Chapters Disclaimer: Usual stuff. Yes, Pinkie crashes into the 4th wall and shatters it. Nopony else does, only she does. How? Don’t ask me. Anyway, Power Rangers aren’t mine, My Little Pony isn’t mine and names, locales and other trademarked stuff isn’t mine. Everything you don’t recognise is mine. Now on FIMfiction...finally.
Rangers Of Equestria
Chapter 1: Day of Destruction
Unknown place
I fear he will make a move soon.
Is everything ready?
It will have to be. How is the other doing?
He is still grieving. It will take time for him to accept what happened.
He will do his duty, which I am sure of.
Did you feel that?
It is time.
Ponyville
It was another bright and beautiful morning in Ponyville. The pegasi were clearing up the skies and ensuring that everypony had another brilliant day. Twilight Sparkle inhaled deeply as she stepped out of the Library and basked in the morning sun. The purple unicorn hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before since she was up almost all night studying. The Library had so many books on all different subjects and there were books she hadn’t read before and…
And she was rambling in her head again. Staying up all night was a regular occurrence, but the binge last night was strange, even for her. She didn’t know what possessed her to start reading on Interdimensional theory and past military strategies or even why she had wanted to commit the information to memory. It wasn’t as if the Library would be destroyed, right? Unless one listened to whatever Pinkie Pie was rambling on about today about being some in some crossover story and how the world was going to change in a few hours.
Trotting through the streets, she thought about her friends. She knew Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were helping with the weather and whatever else pegasi did. Rarity was in her boutique with Sweetie Belle and Applebloom. Applejack was tending the farm and tweaking her apple cellar to ensure there were plenty of apples over the winter. Spike was in the Library psyching himself up to go visit Rarity. That just left Pinkie Pie in Sugarcube Corner. Silently groaning to herself, she walked to the pastry shop and poked her head in.
“Pinkie? Are you in here?”
At once a pink blur slammed into her, throwing her into a conveniently placed hedge. For a brief moment, she didn’t know which way was up or down, but quickly she quickly regained her bearings. Spitting out a hoof-full of leaves, twigs and other assorted plant matter, she looked at Pinkie Pie. The bright pink Earth Pony was bouncing up and down on the spot. Seeing that her friend had finally surfaced from the hedge, Pinkie began speaking.
“Goooooooooood Morning Twilight! What a nice day it is now! Nice for us here, but not that nice for the author! The sun is out but its hidden behind all those clouds and it looks like its going to rain soon and he should really stop writing and get back to work! What if he gets caught? Again? No, don’t look behind you, I can see you and I can see myself, but nopony else can! And now an edit? Stop putting words into my mouth! But if you stop, then I can’t speak! Oh no!”
Twilight blinked hard and then slowly shook her head. Ever since the Gala, Pinkie had gotten it into her head that they were all fictional constructs and stories were being spun of them all the time. As she thought about the hyperactive pony’s ramblings, she started to compare them to what she had read last night. Of course she knew there was only one of her and only one of each of her friends. Only one Equestria, only one set of the Elements…wait. Why was she thinking about the Elements of Harmony? They had vanished soon after the purification of Nightmare Moon and hadn’t been seen since. As she chuckled lightly to herself, she thought about the crazy rumours that had been spreading through the town. Sightings of Princess Luna flying over the town in the dead of night carrying saddlebags of strange objects; it all was just speculation to what was happening.
She frowned lightly as Pinkie cart-wheeled through the air. The next point wasn’t a rumour per se but it was strange nonetheless. From her talks with the others she had noticed the recurring theme of strange chills and shakes that came without warning in the dead of night and vanished without a trace. Of course, she hadn’t told anyone where the shakes and chills had started from on her body…but she had a feeling it was the same area as the rest of them. The tremors and shakes felt like the feeling that she had felt when she had activated the Elements of Harmony…but her connection to the Element of Magic had been cut after the freeing of the Princess.
Of course, she had felt a faint stirring when she had sent Trixie running, but…
The Library exploded.
Ponies ran for cover screaming as wood, books and fire rained down from the sky. The two ponies could only stare in shock as beams of light struck various buildings around them, setting them on fire. Rolling columns of smoke rose from the burning wrecks and ponies tried to free loved ones or save sentimental items…or even to give comfort to those in their last seconds. Twilight could only stare in shock. The Library was her home for the past year and not it had been destroyed in a ball of fire. All of her work, her research and Spike…
Spike had still been in the Library…
Twilight forced her legs to move and shakily started galloping towards the wreck of the Library. Next to her, Pinkie Pie ran as fast as she could while gaping at the destruction. Sucking as much air as she could into her burning lungs, she yelled over the noise of the explosions.
“Twilight! What’s happening? What are you doing?”
“Spike was still inside! If he didn’t get out in time…oh, I don’t know! I don’t know anything at all!”
Tears were streaming down her face and her breath was coming out in ragged gasps. If Spike was gone…no, she couldn’t think about that. She wouldn’t. As they neared the wreckage, all hope faded from Twilight. Nothing but a pile of blazing wood and smouldering pages was left of her home. Her eyes fell on a shredded basket and she felt tears spring to her eyes. Nothing…and no one would have survived.
“Twilight! Anypony! Help!”
The familiar voice drifting on the wind made her pause her mourning. Spike had been in the Library, but she could hear his voice coming from the direction of Carousel Boutique. The two ponies looked at each other and raced in that direction but skidded to a dead halt when they saw the scene in front of them.
Rarity was on the ground in front of the ruins of her business while Spike was tugging at something on the ground, yelling for help. Fluttershy was near him, speaking to something on the ground. Applejack had a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder and was hiding Apple Bloom’s head from something. Above them, Twilight could see Rainbow Dash directing lightning bolts and narrowly avoiding the beams being blasted from below. All of a sudden, Spike paused from what he was doing and ran towards Twilight.
“Get down!”
Inhaling deeply, Spike blasted a spout of green fire from his snout at the space behind the two ponies. All Twilight heard were birdlike screeches of pain and the crackle of burning feathers. Looking behind her, Twilight gasped in shock as a burning form lurched towards her. It looked like a crow, but it was much bigger. Some sort of armour covered its chest and upper wings as it reached toward her. Stumbling back, she summoned a blast of magic and directed it at the creature, pushing it backwards onto blazing rubble. When it didn’t get up again, she slowly backed up to see what Spike had been pulling at.
There on the ground lay Sweetie Belle. She was impaled on a wooden beam that had planted itself into the ground and was stuck. From what she had seen, the beam hadn’t hit anything vital, but it was still distressing to see that much blood come out of somepony that small. Sweetie turned her hear up and smiled shakily at the unicorn, her voice sounding dangerously weak.
“Twilight, I’m going to be fine. Don’t worry, jus…jus take care of Rarity.”
Upon hearing her name, the purple maned unicorn ran to her dying sister’s side and nuzzled her gently. Her glamorous mane was dirty and there were scrapes and cuts on her once pristine body. She whispered something to Sweetie, which seemed to calm her somewhat, and sank back looking utterly defeated. No words would come out of Twilight and she doubted she could find the right words to say. A sudden crash nearby sent them all wheeling around in panic before they saw Rainbow Dash’s crumpled form nearby. She had flown too close to one of the beams and had a hole punched through a wing. The steady rise and fall of her flanks were the only sign Cloudsdale’s greatest flier was still alive.
The sound of heavy footfalls broke the sombre mood surrounding the ponies and their heads all whipped to the source. Striding through the flames was a creature none of them had ever seen before. To Fluttershy’s eyes, it looked similar to one of the fish she had seen in the Everfree Forest – a piranha – but this one was walking upright. It had two arms protruding from its sides and its mouth was seemingly fixed into an evil grin, showing rows of teeth. Dangling from one hand was a pair of fish shaped flutes connected by a chain made of bone. As it neared the ponies, it let out a laugh and spoke; its voice both jovial and menacing.
“Well, what do we have here? Looks like its time for me to dive in and have a feeding frenzy! Say your goodbyes little ponies!”
Time slowed down as the fish brought up one of the flutes to its mouth. Twilight huddled around her friends and waited for the end, when an unfamiliar voice cut the air around them.
“Get off this planet, scum!”
TBC…
Author's Note
Time to use the Author's Notes as a 'Making Of' thing. As stated on the site, I wrote this after my dream with the Zeo Crystals and the ponies. For some odd reason, King Mondo was the bad guy, Spike was Alpha (to Celestia's Zordon) and Luna was the Gold Ranger. Also Tommy (in his Dino Thunder Uniform) was riding Pinkie for some reason.
Decided to not go with the Machine Empire because he wasn't evil enough. Dark Spectre was a possible antagonist but he didn't engage the Rangers directly and Maligore would have been too overused. Rita had her moments but she was goofy straight out of the Dumpster. I needed an antagonist who would strike fear in all who saw him but since this was set after Countdown to Destruction and the Z Wave, I needed a being who had been shown to have a high degree of evil.
Yes, Rainbow Dash goes down and Sweetie Belle is impaled. Why her? Applebloom would just leap out of the way and Scootaloo would have adjusted her course mid-flight to avoid the beam.
A/N: Am back! Once again, Power Rangers and My Little Pony aren’t mine. The order of the stories is Tremors*, Beginnings* and Rangers of Equestria. If you read these in order, you won’t be lost. And if you know your Rangers, you’ll know who the Big Bad is.
* - only on fanfiction.net
Chapter 2: Blue Stranger
Location Unknown
He stared at his left hand in shock. True, he hadn’t expected the transformation to go smoothly, but having a hoof-like hand was strangely disconcerting. His legs were another problem as the right knee wanted to bend both ways at the same time. Until he was used to the sensation, he would be leaning quite heavily on his staff. That or he could use his new tail for balance. The only good thing he could think about was that he could still easily access that and it would certainly make his recovery and adjustment a whole lot easier. He ran his only good hand over his chin and inwardly groaned to himself.
It would have been much better to wait around the forest to see what else he could merge with, but he had been impatient. Ironic that he had spent years casting the transport spell and had been extremely patient…only to forcibly merge with and mutate the first creature that had come across his path without getting a good look at it first. After the dust had settled, he had drug himself and the remains of the creature to a nearby cave to set up his primary outpost. He had been lucky to stumble across a stream that he used to see what he new form looked like. As far as menacing looks went, it was pretty much a mix of his old body and the horse-like inhabitants of this world. He was just grateful he was able to walk on two legs.
As he stared at his hoof-hand again, his ears perked up at the sound of explosions in the distance. His monster had reached a town and was carrying out his orders to destroy. Then again, if he wanted to cement himself as the ruler of all he saw, he would have to stop the creature sooner or later to gain a good reputation. He quickly dismissed the idea, flicking his bony tail impatiently. A good reputation would be an antithesis to everything he had stood for. He rolled his head on his neck and focused his gaze on the crumpled mass of flesh and bone at his feet. It would reform into a recreation of its former form soon enough but whatever thoughts and mind it once had was gone. As he walked towards his makeshift throne, he felt something strangely familiar. He tried to shrug it off, but it kept gnawing at him. It was unstable and flickered, but if he didn’t know better he swore it could have been…
Whirling around, he focused his long range vision to the destruction. He could see his monster cornering a group of pathetic life forms. With growing delight, he could see two of them had been injured – one mortally and one…well, in a few seconds it would be over.
And then he saw it.
The cave blazed bright red.
Ponyville
The ponies looked around for the source of the voice, but they couldn’t see anything . All around them were the screams of the dying and the crackle of fires. The air was thick with choking smoke, burning wood and the sickly smell of burning meat. The creature jerked its head up and seemed to snarl. It scanned the area, gills flaring around its head. Satisfied that there was no one coming, he raised the flute to his lips again.
A red beam lanced out of the smoke and struck the monster. It was followed by three more blasts from the same location, knocking the creature away from the ponies. Acting on instinct, Twilight concentrated on the creature and encased it in a magic dome. It wouldn’t last forever but it would do for now. As the dome crackled, she turned her attention to the two injured ponies. Rainbow Dash could be moved and her wing would heal with enough time…but Sweetie Belle…
The poor foal was now making weak movements as if she was on her last legs. As far as she knew, Sweetie was. Rarity had crumpled to the ground wailing and Fluttershy was nudging Rainbow Dash to try to wake her up. Applejack was comforting a crying Apple Bloom and Pinkie Pie was…she didn’t care anymore. Distantly, she heard the dome crack and break apart and the throaty cry of the creature. Resignedly, she turned around but her eyes widened at what she saw jumping out of the smoke.
It was another biped – of that she was certain, but it was clothed in blue material that seemed to shimmer in the light. On its chest was a white diamond flanked by two half diamonds. Like Spike, it seemed to have usable hands and feet, but there was no tail or identifying spikes. Its head seemed to be covered with some sort of helmet which encased the whole head and had an opaque visor and a small silver plate. The helmet was decorated in the shape of some sort of animal, but the unicorn had never seen an animal like that in her years of studying. Around its waist was a belt which held a strange octagonal buckle that held a small gold disc. In one of its hands, it held a strange red device which she presumed was a weapon of some sort. As the ponies watched red beams of light shot out of one end and repeatedly struck the monster; forcing it back.
As the blue figure landed, it twisted the device a few times until a blade flipped out. With a speed she had never seen before, the new biped leapt at the monster and delivered a series of slashing attacks to its scaled belly. The monster howled once but didn’t budge from its spot. Getting the feeling that the new Blue biped was exhaling in exasperation, she summoned up a weak magic blast that struck the monster and knocked it over. Satisfied that, for now, the monster had been dealt with the stranger walked over to them. Twilight numbly let it pass without complaint as she was still in shock from what had happened. Quietly moving the distraught Rarity aside, the figure looked at the injured foal and spoke.
“This will only hurt for a second.”
In one swift movement, the figure raised the blade and swung it down. Twilight raced to block the blade, but skidded to a shocked stop for the second time. Cradled in its arms was Sweetie Belle; now free from the beam that had impaled her. Noticing for the first time of the ponies that looked at it, the figure seemed to relax, but did not drop the injured foal. Twilight could hear the figure murmuring to itself quietly and strained her ears to pick up on the words.
“Not again. I won’t let this happen a second time. It can’t happen a second time.”
Raising one arm to its helmet, the figure spoke into its hand and glanced at Rarity. As it shifted, Sweetie Belle weakly opened her eyes and stared at her rescuer. She felt herself growing weaker, but struggled to stay awake.
“Luna, I have two ponies here that need emergency medical teleportation and one that…maybe needs a sedative.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rainbow Dash groggily rise up and stare at the strange figure and the fallen monster. Finally registering the words the figure had spoken, Twilight wondered if the figure knew that Princess Luna hadn’t been seen since her purification. To Twilight’s shock, Princess Luna’s voice issued from the figures hand.
“I copy that, Billy. Stand by”
To the ponies’ shock, a bright white light enveloped Sweetie Belle, Rarity and Rainbow Dash causing them to avert their eyes. When they cleared them, the three ponies were gone. Applejack rounded on the figure, eyes blazing.
“What did you do with them? You better give ‘em back or Ah’ll…Ah’ll buck you up somethin fierce!”
The figure stood up and glanced down at the orange Earth pony. Its voice was calm, but held an edge of steel to it.
“Your friends are fine and you will see them soon. Please stand back. I need to deal with this monster and then I will take you to them.”
Turning, the figure positioned itself between the now upright monster. Holding both hands out in front of it, it readied itself for anything.
TBC…
Author's Note
Blazed bright red...now which Power Ranger villain do we know that can do that? I think I gave it away with the monster...
As for Billy being the Ranger to save the day, I wanted someone who wasn't shown to have a satisfying conclusion and Billy fit the bill nicely (no pun intended). Living on Aquitar gave a loose thread to seize upon and begin crafting the story around him, especially seeing Aquitar in Countdown to Destruction gives the impression some of the ocean covering it has evaporated somehow. Billy doesn't really have any ties to his home dimension any more but at this point in the writing, I hadn't really planned out what could have made him sever all ties.
Chapter 3: Destiny
Location: Ponyville
Billy circled the monster warily. He knew what the creature was and had an idea about who had sent it. He shifted his grip on his Blade Blaster and quickly glanced at the ponies behind him. They stared back with an aura of suspicion and fear, which was to be expected. He would bring them to their destinies soon enough but he had to get rid of the monster first. That meant destroying it or damaging it enough to send it packing. Or he could do an emergency group teleport, but that had its own drawbacks.
The only problem he had was his borrowed power was running out. He had already used up a sizeable chunk on his flashy entrance and freeing the injured foal and the rest was running out rapidly. Soon, he would be drawing power from his own body which would not last long at all. He had to finish this fight fast. Inhaling deeply, he ran at the monster, ducking under a wild swing to stab the blade up against its chest armour. As expected, the blade bounced off, sparks flying. Extending his left arm, he grabbed the monster and shoved it back onto what he supposed was a mannequin for dressmaking. Sparing a quick glance at the power meter on the inside of his visor, he stowed his Blade Blaster and readied himself. This would take split-second timing but he could pull it off.
“Power Lance!”
In a bright flash, the double ended lance materialised into Billy’s grip. Twirling it around, he waited for the monster to stand up before discreetly tapping a hidden button near the middle. Jerking his arms apart, the lance split into two and began crackling with power. Praying it would work, Billy crossed both halves and thrust them towards the fish monster. A split second later, a crackling bolt of energy shot forth from the crossed shafts striking the creature dead on. In a blaze of fire, the monster flew back and vanished in a puff on smoke. Falling to his knees, Billy felt his Power Lance dematerialise and started to feel light-headed. He had used up too much power in that last attack, but the monster had been driven away. Weakly, he lifted up his communicator and spoke into it,
“Luna. Need teleportation of myself and six others ASAP.”
Tilting his head towards the group of ponies, he tried to make his weakening voice sound as reassuring as possible.
“Hang on and don’t tense up. You’ll be fine, I promise.”
In a crackle of royal blue and white, the ponies and Billy vanished.
Location: The Lonely Mountain
When Twilight’s vision cleared, the first thing she saw was the strange figure sprawled on the ground in front of her. It appeared to be breathing weakly which was a good thing. What didn’t seem like a good thing were the small lightning bolts crackling over its body. As she was about to prod it with her horn, a bright flash forced her to squeeze her eyes shut. Judging from the surprised and pained cries she heard around her, she was the quickest to do so. Mentally sighing, she tentatively opened one eye and gasped in shock.
Where the clothed figure had been before was a strange animal. It looked like a hairless ape or maybe an offshoot of a gorilla…or what an ape would look like if it had cloth coverings on its body and feet. She slowly backed away until her hindquarters bumped into something cold and unyielding. Stifling a scream of surprise, she whirled around but stopped as her eyes grew as wise as dinner plates.
Around her was a wondrous mix of technology and strange devices. There were windows that showed other locations and something that looked like an energy meter…and a power regulator if she had studied correctly. Dimly, she was aware of Applejack coming up beside her.
“Wha…Twilight, Ah’ve never seen this place before. Where in the hay are we?”
“You are in the temporary Command Outpost built in the Lonely Mountain.”
All heads jerked around to see a midnight blue alicorn appear from a side hallway. Her mane swayed in an unfelt breeze and her crescent moon Cutie Mark contrasted beautifully against her skin. Looking at the group with her understanding and patient blue eyes, she trotted to where the figure lay and gently nudged it with her horn. Rolling her eyes slightly, Princess Luna shook her head as a small smile appeared on her muzzle. Turning toward the ponies, who had all bowed at her appearance, she shook her head once more; eyes dancing with suppressed laughter.
“Rise up, all of you. I’m sure you have many questions, which I will do my best to answer.”
Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a groan from the sprawled figure.
“Did anyone get the number of that bus?”
Looking at the figure, she saw that it was starting to get off the ground. She watched as it clung to a nearby device for support as it rose on its two legs. Finally gaining its balance, it dusted itself off and looked at the shocked Twilight, stunned ponies and amused Luna. Letting out a stifled groan, it rubbed the back of its head sheepishly and made a strange motion with its arms. Taking that as a sign to continue, Luna spoke again.
“My little ponies, it has been a long time since I have last seen you. Celestia has kept me updated and I am very grateful that the six of you have come together as a team.”
The ponies bowed their heads at the praise while Apple Bloom and Spike gazed at the Princess in awe. Clearing her throat, she looked at the figure and motioned to it with her horn.
“This is Billy. He has come from a…different plane of existence to help with your new task. Billy, can you please brief them?”
Billy looked at the group and back at Luna. Raising an eyebrow, he turned around and spoke aloud – seemingly at the buttons themselves.
“Dimitria, if the patients have healed then let them come to the main chamber. It’s time for explanations.”
As he settled himself against the console, Luna came up beside him and nudged his arm with her nose. Rolling his eyes, he sighed in mock frustration and pulled out the same device Twilight had seen earlier, but now it looked dulled and had a large crack running down the centre of it. Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but was distracted by the three forms that stepped into the light: Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle’s horrific injury was gone and while she looked a bit pale and swayed on her feet, the filly stood proudly. Rainbow Dash’s wing was also healed and she flexed it triumphantly for the assembled group to see. Also, Rarity’s scrapes and minor injuries had healed as if by magic…which was probably the case.
As the group rushed towards their friends, Billy toyed with the object in his hands. Running a thumb across the face of the dulled disc, he could faintly feel the lines and ridges that made up the Wolf Power Coin. Sighing slightly, he placed the object behind him and looked into Luna’s questioning gaze. Shutting his eyes, he shook his head once. He should never have told the alicorn about the darkness in his heart, but she did have a point. He had to accept it sooner or later…but if he hadn’t let her die…well, there was no point thinking about it now. His voice cut over the din of the reunion, silencing everypony.
“You are here because you have been chosen by the Elements of Harmony to help save your world. Using the Elements and advanced technology, you will become the first, last and only line of defence against the darkness that is to come.”
He paused for dramatic impact and let a slight smile play over his lips. The next line never got old.
“You will become Power Rangers.”
TBC…
Author's Note
It'll get better...
Billy is using his Ninjetti Power Coin with his cracked Morpher (like Adam in Always A Chance) and is borrowing power from Luna and Celestia to sustain his morph. The darkness in his heart bit refers to Cestria, although I hadn't really thought of how that thread was going to finish up until some time later. I knew she had to die but if it was going to be a casualty during the Countdown or some random event after, I hadn't decided yet.
A/N: Tried to put as many Day Of The Dumpster references as I could here. And Power Rangers and MLP aren’t mine…which is probably a good thing. Enjoy!
Chapter 4: Embracing the Power
“Power Rangers? Beg pardon Mister Billy, but what’s that?”
Applejack pawed nervously at the floor. Being whisked to some strange place was one thing and seeing her friends healed was another…but being told that they were the only line of defence against some evil was a whole new kettle of strange. And the Elements of Harmony, she hadn’t seen hers since after the celebration in Ponyville. Funny, she still didn’t remember taking it off after. She looked around and saw that Rainbow Dash was looking at her with a smile on her face. She pushed down the strange feeling inside her and was about to ask Rainbow what she was smiling about when Billy answered her question.
“To answer your question, the Power Rangers are a fighting force that exists to protect the world.”
Reaching behind him for the object, he brought it out to the assembled ponies. With great reverence, he wiped the soot and scorch marks away from its surface and held it up to the assembled ponies. Twilight could see that strange letters adorned the top and bottom halves of the object and gasped as her eyes traced the design in the centre of the coin. She watched as Billy pushed a red button on the bottom left, noticing that he was preparing himself for…something. With a muted pop, both halves of the object sprang open and nothing happened. Billy looked torn between relieved and disappointed. He continued his explanation, idly toying with the open object.
“This is a…let’s call it a Generation 1 Power Morpher. It was given to me by an Interdimensional being called Zordon more than a decade ago.”
Applejack’s ear twitched as she heard the bitterness in his voice at the mention of Zordon, whoever he was supposed to be. Turning around, Billy tapped something on the metal box and the black windows came to life. Images showed various figures in suits like Billy had worn before, but they were different. Various gasps issued from the ponies as they saw buildings being destroyed, creatures attacking and the figures fighting. Billy continued as they watched.
“What you are seeing on the screens are recordings of Power Rangers. There have been many teams over the years with different enemies and different powers. It was very fortunate that you used the Elements of Harmony to purify Nightmare Moon a year ago. If anyone else had used them besides you six, Luna would not be standing here.”
Heads whipped round to stare at the dark alicorn, causing Billy to wince internally. All that whipping of heads would lead to a neck ache, but he supposed the young fillies would heal quickly. Seeing the look on his face and as she was now the centre of attention, Luna took up the narrative.
“It is true, my little ponies. You six harnessed the magic of your friendship to break me free as the Elements reacted to the true feelings you had in your hearts and an unconscious desire to see me freed. Had another group used the Elements, their hearts would have become tainted by the legend of Eternal Night and the Elements would have utterly destroyed me.”
Luna stepped towards one of the screens and pointed her horn at it. The image changed from a group of five animal themed fighters to something none had ever seen before – Equestria from space. The ponies stared at the image, slack jawed. Luna prodded Billy with her horn and with a muted sarcastic sigh, he spoke.
“Your world of Equestria is filled with magic. This may seem like common knowledge, but what is different about your world is the sheer variety. Unicorns are born with innate magic that can be focused through their horn. Pegasi can use slight amounts of magic in their flight and weather controlling. Earth ponies, I’m told, have a strong connection with the earth and vegetation, which is also achieved through magical bonds. I’m sorry if this seems like common knowledge, but these magic bonds are how you will be able to wield the Elements to their fullest.”
Rainbow Dash blinked and shook her head. They had used the Elements to their fullest, hadn’t they? Using them to purify Nightmare Moon had almost killed all of them and while she loved taking risks, another dosage of that might spell doom for all of them. She voiced these concerns to Billy, who nodded to Luna and then left. Luna blinked once at his retreating form and then rolled her eyes. Since Billy had gone to get the Elements, it would be up to her to inform them…if she remembered all the information Billy had told her.
“The Elements of Harmony are the physical manifestations of Equestria’s most powerful magic. When Billy came from his other dimension, he managed to bring along something that is pretty much the only thing in the entire multiverse that can complement and strengthen the Elements. It was he who transported the Elements after the celebration to fuse them with those crystals. I admit…some times, it was very entertaining viewing…”
Flashback
“Luna! Get that fire out! The crystalline structures combusted again but they fused briefly!”
“Billy…are you sure this will work? This is the fourth fire this week! We can’t keep using the dragon above us as an excuse! Celestia is about to send those six to remove the dragon!”
“Just needed that one last bit…and it should work! It will work!”
“All right…I guess I should turn on the air recyclers then…”
End Flashback
“With perseverance and patience, he was able to fuse them to the Elements. They will tap into the limitless magical wellspring of Equestria amplifying your natural abilities tenfold.”
The sound of footsteps caused Luna to trail off as she felt a familiar aura. Turning her head at the sound of a door opening, she saw her sister – Princess Celestia – walk into the chamber with Billy and another figure. She looked to be the same as Billy, although Luna knew she was much older and wiser than him. Bowing her head at her sister, she saw the other ponies had bowed; even Twilight Sparkle. As Billy cleared his throat, she winced as she noticed how quickly their heads sprang up. Shaking her head in mild uneasiness, she trotted to stand next to her sister.
“My little ponies, for the past year I have seen you all grow up and band together. Now, Equestria faces a crisis like no other. An ancient evil has escaped into our world and the six of you are the only ones that can stop it.”
Applejack nodded and stepped up with a hoof in front of her. Her voice was loud and strong.
“Well, Ah don’t know ‘bout the others, but you can count on me! Ah’ll be one of these Power thingies for sure!”
Rainbow Dash stood next to her, flaring her wings dramatically…trying to hide the waver in her voice as she tried to cope with her feelings.
“You want a strong flier in the group, I’ll be there! I’m sure everypony else will accept, right girls?”
Nods and cries of acceptance filled the air and Billy smiled. Now that they had accepted, it would be easier for him to explain what he had done to make them Rangers. He just hoped that in the upcoming battle the monster wouldn’t grow – the Zords were in the final stages of testing, but some bugs needed to be ironed out. Glancing at Celestia, he stepped forward and swallowed.
“When Princess Celestia brings forward your Elements, they will look the same, but they will be empowered with the Zeo Crystals. These crystals are, to use simple terms, crystallised Grid Energy. Um, this is another type of magic that complements Equestrian magic. When in danger, raise your Element Morpher to the sky, calling out its name and you will change into a Power Ranger. The default morphing call is It’s Morphin Time! I could explain this process…but it’s too complex for ponies to grasp.”
Twilight nodded her head again but frowned suddenly. She knew the Elements would somehow transform them into super ponies or something, but she had seen Billy fight and he was much more experienced than them. For one thing, he actually had hands and could manipulate objects much more effectively. She voiced these concerns aloud and was taken aback as Billy shook his head sadly. When he spoke, his voice carried a tinge of sadness and bitterness.
“For reasons I won’t go into right now, I can only use my powers for a very limited time. If they were charged by an outside source, I could fight longer…but I can’t drain both Luna and Celestia of their power.”
Seeing the ponies accept that, he nodded at the white alicorn. In a dazzling flash of light, the Elements of Harmony appeared in the air before them. Twilight could see that there were small changes to the necklaces and that the gems shaped like their cutie marks had a thin band of…something around them. Even her Element had changed to look like the others but if it functioned the same, that would be all that mattered. Celestia pointed her horn at the Elements, causing them to glow in their respective colours and hover above their bearers. Her voice was regal, but carried an undercurrent of gravitas.
“Applejack, bold and powerful, you will be the Red Honesty Ranger. Rainbow Dash, clever and brave, you will be the Blue Loyalty Ranger. Pinkie Pie, fearless and agile, you will be the Pink Laughter Ranger. Fluttershy, graceful and smart, you will be the Yellow Kindness Ranger. Rarity, confident and fierce, you will be the Green Generosity Ranger.”
Five flashes of light engulfed the respective ponies and their Elements, bathing the chamber around them with their Ranger colours. When the light faded, their Elements were snugly around their necks and were faintly glowing. Reaching up, Billy plucked Twilight’s Element from the air and gently placed it on her head. His voice was soft and reverent.
“And Twilight Sparkle, patient and wise, you will be the Purple Magic Ranger and will be the leader of the Rangers.”
As soon as the words left his lips, Twilight felt a rush of magic enter her body. Something inside of her felt like it had settled into place and for an instant, she felt complete. Her mind buzzed with information and various forms of fighting methods. With some time and concentration, she was sure she could convert them into something that could be used easily by ponies instead of bipeds. If not, she was sure she could come up with something.
Her musings were cut short by a horrible screeching that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. Everyone clapped their ears in pain and with some degree of difficulty, Billy shut off the noise. He smiled sheepishly at the pained faces of the ponies around him and nodded once to the other biped in the room.
“This is Dimitria, who will guide you and advise you in your battles. But that’s not important right now. The monster is back and is attacking Ponyville again. Morph and defeat the monster.”
Twilight looked down at her Element Morpher and back at Billy. Nodding once, she relaxed and let the powerful energy flood her body. In unison, the six ponies cried out.
“It’s Morphin Time!”
TBC…
Author's Note
Colours were based on the Elements of Harmony as seen in the opening narration of the series (Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink and Purple) I may have confused my mind by referring to Rarity as the White Ranger but that confusion didn't translate into the fic. Element Morphers are the Element necklaces/tiara-thingy because I wanted some familiarity with the Mane Six.
And because I couldn't work out how they could morph otherwise.
Disclaimer: Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie and I want you to know that the Power Rangers and My Little Pony aren’t the property of the author! He wishes they were, but it’s probably a good thing they aren’t because I like being me and don’t want to be crossed over into something else. Where’s the author? Well, he wrote the chapter below and then I came in and he looked at me and I looked at him and he mumbled something about getting a drink and left. He’ll be back for the next chapter! Hopefully. I think he left his keys in here. Oh well. Enjoy everypony!
Chapter 5: Z
He stared at the creature in front of him and growled. This one was useless, but had managed to capture some valuable data. For one thing a Ranger had slipped through the cracks and was protecting the pathetic life forms of the planet. Judging from the strong signature of Morphin energy, it was one of Zordon’s brats and he knew which one. It would be the one who had the most incentive to run away and leave everything behind. Snarling, he raised his left leg and kicked at the wounded monster. It didn’t move…not that he was expecting it to. Whatever new move the brainiac had cooked up had knocked his monster down for the count.
Whirling around, he surveyed the damage to the walls of the cave. He cursed himself for not having the foresight to protect the walls with an enchantment. He had almost forgotten how much heat his anger could put out. He touched the face of the wall with his good hand and winced under his mask. The rock was still bubbling slightly, but at least it hadn’t turned to lava. That would have been a pain to clean. He supposed he could have gotten his assistant to clean it off, but the pony was still getting used to her new body…and trying to fix her shattered mind.
Leaning on his staff, he hobbled to the mouth of the cave and looked out at the scenery before him. from the memories of the pony he had merged with, he knew that the area around him was called the Everfree Forest and that it was deemed to be not normal. He didn’t see anything unnatural, except for him and his small group. Sniffing the air, he grimaced as he smelled burning feathers in the air. So much for the attempt at Tengas – his next batch of grunts would have to be better. Maybe he would use the rest later on in his attack. He looked down at his strange leg and tested it again. It was still the same; the same being that it could bend both ways at once.
Growling to himself, he started reviewing footage of the battle. The Ranger had shown strangely high levels of magic, although that level had dropped sharply after the special attack. Hobbling out into the sunshine, he could see a thick column of smoke rising in the distance; a sight that pleased him greatly. Still, the thought gnawed at him…why was the Ranger powered by another source other than his Power Coin? If he remembered right, the Power Coins were no more than dust…although a few months before the wave there had been that rumour that the second Black Ranger had used a damaged coin to morph. He had dismissed it then as a false rumour started by Divatox, but what if the space pirate had been correct? If she had been and the destroyed Power Coins had somehow been reconstituted…no, the coins only retained a small amount of Grid energy. A prolonged Morph with a reconstituted coin would result in extreme pain and internal damage. Also, there was that other rumour that the brainiac couldn’t morph anymore. Something about some negative protons and other impossible stuff. Still, if the other brats had their Power Coins back, it was worth looking in to…
Shelving that thought, he glanced behind him and the weakly moving monster. Snarling at the beast, he raised his staff and mumbled a dark incantation under his breath. A dark haze surrounded the fish monster and forced it to its feet. Plates of bone armour thrust out from the arms and sides of the beast and its head seemed to be encased in a helmet made from its own skull. The flute whips fused together and formed a thin dagger, which gleamed in the hazy light. He stormed into the cave and spoke to the monster, his voice whistling through the gaps in the metal grille on his face.
“You will go back to the town and completely destroy it. Leave no one – human or pony – alive. You were the first monster to defeat the Power Rangers before and you can do it again. Go now, my Pirhantishead monster. Destroy the town. Soon, the entire world will be under my command!”
As he threw his head back to laugh, he saw the monster bow and teleport out. Running a hand over his exposed brain, he cackled. One Ranger would make no difference in the long run, especially one that had a time limit on his armour.
He would crush all opposition and grow his empire. With a flash of dark energy, his ultimate trump card appeared in his hand. He stared at it and drank in its power. With this, he would conquer all resistance and bend all minds to his will.
And Lord Zedd would rule.
TBC…
Author's Note
Honestly, anyone who didn't expect the antagonist to be Zedd was deluding themselves. And Pinkie establishes herself as my muse. At this point, I hadn't thought of who the 'assistant' would be. I was still thinking of the pony as Derpy but I realised soon after that I really didn't want any form of comic relief in this villain set. The atmosphere would be much like Dino Thunder, where the only humour came from the occasional monster or from the side of the heroes.
Though, to be honest, the humour thing kinda fell to the wayside after a bit.
Pinkie Note: Usual stuff. He doesn’t own any licensed or trademarked or copyrighted property. And he should really invest in better locks. He’s being chewed out by his boss, so he can’t write more today. Oh well. Enjoy, everypony!
Chapter 6: Rangers of the Elements
When the last of the teleportation sparkles faded from her vision, Twilight Sparkle found herself back in Ponyville. Hearing a small gasp behind her, she glanced back…only to feel her jaw drop. Her friends were clad in the same sparkling material as she had seen Billy wear previously. Their heads were clad in helmets with a representation of their Cutie Mark as the visor. Each of them had their Element necklaces incorporated into the armour and in Twilight’s case she could see that her Element crystal was in the middle of her helmet. She noted that Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had their wings free, but they were protected by a sturdy layer of armour – as was Rarity’s horn. She also noticed that their manes and tails were free, but their tails were sheathed in some sort of metal.
Hearing a low growl behind her, she whirled around and her eyes widened. It was the monster they had seen before, but it looked different. Its torso was now covered in bony armour, the head encased in a streamlined helmet and grasped in a scaly fist was a thin blade. Twilight didn’t want to know what it would be like to be stabbed and didn’t think any of the others wanted to know either. Snorting in anger, she pawed at the ground and lowered her head. As if in reaction to the movement she felt a rush of magic to her horn which, in turn, reacted with her Element Crystal. In the back of her mind, she could sense the others doing the same – even Pinkie – although she couldn’t explain how she knew. As they were about to charge, they stopped short as the same joyous voice erupted from the monster.
“What? Ponies in fancy costumes won’t stop me! I claim this here planet in the glorious name of Lord Zedd!”
Lonely Mountain
Billy’s head jerked up sharply as the monster revealed his maker. Truthfully, he knew Zedd was in Equestria, but had thought that the entity would wait for a while before revealing his identity in a grand flourish. On the other hand, Edward Steel had informed him that the entity would be playing by its own set of rules. Shaking himself out of the past, he stepped to a console and tapped a few buttons.
“Rangers, I am configuring your Element Crystals to serve as your default blasters. This will take about five minutes. Hang on until then.”
Ponyville
Hearing Billy’s announcement, Pinkie Pie nodded even though he couldn’t see her. Or maybe he could with a camera or maybe with a camera that was upgraded lots. She was confused with all the information she could see on the inside of her visor because for some reason, she knew it all. Seeing as they were still in a frozen standoff, the used her eyes to scroll through the possible options. Laughter Blaster was her Element Crystal Ranger Blaster…or something like that and according to Billy, it would be out of action for a few minutes. She faintly heard Twilight’s battle cry and stepped aside lightly to let Applejack through before resuming her search.
Smile Slicer had something to do with her tail, but she didn’t know what since her tail was covered in some sort of metal that wasn’t metal. She ducked as Fluttershy was blasted back and dismissed the Smile Slicer. Selecting another item, she saw something called the Boomer Blaster, which seemed to be a component of a bigger Pegasus-themed combination weapon. The text was a bit too small, but she squinted in an attempt to read it…jumping away from an energy blast from the monster. Also dismissing that option, she rolled to one side as Applejack and Twilight crashed together in a heap, their suits smoking. Scrolling down more, she saw an option called Pie Fling which intrigued her. Flicking her eyes over the text, she nodded to herself and looked up at what was going on.
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were flying around the monster and were dive bombing it with tail swipes, Rarity was helping Twilight and Applejack up and was charging her horn for something. The creature was being hit from all directions and randomly firing its lasers pretty inefficiently. Pinkie could see if the creature thought about the target and adjusted its power output; it could destroy the group in one shot. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she bounced toward the monster and ducked as Rarity used her magic to fling a giant boulder at it. Jumping up, she bounced on the rock and dived straight down at the monster…accidentally activating the Smile Slicer. In a muted pink flash, the metallic covering on her tail had morphed into something similar to Gummy’s tail – spiky and sharpish on one side with a soft underside…but it was metal, so there would be no soft side. Why did she think she needed to take a break so it would be easier on the readers? And why would they be readers anyway?
Dismissing the thought, she used her momentum to somersault through the air. She hoped that the spiky side of her tail would hit the monster and do something to it…but if it didn’t. Oh well, live and learn. Either by sheer luck or coincidence, the spikes on her tail connected with the bony plates on the chest with a loud crunch. Pulling her tail away from the creature, Pinkie grimaced as she surveyed the damage.
The front of the armour had a jagged hole in it and some of the bony shards were driven inward. Frothy yellow liquid dribbled out of the cuts which smelled like old, rotting fish. Pinkie gagged and regrouped with the others, making sure she deselected the Smile Slicer. As they watched the injured monster try to slowly extract the bone shards from its chest, Billy’s voice crackled in their helmets.
“Girls, the Element Blasters have been configured. The command for a single shot is ‘Fire’. For a charged shot, the command is ‘Charge and fire’. Aim for the weakest spot and it will increase the damage.”
Twilight snorted heartily in response and glanced up at the sky. Thick clouds of smoke were still obscuring the sky, but dusk was rapidly approaching. They had to wrap this up quickly and begin the cleanup operations, though she knew they would take much longer than usual. Scrolling through the weapon menus in her helmet, she selected the Magic Shot and felt her Element crystal grow warm. At once, the display in her helmet changed to a strange cross circle image that seemed to be directed by her eyes. Swallowing hard, she aimed the cross image at the monster and shouted out one word.
“Fire!”
A star shaped bolt of purple energy erupted from her Element Crystal and struck the monster’s head and shattering its helmet. As it roared in pain, she shared a look with her friends and nodded once. Well, she nodded at her friends but sharing looks were kind of hard when looking out from an opaque visor. Rolling her eyes, she aimed her cross circle image thing at the wound on the monsters chest and vocalised the deathblow.
“Charge…”
Five other voices followed. Applejack’s confidence, Rarity’s determination, Rainbow’s fierceness, Fluttershy’s courage and Pinkie’s…utter randomness. One by one, their Element Crystals crackled with power and magic, slowly charging up the fatal discharges.
“And…FIRE!”
Unknown Location
Zedd snapped off his vision in anger. He had to make his creature grow. Holding out his good hand, he summoned the classis growth grenade to him…only to have it disintegrate within seconds. Snarling in rage, he pointed his staff towards the battle and muttered the ages-old spell under his breath. All he got was a brief burst of sparks…and nothing. He roared in rage – until a voice broke his enraged screaming.
“Lord Zedd...energy is dependant on empire. Only two of us. Not much energy. Must grow and punish first.”
He looked away from the mouth of the cavern and focused on the twisted mass in front of him that had once been a unicorn. Faintly, he heard the explosion that signified the death of Pirhantishead and nodded sagely. He motioned for the former unicorn to keep going.
“Ally awaits on Deinos Terra Firma. Third continent far from here. Once legend but is true. Discord will come again.”
Zedd stroked his chin with his good hand and sat on his obsidian throne. There were always other ways to make monsters grow and if his new minion was correct…well, that was one way to rebuild his empire. Stepping out into the light, he revelled in what his merge had done to the washed up unicorn. Tentatively balancing on two misshapen legs, the azure pony stared at its bony hands in a mixture of delight and revulsion. Shuddering as if recalling some horrible memory, it reached up and clutched at the tatters of a purple cloak studded with stars. The unicorn looked up at Zedd with an insane glint in her eyes and an unsteady voice.
“Yes, Zedd must make them pay. Pay for what they do to Tricksy!”
TBC…
Author's Note
One of the first real battles. Where everything is still relatively innocent.
And this is when I rewatched Boast Busters and thought of Trixie being the perfect pony for Zedd's assistant. Of course, she had to be...changed, but it was a change that needed to happen for Zedd to take physical form. Due to the physical and mental nature of the merging, Tricksy sees Zedd as an abusive lover of sorts. Her devotion to him slowly grows while her body shifts and changes to accommodate her slowly awakening powers.
Element Blasters, Tail Blades and the Boomer Blaster introduced, as well as the HUD menu system I introduced in The Ultra Crystals. Also introduced is the notion that Zedd's powers are dependant on the number of followers he has which kinda fell to the wayside once more.
And hey, Discord. But not as you know him.
Pinkie Note: He always leaves the door unlocked. Not sure why. Anyway, the licensed stuff isn’t his. Which is pretty much everything. Hmm. Oh well. He said it’s a short chapter because he has something up his sleeve…but I don’t know what it is cause he said I can’t look cause I get stuck and he gets stuck and…gotta go, here he comes! Oh! He had to edit this cause he forgot about something and had to gel everything up! So it’ll flow better and stuff!
Enjoy everypony!
Chapter 7: Celebration
Inside the temporary Command Outpost, spirits were high and voices were raised in celebration. Just mere moments ago, the six newly minted Power Rangers had seen a terrible creature destroyed by their power. Both Princesses celebrated happily, while Billy and Dimitria conversed quietly in a corner.
“Billy, you must tell them about the enemy. They heard the monster speak the name of Zedd and they will be curious about him.”
Billy sighed softly and looked at the partying ponies. Twilight was laughing wildly as she was lifted up on the backs of the two pegasi. Applejack and Rarity were conversing animatedly with the Cutie Mark Crusaders – even Scootaloo…who had thankfully avoided the crisis in Ponyville but had been teleported to the Outpost by Spike…once he learned how to use the teleporter.
“I know Dimitria. I also have to tell them lots of things, but for now…just let them enjoy their first victory. I will tell them about the rules but after that I need to check on the construction.”
Dimitria sighed and nodded. Out of all the former Rangers that could have come to this new dimension, she was glad that Billy had jumped at the chance. Of course, she knew he was running away from a painful past but as long as he guided the Rangers wisely. Looking around the temporary Outpost, she shot a questioning look to Celestia. The monarch was confused for a moment until she nodded sharply.
Clearing her throat lightly, Princess Celestia quickly quieted the conversation in the chamber and smiled warmly.
“Rangers. It is time you left this Outpost and moved to your permanent Command Tower. I fear that our enemy will easily be able to find us if we stay.”
Twilight nodded at the Princess’ proclamation but felt an odd sense of melancholy flood her. Even though she had only seen the Outpost for a few minutes, it already felt like a second home. As she voiced these thoughts, she could see the others nodding in agreement. The Princess looked at her sister in silent conferral before glancing once at Billy. The human turned and tapped at something, switching all the screens off.
“All right everyone, remember what I said. Don’t tense up and you’ll be fine”
Twilight’s world disappeared into bright purple sparkles and she felt herself being stretched up like a spring…or one of Pinkie’s crazy slings. Around her, she could hear surprised giggles coming from the Cutie Mark Crusaders…as well as a grunt of surprise from Spike. When she…reformed, for a lack of a better word, she gasped in wonder and amazement. She had seen the technology in the temporary Outpost and had been amazed, but this…the lights and screens…
They were standing in a long hall that was decorated regally. The waning light shone in through windows that were decorated with images from ages long past – images both from Equestria and…from wherever Billy was from. Thick marble columns supported an arching roof which was painted in wondrous symbols and images. Placed at various intervals were similar metallic boxes with various screens and buttons on them. At the head of the room was a strange cylinder that seemed to be made out of glass. The figure called Dimitria lightly cleared her throat and spoke.
“Welcome to the Command Tower. You will stay here until Ponyville is rebuilt.”
Twilight slowly walked down the hall, gazing at the sights around her. She could hear excited chatter and whisperings and was surprised as Spike leapt onto her back and pointed out excitedly.
“Twi, look! We’re in Canterlot!”
Looking out the windows, she felt her jaw drop open yet again. The entire Palace was spread out below her and she could easily see her old home. Her eyes swung to both Princesses who smiled and laughed behind their hooves. She saw Billy walk to one of the windows to look out in awe and exchange a few words with Princess Luna.
Seeing that all the everyponies attention was off her, Dimitria levitated up to the tube and settled inside it. Technically, she could survive outside the tube but it fatigued her and it was too much of a strain to receive messages from the others. This way, it would be much easier to stay connected to the Rangers and both dimensions. Clearing her throat, she smiled as everyone’s eyes turned to her. She smiled behind her veil and addressed the Rangers and their friends.
“You six are the bravest heroes Equestria could ask for. When an opportunity to defend your home was presented, you grabbed it with hooves outstretched. It is with great honour, as a Morphin Master, that I grant you the official title of Equestria Rangers!”
All six Rangers smiled and bowed their heads while the Cutie Mark Crusaders and both Princesses stomped their hooves in delight. Slowly, the din faded as a strange sound filled the air. It sounded like two bowls knocking against each other, but it was more organic. As Twilight looked up, she saw Billy slapping both of his hands together. He looked down with a slight smile on his face and spoke.
“Well done, Rangers. Twilight Sparkle, as one Ranger to another, I can say that you lead your team to great victory. I expect you all have a great deal of questions, but they can wait. I’ve never been prouder to know such a close and strong group of Rangers as you.”
Twilight ducked her head and blushed as everyone cheered and laughed. She was about to say something, when Billy started speaking again – this time in a more serious tone.
“Now that you have become Power Rangers, you must follow three simple rules or you will lose the protection of the Power. One, never use your power for personal gain. Two, never escalate a battle unless forced. Three – and this is the most important rule – keep your identity a secret. Besides close family, myself, Dimitria and the Princesses, no pony must know you are a Power Ranger.”
In unison, all six Rangers nodded. They respected the gravity of the situation and the responsibility of the Power placed upon them. They had unanimously accepted that the life they had before was gone – never to return. As Applejack reflected on their decision, it was in a way like Ponyville. The Ponyville that had stood for Celestia knew how many years was gone and a new start lay ahead. She hoped Big Macintosh and Granny Smith were all right in Sweet Apple Acres. The destruction may not have gone that far but sound travelled and smoke lingered. Billy spoke again, his voice taking on a wistful tone.
“The days ahead will be long and the battles hard. Never give up hope. You six were chosen by the Elements of Harmony to become saviours before you became Rangers. All of Equestria is counting on you.”
Billy paused and swallowed a lump in his throat. No matter how much bitterness he held toward Zordon, the next words would always hold a very special meaning to all Rangers.
“May the Power protect you.”
TBC…
Disclaimer: Power Rangers = Saban. My Little Pony = Hasbro. Discord (based on the Horse Orphnoch from Kamen Rider 555) = Hasbro and Toei. Anything you don’t recognise = mine. All clear on that? Good. Enjoy.
Chapter 8: Awakening
The sun beat down on the barren ground. As far as the eye could see, there were no trees or bushes or anything green. Tufts of seemingly dry grasses forced through the cracked ground and one could see zebras eating and collecting them in the distance. The only respite from the blazing heat was the night. The two figures walking the plains didn’t care for any of that.
Lord Zedd snarled through his grille and looked at his travelling companion. The unicorn once known as Trixie was useful when the fog of insanity lifted from her mind. He supposed that he was to blame for the insanity, but a quick look into her mind suggested otherwise. He shuddered lightly as he thought of the images he had seen. Not that he was afraid of them, just that even for him they were a bit unsettling…even for him.
The deranged unicorn had regurgitated a good bit of information about Discord and what she knew. From what he could make out of her jumbled words, Discord was a warrior that had managed to overthrow the ruling monarchy for a short period. Any creature who dared to stand up to the Princess of the Sun was a worthy ally, especially now with the new Power Rangers about.
He gripped his staff tighter as he thought about the day’s events. Power Rangers had stopped the glorious return of his empire – both familiar Rangers and unfamiliar. The old Blue Ranger would be a nuisance except Zedd was certain that the Power Coins were destroyed. One or two may have resurfaced and repaired in the “home” dimension, but that was there. He stopped his train of thought as his twisted minion came closer.
“Where is this prison? If you’ve wasted my time here worm, I will destroy you!”
Trixie – or Tricksy as she called herself now – pointed the shattered stub of her horn in one direction. Light blue sparks of magic issued forth and seemed to fizzle out. Focusing through the constant agony of her mutating flesh, she nodded once and spoke.
“Prison close. Not far. Master, Discord may not be so gracious to your attempt to free him.”
Zedd nodded and focused his vision in the direction Tricksy had indicated. He disliked the heat as it slowly cooked the topmost layer of his exposed flesh and his brain. If he didn’t get out of this heat soon his reign of terror would be over before it began. Through the haze of the heat, a tower of some sort could be faintly seen in his field of vision. Not wanting to waste any more time in the blistering heat, he reached down and grabbed Tricksy by her remaining wisps of mane and vanished in a shower of sparks.
Tomb of Discord
For the billionth time, Discord was bored. The ponies he had been imprisoned with only lasted for so long until they died or killed themselves. He supposed the last one had to do with his…eccentricities. On the other hand they would have gone mad eventually – even without the whole eating of the dead bit. Idly, he wished Celestia had gone all the way and encased him in stone instead of imprisoning him. She would have probably put him out in the Palace gardens, tied a ball on a string on his horn and played tetherball. Or kept him as a macabre trophy and something to scare the little fillies with.
Reaching up, he adjusted his helmet and bowed to an imaginary dance partner. Keeping time to an invisible beat, he began dancing a Viennese waltz with a partner that seemed to be better than him. A change in the air made him miss a beat and stumble his steps. Pausing the music in his head, he stuck out his tongue and tasted the charge. Two beings; one strangely unicorn-ish and the other magical humanoid mishmash of space and pony. In other words, it was odd. As he felt a tingling in the air, he rolled his eyes. If magic could breach the walls, he would have been out within a few days of his imprisonment.
As expected, the first blast had no effect. He wanted to tell the beings that they were wasting their time…but he didn’t think his voice would reach the outside. Also, he wanted to save his voice for the turning. Yes, those outside would serve well as his personal guards…and if they didn’t. Well, he knew what would happen then. Rolling his eyes, he paced away from the wall and lay down on the ground. He wished Celestia had thought to put a window in somewhere but maybe that was only reserved for family.
A drilling sound broke him out of his boredom. Drilling would be a smart thing to do but even with a magical drill it would…be…impossible.
A slight cracking sound was all the warning received before the “impenetrable” stone prison came crashing down. Coughing through all the dust and grime, he stared out into the haze and took in his new servants. One was a horrid mess of twisted flesh that somewhat resembled an azure unicorn…although its horn was shattered beyond repair. He swallowed down his bile as he realised the flesh was slowly twisting and warping and if he listened hard enough, he could hear bones cracking and snapping together. He didn’t know what the unicorn had been in direct contact with recently, but whatever it was, it was gradually mutating the body.
The other figure was a menacing humanoid with silver and chrome armour and strange tubes running over its body. It had no skin and seemingly no skull. Where its face would be was an emotionless mask of steel and its brain pulsed slowly. Squinting in the light, Discord thought he could see eyes behind the blood red visor, but dismissed it as a trick of the light. The chrome and flesh humanoid seemed to exude an evil essence that eclipsed his. As a wicked grin crept over his face, he prepared to induct them into his fold. He knew his voice was smooth like honey…and that honey would ensnare his prey easily.
“My friends, I thank you for freeing me. We will usher in a new reign and overthrow Celestia once again.”
Lord Zedd growled under his breath as he felt the subliminal magic in the horseman’s words activate. Silently shaking the feeble spell loose, he took in his first look at the feared Discord. The figure was standing on two legs and seemed to be steady. He was clad in armour that looked like it had come from Ancient Greece and had polished unicorn skulls as macabre shoulder pads. Zedd could see the horseman’s primary weapon was a short staff or spear that was sheathed on his back and a short sword dangled from his hip.
Practically encasing its equine head was a bronze helmet that was studded with diamonds with small eye slots and a hole for his horn. He wasn’t sure if Discord had wings, but he wouldn’t be surprised if he had them. The most interesting feature of Discord’s armour in Zedd’s opinion was the hands. They were sheathed in gauntlets that seemed to be made from teeth and bone.
“Yes, we will overthrow Celestia and you will become my Royal Guard”
Zedd glanced at Tricksy and rolled his eyes. The mutating unicorn was being sucked into Discord’s spiel and was almost grovelling at the humanoid unicorn’s feet. Stepping forward, he raised his staff and swung it down on Tricksy’s back – sending the pseudo-unicorn sprawling. He radiated red from within and his voice was molten steel.
“Get up, worm! You serve Lord Zedd and not this pathetic husk!”
Rounding on the confused and slightly freaked out Discord, Zedd pointed his staff at him and growled out his ultimatum.
“Join me or die here.”
TBC…
Author's Note
All right. Here's where the explanation begins to Discord's appearance (cause even though this is AU, some people think all things are the same). This was planned out before The Return of Harmony aired, when the fandom was wondering what Discord would look like. One of the suggestions was another alicorn, yet I didn't want another alicorn in my story just yet. As Zedd is now a crocodilian/pony thing, I wanted Discord to be a bipedal 'general' to be in line with Goldar. And even though Discord is a pony, he has hands (somethin I keep forgetting in later chapters)
And, yes, I will be uploading Equestria 101 for the side chapters.
Pinkie Note: Hi readers, Pinkie Pie here again! I managed to enter as the author said he had to lie down after writing something that showcased how evil Zedd was…or something like that! My Little Pony is Hasbro’s and Power Rangers is Saban’s. Everything you don’t recognise is the author’s own IP…except Discord which comes from Toei up till the point where the wings come out. And this chapter and only this one is rated M for slight gore. Maybe not slight as he looked green, but he’s used to gory stuff anyway.
Enjoy!
Chapter 9: Submission
Metal clashed with metal as Tricksy watched her Master duel Discord. The humanoid unicorn had chosen the short sword instead of the spear and was faring badly. She knew her master had the advantage as with the large Z on his staff, he was able to counter slashes more easily. Reclining against the shattered foundations of the prison, she lazily looked up at the sky. Judging by the position of the sun, the two warlords had been clashing for roughly three hours non-stop. Luckily the heat had faded as it was rapidly approaching dusk. Yawning behind a hoof, she watched the two fighters with disinterest.
“Join you? Why not join me? I can give you everything!”
Discord’s mind whirled. He didn’t know why this flesh man was immune to his words. Everypony in the past had fallen for him as soon as he opened his mouth and had followed him unquestioningly. He supposed that was why his original Cutie Mark had been an open mouth, but that had changed during his imprisonment. What it looked like now, he had no idea but he was willing to bet it was something to do with blood. Raising his sword up, he cried out in surprise as it was ripped out of his grip by the Z staff. The next thing he felt were chrome tipped fingers grasping his throat.
“Listen to me, you pathetic slug. I freed you from your imprisonment and I can erase you from existence. You will serve me or you will die where you stand!”
Discord would have laughed if he wasn’t being strangled. He struggled to breathe, but the grip of his assailant was too strong. He only had one chance for freedom, but it would require split second timing.
Lord Zedd snarled through his grille and looked down at Discord. Frankly, the relic in his grasp was as dangerous to him as a cold would be to a human. He had to humour any potential warrior of course, but this one was wearing him thin. Suddenly, two wings popped out of Discord’s back. Zedd’s grip faltered for a second, but only one second was all it took for Discord to extricate himself from Zedd’s grasp.
Cursing in the forgotten tongues of his homeworld, Lord Zedd looked up to see the humanoid alicorn laughing. His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the shape of the wings. One was the normal birdlike wing, complete with feathers. The other looked like a skeletal dragon wing with a blood-red membrane. He laughed as Discord finally unsheathed his short spear, causing the alicorn to question why. The Dark Lord answered in a sly voice.
“You were harder to defeat with your sword. Now, I can just do…THIS!”
In one fluid movement, Zedd tossed his staff into the air, caught it above the spiked bottom and cleaved it down through the air faster than Discord could move. With an ear ringing clatter, Discord’s spear shattered into three pieces. Recovering from the shock, Discord’s eyes narrowed dangerously and he snorted under his helmet. Flapping both wings, he flew up to a great height and paused to survey the world around him in the quiet time of early evening.
Even from the great height, he could feel the intense heat radiating from the barren land beneath his hooves. Tasting the air currents, he could tell that the Dragon clans were still fighting amongst themselves and that Drakor’s son Dryken was still on the ‘throne’. Dryken was sitting on the throne until the first laid was mature enough to journey into their lands and take that strange artefact the rulers guarded. It was all horse manure anyway and no hatchlings could survive on Draconis without parental guidance. From the distant glow radiating from the north, he knew Equestria was still standing. It would be pristine and ripe for the pillaging and Celestia would be in shock when he reappeared. Her head would look good on his wall or as the centrepiece of his victory banquet.
Sparing a quick glance to the rising moon, his eyes widened in shock as the familiar shape of Nightmare Moon was missing from its cratered surface. What was more disturbing was that the four stars that had orbited the heavenly body had vanished. If he knew his Equestrian History, the missing stars would be causing a lot of trouble in the future. Or rather, what was imprisoned in those stars…
He would worry about that later – after he had disposed of this wannabe tyrant. Flapping his wings a few more times, he reached the apex of his flight and looked down. The red humanoid was still there, waving that oddly familiar staff around. The name had stuck in his mind for some reason as well…something about an evil from another plane coming and destroying all? It sounded like something out of a story or one of Celestia’s prophecies that were about as prophetic as “The sun will rise tomorrow” or “The kitchen will explode as soon as I set hoof in it”
All right…maybe that last one had been his fault. He tucked in his wings and felt the pull of gravity instantaneously. Angling his body down, he quickly gained momentum all in preparation for a single killing blow. Shutting his eyes against the screaming winds, he didn’t see the warlord do something very odd with his staff.
But he felt it.
Unimaginable pain flooded his senses as he crashed to the ground in a crumpled heap. As he struggled to get to his hooves, he noticed two things. One: his helmet was not on his head. In fact, it was laying at the Dark Lord’s feet, complete with a large bulge at the bottom and a strange bloodstain around the hole for his horn. Two: his horn was not on his head. Reaching up to his head with a hand, he felt for where it should have been…only to feel nothing but a ragged hole studded with slivers of fused bone. Blood poured from the gaping wound and it was all Discord could do not to throw up.
“Well, it seems you have lost you magic. With the loss of you horn, you are unworthy of my time. However, you have other skills that are useful to me.”
Discord weakly looked up through the curtain of dripping crimson and weakly tried to save himself. He could see his majestic horn that was gripped unceremoniously in a chrome tipped hand. He was about to pass out when a bright flare of light took the pain away as well as the curtain of blood splattered on his face. Feeling his energy and strength return to him, he slowly climbed to a kneeling position and heard the next words from the figure above him.
“You will serve me as my general and you will command my armies to crush the regime of Celestia.”
Craning his head up, Discord saw his horn being tightly gripped – almost to breaking point – and he cried out in protest. Zedd smacked his head with the remains of his helmet and sneered.
“I will do what I want with my servants, including body parts of my servants. Disagree and I will end your life quickly. Agree and serve me so one day I may return a horn to you.”
The humanoid former alicorn thought quickly. After a mere moment of hesitation, he slowly nodded once and practically spat out the next words.
“I serve you loyally, my Lord. I will do whatever you wish so that, one day, my horn will be returned.”
Lord Zedd laughed uproariously as he magically jerked the winged humanoid to its feet and slowly sliced off the tip of the bloody horn, enjoying the pained look on Discord’s face. Using ancient magic he telekinetically thrust the tip deep into Tricksy’s body, enjoying the pained gasps from the twisted mass of mutating flesh. With the rest of the horn in one fist, he squeezed the appendage tighter – hearing it crack.
“You fool. I merely said I would return a horn to you.”
Discord’s eyes widened as his horn shattered in Zedd’s grip and felt his stomach drop. He watched as the remnants ground against each other quickly to produce a fine-grained dust. He squeezed his eyes shut as he heard Zedd pull one of the tubes from his body and when he opened them again, the powdered horn was no longer within sight.
“I never said it would be your horn.”
TBC…
Author's Note
Ouch. Maybe Discord surrendered a bit too quickly but having one's horn ripped from your skull will make you agree to anything. Of course, he will get his magic back but it's not in this story.
And hey! Foreshadowing of the 'four stars'...but at this point, I seriously hadn't thought much about them other than 'something for future-me to deal with'.
Disclaimer: Power Rangers = Saban. My Little Pony = Hasbro. Anything that resembles any other bit of copyrighted or trademarked material = their respective owners. Anything you don’t recognise that isn’t trademarked or copyrighted = mine. Enjoy.
Chapter 10: Dark Skies
It had been three days since the initial battle and everypony was restless. The rebuilding of Ponyville was slow and strange rumours were flying around. One particular rumour was that when the creature had attacked, it had been driven off by another fiercer monster who had taken the lives of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Of course, the “Bearers of Harmony killed” part had been debunked over and over again – as the bearers in question had been seen helping the reconstruction – but the so-called second monster was harder to disprove.
“I saw it! It had a blue and white body with a silver nose and white claws! It zapped the fish away and turned to the bearers hungrily!”
Applebloom turned away from Snips and sighed to herself. She and her big sister had been in that group of ponies and knew both who the supposed monster was and how the battle had ultimately turned out. Unfortunately, she had been sworn to secrecy by both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. It wasn’t all that bad though. School had been cancelled for the duration of the cleanup and rebuilding, so that left lots of time for the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Tensing up at the sound of magic, she looked down to her right front leg where a thin strip of metal was wrapped.
“Applebloom, watch out!”
At the yell, Applebloom instinctively jumped backwards and lightly reared up…just as a slightly charred pile of wood crashed in front of her. Falling onto her rump, she blinked in shock as a familiar purple head came into her field of vision.
“Twilight…what’re you doin’? What’s that?”
The unicorn blinked once and smiled sheepishly. Since the bestowing of the Ranger powers, her magic ability had grown exponentially. What would have once drained her of all her energy was almost second nature to her. She was even starting to learn magic from Billy’s dimension via Dimitria – although it was limited to simple kinetic bolts and binding spells. Realising she had yet to answer the filly’s question, she smiled again.
“This is one of the larger salvageable parts of the Treebrary. Unfortunately, most of the books were destroyed, but both Princesses are helping me rebuild.”
Well, that was mostly true. Princess Celestia had allowed her back into Canterlot Library to see what books needed to be duplicated and Princess Luna had allowed her exclusive access into her own private collection. So far, she hadn’t taken up Princess Luna’s offer yet as she needed to rebuild the Treebrary to its former glory. She had also been surprised by Billy’s offer to browse the small number of books he had brought over and she was fascinated by the titles. The only problems with those books were the pictures and diagrams that showed human silhouettes and figures; which would be somewhat difficult to explain to other ponies. Looking at Applebloom again, her brow furrowed.
“Where’s Applejack?”
Applebloom rose to her feet and thought hard. She knew she had talked with Billy about something a day or so ago and was sticking real close to the human. Of course, that had been after Rarity had been teased after waking up in Billy’s room and after said human had been grilled by Rarity for sneaking off in the night. Sometimes it all went over her head, but she knew she’d get it when she was older. She hoped anyway.
“She’s up in Canterlot Crags wit’ Billy ‘nd Fluttershy doin’ some work for the base.”
Quickly looking around them to see if anyone was listening, Twilight pulled Applebloom towards her and spoke in an urgent and hushed tone.
“Applebloom, remember to keep your voice down in Ponyville. We’re not ready to be revealed yet.”
As Applebloom nodded once before scampering off to find the other Crusaders, Twilight thought about what the young filly had told her. Applejack was at Canterlot Crags with Fluttershy and Billy? She wondered what they were doing, but dismissed it. The human was always working on something or another to increase security and surveillance. If he was there, everything would work out for the best.
Canterlot Crags
The crags below Canterlot are not places ponies should be. The winds whip up at excesses of 80 km/ph and there are not many flat places. Despite all this, Billy measured out the outline for the door and nodded to the orange Earth pony standing nearby. With the wind whipping her blonde mane about, she lowered her head and charged at the rocky wall. With split second timing honed by years of applebucking, she turned on a dime and slammed her hind legs into the rock, making the ground quake a small amount.
Squinting at the damage done to the wall, Billy consulted his blueprints and shook his head with a sigh. He leant over the edge of the path and yelled over the howling wind.
“Fluttershy, it’s safe! You can tell them to help you up!”
To the sound of heavy wings, Fluttershy appeared on the back of two griffons that had been nesting below the working area. As they alighted on the stone, the yellow Pegasus pony jumped off and stammered out thanks. The larger male griffon bent his head down and looked the pony in the eye.
“You don’t have to thank us. We are proud to help one of the Bearers of Harmony.”
As the two griffons took flight, Billy mused over the blueprints once more. The Ranger powers had strengthened the ponies’ natural abilities tenfold and had elevated their stamina to levels on par with Earthbound Rangers. He had seen Twilight Sparkle and Rarity study magic with Dimitria and Princess Celestia as well as poking his head in on Pinkie Pie as she tried to break Equestria’s Land Speed record…not to mention the shakes that always seemed to happed whenever Applejack tested out her kicks unmorphed. The only ponies that seemed to have no obvious enhancements were the pegasi. Sure, they were as strong as the others but their speeds seemed the same. He’d have to check Rainbow Dash again and have that talk with her…but if it went in the same direction as Applejack’s…
“B-Billy? I don’t mean to rush you, b-but what do we do now?”
Fluttershy’s voice broke him out of his thoughts and he sighed. He would have to break out the rock cutting tools at night and pray the wind masked the crunching sound. If that didn’t work, there was always his backup plan…but he needed a spotter for that to have any chance of keeping their cover.
“Sorry girls, looks like we won’t be getting much done today. You’d better go back to Ponyville to help with the cleanup.”
Applejack reclaimed her Stetson from Fluttershy and nodded once. She had wanted to spend some time with the human and finish their talk, but he seemed to become a mite uncomfortable with the topics raised. She didn’t want to push him but at the same time, she desperately wanted his opinion…when he had digested the information, he would talk to her. Huddling around the human, she nodded once.
Nodding back, Billy tucked the blueprints under his arm and raised his left wrist. Tugging back the sleeve, he made sure the Rangers were close by and pressed a button on the side of his communicator and they vanished in three coloured streams of light.
Once they rematerialised in the Command Tower, they saw Princess Celestia standing with an anxious look on her muzzle. Billy felt his stomach drop as he remembered seeing that look all those months ago when the Princess was informing him of…but he couldn’t be free. Noting the silent question on his face, Celestia nodded grimly and spoke the words Billy had been dreading since learning of the subject.
“Discord is free.”
TBC…
Author's Note
A bit about the gossip pertaining to the Rangers, a conversation between Applejack and Billy (which I had planned but, at this point, had not written out yet) and Discord being freed.
Disclaimer: Still don’t own 95% of what you read. Remaining 5% is mine. Enjoy!
Chapter 11: Long, Long Ago…
Applejack looked to the Princess quizzically. Discord being free seemed like a bad thing, but who was Discord and why were the Princess and Billy acting so strangely? She was about to ask the question, when Billy raced to one of the consoles, pressed a button and spoke aloud.
“Rangers, teleport to the Command Tower. This is an emergency.”
Fluttershy heard the graveness in Billy’s voice and gulped nervously. As an extremely non-violent Pegasus, she was the most apprehensive about the whole “Power Ranger” business. The first battle had been all right as she had been working off the collective excitement but now…now it just seemed like everything was crashing on them at once.
Four beams of light entered the Command Tower and coalesced into the remaining Rangers. Billy cast a critical eye over them and checked them for signs of…well, to be honest he wasn’t really sure what. Everything seemed to check out and he nodded once to the Princess, a sign for her to start explaining.
“Thank you all for coming here everypony. The day I have feared gravely has come to pass. An ancient evil known as Discord has broken free from his prison.”
Twilight looked from Celestia to Billy. Both had extremely grave and serious expressions and the Princess seemed to be…scared? In a curious voice, she asked who Discord was. Blinking once, Princess Celestia trotted over to one of the covered windows, inhaled deeply and drew back the curtains that shrouded it from view. The image that was forever preserved left all the Rangers stunned speechless.
A black alicorn was rearing up on its hind legs with both wings splayed wide and wreathed in flames. Around it were images of terrifying chaos and horrendous violence. The ground under the hooves of the alicorn seemed to be splattered with blood. On the edges of the image were more flames and hints of lightning. Princess Celestia inhaled deeply as she saw the image once more and began speaking.
“No one knows how Discord came to be. Most historical texts regard him as a unicorn that possessed the ability to control the minds of others with one word. Somewhere along the line, he gained wings and much more. He rose up against me right after I had banished Nightmare Moon but I defeated him then. He waited and gathered his strength for one hundred years, somehow amassing enough energy to extend his lifespan indefinitely…and gaining the ability to walk on his hind legs.”
Billy nodded absentmindedly as he processed the information. He knew the Princess had omitted the first uprising during her tale, but that was neither here nor there. If Discord was free, then there was only one guess as to who had freed him – Zedd. There was no doubt in his mind that Zedd had freed Discord to swell his ranks. Edward Steel had informed him before he left that Zedd’s power was dependant on his followers and the size of his army. There was also some dependence on the power that the general possessed…which answered his question of why he spiralled downward after accepting Goldar into his Empire. As he processed the information, he kept listening to Celestia’s information.
“One hundred years to the day that I had defeated him, he attacked Canterlot with his army. The battle was fierce and raged on for many days. I only had enough time to gather up the Elements of Harmony and escape into the Everfree Forest. Discord won and positioned himself as Head of the Body of Equestria.”
Fluttershy chuckled nervously but squashed her growing fear. Discord sounded much worse than Nightmare Moon. To overthrow Princess Celestia was one thing, but to send her fleeing Canterlot in fear was another thing altogether. Silently, she crept behind Applejack and hid behind her, while listening for information.
“Discord ruled all of Equestria for six months. During that time, he saw all with his Eyes of Discord which were highly valued members of his inner circle known for their loyalty and trustworthiness. To many ponies born under his chaotic rule, he was known as the Sanity Devourer as it was said that he devoured sanity from every pony he touched. Indeed, many ponies killed themselves soon after he left Canterlot.”
Twilight Sparkle blinked and shook her head in astonishment. An alicorn that had the power to seemingly drink sanity from ponies seemed like something from fiction, but judging from the grave expression on her mentor’s face, it was anything but. She was about to ask why six months were enough for Discord to cement himself as Supreme Leader, but Princess Celestia’s words let the question die unasked.
“Discord had another strange ability besides his silver tongue. He had the ability to slow time down all over Equestria…except in the Everfree Forest. No one knows why the Everfree Forest was exempt, but I’m glad it was. Most fortuitously, it seems that ability was stripped from him during his imprisonment. The question is – who freed him? He couldn’t have broken out on his own?”
“Zedd.”
Billy’s sharp voice made all heads turn to him. Even if Zedd had made landfall a few days ago, he would be strong enough to break someone out of an impenetrable stone prison. Doing that would be mere child’s play to one as powerful as him. Sensing that the Princess was waiting for more explanation, he sighed internally.
“When he first arrived on Earth, Lord Zedd wasted no time in displaying his massive power by way of stripping the Morphin energy from our Dinozords and casting them into a pit of magma. Later, he created a monster to completely drain the powers of the Green Ranger. He left Earth after the Machine Empire arrived, but he continued his destruction in other places. He has boundless raw magical energy at his disposal and should not be confronted until you are ready.”
From her position behind Applejack’s rump, Fluttershy squeaked nervously. She didn’t know what Dinozords or the Machine Empire, but she did know how powerful being morphed felt. If this Zedd could create a monster to drain ones powers…she started shaking nervously. Taking a quick glance behind her, Applejack sighed and rolled her eyes at the nervous Pegasus. As Billy continued, she shared a glance with Rainbow Dash before returning her attention to the human.
“The only Ranger to ever face off against Zedd and come away somewhat victoriously was our White Ranger – Tommy Oliver. He used his enchanted blade to break Zedd’s staff, but he was extremely lucky. I would not go up against Zedd himself unless I had no other choice.”
Location Unknown
“Discord, it is time for you to make yourself known. Revisit your old stomping grounds in Canterlot and leave no one alive.”
Discord grimaced but bowed at his master’s voice. He rubbed a hand over the sealed hole where his horn was and growled. He would do as the flesh man commanded for now. Striding off, he felt a tingle of energy enter his body and he paused. Squinting in the dim light, he could almost see his body…growing? With another few steps, he was free of the cave but had grown as tall as the canopy overhead. Glancing back at his master, he saw the dark Lord was glowing darkly. One final burst of power and he was almost as tall as Canterlot Tower. A murderous grin wormed its way across Discord’s face as he spied Canterlot in the distance.
This was going to be fun…
TBC…
Author's Note
The Rangers are briefed on Discord. Originally, I had his backstory as 'popping into existence' and that stayed for a damn long time until I wondered this: What if no one knew where Discord came from because the records had been destroyed? Who would write down records relating to Discord? A friend? A family member?
And, yes, I was listening to the ED to Kamen Rider Black...
Notes revealed in Equestria 101:
Pinkie Note: Hey all! It’s getting exciting isn’t it! I know it is, but the author has more planned and the copyrighted stuff isn’t his but he wants it to be but its better that it isn’t cause it would boost his cashflow by a lot and he’d not know what to do with it…and that would be a bad thing. Enjoy everypony…while I attempt to stop the author from banging his head more.
Chapter 12: Fearing Evil
Zedd growled under his breath as he massaged his brain with his hoof-like hand. Discord was too dramatic. Instead of flying toward Canterlot, he was slowly walking there without a care in the world. Groaning under his breath, he pointed his staff in the direction of the mountain city and mumbled another incantation. Six white spheres of energy burst from the Z and flew towards Canterlot.
Grinning as much as he could, Zedd focused his vision on Canterlot and chuckled. Let the Blue Ranger come with his pathetic wannabe Rangers. They would fall easily and he would have the world in the palm of his hand.
Canterlot Tower
No sooner had the words left Billy’s lips, an alarm sounded from one of the consoles. Eyes widening, Billy rushed to the main viewscreen followed by the ponies and the Princess. Fingers flying on the keys, he tracked the disturbance and pinpointed it on the main screen. As the image slowly appeared, he turned to address the Rangers.
“This is it, guys. Zedd has made the first formal move. He’s sent out a group of foot soldiers and they are terrorizing the citizens. I’m also getting readings of a large object heading this way from the Everfree Forest, but I’ll keep an eye on that.”
As the image cleared, all eyes snapped to it. On the screen, six grey centaurs with red eyes could be seen attacking. Ponies everywhere scattered as the lead centaur breathed fire from its maw – severely scorching three Royal Guards. As their bodies fell, the centaurs trampled on them and flexed their arms. Billy swallowed hard and scanned them for any sign of weakness. Seeing no obvious ones, he grimaced. Apparently Zedd had learned from the Z Putties and had been paying attention to the later grunts that had sprung up. He turned to the Rangers.
“Right now, you need to do your duty as Power Rangers and protect the people. If things get out of hand, I will come out and fight.”
Twilight swallowed nervously as she nodded. After no battles for the three days, she feared she had become complacent…which was utter nonsense. She just had to trust her own instincts so as to not force Billy to use his own energy. Closing her eyes once, she willed her Morpher to her. In a muted purple flash, the crown…thingy…tiara appeared on her head. Muted flashed of colour around her informed her that the others had summoned their Morpher necklaces as well – even Fluttershy. Making a mental note to keep a close eye on the timid Pegasus, she inhaled deeply.
“It’s Morphin Time!”
“Magic!”
“Generosity!”
“Laughter!”
“Loyalty!”
“K-Kindness!”
“Honesty!”
In six flashes of light coupled with swirls of magic, the six Rangers morphed and teleported to meet their new enemies. As Billy watched them go, Princess Celestia walked up and gave him a significant look. Sighing, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his damaged Morpher. Letting out a sigh of her own, the Princess dipped her head and lightly touched the coin’s surface with her horn. In a blue and white flash, the Morpher was repaired and was practically glowing with energy. Dimitria watched the exchange and cleared her throat lightly.
“Is it wise to do this, Billy? Can you not be able to help them another way?”
Billy turned to the Inquiran and shook his head once. He looked at the image on the screen just as the Yellow Ranger was hit hard by one of Zedd’s centaurs. Looking down at his temporarily charged Morpher, he sighed again.
“I need to do this to make her see how dangerous Zedd really is. If there was any other way I could do it without endangering myself, I would do it in a heartbeat…”
He let the words trail off as he saw the Pegasus weakly firing her blaster at the centaur with no effect. He had seen how scared Fluttershy was during the briefing, but had chosen to say nothing in thinking the Pegasus would be able to get past her shyness and timidness when the time came…but it seemed like he was wrong. He knew that she shoved away her timidness when her friends were hurt or threatened. She was a strong pony and her friends knew that. He only hoped she regarded him as a friend or else he would be risking his life. Silently, he lifted his Morpher up and inhaled shakily.
It was now or never.
Canterlot
As the six Rangers teleported in, everypony stopped running and screaming and just stared at the new arrivals. Like the citizens of Ponyville, they had heard of the creature that decimated the town and also of the strange other that had driven the first away. Unlike the ponies in Ponyville, they had heard another rumour of six brightly coloured ponies that had appeared shortly and had either, depending on the rumour, destroyed all witnesses or had destroyed the monster when it came back.
Fortunately, the majority of the citizens chose to believe the latter. In a matter of minutes, there were no ponies in sight except the Rangers and the creatures sent by Zedd. Twilight noted that with six of them, they would each have to take one on. That meant she wouldn’t have time to battle with her opponent and look after Fluttershy. Lowering her head, she spoke softly into her helmet mic.
“Girls, we have to face one each. Fluttershy, do your best but if you get into trouble, one of us will help you.”
Fluttershy nervously squeaked a response as she stared at the centaur in front of her. On the screen it had seemed menacing. In real life it was bed-wettingly terrifying. Its body seemed to be a solid mass of hardened muscle and its coat was a mottled grey. There were no identifying marks on it of any kind and its face was an expressionless mask. On the top of its head, she thought she could see some sort or marking, but she dismissed the thought as a trick of the light. She shakily stood her ground as the others leapt forward to meet their attackers head on.
A dark shadow covered her and she looked up to see the centaur towering over her. Squeaking in fear, she jumped back and wildly lashed out with her front hooves. The wild blow connected with its chest, sending it stumbling back. Fluttershy’s eyes teared up and she started backing away, away from the creature, away from her friends who were battling for their lives…away from this horrid mess. As she backed away, she didn’t notice that her Element Blaster was randomly firing bolts of magic at the centaur or that she was backing into a corner.
The centaur kept advancing on the frightened Yellow Ranger. The only thoughts that ran through its magically created mind revolved around death and destruction. Wanting to squeeze its hands until the bones pierced the skin. The only way it could be stopped was if its weakness was discovered and struck with great force. Even if it failed, the Master would make more and they would crush all opposition. As it neared the stricken Pegasus, it raised a massive fist back – ready to send the Ranger to the next world.
Fluttershy squeezed her eyes shut…but snapped them open at the sound of teleportation and the sound of flesh striking flesh. Standing in between the centaur and her was the lean form of Billy. All around them, the other Rangers had temporarily paused their battles at the arrival of the Blue Ranger. Fluttershy swallowed nervously and looked up at the human through her helmet. She knew he was risking his life to help her, but he was unmorphed and if he was unmorphed he wouldn’t get hurt from morphing. Then again, he would have little to no protection against the centaur’s six limbs. In a flurry of movement, the centaur was lying on the ground and Billy had his Morpher on one hand.
“Blue Ranger Power!”
At Billy’s shout, all eyes turned to him as a dazzling light covered his body. A distant howl of a wolf was heard and when the light faded, Billy was morphed. With a simple flick of the wrist, she watched the Blue Ranger summon his Power Lance and patiently wait for the centaur to stand up. Sparks fell from her body as she demorphed. She could see him wield the weapon as confidently as he had done before as he thrust out one end to strike its right shoulder.
Inside his Power Suit, Billy was sweating hard. Flash morphing and summoning his Power Lance had almost used up the temporary charge Celestia had given his morpher. He glanced at the power indicator and bit back a curse. On one hand, his “defeat” would look spectacular with the flying sparks and arcing bolts. On the other it would hurt much more. Withdrawing his Power Lance from the “Z Centaur”, he twirled it above his head and swung it flat side down. If he was going to go down, he may as well test a theory out as well.
“Billy! No!”
The Rangers and creatures watched as the Blue Ranger’s Power Lance connected with the top of the centaur’s head…just as it landed a crushing blow to Billy’s Morpher. In a burst of blue sparks, his morph shattered violently and Billy crumpled to the ground. His Power Morpher fell into view and he viewed the damage, squeezing his eyes in frustration.
His Power Coin was destroyed.
He felt the power leave him as his feeble connection to his home dimension’s Morphin Grid faded into nothingness. He could still feel his Wolf spirit inside him, so he knew he could still go into Ninjetti , but without a Power Coin to act as a conductor…he would never morph again. Fighting the crushing wave of sadness and despair that threatened to overcome him, he looked up to see what his last attack as a Power Ranger did. The centaur was still standing, but it was shaking violently. He let an exhausted grin creep over his face as he saw it fall and break apart with the sound of shattering clay. Rolling onto his side with a wince, he nodded to Twilight and slumped onto his back as he heard the battle resume.
Feeling a damp nose against his cheek, he turned around and saw Fluttershy staring at him with a mix of horror and sadness on her face. He smiled wider and lifted a hand up to stroke her muzzle, causing the yellow Pegasus to nuzzle into his warm palm. His voice was weak but held a note of steel in it.
“Go. Your friends…need you to be strong.”
Fluttershy nodded once, her gaze hardening as she looked up to the remaining Z Centaurs. She knew she had to be strong every time she went into battle, as her reluctance and non-violent stance could cause somepony to get hurt…or even die. She wasn’t the strongest fighter or flier, but she had to do what she could.
For her friends.
She quietly summoned her Element Morpher again and inhaled deeply. Timidness or not, her friends needed her.
“Kindness!”
The loud shout made everypony pause and look at Fluttershy. Her Element Crystal was pulsing out streams of pink tinged yellow energy that seemed to surround her. Around the tenth pulse, her body was covered in the energy and she flared her wings out. With a crack of lightning her armour appeared on her body, leaving her head exposed. As the winds created by her morph whipped her mane about, she saw Billy tiredly wink once at her before he vanished in a shower of white sparkles.
A swarm of butterflies made of energy enveloped her head and mane before exploding out as her helmet formed. As the power from the Yellow Zeo Crystal entered her body, she felt a small tremor under her feet. The map on her visor told her that something large was steadily moving closer…and it matched the readings from earlier. Launching herself upward and pausing only to catch and throw back Applejack, she flew up above the battle site and felt her eyes bug out.
In the distance was a towering humanoid pony clad in strange barding. Its head was hidden behind a strangely dented helmet with a red ring around a gaping hole. In one fist, it clenched a short sword that seemed to radiate darkness. As she steadied her breathing, the creature spoke in a smooth voice that reminded her of fresh dripping honey.
“Celestia, I have returned from my prison. You took away my freedom and now I will take away your life!”
TBC…
Author's Note
Fluttershy has her moment of slo-mo morphing that every single Ranger seems to be doing these days. I swear, if they pull this trick in Megaforce...
I honestly did not mean to have Billy's Power Coin be destroyed. The plan was for it to be drained by one of the Z-Centaurs, leaving him with an insignificant charge for the rest of the story (until the Acceptance arc) but my brain ran ahead of me. Next thing I know, Billy's Power Coin is shattered saving Fluttershy and the Yellow Ranger is starting a slo-mo morph. I guess if Billy was drained, the story would still play out the same.
Disclaimer: MLP and PR are not mine. Italics mean thoughts or telepathic communications and words [like this] are words on a screen. Author's Note is at the bottom for those playing at home. Enjoy…and please remember this is an AU…
Chapter 13: Zord
Billy collapsed on the floor of the Command Tower as he painfully looked on the remains of his Morpher. The outer shell still looked as it had before but the rim around the centre was ringed with fresh scorch marks. The Coin was gone from this plane of existence already. What little power remained in it would be dividing itself amongst the other Ninjetti. As he faintly heard Celestia's exclamation of shock at his appearance, he morbidly wished that they thought him dead. Seeing as how he was unlikely to return, it would be for the best. He only hoped Zedd didn't amass enough power to break through the dimensional barrier…but he was unlikely to do so.
As he weakly rose to his feet, he tapped a few buttons on the console in front of him. Thankfully his emergency teleporter had recalled him before the calibrations were complete. Struggling to stay conscious, he scanned the readout on the screen and tweaked a few settings. As he feverishly worked, he mumbled to himself.
"Check power output…cannon is stable. Transformation circuits all seem to check out. All armaments loaded and ready. Motion control calibrated for her weight and wing flutter. Connecting modules in place and fully functioning…"
"Celestia, I have returned from my prison. You took away my freedom and now I will take away your life!"
Billy jumped up startled and grabbed his head in pain as the soundwaves reverberated through his skull. Celestia jerked her head up and swallowed hard. She had not heard that voice in hundreds of years but she still remembered it in her nightmares. In a burst of darkness, Princess Luna appeared in the Command Tower, having teleported herself from her personal chambers.
"Sister, what is that voice? Who is that?"
Without waiting for the regal alicorn's response, Billy weakly slapped the same button as before and spoke to the Rangers.
"Rangers, the creature in front of you is Discord. Who is free to engage him?"
Various grunts of negation came back intertwined with the sound of laser blasts, hoofstomps and shattering Z Centaurs. After a short pause, a quiet but determined voice was heard.
"I'll go."
Billy nodded once over the shouted protests of the others amidst the explosions and blasts. Once a Ranger had made up his or her mind, there would be no stopping them until they had their fill. Raising himself up on his arms, he tapped a string of commands into the console and brought up a progress report that pleased him. He opened his mouth to speak when a wave of dizziness sent him collapsing to the floor in a heap. He was barely aware of the Princess calling for her sister and galloping to his side. He feebly waved them away and raised himself to his knees. He had to send Fluttershy her weapon.
"Fluttershy, I have just connected your Powers to the Kindness Harmony Zord. When you wish to summon it, raise your hand…er, hoof into the air and shout 'I need Harmonyzord Power now!'. The controls are based off your own movements to make it as smooth as possible. Go now and may the Power protect you…"
With the final syllable dying on his lips, Billy crashed to the ground once more unconscious from the violent destruction of his Power coin.
Canterlot Courtyard
Fluttershy gulped nervously as Discord came closer. She knew she was the only one who had to drive Discord off, but she was deathly afraid both of fighting and of doing nothing. Seeing Billy place himself in danger had reminded her that she needed to be strong in times of doubt and fear. Shaking slightly, she tried to push all of her fear and timidness to one side.
It didn't work, but she had to press on. She raised her front right hoof into the air and shouted as triumphantly as she could.
"I n-need H-Harmonyzord P-Power, Now!"
Unfortunately, her nervousness had caught up with her voice and all that came out of her mouth was a jumbled squeak. Growling at herself, she shook her head once to clear all the unneeded emotions from her mind and tried again.
"I need Harmonyzord Power NOW!"
In a bright yellow flash, the Kindness Harmony Zord materialised in the bright skies above Canterlot. Fluttershy blinked once as her gaze fell on it. Either by chance or by deliberate design, the Zord looked exactly like her – right down to the trio of butterflies on the flanks and the Element Crystal around her neck. Gasps and cries of surprise came from the remaining Rangers who had just finished off the final Centaur.
"So much fer keeping our identity secret…"
As soon as she heard Applejack's words, Fluttershy leapt into action. Propelling herself upward, she felt herself being drawn into the line-of-sight teleporter that she suddenly knew about. In truth, the sudden information overload was making her brain hurt but she relaxed her mind and let it all flow in and out smoothly. When the sparks faded from her vision, she looked around the cockpit for the first time.
She was standing on an oval platform which was surrounded on all sides by odd cubes affixed to long poles. It was somewhat reminiscent of a cage, but allowed much greater manoeuvrability and a tighter turning circle. Directly in front of her was a large viewing screen that stretched from floor to ceiling and, based on the information currently flowing on her visor in tandem with in her brain, was providing real-time intelligence on the enemy in front of her as well as battle strategy and weapon choices. Gritting her teeth, she moved to fly forwards and was taken off guard at the responsiveness of the system. Shaking her head lightly, she righted herself again and charged.
Discord blinked once he saw the machine appear. It seemed pony technology had advanced to the point where they would be a challenge for him in his giant form. He snapped off his dimensional link and smiled widely; exposing his brown teeth. He opened his arms wide and waited for the first attack from the new challenger. After a few false starts, the yellow Pegasus shaped construct raced at him with both front hooves outstretched. He had just enough time to draw his xiphos from his belt before it did something strange. Both hooves split down the middle and separated, revealing an empty space. Puzzled, he lowered his short sword and scratched the side of his head.
You idiot! They are attacking you with a zord! Defend yourself!
Wincing at his Lord's mental message, he looked up just in time to be hit with a volley of hard light blasts from the robotic pegasus' hooves. Staggering back he lifted his short sword and thrust it at the construct. Instead of connecting with metal, the blade shot out a burst of red energy from the tip. As the construct deftly avoided the wide shot, Discord stared at his xiphos in shock. He knew it was an ordinary short sword that had been specially forged for him by the traitor Shining Light, but it had never shown any inherent magical properties until now. Briefly, he wondered if his Lord had something to do with it, but dismissed the thought. Whether or not it was the case, he would do his Master's bidding…until his back was exposed.
In her Zord, Fluttershy was still trying to work out what combination of actions did what. Billy was presumably out of commission or resting and the others had finally managed to destroy the last Z Centaur, but hadn't been hooked up to their zords yet. Still, she had to do whatever it took for Discord to leave. Whipping her head up high, she accidentally selected one of the weapon options she was hoping to leave for last.
[Activate Element Megabuster]
Behind her helmet, Fluttershy cringed weakly. The Megabuster sounded like it would do a lot of damage if it missed and the only thing around was the Everfree Forest. On the screen appeared something she had recently seen – the image of the circle and cross that Billy had said were called 'crosshairs'. Slowly and meticulously, she moved them over Discord's image and nodded once.
[Megabuster Locked On]
"M-Megabuster, Fire!"
From the centre of the enlarged Element Crystal pulsed a pale yellow light. Discord had only enough time to squint in confusion before a large stream of bright yellow energy impacted violently against his chest plate. He screamed out in pain as the metal superheated rapidly and all but seared his chest. As the energy stream faded he dropped to one knee, his body heaving with pain. He didn't have to look down to see that his armour had barely survived intact and had pretty much fused into his chest. Raising himself to his feet once more, he flicked his tail in annoyance and snorted.
He nodded once at the machine as a show of false respect before turning around and walking away. After all, the seeds had been planted by him with instruction from his Master. As he reached the boundary of the Everfree Forest, he called out over his shoulder before vanishing into the leafy depths.
"You win this round, Celestia. Make no mistake; though my master wants to destroy you, I will be the one to utterly break you."
TBC…
Author's Note: Last few chapters had Day of the Dumpster references. This one references High Five, especially the battle with the Giant at the end. As Discord is a lot stronger than an average monster, he survived the finisher. And before I get a host of PMs saying that everything is out of canon, this is an AU (Alternate Universe) of both dimensions.
Read and Review!
Author's Note
Billy connects Fluttershy's Harmonyzord to her. Continuation of the previous chapter when Billy's Power Coin was destroyed and Fluttershy saw that there is nothing good in Zedd's creatures.
Disclaimer: My Little Pony isn't mine. Power Rangers and the Eternal Falls are not mine. Everything you don't recognise is mine. Pinkie is not mine, but she's hovering around me and waiting to be put back into the story.
Enjoy!
Chapter 14: Mending and Creation
The soft sound of beeping filled the air as the Rangers watched their friend float in the tank. After Fluttershy had driven Discord away, they had teleported back to the Command Tower to see Dimitria submerging Billy in a pool of water. The Inquiran has informed them that this water was from somewhere called 'The Eternal Falls' and it would allow him to recover much quicker. Although Twilight had been leery of the strange water, it had seemed to do the trick as his vitals were steadily improving. They had also learnt that his Power Coin had been destroyed and he was not a Power Ranger any more. The last fact saddened most of them as it meant that they would truly be alone on the battlefield, except Applejack – who had learned that Billy had more than enough brains for everypony.
Princess Celestia looked over her Rangers as they watched their friend steadily heal in the tank. She was very much grateful that Dimitria had said that he could go into the tank fully clothed. Friend or not, there were just some things a Princess was not fully ready to see yet. The destruction of Billy's Power Coin was something she was expecting, but not so soon. If Billy had been a 'backup' fighter, the odds of something like this happening down the line would have increased with each battle. The raw magic charges she and her sister had done to sustain the morphing energies had already sped up the deterioration of the Power Coin and she had posited that it would break on its own in three more battles.
Billy would prove his worth to them in other ways other than his fighting prowess – a fact cemented by the unveiling of the Harmony Zords. This increase of their arsenal would give them an added advantage against Lord Zedd and Discord, especially when she looked over the blueprints once more. In all actuality, she had to hoof it to Billy for making the Zords exact replicas of the Elements of Harmony when the only access he had to them was when she had sent the six to remove the dragon on top of the temporary outpost.
Flashback
Princess Celestia's eyes lit up as she read the letter of Twilight Sparkle and she shared a look of delight with her sister. It seemed that Fluttershy had shown her true colours in driving away the dragon, but only when her friends were hurt. The normally timid pegasus had reverted back to her usual state soon after, but it was reassuring to know Twilight's friends had hidden depths.
"You could have waited another few days. Then I could have tried doing the same to my morpher. Seven Rangers is a hell of a lot better than six these days."
Rolling up the parchment, she sighed and turned to see Billy walking out from behind a marble column. From the oil and grease on his hands, it was obvious he had just come from the mechanics facility or the 'Zord Bay'. What a Zord was, Billy had yet to tell either of them, but he had promised that they would be crucial in the long term. Snorting in an exaggerated manner, she replied with an air of mock regality.
"Yes, Billy, I should have sent them later. Even though the dragon was casting Ponyville with a blanket of choking smoke and was blocking out the sun. The sun that is required to grow all food and that which sustains all life. The very sun that I raise each and every morning and that I…"
"All right, I get it. Those six are…quite something. I was only able to get a few images of them for reference."
Luna raised an eyebrow at the mention of the images. She knew that he was having some degree of difficulty in finding the proper shapes for the future Zords as well as making them fit and form together in various configurations. She had to admit, some of his designs were downright bizarre – ranging from ancient creatures to animals from his dimension…he had even toyed with creating zords based on their Cutie Marks but had thankfully abandoned that train of thought.
"Billy, would thoust please tell us your intent of the capture of these images?"
Billy rolled his eyes.
"Luna, you've been reading those Shakespeare plays again, haven't you?"
The Princess of the Night had to put a hoof to her muzzle to attempt to stifle the giggles that came out. Restraining the urge to roll her eyes, Celestia shook her head lightly but motioned with her hoof for him to continue.
"Anyway, I will be designing the Zords based on their appearances. Two land based, two aerial and two long range Zords should be enough for all situations. I have an idea for what to do with the Megazord, but I will have to do some more designing."
Celestia nodded and then motioned to her sister. As Luna had been spending the majority of the time with the young human, she would know better than her what these terms meant. However, the response she heard next was not one she was expecting.
"How close will the similarities be? You said that the identities will eventually be known, but will the Zords be complete carbon copies of the Rangers or will they retain some form of identity protection?"
"At the moment, I will be incorporating some advanced Eltarean magic into their shells. Only those who know they are Rangers will see the resemblance. To everybody else, it will look like generic body shapes."
"And the Megazord? This will be a gestalt of the six individual zords, correct?"
Celestia settled back down on her throne and flicked an ear in annoyance. She knew she had to know about the inner workings and mechanics of the Rangers, but all the talk was more boring than her courts. Suddenly, her ears perked up at Billy's next words.
"In conclusion, I believe we will have six individual zords, three 'warriorzord combinations' and one Megazord with six individual modes. That should be plenty."
Celestia did the math in her head and frowned lightly. Fifteen options sounded like a lot and she wondered if they really needed all those options. Shrugging to herself, she settled down once more.
Time would tell…
End Flashback
Seeing what damage just one Zord could do strengthened her resolve to see this problem addressed. Fifteen options would mean a lot of on-the-fly strategy changing and she didn't know if her prized student was up to that degree of challenge. She supposed her friends would continue to help her learn and grow. Of course, Billy would be there as well as Dimitria and they would ensure that the Rangers kept some degree of their innocence about them.
As her sister stepped next to her, her thoughts drifted to the reappearance of Discord. The humanoid creature that she had seen had changed during his imprisonment and seemed to not be as content with manipulating words with his alicorn magic. The loss of his horn probably was the cause of it, but as far as she knew there wasn't any force on Equestria capable of cleanly snapping one's horn off. As another thought came to her, she had to swallow hard to keep the bile rising in her throat. She wouldn't entertain that thought a minute longer than she had to…even for her enemy, it seemed like a barbaric thing to have done.
Banishing those thoughts from her mind, she looked at her Rangers again. They were weary, but not beaten down yet. A smile began to form on her lips as she saw a most promising sight.
Billy was fully healed.
TBC…
Author's Note
Billy heals and Celestia reminisces. Yeah...not much stuff here as I kinda was approaching the wall on creativity. At this point, I still had a ton of stuff to introduce but I didn't know what the catalyst would be.
Disclaimer: By now, you should know who belongs to who. Pinkie is the main character 'cause she wouldn't stop poking me.
Enjoy!
Chapter 15: Dark Wings
Pinkie Pie hummed happily to herself as she bounced down the Main Street of Ponyville. Everything was being built up stronger and more fortified, thanks to the Princess sending down her best architects and builders. Gummy was nestled safely in her mane and the sun was shining. It was a great, spectacular and awesome day and it was a good thing the dispute with Ponyville's Pegasus chariots was over so the builders could go home.
The pink pony paused precariously in her prance and puzzled over the problem of Ponyville's powered protectors. Well, it wasn't so much of a puzzle as she was the Pink Ranger, but she had to be puzzled to keep up appearances and pick up the rumours floating around the pony populace. She knew that the griffons were migrating from Draconis for their annual pilgrimage to their mating grounds and that there had been one griffon that had been cast from the main group. According to her sources, the griffon was seen orbiting one mountain in the Everfree Forest, as if it were guarding it from intruders.
She chewed on her lower lip as she thought about the griffons. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen many griffons around Ponyville since the incident with Gilda a while ago. The last one she had seen who wasn't Gilda had been from Gilda's family group with an official Letter of Apology to herself, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.
She shook her head to expel those thought from her mind and thought about the days that had passed since the debut of the Zord. Billy had connected all of them to their Zords and had explained the basic functions to them including the combinations that could be done. She had never ever seen Rainbow Dash and Applejack turn those colours before but everything seemed to be fine. Plus, it confirmed something that she had noticed a while ago. And then Billy had shown them his backup form – something that had to do with an animal that lived inside your spirit or something. Whatever it was, the explanation had upset Fluttershy until Billy explained that the animal wasn't alive, but was a manifestation of Morphin Energy.
That had gone over her head, but everypony else seemed to understand.
He had also said the powers would change, grow and evolve over time and adapt to their own fighting styles. Twilight, Applejack and Rarity had stayed behind to learn more about the Morphin Grid and what the Zords could do. From what she had heard, the only pony who could keep up with the technobabble was Twilight.
All in all, it had been a pretty quiet couple of days until early in the morning, when her Pinkie Sense had gone off. Three knee tremblers, an eye cross and a flutter in her nether regions had sent her on high alert. She couldn't remember when she had such a strong combo before – even the doozy a while back hadn't been so powerful in its intensity. She just wished it would happen soon as it would lessen everypony's nerves around her.
Location Unknown
"Go to Ponyville with a squad of Centaurs. Bring Gryffon with you."
"Understood, master."
Ponyville
Pinkie Pie blinked. For a moment, she felt as if the focus had cut away from her and had gone somewhere else. Her ears picked up on the faint sounds of wings in the distance and she unconsciously summoned her Element Morpher to her, not noticing everypony suddenly bowing in reverence. Her eyes scanned the skies nervously as her Pinkie Sense went off again, sending the ponies around her galloping for cover. In the span of a few seconds, the Main Street was empty of all ponies except Pinkie. Allowing Gummy to jump into a nearby barrel, the pink Earth pony stood her ground and waited warily. She had a feeling she didn't have to wait long.
In a violent updraft of wind coupled with a bight flash, two creatures appeared in front of her. One was most definitely a monster and she looked at it first. It looked like a griffon that had been buried underground for at least a hundred years. Patches of skin and muscle were sheared off to expose the white bone that gleamed in the morning sun. The claws were broken and chipped and some of the sockets were leaking dust. The most striking feature of the monster was its eyes – or its lack thereof. Tiny pinpricks of red in sunken and hollowed eye sockets were the only indication it could see at all. Raising itself on its hind legs, the creature screeched into the air and Pinkie had to cover her ears with her hooves.
"Well, look what we got here. The pink prankster all ripe for the picking."
The familiar voice washed over Pinkie's head as she felt her jaw drop open. Standing in front of her, next to the monster, was a griffon she had not seen in a long while. The only things that were different were the silver spikes that were on her tail and the black and silver half helmet with its blood red visor that sat neatly on her feathered head. She could see the beady eyes widen as her friends teleported in behind her already morphed, having been alerted to the situation by Dimitria.
She saw Rainbow Dash stiffen in surprise as she laid eyes on the griffon that had spoke. Silently, she drew on the power as Billy had taught them and felt the energy of the Element of Laughter wash over her as the magically enhanced armour settled into place. Even in her morphed state, she didn't feel confident to face down the griffon that was leering down at her. Her randomly flicking eyes caused the menu system in her helmet to seize up…just as she heard Rainbow Dash practically spit out the name of their new foe.
"Gilda."
TBC…
Author's Note
Gilda returns. At this point, she is only slightly brainwashed.
A/N: Writers block is a bitch, especially when you have a ton of ideas for one story but almost none for another. And for those wondering: Spike is not going to be a Ranger. The Dragon Jet is powered by the Green Zeo Crystal, but it won't impart any power on him.
Chapter 16: Gilda
The two former friends stared down at each other. Gilda allowed the barest hint of surprise to wash over her face before she settled into her trademark sneer.
"Lookin' sharp in blue RD. What do you say about ditchin' these punks and flyin' off with me?"
Behind her helmet, Rainbow Dash ground her teeth together. Her eyes were fixed solely on the Griffon in front of her had she didn't blink once at the trio of Z Centaurs that appeared behind them. While some small part of her still considered Gilda as her friend, there was one thing she still had to know before she categorised the creature in front of her.
"I gotta ask this, Gilda. What are you doing with those creeps?"
The griffon threw her head back and laughed as Pinkie Pie slowly edged away from her. She silently summoned her Element Morpher to her and attempted to hide it in her mane.
"Oh Dash, the power I've gotten from this guy is great! He doesn't look the greatest, but he promised me much more power if I can bring him the head of one of your friends!"
At that statement, Applejack moved to stand protectively near Rainbow Dash. She knew the cyan Pegasus would rush in and Gilda would spring her trap. Also, she didn't want Rainbow Dash to die before she could tell her how she felt. She was beginning to see what Billy had said about life or death situations. She pawed the ground and lowered her head a split second before Rainbow did the same. If they charged in a straight line, they could jump over Pinkie's head and allow her to morph.
Through her helmet, Applejack glanced at Rainbow Dash and nodded once. If they were only to get once chance at this, they would have to do it fast. Within a blink of the eye, both ponies raced towards Gilda. Leaping onto an updraft of wind, the Blue Ranger soared into the sky and within moments drew a tight bead on Gilda.
"Element Blaster, suppression fire!"
As the cyan bolts rained down onto the surprised Griffon's head, she was suddenly very grateful that Billy had explained the various fire controls of the Element Blasters in greater depth. Peeking out of the corner of her eye, she saw a pink and white flash as Pinkie morphed and jumped onto a Z Centaur that was threatening Fluttershy. Below her, she saw a red streak barrel towards Gilda and she smiled.
Gilda was pinned down by her former friend's energy bolts. The monster that her Master had sent with her was of no use and was just idly picking grass from the ground. It was just a glorified zombie Griffon anyway – and a rather weak one at that. Spying the Red Ranger race towards her, a wicked grin spread across her beak. She would make them pay for taking Dash from her. She inhaled deeply and screeched in the direction of the Ranger.
The effect was devastating.
The sonic screech bowled Applejack off her hooves and sent her sprawling. The trio of Z Centaurs shattered and the other Rangers were temporarily stunned. One more screech aimed above her and Rainbow Dash was sent spiralling out of the sky. Something inside her wanted to go and help her former friend, but the griffon stamped that urge down. If the Pegasus wanted to play hero that was her decision, but to destroy the world was better. Inhaling once again, she aimed at the falling Blue Ranger. One more sonic screech would liquefy her brain and kill her. Inhaling once more, she concentrated all of the power her Master had given her into the killing blow.
Fluttershy looked up and tried to calm her nerves. Rainbow Dash had been stunned and was free falling to the ground. At the speed she was travelling, her armour would protect her but if she involuntarily demorphed…she didn't want to think about that. Seeing Gilda take in another breath, her mind clicked that she was the only pony who could stop Dash from dying. Focusing power into her wings, she rocketed off microseconds before the sonic blast left Gilda's beak. Time seemed to slow down as she neared Rainbow Dash, millimetres ahead of the rippling air wave. With a burst of speed that would have stunned Connor McKnight, Fluttershy shoved Rainbow Dash out of the way and took the full brunt of Gilda's charged Sonic Screech.
As the blast smashed into her armour, Fluttershy felt the air compressing out of her lungs. Her wings locked up and she frantically tried to make them flap at least once to no avail. The lack of oxygen was making her dizzy and her vision started to blur. Through her darkening vision, she managed to sputter out three words.
"Element…blaster, f-fire!"
In a move that mimicked the Element Megabuster, her Element Crystal fired out a single bolt of charged Grid Energy. As Fluttershy succumbed to the darkness, she didn't see the bolt of energy strike Gilda between her eyes nor hear the horrific scream of anger and pain from the now blind Griffon.
"Gryffon! Destroy them! Start with the Pink one!"
Gilda teleported away in a flash of red. Rainbow Dash had snapped out of her near-unconscious state and had dived down to catch Fluttershy who had now demorphed. Shaking her head, she opened up a communication channel with the Command Tower.
"Billy, can you teleport Fluttershy outta here?"
"Yeah. Hold on."
With a sparkle of light, the Yellow Ranger was teleported away from the battle. Gliding down to the ground, she prodded Applejack with a hoof. Banishing away the thoughts that threatened to consume her, she prodded Applejack again until the Red Ranger raised her head from the ground.
"Come on, AJ. There's a monster to beat and we need your –"
"Help!"
Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked towards the shout and saw a dome made of spinning feathers engulf Pinkie Pie. The Pink Ranger only had enough time to look at the others fearfully before the dome closed around her; trapping her in with the monster Gilda had referred to as Gryffon. The Rangers traded looks of worry before looking at the dome and wondering what was going on inside.
And would Pinkie Pie prevail?
TBC…
Author's Note
Yeah...Gilda. Eye Scream. The Equestria 101 chapter Metamorphosis takes place directly after this and just covers Zedd enslaving Gilda with fake memories and a rather painful transformation. Around this time, I re-read the first 11 or so chapters of my other fic The Ultra Crystals and noticed an error I hadn't picked up on before: the inclusion of a mysterious thirteenth Crystal.
A/N: Finally worked through my writer’s block to write this. Rough around the edges and Pinkie crashes into the 4th wall repeatedly, but it’s done.
Chapter 17: Isolation
She was all alone in the darkness.
She wondered why she had earned this special treatment. Surely, Gilda couldn’t have held onto her grudge against her for that long? Quietly as she dared, she lifted up a hoof to feel for her Element Blaster around her neck. Feeling the metallic necklace, she relaxed slightly before remembering that she was still morphed. Giggling nervously, she looked around the darkness around her and tried to make out the monster. Her helmet’s internal scanners were working on overtime and they had around thirty five percent of the area scanned. Flicking her eyes up and around to scan the area around her again, she never noticed that she had something selected.
“Pinkie…”
Her ears twitched at the mention of her name. The voice had an odd echoing quality to it as if it was spoken from a deep pit.
“Pinkie…you know you aren’t cut out for this…”
The pink pony swallowed hard as she tried not to shake. Normally she would have laughed it off or attempted to see the funny side of it, but she was trapped in a dark dome with some ancient griffon monster. A gust of wind would probably destroy it, but she couldn’t see any fans ready to blow. The thought of a monster being defeated by a gust of wind made her snort with laughter. The thought that Fluttershy was the only Ranger that could control wind made her laugh louder as she tried to imagine the meek Pegasus destroying the monster by herself.
“What’s so funny, Ranger?”
Pinkie paused her laughter and peered around. The last voice had been harsh and grating. Suddenly, the area around her lit up with blazing fire and she jumped back to avoid the flames. Standing in front of her was Gryffon but the monster looked different than before. Its body seemed stronger and more…whole. She couldn’t see any part of it that was aged or crumbling and the fire glinting off its eyes made it more demonic. Swallowing hard, she backed away slowly and tried to slow her rapidly beating heart.
“My master promised me I could have fun with you. You like to have fun…right little pony?”
She blinked and started backing away. The voice that had come out from the creature’s beak wasn’t harsh or grating. If she thought about it, she could sweat it almost sounded like Discord’s. It was low and had a sensuous tone running through it. If it spoke more; she would probably fall under its spell and be willing to do whatever it wanted. Gryffon grinned wickedly at her and rubbed its front paws together evilly.
“Come on, little girl. It won’t be bad. Just relax…”
Pinkie blinked once and grimaced. This stalkerish behaviour of the monster had gone too far and it was starting to really creep the author out. Or maybe it was the fact that it was a dreary and rainy day that had his mood coloured. She couldn’t understand why these thoughts were running through her head or why she was thinking about them now. It was almost as if the thoughts were being pushed into her head by an outside source. She shrugged and refocused he attention on the monster in front of her. Now that her brain wasn’t affected by the monster, she could see it for what it really was; a decaying creature with little to no will of its own. Her gaze softened as she wondered what it had been in the prime of its life and whether it had been killed by a fall from a great height.
No…that had been someone else entirely. Someone that looked strangely similar to Billy but different; the person that had appeared in her dreams a few nights in a row had told her of him. She didn’t know why, but a name floated through her mind as if put there by some strange external force: Steven Johnston…whoever that was. Shaking her head once to rid herself of those thoughts, she focused on the monster again.
The monster flared its wings in rage and roared, temporarily extinguishing the fires. Pinkie screamed in fear and squeezed her eyes shut to wait for whatever end would come for her. After a while, she cautiously opened an eye and then another to see the monster standing with its wings flared…in fear? She didn’t understand it. Why was the monster cowering in fear when it had been ready to use her guts as dental floss? And why was her left flank suddenly heavier?
Looking behind her, her eyes widened as she saw it gleaming in the flickering flames. It was dull grey in colour and looked like a small version of one of the guns that was on Spike’s Dragon Jet. What had Billy called them again? Gate guns? Grater guns? Grating guns? Gatling guns…yes, that was it. A small version was mounted onto a metallic harness that attached onto her flank and her visor was flashing the name in a strangely hypnotic pattern.
[Boomer Blaster – Ready]
So this was the mysterious Boomer Blaster. She had no idea how it would combine with the other weapons to form the Harmony Buster, but she supposed it had been Billy’s headache. Shifting her weight onto her right side, she lowered her head and pawed aggressively at the ground. A faint whine reached her ears as the barrel started to spin in preparation for the finishing blow. Revitalised or not, the monster was going down as she was almost at the peak of her rage. She wondered if there was an attack name that should be yelled out but she didn’t really care.
“FIRE!”
TBC…
Author's Note
Was really struggling here as I was rapidly hitting the wall with creativity. In the one month that it took to write this chapter (all the way back in 2011), I had written roughly 20 chapters of The Ultra Crystals. Things picked up after I wrote a certain chapter of Equestria 101...
AN: And we’re back again! So soon after the last update! Finally worked out that story arc and the fruits are below! Another note after the chapter…Enjoy!
Chapter 19: Multiversal
Once again, explosions rocked Ponyville.
Buildings crumbled and ponies flew into the air as Parascythe marched through the streets. It was handpicked from an utterly boring existence and magically changed so it could best serve Lord Zedd. Its only goal was to draw out the Power Rangers and destroy them so his Master could rule the world. As a Parasprite, it already had the means of which to do so by means of his new jaws that could crunch through the armour of their suits. Even if the powerless Ranger tried to stop it, it would still reign supreme. Flexing the muscles on its back, four blades stretched out and cut a fleeing pony to shreds as ponies screamed at the gruesome sight. It threw back its monstrous head and cackled at the sky as blood dripped from its blades.
“Stop right there!”
Turning, it saw that the Power Rangers had arrived. They would soon find out that nothing could stop the Parascythe. They would fight it and die in their vain attempts.
“Rangers, how nice of you to join me. Parascythe is me name and destruction is me game.”
Applejack instinctively recoiled at the chittering voice that issued from the twin crushers of the beast in front of them. Billy had alerted them to a disturbance in Ponyville and they had morphed onto the scene within seconds. Rarity had to leave the Cutie Mark Crusaders in the hands of Billy and judging from the sounds coming over the communication systems, he was having a rough time handling the three fillies.
“Girls, careful of those blades in its back. Those can cut through anything with ease…Applebloom; don’t touch that button! Sweetie Belle; that’s dangerously close to the multiversal opener! Just…Scootaloo, careful around those parts!”
Something about the Multiversal Opener sounded strangely ominous and Applejack shuffled closer to Rainbow Dash either for protection or to use her as a pony shield. She wasn’t sure which choice she would make but standing next to the Blue Ranger made her feel that much better. In hindsight, she would see that doing this was not the best thing she could have done in that situation; but Bill hadn’t told them then what the Multiversal Opener could do. Facing down Parascythe, the Rangers pawed at the ground in anticipation and activated their Element Blasters.
Roaring a challenge, the insectoid monster rushed them and extended its blades. Scattering in all directions, the Rangers recovered their senses and fired blast after blast of elemental energy into the monster. AJ felt her blood run cold as the bolts had no apparent effect. Leaping backwards, a flash of light from her right signified that Pinkie Pie had summoned her Boomer Blaster and was firing off repeated blasts. The bolts of pink energy splashed against the hardened carapace and left it smoking but mostly undamaged. Mind racing, AJ scrolled through her weapon options and was only mildly aware of Rainbow Dash changing her tail armour into a lightning bolt-shaped blade.
“Buckin’ Cannon!”
In a flare of red light, the Buckin’ Cannon materialised on her right flank and Applejack felt unbalanced. The cannon looked like a small barrel of some kind but it was longer and seemed to be made out of some metallic substance. AJ cocked and eyebrow as she finished admiring the weapon. She had just been cursing out loud and hadn’t expected her Harmony Buster part to have the same name as one of her curses. Drawing a bead on the insectoid monster currently nearing on Rarity, she sub vocalised the firing command and dug in her hooves as the recoil nearly spun her around.
“Sweetie Belle…not that button on the Multiversal Opener! That scans the monster and draws similar energy from the Multiverse and deposits it on the battlefield! We could end up with another Zedd or a more dangerous monster!”
As the blast of red energy streaked towards Parascythe, Applejack’s eyes widened as she heard Billy’s explanation. A more dangerous version of Parascythe would be more than a hoof-full and would certainly kill them all. Over the communication system, Sweetie Belle tried desperately to shut off the Opener; almost drowning out Billy’s attempt to explain something to them. As Parascythe fell back due to the energy blast, the Rangers gathered together and strained their ears trying to hear what the veteran Ranger was trying to tell them.
“Rangers, you can channel your Element Powers into your hooves for a powered charge attack. It’s more of a finishing move but it’s called the Friendship Stampede! Oh no…Sweetie Belle, just let it turn off on its own! We’ll deal with what comes out soon! The Friendship Stampede is your best bet for destroying the monster! The power from the Elements of Harmony will protect your bodies from the blades on its back but hurry! Applebloom…not the water!”
Twilight Sparkle stifled a giggle at Billy’s attempts at corralling the Cutie Mark Crusaders but refocused back to the present moment. Sharing a glance with the other Rangers, they formed a straight line, closed their eyes and concentrated their energies. Not less than a few seconds later, their bodies began to be enveloped in shimmering lights the same colour as their Ranger uniforms. All four of their hooves pulsed with energy and they lowered their heads to the ground in readiness. Snapping her eyes open, Twilight zeroed in on the monster through the purple haze and initiated the finisher.
“Friendship Stampede!”
In unison, the Rangers leapt forward and charged at the helpless monster. The energy wave that preceded them knocked Parascythe of its feet and into the path of the charging Rangers. As the Rangers charged over the creature, the raw power of the Elements of Harmony flooded its body and set off small explosions within the carapace. As the last Ranger, Fluttershy, trampled the beast; it exploded in a ball of smoke and dust that obscured the vision of the Rangers.
“Don’t celebrate just yet guys. Wait, this can’t be right…”
Out of the dust cloud came four blades that sliced and cut into the Rangers. As they fell back injured, the dust cleared to show Parascythe alive and well…despite looking like it had been heavily damaged by the supposed finisher. Looking at the downed Rangers, it inwardly smirked. An attack like that wasn’t an instant death sentence but it still hurt like Hell. It saw that the Red and Blue Rangers had been knocked close together and it chuckled. The griffon would want the Blue Ranger alive for play and the Red Ranger’s head would make a good trophy for its Lord.
Suddenly, the two Rangers vanished in front of its eyes. Looking around the burning buildings, it tried to smell their unique scents…but couldn’t see anything except some sort of swirling portal that rapidly snapped shut. Shaking its head, it laughed out loud.
“Rangers, two of your number have vanished. Now what will you do?”
Twilight groggily raised her head up and weakly called for Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Not hearing a reply, she squinted against the pain and focused in on two unfamiliar humanoids behind the monster – one clad in purple and the other in Orange. As she struggled to reply to the monster’s comments, an unfamiliar voice sliced through the air.
“Simple. Destroy your ugly ass!”
TBC…
AN 2: Events happen directly after the Xonix Moon Fortress attack. You’ll just have to wait until I catch up to find out how Applejack and Rainbow Dash will react!
Author's Note
Will post the bonus chapters up after this chapter...until the main crossover event ends.
Bonus: Ultra Crystals 104
AN: Here’s the start of the crossover between The Ultra Crystals and The Rangers Of Equestria! Enjoy!
Chapter One Hundred Four: Vortex
He was ready for anything as he turned the final corner.
Twenty minutes of fierce fighting had suddenly yielded to empty halls and unmanned stations. Glancing at the Ranger next to him, they readied their weapons and jumped into what should have been Xonix’s throne room…only to find that it was deserted. Narrowing his eyes, Weihan looked around and cautiously walked forward. Through the opening that led to the balcony, the Orange Ranger could still see the attack progressing nicely. The Utahraptor and Carnotaurus Dinozords were doing an admirable job of drawing the fire from what automated defences remained so the Crocodile, Siberian Tiger and Leatherback Turtle Ninjazords could destroy them. Hanging back behind the attacking Zords was Sarah J’s Dilophosaurus Dinozord; the emergency capsule of ZARS nanobots repairing a large scorch mark on its left side after a run-in with a wayward fusion rocket.
On the other side of his vision, he could see and feel the explosions coming from the attacks of the Allosaurus, Ankylosaurus and Green Dragon Zords. They had long since destroyed their set targets and had split off into two groups to help the Megazords with destroying the last few particle cannons. From the random flashes of colour, light and wheels he could see passing in and out of what he assumed was the atmospheric shield, he assumed that the Turbo Rangers were doing their hit-and-run attacks on whatever they could find. As Xonix, Jabarkas and whoever else had occupied the Fortress was now gone; he didn’t think they were doing too much damage.
“Weihan, here it is.”
Turning away from the one-sided battle, he walked over to where Eliza was and looked at the object she held in her gloved hands. As with the other Ultra Crystals, apart from his, it had an obelisk-like appearance but pulsed with a rich brown light. Staring into its polished surface, he could see the its chosen bearer and was pleased to see that it reflected his own choice. Nodding to Eliza, he lifted up his left wrist and spoke into the communicator there.
“All right, we’ve gotten what we came for. The Fortress is deserted and everyone’s buggered off. We’ll teleport back to the Cavern.”
Hearing the affirmations from the Rangers, he watched as the Zords vanished in streaks of multicoloured lights. He would probably have to call AJ to inform her of what had happened as he was sure NASADA had picked up the explosions on the Moon. Nodding once more to Eliza, he pressed the teleporter on his belt and his world dissolved into streaks of light. As his vision cleared, he saw Eliza placing the last Ultra Crystal on the Main Console and he flipped his visor up; staying in morph as he would probably have to give another press conference to explain the explosions on the Moon. Actually, maybe he would record a message to send to the networks instead of holding another press conference. He was sure the Council of Sydney didn’t need another monster attacking so soon after the horde of grunts.
Suddenly, a tingling sensation washed over him and he looked around to ensure he wasn’t anywhere near the Simul-Deck. He still had to get used to the strange crawling sensation the memory download caused…but this was more of a light electric shock instead of the freaky bug-like sensation. Strangely everyone else seemed unaffected…except Eliza who was also looking around herself. Thinking quickly, he walked over to Alex and nodded at him. His friend looked over at his quizzically before reluctantly leaving the enchanting conversation he was having with Tanya…much to Adam’s relief.
“What’s up?”
Weihan rubbed a hand over his helmet and looked around the Ultra Cavern. Nodding at his Dinozord, he concentrated his energy on it and, just as his internal guide had told him, the massive machine disappeared in a muted flash of light. Seeing another muted flash next to his now-empty Dinozord bay, he turned to see Eliza’s Carnotaurus Zord vanish as well. The Zords had gone into a ‘subspace pocket’ within the Ultra Crystal where repairs, refuelling and re-arming would happen within minutes…but would put a slight drain on his own Powers. As the other Dinozords were still in their respective bays, it seemed that Eliza was the only other Ranger affected by…whatever it was.
“I need to tell you the chosen bearer for the Brown Crystal. I have some strange feeling something is about to happen and you’re next in charge after me and Eliza.”
The Black/Green Ranger nodded as he tried to process what his friend was saying. He was third in charge of the Rangers; a thought that both excited and terrified him. He would defer to the girls for major decisions and would be firm in overseeing the safety and security of the Ultra Rangers. He noticed that Weihan and Eliza had transferred their Dinozords to their Ultra Crystals and that intrigued him; but he shrugged it off.
“You can count on me. Who’s the choice?”
“Sam Perry’s girlfriend – Rebecca Riley-Ward. She’s a perfect match of the Brown Ultra Crystal.”
Alex thought about it before nodding once. It had been a massive surprise to all when the two of them had paired up; especially since one of the football players, Steven Gilles who was a friend of Dragan, had been seen in a few intimate positions with her. He guessed she had seen Sam as a pillar of stability or something like that. He felt a pang of sorrow as Weihan would be asking another ‘taken’ girl to be part of the Ultra Rangers…then again; Eliza and Ashley weren’t showing any signs of strain or pressure. She probably hadn’t told him about her ‘day job’ even though there were no rules against it. Nodding again, he saw the Orange Ranger smile before his friend turned to walk near Eliza.
A crackling sound filled the air; causing everyone to look up. The Rangers reached for their weapons as Weihan snapped his visor down and prepared himself for…something. Switching on his external radar, he could see some sort of distortion forming directly above him and Eliza. Scanning it, his stomach dropped as it returned a description of a multiversal portal. Portals like this could drop a person off anywhere in the infinite number of alternate dimensions that were constantly appearing. Something as simple as turning left instead of right could split off an alternate dimension…as could something major such as the creation of the Ultra Crystals. He was in the middle of thinking of something to say when he felt a violent jerking sensation that snapped his feet up to his chin.
In an instant, a multitude of colours and images flashed before his eyes and he was dimly aware of Eliza next to him. The journey through what he assumed was the multiversal vortex lasted about a minute but during that time, Weihan saw various dimensional images that all revolved around himself. He saw himself holding off a horde of Alien-like creatures in a darkened street, battling some computer controlled beasts in a room of sorts and even saw himself sitting in front of a computer typing out some sort of story…which chronicled his adventures so far. It was strange to see himself in an environment that didn’t involve destroying monsters but he guessed that anything was possible.
Bright green grass rushed up at him as his journey through the dimensions ended abruptly. Coughing out the stale air in his lungs, he inhaled deeply and blinked at the sweetness of the air. Rolling on his back, he looked up at a brilliant blue sky that was obscured by thick black smoke coming from oddly Victorian buildings. Hearing Eliza ‘land’ next to him, he slowly got to his feet and checked himself for injuries. He could feel none but he guessed it was due to the fact he was still in morph. As he shook the cobwebs out of his head, he helped Eliza up and listened hard to the strangely familiar sound of battle wafting over the crackle of fire.
“Weihan, where are we?”
“Not sure. There’s a fight going on somewhere ahead. We’ll check it out and see what the locals look like. maybe they know how to get us back home.”
As she nodded shakily at him, the Orange Ranger used the smoke cover to head closer to the sounds of battle. As he did so, he looked at the sights and shops around him. For such a small town, there was a strange overabundance of blacksmiths that sold horseshoes and saddles. There were even stores that sold hay, apples and alley stalls that sold large blocks of salt. There was another strange peculiarity – all the shops had images of horses on them. It was rather like one of the planets he had read about in the archives that revered horses and all horse-related items. That was reassuring to him; if they were on that planet then there was a very good chance the portal had somehow malfunctioned…
“Friendship Stampede!”
Or maybe not. Rounding a corner, the two Ultra Rangers stared in shock and amazement at what they saw. Six brightly coloured ponies in Ranger armour were charging headfirst into an insectoid monster; trampling it with some sort of combination energy attack. He sighed in aggravation as he realised there was probably very little chance of humanoid life wherever they had ended up. As they saw the last Ranger trample the monster, it exploded in a large puff of smoke.
“Should we help them?”
Weihan shook his head and turned away from the celebrating Rangers. An appearance so soon after the defeat of a monster heralded them as Evil Rangers. He was about to reply when a strange sound lanced through the air; the sound of metal slicing through Ranger armour and the cries of the injured. He glanced back to the battle just in time to see their Red and Blue Rangers vanish into a rapidly closing portal and he clenched his fist in anger. With two Rangers down, there would be no way in Hell that the remaining Rangers could defeat the…whatever it was.
“Follow my lead. We need to distract the monster long enough for their mentor to teleport them away.”
Eliza nodded and readied herself. Weihan waited a few seconds for the monster to gloat. He saw the Purple Ranger lift her head up and silently call out the names of her missing team mates as the monster spoke in a strange, chittering voice.
“Ranger, two of your number have vanished. Now what will you do?”
“Simple. Destroy your ugly ass!”
TBC…
Author's Note
Bonus chapters from The Ultra Crystals start here. Leaving mostly everything intact and the rest of my story is on my fanfic.net profile.
Cliff notes:
11 Ultra Rangers and the Turbo Rangers storm Xonix's Moon Fortress for the 12th Ultra Crystal
Orange and Purple are sucked into the portal created by the Multiversal Opener scanning Parasycthe's energy
Pinkie Note: HEY!!! There’re new Rangers on the scene here! Enjoy!!!
Disclaimer: Ponies = not mine. Power Rangers = Not mine. Powers, characters and anything else from the Ultra Crystals = mine.
Chapter 20: Misplaced Emotion
Twilight could only stare in shock as they went to work.
The strange distortion in the sky had sucked up Applejack and Rainbow Dash within a split second and she had seen two humanoid figures wearing what looked like Ranger armour…and whoever they were; they were carving up Parascythe easily. Their armour shone in the light as they moved in perfect synch with each other – somehow knowing exactly where the other was at all times. The Rangers had picked themselves off the ground and were looking around for their missing friends. Fluttershy even thought to look for Rainbow Dash under a rock…which was either extremely brilliant or exceedingly idiotic. Billy had long since stopped lecturing the Crusaders and was scanning for their biorhythms and power signatures. Royal Court had finished a few minutes ago and Rarity was informing the Princesses what had occurred.
“Raptor Sabre!”
Turning her head to look at the battle behind her, she was amazed to see the one in Orange pull out a long sword from seemingly nowhere and wield it effectively at the blades that were flying at him. On the other side of the monster, the Purple one had some sort of gauntlet weapon out and was striking the carapace hard; judging from the cracks that pierced the air at random intervals. A quick flurry of slashes later and Parascythe’s blades lay shattered at its feet. The creature shrieked in pain as it desperately tried to retreat from the battle. One of its fists caught the Orange on in the chest and flung him into a nearby pile of burning rubble.
For her part, the Purple one was unphased and dismissed her gauntlet weapon to…stand perfectly still? Twilight furrowed her brow at the sight but soon processed what was happening as the Purple one jumped at the monster and extended a leg. Purple energy surrounded the leg in a similar fashion to their Friendship Stampede but the energy reformed itself into a seemingly draconic head.
“Carno Crash!”
As the energy head smashed against the chest of Parascythe, it seemed to dig its teeth into its carapace; smashing through the armour like a hot knife through butter. The force of the blow knocked it back and it shakily raised a hand to feel the gaping hole in its chest. Wailing in fear and pain, it fell back and exploded in a bright ball of fire that confirmed its destruction. Still gaping at the Purple figure, Twilight struggled to get to her feet to ask them who they were.
“Don’t move. You’re pretty sliced up. Is there anywhere you can go for help like a Command Centre or something?”
Twilight raised her head to see the Orange figure kneeling next to her and she swallowed in fear as her eyes took in the extreme detailing of his helmet. She could also see his armour was scorched and had dents in the breastplate that hadn’t come from the Parascythe battle; meaning whoever he was had probably been transported directly after a battle…or during one in progress. Nodding once, she struggled to stand up but the mysterious Ranger gently pushed her down with an exasperated sigh. Jerking his head up, she gasped as his opaque visor retracted to show his face. Whoever he was, he had short black hair and extremely dark brown eyes that bordered on black. He reached up to his face to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose and smiled warmly.
“Weihan, the monster is no more. Now what do we do?”
Weihan…was that his name or a strange code name? She suddenly gasped as a sharp pain lanced through her side and her Ranger armour shattered in violet sparkles. The Ranger above her narrowed his eyes in concern and turned to face his partner. His voice was commanding and strong, but held a note of concern for the bleeding pony.
“Eliza, we need to gather them up for an emergency teleport. Run radars and scanners until you find their base or you find somewhere sheltered for us to fully heal them.”
“Wait, please do not do that. We are willing to let you into the Command Tower if you would please follow me.”
Twilight squinted through the pain to see Princess Celestia walk towards them as regal as ever; even with the fierce worry on her face. She stifled a laugh as she saw the Orange Ranger’s eyes bulge out as he took in the sight in front of him before he attempted to compose himself…poorly. She heard him mutter a few words under his breath and looked in shock as his battered armour vanished; leaving him clad in an Orange bodysuit with red and white highlights. His voice betrayed his unbelieving stare.
“All right. I, uh, thank you for your offer and generosity. Truth is, we’re kind of stuck here as well. We’ll get to that later but first, these ponies need to be healed up.”
Princess Celestia nodded sagely and concentrated on the group in front of her. Magic charged her horn and enveloped the Rangers in front of her and transported them to the Command Tower instantly. Looking around her at the destruction, she sighed and pawed at the ground nervously. Monster shelters would soon have to be constructed as well as an underground bunker for the full evacuation of the town. She had do doubt that someday Discord would break free of Zedd’s command to decimate Canterlot and everything in his path. Heaving a sigh of regret at the changes that would be forced to take place; she beat her wings to take her back to the Command Tower. However, she was not prepared for the sight that awaited her upon return.
“Get away from them! They don’t need to be healed by your magic!”
Princess Celestia’s brow furrowed in concern as she saw Billy stepping toward the Ranger in Orange. The Orange figure had removed his helmet and had apparently just finished laying Fluttershy on the medical bed. In one hand, he held a strange crystal shaped like a jagged lightning bolt and was holding it near the yellow Pegasus’ head. The timid Ranger cowered at Billy’s wrath behind the Orange Ranger as the Purple Ranger hovered near Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle. Rarity was lying on the second Med Bed while Spike tended to her. With some amusement, she noted that all of his attention was on the drama that was unfolding.
“The magic from my Ultra Crystal will heal all of their wounds both internal and external. The power will even replace any blood lost; which is probably better than what your Eltarean Medical Bays can do!”
Billy stepped back, shocked that the mysterious Ranger knew what technology was inside the Med Beds and their proper name. There was more to the Ranger than met the eye and the former Blue Ranger threw his hands up in frustrated defeat. Seeing that as a sign that he should continue, the Orange Ranger knelt down next to Fluttershy’s head and stroked her pale pink mane soothingly. Billy watched the Asian boy murmur something to the timid pony which calmed her down and he held his breath as the ‘Ultra’ Crystal began to glow with power. His mouth slowly dropped open as the cuts and bruises on the Yellow Ranger slowly faded away into nothingness and he felt shame run through his body as he knew he had misjudged the new Ranger. Feeling a presence next to him, he looked to his right to see the Purple Ranger’s helmet vanish in a shower of sparks. She looked painfully young as she brushed her light brown hair back behind her ears.
“Don’t feel ashamed at your actions. If I was in your shoes, I would have thought the same thing. Maybe we started off on the wrong foot. I’m the Purple Carnotaurus Ultra Ranger, Eliza Maddock. You may be aware that we’re not from around here.”
Billy snorted and nodded tiredly. Seeing his nod, Eliza continued, inclining her head to where the Orange Ranger had finished with Fluttershy. The strain and weariness on the Asian’s face was evident as he staggered to Twilight’s side to repeat the process a second time.
“That’s my leader, Weihan Liang; the Orange Utahraptor Ultra Ranger. His Crystal is the only one that can fully heal anyone but as you can see, it is an incredible drain on him. He’s also the one that gathered the rest of the Ultra Rangers together after…something happened to him. I’ve seen him in the Ultra Cavern watching a suit recording of something but he won’t say what it is.”
A crash caught their attention and they looked up to see Weihan slumped over on the ground. As Eliza raced to her leader’s side, Billy saw the Ranger Armour dissolve in a shimmer of light that left the Asian in the clothes he had been wearing before he morphed. Slowly walking to the Med beds, he checked the scans on Fluttershy and sighed heavily. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were good Rangers and if things became too hectic wherever they were, they could summon their Zords; which were stored in a subspace pocket inside the Element Crystals. Their use of the Zords would mean that they could, in theory, locate the dimension they had landed in and swiftly bring them back. As he saw Eliza guide her leader to the Med Bed Twilight had vacated, he wondered what sort of dimension they had come from.
And if their Rangers would help his.
TBC…
Author's Note
Information is here bit by bit as to who the Ultra Rangers are and their level of power compared with the Equestrian Rangers. At this point, Zedd is not using the full potential of the 13th Crystal and will not do so for the rest of the story, although he will think otherwise.
The next bonus chapter will deal with AJ and Dash as they wake up in the 'other' dimension.
Bonus: Ultra Crystals 105
AN: And here are the reactions of Applejack and Rainbow Dash! Enjoy!
Chapter One Hundred Five: Equestria Girls
She was floating in a dark void.
There was darkness all around her but she could barely hear unfamiliar voices taking to her. The last thing she could remember was fighting against Parascythe and feeling the blades slash her flesh and then…nothing. Just some strange sensation of pulling, a tumble and…nothingness. Her brain struggled to process the voices around her but then zeroed in on a very familiar voice.
“Rainbow, please wake up. Come back to me; Ah don’t want to be the only one here.”
Applejack…that was Applejack calling for her. She struggled against the void and the void fought back with equal intensity. Slowly, she began to overpower the opaqueness around her and struggled to open her eyes. Managing just a crack, she saw a pair of familiar green eyes staring back down; eyes that were brimming with tears. Applejack managed a shaky smile before lunging at her, wrapping her front hooves around her neck and pulling her into a tight hug. Returning the hug as best as she was able, Rainbow Dash struggled to sit up, noticing for the first time her surroundings. Giant metallic beasts lined the walls and strange robotic arms moved about overhead; consoles beeped and whirred and large screens showed bustling city streets that put Manehattan to shame. Voices near Applejack focused her attention and she struggled to gain some height over her captors.
“Let me out of here! Where’re the others? Where are we?”
“Rainbow, please! We’re the only ponies here!”
“Where are we?”
“You’re on Earth. And in another dimension.”
Her head turned to see who had spoken and narrowed in on a Ranger in shining Silver armour. The Silver Ranger pressed something on her belt and her costume vanished in a shimmer of sparks; revealing a petite blonde girl with a somewhat impish smile. Dash took a liking to her immediately before allowing the Silver Ranger to continue. Subconsciously, she moved closer to Applejack for strength and stability.
“Two of our Rangers vanished and the two of you tumbled out a few minutes later. You were both extremely injured and violently demorphed. Applejack managed to make a quick introduction before she passed out from the wounds. We managed to heal the both of you as best as we could, but we couldn’t replace the blood loss…so you should drink plenty of fluids to speed up the healing.”
Rainbow Dash nodded at the explanation and shot a sidelong glance at Applejack. For her part, the blonde cowpony was soaking in all the information that was being said and nodded to allow the Ranger to continue.
“As for where you are in more specific detail; you are in the Ultra Cavern, the home base of the Ultra Rangers. We are a highly specialised branch of Power Rangers that fight against the evils that the regular Power Rangers can’t. I am the Silver Ankylosaurus Ultra Ranger and my name is Rachelle Cole.”
Rachelle stopped her explanation and looked at the two ponies in front of her. She had glossed over the argument that had been held when after Applejack had passed out. Alex had shouldered the wishes of the Ultra Rangers and heal them before asking them where they came from and what could be done to get them home. Tommy and the Turbo Rangers had argued that they needed to detain them before healing as they could be dangerous enemies. Heather, Aimee, Linda and Will had lifted and moved the injured ponies to the Medical Beds before Tommy could react. Luckily, Zordon had agreed to the notion of the two Rangers being healed as he was sure there would be a wealth of information that could be learned from them. Will had roped Justin into helping him analyse their blood to see if there were any unique dimensional markings they could use to pinpoint their home dimension while Alex was using the scanners to track down the final Bearer.
Looking at the two ponies again, she suppressed a heavy sigh. Weihan and Eliza were more than likely in their home dimension and were probably assisting their team in any way they could. They had their Dinozords if things got rough and, in theory, they could use the unique energy signatures to track them. Billy, Zordon, Ninjor and the two Sarah’s were analysing that possibility but the success rate seemed tragically small. She looked at the blonde pony just as she spoke, her voice soft and small.
“So, what do we do now?”
For once, she didn’t have an answer for her.
TBC…
Author's Note
Yeah. Nothing new here.
Chapter 22: Initiations
A sharp beeping roused him from his rest.
Opening his eyes, he looked up at the ornately decorated ceiling above him before blinking in confusion. The Ultra Cavern didn’t have decorations like that on its ceiling, so where was he? Slowly raising himself up off the slab he was lying on, he looked around him and the memories came flooding back. The assault on Xonix’s Fortress, the Brown Crystal, the portal and the entering into another dimension. Strangely, everything after the healing of the Yellow Ranger was a blank. Nodding to the unmorphed ponies around him, he looked at Eliza and gave her a weak smile before shaking his head to clear the cloudiness. Exhaling slowly, his eyes widened as he took in the brilliant designs on the stained glass windows along the long hall of the Command Tower. Stylised designs of ponies were posed in exploration, attack, victory and defeat. One pane of glass showed strange crystals resting on a pedestal of some sort with the strange winged unicorn staring at them.
“Those are the Elements of Harmony.”
Jerking his head up at the voice, he spun around and saw that the winged unicorn was next to him. Gripping the sides of the slab, he swung his legs over the edge and lowered himself to the floor. Seeing that his energy was recovering nicely, the winged unicorn spoke again. Weihan smiled at how melodious her regal voice sounded.
“Please do not strain yourself. You are still recovering from your energy drain. My name is Princess Celestia and I am the ruling monarch of the land of Equestria.”
Weihan nodded as he flexed his arms. An energy drain was consistent with using his powers to heal…but that didn’t explain the sharp beeping near him. Ignoring the oddity for the time being, he looked to the Princess and asked about Equestria and its inhabitants. The Princess laughed lightly at his question and obliged.
“Equestria is a land inhabited by ponies of three species. Earth Ponies tend to the land, Pegasi to the weather and Unicorns allow propagation of knowledge and magic. I, like my sister, am an alicorn and to the best of my knowledge we are the only two true alicorns in all of Equestria. The Elements of Harmony are the strongest concentrations of magic and are known to be able to purify evil from any being they are used against.”
Nodding lightly, Weihan tried to wrap his brain around the information being given as the Princess kept talking. If the Elements were the energy source that the Rangers of this world drew from, they would be very formidable indeed. He didn’t quite know how quadrupeds could battle bipedal monsters…then again; he had seen the Friendship Stampede at work. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. He would eventually have to go back to his world but he wished he could open up a permanent two-way portal to help the Rangers whenever they needed help.
The beeping sounded again, louder and closer. He stifled a yelp as he looked around for the source. The Princess had ceased talking and was also looking around in confusion; as were the Rangers and Eliza. As the beeping increased speed, he squinted at the communicator on his left wrist. Shaking his head again, he pressed the side button cautiously.
“Hello?”
After a burst of static, the familiar voice of Rachelle Cole, the Silver Ultra Ranger broke through.
“Weihan, thank God we’ve managed to break through the dimensional walls! You have to hand it to Will and Justin; those two can do anything!”
Weihan sagged on the wall next to the Med Bed as Eliza let out a small cheer before running to his side. Popping open the clasp of his communicator, she slid it off his wrist and onto the communication station. As Twilight helped the Purple Ultra Ranger with strengthening the signal, Weihan felt a surge of relief wash over him. While communication didn’t mean they had a way to go back just yet; it meant the Rangers had a way to communicate with their displaced team mates. He blinked in surprise as a very familiar voice came over the air…but judging from the smiles that broke out on the ponies faces, it didn’t belong to the girl he loved.
“Hey, we’re here an’ the Ultra Rangers are mighty fine folk! Don’t know who this ‘Jacqui’ is that everyone keeps telling me about but I’m sure ta meet her soon! For those Rangers who don’t know who ah am, I’m Applejack and your team says hi. And Dash says hi as well…but she’s swooping round the base”
Inwardly, Weihan laughed as Eliza shot him a sly look. There was a pony in the Ultra Cavern with the same voice as his girlfriend. If those two met each other…well, he didn’t want to know what would happen. It would certainly put a strange spin on his earlier comments comparing her to a pony. The Rangers let out whoops and cheers as they learnt the status of their missing friends and their cries of joy lightened the shadows in his heart. He saw Billy walk in with the Pink pony from a side corridor and nodded once to them before opening his mouth to reply to the pony. He only managed a sound that was the beginning of an acknowledgement when shouts in the background drew his attention.
“The Hell? Is that a talking pony? And what is going on here? I’m taking Rebecca and we’re leaving now!”
Well, it seemed Alex had wasted no time in recruiting Rebecca to the team; and it seemed Sam Perry was inside the Ultra Cavern for some unfathomable reason. Rubbing his temples with a hand, he walked over to the communication station and knelt down near the communicator. Opening his mouth to try to calm the boy down, he was interrupted yet again by Heather’s soft voice.
“Sorry Wei, we had to bring him along. We were attacked by the grunts of the new evil force and Sam was caught up. He’s having a bit of difficulty accepting Rebecca as the new Ultra Ranger.”
Shaking his head, he let out a harsh bark of laughter before speaking to the Princess.
“And this is why you ensure no civilians are caught up in the process of recruitment…All right. Sam, pull your head out of your ass and listen!”
Twilight blinked in surprise as she heard the Orange Ranger’s voice change from self-deprecating and teasing to harsh and stern in an instant. Fluttershy covered next to the Orange Ranger and she saw him lightly drop his hand to stroke her mane to calm her down. It was an automatic gesture, but allowed the purple unicorn to see the kindness in his heart. Billy felt some of his tension and apprehensions dissolve as well and felt that he had sorely misjudged the young man in front of him; but found it strange that a civilian would be in the secret base of the Rangers.
“Sam, I know you’re confused and possibly a little angry but listen. Rebecca was picked not only by myself, but by the Ultra Crystal she will be wielding. The same Ultra Crystal that has a direct line to the Universal Morphin Grid – one of the strongest energy grids in the universe and that knows everything about anything. From what I can see, this same Grid perpetuates throughout the known Universe and even in alternate dimensions. She will be in a team that will protect her and teach her how to effectively use the power at her disposal. We will do everything we can to ensure that she does not abuse what is given to her. In return, we ask that you be there for her. “
He paused to let it sink in and looked down at the Pegasus at his feet. She looked up at him with her aquamarine eyes and leant her head on his upper thigh. Smiling down at her, he opened his mouth once more to address the person on the other end of the line.
“All we ask is that you accept this and be there for her. Being a Ranger is tough and the things we see can really fuck us up if we don’t have support. We take care of each other as we go but there are some things that even we cannot heal. That’s where you come in. Talk to her and keep your relationship alive but know that there will be some things that she will not be able to tell you. Knowing all this, do you still consent to having her join the Ultra Rangers?”
He heard a heavy sigh on the other end that was followed by a slight electrical crackling and shouts. He guessed Rebecca had accepted the Power of the Brown Crystal of her own accord and was proven right as a light shudder ran through his and Eliza’s bodies. The Ultra Rangers were now complete and Sam had to accept that any decision he would have made was out of his hands. Grinning widely, he spoke once more.
“Well, that takes care of that. Rebecca, welcome to the Ultra Rangers. To the Equestrian Rangers in our dimension, excuses will be made for you and we will ensure that everything is still relatively in one piece upon your return.”
Static started to creep into the transmission and Weihan knew the link between dimensions was fading fast. He nodded at the communicator even though he knew he couldn’t be seen and signed off.
“Bye for now; and may the Power protect you.”
TBC…
Author's Note
Mostly Ultra Crystals related stuff in this chapter, including the completion of the main twelve. Nothing pony-related happens in the Ultra Crystals chapter following this.
Chapter 23: Waves
“Are you sure this is a good idea?”
Biting back a sigh, Weihan nodded and continued channelling Power into the scorched object in front of him. Billy hovered over his shoulder watching in awe as his Power Morpher slowly repowered itself. He had his doubts about allowing the Orange Ranger to infuse his Morpher with energy from his Ultra Grid, but he had been reassured that it would be safe. The energy would even last after they had left for their own dimension and, if need be, Billy was sketching out a way the transfer could be done through the dimensional barrier. Taking his eyes off the transfer, the Blue Ranger looked around the Command Tower. Eliza was busy talking to both Princess Celestia and Dimitria about similarities between dimensions and the other Rangers and Luna were listening intently.
His thoughts drifted to the gift Weihan had given him after his displeasure at seeing the Training Room wrecked. Apparently it was the results of a proposed automated Zord repair system he had discarded in his dimension. The nanobots were incredible and disassembling one of them had yielded a wealth of data that he could use to adapt the system for the Harmonyzords. They were also self-replicating and were slowly filling a large unused tank in the Zord Bay. The Orange Ranger had reassured him that the communication link between their dimensions could stay open if he left his communicator with them as it had something to do with anchoring the communication signal…something that was extremely technical even for him.
“Finished. You should have enough Morphin energy for a couple of morphs…just conserve your strength whenever you can.”
Billy nodded and was about to speak when the Orange Ranger shook his head.
“No new weapons, however I have implemented something in there for…future use.”
As Billy looked at him questioningly, Weihan shook his head. He was slightly exhausted from the power transfer, but it would fade within a few minutes. However, what he couldn’t shake from his mind were the images and feelings he had seen upon the first few second of energy transfer.
Flash
Billy held the crystal aloft, staring at it. Blackened Heart had done a number on him, but the magic of the Princesses had healed him nicely. He supposed it was also due to the Ultra Energy that had been infused into his Morpher but didn’t care. Holding his Morpher in one hand, he clicked it open and slid the round jewel into the centre depression. He nodded at Celestia’s voice.
“This is only half of your Powers. The other half…well, that is for you to discover on your own.”
Billy closed his Morpher and gazed at it. He would complete the Prophecy and bring light to the word once more.
End Flash
Whatever was going to happen would be happening in the future. He couldn’t help to wonder who this Blackened Heart was and what sort of monster it could possibly be to extinguish the light in Equestria; but at the same time, he didn’t want to know. Trying to work out Xonix’s true motives and intentions was scary enough. Extending the softly glowing Morpher to Billy, he opened his mouth to speak when the alarms went off. Turning around, he raced to the main scanners just as Spike finished pulling up the images near the Everfree Forest. Pinkie poked her head into his line of vision and let out a dismayed moan.
“Aw, ponyfeathers. We’re in trouble with AJ and Dashie gone. We’re only down to four Rangers.”
“Seven, actually.”
Weihan’s offhand comment made all eyes turn to him and he absentmindedly gestured to himself, Eliza and Billy as his eyes roved the crowd of grunts and monsters. One looked like a humanoid griffon, one was a bipedal Pegasus that was wearing a helmet with a bloody hole in the middle of it and there were two monsters in front of the throng. One was a bear-like creature with a hide that reflected the night sky and it had random saw blades sticking out of extremely random places. The other was a monster that honestly looked like a bipedal water heater with gaudy flame attachments dotted all over it. One of its hands looked like a vacuum cleaner nozzle while the other was what appeared to be a machine gun.
He made a move for his Ultra Crystal when a beeping from his communicator caught his attention. Squeezing out of the tightly pressed bodies, he moved to a relatively quiet place and hit the flashing button.
“Guys, can’t talk! Zedd just went all out on Ponyville and all of us are about to teleport down and head him off!”
“What? Is that…Zedd? With Discord and…Gilda?”
Turning at Twilight’s shout, Weihan saw the colour drain from Billy’s face and heard his morpher clatter to the floor as his fingers fell slack. Rushing back to the Scanning station, he pressed the dropped object into Billy’s hands and stared at the image on screen in shock. There was no doubt that the twisted horse-like creature on screen was Lord Zedd; even with the strange equine features he had somehow acquired. In one hoof-like hand, he grasped his signature Z staff and his brain pulsed in the afternoon sun. Biting back a curse, he turned to Celestia and began to speak when a very familiar voice washed over him.
“Lord Zedd appearance? How could Zedd be…oh, alternate dimension. Oops.”
As the ponies barely looked in his direction, he exchanged a wry glance with Eliza at AJ’s voice. He barked a short, strained chuckle and sighed in resignation. So AJ was in the Ultra Cavern and she had probably met Applejack and Rainbow Dash. He wondered what she thought of the Earth Pony; whatever it was, it was probably a good thing they were dimensional counterparts of each other.
He silently slid his Ultra Crystal out of his chest and – before his girlfriend could reply – he heard the alarms of the Ultra Cavern start ringing in the background. Exchanging worried glances with Eliza and Celestia, Weihan motioned to the others that they should go on ahead. Billy shook his head and spoke quietly so his voice wouldn’t be picked up by his communicator.
“We’ll all go together. We’ll show Zedd our full hand.”
“Oh God, is that an Iguanodon? Bec’s going to be pissed”
Letting out a light chuckle at Rachelle’s words, Eliza looked at the group in front of her. All in all, they had four Equestrian Rangers, a repowered Mighty Morphin Power Ranger and two Ultra Rangers against a large group of grunts; something called Discord, a humanoid griffon called Gilda, two monsters and Zedd. It was all pretty hilarious but they had to take action now unless they wanted Ponyville to be destroyed again.
“Rangers, come out and face me! Show me the strength of the Ultra Rangers!”
At the rough voice coming from the communicator, the Rangers blinked in surprise as Weihan clenched his teeth together and growled out a single word.
“Xonix.”
Eliza blinked. Her friends were going up against the being that had sent down countless monsters and launched dozens of attacks at them. Well, hopefully they would be getting support from the Turbo Rangers. Pushing herself away from the console, she reached up and pulled her Ultra Crystal out of her chest as Weihan continued speaking.
“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.”
Weihan ended the communication with a sigh and looked around him. Gripping his Ultra Crystal in one hand, he shook his head at the situation in his home dimension. Xonix was on Earth again, three months or so after his first expedition. He guessed that the overlord wanted to see what it would be like fighting in the day but anything involving Xonix was like trying to hold a live fish in one hand. Glancing at Billy, he was extremely shocked to see the more experienced Ranger nod at him and he swallowed the lump that had somehow formed in his throat. He spoke in a low, dangerous voice.
“We go unmorphed and kick Zedd’s ass into next week!”
TBC…
Author's Note
Pretty self-explanatory here.
Bonus: Ultra Crystals 109
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.
AN: And we’re back! Updates will come semi-frequently in the coming months and the story will pick up once I get over the initial hurdles of introducing stuff. Still working on a potential storyline that may or may not come to fruition.
Anyway, Enjoy!
Chapter 18: Scythe Run
“I will destroy them and feast on their flesh!”
Zedd turned away from the newly transformed Gilda and chuckled wickedly as he looked at the glowing Crystal in his hand. The Dark Ultra Crystal had performed better than he would have thought for transforming flesh and mutating it into something stronger. He almost wished the griffon would have kept her quadrupedal stance but waved away that train of thought. A bipedal griffon warrior would do nicely until he could figure out how to resurrect the dead with the crystal. Then Goldar would be his top warrior once more and he knew the golden titan would love to go a few rounds with the ex-Blue Ranger. Whatever the outcome; it would be prolonged, messy and would end with the brainy one ravaged beyond repair.
Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the pathetic mass of azure flesh finally starting to take on a coherent form. Tricksy was now a half reptilian, half unicorn beast with a crocodilian head adorned with a stubby horn and ringed with a bluish-green mane. The hooves on her hind legs remained but the skin had vanished; exposing the musculature beneath…as well as gleaming white bone. Her front legs had twisted into grasping claws that ended in razor sharp talons that could easily slice through the hardened granite walls. From the feeble attempts she kept making, Zedd could see that the reptilian unicorn was trying to achieve a bipedal stance. He let her continue in her attempts and walked out to the mouth of the cavern.
The Everfree Forest surrounded his cave and he longed for the airless void of the Moon…but knew that wasn’t a viable option. For one thing; his servants needed oxygen and sustenance to keep functioning well, even though they had been magically enhanced. A more pressing problem was that while the Moon in his home dimension moved on its own and wasn’t monitored; the Moon over Equestria was…by Celestia’s sister Luna. The alicorn would surely sense a structure being summoned onto the stony surface within seconds. After that, the Rangers would probably come up in their Zords that the ex Ranger had undoubtedly given them. He couldn’t risk that happening yet.
Sensing a presence behind him, he turned his head to see Discord next to him. The former alicorn had a wide smile on its face and nodded once to his Lord. Nodding back, Zedd felt a rush of anticipation fill his body as his servant slipped into the depths of Everfree. So, Discord had pierced the dimensional wall and had a subconscious hold on the former Green Ranger. Even if his friends realised what was happening, they were powerless to stop it as Zordon was long gone and their ‘main brain’ was in Equestria. It was a stroke of genius to allow Discord to use what little magic he had left to reach through the dimensional barrier piggybacking on his magical sight spell. Of course, the magic Discord had remaining wasn’t enough to fry an egg with but it still had enough manipulative power in it to enslave an unguarded opponent. The information Zedd had learnt during that bout of ‘Ranger Watching’ had also been very interesting.
The Yellow Ninja Ranger was dead. Killed by, of all things, a suicidal monster. He had almost slapped his face at procuring the information from Tommy’s mind…but was stopped by an overwhelming desire to live. A suicidal beast would be a useful terror tactic against to Rangers but the novelty would wear off after a few detonations. He had been so surprised that the connection to the ‘other side’ had been cut off but Discord had gotten the job done anyway. Any further musings was cut off by a strange sound near his feet. Looking down, the dark Lord saw a strange insectoid chirping excitedly as it sniffed his transformed feet. Lifting up his staff to crush the insolent insect, he stopped as it was joined by two more creatures that had flown in from the Everfree. Magically ensnaring once, he brought it up to eye level and examined it.
If he was a more sentimental overlord, he would have called it cute. Two brightly coloured eyes jutted out from a blue face that was disturbingly humanlike. Six jointed legs stuck out from underneath the face and four thin wings lightly flicked in the shifting breeze. Sneering under his mask, he snatched it out of the air and crushed it in his hoof-like hand; chuckling in dark pleasure as dark green slime oozed out from between his fingers. Tightening his grip on the Dark Ultra Crystal, he laughed as a new segment of information wormed its way into his mind. He could create monsters with the Ultra Energy but he would have to merge one creature with an inanimate object that was either built or magically created. Wiping the remains of the insect on a broad leafed plant, he concentrated his energy and summoned a long scythe into his open hand.
“Parasprite? What is Master doing with a Parasprite?”
Zedd turned to see Tricksy staring curiously at the creatures at his feet. They smelt the remains of their brethren and were licking the slime with bright pink tongues. Not wanting to listen to Tricksy’s rambling explanation, Zedd pointed his Crystal at the reptile’s mind and savagely ripped the information out from her mind while she screamed in fear and pain. Cackling as he raped her mind for the information, Lord Zedd exerted all of his power into tearing apart her defences; irregardless of whatever disturbing images he saw.
“Master, no! Not there! Tricksy begs you to stop!”
After another few minutes prolonging the mental destruction of his servant, Zedd released her from his spell. Parasprites…were interesting creatures indeed. Just one could consume an apple tree in mere moments while a large swarm of them could fly across miles…destroying everything in their path. They were the Equestrian analogue to locusts and he would use them as such. Kicking away his useless servant, Zedd threw the scythe down onto the two Parasprites with a clatter. One was sliced in two by the blade but the other remained intact.
Unleashing a torrent of magic, the transformation and melding of the two objects began. From her vantage point on the ground, Tricksy squinted through the pain as the Parasprite began to merge with the strange weapon her Master had summoned. The cute eyes grew larger and became compound and its teeth turned into crushers, fangs and mandibles. Blades of some metallic alloy burst out from its exoskeleton and it roared to the Heavens as it finished its transformation. Her Master seemed pleased with his work and pointed in the direction of the accursed town of Ponyville.
“Parascythe, go forth and destroy them all!”
TBC…
Author's Note
And as always, this is directly copied from my soft copy of the story...complete with original author's notes.
Yup, Zedd reveals that he can pull memories out of people's heads. Or savagely rape someone's brain to leave them a gibbering wreck. Seeing this is Tricksy, her mind is still semi-fragmented and the latter part doesn't take too long to get over. Bonus chapters will be placed in order for the crossover, including one chapter in particular...
AN: Different paths taken for Xonix and Twinlobe here. Then again, the dimension Zedd is from is the ‘core’ PR universe… Enjoy!
Chapter 21: Differences
Rewinding the footage, he growled softly.
Wherever the two new Rangers had come from, they had destroyed Parascythe in less than ten minutes. The power they possessed was incredible and matched the intensity of his own Dark Ultra Crystal…which meant that those Rangers came from the same place as it. He felt an uneasiness settle over him at that thought. Lord Zedd tapped his chin in deep thought and looked around him. Gilda was leaning on one of the walls and admiring her new looks for the billionth time. Discord was hunched over a screen and was weaving what little magic he had left on the former Red Ranger. Tricksy had forgotten his mind rape of her and was hovering around his feet like a demented dog.
It would be foolish to think that these Rangers didn’t have their Zords with them. Even if he made a monster grow, the damned ponies would summon their Zords to do battle with it. Rewatching the finisher the Purple Ranger had pulled off, he growled yet again. With that amount of Power he wouldn’t be surprised if they had methods to destroy giant monsters without a Zord as one of the Overdrive Rangers had. Attacking again so soon would throw them off track and would allow him to analyse the strength of the mysterious Rangers. If he created a dimensional monster, he could easily send the Rangers back to their own dimension. Either that or they would be forced to wander the dimensions endlessly.
No, that would be detrimental to his hold over his followers if he were to help the Rangers in any way. He was still smarting from helping the Zeo Rangers escape the Machine Empire all those years ago; so helping the two misplaced Rangers would be utterly humiliating. Switching off the recording, he looked outside the cavern and chuckled at the thick column of smoke coming from the direction of Ponyville. The white Princess would be forced to construct monster shelters in that small town as well as in the capital of Canterlot. That sign would inform the populace that the monster attacks were now a part of daily life and would lead to civil unrest.
Of course, there was still the off chance that the citizens of Equestria would see the monster shelters as a necessary evil due to the constant attacks and would boost Celestia’s popularity tenfold. Self-defence classes would start popping up and the cycle of destruction and violence would start anew. That was the best option in his opinion as it would allow Discord to slip through the cracks and pose as a wandering magician…and that would be the undoing of the residents of Ponyville. The only problem with that plan was the wandering magician shtick had been tried before with Tricksy and had resulted in an Ursa Minor attack. And Discord had said that that trick had been used before by him a few years before his imprisonment.
Growling softly to himself, he called up the screen again to rewatch the monster battle. The movements of the two Rangers were fluid and strangely elegant and Zedd found himself thinking of life back on his home planet of Aisalar and his older brother Prince Xonix. He had always had grand dreams for the future and had expressed great delight when the family fortune-teller had proclaimed that he would be the greatest Overlord in the Universe. His brother had thrown himself into training and making himself stronger and had even taken to reading some of the forbidden texts in the archives. Reading them would condemn any other native to death but as Xonix was the heir to his father’s throne…the steps taken had been slightly too extreme. Xonix was stripped of his title, rank and privileges and was placed under house arrest. His father had fought greatly for his prized son but eventually had to bow to pressure from the public and give the title of Prince to Zedd.
And then the plague had hit.
Aisalar had been hit with a devastating off-world illness that had killed almost everyone. Xonix and his father had hung on the longest but succumbed to the disease. Zedd had managed to flee the planet in he early stages as he had been charged by the Healers to find the only thing capable of destroying the plague: the Zeo Crystal. That mission had ended in failure as he was forced to endure the agonising pain of having his skin stripped from his body and most of his skull removed. He had been found by an Anishan crime overlord that called himself Twinlobe and had ‘volunteered’ the young prince as a test subject for an extremely dangerous experiment. He had agreed to it but had not expected the injection of molten Zycordian silver directly into his body.
The Zycordian silver had reacted with the energy in his body and had formed long strips of metallic armour that held his internal organs mostly in check and had moulded into a fearsome-looking helmet that had exposed his brain to the outside. The Zycordian silver had even wrapped around his ceremonial staff and transformed it into a mighty weapon that could transform into a snake with just a thought. Zedd had learnt about the devastation of Aisalar in convalescence and had received his father’s last message soon after. Breaking free of the Anishan had been a difficult task but thanks to the amplified magic in his body, he left his captors as smears on the walls. Stealing a small shuttle, he had wandered the galaxies for a long while before beginning his reign as Lord Zedd.
Which began the path that led him here: in a different dimension battling Rangers from other dimensions. He sighed as he watched the image of the Orange Ranger pull out his weapon and chuckled as he was flung into a building. He would build up his forces slowly and attack when they least expected.
And he would destroy them…personally.
TBC…
Author's Note
Different roots for Zedd and Twinlobe. To be expected...
Bonus: Ultra Crystals 106
Chapter One Hundred Six: Musings
All things considered, it could have gone better.
Xonix paced the main cockpit and rolled his eyes as more debris bounced off the top of his flagship. For the foreseeable future, they would be sending monsters from the ruins of their Fortress…until Twinlobe and Yit managed to design and construct a stronger Fortress that couldn’t be demolished as easily. Well, ruins were such a strong word and it didn’t fit with what the Rangers had done. They had left the structure of the Fortress more or less intact while the inside was relatively clean with the possible exception of the Monster Labs and Main Computer Area.
In fact, the only area of the Fortress that had been thoroughly trashed was the external defences. They could be rebuilt but the plans and placement would have to be kept under tight wraps. Still, the damage wasn’t anything to be scoffed at. Three out of five particle cannons had been destroyed and the fourth looked like it would explode at any second. All of the Gatling laser emplacements had been shredded as had the anti-air guns. The fusion rocket launchers and their protected factories had been turned into slag and the sonic emitters had somehow been turned into microwave emitters. They could be reconfigured either into weapons or into microwave ovens. Everything else was a complete and utter train wreck, to borrow the human phrase.
A loud rumble made him look up and he shook his head in frustration as the fourth particle cannon finally exploded, sending chunks of moon rock raining down on the flagship. His brother had asked him to stay at the Moon Palace until the new Fortress was complete and he was thinking about taking him up on his offer. He didn’t know why, but something inside his gut told him that his brother wouldn’t be around for much longer…which was insane. Zedd was the cockroach of the Royal Family; no matter how many assassins were sent after him, he always emerged mostly unscathed.
“Master, news from the front!”
Xonix shook himself out of his musings at Twinlobe’s voice and tried to remember which ‘front’ it referred to. The attack on the Aowei system was one such front, but Jabarkas was en route there to finish up the…negotiations regarding their complete and utter surrender. Another more likely front would be Muitlet as the natives had finally completed their War Robot and that had made giant monsters a less effective target. Shrugging his shoulders, he nodded to let Twinlobe open the communications channel. The face that met him was a rather surprising one – Dark Spectre. The self-titled Monarch of Evil stared at Xonix and spoke in his iconic rumble.
“Xonix, word has it that your Fortress was destroyed and you are fleeing Earth. What is your motive now? The Rangers you were chasing have lost two of their number and you run like a coward!”
Xonix ground his teeth together and opened his mouth to retort when Dark Spectre’s words sunk in. Closing his mouth with a click, he stretched out his tendrils of magic to feel for the Rangers. He could feel eleven Rangers; yet two of those Rangers seemed to have slightly weaker Power Sources compared with the other Ultra Rangers. They were still stronger than the Turbo Rangers that had cropped up and, as such, would have to be dealt with in due time. Lightly brushing their Power Signatures, he swallowed in apprehension as a strangely familiar energy washed over him. Turning away from Dark Spectre, he searched his mind to pinpoint the energy.
No…it couldn’t possibly be. A multiversal energy source that he was very familiar with…as he had temporarily been entranced by the creature that had been imprisoned by their magic many years ago.
Flashback
Xonix growled and flicked his tail in annoyance at the messenger pony in front of him. He had to be in this form until he found out a way to escape the dimension he had been flung into by one of Rita’s wayward spells. He had been in the M-51 Galaxy at the final request of Master Vile before the purification had taken place. For a warrior prince to baby-sit a spoiled brat like Rita was beneath him…yet it was a request from a family friend. A reflected dimensional spell later and he had found himself here in the world of Equestria…wherever that was. He had stealthily seen the inhabitants and had changed himself into a pitch black unicorn with a yellow and white streaked mane and tail. An image of a shrouded moon had appeared near his butt…something that puzzled him immensely.
The name Night Shade had been given to him by one of the many guard-ponies of the ruling Monarch: Princess Celestia. With a name that exuded evil, he had been shunned from everypony around him…except one. He was a curiously bipedal winged unicorn, an alicorn as they were called, and his name hinted at a sinister future: Discord. To Xonix, his plan to overthrow Celestia was extremely shaky and full of holes; which made it all the more surprising when it had actually succeeded.
For the past three months, Discord had been unleashing his unique chaos magic on those around him. Celestia had fled into the Everfree Forest to one of her outposts and was no concern to Discord. Xonix knew it was a bad idea to allow her freedom but the alicorn would hear nothing of it; taking the mentality of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ a bit too far. Still, it didn’t concern Xonix that much either as he was the head of the Eyes of Discord and one of his most trusted advisors…second only to Shining Light who was hiding something. Delving into Canterlot’s vast archives and magic vials, the displaced warrior had come across a mention of the Elements of Harmony: six magic crystals that held the most powerful magic in all of Equestria. There were even small vials that contained samples of siphoned magic…as he had found out when he had accidentally shattered the vials of Honesty and Loyalty magic.
He groaned out loud as he read the message one more time. After three months of full access to the Canterlot archives, Discord was packing up his operation and moving to the barren wasteland of Deinos Terra Firma; home of the Zebras. Snorting in disgust, he reached up to adjust the Circlet of Discord around his head; changing his front hooves back into fingers and claws. Deinos Terra Firma was an accident waiting to happen…he just knew it
End Flashback
As it turned out, he was correct in his assumptions. Shining Light had gone missing during the move and had shown up less than three months later leading an army with Celestia. He had been promoted to Discord’s bodyguard and had been in the chamber when Celestia had unleashed the full power of the Elements of Harmony at Discord. The magic had reacted with his own and had flung him back to Master Vile’s dwelling within seconds of his original departure. Rita had reacted in amazement that her dimensional spell had seemingly turned him into a unicorn but she had the incident wiped from her memory with a simple mind spell. Of course, Rito had seen him in his unicorn state, but the poor child was already transformed into a skeletal state with a completely free (and insane) mind.
“I know that energy…I will deal with them in due time.”
Turning off the communication screen before Dark Spectre could react, he growled under his breath as his old black unicorn horn appeared on his reptilian head. Ignoring the looks of Twinlobe and Yit, he began plotting out an attack that would surpass the Conquest of Canterlot...
And even surpass Celestia’s invasion…
TBC…
Author's Note
Xonix reveals that he has been to Equestria before...
Mainly written because Discord couldn't have corralled a lot of ponies together without help and since Night Shade was one of his first successes, he had the confidence and ability refinement to succeed. Of course, he didn't know Xonix was just playing along...