To the Stars...by The BricklayerChaptersPart 1: ScorpiusPart 2: Mysteries in the DarkPart 3: LupusPart 4: More Questions than AnswersPart 5: Oh, the times, they are a Changin'...Part 6: Silver and Gold (AKA 3, 2, 1, Showtime!)Part 7: The Nine Saviors GatherPart 8: What was Lost, Shall be FoundPart 9: While You Were Away...Part 10: Into the MistsPart 12: ScarsPart 13: Hope Springs Eternal Part 1: Noblesse ObligePart 14: Hope Springs Eternal Part 2: Fighting SpiritPart 15: Hope Springs Eternal Finale: One Last HopePart 16: AftermathPart 17: Flashfire LulamoonPart 18: Holly JollyPart 19: The ShepherdPart 20: EriedronePart 21: Domo Arigato...Part 22: Under Cover of Darkness Part 1Part 23: Under Cover of Darkness Part 2Part 24: Testing their LuckPart 25: StarmanPart 26: The Rescue MissionPart 27: SnowfallPart 28: FlustercluckPrologue: The End, and the BeginningPart 11: We Got ThisPart 1: ScorpiusThe robot chuckled as soon as it saw the three ‘intruders’ enveloped in an explosion, now that they were dealt with, he could move onto other things. However, a familiar grating tone reached his audio receptors. “Did you think we were dead? ‘Cause if so, you need to get that optic of yours checked!” Coldcast’s voice shouted. The robotic centaur/scorpion turned to face it and saw in Coldcast and the other two’s places what could only be described as costumed heroes. The robotic warrior made a hissing noise, and his blades crackled with energy. “Paladins…” he thought to himself as if he’d had run-ins with these particular types of heroes before. Coldcast adjusted his gloves, and punched his fist. His costume was form fitting, and looked actually looked like it was made out of leather in some ways, and bore a fur collar. A singular blue star adorned his chest, with a bright, light blue orb at the center of it. Though the legs looked like rock walls, they were slim and smooth to the touch. The helmet resembled a wolf’s head, and bore a glittering image of the constellation Lupus as the visor. The others were similar, except they seemed to be made out of tight spandex instead of leather. The sea-green one, he bore a Cerberus constellation as his visor and a small cape draped from his back, a unicorn’s horn sticking out of the helmet. Like Lupus Blue, he bore a star on his chest The pink one was no different, and had the image of the Aquila constellation on his visor and also had a star on the center of the costume. “Three Stars shining in the sky,” Flashfire shouted as he drew his sword, his Prench accent coming out. “Space Squadron, Kyurangers!” “I wasn’t expecting to run into Star Paladins on this mission, but no matter, they’ll just be more obstacles to be removed. However, an adaptation must be made.” the robot thought to himself. The robot let out another hissing noise, and the legs changed with a shifting of parts from eight arachnoid ones to just two humanoid ones, although the robot still retained the stinger tail that hung from its back and swayed in a dangerous looking manner. “What are you after, ya hunk of junk?” Coldcast asked, holding up a claw-like weapon. “Whatever it is, we’ll stop you all the same!” The robot said nothing, except for two words: “Dark Matter.” It was evident by Blue and Pink’s stances that these words had caught them off guard. “Would this be a good time to say, I told you so?” Coldcast deadpanned. “How ‘bout we wait till after we render this guy into scrap metal?” Jabari asked, holding out a small red pistol. “You can try, paladins. But you will not succeed!” The robot growled and thrust his foot into the ground, creating a small crater around it. “Spike Volley!” With that, his arms shot out a flurry of spikes that flew towards the Rangers at blinding speeds, cutting into their suits and drawing blood. The three Rangers tried using their weapons to either slash or shoot the spikes out of the air, but eventually more and more got through and they were forced to take cover behind some ice. “I have an idea, follow my lead!” Flashfire shouted, before summoning from his belt buckle a black Kyutama and inserting it into his Kyuchanger. “Andromeda!” “So that’s how it’s done…” Jabari mused. With that, chains erupted from the ground and bound the robotic enemy from head to toe. “Hah!” Coldcast shouted, leaping out from behind cover and pointing at his foe. “Let’s see you try and break out of that one!” “I may be stuck, but your overconfidence will be your downfall Paladin of Lupus. Scorpius System Fireballs, activate.” The robot stated calmly and fired off balls of searing hot magma from its’ eye. Flashfire raised his sword to block the blows, bt was sent flying back. The Robot clasped his hands together and performed a double-handed slam on the ground, his arm blades charging it with electricity, igniting the magnesium below him and sending all three Rangers flying back from the sheer force of the explosion. “Ugh… Please tell me that got him,” Coldcast muttered. “He’s an alien robot from the stars beyond made out of some sort of metal none of us have ever seen, do you really think a simple magnesium explosion would kill him?” Jabari asked flatly. “Nngh…” The robot groaned as it struggled to get up. The chains had been snapped, but his body was heavily dented and singed from the blast. “What… what are you?” “Like we said, we’re the Kyurangers,” Flashfire smirked. “Ou sommes-nous simplement trop pour vous?” “I’ve run into your kind before…” the Robot stated. “They never were much of a challenge. You think you’re the only ones with Kyutamas in this or any other galaxy? Where’d you think that Draco Kyutama I tracked came from? Granted, I am impressed that you managed to reverse-engineer its technology,” “N'y pense même pas,” Flashfire spoke in a warning tone, charging his weapon up for another attack. It ignited with a blazing flame. He turned to Coldcast. “Hold him steady!” he barked out. “Right!” Coldcast smirked under his helmet. “Got just the thing!” He pulled out the Cancer Kyutama, and a red claw of energy erupted from his back, and grabbed the Robot in its pinchers. “What do you hope to accomplish?” The robot asked, batting at the pincer with its’ metallic limbs. “I am galvanized with the strongest metals in the galaxy!” “Simple,” Flashfire remarked as he charged forwards. “Bifurcation!” He set his Cerberus Kyutama in his blade, making it cry out: “Galaxy!” before slashing the robot right down the middle. To his surprise however, the legs fell forwards, but the top half of the robot just entered his ship. Inside, it attached itself to the cockpit, and wires sprung out from the bottom of the torso entering crucial systems and charging them up. And then, the entire ship began to shift and change, with four pronged legs popping out, a singular eye appearing from underneath metal plating, and a massive stinger tail erupting from the back of the ship, with a laser cannon at the end, glowing a ugly green color. “Fools! You cannot stop a morph-capable robot such as myself!” The robot roared as he stared down on the tiny Kyurangers. “Now prepare for your extermination at the hands of the Dark Matter Empire!” “...Okay, remember when I said neither of you were qualified to pilot your Voyagers yet?” Flashfire asked, looking towards Coldcast and Jabari, who nodded weakly. “Consider this on the job training!” “On the job? You really think we can do it? We’ve barely had any time to get used to them!” Jabari asked nervously, and Flashfire gave them a serious look. “I believe in you. Now, let’s hope this thing is feeling lucky!” he said with a snap of his fingers, before all three Rangers gave their Kyutamas flicks and pointed their gauntlets to the night sky. Suddenly, a massive blue wolf erupted from a mountain of pure ice, and raised its head to howl at where the moon once would have been centuries ago. A dark pink and black Eagle flew over it, with the three-headed Cerberus Voyager right behind. Three massive Kyutamas appeared, and each locked themselves in place on each of the Voyagers as the rangers leaped into their cockpits. “Alright then… What was it my father used to say?” Jabari mused to himself as he adjusted himself to the controls, using joysticks to control his mecha in the orb-shaped cockpit. “Oh yes. Now you find the strength in your heart to appeal to his good nature, and if you can't, find the strength in your arms to beat his ass senseless.” “I don’t think we can appeal to his better nature,” Coldcast snarked. “So we’ll skip to beating this guy’s ass senseless. ...Does he even have an ass?” “Now who’s got skewed priorities?” Jabari asked in an amused tone, as he flew the Eagle Voyager away from the Scorpius Mech, who trained its stinger tail onto the bird. “It’s still you!” The scorpion mech fired its’ stinger tail at the eagle, trying to hit the wings or engines. “Die! Fall! Black out! Disappear!” “Yeah yeah, we get it already…” Coldcast snarked, rolling his eyes. “The plan is this,” Flashfire told his teammates. “Lead this thing on a chase, tire or overload its main weapons systems, then we strike. Simple to understand, non?” “I highly doubt that robots ever tire,” Jabari remarked, lifting a brow. “Y’know, because they don’t have lungs or anything used for breathing? I kinda think these things can go on forever…” “We’re too close to Vault-182. We have to get it away from there. If that thing steps on the vault, everyone inside will be crushed. There’s some canyons up ahead, we can lead this thing there, box it in!” Flashfire ordered. “Keep up the pressure all the while, make it focus its attentions completely on us!” The scorpion mech continued to fire on the Eagle Voyager, its’ lasers painting the ground and causing plumes of flames and debris to rise. As more shots were lobbed and the sharpened legs dug into and rose from the ground, nothing but destruction enveloped the area. Icy walls were torn to pieces, large cracks formed in the ground, and snow burst out as colossal holes were formed in the ground. Some water even started to spill from the canyon walls as the fight ensued, with the water trickling down towards the Wolf and Cerberus Voyagers. The scorpion walker’s singular eye fired a huge blast of energy towards all three Voyagers, hitting them all as they tried to break away. The shot grazed their sides and burned the colours off as the mechs all collapsed to the ground. “Dammit!” Coldcast punched the console. “So, you want to play huh? Let’s play.” With that, the Wolf Voyager pounced at one of the walker’s legs, and bit down on it. Its teeth sank into the metallic connectors that kept the robot standing, causing it to tumble to the side. However, it soon regained its footing and began to stand back up, if only on three legs, the legs digging in deeper into the snow and ice. “That accomplished what, may I ask?” The robot taunted, launching another wave of shots at the wolf Voyager, causing the ice it was standing on to combust and break beneath its’ feet. “Nothing but you being sunk!” “Coldcast!” Jabari shouted in fear, the rational part of his mind telling him the Voyager’s systems should keep him alive, but he was still afraid for his sorta friend nonetheless. The Eagle Voyager opened up its beak, and fired a stream of pink energy towards the walker hitting it directly in the eye. “Grah!” The walker looked away as the eyeshot knocked it backwards, the claws tearing the ice even more. “Trying to blind me, huh? How pathetic and cowardly!” The stinger reared itself, and fired at the Eagle Voyager again. Mortar shots erupted from the walker’s back, and came down all around the area like meteorites, with the two Voyagers forced to dodge and weave between them. The Cerberus Voyager opened all three of its mouths, and fired an energy beam from each. “Have some of this!” Flashfire smirked. The walker staggered back once more, and that gave Jabari his opening and he pumped his Voyager’s wings full of magic, the two glowing a deep pink lighting up the night sky. The Eagle Surged forwards and sliced through the stinger tail, chopping it right off. “No!” The robot howled. “How dare you! Pitiful, insignificant fleshlings!” The machine gathered energy and crackled with dark purple lightning. “I will not be mocked and taunted like this! Not by you or anyone!” Looking to the sky, it sent a purple spherical shockwave out. The blast sent both the Eagle and Cerberus Voyagers crashing into the ice and snow. “Bon sang, all systems jammed. Rebooting!” Flashfire shouted. The scorpion robot clawed its’ way forward with the three legs it had left. “Prepare for your extinction, fools!” And its’ eye laser began to charge up and let off a final blast; one that would end the Kyurangers here and now. “Oh no, you don’t!” Coldcast shouted, as he and the Wolf Voyager leaped out of the frozen seas and canceled the blast out with one of his own. The mech landed in front of the two downed Voyagers, standing near them protectively. “You want to get to my friends, you have to get through me first,” Coldcast growled out. “C-Coldcast…” Jabari whispered in shock, never seeing this side of his friend before. He’d always remained aloof, uncaring about anyone except himself. “W-what happened to you, what’s gotten into you?” “Agh, you two grow on me, what can I say?” he muttered. “Now get those engines rebooted, so we can finish this creep, and give this “Dark Matter” what for eh? Flashfire, you said these mechas were meant to combine once, didn’t you?” he asked. “Yeah, but would it really work now? He’s cut off our flying powers,” Flashfire groaned and tried to reboot his systems. “Par les néithers de Celestia...” “Pump ‘em full of magic, that’s what these things run on right? Much magic as you got! We’ll just have to give them a hard reboot!” Coldcast shouted. Flashfire sighed, and then pumped his entire Voyager full of magic, before lights began to flicker on as systems rebooted, one by one. A voice recording stated: “Celesti-AI back online. Welcome, Paladin. Megazord configuration systems operational.” “Oh… Oh yes!” Flashfire cried as his Voyager slowly began to lift off the ground, with the Eagle soon to follow. The Celesti-AI was a part of the Great Sun herself, a small bit of her consciousness saved to databanks by Princess Flurry Heart and Princess Twilight. “Now we’re talking! Alright then, you wanted a fight? Congrats, you got one! Voyagers, on me! Time to finish this!” He took off his Kyutama, and inserted it into a slot and spun the small globe-like trinket, with the other two following his maneuvers exactly. “Megazord Sequencing Ready. Combine!” the Celesti-AI stated as parts began to shift, and both the Wolf and Eagle Voyager’s Kyutamas detached to allow them to link up with the Cerberus Voyager. Mind you, it was still missing legs, but booster rockets where the empty sockets were fired up, and engaged a flight mode of sorts, with the Eagle’s wings detaching from its body and grafting themselves to the Megazord’s back. “Shooting Star Megazord! Ready for battle!” the Celesti-AI announced. “So, you’ve grown up a bit. Doesn’t change a thing!” The scorpion-bot taunted roared and launched more blasts at the Megazord. The Eagle’s beak opened and formed an energy shield absorbing the blasts completely. “That all you got?” Jabari asked in a bored tone. “I say we finish this.” “Exactly. Alright then,” Flashfire stated. “Let’s test your luck!” Both the Wolf and Eagle Voyagers primed themselves with energy, before creating a massive meteorite of energy before it was tossed at the scorpion walker. “Meteor Crash!” Flashfire roared, and once it hit, the red unicorn allowed himself a smirk. “Échec et mat.” “No! I will not be stopped by the likes of you!” The scorpion took the hit and the pilot inside felt the whole entire chassis crumple and collapse under the sheer force of the meteor. It finally exploded, bathing the area with flames. “Never!” Flashfire felt it prudent to inspect the remains of the walker, and it was a very good thing that he did, considering he found the pilot amazingly enough still clinging to some small shard of life. The robot crawled forwards, inch by precious inch, its claws digging into the ice below gripping it tightly. “Proceed with caution,” the Celesti-AI warned. “I believe, even as crippled as this robot is, it could still possess some mechanism of defense.” “Well, we’ll just have to see about that won’t we?” Flashfire commented, before thrusting his sword in the robot’s back, with the body shaking before crumpling to the ground. “What… What was that thing?” Jabari asked, visibly shaking in fear. “Where did it come from, and who sent it?” “It… It said something about the Dark Matter Empire, that’s all we know.” Coldcast whispered, his voice as soft as the grave. “Jabari, you were right. We’re not alone, and whatever’s out there,” he continued, looking up at the moonless sky. “It’s not friendly. Should we even…?” he asked, thinking about what else they might run into out there if the plan to take to the stars went forwards. “I know this world’s going to freeze over eventually, but maybe we should freeze along with it.” “Listen,” Flashfire said sternly, grabbing ahold of Coldcast by the shoulders. “We’re Kyurangers, and the Paladins of Equus, for better, or for worse. Now, I don’t know what’s out there, same as you, and Hell, I’m scared as you believe it or not. But I do know one thing, we have to get off this planet, and find a new home. I don’t like going into the unknown blind, blind about what what’s out there, but as my ancestor Princess Platinum once said when she found what was to become Equestria, and settled it: “If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here! It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross… but it's not for the timid. Nobody ever said this expedition would be safe, but we have to undergo it, or we die. But, as your commander, I’ll be with you every step of the way. I’ve always been, haven’t I petit frère?” he asked softly, pulling Coldcast into a hug. “Y-Yes, grand frère.” Coldcast whispered in reply, wiping away tears as he did so. He’d managed to catch the Prench phrase perfectly, and it sounded as if he’d been speaking it all his life. “Much as I hate to ruin the sappy moment guys,” Jabari spoke up. “Have a gander at this!” He held up something gathered from the burning wreckage, and both Coldcast and Flashfire felt their eyes widen in abject shock. What the zorse was holding up, could only be a Kyutama. This one was mainly purple, with an orange crystal. It was marked with the number 02, and all three Rangers took a gander at their own Kyutamas. The Lupus, marked with a 03. Aquila, marked with 08 and Cerberus was marked with a 00 representing it being the first, the prototype. “What the hell…?” Jabari asked, before he remembered something. “What did that robot say? Oh yes! Now I remember! He said: “I’ve run into your kind before… They never were much of a challenge. You think you’re the only ones with Kyutamas in this or any other galaxy? Where’d you think that Draco Kyutama I tracked came from?” That’s what he said, right?” Jabari asked. “Now that I think of it, the Draco Kyutama has a number code as well! Marked with a 10, right?” “We need to talk to Stripped Gear, see what he knows. He was partially responsible for reverse-engineering the Draco Kyutama in the first place, and creating our Legend Kyutamas and the Skill ones like Cancer and Gemini as well,” Flashfire stated firmly, before gesturing to the broken remains of the Robot. “Grab him, we’ll see what we can learn from whatever’s left of him.” Groaning out in pain, Coldcast lifted the remains of the Robot onto his back and pulled out both the Gemini and Cygnus Kyutamas from his belt and then attached the Gemini Kyutama to his Kyuchanger, and suddenly there were two of him and two Cygnus Kyutamas as well. Both Cygnus Kyutamas were used, and two swan-themed hoverbikes appeared in front of the Rangers. Coldcast’s clone vanished in a stream of stardust. Coldcast loaded the remains of the robot onto the back of his bike and gripped the throttles, while Jabari and Flashfire climbed onto the back of the other bike. They flew off back towards the Garrison Headquarters, never noticing the Robot’s eye flicker once before dimming again. Far above them, atop an icy mountain looking towards the spiral galaxy known as the Milky Way that shone brightly down on the normally darkened planet of Equus, a figure stood. Unusually, he seemed to have no need for the thermal suits that the native inhabitants had to wear. Instead, he just wore a dark blue suit and tie, a brown trenchcoat and a pair of red trainers. In the pockets of his coat, sat a silver cylindrical object with a blue tip. In one of his hands, a gold Kyutama marked 04. “Oh… How does that legend go?” the figure asked himself, rubbing at his chin in thought before he snapped his fingers in remembrance. “Oh, I know! When the universe falls into evil clutches and its people shed tears, the Kyutama will choose nine saviors, the Kyurangers, who will save the universe. That’s how it goes right?” he asked to no-one in particular before chuckling as he gripped the Kyutama in his hand, using his other hand to rub the back of his head sheepishly. “Well, I must say, I never imagined I’d be chosen. I mean, I’m the worst choice to save anyone, let alone the entire universe from the clutches of Dark Matter! But all the same…” He flicked his wrist, and a Kyuchanger of his own appeared before he locked the Libra Kyutama in it. “Libra!” he stated, before morphing into a gold-clad figure similar in design to the previous Kyurangers with a set of scales as his visor. Far below the howling winds and negative degree temperatures of the aboveground, rested a miracle in engineering, and magic. Deep within the caverns of the planet, behind sealed vault doors rested underground cities. Powered by geothermal generators with lava flows running through cities like rivers, and with buildings sparkling and twinkling like days gone by in old Manehatten, these technological wonders were the last safe haven of the residents of the planet Equus. Tapping his hooves to a beat unheard as he worked upon the latest upgrades to the Kyuranger suit system, was a tan pony going by the name of Stripped Gear. Dressed in a lab coat, and little glasses, this pony also happened to be the bearer of the Dorado Yellow powerset. Doing a small dance with his cane as his horn lit up in a green tint of magic levitating various tools to work on the Kyuchanger gauntlet, he hummed an old song under his breath. “If there's a race in life you'd win I'll be here below the stratosphere as long as you're in it Can't flutter for nothin, but they still got a rise I'd love to be flapping instead of just tapping, but that's just not happening. I'll never be fly like you Fly like you Fly like you “I was scratchin' an itch that I just couldn't find And mah little pegasister was there by my side I asked “Honey, you got a wing you can spare?” Her feather flicked a fly and she just said “Grow a pair.” Some may have given him odd looks, and called him morbid but he liked the tune really. Not sure where he’d first picked it up, but it had been stuck in his head ever since. Some may have called him bigoted against pegasi or any other flyer, but that was further from the truth than it could possibly be, given he originally considered a pegasi friend of his for the Aquila Powers thinking a flying Voyager would come naturally to them. It wasn’t his fault that the pegasus in question couldn’t be bothered to pry his head from his work, and that Jabari aced the tests needed to be able to fly a Voyager. ...Okay, so maybe he held a bit of a grudge, but he knew he couldn’t let that get in the in the way of his very important work. “Important work, it seems, that’s about to be increased…” Stripped Gear commented when both Flashfire and Jabari wheeled in a broken robot on a cart. “...You know Jabari, when you were a little foal, you always brought home pets like Vulptexes and the like asking if you could keep them. I imagined you’d grow out of it eventually, and you did. Or so I thought.” Stripped Gear commented in a deadpan tone. “Were these Vulptexes ever dead?” Flashfire asked flatly, and it took a minute for Stripped Gear to realize that was a joke relating to the current state of affairs. “How goes the upgrades?” “Well, for one I should be able to increase the Chamaeleon’s powers so that it, like the Perseus Kyutama should be able to camouflage itself with the environment. Also worked on the Corvus Kyutama, which sends a target into a realm of permanent despair. Bit grim, I know, but it’ll catch on! I promise you that!” Stripped rambled. “Oh, and don’t get me started on the Aquila’s flight upgrades!” “Focus Stripped,” the Twilight-AI said from near his desk, an almost perfect hologram of Twilight Sparkle herself, made completely up of lines of code. It had been developed in the same base way as the Celesti-AI. For all intents and purposes, they were Celestia and Twilight Sparkle. “Geez, and they called me erratic whenever I got my mind set on projects…” she mumbled to herself. “Where’s dinner?” Stripped asked. “Can’t work on an empty stomach, especially not with what I’ve just been handed!” “Spada’s working on it, as always,” Twilight reminded. “You’re getting forgetful again. I envy you really, having a sense of taste and the actual ability to eat. From what you say about his cooking, it’s like an orgasm in your mouth!” Jabari and Flashfire shared a flushed look, while Coldcast busted out laughing. Eventually, Flashfire set the apparent Scorpius Kyutama down on Stripped’s desk. The unicorn’s eyes widened considerably. “Where’d you get this? I sure as Hell would have remembered if I made another Legendary Kyutama…” Stripped trailed off, eying this new one closely. “Well, that’s quite the tale and it relates to our new friend here,” Flashfire explained gesturing to the robot. “Fascinating, simply fascinating!” Stripped exclaimed as he examined the robot’s inner workings with a little scanning device. “This simply cannot be from Equus!” “Yeah, we sorta figured that out when it was trying to kill us with a giant scorpion mech,” Jabari deadpanned. “Sorta like our Voyagers, but much, much larger and deadlier. A Mega-Voyager if you will.” “Oh… Oh my,” Stripped whispered. “There’s something I think you, and all the other Voyager pilots need to see in that case. You too Twilight! Come along!” he continued, gesturing for the others to follow, just as Spada arrived on the scene with a tray of sushi. The mostly yellow carapaced Changeling sighed to himself, always so unfocused that one. Stripped Gear, he was like a pavlova in some ways, and that meant he was notoriously hard to work with at times. He grumbled something under his breath, before sighing and following after his fellow Paladins. If he had looked back, he would have seen the robot’s singular optic blink once more, before dimming. He was in for a shock, pretty much dropping his tray -After recovering it, and more importantly the food with a small field of magic from his horn- when he saw what was nestled deeper inside Stripped’s lab. As ever, the lab was in a state of what could only be described as organized chaos, various half-finished devices and inventions and such scattered about. On a big bulletin board, with various drawings and photos stuck to it with thumbtacks was what seemed to be an entire collection of such things all centered around one such creature, a massive purple dragon, from the Neighasian lands in design. “What… What have you been working on?” Jabari whispered. If there was a pony in the cities more intelligent than him, it was Stripped Gear and there was always a method to his madness. Jabari had just yet to figure it out right now. “I… I can’t explain it really. After I started work on reverse-engineering the Draco Kyutama, I found myself drawn out to this general area,” Stripped said, and gestured with a pointer to a canyon. The very same canyon, in fact, Flashfire had remembered testing the Cerberus Voyager’s new upgrades in. “It’s like some energy, and I know this sounds completely unscientific really, was telling me to just… search. I haven’t even told Princess Flurry Heart or Prince Stardust about this yet!” “You’re right,” the Twilight-AI spoke up. “It does sound completely unscientific, but at the same time completely fascinating, I can see why you wanted to investigate this further. What’d you find? When searching, I mean?” “Well, I didn’t really know at the time, until I stumbled across this area!” Stripped Gear piped up, gesturing with his pointer to an area on a map written on in black marker: “Energy source!” “So, what is it?” Spada asked. “Outcropping of giant ice boulders, leading into a giant cavern covered in these sheer ancient markings. Each tells a slightly different story, but they all tell of this purple dragon coming to save them in times of great crisis. And, what’s more, they all tell of clues leading to some great event, some great… disaster. Initially, I thought it was of the sun going out oh so long ago, but now after you brought in that robot and told me of you and your comrades’ story Jabari,” Stripped continued, with everyone else in the room looking at the zorse as Stripped continued. “I’m not so sure about that. What I am sure of is this, we need to have a look at those caves. So, who’s with me?” Meanwhile, unbeknownst to anybody, several ships similar in make to the Robot’s flew high above the wreckage of the scorpion walker. In the lead ship, a purple-furred wolf-like creature grimaced as he looked over the flaming wreckage. “So, there’s life on this planet sufficiently advanced enough to defeat one of our scouts. Interesting…” he thought before going to the comms. “Central Command, this is Lupus. The scout, it’s been destroyed, and I detect no signs of the Scorpius Kyutama.” “Well, that’s interesting isn’t it?” a deep voice commented. “Lupus, continue your search of the area, see what you can find. Raze the whole planet to the ground if you have to! I want the Dragon found!” “Sir, there’s… something else,” Lupus replied. “Detecting an energy signature of some sort to the northwest, in the remains of some sort of castle.” “Send a squad of Invaders to check it out. You’re the Karo of this system, so it’s your responsibility to keep order. Eriedrone out.” “Yes, commander.” Lupus nodded, before rocketing off towards the former Crystal Empire. It was time to take matters into his own hands now. Author's Note Okay, first off, huge thank you to Shadowmane PX-41 for the help he provided on the first real Mecha fight of the series. This should a reassurance to those of you who read Wild Access, we'll be seeing the main Mecha fight much sooner than it did there. Now, for Kyurangers fans, the name Spada should sound familiar, and I thought it'd be an interesting twist if he got his powers swapped with Green's. His personality is basically the same, he's just now the Green Ranger and a Changeling. Mind you, a yellow one referencing his original color from the series. Also, yes, the Doctor is the Gold Ranger of this series. Because... well, why not? He's already got the perfect qualities to be a Ranger really if you're familiar with him. I do however, give full credit to Axle the Red Exorcist and his story Shining Lucky Stars for the idea. So credit, where credit is due. Now, I still need suggestions for Silver, Skyblue and the Phoenix Soldier. Scorpius Orange and Taurus Black I've already got narrowed down, along with the Draco Commander so any suggestions along with the usual comments and critique are welcomed. Part 2: Mysteries in the DarkSpada always hated the cold, went against every natural instinct he had to go to some cold climate and just live out the rest of his life there. There was a reason he preferred the underground cities over the frozen overworld. The sheer feel of the biting, howling, slashing winds against his carapace and chitlin felt wrong in every sheer way. Changelings, back in their early days were jungle-borne creatures. They’d grown and evolved in the depths of dark, rainy, sweaty forests far beyond Equestria’s known borders and far off any known map’s borders even. There were no jungles now of course, nor would there ever be again, save for artificially created climates inside the cities or onboard the colony ships. But every Changeling, even those born long after the sun was but a memory, longed for those lands and Spada was no exception. Oh sure, if the old texts were correct, these jungles were not for the faint of heart, you had to fight to survive against whatever wanted you as it’s next meal, but that’s how Changelings, in their original form at least learned to be the top predator. Running and hiding, sticking to the shadows and draining love dry from any being unlucky enough to be caught in their mandibles. He could only guess some of this of course, as even long before he was born, Queen Chrysalis had sought it fit to destroy most of the texts relating to Changeling origins and it was only with the combined efforts of Twilight Sparkle and Thorax that what little remained was saved. From what he remembered in old diaries, usually gained via sneaking into Stardust’s private quarters under the disguise of a guard (Security was rather lax in detecting Changelings, Spada had found) it wasn’t an easy task to say the least. Take for example one entry by Twilight. “Hot. Wet. Hellish. Acid Rain. The chaos lands are all that stand between us, and what Thorax’s texts refer to as the Hivemother-Land. The jungles of old where the very first Changelings hatched from their eggs. Of course, standing between us and those jungles, isn’t just foul weather conditions. Pits of boiling hot lava, with very few spots of safe drinking water nestled inside caves where acid rain can’t contaminate it. Of course, that’s not the worst of it at times. No, that title would belong to the chaos spawn. Foul beings, indescribable in words. I can barely spare a glance at them without going mad. They’re constantly shifting between various monstrous forms, and the rare times they’re not in a that state, they like their creator are in some sort of chimera-like state. “Green skinned with a hide tougher than even the strongest of leathers, and covered in boils. Thank Faust Thorax seems to have this sixth sense, if you will calling out to him, leading us through this blackened and charred wasteland. I swear, by the time we get through this pit and get a definitive marker set up so that ponies can create a teleportation link between wherever the mother-hive is and Canterlot along with Thorax’s hive, I’ll probably never feel clean again by the way this journey’s going. This foul pit, it has a way of getting to you. Time seems to stand still when you can’t see Celestia’s sun no thanks to the constant cloud cover. As I sit here, in a cave, I do long for home, and for the comforts of my wife’s wings. ...Shit, I have to move. The chaos spawn, they’ve spotted us. Time to run and hopefully fight to see the next day. Or at least the next hour…” Spade shuddered at the descriptions he found therein, but somehow, in some way, he probably would have welcomed the challenge. New land to explore, and possibly a new culture to bring his culinary skills to. Sure, Discord himself had noted: “You can’t reason with them. Or at least I can’t. Fact is I've never known anyone who did.” However, going into that Chaos Lands like they did, Twilight and Thorax had unknowingly laid the seeds for the future. In fact, their mission back then, it wasn’t that far removed from one of the main missions of Project Horizons, as it was beginning to be called. Seek out new cultures, understand them and perhaps make new allies along the way. No, that wasn’t right. Hopefully make new allies along the way. Go where no Equus resident had gone before, cheesy as it sounded. And Spada intended to be at the forefront of this mission, wherever it led. Food connected everyone, it was a universal language. The fact of the matter was, even if you couldn’t speak someone else’s tongue, you could win their hearts and minds through their stomachs. That’s what Spada intended to do, find new cultures, and find new dishes to serve throughout the galaxy. Might have been a challenge sure, but again, he welcomed it. It probably would have surprised nobody then, that Spada was a descendant of Pharynx, the famous (Or infamous, depending on your perspective) warrior-king of the Changeling hives of old. Spada, he wanted to see the galaxy, and for it to taste Equestria’s many delights. Small wonder then, he accepted the prospect of being Chameleon Green. It made perfect sense in his mind. Chameleons, and Changelings, they shared a sort of kinship in that both could easily blend into their environment and nobody would ever find them for hours unless they chose to show themselves before then. A Shinobi Chef, odd combo some might have thought, but it worked for him. After all, Spade mused, he was already a cook and most didn’t think of Changelings becoming chefs. But for him, it was a necessity. Life was harsh growing up in the under-cities, he was just a simple drone amongst many other changelings in his family, with no hive leader. So he rose to the challenge of caring for everyone else in his hive, small as it was. No, his family. He took to cooking, even at a very young age because there was simply very little else to do. He had to, cook for his siblings or let them starve. Sometime later, he didn’t quite know when, but when he was on the verges of becoming a young adult, it hit him. That was what he’d do. Become a master chef like Saffron Masala, Gustave Le Grand, Hellfire, and all the rest! That was his dream, let everyone taste his cooking and what he had on offer. And now his client list, if he had his way, would extend to the whole galaxy and beyond. Of course, Spada was so lost in thought about his future plans that he didn’t really have the ability to pay attention to where he was walking, namely in this case one very large crystal stalagmite. Mind you, when he smashed into it nose first, he did finally pay attention. “Oh, oh!” Spada groaned out in pain, rubbing his busted, bleeding nose. “For the hivemother’s sakes! Third time this week, and to add insult to embarrassment and injury, crystal… I’d never thought I’d find something that hurt worse than walking into a solid wall!” he exclaimed, his normally yellow chitlin turning a bright tomato red. “You need to keep your eyes front and center, on the present least for the time being I say,” a massive voice rumbled as a dark pink-feathered parrot with silver eyes looked down at Spada. Around her neck was a thick black crystal of some sort hanging via a string. Her thermal suit did her quite a few favors, as like all the others it was rather form-fitting and therefore emphasized the bird woman's figure. “Not to the stars, confusing as it sounds.” Spada sighed to himself. Commander Fågel Bredsida, or Taurus Black as she was also known was one of the only Equus residents he could never quite get a read on. She was rather guarded, kept her emotions and played them close to her chest. ...Her very nice chest, Spada was forced to admit. For a parrot anyways. Not that he was interested in that sort of thing. “You seem to enjoy going out of your way to get under my carapace, don’t you?” Spada remarked, giving Fågel a flat look. “Perhaps,” Fågel admitted, a trace of a smile reaching her beak. “But you need to keep your eyes on the road ahead, and not the one you have yet to reach.” she trailed off, before kneeling down to his level and wiping some of the blood off his nose and then booping it. Spada flushed red again. “Oi, slowpokes!” Coldcast’s voice called from somewhere up ahead. “You two comin’ or what? I’d really not rather half to explain to Princess Flurry why we lost two of her best pilots in a cave while we were off on some wild goose chase! Unless… you two lovebirds have something else in mind, in which case don’t let moi hold you up!” he cackled, and Spada flushed red for a third time and tried to sputter something out in return. He failed, but points for trying at least. “Apologies for my half-brother,” Fågel sighed, rubbing her forehead with a claw. “He’s hardly what you’d call… intelligent in some aspects. Griffon really should put more faith in Stripped Gear really. He’s never steered us wrong before.” “...Trust me,” Spada sighed. “You learn to deal.” Princess Flurry Heart, to say she was having a good day was liking saying Discord was good for your mental health in the long term. First Contact with an alien species, didn’t go as well as she would have liked. As her hooves hit the metal grating of the catwalk below her, which was the only thing keeping her from falling hoof first into a river of lava, she sighed to herself as she clutched the new and frankly rather mysterious Kyutama that had been recovered from the ship’s wreckage. She’d always known or at least suspected that the Kyutamas, they’d had some non-Equestria nature in terms of their origin, and this only confirmed it. Snapping her fingers, a stream of data appeared alongside her, and solidified into a holographic version of her late godmother, Princess Celestia. “Troubles, my dear?” Her godmother asked. No, the Celesti-AI, that’s all it was. Flurry Heart had to remind herself not for the first time in the last couple of hundred years. This was just a crude copy of her beloved relation, nothing more. Made of streams of data and code, and given her memories. “You know I’m always here to talk if you so wish.” “Thanks, but no thanks…” Flurry muttered. “Listen, I may not be your actual godmother, as you seem quite keen to remind me on numerous occasions, but I’m crafted from the same cloth as it were.” the Celesti-AI stated. “No, you’re not! You’re… You’re just code, a little thing made to reassure the current generation of Equus’ residents that in some way, their ruler is with them. Same with Auntie Twilight!” Flurry shouted, fighting back a sob. Having to look at this… thing every day, it hurt her. Knowing that if her real godmother hadn’t been so foolish to believe she could hold back the sun, she might have been with her today, along with her mother and her aunt and Princess Luna as well! “Oh Flurry…” the Celesti-AI whispered, a small tear dripping from one of her eyes. Flurry blinked a bit, AIs couldn’t have emotions, could they? They certainly couldn’t cry if that was the case! No, she told herself, it was just another aspect of realism that had been added to the programming, another piece of coding designed to simulate an actual pony. And that’s all the Celesti-AI was, just another simulation. And in Flurry’s mind, some sick joke the fates had played on her. Here was Celestia, along with Auntie Twilight, walking around and yet at the same time… they weren’t. “I can’t pretend to understand or possibly imagine what it must be like for you, seeing someone with your late godmother’s appearance and memories walking around this city, -To say nothing of Twilight- so I won’t try. But let me be understood, this isn’t the end of this little conversation. Far from it. Now, I can only presume you called me because you need a little help. Is that right, My Little Pony?” Sighing, Flurry tossed her the Scorpius Kyutama. “Here, see what you can make of this.” As Flurry walked, she passed a group of ponies in lab coats at a console muttering to themselves under their breath. She only barely caught what they were saying, namely something about a massive heat signature burrowing deep beneath them. “Oh, this is indeed intriguing,” the Celesti-AI mused, with a raised eyebrow. She recognized it instantly for what it was, and to say she was surprised was an understatement. “And here I thought the only Legend Kyutama on Equus aside from Draco, were the Cerberus, Aquila, Dorado, Taurus, Lupus, and Chameleon ones.” “They are,” Flurry replied, nodding her head in confirmation to the Celesti-AI’s statement. “And yet this turns up in the wreckage of an alien crash site…” “Grasped in the hands of some robot, who had the ability to turn his ship into some sort of massive metal fighting machine, not unlike your Voyagers,” the Celesti-AI commented in return. “So I heard. The resemblance is uncanny,” “No, it’s scary actually,” Flurry replied, with a shake of her head. “Your old self, the original Celestia, both she and Luna knew the Draco Kyutama came from somewhere beyond this planet didn’t they?” She’d now gone onto another catwalk, and this one was high above a hanger bay, where below sat a vaguely half-dome themed ship, named after her late father Shining Armor. It was to be one of the many, many colony ships that were to ferry the last residents of Equus to whatever New Eden they happened to find. Equipped with the latest in defense technology with only the ship known as the Orion -The fleet’s flagship, along with Prince Stardust’s personal command center- surpassing it, it was hoped it could resist anything thrown at it. Near it, ponies worked night and day to both repair and maintain the Voyagers. Currently, they worked hard on the Bull Voyager, which could only be described as some massive tracked tank with a bull’s head fitted to the front to act as some sort of battering ram if needed. Nearby rested the Wolf and Eagle Voyagers, still being worked on after their last battle with the scorpion walker. The Eagle Voyager, in particular, was having its atmospheric controls and energy shielding fixed after they had taken major damage from one of the scorpion walker’s final attacks. In theory, the Eagle Voyager was supposed to act as a scout, and be able to fly ahead even in the most caustic of atmospheric conditions and still kept its respective Paladin alive to report back on what lay beneath. For a moment, just for a moment, Flurry gazed at these machines in wonder. They were the best of the best, flown by Equestria’s brightest minds and their most skilled pilots. She actually envied them in some ways, they didn’t have the restrictions of being stuck on some massive colony ship half the time so they could see what lay ahead of them. And what’s more, they could take the fight to an enemy if they were allowed, instead of just waiting back and defending a colony ship like the Shining Armor and the Orion were intended to do. All the while, the Celesti-AI continued on. “Well, we didn’t. But we had suspicions, my sister and I,” the Celesti-AI corrected her. “Late one night over Canterlot, there was this meteor shower. We thought nothing of it at the time, why should we have? Showers like this, they’d been going on before we were out of our mother’s womb. But the very next morning, Fizzlepop Berrytwist of Twilight’s personal guard showed up, Draco Kyutama in hand. Our top scientists worked for hours on end to try and discern what it was or where it even came from, and yet we could find nothing. Only an inscription embedded in the base.” “An inscription?” Flurry asked, as she stopped in her tracks and crossed her arms. “What’d it say?” “Well, if I recall correctly, it went: “When the universe falls into evil clutches and its people shed tears, the Kyutama will choose nine saviors, the Kyurangers, who will save the universe.” or something close to that,” the Celesti-AI replied. “Never thought anything of it at the time even if it befuddled scientists for ages, but now with the appearance of this “Jark Matter” or whatever they choose to call themselves…” “Yes, it does bear looking into doesn’t it?” Flurry mused, placing a hand under her chin in thought. “Unfortunately, I can’t help you anymore on this particular aspect. It’s beyond my realm of knowledge. However, you might want to check in with Stripped Gear, he’s the one who seems to know the most about these Kyutamas and all, given he created the other Legend Kyutama and the Skill Ones as well, simply by working backwards from the technology of the Draco Kyutama,” the Celesti-AI advised. “Sadly, I can’t just go off and ask him right now. Him, along with the rest of the Paladins went off to investigate some strange energy signature in what used to be the Ghastly Gorge,” Flurry replied. “Didn’t say much about it, just up and left.” “Well, there is one other pony you might try asking,”the Celesti-AI hummed to herself before handing the Scorpius Kyutama back to Flurry. “Namely, ‘my’ son, Prince Stardust.” “Yeah, I just might do that…” she mused. “Thank you, Celestia,” she stated, before running off towards the Prince’s place of residence. It was only a few minutes later that Flurry realized she’d referred to the Celesti-AI by what she did. Grumbling to herself for her little slip-up, she eventually found herself in Stardust’s quarters. The Prince’s personal quarters really hadn’t changed much from the last time she saw them. Wall to wall bookshelves, with holographic maps of various star formations, nebulas and nearby planetoids projected from emitters on the walls. The room had been darkened to make these projects as visible as was humanly possible. It was filling the room to such an extent that it was really quite frankly rather overwhelming. Flurry sighed to herself, and her horn glowed a very light gamboge yellow color before it flicked all the emitters off, and turned the lights in the room back on. The Princess groaned to herself, the least her fellow Royal could do was be considerate enough to let her walk around his quarters without much incident. Namely, her not tripping over some armchair or something and breaking a leg. Sure, she and Stripped were about the only visitors he got on a somewhat semi-regular basis, but the least he could do was be considerate to them, right? Eventually, the door to the Prince’s bedroom opened and Stardust himself stepped out. For a brief moment, Flurry caught glimpse of what looked to be a tank full of some green liquid in the corner of his room. Whatever was inside, she couldn’t exactly discern due to the fact that the liquid itself was so thick. Not that it mattered anyways, considering the doors to the room shut soon after Stardust entered Flurry’s field of vision. “Ah, Flurry!” Stardust greeted, and took her hand and kissed it. “Always such a pleasure to see your face.” Stardust was every bit Twilight’s son, that much was for certain. He bore the same general lavender coat color, and had a dark purple mane -nearly translucent- that seemed to flow with a life of its own and was filled with what looked to be stars. Probably something he inherited from his aunt Luna, Flurry often suspected. He always exuded class, thanks to the fancy gold-buttoned, epauletted uniforms he was always clad in, and the dragon-headed cane he walked with. “Sadly, wish I had the time, or desire for small talk,” Flurry replied, all business. She tossed the Scorpius Kyutama to him. “So, what do you make of this?” “Stripped Gear’s latest creation?” Stardust guessed. “No, he would have told me if he’d made another Legend Kyutama, wouldn’t he? And yet…” “That’s exactly what this is,” Flurry finished. “I presume you’ve heard of the wreckage we found out near one of the Vaults?” she inquired. “Yes… first contact with an alien race and they try and destroy us. Not what I would have wanted, really…” Stardust mused, rubbing his chin. “Gah, bet if they had a listen to this new track by Count Leon they might have been more receptive.” He snapped his fingers, and from the speakers, a short little ditty began to play. “Ranger, Ranger Kyu-Kyuranger Oh, Kyuranger 3! 2, 1! OKyu! “Good morning, Mr. Sun, Mr. Fireball You're so bright, I just can't get enough! High-high-high tension! Go, go, with a high touch! And those sparkling lucky, lucky Kyutama 3! 2, 1! OKyu!” a male voice sung as Stardust did a little dance, swinging his cane around without a care in the world, before Flurry knocked him flat with a punch, and shut off the music with her own finger-snap. “Be serious, for Faust’s sake!” Flurry snapped, and held the dragon-tipped cane to Stardust’s face. “Your Aunt Luna used this to become the first Kyuranger, and buy Equestria some time, and here you are treating this thing like a mere trinket and dancing with it like you’re Flashfire’s too many greats-grandmother Trixie Lulamoon on stage! And this whole First Contact thing, not something to joke about!” she exclaimed, getting the mental image that if Stardust had met this robot, he would have brought out a synthesizer and played Axel F on it as a greeting, dancing while doing so. “Sorry,” Stardust apologized, though Flurry got the distinct feeling he didn’t really mean it. “It is admittedly odd though, an alien having possession of a Kyutama,” “Which is exactly why I came to you,” Flurry replied. “You know more about the Kyutamas than anyone aside from Stripped Gear and as I can’t exactly get into contact with him, I thought I’d come to you for help on this. Just a little bit of history on the legend of the Draco Kyutama and the nine saviors would help. Small things,” “Yes, well, unfortunately, I don’t know anything about it. You’d have to ask Celestia, or rather her AI recreation,” Stardust replied sounding about as fond of it as Flurry did. “She’s got the memories, after all, right?” “I did, and she directed me to you. Said you’d know more,” Flurry replied. Stardust frowned for a brief moment. “Ah well, every program has its glitches right? When Stripped Gear gets back, I’ll confer with him on working on her. Best to check Auntie Twilight’s AI as well, now that I think of it,” he replied in a dismissive tone. Flurry didn’t quite know why, but she felt her magic crackle a bit and got the distinct urge to punch Stardust for referring to the AI versions of her aunt and her godmother as glitched. However, before she could do so, the entire city rumbled, and both Stardust and Flurry had to grab onto something before they fell to the floor. “Commander Ares!” Stardust barked. “What was that?” “Don’t know sir, but it’s origin point just came from somewhere outside the Crystal Empire. Hacking into the nearest vault entrance exterior camera to have a little look-see… I’ll transfer it to your quarters.” With that, a holographic emitter brought up a scene from outside Vault T-245’s entrance doors. A massive purple and silver tower with two spinning gear-like rings, drilling deep within to the planet’s surface. Near it, were various little humanoid aliens wearing stark black suits with either purple or lime green trimmings, and silver helmets to hide their faces. The tower, or more likely their ship hummed and pulsated every half-second or so. “Sir!” Commander Ares shouted. “Planetary Geothermal levels, they’re dropping! Whatever that thing is, it’s sucking us dry!” With that, both Flurry and Stardust’s eyes widened. Meanwhile, in the city’s labs, a light flickered on and a head began to move, observing the various scientists working it over. “Fascinating,” the Scorpius Drone thought to itself. “They think they killed me. Quite arrogant little lifeforms, really.” He noted a nearby screen showing the Moraimar, as it was called, beginning to suck the planet dry of all of its energy. It’d take a few days, considering the size of the planet but he could wait. Nothing the locals could do to stop Dark Matter anyways. He chuckled as he watched the various scientists go into a panic over this new ship and debate amongst themselves on how to stop it. This only solidified his theory. “Now,” the Scorpius Drone thought. “Time to set about relocating the rest of my body…” If he was capable of smiling, he would have. Far away, unaware of what was going on, the Paladins of Equus were deep within the formerly known Ghastly Gorge’s caverns. Once housing Quarray Eels, ponies or any other type of being had been far too afraid to explore what lay within and discover the caverns’ secrets. Until now, that is. “By the Hivemother…” Spada whispered as he, directly in front of him gazed at a truly awesome sight. Embedded deep within the crystalline structures was a massive purple dragon, clutching what could only be described as a massive purple orb in its front claws, gilded gold. “Okay, was someone watching too much Draken Orb Z when they built this, because correct me if I’m wrong, but that thing looks a little too much like Shenlong for my liking…” Coldcast trailed off. “I highly doubt that Shenlong was the main inspiration for whoever or whatever created this,” Jabari deadpanned. “Pretty sure Draken Orb Z wasn’t around when these were all just caverns over tens of thousands of years ago via my last counting. Hell, it’s only thanks to erosion we’re able to explore these places now, and even then we had to wait for the eels to die off to even get this far into the cave…” he whispered, as he ran a hand up the crimson red cavern walls, just trying to see if there was any way to break past the crystal and free the truly magnificent beast within. “Anyone got a pickaxe or somethin’?” Jabari asked, and Coldcast burst out laughing. “I highly doubt a pickaxe is what is going to smash through those walls!” he cackled, clutching his sides in mirth until he let out a yelp when Spada hit him atop the head with a stirring spoon. “Don’t mock someone’s kitchen!” he barked out. “But… but this isn’t even a kitchen!” Coldcast muttered to himself. “It is to them,” Spada replied, pointing to Stripped Gear and Jabari, who were inserting Skill versions of their Legend Kyutamas into their gauntlets. “I have my kitchens, they have their laboratories. Both are about getting messy, creating experiments to bedazzle others!” he proclaimed, his eyes seemingly sparkling in wonder. “Dorado/Aquila!” the zorse/unicorn pair shouted, and holographic manifestations of their respective Voyagers began chipping away at the crystal to free the dragon inside. “Hmm, a Draco Kyutama, and now a Draco Voyager… I wonder,” Stripped murmured to himself theories beginning to form in his mind, before everyone jumped a little at the sound of a loud explosion from behind them. “Well, worry no longer!” Lupus snarled, bringing out what looked to be twin sickles of purple energy. “Because you won’t live long enough to see the fruits of your labors. I really have to thank you for leading me here, it’s been ages since the Draco Voyager’s been seen. Let me show you my gratitude…” he smirked the golden orbs that passed for eyes narrowing. “Who do you think you are?” Coldcast snarled, reaching for his Kyutama. “Lupus, Karō of the Pegasus System and your new overlord.” the wolf creature smirked, and Coldcast let out a growl and slammed his Kyutama into his gauntlet. “So, you think you owe claim to the name Lupus?” he asked. “Let’s see about that, shall we? Star Change, Lupus!” With a flash of blue light, a roar of rage, and with his claw weapon in hand, Coldcast charged into battle... Author's Note Okyu! (Sorry, couldn't resist using Xiao's pun.) So, at first I did think a yak or minotaur would fit the idea for Taurus Black, but then I figured it'd be too obvious of a choice and I thought, why not have a member of Captain Celaeno's species take that role instead? Change things up a bit? I mean, it's not like I'm already taking great liberties with the source material anyways. Also yes, that was the ending theme to Kyurangers (If not translated into English) Stardust did a little dance too. I'm not sorry. Nor am I for the shameless Dragon Ball Z joke. Because really, tell me this isn't a reference to Shenlong? I find it funny that my fellow Ranger writer Shadowmane's villains are all wolves, and here I debut a high-ranking wolf villain. Agh, anyways. Plenty of foreshadowing here. Some subtle, others... not so much. As ever, comments, thoughts, and critique are welcomed. Part 3: LupusLupus’s eyes widened in abject shock as he saw the griffon, whom he’d previously dismissed as being nothing more than a nuisance that could quickly be dealt with charge at him, in the all too distinctive armor of a Paladin, wielding a claw-like weapon with glowing blue blades of energy. The blades hummed with a distinctive energy as they met Lupus’s own sickles, crackling as they did so, leaving trails of light as they slashed through the air. A fist met Coldcast’s stomach sending him staggering back accompanied by a grunt of pain before he was socked across the jaw by a hard right cross. Coldcast regained his bearings, and only just in time as well, considering Lupus came at him with two powerful swings from his sickles, glowing a sickly dark purple. Coldcast quickly switched out Kyutamas, and slammed the Aquarius Kyutama into his gauntlet, and fired a jet of pure scalding water at Lupus. Lupus let out a howl of pain, and threw one of his sickles, aimed directly at Coldcast’s head. The griffon let out a yelp as he just barely rolled to the left, and the sickle impaled itself in a nearby wall of red crystal. Coldcast let out a roar of pure rage and swung his claw weapon again with Lupus simply sidestepping to the left and grabbing Coldcast’s arm with a paw before twisting it with a sickening cracking noise. Lupus then threw Coldcast into the ground, and placed his boot on the Blue Ranger’s stomach. He pried his sickle out of the wall, and smirked. “For a moment there, I actually thought you’d be a challenge. Guess I was wrong about that,” Lupus smirked as he ground his heel into Coldcast’s stomach. “You’re too full of rage, wanting to prove yourself. That much I can discern. Hardly worth the title of Paladin.” “Are you… gonna talk or… are you gonna fight?” Coldcast, despite having the feel of a steel heel brushing and bending his flesh out of shape, still held strong in the face of his adversary. “There’s no honour in defeating a weaker opponent. Perhaps, if you brought whatever ragtag friends you have along with you, then it would be interesting.” Lupus leaned down to his face. He failed to notice the air shimmer around him, before a green blast of energy sent him flying back, and a figure striding forwards as he dropped his camouflage. “I’m sorry, were you talking about moi?” Spada asked, the Changeling now fully morphed and pulling out a rapier weapon. “Pleased to make your acquaintance. Just call me the Shinobi Star, Chameleon Green!” “Just one? How sad,” Lupus stood off of Coldcast and lumbered towards Spada. “I was expecting more from these so-called ‘warriors’ I was informed of. That robot we sent to your planet, well useless as he was, did gather some useful data. He did let us know there were more Paladins out there,” Lupus grinned, and for a moment Spada felt a chill run down his spine. There was something about this one, just made his withers shudder. Lupus pulled out his sickles once more, and spun them in his hands with both making hums of energy. “Fine by me.” Lupus bore his own weapon, and promptly swung them upwards at Spada. The Changeling, to his credit did block most of the blows with a few rapid swings of his rapier and even got in a few of his own, but one powerful kick from Lupus sent him flying through a wall into another cavern, leaving him across a very narrow bridge, with a deep yawning chasm below. Howling winds rushed up from beneath, and Spada just barely managed to keep his balance. “This is just insulting now. Where’s the fun in this?” Lupus taunted, before he clapped his sickles together, forming an orb once they made a complete circle. Said orb then launched a series of laser blasts at Spada and the ground around him. The crystals comprising the bridge below Spade began to crack, and he extended his wings before going skywards and thrust his rapier at Lupus. Like a chameleon's tongue aptly enough, the strikes were long, and whip-like, lashing out at the Karō making him stumble back before Spada kicked him in the face. Wiping the blood off his muzzle, Lupus let out a low growl. “So, I was right. You’re more bark than bite, Guess you really do deserve the title of Paladin after all…” “He’s not the only one,” a female’s voice commented, before Lupus whirled around to see Stripped Gear and Fågel staring him down. “You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us. I admit, Coldcast is a bit of a fool for charging in like he did, but the title of being Lupus’s paladin, very important to him. He had to work for what he had, and here you are, trying to take that away from him,” Fågel hissed out, the lavender parrot drawing what looked to be a double-bladed axe. “Probably the nicest thing you’ll ever hear me say about my half-brother, so treasure it. Star Change: Taurus!” she shouted, before changing into a massive black armored warrior. Heavily armored, the star on her uniform was just barely visible and her visor looked like a pair of massive bull horns, extending far past her helmet. “Agreed, time to shut you up.” Stripped Gear smirked, the unicorn going for his Kyutama as well. “Star Change, Dorado!” he shouted, before shifting with a flash of yellow light into his costume. His visor was unusual as well, being shaped like a swordfish and actually ending in a sharp point. “Alone, you are weak and powerless. But together? Well, that’s an entirely different story.” Lupus had a sadistic grin on his face as he smashed his sickles against the ground, causing the edges to turn hot-orange as if they had been heated up to a thousand degrees. “I’m going to enjoy severing those heads from your necks, paladins.” “We’ll just have to see about that, won’t we?” Coldcast asked, as he finally regrouped with his team as Spada ran to their side. They were soon joined by Flashfire and Jabari as well, already morphed. “The Beast Star, Cerberus Seagreen!” “The Howling Star, Lupus Blue!” “The Shinobi Star, Chameleon Green!” “The Sword Star, Dorado Yellow!” “The Winged Star, Aquila Pink!” “The Armored Star, Taurus Black! Six Stars, shining in the Heavens! Space Squadron, Kyuranger!” “Well, isn’t this cute. Six Paladins, didn’t know I was quite so well off!” Lupus laughed. “Let’s even things up a little, shall we? Invaders!” he bellowed, snapping his fingers as the footsoldiers of the Dark Matter empire teleported in. “Guess they haven’t had their stomachs filled yet!” Spada quipped. The Paladins all charged in on the foot soldiers, arms bore as they started to open fire and swing their melee weapons around. It wasn’t an easy battle to say the least, as one wrong step would leave someone slipping and falling down into the yawning abyss below. And Lupus knew this full well. “One side!” He laughed, as he elbowed Jabari in the face, making the young zorse stagger and nearly lose his balance before he was pulled back by Fågel. “Oh no, not losing you yet kid!” the parrot shouted, pulling the zorse close to her chest. Jabari flushed under his helmet, knowing full well how… developed the bearer of the Taurus powers was under her armor. “Going to need some breathing room here!” Fågel shouted, even as she cut down Invaders with her axe. Flashfire nodded. “Got an idea on how to give you that,” Flashfire nodded before letting out a bark of: “Jabari, prends soin de me prêter un coup de pied rapide comme tu veux, hein?” he asked. “You’re so lucky I understand Prench…” the Pink Ranger muttered sarcastically, before going for his pistol and inserting the Telescopium Kyutama into a small slot on it. A holographic scope was projected, and Jabari fired a few rapid shots of pink energy at some of the Invaders. “Maybe they should call you the Shooting Star, eh?” Stripped Gear joked, as he punted a invader off the bridge. “No thank you, would just lead to me getting all full of myself,” Jabari replied simply. Nearby, Flashfire inserted the Serpens Kyutama into his gauntlet, and fired, unleashing a swarm of spectral snakes into the hoard. “Et pour finir le travail…” Flashfire murmured before switching to the Aries Kyutama, firing a burst of yellow energy in the shape of a ram’s head at the remaining Invaders sending them all into dreamland. “Nighty-night, don’t let the bedbugs bite!” he taunted. “Oi, I take offense to that!” Spada shouted. Flashfire, of course, ignored him. “Stripped, get back to the main cavern, I want that Draco Voyager unearthed, you understand?” Flashfire shouted, and Stripped nodded in understanding and broke into a sprint, before Lupus leaped in front of him, blocking his path. “Nice as the prospect of one of the long-lost Voyagers being reclaimed by a Paladin is, I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do that.” Lupus smirked before the ground rumbled once more. “In fact, you won’t even leave this place alive!” Once more, he snapped his fingers, and several long tendrils reached up from the depths of the chasm and grabbed each of the Kyurangers save Coldcast. Each and every single slimy, gold, wriggling limb rose further out, revealing a colossal beast that was more worm than humanoid. With a series of massive maws on its’ head and shoulders, as well as more tendrils, it was a true monstrosity of flesh and blood. “Behold the Abhorrence! Unholy tamer of all that is mortal, and the instrument of your demise!” Lupus watched the flailing rangers struggle to escape. “You might as well call it the Deathworm in your common Equus tongue. The name fits anyhow.” With a screech of rage, Coldcast shoulder charged Lupus, and knocked him back into the main cavern. “Just you and me now…” the griffon growled out before going for the Cancer Kyutama, and like before, a large red pincher of energy erupted from his back and squeezed Lupus tightly. “Let them go…” Coldcast whispered. But to his surprise, Lupus slowly pried the pincers apart before firing another orb of searing hot energy at him, knocking the griffon back into a grouping of stalagmites, crystal flying everywhere as they shattered and demorphing the Blue Ranger. “You cannot stand against what I am alone, boy.” Lupus cracked his neck as he tilted it. “And with your friends on the edge of death, you have no hope of standing your own in this universe.” He then grabbed Coldcast by the neck, tightening his grip. “I know your type. Like I said, you just want to prove yourself to everyone, you’re so full of rage you just welcome the challenge; regardless of whether or not you may die. Such a stance on the world is your very undoing, as I am about to demonstrate!” Coldcast suddenly freed himself from Lupus’ grip and knocked him back with a kick to the stomach before picking up his fallen weapon, and it shifted into a sword, not that far removed from Flashfire’s own blade. Even as he re-engaged the Karō, he flashed back… Three Years Ago: Galaxy Garrison Boot Camp: Coldcast found himself outside the headmaster’s office. Again. Ponies whispered as they passed him, and laughed once they thought they were out of earshot. There was Coldcast, in trouble again with his temper, they commented. Such a sorry excuse for a Paladin, they laughed. Coldcast had to clench up his fists into a ball and hold himself back from punching a wall in sheer rage. No, that would only prove them right, that he was a loose cannon who couldn’t control his temper for the life of him, a bully. “But that’s what I am, right?” Coldcast asked himself in a whispered tone, even now hearing Headmaster Stoneheart yelling at his adopted older brother/possible father figure behind his desk. “A bully!” Headmaster Stoneheart had every reason to be angry at him, given that he’d sent two of his fellow classmates to the infirmary in a fit of anger, after they’d mocked his parents. Or lack thereof. “Look at me, dios mío…” Coldcast muttered under his breath, and put his head in his hands. “What am I even doing here? I’m just a sad, sorry excuse of a griffon with not even a bit to his name, or a family who even gives a mierda about me…” He could still hear Headmaster Stoneheart and Flashfire arguing, even as small tears fell from Coldcast’s crystal blue eyes. “Agh, what am I even doing here, I’ll just fuck something up again, and then again! Today, it was two ponies sent to the medical wing, what next? Four, five? All because I can’t keep my damned temper in check?” Coldcast whispered to himself. “Sometimes, I just want to do something right for once in my life, but then… I should be able to do something right, I know I should!” he continued, before pausing and speaking in an even quieter tone of voice that nobody could hear. “S-So I try, and sometimes I do it right, but then, I just can’t because oh Faust I want to be a hero to Equus and then I fuck something up so majorly that everyone tells me that I just fucking can’t! That’s what I am, worthless!” he sniffled, barely fighting back the next wave of tears that threatened to fall. “What Flashfire, he was thinking when both he and Flurry chose me as a potential pilot for the Wolf Voyager, I’ve no clue…” Coldcast was so caught up in himself and his personal self-depreciation that he hadn’t realized the arguing from Stoneheart’s office had fallen silent. Nor did he notice the soft, warm red-furred arms pulling him into a deep hug. “Now, you listen to me, okay petit frère?” Flashfire’s voice came out soft, but firm. “Listen well, and listen hard m’kay? I did not just spend the last hour and a half arguing with that bâtard you call a headmaster to see you self-deriding yourself like this!” Coldcast’s crystal blue eyes widened, he never heard his hermano (If not by blood) ever raise his voice to that level of fierce protectiveness, or swear for that matter. Okay, maybe Flashfire swore at some other point, it was just never around him. “Everything, and I do mean everything Stoneheart had to say about you, completely and utter shit you understand?” Flashfire continued, still in that soft and loving, but stern tone of voice. At some point, he had put the Lyra Kyutama into his personal Kyuchanger, making it emit soft, tranquil music. Hopefully, Flashfire mused, this would help calm his little brother. “The stallion’s a jerk, we both know that. I argued against him being placed in charge of this school, only for Stardust, the little royal bâtard who probably never socialized with a teenager in his life to override me and put him there anyways!” If Coldcast’s jaw wasn’t slack before, it sure as Hell was now. He’d never heard Flashfire speak ill about anypony in a royal position, and had drilled into Coldcast to treat both rulers of Equus with decency and respect no matter what. “Sure, you’re a bit on the obnoxious side, rather aloof, but I wouldn’t blame you in the slightest,” Flashfire continued. “Growing up like you did, in the New Manehatten orphanage, going through the system and family homes as many times as you did? It’s a miracle you turned out as well as you did, really. Merde, I’d be rather independent myself in that sorta situation. And you kid, you are freaking amazing, and you’ll probably continue to astound me one day. You got into the freakin’ fighter program, and that’s hardly an easy feat as it is! I didn’t just choose you as a potential Wolf Voyager pilot just because I felt sorry for you or anything like that. You have a talent, a natural raw talent. Seriously, you were thrown into the program and right into the simulations without you having to read the material -Again, I have Stardust to thank, and his bullshit reasoning that we need new pilots, quick as possible- so, of course, you’re going to make a few slip-ups.” Big wet eyes met Flashfire’s own. “Trust me, there’s no such thing as being picked at random or arbitrarily. Not in my book. Someone recognized you for what you were. Nobody, nobody who’s a fuck-up gets to be in that position you understand?” “B-But what about the kids I sent to the medical wing? What about them? Dios mío, their parents are going to be pissed at me!” Coldcast whispered. “Let me deal with them. Those little brats, way out of line and let me assure you, I’ll override the headmaster’s authority, and Hell, Prince Stardust’s as well if I have to, and get them suspended at the very least!” “No… No, I don’t want you to have to deal with-” Coldcast stammered out before a finger was placed over his beak. “The blowback? Please. Like I could give a damn about what some rich parents who let their kids walk all over everyone else have to say!” Flashfire scoffed, and Coldcast bit back a chuckle. “If anything, I might just have words with them as well! Because trust me, anyone who raises their kids like that, they deserve a good harsh talking to, maybe a few swats around the derrière as well!” the unicorn continued. Coldcast finally laughed, at the sheer mental image of Flashfire taking grown parents over his knees and spanking them. Flashfire finally smiled at this. “Good, that’s what I like to hear. You, just laughing at something and not belittling yourself.” he said, finally releasing Coldcast from the hug. “Now, back to class with you!” “W-What about…?” Coldcast whispered, the griffon not daring to finish. “Directeur Stoneheart?” Flashfire finished, spitting out the name in disgust. “If he gives me trouble, he might just find out he wound up with more than he bargained for! Besides, I don’t think he wants to argue with me more than once today already so you needn’t worry.” As he picked himself up off the ground, Coldcast let out a low snarl as his blade glowed a sharp blue. “No, that’s where you’re wrong Lupus, if you even deserve that title. You’re no Karō,” he spat. “I honestly pity those under your rulership. Because you are nothing but a tyrant, pure and simple. Karōs, you know what they are? On my planet, they were top-ranking Samurai officials, advisors to Daimyos. Oh sure, Samurai means one who serves, roughly, but you? Well, all I see is the one who oppresses. Time to fix that.” he stated simply, before letting out a battle cry as Lupus’s eyes widened and he quickly combined his swapped out his sickles for a sword. Like the sickles before it, it too glowed with a sickly purple hue marking a sharp contrast to Coldcast’s own blue blade. Metal met metal, sparks flying off the blades as they met. Even as Coldcast went sword to sword with his opponent, he flashed back once more. “Okay, all you need to do is just hold your blade like so. That simple,” Flashfire instructed, both him and Coldcast in a large training room, with a dark blue hexagonal floor beneath them, capable of creating holographic structures. “Come on, you can do it.” Coldcast grunted as he saw his mentor/big brother go through some simple sword maneuvers, almost like a dance. He made it sound so simple, but when Coldcast tried any one of these maneuvers, even something as simple as a thrust all he ended up doing was send the sword flying out of his hands. “Your grip was too loose that time, Cold. You need to hold it tighter.” Flashfire said as he came over, patted his shoulder, and pointed to his tightly grasped hands. “Just think that sword is the most important thing in your life, and never let it go. Let your hands become a clamp that nothing can escape from, and that sword will never leave them. Here, let me show you something, what I want to work you towards.” With a battle cry, Flashfire charged towards a holographic version of Queen Chrysalis, and flipped in mid-air before letting out a cry of “Regulus Impact!” as the blade came down, the tip spitting out small little meteorites as it did so. The hologram? Didn’t even stand a chance. “Whoa… Mierda.” Coldcast breathed out and watched as Flashfire sheathed his sword and approached him. “Now, show me your fighting style. And remember. Tight grip on the sword. The tighter, the better,” Flashfire pointed to another projection of Chrysalis. “Use whatever means you like.” Coldcast let out a battle cry, and charged right towards Chrysalis, his sword aimed at her like a spear. A blast of green magic from Chrysalis’s horn, and the griffon soon found himself on his ass. “Well, that didn’t go as planned…” Coldcast muttered, taking his own stupidity with good grace. “Dios mios, that hurt.” “Your enemy will try and fight back, so you need to be sure to be prepared for when they do retaliate.” Flashfire nodded, before running towards that very same projection, which shot more and more bolts at him. “Time every strike, and either meet it or evade it.” He said, while demonstrating. “Only then, will your enemies fall at your hooves… Er paws, in your case.” With one final vertical strike, the hologram shattered once again. Coldcast smirked, before charging forwards once again. Chrysalis, like before fired off green energy blasts, but this time the griffon either deflected them, or absorbed them into his blade before he took a running leap off a raised section of the floor, and his blade came down. “There you go. You’re learning now.” Flashfire patted him as he dealt Chrysalis the final blow. “But it won’t all be one-on-one fights, you know. Now, let’s go through some more maneuvers…” Back in the present, Coldcast and Lupus continued their sword duel. The words ringing in his head, he managed to find moments to strike Lupus’s blade as he attacked, knocking it off course or completely bouncing them back to his side. Looking for an opening, it took Cold a while before he dealt a swift blow to Lupus' chest, causing him to stumble backwards. Lupus let out a low growl and charged his blade with an eerie purple energy. “Black Hole’s Devastation!” he roared, before sending a pure dark orb, which had formed at the tip of his sword right towards Coldcast. In the split second before the orb was fired at him, the griffon noted that a distinct sphere not unlike a Kyutama had been attached to Lupus’s blade hilt. “Is that—“ Before he had time to finish, the black orb hit him, pulled him into a small vortex, where he was barraged with a series of invisible attacks before being spat back out before Lupus’s eyes. “It had to have been, nothing else I’ve seen grants that sort of power,” Coldcast thought, heart pumping and adrenaline rushing through him. “No time to think on it now, I’ve got to deal with this guy now!” he continued to himself, before going in for several more strikes, all blocked. “I’ll grant you this,” Lupus mused. “You’ve had some experience with the sword, and whoever taught you is a very good combatant, but sadly… You’re just not at my level yet. Still, if you’re so inclined, you could join Dark Matter. A Paladin, they make very formidable combatants. We treasure every soldier who joins our cause, and believe me, you’d make a fine one.” he complimented. “Ir al Tártaro.” Coldcast spat. “Very well then. It’s your funeral.” Lupus went back to his sickles, and twirled them before putting them in a scissor-like hold around Cold’s neck. “Any last words before I close these up?” “Yeah. Just one. Regulus Impact!” Coldcast snapped, before a pure wave of blue energy sent the Karō flying backwards, ripping up the ground as it did so. Clutching his bleeding chest, Lupus let out a hiss. “Wh-what?! How?!” He felt the blood trickle onto the hand around the wound before he opened a portal with his free hand. “Another time! You will not end me here, Paladin!” And he barrelled through the vortex, leaving Coldcast behind. Meanwhile, the other Paladins were still flailing about in the Deathworm’s tendrils. “Anyone got a plan here?” Stripped shouted. “You’re the egghead!” Fågel snapped. “You’re supposed to be the one thinking up how to escape beasts like this!” Unusually, or perhaps not given his personality, Flashfire seemed rather calm. He’d managed to free one of his hands and pressed down on his Cerberus Kyutama. There was a crashing sound as something massive broke through ice and crystal, and the Deathworm along with the Rangers found themselves staring down three dog’s heads. “The Cerberus Voyager! Yes!” Jabari fist-pumped as the mech stared the Deathworm in the mouth. The massive Voyager then shot a barrage of gold energy beams from its eyes ripping apart the Deathworm’s tendrils and sending the Rangers in freefall. Jabari’s tune immediately changed. “Oh, not good, not good!” the zorse squeaked out before he found himself -Amongst the others- in the Voyager’s hold, and he let out a sigh of relief. “...I wasn’t worried, were any of you?” “Oh, I don’t think he’s very happy!” Fågel shouted, as the Deathworm screeched in rage and pain somewhere behind him. “I’m picking up a heat signature following you, advise escape to avoid destruction.” the Celesti-AI commented and Flashfire sighed. “Yeah, tell me something I don’t know…” he muttered before pressing a button on his console as the Voyager did a barrel roll to avoid a blast of sickly green energy sent from the Deathworm’s center eye. Flashfire’s fingers were a blur on the central console’s keypad, keys lighting up as he inputted commands. “Bring me up a map of the tunnels Celestia. Show me the best route out of here, and away from that… thing. Coldcast, please tell me you’re alright!” “I-I’m fine, s-sent that wolf running. Where are you?” the griffon replied, sounding rather out of breath. “Oh, the usual. Outflying something massive and defying death. A vol de la mort if you will.” he commented lightly, before turning his attentions back to the Celesti-AI and letting out a small growl of frustration. “Celestia, need that map…” he muttered. “Any time now would be good.” “Okay. There’s a safe way out through a series of ice-tunnels nearby, but that monster’s probably going to chase you down if you take it. Basically, I hope you’ve got the afterburners on, because it could trigger a catastrophic cave-in if you’re not quick enough.” Celesti-AI pulled up a map of the path ahead, along with the cave network and which route they needed to take. “Happy flying, team.” “W-What!?!” Jabari sputtered out, his voice coming out once again as a squeak. “Real encouraging there…” Flashfire muttered to himself in a low tone. “Well, if we’re going to do this, might as well make it magnifique, eh?” “Yeah, real great time to channel your ancestor, this!” Jabari snapped. Flashfire ignored him, and muted the comms. Needed no distractions, he just needed to fly. The deathworm screeched loudly and tunnelled after the fleeing Rangers, tearing through the ground like paper, submerging and leaping out of the ground itself, leaving nothing but holes in its’ wake, it was like a massive, screwed-up, monster dolphin that had escaped from the zoo; and it was hunting down the Paladins. “It’s just like a sink, just like a sink…” Flashfire murmured to himself. “Think of it as a grease trap, think of these tunnels like that.” “500 feet, 400 feet, 300 feet…” the Celesti-AI informed. The Cerberus Voyager was mere inches away from the beast, as shrapnel of ice rammed against it and the surrounding walls. The ground itself was coated in a thick veil of ice and mist as the beast continued to burrow and leap, again and again, until they finally managed to make it into the caves. From there, the Deathworm stopped jumping, and instead wormed its’ way through the extensive caverns and floes, screeches echoing out as it readied for its’ next strikes. It finally burst out of the walls, charging straight into the ship and smashing it against walls. It ricketed and wobbled as the team tried to stabilize, but Deathworm itself disappeared into the cave network again. “Thank Faust, think we lost it…” Flashfire sighed, wiping the sweat off his brow, before turning on the comms once again. “We’re home free, te-” His words were swiftly cut off when the Deathworm erupted from the ground, spraying the Voyager’s exterior with even more shards of ice. “Merde…” Flashfire muttered. “Okay, so it’s a battle you want eh? I can do that.” he sighed, before taking his Kyutama out and putting it on a central pad on the console. “Shooting Star Megazord transformation sequence primed,” the Celesti-AI informed, as the other Rangers leapt out of the hold and summoned their own Voyagers. “Combination sequence ready.” “Let’s rocket!” Flashfire smirked as he saw the Wolf and Bull Voyagers running below him, before the back halves tilted upwards with the Cerberus Voyager linking up with them complete with small hisses of steam. The Swordfish Voyager connected to the Megazord’s right arm port, and the Eagle Voyager, the left. The Chameleon Voyager replaced one of the heads of the Cerberus, the left one specifically, forming some sort of massive shoulder cannon. Finally, the central head on the Cerberus had its jaw fold down, revealing a mouthplate covered face, with two stoic yellow eyes staring the Deathworm down. “Shooting Star Megazord online.” the Celesti-AI informed as the combination completed itself and all six Rangers joined each other in the main cockpit. “Let’s see what you got, eh big guy?” Fågel asked, cracking her knuckles as the Megazord took one massive step forwards, sending shards of ice flying into the air. The deathworm let out another ear-piercing howl as it dove back into the icy network of tunnels, which caused the whole place to rumble and shake from top to bottom. “Tracking,” Stripped Gear informed as his screen showed a little reticle tracking the worm’s movements. “Locked on target.” As soon as the deathworm emerged, it was greeted by a green tongue made of energy lashing at it like a whip. The coil wrapped around its’ body and began to glow brighter, as steam shot off of where the energy rope wrapped around it. The Deathworm was pumped full of amp after amp of electricity, and it screeched out in pain. Eventually however, it broke free and fired a beam of green energy from its sole eye sending the Megazord staggering backward. “So, like to play rough huh?” Jabari asked. “Let’s see how you like a taste of this. Should warm you up real quick!” he smirked, as the Eagle Voyager’s wings slashed at the deathworm like some sort of giant metal fan before they ignited and dealt out a devastating blow. The deathworm crashed into the cave, and that was the kicker. Stalactites tumbled from the ceiling, and the very entrance they came through began to collapse along with the rest of the caverns. It was a cave-in, and one that would swallow everything whole if they didn’t move now. Sadly, the deathworm had no intention of letting them go quietly. It reasoned, if it was going to die, those little fleshlings inside their giant armor suit would go with it. Firing another blast of green energy from its central eye, more damage was dealt as it pushed them towards the avalanche of snow and ice. “Systems red-lining!” Jabari warned. “We need to finish this, and finish it fast!” “Got just the thing!” Flashfire smirked as he pressed another button on his console, with the others following suite. The Megazord lined the Swordfish Zord up with the Eagle Zord like it was holding a bow and arrow, and fired a piercing beam of light right through the deathworm’s heart, leaving a massive gaping wound. “Rangers! Get out of there fast!” the Celest-AI called as the fight ended and the deathworm let out one final screech. “Unless you move, you’ll never leave these caves alive!” Firing the jets on the Megazord’s back, it rocketed out of the tunnels and to the deep black of the sky above, which had never looked quite so welcoming... Author's Note Okay, so first off, huge thanks to Shadowmane for co-writing the fight scenes in this chapter, of which I admit there were a lot of but what's wrong with that? Besides, I left quite a bit of space in for Coldcast's character development, or at least backstory. And no, before anyone asks, I will not be naming every other chapter after a constellation. Just only when it suits me. As ever, comments, thoughts, and critiques are welcomed. Part 4: More Questions than AnswersLupus, as he teleported inside the Moraimarz, looked out the window as a horrific screech filled his eardrums, nearly making them burst open and deafen him completely. His particular species, they had more heightened senses than most, so of course things like this, they would hear and it wasn’t a completely pleasant sensation. Long ago, their particular species had evolved on a desolate desert planet, where food was scarce and life a daily struggle to survive. An increased sense of smell, to pick up carrion and better hearing to tell when predators were approaching was needed. Eyesight was increased tremendously as well, so you could see what was coming to eat you before it got there. This very same eyesight was nearly blinded by a bright flash, and then a huge fireball that lit up the moonless skies. Lupus’s eyes narrowed as he looked out the window to the cold, unforgiving wastes beyond. “Well, color me impressed. I knew they were good, but killing off a Deathworm? Well, might not just be the Blue one who I have to consider inducting into Dark Matter really. Lord Eriedrone might disagree, but this isn’t his system. I rule the Pegasus System, not him,” Lupus thought, emitting a small growl as he clutched a small silvery Kyutama in his fist. It was emblazoned with a winged horse. Flicking his wrist momentarily, a gauntlet appeared. Like the Rangers’ own Kyuchangers, it was tipped off with a small blaster and had a star-shaped interlock on top of it. However, the colors were very different. Unlike the red and silver the Rangers used, this particular Kyuchanger was colored a deep black and had purple detailing. “Say the Change!” the Seize Blaster remarked, in a dark tone of voice. Mirroring the motions the Rangers used, Lupus clicked down on his Kyutama. “Pegasus.” Lupus stated simply, placing his Kyutama into the gauntlet and giving it a little flick. He was covered in a silver and black torso armor, with the shoulder pads resembling wings and the chest piece, a horse’s head. He chuckled, he’d honestly love to see how the Rangers dealt with the mere idea of a Dark Paladin. But that was for another time, Lord Ikargen and Lord Eriedrone had sent for him. Gesturing to an Invader, he looked at him pointedly. “Ready my personal Moraider for liftoff. We’ll leave this planet to rot. Suck it dry of it’s Planetium, and then let these ponies see just what happens when their precious planet blows in front of their very eyes,” he smirked. “I’m amazed they’ve survived this long without a sun or moon, and to be frank if it were allowed, I’d have some on our side as shock troops. But in the end, I suppose, it’d prove far too troublesome.” However, Lupus did note to table the idea for later. He’d gotten local species, with the power the Kyutamas granted, to become Paladins to guard their planets in exchange for money and doing whatever Dark Matter requested of them. Perhaps, if he was feeling merciful, just before the planet exploded, he’d offer these creatures one last chance. If they declined… well, that was their choice really. He couldn’t force them. The Invader nodded, before walking off. However, two figures walked up, carrying gold metal staves that could double as grenade launchers. Strongindavers, they were called. With glowing yellow eyes, and heads resembling an ace of spades, one could liken them to the infamous Flatwoods Monster of West Virginia. In fact, you’d be forgiven for mistaking them for the same creature. These creatures, they served as bodyguards for everything from Local Administrators of planets, to Karōs to even the Vice-Shoguns themselves. “Milord,” one of the Strongindavers said, bowing his head and quickly motioned for his colleague to do the same. “We’ve found something, deep in the ice. You may want to come have a look at this.” Lupus raised an eyebrow, but was intrigued nonetheless. “Show me.” After riding an elevator down, Lupus found himself outside the Moraimarz in what looked to be the ruins of a once-great castle. A broken shard of a large crystal pillar lay in front of him, and Lupus carefully stepped over it. “Huh, so these creatures actually had an empire once,” one of the Strongindavers remarked, looking up towards what used to be a mighty tower, now broken and shattered in half, in some areas partially melted as well. “Seems rather… hard to believe. Especially now, when they hide underground like sand worms on your home planet, Lord Lupus. Middle of nowhere, and we find… this.” he commented and picked up a heavily frozen book reading “Supernaturals” on the cover before tossing it behind him in disgust, as the sound of drilling echoed all around him. “Never forget, even amongst the tiniest of creatures, even the most unassuming can pose a threat,” Lupus commented. “Take the Abborence of my planet. Never would you assume it to be so dangerous for its size, and yet in a few hours you’d find yourself losing all of your breath, and then choking on your own blood soon as it latched onto you,” he commented, in a vaguely threatening tone as he held up a little jar, containing what looked to be a small, silver serpent. Needless to say, both of the Strongindavers got the point and laughed nervously. “Now, about this thing you found, what is it?” Lupus asked, and one of the Strongindavers gestured for him to follow, leading the purple wolf-like Karō to a once-great hall. In the center of the room, -beyond which lay a partially melted mirror of some sort. that seemed to shimmer and on rare occasions show another world beyond it that glistened with tall skyscrapers seemingly made of glass.- lay a dark-colored horn, crackling with a purple energy. It looked as if it’d been ripped off the tip of something, or sliced off. It wasn’t like a unicorn’s horn, it was more curved if Lupus had to be honest. But still, his suit’s sensors were off the charts as they detected energy simply radiating off the horn. His eyes narrowed, and he motioned for several Invaders to come forth. “Get this thing boxed up and put in a containment module, and be very careful about it. While I wouldn’t mourn any of you, the last thing I need is Lord Eriedrone complaining to me about losing me on a simple artifact retrieval.” Then, another Strongindaver ran up, panting and seemingly out of breath. “Sir, vessels on approach. Their energy signatures, they match the ones picked up earlier just before the Deathworm’s life signs went!” Lupus smirked. “Excellent. Let them come,” he stated simply, and everyone stared at him in shock even as the Karō let slip the small jar from his hands before teleporting out. If Lupus had a method to his madness, he wasn’t saying a thing on it. At least… not yet. Stripped Gear, even as he saw the towering form of the Moraimarz appear through his cockpit window, suppressed a nervous swallow. The central tower of the ship -because really, what else could it have been?- seemed to be looking directly at him. It bore a distinct face, like that of a tiki’s or a moai’s and for a moment the tannish unicorn wondered if the ship was in some way alive, pulsating with purple energy as it was. He bit back the thought, either from not wanting to ponder the possibility or just dismissing it was frankly ridiculous. There was no way that ship was alive… right? No, it couldn't have been. It was probably just one of Dark Matter’s tricks, a way to intimidate their opposition. “Well, I have to admit even if only to myself,” Stripped thought to himself, even as he used the controls to urge his Voyager onwards. “It's quite the effective fear tactic. So, I will give them credit -If only a little, -the self-righteous pricks- for that.” The inside of his Voyager’s cockpit, like his lab, was rather cluttered with little boxes of various tools and half-finished devices laying strewn about, in a rather haphazard fashion. No sense of rhyme or reason to it. Any normal person would have a hard time making sense out of the chaos, really, with only Stripped himself knowing where everything was. All around him, small monitors glowing a distinctly blue hue showed various forms of data, amongst other things like the topography of the area around him and compositions of various metals. In effect, it was basically Stripped Gear’s home away from home. He could even monitor the performance, and damage levels of the other Voyagers from here, making him, in essence, a very important target. There was a reason he was encouraged not to go out in the field if only as a last resort and backup were scarce. Projected on a small emitter, was a hologram of Celestia comprised of various streams of data. Opposite this, was a projection of Stripped’s many great grandparents Bon-Bon and Lyra Heartstrings. A constant reminder, he told himself, of where he came from. His family, Lyra’s family, had come from the Marish Isles and started off rather poor even when Ponyville was first founded. They had to fight for what they had, build their lives from the ground up. Being immigrants escaping a country that was mired in civil war, they had no roots to speak of when they first settled in Equestria. But somehow, his family managed and got themselves well-established in Ponyville over the years, bringing their native recipes from their homeland with them. Shepherd's Pie or Cottage Pie as it was alternatively known, was a particular favorite. Comprised of a mixture of mashed potatoes, minced lamb or beef, and varying vegetables it may have hit like a brick, but filled you up quite nicely. Comfort food, really. The other popular dish his family brought was called Champ, a mix of mashed potato, scallions, butter, and milk. Of course, business only increased when Bon-Bon was thrown into the mix and brought her delightful candy confections into the family. Some of these creations of hers, like Lunar Jello or Gummy Bears, still survived to this day in one form or another, something Stripped was particularly proud of. Like all the members of his family in the early days, he had to fight for what little he had, and make his way up the rungs of the ladder to get into the position of Stardust’s top scientist. It was a valued position, as you’d expect, and wasn’t easy to get to. Several other ponies had relied on dirty tactics to make sure Stripped didn’t get into the favored position, such as sabotaging various experiments of his he intended to present to the Prince. Needless to say, when he reverse-engineered the Draco Kyutama on a whim or a pure flight of fancy, he won the title and gained something he was still very much proud of to this day. Respect. Finally, he had something to lord over the lower classes with and say, “Yes, I did this, not you!” A bit snobbish of him, he admitted, but he felt he was entitled to being the way he was after all the fighting he’d done to get there. It was a long way to the top, he admitted. Still, at times, he had to admit, it was like a mountain in some ways. Once you got there, it got quite lonely and at times, when he knew nobody could overhear him, he desired some form of companionship. Maybe not someone who could understand all of his scientific gobbledygook as it was often called but just someone who he could talk to at times. Maybe it was his own fault he mused, for lording his position over others, making them know he was superior not only in status but in intellect as well. A small concussive explosion knocked the pony out of his internal musings, and he snapped himself to attention. “What was that?” he asked, before he looked downwards. Near the massive ship was various crab-walker mounted cannons, firing blast after blast of energy towards the Kyurangers. “You’d think they wouldn’t bother with small snub fighters like ours…” Stripped pondered, but the Celesti-AI was swift to correct him. “Yes, you would think, and normally you’d be correct. You wouldn’t be worth the attention, however…” she trailed off, placing a hand to her chin in thought. “What is it?” Stripped stated quickly, impatiently having no time for nonsense. “That ship, it’s burrowing deep into Equus’ surface. There’s a large energy transfer going up into the belly of the beast, as it were and seemingly stored there,” the Celesti-AI continued, seemingly unfazed by Stripped’s rudeness. “At the same time, I’ve rerouted the Voyager’s sensors to scan the planet’s interior. The magma core, it’s destabilizing. I have reason to believe these two events are connected.” Stripped’s sea-green eyes widened in shock as he realized what Celestia was getting at, and opened the comms. “Everyone, focus fire on that ship! If we don’t destroy it fast, this planet’s going to explode!” “Well, you heard him,” Flashfire’s voice crackled over the comms. “Get to it! Alright, Dark Matter… Time to test your luck! Allons-y, team!” he shouted, as a battle cry. “Fågel, Coldcast, take out those cannons! Everyone else, focus fire on that ship,” he ordered. Soon, Fågel rammed one of the twin cannons with her tank-like Voyager, while Coldcast’s own grabbed one of the walker legs in its jaws and tossed it into a cliff making it go up in a fireball. “Jabari!” Stripped shouted over the comms. “You’re with me. While Spada and Flashfire shoot up that thing’s armor, we’re going to do a cut and run, you understand?” “Got it.” the zorse smirked, knowing exactly what the unicorn was thinking. Stripped watched as the wings of the Eagle Voyager glowed pink, while his own Voyager’s fins glowed yellow before both ships shot forwards and sliced the ship down the middle in a blur of motion. “Take that!” Jabari shouted in glee, before his smile faded. “Uh guys, not wanting to ruin the party here, but I’m running models here, and I really think we’ve got a major problem on our hooves here. And I do mean major.” “What do you mean?” Coldcast asked, not really wanting to know. “Well, thinking about it, that planetary energy has to be gathered up for something, right? So, ran a few scans on the ship’s core, and it’s gathering it and devoting all power to weapons systems, probably for one huge blast. Needless to say, I don’t think we want to be within firing range.” “I’ve got an idea,” Stripped mused. “Everyone, prime your weapons systems. Time to fight fire with fire.” Placing his Kyutama into a small slot, and twisting it he watched as the others mirrored his movements. Stripped then pressed down on his Kyutama, and his Voyager shot out a beam of energy from its beak. The others were soon to follow. “All-Star Crash! Super Galaxy Variant!” Stripped shouted, as the Moraimarz fired a huge, cutting beam of purple energy. The beams battled for dominance, before the next thing anyone knew was the massive ship going up in a huge fireball. Stripped allowed himself a smirk. “Checkmate.” High above Equus’s atmosphere, Lupus allowed himself a smirk as he sat in his flagship’s bridge. The massive Moraimarz was of the dreadnaught class of ships, and was designed to wage full-scale war on a planet. It’s hangers held legions of fighter craft, ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice along with several smaller Moraimarz as well. In front of Lupus, several holographic screens, each a deep violet tint similar in hue to the lights in the hallways, -which were a darker shade of purple themselves- rested in direct eye's view. One depicted his flagship itself, which was needless to say, titanic. Each individual piece linked together, with all of the belts turning like clockwork. All three of the smaller gears were armed with spear-like platforms, with different rooms on the inside. All of them looked very similar, though, so it was impossible to tell which one housed what. And surrounding this structure, was one single massive gear turning in unison alongside the smaller ones. The other screen depicted a massive creature, burrowing deep beneath the planet’s icy surface, seemingly growing in size with each passing minute. “Perfect…” Lupus mused. Sure, they’d stopped his first Moraimarz from draining the planet dry, which he entirely expected. That wasn’t the real goal, no. His main plan was to tire these Rangers out, before sending his legions in for the kill. He knew they were perfectly capable warriors as soon as the Scorpius Drone’s assault vehicle had been trashed. “Milord, you’ve got an incoming hail from Don Armage.” a Strongindaver said, bowing as soon as he entered the bridge. “Onscreen.” Lupus stated, quick and to the point. And so the orders were followed, with a new holographic screen replacing all the others. On it, was what could only be described as a massive bow, with a singular arrow loaded up and ready to fire. A golden frame with a blue loading mechanism and arrow filled it. Spikes adorned the edges, a sign that could have easily identified it as a hostile ship, if anything. A singular string of light-blue energy coiled from the bow through the arrow itself, almost like a power core being controlled and stabilised. The Ark, the flagship of the Dark Matter fleet and the main place of residence for Don Armage. “Commander…” a voice growled out, and Lupus felt an involuntary chill run up his very spine as a cloaked figure appeared in front of Lupus, replacing the Ark. “I hear you’ve been having… difficulties in acquiring this new planet we’ve discovered. Was the assault craft I gave you not sufficient in subjugating the population?” Armage asked. “We have them on the edge of a string.” Lupus said, unable to keep his voice from stuttering. “I plan to-” “I care not for your plans!” Armage barked. “Your last failure in subjugating a planet, they rebelled and destroyed themselves, and not a single drop of Planetarium was gained in the process! And look at you. The deed split your spirit to the bone, as shown with your progress on this backwater world, without even a sun to light it’s days!” he roared, and clenched his fist. “I’m sending Sir Ikargen to assist.” “S-Sir Ikargen?” Lupus whispered in fear. “But he’s a rabid dog! He can’t be controlled!” “Nevertheless, you will await his arrival,” Armage argued. “You may wonder, why I keep such a “rabid dog” as you refer to him on my payroll? Permit me the chance to explain. A cur's weakness, properly manipulated, can be a sharp tool in anyone’s hands. Especially my hands. Yessss, even Sir Ikargen has his… fallacies. Weak as you both are, I believe you, together, can fix this disaster you yourself created, Lupus.” Armage stated leaving almost no room for argument. Almost. “V-Very well, but…” Lupus stammered out. “But what?” Don Armage asked, narrowing his violet eyes. “Your… condition,” Lupus replied delicately. “I may have found a solution.” “A solution you say?” Armage asked, leaning in closer in such a way that he practically towered and overshadowed the much smaller Dark Matter member. Lupus, trembling held up a small orb of energy, in which was contained the curved horn he’d found on the planet’s surface. “Tests have been run, and there’s an unknown factor of energy emitting from this horn. It might just be enough for you to finally take physical form and go into battle personally.” “While I have no desire to go into battle myself, not when I can control the galaxy’s inner workings with the mere palm of my hand, I admit, a new body after the destruction of my last one is very desirable. Congratulations, Lupus, you may have just migated your failure somewhat.” Armage replied, before vanishing. Lupus slumped back in his chair, and let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Ikargen… Just the last thing I needed…” Lupus thought to himself. “As if things weren’t bad enough. Knowing him, he probably won’t be coming alone. He’ll probably have that whore of his, Madoka along as well! I swear, if she calls me a jelly brain even once, I’m shooting her and damn the consequences…” Back deep beneath the icy manifolds of the overworld, Stripped Gear set back to work on what he did best, experimentation and creation. His lab, suffice to say, was a mess. Scientists and researchers were in a frenzy, passing beakers and vials of liquid around the room to other assistants. Apparatus had all been set up and nearly all of them were being used. Bunsen burners were lit and heating up some of the chemicals, while centrifuges spun and distillers lit themselves. Because of the way everyone was moving, the chance of spills and breakages happening were very high, and it was a miracle that there had been none of that yet. Of course, that could have just been him tempting fate, as many of the ponies nearly crashed into one another as they worked with their materials and devices. “Oi!” Stripped shouted, as one pony nearly smacked into another, carrying the arm of the ill-fated Scorpius Drone in his hands. “Last thing we want is those chemicals -Does nopony read or even understand the words highly flammable anymore?- blowing something up just because they get rattled a bit?” he barked, before letting a hand trail down his face. “I swear, the ponies I work with…” he thought in disgust, before grabbing the arm out of the assistant's hands and placing it on his table, his hooves clanking against a piece of metal grating below, that just so happened to barely traverse a small river of pure molten magma. Stripped, at times, honestly wished he’d been given a better or at least safer workspace. This was one of those times he mused, as he wiped sweat off his brow before pulling a monocle out of his lab coat’s pockets and began studying the arm’s inner workings, some of the outer armor plating having been removed for better access a few hours before. It was true enough, the lab he’d been given was hardly compliant with OSHA safety regulations. With all of the recent chaos in the outside world, the ceiling above had entirely caved in and submitted to the grip of the icy world, and now stalactites hung tenderly above the devices, and looked sharp enough to rend any experiment to pieces with a single drop. There was also a cold atmosphere around, as the heaters had been worn thin from constant overuse. In fact, if not for the bunsen burners, the room would have been almost utterly devoid of heat, and many of the ponies were shivering even now despite their thermal suits as they hustled to get their work done on time. They were just glad the floor hadn’t frozen over, or dampened by any spillages, or everything would have gone belly up for all of them. “How goes the roof repair work?” Stripped asked another pony, even as he continued looking at the Scorpius Drone’s arm. “Plates are being moved in to cover the hole, and the Galaxy Garrison headquarters is willing to lend us some shielding, but it might be a while before we get that,” Jabari said with a sigh, looking over what looked to be a thruster pack with wings. They seemed to be made of some otherworldly material, and perhaps they were, but knowing Stripped he’d probably found something from a failed invention of his and repurposed the materials. The pony was a master of magitech after all. Beautiful streaks of amber, tied and woven together with metal made up the celestial-like wings. If Jabari remembered correctly, these were meant to be an upgrade for his suit, to give him flight capabilities and if everything worked out, applied to the rest of the non-flight capable Rangers as well. “Wonderful…” Stripped muttered to himself, with no small amount of sarcasm in his voice. Then an eyebrow raised in interest as he looked at the arm in front of him a little closer. “Hey, Jabari, bring your Kyuchanger over here will you?” he asked, with Jabari shrugging before taking the gauntlet off his wrist and handing it over to the unicorn. “Now, if my hunch is correct…” Stripped muttered, before he fitted the Kyuchanger to the arm laying in front of him. “So, what’s that prove?” Jabari asked. “All of the Kyuchangers were made for a universal fit, so that anyone could wear them.” “Yes, but remember, we found a Kyutama in the wreckage of the scorpion mech.” Stripped reminded, and he and Jabari shared a glance. “You don’t think…” Jabari trailed off before his expression turned nervous. “Now that I think of it, one of the assistants said they found this amongst the robot’s parts.” he continued, bringing out what looked to be a Kyuchanger but in purple and black instead. He quickly replaced his own with this dark version on the robot’s arm. Understandably, he was suitably unnerved by this sight. What was about to happen next wouldn’t soothe him in the slightest. “Yeah, just as I thought,” Stripped muttered. “Now, I only need one more thing to prove my theory…” he mused, before bringing out the Scorpius Kyutama and pressing down on it. Almost as if in reaction, the dark Kyuchanger proclaimed: “Say the Change!” Jabari then carefully watched as Stripped placed the Kyutama into the little slot on the gauntlet and flicked it. Almost in an instant, the arm was covered in orange armor, not unlike the Ranger’s own suits. “That confirms it, doesn’t it?” Stripped sighed. “For better or for worse, that robot sent to attack us is or was a Kyuranger.” Taking the time to digest that frankly disturbing information, a long silence permeated the air. “So…” Jabari whispered, his voice trembling. “Dark Kyurangers? Is… Is that even a thing? I mean, how can that even be a thing? I mean, the Draco Kyutama and all of the technology we derived from it was created for good, wasn’t it?” he whispered and Stripped nodded. Jabari then had a horrific thought. “How long do you think the Draco Kyutama spent wandering the galaxies before it crash-landed here, on Equus?” “Hundreds, maybe thousands of years?” Stripped guessed as a reply. “In that time and in those days, space travel would take a long time. Anyone could have picked it up and studied it.” “Exactly, anyone,” Jabari replied with a nod. “Anyone, and that includes Dark Matter or whatever became the group. They easily could have created their own Kyutamas and tech based around them, and from the looks of things I’d say they did,” he stated. “I need to talk to Stardust. He needs to know about this.” Stripped stated firmly, standing up before his gaze turned to behind him. Resting on a table behind him was the Scorpion Robot’s head, gazing at them soullessly. “Hey, did you bring that in?” Jabari asked. “I know I sure as Hell didn’t…” “Might have been one of the lab techs, I don’t know. So much hustle and bustle it’s nigh impossible to keep track of anything sometimes. Still…” Stripped trailed off, eyeing it warily. He tapped the optic, to see if he could garner any reaction but nothing happened. “Listen, I’m just going to go look at my star maps, maybe annoy Coldcast a little. Anything but standing near that… thing. It’s beginning to freak me out, really.” Jabari muttered, before turning to leave the room. “Agreed.” Stripped said, before following suite. What neither of them noticed was as soon as they left the room, the optic blinked. Stripped’s hooves broke into a sprint as they ran down the corridors, alleyways and through the streets of the undercity, as it were. Ponies, amongst various other species, peered out of their windows and stepped out onto balconies to get a good gander at the frantic scientist. Going for his belt, he pulled out the Boötes Kyutama, colored bright green in the central crystal and inserted it into his Kyuchanger. Almost in an instant, he felt a burst of speed as he rounded a corner, his lab coat billowing behind him like a cape of some sorts. He kicked up dust, and various pieces of trash as he ran through the city center and out of another alleyway. Stopping only momentarily to catch his breath, he resumed his run and brushed past various citizens who let out yelps and on some occasions, cursed at him as he neared the city center. Stripped made a mental note to apologize, but right now he had more important matters at hand, really. Eventually, he did reach the Prince’s personal quarters, or tried to anyways as something else caught his attention. Two red armored guards, helmets covering their faces carrying long bladed staves were wandering the corridors of the Prince’s personal residence. They seemed to pay him no mind, which was understandable considering this wasn’t the first time Stripped or anyone else for that matter had visited this place. What was strange was their presence in the first place, and how unnerved they seemed. Maybe it was because of all the recent chaos, Stripped figured, but he’d never seen this particular brand of guard before. Then again, he’d never seen Stardust with any form of guards. He’d heard the rumors of course, that Stardust’s guards lurked in the shadows and you’d never see them coming but he’d always dismissed them. Bit too secret police-like for his tastes, if you asked him. But here they were, clear as day. Or at least, maybe the inspiration for the rumors. The armor itself, was a combination of robes covering the body, and a thickly armored helmet that covered the face completely, leaving no features visible. You couldn’t even tell what race these guards were, or even if they were organic in nature. For all Stripped knew, they could have been robotic. Questions ran through his mind, even as he, out of pure instinct and caution hid behind a corner and waited till the guards left. Sticking to the shadows, the unicorn cast a spell over himself that made him almost but not completely invisible. He found himself drawn, for whatever reason, to a rather unremarkable door. However, that’s only at first glance, the door for whatever reason felt unnaturally cold to the touch. The fact was, below the door were small clouds of mist. Gritting his teeth and looking to make sure nobody was around, Stripped carefully cut open a small hole in the door and found himself in a chamber of pods. Stasis pods, each carefully controlled so that whatever was inside them stayed a frosty sleep. No, not whatever, Stripped mentally corrected himself. Whoever. Going to a computer console, he checked the status of the pods' occupants. Only one had someone inside it. “Suppose you’ve slept long enough, man…” Stripped remarked, pressing a button on the pod’s side, and it opened with a hissing sound. What was inside, shocked Stripped to the core. A dark green insectoid body, with two red pincers sticking out of the forehead like a stag beetle. The unicorn’s eyes widened. He didn’t need to be a genius to know who this was. “Pharynx…” he breathed out, as the Changeling’s eyes slowly fluttered open. Part 5: Oh, the times, they are a Changin'...New Manehatten Medical Wing, Cold Storage: “E-Easy there!” Stripped said gently as he watched the dark-green changeling’s eyes slowly flutter open, and then Pharynx still clad in a light blue hospital gown stumbled forwards almost in a drunken manner. Grunting out in pain as the massive Changeling fell into the smaller unicorn’s arms, Stripped murmured: “I got you there, big guy. Question is, what are you doing here? I mean, I would think the medical logs would show you being stored away, or even still alive for that matter…” It was almost like someone wanted to keep Pharynx’s existence a secret, Stripped mused. But, why would that be? “Ugh, where am I?” Pharynx muttered before he noticed his current situation. “And who are you?” he asked, pulling himself out of Stripped’s grip. “Name’s Stripped Gear. Scientist, and might I just say what a pleasure it is to meet you!” Stripped babbled, forgetting his manners and rapidly shaking Pharynx’s hand. “I mean, you’re a friggin’ living legend. You do know that, right? This is absolutely meretricious!” “Oh great, a fanboy…” Pharynx muttered to himself in a tone that could only be described as complete and utter disgust. “I was warned about ponies like you, the ones who practically strip themselves naked and throw themselves at the object of their… desires,” he grumbled. “Maybe if you were a mare, I’d accept the offer but a buck? No way. This Changeling is quite straight, thank you very much!” Stripped flushed a bright red at that, realizing what his fanboying over a living legend of old Equestria could have come off as, namely something akin to being stalkerish. “Oh, if Jabari or Faust forbid, Spada got wind of this, he’d never let me live it down…” the unicorn thought to himself. “My deepest apologies Lord Pharynx,” Stripped replied, regaining his composure, fixing his lab coat and turning back into Stripped Gear, well refined and dignified scientist from the Marish Isles. “Sorry, just meeting someone so famous is… Well.” “Yes, yes, I get it,” Pharynx waved him off. “You’re overwhelmed and all that shit.” “I forgot how rude that Changeling was, at least according to historical records,” Stripped sighed to himself. “Silly me.” “Not that of course, I’m offended by you calling me a living legend,” Pharynx murmured, scratching his chin. “I’d consider that a compliment. But again, I have to ask, where in the Hivemother’s name am I?” “New Manehatten, the Medical Wing. Well, at least I think this is the medical wing, last time I checked it didn’t have a cold storage unit.” Stripped murmured, rubbing his chin in thought. “Then again, maybe it did and I just forgot about it. Been so many things on my mind lately that I sorta just… deleted a few of them,” he continued. “Maybe it’s time to up the nicotine patches. Again. This seems like a three patch problem…” All Pharynx could do was stare in bug-eyed (Pun fully intended) bewilderment as Stripped continued pacing back and forth. The Changeling groaned, realizing what sort of person he had to wake up to. “...You’re one of those eccentric genius types aren’t you?” he muttered. “Only thing worse than a fanboy…” “Yes. Do you have a problem with that?” Stripped asked in a confused tone. Since when was being a genius a bad thing? “Yes, of course, I have a problem with that! I’m just woken up from a Hivemother only knows how long of a nap, and I wake up to a fanboy who probably doesn’t know that Equus doesn’t revolve around the sun because he deleted said information from his mind!” Pharynx shouted in a fury. “Oh, how, what does that matter? So we go around the sun! If we went round the moon or round and round the garden like a teddy bear, it wouldn't make any difference! And for the record, the Sun collapsed thousands of years ago, so that should tell you how long you’ve been asleep!” Stripped snapped throwing his arms up in the air, quite frustrated by the lack of information he had. He hated not knowing things. Drove him up the wall. “Now will you shutty-shut up so I can work out why you were in cold sleep since before the sun burnt this whole planet to a crisp and then everything froze over?” Any other person, any other time, Pharynx would have probably grabbed Stripped with his horns and smashed him into the ground several times in classic Changeling warrior fashion for telling him to shut his trap, but he was so caught off guard by how long he exactly he’d been asleep he found himself frozen in shock. “T-That long?” Pharynx whispered out in shock. “Then that means the P-Princesses a-are…” Pharynx found himself unable to finish the sentence, tears forming in his eyes. He may not have liked Celestia or Luna for their more pacifistic ways, but even he had to admire how they managed to keep a whole country intact just by sheer friendship alone. “Dead? Yes, quite,” Stripped said, his tone finally going back into a more sympathetic one, realizing who he was talking to again. Pharynx, whenever he went under and for what reason, everything was all well and good and the sun was shining in the sky. Now, that was hardly the case and everything and everyone he ever knew was dead and gone, just dust in the wind. “If… If you need some time to yourself, I can-” “No, no point in mourning over something I can’t change. They’re dead, my brother’s dead and I’m just going to have to accept that,” Pharynx murmured, trying very hard to hide his emotions and to his credit, he mostly succeeded, but even Stripped could see the Changeling trying to fight back the tears from behind his violet eyes. So Stripped did the only thing he could do, and pulled Pharynx into a deep hug, and allowed him time to cry. “Shh, let it out,” Stripped whispered as he heard Pharynx’s muffled heartbroken sobs, and Stripped held the Changeling ever tighter, rubbing his back in a calm, comforting manner. “It’s alright, I’m here for you my little… changeling,” he said awkwardly, not really being the first to know how to comfort somebody, and especially not someone like Pharynx or someone in said Changeling’s situation. Eventually, tears were spent, and Stripped finally released his hold on Pharynx. “...Never let anyone know that happened, okay?” Pharynx requested. “I do have a reputation to keep up, after all.” “Pinkie Promise. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Stripped nodded, and Pharynx let out a groan. Stripped looked confused. “What? That’s not something you break!” “That cheesy-ass promise is still around?” Pharynx muttered, astounded. “Hey, Pinkie herself may be gone, but her legacy sure as Faust isn’t,” Stripped replied. “...Pretty sure she has this ancestor around here somewhere now that I think of it.” “I pity the fool who dated her. For one thing, you’d need to keep up a lot of stamina in the bedroom,” Pharynx remarked in his normal grumpy tone, but with a trace of amusement. “And a set of earbuds and a good amount of patience, for dealing with a mare who is basically… well, a child really,” he said, and Stripped actually laughed at that. Pharynx smiled. “But in all seriousness, I’m glad some things haven’t changed despite everything that’s sure to have happened.” “Yeah, say what you will about ponies sometimes, but we’re an enduring lot,” Stripped replied. “Marvelous, isn’t it? Now, you’ve asked me a few questions, so I think it’s only a fair deal that I ask you at least one no?” “Fair enough,” Pharynx admitted. “Alright then. So, I just have to ask, why were you contained in that cold-sleep pod to begin with? Knowing what I’ve read about you, and heard from a few ponies and Changelings (Pharynx smiled at this, knowing that his species was still quite alive and well) I can only presume that you locked yourself away in that pod so that one day you could return when Equestria was in need of some great warrior right? Working theory, but right now it’s the best I’ve got.” “It’s a nice thought, but no,” Pharynx corrected. “Sadly, I contracted this frankly rare illness for Changelings after helping my little brother clear out the last of Discord’s Chaos-Spawn near the First Hive deep within Equestria’s jungles. They called it by a simple name, the Black Plague.Thankfully rare, as it’s almost always fatal. At the time, it looked like I was dead in the water.” Stripped nodded, he’d read of the infamous disease. Rare in Celestia’s time, it had been killed thousands during the times of Princess Platinum. Contemporary signs of the plague, varied and rather imprecise. As one pony put it: “In men and women alike it first betrayed itself by the emergence of certain tumours in the groin or armpits, some of which grew as large as a common apple, others as an egg… From the two said parts of the body this deadly gavocciolo soon began to propagate and spread itself in all directions indifferently; after which the form of the malady began to change, black spots or livid making their appearance in many cases on the arm or the thigh or elsewhere, now few and large, now minute and numerous. As the gavocciolo had been and still was an infallible token of approaching death, such also were these spots on whomsoever they showed themselves.” Nowadays, the cause is known to come from rats carrying the germ known as Yersinia pestis, but before then it was an unknown agent. “So how did you…?” “Survive?” Pharynx asked. “Radical new treatment, proposed by Nurse Redheart in Canterlot. Lock me in that cold-sleep pod, and then pump it full of various cleansing agents. I had to be watched around the clock by trained medics. Didn’t know if it would work, but considering the alternative…” “Yeah,” Stripped swallowed. “Guess someone forgot to let anyone know when it was time to wake you, right?” he joked lightly and Pharynx laughed in return. Stripped then rubbed his chin once more. “Still, it’s a very good question as to why nobody told anyone you were in that pod for all this time…” The sound of a cough was heard, someone clearing their throat to speak. Both Stripped and Pharynx whirled around to see Prince Stardust, clad in a dark purple nightgown complete with a gold shooting star sewn into the material. Pharynx raised an eyebrow at this, but then noticed the coloring of the Prince’s mane and his coat. It didn’t take long for him to figure out who the Alicorn was related to. “Huh, so what do you know? Celestia and Twilight finally pulled their heads out of their asses, stopped dancing around each other and rutted like rabbits!” he thought. “Um yes, I must apologize for that Lord Pharynx,” Stardust sighed as he leaned on his cane, two of the faceless red guardsmen at his side holding long pronged staves which crackled with electricity. “I really must. No excuse.” “I should say so…” Pharynx hissed, a snake-like tongue briefly emerging from his mouth. One of the few remaining traits of his original pre-metamorphosed form. “Left me to gather dust, your parents did!” “And you have every right to be angry with them, Faust rest their souls. Hell, I can bring up their AIs so you can shout at them if it makes you feel any better,” Stardust said kindly, “May not be the real thing, at least if you ask my aunt Flurry for her opinion on the matter but-” “AIs?” Pharynx asked, raising an eyebrow curiously. “Yes, I said AIs,” Stardust replied. “My parents, they managed to save their personalities to databanks before the sun went nuclear and burnt Equus to a crisp. They did this in order to help out future generations and imbue them with their wisdom to make sure Equus never forget where it came from.” “A wise choice, I admit,” Pharynx sighed. “Doesn’t stop me from being angry at them, trust me on that, but I’m not going to take it out on them, considering there’d be no point in yelling at somepony for something they can’t change.” “Surprisingly mature of you, Lord Pharynx,” Stardust replied, thanking the stars. His gratitude would be short-lived. Mind you, doesn’t mean I can’t do this.” Pharynx stated, before drawing back his fist and socking the Prince soundly across the jaw. Groaning out in pain as he rubbed his bleeding mouth, Stardust watched as his two guards pointed their staves at Pharynx. He quickly raised his hand to stop them. “No. Now, there’s no need for that. I suppose I deserved that,” the Prince admitted, calming them. That was a curious trait about Stardust. Despite all his quirkiness, he always had this strange ability to calm others with just simple words. It was like he never seemed to get angry enough to raise his voice. These two traits, Stripped had to figure, Stardust had probably inherited from Celestia. He was just glad Luna wasn’t one of his mothers, otherwise, Stardust probably wouldn’t have been quite so calm and well-mannered. “I probably got off lucky, really.” the Prince shrugged. “Damn right…” Pharynx muttered to himself. “If I’d hit you any harder, you’d probably get a broken jaw at the very least!” Stripped winced at that. Yep, it seemed some things would never change. We later find Pharynx along with Stripped and Princess Flurry Heart walking over the hanger bay of the Voyagers via catwalk. Pharynx, in interest, observed the various ponies and other assorted species set to work on the various fighter craft, amongst the larger colony ships. Over the radio, a rather cheery (Well, somewhat) song played as sparks flew and metal was grafted to ships to armor them further. “Another day o' cloudy skiesfeelin' low an' I don't know why, I guess it shouldn't be news to me now it's been this way for centuries, but I'm holding out “I heard from legends and crystal balls sun gave warmth to the great and small I saw the smiles good ol' Ray put on their face It ain't too much to want gentle grace “This pessimism brings my brain a schism, splittin' up my mind But I know before too soon I’ll find Footsteps on my porch of ultraviolet kind…” a feminine voice song, (Velvet Remedy was her name as Pharynx would later learn) and Pharynx noted Stripped bobbing his head to the music. Pharynx, to his disgust, noted he himself was tapping his hoof to it as well. Damned thing was much too sappy for his tastes. I suppose a minute or two should be diverted to the colony ships themselves, which I haven’t I admit, described all that well. Streamlined and curved, these ships were a masterwork of engineering. Having taken over twenty years to complete for each one, these ships were truly gigantic compared to the Voyagers. (And those could combine into a mecha!) Sporting a half-saucer shape at the back that curved into a more straight shape as you went further back, with three massive thrusters completing the whole creation. Covered in a bronze metallic hue, these ships could carry 20,000 of the Equus population, easily. Five of them in total, not counting the flagship which was a different matter entirely. The flagship, the Orion? This was a ship, that if possible, was even more of a masterwork of engineering than the colony ships. It was a massive dagger-shaped ship armed to the tooth and supporting a crew of 20,000 also. It was easily dwarfing everything else and was meant to be the personal craft of Prince Stardust. It also supported hanger bays for each of the created Voyagers so far, six in total. There were rumors there was a seventh, hidden hanger for the Draco Voyager as well as one presumed it must have existed in Stardust's theories long before it had been discovered in the Ghastly Gorge. “So these are how you plan to escape this barren husk?” the Warrior-King noted in interest. “I must admit, I am… intrigued on how the technology has developed during my very long nap.” Pharynx remarked. “Well, not like we have much choice. Stay, and we freeze,” the Twilight-AI spoke up, her hologram walking up to Pharynx’s side. Her expression grew softer as she looked at him. “It’s good to see you again, my old friend. You had no idea how happy I was when I heard you were awake.” “Tell me,” Pharynx asked in his usual gruff tone. No sense in, like he said before, in getting angry over something that couldn’t be changed now. “I know some of the Changelings have survived, but has my hive…?” he trailed off, not daring to think of the alternative. “Yes, you have a few descendants,” Twilight replied. “One of which is a member of the Paladins I’m sure Stardust or Flurry has told you about. One Spada Venture. Good cook, from what I’ve heard.” “Trust me, man is a master in the kitchen,” Stripped chipped in. “His cooking? To die for! You should see what he does with a Colcannon! Faust, if I didn’t know better, I’d swear he was from the Marish Isles!” he sighed wistfully. “We’ll get to him in a minute,” Pharynx butted in, putting a stop to Stripped’s drooling. “Actually, no Princess, nobody’s told me a single thing about these ‘Paladins’.” “Hand-picked from a single species, the best of Equestria’s best,” Flurry put in. “You’ve already met one in Stripped here, and your relation Spada is another. Meant to guard the larger colony ships with those Voyagers you see below and meant to engage in first contact with alien species. Something, which I embarrassingly admit, has not gone well so far.” she flushed, and Pharynx raised an eyebrow. “How so?” he asked. “Well, had a encounter a few days back. This massive alien ship crash-landed out near where the Empire used to be, and it’s pilot engaged in combat with three of the Paladins. It was just barely contained. The wreckage is being studied now, but we have a much larger problem,” Flurry continued. “I’m listening,” “Well,” Flurry replied to him. “Apparently, this robot was the first line assault force against an empire known as Dark Matter. We’ve, as in the Paladins, engaged one of what they call Karō in combat already, and as of right now we’ve only managed to drive him back in temporary retreat. Even now, his flagship and Faust knows what else hovers above our atmosphere in stationary orbit.” Pharynx’s fists clenched, and his amaranth-colored wings fluttered in agitation. “And you can’t just go and attack, why?” he hissed out, forked tongue once more making an appearance. “This is why.” the Twilight-AI spoke up, and gestured to Stripped who simply lit up his horn and brought up a small holographic screen of the flagship of Lupus’ fleet. It was a peculiar design to say the least, but Pharynx did note the two massive cannons on the bottom of the uppermost ‘spike’ that was aimed directly at the planet. “Those two cannons you see?” Stripped asked. “One shot from them, and boom, could bring the whole place crashing down on top of us. While we could, in theory, evade detection and send up small snub fighters like the Voyagers to destroy them as they’d be too small to register on the sensors, as of right now they’re in the shop. Took a little too much damage from our last battle with Lupus, when he sent his pet Deathworm after us.” “Deathworm?” Pharynx asked quizzically. “Trust me, you don’t want to know,” Stripped replied with a small shudder. “But to put it simply, we’re screwed right now.” Pharynx slammed a hand on one of the metal railings of the catwalk, denting it. “And to think, I used to be a warrior who would be able to take on almost any foe! And now, here I am, sitting around unable to do a thing just because I don’t have the ability to pilot a Voyager! Look at me, a warrior and former captain of the guard who basically has to sit around doing nothing while his kingdom -his kingdom!- is under threat! In essence, I’ve been laid low!” he snarled, both Flurry and Stripped visibly backing away from Pharynx and his frustrations. His head then whirled around to face Flurry, and he stepped dangerously close to her. “If you had woken me sooner, maybe, just maybe I might have been able to have been chosen by your precious Prince Stardust to become a Paladin! I mean, who decides who is Equestria’s best? Yes, Equestria’s best! Don’t think I didn’t miss that! Not Equus’ best, Equestria’s best!” he roared. “You think I like this either?” Flurry snapped. “I didn’t even know you were even in the city! Because someone, namely Prince Stardust decided to keep that information from all of us, -Faust knows why- and let you sleep. I thought you dead long ago! I considered at the time, the possibility of checking, just checking to see if your body had somehow survived in that tank and not rotted to just a skeleton, but Equestria burning to a crisp and then icing over put a hold on that!” she continued, her massive white wings flaring out in anger. “Hell, a lot of us had to stay in sleep pods ourselves while Equestria cooled down, and in those first few years, it was chaos as I was the only one old enough at the time to try and get everyone in order, as Stardust was just only ten years old! He didn’t know how to rule, so I had to do it in his stead while his tutors -Namely the AI versions of his parents once we finally got them up and running- taught him everything he needed to know!” she finished, panting and breathing hard from her little rant. Pharynx, he looked quite quayed and backed off. “I’m… I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” he whispered, hanging his head in shame. “It must have been hard…” “Oh gee, you think?” she snapped, before storming off in a huff and vanishing in a teleportation flash of light yellow magic. Stripped, during all of this, had stayed quite silent in fear of getting either Pharynx or Flurry’s rage directed at him. Nervously, he reached out to touch Pharynx’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you something to eat. Food always helps to ease the mind. A good hearty meal, that’s what you need.” he said, patting the Changeling on the shoulder. A loud rumble was heard beneath their feet, and both Stripped and Pharynx shared a look. “What was that?” Pharynx asked cautiously. “Part of me wants to think it’s just a minor earthquake, we get them from time to time, but…” “But what?” Pharynx asked. “Well, considering Lupus is hardly the stupid sort, one must wonder. I, in his position, would figure that we would find some way around our little problem and that assumes he knows our Voyagers are damaged so even if he had those cannons to rain Hell from above, he’d have a backup plan in place. You would, wouldn’t you?” Stripped inquired. “Yes, quite.” “Exactly,” Stripped replied. “Listen, I’ll run some simulations and some models, just to see if I’m being paranoid and these earthquakes are natural, or something otherworldly’s the cause of them. You, you just get something to eat okay?” he asked, not as a Paladin of Equestria but as a friend. “Might just help calm the nerves.” “S-Suppose you’re right. Maybe that’s all I need, just a good meal or two…” Pharynx murmured. Eventually, with the help of the Twilight-AI, he found himself in the large cafeteria where most of Equestria’s military regiment ate. For the most part, it was a stark white in wall color, lined with green detailings conforming to the minimalist style of the rest of the city’s interior design. At one table, a certain pink parrot named Fågel sat, idly picking away at her food with a spork. It was a traditional dish from her homeland, called Raggmunk. It was basically a potato pancake served with the traditional lingonberries. Pharynx sighed, noting her loneliness -His brother must have been laughing at him from above, seeing him try to make nice with someone- and pulled up a chair next to her. The parrot looked up at him, giving him a warning look. “If you’re here to flirt, don’t bother. Not remotely interested,” she stated coldly. “Yeah, wasn’t going to do that,” Pharynx reassured, biting back a snappy comment. “Just looked like you needed someone to talk to, that’s all.” Fågel sighed to herself. “Well, you’re certainly braver than most, that’s for sure.” “You do realize I was once someone suicidal enough to fend off a maulwurf alone?” Pharynx asked, in a deadpan tone. “So I doubt talking to some parrot is going to be decremental to my health.” Fågel tried to hide her laughter of course. To her credit, she mostly succeeded and just made it look like she was laughing softly to the point where it made things seem she was laughing at him. After a while though she stopped herself. “Look I am not some parrot that is the best to speak to by yourself. I did so many things in the past that would make others scream and blush in horror. It’s moving on with life that you learn that you might be more than you think,” she replied, in that thick Icelandic accent of hers. Pharynx somehow got the feeling standard Equestrian wasn’t her first language. He bit back a laugh. “And yet, here you are. A Paladin. Don’t think I didn’t notice that gauntlet on your arm, Stripped Gear had one as well. Inquired to Twilight about them, all the Paladins have one or the other, makes them be able to change into this squad called the Kyurangers, whatever that’s supposed to be. Frankly, a rather brash title if you ask me really.” Pharynx remarked in return. Fågel sighed nodding as she did so, and held up her Taurus Kyutama before placing it on the table in front of Pharynx. “One would think being what I am would make me feel better about my life. Sadly no I wasn’t there for my half-brother. I wasn’t there for my family. So, he has to grow up in the system, feeling nobody gives a damn about him except for that adopted big brother of his in Flashfire AKA Cerberus Seagreen. There is more to my life that most don’t know about. The fact I was even given this thing makes me feel like I must… I must forget the past or doom myself to repeat it.” “You might want to explain this to your half-brother then,” Pharynx replied. “He’d probably love to know about all of this. Hivemother knows if I grew up in the system, and found out I had a half-sister who could have been there but wasn’t? I’d be pissed. You’re lucky I was raised with a decent amount of respect for women otherwise I’d be punching you in the beak ‘bout now.” Fågel laughed weakly. “Yes tell him that I murdered someone then I was placed in jail for half my life. It turned out it wasn’t murder but the ponies family used his death to punish me. I was hired at a young age to steal something from this guy, named Cold Steel. I scared him he backed up and he fell out of the window. I was accused of murder and that was that. Prince Stardust’s guards chucked me in the bin. He told me I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He said don’t hate me for protecting my families image by destroying yours,” she’d lowered her voice by this point, not wanting anyone to overhear that their precious Prince Stardust was in fact, a bastard and not this wise, all seeing if not slightly eccentric Prince who’d lead everyone to safety. Pharynx’s fists clenched, and he let out a growl. “Knew there was something off about that pony. Far too nice, nobody’s that nice unless they have something to hide,” he muttered. “For years Pharynx, I felt I deserved it. I still feel I do. The fact is if I didn’t get hired to steal I would still be with my half-brother. That’s something I can’t control now. The fact I am in the eyes of some, just a hardened murderer. Even though I did this the Prince has been very respectful to me. Even though I don’t trust him.” “Can’t say I blame you. What’s that old phrase? Keep your friends close, and keep your enemies closer. Gotta say, guy’s got balls, making someone he framed for a crime a defender for Equus.” Pharynx admitted, in a slightly admiring but more disgusted tone of voice. “I feel this was bound to happen. The ponies of this land were too... I don’t want to be too rude although I might have to be. They were too weak. I knew sooner or later if something like this happened, they wouldn’t be able to handle it because it’s not the Power of Friendship they need to fight this. I feel the ponies relied too much on that Princess of theirs.” “Seemed to work for them, till the sun went nuclear and burnt everything to ashes.” Pharynx shrugged. “I mean, when I went into cold sleep, Twilight’s school was thriving and relations with the rest of the planet were at an all-time high. And look at everyone now, collaborating to find a way off this icy rock. Hell, these Paladins, they’re each a member of one of Equestria’s species. Changelings, griffons, ponies and… well, whatever you are. Wouldn’t be surprised if there was a dragon in there somewhere. Doubtful, given they’re cold-blooded creatures, but today’s been full of surprises. Fågel sighed. “I never saw the old world if I did I would ask what caused it? Of course, I forgot when I asked this once. That the sun was magic, and I wish I knew what type of magic. So I could understand why it blew up like that. But I doubt I will ever learn what type of magic it was. Maybe the magic is what caused it. Or maybe everything just has it's time,” She shrugged. “If I knew magic I would understand it more. But I am just a simple creature. Just saying though, the Elements of Harmony, wielded by those six mares, may not have been the end-all solution at times. I mean, they certainly didn’t stop the sun from broiling Equestria right?” Fågel asked, Pharynx sighed, and rubbed his temples. “Maybe you’re right, and maybe I’m wrong. Still doesn’t change the fact that I’m pretty much useless right now. I mean, I’m a warrior and here I am, sitting at a table eating…” Pharynx checked his plate and shrugged. “Don’t know what this is, while there’s a warship hanging miles above our heads, with it’s cannons pointed directly down at us, and I can’t do a single thing about it because I wasn’t singled out to be one of these Paladins of Equus!” he ranted throwing his arms up in the air in frustration. “Oh I don’t know you could do a lot you’re still a changeling you know. Can’t you change form? I know that is not much but you could do so much for the ponies of this place. You could shapeshift into something that gives them laughter, hope, something to want to prance about with and be happy for once. Being a Paladin is not the main thing, you know.” On any other creature, that might have worked. Pharynx simply lifted an eyebrow at her. “I hardly think I’m a comedian. You do realize who I am, right?” Pharynx, the Changeling who was captain of Thorax’s personal hive guard, a warrior born and raised. I don’t have a hive anymore, so I’ll have to take on what’s left of the old world as my kingdom. And right now, my kingdom’s under threat by something I can’t pretend to understand, but I have to do something about!” “I don’t know the best way. But...” Fågel said and when she stood up, she dropped a set of Kyutamas, including the skill variant of the Chameleon Kyutama. “Maybe it will come to you and you can fly with the wind,” she said with a wink, and Pharynx smirked, grabbing the Kyutamas and pocketing them before dashing out the door. Pharynx quickly found himself situated in the cockpit of the Chameleon Voyager, working out the control scheme to the ship, pressing buttons until the whole cockpit began to light up with a humming sound as consoles came to life all around him. “Figured you might do something stupid,” Stripped Gear’s voice said as it crackled over the comms. “Stupid?” Pharynx asked as he placed the skill version of the Chameleon Kyutama on a little slot on the central console. “That’s one word for it. Suicidally reckless would be another. Downright crazy, another choice. There are a few other ways of describing this, take your pick.” he deadpanned. “I’d choose brave,” Stripped replied. “That’s why I’m transferring the Twilight-AI to your… Well, not your ship but you know what I mean right? She’ll be able to walk you through piloting the ship undetected, as once you breach the atmosphere I’ll be out of contact with you.” “It’s Twilight,” Pharynx corrected. “May be just bits of lines of data and code, but to me, she’s the Princess of Friendship I made friends with. So keep that in mind.” “I… I see,” Stripped murmured, feeling rather ashamed of himself. “Sorry, I tend to forget that.” “Well, don’t. Understand?” Pharynx reminded sharply. “Yes… Um, anyways. I’ve been making upgrades to the Chameleon Voyager in my spare time, gave it the Perseus Kyutama’s cloaking abilities. Now, it really is a like a proper chameleon. Now, that skill Kyutama, I don’t know how you got it, but unlike the Legendary variant, you won’t be able to morph with it. However, it and any other Kyutamas you may have, you can still use. Check the side compartment, to your left. Should be a spare Kyuchanger in it. Always keep on in every Voyager, in case someone loses one.” Stripped informed. Sure enough, when he checked, he found a spare Kyuchanger just as Stripped had said he would that refitted itself to the size of Pharynx’s arm. “Okay, brace yourself,” Stripped informed. “Launching in five, four, three, two, ONE!” Then Pharynx found himself pushed back into his seat as his ship was launched forwards, like being shot out of a cannon. Icy caverns passed by in a blur, and quickly turned to snow and then stars as Pharynx found himself out amongst the cold, unforgiving blackness of space. In front of him, looming ominously was Lupus’ flagship. “I like to dream yes, yes, right between my sound machine On a cloud of sound I drift in the night Any place it goes is right Goes far, flies near, to the stars away from here “Well, you don't know what we can find Why don't you come with me little girl On a magic carpet ride…” an old song played over the speakers -Spada had this personal mixtape installed in his Voyager- as Pharynx locked the Perseus Kyutama into place on his gauntlet, and the Voyager faded into the night. “Powering off all non-essential systems,” the Twilight-AI informed. “Less risk of us being detected that way.” Pharynx really wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what Twilight meant by non-essential systems. “Good to see you’re following in Rainbow Dash’s hoofsteps,” Twilight replied as she set a course for the flagship. Pharynx raised an eyebrow at that, and Twilight clarified as she brought up a screen of a rainbow-maned mare with wing feathers of varying shades of the rainbow as well reaching all the way from red down to green. She was wearing a bright orange jumpsuit as she stepped into a rocketship covered in red flames. “Sometime after you… well, went under for lack of a better term, Rainbow decided to get really daring, and not just be the first pony to perform a Sonic Rainboom but be the first pony to breach the heavens as well.” “Yeah, that sounds like her…” Pharynx muttered. “Exactly like her. That ship of hers? Definitely her design choices I suspect. How far did she get?” “She breached the atmosphere before… before we lost contact.” Twilight whispered sadly. “I’m… I’m sorry.” Pharynx whispered, wishing he could give a comforting hug to Twilight. “No time to dwell on the past,” Twilight stated, removing herself from ‘her’ memories. “Preparing to dock with the Moraimars in 3, 2, 1.” Pharynx soon found himself outside the Voyager, which was still under cloaking and looking into deep, yawning dark hallways illuminated only by purple light. How long he had till the Dark Matter empire or at least the commander in charge of this ship detected him, he didn’t know. So Pharynx knew he had to set to work at once. “Okay, so what do I…?” Pharynx muttered to himself. “Yeah, real smart Phar, get onboard a ship and expect yourself to disable it’s weaponry even if you don’t know how anything works!” he grumbled. “Sounds like you need a Doctor, then.” a Trottingham-accented voice said from behind him, and Pharynx whirled around with a scythe in hand only to find himself face to face with a rather foxy looking man clad in a blue suit and a brown coat. A small, cylindrical silver device with a blue tip stuck out of one of the coat pockets. “Doctor who?” Pharynx glared. “I don’t need a Doctor, just a hands-on manual for disabling important systems, and a map.” “Well, you’re in luck, because you’re getting a Doctor anyways, and as for that map…?” the strange man trailed off, before revealing he too wore a device that looked suspiciously like a Kyuchanger. Next, the oddball of a man pulled out what looked to be a gold Kyutama depicting a compass. “Say hello to the Pyxis Kyutama, points you to anything, anywhere.” He set it into his Kyuchanger, flicked it and next thing Pharynx knew, a small gold map of the entire ship was in front of him. A small red dot flickered in a part of the ship, and the ‘Doctor’ put a finger into his mouth and then held it up as if he was checking which way the wind was blowing. Pharynx didn't bother telling him that there couldn't possibly be any wind, as he knew it was futile. “Mhmm, I say… that way!” he exclaimed before dashing off down a hall. “Now come along, got a bit of work to do, and not a lot of time to do it! Allons-Y!” “Great, so I’m stuck with a certified lunatic.” Pharynx muttered even as he for reasons unknown to him, followed. But as he did so, little did he notice the Chameleon Skill Kyutama began to glow a bright silver and depict a snake instead... Author's Note Okay, so your first proper introductions to Pharynx, the Doctor, and Fågel. Now, I apologize if Fågel's demeanor put you off her as a hero, she's just cynical and frankly rather jaded. Now, I contacted Megaskullmon, or Malla as I better know him to help me get a solid baseline for writing her, and that's just what he happened to come up with. If you don't like her, just tell me why and I'll see what I can do to work around her personality and make her more... relatable at least. Now, as ever, comments, thoughts, and critique are welcomed as ever. Part 6: Silver and Gold (AKA 3, 2, 1, Showtime!)Lupus’ Moraimarz: To say Pharynx was having a good day was like saying a Manticore was a little kitten who’d play around with a ball of catnip. To recollect, he’d been woken up from a thousand year nap, found out the world he knew was gone for good and replaced by an icy husk, then found out a ship was hanging over his ‘hive’s’ head so to speak and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it and now he was onboard that same ship following a madman who called himself a ‘Doctor’. “So yeah, not a good day. Not a good day at all.” the forest-green Changeling thought to himself as he ran after the longcoat clad-madman who for whatever reason had a Kyuchanger as well. First instinct was telling him that this Doctor had stolen the thing from Stripped Gear, but how in the Hivemother’s name would someone like this man gotten into Stripped Gear’s lab and then gotten out without being noticed? I mean, it wasn’t like the Doctor was the most subtle person in the world, really. Hoof and foot clanked against the metallic floor as Pharynx followed the Doctor, whose Pyxis Kyutama was projecting a gold arrow that (presumably) pointed to the weapons systems of the Moraimarz. “You sure you know where you’re going?” Pharynx drawled sarcastically. “If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t be controlling this thing now, would I?” the Doctor just tightened his grip on the Kyutama and just ran a little faster down the darkened hallways. “Now, we need to get where we’re going as fast as possible, before old Lupy can muck even more stuff up.” Pharynx held his Kyuchanger up his mouth and spoke into it. “Twilight, please tell me you know of a guy with a gold Legend Kyutama based on the Libra constellation?” “Yeah? What about it?” She asked, the miniature projection tilting her head towards Pharynx. “Cause I’m looking at one. Bit insane if you ask me, this man. Calls himself a Doctor, even if really don’t see him having any sort of medical degree in the slightest. To be honest, wouldn’t want him at my bedside…” “Oi, I heard that!” the Doctor shouted. Pharynx, of course, ignored him and continued. “Did Stripped Gear make more Legend Kyutamas than the ones I know about, namely the six we know of so far? Because of my count, and I’m factoring in the Draco Kyutama along with the one we recovered from that Scorpius Robot, this makes nine.” Twilight seemed rather surprised by this turn of events. The thought of more Legend Kyutamas was an interesting prospect, but more importantly would be the people who would be able to control such powers. If not the team and their own kinds, then what else? Perhaps a monster, a bandit on the run from the law, or even a harmless animal could hold them and be blessed with their powers. But that was just nonsense to her, as only those chosen by Legend Kyutamas could control them… right? Right? “...I’ll take your silence as a no then,” Pharynx sighed to himself, looking skywards. “Twilight, can you calculate how long we have before the Chameleon Voyager’s cloaking ability runs out, and everyone knows we’re here?” “I already did a check while you two were babbling on about the coordinates. We should have at least thirty minutes before our cover’s blown.” she went back to her station, typing on the computer console. “I can try and make it last longer, but I’d need to draw power from the engines, and that could hinder our escape.” “Yeah, would really rather not drain the fuel cells. I don’t think Spada is going to be happy that we ‘borrowed’ his ship, really…” Pharynx remarked. The Doctor seemed pleased by this prospect. “Oh, so you’re not the only one who’s stolen a ship around here?” the man asked, as they rounded another corner before patting Pharynx’s forehead and kissing it. “Nice to know!” he said cheerfully, and the Changeling just let out a growl. “Please don’t do that,” he stated, knowing full well he’d probably go ignored. “You know, this tech of this Stripped Gear fellow, while it’s pretty nice and all, I can’t help but notice that there are a few design flaws that could be sorted out in future modes,” Twilight, still fixated on her screen, spoke back to the others. “For example, the hyperdrive system has to go into cooldown for at least three hours after one jump, meaning that getting in and out of war zones is almost impossible to do without taking damage,” she remarked. “Second, with all the new weapons being developed each and every day, these regular plasma cannons and lasers are really starting to feel like dinosaurs. But the stuff this ship could do with a graviton displacer or a pair of ionic cutters and nova beam launchers? That’d be able to tear down a class-9 warship with barely any effort required, provided the cells are properly primed and charged, that is. Am I rambling? I feel like I’m rambling.” “Yeah, you are. Why don’t you just marry that damn thing already?” Pharynx deadpanned before turning to the Doctor and asking: “You know a single bucking thing about what she’s talking about?” “Most of it, yes. Though, I’ve never heard of ionic cutters and nova beam launchers before.” the Doctor barely rotated towards Pharynx’s side. “Granted, I’m not really one for weapons systems. I prefer a more… pacifistic approach to things.” “Pacifism doesn’t win fights, though. And against this Dark Matter Empire, they’ll meet your pacifism with nothing more than bloodshed and laser fire from what I’ve seen.” Pharynx just crossed his arms and gave a stare to the Doctor. “Trust me, Doc. I’ve seen it all before. And besides, if you’re what I think you are, you’re really in the wrong line of work. Because if that really is a Legend Kyutama, you’re a Paladin and that means fighting monsters.” “Now, who said Paladins always have to jump feet first into a fight? I mean, how do you know it can’t just be someone with a little sonic screwdriver and just his words to change the outcome of a battlefield?” “A sonic what?” Pharynx asked. “You know, a sonic screwdriver?” the Doctor asked, waving the device in front of the Changeling’s face. “A sonic screwdriver,” Pharynx repeated in a flat tone. “Oh, did anyone just look at a screwdriver and think, ooh, this could be more sonic? What, did they have some cabinets to put up or something?” he asked sarcastically. “Who the Hell are you anyways?” “I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm nine hundred and three years old, and I'm the man who's gonna save your lives and all the lives of the people on the planet below. You got a problem with that?” “With a screwdriver? Now, if you had guns and a good aim, I’d believe you, but so far, you just handle all the technical stuff, like this ship.” Pharynx eyed the Doctor from top to bottom, feeling his body for muscle mass. “Ooh, feeling me up already are we?” the Doctor teased. “Didn’t think we’d gotten to that point in our relationship!” Pharynx growled, and he swore he could have heard Twilight giggling and squeeing to herself. He groaned. Great, a shipper on deck. Last thing he needed. “Anyways, we should be arriving shortly,” said Twilight, her console beginning to beep and flash. “Remember, thirty minutes and the camo is going to drop, so we need to get out before that happens.” “Fifteen minutes actually,” the Doctor cut in. “We’ve spent half our time arguing about what kind of man I am.” “Ugh! You two just need to learn to get along with each other.” Twilight groaned to herself, and Pharynx got the distinct sense she’d just facepalmed. “Me, get along with him?” Pharynx and the Doctor asked in unison, pointing at the other. “No way!” “Now, this mission’s even harder because of the halved cloak time. No messing around, you two. If you do need to vent a bit, then do it without attracting the attention of the entire facility.” Twilight stated as she just rolled her arms and watched as several Strongindavers ran up, cudgels in hand. “Idiots, I swear…” she thought to herself. “Well, there goes the silent approach…” the Doctor remarked as he inserted his Libra Kyutama into his gauntlet. “Star Change: Libra!” In the blink of an eye, the Doctor was consumed by a bright golden light, and his attire had entirely changed. A singular star on his chest with an orb at the center of it, just like the other Paladins on Flashfire’s team. His arms and legs were golden, and he had a pair of smoothened pauldrons on his shoulders. His visor was themed after a scale. “The Trick-Star! Libra Gold!” the Doctor proclaimed, the sheer energy run-off from the morph sending a few foot soldiers flying backwards into walls and igniting the air around them causing a few explosions of pure energy. Pharynx was about to shout the same morphing call as well, before he growled remembering that he hadn’t been chosen as a Paladin. All just because he wasn’t, for whatever the Hell reason, ‘special’ enough. Cursing Stardust’s name under his breath, the Changeling’s wings flared briefly in his anger. Pulling out his scythe, Pharynx let out a battle cry as he charged towards the Strongindavers. “Doctor, you go on ahead, find that control room. Me, I’ve got some frustration I need to take out on these bunch…” Pharynx growled. One of the Strongindavers charged towards him, swinging his cudgel in an attempt to cave the Changeling’s skull in, but Pharynx lunged forwards and grabbed him with his antlers before lifting the monster up to the ceiling. “Quick question. Any of you assholes know how we used to fight before we metaphorized?” Pharnyx asked, in a rhetorical tone. “No, none of you? Okay, here’s your answer.” With that, he slammed the Strongindaver into the ground once, and then lifted him up before smashing him into the floor once again in a quick, brutal fashion. “Now, if you were smart…” Pharnyx remarked. “You guys would just run along home.” The Strongindavers just ran towards Pharynx, like a herd of stampeding bulls, but he just vaulted over all of them and swung his scythe, sending a red and black shockwave towards them all, which struck most of their backs. “Guess not. I have a need to vent anyways, and I suppose you’ll have to do.” Pharynx muttered. His strike, it didn’t take them out, but it was clear it did some damage. That much was clear. The beasts stumbled and staggered around as Pharynx twirled his scythe and made a taunting motion with his free hand. The Strongindavers did exactly as the Changeling warrior expected, and charged once more. Pharynx inserted the Scutum Kyutama into his gauntlet and projected a cyan hard-light energy shield that all three remaining Strongindavers slammed right into. Pharynx then switched that out for the Cancer Kyutama, and a crab’s arm and pincher erupted from his back, and grabbed one of the Strongindavers, who was picking himself up off the floor and threw him into a wall. “Eat it, ya freaks!” Pharynx fist-pumped and readied his scythe again for the next Strongindaver. “Now, who else wants a taste of the new-and-improved Pharynx?!” The Strongindavers shared a look, and just charged at him. Clearly, while they had great physical strength, their intelligence left a lot to be desired. Pharynx cut one down with a swing from his scythe blade and flipped over the second before grabbing him and spinning him around before he swung once more and slashed the Strongindaver across the chest taking him out. “Anyone else?” he asked casually as if this entire thing had just been a stroll through the park for him. When nobody else appeared to challenge him, he shrugged. “Guess not. Now to find the Doctor…” he thought before running off down another hallway. That had been incredibly therapeutic. Meanwhile, the Doctor had found the central control room for the weapons systems of this ship. While he knew perfectly well he wouldn’t be able to disable every weapons system in time before the camouflage on the Chameleon Voyager ran out, he could at least disable the two large cannons currently pointed at Equus. Currently, he was standing on a catwalk lit up by various purple lights that lined either side, and in the center of the room was a very large rotating orb that fired out various electricity bolts from time to time. The catwalk, I should point out, was the only thing keeping the Doctor from falling into the abyss below him. “Geez, does nobody ever read “Ship-Building Safety 101 anymore?” the Doctor wondered aloud, shaking his head. “...Right, Pyxis Kyutama. Never fails to locate anything. Though I must admit, an actual instruction manual for disabling this thing might have been nice…” He pulled out his personal weapon, a crossbow-like tool and aimed it at the energy core. “Good idea, or bad idea?” he asked himself before sighing and lowering it. “Oh, who am I kidding, it’s a terrible idea. Just another in a long list of terrible ideas by yours truly…” he muttered in distaste, thinking back to a certain Moment in time. He was distracted from his internal musings when he heard the sound of feet pounding up against the metal catwalk from behind. Whirling around, he pointed his energy crossbow at the threat, only to find it was just Pharynx. “Oh, it’s just you,” he sighed in relief, nothing the Changeling now covered in a green substance that could only have been Strongindaver blood. Frowning in distaste for the lives lost, the Doctor spoke “...And I see you managed to deal with your little problem. Surprised you’re not morphed though. I mean, I would have expected you to be a Paladin if only for your sheer nerve. I mean, it’s not everyone who steals a ship with barely any supplies on board and hopes to disable a piece of technology they know nothing about!” If the Doctor was talking about Pharynx or himself, it wasn’t clear. “Don’t, just don’t…” Pharynx muttered bitterly, looking directly at the Doctor’s morphed form. If you listened closely, you could detect a hint of jealousy in his voice. “What?” the Doctor asked, lifting his arms. “You were able to transform too y’know.” “That’s just it… I can’t. All because this,” Pharynx snapped, holding up the Skill version of the Chameleon Kyutama. “Is nothing like those damned, bucking Legend Kyutamas!” he bellowed. “Oh sure, I get the special abilities and all that crap but I’m far from being able to morph like you or the other Paladins can. All because I wasn’t chosen, all because I wasn’t ‘special’ enough!” he shouted, his voice breaking half-way through. “Is… that was this is about?” the Doctor slowly raised his hand, reaching out for Pharynx. “Maybe, maybe not! I sure as Hell don’t know!” Pharynx bellowed. “All I know is, because I was never chosen, or even considered all because I wasn’t woken up in time, I never got my chance to be like you, Flashfire or any of the other Paladins!” he shouted, his voice coming out as a choking sob. “Calm down,” Twilight’s voice came from their radios. “You got rid of those Strongindavers, and that’s all that matters for now. We can sort out the rest, including Pharnyx and his transformation deficiencies later.” “Transformation deficiencies…” Pharynx muttered. “You make it sound so trivial, Princess. You know that right?” “Right... Sorry.” Twilight replied. “Sorry, sorry for what?” Pharynx questioned. “I’m just sorry for you not getting a Kyutama. You deserve one, and why you weren’t woken up from your cryosleep earlier is beyond me. Because trust me, if anyone deserves to be a Paladin it’s you Pharynx.” Twilight said softly. “Yeah, well words won’t fix my current situation…” Pharynx grumbled. It was clear he was touched by the words of the AI, although he definitely wouldn’t show it. He was one of those types that wore his stronger emotions on his sleeve. Anger and sadness, he found it easier to show that rather than something like kindness or joy in general. He’d spent so many years closely guarding his emotions, it was simply just hard for him to show those kinds of things in public. “Hardly the big three, two, one showtime welcome back debut I wanted, really…” Pharynx muttered. “I know, uncharacteristic of me yes, but… but just once I wanted to be seen as something else, a hero maybe than Thorax’s grumpy big brother.” “Oh Pharynx…” the Twilight-AI whispered to herself. Searching her memory banks, she did remember that despite being the older of the two, Pharynx was hardly, if ever acknowledged for his deeds. He was hardly a king who led the Changeling race to a new age, he was just a simple warrior. If she remembered correctly, and she did, the only creatures who really showed appreciation for Pharynx and what he could do aside from his brother and maybe his hive was Twilight herself, and that was only after the warrior helped lead them (As in Twilight herself along with Thorax) to safety through the Chaos Lands. “Underappreciated, maybe a bit feared?” the Doctor asked softly. “Yeah, I know what that’s like.” “How would you?” Pharynx asked sharply, eyeing the Doctor, with the smaller man shrinking a little under Pharynx’s frankly rather intimidating gaze. “How would you know? HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?” Pharynx boomed, and the Doctor took a step backwards, a little nervous of the angry Changeling. “How in the everlasting CHRYSALIS, would you EVER have known about any of my issues and inability to transform like you can?!” He howled, stamping the ground vigorously. The catwalk below them shook a little, and the Doctor looked rather nervous it might give way. “Pharynx!” Twilight barked in warning, and the Changeling took a few deep breaths, attempting to calm himself. “Well, maybe not the inability to transform bit, but feared? Yeah, I know a thing or two about that. I’m called the Oncoming Storm, the Predator by more than a few, hated by a few galaxies just because of what ruin I leave in my wake…” the Doctor whispered. “This power of mine… Compared to yours, it makes me look like some kind of mutated monstrosity.” He shivered, feeling the back of his spine where that claw had burst out. Wasn’t there now, but... “If you are some kind of space-faring monster hunter disguised as a pacifist, then I must seem like another target to you, huh?” “Well, a monster hunter might be stretching it a just a teensy bit, as I just go where I’m needed, even if I don’t know it at the time,” the Doctor replied. “If you ask me, you’re hardly a monster. I mean, out of all my years of living, you actually have to be one of the most fascinating creatures I’ve run across. I mean, a Changeling. That would imply…” “Fascinating?” Pharynx blinked on the spot. “Those are… odd words, coming from you.” “Trust me, I’ve seen just about everything in this universe you can possibly imagine. Bad gods, mad gods, demigod and every horror you could think up, some of which would drive you mad on the spot but you? You’re something else. I did a bit of research on Equus’s species, and I have to say the Changelings have to be some of the most interesting of the lot! I mean, you can change yourself into anything you want for Rassilon's sake!” “Yeah, but not all of us are friendly creatures. Just ask some of the other drones in my hive.” Pharynx slumped down and laid his arms on the ground. “Then there’s the queen, Chrysalis. Ever heard of a tyrant queen? One who wants to keep conquering and conquering until there’s nothing left, just to keep her lings alive? Oh sure, she’s long dead by now, but the memory still remains in ponies minds. I can imagine, even thousands of years on, long after the sun and moon are gone, they still remember her from ancient texts. And I served her, loyally,” Pharynx sighed before chuckling bitterly. “Look at me, sniveling like a little larva. Hardly the mighty, fearsome warrior my brother remembered me as.” “You have a brother?” the Doctor tipped his hand. “Yeah. Well, I did anyways. He went by the name of Thorax. He’s, like, the complete opposite of me,” Pharynx nodded. “All sappy and ooey-gooey about love being shared instead of taken. Not to mention all the changes he made to the hive ever since he became the king. Feelings forums for crying out loud, and flowers! Made me sick to my stomach when I saw what my hive had become. We were warriors, we just took what we wanted, and what my brother was turning my race into? Oh sure, worked out in the long run and built alliances but…” “That sounds awfully familiar…” the Doctor put his hand to his chin, thinking back to the time when he met with the Zygons, and tried to integrate them with a foreign race. It worked, for a time, until one branch decided to try and go back to their old warrior ways. In the end, it took a plea to stop things from going completely out of control. “Ah. Ah, right. And when this war is over, when you have a homeland free from humans, what do you think it's going to be like? Do you know? Have you thought about it? Have you given it any consideration? Because you're very close to getting what you want! What's it going to be like? Paint me a picture. Are you going to live in houses? Do you want people to go to work? Will there be holidays? Oh! Will there be music? Do you think people will be allowed to play the violin? Who's going to make the violins? Well? Oh, you don't actually know, do you? Because, like every tantruming child in history, Bonnie, you don't actually know what you want! So let me ask you a question about this brave new world of yours. When you've killed all the bad guys and when it's all perfect and just and fair, when you have finally got it exactly the way you want it, what are you going to do with the people like you? The troublemakers? How are you going to protect your glorious revolution… from the next one? Maybe you will win! But nobody wins for long. The wheel just keeps turning. So come on. Break the cycle.” the Doctor repeated, word for word. “That’s what your brother did, right? Break the cycle your previous queen started, didn’t he?” he asked, and Pharynx nodded. “But now, we don’t have a king or a queen. The changelings pretty much scattered all over the place, trying to find somewhere to live. Wouldn’t be surprised if the old hive’s been completely collapsed now that we’ve left.” He sighed and turned his back to the Doctor. “Where do you go when you lose absolutely everything? Your monarch? Your family? Your home?” “I know how you feel, Pharynx. My home planet, Gallifrey is no more too, I’m afraid,” He shuddered, thinking back to the fall of said planet as he walked back up to Pharynx and stroked his back. “I’ve been in the exact same position as you. Time Lords perished, then Gallifrey followed. There was a war, and we all lost. Don’t know where I’m going next after all of this. I’m not sure why this Kyutama,” the Doctor continued, holding up his Libra Kyutama as he spoke. “Chose me, out of the blue, but it did. Maybe it has faith in me, I don’t know. Maybe it wants me to free the universe from Dark Matter’s tyranny.” “Wait, choose you? How can a Kyutama ‘choose’ you?” Pharynx asked, eyebrow raised. “I don’t know, but there’s a legend. “When the universe falls into evil clutches and its people shed tears, the Kyutama will choose nine saviors, the Kyurangers, who will save the universe.” Yes, that’s how it goes…” “Aww, so sweet,” Lupus’ distinctive voice said and both Pharynx and the Doctor whirled around to see him walking towards him sword drawn. “Sadly, no universe-saving from either you. In fact, neither of you are making this off this ship. I’ve got to give you props from the sheer nerve, from getting this far, sneaking aboard thinking you can turn off my cannons and destroying the cities below but… As they say, close but no banana.” Pharynx swore to himself, he’d forgotten they were on a time limit here. Cracking his knuckles, the Changeling grinned. “Ah, so you’re the boss of this operation? Well, pleased to say I’m shutting it down. No, me and the Doctor are shutting it down.” As the Doctor set to work on turning off the cannons, Pharynx let out a roar, his fist drawn back and punched Lupus across the jaw. Normally, it would have fractured the jaw with how powerful his punches were, but Lupus just shrugged it off and punched him directly in the muzzle busting his nose and drawing blood, grabbing his next strike and delivering a left hook. “Oh, you really are a brave one aren’t you?” Lupus sneered. “Remind me of that Coldcast griffon, and yes, I remember the names of all my enemies. At least, the ones who are able to stand against me. You, well let’s see if you can mimic him. He was morphed, you sadly are not.” “Coldcast? Y’mean that runt with the Wolf Voyager? Gotta say you can’t be all that tough if he beat you…” Pharynx just delivered a powerful kick to Lupus’s chest, staggering him backwards. He took the opportunity to run back to Lupus’s face, grab it, and throw him over his head and onto the ground, only for him to be swept off his feet as Lupus got back on his. “Cocky little bastard, aren’t you?” Lupus remarked, wiping away the blood from his mouth. “But you’ll know your place fairly soon.” He lunged his claws at Pharynx’s neck, only for him to be grabbed and thrown to the side, as Pharynx leaped back up and stamped on his belly. “You were saying?” Pharynx asked with a smirk. “You were going to make a remark about me being this little whelp or something?” “You are.” Lupus threw himself into Pharynx, knocking him onto his back. He then laid himself on top of Pharynx, weighing him down and holding his arms and legs before delivering a strong headbutt to Pharynx’s head. “You just refuse to accept your frailty.” “Frailty?” Pharynx asked, turning into a massive cross between a spider and an insect in a flash of green flame, and using one of his legs to send Lupus smashing into a wall on the other side of the room. “Never heard of it,” he said, as he resumed his original bipedal form. “A polymorph, eh? This should be interesting.” Lupus grinned and cracked his claws. Meeting his foe again, he reached behind himself and attached metal claws to himself, grinding them together and watching the sparks tumble down onto the bridge. “Hopefully you’ll put up more of a fight than that Paladin. And, just to make things more interesting…” Lupus flicked his wrist, and a black and purple version of the Kyuchanger appeared on it. Lupus inserted the Pegasus Kyutama into it, and a form of armor appeared on his body with a silver flash of light. The Doctor, looking up from the control console he was hacking into, saw this and his eyes widened. “No, it couldn’t be. Could it?” From the flash of dark energy, a suit similar in design to the Doctor’s appeared, but there was a pair of black wings stretching out from the chest, which had a horse’s head sprout out from it. The Doctor’s eyes widened under his visor. “Lupus! That’s the armor of the Pegasus System! I can’t believe… No, I can. You bastardized it for your own use.” “More like improved it. Such a poor, poor thing it was, underwhelming in the hands of the people who held it.” Lupus chuckled to himself, taking up a combat stance as a weapon appeared in his hands. “They stayed their hands, I will not.” “It? He happens to be a living thing, just like you and me, and you shut off his mind!” the Doctor snarled. “Pharynx, you need to get out of here, now! You can’t stop him, not when he’s wearing that armor! At least not alone!” Even as Lupus rushed forwards in a blur of speed, Pharynx didn’t even waver. “I’m a warrior Doctor, and a warrior never runs from a battle. Maybe I should, but you, you have to take those cannons offline. I’m just buying you a little time, that’s all… Oh, and Doctor, it’s been an honor.” With that, he was sent smashing through several walls, and out into the blackness of space in almost an instant. Lupus laughed, even as he saw Pharynx’s body began to freeze over. “Well, I guess you weren’t such a challenge after all. And here I was expecting more from someone who managed to fight me hand to hand… Ah well, wishful thinking I suppose…” Lupus mused. Pharynx, even as he felt his body begin to freeze up, little by little with the ice slowly creeping up to his face to meet him, and his breathing began to slow swore he saw the Skill version of the Chameleon Kyutama began to glow a sharp silver. He thought it must have been a hallucination from the lack of oxygen, but he swore he saw a ghostly silver snake began to appear in front of him. “So… This is what fate delivered me to, eh?” The snake-like entity slithered and approached Pharynx. “You are in real danger, I sense. There is no mistaking it.” “Yeah, well considering I’m about to die from lack of oxygen and I’m probably talking to a hallucination caused by it…” Pharynx deadpanned, defiant to the last. “You are not going to die. The spirits of the stars will not allow it, so long as you and your kind have a purpose.” The snake-deity touched his chest. “If anything, this Lupus is overstepping himself, and upsetting the divine course which we have mapped out. So, what is your greatest desire?” “W-What do you think?” Pharynx coughed out. “If you’re watching all of us, then you know what I want. To become a Ranger, a Paladin just like everyone else.” “Ah. Aligning yourself with the forces of good. A wise choice, young one,” the ghost said. “And just what we need at a time when evil is tipping the scales beyond repair.” It tapped his heart, causing a brief glimpse of light to appear. “But you had better hurry. Your Doctor friend is about to meet Lupus’s claws, and no doubt he will continue to hound the rest of the Paladins as well.” “Believe me, Lupus is going to get what’s coming to him, and then some.” Pharynx snarled, as the spirit of the Ophiuchus constellation coiled around him, before vanishing into a now completed Ophiuchus Legend Kyutama as Pharynx’s body began to glow a sharp silver. “Say the Change!” his gauntlet proclaimed, and with a trembling hand Pharynx pressed down on his Kyutama and set it in the device. “Star Change, Ophiuchus!” Author's Note Okay, last chapter of the month. Now, I figured because of that it needed not only to be humorful and witty but emotionally charged as well. Now, one might think the Doctor alone could pull this off, and maybe he could have but I wanted a lot of the focus on Pharynx as well. Hard to do, write this character who's more than this snarky, grumpy Changeling warrior. So, huge props to my co-writer for the chapter, Shadowmane PX-41. Now, not sure if that came at the cost of the Doctor's focus, so I need your thoughts on that. Now, for the Ophiuchus spirit summoning scene, I was trying to write it like Shenlong, but Shadow had other ideas. I quote: "I'm trying to write him like Mal'damba in voice." He's from a game called Paladins, apparently. I quote, again. "His snake, Wekono, spits poison at his enemies. Then, when he reloads, he quite literally THROWS THE SNAKE at them, and stuns them if he hits. And the funny thing is, he's classified as a HEALER. Yeah. His other moves are a gourd that heals allies and damages/slows enemies, a healing gaze that's hard to aim but heals well if you hit it, and a dash where he can take zero damage for the duration. As for his Ulitmate, he throws an orb that becomes a massive hallucination of Wekono, that makes enemies get the Feared debuff, where they can't attack or use any abilities, and they can't even control where they move. It's great for flushing players out and getting the jump on them." Part 7: The Nine Saviors GatherPharynx, even as he felt his body begin to freeze up, little by little with the ice slowly creeping up to his face to meet him, and his breathing began to slow swore he saw the Skill version of the Chameleon Kyutama began to glow a sharp silver. He thought it must have been a hallucination from the lack of oxygen, but he swore he saw a ghostly silver snake began to appear in front of him. “So… This is what fate delivered me to, eh?” The snake-like entity slithered and approached Pharynx. “You are in real danger, I sense. There is no mistaking it.” “Yeah, well considering I’m about to die from lack of oxygen and I’m probably talking to a hallucination caused by it…” Pharynx deadpanned, defiant to the last. “You are not going to die. The spirits of the stars will not allow it, so long as you and your kind have a purpose.” The snake-deity touched his chest. “If anything, this Lupus is overstepping himself, and upsetting the divine course which we have mapped out. So, what is your greatest desire?” “W-What do you think?” Pharynx coughed out. “If you’re watching all of us, then you know what I want. To become a Ranger, a Paladin just like everyone else.” “Ah. Aligning yourself with the forces of good. A wise choice, young one,” the ghost said. “And just what we need at a time when evil is tipping the scales beyond repair.” It tapped his heart, causing a brief glimpse of light to appear. “But you had better hurry. Your Doctor friend is about to meet Lupus’s claws, and no doubt he will continue to hound the rest of the Paladins as well.” “Believe me, Lupus is going to get what’s coming to him, and then some.” Pharynx snarled, as the spirit of the Ophiuchus constellation coiled around him, before vanishing into a now completed Ophiuchus Legend Kyutama as Pharynx’s body began to glow a sharp silver. “Say the Change!” his gauntlet proclaimed, and with a trembling hand Pharynx pressed down on his Kyutama and set it in the device. “Star Change, Ophiuchus!” “Screw fate, and screw destiny, the world needs me now. Sure, victory’s not certain, but when has it ever been? And besides, isn't the smallest chance of victory enough of a reason for anyone, even an age-old Changeling such as I to keep on fighting? The world needs us. The world -No, the galaxy- needs the Power Rangers.” Pharynx thought to himself, pushing himself forwards through the vacuum of space as his body began to glow with a silver light as six glossy dragonfly-like wings opened up from his back, with the light nearly becoming blinding in intensity. His focus, his eyes were only trained on one singular thing ahead. The Doctor, and Lupus. He had some unfinished business to take care off. Back aboard Lupus’ ship, things were going… quite badly. “Well, this was rather anticlimactic,” Lupus mused, pointing the Doctor’s own crossbow at him. “Funny, been chasing you up and around the galaxies for the past few years now, killing anyone you ever got close to, and now… here it all ends. With me, pointing your own weapon at you and about to blow your head off. And to think, you and the bug were so close to succeeding…” Suddenly, a silver orb of light smacked Lupus in the chest, sending him flying backwards with the crossbow clattering to the floor. The light faded away as the Doctor removed his hand from his eyes, to reveal a silver-clad figure, with scale designs on his costume, and a red and blue scythe strapped to his back. “Miss me?” a familiar voice asked, as the new Ranger turned to look at the Doctor, revealing his visor to be styled after a King Cobra poised to strike. “The Warrior Star, Ophiuchus Silver!” Pharynx shouted, as he drew his scythe and advanced towards Lupus, who was struggling to pick himself up off the floor. Spinning the scythe in his hands, Pharynx couldn’t resist a little smirk. “Now, I’m going to make you my little bitch.” Placing his Kyutama in the scythe’s slot, making it shout: “Galaxy!” he swung the scythe and sent a silver slash of light towards Lupus and then grabbed the crossbow off the floor and powered this weapon up as well, sending a shot of gold energy at the Karō. “Ophiuchus Impact!” Pharynx shouted as the strikes hit, ripping the Pegasus armor apart with a sound like glass shattering. “What… No, that’s impossible!” Lupus roared, as the Pegasus Kyutama clattered to the ground, smoking. The Doctor smiled as he picked himself back up off the floor and went back to work on deactivating the cannons. He looked at Lupus, and then at the newest Ranger. “The universe is big. It's vast and complicated and ridiculous. And sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles,” he remarked. “You want to shut up now, before you make an even bigger fool of yourself?” “You… you are just a Madman in a box!” Lupus roared and charged towards the Doctor, before Pharynx simply knocked him to the floor with another energy blast from the crossbow. The Doctor sighed. “Guess not…” he muttered before clearing his throat. “Lupus, something you really ought to know. Believe me, there’s something you’d better understand about me ‘cause it’s important, and one day your life may depend on it: I am definitely a Madman with a box!” the Doctor crowed, before the controls to the cannons sparked, and he smiled at Pharynx. “Like I said. I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm nine hundred and three years old, and I'm the man who's gonna save your lives and all the lives of the people on the planet below. You got a problem with that?” Looking at the crossbow, Pharynx sighed to himself. “So uncivilized,” he muttered before tossing it aside and raising his Kyuchanger and activating the comms feature. He demorphed, wings folded back against his body and now spouting even larger red antlers to mark his new status as the hive King of the Changelings. “This is Ophiuchus Silver and Libra Gold to the Paladins below. Got one simple command for you. Give ‘em Hell.” Equus: Flurry stood alone, in a field of wheat that seemed to go on for miles with a clear blue sky, sun shining down on her white-furred form as she just sat. Just sat there and talked. The sky occasionally flickered and instead of a sky, showed a huge metal ceiling instead. Of course, this whole place had to be an illusion, there’d been no place like this on Equus for centuries. A soft wind blew through the field, gently brushing the wheat stalks as something rumbled above. Lupus’ ships, bombarding the planet. Flurry sighed, she figured Lupus would have a back-up plan just in case those cannons were to be disabled. Music played softly in the background, from a conjured radio. “When I step around, I hear the sound c-clip a clopping' up and down the street the shuffling' of hooves, it surely proves that I'll see you 'fore the day's complete What is this wonderful feeling in my head? Had it before I got up and outta bed Just wanna wear a smile and come find you for a while…” She wondered, was this what death felt like? Was this what death felt like for her aunts and her mother when it came, when Equus burned and screamed and cried out for mercy? Quiet, and serene, with them at peace accepting the end of the world? She supposed she’d never really know, to be honest. Not that she minded death, she’d failed as a leader in so many ways already. She’d failed to predict that others were out there, in the skies high above the planet who had darker intentions. Maybe searching for a new home was a fool’s venture. After all, if what Lupus’ transmission had said was true, there really was no point. The galaxies were Dark Matter’s now. Idly tossing the Scorpius Kyutama in her hand, she chuckled to herself sadly. “Look at us, we barely make a dent in their forces, and they strike back with a vengeance,” she mused. “I’m not my godmother or hell even my mom Princess Cadance, far from it. She’d have already made a plan to stop this, stop all of this. Probably befriend them all, and convince them to break free of their chains. Levitating a cup of tea to her mouth in an aura of gold magic, she took a sip from it, and idly hugged a small yellow and green snail plushie to herself as she sat on the blanket. It was old, and beaten, but it was one of the few things she still had to remember the old world by. “Oh…” Celestia’s voice said sadly, running a gentle hand through Flurry’s mane. “This should never have been your burden. None of this. We should be there for you, helping you through this…” “B-But you’re not, are you!” Flurry choked out. “You’re… You’re just bits and streams and lines of date and coding, given my aunt’s memories!” “But for better, or for worse, I am the Princess of the Sun, Celestia Invictus.” the Celesti-AI stated. “Sure, my title’s just for show now, something for me to boast or brag about if I was so inclined as there is no sun for me to raise or lower, but that’s just semantics now isn’t it? I am Princess Celestia, just as my wife’s AI is Princess Twilight Sparkle. You may not believe it, and you may never believe it,” the AI said, walking around Flurry with her dress ruffling slightly in the breeze. “May think me as fake as that sun, that breeze, and this field but I’m here for you, and I always will be.” she said, sitting down next to Flurry. “Now, what would a real Princess of Equestria do? Sit down and have tea in a generated paradise while her planet was under attack, or do something about it?” Celestia asked, offering the Scorpius Kyutama to Flurry. “But I’m not a real Princess of Equestria! Hell, Equestria doesn’t exist anymore! It’s gone, burnt to ashes!” Flurry sniffled. The Celesti-AI gave her a look, as if to ask if she really believed in that sort of crap. It was the same look she gave her whenever she told the AI she was just bits of data and coding cocked up by Equestria’s brightest minds. The Celesti-AI sighed, and gently shook her head. “Oh, you do have a lot to learn don’t you? Equestria is not a place. It never was. This could be Equestria, this room right here. Equestria is where our people stand. Even now, right now, those people need your help. So, get to it, Flurry Heart, daughter of the Princess of Love, and now Paladin of the Stars.” She gently waved her hand over Flurry’s wrist, and a Kyuchanger styled gold and white appeared. Flurry’s eyes widened. “How…?” “Well, a girl’s still got to have some secrets right?” The Celesti-AI winked, before vanishing. Flurry’s eyes narrowed in affirmation. She knew what she had to do, and slammed her Kyutama into the gauntlet. “Say the Change!” “Star Change: Scorpius!” Flurry shouted, and felt her whole body -As it began to glow a bright orange color- begin to be filled with a brand new energy, warm and comforting like her aunt’s embrace and filled with power beyond imagination. Even as she felt it, she thought to herself: “I swear Celestia, AI or not, -who’s to say with magic involved after all- I will make you proud. I’m one of the last of your lineage, and I will live up to your expectations of me. No, the people’s expectations of me. I am a Princess of Equestria, I protect the light and it’s people. I protect order, and I will protect the Galaxy. Now, as Flashfire likes to say, Dark Matter, it’s time to test your luck!” As her wings unfolded, and Flurry rocketed upwards with a loud sonic boom through the cavern ceiling blaze with a burning light and a scorpion’s stinger beginning to materialize on her still forming costume she smiled. She hoped that Dark Matter was wishing on stars for luck, because they’d need it. It was time to take back her planet. Flurry, even as she breached the atmosphere in a ball of fire incernating some of the Dark Matter starfighters by the sheer heat waves blasting off her alone, found a control console along with everything else that came with it forming around her in streams of date and code. On the computer screen in front of her read the words: “Scorpion Voyager Online”. All around her, Flurry could see chaos. Laser shots flying every which way, and saucer-shaped craft swarming around her like trillions of angry wasps, with the Rangers right in the middle of all of this chaos as Lupus’s flagship loomed over the planet ominously. Flurry swore she saw a silver flash of light near the ship, but brushed it off as just her imagination. “Uh guys,” Stripped Gear’s voice crackled from over the radio, and Flurry looked left to see the Swordfish Voyager destroying starfighters with seeker missiles. “Not sure if you’re getting this, but I’ve just gotten a new reading. Similar to that drone that Dark Matter sent down to kill us, but different.” “Tu es sûr de ne plus boire? C'est impossible ... n'est ce pas?” Flashfire asked in complete and utter disbelief. “No, I’m sure I’m quite sober, and from the looks of it I’d say it’s very possible.” Stripped Gear replied, with a presumed roll of his eyes. “I mean, I’m seeing a giant orange scorpion so…” “Question is,” Coldcast asked as his Voyager bit down on one of the saucer-shaped craft and tossed it into another, the two colliding in a fireball. “Who’s the pilot, for Celestia’s sake?” “Shape up Paladins,” Flurry barked over the comms. “Just because there’s a new addition to your ranks, doesn’t mean you should fall all over yourselves and act like a bunch of foals trying to figure out who it is. Got more important matters to deal with anyhow.” “W-Wait, Princess Flurry?” Flashfire shouted in shock. “Is that you? How did you…? Actually, I’m not even going to bother to ask. Just grateful you’re here, madame. Welcome to the biggest scene of chaos et désordre Equus has ever seen since Discord came into being. Not sure what it is, but having you on our side now with Kyuranger powers, it brings a certain… je ne sais quoi to the team.” “What, you trying to sweet-talk her or something?” Jabari teased, his Voyager’s wings slicing a fighter craft in two. “Because seriously man, I really think she’s way out of your league. Just sayin’.” “Like I said, just like foals now that I’m here with powers…” Flurry thought to herself with a roll of her eyes. “Just shut up…” Flashfire muttered. “Okay, Princess, the plan is to get inside that ship, and shut it down and pull Lord Pharynx, or should I say Ophiuchus Silver out alongside his new friend.” “Well, that explains the silver flash…” Flurry mused. “Okay, but we’ll need some breathing room first. Way too many ships to even attempt that right now,” she noted. “Quite,” Flashfire noted. “Okyu then! Time to serve these guys a second helping of pa-” “Hey, food metaphors?” Spada barked up. “That’s my thing. My thing, you hear?” “As I was saying, or trying to anyways,” Flashfire continued, completely ignoring him. “Team, form up on me. Time for a new combo! Séquence de transformation Megazord, en ligne!” Nobody needed to understand Prench to catch his meaning there. “Wondering when you’d give the order…” Jabari smirked. “Ah, ah, hello!” the Doctor’s voice piped up, the sounds of blades clashing in the background. “This is the Doctor AKA Libra Gold speaking. Main cannons of Lupus’ ship are offline, thought you’d like to know that. No planet busting for him, although I am detecting something moving towards your home base. Just to inform.” “I’ll get the base defenses online, and the Royal Guard alerted,” Flurry replied, sending a message down to the planet and to Stardust and his personal Praetorian Guard to ready themselves for battle. “Anything else, Golden Boy?” “Yeah, got a little present for you. Sending you my Voyager along with Pharynx’ for your big mecha via remote control.” Sure enough, a golden ship that looked like a set of scales was flying towards them. It was accompanied by a silver craft that looked like a snake’s head. “That’ll do.” Flurry shrugged, as she pressed the transformation button on her console. “Shooting Star Megazord transformation sequence primed,” the Celesti-AI informed, as the other Rangers leapt out of the hold and summoned their own Voyagers. “Combination sequence ready.” “Let’s rocket.” Flashfire remarked -He was growing to like that phrase- as he saw the Wolf and Eagle Voyagers flying below him, before the back halves tilted upwards with the Cerberus Voyager linking up with them complete with small hisses of steam. The Scale Voyager connected to the Megazord’s right arm port forming what looked to be a pair of giant buzzsaws, and the Snake Voyager, the left. The Swordfish Voyager replaced one of the heads of the Cerberus, the left one specifically, forming some sort of massive shoulder cannon, and the Scorpion Voyager replaced the right head to form another shoulder cannon. Finally, the central head on the Cerberus had its jaw fold down, revealing a mouthplate covered face, with two stoic yellow eyes staring the oncoming hordes down. “Shooting Star Megazord online.” the Celesti-AI informed as the combination completed itself and all six Rangers joined each other in the main cockpit. “Let me remind you guys of who you’re dealing with,” Flashfire said, as weapons primed themselves. “The Beast Star, Cerberus Seagreen!” “The Howling Star, Lupus Blue!” “The Shinobi Star, Chameleon Green!” “The Sword Star, Dorado Yellow!” “The Winged Star, Aquila Pink!” “The Poison Star, Scorpius Orange!” “The Trick-Star! Libra Gold!” the Doctor’s voice called in over the comms, with two more soon to follow. “The Warrior Star, Ophiuchus Silver!” “The Armored Star, Taurus Black! Nine Stars, shining in the Heavens! Space Squadron, Kyuranger!” “Now, let our friendship take on the universe!” Flashfire shouted, as the Megazord swung the Scale Voyager’s arm like some giant yoyo, ripping and tearing into swaths of ships, while the Snake Voyager opened up its jaws and fired a green cutting beam of energy, taking out at least a hundred more. The Swordfish and Scorpion Voyagers finished the job with shots of their own, selecting targets and then firing powerful single shots of energy. “Now for you…” Flashfire smirked, disengaging the Megazord combination, and pointing his ship right towards Lupus’ personal Moraimarz practically surfing the massive fireballs left behind by the combined explosions of the fighter craft. “Maintenant, j'ai envie de faire un peu de bruit. Donnez à ces gars quelque chose à retenir par nous.” “...Pretty sure they’ll remember us already,” Jabari stated flatly before letting out a resigned sigh. “But dispatching the beat and it’ll be shouting. Trust me, you’ll love this piece,” he smirked, picking something from his personal playlist. “Oh, and Coldcast? I do listen to Radio 2 every once in a while.” “That’ll do,” he smirked beginning to nod his head to the beat. During all this chaos, nobody noticed, but one singular craft did manage to make it out, and headed down to the planet below. “I’m going to need you guys to back me up. Cannons are offline for the time, yes, but they could easily get repaired if we don’t do something about them now. Coldcast, Jabari, you trust me?” Flashfire asked. “Always, grand frère.” Coldcast nodded. “Course I do.” “Good, give me covering fire. Those cannons, they’re mine. Rest of you, go give this ‘Doctor’ and Lord Pharynx a hand. Sorry Princess, you may be the leader of the free world and all that, but out here, I’m in charge.” “Quite,” Flurry agreed. “Wouldn’t have it any other way. I knew I made the right choice in selecting you.” Flurry wished him good luck as she watched the three Voyagers rocket towards the Moraimarz. Flashfire soon found himself in what looked to be a long metal trench running along the sides of the ship, towers attempting to shoot him and his friends down. “Okay, okay…” Flashfire reassured himself. “Just like canyon runs back home. Only in space, and getting shot at.” he muttered, as the walls got ever narrower, with Coldcast and Jabari forced to form up behind him, leaving them very easy targets. Up ahead, the two main cannons of the Moraimarz loomed over them ominously. “Getting very little wiggle room here…” Jabari murmured. “Projecting and running a few models now, seeing if we can make it out of this… well, alive. Seeing our chances.” “Turn off those models, never give me the odds,” Flashfire stated. “Feeling a bit lucky today, actually. How ‘bout you guys?” “Luck is an arbitrary concept. It has no meaning, or no scientific proof,” Jabari sniffed. He heard a small growl from Coldcast over the comms and backed up a little. “But I’ll believe in you, just this once.” “Good,” Flashfire said in response before checking the schematics of the trench. “Okay, it’ll narrow up, but think of this like a grease trap in a sink. Soon, we’ll have this wide open area in front of us like a bowl that’s right up under the exhaust port of the cannons. That’s our opening. I’ll fire something up into those cannons, but Jabari, you create a window for Pharynx and the Doctor to get the Hell out of there okay?” he ordered. “‘Cause this boom, it’s gonna be a big one. If I’m right, might just blow up the whole ship. Or at least half of it. Or at least a massive hole in the side of it. Honestly, I don’t know what’ll happen. Alien fuel sources, rather unpredictable.” “Lovely…” Jabari deadpanned. “Just want to let you know, if we die doing this? My family will have lawyers ready to sue the asses off your family.” “Keenly noted, cadet.” Flashfire swallowed nervously. Back on the planet below, Stardust was in a Hell of a lot of trouble. For one thing, one massive Deathworm, even larger than the one that had menaced the Shooting Star Megazord in the caverns a few nights before had currently erupted from the grounds of the city, and was smashing everything in sight. The city was ablaze, and the Praetorian and Royal Guards were barely containing the chaos, ushering civilians to safety and firing upon the creature with pulse rifles. Mind you, it was all for naught but a valiant effort all the same. “Seems even if Lupus went by any small chance,” Stardust mused as he slammed the Draco Kyutama into his cane and raised it skywards. “He wasn’t going to let us off lightly. Like a child, this one, won’t just let us have a victory. No, he rage-quits, saying screw you guys. Saying, if I can’t win, neither can you!” he mused, before slamming the cane back down and shouting: “Star Change! Eye of the Dragon!” As he was coated in a form-fitting purple body suit, he mused to himself: “The Path of the Dragon is a long and harsh one, but a glorious one in the end. If I don't do it, who will? Someone must carry on my aunt’s legacy as the first Kyuranger, Draco Violet, so why not I?” Lighting his horn, he created a rotating shield of runes to block the energy blasts from the Deathworm’s central eye. The shield shattered, and Stardust was sent flying back, unfurling his wings and sending blasts of energy like snakes towards the Deathworm. Nearby, unseen by anyone in all the chaos was this squid fellow making his way to the lab, shooting down anyone who tried to stop him with an old hunting rifle style weapon. He sighed in distaste as soon as he saw the dismembered state of the Scorpius Drone, and it’s Dark Kyuchanger which had been pulled apart at the seams. “And to think,” Sir Ikargen mused. “You were once one of our best.” He heard the sounds of hoofsteps running up from behind him, and turned to shoot, only to find two arm blades sticking out of the two red-clad guards’ chests. Ikargen smirked a little, as he saw the Drone’s central eye light up briefly and the blades fall to the ground and retract into the arms. Picking up the head, he smiled once more. “Looks like you’re not out of the fight yet. Dr. Anton built you well… As for your Kyuchanger, it’s no big loss as we have many more. Your Kyutama, we’ll recover it, all in good time. But I’ve been here too long already, risked too much.” he thought, grabbing the head and teleporting out in a flash of blue light with a snap of his fingers. Back with Stardust, he called out to his fellow Rangers. “I need your assistance. A Deathworm, it’s breached the city limits!” he called out telepathically. “I… I don’t know how to stop it!” “Relax, soon as we finish up here, we’ll come down to give you an assist. Remember, we’ve always got your back Prince.” Coldcast told him, before he found a blue lightning bolt symbol adorning his chest orb. Five other rangers, they found similar items as well. “Loyalty,” Coldcast whispered. “Kindness.” Flashfire mused. “Generosity,” Spade smirked, knowing the old legend. “Laughter!” the Doctor shouted, not really knowing why. “Honesty…” Pharynx trailed off, not believing his own eyes even as he dueled Lupus, sword to scythe in the hanger bay keeping match with his every swing. The Chameleon Voyager was right behind him. “And Magic,” Flurry finished. “I… I never thought we’d see them again. The Tree, i-it burned to the ground…” “Like I said Flurry, you still have much to learn. The Magic of Friendship, it’ll always exist. Flashfire, he believed that,” the Celesti-AI lectured. “After all, why do you think he said your friendship would take on the universe? If there’s ever to be one constant in this universe, and amongst the residents of Equus, it’s that particular brand of magic will never die. Twilight knew this, that’s why she started that school so long ago.” “Aww stop it, you’re going to make me blush!” the Twilight-AI said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head with a hand. Soon, the six elements found themselves gathering in front of Stardust, and placing themselves in his rune shield, before blasting the Deathworm with a rainbow stream of light. As it let out a horrific screech, the Deathworm began burning alive, before it was nothing but a pile of ash on the floor. Back up in space, Flashfire was beginning to rethink his grease trap idea. The tower gunners had gotten their eye in, and as tightly bunched together as they were, the three Voyagers made great targets. “Break off formation, take out those towers,” Flashfire commanded, and Jabari and Coldcast flew upwards and began taking out as many enemy artillery towers as they could. “Any time now…” Pharynx chimed in. “Relax, got this one in the bag, lining up my target. Sure, may not be the biggest target in the world, bit more than two meters but that’s about the size of a Crystal Fox back on Equus right? Used to hunt those for target practice. Just a slight tip though, you may want to get out of there. Fast.” “You are a fool,” Lupus snarled. “You don’t even have the slightest hope of standing against Dark Matter. They will come for you, destroy anything and everything you’ve ever known. Go on, you and your friends can take up my offer, I’ll show you leniency even now,” Lupus said in an affable manner. “You can become Paladins, but just ones of the Dark Matter Empire.” “Sorry, but I think I’ll have to pass on that remark,” Flashfire said as he entered the bowl area, and lined up his sights. Coldcast shot past him in a blur of blue motion, and blasted open a hole in the Moraimarz’s plating before he leaped out and kicked Lupus in the face. “Coldcast,” Pharynx remarked. “Lord Pharynx. Doctor,” Coldcast replied curtly. “Get to the Chameleon Voyager, I’ve still got a score to settle with this guy,” he said, placing the Boötes Kyutama into his gauntlet and in a blur of motion was scoring kicks and punches across the face faster than Lupus could blink. Finally, the torment ended, with Lupus flying back into some barrels. “9.9 seconds, that was the time until your despair,” Coldcast smirked, noting Lupus bleeding from his prior wounds from his duel against Pharynx and coughing up blood from the mouth. “Also, that’s not coincidentally enough, the time it should have taken for Commander Flashfire to have taken out your planet buster cannons. So, uh, love to stay and chat, but… nos vemos, hombre.” Coldcast saluted, as explosions began to erupt all around him. Breaking into a sprint, the threesome headed for the Voyagers as the place exploded and collapsed all around them. “DARK MATTER FOREVER!” Lupus roared before he was caught up in a fiery explosion. Next thing anyone on the planet below saw, was this massive flagship lightning up the skies like a supernova for just one minute, and then nine ships flying away from it. “Échec et mat.” Flashfire commented. A few days later, it was finally time to leave Equus forever. Hovering above the Galaxy Garrison Headquarters were the colony ships, with residents slowly filing into their respective assigned ships one by one. Coldcast took one last look at the icy horizon stretching out in front of him, and sighed to himself in reminisce. “Never thought I’d be sad to leave this icy old dump behind…” Coldcast muttered to himself, adjusting his jacket. It was dark blue, for the most part, with a light blue collar and armbands with a silver star on the back. The other Rangers wore similar jackets adorned in their own colors. “Remember it not as it is now,” the Twilight-AI advised in a comforting tone with a hand on his shoulder. “But as it was in times long since past. It’ll always still be your home.” “Y-Yeah…” Coldcast sniffled. “Yeah, I will. It’s just… this place, crappy as it’s been has been my home for years and now…” “I know you feel man. We all do mi hermano.” Jabari said. “And I'll be here for you. We all will. Not the only one who’s going through the same thing. Remember that.” Nearby, some young changeling grubs were chattering excitedly over Pharynx and his new shiny thick gossamer wings and tall crimson antlers. Currently, the new king was rocking a young one to sleep in his arms while wearing a chef’s apron reading “Kiss the Cook” of all things. He looked decidedly ridiculous. Apparently, he’d been helping Spada who nearby, was chopping up fish amongst other goodies and throwing it into little cold storage containers that were being loaded onto the ships. One ship, in particular, stood out. It was Flurry’s ship, the Shining Armor named, of course, after her late father. Outfitted with anything and everything one could imagine, it truly was a ship befitting of a Princess. Stepping into the Bridge, she felt a sense of awe and wonder even as Equus residents saluted and one shouted: “Captain on deck!” Then she saw it, the captain’s chair. Sleek, polished a fine silver color and fitted with red velvet, it was truly bespoke. On either side sat two chairs for her most royal attendants. One for Flashfire, the other for the Captain of her Royal Guard. Flurry smiled as she adjusted herself in her chair -her chair- and pressed a button off to the side, bringing up a holographic version of Princess Luna. “So, where would you like to go, niece of mine?” Luna had to ask, and Flurry looked at the endless horizon in front of her and smiled. “Ask me, Luna,” Princess Flurry requested. “What do you see?” “I see… stars?” Luna replied quizzically, an eyebrow raised. “Exactly, hundreds upon hundreds of star systems, each holding a possible Dark Matter colony for us to take down, and there’s the possibility out there as well that there’s a new home for us as well. So you know what I think?” Flurry asked, and just pointed to a random star system. “Yes?” Luna asked. “Hmm, I think somewhere… out in that direction. Engage.” she said, as the screen in front of her became a blur of light. Next stop? Everywhere. Author's Note Okay, so you have your nine saviors, and Equestria is now nothing but a memory. From here on out, it's the rest of the galaxy with worlds beyond your imagination. Now, on the chapter. I admit, I easily could have ended it when Stardust went Draco Violet, but no. No, I said, Lupus had to be dealt with. Also, Layton, I took your advice, as you may note, and added in a Luna-AI made just for dealing with ship-related matters. Like the other two, she's got her original self's memories, but it's only now that she's been brought online. As ever, comments, thoughts, and critique are welcomed. Part 8: What was Lost, Shall be FoundThe Shining Armor: The wheatfields again. Flurry honestly didn’t know why she found herself drawn out to this place. She knew perfectly well it wasn’t even the real deal, but the six-billion-year-old (Give or take the odd century) Alicorn couldn’t seem to care less. And to be frank, why would she? It was peaceful, calming to just sit in this seemingly endless field under a bright blazing sun, have a cup of tea and contemplate things free from the stress of captaining a ship that as of right now, had no real planned destination in mind. And of course, there were other… issues. Before the group had left Equus for the final time, the Doctor had made it very keen to mention something of grave importance. “Well, you’ve really gone and done it now haven’t you?” he remarked, inside the Shining Armor’s conference room, the other eight Paladins seated around him along with Prince Stardust. “Lupus, though low on Dark Matter’s list of highly beloved commanders for some of his previous perceived failures, -failing to kill me amongst them- he was still a Karō nonetheless. And Don Armage, he isn’t going to be too happy when he’s heard one of the 88 galaxies under his rule has been freed.” “I-I’m sorry,” Jabari had stuttered out nervously, looking about ready to faint. “Did you say eighty-eight galaxies? As in Dark Matter controlling all of them?” “Yes, I did say that, and with a Karō just as powerful as Lupus controlling each and every one of them. You’re considered a threat now in Dark Matter’s eyes, now that you’ve taken out one of these Karōs, along with his entire fleet. They’ll be after you now, you do know that right?” “Who? Who’s going to be after us now?” Flashfire demanded. “I have a responsibility, not just to my team but to all of those colonists aboard those ships to lead them to safe passage and now you just go on and tell us there is no safe place in the universe for us, and what’s worse we’re going to be hunted down from the sounds of it, Dark Matter’s personal assassins!” he bellowed, his horn crackling with energy in his anger. “Yes, Sir Ikargen and Madoka,” the Doctor replied. “That’s who will be coming after you. Make no mistake, once they find you they will not stop till you are nothing but dust in the wind. Get this through your head Flashfire Lulamoon of Equus, they are fearsome, nigh-unstoppable, and relentless. You must hold your ground, you understand me? You must hold your ground against them, otherwise when they catch up to you, and I’m making this perfectly clear that they will, nothing will stand in their way from killing each and every last one of you and enslaving the colonists and taking them under Dark Matter’s employ.” “Hold up a second, let’s take a few steps back here,” Jabari remarked. “You said one of Lupus’ previous perceived failures was not killing you. Why, why would you be so important?” “Because…” the Doctor sighed, and took his time to do so. “In the not too distant past, I took on Don Armage and Lupus when he was one of Armage’s previous Vice-Shoguns, and defeated them both nearly killing Don Armage.” At this, all eight other Paladins’ jaws collectively dropped in unison. This odd quirky man, who was armed with nothing but his brain cells and a simple sonic screwdriver -whatever the hell that was- was claiming to nearly have killed the leader of Dark Matter himself? “You’re… you’re screwing with us, right?” Pharynx sputtered out. “Just trying to bolster your reputation so you can get us to think we need you!” But then he saw the look in his new companion’s eyes, the fire of a warrior and someone who’d seen far too much for someone who looked so young. And at once, he knew he was speaking the truth. “How did you do it? How did you?” Pharynx stated, his eyes narrowing and seemingly boring a hole right into the Doctor’s soul. “It’s… it’s a story I don’t like to talk about, but I suppose you have a right to know. 50 years ago, when Dark Matter was only just rising, in its infancy I saw fit to oppose them. Now, I’ve never been one for war, hated it so much in fact so for just one single moment in time, I said to myself, forsake my principles and become a leader, not a healer. Now, you have to understand, the name I chose. The Doctor? That’s a promise, whenever one of my people choose their final name they must go by that promise for life. I chose the name of the man who helps people, the healer and for hundreds of years I went about gallivanting off through the universe doing just that. But when Dark Matter started taking over systems, little by little, I knew what had to be done. At first mind you, I refused, just helping out the victims of Dark Matter’s tyranny wherever I could. But the time would come when I was forced to step up, and become not the Doctor, but a Leader. “My people, you must understand, they have this special ability. Nearing the end of their natural lifespans, or nearing any sort of unnatural death they can regenerate into another body, gaining new personality facets and a new appearance in the process. Now, I’d heard of this sisterhood, on the planet Karn who could work dark magics to control my species’ regeneration factor, create exactly the body that was needed. My name, my real name - that is not the point. The name I chose is the Doctor. The name you choose, is like... it's like a promise you make. He's the one who broke the promise. No, I broke the promise. But either way, I let the sisterhood make me into what was needed. The Doctor of War. As the Good Book said, and so did I: “Physician, heal thyself…” and I was changed. Throwing away my old values, I remembered an old legend. “When the universe falls into evil clutches and its people shed tears, the Kyutama will choose nine saviors, the Kyurangers, who will save the universe. That’s the way the legend went. I gathered up warriors, one from each of the 88 constellations and led battle after battle against Don Armage and his forces, decimating them. But little by little, my troops began to fall one after the other, until there was only three of us left facing down Lupus and Don Armage himself on the home soils of my homeworld, Gallifrey. Oh, you should have seen it before the war. Beautiful orange skies at night, snow-capped mountains, fields of red grass, and trees with leaves of bright red silver. “The three of us, the first Kyurangers were standing with our backs to the wall. Corvus Black, Lyra Cyan and me, Leo Red. Lyra was the first to fall under Don Armage’s blade, although he had sent Lupus into retreat to lick his wounds. That particular form of cowardice, that’s what I suspect got him demoted down to the rank of Karō. Corvus Black, he took a blow meant for me from Armage himself, and in my rage, I converted all of my remaining regeneration energy into pure power, and added it to the powers of my Kyutama and fired one powerful blast at Don Armage seemingly destroying him. “Now, for the longest while as I stood in the bloodied fields I had thought Don Armage defeated and so I resumed my roamings of the universe in shame for what I’d done. Sure, I’d stood up for what was right, but I’d gotten so many killed in the process. But then I heard rumors, whispers that Dark Matter was building itself up again. And when I came to your planet and saw that attack drone coming down to claim the planet for the organization, I knew I had no choice but to rejoin the battle. The universe offered me a second chance. Don’t know why I took it, but the embodiment of the Libra constellation offered me his power, the power to restore the universal balance and become a true savior. A shield to your swords.” While this, of course, was a lot to take in, Flurry still couldn’t help but feel the Doctor was leaving something out. During his story, he had taken quite a few melancholy glances towards her Scorpius Kyutama. That is, if it ever was hers in the first place. It led her to wonder, and this tied into that robot having a Kyuchanger, was it possible that the drone sent to attack them with his one cycloptic eye and his arm blades was one of the Doctor’s troops as well? Now just only reprogrammed into serving this ‘Don Armage’? Perhaps she’d never know. If the Doctor did, he certainly didn’t feel keen on speaking on the matter. For that at least, she couldn’t exactly blame him. Elsewhere aboard the Shining Armor, one Fågel Bredsida AKA the Armored Star in Taurus Black was having… issues. Namely, with Pharynx. Oh sure, she liked and respected him but their previous conversation was starting to nag at her. “He’d probably love to know about all of this. Hivemother knows if I grew up in the system, and found out I had a half-sister who could have been there but wasn’t? I’d be pissed. You’re lucky I was raised with a decent amount of respect for women otherwise I’d be punching you in the beak ‘bout now.” Fågel laughed weakly. “Yes tell him that I murdered someone then I was placed in jail for half my life. It turned out it wasn’t murder but the ponies family used his death to punish me. I was hired at a young age to steal something from this guy, named Cold Steel. I scared him he backed up and he fell out of the window. I was accused of murder and that was that. Prince Stardust’s guards chucked me in the bin. He told me I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He said don’t hate me for protecting my families image by destroying yours,” she’d lowered her voice by this point, not wanting anyone to overhear that their precious Prince Stardust was in fact, a bastard and not this wise, all seeing if not slightly eccentric Prince who’d lead everyone to safety. Pharynx’s fists clenched, and he let out a growl. “Knew there was something off about that pony. Far too nice, nobody’s that nice unless they have something to hide,” he muttered. “For years Pharynx, I felt I deserved it. I still feel I do. The fact is if I didn’t get hired to steal I would still be with my half-brother. That’s something I can’t control now. The fact I am in the eyes of some, just a hardened murderer. Even though I did this the Prince has been very respectful to me. Even though I don’t trust him.” As much as she hated to admit it, that damned Changeling had a point. Coldcast, at the very least, deserved to know the truth no matter how ugly it was. She’d heard from so many sources about just how rough he had it growing up really, constantly bullied for not having a family that cared about him and for just getting into the Galaxy Garrison program and then becoming a Voyager pilot via Flashfire and Flurry Heart pulling some strings. Of course, she knew this last part to be false. Nobody got into the Garrison and then gained the honor of being Lupus Blue like that, if you showed that you had the aptitude you earned that right. She was willing to acknowledge her brother as Lupus Blue, he’d shown that he deserved that right so many times. She’d heard his first battle with the forces of Dark Matter over the comms. “Alright then… What was it my father used to say? Oh yes. Now you find the strength in your heart to appeal to his good nature, and if you can't, find the strength in your arms to beat his ass senseless.” “I don’t think we can appeal to his better nature,” Coldcast snarked. “So we’ll skip to beating this guy’s ass senseless. ...Does he even have an ass?” he wondered to himself and Fågel found herself chuckling a little at that remark. Never change Coldcast, never change, she told herself. “Now who’s got skewed priorities?” Jabari asked in an amused tone. “It’s still you! Die! Fall! Black out! Disappear!” “Yeah yeah, we get it already…” Coldcast snarked, rolling his eyes, and Fågel fought back a chuckle. “The plan is this,” Flashfire told his teammates. “Lead this thing on a chase, tire or overload its main weapons systems, then we strike. Simple to understand, non?” Fågel nodded as she heard the plan over the comms, her fellow Galaxy Garrison cadets pacing or biting their tongues in fear as the laser blasts flew, and missiles fired. “Dammit!” Coldcast shouted in frustration, and the sound of something being punched was heard. “So, you want to play huh? Let’s play.” “That accomplished what, may I ask? Nothing but you being sunk!” the robot roared before Fågel heard the sound of a laser being fired, and then ice cracking and shattering, and a loud splashing sound. “Coldcast!” Jabari shouted in fear, and Fågel felt her heart skip a beat. No! She shouted to herself even as the sounds of battle continued in the background. Not him, anyone but him! That battle continued, but Fågel paid little, if any attention and turned her head away from the radio so nobody could see her cry and mourn for the loss of her only family. “Bon sang, all systems jammed. Rebooting!” Flashfire shouted. “Prepare for your extinction, fools!” “Oh no, you don’t! You want to get to my friends, you have to get through me first,” Coldcast growled out, and if Fågel didn’t know better, she could have heard the sounds of triumphant sweeping music as the Wolf Voyager let out a howl of victory upon its pilot breaking through the ice. “C-Coldcast… W-what happened to you, what’s gotten into you?” Fågel heard Jabari ask, and she smirked. Nothing Jabari, she told herself. Nothing that was already there. It just took him a little time to find it. “Agh, you two grow on me, what can I say?” he muttered. “Now get those engines rebooted, so we can finish this creep, and give this “Dark Matter” what for eh? Flashfire, you said these mechas were meant to combine once, didn’t you?” he asked and Fågel smiled proudly as she heard her half-brother take command of the situation. “Pump ‘em full of magic, that’s what these things run on right? Much magic as you got! We’ll just have to give them a hard reboot!” Coldcast shouted, and she heard the distinctive sound of systems coming online, and parts shifting and merging before the battle was finally turned. With the distinctive shout of “Meteor Crash!” and an explosion, Fågel let out a cheer. Sure, it was drowned out by everyone else in the little room cheering as well at the sound of the explosion, but she didn’t care. That was her half-brother saving the day, and she’d tell that to anyone who dared argue otherwise. “So now what…?” Fågel had to ask herself. For all she knew, Coldcast still hated her guts and he had every right to. She wasn’t just called the Armored Star for her suit’s inbuilt heavy armor. No, she chose to call herself that just for how closely guarded she kept her emotions. Not letting anyone see the real her as it were. As she walked, below her she saw the distinctive form of the Draco Voyager as it was beginning to be called amongst the inhabitants of the Shining Armor. Themed after an Asian Dragon, bearing an orb in its two front claws clutching it like a precious jewel to its chest, aside from dark metallic purple armor it had now been given a golden kabuto helmet presumably to ram something and to protect the pilot. Now Fågel had heard the rumors, who hadn’t after all? The middle section of the Voyager bore what looked to be two distinct ports and so whispers of it possibly combining into a Megazord of some sort with two other Voyagers had begun to spring up amongst the crew. Stripped Gear and his team of lab rats seemed especially interested in confirming this. She’d even heard they’d thought up a name for this possible new mecha, the Dragon King Megazord or whatever the name was and if it was viable they were thinking of porting a small section of the consciousnesses of either the Luna or Twilight-AIs over into it, to help guide the controllers of this theoretical Megazord. Emphasis on theoretical. Fågel personally? She wouldn’t believe it till she saw it. Fågel grimaced, as elegant as this new Voyager was, it certainly wasn’t helping her solve her current situation. Grumbling, she walked off towards the ship’s bar. She needed a drink. Hopefully, they’d have some Brennivín or Tequila in stock… Far and away, on the ship known only as the Sagittari-Ark resting amongst a hoard of other Dark Matter warships was Don Armage. He replayed the footage of the destruction of Lupus’ fleet over and over, laughing each time in amusement as he did so. “A fitting end for that failure,” Don Armage thought to himself. “Yes, I’m down one Karō but I still rule over the rest of the universe. 87 galaxies, all under my benevolent guiding hand. Sure, they may think different, think of me as a tyrant but without me? The universe would be in chaos. Crime is almost non-existent now! Overpopulation is merely nothing but a memory! Balance has been restored!” Armage smiled. Before he came along, the universe was awash with chaos. Planets, galaxies were caught up in wars that were seemingly without end. He helped bring order to this universe, show them what true perfection was. Showed them something beautiful, something they never even would have thought of, wrapped up in their own petty self-desires as they were. He smirked. Was it not true that everyone tried in their own way to fulfill their own desires? His desire, now that was simply to bring peace and desire to the universe. He flashed back, to when he was battling that pathetic order, known simply as the Knights of Gallifrey. He’d grabbed Corvus Black by the throat, and said this to him, casting one eye towards the Doctor as he called himself AKA Leo Red holding him back with a wall of telekinetic force. The broken and twisted body of a robot designed after a scorpion lay nearby, arm-blades shattered. “Let me tell you something about my home. It was like most planets; too many mouths, not enough to go around. And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution. I would be fair about removing their problem children. It would be ugly yes. Destructive, indeed! Insanity, quite. But all the same, I believed it a fair and just reason. Quell the rising tide which faced us. Nobody was above anyone else in my mind. My quelling extended to rich and poor alike. They called me a madman... but if I hadn’t I knew what I predicted would come to pass one way or the other. Time would judge me in the end I knew, but in the end, I knew what was best for my people.” “You’re no god, you don’t get to decide who lives and who dies!” Corvus Black choked out, before with a sickening Snap! his lifeless body fell to the bloodied earth beneath. The Doctor let out a shout of: “NO!” and ran towards Armage, his crossbow firing blast after blast but Armage deflected them all the same. “It’s pointless to resist fate. You can’t fight it. Run from it, sure you can try. But destiny? Destiny… Destiny, it just arrives all the same. And your destiny is to end here.” But still he resisted, the Time Lord pulling out his Leo Major Kyutama and placing into a slot on his crossbow, making it state: “Galaxy!” “Well, we’ll just have to see about that, won’t we?” the Doctor growled out, charging up his crossbow with all of the power he had left and it began to glow a bright burning red before it fired. “Allons-Y,” he said softly before Don Armage felt a sharp blow hit him in the chest and all went black. It had taken him years to recover, build a new body for himself, but he here was all the same. And now, his dream had finally come to pass. And nobody, especially not some upstarts from some backwater planet in the Pegasus system would stop him. The Shining Armor: Meanwhile, Fågel had drowned her third bottle of scotch. Sadly, no Brennivín or Tequila in stock but this would do nicely in the meantime she supposed till someone synthesized some more. Soft piano music played in the background, an instrumental version of this old song called “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” if Fågel remembered correctly. “Beautiful isn’t it?” Luna’s voice remarked, as she popped up from a small emitter on the bartop. “The song?” Fågel asked. “Yeah, I suppose. Heartbreaking, really but beautiful.” “Didn’t mean the song,” the Luna-AI replied, chuckling to herself at some private joke before gesturing out the viewscreen. “Tell me, what do you see?” Fågel craned her neck to look out of it. Stars, that’s what she saw. Millions upon millions of twinkling lights, each illuminating their only tiny little world. For a moment, and just a moment Fågel felt actually intimidated by just how small she was compared to the galaxies in front of her. “Frightening, yes. But absolutely marvelous and exquisitely beautiful as well,” the Luna-AI continued. “Yes, you can turn along and run back home if you so desired, I myself was frightened at the galaxy’s majesty at first. Well, at least my original self was. But I remembered, I had someone to enjoy it with, the person closest to me. Kept me from being scared, allowed me to see the stars for what they truly were, the Lady Faust’s own personal artist’s tapestry of colors, created just for us. Be a real shame if you didn’t have someone to share them with as well right?” Fågel winced, knowing exactly what the AI was hinting at. “But… But how do I…?” “Talk to him?” Luna finished for I. “Oh Fågel, I’m sorry for you, I really am. Nobody should have had to go through what you did, and believe you me, I shall have words with my sister’s son for that. He shames her lineage. But what you need to do right now?” she continued, poking Fågel in the chest. “Is talk to your half-brother. He needs you, now more than ever. He doesn’t have a home to go back to, so the only thing he has now is his family. And that includes you, whether you like it or not. So go talk to him. Poor griffon can’t spend this whole trip alone with only his adopted big brother and his few friends to comfort him whenever he needs it. He needs family, actual blood-related family. A big sister to hold him when he cries, cheer at him when he wins a battle and laugh with him whenever he tells a joke. Believe me, speaking from experience here, when nobody else is there for you, your family always and I mean always will be there for you.” Fågel felt like she had been slapped across the face, and in a way, she supposed she had been. But Luna was right, there was no avoiding this any longer. So, with that, she took the long journey to her brother’s quarters, and carefully knocked on the door. When it opened, and the griffon turned to look at her, Fågel took a deep long sigh before asking: “Brother? We need to talk, and I mean about everything…” Author's Note Okay, so a few things. Yes, let's get the elephants in the room out of the way first. Yes, there was a Leo Red at some point, so you are free to speculate a bit more on him. Also, yes Armage is a partial homage to MCAU Thanos. Secondly, the flashbacks. I've been told I'm horrible at reusing scenes, so in this case, at least I tried to rewrite them, tell the one in question from Fågel's perspective. As ever, comments, thoughts, and critique are welcomed. Part 9: While You Were Away...The Shining Armor For the first few days away from Equestria, all went well. Despite the Doctor’s predictions, there had been no Dark Matter attacks or anything resembling such. Flashfire had surmised a simple solution. In his words: “We can’t ignore the possibility that with Lupus gone, his entire galaxy is in chaos. He had subordinates under him, and those subordinates had subordinates. It’s like a pyramid, with Lupus being the base to support everything in this case. Take away that base, and everything crumbles and falls into chaos. Everyone’s trying to grab power where they can, try to make it to the top and become Lupus’ successor. I doubt they’d be concerned with us, least not for the moment. They’re trying to re-establish order in the system, and as long as we stay out of anyone’s way we should be fine.” Of course, some took issues with this. Jabari being one of them, even now as he played Vivaldi Danza Pastorale (Celebration of Spring) on his violin, nicknamed the Bloody Rose he thought back to what he’d told the Beast Star: “And if someone gets any ideas? I mean, the best claim to being Lupus’ successor would be to slay us, his killers!” Jabari had argued. “Think about it, could anyone have time to go after us?” Flashfire had replied. “I mean, everyone’s so busy fighting with each other vying for a piece of the pie if you will they couldn’t possibly go after us. And that’s presuming anyone aside from those two assassins the Doctor mentioned even know our names, much less where to even look for us!” “Yeah, I suppose you’re right about that. Those two, they’re the ones we should worry about,” Jabari murmured, while idly tossing the Pegasus Kyutama in his hand. “Let’s hypothesize for a moment. No scientific basis for this except for one theory I have. Remember the Scorpius Drone? Old One-Eye, with the arm blades and the stinger tail?” “Par le créateur…” Flashfire sighed while shaking his head. “How could I forget, that’s not exactly a face that’s going to be going away anytime soon. What exactly are you getting at?” “I think I might know,” Stripped Gear piped up, snatching away the Pegasus Kyutama from his grip. “This had been bonded with Lupus for Faust knows how long, right? And that Scorpius Kyutama from the looks of it was bonded with the drone. I don’t think any traces of that bond will be going away any time soon.” “Exactly,” Jabari put in. “Now I’d noticed before we left Equus that the remains of the robot had gone… missing shall we say. Maybe someone threw them in the lava, bit too creeped out by the head. I wouldn’t have blamed them frankly, but it’s also quite frankly possible that someone stole them in hopes of fixing that thing up, and that someone is with Dark Matter and that very same someone knows how to track the signature of a Kyutama bonded to one of their members. And we have two of those types of Kyutama now. It’d be far too easy for someone to follow our trace energy we’re leaving behind now that those two Kyutamas are in our possession.” “Well, we can’t just dump them now, can we?” Flashfire murmured as he cast a look towards Flurry Heart, who was making a map of the known galaxy on a small datapad. “I mean, one of them’s a Kyutama now bonded to our newest Ranger.” As he finished the song, and sat down on a nearby chair putting the Bloody Rose back into its casing and closing it up he briefly cast a glance outside a nearby viewscreen to a section of space where a day before a wormhole had rested. “I don’t like this, not one bit…” Jabari muttered to himself. He was distracted by the sounds of fins clapping together and turned his attention back to his ‘audience’. He sighed. Right, he told himself. He’d forgotten that the pool room for all its peace and tranquility was home to a collection of Equus’s last remaining sirens. Creatures who just loved a good song or two. Sirens, like most of Equus’s creatures, could be described as a hodgepodge. Most of their being was a long sleek serpentine shape that could vary from the length of a small bus to a train depending on age with a fluked tail but grafted to the upper body of a horse-like creature. The body swapped out the fur with scales, the hooves with fins and a fin to replace the mane normally found on a horse’s head to complete the deal. Long ago considered dangerous due to the actions of a specific trio sent away to some long forgotten world by Starswirl the Bearded, it was found in later years most were generally peaceful and just wanted to be left alone or sing their songs to those who would listen. “You’re worried, aren’t you?” the lead siren who bore a delicate salmon pink covering her scales asked. Crescendo, her name was if Jabari remembered correctly. The other two accompanying her was a light teal green and the other a pure albino respectively. “Yeah, I’d be worried if something was wrong with me if I wasn’t worried about Flurry,” Jabari sighed, casting another glance outside the viewscreen. “We all are. Soon as she, Coldcast and Spada went through that wormhole to find out what was on the other end and it closed up…” he trailed off, before shaking his head. “Agh, maybe I’m being paranoid. All the scans Stripped Gear ran on that wormhole, and to be more accurate what was on the other end said it was safe, no signs of Dark Matter ships to speak of.” “No. No,” Crescendo spoke softly, shaking her head and resting a massive fin on Jabari’s shoulder. “You’ve got every right to be worried. And you’re not the only one really.” Jabari looked at her in surprise, eyes widened. “S-Seriously?” the zorse asked. “Yep, seriously,” Crescendo replied, nodding her head in turn. “Not even a few hours ago, Flashfire himself walked in here, probably hoping the waters would take things off his mind. I dunno. But I could tell he was afraid for Flurry, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.” “Flashfire, afraid?” Jabari asked, blinking in surprise. “No… No, I can’t imagine that. Seriously, the buck’s always been calm, cool, and collected under any form of pressure. Reason why he was chosen to be the leader of the Paladins.” “Oh, is that what you think?” Crescendo asked, teal-blue eyes eyeing him critically. “Ever considered that’s just a mask? I mean, everyone has a breaking point. Even him. Pressure’s going to get to him eventually, and believe me if losing a leader if only temporarily isn’t it than I don’t know what is! Seriously, here’s what happened…” Humming a song under his breath in Prench, that’s where she found him. Entering the pool room where she and her sisters called home, she heard the jacket-clad unicorn singing to himself, perhaps not realizing she was there or maybe just not caring. Maybe he wanted to see her. Why else would he enter this particular room singing a song? Most of the crew only entered this room for the calm tranquil atmosphere it provided, or to listen to her or her sisters sing but Flashfire was definitely not most of the crew suffice it to say. Whenever he visited her, even just to talk or observe her it was not without some hidden reason. “Ce pouvoir miraculeux fait son entrée ici “Ah, ce point éloigné se rapproche Donc je ne suis plus jamais rempli de regret Plus vaste que le ciel Je vais utiliser ce pouvoir pour y faire face Voler, le temps jugé tout Le temps a jugé tous les destins Passage dans le "maintenant" Le temps a jugé tout au ciel S'élever de plus en plus haut...” he sang to himself. Crescendo couldn’t resist a chuckle, her great-grandmother was the lover to a Prenchman and so she knew some of the language if only just. Here Flashfire, the holder of the Cerberus Kyutama singing a song about the sky when he was drawing from the constellation of a decidedly ground-based creature. Then again, some of the lyrics fit really like the ones about rising higher and higher and such, with a distant goal becoming ever closer. “You could swoon a mare with a voice like that, ya know?” Crescendo burst out laughing as she poked her muzzle from above the clear waters. “Make ‘em fall right into your arms. Seriously, if I didn’t know you were a demisexual then…” Flashfire balked, not even allowing Crescendo to finish whatever she had to say, possibly some bawdy joke as was often the case with her. Nice as she was, like most sirens she could still be seductive or crass when she wanted to be. “How the hell did you-” “Figure that out?” Crescendo finished. “You’d be surprised on how much certain crewmen gossip on your sexuality, some of them with seemingly nothing better to do. Honestly, I hate it really. Pony’s private life should be his private life, ya know?” “Yes, quite.” Flashfire grumbled. “Remind me to keep my personal files under better lock and key. Thought I could trust crewmen and women to keep certain things to themselves…” “But to serenade moi with your lovely voice and grumble about busybodies isn’t why you’re here, is it?” Crescendo asked, tilting her head sideways. “You need advice, don’t you?” “Yeah, I suppose…” Flashfire mumbled, shuffling his hooves in embarrassment and letting the mask drop. Crescendo, she was one of the few creatures on Equus aside from Coldcast he allowed to see his true self. Long ago, when he was deep-sea diving for fish to feed a Vault whose food supply had run dangerously low with new food days away, Crescendo and her pod had saved him from a giant squid who’d decided he’d make a tasty snack. Ripped the damn thing in half with their jaws and made a meal out of it, Crescendo leading the charge and soothing the squid into a tranquil state with her singing before her sisters went on the attack. “Honestly, and you must not let this get out but I’m really worried here. I mean, here we are far away from Equestria or anything resembling home and I’m expected to lead a group of heroes from different races and backgrounds with widely diverging personalities as some sort of ‘team’. Seemed easy enough back when I was planetside, but now that we’ve left Equus far behind…” “Trust me, if anybody’s going to find a way to make it work, it’ll be you Flashie,” Crescendo grinned, showing a set of razor-sharp teeth. “Listen, you think it’s easy for me either? I mean, I’m managing an entire pod of sirens who aren’t exactly comfortable being far from any real bodies of water and only get fed via fish and calamari thrown from a bucket! I have it worse than you do, always afraid that I’ll have an uprising on my hands. Or fins, as it were. Thank Faust for Concerto and Muse, otherwise, I’d go crazy!” “Yeah, I suppose…” Flashfire murmured, leaning over the railing to look down into the tank below him where he saw the two other fully grown sirens swimming about with the rest of their podmates. It couldn’t exactly be called a pool, not with how massive it was or how deep it went. Most of the crew just preferred to call it a pool for one reason or the other. Maybe because some used it for recreational swimming. Not like the sirens really minded, they were happy for the company. Even they got bored of spending time with just their own species, social animals as they were. “Point being, I know you’ve got this. You wouldn’t have been picked to be the team leader if Stardust didn’t believe you were the best choice.” Crescendo said kindly. “Yes, well Stardust hasn’t exactly made the wisest choices in the past has he?” Flashfire muttered. “I mean, leaving Pharynx to become chilled Changeling for the past few billion years for one! And let’s not even get into the crap he pulled with poor Fågel!” he scoffed. “For all I know, he may have chosen me at random. Irony really, for all I told my petit frère on how there was no such thing as being picked arbitrarily I can’t help but wonder if the same applies to me at times…” “Now, that’s enough of that!” Crescendo barked. “You, Flashfire Lulamoon, are Cerberus Seagreen, leader of the Kyurangers and if you were picked as the team leader then there has to be a reason for it. Now get that right through your head, okay?” she stated firmly. She would have used the pun ‘Okyu’ as she heard Stardust and Flashfire on rare occasion use but the tone wasn’t right for the setting as of right now. “Don’t make me leap on out of this damn pool to slap you upside the head with a fin, ya got that?” “...Got it.” Flashfire squeaked out, in a small timid tone of voice before he regained his composure and adjusted his jacket letting the small embroidered silver star on the back gleam in the light. “You’re quite right, I’m the leader of this squadron and despite all the crap we’ve been through, I’ve got faith in the heart that I can pull this team together. After all, fire only forges the steel bonds of friendship non?” Crescendo shot him a fang-toothed grin. “Now that’s the spirit! That’s the buck I’m used to seeing. Now, you’ve got a job to do, non?” she asked, going into a bad Prench accent imitation that actually made Flashfire burst out laughing. “...You’re terrible, you know that?” he remarked. “Hey, anything to see you smile again. World’s just not right without Flashfire smiling a bit.” “Now, none of what I just said leaves this room okay?” Crescendo requested with a small flush gracing her features, and Jabari was nodding all the while even as he took it all in. If he didn’t know better, he would have sworn the siren had a crush on his boss. But that was ludicrous… right? “Exactly. Now how did it go again… Oh yes, cross my heart and hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye,” Jabari repeated, doing the time-honored motions with his hands before Stripped Gear’s voice crackled through the commlinks. “Uh Jabari, you may want to get up here. There’s something you might want to have a look at…” the unicorn remarked in a slightly nervous tone of voice. “I’ll be up there on the double!” Jabari said, breaking into a spring but not before sending Crescendo a thankful look. “Okay, what am I looking at here?” Jabari had to ask, his suit’s amber wings unfolded, and two small oxygen hoses hooked into a tube on the flight suit’s back. Currently, he was floating outside the ship, in what could only be called a cosmic mothball storm. His hands were resting in the suit’s holsters, ready to draw twin laser pistols if needed. Looking through his visor, the Pink Ranger scanned the area, trying to get any readings at all from these strange objects. He was getting electrical currents but not much else. Nearby, Flashfire was in his suit as well wearing a similar propulsion device, his sword in its sheath. His cape had retracted into his shoulder armor somehow, Jabari didn’t know exactly how he managed to do that. Stripped Gear’s suit upgrades never ceased to amaze him really. These new wings definitely completed the Aquila Pink look though, he had to admit. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say snowballs,” Flashfire remarked as he reached out to touch one only to get a small zap. “Snowballs with a shocking surprise that is…” “That’s a terrible joke,” Jabari said flatly, shooting the unicorn a glare under his helmet. “Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood,” Flashfire shrugged. “Crescendo says I’ve got this stick up my derrière, and that I need to lighten up more.” “Isn’t just Crescendo who says that…” Jabari thought to himself with a slightly amused smile. “Stripped, you got anything for us, like say on whatever the Hell these things might be? What are they, cosmic snowballs that’ll just drift us on by harmlessly or something we should be actually worried about?” “Okay, running analysis now…” Stripped Gear’s voice crackled through the comms. “Honestly, I can’t make any real heads or tails of ‘em. I’d suggest you bring one of them into the ship’s lab for further study really. Just be careful m’kay?” “Trust me Stripped,” Flashfire said as he grabbed one of the ‘snowballs’ in an aura of magic. “We’ll be real careful. Now, what about that project you and Jabari have been working on, the one that’ll bring Flurry and the others back to our reality?” Further scans of the wormhole from before, just as it had begun to close had revealed it was a trans-reality breach. Happened very rarely, but happened it did on this particular occasion. Personally, although he would never dare voice these thoughts aloud, Flashfire though Flurry a imbécile for taking the Draco Voyager in herself and not letting him do it. But Flurry was a stubborn one as Flashfire had rapidly found, and was a particular fan of the saying: “Never ask someone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself.” Part of the reason why he admired her so much at times really. Just not on this occasion. Especially when his petit frère was one of the two Rangers that followed. “Ah yes… That. The Cancer Claw Cannon. Name needs some work, but it should do the job just nicely I think. Just needs a few more fine-tunings and adjustments and we should be okyu to go!” Stripped chimed in. Jabari slapped a palm to his face and let it slide down his visor. “Oh no… Not him too, I thought Flashfire and Stardust were the only ones who made that horrible pun…” he thought to himself, quite unamused. Eventually, the twosome would return to Stripped’s lab which wasn’t that far removed from the one he had back on Equus. Just as messy and chaotic as ever, with partially constructed Skill Kyutamas laying about. Jabari swore he caught a glimpse of one that looked to be blue and white, themed after the sun and the moon but he really couldn’t make out much detail in it’s half-constructed state. It looked to be gathering dust really, moreso than some of Stripped’s other projects. Now that he thought of it, Jabari had heard Stripped occasionally muttering on how he just couldn’t harness this one Kyutama’s powers and on how impossible it looked to be to actually complete this one. Maybe this Sun and Moon Kyutama was what he was talking about. As Flashfire levitated the little ball of ice and electricity into a little glass container before quickly shutting it Jabari cast his eyes to the centerpiece of the room as it were. A massive cannon, hooked up via wires and tubes to the Cancer Kyutama held in this small glass container and glowing red with energy. The theory was -at least in Jabari and Stripped’s minds- that this thing would magnify the Cancer Kyutama’s powers by one hundredfold and project a giant claw to rip open the walls between the dimensions and bring Flurry and company home. To help with this process, and narrow in on the exact dimension that Flurry had landed in, the Circinus and Telescopium Kyutamas were being used as well, their power being drawn into the cannon. Personally, Flashfire thought this plan was a bit overly elaborate and a little bit on the crazy side, but if it helped in any way whatsoever then he allowed Jabari and Stripped free reign on doing whatever they could to get Flurry, and more importantly Coldcast and Spada back. “Okay, you can expect results within the hour!” Stripped cried out. “Trust me, whatever this thing is, as soon as I know what it is you’ll be the first to know rest assured. Now shoo, I work best when left in private! Not when a bunch of other ponies are standing around eying me!” he barked, looking at all of his lab assistants who were chattering amongst themselves. “Shut up everybody, shut up! Don't move, don't speak, don't breathe, I'm trying to think,” he remarked, before looking at a particular member of the Praetorian Guard, a dark grey pegasus. “Commander Nimbus, and with all due respect face the other way, you're putting me off.” “But-” Nimbus tried to speak, before Stripped held up a finger and put it to his lips. “Ep-Ep-Ep! No buts out of you mister. What did I say? Now turn your back!” he barked, making the pegasus flinch. Grumbling, Nimbus did so as Flashfire and the rest took their leave. “...Real pain to get along with, isn’t he?” Flashfire muttered under his breath leaning towards Jabari as the zorse shook his head. “Believe me mate, you have noooooo idea.” he murmured before they tried to enter a lift, but the doors took several moments to actually open. Flashfire frowned, he needed to have this ship be given a once-over it seemed, left the planet in such a hurry not all of the primary systems could have been working properly. This could be signs of a much larger problem. If only he knew how large... In any case, Flashfire found himself in his quarters, reading through a book just to calm his mind. Any book would do, even something as mind-blowingly dull such as “Theories of How Rats Evolved”. As long as it got him thinking on something other than that of Flurry Heart and whatever danger she may have gotten herself into. “Faust, can’t believe I was such a fool,” Flashfire thought to himself as he pressed a few buttons on his quarter’s personal replicator for a shot of black coffee. It was his preferred beverage of choice, stemming back from his early days learning to be a pilot in the Galaxy Garrison Naval Academy and working long nights and writing up school reports and the like. Taking a note of how this coffee was strangely cold, he replicated another which was without fault. “More repairs to do. I’ll have to have the engineers check over every inch of this ship before things get dangerous.” He then turned his mind back to Flurry. “I let her go off on that little jaunt through the wormhole. I know she said it was just to see what it was like on the other side, see if there was a calm peaceful world -A new Eden as she so calls it- but I can’t help but think that she’s trying to lead Dark Matter’s assassins away from us with the Scorpius Kyutama. I should be doing that, not her!” Flurry Heart wasn’t the only steadfast believer in that saying of: “Never ask someone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself.” Flashfire believed it as well. He would never, never put any of his men or women on his team in unneeded danger if he could do the damn job himself. Leadership was a learning process just like riding a bike except in this case and Flashfire knew this very well, that you never stopped learning. But one of the key things he had always known was respecting your comrades and what they could do, trust in them and believe in them. Work with your team, learn their limits. If they reached their limits, then that was fine. But you needed to respect them all the same. Flashfire remembered the story of how one commander in the Royal Guards of old skimped out work one day just to have a quick night in with a hooker, and because of that some rogue Changelings breached a city’s defenses and almost took control of it had the Royal Guards not got their fighting spirit back in the last minute and held the line to the very end till reinforcements led by King Thorax and Princess Twilight themselves arrived, returning from the Chaos Lands. He, this commander, in the end, said he never respected his troops to hold the line against what was probably a doomed city anyhow. Cowardice, that’s what it all came down to and he lost everyone’s respect in the end. He’d also heard tales of how the legendary Shining Armor AKA Flurry’s father had led his troops into battle against Wendigos at the borders of the Crystal Empire near the end of Shining’s lifespan, and although Shining fell eventually he held that line and encouraged troops terrified of the oncoming hoard back into battle. That was the kind of man Flashfire looked up to, someone who would hold the line against any threats to Equus till the bitter end, someone who respected their troops and their abilities and knew what they could do if they really tried. “So, why can’t I be like that kind of commander…?” Flashfire asked himself as he took a sip of his coffee. “I should have put my hoof down, stopped her!” “And yet for all your comments on respect for the troops and their abilities, and your love of the phrase: “Never ask someone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself.” and yet in the end, you still fail to heed it,” the Celesti-AI remarked, her projector flickering slightly as she strode across the room and knelt down next to Flashfire on a chair. “She knows her abilities, and that of her troops as well as you do. Yes, last of the Princesses she may be, but her going into that wormhole like that it commandeers respect from the rest of the legions you’ve got at your beck and call. Shows them she’s not afraid of anything, and add to that she knows you and Stripped Gear and everyone else onboard this ship would find a way to return her if something were to go wrong.” Her projector flickered again, as well as the ship’s lights briefly. Flashfire noted this and filed it away on his datapad for more repairs for the ship engineers. Last thing they or anyone else needed was the loss of the Princess AIs. They weren’t just responsible for controlling Megazord operational systems and things like that, they were a sign of comfort and guidance to the crew. That even in the darkest days things would come out alright and light would return. If they were lost now Faust only knew what would happen. “Yes… Yes, you’re quite right,” Flashfire agreed. “I’m worrying, when I should be planning on how to get Flurry back. You and Crescendo were right. I’m Cerberus Seagreen, leader of the Kyuranger Squadron and the commander of that regiment. It’s high time I started acting like it.” “Yes, but for now put Flurry out of your mind, it’s having an effect on you. Making you tense, relax a little. Let Stripped worry about Flurry and your teammates,” Celestia advised. “Go have some fun, I hear my sister decided to put on a little concert in that bar everyone seems to frequent. Just let your worries leave you for a little while, okay?” “A-Alright,” Flashfire nodded, noting Celestia flicker once more. “I’ll try.” Meanwhile lurking beyond the Shining Armor’s sensor range lay a silver, streamlined craft themed after what looked to be a giant squid with some massive solar sail propelling it. A more elegant piece of machinery from a more civilized age. And now the personal ship of one Sir Ikargen. “So, it’s done?” Eriedrone’s voice asked, as a hologram of the ruler of the Sagittarius System appeared on the central console. In his hands, was a massive golden halberd axe that could also double as a bow befitting the system he presided over as a Karō. While Eriedrone was certainly no fan of Lupus, the death of a Karō and the chaos that followed could not go unignored. “Yes, quite. Those little fools aboard that ship have no idea what I just practically gift wrapped them on a silver platter. Not even an ink-ling of what’s about to happen to them, and their ship.” Ikargen laughed. He had to consider himself rather lucky, with three Rangers gone his task was made all the more easier. Eriedrone rolled his eyes. “Can the puns will you, Ikargen and actually act with the grace and status your title as one of Dark Matter’s master assassins grants you. I swear, between you and Madako…” Eriedrone grumbled. “Yes, I apologize. I will not act like such a…” Ikargen trailed off before it seemed he practically had to spit the words out. “Jelly brain like she seems to half the time.” “I still cannot believe, that Lupus even if he was a spineless coward who abandoned our Lord to die, got defeated by a bunch of Equines from a backwater planet that we thought lifeless years ago!” Eriedrone ranted. “Last I checked, only thing that place was good for was harvesting Planetium with the Moraimars. Still, definitely keeping an eye on it and it’s inhabitants now. Especially with that ‘package’ Lupus managed to deliver to Don Armage before he… passed.” Eriedrone continued, quickly regaining his composure. “Haven’t heard much about it from the main battlefleet, but it seems to have his interest.” “Anything for our lord and Master to bring balance back to the universe…” Ikargen trailed off. “But no time for speculation, at least for me. I have the luxury of sitting back and watching the show…” Eriedrone smirked. “I envy you, I only wish I could see the looks on those Paladins faces, especially the former Leo Red’s when their own ship destroys them! I’ll have a fleet on standby, ready to mop up the mess.” “Shouldn’t be much of one to mop up, Milord, not when all of this is over. Shame really,” Ikargen sighed. “But at least things will be over, quick and simple. And with a grand fireworks show as well!” Ikargen chuckled as he flew off behind the cover of a passing asteroid. Sometimes, he really loved his job. Back onboard the Shining Armor, things continued as normal. Flashfire and Jabari were enjoying that concert put on by the ship’s band with the Luna-AI taking up role of the lead singer, with various other instruments like a brass section and a piano giving it a jazzy swing beat. It seemed Luna to everyone’s surprise, had quite the set of pipes. “Someday you’ll notice – I pray that you’ll realize These wings on your back aren’t a dream At last, you’ll have all you need to escape to The world where you’ll finally be free “This was all a Cruel Angel’s Thesis from the start Brought to life, out window now it’s taking flight Scorching pathos if you betray your memory Follow this deviant-divine philosophy!” Flashfire had actually taken up a mare’s offer to dance and although it seemed he had two left hooves, it brought a smile to Luna’s face to actually see the stallion open up more. In the back, near the bar one Fågel/Taurus Black of the parrot species was serving up drinks. She seemed annoyed about something, muttering something under her breath about how the lifts tried to kill her earlier. Jabari noted to have an engineer check that out later. “What… what is this?” Jabari dared to ask as his fellow Kyuranger served him up something green in a glass. “Faust if I know, it’s just green and it tastes good!” the parrot remarked with a shrug before going off to serve a pure black griffon with light blue markings around his eyes. The lights flickered a little, along with Luna’s avatar but it seemed to be nothing of notice. May have just been a glitch in the power cells, Jabari resolved to check it out later. Jabari eyed his drink carefully, before taking a swig and spitting it out right all over a nearby pony’s face. “Damn lying bird…” he grumbled. “Tastes good my flank!” He then began to shuffle his hooves and bob his head to the song as he listened in closely to the lyrics, it did seem to be made for them in some ways. Perhaps a bit pretentious, he mused as he began to snap his fingers to the song but it fit. “Shining more than these stars that bathe the galaxy Go forth, young boy, and you’ll become a legend “With grace, and in my embrace You fall deep into sleep, so tempted to stay In the morning that falls, You alone will be called By message from the realm of dreams…” He groaned, knowing if Coldcast here that little griffon would have this smug look plastered all over his beak never letting the zorse live this down thinking him of a stallion who rarely left the comforts of a good book. He idly wondered what the griffon was doing, and if it was as any fun as this. ...Coldcast grunted out in pain before his wings unfurled and he rocketed towards Mar’Zek slamming a right hook into his face making him stagger. “Oh wings, how I’ve missed you so…” Coldcast laughed giddily. Though it did knock him around, the armour covering his face softened the blow. He snarled and slammed his sword against the ground, causing the parts to dislodge and become part of a razor-sharp whip held together by a light purple stream of energy. “What, you overcompensating for something?” Spada quipped. “I have raided more than a thousand worlds. You cannot stand against me and my technology.” He then swung said whip at Spada and Flurry, slicing them repeatedly, but leaving Coldcast alone. The Blue Ranger leaped over the next swing before slicing Mar’Zek from behind and then flying away to avoid the next strike… “Probably not.” Jabari shrugged. Then, he along with everyone else heard the sound of the ship’s main broadside cannons began to fire. “What the flying…?” Flashfire trailed off before going for his comms. “This is Commander Flashfire of the Shining Armor hailing the Piercing Arrow! You guys okay over there?” “Yeah, about as well as can be expected,” a female griffon in the garb of a captain commented over the comms. Mostly white feathered, with blue makeup around her eyes. “Still, what the fuck’s going on over there, you guys just took a potshot at us!” “Hell if I know, but I’m going to find out. Stripped, you got any idea what’s going on around here, this whole ship seems to be going nuts!” “Ah…” Stripped trailed off nervously as the lights flickered once more. “I’m afraid I may have. That cosmic snowball you brought in? Yeah, no snowball. It’s… it’s…” “Well, spit it out! I don’t have all day!” Flashfire barked. “It’s an egg. A Deathworm egg. Seems a variant of the breed got into the power cells, and now it’s got control over the whole ship. There’s already been power surges and fluctuations in the Nova Drive, engineers are heading down to try and stop that from going but these problems will continue if you don’t kill that thing! Not just major ones like our own laser cannons misfiring, but it’s all the little ones as well such as the projector emitters and the flickering lights! Eventually, this ship will go into core implosion as it tries to compensate for every little glitch in the system. You’ve got to stop this worm, now!” Flashfire nodded in understanding as the Praetorian guardsmen along with Fågel began directing everyone to safety, gesturing for everyone to proceed in a calm and orderly fashion. “Great, what else could go wrong?” Flashfire muttered as the cannons fired once more, this time towards the Solar Radiance. Then, he got his answer as the lights all over the ship finally went leaving everyone in pitch black. “...Merde.” Making their way down to the lower decks with only flashlights and pistols in hand, the two soon found themselves waist deep in water. Slogging through the water, Jabari pointed his pistol every which way anytime he thought he saw movement. As he pointed the flashlight attachment at each corner of the room, all that he could see were the steel walls and the water by his hooves. The only sound being that of the soft hum of the lighting. Pipes lined either side of the zorse’s vision. “What the hell happened…?” Jabari muttered to himself. “I’ve been down in the maintenance decks before, and they’ve never been flooded. “Pipe to the Sirens’ tank must have burst open somehow,” Flashfire said with a shrug. “That’s my best guess anyway.” “So, where do you think those eggs came from?” Jabari wondered. “Think we just drifted into them by accident or did someone leave them there for us? Leave them there hoping we’d pick one up, and take it onboard?” Flashfire gave him a look, as if to say: “What do you think?” “Right, seems like just a spot of bad luck but can’t be that. I mean, not really. I’m willing to bet everything I own that one of those two assassins the Doctor warned us about left them there, betting on our own curiosity. And we just played right into his hands…” Jabari muttered. “By the Creator, we’re such a pack of idiots!” A distant bang filled the area, with metal twisting and crunching accompanying it. Although it was a far-off sound, it was still something to send an icy shiver down both of their spines. The grips on their guns tightened as they tried to trace the noise, only for it to echo and reverberate around them. “It knows we’re hunting it…” Flashfire murmured to himself. “Cornered animals only get more dangerous in these scenarios, so keep your aim steady and watch your fire. I’m pulling up a map now, should give us a location as to where we are.” “Thing is, though. Are we hunting it… or is it hunting us?” Jabari asked as he pushed forward through the murky waters with Flashfire. “You really want an answer to that question?” Flashfire asked. “Okay, there’s a T-Junction up ahead. If luck’s on our side, we should meet up with the creature there.” “Oh, good,” Jabari muttered sarcastically. “And here I thought you were going to suggest we split up.” “Faust no!” Flashfire remarked. “I’ve seen a few horror films, and I always know what going off alone leads to!” “Look. We don’t have time to argue, Flashfire. For all we know, Don Armage could send out another attack, so we need to get this place fixed up as quickly as possible. And if that means having to split up, then we have to take it.” Jabari pulled out his Kyuchanger. “Plus, have you forgotten who we are? We’re a team; one with superpowers. If anything, this monster should be more afraid of us.” Suddenly, another bang echoed throughout the corridor; this one much louder than before. The audible sound of metal structures collapsing could be heard, with the occasional, slightly inaudible pipe dropping too. “Oh, that can’t be good…” Flashfire muttered. “Look Jabari, I did some studies on the bodies of the Deathworms we’ve encountered before, back when they were still… alive. You don’t get it, do you? You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you? The perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility.” “Please tell me you’re not admiring the abomination?” Jabari deadpanned. “Hardly,” Flashfire replied simply. “I’m just stating the facts as presented to us.” “...And it’s normally Stripped Gear who’s doing that, sounding so cold and blunt. You sure you haven’t been spending too much time around him?” “He’s your boss, not mine. I should be asking you the very same-” Flashfire trailed off before holding up his hand in a motion for silence. “Hold up, what’s that? Swore I heard something.” He was met with nothing but silence. The only thing that had changed was the scent. What had remained a silent, aroma-less, flooded corridor, was now coated in a thick scent. An acrid, vile, horrific scent that permeated both of their nostrils and wormed its’ way through Flashfire and Jabari’s bodily systems. “Oh, par Faust c'est le rang!” Flashfire muttered in a tone of disgust. “Well, if anything, we know we’re close.” “Yeah, that sounds so reassuring…” Jabari muttered. Something shrieked in the background, sounding like it was coming from all around them, and neither Jabari nor Flashfire knew which way to point their weapons. “Alright, enough of this fumbling about in the dark!” Flashfire muttered before holding up the Pyxis Kyutama and placing it into his gauntlet. Soon a golden compass projected itself in front of him, before pointing towards the direction of the Deathworm, down yet another pipelined corridor. And sure enough, another noise came. Only this time, it was the closest of all. Multiple crashes sounded, with metal being torn up almost rhythmically. However, despite the compass tracking the Deathworm’s position, it wasn’t there, even though the noise got closer and closer to Jabari and Flashfire. “Oh, I’ve got a bad feeling about this…” Flashfire muttered. “Says we’re right on top of it, and yet…” “Oh no,” Jabari muttered as his eyes widened in realization. “It’s a deck below us! Move, now!” As soon as he stopped talking, the Deathworm erupted from the ground beneath him and smashed Jabari into the ceiling. It watched as he fell back down, straight over his gaping maws. Shots hit the Deathworm, and it whirled it’s three heads to look Flashfire right in the eyes. “Alright, you bitch…” Flashfire muttered. “You want to eat something? How about me for a change? I’m nice and tasty, aren’t I?” Snarling and howling in its’ tongue, the Deathworm charged towards Flashfire, flailing around wildly as it took shot after shot after shot. Unlike the others he had seen, the blaster fire either bounced off of it, or barely did anything to stagger it. Also, instead of the golden scales the Deathworms usually bore, this one was covered in a sharp silver hide. As the Deathworm launched a green beam of energy from its central eye, Flashfire switched out for the Scutum Kyutama and projected a light blue shield of hard light energy in front of him. The beam bore against the shield, but did nothing to penetrate it. As it tried to intensify the ray, all that it ended up achieving was the shield reflecting the beam around the corridor, tearing through more of the hulls in the process. Suddenly, a barrage of pink energy shots bounced off the Deathworm’s back, with Jabari firing shot after shot from his pistol. “Hey, ugly! Yeah, I’m talking to you! Get away from the commander!” Jabari shouted, catching the creature’s attention. The Deathworm barreled towards Jabari, prompting him to let loose another string of shots. Knowing what would happen, the zorse used the Serpens Kyutama and let loose manifestations of silver snakes that swarmed the Deathworm. Jabari smirked. “You know, back in the Galaxy Garrison, everyone used to make assumptions about me, and they were mostly wrong ones. About how I was this little nerd who’d never amount to anything,” Jabari stated as a plan began to form in his mind. He knew of one thing exactly that could bite down on that thing’s hide and rip it in half. “They’re still wrong.” Mouthing something to Flashfire, the unicorn nodded and went for his comms. “Stripped, the teleportation system still up and running? Got a plan to deal with this thing!” “Not in the slightest, but buy me a bit of time and I’ll see if I can get it back up and running! Nimbus, give me a hand over here! This isn’t a one-pony job!” Stripped’s voice barked out. The Deathworm mounted another attack, and this time, he managed to grab hold of Jabari. He tried to shoot the shots from his blaster into the thing’s mouths, as it was clear that the hide wouldn’t be penetrated. As he went for the gun and tried to get a clear shot, however, the beast thrashed and flailed around as it tried to claw him apart, and his shots were diverted around the room. One light went, then the other, and before they knew it, the whole area was blanketed in total darkness. Neither of them could see anything, and all they could hear was the angry howling and thrashing of the Deathworm. Jabari and Flashfire ran for it, using the holographic map projected by the Pyxis Kyutama as their only guide through the maze of tunnels. The Deathworm continued to hound them, its’ cries and echoes ringing out through the darkened maze of tunnels. More and more parts of the ship were torn apart in the process. And once again, the reverb masked its’ position. It could have been right in front of them, or miles behind. “Okay, okay…” Flashfire muttered to himself. “Should be just around this next junction.” He turned as soon as the compass pointed to the left and with Jabari following and soon the two were in a small room that was basically the filtration control area of the ship’s pool. A small little hole filled with water was in front of them, and from behind came a screeching sound. “On three,” Flashfire said as he and Jabari morphed. “One, two, three!” he said, leaping into the pool with Jabari following. A crashing sound followed as the Deathworm entered, and Flashfire smirked. “Now, we’ve got you right where we want you…” he trailed off, before using the Andromeda Kyutama to bind the monster in thick unbreakable chains. “NOW!” A loud roar was heard, and the next thing the Deathworm knew was a set of razor-sharp teeth biting down on it, hard. The very distinctive teal-blue eyes of Crescendo glinted in the murky waters before she and her sisters pulled the creature apart with Jabari and Flashfire looking away not wanting to see what was happening. “Oh, she’s so getting fed a bucket load of Calamari after this, and a personal performance of Au Clair de la Lune from me and Bloody Rose.” Jabari thought to himself. Later that next day, the Rangers as ship repairs got underway, readied to fire the Cancer Cannon and retrieve Flurry and the others from whatever alternate universe they’d landed in. Suddenly, Stripped Gear began swearing profusely at the top of his lungs. “What? What is it?” Flashfire asked urgently, a small part of him beginning to panic. “Faust damn it all! That Deathworm knocked the targeting systems all out of whack! I can’t get a lock on the dimensional rifts!” Stripped exclaimed before a thoughtful expression cast itself upon his face. “At least… the ship can’t.” “Already ahead of you,” Flashfire smirked. “Voyagers, scramble! The AIs are still being rebooted, so we’re going to have to do this combination manually!” he ordered, as he teleported into his Voyager and was launched from the hanger being thrown back into his seat by the sheer force of the propulsion. Soon, parts began to shift and change as the Libra, Serpent, Bull and Eagle Voyagers attached themselves to ports on the Shooting Star Megazord and the Cancer Claw Cannon was teleported into its hands. “Locking on…” Flashfire said. “3, 2, 1… Fire!” he ordered, before the Megazord pulled the trigger and the power of all three Kyutamas used to create this cannon combined and fired a massive red claw of energy that pried open the wormhole once more. Flashfire let out a sigh of relief as he picked up a familiar signature. “Thank Faust, thought we’d never get in touch with you Princess!” Flashfire sighed in relief. “Whatever you’re doing, best you drop it ‘cause we can only hold this portal open for so long! I was never worried of course, but-” “Liar, he was pacing back and forth in his quarters for hours!” Jabari’s voice chimed in. “S-Shut up!” Flashfire stammered out, his face turning pink. Soon, he let out a sigh of relief as he saw the distinctive forms of the Chameleon, Wolf and Draco Voyagers appearing through the wormhole and finally let himself relax. They were home. She was home. “So, anything interesting happen while we were gone?” Flurry had to ask, raising an eyebrow at the Megazord holding what looked to be a massive cannon. “Well…” Flashfire trailed off as he and Jabari shared a look. Author's Note Okay, first off huge thanks to Shadowmane PX-41 for his help on the final stretch of this chapter, the one that's one big walking homage to the Aliens franchise. Actually, I should mention this chapter takes place alongside his Equestrian Rangers chapter, "The Stars Align" which details what Flurry and the others were up to. Go read it if you haven't already. Link below. https://www.fimfiction.net/story/368556/13/equestria-rangers/the-stars-align-crossover-with-the-bricklayer Anyways, aiming for a Flashfire focused chapter here, although I admit Jabari got quite a bit of focus as well. Not sure if he stole the spotlight or not. That's up for you to decide, really. Part 10: Into the MistsThe Shining Armor Groaning, Flashfire flopped himself down into his bed, not even bothering to undress himself. He’d just been out a meeting with the rest of the important members of the ship’s crew in Flurry’s ready room. The Equestrian Star, damaged from cannon blasts. Same story with the Orion, the Piercing Arrow, and the Solar Radiance. And that wasn’t counting the internal damage the Shining Armor itself had suffered thanks to the Deathworm’s rampage. While it never actually got control over the ship per say, this particular breed of creature seemingly had a natural electric current running through it’s body. Threw it’s tendrils in various primary systems, overloaded them and made everything go haywire. “Damage report coming up now,” the Twilight-AI told him. “You want me to put it up onscreen or…” “Stave it off till tomorrow, I’m exhausted really. Merde, we all are with all these repairs that need to be done. Stupid, silly mistake investigating those Deathworm eggs like Sherlock Hooves wannabees, even stupider to bring one onboard,” Flashfire grumbled, with the Twilight-AI running her fingers through his mane in a comforting manner. “We got lucky, no other way of saying it. We just got lucky that we managed to stop that one that got aboard thanks to our own stupidity, and even luckier that we had the good sense to grab only one of those and not the whole cache.” “Stupidity?” the Twilight-AI questioned. “Was it really? Because Deathworms, and this is only a theory mind you given what I’ve seen so far, but Dark Matter seems to have complete and utter control over the species. How do you know those eggs weren’t left out there for us? I mean, the Doctor said we’ve got assassins after us now, how do you know they didn’t plan on banking on our curiosity?” “...That makes me feel slightly better, but not by much. I mean, we still brought the damn things aboard right?” Flashfire asked before getting up out of his bed and going over to a replicator and asking for coffee, black. Taking a sip of his drink, and thanking Celestia it hadn’t been replaced with a plant or something like he heard Coldcast’s alcohol had a few days before. Some of the synthesizing machines still were on the fritz apparently. Another job for the chief engineer. If the gal wasn’t so quiet and didn’t like him so much, Flashfire suspected she’d have honestly exploded at him by now. And broken food and drink synthesizers weren’t the only problems. Just a few hours ago, he’d been witness to an argument between the chief medical examiner and his drafted nurse in Spada. “The knitter isn't working!” Lightspeed had shouted at the Changeling in a bout of frustration while helping an engineer who’d been caught in a small accident not that long before. “Try a splint, then,” Spada had suggested, only to receive a look of confusion. “A splint?” the dark red stallion mouthed. “Yes, a splint. It's a very ancient concept. Honestly, by the Hive Mother I wonder how you got appointed without basic knowledge of older medical practices,” Spade snapped in frustration, before taking a deep breath. “You take two flat pieces of wood or plastic, a bandage. The broken limb is kept immobile. I’ve had to do this a few times back on Equus in my hive with a few of the younger grubs at times when they broke something. Crude yes, but it’s effective enough and all we got till medical bay systems are repaired.” he continued, with Lightspeed giving him a bewildered look. “That's crazy! That's not practicing medicine!” he exclaimed, with Spada facepalming and then making a noise of frustration muttering under his breath about how ludicrous it was a simple cook was more qualified for this job right now than someone who learned actual medicinal practices. Needless to say, tempers and nerves were at an all-time high. What Flashfire suspected was everyone needing some time away from the ship to relax and unwind, but that was obviously impossible for multiple reasons. “Oh, yes it is! It's a time-honored way to practice medicine: with your head, and your heart, and your hands. So jump to it!” Spade had barked and Flashfire was snapped back to the present via Twilight’s voice. “Yes, you did, but you didn’t have any way of knowing they were alien eggs did you?” Twilight asked him with Flashfire grumbling out a reply as he went over his daily report that he was supposed to send to Flurry. “Get some rest, I’ll finish this up for you.” “No, no need. I’m supposed to do this damn thing anyways,” Flashfire replied, and Twilight chuckled. Flashfire gave the holographic projection a look. “What’s so funny?” he had to ask. Twilight stifled another giggle. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were romantically interested in my niece. I mean, you’re loyal to a fault to her, and you’re always striving to impress her.” Flashfire was rendered speechless for a few minutes, unable to ponder where the hell Twilight even got that assumption. It was just simple loyalty to one’s boss, that’s all it was. And striving to impress bit? That was a simple part of his nature, from a young age he’d always had this drive to be the best at whatever he set out to do, so much so that he often got called ‘Teacher’s pet’ more than a few times as he went through school. Not that he particularly cared, as he knew if he wanted to be one of the ones making it as a pilot for the long talked about and theorized Voyagers being just good enough to make it by would not be acceptable. No, he had to be one of the best of the best. That’s all there was to it. “For all the good it does, she’s practically unapproachable. And besides, even if I was interested in her, which I’m not,” Flashfire replied. “She’s so out of my age range it’s not even funny. I mean, she’s billions of years older than I am!” he proclaimed, and Twilight probably would have chuckled if she could read his thoughts. He was contradicting himself, and he knew it. He admitted if only to himself as saying it aloud would cause no end of remarks, that Flurry was, in fact, a very beautiful mare. So what if she was a bit stern? She had to be in her position, fooling around like an idiot -Stardust’s face popped into Flashfire’s mind about then- was quite unbecoming of a Princess. “Same could be said about Celestia when I started dating her…” Twilight reminded him. “Age is but a number for immortals right?” “...Since when did this become a discussion about my romantic life?” Flashfire asked. “This was supposed to be a discussion about damage reports!” “I heard no discussion of the kind,” Twilight replied with a small smirk. “But, alright. I’ll oblige you and stop nagging at you about this. Instead, I have other suggestions. Stripped wanted me to inform you that there’s this very dense nebula nearby, gases so thick that any sensors on Dark Matter ships would find it impossible for them to breach it. Would make a good hiding spot till repairs are completed on the colony ships. Worth a thought.” “I made an error in judgment, Twilight. It was short-sighted and it was selfish, all just to satisfy my own curiosity. Our own curiosity. And now all of us are paying for my mistake,” Flashfire muttered. “So yeah, it’s more than worth a thought to entertain. I’ll send this up the ladder to Flurry and Stardust, ask them to direct the ships to that nebula and chart a course for it. For the next few days, that’ll be our little hideaway, and once repairs are complete we’ll make a break for the next system,” Flashfire remarked, writing this down on his datapad for the daily report. “Bring the nebula up onscreen, will you? I want to see just what we’re getting ourselves into.” Twilight, pressing a few buttons brought up the nearby nebula on a nearby viewscreen. It was a beautiful sight really, dark swirling clouds of midnight blue and purple hues that dwarfed the massive colony ships, perfect for them to hide in with nobody being the wiser. So transfixed by it’s beauty was he, Flashfire was deathly silent for the next several minutes. “...Something wrong?” Twilight asked, laying a hand on his shoulder. “No, it’s nothing,” Flashfire replied, with a small smile and a shake of the head. “It’s just so… Well, I don’t know how to describe it properly, except perhaps elegant. But no time for gazing at the scenery porn, we’ve got a job to do.” “No,” Twilight replied. “I’ve got a job to do, your job is to get some rest. You’re exhausted, and there’s no room for a tired commander in the Paladins, so get some sleep and whatever plans you have, we’ll go over with them in the morning.” “But-” But Twilight was having none of it, and she simply pressed a finger to his forehead and in almost an instant Flashfire fell back into his bed eyes closed and snoring softly. Twilight smiled, before shutting out the lights and dispersing herself. That next morning, in the ready room Flashfire made a radical proposal. He’d been thinking about this all throughout breakfast, and had come to the conclusion that it was the only possible viable scenario. “I think it’s time we start looking into other options,” he remarked, with Flurry, Stardust and the other Paladins looking at him. “Other options?” Stardust asked. “Please elaborate.” “Think about it,” Flashfire commented, gesturing to the nebula outside. “For the time being, we may as well be sitting ducks. Our ships are damaged, and we don’t even know if hiding in this nebula will work.” “Twilight’s ran the calculations,” Stardust replied. “She says that Dark Matter’s sensors shouldn’t be able to penetrate any of this.” “Yes, but she’s only using calculations based on what we know so far,” Jabari pointed out, seeing exactly where Flashfire was going with this. “I mean, those ships we encountered in Lupus’ fleet? Hellishly powerful and frighteningly dangerous yes, but for all we know Dark Matter may have even more powerful ships with even more advanced sensors. For all Twilight knows, for all we know, we could be just sitting at the tip of the iceberg. They could find us, as I doubt they’re particularly happy about us blowing one of their rulers to space dust,” he agreed. “We need to start forming a coalition, gather allies if only for our own safety as we travel across the universe. And fight back against Dark Matter.” “Wait, wait…” Fågel piped up, the parrot looking uncharastically nervous. “I’m one for kicking ass, but who died and appointed us guardians of the universe? I mean, we’re just five ships and a couple hundred starfighters plus two mecha against 87 Galaxies worth of tyrants. We got lucky the first time, who’s to say the second will be the same?” “Exactly, 87 galaxies worth,” Flashfire stated. “Now, call me crazy, but isn’t in the job description of the Element of Kindness to free people from a cruel dictator? Hell, isn’t it in the job of any Element of Harmony to save Equus and her allies? Our planet may be gone, but it’s just a ball of rock and dust in the end. Equus is a people, and apologies in advance if I sound preachy here like some sorta cosmic messiah but our job as Element Bearers and embodiments of the Magic of Friendship is to extend that idea to other races, and stop evil wherever it hides. Am I not wrong?” he asked. A silence permeated the room for several odd minutes, but finally, it was broken when Flurry nickered. “May be the damn death of us as a race, but…” she sighed before pressing a button on her chair opening up a comm channel to Summer Afterglow, the Kirin in charge of navigations. “Summer, find us the nearest inhabited planet, I’d like to know who we share our galaxy with.” “On it!” a perky feminine voice cried. “Seems there’s this planet, Vera it’s called in the local tongue. Water world for the most part, detecting a few villages on the coastlines. Not much, but could be worth a look.” “Okyu then,” Flashfire piped up, before internally groaning at his usage of that terrible pun before groaning some more as Stardust gleamed. “Prepare an away team. Spada, Stripped, Doctor, you’re with me. Doctor, I’m going to need you as a guide, you’ve faced the Dark Matter Empire, what are we likely to expect?” “Planets, they’re ruled by the local Magistrates placed there by Karōs. Your basic oppressive tyrant, designed to do anything they can to keep the locals in line. Of course, now that the Karō is dead,” he commented, with both him and Coldcast sharing a smirk. “Things have likely devolved into chaos, with the Magistrate trying to do anything and everything in his power to show he should be next in line for ruling this Galaxy.” “Well, we’ll just have to knock him off his pedestal won’t we?” Stripped remarked. “Count me in, always up for a good explore!” “Well then, you heard the man,” the Doctor exclaimed. “Let’s get to our Voyagers and start extending the hand of friendship eh?” As they walked to the hanger bay, the Doctor searched through his memories as to who might have been the local Magistrate. “Okay… Okay, Planet Vera. Goneshi, if things haven’t changed should be the one manipulating things down there. Just look for the guy dressed like a scuba diver, that'd be the one. He’s easy enough to spot.” the Doctor remarked. “Very egotistical. He loves to be in charge. It’s all about him, in his mind.” “Ah, the narcissistic type,” Stripped remarked. “Should be easy enough to take care of, we’ll just hold up a giant mirror and ask him to look at himself before we blast him.” “Oh, if it were only so easy…” the Doctor remarked as he entered his Voyager’s cockpit and began bringing systems online with presses of buttons. “He’s narcissistic like any good dictator yes, but far from stupid. You don’t rule over an entire planet’s populace by getting stupid. Chances are, he’s likely holed up in his ship which he’s placed somewhere out of sight. I’ve run into this guy before, on another planet. His distinctive appearance makes him easy to find, so he hides and controls things on a planet from the shadows through various means. One time, it was a puppet ruler. Rassilon only knows what he’s doing this time.” “Well, whatever it is,” Flashfire remarked. “We’ll just have to put a stop to it. All Rangers, call in. Cerberus Seagreen ready.” he stated, as engines began to fire up with a whir and a hum. “Libra Gold ready. Allons-Y!” the Doctor proclaimed “Dorado Yellow, ready,” Stripped put in. “Switching on marine armaments. Harpoons and depth charges at the ready.” “Chameleon Green ready,” Spada put in. “Commander, I assume you want me to extend my Voyager’s cloaking field to the other ships so we don’t arouse suspicion?” “Mhmm,” Flashfire nodded as the bay doors open. “Now, engage.” With that, all four ships rocketed out of the Shining Armor and their pilots readied themselves for whatever was to come. Almost as soon as the foursome entered the atmosphere, vision became more or less a fantasy as surrounding the four ships on all sides was a thick heavy fog, probably created thanks to the planet’s natural weather patterns. With a small yelp, Flashfire maneuvered his Voyager just in time to avoid smashing his ship into a mountain peak. “All scanners, set to wide range. Radar, give us a map of the area!” Stripped said. “Echolocation activated, plugging in Delphinus Kyutama for full maximization of their abilities,” As the unicorn activated his Kyutama along with everything else onboard, a wave of energy from the Swordfish Voyager was projected, and a map of the area around them, mountains included was projected allowing safe passage through the fog-covered terrain. “Okay, seeing a safe spot for us to set down just a few clicks ahead. There’s a village nearby as well, I’d say we talk to the natives. Figure out what’s going on here.” “I agree,” the Doctor put in as the scale-themed Voyager set itself down. “Vera, it’s known for it’s crystal clear waters and yet what I’m detecting can only be described as sludge. Something’s polluting this place, and I have a sneaking suspicion as to what…” “Goneshi?” Flashfire asked, and the Doctor gave a grunt of confirmation. “Well, least we know he’s around.” the unicorn continued as the group made their way down a mountain pass to the coastline, where a small village had been set up with the buildings made out of a combination of various gathered stones and wooden logs. Various fish-like creatures -Vaguely reminding Flashfire of the inhabitants of Klugetown- were gathered around a small altar, praying to some sorta god. “...First alien civilization we meet, and it’s crap,” Stripped muttered, before the Doctor slapped him over the head. “Oi, be nice eh? You really need to stop setting your expectations so high! Not every civilization is going to be high-rise buildings with technology beyond your own. Some of these, just starting to walk!” “Doc’s right,” Spada remarked. “I mean, take what you’re given. Personally, I think standing on the shores of another world, quite literally in this case, is just eccezionale!” “You lot are so easy to please…” Stripped huffed, crossing his arms. “Now say, what’s going on here? Can’t be praying for rain, now can they? Place is wet enough as it is, really…” “Well, let’s just keep quiet and listen, shall we?” Flashfire asked, gesturing for everyone to take cover behind a rock as a low moan echoed across the bay. Suddenly, from out of the mists came a truly massive form, a humpbacked creature with a long neck and a tiny head with two glowing yellow eyes. “...Okay, so what is that?” Stripped muttered while Spada crossed himself and murmured: “Dalla madre di Hive…” “Your tributes are not enough!” a deep voice bellowed from the creature. “How am I supposed to cleanse your seas if I am not well fed!” “I’m sorry, but the fish, we can’t catch enough of them thanks to these waters! What little we’ve given you on offer, that’s barely enough to feed you, let alone our families! Please Lord Dialos! Just… Just give us a little more time!” the elderly shark-like village chieftain pleaded, clutching onto his staff. “Your bargaining posture is highly dubious,” the creature remarked. “But very well, you have just one week to pay up, or I shall leave this place and never return…” he warned, before vanishing once more into the mists just as quickly as he’d appeared. “Some God…” Spada muttered in disgust. “Hardly the merciful sort! Asking for more food than they can provide, and then bidding them ciao if they refuse!” “Odd really,” the Doctor mused, rubbing his chin in thought. “I thought the people of Vera had grown past worshipping gods of any sort,” “Well, desperation drives ponies to do strange things, really,” Flashfire mused. “Their seas are filled with a toxic sludge, and from that they can barely find enough food to feed themselves so I suppose turning to prayer isn’t that odd… Still, I’d want to talk to the villagers, find out what’s truly going on around here. Shall we?” he asked, and nobody disagreed. “Quite. Allons-Y!” Their arrival was treated with whispers and fearful glances, some of the villagers pointing to Flashfire and Stripped’s horns and the whispers only increased, some beginning to think witchcraft was responsible for the poisoning of the seas. “People of Vela, we only come in good faith,” Flashfire said, mustering up all the diplomatic skills he’d been taught over the years. “I apologize for the sudden entrance, but really, we bring you no harm. Fact is, we wanted to talk actually.” “Or poison our waters even more!” one villager shouted, reaching for his trident but Flashfire didn’t flinch, and with a movement of his hand pushed it away. He didn’t look particularly perturbed at the bows and arrows aimed at him either. As ever, he kept cool and calm under pressure. No sense in panicking, considering if he did that in any situation -even one as minor as this- that panic might spread to his teammates. “I assure you, had nothing to do with that. Fact is, we’re just as curious as to what’s going on here as you are really,” Flashfire replied. “Name’s Flashfire Lulamoon of the starship Shining Armor and these are my friends Spada, Stripped Gear and the Doctor. Bit cold around here, is this normal for your planet?” “I apologize,” the village chieftain said. “You came at a really bad time of year, the wet season always brings rather chilly temperatures. Good for fishing the local waters, but not much else. Alas, we don’t even have that particular luxury now…” “Well, might be able to mend that if only a little,” Flashfire said, pulling out one of his personal favorite Kyutamas, -The other two being Andromeda and Lyra- a bright orange orb with a flame on it. This one used the powers of the Ara constellation and projected a hearth crackling with a warm flame. He looked towards Spada, with the yellow Changeling nodding and pulling out the Pisces Kyutama which created a massive fish and with a few quick movements of a kitchen knife he filleted it and began cooking it over a spit. “Never let it be said that I don’t try to help those in need.” “How…?” the chieftain asked as the villagers gasped in awe. Stripped’s eyes narrowed slightly, it always struck him as odd that Flashfire favored Kyutamas to perform tasks like lighting a fire, teleporting in a fish or binding something in iron chains when all of these things could easily enough be done via simple spellwork. Fact was, he’d rarely seen Flashfire use magic compared to some of the other unicorns aboard the Shining Armor. Spada bowed. “Molto Bene, all in a day’s work for yours truly!” he proclaimed in glee, just soaking up the praise. “They’re called Kyutamas, they harness the powers of the 88 constellations. Not entirely sure how they work, you’d have to ask Stripped Gear over there for that,” Flashfire continued ignoring Spada’s showboating, and looked towards the coastline where Stripped was investigating the waters with a hand-held scanning device with the Microscopium Kyutama attached to it. Flashfire sighed and rubbed his temples. “I apologize, the man gets caught up with his work a bit too much at times.” The chieftain laughed. “It’s okay, I know the feeling. Why, when I was a young lad, I was the village’s chief hunter and was constantly devising new ways of catching food. Some ideas worked, some didn’t.” “So, what’s with the sea god thing?” the Doctor remarked. “Gotta ask. Been here once before, and as far as I remember you lot never prayed to any ‘Dialos’. Fact is, I’ve never even heard of this Dialos. I've seen fake gods and bad gods and demigods and would-be gods; out of all that, out of that whole pantheon I’ve never even seen or heard of this guy until today.” “Smart money’s on the would-be god…” Spada muttered to Flashfire, who only nodded. “Well,” Flashfire commented in return. “I’d be a fool to take that bet. Several kinds of fool really. But back to the Doctor’s original question, how’d this all start anyways?” he remarked, turning back to the village chieftain. “I mean, it’s not like you just woke up one day and found that your water was poisoned and started praying to some new god who just conveniently showed up out of nowhere?” he drawled. The chieftain's expression said it all, and Flashfire could only facepalm before muttering: “Tell people there's an invisible man in the sky who created the universe, and the vast majority will believe you. Tell them the paint is wet, and they have to touch it to be sure...” to himself. “There’s a famous saying, and that’s: “There’s a sucker born every minute.” To be frank sir, you are the sucker in this situation.” Flashfire remarked, and the chieftain seemed to think this over for a few minutes, before his eyes widened. “...No, no it can’t be.” the chieftain whispered. “Fear’s a very powerful motivator in the hands of a con artist. And I think that’s exactly what we’re dealing with here, a simple flim-flam artist,” Flashfire remarked. “Granted, he has a lot of style and showmanship but a con artist nonetheless who’s just using your fear to feed his lazy arse. All the warning signs were there, you just failed to heed them. Stripped, your scans please?” “Yes, yes…” Stripped remarked. “While I don’t have scans of the water molecules when they weren’t polluted, and I’ll have to go by the theory that all H20 molecules in the universe no matter the planet are the same here, the molecules I got from the water?” he commented, sucking in a breath. “Suffice to say they’re not exactly what you call pretty. Fact is, I compared them to the output of molecules put out by Dark Matter ships and the similarities are striking. Frightening even. There’s a Moraimarz out in those waters somewhere, and I know it. I’d stake my reputation on it.” “If what you’re saying is true, and we’ve all been had,” the chieftain spoke up, gesturing to his villagers and some alarmingly low caches of fish. “How do we stop this so-called god, unmask him in front of my people who I’m afraid are far more gullible than I am? You must understand, my reputation is on the line here, I was the first to believe in this guy and so they followed. Flashfire, Stripped, for all your wisdom, how can you help us?” For that, neither had an answer. Night came, and even as Spada continued to feed the villagers with fresh fish instead of the stuff that had been dredged up out of the polluted waters, Stripped and Flashfire sat on a hillside observing the village trying to come up with a solution to everyone’s woes. “Well, this is a predicament really, isn’t it?” Stripped remarked, as he leaned on the doorway of a small stone hut. “Obviously, we can’t just go up and blast the Moraimarz to pieces. Okay, we could, but if the Doctor’s right and I have no reason to doubt his credulity we’d have to take in the worry that the Moraimarz could assume its mecha form. And as there’s not enough Voyagers to form a mecha and thanks to the cloud cover we can’t send up a signal to the Armor for backup.” “Well, that’s the thing about the Moraimarz,” Flashfire remarked. “I’d assume like our Megazords it’d have to have someone inside it for the Moraimarz to assume a mecha form. So, if we could draw Goneshi -as really, who else could it be?- away from his ship then you could go and take the Swordfish Voyager and blast the Moraimarz to pieces with depth charges, torpedos or whatever you would wish to use,” he continued, rubbing his temples. “But there’s our second problem, isn’t there? The chieftain. If we did this, we’d just ruin his reputation amongst his villagers.” “Bah, who cares?” Stripped remarked. “In my honest to Faust opinion, If we had to earn our age by thinking for ourselves at least once a year, only a handful of people would reach adulthood. I thought that about our planet, seems to hold true for the rest of the universe as well eh? They, and by that I mean those damn villagers, learn to need to think for themselves instead of just following the whims of whoever comes their way. They’ve fallen for one false god before, who’s to say they won’t again? Look, I get that they need a village leader to guide them through the hard times, but treating him like a god? Mite foolish if you ask me. Of course, let’s talk about the real problem here, and that’s namely you.” Stripped remarked, turning to look at Flashfire. “...Okay, how can I be the real problem?” Flashfire replied eyes narrowed. “You’ve been put under a lot of pressure lately. Between this bout of foolishness, the deathworm and leading a militia of freedom fighters? Surprised you haven’t cracked like an egg,” Stripped remarked. “You know, I could relieve some of the pressure if you want…?” “If you’re talking about rutting me hate to say it but I view you as just a friend man,” Flashfire remarked. “Try Jabari though, pretty sure he’s gay given he opted to be the Pink Ranger,” the unicorn deadpanned, and Stripped burst out laughing. “Well, dunno why your mind automatically gravitated to me rutting you, that’s something for the ship’s consular not me, but what I was talking about was taking over as leader of the Paladins, if only for a little bit,” “You?” Flashfire laughed. “You’d be too stuck up in your lab to lead a militia force, you’d be thinking over plans for days before even launching an attack on Dark Matter!” he scoffed and Stripped burst out laughing in return. “And here I thought you were too tightly wound to even have a sense of humor. But you’re right, too thinky to actually be much of a leader and concoct battle plans on the fly if need be. We’d need someone with the right amount of brains, but someone who’s still crazy and determined enough to do something stupid if need be. But that doesn’t detract from my point,” Stripped remarked. “You’re under way too much pressure, far more than any pony should be put under. Everyone’s just looking to you for answers half the time, and I’m just afraid there’ll come a time when you won’t have any.” “...And you’re probably absolutely right as always,” Flashfire muttered, wringing his hair in frustration. “You’re right, everyone’s constantly looking towards me for an answer and merde, one day I probably will crack like an egg under all of it. I’m supposed to be the calm, cool, collected leader of the Paladins, not this guy who’s possibly tipping towards the edge of insanity. Barely get a chance to relax, and be myself. No, I always have to be on call, 24 hours a day. Don’t know how Flurry manages it, don’t know how Stardust manages it but they pull it off and they’ve got even bigger responsibilities than I do!” “Like I said, that’s where the shadow leader comes in,” Stripped replied. “Now, I don’t mean me, but find someone you can trust explicitly and delve off some of your duties to them. A Number One, if you will. You’re Flurry’s Number One, who’s to say you can’t have one of your own?” “I’ll… I’ll think on it,” Flashfire admitted. “But for now, we have a problem to solve. How can we get old fishface far enough away from his ship for you to go in and blow it out of the water?” he asked, before snapping his fingers in remembrance of an earlier portion of the conversation. “False gods, that’s it!” “...Okay, I’m a genius, and even I admit I’m not following you.” Stripped remarked. “Think about it, if this guy wants to keep up appearances as a god, how would he react if these villagers got themselves someone new to worship? Like, say, a hero from beyond the stars…?” Flashfire said, pressing a button on his belt that ejected a Kyutama. One yellow in color, with a crown on it, Flashfire idly tossing it up in the air. “Okay, I like the way you’re thinking, but how are you going to get the villagers to follow you? They believe Dialos is a god, their true god. Their savior even!” “Just leave that to me, I just have to expose Dialos for the charade he is, and the whole thing should come crumblin’ down.” “Veleens,” Flashfire sneered in a mocking tone, wearing a crown atop his head and red robes around his body. He grabbed a large piece of fish off of a nearby table and ripped it in half, placing the two halves on either side of his muzzle. “You all act the same—” his accent was forced, thick, and brought immense shame to everyone of the nationality tenfold— “always so predictable and filthy in the ways you act. You destroy, loot, pillage, and track dirt across the carpets you spend thousands of hours just to make!” He threw the fish to the side and flopped onto his back. “My, this is ever so lush! Did you make it with the hide of your wife’s boyfriend?” A deafening silence befell the village, with some of the onlookers blinking and at least one cough shattering it all for a brief moment. Flashfire felt his mind race. Clearly desperate times call for desperate measures. He bolted upright and looked around, his eyes eventually landing on a solid gold idol of the one he hated the most. With a forced, exaggerate trot, he approached it and glanced down at it. A smirk etched itself onto his face as he turned around. The onlookers gasped. Some proceeded to faint. One of them vomited. At least two children cried. The elderly fled, leaving clouds of dust in their wake. The chieftain looked on, with this unreadable expression on his face. “Flashfire, I hope you know what you’re doing…” he thought. “I love the relief one feels after a long day of work.” “You’re pissing on the idol of Lord Dialos,” an onlooker said. “It’s the Equestrian way,” Flashfire remarked before thinking to himself: “Come on Stripped, better hurry on up here and find Goneshi’s ship, this is about the most vulgar five minutes of my life I’ve ever spent, and I’m about to die of embarrassment here!” Far below the coastline, Stripped inside the Swordfish Voyager was scanning the waters for anything that even resembled a Moraimarz, until finally his ship’s sensors pinged wildly and the unicorn smirked before firing a set of twin torpedos at the massive ship just as he saw a figure swim away from it. Above, Lord Dialos had made his appearance, humpbacked creature form and all. “You petulant fool!” His voice tore through the air, sending many of those that looked on in awe flying back. Not Flashfire though. He stood proudly, a comically large smile on his face. He adjusted his crown and cleared his throat. “That’s God-King Petulant Fool to you, oh-glorious false one!” He walked up to Dialos, thanking the stars for the many hours he’d done practicing theatre. “Bow before the one-true false one!” Dialos furrowed his brow. “You dare call me a false god!?” he roared. “You shall die like the rest who have called me a false-false god!” Flashfire sidestepped out the way of Dialos’ false flipper, brushing off any dust that had landed on it from the false one’s destructive attack. “No!” he proudly proclaimed once his cloak as pristine as his toothy grin. “I am the true-false one and you’re the false-false one!” “Impossible!” Dialos barked. “I’m the true-false one and you’re the false-false one!” A sudden sensation of god-like stupidity overcame ‘Dialos’ as Flashfire smirked and raised his Kyuchanger and placed a sea-blue Kyutama in it. Firing a stream of water from his weapon, Flashfire aimed the stream at ‘Dialos’. From his hiding place in on of the village huts, the Doctor now noted the Corona Borealis Kyutama had been swapped out for one depicting a river, probably that of Eridanus. “...Did Stripped really make a Kyutama for every one of the 88 modern constellations?” the Doctor whispered to Spada, who only shrugged. “He’s a scientist, even they get bored sometimes.” Spada shrugged, before he grimaced upon seeing Goneshi’s true form. That giant monster he first appeared as? Just a small little model atop his head, which was covered in some dripping pink goo that partially obscured his face. The rest of the creature’s body was covered in portholes, all sorts of tubing and the feet were two flippers, making him resemble a diver just as the Doctor had described. “...Mio Dio, there’s ugly and then there’s that.” “You're… You're no God!” Goneshi exclaimed in shock, desperately trying to keep up the rapidly failing ruse. “Veleens, seize this false idol!” But nobody was having any of it. “You're right,” Flashfire remarked as he threw off his robes and crown and resumed his normal tone. “And neither are you. Never been a fan of gods anyhow. Right raging pain in the ass. As for who I am, so glad you asked. Star Change!” “The Beast Star, Cerberus Seagreen!” “The Trick-Star, Libra Gold!” “The Shinobi Star, Chameleon Green!” “You know, for a god you made a pretty poor one. They're supposed to be subtle, moving in mysterious ways. Quite the contrary with you. You I found obvious, and moreover ostentatious and vulgar. Now…” Flashfire said, well aware of the irony behind his statement as he drew his Astral Blade. “Time to test your luck!” Goneshi pulled out a trident and swung it with the blow being blocked and Flashfire kicking the Magistrate in the stomach before leaping away as from out of the mists Spada struck with a few quick thrusts of his rapier. The piercing strikes landed, but Goneshi was quick to retaliate by catching the sword in the trident by letting it pass through a gap and twisting it. Spada simply kicked him in the stomach. Goneshi staggered back, only for Stripped Gear to leap out of the waters clad in his Ranger suit with a shortsword in hand and slash him across the back. “The Sword Star, Dorado Yellow! Four Stars shining in the Heavens, Space Squadron Kyuranger!” he cried. “Surprise! Your little Moraimarz, pumping out the pollutants and sucking this planet dry of its energy? Now just a scrap pile.” “Oh, really?” Goneshi pounded his chest with his hand before driving his trident tines across the ground towards Stripped, lightning following with it. “Well, soon, you’ll be joining it!” Spada jumped in, and used the Scutum Kyutama to create an energy shield to block the lightning. Flashfire met the swung trident with his blade, turning back to look at the villagers, bolts of electricity spitting off across the ends of his blade as the trident continued to strike it. “Not to point any fingers, but this is a false god. If anything, it’s another one of Don Armage’s monsters,” Flashfire said to the villagers as he continued to fend off the lightning strikes. “Now, if that completely throws your beliefs and religions on its’ head, then I’m sorry. But as a Kyuranger, I’m just doing my job in keeping the universe safe. And that means I have to slay your heretic,” He bashed the hilt of his blade into the monster’s face, causing it to tumble backwards. “You’re not upset about that, are you? Listen, I should know a thing or two about flim-flam artists or ponies with a flare for showmanship, my whole family lineage consists of them. Stage magicians really, but the principle is the same. Wow you with a bit of dazzle, and maybe take you for all you’re worth. That’s what Goneshi was doing here, polluting your waters, and taking whatever fish you had left for himself.” “I’m no fake! I’m as real as you or him!” Goneshi gestured to Spada, spitting a miniature spark out at his chest, only for Spada to reveal he was just an clone conjured up by the Gemini Kyutama. “And trust me, this pain you’re about to feel is real too…” He twirled the trident around and slammed it into the ground, sending a web of lightning across the ground. Suddenly, a flurry of rapier strikes hit Goneshi, the real Spada leaping out of the mists before roundhouse kicking the Magistrate in the face. “Non oggi, idiota!” Spada exclaimed. “Look, don’t blame your chieftain for falling for any of this,” Flashfire said, as he fired several energy blasts from his horn at Goneshi before striking him with a Regulus Impact. “He’s as fallible as any of the rest of us here, he can make mistakes. If anything you should be blaming this guy. He’s the real trouble-maker here. He works for Don Armage, the Emperor of Dark Matter. Do you wanna worship someone who works for an evil emperor?” He smirked under his helmet when the villagers all pointed their bows at the monster. “There you go. Now, everyone’s got some common sense around here,” He said to himself. “Now, let him have it, everyone!” Flashfire leaped up in the air as the Monoceros Drill replaced his left arm while his team aimed their Kyuchangers at him. “All-Star Crash!” Stripped shouted, as he, along with the Doctor and Spada fired three energy beams at Goneshi making him stagger backwards towards the seas before Flashfire in a blur of energy shoved the Monoceros Drill right through Goneshi’s chest, piercing a massive hole in it before kicking him off the cliff. “Looks like I’m sunk! But soon, rangers, you will be too!” Goneshi roared before he fell into the sea causing a massive plume of it to erupt as he landed in the waters. “Yeah yeah, tell it to someone who cares. But I’ve got a message for your boss. We will take the universe back!” Flashfire shouted as Goneshi went up in an explosion. Later, the village chieftain met up with the crew of the Shining Armor as it hovered overhead. “I’m… I’m so sorry we had to drag you into our mess, we should have seen Goneshi for what he was sooner,” the chieftain apologized, bowing his head in shame. “It seems, even this old shark can be fooled just like the rest…” Flashfire laid a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, like I said the man had a lot of showmanship and he preyed upon you at your most desperate hour. Hell, even I admit I probably would have been fooled. He was that good.” “I… I just wish there was one small thing we could do to repay you.” the chieftain murmured and Flashfire looked thoughtful. “Well, you’re not the only ones under Don Armage’s heel. How’d you like to help save the universe?” The chieftain smiled. “Yeah, I think I’d like that.” he said as behind him, various squid-like fightercraft rose up from behind his village. Author's Note Okay, first off, huge thanks to Shadowmane for the fight scene, and another thank you to Vertigo for dragging himself out of retirement just for the moment of Flashfire going completely over the top in terms of acting like he did. Now, should point out this series will be continuity heavy, with each chapter building off a previous one. But like Silver-Quill says... So... Yeah. Anyways, comments, thoughts, speculation, and critique are always welcomed. Part 12: ScarsAuthor's Note Okay... Trickey subject matter ahead, and I really am not sure if I dealt with it correctly but... Anyways, huge thanks to both Vertigo and Shadowmane for helping to write the flashback scenes with Pharynx. Part 12: Scars “Oh, now that is paradise…” Stripped Gear commented from inside the safety of his Voyager’s cockpit as he gazed out at the planet in front of him. Covered in massive cities and equally if not more so industrial parks, there wasn’t a single green spot to be found on the entire planet. It was devoted solely to production and development. This was the exact reason why when Flurry and Stardust learned of the place, they had ordered Stripped along with Pharynx and the Doctor to travel to this planet Zigama being its name so they may possibly form an alliance with the locals. If that could be accomplished, maybe from what the Doctor had told them, the locals would be all too happy to repair the battered colony ships. Two massive mechanical rotating rings surrounded the planet, both housing cities of their own if the Doctor’s information on them was to be believed. “For you and your wet dreams maybe,” Pharynx grumbled. “Me, I hate the cities, and I hate industry. Now, I’m no tree hugging hippie, but a place like that? Makes me feel cramped really. “ “Didn’t the Changelings have any sort of technology?” Stripped Gear inquired. “Or did you just use whatever you found?” “No, the Changelings were hardly an industrious race, we didn’t ‘make’ anything for ourselves, any technology from any races we ran across we just assimilated and re-worked for our own usage. The ultimate consumers, some of us were called,” Pharynx replied. “Now, onto more important business. Doctor, the local Magistrate? What do we know about him?” “Bringing him up on-screen now, and transmitting all necessary data to your Voyagers,” the Doctor replied, pressing a few buttons inside the Libra Voyager’s cockpit, and soon both Pharynx and Stripped paid witness to the hologram of one very fat reptilian creature with attire and armor resembling the burial mask of the ancient Baladi ruler Tutankhamun. A wine glass was held in one of his hands. “Yes, I know he’s an ugly one, but what were you expecting? A handsome brute? Anyways, if there’s one word that you could apply to this guy, it’d be the Deadly Sin of Greed. Why? Well, this guy right here thrives on stripping planets of their wealth and leaving the inhabitants to fend for themselves on what little they have left.” Pharynx let out a hiss of anger, sounding almost like a snake poised to strike fittingly enough. “Bet he just sits around on his golden throne rolling in money doing nothing, and just has his servants bring him whatever he desires, am I correct?” he asked in a tone of barely disguised disgust. “Yeah, that’d sound like him. He’s a disgusting fellow, to say the least,” the Doctor growled. “Greed, it’s a curious thing. It plunges a man deep into the mire of this world, so that he makes it to be his god, as one fellow once so elegantly put it.” Pharynx sighed to himself even as the three Voyagers entered the planet’s atmosphere. “Something wrong?” Stripped asked in a tone of concern. “You’re not… reminded of how the Changelings used to be are you?” Pharynx let out another sigh. “Can’t believe I’m letting you play shrink to me and get inside my head, but yeah. This guy… Reminds me far too much of how the Changeling race used to be, we took far more than what we ever actually needed everywhere we went. Left entire civilizations bare and dry to the bone. You think the Badlands were always a desert dry to the bone? No, before we came along they were a thriving location, a virtual paradise till Queen Chrysalis stripped the place of everything it had in just a few short decades, less than thirty years. And I helped her do so proudly. That’s… That’s why I’m so intent on dethroning this guy. Repentance for my own sins.” “I… I understand all too well, I’ve got my own sins I have to pay the piper for someday,” the Doctor remarked in a sympathetic tone. “That’s why I’ll gladly help you with anything you need, Pharynx.” “T-Thank you.” Pharynx whispered, and if a single tear dripped from his eye he wiped it away before anyone could notice. Equestria, six billion odd years ago. A burning village, black insectoid creatures sucking inhabitants dry of any love they had in them and cocooning them aboard massive airships to store them away for further meals at a later date. Ponies that were trying to flee the scene were swiftly shot down by green bolts, launched by the insectoids. The process was repeated ad infinitum, until all of the screams had been silenced. The other insects that weren’t attacking the citizens were tearing through the buildings and houses, physically, and with their own bombardment of ooze-coloured lasers. As the population dwindled, the settlement did as well, with gnarled and charred wood littering the ground, turning into ash mere moments later. The waters and air were soon plagued with the stench of death, as the remnants of the battlefield that was one a village painted the scene. “Your majesty. The town has been entirely destroyed. Not a single pony remains.” Pharynx stood before his queen and bowed loyally, hand on chest. “As for their love, it all but belongs to us. Soon, they’ll be nothing more than empty husks, free to do with as you see fit. “Very good, Pharynx,” The queen chuckled softly and coiled her fingers together. “This should prove to that fool Celestia that her ponies cannot survive on friendship and magic alone. If you want to defend yourself, you have to fight all those who dare to impede your progress; using whatever means necessary.” Lust, that could characterize Chrysalis down to a T, she wanted it all. Pharynx smiled, his fangs bared, before he heard the sound of soft whimpering coming from an alleyway. Another victim for his kind. He slunk away and tore through whatever debris the noise was hiding behind, revealing a small filly, who let out a very high-pitched and ear-piercing scream at the sight of him. For a brief moment, Pharynx had second thoughts. This filly had done nothing wrong, so why should he harm her? He reached out a hand to touch her, try to comfort her in his own way. But as he did so, the soldiers by his side quickly tackled her and scooped her out of his reach, proceeding to drain her of her love and spirit her away to the ship above. “That’s one of the sneaky little traits of these ponies. They will do anything to get themselves out of trouble; regardless of who they are, what they do, or how they choose to survive,” Chrysalis watched as the girl was lifted skyward. “We are not ponies, Pharynx. We never will be ponies. Don’t ever let yourself become distracted by their tactics. It looks bad for you, and it could arouse suspicion that could send my hive into a frenzy.” “But… But she did nothing wrong!” Pharynx stated in shock, only to be slapped across the face. “That’s what they all do. Princess Celestia did all the wrong things when she exiled us. Ponies, despite what they say about us are the real evil in this world,” She hissed, her tongue licking his ear canal sadistically making Pharynx tingle in anticipation for what he knew was to come soon. “You are not a pony, Pharynx. You are a good man; a loyal Changeling, under my rule. Don’t have second thoughts now. I wouldn’t want my best soldier losing his resolve, now would I?” she asked in a seductive tone, stroking his chin. “Of… of course not, my Queen. My fault entirely,” He hung his head and bowed once more. “Anyway, what are your orders now?” “To the next town, raze it dry, suck the inhabitants of every inch of their love!” Chrysalis ordered as her Changelings chittered in excitement. “Do you hear me? Every inch! Bleed them dry!” “How many towns do you think we need to destroy before we’re ready to challenge that tyrant Sun Princess?” A drone asked, with a malicious grin on its’ face. “Several, maybe several dozen. I don’t care, as long as there are some ponies left for me to use as my personal playthings. I hear there’s a wedding coming up,” Chrysalis remarked, returning that grin ten-fold revealing a maw of razor-sharp vicious looking teeth. “I say we… gate-crash it hmm?” “Weddings. They’re full of love, aren’t they?” Pharynx’s ears twitched at the sound of the Queen’s orders. “Where is this wedding, your majesty?” “Why, over at Canterlot, of course. Where else?” Chrysalis pushed her hands together, hearing the bones in her fingers click. “Not only do we get to feast, but we also have a chance to put an end to that pretty precious Princess Celestia once and for all. Kill two rocs with one stone, I say. And with this hoard-” she gestured up to the flagship above her head “-she doesn’t stand a chance in hell of defeating us! Now onwards, my children, to Canterlot!” she roared as the Changelings took to the sky. “We’ve got gifts of our own to bestow to the blushing bride and her groom!” “Pharynx?” Stripped Gear’s voice asked as the three Paladins walked through the streets, snapping the Changeling King back to the present day. “Please tell me you’re there.” “Y-yes. I’m here, your Majesty.” Pharynx replied, out of pure reflex. He snapped out of his memories and looked up into Stripped’s eyes. “Sorry, I just zoned out for a second.” “If you say so…” Stripped murmured, not missing what the Silver Ranger had called him, but deciding not to comment on it. As he observed the city around them, Stripped sighed in what was an almost orgasmic pleasure. “See, what did I tell you? Heaven for a guy like me! Certainly an improvement over Vela I dare say!” The crew now stood in a titanic city; much larger than anything that they had ever seen before. It was almost like an entire mountain, made entirely out of metal, and pumped full of shops and streets; with people scaling it countless times. Large TV screens filled most of the gaps, and there were all sorts of people, from all walks of life and from all corners of the universe casually chatting to each other, sharing what stories and news they had. There were many more ships parked in the docks behind them, some of which made their Voyagers look minuscule by comparison. Nobles, fishermen, mechanics, and more came from the docks, gracing the city with their presence; all dressed in their usual attire and ready to do business with the inhabitants. “Ah, Zigama, it never does anything by halves.” the Doctor mused. “Well, at least we don’t stand out,” Pharynx deadpanned, gesturing to their jackets and comparing them to the rags and jumpsuits the civilians wore. “By the Hive Mother, at this rate, I fail to see how we’ll avoid notice!” “Well, only one thing for it then…” the Doctor remarked, gesturing for the group to follow. “Allons-Y!” As Pharynx and Stripped followed after the possible madman, Pharynx once again went into another flashback, into a grand city not too far removed from this one. Canterlot, its’ defences had been shattered like glass, thanks to the barrage of fire from the drones and their flagship. Orbital strikes and cannon blasts from the space-age ship laid waste to the castle, tearing down the roof in seconds, and causing the wedding guests to scatter; all except for one princess of the sun, and six other individuals. But pretty soon, they seemingly abandoned Celestia for their own accords, before Pharynx landed before them. “Ponies. Your princess, and as an extension; you are charged with the banishment of my queen, Chrysalis. I, Pharynx, have come to collect, and count up your sins before we rip your emotions straight out of your body.” He declared, pointing his gun at the six ponies before him. “Do you have any last words before my crew tears you to shreds?” “Canterlot will never fall, and your Queen, someday soon perhaps, she will learn to see the error of her ways.” Said the purple one, who would later go on to become one of the four princesses who died attempting to stop the sun from scorching the planet; Twilight Sparkle. “Look at you, acting all defiant. It’s cute. No really, I think I can practically feel the love coming to me right now.” Pharynx sadistically joked and primed his gun for a shot. “But as you can see, your princess has fallen, and so too has your kingdom.” He stretched his arms out, the Changelings demolishing many of the buildings behind him as if on command. “You have nothing to protect; nothing to defend. Nothing to DIE for. All you have left are your lives, and now, you forfeit them to the Changeling Empire!” He fired a powerful blast at Twilight Sparkle from his gun, striking her directly, and launching her back against the wall. “We… we will never quit, not as long as the Magic of Friendship exists.” Twilight coughed out, blood stains covering her fur and the tip of her horn. “You say that, but clearly-” The drones started to fire on the rest of her friends, causing them to scatter or try- and fail - to fight back “-You are weak. Undisciplined. And obviously, that friendship of yours you so love to preach about did not exist today. Your friends and even your beloved solar Princess, I seem to recall them abandoning you in your hour of need.” He stomped over to Twilight, grabbing her by the scruff of her neck. “You are not brave; in your command of your pony magic and pony ways-” he emphasized the words viciously “-you’ve simply forgotten the feel of defeat, failure, and death. Allow me to re-educate you…” His gun charged up for another shot. Pharynx shook himself free of those memories, he had work to do and he couldn't dwell on the past. Not now. He still felt guilty for those days, taking a whole city and being partial to almost bleeding it dry. He would not allow this ‘Gamettsui’ to do the same. As the threesome walked through the city, more signs of Gamettsui’s tyranny began to make themselves apparent. Various locals had collapsed in the street from pure exhaustion, just trying to make ends meet for their families at the factories. The Doctor’s eyes widened when he saw a green-scaled dog-like alien fall to his knees before he rushed over and helped the man up, dabbing at his face with a wet rag he’d pulled from his coat pockets. “Rassilon damnit…” the Doctor growled to himself as some medics rushed over with the alien (A Syrien if the Doctor remembered correctly) whispering hurried thank yous. The Doctor turned to his comrades. “Now do you see? Now do you see what Gamettsui is willing to turn this planet into just so he can satisfy himself and his abominable pleasures?” he growled out in fury before his voice turned into that of a hiss. “He’s not just that monster from under your bed or in your closet, he’s the real deal. Just like every other member of Dark Matter’s entourage. So get this straight through your head right now, once we start dealing with more and more of Dark Matter’s commanders and start freeing galaxies, there will be no turning back. But someone needs to stand up, show the galaxy that free will along with hope, laughter and all that comes with it still exists.” he stated, as his veins glowed blue and yellow briefly. If either Pharynx or Stripped Gear took notice, they said nothing. “Now,” the Doctor asked. “Are you with me?” “Yes, quite,” Stripped Gear stated. “It’s not even a question.” “Exactly. Now, what do monsters like Gamettsui have nightmares about?” Pharynx asked, fingering his Ophiuchus Kyutama. “Well, suppose we’ll just have to find out. If we’re lucky, the answer will be us eh?” he smirked devilishly. “I’ve robbed a few cities dry of their hope and everything that matters to them and I will have to pay the piper for that someday soon and face judgment. But in the meantime, I think it’s time I start returning the favor. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, yes? Well, it’s time we do unto Gamettsui and Dark Matter as a whole as they would do unto us.” “....You had something good going there, gotta say,” Stripped Gear remarked. “But that whole quoting the Golden Rule thing? Even if I agree with the sentiment, you sorta ruined your whole speech right there a little bit, just sayin’.” he stated, with the Doctor nodding. “Oh shut up…” Pharynx muttered before his eyes widened as he turned his attentions to a big rotating screen. On it, appeared the face of Gamettsui. Both Stripped and Pharynx winced. “...Now there’s a face only a mother could love.” Stripped murmured to himself, with the Doctor nodding. “Hello everyone, can you see me well enough?” Gamettsui asked before an Invader leaned into his ear and whispered something. “Oh, sorry, sorry! Let me pull back and then I can start this whole thing over again!” He snapped his fingers, and the camera pulled back to reveal Gamettsui sitting on his gilded throne, covered in the most lavish of jewelry with a mound of gold coins all around him, and a scantily-clad felid woman with maroon fur chained to his throne. An expression of obvious displeasure was on her face. “Wait a tick…” the Doctor muttered as his eyes went from the woman to a particularly sparkling piece of jewelry hanging around Gamettsui’s neck via a chain. “That’s Baroness Manx, and that’s the Eye of Bastet, said to be the envy of a thousand systems! Her personal treasure! It’s worth about the wages of the whole planet for an entire week, you’d have to fight tooth and nail -Quite literally in her case- to pry it away from Manx’s family!” “Evidently he did, Doctor,” Pharynx stated, master of the understatement noting the broken look on the former Baroness’s face. It was like she’d lost all hope. He growled, and clenched his fists hard enough to draw a bit of blood. “So you can add theft to his list of crimes.” “Okay, let’s try this again!” Gamettsui exclaimed and clapped his hands, clearing his throat as the camera turned to reveal several beautiful women, also clad in scanty clothing. “These lovely ladies you see before you -Quit drooling Megatsuyoindaver, I can see you from behind the camera!- are your former Baroness’s advisors. And now, they’re mine. Excuse me, allow me to correct myself. They’re going to be Dark Matter’s in just a few short moments as I’m holding an auction. See those ships gathering above?” Gamettsui asked, and everyone including the three Kyurangers looked up and saw a group of Dark Matter Moraimarz warping into orbit. “Well, they belong to some of my fellow Magistrates, who need some pleasure in their life if you know what I mean. Now, you can save these beautiful women if you manage to somehow outbid them, but I doubt it. So say your goodbyes!” “Okay,” Pharynx stated, slamming one fist against his palm. “If you want to stop me from doing something stupid, here’s your chance. Because I’m about to teach that little worm a lesson or two in respect. So, either of you two feeling moronic enough to try?” he asked, turning to Stripped and the Doctor, who simply shook their heads. “Nope, all I have to ask is… what’s the plan?” the Doctor asked, and Pharynx simply smirked. Pharynx’s plan turned out to be beautifully simple. The Doctor and Stripped Gear, in disguise as space pirate scum, would go to the auction and keep the guy in charge of it distracted while Pharynx himself dealt with Gamettsui. And if possible, rescue Baroness Manx. The Gold and Yellow Paladins had found themselves in a town square, amongst a crowd of alien space scum. Towering above them was the city skyline, comprised of massive factories and cleverly hidden amongst the machinery to the untrained eye, Gamettsui’s personal Moraimarz. “Can you gimme one thousand, one thousand! Can you give me two thousand, two thousand! I want a three thousand here, a three thousand!” the Strongindaver in charge of the whole shebang fired off at almost ludicrous speeds, continuously getting the crowd of Indavers and their bosses pumped up as they continued to cry for louder and louder pricing on for the women on display, both the Doctor and Stripped Gear chipping in just to keep on buying more time. “Four thousand, four thousand! Five, give me some five thousand here!” The Doctor, he was dressed in a long black button-up coat with goggles around his neck and his hair styled into a punk’s mohawk thanks to the Coma Berenices Kyutama. Stripped, he’d just opted for a simple brown cloak that covered his face and horn. Stripped cast a quick glance to one of the women, a light-blue felid wearing barely anything except a bikini that only just barely covered her extremities. He let out a nicker of displeasure at this debasement and looked at the Doctor. “I know,” the Doctor murmured. “I don’t like it either, but for the time being we’ve got to keep this going.” “Shame we can’t just take on all of these guys at once…” Stripped muttered, idly fingering the Corvus Kyutama attached to his belt. “Sure, it’s suicide but the chaos would allow those poor ladies up there to escape.” “Or get recaptured.” the Doctor pointed out. “Gimme a ten, and I repeat a ten thousand!” the Strongindaver shouted over the raucous of the crowd. “No, no! Bump that up to twenty thousand! Seriously, beautiful women like this going for cheap prices! No, no sir! Gimme a twenty thousand, a twenty thousand! Gimme a thirty thousand! A forty thousand!” he echoed as the cheers and shouts grew ever louder. “Come on Pharynx, surely it can’t take you this long to dethrone a madman. If I was doing this, it’d already been over within five minutes or so… Got to think up a plan here… Cause a bit of chaos…” the Doctor murmured to himself rubbing his chin as he did so, before he had a lightbulb moment and looked directly at Stripped. “How would you describe me, Stripped? Resourceful? Dynamic? Enigmatic?” “Incredibly pretentious. Disruptive. A plonker, a right pain in the arse and last but not least someone with no sense of fashion,” Stripped deadpanned before tilting his head. “Is that what you were asking for?” “No, but disruptive is what we need here eh?” the Doctor remarked before brushing past a bunch of Invaders and staggering onto the stage like a drunkard before shoving away the Strongindaver and taking the mic. “Doctor, what the Hell are you…?” Stripped trailed off, before he smirked. Of course, that would do it. A bit of confusion from the auction being disrupted by some seemingly unknown drunken space pirate, that would definitely buy Pharynx the time he needed. “Hello Detroit!” the Doctor said with a cheery wave as Stripped groaned and facepalmed. “This… This is Detroit right? I mean, it’s certainly a crappy enough planet filled with crime and corruption producing enough steel to probably count as Detroit! You get what I mean, right? Seriously, have none of you all been to Earth? Lovely place, always seems to attract the unwanted, although I’m not sure why. Bit dull really.” One of the Strongindavers under another Magistrate’s command -A Jersey Devil resembling creature called Denvil- ran up to the stage as the Doctor shouted: “Fight, fight! Fight for your right to party!” The Doctor was then shoved up against some barrels, and the Libra Kyutama in his pockets went flying free and landed in front of both Denvil and his bodyguards who all shared a look. “Oh for the love of Celestia…” Stripped muttered as he threw off his cloak and dropped the ruse as weapons were drawn and most of the Magistrates started heading for their ships in fear, having already heard what happened to Lupus. It seemed some of Dark Matter actually had some intelligence in it after all. Both the Doctor and Stripped shared a nod and slammed their Kyutamas in their Kyuchangers which as ever, proclaimed: “Say the Change!” “Star Change!” both Rangers shouted as they morphed in gold and yellow flashes of light respectively and the whole square erupted into chaos. Punches and kicks began to be thrown, and blades clashed as the Invaders and their commanders reached for their weapons. Stripped called out: “Dorado Impact!” as he swung his sword to create a quintet of yellow energy slashes that he hurled at a group of Invaders and Strongindavers destroying them in fiery explosions. Suddenly, the scorch of an energy whip hit Stripped’s back making him scream out in pain as Denvil laughed and lashed him a few times more with his whip. “Back off!” the Doctor shouted, and fired his Astral Crossbow twice making Denvil stagger as the Doctor helped Stripped up off the ground. “You alright?” the Doctor asked, and Stripped nodded weakly. The Doctor’s eyes narrowed under his helmet, he swore he could have seen Stripped’s back and spine comprised mostly of mechanical parts but as soon as he looked again there was only scorched fur. The Doctor blinked, maybe he’d only imagined it. Denvil snapped his fingers, and with a loud screech, a massive cycloptic form with a scorpion’s tail smashed through the crowd, twin arm blades of crackling blue energy springing out from its wrists. Denvil laughed, before with a finger snap he teleported out in a purple flash of light up to his ship. “Didn’t… Didn’t we destroy that thing? In fact, I specifically remember studying its parts and taking the Scorpius Kyutama from it!” Stripped shouted before he had a thought. “...Huh, I wonder if it remembers.” A swing from one of the arm blades that nearly cleaved Stripped in half answered his question. “...Yep, I’d say it remembers.” Stripped remarked as the Scorpius Drone’s eye glowed menacingly. “The Queen always loved me. I was the best at what I did. Admittedly, that was what every other drone I knew did. Infiltrate, pillage, kill, and protect the hive. Still, something of this scale was unprecedented if not unwelcomed. Canterlot. The heart of Equestria. A princess.” Pharynx pressed himself up against a wall. Three guards stood stoically down the hall. One taller, bulkier, and heavily armored towered in front of the other two. It was this one his eyes lay on. “My brother—the runt of the clutch—was always the quietest cheerleader of mine. His eyes lit up when I returned, only to sputter when the glorious stories of my achievements were told to the rest of the hive.” The guard gave a salute before turning around and marching down the hallway, his spear at the ready. “To be known as the Changeling who spearheaded the infiltration of Canterlot…: The guard marched passed Pharynx. “I'd be…” The guard turned a corner. Pharynx swiftly followed behind, leaping onto the back the guard. He wrapped a claw around his neck and raised the guard's neck. A smile formed on his face as a sickening snap! filled the air. “A hero. No, make that a legend.” Pharynx observed his new form as he took on the guard’s appearance, and then picked up the guard’s dog-tags up off the floor and read them. Toren huh? So that was his new name, at least for the time being. Poor bastard should've asked for a better one. Pharynx took a deep breath, observing the grandiose sights that surrounded him. “It'll almost be a shame to bring oblivion onto this place when my fellow hive members come raining down and the Queen marches in and demolishes the Royal Sisters’ thrones,” he thought to himself. “Gah, I shouldn't think such things. I sound like my brother.” “Sir!” Pharynx rolled his eyes and turned around, saluting the petrified guard that galloped up to him. “S-sir! I heard something and got here as fast as I could!” The guard took several deep breaths, wiping sweat away from his brow. “What was the disturbance?” Pharynx blinked. “Nothing. You were hearing things.” “Surely that wasn't the case!” the guard protested. “I saw a figure lunge out of a corner! I got my eyes checked yesterday and the doctor said I have perfect vision.” “Hindsight is 20/20. He's lying. It’s absolute nonsense if you ask me, and I personally think you’re getting paranoid,” Pharynx remarked. “Celestia and Shining have got the entire city on lockdown for a reason, might be starting to get to you, Make you start to see things that aren’t there.” he shrugged. “M-maybe you're right,” The guard let out a shaky sigh. “Mind if I patrol with you?” “No,” Pharynx grunted as turned his back to the guard. “Get back to your post before I give you an actual reason to question your eyesight.” He levitated his spear over to the guard's eye, a hair's length from it. The guard nodded, before walking off. Pharynx sighed as he leaned up against the wall, it was going to be a long infiltration… Back in the present time, on Zigama, the now Changeling King found himself infiltrating yet another type of fortress using the form of a rat to crawl through the maze of air ducts to find Gamettsui’s office. “Really, I’m pretty much anything from subtle and yet I have to be the one to infiltrate this guy’s ship?” Pharynx thought to himself. “Suppose if you think of a stupid plan, I suppose you’re the poor bastard who gets to carry it out. Lucky me. Lucky me…” All the same, eventually Pharynx found himself above Gamettsui’s office and kicked open the grating noticing the convenient absence of Gamettsui himself. Mind you, Baroness Manx was still there, and still chained to Gamettsui’s throne. Manx’s eyes narrowed in on Pharynx and she thought to herself: “Thank the Maker… She’s heard my prayers, finally… something to eat that isn’t that slop that lizard dares to call food!” Pharynx, noting the predatory look in the Baroness’s eyes quickly changed forms back to his default state. Manx tried to let out a yelp, but Pharynx quickly planted a claw over her mouth to silence her. “Shh…” he hissed out. “Don’t know when Gamettsui is coming back, could be any second now. Don’t worry, I’m getting you out of here,” Pharynx stated in a reassuring manner, noting how frighteningly thin Manx actually was. If one looked close enough, you could actually see her ribs. Pharynx let out a growl unknowingly startling Manx and making her eyes widen in fear. Gamettsui had been starving her. No wonder she looked so desperate to eat him. Mind you, he probably would have made a good meal but still... “But you need to stay quiet as you can, okay?” Pharynx requested, and Manx let out a small whimper as Pharynx sliced the chains apart with his scythe. “Who… who are you?” Manx asked in fear. “No, what are you?” “I’ll explain later,” Pharynx replied, his eyes darting from right to left in search of a fast exit in case Gamettsui decided to return at that very moment. “Right now, we’re leaving. Can you stand?” “Just… Just barely.” Manx whispered, and Pharynx nodded before attempting to help her up only for his arms to get swatted away with one paw leaving a deep gouge mark in his chitlin. “Don’t touch me, p-please… Just don’t…” she whispered fearfully, and Pharynx gauged her reactions. His eyes widened as a very disturbing and moreover very disgusting possibility came to mind. “No, he wouldn’t have…” Pharynx thought to himself as his breath caught in his throat before his eyes narrowed. “No, he would have.” he thought before he suddenly felt sick to his stomach, realizing what he must have come across as when he clamped his claw over Manx’s mouth. Lurching back with an expression of self-disgust, Pharynx whispered: “T-That bastard, that monster. He raped her. He raped her…” before he let out a roar of rage and smashed a vase with a fist. Manx flinched and curled herself up into a ball going into a terrified silence. Pharynx looked disgusted with himself once more before he knelt down to her level. “Okay, I’m not going to hurt you. Gamettsui, he’s a different story, but I shall not hurt you. I’m going to get you out of her, and then I’ll kill Gamettsui along the way if he’s ever unlucky enough to stand face-to-face with me. Tell me, how long did he…?” Pharynx asked, his tone showing a rare gentleness. “F-Five… Five days. Five days!” she sobbed, before Pharynx pulled her into a hug and let her cry, stroking her fur softly. Then, a very distinctive laughter reached both of their ears as Pharynx whirled around to see Gamettsui laughing his ass off, clutching his rather rotund belly. Manx shrank into herself in fear. “Oh, she was a delicious prize…” Gamettsui remarked, licking his lips and Pharynx let out an unearthly snarl as he reached for his Kyutama before deciding against that. “No, you don’t deserve the honor of a morphed defeat. You’re just trash, lower than that actually. All you deserve is just a beat-down from your King, plain and simple. Quick and brutal.” Pharynx decided as he grabbed Gamettsui by the stomach with his antlers, raised him above his head and slammed the Magistrate into the solid metal floor several times leaving a small crater. But Pharynx wasn’t done yet, as he then grabbed Gamettsui by the throat and hurled him into a wall. By now, the Dark Matter creature was bleeding considerably. Pharynx snorted in disgust, that was enough for now. “Be glad I was feeling merciful today…” Pharynx snarled ripping the Eye of Bastet off Gamettsui, before he looked at Manx and handed it back to her. “I believe this is yours, my lady. Come on, we’re taking our leave.” “Y-Yes,” Manx whispered. “And thank you. I never asked your name though, did I?” “No, I suppose not. It’s King Pharynx of the Planet Equus, and member of the Space Squadron Kyurangers.” “S-Space Squadron?” Manx asked, her eyes widened in shock having heard a raging Gamettsui screaming his vengeance towards them for destroying Lupus and his fleet. It was then he’d… Manx bit back some bile as she remembered what happened next. She sniffled, and Pharynx laid a hand on her shoulder gently. “It’s okay, if he’s smart he won’t ever touch a woman again. And it’s Ophiuchus Silver, in case you were wondering. Now, as I said, let’s get out of here.” Manx nodded, without saying a word before the two ran out of the office eventually reaching the battle site down below. “Stay here,” Pharynx told Manx, who nodded once more as Pharynx raced out to the battlefield, morphed and threw a flying side kick into the Scorpius Drone’s chest making it fly backward. He turned to Stripped whom the Drone had savagely been striking at with a bitter fury, and helped the pony up. “Sorry I took so long, had some garbage to deal with. Now, let’s finish this.” “Right!” Stripped nodded as he, the Doctor and Pharynx all aimed their Kyuchangers at the remaining foot soldiers and fired an All-Star Crash at them destroying them in a rather large fireball. “Oh, that never gets old!” Stripped laughed before a still bleeding Gamettsui staggered onto the battlefield and Pharynx let out a growl. “So, you’re still alive?” he snarled. “Allow me to rectify that mistake!” But the Changeling King was in for a surprise as Gamettsui injected something into his forearm and before anyone knew what was happening the Magistrate was a truly colossal size. “Bow your heads!” Gamettsui proclaimed as he loomed over the group. “What the fuck…?” Pharynx asked as the Doctor rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Ah yes… I may have forgotten to mention this, but all of Dark Matter’s commanders carry on them a syringe of that stuff. Genetically engineered Megabeast DNA, makes them… well, do that.” he admitted. “And you couldn’t have mentioned this earlier?” Pharynx muttered to himself before Gamettsui was bombarded by blasts from the Cerberus and Eagle Voyagers. “Well, what are you three waiting for?” Jabari asked. “Come on, big or not he’s still just a member of Dark Matter who’ll fall like all the rest!” Teleporting inside their Voyagers, parts shifted and moved into place as the Libra and Ophiuchus Voyagers became legs, with the Eagle and Swordfish Voyagers moving into place as the Shooting Star Megazord’s arms. “No, this won’t do,” Pharynx stated. “Commander Flashfire, permission to switch spots with Jabari?” “Permission granted, but why…?” “Let’s just say I want to finish this one off personally.” Pharynx snarled, in a tone of complete and utter rage that frightened anyone who heard it. Jabari quickly took the message and shifted spots with Pharynx; the Eagle Voyager becoming the left leg, and the Ophiuchus Voyager became the right arm. “Alright you bastard,” Pharynx snarled as he slammed the Hydrus Kyutama into a slot on his console. “This is your judgment.” The Ophiuchus Voyager’s jaw opened and unleashed a flurry of snake heads made of green energy. Eight in total, each biting and snapping at their opponent making him stagger back before a massive ball of orange energy was charged up and fired blowing a massive hole in Gamettsui’s chest, before the Magistrate exploded. As Flashfire stated his usual taking back the universe quote, Pharynx sighed and slumped back in his chair. Justice was served. Back aboard the Shining Armor, even as repairs were conducted by a thankful populace Pharynx watched over Manx, who was being checked over by one of the ship’s medics. As he watched the medic patch Manx’s wounds, with the maroon-furred felid long have been given more flattering and suitable attire, Pharynx’s fists clenched. “It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone. You can get knocked down, and it hurts and it leaves scars. But if you're a leader, the people you've counted on will help you up. And if you're a leader, the people who count on you need you on your feet. And her subjects will need her.” he thought thinking not just of her, but his own mental scars. “I swear to protect her, with my life if need be. That is my duty as King of the Changelings, to protect my subjects. She may not be a Changeling, but she displayed extraordinary courage in the face of that monster and I would gladly call her one of my own hive.” Part 13: Hope Springs Eternal Part 1: Noblesse ObligeSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Part 14: Hope Springs Eternal Part 2: Fighting SpiritThe Shining Armor: “Okay, we’re now hovering over the planet Argos. Not to be confused with the constellation,” the Doctor stated, as he brought up a viewscreen. He, along with the rest of the Paladins were in the Shining Armor’s conference room currently looking at a mostly desert planet, with small patches of heavily industrialized cities here and there. “It’s hot, dry, and mostly what you’d call Hell outside the city walls. The citizens, they use Geothermal power to get by, and draw their water from the soil and conserve it in huge water tanks for when it’s needed,” the Doctor explained. “It’s quite ingenious really. Just over a thousand years ago, they were barely scrubbing to get by with their day to day life and now look at them! Oh, I love it when civilizations rise up, and surpass their limits and go beyond what’s said to be supposedly impossible!” he chorused, throwing his hands up in the air in excitement. Nobody else seemed to particularly share his excitement, and in fact were actually all staring at the Time Lord and Gold Ranger with expressions of boredom and annoyance. “Can you just get on with it Doctor?” Stardust asked. “Just tell me, is this the last planet we need to free in this system? The last planet with a local Magistrate lording over it?” “Yeah, should be…” the Doctor murmured as he rubbed his chin with one of his hands in thought. “Unless I missed one. But that’s eh, let’s say highly doubtful and get on with things shall we?” he asked, clapping his hands together. “Okay, Magistrate. Denvil. A few of you, me amongst you have met him before, back on the Baroness Manx’s planet. Slender, long neck? Conjuring up a picture in my mind for you all?” “Yeah, I remember him,” Stripped muttered. “Setting that pet Scorpion Drone of his on me. Nearly sliced me to ribbons with those arm blades it has had Pharynx not shown up when he did.” Pharynx chuckled. “It’s what I do, really… Pleasure saving your ass, by the way. Really, you belong behind a desk, not in the field sorry to say.” he remarked with a small smirk. Stripped snarled, and rose up out of his chair with a growl. “Why I oughta…” “Easy boys, you can settle your little pissing match later, maybe kiss and make up?” the Doctor told them firmly, with just a hint of a teasing note in his voice. “ME? KISS HIM!?!” Pharynx and Stripped shouted at each other, pointing at one another as well. “NO WAY IN HELL! YOU MUST BE OUT OF YOUR MIND!” they shouted in unison. “Aw, already speaking in unison, do I hear wedding bells on the horizon?” the Doctor teased, with Stardust joining in. “Stripped and Pharynx, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!” Stardust singsonged. “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the little unicorns and changelings in the baby carriages!” “He’s such a child.” Flurry thought to herself, facepalming even as the Doctor and Prince Stardust laughed their asses off. “SHUT UP!” both Stripped and Pharynx shouted at the two. This only encouraged the Doctor more, and he turned his Sonic over to a nearby speaker making it play a snippet of one cheesy as hell love ballad. “Lying close to you feeling your heart beating And I'm wondering what you're dreaming Wondering if it's me you're seeing Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together And I just wanna stay with you In this moment forever, forever and ever…” Pharynx let out a hiss, his tongue flicking back and forth as he seemed to contemplate how best to murder the Doctor. “Well, you know what they say, denial isn’t just a river in Baladi…” Stardust joined in. “Seriously, you and Stripped? Just start snogging the living daylights out of each other already!” “Children, I work with such children!” Flurry mentally screamed. “...They are so in love with each other…” Fågel commented as she looked at the now furious Pharynx and Stripped, before leaning in and whispering to her half-brother. “Seriously, they are. Tell me, are they not kæri bróðir minn?” Coldcast chuckled to himself, and passed a bag of bits to her underneath the table before his expression turned more serious. He sighed. “Can we go back to an older subject, something that’s been on my mind as of late?” “Sure, can do. I suppose we can, what’s your troubles? You need a Doctor?” the Doctor asked. “Cause if so… There’s one right here…” “Shut up…” Coldcast muttered. “It’s… Well, no reason to beat around the bush about it really. It’s the Baroness Manx. I’m just worried about her, how she’s holding up after being... “ he had practically force the next few words out of his mouth. “Raped.” Everyone in the room now wore a grim expression. “Best as to be expected one supposes,” Spada muttered to himself, shaking his head sadly. “I mean, she’s not breaking down into tears or anything like that, she’s a strong woman or cat rather but I do notice she shies away from every male on the ship except possibly that Syrian named Garu and Pharynx here. Her knight in shining chitlin I suppose you could put it.” “I’d rather not be treated as some sort of hero for doing what I did,” Pharynx remarked, with a small sigh. “I was just stopping a monster from treating a woman as his plaything. Nothing more, nothing less.” “And I’m glad you did,” Flashfire stated, laying a hand on the Changeling King’s shoulders, Pharynx’s wings buzzing slightly. “Merci beaucoup for that. I mean it. Seriously thank you so much for what you did. Much as I hate to think of it, most creatures probably wouldn’t have been so kind. Sure, they might have rescued Manx and slaughtered that bâtard for what he did, but keeping an eye on her like I know you are? That’s just going above and beyond really.” “She’s not even your species, you barely know her. Just why do you care so much?” Pharynx asked in that gruff tone of his. “Do I need a reason to?” Flashfire asked, though Pharynx being so good with emotions as he was, knew he was probably hiding something. Stripped, having known his friend for so long knew the same thing as well. But both also knew pressing Flashfire, at least for the moment would do them no good. “No, I guess not. You do have every right to be concerned, one supposes. It’s in your nature, you’re just that kind,” Pharynx admitted. “Surprised you didn’t sign up to be ship’s counselor really.” He remarked. “Eh, just not me. I like to be in the middle of things, and I’ve always loved the stars,” Flashfire said in reply. “Sitting behind a desk even if it was to help others work out their issues just wouldn’t feel right for me. Maybe someday, when Dark Matter’s defeated and we have a new home I’ll consider it but for now…?” “Getting back on topic,” Pharynx continued. “If I could, or rather if Manx would allow it I’d probably take you with me. Might help with the healing process. Who knows? It’ll be a long road ahead, for both of us but a King must be prepared for any task no matter how difficult.” he stated, getting up from his chair and walking out of the room. “Who died and anointed him King of the Changelings anyways?” Stardust asked in confusion, and Spada leaned over to whisper to him. “Well,” the yellow drone replied. “Technically his brother was royalty so that meant if Thorax were to die -and he did- he’d be next in line for the throne.” “....I thought Pharynx was his older brother?” Stardust remarked. “True yes,” Spada confirmed. “But Thorax was the one who became king so that put Pharynx second in line by default. And as we haven’t had a true king for years, not since at least the sun went supernova I suppose Pharynx’s natural genetics took over. See, and I don’t know how to explain it properly as I don’t entirely understand it myself but when a hive senses it has no true ruler it appoints one at random. But when someone with royal blood running through their veins comes along, like say Pharynx who was technically a prince in a way they would get nominated.” Spada explained to Stardust, who only nodded along. “So, Denvil. What are we to expect from this guy?” Stardust asked, absentmindedly fiddling with the sculpted dragon’s head on the top of his cane. “Oh boy, this guy is everything I’m not,” the Doctor replied, sucking in a breath and pointing to the hologram of Denvil with a pointer stick. “Authoritarian, with a real penchant for loving the rules to a ridiculous degree. Makes everyone under his control do unbearably hard tasks, and should they fall from exhaustion -and they generally do- he whips them and orders them to get back up. He drives people to the point of exhaustion, that’s how he subjugates his planets.” “Well, nothing for it then,” Stardust replied as he got up out of his chair rising to his full height and his horn began to crackle with magical energy as he gripped the head of his cane. “Time to take this planet back. I’m leading the away team. Spada, Fågel! You’re with me. Space Squadron Zyuranger, move out!” he proclaimed, raising his cane skywards. “It’s Kyuranger, get it right!” Spada shouted, smacking him upside the head. “...What, I’m not allowed to get creative? Plus, there are ten of us now…” Stardust trailed off. “Mio Dio…” Spada muttered, rubbing his forehead in pain with a claw. Meanwhile, as the Voyagers were prepped for launch Pharynx made his way to Manx’s quarters. They were generally a calming place to be really. However, because of Manx’s rather traumatic experiences, Flashfire had personally requested that hers were even more calming than the norm. It was filled with mostly light colors like mild whites and greens along with a piano with plush cushions on every chair, and while it had a massive window that looked out into space that could be changed with the push of a button to a jungle landscape or a flowery field. At Manx’s request, some of her items that had been recovered from her office back on Zigama had been placed in her room. Ancient tribal stuff, like old shields and hand-woven tapestries depicting intricate yet beautiful patterns now hung from the walls. Manx just thanked her god that Gamettsui had been too stupid as to recognize their value. Manx, fiddling with some beads her great-grandmother had given to her back when she was just a young kitten looked up when she heard a soft knocking at her door. For a moment, she flinched and flashbacked… “Oh Manxy…” Gamettsui’s voice called as he knocked on her office door, with Manx trying to scurry away to the most out of the way place possible so he couldn’t possibly find her. “Can’t a little kitten come out to play with his master? It’s not nice for pets to disobey orders!” he laughed. She shuddered, forcing the bile down her throat and reminding herself that Gamettsui was long dead now, slaughtered by Pharynx. “C-come in.” she whispered, and with a small hissing sound the door opened and Pharynx stepped inside. Pressing a button on the side of a nearby wall, the viewscreen depicting the imagery of the stars outside the ship changed to that of a calming jungle pool, with a waterfall in the background and various animals like a cheetah and a leopard drinking out of it. Soft tribal music played in the background, complete with native chanting. Manx pulled a leopard printed blanket over herself. Even though she was far from what you could call immodest at the moment, it was still a force of habit. She’d worn that slave outfit for what felt like an eternity it was now almost second nature to her to cover herself. She heard the sound of what resembled an energy blast fired from a gun and then a distinct thud, followed by two more similar sounds. “What was…?” she asked. “The Draco, Chameleon and Bull Voyagers launching via a sorta catapult system. We’re about to start work on freeing Argos from Dark Matter’s control,” Pharynx answered. “But enough about that. Are you alright? Do you need a glass of water or anything? I’m sure I can replic-” he started off, sitting down beside her on the couch. “NO!” Manx shouted suddenly, before she sighed. “No, I’m fine. I don’t like to be coddled, treated like someone who’s about to break any second now. Yes, I know what happened to me, but I don’t want to be treated like some sort of fragile piece of glass.” “What happened to you was horrible, no denying that,” Pharynx replied softly, surprising even himself with the gentleness in his tone. It was something he didn’t even he knew he possessed. Then again, maybe for the most part he never had a reason to be gentle with anyone. It was always the rough tough, bruiser Changeling Captain of the Guard everybody wanted or expected of him so that was what they always got. “It was something nobody should have to go through, and I’m not trying to treat you as this fragile piece of glass. I’m here to simply talk with you, that’s all. Try to help you move on, that’s all.” “I have moved on, it’s over and done with. Understand?” Manx stated firmly in a tone that left no room for argument. Or well, it would have had Pharynx not been in the room with her. “I’d say you haven’t,” Pharynx replied. “After all, don’t think I didn’t notice the brief moment of hesitation before you allowed me to enter, and don’t think I’m blind to not see you covering yourself up with that blanket when it’s anything but cold in here. Look, I’m going to be brutally blunt with you,” Pharynx stated, his veins flashing a brief orange color. “Brutally honest. You haven’t moved on. You’ve most likely got PTSD, amongst other things and maybe you never will fully move on from this, but I can help you through it. And… And I’m not the only one.” “What, you’re not the only one who knows someone who’s been violated?” Manx asked, blinking in surprise. “Maybe, maybe not. I have my suspicions that someone does know, although I won’t voice them just yet. But a lot of the Equus residents, they’ve gone through some sort of traumatic event. Losing your home to ice will do that to you. You could talk to Coldcast, kid’s had it rough from what I understand. Grew up in the system, Hive Mother knows what only happened to him there. Or when Fågel or Stardust get back from freeing Argos, talk to them. Fågel, she was a wanted criminal for a time. Stardust, had to know his relatives died trying to save their world. Point is, a lot of us are broken in some form or the other. Flashfire, he mentioned to me a few days ago about starting this support group, let everyone get their feelings out in the open.” “He’s… He’s a kind one, and I do admire what he’s trying to do, but I think being raped is something entirely different from watching your parents die or being a wanted parrot.” Manx replied. “Perhaps. Perhaps not, I’m just trying to help you here. I just wanted to make sure you understood that. We’re all just looking out for you here, even your own people. Garu, he’s stayed aboard the ship and even become a member of the crew just because of how concerned he is about you. I have to admire his loyalty. If the Element of Loyalty wasn’t already spoken for by Coldcast, I’d honestly vouch for Garu there using it.” “R-Really? He actually went that far for me?” Manx asked in surprised. “He actually switched from the crews of my planet’s flagship to your colony ship?” “Yes, and it’s all just because he knows you need the support of your people right now and he said, and I quote: “I’ll be damned if I don’t give it, grr!” Pharynx stated, morphing with a green flash of fire into an exact replica of Garu, fur and all. To the Changeling King’s surprise, Manx actually laughed at this. “Good impression, though I think you need to work on just toning down that aggressiveness in your voice a little bit if you want to completely fool people. Also, stop standing like a king all regal and such. Garu never does that,” Manx criticized. “Completely ruins the whole bit, really,” she stated, as Pharynx transformed back. “B-But… I-I am a king… King Pharynx, of the Changeling Hive! My aggressive tone is to intimidate enemies!” he stated in annoyance, though inwardly he was smiling. At least he’d gotten Manx to open up a little bit, which was the entire goal. And she was smiling and laughing now which was even better. Thorax was probably rolling in his grave laughing his ass off out of how much of a fool his big brother was being made to look but he’d punch him the face when he died to remind him. “You’re adorable, you know that?” Manx smiled. “Seriously, I can see why I keep hearing rumors of both you and Stripped being… ‘shipped’ is it? You two do share similar qualities, you’re always so serious half the time.” “Bah! Me and him, dating? What a ridiculous comparison! We are nothing alike!” Pharynx muttered, as he crossed his arms and huffed. “Yeah, this is going to be a thing now isn’t it? Yep, it definitely is…” he thought to himself. “Also, you do realize ‘pharynx’ refers to the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity and above the oesophagus and larynx right? Not a very intimidating name when you think on it.” “Q-Queen Chrysalis was running out of names that day!” Pharynx stuttered out. “I swear she named a changeling Bob eventually!” Manx just laughed her ass off. The planet Argos: Planetside, the three Kyurangers had found themselves in the midst of yet another towering city, a dome of energy high above them to keep the hot sun from beating down on them. The streets were eerily quiet, really. Almost reminded Stardust of a ghost town, the Prince thought to himself as a sheet of paper blew by. “...Okay then, monster. How hard can it be to find a monster?” Stardust asked, more than a little unnerved. Both Fågel and Spada kept their gauntlets primed, and at the ready aiming them into the alleys to blast any potential Invaders or Strongindavers who decided to pop out of the woodworks. “Maður, mér líkar þetta ekki... Ekki einn hluti. Bara ekki einn hluti.” Fågel murmured nervously in her native language. It still bewildered every one of the Paladins on how an Icelandic parrot could be a half-brother to an Azteca-speaking griffon. “Bara rólegur, bara of fjandinn rólegur.” “Hmm,” Stardust agreed with a nod of his head. Truth be told, Fågel was far from pleased to work with the pony who put her in prison and kept her from her only remaining family but for the sake of the mission she’d just grin and bear it. Then, a scream pierced the air, and everyone’s hair or feathers stood on end. “What was that?” Spada asked. “Please tell me that was just the wind.” “Hálfviti,” Fågel admonished. “Since when is it ever ‘just the wind’?” she asked in a deadpan tone, giving the changeling a flat look. “Good point,” Spada agreed, and he heard another sound, this time a pained groan. Training his ears in the direction of the sound, he gestured to them to follow. Placing a Kyutama into his gauntlet, he suddenly had a dog’s nose and began sniffing the air, and it wrinkled as his nose picked up the very distinct odor of fresh blood. The power of Canes Venatici, the Hound. “Molto bene! This way, amici!” he shouted running down an alleyway his Kyuchanger at the ready just in case they ran into trouble. What he found, was an alien -resembling one of the Grays- nearly half whipped to death and looking completely starved. “Fågel, tend to his wounds! Quickly! Velocemente ora!” Spada barked with an increased sense of urgency before placing another Kyutama into his Kyuchanger and summoning a fish out of mid-air before cutting it up into little bitty pieces with his Astral Rapier. As Fågel quickly began bandaging up the alien's back and applying salves to help along with the healing process, Spada gave a little bit of the fish to the alien. “Here, eat this. Get some of your strength back. Take your time. We can wait,” the changeling said, sitting himself atop some nearby crates. “What happened?” Stardust asked. “C’mon, you can tell us,” he stated gently. “Cosa, sei pazzo?” Spada shouted angrily at the Prince, with Fågel giving him a particularly dirty look as well. “We don’t know if this guy’s going to live or not and you want to ask him questions?” “Look, like it or not, we need to know happened. What’s going on around here, that sorta thing,” Stardust said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “More information we get, the better chance we have on stopping Denvil.” “Fottuto bastardo…” Spada mentally growled to himself, his tongue flicking back and forth out of his mouth in his anger. Right now, he so desired to mess up the Prince’s pretty boy face and good. “No… No, it’s alright,” the alien started, grunting out in pain as he did so. “Name’s Kalternecker, that’s what they call me,” he said, visibly straining himself to speak. “Denvil, he did this to me. When I wouldn’t do his ‘dance lessons’ along with the rest of his troupe. Tried to run, but he whipped me good and so that’s why you found me as you did.” Spada let out another hiss of anger, and clenched his fists, his claws digging into his chitlin and drawing blood. “Don’t worry, we’ll stop him. You, you just rest easy now understand?” he asked, placing the Aries Kyutama into his Kyuchanger and firing it, knocking out Kalternecker and sending him into dreamland. He then opened up a comm channel to the Shining Armor. “Okay, Spada here. Got someone coming up to sickbay, prep a medpod. Severe burn wounds from an energy whip, signs of exhaustion and starvation as well.” he informed as Fågel summoned her Bull Voyager, and placed Kalternecker inside it before the Bull rocketed up back up to the ship. The energy dome above the city parted briefly, creating a small hole for the ship to enter though before it re-sealed itself. “You do realize that leaves us without a limb to form a complete Megazord right?” Spada asked. “Just wanted to point that out.” “I’ve got Pharynx on standby,” Fågel replied. “He’ll be ready to assist when needed.” “Okay, nice to know. That Ophiuchus Voyager of his, it should come in handy,” Spada nodded in reply, before he made another hiss of anger. “Right now though, let’s find Denvil. He’s got a few crimes to answer for. Bastardo’s got a lot of pain coming his way, and I’ll be damned if I don’t get to dish out a bit of that main course of it!” “Guess that means I’ll be the second helping then, and Stardust the just desserts right?” Fågel chuckled darkly, and Spada nodded before once more drawing on the powers of Canes Venatici to hopefully sniff out the Magistrate. Sadly, this was only going to end in failure as there were too many scents in the city for even the powers of the Bloodhound constellation to find just one guy. He needed the scent of Denvil beforehand to work with it, to find him. He was like Trusty from the movie Lady and the Tramp in a way while using the Canes Venatici powers. The powers of Canes Venatici’s sniffing abilities were simply too acute to concentrate on one scent at a time. So, when that failed, Spada opted out for an even possibly weirder ability. The powers of Camelopardalis. This Kyutama allowed him to stretch his neck to a ludicrous degree, and allow him to see all over the city, and the Changeling’s sharp eyes pinpointed a crowd led by a long-necked alien in a nearby square. “Got him,” Spada smirked triumphantly before grimacing. “Man, he’s even uglier in person, gotta say…” “Well, you know the way, so…” Stardust commented, and Spada nodded after disengaging the Camelopardalis powers before unfurling his wings and flying off. Soon, he and his two fellow Rangers found themselves in the middle of that very same city square where as Spada had seen, Denvil was cracking his whip and ordering everyone to go through some monotonous dance routines to the Oompa sound of a tuba. Behind him and his dancing troupe, were twin banners. They both were mostly white, depicting the logo of Dark Matter, which was two massive black claws grasping a galaxy in their clutches. “Man, those dance moves, and that music. They fail to get the beat of my burnin’ heart pumpin’!” Stardust stated, pointing the tip of his cane at Denvil. He was a long-necked creature, with two small bat-like wings, a massive forehead, and two very large ears. “Think it’s time we change your tune, eh?” “W-What? K-Kyurangers?” Denvil stammered out, staggering backwards in shock upon recognizing their uniforms and equipment. “It’s Zyurangers now, but whatevs,” Stardust replied with a shrug of his shoulders before placing his Draco Kyutama into the dragon head at the top of his cane. “Guess that means it’s showtime I suppose.” “Say the Change!” the cane sung as Stardust opened the head up, before biting it down on the Kyutama. “Draco~!” the Prince proclaimed, before raising the cane high and then slamming it back down. “Star Change, Eye of the Dragon!” “...Kyurangers, and that’s the end of it,” Fågel muttered before she and Spada pulled out their own Kyutamas and slammed them into their Kyuchangers. “Say the Change!” their gauntlets requested, and the two were only far too happy to comply and reply to that. “Chameleon!”/“Taurus!”they shouted in unison before proclaiming “Star Change!” A purple circle of runes came down and covered Stardust transforming him into his costume while the constellations of the Chameleon and Taurus appeared infront ofFågel and Spada and lit up before they gained their uniforms as well. “The Dragon Ma-Star, Draco Purple!” “The Shinobi Star, Chameleon Green!” “The Armored Star, Taurus Black!” Fågel shouted. “Three stars shining in the heavens, Space Squadron Kyuranger!” Denvil cracked his whip, and shouted: “Invaders, get them!” Soon, the whole square erupted into chaos and discord as both Invaders and Strongindavers sprung out of seemingly everywhere. Some attacked and barraged the Kyurangers, while others began rounding up the rapidly scattering citizens. “So, you like a bit of order in your life do you?” Stardust asked, using his cane as a sniper rifle and shooting Invaders in the head, before doing a spinning flip in mid-air and striking down a Strongindaver with a headshot. “Well, I say we spice things up a bit with a little bit of chaos!” He snapped his fingers, and while his horn glowed it wasn’t a particularly prominent glow as it should have been. Nevertheless, broiling angry storm clouds appeared above them and began summoning bolts of lightning taking out footsoldiers. Under her helmet, Fågel’s eyes narrowed. That was odd, very odd indeed. But she put her thoughts aside as more foot soldiers filled the square to take the place of their fallen comrades. “Okay, this is getting out of hand here!” Spada shouted, even as he used his rapier’s blade to take out a few Invaders at a time with parry and then riposte movements or simple quick thrusts and jabs of the blade. “I mean, this is crazy! Need some breathing room here!” “Providing.” Fågel stated, before bringing out the Skill version of the Taurus Kyutama and summoning a hard light projection of her Voyager that if you excuse the pun, bulldozed down a group of Strongindavers. She then slammed her fists into the cobblestoned ground below her, sending a bunch of foot soldiers flying skywards before she used her personal Impact and sent out arcs of energy slicing the soldiers apart. Laser fire was sent her way as punishment and she threw up a shield using the Scutum Kyutama to block it, but eventually, the Strongindavers joined in as well and fired blasts of pure plasma balls from their bazooka staffs and shattered the shield like glass. “Oh no, you don’t! Nobody lays a hand on my subjects!” Prince Stardust shouted as the Strongindavers advanced upon the now fallen Fågel chuckling darkly. Creating a ball of energy in his hands, he soon formed it into a towering whirlwind of purple energy and sent it their way. “Just because you’re not dragons, doesn’t mean you can’t fly in style! Courtesy of Stardust Airways!” he laughed as the Strongindavers and their Invader cohorts hit ground groaning out in pain. Roaring out in rage, Denvil leaped towards him a sword at the ready and the two clashed blades briefly, metal singing out as sparks flew before Denvil kicked the so-called “Dragon Ma-Star’ backwards with a strike to the stomach making him stagger. “That’s what you get for disrupting the order and harmony of my planet!” Denvil cackled, before lashing out with his whip striking Stardust several times and the Alicorn screamed out in pain with every scorching strike. Sadly, while Stardust definitely had the combat power to keep up with a lot of major enemies, he didn’t have the fighting experience due to him not going out in the field much. This was the simple reason why he was losing, badly. Eventually, with a cry of “Prince!” Spada leaped into view and let the whip wrap around his rapier blade before pulling the whip from Denvil’s grasp. “How’s that for harmony Denvil? Two teammates, watching each other’s backs!” Spada proclaimed, his earlier rage and fury towards the Prince forgotten. “You alright?” he asked Stardust, whose costume was smoking a bit. Stardust nodded. “I’ll live. Him, on the other hoof…” “Well, I must admit to the elaborate coordination between you two…” Denvil mused. “But sadly, your harmony won’t be enough to match this one…” he smirked, before snapping his fingers and a Deathworm erupted from the ground below the Rangers, who braced themselves for one Hell of a fight… “Today just isn’t our day, is it?” Stardust asked himself. Hearing all of this, no thanks to the Dark Matter satellite Stripped Gear had hijacked was Pharynx and Baroness Manx. They’d brought up the battle on the viewscreen, and were bearing witness to the Deathworm kicking the asses of all three of their fellow crew members. “Goddess…” Manx whispered before her eyes narrowed. “There’s got to be something we can do. Does this ship have orbital bombardment capabilities?” she asked, turning to Stripped Gear. “Well, does it?” she asked urgently, the Baroness side of her on full display for the first time. Pharynx felt a little turned on by it actually. Just a little. “A-Are you crazy?” Stripped sputtered out. “Even if it did, and because this is a colony ship it doesn’t, getting a precise lock and not hitting any of my fellow Rangers would be next to impossible!” “Guess that settles it, prep my Voyager,” Pharynx stated. “I’m going down there. A King always protects his subjects.” “Getting the dynotherms underway, prepping megathusters.” Stripped nodded. “Everything’s ready to go.” “Right then. Star Change, Ophiuchus!” he called slamming his Kyutama into his gauntlet and morphing. “Well, I’m not going to sit around here being useless either,” Manx replied as she changed the viewscreen to inside the factories of Argos, where a despondent populace was mining precious ores deep within inside their planet while a watchful Denvil stood on a catwalk whip at the ready. “That man… that devil. He reminds me far too much of my own Master. He tore that race’s hope away from them, and now I’m going to help them take it back,” Manx stated, before whipping her head around to face Jabari who had been watching this whole thing anxiously. In the background, the sound of a distant thud and a laser sound going off was heard as the Ophiuchus Voyager was fired out of the hanger bay. “Jabari, you play the violin right? You know someone who can sing?” “Y-Yeah, I do. Crescendo, a member of the Siren race. B-But why?” “In my culture, long before we were an industrialized civilization music always helped to lift our spirits. Hell, it still does even when Gamettsui enslaved us. Take me to her, we’re about to lift some spirits. Stripped, prep that satellite. Get it broadcasting on all frequencies.” “Just give me the beat and I’ll have it shouting.” Stripped stated even as Manx and Jabari ran off with Jabari summoning his violin and bow from his room with a flash of magic. “Crescendo, are you ready to do what you do best?” Jabari asked as they entered the pool room, with the siren nodding. Jabari smiled and looked towards Manx as he began to play a tune. Soft, but sweet. But more to the point, hopeful. “People of Argos,” Manx stated, with the satellite broadcasting every word she had to say, along with the music Jabari was playing and Crescendo was humming. “You’ve had your hope stricken from you, ripped from your very beings! I, Baroness Harx Manx know what that’s like as well. My people, they were defiled. Now you are suffering under a cruel master, just like my people were. But no more, rise up! Rise up, and take arms!” “Someday you’ll notice – I pray that you’ll realize These wings on your back aren’t a dream At last, you’ll have all you need to escape to The world where you’ll finally be free “This was all a Cruel Angel’s Thesis from the start Brought to life, out window now it’s taking flight Scorching pathos if you betray your memory Follow this deviant-divine philosophy!” Crescendo sang loud and clear, Jabari’s strings singing a song of hope, and of prayer and as if spurred on by this both the people of Argos and the Rangers themselves seemed to regain their fighting spirit. One powerful slash to the deathworm’s chest by Fågel and her Astral Axe finished the job. Meanwhile, the people in Argo’s mines and factories took up various improvised weapons and charged the very stunned Denvil who was quickly taken out by this onslaught. “With grace, and in my embrace You fall deep into sleep, so tempted to stay In the morning that falls, You alone will be called By message from the realm of dreams… “These group activities... Are hard to do!” Denvil proclaimed as his final words before he went up in a fireball of an explosion. “Shining more than these stars that bathe the galaxy Go forth, young boy, and you’ll become a legend!” Of course, that wasn’t the end of things. It never would be as Denvil had a little mutation in his DNA, one that allowed him to grow giant-sized whenever he lost enough blood or his heart stopped beating. Both of which had happened in the past few moments. Flying in his Voyager’s Mecha mode, Pharynx Rider-kicked the local Moraimarz destroying it before he linked up with a now rapidly forming Dragon Knight Megazord. Stardust had already leaped into his cockpit and pressed the transformation button, with the massive Asian style Dragon beginning to shift and change. The head armor detached and the entire mech folded down in the center to become a pair of legs and a torso, with the head and tail becoming feet. A red visored head popped up, and the Kabuto grafted itself on top with the Ophiuchus and Chameleon Voyagers forming arms. “Like a Dragon, but with style! So, you want a game with continues?” Stardust remarked, before taunting. “Sorry, not in this game of life! Here, you don’t get any!” Both Spada and Pharynx nodded, before Spada pressed a button on his console and a long whip-like tongue shot out and grabbed Denvil, wrapping itself around him tightly. “Consider this payback for earlier!” Stardust shouted, before the Dragon Knight Megazord tossed Denvil skywards, the whip letting him go before the Ophiuchus Voyager’s jaws opened and began to charge up a beam. It then fired, eradicating Denvil completely leaving no traces of his body behind. “Consider that a checkmate Dark Matter, and now a message for you. We will take the universe back!” Stardust then shouted as the Megazord basked itself in the glory of a cheering populace. Aboard the Shining Armor, Flashfire looked on to Manx with a smile. “Seems she’s getting better. Little by little, the old Manx is returning.” he thought before quietly taking his leave. Had anyone been paying attention on the bridge, they might have noticed a brief blip on their sensors, before it vanished. “Seems it’s time to take matters into my own hands…” Sir Ikargen muttered aboard his ship, clutching a Kyutama with a Black Hole on it, the Scorpius Drone’s cycloptic eye watching him carefully... Author's Note Okay, so yeah. Not sure about a few things. Like for one, if I had portrayed the healing of Manx correctly, and even then if I did there's still more to come. Not sure if the fight scene with Denvil needed to be extended, or it's as good as it is. Really not sure on a lot of things with this chapter. But that's where your feedback comes in, always welcomed. Next time... Maji ka!? Majide!? Majida! Shō taimu! Part 15: Hope Springs Eternal Finale: One Last HopeEquestria: Six Billion years ago… “Have to say Dash, this is crazy, even by your standards…” one Spitfire Magnus remarked to one Rainbow Dash, the latter being dressed in an orange space suit with a small badge pinned to it, depicting both Celestia and Luna. “Not saying I don’t support it, but still this is pretty much something else…” “Hey, if someone’s got the right stuff as it were,” Rainbow Dash remarked, the two walking on a metal catwalk, grating clanking beneath their hooves. “It’s most likely to be me. I’ve been training for months to do this, and I’m hyped as all hell for this!” In one of her hands, she held her helmet. Spitfire looked to her left, and she saw a massive crawler carrying a pure white space shuttle nose pointed skywards to a launch pad. It was a massive miracle of both magic and science that this had been pulled off really. But somehow, with the modern-day geniuses of Starlight Glimmer and Twilight Sparkle combined with the old time mage abilities of the legendary Starswirl the Bearded this amazing feat had been pulled off. Spitfire was still trying to wrap her head around it, really. By their side was Flurry smiling supportively at Dash. “Hey, give her some credit Spitsy. Like Rainbow said, if anyone’s going to do this, it’s her!” Flurry remarked cheerfully, giving Rainbow a pat on the shoulder. Over the radio, Twilight could be heard speaking. “..that age-old ponykind thirst for excellence and knowledge. I say, every step up the ladder of science. I say each and every adventurous reach into space from the moment we first gazed our eyes to the stars in our telescopes. All of our combined modern technologies, magicks and imaginations... Faust above, even the wars that we've fought, have provided us the tools to finally step onto the final frontier. “Through all the chaos that is our history through all of the wrongs and the discord, through all of the pain and suffering through all of our times there is one thing that has nourished our souls, that sense of grand adventure! “The dreams of an entire planet, not just ponykind but griffon, zebra, changeling, yak and dragonkind are focused tonight on that brave soul and the mare I’d be proud to call my friend -Twilight’s voice cracked a little at this point as she fought back tears- traveling into the heavens. Godspeed!” A chorus of cheers greeted Rainbow as she stepped out for the crowd to see, and she waved to the roaring and cheering thunderous applause. “Thank you, thank you all. Now don’t think I’ll be forgetting you guys, just a simple trip round the moon and back. But space? Well, it’s about to become a little bit more awesome now!” Rainbow shouted, flipping the peace sign. As the crowd roared ever harder, Flurry looked towards Spitfire, who if she didn’t know better seemed to be crying. “A-Are you alright?” Flurry asked. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just my finest Bolt’s gone above and beyond what I, no anypony expected of her and now she’s about to touch the heavens if even for the briefest of moments,” Spitfire whispered, with a small sniffle. “So if anyone’s got a right to cry, I’d say it’s me.” “Hey, look at the bright side. You managed to hold back the flood this long didn’t you?” Flurry said, patting the retired Wonderbolt captain on the shoulder. “...Unlike Rainbow’s parents.” she teased, and Spitfire laughed. She’d practically seen both Bow Hothoof and Windy weeping into a bucket last time she saw them. Rainbow smirked as she got inside the capsule, and seat belts strapped her into her pilot’s seat forcing her backwards into her chair. “Hey Gallus, is it supposed to feel this tight?” Rainbow asked over the radio. “Yeah, yeah! It’s fine, completely fine!” the griffon and current Element of Loyalty bearer remarked. “You’ll be able to unbuckle yourself when you hit the no-grav zone. Fly freely about to your heart’s content. But for now, I’d say you strap yourself in and buckle up and enjoy the ride!” he commented over the radio in reply. “Like Twilight said, Godspeed ma’am.” “Don’t call me ma’am, makes me feel so old!” Rainbow joked, and Gallus laughed. "Okay, checking ignition sequences. Priming up dynotherms now. Mega Thrusters should be free to go any second now. Everyone, sound off!” Retro, go flight. Booster, you are go flight.” Smolder shouted. “Ecos, go flight,” Sandbar confirmed. “Trajectory. Go flight.” “FlDO,” one Gilda Gruff added, with a little smirk that seemed to say ‘Go Dash’. “Go flight.” “EVA go flight.” another unknown pony, possibly Starlight added. “EQUUS Phoenix, you are go for flight. Starting up ignition sequences now.” Twilight stated over the radio. “Any last minute words Rainbow?” She’d soon be regretting that poor choice of words. “Yeah, just one. Let’s rocket, and create a new legend!” Rainbow shouted, gripping her flightsticks tightly, before pressing a button above her, and music began to play. “I like to dream, yes, yes Right between the sound machine On a cloud of sound I drift in the night Any place it goes is right Goes far, flies near To the stars away from here... “Well, you don't know what We can find Why don't you come with me little girl On a magic carpet ride…” “3, 2, 1, we have liftoff!” Twilight and Gallus shouted in thunderous cheer and soon the crowd was to join them as they saw the Phoenix, brazen to take Equus into a new age lift off into the night sky firing jets of flame from it’s boosters. Suddenly, on Gallus’s computer screen an alert popped up, and Gallus’s eyes widened in alarm. “Twilight, get over here now!” Twilight’s eyes were soon to widen as well. “Rainbow, you’ve got an leak in the fuel cells. Abort! Abort! For Faust’s sake, just abort!” But it was far too late, for as soon as the Phoenix began to fade from vision a bright light lit up the night sky… “RAINBOW!” Flurry shouted in fear, jumping out of bed as she threw the covers off of her. Soon, the doors to her quarters opened and Flashfire ran in Astral Blaster in hand as he heard Flurry’s sound of fear. “Flurry, you alright?” he asked in concern, seeing the now sniveling mare. He quickly pulled the covers up over her, and wrapped an arm around her. “No… No, I’m not alright. Just… memories. Of a time long since past, and something that never should have happened,” Flurry replied, her voice a tear-stricken whisper. “All the calculations were made, everything was accounted for, but…” she began to mumble to herself like she had so many times before. This wasn’t just a one-time night terror. No, she’d had this memory before, and she knew she would have it again, having long viewed it as one of her greatest failures. Flashfire handed her a cup of hot Earl Grey tea, and just let the hours pass by slowly as he held Flurry in his arms. The newest mission could wait, right now his Princess needed his help. Morning eventually came, and Flurry was treated to a sight. Voyagers were already prepped under Coldcast’s suggestion, and Flurry could see why as the jewel in front of them? It was exactly what they’d been searching for ever since they left their old home. “...A new Eden.” she breathed out. The Doctor, however, didn’t look so sure, and every alarm bell in his mind was going off even as the Corvus Kyutama he gripped in his hands ever so tightly glowed and pulsated with power. Personally, Flashfire didn’t exactly see why the Doctor was so concerned, so terrified of them coming to this world really. Feeling the grass in his fingers, he smiled as he took a bite out of a Zap Apple plucked from a nearby tree. He didn’t quite know how an alien world had Zap Apples, but he wasn’t complaining really. Not as good as the grapes and wine back home, but it had its charms he supposed. “Still, wouldn’t hurt to be cautious I suppose. Just jumping headlong into a situation without knowing what’s going on would be folly,” Flashfire mused to himself as he pulled his pistol out of its holster and scanned the area, his eyes darting from left to right. “Guys, you seeing anything? Anything at all?” Flashfire asked. “The Doctor warned us about coming to this planet for a reason. I want to know why. Also, keep an eye out for that crashed ship. Maybe, and I’m probably reaching here, the Doctor’s warning and the ship crash-landing are connected in some way.” There was no response, just static crackling and an eerie groaning sound coming from Flashfire’s commlink. “Okay, odd…” he murmured, as he tapped his Kyuchanger once or twice. “Might be some atmospheric interference. Best to get Jabari on the horn, have his Eagle Voyager scan the skies.” Jabari’s personal Voyager, it had been designed to fly in the most dangerous of atmospheres, ones too toxic for normal breathing, or too covered in gases for safe flight. It had been decked out with sensors, and long-range scanning devices to give a complete picture of the area around it. “Jabari? You there?” Flashfire asked. “Sound off if you can hear me!” Once again, there came no answer. “J-Jabari?” Flashfire asked nervously. “Please tell me you’re there!” He engaged the Pyxis Kyutama, hoping for it to work it’s magic and point in the direction of Jabari or anyone else for that matter but no such luck. All it was doing was just making a golden arrow spin around wildly. “Okay, magnetic interference?” Flashfire wondered aloud, knowing that there were certain types of rocks and metals that could make any type of compass go haywire. Perhaps even one that was powered by the cosmos itself. Popping the Kyutama out of his gauntlet, Flashfire groaned. “Going to have to do this the old fashioned way I suppose… These hooves were made for walking I guess.” Grabbing a stick up off the ground, he used it as a cane much like a hiker would do as he began to walk into a nearby forest shouting his team’s name all the while. Despite the forest being widespread and endless, his voice didn’t echo off of any of the trees, and the footsteps that he took seemed very floaty, as if he was walking on clouds. As he picked up the pace and even started to run, he noticed that the horizon wasn’t coming closer to him at all. If anything, it was like he was entirely stuck in place, running on the spot, even though the entrance got farther and farther away from him. “What the…?” Flashfire muttered as he looked up all around him, trying to find the sun. “Feels like I’m going in circles here.” Out of caution, the unicorn quickly morphed with a whisper of: “Star Change.” But as he did so, he realized that his suit wasn’t coming to him. In fact, his Kyutama seemed to have lost all of its’ energy when he tried to use it. All it did in fact, was make a low beeping, humming sound. “Okay… Now, this is just getting odd.” Reaching for his Astral Blade he’d been carrying around on his back, he drew it as a low growl came from somewhere behind him. Or was it above? He couldn’t really be sure. Twirling the sword in his hands, he steadied the blade. No fear, no fear. That’s what he was telling himself, keep calm under pressure and the situation would resolve itself. He took more and more steps. And this time, the exit not only came towards him but seemed to stretch and contort in such a way that the very fabric of reality tore itself up once he got far enough, bringing him into a completely different environment. All around him was a darkened and almost totally destroyed version of the Shining Armor’s bridge. “What the fu…” he trailed off, still gripping his blade. “You did this,” A single voice echoed through his head. “All of this. All of those senseless killings? They came back to bite you in the ass.” “Senseless?” Flashfire asked to the voice. “They were monsters, warlords, conquerors! So whoever you are, won’t you kindly just shut it?” “You haven’t told them yet,” the voice whispered, sounding like it was right next to him, and then it wasn’t. “About your little secret? Oh, Flashfire Lulamoon, you’ve got more secrets than the galaxies have stars, and you won’t let anyone in on one. single. one.” the voice chuckled darkly. “Maybe it’s because… Oh, isn’t this funny, the great Flashfire Lulamoon is afraid of what his team would think of him if they knew?” “SHUT UP!” Flashfire roared, swinging his blade widely. “You don’t know a single thing about me, not one you understand?” “Murderer. Killer. Savage. All the words to describe Kyurangers such as yourself, and those abhorrent people you consider your friends,” the voice continued as he blindly swung at the air, hot tears streaming down Flashfire’s face. He’d never felt so alone, so helpless in all his life. He’d always had his friends to be there by his side, and now? “You are no hero, and your fleet is not a beacon of hope and justice. It is only a sign that, when you defeat Don Armage, you will only serve to carry on his warmonger history. Accept that fact, and give up this unhealthy life. Only then will you be able to repent.” With that, the world darkened all around him. Meanwhile, Coldcast had found himself sliding down a crater, finding a blackened and charred ship into the impact area, long since beyond the point of repair. His boots crunched the stone beneath him, and one claw gripped an Astral Claw tightly. Never hurt to be too careful. “Okay, this is Coldcast. If anyone’s reading this hermanos, well I think it’s safe to say that any hope of salvaging this ship, and saving whoever was inside is long gone. Beacon must have been broadcasting for who knows how long. Strange though, with this much damage, you’d have thought…” No response came, only static crackling and a weird groaning noise. Coldcast’s fur and feathers raised on instinct, a cold shiver coming over him. Something was wrong, and he knew it. “Anyone read?” Coldcast asked, only to receive more static. He groaned. “Great, going to have to fly a bit higher, hopefully find a better transmission point,” he muttered. Extending his wings, the griffon flew to the highest peak he could find in the nearby area, and tried broadcasting again. “This is Coldcast of the Shining Armor, does anyone copy? I repeat, does anyone copy?” Nothing but a crackling noise. He repeated the same thing over and over again, but ended up with the same result. “You gotta be kiddin’ me…” Coldcast muttered as he looked at his Kyuchanger. “Fine time for you to crap out on me now. I thought you were built to last!” “I’m disappointed, Coldcast. I really am,” Flashfire’s voice appeared, as did he, stepping out of the mists. “Look what happened to us. To you.” “H-Hermano?” Coldcast whispered as he took a good hard look at Flashfire, something seemed wrong about him. The way he stood, the look in his eyes. “Don’t call me your putain grand frère!” He dashed to his side, threw him to the ground and stomped on his back violently. “You killed all the other Kyurangers with this stupid plan of yours! They’re dead because of you and your shit!” The rage in his eyes was pure and untapped, almost catching on fire with how passionate he felt. “So now, I’m going to kill you!” He grabbed Coldcast by the throat, and held him over a ledge. Below, were jagged icy spikes. “Look familiar Coldcast? Remind you of anywhere?” Flashfire asked mockingly. “Reminds me of home, doesn’t it? What it became…” Coldcast snarled, and kicked Flashfire in the stomach making him stagger and Coldcast hovered over the spikes and back on top of the mountain peak. “Grand frère, w-what’s happened to you?” Coldcast whispered. “I know exactly what’s happened to me. I’ve seen the truth,” He hissed out, before giving him a one-handed chokehold, grip tightening with each second. Coldcast coughed a little. “The truth that we’re not Kyurangers, that we’re not heroes, and you dragged us all into this stupid little game of yours. I never should have adopted you, just left you in the systems to rot!” Coldcast kicked his brother in the shin, and just barely held off furious sword strikes with his own blade. He ducked and swung low, striking Flashfire in the chest before a punch caught him off guard making Coldcast stagger. Flashfire threw another, but this one was blocked by Coldcast’s blade. “R-remember these moves, that duel-viper beheading strike? You taught me them, r-remember?” Coldcast asked, his voice shaky. “N-None of what you’re saying grand frère, none of it’s true! N-None of it! I didn’t drag us off on this mission, it was Flurry’s idea and yours for that matter to help save whoever was on this planet,” Coldcast pleaded, fighting back tears, even as a blow from Flashfire’s sword knocked him to the ground. Flashfire ground his hoof into Coldcast’s chest, and even as the griffon tried to reach for his Kyutama he knocked off the ledge with a swing from his blade. “Element of Loyalty? You have no loyalty to begin with! You left your team behind, you rushed into battle without thinking, and you aren’t completely on board with the team’s decisions!” Flashfire howled. “You are not fit to bear the sigil of Rainbow Dash. Nor are you fit to even be called her successor! You don’t deserve what you hold. And you certainly don’t deserve to hold anything anymore!” He raised his blade before bringing it down, and all went black. Somewhere else, Flurry found herself wandering through a field, mountains behind her, with her Scorpion Voyager parked in the safety of a grove of trees. “Mom, you would have loved it here. By Faust, I just know it…” Flurry whispered, briefly seeing her younger self -clutching her Whammy- and her mom running through the fields, before collapsing in a fit of giggles. The grass stood proudly in the field, swaying to and fro in the gentle breezes, flicking morning dew lightly around it. Butterflies would flitter down and land on nearby flowers for brief instances, before going off on their merry ways. The mountains in the distance were topped with snow and stood on the horizon, acting as a makeshift cradle to hold everything else behind them in safety, and the houses nearby were all immaculately built, as if they were Equestrian houses of old, inhabited by ponies that Flurry once knew and loved. “I wonder,” Flurry thought, her mind once more briefly lapsing into memories of the distant past. “Rainbow, would this have been what you might have found in your space explorations?” “3, 2 1, liftoff!” “Space, it’s about to get a little bit more awesome you guys!” “Rainbow, you’ve a leak in your fuel tank. Abort, abort!” KABOOM! Flurry shut her eyes in remembrance, remembering the great fireball that had covered the skies that day. Rainbow was supposed to bring Equestria into a new age, like a Phoenix rising from the ashes but instead all she ended up becoming was ashes herself. She fought back a tear, she couldn’t get caught up in her memories now. She had a ship to find, and a crew to rescue. Holding up her Kyuchanger, she spoke into it. “Any luck out there? Flashfire, Coldcast? What’s your status. Jabari, King Pharynx, what about you?” She tapped the Kyuchanger, hoping for some sort of response. When none came, she decided for a different channel instead, and contacted the ship. “Flurry to the Shining Armor, something’s gone wrong. Can’t get ahold of anyone. I suspect Dark Matter interference. Please respond. Over.” she stated, a chill beginning to run up her spine knowing something was deeply wrong here. Much like the others, nothing but silence. Silence as the world around her began to change. It went to her old room in the Crystal Empire, back when she was a baby. Nothing but her old crib and her toys, as her old weapons and gear vanished, and her clothes turned back into regal robes, complete with crown and silver necklace. Oddly, there wasn’t the telltale sound of guard hoofsteps and metal armor clanking. Flurry, at once knew something was wrong. She just couldn’t place her finger onto what. “Do you remember this? Your innocence?” Cadence asked as she stepped into the room. “Before the time when our planet burned out?” “Yes, of course, I do. But what are you doing here, your AI still isn’t finished being uploaded into the matrix, and I know for a fact I’m definitely not on the ship. So please do explain, what’s going on around here?” Flurry questioned, the tip of her horn beginning to glow a light gold. “Matrix? There is no matrix. You’re home. You don’t need to do anything anymore,” Cadence just came over and gave her a hug. “You don’t have to be living in such a harsh, desolate world, Flurry. You can stay here, with us. Everything will go back to normal in no time.” “Yeah, you raised me, taught me everything you knew and that included passing on protecting those closest to you. And right now, there’s a crew that I love and protect that needs my help. So mom, if that’s who you really are, I have to go.” “Why, your friends are all here too, Flurry.” Cadence showed Flurry out the door, to see the rest of her team alive and healthy, giving her happy smiles. “No more worrying about them, okay? You’ve got one life to live, and it should be a happy one.” “I’m actually quite happy as I am mom,” Flurry stated, waving her hand and making the ‘team’ vanish. “Very happy. So stop screwing with me, who are you?” “Your mother. And one who did not raise you this way.” Cadence’s demeanor vanished as she lit up her horn and coated Flurry in a spell, causing her to get smaller and smaller, as well as shorter at the same time. “You are not stubborn. You are accepting. Accept me, and accept that this is the world you want and will have,” She glared. “Your friends have become too much of a bad influence on you. Especially that Flashfire pony. What do you even see in him?” She asked. “I’ll raise you from scratch all over again to prevent those kinds of mistakes from ever happening again if I have to. You like being a foal again, don’t you?” Flurry was having none of that. “No, you’re not my mother. I should have suspected something was wrong ever since I stepped foot on this planet,” she stated, shaking her head. “And for the record, being a foal was lousy. Always having to cry whenever I wanted attention, having you put me up in pretty little dresses. Faust, half of those I’d rather burn than be seen in public with.” “Then DIE!” The illusion vanished, and a thing that could only be described as a great black mass with only a vague resemblance to her mother impaled Flurry with a pure black energy rod. “I hate you, Princess Flurry Heart of Equestria. I’ve hated you from the moment I saw you. I should have killed you when I had the chance to, but me simply being your mother always kept on holding me back.” It said, leaning in closer to her face. “You are scum. You are so perfect, so unflawed, so arrogant to your weaknesses that you have become the worst ranger on your team because of it. Well now, I think it’s time you got a wake-up call to how pathetic of a character you really are! You’re not the daughter Cadence wanted, just a caricature. And a really bad one at that.” “W-Weaknesses?” Flurry whispered. “No, no. That’s not true. You know so much about me, don’t you? Then you should know why I’m so closed off, I never want to lose anyone important to me again. I’ve billions of years old, I’ve lost so much, Rainbow just being the first. Then dad went, and then several lovers I’ve taken over the centuries. And then finally you when you and Luna, and Twilight and Celestia died trying to stave off the sun from scorching Equus to a crisp! So, tell me, do you blame me?” The thing ignored her, and shifted into a darker coated version of Flashfire, seemed to be a popular get-up these days. “Ohh, lovers. Now there’s something interesting. Flashfire, you know he’s sweet on you right? Why’d you think he came running to your rescue after he heard you scream from that nightmare of yours earlier this morning?” “F-Flashfire… loving me?” Flurry whispered, for the moment forgetting the mention of how the thing seemed to know about her nightmare when by all rights it shouldn’t have. The thing morphed back into Cadence. “That’s right, he’s very sweet on you. Your own personal knight in shining armor. And yet you, the daughter of the Princess of love spun him, and keep him at arm’s length!” it laughed. “We’re professionals, colleagues. Nothing more. Is there anything wrong with that?” Flurry asked. “How can an Alicorn possibly be in love with someone who isn’t immortal?” The monster asked, driving the rod further and further into Flurry’s body. “How could you possibly love someone who will die before you even reach middle age? Face it, your own coldness, that’ll drive everyone away from you eventually.” With that, Flurry’s world went dark. Somewhere else, Pharynx was searching the rocky mountain passes for Coldcast, having heard his transmission and stepped into a cave and lit up a fire with the Ara Kyutama just to keep himself warm. Changelings hated the cold, after all, being insectoid in nature. He was amazed he’d lasted as long in this blizzard as he had. His wings were nearly frozen over, and ice was beginning to form on the tips of his antlers. Suddenly, a howling wind rushed inside the darkened cave and blew out the small fire Pharynx had made for himself. “Great… Just great,” he muttered and tried to use the Ara Kyutama once more. But this time, nothing happened and just like Flashfire’s Cerberus Kyutama before it, the Ara Kyutama only made a low humming sound. “...What the…? Alright, Stripped. Please tell me your little creations don’t glitch out after so many uses…” he muttered to himself, before blinking as he saw the whole cavern had changed in front of him. Changeling corpses; thousands of them littered the area. The drones had been stripped of all their flesh and bone, leaving nothing but the brittle hides they wore behind. Helms had been scattered and crushed, and torn wings also adorned the slaughtering grounds. The bodies of his brother, Thorax, and his former queen, Chrysalis were also visible, and their faces had been stomped into the ground, crushed beyond recognition. “T-Thorax?” Pharynx asked in shock, rushing over to his brother, who was missing one of his distinctive antlers. In the back of his mind, he knew this couldn’t be him as he knew his brother had died long ago but all the same, he’d wanted to see him ever since he’d woken up from his cold sleep. “W-Who did this to you? Who did this to our hive?” “The same being who will destroy the Kyurangers, and any other threats to my reign.” A deep rumbling voice boomed out, followed by an armoured figure with an oversized sickle sword. “I am Don Armage. And I am the last thing you will ever see.” “Yeah, I doubt that. Star Change!” Pharynx snarled, rising to his feet in a vengeance filled fury with a flash of silver light as he morphed. He leapt towards Don Armage, both swords meeting each other and clashing with each other, blow for blow. Each of Don’s attacks had a black contrail around them, while Pharynx’s were notably faster than usual leaving behind glimmers of silver light. Blades rang out in the hellish landscape, as Armage and Pharynx clashed, with the Changeling King striking with an almost frightening fury as he managed to draw blood. Pharynx then managed to land a hard right hook to Armage’s ghoulish face, not even thinking about the possibility of how or why Armage could be here when Armage from what the Doctor had explained didn’t likely see them as any sort of threat at the moment. He just wanted blood, and vengeance for his hive and for his brother. “May not have been the best big brother in the world Thor,” Pharynx stated as he managed to cleave Don Armage’s weapon in half. “But I always tried to look out for you, just hope you understood that.” Suddenly, Pharynx was blasted backwards by a powerful blast of wind from Don Armage, who was now using a massive gunbai, or a Japanese war fan. The wind was soon accompanied by flames, turning the cyclonic winds into a searing tornado. Armage laughed all the while. “You changelings… You like heat, don’t you? Is this enough for you, little snake?” Armage asked, before driving his sword into the ground. It began to turn red, as flames began to spring up from it. A wall of fire surrounded the two, boxing Pharynx in. “Look at you, your loyalty to your hive and yet you couldn’t even protect them from me! How do you expect to protect the galaxy, if you couldn’t protect your family? You’re no King, you’re hardly even worth being called as such! Your brother would be sooooo ashamed of you…” Armage laughed. With that, he impaled Pharynx with a long black rod as the Changeling King began to lose consciousness. “Been fun talking to you, but I’ve got places to go and a universe to keep in balance.” With that, Pharynx fell to his chest and blacked out completely. Sadly, the last hope for rescue of the other Kyurangers was dealing with his own problems. Jabari, he’d managed to hit some thick fog flying in, and was now currently sitting in a wrecked Voyager. He’d long figured out something was interfering with communications, but what exactly? “Okay, think here,” Jabari mused to himself. “What do you remember happening? Well, aside from the obvious fog that seemed to spring up out of nowhere? It was almost as if the planet itself was reacting to our presence. But no, that’s silly. Hardly scientific even! Still…” He thought back to some old myths, ones he’d long dismissed as hardly worth his time. Myths of varying Zebra tribes. One legend of one tribe that persisted held the belief that the stars were the eyes of the dead, while a similar tribe held steadfast to the idea that they were the spirits of those unwilling to be born. Some members of this group believed that they were the souls of those so long dead that they were no longer ancestor spirits. On the other hand, Zecora’s parent tribe (And Jabari’s as well for that matter) pictured the stars as hanging from the solid dome of the sky by cords. There was a myth of a being so vast, and so intelligent dangling these stars, hoping some foolish young tribesman or tribesmare would leap out to touch them, only to be sucked into this great black void. He’d long ago dismissed this belief as old rubbish, Jabari had, but maybe there was some truth to it. After all, space was vast enough, and it had been said to have given birth to Discord so who knows what else persisted out there? He vaguely remembered his grandmother speaking of this being, the one who dangled the stars like lures hoping to catch an unwary zebra as someone who fed on the despair of lost souls. He brought your hopes up with a brilliant white light -like say, a star- of some sort and then as soon as you reached this star you traveled into a world so dark you’d never return. Jabari’s heart started to pump faster, and he began to sweat as he slowly begun to realize just how much trouble he was in. Calling for any of his teammates on the comms, he received no answer. With a grunt of frustration, he summoned a Kyutama from his belt buckle and slammed into a section of his control console. The Kyutama was mostly orange and depicted a pump drawing on the powers of the Antlia constellation. Jabari smiled and turned the systems on as the whole interior of the cockpit began to glow with an orange hue. The tank began to glow back to life and regain its’ neon lights, though they had been changed to the colour of the Kyutama itself, and was more radiant than usual. The Eagle Voyager let out a screech, and its wings began to burn with a flaming fury, far more intense than the norm. “Oh yes!” Jabari smirked, as he slammed the control console with a hand in triumph before his eyes narrowed. “Alright then Kukata Tamaa, let’s see you try and get one over on me!” As the Eagle Voyager took flight once more, Jabari’s thoughts raced. He knew he wouldn’t be able to save his fellow Rangers, at least not directly, but he knew he could at least try and get a message to them. Placing the Capricornus Kyutama into his gauntlet, he spoke into it. “Listen, I don’t know if any of you all can hear me, but listen up. Whatever you’re seeing, it’s not real. It’s a fake, a veil created by a monster from my tribe’s myths. Calls himself Kukata Tamaa, literally meaning ‘Despair’. That’s what he’s making you do, toying with your minds and making you see your worst nightmares come to life. That’s what he does, before he devours your very being! So if any of you can hear me for the love of Faust, fight back!” Jabari wasn’t sure if anyone heard him or not, but someone did. Flurry to be exact, who was still pinned to the wall by the mock version of her mother. “Okay, I accept the fact that maybe not letting anyone in held me back, not just as a pony but as a Ranger. That what you want, you happy now? I’ve been so afraid, for so long that I’d lose someone so close to me, I never wanted to let anyone in again. But now, just looking at you, who literally feeds off the hopelessness of others… well, time for that to change. I realize now, that I was wrong. My friends you see? They’ve been the ones giving me hope to continue on this mad quest of ours. And guess what? Our hope and our friendship will take on the universe and that includes YOU!” Flurry roared, prying the rod out of her chest as the whole world around her returned to normal, and she stood facing off against a pure midnight-black figure in a field. With a sheer blast of energy from her palm with wings spread wide, she forced the figure back. Suddenly, a glowing orb landed in her hand, and she looked at the new dark-red Kyutama which seemed to depict a helmet of some sort. Also, instead of the usual numeric codes a Kyutama normally bore, this one simply read ‘KR’ in rainbow letters. Shrugging, Flurry slammed the Kyutama into her morpher, making it proclaim: “Wizard, please~!” Flurry blinked, that was a new one. But she could definitely feel the power flowing through this Kyutama. She fired after giving the Kyutama a gentle push, and a rift opened in the sky above. Out of the rift, a young man sprang. This one was different to the ones in the mirror world she had seen. This one’s skin wasn’t quite as colorful, a simple pale tan rather than the veritable rainbow she had seen then. His auburn hair was neck length, with the bangs sweeping across his forehead. Oddly, he wore a giant hand as his belt buckle. Straightening out his black jacket that was worn over a light red shirt, he took in the scene in front of him. Strangely, he didn’t seem to be all too surprised by this summoning. “So, I presume you’re the one who’s been causing all of this despair?” the man asked in a deadpan tone looking at Kukata Tamaa. “Generally, creatures who look like you, well they never mean good intent for anyone,” Adjusting a black ring on his hand, his gaze turned to Flurry. “Young miss, you look like you could use some hope.” “I already found my hope, but an assist would be nice. Name’s Flurry Heart. Yours?” Flurry asked. “Souma Haruto,” the young man answered, moving his black ring to his belt buckle. “The Last Hope.” “Driver On!” the belt called out, turning silver and the hand growing more than twice its normal size. Smirking, Haruto flipped a switch on his belt, changing the direction the hand was pointing. A jingle started to play from the device and it chanted, “Shabadoobie touch to henshin~” Slipping a red ring onto his other hand Haruto added, “But right now, you can call me, Wizard.” Moving his hand down, he placed the red ring over the belt. “Flame, please!” Throwing his arm out to the side, a red magic circle sprang out, symbols that Flurry couldn’t identify filling it. The magic circle started to move, passing over Haruto while his belt chanted, “Heat, heat, heat, heat!” Getting the memo, Flurry slammed her Kyutama into her morpher. “Say the Change!” it declared as Haruto’s own transformation finished. “Scorpius!” Flurry shouted, looking at Haruto. He was standing in armor, a red helmet seemingly made of jewels covering his face. The visor had no traditional eye portion, instead having silver brackets divide it into antennae, forehead, eye and mouth portions. A black coat that went down to his ankles covered his torso and parted at the chest to reveal more of the jewel-like material beneath it. On either side of the coat flaps were three red squares made of the same material. “Wow, flashy,” Flurry remarked as Haruto took in the orange Ranger’s costume and general motif. “Huh, so the powers of the constellations aren’t limited to villains anymore?” Haruto mused. “Gentaro would be excited to hear that. Though then again, it doesn’t take much to excite him.” he remarked in a deadpan tone. “I’ll ask about him later, right now I think it’s time to shut this guy up.” Flurry said, surging forwards, fist drawn back. Despair just threw up a shield made up of this black globulus substance that seemed to absorb the punches, before sending a powerful spout of the stuff right back at the Orange Ranger. Meanwhile, the other Rangers were recovering from the depths of their own despair, and Pharynx had managed to pin ‘Armage’ up against a wall with his antlers before delivering a powerful punch that utterly destroyed the fake. His eyes widened, Pharynx now taking in the empty cavern. “So, they were never there…” he whispered, before letting out a growl. Flashfire meanwhile, had found Coldcast and was dueling his copy blade to blade before with a simple strike beheaded the doppelganger with the body turning into sand. Coldcast raced up to embrace his big brother, letting the tears flow as Flashfire whispered calming words to him. Back with Flurry, Haruto nodded and switched out the black ring for an orange one and flipping the switch on his belt again. “Upachi magic! Touch to go!~” It sang out, Haruto waving the ring over his buckle. “Connect, please!” A smaller rune circle formed beside his head and he reached into it. From it, he pulled out a large silver gun with a hand design similar to his belt on its side. Throwing his arm out, he fired multiple, large silver bullets out of it. The bullets flew, curving in their arc to slip past the monster’s shield. Flurry smirked, before she dashed forwards taking advantage of the monster’s surprise and sent him skywards with a supersonic punch that created a miniature Sonic Rainboom in the process. Kukata Tamaa was then sliced through the middle by one very fast Eagle Voyager glowing with orange and purple flames, jawblade in its beak before Jabari leaped out of it to drop kick his old monster from under the bed in the face. “Who… who the hell do you think you are you brat?” Kukata Tamaa asked, coughing up some sort of black goo. Flurry looked green at this. “Jabari Swift, Aquila Pink! Also, the man who managed to figure you out,” Jabari declared with a small smirk, pointing directly at the old myth. “You’re old, Tamaa. Washed up. Just the boogeyman from someone’s closet. And I’ll be all too happy to shut the doors on you. Star Change!” he shouted, morphing into his own Ranger form and drawing twin Astral Blasters. “So, someone’s taking after Tsukasa?” Haruto remarked, as he and Jabari fired on Tamaa. “Good on you, pink is a good color for a hero.” “Just shut up gem-boy, and help me kick this old myth’s ass,” Jabari grumbled, still none too pleased with the color he got handed. Pulling the thumb on his gun, its barrel flipped upward and a blade sprang out. “You can call me, Wizard. And keep firing while the young miss and I go in.” Jabari nodded and kept up the suppressing fire, although he elected not to tell Wizard that Flurry was pushing six billion by this point so she hardly could be called ‘young’ in any sense. Tamaa fired a stream of black goo at Jabari, who simply flew backwards extending twin amber wings as he did so and continuing his firing at the creature all the while. Haruto slapped his red ring onto the hand of his sword, red flames suddenly swirling around the blade. “Flame slash strike!” the weapon called out, Haruto sending the flames flying and burning away an oncoming stream of goo before it could hit Flurry. Flurry nodded gratefully, before impaling the monster with a stinger tail, and hurling him skywards before teleporting above him and axe-kicking him back towards the ground. This was where a series of flashes of light intercepted the creature as Pharynx, Coldcast, and Flashfire finally arrived on the scene. “Sorry for how late we are Princess,” Flashfire stated, looking at the creature with more than a trace of anger. “Had business of our own to attend to.” “He got to you too huh?” Flurry sighed, and all three nodded as they drew their weapons. “Meet Wizard, he’ll be lending an assist for this battle.” “Battle? Didn’t know there was going to be one,” Pharynx growled. “Only just us wiping this guy up off the ground after we reduce him to a greasy smear.” “Good point, shall we finish this?” Haruto asked. “It’s time for the finale.” Replacing the red ring on his hand for another that was more ornate, he flipped the hand on his belt and hovered the new piece of jewelry over it. “Flame Dragon!” Haruto spread his arms out to the side, a red magic circle forming behind him. All the while, the five Kyurangers lined up their shots. A dragon made entirely of flame rocketed out of the circle, circling the young man while his belt shouted, “Burn, burn, burn, burn, burn!” The dragon roared, flying into his back and his armor changed. His coat was entirely red, with silver shoulder pads that had red gems in their centers. On his chest it looked like the eyes and top of a dragon’s head were poking out, surveying the battlefield. The antennae on his helmet had been replaced with long horns and there was a red jewel at the center of his forehead. “All-Star Crash!” the Rangers shouted as they fired their Kyuchangers at the monster, with Haruto leaping up into the air to perform a flying side kick, his boot encased in flame. All attacks met, and the monster exploded sending hoards of black goo everywhere. “Échec et mat,” Flashfire stated, as he gave a thumbs-down motion. Haruto chuckled and canceled his transformation. “Checkmate? Odd choice, but to each his own I suppose,” Haruto commented, as he began to glow gold and fade away. “Oh, it seems it’s time to take my leave. But before I go… Here, catch!” he said to Flurry, tossing an orange-toned ring to her. “Something to remember me by, and so that you’ll never lose hope even when times get dark.” With that, he fully faded away. High above on a clifftop, stood Sir Ikargen, his face lined with pure rage. He didn’t think the Rangers would have an ink-ling of a chance on this planet. Growling, he lined up his rifle and fired. BANG! Author's Note Okay, huge thanks to both Shadowmane and Thunderclap for co-writing a lot of the scenes for me, and generally busting their backs to make this chapter come together. But now, it's showtime... Part 16: AftermathFlurry, as soon as she heard the loud BANG! of the gunshot reacted. On pure instinct, she threw up a shield of pure gold magic over the group, and the bullet only very nearly pierced the shield. The shield cracked, but didn’t shatter. She looked up to the top of a jagged cliffside and saw the figure the Doctor had described as Sir Ikargen loading another round into his rifle. “Move, now!” Flurry barked to her subjects. “Not sure if this shield can withstand another shot, and I sure as Tartarus don’t want to chance it!” Not needing to be told twice, the Ranger got moving as shots whizzed over their heads. One nicked Jabari in the leg, causing him to scream out in pain as blood splattered the rocky ground. The rocky ground which hadn’t been there before, Flurry had noticed. The fields had rapidly faded away, as soon as Kukata Tamaa had been defeated. It seems with his death, the carefully and meticulously crafted illusion of a perfect paradise had shattered like glass. Now the only thing that was left was a arid rocky cragged wasteland, with a dark green miasmic sky partially obscured by thick cloud cover. Hardly paradise. Coldcast rushed over to what was possibly his best friend, and helped him up. “I got you,” Coldcast grunted out. “Seriously though Jabari, ya need to lay off the hayburgers.” “...What, you saying I’m fat?” Jabari joked, in spite of his wounds and despite the danger. “Maybe a little. When we get back to the Shining Armor, you’re going on a crash diet. Best friend’s orders!” Coldcast replied as the two got moving. “...I thought it was Doctor’s orders? Pretty sure you’re not qualified.” “Best friend’s orders, they amount to about as much.” Then, a loud shriek that both knew all too well echoed from above them, and the Scorpius Drone now installed with a new dark Kyuchanger leaped out from behind some rocks arm blades extended and crackling with energy. “Oh, you got to be kidding me!” Jabari shouted. “What’d we ever do to tick that thing off?” “Smash it’s mecha and steal it’s Kyutama?” Coldcast deadpanned as he raised his Astral Claw to block one of the blade strikes, while Jabari went for one of his pistols and fired at the robot shooting it in the chest. “Move it!” Flurry shouted as she threw her spear impaling the robot to a rock. “I’ll cover you, just get to your Voyagers! I’ve already sent a transmission, they’ve locked onto our location and are converging now!” “How are you going to…?” Jabari asked before his voice trailed off as he remembered Flurry’s title, especially after seeing dust and sand beginning to get kicked up along with orange and red autumn leaves. Luna, or at least her AI version had told him that Flurry’s birth had created a massive weather system or something to that effect and therefore she’d become the Princess of the Seasons when she’d become sixteen, in charge of controlling and managing Equestria’s weather patterns. This combination of dust, sand, and leaves blinded both Sir Ikargen who’d leaped down to join his partner and pulled out a rapier while the Scorpius Drone had pulled Flurry’s spear out of his chest. “Damn you!” Ikargen shouted, even as a hoard of icicles was sent his way, both him and the drone using their blades to cut them to pieces. “Crude words coming from someone who was supposedly knighted if your title is any indication!” Flurry snarked back. More swearing followed, and as the group emerged from the maze of rocks they could see their freedom. The Scorpius Drone jumped out of nowhere with a Kyutama with a little fox painted on it in his gauntlet, blades at the ready. Ikargen was soon to follow. “Where the Hell did they come from?” Coldcast shouted, as Flurry nodded at Flashfire, who tossed her his sword and she began dueling both the drone and Ikargen driving them back with both her swordsmanship abilities and her magical prowess. Swinging wide, she sent an arc of orange energy at the two, knocking them back. “That Kyutama…” Jabari noted, his eyes narrowing in on the design etched in on it. "That would be Vulpecula or the little fox. Known to be tricksters, so why can’t it give the ability of camouflage?” “Maravilloso!” Coldcast snapped in a sarcastic manner. “Anything else we should be aware of?” He got his answer soon enough when Sir Ikargen pulled out a purple and black Kyutama and placed it in a slot on his rifle making it state in a deep voice: “Black Hole Kyutama.” “Faust!” Coldcast shouted, as Flurry and just about everyone else for that matter leaped away to avoid miniature black holes fired at them. “Man, they must really want to kill us, don’t they? I’m almost flattered that they think we’re that important!” Flurry dodged more blade strikes before using her suit’s stinger tail to knock away the Scorpius Drone with one wide swing dealing with one threat for the time being. “...We need to talk about your ideas of flattery.” Jabari deadpanned even as Pharynx inserted the Serpens Kyutama into his gauntlet, and sent a barrage of spectral snakes towards Ikargen to give Flurry a chance to retreat. “Give up,” Ikargen stated, as he implanted his sword in the ground and readied his rifle for more shots, the squid-like being almost seeming to be smirking in triumph. “Been a long hard road trying to kill you, but it's the end of the line.” “...Yeah, might want to rethink that.” Flurry said with a distinctive smirk as she heard a very familiar engine’s roar and from behind some mountains the Cerberus Voyager emerged and fired a barrage of missiles at both Ikargen and the Scorpius Drone sending them flying. Seizing their chance, the Kyurangers all teleported into the massive Voyager as rocketed out of the planet’s atmosphere. Ikargen let out a roar of rage as he picked himself up off the ground. It seems desperate times called for desperate measures. “Madako, I need your assistance…” he stated into his comms. The Doctor, suffice it to say was not a happy Time Lord when he found out several of the Kyurangers, Flurry, and Flashfire had explicitly gone against his warnings on landing on the planet Corvus. He’d warned them, he mentally yelled. Rassilon, even the Corvus Kyutama had warned them against landing on this planet in it’s own way! Even now, the satellite Stripped Gear had hijacked alongside Jabari was picking up the transmissions coming from the planet below, the gunshots and the shouting of the various Kyurangers. Gritting his teeth, the last Gallifreyan flashed back to before all of this happened. Voyagers were already prepped under Coldcast’s suggestion, and Flurry could see why as the jewel in front of them? It was exactly what they’d been searching for ever since they left their old home. “...A new Eden.” she breathed out. The Doctor, however, didn’t look so sure, and every alarm bell in his mind was going off even as the Corvus Kyutama he gripped in his hands ever so tightly glowed and pulsated with power. “Ready the landing craft,” Flurry said. In the background, various crew members including Stardust along with this white dragon-like pony with ram’s horns sticking out of her head gazed on in all. “We’ve found it.” she breathed out. “Already marked out potential landing sites,” Jabari remarked, bringing up a hologram of the planet and gesturing to these landing sites with a pointer. “Color-coded of course, because what are we? Animals?” he laughed. Flurry raised an eyebrow. “...Okay, technically we are but you get my point. Continue on Princess.” As Flurry did so, the Doctor gripped the Corvus Kyutama tightly in his palms pulsated with a dark power, he knew what exactly it’s abilities were. They were supposed to send someone into a world of despair, that someone with only a strong enough willpower was able to escape from. This was… concerning on multiple levels. One, that this Kyutama was reacting the way it was on this particular moment, and that Stardust had specifically ordered Stripped Gear to construct this particular Kyutama. If he didn’t know better, it’d be something Dark Matter would be more likely to use! Speaking of Stardust, the Draco Ranger was currently dancing around with his cane, twirling in in his hands as a disco ball lowered from the bridge ceiling. Stardust, all the while sang this odd song in Neighponiese. “Dare mo ga oozora ni Sorezore no tadashisa wo Kagagete arasou sono saihate ni Nani ga aru to iu no “Don't stop movin' on!! Mirai wa mugen no kanousei no naka ni aru yo Kimi no kokoro ga ugoku shunkan Unmei mo ugokidasu!” Predictably, everyone was ignoring him. The Doctor more so than most, he’d gotten used to the Prince of Summer and Spring’s weirdness -Ever since he was borne, Flurry’s title had been split in half with him taking up the warmer months- via this point. It was just part of his rather annoying character. “No.” the Doctor stated, slamming the Corvus Kyutama on the bridge’s table, letting everyone look at it pulsate with black and purple energy. “No?” Flashfire asked. “Please tell me you’ve finally lost it, can’t you see what’s out there?” The Doctor’s eyes widened in surprise, surely Flashfire could see what he was seeing! Instead of this New Eden that Flurry was talking about, the Doctor didn’t see a jewel in the darkened seas of the cosmos. Instead, he saw a dark planet covered by clouds and storms, emanating a form of menace. It was incredibly frightening really, and actually made the Doctor want to run off and curl up in the smallest hole he could find. “Do you?” the Doctor asked critically. “I’m warning you right now, don’t you dare land on that planet, whatever you do! Seriously, I’ve never been this serious in my entire life! Whatever you do, don’t leave this ship. Pack up, move onto the next planet!” Flashfire blinked, and for a moment he looked concerned -perhaps breaking free of the planet’s spell for the briefest of moments- before his expression resumed its normal state. “You’re being paranoid,” Flashfire remarked. “There’s nothing to be worried about. We’ve found it, a new home, and a base of permanent operations for us to conduct our war against Dark Matter. Besides, don’t you hear it? There’s a distress signal coming from that planet below, and as Paladins it’s our duty to answer it. As I said, you’re just being paranoid.” “Am I?” the Doctor asked. “Can’t you see the Corvus Kyutama? I mean, look at it!” he shouted, gesturing to the Kyutama in question. “...Yeah, I see it. So?” “So, don’t you think this is a cause for concern?” the Doctor asked the Cerebus-themed Ranger. “It acting up like this? I’ve heard legends, about this great void in space that swallows up anything and everything, feeds on their hopes. Dangles this little lure in front of them, before snapping its jaws up tight,” the Doctor continued, and he did note Jabari flinch in what was possible recognition. “This whole planet, and that distress signal? It’s a lure, a trap! Send me down there, because trust me on this. Didn't anyone ever tell you there's one thing you never put in a trap. If you're smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there's one thing you never, ever put in a trap.And that’s me. Put me down on that planet, and I guarantee that whatever’s waiting for you down there, I’ll send running for it’s life.” Flashfire looked thoughtful for a moment, possibly some of the Doctor’s warning getting through to him. “Okay then, we won’t send down the landing craft. Just a few of us will go, scouts to see if it’s safe. I’ll lead.” “No, I will.” Flurry stated. “It’s the duty of a Princess to protect her people isn’t it? I’d never ask anyone to do something I wouldn’t do myself Flashfire, and that includes putting me in danger. Yes, a Princess I may be, but I’m also a Paladin myself don’t you forget. I can handle myself, Doctor.” “If you say so…” the Doctor trailed off hesitantly, no small amount of fear filling his voice for what he suspected was about to transpire. “And transpire it did…” he whispered to himself back in the present time. “Damn them!” he shouted, slamming a fist on a console before walking off in disgust. The rest of the ship’s crew could only watch, and Stripped Gear sighed to himself. They and that meant Flashfire and Flurry would have a lot to do to win back the Doctor’s trust. A few days later, it was requested by Stardust that the entire crew got some downtime before they left onto the next galaxy, just to recover from the events of the happenings down on the planet Corvus. Flashfire, for one of the few times in his life, was actually thanking the normally ignoramus of a Prince he had to take orders from, and so went back to his usual routine of doing what he did whenever he needed to unwind as it were. That is, partake in the ship’s theatre troupe, this time playing the titular role in a play from his homeland: Cyrano de Bergerac. “You were like a brother to me. Do you remember? We used to play in the park near the lake.” Spada stated, almost perfectly in-character as Roxanne. Now normally, it was Crescendo projected via hologram who played this role but sadly tonight she was unavailable. Ever since her recital of a Cruel Angel's Thesis that helped free a certain planet, she’d found herself quite busy playing in the ship’s musical groups. “Yes, of course. Every summer, you came to Bergerac.” Flashfire, or rather Cyrano in this case replied. He had to admit, it was rather awkward using another male as Roxanne considering her role in the play but needs must. Besides, this was acting really. Spada had asked if he could change himself into a more feminine version of himself using the Virgo Kyutama or just his natural abilities but Flashfire had just looked disturbed by that. Plus, a little offended actually, stating that if he didn’t know how to act when improv or something of that ilk was required he’d never become truly great. “You used to make swords out of the reeds, and when you cut your hand you would come running to me, and I would say, Let me see. Oh! How did you do that?” “Playing near the Porte de Nesle.” “And how many did you play against?” “No more than a hundred.” Flashfire returned. Flashfire had long had an interest in the arts, the classical Shakespony-style theatre being one of his greatest interests alongside the clarinet. It was one of those few areas that he felt truly at peace. Perhaps it was his heritage, given his many great grandmother was a stage performer in her own right. A different type of stage performer he admitted, but he felt he had to honor her in some way given her wife was a great hero of old Equus. “Tell me!” Spada pleaded. “Tell me!” “No,” Flashfire stated, almost in monotone. Just like he’d been throughout the whole night. Spada found that rather odd really, he’d been a regular throughout the ship’s various plays and he knew when Flashfire was at his best. Tonight, it was evident something was off as the Beast Star was reading through his lines in a rather lifeless manner. Just going through the motions. “Let it go. Let it go. You tell me what you were going to say. Do you dare?” “I do dare. I love someone.” Spada returned, attempting to try and get Flashfire back in the swing of things but no matter what, nothing seemed to work. Not even transforming mid-line into a copy of Roxanne would work. “Ah!” Flashfire replied, rather caught off-guard by Spada’s transformation, his voice coming out as more of a squeak than anything else. “He does not know.” Spada continued. “Not yet at least. But he is proud, noble, brave and beautiful.” “Beautiful?” Flashfire stated, this line was supposed to be read in shock and perhaps a bit of envy, but once more it came out only lifelessly. “What's the matter?” Spada asked, not only in-character but in a voice of concern for his friend. Something was definitely wrong here, Flashfire hadn’t been the same since he came back from Corvus. Perhaps whatever he experienced down there, it’d affected his performance. “With me? Nothing. It is my hand. He is in the Guards?” Flashfire asked. Spada/Roxanna nodded. “Since this morning. Baron Christien de Neuvillette. In your own regiment. Promise me. Promise me to be his friend." “I promise.” Flashfire returned. “Oh, I love you. I must go now. Oh, and tell him to write me. A hundred men! What courage!” Spada shouted as he walked off-stage as this particular act ended. Scattered applause filled the room, polite clapping. ...Oh, but I have done better since.” Flashfire muttered, largely to himself. As soon as the curtain felt, he hung his head in shame and threw off his costume and punched a wall bloodying his knuckles. “Damn it…” he muttered. “Damn it all. What’s wrong with me? That’s normally one of my favorite parts of the play!” Flashfire knew all too well what was wrong with him really, it was guilt. Like a crushing weight upon his soul, he felt it. And he knew exactly why it was there. He’d ignored the Doctor’s direct warnings about traveling down to Corvus. The Doctor was supposed to be their guide to the universe, and Flashfire along with Flurry and Stardust were supposed to listen to him. But they’d done exactly the opposite when it came to this particular situation. Oh sure, some of that could be chalked up to them being put under Kukata Tamaa’s spell but not all of it. No, some of it could be attributed to them not listening to their own common sense and just seeing Corvus for what it was. Something that was far too good to be true. He knew Flurry felt it as well, considering what had gone on only a day or so prior just after the crew had returned from the Hell that was Corvus. And he suspected the crew knew it on some level as well, considering he’d been stopped by Spada in the hallways at one point. “Hey uh Flashfire? Just wanted to bring something up. I know it’s probably not my place, but lately there’s been a point of er, concern among some of the crew. It's, well, it's the Princess. She's been a bit elusive lately.” “Elusive?” Flashfire asked eyebrow raised. “Hasn’t left her quarters really, not even to join the daily briefing amongst the staff.” Flashfire sucked in a breath. “Your point?” he asked, despite having a sinking feeling he already knew why his love hadn’t left her quarters. “People take comfort in talking to her. When they see that the Princess is happy, they're happy,” Spada continued. “I know it’s her privilege to do what she wants, but I’m going to drop protocol for a moment. You have to admit, it is pretty odd really. I’d advise you to check up on her. Hive Mother knows you’re one of the closest to her, most likely to get something out of her.” Needless to say, Flashfire had followed Spada’s little tip and had gone to visit the Princess in her quarters. What he’d found, had been… interesting to say the least. The room had been darkened, allowing the starlight to fill the room as Flurry just sat down in her chair and observed the view. “Astronomical phenomena helps one to focus your mind I’ve found,” Flurry said not even looking at him as Flashfire walked in, but still acknowledging his presence. I like to imagine that each star represents a single thought. A single hope, a single dream.” “Rather new agey of you, really,” Flashfire remarked as he sat down beside her. “Listen, the crew, they’re-” “Starting to get worried?” Flurry finished for him. “Let them. They should be worried, if we’ve got an incompetent leader at the helm.” “By that, I assume you mean Stardust?” Flashfire joked trying to lighten the mood in his own way. His veins glowed a light pink even as he did so. He’d been noticing a few crew members have this same effect from time to time. Six in particular really, him amongst them. He wasn’t quite entirely sure why this happened, but he did have a working theory that he’d begun to suspect was probably quite sound after he’d heard Coldcast had become the new Element of Loyalty. The question was, who would become the next Element Bearer, and of which Element? “Spare the jokes commander,” Flurry replied. “I meant me. A Princess, who ignores sound advice from a man who’s probably been gallivanting around this universe for longer than I’ve been alive. I made a mistake, simple as that. We both did.” “Yeah, that’s true. But we can’t let it control our actions. Listen, I’ve got a performance of Cyrano de Bergerac coming up soon, you could join me if you want on-stage. Might help broaden your mind. Plus, Crescendo isn’t exactly available at the moment so we’re short one Roxanne.” “Sorry, I’ll pass on the offer. Acting’s never been my forte.” “And what if I told you I'm not leaving until you join me?” Flashfire said sternly. “Besides, if you ask me, you put up a damn good mask. God knows this mission’s put up a lot of stress on you, and yet ever since we left our home you’ve never been really one to show much emotion, never let anything get to you. At least, that’s how it seems on the surface. Otherwise, Tamaa probably wouldn’t have affected you as bad as he did.” “How much do you know?” Flurry asked in a dangerous tone, whirling on him. “Not as much as I’d like, I admit, but just enough. He had to have done something to you, Goddess knows he got into all of our heads. He knew things, I don’t know quite how, but he knew things about me that he never should have any right to.” “So?” Flurry stated coldly. “See a therapist. Hell, see Pharynx. I know you’ve been petitioning to put him up as ship’s consular.” Flashfire let out a growl and stomped off. As stubborn as a mule, this one. “...I just want to get through to her, is that too much to ask? All of us, we all went through something,” Flashfire whispered aloud as he wandered the corridors of the ship aimlessly, no particular direction in mind. Eventually, he found himself in an empty storage room, and took out his clarinet. Looking at it briefly, he then decided to play it. Maybe it’d help clear his mind. Playing a soft, almost haunting and sorrowful melody he didn’t really hear the hiss of the bay doors opening behind him. “It’s beautiful, you know,” Flurry said, distracting Flashfire from his playing. “Why you decided to be a pilot, I’ve no clue. You’ve got talent as an artisan. And you’re so remarkably kind, you putting up with me and my stupidity is evidence of that.” “...Well, a stallion one supposes must have many talents. Keep his options open.” “So, you two numbskulls are finally talking again?” Pharynx’s voice asked, as he too entered the cargo bay. “What’s your place in all of this?” Flurry asked, and Pharynx chuckled as he sat down on a nearby storage crate. “Flashfire, he asked me here. Wanted my opinions on his actions, and whether they were sound ones. Suppose while I’m here, might as well give my opinions on yours as well Princess. If you don’t mind that is,” he stated. “Well, who am I to ignore advice from a Changeling King?” Flurry shrugged. “They’re awfully good at sensing feelings. Makes them good listeners, and counselors.” “Bleagh, please don’t make me the ship’s counselor. Damn position reminds me too much of my brother’s Feelings Forum! Hugbox central,” Pharynx stated gruffly as he rolled his eyes, his veins glowing a bright orange. If either Flurry or Flashfire noticed, then neither of them pointed it out. “But… You want me to be blunt huh? Well then, the only thing I can say is you're idiots. The both of you,” he stated, catching both Flashfire and Flurry off-guard. And he wasn’t finished. “This New Eden of yours, hell it may not even exist! If you just keep on clinging to a false hope, then, in reality, you’re never going to get any stronger. You’re just holding yourself back. I apologize if that sounds cruel, but you did want my opinion, and now you’re getting it.” With that, he took his leave. As he walked away from the storage room, he soon found his palm glowing with a strange orange light, and he opened it up to reveal an orange Kyutama with three little red apples inside it. “...Huh.” he stated. Back with Flurry and Flashfire, the two looked at each other. “So…” Flashfire started. “So…” Flurry replied. “You think he’s right? That we’re clinging to some false hope?” “Perhaps, perhaps now,” Flashfire remarked. “I don’t honestly know. Maybe a new home for us exists out amongst the endless sky, maybe it doesn’t and our time has long since passed. I just honestly don’t really know. But what I do know is, he’s right on at least one aspect. We are idiots, the both of us.” “Can’t deny that. I suppose we should take a quote of my mom’s to heart, I guess. She once said to me: “Don't be afraid of being scared. To be afraid is a sign of common sense. Only complete idiots are not afraid of anything.” “Heh,” Flashfire laughed. “That’s quite true, really. Another old saying, another old nugget of wisdom for you. “Idiots are of two kinds: those who try to be smart and those who think they are smart.” In the last few days, I think we were of the second sort.” “So…” Flurry began, feeling there was no sense in beating around the bush any longer. “What exactly did you see? On Corvus, I mean. What exactly did Kukata Tamaa make you see?” “Well…” Flashfire stated, his voice shuddering. “Our entire mission, gone to ruin. Our ship, destroyed. He played upon my inner fears. All this while, I’ve had these feelings that every screw-up, my fault or not, my team will end up blaming on me.” “The burden of a leader,” Flurry whispered. “They look up to you, and at the same time they place all of their hopes and dreams on you. Trust me, I should know.” “Yeah…” Flashfire stated, before he remembered something else. Something else Kukata Tamaa had said. “You haven’t told them yet. About your little secret? Oh, Flashfire Lulamoon, you’ve got more secrets than the galaxies have stars, and you won’t let anyone in on one. single. one. Maybe it’s because… Oh, isn’t this funny, the great Flashfire Lulamoon is afraid of what his team would think of him if they knew?” Flashfire took a deep shuddering breath, and then he spoke. “You’re probably wondering why I’m taking an interest in Baroness Manx, and her… condition.” “I thought it was just because you were naturally kind. Granted, you’re showing more interest in her case than anyone else aside from Pharynx, but… Oh Faust, you’re not saying…?” “Exactly that. It wasn’t to me, but one particular member of my family, they know all too well it’s like to go through that sort of hell. I won’t divulge who it is,” Flashfire said, his mind’s eye picturing a pure white dragon-like pony with ram’s horns. “But let’s say this case is more personal for me than it should have been.” “Did… Did you catch whoever it was who committed the act?” Flurry asked, and Flashfire nodded. “Yes, yes I did. Let’s say nobody will ever have to worry about him ever again. Now for you, what did you see?” “More like what I heard,” Flurry replied. “Everyone’s right about me, I am too closed off in my emotions, I’ve lost so much over my lifetime. Lovers, friends, family… I guess I didn’t want to feel that hurt anymore. But out here amongst the stars, where I’m closer to my subjects than I ever would have been on Equus, I guess that rationale isn’t really logical anymore…” She and Flashfire continued their talk long into the night, and if anything besides feelings were exchanged between them, well that was their little secret to keep. Later, that very next day Flashfire picked up where he’d left off in his role of Cyrano de Bergerac, and this time he had a new Roxanne to accompany him. “He is a soldier too, in your own regiment in fact! Yes, in the Guards, in your company.” Flurry said, reciting the lines as if she knew them by heart, and as for Flashfire? Well, his return to form was a graceful one indeed. “Ah!” Flashfire said with such conviction, you’d have believed he was indeed Cyrano believing Roxanne was talking about him whilst in fact she was really talking about Christian. “And such a man! He is proud, noble, young, brave and very beautiful. Very beautiful indeed!” “Beautiful?” Flashfire asked nervously. “Whatever is the matter?” Flurry/Roxanne asked. “Nothing, it is just my hand! That is all!” Well, I love him. That is all. Despite this, I’ve never saw him anywhere at all except at the Comedie. But, oh!” Flurry shouted. People talk about people, and I hear things. And I know he is in the guards.” “Y-You do?” Flashfire stuttered out, his character hoping that ‘Roxanne’ was talking about him. Yes, one Baron Christian de Neuvillette. In your own regiment, as I said. Promise me, promise me this. Promise me you will be his friend.” “I… I will.” Flashfire whispered, playing the part of the heartbroken love so perfectly, and as the curtains began to close, this time he was not greeted with scattered polite applause but a loud thundering chorus. Flashfire smiled, he was back. And this time, he had the courage to face the Doctor. Both him and Flurry. Author's Note Yes, yes, I know I said after last chapter I wouldn't be updating this story any more this month, but I didn't have the heart to leave you on a cliffhanger until December. Okay, originally a good portion of this chapter was going to be devoted to Coldcast dealing with the after-effects of what he saw on Corvus, but I've been doing some thinking. As of late, sometimes he's been getting too much focus while other characters that needed it got shafted. So, that's why Flurry and Flashfire were the leads here. Another thing that got cut, well it was actually the Doctor's little moment warning the crew about Tamaa. For whatever reason, it was supposed to be in the previous chapter but I didn't get around to writing it. So, on that note decided to build this whole chapter around that. And in a way, I suppose it worked out for the best. Another thing that got cut from this chapter was the actual debut of our next Karo, Eriedrone, AKA the leader of the Sagittarius system. Decided using him would make the intro that little bit too cluttered and chaotic, so he got axed. Rest assured, you'll see him soon enough. As ever, comments and thoughts are appreciated. Part 17: Flashfire LulamoonSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Part 18: Holly JollySomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Part 19: The ShepherdSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Part 20: EriedroneSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Part 21: Domo Arigato...Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Part 22: Under Cover of Darkness Part 1Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Part 23: Under Cover of Darkness Part 2Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Part 24: Testing their LuckSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Part 25: StarmanSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Part 26: The Rescue MissionSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Part 27: SnowfallSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Part 28: FlustercluckSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Prologue: The End, and the Beginning5 Billion Years, that’s how long Equestria was expected to last before the sun finally went, but our calculations were wrong. The end of all things came much sooner than expected, our Sun, Celestia’s sun was far older than any of us thought. We’d been preparing for the end of the world for the last few decades now, ushering our ponies into great underground bunkers in hopes they’d survive the coming cataclysm and escape the heat as me, and the rest of the planet broiled. If we could have, we would have run to the bunkers as well. But when the end came, it fell to us, the four great Alicorns to hold back the sun for as long as we could. -From the Journal of Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. The sun, it had filled the sky like an angry inferno until it had consumed nearly the entirety of space. Only small streaks of angry crimson remained along the horizon, the last vestiges against the oncoming inferno. The once grandiose yellow orb pressed down as a blazing ball of death upon the very word it had cared for and brought life warmth for a millennium. Smoke rose from the blackened wasteland, whipped up into churning maelstroms by the howling winds. The earth, it glowed like fresh coals under the sun’s brilliance, a light so great, and yet so terrible. All of the planet was burning, breathing it’s last final gasps of life. All save for one location. The Crystal Empire. A tower of inky blackness stretched up high into the sky, where high above the moon hung in seeming defiance of the end that was to come. Luna knew it could not hold forever, but if she died, she was going to do it with dignity. The Empire blazed with light, the central tower of the grand castle a beacon of shining hope. Though it was well within the eclipse of the moon, the sun could not be denied. Nor would it be stopped by some meagre alicorn. This was a force of nature, something that had been building for years and years, and nothing, not even the Princess of the Moon, Tides, and Dreams could or would be able to stop it. But she’d be damned if she wouldn’t try, Luna thought to herself as she raised a gauntlet set upon her wrist, and pressed a purple Orb made of some otherworldly crystal down on it. “Say the Change!”, the gauntlet had shouted, and Luna responded. “Constellation: Draco!” she said in reply, and a purple light covered her body leaving her in a form-fitting bodysuit, with chest armor, and a blazing star set on it. Irony really, given what was fast approaching. There was a legend surrounding this orb, that it had fallen to Equestria from space so long ago, from an age even older than Luna’s. She knew not from where it came from, only that it possessed powers untold. Perhaps it was meant to be used as a tool, with the knowledge it contained to improve all of Equestria and the worlds beyond? Luna didn’t care about any of that right now, all she cared about was buying herself a little more time. It was a selfish desire, she admitted. But after years of caring for her people, perhaps a little bit of selfishness was allowed was it not? But it would all be for naught in the end, she mused, even as she watched an ethereal purple serpentine dragon wind around the moon and cover it with its power. Caress it, protect it from the sun just a little longer. Why she was doing this, she didn’t quite know. The planet was burning, and nothing could stop it. Perhaps, Luna mused, she wanted to be a hero just one last time and save what little remained of her former position. This hell, it wouldn’t last much longer though. Twilight Sparkle took some comfort in that. A small comfort sure, but it was a comfort nonetheless. She was going to die, there was no getting around that. There was nothing she could do. All of those decades of study and creation of both the vaults and what lay within, of sleepless nights and hectic days forgoing sleep and food and liquid at times. She, when she fled to the last holdout for ponykind, she took nothing but what she could carry and that was only a few tomes she had managed to salvage out of a selfish need to be where she belonged in death, with her books which had managed to be a comfort throughout of her years even when everyone else left her side. She had just her books, her memories and one impossible task. Now that she’d admitted that this was a problem beyond even all of her power, all of her wisdom, somehow it relieved a great deal of stress from her mind. It was a relief, amazingly, to be with who she most cared about in the final days of Equestria. Her sister in Cadence, her aunt in Luna and her lover in Princess Celestia. And who knew, right? Perhaps one day, she’d meet everyone she once knew in some other world. Oriande, the ponies called it. The afterlife. It had other names, Skyhaven in the Hippogriff and Griffon tongues, The Great Hoard in the tongues of the Changelings, and Niflheim in the language of the dragons. She fought back a sob, accepting she was of her death, she was not infallible. She thought of Spike, of ages long since past when he was just a simple baby drake and an assistant helping her out with various tasks that she couldn’t handle herself. But every child had to leave it’s nest, and as Spike gradually grew throughout the years, Twilight soon figured this out. Her heart broke when she had to send him away to the dragonlands, but she knew that’s where he belonged, with his own kind and not ponies. She took a small comfort in the fact that he’d gained two loves there, the Dragonlord Ember, and the wily young dragoness and fellow student of Friendship Smolder. It had been so lonely in her home after those painful first few days, she found herself checking Spike’s room every so often just to wake him up, only to remember that he’d left. Starlight left as well in time, going on the road with Trixie. Twilight smiled, she remembered their wedding. It was as grand as you’d expect it to be when one of the newlyweds in question was a stagemare. Perhaps it was during all of this and maybe because of it, Twilight gained a certain desire to be a mare, and not just this Princess that was closed off from the world in her castle with nothing but her books for company. But who? Most ponies only wanted to be with her just because she was a Princess, and nothing else. Her friends, they either weren’t interested in romance, or had fallen in love with somepony else. Perhaps it wasn’t surprising then, she turned to Princess Celestia and became enveloped in a whirlwind romance with her former mentor. The Princess of the Sun -Now the very object of their doom ironically enough- knew exactly what it was like to be placed atop a pedestal, and to be seen as this unapproachable, godlike figure. And given their many years together spent in close proximity as master and student, there were already suitable foundations for a romance. Sure, ponies talked, and of course they would, with some calling Celestia a cradle robber. Personally, both Twilight and Celestia laughed this off, given that Celestia was older than anybody else and anyone she romanced would look young in comparison to her. Twilight head’s swivelled up from looking down at the streets of the Empire, which once bustled with ponies going about their day to day jobs as she heard a cry ring out. Her ears perked up, she knew that voice. Then, she saw the massive dragon that encircled and wrapped itself around the moon protectively, shatter like glass. The sun reached moon, and wrapped its flares around the smaller body and hugged it tightly. And then, the moon began to melt, turning into thick globs that rained down upon Equestria. Some would probably hit the vaults, she suspected, and Twilight hung her head in mourning for the ponies inside them. Twilight broke off into a sprint and ran towards Luna, who was sobbing as she lay prone on the balcony, the purple bodysuit that covered her fading away. The orb that once rested on her wrist gauntlet, it popped off and rolled away, off the balcony into the streets below. “T-The Sun!” Luna choked out through her tears. “It… it killed her! It killed my moon!” As Cadence rushed to embrace her aunt, Twilight ran towards the throne room and towards Celestia. She ascended the dias up to the throne and looked at her lover, whose face was physically strained, pulsing orange veins beginning to show. Her magic aura glowed as bright as the sun itself, as she pushed all of her power into holding it back just a little longer. “Twilight…” Celestia coughed out, her throat raw leaving her voice barren as a desert. “So… There is nothing more we can do?” “None. You know something, I’ve realized one thing,” Twilight commented, as she watched Cadance carry Luna into the room. “I’m old enough to know that a longer life isn’t always a better one. In the end, you just get tired; tired of the struggle, tired of losing everyone that matters to you, tired of watching everything you love turn to dust.” “I’m just being realistic,” she clarified. “The ground beneath our hooves is spinning at… Oh, 1,000 miles an hour and the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at 67,000 miles an hour, and I can feel it. We can feel it. The planet, groaning out in pain and crying for mercy. We’d like to think think it’ll last forever: people and cars and concrete. But it won’t. We knew this, and yet we believed we could save ourselves. We tried tuning the mirror portal to other worlds, for our ponies to flee. And some did, but others couldn’t bear to leave their world behind and so that’s why the vaults and bunkers were built over the last few decades we had left. Underground cities, for protection from the coming fire. Our child… he’s inside one of them just outside the empire. He’ll never know us, except for our journals and memoirs that we left him. It would have been selfish to keep him with us, but…” “Our legacy, it must continue. The ponies, they’ll need someone to guide them,” Celestia sighed sadly, wanting to embrace her child one last time. “This world… it was never meant for us to keep was it?” “No, it was not,” Twilight admitted sadly. “So Celestia, just let go. You made a world, you and your sister for ponies to be proud of, but our age is over. Please, just let it go. The ponies, they don’t need us. When they emerge when the fire has passed and the world’s cooled down, it’ll be up to them to decide how to live. Now it’s time to let go, Luna could use her big sister right about now…” Celestia chuckled. “When did the student surpass the teacher?” Finally letting go, relenting at Twilight’s words, she gave her lover a long, last kiss, and after what seemed like far too little of a time, she let go, and pulled her niece and her sister into a hug. The world became ablaze with light, and in a few seconds, it was all over in a blinding flash. Fire consumed everything around them, and howling winds sent the castle crashing to the ground and it shattered. As Twilight fell into the fires below, she closed her eyes and welcomed death’s sweet release. Eventually, the world was to cool down, and rebuild, as a whole new circle of life began. The world became like glass, covered in snow and ice as ponies hid away in their bunkers developing new sciences to survive in the frozen hell that lay miles above them. Geothermal was the new way to go, with power coming from Equus’s very core itself. Volcanic heat now powered everything, from simple appliances to entire electric grids. New life on the surface evolved, with nudges from the planet’s natural magical field helping them along the way. Creatures great and small made of pure crystal thrived in this wasteland, showing that even after all the lights went out and a planet was subjected to eternal night forever more, life would find a way. However, everyone knew it was a dying world, with temperatures slowly dropping by the day. Soon or later, temperatures, which were already reaching -100 at times, would drop even lower, and in probably a few hundred years it would be -400 degrees up top. Even with volcanic heat powering everything, it was soon becoming evident that the world was no longer capable of sustaining the natural Equestrian life form in it’s current state. And nobody was planning on evolving fast enough to survive in a frozen hell. So, eyes turned to the stars, and to the mirror portal. Expeditions were planned to leave the world via this way in a matter of days and hopefully find a new Eden. However, as with any great ambitious plan, there were a few hitches. Everyone knew the Mirror Portal was a long shot, it’d be amazing if it survived all of these years and was still functional in any capacity, so eyes turned to the stars. Great ships had long been planned and constructed to carry the ponies to the worlds beyond, and expedition leaders had been picked out. Paladins, they were called, Equus’s best and brightest. Paladins to lead and protect the natives to the uncharted lands beyond the skies. And of course, every knight needed their steeds. But how were these steeds to be powered, and what would they do? Well, one pony, who we’ll get to in just a brief second thought he had an answer. Nobody quite knew how, but in the rubble of the Crystal Empire the Draco Constellation Kyutama had been recovered. Somehow, it had survived Equus becoming scorched by solar flares, and from it, new technology was derived and slowly developed over the years. Other Kyutamas, developed from the same general magic of the stars, were created by a top scientist called Stripped Gear -The many times great grandson of Lyra Heartstrings and Bon-Bon- and his crew. Some he called Skill Kyutamas. These were to convey simple powers like the Cancer or Gemini Kyutamas. Others, were far more powerful. Six different Kyutamas, along with the original Draco Kyutama, powered suits of armor built to withstand the heat of combat and the pressures of deep space exploration alongside powerful mecha/fighter craft called Voyagers. The lead of which, was based on the Cerberus Constellation. This massive three-headed sea green-toned ship powered by the Cerberus Kyutama and flown by the Prench pony Flashfire was designed to be the star of the show if you will, the greatest Voyager fighter craft ever built. Some wanted Celestia and Twilight’s son Stardust for the role, but it was eventually decided he was better suited leading the ponies on the massive colony ships that the voyagers were to be protecting. Other ships were designed as well. The Wolf Voyager, the Bull Voyager, the Eagle Voyager, the Swordfish Voyager and so on. Each drew power from a constellation, like the Cerberus Voyager before them. In order, they drew power from the Lupus, Taurus, Aquila, and Dorado constellations respectively. “Yee-Haw!” a voice proclaimed as a sea green ship rocketed past several of those same towers of ice, glittering and twinkling in the lights that the ship emitted. “Easy there, don’t want to overdo it.” Stripped Gear’s voice crackled through the comm systems. “New upgrades I installed to the thrusters and afterburners, I just want to make sure that they work. Don’t push it, we don’t want to overcook the engines.” “Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s just… this ship you made, and the Kyutama that powers it, they feel so alive!” Flashfire commented as he used the controls to turn his Voyager on its side so that it would fit through the very narrow gap in an icy canyon, before turning it skywards and rocketing back down towards a large hole in the ice that led deep inside the planet’s interior. All around him, crimson red crystals of every shape and size that comprised the cavern walls. “It’s just that they give this ship a… je ne sais quoi.” “Next thing you’re going to do, is get married to it eh?” Stripped Gear joked. “Now, test the other systems, I want to see how well the new upgrades affect the ship’s maneuverability.” “What do you think I’ve been doing, acting like some sort of clown de cirque?” Flashfire asked, as he sent the ship around a very tight corner, dodging and weaving between the blood-red crystalline structures all the while before he engaged the thrusters and rocketed out of the cave through a very tight hole. He shot across a wide open plain, as a bunch of ice crystal comprised foxes sniffed the ground for their latest meal, which was usually very small worms burrowing in the ice. They strained their heads upwards as the Cerberus Voyager shot over their heads, its pilot smirking all the while. “Yeah, I’d say the systems are certainly and definitively tested. Come back to base.” Stripped Gear ordered. Coldcast, the pilot of the Wolf Voyager found himself atop the headquarters of the Galaxy Garrison headquarters late one night. Now, the entire headquarters was surrounded by an energy shield, or barrier dome if you preferred made of hexagonal plates of magic and powered by like everything else on this damned world geothermal energy. Protected the entire structure and the grounds from the biting cold and windchill. Coldcast, he was an interesting sort. From the Griffon kingdoms, -at least that’s where his family tree was supposed to lie- fancied himself an explorer and adventurer and general all-around action hero. The reality was far from it. He had only managed to get himself assigned to the Wolf Voyager because both Flashfire and Flurry Heart (One of the only two remaining Alicorns left alive) took pity on him really. He did hold a love for the stars and was quite the astronomer though so he had that going for him. Often times, he suspected that’s the only reason aside from Flashfire that he was the pilot for the Wolf Voyager and the holder of the Lupus Kyutama. Didn’t really get along with anyone, as he preferred to keep to himself. More often than not, he’d been approached by a mare or hen or some other type of female who’d ask him out for drinks, only to be swiftly rebuffed. Flurry often suspected it was because his parents died on him at such a young age, and he grew up in his vault’s orphanage. He wanted to make something of himself, and didn’t want to rely on anybody to help him along. Or hinder him. The snow-white griffon found himself looking up to the stars, and smiling as he raised his telescope to the stars, and his eyes wandered through the sea of the inky black night. Here, alone amongst the galaxy’s greatest work of art was the only place he could find a sense of peace and belonging. “So, I’ll be up there soon huh?” Coldcast mused as his eyes drifted towards the Ursa Major constellation, and for a brief moment, one of his crystal blue eyes drifted towards his gauntlet or Kyuchanger as it was called. For a moment, he wondered if there was a Kyutama based on that. He knew the Ursa Minor got one, so it was possible it’s big brother had a Kyutama created to draw on that constellation’s mystical powers. You may wonder why the constellations were thought of to begin with, to create powerful suits, mechas and abilities. It was said, and Coldcast only knew of this because of his classmate Jabari who was half zebra and half horse, that long ago they were believed to be the creations of the gods themselves and held ancient mystical powers. Jabari took this belief seriously, and wouldn’t waver on it. Personally, Coldcast dismissed this as hogwash and found it especially ridiculous coming from a stallion who was otherwise well versed in various areas of science. But then again, if the Voyagers were any indication maybe he wasn’t quite so cracked in the head after all… “Well, the final frontier it is then I suppose…” Coldcast murmured to himself as he retracted his telescope and pulled out a small little box and some headphones. It was then, having finally been distracted from his stargazing that he finally took notice of the fact that someone else was up there with him. Jabari, he knew it to be in an instant from the gold fur and the black stripes. He wore a black leather jacket, and was wearing headphones that were connected to a small laptop computer with what looked to be a satellite attached to it. “Hey, come here to rock out?” Coldcast asked curiously, as he pried the headphones away from Jabari’s ears. “Because seriously, I’ve heard Radio 2’s got some really great tunes!” Jabari glared at him. “And here I thought you didn’t take much interest in socializing, especially with someone like me. Didn’t you dismiss me as a nutcase a few nights ago?” Jabari asked in an icy tone. “Call me curious,” Coldcast remarked simply as he leaned in closer, only to be smacked away by his fellow Paladin. “I have to ask, where’d you get all this stuff? You raid a supply closet or somethin’?” “I built it, actually,” Jabari replied smugly. “Right, top of your class scientist…” Coldcast muttered. “So what are you listening to actually, if not rock and roll?” “Transmissions!” Jabari replied, adjusting his glasses. “With this little baby, I can scan all the way to the edge of the solar system. Started out as a hobby I admit, probably expecting nothing to come of it, but-” “But what?” Coldcast finished. “But why am I even explaining all of this to you?” Jabari continued. “Eh, I’m an astronomer, so I have a natural interest in space. Not just in stars and the like, but everything else associated with it. Not like there’s much else to be interested in…” he muttered sourly. “True, everyone’s focused on the stars nowadays, I suppose I just fell in line,” Jabari grumbled bitterly. “I guess if we’re going to be on a team together, can’t have any secrets. And I’ve got a big one…” “What, you’re secretly a mare in disguise? Cause listen, I won’t judge if that’s the-” “Not that, you asshole!” Jabari snapped. “Listen, the world as you know it, it’s about to change. I’ve been scanning the systems, and picking up… well, alien radio chatter. I can’t translate most of it, but I can make one or two words out. It’s on repeat. Dark Matter, Dark Matter. That’s all I can really say,” “Okay, so you are insane. Got it,” Coldcast said, and Jabari simply pressed a button on his computer. Out of the speakers, came a single distorted voice saying in what was quite possibly the vilest tone possible: “Dark Matter, Dark Matter.” just as Jabari had said. “What the fu…” Coldcast trailed off, and backing away from the computer more than a little unnerved. On pure instinct, he went for his Kyutama. “Now now,” Jabari warned. “No need for that, just a message. A very creepy message, I admit, but just a message. Don’t even know how old it is,” “...And that makes me feel so much better,” Coldcast sighed, pocketing his Kyutama. “If it helps to make you feel any better, that was about my first reaction as well,” Jabari shrugged. “Nearly morphed into Aquila Pink right then and there!” “Don’t you think we should, uh, report this to the higher-ups? I think Stardust and Flurry would love to know about-” Before he could finish, a bright flash lit up the sky, and an orb rocketed high above them, leaving a trail of glowing red and orange fire behind it as it entered the planet’s atmosphere with a loud sonic boom. “Okay, what in all of the name that is holy was that!?!” Coldcast screeched, leaving Jabari to look at him critically. “...Maybe you should be the one piloting the Eagle Voyager with a screech like that one.” he deadpanned. “Er, are your priorities a little skewed right now?” Coldcast asked in a flat tone, eyebrow raised. “I mean, a giant hunk of space rock that’s possibly connected to alien lifeforms just fell from the sky and you’re debating switching Voyagers with me?” “...What makes you think it’s alien?” Jabari asked, this time his eyebrow raised. “Well, it probably isn’t, but you pick up a transmission from something called Dark Matter and then that happens!” Coldcast proclaimed, pointing towards the large purple smoke cloud rising in the distance where the thing had landed. Probably hit some magnesium, he mused. “Probably just a coincidence,” Jabari commented, being the more logical of the two. “I mean, what are the chances of that actually happening? Million-to-one I say!” he put in. “Who cares, I’m still going to find out what it was,” Coldcast said, extending his wings, setting his goggles down over his eyes and then putting a small device on his chest which almost at once covered his body in a skintight thermal bodysuit. The griffon then flew down towards the ground to a hoverbike. “Most interesting thing to happen around here in decafebs!” He gunned the throttle, and rocketed off in the distance. Jabari could only sigh and run a hoof down his muzzle. “...And now I’m going to have to be the one to go in after him and save his sorry butt when a Crystal Crawler decides the taste of chilled Griffon is very appetizing…” he grumbled, before leaping off the roof and going to a hoverbike of his own. “Flurry will probably have my head on a platter in the morning, but right now…?” he sighed, before donning a similar bodysuit going off after his friend. When they arrived, both Coldcast and Jabari were treated to an incredible sight. A dark purple ship, covered in smooth curves and blinking lights resting neatly in a crater. Small little magnesium fires were surrounding it, each one white-hot and melting the snow and ice around the area. “See, told you it was alien,” Coldcast replied smugly. “And I submit to your reality, even if I still reject the theory that it’s related to this Dark Matter,” Jabari replied simply, with a small sniff. “So who do you think it could be, friendly aliens, coming to drop by and say hi and improve our lives before they eat us?” Coldcast deadpanned. “You read too many books, you know that right?” Jabari asked in a flat tone. “Besides, Dark Matter, it could be related to anything. Doesn’t have to be a species name or the name of some galaxy-spanning empire. As it is, Dark Matter as we know it is a theorized form of matter that is believed to account for approximately 80% of the matter in the universe, and about 25% or perhaps maybe more of its total energy density. The majority of dark matter is thought to be non-baryonicin nature-” “Like you said, I read books so I know what it is,” Coldcast cut him off. “Still doesn’t mean that it’s friendly though.” “You’re really hard to like, you know that right?” Jabari stated in an annoyed tone. “And you two,” a familiar Prench accent said as a red-coated pony removed his cornflower blue Perseus Kyutama from his Kyuchanger, revealing the form of Flashfire. This particular Skill Kyutama had the ability to camouflage one with his or her environment. “Are in so much trouble. You aren’t even qualified to fly your Voyagers yet!” “Aw crap…” Coldcast muttered. “Busted.” “Well, as long as we’re here and I’m stuck with you two imbéciles, might as well make the most of it and have a little look-see as to who’s greeting us…” Flashfire sighed. A figure, scorpion-like in shape with a humanoid torso and completely metallic staggered out of the ship, with a rectangular head with one gleaming eye shining a searchlight in their direction. All three Voyager pilots quickly ducked behind some ice. Sadly, it seemed this robot could detect heat signatures and fired a beam of energy in their direction. “Move! Rapide comme vous pouvez!” Flashfire barked as all three ran for it before sharing a look. “Well, it’s not friendly and it obviously wants to kill all, so I say we introduce ourselves eh?” the pony commented, and both Jabari and Coldcast smirked before all three took out Kyutamas and primed their Kyuchangers. All the while, the arms of the robot sprouted twin-pronged blades. “Say the Change!” the Kyuchangers all exclaimed in unison before three Kyutamas were locked in with a clicking sound and given a small twist. “Lupus!” “Cerberus!” “Aquila!” Author's Note Okay, I admit, that was a rather dark beginning for a Sentai adaption. Killing off all of our favorite MLP characters just like that, like I just snapped my fingers like Thanos would with his Infinity Gauntlet? I apologize for any tears shed. I also apologize for the broad strokes taken with everything, such as some of the names being changed, and the fact that this whole story doesn't start off as a space rebellion against an evil empire with nine Rangers and instead starts off with ponies looking to escape a dying world with what they have. But rest assured, we'll get to epic space battles and the like. For now, comments, thoughts, and critique are welcomed. Enjoy, what I'd like to believe would be the theme for this series. Part 11: We Got ThisThe Shining Armor: Coldcast honestly couldn’t sleep that night, or at least not very well. He kept casting glances outside the window, to the nebula beyond with the purple and blue storm clouds and gases crackling with lightning of some sort. Coldcast groaned, and tried to turn in his bed so he couldn’t see the clouds, something about this nebula -Safe as it was from Dark Matter sensors- just made him unwary. Maybe it was his natural griffon instincts saying to him that anywhere unknown was a danger to be avoided. He’d heard his race’s history, about how Griffonstone was colonized and the dangers that lay beyond it’s walls. Anywhere outside that stone city was to be avoided at all cost. You did not venture off time-tested trails, you did not explore unknown caves, and you certainly did not go off looking for adventure no matter what. “Dios Mios, I hope Flashfire’s having a better time down on Vela than I am up here…” the snow-white griffon thought to himself as he tossed and turned in bed trying to fall back to sleep. The problem was, because of the thickness of the nebula’s gases and just how deep the ship was in them to hide from Dark Matter scout ships, it made it impossible to get any transmissions off the ship so Coldcast had no idea on what was going on down there. He still remembered the briefing in Flurry’s Ready Room the day before. “I think it’s time we start looking into other options,” Flashfire had remarked out of the blue, with Flurry, Stardust and the other Paladins looking at him. Coldcast had a weird feeling in his throat. Whenever Flashfire spoke like that, without any hesitations, he knew that he was serious about it. He knew that this wouldn’t be easy for them to swallow, with all the stuff they had done already, but they couldn’t keep doing the same thing over and over again if it yielded no results. Coldcast looked nervous, as he knew his adopted older brother all too well. When he got desperate for a real victory, he tended to get crazy plans-wise. As much as Flashfire loved to put on the calm, cool, collected leader front he knew Flashfire was just as nervous as the rest of them. He was just better at hiding it than the others. “Other options?” Stardust asked, rubbing his chin with a hand. “Please elaborate.” “Think about it,” Flashfire commented, gesturing to the nebula outside. “For the time being, we may as well be sitting ducks. Our ships are damaged from Dark Matter’s last attack with that Deathworm, and we don’t even know if hiding in this nebula will work.” “Twilight’s ran the calculations,” Stardust replied. “She says that Dark Matter’s sensors shouldn’t be able to penetrate any of this.” Personally, Coldcast was privately agreeing with the Prince. Best to play it safe, not take any unneeded risks. Staying in this nebula for the time being -As unnerving as it was to his instincts- was the safest bet, at least until the colony ships were repaired. “Yes, but she’s only using calculations based on what we know so far,” Jabari pointed out, seeing exactly where Flashfire was going with this, and Coldcast looked at the Zorse in shock. Jabari was intelligent, yes, but the issue with him was that he was a bit arrogant on his beliefs and his intelligence believing that any other opinions other than his own were to be dismissed outright. Coldcast didn’t want to see him get into any trouble. Hypothetically, and actually Coldcast was more then willing to bet beyond a hypothetical situation, that there were plenty of things out there Jabari hadn’t or wouldn’t have planned for given the sheer vastness of space. It was just like Griffonstone’s borders in a way. Nobody knew what lay beyond safe passage, and everywhere you looked there was likely to be something out to get you. Still, he had to admire Jabari’s tenacity, the stallion never gave up. Plus, his mastery of the violin was undisputable. Could make a mare swoon if he really put his mind to it. “I mean, those ships we encountered in Lupus’ fleet? Hellishly powerful and frighteningly dangerous yes, but for all we know Dark Matter may have even more powerful ships with even more advanced sensors,” Jabari continued. “For all Twilight knows, for all we know, we could be just sitting at the tip of the iceberg. They could find us, as I doubt they’re particularly happy about us blowing one of their rulers to space dust,” he agreed. “We need to start forming a coalition, gather allies if only for our own safety as we travel across the universe. And fight back against Dark Matter.” As everyone discussed their opinions and methods of defeating the empire, Coldcast could only watch, and let everything fester in his head. Their victories, losses, scars, it had all been gathering and building. How much longer until it was all turned around on them, and everything they worked for fell apart? He’d heard of the arguments in the medical bay between Spada and his boss, everyone was stressed to the point of breaking and from the looks of it that very thin line between stress and outright madness was continuing to be trod. It was only a matter of time before that line… snapped. “Wait, wait…” Fågel piped up, the parrot looking uncharastically nervous. “I’m one for kicking ass, but who died and appointed us guardians of the universe? I mean, we’re just five ships and a couple hundred starfighters plus two mecha against 87 Galaxies worth of tyrants. We got lucky the first time, who’s to say the second will be the same?” “Exactly, 87 galaxies worth,” Flashfire stated. “Now, call me crazy, but isn’t in the job description of the Element of Kindness to free people from a cruel dictator? Hell, isn’t it in the job of any Element of Harmony to save Equus and her allies? Our planet may be gone, but it’s just a ball of rock and dust in the end. Equus is a people, and apologies in advance if I sound preachy here like some sorta cosmic messiah but our job as Element Bearers and embodiments of the Magic of Friendship is to extend that idea to other races, and stop evil wherever it hides. Am I not wrong?” he asked. The Elements of Harmony and Magic of Friendship. It had been a long time since Coldcast had heard those words. If only they were still here today, then Dark Matter would have been stomped out long before any of them came together. But sadly, without any of the Spirits to bear the elements, there was no hope for any of them. Even after mention of the elements themselves, Coldcast had to wonder whether or not anyone would still be fit to don them, given the harsh conditions of their world. Oh sure, he and some of the other Paladins had channeled them at times like during the battle with Mar’Zek or during the final battle with Lupus, but were they really cut out to actually wield them? Wasn’t it just ponies who were meant to wield Equestria’s most powerful form of magic anyways? He was just a simple griffon who barely made the cut from flight school, no matter what Flashfire said. Sure, he’d been hearing rumors that Stripped was creating Kyutamas to channel the Elements themselves, but like the Sun and Moon Kyutama before them, these new Kyutamas had malfunctioned in testing. Nobody, not even the supposedly qualified bearers like Flashfire or even Coldcast himself had managed a successful test in using them. A silence permeated the room for several odd minutes, but finally, it was broken when Flurry nickered. “May be the damn death of us as a race, but…” she sighed before pressing a button on her chair opening up a comm channel to Summer Afterglow, the Kirin in charge of navigations. “Summer, find us the nearest inhabited planet, I’d like to know who we share our galaxy with.” Coldcast looked outside the window of his quarters, and groaned to himself. First thing in the morning, he was replicating some curtains. At least that would be a distraction from the hardships of the universe, no matter how tedious they be. “Celestia?” Coldcast asked. “You there? Please tell me you’re there!” he shouted into the darkened room. No response. Wearily, he let out a sigh and slumped his head downward and ran a claw through his feathers. Right, he’d forgotten his holographic emitter in his room was still broken. “Well, nothing for it then,” Coldcast thought to himself as he climbed out of the bed tossing the covers aside and turning on a light and grabbing a plasma torch. If nobody was going to fix the damn thing, it was time to get his paws dirty and greasy and do the damn himself. Removing a panel, he exposed the wiring behind it. “If you want something done, you gotta do it yourself… Yeah, that’s right! You got this!” Spinning the repair tool in his hand, he set to work. Little by little, wire after wire began to be sautered and repaired, until finally after what seemed like an eternity the Celesti-AI’s emitter flickered back into existence. “Hello, Coldcast. Are you alright?” the Celesti-AI spoke sweetly to him as light began to flood into his room. “Had a pleasant sleep? Good portions of food?” “...Do I look alright?” Coldcast deadpanned, pointing to his bloodshot eyes. “Terrible, sleepless nights? I’m sure that I can rectify that issue.” the Celesti-AI spoke softly. “Would you like some hot cocoa to soothe your anxiety issues?” “Anxiety? Anxiety is what I feel when I burn a steak or some other form of meat, not easy cooking for a whole ship and filling in for Spada at times you know. This... this is more like…” Coldcast stated, unable to get the words out, looking directly at the nebula outside and then back at the Celesti-AI. Every time he even looked outside that window, he felt old fearful instincts cropping up, a sort of daze like he was dizzy and something he couldn’t place creeping up in the back of his throat. “Hmm…” the Celesti-AI murmured to herself rubbing her chin in thought and observing Coldcast’s reactions and body language. “Dizziness, nausea, unspeakable dread? You feeling any of that right now, by perchance?” “How’d… How’d you know?” Coldcast whispered. “You don’t have as much confidence in your voice as you used to, and your palms are sweating more than usual. Tell me, what are your fears, young one?” the Celest-AI asked as she projected a holographic image of herself into the room, who came up to Coldcast and laid a hand around his shoulders. “You’re… You’re the wise all-knowing ruler of Equestria right?” Coldcast asked, his voice trembling. “At least, that’s what your original self was right?” “Yes. That was me. But following the destruction of Equestria on Sunfall Dawn, I was digitally reconstructed as an AI as you remember,” Celestia nodded. “Now, I act as a guardian and custodian for the Voyagers and for the Paladins themselves. That also makes me your legal guardian, and as such, I am responsible for you; almost like a parent in a way.” “Okay… I honestly prefer to think of my brother as my legal guardian given he’s always been there for me, but right now…” Coldcast murmured, rubbing his head feathers. “Dios Mios, I’ll take who I can get for advice right now. Okay, maybe I don’t have the nausea, but all those other symptoms you mentioned, they’re there.” “I recommend spending some time in a nice, quiet environment. If you want, I can simulate Equestria before Sunfall for your pleasure. Is that what you wish, Coldcast?” She asked. “...Is there a phobia of being feeling left behind, or alone?” Coldcast nervously inquired, this being quite shameful for him. He never wanted to admit that behind his tough exterior, he was just this lonely little griffon still looking for a few friends. That was why he was so loyal to those he had. Simply because he wanted to keep them. “The correct term is Athazagoraphobia. And having that fear, while rare or at least not often discussed by many, is perfectly natural. You grew up in the system, did you not?” the Celesti-AI asked, honestly unsure if she was suited to talking to Coldcast about this particular type of fear. This was more her sister’s territory, the realms of the psyche. But right now, she was all Coldcast had. Coldcast nodded at her request. “Yeah, I did,” the griffon replied, his voice coming out as barely a whisper. “I didn’t have that many to rely on, just my big brother Flashfire. A-And right now, he’s off on some mission to some water world to try and gather us some allies in the fight against Dark Matter,” he sniffled. “And every time he does go off on some venture without me, I always have t-this lingering fear he won’t make it back or-” “A perfectly understandable fear, I myself, if I was put in your position, would probably be feeling the same even if I knew very well my sibling was a competent leader or fighter in his or her own right. But there’s something more, isn’t there?” the Celesti-AI inquired, and Coldcast nodded. “Something that you don’t want to talk to me about, is there? Something you don’t even know yourself, but your subconscious tells otherwise.” “Well, I know what I think it might be. It’s my sister. Okay, half-sister, Fågel AKA Taurus Black.” “You have a half-sister?” Celest-AI asked, blinking her eyes in surprise. Wasn’t like she was expected to keep track of every crew member aboard the ship, there were over 20,000 of them. “I didn’t even know. Seriously, even I didn’t know she was my media hermana. Least not till just a few days ago. Here’s what happened…” Coldcast began to explain… “Brother? We need to talk, and I mean about everything…” came a familiar Icelandic tone, causing Coldcast to look up from his book on various constellations. Currently, he was looking up the background of the Orion constellation. “Fågel? What is it?” Coldcast, pulling his head out from his book and locking gazes with her. While he wasn’t exactly the most familiar with her, as Fågel wasn’t exactly known for being sociable in the slightest he did know of her status as a fellow Ranger. “Look. There’s a…” Fågel began, before stopping. She wasn’t actually sure how to begin really. Coldcast took notice of her hesitation. “There’s a what?” he asked quickly. “There’s a reason why never could look after you,” Fågel sighed, with the parrot’s frown plastered wide across her face. “I know that you might not believe me, or want to believe me after what I say, but it is the honest truth. I wouldn’t be telling you this if I didn’t feel confident in it.” “Fågel, you can tell me anything.” Coldcast still walked over and placed one of his hands on her back. “We’re always going to be together, no matter what we may say or do. So, what’s up?” “I’m a wanted outlaw, or well at least I was for a time,” She said so quickly that she had to cover her mouth after saying it. Coldcast blinked twice, then ended up letting out a chuckle. “I’m sorry, what was that? I thought I heard you say that you were a wanted outlaw.” “I am. And I wasn’t exactly forced to kill someone or anything; the stallion was too freaked out and he fell out of a window,” Fågel immediately turned away and looked out the window, out towards the stars in the cosmos. “Coldcast. No-one on this ship knows it yet other than you. Well, you and Prince Stardust who put me in this damn position in the first place.” “I’m sorry, what? Prince Stardust?” Coldcast asked, blinking once more in shock. “What does he have to do with any of this? Why weren’t you there for me? In fact, who are you Fågel? Out of all the members of the Paladins, aside from Stripped Gear, you are the one I know the least about for fuck’s sakes!” “There’s a damn good reason why you don’t know about me; or are even allowed to know about me. I specifically wanted you out of my life! If you knew… If you knew anything about me… Well, if you did, I’m… I’m not sure you would be able to handle it. No, I know you wouldn’t be able to handle it!” Fågel stammered, taking a few verbal steps backwards. “Fågel, tell me now. Please… I just found out you could have been there for me and yet you just now said you couldn’t!” Coldcast shouted, tears streaming down his face. “Do you know how long -How long!- I had to fend for myself in the New Manehatten orphanages just because nobody could bother with a screw-up like me? It wasn’t until Flashfire came along that I actually had a family, a familia! He’s mi hermano to me how, my older brother you understand? So, what are YOU!?!” Coldcast roared, and choked back a sob, the poor griffon’s entire body shaking. “I’m your half-sister, Coldcast!” She blurted out loudly, tears streaming down from her face and a long built up dam of emotions finally breaking. “Wh...What?” Coldcast stammered out. “I… I have actual blood familia? A media hermana?” he whispered, unsure if he should break down in sobs, punch Fågel in the face, yell at her to get out or do all three. “It’s true, Coldcast. And I’ve been related to you longer than you remember,” She reached out for him, only for him to lightly swat her hand away. “I know that it’s harrowing, but it’s true. I’m your blood familia, as you put it.” “Then… Then why were you never there for me? I understand being in prison, but what after you got out? Why did you never come and look for me?” Coldcast asked, his voice barely a whisper. “The monsters. If they saw me on the field working with you, they would hunt me down to the ends of the universe and back.” She lowered her head. “Look, I know it’s a flimsy excuse, but honestly, it’s the best one that I can muster up.” “I… I see. Just give me some time to think on this, okay?” Coldcast asked. “I… I understand,” Fågel nodded before taking her leave. “And that’s basically it really,” Coldcast explained to the Celesti-AI. “I have a half-sister in Fågel of all creatures, and I don’t know really what to think on that really.” “A half-sister?” the Celesti-AI parroted. “I see. And her crimes, at least the ones you consider crimes such as leaving you for abandon left a lasting impression on your soul, dampening your spirit.” “...You sure you’re not Luna’s AI in disguise, ‘cause I heard being blunt was her thing.” Coldcast deadpanned. “Lun-AI, while being the blunt type, is still my sister. We still enjoy each other’s company and draw from each other at times,” she replied. “How exactly do you rebuild your relationship with your half-sister who purposefully left you for abandon, and didn’t exactly give a damn about you up till now?” Coldcast asked, a dangerous edge in his tone bordering on a growl. “Perhaps you both need a mission together with each other; one fraught with danger and peril. If the both of you survive and co-operate to overcome it, then that would be a good start to reconstructing your relationship. The only problem now is how to find such a mission...” “...You are kidding right?” Coldcast asked. “I mean seriously, does any sane person want to put their life and limb on the line? I sure as hell don’t! And I doubt Fågel would either. In case you missed the memo while you were offline Princess, we’re actually trying to avoid that kinda thing for the time being.” Coldcast deadpanned. “Alert! Alert! Unknown organisms detected in the lower bays!” An alarm rang out throughout the ship, as lights lit up red. “All security staff are to ready for battle and viral control measures. All non-essential personnel are to stay in their quarters.” “...Wonder what that’s about?” Coldcast wondered to himself. He tried contacting the bridge, and when that failed he tried contacting anyone else important. Sadly, nothing seemed to be working. What he did next surprised even him, and he didn’t quite know why at the time and perhaps he never would but he immediately reached for his Kyuchanger and radioed Fågel in on the comms. He gave the Celesti-AI a look, idly wondering if she was some sorta psychic. “Fågel! What’s going on around here?” he asked. “Can’t reach anyone on the inter-ship communications!” He was met with nothing. No signal, and no noise except the crackling of static on his comms device. “Come on, come on! Work with me here…” Coldcast pleaded, and finally, his half-sister’s voice came crackling through. “Coldcast? What’s going on here?” She said, her face finally appearing on the device. “I was about to ask you the same question. Ship’s just gone to red alert, they’re saying something about viral infection control measures!” Coldcast barked. “I heard. I’m heading to the bridge right now. There’s some sorta spores in the air, vines of some sort all over the ship walls like some sorta whacked out kudzu. Beats the hell out of me what they are, never seen anything like ‘em before. Are you… alright?” She asked, still rather unsure on how to address her half-brother. “Yeah, fine,” Coldcast stated, before he began to cough from the spores he’d only now just noticed coming in through his doors and reached for a nearby medical cabinet and quickly pulled on a gas mask. “...Least, I will be. What about you? I assume you’re planning to seal off as many doors as possible? Keep whatever this is from spreading?” “Yeah. I’m gonna execute the lockdown procedure on the lower decks as soon as everyone down there manages to evacuate. Once that’s all said and done, we can talk about getting rid of whatever’s causing the problem.” “I’ll join you in access corridor 59-B, that sound good? It’s right near the closest maintenance access, and we should be able to meet up there.” Coldcast replied. “Sound good?” “Yeah. see you soon.” And with that, the video turned off. “Stay safe… hermana.” Coldcast whispered, and blinked in surprise and looked at the Celesti-AI’s smirking face before thinking: “Damn alicorn, why does she always have to be right all the time? Can’t she be wrong just once?” Coldcast kicked the doors to his quarters open after powering himself up with the Hercules Kyutama and stepped out into the corridor before letting out an audible gasp of shock. The corridors that he had once seen and walked through before were completely askew. What was the floor was now the ceiling and vice versa. Thick, black vines with pulsating veins grew on each section of the area, and spores were being released into the air from the mass that sprawled the walls. There were even a few shrieks to be heard deep from within, as if a monster had infiltrated the ship itself. “Okay, that is just messed up,” Coldcast murmured as he carefully took a few steps through the darkened corridor, the lights flickering every so often now and again. “...Here we are again. Deja Vu much?” he muttered, remembering the Paladin’s previous experience not just a few days before in dealing with dark creepy corridors and an unknown cause. Of course, this time he was the one walking through them, not Jabari and Flashfire. Engaging the Pyxis Kyutama and mentally asking for it to find his sister, he was soon greeted with a gold arrow pointing in the direction of where his sister was located currently. Coldcast, breaking into a sprint ran off down that direction. As he ran through the dark and desolated corridors, -cutting through vines with his Astral Claw as he went- the sounds of metal twisting echoed in his ears, and the very floor beneath him began to rumble. Within the darkness, he swore that he could see a shadow lunging through it, a distorted and abhorrent shriek accompanying it. Following that were the distant screams of one of the crewmembers. Coldcast fired a few shots from his Kyuchanger, and downed a small fattened centipede-like creature, resembling an alien tardigrade. Maybe that’s what it was, a version of the normally sub-microscopic creatures mutated beyond measure. But, even with the beast downed, there was still the shadow from before, prowling the walls with a distorted growl. Well, there was before a screech of rage -A battle cry!- filled the air and a dying shriek followed that, before Fågel emerged from the shadows holding her Astral Axe., with the Ara Kyutama in her gauntlet. “I hope I’m not too late.” She said as she dragged the body of the monster behind her, heaving it over her shoulder, the creature looking rather scorched. “...Turns out, these things really don’t like fire either. You alright?” “Yeah, I’m fine,” Coldcast replied. “And you’re just in time. Alright, so is everyone on the maintenance decks evacuated?” “Yeah. I was able to get the last of them out. Unfortunately, the lockdown procedures were activated a bit quicker than I had imagined, so now we’re both stuck down here until someone can get us out. And even then, with the monsters in here…” Fågel tightened the grip on her bloodstained battle axe. “Oh, there’s always a way out. We just have to make our own,” Coldcast stated, pointing to a maintenance hatchway above them covered in the alien kudzu. He produced an Ara Kyutama of his own, and created a small campfire, and almost at once the vines began to retreat in fear of the heat. “See? Nothing to worry abo-” Before he could finish, a massive crash rang out through the corridor, and the sounds of metal being torn apart sounded in both of their ears. A titanic roar came from the newest beast, which was a giant, husking monstrosity the size of the corridor itself. With a circular mouth with spikes on the inside, large tentacles growing and flailing out of its’ mouth, and a set of gigantic feet, it stumbled towards the both of them; its’ mouth just big enough to devour them whole. “I really, and I mean really do not want to become a victim of Neighponiese Tentacle Hentai!” Coldcast squeaked out and began firing at the creature, with his half-sister looking at him in shock. The laser shots just bounced off of the monster and hit the walls and floor around it; it didn’t even seem fazed when a few shots when into its’ mouth. “Really? Is now the time you pick to make jokes?” Fågel asked, prepping her Taurus Kyutama and her battle axe. “Helps lighten the mood,” Coldcast murmured. “You’ll come onto my sense of humor in time.” “Ah, shut up,” Fågel stated before unleashing her Aldebaran Impact at the beast sending a purple energy wave at it slicing it right down the middle and covering the two in blood and gore. “...Ugh, this is going to take weeks to get out of my feathers!” Fågel muttered, before another roar sounded from somewhere nearby. “No time for complaining, just climb!” Coldcast shouted, pointing to the hatch above them. Fågel took the hint and began climbing up the hatch with Coldcast following. “H-Hello?” Jabari’s voice asked nervously through the comms. “Is there anyone out there?” Coldcast’s breath caught in his throat. “J-Jabari, is that you? Please tell me for Celestia’s sakes you’re still alive somewhere!” “Coldcast! Thank Luna and Celestia. Good to hear a familiar voice. Yeah, I’m alive, though for how much longer I don’t know. Me and Flurry, we’re dealing with a situation on the bridge. Mind you, I’ve got some info for you. Whatever these things are, they seem to originate from the outer hull of the ship. At least that’s my working theory. I’ve detected a large mass that’s attached itself to the ship, I think it’s trying to procreate its offspring inside the Armor.” “Procreate?” Fågel asked in disbelief. “You gotta be kidding me!” “Well, you have any better ideas?” Jabari snapped, as something moaned almost orgasmically from above them. “Maybe whatever this is, it thinks we’re a fellow member of its species thanks to some sort of sexual dimorphism. The female, or something close to it. Yes, I know it’s disgusting, and weird, but it’s what I got for you. Get that thing off the hull, and we might have a fighting chance here!” “...Well, you heard the stallion. Time to teach this thing a few manners about public indecency eh?” Coldcast joked as they continued to climb. Awaiting them up topside was a thick cloud of purple and blue miasma and nebulous fog, amongst Celestia knows what else. Weapons in hand and fully morphed, the two defenders of the universe slowly took it a few steps at a time, barely able to see a few feet in front of them thanks to the nebula’s gases. “...Okay, okay…” Coldcast murmured as he got used to the sound of his boots clanking against the metal beneath him, magnetized to the ship’s hull with the boot magnets making a somewhat audible humming sound. “Deep breaths, deep breaths,” he told himself. “Nothing to fear, nothing you haven’t trained for spacewalk wise. You’re just inside a fog, a nebula’s fog but just a fog all the same.” All of this, it went against his better instincts. Griffons, like most flying creatures of Equus were naturally claustrophobic in a way. They wanted space, to be free and to fly. Now, Coldcast could handle this while he was in his Voyager as he knew that could fly and he knew at times there often greater concerns when he was flying the Wolf Voyager but outside it and in this thick of haze? That was a different story entirely. To keep himself calm, Coldcast had tuned into the Celestial Radiance’s radio station, allowing himself to listen to the calming piano notes of the old piece titled “Clair de Lune”. “You alright Fågel?” Coldcast breathed out, watching the towering form of the Armored Star walk steadily in front of him, her helmet’s horns cutting through the cosmic fog. “Yeah, fine as I can be I suppose,” Fågel replied as she gripped her axe tighter, with Coldcast doing the same with his claw weapon. “There’s a massive tardigrade creature out here somewhere, and we can’t see it. All we have is a beeper that’ll alert us when we get close to it.” Right now, that very same beeper was beeping at a steady, subdued pace. No cause for alarm just yet. Just yet. “...And when we get close to it, that beeper will likely become redundant as we’ll probably see it, and it us. Then we’ll become Neighponise fetish fuel and then eaten.” Coldcast deadpanned. “...Are you always like this Coldcast?” Fågel asked, looking back at him. “As I said, keeps me calm in the face of danger, just joking about. We all have our coping methods,” Coldcast muttered. “But just fuck me with a hoof-full of sunfire, as this is crazy even by my standards!” “...Have you been taking swearing lessons from that little mare? The one they call the Toaster Fixer?” Fågel asked, at about this time under her helmet looking about ready to slap her younger sibling for his colorful choice of words. “...Might be the other way around actually at times, in exchange for basic repair skills.” Coldcast shrugged as the beeping began to become more fervent in nature, putting both Paladins at an alarmed state. “Oh, oh! Hold up, we’re getting closer!” Then, a tendril came out of the mist, from out of nowhere and swatted Coldcast to the side, with the griffon at the very last moment opening up his wings and managing to remagnetize himself to the hull of the Shining Armor as the creature came into view. Like it’s much, much smaller offspring, it was both magnificent and terrifying in equal measure, dripping with a fang-filled maw and tendrils swaying about from inside the humpbacked creature’s mouth. “...See, what did I tell you? Neighponiese fetish fuel crap right there!” Coldcast shouted as he readied his Astral Claw and placed his Lupus Kyutama inside it making it proclaim: “Galaxy!” He ran towards the creature, leaping left and right to avoid the swings from its tendrils as his claw glowed and then leapt skywards beginning to spin like a buzzsaw crying out: “Lupus Impact!” and striking the creature with two blue slashes of energy before leaping backwards as the creature let out a roar of rage but seemingly looked unfazed for the most part. Sure, it was bleeding in a few places but the wounds were healing faster than either Kyuranger could re-open them. “Any ideas? Cause I got nothin’,” Coldcast murmured as he took a few steps back in fear, with Fågel following suit. “Hey, don’t look at me. It was your idea to come up here in the first place!” she snapped back. Then, over the comms, Coldcast heard the sounds of three Astral Blasters firing, and the sound of a spear slicing through flesh and the shout of: “Get the Hell off my ship!” from Jabari. Coldcast’s eyes narrowed. “No, we got this. WE GOT THIS,” Coldcast snarled, his suit beginning to glow blue as the ornamental star on his chest began to form a symbol inside it. A symbol of a white cloud with a multicolored lightning bolt. Fågel’s eyes widened under her helmet as she saw this, knowing exactly what it meant. “That ship, our crewmates. They’re our family, just like you are Fågel,” Coldcast. “And I am sure as Hell never, ever, leaving them to die! Coldcast, Lupus Blue and the Element of Loyalty!” Fågel nodded, before saying her own title: “Fågel Bredsida, Taurus Black! Two Stars Shining in the Heavens, Space Squadron Kyuranger!” “Now…” Coldcast smirked. “Our friendship, it will take on the universe! And that includes you!” he shouted, before both he and his hermana aimed their Kyuchangers at the creature with Ara Kyutamas at the ready. “Twin Star Crash!” they shouted in unison before firing blue and purple energy beams respectively at the creature, blasting it backwards before their eyes widened as the creature grabbed them both with its tendrils even as it shrieked out in pain from the burning, searing blast. Then, a high pitched shriek filled the air as from out of nowhere, a winged form with a golden beak and talons fired twin purple fireballs from its beak slicing through the tendrils holding Coldcast and Fågel. Next, the remote-controlled Eagle Voyager grabbed onto the monster with its talons and firmly tossed it out into space never to be seen again. All across the Shining Armor, without their ‘parent’ to sustain it, the offspring and the vines began to die off one by one as one very tired Jabari slumped to the floor behind the safety of the Scutum Kyutama’s conjured energy shield and let go of his Astral Blasters, the twin pistols clattering to the floor. “Thank… Thank you Coldcast, and you too Fågel...” he whispered before slipping into unconsciousness. Later that very same day, Flashfire and his team along with some new allies in tow would return to the ship only to find both Coldcast and Fågel along with everyone else covered in some sort of gunk. “...You don’t want to know.” Coldcast stated simply at Flashfire's raised eyebrow. “Celestia above, I need a bath.” Author's Note So yes, this chapter takes place at the same time of the previous one, and picks up off from the little cliffhanger left at the end of Part 8 because as Silverquill always says: And we all know how much of a sucker I am for that. Now, a huge round of applause to Shadowmane, as he worked his ass off co-writing all but the climax of this chapter so to speak helping me get back in the game for this story as it were. So, for once, not a monster related to Dark Matter in any way as the villain of the week. Just a one-off threat. Also, Coldcast will not be the last member of the Paladins to become a new Element Bearer as chapter 7 hinted. As for who next will be gaining the power of an Element of Harmony... Well, you'll just have to wait and see, won't you? As ever, comments, thoughts, and critique are welcomed.
Part 1: ScorpiusThe robot chuckled as soon as it saw the three ‘intruders’ enveloped in an explosion, now that they were dealt with, he could move onto other things. However, a familiar grating tone reached his audio receptors. “Did you think we were dead? ‘Cause if so, you need to get that optic of yours checked!” Coldcast’s voice shouted. The robotic centaur/scorpion turned to face it and saw in Coldcast and the other two’s places what could only be described as costumed heroes. The robotic warrior made a hissing noise, and his blades crackled with energy. “Paladins…” he thought to himself as if he’d had run-ins with these particular types of heroes before. Coldcast adjusted his gloves, and punched his fist. His costume was form fitting, and looked actually looked like it was made out of leather in some ways, and bore a fur collar. A singular blue star adorned his chest, with a bright, light blue orb at the center of it. Though the legs looked like rock walls, they were slim and smooth to the touch. The helmet resembled a wolf’s head, and bore a glittering image of the constellation Lupus as the visor. The others were similar, except they seemed to be made out of tight spandex instead of leather. The sea-green one, he bore a Cerberus constellation as his visor and a small cape draped from his back, a unicorn’s horn sticking out of the helmet. Like Lupus Blue, he bore a star on his chest The pink one was no different, and had the image of the Aquila constellation on his visor and also had a star on the center of the costume. “Three Stars shining in the sky,” Flashfire shouted as he drew his sword, his Prench accent coming out. “Space Squadron, Kyurangers!” “I wasn’t expecting to run into Star Paladins on this mission, but no matter, they’ll just be more obstacles to be removed. However, an adaptation must be made.” the robot thought to himself. The robot let out another hissing noise, and the legs changed with a shifting of parts from eight arachnoid ones to just two humanoid ones, although the robot still retained the stinger tail that hung from its back and swayed in a dangerous looking manner. “What are you after, ya hunk of junk?” Coldcast asked, holding up a claw-like weapon. “Whatever it is, we’ll stop you all the same!” The robot said nothing, except for two words: “Dark Matter.” It was evident by Blue and Pink’s stances that these words had caught them off guard. “Would this be a good time to say, I told you so?” Coldcast deadpanned. “How ‘bout we wait till after we render this guy into scrap metal?” Jabari asked, holding out a small red pistol. “You can try, paladins. But you will not succeed!” The robot growled and thrust his foot into the ground, creating a small crater around it. “Spike Volley!” With that, his arms shot out a flurry of spikes that flew towards the Rangers at blinding speeds, cutting into their suits and drawing blood. The three Rangers tried using their weapons to either slash or shoot the spikes out of the air, but eventually more and more got through and they were forced to take cover behind some ice. “I have an idea, follow my lead!” Flashfire shouted, before summoning from his belt buckle a black Kyutama and inserting it into his Kyuchanger. “Andromeda!” “So that’s how it’s done…” Jabari mused. With that, chains erupted from the ground and bound the robotic enemy from head to toe. “Hah!” Coldcast shouted, leaping out from behind cover and pointing at his foe. “Let’s see you try and break out of that one!” “I may be stuck, but your overconfidence will be your downfall Paladin of Lupus. Scorpius System Fireballs, activate.” The robot stated calmly and fired off balls of searing hot magma from its’ eye. Flashfire raised his sword to block the blows, bt was sent flying back. The Robot clasped his hands together and performed a double-handed slam on the ground, his arm blades charging it with electricity, igniting the magnesium below him and sending all three Rangers flying back from the sheer force of the explosion. “Ugh… Please tell me that got him,” Coldcast muttered. “He’s an alien robot from the stars beyond made out of some sort of metal none of us have ever seen, do you really think a simple magnesium explosion would kill him?” Jabari asked flatly. “Nngh…” The robot groaned as it struggled to get up. The chains had been snapped, but his body was heavily dented and singed from the blast. “What… what are you?” “Like we said, we’re the Kyurangers,” Flashfire smirked. “Ou sommes-nous simplement trop pour vous?” “I’ve run into your kind before…” the Robot stated. “They never were much of a challenge. You think you’re the only ones with Kyutamas in this or any other galaxy? Where’d you think that Draco Kyutama I tracked came from? Granted, I am impressed that you managed to reverse-engineer its technology,” “N'y pense même pas,” Flashfire spoke in a warning tone, charging his weapon up for another attack. It ignited with a blazing flame. He turned to Coldcast. “Hold him steady!” he barked out. “Right!” Coldcast smirked under his helmet. “Got just the thing!” He pulled out the Cancer Kyutama, and a red claw of energy erupted from his back, and grabbed the Robot in its pinchers. “What do you hope to accomplish?” The robot asked, batting at the pincer with its’ metallic limbs. “I am galvanized with the strongest metals in the galaxy!” “Simple,” Flashfire remarked as he charged forwards. “Bifurcation!” He set his Cerberus Kyutama in his blade, making it cry out: “Galaxy!” before slashing the robot right down the middle. To his surprise however, the legs fell forwards, but the top half of the robot just entered his ship. Inside, it attached itself to the cockpit, and wires sprung out from the bottom of the torso entering crucial systems and charging them up. And then, the entire ship began to shift and change, with four pronged legs popping out, a singular eye appearing from underneath metal plating, and a massive stinger tail erupting from the back of the ship, with a laser cannon at the end, glowing a ugly green color. “Fools! You cannot stop a morph-capable robot such as myself!” The robot roared as he stared down on the tiny Kyurangers. “Now prepare for your extermination at the hands of the Dark Matter Empire!” “...Okay, remember when I said neither of you were qualified to pilot your Voyagers yet?” Flashfire asked, looking towards Coldcast and Jabari, who nodded weakly. “Consider this on the job training!” “On the job? You really think we can do it? We’ve barely had any time to get used to them!” Jabari asked nervously, and Flashfire gave them a serious look. “I believe in you. Now, let’s hope this thing is feeling lucky!” he said with a snap of his fingers, before all three Rangers gave their Kyutamas flicks and pointed their gauntlets to the night sky. Suddenly, a massive blue wolf erupted from a mountain of pure ice, and raised its head to howl at where the moon once would have been centuries ago. A dark pink and black Eagle flew over it, with the three-headed Cerberus Voyager right behind. Three massive Kyutamas appeared, and each locked themselves in place on each of the Voyagers as the rangers leaped into their cockpits. “Alright then… What was it my father used to say?” Jabari mused to himself as he adjusted himself to the controls, using joysticks to control his mecha in the orb-shaped cockpit. “Oh yes. Now you find the strength in your heart to appeal to his good nature, and if you can't, find the strength in your arms to beat his ass senseless.” “I don’t think we can appeal to his better nature,” Coldcast snarked. “So we’ll skip to beating this guy’s ass senseless. ...Does he even have an ass?” “Now who’s got skewed priorities?” Jabari asked in an amused tone, as he flew the Eagle Voyager away from the Scorpius Mech, who trained its stinger tail onto the bird. “It’s still you!” The scorpion mech fired its’ stinger tail at the eagle, trying to hit the wings or engines. “Die! Fall! Black out! Disappear!” “Yeah yeah, we get it already…” Coldcast snarked, rolling his eyes. “The plan is this,” Flashfire told his teammates. “Lead this thing on a chase, tire or overload its main weapons systems, then we strike. Simple to understand, non?” “I highly doubt that robots ever tire,” Jabari remarked, lifting a brow. “Y’know, because they don’t have lungs or anything used for breathing? I kinda think these things can go on forever…” “We’re too close to Vault-182. We have to get it away from there. If that thing steps on the vault, everyone inside will be crushed. There’s some canyons up ahead, we can lead this thing there, box it in!” Flashfire ordered. “Keep up the pressure all the while, make it focus its attentions completely on us!” The scorpion mech continued to fire on the Eagle Voyager, its’ lasers painting the ground and causing plumes of flames and debris to rise. As more shots were lobbed and the sharpened legs dug into and rose from the ground, nothing but destruction enveloped the area. Icy walls were torn to pieces, large cracks formed in the ground, and snow burst out as colossal holes were formed in the ground. Some water even started to spill from the canyon walls as the fight ensued, with the water trickling down towards the Wolf and Cerberus Voyagers. The scorpion walker’s singular eye fired a huge blast of energy towards all three Voyagers, hitting them all as they tried to break away. The shot grazed their sides and burned the colours off as the mechs all collapsed to the ground. “Dammit!” Coldcast punched the console. “So, you want to play huh? Let’s play.” With that, the Wolf Voyager pounced at one of the walker’s legs, and bit down on it. Its teeth sank into the metallic connectors that kept the robot standing, causing it to tumble to the side. However, it soon regained its footing and began to stand back up, if only on three legs, the legs digging in deeper into the snow and ice. “That accomplished what, may I ask?” The robot taunted, launching another wave of shots at the wolf Voyager, causing the ice it was standing on to combust and break beneath its’ feet. “Nothing but you being sunk!” “Coldcast!” Jabari shouted in fear, the rational part of his mind telling him the Voyager’s systems should keep him alive, but he was still afraid for his sorta friend nonetheless. The Eagle Voyager opened up its beak, and fired a stream of pink energy towards the walker hitting it directly in the eye. “Grah!” The walker looked away as the eyeshot knocked it backwards, the claws tearing the ice even more. “Trying to blind me, huh? How pathetic and cowardly!” The stinger reared itself, and fired at the Eagle Voyager again. Mortar shots erupted from the walker’s back, and came down all around the area like meteorites, with the two Voyagers forced to dodge and weave between them. The Cerberus Voyager opened all three of its mouths, and fired an energy beam from each. “Have some of this!” Flashfire smirked. The walker staggered back once more, and that gave Jabari his opening and he pumped his Voyager’s wings full of magic, the two glowing a deep pink lighting up the night sky. The Eagle Surged forwards and sliced through the stinger tail, chopping it right off. “No!” The robot howled. “How dare you! Pitiful, insignificant fleshlings!” The machine gathered energy and crackled with dark purple lightning. “I will not be mocked and taunted like this! Not by you or anyone!” Looking to the sky, it sent a purple spherical shockwave out. The blast sent both the Eagle and Cerberus Voyagers crashing into the ice and snow. “Bon sang, all systems jammed. Rebooting!” Flashfire shouted. The scorpion robot clawed its’ way forward with the three legs it had left. “Prepare for your extinction, fools!” And its’ eye laser began to charge up and let off a final blast; one that would end the Kyurangers here and now. “Oh no, you don’t!” Coldcast shouted, as he and the Wolf Voyager leaped out of the frozen seas and canceled the blast out with one of his own. The mech landed in front of the two downed Voyagers, standing near them protectively. “You want to get to my friends, you have to get through me first,” Coldcast growled out. “C-Coldcast…” Jabari whispered in shock, never seeing this side of his friend before. He’d always remained aloof, uncaring about anyone except himself. “W-what happened to you, what’s gotten into you?” “Agh, you two grow on me, what can I say?” he muttered. “Now get those engines rebooted, so we can finish this creep, and give this “Dark Matter” what for eh? Flashfire, you said these mechas were meant to combine once, didn’t you?” he asked. “Yeah, but would it really work now? He’s cut off our flying powers,” Flashfire groaned and tried to reboot his systems. “Par les néithers de Celestia...” “Pump ‘em full of magic, that’s what these things run on right? Much magic as you got! We’ll just have to give them a hard reboot!” Coldcast shouted. Flashfire sighed, and then pumped his entire Voyager full of magic, before lights began to flicker on as systems rebooted, one by one. A voice recording stated: “Celesti-AI back online. Welcome, Paladin. Megazord configuration systems operational.” “Oh… Oh yes!” Flashfire cried as his Voyager slowly began to lift off the ground, with the Eagle soon to follow. The Celesti-AI was a part of the Great Sun herself, a small bit of her consciousness saved to databanks by Princess Flurry Heart and Princess Twilight. “Now we’re talking! Alright then, you wanted a fight? Congrats, you got one! Voyagers, on me! Time to finish this!” He took off his Kyutama, and inserted it into a slot and spun the small globe-like trinket, with the other two following his maneuvers exactly. “Megazord Sequencing Ready. Combine!” the Celesti-AI stated as parts began to shift, and both the Wolf and Eagle Voyager’s Kyutamas detached to allow them to link up with the Cerberus Voyager. Mind you, it was still missing legs, but booster rockets where the empty sockets were fired up, and engaged a flight mode of sorts, with the Eagle’s wings detaching from its body and grafting themselves to the Megazord’s back. “Shooting Star Megazord! Ready for battle!” the Celesti-AI announced. “So, you’ve grown up a bit. Doesn’t change a thing!” The scorpion-bot taunted roared and launched more blasts at the Megazord. The Eagle’s beak opened and formed an energy shield absorbing the blasts completely. “That all you got?” Jabari asked in a bored tone. “I say we finish this.” “Exactly. Alright then,” Flashfire stated. “Let’s test your luck!” Both the Wolf and Eagle Voyagers primed themselves with energy, before creating a massive meteorite of energy before it was tossed at the scorpion walker. “Meteor Crash!” Flashfire roared, and once it hit, the red unicorn allowed himself a smirk. “Échec et mat.” “No! I will not be stopped by the likes of you!” The scorpion took the hit and the pilot inside felt the whole entire chassis crumple and collapse under the sheer force of the meteor. It finally exploded, bathing the area with flames. “Never!” Flashfire felt it prudent to inspect the remains of the walker, and it was a very good thing that he did, considering he found the pilot amazingly enough still clinging to some small shard of life. The robot crawled forwards, inch by precious inch, its claws digging into the ice below gripping it tightly. “Proceed with caution,” the Celesti-AI warned. “I believe, even as crippled as this robot is, it could still possess some mechanism of defense.” “Well, we’ll just have to see about that won’t we?” Flashfire commented, before thrusting his sword in the robot’s back, with the body shaking before crumpling to the ground. “What… What was that thing?” Jabari asked, visibly shaking in fear. “Where did it come from, and who sent it?” “It… It said something about the Dark Matter Empire, that’s all we know.” Coldcast whispered, his voice as soft as the grave. “Jabari, you were right. We’re not alone, and whatever’s out there,” he continued, looking up at the moonless sky. “It’s not friendly. Should we even…?” he asked, thinking about what else they might run into out there if the plan to take to the stars went forwards. “I know this world’s going to freeze over eventually, but maybe we should freeze along with it.” “Listen,” Flashfire said sternly, grabbing ahold of Coldcast by the shoulders. “We’re Kyurangers, and the Paladins of Equus, for better, or for worse. Now, I don’t know what’s out there, same as you, and Hell, I’m scared as you believe it or not. But I do know one thing, we have to get off this planet, and find a new home. I don’t like going into the unknown blind, blind about what what’s out there, but as my ancestor Princess Platinum once said when she found what was to become Equestria, and settled it: “If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here! It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross… but it's not for the timid. Nobody ever said this expedition would be safe, but we have to undergo it, or we die. But, as your commander, I’ll be with you every step of the way. I’ve always been, haven’t I petit frère?” he asked softly, pulling Coldcast into a hug. “Y-Yes, grand frère.” Coldcast whispered in reply, wiping away tears as he did so. He’d managed to catch the Prench phrase perfectly, and it sounded as if he’d been speaking it all his life. “Much as I hate to ruin the sappy moment guys,” Jabari spoke up. “Have a gander at this!” He held up something gathered from the burning wreckage, and both Coldcast and Flashfire felt their eyes widen in abject shock. What the zorse was holding up, could only be a Kyutama. This one was mainly purple, with an orange crystal. It was marked with the number 02, and all three Rangers took a gander at their own Kyutamas. The Lupus, marked with a 03. Aquila, marked with 08 and Cerberus was marked with a 00 representing it being the first, the prototype. “What the hell…?” Jabari asked, before he remembered something. “What did that robot say? Oh yes! Now I remember! He said: “I’ve run into your kind before… They never were much of a challenge. You think you’re the only ones with Kyutamas in this or any other galaxy? Where’d you think that Draco Kyutama I tracked came from?” That’s what he said, right?” Jabari asked. “Now that I think of it, the Draco Kyutama has a number code as well! Marked with a 10, right?” “We need to talk to Stripped Gear, see what he knows. He was partially responsible for reverse-engineering the Draco Kyutama in the first place, and creating our Legend Kyutamas and the Skill ones like Cancer and Gemini as well,” Flashfire stated firmly, before gesturing to the broken remains of the Robot. “Grab him, we’ll see what we can learn from whatever’s left of him.” Groaning out in pain, Coldcast lifted the remains of the Robot onto his back and pulled out both the Gemini and Cygnus Kyutamas from his belt and then attached the Gemini Kyutama to his Kyuchanger, and suddenly there were two of him and two Cygnus Kyutamas as well. Both Cygnus Kyutamas were used, and two swan-themed hoverbikes appeared in front of the Rangers. Coldcast’s clone vanished in a stream of stardust. Coldcast loaded the remains of the robot onto the back of his bike and gripped the throttles, while Jabari and Flashfire climbed onto the back of the other bike. They flew off back towards the Garrison Headquarters, never noticing the Robot’s eye flicker once before dimming again. Far above them, atop an icy mountain looking towards the spiral galaxy known as the Milky Way that shone brightly down on the normally darkened planet of Equus, a figure stood. Unusually, he seemed to have no need for the thermal suits that the native inhabitants had to wear. Instead, he just wore a dark blue suit and tie, a brown trenchcoat and a pair of red trainers. In the pockets of his coat, sat a silver cylindrical object with a blue tip. In one of his hands, a gold Kyutama marked 04. “Oh… How does that legend go?” the figure asked himself, rubbing at his chin in thought before he snapped his fingers in remembrance. “Oh, I know! When the universe falls into evil clutches and its people shed tears, the Kyutama will choose nine saviors, the Kyurangers, who will save the universe. That’s how it goes right?” he asked to no-one in particular before chuckling as he gripped the Kyutama in his hand, using his other hand to rub the back of his head sheepishly. “Well, I must say, I never imagined I’d be chosen. I mean, I’m the worst choice to save anyone, let alone the entire universe from the clutches of Dark Matter! But all the same…” He flicked his wrist, and a Kyuchanger of his own appeared before he locked the Libra Kyutama in it. “Libra!” he stated, before morphing into a gold-clad figure similar in design to the previous Kyurangers with a set of scales as his visor. Far below the howling winds and negative degree temperatures of the aboveground, rested a miracle in engineering, and magic. Deep within the caverns of the planet, behind sealed vault doors rested underground cities. Powered by geothermal generators with lava flows running through cities like rivers, and with buildings sparkling and twinkling like days gone by in old Manehatten, these technological wonders were the last safe haven of the residents of the planet Equus. Tapping his hooves to a beat unheard as he worked upon the latest upgrades to the Kyuranger suit system, was a tan pony going by the name of Stripped Gear. Dressed in a lab coat, and little glasses, this pony also happened to be the bearer of the Dorado Yellow powerset. Doing a small dance with his cane as his horn lit up in a green tint of magic levitating various tools to work on the Kyuchanger gauntlet, he hummed an old song under his breath. “If there's a race in life you'd win I'll be here below the stratosphere as long as you're in it Can't flutter for nothin, but they still got a rise I'd love to be flapping instead of just tapping, but that's just not happening. I'll never be fly like you Fly like you Fly like you “I was scratchin' an itch that I just couldn't find And mah little pegasister was there by my side I asked “Honey, you got a wing you can spare?” Her feather flicked a fly and she just said “Grow a pair.” Some may have given him odd looks, and called him morbid but he liked the tune really. Not sure where he’d first picked it up, but it had been stuck in his head ever since. Some may have called him bigoted against pegasi or any other flyer, but that was further from the truth than it could possibly be, given he originally considered a pegasi friend of his for the Aquila Powers thinking a flying Voyager would come naturally to them. It wasn’t his fault that the pegasus in question couldn’t be bothered to pry his head from his work, and that Jabari aced the tests needed to be able to fly a Voyager. ...Okay, so maybe he held a bit of a grudge, but he knew he couldn’t let that get in the in the way of his very important work. “Important work, it seems, that’s about to be increased…” Stripped Gear commented when both Flashfire and Jabari wheeled in a broken robot on a cart. “...You know Jabari, when you were a little foal, you always brought home pets like Vulptexes and the like asking if you could keep them. I imagined you’d grow out of it eventually, and you did. Or so I thought.” Stripped Gear commented in a deadpan tone. “Were these Vulptexes ever dead?” Flashfire asked flatly, and it took a minute for Stripped Gear to realize that was a joke relating to the current state of affairs. “How goes the upgrades?” “Well, for one I should be able to increase the Chamaeleon’s powers so that it, like the Perseus Kyutama should be able to camouflage itself with the environment. Also worked on the Corvus Kyutama, which sends a target into a realm of permanent despair. Bit grim, I know, but it’ll catch on! I promise you that!” Stripped rambled. “Oh, and don’t get me started on the Aquila’s flight upgrades!” “Focus Stripped,” the Twilight-AI said from near his desk, an almost perfect hologram of Twilight Sparkle herself, made completely up of lines of code. It had been developed in the same base way as the Celesti-AI. For all intents and purposes, they were Celestia and Twilight Sparkle. “Geez, and they called me erratic whenever I got my mind set on projects…” she mumbled to herself. “Where’s dinner?” Stripped asked. “Can’t work on an empty stomach, especially not with what I’ve just been handed!” “Spada’s working on it, as always,” Twilight reminded. “You’re getting forgetful again. I envy you really, having a sense of taste and the actual ability to eat. From what you say about his cooking, it’s like an orgasm in your mouth!” Jabari and Flashfire shared a flushed look, while Coldcast busted out laughing. Eventually, Flashfire set the apparent Scorpius Kyutama down on Stripped’s desk. The unicorn’s eyes widened considerably. “Where’d you get this? I sure as Hell would have remembered if I made another Legendary Kyutama…” Stripped trailed off, eying this new one closely. “Well, that’s quite the tale and it relates to our new friend here,” Flashfire explained gesturing to the robot. “Fascinating, simply fascinating!” Stripped exclaimed as he examined the robot’s inner workings with a little scanning device. “This simply cannot be from Equus!” “Yeah, we sorta figured that out when it was trying to kill us with a giant scorpion mech,” Jabari deadpanned. “Sorta like our Voyagers, but much, much larger and deadlier. A Mega-Voyager if you will.” “Oh… Oh my,” Stripped whispered. “There’s something I think you, and all the other Voyager pilots need to see in that case. You too Twilight! Come along!” he continued, gesturing for the others to follow, just as Spada arrived on the scene with a tray of sushi. The mostly yellow carapaced Changeling sighed to himself, always so unfocused that one. Stripped Gear, he was like a pavlova in some ways, and that meant he was notoriously hard to work with at times. He grumbled something under his breath, before sighing and following after his fellow Paladins. If he had looked back, he would have seen the robot’s singular optic blink once more, before dimming. He was in for a shock, pretty much dropping his tray -After recovering it, and more importantly the food with a small field of magic from his horn- when he saw what was nestled deeper inside Stripped’s lab. As ever, the lab was in a state of what could only be described as organized chaos, various half-finished devices and inventions and such scattered about. On a big bulletin board, with various drawings and photos stuck to it with thumbtacks was what seemed to be an entire collection of such things all centered around one such creature, a massive purple dragon, from the Neighasian lands in design. “What… What have you been working on?” Jabari whispered. If there was a pony in the cities more intelligent than him, it was Stripped Gear and there was always a method to his madness. Jabari had just yet to figure it out right now. “I… I can’t explain it really. After I started work on reverse-engineering the Draco Kyutama, I found myself drawn out to this general area,” Stripped said, and gestured with a pointer to a canyon. The very same canyon, in fact, Flashfire had remembered testing the Cerberus Voyager’s new upgrades in. “It’s like some energy, and I know this sounds completely unscientific really, was telling me to just… search. I haven’t even told Princess Flurry Heart or Prince Stardust about this yet!” “You’re right,” the Twilight-AI spoke up. “It does sound completely unscientific, but at the same time completely fascinating, I can see why you wanted to investigate this further. What’d you find? When searching, I mean?” “Well, I didn’t really know at the time, until I stumbled across this area!” Stripped Gear piped up, gesturing with his pointer to an area on a map written on in black marker: “Energy source!” “So, what is it?” Spada asked. “Outcropping of giant ice boulders, leading into a giant cavern covered in these sheer ancient markings. Each tells a slightly different story, but they all tell of this purple dragon coming to save them in times of great crisis. And, what’s more, they all tell of clues leading to some great event, some great… disaster. Initially, I thought it was of the sun going out oh so long ago, but now after you brought in that robot and told me of you and your comrades’ story Jabari,” Stripped continued, with everyone else in the room looking at the zorse as Stripped continued. “I’m not so sure about that. What I am sure of is this, we need to have a look at those caves. So, who’s with me?” Meanwhile, unbeknownst to anybody, several ships similar in make to the Robot’s flew high above the wreckage of the scorpion walker. In the lead ship, a purple-furred wolf-like creature grimaced as he looked over the flaming wreckage. “So, there’s life on this planet sufficiently advanced enough to defeat one of our scouts. Interesting…” he thought before going to the comms. “Central Command, this is Lupus. The scout, it’s been destroyed, and I detect no signs of the Scorpius Kyutama.” “Well, that’s interesting isn’t it?” a deep voice commented. “Lupus, continue your search of the area, see what you can find. Raze the whole planet to the ground if you have to! I want the Dragon found!” “Sir, there’s… something else,” Lupus replied. “Detecting an energy signature of some sort to the northwest, in the remains of some sort of castle.” “Send a squad of Invaders to check it out. You’re the Karo of this system, so it’s your responsibility to keep order. Eriedrone out.” “Yes, commander.” Lupus nodded, before rocketing off towards the former Crystal Empire. It was time to take matters into his own hands now. Author's Note Okay, first off, huge thank you to Shadowmane PX-41 for the help he provided on the first real Mecha fight of the series. This should a reassurance to those of you who read Wild Access, we'll be seeing the main Mecha fight much sooner than it did there. Now, for Kyurangers fans, the name Spada should sound familiar, and I thought it'd be an interesting twist if he got his powers swapped with Green's. His personality is basically the same, he's just now the Green Ranger and a Changeling. Mind you, a yellow one referencing his original color from the series. Also, yes, the Doctor is the Gold Ranger of this series. Because... well, why not? He's already got the perfect qualities to be a Ranger really if you're familiar with him. I do however, give full credit to Axle the Red Exorcist and his story Shining Lucky Stars for the idea. So credit, where credit is due. Now, I still need suggestions for Silver, Skyblue and the Phoenix Soldier. Scorpius Orange and Taurus Black I've already got narrowed down, along with the Draco Commander so any suggestions along with the usual comments and critique are welcomed.
Part 2: Mysteries in the DarkSpada always hated the cold, went against every natural instinct he had to go to some cold climate and just live out the rest of his life there. There was a reason he preferred the underground cities over the frozen overworld. The sheer feel of the biting, howling, slashing winds against his carapace and chitlin felt wrong in every sheer way. Changelings, back in their early days were jungle-borne creatures. They’d grown and evolved in the depths of dark, rainy, sweaty forests far beyond Equestria’s known borders and far off any known map’s borders even. There were no jungles now of course, nor would there ever be again, save for artificially created climates inside the cities or onboard the colony ships. But every Changeling, even those born long after the sun was but a memory, longed for those lands and Spada was no exception. Oh sure, if the old texts were correct, these jungles were not for the faint of heart, you had to fight to survive against whatever wanted you as it’s next meal, but that’s how Changelings, in their original form at least learned to be the top predator. Running and hiding, sticking to the shadows and draining love dry from any being unlucky enough to be caught in their mandibles. He could only guess some of this of course, as even long before he was born, Queen Chrysalis had sought it fit to destroy most of the texts relating to Changeling origins and it was only with the combined efforts of Twilight Sparkle and Thorax that what little remained was saved. From what he remembered in old diaries, usually gained via sneaking into Stardust’s private quarters under the disguise of a guard (Security was rather lax in detecting Changelings, Spada had found) it wasn’t an easy task to say the least. Take for example one entry by Twilight. “Hot. Wet. Hellish. Acid Rain. The chaos lands are all that stand between us, and what Thorax’s texts refer to as the Hivemother-Land. The jungles of old where the very first Changelings hatched from their eggs. Of course, standing between us and those jungles, isn’t just foul weather conditions. Pits of boiling hot lava, with very few spots of safe drinking water nestled inside caves where acid rain can’t contaminate it. Of course, that’s not the worst of it at times. No, that title would belong to the chaos spawn. Foul beings, indescribable in words. I can barely spare a glance at them without going mad. They’re constantly shifting between various monstrous forms, and the rare times they’re not in a that state, they like their creator are in some sort of chimera-like state. “Green skinned with a hide tougher than even the strongest of leathers, and covered in boils. Thank Faust Thorax seems to have this sixth sense, if you will calling out to him, leading us through this blackened and charred wasteland. I swear, by the time we get through this pit and get a definitive marker set up so that ponies can create a teleportation link between wherever the mother-hive is and Canterlot along with Thorax’s hive, I’ll probably never feel clean again by the way this journey’s going. This foul pit, it has a way of getting to you. Time seems to stand still when you can’t see Celestia’s sun no thanks to the constant cloud cover. As I sit here, in a cave, I do long for home, and for the comforts of my wife’s wings. ...Shit, I have to move. The chaos spawn, they’ve spotted us. Time to run and hopefully fight to see the next day. Or at least the next hour…” Spade shuddered at the descriptions he found therein, but somehow, in some way, he probably would have welcomed the challenge. New land to explore, and possibly a new culture to bring his culinary skills to. Sure, Discord himself had noted: “You can’t reason with them. Or at least I can’t. Fact is I've never known anyone who did.” However, going into that Chaos Lands like they did, Twilight and Thorax had unknowingly laid the seeds for the future. In fact, their mission back then, it wasn’t that far removed from one of the main missions of Project Horizons, as it was beginning to be called. Seek out new cultures, understand them and perhaps make new allies along the way. No, that wasn’t right. Hopefully make new allies along the way. Go where no Equus resident had gone before, cheesy as it sounded. And Spada intended to be at the forefront of this mission, wherever it led. Food connected everyone, it was a universal language. The fact of the matter was, even if you couldn’t speak someone else’s tongue, you could win their hearts and minds through their stomachs. That’s what Spada intended to do, find new cultures, and find new dishes to serve throughout the galaxy. Might have been a challenge sure, but again, he welcomed it. It probably would have surprised nobody then, that Spada was a descendant of Pharynx, the famous (Or infamous, depending on your perspective) warrior-king of the Changeling hives of old. Spada, he wanted to see the galaxy, and for it to taste Equestria’s many delights. Small wonder then, he accepted the prospect of being Chameleon Green. It made perfect sense in his mind. Chameleons, and Changelings, they shared a sort of kinship in that both could easily blend into their environment and nobody would ever find them for hours unless they chose to show themselves before then. A Shinobi Chef, odd combo some might have thought, but it worked for him. After all, Spade mused, he was already a cook and most didn’t think of Changelings becoming chefs. But for him, it was a necessity. Life was harsh growing up in the under-cities, he was just a simple drone amongst many other changelings in his family, with no hive leader. So he rose to the challenge of caring for everyone else in his hive, small as it was. No, his family. He took to cooking, even at a very young age because there was simply very little else to do. He had to, cook for his siblings or let them starve. Sometime later, he didn’t quite know when, but when he was on the verges of becoming a young adult, it hit him. That was what he’d do. Become a master chef like Saffron Masala, Gustave Le Grand, Hellfire, and all the rest! That was his dream, let everyone taste his cooking and what he had on offer. And now his client list, if he had his way, would extend to the whole galaxy and beyond. Of course, Spada was so lost in thought about his future plans that he didn’t really have the ability to pay attention to where he was walking, namely in this case one very large crystal stalagmite. Mind you, when he smashed into it nose first, he did finally pay attention. “Oh, oh!” Spada groaned out in pain, rubbing his busted, bleeding nose. “For the hivemother’s sakes! Third time this week, and to add insult to embarrassment and injury, crystal… I’d never thought I’d find something that hurt worse than walking into a solid wall!” he exclaimed, his normally yellow chitlin turning a bright tomato red. “You need to keep your eyes front and center, on the present least for the time being I say,” a massive voice rumbled as a dark pink-feathered parrot with silver eyes looked down at Spada. Around her neck was a thick black crystal of some sort hanging via a string. Her thermal suit did her quite a few favors, as like all the others it was rather form-fitting and therefore emphasized the bird woman's figure. “Not to the stars, confusing as it sounds.” Spada sighed to himself. Commander Fågel Bredsida, or Taurus Black as she was also known was one of the only Equus residents he could never quite get a read on. She was rather guarded, kept her emotions and played them close to her chest. ...Her very nice chest, Spada was forced to admit. For a parrot anyways. Not that he was interested in that sort of thing. “You seem to enjoy going out of your way to get under my carapace, don’t you?” Spada remarked, giving Fågel a flat look. “Perhaps,” Fågel admitted, a trace of a smile reaching her beak. “But you need to keep your eyes on the road ahead, and not the one you have yet to reach.” she trailed off, before kneeling down to his level and wiping some of the blood off his nose and then booping it. Spada flushed red again. “Oi, slowpokes!” Coldcast’s voice called from somewhere up ahead. “You two comin’ or what? I’d really not rather half to explain to Princess Flurry why we lost two of her best pilots in a cave while we were off on some wild goose chase! Unless… you two lovebirds have something else in mind, in which case don’t let moi hold you up!” he cackled, and Spada flushed red for a third time and tried to sputter something out in return. He failed, but points for trying at least. “Apologies for my half-brother,” Fågel sighed, rubbing her forehead with a claw. “He’s hardly what you’d call… intelligent in some aspects. Griffon really should put more faith in Stripped Gear really. He’s never steered us wrong before.” “...Trust me,” Spada sighed. “You learn to deal.” Princess Flurry Heart, to say she was having a good day was liking saying Discord was good for your mental health in the long term. First Contact with an alien species, didn’t go as well as she would have liked. As her hooves hit the metal grating of the catwalk below her, which was the only thing keeping her from falling hoof first into a river of lava, she sighed to herself as she clutched the new and frankly rather mysterious Kyutama that had been recovered from the ship’s wreckage. She’d always known or at least suspected that the Kyutamas, they’d had some non-Equestria nature in terms of their origin, and this only confirmed it. Snapping her fingers, a stream of data appeared alongside her, and solidified into a holographic version of her late godmother, Princess Celestia. “Troubles, my dear?” Her godmother asked. No, the Celesti-AI, that’s all it was. Flurry Heart had to remind herself not for the first time in the last couple of hundred years. This was just a crude copy of her beloved relation, nothing more. Made of streams of data and code, and given her memories. “You know I’m always here to talk if you so wish.” “Thanks, but no thanks…” Flurry muttered. “Listen, I may not be your actual godmother, as you seem quite keen to remind me on numerous occasions, but I’m crafted from the same cloth as it were.” the Celesti-AI stated. “No, you’re not! You’re… You’re just code, a little thing made to reassure the current generation of Equus’ residents that in some way, their ruler is with them. Same with Auntie Twilight!” Flurry shouted, fighting back a sob. Having to look at this… thing every day, it hurt her. Knowing that if her real godmother hadn’t been so foolish to believe she could hold back the sun, she might have been with her today, along with her mother and her aunt and Princess Luna as well! “Oh Flurry…” the Celesti-AI whispered, a small tear dripping from one of her eyes. Flurry blinked a bit, AIs couldn’t have emotions, could they? They certainly couldn’t cry if that was the case! No, she told herself, it was just another aspect of realism that had been added to the programming, another piece of coding designed to simulate an actual pony. And that’s all the Celesti-AI was, just another simulation. And in Flurry’s mind, some sick joke the fates had played on her. Here was Celestia, along with Auntie Twilight, walking around and yet at the same time… they weren’t. “I can’t pretend to understand or possibly imagine what it must be like for you, seeing someone with your late godmother’s appearance and memories walking around this city, -To say nothing of Twilight- so I won’t try. But let me be understood, this isn’t the end of this little conversation. Far from it. Now, I can only presume you called me because you need a little help. Is that right, My Little Pony?” Sighing, Flurry tossed her the Scorpius Kyutama. “Here, see what you can make of this.” As Flurry walked, she passed a group of ponies in lab coats at a console muttering to themselves under their breath. She only barely caught what they were saying, namely something about a massive heat signature burrowing deep beneath them. “Oh, this is indeed intriguing,” the Celesti-AI mused, with a raised eyebrow. She recognized it instantly for what it was, and to say she was surprised was an understatement. “And here I thought the only Legend Kyutama on Equus aside from Draco, were the Cerberus, Aquila, Dorado, Taurus, Lupus, and Chameleon ones.” “They are,” Flurry replied, nodding her head in confirmation to the Celesti-AI’s statement. “And yet this turns up in the wreckage of an alien crash site…” “Grasped in the hands of some robot, who had the ability to turn his ship into some sort of massive metal fighting machine, not unlike your Voyagers,” the Celesti-AI commented in return. “So I heard. The resemblance is uncanny,” “No, it’s scary actually,” Flurry replied, with a shake of her head. “Your old self, the original Celestia, both she and Luna knew the Draco Kyutama came from somewhere beyond this planet didn’t they?” She’d now gone onto another catwalk, and this one was high above a hanger bay, where below sat a vaguely half-dome themed ship, named after her late father Shining Armor. It was to be one of the many, many colony ships that were to ferry the last residents of Equus to whatever New Eden they happened to find. Equipped with the latest in defense technology with only the ship known as the Orion -The fleet’s flagship, along with Prince Stardust’s personal command center- surpassing it, it was hoped it could resist anything thrown at it. Near it, ponies worked night and day to both repair and maintain the Voyagers. Currently, they worked hard on the Bull Voyager, which could only be described as some massive tracked tank with a bull’s head fitted to the front to act as some sort of battering ram if needed. Nearby rested the Wolf and Eagle Voyagers, still being worked on after their last battle with the scorpion walker. The Eagle Voyager, in particular, was having its atmospheric controls and energy shielding fixed after they had taken major damage from one of the scorpion walker’s final attacks. In theory, the Eagle Voyager was supposed to act as a scout, and be able to fly ahead even in the most caustic of atmospheric conditions and still kept its respective Paladin alive to report back on what lay beneath. For a moment, just for a moment, Flurry gazed at these machines in wonder. They were the best of the best, flown by Equestria’s brightest minds and their most skilled pilots. She actually envied them in some ways, they didn’t have the restrictions of being stuck on some massive colony ship half the time so they could see what lay ahead of them. And what’s more, they could take the fight to an enemy if they were allowed, instead of just waiting back and defending a colony ship like the Shining Armor and the Orion were intended to do. All the while, the Celesti-AI continued on. “Well, we didn’t. But we had suspicions, my sister and I,” the Celesti-AI corrected her. “Late one night over Canterlot, there was this meteor shower. We thought nothing of it at the time, why should we have? Showers like this, they’d been going on before we were out of our mother’s womb. But the very next morning, Fizzlepop Berrytwist of Twilight’s personal guard showed up, Draco Kyutama in hand. Our top scientists worked for hours on end to try and discern what it was or where it even came from, and yet we could find nothing. Only an inscription embedded in the base.” “An inscription?” Flurry asked, as she stopped in her tracks and crossed her arms. “What’d it say?” “Well, if I recall correctly, it went: “When the universe falls into evil clutches and its people shed tears, the Kyutama will choose nine saviors, the Kyurangers, who will save the universe.” or something close to that,” the Celesti-AI replied. “Never thought anything of it at the time even if it befuddled scientists for ages, but now with the appearance of this “Jark Matter” or whatever they choose to call themselves…” “Yes, it does bear looking into doesn’t it?” Flurry mused, placing a hand under her chin in thought. “Unfortunately, I can’t help you anymore on this particular aspect. It’s beyond my realm of knowledge. However, you might want to check in with Stripped Gear, he’s the one who seems to know the most about these Kyutamas and all, given he created the other Legend Kyutama and the Skill Ones as well, simply by working backwards from the technology of the Draco Kyutama,” the Celesti-AI advised. “Sadly, I can’t just go off and ask him right now. Him, along with the rest of the Paladins went off to investigate some strange energy signature in what used to be the Ghastly Gorge,” Flurry replied. “Didn’t say much about it, just up and left.” “Well, there is one other pony you might try asking,”the Celesti-AI hummed to herself before handing the Scorpius Kyutama back to Flurry. “Namely, ‘my’ son, Prince Stardust.” “Yeah, I just might do that…” she mused. “Thank you, Celestia,” she stated, before running off towards the Prince’s place of residence. It was only a few minutes later that Flurry realized she’d referred to the Celesti-AI by what she did. Grumbling to herself for her little slip-up, she eventually found herself in Stardust’s quarters. The Prince’s personal quarters really hadn’t changed much from the last time she saw them. Wall to wall bookshelves, with holographic maps of various star formations, nebulas and nearby planetoids projected from emitters on the walls. The room had been darkened to make these projects as visible as was humanly possible. It was filling the room to such an extent that it was really quite frankly rather overwhelming. Flurry sighed to herself, and her horn glowed a very light gamboge yellow color before it flicked all the emitters off, and turned the lights in the room back on. The Princess groaned to herself, the least her fellow Royal could do was be considerate enough to let her walk around his quarters without much incident. Namely, her not tripping over some armchair or something and breaking a leg. Sure, she and Stripped were about the only visitors he got on a somewhat semi-regular basis, but the least he could do was be considerate to them, right? Eventually, the door to the Prince’s bedroom opened and Stardust himself stepped out. For a brief moment, Flurry caught glimpse of what looked to be a tank full of some green liquid in the corner of his room. Whatever was inside, she couldn’t exactly discern due to the fact that the liquid itself was so thick. Not that it mattered anyways, considering the doors to the room shut soon after Stardust entered Flurry’s field of vision. “Ah, Flurry!” Stardust greeted, and took her hand and kissed it. “Always such a pleasure to see your face.” Stardust was every bit Twilight’s son, that much was for certain. He bore the same general lavender coat color, and had a dark purple mane -nearly translucent- that seemed to flow with a life of its own and was filled with what looked to be stars. Probably something he inherited from his aunt Luna, Flurry often suspected. He always exuded class, thanks to the fancy gold-buttoned, epauletted uniforms he was always clad in, and the dragon-headed cane he walked with. “Sadly, wish I had the time, or desire for small talk,” Flurry replied, all business. She tossed the Scorpius Kyutama to him. “So, what do you make of this?” “Stripped Gear’s latest creation?” Stardust guessed. “No, he would have told me if he’d made another Legend Kyutama, wouldn’t he? And yet…” “That’s exactly what this is,” Flurry finished. “I presume you’ve heard of the wreckage we found out near one of the Vaults?” she inquired. “Yes… first contact with an alien race and they try and destroy us. Not what I would have wanted, really…” Stardust mused, rubbing his chin. “Gah, bet if they had a listen to this new track by Count Leon they might have been more receptive.” He snapped his fingers, and from the speakers, a short little ditty began to play. “Ranger, Ranger Kyu-Kyuranger Oh, Kyuranger 3! 2, 1! OKyu! “Good morning, Mr. Sun, Mr. Fireball You're so bright, I just can't get enough! High-high-high tension! Go, go, with a high touch! And those sparkling lucky, lucky Kyutama 3! 2, 1! OKyu!” a male voice sung as Stardust did a little dance, swinging his cane around without a care in the world, before Flurry knocked him flat with a punch, and shut off the music with her own finger-snap. “Be serious, for Faust’s sake!” Flurry snapped, and held the dragon-tipped cane to Stardust’s face. “Your Aunt Luna used this to become the first Kyuranger, and buy Equestria some time, and here you are treating this thing like a mere trinket and dancing with it like you’re Flashfire’s too many greats-grandmother Trixie Lulamoon on stage! And this whole First Contact thing, not something to joke about!” she exclaimed, getting the mental image that if Stardust had met this robot, he would have brought out a synthesizer and played Axel F on it as a greeting, dancing while doing so. “Sorry,” Stardust apologized, though Flurry got the distinct feeling he didn’t really mean it. “It is admittedly odd though, an alien having possession of a Kyutama,” “Which is exactly why I came to you,” Flurry replied. “You know more about the Kyutamas than anyone aside from Stripped Gear and as I can’t exactly get into contact with him, I thought I’d come to you for help on this. Just a little bit of history on the legend of the Draco Kyutama and the nine saviors would help. Small things,” “Yes, well, unfortunately, I don’t know anything about it. You’d have to ask Celestia, or rather her AI recreation,” Stardust replied sounding about as fond of it as Flurry did. “She’s got the memories, after all, right?” “I did, and she directed me to you. Said you’d know more,” Flurry replied. Stardust frowned for a brief moment. “Ah well, every program has its glitches right? When Stripped Gear gets back, I’ll confer with him on working on her. Best to check Auntie Twilight’s AI as well, now that I think of it,” he replied in a dismissive tone. Flurry didn’t quite know why, but she felt her magic crackle a bit and got the distinct urge to punch Stardust for referring to the AI versions of her aunt and her godmother as glitched. However, before she could do so, the entire city rumbled, and both Stardust and Flurry had to grab onto something before they fell to the floor. “Commander Ares!” Stardust barked. “What was that?” “Don’t know sir, but it’s origin point just came from somewhere outside the Crystal Empire. Hacking into the nearest vault entrance exterior camera to have a little look-see… I’ll transfer it to your quarters.” With that, a holographic emitter brought up a scene from outside Vault T-245’s entrance doors. A massive purple and silver tower with two spinning gear-like rings, drilling deep within to the planet’s surface. Near it, were various little humanoid aliens wearing stark black suits with either purple or lime green trimmings, and silver helmets to hide their faces. The tower, or more likely their ship hummed and pulsated every half-second or so. “Sir!” Commander Ares shouted. “Planetary Geothermal levels, they’re dropping! Whatever that thing is, it’s sucking us dry!” With that, both Flurry and Stardust’s eyes widened. Meanwhile, in the city’s labs, a light flickered on and a head began to move, observing the various scientists working it over. “Fascinating,” the Scorpius Drone thought to itself. “They think they killed me. Quite arrogant little lifeforms, really.” He noted a nearby screen showing the Moraimar, as it was called, beginning to suck the planet dry of all of its energy. It’d take a few days, considering the size of the planet but he could wait. Nothing the locals could do to stop Dark Matter anyways. He chuckled as he watched the various scientists go into a panic over this new ship and debate amongst themselves on how to stop it. This only solidified his theory. “Now,” the Scorpius Drone thought. “Time to set about relocating the rest of my body…” If he was capable of smiling, he would have. Far away, unaware of what was going on, the Paladins of Equus were deep within the formerly known Ghastly Gorge’s caverns. Once housing Quarray Eels, ponies or any other type of being had been far too afraid to explore what lay within and discover the caverns’ secrets. Until now, that is. “By the Hivemother…” Spada whispered as he, directly in front of him gazed at a truly awesome sight. Embedded deep within the crystalline structures was a massive purple dragon, clutching what could only be described as a massive purple orb in its front claws, gilded gold. “Okay, was someone watching too much Draken Orb Z when they built this, because correct me if I’m wrong, but that thing looks a little too much like Shenlong for my liking…” Coldcast trailed off. “I highly doubt that Shenlong was the main inspiration for whoever or whatever created this,” Jabari deadpanned. “Pretty sure Draken Orb Z wasn’t around when these were all just caverns over tens of thousands of years ago via my last counting. Hell, it’s only thanks to erosion we’re able to explore these places now, and even then we had to wait for the eels to die off to even get this far into the cave…” he whispered, as he ran a hand up the crimson red cavern walls, just trying to see if there was any way to break past the crystal and free the truly magnificent beast within. “Anyone got a pickaxe or somethin’?” Jabari asked, and Coldcast burst out laughing. “I highly doubt a pickaxe is what is going to smash through those walls!” he cackled, clutching his sides in mirth until he let out a yelp when Spada hit him atop the head with a stirring spoon. “Don’t mock someone’s kitchen!” he barked out. “But… but this isn’t even a kitchen!” Coldcast muttered to himself. “It is to them,” Spada replied, pointing to Stripped Gear and Jabari, who were inserting Skill versions of their Legend Kyutamas into their gauntlets. “I have my kitchens, they have their laboratories. Both are about getting messy, creating experiments to bedazzle others!” he proclaimed, his eyes seemingly sparkling in wonder. “Dorado/Aquila!” the zorse/unicorn pair shouted, and holographic manifestations of their respective Voyagers began chipping away at the crystal to free the dragon inside. “Hmm, a Draco Kyutama, and now a Draco Voyager… I wonder,” Stripped murmured to himself theories beginning to form in his mind, before everyone jumped a little at the sound of a loud explosion from behind them. “Well, worry no longer!” Lupus snarled, bringing out what looked to be twin sickles of purple energy. “Because you won’t live long enough to see the fruits of your labors. I really have to thank you for leading me here, it’s been ages since the Draco Voyager’s been seen. Let me show you my gratitude…” he smirked the golden orbs that passed for eyes narrowing. “Who do you think you are?” Coldcast snarled, reaching for his Kyutama. “Lupus, Karō of the Pegasus System and your new overlord.” the wolf creature smirked, and Coldcast let out a growl and slammed his Kyutama into his gauntlet. “So, you think you owe claim to the name Lupus?” he asked. “Let’s see about that, shall we? Star Change, Lupus!” With a flash of blue light, a roar of rage, and with his claw weapon in hand, Coldcast charged into battle... Author's Note Okyu! (Sorry, couldn't resist using Xiao's pun.) So, at first I did think a yak or minotaur would fit the idea for Taurus Black, but then I figured it'd be too obvious of a choice and I thought, why not have a member of Captain Celaeno's species take that role instead? Change things up a bit? I mean, it's not like I'm already taking great liberties with the source material anyways. Also yes, that was the ending theme to Kyurangers (If not translated into English) Stardust did a little dance too. I'm not sorry. Nor am I for the shameless Dragon Ball Z joke. Because really, tell me this isn't a reference to Shenlong? I find it funny that my fellow Ranger writer Shadowmane's villains are all wolves, and here I debut a high-ranking wolf villain. Agh, anyways. Plenty of foreshadowing here. Some subtle, others... not so much. As ever, comments, thoughts, and critique are welcomed.
Part 3: LupusLupus’s eyes widened in abject shock as he saw the griffon, whom he’d previously dismissed as being nothing more than a nuisance that could quickly be dealt with charge at him, in the all too distinctive armor of a Paladin, wielding a claw-like weapon with glowing blue blades of energy. The blades hummed with a distinctive energy as they met Lupus’s own sickles, crackling as they did so, leaving trails of light as they slashed through the air. A fist met Coldcast’s stomach sending him staggering back accompanied by a grunt of pain before he was socked across the jaw by a hard right cross. Coldcast regained his bearings, and only just in time as well, considering Lupus came at him with two powerful swings from his sickles, glowing a sickly dark purple. Coldcast quickly switched out Kyutamas, and slammed the Aquarius Kyutama into his gauntlet, and fired a jet of pure scalding water at Lupus. Lupus let out a howl of pain, and threw one of his sickles, aimed directly at Coldcast’s head. The griffon let out a yelp as he just barely rolled to the left, and the sickle impaled itself in a nearby wall of red crystal. Coldcast let out a roar of pure rage and swung his claw weapon again with Lupus simply sidestepping to the left and grabbing Coldcast’s arm with a paw before twisting it with a sickening cracking noise. Lupus then threw Coldcast into the ground, and placed his boot on the Blue Ranger’s stomach. He pried his sickle out of the wall, and smirked. “For a moment there, I actually thought you’d be a challenge. Guess I was wrong about that,” Lupus smirked as he ground his heel into Coldcast’s stomach. “You’re too full of rage, wanting to prove yourself. That much I can discern. Hardly worth the title of Paladin.” “Are you… gonna talk or… are you gonna fight?” Coldcast, despite having the feel of a steel heel brushing and bending his flesh out of shape, still held strong in the face of his adversary. “There’s no honour in defeating a weaker opponent. Perhaps, if you brought whatever ragtag friends you have along with you, then it would be interesting.” Lupus leaned down to his face. He failed to notice the air shimmer around him, before a green blast of energy sent him flying back, and a figure striding forwards as he dropped his camouflage. “I’m sorry, were you talking about moi?” Spada asked, the Changeling now fully morphed and pulling out a rapier weapon. “Pleased to make your acquaintance. Just call me the Shinobi Star, Chameleon Green!” “Just one? How sad,” Lupus stood off of Coldcast and lumbered towards Spada. “I was expecting more from these so-called ‘warriors’ I was informed of. That robot we sent to your planet, well useless as he was, did gather some useful data. He did let us know there were more Paladins out there,” Lupus grinned, and for a moment Spada felt a chill run down his spine. There was something about this one, just made his withers shudder. Lupus pulled out his sickles once more, and spun them in his hands with both making hums of energy. “Fine by me.” Lupus bore his own weapon, and promptly swung them upwards at Spada. The Changeling, to his credit did block most of the blows with a few rapid swings of his rapier and even got in a few of his own, but one powerful kick from Lupus sent him flying through a wall into another cavern, leaving him across a very narrow bridge, with a deep yawning chasm below. Howling winds rushed up from beneath, and Spada just barely managed to keep his balance. “This is just insulting now. Where’s the fun in this?” Lupus taunted, before he clapped his sickles together, forming an orb once they made a complete circle. Said orb then launched a series of laser blasts at Spada and the ground around him. The crystals comprising the bridge below Spade began to crack, and he extended his wings before going skywards and thrust his rapier at Lupus. Like a chameleon's tongue aptly enough, the strikes were long, and whip-like, lashing out at the Karō making him stumble back before Spada kicked him in the face. Wiping the blood off his muzzle, Lupus let out a low growl. “So, I was right. You’re more bark than bite, Guess you really do deserve the title of Paladin after all…” “He’s not the only one,” a female’s voice commented, before Lupus whirled around to see Stripped Gear and Fågel staring him down. “You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us. I admit, Coldcast is a bit of a fool for charging in like he did, but the title of being Lupus’s paladin, very important to him. He had to work for what he had, and here you are, trying to take that away from him,” Fågel hissed out, the lavender parrot drawing what looked to be a double-bladed axe. “Probably the nicest thing you’ll ever hear me say about my half-brother, so treasure it. Star Change: Taurus!” she shouted, before changing into a massive black armored warrior. Heavily armored, the star on her uniform was just barely visible and her visor looked like a pair of massive bull horns, extending far past her helmet. “Agreed, time to shut you up.” Stripped Gear smirked, the unicorn going for his Kyutama as well. “Star Change, Dorado!” he shouted, before shifting with a flash of yellow light into his costume. His visor was unusual as well, being shaped like a swordfish and actually ending in a sharp point. “Alone, you are weak and powerless. But together? Well, that’s an entirely different story.” Lupus had a sadistic grin on his face as he smashed his sickles against the ground, causing the edges to turn hot-orange as if they had been heated up to a thousand degrees. “I’m going to enjoy severing those heads from your necks, paladins.” “We’ll just have to see about that, won’t we?” Coldcast asked, as he finally regrouped with his team as Spada ran to their side. They were soon joined by Flashfire and Jabari as well, already morphed. “The Beast Star, Cerberus Seagreen!” “The Howling Star, Lupus Blue!” “The Shinobi Star, Chameleon Green!” “The Sword Star, Dorado Yellow!” “The Winged Star, Aquila Pink!” “The Armored Star, Taurus Black! Six Stars, shining in the Heavens! Space Squadron, Kyuranger!” “Well, isn’t this cute. Six Paladins, didn’t know I was quite so well off!” Lupus laughed. “Let’s even things up a little, shall we? Invaders!” he bellowed, snapping his fingers as the footsoldiers of the Dark Matter empire teleported in. “Guess they haven’t had their stomachs filled yet!” Spada quipped. The Paladins all charged in on the foot soldiers, arms bore as they started to open fire and swing their melee weapons around. It wasn’t an easy battle to say the least, as one wrong step would leave someone slipping and falling down into the yawning abyss below. And Lupus knew this full well. “One side!” He laughed, as he elbowed Jabari in the face, making the young zorse stagger and nearly lose his balance before he was pulled back by Fågel. “Oh no, not losing you yet kid!” the parrot shouted, pulling the zorse close to her chest. Jabari flushed under his helmet, knowing full well how… developed the bearer of the Taurus powers was under her armor. “Going to need some breathing room here!” Fågel shouted, even as she cut down Invaders with her axe. Flashfire nodded. “Got an idea on how to give you that,” Flashfire nodded before letting out a bark of: “Jabari, prends soin de me prêter un coup de pied rapide comme tu veux, hein?” he asked. “You’re so lucky I understand Prench…” the Pink Ranger muttered sarcastically, before going for his pistol and inserting the Telescopium Kyutama into a small slot on it. A holographic scope was projected, and Jabari fired a few rapid shots of pink energy at some of the Invaders. “Maybe they should call you the Shooting Star, eh?” Stripped Gear joked, as he punted a invader off the bridge. “No thank you, would just lead to me getting all full of myself,” Jabari replied simply. Nearby, Flashfire inserted the Serpens Kyutama into his gauntlet, and fired, unleashing a swarm of spectral snakes into the hoard. “Et pour finir le travail…” Flashfire murmured before switching to the Aries Kyutama, firing a burst of yellow energy in the shape of a ram’s head at the remaining Invaders sending them all into dreamland. “Nighty-night, don’t let the bedbugs bite!” he taunted. “Oi, I take offense to that!” Spada shouted. Flashfire, of course, ignored him. “Stripped, get back to the main cavern, I want that Draco Voyager unearthed, you understand?” Flashfire shouted, and Stripped nodded in understanding and broke into a sprint, before Lupus leaped in front of him, blocking his path. “Nice as the prospect of one of the long-lost Voyagers being reclaimed by a Paladin is, I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do that.” Lupus smirked before the ground rumbled once more. “In fact, you won’t even leave this place alive!” Once more, he snapped his fingers, and several long tendrils reached up from the depths of the chasm and grabbed each of the Kyurangers save Coldcast. Each and every single slimy, gold, wriggling limb rose further out, revealing a colossal beast that was more worm than humanoid. With a series of massive maws on its’ head and shoulders, as well as more tendrils, it was a true monstrosity of flesh and blood. “Behold the Abhorrence! Unholy tamer of all that is mortal, and the instrument of your demise!” Lupus watched the flailing rangers struggle to escape. “You might as well call it the Deathworm in your common Equus tongue. The name fits anyhow.” With a screech of rage, Coldcast shoulder charged Lupus, and knocked him back into the main cavern. “Just you and me now…” the griffon growled out before going for the Cancer Kyutama, and like before, a large red pincher of energy erupted from his back and squeezed Lupus tightly. “Let them go…” Coldcast whispered. But to his surprise, Lupus slowly pried the pincers apart before firing another orb of searing hot energy at him, knocking the griffon back into a grouping of stalagmites, crystal flying everywhere as they shattered and demorphing the Blue Ranger. “You cannot stand against what I am alone, boy.” Lupus cracked his neck as he tilted it. “And with your friends on the edge of death, you have no hope of standing your own in this universe.” He then grabbed Coldcast by the neck, tightening his grip. “I know your type. Like I said, you just want to prove yourself to everyone, you’re so full of rage you just welcome the challenge; regardless of whether or not you may die. Such a stance on the world is your very undoing, as I am about to demonstrate!” Coldcast suddenly freed himself from Lupus’ grip and knocked him back with a kick to the stomach before picking up his fallen weapon, and it shifted into a sword, not that far removed from Flashfire’s own blade. Even as he re-engaged the Karō, he flashed back… Three Years Ago: Galaxy Garrison Boot Camp: Coldcast found himself outside the headmaster’s office. Again. Ponies whispered as they passed him, and laughed once they thought they were out of earshot. There was Coldcast, in trouble again with his temper, they commented. Such a sorry excuse for a Paladin, they laughed. Coldcast had to clench up his fists into a ball and hold himself back from punching a wall in sheer rage. No, that would only prove them right, that he was a loose cannon who couldn’t control his temper for the life of him, a bully. “But that’s what I am, right?” Coldcast asked himself in a whispered tone, even now hearing Headmaster Stoneheart yelling at his adopted older brother/possible father figure behind his desk. “A bully!” Headmaster Stoneheart had every reason to be angry at him, given that he’d sent two of his fellow classmates to the infirmary in a fit of anger, after they’d mocked his parents. Or lack thereof. “Look at me, dios mío…” Coldcast muttered under his breath, and put his head in his hands. “What am I even doing here? I’m just a sad, sorry excuse of a griffon with not even a bit to his name, or a family who even gives a mierda about me…” He could still hear Headmaster Stoneheart and Flashfire arguing, even as small tears fell from Coldcast’s crystal blue eyes. “Agh, what am I even doing here, I’ll just fuck something up again, and then again! Today, it was two ponies sent to the medical wing, what next? Four, five? All because I can’t keep my damned temper in check?” Coldcast whispered to himself. “Sometimes, I just want to do something right for once in my life, but then… I should be able to do something right, I know I should!” he continued, before pausing and speaking in an even quieter tone of voice that nobody could hear. “S-So I try, and sometimes I do it right, but then, I just can’t because oh Faust I want to be a hero to Equus and then I fuck something up so majorly that everyone tells me that I just fucking can’t! That’s what I am, worthless!” he sniffled, barely fighting back the next wave of tears that threatened to fall. “What Flashfire, he was thinking when both he and Flurry chose me as a potential pilot for the Wolf Voyager, I’ve no clue…” Coldcast was so caught up in himself and his personal self-depreciation that he hadn’t realized the arguing from Stoneheart’s office had fallen silent. Nor did he notice the soft, warm red-furred arms pulling him into a deep hug. “Now, you listen to me, okay petit frère?” Flashfire’s voice came out soft, but firm. “Listen well, and listen hard m’kay? I did not just spend the last hour and a half arguing with that bâtard you call a headmaster to see you self-deriding yourself like this!” Coldcast’s crystal blue eyes widened, he never heard his hermano (If not by blood) ever raise his voice to that level of fierce protectiveness, or swear for that matter. Okay, maybe Flashfire swore at some other point, it was just never around him. “Everything, and I do mean everything Stoneheart had to say about you, completely and utter shit you understand?” Flashfire continued, still in that soft and loving, but stern tone of voice. At some point, he had put the Lyra Kyutama into his personal Kyuchanger, making it emit soft, tranquil music. Hopefully, Flashfire mused, this would help calm his little brother. “The stallion’s a jerk, we both know that. I argued against him being placed in charge of this school, only for Stardust, the little royal bâtard who probably never socialized with a teenager in his life to override me and put him there anyways!” If Coldcast’s jaw wasn’t slack before, it sure as Hell was now. He’d never heard Flashfire speak ill about anypony in a royal position, and had drilled into Coldcast to treat both rulers of Equus with decency and respect no matter what. “Sure, you’re a bit on the obnoxious side, rather aloof, but I wouldn’t blame you in the slightest,” Flashfire continued. “Growing up like you did, in the New Manehatten orphanage, going through the system and family homes as many times as you did? It’s a miracle you turned out as well as you did, really. Merde, I’d be rather independent myself in that sorta situation. And you kid, you are freaking amazing, and you’ll probably continue to astound me one day. You got into the freakin’ fighter program, and that’s hardly an easy feat as it is! I didn’t just choose you as a potential Wolf Voyager pilot just because I felt sorry for you or anything like that. You have a talent, a natural raw talent. Seriously, you were thrown into the program and right into the simulations without you having to read the material -Again, I have Stardust to thank, and his bullshit reasoning that we need new pilots, quick as possible- so, of course, you’re going to make a few slip-ups.” Big wet eyes met Flashfire’s own. “Trust me, there’s no such thing as being picked at random or arbitrarily. Not in my book. Someone recognized you for what you were. Nobody, nobody who’s a fuck-up gets to be in that position you understand?” “B-But what about the kids I sent to the medical wing? What about them? Dios mío, their parents are going to be pissed at me!” Coldcast whispered. “Let me deal with them. Those little brats, way out of line and let me assure you, I’ll override the headmaster’s authority, and Hell, Prince Stardust’s as well if I have to, and get them suspended at the very least!” “No… No, I don’t want you to have to deal with-” Coldcast stammered out before a finger was placed over his beak. “The blowback? Please. Like I could give a damn about what some rich parents who let their kids walk all over everyone else have to say!” Flashfire scoffed, and Coldcast bit back a chuckle. “If anything, I might just have words with them as well! Because trust me, anyone who raises their kids like that, they deserve a good harsh talking to, maybe a few swats around the derrière as well!” the unicorn continued. Coldcast finally laughed, at the sheer mental image of Flashfire taking grown parents over his knees and spanking them. Flashfire finally smiled at this. “Good, that’s what I like to hear. You, just laughing at something and not belittling yourself.” he said, finally releasing Coldcast from the hug. “Now, back to class with you!” “W-What about…?” Coldcast whispered, the griffon not daring to finish. “Directeur Stoneheart?” Flashfire finished, spitting out the name in disgust. “If he gives me trouble, he might just find out he wound up with more than he bargained for! Besides, I don’t think he wants to argue with me more than once today already so you needn’t worry.” As he picked himself up off the ground, Coldcast let out a low snarl as his blade glowed a sharp blue. “No, that’s where you’re wrong Lupus, if you even deserve that title. You’re no Karō,” he spat. “I honestly pity those under your rulership. Because you are nothing but a tyrant, pure and simple. Karōs, you know what they are? On my planet, they were top-ranking Samurai officials, advisors to Daimyos. Oh sure, Samurai means one who serves, roughly, but you? Well, all I see is the one who oppresses. Time to fix that.” he stated simply, before letting out a battle cry as Lupus’s eyes widened and he quickly combined his swapped out his sickles for a sword. Like the sickles before it, it too glowed with a sickly purple hue marking a sharp contrast to Coldcast’s own blue blade. Metal met metal, sparks flying off the blades as they met. Even as Coldcast went sword to sword with his opponent, he flashed back once more. “Okay, all you need to do is just hold your blade like so. That simple,” Flashfire instructed, both him and Coldcast in a large training room, with a dark blue hexagonal floor beneath them, capable of creating holographic structures. “Come on, you can do it.” Coldcast grunted as he saw his mentor/big brother go through some simple sword maneuvers, almost like a dance. He made it sound so simple, but when Coldcast tried any one of these maneuvers, even something as simple as a thrust all he ended up doing was send the sword flying out of his hands. “Your grip was too loose that time, Cold. You need to hold it tighter.” Flashfire said as he came over, patted his shoulder, and pointed to his tightly grasped hands. “Just think that sword is the most important thing in your life, and never let it go. Let your hands become a clamp that nothing can escape from, and that sword will never leave them. Here, let me show you something, what I want to work you towards.” With a battle cry, Flashfire charged towards a holographic version of Queen Chrysalis, and flipped in mid-air before letting out a cry of “Regulus Impact!” as the blade came down, the tip spitting out small little meteorites as it did so. The hologram? Didn’t even stand a chance. “Whoa… Mierda.” Coldcast breathed out and watched as Flashfire sheathed his sword and approached him. “Now, show me your fighting style. And remember. Tight grip on the sword. The tighter, the better,” Flashfire pointed to another projection of Chrysalis. “Use whatever means you like.” Coldcast let out a battle cry, and charged right towards Chrysalis, his sword aimed at her like a spear. A blast of green magic from Chrysalis’s horn, and the griffon soon found himself on his ass. “Well, that didn’t go as planned…” Coldcast muttered, taking his own stupidity with good grace. “Dios mios, that hurt.” “Your enemy will try and fight back, so you need to be sure to be prepared for when they do retaliate.” Flashfire nodded, before running towards that very same projection, which shot more and more bolts at him. “Time every strike, and either meet it or evade it.” He said, while demonstrating. “Only then, will your enemies fall at your hooves… Er paws, in your case.” With one final vertical strike, the hologram shattered once again. Coldcast smirked, before charging forwards once again. Chrysalis, like before fired off green energy blasts, but this time the griffon either deflected them, or absorbed them into his blade before he took a running leap off a raised section of the floor, and his blade came down. “There you go. You’re learning now.” Flashfire patted him as he dealt Chrysalis the final blow. “But it won’t all be one-on-one fights, you know. Now, let’s go through some more maneuvers…” Back in the present, Coldcast and Lupus continued their sword duel. The words ringing in his head, he managed to find moments to strike Lupus’s blade as he attacked, knocking it off course or completely bouncing them back to his side. Looking for an opening, it took Cold a while before he dealt a swift blow to Lupus' chest, causing him to stumble backwards. Lupus let out a low growl and charged his blade with an eerie purple energy. “Black Hole’s Devastation!” he roared, before sending a pure dark orb, which had formed at the tip of his sword right towards Coldcast. In the split second before the orb was fired at him, the griffon noted that a distinct sphere not unlike a Kyutama had been attached to Lupus’s blade hilt. “Is that—“ Before he had time to finish, the black orb hit him, pulled him into a small vortex, where he was barraged with a series of invisible attacks before being spat back out before Lupus’s eyes. “It had to have been, nothing else I’ve seen grants that sort of power,” Coldcast thought, heart pumping and adrenaline rushing through him. “No time to think on it now, I’ve got to deal with this guy now!” he continued to himself, before going in for several more strikes, all blocked. “I’ll grant you this,” Lupus mused. “You’ve had some experience with the sword, and whoever taught you is a very good combatant, but sadly… You’re just not at my level yet. Still, if you’re so inclined, you could join Dark Matter. A Paladin, they make very formidable combatants. We treasure every soldier who joins our cause, and believe me, you’d make a fine one.” he complimented. “Ir al Tártaro.” Coldcast spat. “Very well then. It’s your funeral.” Lupus went back to his sickles, and twirled them before putting them in a scissor-like hold around Cold’s neck. “Any last words before I close these up?” “Yeah. Just one. Regulus Impact!” Coldcast snapped, before a pure wave of blue energy sent the Karō flying backwards, ripping up the ground as it did so. Clutching his bleeding chest, Lupus let out a hiss. “Wh-what?! How?!” He felt the blood trickle onto the hand around the wound before he opened a portal with his free hand. “Another time! You will not end me here, Paladin!” And he barrelled through the vortex, leaving Coldcast behind. Meanwhile, the other Paladins were still flailing about in the Deathworm’s tendrils. “Anyone got a plan here?” Stripped shouted. “You’re the egghead!” Fågel snapped. “You’re supposed to be the one thinking up how to escape beasts like this!” Unusually, or perhaps not given his personality, Flashfire seemed rather calm. He’d managed to free one of his hands and pressed down on his Cerberus Kyutama. There was a crashing sound as something massive broke through ice and crystal, and the Deathworm along with the Rangers found themselves staring down three dog’s heads. “The Cerberus Voyager! Yes!” Jabari fist-pumped as the mech stared the Deathworm in the mouth. The massive Voyager then shot a barrage of gold energy beams from its eyes ripping apart the Deathworm’s tendrils and sending the Rangers in freefall. Jabari’s tune immediately changed. “Oh, not good, not good!” the zorse squeaked out before he found himself -Amongst the others- in the Voyager’s hold, and he let out a sigh of relief. “...I wasn’t worried, were any of you?” “Oh, I don’t think he’s very happy!” Fågel shouted, as the Deathworm screeched in rage and pain somewhere behind him. “I’m picking up a heat signature following you, advise escape to avoid destruction.” the Celesti-AI commented and Flashfire sighed. “Yeah, tell me something I don’t know…” he muttered before pressing a button on his console as the Voyager did a barrel roll to avoid a blast of sickly green energy sent from the Deathworm’s center eye. Flashfire’s fingers were a blur on the central console’s keypad, keys lighting up as he inputted commands. “Bring me up a map of the tunnels Celestia. Show me the best route out of here, and away from that… thing. Coldcast, please tell me you’re alright!” “I-I’m fine, s-sent that wolf running. Where are you?” the griffon replied, sounding rather out of breath. “Oh, the usual. Outflying something massive and defying death. A vol de la mort if you will.” he commented lightly, before turning his attentions back to the Celesti-AI and letting out a small growl of frustration. “Celestia, need that map…” he muttered. “Any time now would be good.” “Okay. There’s a safe way out through a series of ice-tunnels nearby, but that monster’s probably going to chase you down if you take it. Basically, I hope you’ve got the afterburners on, because it could trigger a catastrophic cave-in if you’re not quick enough.” Celesti-AI pulled up a map of the path ahead, along with the cave network and which route they needed to take. “Happy flying, team.” “W-What!?!” Jabari sputtered out, his voice coming out once again as a squeak. “Real encouraging there…” Flashfire muttered to himself in a low tone. “Well, if we’re going to do this, might as well make it magnifique, eh?” “Yeah, real great time to channel your ancestor, this!” Jabari snapped. Flashfire ignored him, and muted the comms. Needed no distractions, he just needed to fly. The deathworm screeched loudly and tunnelled after the fleeing Rangers, tearing through the ground like paper, submerging and leaping out of the ground itself, leaving nothing but holes in its’ wake, it was like a massive, screwed-up, monster dolphin that had escaped from the zoo; and it was hunting down the Paladins. “It’s just like a sink, just like a sink…” Flashfire murmured to himself. “Think of it as a grease trap, think of these tunnels like that.” “500 feet, 400 feet, 300 feet…” the Celesti-AI informed. The Cerberus Voyager was mere inches away from the beast, as shrapnel of ice rammed against it and the surrounding walls. The ground itself was coated in a thick veil of ice and mist as the beast continued to burrow and leap, again and again, until they finally managed to make it into the caves. From there, the Deathworm stopped jumping, and instead wormed its’ way through the extensive caverns and floes, screeches echoing out as it readied for its’ next strikes. It finally burst out of the walls, charging straight into the ship and smashing it against walls. It ricketed and wobbled as the team tried to stabilize, but Deathworm itself disappeared into the cave network again. “Thank Faust, think we lost it…” Flashfire sighed, wiping the sweat off his brow, before turning on the comms once again. “We’re home free, te-” His words were swiftly cut off when the Deathworm erupted from the ground, spraying the Voyager’s exterior with even more shards of ice. “Merde…” Flashfire muttered. “Okay, so it’s a battle you want eh? I can do that.” he sighed, before taking his Kyutama out and putting it on a central pad on the console. “Shooting Star Megazord transformation sequence primed,” the Celesti-AI informed, as the other Rangers leapt out of the hold and summoned their own Voyagers. “Combination sequence ready.” “Let’s rocket!” Flashfire smirked as he saw the Wolf and Bull Voyagers running below him, before the back halves tilted upwards with the Cerberus Voyager linking up with them complete with small hisses of steam. The Swordfish Voyager connected to the Megazord’s right arm port, and the Eagle Voyager, the left. The Chameleon Voyager replaced one of the heads of the Cerberus, the left one specifically, forming some sort of massive shoulder cannon. Finally, the central head on the Cerberus had its jaw fold down, revealing a mouthplate covered face, with two stoic yellow eyes staring the Deathworm down. “Shooting Star Megazord online.” the Celesti-AI informed as the combination completed itself and all six Rangers joined each other in the main cockpit. “Let’s see what you got, eh big guy?” Fågel asked, cracking her knuckles as the Megazord took one massive step forwards, sending shards of ice flying into the air. The deathworm let out another ear-piercing howl as it dove back into the icy network of tunnels, which caused the whole place to rumble and shake from top to bottom. “Tracking,” Stripped Gear informed as his screen showed a little reticle tracking the worm’s movements. “Locked on target.” As soon as the deathworm emerged, it was greeted by a green tongue made of energy lashing at it like a whip. The coil wrapped around its’ body and began to glow brighter, as steam shot off of where the energy rope wrapped around it. The Deathworm was pumped full of amp after amp of electricity, and it screeched out in pain. Eventually however, it broke free and fired a beam of green energy from its sole eye sending the Megazord staggering backward. “So, like to play rough huh?” Jabari asked. “Let’s see how you like a taste of this. Should warm you up real quick!” he smirked, as the Eagle Voyager’s wings slashed at the deathworm like some sort of giant metal fan before they ignited and dealt out a devastating blow. The deathworm crashed into the cave, and that was the kicker. Stalactites tumbled from the ceiling, and the very entrance they came through began to collapse along with the rest of the caverns. It was a cave-in, and one that would swallow everything whole if they didn’t move now. Sadly, the deathworm had no intention of letting them go quietly. It reasoned, if it was going to die, those little fleshlings inside their giant armor suit would go with it. Firing another blast of green energy from its central eye, more damage was dealt as it pushed them towards the avalanche of snow and ice. “Systems red-lining!” Jabari warned. “We need to finish this, and finish it fast!” “Got just the thing!” Flashfire smirked as he pressed another button on his console, with the others following suite. The Megazord lined the Swordfish Zord up with the Eagle Zord like it was holding a bow and arrow, and fired a piercing beam of light right through the deathworm’s heart, leaving a massive gaping wound. “Rangers! Get out of there fast!” the Celest-AI called as the fight ended and the deathworm let out one final screech. “Unless you move, you’ll never leave these caves alive!” Firing the jets on the Megazord’s back, it rocketed out of the tunnels and to the deep black of the sky above, which had never looked quite so welcoming... Author's Note Okay, so first off, huge thanks to Shadowmane for co-writing the fight scenes in this chapter, of which I admit there were a lot of but what's wrong with that? Besides, I left quite a bit of space in for Coldcast's character development, or at least backstory. And no, before anyone asks, I will not be naming every other chapter after a constellation. Just only when it suits me. As ever, comments, thoughts, and critiques are welcomed.
Part 4: More Questions than AnswersLupus, as he teleported inside the Moraimarz, looked out the window as a horrific screech filled his eardrums, nearly making them burst open and deafen him completely. His particular species, they had more heightened senses than most, so of course things like this, they would hear and it wasn’t a completely pleasant sensation. Long ago, their particular species had evolved on a desolate desert planet, where food was scarce and life a daily struggle to survive. An increased sense of smell, to pick up carrion and better hearing to tell when predators were approaching was needed. Eyesight was increased tremendously as well, so you could see what was coming to eat you before it got there. This very same eyesight was nearly blinded by a bright flash, and then a huge fireball that lit up the moonless skies. Lupus’s eyes narrowed as he looked out the window to the cold, unforgiving wastes beyond. “Well, color me impressed. I knew they were good, but killing off a Deathworm? Well, might not just be the Blue one who I have to consider inducting into Dark Matter really. Lord Eriedrone might disagree, but this isn’t his system. I rule the Pegasus System, not him,” Lupus thought, emitting a small growl as he clutched a small silvery Kyutama in his fist. It was emblazoned with a winged horse. Flicking his wrist momentarily, a gauntlet appeared. Like the Rangers’ own Kyuchangers, it was tipped off with a small blaster and had a star-shaped interlock on top of it. However, the colors were very different. Unlike the red and silver the Rangers used, this particular Kyuchanger was colored a deep black and had purple detailing. “Say the Change!” the Seize Blaster remarked, in a dark tone of voice. Mirroring the motions the Rangers used, Lupus clicked down on his Kyutama. “Pegasus.” Lupus stated simply, placing his Kyutama into the gauntlet and giving it a little flick. He was covered in a silver and black torso armor, with the shoulder pads resembling wings and the chest piece, a horse’s head. He chuckled, he’d honestly love to see how the Rangers dealt with the mere idea of a Dark Paladin. But that was for another time, Lord Ikargen and Lord Eriedrone had sent for him. Gesturing to an Invader, he looked at him pointedly. “Ready my personal Moraider for liftoff. We’ll leave this planet to rot. Suck it dry of it’s Planetium, and then let these ponies see just what happens when their precious planet blows in front of their very eyes,” he smirked. “I’m amazed they’ve survived this long without a sun or moon, and to be frank if it were allowed, I’d have some on our side as shock troops. But in the end, I suppose, it’d prove far too troublesome.” However, Lupus did note to table the idea for later. He’d gotten local species, with the power the Kyutamas granted, to become Paladins to guard their planets in exchange for money and doing whatever Dark Matter requested of them. Perhaps, if he was feeling merciful, just before the planet exploded, he’d offer these creatures one last chance. If they declined… well, that was their choice really. He couldn’t force them. The Invader nodded, before walking off. However, two figures walked up, carrying gold metal staves that could double as grenade launchers. Strongindavers, they were called. With glowing yellow eyes, and heads resembling an ace of spades, one could liken them to the infamous Flatwoods Monster of West Virginia. In fact, you’d be forgiven for mistaking them for the same creature. These creatures, they served as bodyguards for everything from Local Administrators of planets, to Karōs to even the Vice-Shoguns themselves. “Milord,” one of the Strongindavers said, bowing his head and quickly motioned for his colleague to do the same. “We’ve found something, deep in the ice. You may want to come have a look at this.” Lupus raised an eyebrow, but was intrigued nonetheless. “Show me.” After riding an elevator down, Lupus found himself outside the Moraimarz in what looked to be the ruins of a once-great castle. A broken shard of a large crystal pillar lay in front of him, and Lupus carefully stepped over it. “Huh, so these creatures actually had an empire once,” one of the Strongindavers remarked, looking up towards what used to be a mighty tower, now broken and shattered in half, in some areas partially melted as well. “Seems rather… hard to believe. Especially now, when they hide underground like sand worms on your home planet, Lord Lupus. Middle of nowhere, and we find… this.” he commented and picked up a heavily frozen book reading “Supernaturals” on the cover before tossing it behind him in disgust, as the sound of drilling echoed all around him. “Never forget, even amongst the tiniest of creatures, even the most unassuming can pose a threat,” Lupus commented. “Take the Abborence of my planet. Never would you assume it to be so dangerous for its size, and yet in a few hours you’d find yourself losing all of your breath, and then choking on your own blood soon as it latched onto you,” he commented, in a vaguely threatening tone as he held up a little jar, containing what looked to be a small, silver serpent. Needless to say, both of the Strongindavers got the point and laughed nervously. “Now, about this thing you found, what is it?” Lupus asked, and one of the Strongindavers gestured for him to follow, leading the purple wolf-like Karō to a once-great hall. In the center of the room, -beyond which lay a partially melted mirror of some sort. that seemed to shimmer and on rare occasions show another world beyond it that glistened with tall skyscrapers seemingly made of glass.- lay a dark-colored horn, crackling with a purple energy. It looked as if it’d been ripped off the tip of something, or sliced off. It wasn’t like a unicorn’s horn, it was more curved if Lupus had to be honest. But still, his suit’s sensors were off the charts as they detected energy simply radiating off the horn. His eyes narrowed, and he motioned for several Invaders to come forth. “Get this thing boxed up and put in a containment module, and be very careful about it. While I wouldn’t mourn any of you, the last thing I need is Lord Eriedrone complaining to me about losing me on a simple artifact retrieval.” Then, another Strongindaver ran up, panting and seemingly out of breath. “Sir, vessels on approach. Their energy signatures, they match the ones picked up earlier just before the Deathworm’s life signs went!” Lupus smirked. “Excellent. Let them come,” he stated simply, and everyone stared at him in shock even as the Karō let slip the small jar from his hands before teleporting out. If Lupus had a method to his madness, he wasn’t saying a thing on it. At least… not yet. Stripped Gear, even as he saw the towering form of the Moraimarz appear through his cockpit window, suppressed a nervous swallow. The central tower of the ship -because really, what else could it have been?- seemed to be looking directly at him. It bore a distinct face, like that of a tiki’s or a moai’s and for a moment the tannish unicorn wondered if the ship was in some way alive, pulsating with purple energy as it was. He bit back the thought, either from not wanting to ponder the possibility or just dismissing it was frankly ridiculous. There was no way that ship was alive… right? No, it couldn't have been. It was probably just one of Dark Matter’s tricks, a way to intimidate their opposition. “Well, I have to admit even if only to myself,” Stripped thought to himself, even as he used the controls to urge his Voyager onwards. “It's quite the effective fear tactic. So, I will give them credit -If only a little, -the self-righteous pricks- for that.” The inside of his Voyager’s cockpit, like his lab, was rather cluttered with little boxes of various tools and half-finished devices laying strewn about, in a rather haphazard fashion. No sense of rhyme or reason to it. Any normal person would have a hard time making sense out of the chaos, really, with only Stripped himself knowing where everything was. All around him, small monitors glowing a distinctly blue hue showed various forms of data, amongst other things like the topography of the area around him and compositions of various metals. In effect, it was basically Stripped Gear’s home away from home. He could even monitor the performance, and damage levels of the other Voyagers from here, making him, in essence, a very important target. There was a reason he was encouraged not to go out in the field if only as a last resort and backup were scarce. Projected on a small emitter, was a hologram of Celestia comprised of various streams of data. Opposite this, was a projection of Stripped’s many great grandparents Bon-Bon and Lyra Heartstrings. A constant reminder, he told himself, of where he came from. His family, Lyra’s family, had come from the Marish Isles and started off rather poor even when Ponyville was first founded. They had to fight for what they had, build their lives from the ground up. Being immigrants escaping a country that was mired in civil war, they had no roots to speak of when they first settled in Equestria. But somehow, his family managed and got themselves well-established in Ponyville over the years, bringing their native recipes from their homeland with them. Shepherd's Pie or Cottage Pie as it was alternatively known, was a particular favorite. Comprised of a mixture of mashed potatoes, minced lamb or beef, and varying vegetables it may have hit like a brick, but filled you up quite nicely. Comfort food, really. The other popular dish his family brought was called Champ, a mix of mashed potato, scallions, butter, and milk. Of course, business only increased when Bon-Bon was thrown into the mix and brought her delightful candy confections into the family. Some of these creations of hers, like Lunar Jello or Gummy Bears, still survived to this day in one form or another, something Stripped was particularly proud of. Like all the members of his family in the early days, he had to fight for what little he had, and make his way up the rungs of the ladder to get into the position of Stardust’s top scientist. It was a valued position, as you’d expect, and wasn’t easy to get to. Several other ponies had relied on dirty tactics to make sure Stripped didn’t get into the favored position, such as sabotaging various experiments of his he intended to present to the Prince. Needless to say, when he reverse-engineered the Draco Kyutama on a whim or a pure flight of fancy, he won the title and gained something he was still very much proud of to this day. Respect. Finally, he had something to lord over the lower classes with and say, “Yes, I did this, not you!” A bit snobbish of him, he admitted, but he felt he was entitled to being the way he was after all the fighting he’d done to get there. It was a long way to the top, he admitted. Still, at times, he had to admit, it was like a mountain in some ways. Once you got there, it got quite lonely and at times, when he knew nobody could overhear him, he desired some form of companionship. Maybe not someone who could understand all of his scientific gobbledygook as it was often called but just someone who he could talk to at times. Maybe it was his own fault he mused, for lording his position over others, making them know he was superior not only in status but in intellect as well. A small concussive explosion knocked the pony out of his internal musings, and he snapped himself to attention. “What was that?” he asked, before he looked downwards. Near the massive ship was various crab-walker mounted cannons, firing blast after blast of energy towards the Kyurangers. “You’d think they wouldn’t bother with small snub fighters like ours…” Stripped pondered, but the Celesti-AI was swift to correct him. “Yes, you would think, and normally you’d be correct. You wouldn’t be worth the attention, however…” she trailed off, placing a hand to her chin in thought. “What is it?” Stripped stated quickly, impatiently having no time for nonsense. “That ship, it’s burrowing deep into Equus’ surface. There’s a large energy transfer going up into the belly of the beast, as it were and seemingly stored there,” the Celesti-AI continued, seemingly unfazed by Stripped’s rudeness. “At the same time, I’ve rerouted the Voyager’s sensors to scan the planet’s interior. The magma core, it’s destabilizing. I have reason to believe these two events are connected.” Stripped’s sea-green eyes widened in shock as he realized what Celestia was getting at, and opened the comms. “Everyone, focus fire on that ship! If we don’t destroy it fast, this planet’s going to explode!” “Well, you heard him,” Flashfire’s voice crackled over the comms. “Get to it! Alright, Dark Matter… Time to test your luck! Allons-y, team!” he shouted, as a battle cry. “Fågel, Coldcast, take out those cannons! Everyone else, focus fire on that ship,” he ordered. Soon, Fågel rammed one of the twin cannons with her tank-like Voyager, while Coldcast’s own grabbed one of the walker legs in its jaws and tossed it into a cliff making it go up in a fireball. “Jabari!” Stripped shouted over the comms. “You’re with me. While Spada and Flashfire shoot up that thing’s armor, we’re going to do a cut and run, you understand?” “Got it.” the zorse smirked, knowing exactly what the unicorn was thinking. Stripped watched as the wings of the Eagle Voyager glowed pink, while his own Voyager’s fins glowed yellow before both ships shot forwards and sliced the ship down the middle in a blur of motion. “Take that!” Jabari shouted in glee, before his smile faded. “Uh guys, not wanting to ruin the party here, but I’m running models here, and I really think we’ve got a major problem on our hooves here. And I do mean major.” “What do you mean?” Coldcast asked, not really wanting to know. “Well, thinking about it, that planetary energy has to be gathered up for something, right? So, ran a few scans on the ship’s core, and it’s gathering it and devoting all power to weapons systems, probably for one huge blast. Needless to say, I don’t think we want to be within firing range.” “I’ve got an idea,” Stripped mused. “Everyone, prime your weapons systems. Time to fight fire with fire.” Placing his Kyutama into a small slot, and twisting it he watched as the others mirrored his movements. Stripped then pressed down on his Kyutama, and his Voyager shot out a beam of energy from its beak. The others were soon to follow. “All-Star Crash! Super Galaxy Variant!” Stripped shouted, as the Moraimarz fired a huge, cutting beam of purple energy. The beams battled for dominance, before the next thing anyone knew was the massive ship going up in a huge fireball. Stripped allowed himself a smirk. “Checkmate.” High above Equus’s atmosphere, Lupus allowed himself a smirk as he sat in his flagship’s bridge. The massive Moraimarz was of the dreadnaught class of ships, and was designed to wage full-scale war on a planet. It’s hangers held legions of fighter craft, ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice along with several smaller Moraimarz as well. In front of Lupus, several holographic screens, each a deep violet tint similar in hue to the lights in the hallways, -which were a darker shade of purple themselves- rested in direct eye's view. One depicted his flagship itself, which was needless to say, titanic. Each individual piece linked together, with all of the belts turning like clockwork. All three of the smaller gears were armed with spear-like platforms, with different rooms on the inside. All of them looked very similar, though, so it was impossible to tell which one housed what. And surrounding this structure, was one single massive gear turning in unison alongside the smaller ones. The other screen depicted a massive creature, burrowing deep beneath the planet’s icy surface, seemingly growing in size with each passing minute. “Perfect…” Lupus mused. Sure, they’d stopped his first Moraimarz from draining the planet dry, which he entirely expected. That wasn’t the real goal, no. His main plan was to tire these Rangers out, before sending his legions in for the kill. He knew they were perfectly capable warriors as soon as the Scorpius Drone’s assault vehicle had been trashed. “Milord, you’ve got an incoming hail from Don Armage.” a Strongindaver said, bowing as soon as he entered the bridge. “Onscreen.” Lupus stated, quick and to the point. And so the orders were followed, with a new holographic screen replacing all the others. On it, was what could only be described as a massive bow, with a singular arrow loaded up and ready to fire. A golden frame with a blue loading mechanism and arrow filled it. Spikes adorned the edges, a sign that could have easily identified it as a hostile ship, if anything. A singular string of light-blue energy coiled from the bow through the arrow itself, almost like a power core being controlled and stabilised. The Ark, the flagship of the Dark Matter fleet and the main place of residence for Don Armage. “Commander…” a voice growled out, and Lupus felt an involuntary chill run up his very spine as a cloaked figure appeared in front of Lupus, replacing the Ark. “I hear you’ve been having… difficulties in acquiring this new planet we’ve discovered. Was the assault craft I gave you not sufficient in subjugating the population?” Armage asked. “We have them on the edge of a string.” Lupus said, unable to keep his voice from stuttering. “I plan to-” “I care not for your plans!” Armage barked. “Your last failure in subjugating a planet, they rebelled and destroyed themselves, and not a single drop of Planetarium was gained in the process! And look at you. The deed split your spirit to the bone, as shown with your progress on this backwater world, without even a sun to light it’s days!” he roared, and clenched his fist. “I’m sending Sir Ikargen to assist.” “S-Sir Ikargen?” Lupus whispered in fear. “But he’s a rabid dog! He can’t be controlled!” “Nevertheless, you will await his arrival,” Armage argued. “You may wonder, why I keep such a “rabid dog” as you refer to him on my payroll? Permit me the chance to explain. A cur's weakness, properly manipulated, can be a sharp tool in anyone’s hands. Especially my hands. Yessss, even Sir Ikargen has his… fallacies. Weak as you both are, I believe you, together, can fix this disaster you yourself created, Lupus.” Armage stated leaving almost no room for argument. Almost. “V-Very well, but…” Lupus stammered out. “But what?” Don Armage asked, narrowing his violet eyes. “Your… condition,” Lupus replied delicately. “I may have found a solution.” “A solution you say?” Armage asked, leaning in closer in such a way that he practically towered and overshadowed the much smaller Dark Matter member. Lupus, trembling held up a small orb of energy, in which was contained the curved horn he’d found on the planet’s surface. “Tests have been run, and there’s an unknown factor of energy emitting from this horn. It might just be enough for you to finally take physical form and go into battle personally.” “While I have no desire to go into battle myself, not when I can control the galaxy’s inner workings with the mere palm of my hand, I admit, a new body after the destruction of my last one is very desirable. Congratulations, Lupus, you may have just migated your failure somewhat.” Armage replied, before vanishing. Lupus slumped back in his chair, and let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Ikargen… Just the last thing I needed…” Lupus thought to himself. “As if things weren’t bad enough. Knowing him, he probably won’t be coming alone. He’ll probably have that whore of his, Madoka along as well! I swear, if she calls me a jelly brain even once, I’m shooting her and damn the consequences…” Back deep beneath the icy manifolds of the overworld, Stripped Gear set back to work on what he did best, experimentation and creation. His lab, suffice to say, was a mess. Scientists and researchers were in a frenzy, passing beakers and vials of liquid around the room to other assistants. Apparatus had all been set up and nearly all of them were being used. Bunsen burners were lit and heating up some of the chemicals, while centrifuges spun and distillers lit themselves. Because of the way everyone was moving, the chance of spills and breakages happening were very high, and it was a miracle that there had been none of that yet. Of course, that could have just been him tempting fate, as many of the ponies nearly crashed into one another as they worked with their materials and devices. “Oi!” Stripped shouted, as one pony nearly smacked into another, carrying the arm of the ill-fated Scorpius Drone in his hands. “Last thing we want is those chemicals -Does nopony read or even understand the words highly flammable anymore?- blowing something up just because they get rattled a bit?” he barked, before letting a hand trail down his face. “I swear, the ponies I work with…” he thought in disgust, before grabbing the arm out of the assistant's hands and placing it on his table, his hooves clanking against a piece of metal grating below, that just so happened to barely traverse a small river of pure molten magma. Stripped, at times, honestly wished he’d been given a better or at least safer workspace. This was one of those times he mused, as he wiped sweat off his brow before pulling a monocle out of his lab coat’s pockets and began studying the arm’s inner workings, some of the outer armor plating having been removed for better access a few hours before. It was true enough, the lab he’d been given was hardly compliant with OSHA safety regulations. With all of the recent chaos in the outside world, the ceiling above had entirely caved in and submitted to the grip of the icy world, and now stalactites hung tenderly above the devices, and looked sharp enough to rend any experiment to pieces with a single drop. There was also a cold atmosphere around, as the heaters had been worn thin from constant overuse. In fact, if not for the bunsen burners, the room would have been almost utterly devoid of heat, and many of the ponies were shivering even now despite their thermal suits as they hustled to get their work done on time. They were just glad the floor hadn’t frozen over, or dampened by any spillages, or everything would have gone belly up for all of them. “How goes the roof repair work?” Stripped asked another pony, even as he continued looking at the Scorpius Drone’s arm. “Plates are being moved in to cover the hole, and the Galaxy Garrison headquarters is willing to lend us some shielding, but it might be a while before we get that,” Jabari said with a sigh, looking over what looked to be a thruster pack with wings. They seemed to be made of some otherworldly material, and perhaps they were, but knowing Stripped he’d probably found something from a failed invention of his and repurposed the materials. The pony was a master of magitech after all. Beautiful streaks of amber, tied and woven together with metal made up the celestial-like wings. If Jabari remembered correctly, these were meant to be an upgrade for his suit, to give him flight capabilities and if everything worked out, applied to the rest of the non-flight capable Rangers as well. “Wonderful…” Stripped muttered to himself, with no small amount of sarcasm in his voice. Then an eyebrow raised in interest as he looked at the arm in front of him a little closer. “Hey, Jabari, bring your Kyuchanger over here will you?” he asked, with Jabari shrugging before taking the gauntlet off his wrist and handing it over to the unicorn. “Now, if my hunch is correct…” Stripped muttered, before he fitted the Kyuchanger to the arm laying in front of him. “So, what’s that prove?” Jabari asked. “All of the Kyuchangers were made for a universal fit, so that anyone could wear them.” “Yes, but remember, we found a Kyutama in the wreckage of the scorpion mech.” Stripped reminded, and he and Jabari shared a glance. “You don’t think…” Jabari trailed off before his expression turned nervous. “Now that I think of it, one of the assistants said they found this amongst the robot’s parts.” he continued, bringing out what looked to be a Kyuchanger but in purple and black instead. He quickly replaced his own with this dark version on the robot’s arm. Understandably, he was suitably unnerved by this sight. What was about to happen next wouldn’t soothe him in the slightest. “Yeah, just as I thought,” Stripped muttered. “Now, I only need one more thing to prove my theory…” he mused, before bringing out the Scorpius Kyutama and pressing down on it. Almost as if in reaction, the dark Kyuchanger proclaimed: “Say the Change!” Jabari then carefully watched as Stripped placed the Kyutama into the little slot on the gauntlet and flicked it. Almost in an instant, the arm was covered in orange armor, not unlike the Ranger’s own suits. “That confirms it, doesn’t it?” Stripped sighed. “For better or for worse, that robot sent to attack us is or was a Kyuranger.” Taking the time to digest that frankly disturbing information, a long silence permeated the air. “So…” Jabari whispered, his voice trembling. “Dark Kyurangers? Is… Is that even a thing? I mean, how can that even be a thing? I mean, the Draco Kyutama and all of the technology we derived from it was created for good, wasn’t it?” he whispered and Stripped nodded. Jabari then had a horrific thought. “How long do you think the Draco Kyutama spent wandering the galaxies before it crash-landed here, on Equus?” “Hundreds, maybe thousands of years?” Stripped guessed as a reply. “In that time and in those days, space travel would take a long time. Anyone could have picked it up and studied it.” “Exactly, anyone,” Jabari replied with a nod. “Anyone, and that includes Dark Matter or whatever became the group. They easily could have created their own Kyutamas and tech based around them, and from the looks of things I’d say they did,” he stated. “I need to talk to Stardust. He needs to know about this.” Stripped stated firmly, standing up before his gaze turned to behind him. Resting on a table behind him was the Scorpion Robot’s head, gazing at them soullessly. “Hey, did you bring that in?” Jabari asked. “I know I sure as Hell didn’t…” “Might have been one of the lab techs, I don’t know. So much hustle and bustle it’s nigh impossible to keep track of anything sometimes. Still…” Stripped trailed off, eyeing it warily. He tapped the optic, to see if he could garner any reaction but nothing happened. “Listen, I’m just going to go look at my star maps, maybe annoy Coldcast a little. Anything but standing near that… thing. It’s beginning to freak me out, really.” Jabari muttered, before turning to leave the room. “Agreed.” Stripped said, before following suite. What neither of them noticed was as soon as they left the room, the optic blinked. Stripped’s hooves broke into a sprint as they ran down the corridors, alleyways and through the streets of the undercity, as it were. Ponies, amongst various other species, peered out of their windows and stepped out onto balconies to get a good gander at the frantic scientist. Going for his belt, he pulled out the Boötes Kyutama, colored bright green in the central crystal and inserted it into his Kyuchanger. Almost in an instant, he felt a burst of speed as he rounded a corner, his lab coat billowing behind him like a cape of some sorts. He kicked up dust, and various pieces of trash as he ran through the city center and out of another alleyway. Stopping only momentarily to catch his breath, he resumed his run and brushed past various citizens who let out yelps and on some occasions, cursed at him as he neared the city center. Stripped made a mental note to apologize, but right now he had more important matters at hand, really. Eventually, he did reach the Prince’s personal quarters, or tried to anyways as something else caught his attention. Two red armored guards, helmets covering their faces carrying long bladed staves were wandering the corridors of the Prince’s personal residence. They seemed to pay him no mind, which was understandable considering this wasn’t the first time Stripped or anyone else for that matter had visited this place. What was strange was their presence in the first place, and how unnerved they seemed. Maybe it was because of all the recent chaos, Stripped figured, but he’d never seen this particular brand of guard before. Then again, he’d never seen Stardust with any form of guards. He’d heard the rumors of course, that Stardust’s guards lurked in the shadows and you’d never see them coming but he’d always dismissed them. Bit too secret police-like for his tastes, if you asked him. But here they were, clear as day. Or at least, maybe the inspiration for the rumors. The armor itself, was a combination of robes covering the body, and a thickly armored helmet that covered the face completely, leaving no features visible. You couldn’t even tell what race these guards were, or even if they were organic in nature. For all Stripped knew, they could have been robotic. Questions ran through his mind, even as he, out of pure instinct and caution hid behind a corner and waited till the guards left. Sticking to the shadows, the unicorn cast a spell over himself that made him almost but not completely invisible. He found himself drawn, for whatever reason, to a rather unremarkable door. However, that’s only at first glance, the door for whatever reason felt unnaturally cold to the touch. The fact was, below the door were small clouds of mist. Gritting his teeth and looking to make sure nobody was around, Stripped carefully cut open a small hole in the door and found himself in a chamber of pods. Stasis pods, each carefully controlled so that whatever was inside them stayed a frosty sleep. No, not whatever, Stripped mentally corrected himself. Whoever. Going to a computer console, he checked the status of the pods' occupants. Only one had someone inside it. “Suppose you’ve slept long enough, man…” Stripped remarked, pressing a button on the pod’s side, and it opened with a hissing sound. What was inside, shocked Stripped to the core. A dark green insectoid body, with two red pincers sticking out of the forehead like a stag beetle. The unicorn’s eyes widened. He didn’t need to be a genius to know who this was. “Pharynx…” he breathed out, as the Changeling’s eyes slowly fluttered open.
Part 5: Oh, the times, they are a Changin'...New Manehatten Medical Wing, Cold Storage: “E-Easy there!” Stripped said gently as he watched the dark-green changeling’s eyes slowly flutter open, and then Pharynx still clad in a light blue hospital gown stumbled forwards almost in a drunken manner. Grunting out in pain as the massive Changeling fell into the smaller unicorn’s arms, Stripped murmured: “I got you there, big guy. Question is, what are you doing here? I mean, I would think the medical logs would show you being stored away, or even still alive for that matter…” It was almost like someone wanted to keep Pharynx’s existence a secret, Stripped mused. But, why would that be? “Ugh, where am I?” Pharynx muttered before he noticed his current situation. “And who are you?” he asked, pulling himself out of Stripped’s grip. “Name’s Stripped Gear. Scientist, and might I just say what a pleasure it is to meet you!” Stripped babbled, forgetting his manners and rapidly shaking Pharynx’s hand. “I mean, you’re a friggin’ living legend. You do know that, right? This is absolutely meretricious!” “Oh great, a fanboy…” Pharynx muttered to himself in a tone that could only be described as complete and utter disgust. “I was warned about ponies like you, the ones who practically strip themselves naked and throw themselves at the object of their… desires,” he grumbled. “Maybe if you were a mare, I’d accept the offer but a buck? No way. This Changeling is quite straight, thank you very much!” Stripped flushed a bright red at that, realizing what his fanboying over a living legend of old Equestria could have come off as, namely something akin to being stalkerish. “Oh, if Jabari or Faust forbid, Spada got wind of this, he’d never let me live it down…” the unicorn thought to himself. “My deepest apologies Lord Pharynx,” Stripped replied, regaining his composure, fixing his lab coat and turning back into Stripped Gear, well refined and dignified scientist from the Marish Isles. “Sorry, just meeting someone so famous is… Well.” “Yes, yes, I get it,” Pharynx waved him off. “You’re overwhelmed and all that shit.” “I forgot how rude that Changeling was, at least according to historical records,” Stripped sighed to himself. “Silly me.” “Not that of course, I’m offended by you calling me a living legend,” Pharynx murmured, scratching his chin. “I’d consider that a compliment. But again, I have to ask, where in the Hivemother’s name am I?” “New Manehatten, the Medical Wing. Well, at least I think this is the medical wing, last time I checked it didn’t have a cold storage unit.” Stripped murmured, rubbing his chin in thought. “Then again, maybe it did and I just forgot about it. Been so many things on my mind lately that I sorta just… deleted a few of them,” he continued. “Maybe it’s time to up the nicotine patches. Again. This seems like a three patch problem…” All Pharynx could do was stare in bug-eyed (Pun fully intended) bewilderment as Stripped continued pacing back and forth. The Changeling groaned, realizing what sort of person he had to wake up to. “...You’re one of those eccentric genius types aren’t you?” he muttered. “Only thing worse than a fanboy…” “Yes. Do you have a problem with that?” Stripped asked in a confused tone. Since when was being a genius a bad thing? “Yes, of course, I have a problem with that! I’m just woken up from a Hivemother only knows how long of a nap, and I wake up to a fanboy who probably doesn’t know that Equus doesn’t revolve around the sun because he deleted said information from his mind!” Pharynx shouted in a fury. “Oh, how, what does that matter? So we go around the sun! If we went round the moon or round and round the garden like a teddy bear, it wouldn't make any difference! And for the record, the Sun collapsed thousands of years ago, so that should tell you how long you’ve been asleep!” Stripped snapped throwing his arms up in the air, quite frustrated by the lack of information he had. He hated not knowing things. Drove him up the wall. “Now will you shutty-shut up so I can work out why you were in cold sleep since before the sun burnt this whole planet to a crisp and then everything froze over?” Any other person, any other time, Pharynx would have probably grabbed Stripped with his horns and smashed him into the ground several times in classic Changeling warrior fashion for telling him to shut his trap, but he was so caught off guard by how long he exactly he’d been asleep he found himself frozen in shock. “T-That long?” Pharynx whispered out in shock. “Then that means the P-Princesses a-are…” Pharynx found himself unable to finish the sentence, tears forming in his eyes. He may not have liked Celestia or Luna for their more pacifistic ways, but even he had to admire how they managed to keep a whole country intact just by sheer friendship alone. “Dead? Yes, quite,” Stripped said, his tone finally going back into a more sympathetic one, realizing who he was talking to again. Pharynx, whenever he went under and for what reason, everything was all well and good and the sun was shining in the sky. Now, that was hardly the case and everything and everyone he ever knew was dead and gone, just dust in the wind. “If… If you need some time to yourself, I can-” “No, no point in mourning over something I can’t change. They’re dead, my brother’s dead and I’m just going to have to accept that,” Pharynx murmured, trying very hard to hide his emotions and to his credit, he mostly succeeded, but even Stripped could see the Changeling trying to fight back the tears from behind his violet eyes. So Stripped did the only thing he could do, and pulled Pharynx into a deep hug, and allowed him time to cry. “Shh, let it out,” Stripped whispered as he heard Pharynx’s muffled heartbroken sobs, and Stripped held the Changeling ever tighter, rubbing his back in a calm, comforting manner. “It’s alright, I’m here for you my little… changeling,” he said awkwardly, not really being the first to know how to comfort somebody, and especially not someone like Pharynx or someone in said Changeling’s situation. Eventually, tears were spent, and Stripped finally released his hold on Pharynx. “...Never let anyone know that happened, okay?” Pharynx requested. “I do have a reputation to keep up, after all.” “Pinkie Promise. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Stripped nodded, and Pharynx let out a groan. Stripped looked confused. “What? That’s not something you break!” “That cheesy-ass promise is still around?” Pharynx muttered, astounded. “Hey, Pinkie herself may be gone, but her legacy sure as Faust isn’t,” Stripped replied. “...Pretty sure she has this ancestor around here somewhere now that I think of it.” “I pity the fool who dated her. For one thing, you’d need to keep up a lot of stamina in the bedroom,” Pharynx remarked in his normal grumpy tone, but with a trace of amusement. “And a set of earbuds and a good amount of patience, for dealing with a mare who is basically… well, a child really,” he said, and Stripped actually laughed at that. Pharynx smiled. “But in all seriousness, I’m glad some things haven’t changed despite everything that’s sure to have happened.” “Yeah, say what you will about ponies sometimes, but we’re an enduring lot,” Stripped replied. “Marvelous, isn’t it? Now, you’ve asked me a few questions, so I think it’s only a fair deal that I ask you at least one no?” “Fair enough,” Pharynx admitted. “Alright then. So, I just have to ask, why were you contained in that cold-sleep pod to begin with? Knowing what I’ve read about you, and heard from a few ponies and Changelings (Pharynx smiled at this, knowing that his species was still quite alive and well) I can only presume that you locked yourself away in that pod so that one day you could return when Equestria was in need of some great warrior right? Working theory, but right now it’s the best I’ve got.” “It’s a nice thought, but no,” Pharynx corrected. “Sadly, I contracted this frankly rare illness for Changelings after helping my little brother clear out the last of Discord’s Chaos-Spawn near the First Hive deep within Equestria’s jungles. They called it by a simple name, the Black Plague.Thankfully rare, as it’s almost always fatal. At the time, it looked like I was dead in the water.” Stripped nodded, he’d read of the infamous disease. Rare in Celestia’s time, it had been killed thousands during the times of Princess Platinum. Contemporary signs of the plague, varied and rather imprecise. As one pony put it: “In men and women alike it first betrayed itself by the emergence of certain tumours in the groin or armpits, some of which grew as large as a common apple, others as an egg… From the two said parts of the body this deadly gavocciolo soon began to propagate and spread itself in all directions indifferently; after which the form of the malady began to change, black spots or livid making their appearance in many cases on the arm or the thigh or elsewhere, now few and large, now minute and numerous. As the gavocciolo had been and still was an infallible token of approaching death, such also were these spots on whomsoever they showed themselves.” Nowadays, the cause is known to come from rats carrying the germ known as Yersinia pestis, but before then it was an unknown agent. “So how did you…?” “Survive?” Pharynx asked. “Radical new treatment, proposed by Nurse Redheart in Canterlot. Lock me in that cold-sleep pod, and then pump it full of various cleansing agents. I had to be watched around the clock by trained medics. Didn’t know if it would work, but considering the alternative…” “Yeah,” Stripped swallowed. “Guess someone forgot to let anyone know when it was time to wake you, right?” he joked lightly and Pharynx laughed in return. Stripped then rubbed his chin once more. “Still, it’s a very good question as to why nobody told anyone you were in that pod for all this time…” The sound of a cough was heard, someone clearing their throat to speak. Both Stripped and Pharynx whirled around to see Prince Stardust, clad in a dark purple nightgown complete with a gold shooting star sewn into the material. Pharynx raised an eyebrow at this, but then noticed the coloring of the Prince’s mane and his coat. It didn’t take long for him to figure out who the Alicorn was related to. “Huh, so what do you know? Celestia and Twilight finally pulled their heads out of their asses, stopped dancing around each other and rutted like rabbits!” he thought. “Um yes, I must apologize for that Lord Pharynx,” Stardust sighed as he leaned on his cane, two of the faceless red guardsmen at his side holding long pronged staves which crackled with electricity. “I really must. No excuse.” “I should say so…” Pharynx hissed, a snake-like tongue briefly emerging from his mouth. One of the few remaining traits of his original pre-metamorphosed form. “Left me to gather dust, your parents did!” “And you have every right to be angry with them, Faust rest their souls. Hell, I can bring up their AIs so you can shout at them if it makes you feel any better,” Stardust said kindly, “May not be the real thing, at least if you ask my aunt Flurry for her opinion on the matter but-” “AIs?” Pharynx asked, raising an eyebrow curiously. “Yes, I said AIs,” Stardust replied. “My parents, they managed to save their personalities to databanks before the sun went nuclear and burnt Equus to a crisp. They did this in order to help out future generations and imbue them with their wisdom to make sure Equus never forget where it came from.” “A wise choice, I admit,” Pharynx sighed. “Doesn’t stop me from being angry at them, trust me on that, but I’m not going to take it out on them, considering there’d be no point in yelling at somepony for something they can’t change.” “Surprisingly mature of you, Lord Pharynx,” Stardust replied, thanking the stars. His gratitude would be short-lived. Mind you, doesn’t mean I can’t do this.” Pharynx stated, before drawing back his fist and socking the Prince soundly across the jaw. Groaning out in pain as he rubbed his bleeding mouth, Stardust watched as his two guards pointed their staves at Pharynx. He quickly raised his hand to stop them. “No. Now, there’s no need for that. I suppose I deserved that,” the Prince admitted, calming them. That was a curious trait about Stardust. Despite all his quirkiness, he always had this strange ability to calm others with just simple words. It was like he never seemed to get angry enough to raise his voice. These two traits, Stripped had to figure, Stardust had probably inherited from Celestia. He was just glad Luna wasn’t one of his mothers, otherwise, Stardust probably wouldn’t have been quite so calm and well-mannered. “I probably got off lucky, really.” the Prince shrugged. “Damn right…” Pharynx muttered to himself. “If I’d hit you any harder, you’d probably get a broken jaw at the very least!” Stripped winced at that. Yep, it seemed some things would never change. We later find Pharynx along with Stripped and Princess Flurry Heart walking over the hanger bay of the Voyagers via catwalk. Pharynx, in interest, observed the various ponies and other assorted species set to work on the various fighter craft, amongst the larger colony ships. Over the radio, a rather cheery (Well, somewhat) song played as sparks flew and metal was grafted to ships to armor them further. “Another day o' cloudy skiesfeelin' low an' I don't know why, I guess it shouldn't be news to me now it's been this way for centuries, but I'm holding out “I heard from legends and crystal balls sun gave warmth to the great and small I saw the smiles good ol' Ray put on their face It ain't too much to want gentle grace “This pessimism brings my brain a schism, splittin' up my mind But I know before too soon I’ll find Footsteps on my porch of ultraviolet kind…” a feminine voice song, (Velvet Remedy was her name as Pharynx would later learn) and Pharynx noted Stripped bobbing his head to the music. Pharynx, to his disgust, noted he himself was tapping his hoof to it as well. Damned thing was much too sappy for his tastes. I suppose a minute or two should be diverted to the colony ships themselves, which I haven’t I admit, described all that well. Streamlined and curved, these ships were a masterwork of engineering. Having taken over twenty years to complete for each one, these ships were truly gigantic compared to the Voyagers. (And those could combine into a mecha!) Sporting a half-saucer shape at the back that curved into a more straight shape as you went further back, with three massive thrusters completing the whole creation. Covered in a bronze metallic hue, these ships could carry 20,000 of the Equus population, easily. Five of them in total, not counting the flagship which was a different matter entirely. The flagship, the Orion? This was a ship, that if possible, was even more of a masterwork of engineering than the colony ships. It was a massive dagger-shaped ship armed to the tooth and supporting a crew of 20,000 also. It was easily dwarfing everything else and was meant to be the personal craft of Prince Stardust. It also supported hanger bays for each of the created Voyagers so far, six in total. There were rumors there was a seventh, hidden hanger for the Draco Voyager as well as one presumed it must have existed in Stardust's theories long before it had been discovered in the Ghastly Gorge. “So these are how you plan to escape this barren husk?” the Warrior-King noted in interest. “I must admit, I am… intrigued on how the technology has developed during my very long nap.” Pharynx remarked. “Well, not like we have much choice. Stay, and we freeze,” the Twilight-AI spoke up, her hologram walking up to Pharynx’s side. Her expression grew softer as she looked at him. “It’s good to see you again, my old friend. You had no idea how happy I was when I heard you were awake.” “Tell me,” Pharynx asked in his usual gruff tone. No sense in, like he said before, in getting angry over something that couldn’t be changed now. “I know some of the Changelings have survived, but has my hive…?” he trailed off, not daring to think of the alternative. “Yes, you have a few descendants,” Twilight replied. “One of which is a member of the Paladins I’m sure Stardust or Flurry has told you about. One Spada Venture. Good cook, from what I’ve heard.” “Trust me, man is a master in the kitchen,” Stripped chipped in. “His cooking? To die for! You should see what he does with a Colcannon! Faust, if I didn’t know better, I’d swear he was from the Marish Isles!” he sighed wistfully. “We’ll get to him in a minute,” Pharynx butted in, putting a stop to Stripped’s drooling. “Actually, no Princess, nobody’s told me a single thing about these ‘Paladins’.” “Hand-picked from a single species, the best of Equestria’s best,” Flurry put in. “You’ve already met one in Stripped here, and your relation Spada is another. Meant to guard the larger colony ships with those Voyagers you see below and meant to engage in first contact with alien species. Something, which I embarrassingly admit, has not gone well so far.” she flushed, and Pharynx raised an eyebrow. “How so?” he asked. “Well, had a encounter a few days back. This massive alien ship crash-landed out near where the Empire used to be, and it’s pilot engaged in combat with three of the Paladins. It was just barely contained. The wreckage is being studied now, but we have a much larger problem,” Flurry continued. “I’m listening,” “Well,” Flurry replied to him. “Apparently, this robot was the first line assault force against an empire known as Dark Matter. We’ve, as in the Paladins, engaged one of what they call Karō in combat already, and as of right now we’ve only managed to drive him back in temporary retreat. Even now, his flagship and Faust knows what else hovers above our atmosphere in stationary orbit.” Pharynx’s fists clenched, and his amaranth-colored wings fluttered in agitation. “And you can’t just go and attack, why?” he hissed out, forked tongue once more making an appearance. “This is why.” the Twilight-AI spoke up, and gestured to Stripped who simply lit up his horn and brought up a small holographic screen of the flagship of Lupus’ fleet. It was a peculiar design to say the least, but Pharynx did note the two massive cannons on the bottom of the uppermost ‘spike’ that was aimed directly at the planet. “Those two cannons you see?” Stripped asked. “One shot from them, and boom, could bring the whole place crashing down on top of us. While we could, in theory, evade detection and send up small snub fighters like the Voyagers to destroy them as they’d be too small to register on the sensors, as of right now they’re in the shop. Took a little too much damage from our last battle with Lupus, when he sent his pet Deathworm after us.” “Deathworm?” Pharynx asked quizzically. “Trust me, you don’t want to know,” Stripped replied with a small shudder. “But to put it simply, we’re screwed right now.” Pharynx slammed a hand on one of the metal railings of the catwalk, denting it. “And to think, I used to be a warrior who would be able to take on almost any foe! And now, here I am, sitting around unable to do a thing just because I don’t have the ability to pilot a Voyager! Look at me, a warrior and former captain of the guard who basically has to sit around doing nothing while his kingdom -his kingdom!- is under threat! In essence, I’ve been laid low!” he snarled, both Flurry and Stripped visibly backing away from Pharynx and his frustrations. His head then whirled around to face Flurry, and he stepped dangerously close to her. “If you had woken me sooner, maybe, just maybe I might have been able to have been chosen by your precious Prince Stardust to become a Paladin! I mean, who decides who is Equestria’s best? Yes, Equestria’s best! Don’t think I didn’t miss that! Not Equus’ best, Equestria’s best!” he roared. “You think I like this either?” Flurry snapped. “I didn’t even know you were even in the city! Because someone, namely Prince Stardust decided to keep that information from all of us, -Faust knows why- and let you sleep. I thought you dead long ago! I considered at the time, the possibility of checking, just checking to see if your body had somehow survived in that tank and not rotted to just a skeleton, but Equestria burning to a crisp and then icing over put a hold on that!” she continued, her massive white wings flaring out in anger. “Hell, a lot of us had to stay in sleep pods ourselves while Equestria cooled down, and in those first few years, it was chaos as I was the only one old enough at the time to try and get everyone in order, as Stardust was just only ten years old! He didn’t know how to rule, so I had to do it in his stead while his tutors -Namely the AI versions of his parents once we finally got them up and running- taught him everything he needed to know!” she finished, panting and breathing hard from her little rant. Pharynx, he looked quite quayed and backed off. “I’m… I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” he whispered, hanging his head in shame. “It must have been hard…” “Oh gee, you think?” she snapped, before storming off in a huff and vanishing in a teleportation flash of light yellow magic. Stripped, during all of this, had stayed quite silent in fear of getting either Pharynx or Flurry’s rage directed at him. Nervously, he reached out to touch Pharynx’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you something to eat. Food always helps to ease the mind. A good hearty meal, that’s what you need.” he said, patting the Changeling on the shoulder. A loud rumble was heard beneath their feet, and both Stripped and Pharynx shared a look. “What was that?” Pharynx asked cautiously. “Part of me wants to think it’s just a minor earthquake, we get them from time to time, but…” “But what?” Pharynx asked. “Well, considering Lupus is hardly the stupid sort, one must wonder. I, in his position, would figure that we would find some way around our little problem and that assumes he knows our Voyagers are damaged so even if he had those cannons to rain Hell from above, he’d have a backup plan in place. You would, wouldn’t you?” Stripped inquired. “Yes, quite.” “Exactly,” Stripped replied. “Listen, I’ll run some simulations and some models, just to see if I’m being paranoid and these earthquakes are natural, or something otherworldly’s the cause of them. You, you just get something to eat okay?” he asked, not as a Paladin of Equestria but as a friend. “Might just help calm the nerves.” “S-Suppose you’re right. Maybe that’s all I need, just a good meal or two…” Pharynx murmured. Eventually, with the help of the Twilight-AI, he found himself in the large cafeteria where most of Equestria’s military regiment ate. For the most part, it was a stark white in wall color, lined with green detailings conforming to the minimalist style of the rest of the city’s interior design. At one table, a certain pink parrot named Fågel sat, idly picking away at her food with a spork. It was a traditional dish from her homeland, called Raggmunk. It was basically a potato pancake served with the traditional lingonberries. Pharynx sighed, noting her loneliness -His brother must have been laughing at him from above, seeing him try to make nice with someone- and pulled up a chair next to her. The parrot looked up at him, giving him a warning look. “If you’re here to flirt, don’t bother. Not remotely interested,” she stated coldly. “Yeah, wasn’t going to do that,” Pharynx reassured, biting back a snappy comment. “Just looked like you needed someone to talk to, that’s all.” Fågel sighed to herself. “Well, you’re certainly braver than most, that’s for sure.” “You do realize I was once someone suicidal enough to fend off a maulwurf alone?” Pharynx asked, in a deadpan tone. “So I doubt talking to some parrot is going to be decremental to my health.” Fågel tried to hide her laughter of course. To her credit, she mostly succeeded and just made it look like she was laughing softly to the point where it made things seem she was laughing at him. After a while though she stopped herself. “Look I am not some parrot that is the best to speak to by yourself. I did so many things in the past that would make others scream and blush in horror. It’s moving on with life that you learn that you might be more than you think,” she replied, in that thick Icelandic accent of hers. Pharynx somehow got the feeling standard Equestrian wasn’t her first language. He bit back a laugh. “And yet, here you are. A Paladin. Don’t think I didn’t notice that gauntlet on your arm, Stripped Gear had one as well. Inquired to Twilight about them, all the Paladins have one or the other, makes them be able to change into this squad called the Kyurangers, whatever that’s supposed to be. Frankly, a rather brash title if you ask me really.” Pharynx remarked in return. Fågel sighed nodding as she did so, and held up her Taurus Kyutama before placing it on the table in front of Pharynx. “One would think being what I am would make me feel better about my life. Sadly no I wasn’t there for my half-brother. I wasn’t there for my family. So, he has to grow up in the system, feeling nobody gives a damn about him except for that adopted big brother of his in Flashfire AKA Cerberus Seagreen. There is more to my life that most don’t know about. The fact I was even given this thing makes me feel like I must… I must forget the past or doom myself to repeat it.” “You might want to explain this to your half-brother then,” Pharynx replied. “He’d probably love to know about all of this. Hivemother knows if I grew up in the system, and found out I had a half-sister who could have been there but wasn’t? I’d be pissed. You’re lucky I was raised with a decent amount of respect for women otherwise I’d be punching you in the beak ‘bout now.” Fågel laughed weakly. “Yes tell him that I murdered someone then I was placed in jail for half my life. It turned out it wasn’t murder but the ponies family used his death to punish me. I was hired at a young age to steal something from this guy, named Cold Steel. I scared him he backed up and he fell out of the window. I was accused of murder and that was that. Prince Stardust’s guards chucked me in the bin. He told me I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He said don’t hate me for protecting my families image by destroying yours,” she’d lowered her voice by this point, not wanting anyone to overhear that their precious Prince Stardust was in fact, a bastard and not this wise, all seeing if not slightly eccentric Prince who’d lead everyone to safety. Pharynx’s fists clenched, and he let out a growl. “Knew there was something off about that pony. Far too nice, nobody’s that nice unless they have something to hide,” he muttered. “For years Pharynx, I felt I deserved it. I still feel I do. The fact is if I didn’t get hired to steal I would still be with my half-brother. That’s something I can’t control now. The fact I am in the eyes of some, just a hardened murderer. Even though I did this the Prince has been very respectful to me. Even though I don’t trust him.” “Can’t say I blame you. What’s that old phrase? Keep your friends close, and keep your enemies closer. Gotta say, guy’s got balls, making someone he framed for a crime a defender for Equus.” Pharynx admitted, in a slightly admiring but more disgusted tone of voice. “I feel this was bound to happen. The ponies of this land were too... I don’t want to be too rude although I might have to be. They were too weak. I knew sooner or later if something like this happened, they wouldn’t be able to handle it because it’s not the Power of Friendship they need to fight this. I feel the ponies relied too much on that Princess of theirs.” “Seemed to work for them, till the sun went nuclear and burnt everything to ashes.” Pharynx shrugged. “I mean, when I went into cold sleep, Twilight’s school was thriving and relations with the rest of the planet were at an all-time high. And look at everyone now, collaborating to find a way off this icy rock. Hell, these Paladins, they’re each a member of one of Equestria’s species. Changelings, griffons, ponies and… well, whatever you are. Wouldn’t be surprised if there was a dragon in there somewhere. Doubtful, given they’re cold-blooded creatures, but today’s been full of surprises. Fågel sighed. “I never saw the old world if I did I would ask what caused it? Of course, I forgot when I asked this once. That the sun was magic, and I wish I knew what type of magic. So I could understand why it blew up like that. But I doubt I will ever learn what type of magic it was. Maybe the magic is what caused it. Or maybe everything just has it's time,” She shrugged. “If I knew magic I would understand it more. But I am just a simple creature. Just saying though, the Elements of Harmony, wielded by those six mares, may not have been the end-all solution at times. I mean, they certainly didn’t stop the sun from broiling Equestria right?” Fågel asked, Pharynx sighed, and rubbed his temples. “Maybe you’re right, and maybe I’m wrong. Still doesn’t change the fact that I’m pretty much useless right now. I mean, I’m a warrior and here I am, sitting at a table eating…” Pharynx checked his plate and shrugged. “Don’t know what this is, while there’s a warship hanging miles above our heads, with it’s cannons pointed directly down at us, and I can’t do a single thing about it because I wasn’t singled out to be one of these Paladins of Equus!” he ranted throwing his arms up in the air in frustration. “Oh I don’t know you could do a lot you’re still a changeling you know. Can’t you change form? I know that is not much but you could do so much for the ponies of this place. You could shapeshift into something that gives them laughter, hope, something to want to prance about with and be happy for once. Being a Paladin is not the main thing, you know.” On any other creature, that might have worked. Pharynx simply lifted an eyebrow at her. “I hardly think I’m a comedian. You do realize who I am, right?” Pharynx, the Changeling who was captain of Thorax’s personal hive guard, a warrior born and raised. I don’t have a hive anymore, so I’ll have to take on what’s left of the old world as my kingdom. And right now, my kingdom’s under threat by something I can’t pretend to understand, but I have to do something about!” “I don’t know the best way. But...” Fågel said and when she stood up, she dropped a set of Kyutamas, including the skill variant of the Chameleon Kyutama. “Maybe it will come to you and you can fly with the wind,” she said with a wink, and Pharynx smirked, grabbing the Kyutamas and pocketing them before dashing out the door. Pharynx quickly found himself situated in the cockpit of the Chameleon Voyager, working out the control scheme to the ship, pressing buttons until the whole cockpit began to light up with a humming sound as consoles came to life all around him. “Figured you might do something stupid,” Stripped Gear’s voice said as it crackled over the comms. “Stupid?” Pharynx asked as he placed the skill version of the Chameleon Kyutama on a little slot on the central console. “That’s one word for it. Suicidally reckless would be another. Downright crazy, another choice. There are a few other ways of describing this, take your pick.” he deadpanned. “I’d choose brave,” Stripped replied. “That’s why I’m transferring the Twilight-AI to your… Well, not your ship but you know what I mean right? She’ll be able to walk you through piloting the ship undetected, as once you breach the atmosphere I’ll be out of contact with you.” “It’s Twilight,” Pharynx corrected. “May be just bits of lines of data and code, but to me, she’s the Princess of Friendship I made friends with. So keep that in mind.” “I… I see,” Stripped murmured, feeling rather ashamed of himself. “Sorry, I tend to forget that.” “Well, don’t. Understand?” Pharynx reminded sharply. “Yes… Um, anyways. I’ve been making upgrades to the Chameleon Voyager in my spare time, gave it the Perseus Kyutama’s cloaking abilities. Now, it really is a like a proper chameleon. Now, that skill Kyutama, I don’t know how you got it, but unlike the Legendary variant, you won’t be able to morph with it. However, it and any other Kyutamas you may have, you can still use. Check the side compartment, to your left. Should be a spare Kyuchanger in it. Always keep on in every Voyager, in case someone loses one.” Stripped informed. Sure enough, when he checked, he found a spare Kyuchanger just as Stripped had said he would that refitted itself to the size of Pharynx’s arm. “Okay, brace yourself,” Stripped informed. “Launching in five, four, three, two, ONE!” Then Pharynx found himself pushed back into his seat as his ship was launched forwards, like being shot out of a cannon. Icy caverns passed by in a blur, and quickly turned to snow and then stars as Pharynx found himself out amongst the cold, unforgiving blackness of space. In front of him, looming ominously was Lupus’ flagship. “I like to dream yes, yes, right between my sound machine On a cloud of sound I drift in the night Any place it goes is right Goes far, flies near, to the stars away from here “Well, you don't know what we can find Why don't you come with me little girl On a magic carpet ride…” an old song played over the speakers -Spada had this personal mixtape installed in his Voyager- as Pharynx locked the Perseus Kyutama into place on his gauntlet, and the Voyager faded into the night. “Powering off all non-essential systems,” the Twilight-AI informed. “Less risk of us being detected that way.” Pharynx really wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what Twilight meant by non-essential systems. “Good to see you’re following in Rainbow Dash’s hoofsteps,” Twilight replied as she set a course for the flagship. Pharynx raised an eyebrow at that, and Twilight clarified as she brought up a screen of a rainbow-maned mare with wing feathers of varying shades of the rainbow as well reaching all the way from red down to green. She was wearing a bright orange jumpsuit as she stepped into a rocketship covered in red flames. “Sometime after you… well, went under for lack of a better term, Rainbow decided to get really daring, and not just be the first pony to perform a Sonic Rainboom but be the first pony to breach the heavens as well.” “Yeah, that sounds like her…” Pharynx muttered. “Exactly like her. That ship of hers? Definitely her design choices I suspect. How far did she get?” “She breached the atmosphere before… before we lost contact.” Twilight whispered sadly. “I’m… I’m sorry.” Pharynx whispered, wishing he could give a comforting hug to Twilight. “No time to dwell on the past,” Twilight stated, removing herself from ‘her’ memories. “Preparing to dock with the Moraimars in 3, 2, 1.” Pharynx soon found himself outside the Voyager, which was still under cloaking and looking into deep, yawning dark hallways illuminated only by purple light. How long he had till the Dark Matter empire or at least the commander in charge of this ship detected him, he didn’t know. So Pharynx knew he had to set to work at once. “Okay, so what do I…?” Pharynx muttered to himself. “Yeah, real smart Phar, get onboard a ship and expect yourself to disable it’s weaponry even if you don’t know how anything works!” he grumbled. “Sounds like you need a Doctor, then.” a Trottingham-accented voice said from behind him, and Pharynx whirled around with a scythe in hand only to find himself face to face with a rather foxy looking man clad in a blue suit and a brown coat. A small, cylindrical silver device with a blue tip stuck out of one of the coat pockets. “Doctor who?” Pharynx glared. “I don’t need a Doctor, just a hands-on manual for disabling important systems, and a map.” “Well, you’re in luck, because you’re getting a Doctor anyways, and as for that map…?” the strange man trailed off, before revealing he too wore a device that looked suspiciously like a Kyuchanger. Next, the oddball of a man pulled out what looked to be a gold Kyutama depicting a compass. “Say hello to the Pyxis Kyutama, points you to anything, anywhere.” He set it into his Kyuchanger, flicked it and next thing Pharynx knew, a small gold map of the entire ship was in front of him. A small red dot flickered in a part of the ship, and the ‘Doctor’ put a finger into his mouth and then held it up as if he was checking which way the wind was blowing. Pharynx didn't bother telling him that there couldn't possibly be any wind, as he knew it was futile. “Mhmm, I say… that way!” he exclaimed before dashing off down a hall. “Now come along, got a bit of work to do, and not a lot of time to do it! Allons-Y!” “Great, so I’m stuck with a certified lunatic.” Pharynx muttered even as he for reasons unknown to him, followed. But as he did so, little did he notice the Chameleon Skill Kyutama began to glow a bright silver and depict a snake instead... Author's Note Okay, so your first proper introductions to Pharynx, the Doctor, and Fågel. Now, I apologize if Fågel's demeanor put you off her as a hero, she's just cynical and frankly rather jaded. Now, I contacted Megaskullmon, or Malla as I better know him to help me get a solid baseline for writing her, and that's just what he happened to come up with. If you don't like her, just tell me why and I'll see what I can do to work around her personality and make her more... relatable at least. Now, as ever, comments, thoughts, and critique are welcomed as ever.
Part 6: Silver and Gold (AKA 3, 2, 1, Showtime!)Lupus’ Moraimarz: To say Pharynx was having a good day was like saying a Manticore was a little kitten who’d play around with a ball of catnip. To recollect, he’d been woken up from a thousand year nap, found out the world he knew was gone for good and replaced by an icy husk, then found out a ship was hanging over his ‘hive’s’ head so to speak and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it and now he was onboard that same ship following a madman who called himself a ‘Doctor’. “So yeah, not a good day. Not a good day at all.” the forest-green Changeling thought to himself as he ran after the longcoat clad-madman who for whatever reason had a Kyuchanger as well. First instinct was telling him that this Doctor had stolen the thing from Stripped Gear, but how in the Hivemother’s name would someone like this man gotten into Stripped Gear’s lab and then gotten out without being noticed? I mean, it wasn’t like the Doctor was the most subtle person in the world, really. Hoof and foot clanked against the metallic floor as Pharynx followed the Doctor, whose Pyxis Kyutama was projecting a gold arrow that (presumably) pointed to the weapons systems of the Moraimarz. “You sure you know where you’re going?” Pharynx drawled sarcastically. “If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t be controlling this thing now, would I?” the Doctor just tightened his grip on the Kyutama and just ran a little faster down the darkened hallways. “Now, we need to get where we’re going as fast as possible, before old Lupy can muck even more stuff up.” Pharynx held his Kyuchanger up his mouth and spoke into it. “Twilight, please tell me you know of a guy with a gold Legend Kyutama based on the Libra constellation?” “Yeah? What about it?” She asked, the miniature projection tilting her head towards Pharynx. “Cause I’m looking at one. Bit insane if you ask me, this man. Calls himself a Doctor, even if really don’t see him having any sort of medical degree in the slightest. To be honest, wouldn’t want him at my bedside…” “Oi, I heard that!” the Doctor shouted. Pharynx, of course, ignored him and continued. “Did Stripped Gear make more Legend Kyutamas than the ones I know about, namely the six we know of so far? Because of my count, and I’m factoring in the Draco Kyutama along with the one we recovered from that Scorpius Robot, this makes nine.” Twilight seemed rather surprised by this turn of events. The thought of more Legend Kyutamas was an interesting prospect, but more importantly would be the people who would be able to control such powers. If not the team and their own kinds, then what else? Perhaps a monster, a bandit on the run from the law, or even a harmless animal could hold them and be blessed with their powers. But that was just nonsense to her, as only those chosen by Legend Kyutamas could control them… right? Right? “...I’ll take your silence as a no then,” Pharynx sighed to himself, looking skywards. “Twilight, can you calculate how long we have before the Chameleon Voyager’s cloaking ability runs out, and everyone knows we’re here?” “I already did a check while you two were babbling on about the coordinates. We should have at least thirty minutes before our cover’s blown.” she went back to her station, typing on the computer console. “I can try and make it last longer, but I’d need to draw power from the engines, and that could hinder our escape.” “Yeah, would really rather not drain the fuel cells. I don’t think Spada is going to be happy that we ‘borrowed’ his ship, really…” Pharynx remarked. The Doctor seemed pleased by this prospect. “Oh, so you’re not the only one who’s stolen a ship around here?” the man asked, as they rounded another corner before patting Pharynx’s forehead and kissing it. “Nice to know!” he said cheerfully, and the Changeling just let out a growl. “Please don’t do that,” he stated, knowing full well he’d probably go ignored. “You know, this tech of this Stripped Gear fellow, while it’s pretty nice and all, I can’t help but notice that there are a few design flaws that could be sorted out in future modes,” Twilight, still fixated on her screen, spoke back to the others. “For example, the hyperdrive system has to go into cooldown for at least three hours after one jump, meaning that getting in and out of war zones is almost impossible to do without taking damage,” she remarked. “Second, with all the new weapons being developed each and every day, these regular plasma cannons and lasers are really starting to feel like dinosaurs. But the stuff this ship could do with a graviton displacer or a pair of ionic cutters and nova beam launchers? That’d be able to tear down a class-9 warship with barely any effort required, provided the cells are properly primed and charged, that is. Am I rambling? I feel like I’m rambling.” “Yeah, you are. Why don’t you just marry that damn thing already?” Pharynx deadpanned before turning to the Doctor and asking: “You know a single bucking thing about what she’s talking about?” “Most of it, yes. Though, I’ve never heard of ionic cutters and nova beam launchers before.” the Doctor barely rotated towards Pharynx’s side. “Granted, I’m not really one for weapons systems. I prefer a more… pacifistic approach to things.” “Pacifism doesn’t win fights, though. And against this Dark Matter Empire, they’ll meet your pacifism with nothing more than bloodshed and laser fire from what I’ve seen.” Pharynx just crossed his arms and gave a stare to the Doctor. “Trust me, Doc. I’ve seen it all before. And besides, if you’re what I think you are, you’re really in the wrong line of work. Because if that really is a Legend Kyutama, you’re a Paladin and that means fighting monsters.” “Now, who said Paladins always have to jump feet first into a fight? I mean, how do you know it can’t just be someone with a little sonic screwdriver and just his words to change the outcome of a battlefield?” “A sonic what?” Pharynx asked. “You know, a sonic screwdriver?” the Doctor asked, waving the device in front of the Changeling’s face. “A sonic screwdriver,” Pharynx repeated in a flat tone. “Oh, did anyone just look at a screwdriver and think, ooh, this could be more sonic? What, did they have some cabinets to put up or something?” he asked sarcastically. “Who the Hell are you anyways?” “I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm nine hundred and three years old, and I'm the man who's gonna save your lives and all the lives of the people on the planet below. You got a problem with that?” “With a screwdriver? Now, if you had guns and a good aim, I’d believe you, but so far, you just handle all the technical stuff, like this ship.” Pharynx eyed the Doctor from top to bottom, feeling his body for muscle mass. “Ooh, feeling me up already are we?” the Doctor teased. “Didn’t think we’d gotten to that point in our relationship!” Pharynx growled, and he swore he could have heard Twilight giggling and squeeing to herself. He groaned. Great, a shipper on deck. Last thing he needed. “Anyways, we should be arriving shortly,” said Twilight, her console beginning to beep and flash. “Remember, thirty minutes and the camo is going to drop, so we need to get out before that happens.” “Fifteen minutes actually,” the Doctor cut in. “We’ve spent half our time arguing about what kind of man I am.” “Ugh! You two just need to learn to get along with each other.” Twilight groaned to herself, and Pharynx got the distinct sense she’d just facepalmed. “Me, get along with him?” Pharynx and the Doctor asked in unison, pointing at the other. “No way!” “Now, this mission’s even harder because of the halved cloak time. No messing around, you two. If you do need to vent a bit, then do it without attracting the attention of the entire facility.” Twilight stated as she just rolled her arms and watched as several Strongindavers ran up, cudgels in hand. “Idiots, I swear…” she thought to herself. “Well, there goes the silent approach…” the Doctor remarked as he inserted his Libra Kyutama into his gauntlet. “Star Change: Libra!” In the blink of an eye, the Doctor was consumed by a bright golden light, and his attire had entirely changed. A singular star on his chest with an orb at the center of it, just like the other Paladins on Flashfire’s team. His arms and legs were golden, and he had a pair of smoothened pauldrons on his shoulders. His visor was themed after a scale. “The Trick-Star! Libra Gold!” the Doctor proclaimed, the sheer energy run-off from the morph sending a few foot soldiers flying backwards into walls and igniting the air around them causing a few explosions of pure energy. Pharynx was about to shout the same morphing call as well, before he growled remembering that he hadn’t been chosen as a Paladin. All just because he wasn’t, for whatever the Hell reason, ‘special’ enough. Cursing Stardust’s name under his breath, the Changeling’s wings flared briefly in his anger. Pulling out his scythe, Pharynx let out a battle cry as he charged towards the Strongindavers. “Doctor, you go on ahead, find that control room. Me, I’ve got some frustration I need to take out on these bunch…” Pharynx growled. One of the Strongindavers charged towards him, swinging his cudgel in an attempt to cave the Changeling’s skull in, but Pharynx lunged forwards and grabbed him with his antlers before lifting the monster up to the ceiling. “Quick question. Any of you assholes know how we used to fight before we metaphorized?” Pharnyx asked, in a rhetorical tone. “No, none of you? Okay, here’s your answer.” With that, he slammed the Strongindaver into the ground once, and then lifted him up before smashing him into the floor once again in a quick, brutal fashion. “Now, if you were smart…” Pharnyx remarked. “You guys would just run along home.” The Strongindavers just ran towards Pharynx, like a herd of stampeding bulls, but he just vaulted over all of them and swung his scythe, sending a red and black shockwave towards them all, which struck most of their backs. “Guess not. I have a need to vent anyways, and I suppose you’ll have to do.” Pharynx muttered. His strike, it didn’t take them out, but it was clear it did some damage. That much was clear. The beasts stumbled and staggered around as Pharynx twirled his scythe and made a taunting motion with his free hand. The Strongindavers did exactly as the Changeling warrior expected, and charged once more. Pharynx inserted the Scutum Kyutama into his gauntlet and projected a cyan hard-light energy shield that all three remaining Strongindavers slammed right into. Pharynx then switched that out for the Cancer Kyutama, and a crab’s arm and pincher erupted from his back, and grabbed one of the Strongindavers, who was picking himself up off the floor and threw him into a wall. “Eat it, ya freaks!” Pharynx fist-pumped and readied his scythe again for the next Strongindaver. “Now, who else wants a taste of the new-and-improved Pharynx?!” The Strongindavers shared a look, and just charged at him. Clearly, while they had great physical strength, their intelligence left a lot to be desired. Pharynx cut one down with a swing from his scythe blade and flipped over the second before grabbing him and spinning him around before he swung once more and slashed the Strongindaver across the chest taking him out. “Anyone else?” he asked casually as if this entire thing had just been a stroll through the park for him. When nobody else appeared to challenge him, he shrugged. “Guess not. Now to find the Doctor…” he thought before running off down another hallway. That had been incredibly therapeutic. Meanwhile, the Doctor had found the central control room for the weapons systems of this ship. While he knew perfectly well he wouldn’t be able to disable every weapons system in time before the camouflage on the Chameleon Voyager ran out, he could at least disable the two large cannons currently pointed at Equus. Currently, he was standing on a catwalk lit up by various purple lights that lined either side, and in the center of the room was a very large rotating orb that fired out various electricity bolts from time to time. The catwalk, I should point out, was the only thing keeping the Doctor from falling into the abyss below him. “Geez, does nobody ever read “Ship-Building Safety 101 anymore?” the Doctor wondered aloud, shaking his head. “...Right, Pyxis Kyutama. Never fails to locate anything. Though I must admit, an actual instruction manual for disabling this thing might have been nice…” He pulled out his personal weapon, a crossbow-like tool and aimed it at the energy core. “Good idea, or bad idea?” he asked himself before sighing and lowering it. “Oh, who am I kidding, it’s a terrible idea. Just another in a long list of terrible ideas by yours truly…” he muttered in distaste, thinking back to a certain Moment in time. He was distracted from his internal musings when he heard the sound of feet pounding up against the metal catwalk from behind. Whirling around, he pointed his energy crossbow at the threat, only to find it was just Pharynx. “Oh, it’s just you,” he sighed in relief, nothing the Changeling now covered in a green substance that could only have been Strongindaver blood. Frowning in distaste for the lives lost, the Doctor spoke “...And I see you managed to deal with your little problem. Surprised you’re not morphed though. I mean, I would have expected you to be a Paladin if only for your sheer nerve. I mean, it’s not everyone who steals a ship with barely any supplies on board and hopes to disable a piece of technology they know nothing about!” If the Doctor was talking about Pharynx or himself, it wasn’t clear. “Don’t, just don’t…” Pharynx muttered bitterly, looking directly at the Doctor’s morphed form. If you listened closely, you could detect a hint of jealousy in his voice. “What?” the Doctor asked, lifting his arms. “You were able to transform too y’know.” “That’s just it… I can’t. All because this,” Pharynx snapped, holding up the Skill version of the Chameleon Kyutama. “Is nothing like those damned, bucking Legend Kyutamas!” he bellowed. “Oh sure, I get the special abilities and all that crap but I’m far from being able to morph like you or the other Paladins can. All because I wasn’t chosen, all because I wasn’t ‘special’ enough!” he shouted, his voice breaking half-way through. “Is… that was this is about?” the Doctor slowly raised his hand, reaching out for Pharynx. “Maybe, maybe not! I sure as Hell don’t know!” Pharynx bellowed. “All I know is, because I was never chosen, or even considered all because I wasn’t woken up in time, I never got my chance to be like you, Flashfire or any of the other Paladins!” he shouted, his voice coming out as a choking sob. “Calm down,” Twilight’s voice came from their radios. “You got rid of those Strongindavers, and that’s all that matters for now. We can sort out the rest, including Pharnyx and his transformation deficiencies later.” “Transformation deficiencies…” Pharynx muttered. “You make it sound so trivial, Princess. You know that right?” “Right... Sorry.” Twilight replied. “Sorry, sorry for what?” Pharynx questioned. “I’m just sorry for you not getting a Kyutama. You deserve one, and why you weren’t woken up from your cryosleep earlier is beyond me. Because trust me, if anyone deserves to be a Paladin it’s you Pharynx.” Twilight said softly. “Yeah, well words won’t fix my current situation…” Pharynx grumbled. It was clear he was touched by the words of the AI, although he definitely wouldn’t show it. He was one of those types that wore his stronger emotions on his sleeve. Anger and sadness, he found it easier to show that rather than something like kindness or joy in general. He’d spent so many years closely guarding his emotions, it was simply just hard for him to show those kinds of things in public. “Hardly the big three, two, one showtime welcome back debut I wanted, really…” Pharynx muttered. “I know, uncharacteristic of me yes, but… but just once I wanted to be seen as something else, a hero maybe than Thorax’s grumpy big brother.” “Oh Pharynx…” the Twilight-AI whispered to herself. Searching her memory banks, she did remember that despite being the older of the two, Pharynx was hardly, if ever acknowledged for his deeds. He was hardly a king who led the Changeling race to a new age, he was just a simple warrior. If she remembered correctly, and she did, the only creatures who really showed appreciation for Pharynx and what he could do aside from his brother and maybe his hive was Twilight herself, and that was only after the warrior helped lead them (As in Twilight herself along with Thorax) to safety through the Chaos Lands. “Underappreciated, maybe a bit feared?” the Doctor asked softly. “Yeah, I know what that’s like.” “How would you?” Pharynx asked sharply, eyeing the Doctor, with the smaller man shrinking a little under Pharynx’s frankly rather intimidating gaze. “How would you know? HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?” Pharynx boomed, and the Doctor took a step backwards, a little nervous of the angry Changeling. “How in the everlasting CHRYSALIS, would you EVER have known about any of my issues and inability to transform like you can?!” He howled, stamping the ground vigorously. The catwalk below them shook a little, and the Doctor looked rather nervous it might give way. “Pharynx!” Twilight barked in warning, and the Changeling took a few deep breaths, attempting to calm himself. “Well, maybe not the inability to transform bit, but feared? Yeah, I know a thing or two about that. I’m called the Oncoming Storm, the Predator by more than a few, hated by a few galaxies just because of what ruin I leave in my wake…” the Doctor whispered. “This power of mine… Compared to yours, it makes me look like some kind of mutated monstrosity.” He shivered, feeling the back of his spine where that claw had burst out. Wasn’t there now, but... “If you are some kind of space-faring monster hunter disguised as a pacifist, then I must seem like another target to you, huh?” “Well, a monster hunter might be stretching it a just a teensy bit, as I just go where I’m needed, even if I don’t know it at the time,” the Doctor replied. “If you ask me, you’re hardly a monster. I mean, out of all my years of living, you actually have to be one of the most fascinating creatures I’ve run across. I mean, a Changeling. That would imply…” “Fascinating?” Pharynx blinked on the spot. “Those are… odd words, coming from you.” “Trust me, I’ve seen just about everything in this universe you can possibly imagine. Bad gods, mad gods, demigod and every horror you could think up, some of which would drive you mad on the spot but you? You’re something else. I did a bit of research on Equus’s species, and I have to say the Changelings have to be some of the most interesting of the lot! I mean, you can change yourself into anything you want for Rassilon's sake!” “Yeah, but not all of us are friendly creatures. Just ask some of the other drones in my hive.” Pharynx slumped down and laid his arms on the ground. “Then there’s the queen, Chrysalis. Ever heard of a tyrant queen? One who wants to keep conquering and conquering until there’s nothing left, just to keep her lings alive? Oh sure, she’s long dead by now, but the memory still remains in ponies minds. I can imagine, even thousands of years on, long after the sun and moon are gone, they still remember her from ancient texts. And I served her, loyally,” Pharynx sighed before chuckling bitterly. “Look at me, sniveling like a little larva. Hardly the mighty, fearsome warrior my brother remembered me as.” “You have a brother?” the Doctor tipped his hand. “Yeah. Well, I did anyways. He went by the name of Thorax. He’s, like, the complete opposite of me,” Pharynx nodded. “All sappy and ooey-gooey about love being shared instead of taken. Not to mention all the changes he made to the hive ever since he became the king. Feelings forums for crying out loud, and flowers! Made me sick to my stomach when I saw what my hive had become. We were warriors, we just took what we wanted, and what my brother was turning my race into? Oh sure, worked out in the long run and built alliances but…” “That sounds awfully familiar…” the Doctor put his hand to his chin, thinking back to the time when he met with the Zygons, and tried to integrate them with a foreign race. It worked, for a time, until one branch decided to try and go back to their old warrior ways. In the end, it took a plea to stop things from going completely out of control. “Ah. Ah, right. And when this war is over, when you have a homeland free from humans, what do you think it's going to be like? Do you know? Have you thought about it? Have you given it any consideration? Because you're very close to getting what you want! What's it going to be like? Paint me a picture. Are you going to live in houses? Do you want people to go to work? Will there be holidays? Oh! Will there be music? Do you think people will be allowed to play the violin? Who's going to make the violins? Well? Oh, you don't actually know, do you? Because, like every tantruming child in history, Bonnie, you don't actually know what you want! So let me ask you a question about this brave new world of yours. When you've killed all the bad guys and when it's all perfect and just and fair, when you have finally got it exactly the way you want it, what are you going to do with the people like you? The troublemakers? How are you going to protect your glorious revolution… from the next one? Maybe you will win! But nobody wins for long. The wheel just keeps turning. So come on. Break the cycle.” the Doctor repeated, word for word. “That’s what your brother did, right? Break the cycle your previous queen started, didn’t he?” he asked, and Pharynx nodded. “But now, we don’t have a king or a queen. The changelings pretty much scattered all over the place, trying to find somewhere to live. Wouldn’t be surprised if the old hive’s been completely collapsed now that we’ve left.” He sighed and turned his back to the Doctor. “Where do you go when you lose absolutely everything? Your monarch? Your family? Your home?” “I know how you feel, Pharynx. My home planet, Gallifrey is no more too, I’m afraid,” He shuddered, thinking back to the fall of said planet as he walked back up to Pharynx and stroked his back. “I’ve been in the exact same position as you. Time Lords perished, then Gallifrey followed. There was a war, and we all lost. Don’t know where I’m going next after all of this. I’m not sure why this Kyutama,” the Doctor continued, holding up his Libra Kyutama as he spoke. “Chose me, out of the blue, but it did. Maybe it has faith in me, I don’t know. Maybe it wants me to free the universe from Dark Matter’s tyranny.” “Wait, choose you? How can a Kyutama ‘choose’ you?” Pharynx asked, eyebrow raised. “I don’t know, but there’s a legend. “When the universe falls into evil clutches and its people shed tears, the Kyutama will choose nine saviors, the Kyurangers, who will save the universe.” Yes, that’s how it goes…” “Aww, so sweet,” Lupus’ distinctive voice said and both Pharynx and the Doctor whirled around to see him walking towards him sword drawn. “Sadly, no universe-saving from either you. In fact, neither of you are making this off this ship. I’ve got to give you props from the sheer nerve, from getting this far, sneaking aboard thinking you can turn off my cannons and destroying the cities below but… As they say, close but no banana.” Pharynx swore to himself, he’d forgotten they were on a time limit here. Cracking his knuckles, the Changeling grinned. “Ah, so you’re the boss of this operation? Well, pleased to say I’m shutting it down. No, me and the Doctor are shutting it down.” As the Doctor set to work on turning off the cannons, Pharynx let out a roar, his fist drawn back and punched Lupus across the jaw. Normally, it would have fractured the jaw with how powerful his punches were, but Lupus just shrugged it off and punched him directly in the muzzle busting his nose and drawing blood, grabbing his next strike and delivering a left hook. “Oh, you really are a brave one aren’t you?” Lupus sneered. “Remind me of that Coldcast griffon, and yes, I remember the names of all my enemies. At least, the ones who are able to stand against me. You, well let’s see if you can mimic him. He was morphed, you sadly are not.” “Coldcast? Y’mean that runt with the Wolf Voyager? Gotta say you can’t be all that tough if he beat you…” Pharynx just delivered a powerful kick to Lupus’s chest, staggering him backwards. He took the opportunity to run back to Lupus’s face, grab it, and throw him over his head and onto the ground, only for him to be swept off his feet as Lupus got back on his. “Cocky little bastard, aren’t you?” Lupus remarked, wiping away the blood from his mouth. “But you’ll know your place fairly soon.” He lunged his claws at Pharynx’s neck, only for him to be grabbed and thrown to the side, as Pharynx leaped back up and stamped on his belly. “You were saying?” Pharynx asked with a smirk. “You were going to make a remark about me being this little whelp or something?” “You are.” Lupus threw himself into Pharynx, knocking him onto his back. He then laid himself on top of Pharynx, weighing him down and holding his arms and legs before delivering a strong headbutt to Pharynx’s head. “You just refuse to accept your frailty.” “Frailty?” Pharynx asked, turning into a massive cross between a spider and an insect in a flash of green flame, and using one of his legs to send Lupus smashing into a wall on the other side of the room. “Never heard of it,” he said, as he resumed his original bipedal form. “A polymorph, eh? This should be interesting.” Lupus grinned and cracked his claws. Meeting his foe again, he reached behind himself and attached metal claws to himself, grinding them together and watching the sparks tumble down onto the bridge. “Hopefully you’ll put up more of a fight than that Paladin. And, just to make things more interesting…” Lupus flicked his wrist, and a black and purple version of the Kyuchanger appeared on it. Lupus inserted the Pegasus Kyutama into it, and a form of armor appeared on his body with a silver flash of light. The Doctor, looking up from the control console he was hacking into, saw this and his eyes widened. “No, it couldn’t be. Could it?” From the flash of dark energy, a suit similar in design to the Doctor’s appeared, but there was a pair of black wings stretching out from the chest, which had a horse’s head sprout out from it. The Doctor’s eyes widened under his visor. “Lupus! That’s the armor of the Pegasus System! I can’t believe… No, I can. You bastardized it for your own use.” “More like improved it. Such a poor, poor thing it was, underwhelming in the hands of the people who held it.” Lupus chuckled to himself, taking up a combat stance as a weapon appeared in his hands. “They stayed their hands, I will not.” “It? He happens to be a living thing, just like you and me, and you shut off his mind!” the Doctor snarled. “Pharynx, you need to get out of here, now! You can’t stop him, not when he’s wearing that armor! At least not alone!” Even as Lupus rushed forwards in a blur of speed, Pharynx didn’t even waver. “I’m a warrior Doctor, and a warrior never runs from a battle. Maybe I should, but you, you have to take those cannons offline. I’m just buying you a little time, that’s all… Oh, and Doctor, it’s been an honor.” With that, he was sent smashing through several walls, and out into the blackness of space in almost an instant. Lupus laughed, even as he saw Pharynx’s body began to freeze over. “Well, I guess you weren’t such a challenge after all. And here I was expecting more from someone who managed to fight me hand to hand… Ah well, wishful thinking I suppose…” Lupus mused. Pharynx, even as he felt his body begin to freeze up, little by little with the ice slowly creeping up to his face to meet him, and his breathing began to slow swore he saw the Skill version of the Chameleon Kyutama began to glow a sharp silver. He thought it must have been a hallucination from the lack of oxygen, but he swore he saw a ghostly silver snake began to appear in front of him. “So… This is what fate delivered me to, eh?” The snake-like entity slithered and approached Pharynx. “You are in real danger, I sense. There is no mistaking it.” “Yeah, well considering I’m about to die from lack of oxygen and I’m probably talking to a hallucination caused by it…” Pharynx deadpanned, defiant to the last. “You are not going to die. The spirits of the stars will not allow it, so long as you and your kind have a purpose.” The snake-deity touched his chest. “If anything, this Lupus is overstepping himself, and upsetting the divine course which we have mapped out. So, what is your greatest desire?” “W-What do you think?” Pharynx coughed out. “If you’re watching all of us, then you know what I want. To become a Ranger, a Paladin just like everyone else.” “Ah. Aligning yourself with the forces of good. A wise choice, young one,” the ghost said. “And just what we need at a time when evil is tipping the scales beyond repair.” It tapped his heart, causing a brief glimpse of light to appear. “But you had better hurry. Your Doctor friend is about to meet Lupus’s claws, and no doubt he will continue to hound the rest of the Paladins as well.” “Believe me, Lupus is going to get what’s coming to him, and then some.” Pharynx snarled, as the spirit of the Ophiuchus constellation coiled around him, before vanishing into a now completed Ophiuchus Legend Kyutama as Pharynx’s body began to glow a sharp silver. “Say the Change!” his gauntlet proclaimed, and with a trembling hand Pharynx pressed down on his Kyutama and set it in the device. “Star Change, Ophiuchus!” Author's Note Okay, last chapter of the month. Now, I figured because of that it needed not only to be humorful and witty but emotionally charged as well. Now, one might think the Doctor alone could pull this off, and maybe he could have but I wanted a lot of the focus on Pharynx as well. Hard to do, write this character who's more than this snarky, grumpy Changeling warrior. So, huge props to my co-writer for the chapter, Shadowmane PX-41. Now, not sure if that came at the cost of the Doctor's focus, so I need your thoughts on that. Now, for the Ophiuchus spirit summoning scene, I was trying to write it like Shenlong, but Shadow had other ideas. I quote: "I'm trying to write him like Mal'damba in voice." He's from a game called Paladins, apparently. I quote, again. "His snake, Wekono, spits poison at his enemies. Then, when he reloads, he quite literally THROWS THE SNAKE at them, and stuns them if he hits. And the funny thing is, he's classified as a HEALER. Yeah. His other moves are a gourd that heals allies and damages/slows enemies, a healing gaze that's hard to aim but heals well if you hit it, and a dash where he can take zero damage for the duration. As for his Ulitmate, he throws an orb that becomes a massive hallucination of Wekono, that makes enemies get the Feared debuff, where they can't attack or use any abilities, and they can't even control where they move. It's great for flushing players out and getting the jump on them."
Part 7: The Nine Saviors GatherPharynx, even as he felt his body begin to freeze up, little by little with the ice slowly creeping up to his face to meet him, and his breathing began to slow swore he saw the Skill version of the Chameleon Kyutama began to glow a sharp silver. He thought it must have been a hallucination from the lack of oxygen, but he swore he saw a ghostly silver snake began to appear in front of him. “So… This is what fate delivered me to, eh?” The snake-like entity slithered and approached Pharynx. “You are in real danger, I sense. There is no mistaking it.” “Yeah, well considering I’m about to die from lack of oxygen and I’m probably talking to a hallucination caused by it…” Pharynx deadpanned, defiant to the last. “You are not going to die. The spirits of the stars will not allow it, so long as you and your kind have a purpose.” The snake-deity touched his chest. “If anything, this Lupus is overstepping himself, and upsetting the divine course which we have mapped out. So, what is your greatest desire?” “W-What do you think?” Pharynx coughed out. “If you’re watching all of us, then you know what I want. To become a Ranger, a Paladin just like everyone else.” “Ah. Aligning yourself with the forces of good. A wise choice, young one,” the ghost said. “And just what we need at a time when evil is tipping the scales beyond repair.” It tapped his heart, causing a brief glimpse of light to appear. “But you had better hurry. Your Doctor friend is about to meet Lupus’s claws, and no doubt he will continue to hound the rest of the Paladins as well.” “Believe me, Lupus is going to get what’s coming to him, and then some.” Pharynx snarled, as the spirit of the Ophiuchus constellation coiled around him, before vanishing into a now completed Ophiuchus Legend Kyutama as Pharynx’s body began to glow a sharp silver. “Say the Change!” his gauntlet proclaimed, and with a trembling hand Pharynx pressed down on his Kyutama and set it in the device. “Star Change, Ophiuchus!” “Screw fate, and screw destiny, the world needs me now. Sure, victory’s not certain, but when has it ever been? And besides, isn't the smallest chance of victory enough of a reason for anyone, even an age-old Changeling such as I to keep on fighting? The world needs us. The world -No, the galaxy- needs the Power Rangers.” Pharynx thought to himself, pushing himself forwards through the vacuum of space as his body began to glow with a silver light as six glossy dragonfly-like wings opened up from his back, with the light nearly becoming blinding in intensity. His focus, his eyes were only trained on one singular thing ahead. The Doctor, and Lupus. He had some unfinished business to take care off. Back aboard Lupus’ ship, things were going… quite badly. “Well, this was rather anticlimactic,” Lupus mused, pointing the Doctor’s own crossbow at him. “Funny, been chasing you up and around the galaxies for the past few years now, killing anyone you ever got close to, and now… here it all ends. With me, pointing your own weapon at you and about to blow your head off. And to think, you and the bug were so close to succeeding…” Suddenly, a silver orb of light smacked Lupus in the chest, sending him flying backwards with the crossbow clattering to the floor. The light faded away as the Doctor removed his hand from his eyes, to reveal a silver-clad figure, with scale designs on his costume, and a red and blue scythe strapped to his back. “Miss me?” a familiar voice asked, as the new Ranger turned to look at the Doctor, revealing his visor to be styled after a King Cobra poised to strike. “The Warrior Star, Ophiuchus Silver!” Pharynx shouted, as he drew his scythe and advanced towards Lupus, who was struggling to pick himself up off the floor. Spinning the scythe in his hands, Pharynx couldn’t resist a little smirk. “Now, I’m going to make you my little bitch.” Placing his Kyutama in the scythe’s slot, making it shout: “Galaxy!” he swung the scythe and sent a silver slash of light towards Lupus and then grabbed the crossbow off the floor and powered this weapon up as well, sending a shot of gold energy at the Karō. “Ophiuchus Impact!” Pharynx shouted as the strikes hit, ripping the Pegasus armor apart with a sound like glass shattering. “What… No, that’s impossible!” Lupus roared, as the Pegasus Kyutama clattered to the ground, smoking. The Doctor smiled as he picked himself back up off the floor and went back to work on deactivating the cannons. He looked at Lupus, and then at the newest Ranger. “The universe is big. It's vast and complicated and ridiculous. And sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles,” he remarked. “You want to shut up now, before you make an even bigger fool of yourself?” “You… you are just a Madman in a box!” Lupus roared and charged towards the Doctor, before Pharynx simply knocked him to the floor with another energy blast from the crossbow. The Doctor sighed. “Guess not…” he muttered before clearing his throat. “Lupus, something you really ought to know. Believe me, there’s something you’d better understand about me ‘cause it’s important, and one day your life may depend on it: I am definitely a Madman with a box!” the Doctor crowed, before the controls to the cannons sparked, and he smiled at Pharynx. “Like I said. I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm nine hundred and three years old, and I'm the man who's gonna save your lives and all the lives of the people on the planet below. You got a problem with that?” Looking at the crossbow, Pharynx sighed to himself. “So uncivilized,” he muttered before tossing it aside and raising his Kyuchanger and activating the comms feature. He demorphed, wings folded back against his body and now spouting even larger red antlers to mark his new status as the hive King of the Changelings. “This is Ophiuchus Silver and Libra Gold to the Paladins below. Got one simple command for you. Give ‘em Hell.” Equus: Flurry stood alone, in a field of wheat that seemed to go on for miles with a clear blue sky, sun shining down on her white-furred form as she just sat. Just sat there and talked. The sky occasionally flickered and instead of a sky, showed a huge metal ceiling instead. Of course, this whole place had to be an illusion, there’d been no place like this on Equus for centuries. A soft wind blew through the field, gently brushing the wheat stalks as something rumbled above. Lupus’ ships, bombarding the planet. Flurry sighed, she figured Lupus would have a back-up plan just in case those cannons were to be disabled. Music played softly in the background, from a conjured radio. “When I step around, I hear the sound c-clip a clopping' up and down the street the shuffling' of hooves, it surely proves that I'll see you 'fore the day's complete What is this wonderful feeling in my head? Had it before I got up and outta bed Just wanna wear a smile and come find you for a while…” She wondered, was this what death felt like? Was this what death felt like for her aunts and her mother when it came, when Equus burned and screamed and cried out for mercy? Quiet, and serene, with them at peace accepting the end of the world? She supposed she’d never really know, to be honest. Not that she minded death, she’d failed as a leader in so many ways already. She’d failed to predict that others were out there, in the skies high above the planet who had darker intentions. Maybe searching for a new home was a fool’s venture. After all, if what Lupus’ transmission had said was true, there really was no point. The galaxies were Dark Matter’s now. Idly tossing the Scorpius Kyutama in her hand, she chuckled to herself sadly. “Look at us, we barely make a dent in their forces, and they strike back with a vengeance,” she mused. “I’m not my godmother or hell even my mom Princess Cadance, far from it. She’d have already made a plan to stop this, stop all of this. Probably befriend them all, and convince them to break free of their chains. Levitating a cup of tea to her mouth in an aura of gold magic, she took a sip from it, and idly hugged a small yellow and green snail plushie to herself as she sat on the blanket. It was old, and beaten, but it was one of the few things she still had to remember the old world by. “Oh…” Celestia’s voice said sadly, running a gentle hand through Flurry’s mane. “This should never have been your burden. None of this. We should be there for you, helping you through this…” “B-But you’re not, are you!” Flurry choked out. “You’re… You’re just bits and streams and lines of date and coding, given my aunt’s memories!” “But for better, or for worse, I am the Princess of the Sun, Celestia Invictus.” the Celesti-AI stated. “Sure, my title’s just for show now, something for me to boast or brag about if I was so inclined as there is no sun for me to raise or lower, but that’s just semantics now isn’t it? I am Princess Celestia, just as my wife’s AI is Princess Twilight Sparkle. You may not believe it, and you may never believe it,” the AI said, walking around Flurry with her dress ruffling slightly in the breeze. “May think me as fake as that sun, that breeze, and this field but I’m here for you, and I always will be.” she said, sitting down next to Flurry. “Now, what would a real Princess of Equestria do? Sit down and have tea in a generated paradise while her planet was under attack, or do something about it?” Celestia asked, offering the Scorpius Kyutama to Flurry. “But I’m not a real Princess of Equestria! Hell, Equestria doesn’t exist anymore! It’s gone, burnt to ashes!” Flurry sniffled. The Celesti-AI gave her a look, as if to ask if she really believed in that sort of crap. It was the same look she gave her whenever she told the AI she was just bits of data and coding cocked up by Equestria’s brightest minds. The Celesti-AI sighed, and gently shook her head. “Oh, you do have a lot to learn don’t you? Equestria is not a place. It never was. This could be Equestria, this room right here. Equestria is where our people stand. Even now, right now, those people need your help. So, get to it, Flurry Heart, daughter of the Princess of Love, and now Paladin of the Stars.” She gently waved her hand over Flurry’s wrist, and a Kyuchanger styled gold and white appeared. Flurry’s eyes widened. “How…?” “Well, a girl’s still got to have some secrets right?” The Celesti-AI winked, before vanishing. Flurry’s eyes narrowed in affirmation. She knew what she had to do, and slammed her Kyutama into the gauntlet. “Say the Change!” “Star Change: Scorpius!” Flurry shouted, and felt her whole body -As it began to glow a bright orange color- begin to be filled with a brand new energy, warm and comforting like her aunt’s embrace and filled with power beyond imagination. Even as she felt it, she thought to herself: “I swear Celestia, AI or not, -who’s to say with magic involved after all- I will make you proud. I’m one of the last of your lineage, and I will live up to your expectations of me. No, the people’s expectations of me. I am a Princess of Equestria, I protect the light and it’s people. I protect order, and I will protect the Galaxy. Now, as Flashfire likes to say, Dark Matter, it’s time to test your luck!” As her wings unfolded, and Flurry rocketed upwards with a loud sonic boom through the cavern ceiling blaze with a burning light and a scorpion’s stinger beginning to materialize on her still forming costume she smiled. She hoped that Dark Matter was wishing on stars for luck, because they’d need it. It was time to take back her planet. Flurry, even as she breached the atmosphere in a ball of fire incernating some of the Dark Matter starfighters by the sheer heat waves blasting off her alone, found a control console along with everything else that came with it forming around her in streams of date and code. On the computer screen in front of her read the words: “Scorpion Voyager Online”. All around her, Flurry could see chaos. Laser shots flying every which way, and saucer-shaped craft swarming around her like trillions of angry wasps, with the Rangers right in the middle of all of this chaos as Lupus’s flagship loomed over the planet ominously. Flurry swore she saw a silver flash of light near the ship, but brushed it off as just her imagination. “Uh guys,” Stripped Gear’s voice crackled from over the radio, and Flurry looked left to see the Swordfish Voyager destroying starfighters with seeker missiles. “Not sure if you’re getting this, but I’ve just gotten a new reading. Similar to that drone that Dark Matter sent down to kill us, but different.” “Tu es sûr de ne plus boire? C'est impossible ... n'est ce pas?” Flashfire asked in complete and utter disbelief. “No, I’m sure I’m quite sober, and from the looks of it I’d say it’s very possible.” Stripped Gear replied, with a presumed roll of his eyes. “I mean, I’m seeing a giant orange scorpion so…” “Question is,” Coldcast asked as his Voyager bit down on one of the saucer-shaped craft and tossed it into another, the two colliding in a fireball. “Who’s the pilot, for Celestia’s sake?” “Shape up Paladins,” Flurry barked over the comms. “Just because there’s a new addition to your ranks, doesn’t mean you should fall all over yourselves and act like a bunch of foals trying to figure out who it is. Got more important matters to deal with anyhow.” “W-Wait, Princess Flurry?” Flashfire shouted in shock. “Is that you? How did you…? Actually, I’m not even going to bother to ask. Just grateful you’re here, madame. Welcome to the biggest scene of chaos et désordre Equus has ever seen since Discord came into being. Not sure what it is, but having you on our side now with Kyuranger powers, it brings a certain… je ne sais quoi to the team.” “What, you trying to sweet-talk her or something?” Jabari teased, his Voyager’s wings slicing a fighter craft in two. “Because seriously man, I really think she’s way out of your league. Just sayin’.” “Like I said, just like foals now that I’m here with powers…” Flurry thought to herself with a roll of her eyes. “Just shut up…” Flashfire muttered. “Okay, Princess, the plan is to get inside that ship, and shut it down and pull Lord Pharynx, or should I say Ophiuchus Silver out alongside his new friend.” “Well, that explains the silver flash…” Flurry mused. “Okay, but we’ll need some breathing room first. Way too many ships to even attempt that right now,” she noted. “Quite,” Flashfire noted. “Okyu then! Time to serve these guys a second helping of pa-” “Hey, food metaphors?” Spada barked up. “That’s my thing. My thing, you hear?” “As I was saying, or trying to anyways,” Flashfire continued, completely ignoring him. “Team, form up on me. Time for a new combo! Séquence de transformation Megazord, en ligne!” Nobody needed to understand Prench to catch his meaning there. “Wondering when you’d give the order…” Jabari smirked. “Ah, ah, hello!” the Doctor’s voice piped up, the sounds of blades clashing in the background. “This is the Doctor AKA Libra Gold speaking. Main cannons of Lupus’ ship are offline, thought you’d like to know that. No planet busting for him, although I am detecting something moving towards your home base. Just to inform.” “I’ll get the base defenses online, and the Royal Guard alerted,” Flurry replied, sending a message down to the planet and to Stardust and his personal Praetorian Guard to ready themselves for battle. “Anything else, Golden Boy?” “Yeah, got a little present for you. Sending you my Voyager along with Pharynx’ for your big mecha via remote control.” Sure enough, a golden ship that looked like a set of scales was flying towards them. It was accompanied by a silver craft that looked like a snake’s head. “That’ll do.” Flurry shrugged, as she pressed the transformation button on her console. “Shooting Star Megazord transformation sequence primed,” the Celesti-AI informed, as the other Rangers leapt out of the hold and summoned their own Voyagers. “Combination sequence ready.” “Let’s rocket.” Flashfire remarked -He was growing to like that phrase- as he saw the Wolf and Eagle Voyagers flying below him, before the back halves tilted upwards with the Cerberus Voyager linking up with them complete with small hisses of steam. The Scale Voyager connected to the Megazord’s right arm port forming what looked to be a pair of giant buzzsaws, and the Snake Voyager, the left. The Swordfish Voyager replaced one of the heads of the Cerberus, the left one specifically, forming some sort of massive shoulder cannon, and the Scorpion Voyager replaced the right head to form another shoulder cannon. Finally, the central head on the Cerberus had its jaw fold down, revealing a mouthplate covered face, with two stoic yellow eyes staring the oncoming hordes down. “Shooting Star Megazord online.” the Celesti-AI informed as the combination completed itself and all six Rangers joined each other in the main cockpit. “Let me remind you guys of who you’re dealing with,” Flashfire said, as weapons primed themselves. “The Beast Star, Cerberus Seagreen!” “The Howling Star, Lupus Blue!” “The Shinobi Star, Chameleon Green!” “The Sword Star, Dorado Yellow!” “The Winged Star, Aquila Pink!” “The Poison Star, Scorpius Orange!” “The Trick-Star! Libra Gold!” the Doctor’s voice called in over the comms, with two more soon to follow. “The Warrior Star, Ophiuchus Silver!” “The Armored Star, Taurus Black! Nine Stars, shining in the Heavens! Space Squadron, Kyuranger!” “Now, let our friendship take on the universe!” Flashfire shouted, as the Megazord swung the Scale Voyager’s arm like some giant yoyo, ripping and tearing into swaths of ships, while the Snake Voyager opened up its jaws and fired a green cutting beam of energy, taking out at least a hundred more. The Swordfish and Scorpion Voyagers finished the job with shots of their own, selecting targets and then firing powerful single shots of energy. “Now for you…” Flashfire smirked, disengaging the Megazord combination, and pointing his ship right towards Lupus’ personal Moraimarz practically surfing the massive fireballs left behind by the combined explosions of the fighter craft. “Maintenant, j'ai envie de faire un peu de bruit. Donnez à ces gars quelque chose à retenir par nous.” “...Pretty sure they’ll remember us already,” Jabari stated flatly before letting out a resigned sigh. “But dispatching the beat and it’ll be shouting. Trust me, you’ll love this piece,” he smirked, picking something from his personal playlist. “Oh, and Coldcast? I do listen to Radio 2 every once in a while.” “That’ll do,” he smirked beginning to nod his head to the beat. During all this chaos, nobody noticed, but one singular craft did manage to make it out, and headed down to the planet below. “I’m going to need you guys to back me up. Cannons are offline for the time, yes, but they could easily get repaired if we don’t do something about them now. Coldcast, Jabari, you trust me?” Flashfire asked. “Always, grand frère.” Coldcast nodded. “Course I do.” “Good, give me covering fire. Those cannons, they’re mine. Rest of you, go give this ‘Doctor’ and Lord Pharynx a hand. Sorry Princess, you may be the leader of the free world and all that, but out here, I’m in charge.” “Quite,” Flurry agreed. “Wouldn’t have it any other way. I knew I made the right choice in selecting you.” Flurry wished him good luck as she watched the three Voyagers rocket towards the Moraimarz. Flashfire soon found himself in what looked to be a long metal trench running along the sides of the ship, towers attempting to shoot him and his friends down. “Okay, okay…” Flashfire reassured himself. “Just like canyon runs back home. Only in space, and getting shot at.” he muttered, as the walls got ever narrower, with Coldcast and Jabari forced to form up behind him, leaving them very easy targets. Up ahead, the two main cannons of the Moraimarz loomed over them ominously. “Getting very little wiggle room here…” Jabari murmured. “Projecting and running a few models now, seeing if we can make it out of this… well, alive. Seeing our chances.” “Turn off those models, never give me the odds,” Flashfire stated. “Feeling a bit lucky today, actually. How ‘bout you guys?” “Luck is an arbitrary concept. It has no meaning, or no scientific proof,” Jabari sniffed. He heard a small growl from Coldcast over the comms and backed up a little. “But I’ll believe in you, just this once.” “Good,” Flashfire said in response before checking the schematics of the trench. “Okay, it’ll narrow up, but think of this like a grease trap in a sink. Soon, we’ll have this wide open area in front of us like a bowl that’s right up under the exhaust port of the cannons. That’s our opening. I’ll fire something up into those cannons, but Jabari, you create a window for Pharynx and the Doctor to get the Hell out of there okay?” he ordered. “‘Cause this boom, it’s gonna be a big one. If I’m right, might just blow up the whole ship. Or at least half of it. Or at least a massive hole in the side of it. Honestly, I don’t know what’ll happen. Alien fuel sources, rather unpredictable.” “Lovely…” Jabari deadpanned. “Just want to let you know, if we die doing this? My family will have lawyers ready to sue the asses off your family.” “Keenly noted, cadet.” Flashfire swallowed nervously. Back on the planet below, Stardust was in a Hell of a lot of trouble. For one thing, one massive Deathworm, even larger than the one that had menaced the Shooting Star Megazord in the caverns a few nights before had currently erupted from the grounds of the city, and was smashing everything in sight. The city was ablaze, and the Praetorian and Royal Guards were barely containing the chaos, ushering civilians to safety and firing upon the creature with pulse rifles. Mind you, it was all for naught but a valiant effort all the same. “Seems even if Lupus went by any small chance,” Stardust mused as he slammed the Draco Kyutama into his cane and raised it skywards. “He wasn’t going to let us off lightly. Like a child, this one, won’t just let us have a victory. No, he rage-quits, saying screw you guys. Saying, if I can’t win, neither can you!” he mused, before slamming the cane back down and shouting: “Star Change! Eye of the Dragon!” As he was coated in a form-fitting purple body suit, he mused to himself: “The Path of the Dragon is a long and harsh one, but a glorious one in the end. If I don't do it, who will? Someone must carry on my aunt’s legacy as the first Kyuranger, Draco Violet, so why not I?” Lighting his horn, he created a rotating shield of runes to block the energy blasts from the Deathworm’s central eye. The shield shattered, and Stardust was sent flying back, unfurling his wings and sending blasts of energy like snakes towards the Deathworm. Nearby, unseen by anyone in all the chaos was this squid fellow making his way to the lab, shooting down anyone who tried to stop him with an old hunting rifle style weapon. He sighed in distaste as soon as he saw the dismembered state of the Scorpius Drone, and it’s Dark Kyuchanger which had been pulled apart at the seams. “And to think,” Sir Ikargen mused. “You were once one of our best.” He heard the sounds of hoofsteps running up from behind him, and turned to shoot, only to find two arm blades sticking out of the two red-clad guards’ chests. Ikargen smirked a little, as he saw the Drone’s central eye light up briefly and the blades fall to the ground and retract into the arms. Picking up the head, he smiled once more. “Looks like you’re not out of the fight yet. Dr. Anton built you well… As for your Kyuchanger, it’s no big loss as we have many more. Your Kyutama, we’ll recover it, all in good time. But I’ve been here too long already, risked too much.” he thought, grabbing the head and teleporting out in a flash of blue light with a snap of his fingers. Back with Stardust, he called out to his fellow Rangers. “I need your assistance. A Deathworm, it’s breached the city limits!” he called out telepathically. “I… I don’t know how to stop it!” “Relax, soon as we finish up here, we’ll come down to give you an assist. Remember, we’ve always got your back Prince.” Coldcast told him, before he found a blue lightning bolt symbol adorning his chest orb. Five other rangers, they found similar items as well. “Loyalty,” Coldcast whispered. “Kindness.” Flashfire mused. “Generosity,” Spade smirked, knowing the old legend. “Laughter!” the Doctor shouted, not really knowing why. “Honesty…” Pharynx trailed off, not believing his own eyes even as he dueled Lupus, sword to scythe in the hanger bay keeping match with his every swing. The Chameleon Voyager was right behind him. “And Magic,” Flurry finished. “I… I never thought we’d see them again. The Tree, i-it burned to the ground…” “Like I said Flurry, you still have much to learn. The Magic of Friendship, it’ll always exist. Flashfire, he believed that,” the Celesti-AI lectured. “After all, why do you think he said your friendship would take on the universe? If there’s ever to be one constant in this universe, and amongst the residents of Equus, it’s that particular brand of magic will never die. Twilight knew this, that’s why she started that school so long ago.” “Aww stop it, you’re going to make me blush!” the Twilight-AI said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head with a hand. Soon, the six elements found themselves gathering in front of Stardust, and placing themselves in his rune shield, before blasting the Deathworm with a rainbow stream of light. As it let out a horrific screech, the Deathworm began burning alive, before it was nothing but a pile of ash on the floor. Back up in space, Flashfire was beginning to rethink his grease trap idea. The tower gunners had gotten their eye in, and as tightly bunched together as they were, the three Voyagers made great targets. “Break off formation, take out those towers,” Flashfire commanded, and Jabari and Coldcast flew upwards and began taking out as many enemy artillery towers as they could. “Any time now…” Pharynx chimed in. “Relax, got this one in the bag, lining up my target. Sure, may not be the biggest target in the world, bit more than two meters but that’s about the size of a Crystal Fox back on Equus right? Used to hunt those for target practice. Just a slight tip though, you may want to get out of there. Fast.” “You are a fool,” Lupus snarled. “You don’t even have the slightest hope of standing against Dark Matter. They will come for you, destroy anything and everything you’ve ever known. Go on, you and your friends can take up my offer, I’ll show you leniency even now,” Lupus said in an affable manner. “You can become Paladins, but just ones of the Dark Matter Empire.” “Sorry, but I think I’ll have to pass on that remark,” Flashfire said as he entered the bowl area, and lined up his sights. Coldcast shot past him in a blur of blue motion, and blasted open a hole in the Moraimarz’s plating before he leaped out and kicked Lupus in the face. “Coldcast,” Pharynx remarked. “Lord Pharynx. Doctor,” Coldcast replied curtly. “Get to the Chameleon Voyager, I’ve still got a score to settle with this guy,” he said, placing the Boötes Kyutama into his gauntlet and in a blur of motion was scoring kicks and punches across the face faster than Lupus could blink. Finally, the torment ended, with Lupus flying back into some barrels. “9.9 seconds, that was the time until your despair,” Coldcast smirked, noting Lupus bleeding from his prior wounds from his duel against Pharynx and coughing up blood from the mouth. “Also, that’s not coincidentally enough, the time it should have taken for Commander Flashfire to have taken out your planet buster cannons. So, uh, love to stay and chat, but… nos vemos, hombre.” Coldcast saluted, as explosions began to erupt all around him. Breaking into a sprint, the threesome headed for the Voyagers as the place exploded and collapsed all around them. “DARK MATTER FOREVER!” Lupus roared before he was caught up in a fiery explosion. Next thing anyone on the planet below saw, was this massive flagship lightning up the skies like a supernova for just one minute, and then nine ships flying away from it. “Échec et mat.” Flashfire commented. A few days later, it was finally time to leave Equus forever. Hovering above the Galaxy Garrison Headquarters were the colony ships, with residents slowly filing into their respective assigned ships one by one. Coldcast took one last look at the icy horizon stretching out in front of him, and sighed to himself in reminisce. “Never thought I’d be sad to leave this icy old dump behind…” Coldcast muttered to himself, adjusting his jacket. It was dark blue, for the most part, with a light blue collar and armbands with a silver star on the back. The other Rangers wore similar jackets adorned in their own colors. “Remember it not as it is now,” the Twilight-AI advised in a comforting tone with a hand on his shoulder. “But as it was in times long since past. It’ll always still be your home.” “Y-Yeah…” Coldcast sniffled. “Yeah, I will. It’s just… this place, crappy as it’s been has been my home for years and now…” “I know you feel man. We all do mi hermano.” Jabari said. “And I'll be here for you. We all will. Not the only one who’s going through the same thing. Remember that.” Nearby, some young changeling grubs were chattering excitedly over Pharynx and his new shiny thick gossamer wings and tall crimson antlers. Currently, the new king was rocking a young one to sleep in his arms while wearing a chef’s apron reading “Kiss the Cook” of all things. He looked decidedly ridiculous. Apparently, he’d been helping Spada who nearby, was chopping up fish amongst other goodies and throwing it into little cold storage containers that were being loaded onto the ships. One ship, in particular, stood out. It was Flurry’s ship, the Shining Armor named, of course, after her late father. Outfitted with anything and everything one could imagine, it truly was a ship befitting of a Princess. Stepping into the Bridge, she felt a sense of awe and wonder even as Equus residents saluted and one shouted: “Captain on deck!” Then she saw it, the captain’s chair. Sleek, polished a fine silver color and fitted with red velvet, it was truly bespoke. On either side sat two chairs for her most royal attendants. One for Flashfire, the other for the Captain of her Royal Guard. Flurry smiled as she adjusted herself in her chair -her chair- and pressed a button off to the side, bringing up a holographic version of Princess Luna. “So, where would you like to go, niece of mine?” Luna had to ask, and Flurry looked at the endless horizon in front of her and smiled. “Ask me, Luna,” Princess Flurry requested. “What do you see?” “I see… stars?” Luna replied quizzically, an eyebrow raised. “Exactly, hundreds upon hundreds of star systems, each holding a possible Dark Matter colony for us to take down, and there’s the possibility out there as well that there’s a new home for us as well. So you know what I think?” Flurry asked, and just pointed to a random star system. “Yes?” Luna asked. “Hmm, I think somewhere… out in that direction. Engage.” she said, as the screen in front of her became a blur of light. Next stop? Everywhere. Author's Note Okay, so you have your nine saviors, and Equestria is now nothing but a memory. From here on out, it's the rest of the galaxy with worlds beyond your imagination. Now, on the chapter. I admit, I easily could have ended it when Stardust went Draco Violet, but no. No, I said, Lupus had to be dealt with. Also, Layton, I took your advice, as you may note, and added in a Luna-AI made just for dealing with ship-related matters. Like the other two, she's got her original self's memories, but it's only now that she's been brought online. As ever, comments, thoughts, and critique are welcomed.
Part 8: What was Lost, Shall be FoundThe Shining Armor: The wheatfields again. Flurry honestly didn’t know why she found herself drawn out to this place. She knew perfectly well it wasn’t even the real deal, but the six-billion-year-old (Give or take the odd century) Alicorn couldn’t seem to care less. And to be frank, why would she? It was peaceful, calming to just sit in this seemingly endless field under a bright blazing sun, have a cup of tea and contemplate things free from the stress of captaining a ship that as of right now, had no real planned destination in mind. And of course, there were other… issues. Before the group had left Equus for the final time, the Doctor had made it very keen to mention something of grave importance. “Well, you’ve really gone and done it now haven’t you?” he remarked, inside the Shining Armor’s conference room, the other eight Paladins seated around him along with Prince Stardust. “Lupus, though low on Dark Matter’s list of highly beloved commanders for some of his previous perceived failures, -failing to kill me amongst them- he was still a Karō nonetheless. And Don Armage, he isn’t going to be too happy when he’s heard one of the 88 galaxies under his rule has been freed.” “I-I’m sorry,” Jabari had stuttered out nervously, looking about ready to faint. “Did you say eighty-eight galaxies? As in Dark Matter controlling all of them?” “Yes, I did say that, and with a Karō just as powerful as Lupus controlling each and every one of them. You’re considered a threat now in Dark Matter’s eyes, now that you’ve taken out one of these Karōs, along with his entire fleet. They’ll be after you now, you do know that right?” “Who? Who’s going to be after us now?” Flashfire demanded. “I have a responsibility, not just to my team but to all of those colonists aboard those ships to lead them to safe passage and now you just go on and tell us there is no safe place in the universe for us, and what’s worse we’re going to be hunted down from the sounds of it, Dark Matter’s personal assassins!” he bellowed, his horn crackling with energy in his anger. “Yes, Sir Ikargen and Madoka,” the Doctor replied. “That’s who will be coming after you. Make no mistake, once they find you they will not stop till you are nothing but dust in the wind. Get this through your head Flashfire Lulamoon of Equus, they are fearsome, nigh-unstoppable, and relentless. You must hold your ground, you understand me? You must hold your ground against them, otherwise when they catch up to you, and I’m making this perfectly clear that they will, nothing will stand in their way from killing each and every last one of you and enslaving the colonists and taking them under Dark Matter’s employ.” “Hold up a second, let’s take a few steps back here,” Jabari remarked. “You said one of Lupus’ previous perceived failures was not killing you. Why, why would you be so important?” “Because…” the Doctor sighed, and took his time to do so. “In the not too distant past, I took on Don Armage and Lupus when he was one of Armage’s previous Vice-Shoguns, and defeated them both nearly killing Don Armage.” At this, all eight other Paladins’ jaws collectively dropped in unison. This odd quirky man, who was armed with nothing but his brain cells and a simple sonic screwdriver -whatever the hell that was- was claiming to nearly have killed the leader of Dark Matter himself? “You’re… you’re screwing with us, right?” Pharynx sputtered out. “Just trying to bolster your reputation so you can get us to think we need you!” But then he saw the look in his new companion’s eyes, the fire of a warrior and someone who’d seen far too much for someone who looked so young. And at once, he knew he was speaking the truth. “How did you do it? How did you?” Pharynx stated, his eyes narrowing and seemingly boring a hole right into the Doctor’s soul. “It’s… it’s a story I don’t like to talk about, but I suppose you have a right to know. 50 years ago, when Dark Matter was only just rising, in its infancy I saw fit to oppose them. Now, I’ve never been one for war, hated it so much in fact so for just one single moment in time, I said to myself, forsake my principles and become a leader, not a healer. Now, you have to understand, the name I chose. The Doctor? That’s a promise, whenever one of my people choose their final name they must go by that promise for life. I chose the name of the man who helps people, the healer and for hundreds of years I went about gallivanting off through the universe doing just that. But when Dark Matter started taking over systems, little by little, I knew what had to be done. At first mind you, I refused, just helping out the victims of Dark Matter’s tyranny wherever I could. But the time would come when I was forced to step up, and become not the Doctor, but a Leader. “My people, you must understand, they have this special ability. Nearing the end of their natural lifespans, or nearing any sort of unnatural death they can regenerate into another body, gaining new personality facets and a new appearance in the process. Now, I’d heard of this sisterhood, on the planet Karn who could work dark magics to control my species’ regeneration factor, create exactly the body that was needed. My name, my real name - that is not the point. The name I chose is the Doctor. The name you choose, is like... it's like a promise you make. He's the one who broke the promise. No, I broke the promise. But either way, I let the sisterhood make me into what was needed. The Doctor of War. As the Good Book said, and so did I: “Physician, heal thyself…” and I was changed. Throwing away my old values, I remembered an old legend. “When the universe falls into evil clutches and its people shed tears, the Kyutama will choose nine saviors, the Kyurangers, who will save the universe. That’s the way the legend went. I gathered up warriors, one from each of the 88 constellations and led battle after battle against Don Armage and his forces, decimating them. But little by little, my troops began to fall one after the other, until there was only three of us left facing down Lupus and Don Armage himself on the home soils of my homeworld, Gallifrey. Oh, you should have seen it before the war. Beautiful orange skies at night, snow-capped mountains, fields of red grass, and trees with leaves of bright red silver. “The three of us, the first Kyurangers were standing with our backs to the wall. Corvus Black, Lyra Cyan and me, Leo Red. Lyra was the first to fall under Don Armage’s blade, although he had sent Lupus into retreat to lick his wounds. That particular form of cowardice, that’s what I suspect got him demoted down to the rank of Karō. Corvus Black, he took a blow meant for me from Armage himself, and in my rage, I converted all of my remaining regeneration energy into pure power, and added it to the powers of my Kyutama and fired one powerful blast at Don Armage seemingly destroying him. “Now, for the longest while as I stood in the bloodied fields I had thought Don Armage defeated and so I resumed my roamings of the universe in shame for what I’d done. Sure, I’d stood up for what was right, but I’d gotten so many killed in the process. But then I heard rumors, whispers that Dark Matter was building itself up again. And when I came to your planet and saw that attack drone coming down to claim the planet for the organization, I knew I had no choice but to rejoin the battle. The universe offered me a second chance. Don’t know why I took it, but the embodiment of the Libra constellation offered me his power, the power to restore the universal balance and become a true savior. A shield to your swords.” While this, of course, was a lot to take in, Flurry still couldn’t help but feel the Doctor was leaving something out. During his story, he had taken quite a few melancholy glances towards her Scorpius Kyutama. That is, if it ever was hers in the first place. It led her to wonder, and this tied into that robot having a Kyuchanger, was it possible that the drone sent to attack them with his one cycloptic eye and his arm blades was one of the Doctor’s troops as well? Now just only reprogrammed into serving this ‘Don Armage’? Perhaps she’d never know. If the Doctor did, he certainly didn’t feel keen on speaking on the matter. For that at least, she couldn’t exactly blame him. Elsewhere aboard the Shining Armor, one Fågel Bredsida AKA the Armored Star in Taurus Black was having… issues. Namely, with Pharynx. Oh sure, she liked and respected him but their previous conversation was starting to nag at her. “He’d probably love to know about all of this. Hivemother knows if I grew up in the system, and found out I had a half-sister who could have been there but wasn’t? I’d be pissed. You’re lucky I was raised with a decent amount of respect for women otherwise I’d be punching you in the beak ‘bout now.” Fågel laughed weakly. “Yes tell him that I murdered someone then I was placed in jail for half my life. It turned out it wasn’t murder but the ponies family used his death to punish me. I was hired at a young age to steal something from this guy, named Cold Steel. I scared him he backed up and he fell out of the window. I was accused of murder and that was that. Prince Stardust’s guards chucked me in the bin. He told me I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He said don’t hate me for protecting my families image by destroying yours,” she’d lowered her voice by this point, not wanting anyone to overhear that their precious Prince Stardust was in fact, a bastard and not this wise, all seeing if not slightly eccentric Prince who’d lead everyone to safety. Pharynx’s fists clenched, and he let out a growl. “Knew there was something off about that pony. Far too nice, nobody’s that nice unless they have something to hide,” he muttered. “For years Pharynx, I felt I deserved it. I still feel I do. The fact is if I didn’t get hired to steal I would still be with my half-brother. That’s something I can’t control now. The fact I am in the eyes of some, just a hardened murderer. Even though I did this the Prince has been very respectful to me. Even though I don’t trust him.” As much as she hated to admit it, that damned Changeling had a point. Coldcast, at the very least, deserved to know the truth no matter how ugly it was. She’d heard from so many sources about just how rough he had it growing up really, constantly bullied for not having a family that cared about him and for just getting into the Galaxy Garrison program and then becoming a Voyager pilot via Flashfire and Flurry Heart pulling some strings. Of course, she knew this last part to be false. Nobody got into the Garrison and then gained the honor of being Lupus Blue like that, if you showed that you had the aptitude you earned that right. She was willing to acknowledge her brother as Lupus Blue, he’d shown that he deserved that right so many times. She’d heard his first battle with the forces of Dark Matter over the comms. “Alright then… What was it my father used to say? Oh yes. Now you find the strength in your heart to appeal to his good nature, and if you can't, find the strength in your arms to beat his ass senseless.” “I don’t think we can appeal to his better nature,” Coldcast snarked. “So we’ll skip to beating this guy’s ass senseless. ...Does he even have an ass?” he wondered to himself and Fågel found herself chuckling a little at that remark. Never change Coldcast, never change, she told herself. “Now who’s got skewed priorities?” Jabari asked in an amused tone. “It’s still you! Die! Fall! Black out! Disappear!” “Yeah yeah, we get it already…” Coldcast snarked, rolling his eyes, and Fågel fought back a chuckle. “The plan is this,” Flashfire told his teammates. “Lead this thing on a chase, tire or overload its main weapons systems, then we strike. Simple to understand, non?” Fågel nodded as she heard the plan over the comms, her fellow Galaxy Garrison cadets pacing or biting their tongues in fear as the laser blasts flew, and missiles fired. “Dammit!” Coldcast shouted in frustration, and the sound of something being punched was heard. “So, you want to play huh? Let’s play.” “That accomplished what, may I ask? Nothing but you being sunk!” the robot roared before Fågel heard the sound of a laser being fired, and then ice cracking and shattering, and a loud splashing sound. “Coldcast!” Jabari shouted in fear, and Fågel felt her heart skip a beat. No! She shouted to herself even as the sounds of battle continued in the background. Not him, anyone but him! That battle continued, but Fågel paid little, if any attention and turned her head away from the radio so nobody could see her cry and mourn for the loss of her only family. “Bon sang, all systems jammed. Rebooting!” Flashfire shouted. “Prepare for your extinction, fools!” “Oh no, you don’t! You want to get to my friends, you have to get through me first,” Coldcast growled out, and if Fågel didn’t know better, she could have heard the sounds of triumphant sweeping music as the Wolf Voyager let out a howl of victory upon its pilot breaking through the ice. “C-Coldcast… W-what happened to you, what’s gotten into you?” Fågel heard Jabari ask, and she smirked. Nothing Jabari, she told herself. Nothing that was already there. It just took him a little time to find it. “Agh, you two grow on me, what can I say?” he muttered. “Now get those engines rebooted, so we can finish this creep, and give this “Dark Matter” what for eh? Flashfire, you said these mechas were meant to combine once, didn’t you?” he asked and Fågel smiled proudly as she heard her half-brother take command of the situation. “Pump ‘em full of magic, that’s what these things run on right? Much magic as you got! We’ll just have to give them a hard reboot!” Coldcast shouted, and she heard the distinctive sound of systems coming online, and parts shifting and merging before the battle was finally turned. With the distinctive shout of “Meteor Crash!” and an explosion, Fågel let out a cheer. Sure, it was drowned out by everyone else in the little room cheering as well at the sound of the explosion, but she didn’t care. That was her half-brother saving the day, and she’d tell that to anyone who dared argue otherwise. “So now what…?” Fågel had to ask herself. For all she knew, Coldcast still hated her guts and he had every right to. She wasn’t just called the Armored Star for her suit’s inbuilt heavy armor. No, she chose to call herself that just for how closely guarded she kept her emotions. Not letting anyone see the real her as it were. As she walked, below her she saw the distinctive form of the Draco Voyager as it was beginning to be called amongst the inhabitants of the Shining Armor. Themed after an Asian Dragon, bearing an orb in its two front claws clutching it like a precious jewel to its chest, aside from dark metallic purple armor it had now been given a golden kabuto helmet presumably to ram something and to protect the pilot. Now Fågel had heard the rumors, who hadn’t after all? The middle section of the Voyager bore what looked to be two distinct ports and so whispers of it possibly combining into a Megazord of some sort with two other Voyagers had begun to spring up amongst the crew. Stripped Gear and his team of lab rats seemed especially interested in confirming this. She’d even heard they’d thought up a name for this possible new mecha, the Dragon King Megazord or whatever the name was and if it was viable they were thinking of porting a small section of the consciousnesses of either the Luna or Twilight-AIs over into it, to help guide the controllers of this theoretical Megazord. Emphasis on theoretical. Fågel personally? She wouldn’t believe it till she saw it. Fågel grimaced, as elegant as this new Voyager was, it certainly wasn’t helping her solve her current situation. Grumbling, she walked off towards the ship’s bar. She needed a drink. Hopefully, they’d have some Brennivín or Tequila in stock… Far and away, on the ship known only as the Sagittari-Ark resting amongst a hoard of other Dark Matter warships was Don Armage. He replayed the footage of the destruction of Lupus’ fleet over and over, laughing each time in amusement as he did so. “A fitting end for that failure,” Don Armage thought to himself. “Yes, I’m down one Karō but I still rule over the rest of the universe. 87 galaxies, all under my benevolent guiding hand. Sure, they may think different, think of me as a tyrant but without me? The universe would be in chaos. Crime is almost non-existent now! Overpopulation is merely nothing but a memory! Balance has been restored!” Armage smiled. Before he came along, the universe was awash with chaos. Planets, galaxies were caught up in wars that were seemingly without end. He helped bring order to this universe, show them what true perfection was. Showed them something beautiful, something they never even would have thought of, wrapped up in their own petty self-desires as they were. He smirked. Was it not true that everyone tried in their own way to fulfill their own desires? His desire, now that was simply to bring peace and desire to the universe. He flashed back, to when he was battling that pathetic order, known simply as the Knights of Gallifrey. He’d grabbed Corvus Black by the throat, and said this to him, casting one eye towards the Doctor as he called himself AKA Leo Red holding him back with a wall of telekinetic force. The broken and twisted body of a robot designed after a scorpion lay nearby, arm-blades shattered. “Let me tell you something about my home. It was like most planets; too many mouths, not enough to go around. And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution. I would be fair about removing their problem children. It would be ugly yes. Destructive, indeed! Insanity, quite. But all the same, I believed it a fair and just reason. Quell the rising tide which faced us. Nobody was above anyone else in my mind. My quelling extended to rich and poor alike. They called me a madman... but if I hadn’t I knew what I predicted would come to pass one way or the other. Time would judge me in the end I knew, but in the end, I knew what was best for my people.” “You’re no god, you don’t get to decide who lives and who dies!” Corvus Black choked out, before with a sickening Snap! his lifeless body fell to the bloodied earth beneath. The Doctor let out a shout of: “NO!” and ran towards Armage, his crossbow firing blast after blast but Armage deflected them all the same. “It’s pointless to resist fate. You can’t fight it. Run from it, sure you can try. But destiny? Destiny… Destiny, it just arrives all the same. And your destiny is to end here.” But still he resisted, the Time Lord pulling out his Leo Major Kyutama and placing into a slot on his crossbow, making it state: “Galaxy!” “Well, we’ll just have to see about that, won’t we?” the Doctor growled out, charging up his crossbow with all of the power he had left and it began to glow a bright burning red before it fired. “Allons-Y,” he said softly before Don Armage felt a sharp blow hit him in the chest and all went black. It had taken him years to recover, build a new body for himself, but he here was all the same. And now, his dream had finally come to pass. And nobody, especially not some upstarts from some backwater planet in the Pegasus system would stop him. The Shining Armor: Meanwhile, Fågel had drowned her third bottle of scotch. Sadly, no Brennivín or Tequila in stock but this would do nicely in the meantime she supposed till someone synthesized some more. Soft piano music played in the background, an instrumental version of this old song called “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” if Fågel remembered correctly. “Beautiful isn’t it?” Luna’s voice remarked, as she popped up from a small emitter on the bartop. “The song?” Fågel asked. “Yeah, I suppose. Heartbreaking, really but beautiful.” “Didn’t mean the song,” the Luna-AI replied, chuckling to herself at some private joke before gesturing out the viewscreen. “Tell me, what do you see?” Fågel craned her neck to look out of it. Stars, that’s what she saw. Millions upon millions of twinkling lights, each illuminating their only tiny little world. For a moment, and just a moment Fågel felt actually intimidated by just how small she was compared to the galaxies in front of her. “Frightening, yes. But absolutely marvelous and exquisitely beautiful as well,” the Luna-AI continued. “Yes, you can turn along and run back home if you so desired, I myself was frightened at the galaxy’s majesty at first. Well, at least my original self was. But I remembered, I had someone to enjoy it with, the person closest to me. Kept me from being scared, allowed me to see the stars for what they truly were, the Lady Faust’s own personal artist’s tapestry of colors, created just for us. Be a real shame if you didn’t have someone to share them with as well right?” Fågel winced, knowing exactly what the AI was hinting at. “But… But how do I…?” “Talk to him?” Luna finished for I. “Oh Fågel, I’m sorry for you, I really am. Nobody should have had to go through what you did, and believe you me, I shall have words with my sister’s son for that. He shames her lineage. But what you need to do right now?” she continued, poking Fågel in the chest. “Is talk to your half-brother. He needs you, now more than ever. He doesn’t have a home to go back to, so the only thing he has now is his family. And that includes you, whether you like it or not. So go talk to him. Poor griffon can’t spend this whole trip alone with only his adopted big brother and his few friends to comfort him whenever he needs it. He needs family, actual blood-related family. A big sister to hold him when he cries, cheer at him when he wins a battle and laugh with him whenever he tells a joke. Believe me, speaking from experience here, when nobody else is there for you, your family always and I mean always will be there for you.” Fågel felt like she had been slapped across the face, and in a way, she supposed she had been. But Luna was right, there was no avoiding this any longer. So, with that, she took the long journey to her brother’s quarters, and carefully knocked on the door. When it opened, and the griffon turned to look at her, Fågel took a deep long sigh before asking: “Brother? We need to talk, and I mean about everything…” Author's Note Okay, so a few things. Yes, let's get the elephants in the room out of the way first. Yes, there was a Leo Red at some point, so you are free to speculate a bit more on him. Also, yes Armage is a partial homage to MCAU Thanos. Secondly, the flashbacks. I've been told I'm horrible at reusing scenes, so in this case, at least I tried to rewrite them, tell the one in question from Fågel's perspective. As ever, comments, thoughts, and critique are welcomed.
Part 9: While You Were Away...The Shining Armor For the first few days away from Equestria, all went well. Despite the Doctor’s predictions, there had been no Dark Matter attacks or anything resembling such. Flashfire had surmised a simple solution. In his words: “We can’t ignore the possibility that with Lupus gone, his entire galaxy is in chaos. He had subordinates under him, and those subordinates had subordinates. It’s like a pyramid, with Lupus being the base to support everything in this case. Take away that base, and everything crumbles and falls into chaos. Everyone’s trying to grab power where they can, try to make it to the top and become Lupus’ successor. I doubt they’d be concerned with us, least not for the moment. They’re trying to re-establish order in the system, and as long as we stay out of anyone’s way we should be fine.” Of course, some took issues with this. Jabari being one of them, even now as he played Vivaldi Danza Pastorale (Celebration of Spring) on his violin, nicknamed the Bloody Rose he thought back to what he’d told the Beast Star: “And if someone gets any ideas? I mean, the best claim to being Lupus’ successor would be to slay us, his killers!” Jabari had argued. “Think about it, could anyone have time to go after us?” Flashfire had replied. “I mean, everyone’s so busy fighting with each other vying for a piece of the pie if you will they couldn’t possibly go after us. And that’s presuming anyone aside from those two assassins the Doctor mentioned even know our names, much less where to even look for us!” “Yeah, I suppose you’re right about that. Those two, they’re the ones we should worry about,” Jabari murmured, while idly tossing the Pegasus Kyutama in his hand. “Let’s hypothesize for a moment. No scientific basis for this except for one theory I have. Remember the Scorpius Drone? Old One-Eye, with the arm blades and the stinger tail?” “Par le créateur…” Flashfire sighed while shaking his head. “How could I forget, that’s not exactly a face that’s going to be going away anytime soon. What exactly are you getting at?” “I think I might know,” Stripped Gear piped up, snatching away the Pegasus Kyutama from his grip. “This had been bonded with Lupus for Faust knows how long, right? And that Scorpius Kyutama from the looks of it was bonded with the drone. I don’t think any traces of that bond will be going away any time soon.” “Exactly,” Jabari put in. “Now I’d noticed before we left Equus that the remains of the robot had gone… missing shall we say. Maybe someone threw them in the lava, bit too creeped out by the head. I wouldn’t have blamed them frankly, but it’s also quite frankly possible that someone stole them in hopes of fixing that thing up, and that someone is with Dark Matter and that very same someone knows how to track the signature of a Kyutama bonded to one of their members. And we have two of those types of Kyutama now. It’d be far too easy for someone to follow our trace energy we’re leaving behind now that those two Kyutamas are in our possession.” “Well, we can’t just dump them now, can we?” Flashfire murmured as he cast a look towards Flurry Heart, who was making a map of the known galaxy on a small datapad. “I mean, one of them’s a Kyutama now bonded to our newest Ranger.” As he finished the song, and sat down on a nearby chair putting the Bloody Rose back into its casing and closing it up he briefly cast a glance outside a nearby viewscreen to a section of space where a day before a wormhole had rested. “I don’t like this, not one bit…” Jabari muttered to himself. He was distracted by the sounds of fins clapping together and turned his attention back to his ‘audience’. He sighed. Right, he told himself. He’d forgotten that the pool room for all its peace and tranquility was home to a collection of Equus’s last remaining sirens. Creatures who just loved a good song or two. Sirens, like most of Equus’s creatures, could be described as a hodgepodge. Most of their being was a long sleek serpentine shape that could vary from the length of a small bus to a train depending on age with a fluked tail but grafted to the upper body of a horse-like creature. The body swapped out the fur with scales, the hooves with fins and a fin to replace the mane normally found on a horse’s head to complete the deal. Long ago considered dangerous due to the actions of a specific trio sent away to some long forgotten world by Starswirl the Bearded, it was found in later years most were generally peaceful and just wanted to be left alone or sing their songs to those who would listen. “You’re worried, aren’t you?” the lead siren who bore a delicate salmon pink covering her scales asked. Crescendo, her name was if Jabari remembered correctly. The other two accompanying her was a light teal green and the other a pure albino respectively. “Yeah, I’d be worried if something was wrong with me if I wasn’t worried about Flurry,” Jabari sighed, casting another glance outside the viewscreen. “We all are. Soon as she, Coldcast and Spada went through that wormhole to find out what was on the other end and it closed up…” he trailed off, before shaking his head. “Agh, maybe I’m being paranoid. All the scans Stripped Gear ran on that wormhole, and to be more accurate what was on the other end said it was safe, no signs of Dark Matter ships to speak of.” “No. No,” Crescendo spoke softly, shaking her head and resting a massive fin on Jabari’s shoulder. “You’ve got every right to be worried. And you’re not the only one really.” Jabari looked at her in surprise, eyes widened. “S-Seriously?” the zorse asked. “Yep, seriously,” Crescendo replied, nodding her head in turn. “Not even a few hours ago, Flashfire himself walked in here, probably hoping the waters would take things off his mind. I dunno. But I could tell he was afraid for Flurry, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.” “Flashfire, afraid?” Jabari asked, blinking in surprise. “No… No, I can’t imagine that. Seriously, the buck’s always been calm, cool, and collected under any form of pressure. Reason why he was chosen to be the leader of the Paladins.” “Oh, is that what you think?” Crescendo asked, teal-blue eyes eyeing him critically. “Ever considered that’s just a mask? I mean, everyone has a breaking point. Even him. Pressure’s going to get to him eventually, and believe me if losing a leader if only temporarily isn’t it than I don’t know what is! Seriously, here’s what happened…” Humming a song under his breath in Prench, that’s where she found him. Entering the pool room where she and her sisters called home, she heard the jacket-clad unicorn singing to himself, perhaps not realizing she was there or maybe just not caring. Maybe he wanted to see her. Why else would he enter this particular room singing a song? Most of the crew only entered this room for the calm tranquil atmosphere it provided, or to listen to her or her sisters sing but Flashfire was definitely not most of the crew suffice it to say. Whenever he visited her, even just to talk or observe her it was not without some hidden reason. “Ce pouvoir miraculeux fait son entrée ici “Ah, ce point éloigné se rapproche Donc je ne suis plus jamais rempli de regret Plus vaste que le ciel Je vais utiliser ce pouvoir pour y faire face Voler, le temps jugé tout Le temps a jugé tous les destins Passage dans le "maintenant" Le temps a jugé tout au ciel S'élever de plus en plus haut...” he sang to himself. Crescendo couldn’t resist a chuckle, her great-grandmother was the lover to a Prenchman and so she knew some of the language if only just. Here Flashfire, the holder of the Cerberus Kyutama singing a song about the sky when he was drawing from the constellation of a decidedly ground-based creature. Then again, some of the lyrics fit really like the ones about rising higher and higher and such, with a distant goal becoming ever closer. “You could swoon a mare with a voice like that, ya know?” Crescendo burst out laughing as she poked her muzzle from above the clear waters. “Make ‘em fall right into your arms. Seriously, if I didn’t know you were a demisexual then…” Flashfire balked, not even allowing Crescendo to finish whatever she had to say, possibly some bawdy joke as was often the case with her. Nice as she was, like most sirens she could still be seductive or crass when she wanted to be. “How the hell did you-” “Figure that out?” Crescendo finished. “You’d be surprised on how much certain crewmen gossip on your sexuality, some of them with seemingly nothing better to do. Honestly, I hate it really. Pony’s private life should be his private life, ya know?” “Yes, quite.” Flashfire grumbled. “Remind me to keep my personal files under better lock and key. Thought I could trust crewmen and women to keep certain things to themselves…” “But to serenade moi with your lovely voice and grumble about busybodies isn’t why you’re here, is it?” Crescendo asked, tilting her head sideways. “You need advice, don’t you?” “Yeah, I suppose…” Flashfire mumbled, shuffling his hooves in embarrassment and letting the mask drop. Crescendo, she was one of the few creatures on Equus aside from Coldcast he allowed to see his true self. Long ago, when he was deep-sea diving for fish to feed a Vault whose food supply had run dangerously low with new food days away, Crescendo and her pod had saved him from a giant squid who’d decided he’d make a tasty snack. Ripped the damn thing in half with their jaws and made a meal out of it, Crescendo leading the charge and soothing the squid into a tranquil state with her singing before her sisters went on the attack. “Honestly, and you must not let this get out but I’m really worried here. I mean, here we are far away from Equestria or anything resembling home and I’m expected to lead a group of heroes from different races and backgrounds with widely diverging personalities as some sort of ‘team’. Seemed easy enough back when I was planetside, but now that we’ve left Equus far behind…” “Trust me, if anybody’s going to find a way to make it work, it’ll be you Flashie,” Crescendo grinned, showing a set of razor-sharp teeth. “Listen, you think it’s easy for me either? I mean, I’m managing an entire pod of sirens who aren’t exactly comfortable being far from any real bodies of water and only get fed via fish and calamari thrown from a bucket! I have it worse than you do, always afraid that I’ll have an uprising on my hands. Or fins, as it were. Thank Faust for Concerto and Muse, otherwise, I’d go crazy!” “Yeah, I suppose…” Flashfire murmured, leaning over the railing to look down into the tank below him where he saw the two other fully grown sirens swimming about with the rest of their podmates. It couldn’t exactly be called a pool, not with how massive it was or how deep it went. Most of the crew just preferred to call it a pool for one reason or the other. Maybe because some used it for recreational swimming. Not like the sirens really minded, they were happy for the company. Even they got bored of spending time with just their own species, social animals as they were. “Point being, I know you’ve got this. You wouldn’t have been picked to be the team leader if Stardust didn’t believe you were the best choice.” Crescendo said kindly. “Yes, well Stardust hasn’t exactly made the wisest choices in the past has he?” Flashfire muttered. “I mean, leaving Pharynx to become chilled Changeling for the past few billion years for one! And let’s not even get into the crap he pulled with poor Fågel!” he scoffed. “For all I know, he may have chosen me at random. Irony really, for all I told my petit frère on how there was no such thing as being picked arbitrarily I can’t help but wonder if the same applies to me at times…” “Now, that’s enough of that!” Crescendo barked. “You, Flashfire Lulamoon, are Cerberus Seagreen, leader of the Kyurangers and if you were picked as the team leader then there has to be a reason for it. Now get that right through your head, okay?” she stated firmly. She would have used the pun ‘Okyu’ as she heard Stardust and Flashfire on rare occasion use but the tone wasn’t right for the setting as of right now. “Don’t make me leap on out of this damn pool to slap you upside the head with a fin, ya got that?” “...Got it.” Flashfire squeaked out, in a small timid tone of voice before he regained his composure and adjusted his jacket letting the small embroidered silver star on the back gleam in the light. “You’re quite right, I’m the leader of this squadron and despite all the crap we’ve been through, I’ve got faith in the heart that I can pull this team together. After all, fire only forges the steel bonds of friendship non?” Crescendo shot him a fang-toothed grin. “Now that’s the spirit! That’s the buck I’m used to seeing. Now, you’ve got a job to do, non?” she asked, going into a bad Prench accent imitation that actually made Flashfire burst out laughing. “...You’re terrible, you know that?” he remarked. “Hey, anything to see you smile again. World’s just not right without Flashfire smiling a bit.” “Now, none of what I just said leaves this room okay?” Crescendo requested with a small flush gracing her features, and Jabari was nodding all the while even as he took it all in. If he didn’t know better, he would have sworn the siren had a crush on his boss. But that was ludicrous… right? “Exactly. Now how did it go again… Oh yes, cross my heart and hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye,” Jabari repeated, doing the time-honored motions with his hands before Stripped Gear’s voice crackled through the commlinks. “Uh Jabari, you may want to get up here. There’s something you might want to have a look at…” the unicorn remarked in a slightly nervous tone of voice. “I’ll be up there on the double!” Jabari said, breaking into a spring but not before sending Crescendo a thankful look. “Okay, what am I looking at here?” Jabari had to ask, his suit’s amber wings unfolded, and two small oxygen hoses hooked into a tube on the flight suit’s back. Currently, he was floating outside the ship, in what could only be called a cosmic mothball storm. His hands were resting in the suit’s holsters, ready to draw twin laser pistols if needed. Looking through his visor, the Pink Ranger scanned the area, trying to get any readings at all from these strange objects. He was getting electrical currents but not much else. Nearby, Flashfire was in his suit as well wearing a similar propulsion device, his sword in its sheath. His cape had retracted into his shoulder armor somehow, Jabari didn’t know exactly how he managed to do that. Stripped Gear’s suit upgrades never ceased to amaze him really. These new wings definitely completed the Aquila Pink look though, he had to admit. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say snowballs,” Flashfire remarked as he reached out to touch one only to get a small zap. “Snowballs with a shocking surprise that is…” “That’s a terrible joke,” Jabari said flatly, shooting the unicorn a glare under his helmet. “Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood,” Flashfire shrugged. “Crescendo says I’ve got this stick up my derrière, and that I need to lighten up more.” “Isn’t just Crescendo who says that…” Jabari thought to himself with a slightly amused smile. “Stripped, you got anything for us, like say on whatever the Hell these things might be? What are they, cosmic snowballs that’ll just drift us on by harmlessly or something we should be actually worried about?” “Okay, running analysis now…” Stripped Gear’s voice crackled through the comms. “Honestly, I can’t make any real heads or tails of ‘em. I’d suggest you bring one of them into the ship’s lab for further study really. Just be careful m’kay?” “Trust me Stripped,” Flashfire said as he grabbed one of the ‘snowballs’ in an aura of magic. “We’ll be real careful. Now, what about that project you and Jabari have been working on, the one that’ll bring Flurry and the others back to our reality?” Further scans of the wormhole from before, just as it had begun to close had revealed it was a trans-reality breach. Happened very rarely, but happened it did on this particular occasion. Personally, although he would never dare voice these thoughts aloud, Flashfire though Flurry a imbécile for taking the Draco Voyager in herself and not letting him do it. But Flurry was a stubborn one as Flashfire had rapidly found, and was a particular fan of the saying: “Never ask someone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself.” Part of the reason why he admired her so much at times really. Just not on this occasion. Especially when his petit frère was one of the two Rangers that followed. “Ah yes… That. The Cancer Claw Cannon. Name needs some work, but it should do the job just nicely I think. Just needs a few more fine-tunings and adjustments and we should be okyu to go!” Stripped chimed in. Jabari slapped a palm to his face and let it slide down his visor. “Oh no… Not him too, I thought Flashfire and Stardust were the only ones who made that horrible pun…” he thought to himself, quite unamused. Eventually, the twosome would return to Stripped’s lab which wasn’t that far removed from the one he had back on Equus. Just as messy and chaotic as ever, with partially constructed Skill Kyutamas laying about. Jabari swore he caught a glimpse of one that looked to be blue and white, themed after the sun and the moon but he really couldn’t make out much detail in it’s half-constructed state. It looked to be gathering dust really, moreso than some of Stripped’s other projects. Now that he thought of it, Jabari had heard Stripped occasionally muttering on how he just couldn’t harness this one Kyutama’s powers and on how impossible it looked to be to actually complete this one. Maybe this Sun and Moon Kyutama was what he was talking about. As Flashfire levitated the little ball of ice and electricity into a little glass container before quickly shutting it Jabari cast his eyes to the centerpiece of the room as it were. A massive cannon, hooked up via wires and tubes to the Cancer Kyutama held in this small glass container and glowing red with energy. The theory was -at least in Jabari and Stripped’s minds- that this thing would magnify the Cancer Kyutama’s powers by one hundredfold and project a giant claw to rip open the walls between the dimensions and bring Flurry and company home. To help with this process, and narrow in on the exact dimension that Flurry had landed in, the Circinus and Telescopium Kyutamas were being used as well, their power being drawn into the cannon. Personally, Flashfire thought this plan was a bit overly elaborate and a little bit on the crazy side, but if it helped in any way whatsoever then he allowed Jabari and Stripped free reign on doing whatever they could to get Flurry, and more importantly Coldcast and Spada back. “Okay, you can expect results within the hour!” Stripped cried out. “Trust me, whatever this thing is, as soon as I know what it is you’ll be the first to know rest assured. Now shoo, I work best when left in private! Not when a bunch of other ponies are standing around eying me!” he barked, looking at all of his lab assistants who were chattering amongst themselves. “Shut up everybody, shut up! Don't move, don't speak, don't breathe, I'm trying to think,” he remarked, before looking at a particular member of the Praetorian Guard, a dark grey pegasus. “Commander Nimbus, and with all due respect face the other way, you're putting me off.” “But-” Nimbus tried to speak, before Stripped held up a finger and put it to his lips. “Ep-Ep-Ep! No buts out of you mister. What did I say? Now turn your back!” he barked, making the pegasus flinch. Grumbling, Nimbus did so as Flashfire and the rest took their leave. “...Real pain to get along with, isn’t he?” Flashfire muttered under his breath leaning towards Jabari as the zorse shook his head. “Believe me mate, you have noooooo idea.” he murmured before they tried to enter a lift, but the doors took several moments to actually open. Flashfire frowned, he needed to have this ship be given a once-over it seemed, left the planet in such a hurry not all of the primary systems could have been working properly. This could be signs of a much larger problem. If only he knew how large... In any case, Flashfire found himself in his quarters, reading through a book just to calm his mind. Any book would do, even something as mind-blowingly dull such as “Theories of How Rats Evolved”. As long as it got him thinking on something other than that of Flurry Heart and whatever danger she may have gotten herself into. “Faust, can’t believe I was such a fool,” Flashfire thought to himself as he pressed a few buttons on his quarter’s personal replicator for a shot of black coffee. It was his preferred beverage of choice, stemming back from his early days learning to be a pilot in the Galaxy Garrison Naval Academy and working long nights and writing up school reports and the like. Taking a note of how this coffee was strangely cold, he replicated another which was without fault. “More repairs to do. I’ll have to have the engineers check over every inch of this ship before things get dangerous.” He then turned his mind back to Flurry. “I let her go off on that little jaunt through the wormhole. I know she said it was just to see what it was like on the other side, see if there was a calm peaceful world -A new Eden as she so calls it- but I can’t help but think that she’s trying to lead Dark Matter’s assassins away from us with the Scorpius Kyutama. I should be doing that, not her!” Flurry Heart wasn’t the only steadfast believer in that saying of: “Never ask someone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself.” Flashfire believed it as well. He would never, never put any of his men or women on his team in unneeded danger if he could do the damn job himself. Leadership was a learning process just like riding a bike except in this case and Flashfire knew this very well, that you never stopped learning. But one of the key things he had always known was respecting your comrades and what they could do, trust in them and believe in them. Work with your team, learn their limits. If they reached their limits, then that was fine. But you needed to respect them all the same. Flashfire remembered the story of how one commander in the Royal Guards of old skimped out work one day just to have a quick night in with a hooker, and because of that some rogue Changelings breached a city’s defenses and almost took control of it had the Royal Guards not got their fighting spirit back in the last minute and held the line to the very end till reinforcements led by King Thorax and Princess Twilight themselves arrived, returning from the Chaos Lands. He, this commander, in the end, said he never respected his troops to hold the line against what was probably a doomed city anyhow. Cowardice, that’s what it all came down to and he lost everyone’s respect in the end. He’d also heard tales of how the legendary Shining Armor AKA Flurry’s father had led his troops into battle against Wendigos at the borders of the Crystal Empire near the end of Shining’s lifespan, and although Shining fell eventually he held that line and encouraged troops terrified of the oncoming hoard back into battle. That was the kind of man Flashfire looked up to, someone who would hold the line against any threats to Equus till the bitter end, someone who respected their troops and their abilities and knew what they could do if they really tried. “So, why can’t I be like that kind of commander…?” Flashfire asked himself as he took a sip of his coffee. “I should have put my hoof down, stopped her!” “And yet for all your comments on respect for the troops and their abilities, and your love of the phrase: “Never ask someone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself.” and yet in the end, you still fail to heed it,” the Celesti-AI remarked, her projector flickering slightly as she strode across the room and knelt down next to Flashfire on a chair. “She knows her abilities, and that of her troops as well as you do. Yes, last of the Princesses she may be, but her going into that wormhole like that it commandeers respect from the rest of the legions you’ve got at your beck and call. Shows them she’s not afraid of anything, and add to that she knows you and Stripped Gear and everyone else onboard this ship would find a way to return her if something were to go wrong.” Her projector flickered again, as well as the ship’s lights briefly. Flashfire noted this and filed it away on his datapad for more repairs for the ship engineers. Last thing they or anyone else needed was the loss of the Princess AIs. They weren’t just responsible for controlling Megazord operational systems and things like that, they were a sign of comfort and guidance to the crew. That even in the darkest days things would come out alright and light would return. If they were lost now Faust only knew what would happen. “Yes… Yes, you’re quite right,” Flashfire agreed. “I’m worrying, when I should be planning on how to get Flurry back. You and Crescendo were right. I’m Cerberus Seagreen, leader of the Kyuranger Squadron and the commander of that regiment. It’s high time I started acting like it.” “Yes, but for now put Flurry out of your mind, it’s having an effect on you. Making you tense, relax a little. Let Stripped worry about Flurry and your teammates,” Celestia advised. “Go have some fun, I hear my sister decided to put on a little concert in that bar everyone seems to frequent. Just let your worries leave you for a little while, okay?” “A-Alright,” Flashfire nodded, noting Celestia flicker once more. “I’ll try.” Meanwhile lurking beyond the Shining Armor’s sensor range lay a silver, streamlined craft themed after what looked to be a giant squid with some massive solar sail propelling it. A more elegant piece of machinery from a more civilized age. And now the personal ship of one Sir Ikargen. “So, it’s done?” Eriedrone’s voice asked, as a hologram of the ruler of the Sagittarius System appeared on the central console. In his hands, was a massive golden halberd axe that could also double as a bow befitting the system he presided over as a Karō. While Eriedrone was certainly no fan of Lupus, the death of a Karō and the chaos that followed could not go unignored. “Yes, quite. Those little fools aboard that ship have no idea what I just practically gift wrapped them on a silver platter. Not even an ink-ling of what’s about to happen to them, and their ship.” Ikargen laughed. He had to consider himself rather lucky, with three Rangers gone his task was made all the more easier. Eriedrone rolled his eyes. “Can the puns will you, Ikargen and actually act with the grace and status your title as one of Dark Matter’s master assassins grants you. I swear, between you and Madako…” Eriedrone grumbled. “Yes, I apologize. I will not act like such a…” Ikargen trailed off before it seemed he practically had to spit the words out. “Jelly brain like she seems to half the time.” “I still cannot believe, that Lupus even if he was a spineless coward who abandoned our Lord to die, got defeated by a bunch of Equines from a backwater planet that we thought lifeless years ago!” Eriedrone ranted. “Last I checked, only thing that place was good for was harvesting Planetium with the Moraimars. Still, definitely keeping an eye on it and it’s inhabitants now. Especially with that ‘package’ Lupus managed to deliver to Don Armage before he… passed.” Eriedrone continued, quickly regaining his composure. “Haven’t heard much about it from the main battlefleet, but it seems to have his interest.” “Anything for our lord and Master to bring balance back to the universe…” Ikargen trailed off. “But no time for speculation, at least for me. I have the luxury of sitting back and watching the show…” Eriedrone smirked. “I envy you, I only wish I could see the looks on those Paladins faces, especially the former Leo Red’s when their own ship destroys them! I’ll have a fleet on standby, ready to mop up the mess.” “Shouldn’t be much of one to mop up, Milord, not when all of this is over. Shame really,” Ikargen sighed. “But at least things will be over, quick and simple. And with a grand fireworks show as well!” Ikargen chuckled as he flew off behind the cover of a passing asteroid. Sometimes, he really loved his job. Back onboard the Shining Armor, things continued as normal. Flashfire and Jabari were enjoying that concert put on by the ship’s band with the Luna-AI taking up role of the lead singer, with various other instruments like a brass section and a piano giving it a jazzy swing beat. It seemed Luna to everyone’s surprise, had quite the set of pipes. “Someday you’ll notice – I pray that you’ll realize These wings on your back aren’t a dream At last, you’ll have all you need to escape to The world where you’ll finally be free “This was all a Cruel Angel’s Thesis from the start Brought to life, out window now it’s taking flight Scorching pathos if you betray your memory Follow this deviant-divine philosophy!” Flashfire had actually taken up a mare’s offer to dance and although it seemed he had two left hooves, it brought a smile to Luna’s face to actually see the stallion open up more. In the back, near the bar one Fågel/Taurus Black of the parrot species was serving up drinks. She seemed annoyed about something, muttering something under her breath about how the lifts tried to kill her earlier. Jabari noted to have an engineer check that out later. “What… what is this?” Jabari dared to ask as his fellow Kyuranger served him up something green in a glass. “Faust if I know, it’s just green and it tastes good!” the parrot remarked with a shrug before going off to serve a pure black griffon with light blue markings around his eyes. The lights flickered a little, along with Luna’s avatar but it seemed to be nothing of notice. May have just been a glitch in the power cells, Jabari resolved to check it out later. Jabari eyed his drink carefully, before taking a swig and spitting it out right all over a nearby pony’s face. “Damn lying bird…” he grumbled. “Tastes good my flank!” He then began to shuffle his hooves and bob his head to the song as he listened in closely to the lyrics, it did seem to be made for them in some ways. Perhaps a bit pretentious, he mused as he began to snap his fingers to the song but it fit. “Shining more than these stars that bathe the galaxy Go forth, young boy, and you’ll become a legend “With grace, and in my embrace You fall deep into sleep, so tempted to stay In the morning that falls, You alone will be called By message from the realm of dreams…” He groaned, knowing if Coldcast here that little griffon would have this smug look plastered all over his beak never letting the zorse live this down thinking him of a stallion who rarely left the comforts of a good book. He idly wondered what the griffon was doing, and if it was as any fun as this. ...Coldcast grunted out in pain before his wings unfurled and he rocketed towards Mar’Zek slamming a right hook into his face making him stagger. “Oh wings, how I’ve missed you so…” Coldcast laughed giddily. Though it did knock him around, the armour covering his face softened the blow. He snarled and slammed his sword against the ground, causing the parts to dislodge and become part of a razor-sharp whip held together by a light purple stream of energy. “What, you overcompensating for something?” Spada quipped. “I have raided more than a thousand worlds. You cannot stand against me and my technology.” He then swung said whip at Spada and Flurry, slicing them repeatedly, but leaving Coldcast alone. The Blue Ranger leaped over the next swing before slicing Mar’Zek from behind and then flying away to avoid the next strike… “Probably not.” Jabari shrugged. Then, he along with everyone else heard the sound of the ship’s main broadside cannons began to fire. “What the flying…?” Flashfire trailed off before going for his comms. “This is Commander Flashfire of the Shining Armor hailing the Piercing Arrow! You guys okay over there?” “Yeah, about as well as can be expected,” a female griffon in the garb of a captain commented over the comms. Mostly white feathered, with blue makeup around her eyes. “Still, what the fuck’s going on over there, you guys just took a potshot at us!” “Hell if I know, but I’m going to find out. Stripped, you got any idea what’s going on around here, this whole ship seems to be going nuts!” “Ah…” Stripped trailed off nervously as the lights flickered once more. “I’m afraid I may have. That cosmic snowball you brought in? Yeah, no snowball. It’s… it’s…” “Well, spit it out! I don’t have all day!” Flashfire barked. “It’s an egg. A Deathworm egg. Seems a variant of the breed got into the power cells, and now it’s got control over the whole ship. There’s already been power surges and fluctuations in the Nova Drive, engineers are heading down to try and stop that from going but these problems will continue if you don’t kill that thing! Not just major ones like our own laser cannons misfiring, but it’s all the little ones as well such as the projector emitters and the flickering lights! Eventually, this ship will go into core implosion as it tries to compensate for every little glitch in the system. You’ve got to stop this worm, now!” Flashfire nodded in understanding as the Praetorian guardsmen along with Fågel began directing everyone to safety, gesturing for everyone to proceed in a calm and orderly fashion. “Great, what else could go wrong?” Flashfire muttered as the cannons fired once more, this time towards the Solar Radiance. Then, he got his answer as the lights all over the ship finally went leaving everyone in pitch black. “...Merde.” Making their way down to the lower decks with only flashlights and pistols in hand, the two soon found themselves waist deep in water. Slogging through the water, Jabari pointed his pistol every which way anytime he thought he saw movement. As he pointed the flashlight attachment at each corner of the room, all that he could see were the steel walls and the water by his hooves. The only sound being that of the soft hum of the lighting. Pipes lined either side of the zorse’s vision. “What the hell happened…?” Jabari muttered to himself. “I’ve been down in the maintenance decks before, and they’ve never been flooded. “Pipe to the Sirens’ tank must have burst open somehow,” Flashfire said with a shrug. “That’s my best guess anyway.” “So, where do you think those eggs came from?” Jabari wondered. “Think we just drifted into them by accident or did someone leave them there for us? Leave them there hoping we’d pick one up, and take it onboard?” Flashfire gave him a look, as if to say: “What do you think?” “Right, seems like just a spot of bad luck but can’t be that. I mean, not really. I’m willing to bet everything I own that one of those two assassins the Doctor warned us about left them there, betting on our own curiosity. And we just played right into his hands…” Jabari muttered. “By the Creator, we’re such a pack of idiots!” A distant bang filled the area, with metal twisting and crunching accompanying it. Although it was a far-off sound, it was still something to send an icy shiver down both of their spines. The grips on their guns tightened as they tried to trace the noise, only for it to echo and reverberate around them. “It knows we’re hunting it…” Flashfire murmured to himself. “Cornered animals only get more dangerous in these scenarios, so keep your aim steady and watch your fire. I’m pulling up a map now, should give us a location as to where we are.” “Thing is, though. Are we hunting it… or is it hunting us?” Jabari asked as he pushed forward through the murky waters with Flashfire. “You really want an answer to that question?” Flashfire asked. “Okay, there’s a T-Junction up ahead. If luck’s on our side, we should meet up with the creature there.” “Oh, good,” Jabari muttered sarcastically. “And here I thought you were going to suggest we split up.” “Faust no!” Flashfire remarked. “I’ve seen a few horror films, and I always know what going off alone leads to!” “Look. We don’t have time to argue, Flashfire. For all we know, Don Armage could send out another attack, so we need to get this place fixed up as quickly as possible. And if that means having to split up, then we have to take it.” Jabari pulled out his Kyuchanger. “Plus, have you forgotten who we are? We’re a team; one with superpowers. If anything, this monster should be more afraid of us.” Suddenly, another bang echoed throughout the corridor; this one much louder than before. The audible sound of metal structures collapsing could be heard, with the occasional, slightly inaudible pipe dropping too. “Oh, that can’t be good…” Flashfire muttered. “Look Jabari, I did some studies on the bodies of the Deathworms we’ve encountered before, back when they were still… alive. You don’t get it, do you? You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you? The perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility.” “Please tell me you’re not admiring the abomination?” Jabari deadpanned. “Hardly,” Flashfire replied simply. “I’m just stating the facts as presented to us.” “...And it’s normally Stripped Gear who’s doing that, sounding so cold and blunt. You sure you haven’t been spending too much time around him?” “He’s your boss, not mine. I should be asking you the very same-” Flashfire trailed off before holding up his hand in a motion for silence. “Hold up, what’s that? Swore I heard something.” He was met with nothing but silence. The only thing that had changed was the scent. What had remained a silent, aroma-less, flooded corridor, was now coated in a thick scent. An acrid, vile, horrific scent that permeated both of their nostrils and wormed its’ way through Flashfire and Jabari’s bodily systems. “Oh, par Faust c'est le rang!” Flashfire muttered in a tone of disgust. “Well, if anything, we know we’re close.” “Yeah, that sounds so reassuring…” Jabari muttered. Something shrieked in the background, sounding like it was coming from all around them, and neither Jabari nor Flashfire knew which way to point their weapons. “Alright, enough of this fumbling about in the dark!” Flashfire muttered before holding up the Pyxis Kyutama and placing it into his gauntlet. Soon a golden compass projected itself in front of him, before pointing towards the direction of the Deathworm, down yet another pipelined corridor. And sure enough, another noise came. Only this time, it was the closest of all. Multiple crashes sounded, with metal being torn up almost rhythmically. However, despite the compass tracking the Deathworm’s position, it wasn’t there, even though the noise got closer and closer to Jabari and Flashfire. “Oh, I’ve got a bad feeling about this…” Flashfire muttered. “Says we’re right on top of it, and yet…” “Oh no,” Jabari muttered as his eyes widened in realization. “It’s a deck below us! Move, now!” As soon as he stopped talking, the Deathworm erupted from the ground beneath him and smashed Jabari into the ceiling. It watched as he fell back down, straight over his gaping maws. Shots hit the Deathworm, and it whirled it’s three heads to look Flashfire right in the eyes. “Alright, you bitch…” Flashfire muttered. “You want to eat something? How about me for a change? I’m nice and tasty, aren’t I?” Snarling and howling in its’ tongue, the Deathworm charged towards Flashfire, flailing around wildly as it took shot after shot after shot. Unlike the others he had seen, the blaster fire either bounced off of it, or barely did anything to stagger it. Also, instead of the golden scales the Deathworms usually bore, this one was covered in a sharp silver hide. As the Deathworm launched a green beam of energy from its central eye, Flashfire switched out for the Scutum Kyutama and projected a light blue shield of hard light energy in front of him. The beam bore against the shield, but did nothing to penetrate it. As it tried to intensify the ray, all that it ended up achieving was the shield reflecting the beam around the corridor, tearing through more of the hulls in the process. Suddenly, a barrage of pink energy shots bounced off the Deathworm’s back, with Jabari firing shot after shot from his pistol. “Hey, ugly! Yeah, I’m talking to you! Get away from the commander!” Jabari shouted, catching the creature’s attention. The Deathworm barreled towards Jabari, prompting him to let loose another string of shots. Knowing what would happen, the zorse used the Serpens Kyutama and let loose manifestations of silver snakes that swarmed the Deathworm. Jabari smirked. “You know, back in the Galaxy Garrison, everyone used to make assumptions about me, and they were mostly wrong ones. About how I was this little nerd who’d never amount to anything,” Jabari stated as a plan began to form in his mind. He knew of one thing exactly that could bite down on that thing’s hide and rip it in half. “They’re still wrong.” Mouthing something to Flashfire, the unicorn nodded and went for his comms. “Stripped, the teleportation system still up and running? Got a plan to deal with this thing!” “Not in the slightest, but buy me a bit of time and I’ll see if I can get it back up and running! Nimbus, give me a hand over here! This isn’t a one-pony job!” Stripped’s voice barked out. The Deathworm mounted another attack, and this time, he managed to grab hold of Jabari. He tried to shoot the shots from his blaster into the thing’s mouths, as it was clear that the hide wouldn’t be penetrated. As he went for the gun and tried to get a clear shot, however, the beast thrashed and flailed around as it tried to claw him apart, and his shots were diverted around the room. One light went, then the other, and before they knew it, the whole area was blanketed in total darkness. Neither of them could see anything, and all they could hear was the angry howling and thrashing of the Deathworm. Jabari and Flashfire ran for it, using the holographic map projected by the Pyxis Kyutama as their only guide through the maze of tunnels. The Deathworm continued to hound them, its’ cries and echoes ringing out through the darkened maze of tunnels. More and more parts of the ship were torn apart in the process. And once again, the reverb masked its’ position. It could have been right in front of them, or miles behind. “Okay, okay…” Flashfire muttered to himself. “Should be just around this next junction.” He turned as soon as the compass pointed to the left and with Jabari following and soon the two were in a small room that was basically the filtration control area of the ship’s pool. A small little hole filled with water was in front of them, and from behind came a screeching sound. “On three,” Flashfire said as he and Jabari morphed. “One, two, three!” he said, leaping into the pool with Jabari following. A crashing sound followed as the Deathworm entered, and Flashfire smirked. “Now, we’ve got you right where we want you…” he trailed off, before using the Andromeda Kyutama to bind the monster in thick unbreakable chains. “NOW!” A loud roar was heard, and the next thing the Deathworm knew was a set of razor-sharp teeth biting down on it, hard. The very distinctive teal-blue eyes of Crescendo glinted in the murky waters before she and her sisters pulled the creature apart with Jabari and Flashfire looking away not wanting to see what was happening. “Oh, she’s so getting fed a bucket load of Calamari after this, and a personal performance of Au Clair de la Lune from me and Bloody Rose.” Jabari thought to himself. Later that next day, the Rangers as ship repairs got underway, readied to fire the Cancer Cannon and retrieve Flurry and the others from whatever alternate universe they’d landed in. Suddenly, Stripped Gear began swearing profusely at the top of his lungs. “What? What is it?” Flashfire asked urgently, a small part of him beginning to panic. “Faust damn it all! That Deathworm knocked the targeting systems all out of whack! I can’t get a lock on the dimensional rifts!” Stripped exclaimed before a thoughtful expression cast itself upon his face. “At least… the ship can’t.” “Already ahead of you,” Flashfire smirked. “Voyagers, scramble! The AIs are still being rebooted, so we’re going to have to do this combination manually!” he ordered, as he teleported into his Voyager and was launched from the hanger being thrown back into his seat by the sheer force of the propulsion. Soon, parts began to shift and change as the Libra, Serpent, Bull and Eagle Voyagers attached themselves to ports on the Shooting Star Megazord and the Cancer Claw Cannon was teleported into its hands. “Locking on…” Flashfire said. “3, 2, 1… Fire!” he ordered, before the Megazord pulled the trigger and the power of all three Kyutamas used to create this cannon combined and fired a massive red claw of energy that pried open the wormhole once more. Flashfire let out a sigh of relief as he picked up a familiar signature. “Thank Faust, thought we’d never get in touch with you Princess!” Flashfire sighed in relief. “Whatever you’re doing, best you drop it ‘cause we can only hold this portal open for so long! I was never worried of course, but-” “Liar, he was pacing back and forth in his quarters for hours!” Jabari’s voice chimed in. “S-Shut up!” Flashfire stammered out, his face turning pink. Soon, he let out a sigh of relief as he saw the distinctive forms of the Chameleon, Wolf and Draco Voyagers appearing through the wormhole and finally let himself relax. They were home. She was home. “So, anything interesting happen while we were gone?” Flurry had to ask, raising an eyebrow at the Megazord holding what looked to be a massive cannon. “Well…” Flashfire trailed off as he and Jabari shared a look. Author's Note Okay, first off huge thanks to Shadowmane PX-41 for his help on the final stretch of this chapter, the one that's one big walking homage to the Aliens franchise. Actually, I should mention this chapter takes place alongside his Equestrian Rangers chapter, "The Stars Align" which details what Flurry and the others were up to. Go read it if you haven't already. Link below. https://www.fimfiction.net/story/368556/13/equestria-rangers/the-stars-align-crossover-with-the-bricklayer Anyways, aiming for a Flashfire focused chapter here, although I admit Jabari got quite a bit of focus as well. Not sure if he stole the spotlight or not. That's up for you to decide, really.
Part 10: Into the MistsThe Shining Armor Groaning, Flashfire flopped himself down into his bed, not even bothering to undress himself. He’d just been out a meeting with the rest of the important members of the ship’s crew in Flurry’s ready room. The Equestrian Star, damaged from cannon blasts. Same story with the Orion, the Piercing Arrow, and the Solar Radiance. And that wasn’t counting the internal damage the Shining Armor itself had suffered thanks to the Deathworm’s rampage. While it never actually got control over the ship per say, this particular breed of creature seemingly had a natural electric current running through it’s body. Threw it’s tendrils in various primary systems, overloaded them and made everything go haywire. “Damage report coming up now,” the Twilight-AI told him. “You want me to put it up onscreen or…” “Stave it off till tomorrow, I’m exhausted really. Merde, we all are with all these repairs that need to be done. Stupid, silly mistake investigating those Deathworm eggs like Sherlock Hooves wannabees, even stupider to bring one onboard,” Flashfire grumbled, with the Twilight-AI running her fingers through his mane in a comforting manner. “We got lucky, no other way of saying it. We just got lucky that we managed to stop that one that got aboard thanks to our own stupidity, and even luckier that we had the good sense to grab only one of those and not the whole cache.” “Stupidity?” the Twilight-AI questioned. “Was it really? Because Deathworms, and this is only a theory mind you given what I’ve seen so far, but Dark Matter seems to have complete and utter control over the species. How do you know those eggs weren’t left out there for us? I mean, the Doctor said we’ve got assassins after us now, how do you know they didn’t plan on banking on our curiosity?” “...That makes me feel slightly better, but not by much. I mean, we still brought the damn things aboard right?” Flashfire asked before getting up out of his bed and going over to a replicator and asking for coffee, black. Taking a sip of his drink, and thanking Celestia it hadn’t been replaced with a plant or something like he heard Coldcast’s alcohol had a few days before. Some of the synthesizing machines still were on the fritz apparently. Another job for the chief engineer. If the gal wasn’t so quiet and didn’t like him so much, Flashfire suspected she’d have honestly exploded at him by now. And broken food and drink synthesizers weren’t the only problems. Just a few hours ago, he’d been witness to an argument between the chief medical examiner and his drafted nurse in Spada. “The knitter isn't working!” Lightspeed had shouted at the Changeling in a bout of frustration while helping an engineer who’d been caught in a small accident not that long before. “Try a splint, then,” Spada had suggested, only to receive a look of confusion. “A splint?” the dark red stallion mouthed. “Yes, a splint. It's a very ancient concept. Honestly, by the Hive Mother I wonder how you got appointed without basic knowledge of older medical practices,” Spade snapped in frustration, before taking a deep breath. “You take two flat pieces of wood or plastic, a bandage. The broken limb is kept immobile. I’ve had to do this a few times back on Equus in my hive with a few of the younger grubs at times when they broke something. Crude yes, but it’s effective enough and all we got till medical bay systems are repaired.” he continued, with Lightspeed giving him a bewildered look. “That's crazy! That's not practicing medicine!” he exclaimed, with Spada facepalming and then making a noise of frustration muttering under his breath about how ludicrous it was a simple cook was more qualified for this job right now than someone who learned actual medicinal practices. Needless to say, tempers and nerves were at an all-time high. What Flashfire suspected was everyone needing some time away from the ship to relax and unwind, but that was obviously impossible for multiple reasons. “Oh, yes it is! It's a time-honored way to practice medicine: with your head, and your heart, and your hands. So jump to it!” Spade had barked and Flashfire was snapped back to the present via Twilight’s voice. “Yes, you did, but you didn’t have any way of knowing they were alien eggs did you?” Twilight asked him with Flashfire grumbling out a reply as he went over his daily report that he was supposed to send to Flurry. “Get some rest, I’ll finish this up for you.” “No, no need. I’m supposed to do this damn thing anyways,” Flashfire replied, and Twilight chuckled. Flashfire gave the holographic projection a look. “What’s so funny?” he had to ask. Twilight stifled another giggle. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were romantically interested in my niece. I mean, you’re loyal to a fault to her, and you’re always striving to impress her.” Flashfire was rendered speechless for a few minutes, unable to ponder where the hell Twilight even got that assumption. It was just simple loyalty to one’s boss, that’s all it was. And striving to impress bit? That was a simple part of his nature, from a young age he’d always had this drive to be the best at whatever he set out to do, so much so that he often got called ‘Teacher’s pet’ more than a few times as he went through school. Not that he particularly cared, as he knew if he wanted to be one of the ones making it as a pilot for the long talked about and theorized Voyagers being just good enough to make it by would not be acceptable. No, he had to be one of the best of the best. That’s all there was to it. “For all the good it does, she’s practically unapproachable. And besides, even if I was interested in her, which I’m not,” Flashfire replied. “She’s so out of my age range it’s not even funny. I mean, she’s billions of years older than I am!” he proclaimed, and Twilight probably would have chuckled if she could read his thoughts. He was contradicting himself, and he knew it. He admitted if only to himself as saying it aloud would cause no end of remarks, that Flurry was, in fact, a very beautiful mare. So what if she was a bit stern? She had to be in her position, fooling around like an idiot -Stardust’s face popped into Flashfire’s mind about then- was quite unbecoming of a Princess. “Same could be said about Celestia when I started dating her…” Twilight reminded him. “Age is but a number for immortals right?” “...Since when did this become a discussion about my romantic life?” Flashfire asked. “This was supposed to be a discussion about damage reports!” “I heard no discussion of the kind,” Twilight replied with a small smirk. “But, alright. I’ll oblige you and stop nagging at you about this. Instead, I have other suggestions. Stripped wanted me to inform you that there’s this very dense nebula nearby, gases so thick that any sensors on Dark Matter ships would find it impossible for them to breach it. Would make a good hiding spot till repairs are completed on the colony ships. Worth a thought.” “I made an error in judgment, Twilight. It was short-sighted and it was selfish, all just to satisfy my own curiosity. Our own curiosity. And now all of us are paying for my mistake,” Flashfire muttered. “So yeah, it’s more than worth a thought to entertain. I’ll send this up the ladder to Flurry and Stardust, ask them to direct the ships to that nebula and chart a course for it. For the next few days, that’ll be our little hideaway, and once repairs are complete we’ll make a break for the next system,” Flashfire remarked, writing this down on his datapad for the daily report. “Bring the nebula up onscreen, will you? I want to see just what we’re getting ourselves into.” Twilight, pressing a few buttons brought up the nearby nebula on a nearby viewscreen. It was a beautiful sight really, dark swirling clouds of midnight blue and purple hues that dwarfed the massive colony ships, perfect for them to hide in with nobody being the wiser. So transfixed by it’s beauty was he, Flashfire was deathly silent for the next several minutes. “...Something wrong?” Twilight asked, laying a hand on his shoulder. “No, it’s nothing,” Flashfire replied, with a small smile and a shake of the head. “It’s just so… Well, I don’t know how to describe it properly, except perhaps elegant. But no time for gazing at the scenery porn, we’ve got a job to do.” “No,” Twilight replied. “I’ve got a job to do, your job is to get some rest. You’re exhausted, and there’s no room for a tired commander in the Paladins, so get some sleep and whatever plans you have, we’ll go over with them in the morning.” “But-” But Twilight was having none of it, and she simply pressed a finger to his forehead and in almost an instant Flashfire fell back into his bed eyes closed and snoring softly. Twilight smiled, before shutting out the lights and dispersing herself. That next morning, in the ready room Flashfire made a radical proposal. He’d been thinking about this all throughout breakfast, and had come to the conclusion that it was the only possible viable scenario. “I think it’s time we start looking into other options,” he remarked, with Flurry, Stardust and the other Paladins looking at him. “Other options?” Stardust asked. “Please elaborate.” “Think about it,” Flashfire commented, gesturing to the nebula outside. “For the time being, we may as well be sitting ducks. Our ships are damaged, and we don’t even know if hiding in this nebula will work.” “Twilight’s ran the calculations,” Stardust replied. “She says that Dark Matter’s sensors shouldn’t be able to penetrate any of this.” “Yes, but she’s only using calculations based on what we know so far,” Jabari pointed out, seeing exactly where Flashfire was going with this. “I mean, those ships we encountered in Lupus’ fleet? Hellishly powerful and frighteningly dangerous yes, but for all we know Dark Matter may have even more powerful ships with even more advanced sensors. For all Twilight knows, for all we know, we could be just sitting at the tip of the iceberg. They could find us, as I doubt they’re particularly happy about us blowing one of their rulers to space dust,” he agreed. “We need to start forming a coalition, gather allies if only for our own safety as we travel across the universe. And fight back against Dark Matter.” “Wait, wait…” Fågel piped up, the parrot looking uncharastically nervous. “I’m one for kicking ass, but who died and appointed us guardians of the universe? I mean, we’re just five ships and a couple hundred starfighters plus two mecha against 87 Galaxies worth of tyrants. We got lucky the first time, who’s to say the second will be the same?” “Exactly, 87 galaxies worth,” Flashfire stated. “Now, call me crazy, but isn’t in the job description of the Element of Kindness to free people from a cruel dictator? Hell, isn’t it in the job of any Element of Harmony to save Equus and her allies? Our planet may be gone, but it’s just a ball of rock and dust in the end. Equus is a people, and apologies in advance if I sound preachy here like some sorta cosmic messiah but our job as Element Bearers and embodiments of the Magic of Friendship is to extend that idea to other races, and stop evil wherever it hides. Am I not wrong?” he asked. A silence permeated the room for several odd minutes, but finally, it was broken when Flurry nickered. “May be the damn death of us as a race, but…” she sighed before pressing a button on her chair opening up a comm channel to Summer Afterglow, the Kirin in charge of navigations. “Summer, find us the nearest inhabited planet, I’d like to know who we share our galaxy with.” “On it!” a perky feminine voice cried. “Seems there’s this planet, Vera it’s called in the local tongue. Water world for the most part, detecting a few villages on the coastlines. Not much, but could be worth a look.” “Okyu then,” Flashfire piped up, before internally groaning at his usage of that terrible pun before groaning some more as Stardust gleamed. “Prepare an away team. Spada, Stripped, Doctor, you’re with me. Doctor, I’m going to need you as a guide, you’ve faced the Dark Matter Empire, what are we likely to expect?” “Planets, they’re ruled by the local Magistrates placed there by Karōs. Your basic oppressive tyrant, designed to do anything they can to keep the locals in line. Of course, now that the Karō is dead,” he commented, with both him and Coldcast sharing a smirk. “Things have likely devolved into chaos, with the Magistrate trying to do anything and everything in his power to show he should be next in line for ruling this Galaxy.” “Well, we’ll just have to knock him off his pedestal won’t we?” Stripped remarked. “Count me in, always up for a good explore!” “Well then, you heard the man,” the Doctor exclaimed. “Let’s get to our Voyagers and start extending the hand of friendship eh?” As they walked to the hanger bay, the Doctor searched through his memories as to who might have been the local Magistrate. “Okay… Okay, Planet Vera. Goneshi, if things haven’t changed should be the one manipulating things down there. Just look for the guy dressed like a scuba diver, that'd be the one. He’s easy enough to spot.” the Doctor remarked. “Very egotistical. He loves to be in charge. It’s all about him, in his mind.” “Ah, the narcissistic type,” Stripped remarked. “Should be easy enough to take care of, we’ll just hold up a giant mirror and ask him to look at himself before we blast him.” “Oh, if it were only so easy…” the Doctor remarked as he entered his Voyager’s cockpit and began bringing systems online with presses of buttons. “He’s narcissistic like any good dictator yes, but far from stupid. You don’t rule over an entire planet’s populace by getting stupid. Chances are, he’s likely holed up in his ship which he’s placed somewhere out of sight. I’ve run into this guy before, on another planet. His distinctive appearance makes him easy to find, so he hides and controls things on a planet from the shadows through various means. One time, it was a puppet ruler. Rassilon only knows what he’s doing this time.” “Well, whatever it is,” Flashfire remarked. “We’ll just have to put a stop to it. All Rangers, call in. Cerberus Seagreen ready.” he stated, as engines began to fire up with a whir and a hum. “Libra Gold ready. Allons-Y!” the Doctor proclaimed “Dorado Yellow, ready,” Stripped put in. “Switching on marine armaments. Harpoons and depth charges at the ready.” “Chameleon Green ready,” Spada put in. “Commander, I assume you want me to extend my Voyager’s cloaking field to the other ships so we don’t arouse suspicion?” “Mhmm,” Flashfire nodded as the bay doors open. “Now, engage.” With that, all four ships rocketed out of the Shining Armor and their pilots readied themselves for whatever was to come. Almost as soon as the foursome entered the atmosphere, vision became more or less a fantasy as surrounding the four ships on all sides was a thick heavy fog, probably created thanks to the planet’s natural weather patterns. With a small yelp, Flashfire maneuvered his Voyager just in time to avoid smashing his ship into a mountain peak. “All scanners, set to wide range. Radar, give us a map of the area!” Stripped said. “Echolocation activated, plugging in Delphinus Kyutama for full maximization of their abilities,” As the unicorn activated his Kyutama along with everything else onboard, a wave of energy from the Swordfish Voyager was projected, and a map of the area around them, mountains included was projected allowing safe passage through the fog-covered terrain. “Okay, seeing a safe spot for us to set down just a few clicks ahead. There’s a village nearby as well, I’d say we talk to the natives. Figure out what’s going on here.” “I agree,” the Doctor put in as the scale-themed Voyager set itself down. “Vera, it’s known for it’s crystal clear waters and yet what I’m detecting can only be described as sludge. Something’s polluting this place, and I have a sneaking suspicion as to what…” “Goneshi?” Flashfire asked, and the Doctor gave a grunt of confirmation. “Well, least we know he’s around.” the unicorn continued as the group made their way down a mountain pass to the coastline, where a small village had been set up with the buildings made out of a combination of various gathered stones and wooden logs. Various fish-like creatures -Vaguely reminding Flashfire of the inhabitants of Klugetown- were gathered around a small altar, praying to some sorta god. “...First alien civilization we meet, and it’s crap,” Stripped muttered, before the Doctor slapped him over the head. “Oi, be nice eh? You really need to stop setting your expectations so high! Not every civilization is going to be high-rise buildings with technology beyond your own. Some of these, just starting to walk!” “Doc’s right,” Spada remarked. “I mean, take what you’re given. Personally, I think standing on the shores of another world, quite literally in this case, is just eccezionale!” “You lot are so easy to please…” Stripped huffed, crossing his arms. “Now say, what’s going on here? Can’t be praying for rain, now can they? Place is wet enough as it is, really…” “Well, let’s just keep quiet and listen, shall we?” Flashfire asked, gesturing for everyone to take cover behind a rock as a low moan echoed across the bay. Suddenly, from out of the mists came a truly massive form, a humpbacked creature with a long neck and a tiny head with two glowing yellow eyes. “...Okay, so what is that?” Stripped muttered while Spada crossed himself and murmured: “Dalla madre di Hive…” “Your tributes are not enough!” a deep voice bellowed from the creature. “How am I supposed to cleanse your seas if I am not well fed!” “I’m sorry, but the fish, we can’t catch enough of them thanks to these waters! What little we’ve given you on offer, that’s barely enough to feed you, let alone our families! Please Lord Dialos! Just… Just give us a little more time!” the elderly shark-like village chieftain pleaded, clutching onto his staff. “Your bargaining posture is highly dubious,” the creature remarked. “But very well, you have just one week to pay up, or I shall leave this place and never return…” he warned, before vanishing once more into the mists just as quickly as he’d appeared. “Some God…” Spada muttered in disgust. “Hardly the merciful sort! Asking for more food than they can provide, and then bidding them ciao if they refuse!” “Odd really,” the Doctor mused, rubbing his chin in thought. “I thought the people of Vera had grown past worshipping gods of any sort,” “Well, desperation drives ponies to do strange things, really,” Flashfire mused. “Their seas are filled with a toxic sludge, and from that they can barely find enough food to feed themselves so I suppose turning to prayer isn’t that odd… Still, I’d want to talk to the villagers, find out what’s truly going on around here. Shall we?” he asked, and nobody disagreed. “Quite. Allons-Y!” Their arrival was treated with whispers and fearful glances, some of the villagers pointing to Flashfire and Stripped’s horns and the whispers only increased, some beginning to think witchcraft was responsible for the poisoning of the seas. “People of Vela, we only come in good faith,” Flashfire said, mustering up all the diplomatic skills he’d been taught over the years. “I apologize for the sudden entrance, but really, we bring you no harm. Fact is, we wanted to talk actually.” “Or poison our waters even more!” one villager shouted, reaching for his trident but Flashfire didn’t flinch, and with a movement of his hand pushed it away. He didn’t look particularly perturbed at the bows and arrows aimed at him either. As ever, he kept cool and calm under pressure. No sense in panicking, considering if he did that in any situation -even one as minor as this- that panic might spread to his teammates. “I assure you, had nothing to do with that. Fact is, we’re just as curious as to what’s going on here as you are really,” Flashfire replied. “Name’s Flashfire Lulamoon of the starship Shining Armor and these are my friends Spada, Stripped Gear and the Doctor. Bit cold around here, is this normal for your planet?” “I apologize,” the village chieftain said. “You came at a really bad time of year, the wet season always brings rather chilly temperatures. Good for fishing the local waters, but not much else. Alas, we don’t even have that particular luxury now…” “Well, might be able to mend that if only a little,” Flashfire said, pulling out one of his personal favorite Kyutamas, -The other two being Andromeda and Lyra- a bright orange orb with a flame on it. This one used the powers of the Ara constellation and projected a hearth crackling with a warm flame. He looked towards Spada, with the yellow Changeling nodding and pulling out the Pisces Kyutama which created a massive fish and with a few quick movements of a kitchen knife he filleted it and began cooking it over a spit. “Never let it be said that I don’t try to help those in need.” “How…?” the chieftain asked as the villagers gasped in awe. Stripped’s eyes narrowed slightly, it always struck him as odd that Flashfire favored Kyutamas to perform tasks like lighting a fire, teleporting in a fish or binding something in iron chains when all of these things could easily enough be done via simple spellwork. Fact was, he’d rarely seen Flashfire use magic compared to some of the other unicorns aboard the Shining Armor. Spada bowed. “Molto Bene, all in a day’s work for yours truly!” he proclaimed in glee, just soaking up the praise. “They’re called Kyutamas, they harness the powers of the 88 constellations. Not entirely sure how they work, you’d have to ask Stripped Gear over there for that,” Flashfire continued ignoring Spada’s showboating, and looked towards the coastline where Stripped was investigating the waters with a hand-held scanning device with the Microscopium Kyutama attached to it. Flashfire sighed and rubbed his temples. “I apologize, the man gets caught up with his work a bit too much at times.” The chieftain laughed. “It’s okay, I know the feeling. Why, when I was a young lad, I was the village’s chief hunter and was constantly devising new ways of catching food. Some ideas worked, some didn’t.” “So, what’s with the sea god thing?” the Doctor remarked. “Gotta ask. Been here once before, and as far as I remember you lot never prayed to any ‘Dialos’. Fact is, I’ve never even heard of this Dialos. I've seen fake gods and bad gods and demigods and would-be gods; out of all that, out of that whole pantheon I’ve never even seen or heard of this guy until today.” “Smart money’s on the would-be god…” Spada muttered to Flashfire, who only nodded. “Well,” Flashfire commented in return. “I’d be a fool to take that bet. Several kinds of fool really. But back to the Doctor’s original question, how’d this all start anyways?” he remarked, turning back to the village chieftain. “I mean, it’s not like you just woke up one day and found that your water was poisoned and started praying to some new god who just conveniently showed up out of nowhere?” he drawled. The chieftain's expression said it all, and Flashfire could only facepalm before muttering: “Tell people there's an invisible man in the sky who created the universe, and the vast majority will believe you. Tell them the paint is wet, and they have to touch it to be sure...” to himself. “There’s a famous saying, and that’s: “There’s a sucker born every minute.” To be frank sir, you are the sucker in this situation.” Flashfire remarked, and the chieftain seemed to think this over for a few minutes, before his eyes widened. “...No, no it can’t be.” the chieftain whispered. “Fear’s a very powerful motivator in the hands of a con artist. And I think that’s exactly what we’re dealing with here, a simple flim-flam artist,” Flashfire remarked. “Granted, he has a lot of style and showmanship but a con artist nonetheless who’s just using your fear to feed his lazy arse. All the warning signs were there, you just failed to heed them. Stripped, your scans please?” “Yes, yes…” Stripped remarked. “While I don’t have scans of the water molecules when they weren’t polluted, and I’ll have to go by the theory that all H20 molecules in the universe no matter the planet are the same here, the molecules I got from the water?” he commented, sucking in a breath. “Suffice to say they’re not exactly what you call pretty. Fact is, I compared them to the output of molecules put out by Dark Matter ships and the similarities are striking. Frightening even. There’s a Moraimarz out in those waters somewhere, and I know it. I’d stake my reputation on it.” “If what you’re saying is true, and we’ve all been had,” the chieftain spoke up, gesturing to his villagers and some alarmingly low caches of fish. “How do we stop this so-called god, unmask him in front of my people who I’m afraid are far more gullible than I am? You must understand, my reputation is on the line here, I was the first to believe in this guy and so they followed. Flashfire, Stripped, for all your wisdom, how can you help us?” For that, neither had an answer. Night came, and even as Spada continued to feed the villagers with fresh fish instead of the stuff that had been dredged up out of the polluted waters, Stripped and Flashfire sat on a hillside observing the village trying to come up with a solution to everyone’s woes. “Well, this is a predicament really, isn’t it?” Stripped remarked, as he leaned on the doorway of a small stone hut. “Obviously, we can’t just go up and blast the Moraimarz to pieces. Okay, we could, but if the Doctor’s right and I have no reason to doubt his credulity we’d have to take in the worry that the Moraimarz could assume its mecha form. And as there’s not enough Voyagers to form a mecha and thanks to the cloud cover we can’t send up a signal to the Armor for backup.” “Well, that’s the thing about the Moraimarz,” Flashfire remarked. “I’d assume like our Megazords it’d have to have someone inside it for the Moraimarz to assume a mecha form. So, if we could draw Goneshi -as really, who else could it be?- away from his ship then you could go and take the Swordfish Voyager and blast the Moraimarz to pieces with depth charges, torpedos or whatever you would wish to use,” he continued, rubbing his temples. “But there’s our second problem, isn’t there? The chieftain. If we did this, we’d just ruin his reputation amongst his villagers.” “Bah, who cares?” Stripped remarked. “In my honest to Faust opinion, If we had to earn our age by thinking for ourselves at least once a year, only a handful of people would reach adulthood. I thought that about our planet, seems to hold true for the rest of the universe as well eh? They, and by that I mean those damn villagers, learn to need to think for themselves instead of just following the whims of whoever comes their way. They’ve fallen for one false god before, who’s to say they won’t again? Look, I get that they need a village leader to guide them through the hard times, but treating him like a god? Mite foolish if you ask me. Of course, let’s talk about the real problem here, and that’s namely you.” Stripped remarked, turning to look at Flashfire. “...Okay, how can I be the real problem?” Flashfire replied eyes narrowed. “You’ve been put under a lot of pressure lately. Between this bout of foolishness, the deathworm and leading a militia of freedom fighters? Surprised you haven’t cracked like an egg,” Stripped remarked. “You know, I could relieve some of the pressure if you want…?” “If you’re talking about rutting me hate to say it but I view you as just a friend man,” Flashfire remarked. “Try Jabari though, pretty sure he’s gay given he opted to be the Pink Ranger,” the unicorn deadpanned, and Stripped burst out laughing. “Well, dunno why your mind automatically gravitated to me rutting you, that’s something for the ship’s consular not me, but what I was talking about was taking over as leader of the Paladins, if only for a little bit,” “You?” Flashfire laughed. “You’d be too stuck up in your lab to lead a militia force, you’d be thinking over plans for days before even launching an attack on Dark Matter!” he scoffed and Stripped burst out laughing in return. “And here I thought you were too tightly wound to even have a sense of humor. But you’re right, too thinky to actually be much of a leader and concoct battle plans on the fly if need be. We’d need someone with the right amount of brains, but someone who’s still crazy and determined enough to do something stupid if need be. But that doesn’t detract from my point,” Stripped remarked. “You’re under way too much pressure, far more than any pony should be put under. Everyone’s just looking to you for answers half the time, and I’m just afraid there’ll come a time when you won’t have any.” “...And you’re probably absolutely right as always,” Flashfire muttered, wringing his hair in frustration. “You’re right, everyone’s constantly looking towards me for an answer and merde, one day I probably will crack like an egg under all of it. I’m supposed to be the calm, cool, collected leader of the Paladins, not this guy who’s possibly tipping towards the edge of insanity. Barely get a chance to relax, and be myself. No, I always have to be on call, 24 hours a day. Don’t know how Flurry manages it, don’t know how Stardust manages it but they pull it off and they’ve got even bigger responsibilities than I do!” “Like I said, that’s where the shadow leader comes in,” Stripped replied. “Now, I don’t mean me, but find someone you can trust explicitly and delve off some of your duties to them. A Number One, if you will. You’re Flurry’s Number One, who’s to say you can’t have one of your own?” “I’ll… I’ll think on it,” Flashfire admitted. “But for now, we have a problem to solve. How can we get old fishface far enough away from his ship for you to go in and blow it out of the water?” he asked, before snapping his fingers in remembrance of an earlier portion of the conversation. “False gods, that’s it!” “...Okay, I’m a genius, and even I admit I’m not following you.” Stripped remarked. “Think about it, if this guy wants to keep up appearances as a god, how would he react if these villagers got themselves someone new to worship? Like, say, a hero from beyond the stars…?” Flashfire said, pressing a button on his belt that ejected a Kyutama. One yellow in color, with a crown on it, Flashfire idly tossing it up in the air. “Okay, I like the way you’re thinking, but how are you going to get the villagers to follow you? They believe Dialos is a god, their true god. Their savior even!” “Just leave that to me, I just have to expose Dialos for the charade he is, and the whole thing should come crumblin’ down.” “Veleens,” Flashfire sneered in a mocking tone, wearing a crown atop his head and red robes around his body. He grabbed a large piece of fish off of a nearby table and ripped it in half, placing the two halves on either side of his muzzle. “You all act the same—” his accent was forced, thick, and brought immense shame to everyone of the nationality tenfold— “always so predictable and filthy in the ways you act. You destroy, loot, pillage, and track dirt across the carpets you spend thousands of hours just to make!” He threw the fish to the side and flopped onto his back. “My, this is ever so lush! Did you make it with the hide of your wife’s boyfriend?” A deafening silence befell the village, with some of the onlookers blinking and at least one cough shattering it all for a brief moment. Flashfire felt his mind race. Clearly desperate times call for desperate measures. He bolted upright and looked around, his eyes eventually landing on a solid gold idol of the one he hated the most. With a forced, exaggerate trot, he approached it and glanced down at it. A smirk etched itself onto his face as he turned around. The onlookers gasped. Some proceeded to faint. One of them vomited. At least two children cried. The elderly fled, leaving clouds of dust in their wake. The chieftain looked on, with this unreadable expression on his face. “Flashfire, I hope you know what you’re doing…” he thought. “I love the relief one feels after a long day of work.” “You’re pissing on the idol of Lord Dialos,” an onlooker said. “It’s the Equestrian way,” Flashfire remarked before thinking to himself: “Come on Stripped, better hurry on up here and find Goneshi’s ship, this is about the most vulgar five minutes of my life I’ve ever spent, and I’m about to die of embarrassment here!” Far below the coastline, Stripped inside the Swordfish Voyager was scanning the waters for anything that even resembled a Moraimarz, until finally his ship’s sensors pinged wildly and the unicorn smirked before firing a set of twin torpedos at the massive ship just as he saw a figure swim away from it. Above, Lord Dialos had made his appearance, humpbacked creature form and all. “You petulant fool!” His voice tore through the air, sending many of those that looked on in awe flying back. Not Flashfire though. He stood proudly, a comically large smile on his face. He adjusted his crown and cleared his throat. “That’s God-King Petulant Fool to you, oh-glorious false one!” He walked up to Dialos, thanking the stars for the many hours he’d done practicing theatre. “Bow before the one-true false one!” Dialos furrowed his brow. “You dare call me a false god!?” he roared. “You shall die like the rest who have called me a false-false god!” Flashfire sidestepped out the way of Dialos’ false flipper, brushing off any dust that had landed on it from the false one’s destructive attack. “No!” he proudly proclaimed once his cloak as pristine as his toothy grin. “I am the true-false one and you’re the false-false one!” “Impossible!” Dialos barked. “I’m the true-false one and you’re the false-false one!” A sudden sensation of god-like stupidity overcame ‘Dialos’ as Flashfire smirked and raised his Kyuchanger and placed a sea-blue Kyutama in it. Firing a stream of water from his weapon, Flashfire aimed the stream at ‘Dialos’. From his hiding place in on of the village huts, the Doctor now noted the Corona Borealis Kyutama had been swapped out for one depicting a river, probably that of Eridanus. “...Did Stripped really make a Kyutama for every one of the 88 modern constellations?” the Doctor whispered to Spada, who only shrugged. “He’s a scientist, even they get bored sometimes.” Spada shrugged, before he grimaced upon seeing Goneshi’s true form. That giant monster he first appeared as? Just a small little model atop his head, which was covered in some dripping pink goo that partially obscured his face. The rest of the creature’s body was covered in portholes, all sorts of tubing and the feet were two flippers, making him resemble a diver just as the Doctor had described. “...Mio Dio, there’s ugly and then there’s that.” “You're… You're no God!” Goneshi exclaimed in shock, desperately trying to keep up the rapidly failing ruse. “Veleens, seize this false idol!” But nobody was having any of it. “You're right,” Flashfire remarked as he threw off his robes and crown and resumed his normal tone. “And neither are you. Never been a fan of gods anyhow. Right raging pain in the ass. As for who I am, so glad you asked. Star Change!” “The Beast Star, Cerberus Seagreen!” “The Trick-Star, Libra Gold!” “The Shinobi Star, Chameleon Green!” “You know, for a god you made a pretty poor one. They're supposed to be subtle, moving in mysterious ways. Quite the contrary with you. You I found obvious, and moreover ostentatious and vulgar. Now…” Flashfire said, well aware of the irony behind his statement as he drew his Astral Blade. “Time to test your luck!” Goneshi pulled out a trident and swung it with the blow being blocked and Flashfire kicking the Magistrate in the stomach before leaping away as from out of the mists Spada struck with a few quick thrusts of his rapier. The piercing strikes landed, but Goneshi was quick to retaliate by catching the sword in the trident by letting it pass through a gap and twisting it. Spada simply kicked him in the stomach. Goneshi staggered back, only for Stripped Gear to leap out of the waters clad in his Ranger suit with a shortsword in hand and slash him across the back. “The Sword Star, Dorado Yellow! Four Stars shining in the Heavens, Space Squadron Kyuranger!” he cried. “Surprise! Your little Moraimarz, pumping out the pollutants and sucking this planet dry of its energy? Now just a scrap pile.” “Oh, really?” Goneshi pounded his chest with his hand before driving his trident tines across the ground towards Stripped, lightning following with it. “Well, soon, you’ll be joining it!” Spada jumped in, and used the Scutum Kyutama to create an energy shield to block the lightning. Flashfire met the swung trident with his blade, turning back to look at the villagers, bolts of electricity spitting off across the ends of his blade as the trident continued to strike it. “Not to point any fingers, but this is a false god. If anything, it’s another one of Don Armage’s monsters,” Flashfire said to the villagers as he continued to fend off the lightning strikes. “Now, if that completely throws your beliefs and religions on its’ head, then I’m sorry. But as a Kyuranger, I’m just doing my job in keeping the universe safe. And that means I have to slay your heretic,” He bashed the hilt of his blade into the monster’s face, causing it to tumble backwards. “You’re not upset about that, are you? Listen, I should know a thing or two about flim-flam artists or ponies with a flare for showmanship, my whole family lineage consists of them. Stage magicians really, but the principle is the same. Wow you with a bit of dazzle, and maybe take you for all you’re worth. That’s what Goneshi was doing here, polluting your waters, and taking whatever fish you had left for himself.” “I’m no fake! I’m as real as you or him!” Goneshi gestured to Spada, spitting a miniature spark out at his chest, only for Spada to reveal he was just an clone conjured up by the Gemini Kyutama. “And trust me, this pain you’re about to feel is real too…” He twirled the trident around and slammed it into the ground, sending a web of lightning across the ground. Suddenly, a flurry of rapier strikes hit Goneshi, the real Spada leaping out of the mists before roundhouse kicking the Magistrate in the face. “Non oggi, idiota!” Spada exclaimed. “Look, don’t blame your chieftain for falling for any of this,” Flashfire said, as he fired several energy blasts from his horn at Goneshi before striking him with a Regulus Impact. “He’s as fallible as any of the rest of us here, he can make mistakes. If anything you should be blaming this guy. He’s the real trouble-maker here. He works for Don Armage, the Emperor of Dark Matter. Do you wanna worship someone who works for an evil emperor?” He smirked under his helmet when the villagers all pointed their bows at the monster. “There you go. Now, everyone’s got some common sense around here,” He said to himself. “Now, let him have it, everyone!” Flashfire leaped up in the air as the Monoceros Drill replaced his left arm while his team aimed their Kyuchangers at him. “All-Star Crash!” Stripped shouted, as he, along with the Doctor and Spada fired three energy beams at Goneshi making him stagger backwards towards the seas before Flashfire in a blur of energy shoved the Monoceros Drill right through Goneshi’s chest, piercing a massive hole in it before kicking him off the cliff. “Looks like I’m sunk! But soon, rangers, you will be too!” Goneshi roared before he fell into the sea causing a massive plume of it to erupt as he landed in the waters. “Yeah yeah, tell it to someone who cares. But I’ve got a message for your boss. We will take the universe back!” Flashfire shouted as Goneshi went up in an explosion. Later, the village chieftain met up with the crew of the Shining Armor as it hovered overhead. “I’m… I’m so sorry we had to drag you into our mess, we should have seen Goneshi for what he was sooner,” the chieftain apologized, bowing his head in shame. “It seems, even this old shark can be fooled just like the rest…” Flashfire laid a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, like I said the man had a lot of showmanship and he preyed upon you at your most desperate hour. Hell, even I admit I probably would have been fooled. He was that good.” “I… I just wish there was one small thing we could do to repay you.” the chieftain murmured and Flashfire looked thoughtful. “Well, you’re not the only ones under Don Armage’s heel. How’d you like to help save the universe?” The chieftain smiled. “Yeah, I think I’d like that.” he said as behind him, various squid-like fightercraft rose up from behind his village. Author's Note Okay, first off, huge thanks to Shadowmane for the fight scene, and another thank you to Vertigo for dragging himself out of retirement just for the moment of Flashfire going completely over the top in terms of acting like he did. Now, should point out this series will be continuity heavy, with each chapter building off a previous one. But like Silver-Quill says... So... Yeah. Anyways, comments, thoughts, speculation, and critique are always welcomed.
Part 12: ScarsAuthor's Note Okay... Trickey subject matter ahead, and I really am not sure if I dealt with it correctly but... Anyways, huge thanks to both Vertigo and Shadowmane for helping to write the flashback scenes with Pharynx. Part 12: Scars “Oh, now that is paradise…” Stripped Gear commented from inside the safety of his Voyager’s cockpit as he gazed out at the planet in front of him. Covered in massive cities and equally if not more so industrial parks, there wasn’t a single green spot to be found on the entire planet. It was devoted solely to production and development. This was the exact reason why when Flurry and Stardust learned of the place, they had ordered Stripped along with Pharynx and the Doctor to travel to this planet Zigama being its name so they may possibly form an alliance with the locals. If that could be accomplished, maybe from what the Doctor had told them, the locals would be all too happy to repair the battered colony ships. Two massive mechanical rotating rings surrounded the planet, both housing cities of their own if the Doctor’s information on them was to be believed. “For you and your wet dreams maybe,” Pharynx grumbled. “Me, I hate the cities, and I hate industry. Now, I’m no tree hugging hippie, but a place like that? Makes me feel cramped really. “ “Didn’t the Changelings have any sort of technology?” Stripped Gear inquired. “Or did you just use whatever you found?” “No, the Changelings were hardly an industrious race, we didn’t ‘make’ anything for ourselves, any technology from any races we ran across we just assimilated and re-worked for our own usage. The ultimate consumers, some of us were called,” Pharynx replied. “Now, onto more important business. Doctor, the local Magistrate? What do we know about him?” “Bringing him up on-screen now, and transmitting all necessary data to your Voyagers,” the Doctor replied, pressing a few buttons inside the Libra Voyager’s cockpit, and soon both Pharynx and Stripped paid witness to the hologram of one very fat reptilian creature with attire and armor resembling the burial mask of the ancient Baladi ruler Tutankhamun. A wine glass was held in one of his hands. “Yes, I know he’s an ugly one, but what were you expecting? A handsome brute? Anyways, if there’s one word that you could apply to this guy, it’d be the Deadly Sin of Greed. Why? Well, this guy right here thrives on stripping planets of their wealth and leaving the inhabitants to fend for themselves on what little they have left.” Pharynx let out a hiss of anger, sounding almost like a snake poised to strike fittingly enough. “Bet he just sits around on his golden throne rolling in money doing nothing, and just has his servants bring him whatever he desires, am I correct?” he asked in a tone of barely disguised disgust. “Yeah, that’d sound like him. He’s a disgusting fellow, to say the least,” the Doctor growled. “Greed, it’s a curious thing. It plunges a man deep into the mire of this world, so that he makes it to be his god, as one fellow once so elegantly put it.” Pharynx sighed to himself even as the three Voyagers entered the planet’s atmosphere. “Something wrong?” Stripped asked in a tone of concern. “You’re not… reminded of how the Changelings used to be are you?” Pharynx let out another sigh. “Can’t believe I’m letting you play shrink to me and get inside my head, but yeah. This guy… Reminds me far too much of how the Changeling race used to be, we took far more than what we ever actually needed everywhere we went. Left entire civilizations bare and dry to the bone. You think the Badlands were always a desert dry to the bone? No, before we came along they were a thriving location, a virtual paradise till Queen Chrysalis stripped the place of everything it had in just a few short decades, less than thirty years. And I helped her do so proudly. That’s… That’s why I’m so intent on dethroning this guy. Repentance for my own sins.” “I… I understand all too well, I’ve got my own sins I have to pay the piper for someday,” the Doctor remarked in a sympathetic tone. “That’s why I’ll gladly help you with anything you need, Pharynx.” “T-Thank you.” Pharynx whispered, and if a single tear dripped from his eye he wiped it away before anyone could notice. Equestria, six billion odd years ago. A burning village, black insectoid creatures sucking inhabitants dry of any love they had in them and cocooning them aboard massive airships to store them away for further meals at a later date. Ponies that were trying to flee the scene were swiftly shot down by green bolts, launched by the insectoids. The process was repeated ad infinitum, until all of the screams had been silenced. The other insects that weren’t attacking the citizens were tearing through the buildings and houses, physically, and with their own bombardment of ooze-coloured lasers. As the population dwindled, the settlement did as well, with gnarled and charred wood littering the ground, turning into ash mere moments later. The waters and air were soon plagued with the stench of death, as the remnants of the battlefield that was one a village painted the scene. “Your majesty. The town has been entirely destroyed. Not a single pony remains.” Pharynx stood before his queen and bowed loyally, hand on chest. “As for their love, it all but belongs to us. Soon, they’ll be nothing more than empty husks, free to do with as you see fit. “Very good, Pharynx,” The queen chuckled softly and coiled her fingers together. “This should prove to that fool Celestia that her ponies cannot survive on friendship and magic alone. If you want to defend yourself, you have to fight all those who dare to impede your progress; using whatever means necessary.” Lust, that could characterize Chrysalis down to a T, she wanted it all. Pharynx smiled, his fangs bared, before he heard the sound of soft whimpering coming from an alleyway. Another victim for his kind. He slunk away and tore through whatever debris the noise was hiding behind, revealing a small filly, who let out a very high-pitched and ear-piercing scream at the sight of him. For a brief moment, Pharynx had second thoughts. This filly had done nothing wrong, so why should he harm her? He reached out a hand to touch her, try to comfort her in his own way. But as he did so, the soldiers by his side quickly tackled her and scooped her out of his reach, proceeding to drain her of her love and spirit her away to the ship above. “That’s one of the sneaky little traits of these ponies. They will do anything to get themselves out of trouble; regardless of who they are, what they do, or how they choose to survive,” Chrysalis watched as the girl was lifted skyward. “We are not ponies, Pharynx. We never will be ponies. Don’t ever let yourself become distracted by their tactics. It looks bad for you, and it could arouse suspicion that could send my hive into a frenzy.” “But… But she did nothing wrong!” Pharynx stated in shock, only to be slapped across the face. “That’s what they all do. Princess Celestia did all the wrong things when she exiled us. Ponies, despite what they say about us are the real evil in this world,” She hissed, her tongue licking his ear canal sadistically making Pharynx tingle in anticipation for what he knew was to come soon. “You are not a pony, Pharynx. You are a good man; a loyal Changeling, under my rule. Don’t have second thoughts now. I wouldn’t want my best soldier losing his resolve, now would I?” she asked in a seductive tone, stroking his chin. “Of… of course not, my Queen. My fault entirely,” He hung his head and bowed once more. “Anyway, what are your orders now?” “To the next town, raze it dry, suck the inhabitants of every inch of their love!” Chrysalis ordered as her Changelings chittered in excitement. “Do you hear me? Every inch! Bleed them dry!” “How many towns do you think we need to destroy before we’re ready to challenge that tyrant Sun Princess?” A drone asked, with a malicious grin on its’ face. “Several, maybe several dozen. I don’t care, as long as there are some ponies left for me to use as my personal playthings. I hear there’s a wedding coming up,” Chrysalis remarked, returning that grin ten-fold revealing a maw of razor-sharp vicious looking teeth. “I say we… gate-crash it hmm?” “Weddings. They’re full of love, aren’t they?” Pharynx’s ears twitched at the sound of the Queen’s orders. “Where is this wedding, your majesty?” “Why, over at Canterlot, of course. Where else?” Chrysalis pushed her hands together, hearing the bones in her fingers click. “Not only do we get to feast, but we also have a chance to put an end to that pretty precious Princess Celestia once and for all. Kill two rocs with one stone, I say. And with this hoard-” she gestured up to the flagship above her head “-she doesn’t stand a chance in hell of defeating us! Now onwards, my children, to Canterlot!” she roared as the Changelings took to the sky. “We’ve got gifts of our own to bestow to the blushing bride and her groom!” “Pharynx?” Stripped Gear’s voice asked as the three Paladins walked through the streets, snapping the Changeling King back to the present day. “Please tell me you’re there.” “Y-yes. I’m here, your Majesty.” Pharynx replied, out of pure reflex. He snapped out of his memories and looked up into Stripped’s eyes. “Sorry, I just zoned out for a second.” “If you say so…” Stripped murmured, not missing what the Silver Ranger had called him, but deciding not to comment on it. As he observed the city around them, Stripped sighed in what was an almost orgasmic pleasure. “See, what did I tell you? Heaven for a guy like me! Certainly an improvement over Vela I dare say!” The crew now stood in a titanic city; much larger than anything that they had ever seen before. It was almost like an entire mountain, made entirely out of metal, and pumped full of shops and streets; with people scaling it countless times. Large TV screens filled most of the gaps, and there were all sorts of people, from all walks of life and from all corners of the universe casually chatting to each other, sharing what stories and news they had. There were many more ships parked in the docks behind them, some of which made their Voyagers look minuscule by comparison. Nobles, fishermen, mechanics, and more came from the docks, gracing the city with their presence; all dressed in their usual attire and ready to do business with the inhabitants. “Ah, Zigama, it never does anything by halves.” the Doctor mused. “Well, at least we don’t stand out,” Pharynx deadpanned, gesturing to their jackets and comparing them to the rags and jumpsuits the civilians wore. “By the Hive Mother, at this rate, I fail to see how we’ll avoid notice!” “Well, only one thing for it then…” the Doctor remarked, gesturing for the group to follow. “Allons-Y!” As Pharynx and Stripped followed after the possible madman, Pharynx once again went into another flashback, into a grand city not too far removed from this one. Canterlot, its’ defences had been shattered like glass, thanks to the barrage of fire from the drones and their flagship. Orbital strikes and cannon blasts from the space-age ship laid waste to the castle, tearing down the roof in seconds, and causing the wedding guests to scatter; all except for one princess of the sun, and six other individuals. But pretty soon, they seemingly abandoned Celestia for their own accords, before Pharynx landed before them. “Ponies. Your princess, and as an extension; you are charged with the banishment of my queen, Chrysalis. I, Pharynx, have come to collect, and count up your sins before we rip your emotions straight out of your body.” He declared, pointing his gun at the six ponies before him. “Do you have any last words before my crew tears you to shreds?” “Canterlot will never fall, and your Queen, someday soon perhaps, she will learn to see the error of her ways.” Said the purple one, who would later go on to become one of the four princesses who died attempting to stop the sun from scorching the planet; Twilight Sparkle. “Look at you, acting all defiant. It’s cute. No really, I think I can practically feel the love coming to me right now.” Pharynx sadistically joked and primed his gun for a shot. “But as you can see, your princess has fallen, and so too has your kingdom.” He stretched his arms out, the Changelings demolishing many of the buildings behind him as if on command. “You have nothing to protect; nothing to defend. Nothing to DIE for. All you have left are your lives, and now, you forfeit them to the Changeling Empire!” He fired a powerful blast at Twilight Sparkle from his gun, striking her directly, and launching her back against the wall. “We… we will never quit, not as long as the Magic of Friendship exists.” Twilight coughed out, blood stains covering her fur and the tip of her horn. “You say that, but clearly-” The drones started to fire on the rest of her friends, causing them to scatter or try- and fail - to fight back “-You are weak. Undisciplined. And obviously, that friendship of yours you so love to preach about did not exist today. Your friends and even your beloved solar Princess, I seem to recall them abandoning you in your hour of need.” He stomped over to Twilight, grabbing her by the scruff of her neck. “You are not brave; in your command of your pony magic and pony ways-” he emphasized the words viciously “-you’ve simply forgotten the feel of defeat, failure, and death. Allow me to re-educate you…” His gun charged up for another shot. Pharynx shook himself free of those memories, he had work to do and he couldn't dwell on the past. Not now. He still felt guilty for those days, taking a whole city and being partial to almost bleeding it dry. He would not allow this ‘Gamettsui’ to do the same. As the threesome walked through the city, more signs of Gamettsui’s tyranny began to make themselves apparent. Various locals had collapsed in the street from pure exhaustion, just trying to make ends meet for their families at the factories. The Doctor’s eyes widened when he saw a green-scaled dog-like alien fall to his knees before he rushed over and helped the man up, dabbing at his face with a wet rag he’d pulled from his coat pockets. “Rassilon damnit…” the Doctor growled to himself as some medics rushed over with the alien (A Syrien if the Doctor remembered correctly) whispering hurried thank yous. The Doctor turned to his comrades. “Now do you see? Now do you see what Gamettsui is willing to turn this planet into just so he can satisfy himself and his abominable pleasures?” he growled out in fury before his voice turned into that of a hiss. “He’s not just that monster from under your bed or in your closet, he’s the real deal. Just like every other member of Dark Matter’s entourage. So get this straight through your head right now, once we start dealing with more and more of Dark Matter’s commanders and start freeing galaxies, there will be no turning back. But someone needs to stand up, show the galaxy that free will along with hope, laughter and all that comes with it still exists.” he stated, as his veins glowed blue and yellow briefly. If either Pharynx or Stripped Gear took notice, they said nothing. “Now,” the Doctor asked. “Are you with me?” “Yes, quite,” Stripped Gear stated. “It’s not even a question.” “Exactly. Now, what do monsters like Gamettsui have nightmares about?” Pharynx asked, fingering his Ophiuchus Kyutama. “Well, suppose we’ll just have to find out. If we’re lucky, the answer will be us eh?” he smirked devilishly. “I’ve robbed a few cities dry of their hope and everything that matters to them and I will have to pay the piper for that someday soon and face judgment. But in the meantime, I think it’s time I start returning the favor. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, yes? Well, it’s time we do unto Gamettsui and Dark Matter as a whole as they would do unto us.” “....You had something good going there, gotta say,” Stripped Gear remarked. “But that whole quoting the Golden Rule thing? Even if I agree with the sentiment, you sorta ruined your whole speech right there a little bit, just sayin’.” he stated, with the Doctor nodding. “Oh shut up…” Pharynx muttered before his eyes widened as he turned his attentions to a big rotating screen. On it, appeared the face of Gamettsui. Both Stripped and Pharynx winced. “...Now there’s a face only a mother could love.” Stripped murmured to himself, with the Doctor nodding. “Hello everyone, can you see me well enough?” Gamettsui asked before an Invader leaned into his ear and whispered something. “Oh, sorry, sorry! Let me pull back and then I can start this whole thing over again!” He snapped his fingers, and the camera pulled back to reveal Gamettsui sitting on his gilded throne, covered in the most lavish of jewelry with a mound of gold coins all around him, and a scantily-clad felid woman with maroon fur chained to his throne. An expression of obvious displeasure was on her face. “Wait a tick…” the Doctor muttered as his eyes went from the woman to a particularly sparkling piece of jewelry hanging around Gamettsui’s neck via a chain. “That’s Baroness Manx, and that’s the Eye of Bastet, said to be the envy of a thousand systems! Her personal treasure! It’s worth about the wages of the whole planet for an entire week, you’d have to fight tooth and nail -Quite literally in her case- to pry it away from Manx’s family!” “Evidently he did, Doctor,” Pharynx stated, master of the understatement noting the broken look on the former Baroness’s face. It was like she’d lost all hope. He growled, and clenched his fists hard enough to draw a bit of blood. “So you can add theft to his list of crimes.” “Okay, let’s try this again!” Gamettsui exclaimed and clapped his hands, clearing his throat as the camera turned to reveal several beautiful women, also clad in scanty clothing. “These lovely ladies you see before you -Quit drooling Megatsuyoindaver, I can see you from behind the camera!- are your former Baroness’s advisors. And now, they’re mine. Excuse me, allow me to correct myself. They’re going to be Dark Matter’s in just a few short moments as I’m holding an auction. See those ships gathering above?” Gamettsui asked, and everyone including the three Kyurangers looked up and saw a group of Dark Matter Moraimarz warping into orbit. “Well, they belong to some of my fellow Magistrates, who need some pleasure in their life if you know what I mean. Now, you can save these beautiful women if you manage to somehow outbid them, but I doubt it. So say your goodbyes!” “Okay,” Pharynx stated, slamming one fist against his palm. “If you want to stop me from doing something stupid, here’s your chance. Because I’m about to teach that little worm a lesson or two in respect. So, either of you two feeling moronic enough to try?” he asked, turning to Stripped and the Doctor, who simply shook their heads. “Nope, all I have to ask is… what’s the plan?” the Doctor asked, and Pharynx simply smirked. Pharynx’s plan turned out to be beautifully simple. The Doctor and Stripped Gear, in disguise as space pirate scum, would go to the auction and keep the guy in charge of it distracted while Pharynx himself dealt with Gamettsui. And if possible, rescue Baroness Manx. The Gold and Yellow Paladins had found themselves in a town square, amongst a crowd of alien space scum. Towering above them was the city skyline, comprised of massive factories and cleverly hidden amongst the machinery to the untrained eye, Gamettsui’s personal Moraimarz. “Can you gimme one thousand, one thousand! Can you give me two thousand, two thousand! I want a three thousand here, a three thousand!” the Strongindaver in charge of the whole shebang fired off at almost ludicrous speeds, continuously getting the crowd of Indavers and their bosses pumped up as they continued to cry for louder and louder pricing on for the women on display, both the Doctor and Stripped Gear chipping in just to keep on buying more time. “Four thousand, four thousand! Five, give me some five thousand here!” The Doctor, he was dressed in a long black button-up coat with goggles around his neck and his hair styled into a punk’s mohawk thanks to the Coma Berenices Kyutama. Stripped, he’d just opted for a simple brown cloak that covered his face and horn. Stripped cast a quick glance to one of the women, a light-blue felid wearing barely anything except a bikini that only just barely covered her extremities. He let out a nicker of displeasure at this debasement and looked at the Doctor. “I know,” the Doctor murmured. “I don’t like it either, but for the time being we’ve got to keep this going.” “Shame we can’t just take on all of these guys at once…” Stripped muttered, idly fingering the Corvus Kyutama attached to his belt. “Sure, it’s suicide but the chaos would allow those poor ladies up there to escape.” “Or get recaptured.” the Doctor pointed out. “Gimme a ten, and I repeat a ten thousand!” the Strongindaver shouted over the raucous of the crowd. “No, no! Bump that up to twenty thousand! Seriously, beautiful women like this going for cheap prices! No, no sir! Gimme a twenty thousand, a twenty thousand! Gimme a thirty thousand! A forty thousand!” he echoed as the cheers and shouts grew ever louder. “Come on Pharynx, surely it can’t take you this long to dethrone a madman. If I was doing this, it’d already been over within five minutes or so… Got to think up a plan here… Cause a bit of chaos…” the Doctor murmured to himself rubbing his chin as he did so, before he had a lightbulb moment and looked directly at Stripped. “How would you describe me, Stripped? Resourceful? Dynamic? Enigmatic?” “Incredibly pretentious. Disruptive. A plonker, a right pain in the arse and last but not least someone with no sense of fashion,” Stripped deadpanned before tilting his head. “Is that what you were asking for?” “No, but disruptive is what we need here eh?” the Doctor remarked before brushing past a bunch of Invaders and staggering onto the stage like a drunkard before shoving away the Strongindaver and taking the mic. “Doctor, what the Hell are you…?” Stripped trailed off, before he smirked. Of course, that would do it. A bit of confusion from the auction being disrupted by some seemingly unknown drunken space pirate, that would definitely buy Pharynx the time he needed. “Hello Detroit!” the Doctor said with a cheery wave as Stripped groaned and facepalmed. “This… This is Detroit right? I mean, it’s certainly a crappy enough planet filled with crime and corruption producing enough steel to probably count as Detroit! You get what I mean, right? Seriously, have none of you all been to Earth? Lovely place, always seems to attract the unwanted, although I’m not sure why. Bit dull really.” One of the Strongindavers under another Magistrate’s command -A Jersey Devil resembling creature called Denvil- ran up to the stage as the Doctor shouted: “Fight, fight! Fight for your right to party!” The Doctor was then shoved up against some barrels, and the Libra Kyutama in his pockets went flying free and landed in front of both Denvil and his bodyguards who all shared a look. “Oh for the love of Celestia…” Stripped muttered as he threw off his cloak and dropped the ruse as weapons were drawn and most of the Magistrates started heading for their ships in fear, having already heard what happened to Lupus. It seemed some of Dark Matter actually had some intelligence in it after all. Both the Doctor and Stripped shared a nod and slammed their Kyutamas in their Kyuchangers which as ever, proclaimed: “Say the Change!” “Star Change!” both Rangers shouted as they morphed in gold and yellow flashes of light respectively and the whole square erupted into chaos. Punches and kicks began to be thrown, and blades clashed as the Invaders and their commanders reached for their weapons. Stripped called out: “Dorado Impact!” as he swung his sword to create a quintet of yellow energy slashes that he hurled at a group of Invaders and Strongindavers destroying them in fiery explosions. Suddenly, the scorch of an energy whip hit Stripped’s back making him scream out in pain as Denvil laughed and lashed him a few times more with his whip. “Back off!” the Doctor shouted, and fired his Astral Crossbow twice making Denvil stagger as the Doctor helped Stripped up off the ground. “You alright?” the Doctor asked, and Stripped nodded weakly. The Doctor’s eyes narrowed under his helmet, he swore he could have seen Stripped’s back and spine comprised mostly of mechanical parts but as soon as he looked again there was only scorched fur. The Doctor blinked, maybe he’d only imagined it. Denvil snapped his fingers, and with a loud screech, a massive cycloptic form with a scorpion’s tail smashed through the crowd, twin arm blades of crackling blue energy springing out from its wrists. Denvil laughed, before with a finger snap he teleported out in a purple flash of light up to his ship. “Didn’t… Didn’t we destroy that thing? In fact, I specifically remember studying its parts and taking the Scorpius Kyutama from it!” Stripped shouted before he had a thought. “...Huh, I wonder if it remembers.” A swing from one of the arm blades that nearly cleaved Stripped in half answered his question. “...Yep, I’d say it remembers.” Stripped remarked as the Scorpius Drone’s eye glowed menacingly. “The Queen always loved me. I was the best at what I did. Admittedly, that was what every other drone I knew did. Infiltrate, pillage, kill, and protect the hive. Still, something of this scale was unprecedented if not unwelcomed. Canterlot. The heart of Equestria. A princess.” Pharynx pressed himself up against a wall. Three guards stood stoically down the hall. One taller, bulkier, and heavily armored towered in front of the other two. It was this one his eyes lay on. “My brother—the runt of the clutch—was always the quietest cheerleader of mine. His eyes lit up when I returned, only to sputter when the glorious stories of my achievements were told to the rest of the hive.” The guard gave a salute before turning around and marching down the hallway, his spear at the ready. “To be known as the Changeling who spearheaded the infiltration of Canterlot…: The guard marched passed Pharynx. “I'd be…” The guard turned a corner. Pharynx swiftly followed behind, leaping onto the back the guard. He wrapped a claw around his neck and raised the guard's neck. A smile formed on his face as a sickening snap! filled the air. “A hero. No, make that a legend.” Pharynx observed his new form as he took on the guard’s appearance, and then picked up the guard’s dog-tags up off the floor and read them. Toren huh? So that was his new name, at least for the time being. Poor bastard should've asked for a better one. Pharynx took a deep breath, observing the grandiose sights that surrounded him. “It'll almost be a shame to bring oblivion onto this place when my fellow hive members come raining down and the Queen marches in and demolishes the Royal Sisters’ thrones,” he thought to himself. “Gah, I shouldn't think such things. I sound like my brother.” “Sir!” Pharynx rolled his eyes and turned around, saluting the petrified guard that galloped up to him. “S-sir! I heard something and got here as fast as I could!” The guard took several deep breaths, wiping sweat away from his brow. “What was the disturbance?” Pharynx blinked. “Nothing. You were hearing things.” “Surely that wasn't the case!” the guard protested. “I saw a figure lunge out of a corner! I got my eyes checked yesterday and the doctor said I have perfect vision.” “Hindsight is 20/20. He's lying. It’s absolute nonsense if you ask me, and I personally think you’re getting paranoid,” Pharynx remarked. “Celestia and Shining have got the entire city on lockdown for a reason, might be starting to get to you, Make you start to see things that aren’t there.” he shrugged. “M-maybe you're right,” The guard let out a shaky sigh. “Mind if I patrol with you?” “No,” Pharynx grunted as turned his back to the guard. “Get back to your post before I give you an actual reason to question your eyesight.” He levitated his spear over to the guard's eye, a hair's length from it. The guard nodded, before walking off. Pharynx sighed as he leaned up against the wall, it was going to be a long infiltration… Back in the present time, on Zigama, the now Changeling King found himself infiltrating yet another type of fortress using the form of a rat to crawl through the maze of air ducts to find Gamettsui’s office. “Really, I’m pretty much anything from subtle and yet I have to be the one to infiltrate this guy’s ship?” Pharynx thought to himself. “Suppose if you think of a stupid plan, I suppose you’re the poor bastard who gets to carry it out. Lucky me. Lucky me…” All the same, eventually Pharynx found himself above Gamettsui’s office and kicked open the grating noticing the convenient absence of Gamettsui himself. Mind you, Baroness Manx was still there, and still chained to Gamettsui’s throne. Manx’s eyes narrowed in on Pharynx and she thought to herself: “Thank the Maker… She’s heard my prayers, finally… something to eat that isn’t that slop that lizard dares to call food!” Pharynx, noting the predatory look in the Baroness’s eyes quickly changed forms back to his default state. Manx tried to let out a yelp, but Pharynx quickly planted a claw over her mouth to silence her. “Shh…” he hissed out. “Don’t know when Gamettsui is coming back, could be any second now. Don’t worry, I’m getting you out of here,” Pharynx stated in a reassuring manner, noting how frighteningly thin Manx actually was. If one looked close enough, you could actually see her ribs. Pharynx let out a growl unknowingly startling Manx and making her eyes widen in fear. Gamettsui had been starving her. No wonder she looked so desperate to eat him. Mind you, he probably would have made a good meal but still... “But you need to stay quiet as you can, okay?” Pharynx requested, and Manx let out a small whimper as Pharynx sliced the chains apart with his scythe. “Who… who are you?” Manx asked in fear. “No, what are you?” “I’ll explain later,” Pharynx replied, his eyes darting from right to left in search of a fast exit in case Gamettsui decided to return at that very moment. “Right now, we’re leaving. Can you stand?” “Just… Just barely.” Manx whispered, and Pharynx nodded before attempting to help her up only for his arms to get swatted away with one paw leaving a deep gouge mark in his chitlin. “Don’t touch me, p-please… Just don’t…” she whispered fearfully, and Pharynx gauged her reactions. His eyes widened as a very disturbing and moreover very disgusting possibility came to mind. “No, he wouldn’t have…” Pharynx thought to himself as his breath caught in his throat before his eyes narrowed. “No, he would have.” he thought before he suddenly felt sick to his stomach, realizing what he must have come across as when he clamped his claw over Manx’s mouth. Lurching back with an expression of self-disgust, Pharynx whispered: “T-That bastard, that monster. He raped her. He raped her…” before he let out a roar of rage and smashed a vase with a fist. Manx flinched and curled herself up into a ball going into a terrified silence. Pharynx looked disgusted with himself once more before he knelt down to her level. “Okay, I’m not going to hurt you. Gamettsui, he’s a different story, but I shall not hurt you. I’m going to get you out of her, and then I’ll kill Gamettsui along the way if he’s ever unlucky enough to stand face-to-face with me. Tell me, how long did he…?” Pharynx asked, his tone showing a rare gentleness. “F-Five… Five days. Five days!” she sobbed, before Pharynx pulled her into a hug and let her cry, stroking her fur softly. Then, a very distinctive laughter reached both of their ears as Pharynx whirled around to see Gamettsui laughing his ass off, clutching his rather rotund belly. Manx shrank into herself in fear. “Oh, she was a delicious prize…” Gamettsui remarked, licking his lips and Pharynx let out an unearthly snarl as he reached for his Kyutama before deciding against that. “No, you don’t deserve the honor of a morphed defeat. You’re just trash, lower than that actually. All you deserve is just a beat-down from your King, plain and simple. Quick and brutal.” Pharynx decided as he grabbed Gamettsui by the stomach with his antlers, raised him above his head and slammed the Magistrate into the solid metal floor several times leaving a small crater. But Pharynx wasn’t done yet, as he then grabbed Gamettsui by the throat and hurled him into a wall. By now, the Dark Matter creature was bleeding considerably. Pharynx snorted in disgust, that was enough for now. “Be glad I was feeling merciful today…” Pharynx snarled ripping the Eye of Bastet off Gamettsui, before he looked at Manx and handed it back to her. “I believe this is yours, my lady. Come on, we’re taking our leave.” “Y-Yes,” Manx whispered. “And thank you. I never asked your name though, did I?” “No, I suppose not. It’s King Pharynx of the Planet Equus, and member of the Space Squadron Kyurangers.” “S-Space Squadron?” Manx asked, her eyes widened in shock having heard a raging Gamettsui screaming his vengeance towards them for destroying Lupus and his fleet. It was then he’d… Manx bit back some bile as she remembered what happened next. She sniffled, and Pharynx laid a hand on her shoulder gently. “It’s okay, if he’s smart he won’t ever touch a woman again. And it’s Ophiuchus Silver, in case you were wondering. Now, as I said, let’s get out of here.” Manx nodded, without saying a word before the two ran out of the office eventually reaching the battle site down below. “Stay here,” Pharynx told Manx, who nodded once more as Pharynx raced out to the battlefield, morphed and threw a flying side kick into the Scorpius Drone’s chest making it fly backward. He turned to Stripped whom the Drone had savagely been striking at with a bitter fury, and helped the pony up. “Sorry I took so long, had some garbage to deal with. Now, let’s finish this.” “Right!” Stripped nodded as he, the Doctor and Pharynx all aimed their Kyuchangers at the remaining foot soldiers and fired an All-Star Crash at them destroying them in a rather large fireball. “Oh, that never gets old!” Stripped laughed before a still bleeding Gamettsui staggered onto the battlefield and Pharynx let out a growl. “So, you’re still alive?” he snarled. “Allow me to rectify that mistake!” But the Changeling King was in for a surprise as Gamettsui injected something into his forearm and before anyone knew what was happening the Magistrate was a truly colossal size. “Bow your heads!” Gamettsui proclaimed as he loomed over the group. “What the fuck…?” Pharynx asked as the Doctor rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Ah yes… I may have forgotten to mention this, but all of Dark Matter’s commanders carry on them a syringe of that stuff. Genetically engineered Megabeast DNA, makes them… well, do that.” he admitted. “And you couldn’t have mentioned this earlier?” Pharynx muttered to himself before Gamettsui was bombarded by blasts from the Cerberus and Eagle Voyagers. “Well, what are you three waiting for?” Jabari asked. “Come on, big or not he’s still just a member of Dark Matter who’ll fall like all the rest!” Teleporting inside their Voyagers, parts shifted and moved into place as the Libra and Ophiuchus Voyagers became legs, with the Eagle and Swordfish Voyagers moving into place as the Shooting Star Megazord’s arms. “No, this won’t do,” Pharynx stated. “Commander Flashfire, permission to switch spots with Jabari?” “Permission granted, but why…?” “Let’s just say I want to finish this one off personally.” Pharynx snarled, in a tone of complete and utter rage that frightened anyone who heard it. Jabari quickly took the message and shifted spots with Pharynx; the Eagle Voyager becoming the left leg, and the Ophiuchus Voyager became the right arm. “Alright you bastard,” Pharynx snarled as he slammed the Hydrus Kyutama into a slot on his console. “This is your judgment.” The Ophiuchus Voyager’s jaw opened and unleashed a flurry of snake heads made of green energy. Eight in total, each biting and snapping at their opponent making him stagger back before a massive ball of orange energy was charged up and fired blowing a massive hole in Gamettsui’s chest, before the Magistrate exploded. As Flashfire stated his usual taking back the universe quote, Pharynx sighed and slumped back in his chair. Justice was served. Back aboard the Shining Armor, even as repairs were conducted by a thankful populace Pharynx watched over Manx, who was being checked over by one of the ship’s medics. As he watched the medic patch Manx’s wounds, with the maroon-furred felid long have been given more flattering and suitable attire, Pharynx’s fists clenched. “It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone. You can get knocked down, and it hurts and it leaves scars. But if you're a leader, the people you've counted on will help you up. And if you're a leader, the people who count on you need you on your feet. And her subjects will need her.” he thought thinking not just of her, but his own mental scars. “I swear to protect her, with my life if need be. That is my duty as King of the Changelings, to protect my subjects. She may not be a Changeling, but she displayed extraordinary courage in the face of that monster and I would gladly call her one of my own hive.”
Part 13: Hope Springs Eternal Part 1: Noblesse ObligeSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Part 14: Hope Springs Eternal Part 2: Fighting SpiritThe Shining Armor: “Okay, we’re now hovering over the planet Argos. Not to be confused with the constellation,” the Doctor stated, as he brought up a viewscreen. He, along with the rest of the Paladins were in the Shining Armor’s conference room currently looking at a mostly desert planet, with small patches of heavily industrialized cities here and there. “It’s hot, dry, and mostly what you’d call Hell outside the city walls. The citizens, they use Geothermal power to get by, and draw their water from the soil and conserve it in huge water tanks for when it’s needed,” the Doctor explained. “It’s quite ingenious really. Just over a thousand years ago, they were barely scrubbing to get by with their day to day life and now look at them! Oh, I love it when civilizations rise up, and surpass their limits and go beyond what’s said to be supposedly impossible!” he chorused, throwing his hands up in the air in excitement. Nobody else seemed to particularly share his excitement, and in fact were actually all staring at the Time Lord and Gold Ranger with expressions of boredom and annoyance. “Can you just get on with it Doctor?” Stardust asked. “Just tell me, is this the last planet we need to free in this system? The last planet with a local Magistrate lording over it?” “Yeah, should be…” the Doctor murmured as he rubbed his chin with one of his hands in thought. “Unless I missed one. But that’s eh, let’s say highly doubtful and get on with things shall we?” he asked, clapping his hands together. “Okay, Magistrate. Denvil. A few of you, me amongst you have met him before, back on the Baroness Manx’s planet. Slender, long neck? Conjuring up a picture in my mind for you all?” “Yeah, I remember him,” Stripped muttered. “Setting that pet Scorpion Drone of his on me. Nearly sliced me to ribbons with those arm blades it has had Pharynx not shown up when he did.” Pharynx chuckled. “It’s what I do, really… Pleasure saving your ass, by the way. Really, you belong behind a desk, not in the field sorry to say.” he remarked with a small smirk. Stripped snarled, and rose up out of his chair with a growl. “Why I oughta…” “Easy boys, you can settle your little pissing match later, maybe kiss and make up?” the Doctor told them firmly, with just a hint of a teasing note in his voice. “ME? KISS HIM!?!” Pharynx and Stripped shouted at each other, pointing at one another as well. “NO WAY IN HELL! YOU MUST BE OUT OF YOUR MIND!” they shouted in unison. “Aw, already speaking in unison, do I hear wedding bells on the horizon?” the Doctor teased, with Stardust joining in. “Stripped and Pharynx, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!” Stardust singsonged. “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the little unicorns and changelings in the baby carriages!” “He’s such a child.” Flurry thought to herself, facepalming even as the Doctor and Prince Stardust laughed their asses off. “SHUT UP!” both Stripped and Pharynx shouted at the two. This only encouraged the Doctor more, and he turned his Sonic over to a nearby speaker making it play a snippet of one cheesy as hell love ballad. “Lying close to you feeling your heart beating And I'm wondering what you're dreaming Wondering if it's me you're seeing Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together And I just wanna stay with you In this moment forever, forever and ever…” Pharynx let out a hiss, his tongue flicking back and forth as he seemed to contemplate how best to murder the Doctor. “Well, you know what they say, denial isn’t just a river in Baladi…” Stardust joined in. “Seriously, you and Stripped? Just start snogging the living daylights out of each other already!” “Children, I work with such children!” Flurry mentally screamed. “...They are so in love with each other…” Fågel commented as she looked at the now furious Pharynx and Stripped, before leaning in and whispering to her half-brother. “Seriously, they are. Tell me, are they not kæri bróðir minn?” Coldcast chuckled to himself, and passed a bag of bits to her underneath the table before his expression turned more serious. He sighed. “Can we go back to an older subject, something that’s been on my mind as of late?” “Sure, can do. I suppose we can, what’s your troubles? You need a Doctor?” the Doctor asked. “Cause if so… There’s one right here…” “Shut up…” Coldcast muttered. “It’s… Well, no reason to beat around the bush about it really. It’s the Baroness Manx. I’m just worried about her, how she’s holding up after being... “ he had practically force the next few words out of his mouth. “Raped.” Everyone in the room now wore a grim expression. “Best as to be expected one supposes,” Spada muttered to himself, shaking his head sadly. “I mean, she’s not breaking down into tears or anything like that, she’s a strong woman or cat rather but I do notice she shies away from every male on the ship except possibly that Syrian named Garu and Pharynx here. Her knight in shining chitlin I suppose you could put it.” “I’d rather not be treated as some sort of hero for doing what I did,” Pharynx remarked, with a small sigh. “I was just stopping a monster from treating a woman as his plaything. Nothing more, nothing less.” “And I’m glad you did,” Flashfire stated, laying a hand on the Changeling King’s shoulders, Pharynx’s wings buzzing slightly. “Merci beaucoup for that. I mean it. Seriously thank you so much for what you did. Much as I hate to think of it, most creatures probably wouldn’t have been so kind. Sure, they might have rescued Manx and slaughtered that bâtard for what he did, but keeping an eye on her like I know you are? That’s just going above and beyond really.” “She’s not even your species, you barely know her. Just why do you care so much?” Pharynx asked in that gruff tone of his. “Do I need a reason to?” Flashfire asked, though Pharynx being so good with emotions as he was, knew he was probably hiding something. Stripped, having known his friend for so long knew the same thing as well. But both also knew pressing Flashfire, at least for the moment would do them no good. “No, I guess not. You do have every right to be concerned, one supposes. It’s in your nature, you’re just that kind,” Pharynx admitted. “Surprised you didn’t sign up to be ship’s counselor really.” He remarked. “Eh, just not me. I like to be in the middle of things, and I’ve always loved the stars,” Flashfire said in reply. “Sitting behind a desk even if it was to help others work out their issues just wouldn’t feel right for me. Maybe someday, when Dark Matter’s defeated and we have a new home I’ll consider it but for now…?” “Getting back on topic,” Pharynx continued. “If I could, or rather if Manx would allow it I’d probably take you with me. Might help with the healing process. Who knows? It’ll be a long road ahead, for both of us but a King must be prepared for any task no matter how difficult.” he stated, getting up from his chair and walking out of the room. “Who died and anointed him King of the Changelings anyways?” Stardust asked in confusion, and Spada leaned over to whisper to him. “Well,” the yellow drone replied. “Technically his brother was royalty so that meant if Thorax were to die -and he did- he’d be next in line for the throne.” “....I thought Pharynx was his older brother?” Stardust remarked. “True yes,” Spada confirmed. “But Thorax was the one who became king so that put Pharynx second in line by default. And as we haven’t had a true king for years, not since at least the sun went supernova I suppose Pharynx’s natural genetics took over. See, and I don’t know how to explain it properly as I don’t entirely understand it myself but when a hive senses it has no true ruler it appoints one at random. But when someone with royal blood running through their veins comes along, like say Pharynx who was technically a prince in a way they would get nominated.” Spada explained to Stardust, who only nodded along. “So, Denvil. What are we to expect from this guy?” Stardust asked, absentmindedly fiddling with the sculpted dragon’s head on the top of his cane. “Oh boy, this guy is everything I’m not,” the Doctor replied, sucking in a breath and pointing to the hologram of Denvil with a pointer stick. “Authoritarian, with a real penchant for loving the rules to a ridiculous degree. Makes everyone under his control do unbearably hard tasks, and should they fall from exhaustion -and they generally do- he whips them and orders them to get back up. He drives people to the point of exhaustion, that’s how he subjugates his planets.” “Well, nothing for it then,” Stardust replied as he got up out of his chair rising to his full height and his horn began to crackle with magical energy as he gripped the head of his cane. “Time to take this planet back. I’m leading the away team. Spada, Fågel! You’re with me. Space Squadron Zyuranger, move out!” he proclaimed, raising his cane skywards. “It’s Kyuranger, get it right!” Spada shouted, smacking him upside the head. “...What, I’m not allowed to get creative? Plus, there are ten of us now…” Stardust trailed off. “Mio Dio…” Spada muttered, rubbing his forehead in pain with a claw. Meanwhile, as the Voyagers were prepped for launch Pharynx made his way to Manx’s quarters. They were generally a calming place to be really. However, because of Manx’s rather traumatic experiences, Flashfire had personally requested that hers were even more calming than the norm. It was filled with mostly light colors like mild whites and greens along with a piano with plush cushions on every chair, and while it had a massive window that looked out into space that could be changed with the push of a button to a jungle landscape or a flowery field. At Manx’s request, some of her items that had been recovered from her office back on Zigama had been placed in her room. Ancient tribal stuff, like old shields and hand-woven tapestries depicting intricate yet beautiful patterns now hung from the walls. Manx just thanked her god that Gamettsui had been too stupid as to recognize their value. Manx, fiddling with some beads her great-grandmother had given to her back when she was just a young kitten looked up when she heard a soft knocking at her door. For a moment, she flinched and flashbacked… “Oh Manxy…” Gamettsui’s voice called as he knocked on her office door, with Manx trying to scurry away to the most out of the way place possible so he couldn’t possibly find her. “Can’t a little kitten come out to play with his master? It’s not nice for pets to disobey orders!” he laughed. She shuddered, forcing the bile down her throat and reminding herself that Gamettsui was long dead now, slaughtered by Pharynx. “C-come in.” she whispered, and with a small hissing sound the door opened and Pharynx stepped inside. Pressing a button on the side of a nearby wall, the viewscreen depicting the imagery of the stars outside the ship changed to that of a calming jungle pool, with a waterfall in the background and various animals like a cheetah and a leopard drinking out of it. Soft tribal music played in the background, complete with native chanting. Manx pulled a leopard printed blanket over herself. Even though she was far from what you could call immodest at the moment, it was still a force of habit. She’d worn that slave outfit for what felt like an eternity it was now almost second nature to her to cover herself. She heard the sound of what resembled an energy blast fired from a gun and then a distinct thud, followed by two more similar sounds. “What was…?” she asked. “The Draco, Chameleon and Bull Voyagers launching via a sorta catapult system. We’re about to start work on freeing Argos from Dark Matter’s control,” Pharynx answered. “But enough about that. Are you alright? Do you need a glass of water or anything? I’m sure I can replic-” he started off, sitting down beside her on the couch. “NO!” Manx shouted suddenly, before she sighed. “No, I’m fine. I don’t like to be coddled, treated like someone who’s about to break any second now. Yes, I know what happened to me, but I don’t want to be treated like some sort of fragile piece of glass.” “What happened to you was horrible, no denying that,” Pharynx replied softly, surprising even himself with the gentleness in his tone. It was something he didn’t even he knew he possessed. Then again, maybe for the most part he never had a reason to be gentle with anyone. It was always the rough tough, bruiser Changeling Captain of the Guard everybody wanted or expected of him so that was what they always got. “It was something nobody should have to go through, and I’m not trying to treat you as this fragile piece of glass. I’m here to simply talk with you, that’s all. Try to help you move on, that’s all.” “I have moved on, it’s over and done with. Understand?” Manx stated firmly in a tone that left no room for argument. Or well, it would have had Pharynx not been in the room with her. “I’d say you haven’t,” Pharynx replied. “After all, don’t think I didn’t notice the brief moment of hesitation before you allowed me to enter, and don’t think I’m blind to not see you covering yourself up with that blanket when it’s anything but cold in here. Look, I’m going to be brutally blunt with you,” Pharynx stated, his veins flashing a brief orange color. “Brutally honest. You haven’t moved on. You’ve most likely got PTSD, amongst other things and maybe you never will fully move on from this, but I can help you through it. And… And I’m not the only one.” “What, you’re not the only one who knows someone who’s been violated?” Manx asked, blinking in surprise. “Maybe, maybe not. I have my suspicions that someone does know, although I won’t voice them just yet. But a lot of the Equus residents, they’ve gone through some sort of traumatic event. Losing your home to ice will do that to you. You could talk to Coldcast, kid’s had it rough from what I understand. Grew up in the system, Hive Mother knows what only happened to him there. Or when Fågel or Stardust get back from freeing Argos, talk to them. Fågel, she was a wanted criminal for a time. Stardust, had to know his relatives died trying to save their world. Point is, a lot of us are broken in some form or the other. Flashfire, he mentioned to me a few days ago about starting this support group, let everyone get their feelings out in the open.” “He’s… He’s a kind one, and I do admire what he’s trying to do, but I think being raped is something entirely different from watching your parents die or being a wanted parrot.” Manx replied. “Perhaps. Perhaps not, I’m just trying to help you here. I just wanted to make sure you understood that. We’re all just looking out for you here, even your own people. Garu, he’s stayed aboard the ship and even become a member of the crew just because of how concerned he is about you. I have to admire his loyalty. If the Element of Loyalty wasn’t already spoken for by Coldcast, I’d honestly vouch for Garu there using it.” “R-Really? He actually went that far for me?” Manx asked in surprised. “He actually switched from the crews of my planet’s flagship to your colony ship?” “Yes, and it’s all just because he knows you need the support of your people right now and he said, and I quote: “I’ll be damned if I don’t give it, grr!” Pharynx stated, morphing with a green flash of fire into an exact replica of Garu, fur and all. To the Changeling King’s surprise, Manx actually laughed at this. “Good impression, though I think you need to work on just toning down that aggressiveness in your voice a little bit if you want to completely fool people. Also, stop standing like a king all regal and such. Garu never does that,” Manx criticized. “Completely ruins the whole bit, really,” she stated, as Pharynx transformed back. “B-But… I-I am a king… King Pharynx, of the Changeling Hive! My aggressive tone is to intimidate enemies!” he stated in annoyance, though inwardly he was smiling. At least he’d gotten Manx to open up a little bit, which was the entire goal. And she was smiling and laughing now which was even better. Thorax was probably rolling in his grave laughing his ass off out of how much of a fool his big brother was being made to look but he’d punch him the face when he died to remind him. “You’re adorable, you know that?” Manx smiled. “Seriously, I can see why I keep hearing rumors of both you and Stripped being… ‘shipped’ is it? You two do share similar qualities, you’re always so serious half the time.” “Bah! Me and him, dating? What a ridiculous comparison! We are nothing alike!” Pharynx muttered, as he crossed his arms and huffed. “Yeah, this is going to be a thing now isn’t it? Yep, it definitely is…” he thought to himself. “Also, you do realize ‘pharynx’ refers to the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity and above the oesophagus and larynx right? Not a very intimidating name when you think on it.” “Q-Queen Chrysalis was running out of names that day!” Pharynx stuttered out. “I swear she named a changeling Bob eventually!” Manx just laughed her ass off. The planet Argos: Planetside, the three Kyurangers had found themselves in the midst of yet another towering city, a dome of energy high above them to keep the hot sun from beating down on them. The streets were eerily quiet, really. Almost reminded Stardust of a ghost town, the Prince thought to himself as a sheet of paper blew by. “...Okay then, monster. How hard can it be to find a monster?” Stardust asked, more than a little unnerved. Both Fågel and Spada kept their gauntlets primed, and at the ready aiming them into the alleys to blast any potential Invaders or Strongindavers who decided to pop out of the woodworks. “Maður, mér líkar þetta ekki... Ekki einn hluti. Bara ekki einn hluti.” Fågel murmured nervously in her native language. It still bewildered every one of the Paladins on how an Icelandic parrot could be a half-brother to an Azteca-speaking griffon. “Bara rólegur, bara of fjandinn rólegur.” “Hmm,” Stardust agreed with a nod of his head. Truth be told, Fågel was far from pleased to work with the pony who put her in prison and kept her from her only remaining family but for the sake of the mission she’d just grin and bear it. Then, a scream pierced the air, and everyone’s hair or feathers stood on end. “What was that?” Spada asked. “Please tell me that was just the wind.” “Hálfviti,” Fågel admonished. “Since when is it ever ‘just the wind’?” she asked in a deadpan tone, giving the changeling a flat look. “Good point,” Spada agreed, and he heard another sound, this time a pained groan. Training his ears in the direction of the sound, he gestured to them to follow. Placing a Kyutama into his gauntlet, he suddenly had a dog’s nose and began sniffing the air, and it wrinkled as his nose picked up the very distinct odor of fresh blood. The power of Canes Venatici, the Hound. “Molto bene! This way, amici!” he shouted running down an alleyway his Kyuchanger at the ready just in case they ran into trouble. What he found, was an alien -resembling one of the Grays- nearly half whipped to death and looking completely starved. “Fågel, tend to his wounds! Quickly! Velocemente ora!” Spada barked with an increased sense of urgency before placing another Kyutama into his Kyuchanger and summoning a fish out of mid-air before cutting it up into little bitty pieces with his Astral Rapier. As Fågel quickly began bandaging up the alien's back and applying salves to help along with the healing process, Spada gave a little bit of the fish to the alien. “Here, eat this. Get some of your strength back. Take your time. We can wait,” the changeling said, sitting himself atop some nearby crates. “What happened?” Stardust asked. “C’mon, you can tell us,” he stated gently. “Cosa, sei pazzo?” Spada shouted angrily at the Prince, with Fågel giving him a particularly dirty look as well. “We don’t know if this guy’s going to live or not and you want to ask him questions?” “Look, like it or not, we need to know happened. What’s going on around here, that sorta thing,” Stardust said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “More information we get, the better chance we have on stopping Denvil.” “Fottuto bastardo…” Spada mentally growled to himself, his tongue flicking back and forth out of his mouth in his anger. Right now, he so desired to mess up the Prince’s pretty boy face and good. “No… No, it’s alright,” the alien started, grunting out in pain as he did so. “Name’s Kalternecker, that’s what they call me,” he said, visibly straining himself to speak. “Denvil, he did this to me. When I wouldn’t do his ‘dance lessons’ along with the rest of his troupe. Tried to run, but he whipped me good and so that’s why you found me as you did.” Spada let out another hiss of anger, and clenched his fists, his claws digging into his chitlin and drawing blood. “Don’t worry, we’ll stop him. You, you just rest easy now understand?” he asked, placing the Aries Kyutama into his Kyuchanger and firing it, knocking out Kalternecker and sending him into dreamland. He then opened up a comm channel to the Shining Armor. “Okay, Spada here. Got someone coming up to sickbay, prep a medpod. Severe burn wounds from an energy whip, signs of exhaustion and starvation as well.” he informed as Fågel summoned her Bull Voyager, and placed Kalternecker inside it before the Bull rocketed up back up to the ship. The energy dome above the city parted briefly, creating a small hole for the ship to enter though before it re-sealed itself. “You do realize that leaves us without a limb to form a complete Megazord right?” Spada asked. “Just wanted to point that out.” “I’ve got Pharynx on standby,” Fågel replied. “He’ll be ready to assist when needed.” “Okay, nice to know. That Ophiuchus Voyager of his, it should come in handy,” Spada nodded in reply, before he made another hiss of anger. “Right now though, let’s find Denvil. He’s got a few crimes to answer for. Bastardo’s got a lot of pain coming his way, and I’ll be damned if I don’t get to dish out a bit of that main course of it!” “Guess that means I’ll be the second helping then, and Stardust the just desserts right?” Fågel chuckled darkly, and Spada nodded before once more drawing on the powers of Canes Venatici to hopefully sniff out the Magistrate. Sadly, this was only going to end in failure as there were too many scents in the city for even the powers of the Bloodhound constellation to find just one guy. He needed the scent of Denvil beforehand to work with it, to find him. He was like Trusty from the movie Lady and the Tramp in a way while using the Canes Venatici powers. The powers of Canes Venatici’s sniffing abilities were simply too acute to concentrate on one scent at a time. So, when that failed, Spada opted out for an even possibly weirder ability. The powers of Camelopardalis. This Kyutama allowed him to stretch his neck to a ludicrous degree, and allow him to see all over the city, and the Changeling’s sharp eyes pinpointed a crowd led by a long-necked alien in a nearby square. “Got him,” Spada smirked triumphantly before grimacing. “Man, he’s even uglier in person, gotta say…” “Well, you know the way, so…” Stardust commented, and Spada nodded after disengaging the Camelopardalis powers before unfurling his wings and flying off. Soon, he and his two fellow Rangers found themselves in the middle of that very same city square where as Spada had seen, Denvil was cracking his whip and ordering everyone to go through some monotonous dance routines to the Oompa sound of a tuba. Behind him and his dancing troupe, were twin banners. They both were mostly white, depicting the logo of Dark Matter, which was two massive black claws grasping a galaxy in their clutches. “Man, those dance moves, and that music. They fail to get the beat of my burnin’ heart pumpin’!” Stardust stated, pointing the tip of his cane at Denvil. He was a long-necked creature, with two small bat-like wings, a massive forehead, and two very large ears. “Think it’s time we change your tune, eh?” “W-What? K-Kyurangers?” Denvil stammered out, staggering backwards in shock upon recognizing their uniforms and equipment. “It’s Zyurangers now, but whatevs,” Stardust replied with a shrug of his shoulders before placing his Draco Kyutama into the dragon head at the top of his cane. “Guess that means it’s showtime I suppose.” “Say the Change!” the cane sung as Stardust opened the head up, before biting it down on the Kyutama. “Draco~!” the Prince proclaimed, before raising the cane high and then slamming it back down. “Star Change, Eye of the Dragon!” “...Kyurangers, and that’s the end of it,” Fågel muttered before she and Spada pulled out their own Kyutamas and slammed them into their Kyuchangers. “Say the Change!” their gauntlets requested, and the two were only far too happy to comply and reply to that. “Chameleon!”/“Taurus!”they shouted in unison before proclaiming “Star Change!” A purple circle of runes came down and covered Stardust transforming him into his costume while the constellations of the Chameleon and Taurus appeared infront ofFågel and Spada and lit up before they gained their uniforms as well. “The Dragon Ma-Star, Draco Purple!” “The Shinobi Star, Chameleon Green!” “The Armored Star, Taurus Black!” Fågel shouted. “Three stars shining in the heavens, Space Squadron Kyuranger!” Denvil cracked his whip, and shouted: “Invaders, get them!” Soon, the whole square erupted into chaos and discord as both Invaders and Strongindavers sprung out of seemingly everywhere. Some attacked and barraged the Kyurangers, while others began rounding up the rapidly scattering citizens. “So, you like a bit of order in your life do you?” Stardust asked, using his cane as a sniper rifle and shooting Invaders in the head, before doing a spinning flip in mid-air and striking down a Strongindaver with a headshot. “Well, I say we spice things up a bit with a little bit of chaos!” He snapped his fingers, and while his horn glowed it wasn’t a particularly prominent glow as it should have been. Nevertheless, broiling angry storm clouds appeared above them and began summoning bolts of lightning taking out footsoldiers. Under her helmet, Fågel’s eyes narrowed. That was odd, very odd indeed. But she put her thoughts aside as more foot soldiers filled the square to take the place of their fallen comrades. “Okay, this is getting out of hand here!” Spada shouted, even as he used his rapier’s blade to take out a few Invaders at a time with parry and then riposte movements or simple quick thrusts and jabs of the blade. “I mean, this is crazy! Need some breathing room here!” “Providing.” Fågel stated, before bringing out the Skill version of the Taurus Kyutama and summoning a hard light projection of her Voyager that if you excuse the pun, bulldozed down a group of Strongindavers. She then slammed her fists into the cobblestoned ground below her, sending a bunch of foot soldiers flying skywards before she used her personal Impact and sent out arcs of energy slicing the soldiers apart. Laser fire was sent her way as punishment and she threw up a shield using the Scutum Kyutama to block it, but eventually, the Strongindavers joined in as well and fired blasts of pure plasma balls from their bazooka staffs and shattered the shield like glass. “Oh no, you don’t! Nobody lays a hand on my subjects!” Prince Stardust shouted as the Strongindavers advanced upon the now fallen Fågel chuckling darkly. Creating a ball of energy in his hands, he soon formed it into a towering whirlwind of purple energy and sent it their way. “Just because you’re not dragons, doesn’t mean you can’t fly in style! Courtesy of Stardust Airways!” he laughed as the Strongindavers and their Invader cohorts hit ground groaning out in pain. Roaring out in rage, Denvil leaped towards him a sword at the ready and the two clashed blades briefly, metal singing out as sparks flew before Denvil kicked the so-called “Dragon Ma-Star’ backwards with a strike to the stomach making him stagger. “That’s what you get for disrupting the order and harmony of my planet!” Denvil cackled, before lashing out with his whip striking Stardust several times and the Alicorn screamed out in pain with every scorching strike. Sadly, while Stardust definitely had the combat power to keep up with a lot of major enemies, he didn’t have the fighting experience due to him not going out in the field much. This was the simple reason why he was losing, badly. Eventually, with a cry of “Prince!” Spada leaped into view and let the whip wrap around his rapier blade before pulling the whip from Denvil’s grasp. “How’s that for harmony Denvil? Two teammates, watching each other’s backs!” Spada proclaimed, his earlier rage and fury towards the Prince forgotten. “You alright?” he asked Stardust, whose costume was smoking a bit. Stardust nodded. “I’ll live. Him, on the other hoof…” “Well, I must admit to the elaborate coordination between you two…” Denvil mused. “But sadly, your harmony won’t be enough to match this one…” he smirked, before snapping his fingers and a Deathworm erupted from the ground below the Rangers, who braced themselves for one Hell of a fight… “Today just isn’t our day, is it?” Stardust asked himself. Hearing all of this, no thanks to the Dark Matter satellite Stripped Gear had hijacked was Pharynx and Baroness Manx. They’d brought up the battle on the viewscreen, and were bearing witness to the Deathworm kicking the asses of all three of their fellow crew members. “Goddess…” Manx whispered before her eyes narrowed. “There’s got to be something we can do. Does this ship have orbital bombardment capabilities?” she asked, turning to Stripped Gear. “Well, does it?” she asked urgently, the Baroness side of her on full display for the first time. Pharynx felt a little turned on by it actually. Just a little. “A-Are you crazy?” Stripped sputtered out. “Even if it did, and because this is a colony ship it doesn’t, getting a precise lock and not hitting any of my fellow Rangers would be next to impossible!” “Guess that settles it, prep my Voyager,” Pharynx stated. “I’m going down there. A King always protects his subjects.” “Getting the dynotherms underway, prepping megathusters.” Stripped nodded. “Everything’s ready to go.” “Right then. Star Change, Ophiuchus!” he called slamming his Kyutama into his gauntlet and morphing. “Well, I’m not going to sit around here being useless either,” Manx replied as she changed the viewscreen to inside the factories of Argos, where a despondent populace was mining precious ores deep within inside their planet while a watchful Denvil stood on a catwalk whip at the ready. “That man… that devil. He reminds me far too much of my own Master. He tore that race’s hope away from them, and now I’m going to help them take it back,” Manx stated, before whipping her head around to face Jabari who had been watching this whole thing anxiously. In the background, the sound of a distant thud and a laser sound going off was heard as the Ophiuchus Voyager was fired out of the hanger bay. “Jabari, you play the violin right? You know someone who can sing?” “Y-Yeah, I do. Crescendo, a member of the Siren race. B-But why?” “In my culture, long before we were an industrialized civilization music always helped to lift our spirits. Hell, it still does even when Gamettsui enslaved us. Take me to her, we’re about to lift some spirits. Stripped, prep that satellite. Get it broadcasting on all frequencies.” “Just give me the beat and I’ll have it shouting.” Stripped stated even as Manx and Jabari ran off with Jabari summoning his violin and bow from his room with a flash of magic. “Crescendo, are you ready to do what you do best?” Jabari asked as they entered the pool room, with the siren nodding. Jabari smiled and looked towards Manx as he began to play a tune. Soft, but sweet. But more to the point, hopeful. “People of Argos,” Manx stated, with the satellite broadcasting every word she had to say, along with the music Jabari was playing and Crescendo was humming. “You’ve had your hope stricken from you, ripped from your very beings! I, Baroness Harx Manx know what that’s like as well. My people, they were defiled. Now you are suffering under a cruel master, just like my people were. But no more, rise up! Rise up, and take arms!” “Someday you’ll notice – I pray that you’ll realize These wings on your back aren’t a dream At last, you’ll have all you need to escape to The world where you’ll finally be free “This was all a Cruel Angel’s Thesis from the start Brought to life, out window now it’s taking flight Scorching pathos if you betray your memory Follow this deviant-divine philosophy!” Crescendo sang loud and clear, Jabari’s strings singing a song of hope, and of prayer and as if spurred on by this both the people of Argos and the Rangers themselves seemed to regain their fighting spirit. One powerful slash to the deathworm’s chest by Fågel and her Astral Axe finished the job. Meanwhile, the people in Argo’s mines and factories took up various improvised weapons and charged the very stunned Denvil who was quickly taken out by this onslaught. “With grace, and in my embrace You fall deep into sleep, so tempted to stay In the morning that falls, You alone will be called By message from the realm of dreams… “These group activities... Are hard to do!” Denvil proclaimed as his final words before he went up in a fireball of an explosion. “Shining more than these stars that bathe the galaxy Go forth, young boy, and you’ll become a legend!” Of course, that wasn’t the end of things. It never would be as Denvil had a little mutation in his DNA, one that allowed him to grow giant-sized whenever he lost enough blood or his heart stopped beating. Both of which had happened in the past few moments. Flying in his Voyager’s Mecha mode, Pharynx Rider-kicked the local Moraimarz destroying it before he linked up with a now rapidly forming Dragon Knight Megazord. Stardust had already leaped into his cockpit and pressed the transformation button, with the massive Asian style Dragon beginning to shift and change. The head armor detached and the entire mech folded down in the center to become a pair of legs and a torso, with the head and tail becoming feet. A red visored head popped up, and the Kabuto grafted itself on top with the Ophiuchus and Chameleon Voyagers forming arms. “Like a Dragon, but with style! So, you want a game with continues?” Stardust remarked, before taunting. “Sorry, not in this game of life! Here, you don’t get any!” Both Spada and Pharynx nodded, before Spada pressed a button on his console and a long whip-like tongue shot out and grabbed Denvil, wrapping itself around him tightly. “Consider this payback for earlier!” Stardust shouted, before the Dragon Knight Megazord tossed Denvil skywards, the whip letting him go before the Ophiuchus Voyager’s jaws opened and began to charge up a beam. It then fired, eradicating Denvil completely leaving no traces of his body behind. “Consider that a checkmate Dark Matter, and now a message for you. We will take the universe back!” Stardust then shouted as the Megazord basked itself in the glory of a cheering populace. Aboard the Shining Armor, Flashfire looked on to Manx with a smile. “Seems she’s getting better. Little by little, the old Manx is returning.” he thought before quietly taking his leave. Had anyone been paying attention on the bridge, they might have noticed a brief blip on their sensors, before it vanished. “Seems it’s time to take matters into my own hands…” Sir Ikargen muttered aboard his ship, clutching a Kyutama with a Black Hole on it, the Scorpius Drone’s cycloptic eye watching him carefully... Author's Note Okay, so yeah. Not sure about a few things. Like for one, if I had portrayed the healing of Manx correctly, and even then if I did there's still more to come. Not sure if the fight scene with Denvil needed to be extended, or it's as good as it is. Really not sure on a lot of things with this chapter. But that's where your feedback comes in, always welcomed. Next time... Maji ka!? Majide!? Majida! Shō taimu!
Part 15: Hope Springs Eternal Finale: One Last HopeEquestria: Six Billion years ago… “Have to say Dash, this is crazy, even by your standards…” one Spitfire Magnus remarked to one Rainbow Dash, the latter being dressed in an orange space suit with a small badge pinned to it, depicting both Celestia and Luna. “Not saying I don’t support it, but still this is pretty much something else…” “Hey, if someone’s got the right stuff as it were,” Rainbow Dash remarked, the two walking on a metal catwalk, grating clanking beneath their hooves. “It’s most likely to be me. I’ve been training for months to do this, and I’m hyped as all hell for this!” In one of her hands, she held her helmet. Spitfire looked to her left, and she saw a massive crawler carrying a pure white space shuttle nose pointed skywards to a launch pad. It was a massive miracle of both magic and science that this had been pulled off really. But somehow, with the modern-day geniuses of Starlight Glimmer and Twilight Sparkle combined with the old time mage abilities of the legendary Starswirl the Bearded this amazing feat had been pulled off. Spitfire was still trying to wrap her head around it, really. By their side was Flurry smiling supportively at Dash. “Hey, give her some credit Spitsy. Like Rainbow said, if anyone’s going to do this, it’s her!” Flurry remarked cheerfully, giving Rainbow a pat on the shoulder. Over the radio, Twilight could be heard speaking. “..that age-old ponykind thirst for excellence and knowledge. I say, every step up the ladder of science. I say each and every adventurous reach into space from the moment we first gazed our eyes to the stars in our telescopes. All of our combined modern technologies, magicks and imaginations... Faust above, even the wars that we've fought, have provided us the tools to finally step onto the final frontier. “Through all the chaos that is our history through all of the wrongs and the discord, through all of the pain and suffering through all of our times there is one thing that has nourished our souls, that sense of grand adventure! “The dreams of an entire planet, not just ponykind but griffon, zebra, changeling, yak and dragonkind are focused tonight on that brave soul and the mare I’d be proud to call my friend -Twilight’s voice cracked a little at this point as she fought back tears- traveling into the heavens. Godspeed!” A chorus of cheers greeted Rainbow as she stepped out for the crowd to see, and she waved to the roaring and cheering thunderous applause. “Thank you, thank you all. Now don’t think I’ll be forgetting you guys, just a simple trip round the moon and back. But space? Well, it’s about to become a little bit more awesome now!” Rainbow shouted, flipping the peace sign. As the crowd roared ever harder, Flurry looked towards Spitfire, who if she didn’t know better seemed to be crying. “A-Are you alright?” Flurry asked. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just my finest Bolt’s gone above and beyond what I, no anypony expected of her and now she’s about to touch the heavens if even for the briefest of moments,” Spitfire whispered, with a small sniffle. “So if anyone’s got a right to cry, I’d say it’s me.” “Hey, look at the bright side. You managed to hold back the flood this long didn’t you?” Flurry said, patting the retired Wonderbolt captain on the shoulder. “...Unlike Rainbow’s parents.” she teased, and Spitfire laughed. She’d practically seen both Bow Hothoof and Windy weeping into a bucket last time she saw them. Rainbow smirked as she got inside the capsule, and seat belts strapped her into her pilot’s seat forcing her backwards into her chair. “Hey Gallus, is it supposed to feel this tight?” Rainbow asked over the radio. “Yeah, yeah! It’s fine, completely fine!” the griffon and current Element of Loyalty bearer remarked. “You’ll be able to unbuckle yourself when you hit the no-grav zone. Fly freely about to your heart’s content. But for now, I’d say you strap yourself in and buckle up and enjoy the ride!” he commented over the radio in reply. “Like Twilight said, Godspeed ma’am.” “Don’t call me ma’am, makes me feel so old!” Rainbow joked, and Gallus laughed. "Okay, checking ignition sequences. Priming up dynotherms now. Mega Thrusters should be free to go any second now. Everyone, sound off!” Retro, go flight. Booster, you are go flight.” Smolder shouted. “Ecos, go flight,” Sandbar confirmed. “Trajectory. Go flight.” “FlDO,” one Gilda Gruff added, with a little smirk that seemed to say ‘Go Dash’. “Go flight.” “EVA go flight.” another unknown pony, possibly Starlight added. “EQUUS Phoenix, you are go for flight. Starting up ignition sequences now.” Twilight stated over the radio. “Any last minute words Rainbow?” She’d soon be regretting that poor choice of words. “Yeah, just one. Let’s rocket, and create a new legend!” Rainbow shouted, gripping her flightsticks tightly, before pressing a button above her, and music began to play. “I like to dream, yes, yes Right between the sound machine On a cloud of sound I drift in the night Any place it goes is right Goes far, flies near To the stars away from here... “Well, you don't know what We can find Why don't you come with me little girl On a magic carpet ride…” “3, 2, 1, we have liftoff!” Twilight and Gallus shouted in thunderous cheer and soon the crowd was to join them as they saw the Phoenix, brazen to take Equus into a new age lift off into the night sky firing jets of flame from it’s boosters. Suddenly, on Gallus’s computer screen an alert popped up, and Gallus’s eyes widened in alarm. “Twilight, get over here now!” Twilight’s eyes were soon to widen as well. “Rainbow, you’ve got an leak in the fuel cells. Abort! Abort! For Faust’s sake, just abort!” But it was far too late, for as soon as the Phoenix began to fade from vision a bright light lit up the night sky… “RAINBOW!” Flurry shouted in fear, jumping out of bed as she threw the covers off of her. Soon, the doors to her quarters opened and Flashfire ran in Astral Blaster in hand as he heard Flurry’s sound of fear. “Flurry, you alright?” he asked in concern, seeing the now sniveling mare. He quickly pulled the covers up over her, and wrapped an arm around her. “No… No, I’m not alright. Just… memories. Of a time long since past, and something that never should have happened,” Flurry replied, her voice a tear-stricken whisper. “All the calculations were made, everything was accounted for, but…” she began to mumble to herself like she had so many times before. This wasn’t just a one-time night terror. No, she’d had this memory before, and she knew she would have it again, having long viewed it as one of her greatest failures. Flashfire handed her a cup of hot Earl Grey tea, and just let the hours pass by slowly as he held Flurry in his arms. The newest mission could wait, right now his Princess needed his help. Morning eventually came, and Flurry was treated to a sight. Voyagers were already prepped under Coldcast’s suggestion, and Flurry could see why as the jewel in front of them? It was exactly what they’d been searching for ever since they left their old home. “...A new Eden.” she breathed out. The Doctor, however, didn’t look so sure, and every alarm bell in his mind was going off even as the Corvus Kyutama he gripped in his hands ever so tightly glowed and pulsated with power. Personally, Flashfire didn’t exactly see why the Doctor was so concerned, so terrified of them coming to this world really. Feeling the grass in his fingers, he smiled as he took a bite out of a Zap Apple plucked from a nearby tree. He didn’t quite know how an alien world had Zap Apples, but he wasn’t complaining really. Not as good as the grapes and wine back home, but it had its charms he supposed. “Still, wouldn’t hurt to be cautious I suppose. Just jumping headlong into a situation without knowing what’s going on would be folly,” Flashfire mused to himself as he pulled his pistol out of its holster and scanned the area, his eyes darting from left to right. “Guys, you seeing anything? Anything at all?” Flashfire asked. “The Doctor warned us about coming to this planet for a reason. I want to know why. Also, keep an eye out for that crashed ship. Maybe, and I’m probably reaching here, the Doctor’s warning and the ship crash-landing are connected in some way.” There was no response, just static crackling and an eerie groaning sound coming from Flashfire’s commlink. “Okay, odd…” he murmured, as he tapped his Kyuchanger once or twice. “Might be some atmospheric interference. Best to get Jabari on the horn, have his Eagle Voyager scan the skies.” Jabari’s personal Voyager, it had been designed to fly in the most dangerous of atmospheres, ones too toxic for normal breathing, or too covered in gases for safe flight. It had been decked out with sensors, and long-range scanning devices to give a complete picture of the area around it. “Jabari? You there?” Flashfire asked. “Sound off if you can hear me!” Once again, there came no answer. “J-Jabari?” Flashfire asked nervously. “Please tell me you’re there!” He engaged the Pyxis Kyutama, hoping for it to work it’s magic and point in the direction of Jabari or anyone else for that matter but no such luck. All it was doing was just making a golden arrow spin around wildly. “Okay, magnetic interference?” Flashfire wondered aloud, knowing that there were certain types of rocks and metals that could make any type of compass go haywire. Perhaps even one that was powered by the cosmos itself. Popping the Kyutama out of his gauntlet, Flashfire groaned. “Going to have to do this the old fashioned way I suppose… These hooves were made for walking I guess.” Grabbing a stick up off the ground, he used it as a cane much like a hiker would do as he began to walk into a nearby forest shouting his team’s name all the while. Despite the forest being widespread and endless, his voice didn’t echo off of any of the trees, and the footsteps that he took seemed very floaty, as if he was walking on clouds. As he picked up the pace and even started to run, he noticed that the horizon wasn’t coming closer to him at all. If anything, it was like he was entirely stuck in place, running on the spot, even though the entrance got farther and farther away from him. “What the…?” Flashfire muttered as he looked up all around him, trying to find the sun. “Feels like I’m going in circles here.” Out of caution, the unicorn quickly morphed with a whisper of: “Star Change.” But as he did so, he realized that his suit wasn’t coming to him. In fact, his Kyutama seemed to have lost all of its’ energy when he tried to use it. All it did in fact, was make a low beeping, humming sound. “Okay… Now, this is just getting odd.” Reaching for his Astral Blade he’d been carrying around on his back, he drew it as a low growl came from somewhere behind him. Or was it above? He couldn’t really be sure. Twirling the sword in his hands, he steadied the blade. No fear, no fear. That’s what he was telling himself, keep calm under pressure and the situation would resolve itself. He took more and more steps. And this time, the exit not only came towards him but seemed to stretch and contort in such a way that the very fabric of reality tore itself up once he got far enough, bringing him into a completely different environment. All around him was a darkened and almost totally destroyed version of the Shining Armor’s bridge. “What the fu…” he trailed off, still gripping his blade. “You did this,” A single voice echoed through his head. “All of this. All of those senseless killings? They came back to bite you in the ass.” “Senseless?” Flashfire asked to the voice. “They were monsters, warlords, conquerors! So whoever you are, won’t you kindly just shut it?” “You haven’t told them yet,” the voice whispered, sounding like it was right next to him, and then it wasn’t. “About your little secret? Oh, Flashfire Lulamoon, you’ve got more secrets than the galaxies have stars, and you won’t let anyone in on one. single. one.” the voice chuckled darkly. “Maybe it’s because… Oh, isn’t this funny, the great Flashfire Lulamoon is afraid of what his team would think of him if they knew?” “SHUT UP!” Flashfire roared, swinging his blade widely. “You don’t know a single thing about me, not one you understand?” “Murderer. Killer. Savage. All the words to describe Kyurangers such as yourself, and those abhorrent people you consider your friends,” the voice continued as he blindly swung at the air, hot tears streaming down Flashfire’s face. He’d never felt so alone, so helpless in all his life. He’d always had his friends to be there by his side, and now? “You are no hero, and your fleet is not a beacon of hope and justice. It is only a sign that, when you defeat Don Armage, you will only serve to carry on his warmonger history. Accept that fact, and give up this unhealthy life. Only then will you be able to repent.” With that, the world darkened all around him. Meanwhile, Coldcast had found himself sliding down a crater, finding a blackened and charred ship into the impact area, long since beyond the point of repair. His boots crunched the stone beneath him, and one claw gripped an Astral Claw tightly. Never hurt to be too careful. “Okay, this is Coldcast. If anyone’s reading this hermanos, well I think it’s safe to say that any hope of salvaging this ship, and saving whoever was inside is long gone. Beacon must have been broadcasting for who knows how long. Strange though, with this much damage, you’d have thought…” No response came, only static crackling and a weird groaning noise. Coldcast’s fur and feathers raised on instinct, a cold shiver coming over him. Something was wrong, and he knew it. “Anyone read?” Coldcast asked, only to receive more static. He groaned. “Great, going to have to fly a bit higher, hopefully find a better transmission point,” he muttered. Extending his wings, the griffon flew to the highest peak he could find in the nearby area, and tried broadcasting again. “This is Coldcast of the Shining Armor, does anyone copy? I repeat, does anyone copy?” Nothing but a crackling noise. He repeated the same thing over and over again, but ended up with the same result. “You gotta be kiddin’ me…” Coldcast muttered as he looked at his Kyuchanger. “Fine time for you to crap out on me now. I thought you were built to last!” “I’m disappointed, Coldcast. I really am,” Flashfire’s voice appeared, as did he, stepping out of the mists. “Look what happened to us. To you.” “H-Hermano?” Coldcast whispered as he took a good hard look at Flashfire, something seemed wrong about him. The way he stood, the look in his eyes. “Don’t call me your putain grand frère!” He dashed to his side, threw him to the ground and stomped on his back violently. “You killed all the other Kyurangers with this stupid plan of yours! They’re dead because of you and your shit!” The rage in his eyes was pure and untapped, almost catching on fire with how passionate he felt. “So now, I’m going to kill you!” He grabbed Coldcast by the throat, and held him over a ledge. Below, were jagged icy spikes. “Look familiar Coldcast? Remind you of anywhere?” Flashfire asked mockingly. “Reminds me of home, doesn’t it? What it became…” Coldcast snarled, and kicked Flashfire in the stomach making him stagger and Coldcast hovered over the spikes and back on top of the mountain peak. “Grand frère, w-what’s happened to you?” Coldcast whispered. “I know exactly what’s happened to me. I’ve seen the truth,” He hissed out, before giving him a one-handed chokehold, grip tightening with each second. Coldcast coughed a little. “The truth that we’re not Kyurangers, that we’re not heroes, and you dragged us all into this stupid little game of yours. I never should have adopted you, just left you in the systems to rot!” Coldcast kicked his brother in the shin, and just barely held off furious sword strikes with his own blade. He ducked and swung low, striking Flashfire in the chest before a punch caught him off guard making Coldcast stagger. Flashfire threw another, but this one was blocked by Coldcast’s blade. “R-remember these moves, that duel-viper beheading strike? You taught me them, r-remember?” Coldcast asked, his voice shaky. “N-None of what you’re saying grand frère, none of it’s true! N-None of it! I didn’t drag us off on this mission, it was Flurry’s idea and yours for that matter to help save whoever was on this planet,” Coldcast pleaded, fighting back tears, even as a blow from Flashfire’s sword knocked him to the ground. Flashfire ground his hoof into Coldcast’s chest, and even as the griffon tried to reach for his Kyutama he knocked off the ledge with a swing from his blade. “Element of Loyalty? You have no loyalty to begin with! You left your team behind, you rushed into battle without thinking, and you aren’t completely on board with the team’s decisions!” Flashfire howled. “You are not fit to bear the sigil of Rainbow Dash. Nor are you fit to even be called her successor! You don’t deserve what you hold. And you certainly don’t deserve to hold anything anymore!” He raised his blade before bringing it down, and all went black. Somewhere else, Flurry found herself wandering through a field, mountains behind her, with her Scorpion Voyager parked in the safety of a grove of trees. “Mom, you would have loved it here. By Faust, I just know it…” Flurry whispered, briefly seeing her younger self -clutching her Whammy- and her mom running through the fields, before collapsing in a fit of giggles. The grass stood proudly in the field, swaying to and fro in the gentle breezes, flicking morning dew lightly around it. Butterflies would flitter down and land on nearby flowers for brief instances, before going off on their merry ways. The mountains in the distance were topped with snow and stood on the horizon, acting as a makeshift cradle to hold everything else behind them in safety, and the houses nearby were all immaculately built, as if they were Equestrian houses of old, inhabited by ponies that Flurry once knew and loved. “I wonder,” Flurry thought, her mind once more briefly lapsing into memories of the distant past. “Rainbow, would this have been what you might have found in your space explorations?” “3, 2 1, liftoff!” “Space, it’s about to get a little bit more awesome you guys!” “Rainbow, you’ve a leak in your fuel tank. Abort, abort!” KABOOM! Flurry shut her eyes in remembrance, remembering the great fireball that had covered the skies that day. Rainbow was supposed to bring Equestria into a new age, like a Phoenix rising from the ashes but instead all she ended up becoming was ashes herself. She fought back a tear, she couldn’t get caught up in her memories now. She had a ship to find, and a crew to rescue. Holding up her Kyuchanger, she spoke into it. “Any luck out there? Flashfire, Coldcast? What’s your status. Jabari, King Pharynx, what about you?” She tapped the Kyuchanger, hoping for some sort of response. When none came, she decided for a different channel instead, and contacted the ship. “Flurry to the Shining Armor, something’s gone wrong. Can’t get ahold of anyone. I suspect Dark Matter interference. Please respond. Over.” she stated, a chill beginning to run up her spine knowing something was deeply wrong here. Much like the others, nothing but silence. Silence as the world around her began to change. It went to her old room in the Crystal Empire, back when she was a baby. Nothing but her old crib and her toys, as her old weapons and gear vanished, and her clothes turned back into regal robes, complete with crown and silver necklace. Oddly, there wasn’t the telltale sound of guard hoofsteps and metal armor clanking. Flurry, at once knew something was wrong. She just couldn’t place her finger onto what. “Do you remember this? Your innocence?” Cadence asked as she stepped into the room. “Before the time when our planet burned out?” “Yes, of course, I do. But what are you doing here, your AI still isn’t finished being uploaded into the matrix, and I know for a fact I’m definitely not on the ship. So please do explain, what’s going on around here?” Flurry questioned, the tip of her horn beginning to glow a light gold. “Matrix? There is no matrix. You’re home. You don’t need to do anything anymore,” Cadence just came over and gave her a hug. “You don’t have to be living in such a harsh, desolate world, Flurry. You can stay here, with us. Everything will go back to normal in no time.” “Yeah, you raised me, taught me everything you knew and that included passing on protecting those closest to you. And right now, there’s a crew that I love and protect that needs my help. So mom, if that’s who you really are, I have to go.” “Why, your friends are all here too, Flurry.” Cadence showed Flurry out the door, to see the rest of her team alive and healthy, giving her happy smiles. “No more worrying about them, okay? You’ve got one life to live, and it should be a happy one.” “I’m actually quite happy as I am mom,” Flurry stated, waving her hand and making the ‘team’ vanish. “Very happy. So stop screwing with me, who are you?” “Your mother. And one who did not raise you this way.” Cadence’s demeanor vanished as she lit up her horn and coated Flurry in a spell, causing her to get smaller and smaller, as well as shorter at the same time. “You are not stubborn. You are accepting. Accept me, and accept that this is the world you want and will have,” She glared. “Your friends have become too much of a bad influence on you. Especially that Flashfire pony. What do you even see in him?” She asked. “I’ll raise you from scratch all over again to prevent those kinds of mistakes from ever happening again if I have to. You like being a foal again, don’t you?” Flurry was having none of that. “No, you’re not my mother. I should have suspected something was wrong ever since I stepped foot on this planet,” she stated, shaking her head. “And for the record, being a foal was lousy. Always having to cry whenever I wanted attention, having you put me up in pretty little dresses. Faust, half of those I’d rather burn than be seen in public with.” “Then DIE!” The illusion vanished, and a thing that could only be described as a great black mass with only a vague resemblance to her mother impaled Flurry with a pure black energy rod. “I hate you, Princess Flurry Heart of Equestria. I’ve hated you from the moment I saw you. I should have killed you when I had the chance to, but me simply being your mother always kept on holding me back.” It said, leaning in closer to her face. “You are scum. You are so perfect, so unflawed, so arrogant to your weaknesses that you have become the worst ranger on your team because of it. Well now, I think it’s time you got a wake-up call to how pathetic of a character you really are! You’re not the daughter Cadence wanted, just a caricature. And a really bad one at that.” “W-Weaknesses?” Flurry whispered. “No, no. That’s not true. You know so much about me, don’t you? Then you should know why I’m so closed off, I never want to lose anyone important to me again. I’ve billions of years old, I’ve lost so much, Rainbow just being the first. Then dad went, and then several lovers I’ve taken over the centuries. And then finally you when you and Luna, and Twilight and Celestia died trying to stave off the sun from scorching Equus to a crisp! So, tell me, do you blame me?” The thing ignored her, and shifted into a darker coated version of Flashfire, seemed to be a popular get-up these days. “Ohh, lovers. Now there’s something interesting. Flashfire, you know he’s sweet on you right? Why’d you think he came running to your rescue after he heard you scream from that nightmare of yours earlier this morning?” “F-Flashfire… loving me?” Flurry whispered, for the moment forgetting the mention of how the thing seemed to know about her nightmare when by all rights it shouldn’t have. The thing morphed back into Cadence. “That’s right, he’s very sweet on you. Your own personal knight in shining armor. And yet you, the daughter of the Princess of love spun him, and keep him at arm’s length!” it laughed. “We’re professionals, colleagues. Nothing more. Is there anything wrong with that?” Flurry asked. “How can an Alicorn possibly be in love with someone who isn’t immortal?” The monster asked, driving the rod further and further into Flurry’s body. “How could you possibly love someone who will die before you even reach middle age? Face it, your own coldness, that’ll drive everyone away from you eventually.” With that, Flurry’s world went dark. Somewhere else, Pharynx was searching the rocky mountain passes for Coldcast, having heard his transmission and stepped into a cave and lit up a fire with the Ara Kyutama just to keep himself warm. Changelings hated the cold, after all, being insectoid in nature. He was amazed he’d lasted as long in this blizzard as he had. His wings were nearly frozen over, and ice was beginning to form on the tips of his antlers. Suddenly, a howling wind rushed inside the darkened cave and blew out the small fire Pharynx had made for himself. “Great… Just great,” he muttered and tried to use the Ara Kyutama once more. But this time, nothing happened and just like Flashfire’s Cerberus Kyutama before it, the Ara Kyutama only made a low humming sound. “...What the…? Alright, Stripped. Please tell me your little creations don’t glitch out after so many uses…” he muttered to himself, before blinking as he saw the whole cavern had changed in front of him. Changeling corpses; thousands of them littered the area. The drones had been stripped of all their flesh and bone, leaving nothing but the brittle hides they wore behind. Helms had been scattered and crushed, and torn wings also adorned the slaughtering grounds. The bodies of his brother, Thorax, and his former queen, Chrysalis were also visible, and their faces had been stomped into the ground, crushed beyond recognition. “T-Thorax?” Pharynx asked in shock, rushing over to his brother, who was missing one of his distinctive antlers. In the back of his mind, he knew this couldn’t be him as he knew his brother had died long ago but all the same, he’d wanted to see him ever since he’d woken up from his cold sleep. “W-Who did this to you? Who did this to our hive?” “The same being who will destroy the Kyurangers, and any other threats to my reign.” A deep rumbling voice boomed out, followed by an armoured figure with an oversized sickle sword. “I am Don Armage. And I am the last thing you will ever see.” “Yeah, I doubt that. Star Change!” Pharynx snarled, rising to his feet in a vengeance filled fury with a flash of silver light as he morphed. He leapt towards Don Armage, both swords meeting each other and clashing with each other, blow for blow. Each of Don’s attacks had a black contrail around them, while Pharynx’s were notably faster than usual leaving behind glimmers of silver light. Blades rang out in the hellish landscape, as Armage and Pharynx clashed, with the Changeling King striking with an almost frightening fury as he managed to draw blood. Pharynx then managed to land a hard right hook to Armage’s ghoulish face, not even thinking about the possibility of how or why Armage could be here when Armage from what the Doctor had explained didn’t likely see them as any sort of threat at the moment. He just wanted blood, and vengeance for his hive and for his brother. “May not have been the best big brother in the world Thor,” Pharynx stated as he managed to cleave Don Armage’s weapon in half. “But I always tried to look out for you, just hope you understood that.” Suddenly, Pharynx was blasted backwards by a powerful blast of wind from Don Armage, who was now using a massive gunbai, or a Japanese war fan. The wind was soon accompanied by flames, turning the cyclonic winds into a searing tornado. Armage laughed all the while. “You changelings… You like heat, don’t you? Is this enough for you, little snake?” Armage asked, before driving his sword into the ground. It began to turn red, as flames began to spring up from it. A wall of fire surrounded the two, boxing Pharynx in. “Look at you, your loyalty to your hive and yet you couldn’t even protect them from me! How do you expect to protect the galaxy, if you couldn’t protect your family? You’re no King, you’re hardly even worth being called as such! Your brother would be sooooo ashamed of you…” Armage laughed. With that, he impaled Pharynx with a long black rod as the Changeling King began to lose consciousness. “Been fun talking to you, but I’ve got places to go and a universe to keep in balance.” With that, Pharynx fell to his chest and blacked out completely. Sadly, the last hope for rescue of the other Kyurangers was dealing with his own problems. Jabari, he’d managed to hit some thick fog flying in, and was now currently sitting in a wrecked Voyager. He’d long figured out something was interfering with communications, but what exactly? “Okay, think here,” Jabari mused to himself. “What do you remember happening? Well, aside from the obvious fog that seemed to spring up out of nowhere? It was almost as if the planet itself was reacting to our presence. But no, that’s silly. Hardly scientific even! Still…” He thought back to some old myths, ones he’d long dismissed as hardly worth his time. Myths of varying Zebra tribes. One legend of one tribe that persisted held the belief that the stars were the eyes of the dead, while a similar tribe held steadfast to the idea that they were the spirits of those unwilling to be born. Some members of this group believed that they were the souls of those so long dead that they were no longer ancestor spirits. On the other hand, Zecora’s parent tribe (And Jabari’s as well for that matter) pictured the stars as hanging from the solid dome of the sky by cords. There was a myth of a being so vast, and so intelligent dangling these stars, hoping some foolish young tribesman or tribesmare would leap out to touch them, only to be sucked into this great black void. He’d long ago dismissed this belief as old rubbish, Jabari had, but maybe there was some truth to it. After all, space was vast enough, and it had been said to have given birth to Discord so who knows what else persisted out there? He vaguely remembered his grandmother speaking of this being, the one who dangled the stars like lures hoping to catch an unwary zebra as someone who fed on the despair of lost souls. He brought your hopes up with a brilliant white light -like say, a star- of some sort and then as soon as you reached this star you traveled into a world so dark you’d never return. Jabari’s heart started to pump faster, and he began to sweat as he slowly begun to realize just how much trouble he was in. Calling for any of his teammates on the comms, he received no answer. With a grunt of frustration, he summoned a Kyutama from his belt buckle and slammed into a section of his control console. The Kyutama was mostly orange and depicted a pump drawing on the powers of the Antlia constellation. Jabari smiled and turned the systems on as the whole interior of the cockpit began to glow with an orange hue. The tank began to glow back to life and regain its’ neon lights, though they had been changed to the colour of the Kyutama itself, and was more radiant than usual. The Eagle Voyager let out a screech, and its wings began to burn with a flaming fury, far more intense than the norm. “Oh yes!” Jabari smirked, as he slammed the control console with a hand in triumph before his eyes narrowed. “Alright then Kukata Tamaa, let’s see you try and get one over on me!” As the Eagle Voyager took flight once more, Jabari’s thoughts raced. He knew he wouldn’t be able to save his fellow Rangers, at least not directly, but he knew he could at least try and get a message to them. Placing the Capricornus Kyutama into his gauntlet, he spoke into it. “Listen, I don’t know if any of you all can hear me, but listen up. Whatever you’re seeing, it’s not real. It’s a fake, a veil created by a monster from my tribe’s myths. Calls himself Kukata Tamaa, literally meaning ‘Despair’. That’s what he’s making you do, toying with your minds and making you see your worst nightmares come to life. That’s what he does, before he devours your very being! So if any of you can hear me for the love of Faust, fight back!” Jabari wasn’t sure if anyone heard him or not, but someone did. Flurry to be exact, who was still pinned to the wall by the mock version of her mother. “Okay, I accept the fact that maybe not letting anyone in held me back, not just as a pony but as a Ranger. That what you want, you happy now? I’ve been so afraid, for so long that I’d lose someone so close to me, I never wanted to let anyone in again. But now, just looking at you, who literally feeds off the hopelessness of others… well, time for that to change. I realize now, that I was wrong. My friends you see? They’ve been the ones giving me hope to continue on this mad quest of ours. And guess what? Our hope and our friendship will take on the universe and that includes YOU!” Flurry roared, prying the rod out of her chest as the whole world around her returned to normal, and she stood facing off against a pure midnight-black figure in a field. With a sheer blast of energy from her palm with wings spread wide, she forced the figure back. Suddenly, a glowing orb landed in her hand, and she looked at the new dark-red Kyutama which seemed to depict a helmet of some sort. Also, instead of the usual numeric codes a Kyutama normally bore, this one simply read ‘KR’ in rainbow letters. Shrugging, Flurry slammed the Kyutama into her morpher, making it proclaim: “Wizard, please~!” Flurry blinked, that was a new one. But she could definitely feel the power flowing through this Kyutama. She fired after giving the Kyutama a gentle push, and a rift opened in the sky above. Out of the rift, a young man sprang. This one was different to the ones in the mirror world she had seen. This one’s skin wasn’t quite as colorful, a simple pale tan rather than the veritable rainbow she had seen then. His auburn hair was neck length, with the bangs sweeping across his forehead. Oddly, he wore a giant hand as his belt buckle. Straightening out his black jacket that was worn over a light red shirt, he took in the scene in front of him. Strangely, he didn’t seem to be all too surprised by this summoning. “So, I presume you’re the one who’s been causing all of this despair?” the man asked in a deadpan tone looking at Kukata Tamaa. “Generally, creatures who look like you, well they never mean good intent for anyone,” Adjusting a black ring on his hand, his gaze turned to Flurry. “Young miss, you look like you could use some hope.” “I already found my hope, but an assist would be nice. Name’s Flurry Heart. Yours?” Flurry asked. “Souma Haruto,” the young man answered, moving his black ring to his belt buckle. “The Last Hope.” “Driver On!” the belt called out, turning silver and the hand growing more than twice its normal size. Smirking, Haruto flipped a switch on his belt, changing the direction the hand was pointing. A jingle started to play from the device and it chanted, “Shabadoobie touch to henshin~” Slipping a red ring onto his other hand Haruto added, “But right now, you can call me, Wizard.” Moving his hand down, he placed the red ring over the belt. “Flame, please!” Throwing his arm out to the side, a red magic circle sprang out, symbols that Flurry couldn’t identify filling it. The magic circle started to move, passing over Haruto while his belt chanted, “Heat, heat, heat, heat!” Getting the memo, Flurry slammed her Kyutama into her morpher. “Say the Change!” it declared as Haruto’s own transformation finished. “Scorpius!” Flurry shouted, looking at Haruto. He was standing in armor, a red helmet seemingly made of jewels covering his face. The visor had no traditional eye portion, instead having silver brackets divide it into antennae, forehead, eye and mouth portions. A black coat that went down to his ankles covered his torso and parted at the chest to reveal more of the jewel-like material beneath it. On either side of the coat flaps were three red squares made of the same material. “Wow, flashy,” Flurry remarked as Haruto took in the orange Ranger’s costume and general motif. “Huh, so the powers of the constellations aren’t limited to villains anymore?” Haruto mused. “Gentaro would be excited to hear that. Though then again, it doesn’t take much to excite him.” he remarked in a deadpan tone. “I’ll ask about him later, right now I think it’s time to shut this guy up.” Flurry said, surging forwards, fist drawn back. Despair just threw up a shield made up of this black globulus substance that seemed to absorb the punches, before sending a powerful spout of the stuff right back at the Orange Ranger. Meanwhile, the other Rangers were recovering from the depths of their own despair, and Pharynx had managed to pin ‘Armage’ up against a wall with his antlers before delivering a powerful punch that utterly destroyed the fake. His eyes widened, Pharynx now taking in the empty cavern. “So, they were never there…” he whispered, before letting out a growl. Flashfire meanwhile, had found Coldcast and was dueling his copy blade to blade before with a simple strike beheaded the doppelganger with the body turning into sand. Coldcast raced up to embrace his big brother, letting the tears flow as Flashfire whispered calming words to him. Back with Flurry, Haruto nodded and switched out the black ring for an orange one and flipping the switch on his belt again. “Upachi magic! Touch to go!~” It sang out, Haruto waving the ring over his buckle. “Connect, please!” A smaller rune circle formed beside his head and he reached into it. From it, he pulled out a large silver gun with a hand design similar to his belt on its side. Throwing his arm out, he fired multiple, large silver bullets out of it. The bullets flew, curving in their arc to slip past the monster’s shield. Flurry smirked, before she dashed forwards taking advantage of the monster’s surprise and sent him skywards with a supersonic punch that created a miniature Sonic Rainboom in the process. Kukata Tamaa was then sliced through the middle by one very fast Eagle Voyager glowing with orange and purple flames, jawblade in its beak before Jabari leaped out of it to drop kick his old monster from under the bed in the face. “Who… who the hell do you think you are you brat?” Kukata Tamaa asked, coughing up some sort of black goo. Flurry looked green at this. “Jabari Swift, Aquila Pink! Also, the man who managed to figure you out,” Jabari declared with a small smirk, pointing directly at the old myth. “You’re old, Tamaa. Washed up. Just the boogeyman from someone’s closet. And I’ll be all too happy to shut the doors on you. Star Change!” he shouted, morphing into his own Ranger form and drawing twin Astral Blasters. “So, someone’s taking after Tsukasa?” Haruto remarked, as he and Jabari fired on Tamaa. “Good on you, pink is a good color for a hero.” “Just shut up gem-boy, and help me kick this old myth’s ass,” Jabari grumbled, still none too pleased with the color he got handed. Pulling the thumb on his gun, its barrel flipped upward and a blade sprang out. “You can call me, Wizard. And keep firing while the young miss and I go in.” Jabari nodded and kept up the suppressing fire, although he elected not to tell Wizard that Flurry was pushing six billion by this point so she hardly could be called ‘young’ in any sense. Tamaa fired a stream of black goo at Jabari, who simply flew backwards extending twin amber wings as he did so and continuing his firing at the creature all the while. Haruto slapped his red ring onto the hand of his sword, red flames suddenly swirling around the blade. “Flame slash strike!” the weapon called out, Haruto sending the flames flying and burning away an oncoming stream of goo before it could hit Flurry. Flurry nodded gratefully, before impaling the monster with a stinger tail, and hurling him skywards before teleporting above him and axe-kicking him back towards the ground. This was where a series of flashes of light intercepted the creature as Pharynx, Coldcast, and Flashfire finally arrived on the scene. “Sorry for how late we are Princess,” Flashfire stated, looking at the creature with more than a trace of anger. “Had business of our own to attend to.” “He got to you too huh?” Flurry sighed, and all three nodded as they drew their weapons. “Meet Wizard, he’ll be lending an assist for this battle.” “Battle? Didn’t know there was going to be one,” Pharynx growled. “Only just us wiping this guy up off the ground after we reduce him to a greasy smear.” “Good point, shall we finish this?” Haruto asked. “It’s time for the finale.” Replacing the red ring on his hand for another that was more ornate, he flipped the hand on his belt and hovered the new piece of jewelry over it. “Flame Dragon!” Haruto spread his arms out to the side, a red magic circle forming behind him. All the while, the five Kyurangers lined up their shots. A dragon made entirely of flame rocketed out of the circle, circling the young man while his belt shouted, “Burn, burn, burn, burn, burn!” The dragon roared, flying into his back and his armor changed. His coat was entirely red, with silver shoulder pads that had red gems in their centers. On his chest it looked like the eyes and top of a dragon’s head were poking out, surveying the battlefield. The antennae on his helmet had been replaced with long horns and there was a red jewel at the center of his forehead. “All-Star Crash!” the Rangers shouted as they fired their Kyuchangers at the monster, with Haruto leaping up into the air to perform a flying side kick, his boot encased in flame. All attacks met, and the monster exploded sending hoards of black goo everywhere. “Échec et mat,” Flashfire stated, as he gave a thumbs-down motion. Haruto chuckled and canceled his transformation. “Checkmate? Odd choice, but to each his own I suppose,” Haruto commented, as he began to glow gold and fade away. “Oh, it seems it’s time to take my leave. But before I go… Here, catch!” he said to Flurry, tossing an orange-toned ring to her. “Something to remember me by, and so that you’ll never lose hope even when times get dark.” With that, he fully faded away. High above on a clifftop, stood Sir Ikargen, his face lined with pure rage. He didn’t think the Rangers would have an ink-ling of a chance on this planet. Growling, he lined up his rifle and fired. BANG! Author's Note Okay, huge thanks to both Shadowmane and Thunderclap for co-writing a lot of the scenes for me, and generally busting their backs to make this chapter come together. But now, it's showtime...
Part 16: AftermathFlurry, as soon as she heard the loud BANG! of the gunshot reacted. On pure instinct, she threw up a shield of pure gold magic over the group, and the bullet only very nearly pierced the shield. The shield cracked, but didn’t shatter. She looked up to the top of a jagged cliffside and saw the figure the Doctor had described as Sir Ikargen loading another round into his rifle. “Move, now!” Flurry barked to her subjects. “Not sure if this shield can withstand another shot, and I sure as Tartarus don’t want to chance it!” Not needing to be told twice, the Ranger got moving as shots whizzed over their heads. One nicked Jabari in the leg, causing him to scream out in pain as blood splattered the rocky ground. The rocky ground which hadn’t been there before, Flurry had noticed. The fields had rapidly faded away, as soon as Kukata Tamaa had been defeated. It seems with his death, the carefully and meticulously crafted illusion of a perfect paradise had shattered like glass. Now the only thing that was left was a arid rocky cragged wasteland, with a dark green miasmic sky partially obscured by thick cloud cover. Hardly paradise. Coldcast rushed over to what was possibly his best friend, and helped him up. “I got you,” Coldcast grunted out. “Seriously though Jabari, ya need to lay off the hayburgers.” “...What, you saying I’m fat?” Jabari joked, in spite of his wounds and despite the danger. “Maybe a little. When we get back to the Shining Armor, you’re going on a crash diet. Best friend’s orders!” Coldcast replied as the two got moving. “...I thought it was Doctor’s orders? Pretty sure you’re not qualified.” “Best friend’s orders, they amount to about as much.” Then, a loud shriek that both knew all too well echoed from above them, and the Scorpius Drone now installed with a new dark Kyuchanger leaped out from behind some rocks arm blades extended and crackling with energy. “Oh, you got to be kidding me!” Jabari shouted. “What’d we ever do to tick that thing off?” “Smash it’s mecha and steal it’s Kyutama?” Coldcast deadpanned as he raised his Astral Claw to block one of the blade strikes, while Jabari went for one of his pistols and fired at the robot shooting it in the chest. “Move it!” Flurry shouted as she threw her spear impaling the robot to a rock. “I’ll cover you, just get to your Voyagers! I’ve already sent a transmission, they’ve locked onto our location and are converging now!” “How are you going to…?” Jabari asked before his voice trailed off as he remembered Flurry’s title, especially after seeing dust and sand beginning to get kicked up along with orange and red autumn leaves. Luna, or at least her AI version had told him that Flurry’s birth had created a massive weather system or something to that effect and therefore she’d become the Princess of the Seasons when she’d become sixteen, in charge of controlling and managing Equestria’s weather patterns. This combination of dust, sand, and leaves blinded both Sir Ikargen who’d leaped down to join his partner and pulled out a rapier while the Scorpius Drone had pulled Flurry’s spear out of his chest. “Damn you!” Ikargen shouted, even as a hoard of icicles was sent his way, both him and the drone using their blades to cut them to pieces. “Crude words coming from someone who was supposedly knighted if your title is any indication!” Flurry snarked back. More swearing followed, and as the group emerged from the maze of rocks they could see their freedom. The Scorpius Drone jumped out of nowhere with a Kyutama with a little fox painted on it in his gauntlet, blades at the ready. Ikargen was soon to follow. “Where the Hell did they come from?” Coldcast shouted, as Flurry nodded at Flashfire, who tossed her his sword and she began dueling both the drone and Ikargen driving them back with both her swordsmanship abilities and her magical prowess. Swinging wide, she sent an arc of orange energy at the two, knocking them back. “That Kyutama…” Jabari noted, his eyes narrowing in on the design etched in on it. "That would be Vulpecula or the little fox. Known to be tricksters, so why can’t it give the ability of camouflage?” “Maravilloso!” Coldcast snapped in a sarcastic manner. “Anything else we should be aware of?” He got his answer soon enough when Sir Ikargen pulled out a purple and black Kyutama and placed it in a slot on his rifle making it state in a deep voice: “Black Hole Kyutama.” “Faust!” Coldcast shouted, as Flurry and just about everyone else for that matter leaped away to avoid miniature black holes fired at them. “Man, they must really want to kill us, don’t they? I’m almost flattered that they think we’re that important!” Flurry dodged more blade strikes before using her suit’s stinger tail to knock away the Scorpius Drone with one wide swing dealing with one threat for the time being. “...We need to talk about your ideas of flattery.” Jabari deadpanned even as Pharynx inserted the Serpens Kyutama into his gauntlet, and sent a barrage of spectral snakes towards Ikargen to give Flurry a chance to retreat. “Give up,” Ikargen stated, as he implanted his sword in the ground and readied his rifle for more shots, the squid-like being almost seeming to be smirking in triumph. “Been a long hard road trying to kill you, but it's the end of the line.” “...Yeah, might want to rethink that.” Flurry said with a distinctive smirk as she heard a very familiar engine’s roar and from behind some mountains the Cerberus Voyager emerged and fired a barrage of missiles at both Ikargen and the Scorpius Drone sending them flying. Seizing their chance, the Kyurangers all teleported into the massive Voyager as rocketed out of the planet’s atmosphere. Ikargen let out a roar of rage as he picked himself up off the ground. It seems desperate times called for desperate measures. “Madako, I need your assistance…” he stated into his comms. The Doctor, suffice it to say was not a happy Time Lord when he found out several of the Kyurangers, Flurry, and Flashfire had explicitly gone against his warnings on landing on the planet Corvus. He’d warned them, he mentally yelled. Rassilon, even the Corvus Kyutama had warned them against landing on this planet in it’s own way! Even now, the satellite Stripped Gear had hijacked alongside Jabari was picking up the transmissions coming from the planet below, the gunshots and the shouting of the various Kyurangers. Gritting his teeth, the last Gallifreyan flashed back to before all of this happened. Voyagers were already prepped under Coldcast’s suggestion, and Flurry could see why as the jewel in front of them? It was exactly what they’d been searching for ever since they left their old home. “...A new Eden.” she breathed out. The Doctor, however, didn’t look so sure, and every alarm bell in his mind was going off even as the Corvus Kyutama he gripped in his hands ever so tightly glowed and pulsated with power. “Ready the landing craft,” Flurry said. In the background, various crew members including Stardust along with this white dragon-like pony with ram’s horns sticking out of her head gazed on in all. “We’ve found it.” she breathed out. “Already marked out potential landing sites,” Jabari remarked, bringing up a hologram of the planet and gesturing to these landing sites with a pointer. “Color-coded of course, because what are we? Animals?” he laughed. Flurry raised an eyebrow. “...Okay, technically we are but you get my point. Continue on Princess.” As Flurry did so, the Doctor gripped the Corvus Kyutama tightly in his palms pulsated with a dark power, he knew what exactly it’s abilities were. They were supposed to send someone into a world of despair, that someone with only a strong enough willpower was able to escape from. This was… concerning on multiple levels. One, that this Kyutama was reacting the way it was on this particular moment, and that Stardust had specifically ordered Stripped Gear to construct this particular Kyutama. If he didn’t know better, it’d be something Dark Matter would be more likely to use! Speaking of Stardust, the Draco Ranger was currently dancing around with his cane, twirling in in his hands as a disco ball lowered from the bridge ceiling. Stardust, all the while sang this odd song in Neighponiese. “Dare mo ga oozora ni Sorezore no tadashisa wo Kagagete arasou sono saihate ni Nani ga aru to iu no “Don't stop movin' on!! Mirai wa mugen no kanousei no naka ni aru yo Kimi no kokoro ga ugoku shunkan Unmei mo ugokidasu!” Predictably, everyone was ignoring him. The Doctor more so than most, he’d gotten used to the Prince of Summer and Spring’s weirdness -Ever since he was borne, Flurry’s title had been split in half with him taking up the warmer months- via this point. It was just part of his rather annoying character. “No.” the Doctor stated, slamming the Corvus Kyutama on the bridge’s table, letting everyone look at it pulsate with black and purple energy. “No?” Flashfire asked. “Please tell me you’ve finally lost it, can’t you see what’s out there?” The Doctor’s eyes widened in surprise, surely Flashfire could see what he was seeing! Instead of this New Eden that Flurry was talking about, the Doctor didn’t see a jewel in the darkened seas of the cosmos. Instead, he saw a dark planet covered by clouds and storms, emanating a form of menace. It was incredibly frightening really, and actually made the Doctor want to run off and curl up in the smallest hole he could find. “Do you?” the Doctor asked critically. “I’m warning you right now, don’t you dare land on that planet, whatever you do! Seriously, I’ve never been this serious in my entire life! Whatever you do, don’t leave this ship. Pack up, move onto the next planet!” Flashfire blinked, and for a moment he looked concerned -perhaps breaking free of the planet’s spell for the briefest of moments- before his expression resumed its normal state. “You’re being paranoid,” Flashfire remarked. “There’s nothing to be worried about. We’ve found it, a new home, and a base of permanent operations for us to conduct our war against Dark Matter. Besides, don’t you hear it? There’s a distress signal coming from that planet below, and as Paladins it’s our duty to answer it. As I said, you’re just being paranoid.” “Am I?” the Doctor asked. “Can’t you see the Corvus Kyutama? I mean, look at it!” he shouted, gesturing to the Kyutama in question. “...Yeah, I see it. So?” “So, don’t you think this is a cause for concern?” the Doctor asked the Cerebus-themed Ranger. “It acting up like this? I’ve heard legends, about this great void in space that swallows up anything and everything, feeds on their hopes. Dangles this little lure in front of them, before snapping its jaws up tight,” the Doctor continued, and he did note Jabari flinch in what was possible recognition. “This whole planet, and that distress signal? It’s a lure, a trap! Send me down there, because trust me on this. Didn't anyone ever tell you there's one thing you never put in a trap. If you're smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there's one thing you never, ever put in a trap.And that’s me. Put me down on that planet, and I guarantee that whatever’s waiting for you down there, I’ll send running for it’s life.” Flashfire looked thoughtful for a moment, possibly some of the Doctor’s warning getting through to him. “Okay then, we won’t send down the landing craft. Just a few of us will go, scouts to see if it’s safe. I’ll lead.” “No, I will.” Flurry stated. “It’s the duty of a Princess to protect her people isn’t it? I’d never ask anyone to do something I wouldn’t do myself Flashfire, and that includes putting me in danger. Yes, a Princess I may be, but I’m also a Paladin myself don’t you forget. I can handle myself, Doctor.” “If you say so…” the Doctor trailed off hesitantly, no small amount of fear filling his voice for what he suspected was about to transpire. “And transpire it did…” he whispered to himself back in the present time. “Damn them!” he shouted, slamming a fist on a console before walking off in disgust. The rest of the ship’s crew could only watch, and Stripped Gear sighed to himself. They and that meant Flashfire and Flurry would have a lot to do to win back the Doctor’s trust. A few days later, it was requested by Stardust that the entire crew got some downtime before they left onto the next galaxy, just to recover from the events of the happenings down on the planet Corvus. Flashfire, for one of the few times in his life, was actually thanking the normally ignoramus of a Prince he had to take orders from, and so went back to his usual routine of doing what he did whenever he needed to unwind as it were. That is, partake in the ship’s theatre troupe, this time playing the titular role in a play from his homeland: Cyrano de Bergerac. “You were like a brother to me. Do you remember? We used to play in the park near the lake.” Spada stated, almost perfectly in-character as Roxanne. Now normally, it was Crescendo projected via hologram who played this role but sadly tonight she was unavailable. Ever since her recital of a Cruel Angel's Thesis that helped free a certain planet, she’d found herself quite busy playing in the ship’s musical groups. “Yes, of course. Every summer, you came to Bergerac.” Flashfire, or rather Cyrano in this case replied. He had to admit, it was rather awkward using another male as Roxanne considering her role in the play but needs must. Besides, this was acting really. Spada had asked if he could change himself into a more feminine version of himself using the Virgo Kyutama or just his natural abilities but Flashfire had just looked disturbed by that. Plus, a little offended actually, stating that if he didn’t know how to act when improv or something of that ilk was required he’d never become truly great. “You used to make swords out of the reeds, and when you cut your hand you would come running to me, and I would say, Let me see. Oh! How did you do that?” “Playing near the Porte de Nesle.” “And how many did you play against?” “No more than a hundred.” Flashfire returned. Flashfire had long had an interest in the arts, the classical Shakespony-style theatre being one of his greatest interests alongside the clarinet. It was one of those few areas that he felt truly at peace. Perhaps it was his heritage, given his many great grandmother was a stage performer in her own right. A different type of stage performer he admitted, but he felt he had to honor her in some way given her wife was a great hero of old Equus. “Tell me!” Spada pleaded. “Tell me!” “No,” Flashfire stated, almost in monotone. Just like he’d been throughout the whole night. Spada found that rather odd really, he’d been a regular throughout the ship’s various plays and he knew when Flashfire was at his best. Tonight, it was evident something was off as the Beast Star was reading through his lines in a rather lifeless manner. Just going through the motions. “Let it go. Let it go. You tell me what you were going to say. Do you dare?” “I do dare. I love someone.” Spada returned, attempting to try and get Flashfire back in the swing of things but no matter what, nothing seemed to work. Not even transforming mid-line into a copy of Roxanne would work. “Ah!” Flashfire replied, rather caught off-guard by Spada’s transformation, his voice coming out as more of a squeak than anything else. “He does not know.” Spada continued. “Not yet at least. But he is proud, noble, brave and beautiful.” “Beautiful?” Flashfire stated, this line was supposed to be read in shock and perhaps a bit of envy, but once more it came out only lifelessly. “What's the matter?” Spada asked, not only in-character but in a voice of concern for his friend. Something was definitely wrong here, Flashfire hadn’t been the same since he came back from Corvus. Perhaps whatever he experienced down there, it’d affected his performance. “With me? Nothing. It is my hand. He is in the Guards?” Flashfire asked. Spada/Roxanna nodded. “Since this morning. Baron Christien de Neuvillette. In your own regiment. Promise me. Promise me to be his friend." “I promise.” Flashfire returned. “Oh, I love you. I must go now. Oh, and tell him to write me. A hundred men! What courage!” Spada shouted as he walked off-stage as this particular act ended. Scattered applause filled the room, polite clapping. ...Oh, but I have done better since.” Flashfire muttered, largely to himself. As soon as the curtain felt, he hung his head in shame and threw off his costume and punched a wall bloodying his knuckles. “Damn it…” he muttered. “Damn it all. What’s wrong with me? That’s normally one of my favorite parts of the play!” Flashfire knew all too well what was wrong with him really, it was guilt. Like a crushing weight upon his soul, he felt it. And he knew exactly why it was there. He’d ignored the Doctor’s direct warnings about traveling down to Corvus. The Doctor was supposed to be their guide to the universe, and Flashfire along with Flurry and Stardust were supposed to listen to him. But they’d done exactly the opposite when it came to this particular situation. Oh sure, some of that could be chalked up to them being put under Kukata Tamaa’s spell but not all of it. No, some of it could be attributed to them not listening to their own common sense and just seeing Corvus for what it was. Something that was far too good to be true. He knew Flurry felt it as well, considering what had gone on only a day or so prior just after the crew had returned from the Hell that was Corvus. And he suspected the crew knew it on some level as well, considering he’d been stopped by Spada in the hallways at one point. “Hey uh Flashfire? Just wanted to bring something up. I know it’s probably not my place, but lately there’s been a point of er, concern among some of the crew. It's, well, it's the Princess. She's been a bit elusive lately.” “Elusive?” Flashfire asked eyebrow raised. “Hasn’t left her quarters really, not even to join the daily briefing amongst the staff.” Flashfire sucked in a breath. “Your point?” he asked, despite having a sinking feeling he already knew why his love hadn’t left her quarters. “People take comfort in talking to her. When they see that the Princess is happy, they're happy,” Spada continued. “I know it’s her privilege to do what she wants, but I’m going to drop protocol for a moment. You have to admit, it is pretty odd really. I’d advise you to check up on her. Hive Mother knows you’re one of the closest to her, most likely to get something out of her.” Needless to say, Flashfire had followed Spada’s little tip and had gone to visit the Princess in her quarters. What he’d found, had been… interesting to say the least. The room had been darkened, allowing the starlight to fill the room as Flurry just sat down in her chair and observed the view. “Astronomical phenomena helps one to focus your mind I’ve found,” Flurry said not even looking at him as Flashfire walked in, but still acknowledging his presence. I like to imagine that each star represents a single thought. A single hope, a single dream.” “Rather new agey of you, really,” Flashfire remarked as he sat down beside her. “Listen, the crew, they’re-” “Starting to get worried?” Flurry finished for him. “Let them. They should be worried, if we’ve got an incompetent leader at the helm.” “By that, I assume you mean Stardust?” Flashfire joked trying to lighten the mood in his own way. His veins glowed a light pink even as he did so. He’d been noticing a few crew members have this same effect from time to time. Six in particular really, him amongst them. He wasn’t quite entirely sure why this happened, but he did have a working theory that he’d begun to suspect was probably quite sound after he’d heard Coldcast had become the new Element of Loyalty. The question was, who would become the next Element Bearer, and of which Element? “Spare the jokes commander,” Flurry replied. “I meant me. A Princess, who ignores sound advice from a man who’s probably been gallivanting around this universe for longer than I’ve been alive. I made a mistake, simple as that. We both did.” “Yeah, that’s true. But we can’t let it control our actions. Listen, I’ve got a performance of Cyrano de Bergerac coming up soon, you could join me if you want on-stage. Might help broaden your mind. Plus, Crescendo isn’t exactly available at the moment so we’re short one Roxanne.” “Sorry, I’ll pass on the offer. Acting’s never been my forte.” “And what if I told you I'm not leaving until you join me?” Flashfire said sternly. “Besides, if you ask me, you put up a damn good mask. God knows this mission’s put up a lot of stress on you, and yet ever since we left our home you’ve never been really one to show much emotion, never let anything get to you. At least, that’s how it seems on the surface. Otherwise, Tamaa probably wouldn’t have affected you as bad as he did.” “How much do you know?” Flurry asked in a dangerous tone, whirling on him. “Not as much as I’d like, I admit, but just enough. He had to have done something to you, Goddess knows he got into all of our heads. He knew things, I don’t know quite how, but he knew things about me that he never should have any right to.” “So?” Flurry stated coldly. “See a therapist. Hell, see Pharynx. I know you’ve been petitioning to put him up as ship’s consular.” Flashfire let out a growl and stomped off. As stubborn as a mule, this one. “...I just want to get through to her, is that too much to ask? All of us, we all went through something,” Flashfire whispered aloud as he wandered the corridors of the ship aimlessly, no particular direction in mind. Eventually, he found himself in an empty storage room, and took out his clarinet. Looking at it briefly, he then decided to play it. Maybe it’d help clear his mind. Playing a soft, almost haunting and sorrowful melody he didn’t really hear the hiss of the bay doors opening behind him. “It’s beautiful, you know,” Flurry said, distracting Flashfire from his playing. “Why you decided to be a pilot, I’ve no clue. You’ve got talent as an artisan. And you’re so remarkably kind, you putting up with me and my stupidity is evidence of that.” “...Well, a stallion one supposes must have many talents. Keep his options open.” “So, you two numbskulls are finally talking again?” Pharynx’s voice asked, as he too entered the cargo bay. “What’s your place in all of this?” Flurry asked, and Pharynx chuckled as he sat down on a nearby storage crate. “Flashfire, he asked me here. Wanted my opinions on his actions, and whether they were sound ones. Suppose while I’m here, might as well give my opinions on yours as well Princess. If you don’t mind that is,” he stated. “Well, who am I to ignore advice from a Changeling King?” Flurry shrugged. “They’re awfully good at sensing feelings. Makes them good listeners, and counselors.” “Bleagh, please don’t make me the ship’s counselor. Damn position reminds me too much of my brother’s Feelings Forum! Hugbox central,” Pharynx stated gruffly as he rolled his eyes, his veins glowing a bright orange. If either Flurry or Flashfire noticed, then neither of them pointed it out. “But… You want me to be blunt huh? Well then, the only thing I can say is you're idiots. The both of you,” he stated, catching both Flashfire and Flurry off-guard. And he wasn’t finished. “This New Eden of yours, hell it may not even exist! If you just keep on clinging to a false hope, then, in reality, you’re never going to get any stronger. You’re just holding yourself back. I apologize if that sounds cruel, but you did want my opinion, and now you’re getting it.” With that, he took his leave. As he walked away from the storage room, he soon found his palm glowing with a strange orange light, and he opened it up to reveal an orange Kyutama with three little red apples inside it. “...Huh.” he stated. Back with Flurry and Flashfire, the two looked at each other. “So…” Flashfire started. “So…” Flurry replied. “You think he’s right? That we’re clinging to some false hope?” “Perhaps, perhaps now,” Flashfire remarked. “I don’t honestly know. Maybe a new home for us exists out amongst the endless sky, maybe it doesn’t and our time has long since passed. I just honestly don’t really know. But what I do know is, he’s right on at least one aspect. We are idiots, the both of us.” “Can’t deny that. I suppose we should take a quote of my mom’s to heart, I guess. She once said to me: “Don't be afraid of being scared. To be afraid is a sign of common sense. Only complete idiots are not afraid of anything.” “Heh,” Flashfire laughed. “That’s quite true, really. Another old saying, another old nugget of wisdom for you. “Idiots are of two kinds: those who try to be smart and those who think they are smart.” In the last few days, I think we were of the second sort.” “So…” Flurry began, feeling there was no sense in beating around the bush any longer. “What exactly did you see? On Corvus, I mean. What exactly did Kukata Tamaa make you see?” “Well…” Flashfire stated, his voice shuddering. “Our entire mission, gone to ruin. Our ship, destroyed. He played upon my inner fears. All this while, I’ve had these feelings that every screw-up, my fault or not, my team will end up blaming on me.” “The burden of a leader,” Flurry whispered. “They look up to you, and at the same time they place all of their hopes and dreams on you. Trust me, I should know.” “Yeah…” Flashfire stated, before he remembered something else. Something else Kukata Tamaa had said. “You haven’t told them yet. About your little secret? Oh, Flashfire Lulamoon, you’ve got more secrets than the galaxies have stars, and you won’t let anyone in on one. single. one. Maybe it’s because… Oh, isn’t this funny, the great Flashfire Lulamoon is afraid of what his team would think of him if they knew?” Flashfire took a deep shuddering breath, and then he spoke. “You’re probably wondering why I’m taking an interest in Baroness Manx, and her… condition.” “I thought it was just because you were naturally kind. Granted, you’re showing more interest in her case than anyone else aside from Pharynx, but… Oh Faust, you’re not saying…?” “Exactly that. It wasn’t to me, but one particular member of my family, they know all too well it’s like to go through that sort of hell. I won’t divulge who it is,” Flashfire said, his mind’s eye picturing a pure white dragon-like pony with ram’s horns. “But let’s say this case is more personal for me than it should have been.” “Did… Did you catch whoever it was who committed the act?” Flurry asked, and Flashfire nodded. “Yes, yes I did. Let’s say nobody will ever have to worry about him ever again. Now for you, what did you see?” “More like what I heard,” Flurry replied. “Everyone’s right about me, I am too closed off in my emotions, I’ve lost so much over my lifetime. Lovers, friends, family… I guess I didn’t want to feel that hurt anymore. But out here amongst the stars, where I’m closer to my subjects than I ever would have been on Equus, I guess that rationale isn’t really logical anymore…” She and Flashfire continued their talk long into the night, and if anything besides feelings were exchanged between them, well that was their little secret to keep. Later, that very next day Flashfire picked up where he’d left off in his role of Cyrano de Bergerac, and this time he had a new Roxanne to accompany him. “He is a soldier too, in your own regiment in fact! Yes, in the Guards, in your company.” Flurry said, reciting the lines as if she knew them by heart, and as for Flashfire? Well, his return to form was a graceful one indeed. “Ah!” Flashfire said with such conviction, you’d have believed he was indeed Cyrano believing Roxanne was talking about him whilst in fact she was really talking about Christian. “And such a man! He is proud, noble, young, brave and very beautiful. Very beautiful indeed!” “Beautiful?” Flashfire asked nervously. “Whatever is the matter?” Flurry/Roxanne asked. “Nothing, it is just my hand! That is all!” Well, I love him. That is all. Despite this, I’ve never saw him anywhere at all except at the Comedie. But, oh!” Flurry shouted. People talk about people, and I hear things. And I know he is in the guards.” “Y-You do?” Flashfire stuttered out, his character hoping that ‘Roxanne’ was talking about him. Yes, one Baron Christian de Neuvillette. In your own regiment, as I said. Promise me, promise me this. Promise me you will be his friend.” “I… I will.” Flashfire whispered, playing the part of the heartbroken love so perfectly, and as the curtains began to close, this time he was not greeted with scattered polite applause but a loud thundering chorus. Flashfire smiled, he was back. And this time, he had the courage to face the Doctor. Both him and Flurry. Author's Note Yes, yes, I know I said after last chapter I wouldn't be updating this story any more this month, but I didn't have the heart to leave you on a cliffhanger until December. Okay, originally a good portion of this chapter was going to be devoted to Coldcast dealing with the after-effects of what he saw on Corvus, but I've been doing some thinking. As of late, sometimes he's been getting too much focus while other characters that needed it got shafted. So, that's why Flurry and Flashfire were the leads here. Another thing that got cut, well it was actually the Doctor's little moment warning the crew about Tamaa. For whatever reason, it was supposed to be in the previous chapter but I didn't get around to writing it. So, on that note decided to build this whole chapter around that. And in a way, I suppose it worked out for the best. Another thing that got cut from this chapter was the actual debut of our next Karo, Eriedrone, AKA the leader of the Sagittarius system. Decided using him would make the intro that little bit too cluttered and chaotic, so he got axed. Rest assured, you'll see him soon enough. As ever, comments and thoughts are appreciated.
Part 17: Flashfire LulamoonSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Part 18: Holly JollySomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Part 19: The ShepherdSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Part 21: Domo Arigato...Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Part 22: Under Cover of Darkness Part 1Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Part 23: Under Cover of Darkness Part 2Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Part 24: Testing their LuckSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Part 26: The Rescue MissionSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Part 28: FlustercluckSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Prologue: The End, and the Beginning5 Billion Years, that’s how long Equestria was expected to last before the sun finally went, but our calculations were wrong. The end of all things came much sooner than expected, our Sun, Celestia’s sun was far older than any of us thought. We’d been preparing for the end of the world for the last few decades now, ushering our ponies into great underground bunkers in hopes they’d survive the coming cataclysm and escape the heat as me, and the rest of the planet broiled. If we could have, we would have run to the bunkers as well. But when the end came, it fell to us, the four great Alicorns to hold back the sun for as long as we could. -From the Journal of Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. The sun, it had filled the sky like an angry inferno until it had consumed nearly the entirety of space. Only small streaks of angry crimson remained along the horizon, the last vestiges against the oncoming inferno. The once grandiose yellow orb pressed down as a blazing ball of death upon the very word it had cared for and brought life warmth for a millennium. Smoke rose from the blackened wasteland, whipped up into churning maelstroms by the howling winds. The earth, it glowed like fresh coals under the sun’s brilliance, a light so great, and yet so terrible. All of the planet was burning, breathing it’s last final gasps of life. All save for one location. The Crystal Empire. A tower of inky blackness stretched up high into the sky, where high above the moon hung in seeming defiance of the end that was to come. Luna knew it could not hold forever, but if she died, she was going to do it with dignity. The Empire blazed with light, the central tower of the grand castle a beacon of shining hope. Though it was well within the eclipse of the moon, the sun could not be denied. Nor would it be stopped by some meagre alicorn. This was a force of nature, something that had been building for years and years, and nothing, not even the Princess of the Moon, Tides, and Dreams could or would be able to stop it. But she’d be damned if she wouldn’t try, Luna thought to herself as she raised a gauntlet set upon her wrist, and pressed a purple Orb made of some otherworldly crystal down on it. “Say the Change!”, the gauntlet had shouted, and Luna responded. “Constellation: Draco!” she said in reply, and a purple light covered her body leaving her in a form-fitting bodysuit, with chest armor, and a blazing star set on it. Irony really, given what was fast approaching. There was a legend surrounding this orb, that it had fallen to Equestria from space so long ago, from an age even older than Luna’s. She knew not from where it came from, only that it possessed powers untold. Perhaps it was meant to be used as a tool, with the knowledge it contained to improve all of Equestria and the worlds beyond? Luna didn’t care about any of that right now, all she cared about was buying herself a little more time. It was a selfish desire, she admitted. But after years of caring for her people, perhaps a little bit of selfishness was allowed was it not? But it would all be for naught in the end, she mused, even as she watched an ethereal purple serpentine dragon wind around the moon and cover it with its power. Caress it, protect it from the sun just a little longer. Why she was doing this, she didn’t quite know. The planet was burning, and nothing could stop it. Perhaps, Luna mused, she wanted to be a hero just one last time and save what little remained of her former position. This hell, it wouldn’t last much longer though. Twilight Sparkle took some comfort in that. A small comfort sure, but it was a comfort nonetheless. She was going to die, there was no getting around that. There was nothing she could do. All of those decades of study and creation of both the vaults and what lay within, of sleepless nights and hectic days forgoing sleep and food and liquid at times. She, when she fled to the last holdout for ponykind, she took nothing but what she could carry and that was only a few tomes she had managed to salvage out of a selfish need to be where she belonged in death, with her books which had managed to be a comfort throughout of her years even when everyone else left her side. She had just her books, her memories and one impossible task. Now that she’d admitted that this was a problem beyond even all of her power, all of her wisdom, somehow it relieved a great deal of stress from her mind. It was a relief, amazingly, to be with who she most cared about in the final days of Equestria. Her sister in Cadence, her aunt in Luna and her lover in Princess Celestia. And who knew, right? Perhaps one day, she’d meet everyone she once knew in some other world. Oriande, the ponies called it. The afterlife. It had other names, Skyhaven in the Hippogriff and Griffon tongues, The Great Hoard in the tongues of the Changelings, and Niflheim in the language of the dragons. She fought back a sob, accepting she was of her death, she was not infallible. She thought of Spike, of ages long since past when he was just a simple baby drake and an assistant helping her out with various tasks that she couldn’t handle herself. But every child had to leave it’s nest, and as Spike gradually grew throughout the years, Twilight soon figured this out. Her heart broke when she had to send him away to the dragonlands, but she knew that’s where he belonged, with his own kind and not ponies. She took a small comfort in the fact that he’d gained two loves there, the Dragonlord Ember, and the wily young dragoness and fellow student of Friendship Smolder. It had been so lonely in her home after those painful first few days, she found herself checking Spike’s room every so often just to wake him up, only to remember that he’d left. Starlight left as well in time, going on the road with Trixie. Twilight smiled, she remembered their wedding. It was as grand as you’d expect it to be when one of the newlyweds in question was a stagemare. Perhaps it was during all of this and maybe because of it, Twilight gained a certain desire to be a mare, and not just this Princess that was closed off from the world in her castle with nothing but her books for company. But who? Most ponies only wanted to be with her just because she was a Princess, and nothing else. Her friends, they either weren’t interested in romance, or had fallen in love with somepony else. Perhaps it wasn’t surprising then, she turned to Princess Celestia and became enveloped in a whirlwind romance with her former mentor. The Princess of the Sun -Now the very object of their doom ironically enough- knew exactly what it was like to be placed atop a pedestal, and to be seen as this unapproachable, godlike figure. And given their many years together spent in close proximity as master and student, there were already suitable foundations for a romance. Sure, ponies talked, and of course they would, with some calling Celestia a cradle robber. Personally, both Twilight and Celestia laughed this off, given that Celestia was older than anybody else and anyone she romanced would look young in comparison to her. Twilight head’s swivelled up from looking down at the streets of the Empire, which once bustled with ponies going about their day to day jobs as she heard a cry ring out. Her ears perked up, she knew that voice. Then, she saw the massive dragon that encircled and wrapped itself around the moon protectively, shatter like glass. The sun reached moon, and wrapped its flares around the smaller body and hugged it tightly. And then, the moon began to melt, turning into thick globs that rained down upon Equestria. Some would probably hit the vaults, she suspected, and Twilight hung her head in mourning for the ponies inside them. Twilight broke off into a sprint and ran towards Luna, who was sobbing as she lay prone on the balcony, the purple bodysuit that covered her fading away. The orb that once rested on her wrist gauntlet, it popped off and rolled away, off the balcony into the streets below. “T-The Sun!” Luna choked out through her tears. “It… it killed her! It killed my moon!” As Cadence rushed to embrace her aunt, Twilight ran towards the throne room and towards Celestia. She ascended the dias up to the throne and looked at her lover, whose face was physically strained, pulsing orange veins beginning to show. Her magic aura glowed as bright as the sun itself, as she pushed all of her power into holding it back just a little longer. “Twilight…” Celestia coughed out, her throat raw leaving her voice barren as a desert. “So… There is nothing more we can do?” “None. You know something, I’ve realized one thing,” Twilight commented, as she watched Cadance carry Luna into the room. “I’m old enough to know that a longer life isn’t always a better one. In the end, you just get tired; tired of the struggle, tired of losing everyone that matters to you, tired of watching everything you love turn to dust.” “I’m just being realistic,” she clarified. “The ground beneath our hooves is spinning at… Oh, 1,000 miles an hour and the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at 67,000 miles an hour, and I can feel it. We can feel it. The planet, groaning out in pain and crying for mercy. We’d like to think think it’ll last forever: people and cars and concrete. But it won’t. We knew this, and yet we believed we could save ourselves. We tried tuning the mirror portal to other worlds, for our ponies to flee. And some did, but others couldn’t bear to leave their world behind and so that’s why the vaults and bunkers were built over the last few decades we had left. Underground cities, for protection from the coming fire. Our child… he’s inside one of them just outside the empire. He’ll never know us, except for our journals and memoirs that we left him. It would have been selfish to keep him with us, but…” “Our legacy, it must continue. The ponies, they’ll need someone to guide them,” Celestia sighed sadly, wanting to embrace her child one last time. “This world… it was never meant for us to keep was it?” “No, it was not,” Twilight admitted sadly. “So Celestia, just let go. You made a world, you and your sister for ponies to be proud of, but our age is over. Please, just let it go. The ponies, they don’t need us. When they emerge when the fire has passed and the world’s cooled down, it’ll be up to them to decide how to live. Now it’s time to let go, Luna could use her big sister right about now…” Celestia chuckled. “When did the student surpass the teacher?” Finally letting go, relenting at Twilight’s words, she gave her lover a long, last kiss, and after what seemed like far too little of a time, she let go, and pulled her niece and her sister into a hug. The world became ablaze with light, and in a few seconds, it was all over in a blinding flash. Fire consumed everything around them, and howling winds sent the castle crashing to the ground and it shattered. As Twilight fell into the fires below, she closed her eyes and welcomed death’s sweet release. Eventually, the world was to cool down, and rebuild, as a whole new circle of life began. The world became like glass, covered in snow and ice as ponies hid away in their bunkers developing new sciences to survive in the frozen hell that lay miles above them. Geothermal was the new way to go, with power coming from Equus’s very core itself. Volcanic heat now powered everything, from simple appliances to entire electric grids. New life on the surface evolved, with nudges from the planet’s natural magical field helping them along the way. Creatures great and small made of pure crystal thrived in this wasteland, showing that even after all the lights went out and a planet was subjected to eternal night forever more, life would find a way. However, everyone knew it was a dying world, with temperatures slowly dropping by the day. Soon or later, temperatures, which were already reaching -100 at times, would drop even lower, and in probably a few hundred years it would be -400 degrees up top. Even with volcanic heat powering everything, it was soon becoming evident that the world was no longer capable of sustaining the natural Equestrian life form in it’s current state. And nobody was planning on evolving fast enough to survive in a frozen hell. So, eyes turned to the stars, and to the mirror portal. Expeditions were planned to leave the world via this way in a matter of days and hopefully find a new Eden. However, as with any great ambitious plan, there were a few hitches. Everyone knew the Mirror Portal was a long shot, it’d be amazing if it survived all of these years and was still functional in any capacity, so eyes turned to the stars. Great ships had long been planned and constructed to carry the ponies to the worlds beyond, and expedition leaders had been picked out. Paladins, they were called, Equus’s best and brightest. Paladins to lead and protect the natives to the uncharted lands beyond the skies. And of course, every knight needed their steeds. But how were these steeds to be powered, and what would they do? Well, one pony, who we’ll get to in just a brief second thought he had an answer. Nobody quite knew how, but in the rubble of the Crystal Empire the Draco Constellation Kyutama had been recovered. Somehow, it had survived Equus becoming scorched by solar flares, and from it, new technology was derived and slowly developed over the years. Other Kyutamas, developed from the same general magic of the stars, were created by a top scientist called Stripped Gear -The many times great grandson of Lyra Heartstrings and Bon-Bon- and his crew. Some he called Skill Kyutamas. These were to convey simple powers like the Cancer or Gemini Kyutamas. Others, were far more powerful. Six different Kyutamas, along with the original Draco Kyutama, powered suits of armor built to withstand the heat of combat and the pressures of deep space exploration alongside powerful mecha/fighter craft called Voyagers. The lead of which, was based on the Cerberus Constellation. This massive three-headed sea green-toned ship powered by the Cerberus Kyutama and flown by the Prench pony Flashfire was designed to be the star of the show if you will, the greatest Voyager fighter craft ever built. Some wanted Celestia and Twilight’s son Stardust for the role, but it was eventually decided he was better suited leading the ponies on the massive colony ships that the voyagers were to be protecting. Other ships were designed as well. The Wolf Voyager, the Bull Voyager, the Eagle Voyager, the Swordfish Voyager and so on. Each drew power from a constellation, like the Cerberus Voyager before them. In order, they drew power from the Lupus, Taurus, Aquila, and Dorado constellations respectively. “Yee-Haw!” a voice proclaimed as a sea green ship rocketed past several of those same towers of ice, glittering and twinkling in the lights that the ship emitted. “Easy there, don’t want to overdo it.” Stripped Gear’s voice crackled through the comm systems. “New upgrades I installed to the thrusters and afterburners, I just want to make sure that they work. Don’t push it, we don’t want to overcook the engines.” “Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s just… this ship you made, and the Kyutama that powers it, they feel so alive!” Flashfire commented as he used the controls to turn his Voyager on its side so that it would fit through the very narrow gap in an icy canyon, before turning it skywards and rocketing back down towards a large hole in the ice that led deep inside the planet’s interior. All around him, crimson red crystals of every shape and size that comprised the cavern walls. “It’s just that they give this ship a… je ne sais quoi.” “Next thing you’re going to do, is get married to it eh?” Stripped Gear joked. “Now, test the other systems, I want to see how well the new upgrades affect the ship’s maneuverability.” “What do you think I’ve been doing, acting like some sort of clown de cirque?” Flashfire asked, as he sent the ship around a very tight corner, dodging and weaving between the blood-red crystalline structures all the while before he engaged the thrusters and rocketed out of the cave through a very tight hole. He shot across a wide open plain, as a bunch of ice crystal comprised foxes sniffed the ground for their latest meal, which was usually very small worms burrowing in the ice. They strained their heads upwards as the Cerberus Voyager shot over their heads, its pilot smirking all the while. “Yeah, I’d say the systems are certainly and definitively tested. Come back to base.” Stripped Gear ordered. Coldcast, the pilot of the Wolf Voyager found himself atop the headquarters of the Galaxy Garrison headquarters late one night. Now, the entire headquarters was surrounded by an energy shield, or barrier dome if you preferred made of hexagonal plates of magic and powered by like everything else on this damned world geothermal energy. Protected the entire structure and the grounds from the biting cold and windchill. Coldcast, he was an interesting sort. From the Griffon kingdoms, -at least that’s where his family tree was supposed to lie- fancied himself an explorer and adventurer and general all-around action hero. The reality was far from it. He had only managed to get himself assigned to the Wolf Voyager because both Flashfire and Flurry Heart (One of the only two remaining Alicorns left alive) took pity on him really. He did hold a love for the stars and was quite the astronomer though so he had that going for him. Often times, he suspected that’s the only reason aside from Flashfire that he was the pilot for the Wolf Voyager and the holder of the Lupus Kyutama. Didn’t really get along with anyone, as he preferred to keep to himself. More often than not, he’d been approached by a mare or hen or some other type of female who’d ask him out for drinks, only to be swiftly rebuffed. Flurry often suspected it was because his parents died on him at such a young age, and he grew up in his vault’s orphanage. He wanted to make something of himself, and didn’t want to rely on anybody to help him along. Or hinder him. The snow-white griffon found himself looking up to the stars, and smiling as he raised his telescope to the stars, and his eyes wandered through the sea of the inky black night. Here, alone amongst the galaxy’s greatest work of art was the only place he could find a sense of peace and belonging. “So, I’ll be up there soon huh?” Coldcast mused as his eyes drifted towards the Ursa Major constellation, and for a brief moment, one of his crystal blue eyes drifted towards his gauntlet or Kyuchanger as it was called. For a moment, he wondered if there was a Kyutama based on that. He knew the Ursa Minor got one, so it was possible it’s big brother had a Kyutama created to draw on that constellation’s mystical powers. You may wonder why the constellations were thought of to begin with, to create powerful suits, mechas and abilities. It was said, and Coldcast only knew of this because of his classmate Jabari who was half zebra and half horse, that long ago they were believed to be the creations of the gods themselves and held ancient mystical powers. Jabari took this belief seriously, and wouldn’t waver on it. Personally, Coldcast dismissed this as hogwash and found it especially ridiculous coming from a stallion who was otherwise well versed in various areas of science. But then again, if the Voyagers were any indication maybe he wasn’t quite so cracked in the head after all… “Well, the final frontier it is then I suppose…” Coldcast murmured to himself as he retracted his telescope and pulled out a small little box and some headphones. It was then, having finally been distracted from his stargazing that he finally took notice of the fact that someone else was up there with him. Jabari, he knew it to be in an instant from the gold fur and the black stripes. He wore a black leather jacket, and was wearing headphones that were connected to a small laptop computer with what looked to be a satellite attached to it. “Hey, come here to rock out?” Coldcast asked curiously, as he pried the headphones away from Jabari’s ears. “Because seriously, I’ve heard Radio 2’s got some really great tunes!” Jabari glared at him. “And here I thought you didn’t take much interest in socializing, especially with someone like me. Didn’t you dismiss me as a nutcase a few nights ago?” Jabari asked in an icy tone. “Call me curious,” Coldcast remarked simply as he leaned in closer, only to be smacked away by his fellow Paladin. “I have to ask, where’d you get all this stuff? You raid a supply closet or somethin’?” “I built it, actually,” Jabari replied smugly. “Right, top of your class scientist…” Coldcast muttered. “So what are you listening to actually, if not rock and roll?” “Transmissions!” Jabari replied, adjusting his glasses. “With this little baby, I can scan all the way to the edge of the solar system. Started out as a hobby I admit, probably expecting nothing to come of it, but-” “But what?” Coldcast finished. “But why am I even explaining all of this to you?” Jabari continued. “Eh, I’m an astronomer, so I have a natural interest in space. Not just in stars and the like, but everything else associated with it. Not like there’s much else to be interested in…” he muttered sourly. “True, everyone’s focused on the stars nowadays, I suppose I just fell in line,” Jabari grumbled bitterly. “I guess if we’re going to be on a team together, can’t have any secrets. And I’ve got a big one…” “What, you’re secretly a mare in disguise? Cause listen, I won’t judge if that’s the-” “Not that, you asshole!” Jabari snapped. “Listen, the world as you know it, it’s about to change. I’ve been scanning the systems, and picking up… well, alien radio chatter. I can’t translate most of it, but I can make one or two words out. It’s on repeat. Dark Matter, Dark Matter. That’s all I can really say,” “Okay, so you are insane. Got it,” Coldcast said, and Jabari simply pressed a button on his computer. Out of the speakers, came a single distorted voice saying in what was quite possibly the vilest tone possible: “Dark Matter, Dark Matter.” just as Jabari had said. “What the fu…” Coldcast trailed off, and backing away from the computer more than a little unnerved. On pure instinct, he went for his Kyutama. “Now now,” Jabari warned. “No need for that, just a message. A very creepy message, I admit, but just a message. Don’t even know how old it is,” “...And that makes me feel so much better,” Coldcast sighed, pocketing his Kyutama. “If it helps to make you feel any better, that was about my first reaction as well,” Jabari shrugged. “Nearly morphed into Aquila Pink right then and there!” “Don’t you think we should, uh, report this to the higher-ups? I think Stardust and Flurry would love to know about-” Before he could finish, a bright flash lit up the sky, and an orb rocketed high above them, leaving a trail of glowing red and orange fire behind it as it entered the planet’s atmosphere with a loud sonic boom. “Okay, what in all of the name that is holy was that!?!” Coldcast screeched, leaving Jabari to look at him critically. “...Maybe you should be the one piloting the Eagle Voyager with a screech like that one.” he deadpanned. “Er, are your priorities a little skewed right now?” Coldcast asked in a flat tone, eyebrow raised. “I mean, a giant hunk of space rock that’s possibly connected to alien lifeforms just fell from the sky and you’re debating switching Voyagers with me?” “...What makes you think it’s alien?” Jabari asked, this time his eyebrow raised. “Well, it probably isn’t, but you pick up a transmission from something called Dark Matter and then that happens!” Coldcast proclaimed, pointing towards the large purple smoke cloud rising in the distance where the thing had landed. Probably hit some magnesium, he mused. “Probably just a coincidence,” Jabari commented, being the more logical of the two. “I mean, what are the chances of that actually happening? Million-to-one I say!” he put in. “Who cares, I’m still going to find out what it was,” Coldcast said, extending his wings, setting his goggles down over his eyes and then putting a small device on his chest which almost at once covered his body in a skintight thermal bodysuit. The griffon then flew down towards the ground to a hoverbike. “Most interesting thing to happen around here in decafebs!” He gunned the throttle, and rocketed off in the distance. Jabari could only sigh and run a hoof down his muzzle. “...And now I’m going to have to be the one to go in after him and save his sorry butt when a Crystal Crawler decides the taste of chilled Griffon is very appetizing…” he grumbled, before leaping off the roof and going to a hoverbike of his own. “Flurry will probably have my head on a platter in the morning, but right now…?” he sighed, before donning a similar bodysuit going off after his friend. When they arrived, both Coldcast and Jabari were treated to an incredible sight. A dark purple ship, covered in smooth curves and blinking lights resting neatly in a crater. Small little magnesium fires were surrounding it, each one white-hot and melting the snow and ice around the area. “See, told you it was alien,” Coldcast replied smugly. “And I submit to your reality, even if I still reject the theory that it’s related to this Dark Matter,” Jabari replied simply, with a small sniff. “So who do you think it could be, friendly aliens, coming to drop by and say hi and improve our lives before they eat us?” Coldcast deadpanned. “You read too many books, you know that right?” Jabari asked in a flat tone. “Besides, Dark Matter, it could be related to anything. Doesn’t have to be a species name or the name of some galaxy-spanning empire. As it is, Dark Matter as we know it is a theorized form of matter that is believed to account for approximately 80% of the matter in the universe, and about 25% or perhaps maybe more of its total energy density. The majority of dark matter is thought to be non-baryonicin nature-” “Like you said, I read books so I know what it is,” Coldcast cut him off. “Still doesn’t mean that it’s friendly though.” “You’re really hard to like, you know that right?” Jabari stated in an annoyed tone. “And you two,” a familiar Prench accent said as a red-coated pony removed his cornflower blue Perseus Kyutama from his Kyuchanger, revealing the form of Flashfire. This particular Skill Kyutama had the ability to camouflage one with his or her environment. “Are in so much trouble. You aren’t even qualified to fly your Voyagers yet!” “Aw crap…” Coldcast muttered. “Busted.” “Well, as long as we’re here and I’m stuck with you two imbéciles, might as well make the most of it and have a little look-see as to who’s greeting us…” Flashfire sighed. A figure, scorpion-like in shape with a humanoid torso and completely metallic staggered out of the ship, with a rectangular head with one gleaming eye shining a searchlight in their direction. All three Voyager pilots quickly ducked behind some ice. Sadly, it seemed this robot could detect heat signatures and fired a beam of energy in their direction. “Move! Rapide comme vous pouvez!” Flashfire barked as all three ran for it before sharing a look. “Well, it’s not friendly and it obviously wants to kill all, so I say we introduce ourselves eh?” the pony commented, and both Jabari and Coldcast smirked before all three took out Kyutamas and primed their Kyuchangers. All the while, the arms of the robot sprouted twin-pronged blades. “Say the Change!” the Kyuchangers all exclaimed in unison before three Kyutamas were locked in with a clicking sound and given a small twist. “Lupus!” “Cerberus!” “Aquila!” Author's Note Okay, I admit, that was a rather dark beginning for a Sentai adaption. Killing off all of our favorite MLP characters just like that, like I just snapped my fingers like Thanos would with his Infinity Gauntlet? I apologize for any tears shed. I also apologize for the broad strokes taken with everything, such as some of the names being changed, and the fact that this whole story doesn't start off as a space rebellion against an evil empire with nine Rangers and instead starts off with ponies looking to escape a dying world with what they have. But rest assured, we'll get to epic space battles and the like. For now, comments, thoughts, and critique are welcomed. Enjoy, what I'd like to believe would be the theme for this series.
Part 11: We Got ThisThe Shining Armor: Coldcast honestly couldn’t sleep that night, or at least not very well. He kept casting glances outside the window, to the nebula beyond with the purple and blue storm clouds and gases crackling with lightning of some sort. Coldcast groaned, and tried to turn in his bed so he couldn’t see the clouds, something about this nebula -Safe as it was from Dark Matter sensors- just made him unwary. Maybe it was his natural griffon instincts saying to him that anywhere unknown was a danger to be avoided. He’d heard his race’s history, about how Griffonstone was colonized and the dangers that lay beyond it’s walls. Anywhere outside that stone city was to be avoided at all cost. You did not venture off time-tested trails, you did not explore unknown caves, and you certainly did not go off looking for adventure no matter what. “Dios Mios, I hope Flashfire’s having a better time down on Vela than I am up here…” the snow-white griffon thought to himself as he tossed and turned in bed trying to fall back to sleep. The problem was, because of the thickness of the nebula’s gases and just how deep the ship was in them to hide from Dark Matter scout ships, it made it impossible to get any transmissions off the ship so Coldcast had no idea on what was going on down there. He still remembered the briefing in Flurry’s Ready Room the day before. “I think it’s time we start looking into other options,” Flashfire had remarked out of the blue, with Flurry, Stardust and the other Paladins looking at him. Coldcast had a weird feeling in his throat. Whenever Flashfire spoke like that, without any hesitations, he knew that he was serious about it. He knew that this wouldn’t be easy for them to swallow, with all the stuff they had done already, but they couldn’t keep doing the same thing over and over again if it yielded no results. Coldcast looked nervous, as he knew his adopted older brother all too well. When he got desperate for a real victory, he tended to get crazy plans-wise. As much as Flashfire loved to put on the calm, cool, collected leader front he knew Flashfire was just as nervous as the rest of them. He was just better at hiding it than the others. “Other options?” Stardust asked, rubbing his chin with a hand. “Please elaborate.” “Think about it,” Flashfire commented, gesturing to the nebula outside. “For the time being, we may as well be sitting ducks. Our ships are damaged from Dark Matter’s last attack with that Deathworm, and we don’t even know if hiding in this nebula will work.” “Twilight’s ran the calculations,” Stardust replied. “She says that Dark Matter’s sensors shouldn’t be able to penetrate any of this.” Personally, Coldcast was privately agreeing with the Prince. Best to play it safe, not take any unneeded risks. Staying in this nebula for the time being -As unnerving as it was to his instincts- was the safest bet, at least until the colony ships were repaired. “Yes, but she’s only using calculations based on what we know so far,” Jabari pointed out, seeing exactly where Flashfire was going with this, and Coldcast looked at the Zorse in shock. Jabari was intelligent, yes, but the issue with him was that he was a bit arrogant on his beliefs and his intelligence believing that any other opinions other than his own were to be dismissed outright. Coldcast didn’t want to see him get into any trouble. Hypothetically, and actually Coldcast was more then willing to bet beyond a hypothetical situation, that there were plenty of things out there Jabari hadn’t or wouldn’t have planned for given the sheer vastness of space. It was just like Griffonstone’s borders in a way. Nobody knew what lay beyond safe passage, and everywhere you looked there was likely to be something out to get you. Still, he had to admire Jabari’s tenacity, the stallion never gave up. Plus, his mastery of the violin was undisputable. Could make a mare swoon if he really put his mind to it. “I mean, those ships we encountered in Lupus’ fleet? Hellishly powerful and frighteningly dangerous yes, but for all we know Dark Matter may have even more powerful ships with even more advanced sensors,” Jabari continued. “For all Twilight knows, for all we know, we could be just sitting at the tip of the iceberg. They could find us, as I doubt they’re particularly happy about us blowing one of their rulers to space dust,” he agreed. “We need to start forming a coalition, gather allies if only for our own safety as we travel across the universe. And fight back against Dark Matter.” As everyone discussed their opinions and methods of defeating the empire, Coldcast could only watch, and let everything fester in his head. Their victories, losses, scars, it had all been gathering and building. How much longer until it was all turned around on them, and everything they worked for fell apart? He’d heard of the arguments in the medical bay between Spada and his boss, everyone was stressed to the point of breaking and from the looks of it that very thin line between stress and outright madness was continuing to be trod. It was only a matter of time before that line… snapped. “Wait, wait…” Fågel piped up, the parrot looking uncharastically nervous. “I’m one for kicking ass, but who died and appointed us guardians of the universe? I mean, we’re just five ships and a couple hundred starfighters plus two mecha against 87 Galaxies worth of tyrants. We got lucky the first time, who’s to say the second will be the same?” “Exactly, 87 galaxies worth,” Flashfire stated. “Now, call me crazy, but isn’t in the job description of the Element of Kindness to free people from a cruel dictator? Hell, isn’t it in the job of any Element of Harmony to save Equus and her allies? Our planet may be gone, but it’s just a ball of rock and dust in the end. Equus is a people, and apologies in advance if I sound preachy here like some sorta cosmic messiah but our job as Element Bearers and embodiments of the Magic of Friendship is to extend that idea to other races, and stop evil wherever it hides. Am I not wrong?” he asked. The Elements of Harmony and Magic of Friendship. It had been a long time since Coldcast had heard those words. If only they were still here today, then Dark Matter would have been stomped out long before any of them came together. But sadly, without any of the Spirits to bear the elements, there was no hope for any of them. Even after mention of the elements themselves, Coldcast had to wonder whether or not anyone would still be fit to don them, given the harsh conditions of their world. Oh sure, he and some of the other Paladins had channeled them at times like during the battle with Mar’Zek or during the final battle with Lupus, but were they really cut out to actually wield them? Wasn’t it just ponies who were meant to wield Equestria’s most powerful form of magic anyways? He was just a simple griffon who barely made the cut from flight school, no matter what Flashfire said. Sure, he’d been hearing rumors that Stripped was creating Kyutamas to channel the Elements themselves, but like the Sun and Moon Kyutama before them, these new Kyutamas had malfunctioned in testing. Nobody, not even the supposedly qualified bearers like Flashfire or even Coldcast himself had managed a successful test in using them. A silence permeated the room for several odd minutes, but finally, it was broken when Flurry nickered. “May be the damn death of us as a race, but…” she sighed before pressing a button on her chair opening up a comm channel to Summer Afterglow, the Kirin in charge of navigations. “Summer, find us the nearest inhabited planet, I’d like to know who we share our galaxy with.” Coldcast looked outside the window of his quarters, and groaned to himself. First thing in the morning, he was replicating some curtains. At least that would be a distraction from the hardships of the universe, no matter how tedious they be. “Celestia?” Coldcast asked. “You there? Please tell me you’re there!” he shouted into the darkened room. No response. Wearily, he let out a sigh and slumped his head downward and ran a claw through his feathers. Right, he’d forgotten his holographic emitter in his room was still broken. “Well, nothing for it then,” Coldcast thought to himself as he climbed out of the bed tossing the covers aside and turning on a light and grabbing a plasma torch. If nobody was going to fix the damn thing, it was time to get his paws dirty and greasy and do the damn himself. Removing a panel, he exposed the wiring behind it. “If you want something done, you gotta do it yourself… Yeah, that’s right! You got this!” Spinning the repair tool in his hand, he set to work. Little by little, wire after wire began to be sautered and repaired, until finally after what seemed like an eternity the Celesti-AI’s emitter flickered back into existence. “Hello, Coldcast. Are you alright?” the Celesti-AI spoke sweetly to him as light began to flood into his room. “Had a pleasant sleep? Good portions of food?” “...Do I look alright?” Coldcast deadpanned, pointing to his bloodshot eyes. “Terrible, sleepless nights? I’m sure that I can rectify that issue.” the Celesti-AI spoke softly. “Would you like some hot cocoa to soothe your anxiety issues?” “Anxiety? Anxiety is what I feel when I burn a steak or some other form of meat, not easy cooking for a whole ship and filling in for Spada at times you know. This... this is more like…” Coldcast stated, unable to get the words out, looking directly at the nebula outside and then back at the Celesti-AI. Every time he even looked outside that window, he felt old fearful instincts cropping up, a sort of daze like he was dizzy and something he couldn’t place creeping up in the back of his throat. “Hmm…” the Celesti-AI murmured to herself rubbing her chin in thought and observing Coldcast’s reactions and body language. “Dizziness, nausea, unspeakable dread? You feeling any of that right now, by perchance?” “How’d… How’d you know?” Coldcast whispered. “You don’t have as much confidence in your voice as you used to, and your palms are sweating more than usual. Tell me, what are your fears, young one?” the Celest-AI asked as she projected a holographic image of herself into the room, who came up to Coldcast and laid a hand around his shoulders. “You’re… You’re the wise all-knowing ruler of Equestria right?” Coldcast asked, his voice trembling. “At least, that’s what your original self was right?” “Yes. That was me. But following the destruction of Equestria on Sunfall Dawn, I was digitally reconstructed as an AI as you remember,” Celestia nodded. “Now, I act as a guardian and custodian for the Voyagers and for the Paladins themselves. That also makes me your legal guardian, and as such, I am responsible for you; almost like a parent in a way.” “Okay… I honestly prefer to think of my brother as my legal guardian given he’s always been there for me, but right now…” Coldcast murmured, rubbing his head feathers. “Dios Mios, I’ll take who I can get for advice right now. Okay, maybe I don’t have the nausea, but all those other symptoms you mentioned, they’re there.” “I recommend spending some time in a nice, quiet environment. If you want, I can simulate Equestria before Sunfall for your pleasure. Is that what you wish, Coldcast?” She asked. “...Is there a phobia of being feeling left behind, or alone?” Coldcast nervously inquired, this being quite shameful for him. He never wanted to admit that behind his tough exterior, he was just this lonely little griffon still looking for a few friends. That was why he was so loyal to those he had. Simply because he wanted to keep them. “The correct term is Athazagoraphobia. And having that fear, while rare or at least not often discussed by many, is perfectly natural. You grew up in the system, did you not?” the Celesti-AI asked, honestly unsure if she was suited to talking to Coldcast about this particular type of fear. This was more her sister’s territory, the realms of the psyche. But right now, she was all Coldcast had. Coldcast nodded at her request. “Yeah, I did,” the griffon replied, his voice coming out as barely a whisper. “I didn’t have that many to rely on, just my big brother Flashfire. A-And right now, he’s off on some mission to some water world to try and gather us some allies in the fight against Dark Matter,” he sniffled. “And every time he does go off on some venture without me, I always have t-this lingering fear he won’t make it back or-” “A perfectly understandable fear, I myself, if I was put in your position, would probably be feeling the same even if I knew very well my sibling was a competent leader or fighter in his or her own right. But there’s something more, isn’t there?” the Celesti-AI inquired, and Coldcast nodded. “Something that you don’t want to talk to me about, is there? Something you don’t even know yourself, but your subconscious tells otherwise.” “Well, I know what I think it might be. It’s my sister. Okay, half-sister, Fågel AKA Taurus Black.” “You have a half-sister?” Celest-AI asked, blinking her eyes in surprise. Wasn’t like she was expected to keep track of every crew member aboard the ship, there were over 20,000 of them. “I didn’t even know. Seriously, even I didn’t know she was my media hermana. Least not till just a few days ago. Here’s what happened…” Coldcast began to explain… “Brother? We need to talk, and I mean about everything…” came a familiar Icelandic tone, causing Coldcast to look up from his book on various constellations. Currently, he was looking up the background of the Orion constellation. “Fågel? What is it?” Coldcast, pulling his head out from his book and locking gazes with her. While he wasn’t exactly the most familiar with her, as Fågel wasn’t exactly known for being sociable in the slightest he did know of her status as a fellow Ranger. “Look. There’s a…” Fågel began, before stopping. She wasn’t actually sure how to begin really. Coldcast took notice of her hesitation. “There’s a what?” he asked quickly. “There’s a reason why never could look after you,” Fågel sighed, with the parrot’s frown plastered wide across her face. “I know that you might not believe me, or want to believe me after what I say, but it is the honest truth. I wouldn’t be telling you this if I didn’t feel confident in it.” “Fågel, you can tell me anything.” Coldcast still walked over and placed one of his hands on her back. “We’re always going to be together, no matter what we may say or do. So, what’s up?” “I’m a wanted outlaw, or well at least I was for a time,” She said so quickly that she had to cover her mouth after saying it. Coldcast blinked twice, then ended up letting out a chuckle. “I’m sorry, what was that? I thought I heard you say that you were a wanted outlaw.” “I am. And I wasn’t exactly forced to kill someone or anything; the stallion was too freaked out and he fell out of a window,” Fågel immediately turned away and looked out the window, out towards the stars in the cosmos. “Coldcast. No-one on this ship knows it yet other than you. Well, you and Prince Stardust who put me in this damn position in the first place.” “I’m sorry, what? Prince Stardust?” Coldcast asked, blinking once more in shock. “What does he have to do with any of this? Why weren’t you there for me? In fact, who are you Fågel? Out of all the members of the Paladins, aside from Stripped Gear, you are the one I know the least about for fuck’s sakes!” “There’s a damn good reason why you don’t know about me; or are even allowed to know about me. I specifically wanted you out of my life! If you knew… If you knew anything about me… Well, if you did, I’m… I’m not sure you would be able to handle it. No, I know you wouldn’t be able to handle it!” Fågel stammered, taking a few verbal steps backwards. “Fågel, tell me now. Please… I just found out you could have been there for me and yet you just now said you couldn’t!” Coldcast shouted, tears streaming down his face. “Do you know how long -How long!- I had to fend for myself in the New Manehatten orphanages just because nobody could bother with a screw-up like me? It wasn’t until Flashfire came along that I actually had a family, a familia! He’s mi hermano to me how, my older brother you understand? So, what are YOU!?!” Coldcast roared, and choked back a sob, the poor griffon’s entire body shaking. “I’m your half-sister, Coldcast!” She blurted out loudly, tears streaming down from her face and a long built up dam of emotions finally breaking. “Wh...What?” Coldcast stammered out. “I… I have actual blood familia? A media hermana?” he whispered, unsure if he should break down in sobs, punch Fågel in the face, yell at her to get out or do all three. “It’s true, Coldcast. And I’ve been related to you longer than you remember,” She reached out for him, only for him to lightly swat her hand away. “I know that it’s harrowing, but it’s true. I’m your blood familia, as you put it.” “Then… Then why were you never there for me? I understand being in prison, but what after you got out? Why did you never come and look for me?” Coldcast asked, his voice barely a whisper. “The monsters. If they saw me on the field working with you, they would hunt me down to the ends of the universe and back.” She lowered her head. “Look, I know it’s a flimsy excuse, but honestly, it’s the best one that I can muster up.” “I… I see. Just give me some time to think on this, okay?” Coldcast asked. “I… I understand,” Fågel nodded before taking her leave. “And that’s basically it really,” Coldcast explained to the Celesti-AI. “I have a half-sister in Fågel of all creatures, and I don’t know really what to think on that really.” “A half-sister?” the Celesti-AI parroted. “I see. And her crimes, at least the ones you consider crimes such as leaving you for abandon left a lasting impression on your soul, dampening your spirit.” “...You sure you’re not Luna’s AI in disguise, ‘cause I heard being blunt was her thing.” Coldcast deadpanned. “Lun-AI, while being the blunt type, is still my sister. We still enjoy each other’s company and draw from each other at times,” she replied. “How exactly do you rebuild your relationship with your half-sister who purposefully left you for abandon, and didn’t exactly give a damn about you up till now?” Coldcast asked, a dangerous edge in his tone bordering on a growl. “Perhaps you both need a mission together with each other; one fraught with danger and peril. If the both of you survive and co-operate to overcome it, then that would be a good start to reconstructing your relationship. The only problem now is how to find such a mission...” “...You are kidding right?” Coldcast asked. “I mean seriously, does any sane person want to put their life and limb on the line? I sure as hell don’t! And I doubt Fågel would either. In case you missed the memo while you were offline Princess, we’re actually trying to avoid that kinda thing for the time being.” Coldcast deadpanned. “Alert! Alert! Unknown organisms detected in the lower bays!” An alarm rang out throughout the ship, as lights lit up red. “All security staff are to ready for battle and viral control measures. All non-essential personnel are to stay in their quarters.” “...Wonder what that’s about?” Coldcast wondered to himself. He tried contacting the bridge, and when that failed he tried contacting anyone else important. Sadly, nothing seemed to be working. What he did next surprised even him, and he didn’t quite know why at the time and perhaps he never would but he immediately reached for his Kyuchanger and radioed Fågel in on the comms. He gave the Celesti-AI a look, idly wondering if she was some sorta psychic. “Fågel! What’s going on around here?” he asked. “Can’t reach anyone on the inter-ship communications!” He was met with nothing. No signal, and no noise except the crackling of static on his comms device. “Come on, come on! Work with me here…” Coldcast pleaded, and finally, his half-sister’s voice came crackling through. “Coldcast? What’s going on here?” She said, her face finally appearing on the device. “I was about to ask you the same question. Ship’s just gone to red alert, they’re saying something about viral infection control measures!” Coldcast barked. “I heard. I’m heading to the bridge right now. There’s some sorta spores in the air, vines of some sort all over the ship walls like some sorta whacked out kudzu. Beats the hell out of me what they are, never seen anything like ‘em before. Are you… alright?” She asked, still rather unsure on how to address her half-brother. “Yeah, fine,” Coldcast stated, before he began to cough from the spores he’d only now just noticed coming in through his doors and reached for a nearby medical cabinet and quickly pulled on a gas mask. “...Least, I will be. What about you? I assume you’re planning to seal off as many doors as possible? Keep whatever this is from spreading?” “Yeah. I’m gonna execute the lockdown procedure on the lower decks as soon as everyone down there manages to evacuate. Once that’s all said and done, we can talk about getting rid of whatever’s causing the problem.” “I’ll join you in access corridor 59-B, that sound good? It’s right near the closest maintenance access, and we should be able to meet up there.” Coldcast replied. “Sound good?” “Yeah. see you soon.” And with that, the video turned off. “Stay safe… hermana.” Coldcast whispered, and blinked in surprise and looked at the Celesti-AI’s smirking face before thinking: “Damn alicorn, why does she always have to be right all the time? Can’t she be wrong just once?” Coldcast kicked the doors to his quarters open after powering himself up with the Hercules Kyutama and stepped out into the corridor before letting out an audible gasp of shock. The corridors that he had once seen and walked through before were completely askew. What was the floor was now the ceiling and vice versa. Thick, black vines with pulsating veins grew on each section of the area, and spores were being released into the air from the mass that sprawled the walls. There were even a few shrieks to be heard deep from within, as if a monster had infiltrated the ship itself. “Okay, that is just messed up,” Coldcast murmured as he carefully took a few steps through the darkened corridor, the lights flickering every so often now and again. “...Here we are again. Deja Vu much?” he muttered, remembering the Paladin’s previous experience not just a few days before in dealing with dark creepy corridors and an unknown cause. Of course, this time he was the one walking through them, not Jabari and Flashfire. Engaging the Pyxis Kyutama and mentally asking for it to find his sister, he was soon greeted with a gold arrow pointing in the direction of where his sister was located currently. Coldcast, breaking into a sprint ran off down that direction. As he ran through the dark and desolated corridors, -cutting through vines with his Astral Claw as he went- the sounds of metal twisting echoed in his ears, and the very floor beneath him began to rumble. Within the darkness, he swore that he could see a shadow lunging through it, a distorted and abhorrent shriek accompanying it. Following that were the distant screams of one of the crewmembers. Coldcast fired a few shots from his Kyuchanger, and downed a small fattened centipede-like creature, resembling an alien tardigrade. Maybe that’s what it was, a version of the normally sub-microscopic creatures mutated beyond measure. But, even with the beast downed, there was still the shadow from before, prowling the walls with a distorted growl. Well, there was before a screech of rage -A battle cry!- filled the air and a dying shriek followed that, before Fågel emerged from the shadows holding her Astral Axe., with the Ara Kyutama in her gauntlet. “I hope I’m not too late.” She said as she dragged the body of the monster behind her, heaving it over her shoulder, the creature looking rather scorched. “...Turns out, these things really don’t like fire either. You alright?” “Yeah, I’m fine,” Coldcast replied. “And you’re just in time. Alright, so is everyone on the maintenance decks evacuated?” “Yeah. I was able to get the last of them out. Unfortunately, the lockdown procedures were activated a bit quicker than I had imagined, so now we’re both stuck down here until someone can get us out. And even then, with the monsters in here…” Fågel tightened the grip on her bloodstained battle axe. “Oh, there’s always a way out. We just have to make our own,” Coldcast stated, pointing to a maintenance hatchway above them covered in the alien kudzu. He produced an Ara Kyutama of his own, and created a small campfire, and almost at once the vines began to retreat in fear of the heat. “See? Nothing to worry abo-” Before he could finish, a massive crash rang out through the corridor, and the sounds of metal being torn apart sounded in both of their ears. A titanic roar came from the newest beast, which was a giant, husking monstrosity the size of the corridor itself. With a circular mouth with spikes on the inside, large tentacles growing and flailing out of its’ mouth, and a set of gigantic feet, it stumbled towards the both of them; its’ mouth just big enough to devour them whole. “I really, and I mean really do not want to become a victim of Neighponiese Tentacle Hentai!” Coldcast squeaked out and began firing at the creature, with his half-sister looking at him in shock. The laser shots just bounced off of the monster and hit the walls and floor around it; it didn’t even seem fazed when a few shots when into its’ mouth. “Really? Is now the time you pick to make jokes?” Fågel asked, prepping her Taurus Kyutama and her battle axe. “Helps lighten the mood,” Coldcast murmured. “You’ll come onto my sense of humor in time.” “Ah, shut up,” Fågel stated before unleashing her Aldebaran Impact at the beast sending a purple energy wave at it slicing it right down the middle and covering the two in blood and gore. “...Ugh, this is going to take weeks to get out of my feathers!” Fågel muttered, before another roar sounded from somewhere nearby. “No time for complaining, just climb!” Coldcast shouted, pointing to the hatch above them. Fågel took the hint and began climbing up the hatch with Coldcast following. “H-Hello?” Jabari’s voice asked nervously through the comms. “Is there anyone out there?” Coldcast’s breath caught in his throat. “J-Jabari, is that you? Please tell me for Celestia’s sakes you’re still alive somewhere!” “Coldcast! Thank Luna and Celestia. Good to hear a familiar voice. Yeah, I’m alive, though for how much longer I don’t know. Me and Flurry, we’re dealing with a situation on the bridge. Mind you, I’ve got some info for you. Whatever these things are, they seem to originate from the outer hull of the ship. At least that’s my working theory. I’ve detected a large mass that’s attached itself to the ship, I think it’s trying to procreate its offspring inside the Armor.” “Procreate?” Fågel asked in disbelief. “You gotta be kidding me!” “Well, you have any better ideas?” Jabari snapped, as something moaned almost orgasmically from above them. “Maybe whatever this is, it thinks we’re a fellow member of its species thanks to some sort of sexual dimorphism. The female, or something close to it. Yes, I know it’s disgusting, and weird, but it’s what I got for you. Get that thing off the hull, and we might have a fighting chance here!” “...Well, you heard the stallion. Time to teach this thing a few manners about public indecency eh?” Coldcast joked as they continued to climb. Awaiting them up topside was a thick cloud of purple and blue miasma and nebulous fog, amongst Celestia knows what else. Weapons in hand and fully morphed, the two defenders of the universe slowly took it a few steps at a time, barely able to see a few feet in front of them thanks to the nebula’s gases. “...Okay, okay…” Coldcast murmured as he got used to the sound of his boots clanking against the metal beneath him, magnetized to the ship’s hull with the boot magnets making a somewhat audible humming sound. “Deep breaths, deep breaths,” he told himself. “Nothing to fear, nothing you haven’t trained for spacewalk wise. You’re just inside a fog, a nebula’s fog but just a fog all the same.” All of this, it went against his better instincts. Griffons, like most flying creatures of Equus were naturally claustrophobic in a way. They wanted space, to be free and to fly. Now, Coldcast could handle this while he was in his Voyager as he knew that could fly and he knew at times there often greater concerns when he was flying the Wolf Voyager but outside it and in this thick of haze? That was a different story entirely. To keep himself calm, Coldcast had tuned into the Celestial Radiance’s radio station, allowing himself to listen to the calming piano notes of the old piece titled “Clair de Lune”. “You alright Fågel?” Coldcast breathed out, watching the towering form of the Armored Star walk steadily in front of him, her helmet’s horns cutting through the cosmic fog. “Yeah, fine as I can be I suppose,” Fågel replied as she gripped her axe tighter, with Coldcast doing the same with his claw weapon. “There’s a massive tardigrade creature out here somewhere, and we can’t see it. All we have is a beeper that’ll alert us when we get close to it.” Right now, that very same beeper was beeping at a steady, subdued pace. No cause for alarm just yet. Just yet. “...And when we get close to it, that beeper will likely become redundant as we’ll probably see it, and it us. Then we’ll become Neighponise fetish fuel and then eaten.” Coldcast deadpanned. “...Are you always like this Coldcast?” Fågel asked, looking back at him. “As I said, keeps me calm in the face of danger, just joking about. We all have our coping methods,” Coldcast muttered. “But just fuck me with a hoof-full of sunfire, as this is crazy even by my standards!” “...Have you been taking swearing lessons from that little mare? The one they call the Toaster Fixer?” Fågel asked, at about this time under her helmet looking about ready to slap her younger sibling for his colorful choice of words. “...Might be the other way around actually at times, in exchange for basic repair skills.” Coldcast shrugged as the beeping began to become more fervent in nature, putting both Paladins at an alarmed state. “Oh, oh! Hold up, we’re getting closer!” Then, a tendril came out of the mist, from out of nowhere and swatted Coldcast to the side, with the griffon at the very last moment opening up his wings and managing to remagnetize himself to the hull of the Shining Armor as the creature came into view. Like it’s much, much smaller offspring, it was both magnificent and terrifying in equal measure, dripping with a fang-filled maw and tendrils swaying about from inside the humpbacked creature’s mouth. “...See, what did I tell you? Neighponiese fetish fuel crap right there!” Coldcast shouted as he readied his Astral Claw and placed his Lupus Kyutama inside it making it proclaim: “Galaxy!” He ran towards the creature, leaping left and right to avoid the swings from its tendrils as his claw glowed and then leapt skywards beginning to spin like a buzzsaw crying out: “Lupus Impact!” and striking the creature with two blue slashes of energy before leaping backwards as the creature let out a roar of rage but seemingly looked unfazed for the most part. Sure, it was bleeding in a few places but the wounds were healing faster than either Kyuranger could re-open them. “Any ideas? Cause I got nothin’,” Coldcast murmured as he took a few steps back in fear, with Fågel following suit. “Hey, don’t look at me. It was your idea to come up here in the first place!” she snapped back. Then, over the comms, Coldcast heard the sounds of three Astral Blasters firing, and the sound of a spear slicing through flesh and the shout of: “Get the Hell off my ship!” from Jabari. Coldcast’s eyes narrowed. “No, we got this. WE GOT THIS,” Coldcast snarled, his suit beginning to glow blue as the ornamental star on his chest began to form a symbol inside it. A symbol of a white cloud with a multicolored lightning bolt. Fågel’s eyes widened under her helmet as she saw this, knowing exactly what it meant. “That ship, our crewmates. They’re our family, just like you are Fågel,” Coldcast. “And I am sure as Hell never, ever, leaving them to die! Coldcast, Lupus Blue and the Element of Loyalty!” Fågel nodded, before saying her own title: “Fågel Bredsida, Taurus Black! Two Stars Shining in the Heavens, Space Squadron Kyuranger!” “Now…” Coldcast smirked. “Our friendship, it will take on the universe! And that includes you!” he shouted, before both he and his hermana aimed their Kyuchangers at the creature with Ara Kyutamas at the ready. “Twin Star Crash!” they shouted in unison before firing blue and purple energy beams respectively at the creature, blasting it backwards before their eyes widened as the creature grabbed them both with its tendrils even as it shrieked out in pain from the burning, searing blast. Then, a high pitched shriek filled the air as from out of nowhere, a winged form with a golden beak and talons fired twin purple fireballs from its beak slicing through the tendrils holding Coldcast and Fågel. Next, the remote-controlled Eagle Voyager grabbed onto the monster with its talons and firmly tossed it out into space never to be seen again. All across the Shining Armor, without their ‘parent’ to sustain it, the offspring and the vines began to die off one by one as one very tired Jabari slumped to the floor behind the safety of the Scutum Kyutama’s conjured energy shield and let go of his Astral Blasters, the twin pistols clattering to the floor. “Thank… Thank you Coldcast, and you too Fågel...” he whispered before slipping into unconsciousness. Later that very same day, Flashfire and his team along with some new allies in tow would return to the ship only to find both Coldcast and Fågel along with everyone else covered in some sort of gunk. “...You don’t want to know.” Coldcast stated simply at Flashfire's raised eyebrow. “Celestia above, I need a bath.” Author's Note So yes, this chapter takes place at the same time of the previous one, and picks up off from the little cliffhanger left at the end of Part 8 because as Silverquill always says: And we all know how much of a sucker I am for that. Now, a huge round of applause to Shadowmane, as he worked his ass off co-writing all but the climax of this chapter so to speak helping me get back in the game for this story as it were. So, for once, not a monster related to Dark Matter in any way as the villain of the week. Just a one-off threat. Also, Coldcast will not be the last member of the Paladins to become a new Element Bearer as chapter 7 hinted. As for who next will be gaining the power of an Element of Harmony... Well, you'll just have to wait and see, won't you? As ever, comments, thoughts, and critique are welcomed.
