The Shining Armor:

The wheatfields again. Flurry honestly didn’t know why she found herself drawn out to this place. She knew perfectly well it wasn’t even the real deal, but the six-billion-year-old (Give or take the odd century) Alicorn couldn’t seem to care less. And to be frank, why would she? It was peaceful, calming to just sit in this seemingly endless field under a bright blazing sun, have a cup of tea and contemplate things free from the stress of captaining a ship that as of right now, had no real planned destination in mind.

And of course, there were other… issues.

Before the group had left Equus for the final time, the Doctor had made it very keen to mention something of grave importance.

“Well, you’ve really gone and done it now haven’t you?” he remarked, inside the Shining Armor’s conference room, the other eight Paladins seated around him along with Prince Stardust. “Lupus, though low on Dark Matter’s list of highly beloved commanders for some of his previous perceived failures, -failing to kill me amongst them- he was still a Karō nonetheless. And Don Armage, he isn’t going to be too happy when he’s heard one of the 88 galaxies under his rule has been freed.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Jabari had stuttered out nervously, looking about ready to faint. “Did you say eighty-eight galaxies? As in Dark Matter controlling all of them?”

“Yes, I did say that, and with a Karō just as powerful as Lupus controlling each and every one of them. You’re considered a threat now in Dark Matter’s eyes, now that you’ve taken out one of these Karōs, along with his entire fleet. They’ll be after you now, you do know that right?”

“Who? Who’s going to be after us now?” Flashfire demanded. “I have a responsibility, not just to my team but to all of those colonists aboard those ships to lead them to safe passage and now you just go on and tell us there is no safe place in the universe for us, and what’s worse we’re going to be hunted down from the sounds of it, Dark Matter’s personal assassins!” he bellowed, his horn crackling with energy in his anger.

“Yes, Sir Ikargen and Madoka,” the Doctor replied. “That’s who will be coming after you. Make no mistake, once they find you they will not stop till you are nothing but dust in the wind. Get this through your head Flashfire Lulamoon of Equus, they are fearsome, nigh-unstoppable, and relentless. You must hold your ground, you understand me? You must hold your ground against them, otherwise when they catch up to you, and I’m making this perfectly clear that they will, nothing will stand in their way from killing each and every last one of you and enslaving the colonists and taking them under Dark Matter’s employ.”

“Hold up a second, let’s take a few steps back here,” Jabari remarked. “You said one of Lupus’ previous perceived failures was not killing you. Why, why would you be so important?”

“Because…” the Doctor sighed, and took his time to do so. “In the not too distant past, I took on Don Armage and Lupus when he was one of Armage’s previous Vice-Shoguns, and defeated them both nearly killing Don Armage.”

At this, all eight other Paladins’ jaws collectively dropped in unison. This odd quirky man, who was armed with nothing but his brain cells and a simple sonic screwdriver -whatever the hell that was- was claiming to nearly have killed the leader of Dark Matter himself?

“You’re… you’re screwing with us, right?” Pharynx sputtered out. “Just trying to bolster your reputation so you can get us to think we need you!”

But then he saw the look in his new companion’s eyes, the fire of a warrior and someone who’d seen far too much for someone who looked so young. And at once, he knew he was speaking the truth.

“How did you do it? How did you?” Pharynx stated, his eyes narrowing and seemingly boring a hole right into the Doctor’s soul.

“It’s… it’s a story I don’t like to talk about, but I suppose you have a right to know. 50 years ago, when Dark Matter was only just rising, in its infancy I saw fit to oppose them. Now, I’ve never been one for war, hated it so much in fact so for just one single moment in time, I said to myself, forsake my principles and become a leader, not a healer. Now, you have to understand, the name I chose. The Doctor? That’s a promise, whenever one of my people choose their final name they must go by that promise for life. I chose the name of the man who helps people, the healer and for hundreds of years I went about gallivanting off through the universe doing just that. But when Dark Matter started taking over systems, little by little, I knew what had to be done. At first mind you, I refused, just helping out the victims of Dark Matter’s tyranny wherever I could. But the time would come when I was forced to step up, and become not the Doctor, but a Leader.

“My people, you must understand, they have this special ability. Nearing the end of their natural lifespans, or nearing any sort of unnatural death they can regenerate into another body, gaining new personality facets and a new appearance in the process. Now, I’d heard of this sisterhood, on the planet Karn who could work dark magics to control my species’ regeneration factor, create exactly the body that was needed. My name, my real name - that is not the point. The name I chose is the Doctor. The name you choose, is like... it's like a promise you make. He's the one who broke the promise. No, I broke the promise. But either way, I let the sisterhood make me into what was needed. The Doctor of War. As the Good Book said, and so did I: “Physician, heal thyself…” and I was changed. Throwing away my old values, I remembered an old legend.

“When the universe falls into evil clutches and its people shed tears, the Kyutama will choose nine saviors, the Kyurangers, who will save the universe. That’s the way the legend went. I gathered up warriors, one from each of the 88 constellations and led battle after battle against Don Armage and his forces, decimating them. But little by little, my troops began to fall one after the other, until there was only three of us left facing down Lupus and Don Armage himself on the home soils of my homeworld, Gallifrey. Oh, you should have seen it before the war. Beautiful orange skies at night, snow-capped mountains, fields of red grass, and trees with leaves of bright red silver.

“The three of us, the first Kyurangers were standing with our backs to the wall. Corvus Black, Lyra Cyan and me, Leo Red. Lyra was the first to fall under Don Armage’s blade, although he had sent Lupus into retreat to lick his wounds. That particular form of cowardice, that’s what I suspect got him demoted down to the rank of Karō. Corvus Black, he took a blow meant for me from Armage himself, and in my rage, I converted all of my remaining regeneration energy into pure power, and added it to the powers of my Kyutama and fired one powerful blast at Don Armage seemingly destroying him.

“Now, for the longest while as I stood in the bloodied fields I had thought Don Armage defeated and so I resumed my roamings of the universe in shame for what I’d done. Sure, I’d stood up for what was right, but I’d gotten so many killed in the process. But then I heard rumors, whispers that Dark Matter was building itself up again. And when I came to your planet and saw that attack drone coming down to claim the planet for the organization, I knew I had no choice but to rejoin the battle. The universe offered me a second chance. Don’t know why I took it, but the embodiment of the Libra constellation offered me his power, the power to restore the universal balance and become a true savior. A shield to your swords.”

While this, of course, was a lot to take in, Flurry still couldn’t help but feel the Doctor was leaving something out. During his story, he had taken quite a few melancholy glances towards her Scorpius Kyutama. That is, if it ever was hers in the first place. It led her to wonder, and this tied into that robot having a Kyuchanger, was it possible that the drone sent to attack them with his one cycloptic eye and his arm blades was one of the Doctor’s troops as well? Now just only reprogrammed into serving this ‘Don Armage’?

Perhaps she’d never know. If the Doctor did, he certainly didn’t feel keen on speaking on the matter. For that at least, she couldn’t exactly blame him.

Elsewhere aboard the Shining Armor, one Fågel Bredsida AKA the Armored Star in Taurus Black was having… issues. Namely, with Pharynx. Oh sure, she liked and respected him but their previous conversation was starting to nag at her.

“He’d probably love to know about all of this. Hivemother knows if I grew up in the system, and found out I had a half-sister who could have been there but wasn’t? I’d be pissed. You’re lucky I was raised with a decent amount of respect for women otherwise I’d be punching you in the beak ‘bout now.”

Fågel laughed weakly.

“Yes tell him that I murdered someone then I was placed in jail for half my life. It turned out it wasn’t murder but the ponies family used his death to punish me. I was hired at a young age to steal something from this guy, named Cold Steel. I scared him he backed up and he fell out of the window. I was accused of murder and that was that. Prince Stardust’s guards chucked me in the bin. He told me I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He said don’t hate me for protecting my families image by destroying yours,” she’d lowered her voice by this point, not wanting anyone to overhear that their precious Prince Stardust was in fact, a bastard and not this wise, all seeing if not slightly eccentric Prince who’d lead everyone to safety.

Pharynx’s fists clenched, and he let out a growl. “Knew there was something off about that pony. Far too nice, nobody’s that nice unless they have something to hide,” he muttered.

“For years Pharynx, I felt I deserved it. I still feel I do. The fact is if I didn’t get hired to steal I would still be with my half-brother. That’s something I can’t control now. The fact I am in the eyes of some, just a hardened murderer. Even though I did this the Prince has been very respectful to me. Even though I don’t trust him.”

As much as she hated to admit it, that damned Changeling had a point. Coldcast, at the very least, deserved to know the truth no matter how ugly it was. She’d heard from so many sources about just how rough he had it growing up really, constantly bullied for not having a family that cared about him and for just getting into the Galaxy Garrison program and then becoming a Voyager pilot via Flashfire and Flurry Heart pulling some strings. Of course, she knew this last part to be false. Nobody got into the Garrison and then gained the honor of being Lupus Blue like that, if you showed that you had the aptitude you earned that right. She was willing to acknowledge her brother as Lupus Blue, he’d shown that he deserved that right so many times. She’d heard his first battle with the forces of Dark Matter over the comms.

“Alright then… What was it my father used to say? Oh yes. Now you find the strength in your heart to appeal to his good nature, and if you can't, find the strength in your arms to beat his ass senseless.”

“I don’t think we can appeal to his better nature,” Coldcast snarked. “So we’ll skip to beating this guy’s ass senseless. ...Does he even have an ass?” he wondered to himself and Fågel found herself chuckling a little at that remark. Never change Coldcast, never change, she told herself.

“Now who’s got skewed priorities?” Jabari asked in an amused tone.

“It’s still you! Die! Fall! Black out! Disappear!”

“Yeah yeah, we get it already…” Coldcast snarked, rolling his eyes, and Fågel fought back a chuckle.

“The plan is this,” Flashfire told his teammates. “Lead this thing on a chase, tire or overload its main weapons systems, then we strike. Simple to understand, non?”

Fågel nodded as she heard the plan over the comms, her fellow Galaxy Garrison cadets pacing or biting their tongues in fear as the laser blasts flew, and missiles fired.

“Dammit!” Coldcast shouted in frustration, and the sound of something being punched was heard. “So, you want to play huh? Let’s play.”

“That accomplished what, may I ask? Nothing but you being sunk!” the robot roared before Fågel heard the sound of a laser being fired, and then ice cracking and shattering, and a loud splashing sound.

“Coldcast!” Jabari shouted in fear, and Fågel felt her heart skip a beat. No! She shouted to herself even as the sounds of battle continued in the background. Not him, anyone but him!

That battle continued, but Fågel paid little, if any attention and turned her head away from the radio so nobody could see her cry and mourn for the loss of her only family.

“Bon sang, all systems jammed. Rebooting!” Flashfire shouted.

“Prepare for your extinction, fools!”

“Oh no, you don’t! You want to get to my friends, you have to get through me first,” Coldcast growled out, and if Fågel didn’t know better, she could have heard the sounds of triumphant sweeping music as the Wolf Voyager let out a howl of victory upon its pilot breaking through the ice.

“C-Coldcast… W-what happened to you, what’s gotten into you?” Fågel heard Jabari ask, and she smirked. Nothing Jabari, she told herself. Nothing that was already there. It just took him a little time to find it.

“Agh, you two grow on me, what can I say?” he muttered. “Now get those engines rebooted, so we can finish this creep, and give this “Dark Matter” what for eh? Flashfire, you said these mechas were meant to combine once, didn’t you?” he asked and Fågel smiled proudly as she heard her half-brother take command of the situation. “Pump ‘em full of magic, that’s what these things run on right? Much magic as you got! We’ll just have to give them a hard reboot!” Coldcast shouted, and she heard the distinctive sound of systems coming online, and parts shifting and merging before the battle was finally turned.

With the distinctive shout of “Meteor Crash!” and an explosion, Fågel let out a cheer. Sure, it was drowned out by everyone else in the little room cheering as well at the sound of the explosion, but she didn’t care. That was her half-brother saving the day, and she’d tell that to anyone who dared argue otherwise.

“So now what…?” Fågel had to ask herself. For all she knew, Coldcast still hated her guts and he had every right to. She wasn’t just called the Armored Star for her suit’s inbuilt heavy armor. No, she chose to call herself that just for how closely guarded she kept her emotions. Not letting anyone see the real her as it were.

As she walked, below her she saw the distinctive form of the Draco Voyager as it was beginning to be called amongst the inhabitants of the Shining Armor. Themed after an Asian Dragon, bearing an orb in its two front claws clutching it like a precious jewel to its chest, aside from dark metallic purple armor it had now been given a golden kabuto helmet presumably to ram something and to protect the pilot.

Now Fågel had heard the rumors, who hadn’t after all? The middle section of the Voyager bore what looked to be two distinct ports and so whispers of it possibly combining into a Megazord of some sort with two other Voyagers had begun to spring up amongst the crew. Stripped Gear and his team of lab rats seemed especially interested in confirming this. She’d even heard they’d thought up a name for this possible new mecha, the Dragon King Megazord or whatever the name was and if it was viable they were thinking of porting a small section of the consciousnesses of either the Luna or Twilight-AIs over into it, to help guide the controllers of this theoretical Megazord. Emphasis on theoretical. Fågel personally? She wouldn’t believe it till she saw it.

Fågel grimaced, as elegant as this new Voyager was, it certainly wasn’t helping her solve her current situation. Grumbling, she walked off towards the ship’s bar. She needed a drink. Hopefully, they’d have some Brennivín or Tequila in stock…

Far and away, on the ship known only as the Sagittari-Ark resting amongst a hoard of other Dark Matter warships was Don Armage. He replayed the footage of the destruction of Lupus’ fleet over and over, laughing each time in amusement as he did so.

“A fitting end for that failure,” Don Armage thought to himself. “Yes, I’m down one Karō but I still rule over the rest of the universe. 87 galaxies, all under my benevolent guiding hand. Sure, they may think different, think of me as a tyrant but without me? The universe would be in chaos. Crime is almost non-existent now! Overpopulation is merely nothing but a memory! Balance has been restored!”

Armage smiled. Before he came along, the universe was awash with chaos. Planets, galaxies were caught up in wars that were seemingly without end. He helped bring order to this universe, show them what true perfection was. Showed them something beautiful, something they never even would have thought of, wrapped up in their own petty self-desires as they were. He smirked.

Was it not true that everyone tried in their own way to fulfill their own desires? His desire, now that was simply to bring peace and desire to the universe. He flashed back, to when he was battling that pathetic order, known simply as the Knights of Gallifrey.

He’d grabbed Corvus Black by the throat, and said this to him, casting one eye towards the Doctor as he called himself AKA Leo Red holding him back with a wall of telekinetic force. The broken and twisted body of a robot designed after a scorpion lay nearby, arm-blades shattered. “Let me tell you something about my home. It was like most planets; too many mouths, not enough to go around. And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution. I would be fair about removing their problem children. It would be ugly yes. Destructive, indeed! Insanity, quite. But all the same, I believed it a fair and just reason. Quell the rising tide which faced us. Nobody was above anyone else in my mind. My quelling extended to rich and poor alike. They called me a madman... but if I hadn’t I knew what I predicted would come to pass one way or the other. Time would judge me in the end I knew, but in the end, I knew what was best for my people.”

“You’re no god, you don’t get to decide who lives and who dies!” Corvus Black choked out, before with a sickening Snap! his lifeless body fell to the bloodied earth beneath.

The Doctor let out a shout of: “NO!” and ran towards Armage, his crossbow firing blast after blast but Armage deflected them all the same.

“It’s pointless to resist fate. You can’t fight it. Run from it, sure you can try. But destiny? Destiny… Destiny, it just arrives all the same. And your destiny is to end here.”

But still he resisted, the Time Lord pulling out his Leo Major Kyutama and placing into a slot on his crossbow, making it state: “Galaxy!”

“Well, we’ll just have to see about that, won’t we?” the Doctor growled out, charging up his crossbow with all of the power he had left and it began to glow a bright burning red before it fired. “Allons-Y,” he said softly before Don Armage felt a sharp blow hit him in the chest and all went black.

It had taken him years to recover, build a new body for himself, but he here was all the same. And now, his dream had finally come to pass. And nobody, especially not some upstarts from some backwater planet in the Pegasus system would stop him.

The Shining Armor:

Meanwhile, Fågel had drowned her third bottle of scotch. Sadly, no Brennivín or Tequila in stock but this would do nicely in the meantime she supposed till someone synthesized some more. Soft piano music played in the background, an instrumental version of this old song called “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” if Fågel remembered correctly.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” Luna’s voice remarked, as she popped up from a small emitter on the bartop.

“The song?” Fågel asked. “Yeah, I suppose. Heartbreaking, really but beautiful.”

“Didn’t mean the song,” the Luna-AI replied, chuckling to herself at some private joke before gesturing out the viewscreen. “Tell me, what do you see?”

Fågel craned her neck to look out of it. Stars, that’s what she saw. Millions upon millions of twinkling lights, each illuminating their only tiny little world. For a moment, and just a moment Fågel felt actually intimidated by just how small she was compared to the galaxies in front of her.

“Frightening, yes. But absolutely marvelous and exquisitely beautiful as well,” the Luna-AI continued. “Yes, you can turn along and run back home if you so desired, I myself was frightened at the galaxy’s majesty at first. Well, at least my original self was. But I remembered, I had someone to enjoy it with, the person closest to me. Kept me from being scared, allowed me to see the stars for what they truly were, the Lady Faust’s own personal artist’s tapestry of colors, created just for us. Be a real shame if you didn’t have someone to share them with as well right?”

Fågel winced, knowing exactly what the AI was hinting at. “But… But how do I…?”

“Talk to him?” Luna finished for I. “Oh Fågel, I’m sorry for you, I really am. Nobody should have had to go through what you did, and believe you me, I shall have words with my sister’s son for that. He shames her lineage. But what you need to do right now?” she continued, poking Fågel in the chest. “Is talk to your half-brother. He needs you, now more than ever. He doesn’t have a home to go back to, so the only thing he has now is his family. And that includes you, whether you like it or not. So go talk to him. Poor griffon can’t spend this whole trip alone with only his adopted big brother and his few friends to comfort him whenever he needs it. He needs family, actual blood-related family. A big sister to hold him when he cries, cheer at him when he wins a battle and laugh with him whenever he tells a joke. Believe me, speaking from experience here, when nobody else is there for you, your family always and I mean always will be there for you.”

Fågel felt like she had been slapped across the face, and in a way, she supposed she had been. But Luna was right, there was no avoiding this any longer. So, with that, she took the long journey to her brother’s quarters, and carefully knocked on the door.

When it opened, and the griffon turned to look at her, Fågel took a deep long sigh before asking: “Brother? We need to talk, and I mean about everything…”

Author's Notes:

Okay, so a few things. Yes, let's get the elephants in the room out of the way first. Yes, there was a Leo Red at some point, so you are free to speculate a bit more on him. Also, yes Armage is a partial homage to MCAU Thanos.

Secondly, the flashbacks. I've been told I'm horrible at reusing scenes, so in this case, at least I tried to rewrite them, tell the one in question from Fågel's perspective.

As ever, comments, thoughts, and critique are welcomed.