AN: Slight crossover communication, AJ meets AJ and a great battle begins! Enjoy!

Chapter One Hundred Nine: Tsunami

Xonix was planning something big.

Even Applejack could sense it. In the two weeks since her arrival, there had been literally no attacks. She and Rainbow Dash had been using this time to hone their strategies on the Simul-Deck; fighting against the monsters that had been downloaded into its holographic memory…including monsters she had seen in Equestria. Her Buckin’ Cannons had even been tweaked by the White Ultra Ranger for a more explosive output. From the data collected from the system, they were perfect for destroying a Z-Centaur outright without having to strike its head. Rainbow Dash also had some weapon upgrades done to her Lightning Cannon. Now it could fire much faster than it had originally been designed to and could store up energy for a charged shot. Amusingly, in upgrading their flank cannons, they had tapped into their Element Control ability. Now, their weapons could be charged with elemental powers. The Rangers had been testing them outside the Ultra Cavern at night and the effects had been utterly devastating to the surrounding areas.

From what Tommy had been telling Alex, the situation in Angel Grove had turned strange. Their long-time mentor Zordon had been granted a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to leave the time warp he had apparently been encased in. The downside was that for him to do that, he needed to be transported back to his home planet of Eltare. He had accepted the invitation and had left with his assistant in tow. The Turbo Rangers were now being mentored by Dimitria and her Alpha unit. The two Equestrian Rangers had little conversations with the Inquiran but they had always ended up in confusion due to her constant questions.

The situation with the newest Ranger was all right as well. Rebecca had been in combat training with Aimee and both Sarah’s. Her boyfriend had been present in all sessions and had lightened up considerably in his attitudes to the Rangers. The talking ponies still creeped him out a bit but Rainbow Dash was beginning to grow on him. Her personal weapon was a large launcher-type weapon called the Spike Cannon. Herself and Rainbow Dash had laughed themselves sick over the name but decided it was for the best if Spike wasn’t informed.

From the communications the Ultra Rangers had exchanged across the dimensional barrier, she knew the situation in Equestria. Zedd was still laying low after Parascythe’s destruction but his non-activity had all the Rangers on edge. Amusingly, the Ultra Rangers had also managed to destroy the walls of the Training Room twice with their highly energetic sparring; of course, Billy had been unamused but had been calmed somewhat when he was given a gift of a small capsule of…something called ZARS. While he had been analysing that for reproduction, Weihan had been allowed access into their Zords and was tweaking a few systems to ensure their power flowed better…or something like that. He had also hinted about a few other surprises but had been extremely tight-lipped about them but had assured Applejack and Rainbow Dash that their Zords would get the same upgrades the next time they were called upon.

Two streaks of light entered the Ultra Cavern, causing both ponies and Will to lift up their heads in surprise. The streaks coalesced to reveal Rachelle standing with another woman that was unfamiliar to the ponies. She was dressed in a white shirt that was tied just above her stomach and black pants. Her long blonde hair was tied up into a ponytail and she openly gaped at the sights around her. Will snorted and called over to the newcomer.

“Welcome to the Ultra Cavern, Miss Apple. Sorry but Weihan’s not exactly in this dimension at the moment.”

Jacqui “AJ” Apple nodded absently as she turned slowly around to take in the incredible sights. She had been in Town Hall Square covering a random report on a drive-by shooting when she had bumped into Weihan’s magical duplicate that was back from his Malaysian trip. She was extremely amazed by the way his mannerisms and speech patterns were copied but the duplicate had let slip that his original wasn’t on the same dimensional plane anymore. Sensing his mistake, the duplicate had uneasily explained everything he had heard about since his creation. As a reporter, AJ knew about the explosions on the Moon and had expected someone from the Rangers to eventually fill her in.

Luckily, any further explanation on the duplicate’s part was cut by the appearance of Rachelle who was there to give him a much needed magic infusion. The Silver Ranger had taken up the narrative once they were in a secluded place and informed her of the presence of two Rangers from another dimension; the same dimension her boyfriend had been pulled into. The thought of talking to Rangers from another dimension was exciting enough but when the Silver Ranger had mentioned they were talking ponies…well, she had to see it to believe it.

“Ah can’t believe it…and you do everything from here?”

Rachelle nodded and crossed over to the Communications console. Since the initial communication channel had been established, Will and Justin had been working tirelessly to keep the channel open at all times. Communicating with a specific dimension was incredibly tricky but anchoring a signal to Weihan’s communicator had allowed them to open channels of communication quickly and without the static that had plagued the first call. Pressing a button for the signal to be sent out, she waited. Cross-dimensional communication was extremely slow to connect but, as Weihan never really took off his communicator, they would be hearing his voice soon.

“Who are you and why do you have Applejack’s voice?”

She turned her head to see Rainbow Dash hovering in front of a surprised AJ. The reporter’s eyes were wide as she struggled to process the small Pegasus in front of her. Tentatively extending a hand, she jumped back in surprise as her trembling hand came into contact with the pony’s silky rainbow mane.

“Whoa Nelly, we’re real all right. But it is interestin’ how you sound exactly like me. Ah can’t work it out but it is a mite strange.”

Will groaned under his breath as he realised the situation had become a tad stranger for the blonde reporter. Now, she was looking quickly at Applejack and Rainbow Dash like spectators at an intense tennis match. In hindsight, it would be hilarious to him; but in the present moment all he could do was roll his eyes and keep working on minor tweaks to his Zord. He had a strange feeling that they would need to be busted out soon and wanted to be prepared.

“Ah guess maybe…you’re mah dimensional counterpart? Somethin’ that Rachelle explained tah me earlier. Ah think Ah might have to stick around for a mite longer and talk with you.”

Any further reply was cut off by the familiar crackle of white noise that accompanied a cross-dimensional transmission. A faint alarm could be heard in the background and Weihan’s voice seemed…slightly off.

“Guys, can’t talk! Zedd just went all out on Ponyville and all of us are about to teleport down and head him off!”

Rachelle exchanged worried looks with Applejack as Rainbow Dash raced to the Communications console. She could hear shouts in the background and turned pale as the words filtered into her brain. Two monsters, a large group of Centaurs, Discord, Gilda and…she shook her head. That couldn’t have been correct. It was probably a similar sounding word or something. She turned to see Applejack and AJ come up behind her in eerie unison and fought back an eye roll. AJ narrowed her eyes as her ears picked up on the same phrase that kept being repeated in the background. When she said it out loud, the Loyalty Ranger knew she had heard correctly the first time.

“Lord Zedd appearance? How could Zedd be over…oh, alternate dimension. Oops.”

Weihan let out a sound that was a cross between a groan and a sound of amusement. After an exasperated sigh, he spoke in a strained voice.

“Nice to hear your voice, AJ. Hope you’re not too freaked out by what you see and from what I’ve heard about her, Applejack is your dimensional counterpart.”

AJ smiled and opened her mouth to respond when the alarms blared to life. She jumped back as Rachelle ran to the Scanning station and madly typed in a few commands. Screens slid up from various consoles and flickered to life. The images that could be seen struck dread into their hearts. Xonix had apparently teamed up with his brother yet again for an all out attack in the middle of Homebush Bay. Two monsters could be seen – one was a bipedal insectoid creature similar to Parascythe while the other was…

“Oh God, is that an Iguanodon? Bec’s going to be pissed.”

A monstrous Iguanodon creature was in front of a massive horde of Tengas, Golems and Fiends. Goldar and Rito were at the head of one group and Will could easily see Jabarkas’ form next to the insectoid monster. However, that wasn’t the terrifying part. In the heart of the crowd was a strange creature. It looked similar to a bipedal crocodile but any similarity began and ended there. Its face was more saurian than reptilian and there were spaces on the back of its bulky armour for small wings to pop out. A ridge of spines extended from the middle of its neck and continued down, under the armour to its long tail. As it smiled, rows of needle sharp teeth flashed in the sun’s light. It opened its mouth to talk to those watching and its voice was rough and hissing.

“Rangers, come out and face me! Show me the strength of the Ultra Rangers!”

Weihan sucked in a sharp breath and swore loudly. When he next spoke, his voice was hard as steel.

“Xonix. All of you need to be very careful with him. He’s extremely dangerous. I have to go now and may the Power protect you all.”

The communication channel cut off and Rachelle slammed her palm on the mass alert button. As Will fielded the calls coming in, she looked at the horde of creatures and her first look at Xonix. The rest of the Ultra Rangers teleported in; as did the Turbo Rangers, Rocky and Kim. Tommy turned to Will and spoke to the young boy.

“Dimitria informed us that you might need the help. Divatox is pretty quiet so we’re here to lend a hand. Kim is on break from her training and Rocky…”

“Rocky wants something to do so he doesn’t go stir crazy”

Stifling a chuckle at the Blue Zeo Ranger’s response, Will turned to Alex for further instructions. The Black/Green Ranger scanned the area Xonix and his crew were in and confirmed there were no cameras in the area. Turning to AJ, he spoke to the blonde reporter in a businesslike tone.

“Can you make sure no news crews go near the area? We’ll be porting there unmorphed and I expect a large battle. It’ll be dangerous for them if they approach the area. In return, you can use whatever images of the battle you want for exclusives.”

AJ nodded slowly and stepped back as the Rangers hit their teleporters in unison, filling the Ultra Cavern with flares of multicoloured light. As the last of the sparkles faded from her vision, she settled down in front of the scanners and pulled out her mobile phone.

It was going to be a long battle.

TBC…

Author's Note

No, you didn't miss a bonus chapter. Nothing much pony-related happened in UC 107 or 108. This chapter happens at the same time as 23.