In a secret underground chamber in Canterlot Castle, a baby dragon named Spike saw—on several monitors—the entire above-ground portion of the castle blown to smithereens. To his superior—a purple unicorn named Twilight Sparkle—he exclaimed, “Oh, no! The castle’s in ruins! What’ll we do?!” “We’re safe right here, Spike,” Twilight reminded him. “Teleport five ponies to us from Ponyville!” she commanded him. “All right, Twilight—I will,” he answered, and pushed a sequence of buttons on a console.

Meanwhile, out in the streets of Ponyville, five civilian ponies—terrified by the news about Canterlot Castle—huddled together for their safety. Suddenly, they transformed into five colored streaks of light and shot across the sky toward Canterlot. When they transformed back into their corporeal forms, they found themselves lying on the floor of the secret chamber below where the castle used to be. “Are you OK?” they asked one another. “I think so,” they answered.

“Everypony, step through the vortex!” called Spike to the five civilian ponies. The command left the ponies confused until a pair of double doors opened to reveal a vortex. The sight of the vortex terrified them again—especially the yellow pony. “Ponies, please step through the vortex,” repeated Spike, because the ponies were frustrating him. They trotted slowly through the vortex—one by one—holding hooves with one another every step of the way through.

The ponies fell a long way—about ten times the height of any of them—down to the bottom floor of the chamber. “That was close!” cried the blue pony. “That was scary!” exclaimed the yellow one. “Where in tarnation are we?!” wondered the orange one aloud. “This place is bo-o-o-o-oring!” complained the pink one childishly.

“Hello, ponies,” announced Spike to the five mares. “Welcome to Canterlot!” he added. “Canterlot?!” gasped the white pony with glee. “The elegance—the glamor—the sophistication!” she exclaimed. “I always wanted to visit Canterlot,” she sighed, “and I just did!”

“My name is Twilight Sparkle,” announced the purple pony. “This is Spike, my no. 1 assistant!” she added, pointing to Spike. “He’s so cute!” cooed the yellow pony, cuddling Spike with her wings. “I know—right?” agreed Twilight Sparkle. “Anyway,” she continued, “may I ask you what your names are, please?”

“I’m Rainbow Dash!” answered the blue pegasus proudly. “Applejack,” answered the orange Earth pony. “And my name’s Pinkie Pie!” answered the pink Earth pony cheerfully. “I’m—erm—Fluttershy,” answered the yellow pegasus softly and shyly. “My name is Rarity!” answered the white unicorn with flair. “Everypony,” announced the purple unicorn, “we have an emergency on our hooves.” “Oh, dear—anything but that!” gasped Fluttershy, terrified by the news. “This,” said Twilight, pointing to a monitor, “is Nightmare Moon—a wicked alicorn who just destroyed most of the castle.” Then, some dark-coated pegasi appeared on the monitor, and Twilight continued, “These are called Shadowbolts.” She explained, “I summoned all of you here to help defend the land of Equestria from Nightmare Moon and her henchponies.”

Twilight Sparkle presented five two-piece bracelets to the ponies whom she had summoned, telling them, “These are your Hooflets.” She continued, “They will let you transform into five superheroines—the Pony Rangers.” She gave one Hooflet to each pony, telling her, “Each of you will have a unique color and designation.” She announced, “Rarity, you are Pony Ranger 1—Pink; Fluttershy, you are Pony Ranger 2—Yellow; Pinkie Pie, you are Pony Ranger 3—Blue; Applejack, you are Pony Ranger 4—Green; and Rainbow Dash, you are Pony Ranger 5—Red.” After looking at the monitor, she told the new Pony Rangers, “It’s time to put your Ranger powers to use; the Shadowbolts are approaching quickly, and you must stop them from destroying Canterlot any further!” “We will stop at nothing to buck those bullies clear out of Canterlot!” cheered Pinkie Pie. The Pony Rangers called out, all at the same time, “Pony Rangers—let’s go!” After shouting their respective Pony Ranger designations, they morphed into powerful superheroines in colorful suits. “All right, everypony—let’s nail Nightmare Moon’s minions!” called out Rainbow Dash. The Rangers stood proudly and prepared themselves for hoof-to-hoof combat against the Shadowbolts.

When the Pony Rangers set hoof outside, Shadowbolts surrounded them on every side. “I’m not afraid of you, you ruffians—neither of you yourselves nor of your tacky uniforms!” taunted Rarity. She bucked and punched the rogue Shadowbolts with all four hooves and with all her strength, as did everypony else. “Take that, you devils!” she cried. “So long, you rowdy rodeo rejects!” hollered Applejack, who managed to throw the dark hoof soldiers down to the ground like a rodeo champion. “Oh, my—I’m so sorry; that was an accident!” squeaked Fluttershy in shock after she tripped the Shadowbolts in fright. “There’s no stopping us!” shouted Rainbow Dash after knocking the Shadowbolts down with her signature aerial attacks. “WHOOPEE—GO-O-O-O-O, TEAM!” cheered Pinkie Pie at the top of her voice as soon as all the Shadowbolts fell over in defeat. “Great job, everypony!” said Rainbow Dash. “Pony Rangers!” everypony called out in unison.

The Pony Rangers, still morphed, went back inside the Power Chamber—the secret chamber below where Canterlot Castle once stood. “Congratulations, Pony Rangers, on your first victory together!” announced Twilight Sparkle. “You fought very well together!” commented Spike. “But—those Shadowbolts were so scary!” complained Fluttershy. “It’s OK—you had your friends to protect you!” countered Pinkie Pie. “Strength in numbers, Fluttershy,” agreed Applejack. “And friends always fight on the same side!” added Rainbow Dash. “What a team we are, darlings!” exclaimed Rarity. Finally, the Rangers doffed their helmets to reveal their identities to one another and to Twilight Sparkle and Spike. They formed a circle, put their front hooves in the center, and raised them high as they called out, “Pony Rangers!”

Rainbow Dash, also known as Pony Ranger V—Red, lived in Cloudsdale, a city built on clouds that was constantly in orbit around a point in the sky above Ponyville. Her civilian duty was to keep Ponyville free of hazardous weather, but today, something arrived in the sky that would prompt her to go on duty as a Pony Ranger. “Is it nighttime already?!” she exclaimed in utter bewilderment as she saw the sky turning pitch black. Knowing the sky like the back of her hoof, she dove down to Canterlot to inform Twilight Sparkle of the ominous darkness in the sky. Something told her that the darkness was not going to be natural nighttime.

“Curses!” exclaimed Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon was a black alicorn out to destroy Equestria with the help of her trusty henchponies, the Shadowbolts. “I failed in my mission to destroy Canterlot, the capital of Equestria!” she wailed. Fortunately for her, she was in a floating cloud-like base, which was drifting into Ponyville, her next target. “No matter—I’ll destroy another city instead!” she proclaimed as soon as she could see Ponyville below her.

In the Power Chamber, Twilight Sparkle was comforting Spike. “Hey, look—it’s Rainbow Dash!” cried Spike, pointing to a monitor. “Teleport her in,” commanded Twilight, and Spike obeyed her. Rainbow Dash descended into the chamber via a streak of red light. “I just saw a black cloud in the sky!” she told Twilight. “That’s no ordinary cloud, Rainbow; that’s Nightmare Moon’s base!” countered the unicorn. Twilight transported five electronic cards toward Rainbow. “With these upgrade cards,” explained the unicorn, “you will be able to communicate with one another, and with me, as well as being able to teleport to, and from, this chamber.” As she transported the cards into a pair of saddlebags, Rainbow answered, “Thanks, Twilight!” After putting the saddlebags on Rainbow’s back, Twilight promptly teleported the pegasus out of the chamber.

“Aha—a Pony Ranger!” cried Nightmare Moon, who had spotted Rainbow Dash as the pegasus left Canterlot to fly to Ponyville. “I will not let her get away with nipping my destruction of Canterlot in the bud!” vowed the alicorn. She decided to send the Shadowbolts to fight Rainbow Dash in the air. “Shadowbolts, go get her!” commanded Nightmare Moon. Since the Shadowbolts were pegasi, they were capable not only of ground-based combat but of aerial combat as well.

“Pony Ranger V—Red!” called out Rainbow Dash, and morphed. The Shadowbolts were pursuing her in flight. “I have no time to fight you yet!” she shouted. She performed many aerobatic stunts to confuse the pursuers. “I have a care package to deliver!” she called over her withers, and flew to each of her fellow Rangers’ houses.

Fluttershy, who had also seen the pitch-black cloud, was hiding in her cottage and trembling in total terror. Rainbow Dash knocked on the door of the cottage and called out, “Care package for Fluttershy from the Pony Rangers!” Fluttershy beamed from cheek to cheek and cried, “The Pony Rangers?!” Feeling her fear melting away, she cantered straight to her cottage door and opened it. Rainbow Dash gave her an electronic upgrade card for her Hooflet, telling her, “Take this, Fluttershy—it’s your CommuCard!” Fluttershy promptly put her CommuCard into her Hooflet and told Rainbow Dash, “You care—you really care!” The bold pegasus had already inserted her CommuCard. “Come on, Fluttershy—let’s go join the others!” she told the shy pegasus. “Pony Ranger II—Yellow!” called out Fluttershy, and morphed. Finally, the two pegasi went to deliver the rest of the CommuCards to the rest of the Rangers.

“Heavens to Betsy—it’s Nightmare Moon!” shouted Applejack as soon as she met up with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in Ponyville. “That’s correct!” answered Nightmare Moon, who was looking down at the three Pony Rangers. “I have two of your fellow Rangers locked away in my Dark Dimension!” she continued, showing Rarity and Pinkie Pie, imprisoned somewhere far away from Equestria, to the Rangers in Ponyville. “Take my saddlebags, Applejack; you’ll need them!” urged Rainbow Dash, transferring her saddlebags to Applejack. “Nice try, Red Ranger!” taunted Nightmare Moon, who then banished Rainbow Dash to her Dark Dimension.

“My Hooflet!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, because she was no longer morphed or wearing her Hooflet. “Darling, get us out of here—please!” wailed Rarity, who was trapped inside a shock field with Pinkie Pie. “Yeah—this shocks!” squealed Pinkie Pie. “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha—go join your friends if you can!” laughed Nightmare Moon maniacally, and sent a squad of Shadowbolts to attack Rainbow Dash and keep her away from her friends. “I will never flee from another fight!” vowed the brave blue pegasus, and went straight into battle. She took the Shadowbolts out very easily, because their pursuit of her earlier that day gave her a chance to improve her skills. When she knocked the last Shadowbolt out, he crashed into a power switch on the ceiling, which shut the shock field down. “Hurry, Rainbow Dash!” urged Pinkie Pie as soon as the shock field disappeared. Rainbow Dash picked a pebble up and galloped onto the platform that the shock field surrounded, where her two friends stood. Rarity, using her horn, tossed the pebble at the power switch, and as soon as the pebble hit the switch, the three Pony Rangers teleported out of the Dark Dimension and back into Ponyville.

The Pony Rangers were all back together in Ponyville when Nightmare Moon appeared to them in the sky. “I will neither forgive you nor forget you, Pony Rangers!” she told them. “One of these days,” she continued, “I will foalnap all of you!” After a hearty evil laugh, she disappeared. “I’m not afraid of you, Nightmare Moon!” taunted Rainbow Dash.

All the Pony Rangers met Twilight Sparkle in the Power Chamber. “Spike, the saddlebags, please,” she commanded, and Spike handed her the saddlebags. She transported the remaining CommuCards into the remaining Rangers’ Hooflets, and then, she tested all the CommuCards one by one. “Pink, yellow, blue, green, red—that’s all of them!” reported Spike joyfully. “Your Hooflets now double as communicators,” announced Twilight. “Much obliged, Twilight!” answered Applejack. “You’re all very welcome, everypony,” replied Twilight. Then, Spike teleported the Rangers out of the Power Chamber and back to their respective homes. “Stay in touch, Pony Rangers,” he thought aloud. Both he and Twilight loved the Pony Rangers with all their hearts.

Nopony was a better party organizer than Pinkie Pie, also known as Pony Ranger III—Blue. She organized birthday parties, homecoming parties, wedding receptions—all kinds of celebrations. Today, there was a birthday party for Silver Spoon—a filly from a very wealthy family—who lived in Ponyville. After the party ended and everypony went home, the pink mare spotted an unopened, unlabeled gift box. Her eyes widened with excitement as she eagerly squealed, “Ooh—is this a present for me?!”

“Yes—open your present, Pinkie Pie!” taunted Nightmare Moon. She knew that the present in the box was a new enemy—a Shadow Minion. “Shadowbolts, prepare for battle!” she commanded. The Shadowbolts descended to Ponyville to prepare an ambush. “This time, Pinkie, you are the toy, and Shadow Bot is the player!” declared Nightmare Moon in utter excitement.

“Ooh—a life-size pony-shaped robot!” squealed Pinkie Pie in excitement. Fluttershy, who was hiding behind Sugarcube Corner, had seen Pinkie through a window; the Earth pony was playing with the robot. “Twilight, this is Fluttershy,” said Fluttershy over her communicator, “and I’m afraid that Nightmare Moon sent down a robot to foalnap Pinkie!” The pegasus heard Twilight Sparkle, who answered, “Your fear is reasonable, Fluttershy.” Then, the unicorn teleported Fluttershy promptly into the Power Chamber.

“Fluttershy,” announced Twilight Sparkle, “you were in the right to inform me of the situation.” Spike, who saw Pinkie Pie playing with the robot on a monitor, cried, “That is one out-of-control toy!” “That’s no toy, Spike; that’s Shadow Bot!” Twilight informed the dragon. “You and your fellow Rangers are going to need robots of your own to defeat Shadow Bot,” she warned the pegasus. “Oh, my!” cried the pegasus, both in amazement and in fright.

“Pony Ranger I—Pink!” cried Rarity. “Pony Ranger IV—Green!” cried Applejack. “Pony Ranger V—Red!” cried Rainbow Dash. The three Pony Rangers, knowing full well that there could be Shadowbolts lurking anywhere, had morphed preemptively. “Stay alert,” commanded Rarity. No Shadowbolts came out of hiding, but the Rangers did not drop their guards. “Come in, Twilight,” said Rarity into her communicator. “I read you, Rarity,” answered Twilight Sparkle. “We can’t find any Shadowbolts here!” reported Rarity. “Keep looking for them; I’m working on some new weapons for you,” answered Twilight.

Fluttershy, who spotted Pinkie Pie and Shadow Bot on a monitor, told Twilight Sparkle, “Erm—I think that that robot is harmless and just wants to play.” Twilight warned her, “You can’t be certain about that, so please remember to morph if you ever feel as if you are in danger.” The pegasus kept those words in mind as Twilight proceeded to teleport her to the robot’s location. “Be brave, Fluttershy; I know you can do it!” the unicorn reminded Fluttershy. Then, in a streak of yellow light, the timid but gentle pegasus was gone.

“I have a ton of games in my chips!” proclaimed Shadow Bot. Fluttershy appeared behind the robot so that Pinkie Pie could not see her. “Pony Ranger II—Yellow!” cried the pegasus, and morphed. She snuck up behind Shadow Bot and knocked it down with a sweep. “Wow—a Pony Ranger!” cheered Pinkie Pie after Fluttershy broke the robot single-hoofed.

“The Shadowbolts are retreating!” commented Rainbow Dash. Her observation was correct; the Shadowbolts were, indeed, flying back to Nightmare Moon’s base. “I reckon that they’ll be back a might before the cows come home,” added Applejack. “We finally have some good news to report to Twilight!” cheered Rarity. The three Pony Rangers teleported to the Power Chamber immediately, where they met up with the other two.

For once, Nightmare Moon was having no negative feelings. “I can put that toy back together,” she thought aloud. “But this time, it won’t be fragile,” she continued. “Just you wait, Pony Rangers—toys can be very dangerous!” she concluded. All the while, the Shadowbolts were repairing, and upgrading, Shadow Bot.

At the Power Chamber, Fluttershy related her experience to her fellow Rangers and to Twilight Sparkle. “It was so easy!” she cried, both with joy and with relief. “I’m proud for you, Fluttershy!” Twilight praised her. “But don’t forget,” the unicorn warned the pegasus, “that Shadow Bot will be back—and stronger, too!” “Yeah,” chimed in Spike, “and you’’ll need the Ponyzords to defeat it again!” Twilight showed the Ponyzords to the Pony Rangers on a monitor. “How long will it take until they’re complete?” asked Rainbow Dash. “They’re almost complete right now,” answered Twilight. “All we need to do now is test them!” added Spike. “All right—I can’t wait to pilot those Zords!” cheered Rainbow Dash in anticipation.

The five Pony Rangers were sitting at the kitchen table of the Carousel Boutique. Rarity, whose designation was Pony Ranger I—Pink, was hosting an elegant tea party for her four friends. She transported the teapot toward each of her friends to serve her some tea, asking her, “What’s the magic word?” Everypony answered, “Please!” While filling the teacups with tea one by one, Rarity praised her friends, “What darling manners you have!”

“There’s nothing magic about the word please!” sneered Nightmare Moon. “Besides,” she continued, “why give mere requests when you can give orders instead?!” The Shadowbolts had finished Shadow Bot, which now had an all-new ability. “Shadowbolts, send the robot back to Ponyville!” she ordered. The Shadowbolts split into two teams—one to dispatch the robot and the other to attack the Pony Rangers.

“Can I have some sugar in my tea, please?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Ask properly, please,” insisted Rarity, withholding the sugar bowl from the pegasus. “OK—may I have some sugar in my tea, please?” asked Rainbow, correcting herself. “Of course, you may,” answered Rarity, and transported some sugar into Rainbow’s teacup. “Thank you very much, Rarity,” the pegasus told the unicorn. “I really like this flavor of tea, Rarity—especially with sugar,” said Fluttershy after taking a hearty sip of her tea. “I’m glad you like it, darling,” answered Rarity. Suddenly, everypony heard Twilight Sparkle’s voice on her communicator. “Rangers, teleport to the Power Chamber at once!” said the unicorn. The Pony Rangers obeyed Twilight immediately.

“Rangers, watch the monitor!” commanded Twilight Sparkle, and the Pony Rangers turned to look at the monitor that was on. On that monitor was the new and improved Shadow Bot. “You won’t be able to destroy it hoof to hoof this time,” warned Spike. “I tested your Ponyzords,” reported Twilight, “and they’re fully operational!” With that, she teleported the Rangers to Shadow Bot’s location.

“Pony Ranger I—Pink!” called out Rarity. “Pony Ranger II—Yellow!” called out Fluttershy. “Pony Ranger III—Blue!” called out Pinkie Pie. “Pony Ranger IV—Green!” called out Applejack. “Pony Ranger V—Red!” called out Rainbow Dash. “Pony Rangers—come be my new toys!” ordered Shadow Bot, and made its eyes flash. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy blindly obeyed the robot, but its order did not affect Rarity. “Shadow Bot, my friends do not want to be toys,” she told it, trying to reason with it. Shadow Bot would not listen to her, so she used her horn to restrain the robot. “Leave my friends alone—please!” she begged it, but her effort was futile.

Spike, seeing Rarity struggling in vain to break her fellow Rangers free from Shadow Bot’s hypnotism, broke into tears and cried, “Oh, no! Rarity! She needs help!” “It looks as though it’s time to bring out the Ponyzords!” announced Twilight Sparkle. “Rarity, summon the Ponyzords immediately!” she commanded the Pink Ranger. Rarity summoned the Zords, and then, they appeared before the Pony Rangers. Rainbow Dash’s Zord, Ponyzord V, was red; Applejack’s, Ponyzord IV, was green; Pinkie Pie’s, Ponyzord III, was blue; Fluttershy’s, Ponyzord II, was yellow; and Rarity’s, Ponyzord I, was pink.

“I order you to halt!” blared Shadow Bot to Rarity as she galloped to her Ponyzord to climb up it and get inside it. Once she was inside her Zord, she immediately gripped a pair of joysticks in its cockpit. “Whoever said that robots were for colts and not for fillies was lying!” she announced proudly. Operating the joysticks with skill, she made her Zord gallop straight toward the robot and crash into it. Upon destroying Shadow Bot, she celebrated the Pony Rangers’ victory by cheering, “We won—and now, we have some toys of our own!”

The destruction of Shadow Bot freed Rarity’s friends from the robot’s hypnotic influence. Just then, the Shadowbolts appeared and attacked the Pony Rangers. Rarity exited Ponyzord I to help her friends defeat the hoof soldiers, calling out, “Hurry to your Ponyzords, everypony!” On the way to their Zords, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash fought their ways through the Shadowbolts, punching, bucking, grabbing, and throwing them everywhere they found them. Finally, the Rangers reached their respective Zords—Ponyzord II for Fluttershy, Ponyzord III for Pinkie Pie, Ponyzord IV for Applejack, and Ponyzord V for Rainbow Dash.

The Pony Rangers entered their respective Ponyzords, and then, they heard Twilight Sparkle’s voice on their respective communicators. “Congratulations on receiving your new Zords, everypony!” she applauded the Rangers. “Now, it’s time to park them in their stable!” she continued. “Yes, ma’am!” answered the Rangers. At last, they made their Zords gallop into a gargantuan garage under the streets of Canterlot.

Up in her base in the sky, Nightmare Moon was fuming with fury. “How dare those Pony Rangers destroy my robot with theirs!” she screamed. The Shadowbolts, who had brought her all the pieces of Shadow Bot, showed her how the robot came apart. “Such clean ruptures and cuts,” she noted. She thought aloud, “I just might create a brand-new robot to destroy the Ponyzords!”

Applejack, a.k.a. Pony Ranger IV—Green, helped her family run an apple farm known as Sweet Apple Acres. She was truthful and straightforward, and she also had the greatest physical strength out of the Pony Rangers. Sometimes, she forgot her own strength, such as when she accidentally broke one of the wagons on the farm. “Aw, for corn’s sake!” she snapped; she was quite fed up with being strong. She decided to go to the Carousel Boutique to ask Rarity whether the unicorn could help her repair the wagon.

“I, too, wish you were weak, you green grove gal!” snarled Nightmare Moon. Inspired by the clean ruptures in Shadow Bot, the Shadowbolts had made a new destructive weapon. “What’s worse than a wrecking ball?” asked the alicorn. Exactly on cue, the Shadowbolts brought the new weapon out for Nightmare Moon to see. “The Shatter Ball!” announced the alicorn maniacally.

“Twilight! Look! The barn at Sweet Apple Acres is in shambles!” screamed Spike to Twilight Sparkle. Twilight trotted over to the monitor, watched the footage, and alerted the Pony Rangers. “I read you, Twilight,” answered Rainbow Dash over the radio in the Power Chamber. “Bring Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy to the Power Chamber immediately!” commanded Twilight. She tried to reach Rarity and Applejack, but neither of them answered.

“—”…

Fluttershy, a.k.a. Pony Ranger II—Yellow, took care of hundreds of animals at her cottage, which was right outside Ponyville. She was a talented caretaker of animals, and one day, she had to bid farewell to some of those animals who stopped by her home. “Good-bye, little friends,” she told them. “I hope that each and every one of you can find a new home,” she added. “Sometimes,” she thought aloud, “I wish I could be a baby all over again!”

Fluttershy’s wish had Nightmare Moon cackling with delight. “I know exactly how to make your wish come true, Ms. Nice Mare!” cried the wicked alicorn. She sent a new Shadow Minion down to Ponyville to target the timid pegasus. “Is the Growth Bomb ready?” she demanded of the Shadowbolts. When they confirmed that the Growth Bomb was in working order, the alicorn announced, “Prepare to grow down, foal!”

Suddenly, a kindly unicorn appeared from behind the greenery around Fluttershy’s cottage. “Did somepony make a wish to be a baby?” cooed the unicorn in a motherly voice. “Erm—I think I’m the one who said that,” answered Fluttershy. “You don’t say!” cried the unicorn with joy. “But I just did say that!” countered Fluttershy. “Do you ever feel like a baby?” asked the unicorn. “Oh, yes—I get scared very much and very often, and I even feel helpless sometimes!” confessed Fluttershy. “Awww! You poor dear! I’ll tell you what—I’m going to make you my very own baby!” the unicorn told the pegasus. “Oh, thank you—that would be oh, so kind!” cried Fluttershy, whose eyes started to release tears of joy. With that, the unicorn took Fluttershy with her.

“—”…