Ponies far and wide were getting ready for the annual Summer Sun Celebration just like the past two celebrations, being held this year in Canterlot. Princess Cadence, ruler of the Crystal Empire, was more than eager to be with her fellow alicorns to celebrate the 1,002nd anniversary of the Sun Princess's solo reign over Equestria. Plus it would give her own daughter, Flurry Heart, a chance to experience an old Equestrian tradition for the first time.
Speaking of her daughter, the baby alicorn flew over to her mother and gave her a hug as she giggled.
Cadence looked at her and playfully growled, Flurry taking that as the cue to flee before she was followed by the older Princess, the two playing bears and running around the area.
A unicorn stallion walked into the room and ducked under the baby with a chuckle before he watched his wife fly around as he asked, "Flurry got you to play bears with her again, huh?"
Cadence landed by her husband, Shining Armor, and giggled as she responded, "Yeah, I know she's got a knack for this sort of stuff. And I don't mind in the slightest." She smiled as she looked up at Flurry, who had landed on her head, and stroked her mane before she looked at her husband again as she asked a question of her own: "So have you heard from Twilight and the others?"
"Thorax actually told me that he got a letter from Spike today," Shining smiled happily. "Twily's heading off to the Everfree Forest because she had a last minute thing come up. Not exactly sure what it was, but it felt like a serious magical surge, so she's sending the others along ahead of her."
Cadence rolled her eyes a bit. "Typical Twilighting," she chuckled.
Flurry Heart suddenly felt something off in her horn and her nose before she let off a loud sneeze, the resulting magical blast knocking her off of Cadence's head and sending the shot across the room before it exploded out the window.
The two parents looked out in surprise, having had ducked in time to avoid getting their heads blown off before they looked at Flurry, who was rubbing her nose with her hoof.
Cadence went to Flurry and helped her up, looking at Shining worriedly. "That's odd. Flurry hasn't had a discharge like that since the Crystalling. Do you think this is significant?"
Shining was about to respond before he felt a trembling below his hooves and he cast a spell to keep his wife and daughter steady as the trembling was felt all across the land, an earthquake that sent the ponies outside scrambling for cover to dodge the rubble as he looked at her. "Yeah, I'd say that's very significant."
In a different area of Equestria, the Everfree Forest to be precise, a timberwolf grey pony with blonde hair and silver eyes saw a book open on its own, gasping in realization. "Oh no, the darkness is out again!"
Within a more dangerous part of the Everfree, a dark blue mist was emerging as a dark voice spoke up, the voice ever so familiar: "Soon I'll have my revenge on the ponies that wronged me and this world will be drained of its magic and hope! You ponies better be ready for a retribution of major proportions!" A pair of slit pupiled green eyes glowed brightly in the light as the former Changeling Queen laughed wickedly.
Meanwhile at the Canterlot train station, a group of six mares and one purple dragon were making their way off the Friendship Express and into the city towards the castle.
"I'm so glad Twilight sent us ahead of her. We've really got a lot to cover for this Summer Sun Celebration before she gets here," The fashionista Rarity, also the Element of Generosity, informed her friends as she put on a pair of red work glasses and levitated a list up in her blue aura.
"OOH!! Are you girls excited?! I'm excited! Flurry Heart's first Summer Sun Celebration! WHOO-HOO!" Pinkie Pie, the manic mare who was the Element of Laughter, pulled out a party cannon and blew confetti into the air with a squeaky toy sound effect.
Rainbow Dash, the speedster Element of Loyalty, rubbed her ears slightly and responded, "Yeah, I think Flurry's gonna be pretty excited too."
"You'd better not scare the poor filly, Pinkie Pie. I'm sure Cadence and Shining Armor would want a word with you if you did," the gentle Element of Kindness, Fluttershy, told her.
Applejack, the hard-working Element of Honesty, chuckled a bit and smiled at the girls. "Aw, quit frettin'. Twilight said she'd only be an hour behind us, so I don't think we need to worry too much."
"Famous last words," Spike the dragon spoke quietly from atop the lavender unicorn's back.
Even Starlight Glimmer, Twilight's protégé and a powerful magic user in her own right, had a bad feeling about this Celebration. It seemed that every one since Nightmare Moon had a dangerous threat worse than the last, and there was also the fact that Chrysalis was still at large and who knew what she could be planning?
Rarity noticed the look on her fellow unicorn's face and placed a hoof on her shoulder, "Darling, are you alright?"
Starlight shook her head quickly to refocus and looked at Rarity with a smile and a response, "Yeah, just thinking about how wonderful this Summer Sun Celebration will be without any evil threats." She chuckled nervously.
"I'll say! We fought off a tyrannical Princess who went evil and tried to cover the entire word in eternal night before dealing with crazy pony eating plants spread out by Discord before he was defeated the first time - " Pinkie stopped her recounting when she realized whom she was talking about and chuckled nervously, looking to the skies. "No offense, Discord."
"Oh, none taken, dear Pinkie," a Draconeques appeared in a flash of light with a smile. "I honestly should have learned from those mistakes long ago. But truthfully, those seeds are delicious snacks when roasted. You should try some soon."
"Eh, maybe later," Rainbow smiled at Discord casually.
Suddenly, a pair of shadows flew over and landed by them, one a colorful green Changeling who had been reformed and made the new leader of his kind, and the other a blue dragon who looked to be in her teenage years judging by her wings.
Spike and Starlight immediately recognized the newcomers with respective calls of: "Ember!" "Thorax!"
The unicorn galloped over to them as Spike held on, with her stopping and giving both of their friends a hug as did he.
Ember smiled sheepishly before she spoke, "I'm so glad Twilight asked us to come and experience an old pony tradition. I had no idea that the two sisters were the ones behind it all!"
Spike chuckled and answered, "Actually, that's mostly Princess Celestia's doing. Luna only recently got to be helping her."
Starlight cleared her throat and looked at Thorax, "So do you think Twilight's gonna be okay?"
"I sure hope so. I asked Pharynx to help keep her safe, and after that earthquake this morning, I'm starting to get a bad feeling that we've got serious trouble coming," Thorax told them.
Pinkie had walked over while they were talking and agreed, "I know, right? Just before the earthquake, my hooves were tapping before my knees shook. For my Pinkie Sense, that usually means that there's an earthquake coming."
Applejack nodded in agreement. "Ah know we don't usually get earthquakes though, so something's wrong."
Starlight looked at the rest of the girls worriedly and suggested, "Let's get to the castle and talk it over with everyone there." She started trotting down the street, the others following by either trotting or flying.
Unknown to them, a cloaked pony was observing them, humming in thought before he turned and disappeared.
Back in the Everfree Forest, junior Princess and Element of Magic Twilight Sparkle was scanning the area, a magenta colored aura coming off her horn. "These magic surges are off the charts. I've never seen anything like this before."
Pharynx, a darker colored reformed Changeling unlike Thorax, looked at Twilight and spoke up, "I don't like this, Princess. We could be walking into dangerous territory."
The young alicorn regarded her friend and nodded, "Maybe. We are going into an unknown part of the Everfree Forest, so it wouldn't surprise me if something like a cragadile attacked us."
She couldn't have been more right yet wrong at the same time; just then, a bunch of odd bipedal creatures jumped out and surrounded the two, growling and snarling at them.
Pharynx looked at the creatures in shock as he stood by Twilight ready to attack. "What in Equestria are these things?!"
"I have no idea! I've never seen anything like them before!" Twilight said in equal surprise as she looked around at their adversaries.
The two stayed back to back, waiting for the Hidiacs to attack, and one did. Or... at least tried to.
Twilight saw it coming and blasted it with magic, turning it into a ball. "Okay, a little soccer practice never hurt. Lucky for me, I learned some tricks from Human Rainbow Dash while at Canterlot High!" She used her hooves to kick the Hidiac ball up and bucked it at the other Hidiacs, knocking some down before she bucked the rebounding ball again and sent it into another group. "Spin kick!" She jumped and twisted in midair before using her right backhoof to send it flying into the remaining Hidiacs, destroying them as she landed on all fours.
Pharynx smiled at her, "Nice! Guess you really learned a lot in that other world."
Twilight smiled and blushed proudly.
"Oh, yes. A marvelous display of your fighting prowess, Princess," A familiar voice rang out as Chrysalis stepped into the light.
Twilight saw her and flared her horn in response. "Chrysalis!"
"I thought you turned tail and fled!" Pharynx was equally disturbed.
"Oh, I did, Pharynx. But in my isolation, I found some allies who were more than eager to assist me," The evil Changeling grinned wickedly as the dark blue mist appeared and took a form that wasn't new to Twilight, but was still terrifying to see.
Twilight's ears folded down in horror. "The Nightmare Force?!"
"Oh, but she's not the only one." A new bipedal figure walked out and joined the two villains; she looked almost like a human bat to say the least.
"Who's your new friend?" Pharynx asked curiously.
Chrysalis smiled and walked over to the bat woman. "This is Sanguisa. She's one of the Morlock Generals under Octomus."
Twilight suddenly perked up as she heard Octomus' name being said. "I know that name! He was the main monster who fought the Mystic Force!"
"Don't speak about that wretched team that changed my sister's loyalty!" Sanguisa hissed angrily at Twilight, making the Princess shrink back slightly.
"Easy, Sanguisa," The Nightmare Force spoke calmly, soothing the woman. "But on that note, I think it's about time we teach everypony what a true nightmare is."
"Like Tartarus you are!" Twilight charged up her horn and blasted the Nightmare Force, but it simply allowed the shot to pass through it before it flew at Twilight and started engulfing her.
Pharynx growled and charged his own horn for an attack, but he was picked up by Twilight's magenta aura. "Huh?"
"Pharynx, get to Canterlot and warn the others!" Twilight told him urgently as she struggled to hold a shield against the Nightmare Force and Chrysalis, who was also battering Twilight's shield with a sickly green blast of magic. "I can hold them off here!"
Pharynx frowned slightly as he saw how dangerously close to shattering her shield was. "I can't just leave you!"
"There's no time to argue, go!!" She flung him into the air so he had a head start before getting knocked back a good ways as her shield broke apart, smacking her head against a tree with a grunt and collapsing on the ground, her vision darkening as the villains closed in on her before she passed out.
Back in Canterlot, the Mane Five plus Spike, Starlight, Ember, and Thorax, met up with a couple of other unicorn friends on their way to the castle; a periwinkle colored unicorn mare with light periwinkle hair and light purple eyes and an orange unicorn stallion with blue eyes hidden behind round glasses, white patches on his snout and hooves, and messy darker orange hair, including a goatee.
Trixie smiled as she was recounting her ideas for the festival, "I've asked Princess Celestia and Princess Luna about making a fireworks display with the Princesses' Cutie Marks and the Cutie Marks of you and the others, plus making one for Spike so he's not left out. That way, Equestria knows it's not just Twilight helping to protect the world, it's all of you as well!"
Sunburst wasn't responding as he was nose deep in a research paper he had been working on.
Starlight took notice and looked at him, "You okay?"
Sunburst looked over and nodded, "Yeah, just working on some research."
"Like what?" Starlight tilted her head curiously.
Sunburst looked at her and levitated his paper to her. "It's about an ancient tome I found recently. The markings on it are incredibly intricate. I've never seen anything like it."
Starlight looked at it as he spoke, seeing the design of the markings that had been rubbed and scratching her chin in thought. "Hmm... it looks to me like a spell seal... ancient archaic Pony magic at that."
"That's exactly what I thought, too," he told her. "But what could it possibly have sealed off? Or... dare I say... what kind of evil magic could have been sealed in?"
At the Canterlot Castle, Celestia was signing off on some things for the festival while Luna was talking with some of the delegates.
Once Luna bowed to the delegates and saw them off, she sighed softly as her wings dropped.
Celestia noticed and passed the papers to the delegate before she walked over and smiled as she placed a comforting hoof on Luna's shoulder, "A lot of hard work for a princess, especially one who's just rejoining the fray."
Luna smiled back at Celestia, "I know it is, sister. But that's not what worries me."
Celestia tilted her head curiously. "Then what is it?"
Luna looked up at her elder sister as she explained, "Last night when I was patrolling the dreamscape, I could swear I saw the Nightmare Force drifting about. I can't be too certain because it fled the scene as soon as it saw me."
Celestia frowned slightly and stroked her chin with her hoof thoughtfully. "I don't see how that could be possible. The last time anyone had heard from the Nightmare Force was when you were Nightmare Moon."
Luna nodded slightly, "I know, and that terrifies me to no end. If the Nightmare Force is truly back, it could possess any one of us it so chooses."
Suddenly Pharynx flew through an open window, skidding to a stop and breathing heavily.
Celestia saw Pharynx and went to him, "Pharynx! Are you alright?"
"Where's Twilight?" Luna was equally as concerned.
"Chrysalis... back... Nightmare... Bat woman... Twilight... captured..." Pharynx breathed out.
The Royal Sisters gasped in shock, their ears folding down as Luna shouted, "That! Cannot! Be possible!"
Back in the Everfree Forest, Chrysalis was ecstatic about the new opportunity they had. "Finally! We have the means to destroy the ponies! I will admit though, I'm surprised by your decision to make Twilight into a corrupted version of herself, Nightmare." She looked at her fellow equine companion, the Nightmare Force now having had taken on the form of Nightmare Moon.
"I have seen this form within Young Sparkle's memories. She herself has not experienced it, but rather an alternate counterpart of hers that Celestia's former student Sunset Shimmer has told her about, and that gave me a little bit of inspiration for the new Midnight Sparkle." Nightmare explained. "What better way to unleash it that to let Sanguisa infuse some of the Master's magic in my spell to ensure that our little junior Princess here stays loyal to us and us alone?"
Chrysalis smiled at its confidence. "A fair point. There's no way the Elements would fight their leader, and there's no chance that the Elements can be used anyway, not with the lynchpin on our side!" She laughed as she looked at the darkened quadruped figure before them both.
Back in Canterlot, Pinkie suddenly started shaking and shivering like crazy. "Holy cupcakes above! This one's a real doozy!" Her voice shook with her as she spoke.
Applejack, Fluttershy, and Spike froze when they heard Pinkie and spoke in tandem. "D-did you..." "...j-just say..." "...wh-what we..." "...think you said?"
"Hate to say it, but yep!" Pinkie quivered with her voice before she suddenly froze solid.
At that instant, Hidiacs appeared from a spell seal and started attacking ponies, causing them to flee in terror and scream.
Trixie screamed in fright and dashed to safety behind a building.
Rarity's eyes widened in shock. "My goodness! I've never seen such creatures like these!!"
"Who cares what they are?! Let's stop them before they hurt somepony!" Rainbow shouted, prompting the ponies into action, Sunburst, Thorax, and Ember helping to get the ponies to safety.
Rarity and Starlight blasted some of the Hidiacs with offensive spells as Spike blew fire from his mouth, burning other Hidiacs.
Applejack got busy bucking and punching the Hidiacs down, not having any trouble with them since they weren't Changelings.
Rarity saw a couple of Hidiacs coming at Spike before she jumped into the air and delivered a corkscrew kick with a karate shout, landing on two hooves in a battle stance. "Try it, punks!"
Pinkie Pie looked at the Hidiacs around her and smirked as she pulled out a party cannon. "Say hello to my exploding friend!" She unleashed a volley of confetti blasts at a rapid fire pace, knocking them down.
Rainbow and Fluttershy flew around to confuse a few Hidiacs before they nodded to each other and flew towards each other, swerving in opposite directions at the last second as the two Hidiac groups collided head on.
Applejack saw some of Starlight's magic hit a Hidiac and turn it into a ball before she got an idea. "Anypony for Buckball?" She kicked up the Hidiac ball and bucked it to Rainbow Dash.
"Oh yeah!" Rainbow zipped up and smacked the ball back down with her hoof into another group before she spun and punched it to Pinkie. "Pinkie, mace toss!"
"Roger that!" Pinkie caught the ball with her tail and spun her tail like a mace, knocking some Hidiacs down before she released the ball into the air. "Alley-oop!"
Fluttershy flew up next and did a spinning midair flip while holding the ball with her own tail before she launched it down into another group of Hidiacs before she caught the ball and threw it to Starlight and Rarity.
The unicorns nodded to each other and created a hoop with their magic while Spike shot fire to encircle it. True to the shot from the timid Pegasus, the Hidiac ball shot through the hoop and slammed into the other Hidiacs with a loud explosion.
"BOOM BABY!!!" Pinkie threw her hooves into the air victoriously.
Rainbow looked around and saw more Hidiacs coming. "Don't celebrate yet, Pinkie!" She landed with the others in a circle as they were surrounded from all corners.
"Oh boy, where's Twilight when you need her?" Starlight was starting to panic. It seemed like the ponies would be doomed to fail this time, when suddenly...
"HIYAH!!" The cloaked figure who had been watching the group kicked a few Hidiacs down before landing on all fours and blasting the other Hidiacs with a massive ring of fire.
The Mane Seven were stunned; they'd never seen anything like that from a pony!
The figure threw his hood off to reveal a red unicorn stallion with bluish green eyes and a curly brown mane as he stood tall, looking at the group. "Is everyone okay?"
Fluttershy snapped out of her stupor first as she smiled. "That... was..."
"COOLEST THING EVER!!!" Pinkie finished for her friend as she grinned excitedly.
"It was way more cooler than the most epic and coolest thing I've ever done!" Rainbow exclaimed as she flew in a rapid circle around the stallion before stopping.
Applejack walked over and smiled. "We're fine thanks to you, partner." She shook hooves with the stallion. "But can you explain what in the ponyfeathers those things were?"
The stallion nodded before he helped Spike on to his back, looking at the others. "Let's get inside the castle first. I have someone there waiting for me." He led the girls to the gates and saluted to the guards as they stood back for him and opened the door.
Inside, the group saw the Royals talking with the gray unicorn mare from the Everfree Forest and slowly dispersed out, Spike getting down and heading to Shining Armor. "Shining, what's going on?"
Shining looked at the baby dragon his sister had raised and hugged him, shaking fearfully. "Twilight's been captured by Chrysalis and the Nightmare Force."
"Wait a minute, what's the Nightmare Force? And how come we've never heard of it before?" Pinkie asked him in confusion.
Luna stepped forward to respond to Pinkie's question: "It is that force that was expelled when you brave souls saved me from Nightmare Moon through usage of the Elements of Harmony. I thought it lost for the longest time since then, but apparently it has simply been regaining its strength, biding its time until it came back stronger than before."
"And with the Nightmare Force and Chrysalis coming back, they've brought along something just as dangerous if not more so." The female unicorn stepped forward.
Starlight looked at the newcomers curiously, almost as if she had seen them before. "Who are you two though? Not to mention, how do you know so much about what happened to all of us in the past?"
Spike walked up next to Starlight as he examined the unicorn cousins before he suddenly spoke up with wide eyes: "Oh! I know exactly who they are!" He looked at the Mane Six and smiled as he explained, "One of Twilight's books she usually gives me for a present explained about a war between the most magical ponies and dark forces that wanted to eliminate the magic from all of Equestria! It was only by the hands of the Mystic Force Pony Rangers that the evil was defeated!"
The stallion chuckled and smiled. "Your elder sister really did teach you a lot, little dragon." He removed his cloak, as did his companion, both of them revealing wings about the same size as Luna's and Cutie Marks that were nearly identical due to the stylized M save for a red flame behind his M and a silver crescent moon behind her M.
The girls gasped in shock and amazement as the saw the now fully revealed alicorns before them.
Celestia smiled as she went to Nick and lowered her head slightly. "It's been a long time since your family has visited Canterlot, Bowen. I'm sorry these had to be serious circumstances for such a meeting."
Nick chuckled slightly and bowed in return, as did Clare. "Clare and I are always glad to help, Princess."
Rarity blinked in confusion before she cleared her throat. "I hate to interrupt this wonderful little reunion, but how does it explain what exactly happened to Twilight?"
Clare looked over and smiled, "Right, we should explain ourselves." She lit up her horn in a light purple aura and made a projection hit the floor which showed their past as Nick explained it to them all.
Spike and the girls listened and watched with rapt attention, with the occasional yelp from Fluttershy and Rarity's squeals of excitement.
But what really got their attention was the Ranger suits, each of them seeing a bit of themselves as a Ranger.
After the projection finished, Clare stopped her magic. "We thought we'd seen the last of the Morlocks, but we were wrong. Recently, the magical surges your Princess had been detecting were from the dark magic seal. Nick and I have reason to suspect that Chrysalis and Nightmare have joined forces to unlock the seal keeping the Morlocks in and unleash Octomus on this world as vengeance against you girls and us."
Spike stroked his chin in thought. "It makes sense. Taking Twilight and turning her into one of their loyal followers would render the Elements of Harmony useless against them. The worst part is, Chrysalis knows this. She's a tactician by nature. She tried it before when attempting to wed Shining and invade Canterlot."
"And she did it again when she kidnapped the royals and Equestria's last line of defense a few months ago, only to be stopped when I helped save everypony." Starlight agreed.
"But what can we do to help? It's like Spike said, we can't use the Elements without Twilight," Rainbow mentioned worriedly.
Nick smirked, "Now that's where we come in." He went to Clare as she levitated a box out of her cloak and passed it over to his deep red aura before he walked over, setting the box down in front of the Mane 7 and explaining to them, "I saw how you all fought earlier. You work extremely well as a team and especially when it comes to defending each other, you're all just as coordinated. So it feels right to choose you as the new Pony Rangers." He lifted the lid of the box to reveal five gold colored cellphones, a silver colored cellphone on the right end, and a white colored cellphone on the left end.
The six ponies and the dragon walked up and each claimed their own Morpher as Nick turned to Applejack first. "Applejack, as the Element of Honesty, your family roots hold strong like the trees you grow. As the Green Mystic Ranger, you'll have control over the earth itself and become the Mystic Minotaur."
Applejack smiled and chuckled wryly, "Earth Pony, earth powers. Yeah, that about fits me."
Clare stepped forward, looking at Pinkie. "Pinkie Pie, the Element of Laughter. Your free spirit knows no bounds when it comes to making friends, a perfect fit for the Pink Mystic Ranger. You'll be able to control the wind much like a Pegasus and transform into the Mystic Sprite, small but fierce."
Pinkie nodded. "Makes sense to me."
Nick went to Fluttershy and placed a gentle hoof on her shoulder. "Fluttershy, you are as fluid as you are kind. Your caring nature has earned you the powers of the Blue Mystic Ranger, with command over water and the ability to become the Mystic Mermaid."
Fluttershy blushed proudly and smiled. "I'll do my best... for Equestria and for Twilight."
Clare went to Rainbow then. "Rainbow Dash, is there anything to say that doesn't make you sound more awesome? You're as fast as lightning, maybe even faster, and you're so loyal no one even compares to you. That makes you the best pony to fill the Yellow Mystic Ranger role, utilizing the lightning to your advantage and gaining the power to become the Mystic Garuda as needed."
Rainbow went wide-eyed as she started fangirling, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" She grinned excitedly.
Nick walked over to Rarity and bowed to her. "Lady Rarity, there's no denying your generous spirit and your beauty which matches the winter snow. For this, you're chosen as the White Mystic Ranger, with the beauty of the snow itself and the power of the Mystic Yuki-Onna, or Snow Queen if you prefer."
Rarity blushed slightly and smiled at Nick. "And I shall face each challenge with hope for everypony."
Clare walked over to Starlight. "Starlight Glimmer, once a villain who threatened all of history, now a reformed mare who has helped to save Equestria with some great friends. You've earned the title of Silver Mystic Ranger with the ability to travel through time itself and the power to become the Mystic Wyvern."
Starlight smiled proudly. "This time around, I'm not screwing up the timeline for selfish reasons."
Spike counted the Rangers and frowned. "That means only the Red Ranger is left." He thought for a second before realizing, "Which means...!"
"That's right, Spike." Nick went to the baby dragon and smiled. "Your courage is undeniable and you understand your elder sister so much that you could lead this team as well as her. I believe you'll be an excellent Red Ranger. As such, you'll be able to control fire better, much like myself, and you'll gain the power to become the Mystic Phoenix."
Spike gulped nervously at the words. "I... I don't know. This is... this is a lot to put on my shoulders. I haven't even sprouted my wings yet! How in Equestria am I gonna be able to handle being Red Ranger?!"
A wing draped over Spike's shoulder as Cadence smiled at him. "I know what it feels like, Spike. Celestia, Luna, and I all have to rule over Equestria and the Crystal Empire. It's never as easy as it looks, having to command the armies around to ensure the safety of the crystal ponies and be a supportive influence for them, as well as taking care of my own family in the process." She smiled as Flurry Heart landed by Spike and hugged him before continuing, "I know you know Twilight, and you've made great choices for others while acting as her voice before. I believe Nick has the right choice in mind for Red Ranger."
"So do I, Spike," Shining Armor stepped forward as well, shocking the Mane 6.
Spike looked at him in surprise. "Shining?"
The unicorn stallion ruffled his baby brother's spikes and told him, "You're a lot stronger than you think, little bro. You always manage Twily's stuff when she's gone on a friendship mission or whatever else there are, and you helped me see that there can be a way to change for all the Changelings... well, except Chrysalis, but I expect her to get her just desserts eventually." He smirked at the mention of Chrysalis, prompting everypony to laugh at that comment.
"Somepony mention my name?" A familiar voice rang out before the side of the building exploded, Shining and Nick shielding the group with their magic as rubble pelted it, before the dust cleared to reveal Chrysalis, armored and rearing for battle. "Missed me, dear?"
To be continued...
Author's Note
What? Just because I had something similar going on in Saber Equestria Girls Style with a past that has to be recalled on doesn't mean that this crossover isn't gonna be different! For one thing, Nick/Bowen and Clare will actively be helping the ponies including assistance with magic or what have you. Two: Spike is the leader of the group in Twilight's absence. Yes, Spike. I know it's stupid and I know he hasn't had the greatest development in the show, so sue me. Thirdly, this is Mystic Force! I mean, come on, peeps! This is a perfect combination for MLP! Not to mention it opens up a lot of opportunities for more character depth my way. I don't mind how the show did it, but they could have done so much more in nine seasons. Anyways, the past that Nick and Clare are talking about are going to be what Mystic Force was before Equestria and the war of the Magical Realm 20 years before Nick's team, so yeah.
Previously on Pony Rangers Mystic Force...
Shining was about to respond before he felt a trembling below his hooves and he cast a spell to keep his wife and daughter steady as the trembling was felt all across the land, an earthquake that sent the ponies outside scrambling for cover to dodge the rubble as he looked at her. "Yeah, I'd say that's very significant."
"Pharynx, get to Canterlot and warn the others!" Twilight told him urgently as she struggled to hold a shield against the Nightmare Force and Chrysalis, who was also battering Twilight's shield with a sickly green blast of magic. "I can hold them off here!"
The Royal Sisters gasped in shock, their ears folding down as Luna shouted, "That! Cannot! Be possible!"
"Somepony mention my name?" A familiar voice rang out before the side of the building exploded, Shining and Nick shielding the group with their magic as rubble pelted it, before the dust cleared to reveal Chrysalis, armored and rearing for battle. "Missed me, dear?"
The ponies and young dragon faced down the deposed Changeling Queen as she laughed wickedly, Shining and Nick lowering their shields as they kept their horns ready to shoot her.
Rainbow flew up and shouted, "What did you do to Twilight, you bug?!"
Chrysalis regarded the rainbow Pegasus. "Oh, it's not what I did to her, my bright Rainbow. It's what Nightmare did to her."
Luna frowned worriedly as her ears folded down. "I wasn't imagining the Nightmare then!"
Celestia stepped forward, her own horn flaring in a golden aura. "Let Twilight go, Chrysalis! She has no use to you!"
"I'm actually afraid you're mistaken, Celestia." Chrysalis fluttered down and landed before she paced around the Sun Princess and explained, "Out of all of the Elements, Twilight holds the most responsibility, the most weight. Her becoming the Princess of Friendship only served to make her mind more frazzled. After I was defeated the second time, Nightmare approached me and told me of her own defeat by Princess Luna and the Elements. But she had a plan, one that was so daring and resolute, that even I was surprised."
"That doesn't explain what happened to Twilight, Chrysalis!" Spike snapped angrily.
"Patience, Spike. I'm reaching that point." Chrysalis told him before she continued, "I learned a bit more about Twilight through reading her mind. She still has her doubts. Her usual Twilighting fashion, you know? That's what allowed Nightmare to control her so easily. And a new friend of ours also provided the Princess with an insurance that will keep her loyal to us! You won't be able to get her back!" She laughed a bit.
As if to prove her point, a dark purple magic surge appeared in the room and out poofed a mare who looked as tall as Celestia, but had a flowing mane of indigo, violet, and magenta. A mane that was very familiar to the drake.
Spike couldn't believe what he was seeing in that moment. "T - Twilight?"
The girls were horrified by their friend's new look and seemingly demonic glare.
Spike slowly walked forward and smiled in relief, "Twilight, it's me! It's Spike, remember? Your number one assistant!"
Twilight looked down at Spike and tilted her head slightly, not seeming like she was caring in the slightest.
"Come on, Twi! I know that's you!" Spike looked at her, starting to show concern.
Twilight scoffed a bit and responded in a voice unlike her normal, "Twilight Sparkle is no longer with you ponies. I control her thoughts and her actions. So from now on, refer to me as Midnight Sparkle!" She blasted Spike back with a darker magenta beam.
Spike yelped in pain and rolled back to the ponies, his stomach smoking from the blast.
"Spikey-wikey!" Rarity and the other girls dashed over to him.
Spike sat up and looked at Twilight, his eyes tearing up as he realized, "I can't believe it..."
Chrysalis laughed maniacally as she walked up beside the new Midnight Sparkle and patted the dark purple alicorn's shoulder as she spoke, "Magnificently wicked, isn't she?"
"You MONSTER!!" Rarity shouted angrily as she glared at Chrysalis, "You're nothing but a leech of pain and torture!!"
"Aww, that's sweet of you to say, Rarity," Chrysalis smiled at her. "But don't just let me have all the praise." She flicked her tail with a snap and summoned another Hidiac army from a spell seal, along with a golem like monster who laughed brightly.
Starlight saw the Hidiacs and folded her ears down, "Oh no, not these guys again!"
Clare stepped forward and charged her horn, "Nick and I got the monster. Spike, you and the girls fight the Hidiacs and try to get your friend back." She shot at the Golem as she charged forth with Nick.
Rainbow flew up and shouted, "You heard her, team! Let's take these bozos!" She rocketed down and started battling the Hidiacs as Starlight and the other newly elected Rangers followed behind, Spike still staying back out of shock.
Starlight led off by blasting some Hidiacs and doing a few flip kicks to knock down others before she got surrounded. "Okay, now might be a good time to try this!" She dug deep into her heart. "I do believe in magic!" She placed one hoof forward and saw the time around her reverse itself, blasting the other Hidiacs before they surrounded her, smiling in surprise. "It actually worked!" She looked at the other Rangers quickly, "You have to believe in the magic within you all!"
Rainbow heard her and nodded, looking at the Hidiacs before her. "I definitely believe in the magic within me!" She got ready to charge and as she rocketed forward, she delivered a Sonic Rainboom that was double the ripples and charged with lightning, her wings sparking with energy as she zipped through the Hidiacs she was facing and skidded to a halt halfway across the room, the Hidiacs exploding from electrocution. "Whoa, now that's electric."
Pinkie giggled and smiled as she watched Rainbow before she refocused on the task at hoof. "I believe in the magic within me!" She charged forward and spun around, creating a pink twister that picked up Hidiacs and flung them out the windows before she stopped, her eyes swirling as she stumbled and spoke wobbly, "That's gonna take some getting used to..." She shook off the dizziness before seeing herself surrounded by Hidiacs. "Uh-oh..." Suddenly her ears flopped up and down, giving her the cue to jump aside.
Fluttershy surfed in on a wave of sea water that looked like it was coming from nowhere as she washed out the Hidiacs before jumping down and landing by Pinkie and giggling slightly, "That was fun! I can't believe I can actually surf on water!"
Pinkie smiled and gave her Pegasus friend a high hoof as she joked, "I guess you gave those Hidiacs a wipeout!"
Applejack faced her own horde of Hidiacs, deploying skilled mare-tial artistry before she got blasted back and went high. "Okay, I think now's a good time to believe in the magic within me!" As she said that, a vine sprouted from her outstretched hoof and wrapped around the nearest rafter, allowing her to swing down to the others. "Yee-haw! Who says a mare can't be Tarzan of the Jungle?" She kicked down some Hidiacs before landing on all fours by Pinkie and Fluttershy. "Now that's shooting for the trees against these weirdos!"
A teal blast of magic zoomed by the girls before it somehow reversed and hit the Hidiacs behind them as Starlight ran over. "Tell me about it. I think it's about time these clowns learned not to mess with Equestrian defenders!"
Pinkie's tail started twitching before she heard Rainbow's yelp. "Everypony DUCK!" She pulled the trio down as the cyan Pegasus zoomed above them and destroyed some Hidiacs before coming back around and screeching to a stop by her friends.
Rainbow stomped out a flame on her tail as she panted, "Okay, I know I'm used to being the fastest pony in Equestria, but this is ridiculous with the lightning now. I think I hit Quadruple Rainboom levels with how fast I was going."
Fluttershy yelped in surprise when she saw the Hidiacs surround them again and she ducked behind Rainbow as a result.
"We need Rarity here!" Applejack shouted to them.
Rainbow felt a chill in the air and looked over her shoulder, seeing a white cloud and smiling slightly. "There she comes."
Rarity was making a snowstorm with her magic now being enhanced by her new powers as she froze the Hidiacs solid before she blasted them to pieces as she walked up next to the girls and admired her handiwork. "That's what I call a cold snap."
"Nicely done, Rarity!" Starlight hoof bumped her friend.
Nick and Clare were suddenly knocked back to the others, both of them having bruises on their bodies as they stood up again, horns lit up and wings flared defiantly.
Midnight Sparkle stepped forward to attack, but Chrysalis held a hoof in front of her to stop her as she spoke, "I think we've done enough here for now, Midnight. Let's get out of here and revel in this little victory." The Changeling made a spell seal that enveloped her, the corrupted Princess, and the golem and teleported them away.
The girls sighed in relief, grateful to have a break from the attacks... for the moment, at least.
Cadence passed Flurry Heart to Shining Armor and walked over to Spike as she asked, "Spike? Are you okay?"
Spike was curled up on the ground, visibly shaking judging by his tail and his tear filled eyes when he responded in an equally quivering voice, "She... she doesn't recognize me anymore... what did they do to her?"
Later that night, Spike was in the royal castle's library and trying to find a book with a clue on how to break the spell on Twilight, but he wasn't having any luck as he groaned, "Nothing at all on this dark magic or that Octomus guy's power?! This is getting ridiculous!!"
The door opened as Ember came into the room, walking over to him and speaking, "I heard about what happened earlier, Spike. I'm so sorry."
The young dragon looked at his fellow drake and sighed softly before he sat down and looked at her.
Ember sat with him and placed a claw on his shoulder. "If I were in your clawsteps, I'd probably be doing the same thing right now. I don't know much about how pony life adapts to having a baby dragon around them, but it really doesn't matter. Dragon or human, you still have the courage within you to fight for your sister, to get her back somehow, someway."
"But... without Twilight, the Elements don't work," Spike muttered sadly, "It happened before when Rainbow Dash was corrupted by Discord and left the group, so when they tried to use the Elements with me as a substitute, it flopped. It might happen the same way this time if they use me or Starlight as a substitute for the Element of Magic."
"Oh, for goodness sake, Spike!" Discord's voice came through the space as the Draconeques appeared and continued, "Hello! You were chosen as a leader because you are a leader! Remember Ogres and Oubliettes? You're the Dungeon Master of the game, for crying out loud! Just think of Twilight like Shmarity! A damsel in distress, held captive by the Squizzard and in need of rescue from Garbunckle and his loyal compadres!" He changed into his O&O costume as he spoke, shooting arrows and knocking down some small stuffies before he changed back.
Ember blinked as she watched the scene before she whispered in Spike's ear with a smile, "Okay, remind me to come to your next Guy's Night. I wanna see how crazy you all get."
Spike thought over Discord's words. "Even if you're right, Discord, I wasn't able to muster up the courage to let my inner magic out." He looked at his claws and huffed slightly.
Ember smiled and hugged Spike, feeling slightly uncomfortable about it, but doing it nonetheless as she told him, "It's perfectly fine to be scared, Spike. What matters is you gaining the strength to push through that fear and fighting for what's right."
The smaller dragon hugged back and bit his lip slightly. Maybe she had a point, as did Discord. What good was he gonna be to the group if he couldn't find the courage to help Twilight?
Back at Chrysalis' lair, the deposed Queen of the Changelings was reviewing footage of the battle at the castle with Nightmare, the latter of which was disgusted and pointed out, "Hmph. So those Rangers found their inner magic, so what? The drake hasn't found his courage yet."
Chrysalis smiled and responded, "Yes, and that's exactly what I'm counting on when the sun rises. When he learns of who the true culprit behind his big sister's change is, I'm sure you, him, and Sanguisa will have a wonderful time in a battle."
Nightmare looked at her and retorted, "And yet that leaves us with the matter of the former Rangers and the Royal Sisters. What should we do against them?"
The Bug Queen smirked as she looked at her companion with a question: "How badly do you want eternal night still?"
Nightmare grinned wickedly, her sharp teeth showing behind the darkness.
The next morning, everyone was getting ready for the celebration, Spike going over a checklist for the umpteenth time as he looked at the sky.
Pinkie walked over to him. "You're worried too, huh?"
Spike nodded a bit as he looked at the party pony, noticing her hair was slightly flattened. "Whoa, you alright?"
Pinkie shook her head. "Nope. My mane hasn't been poofy since yesterday. Not to mention my eyes are baggy beyond belief. I know my Pinkie Sense is warning me about something, but I don't know what."
Spike frowned before he noticed their shadows growing larger and shuddered a bit as the wind picked up. "I think I might have an idea..."
Celestia and Luna noticed the clouds as well and looked up in concern, Nick and Clare joining her after a moment with the same expressions.
It wasn't long before Nightmare appeared and laughed mirthlessly. "Surprise, ponies!"
Everypony nearby either yelped and gasped upon seeing Nightmare, some even attempting to escape, only to be stopped by Hidiacs and back away in fright.
Rainbow saw the Hidiacs and looked at the remaining Rangers. "Come on, we got work to do!" She lead the six ponies away.
Spike thought for a moment before he followed the group.
Nightmare chuckled as she watched the ponies being surrounded. "Oh, how pleasing to hear the screams of fear and despair! It feels more powerful to me than creating nighttime ever did!"
"Create this, you dark freak!!" A lightning bolt shot out at the mass, forcing her to dodge before Rainbow kicked her out of the air.
The others jumped out to fight the Hidiacs, each of the ponies utilizing their abilities.
Pinkie made wind currents to knock away the Hidiacs and created mini tornadoes to knock them into each other before she roundhouse kicked a couple into Applejack's boulder crushers.
Starlight found herself surrounded again and about to be struck, but she simply reversed time and got the Hidiacs paused at the point where they were about to hit her, stepping aside and letting Rarity blast them with ice beams and buck them all into oblivion.
Rainbow Dash zipped around, launching lightning at the Hidiacs and looking at Fluttershy, who nodded and created a water spout to conduct the electricity better so that many more Hidiacs were destroyed.
Spike ran towards Nightmare, intent on burning her to a crisp, but skidded to a stop when he saw Midnight Sparkle appear again. "Great. I gotta get through you first." He got ready to fight, watching the former Princess of Friendship charge at him before he jumped to the side, avoiding her blasts and kicking her in the chest before jumping up and kicking her multiple times over, landing on his claws as he smirked at her. "Not bad for a weak dragon, huh?"
"Yes, impressive. But now let us see what you can do against a truly powerful opponent!" Midnight stepped forward and changed into a purple themed armor, more suited for a quadrupedal form though.
The ponies saw the armor and gasped, Nick and Clare being especially scared as they spoke in turn; "No... How is this possible?!" "That's Koragg's armor... But I thought Koragg was gone!"
"Or so you believed it to be." Sanguisa emerged from a spell seal near Chrysalis and stood by the Changeling's side.
Spike saw Sanguisa and growled angrily, green flames snorting from his snout, "You're the one who's helping Chrysalis and Nightmare out!"
Sanguisa chuckled and clapped sarcastically. "Bravo, dragon. Bravo. But in the end, your power of Friendship is for nothing! Without your precious Princess, what chance do you have of stopping us?"
Spike frowned slightly and looked down; she had a good point. How could he fight Twilight? His caretaker, his mother figure, his... his best friend?
"Spike's stronger than you give him credit for!" Starlight's voice snapped him out of his thoughts as he looked up to see the remaining Mane 5 and Starlight standing beside him proudly.
"Spike's more than Twilight's number one assistant! He's her baby brother!" Fluttershy spoke courageously.
"He's a dragon who's just as loyal as I am, if not more so!" Rainbow smiled as she ruffled Spike's head slightly.
"A dragon so willing to help, he'll sacrifice his needs for the good of other ponies!" Rarity chipped in, causing Spike to blush at her words.
"A dragon who's such a great friend, he'll help someone in need when they truly need it," Applejack agreed.
Pinkie nodded and stood tall as she finished up, "He's our best friend and one that's definitely worth celebrating every single day!"
Spike smiled at everypony's words of encouragement. They were right, he shouldn't just give up because Twilight was in danger! In fact, he should stand tall and help them!
"How touching of a speech from all of you, but you are still powerless without the element of Magic!" Koragg spoke as she opened the crystal on her shield. "Dark Magic Strike!" A beam of energy shot at the girls.
Spike raised his head high and instinctively ran forward, holding his Mystic Morpher high and shouting, "I don't just believe in the magic of friendship! I believe in the magic within my heart!!" As he shouted these words, his Mystic Morpher started shining with a bright red light and produced a flaming shield that sent the dark blast back at Koragg.
Koragg dodged the rebounded shot and looked at Spike in shock. "What?! How?!"
Rarity gasped as she watched Spike, the others in the room looking on in amazement and awe.
Spike started growing in size and shifting forms before the red glow died around him and he opened his dragon eyes as he stepped out with a new look that made him seem like his dragon DNA had mixed with a pony. His body was certainly equine with a horn to resemble a unicorn, but he still had his dragon tail, claws, and a new set of dragon wings that flared out proudly.
The girls were stunned by Spike's new look before Fluttershy spoke up excitedly, "Oh my Celestia, he... He just became a qilin!"
Spike glared at Koragg. "The magic of friendship may be gone without Twilight for now, but a new kind of magic is standing in its place: The magic of courage from within our hearts!" He instinctively whipped his Morpher open with a green aura coming from his horn and pressed the top three numbers to input the code before he got on his hind legs and posed with his Morpher aimed at the sky. "Magical Source, Mystic Force!"
The other Rangers nodded to each other and followed their leader, typing in the morph code and raising their Morphers high, "Magical Source, Mystic Force!"
The seven Rangers transformed in a flash of light and stood together in their new suits, each of them looking largely similar, save for Spike, Starlight, and Rarity with the former having a male version of the suit and the latter two having extra armor on their suits respectfully.
Starlight looked at herself in shock and shouted, "Whoa! Did that just happen?!"
"Now this is a big turn of events," Applejack spoke up as she looked at herself.
"My goodness, this feels amazing!" Rarity smiled under her helmet.
Fluttershy giggled and twirled around a little as she agreed, "I feel as light as a feather!"
"Oh, totally!" Pinkie grinned excitedly.
"Aw yeah!" Rainbow cheered with them as she looked at herself proudly.
"Let's do this, ladies." Spike looked up proudly.
"You may have received your magical powers, but you are still no match for me!" Koragg charged at the ponies.
The Rangers charged forward, Spike even running forward without fear this time as they started fighting the evil Koragg.
But despite their best efforts against their opponent, Koragg was quite strong, especially with Twilight's magic.
Spike didn't give up, firing flames at her while using his tail to catch some flames and slam them down on Koragg to try and pierce the armor.
Koragg slid back and growled angrily as she glared at Spike. "Seems I underestimated you, young drake. You'll make a wonderful opponent for me eventually. But for now, deal with our monster!" She summoned the Golem monster back. "Destroy these brats!" She teleported away through a spell seal.
"Time to rock and roll, Rangers!" The golem punched his fists together.
"Whoa, Nelly. Big boy sure looks like a tough one."Applejack frowned slightly.
"Pfft! We can take this guy easily!" Rainbow fired off a few lightning bolts at the golem.
The golem blocked and laughed brightly. "That just tickled!"
Rainbow gulped nervously and smiled sheepishly as she saw Spike facepalm.
"For Celestia's sake, Dash!" Spike glared at her. "If we're gonna be able to stop this ugly freakazoid, we have to have a plan!"
Pinkie nodded in agreement and thought quickly, a light bulb suddenly appearing over her head... somehow. "Ooh! Ooh! Genius idea!" She grabbed the others and pulled them out of the way of an attack quickly before she looked at Fluttershy while releasing the group. "Fluttershy, water bomb that rock boy!"
"You got it!" Fluttershy saluted and charged forward, summoning a stream of water and firing multiple shots at the golem.
"Water you doing?!?!" The golem shrieked in surprise, getting splashed every time.
"Rarity, ice cracking time!" Pinkie looked at the White Ranger next.
Rarity nodded in understanding. "Time to give this ruffian the cold shoulder!" She launched an ice beam at the golem.
Fluttershy noticed in time and jumped out of the way, allowing the Golem to be struck and get frozen as the Pegasus landed by her friends.
"Starlight, speed it up a bit and AJ, smash when he's about ready to crack!" Pinkie instructed.
Starlight nodded to Applejack and blasted the golem with an erosion time spell, keeping up with it before she shouted, "NOW!"
A.J. jumped up and held her Magi Staff up."Magi Staff, Axe Mode!" Her Magi Staff shifted forms into a double bladed axe form before she slashed the golem and sent him flying back. "I'd sure call that a home run."
Spike smiled at the girls, especially Pinkie. "Nice thinking, Pinkie Pie."
Pinkie saluted to Spike. "Always a pleasure to help our leader."
"Time for me to finish this up!" Spike smirked under his helmet and crossed his claws, making the signature hand symbol. "I summon the power of the Mighty Phoenix!" He created a fireball and jumped up, kicking it at the Golem as he did a reverse backflip.
The Golem screamed as he got hit. "What kind of burn did you have to put out?!" He fell to the ground as Spike landed next to the girls.
"And that's checkmate!" The Rangers spun around to face away before they flicked their tails (or snapped a claw, in Spike's case), all of them making a snap sound as the golem exploded.
Nightmare growled angrily, upset that her monster had been defeated. "This isn't over yet, Rangers! Just wait!!" She teleported away with Sanguisa as the skies cleared up from darkness.
The ponies came out of hiding and cheered for the heroes, excited to have the new warriors to protect them from Chrysalis and the new threats.
Clare smiled at Nick as she watched the new team receive the praise. "Looks like everyone is glad to have the Rangers back in action."
Nick nodded and smiled to his cousin. "No doubt about it."
Soon enough all the preparations were ready and the Royal Sisters were getting ready with Spike being behind them to stand in for Twilight, the drake looking a little nervous as he paced around the area and muttered to himself, "Ah man, what if I can't pull this off like Twilight? What if the ceremony goes wrong because I can't pull this off? What if I mess everything up so bad that I get everypony mad at me and then I get my leadership status revoked for the Rangers?!" He grunted as he bumped into a tree and hit the ground, seeing stars for a moment before he shook his head as Rarity came up to him.
"Oh, Spikey, there's nothing to worry about, dearie." The unicorn helped him up as she smiled and continued, "You showed a wonderful spurt of courage today, and I see no reason to stop now."
Trixie smiled as she walked up to him and chuckled lightly. "So true, and you inspired me to make new fireworks for the celebration based on the Mystic Force, and in such a short time too."
Spike rubbed the back of his head slightly. "That was just today against all the Hidiacs and Koragg. Even if I'm able to lead some heroes, I'm not cut out for princess stuff."
"Who cares if you're cut out for being a princess?" Rainbow smiled at him and ruffled his mane gently. "You're definitely leader material no matter what happens."
"Exactly, Spike." Applejack smiled as she walked over and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Besides, the real perks of leadership is that you get to inspire not only your team, but the entire country as well. And buddy, when you inspire us, you're the best leader I've ever seen."
Spike smiled a bit and nodded a little. "I guess you're right, guys. I can't give up because of a small hiccup. And I know with Twilight gone for now, it's gonna have to be down to me to help the citizens of Ponyville and Equestria all the way. No way am I letting that many creatures down."
Pinkie appeared behind him and smiled at him. "Alright, now go get them, new Prince of Friendship!"
Spike chuckled lightly and smiled back, walking up next to the Princesses as they smiled at him.
Celestia looked at the crowd and smiled regally. "Today we may have seen another battle against evil, but once again, we have heroes to save us all."
Luna smiled as she finished up the speech. "Equestria has never been safer. Thanks to the Mystic Force, there will always be hope throughout the lands." She lit up her horn and flapped her wings to fly up, raising her hooves and slowly lowering them as the moon was lowered before Celestia flew up and raised her own hooves, raising the sun as it coalesced with the moon's appearance.
Spike smiled and spread his wings, crouching down before he took off and flew at a high velocity, creating a sonic boom that emitted the Mystic Force team symbol.
At the same time, Trixie fired off the new fireworks and let them explode to show the individual symbols of each Ranger in the dawning sky.
The ponies cheered happily, some rearing on their hind legs as Thorax and Ember clapped for the performance and show.
Spike flew back around and landed by his friends, getting a big hug from them and smiling proudly as he looked at the sky and silently told himself, 'Don't worry, Twilight. Somehow, someway, I will get you back or die trying.'
Back at the lair, Midnight let her suit disappear as she looked at the crown that was her Element of Magic, the pink gem now a darker magenta and the crown a silver color to reflect her corrupted nature. "Magic has its own ways of coming back, but it's only a matter of time before the Master is resurrected."
Author's Note
Yeah, this episode was a real doozy. Spike having to gain the courage to fight Twilight and believe in the magic he has, the girls gaining their magic, it's all just... Yeesh. Anyway, the next episode is gonna be slice of life with the Rangers gaining new powers, the next few episodes doing the same for a while. Let me know what monsters y'all wanna see next!
