The girls rested the entire night. They managed to sleep fairly well considering they were in an unknown environment. Before they slept, Sunset wondered if she should bring up the "no stars" thing to the girls but decided that it was best not to freak them out too much. They were already in an unknown environment, and supposedly, ripped from their universes. On top of the fact that they all seemed to be suffering from huge gaps in their memories…it just didn't feel like something to add to the growing pile.
Once the sun rose, all three girls got up. Once they were fully awake, Sunset decided that they should formulate a plan as to what their next move should be. "Okay, so, granted that neither of us knows where we are. I think we should explore a little."
"You really think that's a good idea? I mean, if we're stranded on either of our worlds, then it'd be better if we stayed in one place and waited for someone, right?" Anne asked.
"Normally, I'd agree with you. But don't forget, we were unconscious when we got here, and neither of us has a cellphone. Which means who or whatever abducted us placed us somewhere where they knew we couldn't be found by anyone. Honestly, fanning out and searching for compounds or a town would be better for us," Sunset suggested.
Luz and Anne glanced at each other, and then nodded in agreement.
"Okay, how do think we should this?" Luz asked.
Sunset grabbed an unused tree branch and began to draw a circle on the ground, and then poked three dots into the dirt to represent themselves. "We're here, so, I say we use this tree as our homebase. We start here and walk in a spiral pattern." Sunset began drawing a spiral, starting at the edge of the circle and slowly expanding it. "We walk carefully, and slowly. So long as we hold this pattern, we guarantee that we'll cover more ground, and at the same time, make sure that the tree is at the center of our pattern. That way all we need to do is walk in a straight line at the center, and we'll be back here. What do you think?"
"Honestly, it's better than anything I was going to think of," said Anne.
"Let's do it, but how long do you think we should do this spiral for?" Luz asked.
Sunset cupped her chin as she thought about it. "Good question. We don't want to be out there too long. And the further out we go from our shelter, the easier it's going to be for whatever animals are out there to hunt us. And I really don't want to be caught out there in the middle of the night."
"Same."
"Ditto."
"We'll see how far we can get. Maybe we'll come across another place where we can hunker down for shelter along the way. In the meantime, let's at least arm ourselves."
"Way ahead of you, dude," said Anne as she stood up and walked towards a log. Afterwards, Anne returned with three wooden spears. "Carved these when I woke up, I felt better walking around with a sharp stick."
"You made three?" Sunset asked.
"A backup, and a backup for the backup in case I ended up breaking one or had to ditch in whatever monster or bloodthirsty animal I stabbed it into," Anne explained.
"That actually makes sense," said Luz.
Anne tossed Luz a spear, and then Sunset. Both girls grabbed their wooden weapons and stood up, now armed and ready.
"Alright girls, keep it tight, and make sure to keep your head on a swivel. So far we've been lucky that we haven't run into any dangerous animals. But the chances of that happening will go up the further we leave camp. Watch each other's backs, and don't hesitate to call something out," Sunset instructed.
"Roger!" Luz responded.
"You got it, Sunset," said Anne.
Once they established this, three girls headed out of the hollow tree and began their spiral pattern trek. Sunset took the lead, having Luz and Anne on her right and left respectively, and had them stay behind her. If there was any dangerous animal to encounter, it was going to have to go through her first before it could harm Luz or Anne. The two younger girls knew what Sunset was doing by having them keep this triangle pattern, and so, they did their best to keep an eye out for movement of any kind in the dense forest.
Slowly but surely, they began to make their way outwards, always aware of where the tree was. Sunset hoped this would work, but she did find it odd. When she went out to search for food she found some apple trees. She made sure to take the first bite, testing them to see if they were edible, and not poisonous. It wasn't as if she had no regard for her own life, quite the opposite. But again, Luz and Anne were just kids. She had to protect them. Sunset would dictate their breaks by the position of the sun, thankfully this world's sun seemed to follow the same pattern of rising in the east and setting in the west. And thanks to being Celestia's apprentice, she had become really good at knowing what time of day it was based on the position of the sun. So, every five to ten minutes, Sunset would have them take a break.
While Sunset wasn't as athletic as Rainbow or Applejack, she felt she was confident enough in her stamina to go longer. She was surprised at how Luz was keeping up with her and Anne. Based on what Luz told them about her daily life, she suspected that Luz would need longer breaks to recover from their trek. But now that she looked at Luz, she could tell that the girl had a lean build, similar to Anne.
"You doing alright, Luz?" Sunset asked.
"Y-Yeah, I'm okay," said Luz. "I'm doing better than I thought."
"I'm glad, I was thinking me, or Sunset, were going to have to carry you. I know Mar-Mar would be dying right about now," Anne joked.
"Har, har, Anne," Luz fake laughed. "But seriously, I'm doing alright. If you're taking more breaks because you're worried about me, it's okay. We can walk longer."
"Well, I won't lie that that's what I'm doing. But it's better that we do this and pace ourselves. We don't want to tire ourselves out too quickly and not have any fuel left in our tanks," said Sunset.
"Hey, wait a sec." Anne listened closely and smiled. "I think I hear a stream nearby!"
"Great, let's rest up there and get a drink."
The girls followed the sound of rushing water, and when they did, they found a rushing river. The water was moving fast downhill, and it was quite clear.
"Shouldn't we boil it or something?" Luz asked.
"Yeah, she has a point there," Anne agreed.
"True, and normally if we had the time and means we should. But given that we don't have the luxury of either, we're gonna have to risk it. Look at it this way, the chances of us dying from dehydration are one hundred percent if we don't drink anything. The chances of us getting some kind of stomach bug from drinking the water is in the low single digits. Plus, the water's moving fast, so it should be safe enough," Sunset explained.
Luz and Anne still looked hesitant.
Sunset sighed. "Hey, I won't make you guys do anything I'm not willing to do myself. But we're not going to make if we don't stay hydrated."
They knew Sunset was right, one way or another, they were going to need water. And from what they could see, the sky was clear, so there was no chance of rainwater falling. Even if it did, it wasn't as if they had any bottles with them to collect it. Sunset nodded to the two young teens and used her hands to cup some water into them before taking a drink. Anne and Luz knelt on either side of Sunset and did as she did. As they drank, all three girls paused when they heard the snapping of branches far behind them. Slowly, all three picked up their spears and turned their heads in that direction.
"We've walked for hours, and haven't spotted a single bird, bug, or four legged anything," said Anne.
"Yeaaah," Sunset confirmed.
"And now we hear something," said Luz.
Sunset gripped her spear and assumed an attack stance as she pointed her wooden weapon in the direction the sound came from. Her turquoise eyes narrowed as she tried to peer past the trees, searching for any sign of movement. Suddenly, there was a whistling sound echoing through the woods.
"Do you guys here that?" Sunset asked.
"Yeah," Luz and Anne answered.
The whistling sound started to get louder and louder, but it was also accompanied by – what sounded like – wood splintering and exploding. That's when Sunset spotted something glowing blue heading right for them.
"GET DOWN!" Sunset ordered.
Anne, Sunset, and Luz dropped to the ground as something circular burst through the trees and flew over them. But that same, blue glowing, circular object boomeranged and headed back the same way it came. Dozens of trees collapsed, and the ones that were in the process of falling were blasted to pieces as the blue glowing buzzsaw hit each one on its way to whatever launched it.
"What the heck was that?!" Anne cried out.
"Something bad!" Luz answered.
"Run down stream!" Sunset ordered.
All three girls picked up their weapons and ran along the river's edge. They could hear more snapping after the cacophony of falling trees had stopped. Then came the snarling sounds. Something was giving chase, something vicious sounding, and big. The three girls continued to run, and as they did, Sunset glanced to her right and gasped as she saw a white figure following them. That same figure veered in their direction and burst through the tree line as it gave a screeching roar into the air before landing on the pebble strewn beach. The girls paused for a moment to see the beast that was pursuing them.
Its body was white as snow, with jagged spines and spikes coming from its back, forearms, and tail. Its four claws were long and razor sharp, its muzzle making it appear as some humanoid raptor-like creature.
When Sunset got a good look at the beast she felt a sense of familiarity, as if she had seen this creature before. Where she had no idea.
"What in the name of Azura is that thing?! It looks like an anthropomorphic raptor!" Luz shouted.
"Or like some monster from a horror movie!" Anne added.
"Just keep running! GO!"
The girls ran again, and the raptor gave chase. The beast was hot on their tail as it snarled, hissed, and roared at them. Sunset glanced over her shoulder, unable to shake the feeling that she had seen this monster before. That same nostalgic feeling arose when she saw the beast grabbing its right shoulder spike with its left claw, and the left shoulder spike with the right claw. The two spikes elongated a little, curving into the shapes of crescents. The white raptor used its powerful legs to jump straight into the air, and after taking careful aim, threw the two crescents right at them. The crescents started to glow bright blue, and a moment later, spun rapidly to the point that they appeared as glowing ringlets.
That's what it was?! That thing can throw its own spikes at us like buzzsaw boomerangs?!
"Uh, guys, what's that up ahead?!" Luz asked.
Sunset turned her attention back to the front. That's when she saw something that looked like a gateway. It was a big metal door, seemingly erected with no walls or anything around it. Which didn't make sense, but then again, nothing else was making sense right now. The whistling sound of the energy crescents was drawing closer, Sunset furrowed her brow and formulated a plan.
"When I say so, hit the ground!" Sunset exclaimed. "…NOW!"
Sunset, Luz, and Anne dove forward, letting go of their spears as they hit the ground, hard. The two boomerangs flew passed them and struck the huge metal doors ahead of them. The force and cutting power of the blades blasted the thick metal doors off their hinges and forced them to fall backwards. The girls dared to peek, but when they did, they gasped. On the other side of the door was a city. There were concrete buildings, and asphalt roads. But that was impossible, right? They were in the middle of a forest.
"When those things come back, run through the gate!" Sunset stated.
"That a good idea?" Anne asked.
"It's either the mysterious city on the other side of a gate with no walls, or the albino anthro raptor behind us that can throw its spikes like weapons!" Luz argued.
"Good point!"
The boomerang crescents flew out through the gateway and over their heads. Once they passed, Sunset, Luz, and Anne bolted. They ran as hard and as fast as they could, passing through the gateway as they left the forest area and now entered the city. The three gasped when they saw the tall buildings, various cars, and blue sky with clouds overhead. Sunset glanced about and started to notice the street signs; they were familiar to her.
"Wait…Trotting Blvd.?" Luz questioned.
"Hoofington Way?" Anne read. "What kind of road names are these?"
"Their…Their road names from Canterlot City," Sunset answered.
Luz and Anne turned their gaze on Sunset in shock.
"Wait, are you saying we somehow crossed into your world?!" Luz asked.
"I…I don't…If we did, then where are the people?" Sunset wondered.
The girls looked around but couldn't see nor hear any signs that there were other humans around. For a large metropolis like this, it was eerily quiet. There were many cars, but not a single person in them. However, the white raptor wasn't going to give them time to ponder this question as it leapt through the gateway. Upon making it through, the gateway immediately disappeared, transforming into blue fractals that disassembled themselves until it was completely gone, even the doors that were busted down were gone too.
"Pardon my French, but what the HELL is going on here?!" Anne shouted in confusion.
The white raptor snarled and then looked at one of the cars. Without waiting, the monster used its strength to grab ahold of the car and then chucked it straight at them. Sunset, Anne, and Luz screamed as they watched the car head towards them. Sunset pushed Anne to the side, while she dove for Luz and tackled the Latina away from the car. Thankfully, the vehicle missed them, but not before smashing against another car, bouncing off it, and then hitting another before finally rolling along and getting itself wedged between two others.
Sunset groaned as she held her head but managed to prop herself up with her left hand. "Dammit, that hurt. Luz, you okay?"
Luz was blushing as she found herself in the precarious position of having the bad girl, Sunset Shimmer's, body pressed on top of hers. "G-G-Good! I-I'm alright! T-Thanks for the save!"
"Any time, Luz." Sunset quickly got off Luz and cried out, "ANNE, YOU ALRIGHT?!"
Anne poked her head up from behind a car and answered, "I'm alive! I owe you one, dude!"
"What are we going to do?" Luz asked. "That thing is not going to stop, and we don't even have any real weapons to fight back against it!"
Sunset tried to think, she couldn't let this thing hurt the girls, but what else could she do? Luz was right, they had no weapons to fight back with. And after seeing what this thing was capable of, she doubted that simple wooden spears would even pierce that things hide, and that's even if they could get close enough to find out. Was this what they were brought here to do? Was this monster part of some secret organization's weapons testing, and they just needed fresh bodies to act as target practice? Whatever the case was, that thing would not stop hunting them until they were dead. With that knowledge, Sunset decided on a course of action.
"…Hey, Luz," said Sunset.
"W-What?"
"I need you to be brave right now. I'm going to go out there and lure it away. And I need you to go and grab Anne and run in the opposite direction of me. Run as far and fast as you can. Find someplace to hide, and you keep running and hiding until you find a way out of here," Sunset ordered.
"WHAT?!" Luz exclaimed. "We're not going to leave you to die! Sunset, we need you!"
"You two are stronger than you think, I can see it. So long as you two are together, you can survive." Sunset looked to her right, smirked, and winked at Luz. "I'm glad to have known you and Anne, even if it was for a short time."
With those parting words, Sunset got up, and leapt over the car as she heard Luz cry out for her, but she ignored the Latina's cries as she got into the middle of the street.
"HEY, TRISASSIC WORLD REJECT!" Sunset yelled.
The white raptor narrowed its gaze as it locked onto Sunset.
"You wanna a real hunt?! Then come after me!"
The white raptor snarled, as it crouched low, preparing to go in for the kill.
"HEY!" Luz cried out, gaining the attention of the monster. "I'M HERE TOO! MAYBE YOU'RE IN THE MOOD FOR A LITTLE LATIN CUISINE!"
LUZ, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Sunset thought.
"HEY, SCALLY!" Anne cried out as she, too, got on top of a car and started yelling. "DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME! IF YOU WANT SOMETHING SPICY TO EAT, TRY SOME THAI!"
The white raptor shifted its gaze to Anne, snarling at her, and then back to Luz, and back to Sunset. The beast seemed to be having trouble deciding which of the three girls would be the easiest prey to kill first. Its blue eyes shifted back to Luz, it gave the air a sniff, and its decision was made. The white raptor's body shifted, now pointing in Luz's direction.
Okay, I got its attention…! WHAT THE HECK WAS STEP TWO?! Luz thought in a panic.
The white raptor let out an intimidating screeching roar that made Luz stumble and plop onto the roof of the car before rolling along the front and onto the hood. As soon as the white raptor saw this, it took its shot. The beast jumped high into the air, fangs and claws bared as it descended, about to pounce on the Latina and make her into its meal.
Sunset saw this happening in slow motion, her heart thumped unusually loud in her ears as she dashed for Luz, not even thinking about herself as she tried to reach the Latina before the monster could. But even as she ran, Sunset knew even if she made it to Luz, there was no way she was going to be able to stop that thing from using its fangs and claws to tear through both of them at the same time. Forget that! The sheer weight of that thing falling on her would be enough to break Sunset's back and pin her body against Luz's, preventing either of them from escaping. In retrospect, letting the raptor kill Luz would be much more merciful and swifter than a slow and painful death.
NO! Sunset thought, finding the strength to run faster. Even if it's just an inch, if I can make that thing veer off course, and get me, or brace against it, I can save her! I won't let her die!
Sunset's mind suddenly felt a memory spring up. She saw an image of herself doing something similar to this, running towards danger to save someone's life. Someone she cared about. The memory cleared up a little bit more, and Sunset was able to recognize that it was Twilight, lying unconscious on the ground as something streaked across the sky and headed towards her fallen friend. A lot of questions were raised in that moment. Why was Twilight there? She was wearing glasses, so it must've been the human Twilight, but did that mean she saved human Twilight? Regardless, Sunset wasn't going to let any of her friends get hurt, and that included Luz, short though their time was.
The fiery-haired teenager managed to get to Luz in time. She could hear Anne crying out to both of them, and she was aware of Luz crying out to Sunset. But she didn't care. Sunset stood her ground, and whether out of desperation or perhaps hidden knowledge, she reached into her pocket and grabbed the turquoise-colored USB drive. She closed her hand into a fist around the device, cocked back her right fist, and threw a punch just as the beast got close. What happened next stunned all three girls. A bright turquoise pulse of energy erupted from Sunset's fist, taking on the shape of a unicorn as the tip of its horn struck the center of the white raptor's chest. The impact created a shower of sparks that sent the beast flying. It bounced against several cars before finally using its claws to anchor itself into the asphalt, tearing up in the street in the process as it came to a halt.
Sunset kept the same stance, eyes still wide as she looked upon the construct of the unicorn. It remained in the air for a few more seconds before disappearing, along with the glow from her fist. Luz was in total awe upon witnessing what Sunset did, and Anne was just standing there stunned. Both girls finally snapped out of it and rushed to Sunset's side.
"SUNSET, HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!" Luz asked.
"DUDE, SINCE WHEN CAN YOU DO A POWER PUNCH?! AND WAS THAT A UNICORN?!" Anne questioned.
"I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU COULDN'T USE MAGIC?!" Luz inquired, again.
"I…I can't…I mean, at least, I shouldn't be able to without using my guitar or feeling my element, but…" Sunset opened her fist and saw that the USB drive was still glowing, albeit faintly. "I think it was this thing."
"A fancy looking flash drive?" Anne asked.
"Looks strange, and its glowing. Was it glowing before?" Luz asked.
"No, but…when I saw you in danger, it…triggered something. A memory. I saw myself and…Ah!" Sunset held her head as another memory rose in her mind.
"Sunset!" Luz and Anne cried out in worry.
More images appeared in Sunset's mind, she saw herself and Twilight, she recalled Twilight working on something, something that would protect Sunset and everyone from monsters. That's when the image of a hero clad in turquoise armor, possessing a crystal unicorn, showed up in her mind's eye.
While this was going on, Luz and Anne turned around, dread welled up inside them as they watched the white raptor regain its bearings and began heading towards them again.
"Okay, Sunset, whatever you did, you need to do it again!" Anne urged.
Sunset released her head as she took a calming breath. She wasn't sure about the memories that entered her mind, but if it meant that she had the power to protect them, then she was willing to use what she saw in her memories. "Girls, stand behind me."
"Sunset, don't! Not again! Don't sacrifice yourself!" Luz begged.
"No, I'm not sacrificing myself. I'm going to take that thing down," Sunset stated.
The fiery-haired teen gently pushed Luz and Anne aside as she took a few steps forward. Strangely, the white raptor paused, sensing a change in Sunset's demeanor. The former unicorn mare reached behind her back and unhooked the other device she had been hiding from the girls. As if by pure instinct, Sunset placed the device at her waist. Immediately after, the buckle released a strap that looped around Sunset's waist and connected to the other side of the buckle as two slots appeared on the hips of the belt in a flash of light as well.
"What the…?" Anne gaped.
Luz went silent. She couldn't be about to witness what she thought she was about to witness, could she?
Sunset raised the USB drive in her right hand and pressed the button.
UNICORN!
Guided by those same instincts and memories, Sunset slotted the Unicorn Memory into the top slot of the driver.
"…HENSHIN!"
The moment Sunset yelled out that word, she pressed down on the slot, connecting it to the rest of the driver.
UNICORN!
A spherical field of turquoise electricity formed around Sunset's body. The lightning it produced rapidly struck Sunset's body, but it did not electrocute her. Instead, the lightning materialized armor. The transformation continued as it quickly formed over her legs, waist, torso, arms, shoulders, and finally a helmet covered Sunset's head. Once the armor had fully manifested, a blast of shimmering turquoise particles was released. The particles danced in the air for a moment before fading out of existence. The crystal horn on Sunset's helmet glowed in tandem with her sky-blue compound eyes, and the white raptor seemed to hesitate now that he saw what she had become.
"No…friggin' way…did…did Sunset just…"
"SHE'S A KAMEN RIDER!" Luz yelled loudly, her voice echoing in the empty city.
Sunset took another step forward, and the white raptor took a step back. The armor-clad teen assumed a fighting stance as she announced, "Unicorn…I…I'm Kamen Rider Unicorn!"
The white raptor snarled and let out a threatening roar as it drove the last bits of hesitation out of its mind and charged straight for Unicorn. The Rider of Empathy's crystal horn glowed, and suddenly, the two cars next to her were wrapped in a turquoise aura. Luz and Anne watched in awe as the cars were easily lifted into the air, and with a wave of Unicorn's hands, she hurled the cars at the white raptor. The beast roared again and produced two large crescent blades from its forearms. The blades glowed bright blue as the monster slashed upwards, slicing the first car in half, and then at an angle to cut the second car. The four halves crashed to the sides of the buildings, but Unicorn was only getting started.
The white raptor squeaked in shock as it just now noticed ten different cars floating in the air above Unicorn, Luz, and Anne's positions. Unicorn smirked under her helmet as she gave the mental command and threw all the cars right at the white raptor in rapid succession. The white raptor was working overtime as it slashed through one car after the other, trying desperately to prevent itself from getting struck by the vehicles. However, what the monster failed to notice was that with each severed car, gasoline splashed onto the ground. Unicorn raised her right hand and formed a sphere of energy before shooting straight at the ground where the white raptor stood. The magical hero hurriedly turned around and grabbed Luz and Anne by the hands.
"Hang on, this'll feel weird!" Unicorn warned.
"Wait what?!" the girls exclaimed.
Unicorn's horn shined and flashed with turquoise light. A bigger, and brighter flash of light went off around them, and a moment later, all three of them were gone. Meanwhile, the sphere of magical energy struck the ground where the white raptor was standing. The beast noticed too late as the sphere exploded and ignited gasoline that was splashed onto it and on the nearby cars. The flames of the explosion snaked their way to the severed cars, and created a cascade of multiple explosions, destroying the cars on the street and engulfing the white raptor in the flames.
About a hundred feet down from where the explosions took place, Unicorn, Luz, and Anne reappeared. Unicorn released the two girls, letting them drop to their knees as they held their stomachs.
"Oh, man…that felt really weird," Anne moaned.
"Did I leave my stomach back there? Because it feels like it hasn't caught up to us," Luz groaned.
"Sorry, had to teleport us out of there before the big boom," Unicorn apologized. The hero turned around and narrowed her gaze as she saw the flames in the distance. She doubted it would be that easy. And she was right.
The white raptor dashed out of the flames, parts of its body were burnt, but it was otherwise still combat ready. Unicorn swiftly teleported away from Luz and Anne and reappeared right in the path of the white raptor. The beast was not expecting Unicorn to get in that close and was unprepared for Unicorn to strike it in the chest with a strong right hook into its side. The beast roared in pain as sparks flew from the impact point. The monster managed to recover and countered with a swipe of its blade across Unicorn's chest plate, earning the white raptor a grunt of pain as sparks were released into the air when she was hit.
Unicorn wasn't deterred as she planted her feet, charged her left fist, and came up with a mana coated uppercut under the white raptor's lower jaw, sending the beast three feet off the ground. Unicorn teleported, and reappeared behind it as she threw a flying roundhouse into its side and sent it spiraling towards a building. However, before the white raptor could hit the building, Unicorn teleported a second time and intercepted the monster as she came down with an axe kick right onto its head and made the white raptor strike the concrete sidewalk with a mighty "BOOM!" sound. Unicorn grabbed ahold of one of the monster's spikes as she teleported for the third time, this time appearing high overhead as she used her strength to toss the monster back to the ground. Acting on that same instinct, Unicorn quickly detached the Unicorn Memory from the Uni-Driver and inserted it into the Max Drive slot on the right hip port.
"It's time to restore harmony!" Unicorn declared as she pressed down on the button of the Max Driver port.
} UNICORN! MAXIMUM DRIVE! {
"SPIRAL BREAKER!"
A burst of magical energy shot Unicorn forward and she thrusted her right leg out for a Rider Kick. A spiral horn construct formed around her foot and ignited with magical energy as she descended from the sky. The white raptor hit the ground, back first, and bounced a foot into the air. But the monster was quickly slammed back into the ground as Unicorn's Spiral Breaker kick hit the white raptor in the center of its chest. The beast let out a wailing roar as the energy of the construct horn released a powerful pulse that set off a massive explosion, engulfing both it and Unicorn in the flames.
"Sunset…s-she's alright, right?" Luz asked.
"I…" Anne didn't know what to say, as she didn't want to give Luz false hope.
However, both their fears were unfounded as a burst of turquoise particles snuffed out the flames and revealed Kamen Rider Unicorn, completely unharmed. Unicorn stood in the small crater for a moment and then walked out, now holding a blue colored device similar to her Unicorn Memory.
"Fang…This is…This is the Fang Memory. But…How do I know that?" Unicorn asked herself.
"SUNSET!" Luz and Anne called out.
Unicorn looked up and watched as her two young friends ran towards her. The magical hero disconnected the Unicorn Memory from her Driver, and immediately her armor dispersed, returning her to civilian form. When they arrived, Luz was now looking up at the older teen with starry eyes and a dopey grin on her face.
"Y-You're a Kamen Rider! Sunset Shimmer, you're a real live Kamen Rider!" Luz exclaimed in excitement and joy.
"I…I don't believe this! Kamen Riders are real?!" Anne shouted.
"You know what that is?" Sunset asked.
"Marcy's big time into those Japanese live-action superhero shows, and so is my dad. And, uh, I might also be a fan as well," Anne admitted, but then shook her head. "Okay, that aside, how did you do that?! And more importantly, how long have you been able to do that?!"
Sunset looked at the two Gaia Memories in each of her hands for a moment before she adopted a stern expression. "I'll explain, but first, let's find someplace to hold up. I don't want to be out in the open after that fracas I just caused."
The girls were eventually able to find a hotel building in the city. Thankfully, the layout of the city was exactly the same as Canterlot City in Sunset's world, so she knew where to look when it came to finding them shelter. Although Sunset still wasn't sure if this was really her Earth, or if the same unknown entity or force created an exact copy of her world. Either way, that was an explorative mission for tomorrow. Sunset, Luz, and Anne took up residence in the presidential suite. They figured, if they were going to stay in a hotel, they might as well live it up a little. Strangely enough, the place had plenty of supplies. Food, water, beverages, not only that, but it also had running hot and cold water, along with electricity.
"As happy as I am that we found food, and all kinds of goodies, does anyone else feel like this is even stranger than being dumped in the woods?" Anne asked.
Luz finished downing a slice of frozen pizza and replied, "No, I'm with you there. And what was with that gate? It was in the middle of nowhere, and then when it was busted open, it led this city. Which is either Sunset's Earth's city, or an exact replica. Honestly, I'm hoping it's the latter, because it's eerily quiet for a city."
"I know. I never really noticed how I was so used to the noise. Even at night, Los Angeles hums, and there's always some kind of sound going off in the night, it felt alive. But here…it feels empty," said Anne.
Sunset had remained quiet as she sat on the couch and looked at the Uni-Driver and two Gaia Memories she had placed on the coffee table in front of her. Luz and Anne approached the couch and sat on either side of Sunset and turned their gaze onto the same devices.
"So…you're a Kamen Rider?" Anne asked. "How long?"
"I don't know…" Sunset sighed heavily. "When I saw Luz in danger, it triggered a memory. I remembered saving my friend, Twilight. I remember she made this thing, the Uni-Driver, because she saw it in a dream of hers. That device, the Unicorn Memory, came to me, it chose me. To tell you the truth that wasn't the first time I fought that monster, it was the second time."
"What?! So, wait, it was after you?" Luz asked.
"Not sure. When I first fought the Fang Dopant, it was someone who had been possessed by the Gaia Memory – the flash drives here – and he became the Fang Dopant. Just some random guy, he didn't even know what he was doing. But when I beat him, the Fang Memory exited his body, and he returned to normal." Sunset grabbed the Fang Memory and examined it. "I do know that I can use this to make my Rider form stronger. But beyond that, my memory's still fuzzy. But the name 'Kamen Rider' definitely rings a bell."
"Wait…you don't think that's our connection, do you?" Luz asked. "Maybe Anne and I are also secretly Kamen Riders?!"
Anne chuckled at the thought. "Heh, dude, there's no way I'm a Kamen Rider. I'm far from the 'heroic' type."
Luz shrugged. "I mean, it's not any less of a theory than three random girls from three different universes getting dumped in some strange unknown place."
Anne rubbed her chin and replied, "Touché. Now, my other question is…why didn't you tell us about this thing before?"
"I didn't because I had no idea what either of them were. I figured they were important, but I didn't know why. I mean, our cellphones are gone, but whoever abducted us felt it was alright to leave me these? I mean, it had to be important. And I'm glad I was right in keeping them," said Sunset.
"So…what's our next move?" Luz asked.
"For now, we eat, rest, and then we'll do some exploring. I wanna see if this place really is my world, or just a copy. And if it is a copy, how much of it was copied? Is there a boundary line like a video game map? Or does it stretch on indefinitely?"
"At least we're out of the woods. If I have to sleep outside again, it'll be too soon," Anne stated.
"Same, but it was kind of fun, except for the whole running for our lives thing," Luz chuckled. "But, man, Sunset, you were so cool! You're a superhero!"
Sunset blushed a little. "I don't know if I'd go that far. But at least now I have a way to protect us from danger."
Anne smiled; she wasn't too sure about Sunset at first. But she believed she could trust her. If Sunset was willing to sacrifice her life for them, then showing her some trust was the least she could do. However, Anne did notice something when it came to Luz. She was blushing an awful lot. But thankfully Sunset was too preoccupied with other priorities to notice. After they got their fill of food, they secured the front door, and headed to bed. The suite had two bedrooms, so Sunset took one and Luz and Anne shared another. Luz kicked off her shoes and got onto the queen-sized bed, sighing in relaxation. Compared to sleeping on the ground, lying on a plush, high dollar bed was a breath of fresh air.
"This has to have been the craziest two days of my life," Luz commented.
"And it's definitely going to get crazier," Anne added.
"Maybe while we're out tomorrow, we can find you another shoe. That can't be comfortable walking around with just a sock and one shoe," Luz pointed out.
Anne looked at her foot with the missing shoe and shrugged. "You'd think so, but…I dunna know. It feels…right? Well, maybe not 'right' exactly. But more like I'm used to it if that makes any sense?"
"Maybe this isn't the first time you've been lost in the woods? We're missing some memories, so you never know," Luz suggested.
Anne took off her remaining shoe and thought about it for a moment. Luz did have a point, perhaps the answer lay in her missing memories. "Ugh, it's frustrating to know a whole chunk of memories are just gone, or just out of reach."
"We'll figure it out, together. And now we have a Kamen Rider on our side, so we're definitely going to make it through," Luz proclaimed excitedly.
"Sunset is strong, I'll give her that. But she's still only one person. If more monsters decide to show up, and not one at a time, we'll be sitting ducks. And she'll have to worry about protecting us instead beating the monster," Anne pointed out.
Luz knew that was a consequence of their situation. There was no rule stating that monsters had to come at them one at time. Really, there was nothing stopping them from ambushing them. "We just need to believe we'll make it through."
Anne sighed. "Optimistic, huh?"
"Heh, well, when everyone is putting you down, you gotta look on the bright side of things," Luz replied.
Anne could relate. If it wasn't for Sasha, she would probably be facing similar scrutiny from her fellow classmates, at least the ones that were already a-holes to begin with. But Luz, she had no one to call friend. No one to watch out for her or keep her safe from people like that.
"Hey, if it turns out that we're from the same universe or whatever, look me up," Anne offered.
"Really?" Luz asked.
"Yeah," Anne got onto the bed and laid back, putting her hands behind her head as she enjoyed the bed as well. "I mean, it'll be long distance, but we can always video call and text and junk. Right?"
Luz's eyes widened, feeling happiness that she might find a friend in Anne if they really were from the same universe. Then a thought occurred to her as she laid down, and quickly sat up.
"What's up?" Anne asked.
"Um…I think it might be better if I sleep on the couch," Luz offered.
Anne sat up next and looked at Luz with confusion. "What? Why?"
"I mean…I don't want you to feel awkward around me, or…afraid that I might do something," Luz admitted.
Anne raised an eyebrow and asked, "…Are you going to do something to me if we sleep in the same bed?"
"NO! NO! I would never!" Luz retorted.
"Good, then no issues here." Anne lay back down.
"B-But…"
"Dude, I'm not like those jerks at your school. Besides we're friends, aren't we?" Anne asked as she winked at Luz.
Luz felt like she could cry right now, she quickly wiped her eyes and smiled at her new friend as she laid back down. "Yeah, of course."
"So, since we're friends…" Anne turned on her side and showed off her cat-like grin again. "You kinda crushin' hard on Sunset back there, huh~?"
Luz spluttered as she tried to respond to Anne's accusation. "W-W-What?! Nononononono! I mean…did she say something? I mean – NO! She's, like, three years older than me, and if what she said about her age as a unicorn was true, then she's waaaaay older than me! Although, there's nothing wrong with liking older women – but that's not the point! Do I think she's cool, hot, kind, hot, loyal, hot–!"
"You said 'hot' three times, dude," Anne interjected, her grin holding.
Luz's face turned beet red as she turned around and planted her face into the pillow and yelled into it. After a moment, Luz turned head and faced Anne. "That obvious…?"
"Eh, kinda. You were fangirling pretty hard back there."
"Well, it's just, Kamen Riders have only been fictional superheroes, and now we have a real one sleeping just across the room! Not to mention how she was so willing to look after us and fight to protect us. She was going to sacrifice her life for us…I…no one's ever done that for me," Luz mentioned.
Anne glanced to the side as she said, "Yeah, me neither. But for some reason…I have a vague feeling someone did…" Anne reached up with her left hand and placed it over her heart.
"Anne, you alright?"
"Yeah…I just…my heart hurts for some reason, like…I just imagined something like that happening to Sasha or Marcy and…" Anne shook her head. "Never mind, it's probably nothing."
Luz hoped it was nothing, but at the same time, she was worrying about herself. She felt something in her heart. The Latina admitted, at least to herself, that she did have a crush on Sunset. But why did it feel as if she as betraying someone?
Sunset glanced out through the window of her room; the view was familiar as much as it was unsettling. The moon was shining full and bright, and the lights of the city sparkled in the distance. Although Sunset couldn't say for sure if every detail of this Canterlot City was rendered perfectly, she had to admit, it was a good copy. It would almost be perfect, except for the fact that there were no stars in the night sky.
"Same as the jungle area we were at," said Sunset. "Wherever we are, it's some kind of enclosure. If that's the case, that would explain the mysterious door that appeared."
That was still a mystery. The door was just there, and then after they and the Fang Dopant made it through, the door pixelated and disappeared into thin air.
"I'd say we're in a kind of simulation, but…" Sunset glanced back at her bed, where Uni-Driver, Unicorn Memory, and Fang Memory rested. "That felt too real, and too familiar. And if we are in an enclosure, how big is it? Who could fund something like this? It'd cost a fortune."
Sunset walked over to the bed and sat down. After kicking off her boots and throwing her leather jacket over towards an armchair, the former unicorn mare laid back, putting her hands behind her head as she stared up at the ceiling, her mind still working, still trying to figure out where it was the three of them were, and who or what had the means to bring them here. Sunset reached down with her left hand and took hold of the Unicorn Memory, she held between her thumb and index finger, examining it, as if hoping the device would give her the answers she needed.
"I'm a Kamen Rider, I know that for sure. Is it…Is it possible Luz and Anne are Riders too? Could that be the connection between the three of us?" Sunset shook her head. "No, can't be. If that were the case, then they would have some kind of transformation device like mine, right? And if they did, they would have used them during the fight after seeing me transform."
Sunset sighed as she put the Unicorn Memory down. There was no point in trying to solve the mystery right now. There was still too much they didn't know, not enough information to come to a solid conclusion regarding their situation. Right now, all she had were theories, and hopefully they could start proving some of those theories right or wrong, depending on how accurate a recreation this whole place was. Sunset reflexively reached into her pocket to grab her phone, but remembered just as quickly that it was not there. She wanted to see her friends, to know that they were okay. Heck, she would've settled for just having a photo of them. The former pony chuckled at the thought.
"Years ago, I wouldn't have cared about wanting a pic of my friends. Now…I want one more than ever right now, just to see their faces," Sunset lamented. "Get a grip Shimmer. You have to be strong. Luz and Anne need you right now, and you can't let them down. We will find a way back to our homes…I hope."
Meanwhile, in a dark room filled with the light of multiple holographic screens, a figure stood. The lone figure had their arms crossed and sneered at the development.
"I thought I took her Gaia Memory and her Driver, tch! Damn Xtra Riders, always got something working in their favor," the figure complained. "Aaand she got one of her Gaia Memories back."
The figure, despite their anger, smiled.
"Just you wait. I'll crush you, and all the Xtra Riders, just wait and see. The real battles are about to begin. AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
A/N: Unicorn Character Theme: "Invisible Heat" - by Nana Mizuki
And that's it for now! As I said, this will be a slow update cycle as "Bring Us Hope, Kamen Rider Witch" has not reached its ending, yet. So, until then, any updates will focus on Sunset and Anne before we reach Luz's phase.