Author's Notes:

Sorry this came late. I also want to let everyone know that my writing might slow down a bit for a while due to some... issues I'm dealing with right now.

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play song

It was absolute chaos in the city, everyone running away in a panic as the giant mechanical dragon marched through the town, thrashing about wildly. It was Goldar all over again, only worse.

Military helicopters flew around the ferocious monster and began firing missiles at it. They exploded on impact, but beyond that didn't seem like they really did much in the way of damage except for pissing it off, if the enraged roar was any indication. Before they could fly away, the mechanical dragon spun around and used the drill on its tail to slice through all of them.

“Just as citizens seemed to be calming down from the appearance of that strange golden creature, Ponyville is attacked once again by what appears to be some sort of mechanical beast similar to the robots the Power Rangers used!” an excitable news caster said, trying her best to cover the action, “People here are in a panic wondering if-” she stopped and looked out into the distance, “Speaking of the Power Rangers, I see them now! They're inside their giant mechs approaching the beast!”

Sure enough, slowly approaching Caesar were four mechs: a red T-Rex, a blue Triceratops, a yellow Saber-toothed Tiger, and a pink Pterodactyl which hovered over the ground. Inside, all four Rangers were in their armors, but omitted their helmets as it was more or less completely safe in the cockpits.

“Applejack, can we beat this without Rarity?” Twilight asked fearfully.

“For both our sakes, and hers, I hope so,” Applejack said, looking down at her phone which she brought with her into her cockpit, biting her lip nervously. She called and texted Rarity, but she wouldn't answer. She hoped Rarity was not where Applejack feared she was.

“Girls! Caesar's attacking!” Pinkie Pie cried.

“Everyone spread out!” Fluttershy screamed urgently. All four Battle Zords backed away and took cover as Caesar spun around and fired a powerful blue beam out of his mouth.

“We need to get it out of the city!” Twilight cried, “Applejack, can you help me?”

“Got it!” Applejack braced herself, “Fluttershy, cover us with your guns! Pinkie Pie, stay as high in the air as possible and cover us from there!”

“Right!” Fluttershy shouted.

“Understood, Leader!” Pinkie Pie answered.

The T-Rex and Triceratops both rushed at Caesar and began pushing him as far out of the city as they could. Thankfully, the T-Rex Zord was about as big as Caesar, as he thrashed about pushing back against both Zords, eventually pushing them back far enough to slash at both Zords with his claws right before they got out of the city limits.

“AHH!!!” Twilight screamed, flying back.

“Twilight!” Applejack cried.

“Leave it to me!” Pinkie Pie shouted. The Pterodactyl flew down close to Caesar, doing a fancy spinning maneuver as it fired at him with the blasters on its wings, actually hitting him in the center of the chest and pushing him back a bit. The Tiger then jumped onto a nearby building and fired at Caesar with its guns, making the dragon fall back, thankfully now out of the super populated areas.

As Caesar slowly rose up, all four active Zords gathered a bit in front of Caesar, blocking his way back to the main city, keeping him closer to the beach and ocean area. Caesar looked right at the T-Rex, and Applejack flinched back in her cockpit.

“Leader, what's wrong?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Somethin' about the way that dragon is lookin' at us,” Applejack said gripping the controls tightly, “It seems odd ta me.”

“He's… intelligent,” Fluttershy said softly.

“What do ya mean?” Applejack asked.

“I… can just tell,” Fluttershy leaned in close looking at Caesar intently, “He's not a mindless creature. Actually, I think he's perfectly self-aware,” she gasped in shock, “Applejack! He's about to attack you!”

“Huh?!” Applejack looked up too late, as Caesar rushed the T-Rex Zord, grabbing it and throwing it down onto the beach.

“Applejack!” Pinkie Pie cried. She flew the Pterodactyl down toward Caesar, firing her guns rapidly at the dragon, but he swung his tail at her, slamming it into the pink Zord and sending it flying back a bit, the girl inside screaming.

“I got you!” Twilight cried, running after Pinkie Pie's Zord and shooting the Triceratops' horns out, grabbing the Pterodactyl with her chains and helping her steady herself in the air again.

“Thanks Twilight,” Pinkie Pie breathed out in relief.

“You're welcome, Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said, “But we have a problem.” she turned to the fight, which was currently more of a slug fest between Caesar and the T-Rex, who was blocking and attacking for the most part, but it was clear that she was getting overwhelmed.

“Um! UH!!! A LITTLE HELP OVER HERE WOULD BE NICE!!!” Applejack screamed frantically.

“Applejack, I'm coming to help!” Fluttershy cried. The Tiger rushed toward the fight, firing her blasters at Caesar, hitting him in the side and momentarily getting his attention. She then jumped up and pounced onto Caesar, sinking her Zord's razor sharp teeth into Caesar's arm, earning a loud and angry roar from the mechanical beast.

The Triceratops rushed past Caesar, stopping a bit away from him and firing its horns at Caesar, wrapping its chains around him. Caesar roared in anger and threw Fluttershy's Zord into Twilight's, knocking both of them back. The T-Rex recovered and began to rise up, but Caesar grabbed it by the shoulders, picked it up, and slashed it twice in the chest, knocking it back. Before Applejack could force her Zord to its feet, Caesar rushed toward it, got on top of it, and began slashing the red Zord while it was helpless.

“Why's he only goin after me?!” Applejack screamed helplessly, trying her best to block, “Did I step on his tail or somethin?! If so, could someone tell him I'm sorry?!”

“I was watching the whole time though, and you never stepped on his tail!” Twilight answered.

“I WAS JOKING!!!” Applejack screamed.

Pinkie Pie flew in with her Zord, once again firing her blast at Caesar, this time hitting him in the back. Caesar roared, rose up off the T-Rex, and fired his blue energy stream out at the Pterodactyl.

“Whoa!” Pinkie Pie cried flying back just in time. Caesar then let out a loud roar that seemed to echo all around them, “Um, think he's mad?!”

“Stay out of this?!” Fluttershy asked, sounding confused, “This is a fight between me… and the red king?!”

“Wait; is that what he's saying?” Twilight asked.

“I think so,” Fluttershy said, eyes widening in simultaneous awe and terror, “I don't know how I can understand him, but somehow I can just feel his intentions. He's… he's communicating!”

“Hold on…!” Applejack panted, her Zord staggering to its knees at least, “Ya mean… this thing's not only automated, but it's alive?!”

“Not only that, but sapient as well,” Fluttershy said, trembling inside of her cockpit, “He knows exactly what he's doing, and is in perfect control of himself!”

“Then let's tell him to stop!” Pinkie Pie urged, “Maybe we can reason with him!”

“Caesar, please stop this!” Fluttershy called out through her Zord, “We don't have to be enemies!”

Caesar roared in response, this time focused right on Fluttershy, who closed her eyes tightly in fear. Her Zord even shrank back like a real cat.

“What's he saying?” Twilight asked.

“He said… he doesn't care who we are…” Fluttershy sobbed holding her head in fear, “Friend… Foe… it doesn't matter… he's following the command… of his Master.”

“That means… the Green Ranger!” Applejack reasoned. She then looked out at the pier, and got the shock of a lifetime, “RARITY!!!”

Everyone looked out at the pier. There they saw Rarity, fully morphed and fighting a losing battle herself against the Green Ranger, whose ferocious and wild fighting style had put her completely on the defensive.

“She's in trouble!” Pinkie Pie cried, “She doesn't stand a chance against the Green Ranger alone!”

Before anyone could to anything, Caesar turned back to the T-Rex Zord and kicked it in the stomach, causing massive damage to it and Applejack inside.

“But if any of us leave for a second Caesar will kill Applejack!” Twilight cried.

“Girls, you cannot defeat Caesar!” Celestia's voice said urgently inside of all of their cockpits, “Without the Megazord, you have no hope of truly harming him!”

“Then what do we do?!” Applejack asked, grunting in pain as her fight with Caesar continued, “My Zord's fallin’ apart, an' I don't think Rarity can last against the Green Ranger fer long!”

“Your Majesty, I think I found something!” Spike said, looking at an odd image of what looked like Caesar's energy, which seemed almost empty, “I don't think he woke up at full strength! If the Rangers can last for a bit longer, the Dragonzord will run out of power!”

Celestia nodded to Spike and then turned back to the center pool of water, “Listen to me, I know this is scary, but you must survive for a bit longer. Caesar's power is finite, and he'll have to recharge soon. That should buy us a bit of time.”

Inside of her cockpit, poor Fluttershy was having a full on panic attack. Nothing they were doing worked on Caesar, Applejack and Rarity were about to die, and she still had no idea what was going on with her understanding Caesar. She was too afraid to do anything, and had resorted to just holding her head sobbing uncontrollably in her cockpit.

“It's too much!” she cried, covering her ears to block out the sounds of Caesar pummeling Applejack's Zord, “I can't do this! I can't!”

“Fluttershy, calm down,” Pinkie Pie urged softly, “Panicking right now isn't going to-” she was cut off by Fluttershy's loud panicked scream, “Fluttershy…”

Twilight gripped the controls of her Zord tightly. She was trembling, so terrified that she wanted to run away, but she knew that her best friend was inside of the Zord Caesar was destroying. She gritted her teeth, glaring at Caesar furiously before her Zord charged in.

“GET AWAY FROM MY BEST FRIEND CAESAR!!!” Twilight screamed, tackling Caesar and knocking him off of Applejack, “If you… d-don't care if we're friend or foe… then I don't care either!” she pointed her guns at Caesar as he slowly rose to his feet, “You hurt my friends… and to me, that's enough to make you my enemy!” a stream of tears began to fall from her eyes, and she screamed in rage firing everything she had at Caesar. It looked like her shots hurt a bit, as he eventually held up his arm in defense, but after a bit he did manage to rise to his feet. Still, Twilight kept firing, which did at least keep Caesar from approaching them quickly.

“Twilight, I'll cover you!” Pinkie Pie said, flying her Zord right above Twilight's and firing as well.

“Fluttershy, can you hear me?” Celestia asked soothingly, her voice now only inside Fluttershy's cockpit.

“I'm sorry Celestia, but I can't do this!” Fluttershy cried helplessly, “I'm too afraid!”

“I know. You and your friends are still only children, and I know this is too much for you,” Celestia said to the sobbing teenager, “I'm so sorry that Spike and I are putting you all through this, but right now you must pull yourself together. Your friends need you.”

Fluttershy calmed down a bit, thinking about that. Her friends were in danger too. Hell, in even more danger. Rarity was fighting the Green Ranger alone, it was a miracle that Applejack's Zord still worked, and Caesar would get to Twilight and Pinkie Pie eventually, and their Zords weren't meant for direct combat like Applejack's, Rarity's, or hers.

“If Rainbow Dash were here, she'd tell me to press on too,” Fluttershy shook her head and grabbed the controls again, “She never left me when I needed help, so I won't leave my friends!”

The Saber-toothed Tiger Zord rose up, and ran over to Caesar, who was right on top of Twilight and Pinkie Pie now. Right before he could attack, Fluttershy's Zord jumped onto Caesar's back and bit into his shoulder. Caesar roared loudly in pain and anger, and thrashed about trying to throw Fluttershy off of him. As he did so, Pinkie Pie looked at the golden circle on Caesar's chest, and noticed that out of all seven of the red lights on it, only the red one in the middle was glowing, and it had begun flashing now.

“Hey! I think he's almost done!” Pinkie Pie said.

“Then keep fightin’!” Applejack said, forcing the T-Rex Zord to stand up as well, “We gotta help our fellow Rangers!”

Pinkie Pie flew toward Caesar and fired her blasters at the ferocious dragon, spiraling in midair before flying upward above Caesar. He managed to finally throw Fluttershy off of him, but Twilight fired her Triceratops' horns out at Caesar again, wrapping all around him. She then sent an electric pulse through the chains, damaging Caesar and forcing him to fall to one knee.

“Let's see how you like it!” Applejack shouted, running up to Caesar, thrashing and kicking Caesar, eventually spinning around and whacking the now tired dragon in the face with the T-Rex Zord's tail, knocking him close to the water.

Caesar slowly rose up, and looked at the Rangers. He then began trudging back into the sea, where he slowly descended into the water and vanished.

“He's… gone,” Fluttershy breathed out in relief, “He's not done with us, but for now… I think we won.”

“No time ta rest,” Applejack said, “Activate yer helmets and disembark! We need ta save Rarity next!”

end song

The Green Ranger and Rarity clashed blades, but the Green Ranger managed to back Rarity up against a stand and pinned her there, watching as her new partner returned to the sea.

“Outta juice, huh?” the Green Ranger asked, “Alright then, I guess we've had our fun. Time to end this.”

“Like I said, I'm not, dying, YET!” Rarity shouted, pushing the Green Ranger off her. She then resumed her assault, slashing with her ax as the Green Ranger dodged and danced around Rarity's attacks. She then pointed her gunblade at Rarity and fired continuously, hitting Rarity in the stomach and once again pushing her back toward the edge.

Rarity rolled to one knee, but then looked behind her briefly, secretly going pale behind her helmet. She was so high up. With the Green Ranger in front of her, she was effectively trapped. The Green Ranger pointed her gunblade at Rarity just as the other Rangers showed up.

“Rarity!” Twilight cried. The Green Ranger turned to look at the Rangers, obviously sneering behind her helmet.

“You guys came just in time,” the Green Ranger said, “Thought you'd like to catch the end of this.” she then turned to face Rarity and charged up her two weapons.

“GO, GO, GO!!!” Applejack commanded. All four of them activated their weapons and charged at the Green Ranger, but they couldn't get there in time. The Green Ranger did an X slash with both her gunblade and her Dragon Dagger, and then fired dead center of the X with the gun on her blade, sending the powerful blast right at Rarity, who was unable to dodge as the attack hit her point blank.

Rarity screamed in agony as her Ranger form's energy was discharged in a massive explosion around her. Unable to hold her form, Rarity's armor faded away, revealing Rarity's naked and unconscious form as she fell face first onto the ground.

Everyone stopped, frozen in horror. For the longest time no one moved, save for the Green Ranger as she slowly turned to face the other Rangers, resting her gunblade on her shoulder, “So, who's next?”

Applejack started trembling, but then let out the loudest and angriest scream. She then rushed at the Green Ranger and slashed wildly, the Green Ranger having a bit of a harder time dodging and having to block most of the attacks.

“Oooh, did I hit a nerve?” the Green Ranger asked nonchalantly.

“I'll kill you!” Applejack seethed, “I'll fuckin' kill you!”

“I'd love to see you try it in the state you're in,” the Green Ranger mocked. She began attacking Applejack herself now, her slashes more controlled and forceful, allowing her to get in a few more attacks. Eventually she kicked Applejack back, but she was caught by both Twilight and Fluttershy.

“I got what I wanted,” the Green Ranger said with a shrug, “She's good. In the end though, I was still stronger.”

“Why?!” Fluttershy asked desperately as the Green Ranger walked away, “Why are you doing this?!”

“The answer to that is simple,” the Green Ranger stopped and looked right at Fluttershy, “Because I can.”

With that, she began walking off. Applejack tried to pull out of Twilight and Fluttershy's hold, forcing them to hold her tighter.

“Get back here!” Applejack commanded, “YOU GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!!!”

“Applejack, please calm down!” Twilight urged, “Rarity's still hurt! Please, just let the Green Ranger go for now!”

Applejack tightened her fists, clearly struggling with herself. Eventually though, she relented, allowing Twilight and Fluttershy to release her so she could check on Rarity. While she and Pinkie Pie tended to their injured comrade, Fluttershy continued to stare down the path the Green Ranger walked.

“I don't understand it,” Fluttershy looked down, placing her hands over her heart, “How could someone be so… needlessly cruel?”

Twilight hesitantly reached for Fluttershy, but pulled back ultimately and turned away, biting her lip behind her helmet. She had a strong suspicion of who it was in that armor. If she was right, then that just left the question of “why”.

“She alright?” Applejack asked kneeling down next to Pinkie Pie, who had Rarity's head resting in her lap.

“She's breathing at least, but these injuries look really bad,” Pinkie Pie said. Applejack nodded and pressed her finger to her helmet.

“Spike, bring us back to base,” Applejack said quietly. A few seconds later, all five of them vanished from the pier.

The Green Ranger walked into an alleyway, where she backed against a wall. Her breathing became heavier as she fell into a sitting position and shifted back into Rainbow Dash in a green flash. She then looked down at the Green Power Coin, feeling both terrified and… excited.

“It's… beginning to meld with me…” Rainbow Dash realized, now holding her head and pulling her knees close to her chest, “I remember it. I actually remember it. That girl, Rarity, she's… she's a Power Ranger. That means… those other girls too, including…” her eyes widened in horror, “No… Not her… Fluttershy can't be…”

“Oh she is, Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy is a Power Ranger, as are those other girls.”

Rainbow Dash looked up and saw the oddest sight. Sitting on a dumpster with his legs crossed elegantly was an older man wearing a black tuxedo. The man himself had dark hair combed back, and he wore white gloves and fancy dress shoes. Something about the man seemed familiar, but most of his face was covered in shadow, making it hard to see what he looked like.

“Who are you…?” Rainbow Dash asked, slowly backing away from the man.

“Someone like you, Rainbow Dash,” the suave gentleman said, a slight British lilt in his voice, “Someone who thirsts for blood, carnage and chaos.”

Rainbow Dash felt her heart flutter a bit when he spoke, but then shook her head vehemently, “No! You're wrong! It's this stupid coin that's doing this to me!”

“You and I both know that's not true, Rainbow Dash,” the man said, adjusting his leg and holding out his hand, materializing a cup of tea for himself, “I know where you came from, what those people who took you away called you, and how they took away your freedom, treating you both as their Queen and Slave at the same time. I know what your true calling is, and what you'll do to the world, Avatar of Darkness.”

“SHUT UP!!!” Rainbow Dash screamed covering her ears, “It's not true! It's not! Those assholes back there were just insane! They did something weird to me, just like this coin is doing to me! I'm not the Avatar of Darkness! I'm not evil! I'm not! I'M NOT!!!”

“Oh, no one said anything about you being evil,” the man said sipping his tea, “There's nothing wrong with admitting that you enjoy a little bit of carnage. It's true, isn't it Rainbow Dash? You're starting to remember the fights now, and you're enjoying them.”

She was too, was the sad thing. She thought back to the fight, and could now remember almost every blow, every punch, kick, slash, shot, and it felt exhilarating. Deep down, she wanted to fight again.

“It's true…” Rainbow Dash admitted sadly, now pulling out the Green Power Coin, “I know it's true… Something inside of me is awakening. I… I actually…”

“You actually do want to see the whole world burn to the ground in a cleansing flame of destruction,” the man continued, “Doesn't that sound lovely?”

She felt herself placing a hand over her chest, but then caught herself and rose to her feet, pulling out her Dragon Dagger and holding it ready to attack.

“What are you doing?!” Rainbow Dash asked, still trembling a bit but putting up a confident front, “What do you want with me?! Are you with them?!”

The gentleman laughed mirthfully, “Why not at all, Rainbow Dash. Well, that's partially a lie, as the Shadow Lord is someone who knows me well, but I assure you that my agenda is my own. As for what I want with you, that's simple.” he finished his tea and threw the cup away, apparently hitting a cat if the cliché sound effect was any indication, “I want to help you.”

“Help… me…?” Rainbow Dash slowly lowered her dagger.

“You seek freedom, correct?” the man said, “I'll help you harness your powers, and together, you and I can create a beautiful flame of destruction.”

“No…” Rainbow Dash said backing away, “You're just going to use me like everyone else who knows about that part of my life.”

“Rainbow Dash,” the man said, as if talking to someone he loved dearly, “Come now, you don't truly mean that.”

“Stay away from me!” Rainbow Dash said pointing the dagger right at the man, “I'm going learn how to use this armor myself, and when I do, I'm gonna use it to beat the shit out of you!”

“No you won't, Dashie,” the man said, jumping off the dumpster and walking toward Rainbow Dash, his face still too hard to see in the dark alleyway, “The next time you become the Green Ranger, we will be comrades. Until then, take care of yourself, Avatar of Darkness.”

With that the man backed away, fading into the shadows and disappearing. Rainbow Dash dropped her arms, questioning herself a bit. Why didn't she just turn on the armor right there? Hell, why didn't she just charge at the man? She had a weapon, he didn't.

Did she… on some level actually believe his words?

Her cellphone went off at that instant. She looked, seeing Soarin's name pop up. She quickly answered her phone, “H-hello?”

“There you are! I was worried about you. You weren't in the middle of all of that destruction before, were you?”

“I…” she was about to answer, but then stopped. She couldn't tell Soarin about this. He worked so hard to set her free from those people. If he found out that she was the Green Ranger, that she summoned that dragon, and that she had probably almost killed one of the Power Rangers, there was no telling how he'd react.

“Dash? Are you okay?” Soarin asked when she didn't answer for a bit.

“Y-yes!” Rainbow Dash covered, “Yes, I… I'm fine,” she ran a hand through her hair, “Sorry for worrying you.”

“Where are you right now?” Soarin asked, “I'll come pick you up and-”

“Actually, I kinda need some time alone,” Rainbow Dash said softly, “I'll… talk to you later, babe.”

“Dashie-” she hung up before he could say anything in response. He'd probably try to call again soon, but it looked like her phone was about to die anyway. She began to make her way in the direction of the Everfree Forest. There was at least one place where she could be alone with her thoughts.

Even though right now she felt terrible walking into it, considering what she did to the owner of that sanctuary.