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...