Wild Access Volume 2: History Uncovered

by The Bricklayer

First published 8th of January, 2018

Solar Flare is dead and buried. Her reign is at an end and the power of the Sun now is allied with the Rangers. Now as Spring sets in, a new terror appears in the return of the White Dino Ranger and his Dragozord... It's Morphin Time.

Solar Flare is dead and buried. Her reign is at an end and the power of the Sun now is allied with the Rangers. However, the job is far from over. Thrax and Retinax's civil war has now kicked into high gear, and the Rangers are only barely keeping their battles from destroying the very world they've worked so hard to defend all winter. Now as Spring sets in, a new terror appears in the return of the White Dino Ranger and his Dragozord. And behind that visor of crimson red is a face all too familiar to one of the Rangers. As the past of Equestria is further uncovered, and the legendary beast hunter Bunglay and his crew sets their sights on the Wild Zords and the Animarium itself, and threats from every side, things might just get a little too wild for the newest Ranger team. They do know one thing though...

It's Morphin Time.

Starring:
Sunset Shimmer as the Gold Phoenix Ranger
Robert Williams as the Orange Kitsune Ranger
Sunburst Starflight as the Black Vampire Bat Ranger
Vapor Trail as the Purple Leviathan Ranger
Lightning Dust as the Aqua Thunderbird Ranger
Shining Armor as the Third Magna Defender
Princess Celestia as the second Solaris Knight
Trixie Lulamoon as the second White Dino Ranger

Part 1: One Fine Day

Another day in Ponyville, one that had settled into the new normal. That was, monster attacks. Almost daily, it seemed like at times on a particularly bad week. You see, about a year or so ago, (Nobody was really quite sure on the exact date) creatures from over 6,000 years ago -Give or take an odd century- called Orgs had returned under the leadership of a monster called Thrax. The son of the vile witch Rita Repulsa (Now the supreme force for Light Magic ironically enough, the Mystic Mother) and the former Lord Zedd.

With his mother’s wand in hand, Thrax had revived his father’s old general Goldar to help him lead his conquest against Earth, and eventually the galaxy. And with an army of Orgs at their strongest, it seemed like nothing could stand in their way.

Well, almost nothing. Four ponies with attitude (Yeah, like you didn’t know that one was coming) and one human from times long past had stepped up to the plate to defend Equestria and beyond as the newest generation of the Wild Force Rangers.

Gold Phoenix, Purple Leviathan, Orange Kyuubi no Kitsune, Aqua Thunderbird and Black Vampire Bat was this year’s power set in vogue. A first for Power Rangers possibly, at least in color combination but nevertheless, this was what the planet had to offer. And then the sixth member of the team stepped up. A Prince from an empire made of solid crystal, the Magna Defender powers had found a new owner making their wearer a literal knight in Shining Armor.

And now, the battle continued…

“Hi-Yah!” Robert, our Orange Ranger shouted as he kicked a Tenga warrior over the counter of Sugarcube Corner before whirling around and slicing a Tenga in the throat with his Crystal Saber. Watching briefly as purple blood dripped to the floor as the Tenga could only gurgle out its last breaths, he then let out a yelp as he was forced to flip backwards onto a table to dodge a swing from a Tenga’s scimitar-like sword.

He rebounded off the table as another swing sliced the table down the middle before kicking the Tenga in the face making it stagger back. He then whipped out his Kitsune Blaster, spinning it in his hand briefly before shooting the crow-like creature in the face in a blast of golden energy. He threw off his jacket and tossed it in a Tenga’s face, and as the warrior tried to get it off of him to clear his vision, Robert just socked him in the gut.

“I’ll be taking that, thank you very much!” Robert remarked as he took his jacket back and quickly put it back on, and used his wrist to block a Tenga’s blade before knocking it to the ground with a wide sweeping kick. “Time for you to go back to the bird sanctuary!”

Two Tengas kicked the door in, and Mrs. Cake -Who had been caught up in the middle of all of this- ducked behind the counter. Good thing too, as these Tengas had gotten ahold of some energy rifles. It seemed Thrax had started to better arm his warriors in the past few weeks. God knows they needed all the help they could get by this point.

With a spin in midair to avoid the shots, he landed on his feet before elbowing this Tenga in the face and shooting him.

“Lord Zedd, he ain't gonna help you. Old Rito ain't gonna help you. No, Goldar ain't gonna help you!” Robert mocked as he grabbed a Tenga by the shoulders and tossed him out the window. Glass shattered as the bloody and bruised Tenga hit the dirt footpath outside.

“Anybody else?” Robert asked, as he looked at the pile of feathered fiends around him. One Tenga let out a cawing sound for a war cry as he got up off the floor and Robert sighed.

“Question answered…” he muttered, shaking his head. Without even turning to look, he turned and fired the Kitsune Blaster at the Tenga.

Tossing a bit to Mrs. Cake, he remarked: “Sorry about the mess, I’ll see if I can get Rarity to send you a dress in apology,” before a thought came to him. “...Hey wait, isn’t your 25th wedding anniversary and vow renewals coming up soon? Promise I’ll go all out on Mr. Cake’s tux! Top of my priorities!” he asked hurriedly, and in apology.

Looking at the mess that was Sugarcube Corner around her, with smashed tables and windows, ruined cakes and other confectioneries and of course the dead Tengas lying around, Mrs. Cake only had one thing to say.

“I… I think I’ll pass up on your offer…” she stammered out in shock. Sadly, once again, Robert’s major flaw of making a show of things, even in battle, (Actually, especially in battle) had shown up. He’d paid very little attention to the damage he was causing, and more attention to just showing off everything he could do even unmorphed in the flashiest way possible. Every battle it seemed, nowadays, he tried to one-up himself.

Robert groaned and muttered: “Try to be helpful… Ungrateful bitch, seems she still hates me even though it’s been months since Princess Celestia made her speech...” to himself as he shook his head. An explosion then echoed in the distance from somewhere, as a purple toned fireball rose high into the sky. “How’d this fucking day began again?” the Orange Ranger asked himself rubbing his temples before he ‘remembered.’ “Oh yeah… It was that bloody concert, wasn’t it? One fine day, it was supposed to be...”

With that, he flipped out his Kitsune Amulet and pulled up a green wireframe map of the area. Now, to find and deal with that bomb...

Ponyville Concert Hall:

It did indeed start about a half hour earlier in Ponyville’s Concert Hall. There, an old friend of Applejack’s was giving a piano concert, and as a fellow musician Vapor was all too delighted to show up and maybe get a few pointers if she got lucky enough to get backstage passes. Lightning couldn’t honestly care less, but as she was pretty much forced to go along by her now much more assertive sister, there she was.

Sunset, thinking Robert needed to see some of Equestria’s music had dragged him along. Sunburst, being a fan on the musician in question, the former Countess Coloratura (Now known only by Coloratura as she’d dropped the whole Countess thing entirely, along with the Lady Gaga-like attire and vocals of her previous persona.) decided to go along just because he liked the music pure and simple.

And so, with a soft piano intro, and slow pre-recorded strings, small lights lit up the stage in whites and blues. There, a pure white pony with a dark blue mane in a sparkling grey dress played a pure black piano on the small stage.

“I'm here to show you who I am
Throw off the veil, it's finally time
There's more to me than glitz and glam, oh-whoa
And now I feel my stars align…”

“Beautiful… Just beautiful…” Navi said as she swayed her head back and forth to the music. As usual, she rested on Sunburst’s shoulder.

Coloratura’s music was tranquil and soft as her fingers played a ballet on the keyboard. The curtain behind her was lit up with sparkles, almost like stars. On Coloratura’s arm, was her Cutie Mark. Hers, in particular, was a shining star with five differently colored musical notes on the star’s arms. It seemed to shine as she played her music, telling everybody who she really was inside.

“Honestly… She’s not that bad…” Lightning muttered to herself. Vapor raised an eyebrow, before smirking. She knew Lightning would come along to her line of thinking eventually. Lightning may have acted all tough, but she knew her adoptive sister had a soft side, considering she knew Lightning had been thinking about taking ballet classes alongside Silver Spoon.

“For I had believed what I was sold
I did all the things that I was told
But all that has changed, and now I'm bold
'Cause I know

“That I am just a pony
I make mistakes from time to time
But now I know the real me
And put my heart out on the line.”

“Sorta reminds me of Elton John, now that I think of it. A female Elton John in his heyday, only without all the wild costumes and all of that shit…” Robert mused and Sunset smiled. Robert eyed her carefully, now that winter was over she dressed a lot more… showfully. She’d ditched the long winter fur coats and hiking boots and such and went for spiked leather jackets, purple skirts, and combat boots.

“See, I told you that you’d like some of Equestria’s music,” his marefriend said. “Not all electronic or techno.”

“Yeah, but what I wouldn’t give for some good old fashioned hard rock once in awhile…” Robert muttered.

“There’s just no pleasing you, is there?” Sunset sighed, and shook her head as she just listened to Coloratura’s singing. She smiled as she enjoyed this rare moment of peace, free from her Princess duties, or that of a Power Ranger.

“And let the magic in my heart stay true
Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa
And let the magic in my heart stay true
Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa

“Just like the magic inside of you
And now I see those colors
Right before my eyes
I hear my voice so clearly.

“And I know that it is right
They thought I was weak, but I am strong
They sold me the world, but they were wrong
And now that I'm back, I still belong

“'Cause I know
That I am just a pony
I make mistakes from time to time
But now I know the real me

“And put my heart out on the line
And let the magic in my heart stay true
Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa
And let the magic in my heart stay true

“Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa
Just like the magic inside of you
Just like the magic inside of you…”

Of course, like I said, those moments were rare and fleeting. As proven when a wall exploded and Tengas poured, led by one ugly monster to be sure. Themed after a boombox, it was blocky in design and covered in speakers. Even on its arms and legs, they were there. Coloratura noticed the explosion and screamed in fear as two Tengas pulled her away from her piano. Sound waves from the Org knocked Audience members into their seats and sent some flying into walls.

Taking the hint, audience members scattered from the room, or tried to anyways as tengas blocked their path. Twin golden laser beams were fired from Lightning’s Crystal Saber -Giraffe Crystal equipped- and pierced the tengas holding Coloratura right through the heart. Bodies thudded as they hit the stage.

“Move it!” Lightning shouted to the Countess, and she took the hint and leaped off the stage and scampered out through a fire exit last thing she saw of her.

“Hey, hey, who do you think you are?” the Boombox Org shouted, almost like a Radio DJ. “You were interrupting my beat, yo!”

Lightning spun her Saber in her hand before she kicked a tenga in the stomach. “Just some random audience members enjoying a nice show, until you, ya ass, decided to show up and try and wreck it!”

“Seriously mate,” Robert asked as Sunset grabbed a chair, and ripped it from the floor and used it to bash two more tengas over the head. Meanwhile, he fired off shots at Tengas, hitting them dead-on with his Kitsune Blaster. “Who sent you an invitation?”

“Nobody!” the Boombox Org shouted. “I just decided to go along and invite myself. Alright, you got me, I’m gate-crashing!”

“Well then!” Sunburst said. “Allow us to show you the way out!”

“Again, I’m asking who you the Hell are, ordering me, Boombox Org about and interrupting my broadcast, yo!” the Org snapped.

“Seriously, are you this dumb?” Vapor asked sarcastically. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? Maybe this’ll give you a good hard reminder!” she said, taking out her Growl Phone and flipping it open. “It’s Morphin’ Time! Legendary Wild Access!”

Following her lead, the others quickly did the same and pulled out their Growl Phones or in Robert’s case his Fox Amulet and all together shouted: “Legendary Wild Access!”

Starring:
Sunset Shimmer as the Gold Phoenix Ranger

As Vapor did a spin in midair to avoid a sonic blast from the now terrified Org, her costume materialized into existence with a flash of light complete with a manifestation of her Power Animal forming the helmet.

Robert Williams as the Orange Kitsune Ranger

She landed back on the ground, and pulled out her Deer Clutcher before thrusting her arm into a Tenga and sending it flying backwards into the Boombox Org. Nearby, Robert’s outfit was coming into existence and as his cape formed itself from flames, several unlucky tengas were caught up in the inferno. Robert took no notice as his helmet formed itself from a misty nine-tailed fox flashing into existence and biting down on his head.

Sunburst as the Black Vampire Bat Ranger

“So not cool man!” the Org shouted as he stumbled back from the force of the tenga hitting him. “I’m out of here!”

Vapor Trail as the Purple Leviathan Ranger

He then began running for the exit, and as he reached the top of the room, he sent more blasts of sound ripping up the concert hall seats. Sunset and Sunburst shared a nod as their costumes formed themselves from magic and shadows respectively, before their horns glowed and created a hard light shield comprised of cyan and light yellow magic to keep the seats from hitting them and the rest of the Rangers.

Lightning Dust as the Aqua Thunderbird Ranger

“Yo… So not cool man!” Sunburst mocked as Navi transformed to her blaster form. He pressed a button, and her beak opened up to reveal a laser cannon barrel. “Time to take you off the airwaves for good!”

And guest starring:
Shining Armor as the Third Magna Defender
Zen-Aku as the Wolf of the Night
Princess Celestia as the second Solaris Knight

He fired a golden blast of light and the Org counteracted by firing off twin sonic blasts from his palms and the two canceled each other out. But Sunburst fired off several shots, right after his first was dealt with, and next thing the Org knew, some of his speakers were sparking.

“Sunny, cool as that was,” Lightning stated. “Try not to speak street slang. It really, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart, really doesn’t suit you one bit,”

“I… I was just trying to be hip, and cool…” Sunburst muttered back in response. “You digging it?”

“Okay, I agree with Lightning, and that’s a rare thing,” Robert said. “Stop with the street talk jive crap… I just can’t take you seriously at all.” he continued, barely holding back laughter.

“Uh, guys amusing as this,” Sunset pointed out. “Speaking of street talk, to use a phrase from that set of lingo, the Org’s bailing!”

Sure enough, the Org was running for it out the nearest door. To make matters worse, a couple of Putrids had found Coloratura, and were handing her off to the Boombox Org.

“That’s not all he’s doing,” Sunburst shouted out in shock, pointing to what was happening in front of the Rangers. “Look!”

“Oh, a hostage! Now this game’s gotten more interesting!” the Boombox Org said as he grabbed the screaming Coloratura. “Catch you all on the flipside, dudes!”

“Oh no you don’t!” Lightning said as she unfurled her wings and flew out the door after the Org with Vapor and Sunset following. Robert and Sunburst shared a look and sighed as they looked at the putrids and tengas pouring in.

“...And of course, us guys are left to clean up the mess…” Sunburst muttered to himself. “And it started out as one fine day!”

The three chased the Boombox Org and his captive to an abandoned warehouse. Much to their displeasure.

“Aw, for the love of…” Lightning muttered once she realized where they were at. “Really, another one of these places?”

“Ponyville does seem to be oftly fond of leaving warehouses left to rot, doesn’t it?” Vapor mused as she pulled out her Trident against the oncoming hoard of putrids and tengas. At the far end, she saw the Boombox Org pulling out what looked to be some sort of device and holding it close to Coloratura. It was shaped like a pure red gem, and he attached it to his chest. He then pulled out a similar gem attached to a necklace and put it around Coloratura’s neck.

“Now, my dear… You are going to provide me with the perfect voice to show the world what my earth-shattering, and I do mean that literally, earth-shattering music can do! Time to light up the airwaves!” He shouted, and almost at once, a red stream of energy flowed from Coloratura’s gem to the Org’s own.

“Sorry to say, but your little station’s about to be canceled!” Vapor shouted, tearing through the Boombox Org’s foot soldiers as if they were nothing with her Trident.

The Org simply raised his hand and blasted Vapor back into a pile of cardboard boxes with another blast of sheer sound.

“Oh… I’m really starting to get tired of that…” Vapor murmured as she rubbed her head in pain. The sound coming through her ears had been deafened temporarily by the sheer volume, so the sound around her, the sounds of blades meeting blades and the Org’s laughter was at a very low volume. As she stood back up, staggering to her feet, Vapor growled.

“Alright then… No more Ms. Nice Pony. Lights of Orion, activate!” Vapor shouted, and in a golden flash of light, she gained the various golden adornments that came with the powerup. A claw themed gauntlet on her left arm, a gold band with a green gem in the center on her right and her Crystal Saber changed from a dagger to an actual rapier-like blade.

Vapor leaped skywards and her Crystal Sword coated itself with a hard sheeting of water before she slashed downwards with one powerful strike to the Boombox Org’s chest and then struck again with a powerful horizontal slash making him stagger back.

She then pulled her arm back, and the claw gauntlet extended as its blades glowed gold and she thrust her arm forwards in a powerful left cross to the Org’s gut sending him sprawling to the floor. The gem in his chest shattered into little crimson shards with the force of the blow. Coloratura was released from his grip, and she staggered backwards into Lightning’s awaiting arms.

“Got you, Countess, no need to worry.” Lightning smiled under her helmet.

“T-Thanks… Though I do have one request, don’t call me Countess, please. I really hate that title.” Coloratura said.

“Then what would you like me to call you?” Lightning asked.

“Rara would be just fine, all my friends call me that.”

“Okay then Rara, we’ll be getting you to safety, and that damn necklace off of you shortly,” Lightning reassured before she let out a shout of: “Oh shit! Duck!” as two Putrids fired their bazookas at them. Lightning pulled Rara to the floor before pulling out her Lightning Whips and snarling.

“Get over here!” she shouted and pulled the Putrids towards her with her whips before tossing them behind her. Whirling around, she pulled out her weapon, and used the Sword of Pardolis to cut them both in two in one quick slice of a hard-light formed blade.

“For superheroes, you are fairly violent…” Rara observed. “Not exactly how I’d expect you guys to be in a fight.”

“Hey, last I checked in a fight to the death -And that’s what this is- there weren’t any rules except to survive,” Lightning remarked. “Besides, think of it this way, if I hadn’t just done that, they probably would have tried to blow us up again.”

“Point,” Rara noted. “Still, they don’t seem to be following their boss’ orders in keeping me alive very well, do they?”

“Yes… Well, these mooks aren’t exactly known for their intellect.” Lightning commented in a wry tone.

“Since when are henchmen ever intelligent?” Rara snarked.

“Point,” Lightning remarked, with an amused smile under her helmet. Who knew a pop musician had a way with banter? “Of course, considering who they follow orders from, it’s not entirely surprising.”

Lightning was suddenly reminded she and Rara were in the middle of a battlefield as two Tengas charged towards her only to be cut down by Sunset and a borrowed ‘Navi Blaster.’

“For the record, I’m still not quite sure what to think of that… thing,” Lightning remarked as she re-joined the fray with her Crystal Saber and shoved Rara towards Sunset. “Here, you take care of her. I’ve got some slicing and dicing to do.”

“Why do I have to be the one to take care of her?”

“Let’s see, you’re the only one with a big gun right now, plus if it all goes pear-shaped, you’ve got that incredibly powerful, if not partially narcissistic boyfriend of yours with the Ranger History Knowledge to back you up!” Lightning remarked. “Plus, you’re the smart girl in the group. Bet you have Ponyville’s entire layout in your head and could easily figure out the quickest route towards safety.”

“Well, when you put it that way…” Sunset mused to herself, figuring Lightning had a point about the fact that she probably did have Ponyville’s entire layout memorized in her head. “Still, I can handle myself! I don’t need somepony to bail me out if things do indeed go pear-shaped, as you so claim… I’m not entirely defenseless, you know!” she deadpanned, catching Lightning off-guard.

“Wow, first a pop star, then Sunset…” Lightning thought to herself in shock. “Everybody’s getting snarky as of late it seems… What next, Robert becoming less of an egotistical asshole? Pigs sprouting wings and flying? Princess Celestia going through Ponyville, completely in the nude?” she mentally commented. “...Actually, if you count the late Solar Flare, if Robert’s account of their first real meeting is to be believed, that one already happened. Course, he’s a perv, so probably should take that description with a grain of salt.”

All of this thinking, mind you, was going on while Lightning was blocking sword and cudgel strikes from putrid and tenga alike.

Sunset and Rara, meanwhile, found themselves blocked by those very same foot soldiers. Well, they did until the mooks were felled by blasts of laser fire from Robert and Sunburst’s Savage Cycles.

“Sorry for the late arrival, but traffic was a real bitch…” Robert muttered as he leaped off his Cycle and joined the fray, firing off devastatingly accurate shots into the hoard of henchmen.

“Uh Robert, don’t mean to spoil your fun… Though this might increase it actually, look!” Sunburst shouted, as he pointed to the Boombox Org, who was picking himself up off the ground.

“You gotta be freaking kidding me! I thought the Lights of Orion killed the guy!” Vapor shouted.

“Did you see an explosion or him growing large?” Robert asked in a dry, and somewhat condescending tone of voice. “We blow them up, they get big. What part of that little piece of the job description did you forget?”

“Relax Vapor, maybe one Light Powered Ranger can’t take him down, but maybe three can…” Sunset smirked as she activated her own Orion armaments and her wings ignited in a pyre of hot flame as her horn glowed a brilliant opal color. Lightning’s own adornments activated as well, and the runes on her makeshift wing glowed a dark green color as it and her real one cracked with lightning and the air began to smell distinctly of ozone. “Su-Er, Ranger Black, take Coloratura and get her out of here! Me and the rest of us can handle this creep!”

“Seriously, make up your mind about who you’re going to hand me off to…” Rara muttered to herself as Sunset shoved her towards the Black Vampire Bat Ranger and out of harm’s way.

“Come on Countess, we’re taking our leave!” Sunburst said, as Sunset tossed him the Navi Blaster. Quite quickly, he and Rara were on his Savage Cycle, and with a twist of the handlebars, Sunburst gunned it and was out of sight.

“Now that’s taken care of…” Sunset snarled. “Now for you.”

“Ah, ah… I wouldn’t focus on the Countess or me just yet… One little thing you should be informed about,” the Boombox Org remarked. “See… Uh, just in case you did get ahold of the Countess and kept me from broadcasting my sonic waves all over the world with her singing prowess, yo, yo, yo, I thought ahead and made a backup plan see? Man, you Rangers didn’t even consider the idea of me thinking ahead!” he laughed. “Planted bombs all over Ponyville, in several locations. Sugarcube Corner, the Golden Oaks, and the Mayor’s Office! Even if you destroy me, I still get to cause chaos even if I’m taken off the airwaves! This is DJ Boombox Org blasting his plans live at you, loud and proud!”

With that, speakers on the bottom of his clawed feet sent out sheer soundwaves that both knocked the team backwards and sent them sprawling to the floor. Meanwhile, the Org used these sound waves to send himself flying up through the roof.

“Sunset… Sunset?” Vapor asked, as she and the Gold Ranger picked themselves up off the floor. “Now what do we do?”

“I… I… I don’t know!” Sunset whispered, in a panic.

“Sunset, what’s wrong?” Robert asked softly, for a moment forgetting the fact that there was an Org on the loose. Forgetting everything related to his Ranger duties. Right now, the only thing on his mind was his marefriend.

“I… I just don’t know what to do… Before, I always had a solution to a problem, but now? Now… I’m just… I’m just a leader without a plan and far too frightened to compose one… That Org… He’s lain bombs all throughout Ponyville, in the homes of our closest friends, and meanwhile, he’s probably going after the Countess and Sunburst as we speak!” she said, completely freaked out.

Robert pulled her into a calming hug and just stroked her mane whispering “Deep breaths, deep breaths Sunset-Chan…”

As Robert held her tight, Sunset did as she was asked, and took several calming deep breaths as she tried to recompose herself. As that happened, she stood up straight and found herself face to face with Lightning Dust of all ponies.

“Hey, that’s why you have us right?” Lightning asked as she firmly placed her hands on Sunset’s shoulders. “Let Sunburst worry about that Org. He can handle himself. If worst comes to worst, and that fiancee with a scythe and a very big wrecking ball can’t show up, I’ll give him a hand okay?” she stated, retracting her visor and looking Sunset dead in the eyes. “Meanwhile, we worry about the bombs. Put the citizens of Ponyville first, we have to look at the bigger picture. I’m sorry if this sounds harsh, but two lives vs the lives of Ponyville? The bigger picture will have to win out I’m afraid.”

“Yes… Yes, for now,” Sunset whispered to herself as she gripped her sword. “We’ll do that. I don’t have to like it, but you’re right. Everyone, demorph now. Best not to let anyone panic if they see a Power Ranger in their home and say something about a bomb okay? Don’t even mention the bombs, are we clear? Just make up some story as to why you’re there, and search… discreetly. No unneeded panic should be generated if at all possible, are we clear on this?”

Everyone nodded, before they demorphed and took off in different directions via wing flap or Savage Cycle.

Sunburst meanwhile was keeping up with his promise of keeping Rara safe. He gripped the handlebars of his bat-themed Savage Cycle, with Rara’s arms wrapping around his waist, her knuckles whiter than usual as she gripped him tightly.

Sunburst then found himself drifting to the left to avoid a sonic blast from the Boombox Org.

“Yo yo yo, couldn’t think you could take my prize away from me that easily did you?” he asked.

“Man… Cut it with the street speak. Funny at first… Actually, that’s a lie, it was never funny. Downright annoying, you and your hip street slang. About as annoying as a certain Fox Ranger’s arrogance on a bad day…” Sunburst muttered as he screeched to a halt and got off the bike, and drew the Navi Blaster. He cocked it, aiming it right at the Org to finally shut him up. “Hope you don’t mind if I take you off the airwaves, huh?”

“Sorry, but to do that, you’re going to have to deal with my co-hosts on my little show! Tengas!” the Org ordered, and snapped his fingers and as ordered, tenga warriors teleported in flashes of purple light and feathers.

As they charged Sunburst, he quickly found himself outnumbered, and one lucky tenga managed to kick the Navi Blaster out of his hands. She landed with a squawk, and reverted back to her bird form.

“Rude!” she chided. “You crows have no sense of manners, you know that right?”

“Oh, you so did not just do that to my daughter…” Sunburst growled, and picked up a nearby broom and began spinning it around in his hands to block the tengas’ punches, in true Don Dogoier style.

He then saw some tengas heading towards Rara, but to his shock, she actually was fighting them off with a surge of karate techniques. He rubbed away at his glasses, just to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.

Even under the opaque visor of his helmet, Rara could tell the Black Ranger was gaping at him.

“What, you’d be surprised at how crazy some of my fans get at shows and trying to nag at me for an autograph…” she trailed off.

“Yeesh, I need to wonder if we can find you a Ranger suit…” Sunburst murmured to himself before he let out a shout of “Woah!” as he pulled Rara to the ground as the Boombox Org fired off more sonic blasts. Ingredients in a thankfully empty potions supply store went up in a purple fireball, and the smoke rose skywards.

“So, your prize… Does that mean it doesn’t matter if she’s alive or dead to you?” Sunburst found himself snarling in anger, surprising even himself. Unknown to him, his helmet’s visor had shattered from the force of the explosion, allowing Rara to see his face.

“Huh, so that’s who one of them is…” She thought to herself. “Who’d have thought, Ponyville’s local high school science teacher a Power Ranger?”

“Eh, long as I get her wonderful voice… Even if I have to pry her vocal cords right out of her, and strip her of that mark of hers with this lovely little gem here…” the Org remarked casually, holding up an exact duplicate of the gem Vapor had shattered earlier. More tengas teleported in to back him up. “Never hurts to have a backup copy after all… eh Black Ranger, or should we tell the at-home audience who you really are? Might want to check that visor of yours.”

Sunburst then realized what had happened, his eyes briefly widening in horror, and sighing, just tossed his helmet aside for the moment. He’d deal with the consequences later.

“And looky that, nobody to help you…” the Org chuckled darkly.

“Hey! I’m still here, aren’t I?” Rara shouted in offence. The Org, of course, ignored her.

“Yeah… right about that. None of my friends are here to help me… Not after that wild goose chase you sent them on. See, if I don’t miss my guess, you’re just an expert in sonic technology and making loud noises. Granted, bombs do that, but you’re no magic expert nor do you have the know-how in bomb-making I think. You just wanted them out of the way, so you could get to the Countess. Am I right, or am I right?” Sunburst asked.

The Org snarling “Get him, shut him up! I didn’t want him exposing the big plot twist in my show!” provided him the only answer he needed. Sunburst sighed, and pulled out his Jungle Fans and charged forwards.

And that was how Robert had found himself in the situation he was in currently. Searching a rather ruined (Which was not at all his fault, he’d just like to state for the record) Sugarcube Corner.

“Promise Mrs. Cake, nothing’s wrong… Nothing at all!” Robert reassured, rather badly I might add as he stepped over a dead tenga and the blood pooling from its throat. In his hand, was his SPD Morpher, searching for what you might call… Abnormalities. Any unusual magical energy surges, things like that.

“Odd… So odd,” Robert muttered to himself as he pressed a button on his SPD Morpher, and gave it a little shake. “I know this thing’s seen better days, but one would think it could detect something as simple as a magical…”

Robert suddenly stopped himself as he realized who was in the room. “Right… No unneeded panic... “ he thought to himself. “But it’s almost as if…”

Robert’s admittedly quite bad detective skills were screaming alarm bells to him right now. Something was wrong, and he knew it. Then, his SPD Morpher started beeping up a storm, and he rushed towards the back room and kicked the door in.

“Sure… She’s going to believe nothing’s wrong now when I’m pretty much breaking and entering into their storage room!” Robert whispered to himself and followed the beeping sound, the beeping increasing in speed as he got closer to the source. Finally, in a box normally reserved for what looked to be cheesecakes, he found it. Prying the bomb open, he muttered to himself: “Cut the red wire, that’s how things always are with this type of thing aren’t they?”

Predictably, guess what he found when he opened up the bomb, pulsating and glowing an ugly violet color.

“...Right, they all would be red wires wouldn’t they…?” he sighed looking skywards before calling Sunset.

“Hey, Sunset-Chan? Remember when I told you that this should be simple, just cutting a red wire?”

“Yeah?” Sunset deadpanned as she tossed books off of the Golden Oaks Library Bookshelves, going from one bookshelf to the next in a frantic frenzy. Behind her, stood Twilight and Spike watching her with expressions of both worry, and bewilderment. Spike was dressed in a frilly apron over his normal attire, and the apron read, amusingly enough: “All real male drakes wear pink!”

“Er… Sunset, not to bother you or anything, but are you sure everything’s alright?” Spike asked.

“Yes… Yes, everything’s fine! Absolutely nothing to worry about. You two just go back to whatever you were doing!” Sunset reassured in a none too convincing tone of voice. Spike raised an eyebrow. Next, he leaned over to Twilight.

“Sure you’re not rubbing off on her more than you think?” He asked in a low tone, before shrugging and heading back to the kitchen muttering “Ah, I got a gem salad to make, fun as standing around watching this is…”

Twilight soon followed, remembering she had food cooking as well.

“Not so simple. Org’s smarter than he looks, and a Hell of a lot more genre-savvy than one would give him credit for. The wires on these bombs… they’re all red!” Robert’s voice exclaimed over Sunset’s Growl Phone.

“To use one of your phrases… Wunderbar.” Sunset deadpanned as she found her own bomb, exactly like Robert’s.

“Bit easy though isn’t it, us just happening to find these bombs?” Robert questioned.

“Easy, you call this easy?” Sunset asked in reply. “I had to tear Twilight’s library apart to find mine! She’s going to kill me for this, if the bomb doesn’t! Or worse, help me reorganize her shelves!”

“Priorities…” Robert muttered to himself. “But still, us just happening to find these bombs, with very little hassle aside from the odd Tenga or two? And they only show up on our scanners as soon as our energy signatures get close. Makes one wonder doesn’t it?”

Right about then, what Sunburst had already figured out, Sunset and Robert did as well. Penny in the air, penny drops.

“I don’t believe it… We’ve been had! He wants us running all out and about in a panic, while he goes after Sunburst and Coloratura!”

She then opened up a comm channel to all of her team. “Everyone, get to Sunburst’s location now! Forget about the bombs, they’re fakes! Just a ruse to draw us away from the real threat! He needs our help, now!” she shouted before using her horn to hone in on Sunburst’s location with a simple location spell and teleported out in a flash of gold light.

Sunburst, cutting through the tengas on his way towards the Boombox Org, soon found himself joined by his comrades.

“Sorry we’re late, but…” Robert began and Sunburst finished for him.

“Traffic?” He snarked, raising an eyebrow.

“Uh, hate to point out the obvious, but you’re missing your helmet, we just teleported in and there’s a civilian watching all of this.” Lightning remarked, gesturing to Rara behind her.

“Fuck...” Robert swore under his breath. Where was a kaleidoscope themed Org that scrambled brains when you needed one?

“We’ll have to make do for the time being. Worry about the consequences later,” Sunset said before she turned back to look at Rara. “What you’re about to see… Well…”

“Yeah, I know,” Rara said with a smile. “Won’t tell anybody, Pinkie Promise.”

“Well… In that case,” Robert said with a smirk as he went for his amulet, and the others their growl phones. “Sorry to upstage you Countess, but I’m afraid this little show we’re about to put on might just be slightly better than your concert.”

“Probably,” Rara admitted with a shrug and a sheepish smile.

Holding her growl phone up to her ear, Sunset shouted “It’s Morphin’ Time! Legendary Wild Access, hah!”

(Morphing Sequence)
Sunset rocketed upwards into the sky flying through several spell seals in the process each time gaining a piece of her costume in the process before finally her helmet formed over her head with the screech of a bird before she rocketed downwards and landed on the ground with a mighty thud.
Standing on a rocky desert plateau as storm clouds rumbled and lightning flashed in the background, Lightning gained an aqua colored costume with the same diagonal tooth marks across her chest as Sunset’s. Her Cutie Mark of a yellow lightning bolt with stars appeared on her right breast. A helmet similar in design to Sunset's appeared on her head, with the sound similar to that of a falcon's call.
On a beach, a tidal wave washed over Vapor Trail and she gained a purple costume similar in design to the others with her Cutie Mark of a comet on her left breast as well. The tooth marks on the opposite side of her chest appeared and a sperm whale themed helmet formed over her head with the noise of a deep sea beast's hum.
A flash of pure blue flames enveloped Robert as he stood in one of the red gate lined pathways that led up to Inari’s sacred shrine on Mt. Inari. He was given an orange form-fitting costume with tooth marks going diagonally across the left side of his chest and a golden fox’s head on his right breast. Then, a cape flamed into existence and a misty orange nine-tailed fox bit down on Robert’s head and formed his helmet.

(Morphing Sequences End Here)
“Lightning Speed! Ferocious Thunderbird!”
“Cunning Wit! Fighting Fox!”
“Great Strength! Monstrous Leviathan!”
“Shadowed Intent! Vampire Bat!”
“Fiery Nobility! Phoenix!” Sunset shouted before using her horn to project an image of a roaring lion behind her and shouted: “Guardians of the Earth, united we roar! Wild Force!”

“Oh, so you want to upstage my broadcast eh? Well…”

“No, sorry you Three Dog wannabe, like we’ve said numerous times before… We’re taking it off the air entirely!” Robert snarled before he and Sunburst fired their animal spirits at the Org, ripping his speakers to shreds completely. “Now, Lights of Orion, activate! Power Up Mode!”

Altogether, the Rangers charged forwards and turned into a blazing ball of fire which ripped through the Org and as they turned back to human form, he fell forwards and exploded.

“Bit anticlimactic I know, but best to keep the audience wanting more I suppose…” Robert mused, before he groaned and facepalmed. Now he was doing it!

Of course, if Robert wanted something a bit more worthy of a climax, he got one as ever, Thrax’s wand came down from the sky and with an explosion of magical energy, upsized the Org.

“Yeah, baby! Now I can blast my shows louder and prouder than ever before!” the Org snarled, as he stomped his feet. The Rangers and Rara had to roll to the left to avoid being flattened as the Org’s gargantuan foot came down with a deafening CRASH.

Sunset, with a flick of the wrist, summoned the Falcon Summoner and fired it skywards as the others pulled out their Crystal Sabers, calling out to their own Wild Zords.

With a loud screech, the Falcon flew downwards and used his talons to rip and tear into the Org before flying away as a bright blue blur slashed again and again at the Boombox Org.

“Alright, alright! Finally been summoned by a Ranger! Yes yes yes, now time to beat up an Org!” the Swallow Zord babbled in excitement, much to Robert’s displeasure.

“Great, traded in an arrogant grump for a motormouth who doesn’t know when to shut his beak… Wunderbar…” Robert groaned mentally. But the Swallow Zord was showing his worth, using his speed to outpace the Org’s sonic blasts, before he struck again and again with his ludicrously sharp wings.

The Falcon Zord meanwhile, tucked in his wings and flew in closer to the Org as the Deer Zord picked it up and tossed the Org towards him with his antlers. He grabbed the Org by the head with his talons before throwing him screaming to the mountains outside Ponyville, caving in a cliffside with an earth-shattering BOOM as he made impact.

“Much better, with that, less likely to cause unnecessary civilian casualties,” He said, as the Org picked himself up off the ground.

He began growling as his speakers began letting out a low, rumbling tone, trees flattened below him and then took to the skies, rushing at the Falcon Zord. “I’M GONNA PLUCK YOU LIKE A TURKEY YOU BIRD BASTARD!!!”

“Oh, so he can fly as well? Interesting.” The Falcon Zord mused nonchalantly, answering the challenge with a piercing shriek as it rolled out of the way of the Org’s charge.

Leading the Org on a chase through the clouds, he barrel-rolled again and again to avoid sonic blasts. The Falcon tucked its wings in, dropping like a stone and raking Boombox’s side with its talons as it dove past, a mach cone forming around it before it snapped its wings open, buffeting the surrounding forest with gale-force winds as the scarlet Falcon pulled out of its dive.

“Now, let’s go for the coup de grace, Rangers.” the Falcon advised. As he -and the other four Wild Zords summoned- mentally received the command to combine, he locked up his talons, and his head folded into his body to create the torso as another head, a cross between a bird and a human’s revealed itself. The Bison Zord’s entire back opened up and split apart, moving downwards to become legs as the Swallow Zord locked himself into place on top of him. Wings folded down to become extra armor. The transformed Falcon then locked into place on top of that. The Deer and Giraffe Zords then completed the transformation by having their legs fold up into their body and attached to the empty shoulder sockets to become arms, as the Giraffe gained a metal helm. The newly formed Megazord raised its spear arm to the sky, seemingly piercing the heavens.

“Isis Megazord, complete!” the Rangers shouted as they teleported into the cockpit.

And so, an aerial battle ensued with the Isis Megazord outflying the Org’s sonic blasts with its powerful wings.

“Woah… Okay, so definitely different from flying Aero Rescue 3…” Robert muttered to himself, holding down last night’s dinner as the Isis Megazord made a sharp, swooping left turn.

The Megazord banked right, swooping in behind the Org and striking it with the Deer Zord’s antlers, trapping him within its grasp.

“The hell you think you’re doing!?” The Org growled as he quickly regained his bearings, and fired off twin sonic blasts from his palms, right towards the Megazord.

“Falcon Shield!” Sunset shouted as the Isis Megazord’s wings folded in front of it to create heavy armor for the chest, forcing the Isis Megazord back, but otherwise leaving it unharmed. The wings unfurled again as the Megazord rocketed forwards, Giraffe Spear aimed directly at the Org’s chest. “I don’t think so!” The Org said, ducking under the spear’s head and grabbing the Isis Megazord’s legs, swinging them in a wide arc and throwing them as far as he could before rushing after it.

“Okay, let’s see how far, and how fast you can fly…” Sunset murmured, before the Isis Megazord rocketed directly upwards in an arc, looping back down behind the Org and delivering a powerful flying kick that sent him smashing towards the ground below, causing the ground to erupt as the Org created another crater with his body.

Before the Org could regain his bearings, The Megazord landed another powerful kick onto his back, forcing him even deeper into the crater before the Deer Zord’s antlers closed around his torso again, trapping him for the second time as he was lifted into the air. “Antler Crush!” Vapor called out.

The Org found himself spun 360 degrees several times, before he was tossed to the ground with a loud thud, with the Isis Megazord turning its back on him.

“Transmission… Canceled.” Sunset said as the Org went up in a fireball behind them.

Author's Notes:

Okay, so yes... Said I'd publish this in the spring, but I'm notoriously impatient, and with night school starting back up again soon writing time is going to be cut down considerably.
Probably not my smartest choice to now have five fics going on at once, but with me I really need things to keep my brain occupied, and considering I'll be starting Math courses AKA Hell soon, I need something fun on my mind. (Still not sure on the cover art, but...)

Okay, yes, references. The chapter title, it is a reference to the Operation Overdrive episode of the same name, and I've got plenty more PR references, large and small for this story planned considering this year is the show's 25th anniversary with Super Ninja Steel starting soon. ...Another reason why I'm releasing this so early. I want to beat Saban a little at their own game of releasing things. Anyways, thoughts, comments and things you wish to see in this story would be appreciated. Love you guys, you know that right?

Now, time to sit back and enjoy the ride. Next Time: Sunburst meets up with his younger sister, and has doubts about introducing his fiance to his family.

Part 2: Familar Connections

The Animarium

The clatter and clang of swords rang out through a clearing as two blades met, sparks flying over and over as metal ground against metal.

One combatant, dressed in a pith helmet with far too many arrow holes in it, a military green vest and tan khaki shorts making her look as if she was ready for a walk in the jungle. Around her neck, as she met the blade of the other, was an aqua gem of some sort. Her opponent was dressed much more conservatively, in a simple black suit and matching tie. Despite wearing no gem around his neck, somehow he bore the same style of sword as Daring.

The sword in question was mostly golden and styled after a katana, with black highlights and a reptilian face with two seemingly glowing green eyes.

“Come on, Sunburst! Tell me this isn’t all you’ve got!” Daring shouted as she swung a wide spinning slash, -her dark gray and black mane flying as she spun- with her sparring partner just barely managing to meet it with his own Dino Saber. “...Or am I just too much for ya to handle?” she added teasingly, with a wink.

“Well… Well, it’s not like I’ve ever actually used one of these before!” Sunburst stammered out, blushing red from the implied insulations in that last remark. He groaned mentally. Bad enough his fiancee got to him with things like that, now Daring could do it as well! Granted, if he swung that way, she would be considered a very attractive mare. “Its companion piece, yes, but that was only once!”

“By the way…” Daring asked as they met blades again. “How’d you get ahold of one of those? They’re definitely not mass-production blades for the Royal Guard that they can just call in as a requisition order. Certainly not antiques either… So, either it’s a very good replica of one, or someone we both know loaned you it…” she mused.

“Okay, so maybe Galaxy did loan me his a short while back, -mentioning he preferred Blood Moon for straight close quarters combat anyways- as a little gift for me to practice my swordsmanship with.”

“Well, no offense to your fiance… But I’m going to be blunt with you, you suck,” Daring commented as she -with a well-placed sword swing- knocked the Dino Saber from Sunburst’s grasp.

“Oh yeah, rub salt in that wound a little harder,” Sunburst murmured. “But honestly, you’re right, I do suck. Bit embarrassing really…”

Nearby, out of sight and serving as a silent cheerleader for her black ranger, was Princess Shayla. Her mind flashed back to over a year before, when the Ranger team was just newly gathered in the months before it had gained the final member of the squadron.

“So, you sure these are the exact ponies we’re going to have to rely on to defend the Earth?” Zen-Aku asked, in his usual gruff tone as he observed the original four team members socialize and talk with each other. Mostly, their tones were of disbelief or in Lightning Dust’s case excitement when she found out her adoptive sister was a Ranger as well. “Might I stress, ponies, who committed mass genocide on an entire race. And we’re supposed to be defending them why? Can’t believe I’m saying this, but I say we just sit back and let the Orgs have them…” he muttered quietly to himself.

Shayla glared at him, and the Duke Org actually flinched at the ferocity of her glare.

“We cannot blame an entire race for the actions of one madmare,” she reminded him. “If I did that and followed your line of thoughts when humankind was… around, I probably wouldn’t have chosen the first team of Rangers just because of extremists like Adolf Hitler and the like.”

“A point well made,” Zen-Aku admitted. “But still, hardly the team I would have picked. Take Lightning Dust for instance. She’s a prime example of what I’m talking about. Far too ego-centered, and far too hot-tempered. She’s rash, and impetuous. One foolish charge into battle could get her very easily killed. And then there’s Sunburst… Mild-mannered to a fault, and really doesn’t know the first thing about combat beyond what he’s read in books. Being bookish is all well and good, but it doesn’t translate to field combative abilities.”

“And that’s what they’re all here for, to learn and grow from each other,” Shayla told him. “They may not be the most qualified rangers… Yet, but…”

“They’re the best we got…” Zen-Aku muttered until Shayla shushed him.

“Need I remind you, that the original team was hardly qualified when they started out as well? I don’t think any Ranger team is ready to fight the forces of evil when they first get chosen.” she reminded him and Zen-Aku finally relented and let out a sigh.

“Fine… But we still need a fifth Ranger to take up the reigns of the Orange Kitsune powers,” he reminded her.

“And he, or she, will choose to reveal themselves when the time is right. For now, we have four other Rangers to train, and worry about.”

“No, what’s embarrassing is the fact that you’ve hardly told anyone outside this team about your fiance!” Daring commented as she helped Sunburst up off the grass. “By Somnambula’s wings! It’s… It’s like you don’t want anyone to know you’re eventually going to be married to the Captain of the Night Guard!”

Sunburst’s silence said it all.

“You… You don’t, do you?” Daring asked, a bit more softly. “Is it because he’s a possible psychopath? Or is it just because your fiancee is a stallion, instead of a mare?”

“I… I have my reasons.” Sunburst stuttered out. “I’d just like to keep silent on my fiance for the time being.”

“Can’t keep quiet on him being a dude forever, you know,” Daring advised. “Ponies talk. Eventually, it’ll make it to one of your parents, or some other family member you may have that you’re engaged to someone, and next thing you know they’ll be on your doorstep…”

“I… I suppose you’re right, I have to tell somebody in my family soon, but… but then that would mean telling them about all my other secrets. I mean, I haven’t spoken to any of my family members aside from my sister in years!”

“Pretty sure you can skip the part about you being a Power Ranger.” Daring deadpanned.

“No… No, it’s not that. That, I can easily avoid talking about. It’s… It’s the other things in my life. You have to understand, Ms. Do, Yearling, or whatever your last name is, that my parents were so proud of me when I got accepted into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. But to come back and tell them I barely passed and just teach science to high-schoolers…?” Sunburst trailed off. “Can you imagine their reaction?”

“I… I see,” Daring admitted, feeling rather sorry for the older unicorn. “You just don’t want to shatter the little mental image they have of you as some sort of possible super-unicorn like the Lady Mistmane, don’t you?”

Again, Sunburst’s silence said it all for Daring.

“Can’t keep this a secret forever, you know that right?” she asked, and Sunburst looked at her.

“So… So what am I supposed to do? Just go up to my parents and say, hey, sorry I didn’t turn out to be what you expected and I haven’t said a word to you in years, but here I am!” He snapped before turning away from Daring and teleporting off the Animarium in a pillar of black light.

“...What, what did I say?” she asked herself, and Shayla laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Nothing that I think Sunburst didn’t need to hear at some point. But for now, it’s probably best you back off for the time being, and let him figure things out for himself really…”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right…” Daring admitted.

Canterlot:

Sunburst found himself teleporting down to the late midday streets of Canterlot. The sun was at its peak, and burning brightly. He thanked the stars and moon it would be going down soon enough, by its own will. No, not Celestia’s will, its own. Sunburst wasn’t stupid, he knew there was no magic in the world ever devised to raise the sun or moon or control the tides or whatever. Fact of the matter was, the sun had been around longer than Celestia herself had been, and as far as he knew there was no mystical force that controlled it before she came along. Just more of Solar Flare’s ego and propaganda towards the populace.

“Makes one wonder how the populace at large would react if Celestia or Luna ever decided to let slip that little secret…” Sunburst had to ponder to himself. He wasn’t a pony to guess what other ponies would do. He worked with science in studying the natural planet and how it worked, not Sociology and Anthropology. They were entirely different matters to him, a whole other world really. “Hmph, if I wanted answers to that question, suppose I could ask that pony who works in that Natural History Museum. Well known Anthropologist, she is.”

Sunburst’s ears perked up at the sounds of a great commotion and explosions. On instinct, he reached for his Growl Phone in his pocket as he rounded a corner, but immediately relaxed as soon as he saw the source of the noise. In front of him was a makeshift stage, all seemingly deployed from inside a wagon. He smiled wistfully as he saw the carriage, he knew exactly who it belonged to.

Finding a seat amongst the quickly gathering crowd, he awaited what was to come. He wasn’t to be disappointed.

“Ladies and Gentleponies, would you put your hands together for the greeeeeaattt and poweeeerrrrful Trixie!” a mare’s voice announced, and with several loud raucous cheers and a whole other bunch of pomp and circumstance, a mare walked out on stage. Azure blue in coat color, with a cornflower blue mane, she winked at the crowd as she strutted onto stage with more than a bit of flourish of her star-spangled cape.

Quite a few wolf whistles came from the crowd, and even as Trixie ate them up as he knew she always did, Sunburst groaned to himself. He was trying very hard not to think about Trixie’s… attire to be putting it politely, that emphasized her body, and showed off quite a bit of leg, a good amount of her bust and all of her arms. More of a swimsuit than regular clothing, if he had to make a comparison.

“She always loved attention drawn to herself, didn’t she?” Sunburst mused with a small chuckle as Trixie created manifestations of sparrows from inside her hat and let them fly out into the audience. Some lucky members had them land in their outstretched hands, where the sparrows quickly turned into roses. And it wasn’t always stallions who found themselves with a rose. “Well, least my little sis is doing good for herself, eh?”

Yes, you read that right dear reader. Sunburst, calm introvert who works as a science teacher by day, has the Great and Powerful Trixie, flashy stage magician and possible narcissist as a little sister.

“Now, now, don’t get yourselves all worked up for moi, eh?” Trixie teased as she tapped a box with a small little wand. “Didn’t travel all this way to entertain you by myself! No, this time Trixie has a stage assistant!”

She then leaned down to the box and said “You can come out now, if you want. Now now, no need to be shy!”

The box then opened from all sides and revealed a Himalayan clouded leopard. Gasps echoed through the crowd.

“Been taking a bit of inspiration from a certain group of spandex-clad heroes as of late, and got inspired to have animal assistance!” Trixie announced as she lit up a flaming hoop and cracked a whip. On cue, the leopard jumped through it back and forth several times.

“Well…” Sunburst thought to himself in amusement. “Glad to know our efforts don’t go unappreciated, though I didn’t think this was quite what any of us had in mind when we tried to inspire the populace to respect our animal brethren really. I just hope she knows what she’s doing…”

Sunburst’s concerns weren’t unfounded of course, considering these cats could leap quite a good distance, and had enough claws and teeth that could easily rip you to bloody ribbons. But for the most part, Trixie seemed to have her “Assistant” well under control. Closest scare she (And Sunburst by extension, being family) got was when the leopard snarled and bared its fangs at her, but was quickly quelled by a look from Trixie that seemed all too familiar to Sunburst. He just didn’t know why that was, or where he’d seen it before.

Trixie eventually finished her stage show by once more reaching into her hat, and then as she pulled her hand out of it, she threw a glowing orb into the sky which erupted into showers of colorful fireworks consisting of blue, purple, red and white explosions.

Trixie smirked to herself as the crowd shouted for more of her tricks and her in general. “Rule number one of being a stage performer, always leave the audience wanting for more.” she thought to herself before addressing her fans.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is so very sorry for this, but she… Well, she feels she needs to grab a bite to eat. I do have a figure to worry about, none of you would want me worrying about things like that, would you?” she asked with a wink even as the audience groaned. “But not to worry, later this week Trixie will be putting on an even bigger show for you all! Tonight… Well, tonight was just only a small preview of Trixie’s around the world Equestrian Performance Extravaganza Spectacular!”

As a grumbling, but excited crowd dispersed, Trixie began to pack up her things. Well, she did before she caught Sunburst’s eye and her jaw dropped.

“...No way.” she whispered and Sunburst could only just give a little shy and rather nervous wave of his fingers.

Far away from Canterlot, or Sunburst, or Trixie or any other civilized being for that matter rested the place once known as Turtle Cove and the spot of reemergence for the Orgs first time around. Hardly surprising then, that a member of the old guard (Quite literally) had chosen this spot as a hideaway.

After all, Retinax reasoned, if the Princesses -Human and pony alike- had their all-seeing eyes trained on Equestria and not to the wildlands to the far west his machinations would go undetected.

Retinax was a shrewd form of Duke Org, yes. He also knew another Duke Org under his command was also the intelligent sort. Far too intelligent to not leave as a wild card in his deck. This Duke Org, of course, was Zen-Aku.

Retinax was both in fear and in awe of the Wolf of the Night’s abilities. After all, when you broke into one of the most highly secured vaults in Equestria just to retrieve one gem and left without a trace, you were a good asset to have. Trouble was, Zen-Aku had something Retinax didn’t. Morality.

Zen-Aku cared far too much for certain ponies he’d been protecting. A few choice words yes, they could sway him to Retinax’s side, but not completely. Zen-Aku had spent 3,000 years walking the path of redemption, and he wasn’t willing to let go quite so easily.

So, Retinax had thought ahead. A simple spell worked from the shadows by a few putrids while he talked his way into Zen-Aku’s head, and it made it all the more easier to have one very powerful warrior under his command. His only regret was that he couldn’t have gotten to Zen-Aku before he threw his animal crystals into the sea. Orgs (Powerful ones especially) were in such short supply, with most being rogues destroyed by the Rangers before Retinax could find them, or when they weren’t destroyed they fell under Thrax’s sway.

Retinax did have to wonder what was going through Thrax’s head at times. He rarely showed himself to combat the Rangers, when he could very easily wipe the floor with them and kill them all in a short battle. Thrax showed this capability when he fought them solo with their so-called “Animaria Guardian Megazord” and almost destroyed it… Or at least damaged it enough for Solar Flare to finish the job.

And then there were the Orgs, it was like he just let them be destroyed and not cared one jot about them. Granted, he thought of them all as simple pawns not worth his time so that may have accounted for some of it, but the rest…?

Retinax had to wonder if Thrax was just grasping at straws and he wasn’t really interested in dealing with Orgs and just wanted them out of the way, or he had something far more sinister in mind. After all, even he knew there were some rituals that required spirits. Thrax’s revival of Goldar showed that.

Retinax also knew he could get the answers straight from a very reliable source. He chuckled, Doomwing could pay dividends after all despite being a rat who would likely jump ship if he wanted to.

Rubbing his hands gleefully, Retinax smirked. “Maybe bringing Doomwing onboard isn’t such a bad idea after all...”

From the shadows, Zen-Aku frowned as he leaned up against a cave wall. Something was wrong, and he knew it. He couldn’t quite place his fingers on what it was exactly, but a part of him seemed all too happy to bend to Retinax’s will. It went against his every instinct, he didn’t like to be controlled or follow orders from anybody.

Walking through the cave’s corridors, the sound of water dripping somewhere behind him, he walked into the room that held the little prize he’d acquired in the Crystal Empire. Just looking at the little white gem, it seemed to faintly whisper in his head. Little niggles, telling him to just pick it up and use its power for himself.

The whispers grew louder, and Zen-Aku clutched his head in pain and howled as he fell to the floor, his weapons clattering as they hit the stone.

“Get… Get out of my head!” Zen-Aku snarled as he clenched his fists and forced the presence out.

Zen-Aku found himself running from the room, quite afraid of that tiny piece of stone. He wouldn’t admit it, but yes, he was afraid of it. What it could do, and what might happen if anyone were ever to accept it’s powers…

“Alright, so what the Hell are you doing here?” Trixie snarled. “Got some nerve showing up out of the blue like this really.”

Sunburst flinched at her stinging remark, he supposed he deserved that really. After all, considering he hadn’t kept in touch with any of his family members aside from her in fifteen years, and even then he barely spoke with her at all as he was far too afraid of certain things making it back to her.

“Okay… Okay,” Sunburst stammered out. “Suppose you got every right to be angry with me, considering how little we speak in person.”

“Angry, yes, I admit I’m more than a little ticked off with you,” Trixie sighed, rubbing her temples as she loaded her clouded leopard back into his cage. “But I’m mostly disappointed than anything else. Seriously, you were around almost constantly when I was a little filly and then you just up and vanished as soon as you decided to take your studies seriously. Soon as you decided to go back to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns to try and earn yourself a degree! I mean, wasn’t one ten year stretch at that school enough for you!?!” she hissed out, shoving him up against a brick wall.

“Listen, I can explain everything really. ...Well, I’ll try the best I can anyways…” Sunburst stammered out. “I… I, well okay that ten year stretch at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, the second one… Bit of a lie really. Hell, I wasn’t even in Canterlot for those ten years.”

Trixie’s jaw dropped.

“...Actually, I sorta fled to the Crystal Empire for some of those ten years, soon as it reemerged Just wanted to get as far away from the rest of civilization as possible. ...I… I was ashamed of myself really. You know how mom and dad were always fawning over me when I passed with flying colors first time around, and how they always said I would be a grand mage in Celestia’s court soon as they saw my Cutie Mark?” Sunburst asked nervously, and rolled up his sleeve to show his own. Compared to Trixie’s wand cutie mark, his own was an orange sun bursting with rays and stars. Hardly surprising, he thought, that his parents thought he’d make it and be one of Celestia’s top students with a mark like that.

“Yes…” Trixie trailed off, loosening her grip on his suit.

“This… This is something I’m sorta embarrassed to talk about really. Least without my fiance present.”

Trixie’s eyes nearly bugged out of their skull about then. It would have been comical if not for the seriousness of the situation.

“F-Fiance?” Trixie stammered out, feeling a little weak in the knees. She stumbled forwards a bit, and Sunburst caught her.

“Okay, I know of a place where we, as in me, my fiance and you, can talk things out. And catch dinner in the process. That sound good to you?” he asked softly.

“...Well, Trixie does admit she is feeling a little hungry…”

Later that evening, after a quick change of clothing (Trixie out of her stage attire, and Sunburst out of his rather sweat-soaked suit) the two met up at a favorite dining spot of Sunburst’s. Namely, the restaurant “Charbroiled”, the one he and two of his comrades along with the stallion known as Hellfire had given the Charcoal Grill Org courage to start up.

Trixie smiled a bit as she saw Sunburst walking into the restaurant wearing tan slacks, and a dark blue star-spangled jacket. She herself was wearing a simple red dress.

“So, where’s your fiance?” Trixie asked.

“He’ll… He’ll be showing up in a bit. H-Had a few last minute things to take care of.” He stammered out, really nervous about both having the first real conversation with his sister in years, and her meeting Galaxy to boot.

“Thank the Mystic Mother you showed up when you did, Trixie was really about tired of having just a crow in a waiter’s uniform just to talk to,” Trixie said in annoyance, gesturing to a certain reformed tenga in a nice tuxedo holding a platter with a selection of various wines and the menu. “You’re paying for all this, by the way.”

“Eh, least I deserve after not speaking to you for this long…” Sunburst admitted with a sheepish smile.

“Oh no, this is on the house like every meal with you Sunburst!” the tenga refuted. “Without you, might never have changed my ways and probably ended up getting slaughtered by the Power Rangers like the rest of my flock!”

“Okay, what’s that about?” Trixie had to ask as the Tenga walked off to tend to another table.

“It’s… It’s a long and very weird story…” Sunburst admitted. “I’ll tell you about it some other time.”

“Yeah, and about all those other times I helped stop the seeming apocalypse from happening on an almost weekly basis…” Sunburst thought to himself.

“Long and weird stories... You seem to have a lot of them,” Trixie sighed in exasperation. “Which one shall we tackle first? The ten-year gap? Your engagement? Or... wait, did you say he earlier? Trixie has a lot of questions, and you better answer them.” she demanded and Sunburst sighed. He knew he had a lot of things to answer for, and had run away from answering them for far too long. Bout time he stopped then.

Sunburst looked scarlet, as he tapped his fingers on the table nervously. “Yes, I did say he. As in a guy, a dude," the orange toned stallion replied. “Part of the reason I never even mentioned him before now, I... I was just afraid you'd judge.”

“Trixie? Judge? Really, you've been away from me for too long.” Trixie huffed.”Really! When has Trixie ever…”

Sunburst looked a bit embarrassed upon accusing Trixie of such a thing. He was being stupid, she was still the same pony he knew over a decade ago. “Well, to be fair, ...LGBT couples or whatever they're called get a lot of flack. So you can't blame me for being paranoid,” he replied. “Especially when you learn exactly who I'm engaged to…” he added mentally.

“Well, now that has been established, getting engaged? When, where, how?” Trixie inquired. Well, more like interrogated, as a curious sister would after not seeing their brother all this time, with a hint of disappointment and anger thrown into the mix. “Trixie must know.”

“Okay, okay!” Sunburst said, holding up his hands defensively. “Bout a year or so ago, in the Canterlot Gardens late one night. You know the type, where the moon and stars just twinkle down and the rays of the moon just shine through the trees? Early fall, right before all these Orgs showed up and started making life in Equestria more... chaotic than it usually is, for lack of a better term. Music was just right. Old jazz song playing in the background, some pony with a sax trying to earn a few bits. As you do, you know.” Sunburst continued, remembering every detail exactly as it was, his voice filled with nothing but love and wistfulness. During all of this, Trixie was nodding slowly. Sunburst could just see the “And?” coming. “And... As I know you're about to ask that question. Looked at him in the moonlight, those black wings of his shining and glinting off the moonlight and I asked him to marry me right then and there.” he explained, and then here came a laugh.

“Hah! He's not telling you everything, just the parts that don't make him look like a total goof.”

Sunburst groaned as his fiance walked in, covered from head to hoof in dark blue armor. He facepalmed, couldn't he have at least bothered to try and dress like he wasn't constantly on-duty?

Trixie turns to look at the new arrival. As she saw who it is, the color drained from her face. Her eyes widened and she let out a small squeak. She knew who that was. She'd heard of him before. There were many stories about what he’d done, about who he was, and how simply dangerous he was. She knew her brother would never put her in danger, but she still couldn't help but to feel nervous at his appearance. She turns back to her brother, the fear clear on her face. With her eyes, she indicated this new person in a “Him?! You're engaged to him?!” way. Again, it was almost comical in a way, from an outsider’s perspective. She wasn't trying to be offensive, but her personal safety was still important.

Galaxy noted the look on Trixie's face and smirked a little. “Ah, so she has heard of my reputation... Word of advice, don't believe everything you read eh? Not a Count Vlad Tepes rip-off. But seriously... Sunny?” he commented in a teasing, but affectionate tone ruffling his fiance’s mane. “He didn't up and ask me to marry him outright. Didn't have the nerve. Just came out as a little squeaking stutter, could barely get the words out. I still accepted mind you, and not just because it was so cute of him. Like I said, total doof.”

Sunburst balked when he saw Galaxy’s eyes roaming down his backside. “Nice ass as well. Just sayin’.”

Galaxy soon found himself smacked around the back of his helmet. “Really, have a show of class, man…”

Trixie couldn't help but giggle a little at this interaction. “I can imagine it. That totally sounds like him,” She coughs and looks away. “Trixie is sorry. Rumours spread quickly, and when you hear something enough times from enough ponies…”

“Yes, yes... I know. I've heard rumors about you as well. Namely the little Alicorn Amulet incident, but that was brainwashing, along with a bit of stupidity, pure and simple.” Galaxy remarked as he took off his helmet. Trixie had the decency to look ashamed at that.

Eventually, the food did arrive in the midst of all this.

“Okay, I admit I’m more than a little shocked that Sunburst would choose you of all ponies to shack up with. I mean, the infamous Reaper of Canterlot?” Trixie asked, taking a bite of her steak.

“What can I say, we both had a hard life, so we really… clicked. But let me tell you this, his job as a high school science teacher? Probably the wrong career path.” Galaxy laughed a little, and Trixie looked intrigued.

“How so?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Seriously, Sunburst’s flat in Ponyville?” Galaxy snorted, possibly having a little too much to drink. “Wall to wall antiquities. I bet you money he could tell you the name, age, and history of every piece in his entire living room alone!”

Sunburst laughed nervously and shrank down further into his chair.

“W-Well, what can say? It’s a passion…” he laughed nervously.

“Aww, am I embarrassing you?” Galaxy cooed and Trixie howled in amusement at Sunburst’s crimson red blush. “Trust me, it could be oh so much worse. I could tell her about the things we’ve done together. You know, as a couple.”

He leaned over to Trixie and whispered: “Trust me, he may be a bit of a stick in the mud right now, but in the bedroom… (Here, he licked his lips) Really loosens up. You know what they say about the quiet ones…”

Sunburst let out a small meep and Trixie shook her head.

“Okay, I think that’s enough. As much as I love seeing my older brother thoroughly embarrassed to Tartarus and back, let’s let the poor stallion be okay?” she asked, finally letting her brother stop being the butt of jokes. Besides, she really didn’t want to hear what her brother got up to in the bedroom. Actually, she didn’t even want to think about what he got up to.

Galaxy huffed and crossed his arms. A possible muttering: “Funkiller… That’s always the best part!” was heard as well, though Trixie really wasn’t sure on that last bit. She could have imagined it. Hell, she was hoping she was imagining it. Despite all the embarrassment on his part, Sunburst had to smile. His little sister and his fiance were getting along, and he was patching things up with her. All was well. Of course, fate had other plans as always.

“Though there is still one question you have yet to answer,” Trixie declared. “Ten years. Ten. That you said was at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, and then revealed that you had lied all this time to Trixie. You lied to my face. To mom and dad's faces. Trixie demands an explanation!”

“Ah... Yes, that.” Sunburst said. “W-Well, technically I never lied to mom and dad's faces... Just yours.” he stuttered out, trying to use a deflection tactic. Even so, he could still feel Galaxy's eyes boring into the back of his skull.

“As if that makes it better?!” Trixie snaps back.

By now, all eyes were upon them, not helping Sunburst in the slightest. Eventually, his nerves got to him, and... “I'm not an important wizard! I'm not even a wizard at all! Reading about magic is one thing, but you don't know what it was like at magic school! To know so much and not be able to do any of it!” Sunburst blurted out and then let out a sniffle as he dabbed at his eyes with a napkin. “I'm... I'm sorry, I'm just so pathetic…”

Trixie was taken back by his reaction. She blinked a couple of times, and then gets very concerned about her brother. She looked away, then back at him. “Y-You're... You're not? But... Your mark... It…” She stammered out, barely able to believe what she was hearing. This… this revelation changed everything. “That... How?...” she sputtered out.

“Oh sure, I can do magic, but it's only the simplest of spells!” Sunburst snapped bitterly. “I'm more of an expert at explaining things to ponies, how spells work. Magical theory and all of that crap. Hardly befitting the expectations mom and dad laid out for me as some sort of grand wizard…” he said, using air quotes when he said 'Grand Wizard'.

“Hey, don't snap at me!” Trixie mumbled, more than a little hurt. “How was I supposed to know?”

She sat back in her chair, arms crossed, and looked away. She sighed and closes her eyes “So you ran for 10 years... Without a word to me, or mom or dad. Leaving us with a lie.”

She looks at her brother, holding back tears. “You left me, worrying about whether you were ok. I didn't hear from you for ten years. Ten! That's a long time to disappear on me. I thought something had happened to you. Especially with everything going on recently. And not once. Not once did you check in and tell me you were ok. What changed from when we were young? We used to be so close…”

Sunburst could do nothing but look disgusted with himself and he just got up out of his chair and pulled his younger sister into a hug. “I... I don't know.”

His voice was full of shame.

Trixie didn't say anything. She just accepted the hug, and her willpower to hold back the tears finally broke. They streamed down her face and onto Sunburst. She closed her eyes, and let out all her sadness. All that worry. All those years apart. She let go of her anger towards him. All that was important right now was that he was here and alive.

“Shh, shh… “ her brother said in a soothing tone of voice as he rubbed her back. “It’s alright, I’m here now…”

“Just promise you’ll keep in better touch from now on?” Trixie whispered.

“I Pinkie Promise, and that’s something I can never break…” Sunburst replied, and kissed his little sister on the forehead making her giggle.

“I’ll be holding you to that, okay?” Trixie asked and Sunburst smiled.

“Yeah, I know.”

So, later that week, Sunburst, taking a very deep breath stood in front of his parent’s household. His mane had been done to look less scruffy, by his brother in all but blood (At least in Sunburst’s mind) Zephyr Breeze. He’d said: “Your mane, something else. Not sure if it’s a good something or a bad something, but trust me on this… Little conditioner and we can make it work!”

Mustering up all of his courage, he rang the doorbell...

Author's Notes:

Okay, first off, a huge thanks to Legolassy123 for helping me with this chapter. Seriously, without her, this chapter would have been dead in the water. Helped me write out Trixie and Sunburst's conversation at Charbroiled, with just a simple little roleplay.

Also, doing what TV Tropes calls an Author's Saving Throw with Zen-Aku here. Made it so he was put under a small spell when Retinax got to him, so not all of his actions since he switched sides have been done willingly. Might be a bit of a cop-out, I know, but... Only thing I could think of that would make his side change (And yet him still showing plenty of reluctance with his actions) more believable.

Next time: Daring tangles with an old foe in the sands of Egypt, while Retinax brings the newest soldier in his army to life. The White Dino Ranger.

Part 3: Daring... Done? Part 1: (Somnambula)

Sunset Shimmer’s POV:

You know, there was a time I thought nothing could stop us. Call it overconfidence, call it a sense of bravado or perhaps a permanent form of being high after we as a team had scored victory after victory. In all honesty, I don’t know exactly when it did get to me, this little bout of stupidity and arrogance, but I think I can narrow it down. Probably started up right after the time we defeated Goldar for the first time, alongside Zen-Aku -The damned wolf- and his Predazord, and the Red Dragon Thunderzord. You remember that right? Well, if not, let me give you a quick recap before I die.

I’d just come back from the hospital, and like some sort of blazing phoenix burning bright, I returned stronger than ever. And just in time too, considering I saw that gold griffon ...baboon… whatever the fuck he is… standing over my team -My team, my family- ready to murder them. Wouldn’t be surprised if he’d killed Rangers before, considering Kingsley did tell me that he was older than the Earth itself at one point. I could believe it, even if Kingsley told me that this version of Goldar that I’d fought had been supercharged beyond belief. He’d admitted he was terrified of even seeing Golder alive and well, and that was before knowing just how much power he’d been given.

A right cross hit me across the face, drawing blood from my lip. My helmet, it lay nearby, visor shattered from a powerful kick. One of my shoulder pads was about ready to fall off, cracked and battered from battle.

I looked into the eyes of my opponent, her blood red visor untinted briefly allowing me to me to see those violet eyes of hers. Guess she wanted me to know the face of my killer. I felt a powerful punch hit me in the stomach, sending me flying back into a wall as bricks flew everywhere. Chuckling, the mostly white-suited figure rested her sword on her shoulder. A jagged black arm blade lay nearby, sliced off with a lucky swing of my Phoenix Blade.

I fired off a green blast of magic from my horn, but a dark red shield of hard light met it in midair. Nearby, I looked at the unconscious forms of both Sunburst and Robert. Vapor and Lightning probably lay somewhere nearby as well. Mystic Mother only knew what state they were in.

“Oh Sunset, when are you going to learn?” the White Ranger -Hah, that was a laugh!- as she called herself chuckled. Her voice was mostly disguised, but I knew who it was under that helmet of hers. “Don’t you get it yet? Your entire team, defeated. Bodies broken, close to death! Retinax wanted a Ranger Killer, well… He got one in moi.”

Arrogance, that swagger. Seemed some things we did share, as much as I hated to admit it. Retinax had actually pulled it off, believe it or not. He’d created the perfect opponent, something to match our every move. A Ranger to wipe us all out in one clean stroke.

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists as I picked myself off the ground, and groaned out as I clutched my chest in pain.

“Feeling that? Oh, I’m sorry… Did I hit the pretty little Princess too hard? I’d have thought one of Celestia’s prized student would have put up more of a fight!” the Ranger taunted. A blood red bolt of magic was sent flying towards me, and my last thought before it hit was simple.

So that’s how the world went out for me, not with a bang but a whimper.

About Two Weeks Earlier...

Robert grunted out in pain as he grasped for a rock above him. Whose bloody stupid idea was this again?

“Oh right, mine…” he thought to himself while he shook his head before thinking in his native language: “Heilige Scheiße, ich bin ein höllischer Idiot … And all just to impress the girl I… Well, not entirely sure where my relationship stands with her.”

From his phone, hitched to his belt, music played. Joan Jett’s version of Light of Day, to be accurate.

“Well I've been out of the woods for six days and nights now
Well I'm a little hot wired, but I'm feeling alright
I got some money in my pocket and a long lean ride
I got to make it down to Galveston by Saturday night, now

“Well I'm a little down under, but I'm feeling O.K.
Got a little lost along the way
I'm just around the corner to the light of day
Well, I'm just around the corner to the light of day...”

“You alright up there?” A voice called from several feet below. Robert smiled at the sound of it.

To be perfectly honest with herself, Sunset wasn’t sure where her relationship stood with Robert either. It seemed like one minute he wanted to commit, but the next… She had caught his eyes wandering from time to time, especially whenever he saw Luna. She knew they had a history, she wasn’t stupid after all.

She deeply suspected her boyfriend still harbored feelings for the Lunar Princess, and she the same. If Sunset was surprised by anything, it was their relationship had lasted this long. They’d been together for several months, and yet they still hadn’t said that they loved each other yet. Well, they’d said it, but Sunset wasn’t sure if either of them really meant it when they said it.

“Oh, I’m fine, Sunset-Chan,” Robert replied with a foxy smirk. “Completely and utter-Woah!”

He slipped for a second, and would have fallen right towards the ground below had his harness not kept that from happening… Well, that and something else. He heard a whoosh of flame and found himself in Sunset’s arms.

“Hey, thought we agreed on you not rescuing me if I fell. Said I could do this on my own, you know,”

“...Yeah, that was before I figured out you’re an incompetent idiot at this,” Sunset replied, her head looking over his shoulder. “If you actually knew what you were doing, wouldn’t have had to come to a lightspeed rescue now would I?”

“...Who’s to say I’m not faking, and I just wanted you to wrap me in your arms?” Robert joked. He felt Sunset’s eyes glaring into the back of his skull. “...Okay, not falling for that one are you?”

“Nope...” Sunset sighed. “You’re a terrible liar, you know that right?”

“Eh, one of my faults.” her boyfriend admitted.

“How’d you even make it as a detective?” Sunset had to ask.

“Said I was one… Didn’t mean I was good at my job all the time. Just when I needed to be,” Robert sniped back. “Sure, I can lie to anyone and everyone… Well, almost anyone and everyone but that’s only when I have to lie.”

“...Why do I not believe that? And what do you mean by almost everyone?” Sunset asked, eyebrow raised. Robert sniffed the air, she smelled like lavender today. “Robert?” she pressed when she didn’t receive an answer.

“W-Well, let’s see… There’s my commanding officers, you really can’t lie to them,” the Orange Ranger stuttered out nervously, still feeling Sunset’s eyes on him. “Trust me, Cruger’s eyes… They see right through you. And Sky’s… And Doctor Manx’s… Well, pretty much every high ranking officer at SPD really. Did you know one of them’s a parrot?”

“You’re deflecting,” Sunset remarked. “Making irrelevant remarks to try and get away from the real issue.”

“Which is?” Robert asked, his voice taking on an interrogative tone. “This is going to be a thing for us, isn’t it? Each one of us trying to figure the other out. Like Light Yagami and L. ...Only without the Serial Killer who thinks he’s the next God/Sherlock Holmes caliber Detective thing. ...Wrote Yaoi Fanfiction about them you know, and Hell… If you’re ever into roleplaying…”

“Robert!” Sunset snapped.

“Right, right. Keep on topic. ...Though could we do this some other time,” he corrected himself, before going back into a nervous state, when he remembered where exactly he was. “Like when I’m not hanging off a cliff with only you, who I can’t entirely trust to not drop me right now, and a harness to keep me from falling to my death?”

“Alright…” Sunset sighed before pulling him upwards to the top of the cliff with a flap of her wings and unhitching his harness. “Now, see… That’s the issue I have with you right now. Lack of trust, you just can’t seem to be in a really committed relationship.”

“To be fair… It is my first one,” Robert argued.

“Yeah, I’ll give you that…” Sunset admitted with a sigh. “But I’m not sure I can trust you. Sure, you’re nice and all, but I do know you have a history. You’ve told me yourself, you’ve pulled a love ‘em and leave ‘em tactic on so many women over the years it’s become a habit of yours. How do I know you won’t do the same to me?” she asked.

“I won’t, I promise you that,” Robert replied. “First… No, the second woman I ever loved, honestly. First being Luna of course.”

“That’s the thing as well,” Sunset replied sadly. “You’re in love with her as well, despite your… odd relationship status. And don’t think you can lie to me about that, I can see it in your eyes.”

Robert’s silence said it all on the matter.

“...Yeah, I figured about as much…” Sunset muttered sadly, wiping a tear from her eye. “How do I know I’m not just another... possession for you? Do… Do you love me?”

“Y-yes, I do...” Robert replied, but there was hesitation in his voice. And that was all Sunset needed. She closed her eyes and turned her back on him. Expanding her wings, she took to the skies once more and headed back towards Ponyville.

Robert sighed to himself. He fell to his knees and whispered sadly “Es tut mir leid ... Tut mir leid, dass ich so ein Idiot bin…”

Tears rolled down his cheeks as the song ended and began to fade out.

“I'm just around the corner to the light of day
Just around the corner to the light of day
Just around the corner to the light of day
Just around the corner to the light of day…”

“Yeah right,” Robert muttered, muting his phone. “Fuck that.”

Egypt: Somnambula

Vapor found herself wiping the sweat off her brow as she, Lightning and Daring Do -In her A.K. Yearling disguise- bounced and rattled in the backseat of an old Land Rover on a dusty path leading to a town. As she coughed from the sheer dust stirred up, Lightning looked out the window and she saw the Great Pyramids rising high into the sky in the distance.

Local music played from a radio, unintelligible of course unless you were fluent in Egyptian. And none of the three rangers aside from Daring of course was. Not that she cared enough to translate it right now.

“Something on your mind Vapor… You know, aside from the obvious?” Lightning asked, her flight goggles over her eyes to keep the dust from getting in them. Currently, she was looking at her sister’s expression.

“Yeah, Robert, he seems a bit… off lately,” the white mare explained, also wearing her goggles over her eyes for the same reason. They, along with Daring, were clad in hijabs to blend in with the local color. “I dunno how to explain it, he just doesn’t seem himself. Past few days, he’s been… I guess, morose you’d call it?”

“Okay… I admit, that is worrying,” Lightning sighed, surprised at an abrupt character change in the Ranger’s character. Only other two times he’d been like that in her memory at least was when Sunset was in the hospital, and when he’d learned Solar Flare had exterminated humanity. And even then, both times his quick temper had showed itself. “He snapping at anybody?”

“No, not even that. He’s just… I don’t know, depressed I guess you’d call it…” Vapor mused. “Something’s wrong, and I know it.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Lightning admitted, surprising even herself. A few months back, she wouldn’t have given a damn about Robert, but times had changed starting off with their shared experience with Bunglay, and then Robert helping her save Silver Spoon from a fiery death and helping to fend off Prince Olympius in the process. “He’s not cracking any of his usual jokes, nor when that Org showed up yesterday did he even say that phrase of his that he likes so much I can’t pronounce for the life of me or make a show of himself. It’s just not right…”

“So, this is what you do in your off-time,” Daring remarked, showing a slight smile for the first time all day since Lightning and Vapor had met up with her. “Gossip about your teammates and your troubles.”

“What’s wrong with a bit of gossip?” Lightning asked. “Besides, we’re just showing concern. I mean, what if it was one of your teammates who’s acting… off?”

“I work alone remember?” Daring reminded before murmuring quietly: “And now… even that may come to an end…”

Vapor sighed to herself sadly, remembering how they’d got here in the first place…

A few hours ago, Vapor and Lightning had been at A.K.’s cottage, tucked away in a small forest outside Canterlot. Vapor had gotten word of a big change in A.K’s writing, and as big as a fan she was, she just had to meet her in person to find out for herself. Somehow, and she wasn’t quite sure how it’d happened, Lightning had found herself dragged along.

“Hey Daring, open up!” Lightning shouted as she banged on the door, and it was quickly opened by one very annoyed looking Daring Do. Her Dino Morpher rested in it’s hip mounted holster, and as ever, her Energem around her neck.

“Okay, how’d you even find me?” Daring asked, eyes narrowing. “...Wait, don’t tell me, Rainbow Dash blabbed your location to me. Know you two have been dating on and off, or at least very good friends.”

“How do-” Lightning started before Daring cut her off.

“We exchange letters.” she replied simply.

“Actually, Princess Shayla managed to find your house with that fountain of hers and we just simply teleported down here.” Vapor answered.

“...Of course she did. Come in…” Daring muttered as she let them inside. She looked as if she hadn’t slept in days.

“Wait, big change in your writing?” Vapor asked, her eyes widening in surprise as her thoughts ran rampant as to what Daring could have possibly meant. She then let out a little squee as an idea came to her. “Wait, don’t tell me you’ve got a… love interest?”

Daring chuckled bitterly.

“If it were only that…” she muttered. “Oh chica, envidio tu ingenuidad…”

She then put a notepad in front of both Vapor and Lightning, and their eyes widened.

“Big shakeup indeed…” Lightning murmured, as Vapor’s jaw dropped. The title of the unfinished novel read: “Daring Do’s Last Adventure”.

“Wait, wait, wait, what do you mean this is going to be your last adventure?” Vapor asked in disbelief. Daring sighed to herself.

“Look, I already explained everything to the Ponyville Chronicle,” she replied, with a tone of exasperation. “Listen, it’s over and done with. Nothing you can do to change it, my next book-”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lightning butted in as she picked up a piece of newspaper. “What you did say was, and I quote “Author A. K. Yearling announced yesterday that the next adventure novel in her popular series, 'Daring Do and the Curse of the Pharaoh's Tomb', will be her last. Yearling looks forward to her retirement.”

“Sorta explains it all really, doesn’t it?” Daring asked bitterly, and Vapor picked up on her tone. She didn’t sound overjoyed to be retiring, far from it. No, she sounded almost… broken. Meanwhile, Lightning continued on.

“It just says you're giving up writing stories, nothing else. But here’s the thing, most ponies -Aside from us Rangers, and the Mane Six, possibly the Princesses if I had to bet any bits on it- don't know that you actually are Daring Do and that the stories are real. So what you're really saying is that you're giving up being Daring Do, but you're not saying exactly why!”

Daring groaned, knowing that Lightning wouldn’t be swayed. She was just as stubborn as her marefriend, and had the same sense of loyalty, if to her family, as her as well.

“...I can see why Rainbow likes you, you two are so much like in so many ways,” she muttered before sighing. “Alright, if you really want to know... My last quest took me to a village in Egypt, where I started seeing… Well, read for yourself.”

She fished out a bunch of newspaper clippings from her pocket, and handed them over to both Vapor and Lightning.

“Wake Of Destruction: Daring Do Ruins Entire Village Marketplace!” Vapor read, while another headline from Lightning sported: "Dare Or Scare: Local Rogue Daring Do Involved In Frightful Fiasco".

Lightning read this with a tone of skepticism.

“Now you see the problem, everypony’s mad at me everywhere I go over there…” she muttered, flumping down into an armchair. Vapor put a supporting hand on her shoulder.

“Now, that’s not true and you know it. They're not mad at A. K. Yearling. They're only mad at Daring Do. All we gotta do is-”

Daring help up a finger to silence her.

“I know what you’re thinking, and it won’t work. My books aren’t sold over there.”

“So?” Vapor asked. “Good thing then, ponies don’t know you as Daring Do over there, they’d only see A.K. Yearling, wouldn’t they?”

Daring shook her head with yet another sigh.

“Still her publisher to the world’s eye, and Egypt is flocked with tourists. One pony from Equestria recognizes me, and they’d blab I write about Daring…” she trailed off, and Lightning suddenly grabbed her by the arm.

“Alright, you know what?” she asked, channeling her inner Spitfire. “Had enough of this bullcrap of you sitting around feeling sorry for yourself, time to go over there and sort this stuff out! And no arguments!”

Vapor was snapped back to reality when the old and battered Land Rover pulled to a halt, and honked it’s horn and the driver shouted for everypony to get out.

“Well, we’re here, for all the good that’s going to do...” Daring muttered as she looked up at the village gates. Beyond them, lay a bustling marketplace (Flocked with not only locals, but with tourists as Daring had predicted) with various wares like local crafts (Pottery, beaded necklaces and such) and fruits on display and a giant statue base of two ponies. It had been almost utterly destroyed, leaving it almost unrecognizable.

“See what I mean?” she asked sadly. “I guess I've always been so focused on saving priceless relics and stopping the bad guys that I never really thought about the mess I leave behind…”

“This is so awesome! It looks just like that village in your last book where Daring Do recovers the Doomed Diadem from Doctor Caballeron and his gang who chase after her through the desert!” Vapor squealed, losing complete control of her priorities for the moment. Daring chuckled slightly, a brief wistful smile gracing her face before it faded.

“Well, It should really. I actually based that entire chapter on my experiences here in Somnambula,” she explained.

“...Mystic Mother above, I’d hate to try and pronounce that name,” Lightning muttered. Daring chuckled.

“Trust me, I’ve tried and it’s not an easy task,” she replied. She then heard whispers coming from the townsfolk. Always the same thing, grumbling about how Daring was a menace. Vapor heard them as well and put a supporting hand on her shoulder as Lightning let out a little growl.

“Bet those ungrateful bastards wouldn’t say shit like that to your face, now would they…?” she muttered in distaste as she balled up her fists.

“...Told you we should never have come back here…” Daring whispered, as she walked off.

“Oh no, none of that! Now that’s just stinkin’ thinkin’,” Vapor said, some of her accent coming out. “As a fellow Ranger, I have to make sure you stop believing that, and remind you of who you are. A hero.” she continued kindly, and Daring took off her glasses to wipe away a tear from her eye.

“You’d really do that? All of that, for me? Somepony you barely know?” she asked.

“Rangers together, right?” Vapor asked, and Daring nodded.

“...Easier said than done, look.” she then sighed, before pointing to the center of town. There, in the center of a mass crowd of both townsfolk and tourists, was a mysterious black-robed stallion.

“Here it is! The remains of your– I mean, our Somnambula statue! Now that Daring Do has destroyed it, tell me, where will we hang our glowpaz?” the stallion shouted.

“We don't even have any glowpaz because they were stolen by Daring Do!” Somepony shouted, and the townsfolk began booing as the tourists began murmuring amongst themselves, wondering if it could really be true.

“Oh yes…” Lightning exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. “Mysterious stallion who nopony’s ever seen before! Believe him!” she scoffed, while Vapor and Daring shared a look, both picking up on something the stallion said and filing it away for later.

As the crowd started to call for Daring’s head, as the robed stallion continued rambling on about the glowpaz, and Daring muttered: “Great, getting blamed for things I didn’t even do now…” Vapor had finally had enough of it.

“Daring Do would never steal anything! And okay, she destroyed your statue, but it was because she was trying to save y’all from Ahuizotl!” Vapor snapped. “You know, big jackel like thing… Yea high, weird paw thing on his tail? Comes from Mayan legend? That guy?”

The crowd blinked, although a few tourists muttered in recognition.

“What about the glowpaz?” the robed stallion asked.

“Do you have any proof of that?” Daring jumped in.

“Well… I… Er…” the robed stallion fumbled, and his voice began to sound uncannily familiar to Daring…

“Caballeron, what the hell are you doing?” a fearful voice shouted as rocks fell all around it’s owner.

“What I should have done in the first place, take this idol for myself! Good-bye, Daring Do!”

“Sure, she destroyed a crummy statue, but-” Lightning added in, and Daring facepalmed as the townsfolk gasped in horror as an older stallion dressed in robes holding a staff stepped forwards. He cleared his throat.

“Ahem! This was not some crummy old statue! It was the namesake of our town! If you want to understand us, you must first understand her. Somnambula, long ago, she and another one of the Pillars of Equestria saved our town from a great threat…” he began to explain. “Long ago, this village fell prey to an evil sphinx. Egypt, and New Roam were allies at the time, and they sent one of their best soldiers to help Somnambula fend off the menace...

2,900 Years ago…

It was just at the beginnings of the new Equestria, where empires were starting to form. The sphinx, a creature from ancient legend had put the town -Then unnamed- under siege and had laid waste to it’s crops, and taking what remained for herself. The town would have died out within the month, had it not been for them. Two heroes, who possessed legendary powers and weapons, and would never back down from any threat.

Flash Magnus, an orange pegasus wearing romane centurion garb holding an aegis shield and a short sword turned to his teammate, a tan colored pegasus wearing a white headdress adorned with a gold crescent moon. This could only be Somnambula.

As they looked up at the giant maroon colored sphinx in front of them, they swallowed. Flash glanced at his sword and shield, definitely wasn’t going to cut it.

“Well, she’s… big.” Somnambula swallowed nervously.

Flash only smirked in spite of his fear. He wasn’t afraid of death, and he knew his friend -And maybe more if he was lucky enough- wasn’t either. A Romane centurion never backed down, no matter the challenge. Bigger they are, the harder they fall.

“It’s Morphin’ Time!” he shouted, with his friend soon to follow the cry as braces appeared on their wrists.

“Blitz Power!” they shouted as they morphed into Rangers, with golden fives emblazoned on their chests with black visors on their helmets. Flash’s mask bore a square above it, while Somnambula’s had, above hers, an ellipse.

Two giant figures shimmered in the mist, and soon revealed themselves to be the Blue Wolf Shogunzord, and a pink version of the Falcon Shogunzord. The two leaped into the cockpits, and charged into battle weapons drawn. The Sphinx let out a roar, and charged towards them -Wings extended- even as the Pink Shogunzord swung its dual tongs and the Blue Shogunzord swung its lance...

“The battle waged, it was an epic one, and eventually, our town’s savior and namesake scored a powerful blow with her weapons and killed the sphinx. My ancestor at the time, Prince Hisan, was forever grateful, and gave her and Flash some his most precious treasure in his coffers, gems of pure glowpaz. He even asked for her hand in marriage, but Somnambula had her heart set on another.

She and Flash married, and Prince Hisan, although heartbroken, accepted that, and erected this statue in her honor…” the elder explained, before he growled. “Before Daring Do destroyed it!”

Daring had the decency to look guilty at that, she admitted to herself in her chase with Ahuizotl she had accidentally toppled the statue over.

“And then stole the glowpaz offerings to the two in the process! If Somnambula were here today, she would condemn Daring Do for destroying your– our symbol of hope!” the robed stallion shouted, before Vapor had enough of him, and marched up to him.

“Hold it right there, you said your glowpaz, not their glowpaz! As if it belongs to you alone!” Vapor accused, pointing a finger at him, and the townspeople began to mutter amongst themselves.

“Well, it is mine isn’t it? I mean, I live in this town do I not?” he asked innocently.

But the elder was quick to refute that.

“Then how come I have never seen you before until this week?” he inquired, eyebrow raised.

“I just moved in.” the mystery stallion replied.

“But that still doesn't explain how you knew about Daring destroying the statue, considering that happened before you got here!” he refuted, in true Phoenix Wright style. Vapor smirked, now was her chance.

She threw off his robes, revealing the stallion’s real identity, and the glowpaz necklaces underneath his attire. Daring’s eyes widened, as everyone glared at the not so good doctor.

“Caballeron!” she shouted in fury throwing off her disguise to the shocked crowd, as the pony in question found his eyes widening and the tourists gasped. Daring didn’t care anymore about her secret identity, she was far too furious to do so. “¡Tu bastardo traidor gusano! You tried to frame me for your own crimes!”

Vapor suddenly yelped as she found a knife held to her neck.

“That’s right, I did… Defeat after defeat, never winning once. So, I decided to get you where it would hurt you the most, your pride and your reputation! I admit, at first, I just wanted the glowpaz, but then I saw an opportunity to write you out of the story for good! And with the destruction you leave in your wake, it didn't take too much to convince ponies you were a villain!” Caballeron replied with a smug little smile, still holding the knife to Vapor’s neck.

“Why’s he still smiling, we could easily take him… What does he have up his sleeve?” Daring wondered to herself.

“And it almost worked…” Daring admitted sadly, as everypony continued glaring at Caballeron. “But you forgot about my friends, no matter what, they’ll always be there for me. Friendship is Magic after all, or haven’t you heard?” she smirked.

“Let my sister go!” Lightning shouted, before she and Daring found little red dots all over them. Daring growled, snipers. Of course, Caballeron never came alone…

“I’d suggest if you want to stay alive, my friends, you let me and Vapor leave peacefully!” Caballeron shouted as he dragged Vapor off to a nearby truck. He shouted something in Spanish, and the truck drove off towards into the desert as his men got moving, following after their boss/latest paycheck.

“W-we’ve g-got to get after her, and the glowpaz!” Lightning shouted, her voice breaking at the possibility of losing one of her closest companions.

“No… Not yet…” Daring trailed off, and Lightning stared at her.

“What the Tartarus is that supposed to mean!?!” Lightning snapped. “He’s got my sister!”

“First things first, there’s something you need to understand. The full history between me and Caballeron…”

Retinax’s Lair:

Meanwhile, back in Turtle Cove’s cave system, Retinax and Zen-Aku stood face to face with a pony, shackled to the ceiling. The pony’s face was hidden by the shadows, but she was feminine in form.

“Well, are you going to cooperate and let this happen nice and easy, or do I have to get… forceful?” Retinax asked. He only earned a spit in the eye for his troubles.

“Go to Tartarus!” the mare snarled. Zen-Aku wanted to reach out, and stop Retinax from what he was doing, but found he couldn’t. It would be so simple, a stab in the back with his dagger, but something… He didn’t know what it was, but it prevented him from doing so.

“Yes, that’s right Wolf, try and kill me if you like…” Retinax thought to himself as whispers came from the shadows. Hidden away out of sight was Doomwing, whispering a spell into Zen-Aku’s ears to keep him from doing anything Retinax didn’t want him to.

Retinax fingered something in one of his hands, it resembled an amulet of some sort. Dark grey and red in color, it had the design of a winged pegasus. Zen-Aku’s eyes widened as he caught sight of it… No, not even Retinax would be this crazy! Combining this power with that of the White Dino Gem…

“Master, are you sure this is needed?” Zen-Aku had to question, snippets of his true self breaking through. “This all seems a bit… much. Surely the Dino Gem would be enough to keep her in line!”

“It’s original bearer broke free of the gem’s control once, as I recall, so I’m only taking extra precautions…” Retinax replied as he approached the mare. Her eyes widened in fright as she saw what he had in hand.

“Please… No, not that! Anything but that!” the mare screamed in terror, knowing exactly what that power could do, she’d seen it for herself. She began to thrash back and forth in her restraints, trying to break free. She would have used her magic to break loose, but a ring had been placed around her horn, restricting her magic use.

“Doomwing, restrain her!” Retinax barked.

Cackling, the rooster-like monster walked forwards and grabbed the mare by one of her wrists as Retinax continued striding forwards. “Heh-he! Now hold still, this won’t hurt a bit!” Doomwing laughed, sounding exactly like a hyena to the mare’s ears.

She soon found the amulet placed around her neck, and her eyes went a deep crimson as the magic ring around her horn shattered as a rush of power filled the mare’s body. Acting fast, Retinax quickly pulled out the White Dino Gem and slammed in onto her wrist, and it transformed into a Pterodactyl themed bracer morpher.

The mare’s body glowed with a white light, before it was covered in the costume of the White Dino Ranger. Mostly white as the name implied, it was covered in jagged black streaks with a crimson red visor. If most Ranger costumes were designed to look protective, inspire hope in whoever saw them, this was the exact opposite. Its design only brought fear to whoever saw it…

And far away in the mountains, two eyes opened as the Dragozord took to the skies once more with two powerful flaps of his wings and a loud screech. His master had returned...

Author's Notes:

Okay, I admit, this was mainly just filler really, but it did introduce the White Dino Ranger fully -to an extent- and helped show that Robert and Sunset's relationship is not perfect. On that, thanks to LegoLassy for helping me with their scene.

Also, on thanks, a thank you to shagohad12 and RuinQueenofOblivion for helping me with implementing the Maskman suits, or at least two of them. Almost used the theme from the show, had I not run across that Egyptian music which worked much better. (Also, yay for me for finally using two of the Pillars of Equestria in a story!)

Now, one last thing, Super Ninja Steel. Please, for the love of god no spoilers please. (Unless there's a Ninja Steel Green or the Gold Ranger gains a Poncho, then you can tell me.) I haven't even gotten caught up on the first half of the show yet.

Next time: Daring unveils her full relationship with Caballeron and their falling out, while the new White Ranger tests her new powers and gains a new Megazord...

Part 4: Daring... Done? Part 2: (Origins)

Egypt: Somnambula: The Get On Inn

Lightning was antsy, that much was certain. There she was, sitting around in a hotel while her sister was off in Dr. Caballeron’s clutches being taken to Mystic Mother-only-knew-where. As the seconds began to grow into minutes, she couldn’t help but twitch and fidget slightly, trying in desperation to think of a plan to get her back.

“Alright Daring, fess up,” Lightning puffed smoke out of her nose in an irritated tone, both of her wings flaring out in anger. “What’s this shared history between you and the Doc?”

“Well, it’s… complicated.” Daring replied in a vague tone, twisting her hand around in a spiral as she did so.

“Listen, I don’t have time to beat around the bush here! What was he to you, your lover or something? Give me an answer or by Celestia I’ll...!” Lightning snapped and threw her arms down on the wooden table in front of her, causing Daring to chuckle bitterly.

“Please, if it was only that… No, it was something else entirely…” she trailed off sadly, her ears drooping down along her shoulders..

Lightning gaped for a few moments, before she found the power of speech once more. “Father figure?”

“Close enough, I suppose. Mentor-student relationship. Practically taught me everything I know.” She took a deep breath and looked up towards the ceiling and watched the fan blades turn in circles above her. “It started, I suppose, fifteen years ago in what was once Peru. There we were, tracking down rumors of this fertility idol…”

South America: Fifteen Years Ago:

It was deep in the Peruvian jungles, a hot and sweaty summer day in the Amazon Rainforest—Though to be perfectly honest, it wasn’t like any other day in that section of the world was any different. Birds chirped in the treetops, as bugs of various description crawled over the ground and various selections of plantlife. Even in the shade of the trees and leaves above, the sunlight beat down upon the land like a powerful pyromancy spell.

Boots clomped and squelched through the muddied grounds. One stallion, brown-furred with a black mane and stubble just beginning to barely show on his face, was followed by a much younger Daring Do. Barely fifteen years of age, she’d even at that young age, had showed a love for adventure. Even though her body was beginning to wear down in the harsh conditions, her mind was still eager to find the treasures within the forest.

“Not much farther now, I should think…” Caballeron commented, holding up an old and tattered map in his hands and checking it, along with his compass to make sure he was going in the right direction. “I told you we’d get there before noon, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, you said that, but last I checked my watch… It’s 12:30 and I haven’t seen hide nor hair of any ancient ruins.” Daring deadpanned as she pulled out a fob watch and checked it. “Trees, trees, and more trees. That’s all I’ve seen so far, Doctor. Not my fault we got lost in that town, and the idiotas there gave us some bad directions and sent us in the exact opposite direction of the temple…” Daring muttered to herself as she swatted away a mosquito from her face, only to be met with at least two more. “Mystic Mother above, like the bugs just keep on getting bigger the further we go into the jungle…” she muttered to herself in distaste.

“Eh,” Caballeron laughed nervously. “Trust me on this, mi querida hija, we’ll be there soon. Promise you on that.”

“Promises, promises…” Daring folded her arms. “That’s all you’ve been saying on this trip, and they’ve turned up fruitless,”

“Ah Daring, you’re so young and impetuous,” Caballeron replied, as he took off his adopted daughter’s pith helmet—Which was slightly too big for her, so it fell in her face slightly—and ruffled her mane affectionately. “When you’ve been in this business as long as I have, you learn not everything always goes according to plan. Patience is a virtue of being an adventurer. What, did you think the lost city of Neighlantis was discovered by a band of curious fools?” he asked.

“Okay, got me there…” Daring admitted, not wanting to question fact. “So, remind me of the legends surrounding this idol you want so badly and put in the natural history museum back in Equestria?”

“Okay. Long ago, there was this… Goddess, if you believe the legends. Chihopotex, her name was.” Caballeron brushed some hair out of his face as the two of them finally came out of the mud and back onto solid ground. “Made of well… some sort of goo or maybe something else. Legends really aren’t clear on that aspect, as you’d expect with this sorta thing. She was a demon of sexual lust, and some people worshipped her as a being that would bring them good luck in… Oh, how do I put this…?” he trailed off.

“Better luck in doing the horizontal mambo?” Daring deadpanned.

“Yes, that…” Caballeron’s cheeks flushed red for a moment. “However, others feared her, and so they locked her away in this idol, never to be seen again. Put her away in a temple, deep in the jungle so she’d never be found. The people around these parts, they still worship her, you must understand. So, I suspect that’s why they sent us in the entirely wrong direction. Keep us away from finding it, they want this all to themselves.”

“Can’t say I blame them, if some of them can’t get it up and this goddess really is a fertility one. Well... if she ever existed, that is,” Daring could feel the air around her getting more and more humid just talking about the goddess of lust.

“Who’s to say she didn’t? No evidence pointing to the contrary.” Caballeron applied some hydrating mist to himself and Daring as they both continued walking forwards. “However, our job as archaeologists and historians is to prove what’s fact and what is false. Never forget that.” He gently tapped Daring’s forehead with a finger.

“Yes, exactly. We’re here to find the idol, not to worry about what’s real and what’s not,” Daring replied, as her eyes trailed off into the depths of the jungle, where she swore she saw shadows moving in the bushes. Her hand went to her pistol while her other went for her whip. Just in case there were any predators following them. “So, let’s get moving, shall we?” Her confidence had been knocked slightly. But even if Caballeron had picked up on it, he declined to comment on it.

Eventually, they arrived at an old temple built into a hillside, with large bricks laying all around them, possible evidence of other structures long destroyed beyond repair. Screaming, gaping faces had been carved into the walls, and skulls mounted on wooden poles were above the temple entrance, which was mostly covered by foliage. The inside of the temple would have been pitch black if not for the little cracks in the ceiling above where the sun slipped through them. And even if it were to be covered up, then there were small braziers hanging from the walls that either of them could have used a torch to light.

“Wow, they really didn’t want anyone coming to call, did they?” Daring joked lightly before she pulled out a canteen and drank it dry, almost surprised that she’d used it all that fast. “Okay. If we take this idol, we’d better not end in a boulder run like the last temple we raided…” She deadpanned. “Seriously. What’s with all the boulder traps in temples these days? So overused, if not effective, I admit…”

“If there is another one, we’ll just have to run faster,” Caballeron said simply as he cut away the foliage with a machete and stepped into the welcoming darkness of the temple entrance. “Besides, what are you worried about? You have wings. You can just zip out.” he questioned.

“Yeah, but what about you?” Daring asked in concern. She and Caballeron had picked up some old bones, wrapped leaves around them and created makeshift torches with their ingenuity and lighted them with the braziers’ flames. “All you have are your own two hooves! Plus, enclosed spaces like temple corridors… Really not good for flying. Number of things I could crash into. Not to mention all the dead ends and booby traps along the way...” she trailed off.

“I’ll be fine," Caballeron gave her a brave smirk. “I’ve been doing this long enough to teach you, right? If I can last this long, I can last a few more decades.” He smiled. “Now stop your worrying. We have an idol to find.”

Daring nodded as she stepped forward into the darkness. She waved her torch around, and let out a small shriek as she saw a spider dangling down from the passage at the end of the entrance.

“Spiders… Why’d it have to be spiders…?” she asked herself, with a small shudder.

“Relax. This one’s a harmless breed,” Caballeron said as he let the spider climb up his finger. “Wouldn’t hurt a fly… Well, okay, maybe a fly but not you.”

Daring still shuddered all the same, but continued onwards. Suddenly, she heard a click and was pulled backwards Caballeron as darts flew out of one of the faces in the wall. With how fast she was yanked away, the darts barely missed her skin and she could feel the feathers at the back tickle her slightly.

“Mercury tipped darts. Very deadly…” Caballeron pulled them out, dropped them to the floor, and rubbed his temples. “Daring, how many times do I have to remind you that—”

“That we always check for traps? Yeah yeah, I got that…” Daring cursed herself for her own foolishness. That was an amateur move she’d just pulled, not inspecting the ground beneath her hooves for pads like that. She was lucky Caballeron had been there to save her. If he wasn’t...

A good thirty minutes passed, and soon they reached the temple center. In the middle of the room, illuminated by sunlight was a plinth with a golden idol atop it. Both Daring and her mentor smiled. At last, they’d found it.

Problem was, it couldn’t have been that easy… could it?

“Okay, so now what?” Daring asked. “Can’t just simply walk up and take it. For all we know, could drop a rock on our head as soon as the idol is removed…”

“Hmm…” Caballeron inspected the idol from every side, trying to see if there was some specific trick to it. It couldn’t have been that easy to find an idol in a temple like this. He had raided much bigger and much more elaborate ones than this. “What to do…”

As he gazed on the idol with a sense of reverence, something new seemed to fill his eyes. Daring didn’t take notice, but hints of greed were beginning to fill Caballeron’s soul. There was an old legend, a curse was said to have been put on the idol to anyone who dared gaze on it. Anyone who tried taking it for themselves, was said to gain a heart of stone, and have their minds filled with nothing but greed and a lust for gold or anything else shiny. The Crow’s Curse, it was called.

“Couldn’t we just do that trick we always do with the bag full of pebbles?” Daring asked as she motioned towards her pocket. “I’m sure it’d work this time…”

“No, I’d think the creators behind this booby-trapped idol would be smarter than that…” Caballeron murmured as he continued to inspect the idol. “I mean, everyone else seems to be smart enough to think ahead of someone replacing their ancient relic with something of equal weight,”

Caballeron felt more and more greedy thoughts build up inside of him as he examined the idol. The more that he gazed down at its’ magnificent perfection, the more he began to think about the reward he would get for taking it. Eventually, his greed overtook him, and with one quick swipe, Caballeron took and pocketed the statue, activating the mechanism on the plinth.

All of a sudden, the entire cavern began to rumble. Small plumes of dust began to rise as pebbles tumbled from the ceiling. Both of the explorers looked up and saw rocks begin to tumble around them, crashing one after another into the ground. If they didn’t react in time, then they would be buried underneath them, and lost to time like the temple itself.

“Caballeron, what the hell are you doing?” a fearful voice shouted as rocks fell all around it’s owner.

“What I should have done in the first place, take this idol for myself! Good-bye, Daring Do!” Caballeron cackled, a mad gleam in his eyes as he made a break for it. Rocks, meanwhile, continued to fall all around Daring.

Daring felt all kinds of emotions as the rocks continued to fall around her. Betrayal, fear, sorrow, and loneliness all came together as the slabs of stone collapsed and blocked most of her ways out...

Present Time: The Get On Inn

“Barely made it out alive. And Caballeron,” Daring snarled out. “He got away with the idol, and presumably sold it on the black market. I’ve yet to recover it…” she whispered in shame. Not just for herself, but forgetting about the Crow’s Curse. She knew about it, and yet she didn’t warn Caballeron about it! For her, it was her greatest failure. Well, until now that is. An innocent life had been put in danger, all because of her feud with her former mentor.

“Daring… You didn’t know what was going to happen…” Lightning could see all of the discord in her fellow Rang-No, her friend’s heart, and reached out to touch the pegasus’s shoulder. Like Vapor, she’d seen Daring’s vulnerable side today, and it was starting to get to her as well. “Caballeron was being cursed by that Crow’s Curse shit! You couldn’t have done anything about it...

“But I should have!” Daring shouted. “I should have warned…” If there was any sense of maturity in her voice, it was gone. Replaced with trembling lips and tears in her eyes. It was like Daring was that fifteen-year-old girl again, alone and afraid.“It’s… It’s all my fault. My fault…” she sniffled.

“Well, that was then. This is now! You have a chance to fix this mistake!” Lightning growled, before she soundly punched Daring across the face. “Now, mare up. We’ll stop Caballeron, and get my sister back, and if possible… Break that curse!”

“Thanks, Lightning…” Daring rubbed her face; more specifically, the part where she had been punched. “Thanks for bringing me back to my senses. Now, let’s get your sister back!”

“No problem! That’s what we Rangers do! ” Just as she watched Daring extend her wings, ready to take flight, Lightning raised a finger towards her. “Wait… I have to know. Where exactly did you find your Energem?” she asked, glancing at the aqua jewel hanging around Daring’s neck. She sighed to herself.

“Okay, I suppose you have a right to know, Ranger to Ranger…” Daring began.

It was at a dig site in Montana just a few short months ago, right before Retinax’s attack on the Crystal Empire. That’s where it happened. Shovels and pickaxes clicked away at the rock all around me, with ponies hoping to find even the smallest hint of dinosaur fossils.

Only thing we’d found, and this possibly hinted at a larger discovery was a raptor’s claw in the nearby hills. I’d told my colleagues: “Six-inch retractable claw, like a razor, on the middle toe. You think he’s like a T-Rex in visual acuity, in that he won’t go after you if you don’t move a muscle. You stare at him…and he just stares right back. But, that’s where you’re wrong. No, he’s a pack hunter. The attack comes not from the front, but from the side, by the other raptors, using these claws to just rip you to ribbons.

A harsh wind blew in from the east, kicking up sand in my face. I stumbled over a rock, blinded by the sand, and fell into a pit.

Groaning out in pain, and wiping away blood from my lip, I found that one of my legs couldn’t move. Been broken in the fall.

“Well, isn’t that just lovely…?” I muttered to myself. Suddenly, I saw something poking out of a rock. White, and reptilian in nature. I lurched forwards, curiosity overtaking common sense. My eyes widened when I saw it. A dinosaur fossil, an Ankylosaurus if I was correct. I smiled, a stroke of luck at last! I’d been at this site for weeks, and funding was starting to run low without any proof of any dinosaurs at all. We’d been starting to think the whole area had been picked clean by earlier explorers.

“But what caught my eye the most was a sparkling, aqua gem. It was one of those out of place artifacts, or a piece of OOPArt as we like to call it, no reason to be there at all. If I hadn’t known better, I’d say somepony placed it as a joke.

“I reached out towards it, curiosity still getting the better of me, and then as soon as I touched it, I felt a dramatic influx of power overtake my body. In my mind’s eye, I saw this image. A red and blue feathered bird-man, hard as it was to believe, holding a staff talking to ten different dinosaurs, that ankylosaurus amongst them.

“He held up ten different gems, my aqua colored one amongst them. The others included gold, gray, purple, green, red and blue just to name a few. They shot towards a dinosaur, seemingly deeming them worthy of receiving their power. Each dinosaur that received a gem, it glowed with a flash of light.

“I only caught a glimpse of the bird-man’s face, and heard a name, Torin, I think it was, being called out before I blacked out.

“I was found… Oh, I don’t know how long it was later, but my fellow diggers awoke me, worrying over me and congratulating me on my find. An ambulance had been called in, just to take me to the nearest hospital, but the image I had just seen weighed heavily on my mind for hours afterwards…”

“Huh, interesting history lesson,” Lightning admitted. “But now, I’d say we have more important things to do, right?”

“Yeah…” Daring said, as she and Lightning shared a smirk.

“It’s Morphin Time!” the two shouted out before bringing out their respective morphers. Lightning’s Growl Phone, and Daring’s Dino Morpher. “Legendary Wild Access!/Unleash the Power!”

Washington: Turtle Cove:

It was on a barren coastline, only things around for miles were Retinax, and his minions. He’d set up a little test of Trixie’s newfound power, just to see if all the trouble he’d gone through in acquiring the White Dino Gem was worth it.

Retinax smirked, as he watched Trixie, with an emotionless expression on her face and an equally emotionless tone in her voice say “White Ranger: Dino Power.” and morphed into the White Dino Ranger with a flash of light. Saying nothing, she drew her Drago Sword.

Doomwing smirked, and drew his dark red “Hook Blade”, for lack of a better term.

“Begin!” Retinax commanded as nearby, sitting on a boulder, Zen-Aku observed silently. His own blade rested on his shoulder. If he had any thoughts to say on this matter, he wasn’t planning on voicing them.

Trixie darted in low, slashing at Doomwing’s thigh. Catching the monster by surprise, she flipped her blade in her hand, bringing it up across his chest. Ignoring his howl of rage, she hopped backward, holding her blade underhanded.

“Come on, surely you can do better…” Trixie taunted, some of her voice distorted by the sheer power of the Alicorn Amulet around her neck. “I’ve never even held a blade before, what’s your excuse?”

Doomwing screeched in rage, and swinging his blade, he sent an X-Shaped arc of energy towards Trixie. Trixie raised her blade to block it, and then, as sparks flew off the metal, she swung it around and blasted the arc back towards Doomwing. Darting in again, Trixie knocked aside his sword arm, digging her blade into his armpit.

Doomwing let out a screech of pain, but he then snarled. “Lucky blow. Let’s see how you stand up to this! Doom Strike!” he yelled out, and threw a powerful right cross laced with crimson energy hitting Trixie in the side of her helmet.

Turning with the blow, Trixie spun in midair and then drew a series of golden energy arrows in midair, and sent them towards Doomwing. Each found a home in Doomwing’s body, exploding on impact. Landing on her hooves, Trixie chuckled, resting her blade on her shoulder.

“So, what are you going to do now?” she asked, in a bored tone of voice. “Seriously, I’m actually amazed that you haven’t fallen already to my power.”

The rooster-like monster meanwhile, staggered back and growled as he clutched his shoulder in pain with one talon, using his other free hand to grip his blade tightly.

“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch, girlie. You’re still new at this, still testing out your powers,” he replied. “Meanwhile, I’ve been at this for a very long time…”

“But I learn fast,” Trixie replied simply, still no sign of emotion in her tone. Well, perhaps smug satisfaction really.

Next thing Doomwing knew, he was hit by a white blur again and again, before Trixie reappeared on a rock nearby. For the first time in the fight, Zen-Aku showed a reaction, eyes visibly widening.

“She’s… She’s as fast as I am!” he thought, more than a hint of fear in his tone. “I didn’t think that was possible!”

“Are we done here?” Trixie asked, making a show of inspecting her blade. “I think it’s obvious I’m the superior warrior. We’d just be wasting time continuing this little exercise, don’t you agree?”

Zen-Aku turned to Retinax, as he watched Doomwing stagger to his feet. His eyes narrowed, snippets of his old personality seeping through the cracks of the spell he’d been placed under.

“That’s enough!” He barked. “Doomwing’s defeated, there’s no need for any more of this!”

Retinax threw back his head and laughed long and hard at the Duke Org’s naivete.

“Oh, but I think there is! You see, there’s still one more little thing I want to confirm…” he replied, stepping down towards Trixie and drawing his axe. “You see, I’m not entirely sure our new friend here has shown her full potential in all areas of being a Ranger. Sure, she can stand up to one of Thrax’s wannabe generals, but… Let’s see how she handles a real Org!”

Trixie actually smirked under her helmet.

“You sure you want to go? After all, what I’ve just demonstrated should be more than enough…” she trailed off.

“Oh yes, show me your full power!” Retinax laughed.

“Very well,” Trixie said, before her suit glowed with a golden light and spikes jutted out from every inch of her costume -Complete with two jagged black blades coming from her gloves- as she went into Super Dino Mode.

Finally, Zen-Aku had enough, a combination of the spell placed on him urging him to protect his “Master” and his real personality breaking through. He stepped in-between the twosome, and held out his blade.

“If you want to fight someone, fight me,” he stated, but Retinax shook his head as he heard a familiar screech in the background, and through the mists, saw a giant winged reptilian form.

“No, I won’t have one of my best warriors wasted,” he decided. “I have a different idea in mind. I think… Hmm, Trixie, show us you can command your Megazord.”

“That I can do.” Trixie stated, bowing to him. Her morpher changed, from a white Tupuxuara to a maroon Stegosaurus’s head.

A roar was heard from somewhere in the mists, and giant feet crashed against the ground as the Stegozord lurched out of the misty hills, golden back plating shifting and tail swinging back and forth as it approached.

“Now… DinoStegoZord formation!” Trixie commanded.

The Dragozord flew down out of the misty skies, and latched onto the Stegozord’s back as Trixie jumped inside its cockpit. Both of the Zords’ eyes flashed, and they emitted roars as the Dragozord flew upwards, Stegozord still attached to it. It did several midair spins before the Dragozord split apart into several pieces. Wings became legs, and the arms of the Dragozord became that of the new Megazord. What was left -The main body of the Dragozord- became a powerful lance-like weapon, and the Stegozord’s head opened up to reveal the Megazord’s face.

The new combination roared in fury, as the Stegozord’s tail whipped back and forth with the hands of the Megazord becoming talons as thunder cracked in the background and lightning bolts flashed.

As the rain began to pour down, a purple-clad feminine figure holding what seemed to be a katana observed the situation and then teleported off...

Author's Notes:

Okay, first off, huge thanks to Shagohad12 and Shadowmane for help with writing Daring's first -and last- adventure with Caballeron, breathing more life into the world around them and making the Doctor seem like a likeable dude and plausible mentor for Daring.

Now, I admit, I borrowed this idea from Yukito and one of her stories so credit where it's due but made a few of my own changes. For example, the curse. Originally I thought about Caballeron just falling into greed naturally, but I then thought it'd be a more interesting twist if he was cursed.

Also, figured it best to show how Daring got her Energem, just to add more to her story. (Take note of Zenowing's counterpart being the one to hand out the Energems instead of Keeper in this timeline.)

Finally, big news for us PR fans... Our next Ranger team might have just been revealed. In two words: "Let's Morphin!"

https://www.powerrangersnow.com/power-rangers-beast-morphers-revealed/

Finally, if any of you want to guess who the purple-clad figure was at the end of the chapter, (And if you're on my Discord, please don't spoil the surprise) please offer guesses. Comments, speculation, and thoughts are always appreciated.

Next time: Chase!

Part 5: Daring... Done? Part 3: (Rescue)

Egypt:

The full moon shone down on the cold desert sands, a far cry from the soaring temperatures of before as two figures -Teal blue costumes glinting in the moonlight, with Lightning’s prosthetic wing shining brightly- rocketed over the dunes, the decorative eyes on their helmets functioning as headlights, if you will. Four beams of light, two red and two yellow jutted from these eyes.

In the distance, a camp could be seen, a collection of tents with a few canvas-covered trucks parked nearby. Under her visor, Lightning’s eyes narrowed. That’s where her sister was.

“Looks like a lot of guards on patrol…” Daring surveyed the camp as she and Lightning advanced on it. There were some torches that lit the way, slightly enlightening the soldiers stepping in and out of their light. They wore traditional native attire, meaning they weren’t Caballeron’s usual band and just hired mercenaries instead. “You wanna do this quietly, or go full on assault?”

“Normally, I’d settle for going in full guns blazing, but I’d really not set off any alarms really. ...Or get shot full of holes,” Lightning remarked. “So, Assassin’s Creed style it is. Probably should ditch the uniforms, just to be safe.” she said, demorphing in a blue flash with Daring soon to follow.

The both of them landed nimbly on the dunes and slowly crept forward under the cover of darkness, trying to make as little noise as possible as they moved in on the camp. As they came close to the walls, they started to walk around them, trying to find a little crack or a hole that they could take advantage of and take the soldiers by surprise. Trouble was, the walls were so well-crafted that the only solution they could find would be digging the sand beneath them, but if they did that the guards would take notice almost immediately. Not to mention the time that would take. By the time the two would get under the walls, Vapor and Caballeron could be long gone from here.

Two guards stepped outside the encampment’s sandstone walls and started to light cigars in the dark. As they were about to take a puff, Lightning and Daring crept up behind them and performed synchronized takedowns as they knocked the guards unconscious with twin blows to the head.

“Remember boys, smoking kills,” Lightning smirked as she dragged one of the guards away by the arms and rested him behind a palm tree, making him look as if he just fell asleep on the job.

“Was that pun really necessary?” Daring asked in a deadpan tone as she carried the other guard away from the camp.

“Hey. Just trying to lighten the mood here,” Lightning shrugged softly. “Raiding a base like this is pretty tense, y’know. Plus, you make jokes all the time in your books. And we’re superheroes, quips and one-liners are kinda our thing,”

“Fair’s fair…” Daring admitted as one of the guards—not quite unconscious yet—groaned and she pistol-whipped him with her Dino Morpher.

Daring and Lightning slowly crept into the camp, staying as close to the darkness as they could. Stepping into the light at this point would be a liability for both of them, as the guards would catch them on the spot.

“Hmm…” Daring mused as she looked at the guards and more accurately, their attire. “I wonder. You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Oh yeah…” Lightning smirked. Pretty soon, they were clad in the attire of the two guards they just knocked into the dreamworld.

Slinking through and behind whatever was tucked away from the torches and lights, they made their way towards a large tent at the back. Daring lifted up a small flap and crawled through it, with Lightning following after her.

The interior of the tent looked quite cosy, with how the little candles inside illuminated the walls, both inside and out. It was as if it had been given a huge breath of life amidst the shadows of the moonlit dusk. The walls were lined with tapestries as well, expertly weaved depicting ancient designs. A small bookcase accompanied them, with an array of books that were on the deserts of Egypt, the cultures of the civilizations, and a few mythology books on the gods and goddesses of the land. Daring chuckled softly to herself, seemed some parts of her old friend never changed. He always did love to learn about lands whenever he visited them. There was that old archaeologist peeking through.

She then sighed sadly to herself at what she saw next. On the shelf underneath that very same bookcase, were a few maps, which had been marked for certain treasures all around the region and crossed out if they had already looted the artifacts and trinkets.

“Oh, Caballeron…” Daring sighed softly, before her eyes caught wind of something. “Huh?” She quickly took some of the maps and studied the contents carefully. “Lightning, come check this out,”

Daring gestured for Lightning to come closer, and her fellow Ranger did so. “So, what’ve you got?”

“It looks like Caballeron’s been looking for something pretty big. All these maps seem to be on some kind of pattern…” Daring handed the maps to Lightning. “Try connecting the Xs together. Do you see what shape those marked locations make?”

“Yeah… sorry, I never was one for cartography,” Lightning admitted, and Daring stared at her. “...Okay, I admit Silver’s been teaching me a few new words. Fairly smart for a little filly. Guess being rich comes with it’s perks,” she admitted with a shrug. Daring sighed to herself.

“Look closely,” Daring commented, before she then put all the maps together and took out a pen, putting the Xs together. Eventually, it made something that was very familiar to the both of them, but was just missing a few lines. “That’s the Dino Morpher sigil. They’re making a pattern out that’s the exact same shape. I just know it!”

She raised her weapon/Morpher, and sure enough, the shapes were the exact same.

On the map, was the words—Quickly scribbled in black charcoal rubbing—“Titanus?” Daring looked at Lightning. “Mean anything to you?” she asked, confused.

“Not me… Doesn’t ring a bell.” Lightning replied. She looked back at the maps again, and saw a giant head resembling a Titanosaurus drawn out in charcoal rubbing.

“You think… No. It can’t be…” Daring tried filling in the rest of the pattern. “Is Caballeron… looking for his own Dino Morpher?” Her eyes began to widen as the facts sunk into her head. The morpher symbol, the charcoal name, the dinosaur rubbing on the maps. “This isn’t good. We’d better warn the other rangers once we get Vapor back. For now, we need to get moving!”

“Yeah. Let’s get to work.” Lightning nodded, before right then and there, two members of Caballeron’s hired help burst in.

“Hey, you two aren’t supposed to be in here. What’s going on?” one of the mercs asked.

“Quickly now Daring… Think up an excuse!” the Aqua Ranger thought to herself, quickly hiding her Dino Morpher and kicking it under the table.

“We were just making sure that the master’s office was safe and secure.” Daring stood up straight. “Nhan la nurid aya min huala' rinajriz almazeajat kasr fi alan, hal nahn? Hsna?”

The guards just looked Daring and Lightning in the eyes blankly, before nodding and heading off. “Carry on,” one of them said.

Lightning let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Yeesh… That was close. Surprised neither of them commented on my prosthetic wing. I mean, how many ponies do you know with a giant freakin’ metal wing sticking out of them?”

“Rule 2 with henchmen, they’re never that intelligent or observant. Really, considering you’ve been reading my books, you should know that by now…” Daring replied with a small smirk.

“Right… Forgot about that,” Lightning commented. She then pulled a wooden crate out from under the table and found inside it, Vapor’s morpher and her Deer, Polar Bear, Stingray, and Leviathan animal crystals. Lightning’s fists clenched. “He’s going to pay for this…”

Now that they had an idea of what Caballeron wanted, Daring and Lightning started to make their way towards one of the other tents, listening closely for Vapor or Caballeron’s voices as they returned to the darkness of night. The patrols were much widely spread out than they first saw them, and not very many soldiers were put outside the actual tents. In fact, there was only one tent in particular that had men guarding it, and even then, it didn’t look all that big.

Daring, after retrieving her Dino Morpher once Caballeron’s mercenaries had left, clutched it tightly in her hand. The other hand went to her Energem.

“Okay, if Caballeron wants to become a Ranger, I’m guessing he needs one of these as well. Mystic Mother above, hope he hasn’t found and bonded with one of these “Energems” yet, otherwise we’re in really deep shit.” she thought to herself.

“Hey, Daring? Can I ask you a question?” Lightning whispered as they snuck through the encampment.

“Not exactly the time I would have chosen to be answering questions of yours, but sure… fire away,” Daring replied. “Just make it quick though, time’s running thin,”

“Are there any evil Rangers? Like, the rangers that are so heartless, soulless, and mean, that they’re rogues or work against the team?” Lightning asked. “Because if not, Caballeron might just be the first,”

“Do I look like a Ranger history expert to you?” Daring asked in irritation. “I’m just an archaeologist, nothing more. Go ask that human fuck-buddy of yours. He’s the Ranger history nut.”

“I… We’re… We’re not doing that!” Lightning sputtered out. “Not if he was the last intelligent being—Which is a phrase I use very loosely with him—on Earth. Besides, my tastes swing in the other direction…”

“Right,” Daring smirked impishly, making Lightning feel rather foolish with herself knowing she’d been played. “Forgot you’re in that “Friends With Benefits” or whatever the Tartarus you call your relationship with that fangirl of mine…”

“Look. We’re just gonna waste time if we argue like this,.” Lightning pushed her hand in front of her head as she looked away. “Vapor… She’s suffering as we speak, and Caballeron could be squeezing the other dig sites out of her as we argue. We gotta save her!”

Daring quickly pulled Lightning behind some water barrels and pointed to the mercenaries guarding Caballeron’s tent. In their hands, they each held AK-47s. Seemed some guns never went out of style.

“...Right, and I thought you wanted to avoid, and I quote: “Being shot full of holes”. That’s what’ll happen if we just bust in there. The guards are stupid yes, but they’re not that stupid if you just go all Leeroy Jenkins on them.”

“I know, I know…” Lightning cursed herself for her always jumping the gun instead of taking things at a logistical angle. She took a closer look at the guards, to see if there was any way of getting past them or knocking them out without drawing too much attention.

“Hey, just a thought…” Lightning mused to herself, placing a hand on her chin in thought. “How long do you think it’s been since these guys… got some, if you know what I mean?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows to emphasize the point. Daring gave her a deadpan stare.

“No… Just no. We’re so not doing that…” she grumbled.

“Don’t see you offering any better ideas…” Lightning trailed off with a smirk. “Besides, who knows, might loosen you up…”

“Hmm…” Daring shuffled around the back of the tent, trying to see if there was another flap she could go through and rescue Vapor. Her search turned out to be fruitless, however, and all that she could find was the guards as she re-appeared on the other side of the tent.

“So?” Lightning asked. Daring hung her head comically.

“...I’m so not going to feel clean ever again after this…” she muttered.

Inside Caballeron’s tent:

Vapor, despite looking in peak physical condition, had begun to feel her spirit shatter. After a couple of days being interrogated by her captor, she felt that there wouldn’t be any hope for a rescue. The only thing that was absent from her was her Growl Phone and Animal Crystal, which Caballeron had taken from her upon capture. She was rapidly beginning to find out, going on an actual adventure with Daring, was oh so much different than reading about it in a book.

“Vapor. Why do you look so sad?” Caballeron waltzed up, a devilish smirk crossing his face. “I’m treating you so nicely. Which, coming from me, is quite an honor.”

“Funny, you and me must have different definitions of “Nice”...” Vapor retorted.

“Well, that’s what ponies like to believe, anyway,” Caballeron muttered and turned his back to her. “But, once I get my hands on that treasure I’ve been seeking, I’ll gladly let you go back to your friends. And if that rat Daring Do tries her way with me, I can just use you as a bargaining chip,” he continued, before popping open a cork of wine and placing a plate of dates in front of Vapor. “But let it never be said, I’m not humane. Eat, desert’s a harsh place for the weak and I honestly don’t want you dying on me really… I really hate to see that happen to ponies.”

“Cut the act, Caballeron,” Vapor’s eyes quickly tore away from the food and drink. “What are you after? And why do you need me of all ponies to get it?”

“All in due time, my little dear,” He chuckled slyly. “Let’s just say that, after today, you’ll have one more in your little… friend circle. But enough of that, let’s just savor the wine, eh? Quite vintage really, wouldn’t want to waste it all on myself.”

“Daring, Lightning, anyone? If you’re out there, please come and save me…” Vapor silently pleaded, as she started to eat the food, quite reluctantly as well. Even though she knew it was a hostage situation, she had been starting to get hungry after all of her time with Caballeron. Wasn’t the first time he’d offered food and drink, but she’d refused the offers every time.

“Honestly, not like I’m going to harm anyone once I get what I desire,” Caballeron commented. “Plus, it means I can finally prove to Daring Do that I’m the better treasure hunter. If I may…? Power. The weak... are simply prey for the strong! That's why we need power! The power to stand up to any foe, no matter how strong! You were witness to Solar Flare’s power, what if she comes back? What then? Us normal ponies… we’re simply insects to a god like her,” Caballeron whispered, appearing genuinely afraid.

“But Solar Flare was destroyed! I saw it personally… Tartarus, I was one of the ones who personally delivered the final blow!” Vapor argued back.

“Seeing and believing are two different things entirely,” Caballeron commented. “Celestia may have said Solar Flare, once they were separated, was destroyed, but is that really the full truth? They were together for thousands of years, really think they can be separated that easily?” he asked.

Vapor began to sweat. “What if… What if he’s right?” she thought to herself. “They were one entity for over 3,000 years! Who’s to say that we did destroy Solar Flare completely? She was an incredibly good liar, had Equestria fooled for centuries until Robert came along and the whole lie began to unravel…” she continued to think, beginning to panic before mentally slapping herself and taking several deep breaths. “No, stop it Vapor! Caballeron… He’s just trying to get to you, get under your skin! You know as well as he does Solar Flare’s dead and buried!”

“Sorry, am I scaring you?” Caballeron asked, a note of remorse in his tone. “Apologies for that, I’m just trying to be realistic here. The strong… they oppress the weak, and I… I honestly want to find a way to balance things out.”

“Caballeron…” Vapor said kindly. “Your worldviews… While I admit there’s always been a bit of truth to that throughout history, it’s not all that black and white. I mean, look at Princess Luna. She’s strong, but does she oppress those weaker than her? No, she goes out of her way to help them!”

“Two words Ms. Trail,” Caballeron replied, in a rather pitying yet polite tone of voice. “Nightmare Moon. Remember her?”

“Yes. She was a very tough piece of work to deal with from what I heard…” Vapor coiled some of her mane around a finger. “Even with the Elements of Harmony, I heard the Mane Six just barely defeated her…”

“You miss my point though,” Caballeron commented. “Luna… she still oppressed the weak, even if it wasn’t via her own free will. We were lucky the Elements were still around. I don’t just want to rely on pure luck to save us every time some monster shows up. Is that why you and those friends carry those little toys?” Caballeron looked towards Vapor’s Growl Phone. “So that you can just swoop in and save the day when the Elements can’t do it for you?”

“No…” Vapor whispered. “We do it because we have to, there are ponies out there who can’t defend themselves from Thrax and his forces. You think I wanted this?” Vapor asked, thinking back.

"Let her go, you filth." Grape snarled, all pretenses of joking around replaced by pure seriousness.

"You'd better be keeping an eye on yourself, not on her!" Plug Org laughed, and before he could figure out what he meant, Grape was stabbed through the chest by his own Crystal Saber thanks to Turbine Org and soundly demorphed, blood gushing from his wound. Plug Org laughed and let Vapor go before both Orgs ran off laughing to themselves while Vapor ran over to Grape.

"I... I shouldn't have gotten involved, b-but I-I did and now look what's happened!" Vapor sobbed, but Grape wiped away her tears and handed her his Growl Phone and Animal Crystal, it glowing purple when handed to its new owner.

"Don't blame yourself, if Ah was in your position, Ah would have done the exact same. Take my powers, use them to carry on the work Ah can't anymore..." Grape said before he pressed down on his pendent and let the sounds of the black waters carry him away as Vapor sobbed. It was all her fault, and now she couldn't do anything about it.

"Actually, there's one thing." She thought as she picked herself off the ground and even as tears still streamed down her face, she shouted to the heavens "Do you hear me Turbine Org, you'll pay for this! I swear on it!" as she pointed the bloodied Crystal Saber to the sky and without even calling out her morphing call, morphed into the new Leviathan Ranger. It was her destiny now...

“I assumed you did, seeing as how you’re always so invested in it…” Caballeron twisted his wrist. “You’re saying that you… reject your role as a Ranger?”

“I would have, in the past, but I’ve got a job to do now… A promise to keep.”

“Really? And what is that promise, might I ask?” Caballeron lifted one of his eyebrows.

“A friend of mine… Well, maybe he was more than a friend, I don’t know really, he died in battle and asked me to carry on his work. He was the first Purple Leviathan Ranger, not me as everypony seems to think...” Vapor replied, sniffling a little in memoriam.

“Ah. So you want to carry on the lineage of this Purple Leviathan Ranger? Well, I won’t stop you from doing that,” Caballeron said kindly. He took another drink of the wine. “But at the moment, I still need you to get my hands on one little trinket. Then, I’ll send you back to the other rangers. All in one piece, too. I can promise you that much.”

Knowing Caballeron and his promises, Vapor could immediately see the lie staring her in the face. She still ate away at the food she had been given, but she felt more and more unsettled as his charm put her off-guard.

“Relax, not going to harm you,” Caballeron replied. “Unlike my men, who I admit are more brawn than brain, I actually enjoy a good stimulating conversation with a fellow pony.”

“Yeah, thing is, you can only say something so many times before it starts to sound like an excuse…” Vapor muttered back in response.

“Fair’s fair…” Caballeron admitted as he ate a grape. “And I also admit, treasure-hunting, or stealing as I know that’s what you’re going to say, is starting to grow wearisome. I’m not as young as I used to be. Maybe it is time I hang up my hat, as it were, and let the younger generation take the helm so to speak.”

“You mean like Daring?” Vapor asked in surprise, shocked how Caballeron seemed to be genuinely remorseful -or at least tired- of his ways.

“I suppose you could put it like that… She was always meant to be my successor,” Caballeron admitted as Vapor’s eyes widened in abject shock. “Taught her everything she knows, and she turned out to be quite the worthy adversary…”

Back outside, Daring was attempting to flirt with the guards. Key word, attempting. Most of her moves, despite being quite alluring, didn’t really catch the attention of the men. To be honest, they actually left most of them confused.

“What in Celestia’s name are you doing, Daring?” Lightning whispered. “Seriously, try some flirtatious words and phrases!” she hissed towards her fellow Ranger. “A pick-up line, a compliment, just… anything!”

Of course, ask and you shall receive… Though in Daring’s case, the flirtatious lines were rather embarrassing really.

“Y’know, these deserts might be hot as Tartarus, but you’re even hotter,” She gave a small chuckle. “Any chance you boys wanna shift like a dune and let me through? Master Caballeron’s gonna be awfully upset if he doesn’t get a progress update.”

“Sorry, the boss said to let no-one though. He’s busy.” the guard said gruffly.

“Oh, dear Mystic Mother…” Lightning muttered with a facepalm, still hiding behind the water barrels. “Those lines are cornier than Robert’s, and that’s saying something!”

“Busy or not, I’ve gotta give him an update,” Daring folded her arms. “He’s not gonna get any closer to that ‘ultimate treasure’ of his if his troops aren’t reporting in every now and again.”

Surprisingly, despite the terrible flirtation, Daring was stumbling across information.

“That’s the thing, the boss is talking like he knows the location of this “Treasure” of his already… Which leads one to wonder, when the Tartarus are we going to get paid?” the guard asked.

“We might not even get paid at all after this, knowing how that greedy piece of shit works.” The other guard lifted a finger. “Still, we can’t know for sure until he gets his hands on it.”

“Hey, if I just see one coin out of this, it’s good enough for me…” the first put in. “Tartarus, a glimpse at this ultimate treasure of his would be nice as well, seeing if all this time, effort and low pay that’s sure to come is worth it…”

“Then, why in the Inferno are you working for him if he’s underpaying you? I bet there’s tons of other high-paying jobs out there that are sure to net ya a better life,” Daring knew that these guards, much like all of the others she had seen in her life, had one big Achilles’ heel: Bigger and better pay. She now had the chance to slip by them and get to Caballeron if she played this just right. “You don’t have to work for him if he’s not gonna pay you enough; especially when you don’t even get thanks from him after all of that.”

“Hmm…” The guards thought it over between themselves and took what Daring said into account. After all of their raids, their expeditions, and travels with him, had they even been paid what they were promised?

Of course, right then and there when things were looking up, Caballeron decided to take that moment and emerge from the tent. His eyes widened when he met Daring’s, recognizing those rose colored orbs of hers anywhere.

“What the… Daring?” Caballeron exclaimed as the guards went for their weapons.

“Shit!” Lightning swore. “Well, there goes the sneaking about portion of this rescue mission…”

“...Er, surprise?” Daring waved awkwardly before she and Lightning threw off their costumes revealing their regular attire underneath.

“I don’t know why you’re here, Daring Do, but I do know that your time here is just about up!” Caballeron made claws out of his hands. “Get her! And whatever friends she has with her!”

“Well, that’s… new.” Daring admitted as she saw her mentor’s new appendages as the guards all began to swarm around her. She pulled out her Dino Saber and Caballeron pulled out a rapier sword and they began to circle each other like vultures as Lightning held off the guards. She morphed, and almost at once activated the Lights of Orion and raised her Crystal Sword skywards, bringing down bolts of sheer scorching lightning to knock out the guards.

“Ever the coward, Daring Do. Hiding behind that Ranger toy of yours,” Caballeron thrust his sword and performed a series of quick swings and slashes that Daring either dodged or countered. “Why don’t you fight like a real mare for once?”

Daring rolled to the left to avoid a swing from Caballeron’s claws. “Where the Tartarus did he get those anyways?” she asked herself before she realized. “Of course, the Curse!”

Caballeron and Daring were locked in a very even fight, with neither side able to get a clean hit in each other. Thrusts, parries, lunges, but neither side would give an inch in their fight. In all of the commotion, they failed to notice Lightning Dust sneaking into the tent to rescue Vapor Trail. But then again, how could they? Their own mortal enemy was standing right there in front of them.

“I got you, Vaps!” Lightning said to her sister as she tossed her Growl Phone and Animal Crystals. “See, I always said I’d have your back!”

“Knew you wouldn’t let me down sis…” Vapor smiled as they ran back out into the fray.

As the two of them tried to escape the tent, more guards just stormed into it. Vapor quickly morphed and felt the familiar form of the Deer Clutcher appearing in her right hand. Smiling, Vapor got an idea. Pulling the trigger, a silver, three-pronged claw-like hook shot out of the weapon and knocked the guards down like a set of dominoes. Once it took them out, the chain retracted it back into the weapon.

“Oh, so you want some more eh?” Vapor asked, as some more guards ran towards them. Aiming as best as she could, Vapor shot the claw again, taking out another wave of guards, before hitting the rest on the rebound. A sniper shot rang out, and Vapor’s ears trained themselves to the source of the shot, before she fired her Deer Clutcher once more and brought the shooter down towards her knocking him out via a punch to the face.

Daring and Caballeron were still trying their hardest to outdo each other, but now, it seemed like Daring was beginning to run out of steam. Her attacks very nearly met with his and it seemed like she was slowing down in trying to keep up with him. Eventually, she failed to guard a swing from his sword and he took the chance to not only strike her, but kick her away as well.

“In the end, you’re just the same little girl I raised, Daring.” Caballeron stepped forward. “Lost and confused, playing explorer and treasure hunter. You can’t possibly keep up with a true man like myself.”

“Do you know ever when to shut up?” Daring asked, and socked him across the jaw.

“Nngh. That punch only hurts because you’re a Ranger. That strength’s not your own, is it?” He wiped the blood away from his mouth and got back into his combat stance. “Once my expedition comes to an end, you’ll barely be able to touch me, let alone hit me like that.”

Daring opted for the only viable response, taking a cue once again out of Galaxy’s playbook and head-butting him.

Caballeron, instead of flinching, just grabbed Daring by her neck and threw her away with his free claw. Next, he shot her in the arm, just grazing her, and grabbed Vapor Trail and threw her with a surprising amount of strength into the back of a canvas covered truck.

“We’re leaving, now!” he barked out. “This is just a fraction of the power I’ll soon have, Daring Do!” He howled. “Once that treasure is mine, you and your Ranger friends are finished!”

“Yeah, I don’t think so…” Daring muttered as she and Lightning shared a nod. Daring summoned her Deinonychus themed Dino Cycle, while Lightning, her Thunderbird based Savage Cycle. They gave the handlebars a twist, and dust and sand kicked up in the air as they drove on after the truck.

The cycles roared through the sands, tearing them up beneath their treads as they charged after Caballeron’s truck. With how fast they were going, it was a miracle they weren’t sinking into the desert.

Lightning, in one of her classic rash choices, pulled out her favored Thunderbird Whips and lashed onto the truck’s back bumper and pulled. She leaped forwards, wings fully extended and glinting in the moonlight.

One of the guards just popped out of the back of the truck and opened fire on Daring, trying to shake her off of the roads. He was soundly met by a buck to the face from Lightning, causing him to tumble out of the back of the truck and roll down a sandy hill.

The roar of another engine was heard, and an old army jeep was on approach, machine gun emplacement in the back.

“Oh, you gotta be kidding me…” Vapor muttered as she and Lightning ducked just in time to avoid the shots as they riddled the back of the truck. One nearly pieced the back of Caballeron’s skull.

“Shoot at them, not me you fools! That’s what I pay you for!” He snarled, and gripped the steering wheel and swerved to the left in an attempt to throw Lightning and Vapor out the back of it.

In the chaos, Daring slowly started to creep up on Caballeron, using the small weapons poking out of the side of her Dino Cycle to gun down some of the other vehicles accompanying him. She then had to duck and turn out of the way to avoid the explosions and debris that followed.

“Holy... En serio, ¿por qué siempre hay explosiones cerca con nosotros Rangers ...?” Daring thought as she gunned the engine. “You are NOT getting your own Dino Morpher, you piece of shit!” She swore to herself. Daring revved the bike up with the handles and started to catch up with him, coming inches between her bike and his truck.

“Hey, Daring, how’s the arm?” Caballeron laughed as he pulled out his pistol again. Then, he heard a loud screech and looked in his rear-view mirror to see the very distinctive form of the Eagle Zord. Evidently, he’d missed one Crystal while searching Vapor.

The Eagle Zord flapped her wings, and fired off golden energy ball after golden energy ball at Caballeron’s truck, while it’s driver swerved back and forth to avoid the shots. Daring smirked and got up out ahead of him, leaped off her cycle, and flipped backwards. In midair, she generated a giant cyan hammer of energy and brought it down on the truck, sending it flying end over end. Lightning and Vapor took that as their cue to leave and flew out the back.

Daring pulled up to the burning wreckage, as her friends landed nearby to see a very lucky Caballeron clawing his way out of the wreckage before lapsing into unconsciousness. The bird claws retracted into regular hands. Then, a misty dark blue form flew out of his body and grew to a massive size, with the end result resembling a monstrous Tenga warrior on steroids.

“Okay… This just got… Well, I don’t even know what kind of description to give this…” Daring muttered as the Corvus Monster towered above them.

“Well, I can give you one word for it. Ugly,” Lightning commented before she went for her Growl Phone. “Uh, Princess, we might have a problem…”

From the Animarium, Shayla watched the Corvus Monster emerge from the Fountain.

“Yes, that is a problem. I’ll be sending something that can help you,” she replied, and to Lightning’s surprise, she suddenly found herself holding the Falcon Summoner and the respective Animal Crystal for it.

“But I thought…” Lightning trailed off, before Shayla finished for her.

“That the Falcon Summoner can only summon the Falcon Zord? Then what are those other holes for Crystals for?”

Lightning let out a huh, when she saw the four small holes in the Falcon Summoner’s “Wings” that looked to be just about the right size for Animals Crystals. Placing the Boar, Deer, Swallow and Bison Crystals in them (Vapor had suddenly found herself in possession of the latter two) she fired the Summoner skywards…

A loud screech was heard, as a shadow darted across the face of the moon and the massive crimson and silver form of the Falcon Zord swooped down from the sky.

“Okay, so what do we have here?” he commented as he observed the Corvus Monster. “Well, a fellow warrior of the sky it seems… Or someone attempting to be one. Time to find out.”

Energy blasts were fired from the Corvus Monster’s beak and the Falcon Zord was forced to do barrel rolls in order to avoid them. He then flew back down, and struck at the giant crow spirit with his talons.

Then, the black Bison Zord burst out from a dune and blew smoke from his nostrils as he charged into the Corvus Monster, rammed him, and lifted him up with his horns sending it flying right into the Falcon’s grasp. The talons of the Zord gripped the Corvus monster tightly before they let go and tossed it into a dune.

The Corvus monster was quick to recover and lunged at the Falcon Zord, who was forced to fly away to avoid the monster’s claws ripping into him. During all this, the powerful wing flaps of both the monster and the Zord had begun to stir up sand and soon, whirling winds had tossed and turned the grains into one of the desert’s most feared creations, a Haboob.

A pure wall of dust towering high into the sky enveloped the battlefield, blasting everyone around with wind currents of up to 22 miles per hour. As Daring and company (With Caballeron) took shelter in a nearby temple, they could see a bright blue blur slashing and darting inside the whirling clouds. Evidently, the Swallow Zord wasn’t bothered by one of the most feared weather phenomena ever to grace this part of the world.

The cry of the Deer Zord was heard, and he gripped the Corvus Monster with his antlers before tossing it. A powerful energy blast fired into the Corvus Monster, making slam into the ground with a powerful thud.

If anyone had been able to see through the towering wall of dust and sand, they would have seen a giant brown metallic boar Zord carrying a cart, with a giant twin barreled laser cannon and a drill on the back.

“Lightning…” The Falcon Zord’s gruff voice said to her. “If we’re ever going to finish this guy off, you need to combine us, now!”

“R-Right…” Lightning muttered before she and Vapor shouted: “Wild Zords, combine!”

The Bison, Swallow, Falcon and Deer Zords underwent their usual combination sequence from before, and the Boar Zord detached himself from his cart and combined the Megazord and took his place as the right arm. As Vapor and Lightning teleported inside and locked their Crystal Sabers into their consoles, the drill and cannon that the Boar Zord transported locked themselves into place. The drill grafted itself to the Boar’s forehead, and the cannon attached to the Megazord’s right shoulder.

“Isis Megazord: Drill Mode, armed and ready for battle!” Lightning shouted, but because of the sheer dust and sand clouding her vision from inside the cockpit, she couldn’t see the Corvus Monster firing off another energy blast. She didn’t even have time to throw up the Falcon Shield before it hit. The Megazord was pushed back into a small pyramid, utterly smashing the ancient structure into ruins.

“Alright… Now I’m mad…” Lightning growled as the Isis Megazord raised it’s right arm and fired it’s shoulder cannons, locking onto target via pure magic and doing some devastating damage to the Corvus Monster. As it stumbled backwards, Lightning called out: “Isis Stare!”

The “eyes” on the Falcon’s wings, just as the Corvus Monster leaped forwards once more, turned into yellow cat-like slits and somehow froze him in place. The Isis Megazord then lunged forwards, drill spinning up, glowing yellow and creating a horrible buzzing sound and impaled the monster through the chest. The crow spirit then fell backwards -As the Haboob finally subsided- and exploded, with a fine mist dispersing into the atmosphere.

“Finally…” Daring thought as she supported her mentor. “The curse, it’s gone…”

Somnambula:

Later that next morning, Daring watched as ponies set to work on repairing the town’s famous statue, before she turned to both Vapor and Lightning. Both now sported henna tattoos. Lightning, the Eye of Horus over her left eye while Vapor had some simple designs painted around her Cutie Mark on her right shoulder.

“You know, I’ve come to realize something… Can’t work alone anymore. You gals really helped me out here today, thanks. If you hadn’t come when you did…” Daring trailed off.

“Say nothing of it, just helping a friend,” Lightning replied and Daring nodded before continuing.

“Aside from that… I’ve got to pay and own up for certain things,” Daring said as she took a look back towards the ruined statue. “Caballeron was right, I did cause that statue’s destruction, didn’t think about certain consequences. Pulling some money out of my own funds to pay for the damages I caused, in this or any other town. Set me back a bit I know, but it’s worth it. There are some things bigger than myself and adventuring,” she remarked. “Fact is, storm’s brewing on the horizon and you’ll need all the help you can get. If you ever need me…” she trailed off, holding out her Dino Comm.

“Yeah, we’ll give you a call,” Vapor smiled. “You know, this could really make some good material for a new book…” she trailed off eagerly.

“Yeah, I’ll think on that. Probably some parts I should leave out though, eh?” Daring laughed, and both Vapor and Lightning chuckled. “Fans deserve an origin story, you know what I mean…?” she asked, her voice turning sad as she watched Caballeron being led into a police truck. Vapor and Lightning shared a nod.

“We’ll… we’ll leave you two alone.” Lightning said before she and Vapor walked off.

“So…” Daring sighed as she sat on a nearby rock.

“Yeah, you don’t need to say it. I’ve earned this,” Caballeron replied sadly. “I’d thank you for what you did, but sadly… not all of that curse drove me to greed or any of the other things I did over the years. And don’t bother denying it, as you know it’s true…”

Daring looked away, and sniffled. Caballeron smiled sadly, and brushed some of Daring's mane out of his former student’s face. “High time I owned up for my own crimes.”

“I’ll… I’ll put in a good word with Celestia, maybe she can-” Daring started, but Caballeron shook his head.

“No, I’ll serve my time. But… If you ever need me, for anything… Just don’t hesitate to call okay? Even if things won’t be like the old days, doesn’t mean I can’t lend a hand or two yeah? And find that treasure I was after will you? Just for me. Who knows, might come in handy one day.”

“Yeah…” Daring smiled before she hugged him. “Be safe, okay?”

“You know I will,” Caballeron said with that classic smirk and a wink. “Keep your friends close, you’ll need them.”

Daring smiled, and gave her mentor one last salute as the truck’s doors closed.

“Goodbye for now, Caballeron…” she thought before whispering: “No, that’s not right. Goodbye for now, Dad.”

Author's Notes:

Okay, so we've reached the end of this little story arc. Huge thanks to Shadowmane once again for being my co-writer on this chapter. Honestly, not much to say on this chapter really except for the Boar Zord. Once again, as seen below, it comes from the realm of concept art.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/powerrangers/images/9/9b/Gao_Mole.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20131221122811 https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/powerrangers/images/9/93/GaoBoar.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20131221113704

As always, comments, thoughts, and critique are appreciated.

Part 6: Am I Blue?

Ponyville: Carousel Boutique

The moon and stars were out, as evening set in over the small town in Maine. Generally, it was a peaceful night, a rarity in these days for Ponyville. Most residents were either staying in for the night with their loved ones, or had gone for a night out on the town, generally enjoying themselves.

But not all of them. One of them, our very own Robert Williams was lying awake on his futon, thoughts racing as he flashed back to a week ago.

“Said I was one… Didn’t mean I was good at my job all the time. Just when I needed to be,” Robert sniped back. “Sure, I can lie to anyone and everyone… Well, almost anyone and everyone but that’s only when I have to lie.”

“...Why do I not believe that? And what do you mean by almost everyone?” Sunset asked, eyebrow raised. Robert sniffed the air, she smelled like lavender today. “Robert?” she pressed when she didn’t receive an answer.

“W-Well, let’s see… There’s my commanding officers, you really can’t lie to them,” the Orange Ranger stuttered out nervously, still feeling Sunset’s eyes on him. “Trust me, Cruger’s eyes… They see right through you. And Sky’s… And Doctor Manx’s… Well, pretty much every high ranking officer at SPD really. Did you know one of them’s a parrot?”

“You’re deflecting,” Sunset remarked. “Making irrelevant remarks to try and get away from the real issue.”

“Which is?” Robert asked, his voice taking on an interrogative tone. “This is going to be a thing for us, isn’t it? Each one of us trying to figure the other out. Like Light Yagami and L. ...Only without the Serial Killer who thinks he’s the next God/Sherlock Holmes caliber Detective thing. ...Wrote Yaoi Fanfiction about them you know, and Hell… If you’re ever into roleplaying…”

“Robert!” Sunset snapped.

“Right, right. Keep on topic. ...Though could we do this some other time,” he corrected himself, before going back into a nervous state, when he remembered where exactly he was. “Like when I’m not hanging off a cliff with only you, who I can’t entirely trust to not drop me right now, and a harness to keep me from falling to my death?”

“Alright…” Sunset sighed before pulling him upwards to the top of the cliff with a flap of her wings and unhitching his harness. “Now, see… That’s the issue I have with you right now. Lack of trust, you just can’t seem to be in a really committed relationship.”

“To be fair… It is my first one,” Robert argued.

“Yeah, I’ll give you that…” Sunset admitted with a sigh. “But I’m not sure I can trust you. Sure, you’re nice and all, but I do know you have a history. You’ve told me yourself, you’ve pulled a love ‘em and leave ‘em tactic on so many women over the years it’s become a habit of yours. How do I know you won’t do the same to me?” she asked.

“I won’t, I promise you that,” Robert replied. “First… No, the second woman I ever loved, honestly. First being Luna of course.”

“That’s the thing as well,” Sunset replied sadly. “You’re in love with her as well, despite your… odd relationship status. And don’t think you can lie to me about that, I can see it in your eyes.”

Robert’s silence said it all on the matter.

“...Yeah, I figured about as much…” Sunset muttered sadly, wiping a tear from her eye. “How do I know I’m not just another... possession for you? Do… Do you love me?”

“Y-yes, I do...” Robert replied, but there was hesitation in his voice. And that was all Sunset needed. She closed her eyes and turned her back on him. Expanding her wings, she took to the skies once more and headed back towards Ponyville.

Robert, as he looked up at the ceiling and watched the clock tick away the hours realized he knew Sunset was right. He couldn’t be trusted to hold a committed relationship with anyone… could he? Especially not when he was still in love with someone else. His mind went back even farther, to a few months back when he was still not exactly the most popular resident of Ponyville and his circle of friends consisted of Rarity, her husband, the Rangers and only a few others.

The Prancing Pony:

It was just him and Artemis/Luna, at their usual spot where they met up for drinks. Nearby, ponies and patrons were giving him wary glances as ever, but Robert paid them no mind. He’d long stopped giving a damn about what they and Princess Genocide thought of him.

Privately, deep down and thought he’d never admit it, sometimes Robert questioned why he should even save them? They certainly didn’t give a damn about him, (And in all honesty, would rather see his head on a stake) so why should he do that same?

He actually chuckled darkly to himself when he imagined their reactions if they ever found out what he did as a side-job, saving their arses day in, day out. “This city is afraid of me...I have seen its true face. The streets are extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood and when the drains finally scab over, all the vermin will drown. The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout “Save us!”... and I'll look down and whisper “No.” They had a choice, all of them. They could have followed in the footsteps of good men like my father or President Truman. Decent men who believed in a day's work for a day's pay.” Robert recited to himself, remembering an old comic he’d read once.

He then blanched in shock, did he really think like that deep down? Did Ponyville and the rest of Equestria really deserve to be left to rot and fell at the hands of Thrax and his Orgs?

Looking at the Animal Crystal in his hand, he sighed. No, those thoughts were ones of a madman, not the ones of a Power Ranger. That was his task now, like it always had been, to save people no matter how much they did or didn’t deserve it.

“All that brooding?” Artemis asked as she pulled up a seat next to him at the bar. “You’d honestly give Galaxy Swirls a run for his money.”

“Yeah…” Robert sighed to himself as he took a sip of his whiskey. “Just… all this hatred,” he muttered, gesturing to the ponies around him who were giving him disgusted and fearful looks. “Makes you start to wonder if…”

“They’re worth saving?” Artemis asked. “Give them time, ponies are herd animals just like you humans. Unexpected variable, new thing thrown into the mixture and they don’t know what to think of it. You scare them. To them, they’re sheep, and you’re a wolf in the fold.”

“Yeah,” Robert replied bitterly. “Sheep’s one word for it. Sheep following the orders of their dear Princess. If she says jump, they’ll ask how high. If she asks them to jump off a bridge, they’ll do it if it means getting rid of me.”

“...Robert,” Artemis sighed sadly. “They’re loyal, but not blind. Think about it, there are a few ponies who are starting to warm up to you. I mean, you told me you made friends with Fluttershy and Rarity, right? The words of two members of the Elements of Harmony would go a long way to establishing trust. Plus, there’s Sunset. She trusts you, and if one Princess trusts you, well the others will probably be soon to follow,”

Robert chuckled bitterly as he drowned the whole glass, before asking for another. “Yeah, doubt Celestia or Twilight will be lining up to shake my hand anytime soon…”

“Give it time, that’s all I can say,” Artemis said in return. “You know, I imagine one day soon, ponies will be hailing you as a hero, asking for your autograph,” she continued and when Robert looked at her in shock, she said: “What? I’m not stupid. Doesn’t take a genius to figure out what you get up to. There’s really only one Ranger I know of who speaks with a partial Germane accent and yet says “Hade ni ikuze!”, really… Surprised more ponies aren’t more observant to things like that...”

“Yes well, Clark Kent and Superman have the same face, and yet all the Big Blue Boy Scout has to do is slip on a pair of glasses and no one’s the wiser,” Robert commented with a chuckle. “But thanks, Artemis, I needed that laugh. You’re one of the few ponies around here that keeps me sane, you know that right?”

Artemis smiled, and kissed his cheek before walking off. “Hey, if you ever need me…”

“Yeah, just call. I will.” Robert replied with a smile on his face.

Now:

Robert sighed to himself at the memory and pulled the covers up over himself hoping for sleep to take him.

The next morning, one very weary-eyed Robert walked down into Rarity’s kitchen wearing nothing but his bathrobe and some fox-themed slippers. Rarity was already down there, making breakfast with her mane in curlers while Zephyr sat nearby reading the Ponyville Chronicle.

“Woah…” Zephyr muttered, eyes widening once he saw Robert tearing his attention away from the newspaper at once. “Dude, I really hate to be blunt, but you look like crap.”

“Rough night?” Rarity asked kindly.

“...To say the least, could barely sleep a wink. Kept thinking about…”

“Sunset?” Rarity asked, giving him a sympathetic look. “And before you ask how I know, Sunset admitted to me over lunch earlier that you and her were going through a “Relationship bump” as she put it.

“One way of putting it…” Robert grumbled, pulling up a chair and grabbing some whipped cream and trying to place it on his pancakes. Trouble was, he was so tired he ended up pouring it all over the table, not his breakfast.

“Here, let me…” Rarity sighed, taking the whipped cream away from him.

“Should we break out the ice cream and the chick-flicks?” Zephyr teased.

“Har-har,” Robert deadpanned. “Very funny, you dummkopf. I’m not that desperate… yet.”

“But seriously man,” said dummkopf replied. “Just go up and talk to her. Sure it’s a problem you two can work out. Hate to see my fellow man looking like this. Seriously, you’ve got all sorts of other problems you should be worrying about, more important ones like the Orgs, not your relationship with Sunset.”

“He’s right dear,” Rarity agreed. “Seems to be one of the few happy points in your life, don’t let that slip away from you. Not one bit, you understand?”

“Life’s a big pile of… and you’ll have to pardon me for my language here Rares,” Zephyr put in. “Shit, and you gotta dig through that shit to find the diamonds in it. Seems to me, for you, Sunset is that diamond.”

“...Wow, never knew you had the brains to be so poetic...” Robert snarked at him, and Zephyr simply rolled his eyes ignoring him.

“Point is, go get her back dude!” Zephyr exclaimed. “You want to be wallowing in misery for the rest of your life, going through the motions before you shrivel up and die in your sleep, fine by me, but if I was you…”

“What Zephyr means, despite his… bluntness,” Rarity said in a more polite tone. “is that you need her in your life from what I’ve seen. So…”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Robert replied, holding up his hands defensively. “I’ll go find her. ...Where do I go find her again?”

“Likes to go to the top of Ponyville’s tallest hill, every morning, to go and practice some Tai Chi. Keeps her calm, and her mind at peace.” Rarity explained, and faster than you could blink Robert had gobbled up his breakfast and was out the door.

Of course, he soon realized how he was dressed and blushed. “...Probably should get a change of clothes, eh?” he flushed, and Zephyr raised an eyebrow.

“You think?” He deadpanned.

Sure enough, as Rarity had explained to him, Robert found Sunset atop Ponyville’s tallest hilltop going through her Tai Chi stances in the middle of a stone courtyard surrounded by peach trees just beginning to blossom, with cobblestone steps leading up the hill to it. All in all, the area created an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. You could look over the entirety of the small town from here, and not be disturbed.

“Sunset?” Robert asked -Now clad in his usual SPD attire- as he walked up. “Can we talk?”

Sunset doesn't even look over, and just sighed to herself. “What is it, Robert?”

“Look, can we talk, and I mean seriously talk?” Robert asked. “You’ve been avoiding me for a week now, and to be honest, Rarity… amongst others are starting to talk.”

Robert almost at once winced, realizing how that must have sounded to her. Sunset probably thought he was only coming up to visit her to save face or something like that.

“Do you know why I've been avoiding you? Do you have any ideas at all why I would possibly be doing so?" Sunset looked at him, an irritated expression on her face. “Let them talk for all I care. For all I know, you’re just here to suck up to me.”

Robert sighed to himself, rubbing his temples. “Far from that, Sunset. Okay, I admit I’m a pervert and a womanizer… Got me there. But I do honestly care for you.”

“I bet you said that same thing to every other woman in your life. How can I risk trusting you on this?” Sunset huffed, crossing her arms. “Give me one reason why I should trust you after the cliff incident.”

“Let’s see, the fact that I was willing to actually open up to you more than I have with the women I’ve pulled the “Love ‘em and leave ‘em” tactic with. You know how many women in my life I’ve told about how I felt I’ve never been able to please my teachers or catch up to anyone? I can list that number off my fingers, if you like,” Robert growled out, starting to get quite irritated himself.

“You don't get it, do you? How do I know this isn't another trick to get me to put my guard down? To make me into another possession for you?” Sunset growled out, wings igniting slightly causing Robert to take a few steps back. “When we were on that cliff, and I asked you if you loved me, you hesitated. And you clearly still have...a thing for Luna. You don't love me. You're in love with the idea of being in love with me.”

Robert actually flinched at that, back when he was with SPD he’d actually run into (And arrested) people who had delusions of being in love with someone, stalked them and learned every little aspect of their everyday lives. It was a really rather sickening and sometimes pathetic sight. He thought for a moment on Sunset’s words, did some of them really ring true? After all, there was that first face-off with the Camera Org…

...And then, stepping out of the car as it pulled itself to a halt was Robert Williams, in a pure black trench coat, the very same in fact, that he had thought was for people who were trying way too hard to be badass. He pointed at Camera Org, who took a step back at the pure rage etched on Robert’s face.

“You… You, Camera Org are going to give those souls you took back. Most of all Sunset, the day you touched her was the day you signed your death warrant. She was one of the only ponies who was ever kind to me, and by taking her you’ve lined yourself up for destruction.” Robert snarled.

Robert honestly found himself at a loss for words for the moment. As much as he hated to admit it, some of those words and phrases did sound more like he was in love with the idea of being in love with Sunset than with Sunset herself as a person. When he finally managed to find his voice again, all he managed to stutter out was: ‘“I… I… I don’t know right now.”

“Honestly, I don't know either. That's why I've been avoiding you. I'm not going to pretend that it's fine, that this... is healthy. I can't... I can't do that. Not to you, not to myself.” Sunset began to shake as her eyes began to well up with tears.

Robert reached out to comfort her. “Hey, it’s alright… We’ll figure this out like we always do.”

“We can't. Not like this. This... this can't continue like this.” Sunset said as she rejected Robert's attempt to comfort her and brushed his arm away before wiping away her tears. “I... I think we need…”

“Time… Time away from each other. To figure things out…” Robert finished with a sigh, and Sunset nodded solemnly.

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking… You and me, right now, we’re not good for each other. I do love you Robert, but the question is, do you love me back?”

Robert, in all honesty, had to wonder that himself right now, given what Sunset had pointed out to him. “Goddamnit, why can’t things just be as simple as fighting a monster, then blowing the fucking thing up? Why can’t love be like that?”

“Goodbye for now… I guess.” Robert whispered. Sunset looked away from him, not able to bring herself to saying goodbye. Tears start streaming down her face as she clenched her eyes tight.

As she took flight into the skies once more, Robert stifled a sob and began singing an old song to himself...

“Am I blue
Am I blue
Ain't these tears in my eyes tellin' you
Am I blue?

“You would be too
If your plans with your man
Done fell through…”

Author's Notes:

Okay, so short breather chapter, but important plot-wise as it continues the sub-plot with Sunset and Robert, showing more that their relationship isn't perfect. They're out of the honeymoon stage, if you will.

Huge thanks to Legolassy123 for her help with writing out Sunset's dialogue. As ever, comments, thoughts, and critique are welcomed. Next time...

Otoko na n’ darou?
Guzuguzu suru na yo
Mune no enjin ni hi wo tsukero
Ore wa koko da ze Hito-ashi o-saki
Hikari no hayasa de
ashita e dasshu sa...

Part 7: Shocking Surprise! Space Sheriffs appear!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbTTrvUUoSI

Canterlot:

A steam whistle cut through the thick of the early evening fog, as a singular orb of light shined and glimmered in the mist. Great wheels churned, and a thick column of churning black smoke rose up above the fog as the Ponyville Express (Although one passenger knew better, it also was known as the Solar Streak if the right magic was used) pulled into Canterlot station with a grinding halt, massive wheels screeching and letting off sparks as they stopped. The whistle blew again, this time to let everyone know the train had pulled to a halt.

Two boots clambered off one of the rear passenger cars. A strong able-bodied man was in those boots, stepping onto the platform clad in his usual orange and black uniform, a metal badge with a dog’s head pinned on it’s right breast. In his head, thoughts ran rampant as memories long since past came to the fold once more as he began the long journey up to the castle where the source of his current troubles lay. It was a Princess as ever, though it wasn’t the same one that had caused him a hell of an amount of trouble when he first came to this world (Didn’t mean his troubles related with said Princess were over, as he’d soon find.) No, this time it wasn’t him taking issues with a madmare, but more him taking issues of the more… romantic sort.

“We know now that in the early years of the twentieth century this world was being watched closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own. We know now that as human beings busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinized and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinize the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. With infinite complacence people went to and fro over the earth about their little affairs, serene in the assurance of their dominion over this small spinning fragment of solar driftwood which by chance or design man has inherited out of the dark mystery of Time and Space. Yet across an immense ethereal gulf, minds that to our minds as ours are to the beasts in the jungle, intellects vast, cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes and slowly and surely drew their plans against us. In the thirty-ninth year of the twentieth century came the great disillusionment.

“It was near the end of October. Business was better. The war scare was over. More men were back at work. Sales were picking up. On this particular evening, October 30, the Crosley service estimated that thirty-two million people were listening in on radios…”

“You have got to be kidding me, people actually believed in this crap?” Artemis deadpanned. It would be a few days before Pinkie’s fateful party, the one that would change their lives forever. Currently, she and Robert were held up at the Prancing Pony inn, once more just curled up on a bed listening to an old radio broadcast Artemis had dug up from… somewhere. She wasn’t keen on saying exactly where. All she said was that is was a remnant of the Old World. The winter winds were howling outside, making both thankful were inside. Robert had chuckled when the tape that had recorded the broadcast had begun, recognizing that voice at once, and the narration as well.

“The Panic Broadcast”, he’d called it. Orson Welles’ (In)famous narration and radio dramatization of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. Perhaps not too coincidentally in hindsight, this very room was the very same one where his and Artemis’s relationship would begin to go downhill a few nights later.

“Well, I’m no history buff,” Robert replied. “But even I know that the 1930s, they were a different time. You couldn’t just turn on a TV and watch the news to see if anything was fake, most people had sold their TVs just to pay for their day to day needs. Great Depression and all that. The radio, it was trusted friend of everyone back in those days. You gathered around it in the sitting room like you’d gather around to hear your grandad tell stories. And then there was the format of this broadcast, it was made in the style of old news flashes, so it sounded realistic....”

The broadcast continued all the while in the background.

“Ladies and gentlemen, following on the news given in our bulletin a moment ago, the Government Meteorological Bureau has requested the large observatories of the country to keep an astronomical watch on any further disturbances occurring on the planet Mars. Due to the unusual nature of this occurrence, we have arranged an interview with noted astronomer. Professor Pierson, who will give us his views on the event. in a few moments we will take you to the Princeton Observatory at Princeton, New Jersey. We return you until then to the music of Ramón Raquello and his orchestra.

A brief spurt of music, and then…

“We are now ready to take you to the Princeton Observatory at Princeton where Carl Phillips, or commentator, will interview Professor Richard Pierson, famous astronomer. We take you now to Princeton, New Jersey.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is Carl Phillips, speaking to you from the observatory at Princeton. I am standing in a large semi-circular room, pitch black except for an oblong split in the ceiling. Through this opening I can see a sprinkling of stars that cast a kind of frosty glow over the intricate mechanism of the huge telescope. The ticking sound you hear is the vibration of the clockwork. Professor Pierson stands directly above me on a small platform, peering through a giant lens. I ask you to be patient, ladies and gentlemen, during any delay that may arise during our interview. Besides his ceaseless watch of the heavens, Professor Pierson may be interrupted by telephone or other communications. During this period he is in constant touch with the astronomical centers of the world . . . Professor, may I begin our questions?”

“I see what you mean,” Artemis replied as Professor Pierson from Princeton began answering Carl’s questions...

“And it’s only just begun, wait till we get to the part where everyone started to panic. Not everyone had actually tuned into the beginning of the broadcast, if I remember correctly, so not everyone knew this was just a radio dramatization of a book,” Robert replied before continuing. Also, I’d like you to remember that Hitler, (Here Robert made a sound of great disgust) -Germany’s greatest shame- amongst dictators were cementing their power. People were frightened. Winston Churchill, great man by the way, was urging America to gear up for war. So you can imagine what people may have thought this might have been when they heard the word “Invasion!”

“Nazis…” Artemis muttered. “Right…”

Robert’s thoughts whipped back to the present as he walked down the cobblestone streets of Canterlot, amongst the hustle and bustle of the upper class. No longer was he as afraid to walk down these streets as he might have been in the past, in fear of some Royal Guard coming to arrest him for some bullshit reason under Solar Flare’s orders.

Oh sure, he still heard the whispers from certain ponies, that would probably always persist but like always he gave them no mind. Those bigots, they could fuck off for all he cared really.

Besides, they weren’t really that important for him to focus on. Oh sure, he’d save them if he needed, and he probably would take joy in for various reasons (The glory for one, and the other probably him rubbing in their smug little faces that the famed Royal Guard couldn’t always protect them) but in the end, they weren’t really that important to him right now. Only one pony in this city held his attentions at the moment.

Princess Luna herself.

“Verdammte Scheiße…” Robert thought to himself. “If I knew talking to my ex was this difficult, even if to help sort out the issues between me, Sunset-Chan and her, I’d have just hopped a train to the Crystal Empire, enjoyed a few days on the railroad and talked to the actual Princess of Love…”

In hindsight, he wished he had considering what was about to happen. As his thoughts raced, he was so preoccupied with them he failed to notice where he was walking. And who he was walking into.

“Oh, Princess Celestia, so sorry!” Robert apologized profusely as he helped the Solar Invictus up off the ground. “I know women usually stumble over themselves to meet me, but this is a first…” he teased.

“Very funny. I can see why Sunset likes you…” Celestia teased back in return.

“Yep, definitely her adopted daughter, Sunset-Chan is. Can match wits with the best of ‘em…” Robert mused. “Let’s just hope she hasn’t noticed our current… status.”

If Celestia did, she never commented on it.

“What exactly are you doing out this late, Robert? And in Canterlot at that?” she asked curiously.

“Needed to find your sister, ask for some advice,” Robert replied simply, not wanting to let Celestia know his full relationship with her little sister.

“I suspect I could help… If you’ll let me?” Celestia inquired, and Robert chuckled to himself.

“No offense intended milady, but this is sorta a personal matter…” he trailed off. “I probably could ask the same of you, what you’re doing out so late…”

“Moonlit stroll, I often find it helps clear my mind and relieves me from the stresses of Royal duties. I hope you can understand, of course?”

“Yes, I imagine it isn’t easy, ruling a whole country. God knows the Queen Mum never had it easy on her…” Robert chuckled. “Mind you, I find a good spar often does the same for stress levels, at least for me. Care to join me?”

Celestia chuckled. “Let’s see if you can keep up… if you can.”

Canterlot Gardens:

Soon, they were deep within the gardens of the Castle grounds, near a massive sundial that had been designed to replace Discord’s statue, with Robert’s Crystal Saber drawn, while Celestia held her signature short sword Feather Edge.

“You know, funny thing,” Robert commented lightly as the blades ground together creating sparks. “I always imagined, at least when we first met and I was suicidally stupid, to be doing this, except it always ended with your head on a stake.”

“Funny how times have changed…” Celestia chuckled softly as she slashed out at him, but Robert ducked to avoid the swing and countered the next one with his Saber.

“Yeah, funny that. Here we are, actually close to being friends…” Robert mused. The two did seem to be somewhat evenly matched, though Robert suspected Celestia was holding back. From what he’d seen, if this were a real battle, she would very easily disarm and then kill him.

“Or maybe more if you’re lucky. So, how many you planning to add to your Royal Princess Harem? Me or Twilight on the list next?” Celestia teased, knocking Robert off guard.

“How the…?” He asked.

“Oh, I’m not stupid. I figured out where Luna went off to during the winter months a long time ago, had a few guards keep tabs on her just to make sure she didn’t get into too much trouble. Figured she was going to protect you, and good idea on her part, just didn’t expect her to fall in love with you along the way…” Celestia mused. “Nor did I expect you and Sunset to fall for each other. Sure, you both being on the same team made it likely, but Sunset’s never, and I mean never fallen for anyone…”

“Great, for all I know she’s trying to guilt-trip me now…” Robert grumbled to himself mentally. “Sunset’s first real relationship, and I cocked it up… Bloody good job on you, mate!” he told himself. Before he could even muster up a response to Celestia, he heard something, and so did she. Boots against gravel.

They turned, and saw a fifty-something Japanese man in a brown leather vest, as a giant silver flying saucer resembling the Enterprise loomed overhead.

“Welcome to my kingdom,” Celestia said kindly. “Who might you-”

“Save it Solar Flare, we’re here to bring you in at last. I don’t know how you survived that shot from your friend here in the video Bunglay sent us, but we’re here to bring you to justice. Name’s Retsu Ichijouji, AKA Space Sheriff Gavan of the Galactic Union Police.” the man said sternly.

“We? Who’s we?” Robert asked. He soon got his answer, as Bard flew onto the scene from atop a rooftop.

“Your observation skills need work. Bard, of the planet ZyuEarth AKA Space Sheriff Estevan.” Bard mused.

“Clearly…” Robert deadpanned. “Though I can say the same about you. If Bunglay’s your source, you both are really hellishly bad cops, gotta say…”

“I admit,” Retsu/Gavan said. “Bunglay’s fishy as a source, so we’ll follow up other leads. But the fact remains, you two are the best ones we have in order to figure out what really happened in that video he sent us. You’ll be asked the standard questions of course, and no harm will come to you if you come with us quietly. Not even to you, Solar Flare…” Retsu trailed off kindly.

“Yeah, you really need to update your sources. Solar Flare’s gone. Dead, ashes to ashes! Dust to dust! Videos can easily be doctored.” Robert pointed out, drawing his Crystal Saber. In a more even-tempered sort of mind, he probably could have ended this little problem here and now and talked things out quietly. But Robert was never said to be even-tempered.

“Your choice…” Retsu sighed before he and Bard shouted: “Electroplate!”

Suddenly, Retsu was covered in a high-tech metallic silver suit. Bard was in a golden suit, slightly different and looking slightly more advanced with a more aggressive angled looking helmet. Celestia sighed as she pulled out a lance and tossed Feather Edge aside.

“Was going to try and negotiate this quietly, but…” she sighed. “Magical Source, Mystic Force!” she yelled out and transformed into the Solaris Knight as Robert morphed as well knowing that this was a battle of the Henshin Heroes now.

The Space Sheriffs brought out their famed Laser Blades, high-tech steel broadswords which were issued to every Space Sheriff. They twirled the blades around like proper cowboys (Well, at least Bard did) before pointing their tips at Celestia and Robert.

“So, that’s how it’s going to be huh?” Gavan sighed sadly as he raised his sword and charged at Celestia, while Robert took on Estevan. They both took on fire, but Celestia cleaved through the shots while Gavan dodged them effortlessly.

“A space eagle…” Robert muttered to himself as he whirled around to deflect a sword swing. During this, his cape was sliced off, and the fabric fell to the ground catching fire as it did so. Laser Blade indeed. “Have to say, that’s a new thing. And I mean seriously new, even by my standards. Any chance you related to that over-stuffed pelican Birdy?”

“Well, he was my distant ancestor…” Estevan remarked as his blade met Robert’s. “I’m honestly shocked, seeing a member of SPD in this time. It’s supposed to be long gone, organization and all when Time Force swallowed it up. Seeing someone in the classic uniform, that’s surprising. What is it, Throwback Thursday?”

“I’m surprised you even know what that is…” Robert snarked as he elbowed Bard/Estevan in the stomach, before following up with a lightning-quick knife hand to the back of the neck.

“Retsu, he taught me about human customs,” Bard replied, maintaining a surprisingly friendly demeanor even during combat. “Thought it’d help ease me into being his partner some more…”

Nearby, Celestia went lance to sword with Retsu/Gavan, meeting their blade with every strike, while also having the advantage of distance and wider swings. When she had the chance, she jabbed the blade forward, only for Gavan to lurch himself backwards or swat it away.

“I really wish we didn’t have to do this…” Celestia murmured. Gavan raised an eyebrow under his helmet. Solar Flare, the tyrant sun, showing remorse?

“Trust me, Celestia. We take no pride in this either,” Retsu sighed as he swung his sword for her at her chest, only for her to backflip and knock it into the air, catching him by surprise. “But you have a warrant out for your arrest, and the Galactic Union Police will want to judge you all the same; ranger or no.”

“Even so, the whole ‘right to remain silent’ deal won’t work on me.” Celestia shook her head and twirled her lance around, repelling a laser attack from Retsu’s partner, before dashing to him and knocking the guns away with the tip of her lance.

“Bard, stay out of this!” Retsu warned. “Focus on your own fight!” he instructed.

The Zyuman nodded, before Bard’s blade glowed red, and he shouted out “Estevan Dynamic!” before firing an arc of red energy towards Robert.

Then, before Estevan could strike a powerful blow from his Laser Blade, Galaxy leaped out of nowhere and kicked him backwards before the thestral landed next to Robert, his predatory eyes gleaming in the moonlight, dark blue and purple armor shining.

“You want to fight the Princess, or a fellow Ranger?” Galaxy asked. “Guess what, here in Canterlot, soon as you threaten a Princess on my watch, you’ve got my attention. And trust me, last thing you want…” he snarled before firing his Dino Morpher at Bard and as a manifestation of a Pachycephalosaurus head bit down on Bard before coming back around and morphing Galaxy.

“Pachycephalosaurus, Power Ranger: Graphite!” Galaxy called as he drew his infamous scythe, Blood Moon. He quickly joined Robert’s side.

“So, a golden boy eh?” the Reaper of Canterlot asked Bard. “Geez, and I thought old foxy here was the show-offish one…”

“I’ll pretend that wasn’t an insult and take it as a compliment ya bloody Alucard rip-off…” Robert muttered. Galaxy mouthed the word in confusion.

“The Blood Moon…” Bard stared at the bleeding scythe, and how ominous it looked in the light of the moon. “The scythe that can eviscerate an entire Changeling army with one swing?”

“Oh, so you know this blade?” Galaxy asked mockingly. “Funny coming from an alien…”

“The infamous scythe that has slain hundreds of Changelings...” Retsu’s grip tightened on his sword. “Bard, prepare yourself!” he warned, remembering the research he’d done on the blade while staking out the planet before he and his partner had moved in for the capture.

“Galaxy…” Celestia looked at the dark scythe, then at the provoked Space Sheriffs. “What’s gotten into you?”

“You assigned me to this post to protect Canterlot from all threats. Just following orders,” Galaxy answered simply. Galaxy knew the scythe often played mind games with his opponents, as they were usually quaking in their boots when they saw it brought out and realized who they were dealing with.

Robert let out an audible growl under his helmet, he really hated that phrase at times. Still, didn’t mean he wasn’t grateful for the help… Galaxy, partially crazy as he was, was a good fighter in the heat of battle.

“If we make it out of this, remind me to give you a raise…” Celestia’s grip on her own weapon tightened.

Galaxy seemingly manifested a crimson moon behind him, before unleashing a Blood Moon Slash towards Estevan, sending a spinning arc of red energy towards the gold-clad warrior.

“Bard!” Retsu shouted out, seeing the power behind that attack, and dived towards his partner igniting his own Laser Blade and blocking the strike with a Gavan Dynamic.

Bard used this chance, -as Celestia and Retsu reengaged- to go after Galaxy and Robert, swinging his Laser Blade in a dangerous fashion keeping them both on the defensive…

“Ladies and gentlemen, here is the latest bulletin from the Intercontinental Radio News. Toronto, Canada: Professor Morse of McGill University reports observing a total of three explosions on the planet Mars, between the hours of 7:45 P. M. and 9:20 P. M., eastern standard time. This confirms earlier reports received from American observatories. Now, nearer home, comes a special announcement from Trenton, New Jersey. It is reported that at 8:50 P. M. a huge, flaming object, believed to be a meteorite, fell on a farm in the neighborhood of Grovers Mill, New Jersey, twenty-two miles from Trenton. The flash in the sky was visible within a radius of several hundred miles and the noise of the impact was heard as far north as Elizabeth.
We have dispatched a special mobile unit to the scene, and will have our commentator, Carl Phillips, give you a word description as soon as he can reach there from Princeton. In the meantime, we take you to the Hotel Martinet in Brooklyn, where Bobby Millette and his orchestra are offering a program of dance music.”

The noted twenty seconds passed, and then…

“We take you now to Grovers Mill, New Jersey.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is Carl Phillips again, at the Wilmuth farm, Grovers Mill, New Jersey. Professor Pierson and myself made the eleven miles from Princeton in ten minutes. Well, I . . . I hardly know where to begin, to paint for you a word picture of the strange scene before my eyes, like something out of a modern "Arabian Nights." Well, I just got here. I haven't had a chance to look around yet. I guess that's it. Yes, I guess that's the . . . thing, directly in front of me, half buried in a vast pit. Must have struck with terrific force. The ground is covered with splinters of a tree it must have struck on its way down. What I can see of the . . . object itself doesn't look very much like a meteor, at least not the meteors I've seen. It looks more like a huge cylinder. It has a diameter of . . . what would you say, Professor Pierson?”

The two continued listening in stunned fascination. One could see why one might have fallen for this, it was quite exciting in a way with it’s realisticness. And came the famous scene that probably everyone listening in on that night remembered.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the most terrifying thing I have ever witnessed . . . Wait a minute! Someone's crawling out of the hollow top. Someone or . . . something. I can see peering out of that black hole two luminous disks . . are they eyes? It might be a face. It might be . . . Good heavens, something's wriggling out of the shadow like a gray snake. Now it's another one, and another. They look like tentacles to me. There, I can see the thing's body. It's large, large as a bear and it glistens like wet leather. But that face, it . . . Ladies and gentlemen, it's indescribable. I can hardly force myself to keep looking at it. The eyes are black and gleam like a serpent. The mouth is V-shaped with saliva dripping from its rimless lips that seem to quiver and pulsate. The monster or whatever it is can hardly move. It seems weighed down by . . . possibly gravity or something. The thing's raising up. The crowd falls back now. They've seen plenty. This is the most extraordinary experience. I can't find words . . . I'll pull this microphone with me as I talk. I'll have to stop the description until I can take a new position. Hold on, will you please, I'll be right back in a minute.

“Ladies and gentlemen (Am I on?). Ladies and gentlemen, here I am, back of a stone wall that adjoins Mr. Wilmuth's garden. From here I get a sweep of the whole scene. I'll give you every detail as long as I can talk. As long as I can see. More state police have arrived They're drawing up a cordon in front of the pit, about thirty of them. No need to push the crowd back now. They're willing to keep their distance. The captain is conferring with someone. We can't quite see who. Oh yes, I believe it's Professor Pierson. Yes, it is. Now they've parted. The Professor moves around one side, studying the object, while the captain and two policemen advance with something in their hands. I can see it now. It's a white handkerchief tied to a pole . . . a flag of truce. If those creatures know what that means . . . what anything means!. . . Wait! Something's happening! A humped shape is rising out of the pit. I can make out a small beam of light against a mirror. What's that? There's a jet of flame springing from the mirror, and it leaps right at the advancing men. It strikes them head on! Good Lord, they're turning into flame! Now the whole field's caught fire. The woods . . . the barns . . . the gas tanks of automobiles . . . it's spreading everywhere. It's coming this way. About twenty yards to my right . . .

And then everything went dead silent after a loud horrific scream, and you could be forgiven for thinking this was a actual broadcast, Artemis mused. She would have.

“Ladies and gentlemen, due to circumstances beyond our control, we are unable to continue the broadcast from Grovers Mill. Evidently there's some difficulty with our field transmission. However, we will return to that point at the earliest opportunity. In the meantime, we have a late bulletin from San Diego, California. Professor Indellkoffer, speaking at a dinner of the California Astronomical Society, expressed the opinion that the explosions on Mars are undoubtedly nothing more than severe volcanic disturbances on the surface of the planet. We now continue with our piano interlude.”

“I have to wonder,” Artemis pondered. “What were the people of Grover’s Mill thinking during all of this? I mean surely, they could just look out their front windows and see that nothing was going on!” she scoffed.

“Don’t know much about New Jersey, but it’s very tree heavy and like I said, people were afraid back then. Afraid of the Germans and afraid of invasions. I suppose,” Robert said as Artemis flicked the recording off, “One has to define the word gullible. I mean sure, one has the right to be curious, but when the warning signs are there, such as if you were in Grover’s Mill at the time and not seeing these giant things stomping around and yet you still believe they’re there, that’s when hoaxers and scammers can profit. I think, in a way, Welles was a scammer in a sense…” he trailed off, and Artemis looked at him curiously.

“How so?” she inquired.

“Well, there Orson was, apologizing for all of the chaos caused by this broadcast, this little joke of his, and he had this big-ass grin on his face. Maybe he knew people would fall for it, maybe he didn’t. Who’s to say?” Robert mused, his detective instincts working on overdrive. “But I think, the smoking gun if you will, comes from the end of the broadcast. “This is Orson Welles, ladies and gentlemen, out of character to assure you that The War of The Worlds has no further significance than as the holiday offering it was intended to be. The Mercury Theatre's own radio version of dressing up in a sheet and jumping out of a bush and saying Boo! Starting now, we couldn't soap all your windows and steal all your garden gates by tomorrow night. . . so we did the best next thing. We annihilated the world before your very ears, and utterly destroyed the CBS. You will be relieved, I hope, to learn that we didn't mean it, and that both institutions are still open for business. So goodbye everybody, and remember the terrible lesson you learned tonight. That grinning, glowing, globular invader of your living room is an inhabitant of the pumpkin patch, and if your doorbell rings and nobody's there, that was no Martian. . .it's Hallowe'en.” he said, and I think in a way he knew people would fall for all of this. Maybe he didn’t predict the major reaction it had, but he knew in some way someone would be just gullible enough.” Robert commented.

“When you were talking about gullibility, somehow I think you weren’t talking about people,” Artemis mused. “Think you were talking about Celestia and her ponies, and the propaganda she’s sprouted…”

“Probably…” Robert muttered, with Artemis patting him on the back sympathetically.

“Times’ll change, you’ll see…”

“Yeah, they will…” he muttered in disgust. “But only after she’s unseated from her gilded throne…”

Back in the present, Robert and Galaxy found themselves thrown back by a surprising show of strength from Bard/Estevan, who only chuckled.

“Stubborn ones, aren’t you?” Bard asked before he pressed a few buttons on his gauntlet, and both Galaxy and Robert looked up and swallowed at what they saw next. The mostly blue toned bottom portion of Gavan’s saucer detached, and a massive serpentine head and tail unfolded, allowing them to see the Space Sheriff’s ultimate weapon. The massive robotic dragon known only as Electronic Starbeast Dol. It let out a nearly earsplitting roar, as his twin yellow eyes narrowed.

“Bard!” Gavan reprimanded. “You’re going too far, this is far too much force!”

But Bard wasn’t listening.

“It’s our job to capture Solar Flare and any of her accomplices, with whatever force we deem necessary. I deemed the use of Dol necessary,” Bard replied.

“Seems a bit overkill if you ask me,” Robert replied. “Maybe you should listen to your boss,”

He was, of course, ignored.

“It’s derived from old SPD Zord technology, if you’re wondering,” Bard commented. “A masterwork of engineering developed on the planet KO-35 and the culmination of thousands of years of mecha research and development.”

“Oh, so the new-school cops have some new tech…” Robert snarked back, rolling his eyes under his helmet. “Well, don’t say you weren’t warned. Time to see the new-school, meet the old-school. I need Red Dragon Thunderzord power, now!”

To both Gavan and Estevan's visible shock (Robert felt rather smug at this) the snarling, raging roaring form of the Red Dragon emerged from behind a mountain and breathed powerful flames at Dol.

“Robert, stop this at once! You’re only making this harder on yourself!” Celestia shouted as she continued to lock weapons with Retsu/Gavan, whose eyes widened at that.

“What the…? Something’s off here, and me and Bard both knew it from the start,” Retsu thought, his detective instincts going into overdrive. “This only furthers my suspicions. If this really was Solar Flare, why would she have shown concern for a comrade, a human one at that? She’d have incinerated him on the spot! Maybe there is more here than meets the eye…”

Before he could call Dol off however, the Red Dragon flew towards him, and slashed at the Starbeast with it’s claws before flying off, with Dol giving chase firing beam after beam of hot blue flame.

The two soared over the rooftops of Canterlot, each firing their flamethrowers at the other doing damaged with each pass. Fire and flames lit up the night sky. Eventually, however, Dol got lucky and grabbed the Red Dragon by the neck and bit down.

It roared out in pain as Dol bit down harder, the crunching of metal being heard.

“Now, call it off, and maybe we can come to a peaceful arrest and maybe we can talk…” Retsu said calmly, not wanting to do any more damage to the rebuilt legend of a Zord than needed.

“Like hell!” Robert snarled.

“Do as he says Robert. Best you demorph as well.” Celestia stated, and Robert gaped at her.

“You gotta be…” He trailed off disbelief.

“Do it, now,” Celestia stated firmly, as she demorphed and dropped her lance, it hitting the street with a loud clattering metallic thud. Robert, so shocked by Celestia actually doing this, compiled and demorphed in an orange flash as Dol let go of the Red Dragon.

“Your compassion for your Zord will be noted in the record books,” Bard said as he cuffed Robert. Dol reattached to Gavan’s saucer as Bard turned to look at Galaxy, who was demorphing as well.

“You, we’ll let you go free. You were only following orders and coming to the defense of your Princess. You were not responsible in any way for the massacre which took place on this planet, so you’re not our concern.” Bard said to him.

“Why…?” Robert asked, as he looked at Celestia, who gave him this answer.

“I lied. I cheated. I bribed men -Good men in fact!- to cover the crimes of other men. I am an accessory to murder,” Celestia stated as she allowed herself to be cuffed by Gavan.“But the most damning, and frightening and disgusting thing of all... I think I can live with it. And if I had to do it all over again, I would. Perhaps Solar Flare was right about one thing - a guilty conscience is a small price to pay for the safety of my race. Because… At the time, humans were hunting us down to the edge of extinction and someone had to fight back. I did what I had to do. No excuse for it, and I’ll probably never live with it, and those screams will probably haunt me to my dying day, but… I have to own up to my crimes. Because… in a way, they were my own…” Celestia sighed, and if you looked closely a small tear trickled down her face.

With that, both she, Retsu, Bard, and Robert were all beamed up into the ship leaving a very stunned Galaxy behind…

Author's Notes:

Okay, first off huge thanks to Shadowmane for the help on the five-person fight between Bard, Retsu, Celestia, Robert, and Galaxy. Now, wanted Retsu and Bard (Or Bud as he was known last time you saw him, turned out Bard was another translation of his name and decided to use that instead as it sounded less silly) to come off as reasonable cops.

Just doing their job really, with really bad intel and already suspicious of that. Now, I admit the old broadcast of the War of the Worlds was just for fun, but it did have a purpose, as it led up that line about being gullible, which Bard and Retsu were here, playing right into Bunglay's hands.

Comments, thoughts, and critique are, as always, welcome.

Part 8: Crime and Punishment

Gaven’s Dolgiran: The Lion Galaxy

Inside the saucer section of the two-part ship that made up Gaven’s Dolgiran, as it was called, Robert and Celestia awaited what they presumed to be an interrogation inside the ship’s brig area. It was a fairly easy guess, given the little metal bench they sat in, and the energy shield that lay in front of them.

“Well, this is a fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into, isn’t it?” Robert asked wryly, as he and the Princess of the Sun watched the video Bunglay had sent Retsu and Bard, displayed on a holographic screen on the far side of the mostly barren room.

Footsteps crunched against the gravel as an orange-clad figure approached the fallen form of Solar Flare, who coughed out “Mercy…”

The figure’s helmet vanished in a flash of orange light allowing her to see a familiar brown stubble covered face. The figure knelt down near her, seemingly in a show of compassion.

“Well, all criminals arrested by SPD are allowed some form of mercy, no matter their crimes…” Robert trailed off, reaching for his Judgement Scanner. Solar Flare sighed in relief, before her eyes widened in absolute terror as Robert’s expression turned vindictive as he raised his Kitsune Blaster. “...But it’s a good thing I’m no longer in SPD isn’t it?”

“So… So she survived, even after all that…” Celestia whispered, her eyes widened in a rare display of terror.

“Well, not for very long…” Robert muttered. “Still, what I’m not sure of, is how Bunglay managed to pull this one off. Fact is, if he was able to fake me… Chances are, he probably faked Solar Flare and her little death scene as well. It’s what I’m willing to believe, really…”

“Sure you’re not just telling yourself that in order to reassure yourself Solar Flare really did survive the combined power of all our Megazords?” Celestia asked.

“Possibly… Mein Gott, I’m not sure what I believe anymore. But all of this, it… It well, makes my detective senses go into overdrive, just wanting to figure this whole haufen scheiße out, honestly…”

“You’d make a fine Royal Guard, you’d know that?” Celestia asked, catching Robert off guard. “You’ve got a staunch love of upholding the law and making sure justice is served, even if the way you do it… Well, comes off as a bit of a cowboy…”

Robert actually burst out laughing at that.

“Oh please Princess, you and I both know I’d be a terrible Royal Guard. Like you said, too much of an American Cowboy. I’m too desperate for attention, and I revel in it. I take stupid risks, ones that are liable to end up getting me killed one day. So, really, you wouldn’t want me in your Guard. ...Plus, I’d look terrible in one of those suits of armor you make your guard parade about in.”

Celestia laughed mirthlessly. “T-That’s true, I suppose…”

“God knows I’m no Kamen Rider Bravo. Shining could pull it off maybe, but me? No way in Hell… Ryugen or Zangetsu maybe, but gladiator style armor?” Robert continued, chuckling at the mental image of Shining using a Durian Lockseed and becoming the Rider called “Mister Dangerous!”, complete with all the flamboyancy (And that was putting it mildly with Oren) that came with it.

“I know what you're doing,” Celestia replied. “Cracking jokes just to pass the time, ease the tension and relax yourself before…” she trailed off, not needing to finish the sentence. Robert looked at her.

“And you're not? That Royal Guard crack?” he asked.

“Who said I was kidding?” Celestia asked, leaving Robert speechless for a few moments. He stared, unable to believe his own ears.

Eventually, however, he did regain the power of speech.

“W-Wait? You were actually serious about that? A-About having me of all people in the Royal Guard?” he asked out, in complete and utter disbelief.

“Yes, I am,” Celestia replied. “You’d do good there, your skills would be a great asset, both to me and Equestria’s defense.”

“How so?” Robert asked, eyebrow raised.

“Think about it,” Celestia mused to herself. “You’re already quite well-trained, and unlike most of the Royal Guard, actually skilled in fighting off monsters instead of the common criminal or enemy soldier. Plus, you’re a wild card, you obey your own set of rules and you're someone who constantly keeps your opponents on edge. You could teach them…”

“Stop, stop right there,” Robert stated. “Me, teach? Oh, that’s a bloody good joke to tell over a few drinks at the pub, but no. I really don’t play well with others all that well aside from a rare few, and even then I’m… like you said, a wild card, reckless and stupid. You’re just being polite when you say I follow my own rules. And this whole assumption rests on us even getting out of this little scenario,” he continued holding up his cuffed wrists. “Which, I honestly don’t think is happening soon safe to say…”

Before Celestia could argue the point any further, the door to the brig opened and both Bard and Retsu stepped inside. Bard pressed a few buttons on the control panel near the energy shield, disengaging it.

“We’re nearing Mirinoi, and the headquarters of the Galactic Union Police,” Retsu stated as he pulled Robert out of his seat by the shoulder. “Ship’s on autopilot, so we’ll be landing quite shortly. But before we do that, I want to ask you a few questions first. And believe me, we’ll know if either of you lie…” he stated warningly.

The two (Robert and Celestia) were led to a small room down the hall, an interrogation room with all of the usual fashionings, a small table and a chair. “Want a cup of water or something? It’d make you more comfortable. Contrary to what you might believe, Celestia, we’re not savages…”

Celestia caught the derision in Retsu’s tone, but she also caught the usage of her actual name, not Solar Flare’s. Robert and Bard caught that as well, surprising them both.

“Sit down.” Bard ordered Robert, who complied and was hooked up to a small machine that registered heartbeat, brainwave patterns, the works. A standard lie detector, then it seemed.

“Firstly, suppose we should start off simple…” Robert was asked. “Firstly, state your name and profession for the record. Standard procedure, you understand…”

Robert nodded at Retsu, knowing how this went. He’d often done this type of thing himself, to the criminals who hadn’t exactly earned themselves a confinement card, or interrogating criminals who had, but knew something relevant to a case at hand.

“Robert Williams, former SPD patrol officer and member of B-Squad, Green SPD Ranger, now an employee of Carousel Boutique and Orange Wild Force Ranger and one of the current bearers of the Lights of Orion,” Robert stated, and Retsu nodded.

“Now,” Retsu continued. “What I want you to do is lie, just to make sure there’s nothing wrong with the machine. Say something you know is inheritingly false. Anything you like. Get creative if you want…”

“I’m a billionaire, and I know everything there is to know about everything. Classic know it all type, the one you’d find in a bad woman’s idea of a fanfiction or romantic novel.” Robert remarked with a cocky grin, and the machine let out a beeping sound, with Robert feeling a small shock. Wasn’t painful, but it was just enough of a prickle to let the Orange Ranger know it was there.

“Okay, machine’s working… Good test run. No discrepancies.” Bard put in.

“Suppose we should get right to the point…” Retsu sighed. “Did, or did you not knowingly kill the being known as Solar Flare?”

“I did. Well, me and the Rangers did…” Robert replied, before quickly correcting himself. No beeps, no small shocks, or anything. It was rather odd, or maybe not. You see, the machine scanned Robert’s brainwaves, and he actually genuinely believed he killed Solar Flare with the Animaria Guardian Megazord, and Celestia killed her with the Solar Streak. Mind was a funny thing really, it believed what it wanted to, and Robert’s mind believed the Solar Flare he saw on Bunglay was indeed a fake. (Despite him later finding out it indeed wasn't.)

Retsu and Bard shared a look of surprise at this.

“That’s… surprising.” Bard murmured to himself, the Zyuman’s eyes widening slightly in surprise.

“If what Bunglay showed us was true, when he said he killed Solar Flare by himself, we’d know he was lying. And we know the machine isn't faulty…” Retsu mused.

“Plus, there’s the fact that Solar Flare is sitting next to him, alive and quite well…” Bard muttered in confusion, his detective senses screaming to him that someone, somewhere was duping them somehow. And that someone looked more and more like Bunglay.

“Well, you know what we have to do right?” Retsu sighed in exhaustion. Bard shared one.

“...Yeah, ask Solar Flare herself.” he muttered, giving the Alicorn a wary, cautious glance.

Meanwhile, back on the planet Equus in the Milky Way Galaxy, Robert and Celestia’s fellow rangers remained unaware as to what had happened and what was currently taking place light years far, far away deep in space.

Sunset was currently at her home, beating up a punching bag to what was pretty much oblivion while smooth jazz played in the background in order to soothe her often volatile temper. The fact was, deep inside half the time she was a bubbling pot of anger ready to blow. There was a reason she took so much time early in the morning practicing her Tai Chi and why whenever Robert was over he was always hearing a mix of chillhop and jazz music.

Mind you, in recent years, she’d been able to curb her bouts of anger thanks to the many remedies her friends had suggested and the Phoenix Zord’s often calming voice in her head. On occasion, something did set her off, like a certain bigoted pony or Goldar had shown but those little things were few and far between nowadays. The anger was still there though, bubbling beneath the surface of Sunset’s normally calm and tranquil demeanor.

“So, how do you do it?” Robert had asked one late night, not that long ago. In his hand, he held a glass of brown ale, while soothing music by a band called Acoustic Alchemy played in the background. He wore a t-shirt depicting someone known as Kamen Rider Fifteen. Odd name and title, to be sure.

Sunset sat at a desk, a quill in her hand as she did paperwork, helping Mayor Mare manage the town’s taxes. She looked clearly frustrated. (Not that Robert could blame her, taxes could get under anyone’s skin.)

“Keep your temper under control, I mean?” Robert continued. “And don’t say I’m always angry, because I’m genuinely curious and as much as I love pop culture gags…”

“That’s the thing, I am always angry. You don’t see it, thank the Mystic Mother for that, but I am. Just learned to… manage it. Up to a point anyways.”

“My suggestion?” Robert asked as he sat down in a nearby armchair, turning up the radio to let the music play a little louder. “Let the Orgs and whatever else Thrax and his nutters send at us feel the brunt of your anger. I mean, that’s what I do to deal with my frustrations, let them have it… And let them get shot full of holes. Really therapeutic, blowing up monsters.”

“Who says I don’t use them as an outlet?” Sunset asked and Robert laughed at that before he gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

“That’s a good girl…” he muttered, as Sunset captured his lips in another slightly longer kiss, deciding the town’s taxes could wait for a moment. They’d still be there to deal with in the morning, for now, she had more important things on her mind…

In the present, Sunset paused from beating up the punching bag and idly looked towards her Growl Phone. Maybe, just maybe she should give Robert a call, to apologize. She was willing her temper was heated during both times they argued, even when Robert tried to come and apologize for the little incident while they were rock climbing.

Making up her mind, she went for the Growl Phone and dialed Robert’s number, but got only his ringtone. Trying again, she still couldn’t get him to pick up.

“Course he’s not talking to me… Probably still trying to figure things out for himself. Stupid!” Sunset cursed herself. So, she tried a different number instead.

“Shayla?” Sunset asked, as soon as she managed to reach the Princess.

“Yes, Sunset?” Shayla’s always kindly voice asked.

“Is… Is it okay if you try and reach Robert? I can’t get ahold of him, and I was hoping you might have better luck…”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Shayla replied, and Sunset let out a sigh of relief she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. But after a few minutes…

“Something wrong?” Sunset asked in concern.

“...Yes, strange. I can’t seem to get ahold of Robert. It’s… It’s almost like he’s dropped off the face of the Earth…” she murmured, starting to sound worried. She didn’t like not knowing what her Rangers were doing, or if they were in danger and she didn’t know about it. “Last he told me, he was going to Canterlot to try and talk to someone, but I don’t know…”

“Luna…” Sunset whispered, eyes widening in realization. “I’ll go find him myself. Thanks, Princess!” she said quickly, before hanging up. She opened a window, and spread her wings rocketing off into the night sky towards Canterlot.

As she reached the mountain city, she closed her eyes and lit up her horn, scanning the city for Robert’s unique signature. It would be difficult to find amongst hundreds of ponies, but she could do it. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she detected Galaxy’s signature, feeling rather weak.

Flying down towards the Canterlot Castle grounds, she found a considerably beat-up looking Galaxy Swirls and quickly helped him off the ground.

“What… What happened to you?” Sunset asked in concern, starting to get really worried. Robert was in the area, and if Galaxy Swirls sustained this much punishment, who knows what kind of shape Robert was in…

Then she spotted a very familiar short sword impaled in the ground, Feather Edge. Celestia would never leave it behind, or go anywhere without it. This only increased Sunset’s worries even further.

“Space… Space Sheriffs, came to arrest both Robert and Princess Celestia. ...Tried, tried to help, but got beaten up pretty badly, and the bastarzi managed to get away with them both, and beam them up into their fancy ship… Mystic Mother knows how far away they are now…”

“W-What?” Sunset stuttered out, before her eyes narrowed, wings catching alight and shooting off small embers. “Tell me what happened, all of it...” she growled out, and Galaxy quickly explained the best he could.

“God-fucking-dammit!” Sunset swore, punching a nearby stone pillar, cracking it slightly. Galaxy actually flinched a little at her strength. “If… If I’d just been here…”

“Chances are, you probably would have been captured as well. Those two really seem to have it out for anyone even close to Celestia, and as her adopted daughter you would have been on their radar, my guess is…” Galaxy tried to say, attempting to talk reason into the angry Alicorn.

“Yeah, you’re probably right…” Sunset grumbled. “Just wish I knew a way to go after them, but none of our Zords are space-flight worthy…”

Suddenly, a small little cylindrical object hit the ground in front of them, making a small clattering sound as it hit the gravel. It was almost like it had been tossed, Sunset mused as she picked up the object to inspect it. Her eyes widened. It was a Dino Charger, a purple one depicting a Plesiosaurus on it. She turned to Galaxy.

“One of yours? Got a secret Zord that I don’t know about?” she inquired in a rather interrogative fashion, and Galaxy only shrugged. Then, both he and Sunset let out a gasp, as in the light of the moon, atop a hilltop path, a figure was visible. She, at least judging by the form, wore a dark colored uniform -Probably purple if the Charger was any indicator- and had a gold sash across her chest, and had a gold-toned katana strapped to her hip, while a Dino Morpher rested on her other hip. But the most distinguishing feature of all, was her feet. No, not cloven hooves, but feet. Whoever she was, she was definitely not a pony.

“Who are you?” Sunset asked, drawing her Phoenix Blade and gripping it tightly. In her other hand rested Feather Edge.

“Just a friend. Well, not to you, but to Robert, or any other human that may have survived after all these years. I don’t care much for ponies, honestly… Not after what you pulled. But right now, if you’re the protectors of this planet, who am I to judge? The Zord that Charger summons, it’ll get you where you need to be. Better hurry though, as time’s running out…”

With that, she vanished into the shadows without saying a word. Sunset sighed, and shared a nod with Galaxy before pressing down on the Charger and throwing it. Far away in Scotland, under the deep dark, almost black waters of a loch, two amber eyes opened…

Back on Gaven’s Dolgiran, the ship drew ever closer to the planet of Mirinoi. For the most part, the planet, it was still the same evergreen orb it had been 3,000 years prior, covered in thick forests and deep lakes with the occasional large and hugely technological city popping up out of the dense woodlands. It was as if humankind itself was perfectly in tune with nature on that world.

None of this, of course, mattered to Celestia at the moment, as she sat calmly in the interrogation room chair letting Gaven ask her any questions she liked. To Bard’s surprise, she made no moves to escape, not even bothering to use her magic. His suspicions and worries went into overdrive. Yes, it was possible she was waiting for the right time to strike, but it was also equally possible that she really did mean no harm.

“State your name and occupation for the record,” Bard told her, and Celestia calmly nodded.

“Princess Celestia of Equestria, ruler of the Day and current holder of the Solaris Knight powerset.” she replied, and Retsu raised an eyebrow.

“What, no Raiser of the Sun included in those titles?”

“I’d say that, but that would be a lie,” Celestia replied in turn, in what caught both Retsu and Bard off guard with her humble tone. “Contrary to what my ponies believe, I do not raise the sun nor does my sister Luna raise the moon. It was a lie we told long ago, to cement our power and make the ponies believe us as gods. A mistake I admit, made in a bout of arrogance…”

“Figured…” Robert muttered, as he leaned up against a wall, and everyone looked at him. “Well, I’m not a dummkopf. Nobody, not even you four combined, possess enough magic to raise a celestial body, let alone two, and completely subvert the laws of science as we know it…”

“Anyways, if you could continue?” Retsu asked.

“Very well.”

Bard nodded at the Princess of the Sun’s statement before continuing. “Are you the being known as Solar Flare?” he asked.

“I am, and I am not…” Celestia replied, and Retsu raised an eyebrow.

“Elaborate,” he asked.

“I was the being known as Solar Flare, but at the same time, I was not. We had a… split personality. It was created during a bout of anger during a time in which a human tried to have his way with me… Key word, tried.”

Retsu winced, and sent a pang of sympathy towards Celestia. No one, not even her deserved that.

“I let my fury, and shame take over, and Solar Flare, the Solar Invictus, and the Solar Tyrant was created. Every evil emotion, every dark thought I ever had, was poured into her creation. For thousands of years, she influenced my actions no matter how much I hated it. Perhaps I needed her, to make me a strong ruler, even if it shames me to admit it…” Celestia mused.

Retsu let out a long sigh.

“Yes, but how is it you are standing here today, when we know and saw Solar Flare destroyed?”

“Bunglay’s video, I’m not sure how he created it. But what I do know is, my personal student Twilight Sparkle found a way to separate me and Solar Flare’s split personalities and used it. Upon that, I lured Solar Flare to an abandoned quarry where me and the other Rangers along with Animus himself destroyed her, even after she grew to a colossal size. That, I’m afraid, is all I know…”

During all of this, much to Bard and Retsu’s continued shock, the lie detector never went off at any point during their interrogation of her. Celestia sucked in a deep breath, and motioned for Retsu to come closer.

“If it is possible, can you have your partner take Robert and himself from the room? There’s something i want to tell you, and I don’t want him to overhear, lest I scare him…”

Retsu looked worried, but his instincts (Along with the lie detector) were telling him that Solar Flare was definitely not going to resurface anytime soon. He nodded, and gestured for Bard to take Robert from the room. Once the two were alone, Retsu glanced at Celestia.

“Speak your mind.”

“Alright…” Celestia replied, taking a deep shuddering breath. “I… I think… I think Solar Flare might not have been completely destroyed. Physically, yes, that I believe, but not mentally. Over the past few months, I’ve been getting… urges. Destructive, angry ones. And I’ve been hearing whispers in my head. Like during the Winter Ball, she said this: “Oh Celly, you can’t be rid of me forever. I’ll always be there, right by your side. Whenever you’re feeling your lowest, whenever you’re mad at something, or whenever you just want to break down and cry… I’ll be back to play. Don’t think you can escape me forever. Nor what’s coming. The Devil… He’s a-comin’, coming to collect. And he wants you. The only thing that makes me unhappy about all of this is that I’ll be unable to be there with you and watch you burn. Hmm, I wonder how your putrid soul will taste to him, hmm?” I worry… I worry for the day when she returns, and if -No, when, she does, I won’t be able to stop her this time…”

Eventually, the ship touched down outside the headquarters of the Galactic Union Police, and both Celestia and Robert still cuffed were led inside. An armed guard, dressed in black uniforms that looked frighteningly familiar to Robert escorted them.

“Jesus Christ, talk about putting on the Reich…” Robert muttered to himself, and Retsu hmmed to himself.

“Believe me, I’m no fan of this change in uniforms either…” he agreed. They walked inside a very large main building, where they were greeted by a man in a red suit, with a flowing cape. Bard and Retsu were quick to salute him.

“As requested, we’ve brought you the criminals known as both Solar Flare and Robert Williams to headquarters to await trial.”

“There will be no trial,” the Space Police Chief, known only as Weeval said as the armed guard raised their rifles to Celestia and Robert. “Only crime and punishment. And the punishment for their crimes is only… execution!”

Two members of Weeval’s squad restrained the two Rangers, while Bard and Retsu quickly shouted “Electroplate!” and changed into their armor.

“What’s going on here? What’s the meaning of this?” Retsu demanded, drawing his Laser Blade.

“There’s been a regime change,” Weeval said. “And the Space Sheriffs, at least your generation of them, are no longer needed...”

Two metal boots were heard, and a being that resembled Gaven, only with more aggressive armor, and red lines covering him (Seemingly a silver version of Estevan’s armor) strode into view.

“I’d like you to meet the new version of the Space Sheriff program. Based upon, as you might have guessed, the armor of your partner. Only with one key difference. This one doesn’t suffer from the burden of emotions…” Weeval chuckled.

“Great, the T-1000 approach, because that always works so well…” Robert muttered, keen to get off one last crack before death.

“Ready, aim…” Weeval ordered, but before he could shout off “Fire!”, the roof of the building exploded, and a massive purple and white form resembling a Plesiosaur revealed itself. Well, vaguely resembling one. You could tell the inspiration was one, what with the long neck, reptilian eyes and the two fins that made up the Zord’s wings, but for the most part it looked like some sort of space shuttle or jet. The Plesiozord let out a loud shriek, almost as if in a battle cry.

And teleporting from that Zord (Galaxy at the helm) was the rest of Robert’s team, along with Shining and Twilight tagging along.

“What!?!” Weeval shouted. Shining drew his sword.

“Surprise…” Shining smirked as he morphed into the Magna Defender and pointed his blade at the commander. Twilight meanwhile, took out what looked suspiciously like a Sengoku Driver and slammed it onto her waist before taking out a lock with a banana on it before placing it inside the Driver. She then sliced the lock open with a small cutting blade on the belt.

“Lock On! Banana!” the belt seemingly shouted, as a zipper opened up and a metal banana slowly floated down towards Twilight, before opening up and transforming her into a crimson and yellow European knight-like warrior with silver chainmail, holding a lance. “Come on! Banana Arms: Knight of Spe~ar!” the belt shouted, with the sound of trumpets accompanying it.

“Now... “ Shining said slowly. “To borrow a catchphrase… Sa, dohade ni ikuze!”

Part 9: The Face of the Enemy

Mirinoi: Galactic Union Police Headquarters:

“Well, took you long enough…” Robert snarked sarcastically as Shining drew his sword. “And just in the nick of time as well! Here me and Sunbutt are, about to get shot full of holes and you only arrive just five seconds before it happens!”

“You’re so ungrateful…” Twilight muttered.

“Tell me,” Bard asked her. “Is he always like this? Snarky, irritating, and a pain in the ass?”

“Yes…” Twilight said flatly, as the Plesiozord unleashed a energy shockwave that knocked all the enemy soldiers flat and into unconsciousness. Way Galaxy figured it, and from what he’d just seen, those soldiers were innocent in this. Just following orders. Weeval, and this robotic Space Sheriff on the other hand, not so much.

“Tell me,” Retsu asked. “Where’s the real Weeval? I’ve heard the rumors, you shipping people off to prison planets without even so much as a trial. The Weeval I know, he believes in justice, and innocent until proven guilty. You can be nothing but a imposter.”

“Well…” ‘Weeval’ chuckled to himself lowly. “Isn’t someone feeling smart today I guess even your minuscule brain cells finally put together the dots! Oh, must have been like a lowly ape figuring out how to use tools for the first time, or a neanderthal learning how to make fire!”

With that, the Weeval disguise faded away, revealing something that could be described as nothing short of a monster. Chains were attached to his legs, and he bore two massive conch shells used as shoulder armor, with buzzsaws embedded in them.

“Galaxy, get out of here!” Sunset ordered. “We’ll handle this creep!”

“And leave you dealing with… that and not get in the action myself? No thank you!” Galaxy shouted from over the comms system.

“Listen, you and that new Zord are one of the only ways we can get back to Earth, we can’t run the risk of it being damaged, so get out of here and move it to a safe location!” Sunset barked, leaving no room in her tone for argument of any kind. Galaxy took the hint, and flew the Plesiozord out of harm’s way back into the planet’s atmosphere.

“Who are you?” Celestia asked, eyes narrowing in fury as she went for her Solar Cell Morpher, and Robert his Amulet. But the creature saw this motion, and knocked everyone back with a wave of blood red energy.

The creature laughed. “Guess you can call me the Chief of Makuu Prison, Ashurada and descendent of Don Horror!”

Retsu’s eyes widened under his helmet. “Don Horror… I should have guessed that old bastard would have seen fit to continue his legacy if he and his syndicate were ever brought down…”

Groaning as she picked herself up off the ground, only to be hit by another shockwave that seemingly increased the gravity in the room, Sunset strained herself and asked: “Who’s… Who’s Don Horror?”

“A old enemy of mine, similar to your Thrax, except he ran a criminal syndicate out of his own personal dimension, the Makuu Space. I, and this was before Bard came about,” Retsu explained as he groaned out in pain. “Eventually managed to bring him and his whole syndicate down, but it seems he had thought of this, and had someone continue his bloodline, namely Ashurada here…”

“Correct!” Ashurada laughed. “Your chief, Weeval, he’s in the Makuu Prison right now, under armed guard. Amazing how stupid you lot can be, never once figuring out that a imposter was right under your very noses… Worked out well for me, dealing with my enemies with no-one the wiser. Course, I knew eventually you’d figure this entire thing out, even as stupid as you are, so I contacted a old friend of mine, Bunglay. Remember the name?” he asked. “Turns out you Rangers was on his back and keeping him from getting his booty as he put it, and so we made a deal. He gets footage of one of you committing a crime, or at least fakes the footage with memory clones, and I send Bard and Retsu here after them. Works out quite well for both of us. He gets at least one Ranger off his back, and you two come right to my doorstep so I can finally exact my revenge for you destroying my father’s hard work!”

“Well then…” Robert growled out (HIs anger and fury at being played by Bunglay and caught up in one of his games once more reaching a boiling point) as he crawled along the floor, the gravity continuing to increase. “Lemme tell you something… No, let us tell you all something.”

“Oh, and what’s that?” Ashurada asked, laughing at the sheer futility of the situation. “You can’t even pick yourselves up off the floor, much less challenge me! Now, keep this up and I’ll be giving you even sterner lessons in disobeying me. Now stay down!”

“Really?” Lightning challenged. “Shut up, idiot!”

“You’ll be the one in for a stern lesson,” Robert snarled as he joined his fellow rangers in morphed form.

“I’m afraid we have no intention of listening to anything you have to say,” Vapor added.

“Yeah, we hate guys like you!” Sunburst put in.

“Do you have any idea who’re you’re dealing wi-” Ashurada asked before he was cut off.

“No, and we don’t care. When we see somebody we don’t like… We blow him or her up!” Sunset finished pointing her Phoenix Blade at him before all the Rangers shouted: “Lights of Orion, activate!”

A golden glow covered the Rangers, and when it faded, they were covered in the adornments the Lights had given them, with their Crystal Sabers now in Crystal Sword form. Finally, Ashurada’s control over the gravity shattered like glass as the Rangers stood tall and proud.

“Now… Much better.” Shining nodded as Celestia punched a card on her Solar Cell Morpher and threw it allowing it to enlarge itself like a doorway and cover her in her Solaris Knight armor.

“Power of the Sun, Solaris Knight!” Celestia shouted once her morph completed, before she drew Feather Edge, summoning it from a pocket dimension.

“Now, to repeat a phrase Shining so generously borrowed…” Robert smirked under his helmet as he leveled his blade. “Dohade ni ikuze!”

Equestria:

Meanwhile, back on Equestria, a figure overlooked the small town of Ponyville from atop the clocktower, clad in white spandex, with black detailing and fairly impressive chest armor and as if to top things all off, a blood red visor.

“Oh, look at all of this…” Trixie thought to herself. “So much potential, and yet they wasted it, squandered it on parties, when all of that power could be used for so much more… Conquering nations would be a breeze if Equestria set their mind to it really… Hell, militarize the Rangers and they could have a good fighting force. I think it’s time they got their wake-up call that there’s a new power on the block…”

Trixie leaped down, or more accurately turned into a pure white streak of light and flashed downwards into the street and drew some golden energy arrows with her dagger, and sent them flying into various storefronts, and causing the insides to explode, fireballs sending shards of glass into the street as ponies fled for their lives.

“Power Rangers!” Trixie shouted, her voice distorted by both the power of the White Dino Gem and the Alicorn Amulet. “You’re cowards! You’d let this whole town burn, not doing a thing to stop moi? Come out, come out wherever you are. Time to play!” she taunted.

A purple-clad figure, the same one Sunset, and Galaxy had met up with in Canterlot stepped out of an alleyway, Dino Saber in hand.

“I’m afraid the Rangers are away on other business. So, you’ll have to settle with me I’m afraid…” the Ranger commented. “That’s not a problem… is it?” she asked, somewhat coldly in a sarcastic tone enjoying the look of rage that surely had to be under her opponent's helmet.

Trixie growled, and her horn glowed a bright red, before she fired red energy blasts at the new Ranger, who simply swatted them aside with her sword, before pulling out another sword, her katana which seemingly had a disk on it. The disk was spun, and a purple arc of energy was sent towards the White Ranger, who only had just enough time to throw up an energy shield to deflect the arc.

Trixie rushed forwards, her blade extending itself and metal met metal.

“Who are you? I wanted the Wild Force Rangers, and instead, I get… you!” Trixie hissed out.

“Like I said, the other Rangers are busy. So I get to fill in for them for the time being…” the purple Ranger commented. “They have more important things to do than deal with a knock-off like you.”

“Knock-off? Knock-off!?!” Trixie screeched, four red tendrils sprouting from her back like a spider’s legs, ready to impale this newcomer. “I’ll show you a knock-off!” she roared.

The purple ranger pointed her blade towards the ground, watching Trixie closely. “You most certainly will. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were copying that Drakkon fellow I heard about.”

Trixie let her tendrils fly towards the purple Ranger, who leaped backwards as each implanted itself into a spot on the street. However, next thing she knew, Trixie was a bright flash of white light and was behind her, slashing through her, catching her in the side, and drawing blood, with the ranger clutching her side in pain.

“Okay… so maybe she’s better than I give her credit for… If not completely insane right now. That Dino Gem, forces itself on anyone, and if the user doesn’t have a strong enough willpower to fight it off… controls them almost completely and turns them into a threat to anyone around them…” she thought to herself.

Acting on instinct, the purple ranger rolled forwards, kicking back at Trixie’s legs. Rising into a crouch, she held her blade downwards, ignoring her side. Rushing forwards, she met Trixie’s dagger once more, and spun around slashing the white ranger across the chest making her stumble back. Trixie turned into a white flash once more, but this time the Purple Ranger was ready, and she inserted a Dino Blaze Charger into her saber, igniting it, before she tossed it towards Trixie. As the ranger predicted, Trixie had to come out of her superspeed ability and duck below the flying sword. She spun on her heel, soundly kicking Trixie in the head, sending her tumbling into a wall. Trixie growled, and pulled out her dagger once more, and extended it again while the purple ranger went for her katana.

As she did so, the ranger repeated a part of the Samurai Code of Honor, or Bushido as it was known to herself.

“Be acutely honest throughout your dealings with all people. Believe in justice, not from other people, but from yourself. To the true warrior, all points of view are deeply considered regarding honesty, justice and integrity. Warriors make a full commitment to their decisions,” She thought as she engaged her fellow warrior. Another part of the code went through her head. “True warriors have no reason to be cruel. They do not need to prove their strength. Warriors are not only respected for their strength in battle, but also by their dealings with others. The true strength of a warrior becomes apparent during difficult times.”

And then, blades met as the Ranger attached a black box with a golden kanji for ‘truth’ on it. “Super Samurai Mode!” the Ranger shouted, intent on finishing this fight quickly as she gained a pure white coat with the kanji for earth on the back of it.

Grasping the hilt with both hands, the ranger leveled the blade ahead of her. “If you still wish to proceed, then do so. I will oblige you anyway you wish.” she said, in a cold, almost emotionless tone.

Trixie let out an animalistic snarl. “Do your worst. There’s only room for one Dino Ranger in this world, and it isn’t you…”

And then the purple ranger dashed forwards, blade glowing with a sharp gold tone before she dealt out a series of devastating slashes. Trixie stumbled backwards, an oily black ichor dripping from her wounds. Evidently, the Alicorn Amulet had corrupted her more than Retinax had anticipated, and with every passing day, Trixie lost a little part of herself. In but a month, there’d be nothing of her left. She let out a hiss and teleported away in a white flash.

“Good riddance.” the purple ranger muttered, before resting her sword on her shoulder and walking forwards to retrieve her Dino Saber, before vanishing into the mist…

Mirinoi:

Meanwhile, the Rangers, Twilight, and the Space Sheriffs engaged Ashurada, with an array of energy beams, and to their surprise, his two arms changed into six like his namesake Ashura himself and grabbed these energy beams and threw them right back at them.

“Feel the power of the blood of Don Horror flow through me!” Ashurada roared, before creating a massive energy ball and firing it at the heroes, and Twilight quickly sliced her cutting blade once before kicking the energy ball back towards Ashurada with a Squash attack used in it’s Cavaliend manner, AKA Baron’s version of the classic Rider Kick.

“Galaxy, get us out of here! We need to take this battle away from the cities!” Sunset shouted into her comms.

“Bunglay!” Ashurada shouted. “Time to make good on your end of the deal!”

As X-Borgs and Bruisers teleported in in blue flashes of light, along with two Royal Guards just to make things even worse, Galaxy soon saw Bunglay’s personal ship warp in, with bay doors opening for starfighters to pour out of.

“Ooh, this is going to be crackin’ interesting!” Bunglay laughed from his seat on the bridge.

“Sunset, picking you and the others up may take us a little bit. Kinda under heavy fire here…” Galaxy replied from inside the Plesiozord’s cockpit, and felt it shake as a high-powered blast hit the Zord’s side.

Then, he heard a roar and saw a blue serpentine form rush by the cockpit windows and engage Bunglay’s forces and began firing blasts of hot blue flame. Galaxy smirked, luck was on his side after all.

“Alright you bastards, come and get some!” Galaxy snarled, as the Plesiozord fired yellow eye beams taking out a few Armada starfighters. He then saw a flashing symbol on the console in front of him, resembling a warrior of some sort.

“I wonder…”

Galaxy engaged the thrusters and rocketed away from the main battlefield, several starfighters in hot pursuit. Once he was what he figured a sufficient distance away from the city, and over a large lake, he sent the Zord into a dive into its waters before rocketing out of the lake and going skywards amidst a hail of lasers and assorted missiles.

“Activate, Plesio Charge Megazord!” Galaxy shouted out.

Parts, including the long neck and wings of the Zord detached, and two legs folded down, with the wings becoming feet. The neck became the left arm, a powerful laser cannon, while two other parts formed the right arm, and the head. A gold mouthplated face came into view, with two stoic green eyes staring down the oncoming fighter craft as the now completed Megazord let off hisses of steam. Galaxy meanwhile, suddenly found himself covered in added torso armor and an extra shoulder pad had been grafted to his costume as well. His chest armor seemed to have a giant golden Dino Charger built into it, to replace the sash that lay under it.

“Dino Drive activated!” a computerized voice exclaimed from the console. “Battle mode ready.”

“Dinosaur might, ready to fight indeed…” Galaxy mused as he readied himself for his first real Megazord battle…

Back inside the Galactic Union Police Headquarters, the two Royal Guards had lined up their staves, and were about to fire off a projection of the Armada’s logo when Twilight changed Lockseeds on everyone.

“Lock On! Mango!” the belt seemingly shouted, as a zipper opened up and a metal mango slowly floated down towards Twilight, before opening up and transforming her into a crimson and yellow European knight-like warrior. This arms was slightly different, with a different torso plate showing a six-pack and less unwieldy shoulder pads. It also bore a flowing yellow cape and a massive and devastating looking mace of the same color. “Come on! Mango Arms: Fight of Ham~mer!”the belt shouted, with the sound of trumpets accompanying it.

“Mango Au Lait!” her Sengoku Driver cried out as Twilight swung the aptly named Mango Punisher around several times and sent a manifestation of it’s head towards the Royal Guards, knocking them off their feet and towards both Bard and Shining, who cut them down with their swords.

Nearby, she saw the Rangers, while dodging Ashurada’s many arms, and energy balls, were making quick work of the X-Borgs and Bruisers with Lights of Orion enhanced attacks, sword slices and powerful punches being the most effective. Celestia created a bombardment of miniature suns to deal with the foot soldiers in her own way, and ones left standing swiftly cut down by Feather Edge.

But if anyone was having trouble, it was Retsu who’d been backed into a corner by his mechanical copy. Said copy turned into a ball of red energy and blasted Retsu off his feet, before turning back into a humanoid form, and grabbing him with an energy whip. He was released with a swift kick to the back by his doppelganger. They both pulled out their laser blades and clashed several times, each meeting the other’s blows masterfully. The Gavan copy fired off energy beams from his right hand, which the real deal blocked with an energy barrier, before they once again went into sword to sword combat.

Shining and Bard rushed to help him, but were soon cornered by two more Royal Guards.

“Looks like everyone wants to play!” Bard commented, before shouting “Jouchaku!” and transforming himself into a energy ball to take down the first guard while Shining blasted the other with his Riot Blaster. The false Gavan turned to look at them, and next thing they knew, they were falling into a dimensional gap of red energy.

“Shining!” Twilight shouted in fear before she sent off another Au Lait at Ashurada, who side-stepped out of the way. “Where’d you send my brother?”

“He’s in Makuu Space now, inside Don Horror’s personal prison! No way out!” Ashurada laughed at her, before firing off a energy ball that sent Twilight flying backwards, and knocking the Lockseed out of her belt and demorphing her. Ashurada then looked towards the false Gavan.

“Take care of your human basis! I’ve got Rangers to deal with!” he ordered.

The false Gavan nodded, before marching towards Retsu, Laser Blade in hand.

Retsu was quick to react and fired a series of beams from his fingertips at his copy, sending him staggering back, before he shouted out “Gavan Hyper Dynamic!” and charged up his Laser Blade. Now, you would think he was about to finish his copy off, but instead he sent the x-shaped slashes to where the hole in space had been opened, and ripped it open once more. He sent a look towards the Rangers and Twilight, who broke off and leaped into the hole only to find themselves on a barren lifeless land. Rocks and dust surrounded them as far as the eye could see, and a warped red sky, multiple moons orbiting this strange world. And atop a mountain, was a colossal prison.

“Where the hell are we…?” Sunset thought as she and her group walked up towards the prison, with Twilight going back into Banana Arms just for safety. Strange sounds echoed from all around them.

“I really wouldn’t want to be out here once the sun sets…” Sunburst muttered nervously. “That is, if this planet or wherever we are even has a sun…”

“Course it does, every world has a sun. Basic science! If it didn’t, we’d all be freezing to death right now!” Twilight pointed out as they walked up to the prison doors, and quickly hid behind a boulder when they saw some Bruisers on patrol, each holding a halberd style axe. If it wasn’t for their blue armor, they could have been easily mistaken for the Royal Guards.

Lowering his voice, Sunburst replied with: “Well, look around you, this isn’t even a world, just a pocket dimension. The sky’s red, no planet I know of has that, and there’s three moons up there as well! Plus, if what I observed about this prison’s warden is correct, he seems to be connected to this place… I don’t want to think about what would happen if he was destroyed with us in here…”

“If he can be destroyed…” Twilight muttered, remembering how her strongest attacks basically just bounced off of him.

“No-one’s unbeatable, we’ve learned that by now. Besides, Retsu and Celestia can handle him. Our only concern is finding Bard and your brother, and getting out,” Robert replied before looking at the prison doors. “Anyone know how to break a lock?” he asked.

“Allow me.” Lightning smirked confidently going for her Crystal Saber, before striding forwards, with Sunset and Twilight having to pull her back.

“...Without getting busted in the process?” Robert sighed, rubbing his temples. Sunburst smiled.

“Allow me,” he said, before picking up a small pebble and tossing it past the guards, who shared a look and rushed off to see what had just happened. “Simple distractions generally are the best, aren’t they?”

Robert ran up to the lock that held the door. It was surprisingly mundane, no fancy electronics of the sort like touch sensors, keypads or retinal scanners. “Guess they figure nobody’s bleeding stupid enough to try and break into this place…” he chuckled. The bloody idiots.

With a bit of fiddling around with a lockpick he kept in his pocket, Sunburst managed to jimmy it open. Everyone stared at him.

“How do you…?” Sunset trailed off. Sunburst looked rather sheepish.

“...Galaxy?” he laughed nervously before pushing the door open with a light shove. “Let’s just save Shining and Bard, shall we?”

“Right… Priorities.” Sunset reminded herself. Sometimes that thestral was a bad influence on Sunburst…

Elsewhere, Galaxy had quickly taken to his new Megazord and was shooting starfighters out of the sky right and left. The Megazord's arm cannon pumped itself a few times, priming itself before unleashing a stream of purple energy slicing through a swath of starfighters as he cried: “Galactic Blast!”

Dol grabbed a starfighter in his jaws, before tossing it towards Galaxy who blasted it. The process began to repeat, the two in perfect sync, with Dol throwing in a few fireballs for good measure. One starfighter blasted right at Galaxy, and he made the Plesio Charge Megazord leap to the left, before firing off its arm cannon at the starfighter, hitting the engines and making it spiral out of control.

Another starfighter came at him in a seemingly kamikaze maneuver, and the Megazord simply swatted it out of the way with its arm cannon, sending it careening into a nearby forest, and going up in a fireball. Dol grabbed another starfighter and tossed it right into the path of another fighter’s laser blasts, and the resulting explosion destroyed them both. Dol roared in triumph, before reaching out with his claws and crushing another fighter with them, and tossing what remained into yet another starfighter.

“Now,” Galaxy commented, as he gripped his Dino Saber which seemed to be the control stick for this Megazord, which readied its arm cannon for another Galactic Blast. “Who else wants some?”

“I want those serpents trashed, are you listening to me?” Bunglay roared from his bridge, slamming his hand on a console. He growled, if you wanted something done right, you had to do it yourself it seemed. He spun the wheel on his ship and growled. “All hands to portside vulcan cannons, blast those two out of the sky or you’ll be fired out of them, I’ll see to it personally!” he roared.

Galaxy swallowed as he saw Bunglay’s personal ship turn towards him, and wondered if he’d tempted fate. He then regained his composure, and readied the Megazord’s weapons. “Well Galaxy, you wanted a challenge, you got one.” he thought.

Back with Retsu and Celestia, they’d driven Ashurada out of the main building and were fighting him and Gavan’s double. Retsu had managed to separate the two, and had led his doppelganger to an old parking garage.

The sun was beginning to set over Mirinoi by now, making the Gavan copy’s red highlights and robotic eyes look absolutely devilish in the darkened garage. His Laser Blade was no exception.

Retsu’s own blue toned blade on the other hand, looked to be the exact opposite, with his less aggressive and more comforting looking armor seeming somewhat angelic and shining in the setting sun.

“So, this is what it comes down to huh?” Retsu asked, as he gripped his Laser Blade in hand, staring down his doppelganger in the eyes. In all accuracy, the closest thing his weapon could be compared to, aside from a poor man’s lightsaber was what was called a bastard sword, or a hand and a half sword.

Retsu’s doppelganger leaped forwards, sword in hand and slashed downwards aiming to cleave his counterpart in half, only for the true Gavan to elbow him in the chestplate.

Gavan slashed his counterpart across the chest, sparks flying, but the robotic duplicate turned into a ball of energy and smacked Retsu into a nearby car before in midair, changing back to its humanoid form and slashing downwards. Retsu rolled out of the way just in time, before he was cleaved in half by the sword, with the car taking that instead. The car, it had been sliced completely in half down the middle, with the parts of it the laser blade had touched now just molten slag, dripping hot orange liquid. Retsu swallowed, that could have been him.

Gavan tried to put up an energy barrier to block a copy of his laser Z-beam attack, but wasn’t fast enough and was hit by the attack, staggering backwards before his doppelganger's blade turned into a whip and grabbed him by the chest. The Gavan copy fired a red energy beam sending Retsu to the floor, and he clutched his chest in pain as he struggled to pick himself up. Meanwhile, the false Gavan strode towards him, eyes glowing ominously and blade raised ready to execute Retsu.

But Retsu wasn’t ready to give up so easily, and slowly, but surely, picked himself up off the floor. “There’s only room for one of me,” Retsu said, a tone of determination filling his voice. “And it sure as Hell isn’t you!” he said, before kicking the fake backwards. “You’re a robot, so you never tire, I get that! But you don’t have a human heart, nor a human soul! You’re just a cold machine, running on logic alone, and I will never, ever let someone who doesn’t have a fire in his chest replace me!”

Gavan ran forwards, as the robot showed a look of actual fear and summoned X-Borgs to his aid, only for Retsu to shout: “Dimension Bomber!” and dived through the squadron, leaving only the fake Gavan standing. Glaring his counterpart down, Gavan pulled out his Laser Blade once more and metal met metal as blades clashed. The blades hummed each time they met, further increasing the lightsaber comparison by that much more. A right slash, a left slash and then another right slash. Each time, they were blocked by the other’s blade. Neither foe seemed intent on giving the other any room to get in any more blows. This was a duel between masters of the craft. One human, the other machine.

Retsu broke away from his counterpart and then quickly reengaged leaving his opponent no time to put up any form of defense. He slashed the Gavan copy across the chest in a vertical motion, and fired an energy beam from his gauntlet at it. The copy’s face showed a look of complete shock, even as it tried to adapt to this new found force his basis had found. But for some reason, he couldn’t.

With that, the Space Sheriff stepped forward and the two warrior's blades met as the sun began to set ever lower in the background, just barely above the trees by now. They traded blows with each other, neither one getting the upper hand.

“You, you can’t adapt, can you?” Retsu smirked underneath his helmet. “Like I said, you don’t have that fire in your chest, that human soul that makes us so special!” he shouted, rolling to the left as his copy pulled out a small laser pistol and fired. Another shot went off, only this time it was met by a pistol blast from Retsu. The copy rushed forwards with surprising speed.

A kick was thrown, and a kick was blocked by a metal gauntlet. Both Retsu and his counterpart turned into energy orbs, one red and one blue and smashed against each other again and again before once he was above his duplicate, Retsu changed back into human form and smashed down on him with a powerful axe kick.

Amazingly, despite all the damage he’d been dealt, the Gavan fake was still functional. Sure, parts of his body were sparking, and one of his optics had been smashed to bits by a powerful right cross dealt sometime during the fight, but he was still in it.

He threw a punch at Retsu, aiming to gut-check the human. But Retsu was faster, much faster. He knocked the blow off track with his free hand and lowered his shoulder to shove his doppelganger away.

“You’ll never be one of us, never be a Space Sheriff. This blade?” Retsu asked, charging up his Laser Blade once more, making it glow with a brilliant blue hue. “It’s our life and soul, and you have no understanding of that. And again, that’s why you’ll never be one of us!” Retsu shouted before slashing forwards yelling out: “Gavan Dynamic!” and striking his opponent across the chest one final time.

“I hate cheap knockoffs…” Retsu muttered as he turned to walk away from his counterpart, who fell forwards sparking a bit and exploded.

Meanwhile, Celestia, unaware that Retsu had destroyed his counterpart, was facing off against Ashurada at a geothermal refinery somewhere outside the city, and had created six golden energy arms of her own to block and counter Ashurada’s attacks, and when he created a massive energy orb with his own arms, Celestia created six, one in each palm and thrust them into the orb making Ashurada stagger back. She then hit him with a flurry of punches at almost lightning speed.

“Impossible, no-one has the power to counter Makuu Space energy!” he roared out in both indignation and rage. Celestia smirked under her helmet and chuckled at Ashurada’s naivete and arrogance. In all honesty, Celestia had to admit to herself he reminded her of herself once, along with a certain flame-haired student. Only this one, it seemed, would never learn from any of his mistakes and grow from it. He was too far gone for that.

“You’ll learn, I think, that no-one’s unbeatable. Let me tell you a funny story, a while back, I thought I was unbeatable, till that doppelganger of mine Bunglay faked was destroyed. Proved me quite wrong, and knocked a lot of arrogance out of me in the process.” Celestia replied, only to find Ashurada laughing his head off.

“Solar Flare? That being on the tape, you think her one of Bunglay’s infamous memory clones? That’s where you’re quite wrong!” Ashurada laughed, and laughed even harder at Celestia’s shocked look. “Oh yes, that was the real deal, on her last gasps begging for mercy. Bunglay saw fit to inform me that. Robert in that tape may have been a fake, but Solar Flare was decidedly not!”

“W-What?” Celestia asked, as she staggered back. A mistake, as all six of Ashurada’s arms struck her in the chest sending her flying back.

“Trust me, seeing the infamous Solar Tyrant and the Exterminator of Humanity beg for mercy?” Ashurada asked. “Was quite a treat to see!”

Suddenly, before Celestia could hit a wall, a pink aura of magic caught her, as Twilight, the Rangers, Shining and Bard along with the real Weeval leaped out of an exploding crack in space.

“No more tears right?” Retsu commented, having been the accidental source of the explosion. Little did he know it, but the Gavan clone was connected to Makuu space far more than he ever could have realized. By destroying it, he destroyed what was left of the dimension. “Now stand up tall Celestia! Take this guy out!”

Celestia nodded, before she felt a metal hand on her shoulder. “You’re not alone in this, we’ve got a score to settle with this guy…” Bard growled out as he drew his own Laser Blade.

“Gavan/Estevan Dynamic!” Both Space Sheriffs shouted, before their blades glowed and they unleashed slashes of energy at Ashurada, who was then hit by a blast from Shining’s Riot Blaster before he changed it to it’s blade form and sliced Ashurada across the chest a few times. Ashurada tried to strike with his six arms, but Shining leaped away just in time for Twilight to toss a Mango Au Lait at him.

“That’s enough out of those arms of yours!” Sunburst shouted, before he and the others sprouted energy whips from their claw gauntlets, and pulled off an arm piece by piece (Twilight contributing the last whip from her horn) as purple blood and gore sprayed everywhere and Ashurada roared out in rage and pain.

“No… I will not be defeated like this!” He shouted.

“Newsflash, you can and you will!” Celestia responded, before she sent a spiraling prism of energy towards him to finish off the last of Don Horror’s bloodline. A cube of energy formed around him, before with a bright white flash, there was nothing left of Ashurada.

“Good… Good riddance…” Celestia panted out, experiencing a form of magical exhaustion from using so many high tier spells.

“You’re telling me, I thought he’d never shut up…” Gavan agreed. Just then, they heard an explosion which rumbled the ground beneath their feet. They looked up, and saw the Plesio Charge Megazord being hit in the chest by cannon blasts from Bunglay’s ship.

“Not over yet… Still got him to deal with,” Celestia muttered, before she patched into the comms. “Hang on Galaxy, help’s on the way!”

Then, to everyone’s shock, she punched the Solar Streak Megazord’s ticket, and threw it, just in time for the massive gold and blue train to emerge from it like a doorway. Robert stared, he knew the train could travel across dimensional barriers, but light-years to another planet entirely?

He, and the others, watched as it transformed to Megazord mode, and leaped atop Dol. The Solar Streak’s legs opened up, and launched the remote train cars inside, wrapping the massive pirate ship up in golden energy rails. Next the Megazord’s chest opened up, hitting Bunglay’s ship with a powerful furnace blast. Gavan leaped atop his steed, as it were, and Celestia teleported down beside him, blades both glowing.

“Heavenly Gavan Hyper Dynamic!” they both called, before sending out two powerful slashes of energy towards Bunglay’s ship, slicing it down the middle. As flames burst out in the bridge, with X-Borgs racing to put them out, and similar occurrences happened all over the ship, Bunglay growled and slammed his hand down on the center console.

“Another day, another day!” he growled out, before warping out.

It was very late at night before everyone got everything sorted out, and outside the GUPH, dropships filled with prisoners falsely accused by Ashurada while he’d been masquerading as Weeval had been landing throughout the past few hours.

Weeval suspected it would take even longer to rebuild his reputation, and GUP’s as a whole and undo the damage Ashurada had done, but he knew it could be done in time.

Outside the main building, Robert and the others were loading themselves up into the Plesio Charge Megazord. As Robert walked up the ramp leading up to the Zord, he turned back to look at Retsu.

“Sure you don’t need a ride home? I mean, it’ll be an awfully tight fit inside that ship…” Retsu offered.

“No offense intended, but I think I’ve had enough of riding about in giant saucers for a while…”

Retsu could only chuckle at that. “Fair enough,” he remarked. “Still, if you ever need a little bit of helping dealing with any of the problems on your world…”

“Yeah, I’ll call.” Robert replied, and was in for a shock when Retsu saluted him, with Robert quickly saluting back, before he waved and headed inside the Zord, the door closing with a small hiss behind him.

“Any major damage?” Sunset asked Galaxy, in the pilot’s seat.

“None that can be repaired. Can’t believe this was hiding in a lake, in Scotland, for Mystic Mother knows how long…” Galaxy muttered.

“Who knows, there might be many more secrets hidden away around Equestria we’ve yet to uncover,” Sunset guessed. “I’m still surprised there’s a Purple Dino Charge Ranger out there, and we never knew about her…”

“Must have found her Energem only recently.” Lightning commented.

“I’d be inclined to believe that, except… Well, let’s just say me and Galaxy have our reasons that make us think otherwise,” Sunset replied before she turned to Robert. They looked at each other for a few moments, an awkward silence filling the air before Sunset took Robert’s hand and shook it.

“Good job.” Sunset said simply as Robert sighed and sunk down into his seat.

“Yeah… This is going to be a thing now isn’t it?” he thought to himself as he buckled himself in, and just in time too as the Plesio Zord’s engines fired up, before it rocketed off into the atmosphere.

Author's Notes:

By God, you have no idea how many names this chapter went through in post-production. First, it was Breakout!, then something else with Clint Eastwood in the title till I finally settled on Face of the Enemy. Wanted to do a whole tribute to Gavan, without ripping off the Gokaigers Gavan move completely, which is why you didn't see the prison break scene, and Bunglay's ship was the one fought during the Megazord fight instead of a giant monster.

Also, huge thanks to Shagohad12 for help with the Trixie VS Purple Ranger fight scene. Not the Gavan VS Gavan fake scene as you might have expected, but Trixie's first bout with a real enemy. Now, take note of the Purple Ranger's use of Super Samurai mode, that alone should offer you a clue as to who's behind the mask.

Next time... White Thunder!

Part 10: White Thunder Part 1: (The Challenge)

Author's Notes:

Okay... so, you wanted the White Ranger, and so you got her. Just don't kill me now, okay? Summons Gokai-Oh to hide in Huge thanks to Megaskullmon, Shadowmane and Shagohad 12 for help on various parts of this chapter.

Inside the Plesiozord, all was quiet as the nearly exhausted Rangers flew back to Earth, stars streaming by in a blur thanks to the Zord’s warp drive function. Celestia sat in her seat, realing from the information she’d learned while fighting on Mirinoi against Ashurada.

“Impossible, no-one has the power to counter Makuu Space energy!” he roared out in both indignation and rage. Celestia smirked under her helmet and chuckled at Ashurada’s naivete and arrogance. In all honesty, Celestia had to admit to herself he reminded her of herself once, along with a certain flame-haired student. Only this one, it seemed, would never learn from any of his mistakes and grow from it. He was too far gone for that.

“You’ll learn, I think, that no-one’s unbeatable. Let me tell you a funny story, a while back, I thought I was unbeatable, till that doppelganger of mine Bunglay faked was destroyed. Proved me quite wrong, and knocked a lot of arrogance out of me in the process.” Celestia replied, only to find Ashurada laughing his head off.

“Solar Flare? That being on the tape, you think her one of Bunglay’s infamous memory clones? That’s where you’re quite wrong!” Ashurada laughed, and laughed even harder at Celestia’s shocked look. “Oh yes, that was the real deal, on her last gasps begging for mercy. Bunglay saw fit to inform me that. Robert in that tape may have been a fake, but Solar Flare was decidedly not!”

“W-What?” Celestia asked, as she staggered back. A mistake, as all six of Ashurada’s arms struck her in the chest sending her flying back.

“Trust me, seeing the infamous Solar Tyrant and the Exterminator of Humanity beg for mercy?” Ashurada asked. “Was quite a treat to see!”

Celestia, to be perfectly honest, had the sneaking suspicion in the back of her head and the deepest darkest parts of her mind that Solar Flare hadn’t been completely destroyed, like she’d told Retsu and Bard, she’d just wished she was wrong.

“Speak your mind.”

“Alright…” Celestia replied, taking a deep shuddering breath. “I… I think… I think Solar Flare might not have been completely destroyed. Physically, yes, that I believe, but not mentally. Over the past few months, I’ve been getting… urges. Destructive, angry ones. And I’ve been hearing whispers in my head. Like during the Winter Ball, she said this: “Oh Celly, you can’t be rid of me forever. I’ll always be there, right by your side. Whenever you’re feeling your lowest, whenever you’re mad at something, or whenever you just want to break down and cry… I’ll be back to play. Don’t think you can escape me forever. Nor what’s coming. The Devil… He’s a-comin’, coming to collect. And he wants you. The only thing that makes me unhappy about all of this is that I’ll be unable to be there with you and watch you burn. Hmm, I wonder how your putrid soul will taste to him, hmm?” I worry… I worry for the day when she returns, and if -No, when, she does, I won’t be able to stop her this time…”

Celestia took a deep, shuddering breath.

“Let’s be honest, I knew she was still alive ever since the Winter Ball, ever since I saw that hallucination,” the Princess of the Sun thought to herself. “I was just hoping that I’d been wrong, no that’s not right… Yeah, denying, that I was just making it up, just a manifestation over my own guilt and self-disgust over what I’ve done. Keep your friends close, and keep your enemies closer, isn’t that how the old saying goes? Guess the person who thought it up never really meant it to get quite this literal I suppose.” Celestia laughed bitterly.

Shining, noting the worried look on the Princess’s face, unbuckled himself from his seat and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“You alright milady?” he asked comfortingly. He had the same warm smile he always seem to have on his face, that soft comforting one that let you know everything was going to turn out alright in the end. Same smile he always wore, even before charging into battle to defend his country. Celestia smiled softly to herself for a brief moment, she could see why her niece fell for him. Despite the rumors that still occasionally persisted about Shining marrying Cadence so he could get into the Royal Family, or Celestia pairing the two up so she could get a strong bloodline, anyone who ever talked to either the Princess of Love or Shining could quickly figure out that was a falsehood cooked up by idiots with probably nothing better to do. (Most likely working in the tabloids, or reading them. You had to be a special kind of stupid to believe whatever came from those rags after all.) Fact was, Celestia still remembered when Shining, with the most nervous expression she’d ever seen on a stallion, came to her to ask for her personal blessing to marry Cadance, despite this not being needed. Shining simply loved her just that much.

“Yeah… Yeah, I’m fine.” Celestia lied, and Shining gave her a look.

“Please, don’t take me for an idiot, Princess,” he replied in turn. “I’ve been around you, and my wife long enough to tell when a mare’s lying to me. Might be a bit of a dork, I’m stallion enough to admit that, but I’m not an idiot.”

“No, guess you’re not…” Celestia murmured.

“Look, Celestia. Something’s obviously on your mind.” Shining Armor trotted up to her and put a hoof on her hair. “If there’s something that you want to say, just say it. We won’t think of you any differently.”

“Well…” Celestia recoiled, the mane on her head beginning to cover her face as Shining took another step towards her. “It’s about Solar Flare…”

“But she’s dead. The topic’s closed. Isn’t it?” Shining lifted a brow.

“If it were only that…” Celestia muttered, hoping no-one besides Shining would overhear. “Ever since the Winter Ball, and recently after I heard of Bunglay’s memory clone of her, I’m starting to have doubts that she’s dead, and is rather dormant inside of me instead; waiting to emerge again…” Celestia sighed, placing a single hand on her heart. “Do you think I should still be on the throne with such a malevolent entity inside me?”

“Has she tried to re-emerge since the Winter Ball?” Shining had to ask.

“I’ve been hearing whispers. Echoes of her in my head, like a nightmare that I can’t shake.” Celestia felt the air grow cold around her thinking about it. “And even more so, I’ve been having destructive urges. The want to destroy and take lives. That can’t be a coincidence, can it?”

“Listen, maybe she’s there, and maybe she’s not, I’m not really sure,” Shining replied. “We all have our dark thoughts. I mean, do you want to take anyone’s life in a burst of sheer anger?”

“In terms of monsters, yes. I have.” Celestia brushed the hair out of her face. “But in less restricted ways. The careless kind where others get hurt because of my power…” she whispered.

“I have those thoughts as well,” Shining replied, and Celestia gaped at him. “You think it’s easy to not just want to let loose with the powers of the Magna Defender and strike down any of Equestria’s enemies that happen to stand in my way. But I restrain myself, knowing I was granted these powers to protect, not to harm.”

“Even so… are we really fit to rule? Or are we just setting ourselves up for a massive fall from grace?” Celestia asked, sitting down on her haunches. “And if we are, what’s the betting chance that we’ll go berserk and harm everyone we used to love and protect?”

“Listen, who told you Solar Flare was still alive?” Shining asked.

“She herself said ‘you’ll never be rid of me, and went on to say the devil was coming to collect what we owed him,” She shuddered on the spot. “Can we really trust the words of a phantasm?”

“Doubtful, for all we know this phantom could be just a creation of your own guilt, and besides… Didn’t you learn she was still alive from Ashurada of all people? And he’s such a reliable source.” Shining drawled.

“The whispers though, at the Winter Ball. We can’t discredit those. Not in the slightest.” Celestia was trying her best to keep her cool, but could feel Solar Flare beginning to resurface in the deepest pits of her mind. “Plus, when have you ever had a ghost of yourself say that you should be evil, Shining Lustrous Armor the 3rd?” she pointed out.

“Fair… But the point is, both of these sources aren’t exactly credible. For the time being at least, I think you should ignore them, until we actually get information from a more believable source,” Shining replied. “Ordering you, not as the Captain of the Royal and Crystal Guard, but as your friend.”

“Okay.” As much as Celestia didn’t want to let it all go, she couldn’t argue with Shining Armor. After all, it was he and his wife who saved her from becoming Changeling feed.

While Shining and Celestia talked, royalty to royalty, Robert’s mind was on another member of the Royal Family, namely Sunset. He smiled sadly when he saw her, remembering that awkward little handshake they’d shared before boarding.

“Now I see why Sky put up that rule with no in-team relationships, guess he did know it could lead to a disaster like this one…” he thought.

Little did he know it, but he himself wasn’t the only one with their mind on their relationship. Sunset, as she sat in the front seat of the Plesiozord’s cockpit, sighed sadly to herself. Privately, she wondered if she’d done the right thing in dumping Robert, or at the very least putting their love life on hold for the moment. They were happy, for a time, she remembered.

Another late night in Ponyville, and another date for the two. Earlier in the day, the Rangers had fended off another Org, this one themed after one of those machines that fired baseballs of all things. Honestly, wasn’t really that much of a threat, and Sunset still hadn’t figured out what his game may have been. She idly wondered if he’d just been created by Thrax on a spout of boredom (What, surely even he got idle fingers!) and to just remind the Rangers he was still around and keep them on their hooves. Or toes as it may have been in one case.

However, that was then, and this is now. It was another movie night, another one of those films you could kick up to with a bucket of greasy popcorn, an old film projector, and some ale. On the screen, a man named Junko was currently shouting: “Are you going to allow innocent men to die alongside guilty men? You have no right to decide that! That right is sacred!”

Sunset had been skeptical at first going into the film, and wondered once more about her boyfriend’s taste in films, and if he was just trying to annoy her with something that sounded quite terrible from the synopsis alone. I mean, a film about a giant radioactive lizard fighting a massive moth? Sunset had to test her hearing after Robert told her the base plot to make sure she’d heard correctly.

But lines like the one above, maybe there was some merit to this film after all. And, she had to admit, Mothra was rather cute… well, about as cute as a giant ugly moth could be anyways.

“Still going with the atomic warfare thing, huh?” Sunset had remarked at one point, as the humans on Infant Island argued over nuclear testing and the horrors of atomic battle.

“Well, given that the atom bomb dropping on a city was a very real fear at the time, and when you add in the fact that Japan had both Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombed at the end of the Second World War, I’d say yeah, this was something they kinda had to talk about at the Cold War’s height,” Robert had replied. “Fact was, it’d only been two years since the Cuban Missile Crisis, closest the Cold War ever went to getting hot, so people were very afraid at the time…”

Sunset vaguely remembered reading on the incident in some old history textbooks. Apparently, In response to the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961 and the presence of missiles in two countries, the leader of the Soviets, one Nikita Khrushchev had elected to agree to Cuba's request to place nuclear missiles of their own on the island to deter any future invasions that may have came from land, sea or elsewhere. An agreement was reached during a top secret meeting between Khrushchev and Fidel Castro in July 1962 and construction of a number of missile launch facilities went underway later that year. Wasn’t long before word was to get out. A member of the Air Force in a U-2 spy plane produced undeniable photographic evidence of these facilities.

In response, the U.S. were to establish a massive naval blockade to prevent any further missiles from reaching Cuba. At the time, tapes direct from the Oval Office itself during the crisis revealed that John F. Kennedy had also put the blockade in place as an attempt to provoke Soviet-backed forces in Berlin as well. (Sunset noted, this was taking place during the height of the 1962 elections, so that may have played some involvement as well) It was announced that the U.S would not, and could not permit offensive weapons to be delivered to Cuba and demanded that the weapons already in Cuba be dismantled and given back to the Soviet Union. On the night of October 22 at exactly 7:00 pm EDT, Kennedy delivered a nationwide televised address on all of the major networks announcing the discovery of the missiles. He said, and the book quoted:

“It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union. To halt this offensive buildup, a strict quarantine on all offensive military equipment under shipment to Cuba is being initiated. All ships of any kind bound for Cuba, from whatever nation or port, will, if found to contain cargoes of offensive weapons, be turned back. This quarantine will be extended, if needed, to other types of cargo and carriers. We are not at this time, however, denying the necessities of life as the Soviets attempted to do in their Berlin blockade of 1948.”

Eventually, agreements were reached, and the whole thing was resolved, But, after an incident like that, Sunset supposed, nobody could blame anyone from being afraid. In a way, and Sunset hated to think like her, she could see where Solar Flare called humans violent in their tendencies. But looking at Robert now, fast asleep on the couch, movie long forgotten, she knew the opposite was true as well. Sure, humankind had it’s issues, but then again, what race didn’t? After all, pony-kind was certainly no stranger to hatred.

Morning came, and Robert would awake to the smell of pancakes cooking. Eggs as well. The latter part being Sunset’s breakfast of choice.

“Morning…” Robert whispered softly, as he wrapped his arms around his love’s waist and kissed her on the cheek. Her nose began to wrinkle up at the smell of his sweat. Fine last night, but now?

“Missed the sunrise, slept in so late. You’re softening.” Sunset commented as she used a spatula to flip a pancake.

“Oh, what makes you say that?” Robert asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Remembered when you were on the Animarium, your schedule was strict and rather regimented. Always got up at 7:00 sharp, just in time to see the sun come up over the horizon,” Sunset commented.

“Now how would you know…” Robert wondered aloud before he laughed. “Oh, so you do admit watching me sleep!”

“I said nothing of the kind,” Sunset remarked with a small huff. “I was just… concerned for your welfare for a time after the Barbwire Org incident. But that doesn’t change the matter that you’re loosening up.”

“Well, nobody to boss me around, and give me a strict time schedule to keep now, is there?” Robert remarked in return. “Not like SPD, where you had to run some laps around the training field if you messed up. Oh, Cruger would be so ashamed…” he joked lightly.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean we should loosen up our combat skills.” Sunset sat back down on the bed and patted Robert’s shoulders. “For all we know, there still could be lots of Orgs out there, possessing more and more things. Maybe even one that could possess Canterlot Castle itself.”

“Now there’s a scary thought for you…” Robert muttered, vaguely remembering a monster in Jetman that took control over an entire tower block.

“Which one? The massive amount of Orgs or one that can control an entire castle?” Sunset smirked. Robert didn’t really say which, and so, Sunset changed the subject. “So, that Org we defeated yesterday, that makes how many for Lightning’s ‘list’?” she asked.

“...Wait, Lightning’s actually keeping a list of how many Orgs we defeat?” Robert asked in surprise briefly, before sighing. “Figures, just like Lightning ‘Asuka Langley Soryu’ Dust to do something like that…”

“You’re still calling her that?” Sunset deadpanned, eyes half-lidded in an unimpressed fashion.

“Hey, if the horseshoe fits,” Robert muttered as he snuck a bite of one of the pancakes, or tried to anyways, with Sunset slapping his hand away. “However, doubt she added the Christmas Tree Org to the list, given the circumstances surrounding it…” he trailed off sadly.

“Wait, there was actually an Org on Hearth’s Warming Eve themed after a tree, with tinsel, lights, baubles, and everything?” Sunset had asked in surprise, eyes wide open.

“Yeah, and to say fighting it was fun, would be like saying having a lobotomy is pleasurable... Normally, I’d enjoy kicking an Org’s arse to Kingdom Come and probably back, but on Christmas Eve, and you in the hospital?” Robert asked, his voice nearly breaking mid-way through the question.

“The only thing worse would be dying on Christmas,” Sunset brushed her hand against the wall. “To think, the day after would be a wonderful day, where everyone shares their gifts, eats and drinks merrily, and has those massive Christmas parties, and you’re struck down the day before. It’s soul-crushing…” she sighed.

“And that’s the thing, you almost did die!” Robert shouted.

“I know! And it scared me to death!” Sunset turned to Robert and threw her arms out. “A-After I woke up, and the doctors told me just how badly I was wounded, by my own subjects no less…” she sniffled, letting her mask break just for a rare moment. She was always so concerned with everyone else’s well-being, never letting them ask how she was.

“Hey. You just need to get it out of your head…” Robert tenderly massaged Sunset’s shoulders. “Maybe if we all go on a vacation to someplace nice once this is all over, it’ll be ok.”

“Where…. Where’d you have in mind?” Sunset asked. A vacation did sound nice, really. Not having to worry about her Princess duties, even if it was just only for a few days.

“There’s this planet in the Seraphi Cluster that’s pretty nice this time of year,” said Robert. “Don’t know how to get there right now, but I can tell you a bit about the place. White sandy beaches, crystal clear water, no Org has ever heard of it, and it’s got some great grub too. It’s Euphoria.”

“And here I thought you would choose somewhere more mundane like the Isle of Mare.” Sunset deadpanned.

“Please, that place is wet and raining half the year, and the only appeal is if you love kippers, or if you have a fast car and don’t like a speed limit. Perfect for me then, but not for you. A tropical island, more your thing really.” Robert commented, trying very hard not to think of Sunset in a swimsuit, water dripping off her form as she climbed out of a pool. Needless to say, he was failing.

“Well, you sure know how to charm a mare…” Sunset trailed off.

“What can I say? You catch more mares with honey than vinegar.” Robert smirked and Sunset actually laughed at that before shoving him away.

“Go take a shower, you stink.” she requested. Robert took the hint, plus he needed a cold one anyways, and not just to wash up.

Back in the present, Sunset let out another sad sigh. Well, those days were long gone.

“Hey, alright if we make a quick stop at the Crystal Empire? I’d like to speak to someone there.” Robert asked Galaxy. “Shouldn’t be too much of a hassle right? I mean, you already have to drop Shining off there…”

“Yeah, I can do that. Curious who you want to speak to there, surely you can buy a gift for someone elsewhere?” Galaxy asked.

“Let’s just say there’s a few things I need to pick up for Rarity that can only be found there at the Empire, and let’s leave it at that alright?” Robert lied to him, and Galaxy shrugged as the Plesiozord entered Equus’s atmosphere. Robert had to suppress a gasp as he saw the wintery north of the planet from the air. Laying smack-dab in the middle of a frozen wasteland was like something out of a fairy tail, a towering crystal castle sparking in the sun with hundreds of buildings also made out of the most beautiful jewels imaginable scattered around it. If that wasn’t enough, there were footpaths and streets glittering with rare crystal branching out from it in a star or snowflake like formation. Robert smiled to himself, neither Sunburst or Galaxy had been lying when they’d spoken of the Empire’s great beauty.

Groaning, Shining shook his head as he teleported down along with Robert to the streets. He was never going to get used to that system. Give him a train ride any day.

“So, why are you here again?” Shining asked. “And don’t give me that gifts for Rarity bull you gave Galaxy. That’s not going to work on me, and we both know it.”

“Alright, you got me,” Robert admitted. “Truth is, I need to talk to your wife, actually.”

“Ah, I know what this is about…” Shining realized as they walked through the streets, his Magna Blade in its sheath. “You and your relationship with Sunset right? ...Or lack thereof.”

“Got it in one…” Robert muttered bitterly. He always hated talking to Royal Guards, and moreso their Captains about important matters. Could always see right through you.

“Hey, while we’re here, can I have a word with you as well?” Shining asked, lowering his voice. “It’s about Twiley, and her new involvement in your battles as Armored Rider ‘Baroness’ as she calls herself.

Robert winced, he should have seen this one coming a mile away.

“Brotherly concern?” He asked, playing the innocent party.

“Don’t play dumb, I know you probably figured I’d ask you about her sooner or later,” Shining replied, narrowing his eyes. “That armor of hers, comes with a lot of power, but unlike you five, she’s hardly skilled in the ways of battle.”

“And yet she played a crucial role in stopping both Ashurada and Lord Drakkon.” Robert pointed out.

“As back-up,” Shining reminded as they neared the castle. “She wasn’t part of the frontline forces. Point is, she’s my little sister, and I don’t like her being out there fighting your type of monsters without proper training.”

“Hey, Sunset, nor any of the others went out in the field with the training, and they carried on the fight for a good long while till I arrived in your time as near as I can figure, right?” Robert asked.

“True, but it’s my job as a big brother to be concerned. So, the least you could do is train her up right. I’d train her, but… Well, I’m hardly able to be around her these days what with my duties here and all. So that’s why I’m giving the job to you. Last piece of news me, or any other member of my family wants to hear is her getting killed via an Org in battle. You understand right?”

“Yeah, I do…” Robert replied, as he and Shining entered the Castle via one of the four staircases that led up to the main rooms. “I don’t have any younger brothers or sisters, but I can see where you’re coming from. We’re all family now, us Rangers. Forged in battle and in blood, but I’d like to think we’re family in a sense.”

“And here I thought you were just this cocky bastard with a love for just himself and showing off as much as you can…” Shining commented, in a tone of actual surprise.

“Hey, even I have my own hidden depths right?” Robert asked. “Oh look, we’re here!” he exclaimed very quickly changing the subject as they entered the Throne Room. Cadance, wearing a pink and white dress with gold trimmings sat on her throne as per usual.

“Oh for the love of Christ…” Robert muttered, not really sure how to start. Not like he’d ever asked anyone for advice before, always figuring he could solve his problems his own way. Clearly, at least in this case, that wasn’t going to happen.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Robert,” Cadance greeted, giving the young man a smile. “Are you here for business or something else?”

“If it were only for the tourism industry I’m sure your kingdom boasts…” Robert sighed to himself. “Correct me if I’m wrong though, but I don’t remember meeting you. Your husband sure, but you?”

Robert then smacked himself in the face. Right, the Winter Ball, he had a vague memory of talking to her there few months back, even if was only for a minute or so. “Right… so, anyways, I sorta need your advice.” he then continued, after taking a deep breath and swallowing his pride. Oh, this was going to be embarrassing. Just get his advice, and get out. “I assume you’re aware of my relationship with Sunset Shimmer?” he asked.

Cadance nodded. “I am. I’m also quite aware that you and my aunt had an intimate encounter as well,” Leaning back, Cadance placed her hands in her lap. “You’ve put yourself in quite the predicament.”

Cadance was quite the master of understatement, it seemed.

“How do you even know about…?” Robert asked, stunned. Shining was staring at him in shock. That little snippet, he evidently wasn’t aware of. “Lemme guess, Luna told you herself didn’t she?” the Orange Ranger asked. “She did, didn’t she?” he accused.

“A mare’s allowed to have her own little secrets, isn’t she?” Cadance asked, with a small impish smile. Robert groaned to himself, it seemed Cadance had gotten her aunt’s sense of humor as well and not just her beauty. “Which leads me to believe you’re here seeking guidance.”

“...Got me there,” Robert admitted, rubbing the back of his head. “Believe me, rather desperate by this point considering Sunset put our relationship on hold till I figure who I love exactly. Namely, her or Luna.”

Cadance nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. “Robert, you have to ask yourself a very important question: are you willing to commit to a relationship? And I do mean that. If you can’t, nothing I tell you will help in the slightest.”

“Of course I’m willing to commit!” Robert snapped. “If I wasn’t, would have I come here for your advice?”

Shining, getting the feeling this moment was between his wife and Robert alone, decided to take his leave. Had guards to train anyways.

“If that was true, Robert, you wouldn’t be here now would you?” Cadance asked, unphased by his shouting. “I want you to be honest with me; are you afraid?”

“Okay, yes, I’m afraid…” Robert admitted. “This is the first time I’ve actually been in love with anyone, and… and I just don’t want to mess anything up!” he replied, before laughing bitterly. “Look at how well that turned out…” he murmured to himself. “So, what do I do?” he asked.

“Then act like it, Robert.” Cadance leaned forward, her look turning stern. “No hitting on other women, don’t flirt with anyone that isn’t your significant other. Beyond that, you’re an adult, as are Sunset and Luna. The three of you need to sit down and talk about it like adults. This isn’t some romantic story, where you wonder if they're going to get together in the end or not. Talk. It. Out.”

“Trouble is, whenever I try and do that, me and Sunset just get into an argument,” Robert sighed. “Believe me, if talking it out ever was to solve this, don’t you think I would have worked this out a long time ago?”

“You’re a man who's used to sleeping around, with no actual relationship experience,” Cadance replied, rising from her throne. “I’ll deal with Sunset, as much as I love that mare, she can be just as childish as the rest of us. I want you to go to Canterlot and talk about this with Luna. If all goes well, we’ll meet up in Ponyville.”

“Sounds like a plan. Going to be awkward as all Hell, but best idea I’ve heard all day.” Robert admitted before a guard rushed into the room, with an urgent expression on his face.

“Milady, this just came in over the wire, message going out to all the Rangers!” the guard said, before lighting up his horn, and the form of the White Ranger appeared on screen, eyes masked behind her visor, leaving it impossible to tell what she was thinking.

“Power Rangers,” the White Ranger began, her voice distorted in some manner, as she rested her Drago Sword against her shoulder. “I think it’s time you gain yourselves a real challenge.”

“You gotta be… No, that’s not…” Robert stuttered out in fear before he went for his phone. “Sunset, are you getting this? Any of you?”

“Yeah, we’re seeing this, but still working on the believing part.” Vapor’s voice came in over the phone, the sound of the Plesio Zord’s engines being audible somewhere in the background. “Who is this creep anyways?”

“Wish I knew, but that power set she’s got, I thought it was destroyed!” Robert shouted. “Seriously, seeing that Ranger again should be impossible!”

“Evidently not…” Cadance commented. “I’ve learned that nothing is impossible, ever since I took the throne, ever since I learned my own aunt had a split personality.”

“Quite correct, whore,’ the White Ranger said. “Now, can you be a good little Princess and find some tower to weep in while you await your Prince to rescue you? I’ve got business to discuss, and none of it includes you.”. She remarked.

“Whatever this business entails, well you can say it to me.” Cadance replied, seemingly sizing up the White Ranger. “Personally, I think you’re a coward, not fighting us face to face. Instead, all you send is just a little message.”

Then, the White Ranger was in front of her, before with a wave of her hand, Cadance was sent flying back into her throne and blood red chains restrained her. “Got a thing for BDSM?” the Princess of Love commented. “Who knows, lose the evil maniac thing and maybe you can join me and Shining for a threesome! Would work wonders with that attitude of yours, and relieve a Hell of a lot of stre-”

Next thing Cadance knew, a conjured ball gag was placed in her mouth. Some guards tried to take the White Ranger, but in a flash, she sliced through them leaving nothing but their bloodied forms on the throne room floor, stomachs ripped open with gore everywhere.

“Fools. Really must commend them on their bravery though.” the White Ranger commented. She felt a presence behind her, and whirled around to meet Shining’s blade with her own. “And yours as well. Sadly, you’re not part of my interests. Begone.” She flicked a finger, and Shining was sent flying out a window to the other edge of the kingdom leaving Robert the only one left in her way.

“So, just you and me huh?” the Orange Ranger commented, drawing his Crystal Saber. “Fine.”

“No, no, no!” the White Ranger commented, as she wrapped Robert up in magical binds, keeping him in place. She then wrenched his arm and with a sickening crack and a scream of pain, his weapon clattered to the floor. “This isn’t right! Not at all! I said I wanted all the Rangers, not just one wannabe hero! Stay right there for a moment eh? Need to bring the rest of the party here, and then the real fun can begin!”

Reaching out, the White Ranger actually grabbed the Plesio Zord, which was a few miles out from the Empire, and in a red bubble of magic, actually pulled it towards the Castle.

“Galaxy!” Sunset barked. “Get as much power to you can towards the engines! If we’re going back to the Crystal Empire, we’re doing it on our own terms, you understand?”

“I’m trying, milady!” Galaxy roared, as he fiddled with the controls, watching the events going inside the Crystal Castle unfold on screen. “But this Zord already took a hell of a lot of damage from Bunglay’s ship, so a lot of power was diverted to the repair systems! Do you want to know why it took us as long as it did to get away from the Empire? We used most of our reserve power getting back to Equus! Sorry Sunset, but we might as well be dead in the water!”

“Okay then…” Sunset whispered, smidgens of a plan beginning to form in her mind. “In that case… Celestia, Twilight, get out of here! Canterlot needs to know what’s coming!” she barked out, and Twilight and Celestia nodded, teleporting out in gold and purple flashes respectively. Sunset readied herself for battle as she saw the main throne room of the Crystal Castle approaching. With a surprising show of gentleness, the White Ranger actually set the Plesio Zord down in the middle of the room as the Ranger stepped out, weapons in hand.

“Good, gang’s all here… Well, the gang and one thestral who I couldn’t give a damn about. You’re not needed, so scuttle on off to some sort of cave or find some blood to drink. I don’t care what you do. I only want the main five of you. ...Well, Retinax does but really, he just wants you dead. Didn’t say when though,” the White Ranger smirked as she drew her blade once more and released Robert. “Meaning I get as much time as I like to toy with you…”

“Oh goody, I love games…” Lightning commented as she drew her whips. “Especially when they involve beating the snot out of lunatics like you.”

“Good, then you’ll enjoy my challenge. It’s simple. Beat me.” the White Ranger commented.

Thunder roared in the heart of Sunset as she held her sword. The drumming that came from her frightened heartbeat while she held the blade in her hands. Just the moment of battle slowly filling her core with fear and doubt. But mostly wanting to defend her country and team With a quick swoop of her blade she tried to strike the newcomer.

She would parry keeping her at bay. Sparks flew from the blade. Robert lifted his Kitsune Blaster from its holster trying to get a chance to shoot the White Ranger. Robert fired his weapon, a quick movement caused the White Ranger to use Sunset as a shield letting Robert hit her in the back. His aim was terrible no thanks to his broken arm.

Vapor Trail and Lightning Dust, they began to think of a way to do this. Lightning wrapped her whips around the trident allowing Vapor to spin around enough to allow her to fly at the White Ranger. This also caused Vapor to toss the trident thanks to her bad form.

But of course, the White Ranger was ready for this and went right into Super Dino Mode. She raised her left wrist while her right kept Sunset at bay. She grabbed the whips from Lightning forcing the blades of bone jutting out from her wrist into her chest thanks to the suit causing her to fly back. Next, she shoved Vapor back grabbing the Trident in her hand spinning around tossing it at Vapor. Galaxy made his move then, and intercepted the trident with Blood Moon, before Vapor was knocked out with a blast of magic.

Sparks flew as Blood Moon hit the floor. Trixie turns lifting her dagger seeing another threat, one she’d dismissed first time around. No words would be spoken between these two. The battle has taken all words from them. What would one say to their foe? The two warriors charged at each other their blades striking causing sparks to fly everywhere. The dagger from the white ranger would be quickly moved back into Trixie’s hands. Of course, Galaxy with all of his experience was quick enough to see the next attack and block it.

He then pulled a roundhouse kick hitting the white ranger in the helmet making her fall back just a bit. The ringing in her head from the hit would make her stagger as she began to start thinking that this Ranger might just have the upper hand..

The white Ranger thought to herself that enough was enough and grabbed the blade with her very hands. Pulling one of Galaxy’s favorite tricks, she headbutted him causing him to lose his grip on his signature weapon. She tried going for it, but Galaxy quickly grabbed it again. It was a contest on just who would get ahold of Blood Moon. She looked to her dagger that had fallen from her hands and was now on the floor. One wrong move and she’d probably get sliced in two.

With a casting of magic, Trixie teleported to her dagger grabbing it. Then she teleported again ending up behind the other Ranger trying to stab him in the back. Galaxy heard the pop, and whirled around to meet the blade causing another stalemate. Trixie’s anger and frustration finally boiled over. Her magic surged and all of it went into her dagger making it glow a sickly red shade. She drew a collection of energy arrows, and fired them all at Galaxy, knocking him flat.

Sunburst pulled out and unfurled his Jungle Fans charging at the White Ranger. She simply just turned to look at him, sighing and shaking her head. Just as he was about to strike she grabbed both of his wrists putting on enough pressure causing him to drop his weapons. If they could just see her smile, Trixie thought. Her pure glee that she would be hurting this one. She forced Sunburst to the ground and with thrusts that came so fast you almost couldn’t see them coming, stabbed into his armor as many times as she could as Sunburst let out a scream of pain.

Robert being the only one up at the moment charges trying to free his friend. The white ranger looks from the corner of her eyes , with them brimming with glee loving what she is about to do. She picked up Sunburst her heart beating fast, like she was on the world’s worst adrenaline high. She tossed Sunburst right at him causing him to trip. Then she grabbed Robert as she looked right into his visor. A pillar near them was reflected in it, and the White Ranger noticed this.

Letting out an evil chuckle forcing Robert's good arm into the pillar, she then grabbed it forcing it back. A loud pop was heard like his arm being pulled out of its socket Accompanied by the sound of bones cracking. Bones weren’t the only thing to suffer this fate. The crystal pillar itself would start cracking from the pressure. With one more movement, she broke the pillar with his arm and grabbed a shard. With one swift movement, the crazed Ranger thrust it right into his stomach just narrowly missing his heart. No-one knew why she didn’t kill him then, or any of the Rangers. Perhaps she wanted to play with them a little longer, perhaps the small part of Trixie’s mind that was left was screaming out at her to stop this. Either way, demorphing, the Orange Ranger fell to the ground.

Sunset let out a snarl of rage, and staggered forwards. A right cross hit her across the face, drawing blood from the lip. Sunset’s helmet, it lay nearby, visor shattered from a powerful kick. One of her shoulder pads was about ready to fall off, cracked and battered from battle.

She looked into the eyes of her opponent, her blood red visor untinted briefly allowing Sunset to see those violet eyes of hers. Guess she wanted her to know the face of her killer, the Princess of Empathy could only guess as Sunset felt a powerful punch hit her in the stomach, sending the Alicorn flying back into a wall as bricks flew everywhere. Chuckling, the mostly white-suited figure rested her sword on her shoulder, must have been a character tic of hers. A jagged black arm blade lay nearby, some of the only remains of the Super Dino Mode as it had been called.

Sunset fired off a green blast of magic from her horn, but a dark red shield of hard light met it in midair. Sunset allowed herself a quick look at the unconscious forms of both Sunburst and Robert. Vapor and Lightning probably lay somewhere nearby as well. Mystic Mother only knew what state they were in.

“Oh Sunset, when are you going to learn?” the White Ranger chuckled. Her voice was mostly disguised, but Sunset knew who it was under that helmet of hers. She’d heard it often enough, irritating as it was. “Don’t you get it yet? Your entire team, defeated. Bodies broken, close to death! Retinax wanted a Ranger Killer, well… He got one in moi.”

Arrogance, that swagger. Seemed some things they did share, as much as Sunset hated to admit it. Retinax had actually pulled it off, as much as she hated to even admit it even to herself. He’d created the perfect opponent, something to match their every move. A Ranger to wipe them all out in one clean stroke.

Sunset gritted her teeth and clenched her fists as she picked herself off the ground, and groaned as she clutched her chest in pain.

“Feeling that? Oh, I’m sorry… Did I hit the pretty little Princess too hard? I’d have thought one of Celestia’s prized students would have put up more of a fight!” the Ranger taunted. A blood red blast of magic was sent Sunset’s way, and the Alicorn braced for death. Suddenly, a very light blue energy shield sprung up in the way of the bolt.

“You… You didn’t notice, did you?” Cadance asked, as her horn glowed the same color. “All your magic, focused on fighting the Rangers, and yet you didn’t give a thought to me.”

She then created a whip with her magic, and pulled Trixie towards her, before swinging her around the room and then tossing her into the throne. “Now,” Cadance asked. “I can only wager a guess how much magic you’ve expended, but I’m betting it’s a lot. Not much more left in you, to keep up a sustained fight against me. So, if I were you, I’d go ahead and recharge your batteries, then come back for another round.”

Trixie growled, before she sighed. “Rest on your laurels, Rangers but be warned, I will come back, and next time, you won’t have an Alicorn to hide behind!”

With that, she teleported out as Cadance rushed over to Sunset, who was rapidly slipping into unconsciousness. “Don’t worry Sunny, everything’s going to be alright, you hear? You hear me, Sunset?” she asked, before feeling Sunset’s pulse starting to fade. “SUNSET!” she screamed.

Part 11: White Thunder Part 2: (The Family Connection)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYME1QBrXw4

The entire massive form of the Plesiozord (Rangers inside) soon found itself, via Cadance’s magic on the Animarium, along with the Princess of Love herself. As soon as the job was done, she fell forwards, completely exhausted and on the brink of total magical collapse.

“Someone…” Cadance whispered, panting. “Someone, please help.”

Then, she heard a low growl, and saw a lupine shadow overlooking her, before the Princess of Love looked up to see the Wolf Zord’s red eyes looking down at her, before it tilted it’s head to the moonlit skies and let out a long howl that reached the ears of Princess Shayla in the main temple.

As soon as she heard it, she sat up from her basket weaving, and ran towards the source of the howl. Not long after Merrick’s death, the Wolf Zord had sworn -Along with Zen-Aku himself- to take up the role of the Princess’s loyal protector alongside the Deer Zord.

“Milady, hurry faster!” the Wolf Zord barked in Shayla’s head. Right now, he was seeing Vapor stagger out of the Plesiozord, holding up Sunburst who was limping, leg bound in a magically constructed splint of light yellow energy.

Lightning staggered out of the Zord, before falling forwards face first into the grass, body covered in cuts from the Drago Sword and leaking blood. When Shayla eventually arrived on the scene, her eyes widened in shock as she helped Lightning up.

“Ugh, I’ll be fine…” Lightning said. “It’s Robert and Sunset who need the most help. Go, I’ll live!” Lightning barked. Shayla nodded and rushed inside only to see Robert laying bleeding out on the floor, while Galaxy tried to shock Sunset’s heart back into beating with a nearby defibrillation machine. Evidently, the Plesio Zord kept medical equipment on board.

“What… What happened?” Shayla whispered as she quickly began setting to work on Robert, trying to stem the flow of blood.

“Retinax’s new White Ranger, that’s what happened,” Galaxy replied. “Took us all down without even batting an eye. Near as I can tell, -And I was unconscious myself for a good part of it mind you- shocked Sunset enough to stop her heartbeat. Now shut up, and give me a hand here!” he barked, before muttering: “Come on Princess, don’t you die on me now…”

He then gave Sunset another shock with the defibrillators, pushing more electricity through her body. “Come on! Fucking come on!” Galaxy roared, and finally he was able to breathe a sigh of relief as Sunset’s eyes slowly opened.

“W-What happened?” Sunset murmured. “Where’s Trix…” she sighed, before lapsing into unconsciousness. Not that Galaxy hadn’t caught what she was about to say. His eyes widened. That was Trixie under that helmet?

“Oh Mystic Mother above…” Galaxy thought, closing his eyes. “Sunburst, I’m so very sorry love.”

He then turned to Shayla, nodding at her to say Sunset was stable. For the time being at least. He sighed in relief, as much as he would have loved some extra help from Sunset, she was too close to Robert to be of much help, more liable to panic than actually contribute.

“Go, help the others, see what you can do for their wounds,” Shayla said to Galaxy with the thestral starting at her in shock, before she barked out: “Now!” and Galaxy took the hint and rushed off to go see what he could do.

“Right, wounds… Which ones, mental or physical?” He muttered to himself as he grabbed some bandages and began helping Lightning. To his surprise, she didn’t object. Nearby, as some of her strength returned, Cadance rushed off to help Shayla with Robert’s condition.

“Okay, aside from the obvious hole in the chest, near the lung, got two broken arms. Those will heal in time on their own, but it’s the puncture wound I’m more worried about,” Cadance informed. “If we don’t work fast, air or blood’s going to fill that space between the lungs and then we’ll have some real trouble, to say the least.”

“How did…?” Shayla asked.

“Shard of crystal, almost went clean through and through from what little I saw.”

“What little you saw!?!” Shayla shouted at her. “And you didn’t help why?”

“Kinda busy being tied up to my own throne at the time,” Cadance snapped back. “Now, are we going to do something about this, or watch one of your chosen Rangers bleed to death in front of us while we argue?”

“Sorry, I’m just... “ Shayla whispered.

“Yeah, I know. Panic. Truth be told, I’m panicking as well,” Cadance replied. “But I’m also keeping in mind that if I don’t do something, there’s going to be a death on my hooves here, so I can’t let it get to me.”

“Your husband alright? I’m presuming this attack took place in the Crystal Empire, judging from that fact that you’re here, and you said Robert was stabbed with a shard of crystal,” Shayla surmised.

“Yeah, it did. Shining’s going to be fine, he’s survived a love sucking leech brainwashing him and nearly draining him dry, so he can survive being thrown into a building,” Cadance replied. “Now, what we need for this specific type of situation would be a tube thoracostomy. Basically, we’d need some sort of tube in between the ribs, to suck the air out.”

“Sounds… pleasant.” Shayla commented, looking rather sick. “Where exactly did you learn this sort of thing?”

“Well, I was foal sitting so I could pay my bills to go to medical school. Thought there weren’t enough mares in hospitals, and too many Princesses. Had to do a bit of reading. Anyways…” Cadance sighed, before summoning what little magic she had left and brought up a list of Robert’s injuries. Both arms broken, that much she knew. But it’s what she saw next that made her really worry, with the area around the right lung filling with air. “Can’t bet he’ll survive another teleportation, not that I’d be even able to manage it anyways,” she muttered to herself. “So, we’ll have to operate here, I guess. Shayla, that’s your name, right? Grab a vine.”

“Dare I ask what we’re doing?” Shayla asked, as she ripped off a vine from a nearby tree, and watched as Cadance filed a hole into it to turn it into a makeshift tube. Carefully, Cadance pulled out a knife and made one incision in the skin, and another through the muscle between the ribs. Then, Shayla carefully inserted the tube, and watched as Cadance carefully used whatever was left of her magic -Shayla knew she had to be pushing into the danger zone usage wise- to draw the air from the pleural cavity AKA the space between the lungs. Finally, after several long moments that seemed like an eternity, the air was finally cleared, and placed into a bottle and the wounds were closed.

“Now… Now what?” Shayla asked, and Cadance, barely holding herself up sighed.

“I haven't had to actually use these spells in a long time. It'll probably still take weeks for him to recover since I daren’t accelerate the healing in case something goes wrong with that spell. Granted, there may be something on this island that could help like one of those Wild Zords, but I don’t know. For now, just watch him.” Cadance said, before fainting into Shayla’s arms out of pure exhaustion.

Daybreak came, and after a long, largely restless night filled with images of the White Ranger, (And in Sunset’s case, the mare behind the mask) they finally awoke. Sunset, as she walked through the main temple, she could see it. The fear in their eyes, them carefully looking right and left to the darkest corners of the temple grounds to see if the White Ranger would pop up out of the shadows and come to strike them down.

Truth be told, Sunset herself found her eyes darting to those very same spaces, for the exact same reason. She knew she wouldn’t be able to face the White Ranger in battle anytime soon, none of them would. Galaxy was right, it wouldn’t be just physical wounds the Rangers would suffer. They were terrified of Retinax’s new lieutenant, even if not all of them knew it yet.

“Mystic Mother…” Sunset thought to herself as she ran a hand through her mane. “What do I tell Sunburst? I mean, that’s his own sister under that helmet! And he’s scared to death of her already as it is. Him knowing that’s her… Who knows what that’ll do to him?”

For a brief moment, she thought of Sunburst not knowing, but almost as soon as that thought came, she brushed it aside. No, he had to know who the White Ranger was. There could be no secrets between team members, even big ones like this. If Sunburst found out during a future battle, and learned that Sunset had known about this, the damage would be irreparable.

Sunset sniffled. Mystic Mother above, she longed for the simple days when everything was all black and white, and it was just Ranger against monster, destroy it and blow it up even when it got giant-sized.

“Sunburst?” Sunset asked quietly, walking over to him, where he rested on a hammock between two trees. “Can… Can I talk to you for a moment? It’s important.”

“Sure.” Sunburst said, as he climbed out of the hammock, splint still around his broken leg. Sunset lay a hand on his chest.

“No, not here. This is something you really should know in private. I’ll tell the others, in time, but for now I figure it best you hear it from me first,” She said seriously. Sunburst looked at her quizzically for a moment, before he followed her into a secluded part of the temple, out of earshot. “It’s about the White Ranger. I know who she is. During the battle… I… I, well I caught a glimpse of who it was under the helmet. I’m sorry Sunburst, but there’s no lying to you about this. It’s your sister.”

“No… No, it can’t be!” Sunburst whispered in disbelief, wanting to deny that psychotic mare was his sister. “I-It just can’t be!”

But try as he might, he knew Sunset would never lie to him about something like this. If she saw Trixie’s face during the battle, she probably saw Trixie’s face. And as much as he hated to admit it, he hadn’t heard from his sister in almost a month now. As he let out a small sob, he felt a sudden warmth and the smell of jasmine fill his nostrils as Sunset pulled him into a hug.

“When was the last time you saw her, before she got brainwashed somehow?” Sunset asked softly, as she let Sunburst sob into her shoulder. Eventually, his tears were spent, and he was let free. He swallowed deeply, and explained.

“A month ago, when she took me to see my mother back home…” he began, flashing back.

Sire’s Hollow: One Month Prior:

“Cannot believe you talked me into this Trix…” Sunburst muttered as the Ponyville Express pulled up outside the small town that he once called home decades ago. The train pulled to a halt, brakes hissing and steam rising up from the boiler of the train. Sire’s Hollow was one of those little towns that was tucked away in the middle of nowhere, mostly going unnoticed unless you actually cared about looking for it. “I mean, mom’s going to be pissed. I haven’t said a word to her in what… at least two decades? I mean, you inherited her temper, and Mystic Mother knows how you reacted.” he commented as he and his sister stepped off the train. “A-Are you sure we can’t just get back on the train, and rethink this through a little?” he asked nervously, adjusting his glasses.

Trixie sighed to herself, and pretty much had to push Sunburst out of the station platform, all the while carrying both of their suitcases full of luggage. “Oh no, we’ve come this far, and we, or should I say you are not backing down from this. Not now!” Trixie reprimanded. “Now march, brother of mine!”

“She’s going to hate me, she’s going to hate me…” Sunburst muttered as the two walked towards the great big wrought iron gates that served as the entrance to the town.

“Welcome to Sire’s Hollow~!” a disembodied voice -One Sunburst would recognize anywhere- greeted as Trixie pushed open the town gate.

“Okay, seriously don’t remember that…” Sunburst muttered. “Was that here last time you visited here?” he asked his sister.

“About a year ago,” Trixie responded, paying the gate no mind. “Mom had been ‘modernizing’ the town. She’s been butting heads with Firelight, who decided to mark half the town as historical sites.”

“Now, I’m one for history, but sounds like if you ask me, kinda overboard,” Sunburst remarked. “How’s Starlight doing by the way?” he asked before slapping himself in the face as a wave of guilt hit him. He couldn’t believe he had lost touch with his childhood friend of all ponies! “She still in that emo, broody phase of hers?” he asked nervously, and Trixie could tell he was trying to veer away from the subject of his mother as much as possible.

Trixie stopped in her tracks, glancing back at him. “Starlight ran away after you got into Celestia’s school. Nopony has seen her since.”

“...Oh Mystic Mother above,” Sunburst muttered. “Can’t… Can’t believe it, I should have stayed here, not went off to school and just stayed with her! Or at the very least, came back directly after I flunked, a-and go off to try and find her!” he stammered out. “S-She could be lost, somewhere out in the Badlands; stuck in some Changeling hive, or worse, dead!” he squeaked out, millions of horrific possibilities running through his head in a panic. Sunburst began hyperventilating, and Trixie pulled out a brown paper bag and handed it to him.

“Here, deep breaths. She’ll be fine, Starlight can handle herself,” Trixie told him sternly, before her tone changed to a more sympathetic one. “She’ll be fine, if she’s any relation of Firelight’s -Who, if you may remember as Trixie certainly does- is no squanderer of magic.”

“I… I don’t know about that, she’s never been one to be able to handle her magic well. Not like me. I’m not good at magic, but I have control over it…” Sunburst sighed in worry, with Trixie putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Well then, why don’t you go looking for her after our visit, hm? You can take your friends along too, should be too hard for you to find a single pony.”

“Yeah, if you say so…” Sunburst muttered. “I mean, Equestria’s a big place, and that’s even taking in the thought that she’s even in the country! Could be off somewhere like Saddle Arabia or New Roam for all I know!” he continued. “She always hated this town, said she wanted to get as far away from it as possible. Guess she finally got her chance…” he joked weakly, with a trace of bitterness in his tone. For a moment, he wondered, what if? What if he hadn’t fallen in love with Galaxy, what if he wasn’t gay? What if he met up with Starlight again, could their childhood friendship have become something more? “You know, I miss that feeling of connection. Knowing she’s out there somewhere thinking about me, while at the same time I’m thinking about her…”

“You’ll think of something,” Trixie cut in, flicking her hair back. “I can’t imagine she’d have gone all that far. She’s probably off living in a cave or something, like a hermit,” She brought her hand to her chin. “Though she did mutter something to herself about hating cutie marks...”

“Great, another failure of mine. First I fail Magic School, then I fail my friend. Who am I going to fail next, you?” Sunburst asked, not really wanting to know.

Trixie let out a long sigh, turning to face him. “Will you please stop? I’d rather not spend the whole trip listening to your self-pity and whining,” She sunk her shoulders, throwing her head back. “Oh, woe is me! I took a life opportunity and left my hometown. It’s totally, completely, one hundred percent my fault that a foalhood friend ran off because they couldn’t handle it like a normal pony!”

“You’re a real beacon of sympathy, you know that right sis?” Sunburst asked, giving Trixie a flat look. She slapped him over the back of the head and gave her brother a dirty look.

“Listen, you need to stop being so melodramatic about things, not everything in your life is your fault! Get that through your head okay?” Trixie asked, flicking her brother in the forehead.

“Okay, I’ll try…” Sunburst murmured. “Now, which house is mom’s? I barely recognize this place!”

“This way!” Trixie turned back, making with purpose through the town. “And don’t dilly dally, shilly-shally! We’re expected!”

“Okay, okay!” Sunburst replied. “I’m coming, I’m coming! ...Not as young as I used to be, you know!” he protested, picking up his suitcase and racing after Trixie.

“Then, perhaps you should have that princess friend of yours cast an age spell on you?” Trixie suggested, stifling a giggle. “I for one, would love to be the older sibling for a change.”

“Don’t give Twilight ideas, the last thing we need is her turning into a mad scientist like that Gemn doppelganger of hers she met up with back when Drakkon invaded Ponyville.”

“Aw, but seeing baby Sunburst would be adorable!” Trixie whined, coming to a stop in front of a rather nice modern styled house. “I know for a fact mom would love to have her widdle Sunny back~” she singsonged.

“...Please tell me she’s still not calling me that in her letters to you, as I know she’s probably been sending you some.” Sunburst asked nervously, eyes widened in abject horror. “She is, isn’t she?” he asked. His terror was really rather comical, and somewhat endearing really. “Trixie, please tell me she’s not!” he pleaded.

“You’ll just have to find out for yourself,” Trixie spoke, knocking on the door. “You can ask her when she answers.”

Sunburst took a deep breath, and mustered up all of his courage when a familiar pony answered the door. She shared his orange coat color, and even his red mane, (With hints of gray hairs starting to come in) this one being tied into a bun. Stellar Flare, as she was called, wore a nice blue pantsuit, and hid a pair of critical eyes behind a pair of spectacles.

“Hi… M-Mom.” Sunburst stammered out nervously. “Y-You’ve gotten older.”

He slapped himself mentally. Really, that was the first thing he said upon seeing a mother he hadn’t talked to in decades? He quickly set about correcting himself. “T-That is, I mean, you look nice for a mare of your age! Really nice, I mean!”

“That’s how you greet your mother?” Stellar asked, leaning into his face. “You’re one to talk. You dress like a slob,” Lighting her horn, she levitated over a pair of scissors. “Now stay still, I’ll fix you up.”

Trixie had to bite her tongue to keep herself from laughing as Sunburst tried to squirm away from his mother’s scissors. “Mom, stop! I like my goatee the way it is, thank you very much!” Sunburst protested. “I-I think it makes me look perfectly handsome!”

Stellar paused, said goatee held firmly in her hand. “I suppose it does.” Releasing him, she smoothed out a few creases in her suit. “Now, come inside and tell your mother what you’ve been doing with your time.”

Sunburst took a deep swallow as he stepped inside his house, familiar sights and scents greeting him. It seemed some things never changed. He stifled a chuckle when he saw that giant camera tripod/lamp that Firelight had given his mother as a gag gift that one Hearth's Warming a few years back. He’d intended it to be an insult of some sort, Sunburst supposed, but his mother evidently had taken the thing as a compliment, calling it rather unique. Of course, his jaw dropped when he saw his fiancee, in the kitchen pouring himself a glass of wine. Galaxy gave him a little wave, before going back to what he was doing.

Sunburst’s head whirled around to face his sister. “How much did you tell her?” he hissed out at Trixie.

“As much as I needed to,” Trixie admitted. “Besides, I figured him being here would be a calming presence, and that way, you wouldn’t have to introduce him to mom at the wedding, whenever the Hell that may be. Kill two Golden Snidgets with one stone, you know?”

“So… uh,” Sunburst began weakly, still trying to comprehend the fact that his mother and Galaxy had already met. “I've seen you’ve already met Galaxy.”

“Yes, fine man. And a Captain of the Night Guard too at that!” Stellar exclaimed. “Honestly, if this is why you've chosen not to speak with me then I must say you're being rather silly! Sure, I was hoping you’d and up with Starlight in the end but… I don't mind the fact you ended up with a guy! Is that what you were so worried about?” she inquired, and Sunburst felt at least one great weight being lifted off his chest. His mother was accepting him for who he was, so there was that at least.

“Ooh!” Galaxy suddenly cried out in delight as he searched through the cabinets. “Is this a Blood Orange? Haven't had one of these in ages! Bet you five and some leus I can whip up a mean sorbet!”

“But… But what about his reputation?” Sunburst had to ask. “I mean, surely you've heard it!”

“Hey,” Galaxy’s voice called from the kitchen once more, this time in an admonishing tone. “Rather rude to talk about someone behind their backs!”

Sunburst had the decency to flush at that, and Stellar took notice.

“So which one of you is the uke and which is the seme in this relationship?” she inquired in a teasing tone. As Sunburst stammered and sputtered, Galaxy cackled and Trixie groaned. She really didn't need to hear that. “Guess that answers my question, doesn't it?” Stellar remarked.

“...Okay, suppose I deserve that.” Sunburst admitted.

“Or,” Stellar leaned in close, narrowing her eyes. “Were you worried about me knowing you flunked out?”

Sunburst’s expression said it all. “How… How’d you know?” he asked, voice dripping in shame, casting his gaze at the floor.

“They sent me a letter, Sunburst.” Stellar tsked, her tone full of admonishment. “I’m hurt, Sunburst. Did you think I’d think lesser of you? You’ve been lying to me for two decades; out of what? Fear I’d disown you?”

Sunburst choked back a sob, and nodded. “Yeah, you always… you always have my life planned out for me, every last step, and… and I-I figured me passing Magic school would factor into that.” he murmured. He then chuckled bitterly. “Guess I certainly screwed things over for your plans for you to have the perfect little son, huh?”

Stellar sighed, her shoulders sagging a little. “Sunburst, I want you to be happy. Yes, I want you to make something out of yourself, but that’s meaningless if you’re not enjoying it.”

Sunburst laughed bitterly again. “Hah, that’s a joke! Fine time for you to grow a sense of humor mom!” he scoffed. “This coming from the woman who, if I remember correctly, wanted and planned for me to marry into the right family, take the right jobs and all that shit!” Sunburst snapped at his mother, surprising even himself with his boldness. With that, he finally broke down, years of built-up emotions and things not said finally let loose. He was pulled into a hug by Galaxy, -wine forgotten- who wrapped his leathery wings around him, and gave Stellar a nasty look.

“Fine excuse for a mother you are,” he commented, every inch of his voice dripping with disgust and derision. “And here I was just starting to like you….”

Trixie stepped forward, slapping Galaxy across the face. “Don’t you dare talk to my mother like that. My mother has never made Sunburst do anything he’s never wanted to do. Sure, she can be a bit of a busybody but all she has ever done is wanted the best for us. Just because my brother can’t handle ponies expectations does not mean she’s a terrible mother.”

Galaxy gave her a stern look. “You know, if you were anyone besides Sunburst’s sister, I would be arresting you here on the spot for assaulting a guard,” he growled out. “Point is, Sunburst should be allowed to make these choices for himself, not have somepony else plan out every little bit of his life for him!” he snarled, sounding almost as if he was speaking from experience.

“And he always has!” Trixie snapped back, getting in his face. “You don’t think she planned stuff for me? As soon as I found my path, mother supported me a hundred percent. This isn’t about what she did, this is about Sunburst thinking he’s a failure!”

Galaxy grumbled something in Romanian, and sighed to himself. “I have to ask, Trixie, what did Mrs. Flare here plan out for you?”

“That I would become an Archmage,” Trixie responded, putting her hands on her hips. “My magic is nowhere near that, and I much prefer the applauding crowd over dusty old tomes.”

“...Fair enough,” Galaxy admitted, after taking a long sigh. “Really can’t imagine you stuck in the Royal Canterlot Library or anywhere like that creating new spells and researching old ones. Sunburst, maybe, but not you.”

Stellar cleared her throat, getting the groups attention. “I freely admit that I plan, it helps me cope with stress. It’s how I deal with the world. Sunny, I never intended to make you follow any of them, I just wanted you to be the best you could. Though, I can’t believe you took that marriage thing seriously. If you recall, that was just a joke your father made when that Meadow filly called you cute.”

Sunburst, still in Galaxy’s arms, flushed. “...Okay, that I do remember,” he admitted.

Galaxy booped him on the nose. “Well, whoever that Meadow filly was, she wasn’t wrong… Bet you were as cute as a button even way back then!” he laughed, the laughter only increasing with Sunburst’s cheeks turning a deep red. Galaxy then turned to Stellar. “Please tell me you have baby pictures of him stored away in some dusty old attic somewhere.”

Sunburst looked at his mother with a pleading look, mouthing: “Please tell me you burned them!”

Stellar grinned, pepping up. “Of course I do! Trixie, be a dear and get the photo albums. I’ll start lunch!”

Sunburst hung his head and in a tone of someone who had resigned themselves to being walked to the gallows of untold embarrassment, muttered: “I’m doomed, aren’t I?”

Eventually, a considerably much dustier looking Trixie returned with a very old photo album as everypony else sat down for lunch, Stellar having made some simple hay sandwiches.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is not some retriever dog!” Trixie remarked as she sat the photo album down on the table. “That is, unless it leads to some way for potentially embarrassing her older brother.”

She sighed as she looked at her cloak. Oh, she was going to be getting the dust out of this for days on end, she just knew it! Removing it via the clasp, Trixie placed the cloak on a nearby coat rack as she pulled up a chair and sat down.

Eventually, after quite a few flustered looks from Sunburst, and laughter from both Trixie and Galaxy, Stellar finally saw it fit to free her son from that and shut the album.

“Anyways, on another subject, you never exactly did tell me what you’re doing with your life, have you son?” Stellar asked, and Sunburst mumbled something under his breath. “Well, out with it. It’s rude to mumble!”

“I… I’m a high-school science teacher.” Sunburst muttered, waiting for the inevitable reaction from his mom.

“Teaching is a very respectable profession.” Stellar smiled, reaching over to take his hand. “Though if you ask me, teachers don’t get the respect they deserve.”

“Tell me about it!” Sunburst exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. “You try teaching paleontology to a bunch of hormonal teenagers! It’s futile, I tell you! They can’t tell the difference between a Kentrosaurus and a Dimetrodon! Oh, and don’t get me started on their constant texting in class to their friends!”

“Been holding that in much?” Trixie asked, patting her brother on the shoulder. He flushed.

“...Maybe a little.” He admitted.

“Can’t, I can’t believe that was the last conversation I shared with my sister before… before…” Sunburst whispered, before he let out a small sob. “Why’d… Why’d it have to be her?”

“I don’t know Sunny,” Sunset said, pulling him into a hug. “But I swear, when I, no when we find Retinax, we’ll go ahead and ask him,” she growled, reaching for her Crystal Saber.

“Where… where’d she get that much power? Not even Ranger Powers should grant her that much strength, the only way she’d get ahold of that much power, and go that insane is with…” Sunburst trailed off as soon as he realized. “Oh no.”

Sunset was soon to follow, and her eyes narrowed. “The Alicorn Amulet,” she growled out, before shouting: “Dammit Twilight! I told you we should have destroyed that thing when we had the chance!”

As the two formulated a plan to try and get Trixie back to her senses, from the bushes two familiar figures watched and listened.

“Man, this sucks…” Jindrax muttered. “Can’t believe I’m feeling sorry for a pony, or anything besides an Org for that matter, but really, nobody should have to go through that.”

“Yeah, and that’s why we’re going to, at least while the Rangers are out of action, help hold off Trixie when she attacks again. Not if, but when.” Toxica nodded.

Jindrax looked at his best friend as if she’d completely taken leave of all of her senses.

“Have you lost it Toxica?” he exclaimed. “That mare, she completely trashed the Rangers. Let me repeat that, she completely trashed the Power Rangers! So how well do you think we’d do, huh?” he asked.

“Well, someone’s got to stop her, and right now we’re one of the only few beings on this planet with enough power to stand up to her!” Toxica argued. “We’re Duke Orgs, remember? So unless you have any better ideas…”

“Well, maybe you might have the power, with all your magical ability, but all I can do is use swords and daggers, and maybe put on a circus act!” Jindrax snapped back. Loath as he was to admit it, but Taylor’s assessment of him as just a clown all those years ago wasn’t that far from the truth. His personal team with his brother was called Team Carnival for a reason after all.

Toxica reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. “Listen, you’re more powerful than you realize Jindrax. Hey, you figured out how to bring me back to life after Onikage killed me, right?”

“Yeah,” Jindrax murmured, sitting down on a rock and shaking his head. “But that was pure brains, nothing else. Didn’t involve me getting my hands dirty so to speak.”

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short. Cunning, maybe that it’s own kind of strength right?” Toxica asked.

“Yeah…” Jindrax commented, in a far more confident tone regaining some of his old fire. “Hey, yeah, maybe you’re right! Fat load of good it’d do me against someone who can put Zen-Aku to shame. ...Yeesh, now there’s a fight I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near if worse came to worst.”

“Hey, now that you mention it,” Toxica mused as a realization came to her. “Where is that old wolf anyhow? Haven’t seen him for a long while.”

“What, you actually want to see him?” Jindrax asked in surprise, shuddering at the thought of meeting up with the Wolf of the Night again. “You’ve got to be joking!”

“Never said anything about wanting to see him again,” Toxica mused. “I’m just saying, it’s a bit worrying that he isn’t around for all of this. I mean, if what I’ve heard from the Princess is correct, he does seem to have a certain fondness for Vapor…” she thought.

“...How fond?” Jindrax asked with more than a hint of nervousness. A bit of curiosity as well, if you listened closely enough.

“Probably about almost as fond as you are of me,” Toxica answered. “One would think, he’d go absolutely ballistic once he heard about this.”

Jindrax shuddered at the thought.

“M-Maybe news hasn’t reached him yet,” he stuttered out. “I-I mean, the guy likes to keep to himself, so chances are he wasn’t in the same general area as the Rangers when all of this went down. Might explain why we haven’t seen him in a while as well!” Jindrax remarked, though he wasn’t entirely sure if he believed that. Even Zen-Aku, for all his love of solitude and his general dislike of ponies popped in on the Animarium every once in a while just so he could see either the Princess or Vapor. One would almost think he was in love with… Nah, that couldn’t be. Jindrax brushed away the thought as soon as it occurred to him. It was absolutely, positively ridiculous! “So, what do we do?” he asked, after a long silence.

Toxica gripped her staff and sighed. “Can’t believe I’m saying this, but we help the Power Rangers in holding off Trixie, and if we can, help them find a way to remove this Alicorn Amulet thing from her.”

“...Wow, and I thought the words help the Power Rangers sounded wrong coming from my mouth back when I said it,” Jindrax remarked. “But still! Surely you’re not serious in us taking on her all by ourselves!”

“We may have to,” Toxica replied. “Who knows when Trixie will attack again? I don’t know if this has crossed your mind, but Princess Celestia’s nor Shining Armor’s response time isn’t instantaneous, and as far as we know there aren’t any other Rangers out there.”

“Yeah, as far as we know. Remember, we’re spending most of our time up here on the Animarium as not to freak ponies out, per Princess Shayla’s orders.”

“Orders we’re about to break,” Toxica replied. “Might I just add that?”

“Fair enough,” Jindrax admitted. “And I did notice something. The Rangers, they came in on this giant purple sea serpent-like thing, so that sorta implies…” he trailed off, with Toxica quickly catching on.

“There’s at least one more Ranger out there that we don’t know about.” she smiled.

Author's Notes:

Well, that's that. Not really sure what to say about this chapter, aside from thanking Shagohad for co-writing the flashback scene with Sunburst, Trixie and their mother. Actually, aside from the thank yous to Seriff Pilcrow and Voldine for explaining and walking me through the tube thoracostomy as it's called -With me not trying to hurl the entire time- I do actually have a comment to make. Two, actually. Firstly, Sunset, yes, she does know about the operation, and two, this was why it took so long for us to finally meet Sunburst's parents in-fic, I wanted to wait till the Parent Map officially aired so I can see them for myself and know what Stellar was like. Also, yes like Big Jim I think it was tweeted, Jack Pot from Grannies Gone Wild is Trixie's father, and she's the product of a one night stand.

Part 12: White Thunder Part 3 (Toxic Ginger)

“For the last time Toxica, this is crazy!” Jindrax protested, not for the first time since he’d left the relative safety of the Animarium. “I mean, calling Trix-Sorry, the White Ranger out for a fight? You saw what she did to the Rangers! What’s she going to do to us?” he asked nervously.

“Well, you have any better ideas?” Toxica asked, shooting him a deathly cold glare.

“Um… Let me think about that for a moment,” Jindrax remarked. “Nope, I’ve got nothing.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought...” Toxica grumbled. Inwardly, she was as terrified as Jindrax, and for good reason. After all, calling out and challenging a Ranger who beat six experienced Rangers in a straight up battle and put one in the hospital? Not her idea of a good time.

“So, uh, how do you think we find this Ranger?” Jindrax had to ask. “I mean, it’s not like she’s just going to show up out of the blue right?”

Predictably though, tempting fate had to say something about that.

“Looking for me?” the White Ranger asked, as she stepped out from behind a pillar, blood-red visor gleaming menacingly in the moonlight, with her blade rested on her shoulder. “Funny, two Duke Orgs walking in the moonlight together on a stroll. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were on a date,” she remarked, in an almost teasing tone. Snippets of Trixie’s original personality peeking through.

“We- We’re not on a-” Jindrax sputtered out. “Toxica, tell her that!”

Toxica’s only response, of course, was to launch a blast of pure red magic from her staff towards the White Ranger.

A shield sprung up and blocked the magical blasts. “Predictable. It’s always the same, shoot magic at the evil Ranger. Give me a break, show me something new!” the Ranger mocked.

Next thing the two Duke Orgs knew, the White Ranger was a blur, and slashing through them in the blink of an eye.

“You’re… You’re one to talk about being predictable!” Jindrax coughed out as he stood back up. “Same trick you used against the Rangers! Hell, bet you stole that from Zen-Aku, didn’t you! Exactly something he does!”

“Hey, if it isn’t broke…” the White Ranger trailed off. “Besides, I didn’t steal this. This is a bonafide original!” she commented, sounding annoyed.

“Really think getting her mad is the best idea Jindrax?” Toxica asked. “I mean-”

“Hey, Robert does it all the time with enemies, piss them off good enough, and they start making mistakes right?” Jindrax asked.

“Oh, hero worship… What a drag,” the White Ranger commented. “Besides, look at what happened to Robert. He’s lucky to be alive, if he even survived that shard through the stomach!”

“Do you ever stop talking?” Jindrax asked, going for his blade.

“Do you?” the White Ranger asked, raising an eyebrow under her helmet. “I mean, here you are, just a clown playing with knives like some sort of Russian circus act! Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to play with sharp objects?”

“Good thing I ignored her advice, then.” Jindrax smirked, bringing out a load of little knives and tossing some to Toxica. “Evil Ranger beatdown, Team Carnival style!” he commented.

With that, the knives were tossed back and forth between the two Duke Orgs, slicing into the White Ranger’s body over and over.

The Ranger let out a snarl, and her horn crackled with an eerie red glow, before lightning bolts rained down all around the twosome. “How does the old song go? Rain Hell from above? What a joke! You really think the two of you can take me? You’re just a pair of rejects!”

“I take that as a compliment. Besides, you really shouldn’t be talking about rejects, considering from what I heard, you can barely get a stage show anywhere after that Ursa Minor incident, not to mention taking over Ponyville!” Toxica remarked catishly.

Trixie let out a scream, and drew some energy arrows in mid-air with her sword, and pointed them all at Toxica. Apparently, she’d struck a chord.

Toxica, like some elaborate dancer, (She even had the veil over her face) spun her staff managing to block or deflect all of the arrows.

“You know, when that Wyatt boy was here, we had a nice long talk about his world,” Toxica began, giving Trixie a smug look. “Now that Trixie at least had an excuse for being obnoxious. Did you know she’s from a clan of monster hunters? A lot of weight to put on someone, no wonder she snapped, took over Ponyville and ruled it like a dictator. You on the other hand? You’re just a kid with nothing really to complain about.”

“Take… Take that back!” Trixie roared. For all of Toxica’s taunts, she was managing to reach Trixie deep down, even if neither realized it yet. She just needed to manage to keep striking the right nerves, bring Trixie back to the forefront, and not this personality that the White Dino Gem and the Alicorn Amulet had created.

“Why should I? That version of you had expectations to live up to, something to rebel against. What do you have? An inferiority complex? I mean, your brother’s a Ranger, and now here you are, copying him with this cheap knock-off of a suit! I mean, you make Lord Drakkon look tasteful for Pete’s sake!” Toxica mocked.

“Shut… shut up!” Trixie screamed at her, bringing down more lightning bolts from the heavens with her greatly increased magic, as both Toxica and Jindrax cartwheeled out of the way.

“You know, Jindrax, that other Trixie is a Rider, maybe we should call her up?” Toxica suggested, leaning on her staff. “Your worst opponent is yourself as the saying goes. Or, do you think meeting a better version would break this one?”

Trixie let out a scream, and went into Super Dino Mode, jagged blades of black bone sticking out everywhere from her suit, even from her gauntlets.

“Ooh, real edgy…” Jindrax snarked. “Could give all those bad Alicorn OCs I read about in terrible Celestia or Luna romance fanfictions a run for their money!”

“Hey, that gives me an idea!” Toxica snarked. “You trying to impress anyone Trix? Because it’s not working.”

One blast from Trixie’s horn sent her flying right back into a wall.

“Toxica!” Jindrax shouted in fear. “You’re going to pay for that!”

“You talk too much…” Trixie growled out, raising her arm blades as Jindrax pulled out his sword, a longer sharper version of his daggers. “Now, you clown-boy, anything you want to babble on about before I stick these blades through your heart?”

“Ooh, shot through the heart! You really do give love a bad name!” Jindrax mocked, quickly regaining his composure. Toxica had survived worse, he knew it. Besides, keeping on mocking Trixie would just make her do something even stupider. “Okay, serious talk. There’s so much more you could do with these powers Trixie, if you just stop listening to that little voice in the back of your head telling you to go completely nuts! Seriously, powers like these? Super-speed, those arrows of yours, not to mention your own magical ability? They could work wonders against the fight against the Orgs!” Jindrax continued, as he clashed blades with Trixie. Jindrax ducked to avoid a swing from Trixie’s arm blade, before he continued to babble on as Trixie put it. “Let’s talk Twilight m’kay?”

“What about her?” Trixie growled out, as their blades ground against each other, sparks flying.

“Considering what actually happened on your first visit to Ponyville? Why’d ya go after Twilight? She didn’t make you look like an idiot, those two stupid kids did. But you went for her,” Jindrax titled his head. “Trixie, do you have repressed feelings for mares?”

“Trixie is perfectly happy as a solo act, thank you very much!” Trixie shouted, not noticing her slip-up in word dialect. “What are you, some sort of Shrink?”

“Eh, I’m just pretty observant. I mean, if you do like mares, that’s fine. I’m not really one to judge, I mean seriously! My mouth doesn’t even move when I talk!”

“You don’t even have a heart!”

“Got it in one!” Jindrax winked before kicking Trixie in the stomach, making her stagger backwards. “I mean, if you were a smart mare, you’d have used all of your powers to their best effect, and kicked my ass to Kingdom Come! But no, you’re not a smart pony are you? A smart pony would end up fighting against the Orgs, but you? No, all you did was lay down and allow yourself to-”

Trixie sliced Jindrax across the chest.

“My only master is Retinax, I will make sure his dream of Org Rule becomes a reality!” Trixie shrieked.

Stumbling back, Jindrax locked eyes with Trixie. “I just got one question, why do you need a master in the first place? I might have spent a little too much time with humans, but one thing I took away was this: A man chooses, a slave obeys. Which one are you?”

During all of this, Jindrax keenly noted a familiar wolfish form standing on a nearby balcony. “A little help here?” he asked. Zen-Aku locked eyes with his fellow Duke Org as he rested his blade on his shoulder, before turning and teleporting off. “Aw come on, you gotta be kidding me! Seriously, you don’t hate me that much to leave me at the mercy at this bitch! Lend a fellow Duke Org a hand, or a paw or whatever!” Jindrax shouted in disbelief.

Trixie, taking advantage of this distraction, kneed Jindrax in the stomach.

“Don’t keep your eyes off me, foolish, rookie mistake. I’d thought someone of your age would know better!” Trixie taunted, slipping back into her White Ranger mode.

“You didn’t answer my questions,” Jindrax shot back, clutching his stomach. “Why do you need a master? Are you a slave, or a mare? Or is this like a fetish thing of yours, cause if it is, I'm not judging remember? And seriously, I still gotta ask, do you or do you not have feelings for Princess Twilight Sparkle?” he asked, playing on Trixie’s anger and probable jealousy even more.

“She doesn’t deserve that title!” the White Ranger shrieked out, firing a blast of magic from her horn that Jindrax just barely dodged, by rolling to the left.

“Funny, she’s done more to help Ponykind than you have, last I recall,” Jindrax remarked. “She’s building relations with other countries, while all you’re doing is sitting around, accepting power from whoever or whatever will give it to you! Take my advice, be your own Master. Not this… puppet!”

“If you’re going to say there are no strings on me next, shut your trap!”

“Already shut, remember? Mouth can’t move!” Jindrax reminded, with a little finger wag. “Like someone zipped it shut! Hell, if I didn’t know better, I’d say I was wearing one of those bad rubber suits from a tokusatsu show!”

Trixie’s only response was to slice him across the chest with two long twin energy blades of gold light before roundhouse kicking him in the face.

“You were saying something about my skills?” the White Ranger asked. “Face it, without that partner of yours to back you up, you aren’t worth anything at all!”

“Alright…” Jindrax growled out. “I’ve had about enough of you and your trap, and you mocking Toxica! Sure, I may not be the world’s most powerful Duke Org, and sure I’m pretty much nothing without Toxica half the time, but what does that make you? I’m sure as hell holding my own against someone who kicked the asses of the Power Rangers! Says a lot about me, and you don’t you think?” he asked, his voice coming out as a sneer.

And for once, Trixie didn’t even have any words to say to that. She just let out a shriek of anger, once more, and drew several more energy arrows, before firing them at Jindrax. Next thing the White Ranger knew however, a wall of pure wood and stone sprang up between her, and her target.

“You want to start actually showing yourself the worth of your title?” Toxica asked, having recovered, her staff glowing a bright green. “Also, next time you strike the Mistress of Org magic, make sure she stays down okay?”

“Noted,” Trixie stated. “Next time, you die,”

“Better villains than you have tried,” Toxica replied with a roll of her eyes. “While we're on villains, I have to ask, when you do help Retinax, the old fart he is, succeed in his plans of global domination, then what? You're no Org. What do you think he'll do with you?”

“Shut up! Shut up!” the White Ranger shrieked, wanting to deny Retinax’s inevitable betrayal, as she began firing off magic blasts wildly. Minds thinking alike, Jindrax and Toxica took cover behind twin pillars as bolts of magic flew by their heads, narrowly missing them by sheer inches.

“You know, maybe pissing her off wasn't the best of ideas,” Toxica remarked, more than a hint of trepidation in her tone.

“Gee, you think!?!”

Turtle Cove: Washington State

Meanwhile, flashing into a deep dark cave, water dripping onto the floor from a tiny crack into the ceiling and pooling beneath his feet, was Zen-Aku. His thoughts ran rampant.

“Why… why did I leave?” the Wolf of the Night asked himself. “He needed my help, so why didn't I provide it?”

Zen-Aku sighed, his shoulders slumping as he did so. A brief image flashed through his mind, a massive dark green mecha with a wolf’s head, a long golden horn sticking out of the forehead. It actually resembled him in some ways. It was coated in flames as it battled another mecha for supremacy under a full moon’s light, this other mecha having a red lion with a golden mane as its chest and the head bearing some sort of multi-pointed crown. One arm ended in a shark’s jaws, and the other in a tiger’s. They clashed, a blue blade resembling a fin meeting a massive staff.

Then, another image flashed into his mind as Zen-Aku clutched his head and howled in pain. He was in a city, looking up at the sky at some figure coated in light and only just barely visible. Remember, it told him. But remember what? He let out a growl as he thought back to Jindrax. That fool could take care of himself, Zen-Aku mused.

“Aww, did wolfy stub his toe and get a boo-boo?” a familiar and rather unwelcome hyena-like tone cackled. “Heard your howling, I thought wolves were supposed to be the musicians of the night!”

“Doomwing,” Zen-Aku sighed. “As if my night already wasn't bad enough…”

“Aww, I'm hurt!” Doomwing laughed, making a motion as if he’d been hit in the chest by one of Zen-Aku’s Crescent Waves. The Wolf of the Night often wished to do that to him. “But never mind that, thought you should know, Retinax’s-”

“Lord Retinax.” Zen-Aku reprimanded.

“Whatever!” Doomwing scoffed. “Your lord, not mine! Anyways, thought you should know, his new White Ranger? Doing well! Slashed up those Rangers up real good! Ooh, I heard the purple one took quite the wallop!” He laughed. Something clicked in Zen-Aku’s mind, though he didn't know what. A familiar face, smiling at him gently. White curly hair, and feathered wings. He didn’t know why, but Zen-Aku felt distinctly angry. “Best bit? Few more days, we'll be rid of her for good! Alicorn Amulet, and White Dino Gem? Never meant to mix. Can't wait to see what happens when that mare finally goes. Wonder if it'll be as dramatic as a death befitting a showmare as I think it'll be? Ooh, I can’t wait, the suspense is just killing me!” Doomwing cackled before walking deeper into the caves.

Zen-Aku growled, and his grip tightened on his blade.

Back with Jindrax and Toxica, their fight with Trixie had progressed to an industrial estate as they moved out of town, and the sun began to slowly rise over the horizon, a bright orange orb peeking through the cloud cover. A massive institute to the titans of industry, pipes covered the huge factory as smokestacks belched out clouds of smoke, with the pipes themselves carrying steam and other things to various destinations.

Jindrax chased after the White Ranger, leaping over a pipe as he did so, blades drawn. Toxica was right behind him, staff in hand.

“Does… Does she ever tire?” Toxica asked, holding her side. “We’ve been doing this for over an hour!”

“All night, technically,” Jindrax corrected. “But I get your point.”

The White Ranger leaped forwards, and in midair, drew some more energy arrows, and fired them at the two Duke Orgs.

“She’s… she’s relentless!” Toxica panted out as she threw up a shield to block the arrows. Jindrax tossed his daggers, the blades spinning in midair and they hit and pierced a pipe near Trixie, the White Ranger being blasted with a cloud of scalding hot steam as it burst open.

“Did that hurt?” Toxica asked. “If so, good!” she snapped, before firing another blast of magic at Trixie as she tried to recover. Trixie caught the blast with her horn, and absorbed the magic, before knocking both Jindrax and Toxica back with a shockwave of energy.

“Don’t you two fools get it yet?” the White Ranger asked. “I’m invincible!”

“Maybe you just need a bigger challenge then…” Galaxy’s voice remarking, coming from somewhere nearby, but it’s owner unseen. Then, a manifestation of a Pachycephalosaurus’ head fired out of nowhere and bit down on Trixie before flying back to its owner as Galaxy cried: “Unleash the Power!” and morphed, drawing his scythe.

“You again?” Trixie asked. “Didn’t you learn your lesson the first time around when I kicked your sorry bat-pony ass?”

“Thestral. Learn the bloody difference!” Galaxy snapped out of pure reflex. “And anyway, you’ve been battling all night, and quite a bit of yesterday as well. You’re bound to be tired, I’d say. Doubtful these two Duke Orgs would have been able to fight you off as well as they did otherwise.”

“Well, it would have been three Duke Orgs, had Zen-Aku not chose to abandon us!” Jindrax hissed out, Toxica looking at him in shock not privy to this little detail.

“Knew we shouldn’t have trusted that wolf to begin with…” Galaxy thought.

“What do you plan to do, how do you plan to beat me alone?” the White Ranger taunted.

“He’s not alone,” the purple Dino Charge Ranger said, as she leaped down from her Plesiozord as it rocketed overhead, her Dino Saber in one hand, and a Spin Sword in the other. She looked towards Jindrax and Toxica. “Leave this to us, okay? We can handle her.”

“O-only too happy to…” Jindrax stammered out, giving her a thumbs up. “Think I’mma go collapse in a heap now.”

With that, he fainted dead away. “One more Ranger makes no difference,” Trixie commented, drawing her blade. “You’ll go down like all the rest.”

“Funny, I seem to remember beating you solo last time we met,” the purple ranger commented, tossing her Dino Saber aside not needing it for this battle, it hitting the gravel below with a clattering sound. “Or has my memory failed me? Also, I remember fighting in the Legendary Battle alongside your predecessor, and he was much, much more creative in the use of his powers.”

Trixie gripped her weapon, staring the purple ranger down. “It doesn’t matter if he had these powers first, I have them now, I’m the only one who matters!” Building magic around her horn, she fired a bolt of blood-red lightning at the pair.

Galaxy managed to raise his scythe, and use it as a grounding point even as he slid backwards from the force of the lightning, gritting his teeth as he did so. Firing from the hip, he shot out a blast of energy from his Dino Morpher, making Trixie stagger.

“Now!” he barked to his fellow Ranger. “Take her down!”

The purple ranger rushed forward, delivering a slash across Trixie’s chest. The cut exploded in a shower of sparks and black ichor, bringing Trixie to her knees. However, Trixie charged up another blast of magic, and knocked the purple ranger back in a shockwave of energy, with the Samurai using only her Spin Sword to block most of the force of the blow as she flew backwards.

“Okay, clearly this is going to be more of a challenge than I thought…” the Purple Ranger mused aloud. “She’s got some skills, I’ll give her that, but they’re wild, untamed,” she remarked, before noting Galaxy’s expression under his helmet. “Something wrong?”

“Yeah… That ichor, I’ve seen it in old books, I know where it comes from,” Galaxy explained. “Only someone who’s wearing the Alicorn Amulet, and’s been corrupted long enough starts to bleed that crap.”

“Great, so she’s brainwashed. Why can’t things ever be simple eh?” the Purple Ranger asked.

“Oh, it gets worse,” Galaxy remarked, as he blocked Trixie’s sword with his own blade.

“Why is that not surprising?” the still-unknown Purple Ranger asked.

“Ignoring that,” Galaxy sighed as he leaped backwards to avoid a sword swing as the Purple Ranger dealt out several devastating slashes to Trixie’s chest armor, before she had to leap away from twin energy blades. “Only way for Trixie to pry that amulet off, is of her own free will.”

“Lovely…” the Purple Ranger asked. “Got any ideas on how to do that, aside from appealing to her better nature?” she asked sarcastically. She felt a pang, in the old days, she probably would have done just that. But now? That was a different story, the much more cynical ranger mused to herself.

“Well,” Jindrax suggested, as he managed to recover himself. “We did manage to get her pissed off enough, so that the persona created by this Alicorn Amulet thing broke, if only by just a little.”

Galaxy, filing that information away for later, slotted a Dino Charger with the image of Megaforce Silver emblazoned on it into his Morpher, and fired, getting quite the recoil as he fired a silver blast of energy towards Trixie, making her stagger.

The Purple Ranger then rushed forwards, pulling out another Disk and putting it on her Spin Sword, and activating it. “Lightning Fury!” she called out, dashing forwards leaving a trail of yellow-toned lightning behind her, as Trixie screamed out in pain.

“So…” the White Ranger snarled as she picked herself up. “You want to raise the stakes? Well then, you asked for it!” she exclaimed, as the screech of the Dragozord was heard overhead.

“Zord time huh?” the Purple Ranger asked. “I can go for-”

She was soundly kicked in the stomach by the still smoking Trixie, whose horn glowed a bright red, as a clone of her appeared in the Dragozord’s cockpit and gripped the white and gold orb that functioned as a console.

“Guess it’s time for me to be the hero once again!” Jindrax proclaimed, grabbing the Purple Ranger’s Dino Saber, and leaping into the Plesiozord’s cockpit. Jindrax looked around him, and smiled a bit, using the Dino Saber like a joystick of some sort to control the massive Zord’s flight patterns. “Always wanted to fly one of these, ever since I was a little Orgling!” he laughed as the Plesiozord flew towards the Dragozord, firing amber beams of energy from the Plesiozord’s eyes at the massive bone-white tupuxuara-themed Zord, which did barrel rolls with it’s astounding agility and speed to avoid. The Dragozord’s wingtips glowed with a bright light, before they slashed the Plesiozord along the side. Inside, Jindrax just barely kept hold of the controls as the cockpit’s interior sparked.

“Time to finish the job…” the White Ranger thought. “Now, DinoStegoZord formation!” Trixie cackled, even as she dueled both of her fellow Dino-themed Rangers sword to sword atop a roof. Galaxy rebounded off an air conditioner, and launched a spinning red arc of energy towards Trixie, which she barely deflected, sliding back a bit, before launching a group of energy arrows towards the Graphite Ranger knocking him flat.

The Dragozord flew down out of the early morning skies, and latched onto the Stegozord’s back as Trixie jumped inside its cockpit. Both of the Zords’ eyes flashed, and they emitted roars as the Dragozord flew upwards, Stegozord still attached to it. It did several midair spins before the Dragozord split apart into several pieces. Wings became legs, and the arms of the Dragozord became that of the new Megazord. What was left -The main body of the Dragozord- became a powerful lance-like weapon, and the Stegozord’s head opened up to reveal the Megazord’s face.

“Okay, guess it’s time to even up the odds…” Jindrax mused. “Activate, Plesio Charge Megazord!” he shouted out even as the Duke Org gripped the Dino Saber with his hands.

Parts, including the long neck and wings of the Zord detached, and two legs folded down, with the wings becoming feet. The neck became the left arm, a powerful laser cannon, while two other parts formed the right arm, and the head. A gold mouthplated face came into view, with two stoic green eyes staring down the massive enemy Megazord as the now completed mecha’s warrior formation let off hisses of steam.

“See, so easy even an Org like myself can do it!” Jindrax commented cheerfully, before he let out a yelp as the DinoStegoZord fired it’s lance towards his own Megazord, making it stagger back from the force of the blow. He gritted his teeth. “Okay, now you’re just trying to make me mad aren’t you? I just got this thing, and God only knows how much the insurance is for a Zord!”

The DinoStegoZord swung its retrieved lance, and the Plesio Charge Megazord raised it’s laser arm to block it, sparks flying as the two massive giants met blow for blow.

Down with the White and Purple Rangers, the Purple Ranger placed another disk on her sword, a red one and spun it, her sword turning into a massive shark-themed sword, which seemed to be almost sentient as its owner gained a long red coat with the kanji for Earth on the back.

“Say hello to Shark Attack Mode. Now, you’re swimming in really dangerous waters.” the Purple Ranger stated simply.

“Looks more like a Dinosaur Attack Mode, if you ask me…” Galaxy thought, noting the weapon’s design. Trixie just barely managed to fend off the onslaught of the powerful whip sword, biting and slashing at her costume, and Galaxy yelped as the sword nearly cleaved his own head clean off. “Hey, watch it!” he shouted.

The Purple Ranger ignored him, and sliced at Trixie again, catching her off-guard, and landed a blow, just as Jindrax did the same and managed to fire off a Galactic Blast at the DinoStegoZord, making it stagger back.

Even Trixie knew when it was a lost cause, and snapped her fingers before she teleported out in a cyclone of icy cold winds, with her Megazord vanishing in midair.

“Okay, that was awesome,” Jindrax said, as he leaped down onto the rooftop with Toxica joining him. He, along with his fellow Duke Org and Galaxy soon turned their gaze to the Purple Ranger. “But I’ve gotta ask, who are you?”

“You’ll learn when I’m good and ready. I’ll be there when you need me, Rangers Together after all.” she said, and Galaxy could have sworn she winked at him, before vanishing in a flash of light.

“Great, another mystery, that’s all we need…” he thought.

Author's Notes:

Yep, Jindrax and Toxica finally get to be the heroes for once in this story, and get their moment to shine. Told you guys I had something planned for them didn't I?

(Also, so not sorry for that shameless reference from Jindrax to the Lightspeed finale.)

Huge thank you to Shagohad12 for being my co-writer for Jindrax and Toxica's fight against Trixie, and over half of their smartass remarks towards her, along with a little bit of the Dino Charge Ranger fight against Trixie as well. Also, that Megaforce Silver Charger, it does exist, if only in toyline form. Not really sure what it'd do, so I just guessed and had it mimmick one of Orion's finishers.

Part 13: White Thunder Part 4: (The One You've Been Waiting For)

And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt -Johnny Cash, American IV: The Man Comes Around

Clink, clang, ch-chink! Went the sound of pickaxes and shovels in a rhythmic fashion, deep inside the innards of a dank, dark cave deep beneath Ponyville. This was the home of the underdwellers, the home of the Diamond Dogs. A series of tunnels and carts leading through those tunnels stretched out from the wall, with some bridges leading over the lower half of the mine as well down into deep dark yawning abysses. The huge cave where the smaller ones connected was colossal, with a large cave ceiling and elongated stalactites hanging down from it. At many of the cave entrances, more dogs stood guard, armored and holding their spears, nothing would get past them. Great wooden machines of various uses, from things like crude generators, and even torture devices stood in various areas of the mine. With nothing but brown and grey for colour, the mine was as devoid and lifeless as it could have gotten.

It was one of those dark forbidden realms, one of those places most ponies didn’t dare delve to go. And the entrances were nearly impossible to find at times. Well, like I said, most ponies. Special Agent Sweetie Drops of the SMILE organization, also known as Bon-Bon to the populace at large was not most ponies. Trained monster hunter, and if she had any desire to be, a probable candidate for the Power Rangers. Hell, she probably might just jump at the call if she was asked, if not for one factor. Namely, her wife Lyra. To be honest, Bon-Bon as she actually preferred to call herself had wanted a nice peaceful retirement after SMILE was disbanded. Just kick back, relax and enjoy herself, open up a bakery. She’d been surprised when she fell in love with Lyra in the process, but it was a pleasant surprise none-the-less.

Sadly, she’d been called back into service, and actually fairly recently at that. It all started, she supposed, when Robert had landed in Equestria from a distant past.

“Princess,” Sweetie Drops said, her curly mane in a nicely tied bun. “Surprised you’d ever contact me again, at least under my former persona. If anything, I was expecting you to contact me as Bon-Bon, not-”

“Sweetie Drops?” Celestia asked. “Yes, well… times have changed. You’re quite aware of our new arrival I presume?”

“Ah yes, the human…” Sweetie Drops muttered in a tone of slight disgust. “Should have known that’s what this was about. I must admit, I’m surprised about a human being alive…” she muttered, recalling her first meeting with the being known as Robert Williams.

“Ah yes, that… thing,” Celestia sniffed in a tone of absolute disgust, like she regarded Robert as nothing but a pile of dog shit underneath her hoof. The air seemed to grow hotter, and Sweetie Drops wondered if Celestia’s mane had always flickered like that. “I want you to keep an eye on him, you understand? Reforming SMILE, just for this occasion, have a few guards keep an eye on his whereabouts.”

“I… I understand,” Sweetie Drops nodded. “But isn’t all of… well, this, just that slightest bit overboard?”

“It isn’t overboard when he rapes somepony,” Celestia lowered her brows. “People like that should be kept on a leash, if you ask me. Or at the very most, tied to a stake and burned at it.”

“The Wicker Man, you mean?” Sweetie Drops asked. “Or a Guy Fawkes style effigy thing?”

“Yes. Plus, I’ve needed to sate his hunger for a while now. This Robert Williams would make a good offering for him.” Celestia’s voice turned venomous and spiteful. The heat in the room continued to grow, and Celestia’s eyes turned a sharp orange, as a few candles on golden sticks began to melt, Sweetie Drops adjusting the tie on her suit. “Do you think you can do that for me? Please?” Celestia’s old attitude came back.

All of Sweetie Drop’s senses were screaming alarm bells by now, this entire thing felt wrong, but if she didn’t do this, Mystic Mother knows what Celestia would do to her, or more likely those she cared about. She’d heard the stories, of what happened to those who disobeyed her. Celestia made them wish they were dead. Forget things like Brazen Bulls and the like, those were far too crude for her. Instead, she just psychologically tortured them, made them hollow shells of their former selves. Took away everything that was precious to them.

And so Bon-Bon compiled, just for the time being. She supposed, learning about Celestia and Solar Flare being two separate beings shouldn’t have been that surprising in hindsight.

“It's... It's about Robert," Sunset said sadly, a tear going down her face. “He knows... Knows about everything Princess Celestia and Commander Hurricane's forces did to his species.”

The Boutique went completely silent. Zephyr, who was combing Lyra's mane, dropped both his jaw and his comb in shock and whispered: “Oh dear Mystic Mother…”

“And I assume that's when he punched you?” Rarity asked sadly, noting her friend's bloody nose. Rarity was glad Twilight wasn't around to see this, as she'd go running to Celestia at once.

“...Yeah. Stings a bit, but I suppose I deserve it for keeping a secret this big from him for so long." Sunset replied sadly.

“So where is he now?” Rarity asked curiously and in concern for her friend.

“Somewhere safe, so he won't go right up to Princess Celestia's castle and get himself killed. His mental state is... dangerous,” Sunset admitted. “Granted, he’s not psychopath-crazy like those people in movies or video games, but he’s still too dangerous to be around.”

Sweetie Drops sighed as she watched Sunset share her feelings about Robert learning the truth, and could only sympathise with her. Robert was… not really the most subtle of human, and often had a tendency to fly off of the handle at times and that wasn’t even getting into his ego. She had no idea what he was planning, or where he would strike next. But she knew being sealed in a containment card was his fate in the end for his rape crime.

Now, a more rational Sweetie Drops might have questioned the facts, and wondered if Robert really did rape anypony, but right now those investigative cogs in her mind simply were not turning.

“Yes, probably best dear. You made a wise choice.” Rarity told her friend, laying a hand on her shoulder. Then everypony heard a familiar but unusually saddened voice from behind them. They had been focused on Sunset and Rarity's conversation that they had not taken notice of this new arrival.

“The situation with Celestia is more complex than it seems at first glance.” Luna's voice put in and everypony turned to her. But something was off. Luna's voice was not coming from her mouth. Sunset and Rarity quickly realized she was speaking telepathically.

“What... What do you mean?” Rarity asked in curiosity. Luna sighed sadly.

“The Celestia we know, and the one Robert knows, they are one in the same and yet not at the same time.”

“Okay, now you've lost me.” Sunset stared.

She means that both Celestia and Solar Flare could be the same entity… Bon-Bon tapped her hoof to the ground repeatedly as she drank the information in. The very Solar Flare the Rangers had tried to battle was Princess Celestia herself? That… that can’t be true, can it?

“What I mean to say is, well... You all know very well I had two facets of my personality? The one you see before you now, and the one formed from my darkest desires and thoughts, Nightmare Moon.”

“So... You're saying we're dealing with something similar?” Rarity asked with dawning realization at what the Princess of the Night was getting at. Meanwhile, everypony was watching the three mares seemingly standing around doing nothing in confusion.

Another Nightmare Moon? Then couldn’t we just use the Elements of Harmony to cleanse her like before?The question ran over and over through Bon-Bon’s mind. Whether she could say yes or no to it was even more of a mystery. For who was to say this Celestia would be fixed by it?

“Yes and no. While in my case it was my own jealousy and you could tell the two apart and Nightmare controlling me completely, with Celestia... It's something else. Solar Flare, her own dark side was formed in a different way, and is more subtle, so subtle in fact you cannot tell who is who, and she influences Celestia's desires. Just earlier I overheard her ask me and the Royal Guard to keep an eye on Robert to make sure he doesn't do anything.... untoward shall we say and when he does, capture and kill him.” Luna explained and both Rarity and Sunset covered their mouths in horror. Now everypony was really confused. What could be so horrible that it would garner a reaction like that?

“Oh... This is bad. We've got a split personality, but we can't tell which personality is in control at any time unless Solar does anything obviously her!” Sunset whispered before she looked directly at Luna, her gaze drilling into her. “Nothing like that's happened yet... has it?”

Sunset was severely hoping she was wrong, but Luna's expression said it all.

Bon-Bon let out a small growl as she watched Luna break down sobbing into Sunset’s arms, with the Alicorn bringing her in for a hug. She didn’t need to be a genius to guess what had happened, Robert had raped Luna, and that was the end of it. She clenched her fists, drawing blood, but nobody seemed to take any notice of this thankfully.

“Then you shall stay here in Ponyville, under an alias. There's an inn nearby, goes by the name of the Prancing Pony. Disguise yourself, give yourself a new name and Solar will never find you while a solution to split the two is found.” Rarity stated and Luna smiled weakly.

“T-Thank you…” Luna whispered before she vanished in a flash of blue light.

“She does love her entrances and exits, doesn't she?” Sunset joked weakly and gained a few chuckles out of that before her expression turned serious.

“I'll go to Twilight's, explain the situation and we'll find a solution, fix this mess and get our Celestia free from that monster.” Sunset stated firmly before running out the door, a new purpose filling her very body. It was a good thing she left when she did, as after she'd left a creature that could only be described as a walking camera stepped in.

“Heh, perfect. With my wide angle lens, I'll get all of you all at once! Now watch the birdie!” Camera Org said and his camera lens extended and with a click, all of the ponies inside the Boutique had vanished, as if they'd never been there in the first place…

Sweetie Drops recalled waking up in the middle of the warehouse district, and watching Robert demorph from the Orange Ranger in a flash of light and with a snap of his fingers. She supposed, rescuing her, a pony he had no rights to give two fucks about should have been her wake-up call as it were. But still, it took one final incident, namely Sunset being put in hospice and Robert going on a practical rampage to find who ordered the attack to do it. She was later witness to this happening, two guards, ones she’d personally ordered to go after Robert do this after he’d found the pony who’d attacked Sunset and had him arrested.

“You’re coming with us,” A female voice Robert recognized as one of the guards sent to spy on him before ordered. “Princess Celestia’s orders.”

“Yeah, I doubt that highly. If Sunset put her faith in Celestia, so should I. Might not be very cop-like of me, but I’ve never been much of a good one anyhow,” Robert remarked and then smirked. “So, how’d she get to you? Threats against your family, yourself? If it’s anything else, don’t expect me to show any sympathy when I send you lot packing to the hospital wards.”

“M-Money.” The female guard said, her voice quivering with fear and Robert sighed.

“Figures. That’s what it always is with corruption. I heard that’s what Grumm did with the A-Squad, offered them quite a lot of Space Bullion and where did it get them? Oh right, confinement cards.”

Robert then whirled around to knock the guards back with kicks to the face and as they staggered back their spears flew from their hands.

“I much prefer a good hand to hand brawl anyways,” Robert commented and cracked his knuckles. “Your boss wants me dead, she can come down and do her dirty deeds herself. Tell that to her when I’m done with you.”

The guards, much to Robert’s surprise actually put up a very good fight. Now that he hadn’t caught them off guard in any way, they could actually counter and block any of his punches or kicks. At one point, he tried a Chinese kickboxing maneuver, but the attack was caught and he was thrown to the ground. Robert then tried to kick the guard in question in the chin as he recovered, but the guard jumped to the left and kicked Robert in the chest sending him flying across the room and into the bottles of beer stacked behind the bar-top. The glass cut into his skin, leaving his back bleeding.

“Give up yet? Your humans were always second best, second rate.” The female guard asked.

“Funny, someone else said something like that to some friends of mine. Guess what happened?”

“Your friends, got their asses kicked like I expect.” The male of the two guards replied as he and his partner advanced.

“Wrong,” Robert snarled, shocking them both.

“It was the other way ‘round. Just doing what you’re told, right? Just like the Nazis did when Hitler ordered them to round up the Jews and gas ‘em. I have a friend who’s Jewish, and I’m half German so you can imagine that’s a very sore spot in my heritage,” Robert snarled, looking directly at the female of the twosome. “You know, I had high hopes for you, not being Celestia’s little puppet and dancing to her strings, but guess I was wrong. You guards all seem to be the same except for a rare few like your Captain, Shining Armor. He knows when to question orders. You’re like sheep, you are, always waiting to be shepherded around into your pen by the local Border Collie.”

“How dare you!?!” The female roared, angered that Princess Celestia was compared to a dog. “You can’t defeat us, and you know it.”

“That’s right… Bitch. I do know that. I was only buying time. You haven’t noticed yet, have you?” Robert asked while smirking and both guards felt a very warm presence about then and turned to see Princess Celestia behind them. Her eyes were flaring in anger and the snow around her was melting from her sheer presence. Next to her was Steel Sentry and another guard who quickly cuffed the two traitors.

“Looks like you two just got demoted.” Robert smirked. In the background, Sweetie Drops gasped. She’d caused all of this in a way, due to her own blind worship, and not checking the facts like a real agent should have. Pulling out her badge from her suit pocket, she squeezed it, and with her Earth Pony strength managed to crush it completely into something beyond recognition. Never again, she’d told herself. Never again.

So that’s why she’d found herself in a pantsuit and an old fedora in a mine. Bon-Bon stepped forward into a larger cave in the network, where a giant crystal hovered daintily on an island, with an endless abyss of black for a moat. One singular bridge stood between her and the gem, with Diamond Dogs stationed at all four of the posts holding it up. She couldn’t even get near without being seen.

“What in the world is this?” She asked, stepping out of the shadows ever so slightly. “And why are the Diamond Dogs so intent on guarding this particular crystal when there are so many others in these mines?”

She accidentally tripped over a fallen spear, knocking her flat to the floor, and a few Diamond Dogs, seemingly gazing upon the Crystal in worship, turned to face her.

“Oi! What’re you doin’ ‘ere, missy?” One of the dogs grumbled, with a very British accent to him. “Get back to your minin’ cave already.”

“...Excuse me?” Bon-Bon asked. “Do I look like one of your slaves to you?” she deadpanned, taking out a bo staff, and spinning it.

“Trust me. You don’t wanna fight me,” The Diamond Dog punched his paw, and watched as his comrades ran to his side. “Especially when you’re outmatched and outclassed.”

“Funny, that’s what my teacher in the Red Room said when she trained me to be an agent of SMILE, set my entire class on me, and guess what happened? No seriously, guess.” Bon-Bon deadpanned.

“Boys! Ruff ‘em up!” The British Diamond Dog roared, and his associates ran towards Bon-Bon, barking crazily. “And get her back in her doghouse!”

“Sorry boys, not today. Only one who I allow to put a leash and collar on me is my wife, and you sure as Hell don’t look like her. Not nearly as good looking, for one,” she mocked, taking down the guards with simple strikes or tripping them up. “I’m freeing your slaves, and then sealing off these entire caverns. SMILE’s overlooked them for far too long, time to change that. Name’s Bon-Bon. Agent Bon-Bon, and I hunt monsters.”

“Then you’re out of your league, missy.” The last dog snickered. “This ain’t no ordinary crystal. The boss ordered us to guard it because it’s much too dangerous.”

“AKA, he’s so dumb he doesn’t know what it is,” Bon-Bon deadpanned. “Sorry to say, but me and that crystal, we have business together.”

“Why don’t you take that business elsewhere, then?” The dog pulled out a detonator and pushed the button. Explosions rang out from the base of the island, forming cracks around it. “Hope you like talkin’ to that git at the bottom of the cave!”

Bon-Bon simply spun her staff, deflecting the shots before running towards the lead dog, drew back her fist, and punched him in the face, breaking his nose and drawing blood.

“Come an’ ‘ave a go if you think yer ‘ard enough!” The dog punched back, socking Bon-Bon across the cheek before grabbing her legs and yanking them off the ground.

Bon-Bon pulled out a taser and used it on the dog.

“Oh, I’m ‘ard enough’ alright.” Bon-Bon mocked before she kicked the dog over the edge and ran for the bridge, watching it break along with the island. It was going to splinter any second now, and so she leaped for the island, just barely grasping at it with her hands, and pulled herself up over the edge. Going for her belt, she pulled out a huge black pistol and aimed it at the ceiling, bringing down several stalactites and sending them crashing into the floor to be used as stepping stones later one.

“Okay, problem one solved. I’ve got access to the core crystal. Problem two, and that’s a work in progress,” Bon-Bon said into a small recording device. “Free the Diamond Dog slaves. Soon to be resolved, I think,” she said, before pulling out a small belt with a big, red buckle with a device on it. A slot for something sat at the right side with the left end having more buckle holders, for if the user had a smaller waistline. Bon-Bon pulled out what looked to be a black USB flash drive and inserted it in the slot with a shout of: “Henshin!”. Her recording device, on the other hand, turned into what looked to be a stag beetle and flew off towards the upper caverns.

“Skull!” the belt cried, and Bon-Bon was turned into a black-clad figured with a white scarf and a skull themed helmet, with her fedora atop her head. She ran towards the edge of the island, looking back at the crystal in the center.

“I’ll come back for you later…” she mused to herself, hoping this prototype actually worked as well as it was supposed to. She leaped across her impromptu stepping stones, and ran into another cavern, with ponies chained and muzzled to the walls.

“You’re all getting lashings for singing while you work, ponies!” Said the dog looking at the muzzled ponies. Taking his spiky whip, he struck the ponies in the chest and watched them scream. “No singing in Diamond Dog mines!”

Bon Bon knocked her magnum up against a wall several times, drawing everyone’s attention to her.

“Who do you think you are!?!” the diamond dog asked, before he looked her up and down with a lustful gleam in his eyes. “And what, may I ask, kind of Ranger are you?”

“I’m not a Ranger. I’m a Kamen Rider. And now, time to count up your crimes!” Bon-Bon shouted, as she pointed directly at the dog in question. Even as she said this, she winced under her helmet. One day, probably someday soon she’d probably be counting up her own crimes.

“Count up this!” The dog rushed forward and slashed his whip down at her.

Bon-Bon grabbed the whip, ripped it out of the dog’s paws, took the handle, and smashed it around on the ground. “Are you ready to repent?” She asked, giving him a disgusted glare.

“What kind of—“

Before the dog could finish, Bon-Bon whipped the legs and swung him around, swinging and flicking so that he crashed into the ground head first. She then followed up with what could have been the most deadly Rhythmic Ribbon performance ever seen as she smashed the machines up with the Diamond Dog, before finishing by knocking over all the troops who ran at her.

Bon-Bon smirked as the dogs all saw stars above their eyes. “Now, let’s see your fate.” She pulled out a device similar to what the SPD rangers used to evaluate criminals and saw all of the Diamond Dogs’ misdemeanors appear. “Hoo boy. Hell of a long list you got here. I’d read them off, but, I’d rather send you to Tartarus now before all the hassle comes along.”

She pulled out the little device that allowed her to transform and inserted it into her magnum, which proclaimed: “Skull Maximum Drive!” and fired off a series of powerful energy bursts at the dogs knocking them to the ground.

Blowing smoke off the magnum like she was some sort of ye Old West gunfighter, she then set about breaking the chains that held the various ponies with powerful axe kicks or using her fedora Oddjob style.

“Go, now! Run for the surface!” Bon-Bon shouted, as she gestured to a tunnel that led upwards. The tired and beaten ponies took this chance as Bon-Bon snapped several pictures with a dark blue camera of the diamond dogs and their crimes for evidence to present to Celestia later. “As for you…” She turned back to the dogs and held a series of Containment Cards. “Do you know what happens when you’re trapped inside these things, then they get ripped in half? Neither do I, actually, for that matter.”

“What’re you—“

“Let’s find out together, shall we?” She fired off an antimatter blast with her judgment scanner and trapped the dogs within. Then, she tore them all up together and watched as the dogs all let out screams as their bodies exploded, spreading blood and guts all over, but leaving Bon-Bon and the ground relatively clean. Bon-Bon grimaced at the sight, and sucked in a breath. She really hated killing, even if they did deserve it.

She turned her attentions back to the main cavern. Now, to get back to the other reason she came here…

Canterlot Castle

Bon-Bon eventually returned to Canterlot Castle, her Bat Shot and Stag Phone in her pantsuit pockets and Skull Magnum in its holster, the job done. The ground beneath her was all crystalline, with a singular carpet leading to a four-pointed flower sigil in the center. Small fountains hung from the side and trickled water down into the pools. Celestia and Luna’s thrones both stood majestically before her, with color-coordinated fabric to tell whose’ chair was whose. The ceiling stood proudly on pillars along the walls, with stained glass windows lighting up the otherwise silver room. Two small doors sat at the back, leading to the balcony outside. But that wasn’t what she was focused on right now.

“Milady,” Bon-Bon said, as she bowed in Celestia’s presence. Bon-Bon’s breath caught in her throat in spite of herself She had no reason to be afraid of Celestia, not anymore, Solar Flare was gone, cleansed. Still, years of living under constant paranoia that Solar Flare would suddenly erupt -Bon-Bon had seen it happen- had made her very, very afraid to be in Celestia’s presence at times. “Job’s done, I have the makings of more Gaia Memories, and…”

“Yes?” Celestia asked in concern, noting how Bon-Bon was holding back bile. Well, trying to hold back bile anyways, as she soon saw the cream-colored pony vomit all over the carpets. She sighed, she’d have a Royal Guard take care of that later. “You saw something, didn’t you?”

“Y-Yes…” Bon-Bon shook, her voice quavering. “I-In the mines, t-the ponies. I-I have pictures, in my camera…” she stuttered out, before vomiting once more.

“Shh…” Celestia whispered, teleporting a chair into the room from somewhere else in the castle. “Just you take a rest, okay Bon-Bon?”

Bon-Bon’s eyes widened, Celestia had never called her by her codename, just by her real name Sweetie Drops. Was Sweetie Drops her real name anymore? She’d been Bon-Bon for so many years now, she really didn’t know what to call herself in her mind now. Celestia meanwhile, gently took the Bat Shot and flipped through the pictures, eyes widening as she did so.

Celestia herself had to hold back vomit, as she saw what had happened to the ponies in the Diamond Mines. Pictures showed that the ponies had gone under all sorts of torture, the kind only monsters like King Sombra would love. Ponies, her little ponies, she thought as her anger began to rise, blood beginning to boil, chained to wooden posts, stripped of their clothing and bare backs whipped by cat-o-nine-tail whips till their backs were a sea of red. Dignity defiled, as Diamond Dogs took them for their own turning them into their own twisted foul trophies. Celestia calmed herself, lest her intense magical power go absolutely berserk and absolutely destroy the castle, and quite possibly the surrounding mountain sides in a plume of balefire.

She sighed to herself, as she tried to calm herself and regain her composure, her horn’s magical fiery orange glow going back to gold, and then fading completely. “The fallout from this, it’s going to be huge isn’t it?” she asked herself. “Ponies were tortured to the point of near-death, right underneath the noses of the entire populace of Ponyville where I placed two of the best students I ever had, and where two of the only to gain Alicorn Status and become Princesses themselves live. Mystic Mother above…” Celestia whispered, as tears leaked from her eyes.

“You know,” an absolutely vile voice said, oozing like magma into Celestia’s mind. “Just take my power, use it and you can burn the entire Diamond Dog mines to a crisp, make sure nothing like this ever happens again! You even have a Morpher again, so you’ve got all the power in the world!”

And for a moment, just for a moment, Celestia was ashamed to admit she was tempted. Her hands trembled, as she went for her Solar Cell Morpher resting on the side of her throne.

“No,” Celestia told her dark half. “I don’t know how you survived, but I will never let your mind and power taint and tempt me ever again.”

With that, Solar Flare went silent, at least for the time being. “Bon-Bon… You know when Lord Drakkon invaded right?”

“Y-Yes…” Bon-Bon’s voice trembled. “I’d never been so scared in my life, not even of Solar Flare. One of his Ranger Sentries, they came this close to my wife, boxed her in with a bunch of other ponies in the town hall and planned to blow them sky high till Gaim and Vapor Trail came in and stopped them. I’d never felt so helpless then,” Bon-Bon admitted, her voice coated in shame. “I should have been able to stop them myself! That’s why, when you wanted a national response to villains like Lord Drakkon, Thrax and all the rest, I jumped at the call.”

“Do not grieve,” Celestia said softly. “I admit, I myself have been halted by fear far more times than I should have been. It’s a poison to the mind. Fact is, if I hadn’t been so afraid all those years ago, Solar Flare might never have come into being, and the world as a whole would have been so much better off in so many ways. But we can’t change the past, only look towards the future,” she stated sagely, in that kind mothering voice she’d become so well known for. “You know, I heard someone say this once, a wise man,” Celestia said, emphasizing her choice of phrasing and Bon-Bon’s eyes widened as she picked up on Celestia’s wording. A kind man, who’d seen far more death than any one man has any right to. He lives in Ponyville now, with a pony for a wife. Mailmare, nice mare. Bit clumsy, but I suppose we all are in some aspects. You know what he said? “Everybody knows that everybody dies. But not every day. Not today. Some days are special. Some days are so, so blessed. Some days, nobody dies at all. Now and then, every once in a very long while, every day in a million days, when the wind stands fair and luck is on your side or perhaps a hero comes to call, everybody lives.” Heroes came to call on the day of Thrax’s first attack, and the day of Lord Drakkon’s invasion. You were a hero today as well, Bon Bon of Ponyville,” Celestia continued, laying a firm hand on her subject’s shoulder, kneeling down to her level so she could look the pony in the eye. “You took it upon yourself to go into those hellish mines, without any prompting and just a prototype Driver and Gaia Memory created from an alternate Maud Pie’s notes to rid the world of one less evil. I myself, admit would not have been so brave, or so restrained if I had the courage to do what you did to today.”

“So… what now?” Bon-Bon asked.

“Go back to your life, go back to your wife. Hold her close, and cherish her,” Celestia ordered. “You don’t have to do this anymore, do this to yourself. I’ll find someone else to become Double. It’s for the best.”

With that, Bon-Bon took her leave, thinking of only Lyra. Her walk broke into a sprint and then into a run as a smile graced her face as she thought of her wife, and all of her antics, crazy as they were. Sure, she was a bit strange and drove her up the wall, but Bon-Bon wouldn’t trade Lyra for any other pony in the world.

“Now,” Celestia mused as she thought of the pictures taken on the Bat Shot, the ponies freed and the inevitable fallout. “If only all problems in the world could be taken care of so easily, with just words.”

A door creaked open, and a pure black pony with a golden streak running through her mane -Midnight Strike if Celestia remembered correctly- and clad in Royal Guard armor peeked her head in, alongside her fellow guard Star Hunter.

“Milady, the council, they’re waiting on you. It’s Neighsay and Wind Rider, they’ve got some new proposals for how you and Luna plan to update the guard to deal with Thrax and his monsters.” Midnight said, holding back a sigh.

Celestia groaned, what she wouldn’t give for Shining and Cadence to be here. At least that way, she could have some other ponies in royal positions bear her pain with her. Hopefully, Baron Fancy Pants along with her Nephew would shut down any outlandishly stupid proposals Wind Rider and Neighsay had.

“What do they call it again?” Celestia asked herself as she followed Midnight and Star. “How does that old phrase go? The never-ending battle, yes?”

That night in Ponyville, Retinax struck again with his White Ranger with Doomwing as back-up, and the Rangers were at once on the scene, with Galaxy as back-up to serve in Robert’s place. Galaxy even took hold of Robert’s Crystal Saber for once.

Right now, he was currently slicing through a group of Putrid warriors, inserting the Swallow Crystal, and his borrowed Crystal Saber turned into the Swallowrang. Galaxy threw it, and like a whirlwind, spurred on by Sunset’s powerful wing flaps it sliced and diced through the whole platoon.

Galaxy had to wonder though, even as he watched the Putrids fall into heaps and the Swallowrang returned to his hand. “Are the Rangers really ready to face the White Ranger again? I saw in their eyes, fear of her. Sure, Jindrax and Toxica showed she could be beaten in combat, but not without a lot of effort. And no hesitation. The Rangers…” Galaxy mused as he watched Sunset go sword to sword with Trixie, he noted her deliberately holding back against Retinax’s ranger. Pulling her punches. “They don’t have that. They still see Trixie as a fellow pony. She needs to be stopped, put down. If they manage to bring her back to the side of the light, good on them and color me surprised. But I doubt it’s possible.”

Galaxy then pulled out both Blood Moon and his Dino Saber, holstering his Crystal Saber for the moment as more Putrids leaped into the flay and Galaxy threw Blood Moon to cut them down. Nearby, Sunset was kicked backwards into the mob and Vapor took up her place, holding Trixie’s sword back with her Trident.

“Come on Trixie,” Vapor pleaded. “I know you’re in there!”

“Sorry, Trixie’s not home!” the White Ranger sneered and slashed Vapor across the chest several times sending her staggering. Galaxy, as he inserted the Megaforce Silver charger into his Dino Saber and used both it and Blood Moon to send a red and silver x shaped slash towards Doomwing to block the monster’s own Doom Slash, noted Zen-Aku standing atop a street light watching the battle, full moon to his back. Vapor noticed him as well.

“Zen-Aku!” she shouted in glee, her face lighting up in joy under her helmet. She was rewarded with a huff, and the wolf leaping away much to all of the Ranger’s shock and horror.

“You fucking traitor!” Lightning roared as Doomwing cackled in the background at the sight, and Trixie went into Super Dino Mode and slashed both her and Vapor across the chest demorphing them. But Trixie wasn’t done yet. She charged forwards, her arm blades raised ready for the killing blow, before Sunset slammed into Trixie spinning like a drill, wings ablaze.

“I’m sorry Trixie, I’m so sorry…” Sunset apologized, as she went sword to sword with her once more, blades clashing and sparks flying in the night. Sword met sword, but eventually, Trixie scored a quick slash, striking Sunset across the chest in a z manner, demorphing her.

Sunburst leaped in, in Orion Mode to meet Trixie’s blades with his own.

“Trixie, I know what’s affecting you, I can help!” Sunburst pleaded as he rolled to the left to avoid a swing from Trixie’s sword and fired a blast from his horn making the White Ranger stagger backwards. Trixie teleported behind him and kicked him towards a light post, before teleporting in front of that light post to meet Sunburst in midair and sock him across the jaw, shattering his helmet.

Sunburst wiped the blood away from his jaw as he picked himself up off the ground, and charged his sword with gold light and swung, sending an arc of energy towards Trixie. She held up her own blade to block it and was pushed backwards, ripping up the street from the sheer force of the energy she was trying to hold back. Eventually, even Trixie with all of her power couldn’t stop it forever, and she staggered back, the bony parts of her Super Dino Mode shattering as she staggered back, arm blades hitting the street.

Trixie let out a scream of rage, and fired a massive beam of energy at Sunburst, who lit up his horn with a light yellow aura of magic, -concentrating as he did so- and created an energy shield to block the blow. Knowing it wouldn’t hold against the sheer power that the Alicorn Amulet possessed, he rolled to the left, and fired his Animal Spirit at Trixie, letting the misty yellow talons of the Owl rip and tear into her. He hung his head.

“I’m sorry sister,” Sunburst thought. “But you have to be stopped, and if that means killing you, before the Alicorn Amulet does so, then so be it.”

But Trixie wasn’t going down too easily, and she let out a massive shockwave of pure red magical energy that sent Sunburst flying back into a wooden cart and demorphed him.

“Ah, I love the scorn of a heart broken in two, don’t you?” Doomwing asked Galaxy, laughing. “Look at your Purple Ranger. She loved Zen-Aku, we all know it, and look how he rewards her! Her knight in shining armor, so to speak, abandons her when she needs her most!” he cackled, in his usual hyena-like fashion. He swung wide, striking Galaxy across the chest. “Oh, you’ve had your heart broken as well haven’t you?” Doomwing continued, sending Galaxy flying back into a building with a powerful right cross to the gut, getting past his blades. Both his Dino Saber and Blood Moon impaled themselves in the ground.

“I know the story. You were once the Lord of Romaneia, and look at what happened. Chrysalis, she came to call and murdered your whole family after sucking every ounce of love dry from them, isn’t that the story? And she made you watch…” Doomwing sneered. “Look at you now, fucking another stallion, just so you can try and recapture some of that love. But it’ll never come back!” he taunted, only to be hit in the chest by Galaxy, headbutting him and sending the rooster monster staggering back.

“You… You shut the hell up, you understand?” Galaxy snarled venomously, taking his Dino Saber out of the ground, and swinging it, sending an arc of silver energy towards Doomwing cutting into his chest. “So you do bleed. But, like I said. Shut the hell up. You don’t know a thing about me and Sunburst!”

“Your reaction suggests otherwise,” Doomwing sneered. “I’ve won this battle already. No, we’ve won this little bout already. Me and your sister-in-law,” he said, looking at the Rangers who were once again struggling to pick themselves up off the ground. “Time to leave.”

With that, he raised his sword to the night sky, and both he and Trixie vanished in a crackle of blood-red lightning as Galaxy let out a shriek of rage, and punched the ground.

Turtle Cove

Deep within the ruins of the Nexus, Zen-Aku clutched his head in pain, as he stumbled through the caverns, memories running rampant.

“Remember who you are, Zen-Aku! Remember…”

“A point well made But still, hardly the team I would have picked. Take Lightning Dust for instance. She’s a prime example of what I’m talking about. Far too ego-centered, and far too hot-tempered. She’s rash, and impetuous. One foolish charge into battle could get her very easily killed. And then there’s Sunburst… Mild-mannered to a fault, and really doesn’t know the first thing about combat beyond what he’s read in books. Being bookish is all well and good, but it doesn’t translate to field combative abilities.”

“And that’s what they’re all here for, to learn and grow from each other, they may not be the most qualified rangers… Yet, but…”

“Oh goody, a Ranger and a traitor to our kind in one blow! Today must be my lucky day!”

"You don't seem to know who you're dealing with. Then again, you low-level scum were always stupid. CRESCENT WAVE!”

“Now now, is that any way to treat a friend? You and I... We're both actually on the same side, believe it or not.”

“Is that really all you think of yourself, Zen-Aku? You walked the path of redemption for three thousand years, and are even doing that now as we speak. Look at yourself, fighting to defend those who scorn you and even taking a Power Ranger’s place as the leader of her team. You’ve done far more good than harm now, so the scales of fate weigh you as worthy of seeing me. And to be honest, this will probably not be the last time I will come to your team’s aid. The Orgs are more powerful than ever. Last time, I was a pacifist, but that was before the second Master Org murdered my chick. Now, I think it’s time to step in and join the fight. Now go and do Animus’s will and destroy this monster.”

“Well then, have you ever considered me? I too have Wild Zords, three of them in fact, one of which can fill Sunset’s spot on your Megazord,”

“And I spotted him in this form for just a brief moment after we were freed from the Camera Org.”

“But he’s a Duke Org! By all rights, we should destroy him where he stands!”

“A Duke Org who saved my life, twice. If that doesn’t say anything about who he is, I don’t know what does.”

“So, anthro ponies as a new generation of Power Rangers? What year is this?”

“By your time period, it would be the year 5026,”

“5-5026? I’ve been dead for…”

“Yes, I have missed you for millennia, old friend. My only regret is that we had to meet like this, and that the newest generation of Wild Force Rangers have to face their past in such a way.”

“N-newest generation? Then…then that means…”

“Yes, the Princess is awake once again and the Orgs now once again walk the face of the Earth, now under a new Master. We’ve been holding them off, but every day they grow in strength, power, and number.”

“God, I wish I could help you Zen-Aku,” Merrick said as he kicked his old friend backwards.

Zen-Aku let out a howl of pain, as he clutched his head once more. He saw Merrick’s face, under his helmet and re-lived that last moment. He then saw Vapor’s shocked, betrayed look. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say it was almost one of… No, it couldn’t be. Could it?

His howl turning to a snarl, he swung his blade, destroying the few statues of Orgs that remained as he remembered that night.

“Retinax…” Zen-Aku growled as he turned to face the eye themed General Org, Crescent Blade drawn. “You’ve made a rather large mistake coming here, I can assure you of that,”

“Funny, you talking about mistakes when you’ve made quite a few of your own,” Retinax commented dutifully as Zen-Aku leveled his blade at him, one of the tips dangerously close to Retinax’s main eye. “You’ve really got to get better taste in allies, ones who actually trust you and won’t turn on you at the drop of a hat,”

“And you’re offering yourself as an ally?” Zen-Aku deadpanned. “Funny, never thought you had a sense of humor,”

“Think about it for a moment,” Retinax remarked. “Have the Rangers ever trusted you? You’re an Org, their natural enemy. Who’s to say they won’t turn on you one day once your usefulness is expended?”

Zen-Aku, for the briefest of moments, had doubts about the Rangers, it was true that most of them, aside from Vapor and Sunset didn’t really trust him, and he had heard them talking, whispering behind his back when they thought he wasn’t listening. But he also knew that if he allied himself with Retinax, then they’d never trust him and all of his steps towards redemption… They’d all have gone to waste.

“I’d advise you to leave… Now,” Zen-Aku growled out in a warning tone, his eyes beginning to glow. “They may not trust me, but I won’t throw away the trust of those that do.”

“Really?” Retinax asked and Zen-Aku looked away from him and lowered his blade. “Prejudice and hatred destroyed this world once… Who’s to say it won’t again? History repeats, I’m walking evidence of that. But I aim to build a better world, one free of hatred and scorn. All you have to do be a part of it… Well, join me... Join the Org Family,”

Family. That word echoed in Zen-Aku’s head. Something he’d never been apart of and no one had ever offered to him. He dropped his blade with a loud clattering sound and Retinax laughed, he had him.

“I’m sorry… Vapor, Shayla… Merrick,” Zen-Aku thought as he threw his crystals into the sea and teleported away along with Retinax.

And now that he thought about it, it was a little too easy for Retinax to work his magic tongue on him, as ordinarily, he’d never listen to a word he’d have to say. Then his eyes widened in shock, as he remembered seeing out of the corner of his eyes figures in the darkness. He would have thought nothing of it at the time, but now?

“RETINNNNNNNNAAAXXXXX!” Zen-Aku roared, as he burst into the General Org’s personal chambers, and leveled his blade at him.

“So, you finally broke free from your little pen,” Retinax commented as the White Ranger moved to protect her master, her sword raised. “Should have known it was only a matter of time. I did say the Rangers didn’t trust you, and it was true back then. It’s even truer now. Even if you kill me, and return the White Ranger to her natural state by some miracle, who’s to say they’ll ever take you back? I wouldn’t trust someone who changed sides at the drop of the hat, would you?” he sneered, rending Zen-Aku speechless for several minutes. The Org General smirked, and snapped his fingers. “Kill him, and dispose of his body,” he ordered the White Ranger, who was only too happy to comply.

“With pleasure,” Trixie giggled, stepping closer to Zen-Aku. “It’s about time I got to put down this mangy mutt. If you beg, I’ll make it quick.”

“I don’t beg,” Zen-Aku growled, eyes narrowing before he swung his blade to meet Trixie’s own. Meeting with a shower of sparks, both weapons groaned as they strained against each other. “Unlike you.”

Kicking Zen-Aku in the chest, Trixie put a bit of distance between them. “Shut your mouth, mongrel. You need to be put in your place.” Drawing a few energy arrows, she fired them off in a fury of light.

Zen-Aku teleported behind her, in a blur of black and purple light and struck her from behind with his blade. Trixie let out a scream of pain, but whirled around and quickly slashed Zen-Aku across the chest in a z fashion making him stagger back, before a red skeletal arm of hard light erupted from her back, and she grabbed Zen-Aku with it and threw him into the next cavern.

“Oh, you should have seen that hurt look on Vapor Trails face when you ran and refused to help her against Doomwing and moi,” Trixie mocked, wagging a finger at Zen-Aku, who was picking himself up off the ground. “You had the power to end that fight right there and then, but because you were still under Retinax’s strings, you didn’t!”

Zen-Aku howled in fury, blindly rushing towards Trixie. With a cocky laugh, she grabbed his arm twisting it with a sickening crack, his blade dropping to the cavern floor with a clatter.

“Face it Zen-Aku, you’re past your prime. Long ago, you might have had a chance to beat her,” Retinax taunted. “But now, you’re all just untamed rage and fury. A wolf off his chain! Your stubbornness is to be commended, but even you have to admit, you’re outmatched, against something you, in part, created!”

“Well, are you going to cooperate and let this happen nice and easy, or do I have to get… forceful?” Retinax asked. He only earned a spit in the eye for his troubles.

“Go to Tartarus!”

Zen-Aku flashed back.

Retinax fingered something in one of his hands, it resembled an amulet of some sort. Dark grey and red in color, it had the design of a winged pegasus. Zen-Aku’s eyes widened as he caught sight of it… No, not even Retinax would be this crazy! Combining this power with that of the White Dino Gem…

“Master, are you sure this is needed?” Zen-Aku had to question, snippets of his true self breaking through. “This all seems a bit… much. Surely the Dino Gem would be enough to keep her in line!”

“It’s original bearer broke free of the gem’s control once, as I recall, so I’m only taking extra precautions…” Retinax replied as he approached the mare. Her eyes widened in fright as she saw what he had in hand.

“Please… No, not that! Anything but that!” the mare screamed in terror, knowing exactly what that power could do, she’d seen it for herself. She began to thrash back and forth in her restraints, trying to break free. She would have used her magic to break loose, but a ring had been placed around her horn, restricting her magic use.

“Doomwing, restrain her!” Retinax barked.

Cackling, the rooster-like monster walked forwards and grabbed the mare by one of her wrists as Retinax continued striding forwards. “Heh-he! Now hold still, this won’t hurt a bit!” Doomwing laughed, sounding exactly like a hyena to the mare’s ears.

She soon found the amulet placed around her neck, and her eyes went a deep crimson as the magic ring around her horn shattered as a rush of power filled the mare’s body. Acting fast, Retinax quickly pulled out the White Dino Gem and slammed in onto her wrist, and it transformed into a Pterodactyl themed bracer morpher.

The mare’s body glowed with a white light, before it was covered in the costume of the White Dino Ranger. Mostly white as the name implied, it was covered in jagged black streaks with a crimson red visor. If most Ranger costumes were designed to look protective, inspire hope in whoever saw them, this was the exact opposite. Its design only brought fear to whoever saw it…

“You created your own worst nightmare, me, and now it’s come back to bite you!” Trixie laughed, and Zen-Aku’s eyes narrowed, and the next thing Trixie knew was that she was hit again and again by a purple-black blur before she found herself on a moonlit beach, looking up at Zen-Aku, who stood atop a rock being battered by the crashing waves.

Zen-Aku, in his other hand, held a small little crescent-shaped dagger. “I’m sorry, but there’s no hope for you left. The only small mercy I can give Sunburst, and you for that matter now, is to take you down, and put both you and him out of their misery. You’ve suffered for far too long Trixie Lulamoon, it’s time I end that.”

“Oh, so the wolf still has some teeth!” Trixie laughed. “But let’s talk seriously for a moment eh, you doing this out of mercy for ponies who probably hate you now, or do you just want to take me down after how much pain I’ve caused you, both mentally and physically?”

At that, Zen-Aku was rendered speechless for the second time tonight.

“I thought as much,” Trixie smirked under her helmet. “If you were to contain your rage, or have back-up, you might be able to beat me. But right now… I can’t see that happening. You’re just letting yourself run wild, like a rabid dog. And you chased all of your help aw-”

Trixie was cut off by Zen-Aku turning into a blur and kicking her in the chest sending her flying back.

“You talk too much,” Zen-Aku stated simply. “And yes, I admit, while in part Retinax may have had a hand in chasing all of my friends away when he brainwashed me, I could have fought back at any time or at least tried to give a little more effort into doing so,” he admitted. And in an eerie echo of his former host, he said: “I caused this, and so I have to make it right. And if that means killing you just to alleviate Sunburst’s pain, and yours, so be it.”

“But it won’t, will it?” Trixie asked as her blade met Zen-Aku’s flute-dagger. “He’ll mourn, and he’ll blame you for my demise once he finds out,”

“Yes, maybe he will, but in time, the pain will pass and he’ll accept that this was a necessary evil.”

Trixie, under her helmet, felt her eyes widen, and her blade dropped to the sand. Her helmet vanished in a flash of white light. “You’re… You’re really willing to kill Trixie, just to help her brother?” she asked, not in that distorted tone that the Alicorn Amulet gave her, but in her real voice.

“Yes,” Zen-Aku admitted sadly. “I don’t like doing it, but…”

“Then you won’t have to,” Trixie said as she narrowed her eyes, and pulled the Alicorn Amulet off her neck and smashed it under her hoof. “I will never be controlled again. Never.”

She then felt a sharp pain in her chest, as the White Dino Gem urged her on, to keep on going and kill Zen-Aku. It had felt the taint of blood once more, and it wanted more. “Go, now! Before this.. thing takes control of me again! Run, now!”

“No, I’m not leaving you here! You said it yourself, you will never allow yourself to be controlled again! So, you can fight this. I know about the White Dino Gem, anyone with a strong enough will can fight off it’s influence!”

“She might be able to fight it off,” Retinax laughed as he appeared with Doomwing at his heels. “But you, can you fight both of us? Trixie’s right, you should leave. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of her…” he sneered. Zen-Aku let out a low growl, before teleporting off.

“Don’t worry Trixie. Me and Sunburst, we’ll be back for you. I promise you that. And Retinax, I promise you, you will die by the hands of my blade.”

Meanwhile, Retinax touched his hands to the side of Trixie’s face and worked a spell on her, old Duke Org magic, and Trixie’s eyes became pure white. No irises, or anything. “So, where do your loyalties lie?”

“With you… Master.” Trixie replied, completely emotionless.

Author's Notes:

Okay, I admit, you probably want to kill me now, but before you do, consider this. I didn't kill Trixie, just brainwashed her again, and she's no longer under the Alicorn Amulet's corruption, meaning the Rangers don't have to worry about a ticking doomsday clock of sorts hanging over their heads.

Now, keep note, this is the only chapter in which you'll see Kamen Rider Skull, (Thank you Shadowmane once again for pitching in to help me with Bon-Bon's sole fight scene as Skull even though you know nothing about Kamen Rider) so savor it while it lasted.

Now, originally, with the final fight between Trixie and Zen-Aku, I wanted the ghosts of Hunter and Blake from Ninja Storm to show up to make up for Ninja Storm's lackluster tribute last time Hunter showed up under Bunglay's influence but way things ended up going I couldn't fit them in and so Zen-Aku overcame his rage by himself.

Part 14: White Thunder Part 5: (The Storm Passes)

High above Equestria, a ripple in space began to form, before it burst wide open and a familiar silver saucer-shaped form burst out of hyperspace. Inside the Dolgiran sat Bard at the controls. Unusually for him, he was without his partner Retsu.

“Sure you can handle things?” Retsu asked from a nearby computer screen. “Even with Celestia’s blessing, I highly doubt we’re exactly welcome on their planet after we basically kidnapped one of their rulers,” he warned cautiously.

“It’s just a routine patrol,” Bard replied, and Retsu raised an eyebrow not believing him for a moment.

“Then why is the Shadow Saber conveniently missing from our vault?” Retsu asked skeptically. After SPD folded, the Galactic Union Police basically took them over for lack of a better phrase, building their bases around old SPD structures and modernizing and updating them with the latest technology. The fact was a lot of the mecha and suits the Space Sheriffs used were actually based on old SPD Zord and Ranger tech believe it or not. Dol, in fact, was drawn up from plans that had been found in the wreckage of the Power Chamber back in Angel Grove, from bits and pieces of the Thunderzords.

“Okay, I admit, considering that there’s still a member of SPD somehow on Earth, or Equus or whatever we want to call it, I figure he should have it,” Bard stated, the famous katana resting near his seat, blade dulled from years of neglect and being stuck in a vault. It was hardly a weapon in its current state. “Plus, as we know the Earth Branch was the only one that we never managed to get ahold, with the Time Force branch sweeping it up for themselves. Someone’s got to figure out what’s happened to that base right? Besides, if it’s brought up and running again, way I figure it the Rangers might gain a huge advantage over Thrax right?” Bard pointed out.

“True…” Retsu mused. “They’re going to need all the help they can get. The sensors on the Dolgiran, you getting what I’m getting back at headquarters? Abnormally large heat signatures, coming from the center of the planet. Or somewhere near the center anyways. Can’t pinpoint the exact location but nobody’s seen energy readings like this since-”

“Yeah, I’m getting them. Seeing them, but still working on believing them,” Bard confirmed with a reply, checking the Dolgiran’s sensors. “The Rangers, they need to know what’s coming. What Thrax is planning,” he continued.

“Right now, they’ve got their hands full,” Retsu said in return. “Managed to hack into the Argos Satellite, -which is still working amazingly enough- and managed to get some pretty nasty footage coming out of Canada, in an area noted to be the Crystal Empire. Odd name I know, but that’s not the point. The point is, what it picked up.”

“Show me.” Bard stated simply, direct and to the point, and so Retsu brought up the footage he’d managed to save from the already heavily damaged Argos Satellite showing Trixie cutting through the Rangers with ease.

Bard’s breath caught in his throat, knowing the exact power levels of that Ranger, and he swallowed. “You’re quite right commander. They need the help, and I’ll be there to give it to them.”

With that, he grabbed the Shadow Saber and teleported down to Earth.

On the Animarium, Sunset sighed to herself as she watched Robert snooze in his hospital bed from the viewing pool.

“Oh, well guess that answers one long-standing question eh?” Vapor asked vaguely from somewhere behind her, as she absentmindedly strummed her guitar. Her arms along with several other areas of her were bandaged up from the wounds Trixie had managed to inflict upon her from their last bout.

“What’s… what’s that supposed to mean?” Sunset asked, a little bit too snappishly before she yawned tiredly.

“Oh, come off it!” Vapor scoffed. “You’ve been watching him sleep in that bed of his for the last few hours now. I work long hours, and so does Sunburst and Lightning for all of our various reasons so we’re used to staying up late and getting up earlier than most, with nice long sleeps being a luxury. But you?” she asked. “Really, you’re making us look like amateurs when it comes to the no-sleeping category. Oh hell, sure, we’ve all been having trouble sleeping since this whole White Ranger fiasco began, she’s the only reason I’m up as late as I am right now what with the nightmares and all but some of us, and that means you should at least try and get some sleep right?” Vapor asked sternly.

Sunset yawned again and walked over seemingly in a daze, holding her head as she tried to concentrate. “I-I’m fine…”

“No, you are most certainly not fine!” Vapor told her sternly as Sunset tripped over a small rock only for Vapor to catch. “I can list the signs of sleep deprivation I’m seeing in you off the top of my head right now. Yawning, moodiness, irritability, the lack of concentration, and sheer clumsiness. Look, I get it, okay? I’m concerned about Robert just as much as the next Ranger, and hell, if he were my boyfriend I might be sitting around the fountain keeping an eye on him as well! But you know what I’d also do? Listen to the advice of a friend. Mystic Mother dammit, Sunset, why do you have to be so friggin’ stubborn?” Vapor asked in exasperation.

“G-Guess I got it from my mother,” Sunset chuckled weakly. “Not my real one, considering she was a piece of shit no two ways about it, but from-”

“Celestia?” Vapor asked. “Yeah, she’s a stubborn old nag alright. And I cannot believe I just said that…” she trailed off, looking quite nervous at calling the Princess of the Sun a ‘nag’ of all things! Sunset giggled to herself.

“You know you sound like Luna when she’s been woken up early, right?” Sunset asked and Vapor smiled a bit.

“Glad to be compared to the Princess of the Moon, Dreams, and Tides!” Vapor commented before her gaze turned stern again. “Speaking of dreams, that’s where you really should be getting off to. Dreamland, I mean. Robert will be there in the morning. You know that as well as I do,” the purple ranger stated. “I get that you love him, I do, but-”

“I-I… We’re not in love with each other! I mean, Robert certainly isn’t in love with me! If he was, his eyes might not be as wandering as they are!”

“Oh, so you’re still hung up on this?” Vapor asked, throwing her arms up in the air in frustration. “I talked to Shining a few days ago, right after he got out of the hospital Trixie put him in, and do you know why he, and Ah mean Robert was in the Crystal Empire in the first place?” she asked, and Sunset shook her head. And so Vapor continued. “And it sure as hell wasn’t that bullshit excuse to buy trinkets! He was there to get advice from Cadance about how to handle this situation between you and Luna for fuckin’ crying out loud!” she ranted, her southern accent beginning to come out. “Ah swear, Y'all are idiots, the lot of you!”

It seemed Vapor was suffering from Sleep Deprivation as well if her attitude was any indication. Or maybe she’d just been holding a lot in.

“R-Really?” Sunset stuttered and Vapor sighed to herself. Shayla walked over, and slipped a little drink into her mouth, some sort of dreamless sleep potion created from local herbs. She patted Vapor’s forehead and planted a kiss on it as the pegasus drifted off into dreamland. Shayla knelt down next to Sunset, and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Listen, take it from someone who’s… never exactly been the best at confessing their feelings,” Shayla admitted, drawing from what little experience she had in the matters of love. “Better you say something while they’re here, before they just become dust in the wind.” the Princess of Animaria said sagely. “I never got the courage to tell Merrick how I felt about him when he was alive, and when I did see him again he left me soon after. Okay, I know you two have already admitted, more or less, that you like each other after months of dancing around it and yet here you are again and if you don’t do something fast Sunset, you’ll lose him. Who knows, Princess Luna might just take her chance and sweep up Robert again.” she remarked. “If you don’t reciprocate, Robert, well he might just grow tired of this little game of yours and wander back into another Princess’s all-too welcoming clutches,” Shayla stated. She knew it was a low blow, and was bound to rile Sunset up but she was frankly quite tired of seeing the mare act like a child about this.

“You… You…” Sunset sputtered out furiously before letting out a scream of frustration. She knew Shayla was probably right, and besides what use was there arguing with a couple-thousand-year-old Princess who’d probably seen it all?

Suddenly, Shayla found herself drawing her Crystal Saber and Sunset did as well, as a ripple appeared in front of them before a familiar wolfish form stepped out of the shadows, eyes gleaming out in the darkness of the temple.

A cock of a gun’s barrel was heard as Galaxy stepped out of the tree line with Dino Blade Blaster in hand, and Jindrax followed him, knives drawn.

“Give me one good reason why we should have to listen to anything you say?” Galaxy snarled out, his rifle ready to fire. His eyes looked especially menacing tonight, and so did Jindrax’s for that matter with the both of them quite sick of backstabbing and betrayals. “You know, never did quite trust you from the moment we met, way back when you took temporary command of the team during the Evertree Incident. Did a bit of research on Neighponiese, and you want to know what I found? Zen-Aku, means good-evil. Literally. How true the name rings huh?” the thestal asked.

“Leave, now,” Sunset stated, wings beginning to crackle with small embers. “You’ve got a lot of nerve coming here after what you pulled yesterday. Left us high and dry with Trixie. You could have lended a hand, but you didn’t. Left us to get our asses kicked. Guess where we know where you stand now.”

“Retinax… he brainwashed me. Worked some old Org spell to make me listen to him. Only recently broke it,” Zen-Aku tried to explain, but Sunset was in no such mood for bullshit. Especially not tonight of all nights.

“Hah!” she scoffed. “Convenient excuse. Leave now, I won’t ask again. How are we supposed to trust someone who seems to gravitate to the nearest power whenever he feels like it? You’re like a revolving door Zen-Aku, we never know whose side you’re exactly on.” Sunset snorted, and was ready to slash him to pieces right then and there before Zen-Aku simply lifted a paw. Everyone tensed for a moment, expecting the Duke Org to do something even if they didn’t quite know what. And he did, just not the thing everyone was expecting him to do. He simply lifted his paw, and tossed the remains of the Alicorn Amulet onto the ground.

“W-What?” Galaxy whispered before his eyes narrowed. “Tell me you didn’t.” he growled out slowly before he let out a shouted. “Tell me you didn’t!”

“Trixie is quite alive and well, I assure you,” Zen-Aku stated calmly, not even remotely intimidated by the Captain of the Night Guard or Sunset. And why should he be, considering he could take them both easily down if he were so inclined. “That spell has also been broken. She’s still under the White Dino Gem’s control, but that should be easily dealt with, if she were persuaded. You could easily break through the spell Retinax put her under. I’d help, but like you said Sunset Shimmer of Equestria, how can you ever trust me?” he commented, his eyes matching her own and for a moment Sunset felt a tinge of guilt as Zen-Aku took his leave, with only a few small leaves stirred up in the wind to ever indicate someone had been there to begin with.

Trixie Lulamoon, at least from her perspective, didn’t see herself murdering Equestrians right and left, or the Putrids and Doomwing as foul monsters. Instead, what she did see was the exact reverse. She saw herself calmly striking down Putrids, leaving bloody feathered messes in her wake, and perhaps even more disturbingly, Doomwing as her own older brother simply guiding her in taking each and every one of the creatures down. The Putrids as Canterlot’s Royal Guard. Armed with bazookas of all things, but still the Royal Guard.

Screams turned into caws as her drago sliced through skin as easily as a hot knife would through butter. To herself, Trixie hummed: “They've got a feathered face,
They've got a funny beak,
I.Q. of under ten, they're loud and noisy!
They smell like spoiled fish on a
Hot, hot summer's day,
Cross-eyed and crazy enough
To fly above us!

“Ugly ugly birdies in the sky,
Rangers gonna get you
Watch the Tenga
Watch the Tenga
Watch the Tenga
Tenga, bye bye!”

Trixie aimed the hilt of her Drago Sword, resembling the head of her Zord, at a Tenga holding a sniper rifle from atop a rooftop and fired a gold energy beam at the ‘Tenga’s’ head. Almost at once, blood flew out the other end of the bird’s skull, and the body hit the cobblestone streets with a crack, and strangely the crunching of metal. It almost sounded like Royal Guard Armor. Trixie quickly dismissed the possibility, no that simply couldn’t be. What use would the Tengas have for Royal Guard armor?

“Good, very good Trix!” ‘Sunburst’ said, and chuckled. His laughter, for the briefest of moments, sounded like a hyena’s high-pitched cackle but quickly adjusted itself back to its normal pitch. Trixie shuddered, that type of laughter sounded so wrong coming from her brother’s mouth.

A Ranger Sentry came at her from the left, one of the red Tyranno ones holding a bladed staff and Trixie whirled around to slash at him, and left a deep gash in his chest and staff split in two. The two halves fell to the ground with a clatter, and their owner smacked into the cobblestone, before Trixie grabbed him by the next with an aura of magenta magic and threw him into a building.

Gunfire flew above Trixie’s head as a black Ranger sentry aimed his rifle with ‘Sunburst’ raising his sword and deflecting each shot before sending a wave of golden energy at the Sentry knocking him into a boutique window and into some mannequins modeling the latest dresses from Prance.

“Not going to let anything harm you Trix,” Sunburst reassured. “Or anyone.”

“Believe me!” Trixie snapped as she shoved her sword into another Tyranno Sentry’s chest, with the red-clad warrior collapsing into the streets in a puddle of blood. “Trixie can quite very well handle herself!”

What she didn’t really see was that she had stuck her sword into a newspaper stand and slashed away at it. The drugs burrowed deeper into her mind, and everything began to dissolve and reappear as entirely different objects. Once she defeated the “Tyranno Sentry,” she moved on to strike down a slender Tenga, when in reality, she was just carving up a lamppost.

A yellow Sabertooth Sentry grabbed a separate lamppost, and ripped it from it’s position in the street, and tossed it at Trixie and her ‘brother’ who simply carved it in half. The Sentry came rushing towards her, only to be swiftly decked in the face.

“Another Sentry down!” Trixie fist-pumped at the demolished projectile. “You can’t hope to stop the Great and Powerful Trixie by just throwing your minions at her!”

“Hold it right there!” a voice that sounded suspiciously like Sunset’s if only distorted beyond almost all recognition shouted. “You’ll have to deal with me too!”

Trixie tried to focus on Sunset’s voice, but all she got was a frightening, twisted visage of a phoenix who looked fat in certain areas, yet slim and sleek in others. Different parts of the creature traded sizes before it burst into flames and became a large fireball that charged off to the distance and left nothing but a trail in its’ wake.

It was then behind her, and decking her squarely in the face as it took an arguably humanoid form once more.

‘Sunburst’ then clashed swords with the Phoenix Monster before sending out a spiralling x-shaped arc of golden energy at her.

Another monster, a skeletal bird creature with wings of lightning leaped in to help and struck Trixie’s ‘brother’ from behind with an orange sword themed after what looked to be a giraffe oddly enough.

“Where… am I?” Trixie asked, diving further and further down the rabbit hole as lights and colours danced all around her. She couldn’t make any of it out, no matter how hard she tried.

“Focus on my voice,” Sunburst replied. “Just try and find me. I’m here for you sis, no matter what. I’m with you to the end of the line!”

Trixie calmly focused all of her mind’s energy into tracking down the source of the voice through the chaos, only to come face to face with some monstrous bat-creature. Dark blue veins pulsated from its’ wings to its’ eyes, it had three silver claws on each wing’s end, and its’ talons tore up the ground it was standing on. The ears on top of its’ head were white fur, yet had blood-red flesh on the inside, leading down to the eardrums. Its’ deformed and fang-filled face let out a roar, showing off the many more eldritch-esque teeth inside its’ mouth and down its’ throat.

“Gyah!” She screamed, slashing at the bat monster as her arms flailed. “Get it away from me, mummy! I need my blankie!”

“No… no, Trixie,” Sunburst’s voice whispered in horror as it came out of the creature’s mouth. “It’s me, your brother! I’m right here, I’m right here for you sis,” he said, trying to pull her in for a hug but all Trixie saw was the bat-thing trying to strangle her no thanks to Retinax’s spell.

“Get away from me!” Trixie screamed, kicking the monster in the face, and she heard what sounded like glass shattering next.

“What’s wrong with her?” Sunset asked, watching Trixie kick Sunburst away, his helmet visor shattering. “Why is she hurting him?”

“More to the point,” Vapor asked, and in Trixie’s vision, she saw a monstrous whale with two tusks and a ridged back. “Why is she calling Doomwing of all creatures Sunburst?”

Suddenly, Sunset realized. “That damned wolf, he was right… She is still under a spell!”

“Funny, isn’t it?” Doomwing remarked. “Funny how everything changes when you just work a little bit of magic on a pony. Combine my great master’s magic with the sheer bloodlust of the White Dino Gem, and look what happens!”

Sunburst let out a growl, as his horn lit up in a light yellowish tint, and a bolt of lightning came down and struck Doomwing sending him staggering back.

“You know what Doomwing, I’m really, really quite tired of you,” Sunburst stated as he pulled out two golden axes. “Guys, can you handle Doomwing? I’m going to save my sister, no matter what.”

“Gladly, he’s really rather overstayed his welcome,” Sunset smirked, going for her Phoenix Sword.

Sunburst meanwhile, grabbed Trixie and vanished in a blur of white light as Trixie took the battle away from everyone, and into the Everfree Forest…

Bard, personally, never liked hospitals. He never knew what it was about them, really. Patients being moved everywhere, doctors rushing around with no breaks in sight, and the endless chemicals that filled the air made it seem more like a secret, confidential facility rather than a general hospital. But nevertheless, he knew that he had to get everyone out now that Doomwing and the White Ranger/Trixie were tearing the city and the Rangers apart.

Patients were being wheeled, carried, and herded out as fast as the nurses could organize them. Nothing was left behind that wasn’t important, like books or drinks. Even as everyone and the devices they were hooked up to were being moved, Bard kept on having to shuffle past and through them, sometimes even being planted against the wall to avoid being completely run over. Perhaps it was because of all this chaos that nobody noticed an anthropomorphic bird definitely not wearing a doctor’s lab coat or a patient’s dressing gown inside the halls.

“Alright, where are you?” Bard thought to himself, before he let a smile grace his beak as he found Robert’s room. Resting the Shadow Saber against a wall, he walked up towards the Orange Ranger.

That smile was soon to fade as he saw Robert trying to grasp for breath, and the beeping of his EKG machine began to speed up rapidly in a manner that was far from normal.

“Come on, don’t you die on me, Robert Williams of SPD…” Bard started to reach into his pockets for anything that would be able to help calm him down and slow the beeps slightly. “Where is it? Where in Tartarus did I put it?!”

Meanwhile, Robert continued to try and catch his breath as Bard began to go into a panic; his own heart rate beginning to spike. Robert’s eyes went wide as he woke, and he grasped at his bedsheets with a hand

A doctor rushed in, hearing the beeping of the EKG began to spike and then go into a direct flatline. She let out a shout for another doctor as she left the room.

“No…” Bard’s eyes widened at the motionless and breathless body of Robert. “No, no, no, no, no, no! Not like this!” he whispered to himself, before his eyes narrowed. He was a trained member of the Galactic Union Police, and like all members of that organization, he always carried a form of field medicine with him. Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out a glowing blue orb. He didn’t really understand how it worked, only that the people of Mirinoi were very well-versed in magitech, and healing magitech in particular.

He put the small little orb into Robert’s hand, and watched as it started to glow with a golden energy. That same golden energy began to go all the way up through Robert’s arm, through his veins healing any damage it could find. Color began to return to Robert’s face, and the EKG machine began to start beeping once more. Bard quickly grabbed the Shadow Saber and placed it in Robert’s hands.

“SPD must be restored if Equestria, no, the world is to survive the coming fire,” Bard said sternly. “But right now, your friends are in trouble. Get to it, and do what you do best.”

Robert smiled as Bard fished a certain morpher out of a nearby cupboard and handed it to him.

Meanwhile, outside the hospital, the Rangers were managing to hold off Doomwing, if only barely. He launched a Doom Slash at Lightning, who blocked it if only barely with the Sword of Pardolis, the sheer force of the strike ripping up the street as she staggered back. Sunset fired a blast of pure magical energy at Doomwing from her horn making him stagger, before doing a series of cartwheels to get away from some rockets launched by Putrids. She whirled around and launched a flaming slash of energy at the Orglings, rendering them to cinders before she whirled around again and launched another flaming slash at Doomwing to cancel out another Doom Slash.

Vapor leaped off the top of another building and threw her trident at Doomwing, but he simply knocked it aside, before dodging some swings from Vapor’s Crystal Saber and drawing back his fist, and punching her with a powerful Doom Strike making her stagger back into Lightning’s arms.

“You alright sis?” Lightning asked, and Vapor nodded.

“Yeah, but he won’t be by the time I’m through with him…” Vapor muttered before going into Orion Mode, and firing a jet of pure pressurized water at Doomwing from her gauntlet sending the rooster monster flying back into a nearby building, cracking the walls spiderweb-style he happened to land on before a full blast of energy fired from the Falcon Summoner sent Doomwing crashing through the wall

“Only might be three of us, but three’s more than enough to kick your sorry ass…” Sunset smirked.

“Then, let’s even the odds!” Doomwing cackled before snapping his fingers. “Putrids, rise up!”

Like ooze seeping up from the ground, Putrids poured up from cracks in the streets, and surrounded the Rangers.

“Oh great, he called out the ugly brigade,” Lightning sighed. “Predictable really.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Doomwing hissed.

“Face it chickie,” Lightning taunted. “You’re always too cowardly to fight us one on one, every time we get close to destroying you, or do some damage, you fall back and let your little Orglings do the work for you, while you just run off and flee like the coward you are!” she smirked. Doomwing let out a scream of rage.

“Fine!” Doomwing hissed, and raised his sword skywards before bringing down red bolts of lightning all around the Rangers as the sky broiled. “You wanted a one-on-one fight to the death? You got one, your death that is!”

Slinging lightning bolts everywhere, the Rangers dodged and weaved between the sheer white-hot bolts of electricity.

“Face it Doomwing,” Sunset added. “We’re wise to your tricks by now. Trixie, during our fights with her, taught us… Well, guess you could say she taught us all the tricks you and her had up her sleeve!”

A pure jagged red lightning bolt was sent towards Sunset, and she shut her eyes as Vapor let out a scream before something else took the bolt. When she opened her eyes, she saw a very familiar sight. Robert, in a hospital gown holding back the bolt with a katana, with a dog’s head as the hilt. Okay, maybe not such a familiar sight but a rather welcome one.

“You’re completely, utterly and absolutely insane you know that?” Sunset said as Robert morphed, and under his helmet the Orange Ranger sent her a smirk.

“I went back to my mother
I said, “I'm crazy ma, help me.”
She said, “I know how it feels son, cause it runs in the family,” Robert quoted. “But seriously, you’re welcome. Consider this me returning the favor from when you saved my arse from Goldar.”

“Which time?” Sunset joked as Lightning and Vapor joined them. Robert chuckled.

“Point. Where’s Sunburst?”

“Taking care of his sister,” Vapor nodded. “They should be fine.”

“WHAT!?!” Doomwing screeched at the new arrivals.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to wreck your day. Suppose you’d better just turn and run away. Or fly away, it’d probably be for you,” Robert smirked as Bard ran up and covered himself in his Space Sheriff Estevan armor. Robert pointed the tip of of the Shadow Saber’s blade at Doomwing. “Now, you really should be running though. Serious, legit talk. Because you know who this blade belonged to? Commander Doggie Cruger of Space Patrol Delta. This is probably the truest sword in the galaxy, one of the finest blades to ever be forged. And you shall simply become rust on it’s tip. Orange Ranger, Kitsune!”

“Gold Ranger, Phoenix!”

“Aqua Ranger, Thunderbird!”

“Purple Ranger, Levithan!”

“Space Sheriff Estevan!”

With a battle cry, the five charged into battle. Meanwhile, deep within the 100 miles of pure untamed wilderness Sunburst and Trixie continued their fight. They’d gotten close to the old Castle of the Two Sisters, and were waging close combat in a small stream under the little bridge that led up inside the castle. Trixie kicked some water into Sunburst’s partially destroyed helmet, blinding him just long enough for Trixie to land a powerful punch to the gut sending Sunburst staggering back. He collapsed into the stream below him with a small splash, a small rock ripping open some of his skin and causing him to bleed.

“Trixie, it’s me. Just listen to the sound of my voice!” Sunburst shouted, as he rolled out of the way to avoid a downwards swing from Trixie’s sword. However, it was difficult in Trixie’s dazed and spellbound state for her to see past the horrific bat-monster. She continued slashing widely out of fear even as Sunburst used his Shadow Hatchets to block every blow. Eventually, she managed to break through his defense and force him up against the wall, holding her blade to his throat. Even though her visor, Sunburst could see his sister’s eyes widened with fear. “Trixie, you know me! Just listen!” he pleaded out, a tear slipping from his eye. Trixie, upon seeing this, stopped from delivering the killing blow. Why, why would a bat monster not fight back. He was easily beating her earlier, and now he was crying and pleading to spare him? But little by little, the bat’s screeches turned into a very familiar voice.

“S-Sunburst?” Trixie whispered, dropping her blade in shock, fighting back the pure bloodlust the White Dino Gem was forcing upon her.

“Y-Yes, it’s me. Now can I tell a little story?” Sunburst sighed in relief. “You know something? When I was growing up in a small little town, everyone used to make assumptions about me, and they were mostly wrong ones. Fact was, everyone assumed I was going to be this masterful magic user in Celestia's personal court. Guess what, failed barely passed Magic School. I was a washout, everyone thought of me as a failure once the news broke. Assumed that a magic user who could barely perform magic would be of no use. I aimed to prove them wrong. Look at me now, a teacher and a hero. The two can be mutually exclusive, as it turns out. Here I am, helping teenagers figure themselves out, what path in life they're going to take. They may not treat me like a hero, but one day soon, I know they'll thank me. Run up to me and hug me, tell me whatever job they ended up with, and tell me I helped them get there.”

And as Sunburst talked, the image Trixie saw in front of her shattered, and she embraced her brother.

“Sunburst… I… I…” she whispered.

“Hey, it’s alright. It’s alright. That damned gem, and Retinax are to blame for all of this. Not you, not you understand?” Sunburst reassured, before they both heard the sound of an explosion and saw a huge fireball rising in the distance. “Now come on, as long as you’ve got those powers, I say we make use of what little energy you probably have left and give our friends a hand eh?’

“Yeah, our friends…” Trixie snarled, thinking of Doomwing and how he’d masqueraded as her brother and ordered her about forcing her to kill all of those ponies including members of the Royal Guard sent to stop them. “Oh, that chicken’s got some payback coming that’s for sure!”

Meanwhile, back at the main battleground, Robert had quickly discovered even if you wielded the Shadow Saber, that didn’t mean you knew how to use it properly. Katana, completely different from using a pistol and dagger combination as it turned out.

His wide swings and rather erratic ones at that screamed he had no talent for the blade, and Robert did remember this sword had been forged for Cruger, not him so chances are it was probably weighted for the Commander and not him.

So, he simply just tossed the sword to the side, and it impaled itself in a lamppost. The Orange Ranger, at least for the time needed to be the hotshot and not the swordsman. Running up to a fountain, he flipped and rebounded off of it, firing shots at Doomwing in midair, which he deflected with his sword before managing to grab Robert and slam him into the ground.

“And here I thought you were supposed to be a hero…” Doomwing sneered. “Guess you’re just not all you’re ‘cocked’ up to be!” he cackled, while deflecting blade strikes from Lightning and Sunset, catching the tips of their Crystal Swords with his own hook blade before slashing them both across the chest.

“You should have just turned and ran while you had the chance!” Doomwing sneered, as he sliced a Estevan Dynamic sent towards him by Bard. “Now you see why Retinax values me as his top general? I can’t be defeated!”

“Funny…” Robert grimaced as he picked himself up off the ground. “I only thought you went running to him because your job with Thrax wasn’t working out!”

He grabbed his Kitsune Blaster and fired off a shot just as Bard used a Laser Z-Beam on Doomwing at the same time. Doomwing managed to deflect the Z-Beam, and sent it towards Robert knocking him to the ground, before catching the blast from him with his sword and sending it towards a certain Space Sheriff.

“Ha, and there’s no one to pull your fats out of the frier now is ther-”

He was soundly cut off by a cry of: “Call to the Beast Inside, Free the Owl!” and a misty yellow bird ripped and tore into Doomwing’s skin with its own talons as Sunburst and Trixie landed with both managing to score slashes across Doomwing’s chest with their own blades.

“WHAT!?!” Doomwing screeched out once more. “B-But that’s impossible! Retinax said that spell was unbreakable!”

“Oh, just like the Alicorn Amulet? And the White Dino Gem?” Trixie taunted. “Guess you didn’t read the news. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s being controlled. Time and time again, some sick fuck thinks their little master spellwork can keep me at bay. Well, here’s a small tip for you. If you’re going to try and control moi… Don’t. Simply don’t. I’ve had enough of that to last a lifetime!” Trixie declared, before drawing some arrows with her sword, and flinging them at Doomwing. “This is my stage now boys!”

She flashed forwards, and in a blur sliced Doomwing across the chest just as the arrows hit, before coming back around, rebounding off a light post and slicing through him again. However, the humiliation wasn’t over yet as the Wild Force Rangers picked themselves up off the ground and joined Estevan.

“Hey, don’t think you’re going to have all the fun sis,” Sunburst smiled. “This may be your stage now, but we intend to still make a show of things right Navi?”

“Right!” the little robotic parrot said as she turned into her blaster form. Sunburst pulled the trigger and fired sending Doomwing staggering back.

“Estevan Hyper Dynamic!” Bard shouted, going for his Laser Blade and swinging it sending an arc of energy towards Doomwing while Robert pulled the Shadow Saber out of the light pole and rested the blade on top of his Kitsune Blaster, which was being held in his other hand.

“Kitsune Shadowed Seibai Blast!” he shouted, sending a ball of blue fire which transformed itself into a snapping canine’s jaws at Doomwing. Finally, to complete the humiliation, Sunset, Vapor, and Lightning sent energy slashes of their own towards the rooster monster.

He staggered back, but to everyone’s surprise, didn’t even look dented as he started to glow with an ugly green energy.

“You’ve… You’ve got to be fucking joking me!” Trixie squeaked out, as Doomwing grew to the size of a mountain.

“Fine, if I can’t destroy you that way, I’ll just blow up this whole planet and take you with me!”

Estevan’s sensors on his suit began screaming alarm bells.

“He’s not kidding, he’s building up enough energy to crack this planet in half! We need to destroy him, and fast! Dol!”

The bottom half of the Dolgiran detached and unfolded into the massive dragon that made up the ‘Dol’ half of the name.

“I need Red Dragon Thunderzord power, now!” Robert shouted, and the shadowed form of the great serpent snaked out of the cloud cover and breathed a hot blast of red flame at Doomwing, as Dol joined in with a blast of blue fire, the twin streams knocking Doomwing backwards. Still wasn’t going to be enough though, and Robert went into Orion Mode as the Red Dragon transformed into its warrior stance. He pulled out the Red Zeo Battlezord key, and inserted it, before the Red Dragon changed shape and the two massive Gatling cannons that the Battlezord sported began pumping blast after blast into Doomwing before finally the monster fell forwards, and exploded into a plume of fire.

“Oh, it’s so good to be back!” Robert smirked as he gave the remains a thumbs down. “Sayanora, Doomwing…”

As the clouds cleared, Robert and Estevan joined the other Rangers down at the ground below.

“So… how did you…? I mean, I thought you were supposed to be in the hospital for weeks!” Vapor stammered out at Robert, grasping for explanations.

“You have him to thank,” Robert commented, as he pointed behind him to Bard. “He saved me. Not just sped up the healing process but saved me as well. Couldn’t find myself catching my breath, and the next thing I knew, I felt this energy traveling through my body. I awoke to find bird-man over there standing over my hospital bed with my commander’s old sword to boot!’

“Thank Mirinoi technology, and archiving. It translates to Miracle for a reason in my language,” Bard replied simply before he turned to Trixie. “So, I see your brother got through to you after all. You could be a real asset on the battlefield, you know that right?”

“Please don’t say the words battlefield or asset,” Trixie whispered. “Please, just don’t. I killed so many ponies today, and Mystic Mother knows how many others when I was under Retinax’s brainwashing. Honestly, I don’t think I deserve this…” Trixie sighed, looking at the morpher on her wrist.

“Will you at least consider it?” Bard asked. “Retinax is going to be madder, and more desperate than ever now that he’s lost his top three generals. He’s going to do something drastic, I know that much.”

“Just… Just give me some time to think about it okay?” Trixie lied before she began to walk off.

“Hey, where are you going?” Sunburst shouted.

“I… I honestly don't know right now. Trixie thinks she’ll let the winds be her guide this time, see where they take her, who they lead her to,” she replied, before vanishing over the crest of a hill.

“You think we’ll ever see her again?” Sunburst asked sadly. “I know Retinax made her do a lot of horrible things, but-”

“They weren’t of her own free will?” Sunset finished, before sighing. “In her mind at least, they were. She killed those ponies, brainwashed or not. That kind of thing, I don’t know what it’ll do to her. And I honestly, really don’t know if we’ll ever see her again…” she whispered sadly.

“Damnit!” Sunburst shouted, punching a wall, cracking it. “And just when I’d gotten through to her!”

Sunset pulled him into a hug and whispered: “Hey, it’s alright now. We’re all back together again, and Trixie, at least in some aspects is free. And who knows, maybe she will come back. We’ll just have to wait and see…”

“In the meantime, will I suffice?” a familiar voice asked, and everyone turned to see the Purple Plesio Charge Ranger.

“Okay, who the Hell are you?” Sunburst asked. “You’ve been saving our flanks left and right, and you vanish soon after. I think it’s about high time you gave us a name right?”

With a snap of her fingers, the Ranger demorphed to reveal an all-too-familiar blond-haired woman, surprisingly youthful considering who she was. On a necklace, she bore a purple gem not that far removed from both the ones Galaxy and Daring had. Robert’s eyes widened in an instant.

“...No fucking way. Emily?”

“Surprise.” Emily Suzuki, AKA Samurai Ranger Yellow laughed sheepishly.

Author's Notes:

Well, Doomwing's roasted, and the bomb about the Purple Ranger's identity has been dropped. Not to mention, Trixie's free! Of course, you knew perfectly well she wouldn't just join up with the main team at the drop of the hat, would you?

No, I didn't think so.

Also, if you haven't seen the news yet... http://comicbook.com/powerrangers/2018/06/15/power-rangers-new-team-beyond-the-grid/

Yes, that is the Talon Ranger, or Kyouru Navy.

Part 15: A Samurai's Journey

3,000 Years Ago: Panorama City

“Centuries ago in Japan, Nighlok monsters invaded our world, but samurai warriors defeated them with power symbols, passed down from parent to child. Today the evil Nighlok have risen once again and plan to flood the earth. Luckily, a new generation of heroes stand in their way. They are the Power Rangers Samurai. Now their master, Xandred is defeated and so the Earth is safe… Or at least, that’s how it seemed. Now, a resurgence of Nighlok is on the rise…”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9PsP8Wk5Fs

To say one Emily Suzuki AKA Samurai Ranger Yellow was having a good day was like saying, well, Serrator was a little fish. The summer sun’s rays had been beating down heavily on her and Panorama City, and she could feel the sweat emanating off of her body as if she had come out of a hot bath. Not that she didn’t like a traditional hot bath, that is. Her mentor had always said that sweat was the sign of hard work and improvement, but when it was because of a hot day instead, it was a different story entirely.

“What I’d give for some ice cream right about now…” she sighed. She could see why Kevin liked the water so much, and why he’d decided to become a championship swimmer after the Nighlok had went under so to speak.

As she continued to bear the onslaught of the sunny day, she took some time to think about all that had happened since Master Xandred met his end, and how much the Rangers’ lives had changed since that day. Many of them went back to their everyday lives, herself included. If anything, the only real people who still hung around the dojo aside from Mentor were Jayden and Lauren, for obvious reasons.

Jayden, he’d changed quite a bit in the wake of the Nighlok’s defeat, much more open and less serious, though he still had his moments really. She chuckled in memory, catching him playing an electric guitar of all things at one point. The old all so serious Jayden would have never even thought of doing that! He’d probably faint on the spot at the sheer thought of it.

Lauren was one of the only ones still keeping up her training. Despite her and Jayden’s lineage, she believed that she could have done more in their last battle against the Nighlok scourge. Sure, she was a powerful warrior, but she barely had time to tap into the depths of her power as a ranger. Most importantly, she wanted to keep up with Jayden, due to his prowess as the Red Ranger. The real Red Ranger, in Lauren’s words. Personally, Emily believed this to be rather stupid, given that both were Reds, and besides, she’d heard of Ranger teams sharing colors before. The Time Force, and Ninja Storm teams sprang to mind. Okay, maybe the Ninja Storm had a Crimson Ranger and a Red Ranger, but that was just semantics really.

Eventually, Emily’s prayers for refreshment were answered, as she came across an ice cream stand in the square. The line was pretty long, but that was to be expected on such a day like this. As if it were coincidental, there were bottles of water being sold as well, while people waited in that very same line. Though she felt like she was on the verge of collapsing in the heat, she knew that it would be worth it in the end. Mentor Ji had always said that “Patience yields more victory than haste.”

Emily smiled, as a fresh wave of seabreeze hit her, coming out from the bay beyond. She smiled a little, remembering how Antonio was usually found here trying to nab the catch of the day whether it be something like a lobster or just a Kingfish or even the somewhat rare Spanish Mackerel. Being around Antonio, you tended to learn both a lot of Spanish and a lot about fish even if you never wanted to.

“Hey, Emily!” Came a voice, belonging to Kevin. He was dressed in a casual blue shirt and grey trousers, a backpack slung across him. “Pretty hot day, isn’t it?”

“Ugh, tell me about it,” Emily muttered. “Weather reports say it’s a record breaker for heat indexes all across California!”

“Yeah. Heck, the pool’s being filtered cold instead of warm today, just to beat the heatwave. It’s almost like a Scottish lake,” Kevin brushed the sweat off of his brow. “But if it stops us from being cooked to a crisp, I’ll take it.”

“Loch, technically,” Emily corrected. “But I know what you mean. Normally, on days like today, I’d be hitting the beach but it’s just too damn hot for even that.”

“I just hope Mike’s gonna be ok. I mean, sure, the arcade’s got some air-conditioning and all, but he might just tire himself out with all that button mashing he does.” Kevin rubbed the back of his head, the damp blades of hair barely fazing him. “Not to mention those things have to cool themselves. It’s gonna be one giant oven in there.”

“Mike should be fine,” Emily replied, smiling at the thought of her boyfriend. “Now that I think of it, he mentioned to me he was actually trying out for the local university in… Oh, what was it? Harwood County?”

“Harwood? Now that’s some commitment…” Kevin whistled. “He’s been spending so much time as a Ranger that he’s gonna have to hit the books hard to get in, let alone have a chance.”

“I have faith in him,” Emily replied with a smile. “You should as well,” she told her fellow Ranger, shooting him a small glare.

“Hey, chill out. I hope he gets in too. I’m just worried about how much time he might have to spend there.” Kevin turned his head to the sky. “After all, the Nighlok might be gone, but that’s only ‘cause their leader is dead. And who knows just how big the underworld even is? Pretty sure someone’s gonna take Xandred’s place sooner or later.”

“Yeah…” Emily sighed before deciding to move on to lighter subjects. “Speaking of Harwood, didn’t a new group of Rangers just pop up there last month? The Mega Rangers, I think they’re called. Amazing really, so close to Angel Grove as well…” she smiled, thinking of where the Ranger legacy all began. Vaguely remembering that just a few days before, Harwood had dealt with the latest monster to menace it, a creature calling herself Beezara of all things who turned quite a few people into her mindless drone slaves including several Rangers it was alleged.

“Oh, the Megaforce?” Kevin lifted a brow. “Yeah, they’re pretty cool, but I don’t think it’s original for their name, really. I mean, no offense, it just sounds like they were really reaching for the bottom of the bucket naming wise. Still, I will give them help if they ever need it. Once a Ranger after all…” he trailed off.

Then, a series of water plumes sprung up from the waterfront, and a bunch of silhouettes emerged from them. A horde of Moogers; Nighlok foot soldiers swarmed the square popping up from various cracks in the ground or nearby walls, and sent everyone into a panic and scrambling for cover or the nearest hiding place. Everyone except Emily and Kevin, that was.

“What the…?” Kevin exclaimed in disbelief. “Nighlok, here?”

“Always a Ranger.” Emily turned to her opponents and took a battle-ready stance. “Ready for this, Kevin?”

“Right.” he nodded, quickly resuming a familiar stance and letting old instincts take over as he went for his Samuraizer. Emily was soon to follow. Kevin drew the symbol for his element, while Emily did the same for hers. “Go go Samurai!”

Donning their Ranger forms, Kevin and Emily rushed into battle, swords in hand. The Moogers, despite having more of themselves, quickly found themselves on the receiving end of the swords. Though, they weren’t all quick to fall, as some of them did get in close and try to slash at the rangers with their claws.

“Good to see some things never change!” Kevin shouted as he struck a Mooger down with his Spin Sword before placing his Dragon Disk on the sword, and spinning it, launching a wall of water at the Moogers. “Feeling washed up yet?”

“And just to even the odds…” Emily murmured, adding a lightning adorned disk to her own Sword and spinning it, sending bolts of yellow colored lightning at the Moogers. The bolts hit, and coiled to other nearby Moogers, rapidly creating a web of electrical energy.

“Is that a new disk?” Kevin asked, watching the Moogers detonate one after the other. “Nice!”

“Borrowed it from Jayden, actually. He’s used it once before, but that was at least a year ago by my count. Still, seems to work great!” Emily replied, striking down another Mooger with a downward swing from her sword.

“Yeah. Dual-wielding elements is always great, isn’t it?” Kevin rushed forward and performed a knee-slide, his sword cleaving through Moogers as he passed them by. He grunted out in pain, as a Mooger managed to strike him in the side with a sword.

“Kevin!” Emily cried out in fear, watching her fellow Ranger clutch his bleeding side in pain, small pints of blood dripping onto the ground.

“Agh, don’t worry. I’ll be fine. A Samurai, he never falters!” Kevin reassured, swapping his sword out for his Hydro Bow, and pulling back the pump that was part of the propulsion system for the arrows. Letting the arrows fly, he watched as Moogers fell by the dozen.

Emily followed suit, turning her sword into her trusty Earth Slicer. Twirling it, the blades met Mooger flesh, and they quickly met their ends. And, when it wasn’t making mincemeat out of them, she was using it as a shield for the times when they got the drop on her.

“Looks like they’re running out of men! Time to bring it home, Emily!” Kevin leapt backwards and launched another salvo of Hydro Bow shots.

“On it!” She threw her Earth Slicer forward at some of the last surviving Moogers. It sliced them in half from the waistline before returning to her hands. “Well, that wasn’t so hard now was it? I’d say we still got it.” Emily smiled.

However, it wasn’t over yet as something far worse was about to emerge from the netherworld. A crack alongside a shop wall began to glow a deep, ugly crimson red as a hand began to emerge.

“You feel that Em?” Kevin asked nervously. “Haven’t felt this level of power since… Since well, Deker, really.”

“Deker? He’s got that strong of an aura?” Emily asked, watching as the beast continued to emerge from the crack. “I don’t like this. You may need to tell the others…”

“No, right now we’re all that stands between this monster and the city. If it gets ugly, we’ll call the others in. Right now, it’s up to us.” Kevin replied as he and Emily bore witness to the creature emerging.

Calling it ugly would have been a compliment. One side was blood-red and coated with tentacles, while the other half bore what looked like an oni’s face complete with tusks. The central face was akin to an eldritch abomination, almost akin to one another ranger team had defeated years ago. In its’ right hand, it bore a large spike mounted on the wrist, and in it’s left it held a massive cleaver style sword, with a decorative tassel.

“So, where’d they drudge you up? The ugly factory?” Emily joked lightly, trying to stay calm even in the face of certain devastation.

“Only two rangers? How disappointing.” The monster grumbled and folded his arms. “Where is the Red Ranger? And the ones who slew Xandred?”

“We’re more than enough to deal with the likes of you,” Emily remarked, inwardly not feeling so confident.

“Words are nothing compared to actions.” The monster pointed his sword towards Kevin and Emily. “You say you can deal with me, but can you really do such a thing?”

“Ooh-Ah-Ooh!” a familiar voice laughed, and Kevin turned his attentions to a rooftop, seeing a squid-faced creature, of a rather short stature holding a staff watching in great amusement. “Rangers, I’d like you to meet Three-Jaws!”

“Octoroo, so you decided to come out of hiding as well?” Kevin asked, his voice coming out as a growl.

“Any chance to see Master Xandred’s slayers destroyed, is a good chance I say!” Octoroo laughed before snapping his fingers. “Three-Jaws, do your stuff!”

“Gladly!” the now-named Nighlok smirked as he let out a battle roar and charged at the Rangers, who just barely held back his sword with their own blades. But that didn’t stop his onslaught, as he ferociously brought swing after swing of his sword down on the two rangers.

Emily just barely ducked to avoid a swing from the blade before kicking the creature in the stomach. Kevin lined up a shot with his Hydro Bow, and fired making Three-Jaws stagger back. Tendrils erupted from the creature’s face, and grabbed the Rangers and entangled them, lifting them up in the air, before pumping them full of amp after amp of electricity.

“You know, I think you might have been right!” Emily admitted. “Maybe we should have -GAH!- called the others!”

“Oh, real great time to admit I told you so!” Kevin replied, letting out a scream of pain as another wave of electricity hit him.

Octoroo couldn’t resist another laugh. “Oh, I’ve been waiting centuries for this. To finally see the legacy of the very first Samurai Rangers fall! Formed in Japan’s Sengoku period, and now killed in the twenty-first century, in California!”

“Not today!” a female voice called out, as a red blur sliced through Three-Jaw’s tendrils, freeing Emily and Kevin. At the same time, a small little lion creature dashed forwards and bit down on the monster, making him let out a roar of pain and stagger back. At the same time, a gold boot kicked Octoroo in the face before he was sliced in multiple places at a blindingly fast speed.

A red-clad figure landed next to Kevin and Emily, letting the lion fly back to her hand. A sword was strapped to her waist, and her visor was themed after the kanji for “Fire”.

“Sorry for the late arrival, you guys alright?” Lauren asked.

“Never better.” Emily smiled.

“So, the squid’s decided it was high-time to re-emerge?” a Spanish-accented voice commented as he sheathed his sword, which had been themed after a barracuda of all things. He waved his hand, as if driving away a bad smell. “Gotta say, you’re one fish even I wouldn’t catch! Man, you’re rank!”

“Heh!” Three-Jaws grinned and tightened the grip on his sword. “Now this is more like it! Here comes the rest of the team!”

Sure enough, the Green and Pink Rangers were arriving as well. Mike and Mia stood with the others, clad in their own Ranger outfits and wielding their own spin swords.

“Rangers together!” Lauren shouted as she slashed downwards with her Katana, the other rangers mirroring her movements. “Samurai Forever!”

“Now it’s FUN!” Three-Jaws howled as he threw his arms out. “The team that destroyed Xandred. Finally, we get to cross swords!”

“Sorry amigo,” Mike said, drawing his Forest Spear. “But we’re going to have to cut your fun short.”

“Fantastico!” Antonio shouted, doing a little leap of joy. “Feels just like old times, doesn’t it hermanos?” he said, throwing his arms around Kevin and Mike.

“Yeah, it does!” Mike fist-pumped. “Just like the good old days!”

“Guys, as much as I love the reminiscing,” Mia commented. “Let’s say we just finish this creep and go home? I’ve got lunch ready!”

Needless to say, that wasn’t exactly what you’d call a good way to get the Rangers to finish the battle quickly and spur them on, but they got the point nonetheless. They all went in towards Three-Jaws and met his one sword with their six. Antonio got in slashes with a short little blade, with a prong on it, called a Jutte. Back in the Edo period, this type of blade was used by shinsengumi to arrest criminals, with that little extra prong meant to catch opposing swords.

“Alright LZ, show him what you got!” Antonio cried, and held up what looked to be a red lantern with the Kanji for Samurai on it. The little lantern, actually a Zord, fired off disks like they were shuriken at frightening speeds at Three-Jaws, the monster just barely batting them away with his spike arm.

Mike vaulted over the monster with his spear, and then struck him from behind with it a few times as Mia sent blasts of wind at the creature. Octoroo was chuckling, and yet nobody could figure out just why.

“I don’t like it,” Kevin mused. “It’s too easy, this guy’s supposed to be on the level of Deker and yet… And what the Hell’s up with Octoroo?”

“He doesn’t seem to be putting up much of a fight,” Mia said, before delivering a vertical slash to it. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t like it…” Kevin trailed off, before launching a volley of arrows at the monster, which he deflected with a swing of his sword sending out a red energy wave towards the Rangers that was only barely dodged.

“Alright, time to put an end to this. Symbol Power: Burn Out!” Lauren shouted, dashing forwards past the monster, leaving an explosion of flames behind her, as if a trail of oil had been ignited. It was then Kevin noticed the Monster, -even as the flames began to die down- began to glow an ugly crimson red, as it seemed to swallow up the flames in it’s left mouth.

“So that’s why…” Kevin mused before shouting: “Everyone, get back!”

Sadly, it was far too late, as the right mouth fired a blast of pure elemental energy at the Rangers, sending everyone flying backwards and knocking them out of their Ranger forms.

“That’s all? Ha!” The Nighlok stomped over to the downed Rangers. “Looks like Master Xandred was rusty when he battled the likes of you.”

Suddenly, and just in time, he began to turn grey and his skin began to crack.

“Gah, you’re lucky I’m drying out! Consider this intervention of mercy by the Kami, Rangers!” Three-Jaws shouted, as he slipped back into the netherworld. Octoroo smirked, or gave what passed for one on his face before slipping back as well.

“Nngh…” Kevin groaned, clutching at the ground as he felt the pain begin to subside. “We’d better get to the dojo. Fast.”

The Shiba House:

The Shiba Manor, possibly one of the finest places in the world if you were to ask the Rangers, and awash with Samurai history. Home, and sanctuary. Pebbles lined the front yard, with a path leading up to the manor itself. A rock garden sat quietly, undisturbed by all, its’ lines perfectly drawn. The roof itself was very reminiscent of Japanese culture, with golden curls at the edges of the rooftop, and a thick beam holding them together. The Shiba family crest adorned many flags and objects around the manor, the crown-like symbol almost religiously seen at every corner. Truly, it was a great tribute to the family that owned it.

“Ugh… That was brutal!” Mike groaned out in pain as he stumbled forwards into the manor’s entrance hall, Emily helping to support him. “Haven’t been in a fight like that in a while. I mean, I knew we were rusty, but-”

“No, it wasn’t just that,” Emily told him. “That Nighlok, his power levels were unlike anything we’ve seen in ages, plus he could use our own powers against us!”

There was a loud clattering sound, as scrolls hit the wooden floor. Standing in front of the Rangers was Ji, his face covered in an expression of outright shock.

“Did you say Nighlok?” he asked, almost completely at a loss for words. “I knew there was a chance they’d come back, -that’s why Jayden left the manor after all, to go search for any warning signs of their re-emergence, but I never thought—”

“Well, looks like they’re back, and none too happy with us,” Emily sighed as she helped her boyfriend to a chair.

Nearby, Mia was treating Kevin and Lauren’s wounds, dabbing away at the blood with a soft wet cloth.

“I’ll whip up something, food should make things all better,” she said, before running off to the kitchen. “Oh, there’s this new recipe I’ve been waiting to try.”

Kevin and Mike shared a look, Mia’s cooking probably wasn’t going to help matters any. Under his breath, Kevin muttered: “I think I’ll have that Nighlok back now…”

“I have to question,” Mike remarked. “That Nighlok was unusually powerful, they shouldn’t be this dangerous, not with Master Xandred gone and pushing up the daisies!”

“And Dayu and Deker are out of the picture as well, not to mention Serrator. So something else must be going on in the Netherworld…” Kevin added. “I don’t know what it is, but I don’t like the sound of it.”

“Now that you bring this up, I remember something,” Ji spoke up, before going to the large table in the center of the room, and bringing up a map of the city, the entire thing seemingly made of water. He put his finger on a location outside the city, and it zoomed in on the location of the area known as Spring Valley. “Got some weird readings from the Gap Sensors a while back, I thought nothing of it. They weren’t Nighlok in origin. Lauren investigated a while ago, but she couldn’t find anything.” he continued, with the Red Ranger nodding in confirmation.

“So, some sort of otherworldly energy, but not Nighlok in origin…” Kevin mused, rubbing his chin in thought.

“Permit me, if I may,” a new voice joined in, and all the Rangers along with Ji looked up to see an Asian man in spectacles standing in the front hall, near the mounted Samurai armor. In his hands, he clutched an old scroll. Around his neck was a small little green orb of some sort, tied to a string like a pendant or an amulet. “I might just have a theory on that.”

In an instance, Mia drew her sword. “Who are you, and how’d you find the Shiba House?” she asked, in a warning tone.

“You are the Samurai Rangers, correct?” He asked, watching the others rise to their feet. “I’ve been looking for you for a while now. Just keeping an eye on you and your exploits really, like a few others. Nice work on defeating Master Xandred by the way. Me, along with a few others were about to jump in to try and help and at least give you some breathing room, but at the last moment, we saw you destroy Xandred for good. Let me tell you, a certain Yellow Eagle Ranger was about to call for her Zord and divebomb the guy, and I’m not even going to get into her boyfriend and his Q-Rex. Whatever that was.”

“Who are these ‘others’?” Mike asked. Lauren smiled.

“Okay, I may have been rather closed off from the world at times, but even I know we were never the only Power Rangers out there,” she smiled, having a good feeling on who she might have been talking to. The amulet around his neck only enhanced that feeling.

“Power Rangers?!” The others chorused, as the Asian man finally revealed his own crest, which was a shining star.

“Samurai Rangers,” Ji said with a bow of respect. “I’d like you to meet one of your predecessors, or your ‘Senpai’ if you will. This is Cam Watanabe, the Green Ninja Storm Ranger, and the holder of the powers of the Samurai Amulet.”

“Well, I was the power’s holder, but mostly correct,” Cam replied, bowing in return before adjusting his glasses.

Emily snapped her fingers in remembrance. “Now I remember you! You were on the news with those other five Rangers about ten years back fighting off this guy named Lothor and his army at the Action Games in Blue Bay Harbor!” the Yellow Ranger exclaimed pointing directly at Cam before she involuntarily shuddered. She was remembering the fear she’d felt as she and her sister Serena watched hoards of what looked to be Ninjas and assorted monsters surround the Rangers and cause general chaos as they overwhelmed them on a news broadcast. In the end, though, the Rangers had won out through unknown means and basically vanished for a year.

“That’s correct,” Cam replied. “Sorta an odd thing, knowing you had a hand, -if only in part- in sending your uncle to the bottom of a practically inescapable abyss…” he remarked, rubbing the back of his head.

“Wow, Lothor was your uncle?” Lauren murmured. “And I thought I had a strange family.”

“Talk about messed up,” Antonio muttered as he shook his head. “I mean, your familia is supposed to be there for you right?”

“And then he came back, right?” Kevin piped in and everyone looked at him. The blue ranger flushed. “Least that’s what I heard. You had to team up with a dino-themed team to stop him for good right?”

“Long and short of it, yes. They, as in Ranger big bads have an uncanny ability to do that. He never was there for the final battle though. Not really sure whatever happened to him. And to be frank, considering he hasn't reappeared I'm not really worried.”

“Er, hold up. Not that I’m glad to know we’ve never been alone,” Mike spoke up. “But what’s a Samurai doing on a team of Ninjas?”

“We had our own warlord to fight, and much like with your team, we had to make ourselves better to defeat him, if not by sometimes unusual means,” Cam tapped the pendant softly. “I believe that is what the majority of Ranger teams do these days.”

“Punto justo,” Mike admitted. “So, what’s your take on all of this?” he asked.

“Well, I went to Spring Valley awhile back myself, before all this mess with Xandred returning went down. Found something rather unusual, been keeping a close eye on it ever since,” Cam replied, laying the scroll out on the table and unfolding it. An image of a gem of some sort was etched into the scroll, alongside Japanese script, nearly ancient in age. “Ancient legends tell of ten gems, scattered all over the world and each granting unimaginable power. Now Nighlok, they’re basically Japanese Oni, am I right?” Cam asked, letting the Rangers take all this information in.

“Pretty much,” Emily agreed. “Fact is, they were supposedly created by the demon lord Orochi after he’d possessed the God of the Moon, Lord Tsukiyomi-no-mikoto as a mockery of humankind and as a spiteful joke towards Lady Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess after they’d both cast the snake creature out from Kamui. It’s the reason why when Xandred returned from the netherworld, he said: “Day shall become night as I escape the Netherworld to face my enemies!” as he, essentially was created with the power of the moon.” Emily remembered, involuntarily shuddering as she remembered the Nighlok stepping into the human world for the first time in what had to be over a decade, and nearly killing them all. She still had nightmares of those eyes of his, staring her down. The fact was, she at times after the battle had woke up screaming much to her boyfriend’s shock when they stayed together at her family’s ranch. Mike put a comforting arm around her in support, knowing exactly what she had to be thinking of.

“Hey, it’s alright. He’s gone now. He won’t be coming back. Not again, not ever.” he said in reassurance.

“Back to the matter at hand, you think this gem has something to do with our recent problems?” Ji asked, and Cam nodded.

“I’m sure of it. From what I’ve read of Oni, it wouldn’t be that big of a stretch of the imagination for them to have the ability to corrupt this gem. Now normally, the legends state it and it’s power can only be used by the pure of heart and it’s safe to say the Nighlok are anything but. However, I believe Octoroo or someone else may have corrupted it, and that’s how the Nighlok you faced today was so powerful, as he drew on the gem and it’s powers.”

“The way you speak of this gem,” Lauren butted in. “You’re speaking as if it’s alive in a sense. Should we be worried about it?”

“Not really. It being alive, eh, I’d say It’s possible, but not alive in a way you would think as normally sentient, thinking for itself to any great length. At least, not to the extent it could take you over or anything,” Cam replied. “I really don’t know much about this thing aside from ancient texts and legends, and those are never clear.”

“Fair point,” Lauren replied. “It’d be nice to have you along when we face this Nighlok, now that we know what it can do. An extra Ranger would always be a good thing, especially one who doesn’t use elemental powers as such.”

“Yes, sadly, after the team up with the Dino Thunder Rangers, my powers faded. My mother’s amulet, it only had the power for one last battle, and I used it all up,” Cam sighed. “So, at best, I could only help you in research aspects like I am now.”

“Now hold up right there mi amigo!” Antonio piped in. “I fancy myself a sort of tech wizard. Hell, I helped empower a lot of the team’s gadgets as it is, and even fix a few Zords with only my Light Symbol Power. I’m willing to bet my reputation as a Ranger that I can probably imbue your Amulet with a bit of power myself.”

“But wouldn’t that leave my powers, presuming this works, elemental in a sense?” Cam asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ji shook his head. “Not necessarily, considering they were never formed from the elements in the first place. I’ve read up on the Samurai Amulet a few times, simple curiosity you understand, and while I don’t quite understand all of it, it was formed by a different breed of magic than Symbol Power. So even if Antonio brought it back to life as it were with his own powers, it would still remain the same in general functions and inner workings.”

“Well, worth a shot…” Cam sighed before turning to the current Gold Ranger. “Fire away.” he said with a smile.

“Fantástico!” Antonio shouted, practically leaping out of his chair and whooping with joy. “Trust me amigo, I won’t let you down!”

For hour after hour, as darkness fell, the Rangers watched anxiously as Antonio ‘fed’ the Samurai Amulet with little bits of light symbol power, each piece coming out as small gold kanji. Time seemed to slow down, as gradually the Rangers each turned in for the night as Antonio continued his long, relentless work. The Gold Ranger was the only one, aside from Cam who managed to stay awake, knowing the utmost importance of his task. Finally, the Samurai Amulet beeped, lights coming on as it reawakened.

“Yes!” Antonio cried, fist-pumping the air, before realizing how exhausted he was as he slid back up against a wall. “Dios mío, recuérdame que nunca vuelva a hacer algo tan agotador, ¿eh amigo?”

Thankfully, it was in the nick of time as dawn rose, something was detected on the gap sensor. Ji quickly set to work, and pulled up the map of the city. He wasn’t entirely surprised when he saw where the new emergence was.

“Spring Valley,” he informed as the other Rangers gathered around. “I suspected as much. From what you told me about the Nighlok and his capabilities, and what Cam told us about this gem in the location, I suspected he might return there to recharge his powers. This gem, it’s the only way he should feasibly be able to take that much symbol power and throw it back at you,” Ji explained. Symbol Power, as the Rangers very well knew, was corrupting to a Nighlok and inherently poison to them in a sense, considering it was created and drew from the purest elemental energies of the Japanese Kami themselves, with a lot of that being contributed by the ancient dragon Yomigami aside the Lady Amaterasu.

“Let’s move out,” Lauren informed, going for her late father’s Samuraizer. “Time to bring this chapter to a close.”

Spring Valley:

Spring Valley was this little tranquil hideaway in the mountains outside of the city, hidden deep within the forests, and often times, covered in an almost otherworldly mist. In the center, was a lake, a torii gate standing on the shoreline. The forest around it stood as still as the air around it. Not a single creature stirred in the endless maze of greenery and trees. Cloaked by a veil of mist, it seemed like something out of a fairytale, and the deeper reaches were whited out. A singular lake sat in the center of the forest, with the water as clear as the skies above. A picture came to life, some would say; undisturbed by all, save for one…

“Ooh-Ah-Ooh!” Octoroo smiled as he watched Three-Jaws absorb the powers of the Purple Energem, buried deep within a rock that held the fossils of a Plesiosaurus. “Now you’re ready to give those Rangers a real thrashing!” he laughed, watching a thin stream of dark violet energy coming out of the Energem and enter Three-Jaw’s body.

“What, you mean us Rangers?” a very familiar voice asked as the Rangers ran out of the treeline, clad in cotton garb in a keikogi/hakama combo traditionally used by Samurai. The keikogi was colored a sharp white, while the hakama was a distinctive midnight blue. Cam, on the other hand, was dressed in a modern day Ninja’s uniform, black leather with his crest on his right breast and his re-powered amulet hanging around his neck.

“Ah, come back for more eh?” Three-Jaws laughed, all three of his mouths speaking in unison this time, making for a rather creepy and unnerving effect. “Doesn’t matter how many of you there are. Six, seven, it makes no difference! You’re still in for a beating!”

“Well, sorry to disappoint, Nighlok,” Lauren stated, pointing her sword’s tip directly at him. “This time, we know how you work. And our new friend here, he’s not your average Samurai.”

“Big deal, even if you know how I fight, and where I got my powers from, you’re already dead as it is. Hell, I’ll wager my Moogers won’t even be needed here!”

“We’ll just have to see about that, won’t we? While I appreciate the honor of you not hiding behind any of your grunts, you’re going down just the same. Ready?” Lauren asked, pulling out her Samuraizer. “Go go Samurai!” she shouted, drawing the symbol for fire in the air with the others following with their respective elements. Cam meanwhile, unhooked his amulet and enlarged it.

“Samurai Storm, Ranger Form! Hah!” he shouted, and like a cyclone, the little orb spun and morphed him in a flash of green energy. Unlike the more traditional costumes of the Samurai Rangers, which resembled kimonos, his was covered in a gold flak jacket that partially covered up a gold symbol that currently resembled a shuriken. His helmet’s visor also resembled the traditional ninja weapon of choice.

“Rangers together, Samurai Forever!” the Rangers shouted in unison, slashing downwards with their swords.

“It’s always with the fancy posing with you Rangers, isn’t it?” Octoroo sighed, rubbing his forehead. “I’ll be so glad when you’re dead, one less migraine to deal with. Three-Jaws, can we just finish this already? I’ve got things to do, make the Sanzu rise with the misery of humans and I think we can start by killing off some of their beloved defenders!”

Three-Jaws let out a combative roar and fired little energy missiles like senbon needles from his spike arm, with Mike using his Samurizer to draw a series of symbols in midair, namely this: ウッドウォール, meaning “Wood Wall”. Sure enough, a wall of wood and earth covered in creeping vines sprung up from the ground, lined with faces of various Japanese gods. Emily then vaulted over and drew another set of symbols in midair with her own Samuraizer.

ロックスライド was what she drew, meaning Rock Slide. A series of boulders flew towards Three-Jaws, some slamming into him, and others just filling all three of his mouths. Muffled curses came out of one of them before he finally managed to spit the rocks out. Not that it made much difference, as another attack hit him. Antonio, he managed to dial in the phrase フラッシュon his morpher, meaning Flash.

A blinding flash of light filled Three-Jaw’s field of vision, and as this happened Kevin let a volley of water arrows fly, while both Cam and Emily dashed forwards, slashing the monster across the chest several times.

“Don’t you get it yet?” Three-Jaws laughed, even as he staggered back. “You know what I can do, absorb Elemental Powers and thrust them back at you! Here’s a reminder!” he laughed, before unleashing a blast of pure elemental energy that Lauren only just managed to block with her Fire Smasher. She staggered back, the ground cracking underneath her boots.

“Yes, but we also know this. The only reason you can do that?” Lauren commented as the blast finally subsided. “It’s that gem. Take that away, and you’re just another Nighlok who will become rust on our blades.”

“Okay, so you’re smarter than I gave you credit for, little miss clever clogs,” Three-Jaws chuckled. “But still, the problem remains. I’ve got the energy from the gem, and you don’t!”

“Well, we’ll just have to fix that won’t we?” Cam smirked, throwing off his weighed flak jacket, it cracking the ground beneath him as it hit the earth, and revealing what his chest emblem really was, a firebird. The top half of his helmet was flipped around as well, switching his visor to a firebird themed one as well. “Super Samurai Mode!”

He dashed forwards, weights now removed and sliced the Nighlok and Octoroo across their chests at nearly blinding speeds before sending what looked be a volley of tennis balls at them using his sword sheath as a bat.

“Um, what… Just what?” Kevin asked, blinking under his helmet. “...I thought you were a Samurai, that’s not exactly something I was expecting really.”

“Like I said, may have a Samurai-themed powerset, but I fought with a team of Shinobi,” Cam said, as he kicked Three-Jaws backwards. “So, jutsu like that is part of the deal. I call that technique, the Chō Ninpō - Hida Senbon Nokku or in English, Super Ninja Art: Secret Hitting Thousand Knock.”

“Big deal! I still have the powers of the gem!” Three-Jaws growled, before a cheeky voice chimed in.

“Oh, you mean this gem?” Emily asked, before she felt a wash of power go through her, and in her mind’s eye saw multiple dinosaurs including a plesiosaur being infused with the energy of ten different gems like Cam alluded to. She also heard a name, Torin before she found what looked to be a fossilized pistol in her hand. Not really understanding why, or what this gem exactly was, she inserted it into the pistol, before the fossilized rock crumbled away revealing a black and yellow weapon with glowing green reptilian eyes underneath.

“Purple Energem, engage!” the Morpher shouted. Information flooded Emily’s mind, and she on pure instinct pointed the gun skywards and let out a shout.

“Unleash the Power!” she shouted, pulling the trigger and shooting an energy manifestation of a plesiosaur’s head fired upwards and then came back down forming a purple costume around Emily’s body, with a yellow sash on the chest. In one hand, the gun/morpher and in the other, she found herself holding a sword similar in theme to the Dino Morpher, for lack of a better term.

“Woah Em…” Mike whispered. “Okay, now that is hot.”

“Well, wasn’t expecting that…” Cam murmured to himself.

Three-Jaws and Octoroo actually looked rather afraid for the first time today as Emily combined her sword and gun to form a rifle with a bayonet tip on it before she unleashed a flurry of shots at both of them. Octoroo was sent sprawling to the ground, and getting the message, slipped back into the netherworld.

“Octoroo, you fuckin’ coward!” Three-Jaws roared. “When I get my claws on you, you’ll wish you’d never been born!”

“Well, all alone now, and without your precious gem backing you up.” Mia remarked as Emily tossed her a spare spin sword. “Guess that means, like Lauren said, time to end this little chapter of Nighlok history!”

From all sides, Three-Jaws found himself besieged in a manner not that far removed from what Solar Flare would experience in her final battle against Celestia. Every time he tried to swing his massive sword at one of the Rangers when they got in strikes with their swords, they’d leap away and another would take their place and get in strikes with their own blades until finally, all seven Rangers leaped in shouting: “Shin no samuraiāto, sebunsōdosurasshu!” (True Samurai Art, Seven Sword Slash!) blades all glowing a sharp gold.

Mia smiled and whipped out her own Spin Sword, along with the one that Emily had tossed her.

Combining her wind element with the lightning disk, she slammed the tips of both swords into the ground, sweeping the Nighlok up in a massive cyclone that zapped him with pink lightning bolts every so often. But that wasn’t the end of things. Oh no. Lauren had gone into Super Samurai Mode, and had pulled out the Bullzooka.

“Here’s the power of the Shiba Clan comin’ at you!” she shouted, before firing a blast of pure fire elemental energy at Three-Jaws. She had a theory, just how much elemental energy could the Nighlok absorb now that the connection with his precious gem was severed?

Three-Jaws roared in pain, but before he could make any further movements, Lauren whipped out her Samuraizer once again and began drawing another series of symbols in mid-air.

シール, meaning Seal. The Nighlok found himself frozen, unable to move. It wasn’t over yet, as another series of symbols were drawn by Lauren. 追放、セカンドライフ, meaning Exile, Second Life.

Three-Jaws roared out in pain, shouting: “What, what have you done?”

“What do you think? Just removed the access to your second life. I’ve been practicing day and night to master this particular symbol power, and from the looks of things, I’d say it paid off,” Lauren noted, watching a distinct purple mist leave the Nighlok. “Now, Rangers! Your Symbol Powers, give him all you got! Fire!” she barked out, drawing her Samuraizer and shooting a beam of red energy at the Nighlok.

“Earth!”

“Forest!”

“Heaven!”

“Water!”

“Light!”

All six beams hit the Nighlok, before he staggered forwards and fell to the ground going up in a substantially sized fireball.

“Samurai Rangers, victory is ours.” Lauren smiled, as everyone demorphed. But, the question now was, what of Emily’s newfound power and how would it affect their lives?

The Animarium: Present Day

The modern-day Rangers of course, had been listening in on this whole tale via firelight inside the Animarium’s main temple.

“Okay, but that still doesn’t answer the question,” Robert remarked. “Emily, forgive me for this, but how in the flying fuck are you still even alive in the here and now? You should have died thousands of years ago, your bones should be rotting in some grave somewhere in Panorama City or wherever!” he exclaimed throwing his hands up in the air, as his reality promptly decided it was high time to flip him the bird and go off to play golf and have sex with another man. Or something like that.

“Er, yeah…” Lightning replied. Lightning’s curiosity, it had been rather peaked she admitted. Some of the things Emily had described, they sounded uncannily similar to what Daring had told her back at the Get On Inn in the city of Somnambula, about seeing a bird-man named Torin who happened to bond ten different gems to the spirits of ten different dinosaurs. Now, Lightning was never the most book-smart of ponies, but even she knew this wasn’t a coincidence. No way in Hell. That was an answer she’d have to garner out of Emily later, right now she had a bigger question. “I hate to generally do this, but I agree with Robert. You should be dead by all rights. Y-You’re not a g-ghost are you?” Lightning stuttered out, before regaining her composure.

Emily chuckled darkly, which if Robert remembered correctly was definitely not she was known to do. There was definitely something off here. Robert’s mind, he was far from stupid considering he was technically a police detective but his mind, it refused to register the possibility that was staring him directly in the face even if it would have made the most sense.

“Being dead, a ghost?” Emily replied. “Might be preferable than being trapped like I am. See, trouble is with picking up an Energem, as they’re called, you get a little other bonus aside from Ranger powers. Immortality.” she answered, taking her Energem off its neck chain and idly tossing it up in the air, before catching it in her hand.

“Oh sure, for the first few years after I picked up the Energem, I hardly noticed nor did anyone else in my life for that matter. They thought I just aged well. Maybe Mentor Ji suspected, I don’t know. He probably did, the clever old bastard. But then the wrinkles started to appear on everyone’s faces, and I along with everyone else figured out something was very wrong indeed. Think about it for a moment, I had a boyfriend who I eventually married, and yet I stayed as young as you see me now, at least outwardly, but for each passing year Mike and my friends and family didn’t.

“I had to watch this, and as you can imagine, it wasn’t pleasant for me. The first funeral, it was Mentor’s. Died of a heart attack, always pushed himself too hard that man. He was only sixty-five. Me, I could pass myself off as his granddaughter and nobody would be the wiser. I, sadly, had to break things off with Mike, at his insistence. He said it wasn’t good for either of us if I had to watch him grow into an old man, who had to walk with a cane. His words, not mine. You starting to get the picture? I’ve watched this world grow old for over thousands of years, and honestly, I’ve probably lost a little of myself along the way. Only good thing that came of it was I got to sharpen my skills as a Samurai, and maybe reach Deker’s level of swordsmanship.” Emily sighed.

Sunset’s feathers ruffled a little as she looked into the Animarium’s fountain, seeing a reflection of herself. More often than not, she did find herself weighing the benefits of Alicorn status. I mean, sure, it was something she’d wanted all her life, to stay alongside her what was basically her adoptive mother in Princess Celestia, and at the same time safeguard the world till the sun burnt out and the world turned to ash, but at the same time, she knew there would be a cost. She’d always known it. And the simple fact of the matter was, she would stay young for a very long time indeed. Her friends, most of them anyways, wouldn’t have that luxury.

If, by whatever reason she chose to marry someone, she would have to watch them grow old day by day and eventually, at one point in her life, just watch them shrivel up and have nary the ability to care for themselves unless they had help. Just watching that, well it wasn’t a prospect Sunset liked to think about needless to say.

“I’m sorry…” she told Emily, not really sure at what to say by this point and laying a hand on her shoulder. The former Samurai Yellow snorted.

“Save your pity, I’ve had enough of it to last me five lifetimes over at least,” she muttered, brushing Sunset’s hand away. “Trust me, if I could find a way to remove this curse, and I know you’re already thinking of ways for it to be done probably with help from that pretty purple pony Princess friend of yours, I would have done it long ago. Best I can do right now?” Emily asked. “Help you guys, and deal with the current mass-megalomaniac threatening your world. After all… Once a Ranger, always a Ranger.” she repeated sadly.

“Should probably inform Daring and Galaxy about this little tidbit their gemstones offer,” Lightning muttered. “Daring might be a bit thrilled, as she actually gets to watch history unfold instead of digging it up, but Galaxy? He’s never been a happy sort, and I don’t think knowing he’ll outlive his fiancee will make him any more pleased than he normally is,” she joked darkly.

“However, Emily, you might be more of a help to us than just being a Ranger. I mean, you seem to be the first to pick up one of these Energems, and then Daring and then Galaxy, unless someone else pops up with one,” Sunburst piped in. “I mean, you and Daring, along with Galaxy most likely got a vision of this bird-man bonding these gems to the ancient dinosaurs so you could probably help us piece together some information on these damn things. I mean, what we know so far, they bond to those with a good heart or something close to it, you get Ranger powers and someone long ago by the name of Torin bonded these things to Dinosaurs and somewhere along the way Zords were created modeled after them. What we’ve got now, it’s a curious mystery…” he trailed off.

Emily sighed. “Sorry, but I’m in the dark as much as you all are. Like you said, unless someone else pops up with another Energem, you’re probably not going to get much info out of me, or these two friends of yours. Unless Galaxy is keen to share some special info he’s keeping secret.”

“Sadly,” Sunburst replied. “From what I can gather, unless he’s lying out of his ass to our faces, he knows about as much as you do about these things. However, there was this. At the Winter Ball a few months ago, he mentioned seeing a Gold gem, not unlike yours hanging around the neck of Princess Ember of the Dragon Nation of Zandar. I’m only guessing here, but-”

“She’s likely a Ranger as well. You’d best be off to find her,” Emily finished. “In the meantime, I’ll be heading off. Doubt I’m exactly welcome in Ponyville, for obvious reasons so I’ll just find some place a bit more accepting. I hear the griffon nations seem to love warriors of all types.”

Sunset grabbed her by the arm before she could leave. “Oh no, you’re not vanishing on us again. Ponyville’s starting to change as of late, and I know a few ponies who would gladly take you in, and who knows, you just might learn something or two from them eh?” she said with a smile that left no room for argument. Emily sighed, no wonder this mare was a Princess. She could get you to listen to her, and wind up agreeing with her in the end for better or for worse.

“Oh, what the hell? Not like it’s going to kill me.” Emily groaned.

Canterlot Greenaries

Neighsay was not a happy pony. Then again, he generally wasn’t a happy pony more often than not, but today? Well, let’s just say he’d make Professor Severus Snape look like Pinkie Pie in comparison. The week had started off simple enough, just propose the latest way to keep Equestria defended alongside Wind Rider, but Celestia wasn’t exactly… pleased with their proposal.

Neighsay sat across the boardroom from Celestia, with Wind Rider by his side discussing the latest plans to keep Equestria safe from Thrax, or any other wannabe conqueror who came to call with ambitions of taking control of the country and beyond. There had already been thoughts about a national response when Thrax first showed up on the scene, but it was the actions of Lord Drakkon that finally got everyone seriously thinking about a defense force of some sort.

Before his appearance with his army, Celestia had figured that the Rangers and the Elements together could handle any threats to Equus’s safety. Sadly, that didn’t seem to be true with Drakkon putting Ponyville under lockdown and threatening to blow it to kingdom come serving as a wakeup call. Thankfully, Lord Drakkon had never got beyond Ponyville and the town was left intact thanks to the combined efforts of the Riders and the Rangers (A Chou Super Hero Taisen one Neighponiese newspaper had called it) but the question still remained.

And that was, what if someone like him showed up again and the Rangers weren’t there to meet him? Who’d stop the hypothetical conqueror from taking over? Certainly not other nations, as they couldn’t rally up warriors fast enough to stop anyone from taking over Canterlot and effectively controlling Equestria’s capital. Celestia, even with the powers of the Solaris Knight by her side, didn’t like to consider the possibility very well. She was not infallible, and certainly not by any means unstoppable.

As she stared Neighsay down at the negotiating table, her eyes watching the Chancellor's movements as she tried to guess what he’d do. Mind you, she could manage a guess, she knew that any non-pony species were seen as lesser than dirt in his eyes so him entertaining the notion of protecting anything beyond Equestria’s borders was pretty much out of the question. And then there was Wind Rider, the pony was rich from his days with the Wonderbolts, and quite popular and could easily sway anyone to his side.

“Honestly, Princess, I don’t see the reason for this… well, farce,” Neighsay remarked, idly twirling what looked to be a lock on his fingertips. Celestia knew where it came from, namely the weapons lock-up. After Drakkon’s invasion, any surviving Ranger Sentry morphers or Kurokage Trooper Lockseeds and Drivers were seized. It wasn’t hard to imagine, in Celestia’s mind what he (Neighsay) wanted to do with them. She would have liked the thought, were it coming from anyone else besides Neighsay’s mind. “We’re just interested in protecting Equestria’s economy!”

“Exactly, Equestria and Equestria alone,” Celestia stated, in a tone sounding exactly like that of a disappointed mother admonishing a child whose hands had been caught with one too many sweets. “Nowhere in that sentence do I hear any ideas of protecting our allies.”

“So, if they get invaded, their problem. Not ours,” Neighsay shrugged. “We need to focus on the here and now Princess, Thrax and his forces. Not to mention the wild card that’s Retinax. Still don’t know what he’d do, with him and his White Ranger. He’s got one of his own in his deck now, and from what I’ve been seeing said Ranger is absolutely trouncing ours.”

Celestia groaned, even Neighsay had his moments of intelligence, bigoted as he was. This sadly, was one of them.

“Why don’t we create one of our own?” Wind Rider piped in. “We’ve got a good number of morphers laying in the weapons lock-up. Why not use-”

“Why not use them?” Fancy Pants finished, having lay silent until now. “Sadly, good idea but poor in execution. Until we finish debugging the morphers, Mystic Mother only knows what they’ll do. Let me tell you something. Both of you. Unlike either of you, or half of the nobles in this very room really, I wasn’t borne into wealth. I had to build my fashion industry from the ground up. And I succeeded. I am opposing a social order in which it is possible for one man who does absolutely nothing that is useful to amass a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while millions of men and women who work all the days of their lives secure barely enough for a wretched existence.” he spat at Wind Rider, thoroughly defrocking the former Wonderbolt.

“Excuse me!?!” Wind Rider roared and nearly reached across the table to lunge at Fancy before Neighsay pulled him back into his seat with a glowing orange hue of magical energy.

Celestia meanwhile, banged a gavel and yelled out: “Silence!” almost reaching Royal Canterlot Voice levels of volume as the whole room erupted into chaos. “Duke Fancy, that was uncalled for,” she then said, back in that tone again looking directly at the monocled unicorn.

“Apologies madam,” Fancy replied, as he adjusted his tie. “I shan’t do it again.”

Even still, he was shooting a dirty glare at both Wind Rider and Neighsay all the while through the rest of the meeting.

Celestia rubbed her head in pain, where was Princess Cadance and Prince Armor when you needed them? They generally, or at least her niece, had a reputation for keeping the peace. Something that was soundly needed right now in this room.

“Calm yourself Wind Rider, Chancellor Neighsay,” Celestia stated, in a calm and collected tone even though inwardly, she wanted to just snap at most of the Day Court. “Plans are already in place for a response. We were sent data on what’s called G-Suits by the version of Maud from Decade’s universe, and we’re looking into the possibilities of replicating them and applying them to members of the Royal Guard once they go through the proper training. For now, yes, we’re left with just normal armor, but even then we are adapting that to accommodate the battering it would have to take to withstand the attacks Thrax and his monsters can use.”

Grumbling, Neighsay and Wind Rider found themselves out the door as Celestia adjourned the Day Court.

“Damn whorse,” Neighsay muttered in a low tone, hoping that no-one had overheard that. “Saw right through everything. Not surprised really, she’s always been too intelligent for her own good. Bit too much of a goody too hooves these days. I miss the old Celestia, the firm one who would put down a non-Equestrian without a second’s thought or a tear shed. She’s grown too soft, that’s what’s happened!” he muttered in distaste as he and Wind Rider wandered through a section of long-forgotten and frankly overgrown greenhouses that had been left to rot with vines creeping up all over the place.

Wind Rider winced. Despite being many things, a terrible father and a snob amongst them, he had to admit the human was useful in his own ways. Mind you, he’d prefer Sunset and the rest of the Rangers any day, but Robert Williams filled the spot for the fifth member of the Wild Force Rangers okay enough. Not stupendously, hardly! But just enough.

“You sure about this?” he asked.

“Relax, what Celestia doesn’t know, it won’t hurt her in the slightest…” Neighsay smirked before pushing open a door.

Smiling, Neighsay looked directly at the greenhouse in front of him, which was practically covered in Helheim vines with fruits growing on them, each vine coming through an artificially created, stable dimensional crack.

Reaching towards a vine, he plucked two fruits off of it, and they began to glow before changing into Lockseeds. Neighsay smiled even as he slapped on a very familiar looking belt.

“Henshin.”

Author's Notes:

Okay, so I know that was a very long chapter, but hey, I'd say it was worth it and it proves that I'm not just devoting all my tokusatsu related ideas to "To the Stars" eh? I brought in Shadowmane for this chapter, largely for the Samurai scenes as I know he's a huge fan of the series, and I thought he'd like to do some work for the series and create a good tribute to it, and Emily's backstory. Speaking of backstories, I admit I took some liberties with Samurai here and added some Shinkenger Elements such as the Rangers being dressed in traditional garb before they morph, but I thought it apt.

Also, decided to tie in the Nighlok's origins (Were they ever given one?) with the Japanese Sun and Moon gods along with the demon lord Orochi just for fun, and to insert a little bit of Japanese myth as well.

Now, on Neighsay. Yes, I did say in a previous blog post that Zangetsu and Double were the only Kamen Riders that would be showing up, but I figured now that Doomwing's roasted, a new reoccurring substantially powerful enemy would work, and besides, this would just be the kind of thing Neighsay and the Nobles would pull. Though about Wind Rider using the Lemon Lockseed to become Armored Rider Duke, but I axed that idea, after realizing Duke wouldn't really work for Wind Rider's character and one enemy Kamen Rider was more than enough.

Also, the Nighlok in this chapter? Adapted from the main monster of Goseigers VS Shinkengers.

Now, the final thing. Me and Shagohad were discussing the immortality issue brought up in this chapter with Sunset over Discord, (Potential spoilers inbound) and it basically went like this:

The Bricklayer-Yesterday at 8:15 PM

Yeah, one thing I was considering, at the end of the story, was Sunset give up her Alicorn status, with Twilight thinking about it as well.
I mean sure, you get tons of magic power, but the cost?

Shagohad12-Yesterday at 8:15 PM

watching over the world and safe guarding it

The Bricklayer-Yesterday at 8:16 PM

Yeah, but you also have to watch as you stay young, and everyone you care about grows old and dies.

Shagohad12-Yesterday at 8:16 PM

then you make every day with them count
Or you just go visit them in the after life
You're asking this of a guy who has a main character whose the grandson of the goddess of death and can just go visit any one who dies

The Bricklayer-Yesterday at 8:19 PM

Yeah, but I'm fairly sure Alicorns can't just waltz into the afterlife and open a door to it.
Pretty sure there's balances.

Shagohad12-Yesterday at 8:20 PM

You're thinking too narrow. Why not have an affable god of death who can bend the rules for some fellow gods every once in a while

The Bricklayer-Yesterday at 8:20 PM

Too easy of a work around. I mean, I'm going for drama here.

Shagohad12-Yesterday at 8:21 PM

I say flip the script and go for the uncommon

The Bricklayer-Yesterday at 8:21 PM

Eh, I'll think about it, but to be frank I'm not liking the idea.

Shagohad12-Yesterday at 8:23 PM

I mean, if you have immortal people, why would the powers at be deny them the ability to at least visit those that passed every once in awhile. Something like the day of the dead or Halloween(edited)

The Bricklayer-Yesterday at 8:27 PM

Fair enough, I suppose. But still, in my mind, it makes for far better drama if you just stay young forever and you outlive everyone without ever getting a chance to see them.

Shagohad12-Yesterday at 8:27 PM

Eh, I think it's an over played plot device

So, I put it up to you, the Readers, to decide which you like more. Aside from this answer, the usual comments, thoughts, and critiques are welcome.

Part 16: Sky King

“So, ask me again why we’re doing this?” Lightning had asked her sister, finding themselves both hiding in the bushes outside of one of Ponyville’s cafes. It had been a few days since Emily’s reveal and her story, and for the most part, everything had been quiet. No monster attacks, nothing. So, life went on as normal. Mostly. There was this sense that everyone was on edge, that Thrax was planning something big but nobody knew quite what it was.

“Well, it's the first time in ages that Sunset and Robert have actually sat down to talk with each other,” Vapor said with a little squee in her tone. “So I thought…”

Lightning only just barely suppressed a groan.

“This is you and your shipper on deck for those two popping up again isn’t it?” Lightning sighed to herself, rubbing her forehead. There were so many other things she could be doing with her time right about now. None of which involved two idiots acting out the plot to a bad romance novel.

“Maybe a little, I want to see if they finally stop beating around the bush and stop acting like a pair of idjits,” Vapor replied. “Maybe I can then help you and Rainbow pull your heads out of your asses, and-”

“Don’t even go there. Just don’t,” Lightning stated in a warning tone.

“Don’t think I haven’t seen you eying her in those tight black shorts and that sports bra whenever your two are in the gym together,” Vapor teased. “You just want to take her and shove yourselves in some closet somewhere.”

“...I swear, sometimes I wonder how I put up with you…” Lightning muttered to herself, before shaking her head. “Face it Vaps, some couples aren’t just meant to be. Me and Rainbow, or Robert and Sunset.”

Vapor gave her a look like she’d just committed a sin of blasphemy before shushing her, and shoving her head back down into the shrubbery when Robert tossed an odd look towards their direction.

“Something wrong, Robert?” Sunset asked, who looked as if she hadn’t slept in a week, given the bags under her eyes.

“Nothing, just thought I heard… something. Might have been just my imagination playing tricks on me,” he muttered pulling up a chair and shaking his head before he got his first good look at Sunset. “Er… I don’t quite know how to phrase this delicately, so I’ll just come right out. You look like shit.”

“Blame Pinkie,” Sunset muttered, thumping her head on the cafe table. She wasn’t even denying Robert’s claim. “Discovered this new instrument, most horrible sound you’ve ever heard.”

“Is it bagpipes? Because trust me, those are pretty bad.”

“No, worse.” Sunset groaned out.

“A Vuvuzela?” Robert guessed. “Because I heard what a bunch of them sounded like when I was watching the World Cup once, back in 2010 I think. Like a million, trillion angry swarming African honey bees.”

“Even worse than that,” Sunset groaned out leaving Robert blinking in surprise. “Something from Yakyakistan, something that could have only been forged in the nine circles of Hell itself.”

“How can something be worse than a bunch of Vuvu-”

Then, he got his answer. A cacophony of sound breached his eardrums, sounding like the most hellish noise possibly imagined, but only a million times worse.

“JESUS FUCKIN’ CHRIST ON A BIKE!” Robert shouted as everyone scattered or covered their ears. Not that it made much difference. “THE BLOODY HELL!?!”

As quickly as it came, the noise died down. Sunset sighed.

“Meet… the yovidaphone,” Sunset groaned out, her ears bleeding a little. “That would be the source of mine, and about everyone else’s woes. Nobody’s been able to get anything useful done since yesterday, even since Pinkie discovered that damned thing.”

“Have you tried some B&E, getting into Sugarcube Corner and burning that damned thing (Robert hated to call ‘it’ an instrument of any sort, that would imply it made music worth listening to) to the ground? Pass it off as some tragic accident, just some random and completely spontaneous combustion? Even if it’s some priceless artifact, I don’t think anybody would miss it.” Robert suggested.

“As amusing and tempting as the idea sounds,” Sunset groaned. “Then you’d have to deal with the aftermath.”

“What, the benefit of sleep?” Robert stated flatly.

“No, Pinkie going into this depressed state. Hair goes all limp, her coat colors dull and she becomes this… shadow of her former self. Not a pretty sight, trust me. Bit scary, actually.”

“Lovely. I think I’ll be investing in the idea of living on the Animarium again until you lot figure this out. I’m not getting caught up in this particular brand of insanity. This is between you, your friends, and Pinkie.”

With that, he took his leave, not even bothering to finish his drink.

“...Well, at least they shared a conversation. It was all one could really hope for… right?” Vapor sighed, hanging her head, with Lightning absentmindedly patting her on the back in sympathy. What nobody seemed to hear, probably due to a loss of hearing, was this loud screeching sound.

Sugarcube Corner

So, Sunset had decided to do the only honorable thing. Hold an ultimatum to Pinkie. It didn’t take long for the rest of her friends to agree, having had quite enough of this themselves. Twilight, in particular, had to be pulled away from talking down a bunch of townsponies from petitioning Pinkie to be exiled from the town.

“Listen, Pinks, we need to talk,” Rainbow said gently, as she and the rest of her friends approached the Party Pony, working behind the counter. The accursed instrument sat in a glass case behind her, as if it was something to be admired. Which was really far from the truth, to be frank.

“What about?” Pinkie asked, whipping around to face her as she placed some muffins on the counter.

“Eh, ‘Bout this new instrument of yours… I don’t know quite how to say it, so I’ll just come right out. GET RID OF IT!” Rainbow shouted, slamming her hands on the counter with an audible thud.

“But… But I like playing it…” Pinkie whispered to herself, her hair beginning to go flat. Applejack smacked Rainbow on the back of the head Gibbs style, and glared at her.

“Listen, whut Rainbow’s trying to say is… it’s causing a tad of a bit of a disturbance. So… uh, can ya at least get rid of it till you learn to play it right?”

“...There’s a right way to play it?” Rainbow muttered, before another glare from AJ shut her up.

“I suppose, but that’s sort of the thing, I can’t figure out how to play it right, there’s no manuals or anything for this thing.” Pinkie replied, hanging her head. “But, if it makes you feel happy, I’ll get rid of it.”

“No… No, Pinks,” Rainbow said, placing a reassuring hand on her best friend’s shoulder. “You don’t have to get rid of it. Surely there’s someone who knows how to play it, someone who can instruct you. I mean, the instrument’s from Yakistan, right? So, why not have Twilight here ask Prince Rutherford for a favor and ask him to send someone to teach you how?”

“Yes, yes, that could work…” Twilight mused, placing a finger on her chin and pacing back and forth in thought. “Would be a great boon to us all, aside from bolstering and mending some rather frankly fractured Yak/Pony relations it would-”

“Give us a bit of peace and quiet eventually?” Rarity asked. “I’m sorry Pinkie dear, but it’s been… difficult for me and Zephyr to get any work done on anything with that noise coming from here. Poor Opal, she’s been too scared stuff to come out of her closet, and yesterday she scratched poor Sweetie Belle when we tried to pry her out!”

“And my animals…” Fluttershy whispered, rubbing her forearms. “They’ve been scared into their dens, and the language they use when I try to convince them to come out, well… Oh my.” she blushed quite red, giving everyone a good idea of what said language probably involved.

“And Rara, y'all remember her right?” Applejack put in. “Yesterday, she came over to ta farm fer some peace an’ quiet to work on her new album, amongst a few other things,” Applejack continued, with a deeply reddening blush on her face leaving no doubt in anyone’s mind what those ‘other things’ were. “And she couldn’t record jack-squat because of the noise!”

“That bad, huh?” Pinkie whispered sadly. “...Guess that sorta explains why Sugarcube Corner’s been at an all time low customer-wise.”

That much was true, the normally packed sweets shop was as unusually empty as a ghost town. Not a single customer to be found, and ponies were actually averting the shop whenever they passed it. Octavia, in particular, gave Pinkie a really dirty look when she caught eye of the yovidaphone in it’s glass case.

“Ooh…” Pinkie winced as she sucked in a breath upon seeing that. “Poor Octy, can’t imagine my terrible playing is conductive to her and Vinyl’s collab work either.”

“Yeah, Vinyl did sorta give ya this rude gesture the other day,” Applejack admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. “Too polite ta mention it to ya at the time, figurin’ you’d get better with the uh… vodafone Ah think it’s called?”

“Yovidaphone,” Twilight corrected, before giving a sympathetic glance towards AJ and patting her on the back. “Trust me, not easy to pronounce for me either. Took me a few hours to learn the correct phrasing. Points for trying though I suppose.”

“Question dearie?” Rarity asked. “How long do you think it’ll take before this yak instructor, presuming you can get ahold of one, arrives here?”

“Eh, given the tenuous relationship between Yaks and Ponies, and the fact that they’re on the other side of the world… Er, a week if we’re lucky.” Twilight replied, bracing herself for the inevitable incoming reaction.

Rarity whimpered faintly, and fainted onto a nearby couch that Sunset quickly teleported in from her home. “I’ll get her a bucket of ice cream for when she wakes up, might ease her nerves.” Sunset sighed, before walking off towards Sugarcube Corner’s storeroom.

“Wonderful…” Rainbow muttered, thinking of investing in some earbuds. Probably wouldn’t do her much good, but it didn’t hurt to try. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’ll be in Cloudsdale. Far, far away from here. Might stay with my parents. Been meaning to drop by and say hello anyways.”

Before Rainbow could even think of walking out the door, another loud shrieking sound cut through the air, and a massive winged form rocketed overhead, ripping the tops of buildings off with shingles flying everywhere as it generated massive downforce with the wing flaps. Ponies scattered, and screams filled the air as this massive avian form momentarily blotted out the midday sun.

“Er… Twilight, what’s that?” Rainbow asked nervously, not really sure if she wanted to know the actual answer.

Twilight’s eyes widened, and she let out a small simple squeak of: “Roc.”

“Now remind me, what in Celestia’s name is a Roc doing here!?!” Applejack shouted, as she ran off to get her family to cover. “Ah swore they lived high up in the mountains, only comin’ down ta feast upon dead dragons of great age!”

“I don’t know, okay?” Twilight shouted. “But you can sure as Tartarus bet I’ll find out!” she shouted, as she ran towards the Golden Oaks Library.

Rapidly pulling every book out she could find, and flipping through pages faster than the eye could see, with Pinkie and Sunset looking over her shoulder, Twilight frantically looked for any answer she could find.

“Shoo, shoo!” Twilight shouted, glaring at them both, and the two ponies took a step back from the little glare Twilight gave them even as she continued flipping through multiple books in search of an answer. Another loud, nearly deafening shriek echoed in the background.

“Just take your time Twilight,” the Princess of Friendship murmured to herself. “Just take your time…”

“Right, while you go ahead and do that,” Sunset muttered. “Me, I’ve got ponies to save. Legendary Wild Access, hah!” she shouted, and morphed into the Gold Phoenix Ranger and called the Falcon Summoner to her hands.

As soon as she ran outside, she pulled back the bow, and fired a red energy orb skywards. The Roc’s eyes flicked to watch it, before a loud falcon’s call echoed somewhere high above him in the clouds.

“Now, odds are a bit even…” Sunset muttered before she fired energy blast after energy blast at the Roc’s torso.

Of course, there was that thing called tempting fate, as Thrax’s wand hit the Roc, mutating it into an even more massive size than should have been possible, and it fired a blast of green energy at the oncoming Falcon Zord making it screech out in pain. Seemed whenever Thrax saw a possible opportunity, he took it.

“Well, gotta give him props for that I suppose…” Sunset thought to herself as she ran through the streets to avoid the blasts.

Back inside, Twilight had finally found an answer. Mind you, it wasn’t one she would have liked.

“Oh boy.” she muttered.

“Is that a good oh boy, or a bad oh boy?” Pinkie asked nervously.

“Seems Roc’s mating calls, they sound quite like a badly played yovidaphone…” Twilight swallowed nervously. “Don’t ask me why they sound like that, but they do.”

“You… you mean, I brought this Roc here?” Pinkie squeaked out nervously, tears filling her eyes at the possibility of this being all her fault.

“It’s okay Pinks, you couldn’t have possibly known…” Twilight said comfortingly before she whipped out her Banana Lockseed, and slammed it in her own driver and flicked it open. “Henshin!”

“Come on! Banana Arms: Knight of Spe~ar!”

“But I should have known!” Pinkie shouted, shaking Twilight by the shoulders, before she spotted a blank Sengoku Driver on one of the desks nearby along with a Lockseed themed after a Melon. Her eyes filling with a new determination, Pinkie grabbed it.

“Twilight, I need to borrow this. Can I be a Kamen Rider like you? Just this once, to fix my mistake?”

“Well, in theory, this Driver was meant to be used by anyone, so…” Twilight trailed off, and Pinkie nodded. But before she could slam the belt onto her waist, an explosion from somewhere nearby sent Pinkie flying up against a bookshelf and knocked her out.

“Okay, so I guess it’s just up to me…” Twilight thought. “Now, how did AJ do it? Oh yeah, I remember!”

Ripping the little faceplate off of the Sengoku Driver, she slammed a translucent orange Lockseed, marked with a little flame and reading ‘E.L.S. -07’, into the empty slot making the driver call out: “Mix! Banana Arms: Knight of Spe~ar! Jimber Dragon Fruit! Ha-Ha!”

She was granted a long tattered red cape, and shoulder pads, with her Banaspear being replaced by one of the Sonic Arrows she’d seen the Applejack from Wyatt’s world use.

“Time to get to work,” she said. “It’s not easy to make your ideals come true, but I will defend this world.”

Rushing outside, to see Sunset atop a rooftop firing energy arrows at the now mutated Roc, while the Falcon Zord and the Roc went talon to talon, Twilight began firing energy arrows at the creature as well.

“Don’t bother Twilight,” Sunset told her. “Regular Sonic Arrow blasts might have worked on it before, but now that Thrax’s got his hands on that thing…”

“Well, just have to up the ante right? Piece of cake.” Twilight asked, taking her Dragon Fruits Lockseed and placing it in the Sonic Arrow, before drawing back the bowstrings to their fullest length.

“Banana Jimber Dragon Au Lait!” the Sonic Arrow sounded off, before a row of Banana and Dragon Fruit slices appeared in front of Twilight, and she fired sending a crimson Asian dragon towards the Roc, who screeched out in pain and flapped his wings, a few feathers falling from them. He was bleeding from the shot Twilight had taken, along with Sunset’s own and the Falcon Zord’s talons ripping into him before it, but far from dead.

The Falcon went head to head with the Roc over the skies of Ponyville, the Falcon going in for divebombs to rake the Roc’s back and rip it open, but every time he tried to do so, the Roc would go into a spin and unleash a stream of green energy that the Falcon would only barely dodge.

“Oh, so that’s how it is eh?” the Falcon commented. “You want to see who’s King of the Skies?”

He screeched out a challenge, and flew off towards the direction of the Hundred Mile Wilderness knowing that the Roc wouldn’t be able to resist and this way, neither of them would hit Cloudsdale or any pegasi.

He rocketed over the Everfree, with the massive wing flaps from both him and the Roc -Who was firing blast after blast- ripping up trees like a hurricane’s gales. Whispering apologies to the Zebra he knew lived below just in case he smashed her hut as well, the Falcon went on the offensive. Now, like the real animal he was based on, his tactics were based off of pure speed. Zip, zigzag, dart and divebomb the Roc, who had pure power on his side. One false move, one mistake too many, and he’d be killed and his wings probably ripped from their sockets.

Flying upwards in a looping formation, the Falcon Zord tucked in his wings and in a lightning-fast maneuver that any pegasi or griffon worth his or her salt would have been proud of, raked his gold talons across the Roc’s back once more.

The Roc screeched out in pain as the Falcon flew off, smirking to himself. But that smirk was not to last and was soon to be wiped off the Zord’s face, The Roc flapped his wings, and unleashed hurricane torrent winds at him, catching him in a tornado before the Falcon Zord was sent crashing into the ground via an energy blast. He began gouging a massive gorge outside the boundaries of the Everfree Forest as he ripped and tore into the ground, earth flying everywhere.

The Roc swooped above, and flapped it’s stone gray wings with a devious smile cast upon his beak, as if to say “How do you like me now?” It’s throat glowed a bright green like before, before the beak opened. The Falcon shut his eyes, and braced for death, but it never came as the Roc was besieged by a volley of arrows from both the Sonic Arrow and the Falcon Summoner.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Sunset shouted, drawing back her bow and shouting: “Falcon Break!” unleashing a gold beam of energy that ripped right through the Roc, who screeched out in pain nearly shattering ear-drums.

The Falcon, he was slowly digging himself out of the gorge with his talons, and soon, slowly but surely caught rising updrafts from a nearby forming thunderstorm and took to the skies once more, vanishing into the clouds.

The Roc’s eyes darted from right to left, but soon the Falcon reemerged from the storm, wings coated in electricity, and again and again, dive-bombed the Roc at blinding speed, ripping into him with the talons, and shocking him with the lightning bolts covering his wings.

The Falcon, he eventually appeared, the sun covering his wings and making them glisten with an ethereal, holy light. His green eyes narrowed, and he smirked once more. “Now you know why I’ve held my title of King of the Skies for over 6,000 years. You, you are just an insignificant little fledgling, barely hatched from his egg compared to me. Now, do us all a favor, and die.”

Sunset and Twilight teleported atop him, and drew back their bows for one final combined strike to finish things.

“Falcon Break!/“Banana Jimber Dragon Au Lait!” they shouted in unison, before firing. An Asian dragon’s head, and a falcon’s beak -both made of crimson red energy- both bit down on the Roc, and with both of his wings clipped, he fell to the ground and with a mighty earth-shattering thud, created a massive spider web style crater that could be seen for miles before he finally went up in a blazing towering inferno.

“See…?” Twilight panted out. “What’d I say? Piece of… cake.” she said, before fainting with a thud atop the Falcon Zord’s head feathers. Eventually, an actual yovidaphone tutor was to arrive via airship and eventually everything went back to normal. Well, as normal as Ponyville could get anyways. The air was actually filled with pleasurable music, and Pinkie? Well, she had a letter to write.

“Dear Princess Celestia.

Today I’ve learned something very valuable. Just because you think you can do something all on your own, doesn’t mean you can. Always, and I mean Always with a capital A accept help when it’s offered. Especially when it comes to learning instruments that if played wrong, become mating calls for massive predatory birds. So um… whoops. Big whoops. But everything’s alright now, with Robert only wondering why Ponyville has a massive crater outside.

Yours sincerely, Pinkamena Diane Pie.”

Author's Notes:

Okay, been waiting to bust out the Roc ever since I saw Molt Down, but never figured out how to get it into the story, or why it would arrive early. But then I saw Yaxity-Sax, and as Rarity would say... Idea! I mean, who's to say that bad playing couldn't come across as a mating call? shrugs

Anyways, huge thanks to the Stratovarian for providing information on how Falcons and Rocs would fight in real life, and how this battle would go down. Almost contacted Calm Wind via Strat's advice, but I figured the poor guy has enough on his plate as it is, given he always seems to be doing something so I didn't want to overwork him.

Comments, thoughts, and constructive critique are welcomed as always.

Part 17: Ridin' The Rails

It started off like any other normal day, Robert Williams supposed as he mulled over the morning paper over a cup of latte. He was sitting in the dining room of Carousel Boutique, watching Rarity see her younger sister off to school Zephyr being the unfortunate chaperone. He chuckled a little at Sweetie’s energetics for today’s show and tell, before going back to his paper, the Ponyville Chronicle it was called. Hardly wasn’t the Guardian, but it never failed to keep him up to date.

Outside, Vapor Trail was sitting on a bench, and playing a tune on her guitar with the song drifting through the open kitchen window.

“Riding on the city of Neigh Orleans
Illinois Central, Monday morning rail
Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders
Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail

“All along the southbound odyssey
The train pulled out at Kankakee
And rolls along past houses, farms, and fields…”

Robert smiled, she was getting rather good. Wouldn’t have surprised him in the slightest if some big record company picked her up and made a star out of her some day. But enough of that, this case had his attentions.

It seemed to be a standard child-kidnapping case on the surface, the former SPD detective mused, but it was a mass kidnapping. And the details, they always happened at night and at schools. No child should have been in school at those hours. They should have been in bed, really!

Yes, it was a curious case. Why schools, why there? Why not just kidnap them from their beds and steal them away in the night that way?

“Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have Bridge or Philip Sonozaki with me right now. Need a bit of off the wall thinking here…” Robert thought, as he took another sip of his latte. Then, a thought came to him, and Robert leaped up from his chair, and stood on his hands letting all the blood rush to his head in hopes of jarring the little grey cells into thinking of a solution.

Rarity, at this precise moment, happened to pop back in, and gave him a concerned look.

“Er dear,” she asked cautiously. “What are you doing?”

“Using an old technique that an old friend of mine used to use to try and get his brain cells into top gear. Thought it might help me solve these serial kidnappings. Can’t honestly see the appeal, really…” Robert remarked, righting himself.

“Oh yes, I’ve heard about these in the daily blues,” Rarity sighed sadly, shaking her head as she did so reminding Robert of one Martha Louise Hudson of 221B Baker Street. “The poor dears, I hope they’re returned safety. Their parents must be worried sick! Mrs. Cake, she’s been going around distributing pot roast to the parents. Might be thinking of joining her really…”

“Well, sitting on my arse thinking about this crap isn’t going to do anything, and neither is fretting about it. Only one way to solve this mystery, and that’s by actually going out and gathering clues! Rarity Belle, you wouldn’t happen to be free for a day or so would you not?” Robert requested, grabbing a trilby off the side of a nearby hatrack and placing it atop his head. “It seems I need a Watson to my Sherlock.”

“Well, as it happens,” Rarity replied, pulling on a old trench coat and a fedora making her look like some sort of old film-noir detective or Shroud from Kamen Rider Double. “I just so happen to be a fan of the Shadow Spade novels. Her stories are always full of mystery, suspense, and best of all, fabulous costumes!”

“You think you know a mare…” Robert mused. “Well, in that case… Ms. Spade, I believe the game is afoot!” he exclaimed, holding up the keys to his car.

“First stop – the scene of the crime!” Rarity declared.

“We had a long road ahead of us, Robert and I. Well, not too long because we didn't have much time before the next kidnapping, but the point is... I was up for the challenge.” Rarity/Shadow Spade narrated to herself, in true film-noir fashion.

Sadly, detective work wasn’t as romantic as the hard-case crime novels made it out to be. In real life, it was very, very dull. As Rarity had just found out having been sitting in Robert’s Mustang for a few hours after interviewing parents all day. They were on the outskirts of a small town outside Ponyville, called Hollow Shades.

“There I was, surveying the crime scene, and looking très chic while doing it. And bored out of my skull.”

“Sorry Rares,” Robert sighed, eating a bucket of ramen noodles marked ‘Ako-Ramen’ and observing the local schoolhouse with a pair of binoculars. “Investigation when it comes to staking out a place, 95% patience, and 5% luck. But it’s on our side today, I believe.”

“How so?” Rarity asked curiously, leaning over towards him.

“Well, criminals are creatures of habit are they not? If they know a crime works for them one way, they’ll probably do it again. Let me present to you a hypothetical situation,” Robert explained. “Say someone burgles a place by getting into through the chimney like some sorta evil St. Nicholas. If they know that works, they’ll do it again. In short, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! So, one can presume, with a few children still left in this town, maybe whoever our crook is will return to the scene of the crime and gather up the remaining foals and fillies.”

“I see…” Rarity mused, cursing herself for forgetting this little aspect. “So, we might just catch a glimpse of our perp tonight?”

“Quite.” Robert mused. “Now, it’s interesting about this case. To quote the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, father of all literary detectives, “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” Now I believe, whatever kidnapped these ponies, was not a pony in itself.”

“Quite,” Rarity agreed. “No normal pony would do such horrendous acts. Let us look at the facts as presented to us. We’ve had a few eyewitness reports of some creeper -possibly a pedophile, that I am not sure of- sneaking about Equestria for the past few nights and they have always been consistently described with glowing yellow eyes. Almost demonic in nature. Now we know the only pony with those features is in Canterlot, and decidedly not a pedophile or a kidnapper.”

“I’d look to Zen-Aku,” Robert admitted, “But although he’s a bit of a creeper and a traitorous worm, he is definitely no pedophile.”

Rarity gently nudged him on the shoulder and pointed out the window where a decidedly wolfish figure was stalking the schoolhouse grounds complete with golden eyes.

“...Then again, I have been wrong before…” Robert muttered, leaping out the car door with Rarity swift to follow…

“So, want to explain this?” Robert asked, one of his hands reaching for his Crystal Saber. “Go go, give me a very good reason why I shouldn’t just shoot you now and be done with this whole sordid affair, Vapor Trail and her feelings for you be damned.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow about the feelings remark, but decided not to comment and instead crossed her arms.

“Your temper is clouding your judgment, Robert Williams,” Zen-Aku stated calmly. “I have hardly anything to do with these kidnappings.”

“Damn well right I’m pissed you rat-bastard. I’ve got every reason to be very, very hacked off at you right now,” Robert snarled. “You going traitor like that, as if everything you’ve ever done never mattered. Thought I knew you, guess I was wrong. And now, here you are, showing up to the scene of the crime and fitting a hell of a lot of eye-witness reports!”

Robert and Rarity both thought back.

“Yes, yes, I did see this mysterious creature lurking around town now that you think of it. Piercing golden eyes, never left my mind. Haven’t been able to sleep because of them!” one Apple Brown Betty had told him.

“Those eyes, they stick out to you, ya know?” a hippie pony named Tree Hugger remarked. “Totally not righteous man, they interfere with my inner peace. Upset my balance and all that.”

“He was tall, I know that much,” a pony named Neon Lights had said. “Dude was impossibly tall, humming this song under his breath. Couldn’t make out what it was or even what he looked like, but the dude had these gold eyes. Cool, but creepy. Wonder what kind of contacts he uses?”

“Gold eyes,” Robert remarked. “That’s what they all said. All of them, each and every single pony I interviewed. From this hippie Tree Hugger, right down to one of the Apple Family relatives!”

“Well, if you were using your brain instead of your temper, you’d start thinking straight,” Zen-Aku pointed out. “Gold eyes, that could fit the entire bat-pony race. Sure, some of them are in the guards, but quite a few live up in the mountains and only come down at night. Who’s to say one of them isn’t kidnapping children for one reason or the other?”

“He’s got a point,” Rarity noted. “I mean, golden eyes is about the only common descriptor between what we’ve heard, and as you said yourself that could apply to a lot of creatures, not just Zen-Aku. And there was something else, yes? This song Neon Lights mentioned. Zen-Aku uses a flute, he doesn’t sing or hum under his breath from what you’ve told me about him.”

Zen-Aku gave Rarity a respectful glance before speaking once more as Robert rubbed his chin remembering this little detail. Now that Rarity mentioned this, it was awfully curious. Perhaps, just perhaps Zen-Aku wasn’t the real culprit here after all loathe as Robert hated to admit it. He wanted him to be the mastermind, just so he could have an excuse to deck him.

“I’ll deliver a coffin, one just for them to enter. They don’t need to pay, all I need in exchange is their lives…” That’s how it went,” Zen-Aku explained, and both Rarity and Robert shuddered. Whether it was from the chilling breeze that passed through the area just then or the song they weren’t sure. They hoped it was only the wind.

“And how do you know this?” Robert questioned.

“I’ve been following it’s singer, for the past few nights now,” Zen-Aku explained. “As a way of making up for my past misdeeds while serving under Retinax. I figured stopping a pedophile would be one way of doing so. Sadly, this is not a pedophile you are dealing with,” he stated as he began growling a little and baring his fangs at the thought of what the two were really dealing with.

“Oh?” Robert asked, arching an eyebrow. “Explain, quickly. Before I decide to shoot you.”

“Hold your horses, Dirty Harry,” Zen-Aku stated. “This… this may have been my fault. You recall how I got to the scene of the battle between your Megazords versus Goldar and Thrax so quickly correct?”

The blast hit them at full force sending the Megazord far out of Ponyville and back into the Everfree and knocking it to the ground. The earth shook from the sheer force of the fall, but slowly but surely with the sound of metal groaning the Animaria Guardian Megazord regained its footing. It then picked up the fallen sword and shield.

“So, back for more hmm?” Thrax chuckled. “Goldar, hit them again!”

Goldar fired again, but before he could hit his target another beam blasted his own out of existence. The Predazord had arrived, Gator Staff in hand.

“Now, this is an even fight.” Zen-Aku snarled as the two powerful titans stood together.

“Thought you were busy in the Crystal Empire?” Vapor questioned.

“Things there have been handled.” The Duke Org replied simply as the Predazord turned to look at its counterpart. “Besides, I was… concerned.”

“Yeah… I do now. It’s always nagged at me how you got there so fast,” Robert admitted. “I’ve just assumed you had some sort of special ability being a Duke Org and all.”

“And you’d be correct about that, but it’s an ability unique to me, albeit mind you a risky one,” Zen-Aku explained. “I can shadow travel, I suppose you’d call it, between this dimension and one made purely of darkness. However, each time I do it, I risk opening the door between them a little wider. It seems something has crept through into this world and from the looks of it, is kidnapping children. So yes, in a way, this is my fault partially, but I intend to stop it.”

Robert took a long sigh, before pulling out his judgment scanner and awaited for the Guilty Verdict to come in. What he was waiting for, he wasn’t quite sure in his rage. Zen-Aku being a kidnapper or letting a monster into this dimension. Time passed slowly, it seemed as Robert awaited Zen-Aku’s judgment to come in. Whatever the case, he got an innocent verdict.

“How…?” he trailed off, tapping it to make sure it wasn’t getting a false reading even if he knew very well that was quite impossible.

“While I’m not quite sure of how that device of yours works,” Rarity mused. “I believe it’s judged Zen-Aku innocent quite simply because he never kidnapped these children. Sure, he may be in part responsible for this, but he never did the deed himself.”

“I… suppose that makes sense,” Robert admitted, loosening the grip on his Saber and extending a hand. “I’m… I’m sorry Zen-Aku. Don’t mean I’m still not pissed at you and want to punch you, but I’m sorry.”

Zen-Aku smiled and nodded, saying: “Only fair.”

“Hey, you hear that?” Rarity spoke up, her ears twitching at the sound of a deep baritone voice ringing out across the night. Zen-Aku’s ears perked up as well, hearing the voice as well.

“I’ll deliver a coffin, one just for them to enter. They don’t need to pay, all I need in exchange is their lives…” the voice sang. Then, they looked across the street and saw children marching towards a light like rats following the Pied Piper. They seemed to be in some sort of trance, if their glazed and glossy eyes were any indication. The lack of their own regards for their life seemed to be an indicator as well.

All three shared a nod and ran after the children, trying to shake them away in any format as they watched the children march towards the local train station outside the town gateway. In front of them, was this orb of white light like some sort of lure, along with a skeletal figure with piercing gold eyes. In one of his hands, he held a massive gold chain attached to this coffin.

“Oi, you two!” Robert shouted. “We need to have words!”

Suddenly, a hat not that far removed from Oddjob’s smacked him in the head and sent him sprawling to the ground below before returning to its owner. The man in question was nicely dressed in Victorian age clothing like that of an aristocrat’s with a crooked nose making him resemble an Italian plague doctor. In his right hand was a walking cane.

“Oh, so unbecoming,” the monster said. “Real man, he shouldn’t let his emotions sour his resolve. Carry himself with a class and an elegance. You, I’m sorry to say, do not fit the ticket.”

The other monster, the one with the light revealed himself. He was a green-toned monster, carrying a nasty looking scythe with a lamp attached to it. “You shall not touch Baron Nero. My duty does not allow it.”

“And who…” Robert growled and wiped away blood from his mouth as the scythe swung only to be blocked by Zen-Aku’s blade. “Are you?”

“The Lamp Shade, one of the personal retainers of the Shadow Line. Funny is it not, a creature of shadow and yet I use a light in my arsenal,” the monster stated, before twisting his scythe in such a way so that Zen-Aku was momentarily blinded by the light before being kicked in the stomach. “I really must give you sad creatures some credit, figuring out what was going on, if only partially.”

“Partially?” Robert asked, not sure if he really wanted to know.

“You see,” Zen-Aku explained as he blocked another strike from the Lamp Shade. “They can only stay in your world so long, because of that fact that light is toxic to them. It’s all in the name, the Shadow Line. They need energy to survive in this world, or any other. And I’m willing to bet,” he growled out as he watched the kids become a fine mist and enter the coffin with the lid slamming shut. “Their lifeforce is the key.”

“T-That’s…” Rarity whispered. “That’s abominable. You’re sick.”

“Well, miss,” Nero said, tipping his hat. “We are monsters after all. But you’ve seen too much, time for you to die. Lamp Shade, take care of them. I have better things to do than waste time with these… commoners.” he said, waving his hand dismissively.

Nero snapped his fingers, and from out of nowhere a massive black iron train with a skull on the front of it appeared from out of nowhere, with Nero and the Coffin Shade vanishing as it passed.

“Alright then,” Robert muttered. “So that’s how it is… Right then. Lamp Shade, you have a lot to answer for, both you and your partners. You’ve made this town shed tears of sorrow, and there’s only one way to repay that. With blood. Now, all three of you, best you begin counting up your crimes! SPD, Emergency! SWAT Mode!”

“A valiant effort,” Lamp Shade observed dolefully as he watched Robert morph in a green flash of light and a Delta Enforcer land in his hands. “But futile all the same. Crows!” he barked, snapping his fingers, and creatures dressed like old-time mobsters complete with Tommy guns rose up from the ground. They had pale faces, and hollow sunken eyes.

“...Yeesh, and I thought the Tengas and Putrids had cornered the market on ugly…” Robert muttered to himself before his eyes widened under his helmet when he saw Rarity knock one of the Crows flat with a kick to the face.

“...I thought you were this refined lady,” he remarked. “Hated getting your hooves dirty.”

“Yes well, that may be true,” Rarity admitted, brushing some of the dirt off her trench coat before she spun around to avoid the gunfire from the Crows and then knocked around flat with a left cross. “A lady may not be able to start a fight, but she can finish one.”

The Lamp Shade could only chuckle as he twirled his scythe and watched Zen-Aku bring out his dagger and level it at him. “So, that’s how it is huh? Well, bring it on. I welcome the challenge. Let the battle be joined.”

Robert fired blast after blast at the Crows, dodging an ax swing from one, and using his rifle to block the next swing before he let them both have it with rapid-fire laser shots. Running through the crowd towards Lamp Shade, he broke off into a slide along the pavement and fired a selection of blasts at the monster just as Zen-Aku kicked it towards him.

Letting out a roar of rage, the monster’s scythe glowed, and he swung firing a purple blast of light at Robert, who only barely rolled to the left to avoid being cut down.

“You don’t get it do you?” Lamp Shade laughed, as if at some hidden joke, before the little lanterns atop his shoulder pads glowed ominously, and he fired a barrage of flaming orbs at Robert and Zen-Aku knocking them back, and catching their clothes alight.

As they rushed to put out the fire on their attire, the Lamp Shade swung again, and caught them both in the chest, drawing blood, and knocking into the murder of Crows.

“Even as we speak, and I cut you up,” the monster spoke with a dark chuckle. “Baron’s Imperial Kuliner, and the Coffin Shade, they ride the rails farther and farther away from here. See, I don’t need to beat you, just buy the Baron some time!”

“He’s right…” Robert thought as he struggled to pick himself off the ground and reach for his weapon, Zen-Aku doing the same. “We got played, just like a Stratovarius!”

Suddenly, he heard a distinctive cry of “Bomb!” and watched as Rarity pulled a red toned Gaia Memory from her coat, along with what looked to be Shroud’s magnum. She inserted the Memory into the slot, and fired a collection of energy orbs at the Crows, blasting them into little clouds of dark smoke. “Bomb, Maximum Drive!”

“Shadow Spade was right. In order to solve the mystery and bring these foul beasts to justice, we had to be focused. Driven. One hundred percent in the zone. Even if that meant unveiling a little surprise a bit too early for my liking.” Rarity thought to herself.

“Rarity… where’d you get the…?” Robert coughed out as Rarity twirled the gun in her hands, and blew smoke off of it like an old Western gunfighter.

“Well, a femme fatale must have some secrets, non?” she asked. “Plus, one must be able to defend themselves against the foul beasts popping up right and left nowadays. And I do so love a functional accessory.”

She fired two times more, making the Lamp Shade stagger backwards before she soundly kicked him in the face. When he tried to fire the barrage of flame orbs once more, she just teleported away out of range and shot him again.

“Well, up with you two! We’ve got children to save!” Rarity commanded. “Zen-Aku, I assume you can stay here and handle the monster?”

“Yes, but how are you going to…?” he trailed off before Rarity held up a light-blue phone that distinctly looked like a rhino beetle. And then he heard a very distinctive train’s whistle and saw a red headlamp cutting through the mountain passes and saw a gold and blue train with a massive gold sun emblazoned on the front rocket after the Kuliner.

“I took the liberty of calling ahead.” Rarity smirked. “Just in case, a lady always comes prepared you know.”

“Rarity, I have never been more thankful for you than right now,” Robert replied, kissing her on the cheek. “But you are going to explain where you got those Gaia memories as soon as this as over.”

Rarity simpled just dragged him by the hand and up the path back into town, before veering off and into the forest. “Where… where the hell are we going? We should be teleporting into the Solar Streak.”

“Yes, well as fashionable as that thing is, I believe this is more your speed!” Rarity proclaimed, pulling him into a heavily wooded area of the forest, where a massive orange train with a crane arm atop it resting upon what looked to be tank treads was sitting, waiting to be used.

“During our drive up here, I just so happened to peek out the window while we were driving over a bridge, and see this thing resting in the woodlands below. Thought nothing of it at the time, but now?”

As Robert and Rarity clambered into the train’s cockpit, with multiple pulleys and levers surrounding them each controlling a different function of the train, Robert let out a sigh of relief.

“Okay, I admit this is more my speed. And colour. Now…” he trailed off, before pointing ahead at the rails laying in front of him. “Shuppatsu Shinkou!” he shouted, before the train lurched forwards the rails clattering and rattling beneath the Build Ressha’s treads.

Wasn’t long before Rarity and Robert had caught up to both the Kuliner and the Solar Streak. Pulling one of the pulleys in the cockpit of the simply massive train downwards, the whistle blew sharply, cutting through the night.

“So glad you could join us,” Celestia’s tired voice chimed in, as the Solar Streak tried to ram the Kuliner off the tracks. “Could use the extra help.”

“Well, glad to be of service. So, here we are again. Working together.”

“That offer for the position in the Royal Guard’s still open, you know,” Celestia said, as the Solar Streak and the Kuliner both took to the skies on rails made of light snaking around each other, with the Kuliner’s cannons turning broadside and letting loose with a volley of shots. Celestia protected her train with a magical energy shield, as the Build Ressha surged forwards and took to the skies as well, using it’s crane arm to rip off one of the cannons.

“Yeah, I think I’ll have to pass up on that offer,” Robert remarked. “Already got a job sewing and stitching suits and dresses, quite happy with it.”

The three trains continued snaking through the night sky, moon illuminating them and their forms as they fired energy blasts at each other snaking and twisting all around each other like three great dragons on rails of light.

Down below, Zen-Aku was fighting the Lamp Shade tooth and nail, teleporting behind him to dodge his strikes, but whenever he tried to get in one of his own, the Lamp Shade seemed to predict where the attack was coming from and strike him.

“Time to end this little dance.” Rarity remarked, pulling another pulley, and the Build Ressha’s front bucket surged forwards just as the train got behind the Kuliner, ripping off the entire back end of the train and creating this massive gaping hole.

As the trains took to the ground once more, reaching the outskirts of Ponyville, both Rarity and Robert were about to take their chance and leap onto the Kuliner, before a dark portal in the sky opened up and another Kuliner descended from the skies and pulled up alongside the Build Ressha before parts shifted and standing in front of them was this giant six-eyed mecha.

“Oh, you gotta be kidding me…” Robert muttered before the Solar Streak rammed the new Kuliner in the chest and transformed to Megazord Mode.

“Relax, I have this one. You two, go get the children!” Celestia ordered, slamming the Kuliner mecha across the face with a powerful right hook from her Megazord.

“And I didn’t even get to say Ressha Gattai…” Robert whimpered to himself, Rarity slapping him over the top of the helmet knocking him back to his senses. “Right, best we listen to the lady. Here goes nothing…” he said with a trace of understandable fear as he leaned out the Build Ressha’s side window as it pulled up alongside the first Kuliner. He braced himself, and leaped inside with Rarity quick to follow.

The Build Ressha, meanwhile just surged on ahead with a life of it’s own, and took a switch point before vanishing out of sight into this gold portal never to be seen again. Lamp Shade swore, before slamming the tip of his scythe into the ground and vanishing in a cloud of smoke.

Robert, shooting his way through the Crows with his Delta Enforcer or using his Kitsune Spirit on them, followed Rarity in making their way to the front car where the children -and no doubt Nero and the Coffin Shadow- were held.

Looking out a window, Rarity observed the Solar Streak knock the Kuliner mecha backwards with a blast of hot scalding steam. Firing her magnum several times, she downed several more Crows.

Eventually, the front car was reached, with a coffin in front of them. Nero, he was nowhere to be found having probably jumped ship once it was clear the tide was turning. Of course, there were more important issues at hand with the coffin being hooked up the train itself, green lifeforce energy flowing from it into vital systems. Taking careful aim, Rarity blasted the coffin open, and the children appeared scattered all over the floor. Tired, but alive.

Rarity helped some up, and noticed some… peculiarities amongst them. One of the children was this orange dragoness with sapphire eyes and another was this gray-feathered griffon girl.

“...I thought it was just ponies that the Shadow Line was kidnapping?”

“Guess not,” Rarity replied to him. “So, guessing you were some of the first to get kidnapped.

“Yeah,” the dragoness replied with a scratchy voice. “Name’s Smolder, and I think the griffon gal’s called Gabby.”

Rarity suppressed a snort as she saw the griffon chattering excitedly away to a blue male griffon about the two heroes in their midst. She could see why.

“Yeah, we were some of these first to get kidnapped by these creepazoids,” Smolder continued. “Thanks for the help, miss.”

“You’re quite welcome dear, now get these kids and get out of here. Me and my friend here, we’ve got some unfinished business…” Rarity growled as she saw the Coffin Shade reappear. Outside, the Solar Streak had started its finisher, opening up its torso and pulling the Kuliner inside. “Checkmate, darling.” Rarity thought before she and Robert raised their weapons.

“Bomb, Maximum Drive!”

“Kyuubi Seibai Blast!”

Both shots hit the Shade, ripping him to pieces as Robert gave a thumbs down, fighting back Eternal’s catchphrase and instead opting for: “Well, looks they’ll be needing a coffin just for you.”

“So, in the end, all’s well that ends well. Every child’s been returned to their parents, and the cities of Equus are tear-free. Still, I do have to wonder, where’d this Shadow Line come from, and what happened to the Build Ressha? I suppose one day, maybe I’ll find out…” Robert mused, typing away at the keys of a typewriter.

Meanwhile, worlds away, in a dark tunnel a figure shrouded in shadow clutching a miniature version of the Build Ressha along with a smartphone approached a certain massive orange train.

“So, that’s my ride huh?” the figure asked. “Well, all aboard I suppose…”

Author's Notes:

Okay... so the elephant in the room. The Shadow Line. I admit, I've been building up to an appearance from them for a while now, maybe write a spin-off fic adapting ToQgers. However, my good friend and sister in all but blood RuinQueen got one out first, titled Rails of Reality. Go have a look-see eh?

/story/414881/power-rangers-rails-of-reality

So yeah, this chapter starred her version of the Shadow Line and what eventually will become the counterparts of Build Dai-Oh and ToQ Six. She hasn't given up the names for them in the fic yet, but that'll come in time. Now, Rarity having the Bomb Gaia Memory and the Beetle Phone. Yes, that will be explained in time I assure you. This chapter was mainly to get Zen-Aku back in the story as a hero or at least back in the Ranger's good graces and to wrap up the Shadow Line build up.

Now, on the Lamp Shade, AKA Lamp Shadow's counterpart. I remembered your critique on depowering certain villains in the past so that's why neither he nor Nero got defeated, so their power limits stay up in the air.

Speaking of that, your critique along with comments and thoughts are very welcome indeed.

Part 18: A Proper Pair of Idjits

Ponyville:

All was silent in the small glade outside of the Everfree Forest, near where a river connected it and the borders of Sweet Apple Acres. Not even the local birds chirped, and then a sharp Twang! cut through the air like a knife as a bowstring was drawn back and a arrow was fired right into a target.

Small assortments of applause filled the air, as various townspeople clapped and cheered for the archer in question, one Princess Twilight Sparkle.

The arrow had hit dead-center in the middle of a target, where several more arrows had also reached their mark.

“Dayum, girl!” Applejack applauded, patting Twilight on the back as the archer lowered her bow panting and sweating. “Didn’t know ya had it in ya! Seriously, if Ah knew ya could do that right there, Ah probably would have paid ya no small amount of bits to take care of the local lynxes and cougars that come out here every now and then to slaughter our pigs and chickens.”

“...And now I don’t feel so confident walking out here for an explore every Autumn.” Robert muttered from somewhere in the background, behind two ponies named Silver Spanner and Carrot Top. In the forests beyond, he swore he saw or at least thought he saw, two golden eyes peeking out before vanishing back into the shadows. Maybe it was just his imagination playing tricks on him, wanting to believe Zen-Aku was really back. Had to be, he told himself.

“Seriously Twi,” AJ continued. “Where’d ya learn to fire a bow and arrow like that? Seriously, yer like some sorta modern day Robbing Hoof!”

“Ah, yes well…” Twilight replied rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment as she walked over to a table before popping open a can of some off the shelves brand name fruity drink gathered up from Filthy Rich’s Barnyard Bargains. Banana flavored it read, surprising nobody. “You know my brother was always talking about how he wanted to be this big hero in the Royal Guard when he was younger, right?”

“Well, as I was never in Canterlot when Ah was yer age, I wouldn’t rightly know…” Applejack trailed off, and Twilight smacked herself in the face for her own stupidity.

“Yes, well, anyways…” Twilight continued. “I sorta got caught up in the romance of it all for a time, wanted to be this heroic royal guard so I asked Princess Celestia for archery lessons.”

“Right, now I remember!” Sunset exclaimed, snapping her fingers. “Was the talk of the castle for a time, that old captain Flashfire coming out of retirement via Celestia’s personal request to teach you how to fire a bow and arrow!”

Robert flashed back briefly to a conversation with Shining.

“It’s about Twiley, and her new involvement in your battles as Armored Rider ‘Baroness’ as she calls herself.

Robert winced, he should have seen this one coming a mile away.

“Brotherly concern?” He asked, playing the innocent party.

“Don’t play dumb, I know you probably figured I’d ask you about her sooner or later,” Shining replied, narrowing his eyes. “That armor of hers, comes with a lot of power, but unlike you five, she’s hardly skilled in the ways of battle.”

“And yet she played a crucial role in stopping both Ashurada and Lord Drakkon.” Robert pointed out.

“As back-up,” Shining reminded as they neared the castle. “She wasn’t part of the frontline forces. Point is, she’s my little sister, and I don’t like her being out there fighting your type of monsters without proper training.”

Robert then had the decency to smack himself in the face for forgetting. Mein Gott, he thought to himself. He was such an idiot. An honest to God Christ damn him and his soul of an idiot!

“Something wrong?” Sunset asked, out of concern seeing Robert’s expression and him muttering under his breath about being something called a Schwachsinnige whatever that was. Probably wasn’t anything nice. He was also muttering about finding Flashfire for whatever reason.

“Shining, I broke a promise to him about getting Twilight some proper training with the lance, sword, and mace!” Robert cursed himself. “I mean, Mein Gott, we’re letting her go out and about and kick monster arse without the knowledge of how to do so! Sure, a bow and arrow’s fine I suppose, but your target will be on the move and you have to draw back the bowstrings and all that! It’d be simply easier to gore the monster or smash his or her’s skull in!” he hissed out.

“Well, you can chalk that one up to another one of your list of idiotic decisions,” Sunset snapped.

“Excuse me?” Robert asked, his voice taking on a dangerous edge. “Care to repeat that, Fräulein?”

“Let’s see, let’s list off your mistakes as soon as you got to this world. Acted like an asshole to over half the populace, when you probably should have endeared yourself to them by acting like a gentlecolt, showing off whenever you thought it necessary which was about never, and finally acting like a complete man-whore even after we started dating!”

That last remark, it clearly stung judging by Robert’s expression. It took him a few moments to form a response, but when he did he struck back with a vengeance.

“And you have room to talk about me acting like a dummkopf, Miss High and Mighty Princess of ‘Empathy’?” he snarled, using air-quotes for that last bit. “Let’s see, you’ve been blind to the eyes of your own subjects and their bigotry, nearly getting yourself killed in the process leaving me to work with a team that half-hated me and a Duke Org, and even before that you honest to God believed I was prophesied to come here and help save you lot when all that happened was a simple freak accident! So, Miss Sunset Shimmer, you can take whatever fucking high horse you rode in on and sho-”

“That’s enough!” Vapor screamed, this little argument having caught everyone’s attention and they were now all staring at the couple. Vapor’s shoulders were shaking as she fought back sobs. “I’ve had just about enough of you both, you proper pair of idjits! That’s it, I’ve stood by and watched as your relationship deteriorated and you two danced around each other not even trying to say a word to try and fix it and now I’m stepping in!”

“Whoo nelly,” Applejack sighed shaking her head. “This is either going to go really good, or really bad…”

With that, Vapor whipped out her Growl Phone and called Princess Shayla. “Shayla, get these two morons to the Crystal Empire, now! They clearly need some couples counseling, and I know just where to get it!” she shouted, and before either Robert or Sunset could say a word otherwise, they found themselves in front of two tall crystal gates dropped soundly on their asses in orange and gold flashes of light, respectively.

The Crystal Empire:

Rarity was not an amused mare, having been called away from her two year anniversary with Zephyr to help out with couples counseling. Especially when she heard of who said couple was. Grumbling very unladylike words as she walked to the conference room of the Crystal Castle alongside Princess Cadence, she shoved open the doors with a loud Bang! only to find Sunset Shimmer sitting there alone, arms crossed. Apparently, Cadence had deemed it necessary to separate her and Robert for the time being until they stopped acting like children.

“So, you want to explain what happened?” Rarity asked, eyebrow cocked.

“What do you think happened?” Sunset grumbled, not even bothering to look at her. “Robert’s idiocy happened.”

“Funny, that’s not the way I heard it from Vapor…” Cadence trailed off. “Said you both were acting like a pair of children, really.”

Sunset muttered something under her breath about blabbermouth pegasi who should keep their muzzles out of her business. Cadence and Rarity rolled their eyes in unison and pulled up chairs.

“Seems she was right to call…” Rarity muttered to herself, with Cadence nodding.

“The two of you need to stop this,” Cadence hardened her gaze, looking between them. “You’re both adults, act like it.”

“Tell that to Robert, he’s constantly in puberty half the time.” Sunset huffed.

Cadence slapped her hands down on the table, rising out of her seat. “Enough! Stop with the schoolyard insults! You’re not children, you’re warriors fighting to save the world. Grow up!”

“Yes, really dearie,” Rarity joined in. “This behavior is quite unacceptable and unbecoming of a lady. I know of a few mages in Canterlot who can perform age-regression spells via Twilight. How would you like me to perform one on you?” she asked pointedly. Her tone indicated she probably would carry out every word of her threat, and so Sunset wisely shut up and listened.

“Good. Now, can we at least hope to talk like grown adults?” Rarity asked, and Sunset nodded meekly. “Now, how did this whole thing start?”

“With Robert, know his eyes have been wandering. I may have… gotten a bit of jealousy in my system.”

“I should say so,” Rarity snarked. “But he’s a man, what should you expect? Perfection?” she asked, giving Sunset a ‘look’. “I mean, Mystic Mother knows Zephyr -bless his heart- is hardly perfect in any way.”

Cadence gave Rarity a very pointed look of her own. “Let’s not stereotype the genders shall we? Please don’t make comments like that again.”

“I’m just saying,” Rarity put in. “I think Sunset was expecting the perfect stallion, and she was a little… let’s say let down.”

Sunset’s guilty look pretty much said it all on that front.

“Really Sunset, Cadence is quite right, you are acting like a child,” Rarity agreed, before soundly slapping her across the face, leaving a stinging red mark. “Now, time to grow up,” she sniffed before her tone became softer. “Look, I know you didn’t have the best foalhood in the world, but no need to keep acting like a child. Listen, you’re unhappy with what the world gave you, you want a better relationship than what your parents had.”

“How did…?” Sunset trailed off, eyes widened and caught quite off-guard to say the least.

“Vapor saw it fit to send your little confessional on ahead to me,” Rarity remarked. “The whole lot of it. Wasn’t too hard to figure out you wanted a better relationship than two drunkards.”

Sunset sniffled a little. “Yeah… I… I just keep looking back at my parents, and keep thinking and wanting something a hell of a lot better than whatever that was. Because it sure as hell wasn’t a relationship of any sort. At least, a healthy one.” she choked out, fighting back tears. Then the dam finally broke, as she thought back to one particular night back when she was about five or so.

“Fuck you, fuck you!” a male voice roared as thunder cracked in the background, a hard rain coming down outside the small home in Canterlot’s suburbs. A jagged flash of lightning illuminated Sunset, and her frightened form as she hid under the bed, clutching her stuffed wolf plushie to herself, rocking back and forth in a fetal position in fear. A loud stinging slap echoed from somewhere inside the kitchen, with the thin walls of the house carrying sound throughout it quite, quite well.

Her ‘father figure’, if Sunset could call it that. Toren was his name. Personally she never really saw him as a father figure, and she never would. He was just the person whom her mom married, and that was the end of that. “Think you can pour all my beer bottles down the drain?”

Another slap. “Well, that’s what you get!” he roared.

Sunset whimpered to herself. “Please… please just stop.” she whispered, and eventually the yelling was to die down as if the Mystic Mother herself answered her prayers.

Her mother, a mare named Evening Lotus with a pink toned mane and a orangish fur coat walked in and brought in Sunset for a hug. A red slap mark was present on the older mare’s cheek.

“Shh, shh, it’s alright now. Mommy’s here. Daddy’s laying drunk on the couch.” Lotus said, as she stroked her daughter’s mane in a comforting manner. Actually, that was a lie. Lotus, somehow, had managed to work up the courage to punch out her husband. She knew it would have consequences for her and probably Sunset when he eventually awoke, but anything to stop him for the time being. Anything.

“Daddy… Why does he do it?”

“I don’t know dear,” Lotus whispered. “I don’t know. Your father, he has… issues. Hush now, quiet now, you need to get some rest. You’ve had a horrible night, and I’m sorry for that. I truly am.” Lotus whispered, fighting back a sob. This was all her fault, for marrying that bastard of a stallion.

“I… I can’t. I’m too afraid to sleep.” Sunset whimpered.

“It’s okay darling, I’ll sing you a lullaby, will that help?” Lotus asked, as she helped Sunset into bed, and brought the covers up over her frail form. Sunset nodded tearfully, hugging her wolf plushie tightly.

“Y-Yeah, that’ll help.” she whispered, and so Evening Lotus began to sing. In another life, who knows, perhaps she might have become this famous Canterlot lounge singer. Sadly, that’s not what fate had planned for her as Sunset would find out not even a year later.

“Hush now, quiet now
It's time to lay your sleepy head
Hush now, quiet now
It's time to go to bed...

“I said hush now, quiet now...
It's time to lay your sleepy head
I said hush now, quiet now...
It's time to go to bed.

“Fading, drifting off to sleep.
Just leave this exciting day behind you
Driftin' off to sleep and let the joy of Luna’s dream land find you…” she sung, and not even into the first verse, Sunset was sound asleep her chest gently rising and falling. Lotus stayed with her throughout the night. She would protect her daughter no matter what. No matter what.

Cadence sighed, and spoke as she brought the now sobbing Princess in for a hug. “That doesn’t give you the right to take it out on Robert. Neither of you are perfect and that's okay,” she whispered rubbing Sunset’s back. “Hey, it’s okay to cry.”

Sunset whimpered, and sobbed a little into her aunt’s shoulder.

“Shh, that’s alright dear,” Cadence whispered as Sunset’s body shook as she continued to cry. “Just let it out.”

Eventually, the tears stopped flowing, and Sunset looked up at her adopted aunt with puffy red eyes. “Now… now what do I do?” she asked, with Rarity giving her a handkerchief to blow her nose and wipe away some of the tear stains. Cadence took a long sigh, before answering.

“You talk this out with Robert. Tell him everything. No insults, no names, just honesty. If you two don’t work out, that’s fine, but you two can’t keep going like this.” she told her niece. “Honestly, it’s getting rather old. At first, when you two were trying to work things out and admit you at least liked each other, it was amusing. But now, seeing you two act like two little foals? Well, suffice it to say amusement is hardly the first word that springs to mind to describe this.” Cadence stated sharply.

“Y-Yeah…” Sunset nodded, before getting up out of her chair, and heading towards the door but not before giving both older mares a thankful nod.

As for Robert, we find him but where else in a bar drowning his sorrows.

“Glass of Wild Pegasus Whiskey, on the rocks,” he told the bartender, a relative of Berry Punch back in Ponyville. Downing it, after the drink was slid down the bartop, he found himself thinking back to what probably, in his mind started this whole heaping mess of shit he found himself in. Unlike Sunset, he wasn’t blaming anyone else for his troubles, he knew this was on him, and him alone. Both she and Lightning were right, he was a man-whore and he knew it.

Artemis smiled happily, using her horn’s magic to slide the right strap on her dress down her shoulder before she spoke yet again. “Robert, if you don’t mind, would you help me fix my dress. I seem to be having trouble with it.”

“Okay, now she’s gone from subtle to outright obvious. Though let it never be said I’m one to turn down an offer of a good shag from what as far as I know, an unmarried woman. ...Or mare in this case.” Robert mused as he helped Artemis with her dress and lowered the other strap and began planting soft kisses on her neck causing the Alicorn in disguise to let out an involuntary moan of pleasure.

She tilted her head back to allow Robert better access and he began to nibble on her neck as the dress fell to the floor. Robert was now allowed to see her very shapely form glinting in the moonlight from the bedroom window covered only by a set of a light blue bra and panties. Suddenly, Artemis whirled around and shoved him up against the wall and began kissing him heavily wrapping her legs around him. Robert opened his mouth to allow her tongue entrance and they dueled briefly as Artemis used her magic to allow his pants to drop to the floor while Robert threw off his trench coat. As they fumbled on to the bed, Artemis’s hands went up Robert’s shirt as Robert gripped her flanks and rubbed them. They soon began grinding against each other, Robert letting out a groan of pleasure.

Artemis let out a soft sigh and began letting her hands roam his chest as Robert’s hands moved upwards and began roaming her back even as they still continued kissing, only coming up for air briefly saliva dripping from their mouths. But soon they were right back at it and Robert’s hands moved upwards to Artemis’s bra and loosened it and let it fly free from its constraints as Artemis pulled his shirt up and over his head…

Robert chuckled. While he could hardly call a one night stand, a quick drunken shag love in any sense, he’d long since figured that out he couldn't help himself. Every now and again he did wonder what if? What if the relationship could have continued past… well, this?

“Ah, that’s good! Harder, please! OH! OH! Robert!” Artemis moaned out as Robert continued thrusting in and out of her. In and out, just like that in perfect rhythm. He was drunk, he knew that much. He generally was after a party, and he knew perfectly well that Artemis was drunk as well. Mind you, in some part of his mind, he knew she wanted this. For the past few nights, they had been talking over various things, and she’d been helping him from going on a full blown rampage at times and just saying “Screw it all.” and leaving Ponyville for good. She was a lifeline, not that Robert would ever admit it as he was far too proud for that, but she was one.

“Artemis… Just like that…” Robert groaned out as Artemis began her own little ministrations, nibbling at his neck and kissing it. “Oh Su-Artemis, yes…” Robert groaned, quickly catching his little-slip up before Artemis could notice. God knows what she’d do to him if she did, considering how she told him last time she was on a dinner with this jackass really not that far removed from him, she left him to pay the check. It wasn’t that hard to imagine she’d do something far worse to him if she heard him say Sunset’s name. Really, it wasn’t. Might gore him with her horn or something. An angry unicorn? Really wasn’t that hard to imagine.

“Robert?” Artemis admitted as she pulled away, letting her head rest back on the velvet pillow as Robert pulled out of her, sensing a conversation coming. “I just have to say, thank you. Just… Thank you. First real relationship I had in a long time.”

In hindsight, he should have noticed the wording. Had, and real relationship? That was odd, if he was thinking like a cop his alarm bells would have been ringing. Firstly, how could a one-night stand count as a relationship? A drunken one-night stand at that? But Robert didn’t notice, and he smiled before replying: “Anything for my Moonlight.”

Artemis let out another moan, and her hips bucked as she finally climaxed from Robert’s thrusting before the two tired lovers collapsed on the bed and fell into the world of dreams.

Robert slammed his glass on the countertop, and groaned when he heard the song playing in the background on some old jukebox.

“I think of you every night and day
You took my heart and you took my pride away…

“I hate myself for loving you
Can't break free from the things that you do
I wanna walk but I run back to you
That's why I hate myself for lovin' you

“Daylight spent the night without you
But I've been dreamin' 'bout the lovin' you do…”

“Really?” he shouted. “Real helpful there! Been trying not to think about bad relationships!” he grumbled, before taking out his Kitsune Blaster and aiming it at the damned thing with a distinctive whirring sound, before a gentle hand forced it downwards.

“Now now, none of that.” Shining said gently, as he and Zephyr sat next to him atop stools. “Doubt Mrs. Crystal will be all too together pleased if you shoot up some of her bar.”

“Sorry, bad memories,” Robert apologized. “That song, sorta gave me some flashbacks to my relationship, if you can call it that, with Princess Luna. Never thought I’d be pissed about a Joan Jett song, but here I am… Funny that.”

“Yeah, I admit that was a nasty piece of business, that relationship of yours.” Zephyr sighed, patting him on the back in sympathy. “Believe me, been in a few sucky relationships myself.”

“Suckage was major on this one,” Robert replied. “And like I said, you could hardly call it a relationship. Not if you define one night stands as relationships. And I don’t. Used to, but times have changed, grown up a little.”

Zephyr sucked in a breath. “Not from what me and Shining heard, man.”

“What are you even doing here, anyways?” Robert had to ask.

“Me and Rares, on our two year anniversary. Well, we were until you and Sunset bitching at each other ruined it.” Zephyr remarked with an annoyed tone present in his voice, and Robert had the decency to look ashamed of himself.

Shining snapped his fingers and ordered some Crystal Berry Wine as he turned to Robert. “You and me mate, we need to talk,” he said. “So, talk. Spill. I want everything.”

“Like to say it all started with me being a complete arsehole and sneaking peeks at other mares while me and Sunset were daring. Emphasis on were. But that’s not the truth, is it?” Robert asked. “I mean, I’ve been a playboy long before then. Kinda hard to change yourself overnight just for one mare.”

Zephyr nodded in sympathy. “I know how that feels man. Before I met Rares, I was this layabout, dating whoever I chose. Didn’t really feel I’d succeed at anything, so just kept hopping from place to place till my little sis knocked some sense into me and set me up with Rarity, hoping and praying she’d start changing me around. Didn’t work overnight of course, as you might expect. But somehow, in some way and I have never managed to quite work this out, I just wanted to become this better stallion just for her. Funny that,” he chuckled. “But love is a strange and mysterious mistress, eh Shining?”

Shining nodded at that, took a sip of his wine before speaking. “Have you ever considered just not doing the things you know will piss Sunset off?”

“Believe me, I’ve definitely considered this,” Robert sighed. “Easier said than done. Sunset’s right, I’ve been in puberty ever since I hit it, and never really tried to grow up till the last year or so. Been working out so well,” he drawled out sarcastically.

“Robert, either you do or you don’t, that’s as simple as it gets.” Shining put his glass down, giving the man a hard look. “If you really want to be there for Sunset do so. Don’t complain about how hard it is, don’t make excuses, just do it. If you can’t, tell her and you can go back to sleeping around. Cadence and I are more than tired of this nonsense.”

“I… I understand,” Robert nodded, getting the message loud and clear. “Now how do I even get close to her, without Sunset just… Y’know, blowing up at me?” he asked, pressing his fingers together nervously. “I mean, I’m fairly sure you’ve made your wife angry at times, -and no offense intended- so how do you apologize to the one you love?”

“You just apologize,” Shining Armor shrugged. “It’s not that hard. If they don’t accept, that’s on them. You at least tried to make things better.”

“So buck up, if you excuse the terrible pun and be a man about it?” Robert asked.

“‘Bout sums it up, really,” Zephyr stated, with Shining nodding in agreement. Robert sucked in a breath and sighed.

“Well, only one thing for it then. Be a man, and do this right.” Robert stated. With that, he took his leave and left a few bits for the bartender. And some for Shining and Zephyr as well, he figured they at least deserved something for him ruining their days.

It was at a local cafe where the exchange took place. Nice place, open aired with umbrella stands.

“So, only one thing to say really, and that’s… I’m sorry.” Robert sighed. “Sorry for everything. Being an arsehole, saying those things that I said, and sorry for making so many excuses and sorry for being and I accept this, a man-whore.”

“Shining and Zeph talked to you, huh?” Sunset asked, taking a sip of her wine. She figured she’d need it for this. “Yeah, Cadence and Rarity had a few words to say with me as well. Honestly, you’re not the only one who’s been an asshole and an idiot, to say the least. I… I… Well, you should know I never had the best foalhood, always held my standards far too high, and well…”

“Yeah, don’t need to say any more on that. I can imagine it screwed you up pretty badly. Honestly, high time we both grew up and started acting like a pair of adults. Vapor, Shining, Zeph, Cadence, Rarity? They were all right. We are a proper pair of idiots.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Sunset muttered.

“Please, no drinking. Last time that happened, ended up in bed with Princess Luna and made an absolute dummkopf of meself.”

Sunset chuckled to herself. “Only fair,” she smiled before leaning across the table to kiss him. “I love you, you know that right?”

“Yeah, I love you too Sunset-Chan.”

Author's Notes:

Okay, so finally, this massive elephant in the room's been resolved. For good this time. No more major romance drama from these two idjits. Really want to thank Shagohad12 here, major help writing Shining and Cadence. God, makes me wonder if he's ever dated anybody. Ah well, not my place to ask really.

As ever, thoughts, constructive critique, and comments are appreciated.

Part 19: Redemption Day (Power to Tearer-Strength of the Heart)

Golden Oaks Library:

“Ya know,” Sunburst remarked as he rapidly pulled book after book off of the bookshelves, Twilight squeaking and squawking in protest all the while. “For the mare who supposedly has a little bit of everything entombed somewhere in here, -and I do mean entombed as there’s more dust than an antiques shop!- you’d think it’d be easier to find a book on Dragons!”

Coughing heavily as he pulled an old tome off of a shelf, wheezing from the sheer dust stirred up, he set it aside on a table for later consultation.

“Well, somebody,” Twilight began with her hands on her hips giving a pointed look at Spike who could only laugh nervously. “Was supposed to get to work with the duster and the vacuum earlier this week but evidently, he did no such thing.”

“Eh, sorry. Kinda got wrapped up in this great Power Ponies storyline. Sure, Hun-Drum got in the way again but…” Spike trailed off, laughing sheepishly.

“It was good right?” Sunburst asked. “Yeah, think I know the one you mean. The one where The Mane-Iac’s been revealed to have some hidden love, and we’re just biting our fingernails hoping and praying they don’t team up?”

“That’s the point!” Spike said, snapping his fingers. “I’m telling you, the writers are really getting into their stride now, concocting great storylines that leave us wondering what happens next! I mean sure, at first they were terrible and a little bit slow paced but now that they’ve found their groove as it were…”

“...I have no idea what either of you are talking about.” Twilight muttered, desperately trying to follow the conversation between the two bonafide nerds.

“Well, milady, allow us to educate you!” Sunburst proclaimed, summoning the first issue of the Power Ponies comics to his and Spike’s side, the issue encased in a light yellow aura of magic as Sunburst opened its pages.

“Now, the Mane-Iac. Once, she was this simple unassuming mare working this nine to five job at this mane-care product factory in Maretropolis -That’s the Power Ponies home city by the way- until one night…” Sunburst began.

“It happened!” Spike stated in a dramatic -perhaps overly so- tone. “A tragic accident at her shampoo factory in Maretropolis not only gave her mane strange new powers, but also caused her to go completely insane! She and her hench-ponies are planning to break into the Maretropolis Museum and steal the Electro-Orb, so she can use it to power up her doomsday device! Of course, the Mane-iac wouldn't have even known if Hum-Drum hadn't slipped up and told her all about it.” he grumbled, muttering something under his breath about completely useless comic relief characters.

“Doomsday devices and electro-orbs? It all sounds completely unrealistic.” Twilight remarked in a flat tone with an eyebrow raised.

“Eh, it’s a comic book, so creative liberty is allowed and besides no more unrealistic than you using a selection of padlocks based on various fruits to turn into different armored warriors based on knights,” Sunburst pointed out, and Twilight shrugged in a ‘fair’s fair’ motion. “And let’s not even get into Spike’s alternate self using coins or Rarity using a flash drive to fire off some sort of gun!”

“True enough, I really wish Rarity wasn’t so tight-lipped on where she got this Gaia Memory as she called it,” Twilight sighed. “I did hear Robert mention something about her going down into these crystal caves a week or so back along with Pinkie’s sister Maud of all ponies. Thought nothing of it at the time, but now…?” she trailed off.

“Yeah… He’s getting a bit suspicious as well…” Sunburst trailed off. “Robert, I mean. He really seems to hate not having all the answers. Must be a detective thing. If you permit me? Gaia: From the Greek word γαια, a parallel form of γη meaning ‘earth’. In Greek mythology, Gaia was the mother goddess who presided over the earth. She was the mate of Uranus and the mother of the Titans and the Cyclops.” the Black Ranger explained. “Crystal Caves, and now this little incident of Rarity using the Bomb Gaia memory cropping up a few nights back? One must begin to wonder. I suspect Wyatt and the research his girlfriend -still trying to wrap my head around an alternate version of you who’s basically a Qilin- sent over to Celestia may be involved somehow.”

Twilight nodded. “Mhmm. I understand Celestia’s trying to keep herself tight-lipped so the nobles like Neighsay or Wind Rider don’t seize certain ideas for themselves, but…”

“You wish she’d let at least us in on the loop?” Sunburst sighed, and Twilight nodded. “Yeah, with you there all the way. Speaking of Henshin heroes, care to fill me in?” he asked, where he saw the Apple Lockseed hooked up to some sort of machine that was filling a glass case beside it with some sort of silvery energy. Beside it was an empty faceplated Sengoku Driver and six more Lockseeds, one marked LS-13 and themed after a kiwi and another marked LS-04 and seemingly themed after a honeydew melon. Finally, there was one marked LS-10 themed after a watermelon. And of course, there was the Energy Lockseed themed after a Dragon Fruit along with Twilight’s normal Banana and Mango Lockseeds.

“Eh, it's a little experiment I’m running, see if I can artificially create Lockseeds,” Twilight explained. “And before you ask about the spare Sengoku Driver, swiped it during the chaos when we were fighting off Lord Drakkon’s Kurokage Sentries. The other Lockseeds? That alternate Applejack let me have a few. Hoping to have another Armored Rider to fight by my side one day, and so I figure they’d need a few Lockseeds to get them started.”

“Who’d you have in mind?” Spike asked curiously, and actually with a little bit of hope in his tone as well. He’d seen his alternate self fight and wanted to join in on those particular types of heroics. Who knows, might impress Rarity, he thought with a wistful sigh.

“That’s for me to know, and for you to wait and find out dear brother of mine,” Twilight replied, booping him on the nose causing Spike to let out a little sigh of disappointment. She ruffled his hair. “Relax, just because you’re not a henshin hero doesn’t mean you don’t contribute in your own way. I mean, this place or Hell even I would fall apart without you around. Seriously Spike, I really don’t know what I’d do without you!”

Spike smirked before it was soon to fade and he laughed once more before rubbing the back of his head. “...Oh, guess you want me to start dusting don’t you?”

“Quite. Finish it up quickly, and maybe I’ll throw in a few gems eh?” Twilight asked, and with that Spike grabbed the duster and a vacuum and quite quickly set to work. She smirked, worked every time.

“Er...Twilight,” Sunburst spoke up, and picked up the Sengoku Driver and looked at it. “Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself a little here? I mean, I’m sorry to be blunt but your fighting skills in your own Kamen Rider form? They’re… well, I hate to say it but they’re crap. Right now, you basically amount to a zero sum in terms of overall usefulness on the battlefield. You’ve got power, but for the most part, you don’t know how to use it.”

“Yes, thank you for reminding me of that,” Twilight growled out, gritting her teeth. “But I’m going to attempt to get my old archery trainer out of retirement with a little help from Sunset.”

“...I assume that means the old puppy dog eyes and begging and pleading on your knees?” Sunburst asked in a flat tone, knowing his friend all too well. Twilight’s red face said volumes more than words ever could.

“...Yeah, I thought as much. Flash Fire, she’s going to be hard to convince. Heard she wanted a bit of peace and quiet, no small wonder she retreated up to some hills outside of Canterlot to run a beekeeping service and just sell honey. Personally, I think going after her? Not the best course of action. Plenty of young and inspiring Royal Guards who would love nothing more than to train Princess Twilight Sparkle in the art of the blade, lance, and mace.” Sunburst pointed out.

“Yes, Princess Twilight Sparkle, not Twilight Sparkle the pony. They all worship me like some sort of goddess, and I don’t need to remind you that I really hate that with a passion. Half of them have crushes on me for crying out loud and would spend half the time ogling my ass!” she snapped, muttering how there was a reason she’d dumped Flash Sentry. That had caught all the papers by surprise, Twilight dumping her beloved boyfriend but the truth of the matter was all Flash seemed to feel was love for the Princess, not her as a pony. “Seriously, Flash Fire is about the only option really. And I will get her out of retirement one last time even if I do have to use the puppy dog eyes and begging and pleading on my knees combo. Undignified, yes, I know but it might very well be my only option here.”

Sunburst decided against mentioning Shining would probably all be too happy to take her up on the offer of training his own sister to defend herself, knowing all too well Twilight would go on this long speech about how he was the Prince of the Crystal Empire and had other responsibilities that didn’t include dropping everything just to train her.

“Oh well,” he thought, opening up one of the many tomes that lay before him. “Back to what I do best, research.”

Meanwhile, deep in the Everfree Forest lay the little tree comprised hut of Zecora the zebra Shaman. And now it paid residence to one more entity. Namely a certain traveling stage magician, and former Ranger Killer Trixie Lulamoon. Ever since Sunburst had freed her from Retinax’s control, this was where she’d found herself settling.

Make no mistake, it was a nice place really but Trixie knew she didn’t belong there and so did Zecora. But something, Trixie didn’t quite know what it was kept her from leaving.

Sighing as she looked at one of the many masks adorning the hut’s walls, Trixie grumbled to herself thinking back. She remembered everything she did, each and every last blow she’d dealt out to the Rangers or one of their many friends.

“Trixie,” Zecora said holding a small Rubik's Cube which she was fiddling with idly in her hands. Trixie had noted ever since Zecora had been given that thing to occupy her time, she’d stopped rhyming really. Maybe it had something to do with the puzzle box keeping her mind fresh as she put it. “Do not tell me you’re still occupied with what that foul Retinax creature made you do?” she asked, in that thick accent of hers. It sounded motherly in some ways, and Trixie admitted to herself she wouldn’t mind having the slightly older mare as a mother if not for the fact that she already had one back in Sire’s Hollow.

“Maybe a little…” Trixie whimpered, fighting back a sob as she remembered stabbing the Orange Ranger through the chest with a jagged shard of crystal and then later going to town on her own brother.

Zecora knelt down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. The zebra was covered in all sorts and manners of beads and golden hoops and wore colorful traditional African garments such as kangas and the like. Trixie suspected that if the shaman didn’t get so many visitors to her home or for the weather that Maine was often subjected to in the colder months, that she would follow what many African mares did and wear next to virtually nothing out of sheer force of habit. “Beatrix Lulamoon,” she said, making Trixie’s eyes widen in their sockets as virtually nobody used her full name. “Do not despair yourself over things in the past. You cannot change them, no matter how much you’d like to. You were given a great power,” she said, gesturing to the Dino Morpher Trixie kept on her nightstand for whatever reason. Not even Trixie herself knew, maybe she kept it as a constant reminder of what she had done. “So why not make use of it?”

“You know perfectly well why!” Trixie snapped, and Zecora flinched a little taking a cautious step back as she saw Trixie’s horn crackle with a light magenta aura of magical energy. Trixie had the decency to look quite ashamed of herself as she saw this. “The townspeople, they’d hate me! They were all quite well witness to what Trixie did as the White Ranger, they’d never accept her as a hero!”

She winced, now she remembered what it probably felt like for Robert not that many months back as he struggled and still did in some ways to earn the town folks acceptance. “They have long memories, they still remember the greatly foolish Trixie when she used the Alicorn Amulet the first time around. They’d say, oh she will never change! Trixie is a danger to us all!” Trixie continued to clamor in this overdramatic tone of voice. It seemed, no matter if she was onstage or not, some things would never change. “They’re always so quick to judge! Ask me this Zecora, if I went out on the town, what would you think would happen?”

“Well…” Zecora trailed off, beginning to do just exactly that.

“Think back, you were never accepted with open arms were you?” Trixie hissed out. “No, ponies locked their doors and kept their children away from you decrying you as some sort of witch even if you came into the market for something as simple as buying food or just potion ingredients!”

Zecora flinched in remembrance, thinking back to the sheer loneliness she’d felt when nopony rushed up to greet her with warm welcoming arms, and the sting of the stones thrown hitting her as she walked into town. And then there were the names, consisting of the likes of demon, mud-hoofer, and worst of all enchantress. Now while the ponies had apologized since then, it didn’t mean the names still hurt at times.

“Exactly,” Trixie stated, upon seeing the look on her caretaker’s face. “Now you can only imagine what would happen if the not so great and powerful Trixie walked into-”

“Now listen here Beatrix Lulamoon!” Zecora bellowed with the force of a great hurricane. “You had the wind knocked out of you, violated even by that beast who dares call himself a General. Your determination was lost, scoured! Let me tell you a little story, the Judgemental and Fearful Trixie!” Zecora stated, stamping a hoof on the wooden floorboards in her anger, and Trixie let out a small whimper of fear. Zecora sighed, she hated scaring the young mare like this, but she needed some good sense knocked back into her. “I was the daughter of a great chieftain once, the White Tiger they called me for my great skills in hunting threats to my country. And yet here I am, a simple herbalist and shaman. Do you know why?” she asked, her voice turning softer and more sorrowful. “Because, my father had every inch of my life planned out for me, and even though I wanted to be an herbalist he forbid it. But I persisted anyways under the guidance of a great teacher, a great mare named Atieno.

“Was it always so terrible, having this great burden forced upon you as soon as you could speak? No, I suppose not, having the best education and the best teachers of the Engolo style and the best language instructors and all the money in the world or at least the village but I wanted to make something of myself. Earn a bit of pocket coin not from my father’s coffers.

“Atieno, she said I always had this great drive, this great determination to make something of myself. A self-made woman as your people call it. Not this mare who sits around the house doting on her husband and doing the daily chores, but actually helping everyone who needed it.

“I soon realized that the only way to escape that hell was to get out of Africa. And so my best friend and mother in all but blood, this very same Atieno contacted an old friend of hers whom you might know as Dr. Angus Caballeron to smuggle me out of the country. Made a friend in his adopted daughter of Daring Do, though I rarely get a chance to talk to her rather sadly so caught up in her adventures,” Zecora sighed sadly to herself.

“I… I never knew…” Trixie whispered, involuntarily bringing in the zebra for a hug. Zecora never spoke one word of her past, and after hearing this Trixie could honestly not blame her for one bit of it.

Zecora meanwhile, knew her words were harsh and probably cut through to the bone to Trixie but she needed to hear them, get her back up on her feet and back to her old self. Just like what she needed to hear next. Accepting the hug when it came, Zecora continued on.

“You, you have that same drive and determination do you not Trixie Lulamoon? You wanted to make something of yourself, show the world what you could really do and not just follow in your mother’s footsteps of being town mayor and historian,” the zebra stated. “But you have now lost it, and with it your spirit. I understand and sympathize with you Trixie, I really do, but you must return to the mare you once before powers and all. Show the town of Ponyville and beyond that Retinax did not mold you into a killer, but he accidentally gave you a gift. One that can be used to stop him, and anyone else like his kind.”

“But I don’t know if…” Trixie trailed off and Zecora finished for her.

“You can? If you are half the mare I thin-No, I know you are, then you will find a way. Hatimaye, or fate as you know it will be your guide.”

Zecora was more right on the money than she would ever have realized, as a very familiar pink mist swirled around a cooler outside Trixie’s wagon before the cooler glowed green before teleporting off to parts unknown…

Trixie, of course, remained unaware of this. Perhaps it was for the best, after all, maybe she shouldn’t be forced back into action so soon. After all, she still remembered everything as previously stated. There were plenty of standout moments from her time as Retinax’s Ranger Killer that she remembered, but the one that always stood out the most was her very first duel against the Rangers.

“So, just you and me huh?” the Orange-No, his name was Robert Williams Trixie had corrected herself just then even as he drew his Crystal Saber.

“No, no, no!” the White Ranger commented, as she wrapped Robert up in magical binds, keeping him in place. She then wrenched his arm and with a sickening crack and a scream of pain, his weapon clattered to the floor. Trixie inwardly, she wanted to scream out in horror. No, this wasn’t right. Not what she was supposed to do at all. Not with powers like these. But even as she thought this, she heard those horrible terrible words come out of her mouth: “This isn’t right! Not at all! I said I wanted all the Rangers, not just one wannabe hero! Stay right there for a moment eh? Need to bring the rest of the party here, and then the real fun can begin!”

No, Trixie wanted to scream to herself as she grabbed the Plesio Zord and brought it with a mighty Crash! into the Crystal Castle’s throne room. This was not how these powers were ever meant to be used, she knew that much. But no matter how hard she tried to fight against it, the Alicorn Amulet’s powers were stronger and her eyes watched in horror as her body moved on it’s own and cut down the Rangers one by one. Inwardly, she fought a mental battle.

“Face it Trix…” part of her, that dark side of her mind sneered at her. “You want this, you’ve always wanted this, to be reunited with this form of power once more. “You always so easily gravitate to the easy path to power. Why else would you have grabbed that Alicorn Amulet so readily to begin with?”

“No, I wanted revenge! Revenge against Twilight Sparkle for a humiliation that I brought down upon myself with my own stupidity, inspiring those two braindead colts to bring a fucking Ursa Minor to town just for me to prove I could defeat it!” Trixie told herself back then. “I… I was jealous of Twilight, for all of that magical power and that glory of being one of Celestia’s prized students. Twilight was so humble about her powers, and her prowess. It… it was charming in a way. I’d heard she’d lived in Ponyville and I guess I wanted to impress her. Guess I had a crush on her, who’s to say? Doubtful I’d ever have my chance with her, seeing as she’s either caught up in her books or dating that Flash Sentry buck. Don’t know what she sees in him, but if she’s happy, I’m happy.”

“Bullshit, you’re not happy and you know it! With this power, you could take her and show her just what a true master of magic can do!” her dark half had argued. “Take her under your wing, teach her a few things. Maybe not just in magic, but in the art of sex. Don’t think I don’t remember all those mares you took back to your wagon and made them act like Twilight Sparkle. Yes, you only managed to keep your hidden love -Love, not just a crush- for her hidden with bribery of a good bag of bits, or perhaps a good orgasm or two. Not even you can deny that.”

“But all of this? Just killing every one of her friends and those that she cares about just to show how powerful I could be? No, that’s not love in the slightest!” Trixie snapped back. “No, that’s the actions of a sociopathic stalker who just wants it to be all about her, or me in this case. No, her as you are not nor never will be me!”

“Say what you may,” her dark half remarked as she continued to cut down Ranger after Ranger after Ranger, not just stopping with the main heroes but with the Sentries guarding Canterlot as well as time continued to fly by with these few weeks only seeming like minutes in Trixie’s head. The same arguments, the same conflicts repeated themselves seemingly without end.“But remember, right now I’m in control of this body and so I’ll do with it as I please. I have the power to rip and tear, and whatever strength you have in your heart will not be enough to stop me.”

It would take someone else that Trixie knew and cared for to finally stop the blood frenzy, and for her to regain control long enough to just listen to someone and put the White Dino Gem in it’s place, if only temporarily.

“You know something? When I was growing up in a small little town, everyone used to make assumptions about me, and they were mostly wrong ones. Fact was, everyone assumed I was going to be this masterful magic user in Celestia's personal court. Guess what, failed barely passed Magic School. I was a washout, everyone thought of me as a failure once the news broke. Assumed that a magic user who could barely perform magic would be of no use. I aimed to prove them wrong,” Sunburst pleaded and Trixie listened. She steadied her blade, kept it from lashing out and removing her brother’s head clean from his shoulders. It was hard, the White Dino Gem screaming for more blood, but she forced it back. No, there would be no more unneeded death today, she would learn to control this power if only for a few minutes and the only separating of heads from shoulders that would occur would be Doomwing’s own.

“Look at me now, a teacher and a hero. The two can be mutually exclusive, as it turns out. Here I am, helping teenagers figure themselves out, what path in life they're going to take. They may not treat me like a hero, but one day soon, I know they'll thank me. Run up to me and hug me, tell me whatever job they ended up with, and tell me I helped them get there.” he said, and that finally broke the chain and for one brief moment, helping to take down Doomwing Trixie felt like her old self again. The mare who would take the stage and shout “Three, two, one, showtime!” before bedazzling a captive audience. Sure, she would need to go now, where she would never harm another soul again but for that brief moment in time? She was Trixie Lulamoon once more. Now, if she could only heed Zecora’s advice and return to being that mare, the one who could call herself a stagemare extraordinaire and hopefully defender of the innocent once more.

So the day started out like any other normal day for the Rangers. New Org Spirit taking on a solid form, go to fight it and then blow it up with a Megazord when it went big. That’s how it usually was right?

Troubling thing was, this particular Org Spirit was a real pain in the ass and making it go big was harder than normal. This particular Org, it was based on a freezer of all things -Sunset swore these spirits just kept on getting weirder and weirder by the day, she’d thought she’d seen it all with the Bowling Ball Org- and it had already frozen Vapor and Lightning in solid blocks of ice.

Launching a flurry of icy senbon needles from it’s hands like little missiles, they ripped, cut and tore through the suits drawing blood.

“Geez, I know I wanted the weather to cool off, just a bit, but not like this!” Sunburst exclaimed.

“Feeling the chill yet? Maybe I should give you a bit of frostbite next!” the Freezer Org laughed, as the freezer doors which comprised a part of his head opened up and unleashed a blast of blindingly cold mist which sent the Rangers staggering backwards.

Shivering, and rubbing his arms just to keep warm -Robert severely wished the suits came with internal heating- the Orange Ranger turned to his marefriend and then to Sunburst.

“Got any ideas Sunset-Chan?” he asked. “You, Sunburst?”

Before either of them could answer, the monster came at them with an icy club in hand swinging it, and all the Rangers knew that one good solid blow from that weapon could probably smash their skulls in.

“Move!” Sunset barked, extending her wings and going skywards before tilting her horn downwards and firing a blast of magic at the Org who only created a dome of ice around himself to block it. She slashed downwards with her sword, ablaze with light and shattered the dome with a single slice, a technique Celestia had taught her using Feather Edge called the Sunsteel Strike.

Her sword still aflame, she sliced through the Org’s armor a few times before being sent flying backward with a blast of ice from the Org’s palm.

Robert and Sunburst tried to summon their animal spirits but were unable to as the Org slammed his palm into the ground and icy spikes jutted up from the ground forcing them to keep moving or be impaled.

“We… we need help here!” Sunset shouted, as she just barely held back another ice blast with her sword.

“Mango Au Lait!” a certain Sengoku Driver called out before a hard-light manifestation of the Mango Punisher’s head was sent towards the Freezer Org knocking him back a little.

Sunset sighed in relief as she saw the very distinctive form of Armored Rider Baroness in Mango Arms trudging up dragging her mace behind her.

“Room for one more?” Twilight asked as the Freezer Org roared in rage and ran towards her with his club drawn. It was swung only for Twilight to spin around and block the blow with her mace held up behind her head.

“Twilight, get out of here!” Sunburst shouted as he drew his Jungle Fans and rushed towards the Freezer Org, slicing and cutting into him with the blades a few times only for the monster to kick him into some nearby barrels. “You’re nowhere near experienced enough to be taking on an Org, especially not one this powerful!”

“Damn it Twi… Get out of the way!” Sunburst thought as he raised his Navi Blaster and tried to fire off a shot only for Twilight to get in the way each time as she battled the Org. Robert was thinking along the exact same lines as he raised his own gun knowing perfectly well as bad as he was with the Shadow Saber right now that weapon would be next to useless.

“Consider this on the job training then!” Twilight remarked as she thrust the head of the Mango Punisher into the Freezer Org’s chest several times with the spikes on the mace’s head cutting into him.

She then swung her mace around wildly, knocking the Freezer Org back a bit before her arm was frozen to the ground by an ice blast.

“Well, looks like you won’t be bringing the spring thaw then!” the Org laughed, throwing up another ice shield to block the incoming shots from Sunburst and Robert. “Instead, you’ll just be freeze-dried fruits that’ll be mashed to a pulp!”

“Well, we’ll just have to see about that won’t we?” Twilight smirked under her helm, taking out the Mango Lockseed with her free hand and slamming the Apple Lockseed (Marked with LS-98) into it, before slicing it open with the Driver’s cutting blade.

“Come on!” the Driver called. “Apple Arms!”

A crack opened in the sky, the Mango Arms vanishing in what looked to be a yellow liquid as a red apple made of metal descended slowly from above and once it landed on Twilight it began to unfold.

“Ranbu! Defend your Position! Knight of Shi~eld!” the Driver called once more as the ‘apple’ completely unfolded and her armor was revealed in a splash of red liquid. A red crown had formed around her head with room made for her horn and two spikes rising up from the side that looked suspiciously like apple slices. Red dominated the ensemble with yellow trim that resembled the inside of an apple running along the breastplate in a swirling pattern. Her shoulder pads, and chest armor also resembled apple slices, aptly enough. In her hands, replacing the mace that was the Mango Punisher, was a simple shield with the hilt of a sword sticking out from it.

She drew her sword and then flicked the cutting blade on her Sengoku Driver once before kicking the icy dome that protected the Org out of existence with one powerful blow before drawing her blade and slicing into the Org several times. Sadly, her brief moment of heroism was not to last as she alongside Robert and Sunburst were sent flying back into the walls of a building and frozen with only their heads being spared this fate.

“So, now what Goldilocks?” the Freezer Org asked, craning his head upwards to see Sunset hovering above. “What are you going to do, try and take me on alone?”

Sunset’s only answer was to rocket off towards the direction of the Everfree as the Org cackled in triumph.

“Sunset! What the hell is she doing?” Twilight asked in anger. “Fine time for her to lose her nerve!”

“No, she hasn’t lost her nerve,” Sunburst smirked knowing his friend all too well. “She’s just going to get us some help, that’s all…”

Sunburst was exactly right on the money, as Sunset found herself landing outside Zecora’s hut. Wings folding up into her back and demorphing, she decided against all forms of politeness and just kicked the door in.

Zecora was taken aback. “Princess Sunset Shimmer, that is no way for a Princess to act! Some semblance of politeness, please!”

“No… no time,” Sunset panted out, sweat dripping down her face. “Where’s… where’s Trixie?”

Zecora’s face lit up with recognition. “So, it’s finally time for her to face her fears and rejoin your team on the battlefield?”

“Yes. There’s a new Org, right now I can’t get ahold of Daring or Galaxy and we don’t have time to wait around for Shining to show up via train,” Sunset explained, briefly casting a quizzical glance towards the half-finished Rubik’s cube laying on Zecora’s coffee table. “So, I ask again where is she?”

“Spare bedroom. If I may, how did you…?”

“Know she was here? Grew concerned about her after she left to find herself, so I placed a tracking spell on her secretly just to make sure of her whereabouts just in case a situation like this ever arose.” Sunset explained to the shaman who nodded in return.

“Trixie?” Sunset asked, as she entered the guest bedroom. “I… no, we need your help,” she asked, casting a glance towards the Dino Morpher on the bedside table.

Trixie followed her gaze, and shook her head fervently in fear, “No… No, Trixie’s never donning that thing again! Not ever, you hear?”

“Listen,” Sunset said in a kindly tone placing both of her hands on Trixie’s shoulders. “I know what it’s like to be tempted by power. Have I ever told you what happened when I was studying under Celestia?”

“No… Trixie doesn’t think you have…” the showmare whimpered.

“I… I grew envious of Celestia’s power, at first I simply wanted to impress her with how fast I was learning but she seemingly paid my studies no mind. I was angry, filled with rage, I wanted to join her on the throne as a Princess myself. I was young, foolish and filled with a fury. So I grabbed a corrupted Morpher, and used it. Felt the taint of darkness, and although I hate to admit it, for the brief moment I was morphed I reveled in that power. So yeah, I’ve been in your situation, Trixie. Maybe not your exact situation, but I know what it’s like for a dark force to control your life,” Sunset explained, briefly touching Trixie’s forehead with her horn to show her just what had occurred.

A blast of flame from a horn was fired at Celestia who threw up a golden shield around herself before leaping forwards and drawing a navy blue and gold trimmed sword. She swung it at the bat-winged warrior clad in this red and gold armor and who blocked the blade's blow with a sword of her own. One made of fire before kicking Celestia backwards into her throne…

“I… I never knew.” Trixie whispered.

“It’s… it’s something I don’t like to talk about. Feeling all that power, all of that rage and being perfectly in control and willing to use it to burn my own teacher alive? It scared me, and it still does. You’re a strong mare, right? If my understanding of that gem is correct, it only understands willpower. You can beat that thing’s control right? Just as long as you keep your focus.”

“Long as I keep my focus, right. And if my brother is in trouble, well… let’s just say that whoever got him into that is about to get their ass kicked prehistoric style,” Trixie smirked, grabbing the morpher and strapping it onto her wrist. She felt the familiar power, but this time she did not let the Gem’s bloodlust overwhelm her. No, she told it she was it’s master now and the Gem seemingly complied. “Now, I believe it’s morphin’ time. Isn’t that how you like to say it, Princess?”

“Yes, quite.” Sunset nodded, giving her friend a smile. Zecora, from the doorway, was smiling in pride as well.

“So, looks like your all-powerful Alicorn Princess of Empathy is just one big fat chicken!” the Freezer Org laughed as he danced around in glee. “I’ll deal with her later, but for now time to give you all the big chill! You know, I feel a song coming on! I never wanna know a day
That's over 40 degrees.
I'd rather have it 30, 20 then 5.
Let It Freeze!”

He readied his hands for an ice blast and all three henshin heroes braced for death before a blast of magenta magic knocked the Org off his feet. Sunburst’s eyes widened as the Freezer Org picked himself up off the ground and let out a roar of “WHO DARES!?!”

“Um, yeah… Hate to interrupt this little freeze everyone in sight party,” Trixie remarked in a casual tone as she rested her Drago Sword on her shoulder, striding forwards clad in her stage attire that including her favorite star-spangled cape, her wizard’s hat and all with her Dino Morpher strapped to her wrist. “But I really can’t let you do that. The Great and Powerful Trixie really hates to lose potential revenue.”

Sunburst and Robert shared a look, eyes widened as they saw Trixie raise her morpher, press down on it and shout: “White Ranger, Dino Power!”

The winds began to pick up, seemingly of their own violation and the sky clouded over to a dull gray tone as Trixie spun in a cyclone her costume forming all around her. Icy shards were thrown from the whirlwind and struck Putrids as they rose up, any remaining being blown back by the howling winds until finally Trixie landed on the ground clad in her suit.

“Tupuxuara, Power Ranger White!” Trixie shouted as an explosion of white smoke erupted from behind her. She tilted her head towards the trapped Rangers. “Leave this to moi, boys. This… Well, this is my stage now!”

With that, dodging icy spikes that erupted from the ground in blurs of motion the White Ranger leaped skywards and drew some arrows in midair before sending them flying at the Freezer Org.

“You really need to… chill out I believe?” Trixie commented as the arrows hit before she slammed the Org into the ground with a powerful punch and then tossed him over her shoulder before slicing into him several times with her blade. “Seriously, you really have overstayed your welcome. The forecast calls for a hailstorm, with a high chance of pummeled Org to boot!”

The Org took a swing at her with his club, but Trixie just laughed and stated: “Ooh, too slow! That what you’re like in the bedroom with the lady orgs? Unable to just keep up!”

“Oh Mystic Mother, now there’s two of them…” Sunburst muttered, casting a glance to Robert who it seems had overheard him.

“Oi!” he shouted.

Trixie meanwhile continued to go to town on the Org, treating this as one big game. She once again struck him across the chest with her drago sword before launching another volley of energy arrows.

“Shut up! Shut up!” the Org roared at Trixie’s grating voice before launching another blast of icy mist at her only for the next thing he knew, Trixie was behind him and slashing him with her arm blades in Super Dino Mode.

“Funny, they’re always crying for more, more Trix!” Trixie laughed as she kicked him forwards. “Guess I’m just too much for you. But serious legit talk. Seriously, Mr. Snow Miser? Heat Miser was soooooo much better. I mean, how can you argue with lyrics like: “I'm Mr. Green Christmas
I'm Mr. Sun.
I'm Mr. Heat Blister
I'm Mr. One Hundred and one
They call me Heat Miser
Whatever I touch
Starts to melt in my clutch.
I'm too much!”

“And it seems I’m too much for you, Org. Time to finish this farce!” she laughed cockily before her arm blades glowed golden and she sliced the Org apart in a scissor maneuver as the ice all around her shattered, and the Rangers and Twilight found themselves tumbling to the ground and landing on their butts in quite unceremonious fashion. Sunset helped her boyfriend up, who cast her a look.

“And where were you?”

“Playing catch up, Besides, I thought I’d let Trixie have her fun. She deserves to enjoy herself I think with her Ranger powers this time around.”

“Point,” Robert admitted. “But here comes the big freeze!” he shouted, as Thrax’s wand descended from the sky and enlarged the Org.

“Oh, what was that you were saying about being too much?” the Org cackled before he tried to squash everyone flat with one massive foot. “Now it’s time for the big chill!”

“I assume you know what to do?” Sunset asked Trixie, who simply tossed her a cocky smirk.

“Of course I do Sunset, what do you take me for? The greatly unknowledgeable and powerfully foolish Trixie? No, this one’s all mine!”

A familiar screech was heard as the Dragozord broke through the nimbus clouds hanging low and the Freezer Org tried to fire a swarm of senbon needles at the Zord who only did a barrel roll to avoid the swarm before his wingtips glowed and he cut into the Org’s skin with two swooping passes.

“DinoStegozord, online!” Trixie called as the Dragozord swooped upwards into the cloud cover once more to avoid another swarm of senbon and the maroon plated form of the Stegozord came slowly trudging out of the valley. Trixie leaped into the cockpit of the now descending Dragozord just as the combination sequence began. It latched onto the Stegozord’s back as both of the Zords’ eyes flashed. In unison, they emitted roars as the Dragozord flew upwards, Stegozord still attached to it. It did several midair spins before the Dragozord split apart into several pieces. Wings became legs, and the arms of the Dragozord became that of the new Megazord. What was left -The main body of the Dragozord- became a powerful lance-like weapon, and the Stegozord’s head opened up to reveal the Megazord’s face.

“Now, let’s dance.” Trixie smirked. “You ready for this, you standin’ on the edge of your seat Ponyville? Cause watch and learn, the Great and Powerful Trixie is about to show you how it’s done!”

“...Well, she’s making no real efforts at hiding herself,” Sunset sighed, running a hand down her face. Robert didn’t bother to point out the irony in that statement. “Still, suppose we’d better give her some help…” she muttered as she reached for her Falcon Crystal.

No need for that, as some very familiar fireballs hit the Freezer Org and a very familiar and very welcomed sight rocketed out of the clouds wings ablaze and firing fireball after fireball at the Org. Lightning bolts were soon to join them as the Thunderbird Zord flew out of the cloud and let out a screech of challenge.

“But…” Sunset gaped, blinking slightly in shock.

“Miss me dear?” the Phoenix Zord asked in that motherly tone of hers. “Healing’s done. I’d normally advise a Megazord formation at this point, but between me, the Thunderbird and the DinoStegoZord I believe it's called, I’d think we’ve got this well in hand.”

Fighting back happy tears, Sunset nodded and replied: “Kick his ass.”

The point was proven when Trixie went into Super Dino Mode once more and the spines on her Megazord sharpened and its fingers became claws before it leapt forwards and spun like a buzzsaw with the Phoenix Zord breathing flames onto it to only increase the brutality of what was to come.

The Org? Oh, he just ended up sliced in half and the remains going up in one huge fireball.

“Oh, it’s so good to be back!” Trixie exclaimed, and if she was crying as she heard the cheering crowds below chant her name? Well, then that was perfectly fine by her.

Author's Notes:

So yes, Trixie is back. Got your excitement out of your system Ze1a7in? Okay, good. Now, tried to keep Trixie as witty as possible here, with that slightly grating obnoxious tone she is sorta known for. (Listened to the Dino Thunder theme, along with Kamen Rider OOO's Power to Tearer here for the fight, just to get me in the right mood for this.) Also, yes, the Legendary Wild Zords are back, which means the Animaria Guardian Megazord will be returning quite soon.

Now, one thing that people over DMs have pointed out to me, is my issues with Flashbacks and copypasting. So, like a recent chapter of "To the Stars" (My other Power Rangers story, an adaption of Kyurangers) I tried to tell the Flashback more from Trixie's perspective, along with adding a few new lines and insights into her characters. Seems Jindrax was more spot on than he thought with his jokes, hmm? Anyways, as ever, comments, thoughts, and critique are welcomed.

Edited, via Shagohad12's request the mentions to Flash Fire to her proper gender.

Part 20: Entombed

Sunburst let out a yawn as he checked the nearby clock, watching it read 4:00 AM on the dot. He was thankful it was a weekend, otherwise, he was going to be paying for it if he had class in a few hours. As much as he got annoyed by the teenagers in his class at times, Sunburst didn’t believe in substitute teachers for the same reasons he told his little sister why he persisted on teaching kids who at times didn’t seem to want to listen to a word he said. Simply put, eventually one day they or at least one or two of them would thank him eventually for setting them on their life courses or at least giving them that little nudge.

“Get some rest dad,” a rather tired Navi said from her perch near the windowsill. “Seriously, that book on dragons? It can wait till the morning. Mystic Mother only knows when Thrax will strike next, and you know it’s best to be awake and alert at all times.”

“God… for someone so smart I’m such an idiot,” Sunburst muttered as he let out another yawn as he tried to rub his temples. He set his reading glasses to the side as he turned to look at Navi, and away from the tome on Dragons. The damn thing was pretty much useless anyways, full of mostly myths and legends, several of them known to be quite inaccurate to Sunburst at least from the time he’d spent around Spike in their comic discussions over Power Ponies issues or Ogres and Oubliettes sessions. Reminded him, he really should invite Robert to a session one day, the guy might enjoy it for all he knew. If someone like Galaxy or Big Mac could enjoy them, who’s to say Robert couldn’t? Guy could be hiding a secret dork in there somewhere for all he knew. Actually to be honest it wouldn’t have surprised him in the slightest given Robert’s propensity to spring off pop culture gags that nobody else seemed to get. “Seriously Navi, I know I’m different from the other Rangers, and different as in book-smart and a complete loser when it comes to combat prowess but need even you rub it in?” he asked in self-disgust. Navi flapped her little wings and flew over to Sunburst, and gave him a look.

Honestly, she loved her father but the poor guy needed a lot more self-confidence in himself. She’d remembered Robert, Galaxy and this Zephyr dude all muttering to themselves at one time or the other about how it was high time that they all took Sunburst out for a few drinks and gave him what they called liquid courage. Navi would fully support them in that endeavor. Hell, she’d even work up a hangover cure with Zecora’s help if need be. Right now, she’d had enough of Sunburst and his constant self-disparaging remarks to himself. Him belittling himself for every little thing. She was fuming mad about all of this, and it was high time she let her father know about it.

“Now, that’s enough of that self-deprecation! Heard it from you enough, and now it’s high time to stop with it all,” Navi said sternly as her voice turned softer. Her golden eyes looked directly at him in a stern fashion. “Dad, you are different, but different as in surprising, unpredictable, and endearing, and very talented. You learn fast. Remember when Masters Swoop and Theo came back from the dead to teach you the Bat Style? I did some reading of my own, and it turns out getting even as far as you did with the Bat Style, that sometimes takes years and you managed it all in a single night! If that doesn’t speak to your prowess than I don’t know what does. Nobody ever said being smart was ever a bad thing. Don't underestimate yourself, Dad. You may just end up surprising everyone.”

“Yeah, I just might. But the pressure’s all on me to find a way to finally end up discovering the secret to these Energems, and just find out what keeps Emily immortal, and deal with that. I’m… I’m just not sure I can, what with these tomes being completely and utterly fucking useless!” Sunburst exclaimed in frustration, throwing his arms up in the air. He normally would have watched his language around Navi, but this entire thing was driving him up the wall so badly he didn’t care at the moment. Plus he suspected Robert was teaching his daughter some fairly bad words anyways when he wasn’t around.

“Sunburst Starflight, one of the beloved superheroes of Ponyville and the rest of Equestria beyond, defender of the innocent, Org slayer and fighter of all the rights, can't deal with the pressure of just research? Something that comes naturally to him? No, I refuse to believe that! You can do it dad, I believe in you.” Navi said reassuringly, nuzzling him.

“T-Thank you Navi, I don’t know what I’d do without you…” Sunburst yawned once more.

“Not get some rest?” the parrot asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Point…” Sunburst chuckled lightly, and looking at the tome and placing a small piece of rolled up scrap paper in it before shutting it. “This… This can be left for another day. Emily’s certainly not going anywhere…”

With that, he finally let his eyelids shut and drifted off into Luna’s dreamland on that couch then and there Navi singing a soft lullaby the entire time. Gently stroking his mane before grabbing a soft cover off one of the antiques her father had recently acquired, she pulled it over him and began to sing… “Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head.
Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed.
Hush now, quiet now, close your sleepy eyes.
Hush now, quiet now, my how time sure flies.
Drifting, drifting off to sleep the day's excitement behind you.
Drifting, drifting off to sleep, let the joy of Luna’s dreamland find you…”

Early that next morning, the former city of Blue Bay Harbor, California paid host to some unusual visitors, ones it hadn’t seen the like of in thousands of years. Namely, monsters. Murders of Tenga soldiers surrounding them Goldar and Thrax teleported in to where the Abyss of Evil lay sealed, the former tomb of the dead still glowing darkly with magical pulses of dark indigo magic, and every now and then if you listened closely and put your ear to the ground you could hear the angry howls of the monsters still trapped inside.

“Ah, here we go…” Thrax chuckled lowly before turning to Goldar. “Look upon this Goldar, see the failures of the past, and learn from them. While I’ll grant that fool Lothor was onto something with this idea, his own pride and arrogance of underestimating even Powerless Rangers was his undoing. I shall not make the same mistake. Rangers always find a way to win, do they not?”

“Yes,” Goldar growled out. “They have this uncanny and annoying ability to do that. Even Lord Drakkon, who had the Rangers at his mercy multiple times somehow managed to get defeated even when he had them at the end of their ropes.”

“You didn’t help matters much,” Thrax remarked in a rather annoyed tone. He needn’t raise his voice, -Thrax never had to- just from Thrax’s expression alone, Goldar knew he had to think of something fast. “In fact, I seem to recall you summoning my version of the putties to your side and aiding the combined Ranger and Rider forces in defeating the so-called Ranger Slayer.”

“Yes, well that Ranger Slayer was Katherine Hillard under the helmet, if not an alternate version of her. I still had scores to settle and defeating someone so close to any version of Tommy Oliver would give me great pleasure. Besides, I am the only one allowed to kill those Rangers, nobody else can deny me that simple satisfaction of crushing the current team underneath my feet.”

Thrax chuckled again. “A simplistic and quite petty reason, but one I cannot argue with. I would be rather annoyed myself if Drakkon was the one defeating the Rangers.”

“But you said to Somber Shield that-”

“I lied,” Thrax remarked before he began muttering old incantations under his breath as wisps of dark red magic began to flow from his wand into the Abyss of Evil. Every now and then, Thrax let out another dark low chuckle to himself.

“Any idea what he’s doing?” one of the Tenga warriors asked one of his fellows, who could only shake his head.

“Got me,” the other Tenga remarked, rubbing his head feathers in confusion. “Seriously, I really don’t know half of what the boss is doing nowadays. You’d think he’d be more upset he’s losing potential army warriors with each Org defeated, but he takes the destructions in stride. And don’t get me started on him remarking on this serpent thing in Celestia’s garden!”

“I know right? Mum’s the word on the subject whenever the boss comes up with these big-ass plans!” a third Tenga spoke up. “Seriously, you would think he would let us know what he’s planning, maybe we could he-”

This Tenga was grabbed by the throat by Goldar. “The reason the ‘boss’ is mum on the subject as you call it,” he growled out, bringing the Tenga’s face very close to his own. “Is so blabber-mouthed idiots like you won’t spill his plans to the Rangers.”

With that, he snapped the Tenga’s neck with a sickening crack! sound and tossed the limp body aside. Goldar looked at the rest of his warriors. “Let that stand as an example to all of you. I do not tolerate foolishness in this army, nor warriors who cannot keep their mouths shut. Keep this in mind, if the Rangers were ever to learn of any of our plans, even the smallest snippet then they would not rest until they figured out what we are up to. Consider yourselves lucky you’ve survived this long, and I’ve tolerated your sniveling and mutterings.”

All of the Tengas nodded and almost immediately shut up. Goldar leaned towards his Master.

“Ask me again, why do we keep them around? You know as well as I do even with that little display they won’t keep their beaks shut for long.”

“Who says I’m keeping them alive for that long?” Thrax whispered back to him. “I only needed them as bodies to throw to in case we had uninvited guests. And as it seems we won’t be getting any…”

With that, he raised his wand to the sky and brought down bolts of red lightning scorching all of the Tengas to ashes.

“One nuisance dealt with,” Thrax sighed in a bored tone. “And now for the second one. I need a soul sacrificed for this to work. Invoking an ancient ritual, creating a warrior from the souls of the dead. It’s similar to the one I used on you to return you to this plane, but in this case, I need an object namely damned souls and most importantly one living soul. Any would do,” he continued, before snapping his fingers and a portal opened and a Lava Lizard fell out of it.

He muttered a small “Uh-oh”, which was quite perhaps the understatement of the century when Thrax grabbed him and held him over the Abyss of Evil.

Meanwhile, another portal opened and a tombstone fell out of it, marked with the words: “Flash Magnus, the bravest of the Canterlot Royal Legion and a Ranger to the End.”

“Now…” Thrax hissed out. “Spirits of the damned, I ask you to provide this new lizard with powers beyond his imagination! Fuse him with the bravery and power of the one this tombstone remembers, and your powers from the worlds beyond! Come forth, Lord of the Graves and Master of Spirits, Thánatos!”

The crack in the ground opened wide, and spirits poured into the Lava Lizards mouth as the tombstone shattered into a million pieces before what was left began to graft itself to the Lizard’s body before with a burning light before in the Lava Lizard’s place stood a completely different type of lizard monster. Covered in stone, with what looked to be molten magma bubbling beneath the surface of his skin that seemed to be barely only contained by what looked like the lid of a vase, and two horns seemingly made out of black burning flame jutted out of his head. In one hand, he held a lantern marked with the kanji for Death or 死. In the other, he held a massive bronze twin bladed axe with the blades seemingly resembling the Greek letter Ω or Omega, the last letter of the Greek alphabet.

His blank white eyes shot open, and he twirled his axe behind his back before bowing.

“You have summoned me, my master?” he spoke, in this soft-spoken tone of voice. Goldar took a step back out of fear but Thánatos just looked directly at him with his pure white irises. “I don’t blame you for being afraid, either of you. I can sense your fear. It’s hard to blame you, I even scare myself. Created to kill, it honestly seems to be detrimental to my health. But I will do my job all the same, as a loyal general should. And now is not the time for fear. That comes later. That fear will be reserved for my enemies, and yours Lord Thrax.” Thánatos spoke.

“Oh, I like you. Quick, and to the point,” Thrax chuckled giving Thánatos an admiring look. “You know exactly what you want, the destruction of anything that stands in your or more accurately my way. Hell, with you and what I know you can do, I may not even need my little ‘back-up’ plan. My my, the Rangers won’t be expecting this will they Goldar?” Thrax asked, looking at the golden armored warrior. “My own personal God of Death!”

“Do not consider me a god. That would imply I am above you,” Thánatos corrected. “I am just a simple servant, nothing more.”

“Good, I hate those with egos. They get themselves killed far too quickly,” Thrax remarked, thinking of Doomwing. “Always the foolish who go first. Far be it from my generals to be such a thing.” he commented. “The Rangers should savor the daylight while it lasts, for it’s about to get rather dark…” Thrax trailed off before he broke off into full-on evil laughter, his cackling echoing throughout the valley with Goldar’s soon to follow.

Sunburst was awoken the next day around 11:30 or so with a fearful Navi tugging at his arms. “Wake up, wake up!” she squawked out in fear.

“What… what is it?” Sunburst asked, his eyes jotting open in an instance upon hearing his daughter’s fearful tone.

“Turn on the TV, now!” Navi shouted, and Sunburst with a flick of the dials saw the face of Chancellor Neighsay on the TV screen. “Rangers, I call to you with a simple challenge. I’m about to introduce the newest face in Pony Security, and I want you to be there to greet it. Canterlot Marketplace, Noon exactly. Don’t be late.”

“You know it’s a trap, right?” Navi asked, and Sunburst nodded even as he reached for his Growl Phone and dialed Trixie’s number.

Muttering to himself: “Come on, pick up…” before looking at Navi. “Of course I do, it’s Neighsay. But he has to be dealt with. Mystic Mother only knows what trouble he’d cause for us down the line if we don’t deal with him now. Legendary Wild Access!”

Rushing to the Canterlot Marketplace with the other Rangers -Thankfully, Trixie had gotten Sunburst’s message- close behind, they were greeted by just Neighsay, clad in his red robes, and looking down upon them.

“Alright, who’s this guy?” Robert asked.

“Chancellor Neighsay,” Sunburst replied, with no amount of disdain. “Head of the Equestria Board of Education, known bigot. Celestia really dislikes the guy. Sadly, because he was born into noble blood she can’t just get rid of him. Plus, I don’t think when Solar Flare was alive that side of her ever wanted to.”

“Oh, wunderbar. This would explain so much…” Robert muttered. Neighsay only chuckled and shook his head.

“Oh, you ponies have done well so far even with a human slowing you down,” Neighsay remarked with Robert rolling his eyes at that. He’d heard far better insults from Thrax and his monsters. “Fighting off Orgs and other monsters day after day, but now I think it’s time for the real power to take the stage.”

“And how do you plan to do that, Chancellor Neighsay?” Trixie asked in disbelief, her horn lighting up and crackling with magic. She growled to herself, Neighsay was on her persona non grata list for her shows thanks to him seeing her and Zecora as potential threats. Zecora, simply because of her race and Trixie because of her past misdeeds. Oh, she was so going to enjoy beating this guy into the ground if it came to that.

“No, the name’s not Neighsay,” the unicorn corrected. “At least not for the time being. For now, call me… Kamen Rider Savior.” he stated, holding up two Lockseeds. One was marked LS-22 and themed after a Blood Orange and the other was marked LS-33 and themed after a Pomegranate. Ripping the faceplate off the Sengoku Driver to expose its genesis core like when Twilight did to activate Jimber Dragon Arms, he slammed both Lockseeds into the belt and sliced them open. “Henshin.”

“Pomegranate Arms! An out of season bloomed sacrifice! Blood Orange Arms! The evil path on stage!” Neighsay’s Sengoku Driver shouted as the armor covered him with a splash of red liquid. It, for the most part, resembled the armor of Twilight’s Apple arms which might have been the intent but the left shoulder pad resembled that of a samurai’s armor for whatever reason. Maybe it was because this was a variation on the Jimber Arms, which were themed after jinbaori, formal coats Samurai wore over their armor. In any case, this armor combined with the Sonic Arrow he held in his hands along with the sword strapped to his hip made Neighsay look very dangerous indeed.

“It is always the political types that cause trouble. Why couldn't a nice vivisectionist decide to give himself powers instead?” Thánatos asked. “And really, you’re just broadcasting your intentions far too much with a transformation call like that.” he noted from atop a nearby building as he and Goldar observed, even as the Rangers readied for battle.

“Let’s dance…” Trixie snarled, as she drew her blade.

Part 21: The Experiment

“Well, gotta give you props Chancellor,” Sunset remarked as Neighsay or rather Kamen Rider Savior jumped down into the square to meet them, drawing his daidaimaru, a curved blade themed after an orange slice. “You’ve really reached new heights of snake-fuckingly-crazy. Seriously, gotta hand it to you.”

“Oh, such words…” Neighsay commented as he slowly advanced forwards. “They’re unbecoming of royalty.”

“And being a bigoted dick is unbecoming of a noble, so touche there,” Sunset sneered out. “What can I say, spend enough time around a certain Orange Ranger and he and his unique charms began to rub off on you.”

Robert honestly didn’t know if he should take that one as a compliment or an insult, so he decided to go with the former.

“Flattered Sunset-Chan, I really am. But really, I don’t think this is quite the time,” Robert remarked, drawing his Kitsune Blaster and spinning it in his hand before the weapon primed itself with a small humming sound. “Can we just kick this guy’s sorry arse, and get back to our daily lives eh?”

“Right, but first things first. Neighsay saw it fit to introduce himself via his title, so I don’t see any reason why we can’t do the same eh? It’s only polite, really. And I do so know how much nobles like Neighsay thrive on that sorta thing,” Sunset sneered again. “With a Virtuous Heart, Blazing Phoenix!”
“Lightning Speed! Ferocious Thunderbird!”
“Cunning Wit! Fighting Fox!”
“Great Strength! Monstrous Leviathan!”
“Shadowed Intent! Vampire Bat!”
“Tupuxuara, Power Ranger White!”

“Cute, really cute titles,” Neighsay acknowledged. “For children playing around, pretending they’re defending their home in a war they completely don’t understand.”

“I’d say we understand far more than you,” Trixie remarked. “Thrax and his monsters are bad, and we’re good. And we blow up the monsters saving everyone and we get showered with praise. Nothing too complicated to understand, really. Now, I’d advise for you to stand out of our way with your cheap knock-off excuse for armor, and actually let the real heroes do their job.”

“Oh, you really are naive. It’s almost cute,” Neighsay remarked. “You want to know where I got this armor? It was actually inspired by a friend of yours, Princess Twilight. I think you lot might know her. See, originally I was just going to use the Pomegranate and Blood Orange Lockseeds separately, but after seeing her Dragon Jimber Arms, inspiration struck me and I decided to try a little experiment.” the Chancellor continued.

Lightning’s only response was slow clapping, and a loud sarcastic response followed by this: “Wow, really impressive use of plagiarism there, you half-brained rat bastard fuckwit.”

Being.. Well, who he was, and not allowing himself or wanting to be upstaged by his rival, Robert couldn’t resist a snide remark of his own.

“You know what it reminds me of?” the Orange Ranger added. “It’s like watching a really bad mime start coughing and fuck up his act, so you chuckle because he mucked up badly, and he just starts sobbing and breaking down, and it’s just pitiful.”

“Enough talk, and insulting each other,” Neighsay growled, quite annoyed by this point as he pulled out his Sonic Arrow. “Let’s get down to business.”

He pulled back the bow strings and fired a crimson trailed arrow of energy towards the Rangers, who rolled or leaped out of the way to avoid the ensuing explosion. Robert fired a Kitsune Scattershot, nine little balls of energy finding their way towards Neighsay, with the Armored Rider taking the shots, staggering back a little but for the most part, he seemed unfazed.

From atop their perch, Goldar and Thanatos continued to observe with careful eyes.

“You know, if this turns sour you might actually have to jump down and interfere,” Thanatos noted. “I mean, they’re your opponents aren’t they? Not this newcomer’s. That is, unless you don’t really care who kills the Rangers.”

Goldar’s response was to only growl and grip the hilt of his blade tighter.

Meanwhile, Neighsay continued to fire Sonic Arrow shots, and any time one of the Rangers managed to get in close for a strike he whirled around on them and slashed them across the chest with the Sonic Arrow’s sharp edges drawing blood before kicking them backwards.

Sunburst, getting wise to this tactic, managed to jump back right before Neighsay could whirl around to strike, and summoned his Navi Blaster before firing one powerful shot that sent Neighsay staggering before Sunset ripped a column out of the ground and smacked the so-called Savior with it, stone shattering on impact.

“Cute, but hardly an effective tactic,” Neighsay remarked. “Now, let’s see how you handle some real power…”

He flicked the cutting blade on his Driver twice, making it call out: “Pomegranate Jimber Blood Orange Au Lait!”

He drew back his bow, and fired one powerful volley of crimson energy arrows at Sunset and Sunburst knocking them out of morphed form in one powerful explosion.

“So, who’s next?” Neighsay asked, raising an eyebrow under his helmet. “Please tell me someone amongst you can put up something of a challenge…” he sighed.

A blur of white speed came towards him, only for Neighsay to reach out and grab her by the throat, and slam the Ranger into the ground.

“And I really didn’t mean you, showmare,” Neighsay remarked. “Or Empress Trixie, or whatever you call yourself nowadays.” he sneered. “You really think I haven’t been keeping an eye on you since the whole Alicorn Amulet mess? Watching your every move, gauging on how much of a threat you were to Equestria’s infrastructure? I must say, it’s actually a pleasure taking you down. This entire experiment is yielding unexpected results.”

He was soundly kicked in the throat by Trixie. “Shut your damn mouth, Chancellor. Whoever that pony was, that was not Trixie.”

“But it was, you allowed yourself to take the Alicorn Amulet freely, and then even after Twilight ripped it off, you placed it back on again and with Ranger powers this time around to boot!” Neighsay coughed out.

“That… that was not me.” Trixie hissed getting in several quick slashes with her own blade before it was blocked via Neighsay’s own with sparks flying off of it as metal met metal. “That was just something that sick fuck Retinax cooked up in a lab, just so he could have his own evil Ranger. He got one, for a while, I’ll grant him that but I’m back in control now. And now this is my stage. And you, you are decidedly not wanted on or anywhere near it!”

“Trixie, duck!” Lightning called out and Trixie was only too happy to do so, as Lightning flashed her whips in such a way that Vapor’s trident was sent hurtling towards Neighsay’s head, only for him to raise his free hand and catch it before it was tossed aside.

“Pathetic, that’s really the best Equestria’s finest can muster up? Cheap tricks, and dirty tactics?” Neighsay asked. “Now for a real show hmm?” Neighsay removed his blade from the housing that held it. He lifted it up in a guard motion and got into a horse stance. “Come and face me if you can.”

Robert smirked and went into SPD SWAT Mode before pulling out his Delta Enforcer, and firing a barrage of shots towards Neighsay with the rifle.

A soft chuckle came from the helmet. With quick speedful movements some of the shot’s were blocked and few hit but didn't slow him down. “Is that all you got?!” He would quickly charge at Robert doing his best to hit a weak point in the armor. The daidaimaru, as it was called, struck, again and again, cutting through Robert’s suit, and coloring the already red blade with a crimson tinge before Robert was kicked in the stomach and sent staggering backwards. Neighsay grabbed one of the two Lockseeds off his belt and placed it the Sonic Arrow’s slot.

“Blood Orange Squash!” the belt called out, before drawing back the bowstrings and firing, with the resulting shot trapping Robert in an energy version of an orange, before Neighsay’s horn light up in an orange tint and he summoned lightning bolts to rain down upon Robert knocking him out of his Ranger form in a green flash of light. As Robert, his uniform stained with blood and covered in scorch marks, rolled along the ground groaning out in pain, Neighsay chuckled and shook his head.

Neighsay grabbed Robert to pick him up and put his blade to his neck. “Look, are you fools thinking you can beat me? You lot call yourselves defenders of Equestria? Run or this will happen to you.” He lifted up his armored hand it came down smashing into the back of Robert’s head. Hard enough to knock him out but not kill him. Neighsay didn’t want to do that, not yet at least. He only wanted to humiliate the Rangers publically and show Celestia he was better suited to defending Equestria and its borders against all threats. Tossing him to the ground “You didn’t deserve this. You don’t follow what Equestria was made for. It should have been me not you!”

Suddenly, waves of lightning and flame were sent towards Neighsay, and Lightning and Sunset stood covered in the Orion Armor swords in hand.

“Hey, may not like the ass,” Lightning remarked, her voice coming out as a growl. “But even I can tell he’s a far more qualified defender of Equestria than you. All I see, is just a bigoted old man far too wrapped up in his pride to admit he’s outmatched. Cute, you taking on us one or two at a time, but how about all at once? There’s still five of us, right? Five on one, you really ought to think about those odds.”

The two attacks would hit Neighsay of course, while his armor smoked and he stood getting ready for the next attack. Suddenly, his whole vision was clouded by smoke, and the next thing he knew were quick, precise attacks from Trixie’s sword cutting into his armor, before he felt a presence behind him, and whirled around only to see Trixie draw some arrows in midair and launch the volley right at him. They launched, but only just in time as Trixie was zapped unconscious by a bolt of magic.

Neighsay, pulling the arrows out of his armor, groaned in pain as he saw Lightning and Sunset running towards him swords glowing with a gold light. He would find a way to block both attacks, simply raising his own blade. Sunset’s eyes widened in shock, she’d known nothing that was able to block a sword swing with that much strength behind it, much less withstand it! Neighsay simply chuckled. “You really don’t think I don’t know everything about you two? Guess again. Let’s see what I can remember…” Neighsay remarked, grinning devilishly under his helmet. Oh Lightning, for one that failed the Wonderbolts. You really think you can defend Equestria after that failure? Oh and Sunset still the failed student of Celestia that went evil for nothing? She who went demon just because she never got what she wanted? Such a child. But you Lightning, you still never cease to amaze. That father of yours didn’t raise you right. He would have shown you that your betters need to be honored. I am better than you no wonder why you failed to live up to his expectations. Maybe he never was a good father. I think he just saw you as what you are. A burden, a worthless child that got in his-”

Neighsay’s ranting was soundly cut off by two punches to the face. One from Lightning, and one from Sunset. “Look, I may be still new at this superhero gig,” Sunset remarked. “But even I know you really shouldn’t monologue during a fight. Really bad form, makes you look like the Mane-Iac out of the Power Ponies comics. So why don’t you take that smug and superior attitude of yours, and would you kindly... shove it.” she finished.

“And you…” Lightning continued. “Can just shut the Hell up about me and my father. Newsflash, took a bit of convincing but Spitfire took me back on as a Bolt. I’m not going to be up there flying with the best anytime soon nor breaking my father’s records but at least this time around I intend to earn my status the right way. No stupid risks, no recklessness. And one last thing. I think you forgot about one of us…” she trailed off, before Neighsay whirled his head around to see Vapor Trail, angelic white wings fully extended, and blowing up a howling, slashing gale of hurricane force winds. Nearby trees were beginning to creak and crack, bending in the gales, as Neighsay stood his ground, trying to avoid losing his footing.

He started to lose his footing and fly. He did a movement of his hands, horn glowing orange once more, causing some strange black holes to open up and out of those black holes chains of lighting. A few of them would stab into Sunset not enough to hurt her to surprise her and send a charge, the sheer voltage knocking Sunset unconscious. A few would wrap around Lighting Dust and he would use that to slingshot himself and smash his helmed head into hers knocking her out. He smirked, as he saw Robert’s fallen Shadow Saber implanted in the ground and Vapor backing away from Neighsay in fear.

“Oh, it pains me to do this…” Neighsay muttered, shaking his head. “I always hate to lose good ponies,” he remarked, picking up the katana and pulling it out of the ground before welding it alongside his own sword. “I didn’t want to kill, not really, but this should show Celestia that I’m the only one qualified to defend Equestria, not anyone else.”

Raising the blades, Vapor shut her eyes and braced for death. The blades came down but did not meet flesh. Instead, metal meeting metal was heard and Vapor’s eyes shot wide open as Goldar stood above her, his massive blade meeting Neighsay’s own…

Far below Canterlot, lay a maze of crystal caverns mostly long forgotten by the populace at large. Mostly. They’d only recently been rediscovered by one Twilight Sparkle after she was sent down here by Chrysalis to keep from interfering with her invasion of Canterlot during Shining Armor and Princess Cadence's wedding. Further exploration teams had later been sent down after this, with Celestia realizing that via not remembering these caverns and shutting them off or least keeping them under armed guard they were leaving open a very wide hole in their city’s defenses.

Glittering gems of every color and every size decorated the walls, practically plastering them in color. Only the caves of the Crystal Empire could be more grand. The walls were lined with crystals of the finest shapes and size, and sparkling bright purple and red as they glittered in the sunlight peeking through a small crack in the cavern ceiling. Geodes and gemstones of all shapes and sizes littered the caverns. Some smoothed and refined, while others retained a spikier form. What would have been a lightless cave had been transformed into a piece of art with how the light reflected off of each and every crystal in sight, creating a kaleidoscope of lights that bathed every corner of the cave. It was tranquil, peaceful and if one Sweetie Drops AKA Bon-Bon as she was mostly known had known about this place earlier, she admitted she probably would have come here just for some peace and quiet, possibly to update her personal memoirs or something.

But that wasn’t why she was here today, with one Rarity Belle in tow. Recently, it had been discovered by guards exploring some of the deeper tunnels branching off from the main caverns that these caves linked up with the Diamond Dog mines, explaining why there had been some former Royal Guardsmen in the slaves Sweetie had freed as Kamen Rider Skull, agent of SMILE. Now, Sweetie was no big fan of going back into these caverns as she still had the nightmares of what she’d seen in the Diamond Dog slave mines, but she knew she had to do it. That massive crystal she’d seen in the mines, Earth’s True Gaia Memory was a source that had to be mined.

Now that she thought about it, she’d seen serpentine-like patterns of crystals branching off from the True Gaia Memory as the Alternate Maud’s notes referred to it as. Each pattern undoubtedly hid more Gaia Memories, and each had to be collected and refined before any outside source used them for their own insidious purposes. On a normal day, Sweetie Drops figured she could take a mission like this alone, but Rarity was there to lend her moral support as she alone understood wholeheartedly why Sweetie was afraid of the Dogs having experienced their ‘tender loving care’ herself once. Plus, it helped Rarity had an eye for gems and the Bomb Gaia Memory to boot. Never hurt to have someone with a keen eye for both shooting and looting on your side.

“Ooh, this one looks good,” Rarity remarked, using a magically created pick to pry a red stone out of the walls. The stone she noted, felt warm to the touch. “Probably could refine this into something useful.”

“Pocket it,” Sweetie commented, using a pick of her own on another section of the walls. Strapped to her belt, aside from the Skull Memory was this deep purple one marked with a J. “Keep looking, the last thing anybody wants is some moron with a serious god complex getting ahold of any of these.”

“Yeah, I can think of a few like that…” Rarity chuckled to herself. “Really, I must thank SMILE revealing themselves to me, if only in private and giving me this Gaia Memory for self-defense. Came quite in handy recently,” she remarked, holding up the Bomb Gaia Memory.

“Yeah, so I heard…” Sweetie chuckled, having heard of the tussle with this ‘Shadow Line’ as they’d called themselves from Celestia herself. Then again, she would know, wouldn’t she?

“So, how goes the new additions to the national response plan?” Rarity asked curiously as she continued her work, unearthing several more Gaia Memories in the process and pocketing them in her purse. “Or is that… classified?”

Sweetie Drops’ head whipped around to face her. “How do you even know about that?” she demanded.

“A lady hears things. Twilight may or may not have informed me someone was getting something done up here, she didn’t just elaborate on what.” Rarity laughed nervously.

“Remind me to pay her a visit, not as Bon-Bon and kindly ask her to keep certain secrets to herself…” Sweetie sighed.

“Well, it was going to slip out sooner or later,” Rarity remarked. “If not from Twilight’s mouth, maybe from Luna’s or Sunset’s.”

Sweetie groaned. “Yeah… I suppose you’re right about that,” she muttered before her ears perked up at the sound of what she thought to be boots marching in rhythmic format somewhere above, the cavern’s acoustics carrying them very well. “Hey, wait… You hear that?”

Rarity nodded, going for her magnum and readying herself, her horn aglow as she heard a shout of: “Fan out, find those two!”

Rarity and Sweetie ducked behind a corner magnums in hand as they saw gold warriors themed after Pterodactyls holding massive shields and energy rifles connected to power packs marching into the corridor.

“I thought the only dino-themed Ranger Sentries on our side were based on the original Mighty Morphin’ team?” Rarity whispered nervously. Sweetie’s eyes narrowed.

“Who says they’re on our side?” she hissed out.

“You don’t mean…?” Rarity whispered, eyes widened.

“Yeah, they’re from Dai-Shocker. And I doubt they’re alone.”

Sure enough, from somewhere above the sound of swords clashing was heard. Rarity and Sweetie shared a look, with the SMILE agent pulling out a Lost Driver and slapping it onto her waist before tossing another to Rarity.

“This was… meant for someone else, but I guess you’ll have to do for now,” Sweetie said, pressing down on her Gaia Memory and slamming it into her belt.

“Skull!”

She knew what she had to do, even as she fingered the Skull Memory. She never wanted to be a hero, but it seemed fate had other plans in mind. “Henshin!”

“R-Right…” Rarity murmured, placing the Lost Driver on her waist knowing exactly the responsibility she was about to be entrusted with. “Well, I do love new experiences and all that…”

“Joker!”

“Henshin!” Rarity cried as both she and Sweetie were covered in bodysuits, Sweetie assuming the familiar form of Kamen Rider Skull fedora and all and Rarity being covered in a black bodysuit with two insect-like red eyes and a silver head crest.

“Riders! Open fire!” the sentries slammed their shields into the ground, opening fire on the pair. “Keep them pinned down, Genm will deal with the alicorn!”

Sweetie’s eyes widened under the helmet, knowing that name from SMILE’s files and having no doubts as to who the alicorn was.

“Rarity, deal with these idiots, we need to worry about the big fish!” she barked, as both she and Rarity pressed themselves up against the cavern walls.

“Got just the thing. Really boys, going to all this trouble for moi? You shouldn’t have!” Rarity remarked, pulling out her magnum and slamming the Bomb Gaia Memory into it, pressing the trigger and sending several balls of explosive energy at the Gold Ptera Sentries, smashing through their shields and knocking them flat.

Rarity and Sweetie, or rather Kamen Riders Skull and Joker ran up through the caverns taking down any Ranger Sentries that blocked their path. Soon, they were in the Castle’s throne room watching Celestia as the Solaris Knight fend off a very familiar stark-white form with Feather Edge. The bloodied bodies of multiple Samurai Sentries lay around them.

“Spiky anime-style hair, red and blue eyes? Yep, that’d be Gemn alright.” Rarity remembered from her Twilight’s description, and shuddered to think that underneath that crime against fashion was a version of Twilight gone mad.

“Hey, you in the suit!” Sweetie shouted, firing off several shots at Midnight/Gemn.

Genm shrugged off the shots, completely ignoring them. “Seems a few gnats decided to interrupt. What a nuisance.”

“Gnats!?” Rarity screeched out, quite offended. “You really need to learn some manners, but firstly allow us to properly introduce ourselves Twilight,” Rarity sneered not caring for fancy self-given names of a madmare. “Guess you can call me Kamen Rider Joker, and this is Kamen Rider Skull.”

“You say that like I care.” Genm grabbed Celestia by the hand, tossing her through a wall. “Go back to your banal seamstress work, Belle. I heard there's a shortage of rags in the slums.”

“Oh, pardon me but it seems I must stand corrected,” Rarity remarked even as she noted Celestia picking herself up out of the rubble. “You really need to learn some manners. Now a lady, she may not start fights, but I’m very well allowed to finish them.”

With that, she used another Bomb Maximum Drive on Gemn, making the mare stagger backwards.

“I don’t care.” Genm glared back, taking the blow. “Your pathetic sham of a life doesn’t interest me in the slightest. All those fancy parties and colorful rags don’t make your life meaningful, they merely highlight what a shallow, vapid, imbecile you are.” Ripping the wrist blade out of a fallen sentry, she threw the shard of metal at Rarity’s chest.

Spinning out of the way, and catching the blade with her magic, Rarity tossed it aside and began trading punches with Gemn. “You know something, fancy parties, and what you call colorful rags may not make my life meaningful, but seeing a pony’s face light up when presented with exactly what they ordered, that’s what makes it all the while for me. The hard hours of work, the careful planning and the long stressful nights just to bring some simple joy to somepony’s life. I imagine you never experienced any of that. You are just someone concerned with your next experiment, never thinking beyond that and for that I pity you.” Rarity stated, punching Gemn with a hard right hook making her stagger.

Genm grabbed Rarity’s horn, slamming her fist into her stomach. “And what would you know about me, unicorn? I’m not like that sheltered fool you call a friend. You call stitching fabric together work? You delusional bitch.” Slamming Rarity’s head into her knee, she shattered the rider’s helmet, blood spattering her chest plate.

“Does that anger you?” Rarity asked, wiping blood away from her mouth. “You know, I’ve noticed something about you as well. And that is the simple fact that you are very unobservant.”

Genm turned, seeing a very angry helmetless Celestia fire a blast of pure hot searing flame at Gemn from her horn, with Rarity diving out of the way just in time. Genm merely stood in place, the fire licking at her armor.

Giddy laughter escaped her helmet. “Oh you poor, simple-minded fools. Are your brains so small you can’t grasp true immortality? I’ll make it simple for you: you can hit me as hard and as much as you like, but you’ll never beat me.”

“You know,” Celestia sighed. “Frankly my dear student, I don’t give a damn. Immortality, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Eventually, one day soon I suspect, you’ll find yourself standing alone while everyone else you knew died out long ago. I can imagine even you not being able to stand that, a crushing loneliness nothing will ever be able to heal. Frankly, as an alternate version of one of my favorite students and as a Kamen Rider as they call it, you’re nothing but a disappointment,” she remarked, grabbing Gemn by the throat, and then tossing her into her throne, as Skull fired shot after shot into Gemn’s body. “Sure, we can’t kill you, at least not conventionally, but I can imagine this doesn’t exactly feel particularly pleasant, and a trip into Tartarus into a pool of boiling oil probably wouldn’t either. Ponies say I’m too soft, can’t make the big decisions. They forget who I once was all too easily. A warrior, the Solar Invictus. Do I make myself und-”

Celestia’s speech was interrupted by an axe kick to the head. “You truly do you like the sound of your own voice.”

“I could say the same for you,” Celestia remarked. “Seems you love to talk, really. Simple question for you, not hard to ask.”

Without missing a beat, Gemn pounced on Celestia. Straddling her, the deranged Rider began slamming her fists into Celestia’s face. “Get off your high horse, you equine troglodyte.” The floor cracked with each blow, Gemn’s white gloves staining red.

“You know how rude it is to interrupt a teacher when she’s trying to speak? Again, simple question. Why do you think Lord Drakkon never managed to create Solaris Knight sentries? Long and short of it, when I got my hands on this morpher, I took certain measures to make sure nobody but myself could ever use its powers. So really, this battle is entirely pointless. Your little venture was in vain, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia stated.

Gemn laughed, a dark hateful sound. “You think that would stop Sentry production? I’ll give you a little lesson of my own. It doesn’t matter if you locked the morpher. All we need to do is hook it up to a machine and tap into it’s connection to the Grid. Your little precautions are all for naught sadly.”

“And what would you end up with? Demons that burn inside, wanting to die as soon as they morphed? That’s what this Morpher and it’s powers does to anyone who dares use them besides me now.” Celestia remarked. She, of course, was bluffing. She wouldn’t do anything so cruel, at least not now. She’d removed that little feature as soon as she purified the morpher.

“I didn’t think you were this dense. We aren’t using the morpher, we’re merely using it as a conduit for the powers themselves. It’s really not that hard to figure out. And please, you think we can’t adjust those powers?” Genm slammed her fist into Celestia’s jaw, a few teeth plinking against her helmet.

A powerful gust of hot wind sent Gemn flying off of Celestia and down to the other side of the throne room and she smashed through the two great wooden doors. While Gemn flew through the air, both Rarity and Sweetie activated their Maximum Drives and punched Gemn in the gut.

“You really do talk too much…” Skull sighed, shaking her head as Gemm recovered. The Rider tried to run towards Celestia in a rage, but was only sent flying backwards via a blast of magic from Rarity.

“And that was for getting blood in my mane!” Rarity exclaimed. “Honestly dear, when will you learn? You and your ilk are not, nor ever will be welcome here. Now would you kindly get lost?”

Gemn summoned a bow, firing off an energy bolt that pierced Rarity’s shoulder. She fired another at Sweetie Drops’ leg, walking past them. Ignoring their taunts and protests, she made her way back to Celestia. “Now, where were we?”

“Let’s see, you hurting my subjects, spouting off arrogant nonsensical babbles. Am I not correct? Now, let’s see what exactly makes you tick...” Celestia asked before thrusting her hand forwards and diving into Gemn’s mind.

Celestia, while she didn’t see much, got what one might call… flashes of Twilight’s upbringing. An advanced but grim city where tall glass skyscrapers gleamed like shards of crystal with the dwellers inside constantly under ever-watchful eyes. A family. Not too different from any other, just trying to make ends meet. Three children of different ages but wearing matching uniforms of what she assumed was a school. A gunshot accompanied a bright flash and suddenly, the smallest of the three children was no longer in the memory. Obsession came after the fact, a human resembling in some ways her Twilight Sparkle constantly in laboratories, writing down facts and formulas, developing technologies beyond Celestia’s comprehension. Of course, this attracted the attention of several unsavory lots. It was at first, defense.

“Gachan! Level up! Mighty Jump! Mighty Kick! Migh~ty Actio~n X!” a belt via Twilight’s own design proclaimed, but all good intentions in this world got twisted at one point or another. She wanted to save people, but in what could only be called a twisted manner of thinking. Soon Twilight no longer played the hero, but the villain and relished in it. The princess’s stomach churned, watching as this Twilight seemed to be performing brutal experiments on girls around her own age. The last thing that Celestia could force herself to watch was this Twilight subjecting herself to similar experiments and take on her current appearance.

"Buggle Up! Danger! Danger! (Genocide!) Death the Crisis! Dangerous Zombie!”

That was the last scene Celestia saw before she pulled herself out of Twilight’s mind, and her eyes narrowed.

“You are not my student,” she growled out, almost reaching Solar Flare levels of venom. But there was something else, a protective warmth as well. Something that Solar Flare had never possessed. “Leave, now. Before I am forced to do something I will not regret. You say you’re immortal, would you like to test that theory?” Celestia asked, as both Skull and Joker’s magnums cocked and were aimed at Gemn.

“Skull, Maximum Drive!”

“Bomb, Maximum Drive!”

Genm trembled, a hand clutching her head. “You bitch! I’m better than your pathetic student! Everything I have I made myself!” Her head snapped to the side, her posture loosening. “S-Spike? How did?” She stepped back, shaking her head. “It’s just a hallucination. Nothing more.” Despite this assurance, her focus continued to drift elsewhere. A growl tore out of her throat and she clutched at her head. “Dammit all! I can’t work like this!”

With that, the air shimmered around her and Gemn vanished as Rarity and Sweetie Drops canceled their transformations and Celestia demorphed.

“...You know, no offense but I really don’t think I’m cut out for this superhero gig, full-time I mean.” Rarity laughed nervously, and Sweetie returned it.

“Agreed.”

“WHAT!?!” Neighsay roared as Goldar intercepted the blow before he delivered a solid punch to the stomach flattering the Chancellor, and sending the Shadow Saber flying from his grip leading the blade to impale itself in the ground once more.

As Goldar rested his sword on his shoulder, Neighsay began to chuckle as he picked himself off the ground.

“...So, this is how low Equestria’s so-called mightiest defenders have fallen, consorting with a mutated ape, one who threatens this country’s very livelihood!” the madman laughed, before drawing back his bow and firing a sonic arrow blast. Goldar didn’t bother moving, and simply sliced the arrow in two with one quick swing of his blade.

“You misunderstand my intent,” Goldar remarked as he went blade to blade with Neighsay, either tanking or leaping over slashes from the sonic arrow before countering with blade strikes of his own. “I do not ‘consort’ with the Rangers, not in the slightest,” he stated, punching Neighsay in the face making him stagger. “The only reason I’m saving them is because I shall be the only one to kill them, not you, not Retinax, not even that deranged space pirate and his crew. You are simply an obstacle in my way.”

“An… An obstacle?” Neighsay laughed, opening up more wormholes and shooting out more lightning chains as walls of flame erupted all around the twosome encasing them in a burning circle. “Is that what you think me?”

“Yes, quite,” Goldar replied dismissively, not entirely impressed by Neighsay’s tactics. His third magical eye appeared and channeled the power of Oculous of the Ten Terrors firing off impossibly accurate energy shots that smashed through the lightning chains. “It is your own pride, and your own bigotry to anything non-Equestrian that keeps you from seeing this. Your Princess and her love is not unconditional.”

“That’s all I’ve ever done!” Neighsay roared as he clashed blades with Goldar, sparks flying as the weapons met again and again. “I’m doing all of this in her name! Defending Equestria from any manner of-”

He was cut off by another punch to the face, this one shattering Neighsay's helmet and drawing blood.

“Like I said, Celestia’s love is not unconditional. She doesn’t love us monsters. And she certainly does not love you,” Goldar retorted, as the Rangers began recovering and taking in this sight, not entirely sure what to think about any of this. Mind you, not that any of them were complaining about seeing Neighsay’s ass get handed to him. It was just the one doing it that surprised them. “In fact, you doing all of this in her name, it’d probably make her puke,” Goldar stated, firing a blast of energy from the griffon’s mouth on his chest sending Neighsay into a stone wall. “While I’m not a fan of these Rangers, far from it, I will give them this. They’re far better people or ponies than you could ever hope to be. Your vision is limited to Equestria only, and just it’s pony population. Theirs is not. You do things only for the awards, and the status it’ll get you in the nobility’s eyes. You only share one common trait with the Rangers, aside from the fancy suits. None of you don’t know any of who you defend, or claim to defend in your case Neighsay. Does dying frighten you?” Goldar asked. “It doesn’t frighten them. Now, I could just kill them now, but I want them to be at full strength when they fight me and die. Much more fun that way.”

“He’s right…” Sunset coughed out, supporting Robert on her shoulder. We do this thing for Equestria and her people. We do it for Equus and her people. Young or old, griffon, zebra, dragon, or pony. We don't have to know you all. We do it anyway. And it's not the dying that frightens us. It's never having stood up and fought for you. I am Sunset Shimmer, of the Power Rangers Wild Force and the Princess of Empathy, and dying has never frightened me.”

“We’ll see in time Sunset Shimmer, we’ll see in time,” Goldar remarked and chuckled darkly at some unknown private joke before teleporting out. Neighsay, as he recovered canceled his transformation.

“This… this is not over, you understand me? This is not over!” he shouted, before teleporting out.

“Quite,” Sunset stated, with her eyes narrowed. “Quite so.”

Author's Notes:

Okay, first off massive thank yous to Shagohad12, Thunderclap, and Megaskullmon for their contributions to this chapter. Megaskullmon for the second half of Neighsay VS the Rangers, and Thunder and Shagohad for the return of Midnight Sparkle/Kamen Rider Gemn.

Now, the elephant in the room. Yep, Shattered Grid's astounding and epic conclusion has finally dropped late last month. Perfect way to end the Labor Day weekend, I'd say speaking from experience If you haven't read it already, go do it now! Link below.

https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Mighty-Morphin-Power-Rangers-Shattered-Grid

Already spoiled too much with the comment about the Emissaries Three, I really don't want to spoil anything else for those who haven't read this issue.

On a side note, I really didn't exactly mean for the Castlevania shout-outs (And I only realized just how apt they are for this chapter, considering one of the villains of the piece) to go this far. I just figured the breaking speech Blue Fangs used on that 'Bishop' was very apt to be paraphrased and used on Neighsay, considering how similar they are in some aspects, using their bigotry and their fondness for their respective Gods as excuses for their actions.

Agh, anyways, enough of my rambling. As ever, comments, thoughts, and critique are welcome.

Part 22: Long Needed Conversations

Canterlot Castle:

Blood stained the halls of the castle, the bodies of Sentries both allied to this Equestria and allied to Dai-Shocker’s legions littering the hallways, glass windows and art sculptures destroyed by magic blasts and weapons fire.

Galaxy was currently prying his Dino Saber out of a Samurai Sentry he’d pinned to the wall, slamming the blade right through the soldier’s heart, and he grimaced in disgust as he saw the blood staining the blade, for the first time in ages none of it looking particularly appetizing to him even as the Sentry slumped to the floor.

“De către mama mistică…” Galaxy muttered in his own tongue, as behind him two Kurokage Shin troopers canceled their transformations and removed their Energy Lockseeds from their belts revealing themselves to be Lieutenants Rumble Spear and Iron Phalanx of his personal legion.

“Something wrong, Captain?” Rumble Spear asked, as he rested his Kagematsu Shin on his back, placing a dark-furred hand on Galaxy’s shoulder pad in support. Creepy as the thestral was, he was still Rumble’s captain and to be quite honest something sounded… wrong with Galaxy. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what, but there was that trace of uncertainty in Galaxy’s tone.

“Can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I’ve lost the taste for bloodshed,” Galaxy remarked, and both Rumble and Phalanx blinked in surprise and shared a look. For years, Galaxy had been one of the most brutal ponies in the guard, seemingly reveling in the battle and now, hearing him saying he’d lost the taste for a good fight was… shocking to say the least.

“Captain, are you sure you’re alright?” Rumble pressed. When he was just a private, serving under Celestia he’d heard rumors of Galaxy and his ruthlessness, and as he progressed through the ranks he saw they were more than just simple rumors. During the Changing Invasion of Canterlot at the Royal Wedding, he’d seen Galaxy rip Changings apart limb from limb with whatever he could pick up, be it a gardener’s shovel or a fallen soldier’s blade.

Galaxy chuckled darkly. “Ask yourself, Rumble Spear, have I ever been alright? Does anyone who takes glory in murdering -Even if only in self-defense- and taking apart lives for a living even sound like an alright person to you? My father, bless his soul, had a saying. It went, if the time ever comes when the death of a single individual fails to move us then we have lost our way as ponies. So what does that have to say about me, someone who’s never been moved by the death of hundreds, via by my own hand or someone else’s? You know that old song right? Through the Valley?”

“Yes, yes I do,” Rumble replied, before reciting the opening lines from it. “I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. And I'll fear no evil because I'm blind to it all. And my mind and my gun they comfort me, because I know I'll kill my enemies when they come… That piece, right? Comes from an old human book, the Bible no?”

“Exactly. Not sure which copy, but one version of the piece ends with: And I walk beside the still waters, and they restore my soul. But I know when I die my soul is damned. I’m damned, we’re all damned. We’re murderers,” Galaxy replied, laughing darkly to himself once more. “It’s never been the prospect of dying in combat that’s frightened me, no, but it’s what comes after. Neither of you are probably religious, and I’m fine with that, we all have our ways of coping after all but I know just from what I’ve done already with all the killing and the bloodshed, I’ve already earned eternal damnation. Because Mystic Mother damnit, I enjoyed it. I relished in combat. No normal pony of any species should like that sort of thing… should they?” he asked, his voice breaking. “I don’t know why it’s happened to me now of all times, this was just a random invasion that seemed to serve no purpose. Why it didn’t happen when Lord Drakkon invaded is beyond me, maybe my age is finally catching up to me. I’m slowing down, growing older. Hell, probably going to get picked off sooner or later by some lucky snot-nosed brat.”

“If I may speak freely?” Rumble asked, with Galaxy nodding and giving a soft grunt and a gesture for Rumble Spear to continue. And so he did. “Maybe it’s because it’s no longer yourself you’re looking after,” the pony remarked. “I mean, you’re engaged to be married now right? It’s hardly any big secret. For years you’ve been fighting only for yourself, but now you’ve got a husband-to-be waiting at home. Maybe you’re not afraid of the Mystic Mother, but what he thinks of you, your husband. You’re scared of his judgment, not our Goddess’s.”

Galaxy chuckled. “Perhaps you’re right. Different as we may be like night and day really, Sunburst has always been my softer side. The one who’s always kept me from going just that little bit too far, from stepping over the line,” he remarked, before looking at Rumble’s Pinecone Energy Lockseed. “Mind if I…?”

“Sure,” Rumble said, tossing the padlock-themed device to his Captain. “If I may inquire, why are you so interested in it? You’ve already got powers of your own. And I don’t think there’s any brand of magic in the world that could fuse Helheim and Ranger Powers.”

Galaxy chuckled again, but this time a lighter, softer laugh. “Oh, is that what you think? Hardly. I’m hardly looking to fuse any powers any time soon, you both saw what that did to Drakkon. No, I’m just impressed by the both of you, you wear these well. Never thought I’d say that about a pinecone, but it’s true. Still leaves me to wonder, why did this,” Galaxy asked, lifting the Graphite Energem from his neck. “Ever choose to bond with me? I mean, I’m hardly the last person on Equus that’s got any shred of nobility. Might as well toss it to Blueblood for crying ou-”

Phalanx then did something he thought he or anyone else would ever do, and that was punch Galaxy across the face with a powerful right hook. “Oh, just wake up why don’t you?” Rumble shouted, and Galaxy staggered, eyes blinking in shock. Rumble’s eyes were wide as well. It was then Phalanx realized what’d he done and he began profusely apologizing. “I’m… I’m sorry Captain, I don’t know what came-”

It was then he heard Galaxy laughing, and once he’d stopped he said: “Please do continue Lieutenant. I’m actually interested in what you have to say.”

“O-Okay then,” Phalanx stuttered out, not sure what this was leading up to. “I’m just saying, wake up. That’s all you need to do. You’ve obviously got something in you that led that ‘Energem’ to choose you. The Morphin’ Grid never has seemed to be wrong yet has it? I mean, you’d defend Canterlot or any of Equestria’s other cities to your last breath, right?”

“Yes, I would,” Galaxy answered.

“Then that’s why it chose you, for your steadfast loyalty if nothing else,” Phalanx said with Rumble nodding along, and Galaxy smirked.

“When did you two squirts grow so smart when I wasn’t looking?” he asked. “Seems the student’s become the master in this case.”

“Hey, we only had the best to teach us right?” Rumble asked, and Galaxy smiled.

“Yeah, that you did. Now, let’s get this place cleaned up, we’ve got guests from Yakyakistan or however the hell you pronounce it coming to the castle in a few days, and I highly doubt they want blood and bodies all over the place eh?”

Meanwhile, in Celestia’s personal quarters, the Princess of the Sun found herself sitting on her bed, her head in her hands with her sister beside her. Luna’s arm was around her older sister’s shoulders in a comforting motion.

“Where… where did I go so wrong, in that universe, with that Twilight?” Celestia asked her sister. “I… I could have helped. If Twilight and Spike exist in that universe, chances are me along with that Twilight’s friends existed. Where were they?” Celestia sniffled, letting her mask as the perfect all-knowing Princess of the Sun drop around one of the few ponies she trusted enough.

She fought back her gag reflex, just seeing what Twilight did to those girls made her stomach churn. Infusing them with powers, turning them inside out to suited her perverted desires. Sure, their strength, reflexes, and endurance was increased but at what cost? The worst part was, from what she would tell, they had actively volunteered for it. What kind of world, Celestia had to wonder, would make girls like that with their whole lives ahead of them want to sign up for a madmare’s experiments? Finally, she could fight it back no longer, and with a great heave, the Princess of the Sun retched throwing up all over her carpet.

“Do… do you think I was even there for her?” Celestia asked her sister not caring for her loss of composure. “In any fashion? Hell, for all I know my counterpart was just as twisted as she was, actually encouraging her to continue with those… experiments.”

“You said this world was technologically advanced, yes?” Luna asked, setting her teacup down. “From the description you gave me, it seems like the world Midnight came from falls under the category of ‘Cyber-punk’,”

“You’ve been reading up on popular speculative fiction, it seems dear sister of mine,” Celestia observed. “And it’s Twilight, not Midnight. I still hold the belief that my student can be saved,”

“A pleasing thought. And as for my reading, well there’s little else to do around here half the time,” Luna noted. “I mean, we all have to have our hobbies. Dream-walking, although it pleases me to help others with their nightmares, is a duty and nothing else. I need something to occupy my time. I’m even thinking of taking up writing, might help me get my Equus back up to speed and into modern day ways of thought. But that’s beside the point,” Luna sighed, before getting back on topic. “It seems in that world, from what you told me that corporations ruled that universe like most works of Cyberpunk fiction seem to say they do. Mid-I’m sorry, Twilight, may have been indoctrinated into one of these companies and fell into their line of thinking, losing her morals somewhere along the line. What’s that old saying? The road to hell is paved with good intentions? Maybe she had plans to make sure nobody else would die via a gunman or something, but her ideals got twisted. We both know what that’s like do we not?”

“Yes, we do…” Celestia whispered. “I… I for a moment was ready to execute Twilight where she stood, test how immortal she really was. Did I ever tell you that? Summon Daybreaker to my side and melt her where she stood, render her nothing to ash,”

Luna snorted. “I talked to young Twilight Sparkle -our Twilight Sparkle- about her claims, and it seems she was not making idle boasts. Even if you left nothing of her, she would simply reappear out of thin air as if nothing happened,”

“But the fact remained, I was all too ready to do it, even for just a moment not caring if it wouldn’t have worked or not. Luna, do you think she still remains? I truly believe she still does.”

“I assume you mean Solar Flare?” Luna asked, and Celestia nodded in return.

“Yes, exactly. What are your thoughts on the matter? Am I simply imagining Solar Flare still being with me, or is she really there just waiting for her moment to seize my body once more. Just sitting there in one of the dark corners of my mind biding her time till I’m just too weak to fight her off?”

Luna glanced down at her drink before looking at Celestia again. “Do you wish to know a secret, sister? One I have been keeping since my return,”

Celestia looked hesitant, but nodded all the same.

“Nightmare Moon is not gone,” Reaching a hand up, Luna tapped a pair of fingers against her temple. “She still remains here, preserved in a corner of my mind. I... have a plan for her... as it were.”

“Yes?” Celestia asked.

“I wish to give her a full, true life,” Luna placed her hands on her stomach. “As my daughter.”

Celestia gaped, and after a few minutes her mouth opened and closed making the Princess of the Sun do a remarkable impression of a fish but no words came out. Eventually, she did regain the gift of speech, however.

“...Luna, please tell me her dear sister has finally taken leave of her senses and she didn’t just hear what she thought she just did?” Celestia asked. “You aren’t serious… right? You do know how crazy that sounds, even for you! I… I mean, how do you even plan to pull this off, for starters?” she exclaimed.

“That’s for me to worry about,” Luna said, a smile growing across her face. “My point is, both Solar Flare and Nightmare Moon are the worst parts of us, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve a second chance. If she is still in there, I can help you learn to do as I am doing.”

Celestia nickered. “That’s not exactly reassuring, you know that right?” she asked. “Maybe there’s some truth to the old nature vs nurture argument, who’s to say?”

“Did you know, Wyatt and Twilight have a son?” Luna asked, leaning back in her seat. “Not by blood of course. When they defeated their King Sombra, he was reduced to a child, one I am told is a loving, well-adjusted foal.”

“I suppose, that would be proof that the argument is sound in some aspects. Sure, I suppose some may balk given it’s an alternate universe’s Sombra but that’s likely to come from certain nobles whom neither of us care to listen to anyhow!” Celestia remarked, and Luna bit back a laugh knowing exactly the ones she meant.

Luna shook her head, unable to stop smiling. “Wyatt told me something in the brief time that we spoke that inspired my little plan; it doesn’t matter your origins, if you were born in the shadow or the light. You don’t have to be what your beginnings say you are.”

“No, I was born a mutant, despised by nature. A genetic anomaly that by law, never should have happened and yet look what transpired. An entirely new species was created. Sure, we had a few bumps in the road along the way -perhaps putting it mildly as I tend to do at times- but we became something more than what society said we were to be. Luna, a question if you will?”

“Of course.” she nodded, looking at her sister.

“How should we break it to Equus, about the true levels of our powers? About how we’re not gods, and how we don’t raise the heavens as we always told them?” Celestia asked.

“I... do not know.” Luna shook her head, letting out a long sigh. “There was... something else. While Wyatt was here, Twilight asked him about the Displaced and those that he had encountered. There was one that caught my eye. It’s been in the back of my mind, nagging at me like a parasprite. There is someone out there who can reorder reality with a thought,” She gazed down into her cup, staring at her reflection. “Could you imagine what he could do here? Undo all the wrongs we’ve committed, erase Solar Flare, bring humanity back. To have that much power, to just think and have it be so... Am I breaking, sister? Is the state of our world so bad that I’d rather see it tossed aside than improved?”

“No, I’ve thought about going back in time, killing Solar Flare and myself in the process just so humanity could prosper. But our mistakes, they made us into the ponies we are today for better or for worse. No, it’s not a wrong thought to think, but I believe that perhaps wiping away our past would do our world no better. In fact, changing it might only make it worse off. There is a balance in the universe, I know this much. Change one thing, and something must replace it. If Solar Flare was removed from this world, something far worse may arise,” Celestia replied. “The balance must be maintained, for better or for worse. A simple snap of the fingers, changing everything with just a simple thought would not be the wisest of decisions in any manner. Imagine, what if I asked you to bring something to life, something that was never meant to live? What might happen? Would someone else have to lose their life in the process for this simple exchange? Now imagine that, happening on a reality-wide scale.”

Luna shuddered. “You are quite right sister. Perhaps it is for the best. And maybe it is for the best that we keep no secrets from our kingdom any longer. Yes, the populace must be told of our true natures.”

“Exactly. We must tell them the full truth, and no matter what happens next we will let them decide for themselves what to do. Whether to dethrone us, or let us continue our rulership. In a few days, we will address the nation, agreed?”

“Quite,” Luna smiled. “No more secrets. No more. And whatever happens, I will be there for you sister.”

“And I you.”

Ponyville:

Early that next morning, one Agent Sweetie Drops of SMILE was pacing back and forth in the main room of her and her wife’s apartment, located above their shared sweets shop. She had to tell her, tell her everything. Her involvement in SMILE, her status as Kamen Rider Joker. Everything. Keeping these secrets, in the long run, would not be beneficial to her and their relationship in the slightest.

“There’s only one way to do it,” Sweetie Drops thought. “Just tell her outright, no holding anything back.” she mused, clutching the Skull and Joker memories in her palm, along with a new one. It was a green color, marked with a C short for Cyclone.

“L-Lyra?” Bon-Bon called out with a small stutter in her voice, directing it towards the bathroom, where her wife was brushing her teeth. “Can you come here a moment? I have to tell you something.”

Not even facing down a fucking Bugbear or that Gemn loon was this nerve wracking, she thought, as Lyra emerged.

“Bonnie, you alright? And what’s this big secret?” she asked in concern, before her face broke out into a grin. “Wait, are you pregnant? Are we about to be mothers?”

“No, not that,” Bon-Bon said, as Lyra’s smile faded. Bon-Bon gestured for her wife to sit down on the couch. “Trust me, you’re going to need to sit down for this.”

“O-Okay…” Lyra nodded, now suddenly nervous for reasons she didn’t quite understand.

“There’s… things about me you need to know. Things I should have told you about right after we married. No secrets between wives, right?” Bon-Bon asked nervously.

“You’re… You’re not cheating on me with another mare are you?” Lyra whispered, fighting back tears at the thought, before grabbing Bon-Bon by the nightgown and shouting: “Please tell me it’s anything but that!” in desperation and fear shaking her.

“Of course I’m not cheating on you!” Bon-Bon shouted, her eyes going wide. “Why would you even think that!?!?”

“Well, you sit me down and then say you’ve got things to say, things you should have told me since we first got married. What else am I supposed to think?” Lyra asked, looking directly at her wife and throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. “That you’re a secret agent or something?”

“Well, she’s not wrong…” Bon-Bon thought to herself.

Lyra took notice of the small multi colored flash drives her wife clutched tightly in her right hand.

“Bonnie,” Lyra asked slowly, with a dangerous edge to her tone. “What are those?”

“They’re called Gaia Memories,” Bon-Bon started. “They’re used for-”

“Gaia what now?” Lyra asked, tilting her head. “Sounds like a drug. Please tell me you haven’t been taking drugs the whole time we’ve been married!” she shouted, before muttering to herself: “Explains a hell of a lot, like why we haven’t been with child yet even with the magical spells and everything…”

“Lyra,” Bon-Bon stated cooly. “Calm down, they’re not drugs. Far from it in fact. They’re sorta like morphers, in a sense. Just need a certain type of belt to use them.” she explained as best as she could, or at least in a way Lyra could understand it.

“So… that means you’re sorta like a Power Ranger, right?” Lyra asked, trying very hard to keep from squeeing before shouting to the whole world her wife was a superhero. In fact, she almost did had Bon-Bon not pulled her back into her seat.

“No, not a Ranger. A Kamen Rider.”

“A what now?” Lyra asked in confusion. “Sounds Neighponiese.”

“Yeah, it is. Did a bit of reading, and it means Masked really. Masked Rider. And about that secret agent theory of yours, well…”

“No way, just no friggin’ way,” Lyra muttered, and Bon-Bon smiled sheepishly.

“Surprise?” she replied. “And my name’s not Bon-Bon, it’s Sweetie Drops. I’m a agent of SMILE, organization dedicated to fighting and hunting down dangerous magical creatures and as of recently monsters as well.”

Lyra seemed, at least at first to be taking this as calmly as anyone just told their wife was living a double life could have, before all Hell broke loose.

“How real was it?” she asked hardly. “How real was any of it? How real was… us?” she asked, Lyra barely fighting back tears.

“Lyra, if you just calm down and lis-”

Bon-Bon suddenly felt a stinging slap hit her, with Lyra glaring at her wife angrily.

“Keep calm, listen? I’ve just been told my wife is not who I thought she was, routinely putting herself in danger and gallivanting around in a mask of some sort while I’m forced to question everything I ever knew about our relationship, so you do not get to tell me to calm down!” Lyra yelled, nearly on the verge of screaming. Bon-Bon grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her wife dead in the eyes.

“Come on, look at me Lyra. Just look at me,” Bon-Bon stated calmly. “Remember our wedding day? You remember that right? We said till death do us part, that still stands. Just look at me in the eyes, and tell me none of that was real.”

“It… It was real…” Lyra admitted. “But what else? I mean, who are you, Bon-Bon, confectionare extraordinaire or Sweetie Drops, agent of SMILE?”

“I’m both. To Equestria and our majesty’s secret service, I’m Sweetie Drops but when the job’s over and the monster’s six feet under, I’m the same mare you’ve known and loved for eight years. Does that make sense?” she asked.

“Can… Can I at least see you morph or whatever?” Lyra requested, wiping away the tears.

“It’s called Henshining, means transform in Neighponiese but I guess Henshin rolls off the tongue better. But…” Bon-Bon trailed off, bringing out the Lost Driver and slapping it on her waist before pressing down on the purple Gaia Memory.

“Joker!”

She then slammed it into her belt with a shout of “Henshin!” and was soon covered in a form-fitting black bodysuit that left Lyra drooling somewhat. Quickly regaining her composure, she smiled.

“So, what do you think?” Bon-Bon asked.

“I like it,” Lyra smiled, her expression turning seductive. “But I think I’d much rather like to see you with it… off.”

“What do you…?” Bon-Bon asked, tilting her head in confusion before her eyes widened. “Oh!” she exclaimed canceling the transformation just in time for Lyra to wrap her arms around her and envelop her in a deep kiss. Tongues fighting briefly for dominance, Lyra pulled away from her wife.

“Now come on, we don’t have to open up shop for another hour and a half and I think after learning my wife’s a superhero she deserves a very just reward…” Lyra trailed off, letting her negligee drop before pulling her wife back into the bedroom with a soft giggle and shutting the door.

Author's Notes:

Okay, first off, a huge thanks to Shagohad12 for playing Luna in this chapter, and writing out her responses, massive thank you man. Now yes, before any of you ask, Double willbe a thing, with Lyra and Bon-Bon as the Cyclone and Joker users. Somebody better start counting up their crimes soon... Looks at Thrax

"But I've got too many to count!"

Now, originally I wasn't a fan of the whole Nightmare Moon child thing, sorta overdone and I thought about Luna admitting to the Tantabus instead (As let's face it, stupid plot point but dream episodes are always fun as you can get away with all kinds of crazy ass shit. Already thinking of doing a dream episode just so I can get Luna as Dark Kiva) but Shagohad won me over, and I admitted perhaps having Sunset and Robert as godparents is an interesting thought, giving the child the childhood they never really had. I'm a sucker for characters with messed up psyches, what can I say? If this is done, I do want to do it in such a way so that the plot doesn't become "Aww, look at the cute little kiddy!" so your advice is appreciated.

Now as ever, your comments, thoughts and any constructive criticism you might have is welcomed.

Part 23: The Curtain Drops

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK7AGhiin-o

Ponyville

“No, no, you see,” Lightning remarked as she walked through the streets of Ponyville with Rainbow Dash, Wonderbolts flight training having been called off today due to the projected weather forecasts. Lightning honestly couldn’t blame her Captain, given the skies above Ponyville were covered in an ominous thick fog of grey storm clouds, with not even a beacon of Celestia’s sun shining through. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the air was hot and muggy. There was a reason Lightning had only elected to wear a sports bra and jogging pants today. Both were black, covered in jagged neon green streaks of lightning. “That whole story about me taking down a monster solo, completely made up. Completely!”

“Oh?” Rainbow asked, a pair of white earbuds hanging around her neck as a music player was attached to her hip. “So what’s this I heard about you using a version of one of my moves to bring down Hell from above on this Org?”

“...Okay, I may have done that, but the other Rangers wore him down for me! That’s all it was!” Lightning said, and Rainbow laughed, slapping her friend on the back.

“Well, I will give you this,” Rainbow commented. “You’re certainly not the reckless squirt I took on as my wingmare in training, that’s for sure!”

“Squirt!?!” Lightning snapped in mock-fury. “I’m no older than you are!”

“In body maybe…” Rainbow trailed off, fighting back laughter. “Maturity… Eh, let’s say that’s another story entirely m’kay?”

“Why you!” Lightning shouted, reaching for Rainbow to grab her in a neck hold only for the other mare to pull away laughing like a fool, her cackles filling the streets.

“Still not fast enough,” Rainbow remarked. “Just still not fast enough.”

“Oh, you want to put that to the test?” Lightning asked, her wings unfurling. “Want to put that to the test? Cause I feel the need for speed right about now really.”

“Your funeral, really,” Rainbow replied. “Just don’t come crying to me when I leave you in my dust, Dusty!” she laughed, before taking to the skies in a cyan streak of light with Lightning soon to follow in a golden one.

“Dusty, now there’s a name that brings me back…” Lightning thought to herself sadly and wiped away a small tear as she and Rainbow darted through the skies punching holes in the clouds as they did so.

“You see Rainbow?” Lightning Dust asked, as the two relaxed in a hot tub, high above the flickering street lamps of Ponyville late one night. Rainbow had elected to come over to Lightning’s cloudominium once she’d heard her marefriend had gotten ahold of a hot tub, saying she wanted to test it out for herself. “No so bad, is it? Doesn’t hurt your reputation as a tomcolt any does it?”

“No, suppose you’re right Dusty,” Rainbow sighed as she slipped down below the waters, leaving only her head visible. “...Promise not to tell?”

“I won’t say a word about this as long you don’t,” Lightning remarked resting her head and looking up towards the stars. The Orion Constellation was particularly bright tonight, she noted. It was an unusual interest of Lightning’s, to be sure, but she always loved astronomy and classier things like violin music. Possibly yet another way to distance herself from her father, she supposed. She could name you every star in the night sky, and then some, she liked to brag to anyone who would listen. Anyone usually being Rainbow, Vapor or her brother mostly. Mainly because Lightning never could quite work up the nerve to tell anyone outside of her immediate close friends of her interest in something most would perceive as something not particularly jockish and rather girly really.

The violin composition playing in the background? It was called Violin Sonata in F minor (Mendelssohn), apparently composed by this Germane dude named Felix Mendelssohn back in 1825 and while it lacked the sheer dramatic flare of his other more famous work the Violin Concerto in E minor this one was more calm, tranquil. Elegant, really, if Lightning had to put a name to it and describe it in one word.

Rainbow wrapped her arm around Lightning’s shoulders and brought the mare in for a kiss. Not a quick, intense, passionate kiss as was per usual for them, but a more slow, soft loving one. The two’s lips locked for a solid minute or so, -and in Lightning’s mind, a wonderful eternity poetic as that sounded- before Rainbow finally had to pull away to come up for air.

“You know, one day,” Rainbow commented. “They’ll both be weaving constellations of us really. Lightning Dust, Rainbow Dash, once we’ve hit the big time at last and become full-fledged Wonderbolts! I think I’ll call mine the Supernova!”

“Not sure how that’s how it works, hon,” Lightning giggled to herself and booped her marefriend on the nose. “But whatever floats your boat.”

“Tomato, tamato,” Rainbow remarked. “We’ll have our names up there in the stars, you’ll see. I mean, Leo Major, Leo Minor. Ursa Major, Ursa Minor. Constellations can have duos, right?” she asked. “...I am right about that, am I?”

“Well, someone’s feeling cocky tonight…” Lightning teased. “Still, it’s a sweet thought. And yeah, they can.”
Rainbow laughed. “Of course this is me we’re talking about, eh?” She remarked, and Lightning laughed before that laughter faded as she saw Spitfire looming over them, her wings flapping slowly as she stared the couple down with critical eyes.

Rainbow stared up at Spitfire. “Uh…” She stands quickly saluting out of pure reflex. “H-Hey Ma’am…” she laughed nervously.

Spitfire let out a chuckle.

“Thought something was going on between you two,” the Captain of the Wonderbolts remarked. “I mean, you two sneaking off at odd times and places and making weird excuses for doing so like your hamster needed bathing would strike anyone as odd. I mean, I know for a fact neither of you even own a hamster!”

Rainbow took a deep breath she shifted feeling extremely uncomfortable right now. “I.. I..” She gulped a bit not sure what to say. “We didn’t mean to lie to you Cap...captain.”

“You didn’t have to, you know,” Spitfire remarked. “I mean, it’s not like I’m against any of this really. I mean, I’m all for my teammates getting to know each other better, if you know what I mean,” she laughed again, this time waggling her eyebrows a little.

Rainbow chuckled weakly. “I enjoy getting to know the others. Just not in that way.. Ma’am,” she stated quickly.” I'd rather be spending time with the ones I care about, that’s all” A nervous smile formed on her face trying her best to not lose her nerve.

“Never knew you could sound so sappy,” Spitfire teased. “New side of you I’m seeing tonight. You compose romantic poetry as well?”

“Oddly… Yes?” Rainbow smiled weakly, and both Spitfire and Lightning stared at her bug-eyed, Lightning actually looking more than a little miffed that Rainbow hadn’t shown any of this to her.

“Just no pony ever asked. I keep it to myself since.. Well, I’m too shy to? Mystic Mother knows Rarity would never let me hear the end of it...” She shifted again looking a bit unsure how to recite one, especially in front of her boss.

“Well, I’ll just leave you two lovebirdies to your alone time eh?” Spitfire remarked. “Long as it doesn’t interfere with either of your jobs, I’m cool with it. We cool with that? You understand that recruits?”

“Yes Ma’am!” Rainbow shouted, with Lightning nodding fervently as well.

“Good, because the last thing I want is to find you two snogging in the sky attempting to join the 3,000-mile high club while performing stunts at a show. Next thing you know, somepony winds up… Well, they wind up in a FULL BODY WING-AND-HOOF CAST DRINKING THROUGH A STRAW!” Spitfire suddenly shouted.

Rainbow just stared at Spitfire for a few brief moments, Now, she had to ask to satisfy her now peaked curiosity. “Did two of your teammates snog in midair and another pony crashed into them causing this?”

Spitfire’s only response was to mutter something along the lines of “Damn fucking Fleetfoot.” No more words needed to be said, given Fleetfoot’s… reputation so to speak.

“You mean Fleetfucker.” Rainbow laughed, before Spitfire gave her a stern look and flew off.

“...Well, that was something I didn’t expect to see tonight. Great, now I’m going to have Fleetfoot fucking another ‘Bolt in midair emblazoned in my mind’s eye forever…” Lightning muttered to herself. “Anyone got the Brain Bleach?”

“Pretty sure Twi’s got some, I’ll ask for it in the morning. Good thing she never asks questions.” Rainbow admitted, before Lightning gave her a look, eyebrow raised.

“Romantic poetry, really Dashie? And you never gave me any?” she asked.

“I… well, I can get a bit corny. I didn’t want to you to think me as one of those corny mares.” Rainbow stroked her mane, chuckling nervously to herself.

“Alright, what’s bothering you?” Lightning asked. “Cause I know you can get corny, known that for a long while given what you pulled last Hearts and Hooves Day, with the big heart in the sky. Spitfire shake you up a little?”

“You could say that. But I do have another one in my head if you... Wish to hear it.” Rainbow smiled sweetly trying to save face with her marefriend.

Lightning crossed her arms. “It ain’t the poetry Rainbow, it’s the damn principle. It’s been about a year now since we started dating, and you haven’t even said I love you yet! We haven’t said that! It’s Spitfire isn’t it, you’re worried she may secretly hate internal fraternization.”

“...Given Fleetfoot, can you blame me?” Rainbow mumbled. “But yeah, that’s exactly what it is!”

“Oh, now you’re just being ludicrous,” Lightning remarked. “If Spitfire hated us dating, and she’s known for a while now given what she just told us, she would have made it known to us both!”

Rainbow sighed, she had… something in her eyes, something Lightning really couldn’t place. “Lightning, I was hoping that I could do this for you tonight. Just with Spitfire showing up it kind of got sidetracked. Just are you willing to listen to me?”

“Sure, fire away.”

Rainbow looked up to the moon and began reciting a prayer to Luna. Taking a deep breath, she smiled taking Lightning's hand, grasping it tightly in her own “I know Lightning I haven’t been the best marefriend to you. I know I haven’t said I love you. But this poem comes deep from my heart,” She took a deep breath. “I look at you. I just see an amazing mare that’s grown up so much since I first met her, and is willing to be with a pony like me. I don’t consider myself worthy of you at times. But while you’re near me my heart beats. I may not say I love you. But I am one of those that doesn't say it although I can show it.. In my mind, actions speak louder than words. Words, that aren’t needed unless you know deep inside what you really want to show. Mystic Mother above, I know that sounds sappy, but…” Rainbow took a deep breath before reaching quickly towards where she’d hidden a little black box besides the tub inside little bucket of towels. Lifting up the little box, she asked: “Will you do this wonderful thing and marry me?”

“I… I… I…” Lightning stammered out, her thoughts running wild. One part of her mind, it wanted to accept especially after Rainbow’s confession, but the other knew this was a big step and was wondering if she was really ready for this.

Rainbow took her hesitation as her answer, just looking at the ring box before putting it aside on a nearby table. Fighting back tears, she stood up, unfurled her wings and muttered: “I… I see. Just… Just when you’re ready, okay?” she asked, before going inside to change back into her normal clothes and fly away into the night…

Back in the present day, Lightning landed behind Rainbow in one of Ponyville’s many sidestreets -Somewhere around Carousel Boutique if she remembered- and sighed to herself. “Goddess dammit, I’m such an idiot. I want to accept that, Mystic Mother knows I do, but Rainbow taking me back?” she thought to herself, laughing bitterly as she looked skywards. “Oh, now that’s a good joke.”

Rainbow sounded like she was crying a bit, perhaps loudly enough to be heard. “Oh boy, I’m such a complete idiot. Should have known she’d never accept, not with me springing it on her like that…” she trailed off. Next, Rainbow tossed a fake smile towards Lightning Dust’s direction, before looking back at the sky and wincing at the oncoming storm. “So, tomorrow then? When the weather’s cleared up? Still got a few tricks to practice before the upcoming show.”

“Yeah, tricks…” Lightning whispered, before nodding as Rainbow took her leave. Lightning let out a scream of frustration and stamped her hoof. Goddess, she was such an idiot.

Letting her thoughts wander as she strolled through the streets, ignoring the threatening rumbles of thunder in the background, she smacked head-on into Robert, whose wounds were still patching themselves up from their battle with Neighsay or Savior as he’d started calling himself.

“Oh, I’m sorry, so sorry!” Lightning apologized profusely, noticing Robert wincing out in pain. “Sorry, lost in thought…”

“No, it’s fine. Ranger healing powers, they work fast. By this time tomorrow, probably will just have another scar to boast.” Robert replied in a dismissive tone, waving his hand. He idly wondered what was bothering Lightning, but decided it best not to ask. It was probably her business, and not his. Plus, Lightning had this tendency to snap at anyone who budged into her private life, as he remembered from the whole Silver Spoon incident.

“...Er, dare I ask?” Lightning remarked, noting Robert’s black and magenta attire in spur of his usual orange and black SPD jacket.

“...Sorry, while I repair my regular uniform, decided to bust this out instead. Created it a few months back, directly after the whole Drakkon’s Reign thing. Homaging it to a certain passing through Kamen Rider.”

“...Thought you hated his guts.”

“Eh, guy’s a jerk, that’s for sure, but he kicks ass. And he has his moments.” Robert remarked.

“Eh, I have to ask, what are you doing out and about anyways?” Lightning remarked. “I mean, have you not seen the weather?” she asked, pointing skywards.

“I’ve noticed,” Robert deadpanned. “I was waiting upon your boss, Captain Spitfire, Sunset ‘suggested’ she come down to help me with a few of my… well, let’s call them issues and leave it at that till the weather put a damper on those plans. You?”

“Planning to spend the day with Silver,” Lightning lied. “Weather screwed that up as well.”

Robert looked skeptical. “Then why were you and Rainbow…?” he trailed off, not realizing his mistake until far too late.

“Just drop it, okay?” Lightning hissed out, giving him a warning glare. Robert laughed nervously and wisely decided to change the subject.

“Hey, is it just me or is Bon-Bon glowing more than usual today?” he asked, leaning towards Lightning and gesturing to the Sweet Shoppe window, where Bon-Bon was packing up a box of caramels.

“...Now that you mention it…” Lightning murmured, before shaking her head and letting out a growl. Great, she was thinking of marriage again. “...You’re a real perv, you know that right?”

“Just a simple observation,” Robert remarked, honestly confused why Lightning was being bitchier than normal today. Was it something he said? Certainly couldn’t have been something he did. Recently anyways. ...He hadn’t put itching powder in her clothes for weeks!

“And I was making one as well,” Lightning sniped. Robert arched an eyebrow, yeah there was definitely something going on with Lightning but it would be wise of him not to press any further. Or at least not ask her, maybe Vapor would know.

“So, lunch little miss Point Break?” Robert offered. “Know this great indoor cafe, makes a nice Caesar salad.”

“Fine by me, as long as you agree to stop springing references that I probably don’t know a thing about on me,” Lightning replied. Eventually, the two arrived, placed their orders and while waiting for the food to arrive Lightning elected to satisfy her curiosity about something that had been nagging her for a while. “Okay, spill. What’s with you and Kitsunes? I mean, even before you got your powers you had this whole fox motif, and I seem to remember you making a remark about visiting this place called Mount Inari a few times back in your time.”

“Just always found them intriguing, I mean foxes have always been my favorite animal. Just ask Wyatt if he ever returns god forbid, he’d be able to tell you a story or two. As for the Mount Inari thing, when I arrived in Japan just to escape the madness that was America -Irony really, winding up back here- I felt I needed guidance, and sometimes those schwachkopf uncles of mine weren’t always the best choices I felt,” Robert explained. “So, why not just ask one of the local gods? Plus, a good mountain trek allowed me to get some peace and solitude, something Japan rarely affords. Allowed me to get my thoughts together, put my mind at ease,” he admitted. Outside, the rain that had been threatening to pour all afternoon had finally let loose down on the streets in a torrent, leaving both thanking their respective Gods that they’d gotten to the cafe when they did.

“Makes sense I suppose,” Lightning remarked. “Still, aside from being nine-tailed foxes, what exactly are Kitsunes? I mean seriously, what are they?” she inquired.

“It’s sorta difficult to explain really. Mind you, there's this particularly old story about a Kitsune, one I've always been particularly fascinated by that could help a little,” Robert remarked. “If you care to hear it.”

“Fire away, can't be any more boring than your Ranger history lessons.” Lightning deadpanned. Robert looked more than a little miffed at that but cleared his throat before speaking.

“Long ago, in the year 545 A.D, Ono, an inhabitant of Mino spent the seasons longing for his ideal of female beauty. He met her one evening on a vast moor and married her.

“Simultaneously with the birth of their son, Ono's dog was delivered of a pup which as it grew up became more and more hostile to the lady of the moors.

“She begged her husband to kill it, but he refused. At last one day the dog attacked her so furiously that she lost courage, resumed vulpine shape, leaped over a fence and fled.

"You may be a fox," Ono called after her, "but you are the mother of my son and I love you. Come back when you please; you will always be welcome."

“So every evening she stole back and slept in his arms.

“And so, because the fox returns to her husband each night as a woman but leaves each morning as a fox, she is called Kitsune,” he explained. “Apparently, in classical Japanese and I'm not sure how true this is as I'm far from an expert on the language,” Robert admitted. “kitsu-ne means come and sleep, and ki-tsune means always comes. Mind you, nowadays it just means fox but, there you have it I guess,” he shrugged, before he heard a distinctive four-note beeping sound coming from Lightning’s Growl Phone and his Kitsune Amulet.

“Hey, guys?” Vapor’s voice came in through their Morphers. “Might want to tune into Canterlot Radio, Celestia’s making a national address.”

Both Rangers shrugged but did as Vapor asked, and were treated to the voice of the Princess of the Sun. Celestia took a deep breath, and sighed to herself. “My little Ponies, this is one of the hardest speeches I’ve ever had to make to you, to any of you. I’ve been wanting to put this off for days, save you from the truth figuring it best you believed in what you’ve been told for centuries by your parents, their parents but no, the curtain, the charade must drop,” Celestia stated, with ponies all across the nation now listening in explicit interest. “It is for the best, the truth would have found itself a way to out one way or the other after all. I do not raise the sun, nor does my sister raise the moon. We never have, nor have will we ever do so. It was just a lie we cooked up, to make ourselves seem more powerful than we really are in actuality, just to make us seem like Gods. It was a mutual agreement then, just as the one to finally drop the charade now is. Now, what you do with this information is entirely up to you,” Celestia explained. “Either you can depose us, and instate your own government or you can let us be and have us continue ruling. It is your own decision. Either choice you make, as this is your choice not ours, would not anger us. It would, in fact, please us for you to start finally making your own decisions instead of us doing that for you.”

With that, the message ended leaving the cafe in silence, before whispers broke out amongst the gathered ponies on what to do. Lightning sat agape, mind racing once more. For years, she’d been told the Princesses raised the sun and the moon, and now here they were confessing to do nothing of the kind. Similar thoughts ran through other ponies heads, nopony quite sure what to do for the time being.

Nopony perhaps, but somebody however… That was a different story. A loud explosion came from somewhere outside, and a very familiar set of laughter. Robert’s eyes narrowed, he knew that voice.

“Bunglay…” he snarled out before looking at Lightning. “Time to get to work.” he said.

“R-Right,” Lightning stammered out, before collecting herself. She could think on Celestia’s confession later, right now there were more pressing issues to deal with…

“So,” Bunglay laughed as ponies ran wild in the streets as the hunter/space pirate sent energy waves from his sword, destroying shops and homes in massive explosions of fire and energy, all just to draw out the Rangers. “Your precious little pony princesses aren’t all what they’re cracked up to be, are they? Well, this just makes things crackin’ interesting!”

“Bunglay,” Robert remarked as he and Lightning ran out to meet him, noticing the convenient lack of any foot soldiers this time. Looks like Bunglay wanted to face them alone really. “And here I was beginning to almost miss you. Haven’t you gotten the message by now, you’re not wanted. Earth is closed for today for you, and as a matter of fact it’s closed permanently to your kind! Now clear off, before we have to send you packing like we always do.”

“You?” Bunglay laughed. “Send me packing! Oh, now that’s a cracking good joke, that is! Don’t I always wind up kicking your arses? You must be remembering things wrong. Allow me to kindly give ya a refresher course.” he remarked, cracking his neck.

“Oh well, tried to be nice about this…” Robert muttered, before he and Lightning called out: “Legendary Wild Access!” and morphed with Robert drawing his pistol, spinning it and remarking: “Hade ni ikuze!” before letting off a few shots which Bunglay deflected with his anchor. He then rushed forwards in a blur of movement, using his hand to grab onto Robert’s head and search through his memories, before teleporting away, and throwing two balls of blue energy that reformed into the previous Ranger villains Levira and Rito Revolto respectively.

“...I retract my previous statement,” Robert remarked with a shake of his head, and a sigh of disgust or disappointment. It was hard to tell really. “Really, this is the best you can throw at us, the same old tired tactics, and out of all the villains you choose you pick these two losers for your memory puppets? I’m almost too bored to bother,” he muttered before turning to Lightning. “So, Miss Bucky Barnes, ready to give these three an arsekicking?”

“Who's this Bucky Barnes character, and is she cool?” Lightning asked, as the two dodged flamethrower blasts from Rito, Bunglay just sitting on a chair to watch the fun unfold.

Robert smiled, and nodded. “Hell yeah, he was cool. Badass even.”

“You hear that Levira?” Lightning shouted as she dodged said monster's missiles. “I’m Bucky Barnes! And you… well, you’re still dead and ugly.”

“...Sorta got away from you, that one, didn’t it?” Robert smirked not even bothering to correct her on Bucky's actual gender, and Lightning glared at him from under her helmet.

Rito sent another surge of hot searing flames towards the two. What happened next nobody could have predicted. Robert in a moment of pure rash instinct stepped in front of the blazing inferno and shielded Lightning with his cape, the flames licking away at the cape’s own black embers stitched into the fabric. He didn't even know if it would work to be entirely honest, he was banking on the cape being there for a reason really and not just built in there because the costumes’ designs being patterned after each Ranger’s individual personalities.

Lightning used this opportunity to score a powerful kick to Rito’s face, possibly breaking his jaw and then a right cross to Levira’s face.

“You know something Levera or whatever the Hell you're called,” Lightning remarked with a critical tone in her voice, “That lipstick? About the only beautiful thing on you, highlights your pale face and distracts people away from those cables you dare call hair. Seriously, I know this mare. She’d be able to give you some beauty tips, might be able to save you somehow.”

“You do realize she’s long dead, right? Not much point to giving her beauty tips,” Robert remarked in a deadpan tone as he flipped over Rito and then grabbed him, spun him around and with a few lightning fast jabs of his fingers began trying to hit pressure points.

“Oh… right.” Lightning muttered, flushing in realization before Levira’s fingernails sharpened into razor-like claws scoring nasty slashes and gauges in Lightning’s fur, with Lightning only spinning to the left in time to avoid a powerful axe kick. Levira’s shoulder pads opened up to reveal missile launchers once more, and fired off another barrage. This time, instead of dodging them, Lightning flung the missiles right back at her with powerful gusts of wind created by powerful wing flaps. Levira only avoided being blown up by projecting a hard light screen of green energy. She tried to strike again with her claws, only for Lightning to keep her at bay with lashes of one of her whips.

Back with Robert, he was continuing to try to reach Rito’s pressure points with lightning fast jabs. He would have succeeded, possibly, if Rito had any flesh or muscle to speak of. Instead, all he ended up with was being knocked to the muddy streets below by Rito’s flamethrower.

“...Right, next time you try that remember to check if they're all skin and bones first.” he muttered and flipped up off the ground and pulled out his Kitsune Blaster, placing the blade of the Shadow Saber over it and fired. “...Should have just done this from the start, he muttered before shouting out: “Kyuubi Kage Seibai Blast!” and launching a howling maw of blue flames at Rito taking the memory clone down for good. However, before he could join Lightning and give her a helping hand, another Memory Clone formed into the infamous Five Fingers of Poison member Stingerella, the master of both the toxic dance and the scorpion style.

“Oh fu…” he trailed off before he was hit by a barrage of powerful spin kicks to the face. Lightning’s eyes widened under her helmet as she saw this, only for Levira to knock her back with another missile barrage. Curiously, during all of this Bunglay hadn't made a move. In fact, he’d teleported away. Lightning had figured he now figured that they weren’t worth his time any more.

“We're getting our asses kicked here!” Lightning exclaimed, as she struggled to pick herself off the ground.

“No… no kidding!” Robert coughed out as the two monsters in front of them advanced, laughing evilly. Just then, a energy manifestation of a plesiosaurus head shot towards both Stingerella and Levira from out of nowhere and struck them making them stagger back before shooting back to its owner and morphing her.

“What is it with me and continuously having to pull your fats out of the fryer. Amaterasu above…” Emily muttered, shaking her head as she drew her Spin Sword. “I'll handle Levira. Think you two can handle Stingerella?” she asked.

“Believe me,” Lightning muttered as she reached for one of her whips once more. “We can so handle some bug.”

“Good.” Emily said as she went blade to blade with Levira and then rushing past her leaving bolts of yellow lightning in her wake calling out: “Lightning Fury!” before whirling back around in mid-air and pulling out her Dino Morpher and placing the Blaze Charger in it and then fired. Flaming manifestations of a plesiosaur and an allosaurus head circled and then bit down on Levira before she could throw up any sort of light screen. “Now… Let’s finish this,” she said, pulling out yet another Dino Charger depicting a Deinosuchus, a form of ancient crocodile. Emily pressed down on it, before placing it in her Morpher and gained bronze armor including two crocodile jaws on her arms. She fired, just as Levira put up another screen of light and fired missile after missile, while Emily spun like a drill and smashed right through it, and Levira who went up in a fireball a gaping hole in her stomach.

Meanwhile, Lightning and Robert were fighting off Stingerella, or they would have been had the monster not kept them at bay with her spinning dance-like fighting style.

“You know something?” Lightning asked. “I'm really beginning to hate scorpions!”

“Any ideas?” Robert asked, narrowly avoiding a skull-shattering side kick from Stingerella.

“Something… Something that'll break through her defenses!” Lightning exclaimed, snapping her fingers and then using her hands to catch a kick she twisted her arm like she was using a screwdriver and sent Stingerella spinning to the ground.

“Something like that?” Robert asked, with Stingerella quickly recovering and standing on her arms before flipping and attempting to use axe kicks on them both.

“Yeah. Get her off guard again,” Lightning shouted. “I've got an idea on finishing her! Why not combine our respective magics in Orion Mode and see what happens?” She theorized.

Robert looked more than a little miffed at chi simply being labeled magic when in fact it was a universal energy present in all beings but he nodded all the same. “Sounds like a plan.” High above, Levira had grown to massive size and was fighting the summoned Kitsune Zord claw to claw, the Vampire Bat Zord swooping in and slashing her across the chest with his wings.

“Sorry we're late,” Sunburst called standing atop his Zord. “Thrax struck again, sent an Org themed after a Voodoo Doll after us.”

Robert, even as he spun away to avoid another one of Stingerella’s strikes decided it best not to ask. Above him, the Phoenix Zord was blowing Levira’s launched missiles out of the air with blasts of flame.

“Oh, so nice to get in a good fight again!” the Kitsune Zord laughed and grinned devilishly. “You miss me kit?”

“Like a bad headache…” Robert snipped back, sensing many more of this very same thing coming his way in the near future.

“Nice to see you did!” the Kitsune Zord smirked before grabbing Levira’s jaws and prying them open his throat glowing orange. Levira’s eyes widened as if to say no, this couldn't be happening. The Kitsune Zord grinned devilishly, as if to say oh yes it was. “Lunchtime!” He roared, before force feeding her a blast of flame so intense that what was left of Levira’s body just simply turned to ash or melted away in gruesome fashion.

This intense display of violence had frightened Stingerella so much, she’d dropped her guard and this had allowed Robert to knock her back with a chi-infused palm thrust. He and Lightning then shared a nod. Firing bars of golden energy from their claw gauntlets, the two Rangers encased Stingerella in a gilded cage. Then, they charged up their Crystal Swords.

“The reviews are in, Stingerella, and they all say your performance stinks!” Lightning exclaimed as both she and Robert raised their swords skywards creating a rotating circle of runes above them. “Now, face our lightning dragon flame roaring!”

From the circle, a European style dragon made of flame and lightning emerged and flew towards Stingerella and bit down on her before twin slashes from Robert and Lightning's weapons finished her. Or so they thought. Apparently, she’d gathered enough fear from the populace to be able to grow to massive size.

“And here we go…” Robert muttered in a tone of resignation and hung his head. “Time to show this bitch some real animal power. Wild Zords, combine!”

With shifting and whirring sounds, the Leviathan Zord split in half and his head and jaw folded open to become feet and the tail split open at the back as the Kitsune Zord’s back legs folded up into his chest.

Excess metal in his chest detached to form twin katanas and it’s head folded downwards to become a chestplate as his front legs detached with hisses of steam with the wings of both the Phoenix and Thunderbird Zords detaching as the tail feathers sprouted clawed hands and both Legendary Bird Zords became the arms. The Phoenix sported the kanji for fire on her winged shoulder pad and the Thunderbird, the kanji for lightning on his own.

A tusked head popped up from the Kitsune Zord’s neck, and the Vampire Bat Zord, wings detaching as it grafted itself onto the back of the Megazord and it’s head moved upwards and became the helmet.

“Animaria Guardian, online!” Sunset called, smiling as she heard familiar systems coming online, weapons readying themselves for battle. “Stingerella, you’re in trouble now!”

Old memories filling them, remembering exactly what to do, all five Rangers placed their Crystal Swords into slots on their control consoles. Except… this was not how they’d ever done things before, and so performing this action had a drastic effect on the Megazord’s power levels and a golden glow began to fill the cockpit even as Stingerella began to do a series of cartwheels towards them.

“Power levels… They're skyrocketing!” Vapor shouted, the light starting to become almost blinding in intensity. “Not even when we formed the Winged Animaria Guardian to fight Solar Flare were they this high!”

“...The Lights.” Robert whispered, and everyone looked at him. “Don't you see? We've never used the Lights of Orion in conjunction with the Megazord before and if I'm right on what’s about to happen…” he muttered, theories beginning to form in his mind. Those theories were soundly proven right when golden armor covered every inch of the Megazord, even giving it a multi-pointed crown of sorts. “Orion Guardian, online!”

Even extra armor wasn't going to be enough against Stingerella's strikes however, as they were just as deadly as before, some actually sending poison into the Megazord’s internal systems and sapping away at it’s power. And thanks to the added weight from the armor, it was nowhere near as maneuverable as before.

Emily, in the Plesio Charge Megazord managed to pry Stingerella away for a brief moment and deal out some devastating right hooks but that didn't solve the Wild Force team’s problems. Suddenly, just as Stingerella managed to pry herself free from Emily’s grip, a green blur hit the monster again and again, resembling some sort of small eagle or falcon in the brief moments anyone could catch a glimpse of it.

“No… No, it can't be…” Sunset whispered to herself. “The Soul Bird?”

“Yes Sunset, it’s me,” the legendary Wild Zord said as Sunset found herself gripping a new green Animal Crystal. “For too long I've stayed inactive in the fight. That cost me dearly when the Master Org destroyed my home and then my chick. No more destruction, no more.”

The Megazord gripped the Bird’s tail feathers just as her beak opened. As this happened, Sunset placed the Soul Bird’s Animal Crystal in her Sword, and it became a glowing blue scimitar. The beak then spouted a similar blade as well, with Sunset shouting out: “Soul Strike!” before the Orion Guardian raised its blade skyward and brought it down in one powerful clash cleaving Stingerella in two.

Striding forwards, Emily fistbumped the Animaria Guardian with her own mech and smiled. “You did well today Rangers, you did well.”

High above in his ship, Bunglay smirked. They weren't the only ones. During the fight, when he searched through Robert's memories he’d managed to place a hidden camera under his skin connected to his neuro-pathways. And now everything Robert saw, including the Animarium’s wildlife, he would see as well.

Author's Notes:

Okay, took me several ideas before I finally decided on what this chapter was going to be about. One, as stated from the Discord conversation below revolved around this:

The BricklayerLast Wednesday at 6:16 PM

Have half a mind for the next Wild Access chapter (And this is in no way related to me re-watching Armageddon) for Thrax to just say screw it the monsters for once, grab a passing meteor and smash it into Ponyville, with lampshades from Robert commenting on Earth and PR teams seems to be meteor magnets.(edited)

---

ScootalooLast Wednesday at 6:16 PM

Suuure its not related to re-watching Armageddon, suuuure

---

The BricklayerLast Wednesday at 6:17 PM

Because seriously, how many times in Super Sentai and PR combined has a meteor tried to smash into Earth by this point?(edited)

It's something you pretty much expect by this point.
That, and an Evil Ranger of sorts.

Another idea was Lightning spending the day with Silver till something happened and she and Robert had to team up. (The whole Guardians of the Galaxy thing was always in every draft, along with the Megazord's return.) So anyways, this is what I ended up with, Bunglay returning and the full nature of Lighting ad Rainbow's relationship revealed in one particularly gut-punching way. Thank you Malla for that. And yes, the whole miniature Soul Saber thing is a reference to the Megablades, the Super Ninja Steel Blaster and the like, along with the miniature version of the Time Force Megazord weapons that Wesley Collins always used for the finisher moves.

As ever, comments, thoughts, and critiques are welcome.

Part 24: Against the Wind

NewTech City, 2025:

Just carrying a cart full of old machine parts, cyberjunk and computer tech really. That was one of his first real jobs at SPD, a glorified janitor. Not that he minded, everybody had to start somewhere right? He’d work his way up to the ranks of being officially qualified to be a Ranger sooner or later.

Just like at the Pai Zhau, he was a Cub all over again in a sense. Maybe he felt a little insulted at going back to basics -He certainly felt insulted that guidelines and rulebooks in SPD stated that he remove any distracting features from himself, such as his blue hair streaks- but he remembered that everyone had to start somewhere in the rank and file hierarchy.

Now he sorta knew how Jarrod felt really, back when he had to start all over again. Mind you, in Robert’s case it wasn’t because he was expelled or anything from his school, but the point still stood.

At least he still was allowed his headphones really, the SPD Cadet humming an old song -Well, old to some people anyways, he was a teenager when this song came out!- under his breath as he walked.

“Makin' love at seventeen, yeah, we had the luck
But we traded 'em toys and other joys, and we didn't give a- (whoa-oh-oh)
I took a chance at the high school dance, never knowing wrong from right
And that same show, forty years ago, being televised tonight…”

He chuckled at the irony, they called blue hair disruptive and yet this wasn’t? Distracting him from his work, and making him look up from his cart of assorted junk was one Sydney Drew, model, popstar -Though that one was debatable in his mind- trust fund baby, and currently B-Squad’s SPD Pink. Like he could mistake her for anyone else really. If the face that was constantly plastered all over the front covers of magazines, and the perfectly curled blonde hair wasn’t a clue as to who she was the pink toned uniform certainly did the trick.

“Hold it Cadet!” Syd called out, making him stop in his tracks where he stood and pull the headphones out of his ears. Subconsciously, out of sheer force of habit Robert fixed his hair a little as best he could given the circumstances.

“Yes sir, or uh ma’am!” Robert stated, saluting in an instance.

“What are you doing?” Syd inquired in a rather suspicious and somewhat nervous tone of voice, eying him critically and then taking a look at the computer junk in his cart.

“Not much really,” Robert remarked. “Just talking some old cyberjunk, y’know computer parts and stuff like that to the recycling center. Nothing that important really.”

He really didn’t actually mind this load of cyberjunk, considering what was in it. He’d eyed various parts of SPD’s mascot RIC inside the cart, and had personally thought good riddance to bad rubbish when he heard that dog was finally being scrapped considering God knew how many glitches it had. He’d once found it in his personal quarters, peeing on his old Pai Zhau training sword much to his annoyance. He’d had to summon Kat just to get it out of there, and he really didn’t like upsetting SPD’s top scientist and probably Cruger’s wife or mate or whatever. One of the only women he’d ever feared, aside from his mum or Theo’s wife Lily.

“Recycling, as in crushing, melting down and making into something new?” Syd replied in a somewhat worried tone of voice. Why she’d be worried about RIC’s parts was beyond him, the damn thing was as useless as anything he’d ever met.

“Yes ma’am,” Robert answered, with Syd then deciding to pull rank on him. He’d only later learn he’d been had and what Syd alongside Bridge and Boom had planned to do with RIC’s parts and in hindsight was grateful for that considering the asset RIC would later become. But right now, he was just nervous of the young woman considering he could get in a lot of trouble if he’d somehow screwed up. And on his first week at SPD no less!

Syd let out a gasp, and looked at him somewhat dangerously. “Cadet, did you sort the Earth metals from the galactic metals? The Earth plastics from the protein-inhibited plastics? The glass from the ultra glass?” she asked, with Robert stuttering and stammering all the while.

“...I didn’t know. Honest, I just thought all of this was just to be chuckled in the nearest recycling center, with the boys over there doing the sorting.”

“I’ll take over from here Cadet, you can go back to the SPD manual's chapter on recycling.” Syd stated, and with that marched off with her newly acquired haul. “Carry on.”

“But I-” Robert started, wanting to say he’d read the SPD manual twice over and there was nothing about recycling in it but Syd was having none of it.

“What part of carrying on did you not understand?” Syd asked, and Robert sighed with Syd smirking secretly to herself all the while.

Had he really known he’d just been played like some old fiddle, Robert probably would have smirked as well. He had to respect that, Syd had the instincts of a wily fox, and the beauty of one if he had to say so himself even if she was only eighteen. When she got to be his age, which granted wasn’t that really long considering he was 20-something at the time she would definitely be a looker.

Mind you, he wasn’t exactly interested in long-term relationships at all really, he was more of a freedom kinda guy. Do what he wanted, who he wanted, when he wanted and where he wanted. If he had more of an ego, he might have taken a page out of Otoya Kurenai’s book and called himself the Messiah of Love or something equally pretentious. But even he didn’t have that much of an ego at that age. He just hated ludicrously strict rules, like some of the ones SPD laid down at times. He knew they were there for a reason, even if he didn’t have to like them. But he’d follow them. He did want to be a Power Ranger, after all, he had his old master Theo along with TJ to thank for that.

“And now here I am, really…” Robert mused to himself as he began restitching his SPD uniform back together, shaking the memories away. Those were of a time long since past, a time very long since past. SPD was gone and lived on now only in memories.

“Then why am I…?” Robert asked, as he looked up from the sewing machine and his uniform.

“Why are you what?” Luna asked from somewhere behind him, and Robert let out a yelp as he jumped in surprise. “Repairing an old uniform from an organization that no longer exists and has not for thousands of years?”

“Princess Luna?” Robert asked, after regaining his composure. “...W-what are you even doing here?”

“What, I can’t drop by for a visit for an old friend?” Luna asked serenely, with a smile on her face.

“...Yeah, an old friend isn’t what I’d consider someone I had a quick shag with really.” Robert deadpanned, with a flat look plastered across his face.

“Yes, I do apologize for running with your feelings like that. ...You must understand, I do come from an age of chivalry where brave knights were rewarded for their courage and prowess in battle and I suppose seeing you may have gotten me a little caught up in the moment. I truly apologize, I truly do,” Luna replied, looking quite ashamed of herself. “Honestly, I really have no right to be here after what I pulled with you.”

“Ah, no sense crying over spilled milk really, let’s let bygones be bygones. You’re still a good friend Luna,” Robert replied. “No denying that. If ever there was a time I’d come to doubt myself or ponykind I’d know who to come to that’s for sure.”

“You sure Sunset would be okay with that?” Luna asked, with an eyebrow raised.

“Er… On letting bygones be bygones, I’m not so sure she would be okay with me talking to you. Alone at least, as God knows I’ve caught her beating up on a punching bag -several actually- with your face glued onto them. Best you stay clear of her for the time being, she didn’t take learning we shagged all too well if I remember correctly. Called you some words that were quite unbefitting of royalty when she learned you toyed with my feelings as you so delicately put it,” Robert remarked and Luna had the decency to wince at that. “So yeah, can’t really blame her for beating up on those bags the way she is. Old me probably would have joined her, really.” Robert continued with a small shrug.

“On the old you,” Luna said, changing the subject back to the previous one. “The jacket and uniform?” she asked critically.

“A memento?” Robert asked weakly, although he wasn’t even sure if even he believed that one. “Something from my glory days?”

“How did that old Bruce Springsteen song go again?” Luna asked. “Oh yes, now I remember. Glory days, well, they'll pass you by. Glory days, in the wink of a young girl's eye. Glory days, glory days…” Luna hummed to herself.

“Didn’t know you were a fan of “The Boss”,” Robert remarked in surprise.

“You get my point,” Luna stated, and Robert sighed and shook his head.

“Yeah, I guess I do,” Robert muttered. “I suppose in a way, I want to believe SPD’s alive and well in some way with me carrying it on, but I guess that’s just stinkin’ thinking as Applejack or Vapor would probably put it.”

“No, it’s actually rather sweet of you. Did you ever find out what happened to SPD?” Luna asked, resting herself on the windowsill.

“No, now that you mention it… I never did. Never have had the chance to go back to Tokyo, what with all of the crap with Retinax and Thrax and everybody else out to render us limb from limb these days. Planned to, especially when the Solar Streak returned but just can’t really.”

“Can’t?” Luna asked raising an eyebrow. “Or you just don’t want to?” she remarked, noting how the Shadow Saber sat out of sight seemingly like Robert was ashamed of it in some way. Robert’s silence said it all on the matter really. “Yes, that’s what I figured really. There’s nothing stopping you from going on a little adventure into your past except yourself really. The Rangers, especially with Trixie amongst them and their ranks now can handle monsters for the time being. You can go to the Neighponiese lands, and find out what happened to your old place of business. Hell, I’ll even have a squad of Royal Guards accompany you if you want, just to keep you company. Nobody should ever have to travel alone.”

“Y-Yeah, I suppose that would be nice,” Robert replied. “Thank you, Luna, again. Honestly, and I know this probably doesn’t help our relationship status much but in another time and place, who knows eh? Our relationship might have just worked out for the better.”

“Think nothing of it,” Luna replied. “I’ve been inside your dreams, and you probably don’t remember them as most people don’t remember what they dream about but I have seen you dreaming about bringing SPD back in some format,” she continued, and Robert shrugged as she had a point there.”I’m just a passing through pony, remember that.” Luna smirked, and Robert chuckled.

“...Okay, I have to ask, when did you start using or at least paraphrasing Decade’s catchphrase? Was it when Wyatt came to town, or-”

“You try spending time around a nerd, and see what happens,” Luna replied. “Mystic Mother knows you’ve spouted off a few borrowed catchphrases from time to time. “Hade ni Ikuze!” and “Count up your Crimes!” eh?” Luna smirked, and Robert laughed at that.

“Touche Luna. Touche.” Robert smirked back before Luna returned it and her smile faded.

“Something wrong Princess?” Robert asked, laying a hand on her shoulder.

“You, I assume heard the national address earlier?” Luna asked, and Robert gave her a flat look. “...Right. Of course you did. Now, the fallout is what I’m concerned about.”

“Chaos, mass hoards with the torches and pitchforks seeking to dethrone you?” Robert asked. “Because trust me, I’d gladly help ward them off in a heartbeat. No matter your flaws, you are a good ruler and Celestia is as well -Never thought I’d say that- and you keep this nation at peace.”

“Yes, but back in the day, when we first contracted the illusion that we moved the heavens it was for our own ego. Celestia, back when Solar Flare had her stronghold over her had quite the ego, and I’m sad to admit I enjoyed the attention as well. Our subjects were convinced we were gods, messiahs, saviors, or whatever you want to call it simply because to them we could control the ebb and flow of the tides and give their world light, at least from their point of view,” Luna explained. “We pulled the wool over their eyes for centuries and relished in it. I became reluctant from time to time, but my sister insisted we indulge their belief to better control the population. Or Solar Flare did, maybe. I’m not sure who Celestia was at times during those early days.”

“Tell people there's an invisible man in the sky who created the universe, and the vast majority will believe you. Tell them the paint is wet, and they have to touch it to be sure,” Robert muttered. “George Carlin, great comedian but a real intelligent chap to be sure. Ponies are stupid, just like humans are. By and large, the default population will believe anything you tell them. Hell, you probably have a few flat-earth believers nowadays thanks to the millennia of damage you did to knowledge as a whole.”

Luna let out a groan at this.

“...Oh great, you do have flat-earth believers. Almost as bad as those who thought the moon landings were faked, if you ask me.”

“...Wait, you landed on the moon? My moon? The one I was banished inside?” Luna blinked out in shock.

“Yeah, a real defining moment for the human race, can’t believe I never brought it up with you. We’ll have to watch Apollo 11 sometime, should give you a picture of what happened.”

“Yes, I shall look forwards to that, along with any other human science films or collections you can dig up,” Luna smiled.

“Eh, I can probably find some of Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s ‘Cosmos” if I looked hard enough, now that Celestia’s started releasing human history from the archives little by little.” Robert shrugged.

“You might be able to, who’s to say?” Luna shrugged. “Anyways… Back on topic. My sister sadly, she is still rather afraid of change deep down, it took her days for her to work up the nerve to release that address and a little bit of help from yours truly. I’ve got a few ideas that might help disperse some of the old-fashioned thinking, and get intelligence back on it’s proper course if I gained a willing volunteer or two.”

“Like what?” Robert asked. “Depending on the situation, I can probably talk Sunburst into this, all because it’s in the name of science.”

“Yes, you just might. I’ve been thinking a helium balloon of some sort, perhaps a weather balloon. Attach a camera of some sort to it, and if it rises high enough weather permitting ponies would be able to see the curvature of the Earth.”

“I just hope you know what you’re doing Luna,” Robert muttered. “To be a bit poetic, I can see rough sailing and choppy seas ahead. It’s going to be ugly when the fallout of this hits if your theory works -And I’m not saying it won’t as I do have faith in you- as you will be breaking some long-held beliefs. It’s like Galileo all over again.”

“Who’s Galileo?” Luna asked, her head tilted quizzically.

“Trust me, you don’t want to know. Pretty ugly part of human history really, religion based stuff generally is as anyone could tell you,” Emily’s voice came from a corner of the room and Robert managed to contain the reflexes that told him on instinct to go for his weapon and shoot her.

“God above, you all trying to give me heart attacks? I’m wanting to live to a ripe old age here…” Robert muttered before Emily walked into the room, and looked at him. “...What, are women throwing themselves at me now?” he joked, with Emily crossing her arms and giving him a very unamused look which Robert ignored. Luna did look amused, for the record knowing he was only joking. “Didn’t anyone get the memo, I’m very happily in a steady relationship once again thank you very much!”

“Speaking of SPD,” Emily remarked, picking up the Shadow Saber from its little spot hidden away and dusted it off. “Didn’t you want to learn how to use this? Well, come along. About time you get some training from an actual swordswoman.”

Robert met Emily in a field outside of town, with the former Samurai Yellow leaning up against an oak tree. Behind her, a full hunter’s moon high in the sky was visible with the storm clouds having finally cleared up from earlier.

“Please tell me I’m not going up against you,” Robert asked, gripping his commander’s sword in one hand. “Because no offense, but you have over 3,000 years of experience over me. Mite unfair, don’t you think?”

“Oh, you’re not fighting me,” Emily replied. “Of course you wouldn’t be, at least not yet.”

That didn’t soothe his worries any.

“No,” Emily continued. “You’ll be fighting someone who this blade has gone up against before. Well, sorta. See this?” she asked, holding up a small disk-like device with glowing green edges. “Produces a hard-light copy of a warrior. Not the real deal, but just as dangerous really.”

With that, she threw the disk to the ground and it created a green-skinned warrior with a long dangerously looking set of claws on his right arm, a red cycloptic eye amongst other robotic implants. Robert swallowed when he saw the warrior, he knew him all too well from the SPD files. General Benaag.

“...You call this starting me off lightly?” Robert shouted. “This isn’t easing me into the shallow end, this is throwing me into the deep end of the pool!”

“Will your enemies show any mercy? I have to ready you for this, and I figure giving you an opponent that’s just as dangerous as the monsters you and I fight on a daily basis is a good place to start. If it gets too dangerous and this Benaag gets too much of an upper hand, I will disengage the hologram, but remember…”

“No mercy,” Robert muttered before swallowing nervously. “Right then… Shadow Saber!” he called hesitantly, with the blade’s once dull edge becoming sharp as steel upon the activation call. He, as he charged into battle with his blade met and caught by Benaag’s claw noted how different the sword felt weight-wise compared to something like say, his Crystal Sword.

Benaag kicked him in the chest and Robert staggered back and quickly met a swipe from Benaag’s claw arm with his blade and parried it. He was doing well, so far.

“Benaag, he’s all upgrades, and really no fighting skill to speak off. All of those electronic toys he has on him, that’s what make him so dangerous.” Robert thought, and his point was only proven when Benaag fired a burst of missiles from his backpack towards Robert, with the Ranger having nowhere to run in time just because of how close he was to the warrior. The field erupted in small explosions and was covered in craters, and Robert was left bleeding and bruised but he was not giving up. This sword, it had a legacy and he was not intent on letting it down. Remembering the motions Cruger went through on the rare occasions he caught the Syrian training, Robert began using similar maneuvers.

Robert swung downwards striking the Benaag replica in the chest but took a small misstep with his foot and was stuck across the chest with Benaag’s rapier claws once more. Robert let out a growl of rage and swung downwards once more getting in another hit.

“Your style, it’s simplistic, based on only a couple of types of swings. While this might work against the average foot soldier, against an opponent like Benaag?” Emily instructed. “It will lead to only failure.”

This was demonstrated when Benaag’s gun arm fired a barrage of machine gun blasts at Robert, and while he was able to hold his ground against them and block them with his blade Benaag took this opportunity to send waves of energy slashes from his claw arm at Robert breaking his guard. As Robert staggered, Benaag charged and swung at Robert who was only just barely able to block the blows.

Robert tried something, desperate to gain an opening and leaped over Benaag using his shoulders as a platform and spun in mid-air striking the warrior across the back disabling one of his primary weapons systems. But Benaag was quick to react, and Robert still slow with the sword. Benaag spun around and smacked Robert in the face sending him sprawling into the ground.

Robert recovered, and his hand reached for the Shadow Saber but Emily’s boot stepped on it pinning him to the ground as she disengaged the hard-light construct of Benaag.

“Credit where credit was due, I didn’t actually think you’d get that far really,” Emily commented. “Getting in behind Benaag like that, using him as a stepping stone was clever and then disabling his weapons pack? Impressive. I didn’t actually think you’d be able to do that, considering that looked to be your first real fight with the blade. But you still lost.”

“Yeah, I did sorta notice that. If that was a real battle, Benaag would have killed me easily. Even with his simplistic style, and huge reliance on technological upgrades he defeated me easily.” Robert noted.

“I wouldn’t go that far, you did put up a fight and if you were a little more skilled and had a little more practice you might have won. But like I said, your style is too simplistic and I noticed as you got frustrated you tended to lash out and left yourself open far too easily. You need to be in a calm state of mind in battle, even amongst all the chaos and then and only then your blade will serve you,” Emily stated as she helped Robert off the ground and began bandaging him. “Think of it not of a weapon, but of an extension of yourself. Forget the legacy it has, you are not Commander Cruger however much you want to be, and that brings me onto my next point. Imitating his style as I saw you do is not the path to success here, you need to find your own. Find your own flow, if you understand my meaning.”

“I… I think I do. Thanks, Emily. Namaste,” Robert said before bowing. “...Okay, yes I know that’s probably the wrong gesture but it was what the Pai Zhau taught me and I cannot pronounce the Japanese thank you for the life of me.”

“Dōitashimashite.” Emily replied, and although Robert barely understood a word he understood the sentiment.

The Animarium:

“You’re up late Sunset,” Shayla observed as she watched Sunset go over the last battle with Neighsay via the main temple’s fountain. “...He got to you, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, he did. Should have seen the bastard coming, this is exactly the sorta crap Neighsay would pull.” Sunset noted and replayed a particular part of the battle with a simple snap of her fingers and a glowing green horn.

“Henshin.”

“Pomegranate Arms! An out of season bloomed sacrifice! Blood Orange Arms! The evil path on stage!”

“Where the hell did he even get Lockseeds to begin with?” Sunset asked, as she re-watched the portal to Helheim open in the sky and cover Neighsay in his armor with a splash of red liquid. “Seriously, the only way we got ahold of the ones Twilight has was when Dai-Shocker started opening up those cracks to that world, and we managed to burn all the Helheim fruits afterward so nobody could eat one and become an Inves. The cracks... Twilight just stumbled into one by accident, from what she told me. So how…?” Sunset trailed off before she groaned, and rubbed her head. “I’m sorry, I’m just too tired to think right about now.”

“Well, Neighsay is a powerful unicorn is he not?” Shayla asked as she observed the battle unfold, and watched Neighsay fire off particularly powerful spells. The one she took the most notice of was when Neighsay opened up multiple wormholes and fire out chains of lightning. “At least, from what I can see. It’s not that improbable that he’s found a way into Helheim. If Dai-Shocker can do it, and from what Wyatt told me and from what we know the leader is a corrupted version of Shining Armor it would not be improbable for a unicorn with sufficient magical ability to actually artificially create cracks.”

“But why, what’s the point? What’s he trying to prove aside from that he’s got a huge ego? Granted that alone would account for this but I can’t just help feel that there’s something more to all of this. Remember the way he worded things? “Fighting off Orgs and other monsters day after day, but now I think it’s time for the real power to take the stage.” That’s what he said right? Just right before calling himself Kamen Rider Savior.”

“It’s possible, although I don’t know how to prove this, that someone spited him. He does have a very huge ego as you mentioned,” Shayla theorized “And calling himself Kamen Rider Savior does hint that deep down he wants to protect ponies.”

“Yeah, just ponies…” Sunset grumbled.

“If I may continue?” Shayla asked. “Think about it, his title is Chancelor so that means he must be high up in your nation’s political arena right?”

“Yeah, he is,” Sunset replied. “His family’s always been in good with the nobles and Celestia’s court.”

“And you told me a while back Celestia and Luna were preparing a national response to Thrax and his Orgs after Lord Drakkon right? Perhaps he proposed a suggestion and for whatever reason, it was shot down. That was the slight, that’s what he’s trying to prove. Not that he’s better than you, but that his ideas have merit.”

“So, this was just a show, in it’s own deluded insane way, to the Princesses? That the Rangers, or us, are not the top power in the land or at least the only power?” Sunset mused.

“Quite possibly, yes,” Shayla surmised. “He wants to be noticed, he wants his ideas to be taken seriously,”

“Fat chance of that happening, not after the stunt he just pulled. I know the nobles, and although some of them dislike us for varying reasons usually for bigoted ones or think that we don’t do enough attacking me outright and attacking Equestria’s best defenders against the Orgs AKA my team would not get Neighsay in good graces with them,” Sunset replied.

“Yes, but consider this,” Shayla argued back. “Remember the message earlier today?” she asked, before replaying Celestia’s national address.

“My Little Ponies, this is one of the hardest speeches I’ve ever had to make to you, to any of you. I’ve been wanting to put this off for days, save you from the truth figuring it best you believed in what you’ve been told for centuries by your parents, their parents but no, the curtain, the charade must drop. It is for the best, the truth would have found itself a way to out one way or the other after all. I do not raise the sun, nor does my sister raise the moon. We never have, nor have will we ever do so. It was just a lie we cooked up, to make ourselves seem more powerful than we really are in actuality, just to make us seem like Gods. It was a mutual agreement then, just as the one to finally drop the charade now is. Now, what you do with this information is entirely up to you. Either you can depose us, and instate your own government or you can let us be and have us continue ruling. It is your own decision. Either choice you make, as this is your choice not ours, would not anger us. It would, in fact, please us for you to start finally making your own decisions instead of us doing that for you.”

“Think about it,” Shayla put in. “The full scope of this bomb that Celestia just dropped has yet to be seen, but the nation will erupt into Chaos most likely. Celestia is probably right, some will decry for her being dethroned along with her sister and this will be Neighsay’s chance to get the Nobles on his side. He can possibly take control over things now, forge powerful alliances and possibly a kingdom of his own once he’s won enough loyalty. I doubt that was his end game to begin with, but ponies like Neighsay…?” she trailed off.

“They take every opportunity they can get,” Sunset growled as she clenched her fists. “And I already know Neighsay has friends, Lightning’s father Wind Rider amongst them. He’s already well on his way.”

“Sleep now Sunset Shimmer, you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow…” Shayla warned.

Author's Notes:

Okay, so a lot in this chapter, mostly setting up for future events. Now, I admit I was confused on how an actual katana would be wielded but some long discussions with Eagle-Paladin of Shadows, the Stratovarian, and Seriff Pilcrow helped set me straight and I'm sure I'll be coming to them again. And yes, Japan nerds I know the Shadow Saber isn't an actual katana simply because it isn't curved but it was wielded like one.

Anyways, a small portion of this chapter's long Robert/Luna discussion owes itself to HawkerHurricane's One Step Forwards, A Huge Shove Backwards and specifically a chain of dialogue in chapter nine between Luna and that story's hero.

Also, yes, I did sorta make Robert that young cadet Syd talked to in Dogged, the one who was taking RIC's parts out to trash. Just because I could, and set a place in time in what Robert was doing in SPD in his early years there.

As ever, comments, thoughts, and critiques are welcomed.

Part 25: Fallout

Canterlot Castle:

Princess Celestia was not having a good day, to say the least. She’d heard the clamor coming up from the streets upon her big announcement, which didn’t really surprise her given her little ponies -were they ever her little ponies she wondered?- just had their whole world turned inside out.

Given the very large bomb she’d just dropped even if it was a long time coming she shouldn’t have been so caught off guard by the reactions of the populace upon learning their fair and gracious Princess didn’t actually raise the sun. Solar Invictus indeed, she chuckled lightly to herself. The truth was far from the reality.

Several of her guards -including quite a few in the Ranger Sentry corps- had quit outright upon the announcement, their faith in their leader completely and utterly shaken. Possibly shattered beyond any form of possible repair. She would try to win them back, but even she honestly had her doubts. She was gracious for those that remained.

She’d heard Luna was having similar troubles, but not on such a large scale perhaps. Several of the Kurokage Sentries had quit, but either out of loyalty to their Princess or out of fear of Galaxy’s rage -perhaps maybe both- most had stayed within her stead.

She was reminded of that old legal phrase, Non faciat malum, ut inde veniat bonum. Or in simple Equestrian: You are not to do evil that good may come of it.

She had done evil, even if good had come of that evil. She’d lied outright to her subject’s faces, that she and her sister were gods simply to keep them in line and keep them from revolting. And now it seems that they were on the verge of doing exactly that.

Chaos had erupted all over Canterlot, with ponies rioting as the Royal Guard struggled to keep everyone in order.

A mob had formed in the streets, torches, pitchforks and other assorted instruments in hand as it marched upon Canterlot Castle. From a guard tower, one Rumble Spear could see the mob marching towards the castle and readied his Genesis Driver and Energy Lockseed before a hand stopped him.

“No, best not,” Iron Phalanx had advised. “If they see us armor up and go Rider, we could only agitate the situation.”

“Man’s right,” Steel Sentry’s voice crackled over the radio. “I wasn’t placed in charge of the Royal Guard after Shining Armor became the Prince of the Crystal Empire only for Canterlot to fall to pieces under my watch. Keep yourself unmorphed for the time, but be ready to move if the situation worsens.”

“Worsens?” Rumble Spear squeaked out in abject shock. “How can it get worse? We’ve got a mob of angry civilians marching up to the Castle doorsteps with improvised weapons in hand!”

“Exactly, a mob of civilians.” Steel Sentry stated. “Now, I’ve had my ass kicked by a few Monsters, a giant rooster in particular but these are far from monsters in any sense. They are just civilians, angry and afraid and if we are seen using force to stop them in their tracks we could only make others believe Celestia is a tyrant and force others to rise up against her and her sister. Now, I ask you, is that what we want?” the storm-gray stallion asked.

“N-No,” Rumble Spear stammered out. “No, I don’t want that. None of us do!”

“Exactly,” Iron agreed. “So, trooper I tell you this. Hold your ground and do not do anything rash. Rash is the last thing any of us needs right now.”

Iron had foreseen this coming, and so had Steel Sentry for that matter. They knew as soon as Celestia dropped her bombshell, they would have to be ready for whatever came next. Oh sure, they were as caught off-guard as everypony else but they held fast. Celestia was still their Princess, and she had been for as long as they had been alive. Ever since they were both babes really, they’d looked up to her as a mother figure, for guidance, and for wisdom when it was needed. She was an inspiration to them.

Oh sure, their faith in her had been a little shaken when she revealed she was flat-out lying to their faces but they still were loyal. It was in their blood really, both of their families had long served Celestia’s personal guard, and Iron’s family had apparently served Luna before her banishment to the moon if his family tree history was to be believed. So, just because Celestia or Luna weren’t exactly gods, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t stop serving them. They were still their responsibility, all-mighty or not.

Privately, Steel Sentry viewed those who had quit the service as a disgrace to the Royal Guard and the Lunar Legions, as they were essentially abandoning the Princesses to the mercy of Canterlot’s many foes. The Changelings, the Orgs, the creatures of the wilds, whatever. Those who had quit did not deserve the honors bestowed upon them.

“I have a loyalty that runs in my bloodstream, when I lock into someone or something, you can't get me away from it because I commit that thoroughly. That's in friendship, that's a deal, that's a commitment. Don't give me paper - I can get the same lawyer who drew it up to break it. But if you shake my hand, that's for life.” Steel Sentry had always used that quote whenever he tested someone on if they were worthy on being a member of the Royal Guard, just like his mother Flash Fire before him. They both knew the quote came from an old human comedian of all things, Jerry Lewis was his name, but the point still stood true.

“So, what do we do then?” Rumble Spear had to ask.

“Anything we can.” Iron stated before jumping down from the guard tower to face the mob alone. But not alone, no. He was soon joined by Prince Blueblood, along with Duke Fancy Pants.

“One Night Guard stands alone,” Blueblood remarked.

“Not alone, no. Not anymore,” Fancy Pants corrected. “If I am going to die via the hands of a mob, let it be said on my epitaph that I died defending the Princess me and my family were loyal to ever since Equestria’s founding.”

“Well, good to see some of the nobles aren’t completely useless assholes,” Iron stated. “If you pardon the language.”

“For the record,” Blueblood stated. “I completely agree with you.”

Contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t a complete twat or a ponce as some of the upper crust or the lower classes of Canterlot liked to joke about. Celestia had taken him in as just a young foal, when his parents had passed and despite technically being his aunt he viewed her more as a mother. Sure, she’d made some bad calls here and there but in the end, she was still just a pony and ponies made mistakes. Nobody was flawless after all.

“Gentleponies!” Fancy barked. “You should be ashamed of yourselves, and I say this with the utmost conviction, very, very ashamed!”

“Ashamed of what?” Upper Crust shouted. “Celestia, and her sister! They lied to us, for centuries! They lied to our families! We raised our kids on their beliefs, and this is how they repay us? By saying that we were wrong?”

“You are right to be angered,” Blueblood mused. “I myself was more than mildly peeved when Celestia admitted she did not raise the sun nor did her sister raise the moon. My faith was shaken, but you know what? I grew up, and got over it! I moved on. My aunt… No, my mother is still the same pony deep inside is she not?” he asked, doing a mild adjustment to his tie. “Yes, she lied to us, and in a rather large way at that, but we should not give in to our inner desires and turn into barbarians just because we were slightly miffed by such a thing!”

“He’s right,” Sunset stated as she flew down to join them. “Now, I may speak from a biased point of view as I was raised by Celestia like a daughter but I have always had faith in her rulership! Remember every black day there was for us?” she asked, looking around at the crowd. “I feel your pain, and your anger, I do! I heard the exact same speech you all did, and my faith like Blueblood’s was shaken. But she is still Celestia to us, the kind mother who has watched out for us whenever we have needed us, guided us for centuries.”

“Agreed,” Fancy Pants put in. “Those black days Sunset here mentioned? Anyone remember the Changeling invasion of Canterlot by Queen Chrysalis? Or Discord’s reign of terror?” he asked to the angry crowd, slowly beginning to calm themselves. “She was there both times, along with her sister! They stood their ground, protecting us, even under fear of death. Even under fear of their kingdom being taken over by some outside destructive force beyond their comprehension and this is how you all repay them? I am ashamed of your behavior!”

“As am I!” Blueblood barked in agreement, with Sunset nodding silently. Steel Sentry, and Rumble Spear from the guard towers watched anxiously ready to make a move if needed but for the time being, it seemed the three ponies below them kept the mob at bay.

“And now look at you all,” Sunset stated. “Wanting to dethrone perhaps one of the only ponies who can keep Equestria in order and manage it all by herself. For one thousand years, when Luna left us, she kept Equestria safe from all threats. I repeat, all by herself! Now, I will stand aside now, and maybe you will enter the castle and dethrone Celestia and her sister, or maybe you won’t. That’s your own choice. But for me and mine, I will keep protecting Celestia till the day I die.”

“And so shall I,” Blueblood nodded. He had no idea what would happen next, and inwardly was terrified he’d just made the wrong decision and essentially was partial to his own mother’s murder but he would hold and keep his faith in the good ponies of Canterlot. That, after all, was all he could do.

“And I will as well,” Fancy Pants nodded in agreement as all three along with Iron stepped aside to let the mob move on past them. But they never did. None of the mob moved a single inch, and instead dropped whatever weapon they happened to be holding and began to disperse going back to their daily lives.

“Well, I guess the old saying is true,” Blueblood sighed in relief, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Words win wars indeed.”

“No,” Fancy Pants disagreed. “They prevent them.”

Now, under completely normal circumstances when uninvited guests entered the castle, it was the law of the land for the Royal Guards to attempt to convince the intruder to leave. If said intruder refused, force could be used to convince him to ‘leave’ and remove him or herself. Failing that, said force could be used to either place the individual under arrest and quite literally at times throw them in the dungeons, or to again literally kick them out. This time though, the guards on duty -Star Hunter and Flash Sentry- decided to not approach the 'intruder'.

It helped this intruder’s case when he was a seven-foot-tall griffon decked out in the finest armor and a magnificent looking tri-pronged crown with two flag bearers trailing behind him. Behind said king -His name was Boreas, after the griffon king of legends long since past- was his daughter and the Princess of the griffon lands Gilda Grimfeathers.

“Uh, sire!” Flash Sentry stammered out, saluting at once to the hulking king, dropping his pike on the marble floor with a loud clatter. “W-We weren’t expecting you here, nor your daughter for that matter!”

Boreas stared the four-foot tall pony down, the already towering griffon looking much larger than he already was thanks to how much of a ball Flash Sentry was trying to curl himself into. Even amongst griffons who were no slouches in the height department, Boreas was a practical giant.

Star Hunter, having met the king before at a few delegations kept his cool. There was a reason Celestia had her sights set on making him the next Captain of the Royal Guard and giving him the Tyrannosaurus Power Set.

“What he means is, your excellency, is we were never informed of your arrival and therefore never had any time to prepare. I’ll alert the chefs to start making your favorite steaks, medium rare just how you like it! Hell, I’ll get Hellfire down here if I need to!” Star Hunter stated, without any form of fear or hesitation. If there was indeed any fear in him at all, he did not let it show.

“Well, glad to see you haven’t lost your touch at all young chick,” Boreas told the midnight-blue pegasus. “May Orion shine upon you,” he said, noting the cutie mark of the constellation emblazoned on the left shoulder pauldron. Gilda eyed the guard approvingly, not many were able to stand their ground against her father, the dweebs. Fact is, she could count up on her claws the number of guardsponies or plain-clothed civilians who were able to keep themselves from pissing their pants in his presence. It was a really small number, with her sadly former best friend Rainbow Dash amongst them.

“I assume you’re here to visit the Princess?” Star Hunter asked, and Boreas’ only answer was that of a grunt.

“W-Well, I’m sorry but she’s not taking visitors at the moment, quite incredibly busy at the moment in fact!” Flash Sentry stammered out. Star Hunter facepalmed and Gilda sighed and shook her head.

“...Pathetic, the quality of the guards around here must be dropping severely,” Boreas muttered. “Not that they’ve ever been very good, to begin with,” he added to himself, before again giving that approving look to Star Hunter. “With a few rare exceptions,” he admitted.

Gilda tossed a glance to Flash Sentry, who wilted under her gaze. She groaned once more and muttered: “I don’t know why a chickenshit like you ever caught Princess Twilight’s eyes. It certainly wasn’t for your bravery.”

“W-Well, what do you expect, you barging in here like this without warning!” Flash Sentry stammered, suddenly gaining a backbone. For better or for worse, Star Hunter wasn’t sure. “I mean, you expect us to just quail to your desires when you rudely treat us like lesser beings?”

Star Hunter braced for whatever happened next, only for Gilda and her father to turn to each other and burst out laughing.

“...Well, maybe they are improving after all!” Boreas laughed uproariously before turning back to Flash Sentry. “Maybe you’ve got some of your grandmother in you after all!”

“T-Thank you, your Excellency…” Flash Sentry murmured at the comparison to the legendary Flash Fire. “You may enter when ready.”

“Bah, who needs permission?” Boreas asked, before kicking the throne room doors open with a loud Crash! “Certainly not I, a King and an old friend!”

“...I just had that fixed from the whole Midnight Sparkle/Genm debacle…” Star Hunter muttered to himself rubbing his temples as Boreas and his daughter walked into the throne room.

“So, an explanation for your uninvited visit?” Celestia asked curtly, bowing to her fellow Royal.

“So, the bomb was finally dropped huh?” Boreas asked bluntly, getting straight to the point as Celestia winced. “Your little chickenshit castle of lies came finally crashing down around you?”

“...If you want to put it that way, yes.” Celestia stated, ready to take any verbal blows as they came. In public, the two put up a pretense as friends but in private it was, in fact, the exact opposite. “I assume you’ve seen evidence of the rioting in which that I and my ponies have tried to quell?”

“Hardly call them your little ponies, if they’ve stopped listening to the Celestia News Network like sheep,” Boreas grunted, and a few chuckles came from behind him at the joke.

“Excuse me?” Celestia asked politely.

“Sorry, I meant the Canterlot News Network. Old griffon source of humor,” Boreas explained. “We’ve known for centuries the sun and moon didn’t raise themselves. Telescopes saw to that!”

“...Yes, I imagine they would have, if they were not tainted by my illusions,” Celestia sighed. “Yes, I admit to using old, powerful illusion magic on telescopes across the land. I would concoct some story of my evil half Solar Flare doing that, but we both know that would be a falsehood.”

“Quite,” Boreas agreed. “Now, you would agree that some part of you is a control freak?”

“Perhaps, but isn’t every ruler?” Celestia asked, and Boreas nodded.

“Yes, in some ways maybe we all like things just so as they say, but… BUT!” Boreas stated as he raised a claw. “Every King and Queen, every Princess and Prince know that they rule by the consent of their parliament or their court only, they are allowed to refuse Royal Assent amongst other things if they want, but they do certainly NOT govern with complete and utter totality!” Boreas stated with a long-held conviction, something he had been passed down from his father which his father’s father had passed down and so forth and Boreas had passed down to his daughter.

“Exactly, in the past few months I have slowly begun to realize that…” Celestia trailed off with a certain resignation.

“These past few months and this new realization wouldn’t have something to do with a certain human showing up, and these monsters you call Orgs raising Hell all over the country?” Boreas asked, with a raised eyebrow. The stone-feathered griffon had crossed his arms as well. Celestia’s silence on the matter said it all. “...I thought so,” Boreas hmmed to himself. “I can’t say I told you so, but… I’ll do it anyways. I told you so. Nobody can keep up a string of lies forever before that string unravels, and nobody can be ever so arrogant to think that it won’t.”

“Sadly, if I were a few years younger I would disagree with you and possibly ban you and your species from my country but now…?” Celestia asked.

“Yes, now. I assume your sister’s return set you on the path to calming your inner rages, and learning your country isn’t so infallible after attack after attack did so even more?” Boreas asked. “Be warned Celestia, your country is entering dark times, and the roads ahead will be rocky. As you no doubt already know, the Vox Populi or the voice of the people will not be silenced. It is how you handle this new voice that will define the next few years of your tenure.” he advised.

“I agree,” Celestia mused. “Perhaps seeing that I am ready to open friendly negotiations with a country that I have always had an uneasy alliance with will help matters?”

“What are you… suggesting?” Boreas asked, unwary of Celestia and what she might suggest next.

“A marriage. Not between you and I of course, but our offspring blood-related or not. A marriage between Gilda Grimfeathers and Twilight Sparkle. But only if they agree. If they do not, another way to settle matters will be found.”

“Very well,” Boreas stated. “Gilda, your thoughts? You do not have to go through with this, Celestia said so herself. Even if I don’t like her, she usually keeps her word.”

“I agree, Princess Twilight is rather easy on the eyes, for a pony. Plus it would give me an excuse to be closer to Rainbow. You know, my old friend from Flight School?”

“Yes, I remember,” Boreas nodded. “When you came home from Flight School you were bragging to no end about your friend’s prowess in the air! I thought about marrying you off then and there, considering you did seem to be infatuated with the chick!”

“Dad!” Gilda laughed, her facial feathers flushing red at the remark as Boreas laughed uproariously once more. Celestia just giggled in the background, as Celestia sighed and sat in her throne.

“Now, were it so easy with Twilight…” she murmured to herself. Yes, Twilight did want a good stallion or mare by her side -There was a reason she was so unhappy she had learned Flash Sentry was just using her for her title after all- but she was also quite stubborn in her beliefs. How slow she was to change in her ways and stop worshipping the ground Celestia walked on was evidence alone of that. Celestia honestly doubted she would take well to learning of an arranged marriage to someone she barely knew, and if Twilight’s friendship reports were of any indication, did not have a good history with at all.

She could only hope to the Mystic Mother herself that this frankly rather insane plan of hers worked.

“Now,” Boreas began, clearing his throat. “I overheard your guard Star Hunter talking about this mare known as Midnight Sparkle. Any relation to Twilight Sparkle? Sister, perhaps?”

Celestia slumped down in her throne and sighed. “Now that is a long story indeed.”

“I have time, so do tell.” Boreas replied. And so Celestia began…

Ponyville: Sunset Shimmer’s Home

Sunset groaned as she slumped down into her couch, taking a sip of her tea. Earl Grey, Rarity called it. It supposedly calmed the nerves but she didn’t really see the appeal. Might not have been her thing.

“Long day Sunset-Chan?” Robert asked, sitting down beside her and snuggling in close, wrapping an arm around her and allowing Sunset’s head to rest on his shoulders with some of her fiery locks falling onto his chest.

“...You have no idea,” Sunset muttered. “Even since Celestia dropped her big bombshell on everyone, it’s been absolute chaos. Rioting in the streets, the Royal Guard can barely keep everything under control, and even my own empathic abilities are barely of use on such large crowds worked up into a such of a frenzy.”

“I can imagine,” Robert sighed. “Statement like that, would cause quite a mess. But it was probably for the better in the long run, the truth will out as they say.”

“...Yeah, I’ll believe this is better when I see it,” Sunset groaned. “You’re in no state to be talking about having a bad day though really.”

“True,” Robert laughed. “Emily’s idea of training? Kicking my arse really. I know I need to learn to use the Shadow Saber, and fast, but this? This isn’t what I had in mind at all.”

“I’ll see if I can have Twilight or Fluttershy talk to her,” Sunset sighed, nuzzling into him a little further. “Maybe they’ll make her see sense.”

“No, for the best as much as I hate to admit it. As Emily herself stated, our enemies will show us no mercy for the real deal, so why should she?” Robert remarked, before he smiled at how close Sunset was to him. “Not that this doesn’t have some benefits…”

“Pervert,” Sunset stated, lightly slapping him on the chest, only for Robert to wince.

“...Still healing.” he groaned out, and Sunset winced.

“Sorry,” Sunset sighed, before wrapping her arms around his neck as she placed herself on his lap and kissing him gently. “Maybe that’ll soothe the pain…?”

“Maybe a little, and just maybe I can help remove some of that stress from your body as well. Can’t be good for you, working the political arena every hour of every waking day now can it…?”

“No…” Sunset sighed, before Robert’s lips captured her own in a brief chaste kiss that she was only far too eager to return, with a little bit of her distinctive fiery ferocity thrown into it. Eventually, Sunset pulled away with Robert letting out a small whimper at that as Sunset got up off of his lap and walked towards her bookshelves and began pulling old tomes out of them.

“Any volume in particular? You looking for “To Kill a Mockingbird” again? Cause I’m pretty sure you loaned that to Twilight a week ago if I remember correctly,” Robert remarked.

“No, not that,” Sunset grumbled as she tossed a book over her shoulder, nearly hitting a rather indignant Robert in the face. “Looking for a book on Dragons for Sunburst. Want to help him find our mysterious Gold Energem user,”

“Okay, so recap here. Might be missing part of the story here,” Robert remarked. “Seriously, might be able to lend a help. I’m no Twilight Sparkle here, but I’m not completely stupid.”

“Says the guy whose motto is “Go big or go Home” and is willing to fight off a Demon Prince alone,” Sunset snarked playfully.

“Oh, you wound me,” Robert smirked playfully with a roll of his eyes, taking the insult in good stride. “But seriously, recap what’s going on.”

“Okay, from Daring and Emily’s shared stories, and I’m willing to bet Galaxy saw this as well, we know that when they found their respective Energems in areas where Dinosaurs were known to inhabit, and both times they saw a vision of a bird-man called Torin handing out these Energems and bonding them to known species of Dinosaurs. The Aqua Energem, the Ankylosaurus. The Purple Energem, the Plesiosaurus, and presumably with Galaxy’s Graphite Energem the Pachycephalosaurus. Wow, that’s a mouthful to say.”

“No kidding. You should have tried to hear a friend of mine back in SPD pronounce Archaeornithomimus,” Robert remarked. “...You can sorta understand the trouble poor Boom had to go through with that. Don’t ask me why he wanted to learn the name or drag me into learning it, but he eventually did in the end. Though now that I think of it, it might have had something to do with when the Dino Thunder Rangers arrived from 2004 from Reefside… Made him fascinated with dinosaurs for weeks on end. Least till he learned of the newest ‘Extreme Upgrade” he and Bridge could do their computer, whatever that was. Never found out what that was. ...Or maybe it was upgrading RIC with the Battlizer capabilities derived from the Omega Ranger’s morpher tech.”

“I so need one of those,” Sunset remarked.

“What, one of the Omega Ranger’s morphers?” Robert asked, blinking a little somewhat clueless. “‘Cause I’m pretty sure I can’t get ahold of one of those on the fly.”

“No, I mean a Battlizer. From what I’ve seen, and what you’ve told me, those things can mash monsters pretty damn good.” Sunset remarked, still going through the bookshelves.

“...Well, shouldn’t your upgraded abilities the Falcon gave you give you access to one? The Animarium Armor in stored away in your belt buckle?” Robert asked in return.

Sunset sighed to herself sadly. “I asked Shayla about that once, and that Armor was only accessible to my predecessor Cole I think his name was because of how it was gained, with his friends solving some sorta puzzle and freeing Animus from his imprisonment in the netherworld.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll get one someday,” Robert said supportively, patting her on the shoulder. “All Reds seem to do so.”

Sunset suddenly let out a cry. “Agh, can’t believe I’m so stupid. Can’t believe we’re so stupid!” she cried out in self-disgust. “Been looking up these Energems on books on Dragons, hoping to find a book on Dragon legends that points to anything resembling an Energem, when we should be looking up books on dinosaurs! What types of dinosaurs and related pre-Paleozoic time frame creatures that might be strong enough to host an Energem’s power!”

“Bit of a list, as there are plenty of strong breeds. Like the many creatures related to the T-Rex for example…” Robert muttered.

“But it would narrow down the list. Mystic Mother, just wish we could find this Torin though, and ask him ourselves… But since that’s not possible, me, Sunburst and Twilight will just have to go through the lists and narrow down the possibilities one by one. The Ankylosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, and Plesiosaurus are already taken, as well as the Deinonychus, Deinosuchus, Archelon, and the Allosaurus are already eliminated because of their usage in auxiliary Chargers by Twilight so that narrows the list down by…”

“Seven? Not by much, I gotta say.” Robert deadpanned, and Sunset gave him a look.

“Still helps though, maybe we should look to the flying creatures as I imagine a Dragon would take to one quite well.”

“Pterodactyls are popular to make into Zords, so might start there,” Robert remarked helpfully. “Or, you know you could just ask the Dragon Princess outright, she might be happy to share Ranger to fellow Ranger.”

“Yeah, fun. Dragons have never particularly liked ponies, so that’s a long shot,” Sunset replied. Plus, she might not even know she can morph.” The Princess of Empathy trailed off.

“Still worth a shot though eh?” Robert shrugged, and Sunset sighed.

“...I suppose. Next time I get a chance, I’ll have some words with her.”

Robert smiled. “Yeah. Meanwhile, I’ve got a chore of my own to complete, namely getting in more bouts of training with Emily.”

Sunset whirled to face him, books dropping to the floor with a loud thud.

“You’re kidding, her training is killing you!”

“Kill or be killed, that’s what it is really. Either I learn to master the Shadow Saber or…”

“Or the Shadow Saber masters you.” Sunset growled lowly before storming off into her bedroom slamming the door shut. As Robert left the household, he could swear he could hear Sunset crying.

“Am… Am I really doing the right thing?” He thought to himself as he clutched the sword’s sheath. “Is Sunset right? Is any of this… really worth it?”

His comm inside his amulet chirped out a distinctive five note greeting, the old call Zordon used for his Rangers. Robert sighed, and readied himself as his gaze hardened and his clutched the sheath tighter drawing the blade and swinging it around once in a flash of metal and a swish of the air as the blade cut through it like a knife. He had to do this, he had to bring back SPD’s legacy if only a little. For better or for worse, this was his path now.

But all the same, he had to wonder, was it really worth it at all? Any of it?

Robert met Emily same place as last time, atop a quiet hilltop overlooking Ponyville, blossoming Sakura trees all around them. Emily leaned up against one.

“Okay, so we’re moving up a tier,” Emily stated, once Robert had disposed of his jacket and tank-top leaving him bare-chested with his battle scars visible to see. He knew he’d probably be working up a sweat anyways, so no sense in ruining perfectly good clothing that would probably have been ripped apart by sword slashes. “See you’ve already earned yourself a few battle scars.” the former Samurai Yellow noted.

“Most of them due to stupidity, I admit, but yeah… I have,” Robert shrugged in response as he energized the Shadow Saber. “So who’s today’s opponent?”

Robert swallowed when the produced hologram disk created an all too familiar figure, one with long black hair and very distinctive ugly black veins covering his cruel facial features. The figure raised his gold-tinted Power Morpher and let out a cry of: “Black Dragon!” and morphed into Lord Drakkon’s Samurai Upgrade, compete with the katana version of Saba.

“Oh, Verdammter Gott, allmächtig ... Du musst mich verarschen,” Robert muttered as he readied himself for battle. “You’re a real yatsume, you know that right Emily?”

“He is on the power levels of Neighsay, or Savior as he calls himself and I have no doubt that Neighsay will return to challenge you again shortly,” Emily remarked. “You need to be ready.”

“Is all of this really needed? The holograms? The whole bit?” Robert asked as he and ‘Drakkon’ circled each other blades drawn. “Or is this just some sadistic pleasure for you, you pushing me to my limits and potentially getting me killed? Did 3,000 years really change you that much? Because the Emily I remember, she’d never throw me to the wolves like this!”

“You’re right,” Emily acknowledged Robert as the Orange Ranger leaped skywards to avoid a sword swing from Drakkon before kicking the hologram in the chest making it stagger backwards. “I’m not the Emily you knew. But I’m the one you need right now, the one who will train you to be able to defeat any enemy, including Thrax if need be!”

Robert rolled to avoid a wide swing from Drakkon that would have cut him in half before kicking Drakkon to the stone beneath them with a leg sweep. Drakkon quickly recovered, and flipped backward and rebounded off a tree trunk only to slash downwards with Robert only barely blocking the strike. Robert staggered back but recovered his stance long enough to spin around and score a powerful slash across the chest.

“Whatever happened to you Emily?” Robert shouted as blades met, again and again, Robert side-stepping or parrying the strikes to bleed the power of Drakkon’s katana away. “What happened to your kindness?”

“I grew up, it happens! All little girls have to grow up sometime. You think I had a choice in the matter? I didn’t, when my sister got sick it was either me going into battle or her, and she would have died in the battle against the Nighloks if she went instead of me! I had to pick up her blade!” Emily shouted as the battled intensified with blades continuing to meet and Robert continuing to bleed away the power behind Drakkon’s swings. “You think I wanted this? Any of this?” she continued to shout, years of long-held bitterness and resentment finally being let loose. “But no, Mentor had me train day and night, night and day! All just to fight some fucking monsters created by some fucking eight-headed snake demon! That changes a girl, don’t you know?”

Robert caught a sword slash between his elbow, and his knee before kneeing Drakkon in the chest making him stagger back before Robert swung once more finishing the hologram completely.

Emily looked at her watch and sighed. Only two minutes, Robert needed to improve his time.

“Again!” Emily barked, as she set another Drakkon construct on Robert, who was already tired from the previous battle. “Not until you defeat him in under one minute will I let you rest!”

Panting, Robert roared in rage and charged at Drakkon with a powerful downward swing laced with glowing orange chi energy only for Drakkon to take advantage of the easy opening and kicked Robert into a tree and make him scream out in pain as two energy shuriken pinned him to it via his pants legs.

“That’s enough!” Zen-Aku roared as he fired off a crescent wave easily defeating the Drakkon construct and then he grabbed Emily with a paw and pinned her to a tree. Drakkon’s energy shurikens shattered upon his defeat and what was left clattered to the ground like glass. “What the hell is this? Because it sure doesn’t look like training…” the Duke Org growled out furiously, holding his flute dagger to Emily’s throat.

“Maybe not to you, but it’s what he needs!” Emily whispered, as behind the two Robert fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

“Oh, is brutal training that leaves the trainee bleeding and covered in bruises and scars needed? Because last I checked, it wasn’t,” Zen-Aku growled as he let go of Emily and helped Robert up off the ground. “Come with me, Zecora… she’s got a few salves and potions in her hut that’ll be able to help you.”

“Why… why did you come?” Robert coughed out, and Zen-Aku looked at him almost tenderly, if that were possible for the Duke Org.

“Sunset… she was concerned about you. I happened to be listening, so I followed you, and just happened to see… well, this.” Zen-Aku growled, casting a deathly glare towards Emily. “She may have been a Ranger once, but in my eyes, she no longer has the ability to bear that title. Not after this.”

As Zen-Aku teleported Robert away to safety in a black flash of light, Emily looked at her Energem which was mysteriously cracked. Hesitantly, she placed it in her Dino Morpher, which stated: “Purple Energem, engage!” but in a distorted tone of voice, almost like something was wrong with it.

She let out a cry of: “Unleash the Power!” and fired the morpher skywards but unlike usual, the shot did not return to her and change her into the Purple Plesio Ranger.

Emily let out a gasp of shock, and feel to the ground and let out a whisper of: “What have I done?”

The Everfree: Zecora’s Hut:

“Oh, this isn’t good, that woman,” Zecora spat as she rubbed a thick green salve of some sort, -blended from various herbs in the forest- all over Robert’s body bloodied and bruised body, cuts and sword slashes covering the human. “The one who did this to him, she shall pay dearly for this indeed. This was not training as you describe it. No, this was torture!”

“Yes…” Zen-Aku growled out, a deep snarl in his words. “How I’d like to show her the fruits of her labors, let her see what she’s reduced this Ranger to,” he said, handing Zecora a wet rag to place over Robert’s forehead.

“Thank you, my wolfish friend, you make a nice change from certain types of ponies who normally drive me round the bend.”

“So, the rumors are true, there really is a rhymer in you,” Zen-Aku remarked. “Trixie, she and I… Well, we talked a little while back and she told me you gave up rhyming for Rubik’s Cubes.”

“Well, not entirely,” Zecora admitted, even as she fiddled with one of those cubes nervously. “I must keep this up, lest my language crumble to dust.”

“I can understand that, wanting to keep one’s culture from vanishing,” Zen-Aku mused before a theory began to form in his mind. “Although I do not like that Emily woman, one must wonder, do you think her feverence in training Robert to use this ‘Shadow Saber” as it’s called,” he wondered as he gestured to the weapon in question, laying at Robert’s bedside. “Is in hopes of preserving her own family’s Samurai culture?”

“It is possible, I admit,” Zecora remarked in thought. “Though that does not make me like her any more even with that line of reasoning.”

“Quite,” Zen-Aku agreed before chuckling darkly, making Zecora look at him.

“What is so funny, Night Wolf?” the zebra inquired.

“It’s just… It’s a cruel thing, fate is to this team. Robert, he keeps ending up in hospital care via no fault of his own and out of action, and it’s a cruel irony that as soon as the Rangers gain a new power in the Orion Guardian Megazord and the Soul Saber they lose access to that power as soon as the partner to the Kitsune Zord finds himself out of action.”

“When you put it that way,” Zecora mused. “It does seem like someone up above -Ludicrous as it sounds- as it out for this team.”

“Wouldn’t be any more ludicrous than a God who thinks testing a team involves taking away the planet’s sole means of defense.” Zen-Aku huffed, having heard of Animus’s little stunt from Merrick on their travels together.

“Agreed,” Zecora sighed as she continued rubbing ointments all over Robert’s chest. “How do you think we should break this to the team?”

A loud clattering sound as a Growl Phone hit the wooden floor gave the two their answer, as Zecora and Zen-Aku turned to see the rest of the current Wild Force team alongside Trixie and Shayla staring at the bedridden Robert with various expressions covering their faces.

Lightning’s was one of incalculable rage, Sunburst’s was one of disbelief with his sister mirroring that expression while Shayla and Vapor looked like if they were about to break down crying. Sunset’s looked unreadable.

“All of this time…” Shayla whispered to herself. “Robert was suffering under Emily’s idea of training while I never-”

She couldn’t finish the sentence before she broke down in a sob.

“I’m sorry, I’ll deal with this,” Sunburst said as he led her out of the room with a whisper of: “Follow me, Princess.”

The others were swift to follow, allowing Zecora, Zen-Aku, and Sunset some privacy.

“Thank you Zen-Aku,” Sunset smiled warmly, resting a hand on the Duke Org’s shoulder. “Now tell me, where’s Emily?” she growled out.

“No, going after her would only complicate matters, and besides I think letting her stew in the knowledge of what she’s done is punishment enough,” Zen-Aku stated. “While I admit I would love to lay a hand or two on Emily after this, revenge is never the answer I’ve found. Always leaves you feeling empty and hollow, and it accomplishes nothing.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right…” Sunset murmured, curling up her fist into a ball and punching the nearby doorway.

“Sunset, please! Contain yourself!” Zecora shouted, pointing to the small scorch mark left by Sunset’s punch.

“Y-Yes, I’m sorry Lady Zecora,” Sunset whispered. “It’s just… Well, my temper as of late has been…”

“Flayed? Yes, I can quite understand, between this and dealing with political matters down in Canterlot,” Zecora sighed, resting a hand on the young mare’s shoulder. “I believe it best if you take a break from saving the world, at least for the time being and let the other Rangers handle matters. Daring and Galaxy, Shining, Zen-Aku, Trixie, along with the rest of your team. They make quite a formidable force do they not?” Zecora asked.

“Yes, but…”

“You believe it’s not enough?” Zecora asked. “Have no fear Sunset Shimmer, I’ve been reading the stars, and they tell me a new hero of some sort is about to join us soon.”

Sunset staggered back in surprise.

“Is… Is that true?” Sunset asked. “A new hero? What kind? Is he or she a Ranger?”

“That… Well, I cannot say,” Zecora admitted. “All I can say is that it is something we have not seen the likes of before, and possibly never will ever again. I wish I could be less cryptic, but I’m afraid this is all I have for you Sunset Shimmer.”

“So… How long until…?”

“Robert heals?” Zecora asked. “A few days maybe, at the very least. But even after he heals, I would not recommend he strains his body any for a few days after, so that means no Ranger activities, and no saving the world.”

“I… I see. Thank you Zecora, rest assured I’ll keep an eye on him. We all will.” Sunset stated.

“Of that, I am sure of.”

Author's Notes:

Okay, honestly there's quite a few things I'm unsure of in this chapter. Am I pushing the drama too much by having Robert spar against holograms of past villains with the Shadow Saber instead of just doing Kendo with wooden swords? Hell, am I giving Emily a case of what TV Tropes calls adaptational villainy or Ron the Death Eater? Am I making Robert the center of everything too often, and am I putting him off to the side in bed-rest far too often?

I need your blunt, brutal honesty on this. On all of this.

Now, there was a scene that got cut in this chapter, and that was namely me having a scene of Neighsay rallying the townsfolk of Ponyville against Celestia only for Lyra to call him out, along with Lightning confronting her father for going along with Neighsay. Now, the two reasons I cut this is because really, there's only so much Neighsay one can take and I feared it would be a repeat of the scene in Canterlot with the nobles calming down the Canterlot civilians.

Anyways, as ever your critique is welcomed.

Next time, an Inspiration Manifestation and W-B-X Crime and the City...

Part 26: Inspiration Manifestation Part 1: (The Book)

Golden Oaks Library:

“Uh Twilight, what are you doing?” Spike asked, and to be honest he wasn’t entirely sure if he wanted to know why exactly his mother figure was standing over a giant piece of stone glittering with all sorts of gems -Spike had to keep himself from drooling- with a chisel. Twilight’s eyes were set in intense concentration as she chipped away at the stone, knocking free some of the gems. Magictite if Spike remembered correctly, but what was Twilight doing with such a rare stone in the first place, and why for that matter?

His eyes began to drift. Near the massive stone which sat on a table, rested a little card saying: “With love from the Pie Family!” and a crude crayon drawing of Pinkie giving the peace sign. Spike forced back a chuckle. Guess that answered the question of what Twilight was doing with a chunk of Magictite but didn’t answer why exactly. Also resting near the stone were little pieces of metal.

“Crafting,” Twilight answered simply, never taking her eyes off the stone.

“...No seriously Twilight, what are you doing?” Spike asked in a deadpan tone, arms folded and an eyebrow raised.

“Like I said, crafting.”

“...Um, okay then,” Spike said pulling up a chair. “Didn’t know gem cutting was a part of crafting anything,” he remarked, grabbing some of the Magictite or at least trying to before Twilight smacked his claws away.

“Ep-Ep-Ep!” Twilight started. “I need these!”

Spike rolled his eyes, keenly noting Twilight’s research on her Lockseeds had been put aside for the time being. Both the Sengoku Driver and the varying Lockseeds had been shelved, and were currently gathering dust, quite literally.

“Need them for what?” Spike started slowly.

“Well, if you may remember, the Orgs have sorta been getting the drop on us lately. And with one Ranger down, decided we needed a bit of help. So I remembered something my counterpart from Wyatt’s world told me about.”

The sounds of hammers driving in nails, and drills driving in screws echoed throughout Ponyville as repairs from Drakkon’s brief, but still frightening reign of terror got underway.

“I’m sorry, Pla-What?” the Twilight from this world asked her counterpart with a rather confused expression.

“PlaMonsters,” the Wizard version of her repeated, slipping a ring onto her finger and tapping it to her belt. She held her hand up, a small mechanical bird seemingly made mostly of orange gemstone appearing in her hand. She put the ring on its stomach and it sprang to life, flying around their heads. “Familiars that can be used for scouting out monsters or other tasks.”

“Cute!” Twilight briefly squeed, booping the little orange bird on the beak and it nipped slightly at her finger affectionately. “I’ve got to get me one of these. No offense intended to Owlowiscious but I think I can find some use for this little guy… Owlowiscious, he’s just a pet you understand, I don’t think he can sniff out monsters like this… Well, I think it’s a Thunderbird.” Twilight mused, eying the creature closely.

“Garuda, but you were close,” her Wizard counterpart corrected. “Another bird tied to storms. The Thunderbird is from what Wyatt calls the Native Americans while the Garuda is from the Indian subcontinent.”

“Okay, so how did you…?” Baroness Twilight asked.

“I've attuned Rarity's gem hunting spell to specifically find the magic stones for my rings,” Wizard explained, letting Garuda land in her hand. “As for how I came up with it, I didn't. Once Zecora and I start carving the stone, we just let it take the form it wishes.”

“Interesting… I wonder if I could come up with something similar. The element of surprise, getting the drop on an Org or anything else, that’d be a definite advantage. ...Probably suppose I should focus my efforts on these Lockseeds your Applejack gave me first though.” Twilight mused, idly tossing the Dragon Energy Lockseed in her hand several times.

“If that's what you want to do, then go for it,” !Wizard said, taking the ring off Garuda and letting it disappear. “Just something to consider.”

Twilight nodded.

Back in the present, she was repeating her counterpart’s words to herself. “Just something to consider…” she mumbled

“Well, took ya long enough, you Princess Dweeb!” a very familiar, and to be rather frank somewhat unwelcome voice remarked, and Twilight looked up from her work to see Gilda standing there in slashed jeans and a leather jacket.

“Oh boy…” Spike muttered.

“Hello Gilda,” Twilight remarked, crossing her arms and her horn crackling with magic out of pure instinct. “So, come to apologize for the stunts you pulled last time you were here? Pinkie’s still not entirely pleased you ruined her welcome to Ponyville party she did for you.”

Gilda actually burst out laughing.

“Oh, that’s a good one! Me, apologize for getting fooled by all those lame pranks?” she cackled throwing her head back as she did so before she noticed Spike and Twilight’s glares. Wiping a tear away from one of her admittedly brilliant amber eyes, she stared at Twilight. “...Oh wait, you were actually serious about that. Suppose I’ll get to that when I feel like it. Anyways, you really should consider yourself lucky you know,” Gilda remarked, filing away at her claws. “Landing someone as hot as me and all…”

“Excuse me?” Twilight asked, alarm bells starting to go off in her head.

“Wait, wait, wait, slow down!” Gilda exclaimed, waving her paws and her eyes wide in abject shock. “You’re telling me you don’t know? Seriously, your ‘all-loving’ Princess of the Sun didn’t inform you?” she asked, punctuating ‘all-loving’ with air quotes just for good measure.

“Know what? What didn’t Princess Celestia tell me about?” Twilight asked urgently.

“...Wow, you really are out of the loop,” Gilda mumbled, rubbing her temples with a paw feeling a headache coming on. She sighed and began to explain. “Well in that case, quick recap. To keep my father from going ballistic, -you remember him right? All-mighty king of the Griffon Kingdoms?- and from him deciding to overthrow Celestia or whatevs, your teach decided to foster a peace treaty in the only way she knew how. Arrange a marriage between you,” Gilda continued, poking Twilight in the chest with a claw. “And me.” Gilda then said, gesturing to herself, and wrapping an arm around her new ‘wife’. “So break out the party cannons, the wedding veils and the giant slabs of roasted meat! We’re now officially engaged!”

“B-B-B-But… WHAT!?” Twilight stammered out before letting out a squawk of shock shoving Gilda away as she did so. Gilda huffed as she picked herself up off the wooden floor. “Okay, okay… This… This… This is…”

“Deep breaths Twilight. Deep breaths,” Spike reminded, holding up a brown paper bag as his mom began to hyperventilate. Twilight quickly took it as Spike stared the griffon down carefully, his eyes boring into her own. Gilda wouldn’t admit it at the time, but being stared at by a dragon was pretty damn scary especially when you took in the fact said dragon could fry you to a crisp anytime he wanted. “Are you sure you’re not joking? Are you sure you and Rainbow Dash haven’t made up, and Rainbow’s just off waiting in the wings somewhere with Pinkie waiting to jump out and yell “Psyche!”

“As nice as making up with that pony-loving dweeb is, and yes I do understand the irony now,” Gilda grumbled. “Even I couldn’t think up this as a prank.”

“...This… This is completely insane, even for Princess Celestia!” Twilight bellowed, throwing her arms up in the air in exasperation. “She… She wouldn’t do this! She couldn’t, she wouldn’t!”

“I’ll… I’ll just… uh, show myself out,” Spike commented with a little nervous laugh pointing to the door. “Rarity needs my help after all.”

He then dashed out the front door like a bat out of Hell leaving behind a smokey afterimage of himself in his wake.

“Newsflash Bookhorse,” Gilda stated, crossing her arms. “She can, and she did. Look, I’m not happy about this either, but as long as it keeps my father from going completely nuclear and invading your country with a good couple thousand griffon troops then I'll go through with it,” Gilda remarked, taking a long deep heavy resigned sigh as she slumped her shoulders and sat back in a nearby armchair. “Look Twilight, the last thing any of us wants is Equestria under Griffon occupation right? Flags of Griffonkind superiority hanging everywhere, and all that. Probably a few new statues of my father as well, after he knocks down the statues of Celestia and Luna.”

“...Please don’t call me Twilight.” Twilight mumbled in distaste.

“You’re gonna have to get used to me calling you that considered that we’re now, y’know, married and all,” Gilda sighed, before grabbing Twilight by the shoulders and looking her dead in the eyes. “You gotta listen to me girl, do you want any of what I just described to happen?”

“No…” Twilight whimpered. She had to admit, Gilda was kinda attractive in a way. In that bad girl you didn’t ever want to take home to your parents kinda way.

“Look, as I said I’m no fan either. But there’s some good that can come out of this. Seriously, aside from me being hot as all hell and rather good in the sack if I do say so myself, I make a very great bodyguard.”

“...What, you’ll scare everyone off with your griffon battle roar?” Twilight chuckled weakly, cracking a small nervous smile. Gilda smirked in return.

“Not exactly…” the griffon princess replied, before getting into a martial arts stance and her entire body glowed with a misty sea-green aura that looked frighteningly familiar to Twilight.

“No way…” she thought, her jaw hanging slack and it was soon to drop even further as an elephant in the same color of Gilda’s aura smashed through a wall. After she’d recovered from her shock, she turned to a smirking Gilda.

“How…?” Twilight whispered.

“Spirit of the Elephant. Seems there’s a few followers of the Pai Zhua way still out there,” Gilda shrugged. “Who’d have thunk right? Like I said, one hell of a bodyguard.”

“...You do realize I just had that wall fixed right?” Twilight asked with a deadpan stare.

“Eh, I’ll repair it. Consider it part of my dowery.”

Meanwhile, one Emily Suzuki had found herself wandering the edges of town, her swords on either her back or on her hip in their sheaths.

“God-Dammit!” Emily swore silently to herself, as she thought back to her last -emphasis on last- training session with Robert.

“Is all of this really needed? The holograms? The whole bit? Or is this just some sadistic pleasure for you, you pushing me to my limits and potentially getting me killed? Did 3,000 years really change you that much? Because the Emily I remember, she’d never throw me to the wolves like this!”

“You’re right, I’m not the Emily you knew. But I’m the one you need right now, the one who will train you to be able to defeat any enemy, including Thrax if need be!”

Emily’s eyes watched as she saw Robert knock the Drakkon hologram to the ground with a powerful leg sweep. He was improving, bit by bit. Developing his own style, and not just mimicking Commander Cruger’s. Drakkon quickly recovered, and slashed downwards after a brief bit of acrobatics with Robert only barely blocking the strike. Robert staggered back but spun around and scored a powerful slash across the chest.

“Whatever happened to you Emily?” Robert shouted as blades met, again and again, Robert side-stepping or parrying the strikes to bleed the power of Drakkon’s katana away. “What happened to your kindness?”

Emily flinched, the words stinging her like a nick of blade. Was Robert right, was she being too harsh on him? Was all of this really needed, the holograms, the whole bit? She could have easily trained him in kendo if she wanted to, but no instead she was pulling this sorta shit.

“I grew up, it happens! All little girls have to grow up sometime. You think I had a choice in the matter? I didn’t, when my sister got sick it was either me going into battle or her, and she would have died in the battle against the Nighloks if she went instead of me! I had to pick up her blade!” Emily shouted, remembering back to when she saw her sister lying in bed, coughing thanks to a bout of pneumonia. The doctors said she’d live, but her sister was in no shape at the moment to pick up the fight against the Nighlok. Even now, she remembered the hot tears streaming down her sister’s face as she handed Emily her Folding Zord. “You think I wanted this? Any of this?” she continued to shout, years of long-held bitterness and resentment finally being let loose. “But no, Mentor had me train day and night!” she continued to shout, her words quickly beginning to lose their meaning even as the battle continued, with one Drakkon Hologram being replaced by another.

Robert swore loudly, another remark of “Yatsume!” was tossed her way somewhere in-between the clashing of blades.

“Again! Not until you defeat him in under one minute will I let you rest!” Emily barked, and in the back of her mind, she swore she could have heard Serena’s voice.

“He’s got a point you know, any Ranger worth his or her salt defeating that monster in under two minutes? That’s enough, just enough graduation,” 'Serena' commented. “The poor man’s exhausted, and yet you still push him so. What happened to you Em?” her sister asked, and Emily fought back tears before pushing her sister’s voice out of her head.

And then Zen-Aku came, darting out of the shadows and pinning her up against a tree and giving her a sound lecture. After that, he picked up Robert and gave her one last look before vanishing.

“...She may have been a Ranger once, but in my eyes, she no longer has the ability to bear that title. Not after this.” Zen-Aku snarled in disgust, his fangs bared and eyes glowing.

As Zen-Aku teleported Robert away to safety in a black flash of light, Emily looked at her Energem which was mysteriously cracked. In later days, she’d know the reason why that was, she’d gone against the code that had bonded it to her in the first place. She’d gone against her own character, her own innate kindness. But right now, she was more than a little hesitant placing it in her Dino Morpher, which stated: “Purple Energem, engage!”

But this time, it was in a distorted tone of voice, almost like something was wrong with it. And there was something wrong with it, as Emily was soon to find out.

She let out a cry of: “Unleash the Power!” and fired the morpher skywards but unlike usual, the shot did not return to her and change her into the Purple Plesio Ranger. It finally hit home for her then, and she fell to the ground fighting back tears of sadness and sorrow. Next, she let out a whisper of: “What have I done?”

Back in the present day, Emily looked over the town of Ponyville where night was falling. She’d heard from Zecora -who had been looking at her with no small amount of disgust- about Robert’s condition.

“You see what you’ve wrought?” the zebra snarled, as she pulled Emily into the hut’s small little guest bedroom. “Look at this, just look at this!”

Emily didn’t want to, but she was forced to anyway. Robert, covered in just barely healed cuts and bruises. More scars that would probably be added to his already long list. She fought back hot tears that were threatening to break. Shame, that was what she felt right now. Shame for herself, for breaking the Power Ranger and Samurai Codes.

“Serena, what have I done…?” Emily whispered to herself, clutching the little Ape Folding Zord that hung around her neck in it’s triangular folded up format. Not even right now, could she hear it’s gentle calls or words of wisdom. It was like even it was disgusted with her.

“I don’t know who this Serena is, nor do I care,” Zecora nickered in disgust. “But you’ve brought shame upon your house, your family!” she roared. “I thought you and Robert were in the language of my people; sisi ni sawa or one in the same. Adhered to the same codes, the same standards of right and wrong. Guess I was wrong on many aspects. Right now, you’re no better than the monsters you fought against.”

With that, before Emily was even allowed another look at Robert, Zecora was practically shoving her out the door. Not that Emily blamed her, really. She wouldn’t want to be around herself either, at least not at the moment.

Back in the present, looking at one of her swords, Emily briefly considering pointing the blade tip at herself and shoving it through her stomach. Emily then chose against it, while it would restore her honor it would not change a thing. Robert would still be laying in bed, and the Orgs would still be wreaking havoc. With a cry of rage and frustration completely unsure what to do at this point Emily swung her Spin Sword widely, cleaving a tree clean in half. With a mighty crack, it fell down accompanied by a loud thud as birds flew away from the small grove in fear flocking to the skies.

“So, wonder if there’s any truth to that old saying about a tree falling in the forest and a bear hearing it?” a familiar voice, usually full of warmth and comfort remarked as a figure began to shimmer into existence in sparkling flashes of light almost resembling fireflies. “...Because, let’s be frank here little sister, your attitude probably would scare away a bear or two. I know it’s scaring me.”

“S-Serena?” Emily whispered, nearly dropping her sword where she stood. “I-Is that you?” she stuttered out, almost too afraid to ask.

“Oh little sis…” Serena whispered. “Of course it’s me, didn’t I always say your big sister would be there when you needed me? Didn’t I always say that?”

“B-But… But you’re dead! I was there, I went to your funeral! H-How can you b-be here?” Emily whispered.

“Blame Bunglay,” Serena remarked. “You’ll have to pardon me for my language here, but the bastard didn’t really seem to realize that if you open a door to the spirit world, someone may just step through. A door can always open both ways, you know.”

“S-So I’ve noticed,” Emily stuttered out, remembering some of the vague accounts of previous Rangers and even a villain in Prince Olympius’ case returning at either the best or worst possible times. “Tell me, you here to shame me like everyone else, disown me as your sister?”

“Oh, you know I’d never do that… I’ll always love you sis” Serena whispered, placing a hand on her sister’s arm in a comforting motion. “I’m just here to give you some advice, try and remind you who you are.”

“Yeah, I doubt that’s possible, I lost my way centuries ago. What I did to Robert, that was proof enough of that.” Emily spat out in disgust.

“And yet, while the way you did it cannot be excused in any form, you still had his best interests at heart,” Serena reminded her. “You just thought what you were doing was the best way.”

“But how do I get my way back? Return to the way I was before, kind and understanding? Willing to help others in need, not always solve problems with a blade!”

“You’ll figure it out, I’ve got that much faith in you sis,” Serena stated, ruffling her sister’s messy blond hair. “You’re strong, strong as the Earth itself. For you to go on this long, always trying your best to adhere to your own values… Well, in a way that says a lot more than any form of spoken or written word ever could.”

“But that’s the thing sis,” Emily shouted. “I tossed those values aside long ago! You know perfectly well what I did!”

“Maybe so,” Serena replied, her voice barely as high as a whisper. “But you can still get them back. Nothing that’s part of the Earth can ever be fully destroyed, only rebuilt. Rebuilt ever the more stronger. I have enough faith to believe you can rebuild yourself back to the fine young woman you once were.”

“...I wouldn’t exactly be calling me young Serena,” Emily laughed, and Serena chuckled.

“Point, but you know what I mean, don’t you?” she asked, and Emily nodded. Serena smiled, and gestured for Emily to sit as she conjured up a familiar looking flute. “Come, just listen for a while. Be at peace.”

For what seemed like forever, lost in a sea of tranquility Emily just listened as her older sister played her flute, and Emily flashed back to younger simpler times when it was just her and her sister, and then just her and her friends. Back before the days when she found the Purple Energem, and back before the days when her friends and family started to die off one by one. Back before her downfall.

“Your playing... “ Emily smiled. “It hasn’t changed one bit. Actually, I’d say it’s gotten better.”

“Well, being dead does give you a lot of time to practice,” Serena chuckled, and Emily returned it. Serena then kissed her sister on the forehead. “Never forget sister, never forget.”

With that, she soon began to fade away.

“Serena!” Emily shouted.

“I’m sorry, but from here on in, you’ll have to figure things out on your own. But remember sister, remember what I told you. Stay strong, and stay kind. Both me and Mike, we’d want that.” Serena said, before vanishing in a swirl of leaves. Emily stood there on that hill, for only God knew how long before she heard footsteps walking up from behind her. Emily turned, and saw Princess Shayla walking up, with the Princess of Animaria putting a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry…” Shayla whispered, only for Emily’s dam to finally break and she started sobbing with Shayla bringing her in for a hug.

“No, I am…” Emily choked out, and Shayla just held her as the former Samurai Yellow cried.

“Know what?” Spike asked one Owlowiscious the owl as he traversed the probable maze of bookshelves in the old ruins that once was the Castle of the Two Sisters. In times long ago, before Luna decided to go on a power trip of sheer jealousy as we all know, this was where Celestia and Luna called home. Now, it lay rotten and mostly abandoned. Mind you, knowledge ages old was still long held in its walls, gathering up dust laying mostly forgotten, but Spike thought here he could find a solution to his current dilemma. “This blows. Seriously, this really blows. I mean, not for me of course but for Rarity. You saw her right?”

“Whoo?” Owlowiscious hooted.

“No, of course, you didn’t. But she was laying on her couch, crying her heart out with tubs of ice cream surrounding her. I mean look, I got over my crush with her long ago but-

“Whoo!” Owlowiscious hooted in reply, and Spike rolled his eyes even as he began searching through the bookshelves for anything of use.

“Yeah yeah, believe what you want bird,” Spike said, waving his claw dismissively. “Point is, she’s my friend, and I can’t just let her sit like that wallowing in her own misery right?” he remarked, with a shrug of his shoulders before tossing what was apparently a useless book aside. “Argh, there's gotta be something in here somewhere.”

“Whoo!” Owlowiscious hooted, again. Somehow, don’t ask me how but Spike could understand the owl. Must have been years of living with him.

“It's not ‘who’, it's ‘what’! Like, what can help Rarity make something in time for the fair? She really, really, really wants to make a creative contribution,” Spike continued, going on through another book and then tossing that one aside as it too proved to be useless. “She said I'm her favorite dragon, so it's up to me to come through for her in her time of need. There's gotta be some kind of spell that'll do the trick.”

“Whoo!” Owlowiscious hooted.

“Yes yes, I know, not many would go out on this far of a limb for someone they used to have a crush on,” Spike continued. But seriously Owlowiscious, Rarity’s more like a big sister to me than anything else right now. If I was interested in romance, I’d try someone my own age.”

“Whoo!” Owlowiscious hooted.

“What?” Spike laughed. “Scootaloo? Seriously? You got to be joking. Pretty sure she’s sweet on… um, well, Sweetie Belle.”

“Whoo!” Owlowiscious hooted.

“If you say so…” Spike muttered before he groaned. “Oh come on, help a dragon out would ya? This is for Rarity, you know, the mare who made you that little bow-tie once?”

“Whoo!” Owlowiscious hooted yet again.

“Yeah yeah, I get it,” Spike replied with yet another roll of his eyes. “You don’t think we should use magic. But still…”

“Whoo!” hooted… well, you know by now I think. Spike’s thoughts then turned to other matters for the time being. He had to admit, he was rather taken off-guard by these sudden revelations by Gilda the Grumpy, and her now arranged marriage to Twilight.

“Owlowiscious, you really think Mom’s making the right move here?” Spike asked, as he hopped down off the ladder. “I mean, I get this is to foster peace and all, but shouldn’t she be marrying for love?”

“Whoo!”

“Yeah, I suppose it’s possible she may wind up falling in love with Gilda, but I dunno Owlowiscious, I just don’t like it. You know how arranged marriages generally work, right? Once you’re in it, you can’t get out of those damn things. That’s Twilight’s situation now, she’s stuck with Gilda the Grumpy for life!”

“Whoo!”

Spike actually laughed at this, it was a scoffing laugh but a laugh all the same.

“What, you think there’s more to Gilda than meets the eye here?” Spike asked, raising an eyebrow. “Owlowiscious, as much as I love your optimistic view, this is the same griffon who insulted us over a bunch of childish party pranks that weren’t even meant for her. She made old Lightning Dust, from what Rainbow told me about old Lightning Dust or Mystic Mother, old Robert look tame by comparison in sheer demeanor!”

“Whoo!”

“Yeah, I suppose maybe you’re right. Maybe I should get to know her better,” Spike muttered. “Not like I have much choice. Maybe you’re right, maybe there is another side to her nobody’s seen yet, and she just has to open up more.”

“Whoo!”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. Maybe I should talk to Rainbow Dash, the two were childhood friends after all. Remember, they did meet at the flight camp. Bahamut above, I even remember the motto!” Spike commented, before reciting it. “Junior Speedsters are our lives, Sky-bound soars and daring dives! Junior Speedsters, it's our quest, To someday be the very best!” he sung, with a little wave of his finger to some unheard tune. “You know, whenever I sprout wings, I really should look into getting into that camp. I mean, it’s not like there’s any other dragons around willing to teach me how to fly.”

“Whoo!”

“...Okay, sure maybe mom would help as soon as she figures it out but still, I think I should be socializing with kids, or at least teens my own age, right? Good for me isn’t it? As far as I can tell, the flight camp has a very loose definition of junior.” Spike shrugged.

“Whoo!”

“Yeah yeah, believe what you want…” Spike muttered. “I’m just saying here, I need to start applying myself more, be something more than someone’s glorified gopher! You know, do something with my life. This is my way of starting to do that. Just be a friend, y’know.”

“Whoo!”

“Okay, you know that’s starting to get annoying right, you judging me like that?” Spike asked, with an eyebrow raised. “Maybe not be a superhero or anything like that, but you get my point right? Just be something aside from a Number One Assistant, gratifying as that title is. I heard this quote from a man once, great guy. Created the Power Ponies if you can believe it. He said this to me: “One thing I do know is this, I don’t know where the hell I’ll be in 5 years. Maybe I’ll be producing movies, maybe I’ll be on a corner selling apples. I don’t know, but I’m having a hell of a lot of fun.” Man, I wish I’ll get the chance to meet him again. Don’t know if I ever will, but I wish I do get that chance again. Bahamut above, what a guy. Always loved to shout Excelsior for whatever reason, but what a guy…” Spike sighed wistfully.

“Whoo! Whoo!” Owlowiscious hooted urgently, pointing to a book that looked oddly out of place. Spike looked at it, and hmmed to himself. He pulled, and with a distinctive click, a wall moved aside to reveal a dimly lit passageway where at the end of it, rested this book with spikes covering it.

Spike walked up to it, and read the title. “Inspiration Manifestation, let all your dreams come true…” he snapped his fingers. “Yeah, this is gotta be it!”

Owlowiscious hooted nervously somewhere behind him

“Oh great…” Spike muttered. “First you support me, and then you change your mind. What’s with you?” he asked, as Owlowiscious glared at him, and the book. “What’s got your feathers all ruffled? If I wasn't supposed to have it, it wouldn't be so easy to get. And it's covered in spikes, like me!”

With that, he grabbed the book and ran off, missing the small flickering of lights, and a gray elf-like figure appearing and snickering a little before vanishing.

Author's Notes:

Okay, so yes. This fic isn't dead and I'm not completely focusing on To the Stars and Destiny's Play. I'm still devoting a bit of my time to this, and because I have the whole week off thanks to Thanksgiving I can write as much as I want to.

Speaking of writing, huge thank you to Thunderclap for coming back to write Wizard!Twilight upon request, and for helping me set up the PlaMonsters. Also, thank you Shagohad for giving me the idea that will form the basis for this storyline.

Now, as ever, comments and feedback are welcomed.

Part 27: Inspiration Manifestation Part 2: (Revelations)

Canterlot:

Sunset Shimmer was not a happy mare. But then again, she never could really be said to be a happy mare a lot of the time. The life of a Princess was… stressful to say the least. The mobs gathering outside the castle with torches and pitchforks a few days back was evidence alone of this.

And then there the pressing issue of her immortality. Ever since Emily Suzuki -Sunset still was practicing the perfect punch to line up with that woman’s face- dropped the bombshell of that Energem of hers making her an immortal, she’d been thinking about it more and more lately.

She had to ask herself, what was the point in all of that power being an Alicorn granted used to protect people and ponies alike that you happened to care about if you were just going to watch them die off in the end anyways? It wasn’t really an issue she could talk to the Phoenix Zord about, given the Wild Zords didn’t seem to share ponykind sensibilities and concerns for the most part. They were worlds apart in some ways. For Wild Zords, they just lived on and on, protecting the Earth never really getting close to that many people, and with probable good reason.

After all, when your partner was destined to die of old age or you probably were going to defeat your main villain long before that happened what was the point after all? At times, Sunset did feel they were just tools to the Wild Zords really, that’s all they were. Just tools.

As she soared over the skies of Canterlot, Sunset sighed. Maybe that’s why she and the Phoenix were such perfect matches for each other. In their own respective ways, they’d closed themselves off from the world at one point or the other. Sunset, she’d shielded herself, and guarded her emotions for years, never really allowing anyone to get close to her up until recently when she met Twilight Sparkle and company. The Phoenix, probably the same thing but she’d probably been so guarded for even longer.

In a few years, when Thrax was defeated the Phoenix and all the rest of the Wild Zords for that matter along with Princess Shayla would have no use for Sunset and company and would return to their island in the sky hidden away amongst the clouds waiting for the next bearers of their Animal Crystals to come along and that would be that.

Sunset was just a means to an end, a host to the Phoenix’s ideals and to be quite frank Sunset supposed she liked it that way in a manner of speaking. She’d treat the Phoenix from here on in as just a partner, nothing more and nothing less and that’s when it came time for the Phoenix to leave she wouldn’t feel so broken up about it. There would be no arguments, no fuss, no tears shed or anything of the kind. It would just be two soldiers on the battlefield parting ways, that’s all it would be.

Wouldn’t have been the first time this had been done, really as Sunset had recently found out.

It was late one night on the Animarium really. Sunset didn’t have any real reason to be up here, except maybe to escape the stress of Princesshood. She’d often found the gentle nighttime air up here, along with the chirping of the crickets and the beckoning calls of the various Wild Zords to be rather calming really.

She smiled as she felt the breeze rush through her fiery mane and her eyes turned when she heard the distinctive flapping of wings behind her, and a shadow loom over her blocking out most of the moonlight.

“Well, someone’s been doing their reading,” the Phoenix Zord chimed in, her head tilted and her green eyes narrowing in on the particular book Sunset had borrowed from somewhere. Twilight’s library probably. The Phoenix Zord noted the title. “Sexuality 101. Everything you wanted to know about sex but were too afraid to ask.” she read. Yep, definitely from Twilight’s library. She had a guidebook to literally everything, that mare. She chuckled, or whatever the bird equivalent might have been. “...Took you long enough I suppose.” the Phoenix Zord remarked.

She noted the particular passage that had been left open.

“An asexual (slang term: ‘ace’) is some pony who experiences no (or very little) sexual attraction. That does not necessarily mean they cannot be attracted romantically. They can be any number of things, actually. They can be heteroromantic, homoromantic, biromantic or aromantic.

“Like all orientations of the sexual spectrum, it’s not a choice like the uninformed may think but a way of life. Asexuals have no problem with sex as such, they are not unable to have it. They simply just have very little interest in the subject, they may perform the act to please their romantic partner or having children but have no real interest otherwise. Make no mistake, asexuals can feel romantic attraction but generally do not desire sexual relationships instead favoring strong platonic ones.”

“It explains a lot doesn’t it?” Sunset remarked. “I mean, ever since I was a little filly I always sorta knew there was something that little bit different about me. I mean, even when I was growing up under Celestia’s personal tutelage I didn’t exactly have any strong interest in colts of fillies. I had more interest in books and magic than anything else.”

“So, nothing to be ashamed about is it?” the Phoenix Zord asked.

“Yeah, I suppose…” Sunset remarked. It’s just… Well, you know my current situation. Mystic Mother knows you and the other Wild Zords probably gossip your heads off about whatever interests you really.”

“I’m above that rot,” the Phoenix Zord huffed ruffling her feathers in annoyance. “I’m actually shocked you think of me like that. But please continue really. If you ever need help, that’s really what I’m here for. Not just a partner, but a friend. A mother figure if need be.”

“Maybe that’s why I was always so fond of Twilight,” Sunset continued. “I mean, not just for her shared love of books and knowledge, but because she’s… well, to be frank about things a prude. She simply doesn’t like talking about sex, least as far that I know of. Unlike her sister-in-law. Mystic Mother knows I’d never be having a conversation about this with HER! There was a time I couldn’t even mention the word bananas around Cadence without her breaking out into a giggling fit of some sort.”

“...I don’t want to know, do I?” the Phoenix Zord asked.

“No, trust me. You don’t. I’m still trying to forget,” Sunset shuddered. “But I guess now, I suppose I feel a sense of relief, like some sorta great weight’s been lifted off my shoulders. I feel like I… belong, you know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“I’m not gay, I’m ace. Simple as that. The sexual side of heterosexuality, eh, to be honest, it never quite did it for me, and Mystic Mother knows I’ve never been into mares. Twilight maybe, if the looks I saw her tossing Princess Ember’s way at the Winter Ball were any indication-”

“-And the fact that she hangs around six other mares for close friends, that’s gotta have something to do with it right?” the Phoenix Zord butted in.

“Eh, a lot of mares are lesbians,” Sunset shrugged. “It’s not really surprising, given the skewed mare to stallion ratio. Sure, there are plenty of stallions around but mares still out-number them.”

“And herding’s a thing…” the Phoenix Zord singsonged, and Sunset flushed as red as her mane. She did wonder where her Zord got her sense of humor at times.

“...Oh shut up! J-Just let me talk okay?” Sunset stammered out. “Being ace, well, sure it’ll probably have some issues in the long run relating to my relationship with Robert but I feel like a part of a community now, like I finally belong somewhere.”

“Question, and I hate doing this but it has to be asked. Does Robert even know what being an 'Ace' means? He doesn’t strike me as the book-smart type, at least when it comes to certain delicate matters like this…” the Phoenix Zord trailed off, and Sunset winced. She had a point. Sunset… Hell, she hadn’t even heard of the term until she’d actually picked up that damn book and read through it.

So, that begged the question, did any of her friends or Robert know what the term meant? I mean, take Rainbow Dash for instance. The mare was loud, crude and rather book-dumb. Same could be said for her on again, off again partner in Lightning Dust.

Fluttershy, she’d probably faint rather than talk about sex.

Applejack, raised in a rather traditional family. Maybe not shoot you if you were a gay type of traditional, but still rather traditional and somewhat old-fashioned.

Rarity, understanding and inclined to romance as she was was still rather colt-crazy from time to time. Sure, she was married but she still did have that shrine to Trenderhoof, that much Sunset knew. Zephyr had been grumbling about it once or twice.

Vapor, well it was impossible to know her stances on sexuality even with Lightning as a sister. It wasn’t something the mare really talked about to be perfectly honest.

And Robert was well… Robert. What more needed to be said about him really?

As it stood, Sunburst and Twilight knowledgeable as they were, were probably the most likely to even know of the term and understand the situation.

“I know what you’re thinking, Sunset,” the Phoenix Zord stated kindly. “It’ll be tough, I know. But every couple faces challenges in their relationship, and working through them? That’s the sign of a healthy relationship. If Robert doesn’t accept you the way you are, that’s his loss. You’re a fine young mare, and deserve only the best. But, while we’re on serious subjects, we need to have a little talk you and I,” the Phoenix Zord stated, switching tones to a far more serious tone, one that revealed the wisdom of the ages and reminded Sunset that she was speaking to a creature that had seen civilizations rise and civilizations fall in the blink of an eye.

“About what?” Sunset asked, somewhat nervously. Whenever the Phoenix Zord adopted that tone of voice and dropped the kind caring motherly tone she used most of the time, it never bode good intent for Sunset or whoever the Zord happened to be speaking to really.

“Our time, it’ll have to come to an end, you know that right?” the Phoenix Zord asked, looking down at her friend/partner/daughter figure, with her piercing green eyes gazing into the young woman’s soul.

“...Yeah, I figured about as much,” Sunset replied. “I mean, once Thrax is defeated, you’ll just move on. I mean, I know what happened when Adler was defeated, Shayla took the Ranger’s morphers away and just retreated up here to that island in the sky for the next couple of thousand years. Bit of a bad move on her part if you ask me, depriving the world of a Ranger team.”

“...Yeah, I admit it’s not one of her best decisions,” the Phoenix Zord murmured, rubbing the back of her head with a wing. Sunset didn’t entirely know how the head didn’t burn up, considering the wing feathers were almost constantly ablaze but then again maybe they didn’t really hurt the Phoenix considering it was her own fire and all. “I don’t like it either, this whole Code of the Wild Zords as it’s called.”

“Code of the Wild Zords?” Sunset asked curiously, not entirely sure if she wanted to know.

“Yeah, it was established by Animus long ago. Long before the time of Adler, it was actually shortly before the first Rise of the Orgs as we called it, was the time the code was first enforced, and then for the first and only time… broken.”

“W-What do you mean?” Sunset asked, definitely not sure she wanted to know now, given the tone the Phoenix Zord had taken, like she was barely fighting back tears.

“You sure you want to know?” Zen-Aku’s voice asked as the Duke Org stepped out of the shadows.

“She has a right to know!” the Phoenix Zord argued to him, Sunset watching the twosome’s back and forth nervously.

“But would she like the outcome? It would change her perception of you forever. Hell, not just you, but Animus and the rest of the Wild Zords as well!”

“It’s an ugly part of our history,” the Phoenix Zord admitted, clawing at the ground with her talons. “But it’s a part that cannot be forgotten. You know that as well as I do.”

“Yeah…” Zen-Aku growled, brushing his paws through the waters of main temple’s viewing pool/Org alert fountain. Why he wasn’t damaged by the waters of the fountain, that was a mystery. Then again, most of Zen-Aku was a mystery to begin with. He’d always been far from your usual Duke Org. “Just watch. Long ago, there existed three Rangers, guardians of and partners to the Falcon, King Cheetah, and Tiger Shark Zords. Together, they fought off what would eventually become in years time the Warstar Insectoid Army years later fought off by the Power Rangers Megaforce.

Sunset watched these three Rangers, all male and all fighting off various green creatures resembling insects. For the most part, the Rangers wore mostly stark blue, red, or yellow costumes depending on the Zord, with a smell adorned animal head on top of their helmets. A white striped V was on their torsos, and each had a golden small pin of the sun on their right breast.

“They called themselves the Power Rangers Vulcan Force. They were the first humans Animus decided to entrust with the powers of the Wild Zords, just to see if they were ready for such a great responsibility,” the Phoenix Zord continued, picking up where Zen-Aku left off. “Sadly, things would take a turn for the worse after the battle which temporarily drove away the Warstar Empire. After the Empire was driven away, Animus requested the Wild Zords take their leave from their partners. The Zords, they complied but not without some hesitance understandably. They had been these three’s partners for years.”

“The humans, whose names were Dai-Kan, Col-Fier, and Th-Ram were not so keen on saying goodbye to their partners. So, late one night they snuck into the Temple of the Wild Zords intent on retrieving their crystals.” Zen-Aku continued before his voice turned even harder if that were possible. “Animus appeared before them, and even as the three Rangers begged and pleaded to be reunited with their partners to continue protecting the Earth Animus simply raised his hand, and in a powerful concussive blast made them explode. Just like as if he snapped his fingers. Just. like. that!” Zen-Aku hissed out. “Before she left, Shayla told this story to the Wild Force Rangers of the year 2002 and warned them against any attempts at retrieving their Zords. I don’t know why I was revived, maybe as some small semblance of mercy from Animus to Merrick, his long favored friend so Merrick would not be lonely forever. However, aside from Taylor who was a pilot, did the others get their chance to be with their partners again in any sense? No, Animus did no such thing, and still even today he will not budge on his stance.”

“Even with his competent parts -aside from the Black Lion who is far too loyal to him- arguing against will not make him sway on the matter. Nor will any amount of argument from any of the Wild Zords.” the Phoenix Zord sighed sadly, shaking her head. “Remember Sunset, make no attempts even retrieve me, or even think of me once Thrax is defeated unless Animus decides to repeat history. I’d like to think he’s softened over the years, but sadly changes comes hard for a God. You know this all too well don’t you Sunset?” the Phoenix Zord asked, not wanting to sound cruel but she had to let Sunset know the full scope of their partnership and how soon it would come to an end.

“I… I understand.”

Sunset bit back a snarl as she landed in the streets of Canterlot, that damn God for all his preachings about what to do with power was a Mystic Mother forsaken hypocrite! She still remembered his little speech to Solar Flare.

“You dare place your hold upon others like a madman? You dare to think that you have power over others just because you are stronger?” Animus spoke in a booming tone, almost a mix between a roar and a soft tone.

Solar Flare laughed, “Heh, fine talk coming from a god.”

“Even a god remembers that he is nothing without those to remember him,” Looking down at the world below he also added, “And they are nothing without the free will to allow them to step into the light. We gods need to use our power wisely.”

“And that is?” Solar Flare asked with a chuckle.

“To serve as a guide into the light, so they can stand with us. And if not that, surpass us,” Animus said as he clashed blades with Solar Flare, much to Celestia’s pleasure. “Perhaps that will happen one day soon. Perhaps it’s already happened with both me and Celestia. You, however… Know nothing of the burden of being a god. You only care about the power.”

Sunset’s fists clenched even as she walked into the doors of the restaurant known only as Charbroiled, started up by a certain Org and his Tenga partner. God, now that was a laugh. Animus really needed to have a look once more at what becoming a god came with, the duties and responsibilities. All he was right now, until he had a good hard look at himself and strived to change was a tyrant and possible eco-terrorist. Some Lord of the Wild Zords he was.

Sunset shook herself free of those thoughts, remembering why she was here in the first place. She knew that this particular Tenga who worked here had worked long enough with Thrax’s forces before defecting to work alongside his boss and follow his true dreams as a cook to learn quite a bit about Thrax’s plans and long-term goal. She idly wondered why Thrax had yet to tie up loose ends. It made her wary really, was Thrax really planning something so big he didn’t even care if information got spilled? Something so big and something so dangerous that the Rangers wouldn’t be able to stop it if they tried?

As she walked in the door, Sunset caught wind of a conversation between Rumble Spear and his seemingly ever-present partner Steel Phalanx talking over a cup of Hokkaido Milk tea.

“...I’m telling you, I don’t know what was in that package Celestia wanted me to deliver to Lyra’s home, or why her specifically for that matter. All she said was that it’d make the Orgs’ troubles doubled.” Rumble muttered. Sunset shrugged it off, whatever that was about she’d probably find out soon enough.

Slipping a small green ring onto her finger, Sunset summoned up a portion of parts from a place between dimensions, the parts forming a little griffon with Sunset bringing it to life by placing the ring on its back. Creating it was almost like assembling a model kit really.

“Keep watch boy, okay?” she whispered. “Don’t want any surprises, now do we?”

The griffon chirped and flew above the entryway, perching itself above it in a place amongst the rafters. Sunset thanked the Mystic Mother Twilight had been able to craft this PlaMonster and its summon ring quickly enough. As long as Sunset’s magic wasn’t exhausted, and that wouldn’t be for a long while yet, this familiar would keep itself active.

“Hey Charcoal, you there?” Sunset called as she walked into the kitchen, and found the Org in the midst of filleting a puffer fish with the help from his Tenga cohort.

“Oh Sunset, if I know you were coming I would have had a meal fixed up right quick for you and your boyfriend!” the Charcoal Grill Org rambled. “I tell you, ever since Hellfire endorsed me and my restaurant, business has been sskkkkkyyyyyrocketing! Seriously, I’ve had customers like Fancy Pants and the like coming in to try my creations, and you know the best bit? They don’t even care I’m an Org!”

“Good for you Charcoal,” Sunset stated, patting him on the shoulder. “Good for you, sadly my boyfriend’s not with me and neither am I here on pleasure. I’d actually like to speak to your assistant if you don’t mind.”

The Org nodded, and gestured to his Tenga friend who took off his chef’s hat, and apron and gestured towards one of the storage rooms. Sunset nodded and followed after.

“I think you know why I’m here,” Sunset started.

“Yeah, I do,” the Tenga who everyone had just started to call Crow by this point replied. “You want to know my former boss’s big plans for Canterlot right? Well, my advice is to get out, and get out fast. Get everyone out of Canterlot, as what’s coming… well, I shudder to think of it.”

Sunset now noticed that the back room was full of books that had looked to have been packed up heavily in a hurry and that there was a sense of urgency and fear in the air that she hadn’t taken notice of before now.

“No seriously, like get the Hell out of here. The Great Dragon, he’s returning. I don’t know where Thrax found him, I seriously don’t but somehow he did. And now, there’s soon to be a serpent in Celestia and Luna’s little garden.” Crow shouted, grabbing ahold of Sunset by the shoulders. “Run, just run, don’t look back and hope he never finds you. For God’s sake, RUN!”

Sunset didn’t know exactly why this Tenga was so scared, before the penny dropped with a resounding clang. Serpent, Great Dragon. Those two phrases together could only mean one thing, and one thing only.

“Serpentera…” she breathed out, her eyes widened in fear and horror.

Carousel Boutique:

Meanwhile, Spike was dropping off the book he’d found in the Castle of the Two Sisters at Rarity’s. The poor mare was still indulging herself in buckets of ice cream, it was a small wonder she hadn’t bloated herself yet. Must have had something to do with unicorn magic, the drake figured.

“Uh Rarity,” Spike said, as the bell above the front door jingled out a greeting. “I’ve got something for you! Your favorite dragon comes through again! ...Okay, maybe I’m the only dragon you know but anyways, hope you enjoy it!”

“Leave me be! Can't you see how distraught, disappointed, and downtrodden I still am?” Rarity whined, and Spike sighed.

“Seriously Rares, I’ve got something for you! I brought you something, right from the depths of the-” Spike started, before being cut off by another loud sob. Spike sighed. To think this all started after Rarity’s designs for a puppeteer were rejected!

“Unless it's another carton of vanilla oat swirl or word that the festival has been cancelled, I don't think I'm interested.” Rarity remarked with a huff, before Spike groaned and held out the book.

“Ugh, talk about ghastly. Did that designer have no sense of taste?”

“Just read the title…” Spike groaned out, with a very visible rolling of his eyes.

Rarity’s eyes scanned the cover, before opening the book up to its first page out of a whiff of faint curiosity. “I suppose it's worth a try. “From in the head to out in the world, every thought to action. Hold close this book and through its spell, you'll start a chain reaction. Projecting forth whatever beauty you see. Only when true words are spoken will you finally be set free.” she recited, tracing her finger along every word.

Rarity’s horn glowed green briefly, and Spike looked at her.

“Did it work?” he asked. He soon got his answer when the book turned itself into a much more frilly, and generally all-around girly themed piece of literature.

“Oh yes, momma’s gonna have some fun with you…” Rarity whispered with a strange glint in her eyes as she hugged the book tightly to her chest. Spike didn't quite know why, but he had a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach about then.

Author's Notes:

Okay, yes. I'm not dancing around it anymore. Sunset's ace. Few of you probably guessed it already, I admit. (Credit to DisneyFanatic23's wonderful story for helping me figure out a way to do this right) And if you feel this needs more done with it, I will continue on with it in later chapters as hinted. Dealing more with Sunset's fears and the like.

Now, Animus. First off, that was an American version of Taiyou Sentai Sun Vulcan he axed, been wanting to do an adaptation of the first three-man Sentai for a while. Secondly, after flip-flopping around between if he's a good god who's actually changed his ways or his Wild Force-era self still, I decided to finally settle the matter in the most fitting manner of his character.

Also, the PlaMonster. Yes, it exists, it's (fittingly enough) Kamen Rider Beast's personal familiar.

Now, while Feedback is welcomed, can you please keep the revelation about Serpentera confined to spoiler tags, given how big of a revelation it exactly is please? Thank you.

Part 28: Inspiration Manifestation Part 3: (Silver and Gold)

Author's Notes:

What was that you said Spidey about waiting for the next chapter? Anyways, huge thanks to Shagohad12 for co-writing this chapter and giving me the basic idea for the plotline.

Ponyville:

“For the record Twi, still not entirely sure of the point of these familiars when you say you’ve got this magical fountain that ‘detects’ Orgs and whatnot when they arise,” Gilda commented, relaxing in an armchair with a cup of coffee in her claws. “Just sayin’ here, that’s all…”

“Yeah, the fountain?” Twilight said, still not looking up as she cut away at the magicite stone chipping away at it ever so gently. She was trying very hard not to let her eyes wander towards Gilda, or rather her state of dress. Seems Gilda had already made herself at home and was dressed only in this black t-shirt that barely covered her modesty. “It only ‘detects’ Orgs and only Orgs when they start rampaging, not when they’re… first born.” she said, swallowing and looking away from Gilda quickly blushing a bright red.

“What, see something you like Twi?” Gilda commented, idly fiddling with the dragon energy Lockseed, opening and closing it repeatedly. Couldn’t blame a hen for being curious, she reasoned.

“Dragon Energy!”
“Dragon Energy!”
“Dragon Energy!” the Lockseed continued to state over and over. It was all really rather distracting.

“I mean, if you really want me that bad, you can just say so. Hell, I’d gladly have you right here and now,” Gilda remarked with a small shrug of her shoulders. “Seriously, on the floor right here and right now even!”

“O-One, I’d rather save myself till marriage,” Twilight stammered out. “Two, can you please cover yourself up? There’s a freakin’ hole in my house that you caused! Ponies could see you!”

“Oh, you and your pony modesty,” Gilda scoffed rolling her eyes as she did so. “We’re married besides, unless you missed something. You really should be worried more about a draft honestly, it’s cold out there!”

“And three!” Twilight stated, putting her hoof down as to Gilda’s seemingly at times carefree personality. “You’re lucky that’s an Energy Lockseed, otherwise you jailbreaking it like that would probably summon some high-powered Inves to our world and believe me that’s the last thing any of us want!”

“Point taken,” Gilda shuddered, and quickly put down the Lockseed in exchange for taking a big sip of her coffee. “And I’ll change, I promise. Just wanted to see if I had an effect on you, Princess. No sense marrying you if you’re not even remotely attracted to me. Believe it or not, I do want to try and make this marriage work really…” she sighed.

Twilight nodded in understanding, before briefly grumbling about solar princesses with their stupid if not necessary ideas. She huffed, at least Celestia could have consulted with her about this beforehand! Grumbling, she levitated a bunch of wooden boards into Gilda’s grasp. “Okay then. Good. After you change, you can start by repairing the damage you did to our house!” Twilight smirked, making sure to emphasize the ‘our’. Gilda did live here now, and she had to pay her dues just as much as Twilight did.

Gilda squeaked out in fear and nodded nervously before Twilight smirked. “Who’s wearing the pants in this relationship now huh?” she thought before turning her eyes back to the stone. “Now, if only I could figure you out…”

Meanwhile, across town Rarity along with Spike in tow had returned to Claude the Puppeteer, the whole catalyst in a way one supposes of what was about to happen. The fashionista had meant to make it up to the rather hard to impress artisan with a surprise.

The somewhat chubby pale blue pony was putting on a little show with a rather small and might I say rather bored crowd watching. Amongst them, a few ponies were muttering on how they’d like to get their money back infuriating Claude even more, and it didn’t really help when he saw Rarity walking his way.

“Ah, Miss Rarity, come to see the show, I presume?” Claude asked. “You'll notice I had to make do in light of your recent failure to produce a functioning theater,” he sneered.

“Oh, but I think you'll find the new one I've created will be much more to your liking!” Rarity replied, with a grin on her face that made Spike just that little bit nervous for some reason. Truth be told, ever since he handed Rarity that odd spellbook he’d been nervous. Something was just off about it to him truth be told even if he didn’t know exactly why.

Rarity, with a snap of her fingers, produced a completely new and very exquisite theatre covered in bright oranges and blues with a touch of silver. If that wasn’t enough, it actually managed to unfold itself completely from a briefcase Iron Man Mark 5 style to boot! The crowd watching Rarity unfold the briefcase in a green aura of magic looked on in awe and gasped at all the right moments.

Her eyes gleamed with perverse wonder, running her hands over the surface. “Marvelous isn't it? Perfectly suitable for travel, all the while carrying itself with the height of fashion.”

“Quite, quite!” Claude agreed with a very rapid nod of his head. “Ah, well, it is gorgeous, but that was never the problem now, was it? Plenty of room for my puppets... I say, Miss Rarity, I don't know how you managed to do so in such a short amount of time, but you seem to have redeemed yourself. How did you manage to do so in such a short time?” he had to ask.

“Ah well, you do know a lady must never reveal all of her secrets,” Rarity replied and she smiled at Spike even as Claude happily took his new portable theatre along with him to his next gig. Mind you, it probably wouldn’t improve his skills with his puppets but Rarity was far too polite to mention that. Really, I must thank you again Spike, for being such a dear friend and finding this book for me!” Rarity squealed out in joy, kissing the book and then Spike’s forehead making the young drake blush a bright red.

“Well… Well, anything for you Rares. Though now that you’ve resolved your little issue with Claude, I’d like to return that book,”

“Why of course dearie, but I don’t think the Princesses would mind if I kept it a little while longer. I mean, not like they’re using it are they?” Rarity asked. “I've made my creative contribution as I'd hoped to do, and all is well! But you know, I’m feeling a touch inspired, more than I ever have! So if you don’t mind perhaps I can keep an eye on it just a skotch longer?” she asked pleadingly. “...You don't mind, do you, Spike?”

Spike looked skywards before groaning this entire thing going against his better judgment. “Ugh fine, but I’m getting it back tomorrow understand?”

“Yes, quite dearie.” Rarity smiled before talking off with an extra spring in her step. A loud hoot came from a tree nearby and Spike looked up to see Owlowiscious giving him a ‘really?’ expression.

“What? She'll keep it for a few more hours, no harm in that right?” Spike asked before he let out a sigh. Now, if only he could believe that. Maybe if he kept telling himself that it’d actually work.

Later that next morning, Spike returned to Carousel Boutique only to hear the sound of distant magical zapping coming from within.

“Uh, Rares?” Spike asked, seeing the Boutique covered in more dresses than was normal. Actually, the dresses themselves were more ‘out there’ than normal, one being themed after the Dazzlings and another themed after bubble wrap of all things. One very tired Zephyr Breeze was sitting on the sidelines, trying to pay attention to his coffee and avoiding spilling it all over the floor. “Can I just… No, really. Can I just ask what the Hell happened here?”

“...It’s like she’s become a Greeed,” Robert muttered in tired annoyance as he stepped down from his room, wearing a bathrobe. “Kept us up all night with her sewing. Like she desires prettifying anything and everything. I mean, look at me!”

He undid his robe just a little to reveal his entire body covered in glitter and such. “Like I got attacked by a couple of PCP-crazed strippers here!”

Spike had to bite back his laughter at the poor man before he turned his gaze back to Rarity who was doing a dress and suit combo themed after a peacock.

“Are... you okay?” he asked nervously pressing two of his fingers together.

“Oh, I've never been better!” Rarity squealed in glee with somewhat of a crazed look on her face. “This book you've given me is amazing! Why, I… I... I... I've been up all night just creating and creating and creating and creating! Oh, why, I've completed my summer line for the next fifteen seasons!” she proclaimed in triumph.

Sure enough, the entire back wall was packed with dresses of every shape, size and description amongst other things like kigurumi, tuxedos, dress shirts gala dresses -including one he swore was meant for Ponyland Rainbow Dash- and even the odd body pillow now and then. Spike’s eyes nearly bulged out of their skull at this. Something was definitely wrong and he knew it.

“Lucky us huh?” Zephyr muttered shooting his wife a nervous glance every now and then.

“Book?” Robert asked, looking at Spike critically and filing this information away for later. The dragon tugged nervously at his shirt collar.

“Relax, nothing you need to worry about,” he hissed back at the Fox Ranger. “I’ll get her under control. You just worry about cleaning yourself up, and your bedrest okay? I can handle this!”

“If you say so…” Robert muttered not entirely believing Spike for a moment. Meanwhile, Rarity continued to ramble on.

“But then I started thinking, 'why stop there'? Oh, Spike, I've always thought this town of ours could use a few beautifying upgrades, and with this book, I can make that happen with such ease! You will support me in this endeavor by letting me keep the book just a little longer?” she asked, fluttering her eyelashes.

Robert gave Spike a warning look, asking him if this was really such a good idea. Zephyr meanwhile seethed in jealousy. Whether that was because he wasn’t getting enough or Rarity was paying more attention to Spike than him it was hard to tell.

“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Spike whispered to Robert. “Make sure she doesn’t go too overboard.”

“Okay… But the minute she starts acting strange… Er, stranger, you call this number okay? Go right to Sunset!” Kingsley whispered, handing him his Fox Amulet. “No hero antics, understand? Just call Sunset. I have a feeling we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg here…” Robert muttered. Spike nodded.

“Right, call Sunset the moment things get out of control. Got it!” Spike whispered back.

“Spikey-Boo?” Rarity called from outside. “Aren’t you coming along?”

“C-Coming!” the drake called back.

Robert simply groaned and hung his head. Where was Wyatt when you needed him? He’d be able to talk some sense into Rarity. Or at least bring along Spyro the Dragon to flame broil this book Rarity kept going on about. “Damn it, Emily…” he thought to himself. “If only you hadn’t been so stupid as to set that Lord Drakkon hologram against me…” he thought. “Hell, if only I hadn’t been so stupid to sign onto your training in the bloody first place!”

Meanwhile, Rarity and Spike had continued to the marketplace with Rarity spying Big Mac and Applejack bringing a bushel of apples into town as ever with a wagon that had looked to have seen one too many harvests. “Idea!” Rarity cried out, before zapping the wagon with her horn changing it into a golden cart covered in diamonds and other assorted rare gems.

“Now see? This is exactly what I'm talking about! Why, that cart hadn’t an ounce of stylish flair before I got to it!” Rarity proclaimed as Applejack looked at her new cart in shock.

“What in the name of rhubarb pie just happened?” she murmured.

“ You know, I really think you oughta have asked AJ if she wanted you to give all the Apple family wagons a makeover,” Spike commented as Rarity continued to do the same with the other wagons as Applejack looked on in stunned silence and disbelief.

“Now see here Rares, now Ah think this is goin’ a mite far, don’t ya think?” Applejack exclaimed.

“Oh, I don't really think I need to ask permission, darling. Everypony loves surprises, especially when they're gorgeous ones!” Rarity exclaimed, Applejack’s remarks and protestations going ignored. “Doesn't it just look marvelous~”

“Yeah… It’s something I suppose…” Spike murmured rubbing his chin in thought. “I presume you’ve got other ideas in store?” he asked warily.

“Oh yes~” Grabbing Spike, she lifted him to eye level. “Did you see how pretty that other Twilight's eyes were? Wouldn't it be just divine if other ponies could share that look?”

“Pretty sure transmuting species is a bit out of your power Rares,” Spike laughed nervously not really wanting to know if she could actually do such a thing. “Just sayin’ here.”

Dropping him like a sack of bricks, she turned back to Applejack. “Why, AJ, thank you so much for volunteering!”

“Wait, whut?” Applejack asked taking a few steps back. “Uh, Rarity, maybe we should talk this out just a bit Ah’m thinking here…”

With a manic grin, Rarity zapped the confused mare with a bolt of green magic. A loud Poof! of green smoke and an entirely new Applejack was revealed, complete with a brown leonine mane and a jagged horn with orange glowing lines cut into it.

“What in tarnation…?” Applejack asked, as her mane began to glow with a red and blue flame. “WHAT THE HAY DID YOU DO TO ME?” she roared, temporarily becoming this black creature with pure white eyes and a mane of hot burning flame.

“Oh simply wonderful!” Rarity twirled over, running her fingers through Applejack's new mane. “No need to thank me, Applejack. The new you will make farm work a snap!”

“YEAH, AH DON’T LIKE THE NEW ME! HOW IN LAND’S SAKES AM I SUPPOSED TO CHANGE BACK, OR AVOID BURNING DOWN ALL OF PONYVILLE FOR THAT MATTER?” Applejack bellowed.

“By being calm of course,” Rarity commented, tracing a hand along AJ's arm. “Must look at these muscles. Far more sculpted than before, and those legs! With the power and endurance of a dragon, yet the refined form of a pony, you'll be able to do the entire orchard by yourself! My my!” she said, licking her lips.

Applejack took a few deep calming breaths and changed back from her Nirik form. “Okay, firstly, mah barn door doesn’t swing that way, and secondly yer married last Ah checked,” she stated.

Rarity snorted, narrowing her eyes. “Are you implying I'm hitting on you?” Drawing her hand back, she slapped Applejack hard enough to leave a mark. Spike winced, and let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding when AJ didn’t go back into Nirik form. “How dare you imply my simple admiration of beauty was anything but pure! Good day, Applejack! I said good day!” Grabbing Spike's tail, she dragged the hapless dragon away from the newly formed Kirin.

“...Rarity, uh… Just asking, but aren’t you going a little bit far here?” Spike asked nervously beginning to think Robert may have had a point even as Rarity created this Lockseed themed after Kamen Rider Wizard in her hands and tossed it to Spike.

“Just having a bit of fun dear!” Rarity commented. “Give that to Twilight, would you? Besides, I feel more inspired than I have in ages! AGES!”

“Uh… if you say so…” Spike trailed off nervously. So, the day when on, with Rarity turning anything and everything around her into her ideal aspect of beauty. A gazebo got turned into crystal. One of Pinkie’s parties got changed into this classical music showcase. All the homes gained lacey exteriors and golden roofs. Things were definitely beyond out of control by now, and Spike still couldn’t muster up the courage to tell Rarity she was overstepping her bounds.

“What the flying fu…?” Gilda muttered as she walked out of the Golden Oaks, which was now probably living up to its name more than ever. “Okay, seriously now, what’s going on? Twilight, please tell me this is usual for Ponyville! Actually, strike that, please tell me it isn’t!”

“...Um, actually pretty sure this is weird, even by our standards,” Twilight replied.

“Don’t know whether that reassures me, or just outright scares me. I’ll tell you in a minute...” Gilda muttered. “Least the hole in the wall’s been patched up… right?”

Twilight didn’t look amused. Nearby, Bon-Bon/Sweetie Drops was watching Rarity from behind a corner.

“Looks like me and Lyra may have to step in shortly…” she thought, fingering the Joker Memory in her pocket.

Carousel Boutique meanwhile had become solid crystal. Needless to say it’s occupants were beginning to take notice of what was going on around them.

“Yeah… Uh…” Robert trailed off, upon seeing the girly, frilled mess Ponyville was becoming in the latest batch of insanity to hit it. “My suggestion on the wisest course of action would be to… uh...?”

“Head back inside till everything blows over?” Zephyr remarked, and Robert could only nod sagely.

“Yes, that,” he replied before both males turned tail and headed back inside Carousel Boutique slamming the door shut.

“Spike!” Rarity gasped, her eyes going wide. “The most perfect idea just came to me!” She gestured to the ponies moving around them. “Why turn ponies into species that already exist, when I can create new ones?!”

Something struck a chord inside Spike’s mind right about then, that comment sounded frighteningly like something that old scientist of Rita’s would have said. And now that he thought about it, changing AJ into… well, whatever she was was something Finster might have done as well. “Uh, Rares…?” Spike said, trying to muster up the courage to tell her what she was doing was going beyond her usual level of generosity. “I’m not entirely sure this is a good idea…”

Perhaps needless to say, it failed utterly but points for trying at least.

Rarity turned her magic on herself, giggling as it reshaped her body. “Well, Spikey Wikey, how do I look?” She struck a pose, waiting expectantly for his response. From her waist down, Rarity had the lower half of a rattlesnake, sporting gorgeous white and purple scales.

“You look like you’d give Discord a run for his money,” Spike replied, not really sure what else to say. This was so not Rarity, it wasn’t even funny anymore. If it ever was to be honest. “Listen Rares, I think you should stop now. I really do, this is going too far!”

“Hush, Spike, creativity is coursing through me!” Another magic bolt and a passing Rainbow Dash became a shark pony. Fortunately, she kept her wings. Unfortunately for Fluttershy, hers was replaced by those of a butterfly. “This is the best gift you ever could have given me, Spike!”

“No… No, it isn’t. I realize that now,” Spike murmured. “I should have stopped you. Look around you Rarity, this isn’t Ponyville anymore. This isn’t you. Do you understand? This. Is. Not. Y-” he started, before his mouth turned to solid crystal.

“Creating new life is always such fun, isn't it?” A new voice asked from beside her. “The thrill of creation; to bring forth into the world something new, something never seen before! Ah, the wonder of artistic expression!”

“Oh yes, I feel the same way! Unfortunately for those creatively inclined, we're never appreciated in our time.” Rarity turned before crystallizing Spike just to keep him from interfering further. “How very rude of me, I didn't realize I had an audience.”

“Ah, that's quite alright my dear,” the newcomer assured with a smile. “I know the ecstasy of creation very intimately, it would have been wrong of me to interrupt.”

“W-Who are you…?” Rarity stammered out understandably more than a little freaked out.

“Name’s Finster, so pleased someone finally found my book after all these long years!”

“Oh, so this was your book?” Rarity asked him.

“Yes, quite. Made it to store my ideas in case I ever was to die in Rita and Zedd’s service. Eventually, I decided to use it as a phylactery. Genius, isn’t it?”

“Um… Yes, quite. I suppose…” Rarity trailed off, rather unsure about this. “You’re… you’re not going to do anything to me are you?”

“Oh, no! I’m just observing for now. Mind you, I will ask for a small favor when the time comes, but that’s for later. Seriously, just relish in all of this. Have fun, enjoy yourself! Creativity, it’s the spice of life no?” Finster asked.

“Yes… Yes, I suppose it is…” Rarity trailed off.

“Though, one small thing really. I really must ask you to free that poor drakeling you crystalized,” Finster told his new vessel of sorts.

“But… But he wanted to stop me! Prevent me from doing what I wanted!”

“Yes, that may be,” Finster returned. “But he’s your friend, and last I checked friends don’t crystalize one another do they?” he asked sounding rather uncannily like a certain chaos spirit.

“No… No, I suppose they don’t…” Rarity sighed, snapping her fingers and freeing Spike from his crystalized state. “Besides, he still has to give that little gift I made with our combined powers to Twilight, does he not?”

“Gift?” Finster asked. “Oh, I do love gifts. Do tell, what is it?”

“Oh… It’s just something based on a friend that passed through here a while back, nothing more. Nothing less. A tribute to her, for helping save the town from this horrendous brute calling himself Lord Drakkon. Allows my friend Twilight to channel the powers of her alternate counterpart calling herself Kamen Rider Wizard,”

“Ah… I see. And I must say, that’s a work of inspired genius! Not even I would have thought of that!” Finster exclaimed.

“Yes. Quite,” Rarity smirked as Spike ran off to tell Sunset what was going on. “It really is. I do wish Spikey could appreciate my artistic endeavors… but oh well. True art is incomprehensible to some I suppose… I think you of all people can understand that right?”

“Yes, yes quite,” Finster agreed. “Believe me, the people of my homeworld… They didn’t exactly understand my art. Not one bit, you hear! Small wonder Rita was the only one who actually cared about my ‘art’ and even then when it suited her. Pff! Rarity, you want to be seen as one of the best artists Equestria has ever known right?” Finster asked. “I mean, that is why you picked up my book am I correct?”

“I… I suppose. At first, I just wanted to limit myself to making things pretty, but…”

“But what?” Finster asked, stoking the fire that lay within. “You want to continue on with what you’ve been doing today, right? I mean, I’ve seen what you did to that Applejack mare. And to yourself, really turning yourself part Naga. Beauty isn’t just only related to dresses and decoration. You could beautify everything, make yourself completely something new. A complete… Might I dare say it, a complete rarity?”

“Oh yes… That I can do…” Rarity said, adding a few diamonds to her ensemble embedding a few in her scales and having a silver choker wrap itself around her neck like a snake’s tail.

“Now this is me…” Rarity smiled licking her lips.

“Ah, now that is a form of beauty,” Finster praised, nodding his head. “But tell me, aren’t you tired of just alter what already is? Not that what you’ve done isn’t high art, but don’t you wish to truly create?”

“Whatever do you mean dearie?”

“I had the same problem once, merely sculpting art just became a chore. Even when I changed my subject matter, I was just going through the motions,” Reaching into his apron, he produced a small jar of grey material. “That is until I met my patron. Ah, now she appreciated artistic talent. Even if she had a very... narrow view of it. But I’m rambling. This is the answer. Magic clay, of a kind that is easily reproduced. Anything you sculpt with it, given proper treatment and the right incantations, will come to live! I could show you how to make it, if you’d like.”

“Just one question, what do I get out of this? No, what do you get out of this. I’m a businesswoman, so I know this isn’t for free. There’s a catch isn’t there?” Rarity asked raising an eyebrow.

“Ms. Rarity, I am a mere ghost, my spirit bound to the book in your possession. I simply wish to pass on my knowledge to one who is clearly worthy. So many techniques have faded from this world since my passing; would you deny me the chance to reintroduce them?”

“I would never! That would be a crime against art itself!” Rarity gasped.

“Then allow me to be your master, at least for the time we are together,” Taking the book from her, he hummed a soft tune. “Ah, here it is. The clay recipe, as clear today as it was then. I’ll walk you through the steps and we should have a good few pounds before the sun sets on this very day.”

“Excellent…” Rarity smiled.

“Oh for Mystic Mother’s sake!” Sunburst shouted as he swung his peacock battle fan -which for the record was almost as big as he was- creating a small blast of wind sucking Tengas up into the air as a tornado would. “Bad enough Rarity’s seemingly lost it and painted the town gold, quite literally in this case, and now Thrax decides to capitalize on the insanity!”

Using the powers of the Peacock Animal Crystal had a notable effect on his costume, adding it a long coat that ended in peacock-like detailings.

“Well, it’d be stupid of him not to,” Vapor stated impaling a Tenga to the wall of a building with her trident. “I mean, think about it. From a villain’s point of view, this is just the perfect time to catch us off-guard. The whole town’s gone crazy, Robert’s out of action and Sunset’s gone to Canterlot! Leaves only the four of us and one somewhat undertrained Rider to defend Ponyville!”

Trixie nodded as she fired a barrage of energy arrows into the Tenga hoard before kicking one in the stomach and striking it across the chest with a z-shaped slash. “Hate his guts, but smart move. Smart move.”

Lightning just groaned as she went into Orion Mode and sent down a storm of lightning bolts to finish off the remaining Tengas. “Not even a challenge,” she remarked.

“Perhaps that’s not the point though,” Trixie surmised. “Just send down the small fry, just to tire us out for something bigger? Like Goldar or something? I mean, that’s what I’d do.”

“Thrax never uses the same plan twice,” Sunburst replied. “So no, doubtful.”

“What, you don’t call attacking Ponyville with a random Org or Monster every other day using the same plan twice?” Trixie sneered.”

“...Point to my sister,” Sunburst sighed in admittance. Trixie fist-pumped the air in victory. “So, where’s Goldar then? I mean, it’d normally be right about now he’d jump in and attack. What, he taking a siesta or something?”

“Maybe, but they aren’t!” Trixie shouted as gaggling putty patrollers leaped out of seemingly nowhere wielding wrecking balls and jagged swords. “Oh for crying out loud, do they never end?”

“Putties?” Sunburst blinked under his helmet. “...Wow, Thrax must be desperate. His flocks must be about extinct if he’s resorted to those old things!”

One of the aforementioned ’old things’ clocked him in the face with a wrecking ball. “...Okay, maybe be old fashioned but they still hurt,” Sunburst muttered, his visor cracked from the sheer power behind the blow.

“Anyone get the memo about these things showing up to the party?” Lightning asked, even her comrades activated their super modes all of them just about tired of monsters ruining their day.

“No, but I can tell you where these gate-crashers are going!” Vapor remarked as she sent a wall of water from her sword sweeping away some of the foot soldiers.

“Yeah, they’re leaving!” Trixie added as she clashed her arm-blades with a putty’s sword before thrusting them through the creature’s chest and slicing outwards clay spattering her visor. Spike ran past them, carrying the Wizard Lockseed in hand rushing back towards the Golden Oaks.

“...Wonder where he’s going in such a hurry?” Sunburst pondered as a pillar of shadowy energy erupted from beneath him sending Sunburst skywards before he fired his Animal Spirit at some of the putty patrollers.

“Well, guess when you gotta go…” Trixie trailed off. “Still, really wish he’d stick around to help. He is a fire-breathing dragon, right? Or did I miss something?”

“He isn’t that other Spike, he’s just a kid,” Sunburst reminded, gulping as a trio of putties rushed towards him blades in hand. “Plus sis, Twilight would have both our heads if she found out we put Spike in danger.”

Across town, local guards stationed for just such an emergency were leading ponies into bunkers that had been set up just last month in case of monster attacks.

Sunburst and the others readied their blades for battle, but could only watch as the putties began to… well, combine for a lack of a better word. Their grey bodies melted and then melded together, forming a single big towering colossus over the rangers, it peered out from six eyes, three faces smashed together like a clumsy child’s hands over play-doh.

“Okay, now that’s just wrong…” Trixie muttered in disgust.

“Okay, that’s… a new one,” Lightning whispered. “Who said they could do that? No, seriously, who said? That’s just cheating right there!” she yelled out.

“Since when do monsters ever care about playing fair…?” Sunburst muttered sending out a wave of shadowy energy towards the ‘Megaputty’ which just shrugged off the Orion-infused element. “..Okay, now that’s cheating. I take back what I said about Thrax being despera-HEY!” Sunburst started before he let out a yelp as the Megaputty slammed a fist down nearly squashing him.

Suddenly, a blast of gold magic hit the monster right in the chest making it stagger.

“Hey, you with the ugly mug. Lay off them right now!” Lyra shouted pointing at the monster even as it looked at her. “Yeah, that’s right, talking to you freakshow!”

“L-Lyra, what the Hay are you doing here?” Sunburst sputtered out. “You’re supposed to be in a bunker with your wife! I thought the rules about this were very clear!”

“Oh, you know her…” Bon-Bon said as she walked up and held up a black USB drive-like device. “Never listens to a word anybody says,” she smirked as she slammed on a belt with two slots on its buckle before tossing the Gaia Memory skywards and letting it fall into place. She tossed a look at her wife. “Ready partner?”

\ Joker! /

“Always. Just like we practiced, right?” Lyra asked slamming a green memory into her driver.

\ Cyclone! /

“Henshin!” Bon-Bon shouted as Lyra fell to the side unconscious as two minds and bodies became one. In Bon-Bon’s place stood a figure, one side green and one side midnight black with a scarf hanging off the figure’s neck as two red eyes stared the Megaputty down.

“See, now you’re in trouble. Two in one Kamen Rider. How’s that for fun?” Lyra’s voice commented, the eye on the Kamen Rider’s left half lighting up as she spoke.

“...Kamen Riders, everyone’s getting in on the act nowadays,” Trixie muttered. “What, this some new trend or something? Onori Dikeido…” she grumbled half-heartedly.

Leaping backwards to avoid a swing from the Megaputty’s arm, the new Kamen Rider Double then switched out one of her(?) Gaia Memories.

\ Trigger! /

With that, her left half turned blue and pulled out a machine pistol firing blasts of air at the creature making it stumble back. “It’s own weight, that’s the issue!” Bon-Bon shouted as she noticed the creature stumble from the blasts of wind. “It’s too top-heavy!”

“Nice to know…” Sunburst mused as he began dashing forwards and sending out slashes of shadowy energy that wrapped themselves around the monsters legs binding it.

“Oh, that thing’s going to do some damage if it hits street!” Lightning shouted before she leaped skywards charging her blade with electrical energy before slashing downwards even as Double went into LunaTrigger Mode and fired off a blast of homing shots. Simultaneously being punched full of holes and sliced in half, the creature simply exploded into clay splattering the Rangers and Double.

“...Oh, just ugh. Seriously, just ugh. Going to take forever to wash this out…” Vapor muttered looking at her suit covered in the gray clay. Meanwhile, as per his instructions, Spike had called Sunset via Robert’s morpher, and was just now informing her of the situation.

Perhaps needless to say, the mare was still a bit shaken up by the revelation about Thrax having access to Serpentera but right now she knew there were bigger or at least more current problems to worry about. Like say, the whole town going nuts with the glitter and gold and Thrax seemingly taking advantage of the chaos. While she was confused about the whole putty patrollers bit she decided not to question it. Thrax was a dark wizard, after all, the formula was probably easy enough to replicate for him.

“Okay Sunset, focus on the present now and future problems later,” the mare thought to herself as she rocketed on a course for Ponyville. “Your team needs you in the here and now.”

She was more right on the money than she realized as putties weren’t the only thing ‘Thrax’ had up his sleeve with a monstrous gray winged cat-creature wearing a pharaoh's attire leaped out of nowhere sword in hand. The now-revived King Sphinx sent question mark shaped fireballs towards the Rangers and Double, sending them flying.

Or at least, he was until Sunset came swooping in and kicked him in the stomach sending King Sphinx staggering backwards.

“Really, you really think today of all days is a good one to mess with my team Thrax?” Sunset asked in a very sour tone of voice drawing her blade. “Seriously, really I have to question what you’re thinking. If you’re even doing that at all!”

“My only loyalty is to Master Finster, and Lady Rita Repulsa!” King Sphinx laughed sending another series of fireballs towards Sunset and in her shock, she forgot to block them knocking her to the ground. Picking herself up, Sunset balanced herself on her blade.

“...You do realize Rita’s reformed right? Or did you miss the whole Mystic Mother part of things?” Sunset asked in genuine confusion. “And what’s this about Finster? Pretty sure he’s dead!”

“Never! Rita would never turn to the side of the light!” King Sphinx roared sending out more fireballs that were only shot out of the air by Double still in LunaTrigger mode.

Finster, watching from the shadows unseen by all but Rarity smiled. “My my,” he commented. “She’s an even more ideal student than I thought, progressing this far and already making monsters! It warms a teacher’s heart…”

“Newsflash, she can and she did,” Sunset said as her wings flared igniting as she went into Orion Mode. They grew to truly massive size and wrapped themselves around King Sphinx. “Dunno what sorta reality you’re caught up in, but let me bring you back down to Equus.” she said calmly as she burned the monster to a crisp. Course, troubles weren’t over as more classic monsters like Gnasty Knight, Bones, and the Pudgy Pig leaped out of the woodworks.

“Great… Just great.” Sunset thought.

Part 29: Inspiration Manifestation Finale: (The Monster Mash)

“Well, isn’t this… fun?” Sunburst remarked as monsters surrounded them from every side. He nearly gagged at the sheer smell the globulous mess called Repellator was giving off. He could see why the cycloptic monster had earned it’s name. “It’s like a Monster Mash. ...Only without the fun that the dance gives you.”

“Displeased to meet you!” Repellator commented, before actually licking Sunburst who actually had to fight back a gag.

“Oh Celestia, oh for Pete’s sake, I’m never going to get this out of my suit! Never!” Sunburst gagged and retched. “...Oh, I’d better not throw up in my helmet here!”

He soon did when the Grumble Bee and King Sphinx punched the poor stallion in the stomach making him stagger back into Lightning and Sunset’s arms.

“Ooh, if we were all so lucky!” the Grumble Bee commented when seeing the two mares help Sunburst to his hooves.

“Pervert,” Lightning muttered. “And for the record, I don’t even swing that way you… Well, whatever the hell you are. ...Mystic Mother, please don’t tell me all those eyes of yours mean you can see through walls!” she quickly commented in a nervous tone upon seeing a monster made completely and I mean completely made of eyes.

“Looks like we’re not seeing eye-to-eye here!” the monster, who was aptly named Eye Guy commented. “Sorry you feel that way, but really I’m actually happy to be apart of this grand reunion!”

“Wish I could say the same…” Sunset remarked as her now massively extended wings created a flaming circle all around the Rangers and Kamen Rider Double. A few of the monsters yelped and jumped back upon seeing this. “Well, you know what they say… Can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen!” she joked before sighing. Oh, that was a pretty poor one on her part.

Vapor then summoned her Leviathan Zord and had it create multiple sonar blasts that flattened the monsters to the ground. This did have the side effect of destroying a few homes however, something Vapor deeply hated. More property damage caused via their battles.

“Welp, there goes our insurance premiums… again,” Sunset sighed. “That bought us some breathing room, but not a lot really…” she trailed off before ordering: “Double, see if you can help here!”

“Noted!” Lyra’s voice remarked.

\ Cyclone! /

Firing a few air blasts from her Trigger Magnum, Double made a few of the monsters back off before she once again switched Gaia Memories.

\ Metal! /
\ Luna! /
\ Luna, Maximum Drive! /

Her body turning half-gold, and half-silver, Double spun her new staff around in the air and created some rings before firing them at the monsters, destroying Bones, Eye Guy and Repellator.

“And to finish things…” Bon-Bon trailed off.

\ Joker! /
\ Joker, Maximum Drive! /

Double actually split down the middle, with four copies of the Luna half being formed and all five halves used karate chops on the remaining monsters with only King Sphinx getting away. And even then he didn’t make it very far with another LunaMetal Maximum Drive putting him down for good.

“Welp, suppose you can’t win ‘em all…” Bon-Bon sighed, canceling her transformation before she rushed over to Lyra’s side, the mare slowly awakening.

“Ugh… Now that was an experience. And to think, we’ll be doing that again!” Lyra muttered. “Still, it was fairly exciting, almost like sex but you get the thrill of beating monsters up! Such a rush!” she squealed out.

“Still fairly intimate though…” Bon-Bon trailed off and both Sunset and Lightning gagged.

“Ugh, think I’m going to get diabetes here from all of that mushiness,” Lightning remarked before looking at Sunburst. “Please tell me you and Galaxy aren’t like that…”

Sunburst’s blush said it all.

“Oh, for fu-”

Sunset cut Lightning off before she could finish that sentence. “They’ll be back. If someone can recreate those things once, then they can do it again,” she remarked. “Meaning this is far from over.”

“...Joy.”

On the other side of town, Rarity fell to the ground panting and sweating with Finster rushing over to her side.

“See, I warned you didn’t I? Not to rush yourself, and yet you did exactly that and look what happened!” the little terrier-like creature berated the Element of Generosity as she picked herself off the ground. “As much as I loved finding out for myself you do have the capability to create monsters and are in fact a fast learner you need to pace yourself milady! Patience is a virtue in this line of work, you know! Rome was not built in a day, and I didn’t become a master creature creator and sculptor in a single night! No ma’am!”

“How… How long did it take for you then?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, you wouldn’t believe it if I told you…” Finster remarked, with a touch of longing and sadness in his tone. Although exactly why, Rarity wasn’t entirely sure.

“One… One would think just drawing these strange, strange creatures in my book- er sorry, your book, “ Rarity stated quickly correcting herself upon Finster’s glare. “Would not exhaust me so, no?”

Finster smirked privately to himself. One thing he was definitely not keen on telling Rarity, at least this early in the game was that each time she created a monster she consumed some of her own mana -or life force when it came down to it really- in the process. There was a way to get it back, mind, but of course he wasn’t going to tell her that until she did the little favor he had in mind for her. If he decided to tell her at all of course. She was just a little pony fashionista in way over her head.

“Well, all art is… shall we say exhausting to learn at the first few days of doing it really,” Finster replied delicately careful not to show his hand too soon. “Baby steps first Miss Rarity.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Rarity replied in an inquisitive tone. “How did you know my name anyways, and what was that little favor you mentioned?”

“Oh, of course I knew your name Madam,” Finster said with a little bow. “Everyone knows your name, how could they not?!? You’re Rarity Belle, the finest fashionista in all the land!”

“Yes, well I suppose that is quite true is it not?” Rarity said with a small giggle blushing as she did so. She managed to hide her blush behind a few locks of her mane doing a remarkable impression of Fluttershy in the process. “But let’s not get ahead of ourselves shall we? I’m happily married, remember?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dare to intrude!” Finster exclaimed holding up his hands faking fear of the mare. “Not in the slightest, in fact I actually sincerely congratulate you on staying married this long. Oh, couples these days…” he trailed off sadly. “Oh, they rarely stay together, all for various reasons getting in the way. Hard to make a marriage work really…”

“I’m sensing you’ve been married before,” Rarity replied. “But then again, of course you have! Who wouldn’t want to marry a cute little thing such as yourself? Oh, I really must know the lucky miss or sir’s name!” she babbled excitedly. “Please do tell!”

“Her name was Plepra if you must know. But that’s neither here nor there. As for that little favor?” he asked before giggling. He mustn’t show his hand, at least not yet. “Well, you’ll find out, all in due time. Now, there is work to be done! You must protect me! Thrax, I suspect if he were to get his hands on this book he would truly be unstoppable!”

Rarity’s eyes widened before they narrowed. “Oh, yes quite. Have no fear, you shall be protected on my own life if need be!” she declared holding up her own variant of the trigger magnum with the Bomb Gaia Memory strapped to her waist.

“While I absolutely deplore violence like yourself, I feel that in this case, it may very well be a necessary evil,” Finster admitted. “That brute Thrax would stop at nothing to have the power this book contains. Thrax, unfortunately, has inherited all of his father’s ‘charm’ so to speak, and his ambitious nature. Only the infamous Count Dregon with his Spiderbase ever matched Lord Zedd in sheer power and ambition while he was alive I’m afraid!”

Lord Zedd, Rarity mused. That name sounded awfully familiar. Filing it away for later, Rarity continued.

“Do these creatures serve a purpose? Are they dangerous?” Rarity asked. “I certainly wouldn’t want to put my friends in danger!”

“No, you’re not putting them in danger,” Finster soothed. “These are only experiments, they never would last long anyways. You would need more time and practice to create longer lasting creatures!”

That much was true, but truth be told Finster was worried. Rarity was a powerful mare -The fact that she created a lockseed based on a legendary hero was proof alone of that- and she was learning quickly. Much too quickly in fact. Nor was she a stupid mare, she would get wise to his schemes if he let her. Somehow, she had to be redirected, or she might begin to figure out his true intentions. Then, an idea came to him. It would have to have him forgo his endgame for the time being, but he was a patient monster. He could play the long game if he had to.

“Anyways,” Finster continued on. “Let me tell you, a true artist is never really appreciated!”

“But… But I am appreciated Finster!” Rarity exclaimed. “I mean, ponies come from near and far just to commission me! I have a happy life, a loving husband, a darling sister, and a wonderful adopted son!”

Finster filed away the information about Rarity’s sister for later, she would play well into his plans. Or if all else failed, she could be used as leverage for whatever reason.

“Yes, but have the Princesses themselves ever shown an interest in your work?” Finster inquired.

“Well,” Rarity trailed off. “They have admired my work from afar yes…”

“But have they ever asked you personally for a dress?” Finster continued to press.

“Aside from Twilight and Sunset you mean? No, not really…” Rarity sighed sadly. “And even they hate galas and the like for the most part. Hell, Sunset, as I can recall, has never been one for fancy dress. Even now, if you can believe it, as the Princess of Empathy she takes to wearing these leather jackets whenever she can! Likes to look ‘cool’ as she puts it,” Rarity scoffed. “And don’t think it was just because Robert, a bad boy when he wants to be, showed up in her life! It was before then even! It’s like pulling teeth getting her to wear a dress except if she really and I mean really needs to!” she huffed, flaring her nostrils with a little bit of smoke coming out.

She suddenly looked quite ashamed of herself.

“Oh, here I am, a prim and proper lady to the last bad-mouthing my friends and their choice in dress attire! They should be allowed to wear what they want, and not have me getting on their case about it…” Rarity murmured in shame. “Look at me, just acting like a little filly because I can’t get two of my friends to wear simple things such as dresses! Oh Finster, promise you won’t tell them about my little tirade?”

“I would never!” Finster said with a small wink. “Your secret is safe with me to the last. But surely you must want the other three Princesses to wear one of your dresses am I right?”

“Well, of course, I do, but they never ask!” Rarity grumbled to herself. “Oh, if only…”

Finster only sighed. If he wanted to get Rarity to cooperate with him, he would have to serve her for the time being. “Well then, I must say they are doing you a great disservice milady! You should show them your true capabilities! Show them that you are not to be ignored! Make a dress so fabulous, everyone would want one but only one pony in the world, the great Princess Celestia; the Sol Invictus and the Solaris Knight should be allowed to wear it!”

“Oh yes, that is quite so! That’d show everyone that I am not to be ignored! But if I am going to design a dress fit for royalty, I must look the part!”

She snapped her fingers, and with a flash of green magic her fur darkened to something akin to black as night, and she gained golden adornments rivaling even Princess Celestia’s own royal garb. “Oh, I take back what I said before! Now, this… this is me!” Rarity exclaimed doing a small twirl. “Hark! Look upon me, Equestria, for I... am... Rarity!”

“Well, at least I didn’t get one of the less egotistical ones…” Finster thought in a dry tone. Across town, at the now Crystal Oaks Library as Lightning had just taken to calling it the Rangers formed a battle plan.

“Okay, so it’s the book,” Sunburst stated. Both Sunset and Twilight were giving Spike glares. “It’s got to be.”

“Really Spike, whatever possessed you to think that taking a big, black and spiky book that had probably been locked away for a damn good reason was a good idea?” Twilight asked, hands on hips.

“I… I thought it might help Rarity. She was desperate, you should have seen her after Claude blew her off! She was crying, eating ice cream! Bucket loads!” Spike stammered out practically wilting under Twilight’s glare.

“Well, more power to him I say,” Gilda remarked in the background. “He wanted to help his crush, never mind the fact that she was married, and so he did so!”

“Thank you!” Spike stated before muttering: “Glad to have someone on my side…” only for Twilight to intensify her glare.

“Shut up Gilda,” she and Sunset both said before Twilight continued. “Spike, how many times…” she began, rubbing her forehead in pain as she felt a headache began to come on. “Spike, how many times have I told you never to pick something up, and especially never trust anything that seems to think for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain?”

“Now normally,” Robert commented. “I’d be with Spike on this one, even if Rarity is married I’d do whatever I can to help her considering she’s become like a mother to me and all, but even I can tell this was completely stupid. And when I can tell something is folly, you know something’s wrong!”

“You should be in bed Robert,” Sunset sighed despite knowing it was probably a moot point. “Doctor’s orders,”

“Yeah, not when the whole town’s gone nuts. Everything getting all prettified was one thing, as I take it that’s just regular Ponyville insanity from all of the other incidents I’ve heard about -Parasprites anyone?- but when old monsters from Finster’s brain start walking and talking again? No thank you, I will not sit down for this!” Robert replied.

“Alright… Fine,” Sunset muttered, rapidly beginning to get the same headache Twilight was inflicted with. “But if you’re going to be helpful, here,” she said, putting on a ring and summoning up the Griffon PlaMonster before bringing it to life with that very same ring. It flapped out a nearby window as Robert was handed a little mirror. “Keep an eye in the sky with this familiar. Look for any rogue monsters, and direct us to them. We’ll look for Rarity, and handle her and that book… Whatever it is.”

“Hey, don’t count me out of this,” Gilda remarked, cracking her knuckles. “If I’m going to be staying with you till death do us part,” she continued, Twilight having sorta explained the situation with her and the griffon princess as best she could. “Might as well make myself useful. Don’t like the majority of you, as you’re much too cheery and touchy-feely for my tastes but still not going to sit around while everything goes to shit and stuff gets trashed.”

“Gee, I never knew you cared.” Sunburst deadpanned.

“Who the Hell do you think I am? Some sort of complete bitch?”

“...Could have fooled me.” Sunburst muttered, and Twilight had to hold Gilda back with her magic before she could pummel the unicorn into a pulp.

“...I’m almost afraid of asking this Gilda, but how are you going to…?” Sunset wondered aloud.

“I have my ways,” Gilda smirked as her arms glowed with an aquamarine tinted mist that made Robert’s eyes practically pop out of their head. “You guys handle your friend, me and my fists have a few things to smash. These monsters are old dudes, right? Probably brittle to the bone. Should be living their days out in retirement homes if that’s the case, not out wrecking everything.”

“Trust me, these guys were dangerous silly looking as they are,” Robert warned. “Gave Earth’s first Power Ranger team quite a lot of trouble. And before that, they were used as planet subjugators,” he warned and a few stares were sent his way. Robert sighed. “Yes, even the pig one. Ate all of the Mighty Morphin’ team’s weapons. Before you ask how they beat him, turns out piggie had a real aversion to spicy foods.”

“Spicy foods eh? Good thing my country knows a few things or two about that!” a very familiar voice commented with a small chuckle as Daring landed outside the Library, before walking in only to be greeted via a hug from Sunset.

“Daring!” she shouted happily.

“Hey Sunset,” the adventurer chuckled fondly ruffling Sunset’s mane. In the background, Gilda’s beak hung loosely. Not just at the fact Daring Do was a real pony, but Sunset apparently knew her. “Could you… uh, stop glomping me for a moment? Sorta makes it hard for me to help out here.”

“Oh… Yes, sorry,” Sunset laughed nervously before regaining her composure.

“There’s fanfiction about you two, I just know it…” Robert teased with an unashamed grin.

“Oh yeah, you little chico zorro?” Daring asked waggling her eyebrows. “Remind me to read some of it sometime. You just don’t get any ideas okay? Anyways, there’s some sort of book involved in all of this I gather…?” the gold-furred pegasus asked having heard some of the conversations from outside. Galaxy apparently was right behind her, and once he was outside away from the sunlight he pulled down the hood of his cloak.

“Yeah, there is,” Twilight confirmed giving Spike another small glare. “What I don’t get is, how this all connects to all of Rita’s old monsters coming back to life…”

“Seems to me that there’s more to that book than meets the eye…” Daring remarked.

“So, simple enough plan,” Sunset remarked. “We find Rarity, pry that book away from her, and torch it.”

“Thank you,” Lightning remarked. “Something that’s not too overly complicated, and something that I can finally get behind!”

“...When you say it like that, you make it sound so easy,” Twilight pointed out. “Something tells me Rarity won’t let us get ahold of that book so easily. She’s not just getting magical power from that book, something tells me it’s working it’s magic on her. We find her, Goddess knows what she’ll do.”

“You’re one of her best friends right?” Gilda asked. “Surely she wouldn’t hurt you…”

“In her right mind, no,” Twilight replied. “But I’m not entirely sure she’s in that. So in which case, we need to prepare for the worst… HENSHIN!” She shouted pulling out her Sengoku Driver and slamming the Wizard Lockseed into it before slicing it open.

“Wizard Arms: Shabadoobi Showtime!”

As ever, a zipper to Helheim opened up above her but this time a massive version of Wizard’s helmet lowered down before opening up giving Twilight ruby-encrusted armor and the WizarSwordGun.

“Now, it's showtime!” Twilight remarked.

Back at Carousel Boutique, Rarity was hard at work stitching together her most extravagant dress yet, something so ridiculously detailed it would look right at home on the body of someone from the Capitol of Panem.

“Just saying Rares, you haven’t been sleeping in days,” Zephyr remarked in a concerned tone. “You’re going to work yourself to death here!”

“I don’t need sleep, Zephyr, I need to create~” Rarity responded, letting out a smaller giggle. “You worry too much. I know, when I’m finished with this, I’ll give you a makeover to match my own~”

“Yeah… I’m not entirely sure that whole Nightmare Moon homage gimmick would work for me…” Zephyr trailed off. “Listen Rares, this whole thing? It isn’t right. It’s not you!” he pleaded.

“Oh, but it is me! I’ve never felt so much more alive!” Rarity turned, smiling seductively at him. “Don’t you want to at least try it?”

“Uh…” Zephyr sweated. “Listen, as much as I like to dive into new things -Just ask my sister- I think this is a little too much for me. Ever since you got that book, you’ve been acting differently. Surely you have to realize this?”

“I’m merely releasing my inner creation. That goddess called possibility, she’s within me!” Moving away from her dress, she sauntered over to him. “You know, why wait? Let’s make you truly my equal.” Trapping him in a kiss, she began to reshape his body like she had her own.

Suddenly, a voice called out: “Wizard Au Lait! Special, please!” before Rarity found herself kicked back into a mannequin before she could complete the reshaping. “Very nice! Fabulous!” the Wizard Lockseed called. Twilight’s hoof during the kick had been engulfed by a flaming dragon’s head.

“Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!”

“Rarity, hand the book over to me, now. I won’t ask again,” Twilight said as she pointed the SwordGun in Gun mode at Rarity. “I don’t know what’s happened to you, but I promise you I’ll fix this.”

“Fix? Darling, I don’t need to be fixed!” Rarity rose to her hooves, giving a toothy grin. “I’m finally free to be myself! Now, I was in the middle of something when you rudely decided to interrupt.”

“Nice to know,” Gilda remarked, having morphed into the Green Elephant Ranger. Nearby, Sunburst was getting Zephyr to safety knowing very well this could turn ugly. “Oh for Goddess’s sake, that dress? I’m so glad we barged in. It’s ghastly!”

“How dare you, you obnoxious, overgrown turkey!” Rarity sneered, her horn lighting up. “I will not stand for such insolence!”

Twilight quickly threw up a shield as Rarity fired her horn and the Boutique’s whole front half was blown wide open with both Twilight and Gilda being knocked backwards onto the street.

“...You know, I was almost insulted by that turkey remark. Real clever, I ought to applaud her for that,” Gilda deadpanned. “Real cute.”

“Might I make a few suggestions?” Finster asked, peering out of the whole. “You see, I gave so many designs my mistress never decided to bring forth. Would you be so kind as to do so in my stead?”

“Gladly,” Rarity replied ideas flying into her head and being transmuted onto the page with each design flying off.

“And just when I thought they couldn’t get any uglier…” Twilight muttered as this sheep-like creature took shape.

“I have come to spread the Word!!!” The sheep creature bellowed, gnashing little sheep sized cotton balls launching from his fur until they were a hoard. “You must all be enlightened!”

“Just what the fuck…” Gilda trailed off, launching her Elephant Spirit at the hoard as Sunset rammed ‘Sheeple’ with her Savage Cycle. She then spun on the bike’s front wheel and hit him with the vehicle’s back end.

“Tool of monarchic oppression, you will not silence the Word!” Sheeple backhanded Sunset off the cycle and into another home. “Tell them all my sheeple!”

“Billy was the Phantom Ranger!” the hoard bellowed, assaulting Gilda with sonic screams. “King Sombra lives!”

“...Oh, a conspiracy theorist, how lovely,” Twilight remarked, shooting the hoard with her borrowed weapon. “Hands off my wife. Only one who gets to yell at her is me.”

With that, both she and Gilda punched Sheeple in the face.

“Thanks… I think,” Gilda muttered before her eyes widened. “Twilight, behind you!”

King Sphinx leaped in from behind ready to strike Twilight with his blade till the sound of Sunburst and his Savage Cycle was heard, with the Black Ranger leaping off of it and slicing King Sphinx across the chest with his Jungle Fans.

“In the back! Low move!” Sunburst shouted, kicking King Sphinx in the chest before pulling out the swallow crystal and changing his crystal saber into the swallowrang and tossing it. King Sphinx just knocked it out of the air with fireballs but was only left open for Double’s Rider Kick, the Joker Extreme.

“Everyone must hear the word!” Taking the punch, Sheeple sent Gilda tumbling away with another wave of sound. “Cadence is Princess Amore! Twilight Sparkle is Celestia’s daughter!”

\ Metal! /

“You know, as fun as some of these theories sound... “ Double remarked as her right half turned a solid silver. “I think you need a tinfoil hat or two.”

With that, she spun her staff in midair sending blasts of green-colored wind towards Sheeple. Sheeple slide back, more and more of the little monsters spawning from him. “Time itself has been sundered! You’re all blind fools, unable to glimpse the truth!”

“Yeah yeah… Don’t care!” Double said pulling out another memory.

\ Trigger! /

Just as she was about to perform the Trigger Aerobuster on the monster and his minions, Repellator leaped in and fired off blasts of slime from his mouth coating Double in this sticky substance. And as if to make matters worse, Putties were now swarming the town.

“Why… Why?” Rarity asked Finster. “Why are they attacking my friends? You said this was just art, not violence. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt, not really… I just wanted everyone to see what I can do!” she pleaded.

“There is art in destruction, my fair Rarity, such beauty,” Finster replied, smiling warmly. “You’re merely introducing a brand new art style to your pastel world,”

“Your mistress… She was Rita Repulsa wasn’t she?” Rarity asked dangerously, her eyes narrowed. “I should have known from the start. Your creatures… No, your monsters, they match her style. Thrax’s style. Goddess, I was such a fool. ...Such a fool,” she whispered to herself in shame.

Finster stepped over to her, placing his hand on her side. “Now my dear, don’t be so hard on yourself. Some people are just too charismatic to ignore,” He locked eyes with her, eyes shining with magic. “You’ve not only improved yourself and your husband, how about that sister of yours? Ah, and that dragon too. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“No… No, this isn’t improvement. This is just you using me for your own ends. I should have seen that before,” Rarity replied, hitting Finster hard across the face with a right cross.

Finster tsked, shaking his head. “Oh, Rarity, you say that as if you have a choice.”

“Everyone has a choice. And I choose to stop this. What if I ripped this book in half right here, or burned it? What would happen to you then?” Rarity asked.

“You never had a choice, none at all,” With a flick of his wrist, the magic he had slipped into Rarity took hold, blotting out her will. “Now, lets go round up those youngsters shall we?”

“What… What the Hell did you do to her?” Sunset asked, eyes narrowed upon seeing Finster. The book’s power had grown strong enough to make him visible, if not give him physical form. Her sword was practically ablaze in her anger as Putties began to melt all around her.

“Nothing that needs to concern you Ranger. I’d be more worried about your friends,” Gesturing behind her, he hummed in delight as the swarm of sheeple enveloped Double and Gilda. “Best make see to it they don’t become chew toys. Come now, Rarity. We have places to be!”

Sunset let out a scream of rage, and ignited all the sheeple freeing Double and Gilda before turning her blade on Repellator slicing him in half gore splattering her costume.

“Oh, isn’t this fun?” Thrax laughed as he teleported in bolts of red lightning, his mother’s wand in hand. “Oh, I always should have suspected my Godfather had this back-up plan in store… Never thought it’d be quite this amusing though!” he laughed, before firing red lightning bolts at Sunset, Double, Baroness and the rest of the Rangers knocking them to the floor.

“Unleash the Power!” Daring and Galaxy shouted as they fired their Dino Morphers at Thrax and just as he was knocked back by the energy blasts they morphed and hit him in the face with twin flying side kicks.

“Everyone’s come out to play it seems…” Thrax muttered, as he raised his staff skywards and brought down even more bolts of lightning that Daring and Galaxy just only absorbed with their blades before fireballs were sent their way flooring them. “Now if you excuse me, I have an old friend to catch up with!”

With that, he teleported off to Finster’s location.

As it happened, Finster and Rarity had cornered both Spike -Who had been using his flames to charbroil putties- and Sweetie Belle in a park atop a wooden bridge.

“Oh, isn’t this cute, a knight in shining scales come to save his sweetie!” Finster giggled. Thrax just observed from a rooftop.

“Rarity... “ Sweetie pleaded. “This isn’t you… Please, stop. You’re scaring me!”

“Oh but, Sweetie, soon you’ll be even better than you are now!” Rarity giggled, taking both Spike and Sweetie in her magic. “Finster, I believe we’re ready to start~”

“You know, I never did tell you what happened to that wife of mine now did I?” Finster asked even as Sweetie and Spike struggled to get free. “It was an accident I assure you, I never meant to harm her,” Taking the book from Rarity, he began the spell. His magic overpowered Rarity’s, the power of the book seeping into them. “But, that’s about to be fixed,”

“Well Finster,” Thrax remarked as he teleported down to the terrier-like creature’s level. Both Spike and Sweetie’s eyes widened in fear upon seeing him. “Still up to your old tricks I see,”

“I was hoping to be finished before you caught wind,” Finster tsked, continuing his spell. Both teens locked up, their expressions going blank. “Are you here to stop me?”

“Oh no, quite the opposite I assure you,” Thrax remarked. “Orgs are so unreliable these days, I need something besides them if I’m going to continue my parents’ legacy. Consider me this offering you up a job opening, to continue what you loved best.”

“Certainly a tempting offer indeed. We shall speak after I’m settled in. If you excuse me.” Melting into a ghostly apparition, he flew into Spike. Another shape manifested from the book, flowing into Sweetie Belle. The book slammed shut, dropping them both to the ground.

“Well now Finster, you’ve actually outdone yourself…” Thrax chuckled having just realized what the monster maker’s plan actually was.

‘Spike’ groaned, sitting up slowly. Blinking his eyes, he held up his hands. “Ah~ It worked! I live again!” Rising to his feet, Finster took in his new form. “Ah, the vigor of youth, I had long forgotten it.”

“Congratulations are in order Finster,” Thrax remarked. Unknown to any of them, an emerald green griffon with gold detailing was flapping above them, watching everything. “I suppose your greatest experiment is a success…”

‘Is it?” Finster reached over, shaking Sweetie Belle. “Plepra? Plepra, wake up!” he pleaded.

‘Sweetie’ groaned, opening her eyes. “Where...?” she blinked, looking at the dragon in front of her. “Where am I?”

“S-Sweetie…?” Rarity whispered in fear, having been released from the spell. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!?!” she screamed at Finster, her horn sparking angrily.

Finster snorted, hugging Plepra close to him. “I undid the worst mistake of my life, I brought my dear sweet Plepra back!”

“That’s… That’s what this was all about?” Rarity whispered out in horror. If she’d taken notice of Thrax, she said nothing. “You using me as a puppet, you making me attack my friends with your creations, you taking control of Spike and then my sister, just to bring back your wife?”

“I’m sorry about all of that, but I needed to make it right!” Finster snapped, smoke rising from his nostrils. “And I’m not letting anyone ruin this!”

“You brought me back, again?” Plepra asked slowly, looking down at her new body. “This isn’t me, Finster. You stole this body from someone else!”

“But… But I only wanted to be reunited with you…” Finster whispered. Thrax seemed actually quite amused by all of this, leaning up against a tree and conjuring up a bucket of popcorn.

“All the times you’ve brought me back, did you ever consider how much it hurt?” Plepra pulled away, glaring at her husband. “And now you’ve stolen these bodies from those who haven’t even begun to live!”

“It was all for you my dear…” Finster whispered actually feeling the smallest pangs of guilt beginning to rise up inside him. Plepra was right, these two… They’d only now just begun to live their lives. Did he have that right to take that away from them? Just so he could relive his own life?

“I-If I may?” Rarity asked, cutting in. “What your husband has done it... it sickens me but...” she leaned down, scooping up the discarded tome. “If you both agree to leave my sister and my friend, can’t I create you new bodies?”

“N-No,” Finster said shaking his head. “If you did that, you’d use up all of your mana. Your life force. I squandered my chance at life, I can’t allow you to do the same. Not even for my wife.”

“I could still try!” she argued, frowning. Thrax continued to observe, wanting to see what becomes of this. “Everyone deserves a second chance!”

“Rarity, I appreciate your sentiments, and your generosity, it’s your greatest trait after all but no… I don’t deserve a second chance. You know what I did to my wife? When she found about my crimes? I murdered her, and just kept bringing her on back as a clay sculpture. Never thinking her just quite right, I took an axe to her, again and again. Now ask yourself, is that someone truly worthy of a second chance? Of your death?” Finster asked her. “Please, I beg of you… Just let me face judgment for my crimes. Maybe the Mystic Mother will spare me mercy, maybe she won’t. It’s up to her to decide what becomes of me.”

Rarity frowned, gripping the book tighter. “That’s cowardice and you know it! You’re too afraid to face what you’ve done, too afraid to buckle down and redeem yourself! Too terrified of making something better with yourself!

“And what about Thrax over there? He’d gladly take me, just to make more monsters. That… That is a fate worse than death,” Finster replied. “Please, just let me die so I will never harm this world again.”

Rarity glanced at Thrax, then down at the book. Turning to Thrax, she hardened her gaze. “Thrax, you are a monster,” She glanced back at the two before back at him. “If you help me with this spell and leave the two of them to us, I let you walk away with this book.”

“Really now?” Thrax asked. “A member of the Elements, betraying Equestria just to save two measly little lives? I never thought you to be so bold… But, sorry. I can’t accept that.”

With that, he zapped Rarity into unconsciousness before turning his attention to Finster and his wife. He raised his hands, both crackling with orbs of lightning. “I’m sorry Finster, but all I need is the book. You’re just a loose end.”

He fired, only for a purple flash to intercept the lightning. When Finster and his wife looked up, they saw Emily holding back the lightning blasts with her Spin Sword.

“Run, you two, now! Tell the Rangers as to what’s going on! I can handle him!” Emily shouted.

“Well, isn’t this a surprise. Letting a monster live. You just keep on adding up to your crimes Emily Suzuki…” Thrax grinned devilishly. “Another mistake to add to your tally!”

“Yes, I’ve accepted I’ve made far too many mistakes in my life, but allowing two lives to live, and stopping you from getting your hands on more power than you’ll ever need? Well, I think they all even out. Unleash the Power,” she stated calmly, morphing directly into her Ranger form. “Plesiosaurus, Power Ranger Purple.”

She continued fighting back Thrax’s lightning bolts and slashed into his skin drawing blood before kicking him backwards through a tree. “I could have taken the coward’s way out, Seppuku, but no. I’m choosing to live my life, go with whatever crimes I committed and help the next generation however I can,” Emily stated. “Even if that means dying in the process and falling to you!”

She charged forwards leaving a purple trail of lightning behind her, sending Thrax flying before she drew a few symbols in midair with her Samuraizer. アースパームス：クラッシュ

Two hands made of sheer rock and earth erupted from the ground and crushed Thrax in-between them before retracting allowing Emily to send a yellow wave of energy from her sword. Thrax fell to the ground, his body smoking as the rest of the Rangers ran up along with Twilight and Double.

“DAMN YOU!” Thrax shouted as he grabbed the tome. “Magic wand, make these monsters grow!” he roared as all of Rarity’s creations within the past hour grew to colossal size. Chuckling, Thrax teleported out with the tome in hand.

“Oh hell…” Sunset muttered.

“Wild Zords, combine!”

With shifting and whirring sounds, the Leviathan Zord split in half and his head and jaw folded open to become feet and the tail split open at the back as the Kitsune Zord’s back legs folded up into his chest.

Excess metal in his chest detached to form twin katanas and it’s head folded downwards to become a chestplate as his front legs detached with hisses of steam with the wings of both the Phoenix and Thunderbird Zords detaching as the tail feathers sprouted clawed hands and both Legendary Bird Zords became the arms. The Phoenix sported the kanji for fire on her winged shoulder pad and the Thunderbird, the kanji for lightning on his own.

A tusked head popped up from the Kitsune Zord’s neck, and the Vampire Bat Zord, wings detaching as it grafted itself onto the back of the Megazord and it’s head moved upwards and became the helmet.

“Animaria Guardian, online!” Sunset shouted as all four Rangers went into Orion Mode, transforming the Megazord into its own Orion State even as monsters surrounded it from all sides.

“Oh great… Just what we needed,” Sunset deadpanned as Repellator charged at the Megazord. “Slime at extra large size.”

The Knasty Knight swung his blade just as Repellator swung his claws at the Megazord. The claws were batted aside, and the Knight’s blade was caught in the Megazord’s hands.

The swallow zord flew in just as Sunset replaced the Phoenix Crystal with the swallow’s own. The Megazord reached out, and grabbed the Swallow Zord by the wing and threw it at the two monsters.

“Swallowrang, Whirlwind Finish!” Sunset shouted, and threw the zord allowing it to create a minature cyclone around the Knight and Repellator who ended up slashed not only by the howling winds but the Swallow’s own sharp wings.

“Dragozord Stinger!” Trixie called as she launched the DinoStegozord’s weapon at the two monsters finishing them off in a massive explosion.

“Yes! With this new stature, all of Equestria will hear the Word!” Sheeple billowed, flexing his arms. “Celestia is a windigo! Fluttershy is a vampire!!!”

“Oh shut up…” Sunset muttered, making the Megazord clock him across the face. Trixie was soon to follow with her own mecha. Sunset lit up her horn, and a green circle of glowing runes appeared in front of the Megazords, before firing a massive amount of laser bolts towards Sheeple.

“Sunset, may I get the honors of shutting this idiot up for good?” Trixie asked.

“Much obliged.” Sunset called back knowing exactly what Trixie had in mind.

Trixie went into Super Dino Mode and made her Megazord leap forwards spinning it like a buzzsaw slicing right through Sheeple.

“Any last conspiracies?” Trixie asked as a line of golden energy appeared right down through Sheeple’s midsection.

“Bulk and Skull are the real heroes! Applejack is immortal! But… I guess I’m not!” Sheeple shouted, before falling forwards and exploding.

“Good riddance…” Sunset muttered. “I thought he’d never shu-Woah!” She yelped as Bones and King Sphinx charged the Megazord from the side making it stagger back.

King Sphinx fired off some more fireballs at the Megazord, making it stagger backwards before Lightning summoned the Boar Zord and it replaced the Thunderbird while Vapor summoned the Deer allowing it to replace the Phoenix.

The Megazord charged forwards glowing with gold light drilling right through Bones chest as he exploded behind it. Next, the Deer arm was raised, and massive versions of the antlers bound themselves around King Sphinx. The tails of the Pachy and Ankylo Zords flew out of nowhere and walloped King Sphinx in the chest sending him flying back into a mountainside. Eye Guy came running up before the Pachy Zord fired off a blast of flame from its mouth incinerating him entirely.

“What, you think we were going to be taken out of the fight that easily, Princesa?” Daring asked atop the head of her Zord.

“Now, what to do with you…? Sunset mused before she brought out the Fusion Charger and pressed down on it. “Ah yes, I know. Haven’t used this one in a while.”

“Fusion Charger, Engage!” she shouted throwing it to the Ankylo Zord, and the Zord accepted it with open mouth. The Boar Zord detached before a new shoulder pad formed and the Ankylo Zord leaped into the awaiting connection point steam hissing out upon the fusion. Daring meanwhile was teleported into the Animaria Guardian’s cockpit.

“Now… Ankylo Hammer: Golden Colossal Crush!” all five Rangers shouted before the now massive warhammer was raised before slammed right down atop King Sphinx’s head and like his predecessors he went up in a massive explosion.

“Monsters… Extinct!” the Rangers shouted as the Animaria Guardian raised its arms in victory.

“So, you’re sure about this?” Rarity asked, Finster and Plepra’s spirits having left Spike and Sweetie’s bodies.

“Yes, I am. I squandered my chance at life, and even after death I continued to trouble you Rangers. It’s now time to own up to my crimes. My only hope is that I will see Plepra again. Someday.”

“I’m sure you will,” Rarity said, the three atop a hilltop staring up at the night sky. “The Mystic Mother as I’ve found, she can be… lenient.”

“Please, don’t fill me with false hope,” Finster sighed sadly before he kissed her on the cheek making Rarity giggle and blush. “Now you take care understand? You’ve got a wonderful family, and I want to see them grow. I’ll be watching you, me and Plepra. Goodbye Mrs. Rarity.”

With that, his and Plepra’s spirits faded away and became golden orbs that flew upwards into the night sky. Rarity, wiping away her tears smiled. “Goodbye… Finster.”

Author's Notes:

Okay, well, that's the end of that. Huge thanks to Shagohad12 for his co-writing for me on this chapter. Seriously, he came up with this whole damn plotline and helped me turn an otherwise normal day in Ponyville -cause it is, isn't it?- into a definite Power Rangers style adventure. Oh, and if any of you want to raise hell about the combination at the end? May I remind you this is a thing.

Next time... Rainbows and Lightning!

Part 30: Rainbows and Lightning

Ponyville for the most part, was sorta back to normal with all the glitter and gold having been reversed and any transformations to the town’s residents having been -mostly- reversed. Mind you, there were still one or two minor odd cases, with Applejack surprisingly having refused to be changed back to her pony form, actually embracing being a Kirin saying now she had two kinds of magic to work with. Her marefriend was still getting used to it, but Applejack figured Rara would come onto the changes in time. Fluttershy had kept the butterfly wings Rarity had given her, saying that they made her feel closer to the animals. And Rainbow was back to normal… mostly, except she still now bore shark’s teeth citing them as ‘awesome’. Or 20% cooler, depending on who you asked.

Lightning sighed to herself as she watched Rainbow dart through the skies like the aerial ace she was, having sat on the edge of a fountain to watch.

“Look at you, you’re just like some sort of lovesick puppy…” Silver Spoon teased. “Seriously, what is with you? If you like her that much, just go up and ask her out!”

“...It’s slightly more complicated than that Sil,” Lightning sighed to herself shaking her head. Oh, to be young and naive again she chuckled. “Trust me, if it was so simple I would have asked her out on a date. Actually, already did once. Worked out real swell,” Lightning chuckled, and Silver’s jaw dropped.

“Wait, you and she…?”

“Yep, kiddo. That we did,” Lightning remarked, ruffling Silver’s mane affectionately. “Even almost got married once. Almost.”

“...Wait, what?” Silver nearly screeched out, Lightning shushing her at the last moment.

“You want that to get around?” Lightning hissed out. “The last thing I want is Vapor badgering me about nearly marrying Rainbow!”

“So, why didn’t you?” Silver asked.

“...I… I was sorta caught off guard when she proposed,” Lightning murmured out in an ashamed tone. “That, and a surprise visit from Spitfire didn’t exactly help matters much. Rainbow may have sorta took offense or got it in her head that I was wimping out on her and well… She and I are barely on good terms as it is. ...Look, I don’t even know why I’m talking to you about this crap, I hate mushy stuff.”

“Hey, I’m your sister aren’t I?” Silver asked sitting down next to Lightning. “You can trust me with things like this, I won’t tell!”

“Really?” Lightning asked skeptically, knowing of Silver’s rep as a gossip hound.

“Pinkie Promise. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. Even I know there are some things that mum’s the word on,” Silver replied doing the sacred motions. “Besides, having something secret to keep from Diamond? Best thing ever!”

“Okay…” Lightning trailed off. “Anyways, small wonder after all of this Rainbow thinks we’re like oil and water, we don’t exactly mix. I’m amazed she still talks to me at all. I mean, pretty much seemingly shooting down a marriage proposal like I did? That’d probably sting, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, it sorta would,” Silver agreed. “God knows if the man I ever asked to marry me shot me down like you say you seemingly did to Rainbow I’d be ticked off.”

“...Gee, thanks,” Lightning deadpanned. “Real confidence booster, that.”

“Er, sorry?” Silver laughed nervously. “Anyways, what’s stopping you from just going to apologize to Rainbow and taking up her offer?”

Lightning was about to answer, before she halted. Now that was a question she’d asked herself many times over since that fateful night.

“I… I… I…” Lightning stammered out, her thoughts running wild. One part of her mind, it wanted to accept especially after Rainbow’s confession, but the other knew this was a big step and was wondering if she was really ready for this.

Rainbow took her hesitation as her answer, just looking at the ring box before putting it aside on a nearby table. Fighting back tears, she stood up, unfurled her wings and muttered: “I… I see. Just… Just when you’re ready, okay?” she asked, before going inside to change back into her normal clothes and fly away into the night.

Lightning knew the answer, she always did. It had been in the back of her mind ever since that night, and had stayed there. She was always just far too proud to admit it. Fear, that’s what it was.

“I’ve… I’ve always been too afraid of what she’ll say to me, I mean… It’s been months since that happened, and yet I haven’t said a word to her about it since!”

“Ouch…” Silver winced. “Okay, so you’re terrified. Got it.”

“Look at me, probably one of the more daring and on occasion downright foolish Wonderbolts and yet I can’t work up the fucking nerve to say to the mare of my life that I love her! ...I’m so pathetic,” Lightning sniffled, old insecurities coming to the forefront once more. “Guess dear old dad was right, I’ll probably never amount to anything anyways…”

She looked at a certain wing and sighed as it creaked upon movement. “Besides, what would Rainbow want to do with me now? I mean, I’m a freak. Hardly call this attractive, would you? A mare with a gimp!”

“I dunno,” Silver trailed off. “It looks pretty cool to me, and while I don’t know much about Rainbow I know a fair bit about her little sister, Scootaloo.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lightning asked, raising an eyebrow.

“They’re a lot alike in some ways, aren’t they?” Silver Spoon replied. “I mean, they’re both athletic types and they both love things perceived as ‘cool’ and you flying with a hindrance and still managing to be the mare you are? I don’t know about you, but I’d like to think that Rainbow would find that awesome wouldn’t you?”

“I… I suppose you’re right,” Lightning agreed as she wiped away her tears. “Thanks, Sil, for snapping me out of that funk. I needed that.”

“Hey, it’s what I’m here for isn’t it?” Silver asked as Lightning picked herself up.

“No more tears, no more hesitation,” Lightning declared. “Tonight Rainbow, you will be mine!”

Silver blushed at that particular wording as she watched Lightning run off and take flight.

“Go get her.” she thought.

Canterlot:

“So, what do you think Thrax is going to do now that he has that book?” Gilda asked, at Twilight’s side as always nowadays.

“Whatever he wants,” Twilight responded, looking down at her hooves. “He’ll do anything and everything his sick heart desires.”

“Which is a fairly disturbing thought. Gee, thanks for that Twi. Real big thank you for that. Should never have asked… If what we saw yesterday was only the tip of the iceberg… Well, we’re in for a Hell of a ride aren’t we?” she remarked. “Guess that’s why you’re here in Canterlot aren’t you? For training from that Flash Fire mare right?”

“Yeah, whether she’ll accept me as a student is another matter entirely…” Twilight sighed before Gilda slung an arm around her shoulders.

“Hey, you’ve got me now right?” Gilda remarked and gestured to herself with a claw. “I like to think myself a pretty badass hen, and I am I not right?” she commented. “Plus, you’re like some uber-powerful magic user right? So what’s the problem?”

“The problem is, neither of you are worth a damn on the battlefield.” A fist jabbed into Gilda’s back, followed by a suplex. “Never let your mind wander. Not even on a simple walk through the city.”

“Ugh, ambush…” Gilda muttered picking herself up off the ground and dusting herself off. “Not cool man. Not cool! You know, if I wasn’t allowed to pick fights unless absolutely necessary by Pai Zhuq rules I’d totally kick your ass!”

She soon changed her mind upon getting a look at the mare who could only be Flashfire and swallowed nervously. Flash Fire stood out amongst a crowd, older than someone middle-aged but retaining her muscled body. Like all members of the Flash lineage, she retained the orangish traditional coat color. Her mane was a fiery red with streaks of yellow running through it.

“And will your enemies obey those rules? Sure, it’s fine to live by a code, but when it really gets down to brass tacks, it's either you or them. Honor isn’t going to do much good when you're dead.”

“Easy Flash Fire,” Twilight replied. “She’s just being protective of me. Seems she’s elected herself as my personal bodyguard for whatever reason.”

“...Damn right I have,” Gilda muttered. “I’m your fiance, I’m allowed to be your bodyguard and kick a bit of ass to protect yours, am I right?”

“Spoken just like an arrogant bird,” Flash Fire scoffed, crossing her arms. “Save your bluster, hen, it’ll get you nowhere with me.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that one…” Gilda grumbled. “Listen here little miss hardass, if you beat up my fiance too badly then I’m coming after you next are we clear?”

Twilight face-palmed and sighed. She swore Gilda was going to be the death of her someday, her and her uber-protectiveness.

“Easy Gilda, I need this. The problem is, as you asked, is there are ponies like Neighsay and of course Thrax out there and I need all the help I can get. If it’s not Thrax, it could be someone I can’t foresee on the horizon,” Twilight reminded, the little black Cerberus familiar on her shoulder nodding in agreement. “No pain, no gain right?” she asked Flash Fire turning back to her.

“Exactly.” Flash nodded, turning away. ‘Come on, we’re going to the sparing yard. Get your fancy belt ready.”

“Already got it,” Twilight said, pulling it out and slapping it on before tossing her banana lockseed skywards catching in and then slamming it into her belt and slicing it open.

“Come on! Banana Arms: Knight of Spe~ar!” the belt sang as usual as the armor unfolded.

“Hey, how’d you even know about this anyways?” Twilight asked out of curiosity as she teleported Flash Fire to the sparring yard. Upon seeing the Princess and the legendary and rather infamous Captain, the rest of the guards in the area cleared the Hell out of there pretty damn fast. “...Wait, did my brother say anything about this? Or was it Robert?”

“I don’t need to be told anything. Who do you think makes sure the military runs smoothly? Takes care of the dirty work so ponies like you can enjoy all the peace and harmony?” Flash reached into her armor, holding up a small green crystal. “Sentry ever mention this to you? The Flash family heirloom?”

“Not really, he was rather far too interested in playing kissy-face with me, in hindsight, to ever mention a lot of details about his family,” Twilight sighed. She needed better choices in romance. First Flash, and now Gilda. Both had issues. And in Gilda’s case, there was no backing out of this one. Well, unless she wanted to be the cause of a war.

Flash Fire sighed, shaking her head. “That idiot needs to get his shit together. I can’t pass this on before he’s ready. Why they're considering him for a promotion and placing him in a certain corps when he doesn’t even have this baffles me.” Taking a stance, the jewel glowed in her hand. If Twilight didn't know better, she would have sworn that was the exact same type of crystal Drakkon's soldiers used to morph, now being reverse-engineered by Canterlot mages. “This goes all the way back to the days of Magnus. If you can hit me, I’ll tell you all about it.” It glowed brighter, engulfing her in a green light.

Flash’s armor had been replaced; black and gold armor covered her body, with her breastplate sporting a silver sigil with five branches. A black visor obscured her face, thought Twilight could feel her eyes watching her every movement. Gilda had managed to find her way to the field, and her jaw dropped upon seeing this.

“She’s… she’s a ranger?” Gilda asked.

“Your move, princess.”

Twilight, nervously charged forward spear in hand and thrusted it forwards towards Flash Fire letting out a battle cry as she did so. Flash swatted the spear away, slamming her fist into Twilight’s chest.

“No doubt, no hesitation. You do or die,” Stepping back, Flash drew a line with her foot. “You have five steps. Get across this line.”

Twilight actually managed to use a form of teleportation magic to sprint across to the line, appearing as if she was moving at super speed.

“Easy peasy,” Twilight smirked. Only to be clotheslined and thrown back an inch from the line.

“I said, cross the line,” Flash repeated, tapping her hoof. “You can do that, can’t you?”

“Okay, that...” Gilda thought. “That little bitch! She crossed the line! She passed your stupid test!”

Twilight let out a growl and ran forwards towards Flash ire her fist drawn back to punch the mare in the face. Flash caught it, easily pulling Twilight into an arm lock.

“Think! You let any emotion control you in a fight and you die. You need to control them, keep a cool head and take every situation as it comes,” Shoving Twilight back across the line, Flash resumed her position. “Again. Cross the line.”

Twilight pulled out another lockseed and slammed it into her belt practically growling as she did so.

“Come on! Mango Arms: Fight of Ham~mer!”

Trudging forwards Twilight walked up to the line. “How am I supposed to control my emotions?” Twilight asked. “How am I? I’m not you, I’m not Princess Celestia. Every day, every single damn day everyone looks to me for an answer, and every single day Thrax, Bunglay or Goddess knows whatever else wants to put Equestria on the chopping block! I’m never going to be fully in control of my emotions, not like you are!” Twilight screamed, sounding nearly close to tears.

“Not if you don’t try.” Flash stepped over the line, slamming her elbow into Twilight’s shoulder. Juking around to the left, she easily removed the lockseed from Twilight’s belt. “You’re not ready for sparring,” Flash demorphed herself, pocketing the lockseed. “Hen, get down here. We’re starting from the basics!”

“Excuse me?” Gilda shouted. “Where the hell do you get off on saying that? This isn’t training, this is just beating someone up for no point!” Gilda shouted. “You heard Twilight, she’s not you, despite how much you want her to be!”

“I don’t want her to be me, I want her to be better,” Flash responded, clasping her arms behind her back. “If a simple training exercise riles her up that badly; makes her that reckless, what happens if she loses it on the battlefield? It’ll get people killed. Is that what either of you want? You don’t need to be me, or Celestia, you need to be you. A better you. If neither of you are willing to learn, then I can’t teach you.”

“I can see why so many quit,” Twilight snapped. “They didn’t want to deal with your attitude. Gilda’s right, this isn’t training, this is just you beating someone up just because you want to vent your damn frustrations onto someone! You want to clone yourself, relive past glories!”

“If I wanted to vent my frustrations, I’d go build a boat. If I wanted to relive past glories, I’d go look in a photo album. You want to know what this was? It was seeing how much pressure and frustration you could take before you snap. You need to learn to control your emotions. You can stand there and yell at me about making you a clone but that’s just your denial to face your problems.”

“Break you down, to build you up…” Twilight whispered in recognition having heard of Shining doing this -if not to this extent- on his troops. “That’s what all this is isn’t it?”

Flash chuckled, shaking her head. “I don’t intend to break you, Twilight. I’m going to forge you, forge you into the sword to cleave our enemies and the shield to protect those who need it. We’re tabling sparring for now, we’ve both seen what’ll happen. Like I said, the basics, starting with getting that tempest you call an emotional core under wraps.”

“Fine then… Let’s do this.” Twilight said slamming a fist up against her palm.

“You too,” Flash spoke, looking at Gilda. “You need a cool head just as much as she does.”

Gilda cracked her knuckles before tossing off her jacket and flexed her muscles. “Fair enough. If I get knocked down… Well. I'll stand up... As many times as I have to… Just to defend Equestria and my wife,” she said, thumping a fist against her chest. “Much as I hate to admit it, they’re my people now as well. So even if that means giving into silly pony sensibilities like love and friendship, then I’ll do it.”

“Me,” Twilight started. “All I ever wanted to do when Thrax first reared his ugly head was help defend Equestria. Seeing that knock off of me calling herself Genm? That just pissed me off, a mare like her falling to darkness and using her intelligence for evil and working for those Dai-Shocker snakes. I vowed then and there, never to let evil get this close to my doorstep yet again, and that means enduring your form of Hell… Then so be it. Hit me with your best shot!”

Flash patted Twilight’s shoulder. “Relax, no one’s going to be hitting each other for a while. I’ll make you a deal, Princess. Every lesson you pass, you get to ask me a question. Anything you want. I’ll even give you a free one right now.”

“Fine then. I’m asking this. Me, I won’t leave anyone behind, that's my strength. What’s yours? Why did you decide to join the Royal Guard? Why?” Twilight asked.

“Because that’s the Flash family way. Equestria needs ponies, those who are willing to sacrifice in their stead. Do the dirty things that would give any normal pony nightmares. Galaxy knows this, so does the rest of his Night Guard. If I don’t do it, someone else will have to. That’s why I joined.”

“So then professor,” Twilight asked. “What’s my first lesson?”

“It’s time to learn how to breathe.” Flash replied, giving her a simple smile.

Ponyville: Sugarcube Corner

“You’re… You’re joking right?” Trixie asked in disbelief, her jaw hanging loose. “P-Please tell me you’re kidding,” she said sounding close to tears. “Twilight, my Twilight is getting married to that… that bint!?!”

“Language, please!” Rarity shouted. “But yes, Twilight is getting married to Gilda. ... Can scarcely believe it myself, but it’s happening.” she sighed wanting to comfort Trixie. She just wasn’t sure how.

“O-Oh, well isn’t this just great!” Trixie shouted, her lip quivering as she fought back tears. “The mare of my life is getting married to that brute of a griffon, and if that wasn’t enough, I just recently discovered my Rangers powers are beginning to go! Oh, woe is Trixie!”

“Are… Are you sure about this?” Trixie asked, looking Zecora dead-straight in the eyes. “P-Please tell me you’re wrong!”

“I wish I was, but I can feel it weakening,” Zecora spoke, her hand resting on the gem. “When I realized it was losing power, I went through those notes the other Twilight left. Unfortunately, your gem is just too different from her magic stones.”

“I’ve heard this thing’s power was depleted once before,” Trixie sighed. “Hundreds of years ago, to defeat this Mesogog creep. But… But Retinax managed to repower it! If he can do it, why can’t you?”

Zecora gave Trixie a deadpan look. “Trixie, my power comes from mixtures. Of alchemy and herbology. I cannot replicate whatever power a monster of pollution can produce.”

“Then… It’s finally coming to an end isn’t it?” Trixie sighed. “I guess it was just too much to hope for that Trixie could finally become a hero, wasn’t it? How many… How many morphs do you think this has left in it?”

“Three. Four if you can keep them short,” Zecora replied, handing the bracelet back to Trixie “I’m sorry, I can’t do more for you.”

“...Well, you… you did your best Zecora, thank you,” Trixie whispered fighting back tears before she wiped them away before chuckling.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing…” Trixie replied. “Okay, maybe it’s just that Retinax intended for me to be his little puppet, just for a little while gambling even on limited morphs would be enough to destroy the Rangers and show up Thrax. Almost did, but I broke free of his little strings. And now… Well, Trixie intends for her very last morphs to be even more showy than usual. I’ll show Retinax, Thrax and Mystic Mother knows whoever else wants to challenge me that Trixie Lulamoon will not be beaten so easily!”

“...Wish I saw this coming though,” Trixie sighed, Vapor rubbing her shoulder in sympathy. She knew all too well what it was like to never get your chance to confess to the one that you loved. “Funny that, Twilight’s always been my rock. Always kept me striving, always making me challenge myself, try to be better than her. The question is… what do I do now?”

“What do you think?” Rarity asked. “Be happy for her. There’s always another fish in the sea right?”

Trixie huffed.

“You’re acting like a child Trix,” Vapor sighed rubbing her temples. “As much as I hate to say it, that’s exactly how you’re acting. Like a child who’s been denied their favorite toy. Twilight’s still alive isn’t she?”

“What does that have to do anything?” Trixie mumbled.

“The love of my life… He isn’t. Killed in battle with the Orgs, trying to protect me even when I got in the way. I never had a chance to say anythin’ to him, not one word you understand?” Vapor asked.

“Oh, Vapor…” Rarity whispered, knowing exactly who the mare was referring to.

“Tell Twilight, or not. That doesn’t matter. Just let her be happy,” Vapor continued. “As long as she’s happy, you’re happy right?”

“I… I suppose,” Trixie whimpered before she picked herself up. “You’re right, I’m sitting here feeling sorry for myself and that’s not what a Lulamoon does. No, they hold their heads high and live life to its fullest. As should I! I may not have had my chance with Twilight, but I will at least let her keep her happiness, protect her from the shadows!” Trixie declared.

“How… How are you going to do that?” Rarity asked, not really sure if she wanted to know. Trixie then brought out a very familiar form of Driver.

“So glad you asked!” Trixie cried, booping Rarity on the nose before placing the Driver around her waist, with a yellow belt wrapping itself around her and a white samurai-themed helm appearing on the Driver’s faceplate. “My powers may be fading, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still help not just Twilight, but you gals right?”

“T-Trixie, are you sure about this?” Rarity stammered out. “I mean, this is a big leap up from your Ranger powers. I’ve seen Twilight in action. Those Rider powers of hers, definitely a lot stronger than the powers of the Dino Gems.”

“Exactly, those were crude… While these Lockseeds? They’re more refined than the brute strength of the dinosaurs! A new me is being born today. A new Trixie! In fact… That’s what I’ll call myself! Kamen Rider Lulamoon!” Trixie declared, pointing skywards.

“Go Trixie, go Trixie!” Pinkie Pie shouted in the background. “Yeah, you show them who’s boss! Strike those monsters down from the heavens like a slaying moon!”

Vapor facepalmed while Rarity groaned to herself. “...Me thinks Trixie needs to work on her names.” Rarity muttered.

“Whatever do you mean?” Trixie asked. “Trixie’s names are brilliant!” she huffed.

“...That is a matter of opinion,” Vapor sweatdropped. “Still, nice to see you’re back on your hooves again Trix. Seeing you down… well, it’s like something just sucked all the energy out of the room. It just ain’t right, ya know?”

Trixie smirked. “So glad we’re on the same page!” she declared, throwing an arm around Vapor who could only groan.

“...Kill me now. Someone.”

Lightning, with no small amount of fear and anxiety pumping through her veins like a blazing inferno, flapped her wings heading right for Rainbow’s home. She swallowed, it looked the same as it always did, this condominium type building with a rainbow fall spilling out onto the ground below and pooling in a small lake. Lightning chuckled, she supposed being an Element of Harmony and a Wonderbolt did have its perks.

Touching down on the little pathway leading up to her sorta fiance’s home, she took in a deep breath and knocked on the door.

“R-Rainbow?” Lightning breathed out nervously. “It’s me… L-Lightning Dust. You know, your eternal rival, all around badass and former love of your life?”

Something shattered from inside the house. Sounded like a vase hitting the floor. Then hooves rapidly galloped towards the front door, before it was opened with Rainbow’s eyes wide in shock at the sight of Lightning.

“Listen, I’m sorry…” Lightning whispered. “You… You just…”

“Just what?” Rainbow growled out, and Lightning flinched at her tone and took a few steps back. “Just caught you off-guard? Yeah, I can understand that. I sorta did bring that up out of nowhere, so I can understand you being surprised and all. That’s not what I’m angry about! No, what I’m pissed off about is you not even bothering to talk to me after all this time about this!” the mare yelled looking half-tempted to slap Lightning across the face.

“I was afraid, okay?” Lightning asked her voice raising itself to a shout. “What more do you want from me? To get on my hands and knees and grovel?”

“I doubt even that would work,” a voice Lightning knew all too well sneered as she heard the sound of wings flapping behind her and two hooves hitting cloud. “Who would want to take you back?”

“D-Dad?” Lightning stammered out.

“Wait, dad?” Rainbow blinked out in shock, looking between Wind Rider and Lightning Dust and then looking back at Wind Rider. She then slapped a hand to her face in remembrance. Right, Lightning had told her who she was related to.

“What the… What are you even doing here?” Lightning asked. “Are you really that fucking serious? Are you stalking me or something?” she shouted.

“Someone in my position has to keep track of the spawn he’s sired. Especially a screw up like you. What you do reflects on me after all, Lightning.”

“Oh, well isn’t that just rich!” Lightning snapped, that fear and anxiety from before being replaced by something else. A bubbling, boiling rage. Like it was burning away at her soul. “You couldn’t give a damn about me for years, always pushing me off to the side, and only now you decide to show up in my fucking life again, just out of the blue like that? You didn’t even show up when that Org sent me into a hospital!” Lightning continued, spreading her mechanical wing for emphasis.

“Lightning, look I...” Wind Rider sighed, letting his wings droop. “You know, it’s not important. Nothing we say to each other will change anything. I shouldn’t have bothered you.”

“Damn right on both counts!” Lightning retorted back, nearly screaming now. “Nothing you say will ever change anything, that I was always a worthless failure in your eyes! That’s what you always called me after I flunked out of the Academy, and even after I got back in you still thought of me as such! But you know what, you don’t control my life anymore, I will marry this mare and nothing you can say or do will stop me!”

Wind Rider said nothing, merely spreading his wings and flying off.

“Dad… Mystic Mother, why…?” Lightning whispered before punching part of the cloud in frustration hot tears stringing her face. “Why… why now of all times?”

Suddenly, she found herself brought into a hug by Rainbow as Lightning finally let the tears flow. “Shh… Shh, it’s alright,” Rainbow whispered, rubbing Lightning’s back as the mare -No, her fiance Rainbow reminded herself then and there- sobbed into her shoulder. “It’s okay, I’m right here.”

“Thank… Thank you,” Lightning whispered.

“We’ll take things slow from here on out, okay?” Rainbow asked. “I was wrong before, we’re not like oil and water. We do mix. Just took me some time to realize that. I’ll marry you, okay?”

“R-Really?” Lightning hiccuped. “Really?

“Yeah Lightning, as long as you agree to marry me.”

Lightning smiled and wiped away her tears before kissing Rainbow on the lips wrapping her arms around her. “It’s not even a question. It never should have been…” she whispered out, after finally pulling away. “My Rainbow. My Rainbow...” she whispered.

Miles below, back in Canterlot Thrax had discovered Neighsay’s hidden greenhouse of Helheim fruits. “Huh, and to think a perfect power source for Serpentera was laying here in wait this whole time!” Thrax cackled.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of an axe slicing through the air and dodged to the left before firing lightning chains binding Retinax to the wall.

“You know, you were once my greatest general, you know that right? And you could have been had you not chose to betray me. I could have rewarded you with more power than even Goldar!” Thrax remarked with a sigh, Retinax’s eyes widening. “But now look at you, reduced to cowardly sneak attacks. You know, I almost pity you. Almost. Badussa?” he asked, as a figure with dark red skin and wearing a bony helmet stepped forwards. “Deal with him.”

Gripping his sword, which seemed to end in a sharp-toothed maw, Badussa grinned. “Gladly, milord.”

Retinax’s screams echoed all throughout Canterlot.

Author's Notes:

Welp, another huge thanks to Shagohad for pitching in and writing his(?) character Flash Fire. No relation to the one from To the Stars, thankfully. I apologize if you don't like her, but I'm not sure Shago meant to write her to be liked.

Anyways, long-standing romantic plotline resolved, and Lightning finally gives her dear old dad Hell. This isn't the last you'll see of him, rest assured, but that was a long time coming don't you agree? And Retinax is dead, only to be replaced with a new general, who I can tell you will play a important part in an upcoming tribute chapter. Not the one you might be thinking of though, won't say more on that.

Anyways... Next month, Twilight VS Neighsay!

As ever, your comments and thoughts are welcomed.

Part 31: Showdown

It had been a few days since Twilight’s training with Flash Fire had begun, and already she was showing signs of improvement. Let it never be said, Twilight Sparkle was a quitter. No, she knew she had to master this, for Equestria’s sake. Thrax wasn’t going to give in, and neither was Bunglay, or Mystic Mother only knew what else.

“Don’t… Don’t you think you’re pushing yourself too hard?” Gilda asked, as she used one of the barracks showers, completely in the nude and letting the warm water run through her fur and through her feathers. She groaned out in pain, Flash Fire’s training having run her raw. Sure, she knew how to handle herself in a good scrap, but Flash Fire’s ideal of training was something else. She’d asked Twilight about this type of training, and the mare had only this to say.

“This isn’t the standard training your average royal guard gets,” Twilight had said. “No, this type of training is the kinds the Captains of the Guards get, and this is the type of training Galaxy throws his men into. This isn’t for frontline troops guarding some town, or the borders of Equestria. No, this is for those who guard the Princesses. This is the kind of training the Ranger and Kurokage Legions are going to be put through.”

“I mean, you’re not a soldier,” Gilda continued, running some soap through her head feathers, and then letting it wash down her bare back. She smelled like shit, and she knew it. Building up a huge sweat and getting all dirty was just a consequence of Flash Fire’s training. “Sure, we’re both living in barracks now, but we’re not soldiers! We’re both Royalty, and I’d think we’d deserve to be treated a little like that.”

“No, I specifically asked for no special favors,” Twilight replied, having just finished washing herself as well, now wearing only a towel. “I asked for the hardest, most brutal training Flash Fire could offer me, the 20 mile hikes, the sword to sword battles, the works. And if I have to live in a barrack like my brother used to, so be it. And for the time being, until Thrax gets defeated, we’re all soldiers. That includes both of us. Would we not ask our people to do something we wouldn’t be willing to do ourselves?”

“Point taken…” Gilda mumbled. She wouldn’t go into battle, not unless she knew her people had her back. And they always did, but that was simply because they knew when Gilda went into battle she had the proper ability to watch herself so they wouldn’t have to baby her. “Hey, you don’t mind if you help me rinse my back?” Gilda asked, a flirtatious edge in her voice.

“Gilda…” Twilight groaned out. “Really?”

“Oh please, it’s just a bath! I’m not going to do anything that’ll make your muscles ache any more than they already are… Not unless you want me to,” Gilda smirked. Twilight stared at her, speechless. “Oh for… Don’t tell me you’re saving yourself for the wedding!”

Twilight’s silence said it all.

“Oh, you are. You’re such a prude!” Gilda huffed. “Look, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s the onset of mating season for us griffons! I’m tired, and I’m horny, so that puts me in a very bad mood!” she ranted out, throwing her arms up in the air before finally deciding to hell with it all.

Gilda let out a moan as she dug her claws into her clit and started to pleasure herself, an aching burning sensation filling her body. “Oh… Oh fuck!” Gilda moaned out, as semen dripped from her body. “And… and if you’re not particularly interested in me at the moment, why haven’t you left the room?” Gilda panted out, even as she still continued getting off.

Again, Twilight’s silence said volumes. Gilda smirked before she wrapped her arms around Twilight and pulled her in for a kiss that the alicorn all too easily accepted. After several seconds of wet, sloppy kissing, the two pulled away, a thin strand of saliva connecting them.

“Princess of Friendship huh?” Gilda murmured as Twilight finally gave in, and dropped her towel rubbing her own marehood against Gilda’s own. “Looks more like you’re the Princess of -Oh fuck!- making me very, very happy…” she panted out, kissing Twilight heavily as the pony massaged her breasts.

“You’re a very naughty little bookhorse,” Gilda said, her clit still aching for more as the water poured down their hot sweaty forms. Twilight continued to grind against her, only accelerating her desire. “And a very clever one as well. Any evidence of our activities… Well, -Oh for the Goddess’ sake!- is going to get washed down the drain with the dirt. Agh, you know what, screw the foreplay! I’m horny as all-”

A small cough interrupted them, and both of the two lovebirds so to speak pulled away only to see Flash Fire standing there, arms crossed and with an eyebrow raised.

“Need some time?” She asked simply, unphased by their compromising position. “Finish up. We have exercises to do.” Turning on her hoof, she left them to enjoy each other.

Twilight, mood thoroughly killed by this occurrence redressed herself in a pair of jeans and a nearby shirt that usually belonged to Gilda judging by its larger size. “I’m… I’m sorry Armsmaster Flash Fire, I… I apologize!” Twilight rambled, her face blushing a bright red.

Flash Fire merely smiled; a heartachingly sad smile. “Treat every moment with your loved one like it's your last.”

“Yeah, you ever heard of tempting fate?” Gilda asked. “With Thrax about, that day could very well come someday soon.”

“You… You know what that’s like Armsmaster don’t you?” Twilight asked.

Flash Fire sighed, gesturing for them to sit. “I suppose we can push the breathing techniques back for story time. How loyal are you to your country? Both of you?” she questioned.

“I married Gilda, just to stop a war from breaking out,” Twilight said. “That should say volumes about how loyal I am.”

Gilda added: “Hey, I may hate a lot of Equestrians, but I’d rather let them be idiots on their own then be idiots in ball and chains and winding up being slaughtered by Thrax. The power of the griffon nation should be able to help Equestria strengthen its own defensive capability, as a few of them seem to have trouble pulling their heads out of their sorry asses,” she continued, thinking of a certain ex-chancellor. “So yeah, I’d say I’m pretty loyal.”

“Loyal enough to kill the one you love?” Flash let the question hang looking between them with an unreadable expression.

“If… If it came to that, I was willing to kill Celestia, someone who I viewed as a mother when Solar Flare was possessing her.” Twilight whispered.

“I… I honestly don’t know,” Gilda replied. “I… I honestly don’t.”

“A long time ago, there was a dragon occupying the Kirins’ grove. I was sent on assignment to remove them,” Flash began, closing her eyes. “Most Kirin don't like to fight, it ignites the dragon blood in their veins, but one never stopped trying to fight.”

“Oh, I can see where this is going…” Gilda murmured sadly, shaking her head. “He was your lover, right?”

Flash ignored the question, continuing on. “Spring Breeze managed to rally a few Kirin to stand up for themselves. We...spent many a night together. But, we drove the dragon out and I returned to Canterlot.”

“What happened to Spring Breeze?” Twilight asked, not sure if she really wanted to know. But a part of her knew she had to learn the answer.

“We started to receive reports of raided dragon dens. Smashed eggs, stolen treasure. Really pissed off Torch. With my past experience, I snuck into the dragon lands,” She took a moment before continuing. “Spring was still leading that band of Kirin, only they weren't satisfied keeping the dragons out. They wanted them to pay. When he refused to back down, I...he made the only choice he could.”

What that choice was exactly, it went unstated. A long silence permeated the air and was only broken by a barking sound. Knowing what it was coming from, Twilight ran over to her mirror -a one made specifically for tracking her Cerberus familiar- when she saw the lights on it start to glow. Twilight’s eyes widened even as she gripped the golden frame, and she saw Neighsay’s face looking back at her.

“Well, well, I was wondering when you’d come looking for me,” the former chancellor remarked. “Oh, is that Captain Flash Fire back there? Pleasure to see she’s crawled out from whatever rock she’d been hiding under the past decade or so.”

Flash Fire didn’t bother to dignify the outlaw with a response.

“What do you want Neighsay?” Twilight growled out, wings flared in anger. “And let Cerberus go!”

“Aww, you’re naming your little familiar?” Neighsay mocked, flicking ‘Cerberus’ on the forehead making the mirror vision judder and shake. “That’s cute. But I suppose I should expect nothing less from the Princess of Friendship. Nice to see you’ve dropped your standards even more and took up housing with a griffon. I’ll be sure to send a card!” he said mock-sweetly. “But as for what I want? Well, you should be able to guess easily enough, it’s what I’ve always wanted. Just to prove to Equestria that the Rangers aren’t needed and that all they need is me and my power. But if you think different, Princess,” Neighsay continued. “Meet me at the warehouse district, I do desire to see just how much Flashie’s training has improved your skills.”

With that, he knocked out Cerberus with a small zap of magic cutting the connection. Twilight growled, and put down the mirror before placing it inside her pants pocket. “He’s going to pay for that.”

She started to walk off before Gilda put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, you know perfectly well that’s a trap.”

“Course I do, and I’m springing it, as Neighsay has to be stopped. He’s been running wild for far too long.” Twilight said, grabbing her Apple Lockseed and gripping it tightly.

“But what, you’re just going after him for a familiar? Bit extreme isn’t it?” Gilda asked cautiously. Her wife begged to differ.

“No, not just for Cerberus. Neighsay… He’s got to be brought to justice. Before he goes after my friends again, any of them,” Twilight stated. “Please Armsmaster Flash Fire, let me go after Neighsay, with all the power at my disposal.” she requested, eying the Mango and Banana Lockseeds still tucked away on Flash Fire’s belt.

Flash Fire sighed, knowing she probably was going to regret this but handed the Lockseeds to Twilight anyways. Twilight whispered a “Thank you.” before dashing out of the room and then taking flight.

“Like Hell I’m letting her go alone…” Gilda muttered, before snapping her fingers with a white garuda familiar flying in through the window. She whispered something to it, and the garuda let out a little squawk of understanding before flying off again.

“Much as I understand the concept of personal grudge matches,” Gilda remarked with at Flash Fire’s raised eyebrow. “No way in Tartarus’s name am I letting my wife -My wife, understand?- blunder into this without someone watching her back.”

“If... No, when Twilight gets back. Ask her this. Ask her to go to the Kirins' Grove, it's almost beyond the borders of Equestria but there's a train route that should take you there. Stationmaster's a little nuts, but he's harmless. I want you... I want you both to go and find my daughter. She was an infant at the time I left her, but she should be about your age now. Just ask for Autumn Blaze, okay?”

“I... I will.” Gilda nodded.

Far and away, one Troy was walking away from his shared home with Canvas. Apparently, the two had gotten into an argument when Troy had heard his parents were coming to visit, and Canvas was terrified of what they might think of a pony marrying a griffon.

“Damn it Canvas… My parents… They’d accept me for who I am! Who we are! They’re not like Neighsay and the like, they’re not diehard bigots! They’re just… difficult to accept change in the family, that’s all.”

“Sounds like you and I have a few things in common,” a voice whispered in his ear. “Now, you may not know me, but I’ve been cast out and found difficult for reasons beyond my power.”

“Who… who are you?” Troy asked, even as his body began to get covered in a dark blue form of armor, resembling a knight’s.

“Nobody important, now just lay back and relax. I’ll explain my identity in good time, my friend.” Koragg said as his helmet formed over Troy, and shut away his personality. The last thing he needed was that goody four paws interfering with his revenge. Drawing his sword from the shield resting on his back, the griffon-turned-knight laughed. Finally, he was back. “And now Zen-Aku, let’s just see how good of a fighter you really are…”

With a snap of his claws, he smirked when he heard the sound of whinnying in the night air. So nice to see his faithful steed was still around when he needed him.

Canterlot: Warehouse District

“You’re a bit late,” Neighsay remarked as Twilight ran up. “No matter though. I’ll still show you that I’m the only eligible way towards Equestria’s future.”

“Anypony ever tell you that you’re nuts?” Twilight asked as she slapped on the Sengoku Driver. “Because seriously, you are. Your dreams… they’re in technicolor. Haven’t you realized yet? You’re a fugitive from the law, a wanted man! Nobody in Equestria would ever accept you, they stopped accepting you the moment you attacked Equestria’s favorites, the Wild Force Rangers.”

“Tch!” Neighsay remarked with a little crack of his neck. “The Rangers are weak. You saw it yourself, they couldn’t even last five minutes in a battle with me, and they had to be bailed out by one of the very monsters they fought! So, what makes you think, an untrained Princess who’s only spent her life in books and only fought with friends by her side, can defeat one of Equestria’s greatest mages?” Neighsay asked as his ultimatum before slamming on his driver, the belt wrapping itself around his robe-covered waist. He then placed his two lockseeds into it, and sliced them open.

“Pomegranate Arms! An out of season bloomed sacrifice! Blood Orange Arms! The evil path on stage!”

“Firstly, for a guy who calls himself Savior you’re hardly winning over any fans with a transformation call like that,” Twilight deadpanned, spinning her Apple lockseed in her hand before placing it her own driver. “Secondly, you forget that I’m no slouch in the magic department myself.”

“Ranbu! Defend your Position! Knight of Shi~eld!”

Twilight drew her blade, and leveled it at Neighsay. “Now, time to finish this, ‘Savior’. It’s not easy to make your ideals come true, but I will defend this world. And I will defeat you. My name is Kamen Rider Baroness, and that is my creed.” she stated, slowly striding forwards blade still in hand.

Letting out a battle cry, she raised her blade and charged at Neighsay using it to slice through magical energy bolts sent her way. Neighsay fired a blue beam of energy at Twilight which she leaped over before she struck Neighsay across the chest with a downwards strike of her sword not even giving him a chance to react.

“Damn you!” Neighsay shouted, and fired off a few sonic arrow blasts at Twilight, and she raised her shield to block them before she teleported behind Neighsay and bashed him in the head with her shield.

“You’re not even worthy of the title of Rider, Neighsay!” Twilight barked, kicking him in the chest. Before, all of her battles had been waged with only pure luck, anger, and the drive to succeed and prove herself worthy pushing her onwards. Now though, it was the drive to protect those people closest to her that made her want to fight. “You’re just stomping on the legacy and trying to use it to justify your own actions, your own ego!” Twilight stated, a calm tranquil fury before she sliced the ‘Rider’ across the chest once more. “You have to earn the right to call yourself a Kamen Rider.”

With that, she flipped over behind Neighsay as he let loose a flurry of sonic arrows, and knocked him to the ground with a leg sweep.

He quickly recovered and swung his sonic arrow’s blade unleashing a slash of energy that knocked Twilight to the ground before he leaped up into the rafters, and began drawing his bow back.

“Not worthy of the title am I?” Neighsay chuckled darkly. “Well, I’ve laid you low.”

“Not yet.” Twilight stated and vanished in a flash of pink magic before Neighsay heard a popping sound from behind him. Out of the corner of his eye saw a flash of more pink magic.

“What?” he bellowed before another lockseed’s transformation call sounded.

“Wizard Arms: Shabadoobi Showtime!” Twilight’s belt shouted, before she brought out the WizarSwordGun and with a few quick shots, drove Neighsay to leap to another rafter of the warehouse. Twilight was soon to follow leaping after him, and changing the weapon to blade form.

“Now, it’s showtime!” Twilight shouted, seemingly not noticing her brief personality change. Flicking the cutting blade on her Driver several times, she activated the Sparking feature.

“Wizard Sparking: Slash Strike!” the driver sang, before Twilight’s sword glowed red and she sent an arc of blazing fire towards Neighsay who sent an arc of energy of his own towards it to meet the attack. Leaping from rafter to rafter, both Riders continued to fire off and meet each other’s attacks, never landing a blow against the other.

Twilight changed back into Apple Arms, and activated her Sparking feature once more and leaped into the air, a red energy apple at her hoof. “Apple Sparking!”

Neighsay was sent flying through a glass window, and into another warehouse rolling along the ground as he tumbled into some wooden crates.

Twilight’s entry meanwhile, was far more graceful as she just simply floated down onto the concrete floor. “There’s a difference between you and me, Neighsay,” she started, keeping her shield up while the stallion tossed bits of broken wood off himself. “You think you work for the advancement of Equestria; twist the truth in order to make that so in your mind. But the truth is, you’ve only been working for yourself. Equestria doesn’t need an egomaniac as a protector. I’ll take twelve selfless Rangers over one twisted Rider any day.”

Neighsay let out a roar of rage and sent several chains of lightning spiraling towards Twilight, his mind a blur of pure anger over being insulted.

“You’d side with that human ape over ponies? How the mighty have fallen…” Neighsay chuckled as Twilight just barely managed to dodge or deflect the lightning chains. “You know something, I used to look up to the Sparkle family. Paragons of Equestria’s greatness, they were. Even your older brother made something of himself, and I admit, I was impressed when Celestia’s personal student, AKA you made Princesshood. But now look at you, you’re weakening! Becoming soft! You’re letting yourself be aligned with inferior creatures!” Neighsay shouted, bringing out his daidaimaru and slashing Twilight across the chest making her scream out in pain as sparks flew.

Before Twilight struck the wall, her horn lit up and she disappeared in a flash of light. A moment later, she re-appeared and kicked Neighsay in the back before landing on her hooves. “I’ve learned something important, Neighsay, there’s no such thing as a superior species. Humans, yaks, dragons, griffons, and ponies. All of them can soar to impressive heights or have members that are as low as dirt,” She brought down the knife on her driver once and held her sword out. “As you are now, you’re a member of the latter. Think about it Neighsay, every battle we or anyone else ever fights in leaves behind some seed of conflict and in time, it always matures into some fruit of sadness. This fight will be no different if it continues. Break the cycle Neighsay, break it! End this here!”

At the tip of her sword, a bundle of fifteen energy apples, which were promptly thrown at Neighsay. He, at the very last second, teleported out of the way. No, that was incorrect. He actually jumped into a Helheim crack using the powers of his combined lockseeds and came out from behind Twilight only to hit her with another slash from his daidaimaru.

“You don't even notice that you're being targeted as you hesitate to fight, I can still crush you if you remain a green fruit!” Neighsay barked out as he slashed out with his sword again.

This process repeated itself several more times before Twilight finally caught on, and heard the distinctive sound of a crack opening. She tossed her shield, and at only the very last second did Neighsay dodge and fire off a sonic arrow volley in retaliation. Twilight did a spin in midair to avoid the flurry of energy arrows sent her way, before she let out a growl as she looked at Neighsay, vines sprouting from his driver.

Twilight glared beneath her helmet, looking up from the vines to focus on the battle. She switched back to Wizard Arms, planning to fight fire with fire. “Look what you’re doing, Neighsay. Bringing those vines to Equestria could destroy it. Is that how a savior acts? And the reason I hesitate, is this power was made to protect, not to destroy. Can you say the same about your own?”

Neighsay, of course, ignored her, and actually sent several of these vines towards Twilight using them like whips to lash out at her.

“It’s… It’s that driver. The longer those Lockseeds stay on him, the more his sanity deteriorates.” Twilight thought, even as two of the vines grabbed her and she was thrown into a wall covering it in small spider-web style cracks. “If he keeps drawing on more and more power, he could very well turn into one of those Overlord things like my predecessor Kaito did. I’m not sure how Neighsay made those lockseeds, but obviously, he screwed up somewhere along the way.”

Twilight lit her horn, covering herself in flames to burn away the vines holding her captive. “Right now, this fight’s no longer about winning, or seeing who deserves the Kamen Rider title. It’s about saving someone’s life.”

Neighsay ran along the warehouse floor, firing off more sonic arrow blasts at Twilight, who continued to run alongside him trying to outpace the Rider rapidly turning Overlord. She fired back with the WizarSwordGun sending out a series of silver bullets towards Neighsay, ones that actually sought out their target.

Twilight then changed into Mango Arms, ignoring the Driver’s usual “Fight of Ham~mer!” proclamation and went mace to katana with Neighsay.

“Neighsay, you have to stop this!” Twilight cried as all around them, cracks began to open and elementary Inves began to spill out of them. “Look at what’s going on all around you! Ask yourself, would a savior let these monsters run amuck?” she shouted, spinning around and hoisting her mango punisher up behind her to avoid a strike from behind by Neighsay.

The former chancellor didn’t answer, simply bringing his sonic arrow down over his head towards Twilight. She rolled out of the way, and slammed a different lockseed into her belt. “Soiya! Watermelon Arms! Midare-dama, Ba-Ba-Ba-Bang!”

Letting loose with a flurry of shots from the gatling gun she now carried, she quickly set about knocking Neighsay back and taking down the Inves before they got their hands on any of the Helheim fruits and evolved.

“Breaching!” a voice called. “We know you’re in there Neighsay. Come out with your hands up!”

Suddenly, the door smashed in, with Galaxy Squad in full Ranger get up and his two lieutenants Rumble Spear and Iron Phalanx in their Kurokage Shin armor. Other members of the Night Guard were with him, clad in regular Kurokage trooper wear.

“Royal Dino Punch!” Galaxy cried out as he smashed his fist into an Inves' chest caving it in sending the remains of the body flying across the room. “Leave these freaks to us, Prinţesă, you deal with Neighsay!”

Galaxy grimaced at the sight before him, the Inves advancing on him and his men. He was so glad Gilda put the call in to help out. Looks like Twilight needed it.

Twilight nodded, turning her shield to Neighsay as she shifted back to Apple Arms. “Thank you, Galaxy! Burn those vines if you can!”

“And thank you, Gilda,” Twilight mentally added, knowing it was only her who could have alerted Galaxy to this crisis. “Seriously, thank you.”

Galaxy turned to his Kurokage Trooper squad. “Remarcat. Ei bine, ai auzit-o! Du-te la asta! Ardeți și ardeți! Ca flacăra unui dragon!” he ordered, and several of them brought out flamethrowers as Twilight and Neighsay continued dueling with their swords outside the warehouse.

Twilight put her limited training to its best, thrusting her shield forward to parry a blow and gave herself an opening to counter. In the background, she could hear the dying screeches of Inves as they were -presumably- charred to a crisp.

She then gathered up some magic, and formed a small drill boring into Neighsay’s armor before she sliced him across the chest twice using his shock to her advantage. She’d infused her sword with her own magic to strengthen the blows.

“Credit where credit’s due, that’s some strong armor.” Twilight admitted if only to herself. She wracked her brain, an idea forming. “Wait a moment, he’s treating this like a normal fight, protecting his head and vitals. But we’re Riders, there’s something else he should be protecting.”

Twilight feinted with her sword, getting the stallion to guard his face. Time seemed to slow down, she knew she’d only have one shot to get this to catch him unaware. Her feint dropped, and she thrust her sword at his lockseed.

Slashing right through it, and the belt, both the Sengoku driver and the Pomegranate lockseed fell to the ground in two pieces. The Blood Orange one remained intact, and Twilight pocketed it even as Neighsay’s transformation ended. Chances are, that lockseed might come in handy later on. Never could be too careful.

Twilight sighed in relief, turning back towards the warehouse to help finish the fight with the Inves. She left Neighsay where he was, she wasn’t in the mood to continue saying anything to the misguided stallion.

“W-Why…?” Neighsay whispered as he saw Twilight’s retreating form as she changed into Banana Arms, his vision beginning to fail him as he lost consciousness.

“A Kamen Rider protects the lives and smiles of others,” Twilight answered simply, looking over her shoulder at him. “Even those that don’t deserve it. An inferior human taught me that.”

With that, Neighsay slipped into unconsciousness.

The Animarium:

Twilight and Gilda weren’t the only ones who had been doing some training actually. With no small amount of reluctance, Emily had been accepted back into the fold and was now giving proper lessons to Robert, using only wooden swords.

Mind you, that didn’t mean she was exempt from a little bit of punishment, as she was unfortunate enough to find out.

“Hey… Wait a tick,” Robert said, snapping his fingers slightly after finishing up with the latest lesson. “I think… I think…” he said, continuing to snap his fingers as he struggled to ‘remember’ something he’d learned at SPD before he did so and an absolutely evil smile that his Zord probably would have been proud of came to his face. “Isn’t there this… well, rule I should say about all new Rangers having to have to wash the Zords?”

Lightning knew perfectly well that this was bullshit -Then again, maybe not given where Robert trained to become a police officer- but given what exactly she’d put Robert through she was willing to go along with it. Nobody touched her adoptive brother/eternal Ranger Rival except her and lived to tell the tale.

“Hey yeah, I remember that rule! We put you through it when you joined, and then Galaxy, and then Shining, and then Daring and then Celestia…” she went on counting off the names on her fingertip, sharing this evil smile. “Oh, and especially Trixie!” Lightning giggled childishly. Sunburst and Vapor shared a look, and swallowed.

“By Mystic Mother…” they thought in unison. “They’ve become two of a kind. Scary.”

“But… But those Wild Zords, they’re like thirty feet tall! At least!” Emily sputtered.

“Sorry Ems, but the shoe’s on the other hoof now.” Lightning remarked.

“...I didn’t make such a rule…” Shayla murmured before Sunset looked at her.

“We’ll let them go along with their boneheaded jokes for now, I need a bit of a laugh. Besides, when things escalate too far -and believe me they will with those two- I’ll put an end to things,” she whispered.

“If you say so…” Shayla trailed off.

“You first start with the Kitsune Zord,” Robert said, handing Emily a bucket and then a mop. Emily just balked at this. “Be careful, I hear he reeeeeeally loovvves getting his back scrubbed!” he cackled with delight. He admitted this was rather on the vindictive side, but after being put in trauma by Emily’s insane idea of training he wanted to get back some of his pride. And have a bit of a lark along the way.

“I do not, you baka-kisame!” the Kitsune Zord snapped and of course, Robert ignored him as always even as the Zord continued to rant and rave in his head as Emily sighed and walked off. “When I get my hands on you, I’m going to rip and tear you limb from limb!”

“Nothing I’ve heard before…” Robert singsonged to him with a small roll of his eyes before fist bumping Lightning.

“Good one ‘Bucky’,” he commented with a small snigger before making a small gesture with his hands mimicking an explosion. “Now blow it up!”

Lightning simply looked confused. Robert facepalmed. He shouldn’t have been all that surprised, Lightning was not the type to be seen watching Bill Nye.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough you two. You’ve had your fun,” Sunset sighed, having to bite her hand to keep from busting out laughing at the two numbskulls she had to put up with as teammates, and in one case a boyfriend. “Emily, you can drop the bucket and mop! They’re just screwing about with you!”

“SERIOUSLY!?!” Emily screamed throwing her hands up in the air in frustration at being had. “...I should have realized, Mike told me about this friend of his named Trent having this exact same prank being pulled on him,” she grumbled before walking off into the jungle.

“Ah well, we tried,” Robert admitted with a small sigh. “...I suppose the joke doesn’t work so well on veteran Rangers. Guess we’ll have to find a new way to haze her.”

“...We’re lucky she isn’t hazing us, and that she’s too sweet for that.”

“Give her time…” Robert swallowed nervously knowing exactly what they said about the nice ones. Syd was evidence of that. ...Or maybe it was something they said about blondes. He wasn’t sure. “She’ll get us back for that, I know it. I just know it.”

“Listen, there’s something we need to talk about,” Sunset stated, and almost at once the air went deathly still. They could tell she was serious enough, as the tone alone carried a lot of weight. Hell, just her actually speaking up at all and not letting Robert and Lightning goof off -which she’d long given up trying to stop- was an indicator that something was deathly wrong.

“Is there a… problem?” Sunburst asked trepidatiously, not sure if he really wanted to know.

“Yeah, not long before the whole Inspiration Manifestation incident, or maybe while it was going on even, I was in Canterlot tracking down a lead. Went to the Charcoal Grill Org’s restaurant, and found that he and Crow were packing up. Like, packing up and planning on never coming back packing up.”

“Oh, I don’t like where this is going…” Sunburst muttered. “They know something about what Thrax is planning, don’t they, something we don’t. There’s only one reason they’d pack up like that. It’s that Thrax’s endgame is so destructive, and so deadly the best place to be is… Well, anywhere besides Equestria.”

“E-Exactly,” Sunset replied with a small quiver of fear in her voice, her body shaking and shuddering.

“Easy there Sunset, don’t rush yourself,” Shayla said as she steadied her friend, handing her a cup of tea before gently placing a hand on her shoulder. “Just speak slowly, and speak calmly.”

“N-No, there’s no beating around the bush with this. Crow said, and I quote: “No seriously, like get the Hell out of here. The Great Dragon, he’s returning. I don’t know where Thrax found him, I seriously don’t but somehow he did. And now, there’s soon to be a ser-

Robert’s eyes widened the moment the phrase ‘The Great Dragon’ came out of Sunset’s mouth, and he let out one tiny little word uttered in simple honest to god terror: “Serpentera.”

At once, all eyes turned to him. “Woah, woah, wait!” Lightning stammered out. “I… I thought Serpentera was defeated. Like blown up with a holy weapon defeated!”

“...Of all the times for someone to remember their Ranger history.” Robert muttered breathlessly, as he took a moment to collect himself and sit down on the fountain.

“No… No, that bike of Coles’ was powerful yes, but not exactly holy weapon status. The only way that Serpentera could have defeated during that Forever Red mission,” Sunburst said before swallowing nervously knowing perfectly well the bombshell he was about to drop. He looked at Navi, who nodded wordlessly. He had to tell them. “...Was that if that one was just simply the prototype. The real one was never destroyed, it was probably stored off-world somewhere.”

“...And now Thrax has it.” Emily murmured. “How do we… I mean… Can we even…?” she whispered, gasping out for air and beginning to hyperventilate.

“Honestly, for the first time,” Sunburst whispered. “I don’t think there’s anything we can do.”

Author's Notes:

So... That just happened.

Massive thanks to Shagohad and Thunderclap for their contributions on this chapter. Shago for Flash Fire, and Thunder for the Twilight VS Neighsay duel.

Next time, the one you've been waiting for. Zen-Aku Vs Koragg, the rematch.

Part 32: The Wolves Fated Clash!

Ponyville

“So we’re going after missing persons now…?” Vapor remarked as she and Lightning Dust pulled up outside a house -to be honest calling it a house might have been stretching it as it looked more like a griffon’s roost in some places- on their Savage Cycles. “I love to do good and all, yes, part of being a superhero but isn’t this a bit… I dunno, below our station? Shouldn’t we leave this to the cops?”

“True, yes…” Lightning admitted. “But they’re friends of mine, hell they helped me get settled in Ponyville after the whole fiasco at the Wonderbolts Academy. No other town would take me really, given I almost killed the Elements so I was lucky Troy and Canvas vouched for me. Well, okay Cloudsdale would... But given I wanted to be as far away from that place given my father and the fact that Rainbow and Fluttershy lived there it was a no-go.” she continued. For a moment, Lightning halted. Why did her father come to her at that time? Why did he suddenly just drop by out of the blue after a couple of years not speaking to her? Surely it wasn’t just to insult her, was it?

“...I’m surprised Rainbow didn’t do it,” Vapor commented. “Given how the two of you are so… well, so close if I’ll be frank.”

“She tried, she honestly did but getting me back in the Wonderbolts - calling me getting thrown out a waste of perfectly good flying talent- was running her favors thin as it was.” Lightning continued.

“So why did Troy and Canvas help you?” Vapor had to ask as they walked up the footpath leading to the duo’s home. “Seriously… You were a nobody to them. Nice as they are, there’s a definite gap between friendship and what they did.”

“Well, it’s a bit of a story…” Lightning sighed.

“I have time for stories, always do,” Vapor replied. “Besides, sisters should share, right? So… Spill.”

“Okay, okay…” Lightning chuckled noticing how Vapor was practically hopping in place in anticipation. She was so adorable at times. “But you need to sit down really. This takes a bit of explaining really...”

And so Lightning explained. “Goddamnit…” Lightning muttered, walking down the darkened streets of Canterlot. She’d tried to apply for a rental home, but her little antics at the Wonderbolts Academy had made headlines. She supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised really, given what she pulled. Creating a tornado that nearly killed quite a few famous heroes really had a way of doing that.

In retrospect, she wondered what the Hell she was thinking. Yes, she wanted to be the best and maybe finally win her father’s approval, but that didn’t call for outright recklessness. She was honestly surprised this had happened, Rainbow convincing Spitfire to give her another shot at being a ‘Bolt. Granted, this required hour after hour of cleaning the barracks and such, but it would be worth it. ...At least, that’s what Lightning kept telling herself. But what was the point in being in the Wonderbolts if everyone hated you besides the fact?

Hell, she honestly wouldn’t be surprised if nobody came to the Wonderbolts shows if Lightning by some miracle somehow became a full-fledged ‘Bolt instead of just a reservist. For the briefest of moments, Lightning thought about saying ‘screw it!’ and going off to form her own team, but what would that accomplish? Her reputation was still in tatters, and nobody would come to see her shows anyways. No, she couldn’t just give up now and throw her second chance away and prove Spitfire wrong and become someone who was a quitter when the going got tough. No, this would make her becoming a Wonderbolt all the more sweeter if she went through all the fire, and all the pain required to do so. Hard work always paid off in the end, so she was told. But this still mattered all the little if she couldn’t find a place to live. Living on the streets was out obviously, and while Cloudsdale would still probably take her she definitely didn’t want to live anywhere near her father’s smug-ass face. Oh, she could see him now… Just rubbing it in that her daughter was a failure, second-rate at best. The very thought of it made her blood boil, and for a moment she almost cracked the little jewel she had clutched in the palm of her hand.

This jewel, it was a curious little bastard really. A few years before joining the Wonderbolts, or make that attempting to join anyways she’d found this while flying over in what used to be called the Valley of the Gods. Saw something shimmering in a sheer cliff face, and landed down in an old village built into the stone. Inside a small house, or what used to be one was this gem just laying there shimmering in the evening light. Curiosity overtaking her, she picked it up. It wasn’t the only thing she’d found there. No, she’d accidentally tripped over an ancient pot shattering it revealing what seemed to be another crystal of the same sort only a deep brown in color. Inside this, a coyote or something canid. She’d thought nothing of these for years really, until Shayla recruited -or as Lightning preferred, indoctrinated- her to become part of this Power Rangers Wild Force crap.

But that didn’t solve her current problem. No, here she was walking back to a barely liveable hotel in the pouring rain and lightning, which befitted her sour mood really. She honestly thought hypothermia would overtake her in the cold winter rain. Thankfully, fate had a different course plotted out for her.

A gray paw reached out to her, and a voice -friendly and warm- shouted out to her. “Hey, over here!”

Lightning looked up from her brooding and saw the owner of that paw. This gray feathered griffon, standing under an umbrella with his friend, a light green pony. Handsome, if Lightning were to admit it to herself. Or if she even liked stallions.

“No sense standing out all along in the pouring rain!” the green pony shouted. “Raining cats and dogs out here! Come on, over here!” he shouted, the griffon looking mildly offended by the cats and dogs remark. He tossed a rain slicker over to Lightning, which the mare all too graciously put on.

“Did you not hear the weather report?” the griffon asked. “The weather team was supposed to drop a torrent on us by this time!”

“Well, I figured I’d be home long after the rain cleared. I figured I’d be nose deep in paperwork for a rental house here!” Lightning replied as she gathered under the small umbrella with the duo. “Guess I didn’t count on my reputation throwing that back in my fuckin’ face really…”

“Reputation? Why would it…?” the pony asked before his eyes widened in recognition. “Oh, right…” he winced.

“You going to throw me to the street now?” Lightning asked bitterly, in a biting tone. “What, you going to punch Lightning Diana Dust, the near-murderer of the Elements in the snoz? Suits me right really!” she laughed in a dark tone.

“No, I’d never do that,” the pony replied. “Sorry, I never introduced myself did I? Name’s Canvas, and this big lug is my boyfriend Troy.”

Troy waved before speaking. “No, we’re not going to do that. See, I have this belief anyone can change. We both do really. And honestly, we’ve been talking with Rainbow Dash. She mentioned a mare who was in a spot of trouble after she pulled something stupid.”

Lightning winced. “...So, that’s what I am? A mare to be talked about and pitied?”

“Only if you want it to be that way,” Canvas added. “No, what you could do really, is actually work to change ponies’ perceptions of you. Little by little, and it’ll be an uphill battle but it can be done. Trust me, griffons are hardly well-liked and yet…”

“Yeah, you’re a well-functioning citizen of Ponyville. I’ve seen you around. Troy Clawston. Famous artist!” Lightning stated.

“...Well, I wouldn’t go out to say famous…” Troy laughed nervously rubbing the back of his head with a paw.

“Don’t be so modest,” Lightning refuted. “I’ve seen your paintings in a few galleries here and there. Hell, I bought one! The one about ancient griffons, you know the one right?”

“Yeah, yeah… I do,” Troy admitted. “...I’m not the artist in the family, sadly that goes to my brother Lyle but for some reason ponies like my work. It’s really just charcoal rubbings, but-”

“But nothing, you’re good!” Canvas disagreed as he briefly moved his jacket in such a way to show his cutie mark on his right shoulder. “Hell, I have painting and the arts as my talent and yet I still can’t grasp charcoal rubbings. But anyways… Lightning. You’re down and out on your luck, sorta like I was after a nasty storm. Troy helped me get back on my hooves, and to be honest I want to help someone who’s in a similar situation…”

“I don’t think nearly killing someone and a storm nearly doing you in are similar in any sort of respect...” Lightning muttered. Around them, ponies pointed and whispered and Lightning tried to hide her head to avoid being seen. Troy shot them a nasty glare, and griffons were masters of that art believe you me. Came with being half eagle and half lion.

“Look, the point is, we want to help,” Troy stated. “Now, you can go on being stubborn and feeling sorry for yourself, or you can accept someone helping you like a big girl. Stay with us, for as long as you need to, while you get back on your hooves.”

“You’d honest to goddess do that? For me, a fuckin’ screw up of a Wonderbolt?” Lightning asked. “Man, you must be cracked in the head to even consider this a possibility.”

“Kindness is a lottery,” Troy refuted. “There’s a quote I absolutely adore. And that is this. “Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.” Don’t you agree that quote works?”

“Yes… Yes, I suppose it does…” Lightning admitted. “It’s just… I have a hard time believing two random schmucks would stick their neck out for me. It’s your reputation on the chopping block!”

“Yes… Well, if you pardon my language…” Canvas said. “Fuck reputation and the horse it rode in on!”

How ironic those words would be, Lightning Dust would later muse.

“The thing in the here and now,” Canvas continued. “Is I see a pony down on her luck and need of a helping hand. Now, are you going to accept that hand is another story. So, will you, or will you not?”

“But… But even if this is true, -all of what you’re saying and preaching I mean- I still will need to move out of the nest eventually.”

“We know Twilight, amongst others. She’ll be happy to help if anyone gives you any shit,” Troy continued. “She’s a very forgiving mare. If she could forgive Discord and accept him, she can do the same for you I suspect. You’re small fry compared to the Spirit of Chaos. Someday soon I suspect, you’ll be like a phoenix, rising from the ashes of your own making. Make no mistake, you screwed up, but you can damn well make it right am I correct?”

“Yeah… Yeah, I can…” Lightning said taking the offered hand. She didn’t know what it was, this warm feeling bubbling and building up inside her at the time but she would later put a name to it. Hope. “Yeah, I can definitely do this. I’ve got this. Look out Equestria, here comes the new and improved Lightning Diana Dust!”

“...Wait. Your name is seriously Diana?”

“Oh shut up you featherhead.”

“Okay, that’s… something,” Vapor admitted. “I can see why you have such a personal interest in this. ...Although, common sense would dictate having a vested personal interest in Troy going missing should keep you off the case right?”

“...Yeah, well we’re not cops are we?” Lightning remarked. “Besides, I owe them a debt and it’s time I collect on it really…” she murmured as she knocked on the front door. There was a small shout and then hoofsteps on wooden flooring before it creaked open.

“L-Lightning?” Canvas stammered out in shock. “What are you…?”

“Troy went missing, and he’s a friend. Not going to be all huggle buddies and support you in your time of need as I don’t believe in circle-jerking when things could be done. In this case, figuring out what the flying feather happened…”

As the two were let in, Vapor’s eyes widened and she nearly had to contain a squee at the many, many paintings -charcoal or otherwise- hung up around the house before she ran a hand over an extremely rare edition of Power Ponies 31, signed by the original writer. “Yes, yes! The Masked Matterhorn kisses her marefriend issue!” Vapor shouted punching the air wearing an absolutely doofy grin. “How the hell did you even…?”

“...Don’t mind her, she’s a dork. Complete dork,” Lightning said with a small smile. “On task, sis!” she reminded, that smile still on her face.

“Sorry, so sorry… It’s just I’m a huge fan of the arts. And comics…” Vapor blushed. “Like seriously, I have Power Ponies stuff plastered all over my bedroom wall! ...Oh god, can’t believe I just said that. I must look like such a child. ...Kill me.”

“It’s fine,” Canvas said with a smile. “You and Lyle… I’d expect you to get along just fine. He’s the only reason we’ve got so many comics as it is, him borrowing the house while he’s in town for the week. Wish he was here right now, you two would probably talk for hours…”

“Lyle, as in Troy’s kid brother? The one with the comic about the dolphins Robert err… warned me about?” Lightning asked. “What’s he doing here?”

“...That’s a bit of a story…” Canvas whispered sounding almost ashamed as he sunk into his couch cushions. Lightning noted he was wearing a raggedy old tank-top and had a smock wrapped around him. She raised an eyebrow. Rarity had stress sewing, so maybe Canvas had stress painting? Would certainly explain all the unfinished pieces she saw lying about. “And I fear it may have something to do with Troy having gone missing.”

“Alright, what did you do…?” Lightning asked with a warning edge in her tone. Vapor winced. She knew that tone. It generally came about when someone had irked her and Lightning was about to go to town on them. “This doesn’t have anything to do with the gossip I heard about a certain Clawston who happens to be part of a heavy metal band coming to town, does it? Strange, how all the Clawston family members seem to be popping up willy nilly out of the blue like this…” she said putting a hand to her chin in suspicion. While she was no hard-boiled detective, she was far from stupid. She could put two and two together, and what was adding up she didn’t exactly like.

“...It might have, yes,” Canvas admitted with a sigh. “I may have done something rather stupid.”

“Wait, Blade Clawston is in town?” Vapor asked, raising an eyebrow. She knew of his band, Talon Ripper. She may have been a metal fan, but his work simply wasn’t for her. A bit too hardcore. Wasn’t exactly a death or thrash metal fan. The album covers, such as the downright pornographic Alicorn Harem one didn’t exactly win her any points either. Neither did the one with the changelings being thrown into a meat grinder for that matter. “...Right, priorities Vapes…” she muttered, smacking herself on the face with a hand. Oddly, Lightning noted she was blushing.

“Heh, totally not a Talon Ripper fan my ass! Blade gets all the girls, even the ones you don’t expect!” Lightning thought. “It’s always the quiet ones, isn’t it…? Or is that just sex? Didn’t know it extended to musical genres. By that logic, Twilight might be into Celestia Shall Burn if it didn’t go against her precious teacher…”

“So what did you do?” Vapor asked. “...Wait, don’t tell me Troy’s parents finally got wind of you two being married…”

Canvas nodded with a small whimper. “...Yep.”

“Oh, tell me you didn’t…” Vapor muttered and Canvas’ face said it all. “...Oh you did.”

“Yeah… I may have freaked out a little…” he murmured sinking lower into the couch. It would have been in any other situation kinda funny. Sadly, this was not any other situation.

“So much for fuck the reputation and the horse it rode in on eh?” Vapor murmured, and Canvas’ head whipped around to face her.

“...Oh, so Lightning told you about that did she…?”

“Hey, she asked!” Lightning commented. “But she’s right. You are a total idiot. A complete and utter moron. If Troy’s parents really love you or their son, then they wouldn’t give a flying fuck!” she shouted smacking Canvas over the back of his head with a wing.

“I know, I know okay? I just freaked out! Hearing them coming here, and knowing how behind the times griffon culture can be, I freaked out! Can you blame me?”

“...Well, I’d say no but giving how the griffon princess is dating Twilight…” Lightning muttered, Canvas blinking slightly at this. Before any more words could be said, both growlphones rung.

“Lightning,” Shayla stated over the phone. “Koragg’s back. Sunset’s on route to him now to try and head him off, but I’m worried she may not be able to handle him alone. He’s a very good swordsman, possibly the greatest there ever lived. Sunset may have power, but that doesn’t make up for pure skill.”

“How did…” Lightning trailed off before sighing as she remembered Koragg’s nature. One of the few things she’d retained from Robert’s Ranger History Lessons. “Vapor, you don’t think…?”

“That’s a sucker’s bet and I’m not taking it and you know it sis. Welp, time to save a griffon and pull him out of that knight’s armor,” she sighed before muttering sarcastically: “Oh, this’ll be fun. One hospital trip, coming right up. ...Where the hell are Robert and Sunburst when you need them?”

The answer to that, of course, was simple. Far away in Japan, Robert found himself slashing through the overgrown streets of Tokyo with the Shadow Saber. The city had long given itself away to nature and now vines and plants covered every inch of it. He half expected an Inves to jump out of nowhere right about now. Eventually, clogging through the swallowing heat he smashed a door in before finding himself in the midst of three ponies. Two wore hoods and dark blue uniforms but the other had tossed his hood aside revealing a midnight black face and a massive unkempt almost palm tree-like manestyle. And they all bore the unmistakable Ninja Star Blades of the Ninja Steel Rangers.

“...Joy,” Robert muttered before the lead demanded what he was doing here. Robert’s only response? A weak “I like Ike?”

As for Sunburst, he too found himself in hot waters, literally before having to be pulled out of it by Daring and her whip. Like Robert, they were searching for an extra edge for the upcoming battle. Unlike Robert though, they’d landed in the dangerous wilds of the Dragon Lands. And judging by the angry look on the cyan-scaled dragonness in front of them, they were not welcomed as friends. Needless to say, things escalated… quickly on both sides of the globe.

“Power Stars Lock In, Ninja Spin!”/“Legendary Wild Access!”

And in the Dragon Lands, Sunburst had seemingly found the last Energem user. Mind you, considering who it was this was -or more accurately how she felt about ponies intruding on her territory- a bit of a minor issue to say the least.

“Unleash the Power! Legendary Wild Access!”/”Unleash the Power!”

But that was another story for another time. Right now, we must return our attentions to Ponyville and the current developing situation.

“You… You mean I may have…?” Canvas whispered his voice wracked with guilt having been giving a quick explanation of Koragg’s nature.

“Pretty much, you dunce,” Lightning sighed. “Come on, you’re coming with us.”

“You really think that’s a good idea?” Vapor asked nervously.

“You got a better one? Might just snap Troy back to his senses long enough for us to give Koragg the boot from his body. Now then, we’ve got a job to do, and a Princess to pull out of the fire. Ready sis?”

“Ready.” Vapor nodded.

“Legendary Wild Access, hah!”

“My magic has returned. Again, you have failed to get rid of me. Watch yourself Shimmer. I feel your time here will not be long.” Koragg stated as the Knight Wolf clashed blades with the Gold Ranger, sparks flying off as the two blades ground together. “Again, and again I will rise up to face those who oppose the dark and those who support the Light. Wolf Attack!” he shouted and his shield opened up to fire off a powerful blast of crimson energy that Sunset only barely dodged by flying backwards.

Sunset wanted to go all out, she did, but she knew underneath all of that armor there was one of her subjects The trouble was, she couldn’t tell if this was Koragg speaking having fully taken control over whoever was underneath all that armor or the one under the armor had given himself fully away to the dark.

So she could not risk it, she just had to fight as normal. Sending a slash of flames towards Koragg, she watched him block it as anticipated before summoning the Falcon Summoner and firing off a barrage of energy arrows towards the dark knight. Snapping her fingers, she summoned vines up from the ground to restrain the Knight Wolf.

“Listen…” she pleaded. “I know you’re hurt, and in pain... I know you are. I don’t know what happened to drive you to accept Koragg’s power, but it’s not worth it. You’re scared, I get that. You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' Isn’t that right… Troy?” she asked, finally recognizing the griffon for who he was after seeing his shadow briefly shown instead of Koragg’s. She smiled. Good, he was fighting back against Koragg’s influence. Now, she just had to push him a little harder and get him to break that influence. “Remember your dreams and fight for them. You must know what you want from life. There is just one thing that makes your dream become impossible: the fear of failure.”

Troy let out a scream of pain and broke free from the vines with a pure wave of dark shadowed fire. “Yes… Yes, but that’s not the problem is it?” he asked, firing a wave of energy from the shield in his hands. “It’s Canvas. He’s too afraid of my reputation being ruined, too afraid of my parents! He wants to annul the marriage!”

“And… And you think by accepting Koragg’s power you’ll make him submit?” Sunset asked, just barely blocking the flames with an energy bubble. “No, no... You’ll make him scared of you!”

“RRRRRRAAAAGGHHHH!” Troy/Koragg roared sending a powerful slice of dark magic towards Sunset breaking the shield and sending her flying backwards. Lightning caught her fellow Ranger in her arms.

“See, this is why we don’t go off alone to face enemies, this is exactly why,” Lightning faux-lectured gently setting Sunset down and wagging her finger. “Haven’t you learned nothing? Friendship is the most powerful magic there is!”

“T-Troy….?” Canvas asked in horror, Vapor having gone into Orion Mode and restraining the corrupted griffon with ropes of water. “Is… Is that you?”

“Troy’s gone dearie…” Koragg said in a mocking voice. “There’s just me in here. He was such a fool, accepting this sort of power…”

“No, he’s not. You’re just inhabiting his body, you snake. Now give it up!” Canvas shouted. “Now Troy, if you’re in there… I’ve got a few things to say. First off, I’m sorry. Secondly… Yes I was afraid, but I’m coming to realize something. Gay marriage - it's not about two people being gay now is it? It's about two people who love each other and who have decided to commit to each other for the exact same reasons any other couple would get married. So what if your parents don’t give their blessings? Marriage isn't the end-point of a relationship. It's just a stepping stone, one aspect of a long-term evolution between two people who have, for whatever reason, decided to take a leap of faith and say, 'Well, hey, this is a person who I want to try with for the rest of my life.' Which is not a guarantee of perfection - far from it. There always will be troubles for any relationship, but we’ll work through them together. Isn’t that what we’ve always done? As I said, I don’t give a flying feather -not anymore- if your parents don’t bless us. So please…” he pleaded now close to tears.

It seemed for a moment Troy was listening, before a dark chuckle escaped Koragg’s lips. “Oh, a very passionate speech indeed, but the thing is… Your Troy? He’s not here anymore. Just… me.”

Koragg swung his sword at Canvas, but stopped at the last moment as if something was holding him back. Canvas blinked, and for just a brief moment he could have sworn he saw a fiery red figure, clad in almost the exact same armor as Koragg. And then a voice in his head.

“His blade will be stayed. Now, begone foul beast! Back to the pits with you!” the voice bellowed with all the intensity of a red-hot burning flame.

Troy let out another scream of pain, a loud piercing scream of agony that split the air before Koragg’s armor shattered and faded away into a black mist revealing Troy. Canvas quickly grabbed his husband in a hug and held him close. “Like I said all those years before…” Canvas started. “Fuck reputation and the horse it rode in on…”

“...You know that makes no sense, right?” a teary-eyed Troy laughed. “Considering what you are and all…”

“Eh, if it works it works right?” Canvas asked. “After all, you just gotta believe in-”

“...Oh for Pity’s sakes… No Gurren Lagann quotes please!” Vapor groaned. “It’s a good show, I get that, but I also get enough hot-bloodiness from my sister and Robert! We don’t need a third!”

“And what’s wrong with being hot-blooded?” Lightning asked. “My power is surging, my soul is burning, and that way I can feel I can do anything!”

Vapor facepalmed before murmuring: “...I swear if Libera Me from Hell starts playing…”

“...Well, I guess that’s… that then?” Lightning asked. “Koragg’s defeated, and he’s probably not going to come back so I guess we can go head on home then… Right?”

She soon retracted her statement when she saw the shadows beginning to gather and form into a shape that soon drew a sword and sent a blast of dark energy towards the Rangers. Sunset threw up a shield in front of Canvas and Troy while she struggled to contain the energy blast. She managed to do so, absorbing into her horn letting out a scream of pain before firing the blast skywards in a powerful red beam. As the dust cleared, the figure became visible at last. Koragg, as if anyone had any other doubts.

“...You gotta be kidding me!” Lightning shouted going into Orion Mode and clashing blades with the Knight Wolf before he kicked her in the stomach sending her staggering backwards. “How the Hell are you…?”

“Still alive? Thank Troy. He just provided me a proper medium between this world and the next. As long as he exists, so do I. In basic, only way to permanently kill me is to kill him,” Koragg stated even as Sunset fired a blast of magic from her horn towards Koragg who simply blocked it with his shield. “Now, witness the power of the Eye of the Master!” he bellowed before his shield opened up and sent all three Rangers flying backwards with a powerful red energy blast ripping up the ground and the street in the process.

“And… And I thought you were an honorable warrior…” Sunset coughed out, her armor ripped to shreds and blood dripping onto the ground. “Instead, you use someone as a hostage to keep yourself alive!”

“There’s honor and then there’s pragmatism. Learn the difference,” Koragg stated. “You are hardly worth the challenge I think. Even the original Mystic Force put up more of a challenge than you. You are not on their level, Rangers.” he stated striding towards Vapor Trail sword drawn. “Three against one…? It hardly seems worth the effort…” he muttered in distaste with more than a trace of disappointment detectable as well. He was about to strike before an eerie flute sound filled the air, and Vapor’s eyes widened. She knew that sound.

Striding out of the nearby Whitetail Woods lamp-like golden eyes glowing in the darkness was a figure Vapor knew all too well. “Then how about we even up those odds,” Zen-Aku asked cracking his neck. “I was almost hoping to see you again really. In fact, I actually wanted to fight you wolf to wolf. But congrats, you just won the golden kewpie doll as soon as you touched her.”

He brought out his blade and leveled it at Koragg. “No mercy for you this time. This will be the end of you.”

With that, he charged…

With the sound of blades meeting, the battle progressed into the Whitetail Woods, the ringing of swords echoing out through the forest.

“You do realize, even if you somehow manage to kill me I will just rise again ever the stronger because I have a medium in this world?” Koragg asked.

“I have faith in the Rangers breaking that connection,” Zen-Aku stated as he sent a powerful Crescent Wave hurtling towards Koragg who was just barely able to hold it back with his shield. Zen-Aku then struck again and again in a blur of speed slicing through Koragg’s armor with his dagger sending the Knight Wolf to his feet just barely able to hold himself up with his sword.

“The power difference between us may be a gulf, I accept that,” Zen-Aku stated. “But what’s the use of all those powerful attacks if you cannot land a blow?”

To his surprise however, Koragg managed to stand up and his power seemed to be regaining. “As long as there is evil in this world, I shall stand. And you know there always will be evil in this world. Solar Flare is proof of that, along with Thrax and the many others who have threatened the Earth over its long life.”

And as they clashed blades once more, Koragg actually teleporting the fight to the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters he continued to speak. “True to my name, I am but a dream that lives in your heart. Therefore, I am immortal. For as long as there is fear in your heart, I will someday return. Take heed of what I say... as long as there is evil in the world and darkness in people's hearts... my spirit will never die... I will rise again one day... and make the world mine…”

“You’ve spent so much time alone,” Zen-Aku stated leaping backwards onto a long-ruined thrown and tossing another Crescent Wave Koragg’s way. “You’re beginning to delude yourself. I used to think the same way, that as long as evil existed I would rise again to haunt the Rangers from the grave. My mind has changed over the centuries. I may have been born from darkness, and I may have the same powers as you, but I am not fighting for the darkness. Wolves have always been the noble protectors of mankind, and so there my role must be.”

“Mankind!” Koragg barked swinging his sword in a Dark Magic Strike towards Zen-Aku forcing him to leap off Luna’s throne and once more go blade to blade with Koragg. Koragg slammed his shield into the ground sending a powerful shockwave that forced Zen-Aku to stagger back. “A species that no longer exists! You fight amongst devils, Wolf! Creatures that spurred mankind, and drive them to their grave!”

“They can change, like any species. They already are in fact. You are a creature of the past, and so am I for that matter…” Zen-Aku remarked. “We are artifacts of an age long since passed.”

“Yet still we serve. For what cause though, is entirely down to perspective,” Koragg’s grip tightened around his blade. “The only one who believes that what you are doing is right is you and you alone. A phantom cause leading to a phantom outcome. As hollow as the halls of the underworld! If you are an artifact of an old age, why do you continue to fight?”

“Because the world needs me, and that is reason alone. There are still lives that must be protected, and as long as that exists so will I.”

“You call yourself a saviour, yet your alignment is to a species that has little to no regard for any and all life. Whatever has poisoned your mind is doing its’ job to a phenomenal degree, Zen-Aku. Precisely why I will waste no time in driving my blade through your skull!”

Zen-Aku rolled to the left to avoid a strong swing from Koragg’s blade before whirling around and kicking him in the stomach sending him staggering back. “No, it’s not poison. It’s atonement,” he stated.

“For what, exactly? What does evil serve as atonement for?” Koragg’s shield deluged Zen-Aku with lasers, forcing him to raise his sword in response to slice them apart. “You have lost your pride by siding with those Rangers. And you protect one like a knight in shining armor! I’d almost say you love her, am I correct?”

“So what if I do?” Zen-Aku remarked. “Is it so wrong?”

“In your view, it is not. Mine, on the other hand, is a stark contrast!” Koragg’s sword clashed with Zen-Aku’s once more. Though every one of his strikes was met with that of his foe, his hit with more vigour, whereas Zen-Aku’s were almost blindingly fast. They teleported around the room with flashes of dark energy, striking each other again and again neither seemingly managing to get the upper hand over the other.

“You loved someone once, am I correct?” Zen-Aku remarked, the two blades grinding against each other. “That Udonna woman.”

“I did. But that was from an age long since forgotten, discarded as with the rest of history. That was another life,” Koragg gruffly replied. “My only life is this one I have now. And my divine purpose is to fight. And fight I shall. We fought each other, and we'll keep on fighting forever, that's what we're destined to do.”

“I have only pity for you then if those are your world views,” Zen-Aku stated managing to land a solid right across to Koragg’s helmet. As Koragg staggered back, Zen-Aku rested his blade on his shoulder. “This is futile. It is obvious neither of us can win against the other. This whole fight is pointless, like any fight.”

“No. It is simply deadlocked. Evenly matched, if you want to call it that. The only fight that is worth fighting. If neither of us can kill each other, then so be it. We shall fight until the end of existence if needs be.” Another blade strike hit Zen-Aku’s sword, and a crack began to form in it. “But eventually, ties will break. And one of us must claim victory!” Another strike and Zen-Aku’s blade splintered even more. It looked ready to break at the seams. “If death is not the path to victory, then stripping you of your blade will be a fine substitute!” He readied one final strike, raising his blade high into the air.

In response, Zen-Aku slid backwards, then barrelled into Koragg once his sword hit the ground. His blade went for the visor of the Night Wolf, almost slicing it if not for a last-second head jerk from Koragg.

Koragg then moved so fast it was almost a blur and managed to cleave Zen-Aku’s sword in half. The sound of the destroyed blade echoed throughout the throne room, as did the tinkling of every single shard hitting the floor. Once the deed was done, he sheathed his sword and turned his back to the bladeless creature.

“You are defeated, Zen-Aku. Accept that,” Was all that came out of Koragg’s mouth as he trudged away. “Do not meddle any further. There is no point.”

“Even without my sword, I will never give up when my friends need me. I swore a promise, oh so long ago, to a human. The first human I could probably ever call a friend, and that was to protect those who could never protect themselves. I still hold myself to that promise.”

A voice rang out in Zen-Aku’s mind. “You have a strong bearing, and you never give up. That is something to be admired. Here, take up my sword. Defeat this specter of my past.”

A flaming orb appeared in Zen-Aku’s hand, before it elongated into a sharp blade that was almost an exact duplicate of Koragg’s own except with one minor difference. The color. Instead of a dark purple, it was as crimson as a raging inferno.

“What!?” Koragg bellowed.

“You. You are not the real Leanbow. You’re nothing more than a ghost of the past, resurrected because you simply refuse to know when to stay dead,” Zen-Aku stood proudly, the sword glistening in the light of the crystalline room. “Koragg. The Knight Wolf. The shadow who lingers. It is time to face judgement!” he roared swinging the sword now alight with flame calling out: “Blazing Storm Slash!”

With one simple stroke, he managed to send Koragg staggering back, his sword and shield clattering to the floor. Koragg had tried to use his shield to block the strike, but now it lay in pieces on the stone below.

“Impressive…” Koragg admitted. “But I will not go easily into the good night. Uthe Mejor Catastros!”

“Wild Zords! Come forth!” Zen-Aku decreed, playing his flute even as a sharp whinny cut through the air and the loud trampling of massive hooves was heard.

A loud howl cut through the air, and Zen-Aku looked upwards to see a massive silver wolf howling atop a high peak.

“Well then, lead the way... old friend.” Zen-Aku smiled as the Wolf Zord launched himself at Catastros biting and snapping at the black steed who reared up on his hind legs. The Wolf leaped back to avoid being trampled even as Koragg enlarged himself as well.

“This is getting ludicrous…” Zen-Aku decided. “Time to end this farce.”

On the other side of the forest, he saw Koragg, merged with Catastros; his ever-faithful horse.

“Predazord… Awaken!” Zen-Aku shouted leaping into the cockpit of his rapidly forming Megazord, and setting his flute onto the central console. “I too, as you can see can form a great power,” he stated as the Megazord gripped its weapon.

“That might be the case, but Catastros has been the one thing in this life I have always held on too. I will not simply lay down and die before someone like you!” He galloped forward, Catastros’s hooves leaving craters in their wake.

Zen-Aku could only chuckle. “Do you not get it?” he asked, the gator staff of his Predazord crashing into the glaive that the Centaurus Wolf Megazord wielded. “Your time has long since passed. You are a specter. And I hold no hesitance in sending you back to your grave.”

The two massive mecha clashed in the moonless night. Sadly for Zen-Aku, it was a new moon meaning his powers were not at their peak. If they were, he might have had an easier time at defeating the Knight Wolf. Throwing the crescent boomerang, he watched as it was batted away by the Centaurus Wolf Megazord’s weapon.

“Your petty little tricks are nothing when met with proper bladework. You hide yourself away within this conglomeration of Zords. If that is your version of honour, then it is rather sickening!” Koragg’s sword collided with the Predazord, causing a detonation to ring out.

“And you have any room to talk?” Zen-Aku countered using his gator staff to block the next blow. “Using a medium in this world, just to survive! You disgust me, you have no honor.”

“Then enough talk. Our words delay the conflict and are an underhanded attempt to sway the other. Let all of the talking be done with our weapons! Dark Magic Spell Seal!” he stated rotating his glaive and creating a seal which he then launched his weapon through slicing off the Hammerhead Zord. “Now witness the power of the Master!” Koragg cried sending a dark tornado towards the Predazord who blasted it out of existence with a Predator Wave.

“Here, catch!” Lightning shouted, Vapor trailing up behind her as they tossed Zen-Aku the Giraffe and Deer crystals towards him respectively. “Think these might come in handy.”

“...I will use them wisely,” Zen Aku stated before summoning the Giraffe Zord to replace his Megazord’s lost arm. “Now. I believe it is time for the Spear of Pardolis to show its power. Crescent Moon Spear, fire!” he barked raising the weapon and launching it towards the Centaurus lopping off an arm. “An arm for an arm, is that not the saying?” he quipped allowing Vapor to giggle a little. Lightning shot her adoptive sister a look, was she… blushing?

“Oh give me a break… Out of all the creatures she could have gained a crush on…” Lightning thought even as Zen-Aku replaced his Wolf Zord with the Deer.

“Now, I shall seal you away,” Zen-Aku stated, the Giraffe replacing itself with Sunset’s Phoenix Zord, Sunset joining him in the cockpit. Combining the two powers, an orb appeared above the Predazord and was thrown towards Koragg’s own creating a hole that rapidly began sucking the Centaurus into it.

“You will be trapped in that world forever,” Zen-Aku stated. “We will not have to kill the medium, but nobody will ever have to worry about you ever again.”

“That is what you want to think, Zen-Aku!” He roared, Catastros dashing as fast as it could, yet still being swallowed up by the vortex.

“No, it is what I know!” Sunset shouted, leaping out of the Megazord -Using its Predator Wave to propel her forwards- and kicking Koragg into the dimension which could only be described as hell, fiery pits of magma covering the forsaken place. The two clashed in mid-air, blades striking each other in blinding swift strokes before Sunset fired a blast from her horn and sent Koragg into a cliff before wrapping magical chains around him. Pushing all her power into her wings, she managed to get out just before the dimensional rift closed.

At least, that’s what she hoped. Amazingly, Koragg would not give up, somehow managing to ry open the dimensional walls.

“You… You gotta be kidding me…” Sunset whispered before a voice called out to her.

“Sunset, follow my lead!” Luna barked pulling out another sword. “We will open up another dimensional gate, and cross it over with the one Koragg is currently attempting to breach. “He would have to accept his fate or be destroyed.”

Luna, she had been watching this fight. After all, was it not in her interest to protect her subjects from the ones who lurked in the dark and seemingly claimed its power for their own?

“Really?” Sunset asked.

“Quite,” Luna agreed. “And for the record, I never did apologize for the whole thing with-”

“Save it, I’d rather not care to hear the sordid details. That relationship is in the past. Right now, we must focus on the present and that is sealing away this being who dares calls himself a Knight. Now, on three…” she stated touching her blade to Luna’s own.

Dimensions warped and shifted in a flurry of magical power as a new portal opened up and began swallowing up the dimension Koragg resided in like a snake eating its own tail.

Finally, the wormhole closed with a twinkle and as for Koragg… Well, what happened to him was anybody’s guess. He could have been trapped between the worlds, or he may not have survived that. It was impossible to tell. What was known was this, he would never trouble anyone ever again.

“I’m sorry Troy, I was such an idiot,” Canvas whispered as he hugged his husband tightly. “I was so afraid… And my fear let you get taken over by that thing… I don’t even deserve to call you my husband really…”

Troy responded by punching him in the gut making both Lightning and Vapor wince collectively. “Now, none of that! Stop being such a moron and feeling sorry for yourself! What’s done is done. Just if you have any fears… Please come and talk with me about them first, in detail… Please.”

“...Why am I reminded of an Akumatization from that old French TV show…?” Vapor whispered. Everyone ignored her.

“In any case, we’ll face what comes together, am I right?” Troy asked before kissing his husband softly and sweetly.

“Ugh… Sappiness. Lightning is out!” the mare declared with a dismissive wave of her hand although if you looked closely you could detect a ghost of a smile on her face. “Seriously, I do not do cheesy!”

Sunset stifled a giggle, as well as Luna.”She cares, she just has a strange way of showing it…” Sunset thought. Then, a voice called out.

“Wait, you’re married!?!” a male voice shouted as three massive brown griffons barreled over Troy.

“...I really hate my family sometimes.” Troy muttered as Sunset laughed.

“Treasure these little moments Sunset, they will probably be few and far between…”

Sunset for her part didn’t honestly know how right she was, because far and away in Canterlot Galaxy and Shining had teamed up to find out just how exactly Neighsay had gotten his Rider powers. And sadly, they had discovered just exactly how. Kicking down the door to an old greenhouse, they discovered blistering heat and row after row of artificial cracks with helheim fruits growing out over every one.

“Mystic Mother…” Shining whispered, gripping his Magna Blade tightly and slicing through the fruits before setting each alight with his magic. “Neighsay… Does your insanity know no bounds?”

“Is that a rhetorical question?” Galaxy deadpanned slicing through the fruits as well with his scythe. His eyes widened however when he got the last vine. “Shining… Tell me I’m not seeing what I think I’m seeing…” he whispered upon seeing one vine, plucked completely clean.

“And just when you think things couldn’t get any possibly worse… They do.” Shining muttered. “So, I guess we figured out how Thrax is going to power that massive warzord of his eh…?” he murmured his fists balling up. He hoped whatever dungeon Celestia threw Neighsay in, it was a nasty one. What kind of pony betrayed their own kind for a monster, he had to wonder?

In his mind, he could hear Thrax’s laughter echoing and the roar of a dragon...

Author's Notes:

So, yes... The endgame arcs begin. Everything's going to be wrapped up in what I hope are just eight more chapters. It's been a long ass ride, but here we are near the end of the tunnel. Anyways, Troy, Canvas and the griffon trio belong to the VClaw and a huge thank you to my longtime friend and fellow Ranger fan Shadowmane for helping me really write the battle you all were waiting for. Zen-Aku VS Koragg... Round 2.

Next Time... Two Stories and Four Rangers.

Part 33: 3Worlds1Heart

Japan: Tokyo Prefecture

Robert, as he cut through the treeline wiped the sweat off his face, before reaching for his water bottle and chugging it down. Sitting down on a rock, he implanted the Shadow Saber into the ground and sighed looking skywards. No longer was Tokyo an urban jungle. No, instead it was the exact opposite. Now it was just simply overgrown by vines and trees. The Tokyo of the year 6,000 and… whatever it was, well it was a completely different animal compared to the one he worked and served in.

“Mou…” the man muttered to himself looking skywards as strange sounds echoed throughout the forest. “...This is ludicrous. I could barely find my way around Tokyo back when it was just a normal city. Now, I’m just wandering in circles…”

“Maybe you should start looking for familiar landmarks Kisame…” the Kitsune Zord commented. “Just sayin’, ya baka...”

Robert grunted to himself. “Look around -and would you quit it with the name calling?- does anything look even remotely familiar compared to when I should have been alive? Sometimes I wonder if getting tossed 3,000 years into my future by some deity’s idea of a sick joke was a good thing…”

The Kitsune Zord sighed. Sometimes it was far too easy to forget his partner was not as accustomed to the shifting sands of time as he was. “Mount Fuji is still Mount Fuji. The plant life overtook the cities and towns. Birds are still flying, life still goes on in its own busy way. It’s still Tokyo… Just with… Oh, animals humping in the undergrowth. In some cases, you can make out outlines of the buildings. The SPD base was advanced and sterilized so there’s a good chance you’d be able to find it beneath the foliage.”

“Yeah… I suppose. I’d use the Tokyo Tower as a landmark, but I can’t exactly see it. I think it may have finally fallen down over the years. All that rain over 3,000 years, may have rusted it. Or maybe some monster smashed it. This is Japan after all…”

“Nah, monsters only show up wherever 3 or more dorks in tights are running around,” Jindrax joked as he leaped down from a tree. “Man, haven’t seen you this mopey since… Oh, you and Sunset had your lovers spat!”

“Oh shut up…” Toxica commented smacking her friend over the head. “This was home to him for a few years, he’s got a right to be a little sad I think!”

“Remind me again why I brought them along…?” Robert wondered. “Certainly wasn’t for the color commentary…”

“Aww, is the ickle human feeling so lonely?” the Kitsune Zord teased. “I think you were just too tired to argue when they offered to come along.”

“Or just wanted to avoid the headache… Funny that, I’m getting one now. It’s not from you, strangely…”

“Oh, go fuck yourself…” the Kitsune Zord growled out before sighing. “Look, I’m sorry you had to get thrown this far into your planet’s future. Honestly, maybe you should have continued as you were in SPD.”

“And get fired? I think not. The way I was going, I probably would have gotten the sack sooner or later. Probably sooner with my attitude. Sky was right all along, you know. I was far too arrogant for my own damn good. Likely would have gotten myself killed one day.”

“Then if being a Ranger is what you think you are at your very core then sack up and deal with your hang-ups. I can’t have a partner who’s moping about half the time about what ifs and maybes. You’re here now, so suck it up and deal with it. The past is gone, tomorrow is unclear and all that’s real is right here and now. You’re allowed to feel sad and hurt, but it can’t consume you. So, are you a Ranger?”

“Yeah… I am…” Robert growled picking up the Shadow Saber, wrenching it out of the ground and cutting through some more undergrowth.

“Oh look, the mighty Shadow Saber… reduced to a common machete!” Jindrax teased before he was hit over the head again. This time, not by Toxica surprisingly enough. This time it was by Flash Sentry and his spear.

“Ask me, why are you friends with these two again?” the orange-toned pegasus asked.

“Who says I am?” Robert admitted grumpily. “I only put up with them because they’re useful and they helped the original Wild Force team.”

Flash Sentry spared a glance towards the two Duke Orgs, arguing over something probably rather trivial. “...That I can hardly believe.”

“Welcome to my world…” Robert muttered.

“I can hardly believe that featherbrain thinks he has a shot with a princess,” the zord noted with a huff and a snicker, nudging Robert. “Then again, I guess stranger things have happened. Like any woman or mare agreeing to date you. You, of all humans!”

“Again, welcome to my world…” Robert muttered rubbing his arm. “I still wonder what… Agh, never mind…” he thought before his mood turned cheery again brushing the thoughts away. The last thing he wanted was for the Kitsune to see him like this. “As you said, stranger things have happened. I mean, there’s Vapor. She’s got a crush on Zen-Aku for crying out loud! That… That just says it all really…”

“Are you crazy?! A ramen stand is quintessential Japan! Takoyaki might be tasty but nothing is more classic than a little ramen shop that only true connoisseurs know the value of!” Jindrax argued, gesticulating wildly.

“We hang out with weirdos. I mean, there’s liking a bad boy and then there’s that fleabag.” the Kitsune muttered with a dismissive snort. He was probably still sore about the Duke Org taking control of three of his brothers, and now said three Zords forgave him and now followed his every word even now! ...At least that’s what Robert figured.

“You’re the idiot!” Toxica screeched as Flash just rubbed his temples in the background. “Takoyaki is the far more classic food. What’s something you find at every festival and event? Ramen? No, it’s takoyaki! Don’t be mad at me you’re so wrong.”

“Maybe it’s the whole knight in shining armor thing… I mean, he did rescue her once or twice if I recall…” Robert mused. “Still, could be worse. She could be interested in that sparklyarse Robert Pattinson…”

“Didn’t you tell me he played Batman once?” the Kitsune asked.

“That’s not even a good joke. Look, I get the logic of casting someone nobody would expect as Batman, the whole man of mystery thing and Hell, Michael Keaton did a fantastic job! But the guy who played Edward Cullen… Euugh.”

“Didn’t he play Cedric Diggory as well…?” the Kitsune asked.

“I didn’t even know you were up to date on pop culture…” Robert replied.

“Look who I’m paired up with. Are you that surprised?” the Zord asked raising an eyebrow.

“As much as I enjoy the peanut gallery,” Flash began before bashing both Jindrax and Toxica over the heads with his spear. “Will you quit it?”

“He’s a brave soul…” the Kitsune Zord remarked already picking out flowers for the pony’s funeral. Robert could only nod.

“Well, he survived Gilda so there’s that…” the Orange Ranger admitted.

“Hit us again, Casanova!”Toxica snapped, glaring at Flash. “See what happens. No one hits Jindrax but me!”

“Thanks, Toxica,” Jindrax smiled as Robert sweatdropped. “And nobody messes with the Master of Blades!”

“...Why’d you bring me out here again?” Flash asked. “No, seriously, why…?”

“Well, call it… just being careful. Heard a few rumors a few ponies managed to venture out this far -like this one mare called Mistmane- so I took you along just in case. I mean, how would it look if a human and two Duke Orgs just waltzed into pony territory?” Robert asked.

Flash facepalmed. “And it looks even worse with me in tow! I could be a kidnapping victim or bargaining chip!”

“Should we tell him that it also keeps Gilda from tearing his throat out in his sleep?” the Kitsune zord inquired, glancing between the guard and his partner. “I mean, I don’t think she was all too happy to hear he was just dating Twilight just so he could say that he was…” he trailed off.

“That’s just a rumor. And I’d like to keep it that way, moron.” Robert muttered before turning to Flash. “Relax, nothing’s going to happen to you. I Pinkie Promise that. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”

The Kitsune just sniggered in his head at the ridiculousness of it all. Robert sent him a mental image of an angry Pinkie watching him forever, quieting him for the time being.

“If you say so…” Flash muttered before he pulled out his sword as something brushed through the treetops. “...Okay, what was that?”

“The wind?” Robert asked weakly not even believing that one.

“Animals humping in the undergrowth?” Toxica suggested.

“A, how could animals hump in the treetops, and B, since when is it ever just the wind?” Flash asked.

“He’s got a point you know…” the Kitsune Zord agreed before his ears perked up. “On your left!”

Robert hearing what the Zord did as well, leaped to the left as senbon needles flew through the air and impacted a tree trunk next to him. Toxica winced.

“Mercury tipped. Deadly on impact. Someone really doesn’t like us being here…” she commented, a master of the understatement.

“...Oh, this reminds me of the time I was traipsing about an Egyptian tomb!” Jindrax commented going for his daggers. “...Except, you know, I was in the desert… and underground… and… Okay, maybe this is nothing like that.” he admitted rubbing his head in embarrassment.

“So, what should we expect next on this tour of Japan?” Flash asked his spear crackling with electricity. “Giant tentacle monsters? Giant naughty tentacle monsters?” he asked and everyone stared at him.

“...Remind me to tell your Captain to limit your reading material…” Toxica mumbled.

“Oh, Shining reads that stuff as well!” Flash chirped and the Mistress of Magic could only facefault.

“...Is this trip to your Delta Base really worth it?” Jindrax wondered aloud looking around for the perpetrators. “Between the sweltering heat, the deadly ninja assassins, and a frankly rather weird pegasus…”

“It’s worth it, trust me,” Robert commented. “No risk, no reward right?” he commented as the foursome continued on this time keeping a very watchful eye on the treeline half-expecting kunai or shuriken to fly out of the trees any time now.

“How’d Tokyo even get like this anyhow?” Flash had to wonder aloud. “Last I heard, it was a place to rival even Manehatten or Las Pegasus!”

“Oh, something about a nuclear reactor meltdown back in the 2150s, hit some sort of massive plant and caused it to grow like wild,” Jindrax remarked. “...Oh, humans and their love for nuclear power… Have they learned nothing from B-Movies?”

“Okay, if some sort of giant moth comes out of the trees I’m bailing…” Robert muttered. This time he was the one everyone was looking at weirdly. “Oh, don’t give me those looks. I, unlike you, have seen tokusatsu productions. This is exactly the kind of thing that would happen after a nuclear reactor meltdown!”

“...I’d hate to be in your brain sometimes, you do know that right?” Toxica remarked. Suddenly, she heard the sound of something slicing through the air and threw up a shield just in time. If she hadn’t, a fūma shuriken would have cleaved her clean in two.

“Is this going to be ninja ponies?” Jindrax questioned, his sword at the ready and doing some sort of odd kung fu pose. “If it is, think they were influenced by pop culture or found a way to learn the actual traditions?”

Robert didn’t even have time to facepalm before a flash of orange and red and he was inside a building blade drawn in front of three ninjas. Two wore hoods and dark blue uniforms but the other had tossed his hood aside revealing a midnight black face and a massive unkempt almost palm tree-like manestyle. And they all bore the unmistakable Ninja Star Blades of the Ninja Steel Rangers.

“...Joy,” Robert muttered before the lead demanded what he was doing here. Robert’s only response? A weak: “I like Ike?”

He sighed as the lead charged. He hated this, but it seemed no quarter would be given or asked for.

“Power Stars Lock In, Ninja Spin!”/“Legendary Wild Access!”

The Dragonlands: Ngorongoro Crater

On the other corner of the globe in Africa, Sunburst, Galaxy, and Daring had stumbled into the massive expanse of the Ngorongoro Crater, the world's largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera which now covered 100 square miles from end to end. And it now played center stage to the Kingdom of Zandar.

“You do take me to the most interesting locations,” Galaxy remarked, Ol Doinyo Lengai looming ominously in the distance with smoke rising from its peak. Everyone knew it was a still active volcano and Celestia only knew how far its lava flows ran. For all they knew, the flows could be underneath their feet even now. “...Remind me to thank you for that. No, seriously.”

“Was Galaxy always such a baby?” Daring asked. She smirked and looked at Sunburst. “Are you rubbing off on him in more ways than one?”

“Har har…” Sunburst replied before leaning in close to her. “Truth be told… I… Uh, have doubts about our relationship.”

“I’m probably not the best pony to hear ya out on that one,” Daring admitted with a shrug. “I’m not really experienced with long-term relationships.”

“Only because you never settled down long enough to have one,” Sunburst replied. “Seriously, might do you a world of good…”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll think about it,” Daring answered, waving her hand at the bookish stallion. “If I find someone I can put up with for extended periods of time and isn’t taken. Seriously, being a book character to most really doesn’t help!”

“I dunno, there’s a lot of foe yay subtext between you and Ahuizotl…” Sunburst teased with a raised eyebrow causing Daring to facepalm and curse the idea of whoever came up with ‘shipping’ and ‘shipping goggles’.

“Por Celestia... Algunas personas…” Daring mumbled before glaring at her fellow Ranger. “Sunburst, keep it to your fanfics, okay?” she said pointedly.

“...I have never written a thing of the kind. Twilight and Rainbow, however…” Sunburst said innocently. “But you never heard it from me.”

Daring didn’t believe him but keep silent on the matter. “Let me guess, Rainbow inserted herself as my sidekick and solved every problem by flying?” she deadpanned.

“...She may have yes, with a poorly chosen name of Prism Quick and I may have had to edit for her…” Sunburst mumbled. “Oh, could be worse I suppose. It could be that clopfic she wrote between you an… Oh, please tell me I did not just say that!” he squeaked going bright red.

Daring rubbed her temples, feeling a headache forming. “I’m going to forget this entire conversation, okay? That way I can still look Rainbow in the eyes. Mi Celestia, las imágenes!”

“I’ll see if I can get Twilight to get you some brain bleach, okay?” Sunburst replied. “B-But anyways… Ah, like I said I have doubts about me and Galaxy’s relationship. I’m just beginning to wonder… things.”

“Well, from what I do know about this sort of thing, I gotta ask, does he make you happy and do you feel better when he’s nearby?”

“At times, yes, but at others… I just have to wonder if he’s… well, he’s a leech or something like that. I mean, he promised to get married and yet for twelve and a half-months nothing of the sort has happened! ...I’m wondering if he’s just using me for some end…” Sunburst whispered making sure Galaxy wasn’t in earshot. Unbeknownst to either of them, the bat-pony had tripped on a rock, and fallen flat on his face and into unconsciousness.

“To be fair, Ranger and guard duties have kept you both busy,” Daring offered. “And could you imagine having your wedding interrupted by some monster attack? I know this isn’t your strong suit, but you need to confront Galaxy with your feelings.”

“Oh, look at me! A relationship counselor!” Daring thought to herself. What had gone wrong with her life?

“I’ll… I’ll keep that in mind. Truth be told, I’ve been having these doubts for a while now, it’s just… well, I’ve had nobody to talk to them about. Or more accurately, ever had the nerve to talk to them about. It took me several tries and quite a few mental orders to my body not to faint just to mention this to you!” Sunburst stammered out.

“Listen to you, you fight monsters and talking to your fiance scares you?” Daring said, slapping the nervous stallion’s back. “You’re stronger than that virgin schoolboy act you put on. Look him in the eyes, try not to get lost in them and do what you gotta do. Either you figure out how to make things work, or you tell him to hit the bricks. There’s no middle ground here, Sunbutt.”

“...Please don’t use Celestia’s nickname with me,” Sunburst whispered. “You know Daring, for someone who’s never been in a relationship before, you sure sound like you have…”

“I may not have relationship experience, but I got plenty of it in getting what I want,” she countered, smiling at him. Sunburst blinked. Lightning had mentioned to him Daring was a spectacular failure at flirting if her experience with Dr. Caballeron’s goons was anything to go by. She then punched him in the arm, knowing exactly what Sunburst was thinking. “Outside of romance, dork. Nice catch on Changeling drone tip-off by the way. Still, you gotta speak up if you want people to know what you want. Not too many ponies are mind readers.”

“Yeah… Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” Sunburst admitted. “Okay, now this is just getting odd. You’d think by now the dragons would have noticed us. I mean, we’re not exactly ninj-”

He let out a yelp as he nearly stepped into a hot spring before Daring grabbed him with her whip and pulled him back. “...See, this is why I always keep eyes on the road ahead, not think about things like relationships and talk with my companions while on an adventure.” Daring lectured.

Sunburst only offered her a flat look and pulled off the whip from his arm. “Thanks for the save.”

“Don’t mention it, just keep yourself on task…” Daring trailed off before her eyes widened as a female dragon, cyan colored scales and a massive sword strapped to her back landed in front of them. “...Oh, mierda.” She nudged Sunburst forward, electing him to take the lead on diplomatic matters.

“Um… Hello. I assume you’re Ember right?” Sunburst asked before slapping himself on the forehead. He noticed the very distinct gold gem hanging around Ember’s neck. “Oh, Princess Ember. I’m Sunburst. We met at the last Winter Gala I believe…?”

Ember didn’t look exactly amused. Sunburst turned to Daring and whispered: “You ever dealt with dragons? In a non torch your bones capacity, I mean?”

“Um, one time, but he was an exile from the dragon lands,” Daring whispered back. “I don’t think that experience will help.”

“It was Garble wasn’t it?” Sunburst asked, and Daring could only nod.

“You know I can hear you right?” Ember asked. “And as the Dragonlord, I don’t take kindly to ponies waltzing into my kingdom without an explanation.”

“...Wouldn’t you… well, you know, be a dragonlady since… uh…” Sunburst stammered and Daring could only facepalm.

“Sure, dig yourself deeper Sunbutt. And I thought you were supposed to be smart!” she thought.

“Now, care to explain why the Captain of Luna’s guard is with you?” she asked, and motioned for another dragon -black scaled with silver armlets- to toss Galaxy forwards in front of the two.

“He’s with him,” Daring said, opting to take the lead while Sunburst checked on his fiance’s unconscious body. “This isn’t an action by the princess.”

“Oh, it makes me feel so good to know your Sun Tyrant isn’t asking her sister to assassinate me. If she wanted to do that, she should have the courage at least to do it herself!” Ember snapped. Sunburst meanwhile rushed over to his fiance and quickly checked him before sighing in relief. He was alive. That much was good news. It seemed Ember’s warriors hadn’t touched him.

Daring carefully avoided that landmine as best she could, putting on a smile. “We’re here on a personal venture. There’s a gold gem that we’ve come here to find that’ll help us with matters at home.”

Ember was no fool. She knew, of course, exactly the stone they were speaking of. “I assume you mean this, the Stone of Zandar?” Ember asked fingering her necklace. “Sorry, but it’s Dragonlord property. A family heirloom, even,” she growled clutching her scepter tightly.

‘Oh crap, she’s already got the stone. And I bet she’s bonded to it,’ Daring thought, fighting back a grimace remembering her own experiences with the Aqua Energem. “Well, this is turning out to be a lovely day isn’t it Dares?”

“Ma’am, we won’t ask you to part with it. Since it’s yours, there’s no point to that,” She reached into her pocket and showed off her own energem for emphasis. She looked at Sunburst, and he quickly nodded getting the message before fishing out Galaxy’s own graphite one. “Fact of the matter is… Well, we’re three of a kind us. Four, if you count a certain samurai girl. Rangers.”

“And I’m supposed to know what this means?” Ember asked. “The only ‘Rangers’ I know are Celestia and Luna’s squad of archer scouts on the edge of their kingdom.”

“Nothing like that, we’re Power Rangers,” Daring assured, returning her gem to her pocket. “We fight off monsters that seek to destroy life on this planet and have no official ties to our government.”

“...Excuse me while I laugh,” Ember remarked. “You honestly expect me to believe such a yarn? Sounds like something younger dragons would spin up just to amuse others. Monsters that seek to destroy all life on this planet? Sounds a lot like what you used to -and still do- label us dragons. Or unless I remember incorrectly about your Chancellor Neighsay calling us ‘savage remorseless brutes’?” she questioned.

Sunburst swore under his breath. Of course, even with Neighsay in custody and in the dungeons he still managed to find some way to cause them trouble…

“L-Look here,” he stammered out gathering up his courage. “Daring’s telling the truth! Such a thing really does exist! Surely you’ve noticed, that extra power flowing through your body thanks to that gem of yours!”

Ember seemed to briefly consider his words before dismissing them. “There’s only one way to prove you are telling the truth, and not spinning falsehoods. We must settle this in the only way a dragon knows how. A trial by combat.”

Daring sucked in a breath. Damn it, this was not what she wanted to happen. She’d heard more than enough rumors about the dragons and how their combat trials went. It was do or die, and more often than not the opponent never came out alive. She’d had the ‘luxury’ of hearing about what happened in one of these trials thanks to Garble. Apparently, one of his buddies had been ripped limb from limb in one of these duels. It hadn’t been a pretty sight to say the least.

“Now Ember, Dragonlord Ember…” Sunburst said knowing of these duels as well. “This is rather rash don’t you think? You’d only be proving Neighsay right if you settled this by combat. You’d only be proving that you are indeed a savage brute! Think on it!” he shouted.

“I… I would like to back down from this, but once a duel has been initiated there is no backing down. Dragon law is absolute. I’d have to give up my crownship, and believe me, I am one of the only reasons why your land has not been scourged to the bone. I genuinely want to be different from my ancestors, but… “ Ember trailed off as a wave of blood red magic from the scepter went through her. “But as long as I hold this scepter, I must follow the dragon magics. Now… prepare yourself!” she shouted drawing her blade. Reluctantly, Sunburst drew his Crystal Saber…

Japan: Tokyo Prefecture

“Ninjas… Pony ninjas…” Robert muttered as he held up his Shadow Saber, the blade glinting in the sunlight. “Now, I swear I’ve seen it all… Listen, I’m quite sure this is all some big misunderstanding…” he stated trying to get them to back down. He wasn’t even sure he believed his own words given they’d already morphed on the spot and looked ready for combat.

And he admitted, holding his Shadow Saber certainly wasn’t helping matters. No, not his Shadow Saber, Robert corrected himself. The Commander’s Shadow Saber. Nobody else’s.

He noted their attire, the costumes of the Ninja Steel Rangers. Though last he checked, there wasn’t a green power star amongst them. Oh well, maybe things had changed in a couple of thousand years. “I swear by Lady Mistmane and Princess Celestia that I have reason to be here!” Robert declared holding up his hands defensively and sheathing his sword even as the three Rangers advanced on him with battle morphers in bow mode.

“He’s right!” Flash shouted as he dashed in sweating and panting up a storm. That heavy armor of his was doing him no favors. Recollecting himself Flash continued to speak with the battle morphers now pointed at him. To his credit, Flash held his ground.“I swear, we’re here on peaceful terms!”

“I… I apologize,” the red Ranger said, demorphing himself in a flash of light and green leaves. He knew one of Celestia’s Royal Guards here made things especially important, and this orange fox’s story far more credible. The others were soon to follow. One was a tan unicorn, and the other was an earth pony mare wearing a green bow in her mane. “Midnight Radiance, at your service. This is… Well, better for safety if they don’t give up their names.”

“Dragonscale,” the mare said with a chirp and a wink doing a little pose as the unicorn sighed to himself. Classic Genki girl, Robert mused. “This stick in the mud? Calls himself Hattari.”

Hattari could only huff and cross his arms.

“...You guys must be the worst Ninjas I’ve ever heard of. I thought you guys stuck to the shadows,” Flash commented. “What, do you announce yourselves with confetti, banners, and explosions?” he deadpanned.

“We are ninjas, but we will not hide!” Midnight declared pointing his sword upwards. Hattari could only facepalm.

“Dare ja? Ore ja? Ninja…” Robert muttered with a roll of his eyes and was soon glomped by Dragonscale.

“See, he gets it!” the mare declared seemingly missing the man’s sarcasm. “He gets the whole thing! He gets it!” she cried punching Hattari in the shoulder. He did not look amused.

“Dragon, ever think you’re… well, missing the point just a little?” the gold ranger asked. “I mean, sure you’re the Princess of the Rainbow Snake clan and all that, but that doesn’t mean you have to be as… lively as a rainbow snake would be.” he muttered.

“How would you know what a rainbow snake looked or acted like?” Dragonscale asked. “You’ve never seen one before in your life! Nobody has! Well, outside of the Brumbies I suppose…”

“Mind explaining exactly why the world’s worst ninjas in histor-” Flash started before stopping himself on seeing Dragonscale’s little pout. It was sorta cute actually.

“Way to stick your foot in it, Flash. Upsetting cute mares, one day at a time…” he thought before correcting himself. “Okay, the world’s most fantastical ninjas in history decided to attack us out of the blue?”

“Wait, why do I think she’s cute? Celestia damnit Flash, you and mares… well, you know you don’t have the best history with them… especially after Princess Twilight…” he thought to himself sadly. “Make one joke and everything falls apart. Guess that’s what I get for speaking without thinking. Only trouble is, thinking isn’t a strong point of mine either. Crap, I’m going off on a tangent and just standing here like an idiot. Is she talking? Get it together, soldier!”

“...You do know you’re thinking out loud right?” Dragonscale asked. “Just sayin’...”

Flash went stock still, swearing he could hear the sound of glass breaking. At that moment, he started hoping for a meteor to come down and strike him dead.

“I apologize for her,” Midnight said. “You and her, well… you are a lot alike. You two don’t have a brain to mouth filter. Neither of you. ...Suppose that’s one point in your favor towards being a couple!” he teased.

While both Flash and Dragonscale blushed, Hattari chuckled. “Always pairing ponies up, aren’t you Radiance?” he asked in this deep gravelly voice.

“Well, brother dear…” Midnight said slinging an arm around the now unamused gold ranger. “Hey, if you’ve got the talent… flaunt it! That’s what I say, at least!”

“Hey, the man’s right you know,” Jindrax said as he strode into the room and now all swords and battle morphers were pointed at him. “...Okay, what did I do?”

“Yokai…” Hattari stated with his star blade now inches away from the Duke Org’s face. He’d moved in a flicker of shadow, and Jindrax had only reacted in the nick of time drawing his blade to block it in a shower of sparks. Using a wrist flick, he disarmed Hattari.

“Okay okay, can we just put the blades now for a moment? Scheisse…” Robert muttered.

“I agree with him!” Jindrax shouted pointing towards Robert. “Seriously, you lot are insane! First, you’re pointing bows at Foxy-Woxy over there, then you lower them, then you raise them against yours truly! Why would you want to scratch this face, and what in the name of the Master Org is a Yokai?”

“Mou…” Dragonscale muttered. “You seriously don’t know what a Yokai is… Yokai?”

“Well, I’m not Japanese… or Neighponiese or whatever you call yourselves so no, I wouldn’t!” Jindrax shouted back.

“...I’m uh… sorta lost here. I have to agree with Jindrax here. What’s a Yokai?” Robert asked rubbing his head in confusion. “...What, are they game characters come to life Ex-Aid style? Cause the only Yokai I knew were in Yo-Kai Watch…”

Flash stared at Robert in shock. “You lived here! And yet you don’t know what a Yokai, a Neighponiese creature is?” he asked.

“Lived here for only a few years. Emphasis on a few might I remind you, ya dummkopf. I didn’t grow up here and get raised on this sorta stuff,” Robert corrected. “Nor I didn’t go delving into books on every Japanese legend. Just ones that interested me…”

Flash could only facepalm. “Okay, Yokai are basically… well, your average Neighponiese phantom or spirit. Most people explain them away as… Well, supernatural or unaccountable phenomena but… Obviously, they exist. At least in their minds. Actually, come to think of it, your totem animal falls under the Yokai banner…”

At this, everyone else looked at Robert. “...Um, orange Kitsune Ranger? ...Uh, surprise I guess?” he laughed nervously.

“I’m surprised you know this stuff, Flash,” Toxica commented and both Midnight and Dragonscale yelped at her appearance. Robert and Jindrax collectively facepalmed at this and shared a look. Seriously, ponies. So easy to scare. “Here I thought your knowledge of Neighponese culture began and ended with tentacle porn.” Toxica deadpanned.

“Oooh, did anyone say tentacle porn?” Dragonscale chirped while Midnight looked freaked out by this understandably.

“...You do realize who my ex was right?” Flash commented.

“No, sorry, I don’t keep up with ponies and their relationships,” Toxica sneered before doing a little curtsy before Midnight. “Toxica, Mistress of Magic at your service…”

“...Please tell me it’s not the kind of service I think it is…?” Midnight nervously stammered out upon looking at Toxica’s attire.

Hattari, in the background, could only facepalm. His brother still had a lot to learn about women.

“Are you calling me a whore?!” Toxica boomed, pointing her staff at the red ninja. “I have half a mind to turn you into a pile of ash for that!”

“...I apologize, I apologize madam Toxica,” Midnight stammered out rapidly backtracking bowing profusely. “Just don’t turn me into a newt or something like that!”

“Good call, I got turned into a newt once,” Jindrax pointed out as Robert struggled to hold in his laughter at the situation and the sheer ridiculousness of it all. “I got better, but still! That small body… Euugh…” he shuddered.

“Is your brother always this dumb?” Robert asked leaning towards Hattari.

“Sometimes, yes. I swear, it’s a thing about the Reds in our family… They never seem to wind up bright…” the gold ranger sighed.

“Could be worse, could be one of those hot-blooded anime types. Now those are annoying, for Christ’s sake…” Robert agreed.

“What’s anime?” Dragonscale asked, tilting her head at Robert. “Is it like an animal or something?”

“You sure you aren’t related to this Sonata woman I heard about?” he asked in return. “You don’t sing do you?”

“Are you kidding? I rock at karaoke!” Dragonscale beamed, striking a pose like an idol and flashing the peace sign.

Robert for his part just looked terrified and ready to bolt out of the room like a bat out of Hell. Flash didn’t seem to be that far behind him.

“Okay, okay… so you’re not Yokai?” Midnight asked.

“I think we have established that, yes,” Toxica deadpanned. “I can only presume your paranoia and stupidity has something to do with why you tried to kill us?”

“Er… sorry about that?” Midnight asked rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish chuckle soon to follow. “I apologize, again. It’s just… well, things have gone a little nuts around here…”

“What he means is this,” Hattari said before his horn glowed with a teal-blue light. Smoke gathered from all corners of the room before forming into distinctive shapes. Three wolf-like creatures snarling and snapping appeared above their head, each with nasty claws that would have done Wolverine proud.

Robert’s eyes widened and he muttered: “The Wolfblades… Lovely…”

Hattari looked at him for this. “You know of these creatures?”

“Well, not personally, but I’ve heard a few stories. Blue Bay Harbor, 2003. Some warlord, going by the name of Shizumu woke up their spirits. I thought they were destroyed, actually. ...Guess I was wrong on that front.”

“Well, they are spirits in a sense, so I would imagine they’d be hard to kill…” Hattari commented. “I presume no proper funeral rites or spells were performed to lay their spirits to rest?”

“...I doubt it. They were just treated as your average monster. They were destroyed, then they got big, then they were blown up again. Usually the way it works innit?” Robert asked.

“Okay, so no Chinkon rituals performed. Got it. So, these doubutsu no ke will keep coming back every 100 years or so on the full moon until the proper rituals are performed. ...And look at us without a follower of Shintoism to perform the sealing spell…” Hattari grumbled.

“Hattari, is your default mood well… moody?” Dragonscale asked clapping him over the head with a slipper she’d pulled from… somewhere. “You heard Toxica, she calls herself a Mistress of Magic! Surely she can-”

“Hey, don’t drag me into this!” Toxica protested.

“Too late Tox, looks like you got volunteered!” Jindrax laughed before Toxica sent a very nasty glare towards her fellow Duke Org. He let out a small squeak and hid behind Flash for protection.

Flash could only sigh to himself and mutter how he was surrounded by idiots. Now he knew exactly how Princess Sunset felt at times, he mused to himself.

“Great, so we just got dragged into something out of a Jidaigeki. Scheisse… And here I came to Japan just to find the SPD Delta Base…” Robert muttered rubbing his temples.

Something seemed to click in Dragonscale’s mind right about then. “Oooh, I’ve heard that name before! You don’t mean anything to do with… this place do you?” she asked before pulling away on some vines to reveal a massive dog’s badge gleaming in tarnished silver. Robert’s eyes widened.

The Kingdom of Zandar: Arena

Crowds roared as Sunburst nervously stepped out into the arena. Ember had decreed it quite barbaric to fight out in the open like animals, so here he was. Personally, he wasn’t a fan.

“So, I get slaughtered in front of a crowd. Great. Just great…” Sunburst thought. “So much for keeping my big fat mouth shut…”

“W-Would this be a terrible time to mention I don’t like fighting unless absolutely necessary?” Sunburst asked the dragon who was leading him out into the arena.

“This is necessary, this is dragon law.”

“...Would it also be a good time to mention I’m a terrible fighter?” Sunburst asked.

“Then Lady Ember will slaughter you.” the dragon commented before shoving Sunburst out into the arena sand making him fall onto his face.

Ember was already waiting for him, her sword slung over her shoulder. She forewent any traditional armor, clearly confident in the protection her scales offered. “This is what you display before the fight? Shameful.”

“A fight I do not want to take part in!” Sunburst stated. “Just stating that for the record. Seriously, there are other ways to settle an argument than trying to spill our guts!”

“He’s going to die…” Galaxy whispered afraid to watch while Daring slapped him over the head.

“So much for having faith in your fiance… Now I see why their relationship is on the rocks…” she thought before correcting him. “No, he’s going to live. This is Sunburst’s type of battle. Just you watch.”

“No matter how much I agree with you, this is something I can’t change,” Ember retorted. “It’s unsightly to cower instead of facing what you can’t avoid.”

“It’s also unsightly to fight like animals,” Sunburst stated holding his ground. He noted the arena’s four corners were decorated with pterodactyl statues. Maybe Ember wasn’t as clueless as to her gem’s true nature as she thought. “We’re better than this. Both of us.”

“Words win wars, Galaxy,” Daring stated up in the stands. “You of all people should know this yourself. Just watch him.”

Sunburst had been given a sword by the armory, but he refused to draw it. This fight was pointless, and one of the rules of being a Ranger was never to engage in pointless battles or escalate fights.

“Yes, I get you’re this almighty Dragonlord or Dragonlady or whatever and forced to fight thanks to some damned magic, but a true ruler also knows when to stand down and listen,” Sunburst stated. “Who can say where true strength really lies? For me, it’s important to just seek it in your heart. Not use your weapons for needless bloodshed.”

“That isn’t an option I have. Why do you ponies think you can impose your will on everything? You’re just like that damned solar bitch. If you won’t draw your weapon, then too bad!” Ember brought her sword down in a vicious swing, though Sunburst noted she was using the flat of her blade.

Sunburst dodged to the left before he heard a shout.

“Here, catch!” Daring shouted tossing a collection of Dino Chargers towards Sunburst. His hand reached out to catch them before he looked them over.

“What does she expect me to do with…” he thought even as he dodged another sword swing before his eyes widened in realization as he recognized the chargers. “Of course! Daring, you clever girl…”

Concentrating as hard as he could, he funneled whatever magic he could muster into one of the chargers. He admitted, he’d never tried this before but… Well, time to see if he really could be a mage.

“Come on Sunburst,” Daring thought. “I know you can do this. This is right up your alley. You’ve never been a conventional magic user, and this isn’t a conventional fight!”

Kicking sand in Ember’s face making her screech in rage Sunburst then activated the first charger. A ghostly blue image of an Archelon appeared around him before he raised his fist and slammed it back down again making Ember suddenly feel very heavy.

“Gravity Charger…” Sunburst thought aloud to himself. “Has a nasty effect on the target’s own... well, guess…”

Ember suddenly found it very hard to move and even swinging her sword felt like a chore. Her reptilian eyes widened as she saw Sunburst’s hoof swing around and clocked her in the head shattering her helmet. Or at least, that’s what would have happened had Sunburst not stayed his hoof at the last moment.

“You know, an ordinary pony would have used that advantage to probably shatter your helmet, or worse… your skull. But I’m not an ordinary pony. I’m certainly not the brute Solar Flare’s propaganda made us out to be over the years. Everyone used to make assumptions about me, and they were mostly wrong ones. I attend to prove your own wrong as well.” Sunburst stated before the effects of the charger wore off. Sunburst just narrowly leaped back in time to avoid a powerful upwards slash feeling the air grow heavy with ozone. “So, what say you?” he asked.

“This combat doesn’t stop until one of us is unable to continue,” Ember said, a small smile on her face. “Glad you could find your backbone.”

“I never was looking for my backbone, I always had it,” Sunburst stated as he looked upwards to see a dragon guarding the glowing red scepter. “But I do not fight for pointless reasons. Yes, this is your law and way of doing things, but I consider it mindless brutality. I’m offering the hand of friendship here Ember. And friendship, if you ask me… Now that’s even more powerful magic than any other I know of…”

“Do you remember the red magic from before?” Ember asked, snorting. “That was part of the ritual. If I ignore the ancient laws governing this, I die on the spot. That’s why I’ve been saying from the start that even though I agree this fight is stupid, I have to do it. Why do you ponies always need everything spelled out to you like hatchlings?”

“Oh, I already guessed what might happen if you didn’t fight,” Sunburst stated. “I can see the fear in your eyes, and honestly… that ugly red magic isn’t very friendly.”

“What the hell is he doing?” Galaxy asked. “If all he needs to do is destroy that scepter, then why doesn’t he do it?”

“He is,” Daring put in. “But he’s also trying to make a point. Ember doesn’t understand all ponies aren’t like Solar Flare. Sure, she’s been to galas but that’s when other creatures were around to protect her. Safety in numbers and all that. Plus, ponies have been too scared to raise a hoof against her, so she never got the chance to learn what we are really like. Solar Flare never helped our image with her power, and the ability to smite someone if she so chose. This is Sunburst destroying that image.” she stated.

“By Lady Luna…” Galaxy thought to himself feeling ashamed of himself for thinking so little of Sunburst. “After… after all this is over, you are getting it good…”

Sunburst meanwhile, funneled more magic into another charger and this time a red image of an Allosaurus appeared above him. The Blaze Charger.

Flames erupted around the arena and Sunburst gestured to them. “I could have easily just burnt your armor to a crisp, or broiled you from the inside out. But I’m not going to do that. No, I’m not her. I’m not Solar Flare. I don’t raise a hand against those who don’t deserve it.”

“But… But I’m trying to kill you!” Ember roared as she swung her sword again.

“Under duress,” Sunburst stated going for his final charger. “If you were a real monster, like those I face everyday… yes, then I might fight back. But not today. Not against you. Now just relax…” he stated as an image of an Ammonite appeared above him and Sunburst shoved a green energy towards Ember making her feel awfully woozy.

Sunburst wiggled his finger in a circular motion, and Ember staggered the grip on her sword loosening before Sunburst grabbed it out of her hands and elbowed her in the stomach.

Next, he let out a battle cry and tossed the sword towards the Bloodstone Scepter. The dragon next to it ducked even as Ember’s own sword cleaved the top of the scepter clean off in an explosion of crackling gold and red energy.

The walls of the arena hummed and crackled with a strange energy, before the energy field surrounding them shattered like glass. Panting and sweating, Sunburst smiled. “There milady… You’re free.”

“Y-you dumbass!” Ember roared, swatting a fist down on Sunburst’s head. “That scepter was the only thing keeping dragons together!”

“No, it’s not,” Sunburst stated calmly tossing his own sword aside letting it hit the sand with a clatter and a small cloud of dust. “That’s the job of a ruler, not some magic. And given that you’ve been keeping this clan together for at least five years by my count… you’ve done a pretty good job of that. The scepter was just a symbol, an artifact. The real power… well, that’s just you.”

Ember roared at him and charged at the stallion, and Sunburst understood. She wasn’t doing this out of malice, or indignation. She just wanted to save face and still keep up appearances of being the Dragonlord. Her pride wouldn’t let her go down like this, lectured. No, Sunburst needed to defeat her. The look in her eyes was saying: “Go on, do it. Strike a blow. You don’t have to kill me. You just have to defeat me.”

And so Sunburst did. As Ember charged at him, he dodged behind her and brought down his elbow on her back flattening her. Landing on the sand with an audible thud, Sunburst turned to the crowd now stunned silent. “I declare this match… officially over!” he shouted before he heard scattered clapping. Not just from Daring and Galaxy but from a few dragons as well. That clapping soon turned to applause and the crowd a roar.

“You rest now… okay?” he asked Ember. “You deserve it…”

Author's Notes:

Okay, and we are back. First off, huge thank you to Thunderclap for his writings on this chapter. Delivered the characters of the Kitsune Zord, Ember, Toxica and Daring masterfully.

Now yes, I did canonize the MidoNinger for this chapter and the next. Yep, more Dragonscales for you shortly. Now, why she wasn't used in Ninja Steel for Viera I have no clue. Yes, half of the MidoNinger footage is Pretty Cure-styled but there's some classic Sentai action in there as well. As this video shows. And Saban could very well have created some new footage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMSWLo23u1M

Then again, Ninja Steel was full of wasted opportunity...

Anyways... Midnight Radiance. Now he belongs to ... well, Midnight Radiance. This is for you man, and the Naruto fan you are... I hope you enjoy what's in store next. And this chapter of course.

Now, one last thing. Pua Magasiva... Sad day for us all.

May not have been a Power Ranger, but he had plenty of power. Rest in peace man, you've earned it.

Part 34: Ghosts

Japan: Tokyo Prefecture, SPD Delta Base

“Something wrong?” Hattari asked as he watched Robert -with a haunted expression- take a few steps backward in shock as he gazed upon the SPD emblem in front of him.

“No… no, it’s fine,” Robert stated softly. “Everything’s okay… Just… well, it’s nothing okay?” he muttered to himself as he ran his fingers along the engraved emblem. He sighed to himself, felt like only yesterday he was just a cadet…

He could already picture himself in the uniform, standing on the training grounds outside of Delta Base, lined up with other recruits just as plucky as he was. Nothing special, he was back then, long before the days when he would have donned the morpher and be chosen as one of the Rangers. The sun beat down on him and his peers, while they all stood there, waiting for commands from their leader.

“Rookies.” The voice cut clear through the silence around the group of cadets, as a tall dog-headed person stepped forward to face them all. With rugged scales, jagged ears, and a gaze that could pierce straight through one’s heart, this was Doggie Cruger. Robert swallowed nervously to himself. The head of SPD. Or at least, this particular branch of it.

He’d wanted all his life to get here, and be noticed. Now, Robert mused, time to see if he could put his money where his mouth was. Time to see if he had what it takes to finally become a Ranger.

“Theo… TJ… You watching?” he asked, thinking back to the day of the Armada invasion and when they’d saved him. “I’m finally here now. I will wear that uniform.”

“Now, before you begin today, I want to make one thing clear,” Cruger continued. “This is not some kind of happy-go-lucky opportunity that you just saw off of the streets and thought you could take for granted. This is a serious, high-intensity training regime meant to sort the civilians from the agents. By the end of the day, we’ll decide whether or not you’re SPD material,” Doggie said. “For those of you who are, then we are honoured to have you here today. For all the rest? Well, that’s down to your performance and your performance alone. ARE WE CLEAR CADETS?”

“SIR YES SIR!” the cadets, Robert amongst them, barked back in reply.

“Sir, yes sir… How long has it been since I’ve had to say that?” Robert asked himself as he snapped back to reality, face tickled by the spitting rain. The glass skylight above him was broken, letting the rain in. “For all that it’s worth, you had a good run, SPD. No, we had a good run together… Might even have made commander, might even have made Red if I’d gotten my act together…”

Shaking himself clear, he sighed as he sat down on a nearby bench looking towards Hattari. “Okay, so the Wolfblades. What do we know about them? Aside from them being… you know, spirits? Mononoke, most likely given their violent disposition.”

Flash looked at Robert in shock.

“I thought you didn’t know much about Yokai? That you didn’t read up on them!” the pegasus stared.

“...Okay, I know a little. Not much, but a little. I did read some things you know. I’m not completely a dummkopf.” he answered. “Besides, violent ghosts are easy enough to recognize in any part of the world. ...I swear my neighborhood back home was haunted by this devil dog. Seriously. Black fur, red eyes, the works.” he said.

“You’re an odd one, you do know that right?” Flash remarked crossing his arms and raising his eyebrow.

“...Hey, you live in Equestria, you learn to accept crazy right? Pinkie’s a thing, you do know that right. I’d be more amazed if I stayed normal by now…” the orange ranger replied.

Flash sighed and shook his head before muttering: “Fair point…”

“Well, that’s the thing. It’s Summer, so the Yokai are out in full force,” Midnight explained watching Robert carefully. Despite his denials, he could tell something was… off about the twenty-something-year-old. “The Wolfblades… they’re even more dangerous than the usual Yokai. Only appear every hundred years, so we have a very small window in putting down their spirits for good.”

“Well,” Robert commented. “Nothing like a good old fashioned challenge to get one’s blood flowing right? Nobody ever said being a Ranger would be easy now would it?” he remarked cracking his knuckles.

“You say that now, but these attacks have been getting rougher and tougher recently. Kinda makes me think that there’s someone bigger than all of us orchestrating the whole thing…” Midnight rotated his hand clockwise. “I mean, the Wolfblades are just mindless beasts, so…”

“You think someone’s bossing them around?” Robert remarked. “Like an Alpha…. Do Yokai even have Alphas?” he wondered to himself before slapping himself. He was getting off-track. “When did this first start?” he asked looking towards the Ninja Steel Trio as he decided to call them.

“Okay. Well, first and foremost, there’s this little… show that just so happens to be on TV. You may not have heard of it, but it’s called Galaxy Warriors. Nothing really special when it started, but as soon as Power Rangers were thrown in the mix, the show was pretty much the most primo show on all of the channels in the cosmos,” Dragonscale explained and Robert fought back a very distinct groan. “...What?”

“...That shite’s still on the air? I thought when the original Ninja Steel Rangers gave a certain fox the boot it’d be over with…” Robert muttered. “For Christ’s sake…”

“TV, man. Mou… Reboots and reimaginings everywhere. The original concept’s done and dusted with. Now, there’s a brand new team in town running the show. And they’ve decided that their form of entertainment is basically just throwing two warriors together, see who’s the strongest. There was a signed agreement not to have fights on planets inhabited by intelligent life,” Dragonscale explained fiddling with her crescent moon-shaped earrings. “...I guess they don’t consider our planet part of the deal.”

“...Well, to be fair Solar Flare made it very hard to like your planet. Guess nobody up there got the memo she’s pushing up the daisies,” Robert remarked going for his communicator to contact Celestia. He groaned when he got only static. Must have been the weather. Too much interference to get a proper transmission to Canterlot. Swearing quietly under his breath he muttered: “...Well, there goes that route…”

“Think we should go up there, take that show off of the air forever? I mean, it’s nothing more than a drain on one’s brain. A complete waste of time and of the mind,” Hattari pointed out. “The galactic TV networks would be better off without that rubbish clogging up the schedule like some deranged zombie show…”

“Not exactly a fan of bloodsport but… Let’s be honest, sorta out of our jurisdiction,” Robert remarked. “Besides, what does this have to do with the Wolfblades and Yokai? I assume there’s a point coming up here…”

“There is. Galaxy Warriors is a show that knows neither friend nor foe. Only destruction. We just have to mess up their broadcasts with some divine intervention. Better to destroy them before they destroy the world around us, am I right?” Midnight asked, looking to his peers.

“...Somehow I would have liked it better when it was just something simple, like Yokai who just needed to be sealed away by magic…” Robert muttered. “Now you just had to go and make things complicated.”

Flash stared at Robert. He honestly considered sealing away Japanese spirits a simple matter? Yep, there was definitely something wrong with that one.

“...Still, sometimes it takes two -in this case, two ranger teams- to do the job right…” Robert trailed off.

“It takes two to make a thing go right
It takes two to make it outta sight…”

Robert found himself on the streets, with his new SPD morpher in hand, and headphones partially in his ears. A pure example that he had passed his bar exam and now worked actively for the unit. Albeit, it was just his first assignment, but he already saw himself smashing whatever task had been given to him.

“Alright, kid. Now, your crook’s on 492nd street. We’re isolating his movements, but you should be able to snag him if you just stay on his tail,” Sky said over the communicator. “Hey, you even listening to me?”

“Yeah, yeah… I can hear you just fine boss,” Robert remarked in an all too casual tone that made Sky’s eyebrow twitch. “I’m going after him now. So, what was this guy wanted for again? What, did he knock over a bank? I thought we only went after the big guys, like mentals who like to turn people into slime or something like that… I thought we left the small fry to C or D-Squad…”

“Do small fry ever demolish buildings?” Sky retorted as Robert rounded an alleyway before using a box as a springboard to leap over a sushi stand and take to the rooftops. “This kid’s asking for it. He’s torn down three office complexes already and he’s aiming for another. We’ve gotta bring him in now, or there’s gonna be no city left for SPD to enforce the law in.”

“I gotcha,” Robert replied as he jumped to another rooftop. “Just sayin’ Sky, you really need to ease up. Seriously, I know you’re the Red Ranger and all, but look at Bridge. He’s Blue and he’s probably the most laid back guy I’ve ever met!”

“Different strokes for different folks. Those different folks are gonna have to learn to work together if they stand any chance at beating this creep.” As soon as Sky finished, another explosion went off at a nearby building. Robert’s feet nearly gave out from under him and he grabbed a nearby weathervane to brace himself.

“...Jesus Christ!” Robert muttered. “Anyone know where that came from?”

“The others just landed an attack on the perp. Blew up a building as cover just so he could get a quick and easy escape. We’re not going to let that happen. Syd and Bridge… They’ve isolated him to the road. We’re already blocking that part of the city off for the safety of others. You need to get there and join the fight. Quickly, now.”

“I gotcha, I gotcha…” Robert said taking a leap off a building and sliding down an angled rooftop Jackie Chan style before rolling just before he hit the ground. Part of the job required knowing the city like the back of your hand, and Robert thankfully had Tokyo figured out to a T. Rounding another corner, he ran up a wall and over a fence before seeing the alien in question, with the rest of the team morphed and already fighting him off.

“SPD Emergency!” Robert shouted and in a green flash of light slid along the ground and kicked the monster before whipping out his pistol and shooting him in the stomach. “...First real day on the job, and I get to handle a mad bomber. Fun.” he remarked in an all too gleeful tone. Finally, something other than guys who just robbed banks and the like. Big time at last, he thought with a smile.

“It’s not just all about you, you know,” Syd said touching a nearby fountain and gaining a fist made of stone. With a powerful punch, she sent the monster -themed after a sphinx- flying backwards. “Team effort and all that.”

“Hey, first time Rangering up. Let me have a bit of fun here m’kay sweetheart?” Robert commented.

“Fun? Do you think me get in on the fun as well?” The monster lurcher, swiping at itself as it hurled another barrage of bombs out at the team. “See, now that friend here, more targets. More boom-boom! More death and lovely chaos!”

“DUCK!” Sky shouted using his abilities to throw up a shield in between the bombs and his team. Z then cloned herself, before firing on the monster knocking him back with laser shots.

“Grah! Tickle-blasters! Weak, weak, weak!” The beast leaped skyward, landed on Z and lit a fuse, pushing the bomb into her face. “This should be more than a tickle…”

Z quickly ripped the bomb off before kicking it towards the monster allowing it to explode in his face. He rolled along the ground, body smoking and fur scorched.

“Ready to give up yet, and face judgment?” Z asked holding out her Morpher.

“No! Not yet! First, game time.” The beast pointed towards a tower, before pulling out a trigger and pushing it. “Bomb is armed, and poor little people inside, cry out for their mommies and daddies. Give me what I want and bomb stops ticking. If not, graveyard gets new neighbors…”

“You bastard…” Syd snarled.

“Oh, you compliment me!” the creature said. “Call this… insurance. See, I knew you’d come a-callin, so I made a backup plan just in case you see?”

“Sky. What’s the call?” Bridge asked, looking at the tower. “This guy’s just claimed there are people inside. If someone doesn’t stop that bomb, things are gonna get ugly…”

“Ah, I can stop the bomb, but only if you give me what I want. And what I want is 100,000 Spacebullion within the hour. Otherwise… Boom boom bye-bye!” the monster cackled.

“Rrgh… Dammit!” Sky punched a wall so violently that it left a small dent in it before his shoulders slumped in defeat. “Call Commander Cruger. Tell him about the situation. You’ll have your money Thornax…” the Red Ranger sighed. During all this, nobody had noticed Robert vanish from the scene. He’d gone underground knowing exactly where the monster would have hidden the bomb to get the best possible explosion.

Going into a subway terminal, he followed the maintenance tunnels till he knew he was underneath the building Thornax had pointed at. Sure enough, in front of him was the bomb. Guarded by two hired Blueheads, they were quickly dispatched by twin kicks to the head. A distant clang marked one of the Blueheads’ heads hitting the floor somewhere off in the distance.

“Like the fella once said: ‘Ain't that a kick in the head?” Robert muttered before going for the bomb. “Now… just cut the red wire. Now how hard can it…” he suddenly trailed off as he ripped off the bomb’s casing and his eyes widened. “Oh, mama.”

All of the wires were red.

“Okay. So there’s red, rose, crimson, scarlet, ruby, and cherry wires there. Now, if my bomb-defusal class taught me anything, it’s that the red wire is always the one that has the killswitch in it, so if we cut that one, this thing is gonna blow up. Trouble is, they’re all red. ...Okay, you can do this can’t you Rob?” Robert muttered. Finally deciding that time was of the essence, he grabbed a bunch of wires in his hand and pulled. Waiting for the boom, he braced himself. Nothing came, and the beeping of the bomb fizzled out. Collapsing to the floor, Robert sighed.

“Yeah… Boss? This is Williams. Your little problem? Just dealt with it. Now go get ‘em.”

There was a sharp sound, one that Robert recognized as the confinement card before Sky sighed and Robert knew he was in for it when he got back to base.

Present Day:

“Yeah, they certainly let me have it…” Robert explained to Flash and Dragonscales as they sat in the city’s central hub, looking over footage of traffic cams for the Wolfblades. “Told me if I ever pulled a stunt like that again, they’d have my badge. ...I’ll admit, not exactly my brightest moment even if I got the job done. But all’s well that ends well, right?” he shrugged.

“...They should have taken your badge if you ask me,” Flash remarked. “That was downright moronic, suicidal even.”

“Yeah, but where would SPD be if they’d taken away their Green Ranger? Especially with how attacks just get bigger and bigger back then. Did I ever tell you, after Bridge got promoted we went through Greens fast and furious? It seemed nobody wanted the job till I came along,” Robert muttering for a moment briefly wondering who took his place. He hoped it wasn’t that lazy Syrian he had before him. “I swear, it’s like the world hates the police force and is actively trying to find ways to take it down a peg or three,” the man grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head. The coarse, rough skin that, despite being moisturized by the rain shower through his touch. “I mean, we’re just doing our jobs aren’t we?”

“Yes, SPD is, but not you. You should have followed proper procedure and let the guy get his gold, and let him free the hostages and then you arrested him.” Flash replied.

“Thing is. That’s just it. How did we know there were hostages, and if there were, how did we know he would have held up his end of the deal? He was crazy enough to blow them up anyways for the Hell of it. I took what I thought was the right call.”

“And you nearly got yourself killed doing it,” Flash pointed out. “All those wires were red, what if one was the killswitch? Boom, you’d be one dead officer. Not to mention all the other potential casualties. Why you want all attention to be on you and to be the hero is beyond me…”

Robert gave the pegasus a glare that was telling him he was verging on very dangerous territory. “Look, it’s my business why I’m the way I am, so can you just put a sock in it Sentry and keep looking for those Wolfblades?

“Are you going to be reckless here too? Just like you were back then?” Flash lifted a brow at Robert. “Because if you’re going to be reckless against these Galaxy Warrior guys, then it’s going to end with you as another prop in their televised trash-fire of a show.”

“Bit older now,” Robert stated as he subconsciously rubbed his chest feeling phantom pains from when the Barbed Wire Org had nearly ripped him open. “And I’ve learned quite a bit since I’ve landed in Equestria. Been here a year now, and things have changed. I’ve changed.”

“...You two argue like an old married couple, you know that right?” Dragonscale commented fiddling with her earrings again. “Sure you two aren’t dating?” she asked with a curious little head tilt.

“Wh-what?! Absolutely not!” Flash jumped in shock, almost landing on his keister as he looked up at Dragonscale’s innocent smile. “It’s not like I like being attracted to other… well, you know…”

“And I’m dating someone, for your information!” Robert sputtered out. “Look, Flash is a very handsome young buck, but-”

“Oh, so you admit he’s handsome?” Dragonscale’s eyes sparkled. “Ooooh! Now you just have to admit your secret love to the bishie boy!”

“...Bishie boy?” Flash murmured.

“It’s a compliment,” Robert replied as he looked over Flash. “Just go with it. And I have to admit, she’s not wrong…”

Dragonscales made a squee sound before sighing. “And here I was thinking about dating you Flashie… But it seems you’re too hung up on foxy over there.

Flash groaned to himself while Robert’s zord could only cackle at the man’s embarrassment.

“...Oh, stuff it you,” Robert told his zord with a growl before sighing. “With friends like these… who needs enemies?”

Flash, as he continued watching the cameras chuckled. “Wow, after a couple of thousand years I never would have imagined these things still worked.”

“Hey, it’s Japan. They build their things to last. Always top of the line in the techno game, really…” Robert smirked before turning back to Dragonscale. “So, Dragon, -can I call you that?- how did you and your two compadres get your powers? Just curious here.” he remarked leaning back in his chair.

“Well. The original Ninja Nexus Star is still out there, roaming the universe as it does. But the three of us decided to try and recreate the stars ourselves with some of our own gear. It worked… well, less than okay for the first part. We tried and tried again, using progressively better tech that we could scrounge for. And by the end of it, we had working replica Ninja Steel Power Stars.” Dragonscale showed off her star to Robert. “It might not be as strong, but it’s still got some surprises up its’ sleeves.”

“Explains a bit, because the Ninja Nexus Star I remember didn’t have a green Power Star in it,” Robert remarked eying the mare. Something was off about her, even if he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. She seemed almost… nervous in a way. “Gold and Red, yes. But not Green.”

“You know your history, don’t you? Yes. The green star’s completely new. Hot off of the press. The other two? Staples of the Ninja Steel legacy,” the mare continued adjusting the bow in her brown mane.

“Huh, interesting. Now, if I may inquire… I heard Hattari mention you were the Princess of this Rainbow Snake Clan. What’s that about?” Flash remarked.

“Well, that’s actually something that I’m not too fond of. See, I ran away from home because of all the chaos going on with Galaxy Warriors,” she said. “Everyone thought that it would be better if we just took shelter and hid from the fights, hid from the world as it crumbled. But that’s not the way, is it? I decided to fake my own death, convincing papa and all of the others that I was gone, so that they wouldn’t come looking for me. So that they wouldn’t drag me back down with them while they festered. If I’m going to die, then I’m going to die saving this world; not letting it burn before my eyes…”

Flash laid a hand upon hers, clutching it. “Then we’ll help you drive that trash heap of a show off this planet, okay?” he said. “But first, we need to know why the Wolfblades are helping Galaxy Warriors. They’re just angry spirits, they shouldn’t care about ratings or the like. So please, tell us what you know.”

“The Wolfblades were long at war with the world; longer than I can imagine. But after many battles--many failed battles at that, the wolves were trapped in a spiritual dimension and contained by a shrine. The wolf shrine, as my people called it,” the Rainbow Snake princess recalled. “If anything on that shrine were to be desecrated, the wolves would be freed, seeking vengeance not only on the Rangers, but on anything else that crossed their paths.”

Robert ‘hmmed’ to himself. Something was off here. The lore and Hattari said that these guys were simply Yokai, only appearing every hundred years. Yet Dragonscale said differently. Unless… He snapped his fingers with a shout of: “Bingo!” and then turned to the green ranger.

“Okay, so just asking here, but are there more than just these three Wolfblades? That might explain why the lore and your story contradict each other. These yanamun, these doubutsu no ke as they’re called seem to have appearances throughout history, and yet you say your shrine seems to be intact,” Robert mused. He may have been a horrible excuse for a police officer, -he accepted that- but he wasn’t dumb. He did have at least some basic detective skills. “Am I correct?”

Dragonscale sighed to herself. Robert once again then ‘hmmed’ to himself. It seemed odd information for her to leave out, these wolves and their true origins. And her teammates were hardly stupid. They would look up the origins of these wolves and it wouldn’t take them long to figure out with their multiple appearances throughout history to figure out that this was a species of Yokai. So why was Dragonscale so intent on keeping her mouth shut? He then realized with a small: “Oh.”

“What’s with the ‘oh’?” Flash asked. “I don’t like it when you say ‘oh’ like that.”

“...Huh, so you figured it out didn’t you?” Dragonscale whispered. “Yeah, suppose it wouldn’t take long given you seem to be a Ranger otaku… Shizumu, the one who created this species of Yokai thousands of years ago… He was my great… Oh Lady Mistmane, I don’t know how many greats grandfather.” she continued looking at the floor in shame.

“If I wanted to guess, I’d say… maybe… twenty-eight times great grandfather?” Flash eyed her up from top to bottom, trying to appraise a proper age for her. “Actually, no, scratch that. It’d seem rude, asking a lady for their age,” he muttered before hugging Dragon. “And listen, not going to judge you for who you’re related to. It’s not the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are,” he said looking Dragonscale dead in the eyes and lifting up her chin. “Your grandfather… yeah, he may have been a bastard, but you are anything but. The power came to you for a reason, and here you are using it to protect the Earth. Did it not, and are you not?”

Wiping her tears away, Dragonscale smiled. “Y-Yeah… Yeah, that I am… Thanks, Flash.”

“Anytime.” Flash smiled. In Robert’s head, the Kitsune Zord gagged and muttered something about pony sappiness before Robert silenced him with a nasty glare.

“Now, let me explain to you about the connection between Galaxy Warriors and the Wolfblades…”

Back in the Delta Base, Jindrax walked with Hattari, the clown-like Duke Org and the very serious ninja making quite the odd couple indeed.

“Okay, so you seem like a knowledgeable enough fellow,” Hattari remarked. “So, tell me. How is a human from SPD manage to make it into this kind of time period? By now, everyone from SPD is pretty much dead…” he trailed off and Jindrax blinked. “Oh, don’t give me that look. I’m not stupid. I saw his reaction at the front desk. He’s definitely not from this time. SPD’s golden age, I’d dare say.”

“You sure you want to go down that particular road?” Jindrax asked. “It’s… well, not exactly a good subject if you brought it up in front of Robert’s face.”

“Which is why I’m talking to you instead,” Hattari commented. “Loopholes and all that. Now spill. I’m losing my patience.”

“Ah… It’s a bit of a tale. From what I can understand, and this is only hearsay from Zen-Aku and all that, but apparently, our orange friend went and accidentally slipped into a time portal. Wasn’t intentional, pure chance ya know?” Jindrax remarked rubbing the back of his head. “But yep, here he is, right in this time period. I don’t pretend to understand most humans, but I can only imagine being back in his old workplace… seeing it like this… It’s probably drudged up a few memories. Frankly, I’m amazed he hasn’t broken down or anything. Man’s tough, but seeing your old home like this… Yeah, I might break as well I think…” the Duke Org remarked.

“So basically he’s trying to make the best of it,” Hattari mused rubbing his chin. “But why come here? Closure?” he asked.

“...Well, that might be part of it, but I think there’s something else as well. You are aware of what this base can do, right?” Jindrax asked.

“It can turn into a giant mecha, right? I’ve heard the rumors and legends, but why would that kind of thing be needed now of all times? If Robert wanted a giant mecha, surely he could have come earlier… Unless of course there’s a threat so grave, it requires a little additional power. Am I right?” Hattari inquired.

“Man, you really are on the ball with everything, aren’t you?” Jindrax groaned. “Yeah, pretty much. Serpentera. Thrax, old Zeddy boy’s son has it. Don’t know where in the Master Org’s name he found it but… Uh, there you have it. I’m not sure the Delta Command Megazord would be able to stop it, but you can say this about Robert’s team. They never give up. It’s not in their nature.”

“Fools for going up against such impossible odds, but I still can appreciate the sentiment,” Hattari remarked before chuckling. “Yeah… Wish I shared their attitude. But been through far too many a year. Gone and turned myself cynical really… My brother… Midnight, he’s always had this get it done no matter what type of attitude, always derided him for this foolishness but I guess… Well, maybe his personality type is what holds the team together. The glue, if you will.”

“Yeah, you get types like that. Reds…” Jindrax muttered. “They seem to be the heart of the team. Don’t ask me why. Always the idealistic sort.”

“Hey, we have to be,” Midnight remarked with a distinct chirp as he leaped down from the rafters. “We’re Reds. Red Power Rangers. We’ve got a reputation to uphold. The heroes! It wouldn’t do for any Red to be all cynical and such. No, that’s just not our way. We have to inspire others, make them pick up the sword and defend the Earth and such after we’re gone. Inspire the next generation and all that, right? So who’s Robert’s Red? Or is he the…?”

“No, hardly. He’s hardly the Red of his team,” Jindrax commented. “And I don’t think he has any designs on the title. He’s no natural born leader. No, that honor goes to someone else. He’s just the Ranger History Nut or Otaku as you guys call it. The Otaku and the Gunslinger of the team. That’s all there is to it with him. Yep, all there is to say about him. The gunslinging, otakuish, fool of his team. Sorta like me, only without the nerdiness, the gunslinging and the uh… Okay, maybe nothing like me but you get the idea right?” Jindrax asked and Hattari could only facepalm before with a poof of smoke, a snake appeared in front of him. A summon creature, Hattari recognized.

“Mistress Dragonscale wants to tell you that we have them. The Wolfblades. They’re out terrorizing Odaiba, near that statue of the mecha with the horn. Seems the Galaxy Warriors want to bring us out in full exposure, put on a real show. Robert, Lady Toxica, and Mistress Dragonscale are on their way now, but they’ll need the help.”

“Then we shall provide it,” Hattari said holding up his morpher and Ninja Star. Midnight did the same.

“Ninja Spin!” they both shouted.

Odaiba Island:

“Huh, so I see some things still haven’t changed much,” Robert commented seeing the massive group of footsoldiers in front of him, Toxica and Dragonscale the full moon shining down on the threesome. “Still, it’s so refreshingly old-fashioned I say,” he remarked cracking his knuckles before unsheathing the Shadow Saber and gripping it tightly. He stared down the ashigaru-like Kudabots, the warriors gripping their yari spears tightly. Even as he charged into battle slicing his way through the hoard with Dragonscale at his heels, he thought back.

“Huh, so that’s the connection eh?” Robert remarked. “Of course it would be, it sorta figures doesn’t it?”

Lord Drayvon, the madman who had created an army of robot Rangers and tried to rule over two dimensions. Apparently, he had a son and that son had been sealed away by the Solaris Knight, just like he did to Thrax. Over the passing years and the shifting of the sands of time the son had grown in power and had finally broken free of his prison destroying the Kyuranger galaxy in the process.

Petty little bastard, from the way Dragonscale explained him. Didn’t really like the idea of Power Rangers destroying his father and so he’d come to Earth just to find the last Rangers existing. Taken command over the Galaxy Warriors program, ruling it from the shadows and had secretly used the hatred of Equus as a reason to have fights on the planet’s surface hoping to draw out the Rangers. He’d unleashed the Wolfblades as a last resort to try and drive out the descendants -power set wise- of the Ninja Steel Rangers to complete his revenge.

“So how do you know all this?” Robert had to ask and Dragonscale blushed before rubbing her arm in embarrassment.

“I… I may have sneaked aboard the Galaxy Warriors ship by accident, to see where these guys were coming from, and what their agenda was?” Dragonscale chuckled. “Regular everyday ninja, that’s me!”

It had happened while chasing some Kudabots and Basherbots away from a village. This was still an unknown time for the Rangers. They didn’t know what Galaxy Warriors was, or that it still existed. Instead, the monsters were appearing randomly and the threesome had only united to defend their villages.

“Katon: Ryūen Hōka no Jutsu!” Midnight shouted, firing flaming dragons heads from his mouth ripping through a hoard of Basherbots before leaping skywards and shouting: “You will not touch this village, ya walking trash heaps! Katon: Moeru Yōna Utau doragonkikku!”

With that, a flaming dragon engulfed his right hoof before he slammed through a hoard of Kudabots. “On your left!” Dragonscale shouted before chains of metal erupted from the ground and sliced through a final hoard of Basherbots.

The remaining foot soldiers ran like Hell itself was after them, but Dragonscale was having none of it. Teleporting in a flash of flowers, she was right on top of them. “White Fang Blade!” she barked out her star blade glowing with ethereal energy before she found herself enveloped in a blue energy beam. Next thing she knew, her blade was cutting into a metallic floor panel.

“...What… what the?” Dragonscale whispered before fading away into the background as she listened in on the conversations.

“Man, I don’t know why the boss keeps on having us come back to this planet,” one of the monsters Dragonscale had recognized chasing off from her village commented. “Look, I get Solar Flare was a right bitch when she eradicated humankind but we’re risking life and limb here for TV ratings! I dunno, but having Solar Flare come down on top of us isn’t really an appetizing prospect.”

“Makes the games more exciting doesn’t it?” another monster remarked. “Risk of death via external factors!”

Dragonscale’s eyes narrowed as she gripped the wall. So, that’s all this was to them, a game to score TV ratings? She nickered in disbelief, surely there had to be more to this. Taking to the vents, she followed the two for a while before breaking off as she heard another voice.

“Those idiots, they can’t even comprehend they’re being used. Then again, monsters are never known for being smart. They just want their five minutes of fame,” the voice muttered and Dragon looked down to see a guy dressed all in black. He sorta resembled a more ninja-fied ranger but had a red visor and ribcage-like chest armor with a belt buckle themed after a shuriken. For a while, Dragonscale stayed silent listening as this man rambled on about his motives and how Galaxy Warriors was only a front to draw out the Rangers.

Snarling briefly, Dragon then ran off down the vent as she heard the man(?) gasp in shock before ordering the Kudabots to find out what that was. Landing in what had to be the garbage disposal, Dragon allowed herself a breath of relief before the door was kicked in and the man from before stepped in.

“Greetings. So pleased to finally make your acquaintance Ninja Steel Green,” Ayakashi said politely before kissing her hand. “Dragonscale, was it? Let it never be said I’m not a gracious host. Stay all you like, I’ll treat you like the Princess you are.”

“I think I’ll pass up on that offer. Funny thing that, gracious isn’t the word I’d use for a guy who sends monster after monster down to our villages just to try and wipe us out! Release: Niji Sājihebi!” she shouted sending a flurry of prismatic snakes towards the villain who sliced them apart with a ninjato. But that was all Dragonscale needed, as she dived into the chute and summoned a giant white snake to ride all the way down…

And in the lead of the Kudabots was Ayakashi himself, going ninjato to kunai with Dragonscale.

“What makes you think you can beat me, Princess…? You’ve got the heart, but not the will!” he shouted, elbowing Dragonscale in the throat before kicking her backwards into the statue of the Unicorn Gundam.

Some vines grabbed Ayakashi and he was tossed into a nearby building, Toxica grinning smugly. “Can you still stand?” she asked Dragon, helping her up.

“Quite,” she coughed out. “But all of these Kudabots… well, they’re going to be an issue. Can’t even get close to Ayakashi without running headlong into one.”

“Hey, you’re a ninja Princess, right? Surely you’ve got some fancy-smancy techniques to clean house right?” Robert asked, slicing clean through and through a hoard of kudabots.

“And she won’t be using them alone!” Midnight’s voice shouted before red and gold blurs cut through the hoard.

“Damn you!” Ayakashi shouted. “Who the Hell do you think you are?”

“Who the Hell do you think I am?” Midnight replied in a mocking voice before confetti fired up in the air and three banners -red, gold and green respectively- rolled down from light posts. “Well, let us gladly introduce ourselves! Power of the Ninja, Ninja Steel Red!”

“Spirit of the Ninja, Ninja Steel Green!”

“Rhythm of the Ninja, Ninja Steel Gold!

“We are those who do not hide in the shadows. Ninja Rangers… fear no danger! Power Rangers… Going forth!” Midnight finished.

“Just for effect… Kitsune, Power Ranger orange!” Robert shouted raising the Shadow Saber to an orange explosion of smoke. “Hade ni Ikuze!”

“...Man, why do they always forget about us Duke Orgs? And who do we fight anyways?” Jindrax asked as the Rangers went to work. Robert fired off his Kitsune Blaster, sending homing shots out into the Kudabot crowd before slashing through several more with the Shadow Saber. A cloud of ash sprung up in the battlefield, before a series of explosions cut down the Kudabots or sent them flying like ragdolls. Both Midnight and Dragonscale high fived before cutting down several more troops.

“Anyone not wearing a primary color, doofus! And as for your first question… well, that’s our lot in life I suppose…” Toxica muttered sending a flurry of magical shots into the Kudabot crowd downing some more. She then took control over the Unicorn Gundam statue, animating it so it could squash some others flat. Atop a building, Ayakashi and Midnight went sword to sword before teleporting down back into the battlefield.

“To be forgotten?” Jindrax said as Toxica created a clone of him and the two began doing a juggling routine of daggers back and forth cutting up more Kudabots. “Talk about lame!”

“Why do you persist?” Ayakashi asked, even as he dodged a fist from the Unicorn only to be spin-kicked in the face by Midnight.

“Uh… because it’s our job to interfere?” Midnight asked before Hattari conjured up a gunbai -a type of Japanese war fan- and tossed it to his brother. “Katon: Gōka Senpū!” he roared sending whirling flames of fire towards Ayakashi who turned into a flicker of shadow before striking at Midnight from behind making him scream out in pain.

“Then you’re doing a bad job,” Ayakashi deadpanned before slicing Midnight across the chest. “You always were a reckless fool…”

And once again, Robert was sent into another flashback…

“...They called me a reckless fool!” Robert shouted, the man ranting and raving about in the common room he, Bridge and Sky shared.

“Well, to be fair, Sky does have a point,” Bridge remarked leaning back in his chair. With a piece of toast in hand of course. “Want some toast? It’s… buttery.” he remarked with that odd little finger wiggle of his.

“Er… no thanks,” Robert muttered blinking oddly. “But honestly, what’s this about me being so reckless?”

“Well, for one thing that stunt you pulled with defusing the bomb…” Bridge commented as Robert absentmindedly stroked R.I.C’s head. “You’ve got a good sense of justice, it’s just… I don’t understand why you always have to be the center of attention and play the hero…”

“...I have my reasons,” Robert sighed to himself. “It’s just they’re mine and my own to keep. Is that fair enough?”

“Look, Robert, I’m your friend,” Bridge said getting up and laying a hand on his shoulder. “Probably one of your only ones here at SPD truth be told. You can tell me what’s bothering you.”

“...Fine, I suppose it had something to do with my upbringing. Maybe a lot, actually. Always expected to meet these high standards, even after I moved out of my house. ...Suppose they’ve been getting to me these days, that’s all.”

“And so you just want to be your own man, instead of just going for the expectations everyone… well, expects of you?” Bridge asked. “I gotta say, maybe SPD isn’t for you. Too regimented.”

“No, I got this far, I’m in B-Squad now. And I have a promise to uphold,” Robert said. “During the Armada Invasion a few years back. Theo… Jungle Fury Blue saved my life. Him and Space Blue. I swore to become like them, someone people could look up to. ...In a way I suppose, I was placing expectations upon myself really…”

“And that drove you even further into trying to be this ‘uber ranger’ who everyone admires?” Bridge guessed. “...I suppose that’s sorta understandable. But you’re not going to last long here at SPD with your current mindset, you know that right?”

“Yeah, I do, and I want to change… but how…? How can I do that?” Robert wondered aloud, and for that question at least Bridge had no real answer.

“Come on Robert, quit standing around like an idiot!” Jindrax shouted as nearby, he cut down more Kudabots with his sword. “You’re making us do all the hard work! I swear, my muscles will be sore for a week after this!”

“Right… Right, sorry!” Robert shouted back shaking his head free of his memories. “Hattari, double team?” he asked the gold ranger. Robert chuckled, maybe the unicorn wasn’t as stoic as he believed himself to be. He, after all got the cowboy ninja ranger powers. Or maybe it was the Mystic Mother’s idea of a joke. God knew she had an odd sense of humor at times.

“On your lead!” Hattari shouted, his horn glowing and an Asian dragon of magic erupting from it, striking and scything through the hoards. “Ninja Superstar Mode, activate! Ninja Spin!” he shouted placing a ninja star on his sword and spinning it. A gust of wind and a poncho suddenly appeared all around him before he launched a tornado at the hoards sending them flying, the magically conjured dragon scything through whoever remained.

“May not have any fancy jutsu, but I still have this…” Robert stated drawing a certain sword and raising it skywards. “Shadow Saber: Blue Moon Strike!” he shouted the image of a moon appearing behind him before he slashed downwards finishing off the hoard.

“Ugh, two old orgs, interfering where they’re not wanted or needed!” Ayakashi shouted and in that moment you could hear a pin drop.

“...Oh no, tell me he didn’t. He did not just do that, did he?” Jindrax asked Robert who could only nod.

Toxica’s eyebrow twitched. “Oh, you so did not just call me old!” she roared before sending a lightning-fast series of punches towards Ayakashi who was sent flying back and slammed into a building leaving a visible mark. His blood red visor had been cracked slightly. A howl cut through the air and the Wolfblades leaped out from behind a rooftop.

“Ah, here they are…” Ayakashi thought as he slid down the wall in pain. The Wolfblades, for their part, blitzed through the group slicing and dicing. Blood was drawn as costumes were ripped to shreds. The gold sash on Midnight’s costume was barely hanging on as it was.

“...Alright, I’m taking suggestions. Rolled up newspaper?” Robert asked weakly gripping the Shadow Saber for dear life.

“How about one of those electric collars?” Midnight commented before throwing up a wall of flame with a shout of: “Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku!”

“Niiicccceeee doggies, want to play fetch?” Jindrax asked nervously as he and Dragonscales just barely held the Wolfblades back with their swords. He yelped out as one struck at him. In the background, Ayakashi laughed like a maniac. Which one supposed he was, but that’s beside the point. “...I’m guessing that’s a no…” Jindrax murmured.

“Breathing room, Hattari, now!” Midnight commanded.

“I know what you’ve got in mind…” Hattari smirked raising his sword skywards air crackling with ozone before he looked towards Dragonscale. “A hand, if you will?”

“Raiton: Inazuma zankō!”/“Hanabira no odori!” the two shouted before flower petals sprang up to blind the wolves before a bolt of lightning was sent their direction. Yelping out in pain, the wolves smoking forms stumbled backwards.

“Careful now, you might get rabies!” Robert warned as the wolves charged forwards again, but this time the Rangers were ready, grabbing onto them and tossing them into the ground. As they recovered another strike was prepped.

“Blue Moon Strike!”/”Raiton: Raitoningu chokusetsu sutorēto!”

A blue wave of energy was sent forwards as the wolves picked themselves up off the ground before a flicker of shadow and a flash of lightning sent down back down. They tried to recover but Midnight was having none of it. “Mahō no sutairu: Aizuwaidoōpun, shuriken furenjībarianto!”

A swarm of shurikens appeared around the wolves before ‘eyes’ opened on them and sent a barrage of lasers towards them. “And down you go!” Midnight shouted before he let out a yelp as Ayakashi recovered now wielding what looked to be massive claws.

“You know what, I’ve had enough of you! Katon: Higasa no Mai!” he shouted before leaping backwards throwing kunai covered in flame.

Ayakashi easily dodged them and in flickers of light was above Midnight, before the Ranger smirked and placed his boots on either side of the man’s helmet before tossing him behind.

“And again! Katon: Higasa no Mai!” Midnight shouted before tossing a few more flaming kunai which Ayakashi easily caught in his claws before in a poof of smoke a powerful white snake grabbed him by the torso and tossed towards Dragonscale.

“Rainbow Snake Style: White Fang Blade!” she shouted before slicing him clean through and through. As for the Wolfblades? They were grown by the Warrior Dome’s laser.

“...Ugh, where’s animal control when you need ‘em?” Robert muttered in disgust before shaking his head in resignation. “I’ve had about enough of this. Red Dragon Thunderzord power, now!”

A roar cut through the sky as clouds broiled over and a massive red serpent sliced through the three wolves before transforming into a bipedal state. Robert went into Orion Mode and the Thunderzord changed with it, into the old Red Zeo Battlezord. Leaping on top of the powerful arms which were now delivering punch after punch to the Wolfblades, Dragon smiled.

“At last, time to end this once and for all,” Dragonscale said leaping on top of the Zord’s head as it delivered powerful gatling blasts to the three wolf spirits. “Fūin-jutsu, reinbōsunēkusutairu: Fināre!” she yelled and powerful snakes erupted from her sword binding themselves around the three wolves. A bright flash of light and then there was nothing remaining but a smoky substance that was brought into a small inkpot Dragonscale held in her outstretched hands.

“I believe the phrase is… show’s over, ninjas win!” she smiled before sighing in relief. At last, things were finally over.

As the new day dawned, the three saw Robert off as he walked into the Delta Base ready to face whatever lay ahead.

“You think he’ll be alright?” Dragonscale asked, and Flash smiled as he gripped her hand.

“Something tells me he’ll do just fine…” he said in return.

Author's Notes:

Okay... so, whew. Now that was a ride to write. Thank you Shadowmane, for the help on the first half. You rock man. Remind me to thank you somehow.

Now, few things to talk about. Funny thing about Dragonscale, there was an idea I sorta rejected. In the original V-Cinema, if you may remember, her counterpart was possessed by Madame Odious's counterpart. It was done in such a way it wasn't even clear she had ranger powers naturally.

So, basically I thought of Dragon being a traitor sent to infiltrate the Ninja Steel team thus explaining the new power star but I couldn't find a way to fit it in. Even had a monster form planned for her, (Which I found another way to use anyways as Ayakashi) but as I said I couldn't figure out how to do it, so it got tossed. Isn't that the way?

If you're curious, yes I did draw inspiration from a certain villain of Rider Time: Shinobi for Ayakashi's design. As seen here.

Went through a few times, most of which I found ludicrous for so many reasons before I settled on a simple Shinkenger shout-out.

Anyways, as ever, thoughts, comments, and critique are welcomed.