Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Chapter 10
Chapter 26

Chapter 2

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 2
by Rixizu

Trixie sipped her coffee as she read the newspaper. The headline was about the developments in the kidnapping scandal that happened yesterday. It lambasted the entire Night Court for what happened. On the front cover was a picture of Dinky that had to be the cutest picture of her ever. No doubt to elicit sympathy and outrage. Just as Trixie planned. She smirked. She wanted to give the Night Court a message of what happened if you mess with the Galaxy Rangers.

Trixie’s body still ached from this morning's training. Her legs felt stiff and almost completely dead. For some reason, Raindrops insisted they run six miles every morning. It was pure misery. Trixie wanted to regret asking for all this training in the first place, but she knew she couldn’t. She needed to get stronger. The Corvus incident a month ago proved it. They barely won that one through the skin of their teeth and who knew what Corona was planning next.

So far Corona had been completely dead silent. Not a single monster had been seen since Corvus. Trixie suspected Corona might be too weak to create a new one after getting her magic poisoned and her fight with Corvus. Due to the poison, thanks to Zecora, Corona was unable to replenish her vast but limited magic. But the peace just put Trixie more on edge. The Tyrant Sun was planning something. Trixie knew it to her bones. She couldn’t slack on her training regardless how peaceful it currently was. She was determined to be ready this time.

Trixie drank the rest of her coffee and looked at the clock. She had 20 minutes until her meeting with Mayor Ivory Scrolls. Trixie used her magic to get her cape and hat and walked towards the door. Trixie’s eyes widened when she saw the crowd of ponies at her front door. There were at least twenty reporters. They flashed their cameras at her momentarily blinding her. After getting her vision back, she could see plenty of eager foals in the crowd. There were some adult ponies too, and Trixie could also see, sigh, Rainbow Dash. She was their greatest fan and ran their fan club. She was grinning ear to ear and was wearing a Galaxy Rangers t-shirt with the Red Ranger on it. Wait a minute, where did she get that and why wasn’t Trixie getting any royalties for it? It was something to look into later.

“Miss Lulamoon! Do you believe the claims that Vicereine Puissance was behind the foalnapping yesterday?” One reported asked. He had his notebook ready and eager to take down anything Trixie said.

“Miss Lulamoon! What do you think of the current state of the Night Court?” Another said.

“Miss Lulamoon! What do you think Corona’s next plans are?” Said a third.

The reporters bombarded Trixie with questions to the point she could barely understand them.

Trixie cleared her throat loudly. The crowd quieted. “I don’t have much time, but I will answer a few questions. As for who was behind foalnapping my friend’s daughter, I will leave that up to the Princess’s investigation. She is better suited to discovering the truth than me. The Night Court does have some issues. Issues I plan to fix when I become a member of it. I don’t know what Corona’s plans are, but we will deal with it when the time comes.” Trixie knew Puissance was guilty as sin, but it was a bad idea to publicly denounce any Night Court noble. Especially without any proof.

The reporters rapidly asked more questions. Trixie raised a hoof to quiet them. “If you excuse me, I must be off.” Trixie made herself invisible and slipped away. The reported groaned in disappointment and went on their way. The foals eagerly chatted to each other. Rainbow Dash beamed enthusiastically.

This last month had been hectic. Routinely Trixie and her friends had been bombarded by reporters especially in the first week. On the streets, Trixie regularly had ponies ask for her autograph or got swamped by fanponies. When she first became the Night Court’s representative for Ponyville, Trixie was largely ignored and had basically no influence. Now the Mayor asked her attend town meetings and give her input and suggestions. Trixie was asked all the time to attend some banquet or do her act at a charity event. In fact, Trixie was going to do a magic act for a charity tonight. A pony by the name of Good Will was diagnosed with early stages of cancer and all the proceeds were going towards his treatments. Trixie didn’t mind doing charities, but all this was getting very tiring.

Trixie liked the attention, but this was getting too much. She almost craved when ponies ignored her and called her a joke behind her back. Almost. She could really do without these meeting the Mayor invited her to. They were almost always about boring stuff like zoning. But Trixie was representative and having a positive reputation with Ponyville’s town council would go a long way in her Night Court career. Besides, Trixie had the perfect spell that made it look like she wasn’t sleeping during the meeting.

The music was so loud that Greengrass felt he might go deaf. It made no sense to him and sounded mostly like just loud incoherent noises. He did his best to have a neutral expression. The entire room was almost completely dark. Everypony around him was just a black figure in the flashing multicolored light. The rave was almost filled to the brim with young ponies. They had on strange seemingly random outfits.

Greengrass didn’t understand it, but maybe he was just too old. This wasn’t really his world. Truthfully, he wasn’t that old but sometimes felt like he grew up in a different era with how things were so different today. Above them all was the pony he was looking for. In the DJ booth was Vinyl Scratch, also known as DJ Pon-3. She was a white unicorn with an electric blue mane. She was wearing blue headphones and her eyes were covered by purple glasses. She had a cigarette in her mouth. The puffs of smoke seemed to move and wave back and forth with the beat. She was in front of a console with a turntable on it. She was bobbing her head completely enthralled with the music.

Greengrass made his way to the back area with Notary following behind. He knew where the backstage was. A bouncer recognized him and let him through. He led Greengrass to a back room that was a dressing room. It was really cluttered, mostly with booze bottles, and Notary clucked in disapproval when she saw the mess. It was the quietest room in the building, so he didn’t mind. Besides, this was typical of the DJ.

It didn’t take long for Vinyl Scratch to arrive. She limped towards them beaming ear to ear. Her back prosthetic leg tapped against the floor. The artificial limb resembled a normal one, but it was skeletal and completely metallic and covered almost all of her back right leg. Though she walked with a limp, she was able to walk around without much difficulty after having it for years.

Vinyl gave Greengrass a hug. “Hey! How has it been?” She greeted.

“Pretty good. I’ve been busy naturally, but it hasn’t been anything I can’t handle.” Greengrass replied smiling.

“Ahem.” Notary cleared her throat and pointed towards the cigarette in Vinyl’s mouth.

Vinyl sighed, rolled her eyes, and put it out in a nearby ashtray that was almost filled to the brim with used cigarettes. Notary hated when Vinyl smoked around her boss. Greengrass chuckled.

“So what did you think? Some pretty sick beats huh?” Vinyl asked. “Made them myself.” Vinyl was an accomplished songwriter and DJ and her songs always seemed to make at least the top 20 on the charts.

“It isn’t really my type of music, but I can see how it might appeal to some ponies,” Greengrass answered.

“You are such an old fogey!” Vinyl said. Greengrass laughed.

“So, what’s up?” Vinyl asked. “I’m guessing you have a job for me?”

Greengrass nodded getting back to business. “Indeed. I’m afraid this might require you to take a few weeks off.”

“Okay.” Vinyl said without hesitation as she usually did. She waved her hoof. “I know just the pony that could cover for me.”

Vinyl smiled. “He’s a little untested, but he’ll do great! It’ll be the perfect opportunity for him.”

“Splendid.” Greengrass was glad this wasn’t too much of a bother for her. Vinyl was quite adept at balancing her job with her work for him busy as she was. Though she seemed to put his work first most of the time and never complained no matter how much the job inconvenienced her. If he asked her to take a year off for something, she would in heartbeat. It was why he valued her so much.

“So Greens. What do you need me do?” Vinyl asked.

"I know you'll like this," Greengrass said smirking. His plan had a surprise he knew she would love.

After a particularly dull meeting with the mayor, Trixie starting preparing herself for the magic show. She looked over all the wires, mirror, and other gadgets she used to perform her tricks. She hadn’t performed a show since the Longest Night and since this was for charity, she planned on this one being her most fantastic yet. When everything was set up to her satisfaction, she left to greet her friends in front of the stage. All her friends were already there except Carrot Top. Bon-Bon wasn’t with them because she was off making treats for the charity and Dinky was conspicuously missing for some reason.

"I think it is fantastic you are doing this," Cheerilee said, "Tootsie Flute is going through a hard time and I think she will appreciate you doing this for her dad."

"I'm always here to help," Trixie said modestly, "I'm always here to help the community."

“I bet you are going to get a huge turnout. Being so popular and everything.” Ditzy said.

"I should hope so," Lyra smirked, "we practically gave out fliers to everypony in town!"

“At least we are putting this popularity to good use for once.” Raindrops said a bit pensively. Being famous didn’t sit well with her and she always ended up scaring ponies away with her annoyed looks. Trixie bet she didn’t know how scary she looked when angry.

“Tell me about it.” Ditzy gave out a sigh. “The press has been bothering me all day! I barely got my route done!”

Cheerilee put a hoof to her head. “It should die down soon. Something will pop up and they will forget when even existed.”

“I just hope the Night Court learned its a lesson and won’t bother us again.” Ditzy tapped her chin with a hoof.

"Don't count on it," Trixie said doubtfully, "they seem to think they deserve to control everything."

“I was afraid of that.” Ditzy gave another sigh.

Raindrops smacked her hooves together. “This time we will be ready for them.”

"Hopefully," Cheerilee said, "you really need to talk to the princess about this."

"I will believe me," Trixie said, "I plan to go to Canterlot to talk to her personally next week."

“That’s a relief.” Ditzy put out a breath. “I was….” Ditzy gave out a cry of alarm.

"Sorry, I'm late," Dinky said a little short of breath, "I lost track of time. I hope I didn't miss anything."

Trixie turned towards Dinky confused why her mother would make such a fuss. Trixie's eyes widened when she spotted the filly. Her jaw dropped. Everypony else in the group had the same expression. Dinky’s mane was in a mohawk.

“Dinky! Your mane!” Ditzy said taking a step back. She was in complete shock.

“Isn’t it cool? I just thought if I look tougher, ponies won’t try to kidnap or mess with me. What do you think?” Dinky’s face beamed with pride.

There was stunned silence. “It’s...interesting.” Raindrops clearly had no ideas what to say.

“Dinky. You are going to put your mane back to normal right now!” Ditzy said in a commanding motherly tone.

“No! It’s my mane and I can style it however I want!” Dinky protested.

“Not when you live under my household you won’t missy!” Ditzy shot back.

The two started arguing and Trixie chuckled. There it was. A streak of rebellion. In a few years, Dinky would start slamming doors and say things like ‘Get off my back mom!’ or ‘Leave me alone mom you’re not the boss of me!’.

Cheerilee also gave an amused expression. “They grow up so fast.” Lyra and Raindrops just watched the scene bewildered. Dinky eventually grudgingly left with her mom to fix her mane back to normal.

Trixie spotted Carrot Top coming towards them and motioned for her to come closer. Her eyes widened when she saw the state the carrot farmer was in. Carrot Top looked stressed and haggard. Trixie ran to her friend in a hurry.

“What’s wrong?” Trixie asked. The rest of her friends joined her.

Carrot Top waved a hoof. “Not much. The irrigation system was causing me problems.”

“What do you mean?” Lyra asked.

“It won’t distribute water properly. I am going to have a better look at it tomorrow. Made things so much more difficult. I just want to relax, watch some magic tricks, and get to sleep.” Carrot Top explained.

"That's a bummer," Lyra said sympathetically

“If you need any help. Be sure to ask.” Raindrops said.

“Thanks.” Carrot Top said appreciatively.

Trixie knew the system was old. Left over from when Carrot Top’s grandparents owned the farm. Carrot Top probably needed an entire new irrigation system. Unfortunately, it would be expensive. Very expensive. Not something a small farm like hers could afford easily. Trixie made a mental note to look for a way to finance it later.

Trixie watched the crowd behind the screen. It was growing into a rather large one. All the seats were already full so ponies were forced to watch the show from the sky or standing up. It was a larger crowd than Trixie was expecting, but she didn’t mind. Her fame would actually come in use this time. It was a beautiful night for the show with a full moon lighting the sky. Trixie saw Ditzy return and she sat in the reserved VIP spot in front. Dinky was not with her. Bon-Bon was on the sidelines in a stand selling her treats to the attendees. By the looks of it, she was making a killing.

“Huh? Where’s Dinky?” Lyra asked.

"She's grounded," Ditzy said matter of factly.

“Um, isn’t that a little extreme?” Lyra said shocked. “She was really looking forward to this.”

"It's called a punishment for a reason Lyra," Cheerilee said.

Ditzy nodded. “She should know better than to talk back like that.”

"Bummer," Lyra said dejectedly.

Trixie was a disappointed that Dinky couldn’t come. She would just have to give her an encore later. Well, all except her last trick of course.

Mayor Ivory Scrolls walked out to the front of the stage. “Greetings ladies and gentlecolts. I am proud that so many ponies came to help Good Will and his family during this difficult time.” The family in question gave a wave. “Showing the unity and commitment of the community of Ponyville and our ability to overcome any obstacle.”

“Laying on a bit thick, aren't we?" Trixie muttered under her breath. It was almost election time and the mayor was trying to look as good as possible.

“And now the star of the show and the pony that made all this possible.... Trixie Lulamoon!” The mayor concluded. Suddenly the stage was covered in smoke obscuring it completely. The mayor took her leave under the cover of the smoke. The smoke cleared and Trixie replaced her.

“Are you ready for the most fantastical and unbelievable illusions and magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie?” Fireworks erupted around Trixie as she kicked her front legs in the air. The crowd cheered.

“Not if I have anything to say about it!” A booming voice said. A figure jumped on stage. He was a black pegasus dressed in a dark gray costume with a red stripe through it. “It is I, your arch-nemesis Master Impossible!”

Trixie facehoofed. “Not you again!”

“You thought you beat me? Banished me? Never! I will stop until I defeat you once and for all!” Master Impossible boomed.

“Go away Thunderlane! I’m in the middle of a show!” Trixie’s eye twitched. Ever since her secret identity got revealed this joker kept challenging her convinced they were arch-enemies. He never knew when to quit and Trixie had it up to here with him.

“This time Master Impossible will be victorious! Especially with my secret weapon!” Thunderlane got out some nunchucks from his belt and started swinging them around awkwardly.

Trixie started rubbing her head. She pondered what was the best solution to this dolt.

“Hiya!” A voice from the sky cried out. Suddenly a rainbow blur fell from the sky and drop kicked Thunderlane in the face. Thunderlane dropped to the ground with a thud. Rainbow Dash grinned in satisfaction and gave Trixie a salute. She roughly grabbed the arch-villain from the ground and flew away from the stage.

“Mark my words! I will have my revenge!” Thunderlane weakly cried out as he was carried away.

"Anyway," Trixie said with a sigh when they were out of sight, "the Great and Powerful Trixie will show you magic never seen by pony eyes!"

Trixie spun her hoof around and she suddenly had a hoop in her hooves. She spun it around her hoof then around her body with practiced grace and confidence. She threw it to her right hoof and it dropped down her leg. As if she cloned it, she now had two hoops. She threw them in the air and started juggling them. At first, she only had two, but as she was juggling them they somehow multiplied. Now she was juggling four hoops in the air. When they were all in the air, she spun around and grabbed them all at the same time. When she faced the crowd again, the hoops were gone. The crowd applauded and stomped their hooves

Trixie flung off her hat with a thrust of her head and grabbed it midair with a hoof. She reached inside it and pulled out a sword. It glistened in the stage’s lights. She planted it in the ground. She put her hoof back into her hat and pulled out a tomato. She threw it in the air. In a single motion, she grabbed the sword from the ground and cut the tomato in half.

Trixie twirled the sword around. “As you can see, this sword is very sharp. For my next trick, the Great and Powerful Trixie will need a volunteer.”

Hooves rose up in the air. Trixie examined the ponies raising their hooves carefully. Trixie pointed towards a colt in the second row. “You?”

“Me mam?” The colt said nervously. The colt was an earth pony with a brown mane and a white coat. He had splotches of brown all over his coat.

“Yes, you. Come to stage. Don’t be shy.” Trixie said soothingly. The colt nodded and trotted towards the stage.

“What is your name?” Trixie asked.

“Pipsqueak mam.” The colt answered.

"Hello, Pipsqueak." Trixie greeted with a smile. She planted the sword in the ground again. "This colt will assist the Great and Powerful Trixie in a very dangerous and daring trick!"

Pipsqueak gulped. “You aren’t going to use that thing on me, are you?”

Trixie looked surprised. “What? No never. The Great and Powerful Trixie would never endanger an audience member.” Pipsqueak was visibly relieved.

“No!” Trixie boomed. She grabbed the sword with a hoof again and twirled it around. “It will be used on the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

Pipsqueak’s jaw dropped and the audience gasped. Trixie used her magic to pull out a box from the back stage. It was just big enough to fit an adult pony. It had two doors. A smaller door at the top for a head and bottom one for the body. It also had a hole in the middle with an X on it that was placed at the heart.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie will go into that box and my assistant Pipsqueak will stab me in that hole right in the middle!” Trixie flourished her cape. She spun the box around with her magic to show it had no way out except the front.

Pipsqueak gulped. “Are you sure about this Miss Trixie?”

Trixie beamed. “Positive. The Great and Powerful Trixie would never attempt anything she knew Trixie couldn’t do.”

Trixie used her magic to turn the box 45 degrees so they could see the sword go completely through the box. She opened the latch in the front and inside the box was completely empty. She snugged her way inside just barely fitting in. It didn’t give her much wiggle room. She closed the door and left the door for the head open.

“As you can see, there is no way for the Great and Powerful Trixie to use her magic without you all seeing it!” Trixie said. “Is Trixie’s assistant ready?”

Pipsqueak gave a hesitant nod and approached the box. He picked up the sword with his hooves. The sword shook nervously in his hooves. He closed his eyes and thrust it all the way into the hole with abandon.

“Gah!” Trixie screamed. Pipsqueak and the audience gasped. Trixie’s eyes were closed and her tongue hung out. The sword went completely through the box.

“Miss Trixie!” Pipsqueak cried out.

Suddenly Trixie’s eyes opened and she grinned. She used her magic to pull out the sword and opened the box. She was completely unharmed. Pipsqueak and the audience clapped in amazement.

“That was amazing!” Pipsqueak cheered.

“You haven’t seen anything yet.” Trixie took the sword in her hooves and twirled it around. Suddenly it was a giant chocolate bar. “This is for you for being so brave.”

Pipsqueak eyes widened and took the candy. "Thanks, Miss Trixie!" Trixie smiled and ushered him back to his seat.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie’s next trick will have her teleport from this box.” Trixie gestured to the box she used earlier. “And this one.” Trixie pulled out another box from backstage. It looked exactly like the last one.

"But it won't be just a simple teleportation spell," Trixie said grinning, "the Great and Powerful Trixie will teleport while levitating in midair!"

Murmurs came from the crowd. Trixie got into the box again only closing the bottom door like before. She used her magic to lift herself and the box high into the air. She was visibly sweating from the difficulty of doing this. Self-levitation wasn’t an easy trick to do. She hung in midair for a few moments before dropping her levitation and used it to close the top door instead. Not suspended in the air anymore, the box quickly fell to the ground and broke into millions of wooden shards. The audience gasped. Trixie was nowhere to be seen.

The door of the second box burst open to reveal Trixie. The crowd erupting in cheers and applause. Trixie gave a gracious bow.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie’s next trick will require another volunteer.” After twenty minutes, Trixie’s show came to a close. She dazzled her audience with confusing tricks and illusions. One of her most impressive tricks of the show was cutting a card in midair that was chosen by an audience member while blindfolded with a sword. She then used that sword to fight her shadow that came to life to fight her. She vanquished it after a heart-pounding duel. Unfortunately, the show had to come to an end, but Trixie saved her best trick for last.

“And now for the Great and Powerful Trixie last trick! One so dangerous and daring that she might not even come out of it in one piece!” Trixie trotted off the stage and audience watched her with their eyes curiously. She trotted up to a something covered in a tarp that was a few hooves away from the stage. “Behold!” Trixie pulled off the tarp to reveal a cannon.

“In this trick, Trixie will escape being shot from this cannon into that brick wall over there.” Trixie pointed to a brick wall in the distance. “But alone would be just dull. Trixie will make this even more dangerous and daring! When Trixie hits the wall, it is set to explode with TNT!” The audience gasped in amazement and shock. If one squinted, they could see red boxes of TNT lining the bottom of the wall.

“Um, Trixie. Is this such a good idea?” Ditzy with full of apprehension.

“Yeah! That’s nuts!” Raindrops said alarmed. Lyra nodded. Cheerilee just watched to see that Trixie would do.

“Positive. And to make escape even more difficult, Trixie will be in a straitjacket and chained when she’s shot out of the cannon.” Trixie beamed with confidence.

"Please tell me she's kidding," Lyra said.

“Trixie would like to thank the Ponyville Fire Department and Hospital for overseeing the trick and making this as safe as possible.” Trixie pointed to some fire ponies and Doctor Stable that were watching from the sidelines. Trixie could see some fire pony pegasi in the air making sure everypony stayed away from the blast zone.

Trixie gave her hat and cap to Lyra and got into the straitjacket with a fire pony helping her with the chains. She climbed the ladder on the back of the cannon. She gave a reassuring smile to her friends and the audience that watched on nervously.

“She’s crazy. She going to get herself killed.” Lyra looked like she was about to faint.

“I’m....sure she has it under control. It’s just a trick, right?” Ditzy said hesitantly.

"Please be okay. Please be okay.” Carrot Top muttered to herself.

Trixie loaded herself into the cannon with some more help from a fire pony. A few moments later the cannon was fired and a blue and white shape was shot from the cannon. The crowd winced at the painfully loud sound of the cannon being fired. Trixie could just barely be seen racing towards the wall. In a blink of an eye, she hit the wall and there was an explosion. There was an eruption of dust and the crowd coughed. The smoke started the clear and the audience looked into the cloud to see anything. They could see the smokey remains of the brick wall when the smoke cleared.

The crowd gasped in unison. There was no sign of Trixie anywhere. They started murmuring to each other in fear and alarm.

"No need to fear! The Great and Powerful Trixie is just fine!”

The crowd turned around and there Trixie was on the stage in one piece. She was still wearing the straitjacket, but her legs were free and unencumbered. The audience erupted in cheers and whinnies. They seemed to stomp their hooves as one. Trixie could feel the ground shake a little. She bowed several times. She drank in the love and affection the crowd was giving her. Trixie felt amazing right now. Like she was on top of the world.

Suddenly Trixie felt something felt something fall and cover the top of her head. Curious, she used her magic to examine it and dropped it in wide-eyed shock. Panties. Somepony just threw their pink panties on Trixie’s head. Trixie screamed at the top of her lungs and run off the stage in complete and absolute horror. The entire crowd was stunned silent.

“Huh. That was not the reaction I was expecting.” Cloudkicker said confused over the silence.

Chapter 3

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 3
by Rixizu

Trixie waved at her friends as she entered Sugarcube Corner. Trixie always marveled at its bizarre appearance. When the building got half destroyed by a monster attack, it was remodeled into a bakery/youth center. The oddest combination Trixie had ever heard of. Still, it was a fun place to hang out with her friends and Ditzy loved bringing her daughter here. It also had a dojo making it an excellent place to train. After the show, Trixie’s friends promised to meet her here and she spotted them on one of the front tables. Bon-Bon was with them. They waved back only to recoil when they got a good look at Trixie.

“What the hay happened to you?!” Lyra cried out in alarm.

Trixie face and most of her body were completely red like it had been burned. “I just spent the last hour in the shower at the hottest setting. It was the only way I could feel clean again after what happened.” There was no doubt in Trixie’s mind that having that thing on her head was the grossest thing ever.

“.... I see.” Lyra said hesitantly. The rest of Trixie’s friends looked at each other.

"Cloudkicker apologized for what happened. She didn't think you would react so badly." Raindrops said. "Oh, and she was also wondering if you still might be interested in banging."

“Tell her absolutely not!” Trixie almost shouted.

"You shouldn't be so surprised, Trixie." Cheerilee looked amused. "You are famous now. You are probably going to have a lot of admirers now. Especially being the leader."

Trixie sat down and looked glum. “Great.”

"Hey, they might be a chance for you to find somepony," Lyra said helpfully.

“No thank you. Love is for the birds.” Trixie waved to Pinkie to come over.

"Hey, guys! What can I get you?" Pinkie asked. She had a notebook in her hooves.

“Six cupcakes would be fine.” Carrot Top said.

“One with hot fudge and jalapenos!” Trixie ordered.

“Gotcha!” Pinkie zoomed off to get their order.

“I don’t understand. What is wrong with love?” Lyra sounded perplexed.

“It involves too many gross things and sharing your life with another pony seems like such a bother.” Trixie snorted.

“You should give it a chance. It isn’t so bad.” Lyra said pouting. Bon-Bon giggled.

Trixie ignored her and decided to change the subject. “I have been meaning to ask you Bon-Bon. Where exactly did you get those fighting skills?” Back during the Corvus incident, Bon-Bon held her own again the strongest monster Trixie had ever seen. She did it without even flinching. Trixie knew something was up with her.

Lyra immediately jumped in front to her marefriend protectively. “I know what you are going to say and Bonnie is not a spy for Greengrass or any other noble!”

“I wasn’t going to suggest that.” Trixie rolled her eyes. Was she ever going to live that down? Ever since she mistakenly accused Twilight Sparkle of being a spy, Lyra seemed convinced Trixie was a paranoid loon.

“Really?” Lyra snorted.

“It’s fine Lyra.” Bon-Bon put a comforting hoof on Lyra’s back. “The truth is I like to lift weights and do Tae Bo class once a week.”

“Ha! See! A perfect explanation.” Lyra boasted.

“What?! That doesn't explain anything!” Trixie yelled.

“Shows how much you know!” Lyra smirked.

“Now now.” Bon-Bon soothed.

“Bon-Bon is completely normal.” Lyra crossed her front legs. “I’ve known her my whole life!”

Trixie grunted in annoyance. Lyra was so protective of her marefriend it was ridiculous. Bon-Bon was more than just a candy maker. She could feel it. But for now, she would have to annoyingly drop the subject.

In few moments Pinkie Pie returned with their order. Trixie nodded gratefully and started munching on her cupcake.

“I noticed you started adding swords to your act Trixie.” Ditzy pointed out. “Hmm. At least five tricks used one.”

Trixie shrugged. “I just like using them. And it is a fun excuse to practice my swordsponyship.” Trixie found she was actually quite adept at using a sword.

Ditzy was about to say something when Cloudkicker burst into Sugarcube Corner rather loudly.

Trixie groaned when she noticed Cloudkicker was coming right towards them.

“Look I’m flatt…” Trixie was about to say, but Cloudkicker stuck her hoof in Trixie’s mouth.

“That isn’t important right now!” Cloudkicker exclaimed. “Carrot Top, you need to get to your house right away!”

Carrot Top gave a look of alarm. “What do you mean?”

“It’s completely collapsed!” Cloudkicker said frantically.

Carrot Top stared at the remains of her house in total shock. When it stood upright, it was a lovely red single story house with a gray thatched roof. It was a sizable estate with about seven rooms or so. Now it was a complete mess and it looked like it fell into itself. Carrot Top didn’t move or say anything. She didn’t even cry. She just stood there staring at it with a wide-eyed expression. The rest of her friends tried to comfort her, but she didn’t respond.

What could have caused this? Trixie thought. The house was old, but it was well maintained. It looked like it would stand for another hundred years at least. She didn’t like this one bit. Something about it smelled fishy.

Ditzy wrapped a blanket around Carrot Top. “What am I going to do?” Carrot Top finally said. Tears started forming at the edges of her eyes. “It’s gone. My farm is doomed. I had everything in there. Tools, supplies, everything.”

Carrot Top put her face in her hooves and started to sob uncontrollably. Ditzy put a comforting hoof on her back and started rubbing it soothingly. “It’s going to be okay. We can get through this.”

“Yes! We can!” Trixie exclaimed startling Carrot Top. “And the Great and Powerful Trixie already has a plan!”

“B-but…” Carrot Top looked up and stuttered.

Trixie flourished her cape. “We will see what we can recover and if anything is broken, we will ask some of the nearby farms if they are willing to donate anything. Buy if we have to.”

Carrot Top sniffed. “I guess that might work.”

“Work? No! This will be even better than before!” Trixie exclaimed.

“There are plenty of ponies that would be willing to help out.” Cheerilee gave a warm smile. “Don’t think you’re alone in this okay?” Raindrops smiled as well.

"In the meantime, you can sleep at our house," Lyra suggested and Bon-Bon nodded, "we're near your farm and it won't take too long to commute here."

“You have home insurance, right?” Trixie asked.

“Yes, but who knows if they would actually cover this?” Carrot Top said gloomily.

Trixie crossed her hooves. “We will see them tomorrow and make sure that they will.”

Carrot Top was crying again, but this time it looked like tears of joy. "Thanks, guys." She tried and failed to wipe the tears away.

“We’re a team.” Trixie smiled. “That’s what they do.”

Greengrass marveled at the gadgets and machinery of the research department of Ministry of War. The department was researching all sorts of methods to protect Equestria. Greengrass watched a pony use some rod-like device to melt a stone wall and this pony was an earth pony. Another was using a flame spell on a suit of armor, and not only was the armor completely unblemished, but cool to the touch. In the sky, Greengrass could see a pony trying and failing to control his jetpack. It was all very impressive.

Vinyl looked equally impressed and gave delighted sounds when she spotted something she found particularly cool. Their guide, Solitaire the head scientist of the facility, gave a detailed description of each project. She was a tan pony with a chester brown colored mane. She had on thin red glasses and a lab coat. Her cutie mark was a single playing card, the ace of diamonds.

“And here is the Planetary System.” Solitaire showed them to a door that led into an individual lab. “The Archduke will be seeing you inside.”

Solitaire opened the door for them and Greengrass and Vinyl went inside. It was much like the rest of the lab with its strange machinery, but this one was far more spacious. Ponies were at tables using equipment for unknown tasks or writing and reading notes. He could see several smaller rooms each with a glass window for observation.

“So, what do you think of the work we do here Duke?” Archduke Fisher greeted. There was obvious pride in his voice. He looked even more self-satisfied than normal for some reason.

“Impressive. I see the funds the Princess provides you to protect the country are put to good use.” Greengrass resisted rolling his eyes at the obvious ploy to impress him with the Ministry's might.

Fished beamed, but became guarded and suspicious when she spotted Vinyl. “And who the hay is that!” He pointed a hoof at Vinyl. He almost shouted.

The nearby scientists stopped what they were doing to look at what the commotion was. There were some gasps.

“Oh my gosh is that DJ-Pon3?!” One of the scientists exclaimed.

“And who is that?” Fisher asked the scientist.

“You know, DJ-Pon3. The writer of songs like ‘My Little Bass Cannon’ and ‘Digital Pony Love’.” The scientist explained. “She’s kinda famous.”

“Never heard of her.” Fisher snorted. He looked at Greengrass with suspicion. “And what is she doing here?”

“Notary is sick.” Greengrass gave a reassuring smile. “Vinyl is covering for her.”

Fisher almost laughed in disbelief. “Really? A famous DJ working as your secretary?”

Vinyl shrugged. “Yeah. Have to pay the rent somehow.” Fisher narrowed his eyes. The other scientists nodded in understanding and sympathy.

“Totally. The rent in Canterlot is so bad, I have to wait tables at Bennigans just to get by!” One the scientists said.

Fisher glared at them. “Get back to work, or I will dock your pay...again.” The scientists yelped and got back to whatever they were doing. Greengrass felt sympathy for them.

“I don’t know what you are planning, but I won’t let it work!” Fisher stomped a hoof.

Greengrass shrugged and gave an innocent look. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Fisher looked Vinyl over up and down. “And she’s a cripple. You won’t employ a pony like that without reason.” Vinyl’s eye twitched in irritation but said nothing.

"I believe in equal opportunity employment," Greengrass explained.

“Foalish.” Fisher snorted. “But that doesn’t matter. It’s time I show you how I plan to bring down the Tyrant Sun and the Rangers.”

Fisher led them to one of the small rooms. Through the observation window, Greengrass could see a small rectangular device attached to wires on a table. It was gold and looked very similar to the Galaxy Ranger’s morphers.

"This is the Planetary System and it is our greatest hope for stopping Corona," Fisher smirked, "it contains powers far greater than any of the Galaxy Rangers."

Solitaire gestured towards the device. “We learned how to duplicate the transformation process of the Galaxy Rangers, but the biggest problem was finding a suitable power source.”

“That is why we’re using the Planetary Gems. They are ancient items of immense power that are said to contain the power of the ancient gods the planets they are named after. Their power was stolen to create these gems according to legend.” Fisher explained. Greengrass could see a glimmer of hunger and greed in Fisher’s eyes. Having the power of a god was something the Archduke wanted, badly.

“Really?” Vinyl sounded skeptical

“The legends say they were created by cultist to power a super weapon. Powerful enough to burst a hole in reality to let them in.” Solitaire explained.

“Them?” Vinyl raised an eyebrow.

“Them. Creatures from the outside our universe.” Solitaire became very serious. “The cultists believed those creatures whose names have been lost to time deserved to rule this world. Not the princesses, not the old gods, but them.”

Greengrass gave an involuntary shudder and didn’t know why. Something about the story filled him with dread. Greengrass shook his head. No, that is just a legend. He thought. It’s a myth created by insane ponies.

"But the one thing we do know is that they have intense and powerful magic that can be retooled to suit our purposes." Solitaire continued. "There is one problem, however."

"The damn things won't just work for anypony," Fisher answered.

Solitaire nodded. “Even with the morpher, they will only work with a pony compatible with the gem.”

Fisher smirked. “I believe I already found the candidates needed to use them.”

Greengrass nodded in understanding. Truthfully he already knew all of this. While it true he hadn’t used to have spies watching the Ministry of War before, he did now. He was able to get all the research data very easily. In fact, his people were able to come up with information that the Ministry didn’t have. They were able to get all of this information even though only a day had gone by. Greengrass’s people were very good at their jobs. He knew the gems required a strong will and he knew just the pony that might be able to use one.

A burly stallion walked into the lab. He was an aqua blue unicorn with an orange mane. He was very muscular. They bulged out in every direction. He was almost twice as tall as Greengrass. His mane was in a military crew cut. His cutie mark was a book with a feather in it. Vinyl eyed him up in down obviously liking what she was seeing.

The stallion walked up to them. For some reason, he was lifting weights in both hooves while doing so. He put the weights down and saluted to Fisher. “You wished to see me, sir?” After saying this, he picked up his weights and started lifting them again.

Fisher gestured towards the stallion. “Yes. This is Stanza, one of the finest soldiers in the Legion.”

Stanza put down the weights and took out a jumping rope and started jumping rope with it. “You do me an honor by saying that sir.”

“Why are you doing that?” Greengrass asked unable to hold back the question any longer.

Stanza changed to doing pushups and answered the question. “I have to keep myself in shape, if not I will lose my edge.”

"I… see," Greengrass said baffled.

Fisher beamed with pride. “Far better than those buffoons Princess Luna enlisted.”

Stanza was doing sit-ups now. “I don’t know about that. They seemed to be good ponies, and they have quite of bit of potential in my opinion.”

Fisher glared at Stanza who just shrugged. “Anyway, he will be the first real test subject.” He gestured to one of the devices.

Stanza nodded and entered one of the small rooms. He approached the device in the room.

“So far we have only been able to find five of the Planetary Gems. This is the Mercury Gem.” Solitaire explained. “Are you ready?”

Stanza nodded and grabbed the morpher and unplugged it from the wires. He did a pose. “It’s morphing time!” He thrust the morpher in front of him. There was an explosion of light and energy. Stanza was launched from where he was standing into the wall behind him. The wall was smashed and the stallion fell to the ground. Scientists opened the door and rushed to his aid. Stanza struggled to his hooves and signaled he was fine. Fisher was in complete shock.

"That was not fun," Stanza said with a groan.

“Seems he isn’t the guy you want.” Vinyl said helpfully.

“No matter.” Fisher waves a hoof dismissively. “We have plenty of other candidates.”

Sanza stretched. “If you don’t need me anymore I will be off. I still have a ten-mile run I have to do this morning.” Fisher waved him away and he left.

“Where in Equestria does he get that much energy?” Greengrass asked bemused.

“I’ll have to invite him for a drink later.” Vinyl mused with a wide grin on her face.

“Bring in the next candidate!” Fished yelled.

For next two hours, many ponies were brought before the morphers. All attempts ended the same way Stanza’s did. Fisher grew more and more agitated by the failures. He was stunned none of these soldiers qualified. He started pacing nervously. He did not like that his plan was failing.

Fisher stomped a hoof when a mare with a purple coat and a white mane failed. “This is ridiculous! These are the best of the best! How can they fail?!” He started pacing again.

“This is so stupid. Let me try.” Vinyl walked past the scientists and into the room with the Mercury morpher.

“Somepony stop her!” Fisher yelled. Greengrass watched her closely. His instincts told him that Vinyl had the will necessary to wield one the gems. He saw the way Vinyl looked at the Mercury morpher. It looked like it was calling for her.

“It’s morphing time!” Vinyl grinned. She had no fear what would happen to her if she failed. She thrust the morpher in front of her. Her body was enveloped by light. When the light was gone, her body was covered in armor. It was pink and it had a white v-shaped armor that went to her shoulders. The helmet has the mercury symbol on the forehead and the vizor was black and there were three spikes at the end of each side. The side of the helmet had white bird like wings attached to it.

“Mercury.” Vinyl’s voice had an obvious satisfaction in it. Fisher dropped to the ground in complete shock.

“You haven’t seen the last of me!” Trixie yelled as she stomped out of the insurance firm.

“There’s no need to be like that Miss Lulamoon!” One of the insurance ponies named Flim said.

“He’s right. We’re sorry we can't cover it, but that type of damage isn’t covered by her plan.” The other insurance pony Flam said. They were identical twins with a yellow coat and red manes. Flam had a mustache.

Flim nodded. “He’s right. There really isn’t anything we can do.”

Trixie got into Flim’s face and growled. “Make it!”

Flim gulped. “This isn’t a simple fire, flood, or monster damage.”

“It’s the complete collapse of the house!” Flam shook his head. “The house was just old, could happen to anypony.”

“You’re lucky to even be alive Ms. Top.” Flim put a hoof to his head dramatically. “Think of what would have happened if you decided to go home early!”

“Thank the stars you weren’t!” Flam agreed.

Carrot Top nodded and looked down depressed. She sighed.

“I tell you that damage wasn’t normal!” Trixie yelled. “It was sabotaged I tell you!”

“But do you actually have any proof of that Miss. Lulamoon?” Flim argued.

“According to our inspectors, the support beams were just old.” Flam countered. “How could that be foul play?”

Trixie just grunted not wanting to give up the point. “I’ll be sure that the Princess hears of this! She’ll have your hides for this!”

“Goodbye, Miss Lulamoon.” Flam waved a hoof as he reentered the firm.

"Good day to you," Flam said as he closed the door.

Trixie growled. “Those highway robbers! What the hay are you supposed to do without a house?!”

Carrot Top hung her head and trotted towards her farm.

"Don't be like that, we can beat this," Trixie said comfortingly.

“What’s the point, they won’t cover it.” Carrot Top said defeatedly.

"You really need to stand up for yourself," Trixie said, "you barely said anything after they said they wouldn't cover you. If I were you, I would be throttling them right now."

Carrot Top gave a small chuckle. “I’m not like you Trixie. I don’t like shouting at ponies.”

“You need to be more assertive.” Trixie nodded her head. “You can’t let ponies like them walk all over you.”

“Like it would have helped.” Carrot Top gave a sigh.

Trixie grinned. “You never know if you don’t try!”

“I wish I was more like you Trixie.” Carrot Top looked away. “I’m not like you or my grandma. I don’t have that kind of fire in me.”

“You could if you gave it a try!” Trixie said confidently.

“Maybe.” Carrot Top said half-heartedly.

They walked back to Carrot Top’s farm. It was a complete mess. Things that could be salvaged were in a small pile. Not much was as able to be saved sadly. The rest of Carrot Top’s friends were at the neighboring farms asking for whatever they could give.

“Oh, that’s right.” Carrot Top stood up.

“What is it?” Trixie asked.

Carrot Top went to her field. “In the commotion, I forgot to check the irrigation system.”

Trixie nodded. “Okay. I will double check for anything that still might be valuable.”

They looked through the ruins pretty thoroughly, but it didn’t hurt to double check. Trixie used her magic to put aside broken debris. She grinned when she was able to find an intact tea cup. She dropped the part of the roof she was holding in her magic when Carrot Top gave a yell.

Trixie rushed to Carrot Top’s side. “What is it?”

Carrot Top pointed towards a hole she made to inspect the irrigation system. Trixie started when she saw what Carrot Top was pointing towards. In the ground where these strange gray and red insects. They were coming in and out of the metal tubes of the irrigation system. It looked like they chewed their way inside and were living inside it.

“What are they?” Trixie asked horrified.

“I think they are called Metalmites. They feed on mineral deposits like iron and breed in water.” Carrot Top put her head in her hooves. She started sobbing again. “I’m doomed.”

Trixie stomped a hoof. “No, you are not! We will fix this too!”

Carrot Top turned towards Trixie fury in her eyes. “How?! How do we do that?! I bet the insurance won’t cover this either! So, what am I going to do?! Huh?! Huh?! Who is going to pay for this?!”

Trixie balked at the sudden and intense anger. “Well...um…”

“This isn’t something that can be fixed by pure blind optimism!” Carrot Top growled.

“Maybe that be something I might be able to help with.” A voice with a southern drawl said.

Carrot Top and Trixie turned towards the intruder. It was Applejack. She was the head of Sweet Apple Acres. It was part of the Apple Trust the biggest farming conglomerate in Equestria.

Trixie narrowed her eyes. “And what do you want?”

"Ah just thought ah would come by and see ya Carrot Top," Applejack said, "and don't ya’ll look at me like that. I ain’t responsible for this."

Trixie snorted. “Really?”

"Yes really. Us Apples don’t resort to tricks like this!” Applejack said angrily. “Why would we even bother? Miss Top’s farm is just a small carrot farm that bothers nopony.”

“So, what do you want to talk to me about?” Carrot Top asked trying to get back her composure.

"Ah want to give ya an honest offer ya'll might like," Applejack said, "ah want to buy Golden Harvest farm."

Chapter 4

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 4
by Rixizu

“You want to buy my farm?” Carrot Top repeated shocked.

Applejack nodded. “Ah promise to give ya a good deal Sugarcube.”

“Well...um…” Carrot Top mumbled not sure what to say.

“No way!” Trixie got in front of Carrot Top defiantly.

“This don’t concern ya!” Applejack glared at Trixie.

“The heck it doesn’t!” Trixie crossed her hooves and glared back. “Why do you even want this farm anyway?”

“It’s a shame bout the house being gone and irrigation system needin’ to be replaced, but it's good land.” Applejack explained. “And ah would like to hire ya to run it, so not much would really change.”

Carrot Top blinked. “Really?”

“Sure. Ah need a carrot expert and what pony would be a better choice?” Applejack smiled.

“Ha! Sounds too good to be true!” Trixie snorted.

“Trixie. Shut up.” Carrot Top said startling Trixie.

“W-wha?” Trixie was baffled.

Carrot Top closed her eyes. “It’s my life, and I need to be the one to choose.” Applejack nodded in approval and Trixie glared at her.

Carrot Top spent the next few minutes thinking about it in silence. Eventually, she nodded as if coming to a conclusion. “I’m sorry Applejack, but I can’t accept your offer. This farm has been in my family for generations...and there is no way I could ever sell it.” Carrot Top smiled. “I’ll find my own way to save the farm.”

Applejack nodded. She didn’t look angry or even disappointed at the refusal. “Ah thought as much.” Applejack gave a smile that looked like one of approval. “Truthfully, ah would have thought less of ya if ya did.”

Carrot Top tilted her head not really understanding what she was hearing.

“Ya family put their blood and sweat into this land.” Applejack tilted her hat over her head. “It would be a shame for it to fall into the hooves of another.”

“Ya a farmer, and we weather through anything. Whether it be rain, sleet, plague, or disaster.” Applejack continued. “We will fight to the last breath.”

Carrot Top nodded in understanding.

“So don’t ya give up ya hear!” Applejack gave a warm smile. “Ah’ll be rooting for ya!”

Trixie was a bit flabbergasted by this. She wondered if it was the creed of farmers to be as ridiculously stubborn as possible.

“Sides, knowing your grandma Golden Harvest, she’d probably come back from the grave and yell at us.” Applejack gave a laugh, but there was a hint of nervousness to it.

Carrot Top laughed back, but she also seemed a little nervous. “No kidding.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow. “You act as if that could actually happen.”

Carrot Top laughed. “The way she was, it almost seems like it's possible.”

Applejack nodded. “That old coot would always find a way to completely throw ya off and she was the most stubborn pony ah ever met.”

That has to be saying something coming from you. Trixie thought.

“She’d always find a way to be a complete pain in the rear.” Applejack groaned.

“My mom has told me so many stories about her.” Carrot Top said nostalgically

“The Apples still curse her name to this day.” Applejack nodded.

Trixie raised a hoof. “Hold on a moment. What are you talking about?”

Applejack started looking frustrated as if remembering some rather annoying memories. “She’d always find a way to be a complete pain in the neck.”

Carrot Top looked towards Trixie. “She was a major rival to the Apples back in the day.”

Trixie blinked. “Huh? This small farm?”

"She'd always find a dirty trick to mess up our business," Applejack explained, "ya remember the tradition of only Apples selling goods on the Longest Night?"

Trixie nodded. How could she forget? Applejack nearly got an aneurysm when Carrot Top went against it.

Applejack threw up her hooves. “She’d completely ignore it and sold her wares every year outside of the festival grounds. Oh, and to make it better, she’d sell them at such a low price us Apples barely made anything!”

“But, um, how did she make any money that way?” Trixie asked confused. When Carrot Top did it, it was because she was hard pressed for money.

“I don’t think she cared.” Carrot Top explained. “She never cared about money.”

“Ah.” That was all Trixie could say. With that history, no wonder the Apples were so hostile about Carrot Top selling her wares.

Applejack groaned. “She’d always resort to the most underhooved tricks to undermine our business. Ah remember this one time when ah was a filly. Ah was at our stand with granny selling apples during a rather busy day as usual. Outta nowhere a rat came out of our stand scaring away customers. Then your granny had the nerve to call our goods unsanitary and announced a sudden sale on carrots stealing most of our customers that day. We confronted her course, but she just said it weren’t her fault we can’t keep varmints out of our stand.”

“Oh and let’s not forget she had the nerve, the nerve to constantly insult our apples!” Applejack was pretty mad now. “Because we grow other products, she said we lost roots and our apples suck now! That’s ridiculous, our apples are better than ever!”

“She seems quite the character…” Trixie said. It seemed just thinking about Carrot Top’s grandmother could set an Apple off. Something she would have to keep in mind. It also surprised her just how different Golden Harvest was from her granddaughter.

Carrot Top sighed. “She wasn’t so bad. She always helped ponies in need, but she seemed to care more about that than her own business.”

Applejack snorted. “It’s nice to help ponies, but the mare had no business sense.”

“Sounds familiar....” Carrot Top said crestfallen.

“Hey now.” Applejack admonished. “Ah don’t agree with what ya grandma did, but she was a good pony at heart. Ya have the same blood flowing through your veins. She never gave up and neither will you.”

Carrot Top gave a small smile and nodded. “Thanks. Though sometimes I wish I was more like my grandma. She would make a speeding train move out of her way.”

“Now ah hear ya been asking around if some nearby farms might have some spare tools and equipment. Hmm… We might have something yah could use.” Applejack mused. “Ah will see what I can come up with.”

Carrot Top perked up. “Really?”

“Sure, but ah am at a bit of a loss on what to do bout your irrigation system.” Applejack’s ear drooped. “It looks like the whole system will need to be replaced, and pest control will be needed to get rid of these varmints. A loan don’t look like something ya could easily afford.”

“Leave that to me!” Trixie proclaimed. “We will just have another charity show! I already have a million ideas.”

“But, how could that cover everything?” Carrot Top asked.

“Okay, the house might have to wait, but the irrigation system won’t be too hard I think.” Trixie flared her cape dramatic. “With the new act I have planned, it should be a huge success!”

“Ah! Ah bet there is stuff we could donate for it. Granny and ah got tons to things we don’t need anymore.” Applejack mused.

“Like a silent auction?” Carrot Top asked.

"Sure, and I bet we could find plenty of other ponies willing to donate something for it," Trixie said smirking, "we can do this. Just one step at a time."

Carrot gave a real genuine smile. There was hope in her eyes. “This could work.”

Greengrass watched as Vinyl did somersaults and flips in her new form. She had taken to this new power quite well and enjoyed finally being able to walk and move around normally again after losing her leg as a filly. Greengrass smiled. He had a hunch that becoming a Ranger would restore her ability to walk, at least in this form. It was one of the reasons he invited her in the first place. It felt like a proper repayment for all her loyal service over the years.

Fisher was not happy at this turn of events. “You get out of that suit right now!”

Vinyl stopped and looked at Fisher. “And why is that?”

“You don’t have proper clearance to even have the morpher!” Fisher argued.

Vinyl unmorphed, but she didn’t motion to give her morpher back. She limped over next to Greengrass. Her leg was back to normal. She gave him an appreciative smile and he nodded back. Vinyl turned towards Fisher and grinned. “But, I thought the gem only accepted one master. Even if I wanted to, there is no way the gem will give its power to anypony else.”

"She's right," Solitaire confirmed, "the gem will only work for her now."

Fisher glared at Solitaire who just shrugged. He gritted his teeth and stomped towards Greengrass. “You planned this, didn’t you?!”

Greengrass gave an innocent look. “I never ordered her to do anything. She acted completely on her own.”

Fisher growled. “I bet.”

“Come on Fishy. It’s not so bad.” Vinyl said. “You have a cool and capable pony on your side now.”

“What did you call me?!” Fisher yelled furiously.

The two started arguing and Solitaire just sighed. Greengrass pondered this turn of events. He was surprised how easily Vinyl was able to claim the gem. He wondered if it was Vinyl’s determination and willingness to fight that allowed her to take the gem. She wasn’t ordered to take it, she wanted the power on her own. Maybe that was the difference?

Could I take this power too? Greengrass thought. Could it just be that easy? He had thought about what it would be like to have the power that the Rangers had. The thought of having it pleased him greatly.

Greengrass trotted up to one of the room. The chart on the wall said that this morpher had the Gaia Gem, also called the Earth Gem. He stared at the morpher through the observation window. He felt something, he didn’t know what. Is it calling me too? Nopony was watching at the moment, so he entered without saying a word. He grabbed the morpher and unhooked it from the various cables it was connected to. Did he really want this? It would change his life forever. He closed his eyes.

“Nice Greens, are you going to try it too?” Vinyl said when she spotted what he was doing.

“What?! No! Get away from that!” Fisher yelled.

Greengrass grinned. Since when was he one to back away from a challenge? “It’s morphing time.” He thrust the morpher forward and felt himself being enveloped my light. There was no pain. In a moment, the light was gone and Greengrass looked himself over in a nearby mirror, he saw that his body was covered in red armor like Vinyl's but his didn't have wings on the helmet. Instead, his helmet had a crown made of flowers and branches. On the forehead was a circle bisected into four parts by a cross, the symbol of the Earth. "Earth."

Greengrass felt powerful like he could do anything. He felt it, his connection to the Earth. Being an earth pony, he had a small connection to the planet and his special talent was gardening and weeding so it was only natural. But it was nothing like this. He could feel everything and everypony around him. He knew exactly where every living thing was in at least a five-mile radius. It felt like he was one with the Earth. He felt like he was truly alive for the first time.

"So, how about you reveal yourself shadow," Greengrass said pointing towards a shadow on the wall. This shadow had life, he could feel it.

The shadow snorted. “So you were actually able to spot me, interesting.” The shadow morphed into a pony.

“What? You?!” Fisher cried out. All the other ponies in the room started at the unexpected appearance of this new pony.

Greengrass unmorphed. “Surprised to see you here Viceroy Night Light.”

“I’ve found your work to be very interesting.” Night Light said. “In fact, I think I could help you.”

Greengrass raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Truthfully, I wanted to learn if you were actually able to accomplish my goal before I approached you, but I am almost certain you have the power I need.” Night Light explained.

“And what is that?” Fisher fumed.

“To bring down Trixie and the Galaxy Rangers.” Night Light smirked. “I already have a plan that will make them crumble.”

Trixie heard a knock on her front door. She used her magic to open it. “Come in.” She said to whoever was at the door.

Trixie was at her desk hard at work planning out her next magic show. She was feverishly writing down various ideas in a notebook. Any ideas she hated were torn out and thrown in the trash bin which was overflowing with crumpled paper.

"Hey Trixie, it's me," Lyra said at the door. She came in and Bon-Bon was next to her. "And my completely normal, not strange in any way marefriend Bon-Bon!"

Trixie rolled her eyes. Lyra apparently wanted it to make it very clear that her Bonnie was not a spy and was a completely normal pony. Trixie could hear Bon-Bon groan in exasperation.

“So, what’s up?” Trixie asked. She suddenly got an idea and quickly wrote it down in her notebook.

"Ditzy told me that you're planning a charity show," Lyra said.

Trixie waved a hoof. “Something to that effect.”

“And you were going to have a silent auction.” Lyra continued. “I was wondering if it would be alright if we donated something. Bonnie and our parents have all sorts things they don’t need anymore.”

Trixie pulled out a form and thrust it in front of Lyra. “Fill out this. Write down the name, description, price value, etc. And I will have Pokey pick them up in a few days.”

"Oh, okay," Lyra said surprised by the sudden and curt answer.

“If that’s everything you have to excuse me, I’m very busy.” Trixie went back to her notebook and tore out an idea that she suddenly hated and threw it in the trash bin. It rolled off the top and fell to the floor.

"I see you are hard at work," Lyra said awkwardly.

“Indeed.” Trixie nodded. “These charity shows require a lot of work and planning. I plan for this one to be even grander than the last one!” She smirked.

Bon-Bon smiled. “I’m sure Carrot Top appreciates the help.”

Lyra trotted up to Trixie’s desk and peered at the notebook Trixie was working on. She whinnied when she read it. “You plan on escaping an exploding building?!”

Trixie waved a hoof. “Maybe. I am thinking about escaping it while chained up in a water tank, but I probably won’t. It’s a little too bland for me.” Suddenly Trixie perked up. “I got it! What if the tank had piranhas?! No, wait. I am not going to explode some poor fish just for a trick. I got it! What if escaping with the piranhas is part of the trick?!” Trixie started scratching down her idea in the notebook eagerly.

Lyra and Bon-Bon looked at each other. Bon-Bon shrugged. “You have to admit she never does anything small.”

Lyra put her head in her hooves. “She’s going to get herself killed.”

Lyra and Bon-Bon perked up when they heard the door open. Pokey walked into the office with at least seven boxes in his magic. He sat them down in a pile and they gave a heavy thump when they landed. Pokey panted in exertion. He wiped off the sweat on his forehead. “Here are all the nick nacks that the Apples said they would donate.”

Trixie looked up from her notes. "Good." She picked up several letters off her deck. "I need you to go to the post office to mail these off. After that, I need you to go to weather control and talk with Rainbow Dash about renting some clouds for Carrot Top until her irrigation system is fixed. Oh, and get me a muffin from Sugarcube Corner. The usual."

"Yes, master," Pokey said sourly before going out the door.

"Poor guy," Lyra commented.

"It's a good thing I didn't tell him about eight or nine boxes of things the Cakes plan to donate when he gets there," Trixie said playfully.

Greengrass listened to Night Light's plan and he was impressed. It would actually work with his quite nicely. Fisher was hostile at first but seemed interested by the end. It's only a plan someone in charge of the REMM could come up with and execute. The REMM dealt with distributing and organizing disaster relief. They were ones behind the Corona's disaster relief and the ones keeping Ponyville in one piece after all the monster attacks.

Fisher gave the plan some thought before nodding. “Fine. I like your plan and it will be the final nail in Lulamoon’s coffin. You Greengrass?”

"I am not opposed to it," Greengrass said simply.

“Dude, welcome to the team!” Vinyl greeted. Night Light nodded not offended by the odd address.

Night Light trotted towards a room with a morpher and peered inside. “You are sure these things have the power to actually defeat the Rangers? They might not come quietly.”

Fisher smirked. “Believe me they do.”

“Our magic detectors have picked up that the Planetary Gems contain six times the magic the Elements of Harmony have. The Elements of Harmony being what gives the Galaxy Rangers their power.” Solitaire explained.

Greengrass caught the look on Night Light’s face when he stared at the morpher. I wonder. He thought. Could it be? Maybe that is why he found himself here too?

“I have to wonder. Maybe you are another pony that can wield a morpher.” Greengrass finally said out loud.

Night Light stared at Greengrass. “I find it odd you would allow a rival to have this kind of power.”

Fisher narrowed his eyes but said nothing. Vinyl watched with interest.

Greengrass shrugged. “What I want doesn’t matter. The gems choose the one that wields them. If it is you, so be it.” The thought of someone like Night Light having this power didn’t actually bother him. He would be a good little colt and do whatever the Princess said. Besides, it was his vast political power that made him dangerous anyway.

Night Light turned towards the morpher. Greengrass could see the longing in his eyes again. “How about it Archduke Fisher?”

“Very well. If he can.” Fisher smirked. It seemed he came to the same conclusion Greengrass did. “He might be a good candidate and is a skilled spell caster like his daughter.”

Night Light countenance became dark at the mention of his missing daughter Twilight Sparkle. Ever since the Corvus incident, Miss Sparkle disappeared off the face of the map. From what Greengrass understood, she did give her parents a letter that stated she was okay, but that was the only contact she made with them. The stress of the whole ordeal was obvious on Night Light’s face. It looked like he hadn’t slept much the entire month. No doubt this was the source of Night Light’s hatred of Trixie and blamed her for everything that happened. Night Light would also probably relish the idea of having the power to take down Corona himself. He was being very predictable. Just how Greengrass liked it.

Night Light went inside and picked up the morpher. Everypony in the room watched closely what would happen next. “It’s morphing time!”

Night Light’s body was enveloped by light. Now he too was draped in armor. His was blue. Around the top of the helmet was what looked like a headband made of olive branches. On the forehead of his helmet was the symbol of Jupiter. His whole body radiated power that made the air feel thin and hard to breathe. “Jupiter.”

Night Light unmorphed. He looked awestruck. “That...was incredible.” He smirked. “You were right. The Rangers will fall to our hooves. This I don’t doubt.”

Fisher trotted past Night Light to another one of the morphers. “This has to mean I am one of the chosen as well.” He closed the door behind him and locked it.

“Um, sir?” One the scientist said hesitantly.

Fisher grabbed the morpher and thrust it forward. “It’s morphing time!” There was an explosion of light and Fisher was shot backward into a wall. The force of the blast cracked the wall into the shape of a small crater. Fisher fell to the ground in a heap.

“Sir!” The scientist tried frantically to open the door.

“No! No!” Fisher cried out. He struggled to his hooves. He grabbed the morpher again. “It’s morphing time!”

Fisher was once again thrown back this time with even more force. Fisher screamed in pain. He got up and with a weak hoof picked up the morpher. The scientists were trying to pry open the door with magic, but it wasn’t budging. It was futile because the whole room was designed to resist magic to protect the ponies outside.

“It’s morphing time!” Fisher crashed into the wall again. Blood dripped down it. Broken pieces of stone could be seen in Fisher’s back. It looked like his back was torn raw. Fisher pulled his body across the floor.

“No! I will have the power of a god!” Fisher cried out refusing to give up.

“No! You are going to kill yourself!” One of the scientists yelled frantically. Solitaire just watched the scene curiously not even moving from her spot to help her boss.

“It’s morphing time!” Fisher cried out with all his strength when he finally reached the morpher. There was an explosion of light. Fisher was now standing up covered in black armor. It was more armor like than the rest of the Rangers whose power was granted by the Planetary Gems. His helmet looked like a crested helmet that you might see an old centurion wear. There was the symbol of Mars in the middle of the helmet. “Mars.”

Fisher unmorphed and open the door. He laughed. “Ha! Just as I thought! I am one of the chosen.” He collapsed and scientists rushed to get an ambulance.

Chapter 5

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 5
by Rixizu

Trixie tossed another rejected idea from her notebook into the trash can with her magic. She had a bit of a magician's block and was having trouble coming up with ideas. She actually had plenty of them, but none of the ones she had now were of her liking. She sat back on the bench and just relaxed. She thought being outdoors might help her block, but it was to no avail. Still, the fresh air was nice and the music was fantastic.

Trixie looked over to her friend Lyra as she was playing her lyre on a nearby bench. Lyra had a hat in front of her. It already had a few bits in it. Playing on the street was one of the ways she made money when not performing in a concert. Some musicians might find the situation demeaning, but Lyra seemed to love it. She was surrounded by admirers and they seemed to be loving her music. They clapped and stomped their hooves when Lyra finished a song.

"Go! Lyra!” Raindrops cheered. She just happened to be in the area and stopped by to listen to her friend.

Trixie closed her eyes and just let herself soak in the music. It was an energetic piece that reminded one of the waves of the ocean. Suddenly she had an idea and frantically entered it in her notebook. I wonder if anypony has escaped the belly of a shark before? I can definitely use that one! As she finished, Trixie spotted something odd. There amongst the crowd was a pony that was clearly sleeping on a bench. She was a white unicorn with an electric blue mane. She had sunglasses on that were resting above her eyes. One of her back legs was prosthetic.

The crowd applauded again, but the mystery mare kept on sleeping. How can she sleep through Lyra's performance? Trixie thought.

It didn’t take long for Lyra to notice the mare too and she stopped playing. She trotted up to the sleeping mare and started poking her on the shoulder.

“Um, Miss?” Lyra said concerned.

The mare awoke and gave a big yawn. "Sorry about that. That boring elevator music puts me to sleep every time." The mare pulled out a cigarette and lit it with a spell. She inhaled and puffed out some smoke making Lyra cough.

“R-really?” Lyra’s eye twitched.

Raindrops gasped. “Is that DJ-Pon3?”

Everypony turned towards the mare cried out in surprise and alarm. Trixie had heard of her but knew little about her. Apparently, she created a type of music called dubtrot that was becoming popular amongst young ponies.

“Oh my gosh. It is DJ-Pon3!” A pony cried out. The DJ was swarmed by ponies. Raindrops practically had stars in her eyes. Trixie had no idea the mare was this famous.

"Um, excuse me." Lyra tried to say but was drowned out by the excitable ponies around her.

DJ-Pon3 raised a hoof and everypony stopped whatever they were doing and listened intently.

DJ-Pon3 put her glasses over her eyes. "Now if you want real music listen to this." She stomped a hoof and a cart was suddenly pulled in the park nearly hitting some ponies. Its harness was attached to a light opalish gray unicorn stallion with dark gray mane. DJ-Pon3 stomped her hoof again and the cart transformed into what could best be called a DJ platform. It had multiple giant speakers, flashing lights, and turntables. DJ-Pon3 jumped behind the turntable. She put on some headphone that had her cutie mark on it which was a note.

That was unexpected. Trixie thought. Where the hay did she get that?

“Let’s rock this…” Whatever the DJ was going to say was drowned out by the blaring music. DJ-Pon3 bobbed her head to the beat. It was really loud and incoherent, but the ponies in the audience loved it. Raindrops seemed particularly into it. Some ponies started dancing. The song ended and the whole audience seemed pumped for more.

"I'm going to have a party at Sugercube Corner if anypony is interested," DJ-Pon3 smirked, "I am going to bring the whole place down!"

DJ-Pon3 waved towards the stallion and he started pulled the cart/DJ platform/whatever it was out of the park. The whole audience followed her. Raindrops whooped and did a flip in the air.

“Wha-what? I wasn’t done playing!” Lyra shouted, but everypony either ignored and didn’t hear her. Soon everypony in the park except Trixie and Lyra were gone. Lyra’s jaw dropped.

“Well. That was something.” Trixie said dryly.

Lyra sputtered out a few incoherent words. “Wha-what? Hey! Wait a minute! They never got a chance to tip me!” The musician was furious now. Her hat was pretty empty of bits.

“Ugh, I was trying to save some bits to get something nice for Bonnie!” Lyra growled.

Oh that’s right. They have some undefined anniversary coming up. Trixie remembered. For some reason that escaped Trixie, Lyra was being close-lipped about it.

Lyra stomped a hoof to the ground several times. She growled and started cursing. “Real music? What a bunch of malarkey! It’s just empty dribble! It has no soul or heart! Isn’t that right Trixie?”

Lyra turned towards Trixie expectantly. Trixie just shrugged. “I guess?”

Lyra turned smug. “Ha! I bet in ten years nopony will even know who DJ-Pon3 even is! My music is classic and everlasting. Her music is just a stupid fad!” She started laughing to herself.

Trixie gave out a sigh. Oh, brother. Somepony is jealous.

“Raindrops that traitor! How could she?!” Lyra ranted. She stopped a hoof. “How could she choose her music over mine?!”

It’s called having your own tastes. What Trixie said out loud was. "I'm sure she didn't mean it. She just got caught up in the moment." Trixie didn't want this to turn into a friendship-destroying misunderstanding. She would have to talk to Raindrops about this before this exploded into a complete mess.

Lyra snorted. “Some friend.”

Trixie sighed. Poor Raindrops. All she wanted to do was listen to her favorite DJ.

A thought struck Trixie. That whole scene was odd. Did the DJ steal Lyra’s audience on purpose? What was she even doing here? Didn’t she perform mostly in Canterlot? Something about this wasn’t right. Trixie narrowed her eyes. She had a bad feeling about that pony.

Sugarcube Corner was packed with ponies. Lyra reluctantly followed in behind Trixie. Ponies were dancing, having fun, and generally having a good time. DJ-Pon3 was behind some turntables bobbing her head as usual. Trixie scanned the room. Raindrops was hitting the dance floor. Her dancing wasn’t the best, but she was having fun. Trixie was a bit surprised to see this side of her, but she remembered how much Raindrops liked to keep to herself. She also found Ditzy sitting at a table with a glass of punch. She waved at friends and they trotted up to her.

"Nice party huh?" Ditzy yelled barely understood over the blaring music. Lyra just snorted derisively. Ditzy tilted her head at the response. "What's with her?"

“What?” Trixie yelled back.

“I said, what’s up with her?” Ditzy repeated a bit louder.

“Oh! She’s just sulking because she can’t draw crowds like this.” Trixie explained.

“I so could!” Lyra shot back. “I get better a crowd than this when I perform at Canterlot!”

Trixie rolled her eyes. Lyra glared at her.

"I see," Ditzy said after a moment. She was about to say something when she spotted Cheerilee and waved at her.

“What the occasion?” Cheerilee asked.

Ditzy shrugged. “DJ-Pon3 is here?”

Lyra grunted. “Ugh, don’t tell me you like her too?”

Cheerilee nodded in understanding. “I should get some dancing in. I so rarely get to do it. There are quite a few nice-looking stallions in here.” She looked around and found a stallion she particularly liked. “See you guys later.”

“I’m glad somepony is getting something out of this stupid party.” Lyra’s mood suddenly brightened as if getting an idea. “Trixie you should join her and have some fun.” She suggested.

"No thanks! Not really my thing!” Trixie responded. She felt herself being pushed by Ditzy. “Hey stop it!”

“Come on. Give it a try!” Ditzy said,

Trixie was now on the dance floor and acting like a confused lost puppy. She straightened herself. She decided to just go with it and started awkwardly moving to the beat. Soon Trixie found herself enjoying it and found dancing and the music wasn’t so bad.

“Would you like to dance?” A voice shouted hurting Trixie’s ears. It was Master Snowflake. He was a master of the Dojo in Sugarcube Corner and was training Trixie in martial arts specifically judo. He looked hopefully towards Trixie. He was rubbing his hooves together nervously.

Trixie looked the giant, muscular white pegasus up and down. He was an odd dance partner to be sure. Trixie just shrugged. “Sure, love to.” And the two danced the night away. Trixie lost herself in the music and dancing. It was like all her recent troubles and stress just melted away. All her problems could just wait for tomorrow. It was just her and this stallion. Trixie completely forgot she was here to investigate DJ-Pon3.

Trixie waved at Snowflake as she left Sugarcube Corner. She yawned. It was getting late and she had training and another early meeting with the mayor. She was kind of glad that the party didn’t have any alcohol. She didn’t want to face all that with a hangover.

Trixie gave another yawn and went towards home. About halfway home Trixie stopped. She felt eyes on her. For the last mile, she had the distant feeling somepony was following her. She pretended not to notice. She noticed an alley to her right. She smirked and went inside. The alley was almost pitch black. Perfect. She went to the darkest part of the alley and turned invisible. She jumped up and used her back legs to hold herself up on the walls. The alley walls were close enough for her to do this. She pulled out her sword that she had hidden in her cape. Transforming would cause too much of a commotion.

Trixie waited patiently. It didn’t take too long for a figure to come into the alley. Trixie readied herself. She jumped down right behind the figure and pointed the sword towards the mystery pony’s neck.

“Why are you following me?” Trixie asked making sure her quarry knew the threat in her voice.

"Tri-Trixie? I-It's me Lyra." Lyra's voice shook.

"Oh," Trixie said simply and made her sword disappear with a twirl of her hoof, "sorry. You shouldn't sneak up on a pony like that."

Lyra nodded. She still looked shaken up by what happened.

"Really Lyra? Why didn't you yell for me? Oh, and you need to train harder. I shouldn't have been able to get the jump on you so easily." Trixie admonished.

“Trixie!” Ditzy stomped up towards Trixie. “What the hay are you doing?!” Raindrops followed in the air behind her with a scowl on her face.

Trixie rubbed the back of her neck. “I, um, thought you were somepony else and well with the Night Court trying to make the moves on us...”

“Oh.” Ditzy chuckled. “I guess we should have seen this coming. Let’s not do this again.”

“You think they might try something again so soon?” Raindrops flew in and hovered above Ditzy.

Trixie tapped her chin. “Maybe, but I am not taking any chances." She didn't want any thugs trying to get the jump on her. She thought it might be possible that Vicereine Puissance might try to get revenge on her. Even with her powers, she wasn't invincible. "Why were you guys following me?”

“Well...um...We just wanted to know how your date went.” Lyra said after finally getting her composure back.

Trixie groaned. "It was not a date." Her friend chuckled and Trixie rolled her eyes. Of course, they wanted to chat and gossip about this. "We just had fun night together...that's it." She found that Snowdrops was a surprisingly good dancer.

"I see you two had a lot of fun together," Ditzy said grinning.

“We actually have a surprising number of things in common," Trixie said, "did you know he wants to be a Wonderbolt?"

Raindrops dropped to the ground. “What really?” She said surprised.

“You wouldn’t think such a big guy would aspire to that.” Trixie grinned. “Pretty cool huh?” It reminded her of her own situation with the Night Court. She liked his never give up attitude.

“Why bother? It isn’t like he could ever make it.” Lyra asked confused. She shrunk when Ditzy and Trixie glared at her.

“Maybe you guys should I don’t know… hang out again sometime.” Ditzy suggested innocently.

Trixie sighed. "We were planning to hang out again on Saturday after I perform the show. We plan to go to Berry Punch's bar for a few drinks." Trixie glared defiantly. "But it isn't a date." Her friends giggled and Trixie just rolled her eyes.

Can a mare have a male friend without ponies thinking that there is something romantic between the two of them? Trixie thought derisively.

“What a minute. Where is Cheerilee?” Trixie looked around and didn’t see the teacher anywhere.

Ditzy thought about it. “I don’t know. I wasn’t really paying attention to her.”

“I know. It was kind of a bad scene.” Raindrops explained. “The stallion she danced with tried to grab her flank. She didn’t take it well and both of them had to be thrown out.”

“Gee.” Trixie had no idea how that mare had such bad luck with stallions.

Ditzy rubbed the back of her neck. “I have no idea how, out of all the ponies there, she…” Whatever she was about to say was lost. She gasped and pointed. At the end of the alley was a figure. It was hard to make out in the darkness, but it was clearly a pony in what looked like Ranger armor.

Trixie gritted her teeth and reached for her morpher. “Who are you?”

The mysterious Ranger pushed a button on their morpher and a crossbow appeared in their hooves and pointed it right at the three of them.

"You better transform right away, or I will start this party without you.” The new Ranger said. The voice was feminine and little raspy sounding.

Raindrops and Ditzy came to attention right away and pulled out their morphers.

Trixie thrust her morpher forward. “It’s morphing time! Ursa!” Trixie's red armor appeared around her.

"Cygnus!” Lyra shouted and became the Blue Ranger.

"Hercules!” Raindrop became the Black Ranger.

“Sagittarius!” And finally Ditzy became the Pink Ranger.

In the flash of light, they transformed. Unfortunately, the narrow alleyway didn't give them much room to move around. Not wanting to be cornered and trapped they rushed out of the alleyway and thankfully the mysterious Ranger didn't attack. Out of the alleyway, they were able to get a better look at their opponent. Her armor was pink and looked to be very different from their armor. On the forehead was what looked to be the symbol of mercury. She was also a unicorn.

Ditzy gasped when she got a better look. “Another Pink Ranger?”

“Who are you?” Trixie demanded. “Are you friend or foe?”

Instead of answering, the Pink Ranger shot arrows at them with her crossbow. They barely dodged them in time.

"Fine," Trixie growled, "we will just make you tell us!" She summoned her sword and took a fighting stance. Raindrops, Ditzy, and Lyra did the same. Ditzy took to the air.

The Pink Ranger snorted when she saw Lyra’s weapon. “A bow really? How passé.”

Lyra growled and shot several arrows at her. Only for the Pink Ranger to shoot them out of the air with her crossbow. Trixie and Raindrops used this as a distraction to attack the Pink Ranger from both sides. Ditzy readied her staff for an attack from the air. Raindrops swung her ax, only to hit open air. Her target just vanished. Trixie stopped her attack and searched around. She was surprised to find the Pink Ranger several hooves away.

The Pink Ranger unleashed a volley of crossbow bolts at them. They appeared at the top of her weapon as bolts of pure pink energy. Raindrops was able to avoid them, but Trixie wasn’t so lucky and was hit in the shoulder. She grunted in pain.

Lyra shouted in fury and shot more arrows at the mysterious ranger. Again, the arrows were just shot out of the air.

“That’s it? Really?” The Pink Ranger mocked.

Ditzy dived bombed the Pink Ranger her staff going right for the head, only to hit the ground. The pavement was cracked by the attack.

Ditzy did a double take. “Wha-what?”

“You missed.” The Pink Ranger pointed her crossbow right at Ditzy’s head and shot her point-blank. Ditzy screamed and flew to the ground sparks flying from her helmet.

Trixie used her magic to summon five different Trixies. They charged with Raindrops behind them. Much to both Raindrops and Trixie astonishment, the Pink Ranger vanished in a blur and appeared right behind them. She shot all five Trixies and Raindrops from behind. Raindrops growled in pain. Thankfully, all five Trixies were an illusion and Trixie, while invisible, swung her sword from the Pink Ranger’s right side at her torso. Trixie scored a hit, but only momentarily. The second the blow hit, the Pink Ranger vanished and Trixie only got a glancing blow.

The Pink Ranger appeared a few hooves away and sprayed the area with bolts and Trixie was hit by at least five or six of them. She howled in pain and struggled to stay on her hooves. Lyra shot several arrows, but the Pink Ranger just dodged around them with little difficulty.

Trixie started to breathe heavily. It can’t be. She’s so fast.

The Pink Ranger laughed in amusement. "Is that really all you have?" She vanished again in a pink blur and was gone.

Trixie slammed a hoof into the ground in frustration. “This isn’t over!” She shouted.

Ditzy and Raindrops unmorphed and ran to check up on Trixie. “Are you okay?” Ditzy asked.

Trixie unmorphed and nodded. “Yeah.”

Lyra growled in frustration. “Who the hay was that?!”

“I don’t get it. How can there be another Pink Ranger?” Ditzy tilted her head.

“I have a bad feeling about this.” Trixie narrowed her eyes.

Author's Note

A reminder that Snowflake is the Lunaverse's name for Bulk Biceps.

Edit. It got it wrong. It's Snowflake, not Snowdrops. It's all fixed now. Sorry for any confusion.

Chapter 6

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 6
by Rixizu

Pokey yawned as he looked out the window of the Friendship Express. It was very early in the morning. His boss Trixie Lulamoon insisted he take the first train to Canterlot. He grumbled a little, but eventually went along with it. It got him out of doing endless errands and he could use a little break. The job he was assigned wasn't too difficult. He was to find out as much about DJ-Pon3, also known as Vinyl Scratch, as he could.

Trixie suspected that she was the new Pink Ranger that attacked her and her friends last night. She thought the DJ's arrival to Ponyville and the Pink Ranger attack to be too much of a coincidence. Pokey thought the theory was silly and with that logic she might as well blame every unicorn that came to Ponyville that day, but it got him out of Ponyville so he couldn't complain too much. The DJ disappeared before Trixie could question her, so she decided to send Pokey on this information gather mission. She was too busy to do it herself. It was about eight o'clock when he arrived at Canterlot. Pokey decided his first stop was to get breakfast then go to the club called Ground Zero that Vinyl Scratch usually worked at.

After a horrible breakfast, Pokey arrived at Ground Zero. For some reason, every place Pokey tried served the same thing. It was bland, horrible, and the servings were tiny. A three-hoof rating his back leg. He tried to put the horrible experience out of his mind and focus on the task at hoof.

Pokey knocked on the back door. After a few moments, an earth pony mare with a pink mane and green coat poked her head out. Her face was covered with black stripes that went down to her face to her torso. It looked like some sort of tattoo made by magic ink. "I'm sorry we're closed. We open at 12."

"No Miss, that isn't why I'm here," Pokey said turning on the charm, "I actually here to see Vinyl Scratch. You see, I'm with the Canterlot Herald. We are doing an article on Canterlot club scene, and I would like to ask her a few questions. Perhaps you could get her for me? I just had to get an interview with the most famous DJ in Canterlot. I promise I will barely take up any of her time."

“Oh, I’m sorry. But Vinyl is taking a few weeks off.” The mare said sadly. “It will be some time before she gets back.”

"Really, that’s a shame.” Pokey mulled this over. This was an odd coincidence. “Strange time for a vacation. No holiday is nearby. Is it her birthday maybe?”

“She’s always like that.” The mare said a bit annoyed. “She always picks the weirdest times to have a day off.”

“But for a few weeks?” Pokey arched an eyebrow.

“Still just like her.” The mare said simply.

“Dang.” Pokey did his best to look completely disappointed. “Say, perhaps you could tell me a few things about her?”

The mare thought it over. “I guess that would be okay. Come in.”

Pokey was let inside and was lead into what looked like an employee break room. It had a couch, a table with a coffee machine and coffee cups, a coffee table, and a few foldout chairs. It was a mess and smelled of used cigarettes. Pokey moaned when saw and smelled of the fresh coffee.

The mare chuckled in amusement. “Would you like some coffee?”

Pokey nodded enthusiastically. "Yes thank you."

The mare poured Pokey and herself a cup of coffee and brought them to the table. "I'm Fade by the way."

"Scribble Script." Pokey lied. He took a sip of the coffee and moaned in delight. It was very good, better than his boss's coffee. Maybe he could think about quitting and applying here?

“Nice to meet you Scribble Script.” Fade greeted. “What would you like to know?”

Pokey pretended to mull it over. He pulled out a notebook and quill out of his saddlebag. He sipped his coffee in his hooves. “How about her early foalhood? And how she got into being a DJ?”

Fade thought about it. “Well, Vinyl has always been interested in music. Her talent in music allowed her to enter Bard Music Academy.”

Wow, that’s actually quite the prestigious school for a pony to go to. Pokey thought. “Go on.”

Fade laughed. “Would you believe she was called one of the best violinists the school had ever had?”

Pokey started in shock. “Wha-what really? Why isn’t she in a grand orchestra right now?”

Fade shrugged. “Never showed much interest in it. Instead, she really got into the underground Canterlot music scene. Took some DJing jobs and it all snowballed from there.”

Pokey wrote all this down. “I see.”

“She’s pretty happy. She loves creating new music and experimenting. Being in a concert hall would probably kill her.”

Yep, this was a waste of time. Pokey thought. This mare is the Pink Ranger? Ha!

“So how was she even able to afford to go Bard Music Academy? Isn’t that one of most expensive schools in Equestria?” Pokey asked. He was ready to get out of here.

"That would be thanks to Greens." Fade explained.

Pokey raised an eyebrow. “Greens?”

"You know. Duke Greengrass. But everypony here calls him Greens.” Fade said chuckling to herself.

Pokey felt his whole world spin around. He had to brace himself on the chair. “What? Why?”

"When Vinyl was a filly, she and her parents were in a terrible accident," Fade said gravely, "they were trailing through the Smokey Mountains on vacation and there was a rockslide. Her parents passed away and Vinyl got hurt real bad. She lost her back leg."

“And Greengrass?” Pokey asked.

“He heard what happened and took pity on her and decided to sponsor her.” Fade smiled. “He’s been looking after her ever since.”

I see. But what could it mean? Pokey thought. “So they see each other often?”

Fade nodded. “Yeah, he stops by here all the time.”

Could she be an agent of Greengrass? It made sense. She does errands for him while he pretends to be her generous loving benefactor. Of course. He finds a helpless filly, saves her life, and manipulates her into doing whatever he wants out of gratitude. Very clever indeed. It sounded like something the infamous Greengrass would do. Pokey had always heard the Duke loved making ponies his puppets.

Pokey stood up and finished his coffee. “Thank you for your time.”

“No prob.” Fade grinned. “I am looking forward to your article.”

Pokey left the club and rubbed his chin. Vinyl might actually be a solid lead after all. Unlike Twilight Sparkle, Vinyl actually was connected to Greengrass and he could not ignore this. He grinned. This trip was starting to become fun.

Pokey asked around town if they had seen a pony of Vinyl’s description. Her unique appearance did make her stand out after all. A promising lead led him to a diner in downtown Canterlot. Pokey noticed that the place did not have any hoof rating which he approved of.
His eyes widened when he got there. There the Duke was and Vinyl was with him. An earth pony with thin glasses was with them. She had a yellow mane with a white coat and was wearing a yellow pants suit. They were having lunch at a sidewalk cafe. It looked like they were having a friendly chat. Well, Vinyl and Greengrass were anyway. The white earth pony ate her lunch in silence. She had no expression on her face.

He watched them from a distance behind an alley wall. He grinned. Finally, he got to do something exciting. Trixie told him to just gather information and leave dangerous parts to her, but Pokey decided to ignore that order. It was his time to do something.

Pokey quickly backed behind the wall. The white earth pony turned right towards him. His heart skipped a beat. Did she see me? He could feel her eyes on the alley, right on him. He didn't know why he was so scared. He shook his head. He decided to go back the way he came to approach the cafe at a different angle. He went back through the alley and went around the building. By the time he got to the cafe, Greengrass and his group were already moving. He followed making extra sure not be seen. Every once and awhile, the white earth pony would turn her head right towards him and he had several close calls, but he didn't think she saw him.

Pokey followed them to the building on the outskirts of Canterlot. It was the Ministry of War. They all went inside except the white earth pony. She stayed outside scanning the area. She stared right where Pokey was hiding. He tried to stay calm. What is with this mare? Eventually, she gave up and went inside.

Pokey smirked. Infiltration sounded like a lot of fun. He went to the back. There was a fire escape door that nopony was looking at right now. Perfect. It couldn't be opened from this side, but Pokey had the exact spell to get around that. His horn lit up and shot the door. It opened, he peeked inside, and then closed it behind him. He was in a bland hallway. Nopony was in sight. He carefully trotted through the building.

Pokey's luck ran out when he heard some ponies coming his way. He searched around for a place to hide and found a bathroom. He went inside and hid in a stall. The ponies came in and chatted about some project. Pokey's ears perked up when he heard the word ‘Ranger'. After some time, the ponies left and Pokey was alone again.

Pokey sat on the toilet and thought. He was on the right track, but how was he to get past all the security and ponies that worked here? He was lucky he entered the part of the building that many ponies didn't go by. He wished he didn't just jump in here without a plan. Oh well, too late now. Could he maybe disguise himself? He sighed. He needed to press his boss on how to become invisible when he got back. He laid back and looked up. There was a rather large air duct. He grinned.

The air ducts were a bit cramped but had enough room for him to move around. He had been walking for at least ten minutes. Pokey had a good sense of direction and had a good idea of the general layout of the building, but still hadn't found Greengrass or Vinyl. Through a vent, he found a sign that pointed towards the labs. It’s a good enough place to look as any. Pokey thought.

As Pokey was moving towards the labs, he heard a familiar voice. He headed that way and through the slits of the vent found what he was looking for. Vinyl and a stallion with a mustache were arguing rather loudly. Greengrass was with them. The white earth pony mare was with them as well, along with a dignified looking unicorn stallion with a grayish azure coat. They appeared to be in a high-tech lab of some kind. Pokey couldn't understand what anything was. In a small room with an observation window what looked like a morpher attached to some wires. Pokey's eyes widened.

So they really are trying to create their own rangers. Pokey was a bit stunned.

“You can’t just do whatever you want! You almost blew our cover.” The mustached stallion yelled.

"I was just testing the waters, Fisher." Vinyl shot back. "Sides, we need to do some real combat testing, right?"

"In a controlled environment," Fisher said gritting his teeth.

Vinyl shrugged. “Alright fine. I won’t do it again.”

"I agree with Archduke Fisher on this one." Greengrass chided. "Don't go off on your own again please."

Vinyl nodded several times.” Got it.”

Isn't Archduke Fisher the one in charge of the Ministry of War?Pokey had no idea how Trixie got such powerful enemies against her.

"Now to business," Fisher said a bit annoyed, "my people found another Planetary Gem two days ago..."

“What really?” Vinyl asked. “Awesome. Which planet is it?”

"Pluto." A mare in a lab coat with a tan coat said. With her magic, she brought out a cart with a device in a glass box that looked like one of the Ranger's morphers on it.

"I thought that wasn't a planet." Vinyl asked confused. "Well, I guess those cultists didn't know that at the time."

“Planet or not.” The mare in the lab coat explained. “It has tremendous power. It’s also very dangerous.”

“Dangerous how?” Greengrass asked.

“Unlike the other gems, it is volatile to anypony that tries to use it.” The mare in the lab coat shook her head.

“Indeed. The last pony that tried to use it ended up in the hospital. He’s still in a coma.” Fisher tapped a hoof.

“So it can’t be used at all?” The stallion with the grayish azure coat asked.

“Only because they lack vision.” A voice said. All eyes including Pokey turned towards the new pony. She was a purple pegasus with a gray mane. She was an older pony with many wrinkles. She had a hard-unforgiving face.

Fisher groaned at the intruder. “What are you doing here Puissance?”

"What? You didn't think I wouldn't find out about this place?" Puissance said smugly. "I want in."

Fisher sighed. “Of course you do.”

Puissance gave an unpleasant smile. "That Trixie Lulamoon will pay dearly for humiliating me."

Greengrass rolled his eyes. “We might as well add her to the group too.”

"I thought this place was supposed to be top secret." Vinyl groaned. "Makes it so not as cool if everypony knows about it."

"The hazards of the Night Court I'm afraid," Greengrass said a bit sadly, "are you okay with this Viscount Night Light?"

Night Light sighed. “Do we have a choice?”

"No. You don't." Puissance said flatly. She walked up to the glass box with the morpher. "So this is the power of the god of the underworld?" She eyed it hungrily and started rubbing the box.

“I would advise not trying it.” The scientist mare warned.

Puissance just glared at her. She started caressing the glass box. “Open this up. I will not be denied. I deserve this power!”

All eyes turned toward the old hag. Pokey realized this might be a good time to try and steal that morpher in that small room. He didn't want his friends facing more super Rangers. And what was with this talk about the power of a god? He carefully crawled to a vent right next to the door that led to that small room. He heard arguing from Puissance and the scientists. Perfect.

There wasn’t a vent that led into the room, but he was close enough. Pokey used his magic to loosen the vent door quietly and placed it to the side. He wiped sweat from his forehead. He carefully opened the door and used his telekinesis to grab the morpher after disconnecting it. He slowly levitated it back towards him. He closed the door quietly. He saw one of the scientist turning this way. He dropped the device to the ground. Thankfully the pony didn’t see it and shrugged apparently thinking what he saw or heard was his imagination. Pokey picked up the morpher again and levitated it towards him, he grabbed the morpher when it was close. He put the vent door back and sighed in relief.

So this is it huh? Pokey thought. It was surprisingly heavy in his hooves. The boss is going to be so excited when she sees this. This will teach her how cool and useful I am and I can handle the dangerous stuff no problem. Maybe with this, they can find a way to stop the other Night Court Rangers.

Pokey turned back to the commotion in the room. "I don't care!" Puissance shouted. "This was meant for me!"

"Just let her do it," Greengrass said completely exasperated.

The tan mare in the lab coat shrugged. "Very well." She got out a key and opened the box with her magic. Puissance grabbed the morpher greedily.

“It’s morphing time!” Puissance thrust the morpher forward. She suddenly started shaking. She cried out in ear piercing agony. She collapsed to the ground and started screaming uncontrollably. She twisted her body in every direction flailing her limbs.

“Grab her quickly.” The tan mare said calmly. Some scientists tried and failed to restrain her. She was too strong and out of control to hold down, even magic didn’t work. Despite all this, Puissance never stopped screaming.

“Call an ambulance!” A scientist yelled out and another nodded and left the lab.

Eventually, with the help of some of the stronger scientists and unicorn magic, they had her under control. It still didn't stop her screaming, though. She was put on a moving cart and pushed out of the room. They could all hear the screaming from the hallway.

"Stars and Stones," Greengrass said shaken, "I was not expecting that."

Fisher nodded. He too looked a little shaken. "Yes, you can see why it was under lock and key."

“I don’t think the hag deserved that.” Vinyl looked away.

“Indeed.” The azure coated stallion said solemnly. The white mare with the glasses just closed her eyes, other than that, she didn’t change expression.

Horrible thing. Pokey thought. At least nopony can use it! I need to get out of here. He motioned to leave and started crawling. He hit the floor a little harder than he intended. There was an audible clang. Did anypony hear that? At this distance, probably not.

The white earth pony mare opened her eyes and threw something in a blur. Something hit the vent door making Pokey jump and involuntarily cry out in surprise.

"It seems Notary found somepony," Greengrass commented amused.

“There is somepony in the vent!” A pony cried out.

“Wait, where is the Venus morpher?” A scientist said in alarm.

"Ponyfeathers!" Pokey cursed. Pokey pushed the vent open with his magic and the cover flew to the ground in front of Greengrass and the others with a loud clang startling them. Pokey pulled out a smoke bomb he stole from Trixie and threw it shrouding the whole area in smoke. He grabbed the Pluto morpher with his magic before anypony could react and put it in his saddlebags.

“After him! Close down the entire facility!” Fisher ordered.

Pokey crawled through the vent trying to book it out of there as quickly as possible.

Pokey jumped out of the vent and into an empty hallway. Thanks to his early explorations, he knew where the fire escapes were at. He knew there was one of those escapes only a few corridors away from where he was. He ran down the corridor and cursed when he ran into a bunch of armed security ponies blocking his path. They held their nightsticks menacingly.

Pokey smirked. "Ha. It's a good thing it's my specialty to pierce through anything! ...Don't make the obvious joke." Pokey's horn lit up and he fired a golden beam at the crowd of guards and they were split into two groups. They cried out in alarm and shock wide-eyed. Pokey ran between them and found the fire escape he was looking for.

Outside Pokey ran as quickly as he could into Canterlot proper. He finally stopped in a back alley to catch his breathe. “Phew. I did it.” Pokey laughed to himself and patted his saddlebags. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Trixie’s face when he came back with this treasure. This would teach her. He probably did a better job than she ever would.

Pokey straightened and started cantering out of the alley towards the train station. He was almost home free. Pokey froze mouth agape as Notary suddenly popped in front of the alleyway. It seems like I spoke too soon. She just stood there motionless staring at him with a neutral expression on her face.

“Hello? Can I help you?” Pokey said innocently. He didn’t think anypony really got a good look at him so there was no way for her to know it was him.

Notary didn’t move. She didn’t say anything. She just continued to stare. It was really starting to creep Pokey out.

“So… I really need to get going. I have a train to catch. It was nice meeting you!” Pokey had trouble keeping the nervousness out of his voice. He backed away slowly.

Pokey's eyes widened when he saw that, out of nowhere, Notary now had a knife in her left hoof.

"Look! Um..." Pokey really started backing away now panic starting to fill him. "I don't want any trouble. I..." He suddenly grabbed a smoke bomb out of his saddlebags and threw it in Notary's face. He turned and ran as quick as he could.

Pokey ran towards the exit. He needed to get out of here. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his side and he fell forward into the ground painfully. He shook his head and turned towards the source of the pain and his eyes widened. A knife was embedded right below his ribs. It was oozing blood. He screamed in pain as he pulled it out with his magic. He grabbed the open wound with his hoof and struggled to his hooves. He screamed in pain and everything went white as he was kicked right where the knife wound was and collapsed to the ground. Notary stood above him staring at him with no expression on her face.

No choice then. Pokey pulled out the Venus morpher with his magic. This was his one last shot of getting out of here. “It’s morphing time!”

There was an explosion of light and Pokey was flung into a nearby wall. Blood streaked down it as Pokey fell. He collapsed to the ground. He whimpered. Not in his life had her ever felt so much pain. Pokey tried and failed to get up. His side wound was bleeding uncontrollably now.

Notary stood there looking at him, then she looked down at the morpher. She picked it up gingerly. She started at the morpher for a few moments. "It's morphing time." She said in a flat voice. There was another explosion of light. When it dissipated, Notary was in yellow armor. It looked a lot like the Galaxy Ranger's armor, but hers looked more like robes. Her helmet had a white tiara that had pink jewels shaped like flowers made of hearts on either side of her head. On her forehead was the symbol of Venus. "Venus"

Pokey gapped in complete shock. No! No! No! This wasn't supposed to happen!He panicked. He was done for. The only thought that went through his mind was getting the Pluto morpher away from these ponies. How he did not know. Suddenly he had it. He pulled out the Pluto morpher and used the last of his strength and magic to shoot it into the sky. It pierced the sky in a golden beam. He prayed to Luna that it would somehow find the proper pony that could use it.

“Ha!” Pokey laughed weakly. “That should slow you down a bit!” He blacked out when Notary kicked him again in his knife wound.

Lemon Hearts screamed as she heard something crash. Her dog, James, started freaking out.

“Shh. Shh. It’s okay.” Lemon petted James to calm him down. “I will see what it is.”

Lemon picked up a fireplace poker with her magic and went upstairs slowly and quietly. She looked around and thankfully didn’t see anypony. She growled in frustration at the broken window. “Really? Ugh.” Was it the foals next door playing baseball too close to her house again? She would have to yell at Morning Glory about this later. She turned to leave when she spotted something in the corner of her eye. She turned and found this strange small rectangular device on the floor. It had a white gem in the middle of it.

Lemon put down the poker and picked it up and turned it around in her magic. "Where did this come from?" It was surprisingly undamaged. She grinned. It was pretty cool. She went to her room and picked out one of her favorite purses. She attached it to the purse and grinned. She didn't know where it came from, but it was the coolest accessory ever. She couldn't wait to show her friends.

Chapter 7

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 7
by Rixizu

Trixie grinned as she walked through Ponyville. The whole town was decorated with colorful streamers and flowers. After learning that Princess Luna planned to attend Trixie’s charity show, the whole town decorated Ponyville for the princess's visit. It was all lovely and Trixie was sure her mentor would love it. She spotted Bon-Bon watering some flowers and waved. Bon-Bon stopped what she doing and waved back. Trixie continued through town and froze when she spotted something out of place. Two ponies were trying to put up a banner. Trixie angrily stomped up to them.

“What the hay is that?!” Trixie growled. She pointed towards the sign. It read “Welcome Princess Lun”.

The two ponies gulped and shrunk at Trixie’s glare. “We ran out of room.” The earth pony mare with a mint green coat and a pink mane said nervously. The other, a red and yellow maned pegasus mare with an aqua coat nodded.

“I don’t care.” Trixie said severely. “Fix it! I will not have the princess come into town and find her name spelled wrong!” The two mares nodded quickly and disappeared with the offending banner.

Trixie wondered if maybe she was a bit harsh with them after they left. She thought that maybe the stress of the last few days had been getting to her. Pokey had mysteriously disappeared a few days ago. He sent his finding on DJ-Pon3 in a letter but didn’t come home. He said he had some extra investigating he needed to do. If Trixie wasn’t busy, she would be pulling him by the tail right now and forcefully carrying him back to Ponyville.

That lazy bum. He’s going to get it when he gets back. I am going to give him a triple workload to make up for this! Trixie thought with cruel satisfaction. Serves him right for disappearing like that. A thought hit her that he might have gotten himself into trouble. She quickly shook the thought away. He had more sense than that, right?

Trixie looked at the clock tower and saw it was almost eleven o’clock. It was nearly time for the princess to arrive. The show was at five o’clock tonight, but Princess Luna wanted to come early and see the silent auction. Trixie steeled herself for her teacher's arrival. It had been a month since she’d last seen the princess. She breathed in and out trying to calm herself down. She did not want to greet her mentor with a scowl on her face.

Trixie trotted up to Sugarcube Corner where the silent auction was being held. The Cakes generously volunteered to host the auction. Which was good because the bakery/youth center was the perfect size to hold it. Trixie could see Pinkie Pie and Mayor Ivory Scrolls chatting to one another. Pinkie waved when she approached. Trixie’s other friends were there as well. Carrot Top was speaking to well-wishers who were shaking her hooves and giving encouragements. She looked a bit haggard and her mane was a little frazzled. The stress of the last week had been taking its toll on the poor thing. Carrot Top’s mane was usually impeccably styled, yet today Trixie could see some loose strands of hair here and there. Carrot Top loved caring for her mane and did her best to make it perfect every single day. Which confused Trixie. Wasn’t she a farmer and that meant she rolled around in dirt all day? Trixie guessed styling her mane was a way for her to calm herself down and unwind after a hard day of work. To each their own she guessed.

Trixie waved back. She looked back at the clock. It was directly eleven now. As if on cue, the princess’s chariot came into view. It was a sleek and black thing that reminded her of a bat. It was a blue so dark it was almost black. Two thestrals pulled it, also called bat ponies. They were Luna’s royal personal guard. Not even Trixie knew for sure whether they were actually a different race of ponies, or it was just glamour magic used to change their appearance. Princess Luna liked being vague on the issue for some reason.

Princess Luna exited the chariot and addressed her subjects. Everypony bowed to their princess with the utmost respect. “Greetings my little ponies. You honor me well with your decorations and tributes.”

The mayor bowed deeply. “You honor us with your presence. I speak for all Ponyville when I say we are glad to have you our princess and protector.”

Princess Luna nodded. “Well met Lady Mayor Scrolls.” She turned towards Trixie. “Representative Trixie Lulamoon. It has been too long my student.” Trixie enjoyed the use of her full title. The use of her last name, not so much.

Trixie bowed. “So it has princess. We should catch up before the show tonight. Much has happened here as of late.”

“Indeed. I am looking forward to it.” Princess Luna said. She towards Carrot Top who was approaching them. “Greetings Miss Carrot Top. It is a shame what happened to your farm. You have true friends for them to go to such lengths to help you.”

Carrot Top blushed. “T-thank you Princess.”

“Let’s go inside and discuss this further. I wish to see what this silent auction has to offer and try out the legendary cupcakes of Sugarcube Corner I have heard so much about.” Luna turned towards Sugarcube Corner and went inside with her guards and Trixie and friends followed behind her.

“She’s not serious, is she?” Cheerilee whispered. “She’s a princess. What worth could anything in there have to her?”

"Right," Lyra commented, "all that's in there is just random junk ponies didn't need anymore."

"The princess likes to collect things," Trixie explained, "besides, you never know. There might be a hidden treasure in there somewhere."

“Oh, I see!” Lyra perked up. “There might be some lost ancient artifact of great magic power in there or something!”

"Something like that," Trixie said simply.

The inside of Sugarcube Corner had several long tables lined in rows that almost went from one end of the building to the other. On each table was what you would expect to see in a silent auction. Books, old toys, used appliances, baby stuff, jewelry, and various knick knacks. To the side was a section for used furniture. Ponies packed the place eagerly looking through what was available. Trixie could see Dinky and several of her friends looking through the toy section.

Ponies freaked out and bowed when Princess Luna came towards them, but she just waved them away to continue on with their business. She carefully inspected everything on the table in front of her. She suddenly turned towards a table a few hooves away and walked towards it something caught her eye apparently. Trixie’s friends watched with anticipation clearly interested in what the princess might want to bid on.

The princess stopped in front of a table of novelty items and clapped her hooves together in delight. Trixie’s friends craned their heads to see what the princess was so interested in. The princess pressed a button that was on a wall-mounted bass fish. The fish started moving about and started singing a bad recording of ‘Don't Worry Be Happy’. The princess grinned like a foal on Hearth’s Warming Day. When the song stopped, the princess grabbed a quill on the table and wrote down her bid.

Trixie's friends watched the scene in slacked jawed shock. The princess walked over to them with a grin on her face. "I see you found something you like princess," Trixie said not perturbed or surprised at all by what happened.

“Yes, I have.” The princess came closer to Trixie’s ears and started whispering. “I don’t think the pony that donated that knew the value of what they gave up. That was a Big Mouth Billy Bass the Singing Sensation. A very rare item. Only three hundred of them were ever made.”

Yes, but even if it is rare...does that mean it's actually worth something? Trixie thought. She decided to just nod. Princess Luna looked around the room again and found something else she liked and went towards it.

“What the hay was that?” Lyra finally said.

“The princess likes to collect novelty singing toys. Her room is covered with them.” Trixie explained.

"Everypony needs a hobby," Ditzy commented.

“I-I see.” Lyra stuttered. It seems that her view of the princess as a figure of dignity, class, and grace shattered by that one scene.

Throughout the next hour, more ponies entered the bakery and showed their interest in what was for sale. Princess Luna was now at a table in the bakery section of Sugarcube Corner enjoying a cupcake. Trixie and the rest of her friends were next to the princess having a lively discussion of their latest adventures. Lyra gave an energetic retelling of their battle with Corvus. The rest the Rangers throwing in comments and details Lyra missed. Trixie was explaining to the princess how she bravely stood Corona down and spit in her face. Princess Luna listened intently soaking in every word.

“Hmmm.” Cheerilee gave a pleased moan. “Who is that?”

Trixie turned to look and her jaw dropped. “What the hey is he doing here?!” She exclaimed in alarm. Everypony turned towards what Trixie was talking about.

Cheerilee crinkled her brow. “Is something the matter?”

Princess Luna stood up. “Duke Greengrass. It is a surprise to see you here.”

Duke Greengrass, his secretary Notary, and Vinyl Scratch trotted up to their table. “It’s nice to see you too princess.” The duke gave a gracious bow. “And you too Trixie Lulamoon as well as the other Galaxy Rangers.”

Trixie was surprised to see Vinyl with Greengrass. Does she have some sort of connection with Greengrass? Why didn’t Pokey mention this in his letter?

One look at Vinyl made Lyra fume, but she said nothing. Vinyl in return gave Lyra back a coy smile. Lyra started glaring at the DJ.

Trixie sighed inwardly. Is it possible for two ponies to become lifelong enemies only after a five minutes meeting?

“You’re Duke Greengrass?” Cheerilee said smiling. “You honor us with your visit.”

“I heard about this little charity event of yours. I found it the perfect excuse to get out of Canterlot and meet the famous Galaxy Rangers that have so selflessly protected our fair kingdom.” Greengrass grinned. “And I do so love to give to ponies in such hard times.” He walked up to an old pair of pruning shears on a table and wrote down what looked like a big number.

“T-thank you! I appreciate it.” Carrot Top bowed respectively. Greengrass nodded and gave a benevolent smile.

Oh, brother. Trixie did her best to not roll her eyes. Like you care about anypony but yourself. You only donate to orphanages to make yourself look good.

Princess Luna watched Greengrass with a neutral expression. It was clear to Trixie that the princess was also suspicious. “Your generosity will be much appreciated, Duke.”

“So who are your friends?” Ditzy asked.

"Oh! Where are my manners?” Greengrass said. “This Notary my secretary and longtime friend Vinyl Scratch.”

Vinyl gave a noncommittal wave and Notary just gave a slight nod of her head but otherwise showed no expression.

"Hiya!” Ditzy greeted not put down in the least than a cheerful introduction. “Come, join us. They have the best muffins here.” She motioned for Greengrass to join them.

Greengrass was about to say something, but a loud explosion stopped whatever he was going to say. It caused everypony to jump. It came towards the door.

Trixie turned towards the cause of the commotion and her jaw dropped. It was a monster. It was pony-like, but its mane was made of fire. Its body was red and metallic. The top of its hooves shot out flames that almost covered its legs.

“Oh dear. Isn’t it noon now?” Greengrass asked.

Trixie mentally facehoofed. She couldn’t believe she forgot all about that.

The monster shot flames at the tables holding the donations and they were lit on fire in quick succession. Ponies jumped and ducked out of the way. Thankfully nopony was hit by the shooting flames. It laughed maniacally.

“Oh come on!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “We just fixed this place up!”

Trixie and her friends stood up. “Of all the times…” Trixie growled and got her morpher ready.

“No.” Greengrass held out a hoof. “Let us handle this.”

“Wha-what are you talking about?” Trixie asked baffled.

Greengrass pulled out something and thrust it forward. “It’s morphing time. Earth!”

“Yeah! Let’s do this!” Vinyl exclaimed. “It’s morphing time. Mercury!”

“It’s morphing time. Venus.” Notary said in a completely flat voice.

Around Greengrass was an explosion of light and Trixie used her cape to cover her eyes. When she lowered her cape, Trixie’s jaw dropped. Greengrass was covered in red Ranger armor. Notary was in yellow armor and Vinyl became the same pink ranger that attacked her a few days ago.

"It can't be," Trixie said almost in a whisper.

Greengrass moved in a blur. He pressed a button on his morpher and a spear appeared in his hooves. He jumped and dived at the monster. The monster freaked out and dodged. Greengrass’s attack split a nearby table in two. The monster, seeing this power, shot fire in Greengrass’s face. This stunned Greengrass for a second, but caused no real damage. It bolted towards the door and exited out of it.

Trixie recovered from her initial shock and motioned for her friends to follow her outside.

“I will suppress the fire and make sure the civilians leave here safely. “Princess Luna said from behind them. Trixie nodded her thanks and she and her friends ran outside.

“V-Vinyl was the pink ranger from before!” Lyra sputtered

“How did they even get morphers?” Ditzy asked.

Trixie scanned around went they left Sugarcube Corner. “I don’t know.”

It took a moment but Trixie finally spotted Greengrass and the other new Rangers. Greengrass was chasing the monster with Notary and Vinyl close behind him. They ran down the street in hot pursuit. The monster turned towards its pursuers and didn’t see the punch sent its way until it was too late. It crashed to the ground dazed.

Archduke Fisher shook his hoof after delivering that punch. “Sorry creature, but this is the end of the line.”

“It’s morphing time. Mars.” Fisher pulled out a morpher that looked like Greengrass’s.

"You have got to be kidding me," Trixie said, "really?"

Fisher thrust his morpher forward. He transformed into black armor. It was impressive and imposing looking.

“It’s over.” A new figure stepped out of the alley. He too had a morpher in his hooves. This time Trixie was not surprised by the appearance of Viceroy Night Light. At this point, why not? Would Vicereine Puissance be next? Maybe Princess Luna was a Ranger all along too?

“It’s morphing time. Jupiter.” Night Light new blue armor radiated power. Even from this distance, Trixie could feel it. It was oppressive. It told everypony they were in presence of a true king. Even the princess didn’t radiate this level of majesty and power. His whole body buzzed with electrical energy.

The new Rangers surrounded the monster. It cowered in fear. Greengrass pressed a button on his morpher. “Gaia’s wrath.” He swung his spear. Suddenly the earth erupted around the monster. It completely surrounded the poor creature. It screamed as it was swallowed whole by the earth. It was pulled into the ground and everything was silent. The ground that exploded was completely smooth again and if Trixie didn’t know better, it looked like nothing ever happened. Trixie gulped. That was a horrifying and disturbing way to go. The other ponies watching the scene didn’t cheer and celebrate like they usually did. They just stared in horrified fascination.

Trixie’s friends didn’t take the sight much better. Trixie wondered if she would have nightmares about that. Greengrass and the other unmorphed. Princess Luna watched the scene with narrowed eyes. Greengrass walked up to Princess Luna and bowed. The rest of the other new rangers did the same.

“I am sorry for the commotion. I hope you were unhurt my princess.” Greengrass said smoothly.

“No, I am well. But I am curious. Why was I not told about these new Rangers of yours?” Princess Luna said icily.

"Sorry princess, but that is my fault," Fisher said standing up, "I feared what would happen if this power fell into the wrong hooves."

"We were planning on tell you princess, but the issue of the monster made us reveal ourselves sooner than expected," Greengrass explained.

“What I want to know is why the most prominent members of the Night Court are even doing with these powers?” Trixie crossed her hooves and narrowed her eyes.

Greengrass raised his hooves in a placating gesture. “I admit it is a bit strange, but that is just how the dice rolled. We were all chosen by the gems.”

“Chosen?” Princess Luna asked.

“Yes, by the Planetary Gems. They are what fuel our powers.” Fisher said,

Princess Luna’s eyes widened. “Do you have any idea what those are? You must destroy them at once!”

"Princess, I understand your concern. I too was alarmed when I learned of their checkered past, but I feel they can be used for good.” Greengrass smiled. “We are under siege by your mad sister. Equestria needs heroes. This morning's incident proves that. Trixie and her other Rangers won’t always be here to save the day.”

“I assure you, princess. The gems are quite safe, and the morphers protect us from any influence the gems might have,” Fisher explained sounding quite pleased with himself.

“I can’t sit behind a desk while the country is in danger.” Night Light said stepping forward. “We Night Court members can’t just sit on our hooves and let these younglings do all the fighting.”

“This is awesome!” Ditzy exclaimed. She gave Fisher a big hug. Trixie would treasure the look on Fisher’s face for the rest of her life. Ditzy didn’t stop there and gave the other new Rangers hugs as well. They received the hugs awkwardly except for Notary who stayed completely stone-faced.

“I was so worried after what happened with Corvus, but with you guys helping us. Corona’s new super monsters don’t seem so bad.” Ditzy said brightly.

“Y-yes. You are absolutely right.” Greengrass said recovering. “If it is alright with the princess of course.”

Everypony looked at Princess Luna who stayed silent. “Very well.” She said finally. “It is an unusual situation to be sure, but new heroes would be welcome.”

“Splendid!” Greengrass exclaimed. Princess Luna just sighed. Trixie could tell she already regretted her decision.

Trixie could see Carrot Top sitting on the ground dejected. “Are you alright Carrot Top?” Trixie asked worriedly. She scanned the inside of Sugarcube Corner. It was a complete wreck. The tables were scorched and most the donations were completely destroyed. Almost nothing seemed salvageable.

Princess Luna trotted up to Carrot Top and placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Do not worry my little pony. I will make sure personally that you will be reimbursed for all that has been lost this day.”

“Thanks.” Carrot Top said in a quiet voice.

"I don’t believe this. You have the worst luck Carrot Top.” Lyra said.

“Yes, strangely so.” Cheerilee rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

Yes. I wonder… Trixie thought. The problem was she had no proof. She would be sure to keep an eye out on Greengrass.

“Everything will be fine! With the Great and Powerful Trixie’s spectacular magic show and the reimbursement money, the new irrigation system will cost pocket change!” Trixie gave an exaggerated swing of her cape dramatically.

The rest of Trixie’s friends smirked at her antics. Princess Luna snorted in amusement. Nopony noticed the dangerous glint in Greengrass’s eyes who chuckled to himself.

Chapter 8

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 8
by Rixizu

Trixie tried her best to stay cordial and polite. Sitting across from her was Duke Greengrass and Cheerilee at a table at a local cafe. Much to the annoyance of Cheerilee who wanted a little alone time with the Duke, but Trixie wasn’t having any of it and refused to have him leave her sight. She didn’t want or trust them being alone making Cheerilee occasionally shoot her dirty looks, but Trixie just ignored them.

"It took forever for grow my mane back," Cheerilee said, "and rainbow is almost impossible to get out. My hoof was rainbow colored for weeks!" The teacher was telling one of her misadventures she had recently with her students. Much to Trixie’s amazement, the tale ended with Cheerilee half-crazed, missing half of her mane, and sporting an eyepatch.

"Oh dear, I see that was quite the mishap," Greengrass sounding aghast.

“I love them all dearly truly and they mean well, but they can be a real hoof full sometimes.” Cheerilee and Greengrass shared a belly laugh. “The challenges of being a teacher.”

“But all worth it, right?” Greengrass’s grin was wide and encouraging. “They are our future, our hope, and they require proper pruning, care, and attention to grow.”

Cheerilee nodded vigorously in agreement. “Exactly. A few bumps on the head are a small price to pay. I've heard you do a lot of good work for foals too."

Greengrass gave a modest look like he was hardly even worth any attention at all. “Indeed. I give a tenth of my earnings to orphanages all over Equestria every year, and I have sponsored many poor unfortunates over the years. Take Vinyl, for, example, her parents and leg were tragically lost in an accident. I had to do something. Of course, nowhere near as impressive as what you do. You grow and tend to the future generation personally every day!”

Cheerilee blushed at the compliment. Trixie rolled her eyes. Oh, please. Are you actually buying this garbage? Greengrass is a sociopath. He only cares about himself. He would sell out his own mother in a second.

“That’s nice of you to say.” Cheerilee gave him ‘the look’ and the Duke gave her one back. They were staring into each other’s eyes now smiling.

Trixie gave out a loud cough grabbing both of their attention. “That is very interesting Duke Greengrass. I heard an interesting rumor about one of your aides giving out bribes to the mayor of Hoofington so that one of your factories could be built there.”

Greengrass gave a mournful look. "Sadly yes, he did it thinking he could win my favor that way. He was too eager I think. I do not abide by such things. He was punished and let go."

Cheerilee nodded. “Such are the ways of the world sadly.” She glared daggers at Trixie. “Trixie, can I talk to you for a minute?”

Trixie flailed her arms as Cheerilee painfully pulled her underneath the table. “What the hay do you think you are doing?” Cheerilee hissed.

“Trying to stop you from making a mistake!” Trixie countered.

“Don’t you dare do this! I haven’t met a stallion like this in years!” Cheerilee fumed.

“Haven’t you ever thought that this might be too good to be true? Don’t forget about how Vinyl attacked us!” Trixie argued.

“Both Greengrass and Vinyl apologized for it. She was just testing you. Nopony got hurt. It’s water under the bridge now.” Cheerilee shot back.

"Is everything alright down there?" Greengrass called out.

“Just one second!” Cheerilee yelled back. “I’ve had enough of your fear mongering and tin foil hat paranoia. Duke Greengrass is a nice stallion! To you all Night Court nobles are evil, aren’t they? Well you’re wrong!”

“But!” Trixie tried to say, but Cheerilee interrupted her.

“If you don’t leave right now, I will break every bone in your body and throw you into the Everfree Forest! Don’t think I won’t!” Cheerilee growled. Trixie gave a hesitant nod. “Good.”

Cheerilee roughly pulled Trixie back up again. “Sorry, but my friend has to practice for her show tonight. It’s a shame, but she really needs to go.” Cheerilee barely finished saying that before she pushed Trixie with all her strength away from their table. Trixie stumbled and almost lost her hoofing. She straightened herself with as much grace and dignity as she could.

Trixie was about to say something in return, but a death glare from Cheerilee made her stop and she left the two of them alone.

"Really? Your special talent is gardening? I would never have guessed a black X for a cutie mark might mean that."

Greengrass gave a hearty and jovial laughed. “I get that a lot. Someponies have it confused it for meaning that I have a special talent in being a pirate.” That was the last thing Trixie heard as she left them.

Trixie kicked a rock in frustration. She knew Greengrass was up to something but had no way to prove it. Trixie shook her head. She decided, for now, she would just see how her friends were doing before beginning her final preparations for the show tonight.

Trixie found Ditzy, Pinkie, Raindrops, and Vinyl cleaning up Sugarcube Corner. They were tossing out anything that was burned or damaged by the monster attack into a cart on the road.

Ditzy waved to Trixie as she approached. "Hey, Trixie!" She carried a box full of destroyed junk to the cart and dumped it contents inside.

Trixie gave a slight wave of her hoof. “How is the cleaning coming along?” She asked. It was a huge mess and despite their efforts, they weren’t even close to being done yet.

Ditzy put the box down and wiped the sweat off her brow. Since her hooves were covered in soot, this only left a black streak. “Not bad. That monster did a real doozy on this place.”

Trixie smiled. “It’s nice that you’re helping out. I would help too, but you know. I can’t dirty myself before the show.” Ditzy nodded in understanding. Trixie looked around for her other friends. “Where is Lyra? Oh, wait. I bet she’s helping Bon-Bon prepare her goods for the show tonight. And Carrot Top is with the princess I believe.”

“Yep. Of course, none of the Night Court ponies offered to help out. The lazy so-and-sos.” Ditzy replied.

“You don’t have to do this right now. I am sure it could wait for a little while. The show begins in a couple of hours.” Trixie said. She knew both Ditzy and her daughter were really looking forward to the show.

“Nah, it’s fine. I like to get things done right away.” Ditzy said grinning.

“I’m a bit surprised Vinyl is helping you.” Trixie was quite surprised by this. The DJ in question was putting things from a destroyed table in a box inside. Raindrops with an excited and eager grin on her face was helping her. Despite cleaning up trash, Raindrops loved every minute being around her favorite DJ.

“She’s cool.” Ditzy suddenly started whispering. “Better than the others at least.”

“Tell me about it. I think they are up to something.” Trixie said.

Ditzy nodded. “Definitely.”

Trixie was taken aback. “You believe me?”

Ditzy shook her head. “They are a bunch of real shady characters. That Fisher pony needs to get hugged more often, Greengrass is a snake, and Night Light is a ball of unconcealed rage.”

“What do you mean?” Trixie asked furrowing her brow

“Haven’t you seen the way he looks at you? He really really doesn’t like you.” Ditzy said raising an eyebrow.

Trixie mentally hit herself. She was so caught up in Greengrass, she didn’t even think about what Night Light might be doing here. Oh, no. Maybe he hates me because of what happened to Twilight?

“And that Notary mare... She scares me.” Ditzy said with a shiver.

Trixie put a hoof to her head and rubbed her temple. “What a mess.”

Ditzy ears flattened. “I wish they could be our allies and friends… but that’s probably not going to happen.”

"We should prepare ourselves for anything," Trixie said and Ditzy nodded in agreement.

“Hey, Ditzy! What’s holding ya up? We have still like a million things left to clean up!” Vinyl yelled.

“Coming!” Ditzy yelled back. Ditzy turned to rejoin them taking the box back in her hooves.

"I'm glad somepony isn't taken in by Greengrass! Cheerilee has fallen head over heels for him!" Trixie said completely exasperated.

Ditzy shrugged. “He is handsome, and rich, and charming.”

Trixie sighed. This was not going to end well. “I’m surprised you weren’t taken in by him.”

“I think I’m a pretty good judge of character. And I have my own secret ways to measure a pony.” Ditzy said with a conspiratorial wink.

“Ditzy!” Raindrops screamed in annoyance.

“Okay okay!” Ditzy waved to Trixie and got back to work.

Secret? What? Wait, did Ditzy use that hug as a way to secretly assess their character? Like purposely throwing them off to see how they would react? Fisher did give her a hate filled glare after his hug. Trixie wondered if they all might be underestimating Ditzy.

Trixie paced on her stage unable to get Ditzy’s warning of Night Light out of her head. It was interfering with her preparations. It was a big show, and she had quite a bit to prepare for, but Trixie could focus at the moment. Ditzy was right. Night Light had a grudge against her. She knew that Fisher and Greengrass just didn’t like her and she could deal with that. Night Light was one of the most powerful ponies in Equestria. Almost as powerful as Princess Luna herself. She didn’t want a pony like that hating her. Trixie also felt really bad about what happened to Twilight about a month ago. She felt at least a little to blame for what happened. Twilight came to Ponyville so she could study the Galaxy Rangers, only to get turned into a monster by Corona. Trixie was worried about her and hoped Twilight didn’t blame herself too much for what happened. Trixie supposed just apologizing would be the quickest way to fix everything. It would be difficult, but Trixie knew she had to do it. Gathering her resolve, she left dropping everything to find Night Light.

After getting some inquiries with a few Ponyvillians, Trixie was able to locate Night Light. He and Fisher were having a conversation on a bench near the Ponyville Library.

“Greetings Archduke Fisher and Viceroy Night Light,” Trixie announced with a grand bow.

"Hello. How may we help you, Representative?" Fisher asked.

Trixie looked both Night Court nobles over. Fisher looked at her coldly. Night Light tried to do the same, but there was something in his eyes.

Dear Luna almighty, Ditzy was right. Trixie thought. He really does hate me. She could see the searing hatred in his eyes.

“I was wondering if I could borrow the Viceroy. There is something I wish to discuss with him.” Trixie said with as much politeness as she could.

Night Light studied Trixie for a long uncomfortable moment before finally nodding. “Very well. There is a library over there. It should be a quiet place to talk.”

Trixie nodded, and the two left Fisher for the library.

“So, what do you want to talk to me about?” Night Light asked. The library was unsurprisingly empty. This suited Trixie who didn’t want anypony disturbing them.

“Well,” Trixie paused to think about what she was going to say next, “I just want to ask how Twilight is doing? She disappeared after the Corvus incident and I haven’t heard from her since.” Trixie could still remember the look on Twilight’s face when she teleported away. She was so scared and full of hurt it was heartbreaking.

Night Light’s right eye twitched. For an uncomfortable minute, he stayed silent. Trixie’s movements became agitated. She wondered if this was a bad idea. “She wrote a letter saying she’s well,” he eventually said, “but that is it. I have no idea where she is now.”

"I see," Trixie said unsure of what to say.

Another uncomfortable moment passed between the two of them without anypony saying anything. Trixie finally decided to speak up. “Look, um, I just want to say I am sorry for what happened. Twilight came here to study us, the Galaxy Rangers, and she got caught up in Corona’s trappings. I feel bad for what happened. I know it wasn’t really our fault, but I do feel at least a little responsible.”

“Do you really?” Night Light sneered. “Is that supposed to make me feel better? Make all the sleepless nights worrying about my daughter go away?”

"I just don't want there to be any bad blood between the two of us," Trixie said maybe a little too quickly.

Night Light snorted. “I’ve always hated you.”

“What?” Trixie asked shocked.

“It should have been her. She should be the Princess’s student, not you. She was actually talented. She had the makings of a great unicorn mage. Her grades were impeccable. She deserved to be Princess Luna’s student. You? You are a half-baked stage magician with not even a tenth of her talent and intellect. The only reason the princess took you as a student, was due to one of her flights of fancy. She did it to honor your late grandfather, you did nothing to earn it.”

“H-hold on a minute!” Trixie tried to say, but Night Light ignored her.

“It’s funny. Twilight was actually planning on going to Ponyville for the 1000th Longest Night. She was really looking forward to seeing the princess again.” Night Light’s face went dark. “But, she got sick and couldn’t make the trip. If she was there, I have no doubt in my mind that she would be the Ursa Ranger right now. Like becoming the princess’s student, you only became the Red Ranger because of a fluke.”

Night Light suddenly raised his voice. His voice started quivering. “You didn’t earn or deserve any of this! You! You should have become the monster, not her!”

Trixie glared at Night Light. “I’m sorry it turned out this way, but that is what happened and nothing can change that.”

“You think I want your apology? That it would actually change anything?” Night Light’s voice became icy. He glared daggers at Trixie, his eyes seared full of hate and rage in hers. “My daughter is out there hating herself for what she did as Corvus. I will never forgive you for that.”

“It was Corona that did it!” Trixie shot back.

“Oh, don’t worry. I plan to make sure she gets hers too. That is why I became a Ranger in the first place.” Night Light smirked like he knew something she didn’t and it was something unpleasant. “After I am done with you of course.”

Trixie at once put up her guard. “You want to pick a fight?”

“I don’t need to. After all, I did a little digging and found something interesting. “Night Light gave a cat-like malicious grin.

“Um, what do you mean?” Trixie was not liking the sound of this one bit.

“My accountant found something very interesting. Ponyville’s relief budget doesn’t quite add up.” Night Light said. “He found some rather suspicious spending. It is quite possible somepony is embezzling Ponyville’s Corona relief money.”

“It wasn’t me!” Trixie shouted. She felt a pit in her stomach and did her best to bite back the panic.

“I suppose with all those bits coming in, even the best ponies might become tempted to siphon some of that money for yourself.” Night Light smirked.

"It wasn't me," Trixie said firmly.

“That is why I got a warrant for the police to check your home and personal records and look for any discrepancies.” Night Light said.

Oh, ponyfeathers! Trixie started moving towards the door.

Night Light dashed in front of her. “And, where do you think you are going?”

“You are setting me up! I am not going to stand by and let you do this to me!” Trixie glared at Night Light. I needtogetto Princess Luna rightaway.

“It seems like you are making a run for it to me.” Night Light gave Trixie a mocking smile. “I can’t allow that as a Viceroy, as a Ranger, and protector of Equestria.”

"Get out of my way," Trixie challenged. She rose at her full height to intimidate him.

Night Light took out his morpher. “It looks like I will just have to subdue the suspect.”

Trixie gritted her teeth and pulled out her own morpher. “You want to fight? Fine!”

“It’s morphing time!” Trixie and Night Light yelled together.

“Ursa!”

“Jupiter!”

Trixie charged as she transformed. She summoned her sword and swung at Night Light’s head as he was transforming. He ducked under the attack and countered with a punch to Trixie’s face. She went flying and smashed into a nearby bookshelf. Trixie was covered with an avalanche of books and the shelf was cracked by the impact.

Trixie groaned as she rose. “Okay, he’s a little stronger than I thought.” Book cascaded off her as she rose.

“You really think you stand a chance? I have the power of Jupiter, King of the Gods!” Night Light mocked. “I’ll show you what true power is!”

Night Light pressed a button on his morpher. In a flash, a large sword appeared in his hooves. It was gigantic and it was almost as long as Trixie’s body. It had a white gleaming blade and a blue hilt. Night Light took the weapon in his magic.

Trixie readied her own weapon. She stared down Night Light. She started circling her opponent and Night Light did the same. Trixie thrusted her sword forward. Night Light barely dodged the blow in time and sparks flew where her sword scraped his helmet. Night Light retaliated by swinging his weapon down at Trixie's head coming at her with blinding speed. Trixie was ready for it and rolled to the side out of the way. Night Light's sword left a deep gash in the floorboards. Before Trixie got out of her roll, Night Light changed the direction of his blade and swung it at Trixie's curled body. Trixie grabbed her sword with her magic and just barely deflected it.

She got back on her hooves and pulled her sword back to her hooves. Night Light and Trixie circled each other again. Night Light swung his sword vertically at Trixie’s abdomen. Its long reach made it hard to dodge so Trixie parried it holding the blade steady with her other hoof. Trixie was pushed back, but held her ground and was only push back a little by the attack. Night Light saw his opening and tried to deliver a turning kick at Trixie’s exposed flank. Trixie gritted her teeth at the painful blow but responded back with a headbutt right in Night Light’s face. Her horn scraped loudly against Night Light’s helmet. He reeled and grunted in pain and his sword dropped to the ground with a clang. Trixie took advantage of her stunned opponent and butted him in the head again. She thrust her sword dead on in his chest.

Night Light screamed in pain but didn’t seem too injured by Trixie’s attacks. He swung his own sword at Trixie. She couldn’t dodge it in time and the impact of the blow made Trixie smash into a table. She groaned and shook her head to clear it. Night Light didn’t let up and struck at her prone form. She blocked it with her sword, but Trixie didn’t have enough of a grip to secure it and her blade went flying out of her hooves.

“Oh, ponyfeathers!” Trixie cursed.

Night Light started wailing on Trixie with his sword. Each blow was harder than the last and batted her back and forth with sparks erupting from each blow. Trixie felt her strength failing her. She tried to cast a spell, but Night Light saw her horn lit up and delivered a powerful blow to her head dazing her before she could do anything. She fell to one knee and gritted her teeth.

“It’s time to finish this.” Night Light and pressed a button on his morpher. “Wrath of the King!” He pointed his sword at Trixie’s chest. A blast of energy and electricity shot out of the tip and hit Trixie straight on. She flew through the wall behind her and a large burnt hole was left in the attack’s wake. Trixie crashed at high speed into a house’s wall. It was obliterated and Trixie kept going. She went right through the house with little resistance. She crashed into the street underneath her but even that didn’t stop her momentum. She dug into the ground and left a deep gash in the earth. It took at least a block before Trixie finally came to a stop. The earth and street were torn up around her leaving a long line of ruin. A flower cart clean in half. Trixie found herself lying in a crevice with a broken pipe that was filling the hole with water. She unmorphed and her morpher fell into the water. Trixie’s body was burning hot with pain so she didn’t mind the water gathering around her. Her body felt as if it was made of lead for the moment so she just stayed where she was content just to sit there. Ponies gathered around her and gaped in shock and horror.

“Just as I thought. You never deserved this power.” Night Light said as he approached Trixie. Trixie looked up weakly at him and glared at him with a defiance. She lit her horn to ready a spell. Trixie screamed in agony. It felt like her head was on fire and she couldn’t hold back tears of pain. Night Light’s sword impaled her horn and buried itself into the ground. Trixie’s horn was cleaved in half.

Night Light pulled his sword out and used his magic to pick up Trixie and roughly throw her out of the hole and into the street. Everypony watching gasped wide eyed. Trixie screamed in pain. She was in so much pain she couldn’t even move. He reached down into the hole with his magic and pulled out Trixie’s morpher. He dropped it to the ground and smashed it with a hoof. “You’re finished Trixie Lulamoon.”

Chapter 9

Trixie’s body was completely unable to move. The burning pain in her head, at her destroyed horn, was unbearable. She would glare at Night Light right now if she was any condition to do so. He stood over her. Even though he was still transformed, she knew he had a smug grin of satisfaction on his muzzle right now. Despite her paralysis, she could still see the surrounding ponies. The citizens had a stunned expression on their faces, their hero had been brutalized. Little Dinky had tears in her eyes. There was despair and hopelessness in the eyes of everypony around her. Her destroyed morpher crumbled to dust under Night Light’s hoof.

Trixie gritted her teeth. She would not and could not lose like this. She had her pride. Despite her head feeling like it had been trampled by a stampede of buffalo, she struggled slowly to her hooves. She almost stumbled several times, but Trixie's determination won, though. She was on her hooves now and glared right into Night Light’s visor.

“This isn’t over.” Trixie rasped. She felt like she was about to collapse again, but stood her ground.

“Really?” Night Light sounded amused. He pointed his sword at Trixie. “You have nothing.”

As if to answer his taunt, Night Light cried out in alarm as an arrow made of intense winds struck him from behind. It swallowed him whole and pulled him high into the air.

“Gales of Destruction!” Ditzy cried out. Night Light screamed as an explosion engulfed his body. Smoke emanated from his body as he crashed into the ground creating a crater in the pavement. Everypony cheered.

“Trixie! Are you okay?” Ditzy asked in alarm. She gasped when she looked at what remained of Trixie’s horn. “Your horn!”

"I'm fine," Trixie said weakly. She pointed a shaky hoof at Night Light. "Go kick his flank!"

“Damn you.” Night Light wheezed. He got back on her hooves with a little difficulty.

Ditzy took a protective stance in front of Trixie. "How dare you," she growled.

“Pathetic foal, that did nothing at all.” Night Light mocked. He might have been right, he barely looked worse for wear. He charged at Ditzy and Trixie sword at the ready. Ditzy visibly tensed ready for battle.

Giving Raindrops the perfect distraction to jump out from the crowd axe in hoof. “Wave Cleaver!” She hit Night Light home right on his exposed flank. Water gathered around Raindrops’s axe forming a blade around the weapon. It smashed into him with the force of a thousand tidal waves knocking him to the ground. The blade of water cut a deep hole underneath him.

“This is nothing for the king of the gods!” Night Light yelled as he got back up again. Water dripped from his armor filling the hole under him. Raindrops took a protective stance next to Ditzy also trying to protect Trixie with her body.

"You have got to be kidding me," Ditzy said in disbelief, "he still isn't down?"

Trixie was surprised that Night Light was still relatively unhurt by that attack. Wait, no, that isn’t true. There were small cracks in his armor. They were hard to see, but they were there.

“I am going to kill you!” Night Light snarled.

“That’s enough!” A loud voice boomed. Trixie winced at the volume. Princess Luna landed between Night Light and Trixie’s friends. She had her wings raised aggressively.

“Princess.” Night Light unmorphed and bowed respectively. “Thank the stars you are here.”

“What is the meaning of this?!” Princess Luna demanded.

“I was trying to apprehend a criminal when these two ruffians attacked me.” Night Light explained.

“What horseapples! You were attacking Trixie!” Ditzy yelled. She looked like she was about to jump around the princess and pummel Night Light’s face in. Raindrops glared dangerously at him.

“Stand down fair Ditzy Doo and you as well you fair Raindrops.” Princess Luna ordered. Ditzy gave a hesitant nod and unmorphed. Raindrops followed suit.

“Trixie is under suspicion of embezzling Ponyville’s Corona relief fund.” Night Light said. “She tried to escape, and I had to subdue her.”

“Subdue her!” Ditzy fumed. “Look what you did to her horn!”

Princess Luna turned towards Trixie and her eyes widened when she got a good look at her student. “Trixie!” She pulled Trixie in a comforting hug and the worn-out mare let herself be pulled inside it. She wasn’t in any condition to resist, anyway. Princess Luna stroked her student’s back, tears in her eyes. Trixie had never seen the princess so overcome with emotion.

Princess Luna turned towards Night Light and gave him such an intense glare the Viceroy actually took a step back. The princess’s stare could melt diamonds. “Did you do this?” She asked in a quiet voice.

"That is what I would like to know as well," Greengrass said. He walked through the crowd next to the princess with Cheerilee in tow. There was disapproval on the Duke’s face and much to Trixie's surprise it looked a hundred percent genuine. Cheerilee rushed to Trixie and gave a big hug. Her face was one of terrified worry.

Night Light tried his best to gain his composer back. He had been thoroughly rattled by the princess’s glare. “Yes, I had no choice. She was about to cast a spell to escape.”

“That is no excuse!” Princess Luna yelled. “You did not need to take such an extreme measure to subdue a single unicorn! The police are discouraging from using such brutality!” She waved a wing at the destruction caused by their fight. “Such methods are not warranted.”

Night Light looked like he was about to say something, but thought better of it. He bowed humbly. “Yes. Princess, you are right.”

“We will talk about this later.” The princess promised.

Several police officers with badges indicating that they were from Canterlot Police Force suddenly rushed into the street from an alley. “Viceroy Night Light! There you are.” One officer said. He saluted to Night Light. He stared wide-eyed at the nearby destruction and the sight of the princess. But quick threw it out of his mind. “We heard the disturbance. What is the situation? “

“Officer. The matter is taken care of, for now.” Princess Luna said sending a dirty look Night Light’s way. She seemed more like her old self. “Go back to your duties.”

Night Light held up a hoof. “Wait. Report. Did you find anything at the Representative’s house?”

The office gave another salute. "Yes, sir. It is just as you suspected. There is evidence of suspicious files in Ms. Lulamoon’s possession. They have been sent for further analysis. “

The entire crowd gasped in astonishment. Night Light nodded and pointed towards Trixie. “Good, arrest that mare, and the two pegasi next to her. They attacked me unprovoked.”

“What! No, we didn’t! You attacked Trixie!” Ditzy seethed. She looked about ready to pounce on Night Light again. Raindrop’s glare was one full danger and promise of violence if anypony tried anything to Trixie.

“You attacked a member of the Night Court. A serious offense indeed.” Night Light smile was smug. “And Ms. Lulamoon attacked me first.”

“You expect us to believe that?!” Ditzy challenged. The tension in the air was palpable.

“Calm yourself Ms. Doo.” Princess Luna soothed. It seemed she realized just how close everypony was to exploding into real fighting. “Enough of this Viceroy Night Light, you are provoking more than Ms. Doo’s anger. Neither of Trixie’s friends will be charged. They were protecting a friend.”

“Princess…” Night Light was about to say, but Princess Luna interrupted him.

“That is final Viceroy. You are not one to talk about laws when you yourself caused such property damage.” Princess Luna gestured to the hole in the Ponyville Library.

“Inconsequence, Trixie was….” This time Ditzy interrupted him.

“You heard the princess. Shove it!” Ditzy yelled. Night Light glared daggers at Ditzy. He did not like being spoken to in such a disrespectful way. The crowd cheered when Ditzy said that.

“Officer, you can arrest Trixie Lulamoon after she seeks medical attention.” Princess Luna said graciously. “The damage to her to quite severe. It might lead to complications if not treated soon.” Trixie gulped at that statement.

The officer nodded. “Ponyville Hospital?”

“Yes, that should do nicely.” The princess agreed. “Come close Trixie. I will bring you there myself.”

Trixie weakly walked up to her teacher and placed a shaking hoof on the princess’s barrel. Trixie gave her friends a reassuring smile and gave a small wave.

“Raindrops. I want you to find Carrot Top and explain the situation. We will meet you both at the Ponyville Hospital.” Cheerilee ordered. Raindrops accepted the order without question and took off in the air. “Sorry Duke, but we will have to cut our time together short.”

"I quite understand," Greengrass said graciously. "Go to your friend. She needs you. I will look into this matter myself. I do not believe for a second Ms. Lulamoon would ever embezzle as the Viceroy suggested. This has to be a mistake.”

“Thank you, Greengrass," Cheerilee said in the quiet respectful voice. She took off with her friends to the hospital.

“You have good friends.” Princess Luna commented. Trixie gave a weak smile and nodded. Before Luna teleported her away, she noticed something odd about Night Light’s morpher. The gem that gave Night Light his powers had a small almost imperceptible crack in it. She smirked. Maybe these new Rangers weren’t as invincible as they seemed? She would find a way to fix her morpher and kick his tail to the sun. In a flash, they disappeared for the hospital.

Greengrass tapped his hoof and tried his best to hide the anger he felt right now. They were in a hotel room in Ponyville. It was large but simple and not well furnished, but it suited their needs for the moment. Notary was watching the scene silently beside him. Vinyl and Fisher had a scowl on their muzzles. "What were you thinking? I thought we agreed that we both shared the same goal to win the public’s trust?”

“I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but Duke Greengrass is right.” Fisher glared at Night Light. “What were you thinking? Were you thinking?”

“I got rid of the problem.” Night Light said curtly. “Lulamoon is no threat to anypony now.”

"Wonderful, if you overlook the fact you made us seem like a bunch of complete brutes in front of the public," Greengrass growled, "did you see the way they looked at you? They will not trust us so easily now. We were to be seen as heroes."

"Yeah, and destroying Trixie's horn was so not cool," Vinyl interjected.

“And you destroyed her morpher. We wanted to study that.” Fisher said tapping a hoof on the floor in clear irritation.

Night Light smirked. “What's done is done. Besides, why would you want such an inferior piece of technology, anyway? Trixie and her morpher broke so easily.”

“It doesn’t matter. It still should be studied.” Fisher said in exasperation.

“Without their leader, the Galaxy Rangers are finished. The public will have to accept us as their protectors whether they like it or not.” Night Light said with an air of smugness.

"I wouldn't count Trixie Lulamoon out so soon," Solitaire said. She crossed her front legs and grinned in amusement.

“Oh? Really?” Night Light sounded like he had just heard an amusing joke.

“Did you know that Corona tried destroying the Elements of Harmony to prevent them from being used against her?” Solitaire asked.

Greengrass perked his ears. He never heard about this. Night Light listened intently.

“She shattered them to dust. It should have been over, but Trixie and the rest of her friends bonded with the Elements anyway. The rest is history.” Solitaire explained.

Greengrass rubbed his chin. “Ah, of course. If they were rebuilt before, why not again?”

Fisher’s eyes widened and grimaced. “This is a problem.”

Night Light snorted. “It doesn’t matter.”

"Look at your morpher," Solitaire instructed. "Look at it closely."

Night Light rose an eyebrow and did as he as instructed. He stared at it, not understanding what Solitaire was talking about. Then he saw it, a small crack in his Planetary Gem. He took a step back in shock. “Wha?”

“You see, the Elements of Harmony have the ability of regeneration. No matter how much their armor is damaged or destroyed, it will always be restored.” Solitaire said.

“So their armor can’t be permanently destroyed?” Vinyl asked tilting her head.

Solitaire nodded her head. “Precisely. The Planetary Gems have vast power, but it isn’t limitless. Think of them as a battery.”

“Eventually it will run out and the gem and morpher will be useless.” Solitaire continued. “The Elements of Harmony draw power from a source more powerful than the planets, the stars, and even the gods themselves.”

Night Light stood up straight and presented his morpher to the scientist. “Fix it.”

Solitaire shook her head. "I don't know how yet. You used your morphers before I could thoroughly test them.”

Night Light glared at Solitaire. Greengrass have a serious expression. “I see. So, their powers will outlast ours eventually.”

Solitaire nodded. “It depends on how much you use your powers, but yes. Keep in mind, barring extraneous activity and damage, that will take centuries.”

“Those fillies are barely a threat then.” Night Light snorted in derision and trotted out.

Greengrass’s instincts weren’t so sure. His gut told him the Rangers were a threat and a dangerous one at that. He knew the Rangers had the ability to become stronger. They might not be a threat now, but would that always be the case? No, Greengrass knew their roots were deep and trying to pull them out wouldn’t get rid of them. Even without her horn, Greengrass sensed that Trixie was still a dangerous threat. She was far too dim to give up and even he had no idea what stupid and reckless thing she would next. Greengrass knew you can’t plan for stupidity. It was time to speed up their timetable.

Trixie was reclining on a bed trying her best to stay patient. She hated doing nothing and resting in a hospital bed was pure misery. There were some books on the table next to her, but she wasn’t interested in reading. She just wanted to get out of here already. She couldn’t though, not until the doctor came back with the results of the scans they had taken of her. Trixie sighed in relief that she won’t have to stay the night. The doctor told her that she only had exhaustion and her horn was only the real issue.

Trixie growled when she thought of what happened to her horn. Oh, she would make Night Light pay for this that was certain. She was equally furious that she couldn’t do that show for Carrot Top. The loss of her magic hurt, but it was nothing compared to the pain of not being able to help her friend who was in such dire need. She had been planning for days for that event and now it had to be completely rewritten so it didn’t require magic. That would take time the desperate farmer didn’t really have. She was going to do it, though, even if it killed her. Even if she had to drag herself across the stage on the ground. She was not going to let Carrot Top down.

On a better note, Trixie didn’t think the damage to her horn was too severe. Right now, her horn was just a stump covered by a bandage. They had to cut it to the stump for her own safety. She knew a unicorn’s horn would grow back in time. So this was only an annoying setback. A unicorn’s horn was just made out of keratin after all, the same as a pony’s hooves. Throughout a unicorn’s life, their horn never stopped growing, about .5 inches a year. Thankfully, there are spells to hasten the process, and it would only take a few months of magical therapy to get her horn back to normal size.

The doctor was just checking for any serious damage to the base of her horn containing important nerves which might cause serious complications. Complications that could seriously disrupt a unicorn’s ability to cast magic and make it unstable. There have also been cases of unicorns developing mental health issues from a damaged horn. That was why the doctor was taking this case so seriously.

About a ten minutes later, the doctor finally came into her room. He had a serious face, but it had a small smile on it.

“How are you feeling Ms. Lulamoon?” The doctor greeted.

“Trixie thank you. And I’m fine, just tired.” Trixie responded. “Well? What do the scans say?”

The doctor nodded and open a folder with a picture of the MRI scan of her head. The inside of her head was cool and everything, but it looked like just a brain to her. She had no idea what she was looking at.

“Everything looks good Trixie.” The doctor said warmly. “No damage to your frontal lobe and your horn’s nerve endings.”

Trixie sighed in relief. “That’s good to hear.”

"I want you to get plenty of rest for the next few days. Otherwise, you should be fine." The doctor gave Trixie a piece of paper. "This has contact information for Spellworks, a magical therapist in Canterlot who specializes in regrowing damaged horns. I would recommend scheduling an appointment with him right away.”

Trixie planned to have that done tomorrow. She couldn’t bear the thought of not having a horn back for even a day longer than necessary. Magic was her special talent after all. It would also give her the opportunity to search for Pokey who was still missing. Trixie was really starting to get worried about him.

Trixie trotted up to the front counter with the checkout sheet in her hooves. Already not having her magic was really annoying. She kept forgetting she didn’t have it and tried using it on instinct. Her friends, Bon-Bon, Dinky, and the princess were in the waiting room waiting patiently for her. They grinned when she entered the lobby. Trixie was eager to give them the good news. After finishing up at the desk, she started towards them when several police officers went in front of her. Trixie recognized them as the officers from before though there were a few new faces. One pony stood out from the rest though. This stallion had a tan trenchcoat on. He had a messy brown mane with a coat that was a rusty orange color. His cutie mark looked very odd on his flank. It was a pony’s nose. Night Light was with them and it looked like he was holding back a self-satisfied smirk.

Trixie’s friends were not happy that this development. Princess Luna’s mouth was in a tight line. Lyra’s looked enraged and was about to pounce on all the offenders. Raindrops’s face darkened and promised violence. Thankfully, the rest of Trixie’s friends were more level headed and just scowled.

“Oh for!” Trixie growled. Couldn’t she get a moment's rest? “Look, I just got out of the hospital. I know you have plenty of questions about the so-called ‘suspicious documents’, but I am not well enough right now.”

The officer in front glared at her with a penetrating stare. “Trixie Lulamoon, you are under arrest for the murder of Pokey Pierce. You have the right to remain silent.”

Chapter 11

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 11
by Rixizu

“What are you doing here?” Trixie sputtered.

“I’m here to rescue you obviously!” Twilight responded and pulled something out of her saddlebag. It was a pair of keys. She put them in the lock of the cell’s door. Trixie knew the cell was made of a metal that was enchanted to make the use of magic impossible while in the cell. Not even an alicorn could cast their magic in here. Twilight would have been trapped inside with her if she tried teleporting.

“Quick. I don’t know how long that sleep spell Corona casted will last.” Twilight said as the door opened.

“Sleep spell?” Trixie parroted.

“Yeah, why did you think nopony came when you two were chatting?” Twilight explained. “You weren’t exactly quiet.”

"That makes sense," Trixie said exiting the cell. I guess she got those keys from an unconscious guard.

Twilight gasped. “Trixie! What happened to your horn?!”

Trixie paused. What could she possibly say? She started stuttering. “It’s…um… a long story. Never mind about that now.”

"Whatever. Let's go already." Twilight said. She grabbed Trixie's shoulder. "Hold on."

“Wait!” Trixie said giving Twilight pause. “I’m really grateful for all this really, but do you really want to do this? You’ll be a criminal. A wanted pony. I can’t guarantee that I will be able to clear my name.” Trixie was hesitant to bring Twilight into all this.“And… something bad might happen to you.” Trixie trailed off. She didn’t want Twilight to end up like Pokey. She winced in pain thinking about him. She couldn't lose somepony else too. This wasn’t a game. This whole ordeal was wracked with danger.

Twilight looked Trixie dead in the eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure. I can handle myself. I know you didn't do it. You aren't that kind of pony. I want to help you, Trixie. You're… a friend. I owe you everything.”

"…Thanks." That was all Trixie could say. Twilight lit up her horn, and the two teleported out of the building.

Trixie blinked after the teleport ended. “Ugh.” She moaned. That was no fun at all. It felt like her insides were put into a blender. Not unlike the last time Twilight teleported her a month earlier. She shook her head and looked around. They were in an alley on Main Street Trixie thought. It was late in the night and the moon was already out.

Trixie could see other ponies outside of the alley going about their daily lives. She could see Bon-Bon with her sister Twist walking somewhere with a bag on their back. In the distance, Trixie could see Ponyville’s police station. It was very small, only a single-story box-like building. Ponyville didn’t have much crime, so it only had about two officers stationed at it at a time and the jail only had four cells. The rest of the officers she’d seen earlier were called in from Canterlot since Trixie’s charges weren’t something the local police could handle. They didn’t have a CSI team after all.

Trixie rubbed her chin. She pondered what to do next. She mentally kicked herself for putting off creating safe houses for just such an occasion. She knew she couldn’t go to a friend’s house since they were being watched, if not by the police, the Night Court no doubt would. This was not good. They would notice she was gone very soon.

“Oh, hello Darling. Fancy seeing you here.” Rarity said cheerfully.

"Hi, Rarity," Trixie said offhoofedly. Where could she go that would be…

“Rarity?!” Trixie exclaimed. Twilight, who was peering over the alley’s entrance to see if the coast was clear, turned around and gasped in shock.

“Why, yes darling I believe that is my name.” Rarity deadpanned.

“Oh, hey! It’s Rarity, right? It’s nice to see you again!” Twilight said quickly. “We are just hanging out here. Nothing even remotely suspicious or illegal or anything!”

Real smooth. Trixie sighed inwardly.

Rarity tilted her head. “Is something the matter?”

“Nope! Nothing at all!” Twilight gave out a nervous laugh. “What could possibly be the matter? Now if you would excuse us, we have things to do!”

Trixie resisted the urge to facehoof. “Yes, we really must be going.” She spoke in a tight voice.

“Nonsense.” Rarity said in a tone that gave room to argue. “Not when you’re wanted by the police!”

Trixie’s jaw dropped. “H-How do you know that?” Twilight tensed.

“Darling. Your arrest has been the talk of the town. It would be pretty hard not to notice.” Rarity stated matter of factly.

Twilight took on a defensive stance.

“Now stop that darling. I’m not going to turn you in.” Rarity huffed. “Like I would ever do such a thing. I know you didn’t do it.”

Trixie blinked. “How do you know that?”

“Please.” Rarity waved a dismissive hoof. “Despite what someponies say about you, I know you are a good pony at heart.”

“Thanks,” Trixie was surprised just how grateful she was for Rarity’s belief in her.

“Now, to Carousel Boutique!” Rarity proclaimed. “Unless you want somepony to see you and call the police that is?”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Trixie asked. “You’ll be harboring a criminal.”

Rarity gave a dismissive snort. “Lulamoon, what type of lady would I be if I just abandoned a pony in need?!”

Trixie inwardly groaned at being addressed by her hated last name, but this wasn’t really the time to correct the fashionista. “Fine. Lead the way!”

“Onward!” Rarity proclaimed. Trixie winced at how loud Rarity was being. She just sighed and followed to Rarity’s house.

Rarity’s house was just like Trixie remembered it. Even though she didn’t consider herself fashion minded, she thought the dresses on display were quite lovely. The last time she was here, Trixie was being fitted for a dress for the Grand Galloping Gala. She was loathed to go, but her friends were eager to see it for themselves after the princess sent them each an invitation. Trixie reluctantly agreed to come along. Trixie had to admit that Rarity’s design for her dress was a work of art and suited her tastes. Trixie could see it half constructed on a mannequin in the distance. She wondered if she would ever go to the Gala now. Trixie shook her head, now was not the time for doubts.

Trixie sipped her tea and tried to relax. It was a little awkward with just her hooves, but she managed it. She did her best to explain the entire situation to Rarity who listened intently.

“Oh dear, that is quite the mess you've gotten yourself into.” Rarity said sympathetically.

“What I don’t get is why they killed Pokey. I get they want me gone, but wouldn’t framing me for embezzlement be enough?” Trixie felt tears prick the ends of her eyes. Pokey was dead. Killed to get at her. It was all so stupid and pointless. How could they do that? Haven’t they already taken enough from her? She involuntarily touched the top of her horn. But Trixie knew they won’t stop, not until they destroyed all of her friends. Trixie gritted her teeth and scowled. Trixie’s sadness was consumed by unrelenting anger and hate. She would stop them. She would find Pokey’s killer and avenge him. They would pay for this. They would pay. Trixie took a deep breath. She needed to control herself. She couldn’t let her emotions get the better of her. She needed to think clearly. Losing control might cost another friend’s life.

“It’s just unnecessarily messy. Not really Greengrass’s style.” Trixie lamented. She drank more tea to calm herself down. She could still feel the rage bubbling beneath the surface, but she had control of herself now.

“Maybe he saw something in Canterlot and they needed to silence him?” Rarity suggested.

“What could he have possibly seen that would make them want to kill him?” Trixie asked.

"That is what we will have to find out," Twilight said, "Rarity, I heard you discovered Pokey’s body. Is that true?”

Rarity gave a slow nod. “Unfortunately, I did. It was a ghastly scene.”

“What can you tell us about it?” Twilight asked eager.

Rarity thought about it. “It seemed really clean to me.”

“Clean?” Trixie asked.

"Despite the condition of Pokey's body." Rarity made a face but continued. "There was a remarkable lack of blood."

"So, he wasn't stabbed there," Twilight concluded and Rarity nodded in agreement.

“No darling. I don’t believe so.” Rarity tapped her chin.

“I looked around and found a remarkable lack of clues,” Rarity continued, “there were traces of hoofprints being covered up, so it was hard to tell who was in the quarry. As far as I can tell, the killer dropped Pokey’s body off the top of the cliff and it slid down the incline to the bottom. You can see the markings of where he slid down.”

“Is it true that Pokey ‘wrote’ my name is blood?” Trixie asked. The police told her about it, but she could hardly believe it. That kind of thing only happened in mystery novels. She doubted a dying pony would be the right frame of mind to leave any message about their killer.

Rarity nodded. “Yes, although the calligraphy was a little too good for a pony dying of blood loss.”

“That's all the evidence they had that you did it?” Twilight asked in disbelief.

"No," Trixie said and sighed. “They have other things. They found one of my fruit knives with Pokey’s blood on it. It only had my hoofprints on it. They also have witnesses that saw me carrying a large pony shaped bag outside of town before the time of the murder.”

“Really, why did you do that?” Twilight asked perplexed.

“Ugh, I was just carrying out some trash to be burned. It was just old papers, mostly. The Apples allow me to use their furnace to burn my trash. Talk about bad luck.” Trixie groaned and cursed her habit of burning her trash at three once a week. She just had to take the scenic route that day too. Big Mac didn’t see her for at least an hour.

"There is also the fact I have no alibi and have a possible motive," Trixie said. Her audience perked up at this. "They think I killed Pokey because he found out about my ‘embezzling' and I had to silence him."

"Oh dear. That does point towards you being the culprit." Rarity sighed.

"Apparently, the head prosecutor thinks it is an open and shut case," Trixie growled. The head prosecutor was this smug oily little stallion with a bad toupee and stupid sunglasses. He loved to go on and on about how pointless it was to defend her case and that she might as well just confess. Just thinking about him made her wanted to punch that stallion.

"Would you believe that every attorney I contacted refused to defend me?" Trixie said. Princess Luna helped her with this by teleporting to Canterlot and talking with all the best defense attorneys in the city. "Apparently, they all thought that my case wasn't worth defending."

Twilight’s face darkened. “Father.” She spat the word.

Trixie crossed her front legs and nodded. Nopony seemed to want to cross the Viceroy. He had a lot of power in the Equestrian legal system. He wasn’t even charged for attacking her and cutting off her horn. Everypony seemed to fear him. She did her best to not start grinding her teeth in frustration.

"Well, at least the princess said she knew someone that could defend me and wouldn't back down from threats or be bribed," Trixie said, "and that he would defend me to the bitter end."

“Someone?” Rarity asked picking up on the unusual word usage. “So, she wasn’t talking about a pony? A griffon maybe?

“I don’t know. She just said he was out of town. It doesn’t matter right now, anyway.” Trixie said trying to get back on topic.

“We need to get to Canterlot and trace Pokey’s steps.” Trixie rubbed her chin with a hoof.

"Wait. Trixie, they will be expecting that. It won't be easy." Twilight said standing up.

"It's true darling." Rarity shook her head. "It seems rather obvious."

Trixie smirked. “Don’t worry about it. I have a plan.”

“You do?” Twilight asked.

“Of course,” Trixie said with confidence, “We just need to unpredictable.”

"We are going against Greengrass," Twilight said darkly. They both knew how dangerous and cunning that stallion was.

“True,” Trixie admitted, but she wasn’t going to be perturbed or scared by this, “but those Night Court jerks think I am a complete idiot. Something I am going to use to my advantage.”

"What a mess," Sleuth said rubbing the back of his neck. He just discovered the four guards assigned to Lulamoon asleep on the ground. Since it seemed unlikely that all four guards suddenly decided to take a nap, it was obviously a sleep spell. He kicked a guard, but he only stirred a little.

So, who could have cast a spell like this? Sleuth thought. He wondered if one of Trixie’s unicorn friends could do this. Maybe, but this appeared to be a powerful spell. He knew Lyra studied musical magic, so it wasn’t out of the possibility that she could use her lyre to cast this spell.

“What is going on here?!” Demanded a voice from police station’s entrance. Sleuth turned towards it.

“Greeting Archduke Fisher.” Sleuth gave a courteous bow.

“Never mind that!” Fisher growled. “Where is Trixie Lulamoon?”

"Gone," Sleuth replied.

“How?!”

Sleuth put out a breath. “Somepony used a sleep spell and stole her away.”

“What!” Fisher started pacing. “I have ponies watching over Heartstrings’ house. How did she avoid them? She doesn’t even know they were there!”

Sleuth quirked an eyebrow. “You have ponies watching Lulamoon’s friends?”

“Of course, I do!” Fisher yelled. “I just knew they would try something!”

If the archduke has somepony watching Heartstrings’ house, then it probably isn’t her. Sleuth pondered. “Check with your ponies if Heartstrings is still in her house. It might not be her.”

Fisher nodded and yelled for a pony in the distance. He came quickly like his life depended on it. He spoke swiftly with Fisher and was off again.

Sleuth thought of his options. Despite her connection to the suspect, he doubted the princess was involved. She would want to settle this matter legally. What other unicorns did Lulamoon know? And how many of them could use such a powerful sleep spell? It wasn’t Pierce obviously. Rarity? No, that didn’t seem right. Though he did hear that she came to Lulamoon’s rescue in the Corvus incident. Wait, the Corvus incident. There were rumors that Twilight Sparkle was the one that Corona turned into a monster. Strangely, none of the major papers reported on Corvus’s identity, but that didn’t stop the tabloids. He wondered if Viceroy Night Light covered it up to protect his daughter. This would explain the viceroy’s animosity toward Lulamoon. Maybe he blamed the Galaxy Rangers for what happened to his daughter?

"Say Archduke Fisher," Sleuth called out.

“What?” Fisher said impatiently.

“Is it true that Twilight Sparkle was the one who became that Corvus creature a month ago?” Sleuth asked. “Is that why Viceroy Night Light hates Lulamoon so much? He must have mentioned something.”

Fisher studied Sleuth for a moment. Sleuth tapped his hoof waiting for an answer. Fisher eventually sighed and relented. “Yes, you are correct.”

So, I was right. Sleuth thought with satisfaction. “So, where is his daughter now?”

"As far as I know, she disappeared," Fisher said. “And yes, he did cover it up. He naturally didn’t want ponies to know about his daughter becoming a monster. Lucky for him, there was a lot of confusion during the incident. So most ponies didn't get a good look at her.”

Fisher paused. “Why do you ask…wait. You don’t think that little filly is involved in this?”

"It is a possibly," Sleuth said. It was just a theory, but he wondered how Sparkle would react after learning about her savior's arrest.

“I would check the train station to see if anypony of Sparkle’s description came into town.” Sleuth knew all this was probably farfetched, but it won’t hurt to check.

Fisher nodded and left the police station with a fierceness in his steps determined to check out the matter himself. Sleuth waited patiently for him.

"Oh, sir?" The pony sent to checked up on Heartstrings returned after a few minutes. He looked baffled and a bit apprehensive at his boss’s absence.

"He left on an errand," Sleuth said addressing the messenger. "Just tell me, and I will report to the archduke."

“Okay then." The messenger didn't seem happy about not reporting to his master. In fact, he seemed a little scared about the whole prospect but relented eventually with hesitation.

The messenger cleared his throat. "Lyra Heartstrings has not left her house for the last four hours. She is asleep right now, actually"

Sleuth nodded and waved the messenger away. The pony was about to leave out the door when he was knocked out of the way and onto the floor by a large burly form who moved in a blur.

"You were right," Fisher growled, "Twilight Sparkle came into town an hour and a half ago."

“Damn that filly.” Fisher cursed. “You there!” He pointed towards the messenger.

“Y-yes sir?” He asked as he got up.

“I want you to tell Duke Greengrass and Viceroy Night Light that Twilight Sparkle is in town and she might be helping Trixie Lulamoon!” Fisher demanded. The messenger quickly nodded and left.

Trixie tossed and turned in her bed. Rarity was nice enough to let Trixie use her own bed. But despite how comfortable she was, Trixie was still unable to sleep. Sleep still wouldn’t come. Her mind couldn’t settle down. The thoughts and anxieties of the day raced through her head. She and her friends were in so much danger. How could she not worry? The idea that another one of friends might get killed haunted her.

“Trixie, stop being stupid. You need sleep. You need it for all your cunning plans and escapes! I order you to sleep!”

After about ten minutes trying to count sheep and doing everything in her power to not think about her troubles, she finally felt sleep coming towards her. Trixie closed her eyes for good and finally went to sleep.

Trixie stirred and blurrily opened her eyes. She thought her heard a sound. She rolled over to her other side covers tight in her hooves. It’s nothing. Ignore it.

Trixie’s eyes widened when she heard light hoofsteps. They were almost undetectable like a feather hitting the floor, but Trixie heard them. Her heart started to race. She closed her eyes and pretended to turn in her sleep again. She now faced the direction of the steps. She opened her eyes just a fraction of an inch.

"No," Trixie said in a horrified whisper when she got a good look at the intruder. It was Notary.

Chapter 12

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 12
by Rixizu

Trixie started to panic. Notary was right in front of her. What could she do? Luckily, Notary hadn’t noticed that she was awake yet. Calm calm calm calm yourself Trixie. She needed to think. She wondered if she could take Notary. She didn’t know what type of training Greengrass’s assistant had. Trixie decided to cast an illusion of herself to see what Notary's capabilities and mentally smacked herself for forgetting she couldn’t do what without her horn. Notary’s presence made Trixie’s blood go cold. She heard Notary pull something out of her coat pocket.

“It’s morphing time.”

Oh, ponyfeathers! Trixie jumped out the bed and leaped to the other side distancing herself from the yellow ranger and backed up against a dresser.

“Ha! Here to capture me huh?” Trixie taunted. “I’d like to see you try!”

No response for Notary. Her body language remained neutral and stood still like a statue. Trixie was surprised how menacing Notary’s strange robe like armor and its white tiara with flower shaped jewels was.

What the hay is she? A golem? Trixie slowly moved around the bed towards the door never once letting her eyes leave Notary. Notary in response just slowly moved her head as Trixie moved.

Notary pressed a button on her morpher and a giant round yellow bladed weapon appeared in her hooves. It was almost half the size of her body. It was a chakram Trixie believed. She pointed the blade at directly at Trixie’s head. Trixie gulped and froze in her tracks.

“So, you want me to give up right now and give myself over to you?” Trixie asked nervously. That chakram looked very sharp and Trixie gulped. Notary said nothing and continued to stare.

“I-If I don’t, you’ll cut my head off?” Trixie stuttered. Still no response from Notary.

Trixie really started to panic now. She could jump out the window…of a two-story building. Her best bet was to stall until Twilight came to her rescue.

As if reading her thoughts, Notary started slowly towards Trixie and looked ready to fight.

“I suppose you want your answer now? Right?!” Trixie said desperately. Why couldn’t she get a talkative one that loved to gloat and monologue?

Notary didn’t stop and was only a few hooves away now. From her body language, it looked like she was ready to strike.

Trixie took a battle position. At a blinding speed, Notary rushed in and swung at Trixie's head. Trixie saw a few hairs drop to the floor as she ducked out of the way. She saw a ponyquin nearby and threw it at Notary as she ran towards it. Notary just effortlessly cleaved it in two and didn’t even pause her approach. Trixie used the slight distraction to get even further away. She scanned the room for anything, anything that might help her. Not much really. Some dressers, some ponyquins with dresses, and a vanity with some makeup on it. Trixie had an idea in an instant and with everything she had rushed towards the vanity.

Trixie screamed and was almost cut in two when Notary threw her chakram at Trixie’s torso. Trixie twisted her body in time and just barely avoided it. The weapon sliced through the wall effortlessly.

Trixie sighed in relief. “Ha! That was stupid of you!” She mocked.

Notary pushed a button on her morpher and her chakram appeared back in her hooves.

“You have got to be kidding me," Trixie said in disbelief. She screamed again when Notary let it loose again. She rolled out of the way. It went through a window this time and shards of glass fell on the floor.

Notary closed the distance between the two of them and moved in for a left jab at Trixie’s ribs. Trixie deftly dodged it and did her best to avoid the next flurry of blows. She saw an opening and delivered a punch of her own into Notary’s head. Trixie winced in pain when her hoof collided with the Yellow Ranger’s helmet. Trixie jumped out of the way in time when Notary swung her right hoof at Trixie’s jaw. Trixie moved back to get some distance from her opponent after dodging another punch. Trixie started huffing in exhaustion. She knew she couldn’t keep this up. Notary’s speed was impossible and she didn’t dare try to block any attacks out of fear of the Ranger’s strength.

Trixie saw she was close to the vanity and ran towards it. Notary followed behind and summoned her weapon back in her hooves. Notary swung her chakram at Trixie’s head. She ducked and kept going. She finally made it to the vanity and grabbed the face powder and threw in into Notary’s face.

Notary wasn’t able to dodge it in time and the white powder covered her helmet momentarily blinding her. Taking advantage of this, Trixie grabbed some lipstick and started marking Notary’s visor. Notary tried punching back with quick jabs, but Trixie deftly avoided them.

Notary tried rubbing it off, but it didn’t work very well. Trixie ran towards the door.

“Ha! So much for Greengrass’s enforcer!” Trixie mocked. She screamed in horror as Notary threw her chakram in Trixie’s direction obviously guided by the sound of her voice. Trixie dodged it just in time by leaping to the right and the weapon went through the wall behind her.

Trixie saw Notary moving towards the blanket on Rarity's bed. She knew that there wasn't much time. She ran out the door to the guest room Twilight was staying in. She flung open the door and found Twilight still sound asleep on the bed. Trixie facehoofed. How did all that commotion not wake her?

“Twilight! Wake up!” Trixie yelled.

Twilight responded by just mumbling and stirring in her sleep. “I don’t think even the princess could read this many books in her lifetime.”

Trixie ground her teeth. She didn’t have time for this. She grabbed Twilight by her hooves and forcefully threw the sleeping mare out of her bed on the floor.

Twilight screamed and blurrily said, “T-Trixie what’s going on. What time is it?”

Trixie grabbed Twilight by the shoulders and started shaking her violently. “No time! We need to get out of here! Notary is right behind me!”

"What?" Twilight asked confused. Trixie's eyes widened when she saw a chakram coming right towards them. She pushed Twilight out of the way in time and winced when the blade scraped the top of her hoof. It cleaved Twilight's bed in two.

“What the hay is that?!” Twilight cried out. She used her magic to grab her glasses off a desk and put them on.

“Just shut up and teleport us away from here!” Trixie said impatiently trying to ignore the blood seeping from her hoof. They didn’t have the time for her to explain what is going on.

Twilight stared at her for a moment before nodding. Unfortunately, this gave Notary enough time to jump into the room, chakram in hoof.

Notary threw her chakram at Twilight who teleported away in time in fright.

“Really?!” Trixie could not believe this. “What about me?!”

Trixie was cornered now. Notary was blocking the door and summoned back her chakram again.

Notary readied for another attack when a pot was thrown in the back of Notary’s head.

“Take that you ruffian!” Rarity cried out.

“No! Get out here! It isn’t safe!” Trixie said in alarm.

Notary ignored the fashionista and readied her body for another swing. Trixie braced herself for the throw, but a frying pan interrupted the attack and chakram flew out of control into a wall.

Notary turned and stared in the direction of the offending frying pan.

“And there’s more where that came from!” Rarity cried out.

Notary was pelted with various kitchen utensils in a light blue aura which bounced off her harmlessly. Notary returned her chakram to her hooves and paused. She seemed to be thinking about her next target. She suddenly charged in Trixie's direction. Trixie readied herself and was startled but a sound of somepony teleporting behind her.

“Sorry, I panicked ther…” Twilight was about to say and yelled and barely blocked the attack with a magic shield when Notary changed her attack towards Twilight. Notary pounded the shield with her weapon and Twilight winced with the effort of containing her spell. She fell to the ground, in obvious pain, when her shield broke into purple shards of magic. She was defenseless when Notary aimed towards her horn to cut it off. Trixie watched helplessly too far away to help.

Notary froze in a light blue aura. Rarity gritting her teeth in the effort of containing the Yellow Ranger.

“Not so fast.” Rarity said.

Trixie used this opportunity to grab Twilight away from Notary. “Teleport us! Now!” She demanded. Twilight thankfully complied and teleported them in the outskirts of town near Sweet Apple Acres.

Trixie sighed in relief then came to a sudden horror filed realization. “Rarity!”

“On it!” Twilight disappeared again.

Trixie minded raced. She hoped beyond hope that Rarity was okay. She started pacing nervously.

In a time that seemed like an eternity, Twilight appeared with an unconscious Rarity on her back. She had blood on the right side of her head.

“Rarity!” Trixie cried out in horror.

“She’s fine. She’s just unconscious.” Twilight said much to Trixie’s relief.

“What happened?”

"Notary belted her on the side of the head," Twilight explained.

Trixie growled. You are going to pay for this Notary.

"I'll get her to a hospital," Twilight said and Trixie nodded in agreement.

“What about you?” Twilight pointed toward the cut on Trixie’s leg.

“It’s just a scratch," Trixie said with impatience, “get going!”

Twilight vanished again. Trixie collapsed on the ground exhausted. All the adrenaline she was using during the fight was gone. It felt like she just ran thirty laps around town. She was thankful they made it out of there in one piece.

Twilight appeared again in a flash. “A doctor is seeing her right now.”

“Thank goodness.” Trixie hated leaving Rarity like that, but they needed to get going.

“What now?” Twilight asked.

"We continue with the plan," Trixie said resolutely.

Ditzy sipped her tea in silence as she watched Cheerilee chat with Greengrass about some crazy adventure of her youth. She talked about how she used to be a bounty hunter. Ditzy wasn't sure she quite believed the story. The teacher seemed more at home with textbooks and grading papers than hunting down ponies. No offense to her friend, but Ditzy thought Cheerilee was too boring to once have a life like that. Oh sure, she'd heard stories but didn't really buy them. Of course, Cheerilee was a Ranger now so maybe her life wasn't so dull right at the moment. Carrot Top listened intently with a smile on her face. Ditzy thought Carrot really needed all this.

Just looking at Carrot Ditzy could tell the mare was in bad shape. It looked like she hadn’t been sleeping right or feeding herself properly. The stress and anxiety of Trixie’s arrest and everything else that had happened to her over the last few weeks made her look 15 years older. Her mane looked even worse than before both it and her tail looked like a frizzled mess and nothing Ditzy tried could tame it.

Ditzy was glad this quiet Sunday morning tea with her friends (and Greengrass) at Cheerilee’s house. It was a nice distraction for Carrot.

Cheerilee’s living room was homely enough. It had a worn, useable enough sofa with a coffee table in front of it. The walls were covered with bookshelves containing textbooks, novels, and many books on teaching techniques. She also had several fish tanks with colorful tropical fish on counter tops. The air had a slightly overpowering, but pleasant smell of pine to it.

Ditzy gingerly drank her tea. I was peppermint and had a pleasing aroma.

Ditzy frowned at the sight of Greengrass. Cheerilee had attached herself to the Duke over the last couple of day. She stared into his eyes longingly and hung on his every word. Ditzy didn’t like Greengrass one bit. Ditzy tried and failed to dissuade Cheerilee away from the Duke. The situation reminded her too much of Dinky's father. Ditzy sighed and gave up trying to persuade her friend. If Cheerilee was interested in him despite how obviously disastrous it was, it was her choice. Cheerilee was an adult after all. Though if this was Dinky instead, Ditzy would have chased him away with a broom, possibly a baseball bat if necessary.

Ditzy took another sip of her tea when the front door was violently slammed startling her.

“Open up! It’s the police!” Somepony yelled behind the door.

Everypony in the room looked at each other. Ditzy felt a pit of dread in her stomach. Cheerilee walked up to the front door and gingerly opened it. Behind it were six police officers and Night Light. Ditzy narrowed her eyes at the sight of the Viceroy. He had a self-satisfied look on his face.

“May I help you?” Cheerilee said in a tight voice.

“We are here to arrest Carrot Top on suspicions of theft.” Night Light said stepping ahead of the officer standing in front of him. The officer gave the Viceroy a dirty look.

Carrot Top eyes widened in horror and she dropped her tea cup to the floor breaking it.

"That is nonsense," Cheerilee said with a firm voice, "she would never do such a thing!"

“Yeah!” Ditzy yelled. She stood up and glared.

“Really?” Greengrass said arching an eyebrow. “You do have proof correct?”

One of the officers was going to say something, but Night Light interrupted him and smirked. “I have a witness that saw the accused steal something from Duke Greengrass’s pocket.”

“Really?” Cheerilee sounded less than convinced.

“Yes, we searched Ms. Heartstrings house, where Ms. Top is currently residing, and found it among her things.” Night Light said.

"No, you're wrong." Greengrass said and gave a pleasant smile, "I gave Ms. Top that watch."

“W-what?” Night Light said baffled.

“Indeed, I told her to take it from my pocket.” Greengrass gave Carrot Top a wink. Carrot Top looked a little baffled at first, but soon gave him an appreciative nod. Cheerilee beamed. Ditzy was just confused.

Night Light stared at a loss for words for the moment but regained his composure. He glared angrily at Greengrass. “W-well we found other things too! Jewelry that was reported missing and personal items stolen from the princess herself.”

“It seems Ms. Top snuck into her majesty’s personal chariot and took whatever she could find.” Night Light continued.

“What?” Greengrass said confused. Carrot Top dropped to the floor stunned.

“Stealing from the crown is a serious offense, tantamount to treason.” Night Light’s look had not an ounce of sympathy or warmth. “If found guilty, it won’t surprise me if you were exiled from Equestria. Maybe even… hung.”

Carrot Top started hyperventilating. Ditzy and Cheerilee stood in front of Carrot Top protectively.

“What? Are you going to fight me?” Night Light mocked. “Do you want to be arrested as well?”

Ditzy growled in frustration.

“Trying to save that pathetic little farm of yours I bet.” Night Light grinned. “Honestly, this isn’t surprising. Friends of scum are scum.”

Carrot Top started mumbling to herself the word “No” over and over again hooves on her face. It was heartbreaking seeing her like this.

“It won’t surprise me if you all don’t end up behind bars eventually.” Night Light said in a way that sounded like a promise.

“Did you know that your friend Lulamoon escaped jail last night?” Night asked. “It is still under investigation who helped her. Maybe it was one of you?”

Trixie’s free? Ditzy thought. Of course, he is telling me this so I might try to help her and get myself arrested for aiding a criminal. She started grinding her teeth. They would beat the creep somehow. That was a promise.

"She's a murderer, so the police have been ordered to apprehend her with extreme prejudice. Who knows that might happen to her in the process? She is a very dangerous criminal.” The threat was very obvious in his voice. Ditzy’s hoof started shaking uncontrollably horrified. They wouldn’t? Would they?

Ditzy froze when she heard an animalistic growl full of anger and fury. She started when Carrot suddenly stood up and trotted past her with a single-minded determination. She face was contorted with anger and hatred. Ditzy heard a crunching sound as Carrot Top’s hoof connected with Night Light’s face. The punch made Night Light fly out the door and into the street. Everyone gaped in shock.

A wolfish grin appeared on Carrot Top’s face and she took advantage of the shock and made a run for it. In a blur, she leaped past Night Light’s crumpled form and ran into the street. The police recovered from their shock and chased after her.

“G-get her you foals!” Night Light demanded covering his bleeding nose with a hoof. He pulled out his morpher. Ditzy narrowed her eyes and kicked it from behind out of his hooves before he could even attempt to transform. Night Light turned and glared at Ditzy.

"I couldn’t let you transform sir!” Ditzy lied with an innocent look. “You need medical attention!”

“Get away from me!” Night Light pushed Ditzy away. He grabbed his morpher with his magic and took off after the escaping Carrot Top.

Trixie rubbed her face. It was time to begin the plan. In front of her, she could see the train station. She tilted the sun hat over her eyes. It was go time. There were only five minutes left until the train left for Canterlot. She steeled her nerves. So much could go wrong too easily. She had to do this. Twilight trailed behind her dressed in a scarf and trenchcoat. She gave Trixie a subtle nod.

Trixie looked at the clock and it read 8:57. She and Twilight moved with purpose to the ticket seller avoiding the gaze of a police officer.

"Two for Canterlot please," Trixie said not disguising her voice.

The ticket master looked at her with surprise. “16 bits. You better hurry. The train will be leaving any time now.”

Trixie nodded and took her ticket. She rushed towards the train. Twilight had some trouble keeping up, but they were able to make it in time.

“Ticket please.” A pegasus stallion in a black suit and a black hat with gold trim said. “Hurry! Hurry!”

Trixie and Twilight gave their ticket and they entered the train. They found an open seat and sat down. The train started taking off. Trixie looked around outside and found what she was looking for. She saw a young police officer watching the area. The officer started when he spotted Trixie. Trixie in turn quickly turned away and covered her face with her hat acting like she didn’t want to be noticed.

Trixie smirked when she saw the officer take off towards Ponyville. “Perfect.” She sat back and relaxed.

“Did it work?” Twilight asked.

Trixie nodded. She knew the station would be watched. Even if the officer didn’t notice her, Trixie knew that her description would be enough to tip the police or Night Court off.

Trixie stretched and enjoyed the train ride. She watched the horizon for their destination. She saw that it was already coming up quick. She scanned the train and found what she was looking for. Chatting with her friends was a blue earth pony with a white mane. Just the type of pony Trixie could use.

Trixie trotted up to the mare. “Excuse me.” She said apologetically.

“This might be a bit of a strange request, but would you be interested in this hat.” Trixie took off her hat and presented it to the mare who eyed it curiously.

"You see, I bought it in Ponyville, but… well, I don't think it really works well with me." Trixie said. "It doesn't click if you know what I mean."

The mare nodded in understanding. “I see what you mean, it doesn’t really match your eyes.”

"So, I saw you and thought it might be picture-perfect for you," Trixie stated. She prayed that the mare would take the bait.

“I would love to!” The mare said smiling. She took it from Trixie’s hooves, put it on, and grinned widely. “It’s perfect!”

The mare eyed the bandage on Trixie's head with concern. "Are you ok?"

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just hit my head.” Trixie laughed. “That is the reason I bought that hat, this bandage is unseemly.”

“Poor thing.” The mare said in sympathy.

Trixie chatted with the mare a little and eventually detached herself away. She looked out the window and saw they outshoot their destination, but that was no big deal. Trixie gave Twilight a signal with her head and they went into the storage caboose when nopony was looking.

"Remember, I, uh, haven't teleported while moving before," Twilight said nervously as Trixie closed the door behind them. Trixie knew teleporting while moving at high speeds was a risky venture and made the process more dangerous and complicated, but it was doable.

"You'll be fine," Trixie reassured, "ready?"

As much as Trixie really wanted to go to Canterlot. She knew she couldn’t yet. She wanted to see the crime scene for herself. She knew the train traveled near the spot where Pokey’s body was found and wanted to use the train as a way to get to it quickly. She didn’t want to just read about it or hear about it. She wanted to see if she could find something everypony else had missed.

Trixie also wanted to divide the Night Court’s attention. She knew the Night Court Rangers would at least leave a few of their members behind to watch her friends in case they tried anything and the rest would go to Canterlot to find her. Besides, the last thing they would expect is for her to go back to Ponyville again.

There was something else as well. Finding where Pokey was really killed was important, but she needed to clear her name of the embezzling charges first. Destroying her supposed motivation for killing Pokey would go a long way to clear her name. Trixie had a feeling that somepony really was stealing from Ponyville’s Corona relief fund and the blame was just shifted on her. It will be so much easier and believable if they framed her that way. Trixie already had a strong suspicion who the real culprit was.

Chapter 13

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 13
by Rixizu

Sleuth listened patiently behind a window out of sight as Viceroy Night Light ranted and rambled as his fellows. He was furious with Duke Greengrass for not helping when Ms. Top escaped.

“As I said Night Light.” Greengrass continued. “I was startled by the sudden outburst. What do you expect of me?”

“I expect you to help me stop those damn Rangers.” Night Light yelled. “Now one is on the loose somewhere. As if Lulamoon running around wasn’t bad enough!”

Sleuth rolled his eyes. Shouldn’t that be the police’s job? He didn’t buy the reasoning that the police needed them because of the Ranger’s dangerous powers. For some reason, the chief and several higher-ups thought they were vital in containing the Rangers.

“Relax.” Archduke Fisher said confidently. “She’s on her way to Canterlot, we will grab her there.”

Night Light got into Fisher’s face. “Are you sure my daughter is helping her?”

“Positive. She was seen at the train station.” Fisher nodded.

Huh. That complicates things. Isn’t she a first class unicorn mage? Sleuth thought. And who knew what tricks a unicorn could pull out of their hat sometimes.

Night Light scowled. “I’m going to Canterlot. I’m going to have to teach her a lesson.”

"No," Greengrass said simply.

“What!” Night Light demanded.

"You are too close to this Viceroy," Greengrass said. "You are being too emotional. Trixie will use that against you. I suggest you stay in Ponyville and help capture Ms. Top."

“And let you capture Lulamoon?” Night Light challenged.

“No. I will stay here. I’ll have Notary and Vinyl go. The two will be well suited to the task. Vinyl knows the city like the back of her hoof. I don’t think we should divide our forces too thin.” Greengrass said.

“And what are you going to do Fisher?” Night Light asked narrowing his eyes.

Fisher grinned. “Hunt Carrot Top of course.” He gave a laugh. “That little filly interests me. She’s done an ample job evading the police. Who would have guessed that filly had such fight in her?”

Night Light rubbed his sour nose. “So, it would seem.”

“According to my reports, she’s hiding the Everfree now.” Fisher seemed delighted. “She is going to be quite the hunt.” Sleuth almost fell over in surprise.

Night Light looked startled. “Is she insane?”

Sleuth had to agree. She must be pretty desperate to hide there. The Night Court is going to have their hooves full.

"Quite possibly," Greengrass commented.

"I agree with the Duke," Fisher said, "Notary is a capable and ruthless mare. She will find Lulamoon and catch her. No doubt about it.”

“We need calm minds for this.” Greengrass nodded.

Night Light scowled and considered this. He finally relented. “Fine, my presence might complicate the search. I’m not exactly on the best terms with my daughter right now.” He gave a rueful laugh. “She’s probably doing this to spite me. She’s always been a stubborn filly.”

Night Light looked away. “I think it would be best if I didn’t see my daughter right now.” He stared at Greengrass right in the eyes. “Your mare better not hurt a single hair on her head Greengrass, or I will end you and destroy everything you have.”

Greengrass gave a gracious bow. “That is why I am having Vinyl accompany her. She’s an expert at sleep spells. Notary can be… a little too forceful at times.”

“I am holding you to that.” Night Light said with a threat and exited the room.

I see they are busy. Sleuth thought as he snuck away. Unsurprisingly, the Night Court members didn’t say anything incriminating. He didn’t trust them. He didn’t like the way they were plotting and scheming against the Galaxy Rangers or pushing the police around like they owned them. He’d been keeping his eye on them for a while. As Greengrass said, Night Light was too close to this. He had a personal vendetta, and it was getting out of control.

This only strengthened his gut feeling that something didn’t smell right about all this. The higher ups seemed a little too eager to solve this case. Despite the evidence, Sleuth had his doubts about Lulamoon’s guilt. He was a bit glad for Lulamoon’s escape. It gave him a little more time to investigate. He was determined to find the real truth of the matter free of the Night Court's machinations.

Sleuth blinked. Wasn’t that Lulamoon right now? She was some distance away, but he could definitely see her headed towards the outskirts of town. Sleuth smirked and followed her carefully.

Trixie scanned the area as she peered through a bush. It took about an hour, but she was finally able to find the area Rarity talked about. Squinting her eyes, she could the message Pokey supposedly left pointing her as his killer. Nopony was around so she tentatively entered the clearing. Twilight and Trixie decided to split up. Trixie would search the clearing while Twilight searched the cliff area.

Trixie started to shake as she approached the blood stain on the wall. She was consumed with intense emotions. Sadness at losing a friend and anger at herself for not being able to protect Pokey. She stroked the bloodstained wall and looked down. She felt tears building up around her eyes. She forced herself to get it together. Pokey was counting on her.

Trixie examined the bloodstain. It looked like a skid mark. Trixie agreed with Rarity that Pokey wasn’t stabbed here. If he was, then one would expect a large pool of blood under him, right? Trixie wondered the exact time Pokey was stabbed and how long it look before he was thrown in this quarry. However, there was more blood than Trixie expected. In fact, the stain looked a little odd. It seemed possible that Pokey moved around a bit before he died. Not much, but Trixie could see it. Pokey must have been too weak from blood loss. He might have been alive when he was dropped in here before he succumbed to his wounds.

Trixie stared at the bloodstained message. Trixie guessed it kinda looked like Pokey’s writing, but it was still too good for a dying pony. She looked around for anything else of note around the wall. After five minutes, she gave up. It didn’t seem like she could learn anything else.

“Hey did you find anything interesting?” Twilight yelled from atop the cliff.

“A little, you?” Trixie looked up and saw Twilight standing above her.

Twilight horn lit up, and she was standing next to Trixie. She shook her head. "Nothing, unfortunately. The police looked over this place pretty good."

Trixie sighed. She guessed as much. It was a long shot to think the police overlooked a vital clue.

Trixie and Twilight started back to Ponyville. An idea struck Trixie as they walked. Maybe it would be a good idea to steal the police file on her case and see what they learned. Twilight’s magic should make that pretty easy. Trixie really wanted to read Pokey’s autopsy report.

Trixie noticed that Twilight wasn’t following. She spotted Twilight looked at some birds playing in the trees. “Is something the matter?”

"I wonder if they saw anything," Twilight muttered to herself.

Trixie blinked. “What?”

“The birds. I wonder if they saw anything. They’re a lot of birds around here.” Twilight repeated. “We should ask them.”

“Twilight, what are talking about?” Trixie was baffled at this statement and wondered if Twilight had lost her marbles.

"One, even if they could tell us, it isn't like the court system would accept their testimony," Trixie said in a tone like she was talking to a small foal, “two, they are just dumb animals.”

The birds suddenly turned and started glaring at her. Okay, that was weird. She shook her head and thought it was only her imagination.

"No Trixie," Twilight said, "they are smarter than they look."

Trixie snorted. “They have brains the size of pebbles. Would they even know what they saw even if they did see something? The only thing they can do is poop and eat and not much else. They are probably some of the stupidest creatures in the animal kingdom.” She considered them really annoying pests that never shut up.

Trixie screamed as the birds suddenly flew towards her and started pecking at her face. She tried and failed to bat them away with her hooves. Luckily Twilight created a barrier around Trixie. The birds chirped angrily when they couldn't get to Trixie anymore and flew away.

"Thanks," Trixie said in a strained voice. Stupid birds.

“Are you okay?” Twilight asked.

"Yes, fine," Trixie said rubbing her head which still stung, "so, what exactly is this talk about asking birds if they saw anything?" She was very confused what Twilight was getting at.

“I have a friend that can talk to animals!” Twilight proclaimed. “I was thinking we could have her ask around and see if any animals saw anything.”

“What.” Trixie was sure she heard that wrong.

Trixie considered herself a rational pony and the idea that somepony could talk to animals was pretty ridiculous. “Twilight…ponies can’t talk to animals. That’s absurd.”

“This one can.” Twilight got a little defensive. “She talks about all the time in her letters.”

"Twilight, have you actually seen her do this?" Trixie asked.

“Well… no.” Twilight admitted.

“But my friend would never lie about this!” Twilight said a little too quickly. “She’s a very nice, honest pony!”

Trixie stared at Twilight who started to squirm a little at Trixie’s glare.

“Fine. Let’s do it.” Trixie said finally with a sigh. She guessed it was worth a shot. Why not? It was a lead at least.

Twilight clapped her hooves together. “Let’s go! She doesn’t live too far away from here, actually.”

“And who exactly is this animal whisper?” Trixie asked.

"Her name is Fluttershy," Twilight explained, "she's been my pen pal for years!"

Trixie blinked. “Fluttershy?” That weird animal pony that lives near the Everfree? She has vague memories of meeting her back during the Longest Night.

“You know her?” Twilight asked eagerly.

“Vaguely.” Trixie had heard of the mare a few times. The only thing Trixie really know about her is how much she loves animals and that she was a complete hermit.

“Do you know where she lives?” Twilight asked. “I have a vague idea where she lives, but I rather not wander around Ponyville all day.”

Trixie nodded. “I think so.”

"There is it up ahead!" Trixie said as they finally approached Fluttershy's cottage. The trip took longer than expected and all this walking was wearing her down. They had to go uncomfortably near Ponyville too, but Trixie was confident nopony recognized her. Not having her trademark cape and hat made her harder to notice.

“It’s beautiful.” Twilight proclaimed in glee. “It’s just the type of place Fluttershy would live.”

Fluttershy’s cottage was two story house that was in front of a little stream with a bridge. It was covered in bird’s nests. They were in the trees in front of the house, they were hanging from posts near the windows, and bizarrely enough, in the green foliage that covered the roof. Trixie could see animals playing about around the house. This was definitely a house where an animal nut lived. It smelled of nature and Trixie wrinkled her nose at the odor.

Twilight put up a hoof. “You better let me handle this.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

"She has a social anxiety disorder," Twilight explained, "she's afraid of being around ponies. That’s why she’s lives all the way out here.”

"I see," Trixie said. Oh yeah, that’s right. She was pretty shy the last time I saw her. What a bother.

“She’ll be more receptive to a friend. Wait here.” Twilight started heading towards the cottage.

Twilight tentatively walked up to the door and gave it a soft knock. Trixie could hear an “Eep” from inside then a loud crashing sound. Twilight blinked in surprise. Trixie was confused. How the hay can somepony react so violently to knocking on their front door?

Silence. Twilight waited for Fluttershy to answer the door. A minute passed. Then five minutes. Trixie groaned and started pawing the ground with a hoof in annoyance. Ten minutes passed and still nothing. Trixie was tempted to throw the door open and drag the mare out. Twilight knocked the door again, amazingly patient given the circumstances.

Finally, a voice sounded behind the door. “W-who is it?” Trixie had to strain her ears to hear what was being said.

“Fluttershy? It’s me Twilight! You know, your pen pal.” Twilight answered in an equally soft tone.

“Oh my gosh! Is it really your Twi?” Fluttershy exclaimed.

Twilight nodded. “I read your transcript of Fallen Angel. I said that it made me cry at the end.”

Fluttershy opened the door. "Oh my gosh, it really is you Twi!"

“It’s nice to finally meet you!” Twilight chirped.

Fluttershy dragged a hoof around the ground shyly not meeting Twilight’s eyes. “You should have written first. This is such a surprise.”

“I know this is sudden, but we need your help! It’s a matter of life or death!” Twilight proclaimed.

“Huh?” Fluttershy said in bafflement.

"So, um, would you like some more tea Ms. Lulamoon," Fluttershy said in a voice that was almost inaudible. She pointed towards Trixie’s almost empty teacup.

"It's just Trixie," Trixie said testily.

Fluttershy’s face turned to one of panic. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you!”

"It's fine," Trixie said slowly. She waved a hoof dismissively. "And this tea is excellent, but I think I have had enough thank you.”

“So, um, are the biscuits okay?” Fluttershy said a bit worriedly. “I’m pretty sure I overcooked them, so they are probably terrible...”

“No.” Trixie resisted the urge to sigh. “They’re perfect.”

“Do you want another cushion?” Fluttershy asked. “You look a little uncomfortable.”

“I’m…fine.” Trixie was almost at her wit’s end. For the last hour, Fluttershy fussed over every little thing. She was constantly worried about offending her guests. It made telling their story very tedious. It was like the mare was terrified that they would scream at her if she offended them for even the smallest slight. Trixie was glad Twilight left out the part about Trixie being the prime suspect and that she was wanted by the police. That would definitely complicate things.

Remember this is for Pokey. Remember this is for Pokey. Remember this is for Pokey. Trixie repeated in mind trying her best to stay composed. She hated walking on eggshells like this.

"Everything is perfect Fluttershy," Twilight said with a smile, "you have been a perfect host."

Fluttershy sighed in relief and sat down in a chair. It amazed Trixie how patient Twilight was. All this fussing didn’t bother her at all, apparently.

“So, will you help us?” Twilight asked with a hopeful look.

"Um, well, I guess I could," Fluttershy said after a moment of thought. "I'm probably not going to be much help, but I would be glad to help Twi." She gave a weak smile.

“Thank you so much!” Twilight grabbed Fluttershy’s hoof and shook it.

"Um, I'm glad to be of help," Fluttershy said awkwardly. She didn't really like being touched.

“Just a moment.” Fluttershy went to an open window and whistled. Soon a bird that appeared to be a blue jay flew towards and approached her. She spoke to it in hushed tones and Trixie watched the scene in wide-eyed bewilderment. Twilight was right.

"He, um, says that he doesn’t want to help you, Trixie," Fluttershy said with a wince, "he said you're a jerkface. Sorry..." The bird nodded in agreement.

“What.” That was all Trixie could say.

“He, um, said that they don’t like how you yell at him and his friends every morning to shut up.” Fluttershy continued meekly. “He said you’re a very mean pony. Sorry.” Fluttershy said the apology so quietly, that Trixie wasn’t even sure she heard it.

Trixie started baffled jaw agape.

"Trixie's very sorry. She didn't mean to hurt your feelings Mr. Bird!" Twilight said quickly. "She really sorry, right?" She elbowed Trixie in the ribs painfully.

“Yes! Sorry of course!” Trixie said.

Fluttershy translated, and the bird shook his head. “Um, he doesn’t believe you. Sorry.” Fluttershy muttered the apology so weakly it came out as a squeak.

Trixie’s eye twitched. She did her to control her emotions. Why must everything today be such a bother? She breathed in and out several times. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was being so mean to you. I need your help. My friends are in danger! I will do anything to protect them. They are everything to me…” Trixie said sincerely.

Fluttershy translated, and the bird chirped happily. "He accepts your apology. But, um, he wants you to give out bird seed every morning as a way of apology."

"Done," Trixie said without a moment of hesitation.

The bird nodded in approval, chirped, and flew away. "Um, you see, Mr. Blue jay said that he would ask around if any birds saw anything," Fluttershy said. "He will be back shortly. If that's okay with you I mean. I'm sorry for making you wait."

Trixie was really really getting tired of all the apologizing but thought it best not to voice her annoyance. Fluttershy would just apologize for apologizing so much.

It took an hour for Fluttershy’s bird friend to come back. A crow came flying in behind it and it cawed several times. Trixie trapped her hooves in anticipation.

“Mr. Crow says that he was flying around minding his own business when a figure appeared out the sky and dropped to the ground. It had something wrapped in a tarp on her back." Fluttershy translated.

They must have dropped out of an invisible chariot. Or maybe teleported? Trixie thought. “Continue.”

“Well, um, this figure had a cloak on, so he can’t really identify her, but he’s sure it was a pony.” Fluttershy continued.

“Anyway, the culprit dropped a body out of the tarp into the pit below her. She then used a hoof to write something on the wall. She, well, jumped in the air and vanished into thin air." Fluttershy finished.

“Was there a flash when the figure disappeared?” Trixie asked.

“Um, no. Mr. Crow doesn’t think so. They just vanished from sight in the air.” Fluttershy explained.

“I see.” So it probably wasn’t teleportation then. Trixie was glad to have a clearer picture of what happened, but that didn’t give her much.

“Can he tell us anything specific about the figure?” Twilight asked.

Fluttershy translated this the crow who cawed back a reply. “He says that he was too far away to make much out, but he did notice that the pony was female and he’s pretty sure she was either a unicorn or earth pony.”

Fluttershy gasped when the crow started speaking again. “Oh, no. Poor Pokey!” She started to cry.

Trixie stood up. “What is it?”

“M-mr. Crow says that Pokey tried to move so the mare punched him in his wound to stop him.” Fluttershy started sniffing. “How could anypony be so cruel?”

Trixie scowled. Her opponents were ruthless to be sure. She resisted grinding her teeth.

“Sorry, but that is all he knows.” Fluttershy drooped her head. The crow caws a few times. “Oh, Mr. Crow says that he is sorry for your loss Trixie.”

"Thanks," Trixie said somberly.

“Um, he says if it is any consolation, your friend's eyeballs were really tasty so he didn't go to waste," Fluttershy said hopefully.

“…Thanks.” Trixie really didn’t need to know that and made a face of disgust.

Fluttershy thanked the two birds and they flew off. Thoughts raced through Trixie’s head. An invisible chariot. That definitely meant it was possible that Pokey was stabbed in Canterlot. She was on the right track there. She doubted that there was any trace of the tarp left, so that was most likely a dead end. She wondered if there were any clues left on the chariot itself. What if some of Pokey’s blood accidently leaked on the chariot’s floor from the tarp? Or maybe a bloody hoofprint from that punch? It also was helpful to learn that multiple ponies were involved in Pokey’s murder. She wondered all the ponies involved would be so tight lipped about it.

Trixie mulled this over in her head drinking the rest of her tea while doing so. She noticed Fluttershy was off getting some more tea.

Twilight clapped her hooves together. “This is wonderful Trixie. We have more to go on now!”

“Yes, I think it might be a good idea to check the personal chariots of Greengrass and Fisher. I am not sure if Nigh- I mean your father has any chariots too.’ Trixie tapped her chin.

Twilight shook her head. “No, he doesn’t. He hates flying. He’s afraid of heights. He enters a panic attack if he’s too high up.”

“That narrows it down a bit.” Trixie sighed. “Uh, you don’t happen to have something to check for blood in those saddlebags of yours? Or a spell maybe?”

Twilight beamed. “Of course!” She pulled out a spray bottle out of her saddlebag. The bottle said “C8H7N3O2 (Luminol)” on it.

"That's convenient," Trixie said amazed.

Twilight snorted. “What do you take me for? I always bring some with me!”

Trixie opened and closed her mouth. She decided that she really didn’t need to know why that was.

Suddenly Fluttershy screamed. Trixie rose from her seat and ran towards the kitchen prepared for anything. The front door was busted open and blue and pink bursts of energy slammed into Twilight before she could react. She fell to the ground with a thud.

Trixie froze as three thugs came through the front door grinned widely. She eyes widened. These thugs look familiar. Another a unicorn thug came through the kitchen door holding Fluttershy around the neck. She whimpered terrified.

“Ha! You think we won’t get you back for whatcha did Trixs?” One of the thugs said. He was a red unicorn with a black mane.

Oh, ponyfeathers. It's the thugs that kidnapped Dinky!Trixie thought in alarm.

"Cuzza ya, the boss is behind bars! We ain't gonna letcha get away with that!" A burly pegasus said.

“Indeed.” Said a new voice. It was old and wizen. “She’s got a lot to answer for!” Out of the door stepped a new pony. She was an aged pegasus mare. She had a wicked smile on her face.

“You are going to pay dearly for humiliating me Lulamoon!” Vicereine Puissance said in a snarl.

Chapter 14

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 14
by Rixizu

Trixie surveyed the scene. This was not good. Twilight was out cold from what looked like a sleep spell. Trixie found herself surrounded by four thugs. Four furious muscular thugs. Fluttershy whimpered in fright. What was she going to do? If they threatened Fluttershy, she would have no choice be to give up. She cursed Night Light and really wished she had magic right now.

Puissance smirked at the panic in Trixie’s face. “Take her. Don’t be gentle.” The three thugs at the front door advanced on her. Two were unicorns, and the other was an earth pony. It seemed to Trixie that the hulking goons were more interested in beating her to a pulp than casting spells on her. That was a good thing. She could use that.

Be unpredictable. Make them react to you. Trixie thought.

Stall Trixie stall! She intently started to quaver. “Please don’t hurt me. I didn’t mean it!” She pleaded in a pitiful tone. Her best bet was to make them underestimate her. It might be possible to use her lack of horn to her advantage.

Puissance snorted. “It doesn’t matter. Because of you, I’ve fallen out of favor with the princess. I don’t tolerate personal injuries.”

Trixie sniffed pretending to cry. “Please. I’ll make it up to somehow!”

“Make it up to me?” Puissance laughed. “You will when I turn you into the police and ruin everything you have ever hoped for.”

Fluttershy whimpered again. Puissance turned towards the thug holding Fluttershy. “Let Ms. Posey go. She’s a victim in this.”

Ms. Posey? Wait, don’t tell me that she’s related to the Posey family somehow? Trixie thought startled. Fluttershy shrunk when she was released and ran out of the house tears in her eyes.

“I rather not get on Fragrant Posey’s bad side.” Puissance said.

Trixie saw that the thugs were distracted by their boss’s statement and grabbed a nearby coffee table and smashed it into one of the unicorns. The table shattered when it hit his head and he collapsed to the ground.

“Get her you foals!” Puissance screamed.

The two thugs jumped at her. She leapt out the out of the way deftly and ducked under them. Her eyes widened when she saw the unicorn that had been holding Fluttershy charging a spell. He shot a blast of energy at Trixie. She grabbed the nearby unicorn brute by the neck and twisted him around just in time and the spell hit him full in the chest causing him to collapse unconscious in Trixie’s hooves. She swung the body into his companion coming at her right and bolted towards the open door. Trixie rushed past Puissance who started screaming at her minions to chase after her. She saw another bolt of magic coming her way and ducked just in time.

“You won’t get away!” Puissance promised. “I will chase you to the ends of the Equestria and beyond!”

Trixie scowled when she realized that she left Twilight behind. Sorry Twilight. I’ll come back for you. Somehow…

---

Sleuth cursed as he saw the escalating scene unfold. He had followed Lulamoon to see what she was up to. He knew he couldn’t arrest her with Sparkle aiding her. Gathering information seemed more prudent. He was intrigued when Sparkle suggested using animals to gather information on the murder so he allowed it instead of going to get back up. Sleuth stood by a window and used his keen hearing to pick up what they were talking about. He was very fascinated at what Fluttershy translated and marveled at her ability. He was satisfied that his hunch about Lulamoon being innocent was right, but proving it would be difficult. It seemed about time to sneak away when he saw that the house was being surrounded by tough looking ponies. Luckily, they didn’t see him and he dived into a nearby bush for cover.

Who the hay are these guys? Sleuth thought. They didn’t look like any of the hired ponies that he had seen with Duke Greengrass and the other nobles. He gaped when he saw Vicereine Puissance approaching the house.

Oh, of course. The scandal involving Ms. Doo’s daughter’s foalnapping. Wasn’t the Vicereine implicated behind it? Sleuth marveled at the level of enemies Lulamoon had. She seemed to have half of the Night Court after her head now and that isn’t even counting Corona.

Sleuth heard a spell being discharged and a small cry from Sparkle who quickly went silent inside. He pondered his next course of action. There was no way he could let Lulamoon or Sparkle come to any harm. He would have to talk the Vicereine down using his authority.

Sleuth stood up and strolled towards the front door. He winced when he heard something being smashed against somepony. He hastened his pace and approached the front entrance. Suddenly Lulamoon rushed out of the front door at top speed and Sleuth found himself blindsided and crashed to the ground.

Sleuth’s whole body ached from the impact and he struggled to his hooves. Three thugs burst out of the door in pursuit. One of the unicorns was preparing a spell and Sleuth punched him in the jaw making his spell go wild and miss Lulamoon.

“Who the hay…” An earth pony thug said before Sleuth clobbered his as well.

“You little.” The unicorn said sending a punch towards Sleuth. He deftly dodged it and smashed his leg into the pony’s shin. The thug cried out in pain and Sleuth delivered a blow to his temple knocking him out. Sleuth shook his hoof and entered the house.

Sleuth could see one member of the Vicereine’s gang remaining in the house who was startled by Sleuth’s appearance. He could see Sparkle’s unconscious form on the floor. It didn’t seem like she came to any harm. Puissance gave him a cold look.

“Nice going. You’ve let a dangerous killer free, Detective.” Puissance said haughtily.

“That remains to be seen Vicereine," Sleuth said smoothly, "I doubt Ms. Fluttershy appreciates having her front door smashed and being accosted by a bunch of brutish ponies.”

“Also, under what authority do you do this?” Sleuth asked. “Appending Lulamoon is the job of the police.”

“It was for Ms. Posey’s own protection.” Puissance gave an unpleasant smile. “If you must know, we are after the bounty on Lulamoon’s head.”

Ms. Posey? What is she talking about? Sleuth raised an eyebrow. “Bounty?”

“A large bounty was placed on Lulamoon’s head.” Puissance explained. “We are just here to ensure that dangerous psychopath doesn’t hurt anypony else.”

“You have a bounty hunter license?” Sleuth asked perplexed.

“Everypony needs a hobby.” Puissance gave another unpleasant smile. “I’ll leave the rest to you, Detective."

The remaining thugs sheepish followed Puissance as she left. She hit the thugs on the ground on the head yelling at them to get going and they obeyed. They gave Sleuth dirty looks but left after a few insults from their boss.

Sleuth bent down and checked on Sparkle. She seemed fine. Sleuth got out some magic canceling cuffs and put them around Sparkle’s hooves. They would prevent her from casting spells. He was grateful for the clues, but she was a criminal that helped a suspect escape from jail.

“Ms. Fluttershy?” Sleuth called out. He remembered that she was here too. He searched the house for her but found no trace. It seemed she fled the house when he was approaching from the front.. I will have somepony come by later and see if she is okay.

Sleuth hoisted Sparkle onto his back and left for town. While on his way to the station, he pondered how could use the information that Fluttershy’s crow friend revealed. The chariot part was interesting and useful, but he doubted he could use the word of a crow to get a search warrant. He groaned in frustration. None of this new information was really anything he could act on. Thinking about it though, this meant that it was possible that Pierce could have been stabbed somewhere other than Ponyville. The train station had a record of Pierce entering Ponyville the day he was stabbed, but he was starting to question the validity of that clue. A trip to Canterlot seemed like a good idea, but first he would check if anypony actually saw Pierce on that train or in Ponyville that morning.

Sleuth froze as he heard a sound behind him. He looked back but saw nothing but trees blowing in the wind. Must be my old nerves acting up. He thought and continued on down the road.

“Hold it.” A voice to his right said and Sleuth turned towards it. Approaching him were some shady looking ponies in suits blocking his path.

“May I help you?” Sleuth asked. Four against one. Not good. These ponies look like trouble.

“The boss would rather not want this filly having an arrest on her record if you catch my drift.” The pony in the front said. He was a cream-colored unicorn with an orange mane.

“Really?” Sleuth asked. Night Lights’s henchponies. His mind raced on what he could do.

“He would pay you quite handsomely if you handed the filly to us and forgot all about this.” The goon said with a crooked grin.

“Sorry, but I don't take bribes," Sleuth said narrowing his eyes, “ever."

“It would be smarter if you did.” The lead pony said. The ponies behind him gave Sleuth looks that promised violence.

Sleuth put Sparkle on the ground gingerly and prepared himself to fight. “Never.”

“Get him.” The lead pony said and the three ponies behind him charged. They were quick and deadly. They moved as one. Unlike Puissance’s thugs, these guys were used to fighting together. Sleuth braced himself for their attacks. He was surprised at their swiftness and soon found one punching him in the gut making him lose his breath and he collapsed to the ground on his knees. It didn’t take long for them to gang up on him and start beating him. He soon found himself on the ground howling in pain as the goons kicked him over and over again. He did his best to cover his body to prevent more serious damage. Sleuth groaned when they finally stopped their attacks.

“Idiot.” The head pony said. “You should have taken our offer.”

Suddenly a green and yellow figure dropped to the ground from a tree and planted a vicious hoof in the skull of one the thugs. The new arrival appeared to be a mare. Her yellow coat had strange green markings all over it and her mane was covered with so much dirt, leaves, and branches that it was impossible to tell her mane color. One of the brutes tried to come from behind, but the new pony just whirled and delivered a powerful kick to the ribs. Sleuth was sure he heard a crack. The mare kicked the last thug in the groin and he collapsed in pain and then received a hoof on the chin knocking him out cold.

“What the?” The lead pony asked wide eyed and he bolted when lone mare that just downed all his friends gave him a piercing glare.

“You okay?” Sleuth’s rescuer said in a gruff voice.

“Yes, I think so.” Sleuth wheezed. It hurt bad, but he would live.

“Good. It doesn’t look you broke anything. You should be fine.” The mare put Sparkle on her back and took off towards the forest.

“Wait!” Sleuth tried to say, but she was off before he could say anything or even get a good look at who saved him. Sleuth sighed and got to his hooves. He limped towards Ponyville to get help for both himself and those thugs.

---

Trixie ran as hard as she could. After some time, she looked back and was relieved that she wasn’t being followed and that was odd. She crinkled her brow. She wondered if she should turn back. Trixie was worried about Twilight. She was about to turn back but froze when she heard a voice.

“Ah, I thought you might try to pull this Ms. Lulamoon.” Fisher grinned. “Not a bad idea creating a fake trail. Too bad you had to come back towards Ponyville. I had the place so watched there was no way you could approach it unobserved.”

Oh,ponyfeathers. Trixie cursed. She saw that Fisher wasn’t alone. He had eight different ponies with him. I hate my life.

The thugs approached her grinning with menace. She stepped back and looked all around her in panic. She was near the Everfree and it was only a few hooves away from it. There was a moment of hesitation before Trixie decided the heck with it and ran towards the forest. It was her best bet and would be difficult for them to follow her in there and it provided plenty of places to hide. The thugs ran after her, but they were too late and she made it inside.

Trixie ran deep into the forest. She made several twists and turns making following her hard. As she was running a thought struck her. I’m actually going into the Everfree Forest. Trixie stopped and looked around at her surroundings and she was suddenly very wary of what she might encounter in here. Trixie tensed up when she heard ponies yelling behind some trees. She tried not to think of the thousand different things that could tear her apart and make a Trixie sandwich.

Doesn’t Zecora live in the Everfree? Hey! She could help me! Trixie thought in sudden realization. The Zebra shaman would be a great ally in her predicament. Wait, I have no idea where she lives…

Trixie screamed when she realized that she just ran off a small cliff and tumbled down a small incline into the ground face first. She was covered in foliage. She winced from the scraps she received branches on the ground. “Oww. Okay, I need to actually look where I am going.”

Trixie body ached, but she got up and started forward ignoring the pain. She froze when she heard howling. She steeled her resolve. You’ve handled monsters a million times. This is nothing for the Great and Powerful Trixie! I’m the Red Ranger! Foe to all that do evil! Corona, the Tyrant Sun herself, fears me! She gulped when she heard more howling.

Trixie looked around anxiously and continued onward. She padded on wary of her surroundings. Nothing looked familiar to her. The forest was full of wild looking gnarled trees. Everything looked wild and uncontained. It looked nothing like a pony controlled forest. Trixie didn’t have a clue where she was. She couldn’t go back because Fisher’s goons would be obviously guarding the way she came in.

Trixie saw that she was nearby a particularly tall tree. It hit her that maybe she could use it to get her bearings. It would be helpful to find the Castle of the Two Sisters at least. Trixie grabbed the lowest branch and pulled herself up panting in exertion. She soon found herself on top of the tree and peered around the forest. Trixie brightened when she saw the castle in the distance. The only easy way out the forest she could see was towards Sweet Apple Acres, but it wasn't close.

As she climbed down the tree, Trixie pondered her options. She really didn’t like the idea of wandering around the forest until she stumbled upon Zecora’s home. She didn’t even know what it looked like. Did she live in a cave, maybe? Should she go back and fight her way through the thugs? She didn’t want to spend the whole day exploring the Everfree. She didn’t even have a weapon. If only her morpher wasn’t broken.

A chill went down her spine when she heard something howl again. What the hay is that? Trixie thought. Suddenly these bizarre bark covered wolves came out the trees. They were gigantic and their breath was horrid. Their eyes glowed a sickly green color.

Timberwolves! Trixie cursed.

Trixie ran for it. She could hear the monsters chasing her. Trixie didn’t know where she was going. All she could do was run, and she put everything into it. She knew if she stopped would mean death. She jumped over fallen trees and branches and screamed in horror as more Timberwolves came her way. She made a hard right. She needed a plan. They were probably cornering her, and she didn’t know this forest at all.

Trixie cursed as she saw that the creatures were gaining on her. One tried to snap at her leg, but she avoided it in time. The next wolf snapped at her head and she winced when she felt the fangs scrape her head. Trixie pushed herself even harder. She would not let these things get her. She punched the next wolf in the face and it whimpered as it crashed into the ground. Trixie ducked and smashed her head into another. It hurt, but it threw the wolf off balance and it rolled when it hit the ground and hit several of her pursuers.

Trixie’s eyes widened when she saw a wide gap in the forest coming towards her. It looked like she was approaching a ravine, and she was running right towards it. Trixie wondered if she should turn, and her eyes widened she saw more Timberwolves coming from her right. She saw that it might be possible for her to jump to the other side. It seemed like it might be a better idea than trying to face all these wolf-things. They would soon enough wear her down soon enough and there were so many of them. Gritting her teeth, she decided to go for it. She focused on the other side of the cliff and tried not to think how deep the ravine was below it.

Trixie put all her energy into this single jump. She flew through the air and despite the danger and the fact that she was probably going to die, she somehow felt like she was on top the world. She was strangely happy at this moment. Trixie felt herself falling short of the cliff face and did her best to grab the edge. Her hooves scrambled to get a hoof hold. She started to panic when she felt herself slipping. She tried and failed to pull herself up. After what seemed like an eternity, she found a hoof hold. She used it to push herself up and Trixie was flat on the cliff face.

Trixie laughed in triumph. She panted out of breath. She could see the wolf creature stalking the other cliff side.

“Ha! What do you think of that you stupid Timberwolves!” Trixie said between breaths. She grinned when she saw them stalk away their prey out of their paws.

Trixie didn’t want to move and felt like her limbs were dead to the world but knew she couldn’t linger here. There was so much danger still around her. With some difficulty, she pushed herself up and dusted herself off and turned towards the dark ominous trees in front of her. Trixie growled in frustration when she realized she had no idea where she was…again. She approached the canopy with trepidation steeling herself to face whatever was awaiting her.

Trixie ran through the forest watching everything around her looking out of any danger. She was thankful she didn’t hear any more howling and there was no trace of those stupid Timberwolves. But it didn’t take long for something else to come along and try to kill her.

Things hadn’t been too bad for the last few hours and Trixie had been able to steer clear of danger. But that didn’t mean that she was safe and it felt like she was being watched the whole time. Something was stalking her, Trixie could feel it in her bones. She was able to avoid whatever it was so far through hiding and changing her trail every so often. The only dicey moment was when she came across this bizarre grove of trees with branches covered in spider webs. These webs were larger than Trixie has ever seen before. She made sure to go nowhere near that place. No amount of curiosity was worth exploring in there.

After some more aimless wandering, Trixie then found what looked like a village full of friendly ponies. It looked that they were throwing a party. There were balloons and banners and it was very cheerful and festive. The town’s inhabitants smiled warmly at her when they saw her coming and greeted her with open hooves. She bolted away from that place as quick as she could. Did they really think she was that gullible? They were obviously pure evil and wanted to eat her innards or something. Now something was chasing her, again. Trixie was really starting to hate this place.

“You will not escape!” A raspy voice promised.

“Oh yeah!” Trixie yelled back. “Watch me!”

Whatever was after her was getting closer. Trixie gritted her teeth and pushed harder. She ducked under a visible root that was in her way. Trixie ignored how much her legs hurt from all the running.

Trixie felt like jumping for joy when she saw apples through a canopy of trees. Something grabbed one of her back legs and Trixie felt herself falling forward. She winced in pain when she fell on her face. A dark figure that appeared to be a pony clawed at her. It smelled retched. It was even worse than the Timberwolves somehow. Trixie kicked it hard with her back hoof and it felt like she just kicked off its head.

Trixie scrambled to her hooves and continued towards the apple trees. They were her only salvation. Trixie heard more creatures chasing after her. She was almost there and she could see Applejack kicking some trees in the distance now. She screamed as black figures jumped on top of her. She punched and kicked at them pushing forward. It felt like at least a dozen ponies were pulling at her. She refused to give in. With one final push, she kicked herself off of her pursuers and into the apple grove. The things didn’t follow and skulked back into the Everfree snarling anger at their lost prey.

“Ha! What do you think that?!” Trixie taunted. “You can’t reach me now, can you?!”

Trixie laughed laying the dirt. She was finally safe. She was content to just lay there for now. She didn’t feel like moving for the moment. Trixie closed her eyes with a smile on her face. She was ready for some shut eye. The sun was already setting.

“Just as I thought.” A voice said. “I knew she might come out this way!” The voice was familiar.

Suddenly a pony appeared above Trixie. It was one of Puissance’s thugs. “Did ya really think ya could escape us?” The massive unicorn said.

“You have got to be kidding me," Trixie said in disbelief.

Chapter 15

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 15
by Rixizu

Trixie growled in frustration. Can’t she have some peace for five seconds? She glared at the four thugs staring down at her and considered her options. She was tired and on the ground surrounded by four brutish stallions and had nowhere to run. No way she could take them all on in a fight.

Trixie threw up her hooves. “Fine! I give up!” She was in no shape to do much of anything right at the moment.

“Smart filly,” said one of the stallions, “grab her.”

Trixie panicked as one the burly unicorns grabbed her by the legs and threw her onto his back. She felt her hooves being tied together by rope. A stallion shoved an apple into Trixie’s mouth to gag her.

Trixie felt humiliated as she was carried off like a sack of potatoes and felt her dignity being smashed to pieces. She definitely considered this one of her lowest moments. Her captures watched her carefully as they walked towards the road. No doubt soon she would join Twilight in a jail cell.

Trixie carefully surveyed her surroundings. She would bide her time until she could find a good place to escape. Ridding herself of her bonds would foalsplay for a skilled magician like her. The might as well not tied her up at all. Trixie winced in pain when one of her captures kicked her in the ribs.

“Stop moving.” A pony next to her said.

Trixie glared at him but did as she as instructed. They walk on in silence. They all froze when they heard some trees rattling.

“What the hay was that?” One of the goons asked.

“Probably noth...” The pony carrying Trixie was about to say when a figure jumped out of the trees in front of them.

Trixie stared wide-eyed at the strange new pony. This mare had green paint all over her body and branches and leaves were entangled throughout her mane. The thing that struck Trixie the most was the wild look in the mare’s eyes that put a pit of fear in her stomach.

“Put her down and leave now.” The mare growled. “This is your one and only warning.”

Trixie recognized the voice. Carrot Top? No, it can’t be!

The thugs exchanged nervous looks unnerved by Carrot Top’s glare. They soon got their confidence back and smirked.

“You don’t scare us!” One the lackey’s boosted. “It’s four against…”

“It’s morphing time!” Carrot Top thrust her morpher forward. “Scorpio!”

In a flash, Carrot transformed into her yellow armor. She pressed a button on her morpher and her yellow round chromatic shield appeared on her right hoof. Her body language was menacing, and she looked ready to strike at any moment. A wave of uneasiness came over Trixie’s captors. It was apparent that Carrot Top wasn’t messing around.

“It’s still four against one?” One the goons threw out. Carrot Top responded to this by throwing her shield into the chest of the pony carrying Trixie.

Trixie screamed as she was thrown off the thug’s back and winced in pain as she fell on the ground. After she recovered from the pain and shock of her fall, Trixie looked up towards the fight. It only took about a minute for Carrot Top to demolish any attack the goons tried to put against her.

Carrot Top unmorphed and stepped over the groaning thugs. “Are you ok?”

“Yes, just fine," Trixie confirmed. Just her pride was injured. Trixie’s eyes widened as she suddenly found herself thrown on Carrot Top’s back.

“Hey! What are you doing?!” Trixie protested. She scrunched her nose at her friend's overpowering earthy smell.

“Getting you to safety!” Carrot Top explained and started towards the Everfree.

“Carrot Top. Why are you going towards the Everfree?” Trixie asked. “I just got away from that deathtrap!”

Much to Trixie’s horror, Carrot Top was not stopping her path towards the forest. “Don’t worry. I have a place we can rest in safety.”

“No! This is a terrible idea!” Trixie shouted. “Turn back now!” Her protests went on deaf ears and Carrot entered the canopy of the Everfree.

“At least let me untie myself first!”

Trixie winced and she fell off of Carrot’s back onto the hard ground in an unceremonious fashion. She made quick work of the rope around her hooves and stood up. Somehow Carrot Top could navigate the Everfree without running into anything dangerous which astonished Trixie. She knew Carrot knew the Everfree well, but not this well.

“And where the hay are we now?” Trixie growled. She was in a foul mood after being treated like luggage.

“This is Zecora’s hut!” Carrot Top pointed towards an ugly gnarled tree with a door in it. For some reason, it had multicolored gourds on its branches.

So, this where she lives? No wonder I didn’t find it. Trixie thought. She considered Zecora a friend, but Trixie had a rocky start with the zebra. She instinctively didn’t trust mysterious all-knowing mystics that liked giving cryptic advice, but made an effort to try and become friends with her despite her misgivings. Trixie followed Carrot Top in as she opened the door and entered.

Zecora’s hut was a strange sight. It had shelves with jugs filled with who know what. More gourds hung from the ceiling. There was a large pot in the middle sitting above a cooking fire. Bizarre and creepy masks hung on the walls.

Zecora was stirring something in the pot and waved as they entered. “Greetings Carrot Top and Trixie my dear friends. Carrot Top told me about the problems you need mend.”

Trixie looked around the hut in fascination. “Nice place you have here.”

Trixie froze and gapped when she saw a familiar lavender unicorn sitting on a bench reading a book in the corner of the room. She had a large pile of books next to her.

“What the hay are you doing here Twilight?!” Trixie exclaimed. “I thought Puissance’s thugs captured you.”

“I rescued her.” Carrot Top thumped her chest in pride.

“Trixie!” Twilight put her book down and gave Trixie a painful hug. “I was so worried!”

“Yes.” Trixie wheezed. “Me too.”

“So, you’ve been here the whole time?” Trixie asked.

Twilight nodded emphatically. “Yes, to pass the time Zecora lent me some books. Trixie, Zebra culture is fascinating! You have to read these books sometime!”

“You’ve been here reading books all this time?” Trixie asked a little peeved. Twilight nodded happily. Great, while I have been running for my life for hours barely escaping death you have been here reading books completely safe! Trixie did her best not to grind her teeth in frustration.

“Good!” Carrot Top said. “Now that everypony is here we can make a plan for our attack!”

Trixie was startled at her friend’s aggressive tone. Usually the carrot farmer stayed in the background and usually just followed orders and usually she kept quiet and to herself. Now it looked like she was eager the bring the fight to the enemy. She was raring for a fight. Trixie wondered what caused such a drastic change in both her appearance and attitude.

"Patience my friend there is no need for hurry," Zecora said, “for Trixie’s well being I must worry.”

Carrot Top sighed. “Alright. We have all-night.” She said down and tapped her hoof on the ground.

"Carrot Top," Trixie asked, "what's with the…whatever this is anyway?"

“This is for camouflage.” Carrot Top explained. “It makes it easier to hide in the forest.”

“Why are you doing this exactly?” Trixie asked. She was still reeling from Carrot’s new appearance. What stuck Trixie the most was Carrot’s wild and unstyled mane. It was odd to see the usually pristine mane so unkempt. It seemed unnatural somehow. It unnerved Trixie that Carrot Top didn’t seem to care. She seemed happy like this.

Carrot Top scowled. “I live here now. I have little choice.” She explained what happened at Cheerilee’s house. Trixie had difficulty control her anger at Night Light. How could they do this to Carrot when she already lost so much? Twilight didn’t seem to take the news any better.

“Quite a predicament you have fallen under," Zecora said finally, “how anyone can be so cruel and selfish I must wonder.”

"Father," Twilight said with scorn.

"I'll get it all back," Trixie promised, "somehow."

Carrot Top gave an appreciative smile. “You bet we will. They will pay that’s for sure!” She turned around and scowled. “They will. That I promise you.”

Trixie was taken aback that the raw anger Carrot Top was projecting. She was getting worried. “Are you okay?”

Carrot Top looked away. “I’m fine.” She said in a tight voice and walked to the other side of the room.

Okay. I think she’s been taking the last few days harder than I thought. Trixie thought.

Carrot Top walked towards the door. “Get some rest. I’ll scout around.” She left without saying another word.

Trixie sighed and sat down on a bench. It felt good. Her legs were aching from all the running from near death. She rubbed her face and felt dead tired. She had slept little last night and the lack of sleep was taking a toll on her.

"Zecora, my morpher got destroyed," Trixie said, "do you have any idea how I might get it back?" Trixie explained how Night Light smashed it during their fight.

"It is not gone, my dear Red Ranger," Zecora said, "the power is still within you never lost or become estranger. "

"Yes, obviously," Trixie said with impatience, "I kind of already figured that. How do I get my morpher back specify?” She thought back to the time Corona tried smashing the Elements to stop her and her friends from using them and how much that idea failed. If they broke once only to be fixed why not again?

Zecora didn't seem to like Trixie's tone and narrowed her eyes in annoyance for a split second before returning her face to her usual calm demeanor. She thought for a moment before she spoke. “I’m afraid what you seek is beyond my knowledge. This being beyond me is something I must acknowledge.”

Great. Trixie thought and sighed. For once Zecora’s mysterious knowledge about the Element wasn’t helpful.

“Have you tried to recreate it like you did the Elements so long ago in castle against the evil queen?” Zecora asked. Twilight perked her ears up at this and watch Trixie with interest. “It might provide a clue you might be able to glean.”

Trixie never thought of that and racked her brain how that even happened in the first place. She couldn’t remember the exact specifics. What she did remember is the warm feeling of having her friends by her side and what they meant to her. Maybe just concentrating on her friendship with the other Rangers would bring her morpher back. She put herself in a cross-legged pose and put a hoof out. Trixie closed her eyes and thought of her friends, all the happy moments they had together, their connection as friends, and the hard-fought moments they had together. She gritted her teeth and created a perfect picture of it in her mind. He pushed in her mind for her morpher to form.

“So, is it working?” Twilight asked hopefully.

Trixie growled and opened her eyes. “Nothing.” She couldn’t believe it didn’t work. Maybe she needed her friends nearby?

Zecora seemed lost in thought. “Perhaps it will appear when it is most needed? Maybe then your trial will be succeeded.”

"Wonderful," Trixie said in a dry tone, "that's helpful." She wondered how being chased by zombies or Timberwolves wasn’t the time she needed her morpher the most.

“I got it!” Twilight clapped her hooves together. “Maybe a replacement will work! I have one you could use!”

Trixie blinked. “A replacement?”

"I've been trying to create my own morpher," Twilight explained, "It… hasn’t been going well. But I do have one that could work if it had a suitable power supply. Maybe your friendship power could do it!”

What is it with everypony wanting to become a Ranger all of a sudden? Trixie wondered, but this idea seemed like it might work. “Do you have it with you?”

“No.” Twilight shook her head. “It’s still in my lab in Canterlot.”

Figures. It couldn’t be easy for once could it. “So why do you want to become a Ranger?”

Twilight looked down. “I thought maybe I could help you fight Corona. I need to make up for what a did…”

Trixie looked Twilight dead in the eyes. “Twilight, you don’t have to make up for anything.” She wasn’t surprised that the mare blamed herself for destroying half of Ponyville as the monster Corvus. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“I know... but it’s tough you know. Having to live with the fact I caused so much destruction.” Twilight winced. “The fact I couldn’t control myself makes it so much worse.”

Trixie didn't know what to say to that. Instead, she put a comforting hoof on Twilight's back who gave an appreciative smile.

Zecora seemed to mull this over. "The sins of the past weigh heavily and are hard not to be dwelled, but such self-loathing must be expelled.The monster Corvus you are no longer," Zecora said, "push forward you must and your doubts you must conquer."

“If you even become a Ranger, we will be glad to have you.” Trixie smiled with sincerity.

“Thanks.” Twilight nodded. “I almost have it. Almost. It’s just hard to find enough energy to transform.”

Trixie brightened. “I got it! We should steal a gem from one of the Night Court’s morpher.” She liked this plan. Using their own power against them would be a so sweet and satisfying.

“What even are they anyway?” Twilight asked.

"I know little." Trixie shook her head. "According to the princess, they were created by cultists to make a super death weapon or something."

"Vast evil those gems hold," Zecora said seriously, "ponies lost their lives to create them a terrible sight to behold.”

Trixie’s eyes widened. “Are you saying that ponies were sacrificed to create them?”

"Their sacrifice was needed to create a gem strong enough to contain a god's power." Zecora explained. “So their enemies would cower.”

"No wonder the princess freaked out," Trixie said wide eyed, "what else?"

"Only that nine of the Planetary Gems exist is all I know," Zecora said, "the rest were lost long ago.”

Wait a second, aren’t there only eight planets? Trixie thought. Whatever, it doesn’t matter.

Trixie beamed. “Do you know where we might get one?”

"Um, actually Trixie," Twilight said rubbing her back again against the floor, "these things sound like bad news. I don't want to use one."

"But!" Trixie tried to say but was interrupted by Twilight.

"I'll find my own way to power my morpher," Twilight said with resolution.

“Well, ok…” Trixie said. Maybe using an artifact created from evil isn’t a good idea anyway.

“Besides.” Twilight brighten. “I want to use science to create this morpher. I’ve been mulling over in my head about trying nuclear fusion to power it.”

Nuclear fusion? What the hay is that? Some stupid science mumbo jumbo no doubt. Trixie thought. “Go for it. I might work.”

Twilight grunted in annoyance. “But making it practical is difficult. We aren’t advanced enough yet!”

Trixie was about to say something when Carrot Top burst in the hut. “We have trouble!”

Oh no! Fisher found us no doubt and has us surrounded by an army! Trixie panicked.

“Outside quick!” Carrot Top left Zecora’s home, and the rest followed.

“You won’t get us alive Fisher! You hear me!” Trixie screamed as she jumped out of the hut and did a battle pose. She looked around and saw no sign of Fisher, Night Light, or any of the other Night Court Rangers.

Carrot Top eyed Trixie in bemusement. “What are you doing?”

“Where’s Fisher?” Trixie asked confused.

“That wasn’t what I was talking about.” Carrot Top said with impatience.

“So, what then?” Trixie asked.

Carrot Top pointed up and Trixie’s gaze followed the hoof. All she saw was a field of stars.

"I see nothing Carrot," Trixie said not getting what Carrot Top was talking about.

“Dear Luna Almighty!” Twilight exclaimed. “No way!” Zecora also seemed in shock and let out a curse in a language Trixie didn’t recognize.

“What is it?” Trixie asked in an annoyed voice. Twilight turned to her and much to Trixie’s surprise had tears in her eyes.

“Trixie. Twenty stars are missing.” Twilight said in a small voice.

“Corona!” Trixie spat the word.

"Dark days are ahead that is for sure," Zecora said in a solemn tone, “why the alicorn princess needs that much power is obscure.”

Carrot Top rushed inside Zecora’s hut and came back with a star map a few moments later. She pointed towards a section of stars. Sure enough, Trixie could see what they were talking about now. It impressed her how all her friends could somehow identify the missing stars on sight. It’s a good thing she has so many friends that are astrology nerds.

“Oh, that’s just wonderful.” Trixie threw up her hooves. She knew this meant that Corona stole them from the sky to harness their power for something terrible.

Carrot Top scowled. “That’s 79 stars gone now. You have to wonder if there will even be anything left by the time we stop her.”

Great. Who know what she’s planning. Trixie thought. This is not good.

Trixie heard Twilight sniffling. “Twilight, what’s wrong?” She said in concern.

Twilight looked down and tried to wipe away her tears. “How could she do that? They’re innocent creatures. All they want to do is light up the universe and provide warmth to everything. Only a monster would do something like that!”

Trixie was surprised at the sudden outburst of emotion. She put a conforming hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. Carrot eyed Twilight with concern.

Twilight gave a weak laugh. “Sorry. I’m not sure what came over me.”

Zecora put a hoof to her chin. “Don’t be ashamed Twilight. It is only natural for you to grieve for your brethren that have been lost this night.”

Twilight took a step back in surprise. “My what?”

“Corona wanted to create a perfect monster I expect.” Zecora said. “For that she infused you with the power of several star beasts correct?”

“Umm… yes.” Twilight said with some hesitation.

“Perhaps the magic left a trace," Zecora said, “and made you one of the star beast’s race?"

Twilight looked horrified. “A-are you saying I’m still Corvus?!” She began to hyperventilate.

“Relax and do not fret Twilight for you are no monster.” Zecora soothed. “The idea that the star beasts might have left a fragment of themselves in you is something you must ponder.”

“Do not view it as something that must be feared,” Zecora said, “instead see it as a gift that must be revered.”

Twilight tried to get control of herself. It was difficult, but she eventually calmed herself down. “I’m a truly free though? What if I lose control again?”

“Don’t sell yourself short Twilight a slave to Corona you are no longer.” Zecora smiled. “You are a strong filly of great will and honor.”

“You must not let the star beasts lost be in vain.” Zecora said in seriousness. “Instead use it as a way to get into Corona’s mane.”

Trixie scratched her head. I guess Zecora is trying to say even though she isn’t a raven of death anymore, she still has star beast power in her?

Twilight turned towards the hut. “Thanks. You’ve given me a lot to think about.” She entered the hut.

Zecora signed.” The poor mare seems to believe that carrying the world on her back is a burden she needs to carry. If only she was more like you Trixie and be too stupid to be so wary.”

"Thanks," Trixie said dryly and gave a small laugh. Zecora laughed with her and retreated into her hut leaving Carrot Top and Trixie alone.

“Get some sleep Trixie.” Carrot Top said. “I’ll wake you in a few hours so you can have watch next.

“Um, you think we need to do a watch?” Trixie asked confused. “And you need more rest than I do! You’ve barely slept the last few days.”

Carrot waved a dismissive hoof. “I’m fine. I’m not going to take any chances.” She scowled. “I won’t allow them to get even 30 hooves from you!”

“I can’t lose you too.” Carrot Top said in a small voice. “They can take everything I own, but I will never let them get you. Ever.” Trixie took a step back at the furiously angry look on Carrot Top’s face.

Carrot Top was serious. Her look promised retribution if anypony tried to touch even a hair on Trixie’s head.

“Sure thing Carrot Top!” Trixie said nervously. Was Carrot always this angry? She wondered if this was years of repressed anger finally bubbling to the surface.

"I'll warn you if anything comes near us." In a flash, Carrot Top jumped into a nearby tree and vanished. Trixie looked around, but no matter how hard she looked, there was no sign of the carrot farmer.

Trixie rubbed her face. What a day. Some sleep sounded a good idea about now. She would have to talk to the rest of her friends about how to handle Carrot’s new disposition. Ditzy could handle it, right? She was good at talking to ponies. She would know what to do about this.

Trixie froze in terror as she heard howling in the distance. Not again. Trixie panicked. She needed to warn everypony! They were in terrible danger!

“Guys! We…” Trixie was about to say when she heard yelping followed by crashing and sound of fighting. A few seconds later she heard several creatures whine then run away.

“You better run!” Carrot Top roared. “I better not see you around here again!”

Trixie gapped. Eventually, she put her jaw back in place. She threw up her hooves and decided to go to bed. Her problems could be worried about in the morning.

Chapter 16

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 16
by Rixizu

Trixie drank her coffee with relish. It was a good morning. She didn’t wake up to a psychotic Ranger trying to attack her. So far, an hour had past and nothing had tried to kill her yet. That made this an exceptional morning in Trixie’s opinion. Zecora had provided many tasty options for breakfast. Trixie particularly enjoyed something called mealie bread. It was a type of cornbread native to the zebra’s country. She also provided other type of bread called rusk was also made available that Trixie found enjoyable. The rest was not unlike a typical pony breakfast like toast with jam, eggs, and cereal. Trixie ate heartily for she knew today to be a tough one.

As she ate, Trixie eyed Carrot Top with apprehension. Carrot hadn’t woken Trixie up as promised, and Twilight was the one to take watch instead. Even then, Carrot didn’t get as much sleep as she should have. Even during this peaceful breakfast, Carrot seemed agitated and on edge ready for a fight and was unable to even relax for a moment.

“So, you have a plan, Trixie?" Carrot asked when Trixie got finished eating.

Trixie nodded. “Yes, I have a plan to unveil the pony that is really behind the embezzlement of Ponyville’s relief funds.”

Carrot Top slammed her hooves on the table startling everypony and zebra at the table. “Who is it?!” She demanded.

"Uh, it's only a theory for right now," Trixie said with some hesitance, "I best not point any hooves without proof!" She believed it might be a good idea not to tell Carrot Top at the moment. In this state, who knows what she might do.

“Fine.” Carrot relented and sat down on her seat.

“Calm yourself Carrot Top.” Zecora soothed. “Our enemy is strong and caution is needed, not recklessness. What is required is some eloquence”

Carrot Top snorted and looked away.

“Carrot, I want you to… watch our backs!” Trixie exclaimed. That would be for the best and it would be an excellent use of her skills. Must to Trixie’s relief, Carrot Top nodded.

“How do you plan to get around Ponyville unnoticed?” Carrot Top asked.

“Leave that one to me!” Trixie smirked.

Trixie looked through the canopy of trees and saw several goons guarding the perimeter of the forest. It wasn’t much of a surprise. There were four of them. It would be easy enough to get past them. She motioned to Carrot who nodded and rushed forward out of the forest.

“What the…” One of the thugs tried to say before getting punched in the face.

“You little!” Another came at Carrot with a knife, but she dodged it with little difficulty and kicked him in the ribs. His knife clattered to the ground.

The other two goons moved in to surround Carrot but a bolt of magic struck one in the head from Twilight who was hiding in a bush. It knocked the goon out cold.

The last thug was a unicorn and looked around at his fallen comrades a nervous look on his face. It was obvious he didn't like his odds. He bolted away in terror. Carrot started after him.

"Let him go," Trixie said after emerging from the trees, "It won't be long until they know about this, anyway." Carrot nodded.

Trixie considered her disguise a work of genius despite the limited resources and time she had at her disposal. Zecora didn’t give her much to work with. Her skills in making disguises could only do so much. She was a now a muscular earth pony stallion with a green coat and lime mane. She had a thick square jaw and was a half a hoof taller than usual using platform horseshoes. Not bad for a rush job. Trixie didn’t think that not even her mentor would recognize her.

"Let's hurry!" Twilight said. Her disguise made her into a gray stallion with a dark gray mane. The mane was balding on the top and Twilight had dark circles under her eyes that made her look sleep deprived and haggard. According to Twilight, she was posing as her father’s personal accountant, Accrual Crusher.

The three went into town and nopony seemed to recognize them which Trixie was grateful for. Several ponies gave her a welcoming wave, but Trixie just ignored them. Carrot was watching for trouble behind them sneaking from hiding place to hiding place.

Trixie approached the town hall back door with some trepidation. This was a gamble to be sure. “Let me do all the talking.” Twilight nodded in response. Trixie knocked on the door. After a few moments, Mayor Ivory Scrolls answered the door.

“Hello, may I help…” The Mayor was interrupted by Trixie.

"We need to talk…now," Trixie said in a threatening voice. She changed her voice to a deep masculine one, and the Mayor didn’t seem to recognize it.

“C-come in.” The Mayor beckoned for the two to come in and the office they entered into was well furnished. “How may I be of service?”

Trixie got into the Mayor’s face and scowled. “The police are poking their noses around. The boss is worried that you might spill if they come around asking.”

“D-don’t worry!” The Mayor promised. “I would never say anything!”

“Really?” Trixie said skeptically. “The boss isn’t so convinced.”

“Viceroy Night Light has nothing to worry about!” The Mayor exclaimed. “I have just as much to lose as he does.”

Trixie sighed in relieved that her bluff worked. She knew the Mayor wasn't a brave pony. She didn't think it would take too much to scare her and get her talking out of nervousness to please her masters. If the Mayor was innocent, she could just pretend to be an overeager door to door salesponies. Trixie pretended to consider the Mayor’s words and looked around the room. The room was very well decorated with expensive looking furniture. She had a desk looked like it was made of mahogany. There were paintings on the wall from famous artists even Trixie recognized. It looked like the Mayor did everything in her power to make her life as comfortable as possible and was pretending to be a high class noble, not a mayor from a backwater town. Trixie gave the Mayor a nasty smile who gulped in response.

“And how do you plan to explain this?” Trixie gestured to her surroundings. “It just screams ‘I’m an embezzler.’ Mayor.”

“Don’t worry about it!” The Mayor promised. “I’ve put a lot of work into making this look legitimate.”

“Really?” Trixie sounded skeptical.

“I've created elaborate excuses for where all the money comes from." The Mayor explained. "Every little bit adds up."

"Funny you should say that," Trixie smirked, "I brought my associate, Accrual Crusher, here to make sure all your numbers add up. You’ve met before I believe?” Having Crusher here would increase their legitimacy as Viceroy’s lackeys.

The Mayor nodded. "Yes, of course! It's nice to see you again!" Twilight returned the greeting with a curt nod. According to Twilight, Crusher spoke little and was a stone-faced stoic. Which was good because Twilight's ability to disguise her voice and act was not great.

“The boss wants no loose ends.” Trixie gave a vicious smile.

“No problem! I have all my financial papers right here.” The Mayor pointed towards a painting behind her desk. “I even have a record of all the relief funds Ponyville has received over the last 5 years if you want to check that!”

"Get them," Trixie ordered.

The Mayor ran behind her deck and pull on the painting revealing a safe. She opened it and laid stacks of papers on her desk. “That should be all of it.”

Trixie pointed towards the desk and Twilight picked up the papers and started looking through them. An awkward silence permeated the room and Mayor fidgeted nervously as Twilight worked.

“Get me some bourbon. Now.” Trixie ordered, and the Mayor nodded leaving the room.

“Well?” Trixie whispered.

"The Mayor didn't do as good job as she said," Twilight whispered back, "if you compare the two it is pretty obvious when and where she stole money."

Trixie nodded. She didn’t really understand any of this financial stuff or how Twilight could identify all that with only a few glances, but she was grateful that Twilight was so skilled with numbers. It’s nice having an ultra-nerd as a friend. Twilight started scribbling something on a notebook.

The Mayor reentered with a bottle of bourbon and three glasses. Trixie did her best not to drool. Mayor filled three glasses with the brown elixir of life after placing the bottle on the desk. Trixie took hers and downed it. Dear Luna, she needed that. She was about to ask for a refill but thought better of it. She needed to focus. This was no time to get tipsy. She waved the Mayor away when she was about to refill her glass. The Mayor shrugged and downed hers in one gulp and poured herself another. Twilight ignored her drink and continued working.

"You better be careful," Trixie said, "Trixie Lulamoon might be on your trail."

The Mayor snorted and broke out into laughter almost spilling her cup. She took a long drink from it after she calmed down. "That idiot? She's a threat to nopony. She couldn't find Equestria on a map."

Trixie gritted her teeth. “What makes you say that?”

“She’s one of the most stupid ponies I have ever met!” The Mayor downed her glass and poured herself another one. “Can you believe she actually wants to become a member of the Night Court?”

The Mayor gave out a hearty laugh again. Trixie’s eye twitched. “Really?”

“They would eat her alive.” The Mayor said. “Can you believe she likes goes on about things like ‘friendship’? Only little foals believe in such nonsense.”

“It’s a wonder that our dear princess ever made that moron her student.” The Mayor laughed. “Well, the princess has been known to overindulge in drink. She probably wasn’t in her right mind when she chose Lulamoon as her pupil.”

Trixie started grinding her teeth and her eye twitched uncontrollably. The Mayor didn’t seem to notice this and continued.

“It’s a shame, really.” The Mayor said. “I wanted to use her a bit longer. Her hero status provided excellent publicity and brought in quite a few tourists.”

The Mayor shrugged. “Oh well. I always planned on making her take the fall. Your boss just sped up the process.”

Trixie’s eyes widened. “Y-you did?”

"Duke Blueblood, that crafty old devil, was on to me I think." The Mayor was talking about the old representative of Ponyville. He retired not too long before Trixie came to Ponyville. "He retired before I could drop the ax on him so to speak. But Trixie? She’s far too brainless to ever see it coming. Now I can retire rich at a beach house and nopony will be the wiser.”

“Shows how much you know!” Trixie pulled her mask off revealing her real face.

The Mayor’s jaw dropped. “W-what?!”

“Ha!” Trixie smirked. “I am not as dumb as you seem to think Mayor Ivory Scrolls!”

The Mayor took a step back. “No!”

“I was always on to you!” Trixie half lied. “I always thought this place was too fancy for a pony of your station.”

The Mayor smirked. “And how do you plan on proving it? You’re a convicted criminal. I’m a model Equestrian citizen!”

Trixie pulled out a tape recorder, pressed rewind, and then play. It played a part of their earlier conversation. The Mayor went white.

Trixie smiled smugly. “You should turn yourself in. The princess might show you a bit of mer…” She was caught off when the Mayor suddenly threw her drink into Trixie’s face and grabbed the tape recorder and smashed it into the ground to pieces.

“Ha! You foal! Now you can’t prove anything!” The Mayor laughed with glee.

Trixie wiped her face with a hoof and pulled out another tape recorder. “It’s a good thing I brought extra.” Twilight pulled one out as well. The Mayor’s eyes bulged and jaw dropped.

“Oh, and my friend here.” Trixie gestured to Twilight. “Has figured out every single time you have embezzled from your personal finances.”

“But it has only been five minutes!” The Mayor said stunned.

Twilight blinked. “Why should that matter? It isn’t that difficult.” She gestured to the multitude of papers on the desk. “It’s just a matter of matching and comparing numbers.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. Not everypony is a super nerd Twilight. “So, as you can see, you’re finished. Give up.”

“L-look!” The Mayor pleaded. “I am sure we can work something out. We can all leave here happy. How about if I give you…”

Trixie slammed her hoof on the desk making the Mayor jump. “I don’t want your damn money.”

“Think about it!” The Mayor said. “You could just disappear rich!”

The Mayor visibly melted at Trixie glare. “I am not going to abandon my friends to whatever the Night Court is planning! It’s a little something called integrity!”

The Mayor gave a hopeful look towards Twilight who also just glared back. “I-I see.” She backed away.

"Give up," Twilight said, "you have nowhere left to run."

The Mayor inched towards the window. Trixie sighed. Didn’t this mare know when she was beaten? “Don’t bother. My…”

The Mayor pressed something on the wall and suddenly she fell into the ground. "Later suckers!" She said down the chute. The door closed a few seconds later.

"Okay, I did not see that one coming," Trixie said slack-jawed.

“I’m on it!” Twilight tore the floor open with her magic and peered down the chute. She was about to jump down when the ground shook.

“What the hay is that?” Trixie asked trying to keep her balance by holding onto the desk.

The shaking intensified and Trixie lost her footing and her face slammed into the edge of the desk. She rubbed her sore face with a hoof. Her ear's perked when she heard something mechanical cheek open outside. Trixie and Twilight rushed outside to see the ground next to the mayor’s office spread apart.

“What the hay is going on?” Carrot Top asked approaching them.

“I don’t know…” Trixie was about to say when a long white shape emerged from opening at high speeds. Trixie coughed as dirt was blown into her face. Trixie’s watering eyes looked up into the air. She could not believe what she was seeing. The Mayor was escaping in a rocket.

Sleuth walked through Ponyville while looking through his notes. He questioned over a dozen ponies and not one saw Pierce the morning of the day he was murdered. It seemed very unlikely that the record that Pierce bought a train ticket that morning was true.

Sleuth decided that he would pay the Mayor a visit before getting an early lunch. He had only spoken to her once and thought it might be a good idea to see her again. From the Mayor's office, he could tell that she had been doing well for herself, but maybe a little too well. It seemed a possibility that somepony was embezzling Ponyville's relief funds, and it was quite possible the blame was shifted on Trixie. It won't be hard for Viceroy Night Light to pull that off. True, a lot of bits were found in Trixie’s personal safe, but there was nothing too extravagant in her office or home. There was no evidence that she even spent a bit of the money she supposedly embezzled. He had some hard questions for the Mayor.

Sleuth almost lost his footing when the ground shook. He saw Lulamoon and some unicorn stallion run out of the Town Hall. They were soon joined by the same pony that rescued him earlier from Night Light’s thugs. Something came out of the ground next to Town Hall and sped into the air. Sleuth gapped. It was a rocket. What in Luna’s moon was going on?

The stallion didn’t waste time. He extended his horn into the air and grabbed the rocket with his magic. He grunted in exertion and sweat glistened on his brow. Oddly the gray of his coat dripped off revealing lavender. Of course, it was Twilight Sparkle in disguise. She gritted her teeth harder. She couldn’t keep this up.

“It’s morphing time! Scorpio!”

In a flash, the Yellow Ranger appeared. Sleuth resisted the urge to facehoof. His rescuer was Ms. Top. Why didn’t he think of that?

“Hold it steady!” Carrot Top ordered. Sparkle said nothing too focused on holding the rocket. Top summoned her shield and stared at the rocket. It looked like she was about ready to throw it. She unleashed the shield into the air and threw it at the rocket’s thrusters. The attack hit home, and smashed the thrusters to pieces. Without propulsion, the rocket plummeted, but Sparkle’s magic stopped it from falling a great distance from to the ground. She levitated it in the middle of the road in front of her. It crashed to the ground with a large thud.

Lulamoon put a hoof on Sparkle’s back. “Are you okay?”

“Just fine.” Sparkle panted. She removed the wig on her head and threw it on the ground.

“That was close.” Lulamoon sighed in relief. “It’s a good thing I have an overpowered unicorn on my side.” Sparkle laughed at this.

There was a crash and the door to the rocket flew open. The Mayor peeked sheepishly out of it. In the rocket, Sleuth could see valuables. There were valuable looking paintings, gold statues, gems, and bags of bits. They were scattered throughout the inside of the rocket. Many of the paintings were smashed and broken from the impact. A large crowd of ponies was gathering around this rather bizarre scene.

The Mayor brightened when she saw Sleuth coming her way. “Officer! Thank Luna you are here! Arrest them!” She pointed towards Lulamoon and Sparkle.

“No! Arrest her!” Trixie argued back. “She’s the one that has been embezzling Ponyville’s relief funds!”

“D-don’t listen to her!” The Mayor screamed. “It’s all lies to shift the blame on me!”

Lulamoon pulled a tape recorder out and pressed play. It played a recording where the Mayor admitted to framing Trixie and admitted her crimes.

“Lies! Everything is lies!” The Mayor said looking back and forth at the crowd. “She made it all up! It all fake! Don’t listen to her!” She continued. “She’s a convicted murderer! Look into those eyes of hers! Those are the eyes of a deranged killer! Pokey isn’t going to be her only victim! She’ll kill again!”

Lulamoon for her part facehoofed and rubbed her eyes. “Really?”

“Um, actually Mayor.” One the crowd yelled. “Trixie’s only under suspicion of murder. I don’t think she has even been formally charged yet.”

“Quite true.” Sleuth said.

The Mayor came up to Sleuth. “Nevertheless, she trying to frame me! Don’t believe her lies!”

“If you haven’t been embezzling, how do you explain everything in your rocket Mayor?” Twilight asked. “You couldn’t afford a…” She gasped and pointed at an intact painting. “An original Hay Gogh ‘The Potato Eaters’?!”

"Or that you have an escape rocket to begin with!" Trixie pointed out. “That can’t be cheap.”

“I…I’ve been saving up!” The Mayor suggested. The crowd didn’t seem to buy this for a second and frowned at their mayor.

“You have to believe me!” The Mayor looked from pony to pony. “You’ve known be for years! I’ve been mayor for 8 years! Trixie? She’s only been here for a few months! Can’t you give me the benefit of the doubt?” She gave the audience puppy dog eyes. The crowd responded by booing and throwing rotten fruit at their mayor.

Sleuth knew it was about time to intervene. He was thankful when several police officers started coming this way. “I think it about time you come with me.”

The Mayor held her head down defeated. “Very well.” The officers surround her and took her away. Top untransformed and came up towards Lulamoon. She perked her head around eyes out for any danger.

“Nice work. Your… unconventional approach did the trick.” Sleuth was still unsure how a rocket got involved in all of this. He sighed. Lulamoon doesn’t do things in half measures, does she? Always something crazy happens when she’s involved.

Sparkle levitated a piece of paper over to him. “Here is a list of all the times the Mayor has embezzled over the last few years. You can find the Mayor’s personal financial records inside her office.”

“Thanks.” Sleuth stuck the paper in his pocket. This might make the work of the boys over at the office a bit easier. The crowd was being dispersed by the police officers. Many yelled about Lulamoon’s innocent. One pony gave a loud “Yeah!” at that. It took some convincing, but they soon left and went back to their lives.

“Ha! Now there’s no motive for me being Pokey’s killer.” Trixie said in triumph. “There is no way you can charge me with that now!”

"Actually Trixie," Twilight said, "even if covering up embezzling wasn't the motive, there still might be another reason you might have killed Pokey for. You’re still not completely off the hook.”

Trixie glared at Twilight. “What?” Twilight asked confused. “It’s true!”

Not to mention all the other smaller crimes you committed over the last few days. Sleuth thought. “Now that is settled. You can leave the rest of investigation to…”

Sleuth’s eyes widened when Twilight suddenly grabbed Top and Lulamoon and teleported away. He facehoofed. Why does everypony think they’re a detective? He sighed. At least he knew where they were going. But first, he would have a talk with the princess. She would want to know about this. He ordered this ponies get the parameter secure and get all this evidence to the station of analysis. He was already dreading all the paperwork this would create.

Sleuth couldn't believe he was riding the princess's personal chariot. It was a foalhood dream come true. He did his best to repress foalish desires of jumping up and down in glee and act professional. They were on their way to a house Greengrass was renting in Ponyville. By all accounts, Viceroy Nightlight was still in Ponyville. The princess had a firm frown on her face. She wasn’t showing it, but Sleuth could tell she was livid. She confronted Accrual Crusher, the personal accountant of the Viceroy, herself and one glare made him confess everything. Years of guilt bubbled to the surface, and he admitted his and his boss’s crimes. He cried tears of relief that everything was finally over. Sleuth wished the princess was part of the police force. That glare could make even the most hardened criminal crack.

It turns out that the Viceroy not only knew about but tolerated Mayor Ivory Scrolls embezzling. He did it as a way to have leverage over her and she wasn’t the only mayor he did this to. It provided an excellent way to control them and get them to do what he wanted, or else have their crimes revealed. It sickened Sleuth that this kind of corruption at such a high level was occurring. The public will be furious. He wondered if it would be possible for the Night Court’s approval rating to reach the negative numbers.

They reached the house, and the chariot dropped before the front door. The princess, Sleuth, and several guards left the chariot. Duke Greengrass and Night Light exited the house.

Greengrass gave a gracious bow. "May I help you, princess?"

“We are not here for you Duke. We are here for Night Light.” Princess Luna answered.

Night Light scrunched his face at the princess not using his title but did a bow. "How may I be of your service?"

“You are under arrest.” The princess stood tall and looked down on Night Light.

“W-what? You can’t…” Night Light said stunned.

“I have discovered several of your crimes. Many including blackmail and fraud." The princess answered. "You have not only turned a blind eye to embezzlement but encouraged it as a way of controlling others.”

"You can't possibly prove that!" Night Light shot back.

“Furthermore.” Princess Luna glared at Night Light. “I strip you of your title as Viceroy.”

Night Light fell to his knees in shock. “What?” Greengrass’s eyes widened, and he stared slack-jawed.

“You should feel honored.” Princess Luna said in a huff. “It has been hundreds of years since I have taken a title away from somepony of your station.”

“You can’t do this to me!” Night Light screamed. Spittle flew from his mouth.

Princess Luna gave an indignant snort. “It gives me no pleasure to do so, but I cannot ignore your many crimes. You brought this upon yourself.”

“It’s morphing time!” Night Light’s body flashed white. “Jupiter!”

Night Light summoned his sword and swung it right at Princess Luna’s head. Her eyes widened to saucers, and she summoned a shimming shield to protect herself, but it did nothing to Night Light’s sword. It pierced the shield with ease and the princess almost had her head cut in two. She avoided the attack with a nasty looking gash on the top of her right eye.

“It’s morphing time! Earth!” Greengrass rushed in and blocked another attack at Princess Luna with his spear. “What the hay are you doing?!”

“You don’t deserve to be our princess!” Night Light snarled. In a flash, he disappeared.

Greengrass lowered his weapon and untransformed. “Are you alright princess?”

"I'm fine honorable Duke Greengrass." The Princess answered. Blood dripped from wound into her eye.

“We need to warn Lulamoon!” Sleuth urged. She was in terrible danger. Night Light was completely unhinged now. He would go after her. That much was certain.

“Indeed.” Princess Luna nodded. “In that state, who knows what he might do? We must find her before Night Light does.”

Chapter 17

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 17
by Rixizu

Cheerilee glared down at the four perpetrators. Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, Scootaloo, and Dinky all grinned back trying to look innocent.

"Explain to me why our play area caught on fire," Cheerilee demanded. This ought to be good. She turned her back away for five minutes and she suddenly found the entire play area ablaze. Nopony was hurt thank goodness, but now she wanted answers.

"It's no big deal Ms. Cheerilee!" Tiara said. "My daddy can easily get it replaced. He could afford to get us a hundred new ones!” She straightened in pride.

"Yes, I'm sure he could," Cheerilee said in an even voice, "that doesn't explain, however, why that happened in the first place."

The four fillies squirmed at Cheerilee’s glare. It took a few moments, but Scootaloo finally came forward.

“Well, uh, you see Sweetie Belle found some matches in a bush and uh I thought it might be a fun idea to make a campfire," Scootaloo explained.

“We created a pit and everything for it.” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “But, then Diamond Tiara here came along and started bugging us!” She glared at Diamond.

“I told these blank flanks it was a horrible idea and it would get them in trouble, but they didn’t listen to me!” Diamond pointed an accusatory hoof at the two fillies.

“Um, they started fighting, and I came over to see what the commotion was, and I sort tripped on somepony’s hoof.” Dinky looked down ashamed folding her ears. “I’m not quite sure what happened, but somehow I knocked some of the sticks they were using for the campfire into the bottom of the play area. You can guess the rest.”

Cheerilee rubbed her temples. The play area was insured, but the paperwork and the hassle of ordering and building a new play area would be a major pain.

Mental note. Get one that is fireproof. Cheerilee thought.

As if she didn’t have enough to worry about. Trixie was getting into trouble as usual and nopony knew where she was. She somehow got the bright idea to break out prison. Didn't she realize that would only make things harder for herself? Now Cheerilee worried about Trixie and where she was and what she was doing. Probably dead set on trying to make it look like Greengrass was Pokey’s murderer. Carrot Top was also missing. What a mess and there was little she could do about it at the moment.

Ever since the Duke entered Ponyville, Trixie had hit a new level of crazed paranoia and thought Greengrass was behind everything bad that had happened to her. The Night Court Representative seemed to accept every bad rumor about Greengrass as gospel. Why couldn’t she see him as the kind gentle caring generous pony he really was? She also opposed Cheerilee being in a relationship with the Duke. Saying it was some elaborate scheme to break them all apart. Like it was any of her business who she dated.

“Why would a Duke of the Night Court want to court an over the hill poor teacher from a small no name town?” Trixie had asked. Cheerilee loved Trixie dearly and knew meant no offense, but sometimes she wanted to strangle the unicorn.

Suddenly there was a boom and a loud voice came from outside the school building. “Miss Cheerilee! Make haste! There’s an emergency!”

Cheerilee’s eyes widened when she saw the moon princess herself standing in front of the school house. She rushed outside.

“What is it, Princess?” Cheerilee asked.

“Trixie is in great danger.” Princess Luna answered. “I will explain when I have assembled the rest of your friends.”

Cheerilee nodded and turned towards her gaping students. “Class. I have to go, so school will be cut short for today.” The class looked happy and eager at this news, which wasn’t much of a surprise. “But for homework I want you to do the questions on pages 145-147 in your social studies textbook. All of them.” This earned her some groans and complaints.

“Oh, and you four.” Cheerilee turned towards the four troublemakers. “We will discuss this later. Expect a long long talk with your parents about this.” They gulped. Cheerilee grabbed onto the princess and they teleported away.

Cheerilee found herself in the office of Trixie’s house. Standing there to meet her were Ditzy, Lyra, Bon-Bon, Raindrops, and her Duke who gave her a warm smile. He greeted her with a kiss on her hoof and Cheerilee blushed. She appreciated his supreme gentlecolt manners. Her other friends glared at Greengrass, but Cheerilee ignored them. They were just jealous.

“What’s this about?” Cheerilee asked wanting to get to the bottom of this.

“Night Light’s gone loopy!” Lyra said. “Completely mental!”

“Err, what?” Cheerilee asked confused.

“What Ms. Heartstrings is trying to say is that the former Viceroy has lost his senses and has become a danger, particularly to my student Trixie.” Princess Luna clarified.

Former Viceroy? That bit of news stunned Cheerilee. She tried to rack her brain if that had ever happened to anypony else. But that didn’t matter at the moment. Trixie was in danger.

“Do you think he will try to hurt Trixie?” Cheerilee asked. He did destroy Trixie’s horn when trying to apprehend her, but he won’t go that far would he? He was supposed to be an upstanding member of the Night Court.

The princess gave a solemn nod. “In this state, I believe him capable of anything.”

“Then we have to stop him!” Cheerilee proclaimed.

“Unfortunately, his skill in magic will make him difficult to track.” Princess Luna frowned. “We must find Trixie before he does.”

“How will we find her?” Lyra asked. “She’s very good at hiding herself.” Cheerilee knew that her friend had spent the last few days with the help of Raindrops looking for the magician even so far as going into the Everfree but to no avail. Cheerilee was thankful that she at least knew Twilight Sparkle was there with her and Carrot Top probably wasn’t far behind.

Cheerilee sighed. “I’m sure she will reveal herself, eventually. Most likely in the loudest most over the top way possible.” The ground shook as the group heard an explosion in the distance. “That would probably be her.”

“Let’s go!” Lyra proclaimed and dashed out the door before anypony had time to do something. Cheerilee and the rest of the ponies in the room followed after her.

Trixie tapped her hooves as she examined the police report Twilight had stolen for her. She was in Cheerilee’s living room at the moment. It seemed like a safe enough place to hide out for the moment. Cheerilee was out teaching right now, so the Night Court thugs would be watching her, not her place. Trixie wrinkled her nose at the smell of the teacher’s house. It smelled too much like pine for Trixie’s liking. It seemed like no matter where you went inside the house you couldn’t escape the pine scent. Trixie wondered if she bathed everything in Pine-sol every day.

Trixie gave another look through of Pokey’s autopsy report. It seemed he died early afternoon. That would give her a nice timeframe to search from. Trixie winced when it said his body was brutalized at his puncture wound. It wasn’t just one or two times. His killer was cold, ruthless, and efficient just like Not… No, it couldn’t be. Greengrass won’t have somepony killed. It would be too messy, but Trixie couldn’t get the thought out of her head. How would she even prove it?

Trixie walked up to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of orange juice and started drinking from it. This gave her a lot of think about. Trixie heard Twilight’s voice and put the carton back into the fridge as quick as she could and tried to act innocent as Twilight entered.

“Find anything?” Twilight asked.

"Maybe," Trixie said. "Well, how does the train station look?"

"Not good," Twilight admitted, "they are demanding ID for everypony leaving town. They are really after you now."

Trixie cursed. Now what? She stomped a hoof in frustration. Should they try teleporting into the train? No, they couldn't do that. Trixie didn't like the risks that would involve. She would rather not be teleported into a wall by accident and the train would have guards on high alert. Walking would take far too long. Trixie supposed they could walk to a nearby town and just use their train station, but she didn’t feel up to spending an entire day walking. How about a hot air balloon? That could work. Doesn’t Pinkie Pie have one? But would she aid a known criminal? She would have to risk it.

Twilight and Carrot agreed to her plan, and they left for Sugarcube Corner. Trixie borrowed some of Cheerilee’s clothes and made a simple disguise for her and Twilight. Carrot Top preferred to stay in her camouflage and Trixie gave up trying to convince her to get into a more suitable disguise.

Sugarcube Corner was not busy by the time they got there since it was early afternoon. Though the window, Trixie could see Pinkie sweeping the floor with a broom and she was alone. Perfect. She instructed her companions to stay put and hide for now.

"Let me handle this," Trixie said. Hundreds of different ways flew through her mind as she thought of a way to convince Pinkie to help their cause.

“Ahem.” Trixie cleared her throat. She spoke in a high-pitched voice. “May I speak to you alone? I have a business proposition you might like.”

“Sure thing, Trixie!” Pinkie bounced towards the back room.

That was easy…wait what? Trixie’s disguise of a steel blue coat mane with a purple mane was perfect. How did Pinkie see through it?

“How did you see through my disguise?” Trixie demanded when they were alone.

“That’s easy silly.” Pinkie said. “When I look at you I see Trixie. Everything about you screams, “I’m Trixie Lulamoon! The great and powerful magician! That and my Pinkie Sense warned me that somepony was in disguise!”

Pinkie Sense? Not that garbage again. She didn’t believe for a second that Pinkie really had the power to see in the future. Ponyvillians are so superstitious. Pinkie just happened to predict a few things correctly, and that suddenly means she can see the future? Please. Whatever, it doesn’t matter.

“Pinkie I need your help!” Trixie exclaimed. She put her hoof in Pinkie’s mouth when the party pony was about to speak. “And no, it isn’t about a party!”

“Well, duh!” Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Ponies that are wanted for murder aren’t really in the mood for parties!”

Trixie blinked. “Good that’s cleared up then…”

“Besides, you don’t even like parties unless they end with you passed out drunk after dancing on a table while shaking your thing like there’s no tomorrow!” Pinkie explained.

Trixie blushed. “That was only a onetime thing!”

“And what the point of a party you can’t even remember in the morning! Boring!” Pinkie said with a scoff.

“Never mind about that!” Trixie said. “I need to borrow your hot air balloon!”

“Sure.” Pinkie said simply.

Trixie blinked. “That’s it? No questions?”

“Silly, why would I ask questions? Obviously, you want to use it to battle evil!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Ooo! Are you going to make it into a battle station…Oh! Or make it transform and become part of your Megazord?!”

“No…I just want to use it to get to Canterlot.” Trixie said.

“Oh.” Pinkie said in disappointment. She brightened. “That’s okay, maybe another time!”

“Sure.” Trixie wasn’t sure how you could even do that.

“I’ll go get it!” Pinkie hopped outside. Trixie waited in the back for now.

Fifteen minutes later Pinkie returned with a grin on her face. “Alllll done! I filled it with air and everything!”

"Good," Trixie said in relief. She followed Pinkie out to the back of Sugarcube Cube and found the balloon ready for use. Now all she had to do was find Twilight and Carrot Top and get going.

“Stay here. I need to get somepony first.” Trixie ordered.

“Okey dokey lokey!” Pinkie chanted.

“Right…” Trixie said and started towards the front of Sugarcube Corner. She thought about perhaps getting several cupcakes for the road before leaving. Trixie froze and gaped when she entered the front door. There, sitting on one of the front tables, was Archduke Fisher eating a cupcake. It seemed he was too preoccupied to notice her entering. Trixie wondered if she should just go back out now. No, that might be suspicious. Better to play it cool and pretend not to notice him.

Trixie walked up to the counter and Mrs. Cake greeted her. Trixie decided to not order her usual and just get a bag of ordinary cupcakes. She knew her unusual tastes were legendary and Fisher would recognize it right away. That and her companions would complain if she ordered what she wanted. Someponies have no taste.

“Could I get 12 chocolate cupcakes with frosting to go?” Trixie asked.

“Sure, thing dearie.” Mrs. Cake replied. “That will be 20 bits.”

Trixie handed over the amount owed and grabbed the bag of cupcakes with her mouth. She started for the door with a confident canter.

"You should have gone with the strawberry cupcakes Lulamoon," Fisher said as Trixie was about to leave the door. "The strawberry sweetness with the frosting is divine."

Trixie dropped her bag in shock and turned towards Fisher in horror.

Fisher looked amused. “You really didn’t think I would recognize you?” He pointed toward his eyes. “The eyes always give it away.”

Oh, ponyfeathers! Trixie cursed. She was about to run out the door when four ponies blocked the way. Trixie took a step back as they approached her with unpleasant grins. This was not good.

Fisher finished his cupcake and grinned. “Don’t tell me you are going to give up now? Fight!”

Trixie considered her options. She hoped Twilight and Carrot would see all of this and come to her rescue. She decided to stall.

“Your frame job for your half-baked embezzlement scheme was awful!” Trixie mocked. “It took almost no time at all to uncover Mayor Ivory Scrolls was the real one behind the embezzlement. Now everypony knows everything!”

Fisher seemed surprised by that news but snorted. “I played no part in that. Night Light is getting sloppy if he trusted that idiot mayor of yours.”

“I’ll uncover who really killed Pokey next.” Trixie narrowed her eyes at Fisher. “Was it you?”

Fisher gave out a laugh. “Hardy. Cold blooded murder isn’t my style. It’s cowardly.”

Trixie looked Fisher in the eyes. It didn’t seem like he was lying. No, it seemed unlikely it was him. If Fisher killed somepony, it would be in a fight. He was a soldier, not a murderer.

Fisher tapped his hooves on the table. “Well, aren’t you going to do something? I want to see your legendary escaping skills in action. Your previous escapades have been very amusing.”

Trixie scowled. Was all this just a game to him? She back up as Fisher’s goons got closer. Their bodies blocked the front door making escape difficult. She wondered if she should charge them. No, they would expect that. Maybe she should try the back or one of the emergency exits. Fisher’s presence complicated things. He could easily transform and end this in a moment.

Trixie put herself in a fighting stance ready for anything. She glanced at Fisher who seemed more interested in what she was planning to do than interfering. A large earth pony mare approached her. Her coat was an aquamarine and her mane has a dark green and her body bulged with well-defined muscle. Trixie gulped. This mare was about almost twice Trixie's size. With a surprising burst of speed, the mare rushed towards Trixie who avoided the incoming punch. Trixie returned her own attack to the face, but it didn’t even phase the large mare who grinned down on Trixie.

Trixie flailed her legs as she was picked up and thrown into a table making her see stars. A broken chain dug painfully into her back. She groaned and struggled to get up.

Fisher sighed and shook his head in disappointment. “If you can even beat her, what makes you think you ever stood a chance against me.”

"Screw you, Fisher," Trixie said with pained breaths. "I don't even have my horn. How is this even remotely fair?"

“In battle, fair and unfair are useless concepts.” Fisher shrugged. “You win or lose. That’s it.”

Trixie scowled as she struggled to her hooves and glared at Fisher. He looked so relaxed on his chair. She tried to ignore the aching pains all over her body.

The door of Sugarcube Corner exploded with shards of wood and Fisher's goons went flying to her ground. Carrot Top enter the building transformed and holding her shield ready for a fight. The remaining goons tried jumping her, but even the huge mare was tossed aside like she was nothing.

“Carrot Top!” Trixie yelled in alarm. “Be careful! You can’t beat him by yourself!”

"Don’t worry I got this.” Carrot replied. Trixie looked around and found that Twilight was nowhere in sight. That’s odd.

Fisher stood up and grinned a wide smile. “Finally, this is what I wanted!”

“Ugh, and we just remodeled and cleaned this place up too!” Pinkie complained behind Trixie who gave an undignified scream of alarm.

“How the hay did you get back there?” Trixie whispered in a harsh voice.

“We need to get you out of here!” Pinkie proclaimed.

“No, I need to help…” Trixie was about to say when she was suddenly lifted into the air by Pinkie with a single hoof with surprising strength.

“Hey! I need to help Carrot Top!” Trixie protested.

“Not in your condition silly!” Pinkie replied who started towards the back. Trixie felt a little battered, but she was still ready to fight. What was Pinkie talking about?

“It’s morphing time! Mars!” Fisher yelled. He transformed into his strange black armor that made him look like a centurion.

Pinkie hurried into the back kitchen. Trixie’s eyes widened when she heard Fisher’s faint voice order his ponies after them. Pinkie in response kicked the back door open and hastened her pace to the hot air balloon. Trixie screamed as she was thrown painfully into the balloon.

“All set!” Pinkie cheered. “Time to get going!”

Trixie struggled up to her hooves and peered down. “Wait!” Pinkie stopped untying the balloon. “We still need to get Twilight!”

“Oh, no problem!” Pinkie disappeared in a pink blur making Trixie blink in confusion. What in the hay does that girl eat?

A moment later Pinkie reappeared with a confused and frightened Twilight on her back. “Here she is!” Pinkie then unceremoniously threw Twilight into the basket of the balloon as well who crashed headfirst into Trixie.

“Where the hay were you?” Trixie demanded after righting herself.

Twilight blushed. “Um, I may have been distracted by a pile of free books at a yard sale.” Trixie rolled her eyes.

Trixie heard fighting inside Sugarcube Corner and winced. No, she couldn’t abandon Carrot Top.

“Wait!” Trixie yelled stopping Pinkie from untying the rope holding the balloon.

Pinkie groaned. "What now?"

“I can’t abandon her!” Trixie yelled trying to lift herself over the balloon side.

“Yes, you have to!” Pinkie replied using her head to stop Trixie. “She’s buying time to get you on your way!”

“I don’t care!” Trixie bit back.

“Stop being stubborn!” Pinkie shouted.

“Make me!”

"Cut it out you two!" Twilight yelled at them. Trixie and Pinkie stopped what they were doing and looked at her.

Twilight cleared her throat. “I know you are worried about your friend, but she can take care of herself.”

"But!" Trixie interjected but stopped when Twilight raised a hoof.

"I know you want to protect her, but you would only get in the way," Twilight said, "she will be fine, I don't think Fisher will seriously hurt her."

"I would rather not take my chances with a crazed murder on the loose," Trixie grumbled.

"Think about it, Trixie." Twilight pleaded. "Remember why we are going to Canterlot in the first place, to clear your name and get the morpher in my lab to get your powers back. Don't you think you would be more use to your friends as the Red Ranger."

“Fine.” Trixie relented. “But if anything happens to Carrot Top I am holding you responsible Pinkie!”

Pinkie nodded. “I’ll make sure she’s a’ok! Time to take off!” She untied the balloon, and it started to ascend into the air. Not a moment too soon as goons started flooding into the back alley. They yelled to go after them and pegasi thugs took to the air.

"Oh! No, you don't!" Pinkie jumped into the air and drove one of the pegasi into the dirt. Twilight shot the other two coming at them with her horn and they dropped to ground stunned.

Trixie reached up to the burner to increase their speed into the air. She watched with worry as the thugs surrounded Pinkie who took up a strange fighting stance. The thugs came at her from all sides, but she slipped around their attacks with ease like she was made of elastic giggling at the same time. She jumped over their heads like they were a pommel horse and dived under them when they jumped her. Pinkie was using their numbers against them and they were having trouble coordinating their attacks against her.

Soon Trixie wasn’t able to see much as they were getting too high into the air and she lost sight of the fight. She prayed to Luna that Pinkie would be alright and felt bad leaving her that. Twilight put a comforting hoof on Trixie’s back and Trixie gave back a small thankful smile in return. She hoped this trip to Canterlot would be worth Pinkie’s and Carrot’s sacrifice.

Chapter 18

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 18
by Rixizu

Cheerilee panted as she ran up to Sugarcube Corner just behind Lyra who kept a hard pace with Raindrops trailing behind. She could see that the entrance had been smashed to pieces. In the building was Carrot Top in her yellow armor her shield attached to the side of a front leg, she was circling a black-clad figure. It looked like Archduke Fisher he was wielding a large black hammer in both hooves. Despite its obvious size and weight, the Black Ranger had no difficulty using the weapon. He swung it at Carrot Top who used her shield to block the vicious blows. Despite the power and weight behind the blows, Carrot Top's shield absorbed the impact like it was nothing, it wasn't even pushing Carrot back. Carrot thrust her shield forward creating a shockwave that sent Fisher flying crashing into the ground tearing the floor in the process.

“Now this is more like it!” Fisher laughed.

“Halt! Archduke Fisher!” Princess Luna teleported in front of Fisher and held up a hoof. “Cease this fight right now!”

"Stop it, or we will make you," Cheerilee ordered and pulled out her morpher as the other Rangers gathered behind her. Raindrops glared and gave out a low menacing growl.

“Stay out of this!” Carrot Top and Fisher growled.

Cheerilee gapped slack jawed and almost dropped her morpher. “What?”

“This fight is mine!” Carrot Top announced.

"She's right," Fisher said, "beside this might be fun."

Cheerilee was stunned for a moment. Her friends seemed just as confused. She thought Carrot Top hated fighting. It wasn’t like the meek earth pony at all.

“Are you sure?” Cheerilee asked, again thinking she must have misheard.

Carrot Top growled in response. “I want to do this. This jerk has it coming.”

"Please don't interfere," Fisher asked.

Princess Luna sighed. “Very well.”

“Hey! Who the hay will pay for all this damage?” Pinkie Pie asked appearing out of nowhere startling even the princess.

How the hay does she do that? Cheerilee wondered.

"I'll handle it," Fisher promised.

“Oh, okay.” Pinkie brightened. She pulled a box of popcorn out of her hair and presented it to Princess Luna. “Popcorn?” The princess nodded and grabbed a hoof full with her magic.

Greengrass put his hooves in front of his mouth and watched the combatants with an intense glare.

Cheerilee walked up to her Duke. “What do think? Who will win?”

“Fisher naturally," Greengrass replied, "he's had a lifetime experience of fighting. And that isn’t counting the power difference.”

“I thought as much. I am not sure what has gotten into her. She usually isn’t like this.” Cheerilee sighed. She prayed that Carrot Top would be okay.

Greengrass nodded. “Might as well let them have their fun and burn off some energy. Although,” Greengrass continued, “your friend has shown a few surprises. We shouldn’t count her out yet.”

“Ugh, we should be out there finding Trixie!” Lyra complained. “That’s it. I’m going to Canterlot after her!”

Princess Luna nodded. “Indeed, I have already contacted the Canterlot Police. They are putting out an intensive search to find her. I’m sure Officer Sleuth will appreciate the help.”

“I wish I could come along, but I need to take care of Dinky first.” Ditzy frowned.

“That isn’t a problem.” Bon-Bon said. “If it’s alright, I could look after for you while you’re in Canterlot.”

“Thanks.” Ditzy smiled in gratitude.

Princess Luna looked thoughtful. “We should break up in teams. Go ahead, we will be shortly behind you.” Ditzy and Lyra nodded and took off towards the train station.

“Good luck.” Raindrops said crossing her legs.

“You aren’t going with?” Cheerilee asked the princess.

“No.” Princess Luna answered. “I need to make sure this fight doesn’t get out of control.”

“I’m sure Archduke Fisher…” Greengrass started to say, but the princess lifted a hoof interrupting him.

“It is not the Archduke I am worried about.” Princess Luna answered.

Fisher laughed as he sent a jab at Carrot Top’s head. He abandoned his hammer which seemed ineffectual and stuck with his hooves instead. It was blocked by her shield, but he was anticipating this and used his back legs to sweep Carrot’s legs. She fell with a surprised gasp and cried out in pain as she was kicked across the room.

Carrot rose with a growl and back into a fighting stance. This time she kept her distance this time and just blocked his blows. Fisher was so fast that it was difficult for her to keep this up. Fisher feinted with a right jab and used his stunning speed to get around Carrot’s shield and deliver a powerful blow to her head. Sparks flew, and she screamed as she fell to the ground.

Fisher tisked. “You shield is powerful against weapons of power and beams. Able to shoot back any attack with ease. But if I put little power in my blows against your shield and use them against your face and body instead, your shield is useless. You can’t reflect weak attacks.”

If Carrot’s face was visible, Cheerilee figured she would be glaring as she got back to her hooves. In a blink of an eye, Fisher appeared in front of Carrot and kneed her in the face.

“Come on!” Fisher taunted. “Fight harder. I know you have more in you than this. Don’t disappoint me little earth pony!”

Cheerilee winced as Fisher pummeled Carrot with his hooves somehow moving even faster now. Carrot screamed and crashed into a pool table from a powerful roundhouse kick. She struggled to get up.

Fisher sighed as he walked away from Carrot sounding disappointed. “Some promise, but you just aren’t strong enough. We were right. You can’t defend Equestria.”

Fisher unmorphed and turned towards the princess. “I take it there’s an emergency?”

"Night Light has gone rogue and might be after Lulamoon's life," Greengrass said. The princess nodded that he was correct.

Fisher scowled. “I see.”

"He attacked the princess," Greengrass explained, "he is capable of anything."

Fisher’s eyes widened and scowled. “He will regret this. Let’s go. We are wasting time already.”

“No!” Carrot Top screamed surprising everypony. “We aren’t finished!” She was heaving up and down looking exhausted. Her armor was dented and scuffed up, but she looked ready to go despite her condition.

Fisher sighed. "Someponies never learn. It's morphing time! Mars!"

Fisher’s steps were heavy as he made his way to Carrot who had trouble standing. She fell to one knee. Fisher seemed to eye her coldly behind his helmet.

"Give up," Fisher said, "you can't even stand. There is…"

In a blur of motion, Carrot pushed a button on her morpher. She struck the surprised Fisher in the chest with her shield with the front end. “Nova Crasher!”

Carrot must have been pretending to be weaker than she really was. Cheerilee surmised.

Cheerilee blinked Carrot seemed to be everywhere at once now. She struck at Fisher from every angle with the sharp tip of her shield, moving so fast that Cheerilee could only see the after images of her attacks. Carrot Top roared and hit him one final time with a vertical slash that caused a destructive explosion that shattered everything around them. Fisher flew through one of Sugercube Corner's walls and crashed into the street skidding into the ground a few times leaving a gash in the pavement. This time Fisher was the one struggling to his hooves only this time it looked real. Carrot didn't waste her time and was on him. She hit him square in the chest with a side swing. Sparks flew, and he crashed to the ground a few hooves away and squirmed.

Fisher jumped straight on his hooves and went into a crouch. “Cheeky little thing.”

They circled each other now. Fisher staying more cautious. For a few moments, neither side did anything and Cheerilee took in a breath in anticipation. In an instant, they were in motion a blur of limbs and blows. This time Carrot stayed on the defensive and kept her distance. She dodged and blocked every one of Fisher's attacks and used her shield to deflect any blow that came close. It looked like she was trying to wear him down. Was that even possible? Much to Cheerilee’s surprise, it seemed to be working. The injuries she inflicted earlier must have done more damage than she thought.

"Impressive," Greengrass said breathless. He too seemed surprised by this development.

Raindrops snorted. “What do you expect? Carrot Top has always been stronger than she lets on.”

“Ha!” Fisher summoned his hammer again and held it in his magic this time. He came at her with single minded intensity using both his hammer and hooves in his attacks. He was pushing Carrot back now and used his hammer to attack her in her blind spots as he came at her with his hooves. Carrot barely avoided the attacks dodging at the last moment as the hammer swung at her. Cheerilee could see why Fisher liked using his hammer in his hooves. The hammer seemed to have more raw power while held, but it was still dangerous, regardless. She winced when it clipped Carrot in the back leg as she tried jumping out of the way of a punch.

Despite the relentless pace, Carrot held her own and avoided most of the damage sent her way. Cheerilee could tell though that she was the one getting tired now, but Fisher didn’t seem to doing much better, his relentless pace was gradually wearing him down. Thinking about it, though his attacks seemed to come in every direction, they had less precision than when he was just using his hooves. It must be difficult to precisely control his magic while in an intense hoof fight. Carrot seemed to realize this and strengthened her defenses keeping an eye out for his hammer. When he next swung it, she jumped onto Fisher’s weapon and then leaped back a few hooves. It sounded like they were both panting hard as they circled each other. This fight would end soon.

Fisher wasted no time and came at Carrot not slowing a beat. Carrot was slower than before, but still keeping pace. Fisher tried to sweep Carrot’s hooves out from under her, but she jumped just in time and blocked a blow from his hammer with her shield. She thrust her shield forward and shot the power of Fisher’s attack right at him. He tried dodging, but the attack hit him in the leg as he was jumping out of the way and he landed straight on his face. Carrot ran at Fisher and kicked him in the jaw. Sharks flew, and he landed on a bench crushing it beneath him. Fisher got to his hooves and readied his hammer.

Fisher was fighting even harder now. His attacks had an edge of desperation to them. Using his wild attacks as a distraction, he kicked a rock under one of Carrot’s hooves and she landed on it wrong and slipped to the ground. Fisher used his hammer to swat aside Carrot’s shield.

Fisher pushed a button on his morpher. “Warrior’s Pride!” He smashed his hammer straight down on Carrot. There was an explosion of dust.

Cheerilee and everypony else covered their eyes and coughed. Cheerilee couldn't see anything. After a few minutes, the dust settled enough to see what happened. Her eyes widened in horror and gasped. Fisher's attacked left a crater that was at least 10 hooves wide and 20 hooves deep.

Cheerilee looked down the hole with trepidation. At the bottom of the hole was Carrot Top’s form unmoving.

Fisher laughed. “What? You didn’t think I had an ace too?” He said calling down the hole. He was sitting on the ground panting hard.

Princess Luna eyed the Archduke with a cold glare. “I hope you had your fun. You have done considerable damage to Ponyville.

Fisher waved a hoof in dismissal. "I'll make sure it will be taken…" He still had his helmet on, but by his body language, he looked surprised.

Cheerilee looked in the direction he was looking. There was Carrot still transformed crawling out of the crater. Her armor was dirty, bent, out of proportion, and flickered in and out of existence, but she staggered towards Fisher with purpose.

Fisher tried to stand, but it was too difficult. He was standing up as Carrot got into leg’s distance. He put up a fighting stance. Carrot broke through his defenses like it was nothing and delivered a ferocious kick to the ribs. Fisher screamed and rolled down the hole and crashed into the bottom below with an audible thud.

Cheerilee watched Fisher for several moments waiting for his next action, but he just unmorphed and laid there. It was unclear if he was unconscious.

Carrot unmorphed and gave a weak laugh. “I did it!” She started falling to the ground, but the princess caught her in a magical aura.

“Is she ok?” Cheerilee asked worried.

“Yes, she is just exhausted.” Princess Luna replied. Cheerilee and Raindrops gave a sigh of relief. To Carrot Top she said, “Rest young warrior, you fought well.”

“What about the Archduke?” Raindrops asked looking down the crater. “He might drown.” Cheerilee could see that the hole was filling up with water from some broken water pipes.

Princess Luna nodded and also grabbed him with her magic. “Indeed, I will make sure these two get proper medical attention.”

The princess gave the two remaining Rangers a steadfast look. “Follow your friends. I have a feeling Trixie will need you.”

Cheerilee and Raindrops gave solemn nods. Cheerilee looked towards Greengrass. "What will you do Duke?"

Much to Cheerilee's surprise, the usually calm and confident Duke looked flabbergasted. In a blink, he got his composure back.

"I have to attend to some things, but I will be following you shortly," Greengrass said with a bow. He gave a crooked smile. "I'm afraid my duties don't give me as much free time was I wish but don't fear. I have already contacted Vinyl and my assistant Notary, they will protect Lulamoon in my stead." Cheerilee gave small smile and a thankful nod.

“What about me?!” Pinkie asked looking at Princess Luna with intense anticipation. Cheerilee blinked. She had forgotten Pinkie was even here.

The princess looked unsure for a moment, but got her compose back. “Stay here and help clean up.”

“Okie dokie loki!” Pinkie did a salute and pulled a broom from… somewhere and started brushing debris.

“Okay… Let’s get going!” Cheerilee said to Raindrops who nodded and they headed for the train station.

It was a long trip, but Trixie finally felt the grass of Canterlot Mountain beneath her hooves. They parked their balloon about a mile away from Canterlot. It felt good having Canterlot soil under her hooves. Dear Luna, it felt like ages, like another time, since she had last been here even though it was only a few months ago by Trixie’s guess. It seemed like she was a different person when she left for the Longest Night Festival. Trixie was defiantly less cool and stunningly glorious back then.

Trixie tied the balloon to a tree, and they made their way to Canterlot. It only took a half an hour for them to get there. She peered into the city through a bush. There were the usual high-class ponies walking through the street with their heads up high like the ground itself offended them making you wonder how it was they didn’t bump into things all the time. The beautiful tall white buildings with their colorful high roofs that pointed into the sky never ceased to impress Trixie.

“How far is this lab of your?” Trixie whispered.

"Not far," Twilight whispered back.

Trixie tapped a chin against her chin. Twilight disguise was still intact, but being thrown against a table ruined hers. She could see guards patrolling the city. Her eyes widened when she saw one put up a sign with her face and cutie mark on it. It offered a reward for information on her. There also seemed to be more guards than usual roaming the city. Trixie scowled and cursed. She underestimated Night Light’s and Greengrass’s influence. They most likely bribed the entire royal guard into putting everything they had into finding her.

“How the hay are we going to get past that?!” Trixie growled in frustration pointing towards the offending guards.

"That's easy," Twilight said. "I will just teleport us into it. We are in perfect range."

“Oh…” Trixie blinked and facehoofed. Why didn’t she think of that?

"Grab onto me," Twilight commanded, and they disappeared in a flash.

Trixie blinked with some pain and grogginess as she found herself in what looked like a mad scientist lab. “Stupid teleporting.” She complained. She was really starting to hate this teleporting business.

Trixie looked around. She could barely identify anything in here. It was all scientific gobbledygook to her. It was a bit embarrassing considering she was the princess's student and many thought of her as one of the best-educated ponies in all of Equestria.

“Nice…” Trixie trailed off trying to recognize at least one thing in this lab to show she wasn’t completely uneducated. “Beakers!” She spotted and pointed towards some breakers full of colorful chemicals. Trixie almost facehoofed. Real smooth Trixie.

Thankfully, Twilight wasn’t listening and using her magic to look through some notes. Trixie swung her legs waiting for Twilight to do something. Five minutes passed, and she was still looking through her notes and mumbling to herself. Trixie tapped a hoof in impatience.

“Twilight, where is this morpher you were talking about?” Trixie asked getting to the point. Twilight, in return, didn’t seem to be listening and Trixie sighed.

“Twilight!” Trixie yelled getting her attention.

“What is it?” Twilight answered.

“Where is that morpher you were talking about?” Trixie said tapping her hoof.

"Oh, that," Twilight used her magic to pull out something connected by wires. "I was just double checking my notes to make sure it was in perfect working order before I give it to you." She opened the back of it and started fiddling with it using a screwdriver. She closed it and presented it to Trixie.

Trixie smiled and grabbed it eagerly. “It’s morphing time! Ursa!” Nothing happened. She gritted her teeth and tried focusing on the new morpher thinking of her friends. “It’s morphing time! Ursa!” Still nothing. Trixie threw it to the ground in frustration and turned away from Twilight trying to hide tears.

“Are you okay?” Twilight asked concerned.

“I-I just.” Trixie tried to say. Tears were flowing more freely now. “I just want to protect my friends. Why won’t my powers come back? This is so stupid! Are my powers gone forever?!”

Twilight put a comforting hoof on Trixie’s back. “We will figure this out.”

Trixie said nothing. She was so angry and frustrated she could scream.

“Is somepony down there?” A voice asked. The voice was coming from the top of the stairs. Trixie used a hoof to wipe away her tear and try to present herself in a confident air. She would not show weakness to complete strangers.

“It’s just me Minuette!” Twilight yelled back. She removed the disguise Trixie gave her with her magic.

“When did you get back?” A light blue unicorn walked down the stairs.

“A few minutes ago,” Twilight replied.

“Who is this?” Minuette asked tilting her head.

Trixie tried to think of a good fake name. “I’m…”

“Oh my gosh!” Another voice cried out in surprise. “Is that Trixie Lulamoon?” Trixie winced at the use of her last name. A yellow unicorn trotted down the stair grinning. “It is her!”

Trixie tensed. This was very bad. She mind raced on what they should. Did Twilight know a mind wiping spell? Would she have to fight her way out of here?

“Can I have your autograph?” A yellow unicorn thrust a piece of paper in front of Trixie with a quill and she signed it with some reluctance. “This is awesome. I think you and the other Rangers are the best thing ever!”

"Thanks," Trixie said already getting a little annoyed.

"Wait," Minuette said in alarm. "Isn't she a wanted murderer?"

The yellow unicorn snorted in derision. “Those are just baseless rumors. She would never do such a thing. Does she look like the type of pony that would drag ponies into her basement and chop them up?”

Of course not… Wait, what? Trixie wondered in bewilderment. Is that what ponies thought of her? Thanks, Canterlot rumor mill.

“It was in the paper!” Minuette argued.

“And I’m sure it was all a mistake.” The yellow unicorn argued back.

“Trixie is innocent!” Twilight defended. “She was framed!”

“And how do you know that?” Minuette countered. "How do you know she isn't some sick pony pretending to be a hero?"

“Trixie isn’t like that!” Twilight yelled. “She’s my friend, and she’s a defender of Equestria!”

“Trixie is a good guy!” The yellow unicorn shouted.

“So, the rumor that the police found a score of necklaces made of unicorn horns in your basement isn’t true?” Minuette asked.

Trixie made a face. Where the hay did a rumor like that come from? “No.” She growled.

“Okay, fine.” Minuette relented much to Trixie’s relief. The yellow one grinned in triumph.

Trixie soon found herself grabbed by the hoof and her leg was shaken a little too hard. “Hello, my name is Lemon Hearts. It is such a pleasure to meet you!”

"Pleasure," Trixie said wincing. She got a better look at the unicorn. With her bright yellow coat, she also had cerulean mane with a lighter cerulean streak through it. She also had pink hoofbag with a very tacky toy morpher attached to it. What is she a filly?

“So, what are you doing here?” Lemon asked tilting her head.

“We are just here to get some things.” Twilight explained.

Lemon brightened in understanding. “Of course, here to get something to clear Trixie’s name, right?”

"Something like that," Twilight said.

Lemon clapped her hooves together. “Oh, can I help?”

Trixie was about to say no, but a thought struck her. Lemon Hearts lived in Canterlot and she could get around unnoticed easily. Nopony would bat an eye at her. “Actually, there’s something you could do for us.”

Lemon Hearts grinned as she walked through Canterlot. She had been given a mission. A mission she would do everything in her power to complete. Her goal was simple. Find and trace the last known whereabouts of a pony named Pokey Pierce. Seemed simple enough.

After asked around a bit, Lemon found herself a few good leads. She just happened to stumble across a taxi driver she knew that just happened to see Pokey. It seemed he was seen going towards the north district. Which was odd. Nothing was out there. Lemon stroked her chin and decided to investigate.

The outskirts of Canterlot didn’t have anything of real interest. Just a few factory buildings, warehouses, government buildings, and used cart dealerships. Lemon guessed Pokey could have gone into one of these buildings, which one she had no clue. One of the government buildings caught her eye, the Ministry of War. Wasn't that run by Archduke Fisher? One of the bad guys Trixie was fighting?

Lemon got excited. This felt like a good lead! She wanted to go and take a look. Who knows what she might find? Lemon shook her head. No, that was a stupid idea. Shortly after Pokey came here, he disappeared and was found murdered. No, she should leave this to Trixie. She had superpowers. She was just a party planner. Best leave this to the professionals.

Lemon felt a spring in her step as she went back to Minuette’s house. Trixie would be so pleased. As she turned a corner, Lemon thought she saw a pony she recognized. It was, yes, it was Lyra, one of the Rangers! Lyra was with a gray pegasus that Lemon assumed was Ditzy. Next to them was an earth pony stallion with a trench coat. They were talking to a waiter at a restaurant.

“Lyra!” Lemon called out and waved. She was met with indifference from the mint green unicorn.

"Yes," Lyra asked curious.

“It’s me Lemon Hearts. We went to Luna’s school of magic together? I sat behind you in magical theory class?” Lemon said with a smile.

"So, we did," Lyra said.

“It’s been so long! Would you like to get some coffee?” Lemon smiled. Three Rangers in one day! Her friends are going to be so jealous.

"Sorry," Lyra applogized. "I'm far too busy, sorry. Maybe later."

Lemon leaned in close and whispered. “I’m with Trixie. I’m helping her clear her name.”

Lyra's eyes widened in surprise. She looked at Ditzy and the stallion who were still caught up in their conversation to notice anything. Lemon almost screamed as she was pulled into a nearby alley by Lyra's magic.

“Where is she?” Lyra demanded.

“She’s at my friend’s Minuette’s house.” Lemon explained. “I was just going there, actually.”

Lyra smirked. “Perfect. Let’s go!”

Lemon blinked. “What about your friend?”

Lyra considered this. “She probably needs to stay behind to distract that cop.”

“But, um, why?” Lemon asked confused. “Why can’t he come with?”

“I don’t think we can trust him.” Lyra said shaking her head. “It’s better if we just handle this ourselves. What if he’s on the Night Court’s payroll?”

Aren’t you trusting me? Lemon wondered. This paranoia seemed pretty silly to her, but it was obvious she couldn't talk Lyra out of it. Might as well go along with it, she guessed.

"I'll be right back, stay here!" Lyra ran to her friend. It sounded like she was coming up with some excuse so she could go off on her own. Ditzy nodded in understanding and said it was alright. The cop didn't seem to care and shrugged.

Unbeknownst to Lemon, a shadowy figure was looming in the darkness overhearing everything. It laughed to itself and disappeared.

Chapter 19

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 19
by Rixizu

Twilight looked over her checklist for the eighth time. She didn’t have the luxury of making mistakes. This might be one the most important scientific discoveries in the last millennium. All her equipment seemed to be in order. After checking everything once again, Twilight was ready to begin the experiment.

Twilight picked up a knife with her magic and pricked the side of a hoof. She was careful to drop the blood into a petri dish. After filling it with a few drops, Twilight used her magic to grab a band-aid to close her wound. She used an eyedropper to suck in some of the blood and dropped a small droplet onto a slide. She closed the petri dish with a top and the slide was put into a microscope and Twilight peered into it.

Twilight gasped. Her blood differed from a pony’s normal blood. There were subtle differences, but they were there. The components of the blood were different. Zecora was right. When Corona transformed her into a star beast, it changed her.

Twilight couldn’t suppress a grin. Already she was thinking of all the different tests she could do. She couldn’t wait to start a research paper. Even better, multiple research papers! Twilight could help but bounce around a little. She was a new species now. It was a little scary sure, but the implications couldn’t be unstated. Already she was thinking about how this could improve ponykind.

Twilight tried to reign in her excitement. That had to wait for now. First, she had to help Trixie. The unicorn in question was asleep in a chair snoring. All the excitement today must have worn her out, and it was getting late. Twilight grabbed Trixie in her magic and put her on a cot Minuette lent her and covered the sleeping pony with a blanket.

Twilight wondered if there might be a way to use her condition to help. How did Corona turn her into a monster exactly? Is it possible to turn into one again? She didn’t relish turning back into Corvus, but if it helped Trixie against her father and his mad schemes, then… Twilight pulled a book from her shelf. It was about transformation magic. It was about time for her to get to the bottom of what Corona did to her.

Greengrass eyed Solitaire as she cast a spell on an unconscious Fisher. “How is he?”

"He's fine like the other doctors said." Solitaire explained. "He's just in a severe case of exhaustion."

“Then why is Carrot Top up and on her hooves and he isn’t?” Greengrass asked. Right now, the earth pony farmer was under a house arrest of sorts with the princess. She seemed tired but otherwise fine. Fisher has been a coma for the last three hours.

Solitaire scrunched her brow. “I’m not sure. Your planetary morpher must put more strain on the host.”

Wonderful. Greengrass didn’t like the cost these morphers put on them. He worried what would happen if their morphers broke after a fight.

Solitaire looked down at Fisher’s unconscious form and snorted. “So much for the God of War.”

Greengrass blinked. He was a little surprised at the flippant tone the scientist used towards her boss. Oh well, he wasn't the one that hired her and knew Fisher wasn't the best boss in Equestria.

“Here is something I don’t quite understand, at the end of Carrot Top’s fight with Fisher, her armor flickered in and out of existence after getting a brutal beating. Why is that? Why didn’t it shatter or unmorph?” This really bothered Greengrass. Somehow the carrot farmer’s stubborn refusal to accept defeat allowed her to use her powers past the point of reason.

Solitaire considered this for a moment. "I believe this is because the Galaxy Ranger's powers are directly linked to willpower."

“Willpower? Explained.” Greengrass commanded.

“Back when they first got their power, the Galaxy Rangers formed a bond through camaraderie and friendship towards a common enemy. Their determination to win gave them the power to use the Elements of Harmony. Even when it wasn’t fully activated, it gave them power that frightened even the Solar Titan herself. Simply put, their will to fight is the source of their power.” Solitaire explained.

"I see," Greengrass said. Willpower, how troublesome. That made a partially stupid pony like Trixie dangerous. She always refused to give up despite all reason and logic. Still, this might be something he could use. He smirked. This might be the key he needs to defeating them.

Twilight put her 35th book down into a nearby pile. She tapped a hoof on her mouth. She thought she had an idea how Corona’s spell worked. It was a good thing she saw the Tyrant Sun casting the spell. It seemed possible she could invent a spell that mimicked it and use it on herself. It involved mixing several spells together. It had to do with pulling out the latent star beast essence in her and transforming her body with it.

Twilight’s ears folded. It was hard not to be a little scared, what would happen to her mind if she did this? What if she lost control? No, she would count on Trixie to save her again if that happen. She would trust her. Twilight smiled when she looked at her new friend. It was odd. She’d often felt friends were a burden and a waste of time, but now she counted on Trixie and enjoyed being with her. What a strange turn of events.

Twilight felt a little thirsty, so she grabbed a glass from a cupboard and went to the sink in the bathroom. She filled it with water and took a deep drink. She froze when she heard a small thud and turned. Trixie was still asleep in the cot so Twilight kept scanning the room. Nothing seemed out of disarray. Twilight laughed to herself. She was getting jumpy and turned to get some more water.

Twilight dropped her glass to the ground when she heard Trixie’s muffled screams. She gapped. It was her father, and he had Trixie in a tight grip with a hoof over her mouth to gag her.

“Trixie!” Twilight screamed in alarm. Her father had no expression on his face. Trixie tried and failed to get herself loose and in a flash, both were gone.

Twilight ran back and forth in a panic. What is she to do? What is she to do? What is she to do? What is she to do? This was really bad. She had it! She needed to get the princess right now! They would probably put her in jail for breaking Trixie out, but that didn’t matter at the moment.

In a blink of an eye, Twilight was already out of the basement and out the front door. Minuette made a cry of surprise, but Twilight ignored her. She forced herself to calm down and readied herself for a teleport to the castle.

"Twilight!" A voice called. Twilight ignored it. Whoever it was could wait. Her eyes widened in surprise as she found herself in an aura of magic and couldn't move.

“It is her!” A voice said in surprise.

Twilight gave a sigh of relief as she set back on the ground. She yelped as a light blue face was now in hers.

“Where is she?!” The strange mare demanded. “Where is Trixie?!”

Twilight took a step back and blinked. She recognized the light blue unicorn. Wasn’t this Lyra, Trixie’s friend?

Lemon Hearts walked up next to Lyra and tilted her head. “You looked scared out of your mind. Did something happen?”

Twilight took a moment to compose herself. Time was of the essence. “My dad has Trixie. He took her and teleported somewhere.”

Both of the mares gasped. Lyra panicked. “What are we going to do?”

“Do you have any idea where he might have taken her?” Lemon asked.

Twilight folded her ears and looked down. “No.”

“Argh!” Lyra screamed. “This is horrible!”

“We need the princess!” Lemon said.

Twilight nodded. “That is where I was going. We need to start a search for them. Scour the city.”

Lyra brightened. "I got it! I think I know where we should look first.

“Really?” Lemon asked.

“Abandoned warehouses. Ditzy always said that bad guys love them. That would be the perfect place for the two of them to be alone without anypony bothering them especially at this hour.” Lyra explained.

“I guess that could work?” Twilight said unsure. She guessed that might work. Her father won’t bring Trixie home or to his office. Too many witnesses.

“Lemon, I want you to find Ditzy and tell her what is going on and get the princess. We will hunt for Twilight and that nutcase.” Lyra ordered.

“Got it!” Lemon nodded and ran off.

“Let’s go!” Lyra said started towards the north district.

“Wait!” Twilight said and Lyra stopped.

“What?” Lyra said impatient.

“One sec.” Twilight teleported back into her lab and grabbed her prototype morpher and teleported back. She figured Trixie might need it. The danger might allow Trixie to use it finally.

“Ready?” Lyra said annoyed.

“Grab my hoof. I will use several jumps to teleport us there.” Twilight extended a hoof.

“Oh… I guess we could just do that.” Lyra said a bit sheepish and grabbed Twilight’s hoof. They teleported and Twilight prayed to Luna that Trixie would be all right.

Trixie winced in pain as she was thrown to the ground by the pony that teleported with her. She shook her head and looked around. It seemed she was in the middle of a large abandoned building. It looked run down. Many of its windows were broken and there were holes in the roof. The room seemed dusty, and it didn’t look like anypony had been here in a long time. It was also very dark and Trixie tried her best to adjust to the darkness.

Trixie heard hoofsteps behind her and look and instantly regretted it. Night Light’s stone hard face was looking down at her. Oh, ponyfeathers.

“Uh, hi. Viceroy Night Light. Funny meeting you here.” Trixie tried. It sounded stupid, but she was reaching for words at the moment.

“Viceroy.” Night Light growled the word. “Not anymore thanks to you.”

Ok, this is not good. Trixie wasn’t sure how the noble had lost his title at the moment, but she would worry about that later.

“You know what they say, titles aren’t everything!” Trixie blurted out. She was desperate for words now. The glare the former noble was giving her terrified her.

“You ruin everything you touch!” Night Light grabbed Trixie by the throat and tried to throttle her. He lifted her into the air and Trixie dangled uselessly. She tried fighting back, but he was too strong and kicking did nothing. It was getting hard to breathe now. She was feeling light-headed.

No, not like this. Trixie thought. I’m sorry everypony.

Trixie winced as she fell to the ground and choked out a breath. She looked at Night Light and his smile made her blood turn cold.

“No.” Night Light said. “That would be too easy.”

Night Light pulled out his morpher. “It’s morphing time! Jupiter!”

Trixie pulled herself up from the ground. She saw a door about 10 hooves away. If she could make it… Trixie knew he wanted her to think that. Night Light seemed amused by her attempts to save herself.

Trixie scowled. She would win this. There was no way she would let this guy win. She would get out of this. The problem was this pony could pulverize her with a single punch. Her mind raced on her options.

Trixie knew Twilight would be out looking for her. All she had to do was find a way to signal her and she could escape. The question was how. Trixie looked out the window and noticed something. A sign for a fireworks warehouse. She might be able to steal some and use them to signal her friend, but how to escape this brute?

“You are such a coward.” Trixie mocked. She pointed towards his armor. “Fight me like a stallion!” She prayed this would work.

“Nice try.” In a blur, Night Light send a punch at her face. Trixie screamed in surprise and ducked out of the way in time. She ducked under another punch and kicked Night Light in the face with her back legs with everything she had. It wasn't to hurt him but disorientate him for a moment. It worked and Trixie used the distraction to run for the door.

Night Light screamed out a curse. Trixie ignored him and sprinted as fast as she could Night Light following close behind. She winced when she heard him summon his sword. She screamed in terror as his blade swept at her legs and she jumped out of the way in time.

"Oh, ponyfeathers!" Trixie screamed as she jumped just in time from a swing at her head. A few hairs from her mane dropped to the ground. She made her way to the door again. It was only a few hooves away now. Trixie came to a sudden stop as a bolt of electricity shot right past her and blew a hole into a wall. Night Light’s sword came next and Trixie found herself dodging both a sword and bolts of electricity. She would be furious at Night Light’s laughter if she wasn’t scared for her life at the moment.

In a flash, Night Light disappeared and Trixie dodged another blow to the head as her assailant appeared behind her. Trixie dodged more blows that came at her with frightening speed. She felt lucky that it was obvious that Night Light wasn't some kung fu master or something and seemed like an amateur at fighting. It didn't make his attacks any less terrifying though. With a roll, she dodged another lightning bolt. Any attempted to move towards the door was stopped by an attack that moved her further away from her goal. Trixie wasn’t sure how long she could keep this insanity up.

Twilight scowled as she ran through the warehouse district. There were at least twenty or so abandon warehouses to check out. The last three had produced no results. Lyra’s horn was alight. She was using a spell to amplify her hearing to see if she could pick up Trixie’s voice or some other odd sound in the silence.

“Nothing!” Lyra growled stopping her spell stomping a hoof. “I was so sure that would work.”

“We can’t give up!” Twilight said to calm down the agitated unicorn. “I’m sure Trixie will find a way to…” Twilight and Lyra jumped at a sudden flash of lightning in the distance.

“What the hay was that?” Lyra asked. She looked at the mostly cloudless sky. “I don’t think there’s a storm scheduled for today.”

A sudden realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She turned to her companion who’s face showed grim determination.

“Whatever happens, don’t freak out okay?” Twilight said preparing herself for what needed to be done.

Lyra blinked. “Uh, what?”

Twilight's horn lit up and everything when white. She was struck with a wave of pure pain and it felt like her body was on fire. Her body turn black and morphed. Her front hooves turned into wings that were almost as long as her body. Black tar-like feathers covered her body instead of fur. A beak-like mask appeared over her face. She stood up on two legs instead of four now. Twilight felt her mind become more feral and animalist, but she held on tight on her sudden desire to fight. She would not lose control.

“What the hay?!” Lyra cried out in alarm.

“Let’s go. Trixie needs us.” Twilight’s raspy voice said.

Lyra started for a few moments longer, but she steeled herself and nodded. “Right.”

Twilight jumped into the air and tried to flap her wings to fly. She almost fell back down to the ground, but a part of her knew what to do and she was soon in the air. She wished she had more time to practice flying and hovered in the air a little awkwardly, but that didn't matter at the moment. Protecting Trixie was all that mattered.

“It’s morphing time! Cygnus!” Lyra followed her as she flew towards the direction of the lightning.

Trixie rolled avoiding another lightning bolt and panted as she got back on her hooves. She glared in defiance at Night Light who seemed to be enjoying himself. He slowly cantered towards her.

Night Light chuckled. “Even now you refuse to accept that your situation is impossible. I wonder how long that will change when I snap a leg like a twig.”

Trixie winced as he strolled forward. If only she had her horn, she would wipe the smug grin off his face. She froze when she thought she heard a voice. Night Light seemed to hear it too and looked just as startled.

A black figure smashed through a window and screamed as it crashed into the ground. Trixie winced at whatever it was, it looked like the landing was painful.

“Ow.” The black figured muttered and stood up. “Okay, maybe trying to fly so soon was a bad idea.”

Trixie’s eyes widened to dinner plates and gaped as she recognized the voice and the black figure in front of her. It was Corvus, the raven.

“C-Corvus!” Trixie spluttered. How was this possible? Night Light froze like a statue and stared at Corvus just as stunned as she was.

Trixie screamed as the door to the warehouse was smashed to pieces and behind it, Lyra stood in her blue armor

“Trixie!” Lyra screamed. “We are here to rescue you!”

What? We? Did that mean Corvus was with her? That was insanity!

“Get back!” Corvus ordered. “We will handle this.”

Trixie did not understand what was going on. Why was Twilight Corvus again? She didn’t seem evil this time, which was a good thing and it was nice to have her on their side. But seriously though why was Twilight Corvus again?

“Go!” Corvus said stressing the importance of her words. Trixie nodded with some hesitance and ran behind the protective form of Lyra. Night Light, for his part, didn’t even seem to notice, still stunned by the appearance of his daughter.

“Wha-what happened to you Twi?” Night Light asked horrified. “They said you were normal again!”

“Give up now Da-Night Light!” Twilight commanded. “It’s over.”

“Did you do this to yourself?!” Night Light demanded.

“Yes," Twilight said simply, "it was the only way to stop this insanity."

Trixie tried not to cower in terror as Night Light turned his head towards her and stared hard. He looked furious.

“Insanity.” Night Light snorted. “I am just trying to save Equestria from this buffoon. She’s a menace. Because of her, everything I have worked my entire life has been destroyed! She has befouled our family's good name! She doesn’t deserve to be a Ranger!”

“No!” Twilight argued back. “You! You did all that! All she did was expose just how much a foul pony you really are! Lyra, Lyra told me of the things the princess uncovered about you. You are the disgrace of our family!”

“How dare you talk to your father like that!” Night Light screamed. “Everything I have done was for the betterment of our family and Equestria. I kept those corrupt mayors and officials in check using the only method that would work. I did what I had to!”

“No!” Twilight said. “You should have gotten rid of them and replaced them with decent ponies!”

“Decent ponies.” Night Light snorted. “Such ponies don’t exist in the Night Court. The system crushes such ponies. They are used, exploited, and thrown away like trash. The only way to survive to use every dirty trick you can!”

“That’s complete bull!” Twilight shot back.

Trixie felt ill. This is what one of the top members of the Night Court thought of the system? That is how you get ahead in the Night Court, by dirtying yourself until you ended up like him? Ever since she was little, Trixie wanted to become a member of the Night Court and to make a difference. But now… She didn’t know. Sure, Trixie bet not all Night Court members thought like him. Some were actually decent ponies, but if the ponies at the top were like Night Light… Things need to change. She would have to have a long talk with Luna about this.

"Come on Trixie," Lyra said noticing her expression of dismay, "don't listen to him. This guy’s obviously nuts. There is no way the system is that bad.”

“Well…” Trixie said unsure.

Lyra did her best not to retreat in fear as Night Light growled at her. “Pathetic filly. You do not understand what you are talking about.”

"Father please," Twilight said pleading, " stop this. You can turn yourself in. I'm sure the princess will…"

“Never!” Night Light snarled. “I will never submit to her. I have worked my flank off for her for years and how does she repay me? She stripped me of everything I have worked for and publicly humiliated me! Without a trial or even consulting me first to explain myself!”

“Stay back Twilight.” Night Light ordered. “I will give the princess’s precious student exactly what she deserves!”

“Never!” Twilight said. “She is my friend!”

“Fine.” Night Light said with some regret in his voice. “I will just have to punish you too.”

Lyra summoned her crossbow and aimed it at Night Light's head. "So be it." She fired several volleys of arrows at him. Night Light responded by lighting his horn and fading into the ground. Lyra cursed and trained her weapon on the shadow rapidly approaching her. Night Light screamed as a bolt from Twilight hit his shadow form and he reappeared whole, stunned. Lyra took advantage of this and pelted him with arrows. Sparks flew and Night Light squirmed on the ground after flying a few hooves distance.

Night Light snarled and summoned his sword. In a flash, he teleported behind Lyra. Trixie’s cry of warning was too late and Night Light’s sword smashed into Lyra head making her scream in pain. Night Light wailed on her with his blade only stopping when Twilight sent a fireball his way that he slashed to pieces before it could hit. Lyra groaned in agony on the ground.

“Pathetic.” Night Light kicked Lyra in the ribs away and she unmorphed not moving after skidding on the ground.

Twilight snarled and shot a lightning bolt at Night Light that he avoided by teleporting away. She sent more electricity his way, but he teleported around those too. They shot bolts of magic, fireballs, and electricity at each other in a fast and confusing sequence of teleporting and attacking,

Trixie took advantage of this distraction to run to Lyra. "Are you okay?" She asked picking up Lyra's head. Lyra was breathing, but she looked like she was in a lot of pain. Trixie let out a curse and picked up her friend’s prone form and put her on her back.

Trixie screamed as she was almost hit by a stray fireball. The heat scorching her fur a little. She ignored the pain and made her way to the door. She needed to get out of here. It was difficult. Lyra was heavier than she looked.

Lyra groaned behind Trixie. “Ugh, what happened?”

"You'll be fine," Trixie answered having to raise her voice over the surrounding fighting, "I'm getting you out of here."

“No!” Lyra said. “I need… to fight.” She pulled out her morpher.

"Not in this condition you can't," Trixie answered.

Lyra growled in frustration. “Why am I always the weakest one?” Trixie said nothing. She didn’t have an answer to that and decided to just keep moving. They were almost to the door.

Trixie almost dropped Lyra in shock as Night Light teleported in front of them. "Where do you think, you are going?" He lit his horn and shot a fireball at them.

Twilight teleported in front of the fireball and deflected it. Night Light took advantage of this and hit Twilight in the head with the blunt part of his sword. She smashed into the ground with a scream of pain.

Night Light readied his horn for another spell and Trixie had just enough time get out of the way of a lightning bolt. Lyra fell out her back and rolled away from her. Trixie struggled to her hooves. She hit the ground pretty hard. Night Light watched her dispassionately. Trixie looked at Twilight and her blood went cold when Twilight wasn’t getting up. She looked too dazed to move at the moment.

Night Light levitated his sword in front of Trixie who took an instinctive step back. “Don’t worry. I won’t kill you… yet. First, I will destroy everything you care about.” He pointed his sword at Lyra who was still on the ground.

Night Light threw his sword at Lyra’s head. Trixie moved. Trixie didn’t care about herself or anything else. She wanted to protect her friend. She ran in front of the blade and in a gold blur batted it out of the air with a hoof. It fell to the ground with a loud clang.

“W-what?” Night Light said in total shock. In Trixie’s hoof was her morpher. It gleamed in the light. She glared at Night Light with fire in her eyes.

“It’s morphing time! Ursa!”

Chapter 20

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 20
by Rixizu

Trixie tapped a hoof on the ground. It felt good to have her powers back. She enjoyed the dumbfounded look Night Light was no doubt giving her at the moment. Too bad she couldn’t see his face through his helmet. She tried to focus her magic in her horn hoping her transformation would give her it back. Nothing. It was still gone and with it her magic. No matter. She would still smash his face in regardless of having magic or not.

Night Light seemed to get back his composure. He snorted in derision. “So, you have your powers back.” He gave out a small laugh. “You really think you will do much better than your little…”

Trixie didn't give him time to finish. She punched him. She punched him with everything she had right in the face with all the anger, fear, and frustration she had been feeling over the last few days. Night Light screamed in pain and surprise as he flew out the door and into the street. He didn't stop there though and broke a few carts on the way before crashing into a wall of a nearby warehouse.

Trixie summoned her sword and prepared herself for battle. She gave a quick look at Lyra and Twilight. She would draw Night Light as far away as possible. Trixie would let none of her friends be hostages. She gave them a curt nod and ran towards the former noble.

Night Light growled as she approached and summoned his own sword. His horn glowed, and he sent a lightning bolt her way. Trixie dodged it with little difficulty, but it was all a distraction for Night Light to teleport behind her. Trixie saw this coming though and ducked under his swipe at her head and gave him a headbutt into the face dazing him. Taking advantage of this, Trixie cut him in the abdomen. He teleported away to avoid another attack. Trixie stood still and waited for him to reappear. He reappeared predictably to her right, and she kicked him in the face right through the nearby warehouse’s wall.

“You’re too predictable.” Trixie mocked as she walked inside the warehouse. It appeared to be the fireworks one she saw earlier. “All that power, but you fight like a pregnant cow. I don’t think you can beat somepony unless you are more powerful than them.”

Night Light growled at her. He vanished and then appeared and vanished again. Now he was everywhere at once trying to confuse her. Trixie kept her ground and watched his movements with careful eyes. Night Light shot lightning at her. Every time he teleported, he would send another bolt at her. Now Trixie had to deal with lightning from every direction. She did her best to avoid them all, but there were too many of them and she was hit over and over again. She screamed as she was kicked in the face and smashed into a crate of fireworks.

Night Light appeared on a rafter above her and shot fireballs down at her. She avoided them, but the balls of flame lit the boxes of fireworks around her on fire causing them to explode. Trixie winced in pain at the loud cacophony of noise. Many fireworks were going off around her. Explosions of a rainbow of colors were all around her. Night Light used this distraction to repeatedly pummel her with his sword, always teleporting out of sight before Trixie could respond. She blocked a few blows, but that was it. It wasn’t long before a strong blow had her writhing in pain on the ground.

Trixie struggled to get up as the fireworks died around her. She could see the serious damage they did to surrounding shelves. Black scorch marks covered the shelves and floor. There was a huge mess of used fireworks littering the ground and a smoke cloud covering much of the building. She was glad no workers were here at the moment. It seemed like all the boxes of fireworks near her had already exploded, but she couldn’t get the annoying ringing out of her ears. With a shaky hoof, she picked up her sword ready for Night Light’s next attack. She jumped out of the way just in time as Night Light teleported to her right and kicked him in the face before he could get away. He crashed into the ground and teleported away again. How long could he keep this teleporting crap up? Trixie ducked another swing from above and this time her opponent teleported before he even hit the ground.

Trixie sensed Night Light’s approach from the left and blocked his attack this time. An arrow of energy blew him from the air and through a wall. Trixie looked to her right and saw a panting Lyra.

“Go!” Lyra commanded. “I will cover you!” Trixie nodded and jumped out the hole Night Light created with her sword at the ready.

Twilight watched in shame as Lyra transformed and joined the battle against her father. In the end, she wasn’t able to do much and now just laid on the ground exhausted the strain of her battle caused her to revert back to her normal self. She was so tired it was hard to move.

Twilight prayed that Trixie and Lyra would be all right. She beat herself up over her uselessness. She wanted to be out there fighting with her friends.

Twilight jumped as fireworks exploded. It must be one heck of a battle. She could hear the exchange of blows all the way from here. Twilight gave a weak smile. Trixie was fighting hard and no doubt not making things easy for her father. Why couldn’t she be the same? She envied that power. So much for trying to make amends for the past. All that effort and struggle and for what? Twilight steeled her resolve. This was no time for a pity party. Who cares if the odds are stacked against them? Trixie would never give up and so would she. But what could she do?

Twilight thought back to the morpher she still had in her possession. If only she could make it work again somehow. She pulled it out and gripped it in her hooves hard.

Twilight shook her head and struggled to her hooves. She was determined to offer backup at the very least even if she couldn’t fight and made her way to the warehouse. Twilight tried not to jump again at the sound of an explosion. Her father flew through the warehouse and into the street. He landed on his hooves growling. Lyra shot more arrows at Night Light and he teleported away before they could hit him. They tore through the cement leaving deep gashes in the material.

Twilight hid behind a bush. She would lay in wait for the best opportunity to strike. She winced as Trixie was struck in the chest. Sparks flew, but Trixie kicked Night Light back in retaliation. He responded with a kick of his own that swiped Trixie’s out from hooves under her leaving her prone for a moment. Night Light hit a button on his morpher and readied his ultimate attack to finish the prone ranger.

Twilight jumped at the opportunity and used her magic to create an orb of darkness over her father’s face blinding him. He threw his face forward to get out of the small sphere. Trixie used this distraction to roll out of the way and get back on her hooves. Night Light glared in Twilight’s direction for a moment before returning to Trixie. Trixie did her best to avoid his barrage of blows that seemed to increase in intensity, but it was wearing her down. Twilight could see a slight decrease in her speed.

Night Light sent another swipe at Trixie’s head with his sword in both hooves and she did her best to block with her own sword. She grunted in the effort.

“Don’t worry!” Lyra said from inside the warehouse. “I got this!” She readied an arrow and fired at Night Light’s head.

Night Light teleported away, and the arrow flew over Trixie’s head. Night Light was now at Lyra’s right flank and prepared to swing right at Lyra’s neck. Lyra used her bow to first block his sword and then to deflect several more attacks. Trixie cursed and made her way towards her friend. Night Light teleported again and shot a bolt of electricity at both of them. Lyra avoided it but Trixie winced in pain as it clipped her side.

Lyra growled. “Getting really tired of this teleporting crap.”

Twilight tried to think of a way she could nullify her father’s magic but came up blank. She had heard about spells that could do that, but never actually read any spell books on the topic itself. Their only hope was to push him past the breaking point and it didn't look like he was even close to his limit yet.

Trixie crouched with her sword in hoof ready for Night Light's next attack. He came in high from Trixie’s right but teleported right before Trixie could retaliate with her own sword. He reappeared and cut at her underbelly. Night Light flew to the ground as Lyra shot him with another arrow.

Night Light glared at the archer before disappeared again. He teleported to Lyra's left and shot a fireball at her that she jumped to avoid, but was struck out of the air when he teleported behind her and batted her with his sword. She squirmed on the ground in pain. He readied for another strike, but Twilight shot a magical bolt at her father. Unfortunately, it did little, and he kicked Lyra into a nearby tree smashing it in two.

Twilight cursed her uselessness. She was at best a distraction. An annoyance. Still, there was something she could do. She teleported to Lyra’s side and her father paused before he could deliver another strike to the musician. Twilight teleported them both to safety, well out of range of her father’s attacks. She could at least give Lyra some time to recover.

Trixie used the distraction to throw her sword at her opponent. Night Light deflected it with his own sword and gave out a derisive snort. She summoned her sword back to her hooves and Night Light and Trixie circled each other counterclockwise.

“You okay?” Twilight asked in concern.

"Fine," Lyra said in a pained breath. She shook her head to clear it and stood back up. “Though I think I’m at my limit. Wait! I have it.” She turned and stared at Twilight. “Do you have a spell that could hold him for a few seconds?”

“Why?” Twilight asked.

"I think I have enough for one more super attack," Lyra explained, "that might tip the fight in our favor.”

Twilight bit her lip in thought. She couldn’t confine him with her telekinesis. He was too powerful. She thought a web spell might work, but she didn’t know that one. Thinking about it thought, it might be possible to find a book on it and learn to use it. That would take time with no time to practice, but would have to risk it. Learning spells were her specialty.

“Leave it to me.” Twilight teleported to the Canterlot library and hoped that it had a book on that or a similar spell at the very least.

Trixie was on her own again. She ducked under another sword slash at her throat and returned a slash of her own that nicked one of Night Light’s legs. He grunted in pain and distanced himself from Trixie a little waiting for her next move. She could hear that he was breathing hard. Not that hers was any softer. She pondered on the fact he actually got hit that time instead of just teleporting away.

How much magic do you have left I wonder? Trixie thought. Thinking about it, he has been using magic less and less the last few exchanges. He must be conserving his magic not being as wasteful and as reckless as he was when they started their fight. Still, Trixie would not let her guard down and expose herself to an unexpected teleport or fireball.

The combatants stared each other down. In the corner of Trixie’s eye, she could see that Twilight was reading over a pile of books. This got her excited. Maybe Twilight was trying to learn a super death spell that could make a pony’s head explode. No, wait. She wouldn’t do that to her father. Maybe it was just a powerful beam spell that would leave him a smoldering husk on the floor. At this point, anything would be nice. Trixie wasn’t sure how long she could keep this up.

Trixie cried in pain as Night Light’s sword smashed into her face. She crashed into a nearby street lamp bending it in two and causing it to collapsed onto her. Okay, maybe I should pay more attention to the fight. With a little effort, Trixie threw the street lamp off her back and it crashed into the ground.

Trixie used her sword to block several incoming blows. Night Light hovered his sword in the air with his magic and attacked her from above. Trixie did her best to fend them off. She rolled to the side when a lightning bolt was sent her way.

“Is that the best you got?!” Trixie mocked. “You are getting far too predictable! Do you only know about two or three attacks?” She could almost hear the former noble grind his teeth at the insult.

Trixie faced a barrage of vicious attacks that moved faster than she expected. She screamed when she dodged a sword swipe only to get kicked in the ribs then got a lightning bolt shot into her face. She crashed into another wall of a nearby warehouse, and tried to get up only for Night Light to appear above her and smash his sword into Trixie’s chest.

“Not so funny now,” Night Light said coldly, “are you?” He kicked Trixie into some crates. As she tried to get her bearings back, Night Light loomed over her. He sent his weapon down at her and she avoided it in time by rolling away on the ground. She got back to her hooves and dodged more sword swipes coming her way.

Out of the corner of her eye, Trixie saw that Lyra was trying to get her attention by waving her hooves around. She figured that Twilight was ready to cast the death ray spell or whatever it was. She pretended not to notice but did some hoof stomps to show that she understood.

Trixie jumped away from Night Light's attacked leading him away so his back would be turned towards Lyra and Twilight. She used a feint making it seem like her sword would come in from the right, but she interrupted the attack to kick Night Light in the face. Night Light dodged the kick and Trixie almost received a cut to her own head in return.

There was a flash, and Twilight and Lyra were behind the distracted Night Light. Twilight shot something gray from her horn at her father but he teleported before it could hit him and kicked Trixie into it when he reappeared. Trixie found herself covered in a gray sticky goop that pinned her to the ground. She tried to push herself free, but that only pushed her back to the ground harder. Twilight stared in shocked horror and Lyra was presumably doing the same under her helmet.

Night Light snorted. “What? You didn’t think I didn’t notice what you were doing over there? Thanks for taking care of Lulamoon for me.” He pointed his sword at Lyra. “Now all I have to do is take care of this one.”

Trixie struggled harder with her bonds, but pushing harder only made it even worse. The more she tried to free herself, the more the goop constricted around her. Even her monstrous strength did nothing to help her. She watched helpless as Night Light closed in on her friend.

Twilight jumped in front of her father defending Lyra before Night Light could do anything. “Enough! You’ve won.”

“Not until I finish them both.” Night Light growled. “The shame they brought our family is unforgivable.”

“That’s just like you!” Twilight shot back. “You only think of yourself!”

Night Light went quiet. It took a few minutes before he found his voice. “I’m just trying to protect you Twilight. I am trying to protect you, our family, and Equestria. It doesn’t need incompetent whelps like Lulamoon guarding it.” He turned away.

"If you want to protect Equestria, work with Trixie," Twilight argued, "she's a good pony at heart and you both want the same thing."

Night Light shook his head. “With her? Impossible. All she does is seed chaos. She’s reckless, only thinks of herself, and acts before thinking about the consequences of her actions. And think about what happened to you.”

Twilight growled in frustration. “Just talk with her. You will see that she isn’t as bad as you think.”

Night Light sighed. “Twilight, I want you to trust me on this. You’ve only known her for a few days, but I have watched her for years. I have seen how irresponsible she is. She has squandered everything the princess gave her. She arrogant and selfish and suffers from serious delusions of grandeur and paranoia. She always drives ponies around away from her in the end. The fact that the princess hasn’t banished her yet is a miracle. I don’t think I can understate what an incompetent bumbler she is."

Trixie glared daggers at Night Light. Sure, she wasn’t perfect, and admittedly she had made a few mistakes over the years. But that was going too far.

“That doesn’t matter.” Twilight shook her head. “I will not let you hurt Trixie or Lyra.”

Twilight screamed as Night Light shot an energy bolt at his daughter. She collapsed to the ground in a heap.

“Twilight!” Trixie and Lyra screamed.

“Relax.” Night Light said sounding tired. “I only stunned her.”

Trixie sighed in relief, but the implications made her blood run cold.

"I don't want her to see that I'm going to do to you."

Chapter 21

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 21
by Rixizu

Trixie stared in horror as Night Light approached Lyra, sword in his aura. Lyra, for her part, took a defensive stance. Trixie struggled at her bonds. As long as she had this stupid goop on her, she was useless. Trixie growled in frustration. She could see that she was actually starting to crack the cement under her, but no matter much she pushed herself, the goop still held in place.

Lyra jumped back and unleashed a barrage of arrows at Night Light. He teleported away with no difficulty, but hitting him wasn’t her intention. She ran towards the pile of books from earlier and picked one up with her magic. It appeared to be the one Twilight used to learn the spell holding Trixie. She skimmed the pages. Night Light shot a lightning bolt at her when he saw what she was doing and Lyra avoided the bolt by jumping to the right. Night Light teleported and appeared behind Lyra. He shot a fireball at Lyra almost point blank, she wasn’t able to avoid the ball of flame in time and was blown across the street into a cart. It cracked in two and Lyra struggled to her hooves. She audibly gasped when she saw the book she was trying to read was burnt to cinders.

“Nice try.” Night Light mocked. “Thought you could find a countermeasure to the spell my daughter hit Lulamoon with? Too bad.”

Trixie was sure the musician was grinding her teeth behind her mask right now. Lyra pawed at the ground in annoyance.

Night Light teleported again and Lyra was forced to defended herself from a barrage of sword strikes from the air. Lyra did her best to use her bow to defend against them. Caught up in his attacks Night Light got too close and Lyra delivered a surprise kick to the face.

Lyra used the distraction to shoot an arrow at Trixie. Trixie screamed in horror as the projectile hit her straight on in the chest and cried out in pain.

“What was that for?!” Trixie yelled.

“Oops, I was sure that would knock you free,” Lyra said sheepishly.

“Well, it didn’t.” Trixie bit back. In fact, it didn’t even move her. All it did was hurt. Night Light watched them in amusement and laughing to himself. Trixie just glared at him.

“As amusing as this is, it’s time to end this.” Night Light said and Trixie tensed. Lyra for her part watched Night Light carefully. She followed his movements as he circled her.

“Agreed,” Lyra said nodding, “I’m getting real tired of your crap.”

“Lyra!” Trixie said in a panic. This was really bad.

“Relax, I got this,” Lyra said. This did not comfort Trixie one little bit.

Seconds passed like hours and Trixie felt herself sweat in her armor. The two combatants did nothing but stare each other down not making a move until the other did something. Then, they moved. Lyra sprang forward with such grace and speed that caught Trixie off guard. It caught Night Light off guard too, but he soon moved forward to join her and pressed a button on his morpher as he charged. Electricity sparked and gathered around his sword ready to unleash at a moment’s notice.

“Wrath of the King!” He threw the torrent of electricity down at Lyra. It hit her dead on. She screamed in pain as Night Light’s ultimate attack bombarded her with energy. Somehow though she dug her hooves into the ground. With a howl, she ran forward and pushed her bow through the torrent and pointed it right at Night Light’s chest.

“Omega Arrow Crusher!” Lyra fired a burst of rainbow colored energy into Night Light’s chest. He screamed and shot into the distance. The former viceroy hit the ground, but he didn’t stop, instead, his momentum kept him bouncing. He crashed into carts and trees, but even that didn’t stop him. Eventually, he hit a wall of a building a few blocks away and disappeared inside.

The intense energy and lightning scorched Lyra’s armor black. She just stood there like a statue for a few moments before falling to her knees. She unmorphed and collapsed unceremoniously to the ground.

“Lyra!” Trixie cried out.

"I'm fine," Lyra said in a weak voice that almost impossible to hear and gave out a small, almost inaudible laugh. "Finally got him. I don't think he’s finished though. I…I'll leave it up to you Trix…" She stopped speaking. Trixie feared the worst, but the moving of Lyra's chest up and down alleviating her fears.

Trixie sighed in relief, but only for a moment. Lyra was right. Night Light was probably still out there. And she was still stuck. How was she going to get out of this? Did this spell have a duration limit? She really didn’t want to still be here when Night Light got back. She turned towards Twilight who was still asleep on the ground.

“Twilight!” Trixie screamed praying this would wake the mare up.

“Twilight!” Trixie tried again.

“Twilight damn you wake up! I need you right now!” Still nothing, but Trixie would not be deterred. She screamed her head off. Still nothing.

“This is so stupid!” Trixie cried in frustration. She would kick the sleeping pony if it was possible to move at the moment.

Trixie closed her eyes. It was all over. She was stuck and there was nothing to help her this time. Night Light could be back any minute few moments later she was proved right. The evil ranger stumbled out of the building and limped his way towards her. It seemed that Lyra had hurt him pretty bad. He almost lost his balance for a moment, but he soon straightened up. Much to Trixie’s surprise, he unmorphed. For a long moment, he examined his morpher much to Trixie’s confusion and made a face. Then, Trixie saw it and gaped. A large crack was visible in the gem on his morpher. Trixie grinned. If it could be damaged that badly, then they had a chance to destroy them.

Night Light walked up to her and smirked. “I bet you thought your pathetic little friend actually defeated me for a moment there.”

Trixie sighed with genuine weariness in her voice. “No, not really. It’s never that easy.” She looked the former noble in the eyes and was a little surprised at Night Light’s haggard and exhausted appearance. It was like he hadn’t slept in days. It looked liked it took an effort just for him to stand up straight. Did their fight really take that much out of him? Even after her worst fights, she never looked that bad.

Night Light examined the goop around Trixie. “My daughter does nice work. Even I’m surprised she could conjure a spell able to hold even a Ranger.” He gave Trixie a smug smile that said volumes of how much better he thought of his daughter’s magical skills over Trixie’s.

"Yeah, yeah," Trixie said dejectedly.

Night Light’s face became serious and thoughtful. He looked at his morpher and back at Twilight. He paced back and forth mumbling to himself. “This might be a good opportunity for her.”

“What are you talking about?” Trixie didn’t like the look Night Light was giving her.

“If ancient ponies were able to perform it, why not me too? And I do share my daughter’s gift for learning new spells.” Night Light walked up to his daughter and pulled out the prototype morpher that she made. “Aha, so she did bring it with her, just as I thought. Are you familiar with how the planetary gems were made?”

Trixie felt herself starting to sweat. “Uh, well. Not really.” She lied not wanting to give him any ideas.

The smile Night Light gave her made her blood go cold. “They were made by sacrificing ponies, but who’s to say that the ritual can’t be replicated today?”

“Y-you can’t be serious.” Trixie spluttered.

“Why not?” Night Light said. “Finally, my daughter will have her rightful place. And, of course, there is the added bonus of having you out of the way.”

“If it doesn’t work,” Night Light shrugged, “it will at least make Twilight even more powerful.”

Night Light teleported away. This didn't make Trixie feel any better. If the former noble was good as his daughter at learning spells then there was no way this could end well for her at all. She prayed that somepony would come and rescue her. Somepony had to hear all those fireworks go off, right?

It didn't take long for Night Light to return with a book of his own. The book looked old and well-worn from use. Trixie really hoped the cover wasn’t the leather it seemed to be. She tried to read the title, but it was too faded to read. The book looked centuries old. He also had a bag of what looked like chalk.

“I can’t say I know exactly how the ancient ponies did it, but.” Night Light gave an unpleasant grin. “I think I can improvise. If Twilight can invent new spells, why not me too? My powers should be able to bridge the gap.”

Night Light opened the book in his hooves to a page and started reading. He grinned and nodded to himself.

“What the heck is that?” Trixie asked dread in her voice gesturing to the book.

Night Light peered up from his book. “This? Something I acquired over the years. I live to collect knowledge, even if someponies might consider it taboo.”

Night Light pulled out a piece of chalk and drew a circle around Trixie and what appeared to be ruins of some kind inside it. Night Light started muttering to himself and consulted the book several times. He also made a circle around Twilight was well. For some reason, he put Twilight’s morpher in her hooves.

“Yes, that should do the trick.” Night Light said cheerfully. “It’s actually quite simple. It’s a modified power transfer spell. Only much more powerful. One powerful enough to take your life as well.”

“You don’t have to do this!” Trixie said frantic and felt herself starting to panic.

“You should feel honored.” Night Light said. “Giving your life so somepony worthier can take your place.” Night Light breathed out. “Finally, the world has the true Element of Magic. It’s morphing time! Jupiter!” Night Light transformed. Trixie was still unsure why he unmorphed in the first place. To save energy maybe? To smile smugly at her? His horn glowed a strange purple color that wasn’t the natural color of his magic.

Trixie struggled with everything she had against her bonds. The ground under her cracked from the force of her struggling. This was not the way she was going to go! No way! Much to her amazement, the goop was actually breaking a little.

“No.” Night Light stopped what he was doing and shot a stunning bolt at Trixie. She screamed and felt her body go limp. “That’s better.” His horn started glowing purple again. The two circles glowed a sickly red color. There was something wrong about it. Trixie couldn’t place it, but this was against nature itself somehow.

Trixie screamed. Her body… the pain was. The pain was indescribable. It was like she was being torn limb from limb. Like her body was unraveling at the seams. She screamed until her voice went raw, but even that didn’t stop her cries of pain. She has dimly aware of collapsing to the ground. The spell that Twilight used on her was gone, but Trixie found herself in so much pain that moving even a little was impossible. She welcomed the blackness that soon approached her.

Twilight found herself floating in absolute darkness. It was calm and soothing somehow. She knew that there was something she needed to do but for the life of her couldn’t think what it was. Twilight closed her eyes and just relaxed whatever it was could wait.

Her eyes opened when she heard screaming. Who was that? It sounded familiar. Wait, she knew who that was. It was Trixie, and she was in pain. Oh no, Trixie needed to help! She was about to attempt to force herself awake when a strange almost painful warmth filled her entire body. It was like her blood was boiling.

What was going on? Trixie’s screaming was getting worse. Wait, was whatever was happening to Trixie related to her? Yes, somehow that seemed right. There was something else as well. Twilight felt herself becoming stronger. It was like her magic was being supercharged somehow. She started to panic when Trixie’s screaming became even worse. It seemed to her that the power that filled her seemed to increase in relation to Trixie’s pain. No, it couldn’t be. Was Trixie’s power being drained into her? How?

Father. Twilight growled the thought. She couldn’t believe it. What he was doing was abhorrent. It went against the laws of magic and everything she believed in. If he continued with this insanity, it would kill Trixie. But that what he wanted, after all, wasn't it?

Twilight screamed and flailed. She had to do something to wake up and stop this. She winced as the pain became worse, but ignored it. Trixie didn’t have long. Twilight screamed her heart out. Kicked herself. Kicked herself hard. She mentally forced herself to wake up. Nothing. Despite everything, she was still trapped in this darkness. Trixie… was going to die.

She didn’t even attempt to stop the tears and sobbed into her hooves. While she didn’t know Trixie long, Twilight thought of her as a friend. Trixie would die and it was all her fault for not being strong enough. For not being able to stop her father. If only she could have done something differently. If only she had been able to talk her father down. Trixie was going to die and there was nothing she could do about it.

Twilight cried. Cried until there was nothing left to cry. All that was left was the pain and shame. As usual, she was a complete screw-up. Twilight thought bitterly. Never able to deliver when it really counted. Rarity was wrong. Her life was worthless after all. She curled up into a ball and just floated there in the darkness.

A strange thought hit her. If her father succeeded, Trixie would die and that would make her the new Element of Magic. She would not only have to power to stop her father but Corona and any other threat to Equestria as well.

She could see herself clad in red armor leading the other Galaxy Rangers in battle against Corona sword in hoof. The other Rangers would accept her as a leader and a friend. Maybe she could be even a better leader than Trixie. She could become the hero she always dreamed of being.

No. No. No, she couldn’t be the Element of Magic. She didn’t deserve it or earn it. Trixie fought long and hard with blood, sweat, and tears to become the Ursa Ranger. The Elements of Harmony chose her to be their leader. Twilight knew that they would not choose wrong. She couldn’t, and won’t accept the role. It was not hers to take.

Twilight felt a new resolve and her horn glowed. She forced the magic out of her. It hurt. It was worse than anything she had ever felt before in her life, but Twilight didn’t care. This power wasn’t hers to take and she would be damned before she would accept any of it. Twilight would give this power back even if it killed her. She sent the power back the same way it came through the link between her and Trixie. The power that was coming her way was forced back even harder, but Twilight pushed back twice as hard as that which was being thrown at her. She would not let Trixie die!

Amidst all of this, Twilight felt something in her chest. Warmth. Not the burning heat of the magic being pushed into her, but a gentle and comforting warmth like a fireplace on a cold winter day. It made her smile. In the back of her mind, she felt something that felt like approval. Who? What? It made little sense, but she was certain that she made the right choice.

Trixie wasn’t going to die. The thought was certain and clear in her mind. She knew what she had to do. Her horn lit and the entire realm of darkness shone a blazing blinding light.

Twilight opened her eyes. Somehow, she was standing, but that meant little for the moment. She looked around. Whatever happened was a real mess. It looked like a shockwave hit the area. Benches, trees, and streetlamps were torn asunder. Not a single piece of glass was left unbroken. Her father stared at her with obvious surprise prone the ground. Much to her relief, it looked like Trixie was still breathing. The Ranger was on her side and covered with trash that was blown on her from the shockwave, but otherwise seemed just unconscious.

Twilight looked at her father with disdain who was struggling to his hooves after being smashed into a metal fence He almost cost Trixie her life and she could never stand by that. She stared at him right in the visor. Twilight gripped the morpher that was in her hooves so tight it hurt.

“This has gone on far enough father.” Twilight spat the last word.

Twilight did a battle pose. Somehow, she knew exactly what she needed to do. “It’s morphing time!” She thrust the morpher out in front of her. “Corvus!”

There was flash around her body and there it was her armor. She found a piece of broken glass and peered into it. Her armor was all white. The metal plating of her armor resembled feathers. They were long and jagged. Her helmet resembled her old one except instead of a beak, this one had a black visor that covered her whole face. It had the constellation of Corvus in white stars on the front.

Twilight turned away and stared at her father. She pressed a button on her morpher and summoned two guns to her hooves. They were long and white and resembled the beak of a bird. Much to Twilight’s amusement, they looked like futuristic weapons from a sci-fi movie. She pointed them at her father. “One way or another, this is going to end Night Light. Your sins have finally caught up with you”

Chapter 22

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 22
by Rixizu

“Is that any way to talk to your father?” Night Light snarled. “I give you everything and this is how you repay…” With some effort, he composed himself.

“Look at you,” Night Light beamed, “the Element of Magic. You are the true protector of Equestria now. Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted? I still remember the little filly that put on a cape and swore that she would defend Equestria from the evil of Corona.”

Twilight smirked. It appeared that her father still hadn't realized something. "I'm not the Element of Magic. Nor could I ever be."

“What? But…” Night Light said in confusion. His head jerked towards Trixie, who was still lying on the ground unconscious. “No…” He growled in annoyance. “That mare is a cockroach.”

Night Light teleported and appeared next to Trixie looming over her and aimed his horn right at her for a lightning bolt at the helpless mare, but Twilight anticipated this. She teleported next to Trixie the moment her father disappeared and shot him point-blank in the head before he could launch his spell. She grabbed Trixie with a hoof and teleported to safety.

It surprised Twilight how easy the teleport was. It took almost no effort at all. Often times teleporting with another pony was difficult and painful. Must be a perk of her new powers. In a blink, she and Trixie were in the Canterlot Central Park right next to the water fountain with the statue of the princess herself. Despite the late hour and the fact that the sun was setting in the distance, ponies were still milling about in the park. They gasped at the sudden appearance of the strange mare in armor and chatted to each other in low voices.

Twilight ignored the spectators and grabbed Trixie by the leg with her magic and dropped the unconscious mare into the fountain. In a moment, Trixie surfaced, coughing and sputtering, waving her legs frantically in the air. It took a moment, but the magician pulled herself from the fountain, soaking wet.

Trixie shook the water off herself and turned towards Twilight looking about to rant at her, but froze wide eyed at the unexpected appearance of the strange pony in white armor.

“Who the hay are you?!” Trixie backed up against the fountain and gave Twilight a wary look.

“Trixie. I’m me.” Twilight said. “Twilight.”

Trixie gaped, eyes as wide as dinner plates. “T-Twilight? Why are you… Are you a Ranger now?”

Twilight nodded. “It’s a long story.”

"That's good," Trixie said after a moment, "we could use the help."

Twilight beamed. She glad to be part of them team.

"Just one question," Trixie said, "why the hay did you almost drown me in a fountain?!"

Twilight rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. “It was the only way I could think of to wake you up quickly.”

“So, the answer was to almost kill me?! You don’t know some kind of waking up spell?!” Trixie demanded.

“Well…no,” Twilight relented. Trixie was overreacting. The fountain was only three hooves deep.

"Fine, whatever," Trixie said. She still looked a little sour but wanted to drop the subject.

“So, you are alive.,” a voice approaching them growled. Twilight and Trixie turned to see Night Light coming their way. “Why can’t you, just bury yourself, in a hole, and die already?”

Trixie grinned and pulled out her morpher. “It’s morphing time! Ursa!” She transformed and did her own battle pose. “What can I say? They call me the Great and Powerful Trixie for a reason. I’m basically unkillable.”

"I was hoping," Night Light said through clenched teeth, "that you would at least not have your powers anymore. It seems my daughter was right about you still being the Element of Magic."

Trixie gave a noncommittal shrug. Night Light responded by launching a larger than normal lightning bolt at Trixie that struck at her with unnatural speed. Twilight saw this coming and pushed Trixie out of the way. The bolt flew between them and obliterated the fountain and statue behind them.

Twilight looked behind her at the carnage and gasped. “That was a priceless piece of art! That fountain has stood there for over 500 years!” She said in outrage. “That was the work of Chiseled Perfection himself!”

Night Light snorted. “It was an eyesore.”

Ponies around them screamed and ran for it. That was good at least. Twilight pointed her guns at her father and shot a volley of blasts at him. He deflected them with his sword held in his aura with little difficulty. Trixie used the distraction to come at him with her own sword. He dodged the blows and did his best to keep his distance before retaliating with a kick towards Trixie’s head that she blocked with her sword. He drove his sword down at Trixie and it scraped the side of her head but she moved out of the way in time to avoid most of the damage. Night Light attempted to unleash a spell at Trixie point blank but flew across the park when Twilight shot him. He got back to his hooves and teleported.

Twilight’s eyes darted back and forth, trying to find where her father disappeared to. There. She fired and her father screamed as the volley of bullets struck him as he reappeared. He tried to dodge them by weaving, but there were too many of them and he mistimed a dodge and a bullet hit him in the leg making him lose his footing. He twitched as he struggled to his hooves and Trixie took advantage of this by delivering a devastating blow to his chest and with a follow-up kick which sent him sprawling.

Night Light teleported again to Trixie’s right, but she blocked several cuts sent her way with her own sword with little difficulty and delivered another kick, this time in his ribs. He crashed into the pavement. Twilight teleported in front of him and shot him several times point blank in the head, causing him to writhe on the ground in pain. He teleported again, but Trixie cut him down seconds after he reappeared. Sparks flew and he lay on the ground motionless for a few moments.

“Ha! Not so tough now, are you?” Trixie taunted. “You’re too tired to fight the two of us now!”

Her father glared up at Trixie growling under his breath and teleported again. She readied herself for him to reappear and continue the fight, but he never returned. Twilight scanned the immediate area for him but saw nothing.

“Coward,” Trixie scoffed.

“Quiet!” Twilight chided. Trixie looked taken aback and was about to say something, but decided against it.

Where the hay did he go? Did he really flee like Trixie said? She did not like the feeling of this. He was a cornered animal now. Who knows what he might try? He reappeared and Twilight did not like what she saw. In his aura was the book of forbidden knowledge he used earlier.

Night Light gave a derisive snort. “You’re right, I am too tired to fight you now. I will just have to even the odds a little.”

Trixie took an instinctive step back and her poster became wary. "Twilight! Destroy that book now!”

Twilight nodded and lit up her horn for a teleport, but it was too late. Her father’s horn lit up with a strange green color and Twilight almost lost her balance as the ground shook. She stared in shock as dark purple roots shot out of the ground. Not just one or two but hundreds of them broke through the concrete and trees of the park. One broke the fountain next to them in half. They were huge and almost as thick as tree trunks.

“What the hay are these things?” Trixie said in a tight voice, watching the roots with some weariness unsure what threat they might pose.

In a blink of an eye, they stuck. One whipped down at Twilight and she rolled away just in time. The root smashed the concrete floor below it to bits. Trixie used her sword to cut the one coming towards her in two. It flopped on the ground then went dead a moment later. Then more of the roots struck at them. Twilight dodged or shoot the incoming roots, but there were too many of them. She screamed as one grew right out from underneath her causing her to lose her footing and sent her crashing to the ground with a painful thud. Trixie rushed to her defense, cutting down any of the roots that came near them.

“Are you okay?” Trixie asked.

“Fine.” Twilight’s eyes widened as she saw her father teleport behind Trixie. “Watch out!” But it was too later and Trixie was blindsided by a lightning bolt spell. The roots wasted no time in wrapping around and immobilizing her. She gave out a small cry of pain as they began to squeeze the life out of her.

Twilight wasted no time and shot the root until it was blown to pieces. Trixie gave a nod of thanks and they faced Night Light. His horn was alight again with green magic and the ground shook as more roots appeared. Twilight could not believe the amount of the things in front of her. They rose out of the ground and whipped around with more ferocity than before. She jumped back to avoid several of them lashing out at her. Twilight’s eyes widened when she realized what her father was doing. He was trying to separate them.

From the very beginning, Twilight could tell that her father hesitated in fighting her. His attacks were always aimed at Trixie. She couldn't afford to leave them alone together. She panicked when she lost sight of Trixie, the roots too thick to find her. Twilight thought about teleporting, but all the roots made it difficult. There were too many of them and their behavior too wild to get a clear place to teleport to. She didn’t want to teleport into a root. Gritting her teeth, Twilight blew the roots in front of her to pieces. But every time she destroyed a root, another took its place. But she refused to give up. As Twilight destroyed the surrounding roots, she hoped she wouldn’t be too late.

Trixie screamed Twilight’s name as the roots grew in front of them, separating them. She cut and diced every root in the way, but it didn’t seem to matter. They just kept sprouting from the ground. It didn’t take long for her and Night Light to be boxed in by the roots.

Trixie turned towards the former noble with trepidation, not liking whatever crazy trick he would pull out of his hat this time. She was surprised to see from his body stance how tired he was. It was like his whole body was sagging. There were also green sparks coming from his horn. Trixie could hear Night Light wince in pain every time it sparked. Was the dark magic taking a toll on him?

Night Light gave a weak laugh. “It’s just you and me now, Lulamoon. I’m going to enjoy finally tearing your body limb from limb.”

Trixie readied her sword. “I’d like to see you try.”

Night Light stalked forward, sword in his aura, but stumbled and fell to one knee. "No, not yet." He growled. His breathing sounded painful.

“The cost of your dark powers?” Trixie mocked.

“It doesn’t matter.” Night Light shook his head. “I’m finished, anyway. There isn’t anything left for me. Once I kill you, I’m content. I’ve given my daughter the destiny she deserves.”

Night Light pointed his sword at Trixie. “Even if I die, I’m taking you with me.”

Night Light charged with his blade, diving at Trixie’s head. She dodged with surprising ease and weaved through the barrage. She smirked. Even with her alone, Night Light was too tired and weak to be a threat. She decided to dodge and block his attacks, for now, to tire him out, then finish him when he was too exhausted. She strafed left as more attacks came her way.

Trixie screamed as the ground under her suddenly moved from a root growing underneath her and she fell flat on her face. She tried to get back on her hooves, but Night Light shot a blast of magic that paralyzed her. It was only for a moment, but it was enough for some of those accursed roots to bind her. They wrapped around her and forcing her to the ground.

“Trixie hold on! I’m coming!” Twilight yelled from a distance.

Trixie tried to struggle out of her bonds, but she was still too weak from Night Light’s spell. She screamed when Night Light grabbed his sword in his hooves and wailed on her head. Sparks flew as he hit her. He increased the strength of his attacks and Trixie held on the best she could.

“Stubborn mare,” Night Light said, panting when he stopped.

“Is that all you got?” Trixie jeered. “My grandmother could hit me harder than that.”

Night Light growled and kicked Trixie in the ribs over and over again.

“Come on! You can do better than that!” Trixie admonished. She winced in pain when Night Light hit her again with his sword. He went in fro another blow to her head but stopped when he was overcome with another wave of pain. He shook his head and readied his sword for another strike this time with both of his hooves.

Trixie felt her body regain its strength as the paralysis spell wore off. In a few moments, she could fight again. Night Light was just where she needed him to be and now! In a blur of motion, she tore the vines wrapped around her to shreds and headbutted Night Light in the face. He recoiled in pain and shock.

“No!” Night Light aimed his horn at Trixie, but she smashed it with a hoof before he could get a spell off. He screamed in pain.

“My turn.” Trixie summoned her sword back to her hooves and unleashed all the pain and anger she had felt from his constant torment. He tried to fight back, but Trixie was too fast for his weakened state. His head cracked the fountain’s base when he crashed into it.

“Finally!” Twilight called out in triumph when she emerged after blowing a hole in the vine wall unable to contain her anymore.

“No!” Night Light screamed impudent fury. “I will not have all I've done go to waste!”

“It’s over Night Light!” Twilight proclaimed.

Night Light recoiled as another wave a pain seemed to overcome him, but he stood his ground. He summoned his sword back into his hoof and growled in frustration. He charged at Trixie, but Twilight unleashed a barrage of energy shots at him. Night Light struggled to his hooves, but his body was shaking uncontrollably.

“No. No. No.” Night Light muttered under his breath. He pressed a button on his morpher and teleported. Trixie pressed a button on her own morpher and readied herself.

“Wrath of the King!” Night Light screamed.

Trixie flipped out of the way as a torrent of electricity came at her from behind and struck her own attack at Night Light’s exposed flank.

“Searing Blade!” Trixie cried out. There was an explosion of fire when Trixie’s sword connected and Night Light’s body tore through a wall of vines and kept going bouncing off the ground several times going through a few trees.

Twilight pressed a button on her morpher too. A crosshair appeared over her right eye. She aimed her two guns in Night Light’s direction.

“Unyielding Judgment!” Twilight fired off her guns and a barrage of rainbow bullets flew at her father. They homed on his location and every single one hit their mark. Twilight turned her back on her father. Night Light’s body erupted with energy. His armor was covered with an uncountable number of cracks. He collapsed to the ground on his knees and his body was engulfed in an explosion.

When the smoke cleared, Trixie could see Night Light on the ground, his morpher in front of him. The device was full of cracks and the gem powering it was a pure black color like the color of obsidian. Trixie unmorphed and approached him with a little weariness. Twilight unmorphed as well and joined her.

“No, it can’t end like this.” Night Light said weakly. He reached out to his morpher. Before he could reach it, it cracked in half and crumbled to dust.

Night Light screamed and his entire body shook. To Trixie's horror, his started aging. In seconds, decades seemed to pass. His hair went gray and his face wrinkled in age. In a few moments, the former viceroy aged at least three or four decades.

Trixie took a step. What was this? Was this the cost of losing his morpher? Was it the dark magic? Night Light wheezed in pain and mumbled to himself eyes wide and frantic. She looked at Twilight whose face was a stone mask.

"Let's go," Twilight said turning away.

“But…” Trixie tried to say, but she was already making her way out of the park. Trixie lingered for a moment unsure what to do but decided to follow Twilight. They still had work to do. Trixie saw tears falling from Twilight's face, but decided not to say anything. After all, what could she say?

Chapter 23

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 23
by Rixizu

Cheerilee surveyed Canterlot Central Park and shook her head. The damage to the once beautiful and scenic park was significant. Concrete streets were torn to shreds, trees were uprooted or destroyed, and the famous fountain in the direct center of the park with a stunning statue of the princess herself was just a heap of rubble. It was a shame. She really enjoyed going to the park as a foal.

The most frustrating part was that she still had no idea where Trixie was. It was clear this was Trixie’s work fighting against the rogue Ranger Night Light. Apparently, she disappeared with a mysterious Ranger in white armor if the reports were correct. Cheerilee wasn’t sure what to make of the White Ranger. Where did she come from? Was she one of the Night Court Rangers?

“Over here.” Raindrops called and Cheerilee turned towards her. She was pointing at something that she couldn’t identify from this distance.

Cheerilee trotted over to where Raindrops was pointing and gasped. It was an old stallion unconscious by the look of it. He looked haggard and exhausted. The old pony looked so bad it was shocking.

“We need to call an ambulance!” Cheerilee cried out.

“Wait.” Raindrops said holding up a hoof. Cheerilee looked at the mare in puzzlement. This old pony needed help.

“Look at him again.” Raindrops growled. “It’s Night Light.”

Cheerilee looked at the old stallion again and realized Raindrops was right. Somehow this was Night Light. Despite being older, this was his face and his cutie mark was the same.

“What the hay happened to him?” Cheerilee asked perplexed.

“A cost of his power I’m afraid.” A regal voice said behind them. Cheerilee turned and found Princess Luna.

“Princess!” Cheerilee said in surprise. She wondered what she meant by “cost of his power”. Is this what happened when one of the Night Court Rangers gets defeated? Could this happen to Greengrass? She really hoped that Trixie wouldn’t jump to wild conclusions and attack Greengrass in some misguided attempt to save the day.

“Greetings Miss Cheerilee and Raindrops.” Princess Luna inclined her head in respect.

“What are you doing here?” Cheerilee asked. Luna gestured to the damage around her. “Oh right," Cheerilee said embarrassed.

“It’s more damage than I would like to see, but I am glad Night Light was finally subdued.” Princess Luna said observing the scene. She sighed. “Though I doubt many will view it that way.”

Cheerilee winced. She knew Trixie wasn’t exactly popular in Canterlot and this wasn’t going to win her any new friends. There were also those weird rumors around the city about Trixie being a mass murdering psychopath.

“Guys. He’s waking up.” Raindrops interrupted.

Night Light’s eyes opened with a panicked expression on his face not sure where he was at the moment. His eyes darted around until they set on the princess and glared at her. The princess glared back at him with a cool expression.

Cheerilee brightened. This would be a good time to gather information and learned what the hay had happened. A voice in her head reminded her that she might be able to learn about any co-conspirators he might have. Trixie’s paranoid rambles echoed in her head accusing her Duke of being behind everything. Cheerilee shook her head. No, that was just silly. Though, it was possible Archduke Fisher might have some connection to Night Light.

“Viceroy Night Light,” Cheerilee said bowing her head in respect, "I…"

“Former Viceroy.” Night Light bit back. Cheerilee took a step back not expecting the level of venom in his voice.

“Night Light.” Cheerilee tried again still trying to stay respectful. “What happened here?”

“What do you think?” Night Light growled. “Your idiot student finally got the better of me.” He glared at Princess Luna.

“Is it true that a White Ranger helped fight you?” Cheerilee asked trying to be patient.

“Truly Miss Cheerilee?” Princess Luna perked up at this.

Night Light cackled at this. He coughed a few times, but he continued with the unnerving laugh. “Oh yes. It was the only reason I lost. Do you really think that moron could ever defeat me? My daughter has become a mighty warrior.”

Cheerilee gapped. “Twilight?”

“Explain.” Princess Luna said coolly.

“I don’t know myself.” Night Light said. “I tried to sacrifice Trixie’s soul so my daughter could have her powers, but somehow she branched out to develop her own powers. Not quite what I intended, but it worked out how I wanted in the end.” He cackled again.

“What?” Cheerilee could not believe he just said that. Did he just freely admit to using dark magic in front of the princess? She could see Raindrops growling under her breath. It looked like the mare wanted to pounce on the former noble right now. She pawed at the ground in irritation. Cheerilee had to put a hoof on her shoulder to calm her.

“And why not admit to everything now?” Night Light said reading her thoughts. “I’m doomed, anyway. I’m proud of what I did. I gave Twilight the future she deserves.”

Still, Twilight a Ranger. That was incredible. Cheerilee smiled. She would like to have that filly on their team. At least something is going their way.

“Fascinating.” Princess Luna said tapping her chin. “The Elements do work in mysterious ways.”

“If that is the case tell me,” Cheerilee said, “who else helped in this plan to frame Trixie and ruin our lives?”

Cheerilee recoiled in horror and revulsion when Night Light spit in her face. “Don’t expect me to do anything to help that buffoon.” He snapped. “I would rather die than lift a hoof to help her.”

“Well…” Cheerilee said startled and wiped the spit off her face with a hoof. Raindrops stepped in front of her protectively glare death at the former noble. She looked about ready to cave his face in, advanced age or not.

Night Light raised his head haughtily and smirked. “I am not some weak old foal you can push around.”

“So, it would seem,” Cheerilee grumbled.

“No doubt my daughter will see for herself what a worthless excuse of a pony your leader is and…” Night Light’s voice just stopped. His mouth moved, but no sound came out of it.

“That is enough out of you Night Light.” Princess Luna said her horn glowing. “You’ve said more than enough.”

Cheerilee thanked the princess under her breath. Why did she ever think it was a good idea to talk that guy?

Night Light glared at Princess Luna, but she ignored him. “I will learn what I can from him. You two still have work to do. I have a feeling this night will not be an uneventful one. Knowing my student, she will not rest or leave a stone unturned until she finds her friend’s killer.”

Cheerilee sighed. She knew all too well how relentless Trixie could be and would probably end up destroying half of Canterlot before this was all over. She just hoped she could find Trixie this time before things started exploding. Worse, Cheerilee also still had no clue where Ditzy and Lyra were.

Cheerilee thanked the princess and left the park with Raindrops and sighed. She had a feeling this would be a long night.

Trixie was thankful when she found Lyra snoring in a gutter not far from where she last saw her after that big exchange of super attacks. She looked peaceful wrapped in newspaper like a blanket. Trixie shook her awake and after a few moments Lyra relented and got herself up.

"Bons." Lyra mumbled, "I'm tired. Can't you give me at least five more minutes?" Trixie could see that she Lyra’s mane had become disheveled, and it had leaves, twigs, and other junk tangled within it.

It took a few moments, but Lyra absorbed her surrounds and was wide awake. “Trixie! You’re okay! What happened? Where is Night Light?”

Trixie beamed. “We did it! He’s beaten.”

Lyra stared back wide eyed. “Really?”

“All thanks to our newest member!” Trixie said. “Twilight.”

Twilight rubbed her neck in embarrassment. “Well, kinda. Trixie did most of the fighting.”

Trixie spent the next few minutes explaining what happened. Lyra listened amazed. Despite how tired she looked, Lyra looked energized.

“Welcome to the team!” said Lyra giving Twilight an impromptu hug. “It’s nice to have you, Twilight!”

Twilight gave a small smile and was a little taken aback, she wasn’t expecting such a warm welcome. Trixie wondered if Twilight was a little apprehensive because of what happened a few weeks ago. Corvus’s rampage was still a heavy weight on Twilight’s mind. Twilight seemed unsure how the Ranger’s would accept a former enemy in their ranks. Trixie chuckled to herself. If the other Rangers could accept her of all ponies, they could accept Twilight no problem.

“Okay, so what now?” Lyra asked.

“Now, we find out what exactly happened to Pokey when he visited here.” Trixie proclaimed.

“How do we do that?” Lyra wondered then brightened. “Wait, wasn’t Ditzy and that detective looking around for clues? Maybe they found something!”

Trixie thought about it and nodded. “Good idea. You ask them if they found anything and report back to us.” She didn’t want to show her face to anypony especially a detective. Getting herself arrested on the spot didn’t seem like a good idea.

As they traveled through Canterlot, Trixie was sure to keep in the shadows and avoid being seen as Lyra walked. Twilight used her teleportation to hide on the rooftops. Trixie took advantage of every dark spot she could find moving like a ninja with the skill and grace of a cat. It didn’t take then long to find Ditzy and Detective Whatshisname. Ditzy waved as Lyra approached.

“There you are!” Ditzy said as she approached. “You won’t believe the crazy day I’ve been having!”

“What happened?” Lyra asked tilting her head. Trixie snorted in derision not believing it for a moment.

“All sorts of things happened.” Ditzy opened her mouth to explain, but stopped when she looked in Trixie's direction. “Hey, Trixie! I was so worried about you! I'm glad to see that you’re okay!”

Trixie jumped in surprise and hit the top of the cart she was hiding under. She rubbed her head and climbed out.

“How did you find me?” Trixie asked puzzled.

Ditzy laughed. “Oh, that’s easy Trixie. Your colors don’t exactly hide you very well.”

Trixie looked down at her azure coat and pale blue mane and grumbled in annoyance. “Whatever. I’m saying this now, I’m not letting myself get arrested, and that is that!” She declared.

“I didn’t think you would.” The detective said in a dry tone and sighed. “Might as well let you join the investigation. That way you won’t disappear again and cause trouble.”

Trixie didn’t like the comment, but she decided to let it slide. "Fine. Alright, Ditzy what happened?"

“Did you know that Canterlot has crystal mines under the city?” Ditzy asked.

Trixie nodded. “Sure, why?” It wasn’t that big of a secret. Princess Luna sometimes brought her down there to train.

“Well, evil shapeshifting bug ponies were using them to sneak into the city!” Ditzy declared.

“What.”

“It turns out that they were kidnapping ponies to replace them with impostors so they could take over the city and eventually all of Equestria!” Ditzy explained.

The detective pony nodded. “Damn things have been sneaking under our noses for months. Replaced almost 50 ponies before we caught them. We found the ponies they kidnapped in these crazy cocoon things.”

“What.”

“And I had a huge epic fight with their queen!” Ditzy continued. “She was pretty tough. I almost bit it, but Sleuth’s creative innovation with a skateboard and some duct tape saved the day!”

Sleuth laughed. “Hey, I can’t let you hero types do all the work.”

“What.”

“Oh, and um, she ran off and swore revenge when we beat her. So, watch out for that.” Ditzy laughed. “But hey, what else is new right? Unfortunately, because of that, we weren't able to do much investigating.”

“Okay,” Trixie said still baffled how all that happened in what had to have been only about an hour or so.

“Oh! But we did discover something.” Ditzy said and both Trixie and Lyra perked up at this.

“Pokey was definitely seen in the city about an hour before he was killed,” Ditzy explained. “Nowhere near enough time for him to get on a train and travel to Ponyville.”

“And?” Trixie said eager for more.

“That’s about it.” Ditzy finished.

“What?!”

“Well, it isn’t like we had much time to investigate as I said!” Ditzy said a bit defensive.

“You’re forgetting something I think.” The detective pointed out.

“Oh right!” Ditzy brightened. “A strange light shot into the sky about the time Pokey was murdered.”

“What do you mean?” Lyra asked puzzled.

“We don't really know much more than that,” Ditzy said, “but we do know it was a distinctive gold color.”

Trixie lighted up in understanding. “That’s the color of Pokey’s magic!” She said excited.

Ditzy nodded. “We’re still not exactly sure where it came from though.”

Trixie’s mind raced. Why did her assistant shot magic into the air before he died? To signal for help maybe? If they could pinpoint where that beam came from, finding where Pokey was murdered would be a snap!

“I’ve got an idea!” Twilight said teleporting in startling Trixie and almost giving her a heart attack.

“Oh, hi Twilight!” Ditzy said nonplussed by Twilight unexpected arrival.

“I see!” Lyra said enthusiastic. “You have some amazing spell that can detect where somepony has died!”

“Uh, no,” Twilight said shaking her head.

Sleuth snorted. “If a spell like that existed, don’t you think the Force would use it all the time?”

“Oh,” Lyra said dejected, “I guess that makes sense.”

“My idea was to use this!” Twilight pulled out a spray bottle out of her saddlebags. “C8H7N3O2! Luminol!”

“What now?” Lyra asked confused.

Ditzy lit up in understanding. “I see! That’s a great idea!”

“I like your thinking,” Trixie said. The luminol would find any traces of blood and it was dark enough that those traces should glow in the dark. With luck, they might find the place Pokey was stabbed. “But do you have enough?”

“Oh course!” Twilight said nodding. “I have plenty of it in my lab.”

“A little unorthodox, but it’s a good plan.” Sleuth said.

“Uh, guys.” Lyra butted in. “What exactly is C9T whatever?”

“Does anypony have a map of the city?” Twilight asked.

“Here.” Sleuth pulled out a scroll out of the pocket of his coat and rolled it open on the street. It had a detailed map of all the streets in Canterlot.

“Let’s see, the beam showed up right around here.” Ditzy pointed on the map to a block of streets. “I wasn’t able to get an exact location, but it should be around there.”

“That’s not so bad.” Trixie tapped her chin with a hoof. “We should each take a street and alleyway and see what we can find. Remember spray everywhere. Even if the killer cleaned up, I doubt it was a perfect job with so many ponies around. You might be able to find some blood on a trashcan or something like that.” Ditzy, Sleuth, and Twilight nodded in agreement.

“Guys really, what are you talking about?” Lyra complained. Nopony took much attention to her too excited by this new lead.

Trixie assigned everypony a row of streets to investigate. With the five of them, it seemed to Trixie that it wouldn’t take long to investigate. With a few teleports, Twilight got enough luminol for everypony. They soon left all on their separate ways.

“Guys! What does this chemical do?” Lyra yelled as everypony left. Nopony seemed to hear her. She threw up her legs in frustration. “Fine! I’ll figure it out on my own!”

Trixie hummed to herself as she sprayed the walls and streets around her. It was a jaunty tune she had heard a lot over the last few months that was getting popular amongst the younger ponies. She couldn’t remember the name of the song, but the artist was one even she had heard of. Countess Coloratura was the bomb and Trixie mimicked her dance moves as a way to keep herself entertained. Spraying everywhere was a more tedious task than Trixie expected and any distraction from the soul-crushing monotony was welcome. Still, she had to check every nook and cranny regardless of how tedious it was. The killer had to make a mistake somewhere and Trixie was determined to find it. She just wished it involved less tedium.

“Gah!” A pony cried out and Trixie looked up to see who it was. In her distraction, Trixie had accidentally sprayed a pony in the face.

“I am so sorry!” Trixie apologized turning scarlet.

“Well, I never.” The victim was an olive colored mare with a purple mane and she stuck her nose up at Trixie and trotted away at a huff. The stallion that was with her did the same.

“Canterlot ponies.” Trixie rolled her eyes and continued her work.

Trixie growled in frustration as she found another alley clean. Her instincts told her she was on the right track so why was it so hard to find it? Five streets and still nothing. She prayed that her friends had better luck than her. Two more streets went by and so far, still no reaction from the chemical. She turned to move on to the next street when something caught her eye. It was a manhole whose lid wasn’t put back on properly.

“I wonder.” Trixie sprayed around the manhole and recoiled in shock and amazement when she found a trail of blue light. This meant the luminol was reacting to blood! She didn't hesitate to spray at the trail and sure enough, there was more of a reaction. It seemed that she found a large trail of blood that had been cleaned up. The trail led her to an alleyway and eventually to a large glowing pool. This must be where Pokey was stabbed. It must be! There was also blood on one of the walls nearby. Was Pokey thrown against it when he was attacked? After some more intense spraying, she found some bloody hoofprints as well. It must be when Pokey was kicked in the knife wound. She recoiled in disgust and horror at the thought. So much blood. Poor Pokey. Nopony deserved this happening to them.

“So, it seems that after Pokey was attacked, he was dragged into a nearby manhole so his body could be disposed of somewhere else.” Trixie pondered. She trotted back to the manhole and with some effort lifted it off. The smell was horrible as she imagined it to be. She just knew that exploring the sewers would be inevitable. The glamor of a hero's life.

Trixie turned to leave she felt a sharp blow to the back of the head. She collapsed to the ground in pain. There was a wetness on her head and Trixie had trouble fighting unconsciousness. She looked up and found exactly who she thought she would.

“Notary.” Trixie ground out. “The killer always returns to the scene the crime. I knew it was you all along.”

Notary stared down at her with a flat emotionless face like attacking and killing a pony was not much different to her than taking out the trash or doing the laundry. Much Trixie’s surprise, another pony was with her. Vinyl Scratch stood next to Notary with an apprehensive look on her face. Trixie screamed as Notary kicked her in the head again and the whole world went black.

Chapter 24

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 24
by Rixizu

Cheerilee grumbled to herself. How was it they still were unable to find Trixie or the others? You would think it would be a simple process, but so far neither her nor Raindrops had found any trace of any of their friends. Right now they were downtown in a seeder and more downtrodden part of Canterlot. It shared some of the beauty that famous capital held, but it was more unkempt and dirtier. Not nearly enough effort was made to keep this part of the city clean. It was also more crowded. Ponies packed the streets going on their business. Cheerilee could see some drunken ponies stumbling out of bars without a care in the world. Cheerilee had hoped that maybe Trixie found herself tempted for a drink and stopped by one of the bars since she knew how much her friend loved alcohol particularly bourbon. Unfortunately, Trixie had been responsible for once and hadn’t visited any of the bars.

Cheerilee kept her ears open to the conversations anyway to see if she could learn anything. Many ponies were talking about the fight in the Canterlot Central Park. Most… weren’t happy about it. They complained about Trixie bring a fight to Canterlot and causing such senseless destruction. They wondered why Luna’s student couldn’t just keep her fighting to that hick town Ponyville. Nopony cared what happens to that town. Cheerilee growled under her breath. Didn’t these ponies understand the sacrifices that Trixie had made for them? Ungrateful.

Cheerilee tried to ignore the grumbling about Trixie, but it gave her an idea. Maybe she could convince the Princess to give them an award ceremony for their bravery. That might boost poor Trixie's reputation. Maybe then they could see Trixie for who she really is. It baffled Cheerilee how little the citizens of Canterlot understood Luna’s student.

“Scared the heck out of me it did.” A patron said as Cheerilee passed through one of Canterlot’s more crowded bars. “There she was covered head to hooves in blood!” Cheerilee did a start. What did he just say? She swiveled her ears in that direction to hear whatever the pony was talking about. Raindrops seemed to have heard it too and took a less subtle approach and just turned her head in that direction.

“I can’t tell you how terrified everypony was when the princess’s student walked out of her house not only covered in blood but holding the corpse of a pony! It looked like she had torn his throat out with her bare teeth! You could see the blood dripping from her maw,” said a unicorn stallion to two mares in one of the bar’s booths. They gasped in horror as he spoke. “It took 15 police ponies to finally take her down! She fought like a rabid animal! Can you believe a maniac like that is out on the loose? What were the police thinking letting a pony like that slip through their hooves?”

Cheerilee’s jaw dropped. What the hay was this pony babbling on about? She shook her head in bewilderment.

“How terrifying!” One of the mares said.

“I don’t think I will be able to sleep at night.” The other mare said shivering. “Not with a nutcase like Lulamoon out there!”

“Don’t worry.” The stallion boosted pounding his chest with a hoof. “I’ll protect you. Big bad Trixie won’t come anywhere near you with me around!” Both mares seemed relieved after he said this.

“You lie.” Raindrops said in a low voice that was almost a growl.

“What did you say?” The stallion said in surprise. His eyes widened when Raindrop made her way towards his booth with a scowl on her face.

“You lie.” Raindrops said again glaring at the stallion.

“No, I’m not.” The stallion said chuckling nervously. Raindrops wasn’t a small mare. Bigger than most other mares and with her muscular figure, she was an imposing pony especially when she was glaring daggers at you. The stallion was tiny compared to her and backed away when Raindrops loomed even closer. “I saw it myself! I was there in Ponyville when Trixie was arrested.”

“You’re lying.” Raindrops repeated. She grabbed the stallion by the throat. He yelped in surprise when she lifted him in the air by one hoof. “Why are you saying these things?”

The stallion grunted in pain. “How you would know?”

“I was there.” Raindrops said in a low dangerous voice. She tightened her grip. “That’s my friend you are talking about.”

“Hey!” The barkeep yelled. “No fighting! If you want to start trouble, take it outside.” Raindrops nodded and walked out of the bar with the stallion still hanging in the air by one hoof. The two mares he was sitting with gapped as their friend was removed from the premises.

"Don't believe everything you hear," Cheerilee said to them and hurried outside.

The stallion grunted in pain when Raindrops threw him against an alleyway wall. Raindrops loomed over him glaring at him with a cold stare.

“Raindrops, is this really necessary?” Cheerilee asked. She knew where her friend was coming from and didn’t like what he was telling ponies any more than Raindrops did, but this seemed like a bit much.

“Somepony has been spreading bad rumors about Trixie.” Raindrops explained. “I think somepony is doing it on purpose.”

That made sense. These rumors about Trixie seemed too outlandish for them to be natural. Cheerilee turned towards the stallion who was getting back on his hooves. “Is this true? Have you been spreading these false rumors on purpose?”

“I don’t have to tell you dames anything!” The stallion declared. He pulled out a knife, cracked his neck in a circular motion, and smirked. “You’ve messed with the wrong pony.”

Raindrops responded by pulling the knife out of the stallion’s hooves, bending it in half, and tossing it aside. The stallion froze in horror eyes as wide as saucers.

“Are you spreading these rumors on purpose?” Cheerilee repeated. Raindrops smacked her hooves together and looked ready to smack him around a little. The stallion eyed both of them with a nervous glance.

“I- yes!” The stallion blurted. “I was paid by somepony to smear Lulamoon name! Admittedly, I may been a little too enthusiastic with the rumor spreading but It was just a job! It wasn’t my idea! Really!”

“Who?” Cheerilee asked in a cold voice.

“G-Greengrass!” The stallion stuttered.

“What,” Cheerilee’s voice froze to sub zero temperatures.

“He uses me all the time to spread rumors about his rivals. Just a job as I said!” The stallion said. “No big deal, right? It’s Greengrass you want!”

“You’re lying.” Cheerilee retorted. “Why would he do that?”

“It’s the truth, really!” The stallion responded. “Can I go now?”

Cheerilee trotted up to the stallion and punched the wall next to the stallion. He shrieked and shrunk at her glare. Her punch left a large crack in the wall.

“You better not be lying,” Cheerilee said barely containing her fury.

“No! No! No!” The stallion pleaded. “It’s all true!”

“It better be. For your sake, I better not find you spreading any more rumors about Trixie or anypony else ever again.” Cheerilee said. “If not, I will find you and end you.” She made it clear just how serious she was by punching an even larger crack in the wall by his head again.

The stallion shrieked again and ran out of the alley. Raindrops eyed her with a shocked expression. She had never seen this side of Cheerilee before.

“Come on,” Cheerilee said as she walked past Raindrops. “We are going to pay Greengrass a visit.” For the Duke’s sake, that stallion better be wrong.

Trixie groaned. What happened to her? It felt like she had a piano dropped on her head. Worse, something was covering her head coating the world in complete blackness. She tried to move but something restrained her making movement impossible at the moment. Trixie surmised she could escape whatever was holding her with little difficulty but only after the pain in her head receded. It made thinking difficult.

“Ah, so you are awake then.” A voice said. “Good.”

The world was enveloped in light making Trixie wince. After a few moments, her eyes adjusted to the light and Trixie wasn’t surprised at who was greeting her.

"Greengrass," Trixie growled. It appeared she was in a small stone room. Looking down, it looked like she was tied to a chair. Easy enough to slip out of, but the presence of Notary made her wait on her escape plan for the moment. There was another pony in the room as well. She was a portly old unicorn mare with an orange mane and a bright azure blue coat. The mare had thick red spectacles and reminded Trixie of your typical aunt figure. Her cutie mark was an outline of a pony’s head with a question mark over it.

“Hello, Miss Lulamoon.” Greengrass did a gracious bow. “I’m sorry we had to meet in such dreadful conditions.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Right. Of course. You’ve been such a gracious host.” She noticed something. Somepony should be here. Vinyl was nowhere in sight.

“Where is Vinyl?” Trixie asked.

Greengrass smiled. “Oh her? She’s off doing some errands. Nothing for you to worry about.”

Crap. Trixie cursed. Greengrass probably had her out to do something nefarious like taking out her friends or destroying the evidence she found earlier. She needed to get to them. It was time to keep him talking while she worked on her bonds.

“So, what now?” Trixie said and flipped her mane with a turn of her head. “Is this the part where you gloat before you kill me. I know too much after all.”

“No.” Greengrass shook his head. “Enough ponies have died already.” He gave Notary a glare and much to Trixie’s amazement, despite keeping the usual expressionless face, the secretary shifted on her hooves.

“Really?” Trixie asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, really," Greengrass confirmed, "I never wanted Pokey dead. Notary acted on her own when she killed him." He gave Notary another glare.

Greengrass sighed. “She thought framing you for murder might be an easier way for me to be rid of you. Dear Notary always tries too hard.” Notary’s face didn’t change, but could Trixie detect shame from her?

“So, what are you going to do to me?” Trixie asked. The fact that Notary acted on her own was surprising, but that could wait for later.

Greengrass smiled. “A simple plan really. Mind Mender over here will erase and alter your memories.”

“What?” Trixie said wide eyed.

Mind Mender gave Trixie a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry dearie. I promise it won’t hurt. It’s a simple process.” Dear Luna, she even sounded like someponies aunt.

"It's well known you hate me," Greengrass said, “It won't surprise anypony if you were found in my mansion attacking me believing I was the one behind your woes.”

“Even if I was found innocent of Pokey's murder, attacking a noble is a serious offense,” Trixie said bitterly, “Princess Luna would probably be forced to banish me.”

“I don’t think she would banish you too far away, but it would at least keep you out of way.” Greengrass smiled. “Don’t worry, I promise that I will make sure the charges and punishment against you are lenient.”

“Leaving you free to usurp Princess Luna and take over Equestria and declare yourself emperor or whatever, right?” Trixie mocked.

"No," Greengrass said flatly.

“No?” Trixie repeated.

"Believe it or not Lulamoon, but I too want what's best for Equestria," Greengrass said, "I don't always agree with the princess and we have had our arguments, but I respect her. I’ve never wanted to rule Equestria.”

“Really?” Trixie raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yes, really," Greengrass replied annoyed.

“So, if we want the same thing, why are even fighting?” Trixie asked.

"Simple," Greengrass replied, "I just don't like you."

“So, you do hate me.” Trixie declared. “Just as I thought!”

"No, I don't hate anypony really," Greengrass said in a calm voice.

“But?” Trixie asked baffled.

"Hate blinds a pony and impedes judgment," Greengrass replied, "I'm doing this because you are an incompetent bumbler with more muscle than sense. True, you are a mighty warrior and I will never discount your accomplishments, but with my Night Court Rangers have made you unnecessary. Equestria’s safety will be in the hooves of ponies that know what they are doing.”

“Really?” Trixie said in a tight voice. “And what exactly have I done that has made me unworthy of being a Ranger? Well? I bet you can’t even answer that one!”

“On the top of my head,” Greengrass said, “about a half an hour ago against Night Light.”

“What.”

“Because of your carelessness, Canterlot Central Park was devastated. The best and most tranquil park in Canterlot and a personal favorite for walking and quiet contemplation.” Greengrass explained.

"That wasn't my fault!" Trixie glared at the Duke.

“You had Twilight Sparkle with you,” Greengrass said. “Why didn't you have her teleport the three of you to a place where the least amount of damage could be done? Or, lure him away to someplace else so a priceless park wouldn’t be damaged?”

Trixie opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. Okay, maybe she could have done that. But it wasn’t like the former viceroy gave her much time to consider something like that.

"Have you seen the Ponyville damage reports?" Greengrass asked. “It's staggering. Trixie, you are too careless and you do nothing to mitigate damage. You could have saved thousands of bits if you actually thought first before doing something.”

“And I’m supposed to leave Equestria to you nutcases?” Trixie smirked. “We can’t forget about Night Light’s little rampage. Oh, and his morpher got destroyed so you’re down a pony Greengrass.”

“Indeed,” Greengrass said, “a tiny setback, but a welcome one. Letting the former Viceroy become a Ranger was a mistake. Remember, there are still other undiscovered Planetary Gems. Replacing Night Light won’t be too difficult.”

Greengrass smiled. "In fact, I plan on bringing the other Galaxy Rangers in the fold."

“What? But?”

“Not you of course, but I think I could get the others to work.” Greengrass nodded. “After Fisher awoke, he did nothing but praise your friend Carrot Top. He demanded that she should join us saying she is the type of protector Equestria needs. So, no need to worry about your friends anymore.”

"Great," Trixie said sourly.

Greengrass clapped his hooves together. “Mind Mender, please take care of our guest.”

“Yes, sir.” Mind Mender nodded and her horn lit up. Trixie instantly tensed up as the horn moved closer. Mind Mender gave Trixie a warm reassuring smile and patted Trixie’s hoof. “Don’t worry love. It isn’t going to hurt. I’ve done this a hundred times. You are going to be just fine.”

"Wonderful," Trixie said her voice constricting in her throat. The old mare's horn touched the top of Trixie's head and a sharp pain went through her head making everything go white.

There it was, Greengrass’s mansion. Cheerilee had to admit that the Duke had style. Greengrass had described it to her multiple time, but his description paled compared to the real thing. It was a large manor that reminded a pony of a castle. The manor was made of brick with a grey thatched roof. It had a tower on its right that rose high above the building that appeared to have a bell in it. The grounds were almost completely surrounded by trees and there was multitude of flowers of every color imaginable in beautifully designed patterns. There was a small lake with actually fish swimming through it. Even the usually stoic Raindrops found it impressive. Cheerilee ignored her surroundings and stomped up to the front gate.

“Excuse me, mam.” A guard at the front said. “This is private property. Do you have an appointment?” He pulled out a clipboard and looked through it.

“I'm seeing the Duke," Cheerilee said forcefully, "now."

“Now see here.” The flummoxed guard replied.

Cheerilee got into the guard’s face. “Now.” She repeated in a hard voice and made it clear just how serious she was.

“I-I see.” The guard said with tension “I’ll show you to him right away!”

"Good," Cheerilee said in a clipped tone. The guard motioned to a fellow to open the gate. The large gate creaked as it opened. Cheerilee jumped with a start when something exploded in the distance. It sounded like something was twisting and rending and there was a crash.

“What the hey?” The startled guard said.

“It’s morphing time!” Cheerilee thrust out her morpher. “Libra.”

“It’s morphing time!” Raindrops followed her lead. “Hercules.”

Cheerilee jumped over the gate in a single leap and Raindrops followed close behind leaving startled and confused guards. The two Rangers dashed through the courtyard scanning for any trouble.

What the hay is it? Cheerilee wondered. A monster perhaps?

“Greengrass!” A familiar voice yelled. “I’m coming for you!”

Cheerilee came to a stop and gaped. There was Trixie transformed in the middle of the destroyed gate. Guards watched her stunned.

“Oh hi, Cheerilee. And Raindrops too!” Trixie said happily after unmorphing. Raindrops and Cheerilee soon did the same.

“Trixie, what the hay are you doing?” Cheerilee ground out. What the heck was that mare up to now?

“I’ve come to put an end to the Duke’s evil once and for all!” Trixie declared.

“What?” Cheerilee replied baffled.

“For I know for sure he is the mastermind behind all our troubles!” Trixie explained. “But no more!”

“And how did you plan on doing that?” Cheerilee asked not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"Oh, that's easy," Trixie said, "I'll beat Greengrass and search through his house. No doubt he has some evidence declaring his guilt!"

“Like what?” Raindrops asked cocking her head.

Trixie looked like she was about to say something, but stopped. "I'm not sure. But surely he has some papers lying around explaining his evil plans!"

Cheerilee facehoofed. “Trixie, this isn’t some foal’s cartoon. Would somepony like Greengrass would just leave evidence around declaring his guilt?”

“Um, maybe?” Trixie said hesitantly.

“And smashing the gate and breaking into his house like this really the best way to find evidence?” Cheerilee asked. You would think she would have tried sneaking in first.

“I suppose in retrospect maybe it wasn’t such a good idea.” Trixie again sounded unsure of herself.

“Are you alright Trixie?” Raindrops asked sounding worried. “You aren’t sounding like yourself.”

"I'm perfectly fine," Trixie said with forced confidence.

“Trixie, where are Twilight, Lyra, and Ditzy?” Cheerilee asked.

“I left them behind to look for evidence while I took on Greengrass!” Trixie proclaimed.

“Why?” Raindrops asked. “Are you hurt from your fight with Night Light? Why didn’t you bring at least one other Ranger with you?”

Trixie opened her mouth to reply, but stopped and gave an unsure look. “I… not sure. It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

What the hay is going on? Cheerilee wondered. Trixie is acting really strange. Not like herself at all.

“Not my gate!” Duke Greengrass stepped out of his manor with Notary following behind him and he eyed the destroyed gate. Everypony turned to look at him. Trixie smirked and Raindrops glared daggers at him. Notary stared at the group impassive as ever.

“Miss Cheerilee and Raindrops.” Greengrass gave a gracious bow. “And Lulamoon too. Fancy meeting you here.”

“There you are!” Trixie said. “I’m here to put an end to your scheming and evil once and for all!”

Greengrass raised an eyebrow. “My evil? Whatever do you mean?”

“Don’t lie! I know you are the one behind my friend’s troubles. You planned everything to ruin our lives, and I bet you are the one that killed Pokey!” Trixie accused.

"Really," Greengrass said in a dry tone, "you have proof of this?"

“Not yet," Trixie admitted. “But…”

“Miss Cheerilee, could you please keep your friend under control?” Greengrass said turning towards Cheerilee. “I don’t appreciate her wild accusations or the destruction of my gate.”

Cheerilee was about to berate Trixie but stopped herself. Thoughts of what that stallion said about Greengrass hiring him to spread false rumors about Trixie went through her mind. Could she really trust Greengrass? What if everything they had together had just been a careful manipulation? Still, she would not accuse anypony with proper evidence.

"Trixie," Cheerilee asked, "what makes you think Greengrass killed Pokey?"

Trixie snorted. “Who else could it be?”

Greengrass sighed and shook his head. “Miss Cheerilee, this is the problem of being a noble. Everypony always assumes the worst about you.” Trixie gave a dismissive snort when he said that.

“Enough talk!” Trixie proclaimed. “Let’s kick this guy’s flank!”

Cheerilee looked at Trixie aghast. “What are you…”

“Even if he didn't kill Pokey, he's still evil and planning something,” Trixie said, “he's probably trying to take over the world! I will feel a lot safer with one less Psycho Ranger around.”

Greengrass looked aghast. “Miss Cheerilee, Raindrops, you will not let that mad mare do this, right?”

"Trixie," Cheerilee said in a tone she used when disciplining her students and showed the level of her disappointment. It broke most fillies and colts instantly.

“B-but.” Trixie wavered and looked down ashamed. “Okay, I’ll stop.” She mumbled to herself about not knowing why she was doing this in the first place.

"That was easier than I thought it would be," Greengrass commented looking a little surprised.

“But I not going with this jerk!” Trixie declared pointing at Greengrass with defiance. “I am not stopping until I find Pokey’s killer!”

"I'm afraid I can't allow that," Greengrass said rubbing the back of his neck. Notary stepped forward expressionless, but there was a threat in her posture. "We can't have her run wild again. Right, Cheerilee?”

Cheerilee was at a loss. True, Trixie had caused a huge headache and should be put into custody, but hoofing her over felt like a betrayal. She didn’t want to choose between Trixie and her sort of coltfriend.

Raindrops seemed to have no such mental conflict and got in front of Trixie. “No.”

"Raindrops," Cheerilee said tentatively. From the look in Raindrops's eyes, the pegasus wouldn't back down.

“No.” Raindrop reaffirmed. “We can’t let them have her.”

"Cheerilee, we have to stop her," Greengrass said gently, "even if she didn't kill Pokey, she still a criminal. She broke out of jail, tried to attack me, and damaged my property. That isn't counting all the other crimes she committed to her quest for justice. She has to put into control. Let the police handle Pokey’s murder.”

Cheerilee’s mind raced. That creep from the bar words raced through her mind again. Could she really trust Greengrass? Trixie broke the law. Shouldn’t she be brought to justice? She envied Raindrops. That mare didn’t have to think about this. She just trusted Trixie. Trust. It was true that Cheerilee had only known Trixie for a few short months, but they were friends and comrades. Why couldn’t she have the blind faith that the rest of her friends seem to have? Cheerilee cursed her weakness.

Some friend I am. Cheerilee thought. She looked at Trixie and made a decision. It was the only one she could make.

"No, I can't give her over to you," Cheerilee said in a resolute voice, "she is my friend and leader and I trust her. I can't abandon her. If she falls, so do I.”

“Well said.” A loud laugh startled the group, except Notary of course. Archduke Fisher approached the group and clapped entering the courtyard. He had a wide grin on his face.

“What now Greengrass?” Fisher challenged. “Are you going to act like a real stallion and get off your flank and actually fight, or are you going to have your secretary do all your dirty work?”

Greengrass gave Fisher a sour look. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

Fisher laughed. “And miss this? Never.”

Fisher started stretching. “So, it seems this will come to blows after all. I am interested if these two and that buffoon Trixie can measure up to their friend Carrot Top.” He gave a wide smirk and looked ready for a fight.

"Join me if you want to Greengrass," Fisher said pulling out his morpher. Cheerilee noticed that it has deep crack throughout it. "I'm starting the fun without you."

“It’s morphing time! Mars!”

Chapter 25

"Fisher, wait!" Greengrass pleaded, but the Archduke ignored him and trotted towards Trixie.

You want a fight? Fine! Trixie thought.

“It’s morphing time! Ursa.” Trixie summoned her weapon and watched Fisher carefully and kept what else was happening in the corner of her eye. Raindrops and Notary were staring each other down both holding their morphers waiting for the other to make the first move. Cheerilee was glaring at Greengrass but decided to stand her ground for the moment.

"It seems the mare's on to you, Greengrass." Fisher laughed again. "She knows you seduced her so you could break her apart from her friends.”

What? What the heck was Fisher doing? Wasn’t he on Greengrass’s side? Cheerilee glared at Greengrass murder in her eyes. She pulled out her morpher.

“It’s morphing time! Libra.” Cheerilee took a threatening step towards Greengrass who looked a bit nervous despite his attempts to stay calm.

“Really, none of this is necessary," said Greengrass trying to diffuse the situation, "and that accusation is completely ridiculous.” Even through Cheerilee’s armor, Trixie could tell that the mare didn’t buy that one even a little.

Fisher laughed. “What? And ruin this perfect stage I created?”

“What?” Trixie asked. What was the Archduke’s game? Something wasn’t adding up. Why was he trying to escalate the situation?

"I worked hard to get us to this point," Fisher explained. Trixie stared at him baffled.

“Fisher," Greengrass growled. Trixie could not believe her eyes. Greengrass was actually angry.

"Explain," Trixie said with an edge to her voice.

"I was the one who proposed the idea of the Night Court Rangers in the first place," Fisher said, "I needed to create the perfect opponents for the Galaxy Rangers. I am quite happy with how things have turned out. Everything came along better than expected."

“For what? So, you could have a big brawl to relive the glory days of your youth?” Greengrass asked glaring daggers at Fisher.

Fisher snorted. “Hardy.”

“Wait wait.” Trixie interrupted. “Are you trying to say that you don’t want to replace us?”

“No, you were granted the powers of the Elements of Harmony. Why would I ever want to rid the world of that power? You have infinite potential after all. Our power is a drop in the bucket compared to that.” Fisher confirmed. “Think of it as a test to see if you worthy of the powers the Elements gave you.To do that.” Fisher continued. “I had to create challenges for each of you. To test your loyalty and resolve. I had to see if you really deserved to be the Galaxy Rangers and to push you past the breaking point. To see if you could overcome overwhelming odds. To make you more powerful. After all, only through pain and strife can one become strong. Unfortunately, though I had tests ready for Raindrops, Lyra, and Ditzy, I was never able to enact them. I think this turned out well enough despite that though. Night Light and Greengrass have been excellent antagonists for you. Especially Night Light, even I didn’t think he would go that far in his vendetta against you.”

Trixie laughed. “Are you trying to tell me you have been manipulating Duke Greengrass of all ponies? Likely story.” Night Light, maybe, but Greengrass was infamous for being an expert chestmaster of ponies.

“As usual, you put too much stock in Greengrass’s abilities.” Fisher shook his head. “He isn’t omnipotent. He also has a fatal flaw, he’s too sure of himself. Act a little dim and he thinks you the perfect pawn to play.”

Trixie’s jaw dropped. Fisher was playing Greengrass the entire time? It couldn’t be. Trixie cursed. Like with Night Light, Trixie had far too focused on Greengrass and complete ignored Fisher. Greengrass looked furious and his hoof shook in pent up fury.

“I get it.” Greengrass bit out. “Not only do you get to test the Galaxy Ranger, but get rid of two longtime and dangerous rivals.”

Fisher laughed. “You know me well. I never liked the two of you. You’re a disgrace to the Night Court. It’s better off without you.”

Trixie fumed. Because of this pony, she and her friends went through Hades and back. Not only that, she lost her horn, Pokey was murdered, and he has the nerve to laugh about it? Who was he to say if she was worthy of her powers or not? Trixie ground her teeth and summoned her sword. She would not let him get away with this. Raindrops and Cheerilee seemed about just about as angry as she was.

“Galaxy Rangers vs The Night Court Rangers.” Fisher seemed to beam behind his armor. “I wonder who will win?”

Fisher pressed a button on his morpher and summoned his hammer facing Trixie directly now. “Show me Trixie Lulamoon. Show me you are worthy of the Element of Magic and my respect.” He charged directly at Trixie.

Greengrass cursed. How could he fail to see Fisher's true intentions? He never counted on the Archduke purposely ruining their plan. Now Cheerilee was stalking towards him with the obvious intention of hurting him. Greengrass tried to hide his nervousness for he had never been in a fight in his life. If what Cheerilee said about her past was true, then he was well out of his league skill wise.

No, I can do this. Greengrass thought. I have the power advantage.

“It’s morphing time.” Greengrass trust his morpher forward. “Earth.”

He still wasn’t sure why exactly Cheerilee was so angry with him or why she so readily believed Fisher's words over his. No matter. He would knock her out for a short time and maybe then she would be more open to reason.

Greengrass summoned his spear. In a blur of motion, he rushed forward and thrust his weapon at Cheerilee’s chest. Cheerilee dodged the attack to the right with little difficulty and grabbed his spear with a hoof. She used the other hoof to punch him in the face and he recoiled in pain. Greengrass unintendedly let go of his spear and his opponent tore it from his hooves. He screamed in pain when Cheerilee batted him in the head with the end of his spear. She flipped it around intending to cleave him into two with his own weapon.

Greengrass jumped back and unsummoned his weapon when it was only a few inches from his chest. He sighed in relief, but Cheerilee didn't stop there. She dove at him with a punch. Greengrass dodged, and they exchanged blows. Greengrass tried to use his speed and strength advantage, but somehow Cheerilee predicted his every moment and attack. He winced in pain as every punch and kick he threw at her ended with him getting hit. Greengrass jumped away from Cheerilee panting after receiving a blow in the chin that would have broken his skull if it wasn’t for his armor.

How could this be happening? He was the power of the Earth itself. Their difference in skill shouldn’t be this bad. Greengrass resummoned his spear. He would not play around anymore.

“Gaia’s Wrath.” A jaw of a fanged beast made of stone of rock and dirt erupted from the ground. It was in the shape of a giant snake and it charged right at Cheerilee. She tried to run, but it was too fast even for her. She surprised Greengrass by turning around and jumping right into the maw of the beast. She summoned her own weapon, a whip made of chain. The beast tried to devour her and she unleashed an attack of her own.

“Solar Sting!” Cheerilee whipped at Greengrass’s Gaia’s Wrath her whip shining and burning with the intensity of a flaring star. His snake was obliterated, exploding into a million pieces most of its remains were either melted or burned away. She landed weapon at the ready, the remnants of Greengrass ultimate attack falling around her like ash.

Greengrass stared stunned. He couldn’t win. Greengrass’s mind flashbacked to the reports of what happened to Night Light after he lost. No! He couldn’t let that happen to him. So Greengrass did the logical thing, he ran.

“Hey!” Cheerilee ran after him in hot pursuit. Notary tried to intervene, but Raindrops jumped in front of her stopping her. They both morphed at the same time and started fighting. Greengrass was soon too far away to learn what happened next, but he had faith Notary would be fine.

Greengrass picked up the pace to lose her. He ran so hard that the pavement under him cracked with each step. Despite this hard pace, Cheerilee didn’t relent or slow down even a little. Greengrass cursed. Cheerilee was gaining on him. Greengrass tried to use his knowledge of Canterlot to lose her but failed to shake her off. She somehow knew the town better than he did. He made a right turn, but it only drove him into a dead end. Cheerilee had him cornered. She summoned her whip.

"It's over," Cheerilee said, "unmorph and give up."

Greengrass was about to say something when pink energy bolts rained on Cheerilee who jumped out of the way to safety. A pink figure holding a crossbow jumped down from a rooftop and took a protective stance in front of Greengrass.

“Back off.” Vinyl said her voice turning icy. Greengrass sighed in relief. He could always count on her.

Vinyl turned her head towards the opening past Cheerilee she created. “I’ll take care of this old hag.”

Greengrass paused. Should he really leave Vinyl to fight alone? He trusted Vinyl and her fighting ability. Vinyl was no stranger to combat despite her disability and often helped the bouncers at her club deal with tough cases.

Vinyl pushed him towards the exit thrusting him out of his musings. “I said get going Greens. Your safety is the important thing here.”

Vinyl laughed. "Besides, you're no fighter. Leave this to the meatheads. You would only get in my way.” Greengrass gave a hesitant nod and made his way past Cheerilee.

"I'll deal with you later," Cheerilee promised eying him but let him pass.

Greengrass heard their fighting as he ran from the scene, He closed his eyes and prayed to Luna that Vinyl would be okay. He couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to her.

She’s a big girl. Greengrass thought trying to reassure himself. She will be just fine.

---

Coward. Cheerilee thought. He didn’t even attempt to fight her. What type of stallion runs at the first sign when things go bad? Even if it turns out he wasn’t seducing her to break up the Galaxy Rangers, she sure as heck would never take him back now. She wanted nothing to do with cowardly weasels like him. Cheerilee turned and eyed the pony that rescued him.

“Why are you even helping him?” Cheerilee asked. “He’s just using you.”

Vinyl shrugged. “I don’t expect you to understand. So, what if I’m his tool? I can live with that.”
Vinyl pointed her crossbows at Cheerilee. “I owe him a debt that can never be replayed.”

Cheerilee smirked. “It wasn’t very smart shooing Greengrass away like that. You might have lost your only chance of winning.”

Vinyl chuckled. “Is that what you think? I wasn’t lying about him getting in my way.”

In a blur, Vinyl disappeared. Cheerilee took a startled step back. Her eyes darted back and forth, but she couldn't find the Pink Ranger anywhere.

“You see.” Vinyl continued causing Cheerilee to start. Somehow the Pink Ranger had gotten behind her without even making sound and had her crossbow at the back of Cheerilee’s head. “Unlike Greens, I’ve actually been training in my powers.” Vinyl fired at point blank and Cheerilee screamed in pain as the attack threw her into a building.

Greengrass unmorphed and caught his breath as he made his way into the Ministry of War. His unexpected arrival started the guards, but they said nothing and let him pass. Greengrass put back on the air of supreme confidence and entered the science lab. It was empty because of the late hour, but he suspected the pony he was looking for was working late. Sure enough, he found her in her office, but strangely it looked like she was expecting him.

“Solitaire.” Greengrass did a gracious bow.

“Duke Greengrass.” Solitaire said without any pomp and circumstance.

"I have a question," Greengrass said, "is there a way to separate a pony from one of the Planetary Gems.”

Solitaire raised an eyebrow. “And why would you ever want to do that? I thought you wanted this power.”

Greengrass's mind flashbacked to the reports of what happened to Night Light and he did an involuntary shudder. “I have discovered that they have a dangerous side effect when destroyed.”

“No.” Solitaire said simply.

“No?” Greengrass asked. “There has to be some way to separate a pony from them.”

"Sorry Duke, but there isn't." Solitaire explained. "Once the gem chose you and you morphed, your fate was sealed. It becomes part of your soul. It can’t be separated without dire consequences to the host.”

Greengrass visibly drooped. He was afraid of this. Sure, he didn’t actually need to use his morpher, but it would be a constant reminder of his failure and cowardice. Why did he run? He should have fought. He scowled, he hated being reminded of his weaknesses.

Solitaire seemed amused by his torment. "What? You didn’t think that there would be a cost? Power has a price, Duke. Maybe you should have thought of that earlier."

Greengrass glared at Solitaire. Her eyes were mocking. Superior even. He didn’t like this one bit. He would not be looked down on by anypony. “You’ve had your entertainment. Get out. You do not want to provoke me even further.”

Solitaire didn’t seem to hear him and continued. “Even I never expected you to be this big of a disappointment. I never thought you would become a skilled warrior, but your fight against Cheerilee was laughable. And here you are hiding in a corner with your tail between your legs while Notary and Vinyl fight for their lives for you. Pitiful.”

Greengrass was about to bite back a remark but paused. Wait, how did she know about his fight with Cheerilee? And that Vinyl and Notary were in a fight? His fight with Cheerilee had to have been only 10 minutes at most ago. Teleportation? It would have taken a skilled teleporter, no a master teleporter to follow him at the speed he was running from his manor house. It would have also taken an enormous amount of energy, but Solitaire didn’t even look winded. And there was the mocking superior tone.

“How do you know about that? My manor house is at least 5 miles away from here.” Greengrass asked.

"I've been watching you all for some time now," Solitaire said instead, "you've created quite the entertaining show I must say. You pushed the Galaxy Rangers to the point of breaking, but they broke you instead. It never ceases to amaze how resilient Luna's student is. She just never knows when to give up." She said this in a way that showed she always all too familiar with how difficult Trixie could be to deal with.

Luna? The familiar tone Solitaire used towards the princess of the night confused him. Wait, a minute. Something was not right here. There was more to this mare than mere appearances. He was certain the mare wasn’t who she claimed she was. Greengrass thought through everything he knew about this mare. In an instant, everything clicked into place. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. No, it couldn’t be. But it made sense.

“You’re Corona, aren’t you?” Greengrass said in a breathy voice.

Solitaire held her head back and laughed. It was a loud and bellowing and it boomed through the empty lab. She burst into flames. Greengrass covered his eyes and backed away at the sudden and intense light and heat. She continued to laugh despite being on fire. Her voice changed. It became deeper and more melodic. The fire extinguished as suddenly as it appeared and left in Solitaire’s place was the Solar Tyrant herself.

“You did well to guess my identity, but it was a little too late I think.” Corona complimented.

No wonder she knew so much about the Elements of Harmony. Greengrass growled. Another pony that played him like a foal. Well, that was going to change.

“It’s morphing time. Earth.”

“I may have shamefully lost to Cheerilee as you said and ran when things look bad, but I have learned my lesson now.” Greengrass pressed a button on his morpher and summoned his spear. “Besides, I don’t think you are even half as powerful as Cheerilee was. If I bring you in, Princess Luna is sure to forgive just about anything.” He took up a battle pose.

“Stop.” It was a simple word, but it defeated him in an instant. A sharp wave a pain overcame Greengrass and much to his horror, his morpher broke to pieces. It fell to the ground and dissolved into dust. Greengrass collapsed to the ground and demorphed. All his strength left him. It was jarring losing so much of it at once. He felt so powerful before like nothing was beyond his hooves. His body aged before his eyes. He felt himself become weaker, he felt pain in his bones, and his eyesight became blurrier. It felt like the whole world was becoming more muted.

"Did you really think I would not put a failsafe in your morphers," Corona smirked, “you were never a threat to me.”

“No. No. No.” Greengrass said in a weak husky voice. It couldn’t end like this.

“I must thank you for the Planetary system, however," Corona said as she trotted towards the door, "I plan to put to good use, though I won't bother with the Planetary Gems. The power I desire far surpasses the might of a mere god.”

Chapter 27

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 27
by Rixizu

Ditzy followed behind Lyra as she huffed and hurried through Canterlot. Lyra hadn’t taken being left behind well. The fact it was for her own good only made it worse. She had taken Sleuth’s sudden departure for the battle scene as a personal insult. This somehow gave her renewed energy and filled her with the determination not to leave Trixie and Twilight to fight alone after all. Ditzy sighed. Lyra could be so prickly and stubborn sometimes. And so, Ditzy humored her and they traveled towards Greengrass’s manor together. She guessed that Lyra’s bow might come in use and things would be okay if she kept her distance.

They marched in silence as they traveled, they should be there in about ten minutes or so. Ditzy could have gotten there by herself sooner thanks to her wings, but she didn’t want to leave Lyra behind. Ditzy’s ears perked up. She thought she heard, yes, she could hear another fight, and it wasn’t coming from Greengrass’s manor.

“Lyra.” Ditzy’s words stopped Lyra cold.

“What?” Lyra asked annoyed.

Ditzy flew up into the air and looked around and gasped. She could see two figures in the distance one pink the other green fighting in the streets. Pink flashes from Vinyl’s crossbow lit up the night. It didn’t seem to be going well. Ditzy winced when Cheerilee tried to pounce with hoof raised for a strike only for Vinyl to dodge it with little effort and pepper the teacher with bolts. Vinyl was toying with Cheerilee.

Ditzy dropped to the ground frantic. “Cheerilee is in trouble.” She explained. “She’s fighting Vinyl Scratch right now and is losing badly.”

“What?!” Lyra exclaimed.

“We need to help her!” Ditzy said.

“But what about Trixie?!” Lyra said conflicted.

"Trixie will be fine." Ditzy soothed. "Twilight is there and those two make a smashing team." So smashing, that she wondered if there might be something between those two. Thinking about it, they would make a cute couple. This was something she would have to look into that later.

Lyra closed her eyes for a moment to think about it. She opened them and sighed. “You’re right.” She smirked. “Besides, I have a score to settle with that DJ.”

Ditzy sighed again inwardly. Lyra and Vinyl had gotten themselves into a feud after the first few moments they met. Those two got along the same as oil and water. Well, whatever. She couldn’t worry about their petty swabbing right now.

“It’s morphing time!” Ditzy cried out. “Sagittarius!”

Lyra thrust her morpher forward too. “Cygnus!”

Ditzy rushed forward and found where Vinyl and Cheerilee were fighting. It was a lot around an abandoned steel mill. Which was good. This meant she didn’t have to hold anything back.

"Sweet!" Vinyl exclaimed as they entered the battle scene. "I was hoping making a little noise might attract some attention. This fight is about to get way more awesome."

“Ha!” Lyra said triumphant. “I knew you were evil all along!”

Vinyl shrugged. “Good. Evil. I don’t believe in such things. If life has taught me anything, that it is short.” Much to Ditzy’s surprise, Vinyl just vanished right in front of them. She looked around cursing unable to find the slippery DJ. A voice behind her made her jump.

“So why not have as much fun as possible? Can you keep up with Mercury’s speed?” Vinyl continued. Ditzy responded by summoning her bo staff and swinging it around towards the voice. It hit dead air. Lyra tried and failed to shoot Vinyl, the DJ just moved in between them with little difficulty.

Vinyl looked Lyra up and down. “Why are you even here? You can barely stand. With that old fashioned thing of yours no less. You might as well throw pebbles at me.”

Vinyl was right. Lyra's movements were sluggish and didn't look steady on her hooves, but that didn't stop Lyra from shooting Vinyl out of spite. Vinyl in response ignored her and engaged Cheerilee who proved to be a more interesting opponent. Lyra looked about ready to smash her bow into the ground in frustration but restrained herself.

Ditzy gave Lyra a sympathetic look and jumped in to help Cheerilee. She tried to trip Vinyl with her bo staff in a low sweep, but Vinyl jumped over it and kick her in the face. Cheerilee used this as an opportunity to strike Vinyl in the head with a hoof, but in a blur, Vinyl moved her head to avoid it.

Vinyl jumped back between them and fired wildly at Cheerilee and Ditzy. Ditzy tried to avoid them and she used her staff to deflect them, but there were too many and she winced in pain cursing when one clipped her leg. As if her body wasn’t sore enough from her previous fight with the bug queen. Cheerilee used her whip to hit them out of the air and got out unscathed. Vinyl rushed Cheerilee with a fury of blow and she dropped to whip to protect herself and block the unexpected punches. The punches and kicks faded in and out of existence moving so fast that Ditzy couldn’t even see Vinyl’s hoof, but Cheerilee anticipated them and did well to block or dodge them. Cheerilee saw an opening and pretended to go into a punch only to switch into a knee into Vinyl’s face.

"Nice." Vinyl leaped into the air flipping over them shooting down in an arc. Ditzy moved in close to Cheerilee and the Green Ranger summoned her whip just in time to deflect the bolts.

When Vinyl landed, she launched herself right at Ditzy who did her best to block the onslaught of punches, but could not avoid being hit Vinyl hit several of her blind spots. Cheerilee struck Vinyl just when she tried to punch Ditzy in the ribs. Vinyl backed off and they recoiled in pain when she summoned her crossbow and shot them several times at close range. It dizzied Ditzy just how quickly Vinyl would switch between her crossbow and hooves. Ditzy didn’t like how Vinyl was keeping her off balance with her ever-changing tactics. Lyra tried to help, but Vinyl, despite pretending to ignore her, always kept an eye on her to avoid being blindsided by an arrow.

“Fine! Screw this!” Lyra yelled in frustration. “Time for Plan B.”

Plan B? Ditzy wondered. What is… Her thoughts were interrupted when Lyra pressed a button and vanished in a blurred flash. Vinyl stopped a kick at Cheerilee and watched Lyra disappear with bewilderment. Cheerilee took advantage of this with a punch to face. Hold on a second. She’s not going to… Oh, ponyfeathers! She is!

It didn’t take long for a blue gigantic figure to drop from the sky. It smashed into the steel mill crushing most of it. It blinded Ditzy with the dust from the crash. The figure spread its wings blowing away most of the dust. Lyra’s Zord was a graceful blue robotic swan. It was huge and it was easily the size of an entire building at least 80 to 100 hooves long. It looked down at Vinyl who started back dumbstruck.

Really Lyra? Ditzy fought the urge not to facehoof. This changed things to be sure. It was anypony’s guess what the heck would happen now. Lyra’s Zord’s eyes glowed blue energy and shot a beam of energy down directed at Vinyl.

"Oh, ponyfeathers!" Vinyl cursed. She tried to zip away, but she underestimated the destructive range of the beam and blown away from the impact of the blast crashing into the ground with a pained yelp. Ditzy was far enough away to avoid it, but it caught Cheerilee and she too had a painful meeting with the ground.

"Oops." An apologetic Lyra said over her Zord's speakers. "Sorry, Cheerilee."

"Thanks," Cheerilee grumbled, "why did you think it was a good idea to summon your Zord again?"

"Trust me," Lyra said with a confidence Ditzy didn't share.

The Cygnus Zord’s eye glowed again and Vinyl dodged it and the debris created by the beam. Vinyl summoned her crossbow and fired at Lyra’s Zord to no effect.

“What’s wrong?” Lyra mocked. “Aren’t you going to summon your Zord to fight mine? Wait, you don’t have one, do you? Ha! And you call yourself a Ranger!”

Vinyl cursed. “Don’t think this is over! I’ll beat that thing somehow!”

Vinyl disappeared and reappeared around the Zord looking for weak spots or an entrance. She stopped on the top of Cygnus’s head. Howling triumphantly, she smashed her hooves into what Ditzy guessed was a hatch. Ditzy flew up to stop her, but Lyra shook her Zord’s head in a jerky violent motion and Vinyl flew off. Vinyl fell to the ground with a painful thud and Cyrus shot a beam at Vinyl's prone form. Vinyl disappeared just in time to avoid it and jumped clear of the rubble and shockwave coming her way.

Ditzy sighed. She felt so helpless, and she was at a complete loss what to do now. She thought it would be best to just keep her distance. Cheerilee joined her a few blocks away.

“Poor Trixie.” Cheerilee lamented. “She will get blamed for this too.” She eyed the destruction Lyra’s Zord was creating.

“Yep.” Ditzy responded.

“As if she doesn’t have enough to worry about.” Cheerilee continued.

“Yep.” Ditzy responded again. Lyra changed to shooting short bursts at Vinyl who did her best to dodge. Lyra seemed to have good instincts where Vinyl was planning on moving, but Vinyl caught on to this and kept her movements erratic.

“So, do you think we should try to help her?” Cheerilee asked.

“Nope.”

Cheerilee sighed and sat down. Ditzy joined her. Not anything better to do at the moment.

Vinyl sporadic movements stopped, and she unleashed a bright white light from her horn making Ditzy winced. When the light dissipated, Cygnus looked around bewildered unable to find its opponent. Ditzy stood up concerned. She had a bad feeling, and she rushed towards the fight Cheerilee following confused.

“Hey!” Vinyl cried out causing Cygnus’s head to turn in that direction. Vinyl’s crossbow glowed in a torrent of pink energy and Ditzy cried out in warning too late and Vinyl unleashed her ultimate attack.

“Guide of the Fallen!” Vinyl shot a burst of pink energy right into one of Cygnus’s eyes causing the massive Zord to howl out an eerie mechanical scream and collapse to the ground with an earth-shaking thump. Vinyl fell to the ground breathing hard looking exhausted. It seemed she put everything in that one shot. She picked herself up a moment later and vanished into the hole in the Zord’s eye.

“Well, crap.” Ditzy flew forward toward the opening in Lyra’s Zord and landed in front of it. What remained of the eye was a scorching wreck. Sparks flew from various pieces of wiring. Inside was pitch blackness. Cheerilee came up behind her.

“I hope this thing will work later.” Cheerilee lamented observing the condition of the Zord around her. “It looks broken.”

Ditzy frowned. She had no idea. Their Zord usually fixed themselves and any damage was repaired somehow when they were sent back to their orbital station in space. Could this be fixed though? This might be too much to patch up this time.

“We’ll worry about that later.” Ditzy shook her head. Best to concern themselves with defeating Vinyl for now.

They entered. Vinyl’s attack had done a number to the insides of Lyra’s Zord. It seemed the shot went deep into the Zord’s head. Ditzy was sure the damage didn’t come close to the cockpit, but Ditzy couldn’t help but get a little worried. They soon found themselves in a metal corridor the same blue of Lyra’s armor. The corridor was long and contained many doors. It was not unlike the inside of her own Zord. She knew some of the doors had several sleeping quarters, supply rooms, or even a kitchen. There were even general-purpose rooms that ponies could use for entertainment or conversation. It was like this place was designed for deep space travel. It confused them why this was here or why anypony would even need them. Ditzy looked around and found a sign that pointed towards the cockpit. She pointed towards it and they went off in that direction.

Several corridors and a lift later, they found themselves on the floor of the cockpit. In the distance, there were sounds of fighting and yelling. They found Lyra and Vinyl pointing their weapons at each other in a corridor. Lyra tried and failed to hit Vinyl who avoided her arrows despite the confining corridor.

“Oh, there you are!” Vinyl said cheerfully. “I didn’t want to start this fight without you. Cool robot by the way.”

Ditzy did a brief glance of their surroundings. The corridor wasn’t big, and the ceiling was low so flying is impossible. Vinyl’s movements were restricted, but the three of them fighting together would be awkward. She stuck to her hooves. Her bo staff would only get in the way.

Ditzy made the first move and jabbed a punch at Vinyl’s face and moved into a quick sequence of jabs and kicks. Vinyl dodged all of them sometimes propelling herself off the wall to do it. Ditzy flinched at a sudden jab to the side of her head. Ditzy took advantage of this and grabbed Vinyl by the leg trying to throw her against the wall. It dented on the impact and Vinyl received an arrow to the chest from Lyra who saw an opening for attack. Vinyl burst through the wall into a large room full of machinery that Ditzy guessed was vital to the inner workings of Cygnus. Ditzy could not make any sense of the strange machines, gear, and computers. Ditzy hesitated. She didn’t want to damage Lyra’s Zord anymore than was necessary. From her friend’s body language, Ditzy could tell Lyra was having similar thoughts.

"It doesn't matter," Lyra said after a moment, "Vinyl needs to be defeated."

"Ok," Ditzy said with reluctance.

Cheerilee jumped in front of the whip in hoof. “Even so, we promise not to do too much damage.”

Vinyl in response clapped her hooves together in delight. Behind Vinyl’s mask, Ditzy could tell Vinyl had a wide grin.

“Is this just a game to you?” Lyra demanded.

"Sure," Vinyl responded with no hesitation, "why not?" Lyra growled in frustration and unleashed an arrow that was avoided with ease.

Ditzy was done. Playtime was over. She was tired of being toyed with. She summoned her staff and unleashed a volley of spinning blows on the other Pink Ranger. Vinyl dodged, but Ditzy pushed herself harder increasing her speed and determination. Her opponent was fast, but this didn’t deter Ditzy at all. She used her wings to hover in the air and increase her mobility since the room gave her plenty of space to fly around. Vinyl tried a swift jab, but Ditzy blocked it with one end of her staff and in a swift motion tripped Vinyl with the other end. Ditzy flew down trying to deliver a kick down at the fallen Ranger, Vinyl rolled out of the way and was back on her hooves in a moment. Ditzy used a complicated sequence of swings and twirls with her weapon staying unpredictable pushing forwards. Vinyl tried to use her speed to avoid them, but speed could only get her so far and Vinyl was tiring. Ditzy guess that big attack from earlier must have weakened her, and she was running out of stamina. A faint allowed Ditzy to catch Vinyl by surprise and Ditzy hit hard in the chest and the head. Vinyl grunted in pain and backed off.

“Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the best idea.” Vinyl summoned her crossbow and vanished.

Ditzy hovered in the air and closed her eyes and readied herself. Her special talent was detecting subdue air currents and she might be able to use that against the other Pink Ranger and sense her movements. Ditzy felt her move, but much to her surprise, Vinyl changed her attack towards Cheerilee who was watching the fight in silence. Cheerilee cried out in pain and alarm when Vinyl peppered her with bolts. Cheerilee stood up on unsteady hooves and seemed to glare at the DJ.

Vinyl shrugged. “You seemed bored.”

Ditzy turned towards Cheerilee who nodded and they both charged Vinyl at the same time. Cheerilee shot out a flurry of blows while Ditzy used her bo staff. Vinyl kept a step ahead, but Ditzy could tell the mare was slowing down. Ditzy deflected any bolts sent their way. Vinyl jumped over Ditzy’s attempt to sweep her hooves from under her and Cheerilee took advantage of this with several hoof strikes to the chest. Vinyl stumbled back grunting in pain. Ditzy and Cheerilee gave Vinyl no reprieve and pushed their advantage. Vinyl tried to get some distance, but Lyra blindsided her with an arrow. Cheerilee kicked Vinyl as she tried to get up able to predict where the DJ was trying to move with her super speed. Vinyl crashed into some machinery smashing it to pieces.

Lyra unleashed more arrows into the prone Vinyl and most hit despite Vinyl's attempts to avoid them. Vinyl panted with pained breaths on one knee.

“Damn, this is what I get for playing around.” Vinyl said between breaths. “Not much time left.” Ditzy could see that Vinyl’s morpher was developing cracks in it. She knew this fight was almost over with.

Vinyl growled. She stood up not ready to back down and vanished, but she didn’t attack Ditzy as expected. She appeared behind Lyra and picked her bow out of her hooves and smashed it across Lyra’s head. Lyra howled and fell to the ground and unmorphed not moving. Lyra’s bow vanished when her armor disappeared. Vinyl stepped over the unconscious Lyra and went into a battle stance facing Ditzy and Cheerilee.

“One. You’re next.” Vinyl promised.

Vinyl disappeared in a blur again. Ditzy readied her staff watching and waiting for her opponent’s next movement. In the corner of her eye, she saw a blur and struck out with her staff knocking Vinyl out of her super speed and crashing her into the ground. Ditzy tried to fly in for the killing blow, but Vinyl's horn lit up with light making Ditzy winced in pain which blinded her for a moment. Ditzy swung her staff despite being blind, but the second of hesitation was enough for Vinyl to escape.

Cheerilee gasped behind her and Ditzy turned to see Vinyl's crossbow pointed on the back of Cheerilee's neck. Cheerilee tried to turn about and back hoof Vinyl, but she was too slow.

“Guide of the Fallen!” The attack blasted Cheerilee towards the roof and crashed right into it. She created a deep dent and after a moment Cheerilee fell unceremoniously to the ground and unmorphed. Vinyl panted hard and stood on unsteady hooves.

“Two.” Vinyl breathed. She stumbled towards Ditzy. Ditzy readied her weapon and fought back her nervousness.

“You can’t have much energy left.” Ditzy pointed out.

Vinyl gave a small chuckle. “You’re right. But if I’m on my way out, it’s going to be like an explosion. Sure, it quickly dies out, but it leaves devastation in its wake.”

Vinyl seemed to brighten for a moment. “Pink vs Pink? This is an awesome way to end the fight!”

In an instant Vinyl blurred and disappeared and Ditzy closed her eyes and prepared herself for anything ready to sense the other mare with her special talent. She felt Vinyl’s approach and blocked a punch with her staff. Despite her attempts to keep up, she couldn’t stop every punch or kick sent her way. She reeled from a hard kick to the chest. Ditzy noted Vinyl was getting slower little by little, drained of so much energy, but she was still too fast and Ditzy fell to her knees after a barrage of punches. She gritted her teeth and stood up only to get knocked to the ground again after a faint that looked like a kick to her midsection. Vinyl summoned her crossbow and unleashed a volley of bolts into the prone Ditzy. Ditzy howled in pain and screamed after the next attack kicked her into a wall.

Get up. Ditzy screamed to herself. This isn’t over yet! She fought the urge to outright weep from the pain. It was hard, but Ditzy got back to her hooves, bo staff at the ready. Ditzy knew the fight was lost. Vinyl was still too powerful, but Ditzy refused to give up and called upon images of Dinky to gain strength. She closed her eyes and centered herself and emptied her mind to focus on only Vinyl’s next attack. She perceived Vinyl’s movement, but Ditzy wasn’t afraid. Ditzy was at peace and ready for whatever came next. Vinyl was moving around her in a confusing pattern. Ditzy couldn’t let herself get distracted by it. There.

Vinyl pointed her crossbow at Ditzy’s head from behind, but Ditzy was already moving. As Vinyl appeared behind her, Ditzy swung her staff and hit Vinyl square in the chest as Vinyl got ready to fire, but Ditzy wasn’t done.

“Gales of Destruction!”

The winds violently threw both Rangers around, and Ditzy howled when she impacted the ground almost blacking out from the impact and pain, but her attack had hit home. The tornado sucked Vinyl into itself and she flew towards the ceiling hitting it so hard it ruptured. Vinyl exploded and fell to the ground like a meteor creating a deep crater. Ditzy couldn't see Vinyl at the moment but heard the Mercury Ranger's morpher fall to the ground and crumbled into dust.

"Yes," Ditzy said weakly to herself. A victory dance would be nice, but she felt too tired at the moment. She unmorphed and just laid there on the ground. She was fighting a losing fight with her drooping eyelids. Ditzy gave in a found herself in a deep sleep.

Chapter 28

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 28
by Rixizu

Trixie unmorphed and sat down on the ground. Her body throbbed like she had just been beaten with a mallet over and over again. She looked up and watched her friends' fight with Notary. She winced when Raindrops got backhooved. Notary was a machine. She kept coming and shrugged off any damage inflicted on her. Trixie was at a loss what to do and knew she would just get in the way. She brightened a little when Sleuth ran up to her.

"How are you feeling Lulamoon," Sleuth asked, "do you need a doctor?"

"I'm fine." Trixie waved a hoof in a dismissive gesture. She scrunched her face at the use of her last name but ignored it for the moment.

Sleuth eyed the unconscious Fisher. “He will need one though.” He tapped his chin. “Excuse me.” He ran towards the gate that Trixie broke earlier in her rampage and left the grounds.

Trixie winced when she saw the gate. Why the hay did she do that? A full-frontal assault was not like her at all. Why didn’t she sneak around and find clues? Why was she so determined to take down Greengrass? Her memory felt a little fuzzy. Something was not right with her. She remembered going off to examine those alleys to find clues about Pokey’s murder with her friends than nothing. It physically hurt to think about what happened afterward. Was her mind tampered with? It all clicked if that was true. This pain and fuzziness must be side effects of the spell. The victim wasn’t meant to dwell on the plot holes of their memories. Then, what could she trust? What else might have been tampered with? Was there anything left in her memory was still trustworthy? Her friends. She realized she did know one thing that wasn't tampered with. She was friends with the other Ranger and she was their leader and the Red Ursa Ranger! Good, that was a start. Finding solid concrete facts was a good idea.

Trixie smiled as Sleuth walked back towards her. “Hold on.” He said. “The paramedics will be here shortly.”

"I need to ask you something," Trixie stated and explained her problem. Sleuth nodded when she finished.

“Ah yes, good idea.” He said nodding. “I will be glad to help. I know how nasty and confusing memories spells can be. The damage won’t be as bad as you surmise. Don’t overthink it. If it was truly bad, you would be either insane or a vegetable. The more the mind is tampered with, the more damage is done to it. I think the alterations only affected subdue and specific memories. I have to warn you, they have a bad habit of attacking the mind when you try to recall something they want you to forget. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

"Ok," Trixie said hesitantly but also relieved at the same time.

Sleuth seemed to think for a moment. “Tell me, why did you think it was a good to attack Greengrass in a full-frontal assault?” He gave a wry smile.

"Well, um, I thought Greengrass murdered Pokey, and I wanted to bring him to justice," Trixie explained and saying it out loud made her realize just how dumb of a reason it was.

“How convenient for the Duke.” Sleuth muttered. “I’m guessing the moments after you left us to search for clues have disappeared?” Trixie nodded. “He must have flared your dislike of him and planted the idea in your head that he murdered Pierce. I doubt he altered more than that. We should have your mind scanned just in case. You never know. This is big if we can catch him red hooved on this. Mind alteration spells are a serious felony."

That was a good thought. Trixie realized something. She must have been really close to the truth of Pokey's murder for Greengrass to do something that desperate. Yes, that was it wasn't it? Greengrass wasn’t the murderer. She doubted a coward like him would ever get his own hooves dirty. Yet, he also wasn’t the type to have ponies killed.

No, don’t worry about that now. Trixie told herself. No speculations for the moment. Just review all the facts and that should lead to the culprit.

“What happened after I disappeared?” Trixie asked.” Did you find anything?”

“Yes and no.” Sleuth said. “We never actually found anything per se, but an exploded alley is a pretty clear indicator that there was something there to find.”

Trixie made a face. Great, still that does pretty much prove it was the scene of the attack. After that, the assailant moved the dying Pokey to that quarry, and he died of blood loss. One of her fruit knives was used to hide the real knife wound then hidden in a bush for the police to find. A chariot cloaked in an invisibility spell was used to move the body and a tarp was used to cover it. The killer wrote the message ‘Trixie’ to frame her making it seem like it was Pokey’s last words. She saw that there were several angles they could use to find and pin the real killer. Trixie growled.

“What is it?” Sleuth craned his head.

“I just realized that all the evidence used in the murder was probably destroyed. That alley was the only thing we had left!” Trixie almost all but spat. Sleuth gave out a small laugh.

“What?” Trixie glared at the detective.

"Calm down." Sleuth said. "Remember, no criminal is perfect. Often, they overlook something. Like say, they wipe an entire room but miss the fact they left their hoofprints on a door knob. Or, they turned on a lamp.”

“We both know Greengrass has some involvement with the murder.” Trixie almost threw up her hooves. Was he blind to the Duke’s cunning? “Even if he wasn’t the killer, there is no way he would leave any evidence that would point to one of his associates!”

Sleuth sighed and shook his head. “Nopony is omniscient. Even smart ponies make mistakes. Think about what I said about the lamp or door knob. You would be surprised just how many things we do without thinking. That is where the criminal often slips up. Nopony can think of everything.”

Trixie fought back her frustration and thought. Was it possible he might be right? Something just occurred to her. What about the time between Pokey’s stabbing and his arrival at the quarry? What happened then? Also, how did the killer move the body in the middle of Canterlot in the middle of the afternoon without anypony noticing? Trixie winced again and her head ached in a sudden burst of pain. Something about this subject had to do with her memory loss. How convenient for Greengrass. Though, she might be able to use it to her advantage. It would show her that she’s on the right track.

Whatever, she would worry about that another time. She needed to focus on the killer’s true identity. The rush of pain this time was almost overwhelming. It must be because she guessed the real killer before the spell. It has hard not to topple over from how much her head was throbbing. No, she refused to give up. If she could guess it before, nothing was stopping her from doing it again. What did she know about the killer? They were cold, ruthless and a quick thinker. Despite stabbing Pokey in an alley, they made no obvious mistakes. She remembered how the killer viciously attacked Pokey giving him no chance of escape even kicking him where they stabbed him several times to prevent him from doing anything. Heartless, just like… Trixie’s head felt on the verge of bursting and tear fell from her eyes.

“Lulamoon!” Sleuth said in alarm and concern.

“Notary!” Trixie bit out forcing the words. It came out in a dry rasp. She refused to let that memory spell win. Saying that single solitary word hurt, but her head felt better after the words were forced out. “Notary, it has to be her!”

Sleuth looked at her impressed and nodded. “She was my first suspect too. It fits. She doesn’t have a solid alibi during the time of the murder. The fact that somepony wants you to forget that is pretty damning though it doesn’t exactly count as admissible evidence.”

Something just occurred to Trixie. If it was Notary, how did she move Pokey’s body from the alley? Notary was not a large mare. It would be difficult for her to move Pokey’s large stallion form. Maybe it’s nothing. Earth ponies were surprisingly strong. Still, it bothered her and her instincts told her she was on the right path.

Trixie looked at Notary in her yellow armor. The mare was tanking Twilight’s shots like they were gnat bites and Twilight wasn’t able to teleport away in time to avoid Notary’s chakram in the chest. Notary walked up to Twilight and threw her across the grounds, the White Ranger landed with a painful thud making Trixie wince. Raindrops, in turn, punched Notary in the face, but the hit barely registered and she received a punch to the gut in response.

Trixie growled. She should be out there helping and she had to force herself to calm down. Even if she couldn’t fight, she could still solve Pokey’s murder.

“A real monster that one.” Sleuth commented. “Nothing seems to phase her. It is hard to believe a tiny mare like that could become such a terrifying juggernaut.”

Trixie’s eyes widened in sudden realization. Could that be it? Why not? It was so simple! Maybe a bit of a long shot and might not even work at all, but it was worth a try.

“Sleuth, do you have any of Twilight’s Luminol left?” Trixie asked.

Sleuth pulled a spray bottle of the chemical out of his trench coat and gave it over to Trixie. “You have an idea?” His eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“Raindrops!” Trixie threw the spray bottle to the Black Ranger. “Spray it on her!”

Raindrops grabbed the bottle out of the air and nodded and didn’t bother asking any questions. Notary responded by summoning her weapon and cutting the spray bottle in half its contents falling to the ground. Only for the liquid to stop in mid-fall illuminated by Twilight's magical aura. Twilight threw the chemical at Notary covering her with it.

Trixie gasped. She was right. Spots appeared on Notary’s armor glowed blue in the dark night and soft lamp light. It was shocking just how much covered her armor. There was a noticeable large glow on her left hoof. The blood stains even extended to her morpher.

Trixie pointed right at Notary staring her right in the visor. "Notary, you are Pokey’s killer!"

Much to Trixie's surprise, Notary's body slumped like it was drained of all its energy. Trixie thought it was over and Notary would give up, but the Yellow Ranger sprung to life a second later and darted right towards Trixie.

Oh crap! Trixie’s heart raced as she saw death coming right at her. She almost forgot about her powers for a moment.

“It’s morphing…” Trixie screamed when Notary threw her chakram right at her and she almost didn’t jump out of the way in time. Trixie fell to the ground with a painful thud. She looked up to see Notary looming right over her chakram raised to strike.

“Trixie!” Twilight teleported in time and blocked the attack with the broad end of her guns. “Get her out of here!” She ordered to Sleuth, and he nodded.

“Come on. It isn’t safe.” Sleuth grabbed Trixie by the hooves and pulled her up. She hated running away, but it wasn't the time to worry about pride.

Raindrops flew down next to Twilight and growled and gripped her axe hard. She swung her weapon right at Notary’s head almost toppling the mare to the ground. Raindrops followed up with a vicious kick that sent Notary reeling.

“You are not going to hurt Trixie, murderer!” Raindrops snarled with pent up fury. She unleashed a barrage of vicious looking swings of her axe. Notary tried to block the attacks with her own weapon, but she couldn’t handle the intensity of the blows and they threw her weapon from her hooves. Sparks flew as Raindrops hacked away and she moved in position for her super attack.

"Wave Cleaver!" A torrent of water formed around Raindrops's axe and she swung it down hard at Notary, only for the Yellow Ranger to catch Raindrops’s hoof stopping the blade inches from her face. They struggled with Raindrops putting everything into her push, but it wasn’t enough. Notary shoved the hoof back with almost casual ease.

"Raindrops!" Twilight rushed forward to aid her companion, but Notary in a sudden motion twisted Raindrops' axe towards Twilight hitting her square in the chest. She screamed and collapsed to the ground. The force of the wave created by Raindrops' axe creating a deep gash in the ground.

Raindrops stared at Twilight with obvious horror and Notary took advantage of this with a punch that sent her flying across the courtyard. Notary caught up with the recovering Raindrops and grabbed the mare by the head and slammed her into the ground again and again. It was a like an earthquake each time Notary hit Raindrops into the pavement. It created ever deepening cracks in the ground. Notary finished with one final smash and Raindrops fell to the ground and soon unmorphed.

"Raindrops," Trixie said in a wide-eyed whisper. Notary stepped over Raindrops fallen form and trotted towards Trixie.

Trixie cursed. She had no choice now but to fight. “It’s morphing time! Ursa!”

“Trixie, you can’t possibly…” Sleuth started to say, but Trixie interrupted him.

"I know," Trixie said solemnly, "get out of here."

Sleuth looked like he was about to say something, but changed his mind and nodded and ran off.

Trixie looked towards Twilight and sighed in relief. She looked a little shaky, but ready to fight. Trixie tried not to tremble as Notary walked right towards here. This mare was a monster, how could they even stop her? Trixie almost jumped as Twilight teleported next to her.

“Can you handle this?” Twilight asked in a whisper.

"Heck no," Trixie responded without hesitation.

"Oh, I was hoping you weren't going to say that," Twilight responded with some humor in her voice.

"I just realized something," Trixie said as a gut twisting thought came to her.

“What?”

“If we destroy her morpher, there's no evidence to clear me," Trixie said her heart starting to sink. Like this couldn't get even worse.

"We'll think of something," Twilight said trying to be reassuring.

Trixie responded with a sigh. Sometimes her life really really sucked hard. She perked up when she noticed something in the corner of her eye. Raindrops was smiling. She gave Trixie a nod and lowered her head pretending to be unconscious. That sneaky little filly. Trixie gave her own grim smile. They might still win this.

Twilight made the first move and teleported next to Notary and shot her at point blank range. Notary tried to retaliate with her chakram, but Twilight teleported away before it even got close. Twilight kept this up softening her opponent but never getting close enough to be in any danger. Trixie watched from a distance waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Notary changed tactics. When Twilight teleported after dodging a swipe from Notary’s chakram, Notary turned around and threw her weapon right at Trixie catching her target off guard. Twilight saw what was happening when she rematerialized and shot the projectile out of the air redirecting it so it only clipped Trixie in the head.

This provided a perfect distraction for Notary who charged and kick Twilight in the ribs. Twilight grunted in pain and Notary followed up with a punch in the neck. Twilight teleported away before Notary had the chance to follow up with anything else. This gave the secretary an opening right at Trixie who summoned her sword in time to deflect the chakram an inch from her face. Notary didn’t let up and kicked Trixie before she could respond. Trixie howled in pain and was powerless when Notary moved in for another attack. Much to Trixie relief, Twilight teleported protectively between them and glared down the Yellow Ranger. To Notary’s surprise, Twilight grabbed her and teleported them both away somewhere. Trixie couldn’t see them anywhere. It was the sound of battle on the other side of the mansion that keyed Trixie to where they were.

Trixie threw out a series of expletives. She was so useless right now. Twilight was smart to teleport Notary away like that. In the end, Trixie was just a distraction that only got in the way. The ground cracked when she punched in the ground in frustration.

“Wonderful, there goes that idea.” Raindrops said and gave self-deprecating snort. “So much for trying to be clever for once.”

“Can you still fight?” Trixie asked trotting up to her.

Raindrops nodded. “I can. She didn’t hurt me as much as I let on.” She morphed back to her armor a moment later.

Trixie’s mind raced. They still might pull this off. Notary doesn’t know Raindrops is still in the fight. That could mean something. What, she didn’t know. Raindrops looked at her expectantly.

"Well come on," Trixie said taking off towards the sound of fighting.

When Trixie peeked behind the side of the mansion, it was apparent that things weren’t going so hot for Twilight. She kept ahead of Notary with her teleporting, but Trixie knew that such a rapid-fire use of magic was draining her friend. She was using her teleporting less and less. Worse, Notary just kept coming and it seemed Twilight wasn’t able to do much damage to her.

Twilight danced around Notary keeping her distance at all times. Notary, on the other hoof, kept her moments minimal conserving her strength and only moved or attacked when she had a clear opportunity to strike back. Trixie winced when a sudden punch hit Twilight in her side and she spluttered in pain. She recovered fast from the hit and was soon on the move again. This wasn't working. If Trixie didn't do something fast, this would end badly for Twilight.

"Stay here," Trixie whispered to Raindrops.

“Hey!” Trixie yelled coming around the building and showing herself off to everypony in view. Notary turned and stared at her. She couldn’t see Twilight’s face, but Trixie could tell the mare was freaking out right now.

“What are you doing?” Raindrops hissed.

“Just wait here for the signal. I have an idea.” Trixie whispered back and started towards Twilight and Notary. Truthfully, she had no idea what she was doing, but when did she ever let that stop her?

Chapter 29

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 29
by Rixizu

“That’s right I’m talking to you!” Trixie yelled at Notary. “What? You thought you got rid of me that easily!” The Yellow Ranger stared at her unmoving.

“What the hay are you doing Trixie?” Twilight looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack. Her breathing was hard and ragged.

Trixie smirked. “Making my triumphant entrance so I can kick Notary’s flank!”

Twilight put her face in her hooves. “I can’t believe this.”

Trixie summoned her sword, pointed it at her foe, and raised her head in a haughty way. “Come at me, if you dare.” Notary continued to stare at Trixie. This blatant act of apparent stupidity was too much even for the unflappable Notary to take in.

Yes, that’s right. Think I’m stupid. Trixie thought, then she tilted her head considering the situation. Ok, think I’m stupider, she amended.

After a moment, Notary made her move. She charged right at Trixie with frightening single-minded determination. Trixie tensely gripped her sword but tried her best to appear calm even cocky.

Twilight teleported in front of Notary’s charge and unleashed everything she had on the mare. Notary ignored her and batted her aside with her chakram’s edge. Now nothing was between Notary and Trixie.

Darn it Twilight. You weren’t supposed to do that. Trixie thought. Oh well, maybe I can use this to my advantage.

Trixie made a taunting gesture with her sword and Notary obliged coming in from the right, her chakram aimed for Trixie’s midsection. Trixie blocked it and the force of the blow threw her aside. She landed on her hooves but Notary gave her no time to recover coming in from under Trixie’s right flank. Trixie shifted her body in time to dodge the attack. She blocked Notary’s next swing but kept her ground this time. Trixie winced in pain for the secretary was not holding back, but she could tell Notary didn’t seem to take her as much of a threat.

Trixie knew that there was no way she could keep this up for long, for only a few more seconds at most. She felt a twinge of regret she wasn’t able to fight Notary at full strength. It would have been a fun challenge.

What the heck are you thinking Trixie? She admonished herself. She killed Pokey! Get it together!

Trixie almost didn’t block Notary’s next attack and got a scratch on her leg for her trouble. Then she did something unexpected and desperate. She blocked Notary’s next attack and found herself face to face with Notary. Their weapons scraped together and Trixie did her best to interlock them as much as possible. She pressed a button on her morpher and smirked.

“Searing Blade!” Trixie thrust forward with all the power she has left. Notary’s chakram crumbled under Trixie’s sword and broke to pieces. Notary tried to jump back in time, but Trixie’s sword struck home and hit Notary right in the chest.

The most disturbing thing was that Notary didn’t scream or cry out in pain. No, she made no sound at all when Trixie’s blade hit her. She just collapsed to the ground where she laid motionless of the moment. Trixie felt faint and almost collapsed as well from exhaustion, it was like she had just pulled three all-nighters in a row. Unmorphing seemed like a guaranteed death sentence for the moment, so the Trixie gritted her teeth and did her best to ignore it. Notary recovered faster than Trixie expected and the Yellow Ranger was not pleased. Notary tried to summon her weapon, but it didn’t appear. Trixie couldn’t help a grin.

“Ha! Looks like I’ve disarmed you for good.” Trixie jeered. “It’s it about time you give up?”

“Please, let’s end this.” Twilight pleaded moving next to Trixie and lowering her guns to seem more non-threatening.

Trixie froze in shock when Notary unleashed a devastating kick at Twilight. She didn’t stop there and followed up with several more vicious blows before Twilight teleported away. The second Twilight disappeared, Notary made a beeline straight at Trixie who could only watch in horror unable to move or do much of anything. Notary crashed to the ground mid dash from Raindrops’s thrown axe.

“Sorry Trixie, but I couldn’t just stand around anymore waiting for your signal.” Raindrops flew down next to Trixie.

"Thanks," Trixie said.

Twilight teleported behind Notary ready to strike her with a kick, but Notary just grabbed Twilight by the leg and threw her right at a surprised Raindrops and Trixie. Trixie winced in pain as Twilight crashed into her. Raindrops had the presence of mind to jump out of the way in time. Twilight did her best to untangle herself from Trixie.

Raindrops moved in front of Notary, and the two circled each other. They charged at each other and exchanged blows. Without her weapon, Notary found Raindrops to be a more difficult opponent. She kept up and avoided most attacks thrown at her, but Raindrops’s axe scored lucky hits more than once. Notary refused to give in and actually took hits so she could return them back with twice the ferocity. Raindrops reeled after a devastating headbutt stunned her.

"Stay here and out of trouble," Twilight whispered and jumped into the fray apparently deciding not to teleport Trixie away this time to save energy.

“Yeah, I know. I’ll stay put, I guess.” Trixie grumbled. She watched her two friends engage Notary. Despite being pressed by two opponents, it only made Notary fight harder. She used the two Rangers against each other. She would position herself so Twilight had difficulty shooting without hitting Raindrops as well. Twilight’s lack of fighting experience worked against her. Something Trixie would be sure to rectify if they got out of this.

And Trixie just sat there watching this almost helpless. Her power and resolve were fading, but she refused to drop her armor. She couldn’t afford it and she would be a nice fleshy target for Notary full of red stuff she’d rather have remain in her body. So, despite the tremendous mental and physical effort, Trixie remained her armor for the time being.

Trixie winced after Twilight had a painful impact with the ground. She panted and she didn’t look in a hurry to get back in the fight. Thankfully, Raindrops kept going and punished any hit inflicted on her. Trixie wondered how long she could keep this up because Notary still showed no sign of slowing down.

“How do you do it?” Twilight asked drawing Trixie’s attention away from the fight.

“Uh, what?” Trixie hadn’t heard the question and eyed Twilight with curiosity.

“How do you keep fighting despite having no chance?” Twilight clarified. “You see a hopeless situation, and yet keep fighting and even win despite that.”

It was an odd thing at ask at a time like this, but Trixie just rolled with it and thought on this. She wasn’t really sure. It was just something she did. Maybe it was something she got from her grandfather, Quartermoon the Magnificent? He was an earth pony but was one of the greatest magicians that had ever lived despite facing ridicule from his so called superior unicorn rivals for not having a horn. Oh, how he showed them what true magic was. It wasn’t real magic that made a magician great, but style and determination.

"Well, I am a stage magician," Trixie explained, "I would hardly get anywhere if I backed down at the first jeering crowd. Being a performer requires nerves of steel.”

“And?” Twilight pressed.

“And what?” Trixie asked confused.

“I hoping for something moving and uplifting that would give me the courage to fight on.” Twilight explained exasperated.

“And that wasn’t it?”

"No," Twilight said flatly.

“Well, okay… don’t give up and fight on despite adversity?” Trixie tried and hoped that would be enough to push Twilight into action and win the fight.

“I was expecting something I wouldn’t find in a fortune cookie," Twilight said dryly.

Trixie tried and failed to not be offended by that last remark. "Just get in there," Trixie growled.

Twilight stood up and fired on Notary who was trying to strike Raindrops from behind. It didn’t seem to have much effect, but it slowed her down enough to allow Raindrops to dodge away in time. Raindrops gave a small nod of thanks and pressed her attack. She grunted in pain when she received a punch to the gut, but caught Notary off guard by grabbing the Yellow Ranger’s hoof. Raindrops held on tight immobilizing her opponent. Notary was about to respond with a beating with her other hoof, but Twilight took advantage of Notary’s temporary immobilization and fired on her again and again. Though the individual shots didn't do too much damage, Notary showed signs of pain from so many hits.

Notary surprised everypony by ripping Raindrops off the ground and tossing her across the courtyard with the leg her adversary tried to restrain. Twilight looked panicked for the moment as Notary came right towards her. Trixie wondered why Twilight didn't teleport away but realized she couldn't. If she did that, Notary would be free to target Trixie herself. Twilight tried to engage Notary hoof to hoof, but only got several kicks in the ribs for her trouble. Twilight screamed as Notary knocked her to the ground and stomped on her repeatedly. Raindrops tried to rush in to help, but Notary kicked the prone Twilight into her.

Raindrops recovered quickly and, with care, set her injured friend on the ground. Twilight didn’t unmorph, but it looked like she was out of the fight. Notary and Raindrops stared each other down. Raindrops summoned her axe and readied it. Neither said a word, and the silence dragged on for what seemed to Trixie like an eternity.

Raindrops went on the offensive first pushing every advantage she had to end the fight quickly. Each swing of her axe pushed Notary back. Raindrops fought so hard that Notary had almost no chance to launch a counter attack. Notary took a blow to the side of her head that caused her to stumble around dazed for a moment. Raindrops showed no mercy and hacked at her opponent over and over again delivering another serious blow to the head. Notary stumbled to her hooves and dived at Raindrops.

Raindrops dropped her weapon as Notary pushed her to the ground. They wrestled trying to pin the other to the ground, but that wasn’t Notary’s intention. Despite Raindrops’s considerable strength, she was unable to stop Notary from pushing her front legs apart into a painful unnatural angle. Raindrops screamed as Notary twisted her legs back and forth violently in jerky motions in odd angles. Angles a pony’s legs weren’t meant to go. Notary jerked Raindrops legs down into the ground and Raindrops howled in pain. Raindrops jumped back to avoid a blow to her shoulder, but the damage was done. Notary had down some serious damage to the muscles in Raindrops’s front legs.

Raindrops summoned her axe back, but the injuries to her legs made the swings sluggish and Notary made quick work of her opponent. Raindrops fell to the ground and unmorphed. Notary kicked her aside and Trixie winced at the sound of breaking bones.

“R-rain…” Trixie stuttered in disbelief. Thankfully, Raindrops appeared to be breathing. Trixie horror turned to rage and her vision went red.

"You... how dare... I'm going you I end you!" Trixie could barely speak straight such was her fury.

Trixie pushed herself to her hooves. This was done. She would make sure of that. Twilight yelped in surprise when Trixie yanked her up by one hoof.

"Summon your weapon," Trixie ordered, "this fight is done!" She summoned her sword and planted in the ground partly to hold herself up.

“What?” Twilight asked bewildered.

“You are not going to hurt any more of my friends Notary!” Trixie snarled.

“Trixie.” Twilight seemed lost for words. Notary stared at Trixie with what looked like apparent disbelief.

"We are going to smash her," Trixie promised, "we can do it if we combine our strength.” Twilight gave a reluctant nod.

Trixie channeled her anger into rock hard determination. At this point, she didn’t care if she shattered Notary’s morpher and ruined her chances of ever clearing her name. She didn’t care if this meant years behind bars or exile. All that mattered to Trixie was saving her friends. Tartarus would freeze over before she would let Notary even touch a hair on anypony else. She was about to feel the full force of Trixie’s power.

Trixie could feel Twilight’s fear and apprehension. She gave Twilight a reassuring pat on the back. “We can do this.” She promised. “Just believe.” Trixie’s words showed how much faith she had in her friend.

Twilight seemed to consider this and nodded. She steeled her resolved and straightened. “Let’s do this!” Trixie responded with a wolfish grin.

Notary continued to stare at them and Trixie glared back refusing to show any fear or hesitation. She gripped her sword tight ready for anything. Ready to end this fight. In a blink, Notary charged surprising them by jumping into the air and leaping over them. She landed in a crouch and sprang at them from behind with a punch at Twilight’s head. Trixie moved in a blur and blocked the punch with her sword. She could tell that the speed of her block caught Notary off guard. She swung her sword up and sparks flew from Notary’s hoof. Notary grabbed her injured appendage in obvious pain. Twilight unleashed both of her guns at Notary focusing on hitting one spot and Notary recoiled in pain. Notary wasn't able to shrug off her injuries this time.

Notary smashed a hoof into the ground in front of them creating a blinding cloud of dust and debris. Trixie didn't waver, and neither did Twilight. Both Rangers pushed a button on their morphers. Seconds passed, and they waited for Notary’s next move. They stood like statues and it seemed to Trixie that they didn’t even breathe. Notary appeared through the cloud above them planning to strike them from above. Trixie and Twilight moved as one body and mind as Notary came at them.

“Justice’s Cry!” Trixie and Twilight cried out in unison. Twilight’s guns fused with Trixie’s sword. The weapons flattened out and joined together with the blade of Trixie’s weapon to create a new longer sword. The new weapon radiated rainbow colored energy. Twilight and Trixie swung their new sword right at Notary’s extended hoof. A wave of rainbow energy overcame Notary like a torrent and the blast consumed her. At a blinding speed, Notary flew through the air before crashing into the ground. She kept going her momentum keeping her moving and bounced several times before coming to not so graceful stop. The damage to Greengrass’s garden looked considerable.

Much to Trixie's shock, Notary stood up on shaky hooves and limped towards them. It appeared that pig-headed stubbornness was the only thing keeping her going. She moved at an agonizingly slow pace and Trixie tensed. Notary made it a few yards before falling to the ground and unmorphing. The morpher didn’t break as Trixie feared as it rolled on the ground. The damage to it looked considerable though and most of its body contained cracks.

Trixie fell back and unmorphed. The fight finally over. She laughed but also felt tears fall down her cheeks. She wasn’t sure exactly what she was crying for she was just so overcome with emotion. Twilight hugged her and said something, but it came out muffled to Trixie's ears. She was so tired both physically and emotionally. It didn’t take long for the paramedics to arrive and they put Raindrops on a stretcher and into an ambulance which was a cart flown by two pegasi. Trixie and Twilight joined Raindrops on the vehicle, and they flew towards the nearest hospital. Trixie felt almost dead to the world at the moment but eyed her friend as the paramedics fused her over.

Sleuth put a hoof on Trixie’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. She’s in good hooves.” Trixie gave an almost imperceptible nod, but Sleuth seemed to read it just fine and smiled.

He pulled out a bag out of his trench coat and inside it was Notary’s morpher. “Notary is in custody. They arrested her soon after the ambulance arrived. You did some good work, Trixie. I wish it involved less property damage, but I'm not too broken up about what happened to Greengrass's manor.”

“Take good care of that will you.” Trixie rasped. “I’d hate to go through all this only for that to end up missing.”

“Don’t worry.” Sleuth said. “It is going right into the Princess’s hooves as soon as we get into the hospital. She’s already been informed of the situation and will meet you there.”

Trixie gave a faint smile and sat back and relaxed. Good. She wanted a meeting with the Princess, right after a ten-hour nap of course. There were so many things to discuss. One subject, in particular, was getting a statue made in Pokey’s honor. Trixie could picture it now. It could replace the destroyed statue of Luna in the Canterlot Central Park.

Chapter 30

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 30
by Rixizu

Duke Greengrass laid unmoving on the cold cement floor. He’d been awake for some time but chose to just stay there. He doubted he could move his aged body, anyway. What was the point after all? It seemed to him that all he had ever worked for had been taken from him. Even his hatred and disdain towards Trixie Lulamoon couldn’t get him going. He just knew that damnable mare had ruined everything and all his plans and schemes were laid bare for everypony to see. Even without Trixie, he knew Fisher undoubtedly had dirt that would ruin him. Despite everything, there wasn’t even anger. No, he felt numb and dead to the world.

Greengrass decided to just lay here and wait for the police to come. He, for once, wouldn’t fight. He closed his eyes and waited. Greengrass’s ears perked at the sound of a door opening. Finally, somepony had come.

“There you are!” An old mare’s voice proclaimed. It was eager and sounded familiar somehow. “Damn, seems they got you too.”

Greengrass opened his eyes and saw an elderly mare with a white coat and vibrant electric blue mane. She was grinning down at him. He noticed that one of her legs was prosthetic.

“Vinyl?” Greengrass declared in surprise and alarm.

“Greens, what the hay are doing on the floor?” Vinyl asked puzzled.

"Waiting for the inevitable," Greengrass said despondent.

“Hey, don’t be like that.” Vinyl admonished. “We can get past this!”

Greengrass blinked confused. How could this mare be so hopeful after losing everything? He saw her grinning not an ounce of energy lost despite all the years she had gained.

Greengrass sighed. He really should’ve seen this coming. “As usual, you astound me.”

“Hey, I’m not going to let something like this bring me down.” Vinyl pounded her chest.

“Apparently.”

Vinyl’s face became serious, and she looked down at him with love and genuine warmth. “Please don’t give up on me.” She said almost in a whisper. “You’re supposed to be the strong one. I’m just the dumb mare that parties a lot, you’re the one with ambition and fire! Without those, well, you aren’t Greengrass.”

Vinyl looked on the verge of tears, but she fought them back. “You’ve always given me strength. You took me in during a bad point in my life. You gave me hope and taught me not to give up despite the world crashing to pieces around me.” She shook her fake leg for emphasis. “Please don’t give up.”

Greengrass became overwhelmed with emotion. He laughed at himself for not realizing just how much this mare meant to him. How much they meant to each other. There was an unexpected warmth in his heart.

"Help me up," Greengrass asked and Vinyl obliged, pulling him to his hooves and supporting him with her body. He still felt unstable on his hooves. "You're right, of course. There must be a magical means to reverse this, and we will find it. After we find out what happened to Notary." He was already puzzling a way to disappear so that even the princess herself couldn't find them.

Vinyl broke out into a wide grin. “Sure thing, boss!”

Greengrass grinned back. No, he was not finished, not by a long shot.

Trixie moaned and grumbled as somepony shook her. Couldn’t they see she was trying to sleep? She tried to hold on to the last vestiges of sleep, but it was too late and Trixie begrudgingly got up. Trixie looked around confused. She appeared to be in some kind of lobby. There were rows of green love seats some with ponies in them waiting with either patience or concern. There was a nurse at a reception desk working on some paperwork with a pen in her mouth. Trixie didn’t have a clue why she was in a hospital and rubbed her face trying to push addled brain into remembering how she ended up here.

“Ah, good. You’re awake Lulamoon.” A voice said and Trixie recognized it as Sleuth’s. Trixie bolted up straight as everything came back to her.

Trixie looked Sleuth right in the eyes which took him aback with the intense glare she was giving him. “Is Raindrops okay?”

Sleuth nodded. “Yes, she’s a tough mare. She only suffered a few broken ribs. She’ll be in some pain for a few months, but she will recover without issue. Taking she doesn’t get into monster fights or duels with an insane alicorn in the meantime of course.”

Trixie sighed in relief. “How long was I out?” She still felt a little drowsy. It felt like she slept for a week.

“Only a few hours.” Sleuth responded. “You fell asleep on the ride to the hospital and we laid you here for now.”

“Is the princess here?” Trixie asked.

“Yes, and the rest of your friends too.” Sleuth confirmed. “They are visiting Raindrops right now. It seems your other friends had quite the adventure. Sorry, we didn't wake you sooner, but they thought it would be best for you to get some rest."

“Let’s go.” Trixie got up and stretched her stiff muscles. It seemed like she slept at an off angle.

The nurse nodded at them as they passed her and they walked through the white stark clean hallway with the scent of antiseptic floated in the air. The corridor was not unlike every other hospital corridor Trixie had ever been.

"I woke you because Princess Luna has to leave for some business and she wanted to talk to you before she left.” Sleuth explained.

Trixie nodded and after a few minutes, they entered a hospital room. What caught Trixie's attention first was Raindrops in a bed. She had bandages around her midsection and didn’t seem to be in that much pain, thank goodness. She was listening to an energetic story from Lyra. All of her other friends were also in the room, including Luna. It seemed comical to see, so many ponies crammed into such a small room. They turned and smiled as Trixie entered. Sleuth excused himself leaving them to their privacy.

Trixie yelped in surprise as Ditzy jumped at her and hugged her. The hug was a little painful. “How are you feeling Trixie?” Ditzy asked as Trixie tried to not to be ground to dust by the hug.

“Fine.” Trixie rasped. “A little tired, but fine.”

Ditzy let her go. “That’s a relief.”

"It is fine to see you well, my student," said Luna, smiling.

"Enough about me," Trixie said, waving a dismissive hoof, "how are you Raindrops?"

Raindrops gave a small smile. “I’ll live.” Trixie waited for more, but it appeared that was all Raindrops would say about the subject.

"Good," Trixie said after an awkward moment of silence.“I’m glad to everypony is okay."

"You will not believe what happened while you were fighting Notary," Ditzy said, "Lyra broke her Zord.”

“What?!”

“It’s not that bad!” Lyra said defensively. “It just needs some elbow grease!”

"It's lying in the factory district at the moment," Cheerilee explained, "we tried sending it back to its hub in space but it didn't work."

"I'm having some engineers looking at it," Luna said, "they are cautiously optimistic that they can get it up and running again."

“How the hay did that happen?” Trixie asked perplexed. Was there a giant monster attack, and she somehow didn’t notice?

"It was Vinyl," Ditzy explained, "she blasted it out of the air."

Trixie's jaw dropped. She wanted to probe for more details but waited instead. A certain worry nagged at her thoughts. “So, what happened to Greengrass?”

"Nopony knows," Luna said sighing, "both he and Vinyl vanished. I've had an APB sent out both of them, but they still have not been located."

Vanished? That’s not good. She hoped that they weren't hiding somewhere plotting revenge. Knowing him, however, he could just be hiding like the cowardly rat he was.

“Trixie.” Luna coughed to get her attention. “I know you are happy to see your friends safe and sound, but there is something I wish to discuss with you, alone.”

"Go on," Twilight said pointing towards the door, "You can't keep a princess waiting. You can talk on the roof."

"We will speak again Rangers," Luna promised. "For your efforts and bravery in your battle against Corona and the rogue Night Court members, you will be granted something that has been long overdue I think. Every member of the Galaxy Rangers, and yes that includes Twilight Sparkle, shall be given the title of ‘Dame'."

Trixie’s voice caught in her throat. Did she hear that right? No, it couldn’t be. Trixie’s heart felt like it would beat out of her chest. She looked at her mentor for confirmation, Luna nodded and smiled. Trixie jumped in the air and did a little dance. She didn’t care that she was half dead from exhaustion or how silly she looked at the moment. This was the best day of her life! No, the best day of anypony’s life in all of history!

The rest of the Rangers brighten and chatted amongst each other eagerly. They looked just as excited as Trixie and she grinned back at them like an idiot. All the Rangers were celebrating. All, except one.

“No.” Carrot Top growled.

Trixie blinked. “Excuse me.”

“No!” Carrot Trop repeated. “You can take that title and shove it up your flank!”

A stunned silence permeated the room. Everypony stared at Carrot Top in complete shock. The orange maned mare just stood there with a scowl on her face.

“You can’t possibly mean that.” Trixie threw out. There was no way this was true. Refusing a title of nobility from Princess Luna herself was just just crazy talk!

“It’s her fault we were in that mess in the first place. I lost almost everything because of her!” Carrot Top accused pointing a hoof at the princess. “Her incompetence and inability to control her own court bred those monsters that came after us!”

“That is not true!” Trixie shot back coming to her mentor’s defense. “They were the ones that did those evil things, not the princess.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Carrot Top seethed. “In my business, we deal with diseased crops quickly before they infect the rest of the crop and ruin the harvest. We just don’t ignore the problem hoping it will just go away and fix itself.”

Princess Luna did something Trixie was not expecting. She lowered her head in shame. “Your assessment is correct. I have failed to control the more unsavory parts of my court. Your anger is understandable for you have lost much, as have you Trixie. I share some of the blame for what happened. I promise and swear on the moon above and my title as Princess of Equestria that I will restore all you have lost Carrot Top.”

Carrot Top nodded and spit on her hoof and offered it to the princess much to Trixie’s horror and revulsion. Luna, for some reason, didn’t even flinch at this and spit on her own hoof. The two shook hooves and nodded. The agreement and conflict somehow resolved now.

"Come, Trixie," Luna said turning and exiting the door. "As I said before, my time is short."

“Look, I don’t know what came over her.” Trixie’s mouth moved at full speed as they entered the roof. “She’s not really been herself lately and…”

Luna laughed. “It’s quite alright. She has every reason to be angry. Truthfully, I needed that.”

Trixie blinked. “Really?”

"I need to have my butt kicked more often," Luna took on a wistful tone, "I wish more of my nobles were like her. Too many of them tell me what I want to hear. It’s refreshing to be the one scolded for once.”

"I suppose," Trixie said. Not once in Trixie's life had she ever seen somepony talk to the princess like that. She supposed being surrounded by yes ponies might cause some problems.

“I try to do my best to fight corruption, but I’m always afraid I’ll go too far.” Luna gave out a self-deprecating laugh.

“You mean… like her.” Trixie recalled the conversation they had. “Corona visited me in prison right after my arrest for Pokey’s death. Faustian offer at the lowest point of my life, that sort of thing. She had some… choice things to say about your administration.”

“I’m sure she did. Most of it was probably on the mark.” Luna shook her head. “She was always the better of us when dealing with nobles.You should have seen her, Trixie.” Luna had a distant look on her face. “She knew exactly how to make them do what she wanted. With a careful word and a smile, she had them eating out of her hooves. I always envied that about her. She always had a way with ponies," Luna and gave out a regretful sigh, "she had a magnetism that made ponies love her. Even now, they loved her back then more than they ever loved me.”

“Okay.” Trixie had enough of this self-pity nonsense. “That is not true whatsoever. You love your little ponies and they love you back. And that is that.”

Luna let out a sigh. “I know. It’s hard not to feel inferior to her sometimes. She was like the sun, spectacular, always out shining everypony.”

“Yeah, until she let that go to her head and she became an egotistical power crazed nutcase,” Trixie said dryly.

“I never said she was perfect. If she ruled in my stead, she would have her own issues.” Luna said. “She was just very good at what she did. I miss her. Equestria is incomplete without her. We were always so much better together than apart.”

“What?” Trixie asked. “Like a Super Equestria?”

Luna nodded with enthusiasm. “Exactly! Each princess covering the other’s weaknesses.”

“Uh huh.” Trixie doubted that Corona, the Tyrant Sun, would ever settle with being just a co-ruler. The Tyrant Sun wanted power pure and simple. She’d burn the world before accepting anything other than total domination.

"But enough about Corona," Luna said changing the subject, "We can talk about political theory another time. This chat was about you."

“I’m still going to be a dame, right?” Trixie gave the princess a hopeful almost desperate look.

"Yes, Trixie. I was never planning to take that honor away from you." Luna said exasperated.

“Yes!” Dame Trixie. She liked the way it flew off the tongue. It would be a nice start to her Night Court career. At this rate, she will be an Archduchess in no time!

“What I wanted to talk to you about is the fact you broke multiple laws in your quest to clear your name.” Luna admonished.

“I was doing it for the right reason!” Trixie shot back fighting the urge not to panic. “They framed me. I had to clear my name. I couldn’t trust anypony else to do it. You know how powerful Greengrass was and how much influence he had! It was only a few minor laws, and it all worked out in the end. So, what’s the problem?”

“I hardly think breaking out of prison is a minor offense," Luna said shaking her head, "I understand the situation you were in, but that doesn't give you the right to break the law or take it in your own hooves.”

“What, so you expected me to just sit in prison waiting for the noose to tighten around my neck?”

"I expect you to trust me, Trixie." Luna sounded hurt. Trixie ears folded back in shame. “Did you think I would stand by and do nothing. I had ponies working to clear your name, the legal way. Detective Sleuth was a trustworthy pony. In time, I have no doubt he would exonerated you. I…” Luna composed herself. “I’m disappointed that you think so little of the law. The system isn’t perfect, but it has good honest ponies in it. It’s more than that. I wanted you to be different.”

“Different?” Trixie asked.

“Different from the nobles in my court. They break or skirt the law to get what they want.” Luna let out a remorseful sigh. “When I took you as my student, I wanted you to become a role model. Ponies have lost faith in the Night Court. I wanted you to show that a representative of the Night Court could be noble, honest, and just and inspire ponies to do what is right.”

“I guess I really screwed up this time.” Trixie hung her head.

Luna sat down next to Trixie and spread her wing across her student like a mother might do to her foal. “I’m not angry at you. You have become the inspiring pony and a hero and that is nothing anypony could ever take away from you. You’re my hero Trixie.”

Trixie stared at her mentor stunned. Her jaw dropped to the ground. Her brain felt like it would melt. The laws of the universe were topsy turvy at the moment.

"I'm serious," Luna said, "nopony fights as hard as you do or cares more about her friends. You fight for what is right despite all that opposes you. You remind that there is hope in this world and to never give up.”

“Well, uh, thanks.” Trixie was lost for words at the moment.

“I admit, you broke the law for the right reason," Luna said, "but, that doesn't mean you will escape punishment."

“What?!” Trixie exclaimed horrified.

“Indeed.” Luna gave a sly smile. “And I already have a good idea what it will be.”

“Trixie!” Twilight shouted waving her hoof. “I’ve found a gold mine over here.”

"Yeah, I see it," Trixie grumbled and trotted over to the side of the street Twilight was pointing to. She impaled a can of beans with her stick and put it in her trash bag. Did Ponyvillians have to be such slobs? It was hard not to find bottles or pieces of paper all across the road or in a ditch. There was even some trash scattered around a trash can for Luna’s sake! And she was the poor schmuck that had to clean it up! She eyed Twilight with envy as friend levitated some newspapers in her trash bag. What she wouldn’t give to have her horn back now. The doctor said she was coming along well, it would be a few months before she would back at full power. Trixie put a dirty diaper in her bag too dejected for it to gross her out.

Three months. Three long torturous months of community service was Luna’s punishment. She wondered if prison or banishment to the griffon lands would be preferable to this. Twilight, for some reason, took their punishment in stride. Despite Trixie’s efforts, Luna punished Twilight too for her part in Trixie’s prison escape. Twilight was humming to herself as she levitated some more papers into her trash bag. At least somepony was enjoying this, Trixie thought, this humiliating and beneath her station, she was a superhero for goodness' sake!

Twilight hummed to herself as she collected more trash. Something about her cheeriness felt forced like she was pushing down something.

“Uh, Twilight?”

“What?”

“Is there something you want to discuss?” Trixie asked.

“What could I possibly need to discuss?” Twilight responded with a smile that Trixie recognized to be fake.

“About your father?” Trixie braced herself and readied herself for a messy conversation.

"There is nothing to discuss Trixie," Twilight growled, "he got what he deserved!"

The former Viceroy was now residing in an institution. The rapid aging had a terrible effect on him both psychically and mentally. He was found by the court to be too unwell for a proper trial and was instead sentenced to spend the rest of his life in an institution. That remaining life wasn’t long from what the doctors told her. She couldn’t imagine what Twilight was going through right now. She knew her friend still hadn’t visited her father. Was she really just going to leave things like this? Night Light was horrible to be sure, but he was still family.

"I know what you’re about to say," Twilight said. "That he is my father and family sticks together etc. etc. But his crimes and what he did to you were unforgivable. I can't just pretend things are all right. Just seeing him sickens me. How can I get past that? It would be for the best if we just keep our distance.”

“Alright," Trixie said after a long pause.This wasn’t something that could be fixed in a day. Even before the Night Court Ranger incident, their relationship wasn't great. This wasn’t going to be easy. Maybe Ditzy could think of something. She was good at this sort of thing.

“At least you know your father, I…” Trixie started to say, but Twilight interrupted her before she could say anything more.

“Oh hey, it’s Carrot Top!” Twilight pointed out in an obvious attempt to change the subject. Carrot Top was attending her stand in the market.

Trixie sighed. Oh well, might as well chat with Carrot Top I guess. It wasn’t like I wanted to have a heartfelt conversation about how I never knew my parents and how lucky Twilight is growing up with both of hers and how I would give anything to know my real parents. Fine, whatever! She waved at Carrot who waved back.

“How’s the rebuilding coming along?” Twilight asked.

“It’s coming along pretty well.” Carrot Top answered. “The irrigation system has already been replaced. The house will take some time though, but the contractors promise me they will finish in four months.”

"That's a relief," Trixie said as she picked up another bottle.

“Where are you staying in the meantime?” Twilight asked. She picked up cigarettes with her magic from a gutter.

“I’m staying in Cheerilee’s house.” Carrot Top replied.

“Does she serve you Pinesol champagne?” Trixie asked with a smirk. “And Pinesol soup?”

“It isn’t that bad.” Carrot Top admonished. “You ignore it after a while. At least somepony keeps her place clean.”

“That is what the hired help is for," Trixie said standing up proud.

“You don’t keep your house clean yourself?” Twilight asked baffled.

“Why?” Trixie asked. “There’s always somepony else to clean it for you.”

“But cleaning and organizing are fun!” Twilight said. Trixie just rolled her eyes. Back at the castle, she always let the maid clean any mess she made, and she wasn’t going to start now.

“Speaking of help.” Carrot Top said. “I heard you have a new assistant? How are they so far?”

“Moondancer?” Trixie replied. She shrugged. “She’s okay I guess. Good at making coffee, but she’s no Pokey.” But who could ever truly replace Pokey?

“I hope she works out for you.” Carrot Top smiled. Trixie was glad that Carrot was acting more like her old self. Things were finally working out for the mare.

Everypony jumped when somepony screamed. “There’s a mouse in the apples!” One of the flower trio cried out, Trixie didn’t know which, in abject terror. Sure enough, a mouse was peeking out of a bundle of apples in the Apple Trust’s stand.

“The horror!” Another of the flower trio cried out. “The horror!” All three of the flower trio fainted on the ground.

“Oh dear.” A soft voice said. “Mr. Squeakers, I told you to leave the food stands alone. Oh my, this is bad.”

“The horror!” One of the flower trio cried out again. Several ponies around the market broke out into a panic. One stallion actually fainted. It was mayhem.

“Now ain’t no need to panic.” The calm voice of Applejack said to reassure the over dramatic ponies around her. Nopony seemed to be listening to her. Apple Bloom, who was also in the stand with her sister, hid in fright.

“Mr. Squeakers, you are getting in this basket right now. You’ve caused enough trouble today.” Fluttershy demanded in a motherly tone. The mouse relented and jumped into the basket. She trotted away scolded the mouse in hushed tones as she left. Trixie was impressed.

“Finally.” Applejack said rolling her eyes. “Now we can get back to selling our apples.”

“That’s okay.” One of the flower trio said.

“That’s kinda gross.” Another pony said. Not that Trixie could blame them.

“Ah assure ya’ll that the rest of the apples in our carts are as clean as a whistle.” Applejack said doing her best to give a reassuring smile.

“Ahem.” Carrot Top said clearing her throat getting everypony’s attention. Trixie’s mind went back to story where Carrot Top’s grandmother undermined the Apples with a sudden sale after something similar happened. Would Carrot Top do the same thing?

Trixie grinned. Go Carrot! Show those Apples what you are made of!

“I would like to remind everypony that the mouse was just an accident.” Carrot Top said. “I’ve known the Apple Trust for years, and their products have been the cleanest and best produce in the business. Don’t let this one incident color your opinion of them.”

Trixie’s jaw dropped. Applejack also looked surprised but tilted her hat in thanks. The other ponies around the marketplace nodded their agreement and business went on as usual.

“I’m a little stunned you didn’t pull some stunt and announce some sudden sale or something," Trixie said coming up to Carrot Top, "you could have gotten some good sales.”

“Because I’m not my grandmother.” Carrot Top answered. “That would be just mean.”

“But if you’re not more aggressive…” Trixie tried to say, but Carrot Top stopped her.

“It’s not me.” Carrot Top said. “Look, I appreciate your advice, but what you're suggesting would just divide the community. I don’t want another apple and carrot feud.”

“I guess.” Trixie relented.

"And ah much appreciate ya'll help today." Applejack said walking over. She gave Trixie the stink eye but did her best to ignore the magician.

“That was mighty nice of you CT!” Apple Bloom chirped.

“My position in the Ponyville farming community hasn’t always been the happiest, but taking it out on the Apples would just be petty.” Carrot Top explained. “Sides, I don’t need a large powerful farm like the Trust. I’m fine where I am.”

“Really?” Trixie asked baffled.

“The thing is, after I lost everything, I learned…” Carrot Top froze and her face turned one of fury. “You!” She stomped out her stand startling everypony.

"Ms. Top," Flim said a bit nervous as Carrot Top came right towards him and his brother, "is there something we could help you with?"

Carrot Top thrust her face right in front of the two twins and glared at them. “I read through my insurance policy papers thoroughly and guess what?”

“What?” Flam said gulping as Carrot Top’s glare intensified.

“It turns out that my policy does cover damage caused by age and rot.” Carrot Top fumed. It specifically says any structural damage or collapse caused by advanced aging and rot is covered. In fact, the old age of my house is the reason my family got this policy in the first place in case something like this happened! You lied to me," Carrot growled.

“Well, um.” Flim stuttered. “If that is true then will just have to look through your policy again to make sure you're right.”

"We will," Carrot promised, "I've already sent the paperwork to the princess’s lawyers. I’m sure they will look over my policy with a fine tooth comb." Flim and Flam started sweating at this.

“What now is going on here?” Applejack asked. “Ya saying there two have been swindling ya?”

“Ms. Applejack.” Flim blurted out. “Fancy meeting you here!”

“You know these two?” Trixie asked.

“Sure, they handle the Trust’s insurance.” Applejack answer. “Can’t say ah have been paying much attention to it myself.”

“You should!” Carrot Top declared. “These two robbed me blind!”

“Is that so?” Applejack narrowed her eyes.

“Just a little misunderstanding," Flim said a little too quick, "nothing that can't be fixed I assure you.”

“You better.” Carrot Top seethed the venom in her voice felt like it could melt steel. “And I find out you cheated another pony. I will end you.” Both insurance ponies took a step back from the carrot farmer as did most ponies in the market including Trixie.

Flim and Flam nodded up and down so fast that looked almost painful. “We will take this right now!” They zipped away in a flash.

“That’s better.” Carrot Top said after the market went dead silent. “I felt guilty about using taxpayer money to fix my house. This should help pay the house nicely” She sat back on the chair in her stand.

"I see," Trixie said in a weak voice. She found that her legs were shaking so bad that she had trouble standing.

"As I was saying." Carrot Top said continuing from her previous point. "I learned that I should appreciate what I have and not worry so much what I don’t have. If my grandmother felt content with her little farm why can’t I?”

"That was different," Twilight said.

“That was Carrot Top, right?” Apple Bloom asked baffled still hiding behind her family’s stand.

Trixie gave a dumb nod not sure what to say. The jarring change in subject and tone threw her for a loop. She resolved to never ever get on Carrot Top’s bad side. When I said I wanted her to be more assertive, this wasn’t what I had in mind.

A large group of ponies headed towards Carrot Top’s stand, it seemed clear they were terrified what would happen if they didn’t buy some carrots from the mare. Not that Trixie could blame them.

“So much for not being like your gran.” Applejack grumbled. Her stand was empty of customers. “Just like a Carrot to always find a way to be a pain in the rear.”

Applejack motioned to Apple Bloom who answered to his sister with instant obedience. “Come on Bloom. We ain’t going to get much more sells today. Best we bring down our stand and inspect the other barrel case they’re any more varmints.”

"All rise. This court is now in session, the honorable Judge Mighty Gavel presiding. Please be seated." A bailiff said. Princess Luna watched with interest. This had been the first murder trial she had visited in awhile and was curious how it would play out. She could see Trixie and her friends watching the proceedings in the back seats with faces in a firm line. Trixie was glaring daggers at Notary and held her morpher in hoof in case something happened. Luna wasn’t worried. Notary’s morpher was in the vault deep in Tartarus, but she couldn’t blame her student.

Fisher was in the stands as well and Trixie also gave him suspicious glances. He remained dignified despite losing much of his remaining life. Luna knew her student wasn’t happy with her decision to strip him of his title and force him into retirement with no benefits or pension, but she thought losing most of his life was punishment enough for most his misdeeds. That didn’t seem enough for her student, but she was princess and could punish her nobles how she saw fit.

“Court is now in session for the trial of Notary.” The judge said.

“The defense is ready your honor,” said a jasmine coated mare with a pink mane sharply dressed in a white suit. Luna knew Strawberry Paste was one of the best in the business. Notary stood next to her. As usual, Notary’s face was composed and unemotional.

“The prosecution is ready your honor.” A sleazy looked gray stallion with a bad toupee and dark sunglasses said. He had a smug expression on his face like the trial was already done.

“Now then, Prosecutor Hard Case, your opening statement, if you would.” The Judge commanded.

“Certainly, Your Honor. The defendant is charged with the second-degree murder of Pokey Pierce and several other offenses like assault, attempted murder, and being complicent in the use of mind magic. The incident occurred on April 3 at around 5 pm. The body of the victim was discovered in a quarry two mile from the town of Ponyville. The victim died from blood loss after being stabbed with a knife. We believe that Notary is the perpetrator of this crime.”

“A truly horrible crime.” The Judge commented. “But I found myself a little confused, I read in the paper that Trixie Lulamoon had been arrested for this crime. Yet, an entirely different pony here today.”

"I understand the confusion, your honor." Hard Case said. "When the scene of the crime was searched by the police. The word ‘Trixie' was found written in the victim's blood. A knife belonging of Ms. Lulamoon covered in blood was also found at the crime scene. No doubt these planted by the real killer to throw the police of their scent.”

“Oh my!” The Judge exclaimed. “How horrible. The poor dear. It must have been the most troubling experience.”

The judge shook his head. “By why would the defendant frame the princess’s student?”

Hard Case smirked and played with his toupee twirling it in his hooves. “The suspect supposedly had a grudge against Ms. Lulamoon. She thought that pinning the murder on somepony else was the best way to escape her crime."

“I understand the defendant is pleading guilty to all charges.” The judge said furrowing his brow.

“Yes, your honor.” Strawberry Paste nodded. “My client is willing to accept full responsibility for her actions and any punishment this court gives her.”

“No doubt because she knew she was doomed from the start.” Hard Case said smirking. “Once she heard that the Great Hard Case was her opposition, what else could she do but plead guilty and admit defeat!”

Strawberry Paste scowled but smiled a moment later. “I seem to recall that a certain prosecutor was dead certain that Ms. Lulamoon was the victim’s killer. It was an open and shut case he said.”

Head Case spluttered and started sweating. “Well, it’s just that back then we didn’t have the evidence we do now. It’s possible that even the best attorney might come to the wrong conclusions!”

“We are getting off topic.” Hard Case said while getting his composure back.

“Yes, we are.” The judge confirmed his voice becoming hard. “Ms. Notary. You do you realize the severity of pleading guilty. Is there nothing you wish to say in your defense?”

“There isn’t anything else my client wishes to say.” Strawberry Paste said.

“Truly?” The judge asked. “I wish to hear this from Ms. Notary herself. She’s been oddly quiet so far. I almost forgot she was here.”

“She would rather not.” Strawberry Paste replied. “My client, well, she has a condition that makes speaking painful for her.”

“Oh my!” The judge exclaimed. “Is this true?” Notary responded with a curt nod.

“I see.” The judge said after a moment. “If there is nothing more to say in the defendant’s defense than I will pass my verdict.” He raised his gravel in the air.

“Hold on a second!” Trixie blurted out enraged. She stomped to the front of the courtroom. “That’s it? You’re just giving up?!”

"Order in the court." The judge banged his gavel, but Trixie just ignored him.

“After everything you’re just giving up?” Trixie exclaimed pointing a hoof at Notary. “You aren’t even going to say a word to defend yourself?”

“What are you saying Ms. Lulamoon?” The Judge asked bewildered. A bewilderment Luna felt as well. Even after years, her student found ways to surprise her, and she’s thousands of years old. “Are you saying that Notary is in fact innocent?”

"Yes, do tell." Strawberry Paste had an eager look in her eyes seeing this the perfect chance to get her client off the hook.

Trixie’s hoof shook in fury. “Why are you taking the fall for that crook? You expect us to believe you were the one that ordered my memory to be tampered with? That you were the one that destroyed Carrot Top’s house and farm, and that it was your idea to begin with? That you were the one that pushed Greengrass into joining Fisher’s Rangers? Why? Why defend him? He’s just using you! The coward didn’t even show up to your trial. He used you and threw you away like trash!”

Notary and Trixie stared each other in the eyes and the entire courtroom was dead silent waiting for what would happen next.

"Because," Notary said. A large gap went through the courtroom. "Because I too care about the ones I love." It struck Luna how raspy Notary's voice was. Notary hid it well, but those few words caused her great discomfort.

Notary turned towards the judge. "I await your punishment, your honor." That appeared to be the only explanation she would ever give.

It took a moment, but he composed himself. “Yes. I understand. If there are no more interruptions, I will pass my sentencing. And you Ms. Lulamoon. I will tolerate no more disturbances. Is that clear? Or I will have you thrown out of this court.”

“Yes, sure," Trixie gave a nervous laugh and shrank at the Judge's glare.

"Trixie," Notary said.

“What is it?” Trixie asked.

“I’m sorry for what happened to Pokey.” Notary’s tone was flat, but there was faint emotion underlining it. “I offer no excuse.”

Trixie thought about it for a moment and nodded. There was no true forgiveness, for how can one forgive the murder of a loved one, but it seemed Trixie understood Notary a little more. Hopefully, this would lessen the anger in Trixie’s heart.

The Judge gave a nod. “It warms my heart to see consolation between the victim and the murderer. If there is no more argument from the defense, I would like to pass my verdict.”

Strawberry Paste gritted her teeth not liking this outcome one bit but gave a shake of her head. "None your honor."

"I hereby pronounce Notary guilty as charged." The Judge banged his gavel. "Though the defendant has expressed guilt over crimes, they are considerable. It is the judgment of this court that for the murder of Pokey Pierce and your other crimes that you will be sentenced to 40 years in jail with a chance of parole after 25 years." The Judge banged his gavel, and it was over.

“Have things played out in your favor my student?” Luna asked Trixie in the lobby. Trixie and her friends were conversing to each other in quiet tones. They gave the princess and Trixie room to talk alone.

“I suppose," Trixie said after a moment. She looked reluctant to say something.

"Speak." Luna coaxed. "There seems to be something on your mind."

“Was Notary a bad pony?” Trixie asked. “She could have fought much harder to defend herself. She had a good attorney. There was a chance for her to get off, but she fessed up to her crimes and defended her friend. She was willing to take the ultimate punishment for somepony she loves. Ugh, this makes no sense.”

Luna put a wing over her student. “Most ponies don’t fit a strict definition of ‘good’ and ‘bad’. Ponies just do what they think is right, and sometimes that has dire consequences.”

"I guess," Trixie said after a moment.

“Does her punishment please you?” Luna asked. “She will be in jail for a long time.”

“Maybe?” Trixie said after some thought. “I don’t know. How can somepony know for sure with something like this?”

Luna gave out a laugh. "How can anypony know for sure? Some cry for death. Others cry for imprisonment. Some even cry for the death of one of the killer's loved ones as payment for their crime."

Trixie stared at Luna shocked. “What? That’s crazy!”

“Many cultures have different views on what is justice," Luna replied.

“Well, they’re stupid. Blood for blood just ends up killing everypony.” Trixie grumbled.

"There are no easy answers I fear, my student," Luna said gently, "I'll I know is that we as a society must do our best to find a punishment that fits the crime. I am glad that Ms. Notary is willing to atone for her crime. That is enough in my eyes."

“Okay," Trixie said, "if she's willing to atone, then that will be enough for me too.”

Luna smiled down on her student. She was glad to help her student get some closure on the death of a dear friend.

"Say, princess," Trixie said in an innocent sounding tone, "I would get more closure if a statue was made of Pokey.”

Luna sighed in exasperation. “No Trixie. Pokey will not be getting a statue.” Of course, she would bring this up again and Luna knew this would not be the last time either.

“Come on!” Trixie protested. “It would look stunning in Canterlot Park! I already have several heroic poses in mind for him.”

"No means no Trixie," Luna growled, "I know what happened to him was tragic, but that doesn't mean he deserves a statue."

Trixie didn’t listen and started rattling off the finer points on why Pokey Pierce deserves to be immortalized in stone. Her student would not so easily be deterred. Luna sighed and rubbed her head fighting off a headache.

“As usual, Lulamoon must make a show.” Greengrass resisting the urge to put his face in his hooves. The mare was topping herself in sheer audacity without a care in the world how ridiculous it made her look.

“I thought it was awesome.” Vinyl chirped delighted. “That girl knows how to rock!”

They watched the trial from a balcony hidden from view, as extra protection they were also wearing disguises. Not that it would be easy to recognize them with their new aged appearance. Nearby ponies gave Vinyl some odd looks but dismissive her as senile and left it at that. Greengrass chuckled. Knowing Vinyl, she would have done something even more outrageous maybe even starting a party right here in the courtroom.

Greengrass used his cane to push himself up. His legs weren’t that great anymore and he needed support to walk. It was slow, but they made their way to way to a room Greengrass had set aside. It was well furnished, with some comfortable chairs and a table. Greengrass sat down to wait.

A few minutes later a guard appeared. “You have 15 minutes.” He said and disappeared outside. A moment later Notary walked in, her eyes dilating as she saw what happened to her boss. It was subtle and only lasted half a second, but Greengrass knew her long enough to see the signs.

“Don't worry about me," Greengrass reassured, "it isn't as bad as it looks."

“And we are totally going to reverse this!” Vinyl chimed in. “Just watch!”

Greengrass nodded. "That is our plan."

Notary sat across from Greengrass and tapped her hoof on the table. Vinyl placed a notebook and a pen on the table and pushed it towards Notary.

You're using a cane now. Notary wrote.

"Sadly, yes," Greengrass said some wistfulness, "I didn't age as graceful as some. I shouldn’t have been surprised considering my father has a cane of his own.

Any other health problems?

"Not as far as the doctors can tell," Greengrass answered, "Same for Vinyl."

Do you have any idea where you will search first?

“Zebrica.” Vinyl said. “I hear their knowledge of alchemy is the best in the world. Best place to start looking. If anyp-zebra can reverse this curse, it's them.”

I wish you luck on your journey. Notary motioned to get up.

“Is that all you wish to say?” Greengrass asked.

“Yeah come on!” Vinyl pleaded. “We just got started!”

What else is there to say?

“Are you happy with your punishment?” Greengrass asked. “Forty years is a long time.”

It’s what I deserve.

“You could have fought back.” Greengrass pointed out. “Maybe even got yourself acquitted.”

It’s what I deserve.

Greengrass sighed. “As usual, your sense of duty is implacable.” It was one of the things he most admired about his secretary, but it exasperated him at times.

It is who I am.

"I understand," Greengrass said, "you wish to atone. I respect that."

“And don’t think that we won’t visit you!” Vinyl threw in. “We totally will. We won’t let you rot all lonely and stuff!”

Greengrass nodded in agreement. "We will see you after our return trip from Zebrica. Not that we won't send correspondence in the meantime."

Thank you. I would like that.

They spent the next few minutes chatting about Greengrass’s plans and theories if the trip to the Zebra homeland failed.

“It’s time.” The guard from before said.

Vinyl gave Notary a hug. Tears fell freely from her eyes. “Don’t think we will ever forget about you! Got it?!”

Notary nodded and hugged back. Despite how much their personalities clashed, Notary was quite fond of the DJ.

Greengrass pushed himself up to leave, but Notary tapped her hooves on the table again. She wrote something down.

Listen. I am not sure I was in my right mind when I possessed the Venus morpher. Something about it bothers me. I was more aggressive than I usually am. More emotional. I think Princess Luna was right about them being dangerous. What if they were corrupting us? Or pushing us perhaps? Night Light turned from a usually calm and collected pony into a madpony. What if that was the morphers work? This thought has been running through my head for the last few days. I admit this theory has holes. The other Rangers used them to no obvious ill effect. But still, I wonder. Just promise me one thing. Find the Pluto morpher and destroy it. Its power must never be used. I fear what havoc it might cause or the effect it will have on the pony that uses it.

With that, Notary left with the guard. Vinyl read the note over Greengrass’s shoulder. She clicked her tongue.

“She might be right," Vinyl admitted, “they did seem a bit fishy."

Greengrass thought back to what Corona said about the Planetary Gems and that their original purpose was to bring creatures from outside into their universe.” Greengrass gave an involuntary shuttered again. “She might be right.”

Author's Note

Stay tuned. There will be a short epilogue after this.

Epilogue

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Epilogue
by Rixizu

Luna tapped her hoof on her desk as she read through the daily reports while sipping at her morning tea. The trade negations with the griffin kingdom were going well. The Equestrian Steelworker union was threatening strikes again. There was an invitation to a noble’s son’s wedding. Greengrass was still missing, but Luna wasn’t too concerned. Having his position, wealth, and youth taken from him was enough of a punishment for him despite what Trixie might think. Still no word on the black book Night Light used in his fight against Trixie. Some guards recovered it after the fight, only for it to go missing a day later. They needed to find that book. It was an ancient tome filled with the blackest of magic. Who knows what might happen if it fell into the wrong hooves. Such a book should never exist. Luna decided to double the effort for its capture.

She let out a deep sigh when she read the latest approval rating of the Night Court. It was eight percent, the lowest she had ever seen it in all the Night Court’s history. She supposed it was inevitable. Next to the report was a news clipping of protesters with signs in Manehattan demanding that something be done about the court’s corruptions.

The Night Court had outlived its usefulness, that Luna was sure of, and needed a replacement. It was probably decades, perhaps even a century overdue. She’d given too much power to the nobility. It was a necessity at the time, but in this modern era, they were outdated. Over the last century, she’d been slowly moving the system to one of elected officials, introducing the idea with small positions at first to get ponies more comfortable to the concept. It seemed she would have to push her timetable up a few decades. No doubt the nobles wouldn’t like the idea, but they had only themselves to blame, and the public wanted change. Trixie won’t be thrilled about it either, but maybe It would be better this way. It would take some work, but Luna felt confident she could convince her student that an elected position was better than any title of nobility.

Luna felt a bit giddy. Revamping the political system of Equestria would be a massive undertaking, but one well worth it. This time she would create several bodies of government that would check and balance the others to prevent corruption and imbalance in power. Of course, there would always be some corruption. Greedy and selfish ponies will always exist, but she would limit the amount of power and wealth they would have.

Luna scribbled various ideas have been running through her head over the last few years. It was either going to have three or four branches. The nobles could still have some position and power, but it would be greatly diminished to be sure. These were just vague ideas and plans for now. There would be long talks with her political advisors and theorists about this.

“So you’ve finally realized that your Night Court is no longer necessary.” A voice said behind Luna sending a chill down her spine. She knew that voice. “Took you long enough.”

“Corona!” Luna cried out in shock getting up and spilling tea all over her papers. “How did you get in here?!”

Corona sighed dramatically. “Not even a how do you do? You wound me, sister. Don’t bother calling the guards, I have put a soundproof bubble around the room.”

“Why are you here?” Luna demanded. “What do you want?”

“And now you are demanding answers," Corona said in mock hurt, "It's almost if you don’t even want to see your dear big sister.”

“I know you Corona," Luna said in a quiet voice, "you're after something. You always are.”

Luna looked around her study. Many of the books were rare to be sure, but none dangerous as far as Luna could remember. There were a few baubles on her desk, but they were just silly items for decoration. What could Corona be up to this time? A fight? No, Luna could sense the Tyrant Sun’s magic, Zecora's poison was still in effect draining Corona of most of her magic. If they fought, it would be no contest who would win. Instead of answering, Corona used her magic to pick up the piece of paper Luna had been writing her plans on.

“Interesting.” Corona read it over several times. “Several bodies of government with different responsibilities with each keeping the others in check. I can see the advantages. I must ask Spike to get me some books on modern government theory. It could be useful when I rule Equestria again. I’m sure the old ways have gone out of favor and one must please her subjects after suffering under such a useless, corrupt, decadent government. An absolute sovereignty would be more to my liking, but a ruler must make their little ponies happy.”

“Corona!” Luna growled. “Why are you here?!”

Corona gave a devious smile. “Why, to ruin you of course.”

“Try as you might monster!” Luna kicked her legs in the air in a dramatic fashion. “I am more than a match for you.”

“True Lulu, but I had no intention of fighting you.” Corona glowed with confidence. “I have other means to put you down. The potion should be starting right about now.”

Luna felt her body become rigid then every limb in her body fell limp like she was a puppet cut from its string. She tried to move to do anything, but nothing worked not even her magic.

“Sloppy.” Corona chastised picking the tea cup with her magic. “You didn’t even attempt to scan your drink for toxins. Years of peace have made you dull Lulu.”

Luna grunted a curse. Why didn’t she see this coming? She glared with defiance at Corona. Luna would not play the hapless victim no matter the circumstances.

“Enough gloating," Luna growled, "just finish me and get it over with.”

"You misunderstand me, little Lulu" Corona asked, "I don't want you dead. No, you are family after all. But, that doesn’t mean I won’t exact retribution.”

Luna blood went cold. “What are you planning?!”

“No more than you deserve dear sister.” Corona pulled a green shard of crystal out of her satchel with her magic. “Do you remember the Planetary Gems? A few months ago, Fisher’s scientists uncovered an ancient tomb and there found them. They thought they uncovered only a fraction of the Gems and the others were elsewhere. They were wrong. I stole several of them lest Fisher and his cohorts become too powerful.”

“Of course," Luna said in dawning realization, "you led Fisher to the Gems didn’t you?”

“Naturally," Corona said, "he proved a useful tool to test their power. A power I wish to capitalize on. This shard was created from a fusion of the Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune Gems.”

“Why?” Luna tried to control her panic. She had a sneaking suspicion what Corona had planned.

"A little experiment," Corona explained in a sing song voice, "we've seen what happens when the gems are combined with technology, but I wonder what would happen if a planetary gem was implanted in a pony. Even I have no idea what will happen.”

“Don’t do this Corona!” Luna pleaded. She tried in vain to move her body. She couldn’t let this happen.

“You labeled me a monster.” All warmth and joviality gone, replaced with ice and hatred. “You taught ponies over the millennia to hate and fear me. You decorated me a fearsome monster that you righteously beat and cowered in submission. You turned my little ponies against me. So, I thought I would return the favor.”

“Please no!” Luna had tears in her eyes now. “Sister please!”

“Now I’m your sister?” Corona stared coldly at Luna all compassion and mercy gone. “Not a creature wearing your sister’s face? ‘You’re not my sister!’ That is what you said back on the Longest Night. You’ve even forced a false name on me to make the delusion stronger. Do you have any idea how much it hurts to hear that hated name from your lips? To be deponyized at every turn by your own sister?”

Guilt flowed through Luna like a tsunami. It was true. It pained her so much to see her sister change like that. So, she lied to her herself and tried to pretend that Corona wasn’t her sister driven mad, but a thing that had replaced her dear sister. Her real sister couldn’t have done those terrible things. That is what she told herself. Lied to herself to make the truth less painful.

“Celestia. I’m sorry.” Luna sobbed. “I was a coward. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“We’re past the point of apologies," Corona said unmoved. Her heart as hard as stone. “Nor do I wish for your forgiveness. If you believe me to be a beast, so I will become one.”

Corona levitated the shard and stabbed into Luna’s heart. There was no blood. The shard fussed into Luna’s body as it touched her fur. Luna howled in pain. It was like her entire body was being boiled alive. She would be writhing right now if movement was possible. So instead she sobbed on the ground in too much pain to do anything else.

“Interesting.” Corona tapped her chin. “I thought you would mutate into a monster. How disappointing. Still, those shards were created by the blackest of magic. Who can say what effect it will have on your mind?”

Corona seemed to be mulling something over in her mind. In a few minutes, she came to some conclusion.

“Yes, I believe this will do nicely.” Corona’s horn lit and a yellow bolt lit Luna in the head. Luna gasped in surprise.

“What was that?” Luna asked her voice was barely above a whisper from the amount of pain she was in.

“A geas," Corona explained. She looked drain and tired like she had just spent the last few days without sleep. Despite looking like she was about to drop right then and there, she smirked. "It would be no fun if you told ponies about that little shard in your heart. This geas prevents you from talking, writing, or even hinting about the shard on the penalty of death. Yes, this will be far more entertaining. Now you will be fully aware of your fleeting sanity and unable to do anything as everything you have built around you crumbles to dust.”

"Goodbye sister," Corona said approaching the window. "Please make a good show for me." After that, she was gone.

Author's Note

Sequel! The Galaxy Rangers return in 'Anniversary of True Love'. It's the fifteenth anniversary of the day Bon-Bon and Lyra first met and Lyra wants nothing but to enjoy this day with her marefriend. If only she wasn't a superhero and lived and Ponyville...

Chapter 1

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 1
by Rixizu

Dinky tried her best to be brave. She had to. Dinky struggled against her bonds. They were tight and didn’t leave much wiggle room. She was gagged so she couldn’t make any noise either.

“Hey! Stop that right now!” A burly pegasus demanded.

Dinky stopped and sank down defeated. She just laid against the cold wall. She prayed her mom would come soon. Dinky wondered how she got into this mess. It had been a normal day. School, friends, homework, not much different. On her way home, she was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled into an alley. A sack was put over her head and she found herself here. Wherever that was.

It looked like Dinky was in an abandoned warehouse. It was mostly empty, but she could see metal crates here and there. It smelled dank and mildewy. Dinky was surround in a corner by two tough gigantic ponies. They were almost as big as Big Mac. The other one was an amber unicorn pony with a blond mane. For some reason, his horn was glowing a gold aura.

Dinky sighed and waited. For what, she didn’t know. Eventually, an earth pony with a chocolate coat and an elaborately styled gray-blue mane trotted in.

"Go well, Boss?" The unicorn pony asked.

"Well enough.” The Boss answered. “Oh sure, the mare made a bit of a fuss, but I made it perfectly clear that if she wanted to see her filly again, she would go on that train.”

Dinky glared at the Boss with the most defiant look she could muster.

"Oh don’t give me that. It’s for your own good.” The Boss said giving an obviously fake smile when she spotted her. He knelt down next to her. “We’re giving you all you could ever need. A nice job, a much better town, a generous sponsor, what more could a pony ask for?”

Dinky growled the best she could.

The Boss snorted. “You have no idea how much better your life will be in Manehattan. My sponsor made sure to give her the best accommodations. If your mother is a smart pony, she’ll be on that train for her new life. You will join her soon naturally.”

The Boss gave Dinky a nasty smile that made her skin crawl. “If not, well, we’ll teach her what happens when you defy me.”

Dinky gulped. She prayed to Luna that her mom would think of something to get out of this.

“You made sure that she won’t get her friends?” The earth pony thug asked.

“Oh course. I got Bull and Cement Hooves to make sure she doesn’t.” The Boss smirked.

Dinky blinked. These guys did know her mom was a superhero, right?

The Boss noticed Dinky’s incredulous look. He rolled his eyes. “Please. I’ve seen the pictures. These ‘Galaxy Rangers’ play with toys.” The Boss gave another nasty smile. “No way they can match a seasoned pony in the business.” He gave a laugh and his two thugs joined him. The pegasus pulled out a knife and flipped it several times in his hooves. He gave an evil look.

Dinky stared at them for a long moment. These guys are idiots. She thought.

“Yeah, and that Trixie broad ain’t able to use her invisibility thanks to this.” The unicorn pointed to his glowing horn. “Gotta a spell that dispels illusions see?”

Dinky sighed. “Trixie, you really need to stop overusing the spells you have.” She thought. She wondered if Trixie even had any secret spells nopony knew about.

The Boss grinned. “So, if I were you I won’t stop resisting and accept the inevitable.” Dinky refused to give in and gave a defiant look. The Boss rolled his eyes. “Fillies nowadays.”

Fifteen minutes went by uneventfully. Dinky thought of the various tricks and illusions she'd seen Trixie do to pass the time. Trixie's magic shows were one of her most favorite things. Her thoughts were interrupted when the ground started shaking.

"What the bleeding heck?” The unicorn exclaimed.

The Boss almost lost his footing but saved himself in time. “What? An earthquake?”

The ground shook again and again. The thugs looked at each other.

“Whatta we do? It dangerous if we hang around here!” The unicorn exclaimed. “Teach always said it bad to stay out in open. We gotta get under a desk or table and cover our head. Against a wall works too.”

The Boss tried to say something but stopped when the ground shook again. He tried again. “You idiot. We need to stay here and protect the filly.”

“No!” The unicorn said emphatically. “Something gonna fall on our heads! Just know it!”

“No. We are not! It’s just a giant monster or something.” The Boss crossed his front legs. “They happen all the time around here. You!” He pointed at the pegasus. “See what is happening.”

The pegasus thug looked at the Boss in alarm and shook his head. “No way! I could get eaten!”

“I’m paying you! And I say you get out there!” The Boss pointed towards the door.

Sudden the door crashed open and a figure was thrown from the door right into the thugs. They fell into a heap of bodies and tangled limbs. The figure that crashed into them was a black unicorn with a red mane. He laid sprawled over the thugs completely unconscious.

“Bull?” The Boss exclaimed in alarm.

A new figure in all green rushed through the door in a blur. It brandished something in its hooves. Before Dinky even knew what was going on she felt something wrap around her and she cried out in alarm or at least tried to. She felt herself being pulled. The figure grabbed Dinky when she flew near. Dinky exclaimed in joy when she recognized the figure. It was the Green Ranger! It was Miss Cheerilee!

“Don’t worry. You’re safe now.” Cheerilee said soothingly. Dinky hugged her tightly. Cheerilee rushed out of the warehouse.

“What? No! After her!” Dinky could hear the Boss yell.

Suddenly there was a crashing sound and the sound of metal being twisted and rended. The thugs and the Boss screamed in terror and looked up. Dinky looked up as well. It was the Megazord and it was tearing off the roof of the warehouse. It flung the roof to the side and pointed the barrel of its missile launcher into the building.

"You better surrender!” Dinky could hear her mom say over a speaker. “You are dealing with a very very angry mother right now. Don't push me."

Cheerilee put Dinky down and started for the warehouse. She cracked her whip. “Make it easier for yourself. There is no way out.” She blocked the exit of the warehouse.

The Boss just stared at the Megazord horrified. The thugs trembled. Soon the entire group nodded rapidly.

It didn’t take long for the bad guys to be tied up again a tree. Dinky grinned with satisfaction when Trixie gagged them all. She could see a crowd gathering seeing what the commotion is about.

Dinky rushed at her mom when she jumped out of the Megazord. Her mom unmorphed and scooped Dinky into a big hug.

“Mom! Thank the night!” Dinky nuzzled her mother and returned the hug with a tight one of her own. “How did you find me?”

“Oh, that’s easy.” Ditzy gave a wink. “I knew that this would be the place they would hide you.”

Dinky tilted her head. “Really?”

“Of course.” Ditzy smiled. “Bad guys love abandoned warehouses. This seemed like the best place to look first.”

“Good thinking.” Cheerilee complimented. “I’m glad this went so smoothly.”

Trixie smashed her hooves together. “This is what they get for messing with the Galaxy Rangers. I hope they are willing to tell us who was behind all this. Or we will use this.” She pointed towards the Megazord. It turned towards them menacingly. The Boss and his thugs couldn’t nod quick enough.

Duke Greengrass trotted down the castle’s hallways. They were illuminated by candle and created deep shadows. It was late. The princess tried her best, but she was a pony of the night. The Night Court always convened very late in the evening. Greengrass was used to it naturally being a noble for many years. His assistant Notary followed behind him dutifully.

This night’s meeting was an eventful one. Corona’s return and the recent scandal in Ponyville yesterday had put a lot on everypony’s plate. It wasn’t hard to tell just how angry yesterday’s incident made Princess Luna. It was a surprise she didn’t start shouting. A bunch of thugs linked to the Manehattan mafia kidnapped Ditzy Doo the Pink Ranger’s daughter in some half-baked scheme to gain control of one of the Galaxy Rangers. It failed spectacularly in a very public fashion.

Trixie Lulamoon and her other rangers captured the thugs and made them spill which noble they were working with. Vicereine Puissance was implicated. It was a charge she most thoroughly denied. Greengrass enjoyed the color of white she turned when Princess Luna said she would personally investigate the incident personally. He wondered if the old hag would do something stupid like try to bribe the Princess.

Still, the scandal caused quite the headache for the entire Night Court. The press was screaming that it was yet another example of the rampant corruption of the Night Court. The court’s approval rating hit a low it hasn’t been for centuries. Thankfully Greengrass’s personal rating hadn’t taken too much of a hit thanks to his philanthropy and charity work. Still, getting the public’s trust back was something he would have to work on and it wasn’t going to be easy.

Greengrass cursed Trixie Lulamoon for her total lack of tact in resolving yesterday’s incident. Though, given that she was a magician, it really shouldn’t have been that surprising. The thought of that deluded bumbling oaf being the only thing separating them from Corona’s wrath didn’t sit well with him. She was an egotistical blowhard with more ambition than sense. Her dream was to one day become a prominent member of the Night Court. Greengrass was going to make sure that never happened for everypony’s sake. The Night Court has enough complete foals in it already.

Greengrass, however, knew they needed Trixie Lulamoon. She and her friends were the only ones that had the power to match Corona and her monsters. He had seen their abilities in action once. A few weeks ago, he secretly traveled to Ponyville to see the Rangers in action for his own. It was terrifying that Corona could create a monster with such power so easily. He doubted any army or soldier could match them. So far he saw it fit to leave them alone for now. His instincts told him that trying to separate them would lead to disaster. They needed to stay together. Of course, he was right, and the Corvus incident proved it. From what he understood, they just barely won that fight.

Still, Greengrass wished there was some way to put those powers in more capable hooves. Archduke Bobbing Fisher of the Ministry of War had demanded today that Trixie and the other Rangers turn over their morphers to him so they could be studied and analyzed and put into hooves of professionals. Princess Luna, naturally, refused such a request stating that the magic of the morphers would only work for the original Rangers and they were to stay where they are at now, least for the time being. The situation was too dire to start tinkering with them. Fisher snorted at this, but Greengrass believed it. Old, ancient magical items tended to be like that. There was also the fact that they only activated after a thousand years of dormancy when they came in contact with Trixie and her friends. He knew there had to be something special about them.

Like it or not, they were here to stay. Greengrass just hoped Trixie Lulamoon wouldn’t do something stupid and doom them all. He wondered if there was some way to make the Rangers unnecessary. Something he would have to look into.

"Ha! Just the pony I was looking for!” A loud booming voice said bring Greengrass out of his thoughts.

Greengrass turned around and looked at the approaching pony. It was Archduke Fisher. He was a unicorn with a brown and bluish-gray mane and a slate gray coat. He had a bushy mustache and his cutie mark was that of a hammer next to two blue stars.

“Hello, Archduke Fisher.” Greengrass gave a gracious bow. “I was just thinking about you. I was impressed with your speech today about the importance of defending Equestria.”

Fisher snorted. “Spare me the empty compliments. I know how you really feel about me.”

Greengrass tilted his head. “I’m sorry. I am not quite sure what you mean.”

"Tell me. What do you think of Trixie Lulamoon and her ‘Galaxy Rangers?” Fisher could barely hold back his disgust. It wasn’t a secret how much he despised Luna’s current student.

Greengrass pretended to think it over. “Well, I think they are a vital asset to the defense of Equestria.”

“I mean of Trixie herself specifically. I know you. You hate her as much as I do.” Fisher said crossing his front legs.

Hate? Hardly. She isn’t worth the energy. Greengrass thought.

"It's true we have had our differences in the past, but I don't begrudge the mare at all," Greengrass said.

Fisher started getting annoyed. “Never can speak your mind, can you? Always the politician.” He waved a hoof. “Never mind. What if I told you I knew there might be a way get rid of them and instate real protectors for Equestria?”

Greengrass rose an eyebrow. “Have you found a way to replicate their technology and powers?”

Fisher snorted. “Don’t pretend you didn’t already know, I know of your spies.”

Greengrass didn’t know at all, but he wasn’t planning on correcting him. “Has it progressed far enough that it can be a threat to Corona?”

Fisher beamed. “We’re close.” He rubbed his hooves together.

“And what do you want of me then?” Greengrass asked. “It seems you already have everything under control.”

“What I need is allies. Like minded ponies that understand what is necessary.” Fisher answered.

Greengrass quirked an eyebrow. “Necessary?”

“Yes! Trixie and her bunch of ne'er do wells are nothing but untrained amateurs. Equestria needs real heroes! Ponies that will do what is necessary!” Fisher responded. “The Rangers need to be hardened soldiers!”

“Let me ask you this. You know of Ditzy Doo the Pink Ranger, right?” Fisher started pacing.

“Yes. I’ve seen her in the papers.” Greengrass said simply.

“Does she look like the type of pony that would slit a pony’s throat without a second thought?” Fisher asked.

Greengrass was taken aback by the question. He did his best to hide his reaction. “Probably not.”

“Exactly!” Fisher exclaimed. “That’s the problem. We are at war! We need real ponies protecting Equestria! Ones that know what needs to be done! Ponies that can make the hard choices! None of this butterflies and friendship nonsense!”

“I see…”

"This is why I want to make an alliance with you," Fisher smirked, "I know for a fact that you would sell your own mother out if it meant getting what you want. That is the ruthlessness I need."

Greengrass would not do that. Not in a million years, but this misconception could be useful. “Say that I do agree to this alliance, what would you have me do?”

“Bringing down the Rangers won’t be easy. The Princess in her ignorance is protecting the Rangers.” Fisher said. After the scandal, Princess Luna extended her protection to them. She stated that since they are in a state of war, any attempt to target the Rangers would not be tolerated. “We need to both discredit and get rid of them without the Princess becoming involved. I think you are well up to the task.”

Greengrass thought about it. It looked like an interesting challenge. There were dangers to be sure, but Fisher would make an easy fall pony. Erasing his involvement shouldn't be too difficult. Getting rid of Trixie and putting in more capable ponies to stop Corona had a certain appealed to him.

“Very well. I accept this alliance.” Greengrass put out of a hoof and Fisher shook it.

“Good pony!” Fisher laughed. “Equestria is in good hooves now.”

Unbeknownst to either pony, a figure was listening in on them from behind a pillar. His hearing amplification spell allowed him to hear every word despite the great distance and the low tone they were speaking in. He tapped his chin with a hoof. “Well well. Just the opportunity I was hoping for.” He smirked and disappeared into the darkness.

Chapter 10

Sleuth scanned the crime scene with his eagle eyes at the ready to find anything out of the ordinary. He was in a rock quarry outside Ponyville. He could see the outline of where Pierce’s body was found. It was against a rock wall that was under a small but sharp cliff. The middle of the outline was stained with crimson. The name ‘TRIXIE’ was written in blood next to the outline. It was a pretty messy scene because the body was feasted on by crows before the body was found by a Miss Rarity. She was looking for gems and accidently stumbled upon the body. It smelled wretched and he did his best to ignore it. This was the only thing of interest in the entire area. They still haven’t found the murder weapon. No hints or other clues have been found yet. One thing about the scene that was odd was the lack of blood. It wasn’t consistent with Pierce’s injuries. Sleuth felt certain Pierce was not stabbed here otherwise the scene would be covered in blood.

The time of death was estimated at 3 to 5 pm three days ago. He was stabbed by a short blade, presumably a knife, in the chest below his right ribs. There were signs that he was kicked in his wound several times from a left hoof. He didn’t die right away eventually blood loss had finished him off. He supposed Pierce might have enough strength to write a dying message after he was thrown in this quarry to die. The lab ponies were testing if the message matched Piece’s hoofwriting.

Something shiny caught his eye. It came from a bush a dozen paces away. He trotted towards it. It looked like a blackberry bush. Its thick leaves and thorns concealed something. Tentatively he used his gloved hoof to move the branches careful to not disturb anything.

"Well well," Sleuth muttered. In the canopy was a knife. It looked like a small fruit knife. Expensive and good quality. The blade was covered in what presumably was Pierce’s blood. The length of the blade was consistent with Pierce’s stab wound.

“Hey, I think I found something. Get Flathoof over here. I don’t want to prick myself on these damn thorns.” Sleuth was an earth pony and thought it would be easier if a unicorn did this job.

Flathoof used his magic to pull out the knife and put it into the evidence bag. He left to have the CSI team examine it.

“Your ponies do fine work detective.” A melodious voice said behind him. Sleuth turned and there was Princess Luna.

“Princess who let you in? This is a crime scene remember?” Sleuth chided. Princess or not, he didn’t like anypony just barging in and disrupting possible evidence.

“Chief Poulet gave me permission.” The princess explained.

"I see," Sleuth said, "how may I help you?"

“I wish to discuss something with you privately.” The princess tilted her head towards an empty clearing.

Sleuth shrugged and followed her. When they arrived, the princess lit her horn and a bubble surrounded them.

“There, now nopony can eavesdrop on us.” Princess Luna ruffled her feathers.

“So?” Sleuth said simply. He wanted to get this conversation done with so he could get back to work.

“I have reviewed your career so far, and I find it to be exemplary.” The princess praised. “You have successfully solved many cases.”

Sleuth shrugged. “You brought me here to discuss my performance review? I’m flattered your majesty, but this is hardly the time.”

Princess Luna sighed. "I won't keep you, I just wanted to say that I have found you to be honest and hardworking. You don't seem like the type of pony to be tempted."

“Is that what this is about? You’re afraid the Night Court might try to bribe me.” Sleuth knew Viceroy Night Light hated Lulamoon, the chief suspect in the case. He couldn’t blame the princess for being paranoid.

“In a word, yes. Be careful and watch yourself.” Princess Luna warned.

Sleuth nodded. “All I care about is the truth. I will not let some over-privileged smuck push me around.”

“That is good to hear.” The princess sighed in relief.

"I will find out the truth," Sleuth smirked, "even if it turns out to be undesirable. What if it turns out your student really is guilty?"

Princess Luna closed her eyes and looked thoughtful. “I will accept it. In my long life, I have known many ponies that have fallen from grace even though they were dear and beloved by me. All I ask is that you find the truth. Even if it is painful.”

When Sleuth looked into the princess’s eyes, for a brief moment he could see every one of the Princess Luna’s endless ageless years. She looked so old and haggard. Like she was a stone worn down to nothing by the waves of the sea. The pain and sadness in her eyes were unbearable, and he looked away.

Sleuth coughed. "If you would excuse me, princess, I need to get back to work." The princess nodded and flew away.

Lemon Hearts knocked on her friend’s Minuette’s door. According to her other friend Twinkleshine, Twilight Sparkle was living there for the moment. Why? Twinkle wasn’t really certain. Lemon guessed Twilight had another falling out with her father. She knew the two weren’t exactly on the best terms. Their relationship had always been pretty bad.

Lemon was eager to see Twilight again. It’s been so long and she wanted to catch up. She knew Twilight liked to gallivant around Equestria, so this was her best chance to talk to her old friend again.

Minuette answered the door with a grin on her face. “Lemon! How have you been?”

Lemon entered the house. “Pretty good, work keeps me busy, but otherwise I’m good.”

“I’ll get some tea. I heard that you’ve been planning parties for Duke Greengrass now.” Minuette said as she left for the kitchen.

A few moments later, Minuette returned with a tray of tea and some biscuits. Lemon took a cup and sipped from it gingerly in her magic.

“Yeah, he’s a very sociable stallion.” Lemon agreed. “Would you believe the last person he did a party for was the Sultana of Naqah?”

Minuette squealed in delight. “Oh! Did you meet her?”

Lemon snorted. “Of course not. I’m just a party planner.”

"Oh," Minuette said in disappointment.

"I heard from a little birdy that a certain Twilight Sparkle is staying here," Lemon said eagerly.

Minuette made a face. “Yeah, she’s here alright.”

Lemon tilted her head. “Is something the matter?”

"She's just turned my basement into a mad scientist lair," Minuette said in annoyance.

Lemon blinked. “What?”

“She just has it in her head she needs to become Ironmare or something and save Equestria!” Minuette sighed.

"Oh dear," Lemon said in sympathy.

"She spends all her time down there and rarely gets out," Minuette complained, "I think I have only talked to her about a dozen times since she started staying here!”

“Can I give it a try?” Lemon suggested. Plus, she wanted to show off the new accessory to her hoof bag. It was sciencey looking, so she had no doubt Twilight would love it.

Lemon gaped when she entered Minuette’s basement. When she was last here, it was mostly just used for storage and had a small room she used for guests. Now it was covered in scientific equipment. Machines whose purpose was lost on Lemon were all over the room. There were beakers on tables full of unknown liquids. Wires were taped to the ceiling. The change was startling.

Twilight had her nose in some book and was in front of a machine hitting buttons. She was muttering to herself.

"Hey! Twi! Nice… uh, stuff!" Lemon greeted. Twilight gave no answer, and it seemed like she didn't even hear the greeting. Which was typical of the book loving nerd. She was always lost in her own little world.

“See, mad scientist.” Minuette sighed.

Lemon tapped her chin and got an idea. She used her magic to pull the book out of Twilight’s hooves who gasped in surprise. Her glasses almost fell off her head. “Hey!”

"Hi, Twilight!" Lemon greeted again.

Twilight adjusted her glasses to a more comfortable position and turned. “Oh, hi Lemon Hearts.” She said without much enthusiasm.

“I heard you were in Canterlot and I just had to see you!” Lemon exclaimed. She pointed towards her bag’s new accessory. “What do you think? Pretty cool huh? It flew into my house through a window.”

"That's nice," Twilight said and turned back to her machine thing, "if you would excuse me, I was in the middle of a crucial experiment."

“Hey!” Lemon exclaimed irritated. Twilight barely got a look at it.

“Wow. Neat. Where did I come from?” Minuette asked. She peered to get a better look. “What even is that?”

"I think some foals threw it through my window," Lemon explained. "I think it’s a toy based off the Galaxy Rangers' morphers. I’ve seen quite a few foals playing with them.”

“And you’re using it as an accessory for your bag?” Minuette tilted her head.

"Sure," Lemon exclaimed happily, "it just fits somehow."

Lemon turned towards Twilight and she was pretty sure the bookworm was not even listening. “Twilight!” Lemon yelled.

Twilight eeped. “What?” She said annoyed.

“So what are you doing anyway?” Lemon asked.

“I’m trying to create my own morpher!” Twilight exclaimed.

Lemon blinked. “You mean… for real?”

Twilight nodded. She gestured to a small white device hooked up by wires. “It’s… a work in progress, but it going along rather well.”

“Well huh.” Minuette snarked. “Last time you tried to get the thing to work it exploded in your face. Literately.”

Twilight blushed. “As I said, work in progress! I’m a scientist! Every great discovery is built off of mistakes and trials.”

“And this will allow you to transform? That’s so cool!” Lemon complimented. She had never seen the Galaxy Ranger in person, but the stories she’d heard about them were pretty amazing.

Twilight nodded vigorously. She then turned away and started muttering to herself. “Then maybe I can…” She trailed off.

Lemon and Minuette exchanged glances. “Is she okay?” Lemon whispered. She had never seen Twilight so down. Twilight looked on the verge of crying.

“She's been that way since she's got here," Minuette whispered back. "She's been a little unstable. I think the Corvus incident has really hurt her."

Lemon blinked. “Corvus incident?”

"You know," Minuette whispered so quietly that Lemon could barely hear her, "she got turned into a monster."

Lemon gasped. “That actually happened? I thought was just a rumor. The papers didn’t say anything about it.”

“Look at her, does that look like a rumor to you?” Minuette asked.

Lemon looked at Twilight again who looked to be in a very solemn mood. Twilight was scowling with an expression full of self-hatred.

"Poor thing," Lemon said so quietly it was almost to herself.

Minuette nodded. “And now she has it in her head that she needs to fight Corona to make things right.” She shook her head. “Nothing I’ve said can get her out of it.”

“Oh.” Lemon didn’t know what to say. Suddenly she had it. “We should get Twinkle and have a filly’s night out!” Lemon figured that might cheer her up a little.

“That might work!” Minuette said in delight.

"Hey, Twilight!" Lemon yelled startling Twilight. "I was thinking about getting some dinner! I’m going to invite Twinkleshine. Would you like to come?”

Twilight shook her head. “No, I am on the brink of finally getting this right. I don’t have the time.”

Lemon started up her magic and started pulling Twilight out of the basement. Twilight tried and failed to grab a table to stop it. “Nonsense, it will be here when you get back. You need some fresh air. It’s a bit stifling being in this basement all day. And you need a good meal! You look like skin and bones.”

“Ugh. No! I really…” Twilight tried to say. They were already in the living room now.

"No, you'll love it! There's this three-hoof restaurant on Restaurant Row I've been dying to try." Lemon said cheerfully.

“All right, fine.” Twilight relented.

Lemon released Twilight from her magic and she landed on the floor gingerly. “Perfect!”

The three left Minuette’s house. Twilight grumbling all the way. The three walked through the streets towards Twinkle Shine’s apartment. She lived in a High Rise a couple of blocks away. Lemon started chatting about random stuff with Minuette. Twilight didn’t join in, but the light conversation bolstered her mood.

They were about a block away from Twinkle Shine’s apartment when Lemon noticed that Twilight wasn’t with them. She looked around and noticed that Twilight was at a newsstand.

“Twilight?” Lemon asked. She noticed Twilight has hyperventilating and her eyes were the size of dinner plates. She was holding a newspaper.

“Twilight? What is it?” Lemon asked in alarm.

“I have to go!” Twilight exclaimed before suddenly teleporting out of sight startling the pony working at the newsstand and a few ponies around her.

Lemon and Minuette gapped. Lemon gingerly picked up the paper she was reading. On the front cover was the headline, “Trixie Lulamoon Arrested on Suspicion of Murder.”

Trixie flopped on her bed as she was led back into her cell. She had just come from an intensive questioning session. The guards turned off the lights and Trixie was cloaked in darkness. The only light was from a ceiling bulb in front of her cell. It gave off a slight white glow. She flopped on her bed back and forth. Despite how dead exhausted she was, sleep wouldn’t come. She kept thinking about Pokey. It hurt so much that he was gone. She hadn’t known him for that long, but she felt as if he were a longtime friend. And it was all her fault, she sent him into Canterlot, and now he was dead.

Trixie gave out a heart-wrenching sob. The events of the day finally broke her. She tried so hard, so hard to stay strong. To let her anger and determination fuel her and push her forward no matter what. But now everything was too much to bear. She felt dead. Empty.

"Oh, Pokey." She cried into her pillow. She felt like she wanted to die.

“You poor thing.” A voice full of sympathy and warmth said. “They took everything away from you, didn’t they?”

Trixie looked up at the voice and gaped. It was Corona, the Tyrant Sun. She was standing in front of the bar with a warm smile on her face.

“What do you want?!” Trixie growled. She wiped the tears from her eyes and did her best to appear dignified. “Are you here to gloat? Here to laugh at me?”

Corona shook her head. “No, dear dear Trixie. I’m here to help you.”

“Yeah right! Go away!” Trixie screamed.

Corona sighed. “Always so stubborn. So, proud. I can help you, but this won't be for you, Trixie. I know you would never accept help for yourself. It will be for your friends."

Trixie felt a pit in her stomach. “What do you mean?”

“Do you think the Night Light and his cohorts will stop with just you? No. They want to destroy you all.”

"No," Trixie said in a weak voice.

“They will go after Carrot Top next. They have been targeting her from the very beginning. They will plant jewels and other precious items in her room and frame her for stealing them.”

“No.” That was all Trixie could say.

“Then they will go after Cheerilee. They will create a scandal that will ruin her teaching career and move her somewhere far away.”

“Those…” Trixie scowled. How could they sink so low?

"One by one they will separate you until none are left," Corona explained. She had a frown on her face.

“This… no… what am I…”

Corona extended a hoof. "I can help you, Trixie. We can defeat them together. I can save your friends that you love so dearly."

Trixie was tempted. She knew she couldn’t defeat Night Light and Greengrass on her own. They were so powerful. So, untouchable. Their wealth and influence were terrifying and seemingly unmatchable. But could she sell her soul to the devil to save them? Trixie looked away saying nothing.

"Think about it, Trixie. Together we could build a brighter and better Equestria without filth like Night Light." Corona said. There was scorn in her voice at the mention of Viceroy.

“Like you would do better?” Trixie challenged.

“Too long my sister has allowed corruption to fester in her court.” Corona scowled. “It has been ruined by her inability to weed out the taint. The whole system has been contaminated beyond salvation now. It will need to a purged for the good of everypony.”

Corona sighed. “She means well, but she is too afraid to use her full power out of fear of it corrupting her. She could have been more vigilant and watchful. She should have stopped the bad seeds before they sprouted and grew. However, because she didn’t, creatures like Night Light and Greengrass were born.”

Corona shook her head sadly. “It is partially her fault you are in this predicament.”

Trixie grabbed the bars and glared at Corona. "No, it isn't!"

“Not on purpose mind you. But she does share the blame.” Corona said. “The nobles in her court only care about themselves. They have become arrogant and greedy. They care little about the little ponies and their problems. My sister could have stopped this long ago. She let the nobles bloat themselves on their wealth and power.”

“Do you think it is right that Puissance had Dinky kidnapped so she could control one of you?” Corona said Puissance’s name like it was diseased. “Such practices are common in the Night Court. They will do anything, no matter how foul, to get what they want.”

"They fear you, Trixie. They know you can't be controlled or bought, so they hate you. They plot against you. Even if it means dooming Equestria in the process."

Trixie looked away unable to say anything. She knew there was some truth to what Corona was saying. Sometimes while trying to sleep, her mind wandered to thoughts of what would have happened if she never met her friends. She was so arrogant and prideful back then. Would she have turned out like Greengrass? Or worse? This was her greatest fear. If she did join the Night Court, would she end up no better than Night Light?

“So, what say you?” Corona asked. She extended her hoof towards Trixie’s. “Will you help me save Equestria?”

After a moment, Trixie finally spoke. “No.”

Corona tilted her head. “No? Truly?”

"Yes, I will find my own way to fix this," Trixie said resolutely, "if I gave in to you Corona, I would be under your control. I will be controlled by nopony. You or the Night Court. I am the master of my own destiny. So, leave. You aren’t wanted.”

Much to Trixie’s surprise, Corona was smiling. “You are incorrigible Trixie Lulamoon. I admire your spirit. The Elements of Harmony were right to choose you.”

“Very well.” Corona turned around. “I am eager to see what you are going to do next.” She teleported away leaving Trixie alone.

Trixie blinked. She was not expecting that. Still, Corona gave her some useful information. Trixie felt stronger and more confident now. She felt like she could fight again. She would beat Night Light, Greengrass, and Fisher. So, they better watch out. Trixie Lulamoon is not so easily cowed.

“Finally. I thought she would never leave.” A voice from the far darkness said. The pony who said that walked into the light.

Trixie gaped again in surprise. It was Twilight Sparkle.

“Don’t worry Trixie. I’m here to rescue you!”

Chapter 26

Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - The White Raven
Chapter 26
by Rixizu

Sleuth carefully surveyed the rubble and fought back the wave of irritation. The entire alley and surrounding buildings were blown into rubble. Nopony was hurt, but this seriously hindered his investigation. Sparkle used her magic to scan the scene for any clues careful not to move or disturb anything. She had been doing this for the last half an hour terrified that Lulamoon might have been buried when the alley exploded. Thankfully, there was no sign of the mare. Lulamoon’s friends watched from the sidelines with trepidation.

Still, why was the alley destroyed? He supposed the obvious answer was that they were getting close, and somepony was getting desperate. Which was good in Sleuth’s opinion. Desperate ponies make mistakes. He wished that it would involve less property damage.

Sparkle let out a sigh. “This is hopeless. It will be impossible to find anything with the street and building collapsed into the sewer." The alley wasn’t much more than a hole in the ground filled with sewer water from broken pipes. It smelled something fierce, but Sparkle was too worried about her friend to notice.

"At least Trixie wasn't caught up in the destruction," Ditzy said lightening the mood a little.

“Then where the heck is she?!” Heartstrings demanded. “We just found her and now she's gone and disappeared on us again! Twilight, you need to put a tracking spell on her the next time you see her!" They laughed all at this, but it had a hint of worry with it.

“She obviously isn’t here.” Heartstrings declared. “We need to start looking for her. Something must have happened!”

“No.” Sleuth said rejecting the idea outright.

“What, why?” Heartstrings glared at him with suspension. The mare had never been too trusting of him. This whole Night Court debacle making it hard to decided who she should trust.

"He doesn't want us running off and losing us again," Ditzy explained quickly, "We don't really know what happened to Trixie."

“That, and we have no idea where to start looking.” Sleuth said finishing the thought. “Running around at random looking for your friends hasn’t been working.”

“Fine.” Heartstrings said crossing her legs.

“Best let the grunts do all the work.” Sleuth had the royal guard and police working overtime trying to find Lulamoon. He knew he would get grief for this later, but Lulamoon’s safety was his number one concern at the moment.

“Let’s go to the station.” Sleuth said. “I’ll have some unicorns dig through the rubble. Perhaps they’ll find something.” They would do a more thorough search than they ever could. He had the suspicion that the pony that did this hadn’t done as good of a job of hiding the evidence as they hoped. He gave his orders to some officers that had arrived on the scene earlier and they nodded.

“Sir.” A royal guard ran up to they as they trotted towards the station. “We found Trixie Lulamoon!” The whole group brightened up at this.

“Where?!” Heartstrings demanded getting face to face with the guard.

“At D-duke Greengrass’s mansion.” The guard stuttered backing away from Heartstrings’s glare. “She’s attacking it right now!”

Heartstrings’s jaw dropped. “Why the hay would she do that?”

“She’s Lulamoon," the Guard replied like it answered everything.

“Explain. What is the situation.?” Sleuth asked.

“Ten minutes ago, she came out of nowhere and destroyed the gate. She’s fighting Duke Greengrass and his Rangers right now.” The guard shuttered. “I didn’t see it myself. I can only imagine the amount of bodies.”

“Wait, what?” Heartstrings asked baffled. Ditzy and Sparkle groaned. Sleuth facehoofed.

“You know how Lulamoon is like.” The guard said. “I just hope Duke Greengrass stops her before too many ponies die! She's probably painting the ground red with blood right now!”

“Trixie isn’t a murderer!” Heartstrings proclaimed with absolute certainty.

The guard looked at Heartstrings like she was a naïve foal. “How well do you really know Trixie Lulamoon? Serial killers often hide behind friendly smiling mask pretending to be the sweetest most loving pony alive.”

“That doesn’t describe Trixie at all.” Heartstrings countered.

The guard floundered for a moment. “Well, she’s still hiding behind a mask of some kind.”

“Enough.” Sleuth said with stern resolution. “We don’t have time for this.”

“Yeah!” Sparkle proclaimed. “Trixie is in danger!”

“And you.” Sleuth glared at the guard and he wilted at his stare. “I am going to have a long long talk with your superior. We deal with facts and evidence. We are officers of the law, not gossiping midwives. You best remember that.” The guard gulped and nodded.

“Yeah, so shut your pie hole!” Heartstrings stomped her hoof for emphasis. The guard replied with an indignant huff but did as he was instructed.

“Can you teleport all of us?” Ditzy asked Sparkle.

“Sure, but it would be difficult.” Sparkle replied. “The Duke’s mansion is a little far away. I don’t think it would be very safe with so many ponies.”

“Perhaps only Ms. Sparkle should go.” Sleuth suggested.

“And why is that?” Heartstrings huffed.

“Both you and Ditzy are in no shape to fight.” Sleuth replied. He knew the bug queen gave Ditzy quite the beating when they fought and Heartstrings looked so tired that she was about to pass out right then and there.

“No way.” Heartstrings refuted refusing to back down even a little.

“Sleuth is right.” Sparkle said with no argument in her voice. “I am the freshest Ranger right now.”

Heartstrings looked about ready to argue again, but Ditzy held up a hoof. “No, Twilight is right. Lyra, you are in no shape at all to fight. Yes, I mean what I say. You can barely stand.”

“But.” Heartstrings gave a pained expression. “Fine.” She visibly deflated and her ears dropped. She looked down dejected.

“Go on.” Ditzy motioned with her head. “Save your energy. I’ll catch up later.” She spread her wings for emphasis.

“It’s morphing time! Corvus!” Sparkle transformed and everypony watched her amazed.

“That’s pretty cool Twilight.” Ditzy complimented. Heartstrings smiled with approval.

Twilight nodded and lit up her horn. “I’ll make sure she’s safe.” Right before Sparkle started her teleport, Sleuth grabbed on to Sparkle’s neck who gasped in surprise. Sleuth wasn’t going to be left behind. He wanted to survey the scene for himself. Plus, all the fighting created a perfect atmosphere for a little snooping around the Duke’s manor.

“Hey! Wait a minute you son of a…” Heartstrings yelled furious as Sparkle teleported away.

Fisher snorted in derision as Greengrass fled from the battlefield with Cheerilee nipping at his hooves. Trixie, on the other hoof, dropped her jaw almost to the ground. How was this possible? The Duke won’t just run like this, would he? Trixie could hardly believe her own eyes.

"I expected as much," Fisher said nonplus. He seemed to notice Trixie’s expression of bafflement. “Are you so surprised? He’s always been a rat hiding and scheming in the corner never getting his paws dirty himself.”

Trixie considered that maybe she misjudged Duke Greengrass all along. This was the pony she feared and dreaded the entire time?

"Forget about him." Fisher interrupted her thoughts. "Don't you have more pressing matters to contend with?" This put Trixie's mind back in order and she put 100 percent of her focus of her opponent. It was time to finish things, no more distractions.

"Right," Trixie said twirling her sword, "I still need to kick your flank."

“That’s the spirit!” Fisher congratulated and charged holding his hammer in his aura. The next attack pushed Trixie back digging her deep into the ground as she blocked the attack with her sword holding both sides with a hoof. Fisher unleashed a barrage of wild unpredictable swings that forced Trixie to either dodge or block. He left no room for a counter attack. In one of Fisher’s swings, Trixie lost her hoofing with a bad step and the blow caused her to crash into Greengrass’s manor. Kitchen staff screamed when she smashed into and bent a stainless-steel oven.

Trixie winced and got back on her hooves. She ignored a chef that was yelling at her and jumped back outside to a waiting Fisher. This time Trixie went on the offensive and slashed at Fisher who dodged keeping his distance. Fisher deftly avoided Trixie's attacks and batted her away with a powerful blow to the back. Trixie recovered in the air and landed on her hooves. She could not believe how fast he was.

Once again Trixie cursed not having her magic. Summoning some illusions would be pretty helpful right now. She hadn’t expected him to still be this powerful after seeing how damaged his morpher was. His whole body radiated power and might and he towered over her. Fisher wailed at her with his hammer and she dodged, but Fisher hit every blind spot with a hoof. She panted as she struggled to her hooves after a nasty punch to the gut.

Trixie scowled. She was overmatched, and they both knew it. Instead of gloating, however, Fisher watched over her waiting. She pawed at the ground ready for another round. She would not let this jerk get his way. Outmatched or not, she would win this. She took a battle pose and readied herself for the next attack.

Fisher charged and assaulted Trixie with heavy overwhelming blows from his hammer. This time Trixie watched Fisher’s hooves and avoided any cheap hits. She caught a blow with a hoof and pulled him in and delivered a headbutt to the face. Fisher winced stunned for the moment and Trixie took advantage of this and cut him across the chest.

Fisher chuckled as he recovered. “Nice work.”

Trixie found herself under another storm of blows, but she was able to keep pace with it this time. She realized that Fisher had more power, but she more than made up for it in speed. Trixie reminded herself not to be intimidated by his speed and power and fight more carefully. If she could hit him once, she could do it again.

Fisher over swung one of his attacks and Trixie punished him for it with a slash across the face. Trixie found that she could get an attack in or two if she fought with patience and played defensively. She noticed that Fisher’s had to split his attention, both using his magic and attacking with hooves. It was something she found she could exploit. Using her speed, she moved between Fisher’s attacks or blocked them with her sword or hooves.

Fisher stopped and dropped his hammer from his aura to his hooves. Trixie cursed. It seems he noticed that she figured out how to exploit the weakness of his strategy.

“Not bad. You learn and adapt quickly.” Fisher complimented. He holstered his hammer behind his back. “It’s time to stop playing around.”

Trixie gasped at the speed of Fisher’s hammer and almost lost her head. She tried to block the next swing with her sword but Fisher’s next attack tore it out of her hooves. Trixie jumped back to a safe distance and summoned her weapon back. Fisher used this distraction and charged at her like a bull and Trixie gasped in surprise at the unexpected charge. She tried to jump to the side, but Fisher smashed his hammer into her midsection and Trixie crashed through a tree and into the little pond in the garden.

Trixie crawled out of the pond panting. Her whole body ached, and she knew she could not keep this up for much longer. She struggled to put herself back into battle position. Fisher approached with calm sure steps like the fight had already been decided. In a blur, he was on her with devastating strikes from his hammer that Trixie almost didn’t avoid. His attacks contained such power that the force of each swing tore and blew apart everything in its path causing the ground to be torn pieces despite the hammer never touching the ground. The force of one attack almost threw Trixie off her hooves when she tried to avoid it.

Trixie gritted her teeth and reminded herself that the fight wasn’t over yet. When one of Fisher's swing was too wide, Trixie dove in and jabbed into his chest. He howled in pain and tried to retaliate with a sudden jab, but Trixie saw this coming and dodged and responded with another cut her blade. Sparks flew and Fisher was almost knocked off his hooves.

“Nice job.” Fisher complimented. “I felt that one.”

"You aren't so bad yourself," Trixie said while smiling and getting her breath back. She saw that they were both getting pretty tired. They both knew this fight would end soon. She was so focused on their fight she jumped when Twilight in her white armor unexpectedly teleported in front of her. A dazed Sleuth next to her. He wobbled on his hooves. Trixie gave him a sympathetic look.

“Not doing that again.” Sleuth croaked.

"Yeah, that was a little dumb. You're lucky you made it in one piece. Teleportation has..." Twilight stopped her magic lecture when she saw Trixie.

“Trixie!” Twilight said in relief. “You’re alright!”

“Yes.” Trixie puffed a little annoyed. “I’m fine.”

“Thank goodness!” Twilight proclaimed. “When you vanished, we were so worried!”

“I’m happy to see you too, but do you mind?” Trixie said tapping her hoof with little patience. “I’m kinda in the middle of something.”

Twilight turned towards Fisher then back at Trixie with apparent confusion. “You won’t want my help?”

"No," Trixie replied simply.

"This is a personal duel Ms. Sparkle," Fisher said with some reproach in his voice.

"Oh," Twilight said downtrodden. Trixie felt a little bad she hurt Twilight's feelings. She felt there might be a way to fix that.

“If you really want to help,” Trixie said after a moment's thought, “backup Raindrops.” They turned towards the pegasus. From here, it was obvious the fight was not going well. Unlike Fisher, Notary was fighting at full strength from the start and it was too much for Raindrops.

"Got it," Twilight said with a nod. She teleported and blindsided Notary with a shot from her gun to the head.

“If you don’t mind, I think I am going to sit down somewhere over there.” Sleuth said pointing in a random direction. He looked about ready to vomit. “Please don’t blow me up.” He stumbled away in that direction.

Now that this distraction was out of the way and she had a much-needed break, Trixie refocused her attention back on Fisher who seemed to be waiting for her to make the next move. Trixie dove at him, sword in hoof, at blinding speed. He countered by trying to swat her away with his hammer. Trixie rolled under his swing and slashed the leg holding his hammer. He winced in pain and dropped his weapon. Trixie didn't have time to celebrate for Fisher kicked her in the stomach disarming her as well.

Fisher moved in for a punch and Trixie caught it with her hooves. They exchanged blows matching each other blow for blow. Trixie repaid each punch and kick with a vicious one her own. Both combatants found themselves too tired to do much dodging anymore, so it was a contest of who could take the most punishment. Trixie screamed in pain when Fisher’s hoof cracked her helmet. Trixie made his pay for it with a kick that cracked his chest plate. They dove and hit each other in the head at the same time. They both stumbled back stunned for the moment.

The reprieve only lasted a moment, and they were on each other again. Trixie shuddered in pain when Fisher hit the cracked part of her helmet and she hit back at his cracked plate. Both attacks made the cracking spread even farther across their body. Trixie made an unintelligible sound of rage. The pain was not unlike what she felt when Night Light cut her horn, but she ignored it and fought on.

Trixie screamed and they began again. Trixie could feel that Fisher was losing power not unlike what happened to Night Light, but Fisher pushed on not deterred for even a moment. He held nothing back when he grappled with her and almost pushed her to the ground. Her hooves dove deep into the ground crushing through the cement under her like it was made of dead leaves and she held her ground. Fisher slammed his forehead into Trixie and she reeled back stunned for a moment, only to retaliate with a head-butt of her own. She hit him so hard the horn on Fisher’s helmet bent at an odd angle. He howled, an odd distorted sound, and let go of his grip and fell to one knee, his breathing ragged.

Fisher summoned his hammer back and held it with a shaky hoof and Trixie’s own sword wasn’t much steadier. They both seemed to know this would be the final blow. They stared each other down, waiting. Behind them, they heard Twilight's and Raindrop's fight with Notary rage on. There was a crash, and it sounded like part of the roof of Greengrass's mansion just collapsed. They used this as a signal to begin.

“Warrior’s Pride!” Fisher’s hammer slammed right into the cracked portion of Trixie’s helmet.

“Searing Blade!” Trixie stabbed directly into the crack in Fisher’s chest plate. There was an explosion and everything went black for a moment from the pain.

When she opened her eyes, Trixie saw she was on the street. Somehow, she hadn’t unmorphed, but she knew her powers were barely holding on and her armor had more cracks than she could ever count. There wasn’t much left of the street she was on, it had been torn to shreds by her impact. Ponies all around gaped at her. Trixie gaped as well when she saw that she had smashed through everything in her wake. The gate and wall surrounding Greengrass’s mansion hadn’t stood a chance. Trixie felt like crap and just wanted to sleep, but she limped back into the grounds of Greengrass’s manor. Nopony tried to stop her and shied away when she got close. She ignored them and focused only on moving her body forward.

Trixie wasn’t surprised when Fisher also limped towards her. There wasn’t much left of his armor either. They met in a batch of flowers and stared each other down. Fisher darted forward, but his charge was slow and sluggish. Trixie didn't even move and watched as Fisher's hoof rushed at her face. It stopped mid-air almost touching her. He fell forward and collapsed, unmorphing as he hit the ground. His morpher cracked and split apart and soon vanished into dust.

Fisher aged before her eyes losing any of the youth he had left. His coat became paler and his mane lost its shine. Much to Trixie's surprise, despite this he smiled up at her with his aged face. It looked genuine and pleased.

"I was right," Fisher said in a weak voice, "you are the pony we need." He grabbed Trixie’s hoof and stared into her visor with a stern gaze. “She is moving her plans forward. Don’t let her win.” He didn’t seem to have much energy left to even talk, and just these few sentences drained him.

“Corona.” Trixie knew this was the only one he could be talking about.

Fisher nodded. “The stars are vanishing. She’s amassing great power. She might become too powerful to fight. Promise me. Promise you will fight and win with the same ferocity as you did today. Otherwise, Equestria, no the world, might not survive. You are Equestria’s protector now.”

Trixie nodded. “I will.” Fisher gave her a wide smile and lost consciousness.

Trixie unmorphed and looked down as Fisher. He seemed contented and at peace. Trixie wasn’t sure what to think at the moment. She wanted to hate him for everything his plans put her and her friends through, but she couldn’t somehow. Maybe she was too tired right now. One thing she did know is that he was right about Corona.

“Corona will be stopped," Trixie said promised in a quiet voice.