.
Limit break
The rod began to emit large voltages of electricity. Hercules got up and clenched onto his club. He charged towards the Kamen Rider with full force. Fourze also moved in while pulling back the rod.
"Rider Ten Billion Volt Break!" Fourze exclaimed.
When Hercules swung his club, Fourze was faster and managed to land his hit quickly. The rod slashed through Hercules' chest with a large voltage empowering the attack. The Zodiart got on its knees before falling onto the ground. Hercules blew up into smithereens. The Japanese student that was once the Hercules Zodiart laid down on the floor, unconscious and with a Switch in hand. Kengo grabbed it from the unconscious student and tossed it to Fourze. The Kamen Rider pressed on the Switch which caused its destruction.
"Alright, now that we're done here we need to support Twilight and the others," Kengo said.
"Right," Fourze nodded before he and Kengo left the scene. The two of them didn't notice that the bushes nearby were rustling the entire time.
Hiding the bushes was Shun and Rarity. The two of them were curious about the identity of the Zodiart so they stuck around for the chance to learn it. Rarity wanted to learn about the identity so she could properly get some answers about who's distributing the Switches to the students. More importantly, she wants to rehabilitate the students into becoming better people. Although she didn't like hiding behind the bushes they got her clothes a bit dirty and it was the morning. She was concerned that people will notice it throughout the day. But hiding behind the bushes was the only way to stay safe in this situation.
Unlike Rarity, Shun wanted to know his identity for more selfish reasons. If he knew who was the Zodiart that tried to kill him, he and his team could dish out a well-deserved punishment in their eyes.
"Shun, do you recognize him?" Rarity asked. Shun looked over the tree and saw the Japanese student.
"Ren Kazaki," Shun said. He scoffed and said, "Another football reject trying his hand at revenge by becoming a monster?"
"Wait, else did you know who became a monster?"
"Miura."
Rarity gasped as she knew about Miura and his poor treatment in the team through rumors around the student council. She glared at Shun and said, "Do you feel responsible for being the reason these students became monsters?"
"Of course not. It's not my fault that they'd stoop this low," Shun said. As Ren slowly back up, Shun turned around and marched his way towards the ex-Zodiart. Rarity knew this wasn't going to end well and had to step in.
"Excuse me? But what do you think you're doing?" Rarity snapped as she got in between Ren and Shun.
"I'm going to teach this idiot that it's not smart to try to overthrow the king," Shun said. Rarity could only roll over her eyes.
"You know what, maybe you deserved to get overthrown," Rarity said.
"Excuse me? I earned my position and authority unlike him!"
"And so did I! If you're the so-called king of the school, you'd try to be more responsible and own up your mistakes of being a terrible leader!"
Ren silently got up and limped away. He thought, "Oh god, they're at it again..."
Twilight's opponent was Nightingale. Despite being a pegasus, Nightingale preferred to use magic to attack. The fight consisted of back and forth blasts of magic.
"Shadow Missile!" Nightingale shouted as she blasted a black, smokey projectile. Twilight tried to blast it with her magic attack but it split off. Her attack went through Nightingale's projectile. The Shadowbolt quickly jumped back to avoid Twilight's attack. The split projectile aimed itself in multiple directions.
"Barrier!" Twilight shouted as a barrier projected in front of her. As Nightingale tried to cast another spell at Twilight, Fourze trapped her with the rod's electricity. Twilight noticed the Kamen Rider's new appearance as she lowered her shield. "Is that suppose to the Elek Switch's power?"
Fourze nodded and said, "Yeah! It turns out I had to stop being a crybaby about it shocking my body and go with the flow!"
As Nightingale got up, Fourze plugged the cord of the rod into the center outlet. He fired several energy slashes at the Shadowbolt. Nightingale quickly raised a protective shield in the front and blocked the attacks. She didn't notice Twilight building a final attack. When she did it was too late and Twilight cast a giant ball of magical energy. It blew up right in Nightingale's face and incapacitated her.
"Nice look," Twilight commented. "Although I think Rainbow Dash might not appreciate you copying her style."
"Oh, shoot! The others must still be having a hard time fighting against the Shadowbolts. That hooded guy looked tough so let's go!" Fourze said as he left. Nightingale may be unable to fight but she can still move. She got up and limped her way to the others. They're going to need a full retreat now that the numbers are uneven on two teams.
Rainbow Dash tried her best to blast Descent with her lightning. She shouted, "Lightning machine gun!"
The rainbow-haired Pegasus fired a barrage of small, lightning projectiles at Descent. He managed to dodge most of the projectiles but unfortunately, three penetrated his wings. Descent crashed into the ground and got up.
"That was one lucky shot," the Shadowbolt complemented.
A ball of black fire formed in his hand. He turned around and blasted it at Rainbow Dash. She easily dodged it and fired a lightning bolt at Descent. Applejack watched as the two of them fought. She wishes that she can do something to help them. She doesn't have their powers but if she had, she would try to help them in a heartbeat. She glanced at the two knights that held her. She quickly raised her left leg and stomped on the Lunar Knight's foot. It lets go of Applejack and tried to mend the hurt foot by rubbing it. Applejack used her free arm to punch the second Lunar Knight as hard as she can. After punching it, she then realized it was dumb to punch metallic armor.
"Ouch," Applejack said as she shook her hand. The Lunar Knight quickly swung his lance at Applejack. She ducked under and stood using her arms. She lifted her legs and kicked the Lunar Knight in the stomach. Rainbow Dash saw Applejack kicking the Knight and was impressed.
"You'll pay for thi-" the Lunar Knight was stabbed through the chest by Fourze's gold rod. As the body dissipated, the last remaining Lunar Knight ran towards Fourze. The Kamen Rider easily used the rod to slice through the Lunar Knight.
"Is that you Ge- I mean Fourze?" Pinkie questioned. Haze and Descent turned around and saw Fourze in his new, electrical form. Descent gritted his teeth as he realized that his sister and the Zodiart have been defeated by Fourze and Twilight. In the distance, he saw Nightingale limping towards them.
"Grab Nightingale and let's get the heck out of here!" Descent ordered as he flew towards his sister. Haze glanced at the Kamen rider in his new form. He wasn't sure how powerful this new form was but whatever it was, it could be dangerous if he isn't prepared. Haze soon followed Descent. The Shadowbolts gathered around and teleported away from the scene. Fourze or the others didn't give chase because they already won this fight.
Rainbow Dash flew towards Applejack and hugged her. She was relieved that Applejack was safe.
"Glad you're safe," Rainbow Dash said. She asked, "What happened? Why were those jerks interested in you?"
"I guess it's because I tried to save you yesterday," Applejack said.
"They probably realized that the two of you are close friends and tried to use a
"Right," Applejack nodded.
"Hey, I saw you pull some sick moves on those knights back there. I'm impressed you managed to hit them hard!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
"Well, everyone did say I have absurd strength," Applejack said.
"Strength, huh?" Kengo said as he approached the group. "This might be out of character for me but at this point, it's just a regular occurrence. How do you feel about joining our group? Someone with your strength to hurt something as strong as a Lunar Knight might be able to pilot the Powerdizer."
"What? Kengo asking someone to join the Kamen Pony Club?!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"Heh, that's the first," Twilight chuckled.
"I still refuse to call that but we still lack a pilot for the Powerdizer. If we manage to get someone, we could increase this team's effectiveness even more," Kengo explained.
"I appreciate the offer but I'ma have to decline," Applejack said. "I have my family to worry about."
"Come on, Applejack. I know things are tough at the farm and all but I know that you'd secretly want to join. After all, having a good moral compass is something that runs in the Apple family, right?" Rainbow Dash said. "Be honest with yourself. Are things really that bad at the farm?"
Applejack shrugged and said, "No."
The apple cowgirl continued and said, "Things aren't difficult on the farm. The workload isn't too heavy nor are we struggling financially. It's just that I want to prevent my brother from having another accident. I thought if I just work more time on the farm, it might decrease those chances. A part of me wished I never quit soccer because this is my final year here at Canterlot High, and I do want to help you guys. But I'm just too concerned with my family."
Rainbow Dash playfully punched Applejack on the shoulder and said, "About time someone is honest about themselves."
A red gem soon flew out of nowhere and hovered in front of Applejack. It was the gem of the Element of Honesty.
"What's this?" Applejack asked.
"That's the Element of Honesty!" Twilight proclaimed. "Applejack, you're an Element of Harmony."
"I think I heard those guys mention me being one of them but I have no clue what it is," Applejack said.
"It means that you're bonded with a soul of a pony from an alternative universe and you have a mantle of responsibility to protect the residents of this town as they are the reincarnation of everypony from the other world." Pinkie explained.
"I think there's still a lot of missing information but still, what Pinkie said is right. We're meant to protect this town from whatever forces of evil that may threaten it," Twilight said.
"Well, if that's the case then sign me up. If this town is in trouble and so is my family," Applejack said. She grabbed the gem and said, "So what now?"
"Now we should go to class," Kengo said as he looked at his watch.
"What? Shouldn't classes be canceled because of his Zodiart attack?" Fourze questioned.
"Rarity's guidelines state if the attack is over by 7:50 AM, then that means school isn't canceled. It's currently 7:47," Kengo said.
"Dammit, let's go to our hideout, change and let's go!" Fourze said as he ran towards the Rabbit Hatch.
Twilight soon chased him and said, "Wait! I can teleport us in there! You'll just reveal our position!"
Rainbow Dash chuckled and turned to Applejack, "Don't worry, you'll fit right in."
"Hm, I'm sure I will," Applejack said. She then asked, "So does Gilda know about this magic, cosmic stuff you're involved in?"
"Oh..." Rainbow Dash said as she scratched the back of her head, "It's a long story with her."
Author's note:
Hey, it's been a while. In honor of the next generation of MLP arriving, I decided to go back to this story and work on it. The reason for the long absence was because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the story. I was kinda writing chapters as they went along and this one was kinda no exception. I spent a few weeks trying to come up with a cohesive storyline. I had one before I wrote the story but I didn't do anything to fill it in with fine details and such. So now, I at least have the next few dozen chapters filled out.
Anyways, let's talk about the chapter. Just a reminder this is loosely based on the Friendship is Magic webcomic by Mauroz. So some elements of the story are weaved into the fanfic but as you can see the characters are closer to their Equestria Girls counterparts. Instead of being a character who loathes friendship, I wrote Applejack as an unsure person who's stuck between her family and what she wants to do. Now Applejack would normally pick family over her own interests but I kinda wanted to write it in a way where she's too concerned about her family and that she can have some of her own free time and such without worrying about the family.
On one final note, you might be wondering where's Fluttershy? Well, read the next chapter to find out or wait if it's not even published.
Anyways, leave a like and follow if you enjoyed this chapter. Also please leave a constructive review of my story. Until next time.
Up next: The Quiet Butterfly