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.

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