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.