Power Rangers Crystal Harmonyby SonicSpeedster97ChaptersCh. 1: Shadows over CanterlotCh. 2: Darkness to LightCh. 3: Mega Studies & Mega BattlesCh. 4: Pins and NeedlesCh. 5: Family MattersCh. 6: Broken WingsCh. 1: Shadows over CanterlotCanterlot City had seen some pretty crazy things over the last few months, most of it centralized around Canterlot High School, but with the end of this latest school year and graduation for the senior class right around the corner, one age of adventure was almost over for the city’s great heroes, though they weren’t actually known as the ones behind it. Even so, it gave them enough time for Twilight to drag her friends into one more of her countless science projects in the lab she’d set herself up with at the school. “So what exactly is this about, darling?” Rarity asked. “Shouldn’t we be preparing for our finals and graduation?” “And why do you need our Geodes for this little science project?” Rainbow Dash asked in annoyance; it was bad enough that this experiment was keeping the girls from their typical afterschool band practice – especially since the Rainbooms had been making a killing performing at charity events – but for Twilight to take the girls’ Geode pendants the week prior made it an even more raw deal since it meant she’d taken their superpowers with them. “Because the Geodes are the focus of the experiment,” Twilight assured as she worked with a small soldering iron. “You’re not trying to study our magic, are you? Because I’ve already told you how poorly that worked out for me.” Sunset pointed out. “Believe me; I remember. And thankfully, that’s not what I’m working on.” Twilight smiled as she closed what looked like a silver bracer with a gold disk on the top containing Rainbow Dash’s Geode. “I’m working on a series of containment matrixes to help focus the geodes’ powers.” “Why would we need that?” Rainbow asked… only to be met by a flurry of raised eyebrows. “Do you really need us to answer that question?” asked Spike. That was what helped Rainbow remember the time she’d overloaded her friends’ Geode powers by using her speed more and more often. “Ugh, that was one time.” “One time over two weeks.” Sunset reminded. “I prefer not to hear people’s thoughts in my head all the time, thanks.” “Well, if I can get these containment units to function properly, we shouldn’t have to worry about that,” Twilight assured as she handed the first one to Rainbow. “I also added a tracking function similar to the one from my amulet at the Friendship Games.” This earned her some concerned looks, so she quickly headed it off. “Uh, b-but just the tracking; no containment protocols. Believe me, I’ve learned since the Games.” The relief on her friends’ faces helped with that. “I also think that these devices might help us get better control over our power-up forms from Camp Everfree and the Memory Stone incident. Uh, here; let’s try it out.” Rainbow shrugged and strapped the metal bracer to her left wrist with the disk pointed to her hand, seeing her Geode contained in the center of the disk. “You sure this’ll work?” she asked. “Well, it is a prototype, but… I’m optimistic.” Twilight shrugged. Rainbow figured that was the best she would get, so she tapped the Geode through the disk but didn’t feel anything. “Oh. Uh, you- you have to spin it. That’s- that’s how it’s activated now.” Rainbow appeared annoyed already as she gave the disk a quick counterclockwise spin with her thumb… and immediately the device started sparking with red electricity. “Gah, whoa!” Rainbow panicked and quickly tore the device from her wrist, letting it fall to the floor near Fluttershy – who quickly recoiled in fear as the bracer sparked madly until it stopped. “What’n Sweet Apple’s name was that?” asked Applejack. “Well… I did say it was a prototype.” Twilight shrugged nervously. Sunset sighed as she bent down and picked up the bracer, finding it not overly hot but she could definitely smell fused circuitry inside it… as well as the smell of some manner of other scorched material she wasn’t familiar with. “Well, clearly it needs more work.” she pointed out as she handed it to Twilight. “I know. I just really thought it would work to at least give Rainbow Dash some control over her superspeed.” Twilight shrugged. “Well, look on the bright side; at least none of your powers went haywire once she spun it.” Spike pointed out. “Mm, fair point.” Rarity shrugged. “Why was it red?” asked Pinkie. “Huh?” the others asked. “The lightning. It was red.” Pinkie pointed out. “Is that really such a big deal?” Rainbow asked as she examined her wrist, just to make sure it hadn’t harmed her in any way. “Well, I should think so.” Rarity realized. “Sunset’s Geode is red, yours is blue. So why would this device shoot off red lightning?” “Exactly.” Pinkie pointed out. “Huh. Well, I guess that is a bit weird.” Twilight relented as she opened the tops of all the bracers. Sunset glanced over her shoulder and appeared surprised; the circuitry inside the bracers looked almost crystalline. “What did you wire these things with?” she asked. “Well, for our most recent date, Timber and I went spelunking in the crystal cave outside Camp Everfree,” Twilight remembered, blushing a bit as she remembered how she and Timber had officially started dating. “I wanted to see how the other crystals there interacted with my geode, and well… the response was… unusual.” “Define ‘unusual’, Darling.” Rarity asked. “Well, the crystals did definitely have traces of Equestrian magic, but… there was also something else. Some other form of energy I’m not familiar with.” Twilight shrugged. “So that’s why ya built in those detectors.” Applejack surmised. “Exactly.” Twilight nodded as she examined the crystalline wiring in Rainbow’s bracer. “Anyway, I’m doing what I can to experiment with those crystals to try and determine what exactly this other energy is, but so far – including this crystal wiring thing I’m trying right now – nothing’s really working, and now I’m gonna need new crystal wiring for Rainbow’s transformation sequence programming.” She perked up significantly when she noticed something. “On the plus side, it looks like the energy detector is still perfectly wired up.” “Might as well test that out now; see if it works better than the transformation sequence.” Sunset shrugged. “Fine by me.” Rainbow shrugged as she took the bracer again. But then she noticed something; Twilight and Sunset were the only ones not wearing these bracers. “Where are yours?” “Ran out of materials to make yours.” Twilight shrugged. “And like I said, I’m still only scratching the surface of what these crystals can do.” “Well, no time like the present to find out.” Applejack shrugged as she and the other girls took their own bracers and strapped them to their left wrists. “Fair enough. Now the tracking system is activated by the button at the end under the disk.” Twilight instructed. Rainbow shrugged and pressed that almost diamond-colored button and immediately a small screen on the back of the bracer started beeping like a radar screen, showing a strange pink blip… coming from the front of the school. “Huh. That’s weird.” Rainbow remarked. The others quickly pressed their tracker buttons and followed the signal out front… to the statue plinth. Pinkie glanced up and couldn’t help but sigh. “It’s just not the same without the Wondercolt statue,” she remarked. “Yeah, we seriously need to talk to Principal Celestia about letting us put on a show to pay for a new one.” Rainbow agreed. “How about after we figure out where this energy is coming from?” Sunset suggested. “That’s the odd thing, isn’t it? It seems to be coming from the portal itself.” Rarity pointed out as she examined the plinth. “What?” Twilight asked as she looked over Rarity’s shoulder and indeed saw that the energy signature was coming from the plinth. “That’s weird.” “Maybe it’s the portal’s magic?” Spike suggested. “No, I don’t think so.” Sunset shrugged and smirked at Twilight. “You remember what the portal’s magic does, don’t you?” “Believe me, I remember.” Twilight nodded; it would be hard to forget how she- no, Midnight Sparkle – had used the portal’s magic to try and tear this world asunder just to try and attack Equestria out of a lust for power. “That kind of power would probably fry the scanners beyond repair.” “Well then, what’s this power coming from?” Rainbow asked as she waved her bracer over the plinth. “I think I know,” Fluttershy noted as she stood on top of the plinth. The others looked and were more than a bit concerned by the size of the crack they saw in the stone. “Whoa. Where did this come from?” asked Rainbow. Twilight had a sneaking suspicion she knew. “From me,” she said quietly. “Midnight destroyed the statue. The blast must’ve cracked the plinth somehow.” “But why would there be magic coming from it?” Rainbow asked… right before another blip appeared on the screen on her bracer; a black blip… followed by a powerful blast of dark energy that shot into the sky from the crack. “Does that answer your question?” asked Applejack. “Yeah, and it’s given me a follow-up question; what was that?” asked Rainbow. “I have a bad feeling we’re gonna find out,” Sunset noted as the black energy shot into the school. “C’mon!” Quickly the Rainbooms raced into the school after the shadow. They saw it hover in the middle of the foyer for a second, so they took the opening to try and dogpile it before anything bad happened. Unfortunately, all that did was tangle the girls up in a big knot on the floor as the shadow flew down the hall… straight toward Vice Principal Luna, who had just rounded the corner. “Look out!” Luna looked up from her work just in time for the shadow to fly into her head. “Gah!” she cried in pain as she grabbed her head. Whatever was going on, a strange shadowy essence was flowing from her eyes before the shadow shot from her mind, sending Luna to the ground. The Rainbooms quickly raced to help their teacher as they watched the shadow float to the ground in front of them and reform into a shadowy being with what looked like wings and a unicorn horn holding a large double-bladed sword. Then the shadows disappeared and revealed this being was a woman in an old-fashioned dress… who looked like a dark reflection of Vice Principal Luna. “Ah… an unusual form… but I should be able to do some good work with it.” The girls were surprised: who or whatever this being was, it even sounded like Vice Principal Luna - if a bit darker in its tone of voice. The being looked over and saw the girls and appeared interested. “Ah, locals. Here to witness the arrival of your new mistress, no doubt.” “Guess again, ugly.” Rainbow scowled as she suddenly charged, hopeful her actions would trigger her Geode’s powers and activate her super-speed. But it didn’t work and before she could even try to get a hit in, this dark form shot a blast of dark energy from her blade and knocked Rainbow back into her friends’ arms, bowling them all over into the plinth. “Resistance. Humorous, but futile.” the dark being remarked mirthlessly. “Who are you?” asked Vice Principal Luna. “I am Tantabus; a spirit of dreams and child of Nightmare Moon.” the creature scowled. “Equestria has proven too much of a handful for me to try and conquer. But I’ve seen this world has no magic to oppose me, so I shall rule from your dreams and make your world a living nightmare.” “Keep dreaming.” Rainbow groaned as she stood up, holding her bracer at the ready. Twilight could clearly see what she was going to do. “Rainbow, no! The circuitry is fused; it might hurt you too badly!” “This lady’s gotta go down fast, Twilight. And fast is what I do best!” Rainbow smirked and spun the disk on her bracer. Just like before, it sparked madly with red electricity, but this time when she charged, she was moving much faster than before as red energy shot around her. “What?!” Tantabus yelled before Rainbow tackled her straight into a bank of lockers and stopped short, glowing with red energy. “Whoa… this never happened before,” she remarked in surprise as the other girls moved to her side. Sunset couldn’t help but smirk as she looked over at Tantabus. “You’re a bit behind on current events, Tantabus,” she smirked. “This world has had magic for months now, and we know how to use it.” Tantabus scowled as she looked at Sunset, her eyes lightly glowing… as she peered into Sunset and Twilight’s minds. She smirked as she saw what was locked away within. “Only fairly recently though, right?” she remarked. That statement left the girls confused until Tantabus shot two bolts of shadowy magic from her blade at Twilight and Sunset’s heads, entering their minds almost immediately. The two girls groaned in pain as Tantabus’ magic coursed through their minds before two large bursts of shadow shot out of their foreheads and landed next to the dark being, condensing into forms the girls all hoped they’d never see again: Sunset’s Demon form from the Fall Formal, and Midnight Sparkle. “Ah, it’s good to finally be free.” Demon Shimmer smirked. “You’re telling me.” Midnight agreed. “This is impossible; we destroyed you,” Sunset said in fear. “In this world, perhaps.” Tantabus smiled. “But in the world of dreams, their anger and lust for power festered. Until my timely arrival set them free. From now on, you both serve me.” “I suppose we owe you that much.” Demon Shimmer smirked. “As long as we get Equestria when we’re done with this world.” “Deal.” Tantabus nodded. The Rainbooms quickly stepped forward, ready to defend their friends. “You’re not getting Equestria on our watch,” Rainbow assured with strength. “And what are you going to do to stop us?” Midnight smirked as she raised a blast of magic in her hands. “At a guess? Something brave yet ultimately foolhardy.” Rarity shrugged but raised her bracer either way along with the others. “Which I will find wholly satisfying.” As one, the girls all spun their bracers’ disks and they all crackled with electricity; Applejack’s was green, Rarity’s was blue, Fluttershy’s was yellow, and Pinkie’s was… well, pink. Naturally the girls were expecting to either shift into their Crystal Guardian forms or activate their powers, but before anything like that could happen, Midnight fired her blast at the girls, causing a small explosion in the hallway. Twilight, Sunset, and Luna were sent tumbling back by the blast, all frightened for the girls’ sakes, but when the smoke cleared… well, none of them were sure what they were expecting, but it wasn’t this. Somehow the Rainbooms were contained in brightly colored bodysuits with white neck-guards, gloves, boots, and skirts, and colored helmets with embossed silver mouth plates, pony-like ears with speakers inside, and black visors over their eyes with white decals on the sides; Rainbow’s had small lightning bolts extending off from the sides, Applejack’s looked like an apple with silver leaves higher on her head and apple branches on the sides of her helmet, Rarity’s looked like three diamonds side by side with smaller diamonds on the sides, Fluttershy’s looked like butterflies, and Pinkie’s looked like three balloons side by side with streamers and smaller balloons on the sides. Black stripes trimmed in gold extended down from their shoulders leading into chevrons above their bellies where their symbols appeared in gold, an ornate gold and crystal symbol appearing as the buckles on their silver belts, with bright silver pistol/daggers holstered at their sides. “What?! Power Rangers?! Impossible!” Tantabus remarked in shock, though Demon Shimmer and Midnight appeared surprised. “What just happened?” Rarity asked as the girls looked themselves over. “I don’t know, but I like it. This feels awesome!” Rainbow smirked as she clenched her gloved fist. “Let’s put it to good use then!” Applejack nodded. The Rainbooms all nodded and quickly posed with strength before they charged these monsters and started fighting; Rainbow fought Tantabus directly and deflected plenty of her sword swings with backhanded attacks, as Applejack and Pinkie fought Demon Shimmer, and Rarity and Fluttershy fought Midnight. Twilight and Sunset were still in awe of what they were seeing, but they knew that whatever it was, it couldn’t last; the bracers were shorting out as they fought, but these moves they were showing off were incredible; Fluttershy in particular – she barely knew any martial arts but somehow, she was keeping pace with the others and these monsters almost too easily, especially as they watched the monsters get knocked out through the front doors of the school and tumble down the stairs. (Cut it) “Had enough?” Rainbow smirked under her helmet, quietly concerned about how much her bracer was sparking. Demon Shimmer scowled as she tried to stand up and raise a handful of fire at the girls, but Tantabus held her back. “No. We’re still weak from entering the physical world. We have to retreat, for now, to regain our full strength.” she ordered and stood up. “Let me assure you now, Rangers; this is far from over.” With that, she slammed the tip of one of her blades into the ground and the three monsters were suddenly surrounded in shadow before they disappeared. “Yeah, y’all better run!” Applejack smirked… right before the suits disappeared and returned the girls to their standard outfits, their bracers clearly shorted out as the others quickly came out to join them. “Are you all right, Vice Principal Luna?” Rarity asked immediately. “I have a rather impressive headache, but I think I’ll be fine,” Luna assured. “I’m more worried about you girls.” “So are we.” Sunset agreed as she and Twilight looked at the girls’ bracers. “What was that?” “I don’t know. But it felt good.” Rainbow smirked. “The question is what caused it?” “Only one way to answer that. We need to go back to Camp Everfree and get more of those crystals.” Twilight said with conviction. “Agreed.” Sunset nodded as the group quickly climbed aboard the Rainbooms’ tour bus parked nearby. Applejack took the wheel – thankful she’d gotten her license before all this – and drove the bus fast out of the school parking lot. Luna watched them drive away, more than a bit worried for her students… but unaware of what would soon come to pass thanks to Tantabus’ meddling. As they drove, Sunset quickly fished her magic journal out of her backpack and started writing. “Dear Princess Twilight, I think we have another magic problem in Canterlot City, and it sounds like one you’re familiar with. What do you know about a dark being called the Tantabus, or something called the Power Rangers?” Author's Note Here's the logo for the first arc of this story, which I hope will get some big wins. Ch. 2: Darkness to LightMidnight and Demon Shimmer weren’t sure where exactly Tantabus had brought them – it looked like a ruined castle under a pitch-black night sky with a dark fog swirling around them. “Yes… this will do nicely.” Tantabus smiled. “What exactly is ‘this’?” Midnight asked in annoyance. “Where are we?” “The Lucid Lands; a dimension of nightmares between the realm of dream and the waking world,” Tantabus explained. “I modeled this little corner after the Castle of the Two Sisters in Equestria; the exact reason why Nightmare Moon created me – to torment her with nightmares of her actions. But I grew tired of only giving her nightmares, so I wished to spread my influence.” “You failed in Equestria.” Demon Shimmer snarled. “Indeed. But I will not fail in this new world. In this world, I will reign supreme. Just as soon as those Power Rangers are dealt with.” Tantabus scowled. “We’ve both faced them before; they don’t go down easily.” Demon Shimmer assured. “Just the same as when I faced their counterparts.” Tantabus nodded. “Which is why we must remain in the Lucid Lands until we have gained our full power. In the meantime, I can use my influence to create monsters from people’s worst nightmares and send them to the waking world.” “Monsters won’t be enough.” Midnight pointed out. “They’ll need reinforcements.” “I have that covered as well,” Tantabus assured as she waved her blade and weaved magic in the air. “Now my children, come forth with your malice and hearts of darkness; bring forth your mistress’s will and show this world why you are known as… Knightmares!” A bolt of black magic shot from her weapon and made the fog condense into legions of feminine-appearing forms in jet-black armor with pony ears in the helmets, long black ponytails similar to the Rainbooms’ snaking out the backs, and short straight swords with vicious curved handguards covered in spikes. “Whoa… yeah, those oughtta do the job.” Midnight smiled cruelly. “I think so.” Tantabus smiled as she conjured a throne in the back of the chamber upon which she sat. Then she pointed her blade at one of the Knightmares. “You. Come forward.” At that order, the Knightmare stepped forward obediently and knelt before its mistress. Tantabus then tapped her blade on its shoulders like she was knighting it and touched the tip of her blade to its chest, containing it in a cocoon of dark crystal. “There. Now my Knightmare will enter the realm of dreams and take on the appearance and powers of someone’s worst nightmare. And once it emerges, it will be a true Dream Demon and it will be sent out upon the waking world to wreak havoc.” “Unless those ‘Power Rangers’ stop it.” Demon Shimmer pointed out. “While we’re on the subject, how do you know that’s what they are?” Midnight asked. “And for that matter, how did you escape Equestria?” “All in good time,” Tantabus assured as she watched the Knightmare within the cocoon stir, dark magic seeping into its body. The drive out to Camp Everfree felt longer than the girls remembered – probably because they felt a serious need to deal with Tantabus fast, but still – but they still made it to the old gate fairly quickly. Timber was out chopping wood when they arrived and appeared surprised as the Rainbooms climbed down from the bus. “Huh. Little soon for our next date, don’t you think, Twilight?” he smirked. “And I don’t think you need the entourage.” “Sorry, Timber. This isn’t a social call.” Twilight assured. “We’re here for more of those crystals from the caves.” “Already? What happened to the last ones?” Timber asked, somewhat surprised. “You wouldn’t believe us if we told you.” Rainbow shrugged. Timber smirked. “Hey, last time you girls were here, you turned into crystal-covered superheroes to save Gloriosa from herself. I think I can believe whatever else might be happening.” “Well… this is certainly similar to that.” Rarity shrugged. “The point is we really do need more of those crystals.” Sunset insisted. “Well, as long as you’re in the caves, maybe you could help us unravel another little mystery,” Gloriosa noted as she walked over from the main lodge. “Depends on the mystery.” Rainbow shrugged. “It’s more of a ‘show, don’t tell’.” Gloriosa shrugged. “Come on.” The Rainbooms were confused but started following their friends toward the caves either way. As they walked, Sunset felt her journal buzz and quickly checked it, finding a message that left her alarmed and confused. “What?” she asked quietly. “What is it?” asked Twilight. “Princess Twilight just got back to me,” she answered. “But she just asked, ‘How do you know about the Tantabus and the Power Rangers?’ In all caps.” “You gonna answer her?” asked Rainbow. “I think that’s the only way we’re going to get an answer.” Sunset shrugged so she quickly scribbled a quick description of what happened at the school to the princess. When they arrived at the cave, the Rainbooms couldn’t help but look around in awe. “My word, I can hardly believe I forgot how magnificent this cave was.” Rarity smiled. “Well, there’s been some… new additions.” Gloriosa shrugged. “What sort of new additio- ohhh whoa…” Rainbow’s awe was shared with the others when they saw the large crystalline tree in the back of the cave, somehow in the same place as the first crystal formation Gloriosa had found the Geodes before. “Princess Twilight told me about this once…” Sunset said almost breathlessly. “It’s the Tree of Harmony; the source of the Elements of Harmony in Equestria. But… what’s it doing in this world?” “It just… showed up here out of nowhere a few hours ago.” Gloriosa shrugged. Twilight, Spike, and Sunset glanced at each other in surprise. “That’s right when the girls first transformed,” Twilight remarked. “There’s no way that’s a coincidence.” “But why is it here in the first place?” asked Spike. Then the girls noticed their bracers were blinking in the same colors as their Ranger suits, lightly tugging them toward the tree. “Ah think we’re ‘bout to find out,” Applejack noted, prompting her and the others to hold their bracers up to the Tree. The Tree’s branches glittered and whined with energy as brightly colored bolts of magic shot to the bracers, a sound like freezing ice emanating from them. The bolts quickly stopped and as Twilight quickly zipped over and opened Rainbow’s bracer, she saw the crystalline wiring was fully intact once again, as well as a small portion of the paneling on the opposite end of the device locked on some sort of spring-loaded compartment and a diamond-colored trigger-like switch above the strap, and two small red buttons right next to the disk. She looked and saw the other girls’ bracers had these same extra attributes, making her curious about what it meant. Then more magic flowed from the roots of the Tree to a few crystals in the wall nearby, just as Sunset’s journal buzzed again. Quickly he checked it and was surprised. “Whoa. Okay, I think we just got our answers,” she noted. “What does she say?” Twilight asked as the other Rainbooms watched the crystals in the wall. “Apparently, Tantabus was created by Princess Luna as a way to punish herself for her actions as Nightmare Moon by subjecting her to the same nightmare over and over again to make sure she never forgave herself for what she did to Equestria,” Sunset explained as she read the princess’s notes. “Yeesh, that sounds masochistic.” Timber pointed out. “No kidding.” Sunset shrugged before she continued reading. “The strange thing is Princess Twilight was certain she and her friends had defeated Tantabus before it could escape from the dream world back in Equestria.” “So how did she get to our world? Never mind our real world?” asked Twilight. “I don’t know; neither does Princess Twilight.” Sunset shrugged. “What she does know is that if she isn’t stopped, then Princess Celestia and Luna have advised her to…” Her face paled as she read this part. “…to close the portal to Equestria. Permanently.” That drew the attention of the entire chamber. “You mean that… if we fail to defeat Tantabus…?” Rarity asked in shock. “Then we’ll never be able to go to Equestria again.” Sunset nodded in response; her face still pale as she fully comprehended the implications. “I’ll never get to go home.” Everyone was shocked by this turn of events; they knew Sunset had already been grappling with the question of whether or not to go back to Equestria after they graduated from CHS, but now the option seemed to have been taken out of her hands. Rainbow narrowed her eyes as she walked over to Sunset and set her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “We’ll make sure it doesn’t come to that,” she assured, her words reinforced as the crystals in the wall formed into small round crystalline keys with a stylized lightning bolt symbol emblazoned in gold in the centers. [Imagine color and Ranger lightning bolt at your leisure] “And it appears we’ll have the power to do just that.” Rarity noted as she picked up her blue key from the wall. Twilight’s eyes popped. “That reminds me; what did Princess Twilight say about the Power Rangers?” she asked. Sunset looked back at the book, trying to ignore the part about how she might lose her path home as she read on. “Uh… ah, here it is; ‘It took me some intense research – as well as vigorous questioning of Princess Celestia and Starswirl the Bearded – but I have determined that the magic within the Elements of Harmony is indeed linked to another source of power beyond just the Magic of Friendship. They are linked to some manner of interdimensional energy field known as the Morphin Grid; the power source of a legacy of heroes across hundreds of dimensions known as the Power Rangers, each dedicated to the defense of their own worlds’.” “So we’re all following in the footsteps of an army of heroes in parallel universes?” Rainbow asked in surprise but still smirked as she grabbed her red key. “This deal just gets more and more awesome every minute.” “Looks like it’s going to get more awesome for you in a minute,” Sunset remarked as she continued reading. “‘From your description, however, it sounds like this Morphin Grid has different ideas as to who should fill which Ranger role in your world. It appears that Rainbow Dash’s loyalty to her cause and installation of your drive to win has named her the Red Ranger; leader of the team’.” “I’m the leader?!” Rainbow asked happily. “Ho-ho, this is great!” “Oh dear, this shan’t end well; I just know it.” Rarity remarked as the other girls grabbed their crystal keys. Sunset just kept reading. “‘Rarity’s generous spirit and graceful nature deem her as the Blue Ranger. Applejack’s honest mind and strong heart make her the Green Ranger. Fluttershy’s kind heart and disciplined acts have named her the Yellow Ranger. And Pinkie Pie’s gift of always bringing people laughter as well as her… general bottomless pools of energy and so forth… have named her the Pink Ranger’.” She stood up and looked at her friends as she read the last sentence. “‘Starswirl has agreed that from here on, they will be known as the Power Rangers Crystal Harmony; defenders of both our worlds’.” “Crystal Harmony…” Applejack smirked as she looked at her green key. “Ah like the sound o’ that.” “You guys gonna be okay with taking orders from me?” asked Rainbow. “Well, it’s worked out well enough with the band, I suppose.” Rarity shrugged. “We’re all in, Dashie. Let’s be heroes!” Pinkie announced. Fluttershy looked nervous, but still smiled and nodded. “I want to help.” “Then I guess we’re agreed.” Twilight shrugged, turning to Timber and Gloriosa. “I hate to impose, but… do you think you guys would be able to support us from here? Make this cave our sort-of… command center?” Timber smirked as he looked around. “I think I’ve got some ideas.” Then the Tree of Harmony resonated and shifted several sheer white crystals out of the surrounding walls, almost like screens. “Looks like the Tree has ideas of its own,” Gloriosa noted as static appeared on a few of the screens… before the static quickly gave way to what looked like CCTV footage of a monstrous mix between a minotaur and a wild boar with a large club in its hand attacking people near Sugarcube Corner with a legion of Knightmares. “And it looks like we just got our first Ranger mission,” Rainbow noted. “That’s back in Midtown; we’ll never make it in time.” Rarity pointed out. Then their bracers beeped a simple six-note tune as the upper buttons flashed red, an image in black appearing with what looked like a sparkling flash. “What’s this?” asked Fluttershy. “It looks like a teleportation spell,” Sunset noted. “We have teleporters? Awesome!” Rainbow smiled. “How does the spell work?” “Just think of where you want to go and press the button, I guess.” Sunset shrugged. “All right, let’s do this,” Rainbow smirked as the girls all did as they were instructed, pressing the buttons and disappearing in blasts of colored magic. “Think they can handle this?” asked Timber. “We’re about to find out.” Sunset shrugged. Sugarcube Corner had been in the midst of renovations for a few weeks now, but this attack by the monster and Knightmares certainly put a damper on the Cakes’ plans to open soon as the monsters were destroying their surroundings and sending the people running. “That’s right! Run, you foolish humans! Run!” the monster roared. “This city belongs to Tantabus now, by decree of me; Boarbatusk!” “Guess again, piggy!” Rainbow yelled as she and the other girls charged from nearby. “Ah, the children my mistress warned me of,” Boarbatusk smirked through his snarl. “Do you really think you can stop me?” “We know we can. Let’s do it!” Rainbow roared as the team charged, all fighting their way through the Knightmares; Rainbow delivered powerful and fast blows left and right, Rarity weaved fluidly between the blades and swung swift chops at their weak points, Applejack bashed them all aside with powerful strikes, Fluttershy simply dodged and lightly shoved them aside, and Pinkie… well, she bounced off their heads and knocked them all into each other, but it was an uphill battle; for every two Knightmares they defeated, six more took their place. “Well, this is certainly going poorly.” Rarity pointed out. “Now would probably be a good time to figure out how these things work.” Applejack pointed out as she held up her bracer… which quickly beeped as Sunset’s voice came in over some sort of com-line, the other red button beeping with the image of a microphone. “I think we figured that out.” she notified. “Open your Harmonizers and lock in the keys. Then spin the disks and call out ‘Harmonize’ and you’ll morph.” “I suppose it’s worth a try.” Rarity shrugged as the girls all lined up opposite Boarbatusk in the middle of the street. “Then let’s do it.” Rainbow smiled as she and the others raised their bracers – apparently called Harmonizers – up to their chests and pressed the trigger buttons which extended small drawer-like cavities at the end, revealing small slots for the keys. “It’s Morphin’ Time!” In sync, the Rainbooms held their forearms up with the Disks pointing upward and locked their Morph Keys into the slots, slamming the Locks closed and making the Disks flash in the Keys’ colors. “Power Rangers!” they all announced as they stuck their arms forward and put their palms against the Disks before pulling the Morphers back across their bodies fast, spinning the Disks as they went. “Harmonize!” A red light pulsed out of Rainbow's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-red glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a thunderstorm and lightning struck each of her limbs as she punched and kicked, creating her uniform. A final bolt struck her head at the same time a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Streaks of electricity jolted between her fingers as she posed as if she had just finished a guitar solo. A green light pulsed from Applejack's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-green glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind was a desert canyon and rocks and pebbles landed on her limbs as she stomped and punched, creating her uniform with each strike. A boulder landed on her head and a loud neigh was heard. With a final stomp, she posed in a boxing stance. A blue light pulsed from Rarity's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-blue glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was an expansive ocean and streams of water struck her limbs as she danced over the surface, creating her uniform. A wave of water crashed into her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. A ripple pulsed from beneath her as she posed like a dancer awaiting applause. A yellow light pulsed from Fluttershy's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-yellow glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a field of flowers and petals landed on each of her limbs as she spun around, each petal forming her uniform. A final burst of petals encircled her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Flower petals flew about her as she posed like a ballerina. A pink light pulsed from Pinkie's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-pink glow, leaving her head and over-the-top smile exposed. Appearing behind her were the tops of clouds in which she cartwheeled and bounced around, causing tufts to fly off her and create her uniform. She stuck her head in a cloud and pulled it out as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. She then posed with her hands stretched out as if saying 'Don’t talk to me' to two people. As they stood morphed and ready, Boarbatusk appeared surprised. “What is this?!” Rainbow smirked and took that as an opportunity to answer, so she slapped her symbol and thrust her hand out. “Element of Loyalty!” she announced and posed. “Power Ranger Red!” The others were dubious about this but started to mirror her actions. “Element of Honesty!” Applejack announced and posed. “Power Ranger Green!” “Element of Generosity!” Rarity announced and posed. “Power Ranger Blue!” “Element of Kindness!” Fluttershy announced and posed. “Power Ranger Yellow!” “Element of Laughter!” Pinkie announced and posed. “Power Ranger Pink!” “Friendship’s Might, Ready to Fight!” the Rangers all announced and posed at once with Rainbow in the center, Rarity and Applejack flanking her, and Pinkie and Fluttershy at the outer edges. “Power Rangers Crystal Harmony!” As their roll call finished, a large explosion resounded from behind them but didn’t seem to do any damage. “Whoa. Where’d that come from?” Timber asked in confusion as the others watched from the cave. “Who cares? This is gonna be awesome!” Spike smiled as the group kept watching. (Cut it) Boarbatusk appeared at least marginally alarmed by this but snarled all the same. “You think you scare me? Think again! Knightmares, attack!” he bellowed and sent the Knightmares charging at the girls. Applejack quickly grabbed her blaster from her belt before they got too close. “Harmonic Defender!” she called and started firing from the hip, blasting down several Knightmares without even trying. “YEEHAW! This is pretty dang fun!” “Let’s get in on it!” Rainbow smirked as she drew her own Defender. The others did so as well and charged, Rainbow and Rarity quickly flipping their weapons into their sword forms to slash through the Knightmares. Rainbow held hers in a backhanded grip for added maneuverability while Rarity wielded her blade like a fencer. Pinkie and Fluttershy followed Applejack’s lead as they blasted the Knightmares away. It was clear Applejack and Pinkie were having the time of their lives, but when Fluttershy suddenly found herself surrounded, she did the only thing she could think of and ducked, letting the Knightmares slash each other and allowing her the opening to blast them each in the face. “You Rangers aren’t sending me back to sleep!” Boarbatusk roared. “I’ll pound you to dust!” “Feel free to try!” Rainbow smirked as she charged and started dueling with the monster, her blade clashing with his large club before being bashed away with a small burst of sparks from her chest. “Dashie!” Pinkie yelled and raced to her friend’s side as she stood up. “Guh. Okay, this is getting hard.” Rainbow remarked. She wasn’t wrong; the other Rangers were losing ground to the Knightmares as well. The team in the cave could see that and were getting worried. “Oh man, they’re outmatched. They need better weapons.” Sunset cringed. No sooner had she said that than the Tree of Harmony started glittering again and sent some smaller crystals away. The Rangers were all pinned against a wall when they saw their belt buckles glowing in their colors before a small lever similar to those on four-barrel money changers appeared next to the buckles. “Whoa, what’s this?” Rainbow asked. “Hopefully somethin’ with more kick than what we got.” Applejack pointed out as she tried to blast more of the Knightmares away. “Certainly worth a try.” Rarity shrugged as she pushed her lever, launching a new blue crystal from her belt with a faint outline in the center that looked like a crossed sword-and-rifle. “Huh. Well, we’d best hope these work out well.” “Worth a try.” Rainbow shrugged as she and the other Rangers pushed their buckles’ levers and were rewarded with similar crystals. Quickly they popped their Harmonizers open and loaded in these new crystals before spinning the disks. And their rewards were a great and welcome surprise; new and clearly more powerful weapons materializing in the air in front of them - Rainbow got a large red sword with a blade shaped like a lightning bolt, Rarity got a bright blue axe with a blade that looked like a flawless blue diamond with what looked like a barrel and trigger in the handle, Applejack got a large green sledgehammer with heads that looked like bright green apples, Fluttershy got yellow tonfa with blades shaped like butterfly wings with blaster-barrels almost shaped like antennae, and Pinkie got a pair of nunchucks with handles that looked like balloons. “Ho-ho yeah, these babies oughtta do the trick!” Rainbow smirked as she grabbed her new sword. “Bolt Saber!” It was heavy in her hands but that just meant she could strike with more power as she swiped the Knightmares away as she charged Boarbatusk again. “I can’t but agree. Diamond Axe!” Rarity announced as she swung her axe, cleaving through the Knightmares with ease. “Yeehaw, this is takin’ things to the next level! Apple Smasher!” Applejack whooped as she smashed more and more Knightmares into the dirt without even trying. “I’m really sorry about this, but it has to be done! Butterfly Battle-Wings!” Fluttershy called as she waved her arms, slashing the Knightmares with her new wings like a trained expert. “Whee! I didn’t think this could be any more fun! Balloon Basher!” Pinkie cheered as she swung her nunchucks, the chain extending around some of the Knightmares like a whip to allow her a longer reach. Rainbow couldn’t help but laugh to herself as she swung hard at Boarbatusk with her new Bolt Saber, deflecting his club far easier now as she slashed at him. “Sorry piggy, but you’re about to get thunderstruck!” she smirked and slashed hard at the villain, slashing his club clean in half and forcing him to drop it as he was knocked back into a wall. “Looks like we need a little more power to take this over the edge!” Applejack smirked. “I believe I have an idea about that.” Rarity smiled. “If we’re stronger together, then so too are our weapons. If we unite them, we can easily win this!” “Good call, Rarity. Let’s do it!” Rainbow smiled. “Weapons, Combine!” the Rangers announced. The handle of Rarity’s axe quickly slid into the handle of Rainbow’s sword as Applejack’s hammer locked in on top of the axe, one of the hammerheads forming what looked like a weapon stock. Then Fluttershy’s tonfa-blades linked into the tip of Rainbow’s sword with their barrels ready to fire and Pinkie’s nunchucks locked into the sides of the upper hammerhead, their heads aiming forward as they opened to reveal large blast emitters as Rainbow grabbed the trigger and the others quickly steadied the weapon by grabbing its sides. “Harmonic Crystal Cannon!” “Don’t think you can stop me with that!” Boarbatusk roared as he got up, ready to fight. “Power Crystals locked!” the Rangers called as Rainbow opened the upper head of the hammer in the stock, letting the Rangers all lock their weapon keys into it before it closed and Rainbow spun the disk between the hammer's heads, powering up the cannon. “Harmonic Final Strike!” the Rangers bellowed as Rainbow pulled the trigger, blasting the villain with a large rainbow-colored shot of energy out at the monster, making him roar in pain. “Graaagh! Looks like bacon’s on the menu!” he roared in pain as the Rangers all turned and posed before he exploded. “Perfect Harmony: Crystal Clear Skies ahead!” Rainbow smirked. Back at the caves after the fight, the Rangers were celebrating their first real victory with their friends. “That was awesome! Where did those explosions even come from?!” Rainbow asked. “At a guess, I’d say it’s the Morphin Grid showing a little muscle, but who knows?” Sunset shrugged. “And that one-liner at the end? Smooth as silk.” “You guys did well for your first battle.” Twilight smiled as she looked at the tree. “Your weapons alone were more than enough to impress us all, and I feel like we’re only scratching the surface of what the Tree of Harmony is capable of.” “We’ll keep an eye on it and see if we can find out what else it can do.” Gloriosa smiled. “Maybe we can also see about getting some new Crystals set for you for the next fight before it comes.” Timber smirked. “Thanks, guys. Seriously.” Rainbow smiled, trying her hardest not to scratch her arms. Applejack noticed this tension and raised an eyebrow. “You okay there, sugarcube?” “Oh yeah, I’m fine.” Rainbow assured. “It’s just that… I don’t know; for some reason, now that we’re de-morphed, I feel kinda… itchy not wearing my color.” Applejack almost said something, but then she realized she was onto something; the only green she was wearing was the very top of her shirt and she started feeling a bit itchy as well. “Huh. Y’know, Ah’m feelin’ it too.” “Well, I suppose there’s nothing else for it.” Rarity smiled, feeling fortunate she was wearing plenty of blue to prevent this itch from overcoming her. “A wardrobe change is paramount to match our new capabilities.” “Then let’s get going.” Sunset smiled as she led the team back toward the cave’s exit. “Bye, guys!” Twilight smiled as the Rainbooms all left the cave, leaving Timber and Gloriosa behind in the cave to look up at the Tree of Harmony. “Looks like we’ve got another job besides keeping Camp Everfree up and running.” Timber joked. “Somehow I feel like this job will be just as rewarding though.” Gloriosa agreed. In the Lucid Lands, Tantabus scowled as she had seen the whole thing happen through a scrying spell along with her generals. “I guess calling them Power Rangers was appropriate; I practically felt that blast from here.” Midnight noted. “That beast was worthless! Was that really the worst nightmare your soldier could find?” Demon Shimmer asked Tantabus angrily. “Silence!” Tantabus bellowed, strange black magic burning in Demon Shimmer’s chest, causing her pain. “I brought you both out of those girls’ minds and I can send you back just as easily.” “You won’t though.” Midnight pointed out. “You need us.” “If for no other reason than as shields!” Tantabus assured as she let Demon Shimmer fall to the floor, the pain gone for now. “Besides, Boarbatusk was just a prototype Dream Demon. The next one will be far stronger. And either way, this was just a diversion. To draw the Rangers away from how I laid the seeds of my true goal. And when that goal is known, not even the Rangers will be able to stop it.” She chuckled cruelly as she turned her scrying spell’s attention to Vice Principal Luna, who was working at her desk clearly still rattled by what had just happened, but – like the rest of Canterlot City – blissfully unaware of what was to come. Ch. 3: Mega Studies & Mega BattlesThe Lucid Lands were still dark and shrouded in shadows, but now also filled with dark crystal columns as Knightmares searched the realm of dream for nightmares to embody, while yet more Knightmares were training in the Castle’s courtyards with more forming from the realm’s black mist every minute as Tantabus and her new generals watched. “Tell me, Mistress; when is this ‘true goal’ of yours going to turn up?” asked Demon Shimmer. “All in good time, Shimmer,” Tantabus assured. “All nightmares take time and fear to truly come about, especially the worst of them all.” “Well, either way, it should give us plenty of time to figure out a meaningful way to destroy the Power Rangers.” Midnight still found it a bit funny to refer to the girls who had previously defeated her so soundly by such a childish-sounding title, but she still had a point. “To that end, I suggest we study them; see what really makes them tick.” “Bah! I’ve been in Sunset’s mind long enough to know that any ‘study’ of those girls’ magic is an exercise in futility.” Demon Shimmer countered. “I say we just build up an army of these Dream Demons and level the city in one fell swoop.” “Their inherent magic is only one part of their power.” Midnight pointed out. “As for what the other part is… well, that’s where a study comes in.” “A study which I too believe is very much in order.” Tantabus relented as she stood and walked to one of her pillars. “Midnight may have a point, which I intend to follow through with.” Quickly she slashed at the pillar with her blade and shattered the crystal, allowing the monster inside out… with an appearance like a cybernetic Frankenstein’s monster inside mismatched Knightmare-style armor under a black lab coat with a vicious jagged chainsaw-like sword fused to his hand. “Hmm… a bit undercooked… but I’m sure you’ll be effective. What name do you choose, my warrior?” “Shriekenstein, at your humble service, Mistress.” the monster spoke surprisingly eloquently, especially considering how clumsily it moved – almost like it was new to its entire existence. “Very well then Shriekenstein, go forth upon the waking world and wreak havoc,” Tantabus ordered. “But as you fight, you must study the Power Rangers; learn their weaknesses and exploit them in whatever way you are able.” “As you command, Mistress.” Shriekenstein nodded before Tantabus dispelled the monster and a battalion of Knightmares. Sugarcube Corner had long been a haven for the youth of Canterlot City, and now that it had been the site of the Power Rangers’ first battle, the establishment’s attendance and revenue had only increased exponentially… especially as an afterschool hangout for the Rangers. Just as they’d planned, the Rainbooms had updated their wardrobes to include more of their Ranger colors; Rainbow wore a red sleeveless hoodie instead of her old blue one, Applejack had swapped her old t-shirt for one of her father’s old green flannel shirts, Pinkie already had plenty of pink in her wardrobe so she went with a simple pink overshirt, and Fluttershy wore a pale yellow sundress. Only Rarity was in her typical outfit because she had been lucky enough to have a lot of blue in her wardrobe before she became the Blue Ranger. Sunset said Princess Twilight had affectionately referred to this phenomenon as “Morph-based Color OCD” and that according to what she’d read, it was a common occurrence for Power Rangers across the multiverse – usually first taking root before they even became Rangers. Sunset hadn’t shared that last part though, mostly to mess with her friends a bit and because they looked like they were enjoying their new outfits. Either way, the Rangers’ first victory the other day had made them something of a household name nearly overnight with plenty of people all across the city honoring them as heroes. Naturally, Rainbow’s ego had taken control and wanted her to enjoy the hero worship, but Princess Twilight had anticipated that and informed the Rainbooms that there were three concrete rules every team of Power Rangers in the multiverse had to follow; never use their powers for personal gain, never escalate a battle unless an enemy forces them, and never reveal their identities – the last step of which they knew Vice Principal Luna would help with since she could cover for whatever absences they accrued in school through their Ranger work in return for scaring Tantabus off CHS grounds. Rainbow had made sure to let her friends know her opinion on that, but the princess had made it clear that she could either follow the rules or lose her Ranger powers, and since she definitely didn’t want to lose her powers, she consented for the moment and turned her mind to something else. “Do you guys really think Princess Twilight will seal the portal if we lose?” she asked. “She’s faced Tantabus herself, so she knows what it’s capable of better than any of us,” Sunset said somberly. “Even if she didn’t, she’s been ordered by Princess Celestia herself, so she doesn’t have much choice. If we don’t stop Tantabus, Midnight and that Demon will try to take Equestria for themselves. Unless we stop them, I’ll…” The words stuck in her throat as she still didn’t want to think of that possibility, but it was undeniable. “I’ll be trapped in this world forever. I’ll never be able to go back to Equestria.” The girls all gathered around their friend with comforting looks on their faces. “We’ve promised you that it will never come to that, and we intend to keep that promise.” Rarity assured. “I know I will.” Rainbow nodded, her Loyalty gleaming clearly… as the Geode in her Harmonizer glimmered. Quickly she covered her wrist, not wanting anyone to see her Harmonizer. “I know, guys.” Sunset nodded. “But… I dunno; I just feel like my world has been turned upside down here.” “Well, we’re gonna make sure your frown’s turned upside down to match.” Pinkie smiled… before her knee started spasming. “Whoa, pinchy knee! Pinchy knee!” That was enough of a signal for the girls to know something was about to go wrong, and it made itself known when they heard screaming outside. “A Ranger’s work is never done,” Applejack smirked. “Let’s do it,” Rainbow smirked as the Rainbooms charged out of the shop, Twilight and Sunset carefully following behind as the group saw Knightmares slashing about the street and sending people running as Shriekenstein marched in the lead. “Ugh. Someone got hit with the ugly stick.” “Considering the last monster, I’d say that’s a given.” Rarity pointed out. “Ah, the Rangers.” the monster smiled, leveling his chainsaw saber at them. “The subjects of my great experiment. I’d been wondering what I had to do to bring you out.” “Well, here we are. And it’s time for you to leave.” Fluttershy said with surprising conviction. “It’s not just that time, Fluttershy,” Rainbow smirked as she raised her Harmonizer and opened the Crystal Lock. “It’s Morphin’ Time!” The other girls quickly followed her actions and opened their own Harmonizers. In sync, the Rainbooms held their forearms up with the Disks pointing upward and locked their Morph Keys into the slots, slamming the Locks closed and making the Disks flash in the Keys’ colors. “Power Rangers!” they all announced as they stuck their arms forward and put their palms against the Disks before pulling the Morphers back across their bodies fast, spinning the Disks as they went. “Harmonize!” In a brightly colored flash of sparks, the Rangers instantly Morphed before the villain, standing at the ready. “Attack!” Shriekenstein bellowed and the Knightmares charged. Almost immediately, the Rangers clashed with the Knightmares, blades singing and blasters resounding with every attack. Naturally Rainbow went straight after Shriekenstein as the others fought off the Knightmares and clashed her Defender’s blade against his chain sword, the revving chain grinding against her blade as he snarled in her face. “Guh. Dude, mouthwash! Ever heard of it?!” she remarked as she quickly raised his blade out of the way and slashed across his body twice, forcing him back. “Well, that’s a fairly universal weakness,” Shriekenstein remarked in annoyance. “Come on, give me something more specific to you Rangers!” Bolts of electricity shot from his free hand, but Rainbow quickly slashed them out of the air before Applejack rolled to her side and fired on the monster. “Ya want weaknesses? Why not Rarity’s work ramblin’?” the cowgirl smirked. “I’ll thank you not to bring that up, Applejack!” Rarity called as she quickly found herself in a corner. “And I’ll thank you more to keep your head down. Battle Gear Key!” After the first battle, the team started to call their keys Crystal Song Keys to keep with their team’s theme, and this Key that Rarity had chosen was no different as it summoned her personal weapon once she locked it in and spun the disk. “Diamond Axe!” Axe in hand, Rarity spun and slashed around to clear her area of Knightmares. “Now we’re thinkin’!” Applejack smirked as she flipped out her own Battle Gear Key and summoned her hammer. “Apple Crusher!” The other Rangers were handling themselves just fine with their Defenders, but it was clear this fight was getting out of hand, especially as some of the Knightmares noticed Sunset and Twilight near the door of the café. “Looks like we’re gonna have to get in on this!” Sunset smirked as she stood up and stomped over, kicking one of the Knightmares away before she stole its sword and started fighting with it. “Are you nuts?! We can’t even Morph!” Twilight called in fear. Sunset just kicked another sword up into her free hand. “Live dangerously and let’s have some fun!” she smirked and tossed the extra sword to Twilight, who fumbled to catch it. She looked out and couldn’t help but be amazed by Sunset’s confidence as she fought like a master, slashing Knightmares apart without even looking like she was really trying. “Ah, what the heck?” Twilight shrugged as she got a good grip on the sword and stood up. “Spike, distract them; we’ll handle the rest.” “Right!” Spike nodded as he raced around the Knightmares, barking and yapping to distract them as Twilight slashed at them. Surprisingly, she found she was more skilled with a sword than she had initially expected as she fought through the horde with impressive dexterity, eventually ending up back-to-back with Sunset as they kept fighting. “Whoo-hoo, way to go, girls!” Pinkie smiled as she kept blasting quickly stopping side-by-side with the others in front of Shriekenstein, who Rainbow had just knocked back. “You dare stand in the way of science?!” the monster bellowed. “When it ends up hurting our friends? You bet.” Rainbow assured… right before her Harmonizer’s communicator started beeping. “Good news, girls; we figured out a new attack method for you.” Timber reported. “We’re sending you the Keys for your Crystal Cannon; lock ‘em into your Defenders and they’ll supercharge ‘em.” “Thanks, Timber.” Rainbow smiled as the girls all flipped their sidearms to their sword modes. “Final Strike Keys!” They flipped the levers and retrieved the keys from their belt buckles, seeing they had small bursts of stars emblazoned on them. Quickly they found small locks in the handles of their Defenders and locked the keys in, spinning the small disks in the handles. “Harmonic Defenders! Charging!” they called as their weapons’ blades blinked in their colors. “That won’t stop me!” Shriekenstein bellowed as he charged. “Think again!” Rainbow smirked. “Harmonic Defenders!” “Final Strike!” the others bellowed and all swung their swords, launching projectile slashes of energy out at the monster that slashed across its body and caused a large explosion. But somehow Shriekenstein was still intact as he stood up, electricity jolting from his sword and neck. “Had enough?” Applejack smirked. “Of you!” the monster scowled. Then he saw Twilight and Sunset were still fighting, and smirked. “The good news though… is that I believe I’ve found a weakness of yours.” Rainbow was confused about what he meant by that, but when she saw the Knightmares surrounding Twilight and Sunset, she got seriously worried. “Oh no! Guys, run!” she called. Too late; the Knightmares had already disarmed the two girls and grabbed them as well as Spike. “I’ll be in touch if you should wish to submit to testing again! Sayonara!” Shriekenstein smirked as he and the Knightmares suddenly vanished, dragging the other two girls with them. “No!” Fluttershy yelled in worry as her friends disappeared. In the Lucid Lands, Shriekenstein couldn’t help but laugh as his prisoners were chained to the walls of the castle. “My mistress, I’ve brought you the Rangers’ weaknesses.” he smiled. “I didn’t ask for prisoners, Shriekenstein.” Tantabus pointed out in annoyance. “These two are an excellent weakness, mistress.” Demon Shimmer assured. “The other girls value their friends so much they’ll do anything to get them back.” “Including surrendering their powers.” Midnight smirked in understanding. “And with all that magic, this world and Equestria will fall to us within minutes.” “Keep dreaming, Midnight; capturing us will only give our friends more reason to destroy you.” Spike snarled. “Oh Spike, I do hate seeing you so mad at me. After all, I’m only a personification of Twilight’s ambition, given physical form.” Midnight assured, appearing genuinely distraught. “The ambition Principal Cinch forced on me,” Twilight assured. “She’s the one who compelled me to create you in the first place! And… Wait, you… you look different. Did you-? Did you grow out my boobs?” Sunset looked and saw Twilight was right; somehow Midnight’s boobs were a few sizes bigger than Twilight’s. “Well… you are lacking a bit.” Midnight shrugged. “Oh, you little tramp!” Twilight scowled as she struggled against her chains. “Save your energy, Twilight. Something tells me we’re gonna need it.” Sunset pointed out, glancing over at her demonic counterpart. “And what about you? I don’t see any alterations in your form.” “Why change what works?” Demon Shimmer assured. “Though I must admit, I have been considering a name change.” “Yeah? To what?” Sunset asked abrasively. “Well, I’m kinda partial to… Sunset Eclipse.” the she-demon smirked. Sunset almost retorted but stopped to mull it over. “Okay, I admit it; that’s actually pretty good.” she relented. “But why take orders? I hated being told what to do when you were created.” “Tantabus makes a better offer than you,” Eclipse assured. “I help her take this world, she’ll let me and Midnight here have Equestria all to ourselves.” “That’s if you can fit through that crack in the portal.” Twilight pointed out. “What are you babbling about?” Tantabus asked in annoyance. “Maybe you haven’t gotten the memo, but if we can’t stop you, my counterpart is under orders to seal the portal. Permanently.” Twilight explained simply. “Would she really trap one of her closest friends in this world with us?” Eclipse smirked as she held Sunset’s chin. Sunset just snarled and bit at her demonic counterpart’s fingers, a bit annoyed that she’d missed but glad that the demon had helped her come to a decision. “She told me she doesn’t want it to come to that. But if it means sparing my homeworld from the likes of you, then… well, I’m glad I updated the lease on my house.” “Mm, resistance. Noble, but senseless in the face of the inevitable.” Tantabus assured. “Shriekenstein!” “Mistress.” the monster knelt loyally. “Take them back to the waking world and order the Rangers to surrender their powers,” Tantabus ordered. “Yes, Mistress.” Shriekenstein nodded, concerning the hostages significantly. In the waking world, the Rangers had teleported to their command center in the Crystal Caves to regroup… and vent. “I can’t believe I let Twilight and Sunset get caught!” Rainbow said in annoyance as she walked around. “You were the one showin’ off.” Applejack pointed out bluntly. “If’n ya hadn’t been fightin’ the big fella, we could’ve gotten ‘em clear!” “Oh, so it’s my fault our friends got nabbed?” Rainbow asked indignantly. “That’s what Ah said, ain’t it?” Applejack pointed out. “Stop it, both of you!” Rarity barked as she pushed her friends apart. “Do you want things to go back to the way they were before the Fall Formal? Because it won’t help our friends!” That put things in perspective; the girls knew Rarity was right, so they stood down. “Right. Sorry AJ.” “Yeah, me too.” the cowgirl nodded. “Still, we gotta find ‘em.” “I think we just did.” Timber noted as he looked at the screen near the Tree of Harmony. He and Gloriosa had been doing what they could to expand and improve the Command Center, including setting up advanced computer systems and mining out more crystals for the Tree to turn into Song Keys. But it was what the group saw on the screen that really grabbed them; it was Shriekenstein in the city center with more Knightmares holding Twilight, Sunset, and Spike in chains. “Power Rangers, I know you can hear me.” the monster snarled. “If you ever want your friends back, you will meet me here and submit to a study of your powers!” “There’s no way he’s gonna let them go.” Rainbow pointed out. “Obviously. But what choice do we have?” asked Rarity. “Plenty.” Timber smiled as he retrieved two small metal watch-like rigs with crystal disc cores similar to the teleport buttons in the Harmonizers. “Twilight and I have been working on these emergency teleporters to help them get to the Command Center without wasting gas. Just get them loose and get these on their wrists; they’ll do the rest.” “Thanks, Timber.” Rainbow nodded as she accepted the teleporters. “Is the square clear?” “All clear.” Gloriosa nodded. “Then it looks like we’d better get going.” Rainbow nodded as she and the Rangers stood together and activated their teleporters, warping straight out to the city square. “Ah, Rangers. Right on time.” Shriekenstein smiled. “I suppose you’ve consented to serve as my guinea pigs?” “First let our friends go,” Rainbow ordered. “Oh, I’d love to, but Midnight and Sunset Eclipse have made it clear that they have their own plans for these two.” the monster smirked. “We have plans of our own, if you don’t mind.” Rarity pointed out. “If you want us to submit, then release our friends.” “Very well. I’ll have them back when I’m done with you anyway.” Shriekenstein shrugged as he nodded his head to order the Knightmares to release the prisoners. Sunset, Twilight, and Spike quickly moved back to the others’ side, where Fluttershy subtly slipped them the teleportation watches. “Now… let the experiment begin.” Rainbow suddenly smirked. “We’ll start it if you don’t mind,” she remarked as Sunset, Twilight, and Spike instantly teleported back to the Command Center. “Be my guest! I’d prefer to test you at your best!” Shriekenstein smiled. “In that case…” Rainbow smirked as she and the girls raised their Harmonizers and opened the Crystal Locks. “It’s Morphin’ Time!” In sync, the Rainbooms held their forearms up with the Disks pointing upward and locked their Morph Keys into the slots, slamming the Locks closed and making the Disks flash in the Keys’ colors. “Power Rangers!” they all announced as they stuck their arms forward and put their palms against the Disks before pulling the Morphers back across their bodies fast, spinning the Disks as they went. “Harmonize!” A red light pulsed out of Rainbow's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-red glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a thunderstorm and lightning struck each of her limbs as she punched and kicked, creating her uniform. A final bolt struck her head at the same time a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Streaks of electricity jolted between her fingers as she posed as if she had just finished a guitar solo. A green light pulsed from Applejack's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-green glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind was a desert canyon and rocks and pebbles landed on her limbs as she stomped and punched, creating her uniform with each strike. A boulder landed on her head and a loud neigh was heard. With a final stomp, she posed in a boxing stance. A blue light pulsed from Rarity's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-blue glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was an expansive ocean and streams of water struck her limbs as she danced over the surface, creating her uniform. A wave of water crashed into her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. A ripple pulsed from beneath her as she posed like a dancer awaiting applause. A yellow light pulsed from Fluttershy's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-yellow glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a field of flowers and petals landed on each of her limbs as she spun around, each petal forming her uniform. A final burst of petals encircled her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Flower petals flew about her as she posed like a ballerina. A pink light pulsed from Pinkie's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-pink glow, leaving her head and over-the-top smile exposed. Appearing behind her were the tops of clouds in which she cartwheeled and bounced around, causing tufts to fly off her and create her uniform. She stuck her head in a cloud and pulled it out as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. She then posed with her hands stretched out as if saying 'Don’t talk to me' to two people. “Element of Loyalty!” Rainbow announced and posed. “Power Ranger Red!” “Element of Honesty!” Applejack announced and posed. “Power Ranger Green!” “Element of Generosity!” Rarity announced and posed. “Power Ranger Blue!” “Element of Kindness!” Fluttershy announced and posed. “Power Ranger Yellow!” “Element of Laughter!” Pinkie announced and posed. “Power Ranger Pink!” “Friendship’s Might, Ready to Fight!” the Rangers all announced and posed at once with Rainbow in the center, Rarity and Applejack flanking her, and Pinkie and Fluttershy at the outer edges. “Power Rangers Crystal Harmony!” “Attack!” Shriekenstein roared as the Knightmares charged, weapons at the ready. Immediately, the Rangers engaged with the goons and activated their weapons, slashing and blasting through them as Rainbow and Rarity both fought their way through the horde to the monster, fighting him as one. “Pretty different when we’ve got the big guns, huh ugly?” Rainbow smirked as she clashed the Bolt Saber against Shriekenstein’s chain blade. “Not by much. Though I must admit, this is intensely useful for the purposes of the experiment.” Shriekenstein smiled as he fought the two Rangers off. “Perhaps now we’ll test your powers’ susceptibility… to fire.” Right on cue, he spun on his toe and swung his sword in a huge arc, letting loose a large flaming slash. Small bursts of energy erupted from the Rangers’ suits as the fire hit them and they were knocked back. They’d been informed these blasts were energy from the Morphin Grid acting as reactive armor, but it still hurt. “Hahaha! Highly effective! I’m almost astounded that Boarbatusk lost to you so easily.” “We’d be more than happy to show you how,” Applejack assured, turning to the Red Ranger. “Ain’t that right, Dash?” “Absolutely. Let’s bring ‘em together, Rangers!” Rainbow announced. “Weapons, Combine!” the Rangers announced. The handle of Rarity’s axe quickly slid into the handle of Rainbow’s sword as Applejack’s hammer locked in on top of the axe, one of the hammerheads forming what looked like a weapon stock. Then Fluttershy’s tonfa-blades linked into the tip of Rainbow’s sword with their barrels ready to fire and Pinkie’s nunchucks locked into the sides of the upper hammerhead, their heads aiming forward as they opened to reveal large blast emitters as Rainbow grabbed the trigger and the others quickly steadied the weapon by grabbing its sides. “Harmonic Crystal Cannon!” “Let’s just see you try and stop me!” Shriekenstein roared. “Final Strike Keys locked!” the Rangers called as Rainbow opened the upper head of the hammer in the stock, letting the Rangers lock their keys into it before it closed and Rainbow spun the disk between the hammer’s heads, powering up the cannon. “Chain Lightning!” Shriekenstein bellowed and swung his sword, bolts of lightning that looked like chainsaw chains flying from it toward the Rangers. “Harmonic Final Strike!” the Rangers bellowed as Rainbow pulled the trigger, blasting out a massive beam of rainbow-colored energy. The two blasts met in the middle, but the shot from the cannon cut through Shriekenstein’s attack like a hot knife through butter and blasted straight through his midsection. “Gah! Noooo…!” the monster roared as he exploded, the Rangers simply turning with smiles on their faces under their masks. “Another win for the books, Rangers!” Rainbow smirked. In the Lucid Lands, Sunset Eclipse snarled as she backhanded Tantabus’ scrying globe away. “I told you a study was pointless! If we want the Rangers stopped, we simply have to destroy them!” she barked. “And so they shall be today, Eclipse. If you honestly thought all I could do was create these Dream Demons, you’re deeply mistaken.” Tantabus assured as she stepped forward, raising her blade with shadowy magic swirling around the tip. “Power of Darkness, Heed my Command! Grant this Beast a Final Stand!” She drove the lower point of her weapon into the ground and a bolt of black magic shot from her pike, straight through to the waking world. As the Rangers celebrated their victory, Pinkie suddenly glanced skyward. “Whoa. Uh, what’s that?” she asked, drawing the Rangers’ attention to the great swirling storm cloud that suddenly formed above the monster’s remains before a bolt of lightning shot down and struck them, flashing the surrounding area like a photo negative before Shriekenstein suddenly reformed and grew 30 stories tall. The monster simply roared as he looked down at the Rangers. “Rrraaagh! I’m alive! I’M ALIVE! And you’re not!” he roared as he swung his chain sword down at the Rangers, who barely managed to dodge it as he cleaved a massive hole in the ground. “Experiments on insects. Now if that hasn’t been done to death…” “You guys are seeing this too, right?” Rainbow asked seriously. “It would be rather hard to miss.” Rarity pointed out. “The question is how do we stop it?” “Any ideas, guys? We’re all ears out here.” Applejack asked into her Harmonizer’s communicator. “We’re working on it!” Timber nodded as he and Gloriosa raced around the Command Center’s computer screens. “Sunset, what do we do about this?” asked Twilight. Sunset quickly flipped through the journal for Princess Twilight’s explanation of what to do and found something. “Got it. This isn’t a new occurrence in Power Ranger history; it’s happened in different worlds for years. To combat it, other Ranger teams use giant machines called Zords.” Almost right on cue, the Tree of Harmony started resonating and glowing, along with five of the crystals Timber had mined out recently. “Looks like our team gets to use ‘em too.” he smiled as he grabbed the crystals and placed them on small branches from the tree, where they immediately transformed into new Crystal Song Keys before warping away, making the Rangers’ buckles glow. “Whoa, what’s this?” Rainbow asked as they pulled the Keys, seeing images of large vehicles emblazoned on them – Red looked like a fighter jet, Blue was a motorcycle, Green was a fire truck, Yellow was a helicopter with wings, and Pink was a tank. “Those are your Zord Keys. Lock ‘em in and power ‘em up.” Timber instructed. “Worth a shot.” Rainbow shrugged as she popped her Harmonizer open. The others quickly followed her lead and all locked the Keys into their Harmonizers. “Zord Keys locked!” they called as they closed the bracers, setting their hands on the disks and spinning them before holding their fists upward to activate the Zords. “Crystal Thunder Jet, Harmonize!” Rainbow called. “Crystal Diamond Bike, Harmonize!” Rarity called. “Crystal Apple Hauler, Harmonize!” Applejack called. “Crystal Butterfly Buzzer, Harmonize!” Fluttershy called. “Crystal Balloon Blaster, Harmonize!” Pinkie called. On that cue, the Tree of Harmony resonated again and grew several small branches to open large garage-like holes in the cliff face on the opposite side of the mountain from the Command Center… from which massive vehicles roared, driving straight to the city. They looked exactly like the outlines in the Keys, glittering like gemstones as they roared into the square. “Whoa-ho-ho, I’m liking this job more every day,” Rainbow smirked. “Let’s mount up, Rangers!” “Right!” the girls nodded and they all leaped to board their Zords, finding themselves standing in cockpits with small crystal balls in their center consoles, as well as small Crystal Locks shaped like eighth notes and gold spinners next to them along with smaller plinths with small holes in them shaped like the Rangers' sidearms. “Alright, let’s see what these babies can do.” Rainbow smiled as she locked her Defender into the hole and set her hand on the globe in front of her… and almost immediately kamikazed Fluttershy out of the air. “Be careful!” Fluttershy called, reasonably scared of being knocked out of the sky. “Sorry! These controls don’t make much sense!” Rainbow called as she tried to get her jet under control. “Speak for yourself; I’m having a great time with my new Party Cannon!” Pinkie laughed as her tank rumbled down the street toward the supersized monster. “Let’s see what it can do. Fire!” She flexed her fingers around the globe and her tank’s cannon fired a massive bolt of pink energy that hit Shriekenstein straight in the chest and sent him stumbling back. “Alright, now I’m getting mad!” Shriekenstein roared as his blade burst into flame. “Then why don’t ya cool off there, pardner? Cider Cannons, Fire!” Applejack yelled and triggered the water cannons on her truck to fire what looked like concentrated blasts of apple cider at the monster, snuffing the flames on his sword. “Gah, so sticky!” he roared in anger as he stumbled back, trying to rev his chainsaw sword. “Gragh, stuck!” He slammed his fist against the blade to try and unstick it, but it was jammed tight. “Man, what a waste of good cider,” Rainbow remarked as she flew over the monster. “Still, it does give me an easy target. Storm Rockets, Fire!” A few small missiles shot out of the undercarriage of her jet and hit Shriekenstein dead-on, exploding in massive bursts of electricity which electrocuted him intensely as he acted as a lightning rod. This jolt of electricity, however, appeared to unjam his sword so he laughed. “Thanks very much, Red Ranger! Now for a taste of your own medicine! Chain Lightning!” he roared and shot another blast of electrified chainsaw chains at the Zords. “Whoa! Evasive actions!” Rainbow yelled as she and Fluttershy quickly bobbed and weaved in the sky. “Take ‘em down!” Applejack called to Pinkie as more bolts of plasma shot from their cannons to try and blast the chains out of the sky. “Well, this should be fairly simple to deal with!” Rarity smiled as she sent her Bike Zord roaring toward Shriekenstein and quickly turned it around, setting the rear wheel against his gut and revving the engine hard to leave tread marks on his chest before she drove away. “Gragh! Getting angry!” Shriekenstein roared as he blasted another wave of energy from his blade, knocking the Zords around. “Gah! We’re gonna need more power if we wanna take him down!” Applejack called out. “Well, um… oh, no it’s stupid.” Fluttershy shook her head. “We’re fighting a giant Frankenstein, Fluttershy. I don’t think anything counts as stupid compared to that.” Rainbow pointed out. “Oh well, um… if our weapons can fit together…” Fluttershy shrugged nervously as she buzzed around to avoid Shriekenstein’s attacks. “Then maybe our Zords can combine too. Splendid idea, Fluttershy.” Rarity smiled. “Yeah, but how do we fit ‘em together?” asked Applejack. “Any suggestions, Headquarters?” Rarity asked over the comms. “I’m pretty sure the Tree has a few ideas,” Spike noted as he watched the Tree form a series of sheer white Crystal Song Keys, these ones with gold silhouettes of a humanoid figure. “New Keys comin’ your way.” Right on cue, the Rangers’ belt buckles glowed white, and with a press of the lever, they retrieved the Keys. “Alright, let’s see what we can do with these babies.” Rainbow smiled as she opened the Crystal Lock on her console, letting a small opening slide out of the top. “Megazord Keys locked!” the Rangers called as they locked their Keys into the sliders and slammed them back into the locks. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Harmonize!” They all spun their spinners and they sparked to life. “Zords Combine!” Applejack’s Zord spun into reverse and its rear bumper split in half, the rear quarters of the truck extending into thighs as the pegs formed from the bumpers locked into the rear ends of Rarity and Pinkie’s Zords, the whole assembly braking hard to force itself upright. The truck’s cannons moved down the newly formed torso to the midriff as the cabin split in half and folded out into shoulders to reveal a head that glittered like crystal with pony ears as pegs folded out from the shoulders. Rainbow and Fluttershy’s Zords both folded their wings in and locked into those pegs by their rear ends as large hands folded out from under the cockpits, a panel in the chest folding to form a breastplate emblazoned with the same ornate gold arrangement as the Rangers’ belt buckles. Then the head’s eyes flashed as it stood ready to fight. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Ready!” The Rangers were all suddenly teleported to a five-person cockpit and they looked around, impressed. “Whoa-ho-ho. Yeah, I can work with this.” Rainbow smiled. “Ah think we all can.” Applejack smiled. “Let’s see what this baby can do.” “What it can do is fall!” Shriekenstein roared as he cast a wave of fire from his blade, but it barely even scratched the Megazord as it walked straight through the blast. “Is that the best you’ve got?” Rainbow smirked as she swung a hard right hook against the monster’s face, knocking him back. Shriekenstein roared as he stood up and charged again, but Pinkie acted faster. “Party Cannon!” she yelled and the cannon on her tank bent out to fire upward, shooting the monster square in the face and blinding him enough for Fluttershy to slip the Megazord past the charging monster before Rarity tripped him up onto a right uppercut, knocking him to the ground. “Okay, I think we’ve knocked him around enough; this experiment’s over,” Rainbow smirked as she retrieved her Final Strike Key. “Let’s finish him off.” “Right!” the other Rangers agreed and retrieved their own Final Strike Keys, opening the Crystal Locks. “Final Strike Keys locked!” They slammed the keys into the locks and slammed them shut. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Final Strike!” They spun their disks hard and smiled as they sparked in rainbows of color, bringing the cannons on the Megazord’s midriff to point forward before erupting in a massive blast of rainbow-colored magic that blasted Shriekenstein to nothing in a massive explosion. The Rangers all cheered their victory in the cockpit as the Megazord relaxed and Rainbow smiled. “Perfect Harmony: Crystal Clear Skies ahead!” Later on, back at Sugarcube Corner, the Rangers were all gathered to celebrate their latest victory. “I’m telling you guys, those Zords are gonna help out so much.” “I can’t but agree.” Rarity agreed. “And aside from the clashing colors, the Megazord is simply divine.” “Well, function can supersede form every now and then, can’t it?” Twilight pointed out. “I suppose.” Rarity nodded. “Hey Dash, Ah feel like Ah still oughtta apologize for what Ah said.” Applejack shrugged. “Ah was bein’ bullheaded sayin’ you were showin’ off.” “Nah, it’s cool; I totally was.” Rainbow shrugged. “But I gotta remember; it’s not just me out here. We’re all Rangers.” “And Rangers are always stronger together.” Twilight nodded. “The Megazord proved that.” “Yeah. But this whole thing helped me with something too.” Sunset noted. “It doesn’t matter what I want. This is about both our worlds; Earth and Equestria. I guess getting captured and having a close-up look at what we’re up against helped put that into perspective. We have to stop Tantabus, no matter what.” “We will. And until we do, don’t act so down SunShim.” Pinkie smiled. “We’ll make sure you can go home any time you want without worrying.” “Yeah. Here’s to home and another win.” Rainbow smiled as she raised her drink. The others all agreed and drank their drinks in response, happy to be winning so far and resolute in their resolve to defeat Tantabus no matter what. Ch. 4: Pins and NeedlesAnother busy day in Canterlot City, this one leading the Rangers to help Fluttershy get the animal shelter ready for a veterinarian to visit. “Thanks again for your help with this, girls.” Fluttershy smiled. “The animals always get so nervous when Dr. Fauna comes by, but it’s especially bad today.” “Ah, don’t even mention it Fluttershy.” Rainbow smiled. “You know we’re always there for you.” “Indeed. After everything you’ve done to help our pets, this is the least we can do.” Rarity nodded. “Though I must ask; why is today so bad?” Fluttershy was about to answer that question when the door to the shelter opened and Dr. Fauna walked in with an interesting case. “Ah, Fluttershy; it’s always so good to see you.” she smiled and hugged the shy girl. “It’s good to see you too, Dr. Fauna.” Fluttershy smiled as she looked over at her friends. “I don’t think you’ve met my friends.” “Actually, I’m pretty sure I saw you around when I picked out Ray,” Sunset remembered as she walked over. “Oh yes, of course. How is he, by the way?” the vet smiled. “Ah, he’s doing great; thanks.” Sunset nodded. “Fluttershy was just telling us that the animals are particularly stressed today for some reason.” Rarity noted. “Ah, they always are, around this time of year.” Dr. Fauna shrugged as she set her case on the counter. “Can’t quite say I blame them, honestly. No one likes getting shots.” “Shots?” Rarity asked, seeming surprised as Dr. Fauna opened her case and revealed it was filled with needles. As soon as Rarity laid eyes on the devices, her face seemed to go paler than usual as she took a step back, almost in retreat. “Yep. Rabies Shot Day; animals’ least favorite day of all time.” Dr. Fauna nodded as she picked up one of the needles and flicked it. Applejack appeared to notice Rarity’s unease and appeared a bit surprised. “You okay, sugarcube?” “Y-Yes Darling, I’m fine.” Rarity nodded as she stepped away. “Excuse me for a moment.” The girls were all a bit confused as they saw their Blue Ranger step out toward the restroom. “What was that about?” asked Sunset. “I dunno. S’pose our dear Rarity’s got a thing ‘bout needles.” Applejack remarked. “Hm. That’s a bit ironic.” Twilight smiled, knowing that if Rarity was afraid of needles, it must have made her sewing hobby difficult. Unfortunately, that little tidbit had been heard in the Lucid Lands. “Well… it seems that even the Power Rangers aren’t immune to fear.” Midnight smiled wickedly. “If there’s one thing I know, it’s how to exploit such fears.” Eclipse smiled as she turned to her mistress. “Mistress Tantabus… I don’t suppose you have a Dream Demon on hand that could enflame such fears of points like this?” “In fact, I do.” Tantabus smiled before she struck the ground with her blade. “Come forth, Pinblade.” On that order, there was a sound of scraping and clattering that sounded like many blades and pinpoints knocking into each other at once as a Dream Demon emerged that looked like it was wrapped in metal blades with syringes on its fingertips and tusks that looked like curved sword-tips. “What are my orders, Mistress?” “Go forth and bring terror. Bring it especially upon the Blue Ranger.” Tantabus ordered. “Enough that she will yield to you in combat. And when the Rangers are separated and weakened, destroy them.” “Yes, Mistress.” Pinblade bowed and disappeared in the shadows. As Dr. Fauna and the girls worked on the animals – even taking turns giving various animals shots as directed by the vet – the other girls kept a close eye on Rarity, watching every time her eyes followed the needles to an animal’s flesh, only to look away at the last minute. “Something’s definitely up with her,” Applejack whispered. “Maybe she had a panic attack when she was getting a shot once,” Twilight suggested. “That happened to me once a few years ago and it sucked.” “Um… sh- should we really be talking about this?” Fluttershy asked. “It feels a bit… mean.” “Relax Fluttershy, it’s not like we’re rooting around her underwear drawer,” Rainbow smirked. “We just wanna know why she’s afraid of needles.” “Well, that’s good. Because trust me; you do not wanna see Rarity’s undies drawer.” Pinkie smiled jovially, earning a barrage of confused looks from the others. “Wait, when have you seen Rarity’s underwear drawer?” Sunset asked. “Don’t worry about it.” Pinkie smiled. “I’m sorry; what’s this about my underwear drawer?” Rarity asked behind Sunset, surprising her and the other Rangers. “Nothing! That’s definitely not what we were talking about.” Sunset assured, though her panicked tone didn’t do her any favors. “Really girls, this is hardly a subject for upstanding young women such as us.” Rarity assured as she flipped her hair. “I mean, really; do we look like Snips and Snails?” “When were those two interested in girls’ underwear?” Spike asked. “You’d be surprised,” Sunset remarked bitterly, remembering her time ordering the two around. “Oh, ew; please spare us the details,” Rainbow remarked in disgust. “Agreed.” Rarity nodded, returning to the subject at hand. “But really, girls; what are you talking about?” Twilight almost made an excuse before Dr. Fauna looked over at them. “Rarity, it’s your turn,” she called over. Rarity looked over almost nervously but quickly took a quiet breath as she walked over, the others watching closely as she picked up the syringe and brought it over toward a dog with a shaking hand. She was just about to plunge the needle into the dog’s back when it slipped and fell onto the floor, shattering. “Oh dear, I’m so sorry about this, Dr. Fauna,” she said quickly. “No, it’s fine. Trust me, if I had a nickel for every time I dropped one of these…” the vet assured as she quickly cleaned up the mess and tossed it into a medical waste bag she had on her. “Well, that was the last one of that case anyway.” She suddenly facepalmed in what seemed like irritation. “And I just remembered that I forgot the rest of the shots. Hang tight here; I’ll run back to my office and grab the rest.” With that in mind, she stepped out of the shelter to her car and drove away. Once she was gone, the girls looked at Rarity. “Are you okay, Rarity?” Fluttershy asked. “I’m fine, darling; it just slipped a bit.” Rarity assured. Rainbow was a bit surprised as she pulled her hand away from Rarity’s. “I think I can see why. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen Fluttershy’s hands this sweaty.” Indeed, Rarity’s palms were very sweaty and her hands were still shaking. “Whoa. What’s wrong, Rarity?” Sunset asked. “It’s nothing, Darling; I just-” Rarity was interrupted when Rainbow’s Harmonizer beeped. Quickly Rainbow pressed the comm button and Timber’s face appeared on the screen. “We got Knightmares, downtown,” he said simply and quickly. “We’re on our way,” Rainbow noted, quickly signing off as she and the others quickly teleported. Landing in midtown, the Rangers quickly surveyed the site and saw people running from Knightmares as they scrambled around the plaza area. “This seems pretty simple,” Applejack remarked. “Shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.” “Let’s get to it then,” Rainbow smirked as she stepped forward and raised her Harmonizer along with the others, all opening the Crystal Locks. “It’s Morphin’ Time!” In sync, the Rainbooms held their forearms up with the Disks pointing upward and locked their Morph Keys into the slots, slamming the Locks closed and making the Disks flash in the Keys’ colors. “Power Rangers!” they all announced as they stuck their arms forward and put their palms against the Disks before pulling the Morphers back across their bodies fast, spinning the Disks as they went. “Harmonize!” A red light pulsed out of Rainbow's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-red glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a thunderstorm and lightning struck each of her limbs as she punched and kicked, creating her uniform. A final bolt struck her head at the same time a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Streaks of electricity jolted between her fingers as she posed as if she had just finished a guitar solo. A green light pulsed from Applejack's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-green glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind was a desert canyon and rocks and pebbles landed on her limbs as she stomped and punched, creating her uniform with each strike. A boulder landed on her head and a loud neigh was heard. With a final stomp, she posed in a boxing stance. A blue light pulsed from Rarity's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-blue glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was an expansive ocean and streams of water struck her limbs as she danced over the surface, creating her uniform. A wave of water crashed into her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. A ripple pulsed from beneath her as she posed like a dancer awaiting applause. A yellow light pulsed from Fluttershy's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-yellow glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a field of flowers and petals landed on each of her limbs as she spun around, each petal forming her uniform. A final burst of petals encircled her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Flower petals flew about her as she posed like a ballerina. A pink light pulsed from Pinkie's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-pink glow, leaving her head and over-the-top smile exposed. Appearing behind her were the tops of clouds in which she cartwheeled and bounced around, causing tufts to fly off her and create her uniform. She stuck her head in a cloud and pulled it out as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. She then posed with her hands stretched out as if saying 'Don’t talk to me' to two people. Once in costume, the Rangers quickly drew their Defenders and started fighting their way through the Knightmares like they were nothing. “If this is all Tantabus has to offer, maybe she should just give up now!” Rainbow smirked as she slashed a few Knightmares to the ground with one slash. Applejack flipped over a table and quickly shot a few Knightmares down before she landed. “Ah hear that; I’m almost gettin’ bored here,” she smirked as she spun her Defender on her finger before blasting another Knightmare without even looking at it. “They certainly seem to be giving us an easy go of it.” Rarity agreed as she swung her Defender to the ready in front of a large group of Knightmares, pulling the stock and locking in a Song Key. “Final Strike Key locked!” With a quick spin of the disk, the blade glowed blue and she held it at the ready. “Harmonic Defender, Final Strike!” With a powerful swing, a bright blue arc of energy shot from the blade and cleaved the remaining Knightmares in half in a huge explosion. With all the Knightmares dealt with, the Rangers quickly rallied up and smirked at each other under their helmets. “Was that it? Huh. Kinda insulted there wasn’t more.” Rainbow remarked. “If it’s more you want, I’m glad to oblige!” The Rangers quickly reacted to that as they looked up and saw Pinblade atop a nearby building before he leaped down and drew a jagged sword. “Let’s see just how sharp you are, Rangers!” The Rangers were nervous, all glancing at Rarity – if she really was as afraid of needles as they thought she was, this fight would be impossible for her. “Happy to oblige.” That remark from Rarity surprised them all as she charged first, but they were quickly preoccupied as more Knightmares quickly appeared and engaged with them. “Ooh, feisty.” Pinblade smiled as he clashed blades with Rarity. “Not what I expected from you, Blue Ranger.” “I’ll have you know I’m not just a pretty face.” Rarity smirked as she quickly slashed the monster’s side. “I earned my place as Blue Ranger for a reason. Allow me to demonstrate!” Quickly she kicked the monster back and flipped as she locked her Battle Gear Key into her Harmonizer and spun the Disk, summoning her axe in midair. “Diamond Axe!” Quickly grabbing the axe out of the air, she slashed the monster hard and they started dueling. “I was expecting a great deal more fear from you, Blue Ranger,” Pinblade smirked as they clashed and pushed each other back. “Perhaps this will inspire it. Razor Lash Shot!” A large barrage of small blades shot from his chest at Rarity, and while she managed to deflect most of them by spinning her axe, a few did manage to slip past her and strike her, knocking her back. Quickly he charged a bolt of energy on his blade and slashed it out at her, knocking her hard to the ground. “Rarity!” Applejack yelled in concern as the Rangers all grouped around her, helping her to her feet. “I’m all right.” Rarity assured as she pulled herself to her feet with her axe. “You won’t be for much longer. None of you will be!” Pinblade assured as he stepped forward, before quickly doubling over as he gripped his side where Rarity had struck him, small cracks appearing in the metal in his side. “Grr! Later then. You got a few good hits in, Blue Ranger, but you won’t be so lucky next time.” With that, Pinblade warped into shadow and disappeared. “We will see about that.” Rarity pointed out as she stood up, still clearly weak. “We’d better get back to base,” Fluttershy suggested. “Right.” Rainbow nodded and the Rangers all quickly teleported away, back to the cave where the others were waiting. “Power Down!” the Rangers all announced and de-morphed, standing ready in the base. “Nice work as usual, Rangers.” Timber smiled. “Think I would’ve preferred it if we could take that punk down all the way.” Rainbow shrugged. “Sometimes forcing the enemy to retreat is good enough.” Sunset shrugged. “We’ll get him next time. Because there will be a next time.” Twilight smiled as she looked around… before she noticed something. “Whoa. Rarity, you’re hurt pretty bad.” “What?” Rarity asked in fear as she checked her arm and indeed saw a small injury… which was bleeding moderately. Almost immediately, the sight of the blood made Rarity go pale as she felt weak and stumbled into Fluttershy’s arms. “Whoa, easy there sugarcube,” Applejack said and carefully guided her to a small couch nearby, where Fluttershy quickly set to work on tending to her head. This display made it easy for the Rangers to figure something out. “Rarity was never afraid of needles. She’s afraid of blood.” In the Lucid Lands, Pinblade roared in pain as a few Knightmares poured searing hot molten metal into the crack in his armor, sealing it as the generals watched. “If that’s the best Dream Demon you have to offer for this situation, Mistress, I’d say we’re in worse shape than I thought at first.” Eclipse scowled. “Hold your tongue, Eclipse. Or I will.” Tantabus warned grimly. “You’re the one who came to me with the suggestion to exploit the Blue Ranger’s fear, and yet she was the first to attack. Perhaps you can offer some explanation for this?” “No, Mistress.” Midnight answered. “Unless we were wrong about her fear.” “That is a distinct possibility.” Tantabus scowled as she marched down to find Pinblade quenching his wound in oil, making the soldered area look almost bloody. “Pinblade, return to the waking world. And this time, do not return until you have destroyed the Rangers.” “With pleasure, Mistress.” Pinblade smiled as he stood up. “My blades are sharpened and the Rangers will be the first to taste their edge.” “See to it. Or you will taste mine.” Tantabus warned as Pinblade walked out of the ruins, a contingent of Knightmares following him. It took some doing – a bit more than she was expecting – but Fluttershy and Gloriosa managed to patch Rarity’s injury and stem the blood, making sure the injury wasn’t too noticeable. “There, I think you’ll be okay now.” Gloriosa nodded. “What was with the freakout, Rarity?” Rainbow asked. “Do you really hate the sight of blood that much?” “Dash, give her a minute,” Applejack advised. “She just freaked out that bad; she needs a chance to get her head on straight.” “No, it’s fine Applejack.” Rarity assured as she sat up. “I suppose it’s about time I tell you all this.” She took a shaky breath as she looked around at her friends. “I have minor hemophilia.” Timber and Gloriosa appeared a bit surprised. “Well, that explains a lot,” Gloriosa remarked, glancing at the small trash bag of bloody paper towels nearby. “How long have you known?” asked Twilight. “Before freshman year. I pricked my finger with a sewing needle once and it bled for almost eight minutes before I could stop it.” Rarity remembered. “I’ve been more careful about things like that ever since. I don’t understand how I could be hurt like that when I was Morphed; the suit is supposed to protect me.” “The suits aren’t infallible,” Sunset argued. “Princess Twilight’s research says there have been innumerable times through Ranger history that Power Rangers were literally knocked out of their morphs by their enemies. Injuries like that are just par for the course when it comes to being heroes.” “And everyone has their own big fears like that,” Fluttershy assured. “What matters is that we all help each other through them. Like you’ve all helped me with mine.” Rarity shrugged and smiled at her friends before she stood up. “Thank you, Darlings. But I still feel like we need to devise some way to truly stop that monster.” The main terminal started beeping and Timber quickly checked it, seeing Pinblade attacking again. “Looks like you’d better come up with something pretty fast,” he remarked. “You gonna be okay to go back out there?” Spike asked Rarity. “It seems I’ll have to be.” Rarity shrugged as she stood up. “Let’s get back out there.” Quickly she and the girls raised their Harmonizers and opened the Crystal Locks. “It’s Morphing Time!” In sync, the Rainbooms held their forearms up with the Disks pointing upward and locked their Morph Keys into the slots, slamming the Locks closed and making the Disks flash in the Keys’ colors. “Power Rangers!” they all announced as they stuck their arms forward and put their palms against the Disks before pulling the Morphers back across their bodies fast, spinning the Disks as they went. “Harmonize!” A blue light pulsed from Rarity's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-blue glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was an expansive ocean and streams of water struck her limbs as she danced over the surface, creating her uniform. A wave of water crashed into her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. A ripple pulsed from beneath her as she posed like a dancer awaiting applause. A red light pulsed out of Rainbow's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-red glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a thunderstorm and lightning struck each of her limbs as she punched and kicked, creating her uniform. A final bolt struck her head at the same time a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Streaks of electricity jolted between her fingers as she posed as if she had just finished a guitar solo. A green light pulsed from Applejack's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-green glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind was a desert canyon and rocks and pebbles landed on her limbs as she stomped and punched, creating her uniform with each strike. A boulder landed on her head and a loud neigh was heard. With a final stomp, she posed in a boxing stance. A yellow light pulsed from Fluttershy's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-yellow glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a field of flowers and petals landed on each of her limbs as she spun around, each petal forming her uniform. A final burst of petals encircled her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Flower petals flew about her as she posed like a ballerina. A pink light pulsed from Pinkie's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-pink glow, leaving her head and over-the-top smile exposed. Appearing behind her were the tops of clouds in which she cartwheeled and bounced around, causing tufts to fly off her and create her uniform. She stuck her head in a cloud and pulled it out as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. She then posed with her hands stretched out as if saying 'Don’t talk to me' to two people. As soon as they were morphed, the Rangers quickly teleported back into town, ready to fight as they saw Pinblade and his Knightmares at the ready. “I was wondering when you would return, Rangers!” the monster laughed as he raised his sword. “Now let’s see if I can truly show you fear!” “Don’t count on it. You know who you’re messing with?” Rainbow smirked. “By all means, tell me; I’d love to know who will fall by my blades.” Pinblade smiled wickedly. “Element of Generosity!” Rarity announced and posed. “Power Ranger Blue!” “Element of Loyalty!” Rainbow announced and posed. “Power Ranger Red!” “Element of Honesty!” Applejack announced and posed. “Power Ranger Green!” “Element of Kindness!” Fluttershy announced and posed. “Power Ranger Yellow!” “Element of Laughter!” Pinkie announced and posed. “Power Ranger Pink!” “Friendship’s Might, Ready to Fight!” the Rangers all announced and posed at once with Rainbow in the center, Rarity and Applejack flanking her, and Pinkie and Fluttershy at the outer edges. “Power Rangers Crystal Harmony!” “Crush them!” Pinblade roared, sending the Knightmares forward to attack. The Rangers quickly raised their special weapons and clashed hard against them. “You take the sword nut; we’ll cover you,” Rainbow ordered Rarity quickly. “With pleasure.” Rarity smiled as she charged Pinblade, clashing her axe against his sword. “I admit you had me a bit surprised the first time we fought, Blue Ranger.” the monster smirked. “I’d half expected you to be trembling as soon as we met.” “Ironic. I was expecting much the same from you.” Rarity smiled as she swung her axe, knocking the monster’s sword to the side. “Jokes will not save you, Blue Ranger!” Pinblade snarled as he swung his sword. “Fear consumes all! Razor Lash Shot!” Just like before, a barrage of blades shot from the monster’s chest at Rarity, now flecked with red ripples in the metal that looked like blood. “Unless you pick the wrong fear!” Rarity was admittedly a bit frightened by the apparently bloody blades, but she did her best to fight through it as she spun her axe on her hand like a shield, deflecting all the blades away like it was nothing before she slashed hard upward, knocking Pinblade back. “Now I think it’s time you fear me!” And it looked like her weapon had an idea to help with that as the head flashed bright blue and a Crystal Lock and Power Disk appeared on the head behind the blade, letting Rarity easily figure out what to do now. With that in mind, she flipped her Song Key Buckle’s lever and retrieved her chosen Song Key. “Final Strike Key locked!” Rarity announced as she locked her Key into the head of her Diamond Axe, spinning the Disk behind the blade and making the blade glimmer like light through a well-cut gemstone. “Diamond Axe! Facet Finale!” She spun the axe in her hands a few times, sending out beams of blinding blue light through the blade’s facets before she swung it into a powerful horizontal slash, cleaving clear through Pinblade’s sword and shattering his quenched wound. “Consider me your worst nightmare.” The other Rangers quickly ran over, having dealt with the Knightmares, and quickly admired her axe’s upgrade. “Whoa, since when could you do that?” Rainbow asked as she looked at the Crystal Lock. “I don’t know, but I’m certainly not complaining.” Rarity shrugged. None of the others complained either as their weapons glowed and gained their own Crystal Locks and Power Disks. “Whoa, this is gonna be so much fun!” Pinkie smiled as she admired her nunchucks’ upgrade. “Graagh!” Pinblade snarled as he pulled himself up. “This is far from over, Rangers! I still have a few blades left!” “Oh yeah? Well, let’s see what you’ve got!” Rainbow smirked and raised the Bolt Saber. “Let’s do this!” “Weapons, Combine!” the Rangers announced. The handle of Rarity’s axe quickly slid into the handle of Rainbow’s sword as Applejack’s hammer locked in on top of the axe, one of the hammerheads forming what looked like a weapon stock. Then Fluttershy’s tonfa-blades linked into the tip of Rainbow’s sword with their barrels ready to fire and Pinkie’s nunchucks locked into the sides of the upper hammerhead, their heads aiming forward as they opened to reveal large blast emitters as Rainbow grabbed the trigger and the others quickly steadied the weapon by grabbing its sides. “Harmonic Crystal Cannon!” “Bring it on!” Pinblade simply snarled as he raised his hands, long serrated blades deploying from his forearms. “Jagged Crash!” The blades shot from his arms toward the Rangers. “Final Strike Keys locked!” the Rangers called as Rainbow opened the upper head of the hammer in the stock, letting the Rangers lock their Keys into it before it closed and Rainbow spun the Disk between the hammer’s heads, powering up the cannon. “Harmonic Final Strike!” the Rangers bellowed as Rainbow pulled the trigger, blasting the villain with a large rainbow-colored shot of energy out at the monster, knocking the blades aside like they were nothing and striking Pinblade straight in his open wound. “Gah! Ow, the edge!” he roared as he exploded, letting the Rangers pose in victory. “That’s twice this fool has failed!” Eclipse scowled into the viewing crystal. “Well, you know what they say; third time’s the charm.” Midnight smiled. “Shall we, Mistress?” “With pleasure, Midnight.” Tantabus smiled as she stepped forward, waving her blade as dark magic formed around the tip. “Power of Darkness, Heed my Command! Grant this Beast a Final Stand!” She slammed her blade into the ground, and just as before, a dark storm cloud formed above the monster’s remains before a bolt of lightning shot down and struck them, flashing the surrounding area like a photo negative before Pinblade suddenly reformed and grew 30 stories tall. “Now my blades will sing with the force of storms!” the monster roared, holding two large swords now. “Not today, pal!” Rainbow smiled as the Rangers quickly retrieved their Zord Keys. “Zord Keys Locked!” they announced as they locked the Keys into their Harmonizers and spun the Disks. “Crystal Zords, Harmonize!” As the Disks sparked, the Zords raced into the city from their hangars and let the girls quickly leap aboard, quickly deploying their Megazord Keys. “Megazord Keys locked!” the rangers called as they locked their Keys into the sliders and slammed them back into the Locks. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Harmonize!” They all spun their spinners and they sparked to life. “Zords Combine!” Applejack’s Zord spun into reverse and its rear bumper split in half, the rear quarters of the truck extending into thighs as the pegs formed from the bumpers locked into the rear ends of Rarity and Pinkie’s Zords, the whole assembly braking hard to force itself upright. The truck’s cannons moved down the newly formed torso to the midriff as the cabin split in half and folded out into shoulders to reveal a head that glittered like crystal with pony ears as pegs folded out from the shoulders. Rainbow and Fluttershy’s Zords both folded their wings in and locked into those pegs by their rear ends as large hands folded out from under the cockpits, a panel in the chest folding to form a breastplate emblazoned with the same ornate gold arrangement as the Rangers’ belt buckles. Then the head’s eyes flashed as it stood ready to fight. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Ready!” “A bulky behemoth like that is nothing to me. Taste my blades!” Pinblade roared as he charged at the Megazord with his blades. “Bring it, rusty!” Rainbow smirked as she commanded the Megazord to swing its fists, knocking the swords away as best she could, but it was obvious those moves wouldn’t be enough as Pinblade got in quite a few good hits, sending the Megazord stumbling back. “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. We’re going to lose!” Fluttershy whimpered. “Any ideas? I’m all ears.” Applejack called out. “I think I've got one.” Sunset reported from the cave, holding a new silver Song Key with the image of a sword in the center. “Looks like the Tree of Harmony decided you need a little more edge. I'm sending Rainbow your Megazord's new Saber Key.” The Megazord rocked again as the monster slashed at the machine’s chest. “No offense Sunset, but I don’t think we’re winning a sword fight against this guy.” Rainbow pointed out. “You got a better idea?” Sunset asked genuinely. Rainbow did not so she shrugged. “Eh, what the heck? If we go down, we go down fighting,” she remarked as she grabbed the Saber Key and slammed it into her Crystal Lock, locking it shut. “Saber Key locked!” she called and quickly spun the Disk. On this cue, the symbol on the Megazord’s chest flashed out in a holographic image, unfolding and reshaping into a large broadsword in a gold scabbard with several colored crystals in the gold cross-guard. “Whoa-ho-ho, awesome!” Rainbow smiled as the Megazord quickly grabbed the sword out of the air. “Alright, let’s take this baby for a spin!” “Crystal Clash Saber!” the Rangers called as the Megazord reached and pulled the gold scabbard off, letting it dematerialize to reveal a glittering silver blade. “So it’s a duel, eh? Alright, bring it on!” Pinblade roared as he marched to the Megazord. Quickly the Megazord raised its new sword and clashed against the monster’s blades, knocking them upward and away, allowing the Rangers a quick shot at the monster’s wound. “Gah! You think this will be enough to stop me? Think again!” “Let’s see you put your steel where your mouth is, ugly!” Pinkie smiled as the Megazord continued dueling with the monster, clashing blades aggressively for a solid few minutes before the monster stood back. “Alright, I admit I’m impressed! But you’ll still never defeat me!” the monster roared as it slashed hard at the Rangers. Quickly the Megazord stepped out of the blades’ range just before the monster could hit it, making Pinblade stumble and granting the Megazord an easy opportunity to slash down hard at his head. Pinblade quickly raised his swords crossed in front of him to try and intercept the blow, but the Crystal Clash Saber cleaved clean through his swords and slashed hard through some of the armor on his chest. “No! My swords!” “Touché!” Rarity announced with a smile. “Let’s finish this!” “With pleasure!” Rainbow smiled as she grabbed her Defender from the central console, followed by the other Rangers. “Crystal Clash Saber, ready!” the Rangers called as they raised their Defenders in blade mode, making the Megazord swing its own sword to the ready at its side as they retrieved their Keys. “Final Strike Keys locked!” They slammed the Keys into the cockpits’ Crystal Locks and slammed them shut. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Final Strike!” They spun their Disks hard and smiled as they sparked in rainbows of color which shot to the sword, making its blade glow brightly as they raised it up. “Crystal Clash Saber, Power Slash!” With a powerful swing from the shoulder, the Megazord brought the sword down hard against Pinblade, making it appear he’d been cleaved clean in half as he stumbled back. “Gah! My arsenal is broken! Oh, the shame!” he roared as he fell backward and exploded. The Rangers all cheered and laughed in the cockpit as the Megazord stood down and Rainbow smiled. “Perfect Harmony: Crystal Clear Skies ahead!” she announced. After the battle, the Rainbooms returned to the veterinary clinic where, after a few shaky attempts and some encouragement from her friends, Rarity helped Dr. Fauna with the other animals’ shots, gladly finishing up the last one before she disposed of the last needle from a cat. “There we are: all finished.” she smiled. “Great. Thanks, Rarity.” Dr. Fauna smiled as she cleaned up and let Fluttershy take the cat back to her cage. “Sorry again that I took so long to get back; my office was a mess. And could you believe there was a monster attack right as I was getting ready to leave?” “Man, crazy odds,” Rainbow smirked, still a bit annoyed she couldn’t tell anyone she was a Ranger, but more than anything, she was just glad to be doing such good work as a hero. “Guess it’s lucky the Rangers showed up when they did, huh?” “Tell me about it.” Dr. Fauna smiled as she packed up. “Well, suppose I’ll see you around next time, Fluttershy.” “See you then, Dr. Fauna.” Fluttershy smiled and hugged the vet as she left. “Again, my deepest apologies for frightening you at the base.” Rarity apologized to her team. “And for letting my own fear get the best of me here.” “No apologies necessary, sugarcube.” Applejack smiled. “Friends don’t judge friends for their fears.” “And even if we did, you totally made up for it in the city.” Rainbow smiled. “You took Pinblade down like a champ.” “And unlocked new capabilities for your weapons,” Twilight added. “I’m certain those will come in handy in future battles.” “But just in case this wasn’t a one-time thing, we should all tell each other what our worst fears are, so we can be ready,” Spike suggested. “Good call.” Sunset nodded and the girls all shared their fears, secure that they would be ready for whatever Tantabus sent at them next. Ch. 5: Family MattersEven more, the Power Rangers were being lauded as heroes, and even more, Rainbow Dash’s ego wanted her to reveal her identity and bask in the glory. It took almost every ounce of strength she had to offer for Applejack to keep her friend’s ego on a leash. But even then, she was short on it at the moment as it was harvest time on her family farm… and Apple Bloom had decided to bring her friends along to help. “Now you know the drill for ridin’ herd on them young’uns, Applejack; don’t let ‘em outta yer sight.” Granny Smith reminded. “They ain’t gettin’ away from me, Granny; I promise ya that.” Applejack nodded as she walked to do as she’d been told… though something had been weighing heavily on her mind; she hated lying to her family about being the Green Ranger, but she knew it was for their own good. Even so, keeping Apple Bloom and her friends under control was hard enough even before she and her friends became Rangers. She always loved Apple Bloom, but sometimes the trouble of keeping an eye on her was too much, especially as she and her friends started running around the orchard like they were Rangers themselves. “Whoa there now, take it easy,” Applejack said cautiously as she tried to keep them from getting hurt. “C’mon Applejack, I grew up on this farm same as you.” Apple Bloom pointed out. “And how many times have we both gotten hurt here?” Applejack countered. Apple Bloom was about to answer when Scootaloo suddenly got a notification on her phone. “Whoa. Heads up, Crusaders; there’s a monster sighting a few miles away.” “What? How do you know that?” Applejack asked, quickly looking at Scootaloo’s phone to see… a fan site? “It’s RangerStation; the new social media app where people can report monster attacks and post pics and theories about the Power Rangers,” Scootaloo explained. “It’s been live for weeks; where have you been?” “Well, I know where we’re gonna be; watching the Rangers kick butt!” Sweetie Belle smiled. “Come on, let’s go!” “Whoa now, wait a minute-!” Applejack called, but the girls didn’t listen; they just ran off and hopped in the wagon hooked to Scootaloo’s scooter and raced off down the road toward the monster sighting. “Oh, fer heaven’s sake…” Applejack remarked in annoyance before her Harmonizer beeped. She quickly pressed the communicator button and saw Gloriosa’s face on the screen. “Ah think Ah know why you’re callin’.” “Then you know what to do. Here are the coordinates; the others will meet you there.” Gloriosa nodded, transmitting the location of the latest attack to the screen. “On my way.” Applejack nodded and signed off, quickly locking her Morph Key into her Harmonizer as she ran further into the orchard, quickly spinning the Disk. “Harmonize!” As soon as she Morphed into the Green Ranger, she quickly teleported to the suburbs a few miles from the farm, where she did indeed find the other Rangers fighting a legion of Knightmares… and what looked like a mutant hippo with boxing gloves and big cork-like nose plugs in its nostrils. Applejack couldn’t help but smirk under her helmet as she drew her Defender and started blasting the Knightmares. “Well, Ah’ll give Tantabus one thing; she’s sure gettin’ creative,” she remarked. “Tell me about it.” Rainbow agreed as she went back-to-back with the Green Ranger, deflecting Knightmares’ blades with her own. “I mean, who ever heard of a fear of hippos?” “No, it’s definitely a thing,” Twilight reported over the coms. “It’s specifically called-” “Wasn’t a serious question, Twi.” Rainbow rebuked quickly as she stabbed one Knightmare standing behind her without even looking. “Does it matter what fear I draw power from? All that matters is your destruction, Rangers! And it will come at the hands of me: Hippounder!” The almost helium-like yet nasal voice froze the Rangers in their tracks as they looked dumbfounded at the monster. After a few seconds, they all just burst out laughing, barely even able to focus on fighting off the remaining Knightmares. “Oh man, this could not possibly be any more ridiculous!” Applejack laughed, blasting other Knightmares while she doubled over laughing. “Seriously! Lamest! Monster! Ever!” Rainbow agreed, flailing slashes at others. “Hey! I’m terrifying!” Hippounder protested. “To a kindergartener, maybe.” Rarity pointed out with a chuckle. “Why would Tantabus ever think we would consider you a serious threat?” “See? I told you that sending that one was a stupid idea! And the Rangers agree!” Eclipse snarled at Midnight, having heard that remark through the scrying pool in the Lucid Lands. “You wanted a Dream Demon with muscle, I found a Dream Demon with muscle.” Midnight argued. “If you wanted something specific, you could’ve said so. For now, this is what we’ve got.” “You couldn’t have at least tried to make him sound more intimidating before you sent him out?” Eclipse growled. “Silence, both of you!” Tantabus snarled as she walked next to them. “This bloated buffoon of yours had better pay off, Midnight. Or you’ll be made to pay for it.” “He will, Mistress. As you can see, the Rangers already underestimate him.” Midnight smiled. And it certainly seemed like she would be proven right, as the Rangers were striking Hippounder almost arrogantly with their Defenders, and admittedly the arrogance was at least moderately warranted as the monster was barely putting up a fight. “C’mon, are you even actually here to fight us?” Rainbow smirked as she slashed his arms. “You shouldn’t be cocky, Rangers! You’re underestimating my power.” Hippounder countered, his helium-like voice not making him seem intimidating as the girls kept fighting. “You invite it; you sound ludicrous!” Rarity assured, delivering a firm slash across the beast’s chest. “I’d say my bark is worse, but how about after I show you my bite!” Hippounder snarled as he punched Pinkie and Fluttershy back hard, sending them tumbling a few feet away. “That wasn’t a bite, silly! It was a punch!” Pinkie remarked, a smile still present in her voice. “And so’s this!” Applejack smirked as she swung a mean left into the monster’s face, sending it tumbling back. She smirked at the beast and her move… before she heard cheering from nearby. She glanced in its direction and saw Apple Bloom and her friends nearby. “Aw tarnation,” she said in annoyance… right before Hippounder took advantage of her distraction and blasted her away with some sort of blast from his eyes, sending her to the ground. “AJ!” Rainbow called as she zipped over to her. “You okay?” “Yeah, Ah’m fine. But the young’ns there have gotta get gone.” Applejack insisted, pointing quickly to the girls. “Whoa, what are they doing here?” asked Pinkie. Hippounder glanced over and saw the girls, smirking sinisterly. “Getting in the way and getting crushed, I’d say,” he smirked as he moved toward the kids, who quickly freaked out and started running. “No!” Applejack yelled and quickly leaped to defend the girls, summoning her hammer in midair before she slammed it down on the monster’s nose, knocking his nose plugs out. “Ouchie! Be careful; I have bad allergies!” Hippounder yelled, the nasal gone from his voice before he started sniffing. “Oh no. Here it comes! Ahh… Ahhhh… Ahhh-CHOO!” Seemingly out of nowhere, a massive blast of fire shot from the monster’s nose and hit Applejack right in the chest, sending her flying straight into a sign right above the girls, which shattered on impact, a small piece of the shrapnel falling from it and landing right on Apple Bloom’s arm, making her scream in pain. Applejack landed nearby in pain as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo quickly got Apple Bloom clear, making sure to be careful with her arm. The other Rangers quickly grouped up around their green companion as they stared the monster down, who appeared to be having his own problems as he couldn’t control his sneezes. “This isn’t over, Rangers! I’ll be back when I- Ah! Ahh! Ahhh! Ahh-CHOO!!” In a huge sneeze, Hippounder shot up into the sky before disappearing into shadow along with the other Knightmares. Once they were gone, the Rangers got a chance to relax. “Well, that was thoroughly humiliating.” Rarity remarked. “You got that right.” Rainbow agreed before she saw Applejack jump to her feet and start running after the kids. “Whoa hey, where are you going?!” “Ah gotta make sure Apple Bloom’s okay. Granny’s gon’ have my hide for lettin’ her get hurt.” Applejack said quickly before she ran off. “I suppose she has a point. We should make sure Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are all right as well.” Rarity pointed out. “Agreed. Let’s move.” Rainbow nodded and led the remaining Rangers after Applejack. In the Lucid Lands, Hippounder had plugged his nose again as Tantabus and her generals watched. “I told you the Rangers would underestimate him.” Midnight smiled. “Still, could you at least have chosen a less stupid-looking monster to send?” Eclipse asked seriously. “Alright look, if it’ll make you feel any better, you can pick the Dream Demon we send next time.” Midnight remarked in annoyance. “For now though, this one will do.” Tantabus smiled as she observed her scrying orb. “He’s certainly done his job well so far. And if he wishes to continue to exist, he will continue to do so.” “Why use this bumbler for anything more?” Eclipse asked seriously. “He’s worthless even with those plugs.” “And yet he’s somehow still managed to give a good show of his potential and damage the Green Ranger’s faith in herself.” Tantabus pointed out. “So he will continue to fight until I decide otherwise. Do you have a problem with that, Eclipse?” Her pike flickered with dark magic, causing some mild discomfort in Eclipse’s chest – a sign of things to come if she continued to question her authority. “N- No, Mistress.” Eclipse relented and bowed. “Good. Now… prepare to send Hippounder back to the waking world. While I prepare to enjoy the show he will doubtless put on.” Tantabus smiled as she watched her scrying orb. At the hospital, the Rangers had de-morphed and were watching with Big Mac and Granny Smith as Apple Bloom was fitted for a cast on her arm. “She gon’ be okay, doc?” Applejack asked. “She’ll be fine. Fortunately, the break looked a lot worse than it actually was.” the doctor assured, turning to Apple Bloom. “Just take it easy for a few weeks and you’ll be okay. Which means no more running off after the Power Rangers, okay?” “Ain’t gon’ have no problem there, Doc.” Apple Bloom nodded simply as she examined her cast. With that, the doctor left and Granny Smith turned to Applejack. “Ah thought I told you to keep watch on them youngens, Applejack. And you let ‘em run off to watch one of them monster fights and let lil’ Apple Bloom get her arm broken?” she asked angrily. “Granny, this weren’t mah fault,” Applejack said seriously, though she did have a sneaking suspicion it was her fault. “They’re the ones chasin’ after that newfangled fan app.” “You mean RangerStation?” Rainbow asked. “Y’all have heard of it too?” Applejack asked in surprise. “Unfortunately, yes. Honestly, Sweetie Belle will not shut up about it.” Rarity remarked. “And it’s that dad-burn app that got Apple Bloom into trouble. Ah tried to get her out of it, but…” Applejack quickly caught herself before she said anything else. “But what? What happened, Applejack?” Granny asked. Applejack bit her tongue and sighed. “But Ah was scared to get in the middle of it, and by the time Ah got there, Ah was too late.” she lied. “Ah’ll make it up to ya, Granny; Ah promise ya that.” “Ah’m gon’ hold ya to that, young lady,” Granny assured as she walked out to Mac’s truck with Apple Bloom and the other girls. Once they were gone, the Rainbooms looked around, and seeing no one actively looking at them, they decided now would be a good time to talk Ranger business. “Question is where’d that app come from anyway?” Applejack asked. Almost immediately, the girls all looked at Sunset, who reacted with surprise. “What? Why am I the first suspect?” she asked, offended. “Well, um, you did make us turn against each other with fake texts and emails.” Fluttershy pointed out. “That was ages ago. Plus, that’s as far as my skill with technology goes – hacking phones and email accounts is a cakewalk compared to what you guys are talking about.” Sunset pointed out. “If you wanna blame one of us, blame Twilight.” “Oh, thanks,” Twilight said in annoyance. “That’s not exactly a denial, Darling.” Rarity pointed out. “Then how about this – I’m an admin on the app, but I have no idea who actually made it,” Twilight assured. “Admin? How’d you land that?” asked Rainbow. “I didn’t – someone just messaged me and asked me to be an admin because of my technological knowledge.” Twilight shrugged. “And I’ve only been using my position to the advantage of the team – taking down posts that may point to you, deflecting theories, things like that.” “Well, whoever made this here app had best be ready, ‘cause if’n Ah find ‘em, Ah’m gon’ introduce ‘em to ol’ Bucky McGillicuddy and Kicks McGee.” Applejack scowled, slapping her thighs for emphasis. “Is now a good time to say that I find it really weird how Applejack named her legs that?” Twilight whispered to Sunset. “I’ve considered asking about it, but I’m worried that’ll put me on the business end of one and/or both of them.” Sunset returned quietly. Suddenly Twilight’s phone buzzed and when she checked it, her eyes went wide. “Well, I’ll give this app one thing; it certainly makes tracking the monsters down easier,” she remarked. Applejack quickly looked at Twilight’s phone and indeed saw the app open to another sighting of Hippounder. “And here Ah thought I’d have to wait for payback,” she remarked as she stomped out of the hospital. “Applejack, wait!” Rainbow called, but too late; she was already gone. “She’s going to get herself crushed. We have to go help her.” Rarity said quickly. “Right, let’s do it,” Rainbow ordered as she and the girls raised their Harmonizers and opened the Crystal Locks. “It’s Morphin’ Time!” In sync, the Rainbooms held their forearms up with the Disks pointing upward and locked their Morph Keys into the slots, slamming the Locks closed and making the Disks flash in the Keys’ colors. “Power Rangers!” they all announced as they stuck their arms forward and put their palms against the Disks before pulling the Morphers back across their bodies fast, spinning the Disks as they went. “Harmonize!” A red light pulsed out of Rainbow's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-red glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a thunderstorm and lightning struck each of her limbs as she punched and kicked, creating her uniform. A final bolt struck her head at the same time a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Streaks of electricity jolted between her fingers as she posed as if she had just finished a guitar solo. A blue light pulsed from Rarity's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-blue glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was an expansive ocean and streams of water struck her limbs as she danced over the surface, creating her uniform. A wave of water crashed into her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. A ripple pulsed from beneath her as she posed like a dancer awaiting applause. A yellow light pulsed from Fluttershy's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-yellow glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a field of flowers and petals landed on each of her limbs as she spun around, each petal forming her uniform. A final burst of petals encircled her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Flower petals flew about her as she posed like a ballerina. A pink light pulsed from Pinkie's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-pink glow, leaving her head and over-the-top smile exposed. Appearing behind her were the tops of clouds in which she cartwheeled and bounced around, causing tufts to fly off her and create her uniform. She stuck her head in a cloud and pulled it out as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. She then posed with her hands stretched out as if saying 'Don’t talk to me' to two people. Just as expected, immediately after the Rangers arrived at the sight of the battle, they saw Applejack going solo against a large legion of Knightmares toward Hippounder alone, and she looked like she was flailing as she swung her hammer in one hand and blasted around with her Defender in the other, blasting and smashing her way through the Knightmares. “Let’s give her some backup, Rangers!” Rainbow said quickly. “Right!” the others agreed and activated their weapons, fighting the Knightmares off as Applejack fought her way to Hippounder. “Round 2, Big-Nose!” Applejack yelled as she flipped her Defender into saber mode. “Now that’s just mean!” Hippounder remarked, punching hard at Applejack as he deflected her flailing blows almost too easily. “How would you like it if I made fun of you for being a terrible fighter? Because spoiler alert: right now, you are!” With that, he swiftly punched Applejack in the chest and knocked her back a few feet. “Think that’s gon’ stop me? Think again!” Applejack scowled, quickly flipping the lever on her belt buckle and retrieved the Key. “Final Strike Key locked!” Applejack announced as she locked her Key into the head of the Apple Smasher, spinning the Disk between the heads and making them shine as root-like veins glowed on the handle. “Apple Smasher! Applesauce Slam!” She spun the hammer above her head a few times before she grabbed it and brought it down hard to the ground, sending out a powerful green shockwave, knocking Hippounder back into a wall, which knocked out his nose plugs again. “Oh no, here it comes again!” he yelled and started sneezing fireballs, doing his best to aim them at Applejack, but she simply roared as she got up after every blast and tried to attack again. “Applejack, stand down!” Rarity ordered, but the Green Ranger didn’t listen; she just kept charging and attacking, showing barely any self-restraint until one last fireball hit her in the chest and knocked her back, de-morphing her by force. “AJ!” Rainbow called as she moved to her friend’s side, but Applejack was busy letting her rage get the better of her as she grabbed her Defender from the ground nearby and raised it ready to fire, but her hand tensed in pain and she dropped her blaster, accidentally firing and hitting Rainbow in the chest. “OW! Watch it!” “Ha! How about that? Now I- ahh! Ahh! AHH! AHH-CHOO!!!” Hippounder sneezed, knocking himself into the wall again. “Guh. Need new plugs again. Next time, Rangers!” With that, he swiftly disappeared in another burst of shadow, leaving the Rangers behind as Applejack seethed in anger. “That’s twice this fool has failed!” Eclipse scowled as Hippounder sneezed fire around the Lucid Lands while Knightmares struggled to plug his nose again. “We’re not really going to send him back out to fail us a third time, are we?” “Silence!” Tantabus roared. “If you truly wish to fight, then perhaps I should send you out now, while you are not yet at your full power. Your demise would serve as a fine example to the rest of my forces to obey my will.” Eclipse scowled but knelt. “Message received, Mistress.” she nodded. “But I must insist that if we’re going to send Hippounder back out there, he needs more power. And stronger backup.” “I hate to admit it, Mistress, but Eclipse is right.” Midnight nodded. “The Rangers are getting stronger, and if we want to keep pace with them, we must strengthen our own ranks.” “I must agree. Thankfully, I’ve been developing a spell for just such a purpose.” Tantabus smiled as she walked over to the group of Knightmares tending to Hippounder. “And now seems to be a perfect time to test it.” With that, she cast a powerful bolt of magic out of her staff at the Knightmares who all convulsed as their muscles and armor – particularly their breastplates – grew bulkier, their helmets reshaping into heavier and clunkier forms as their swords turned into heavy Morningstars. “Behold our new heavy forces; the Juggerknights.” “Impressive,” Midnight remarked, though she eyed the soldiers’ large chests trepidatiously. “But… was that really necessary?” “Oh, like you’re one to talk,” Eclipse argued. “Shut up.” Midnight rolled her eyes as she walked over to Hippounder, dark magic in her hand. “This is your last chance, Hippounder. Put this extra power to good use and destroy the Power Rangers, or I’ll use it to destroy you.” She set her hand on Hippounder’s chest and the magic flowed into the monster’s body, bolstering his strength and apparently relieving his allergies as the nose plugs disappeared without him sneezing. “Yes, General.” Hippounder saluted as he marched off, the Juggerknights and another team of Knightmares behind him. Back at base, Gloriosa patched up the damage Applejack had ended up inflicting on herself. “There we go, good as new,” she said. “You’re lucky it wasn’t as bad as it looked.” “Same goes for your Harmonizer; if you’d damaged it, I probably would’ve kicked your tail for Hippounder.” Twilight agreed. “Speaking of, perhaps you’d care to share exactly why you’re so dead-set on apparently getting yourself destroyed by this monster?” Rarity asked judgingly. “Ugly punk got Apple Bloom’s arm broken. Anyone messes with my family’s gon’ wish they never met me. That’s double-true for monster punks like him.” Applejack insisted. “We both know it’s not just that.” Sunset pointed out bluntly. “You’ve been acting weird like this for days now; don’t think we haven’t noticed. You’re barely talking to people around school, including your own family and when you talk to us, you’re incredibly tense. What’s the deal?” Applejack narrowed her gaze at Sunset. “Forgive my tone Sunset, but Ah don’t rightly see how that’s any of your business,” she said simply, walking past her toward the door. Before she could leave, Sunset suddenly reached out and grabbed the Harmonizer off Applejack’s wrist like the strap wasn’t even working. “Wha- Hey! What do ya think you’re doin’?” “Don’t feel like talking? Fine. Then you’re not going back out there.” Sunset said simply. “I’d listen if I were you, AJ.” Timber smirked as he watched from the Tree of Harmony. Applejack just scowled at Sunset. “Gimme that back.” “You want it?” Sunset smiled as she slipped the Harmonizer into her jacket pocket. “Come and get it.” With that, she took her jacket off and tossed it onto a chair on the side of the room as she took a fighting stance. “You and me, straight up. Right here, right now. You win, I give you back your Harmonizer and let you go. I win, you talk and then I give you back your Harmonizer and let you go.” “Oh, this is gonna be good,” Rainbow smirked as she looked at the two. Applejack smirked as she cracked her neck and tossed her hat onto another chair. “Alright, yer on.” “Whoa, hang on. Before you guys do anything, maybe you should move to the training room.” Gloriosa suggested. “We have a training room?” asked Rainbow. “We do now,” Twilight answered as she pressed a button, opening the cave’s left wall with a massive door to reveal what looked like a large hybrid of a gym, martial arts/swordsmanship dojo, and shooting range. “We just finished setting it up.” “Where did you even find the space for this?” asked Rarity. “This old quarry’s decades old; the tunnels snake through the mountain for miles.” Timber shrugged as Sunset and Applejack took to the dojo floor. “The Tree of Harmony did most of the heavy lifting; we just furnished the place up.” “Don’t much matter to me, long as I get my Harmonizer back,” Applejack assured as she assumed a fighting stance. “You want it?” Sunset smirked, raising her hand at the ready. “Come and take it.” “Ooh. Man, I got chills.” Pinkie remarked as Spike scampered forward. “Ready? Fight!” he called, prompting the two girls to engage in an intense martial arts battle; Applejack appeared more focused than she was on the battlefield, but her slow and strong moves were still easy for Sunset to deflect and counter. “Give it up, Sunset. Ah don’t need my powers to know you’re outmatched.” Applejack remarked, swinging a hard haymaker. Sunset took the punch on the chin like a champ and spun into a training dummy against the back wall, smirking as she spit on the floor. “Maybe I am. But there’s one rule of fighting I’ve always loved,” she smirked. “Oh yeah? And what’s that?” Applejack asked as she moved to attack again. “When outmatched…” Sunset smirked, holding something in her hands. “Cheat.” Suddenly she scattered a handful of small marbles on the floor, tripping Applejack up and making her fall onto the floor, giving Sunset an easy chance to grab her arm in a leg-lock. “Agh! Gah, okay; Ah give!” Applejack called, quickly tapping out on the floor. Sunset let her go and helped her up with a smirk. “I know I’m no match for you straight up, AJ. But I think it’s been well established by this point that I’m pretty tricky.” Sunset smirked. “Now start talking.” Applejack sighed as she walked back into the main base and sat down. “Ah just feel like… such a hypocrite,” she remarked. “How do you mean?” asked Gloriosa. “Ah mean Ah’m supposed to be the Element of Honesty, but I have to lie to everyone I know about bein’ the Green Ranger?” Applejack asked. “That don’t sit right with me, and we all know Ah’m a terrible liar.” “Eh, she’s got a point there.” Rainbow shrugged. “Exactly. But the fact that my lyin’ got Apple Bloom hurt just makes it even worse.” Applejack said angrily. “So every time you’ve been in the field, you’ve been fighting that too?” asked Twilight. “Pretty much, yeah.” Applejack shrugged. “Applejack, darling… you know you’re not alone in this concern.” Rarity assured. “I mean, honestly, do you think I haven’t wanted to tell Sweetie Belle that I’m the Blue Ranger? But it’s for their own protection that we keep this secret from them.” “Except that ain’t been workin’.” Applejack pointed out. “Thanks to that dad-burn app.” “You mean RangerStation?” Timber asked as he went to one of the base’s computer terminals. “We’ve been looking into it, and I think we figured out who made it.” The Rangers all looked at the screen and their eyes narrowed. “Why am I not surprised?” Rarity remarked with a roll of her eyes. “Well then, Ah think we’ve all got a piece of our minds to give someone,” Applejack remarked. “Exactly. And it’s the same with being heroes. And friends.” Sunset assured. “If one of us has a problem, then we all have a problem.” “Thanks y’all.” Applejack smiled at her friends. “Guess Ah just forget how much a good talkin’ to helps.” “And as much as I hate to admit it, this app helps a lot too,” Gloriosa remarked as she looked at the screen. “Monster sightings are really easy to track when we can just comb through the app and see where they are at the press of a button.” Right on cue, an alert went out over the app, showing Hippounder and his forces attacking the city again, the monster sneezing fireballs around with a great deal more control than before. “See what I mean?” “All I see is a monster about to get his tail kicked.” Rainbow smiled. “Ah’m with ya there.” Applejack agreed as she put her hat on. “Let’s go give him what-for.” “You’re gonna need this,” Sunset smirked as she handed Applejack her Harmonizer. “Thanks, sugarcube,” Applejack smirked as she strapped her Harmonizer back on. “Let’s go.” With that, the team immediately teleported out of the base. Appearing in the city, they saw Hippounder and his soldiers scaring humans off around the plaza. The girls immediately locked their eyes on the Juggerknights as they bashed their way through café tables. “Sheesh. What’s with those guys?” asked Rainbow. “Well, I suppose Tantabus must get lonely. And I doubt the extra muscle hurts.” Rarity remarked. Then Hippounder noticed the Rangers. “Ah, I was wondering when you’d get here. Back for another beating, Green Ranger?” “Here to give one of mah own.” Applejack countered. “Along with a lesson. You don’t mess with mah kin and just get to walk away.” With that, she and the other Rangers raised the Harmonizers and opened the Crystal Locks. “It’s Morphin’ Time!” In sync, the Rainbooms held their forearms up with the Disks pointing upward and locked their Morph Keys into the slots, slamming the Locks closed and making the Disks flash in the Keys’ colors. “Power Rangers!” they all announced as they stuck their arms forward and put their palms against the Disks before pulling the Morphers back across their bodies fast, spinning the Disks as they went. “Harmonize!” A green light pulsed from Applejack's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-green glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind was a desert canyon and rocks and pebbles landed on her limbs as she stomped and punched, creating her uniform with each strike. A boulder landed on her head and a loud neigh was heard. With a final stomp, she posed in a boxing stance. A red light pulsed out of Rainbow's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-red glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a thunderstorm and lightning struck each of her limbs as she punched and kicked, creating her uniform. A final bolt struck her head at the same time a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Streaks of electricity jolted between her fingers as she posed as if she had just finished a guitar solo. A blue light pulsed from Rarity's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-blue glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was an expansive ocean and streams of water struck her limbs as she danced over the surface, creating her uniform. A wave of water crashed into her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. A ripple pulsed from beneath her as she posed like a dancer awaiting applause. A yellow light pulsed from Fluttershy's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-yellow glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a field of flowers and petals landed on each of her limbs as she spun around, each petal forming her uniform. A final burst of petals encircled her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Flower petals flew about her as she posed like a ballerina. A pink light pulsed from Pinkie's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-pink glow, leaving her head and over-the-top smile exposed. Appearing behind her were the tops of clouds in which she cartwheeled and bounced around, causing tufts to fly off her and create her uniform. She stuck her head in a cloud and pulled it out as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. She then posed with her hands stretched out as if saying 'Don’t talk to me' to two people. “Element of Honesty!” Applejack announced and posed. “Power Ranger Green!” “Element of Loyalty!” Rainbow announced and posed. “Power Ranger Red!” “Element of Generosity!” Rarity announced and posed. “Power Ranger Blue!” “Element of Kindness!” Fluttershy announced and posed. “Power Ranger Yellow!” “Element of Laughter!” Pinkie announced and posed. “Power Ranger Pink!” “Friendship’s Might, Ready to Fight!” they all called and posed; Rainbow in the center, Applejack and Rarity flanking her, and Pinkie and Fluttershy on the outer edges. “Power Rangers Crystal Harmony!” “Destroy them!” Hippounder ordered as the Knightmares and Juggerknights charged. The Rangers quickly drew their special weapons and charged the dark soldiers, slashing and bashing them all aside. “Ha! Is it me or are they going down easier than before?” Pinkie smirked as she swung her nunchucks in wide arcs, ringing the Knightmares’ helmets like bells with every strike. “Well, the extra muscle is certainly putting up more of a fight.” Rarity remarked, digging her heels into the ground as a few Juggerknights forced her back, but then she dropped down and swung her axe in a wide arc, slashing them all down before she stood up in the middle as they exploded. “Still not enough, though.” Fluttershy weaved between the swords and maces of the foot soldiers, slicing and blasting as she went. “At least things are easier for this one fight,” she remarked… before she saw a few Knightmares leveling vicious-looking crossbows at her. “Me and my big mouth.” Almost on instinct, she jumped and rolled in the air between the energy arrows fired from the Knightmares’ crossbows before she landed and suddenly linked the handles of her blades together, the wings extending out into the arms of a bow before she pulled the trigger, a much more powerful blast shooting out of her weapon and destroying the would-be firing squad. “Whoa. I like this.” she smiled as she split her weapon back into its tonfa mode and charged again. Rainbow and Applejack meanwhile focused on Hippounder, with Rainbow deflecting his fireballs with the Bolt Saber as Applejack swung her hammer at him. “You think you can beat me, Green Ranger? I’ve stomped you twice already, and that was before I had control of my allergies.” the monster sneered, sneezing fire out with much more control this time. Rainbow just smiled and slashed the fire-blasts in half with her sword, knocking them away to explode. “I’m sorry; I just still can’t take you seriously with that voice,” she remarked. “Not that it’ll matter soon. Let’s cut to the chase!” With that one-liner, Rainbow slashed across the monster’s gut with her sword, making him stumble toward Applejack. “This is for my sister, ya big lump!” the cowgirl bellowed as she swung her hammer into the beast’s gut, knocking him back into a wall. The other Rangers quickly grouped up, knowing just what to do next. “Alright gals, let’s bring ‘em together!” “Weapons, Combine!” the Rangers announced. The handle of Rarity’s axe quickly slid into the handle of Rainbow’s sword as Applejack’s hammer locked in on top of the axe, one of the hammerheads forming what looked like a weapon stock. Then Fluttershy’s tonfa-blades linked into the tip of Rainbow’s sword with their barrels ready to fire and Pinkie’s nunchucks locked into the sides of the upper hammerhead, their heads aiming forward as they opened to reveal large blast emitters as Rainbow grabbed the trigger and the others quickly steadied the weapon by grabbing its sides. “Harmonic Crystal Cannon!” “Guessing it’s too late to talk about this?” Hippounder asked. “Final Strike Keys locked!” the Rangers called as Rainbow opened the upper head of the hammer in the stock, letting the Rangers lock their Keys into it before it closed and Rainbow spun the Disk between the hammer’s heads, powering up the cannon. “Harmonic Final Strike!” the Rangers bellowed as Rainbow pulled the trigger, blasting the villain with a large rainbow-colored shot of energy out at the monster. “Gah! I had to ask!” Hippounder bellowed in pain as he fell to the ground and exploded. “How many times does one idiot have to fail before we send someone truly powerful enough to destroy the Rangers in one attack?” Eclipse asked in anger. “We’ll find that out when the time comes. In the meantime…” Tantabus assured as she stepped forward, her pike glowing with dark magic. “Power of Darkness, Heed my Command! Grant this Beast a Final Stand!” She slammed her blade into the ground, and just as before, a dark storm cloud formed above the monster’s remains before a bolt of lightning shot down and struck them, flashing the surrounding area like a photo negative before Hippounder suddenly reformed and grew 30 stories tall. “Still think I’m ridiculous?!” he roared down at the Rangers, his voice now much deeper and more intimidating. “Voice-wise, no! But you still look stupid!” Rainbow called up at the monster. “Taunt the monster after we defeat him, Darling.” Rarity reminded as she retrieved her Zord Key. “Right, right.” Rainbow nodded as she and the others followed her lead. “Let’s do this!” “Zord Keys Locked!” they announced as they locked the Keys into their Harmonizers and spun the Disks. “Crystal Zords, Harmonize!” As the Disks sparked, the Zords raced into the city from their hangars and let the girls quickly leap aboard, quickly deploying their Megazord Keys. “Megazord Keys locked!” the rangers called as they locked their Keys into the sliders and slammed them back into the Locks. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Harmonize!” They all spun their spinners and they sparked to life. “Zords Combine!” Applejack’s Zord spun into reverse and its rear bumper split in half, the rear quarters of the truck extending into thighs as the pegs formed from the bumpers locked into the rear ends of Rarity and Pinkie’s Zords, the whole assembly braking hard to force itself upright. The truck’s cannons moved down the newly formed torso to the midriff as the cabin split in half and folded out into shoulders to reveal a head that glittered like crystal with pony ears as pegs folded out from the shoulders. Rainbow and Fluttershy’s Zords both folded their wings in and locked into those pegs by their rear ends as large hands folded out from under the cockpits, a panel in the chest folding to form a breastplate emblazoned with the same ornate gold arrangement as the Rangers’ belt buckles. Then the head’s eyes flashed as it stood ready to fight. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Ready!” Then Rainbow deployed the Saber Key and slammed it into her Crystal Lock. “Saber Key locked!” she called. “Crystal Clash Saber, Harmonize!” With a spin of the Disk, the Megazord’s sword materialized once again but this time, the Megazord swung the weapon to touch its hip, magnetically linking the gold scabbard into place before the Megazord drew the silver sword. “Let’s finish this!” Hippounder bellowed as he raised his club, charging the Megazord and clashing with it. “Is that the best you’ve got, buddy? Ha, this is gonna be a piece of cake.” Rainbow smirked as the Megazord clashed hard against the monster’s club, knocking it aside and letting the Megazord get in a good cut across the monster’s nose. “Gragh! Alright, now I’m mad!” Hippounder scowled and started sneezing over and over, blasting massive fireballs out at the Megazord. The Rangers did what they could to deflect the blasts, but there were too many, and before long, the Crystal Clash Saber was knocked from its hands and the Megazord fell back to the ground. “Gah! We’re getting creamed!” Pinkie called in worry. “If this is it, gals, then Ah gotta tell ya; I’m sorry for bein’ so bullheaded earlier! Ah just hate lyin’ to my kin like I’ve been!” Applejack said seriously. “It’s fine, Darling. If we survive this, we’ll gladly back you up if you tell your family.” Rarity assured. “That’s a promise.” Fluttershy agreed as she and Rainbow righted the Megazord onto its feet. “Ready for another beating? Alright then!” Hippounder smirked. The Rangers were more than ready, but the Megazord’s saber had been knocked out of its reach. “Great. Now what?” asked Rainbow. Then something strange happened; out of nowhere, Applejack’s Battle Gear Key ejected itself from her belt and flashed in her hand. “Ah think I’ve got an idea.” the cowgirl smirked as she opened her console’s Crystal Lock. “Battle Gear Key Locked!” She slammed the Lock closed and smiled as she spun the Disk. “Megazord Weapon, Harmonize!” As the Disk sparked, the green gem in the Ranger Emblem on the Megazord’s chest flashed forward and materialized into a massive green apple. The girls were confused until the Megazord reached to grab it by the stem… which then extended from the apple on a long chain like a meteor hammer. “Ho-ho yeah, that oughtta do the trick.” Rainbow smiled as the Megazord pulled the chain and lifted the hammer to its hand. “Weapon of Honesty; Apple Mace!” the Rangers announced as the Megazord spun its new weapon, easily bludgeoning Hippounder’s club out of the beast’s hand. “Hey! Cheaters! No one said anything about new weapons!” Hippounder yelled. “No one said anything about being an evil meanie either, but you’re doing it!” Pinkie pointed out. “And either way, it’s one of the best rules in a fight,” Applejack smirked. “When outmatched, cheat.” She could almost hear Sunset smirking at that back in the Command Center as the Megazord swung the mace over and over, wrapping the monster in the chain before pulling hard and sending him into a spin that knocked him into a building. “Let’s finish him off!” Rainbow smiled as she raised her Final Strike Key. “Right!” the others agreed and drew their keys as well, slamming them into their Crystal Locks and slamming them shut. “Final Strike Keys locked!” They reached their hands across their chests, ready for the final attack. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Final Strike!” With one powerful spin, the Megazord surged with power that raced through the Apple Mace, which the Megazord spun above its head while the apple at the end of the chain grew massive. “Apple Mace; Bumper Crop Bash!” With one final upward swing, the mace bashed the monster into the air screaming before it exploded in the air. The Rangers all cheered at their victory as the Megazord stood down, the chain of the mace between its hands. “Perfect Harmony: Crystal Clear Skies ahead!” Rainbow announced proudly. After the battle, the team returned to school whooping up their latest victory. “That was awesome! I still can’t believe we can give the Megazord new weapons with old keys!” Rainbow cheered. “I didn’t know you could.” Twilight noted scientifically. “Not until the Apple Mace appeared. It must have something to do with the Geodes being linked to the Elements of Harmony. The Mace only activated after Applejack was honest about her true intentions.” “Let’s not worry about it for now, Twilight.” Sunset insisted. “For now, let’s just be happy about another win.” “And speaking of being honest…” Rainbow remarked, pointing into the main office where the girls saw Applejack’s family, as well as Flash, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Principal Celestia, and Vice Principal Luna. “Guessing you called them?” “Ah had to,” Applejack remarked as she walked into the office. “Howdy, y’all. I got words and Ah figure y’all need to hear ‘em.” She looked at her family and breathed deeply as she took her hat off. “Ah’ve been lyin’ to ya for weeks now, and it’s gettin’ in the way of a lotta stuff, and it even got Apple Bloom’s arm broken. So Ah figure it’s ‘bout time Ah got it out there.” “Now Applejack, you ain’t gotta say nothin’.” Granny Smith assured with care in her voice, making Applejack smile. “… ‘Cause we already know it! Ya really think you could keep it from yer old granny that you’re the Green Ranger?” “Wait, you knew?!” Applejack asked in surprise, echoed on the faces of the others. “You all knew?” “Eeyup.” Big Mac nodded. “It wasn’t exactly hard to figure out.” Flash shrugged. “The whole school knows.” “Aw, come on!” Rainbow said in annoyance. “It’s true. The absences Luna’s covered for, the obvious symbols…” Celestia pointed out. “The whole school knows you’re the Power Rangers.” “Is that why you girls went to that battle?” Rarity asked Sweetie Belle. “Well… yeah. Why else? We wanted to see our big sisters and their friends being heroes!” Sweetie Belle smiled. “Well… if nothing else, that means we won’t have to sneak around on Ranger business anymore.” Twilight shrugged, trying to look on the bright side. “Yeah, and it means I’ll get to flaunt my awesomeness around to all our friends,” Rainbow smirked. “Not according to Ranger Rule Number 1.” Sunset reminded, taking the wind out of Rainbow’s sails again. “No abuse of power or no power, period.” “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m not that crazy.” Rainbow pointed out. “That’s debatable.” Rarity rolled her eyes. “Well, either way, at least things will be easier now.” Fluttershy shrugged. “But… does anyone else feel like we’re forgetting something?” “Oh yeah! We need to throw a ‘High School Heroes’ party!” Pinkie smiled. “No, not that.” Fluttershy shook her head. “Um, I mean that does sound like fun, but… there’s something else.” “I think I remember what,” Rainbow noted as she glanced out of the office and saw Lyra Heartstrings walking down the hall with BonBon. “We still need to give a piece of our minds to the one who made RangerStation in the first place.” “Mind if I take charge of that, Red?” Applejack asked as she cracked her neck. “Be my guest,” Rainbow smirked as the Rangers raced from the office, chasing Lyra and BonBon down the hall as those in the office laughed – this would be fun. Ch. 6: Broken WingsSomewhat predictably, the knowledge that everyone at CHS knew they were the Power Rangers sent Rainbow Dash’s ego into overdrive as she almost constantly went around school in costume, showing off her Ranger powers to everyone who would watch… and even some who wouldn’t, much to the chagrin of the rest of her team, especially one day when she co-opted the lunch period for target practice with her Harmonic Defender. “Honestly, when will the Morphing Grid catch up to Rainbow’s abuse of her power?” Rarity asked as she watched her blast empty cans out of a stack with ease. “Believe me; I wish I knew,” Twilight remarked as Rainbow basked in the adulation of her peers. “But I gotta tell you; watching this makes me wish I built my own kill-switch into the Harmonizers.” “Well, hopefully she’ll get her priorities straight sooner rather than later and it won’t be necessary.” Sunset shrugged. “I know what you mean. Dashie’s never fun when she shows off like this.” Pinkie agreed with a pout. That was when the Rangers’ Harmonizers beeped, Gloriosa’s face quickly coming up on the screen. “Knightmare attack at the mall,” she reported. “We’re on it.” Applejack nodded as she quickly stood up and whistled over to Rainbow. “Put the spurs to ‘er, Nelly; we got work to do.” “I heard.” Rainbow nodded as she locked her helmet on and smiled at the other students. “Sorry guys, but the rest of the city needs my awesomeness too.” With that and nothing more to say, Rainbow teleported out of the school. “We’d best get after her before she gets herself hurt.” Rarity remarked in annoyance as she stood up. “Right. Let’s move.” Applejack nodded as she and the others locked their Morph Keys into their Harmonizers. “Harmonize!” With that move, the Rangers all instantly morphed and teleported to the mall, where they saw Rainbow already fighting a legion of Knightmares, clearly showing off with every move. “Took you guys long enough!” Rainbow smirked as she swung her Bolt Saber around almost theatrically and she sliced three Knightmares down. “Some of us had to change.” Rarity pointed out bitterly as she raised her Defender and charged a group of Knightmares. “Excuses!” Rainbow smirked as she swung over to the group Rarity was targeting and cut them down. “Do you mind? I had those ones well in hand!” Rarity remarked in annoyance. “Gotta be faster than that,” Rainbow smirked as she drew her Defender and started slicing through more Knightmares with both her swords. “If ya wouldn’t mind not showin’ off?” Applejack asked as she blasted a few Knightmares down. “Who’s showing off?” Rainbow smirked as she tossed the Bolt Saber, letting it bounce off a few targets, cleaving through Knightmares with every bounce before it landed back in her hand. “What’s the point of fighting off evil if we can’t look awesome doing it?” “You’re right, but you’re sucking all the fun out of it!” Pinkie pointed out in annoyance as she swung her nunchucks around. “Slicing up Knightmares isn’t fun; it’s easy!” Rainbow smiled as she slashed through the last few of the soldiers, which exploded in red lightning and dark shadows. “Whoo! Aw yeah, we’re awesome!” “Might as well just say you’re awesome; you did most of the work,” Applejack remarked bitterly. “Aw thanks, glad you noticed.” Rainbow smiled. “And hogged all the fun.” Rarity added. “Knightmares? Come on, we can handle those things without morphing; it’s no big deal. The real fun comes when the Dream Demon shows up.” Rainbow pointed out. “How right you are, Red Ranger!” The screechy voice came from high above, and sure enough, when the Rangers looked through the mall’s glass skylight, they saw a monster soaring above the building… before it divebombed through the glass and landed in front of them, appearing like a humanoid griffin with a vicious-looking beak, piercing red eyes, and gold talon-like hands with large wings behind her back. “This will be fun!” “Oughtta be.” Rainbow smiled and charged the beast alone. “Wha-? Dashie, wait!” Pinkie yelled as the other Rangers ran after her. Rainbow didn’t listen; she was too busy slashing her sword against the beast’s talons, not even letting her team get in a hit. “You really think you can handle me, birdbrain?” “Yeah, I do. And the name’s Griffonshriek.” the monster sneered as she swiped her claws at the Red Ranger in return. “Wanna see why?” She tossed Rainbow back and let out an ear-piercing shriek to push Rainbow and the other Rangers back. “That all you got? I snore louder than that!” Rainbow laughed as she charged, slashing at the griffon with powerful slashes before she finally opened her sword’s Crystal Lock and retrieved a key. “Final Strike Key locked!” Rainbow announced as she locked her Key into the base of her Bolt Saber, spinning the Disk above the handle and making the blade spark to life with electricity. “Bolt Saber! Thunder Slash!” She swung her sword as she went into a powerful spin, letting loose a torrent of red lightning to hit the monster before she landed right in front of it and delivered a powerful upward slash. Griffonshriek snarled as she stumbled back. “This isn’t over, Rangers!” she screeched before she suddenly disappeared in a cloud of feathers. “Yeah, whatever,” Rainbow smirked. “So much for fun. Power Down!” The team de-morphed and looked around their latest battleground. “Y’know, it probably would’ve been a little more fun if you hadn’t taken all the action for yerself.” Applejack pointed out bitterly. “Hey, I’m the Red Ranger. Red Ranger takes the lead.” Rainbow argued. “And you did a pretty good job of it.” The girls were surprised by that voice, especially when they saw its source; a girl with bright white hair and hawkish golden eyes wearing brown pants and jacket with a white fur collar, bright yellow leather gloves, and gray boots. “Gilda?! He-hey!” Rainbow laughed as she walked over with a grin. “How you been, you idiot?” “Right back at ya, dork!” Gilda smiled and gave Rainbow a very elaborate fist bump before they hugged like old friends. “Friend of yours?” Rarity asked, still bitter after the fight. “One of my best.” Rainbow nodded, wrapping an arm over Gilda’s shoulder. “Girls, this is Gilda.” “Sup, nerds?” Gilda smirked, looking back at Rainbow Dash. “Nice to see you’ve still got a decent hype crew.” “‘Hype crew’?!” Applejack asked, quite insulted. “Easy, Gilda; that’s my team you’re talkin’ about.” Rainbow pointed out. “Ah, c’mon. You don’t need them; you showed it.” Gilda countered. “Where were you that you saw the fight?” Rarity asked. “Eh, don’t worry about that.” Gilda shrugged. “Point is that my girl Dash is still kickin’ butt.” “You know it.” Rainbow smiled and high-fived Gilda. “Hey, if you’re not too busy, we should catch up.” “Oh, absolutely.” Gilda nodded and they walked away, the new girl casting a sidelong glance over her shoulder at the other Rangers. “Don’t wait up.” Applejack adjusted her hat in annoyance. “Don’t worry; we won’t,” she said firmly. As they watched the Rangers walk apart through the viewing crystal in the Lucid Lands, Midnight chuckled. “I’m impressed. If I’d known Rainbow’s ego had so much influence over her actions, I’d have put this plan into action sooner.” “Either way, Midnight, this plan had better work.” Eclipse threatened. “We’ve had more than enough false starts from these Dream Demons, and Griffonshriek hasn’t exactly impressed so far.” “Don’t be so paranoid, Eclipse.” Midnight assured as the pool focused on something else wreathed in shadows. “As long as the spell stays intact, Griffonshriek will only keep getting stronger. And once she’s strong enough, the Rangers will be destroyed.” “Fine. But if this fails, I’m throwing you under the bus with the Mistress. Remember that.” Eclipse scowled angrily. When Rainbow finally met back up with the other Rangers at the Command Center, she was flying and laughing… until she stopped and saw the looks on her friends’ faces. “What?” “Is that really all you have to say?” Rarity asked in irritation. “Rainbow Dash, you’ve been so busy showing off that you seem to barely care about our responsibilities.” “Hey, c’mon! I’m just trying to let everyone know how awesome and unstoppable the Power Rangers are!” Rainbow pointed out. “By flaunting your powers around school?” Sunset asked seriously. “Whatever happened to Ranger Rule number 1? Y’know, never use your power for personal gain? I’m pretty sure showing off to inflate your ego counts.” “And then you ditched us to hang out with Gilda, who we didn’t even know existed, by the way,” Pinkie added. “I mean, you could’ve told us you had another friend.” “Well… me and Gilda kinda left things on weird terms.” Rainbow shrugged. “Honestly, I think the last time I saw her was when she was getting out of the hospital.” That drew some serious attention. “Yikes. What happened?” asked Timber. “Eh, we were just being stupid kids messing around at the zoo.” Rainbow shrugged. “She ended up ticking off a peacock and got talons to the face. After she got out of the hospital, she just moved away. Today was the first time I’ve seen her since. Kinda glad she healed up so well if I’m being honest; I didn’t even see any scars.” “I guess we can show some leniency for a reunion like that.” Twilight shrugged. “But still, the fact that you’ve been misusing your powers just for attention has been a major problem. And it had better stop fast before something really bad happens.” “Relax. You know I’m right there with you guys if an attack comes.” Rainbow assured. That was when the alarm went off, sending Timber jumping onto the console. “Looks like you just got your chance. Griffonshriek’s back; downtown.” “On it.” Rainbow nodded and immediately teleported away. “Better go back her up.” Applejack relented, prompting the other Rangers to quickly teleport to Rainbow. Having morphed mid-transit, they saw Rainbow once again clashing with the griffon monster and ignoring the Knightmares swarming around her, which her team quickly dealt with. “This is getting rather old, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity pointed out as she deflected the maces of a few Juggerknights with her ax. “We can’t always be bailing you out – we’re supposed to be a team.” Another Juggerknight almost attacked Rarity from behind but was immediately shot down with a quick blast from Rainbow’s Defender. “Who says we aren’t? I can watch my team’s back and fight the monster – it’s called multitasking.” Rainbow smiled, blasting down Knightmares while slashing at Griffonshriek. “How’s this for multitasking? Flying and crashing.” Griffonshriek smirked before she kicked Rainbow into the air, sending her flying into a wall which she crashed into. Rainbow groaned as she stood up. “Okay, not bad. But I’m just getting warmed up.” With that, she leaped into the air and flew down toward the monster in a flying kick, hitting it square in the beak and sending Griffonshriek stumbling back before Rainbow brought her sword down hard in a shoulder-slash, kicking up a large explosion that sent Griffonshriek tumbling back. The monster groaned as she stood up and scowled at the Red Ranger as she clutched at her shoulder. “This isn’t over yet, Red Ranger! You’re mine!” she screeched before she launched into the air. “Whew. Well, that was fun a little more fun.” Rainbow smirked as she holstered her Defender, glancing over at her friends. “You didn’t honestly think I was gonna leave you guys hanging like that?” “I admit, I had my doubts.” Rarity shrugged. “Honestly, Ah still do,” Applejack remarked as she crossed her arms. “Oh come on, cut me some slack,” Rainbow remarked as she patted her friend on the shoulder. “I’m not gonna bail on you again. Not unless it’s for a good reason.” Thankfully, a good reason suddenly showed up as Gilda stumbled around the corner. “Dash!” she groaned, clutching her shoulder. “Whoa, Gilda. You okay?” Rainbow asked as she ran over to her friend. “Yeah. Yeah, got caught by one of those knights before you guys got here. That monster was crazy.” Gilda groaned as she held her shoulder. “Yeah, no kidding.” Rainbow nodded as she helped Gilda to her feet. She turned to the other Rangers. “Hey, I gotta get Gilda to a hospital; get this looked at.” “Very well. Meet us at the Command Center when you’re done.” Rarity instructed. “Got it.” Rainbow nodded and powered down, carrying Gilda carefully down the street. As soon as she was gone, the other Rangers all quickly teleported back to base and de-morphed. Sunset was the first to speak as she stepped over. “Lemme guess; Rainbow Dash ditched you again?” she asked in annoyance. “She had a fine reason for it this time; Gilda was injured in the battle.” Rarity assured. “Yeah, but not the way I’m thinkin’ it,” Applejack remarked. “Glad I’m not the only one suspicious. I checked medical records for Gilda.” Twilight noted, bringing up a screen of information that intrigued the group. Rainbow received the same information when the doctor came out with Gilda after fitting her arm in a sling. “I must say, I’m impressed,” he remarked. “I’ve seen injuries left by bird attacks before, including peacocks so I’m surprised you don’t have any scars.” “Guess I heal up fast.” Gilda shrugged as best she could. “Well, I’m glad but I gotta say, I’m kinda disappointed,” Rainbow remarked. “Those scars made you look awesome.” “Thanks, Dash. Seriously: I know you’ve got a lot on your plate running things here.” Gilda smiled as they walked out of the hospital. “Especially with what Tantabus has cooking.” “Yeah, it’s tough, but I know I can count on the other Rangers,” Rainbow remarked. “But they don’t seem to think they can count on me all that well lately.” “Ah c’mon, you don’t need ‘em. Bet you can take care of this yourself.” Gilda pointed out. “Hey, I’m awesome, but I’m big enough to admit when I need help from my friends,” Rainbow assured. “And I’m also smart enough to tell you to drop the act because it’s getting old.” Gilda appeared surprised by this. “‘Act’?” “You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Rainbow pointed out as she subtly adjusted her Harmonizer. “You only got that injury because I put it there.” Gilda couldn’t help but smirk as she shrugged off the sling, her eyes flashing red. “Well played, Red Ranger.” In a swirl of shadows, Gilda immediately transformed into Griffonshriek and shot bolts of dark lightning out at Rainbow from her claws, but Rainbow immediately backflipped out of the way of the explosion… right before two energy blasts shot out of nowhere and hit Griffonshriek in the chest, sending her stumbling back as the other Rangers landed next to Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie spinning their Defenders in blaster-mode on their fingers. “What?! How did you-!?” “Smile for the camera,” Rainbow smirked as she tapped the video-com screen on her Harmonizer, a playback of Griffonshriek’s transformation playing and broadcasting to the other Harmonizers. “I must say, this was rather devious of you Darling.” Rarity smiled. “I have my moments.” Rainbow returned as Griffonshriek charged. “Speaking of, if I could get a moment to change?” “You got it.” Pinkie smiled as the Rangers quickly clashed with Griffonshriek, blades and blasters meeting talons as Rainbow locked her Morph Key into her Harmonizer. “Power Rangers!” Rainbow called before she spun her Geode Disk. “Harmonize!” A red light pulsed out of Rainbow's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-red glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a thunderstorm and lightning struck each of her limbs as she punched and kicked, creating her uniform. A final bolt struck her head at the same time a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Streaks of electricity jolted between her fingers as she posed as if she had just finished a guitar solo. Once morphed, Rainbow leaped over her team and brought her Defender down hard against Griffonshriek’s face before they started dueling her five-against-one. “Can I just say that I’m really glad you guys showed up?” Rainbow asked seriously as she swung her blade. “Hey, you’re always there for us. So we’re always there for you.” Pinkie grinned as she knocked Griffonshriek back into a wall. “Then let’s end this for real.” Rainbow smiled as she drew her Battle Gear Key, the other Rangers following her lead. “Battle Gear Keys locked!” the Rangers bellowed and spun their Disks, summoning their weapons to their hands before hoisting them high. “Weapons, Combine!” The handle of Rarity’s axe quickly slid into the handle of Rainbow’s sword as Applejack’s hammer locked in on top of the axe, one of the hammerheads forming what looked like a weapon stock. Then Fluttershy’s tonfa-blades linked into the tip of Rainbow’s sword with their barrels ready to fire and Pinkie’s nunchucks locked into the sides of the upper hammerhead, their heads aiming forward as they opened to reveal large blast emitters as Rainbow grabbed the trigger and the others quickly steadied the weapon by grabbing its sides. “Harmonic Crystal Cannon!” “No wait! Destroy me, and you destroy Gilda too!” Griffonshriek pleaded. “You at least have one thing in common with Gilda; you’re a terrible liar,” Rainbow smirked as she opened the upper head of the hammer in the cannon’s stock. “Final Strike Keys locked!” the Rangers called as they locked their Keys into the cannon before the stock closed and Rainbow spun the Disk between the hammer’s heads, powering up the cannon. “Harmonic Final Strike!” the Rangers bellowed as Rainbow pulled the trigger, blasting the villain with a large rainbow-colored shot of energy out at the monster. “Grraaaagh!” Griffonshriek cried in pain as she fell to her knees and exploded, the blast knocking what looked like the real Gilda out and onto the street, some faint magic fading from her face to reveal nasty scars. In the Lucid Lands, Tantabus had just seen this failure in the viewing crystal and clutched her weapon in annoyance. “Disappointing. And after you went to so much trouble perfecting a spell to allow a Dream Demon to possess a human, Midnight.” she sneered. “A good plan. Just a bit… lacking in its execution.” Midnight relented. “More than a bit, I should say.” Eclipse pointed out. “Still, she did well so I suppose we should allow her one more attempt.” “Indeed.” Tantabus nodded as she hefted her blade, dark magic forming around the tip. “Power of Darkness, Heed my Command! Grant this Beast a Final Stand!” She slammed her blade into the ground, and just as before, a dark storm cloud formed above the monster’s remains before a bolt of lightning shot down and struck them, flashing the surrounding area like a photo negative before Griffonshriek suddenly reformed and grew 30 stories tall. “Let’s see you ruffle my feathers this time, Rangers!” she screeched angrily. “You want it, you got it!” Rainbow smiled as the Rangers flipped their belts’ levers to retrieve their Zord Keys. “Zord Keys Locked!” they announced as they locked the Keys into their Morphers and spun the Disks. “Crystal Zords, Harmonize!” As the Disks sparked, the Zords raced into the city from their hangars and let the girls quickly leap aboard, quickly deploying their Megazord Keys. “Megazord Keys locked!” the rangers called as they locked their Keys into the sliders and slammed them back into the Locks. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Harmonize!” They all spun their spinners and they sparked to life. “Zords Combine!” Applejack’s Zord spun into reverse and its rear bumper split in half, the rear quarters of the truck extending into thighs as the pegs formed from the bumpers locked into the rear ends of Rarity and Pinkie’s Zords, the whole assembly braking hard to force itself upright. The truck’s cannons moved down the newly formed torso to the midriff as the cabin split in half and folded out into shoulders to reveal a head that glittered like crystal with pony ears as pegs folded out from the shoulders. Rainbow and Fluttershy’s Zords both folded their wings in and locked into those pegs by their rear ends as large hands folded out from under the cockpits, a panel in the chest folding to form a breastplate emblazoned with the same ornate gold arrangement as the Rangers’ belt buckles. Then the head’s eyes flashed as it stood ready to fight. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Ready!” “Saber Key locked!” Rainbow called, locking her Key into the Lock. “Crystal Clash Saber, Harmonize!” With a spin of the disk, the sword and sheath materialized on the Megazord’s hip, letting it draw the blade to combat. Griffonshriek screeched in anger as she charged at the Megazord, her claws clashing against the sword as the Rangers fought back. “I know she was impersonating your friend and all Dashie, but this girl really isn’t fun.” Pinkie pointed out. “Yeah, tell me about it.” Rainbow nodded before the Megazord was suddenly rocked by a large blast from the monster’s eyes. “But the good news is that since she isn’t Gilda, we don’t have to hold back.” With that in mind, the Megazord attacked with much more vigor, swinging the saber more wildly to deflect Griffonshriek’s equally wild strikes. “Impressive. But your attempts to beat me down are futile!” the monster screeched and let out a piercing scream, blasting the Megazord onto its back, the sword knocked from its hands. “Guh! Any ideas? I’m well and truly open!” Rarity pointed out as Griffonshriek leaped into the air, gliding on her large wings. “Me too. All I know is I’m not ditching you guys ever again; I promise!” Rainbow smiled. As if on cue, her Battle Gear Key shot into her hand, glowing a bright red. “Looks like you won’t have to; the playing field just leveled.” Applejack smiled. “Let’s take it for a spin then.” Rainbow smiled as she opened her Crystal Lock. “Battle Gear Key locked!” She slammed the Lock shut and spun the Disk hard. “Megazord Weapon, Harmonize!” In a bright flash as the Disk sparked, the red gem in the Ranger Emblem on the Megazord’s chest flashed forward before flying behind the Megazord, opening almost like a beetle shell to spread a span of large wings with crystalline feathers shaped like lightning bolts, which fused to the Megazord’s arms. “Ho-ho, nice!” Rainbow smiled as the wings were spread, the feather tips at the mech’s hands flexing like large fans. “Weapon of Loyalty: Thunder Wings!” “Does this mean the Megazord can fly now?” Pinkie asked in excitement. “Only one way to find out.” Rainbow smiled, flexing her fingers on her globe. “Going airborne!” On that command, the Megazord launched skyward on a red contrail from the wings as they soared after the dark monster. “What?!” Griffonshriek asked in surprise at the sight of the machine. “Surprise!” Rainbow grinned as the Megazord slashed at her with its wings, knocking her back in the air a bit. Griffonshriek scowled angrily as she righted herself. “Think I’m scared? I’ll take you down no matter what!” she screeched and flew toward the Megazord. “Only if you can catch us!” Rarity smiled as the Megazord started flying, easily taking the lead against the monster. “And good luck with that!” Applejack laughed, the Megazord easily bobbing and weaving around her strikes in midair while delivering their own blistering strikes. “Time to clip your wings!” Rainbow smiled, swinging the wings upward to strike Griffonshriek’s wings, knocking her out of the air. “All right, Rangers! Let’s finish this!” “Final Strike Keys locked!” They reached their hands across their chests, ready for the final attack. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Final Strike!” With one powerful spin, the Megazord surged with power that raced through the Thunder Wings, crackling with electricity as the Megazord divebombed toward the monster. “Thunder Wings! Storm Swoop Strike!” Just before it hit the ground, the Megazord spread the Thunder Wings and swooped upward, slashing across the monster’s side and sending her spinning. “You may have beaten me, but Tantabus will never allow you to interfere further!” Griffonshriek screeched in pain as she exploded. The Rangers just cheered for their victory as the Megazord powered down. “Perfect Harmony: Crystal Clear Skies ahead!” Rainbow announced happily. “Yet another failure.” Tantabus scowled at Griffonshriek’s destruction, clenching her fist around her blade. “And this one has given the Rangers vital information.” “We beg forgiveness, mistress.” Midnight pleaded seriously. “It was Eclipse’s idea; she’s the one who told her of whatever your plans were.” “Oh, thanks a lot, stupid.” Eclipse scowled. “Silence!” Tantabus snarled, stunning them both with the spells embedded in their bodies. “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” And she was clearly already coming up with plans to do just that. Soon enough, the Rangers were back at Sugarcube Corner when Rainbow walked in. “How’s Gilda?” Twilight asked. “Well, whatever Tantabus’s crazy magic did to her, they say she’s gonna make a full recovery.” Rainbow shrugged. “Out of curiosity, how did you know Gilda was Griffonshriek?” Rarity asked. “For one, the only times we ever saw her was right after we fought the monster,” Rainbow explained. “That ain’t a lot to go on.” Applejack pointed out. “Maybe now, but how about this?” Rainbow smiled. “She said Tantabus had some big master plan in the works. I never even mentioned her.” “Ah. Well, that’d do it.” Sunset nodded in understanding. Rainbow sighed as she sat down at the table. “Look, I’m really sorry about everything that happened, girls.” she apologized. “I promise I’ll follow the rules now; I’ll be with you 110% from now on. No more abusing my Ranger powers.” “Hey, Rainbows.” That was when Fluttershy’s brother Zephyr showed up. “I was wonderin’ when you’d finally come crawlin’ to me.” Rainbow immediately cringed. “I can still abuse the teleporter though, right?” she asked quietly. “I think we all will.” Sunset agreed as she quickly paid their check, leading them to the door. “Will you excuse us for a second, Zephyr? Girl business.” Before Zephyr could interject, the Rainbooms zipped out of the café and into the alley next door, immediately teleporting away.
Ch. 1: Shadows over CanterlotCanterlot City had seen some pretty crazy things over the last few months, most of it centralized around Canterlot High School, but with the end of this latest school year and graduation for the senior class right around the corner, one age of adventure was almost over for the city’s great heroes, though they weren’t actually known as the ones behind it. Even so, it gave them enough time for Twilight to drag her friends into one more of her countless science projects in the lab she’d set herself up with at the school. “So what exactly is this about, darling?” Rarity asked. “Shouldn’t we be preparing for our finals and graduation?” “And why do you need our Geodes for this little science project?” Rainbow Dash asked in annoyance; it was bad enough that this experiment was keeping the girls from their typical afterschool band practice – especially since the Rainbooms had been making a killing performing at charity events – but for Twilight to take the girls’ Geode pendants the week prior made it an even more raw deal since it meant she’d taken their superpowers with them. “Because the Geodes are the focus of the experiment,” Twilight assured as she worked with a small soldering iron. “You’re not trying to study our magic, are you? Because I’ve already told you how poorly that worked out for me.” Sunset pointed out. “Believe me; I remember. And thankfully, that’s not what I’m working on.” Twilight smiled as she closed what looked like a silver bracer with a gold disk on the top containing Rainbow Dash’s Geode. “I’m working on a series of containment matrixes to help focus the geodes’ powers.” “Why would we need that?” Rainbow asked… only to be met by a flurry of raised eyebrows. “Do you really need us to answer that question?” asked Spike. That was what helped Rainbow remember the time she’d overloaded her friends’ Geode powers by using her speed more and more often. “Ugh, that was one time.” “One time over two weeks.” Sunset reminded. “I prefer not to hear people’s thoughts in my head all the time, thanks.” “Well, if I can get these containment units to function properly, we shouldn’t have to worry about that,” Twilight assured as she handed the first one to Rainbow. “I also added a tracking function similar to the one from my amulet at the Friendship Games.” This earned her some concerned looks, so she quickly headed it off. “Uh, b-but just the tracking; no containment protocols. Believe me, I’ve learned since the Games.” The relief on her friends’ faces helped with that. “I also think that these devices might help us get better control over our power-up forms from Camp Everfree and the Memory Stone incident. Uh, here; let’s try it out.” Rainbow shrugged and strapped the metal bracer to her left wrist with the disk pointed to her hand, seeing her Geode contained in the center of the disk. “You sure this’ll work?” she asked. “Well, it is a prototype, but… I’m optimistic.” Twilight shrugged. Rainbow figured that was the best she would get, so she tapped the Geode through the disk but didn’t feel anything. “Oh. Uh, you- you have to spin it. That’s- that’s how it’s activated now.” Rainbow appeared annoyed already as she gave the disk a quick counterclockwise spin with her thumb… and immediately the device started sparking with red electricity. “Gah, whoa!” Rainbow panicked and quickly tore the device from her wrist, letting it fall to the floor near Fluttershy – who quickly recoiled in fear as the bracer sparked madly until it stopped. “What’n Sweet Apple’s name was that?” asked Applejack. “Well… I did say it was a prototype.” Twilight shrugged nervously. Sunset sighed as she bent down and picked up the bracer, finding it not overly hot but she could definitely smell fused circuitry inside it… as well as the smell of some manner of other scorched material she wasn’t familiar with. “Well, clearly it needs more work.” she pointed out as she handed it to Twilight. “I know. I just really thought it would work to at least give Rainbow Dash some control over her superspeed.” Twilight shrugged. “Well, look on the bright side; at least none of your powers went haywire once she spun it.” Spike pointed out. “Mm, fair point.” Rarity shrugged. “Why was it red?” asked Pinkie. “Huh?” the others asked. “The lightning. It was red.” Pinkie pointed out. “Is that really such a big deal?” Rainbow asked as she examined her wrist, just to make sure it hadn’t harmed her in any way. “Well, I should think so.” Rarity realized. “Sunset’s Geode is red, yours is blue. So why would this device shoot off red lightning?” “Exactly.” Pinkie pointed out. “Huh. Well, I guess that is a bit weird.” Twilight relented as she opened the tops of all the bracers. Sunset glanced over her shoulder and appeared surprised; the circuitry inside the bracers looked almost crystalline. “What did you wire these things with?” she asked. “Well, for our most recent date, Timber and I went spelunking in the crystal cave outside Camp Everfree,” Twilight remembered, blushing a bit as she remembered how she and Timber had officially started dating. “I wanted to see how the other crystals there interacted with my geode, and well… the response was… unusual.” “Define ‘unusual’, Darling.” Rarity asked. “Well, the crystals did definitely have traces of Equestrian magic, but… there was also something else. Some other form of energy I’m not familiar with.” Twilight shrugged. “So that’s why ya built in those detectors.” Applejack surmised. “Exactly.” Twilight nodded as she examined the crystalline wiring in Rainbow’s bracer. “Anyway, I’m doing what I can to experiment with those crystals to try and determine what exactly this other energy is, but so far – including this crystal wiring thing I’m trying right now – nothing’s really working, and now I’m gonna need new crystal wiring for Rainbow’s transformation sequence programming.” She perked up significantly when she noticed something. “On the plus side, it looks like the energy detector is still perfectly wired up.” “Might as well test that out now; see if it works better than the transformation sequence.” Sunset shrugged. “Fine by me.” Rainbow shrugged as she took the bracer again. But then she noticed something; Twilight and Sunset were the only ones not wearing these bracers. “Where are yours?” “Ran out of materials to make yours.” Twilight shrugged. “And like I said, I’m still only scratching the surface of what these crystals can do.” “Well, no time like the present to find out.” Applejack shrugged as she and the other girls took their own bracers and strapped them to their left wrists. “Fair enough. Now the tracking system is activated by the button at the end under the disk.” Twilight instructed. Rainbow shrugged and pressed that almost diamond-colored button and immediately a small screen on the back of the bracer started beeping like a radar screen, showing a strange pink blip… coming from the front of the school. “Huh. That’s weird.” Rainbow remarked. The others quickly pressed their tracker buttons and followed the signal out front… to the statue plinth. Pinkie glanced up and couldn’t help but sigh. “It’s just not the same without the Wondercolt statue,” she remarked. “Yeah, we seriously need to talk to Principal Celestia about letting us put on a show to pay for a new one.” Rainbow agreed. “How about after we figure out where this energy is coming from?” Sunset suggested. “That’s the odd thing, isn’t it? It seems to be coming from the portal itself.” Rarity pointed out as she examined the plinth. “What?” Twilight asked as she looked over Rarity’s shoulder and indeed saw that the energy signature was coming from the plinth. “That’s weird.” “Maybe it’s the portal’s magic?” Spike suggested. “No, I don’t think so.” Sunset shrugged and smirked at Twilight. “You remember what the portal’s magic does, don’t you?” “Believe me, I remember.” Twilight nodded; it would be hard to forget how she- no, Midnight Sparkle – had used the portal’s magic to try and tear this world asunder just to try and attack Equestria out of a lust for power. “That kind of power would probably fry the scanners beyond repair.” “Well then, what’s this power coming from?” Rainbow asked as she waved her bracer over the plinth. “I think I know,” Fluttershy noted as she stood on top of the plinth. The others looked and were more than a bit concerned by the size of the crack they saw in the stone. “Whoa. Where did this come from?” asked Rainbow. Twilight had a sneaking suspicion she knew. “From me,” she said quietly. “Midnight destroyed the statue. The blast must’ve cracked the plinth somehow.” “But why would there be magic coming from it?” Rainbow asked… right before another blip appeared on the screen on her bracer; a black blip… followed by a powerful blast of dark energy that shot into the sky from the crack. “Does that answer your question?” asked Applejack. “Yeah, and it’s given me a follow-up question; what was that?” asked Rainbow. “I have a bad feeling we’re gonna find out,” Sunset noted as the black energy shot into the school. “C’mon!” Quickly the Rainbooms raced into the school after the shadow. They saw it hover in the middle of the foyer for a second, so they took the opening to try and dogpile it before anything bad happened. Unfortunately, all that did was tangle the girls up in a big knot on the floor as the shadow flew down the hall… straight toward Vice Principal Luna, who had just rounded the corner. “Look out!” Luna looked up from her work just in time for the shadow to fly into her head. “Gah!” she cried in pain as she grabbed her head. Whatever was going on, a strange shadowy essence was flowing from her eyes before the shadow shot from her mind, sending Luna to the ground. The Rainbooms quickly raced to help their teacher as they watched the shadow float to the ground in front of them and reform into a shadowy being with what looked like wings and a unicorn horn holding a large double-bladed sword. Then the shadows disappeared and revealed this being was a woman in an old-fashioned dress… who looked like a dark reflection of Vice Principal Luna. “Ah… an unusual form… but I should be able to do some good work with it.” The girls were surprised: who or whatever this being was, it even sounded like Vice Principal Luna - if a bit darker in its tone of voice. The being looked over and saw the girls and appeared interested. “Ah, locals. Here to witness the arrival of your new mistress, no doubt.” “Guess again, ugly.” Rainbow scowled as she suddenly charged, hopeful her actions would trigger her Geode’s powers and activate her super-speed. But it didn’t work and before she could even try to get a hit in, this dark form shot a blast of dark energy from her blade and knocked Rainbow back into her friends’ arms, bowling them all over into the plinth. “Resistance. Humorous, but futile.” the dark being remarked mirthlessly. “Who are you?” asked Vice Principal Luna. “I am Tantabus; a spirit of dreams and child of Nightmare Moon.” the creature scowled. “Equestria has proven too much of a handful for me to try and conquer. But I’ve seen this world has no magic to oppose me, so I shall rule from your dreams and make your world a living nightmare.” “Keep dreaming.” Rainbow groaned as she stood up, holding her bracer at the ready. Twilight could clearly see what she was going to do. “Rainbow, no! The circuitry is fused; it might hurt you too badly!” “This lady’s gotta go down fast, Twilight. And fast is what I do best!” Rainbow smirked and spun the disk on her bracer. Just like before, it sparked madly with red electricity, but this time when she charged, she was moving much faster than before as red energy shot around her. “What?!” Tantabus yelled before Rainbow tackled her straight into a bank of lockers and stopped short, glowing with red energy. “Whoa… this never happened before,” she remarked in surprise as the other girls moved to her side. Sunset couldn’t help but smirk as she looked over at Tantabus. “You’re a bit behind on current events, Tantabus,” she smirked. “This world has had magic for months now, and we know how to use it.” Tantabus scowled as she looked at Sunset, her eyes lightly glowing… as she peered into Sunset and Twilight’s minds. She smirked as she saw what was locked away within. “Only fairly recently though, right?” she remarked. That statement left the girls confused until Tantabus shot two bolts of shadowy magic from her blade at Twilight and Sunset’s heads, entering their minds almost immediately. The two girls groaned in pain as Tantabus’ magic coursed through their minds before two large bursts of shadow shot out of their foreheads and landed next to the dark being, condensing into forms the girls all hoped they’d never see again: Sunset’s Demon form from the Fall Formal, and Midnight Sparkle. “Ah, it’s good to finally be free.” Demon Shimmer smirked. “You’re telling me.” Midnight agreed. “This is impossible; we destroyed you,” Sunset said in fear. “In this world, perhaps.” Tantabus smiled. “But in the world of dreams, their anger and lust for power festered. Until my timely arrival set them free. From now on, you both serve me.” “I suppose we owe you that much.” Demon Shimmer smirked. “As long as we get Equestria when we’re done with this world.” “Deal.” Tantabus nodded. The Rainbooms quickly stepped forward, ready to defend their friends. “You’re not getting Equestria on our watch,” Rainbow assured with strength. “And what are you going to do to stop us?” Midnight smirked as she raised a blast of magic in her hands. “At a guess? Something brave yet ultimately foolhardy.” Rarity shrugged but raised her bracer either way along with the others. “Which I will find wholly satisfying.” As one, the girls all spun their bracers’ disks and they all crackled with electricity; Applejack’s was green, Rarity’s was blue, Fluttershy’s was yellow, and Pinkie’s was… well, pink. Naturally the girls were expecting to either shift into their Crystal Guardian forms or activate their powers, but before anything like that could happen, Midnight fired her blast at the girls, causing a small explosion in the hallway. Twilight, Sunset, and Luna were sent tumbling back by the blast, all frightened for the girls’ sakes, but when the smoke cleared… well, none of them were sure what they were expecting, but it wasn’t this. Somehow the Rainbooms were contained in brightly colored bodysuits with white neck-guards, gloves, boots, and skirts, and colored helmets with embossed silver mouth plates, pony-like ears with speakers inside, and black visors over their eyes with white decals on the sides; Rainbow’s had small lightning bolts extending off from the sides, Applejack’s looked like an apple with silver leaves higher on her head and apple branches on the sides of her helmet, Rarity’s looked like three diamonds side by side with smaller diamonds on the sides, Fluttershy’s looked like butterflies, and Pinkie’s looked like three balloons side by side with streamers and smaller balloons on the sides. Black stripes trimmed in gold extended down from their shoulders leading into chevrons above their bellies where their symbols appeared in gold, an ornate gold and crystal symbol appearing as the buckles on their silver belts, with bright silver pistol/daggers holstered at their sides. “What?! Power Rangers?! Impossible!” Tantabus remarked in shock, though Demon Shimmer and Midnight appeared surprised. “What just happened?” Rarity asked as the girls looked themselves over. “I don’t know, but I like it. This feels awesome!” Rainbow smirked as she clenched her gloved fist. “Let’s put it to good use then!” Applejack nodded. The Rainbooms all nodded and quickly posed with strength before they charged these monsters and started fighting; Rainbow fought Tantabus directly and deflected plenty of her sword swings with backhanded attacks, as Applejack and Pinkie fought Demon Shimmer, and Rarity and Fluttershy fought Midnight. Twilight and Sunset were still in awe of what they were seeing, but they knew that whatever it was, it couldn’t last; the bracers were shorting out as they fought, but these moves they were showing off were incredible; Fluttershy in particular – she barely knew any martial arts but somehow, she was keeping pace with the others and these monsters almost too easily, especially as they watched the monsters get knocked out through the front doors of the school and tumble down the stairs. (Cut it) “Had enough?” Rainbow smirked under her helmet, quietly concerned about how much her bracer was sparking. Demon Shimmer scowled as she tried to stand up and raise a handful of fire at the girls, but Tantabus held her back. “No. We’re still weak from entering the physical world. We have to retreat, for now, to regain our full strength.” she ordered and stood up. “Let me assure you now, Rangers; this is far from over.” With that, she slammed the tip of one of her blades into the ground and the three monsters were suddenly surrounded in shadow before they disappeared. “Yeah, y’all better run!” Applejack smirked… right before the suits disappeared and returned the girls to their standard outfits, their bracers clearly shorted out as the others quickly came out to join them. “Are you all right, Vice Principal Luna?” Rarity asked immediately. “I have a rather impressive headache, but I think I’ll be fine,” Luna assured. “I’m more worried about you girls.” “So are we.” Sunset agreed as she and Twilight looked at the girls’ bracers. “What was that?” “I don’t know. But it felt good.” Rainbow smirked. “The question is what caused it?” “Only one way to answer that. We need to go back to Camp Everfree and get more of those crystals.” Twilight said with conviction. “Agreed.” Sunset nodded as the group quickly climbed aboard the Rainbooms’ tour bus parked nearby. Applejack took the wheel – thankful she’d gotten her license before all this – and drove the bus fast out of the school parking lot. Luna watched them drive away, more than a bit worried for her students… but unaware of what would soon come to pass thanks to Tantabus’ meddling. As they drove, Sunset quickly fished her magic journal out of her backpack and started writing. “Dear Princess Twilight, I think we have another magic problem in Canterlot City, and it sounds like one you’re familiar with. What do you know about a dark being called the Tantabus, or something called the Power Rangers?” Author's Note Here's the logo for the first arc of this story, which I hope will get some big wins.
Ch. 2: Darkness to LightMidnight and Demon Shimmer weren’t sure where exactly Tantabus had brought them – it looked like a ruined castle under a pitch-black night sky with a dark fog swirling around them. “Yes… this will do nicely.” Tantabus smiled. “What exactly is ‘this’?” Midnight asked in annoyance. “Where are we?” “The Lucid Lands; a dimension of nightmares between the realm of dream and the waking world,” Tantabus explained. “I modeled this little corner after the Castle of the Two Sisters in Equestria; the exact reason why Nightmare Moon created me – to torment her with nightmares of her actions. But I grew tired of only giving her nightmares, so I wished to spread my influence.” “You failed in Equestria.” Demon Shimmer snarled. “Indeed. But I will not fail in this new world. In this world, I will reign supreme. Just as soon as those Power Rangers are dealt with.” Tantabus scowled. “We’ve both faced them before; they don’t go down easily.” Demon Shimmer assured. “Just the same as when I faced their counterparts.” Tantabus nodded. “Which is why we must remain in the Lucid Lands until we have gained our full power. In the meantime, I can use my influence to create monsters from people’s worst nightmares and send them to the waking world.” “Monsters won’t be enough.” Midnight pointed out. “They’ll need reinforcements.” “I have that covered as well,” Tantabus assured as she waved her blade and weaved magic in the air. “Now my children, come forth with your malice and hearts of darkness; bring forth your mistress’s will and show this world why you are known as… Knightmares!” A bolt of black magic shot from her weapon and made the fog condense into legions of feminine-appearing forms in jet-black armor with pony ears in the helmets, long black ponytails similar to the Rainbooms’ snaking out the backs, and short straight swords with vicious curved handguards covered in spikes. “Whoa… yeah, those oughtta do the job.” Midnight smiled cruelly. “I think so.” Tantabus smiled as she conjured a throne in the back of the chamber upon which she sat. Then she pointed her blade at one of the Knightmares. “You. Come forward.” At that order, the Knightmare stepped forward obediently and knelt before its mistress. Tantabus then tapped her blade on its shoulders like she was knighting it and touched the tip of her blade to its chest, containing it in a cocoon of dark crystal. “There. Now my Knightmare will enter the realm of dreams and take on the appearance and powers of someone’s worst nightmare. And once it emerges, it will be a true Dream Demon and it will be sent out upon the waking world to wreak havoc.” “Unless those ‘Power Rangers’ stop it.” Demon Shimmer pointed out. “While we’re on the subject, how do you know that’s what they are?” Midnight asked. “And for that matter, how did you escape Equestria?” “All in good time,” Tantabus assured as she watched the Knightmare within the cocoon stir, dark magic seeping into its body. The drive out to Camp Everfree felt longer than the girls remembered – probably because they felt a serious need to deal with Tantabus fast, but still – but they still made it to the old gate fairly quickly. Timber was out chopping wood when they arrived and appeared surprised as the Rainbooms climbed down from the bus. “Huh. Little soon for our next date, don’t you think, Twilight?” he smirked. “And I don’t think you need the entourage.” “Sorry, Timber. This isn’t a social call.” Twilight assured. “We’re here for more of those crystals from the caves.” “Already? What happened to the last ones?” Timber asked, somewhat surprised. “You wouldn’t believe us if we told you.” Rainbow shrugged. Timber smirked. “Hey, last time you girls were here, you turned into crystal-covered superheroes to save Gloriosa from herself. I think I can believe whatever else might be happening.” “Well… this is certainly similar to that.” Rarity shrugged. “The point is we really do need more of those crystals.” Sunset insisted. “Well, as long as you’re in the caves, maybe you could help us unravel another little mystery,” Gloriosa noted as she walked over from the main lodge. “Depends on the mystery.” Rainbow shrugged. “It’s more of a ‘show, don’t tell’.” Gloriosa shrugged. “Come on.” The Rainbooms were confused but started following their friends toward the caves either way. As they walked, Sunset felt her journal buzz and quickly checked it, finding a message that left her alarmed and confused. “What?” she asked quietly. “What is it?” asked Twilight. “Princess Twilight just got back to me,” she answered. “But she just asked, ‘How do you know about the Tantabus and the Power Rangers?’ In all caps.” “You gonna answer her?” asked Rainbow. “I think that’s the only way we’re going to get an answer.” Sunset shrugged so she quickly scribbled a quick description of what happened at the school to the princess. When they arrived at the cave, the Rainbooms couldn’t help but look around in awe. “My word, I can hardly believe I forgot how magnificent this cave was.” Rarity smiled. “Well, there’s been some… new additions.” Gloriosa shrugged. “What sort of new additio- ohhh whoa…” Rainbow’s awe was shared with the others when they saw the large crystalline tree in the back of the cave, somehow in the same place as the first crystal formation Gloriosa had found the Geodes before. “Princess Twilight told me about this once…” Sunset said almost breathlessly. “It’s the Tree of Harmony; the source of the Elements of Harmony in Equestria. But… what’s it doing in this world?” “It just… showed up here out of nowhere a few hours ago.” Gloriosa shrugged. Twilight, Spike, and Sunset glanced at each other in surprise. “That’s right when the girls first transformed,” Twilight remarked. “There’s no way that’s a coincidence.” “But why is it here in the first place?” asked Spike. Then the girls noticed their bracers were blinking in the same colors as their Ranger suits, lightly tugging them toward the tree. “Ah think we’re ‘bout to find out,” Applejack noted, prompting her and the others to hold their bracers up to the Tree. The Tree’s branches glittered and whined with energy as brightly colored bolts of magic shot to the bracers, a sound like freezing ice emanating from them. The bolts quickly stopped and as Twilight quickly zipped over and opened Rainbow’s bracer, she saw the crystalline wiring was fully intact once again, as well as a small portion of the paneling on the opposite end of the device locked on some sort of spring-loaded compartment and a diamond-colored trigger-like switch above the strap, and two small red buttons right next to the disk. She looked and saw the other girls’ bracers had these same extra attributes, making her curious about what it meant. Then more magic flowed from the roots of the Tree to a few crystals in the wall nearby, just as Sunset’s journal buzzed again. Quickly he checked it and was surprised. “Whoa. Okay, I think we just got our answers,” she noted. “What does she say?” Twilight asked as the other Rainbooms watched the crystals in the wall. “Apparently, Tantabus was created by Princess Luna as a way to punish herself for her actions as Nightmare Moon by subjecting her to the same nightmare over and over again to make sure she never forgave herself for what she did to Equestria,” Sunset explained as she read the princess’s notes. “Yeesh, that sounds masochistic.” Timber pointed out. “No kidding.” Sunset shrugged before she continued reading. “The strange thing is Princess Twilight was certain she and her friends had defeated Tantabus before it could escape from the dream world back in Equestria.” “So how did she get to our world? Never mind our real world?” asked Twilight. “I don’t know; neither does Princess Twilight.” Sunset shrugged. “What she does know is that if she isn’t stopped, then Princess Celestia and Luna have advised her to…” Her face paled as she read this part. “…to close the portal to Equestria. Permanently.” That drew the attention of the entire chamber. “You mean that… if we fail to defeat Tantabus…?” Rarity asked in shock. “Then we’ll never be able to go to Equestria again.” Sunset nodded in response; her face still pale as she fully comprehended the implications. “I’ll never get to go home.” Everyone was shocked by this turn of events; they knew Sunset had already been grappling with the question of whether or not to go back to Equestria after they graduated from CHS, but now the option seemed to have been taken out of her hands. Rainbow narrowed her eyes as she walked over to Sunset and set her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “We’ll make sure it doesn’t come to that,” she assured, her words reinforced as the crystals in the wall formed into small round crystalline keys with a stylized lightning bolt symbol emblazoned in gold in the centers. [Imagine color and Ranger lightning bolt at your leisure] “And it appears we’ll have the power to do just that.” Rarity noted as she picked up her blue key from the wall. Twilight’s eyes popped. “That reminds me; what did Princess Twilight say about the Power Rangers?” she asked. Sunset looked back at the book, trying to ignore the part about how she might lose her path home as she read on. “Uh… ah, here it is; ‘It took me some intense research – as well as vigorous questioning of Princess Celestia and Starswirl the Bearded – but I have determined that the magic within the Elements of Harmony is indeed linked to another source of power beyond just the Magic of Friendship. They are linked to some manner of interdimensional energy field known as the Morphin Grid; the power source of a legacy of heroes across hundreds of dimensions known as the Power Rangers, each dedicated to the defense of their own worlds’.” “So we’re all following in the footsteps of an army of heroes in parallel universes?” Rainbow asked in surprise but still smirked as she grabbed her red key. “This deal just gets more and more awesome every minute.” “Looks like it’s going to get more awesome for you in a minute,” Sunset remarked as she continued reading. “‘From your description, however, it sounds like this Morphin Grid has different ideas as to who should fill which Ranger role in your world. It appears that Rainbow Dash’s loyalty to her cause and installation of your drive to win has named her the Red Ranger; leader of the team’.” “I’m the leader?!” Rainbow asked happily. “Ho-ho, this is great!” “Oh dear, this shan’t end well; I just know it.” Rarity remarked as the other girls grabbed their crystal keys. Sunset just kept reading. “‘Rarity’s generous spirit and graceful nature deem her as the Blue Ranger. Applejack’s honest mind and strong heart make her the Green Ranger. Fluttershy’s kind heart and disciplined acts have named her the Yellow Ranger. And Pinkie Pie’s gift of always bringing people laughter as well as her… general bottomless pools of energy and so forth… have named her the Pink Ranger’.” She stood up and looked at her friends as she read the last sentence. “‘Starswirl has agreed that from here on, they will be known as the Power Rangers Crystal Harmony; defenders of both our worlds’.” “Crystal Harmony…” Applejack smirked as she looked at her green key. “Ah like the sound o’ that.” “You guys gonna be okay with taking orders from me?” asked Rainbow. “Well, it’s worked out well enough with the band, I suppose.” Rarity shrugged. “We’re all in, Dashie. Let’s be heroes!” Pinkie announced. Fluttershy looked nervous, but still smiled and nodded. “I want to help.” “Then I guess we’re agreed.” Twilight shrugged, turning to Timber and Gloriosa. “I hate to impose, but… do you think you guys would be able to support us from here? Make this cave our sort-of… command center?” Timber smirked as he looked around. “I think I’ve got some ideas.” Then the Tree of Harmony resonated and shifted several sheer white crystals out of the surrounding walls, almost like screens. “Looks like the Tree has ideas of its own,” Gloriosa noted as static appeared on a few of the screens… before the static quickly gave way to what looked like CCTV footage of a monstrous mix between a minotaur and a wild boar with a large club in its hand attacking people near Sugarcube Corner with a legion of Knightmares. “And it looks like we just got our first Ranger mission,” Rainbow noted. “That’s back in Midtown; we’ll never make it in time.” Rarity pointed out. Then their bracers beeped a simple six-note tune as the upper buttons flashed red, an image in black appearing with what looked like a sparkling flash. “What’s this?” asked Fluttershy. “It looks like a teleportation spell,” Sunset noted. “We have teleporters? Awesome!” Rainbow smiled. “How does the spell work?” “Just think of where you want to go and press the button, I guess.” Sunset shrugged. “All right, let’s do this,” Rainbow smirked as the girls all did as they were instructed, pressing the buttons and disappearing in blasts of colored magic. “Think they can handle this?” asked Timber. “We’re about to find out.” Sunset shrugged. Sugarcube Corner had been in the midst of renovations for a few weeks now, but this attack by the monster and Knightmares certainly put a damper on the Cakes’ plans to open soon as the monsters were destroying their surroundings and sending the people running. “That’s right! Run, you foolish humans! Run!” the monster roared. “This city belongs to Tantabus now, by decree of me; Boarbatusk!” “Guess again, piggy!” Rainbow yelled as she and the other girls charged from nearby. “Ah, the children my mistress warned me of,” Boarbatusk smirked through his snarl. “Do you really think you can stop me?” “We know we can. Let’s do it!” Rainbow roared as the team charged, all fighting their way through the Knightmares; Rainbow delivered powerful and fast blows left and right, Rarity weaved fluidly between the blades and swung swift chops at their weak points, Applejack bashed them all aside with powerful strikes, Fluttershy simply dodged and lightly shoved them aside, and Pinkie… well, she bounced off their heads and knocked them all into each other, but it was an uphill battle; for every two Knightmares they defeated, six more took their place. “Well, this is certainly going poorly.” Rarity pointed out. “Now would probably be a good time to figure out how these things work.” Applejack pointed out as she held up her bracer… which quickly beeped as Sunset’s voice came in over some sort of com-line, the other red button beeping with the image of a microphone. “I think we figured that out.” she notified. “Open your Harmonizers and lock in the keys. Then spin the disks and call out ‘Harmonize’ and you’ll morph.” “I suppose it’s worth a try.” Rarity shrugged as the girls all lined up opposite Boarbatusk in the middle of the street. “Then let’s do it.” Rainbow smiled as she and the others raised their bracers – apparently called Harmonizers – up to their chests and pressed the trigger buttons which extended small drawer-like cavities at the end, revealing small slots for the keys. “It’s Morphin’ Time!” In sync, the Rainbooms held their forearms up with the Disks pointing upward and locked their Morph Keys into the slots, slamming the Locks closed and making the Disks flash in the Keys’ colors. “Power Rangers!” they all announced as they stuck their arms forward and put their palms against the Disks before pulling the Morphers back across their bodies fast, spinning the Disks as they went. “Harmonize!” A red light pulsed out of Rainbow's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-red glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a thunderstorm and lightning struck each of her limbs as she punched and kicked, creating her uniform. A final bolt struck her head at the same time a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Streaks of electricity jolted between her fingers as she posed as if she had just finished a guitar solo. A green light pulsed from Applejack's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-green glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind was a desert canyon and rocks and pebbles landed on her limbs as she stomped and punched, creating her uniform with each strike. A boulder landed on her head and a loud neigh was heard. With a final stomp, she posed in a boxing stance. A blue light pulsed from Rarity's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-blue glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was an expansive ocean and streams of water struck her limbs as she danced over the surface, creating her uniform. A wave of water crashed into her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. A ripple pulsed from beneath her as she posed like a dancer awaiting applause. A yellow light pulsed from Fluttershy's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-yellow glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a field of flowers and petals landed on each of her limbs as she spun around, each petal forming her uniform. A final burst of petals encircled her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Flower petals flew about her as she posed like a ballerina. A pink light pulsed from Pinkie's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-pink glow, leaving her head and over-the-top smile exposed. Appearing behind her were the tops of clouds in which she cartwheeled and bounced around, causing tufts to fly off her and create her uniform. She stuck her head in a cloud and pulled it out as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. She then posed with her hands stretched out as if saying 'Don’t talk to me' to two people. As they stood morphed and ready, Boarbatusk appeared surprised. “What is this?!” Rainbow smirked and took that as an opportunity to answer, so she slapped her symbol and thrust her hand out. “Element of Loyalty!” she announced and posed. “Power Ranger Red!” The others were dubious about this but started to mirror her actions. “Element of Honesty!” Applejack announced and posed. “Power Ranger Green!” “Element of Generosity!” Rarity announced and posed. “Power Ranger Blue!” “Element of Kindness!” Fluttershy announced and posed. “Power Ranger Yellow!” “Element of Laughter!” Pinkie announced and posed. “Power Ranger Pink!” “Friendship’s Might, Ready to Fight!” the Rangers all announced and posed at once with Rainbow in the center, Rarity and Applejack flanking her, and Pinkie and Fluttershy at the outer edges. “Power Rangers Crystal Harmony!” As their roll call finished, a large explosion resounded from behind them but didn’t seem to do any damage. “Whoa. Where’d that come from?” Timber asked in confusion as the others watched from the cave. “Who cares? This is gonna be awesome!” Spike smiled as the group kept watching. (Cut it) Boarbatusk appeared at least marginally alarmed by this but snarled all the same. “You think you scare me? Think again! Knightmares, attack!” he bellowed and sent the Knightmares charging at the girls. Applejack quickly grabbed her blaster from her belt before they got too close. “Harmonic Defender!” she called and started firing from the hip, blasting down several Knightmares without even trying. “YEEHAW! This is pretty dang fun!” “Let’s get in on it!” Rainbow smirked as she drew her own Defender. The others did so as well and charged, Rainbow and Rarity quickly flipping their weapons into their sword forms to slash through the Knightmares. Rainbow held hers in a backhanded grip for added maneuverability while Rarity wielded her blade like a fencer. Pinkie and Fluttershy followed Applejack’s lead as they blasted the Knightmares away. It was clear Applejack and Pinkie were having the time of their lives, but when Fluttershy suddenly found herself surrounded, she did the only thing she could think of and ducked, letting the Knightmares slash each other and allowing her the opening to blast them each in the face. “You Rangers aren’t sending me back to sleep!” Boarbatusk roared. “I’ll pound you to dust!” “Feel free to try!” Rainbow smirked as she charged and started dueling with the monster, her blade clashing with his large club before being bashed away with a small burst of sparks from her chest. “Dashie!” Pinkie yelled and raced to her friend’s side as she stood up. “Guh. Okay, this is getting hard.” Rainbow remarked. She wasn’t wrong; the other Rangers were losing ground to the Knightmares as well. The team in the cave could see that and were getting worried. “Oh man, they’re outmatched. They need better weapons.” Sunset cringed. No sooner had she said that than the Tree of Harmony started glittering again and sent some smaller crystals away. The Rangers were all pinned against a wall when they saw their belt buckles glowing in their colors before a small lever similar to those on four-barrel money changers appeared next to the buckles. “Whoa, what’s this?” Rainbow asked. “Hopefully somethin’ with more kick than what we got.” Applejack pointed out as she tried to blast more of the Knightmares away. “Certainly worth a try.” Rarity shrugged as she pushed her lever, launching a new blue crystal from her belt with a faint outline in the center that looked like a crossed sword-and-rifle. “Huh. Well, we’d best hope these work out well.” “Worth a try.” Rainbow shrugged as she and the other Rangers pushed their buckles’ levers and were rewarded with similar crystals. Quickly they popped their Harmonizers open and loaded in these new crystals before spinning the disks. And their rewards were a great and welcome surprise; new and clearly more powerful weapons materializing in the air in front of them - Rainbow got a large red sword with a blade shaped like a lightning bolt, Rarity got a bright blue axe with a blade that looked like a flawless blue diamond with what looked like a barrel and trigger in the handle, Applejack got a large green sledgehammer with heads that looked like bright green apples, Fluttershy got yellow tonfa with blades shaped like butterfly wings with blaster-barrels almost shaped like antennae, and Pinkie got a pair of nunchucks with handles that looked like balloons. “Ho-ho yeah, these babies oughtta do the trick!” Rainbow smirked as she grabbed her new sword. “Bolt Saber!” It was heavy in her hands but that just meant she could strike with more power as she swiped the Knightmares away as she charged Boarbatusk again. “I can’t but agree. Diamond Axe!” Rarity announced as she swung her axe, cleaving through the Knightmares with ease. “Yeehaw, this is takin’ things to the next level! Apple Smasher!” Applejack whooped as she smashed more and more Knightmares into the dirt without even trying. “I’m really sorry about this, but it has to be done! Butterfly Battle-Wings!” Fluttershy called as she waved her arms, slashing the Knightmares with her new wings like a trained expert. “Whee! I didn’t think this could be any more fun! Balloon Basher!” Pinkie cheered as she swung her nunchucks, the chain extending around some of the Knightmares like a whip to allow her a longer reach. Rainbow couldn’t help but laugh to herself as she swung hard at Boarbatusk with her new Bolt Saber, deflecting his club far easier now as she slashed at him. “Sorry piggy, but you’re about to get thunderstruck!” she smirked and slashed hard at the villain, slashing his club clean in half and forcing him to drop it as he was knocked back into a wall. “Looks like we need a little more power to take this over the edge!” Applejack smirked. “I believe I have an idea about that.” Rarity smiled. “If we’re stronger together, then so too are our weapons. If we unite them, we can easily win this!” “Good call, Rarity. Let’s do it!” Rainbow smiled. “Weapons, Combine!” the Rangers announced. The handle of Rarity’s axe quickly slid into the handle of Rainbow’s sword as Applejack’s hammer locked in on top of the axe, one of the hammerheads forming what looked like a weapon stock. Then Fluttershy’s tonfa-blades linked into the tip of Rainbow’s sword with their barrels ready to fire and Pinkie’s nunchucks locked into the sides of the upper hammerhead, their heads aiming forward as they opened to reveal large blast emitters as Rainbow grabbed the trigger and the others quickly steadied the weapon by grabbing its sides. “Harmonic Crystal Cannon!” “Don’t think you can stop me with that!” Boarbatusk roared as he got up, ready to fight. “Power Crystals locked!” the Rangers called as Rainbow opened the upper head of the hammer in the stock, letting the Rangers all lock their weapon keys into it before it closed and Rainbow spun the disk between the hammer's heads, powering up the cannon. “Harmonic Final Strike!” the Rangers bellowed as Rainbow pulled the trigger, blasting the villain with a large rainbow-colored shot of energy out at the monster, making him roar in pain. “Graaagh! Looks like bacon’s on the menu!” he roared in pain as the Rangers all turned and posed before he exploded. “Perfect Harmony: Crystal Clear Skies ahead!” Rainbow smirked. Back at the caves after the fight, the Rangers were celebrating their first real victory with their friends. “That was awesome! Where did those explosions even come from?!” Rainbow asked. “At a guess, I’d say it’s the Morphin Grid showing a little muscle, but who knows?” Sunset shrugged. “And that one-liner at the end? Smooth as silk.” “You guys did well for your first battle.” Twilight smiled as she looked at the tree. “Your weapons alone were more than enough to impress us all, and I feel like we’re only scratching the surface of what the Tree of Harmony is capable of.” “We’ll keep an eye on it and see if we can find out what else it can do.” Gloriosa smiled. “Maybe we can also see about getting some new Crystals set for you for the next fight before it comes.” Timber smirked. “Thanks, guys. Seriously.” Rainbow smiled, trying her hardest not to scratch her arms. Applejack noticed this tension and raised an eyebrow. “You okay there, sugarcube?” “Oh yeah, I’m fine.” Rainbow assured. “It’s just that… I don’t know; for some reason, now that we’re de-morphed, I feel kinda… itchy not wearing my color.” Applejack almost said something, but then she realized she was onto something; the only green she was wearing was the very top of her shirt and she started feeling a bit itchy as well. “Huh. Y’know, Ah’m feelin’ it too.” “Well, I suppose there’s nothing else for it.” Rarity smiled, feeling fortunate she was wearing plenty of blue to prevent this itch from overcoming her. “A wardrobe change is paramount to match our new capabilities.” “Then let’s get going.” Sunset smiled as she led the team back toward the cave’s exit. “Bye, guys!” Twilight smiled as the Rainbooms all left the cave, leaving Timber and Gloriosa behind in the cave to look up at the Tree of Harmony. “Looks like we’ve got another job besides keeping Camp Everfree up and running.” Timber joked. “Somehow I feel like this job will be just as rewarding though.” Gloriosa agreed. In the Lucid Lands, Tantabus scowled as she had seen the whole thing happen through a scrying spell along with her generals. “I guess calling them Power Rangers was appropriate; I practically felt that blast from here.” Midnight noted. “That beast was worthless! Was that really the worst nightmare your soldier could find?” Demon Shimmer asked Tantabus angrily. “Silence!” Tantabus bellowed, strange black magic burning in Demon Shimmer’s chest, causing her pain. “I brought you both out of those girls’ minds and I can send you back just as easily.” “You won’t though.” Midnight pointed out. “You need us.” “If for no other reason than as shields!” Tantabus assured as she let Demon Shimmer fall to the floor, the pain gone for now. “Besides, Boarbatusk was just a prototype Dream Demon. The next one will be far stronger. And either way, this was just a diversion. To draw the Rangers away from how I laid the seeds of my true goal. And when that goal is known, not even the Rangers will be able to stop it.” She chuckled cruelly as she turned her scrying spell’s attention to Vice Principal Luna, who was working at her desk clearly still rattled by what had just happened, but – like the rest of Canterlot City – blissfully unaware of what was to come.
Ch. 3: Mega Studies & Mega BattlesThe Lucid Lands were still dark and shrouded in shadows, but now also filled with dark crystal columns as Knightmares searched the realm of dream for nightmares to embody, while yet more Knightmares were training in the Castle’s courtyards with more forming from the realm’s black mist every minute as Tantabus and her new generals watched. “Tell me, Mistress; when is this ‘true goal’ of yours going to turn up?” asked Demon Shimmer. “All in good time, Shimmer,” Tantabus assured. “All nightmares take time and fear to truly come about, especially the worst of them all.” “Well, either way, it should give us plenty of time to figure out a meaningful way to destroy the Power Rangers.” Midnight still found it a bit funny to refer to the girls who had previously defeated her so soundly by such a childish-sounding title, but she still had a point. “To that end, I suggest we study them; see what really makes them tick.” “Bah! I’ve been in Sunset’s mind long enough to know that any ‘study’ of those girls’ magic is an exercise in futility.” Demon Shimmer countered. “I say we just build up an army of these Dream Demons and level the city in one fell swoop.” “Their inherent magic is only one part of their power.” Midnight pointed out. “As for what the other part is… well, that’s where a study comes in.” “A study which I too believe is very much in order.” Tantabus relented as she stood and walked to one of her pillars. “Midnight may have a point, which I intend to follow through with.” Quickly she slashed at the pillar with her blade and shattered the crystal, allowing the monster inside out… with an appearance like a cybernetic Frankenstein’s monster inside mismatched Knightmare-style armor under a black lab coat with a vicious jagged chainsaw-like sword fused to his hand. “Hmm… a bit undercooked… but I’m sure you’ll be effective. What name do you choose, my warrior?” “Shriekenstein, at your humble service, Mistress.” the monster spoke surprisingly eloquently, especially considering how clumsily it moved – almost like it was new to its entire existence. “Very well then Shriekenstein, go forth upon the waking world and wreak havoc,” Tantabus ordered. “But as you fight, you must study the Power Rangers; learn their weaknesses and exploit them in whatever way you are able.” “As you command, Mistress.” Shriekenstein nodded before Tantabus dispelled the monster and a battalion of Knightmares. Sugarcube Corner had long been a haven for the youth of Canterlot City, and now that it had been the site of the Power Rangers’ first battle, the establishment’s attendance and revenue had only increased exponentially… especially as an afterschool hangout for the Rangers. Just as they’d planned, the Rainbooms had updated their wardrobes to include more of their Ranger colors; Rainbow wore a red sleeveless hoodie instead of her old blue one, Applejack had swapped her old t-shirt for one of her father’s old green flannel shirts, Pinkie already had plenty of pink in her wardrobe so she went with a simple pink overshirt, and Fluttershy wore a pale yellow sundress. Only Rarity was in her typical outfit because she had been lucky enough to have a lot of blue in her wardrobe before she became the Blue Ranger. Sunset said Princess Twilight had affectionately referred to this phenomenon as “Morph-based Color OCD” and that according to what she’d read, it was a common occurrence for Power Rangers across the multiverse – usually first taking root before they even became Rangers. Sunset hadn’t shared that last part though, mostly to mess with her friends a bit and because they looked like they were enjoying their new outfits. Either way, the Rangers’ first victory the other day had made them something of a household name nearly overnight with plenty of people all across the city honoring them as heroes. Naturally, Rainbow’s ego had taken control and wanted her to enjoy the hero worship, but Princess Twilight had anticipated that and informed the Rainbooms that there were three concrete rules every team of Power Rangers in the multiverse had to follow; never use their powers for personal gain, never escalate a battle unless an enemy forces them, and never reveal their identities – the last step of which they knew Vice Principal Luna would help with since she could cover for whatever absences they accrued in school through their Ranger work in return for scaring Tantabus off CHS grounds. Rainbow had made sure to let her friends know her opinion on that, but the princess had made it clear that she could either follow the rules or lose her Ranger powers, and since she definitely didn’t want to lose her powers, she consented for the moment and turned her mind to something else. “Do you guys really think Princess Twilight will seal the portal if we lose?” she asked. “She’s faced Tantabus herself, so she knows what it’s capable of better than any of us,” Sunset said somberly. “Even if she didn’t, she’s been ordered by Princess Celestia herself, so she doesn’t have much choice. If we don’t stop Tantabus, Midnight and that Demon will try to take Equestria for themselves. Unless we stop them, I’ll…” The words stuck in her throat as she still didn’t want to think of that possibility, but it was undeniable. “I’ll be trapped in this world forever. I’ll never be able to go back to Equestria.” The girls all gathered around their friend with comforting looks on their faces. “We’ve promised you that it will never come to that, and we intend to keep that promise.” Rarity assured. “I know I will.” Rainbow nodded, her Loyalty gleaming clearly… as the Geode in her Harmonizer glimmered. Quickly she covered her wrist, not wanting anyone to see her Harmonizer. “I know, guys.” Sunset nodded. “But… I dunno; I just feel like my world has been turned upside down here.” “Well, we’re gonna make sure your frown’s turned upside down to match.” Pinkie smiled… before her knee started spasming. “Whoa, pinchy knee! Pinchy knee!” That was enough of a signal for the girls to know something was about to go wrong, and it made itself known when they heard screaming outside. “A Ranger’s work is never done,” Applejack smirked. “Let’s do it,” Rainbow smirked as the Rainbooms charged out of the shop, Twilight and Sunset carefully following behind as the group saw Knightmares slashing about the street and sending people running as Shriekenstein marched in the lead. “Ugh. Someone got hit with the ugly stick.” “Considering the last monster, I’d say that’s a given.” Rarity pointed out. “Ah, the Rangers.” the monster smiled, leveling his chainsaw saber at them. “The subjects of my great experiment. I’d been wondering what I had to do to bring you out.” “Well, here we are. And it’s time for you to leave.” Fluttershy said with surprising conviction. “It’s not just that time, Fluttershy,” Rainbow smirked as she raised her Harmonizer and opened the Crystal Lock. “It’s Morphin’ Time!” The other girls quickly followed her actions and opened their own Harmonizers. In sync, the Rainbooms held their forearms up with the Disks pointing upward and locked their Morph Keys into the slots, slamming the Locks closed and making the Disks flash in the Keys’ colors. “Power Rangers!” they all announced as they stuck their arms forward and put their palms against the Disks before pulling the Morphers back across their bodies fast, spinning the Disks as they went. “Harmonize!” In a brightly colored flash of sparks, the Rangers instantly Morphed before the villain, standing at the ready. “Attack!” Shriekenstein bellowed and the Knightmares charged. Almost immediately, the Rangers clashed with the Knightmares, blades singing and blasters resounding with every attack. Naturally Rainbow went straight after Shriekenstein as the others fought off the Knightmares and clashed her Defender’s blade against his chain sword, the revving chain grinding against her blade as he snarled in her face. “Guh. Dude, mouthwash! Ever heard of it?!” she remarked as she quickly raised his blade out of the way and slashed across his body twice, forcing him back. “Well, that’s a fairly universal weakness,” Shriekenstein remarked in annoyance. “Come on, give me something more specific to you Rangers!” Bolts of electricity shot from his free hand, but Rainbow quickly slashed them out of the air before Applejack rolled to her side and fired on the monster. “Ya want weaknesses? Why not Rarity’s work ramblin’?” the cowgirl smirked. “I’ll thank you not to bring that up, Applejack!” Rarity called as she quickly found herself in a corner. “And I’ll thank you more to keep your head down. Battle Gear Key!” After the first battle, the team started to call their keys Crystal Song Keys to keep with their team’s theme, and this Key that Rarity had chosen was no different as it summoned her personal weapon once she locked it in and spun the disk. “Diamond Axe!” Axe in hand, Rarity spun and slashed around to clear her area of Knightmares. “Now we’re thinkin’!” Applejack smirked as she flipped out her own Battle Gear Key and summoned her hammer. “Apple Crusher!” The other Rangers were handling themselves just fine with their Defenders, but it was clear this fight was getting out of hand, especially as some of the Knightmares noticed Sunset and Twilight near the door of the café. “Looks like we’re gonna have to get in on this!” Sunset smirked as she stood up and stomped over, kicking one of the Knightmares away before she stole its sword and started fighting with it. “Are you nuts?! We can’t even Morph!” Twilight called in fear. Sunset just kicked another sword up into her free hand. “Live dangerously and let’s have some fun!” she smirked and tossed the extra sword to Twilight, who fumbled to catch it. She looked out and couldn’t help but be amazed by Sunset’s confidence as she fought like a master, slashing Knightmares apart without even looking like she was really trying. “Ah, what the heck?” Twilight shrugged as she got a good grip on the sword and stood up. “Spike, distract them; we’ll handle the rest.” “Right!” Spike nodded as he raced around the Knightmares, barking and yapping to distract them as Twilight slashed at them. Surprisingly, she found she was more skilled with a sword than she had initially expected as she fought through the horde with impressive dexterity, eventually ending up back-to-back with Sunset as they kept fighting. “Whoo-hoo, way to go, girls!” Pinkie smiled as she kept blasting quickly stopping side-by-side with the others in front of Shriekenstein, who Rainbow had just knocked back. “You dare stand in the way of science?!” the monster bellowed. “When it ends up hurting our friends? You bet.” Rainbow assured… right before her Harmonizer’s communicator started beeping. “Good news, girls; we figured out a new attack method for you.” Timber reported. “We’re sending you the Keys for your Crystal Cannon; lock ‘em into your Defenders and they’ll supercharge ‘em.” “Thanks, Timber.” Rainbow smiled as the girls all flipped their sidearms to their sword modes. “Final Strike Keys!” They flipped the levers and retrieved the keys from their belt buckles, seeing they had small bursts of stars emblazoned on them. Quickly they found small locks in the handles of their Defenders and locked the keys in, spinning the small disks in the handles. “Harmonic Defenders! Charging!” they called as their weapons’ blades blinked in their colors. “That won’t stop me!” Shriekenstein bellowed as he charged. “Think again!” Rainbow smirked. “Harmonic Defenders!” “Final Strike!” the others bellowed and all swung their swords, launching projectile slashes of energy out at the monster that slashed across its body and caused a large explosion. But somehow Shriekenstein was still intact as he stood up, electricity jolting from his sword and neck. “Had enough?” Applejack smirked. “Of you!” the monster scowled. Then he saw Twilight and Sunset were still fighting, and smirked. “The good news though… is that I believe I’ve found a weakness of yours.” Rainbow was confused about what he meant by that, but when she saw the Knightmares surrounding Twilight and Sunset, she got seriously worried. “Oh no! Guys, run!” she called. Too late; the Knightmares had already disarmed the two girls and grabbed them as well as Spike. “I’ll be in touch if you should wish to submit to testing again! Sayonara!” Shriekenstein smirked as he and the Knightmares suddenly vanished, dragging the other two girls with them. “No!” Fluttershy yelled in worry as her friends disappeared. In the Lucid Lands, Shriekenstein couldn’t help but laugh as his prisoners were chained to the walls of the castle. “My mistress, I’ve brought you the Rangers’ weaknesses.” he smiled. “I didn’t ask for prisoners, Shriekenstein.” Tantabus pointed out in annoyance. “These two are an excellent weakness, mistress.” Demon Shimmer assured. “The other girls value their friends so much they’ll do anything to get them back.” “Including surrendering their powers.” Midnight smirked in understanding. “And with all that magic, this world and Equestria will fall to us within minutes.” “Keep dreaming, Midnight; capturing us will only give our friends more reason to destroy you.” Spike snarled. “Oh Spike, I do hate seeing you so mad at me. After all, I’m only a personification of Twilight’s ambition, given physical form.” Midnight assured, appearing genuinely distraught. “The ambition Principal Cinch forced on me,” Twilight assured. “She’s the one who compelled me to create you in the first place! And… Wait, you… you look different. Did you-? Did you grow out my boobs?” Sunset looked and saw Twilight was right; somehow Midnight’s boobs were a few sizes bigger than Twilight’s. “Well… you are lacking a bit.” Midnight shrugged. “Oh, you little tramp!” Twilight scowled as she struggled against her chains. “Save your energy, Twilight. Something tells me we’re gonna need it.” Sunset pointed out, glancing over at her demonic counterpart. “And what about you? I don’t see any alterations in your form.” “Why change what works?” Demon Shimmer assured. “Though I must admit, I have been considering a name change.” “Yeah? To what?” Sunset asked abrasively. “Well, I’m kinda partial to… Sunset Eclipse.” the she-demon smirked. Sunset almost retorted but stopped to mull it over. “Okay, I admit it; that’s actually pretty good.” she relented. “But why take orders? I hated being told what to do when you were created.” “Tantabus makes a better offer than you,” Eclipse assured. “I help her take this world, she’ll let me and Midnight here have Equestria all to ourselves.” “That’s if you can fit through that crack in the portal.” Twilight pointed out. “What are you babbling about?” Tantabus asked in annoyance. “Maybe you haven’t gotten the memo, but if we can’t stop you, my counterpart is under orders to seal the portal. Permanently.” Twilight explained simply. “Would she really trap one of her closest friends in this world with us?” Eclipse smirked as she held Sunset’s chin. Sunset just snarled and bit at her demonic counterpart’s fingers, a bit annoyed that she’d missed but glad that the demon had helped her come to a decision. “She told me she doesn’t want it to come to that. But if it means sparing my homeworld from the likes of you, then… well, I’m glad I updated the lease on my house.” “Mm, resistance. Noble, but senseless in the face of the inevitable.” Tantabus assured. “Shriekenstein!” “Mistress.” the monster knelt loyally. “Take them back to the waking world and order the Rangers to surrender their powers,” Tantabus ordered. “Yes, Mistress.” Shriekenstein nodded, concerning the hostages significantly. In the waking world, the Rangers had teleported to their command center in the Crystal Caves to regroup… and vent. “I can’t believe I let Twilight and Sunset get caught!” Rainbow said in annoyance as she walked around. “You were the one showin’ off.” Applejack pointed out bluntly. “If’n ya hadn’t been fightin’ the big fella, we could’ve gotten ‘em clear!” “Oh, so it’s my fault our friends got nabbed?” Rainbow asked indignantly. “That’s what Ah said, ain’t it?” Applejack pointed out. “Stop it, both of you!” Rarity barked as she pushed her friends apart. “Do you want things to go back to the way they were before the Fall Formal? Because it won’t help our friends!” That put things in perspective; the girls knew Rarity was right, so they stood down. “Right. Sorry AJ.” “Yeah, me too.” the cowgirl nodded. “Still, we gotta find ‘em.” “I think we just did.” Timber noted as he looked at the screen near the Tree of Harmony. He and Gloriosa had been doing what they could to expand and improve the Command Center, including setting up advanced computer systems and mining out more crystals for the Tree to turn into Song Keys. But it was what the group saw on the screen that really grabbed them; it was Shriekenstein in the city center with more Knightmares holding Twilight, Sunset, and Spike in chains. “Power Rangers, I know you can hear me.” the monster snarled. “If you ever want your friends back, you will meet me here and submit to a study of your powers!” “There’s no way he’s gonna let them go.” Rainbow pointed out. “Obviously. But what choice do we have?” asked Rarity. “Plenty.” Timber smiled as he retrieved two small metal watch-like rigs with crystal disc cores similar to the teleport buttons in the Harmonizers. “Twilight and I have been working on these emergency teleporters to help them get to the Command Center without wasting gas. Just get them loose and get these on their wrists; they’ll do the rest.” “Thanks, Timber.” Rainbow nodded as she accepted the teleporters. “Is the square clear?” “All clear.” Gloriosa nodded. “Then it looks like we’d better get going.” Rainbow nodded as she and the Rangers stood together and activated their teleporters, warping straight out to the city square. “Ah, Rangers. Right on time.” Shriekenstein smiled. “I suppose you’ve consented to serve as my guinea pigs?” “First let our friends go,” Rainbow ordered. “Oh, I’d love to, but Midnight and Sunset Eclipse have made it clear that they have their own plans for these two.” the monster smirked. “We have plans of our own, if you don’t mind.” Rarity pointed out. “If you want us to submit, then release our friends.” “Very well. I’ll have them back when I’m done with you anyway.” Shriekenstein shrugged as he nodded his head to order the Knightmares to release the prisoners. Sunset, Twilight, and Spike quickly moved back to the others’ side, where Fluttershy subtly slipped them the teleportation watches. “Now… let the experiment begin.” Rainbow suddenly smirked. “We’ll start it if you don’t mind,” she remarked as Sunset, Twilight, and Spike instantly teleported back to the Command Center. “Be my guest! I’d prefer to test you at your best!” Shriekenstein smiled. “In that case…” Rainbow smirked as she and the girls raised their Harmonizers and opened the Crystal Locks. “It’s Morphin’ Time!” In sync, the Rainbooms held their forearms up with the Disks pointing upward and locked their Morph Keys into the slots, slamming the Locks closed and making the Disks flash in the Keys’ colors. “Power Rangers!” they all announced as they stuck their arms forward and put their palms against the Disks before pulling the Morphers back across their bodies fast, spinning the Disks as they went. “Harmonize!” A red light pulsed out of Rainbow's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-red glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a thunderstorm and lightning struck each of her limbs as she punched and kicked, creating her uniform. A final bolt struck her head at the same time a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Streaks of electricity jolted between her fingers as she posed as if she had just finished a guitar solo. A green light pulsed from Applejack's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-green glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind was a desert canyon and rocks and pebbles landed on her limbs as she stomped and punched, creating her uniform with each strike. A boulder landed on her head and a loud neigh was heard. With a final stomp, she posed in a boxing stance. A blue light pulsed from Rarity's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-blue glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was an expansive ocean and streams of water struck her limbs as she danced over the surface, creating her uniform. A wave of water crashed into her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. A ripple pulsed from beneath her as she posed like a dancer awaiting applause. A yellow light pulsed from Fluttershy's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-yellow glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a field of flowers and petals landed on each of her limbs as she spun around, each petal forming her uniform. A final burst of petals encircled her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Flower petals flew about her as she posed like a ballerina. A pink light pulsed from Pinkie's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-pink glow, leaving her head and over-the-top smile exposed. Appearing behind her were the tops of clouds in which she cartwheeled and bounced around, causing tufts to fly off her and create her uniform. She stuck her head in a cloud and pulled it out as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. She then posed with her hands stretched out as if saying 'Don’t talk to me' to two people. “Element of Loyalty!” Rainbow announced and posed. “Power Ranger Red!” “Element of Honesty!” Applejack announced and posed. “Power Ranger Green!” “Element of Generosity!” Rarity announced and posed. “Power Ranger Blue!” “Element of Kindness!” Fluttershy announced and posed. “Power Ranger Yellow!” “Element of Laughter!” Pinkie announced and posed. “Power Ranger Pink!” “Friendship’s Might, Ready to Fight!” the Rangers all announced and posed at once with Rainbow in the center, Rarity and Applejack flanking her, and Pinkie and Fluttershy at the outer edges. “Power Rangers Crystal Harmony!” “Attack!” Shriekenstein roared as the Knightmares charged, weapons at the ready. Immediately, the Rangers engaged with the goons and activated their weapons, slashing and blasting through them as Rainbow and Rarity both fought their way through the horde to the monster, fighting him as one. “Pretty different when we’ve got the big guns, huh ugly?” Rainbow smirked as she clashed the Bolt Saber against Shriekenstein’s chain blade. “Not by much. Though I must admit, this is intensely useful for the purposes of the experiment.” Shriekenstein smiled as he fought the two Rangers off. “Perhaps now we’ll test your powers’ susceptibility… to fire.” Right on cue, he spun on his toe and swung his sword in a huge arc, letting loose a large flaming slash. Small bursts of energy erupted from the Rangers’ suits as the fire hit them and they were knocked back. They’d been informed these blasts were energy from the Morphin Grid acting as reactive armor, but it still hurt. “Hahaha! Highly effective! I’m almost astounded that Boarbatusk lost to you so easily.” “We’d be more than happy to show you how,” Applejack assured, turning to the Red Ranger. “Ain’t that right, Dash?” “Absolutely. Let’s bring ‘em together, Rangers!” Rainbow announced. “Weapons, Combine!” the Rangers announced. The handle of Rarity’s axe quickly slid into the handle of Rainbow’s sword as Applejack’s hammer locked in on top of the axe, one of the hammerheads forming what looked like a weapon stock. Then Fluttershy’s tonfa-blades linked into the tip of Rainbow’s sword with their barrels ready to fire and Pinkie’s nunchucks locked into the sides of the upper hammerhead, their heads aiming forward as they opened to reveal large blast emitters as Rainbow grabbed the trigger and the others quickly steadied the weapon by grabbing its sides. “Harmonic Crystal Cannon!” “Let’s just see you try and stop me!” Shriekenstein roared. “Final Strike Keys locked!” the Rangers called as Rainbow opened the upper head of the hammer in the stock, letting the Rangers lock their keys into it before it closed and Rainbow spun the disk between the hammer’s heads, powering up the cannon. “Chain Lightning!” Shriekenstein bellowed and swung his sword, bolts of lightning that looked like chainsaw chains flying from it toward the Rangers. “Harmonic Final Strike!” the Rangers bellowed as Rainbow pulled the trigger, blasting out a massive beam of rainbow-colored energy. The two blasts met in the middle, but the shot from the cannon cut through Shriekenstein’s attack like a hot knife through butter and blasted straight through his midsection. “Gah! Noooo…!” the monster roared as he exploded, the Rangers simply turning with smiles on their faces under their masks. “Another win for the books, Rangers!” Rainbow smirked. In the Lucid Lands, Sunset Eclipse snarled as she backhanded Tantabus’ scrying globe away. “I told you a study was pointless! If we want the Rangers stopped, we simply have to destroy them!” she barked. “And so they shall be today, Eclipse. If you honestly thought all I could do was create these Dream Demons, you’re deeply mistaken.” Tantabus assured as she stepped forward, raising her blade with shadowy magic swirling around the tip. “Power of Darkness, Heed my Command! Grant this Beast a Final Stand!” She drove the lower point of her weapon into the ground and a bolt of black magic shot from her pike, straight through to the waking world. As the Rangers celebrated their victory, Pinkie suddenly glanced skyward. “Whoa. Uh, what’s that?” she asked, drawing the Rangers’ attention to the great swirling storm cloud that suddenly formed above the monster’s remains before a bolt of lightning shot down and struck them, flashing the surrounding area like a photo negative before Shriekenstein suddenly reformed and grew 30 stories tall. The monster simply roared as he looked down at the Rangers. “Rrraaagh! I’m alive! I’M ALIVE! And you’re not!” he roared as he swung his chain sword down at the Rangers, who barely managed to dodge it as he cleaved a massive hole in the ground. “Experiments on insects. Now if that hasn’t been done to death…” “You guys are seeing this too, right?” Rainbow asked seriously. “It would be rather hard to miss.” Rarity pointed out. “The question is how do we stop it?” “Any ideas, guys? We’re all ears out here.” Applejack asked into her Harmonizer’s communicator. “We’re working on it!” Timber nodded as he and Gloriosa raced around the Command Center’s computer screens. “Sunset, what do we do about this?” asked Twilight. Sunset quickly flipped through the journal for Princess Twilight’s explanation of what to do and found something. “Got it. This isn’t a new occurrence in Power Ranger history; it’s happened in different worlds for years. To combat it, other Ranger teams use giant machines called Zords.” Almost right on cue, the Tree of Harmony started resonating and glowing, along with five of the crystals Timber had mined out recently. “Looks like our team gets to use ‘em too.” he smiled as he grabbed the crystals and placed them on small branches from the tree, where they immediately transformed into new Crystal Song Keys before warping away, making the Rangers’ buckles glow. “Whoa, what’s this?” Rainbow asked as they pulled the Keys, seeing images of large vehicles emblazoned on them – Red looked like a fighter jet, Blue was a motorcycle, Green was a fire truck, Yellow was a helicopter with wings, and Pink was a tank. “Those are your Zord Keys. Lock ‘em in and power ‘em up.” Timber instructed. “Worth a shot.” Rainbow shrugged as she popped her Harmonizer open. The others quickly followed her lead and all locked the Keys into their Harmonizers. “Zord Keys locked!” they called as they closed the bracers, setting their hands on the disks and spinning them before holding their fists upward to activate the Zords. “Crystal Thunder Jet, Harmonize!” Rainbow called. “Crystal Diamond Bike, Harmonize!” Rarity called. “Crystal Apple Hauler, Harmonize!” Applejack called. “Crystal Butterfly Buzzer, Harmonize!” Fluttershy called. “Crystal Balloon Blaster, Harmonize!” Pinkie called. On that cue, the Tree of Harmony resonated again and grew several small branches to open large garage-like holes in the cliff face on the opposite side of the mountain from the Command Center… from which massive vehicles roared, driving straight to the city. They looked exactly like the outlines in the Keys, glittering like gemstones as they roared into the square. “Whoa-ho-ho, I’m liking this job more every day,” Rainbow smirked. “Let’s mount up, Rangers!” “Right!” the girls nodded and they all leaped to board their Zords, finding themselves standing in cockpits with small crystal balls in their center consoles, as well as small Crystal Locks shaped like eighth notes and gold spinners next to them along with smaller plinths with small holes in them shaped like the Rangers' sidearms. “Alright, let’s see what these babies can do.” Rainbow smiled as she locked her Defender into the hole and set her hand on the globe in front of her… and almost immediately kamikazed Fluttershy out of the air. “Be careful!” Fluttershy called, reasonably scared of being knocked out of the sky. “Sorry! These controls don’t make much sense!” Rainbow called as she tried to get her jet under control. “Speak for yourself; I’m having a great time with my new Party Cannon!” Pinkie laughed as her tank rumbled down the street toward the supersized monster. “Let’s see what it can do. Fire!” She flexed her fingers around the globe and her tank’s cannon fired a massive bolt of pink energy that hit Shriekenstein straight in the chest and sent him stumbling back. “Alright, now I’m getting mad!” Shriekenstein roared as his blade burst into flame. “Then why don’t ya cool off there, pardner? Cider Cannons, Fire!” Applejack yelled and triggered the water cannons on her truck to fire what looked like concentrated blasts of apple cider at the monster, snuffing the flames on his sword. “Gah, so sticky!” he roared in anger as he stumbled back, trying to rev his chainsaw sword. “Gragh, stuck!” He slammed his fist against the blade to try and unstick it, but it was jammed tight. “Man, what a waste of good cider,” Rainbow remarked as she flew over the monster. “Still, it does give me an easy target. Storm Rockets, Fire!” A few small missiles shot out of the undercarriage of her jet and hit Shriekenstein dead-on, exploding in massive bursts of electricity which electrocuted him intensely as he acted as a lightning rod. This jolt of electricity, however, appeared to unjam his sword so he laughed. “Thanks very much, Red Ranger! Now for a taste of your own medicine! Chain Lightning!” he roared and shot another blast of electrified chainsaw chains at the Zords. “Whoa! Evasive actions!” Rainbow yelled as she and Fluttershy quickly bobbed and weaved in the sky. “Take ‘em down!” Applejack called to Pinkie as more bolts of plasma shot from their cannons to try and blast the chains out of the sky. “Well, this should be fairly simple to deal with!” Rarity smiled as she sent her Bike Zord roaring toward Shriekenstein and quickly turned it around, setting the rear wheel against his gut and revving the engine hard to leave tread marks on his chest before she drove away. “Gragh! Getting angry!” Shriekenstein roared as he blasted another wave of energy from his blade, knocking the Zords around. “Gah! We’re gonna need more power if we wanna take him down!” Applejack called out. “Well, um… oh, no it’s stupid.” Fluttershy shook her head. “We’re fighting a giant Frankenstein, Fluttershy. I don’t think anything counts as stupid compared to that.” Rainbow pointed out. “Oh well, um… if our weapons can fit together…” Fluttershy shrugged nervously as she buzzed around to avoid Shriekenstein’s attacks. “Then maybe our Zords can combine too. Splendid idea, Fluttershy.” Rarity smiled. “Yeah, but how do we fit ‘em together?” asked Applejack. “Any suggestions, Headquarters?” Rarity asked over the comms. “I’m pretty sure the Tree has a few ideas,” Spike noted as he watched the Tree form a series of sheer white Crystal Song Keys, these ones with gold silhouettes of a humanoid figure. “New Keys comin’ your way.” Right on cue, the Rangers’ belt buckles glowed white, and with a press of the lever, they retrieved the Keys. “Alright, let’s see what we can do with these babies.” Rainbow smiled as she opened the Crystal Lock on her console, letting a small opening slide out of the top. “Megazord Keys locked!” the Rangers called as they locked their Keys into the sliders and slammed them back into the locks. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Harmonize!” They all spun their spinners and they sparked to life. “Zords Combine!” Applejack’s Zord spun into reverse and its rear bumper split in half, the rear quarters of the truck extending into thighs as the pegs formed from the bumpers locked into the rear ends of Rarity and Pinkie’s Zords, the whole assembly braking hard to force itself upright. The truck’s cannons moved down the newly formed torso to the midriff as the cabin split in half and folded out into shoulders to reveal a head that glittered like crystal with pony ears as pegs folded out from the shoulders. Rainbow and Fluttershy’s Zords both folded their wings in and locked into those pegs by their rear ends as large hands folded out from under the cockpits, a panel in the chest folding to form a breastplate emblazoned with the same ornate gold arrangement as the Rangers’ belt buckles. Then the head’s eyes flashed as it stood ready to fight. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Ready!” The Rangers were all suddenly teleported to a five-person cockpit and they looked around, impressed. “Whoa-ho-ho. Yeah, I can work with this.” Rainbow smiled. “Ah think we all can.” Applejack smiled. “Let’s see what this baby can do.” “What it can do is fall!” Shriekenstein roared as he cast a wave of fire from his blade, but it barely even scratched the Megazord as it walked straight through the blast. “Is that the best you’ve got?” Rainbow smirked as she swung a hard right hook against the monster’s face, knocking him back. Shriekenstein roared as he stood up and charged again, but Pinkie acted faster. “Party Cannon!” she yelled and the cannon on her tank bent out to fire upward, shooting the monster square in the face and blinding him enough for Fluttershy to slip the Megazord past the charging monster before Rarity tripped him up onto a right uppercut, knocking him to the ground. “Okay, I think we’ve knocked him around enough; this experiment’s over,” Rainbow smirked as she retrieved her Final Strike Key. “Let’s finish him off.” “Right!” the other Rangers agreed and retrieved their own Final Strike Keys, opening the Crystal Locks. “Final Strike Keys locked!” They slammed the keys into the locks and slammed them shut. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Final Strike!” They spun their disks hard and smiled as they sparked in rainbows of color, bringing the cannons on the Megazord’s midriff to point forward before erupting in a massive blast of rainbow-colored magic that blasted Shriekenstein to nothing in a massive explosion. The Rangers all cheered their victory in the cockpit as the Megazord relaxed and Rainbow smiled. “Perfect Harmony: Crystal Clear Skies ahead!” Later on, back at Sugarcube Corner, the Rangers were all gathered to celebrate their latest victory. “I’m telling you guys, those Zords are gonna help out so much.” “I can’t but agree.” Rarity agreed. “And aside from the clashing colors, the Megazord is simply divine.” “Well, function can supersede form every now and then, can’t it?” Twilight pointed out. “I suppose.” Rarity nodded. “Hey Dash, Ah feel like Ah still oughtta apologize for what Ah said.” Applejack shrugged. “Ah was bein’ bullheaded sayin’ you were showin’ off.” “Nah, it’s cool; I totally was.” Rainbow shrugged. “But I gotta remember; it’s not just me out here. We’re all Rangers.” “And Rangers are always stronger together.” Twilight nodded. “The Megazord proved that.” “Yeah. But this whole thing helped me with something too.” Sunset noted. “It doesn’t matter what I want. This is about both our worlds; Earth and Equestria. I guess getting captured and having a close-up look at what we’re up against helped put that into perspective. We have to stop Tantabus, no matter what.” “We will. And until we do, don’t act so down SunShim.” Pinkie smiled. “We’ll make sure you can go home any time you want without worrying.” “Yeah. Here’s to home and another win.” Rainbow smiled as she raised her drink. The others all agreed and drank their drinks in response, happy to be winning so far and resolute in their resolve to defeat Tantabus no matter what.
Ch. 4: Pins and NeedlesAnother busy day in Canterlot City, this one leading the Rangers to help Fluttershy get the animal shelter ready for a veterinarian to visit. “Thanks again for your help with this, girls.” Fluttershy smiled. “The animals always get so nervous when Dr. Fauna comes by, but it’s especially bad today.” “Ah, don’t even mention it Fluttershy.” Rainbow smiled. “You know we’re always there for you.” “Indeed. After everything you’ve done to help our pets, this is the least we can do.” Rarity nodded. “Though I must ask; why is today so bad?” Fluttershy was about to answer that question when the door to the shelter opened and Dr. Fauna walked in with an interesting case. “Ah, Fluttershy; it’s always so good to see you.” she smiled and hugged the shy girl. “It’s good to see you too, Dr. Fauna.” Fluttershy smiled as she looked over at her friends. “I don’t think you’ve met my friends.” “Actually, I’m pretty sure I saw you around when I picked out Ray,” Sunset remembered as she walked over. “Oh yes, of course. How is he, by the way?” the vet smiled. “Ah, he’s doing great; thanks.” Sunset nodded. “Fluttershy was just telling us that the animals are particularly stressed today for some reason.” Rarity noted. “Ah, they always are, around this time of year.” Dr. Fauna shrugged as she set her case on the counter. “Can’t quite say I blame them, honestly. No one likes getting shots.” “Shots?” Rarity asked, seeming surprised as Dr. Fauna opened her case and revealed it was filled with needles. As soon as Rarity laid eyes on the devices, her face seemed to go paler than usual as she took a step back, almost in retreat. “Yep. Rabies Shot Day; animals’ least favorite day of all time.” Dr. Fauna nodded as she picked up one of the needles and flicked it. Applejack appeared to notice Rarity’s unease and appeared a bit surprised. “You okay, sugarcube?” “Y-Yes Darling, I’m fine.” Rarity nodded as she stepped away. “Excuse me for a moment.” The girls were all a bit confused as they saw their Blue Ranger step out toward the restroom. “What was that about?” asked Sunset. “I dunno. S’pose our dear Rarity’s got a thing ‘bout needles.” Applejack remarked. “Hm. That’s a bit ironic.” Twilight smiled, knowing that if Rarity was afraid of needles, it must have made her sewing hobby difficult. Unfortunately, that little tidbit had been heard in the Lucid Lands. “Well… it seems that even the Power Rangers aren’t immune to fear.” Midnight smiled wickedly. “If there’s one thing I know, it’s how to exploit such fears.” Eclipse smiled as she turned to her mistress. “Mistress Tantabus… I don’t suppose you have a Dream Demon on hand that could enflame such fears of points like this?” “In fact, I do.” Tantabus smiled before she struck the ground with her blade. “Come forth, Pinblade.” On that order, there was a sound of scraping and clattering that sounded like many blades and pinpoints knocking into each other at once as a Dream Demon emerged that looked like it was wrapped in metal blades with syringes on its fingertips and tusks that looked like curved sword-tips. “What are my orders, Mistress?” “Go forth and bring terror. Bring it especially upon the Blue Ranger.” Tantabus ordered. “Enough that she will yield to you in combat. And when the Rangers are separated and weakened, destroy them.” “Yes, Mistress.” Pinblade bowed and disappeared in the shadows. As Dr. Fauna and the girls worked on the animals – even taking turns giving various animals shots as directed by the vet – the other girls kept a close eye on Rarity, watching every time her eyes followed the needles to an animal’s flesh, only to look away at the last minute. “Something’s definitely up with her,” Applejack whispered. “Maybe she had a panic attack when she was getting a shot once,” Twilight suggested. “That happened to me once a few years ago and it sucked.” “Um… sh- should we really be talking about this?” Fluttershy asked. “It feels a bit… mean.” “Relax Fluttershy, it’s not like we’re rooting around her underwear drawer,” Rainbow smirked. “We just wanna know why she’s afraid of needles.” “Well, that’s good. Because trust me; you do not wanna see Rarity’s undies drawer.” Pinkie smiled jovially, earning a barrage of confused looks from the others. “Wait, when have you seen Rarity’s underwear drawer?” Sunset asked. “Don’t worry about it.” Pinkie smiled. “I’m sorry; what’s this about my underwear drawer?” Rarity asked behind Sunset, surprising her and the other Rangers. “Nothing! That’s definitely not what we were talking about.” Sunset assured, though her panicked tone didn’t do her any favors. “Really girls, this is hardly a subject for upstanding young women such as us.” Rarity assured as she flipped her hair. “I mean, really; do we look like Snips and Snails?” “When were those two interested in girls’ underwear?” Spike asked. “You’d be surprised,” Sunset remarked bitterly, remembering her time ordering the two around. “Oh, ew; please spare us the details,” Rainbow remarked in disgust. “Agreed.” Rarity nodded, returning to the subject at hand. “But really, girls; what are you talking about?” Twilight almost made an excuse before Dr. Fauna looked over at them. “Rarity, it’s your turn,” she called over. Rarity looked over almost nervously but quickly took a quiet breath as she walked over, the others watching closely as she picked up the syringe and brought it over toward a dog with a shaking hand. She was just about to plunge the needle into the dog’s back when it slipped and fell onto the floor, shattering. “Oh dear, I’m so sorry about this, Dr. Fauna,” she said quickly. “No, it’s fine. Trust me, if I had a nickel for every time I dropped one of these…” the vet assured as she quickly cleaned up the mess and tossed it into a medical waste bag she had on her. “Well, that was the last one of that case anyway.” She suddenly facepalmed in what seemed like irritation. “And I just remembered that I forgot the rest of the shots. Hang tight here; I’ll run back to my office and grab the rest.” With that in mind, she stepped out of the shelter to her car and drove away. Once she was gone, the girls looked at Rarity. “Are you okay, Rarity?” Fluttershy asked. “I’m fine, darling; it just slipped a bit.” Rarity assured. Rainbow was a bit surprised as she pulled her hand away from Rarity’s. “I think I can see why. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen Fluttershy’s hands this sweaty.” Indeed, Rarity’s palms were very sweaty and her hands were still shaking. “Whoa. What’s wrong, Rarity?” Sunset asked. “It’s nothing, Darling; I just-” Rarity was interrupted when Rainbow’s Harmonizer beeped. Quickly Rainbow pressed the comm button and Timber’s face appeared on the screen. “We got Knightmares, downtown,” he said simply and quickly. “We’re on our way,” Rainbow noted, quickly signing off as she and the others quickly teleported. Landing in midtown, the Rangers quickly surveyed the site and saw people running from Knightmares as they scrambled around the plaza area. “This seems pretty simple,” Applejack remarked. “Shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.” “Let’s get to it then,” Rainbow smirked as she stepped forward and raised her Harmonizer along with the others, all opening the Crystal Locks. “It’s Morphin’ Time!” In sync, the Rainbooms held their forearms up with the Disks pointing upward and locked their Morph Keys into the slots, slamming the Locks closed and making the Disks flash in the Keys’ colors. “Power Rangers!” they all announced as they stuck their arms forward and put their palms against the Disks before pulling the Morphers back across their bodies fast, spinning the Disks as they went. “Harmonize!” A red light pulsed out of Rainbow's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-red glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a thunderstorm and lightning struck each of her limbs as she punched and kicked, creating her uniform. A final bolt struck her head at the same time a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Streaks of electricity jolted between her fingers as she posed as if she had just finished a guitar solo. A green light pulsed from Applejack's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-green glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind was a desert canyon and rocks and pebbles landed on her limbs as she stomped and punched, creating her uniform with each strike. A boulder landed on her head and a loud neigh was heard. With a final stomp, she posed in a boxing stance. A blue light pulsed from Rarity's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-blue glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was an expansive ocean and streams of water struck her limbs as she danced over the surface, creating her uniform. A wave of water crashed into her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. A ripple pulsed from beneath her as she posed like a dancer awaiting applause. A yellow light pulsed from Fluttershy's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-yellow glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a field of flowers and petals landed on each of her limbs as she spun around, each petal forming her uniform. A final burst of petals encircled her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Flower petals flew about her as she posed like a ballerina. A pink light pulsed from Pinkie's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-pink glow, leaving her head and over-the-top smile exposed. Appearing behind her were the tops of clouds in which she cartwheeled and bounced around, causing tufts to fly off her and create her uniform. She stuck her head in a cloud and pulled it out as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. She then posed with her hands stretched out as if saying 'Don’t talk to me' to two people. Once in costume, the Rangers quickly drew their Defenders and started fighting their way through the Knightmares like they were nothing. “If this is all Tantabus has to offer, maybe she should just give up now!” Rainbow smirked as she slashed a few Knightmares to the ground with one slash. Applejack flipped over a table and quickly shot a few Knightmares down before she landed. “Ah hear that; I’m almost gettin’ bored here,” she smirked as she spun her Defender on her finger before blasting another Knightmare without even looking at it. “They certainly seem to be giving us an easy go of it.” Rarity agreed as she swung her Defender to the ready in front of a large group of Knightmares, pulling the stock and locking in a Song Key. “Final Strike Key locked!” With a quick spin of the disk, the blade glowed blue and she held it at the ready. “Harmonic Defender, Final Strike!” With a powerful swing, a bright blue arc of energy shot from the blade and cleaved the remaining Knightmares in half in a huge explosion. With all the Knightmares dealt with, the Rangers quickly rallied up and smirked at each other under their helmets. “Was that it? Huh. Kinda insulted there wasn’t more.” Rainbow remarked. “If it’s more you want, I’m glad to oblige!” The Rangers quickly reacted to that as they looked up and saw Pinblade atop a nearby building before he leaped down and drew a jagged sword. “Let’s see just how sharp you are, Rangers!” The Rangers were nervous, all glancing at Rarity – if she really was as afraid of needles as they thought she was, this fight would be impossible for her. “Happy to oblige.” That remark from Rarity surprised them all as she charged first, but they were quickly preoccupied as more Knightmares quickly appeared and engaged with them. “Ooh, feisty.” Pinblade smiled as he clashed blades with Rarity. “Not what I expected from you, Blue Ranger.” “I’ll have you know I’m not just a pretty face.” Rarity smirked as she quickly slashed the monster’s side. “I earned my place as Blue Ranger for a reason. Allow me to demonstrate!” Quickly she kicked the monster back and flipped as she locked her Battle Gear Key into her Harmonizer and spun the Disk, summoning her axe in midair. “Diamond Axe!” Quickly grabbing the axe out of the air, she slashed the monster hard and they started dueling. “I was expecting a great deal more fear from you, Blue Ranger,” Pinblade smirked as they clashed and pushed each other back. “Perhaps this will inspire it. Razor Lash Shot!” A large barrage of small blades shot from his chest at Rarity, and while she managed to deflect most of them by spinning her axe, a few did manage to slip past her and strike her, knocking her back. Quickly he charged a bolt of energy on his blade and slashed it out at her, knocking her hard to the ground. “Rarity!” Applejack yelled in concern as the Rangers all grouped around her, helping her to her feet. “I’m all right.” Rarity assured as she pulled herself to her feet with her axe. “You won’t be for much longer. None of you will be!” Pinblade assured as he stepped forward, before quickly doubling over as he gripped his side where Rarity had struck him, small cracks appearing in the metal in his side. “Grr! Later then. You got a few good hits in, Blue Ranger, but you won’t be so lucky next time.” With that, Pinblade warped into shadow and disappeared. “We will see about that.” Rarity pointed out as she stood up, still clearly weak. “We’d better get back to base,” Fluttershy suggested. “Right.” Rainbow nodded and the Rangers all quickly teleported away, back to the cave where the others were waiting. “Power Down!” the Rangers all announced and de-morphed, standing ready in the base. “Nice work as usual, Rangers.” Timber smiled. “Think I would’ve preferred it if we could take that punk down all the way.” Rainbow shrugged. “Sometimes forcing the enemy to retreat is good enough.” Sunset shrugged. “We’ll get him next time. Because there will be a next time.” Twilight smiled as she looked around… before she noticed something. “Whoa. Rarity, you’re hurt pretty bad.” “What?” Rarity asked in fear as she checked her arm and indeed saw a small injury… which was bleeding moderately. Almost immediately, the sight of the blood made Rarity go pale as she felt weak and stumbled into Fluttershy’s arms. “Whoa, easy there sugarcube,” Applejack said and carefully guided her to a small couch nearby, where Fluttershy quickly set to work on tending to her head. This display made it easy for the Rangers to figure something out. “Rarity was never afraid of needles. She’s afraid of blood.” In the Lucid Lands, Pinblade roared in pain as a few Knightmares poured searing hot molten metal into the crack in his armor, sealing it as the generals watched. “If that’s the best Dream Demon you have to offer for this situation, Mistress, I’d say we’re in worse shape than I thought at first.” Eclipse scowled. “Hold your tongue, Eclipse. Or I will.” Tantabus warned grimly. “You’re the one who came to me with the suggestion to exploit the Blue Ranger’s fear, and yet she was the first to attack. Perhaps you can offer some explanation for this?” “No, Mistress.” Midnight answered. “Unless we were wrong about her fear.” “That is a distinct possibility.” Tantabus scowled as she marched down to find Pinblade quenching his wound in oil, making the soldered area look almost bloody. “Pinblade, return to the waking world. And this time, do not return until you have destroyed the Rangers.” “With pleasure, Mistress.” Pinblade smiled as he stood up. “My blades are sharpened and the Rangers will be the first to taste their edge.” “See to it. Or you will taste mine.” Tantabus warned as Pinblade walked out of the ruins, a contingent of Knightmares following him. It took some doing – a bit more than she was expecting – but Fluttershy and Gloriosa managed to patch Rarity’s injury and stem the blood, making sure the injury wasn’t too noticeable. “There, I think you’ll be okay now.” Gloriosa nodded. “What was with the freakout, Rarity?” Rainbow asked. “Do you really hate the sight of blood that much?” “Dash, give her a minute,” Applejack advised. “She just freaked out that bad; she needs a chance to get her head on straight.” “No, it’s fine Applejack.” Rarity assured as she sat up. “I suppose it’s about time I tell you all this.” She took a shaky breath as she looked around at her friends. “I have minor hemophilia.” Timber and Gloriosa appeared a bit surprised. “Well, that explains a lot,” Gloriosa remarked, glancing at the small trash bag of bloody paper towels nearby. “How long have you known?” asked Twilight. “Before freshman year. I pricked my finger with a sewing needle once and it bled for almost eight minutes before I could stop it.” Rarity remembered. “I’ve been more careful about things like that ever since. I don’t understand how I could be hurt like that when I was Morphed; the suit is supposed to protect me.” “The suits aren’t infallible,” Sunset argued. “Princess Twilight’s research says there have been innumerable times through Ranger history that Power Rangers were literally knocked out of their morphs by their enemies. Injuries like that are just par for the course when it comes to being heroes.” “And everyone has their own big fears like that,” Fluttershy assured. “What matters is that we all help each other through them. Like you’ve all helped me with mine.” Rarity shrugged and smiled at her friends before she stood up. “Thank you, Darlings. But I still feel like we need to devise some way to truly stop that monster.” The main terminal started beeping and Timber quickly checked it, seeing Pinblade attacking again. “Looks like you’d better come up with something pretty fast,” he remarked. “You gonna be okay to go back out there?” Spike asked Rarity. “It seems I’ll have to be.” Rarity shrugged as she stood up. “Let’s get back out there.” Quickly she and the girls raised their Harmonizers and opened the Crystal Locks. “It’s Morphing Time!” In sync, the Rainbooms held their forearms up with the Disks pointing upward and locked their Morph Keys into the slots, slamming the Locks closed and making the Disks flash in the Keys’ colors. “Power Rangers!” they all announced as they stuck their arms forward and put their palms against the Disks before pulling the Morphers back across their bodies fast, spinning the Disks as they went. “Harmonize!” A blue light pulsed from Rarity's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-blue glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was an expansive ocean and streams of water struck her limbs as she danced over the surface, creating her uniform. A wave of water crashed into her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. A ripple pulsed from beneath her as she posed like a dancer awaiting applause. A red light pulsed out of Rainbow's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-red glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a thunderstorm and lightning struck each of her limbs as she punched and kicked, creating her uniform. A final bolt struck her head at the same time a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Streaks of electricity jolted between her fingers as she posed as if she had just finished a guitar solo. A green light pulsed from Applejack's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-green glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind was a desert canyon and rocks and pebbles landed on her limbs as she stomped and punched, creating her uniform with each strike. A boulder landed on her head and a loud neigh was heard. With a final stomp, she posed in a boxing stance. A yellow light pulsed from Fluttershy's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-yellow glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a field of flowers and petals landed on each of her limbs as she spun around, each petal forming her uniform. A final burst of petals encircled her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Flower petals flew about her as she posed like a ballerina. A pink light pulsed from Pinkie's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-pink glow, leaving her head and over-the-top smile exposed. Appearing behind her were the tops of clouds in which she cartwheeled and bounced around, causing tufts to fly off her and create her uniform. She stuck her head in a cloud and pulled it out as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. She then posed with her hands stretched out as if saying 'Don’t talk to me' to two people. As soon as they were morphed, the Rangers quickly teleported back into town, ready to fight as they saw Pinblade and his Knightmares at the ready. “I was wondering when you would return, Rangers!” the monster laughed as he raised his sword. “Now let’s see if I can truly show you fear!” “Don’t count on it. You know who you’re messing with?” Rainbow smirked. “By all means, tell me; I’d love to know who will fall by my blades.” Pinblade smiled wickedly. “Element of Generosity!” Rarity announced and posed. “Power Ranger Blue!” “Element of Loyalty!” Rainbow announced and posed. “Power Ranger Red!” “Element of Honesty!” Applejack announced and posed. “Power Ranger Green!” “Element of Kindness!” Fluttershy announced and posed. “Power Ranger Yellow!” “Element of Laughter!” Pinkie announced and posed. “Power Ranger Pink!” “Friendship’s Might, Ready to Fight!” the Rangers all announced and posed at once with Rainbow in the center, Rarity and Applejack flanking her, and Pinkie and Fluttershy at the outer edges. “Power Rangers Crystal Harmony!” “Crush them!” Pinblade roared, sending the Knightmares forward to attack. The Rangers quickly raised their special weapons and clashed hard against them. “You take the sword nut; we’ll cover you,” Rainbow ordered Rarity quickly. “With pleasure.” Rarity smiled as she charged Pinblade, clashing her axe against his sword. “I admit you had me a bit surprised the first time we fought, Blue Ranger.” the monster smirked. “I’d half expected you to be trembling as soon as we met.” “Ironic. I was expecting much the same from you.” Rarity smiled as she swung her axe, knocking the monster’s sword to the side. “Jokes will not save you, Blue Ranger!” Pinblade snarled as he swung his sword. “Fear consumes all! Razor Lash Shot!” Just like before, a barrage of blades shot from the monster’s chest at Rarity, now flecked with red ripples in the metal that looked like blood. “Unless you pick the wrong fear!” Rarity was admittedly a bit frightened by the apparently bloody blades, but she did her best to fight through it as she spun her axe on her hand like a shield, deflecting all the blades away like it was nothing before she slashed hard upward, knocking Pinblade back. “Now I think it’s time you fear me!” And it looked like her weapon had an idea to help with that as the head flashed bright blue and a Crystal Lock and Power Disk appeared on the head behind the blade, letting Rarity easily figure out what to do now. With that in mind, she flipped her Song Key Buckle’s lever and retrieved her chosen Song Key. “Final Strike Key locked!” Rarity announced as she locked her Key into the head of her Diamond Axe, spinning the Disk behind the blade and making the blade glimmer like light through a well-cut gemstone. “Diamond Axe! Facet Finale!” She spun the axe in her hands a few times, sending out beams of blinding blue light through the blade’s facets before she swung it into a powerful horizontal slash, cleaving clear through Pinblade’s sword and shattering his quenched wound. “Consider me your worst nightmare.” The other Rangers quickly ran over, having dealt with the Knightmares, and quickly admired her axe’s upgrade. “Whoa, since when could you do that?” Rainbow asked as she looked at the Crystal Lock. “I don’t know, but I’m certainly not complaining.” Rarity shrugged. None of the others complained either as their weapons glowed and gained their own Crystal Locks and Power Disks. “Whoa, this is gonna be so much fun!” Pinkie smiled as she admired her nunchucks’ upgrade. “Graagh!” Pinblade snarled as he pulled himself up. “This is far from over, Rangers! I still have a few blades left!” “Oh yeah? Well, let’s see what you’ve got!” Rainbow smirked and raised the Bolt Saber. “Let’s do this!” “Weapons, Combine!” the Rangers announced. The handle of Rarity’s axe quickly slid into the handle of Rainbow’s sword as Applejack’s hammer locked in on top of the axe, one of the hammerheads forming what looked like a weapon stock. Then Fluttershy’s tonfa-blades linked into the tip of Rainbow’s sword with their barrels ready to fire and Pinkie’s nunchucks locked into the sides of the upper hammerhead, their heads aiming forward as they opened to reveal large blast emitters as Rainbow grabbed the trigger and the others quickly steadied the weapon by grabbing its sides. “Harmonic Crystal Cannon!” “Bring it on!” Pinblade simply snarled as he raised his hands, long serrated blades deploying from his forearms. “Jagged Crash!” The blades shot from his arms toward the Rangers. “Final Strike Keys locked!” the Rangers called as Rainbow opened the upper head of the hammer in the stock, letting the Rangers lock their Keys into it before it closed and Rainbow spun the Disk between the hammer’s heads, powering up the cannon. “Harmonic Final Strike!” the Rangers bellowed as Rainbow pulled the trigger, blasting the villain with a large rainbow-colored shot of energy out at the monster, knocking the blades aside like they were nothing and striking Pinblade straight in his open wound. “Gah! Ow, the edge!” he roared as he exploded, letting the Rangers pose in victory. “That’s twice this fool has failed!” Eclipse scowled into the viewing crystal. “Well, you know what they say; third time’s the charm.” Midnight smiled. “Shall we, Mistress?” “With pleasure, Midnight.” Tantabus smiled as she stepped forward, waving her blade as dark magic formed around the tip. “Power of Darkness, Heed my Command! Grant this Beast a Final Stand!” She slammed her blade into the ground, and just as before, a dark storm cloud formed above the monster’s remains before a bolt of lightning shot down and struck them, flashing the surrounding area like a photo negative before Pinblade suddenly reformed and grew 30 stories tall. “Now my blades will sing with the force of storms!” the monster roared, holding two large swords now. “Not today, pal!” Rainbow smiled as the Rangers quickly retrieved their Zord Keys. “Zord Keys Locked!” they announced as they locked the Keys into their Harmonizers and spun the Disks. “Crystal Zords, Harmonize!” As the Disks sparked, the Zords raced into the city from their hangars and let the girls quickly leap aboard, quickly deploying their Megazord Keys. “Megazord Keys locked!” the rangers called as they locked their Keys into the sliders and slammed them back into the Locks. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Harmonize!” They all spun their spinners and they sparked to life. “Zords Combine!” Applejack’s Zord spun into reverse and its rear bumper split in half, the rear quarters of the truck extending into thighs as the pegs formed from the bumpers locked into the rear ends of Rarity and Pinkie’s Zords, the whole assembly braking hard to force itself upright. The truck’s cannons moved down the newly formed torso to the midriff as the cabin split in half and folded out into shoulders to reveal a head that glittered like crystal with pony ears as pegs folded out from the shoulders. Rainbow and Fluttershy’s Zords both folded their wings in and locked into those pegs by their rear ends as large hands folded out from under the cockpits, a panel in the chest folding to form a breastplate emblazoned with the same ornate gold arrangement as the Rangers’ belt buckles. Then the head’s eyes flashed as it stood ready to fight. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Ready!” “A bulky behemoth like that is nothing to me. Taste my blades!” Pinblade roared as he charged at the Megazord with his blades. “Bring it, rusty!” Rainbow smirked as she commanded the Megazord to swing its fists, knocking the swords away as best she could, but it was obvious those moves wouldn’t be enough as Pinblade got in quite a few good hits, sending the Megazord stumbling back. “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. We’re going to lose!” Fluttershy whimpered. “Any ideas? I’m all ears.” Applejack called out. “I think I've got one.” Sunset reported from the cave, holding a new silver Song Key with the image of a sword in the center. “Looks like the Tree of Harmony decided you need a little more edge. I'm sending Rainbow your Megazord's new Saber Key.” The Megazord rocked again as the monster slashed at the machine’s chest. “No offense Sunset, but I don’t think we’re winning a sword fight against this guy.” Rainbow pointed out. “You got a better idea?” Sunset asked genuinely. Rainbow did not so she shrugged. “Eh, what the heck? If we go down, we go down fighting,” she remarked as she grabbed the Saber Key and slammed it into her Crystal Lock, locking it shut. “Saber Key locked!” she called and quickly spun the Disk. On this cue, the symbol on the Megazord’s chest flashed out in a holographic image, unfolding and reshaping into a large broadsword in a gold scabbard with several colored crystals in the gold cross-guard. “Whoa-ho-ho, awesome!” Rainbow smiled as the Megazord quickly grabbed the sword out of the air. “Alright, let’s take this baby for a spin!” “Crystal Clash Saber!” the Rangers called as the Megazord reached and pulled the gold scabbard off, letting it dematerialize to reveal a glittering silver blade. “So it’s a duel, eh? Alright, bring it on!” Pinblade roared as he marched to the Megazord. Quickly the Megazord raised its new sword and clashed against the monster’s blades, knocking them upward and away, allowing the Rangers a quick shot at the monster’s wound. “Gah! You think this will be enough to stop me? Think again!” “Let’s see you put your steel where your mouth is, ugly!” Pinkie smiled as the Megazord continued dueling with the monster, clashing blades aggressively for a solid few minutes before the monster stood back. “Alright, I admit I’m impressed! But you’ll still never defeat me!” the monster roared as it slashed hard at the Rangers. Quickly the Megazord stepped out of the blades’ range just before the monster could hit it, making Pinblade stumble and granting the Megazord an easy opportunity to slash down hard at his head. Pinblade quickly raised his swords crossed in front of him to try and intercept the blow, but the Crystal Clash Saber cleaved clean through his swords and slashed hard through some of the armor on his chest. “No! My swords!” “Touché!” Rarity announced with a smile. “Let’s finish this!” “With pleasure!” Rainbow smiled as she grabbed her Defender from the central console, followed by the other Rangers. “Crystal Clash Saber, ready!” the Rangers called as they raised their Defenders in blade mode, making the Megazord swing its own sword to the ready at its side as they retrieved their Keys. “Final Strike Keys locked!” They slammed the Keys into the cockpits’ Crystal Locks and slammed them shut. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Final Strike!” They spun their Disks hard and smiled as they sparked in rainbows of color which shot to the sword, making its blade glow brightly as they raised it up. “Crystal Clash Saber, Power Slash!” With a powerful swing from the shoulder, the Megazord brought the sword down hard against Pinblade, making it appear he’d been cleaved clean in half as he stumbled back. “Gah! My arsenal is broken! Oh, the shame!” he roared as he fell backward and exploded. The Rangers all cheered and laughed in the cockpit as the Megazord stood down and Rainbow smiled. “Perfect Harmony: Crystal Clear Skies ahead!” she announced. After the battle, the Rainbooms returned to the veterinary clinic where, after a few shaky attempts and some encouragement from her friends, Rarity helped Dr. Fauna with the other animals’ shots, gladly finishing up the last one before she disposed of the last needle from a cat. “There we are: all finished.” she smiled. “Great. Thanks, Rarity.” Dr. Fauna smiled as she cleaned up and let Fluttershy take the cat back to her cage. “Sorry again that I took so long to get back; my office was a mess. And could you believe there was a monster attack right as I was getting ready to leave?” “Man, crazy odds,” Rainbow smirked, still a bit annoyed she couldn’t tell anyone she was a Ranger, but more than anything, she was just glad to be doing such good work as a hero. “Guess it’s lucky the Rangers showed up when they did, huh?” “Tell me about it.” Dr. Fauna smiled as she packed up. “Well, suppose I’ll see you around next time, Fluttershy.” “See you then, Dr. Fauna.” Fluttershy smiled and hugged the vet as she left. “Again, my deepest apologies for frightening you at the base.” Rarity apologized to her team. “And for letting my own fear get the best of me here.” “No apologies necessary, sugarcube.” Applejack smiled. “Friends don’t judge friends for their fears.” “And even if we did, you totally made up for it in the city.” Rainbow smiled. “You took Pinblade down like a champ.” “And unlocked new capabilities for your weapons,” Twilight added. “I’m certain those will come in handy in future battles.” “But just in case this wasn’t a one-time thing, we should all tell each other what our worst fears are, so we can be ready,” Spike suggested. “Good call.” Sunset nodded and the girls all shared their fears, secure that they would be ready for whatever Tantabus sent at them next.
Ch. 5: Family MattersEven more, the Power Rangers were being lauded as heroes, and even more, Rainbow Dash’s ego wanted her to reveal her identity and bask in the glory. It took almost every ounce of strength she had to offer for Applejack to keep her friend’s ego on a leash. But even then, she was short on it at the moment as it was harvest time on her family farm… and Apple Bloom had decided to bring her friends along to help. “Now you know the drill for ridin’ herd on them young’uns, Applejack; don’t let ‘em outta yer sight.” Granny Smith reminded. “They ain’t gettin’ away from me, Granny; I promise ya that.” Applejack nodded as she walked to do as she’d been told… though something had been weighing heavily on her mind; she hated lying to her family about being the Green Ranger, but she knew it was for their own good. Even so, keeping Apple Bloom and her friends under control was hard enough even before she and her friends became Rangers. She always loved Apple Bloom, but sometimes the trouble of keeping an eye on her was too much, especially as she and her friends started running around the orchard like they were Rangers themselves. “Whoa there now, take it easy,” Applejack said cautiously as she tried to keep them from getting hurt. “C’mon Applejack, I grew up on this farm same as you.” Apple Bloom pointed out. “And how many times have we both gotten hurt here?” Applejack countered. Apple Bloom was about to answer when Scootaloo suddenly got a notification on her phone. “Whoa. Heads up, Crusaders; there’s a monster sighting a few miles away.” “What? How do you know that?” Applejack asked, quickly looking at Scootaloo’s phone to see… a fan site? “It’s RangerStation; the new social media app where people can report monster attacks and post pics and theories about the Power Rangers,” Scootaloo explained. “It’s been live for weeks; where have you been?” “Well, I know where we’re gonna be; watching the Rangers kick butt!” Sweetie Belle smiled. “Come on, let’s go!” “Whoa now, wait a minute-!” Applejack called, but the girls didn’t listen; they just ran off and hopped in the wagon hooked to Scootaloo’s scooter and raced off down the road toward the monster sighting. “Oh, fer heaven’s sake…” Applejack remarked in annoyance before her Harmonizer beeped. She quickly pressed the communicator button and saw Gloriosa’s face on the screen. “Ah think Ah know why you’re callin’.” “Then you know what to do. Here are the coordinates; the others will meet you there.” Gloriosa nodded, transmitting the location of the latest attack to the screen. “On my way.” Applejack nodded and signed off, quickly locking her Morph Key into her Harmonizer as she ran further into the orchard, quickly spinning the Disk. “Harmonize!” As soon as she Morphed into the Green Ranger, she quickly teleported to the suburbs a few miles from the farm, where she did indeed find the other Rangers fighting a legion of Knightmares… and what looked like a mutant hippo with boxing gloves and big cork-like nose plugs in its nostrils. Applejack couldn’t help but smirk under her helmet as she drew her Defender and started blasting the Knightmares. “Well, Ah’ll give Tantabus one thing; she’s sure gettin’ creative,” she remarked. “Tell me about it.” Rainbow agreed as she went back-to-back with the Green Ranger, deflecting Knightmares’ blades with her own. “I mean, who ever heard of a fear of hippos?” “No, it’s definitely a thing,” Twilight reported over the coms. “It’s specifically called-” “Wasn’t a serious question, Twi.” Rainbow rebuked quickly as she stabbed one Knightmare standing behind her without even looking. “Does it matter what fear I draw power from? All that matters is your destruction, Rangers! And it will come at the hands of me: Hippounder!” The almost helium-like yet nasal voice froze the Rangers in their tracks as they looked dumbfounded at the monster. After a few seconds, they all just burst out laughing, barely even able to focus on fighting off the remaining Knightmares. “Oh man, this could not possibly be any more ridiculous!” Applejack laughed, blasting other Knightmares while she doubled over laughing. “Seriously! Lamest! Monster! Ever!” Rainbow agreed, flailing slashes at others. “Hey! I’m terrifying!” Hippounder protested. “To a kindergartener, maybe.” Rarity pointed out with a chuckle. “Why would Tantabus ever think we would consider you a serious threat?” “See? I told you that sending that one was a stupid idea! And the Rangers agree!” Eclipse snarled at Midnight, having heard that remark through the scrying pool in the Lucid Lands. “You wanted a Dream Demon with muscle, I found a Dream Demon with muscle.” Midnight argued. “If you wanted something specific, you could’ve said so. For now, this is what we’ve got.” “You couldn’t have at least tried to make him sound more intimidating before you sent him out?” Eclipse growled. “Silence, both of you!” Tantabus snarled as she walked next to them. “This bloated buffoon of yours had better pay off, Midnight. Or you’ll be made to pay for it.” “He will, Mistress. As you can see, the Rangers already underestimate him.” Midnight smiled. And it certainly seemed like she would be proven right, as the Rangers were striking Hippounder almost arrogantly with their Defenders, and admittedly the arrogance was at least moderately warranted as the monster was barely putting up a fight. “C’mon, are you even actually here to fight us?” Rainbow smirked as she slashed his arms. “You shouldn’t be cocky, Rangers! You’re underestimating my power.” Hippounder countered, his helium-like voice not making him seem intimidating as the girls kept fighting. “You invite it; you sound ludicrous!” Rarity assured, delivering a firm slash across the beast’s chest. “I’d say my bark is worse, but how about after I show you my bite!” Hippounder snarled as he punched Pinkie and Fluttershy back hard, sending them tumbling a few feet away. “That wasn’t a bite, silly! It was a punch!” Pinkie remarked, a smile still present in her voice. “And so’s this!” Applejack smirked as she swung a mean left into the monster’s face, sending it tumbling back. She smirked at the beast and her move… before she heard cheering from nearby. She glanced in its direction and saw Apple Bloom and her friends nearby. “Aw tarnation,” she said in annoyance… right before Hippounder took advantage of her distraction and blasted her away with some sort of blast from his eyes, sending her to the ground. “AJ!” Rainbow called as she zipped over to her. “You okay?” “Yeah, Ah’m fine. But the young’ns there have gotta get gone.” Applejack insisted, pointing quickly to the girls. “Whoa, what are they doing here?” asked Pinkie. Hippounder glanced over and saw the girls, smirking sinisterly. “Getting in the way and getting crushed, I’d say,” he smirked as he moved toward the kids, who quickly freaked out and started running. “No!” Applejack yelled and quickly leaped to defend the girls, summoning her hammer in midair before she slammed it down on the monster’s nose, knocking his nose plugs out. “Ouchie! Be careful; I have bad allergies!” Hippounder yelled, the nasal gone from his voice before he started sniffing. “Oh no. Here it comes! Ahh… Ahhhh… Ahhh-CHOO!” Seemingly out of nowhere, a massive blast of fire shot from the monster’s nose and hit Applejack right in the chest, sending her flying straight into a sign right above the girls, which shattered on impact, a small piece of the shrapnel falling from it and landing right on Apple Bloom’s arm, making her scream in pain. Applejack landed nearby in pain as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo quickly got Apple Bloom clear, making sure to be careful with her arm. The other Rangers quickly grouped up around their green companion as they stared the monster down, who appeared to be having his own problems as he couldn’t control his sneezes. “This isn’t over, Rangers! I’ll be back when I- Ah! Ahh! Ahhh! Ahh-CHOO!!” In a huge sneeze, Hippounder shot up into the sky before disappearing into shadow along with the other Knightmares. Once they were gone, the Rangers got a chance to relax. “Well, that was thoroughly humiliating.” Rarity remarked. “You got that right.” Rainbow agreed before she saw Applejack jump to her feet and start running after the kids. “Whoa hey, where are you going?!” “Ah gotta make sure Apple Bloom’s okay. Granny’s gon’ have my hide for lettin’ her get hurt.” Applejack said quickly before she ran off. “I suppose she has a point. We should make sure Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are all right as well.” Rarity pointed out. “Agreed. Let’s move.” Rainbow nodded and led the remaining Rangers after Applejack. In the Lucid Lands, Hippounder had plugged his nose again as Tantabus and her generals watched. “I told you the Rangers would underestimate him.” Midnight smiled. “Still, could you at least have chosen a less stupid-looking monster to send?” Eclipse asked seriously. “Alright look, if it’ll make you feel any better, you can pick the Dream Demon we send next time.” Midnight remarked in annoyance. “For now though, this one will do.” Tantabus smiled as she observed her scrying orb. “He’s certainly done his job well so far. And if he wishes to continue to exist, he will continue to do so.” “Why use this bumbler for anything more?” Eclipse asked seriously. “He’s worthless even with those plugs.” “And yet he’s somehow still managed to give a good show of his potential and damage the Green Ranger’s faith in herself.” Tantabus pointed out. “So he will continue to fight until I decide otherwise. Do you have a problem with that, Eclipse?” Her pike flickered with dark magic, causing some mild discomfort in Eclipse’s chest – a sign of things to come if she continued to question her authority. “N- No, Mistress.” Eclipse relented and bowed. “Good. Now… prepare to send Hippounder back to the waking world. While I prepare to enjoy the show he will doubtless put on.” Tantabus smiled as she watched her scrying orb. At the hospital, the Rangers had de-morphed and were watching with Big Mac and Granny Smith as Apple Bloom was fitted for a cast on her arm. “She gon’ be okay, doc?” Applejack asked. “She’ll be fine. Fortunately, the break looked a lot worse than it actually was.” the doctor assured, turning to Apple Bloom. “Just take it easy for a few weeks and you’ll be okay. Which means no more running off after the Power Rangers, okay?” “Ain’t gon’ have no problem there, Doc.” Apple Bloom nodded simply as she examined her cast. With that, the doctor left and Granny Smith turned to Applejack. “Ah thought I told you to keep watch on them youngens, Applejack. And you let ‘em run off to watch one of them monster fights and let lil’ Apple Bloom get her arm broken?” she asked angrily. “Granny, this weren’t mah fault,” Applejack said seriously, though she did have a sneaking suspicion it was her fault. “They’re the ones chasin’ after that newfangled fan app.” “You mean RangerStation?” Rainbow asked. “Y’all have heard of it too?” Applejack asked in surprise. “Unfortunately, yes. Honestly, Sweetie Belle will not shut up about it.” Rarity remarked. “And it’s that dad-burn app that got Apple Bloom into trouble. Ah tried to get her out of it, but…” Applejack quickly caught herself before she said anything else. “But what? What happened, Applejack?” Granny asked. Applejack bit her tongue and sighed. “But Ah was scared to get in the middle of it, and by the time Ah got there, Ah was too late.” she lied. “Ah’ll make it up to ya, Granny; Ah promise ya that.” “Ah’m gon’ hold ya to that, young lady,” Granny assured as she walked out to Mac’s truck with Apple Bloom and the other girls. Once they were gone, the Rainbooms looked around, and seeing no one actively looking at them, they decided now would be a good time to talk Ranger business. “Question is where’d that app come from anyway?” Applejack asked. Almost immediately, the girls all looked at Sunset, who reacted with surprise. “What? Why am I the first suspect?” she asked, offended. “Well, um, you did make us turn against each other with fake texts and emails.” Fluttershy pointed out. “That was ages ago. Plus, that’s as far as my skill with technology goes – hacking phones and email accounts is a cakewalk compared to what you guys are talking about.” Sunset pointed out. “If you wanna blame one of us, blame Twilight.” “Oh, thanks,” Twilight said in annoyance. “That’s not exactly a denial, Darling.” Rarity pointed out. “Then how about this – I’m an admin on the app, but I have no idea who actually made it,” Twilight assured. “Admin? How’d you land that?” asked Rainbow. “I didn’t – someone just messaged me and asked me to be an admin because of my technological knowledge.” Twilight shrugged. “And I’ve only been using my position to the advantage of the team – taking down posts that may point to you, deflecting theories, things like that.” “Well, whoever made this here app had best be ready, ‘cause if’n Ah find ‘em, Ah’m gon’ introduce ‘em to ol’ Bucky McGillicuddy and Kicks McGee.” Applejack scowled, slapping her thighs for emphasis. “Is now a good time to say that I find it really weird how Applejack named her legs that?” Twilight whispered to Sunset. “I’ve considered asking about it, but I’m worried that’ll put me on the business end of one and/or both of them.” Sunset returned quietly. Suddenly Twilight’s phone buzzed and when she checked it, her eyes went wide. “Well, I’ll give this app one thing; it certainly makes tracking the monsters down easier,” she remarked. Applejack quickly looked at Twilight’s phone and indeed saw the app open to another sighting of Hippounder. “And here Ah thought I’d have to wait for payback,” she remarked as she stomped out of the hospital. “Applejack, wait!” Rainbow called, but too late; she was already gone. “She’s going to get herself crushed. We have to go help her.” Rarity said quickly. “Right, let’s do it,” Rainbow ordered as she and the girls raised their Harmonizers and opened the Crystal Locks. “It’s Morphin’ Time!” In sync, the Rainbooms held their forearms up with the Disks pointing upward and locked their Morph Keys into the slots, slamming the Locks closed and making the Disks flash in the Keys’ colors. “Power Rangers!” they all announced as they stuck their arms forward and put their palms against the Disks before pulling the Morphers back across their bodies fast, spinning the Disks as they went. “Harmonize!” A red light pulsed out of Rainbow's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-red glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a thunderstorm and lightning struck each of her limbs as she punched and kicked, creating her uniform. A final bolt struck her head at the same time a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Streaks of electricity jolted between her fingers as she posed as if she had just finished a guitar solo. A blue light pulsed from Rarity's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-blue glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was an expansive ocean and streams of water struck her limbs as she danced over the surface, creating her uniform. A wave of water crashed into her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. A ripple pulsed from beneath her as she posed like a dancer awaiting applause. A yellow light pulsed from Fluttershy's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-yellow glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a field of flowers and petals landed on each of her limbs as she spun around, each petal forming her uniform. A final burst of petals encircled her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Flower petals flew about her as she posed like a ballerina. A pink light pulsed from Pinkie's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-pink glow, leaving her head and over-the-top smile exposed. Appearing behind her were the tops of clouds in which she cartwheeled and bounced around, causing tufts to fly off her and create her uniform. She stuck her head in a cloud and pulled it out as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. She then posed with her hands stretched out as if saying 'Don’t talk to me' to two people. Just as expected, immediately after the Rangers arrived at the sight of the battle, they saw Applejack going solo against a large legion of Knightmares toward Hippounder alone, and she looked like she was flailing as she swung her hammer in one hand and blasted around with her Defender in the other, blasting and smashing her way through the Knightmares. “Let’s give her some backup, Rangers!” Rainbow said quickly. “Right!” the others agreed and activated their weapons, fighting the Knightmares off as Applejack fought her way to Hippounder. “Round 2, Big-Nose!” Applejack yelled as she flipped her Defender into saber mode. “Now that’s just mean!” Hippounder remarked, punching hard at Applejack as he deflected her flailing blows almost too easily. “How would you like it if I made fun of you for being a terrible fighter? Because spoiler alert: right now, you are!” With that, he swiftly punched Applejack in the chest and knocked her back a few feet. “Think that’s gon’ stop me? Think again!” Applejack scowled, quickly flipping the lever on her belt buckle and retrieved the Key. “Final Strike Key locked!” Applejack announced as she locked her Key into the head of the Apple Smasher, spinning the Disk between the heads and making them shine as root-like veins glowed on the handle. “Apple Smasher! Applesauce Slam!” She spun the hammer above her head a few times before she grabbed it and brought it down hard to the ground, sending out a powerful green shockwave, knocking Hippounder back into a wall, which knocked out his nose plugs again. “Oh no, here it comes again!” he yelled and started sneezing fireballs, doing his best to aim them at Applejack, but she simply roared as she got up after every blast and tried to attack again. “Applejack, stand down!” Rarity ordered, but the Green Ranger didn’t listen; she just kept charging and attacking, showing barely any self-restraint until one last fireball hit her in the chest and knocked her back, de-morphing her by force. “AJ!” Rainbow called as she moved to her friend’s side, but Applejack was busy letting her rage get the better of her as she grabbed her Defender from the ground nearby and raised it ready to fire, but her hand tensed in pain and she dropped her blaster, accidentally firing and hitting Rainbow in the chest. “OW! Watch it!” “Ha! How about that? Now I- ahh! Ahh! AHH! AHH-CHOO!!!” Hippounder sneezed, knocking himself into the wall again. “Guh. Need new plugs again. Next time, Rangers!” With that, he swiftly disappeared in another burst of shadow, leaving the Rangers behind as Applejack seethed in anger. “That’s twice this fool has failed!” Eclipse scowled as Hippounder sneezed fire around the Lucid Lands while Knightmares struggled to plug his nose again. “We’re not really going to send him back out to fail us a third time, are we?” “Silence!” Tantabus roared. “If you truly wish to fight, then perhaps I should send you out now, while you are not yet at your full power. Your demise would serve as a fine example to the rest of my forces to obey my will.” Eclipse scowled but knelt. “Message received, Mistress.” she nodded. “But I must insist that if we’re going to send Hippounder back out there, he needs more power. And stronger backup.” “I hate to admit it, Mistress, but Eclipse is right.” Midnight nodded. “The Rangers are getting stronger, and if we want to keep pace with them, we must strengthen our own ranks.” “I must agree. Thankfully, I’ve been developing a spell for just such a purpose.” Tantabus smiled as she walked over to the group of Knightmares tending to Hippounder. “And now seems to be a perfect time to test it.” With that, she cast a powerful bolt of magic out of her staff at the Knightmares who all convulsed as their muscles and armor – particularly their breastplates – grew bulkier, their helmets reshaping into heavier and clunkier forms as their swords turned into heavy Morningstars. “Behold our new heavy forces; the Juggerknights.” “Impressive,” Midnight remarked, though she eyed the soldiers’ large chests trepidatiously. “But… was that really necessary?” “Oh, like you’re one to talk,” Eclipse argued. “Shut up.” Midnight rolled her eyes as she walked over to Hippounder, dark magic in her hand. “This is your last chance, Hippounder. Put this extra power to good use and destroy the Power Rangers, or I’ll use it to destroy you.” She set her hand on Hippounder’s chest and the magic flowed into the monster’s body, bolstering his strength and apparently relieving his allergies as the nose plugs disappeared without him sneezing. “Yes, General.” Hippounder saluted as he marched off, the Juggerknights and another team of Knightmares behind him. Back at base, Gloriosa patched up the damage Applejack had ended up inflicting on herself. “There we go, good as new,” she said. “You’re lucky it wasn’t as bad as it looked.” “Same goes for your Harmonizer; if you’d damaged it, I probably would’ve kicked your tail for Hippounder.” Twilight agreed. “Speaking of, perhaps you’d care to share exactly why you’re so dead-set on apparently getting yourself destroyed by this monster?” Rarity asked judgingly. “Ugly punk got Apple Bloom’s arm broken. Anyone messes with my family’s gon’ wish they never met me. That’s double-true for monster punks like him.” Applejack insisted. “We both know it’s not just that.” Sunset pointed out bluntly. “You’ve been acting weird like this for days now; don’t think we haven’t noticed. You’re barely talking to people around school, including your own family and when you talk to us, you’re incredibly tense. What’s the deal?” Applejack narrowed her gaze at Sunset. “Forgive my tone Sunset, but Ah don’t rightly see how that’s any of your business,” she said simply, walking past her toward the door. Before she could leave, Sunset suddenly reached out and grabbed the Harmonizer off Applejack’s wrist like the strap wasn’t even working. “Wha- Hey! What do ya think you’re doin’?” “Don’t feel like talking? Fine. Then you’re not going back out there.” Sunset said simply. “I’d listen if I were you, AJ.” Timber smirked as he watched from the Tree of Harmony. Applejack just scowled at Sunset. “Gimme that back.” “You want it?” Sunset smiled as she slipped the Harmonizer into her jacket pocket. “Come and get it.” With that, she took her jacket off and tossed it onto a chair on the side of the room as she took a fighting stance. “You and me, straight up. Right here, right now. You win, I give you back your Harmonizer and let you go. I win, you talk and then I give you back your Harmonizer and let you go.” “Oh, this is gonna be good,” Rainbow smirked as she looked at the two. Applejack smirked as she cracked her neck and tossed her hat onto another chair. “Alright, yer on.” “Whoa, hang on. Before you guys do anything, maybe you should move to the training room.” Gloriosa suggested. “We have a training room?” asked Rainbow. “We do now,” Twilight answered as she pressed a button, opening the cave’s left wall with a massive door to reveal what looked like a large hybrid of a gym, martial arts/swordsmanship dojo, and shooting range. “We just finished setting it up.” “Where did you even find the space for this?” asked Rarity. “This old quarry’s decades old; the tunnels snake through the mountain for miles.” Timber shrugged as Sunset and Applejack took to the dojo floor. “The Tree of Harmony did most of the heavy lifting; we just furnished the place up.” “Don’t much matter to me, long as I get my Harmonizer back,” Applejack assured as she assumed a fighting stance. “You want it?” Sunset smirked, raising her hand at the ready. “Come and take it.” “Ooh. Man, I got chills.” Pinkie remarked as Spike scampered forward. “Ready? Fight!” he called, prompting the two girls to engage in an intense martial arts battle; Applejack appeared more focused than she was on the battlefield, but her slow and strong moves were still easy for Sunset to deflect and counter. “Give it up, Sunset. Ah don’t need my powers to know you’re outmatched.” Applejack remarked, swinging a hard haymaker. Sunset took the punch on the chin like a champ and spun into a training dummy against the back wall, smirking as she spit on the floor. “Maybe I am. But there’s one rule of fighting I’ve always loved,” she smirked. “Oh yeah? And what’s that?” Applejack asked as she moved to attack again. “When outmatched…” Sunset smirked, holding something in her hands. “Cheat.” Suddenly she scattered a handful of small marbles on the floor, tripping Applejack up and making her fall onto the floor, giving Sunset an easy chance to grab her arm in a leg-lock. “Agh! Gah, okay; Ah give!” Applejack called, quickly tapping out on the floor. Sunset let her go and helped her up with a smirk. “I know I’m no match for you straight up, AJ. But I think it’s been well established by this point that I’m pretty tricky.” Sunset smirked. “Now start talking.” Applejack sighed as she walked back into the main base and sat down. “Ah just feel like… such a hypocrite,” she remarked. “How do you mean?” asked Gloriosa. “Ah mean Ah’m supposed to be the Element of Honesty, but I have to lie to everyone I know about bein’ the Green Ranger?” Applejack asked. “That don’t sit right with me, and we all know Ah’m a terrible liar.” “Eh, she’s got a point there.” Rainbow shrugged. “Exactly. But the fact that my lyin’ got Apple Bloom hurt just makes it even worse.” Applejack said angrily. “So every time you’ve been in the field, you’ve been fighting that too?” asked Twilight. “Pretty much, yeah.” Applejack shrugged. “Applejack, darling… you know you’re not alone in this concern.” Rarity assured. “I mean, honestly, do you think I haven’t wanted to tell Sweetie Belle that I’m the Blue Ranger? But it’s for their own protection that we keep this secret from them.” “Except that ain’t been workin’.” Applejack pointed out. “Thanks to that dad-burn app.” “You mean RangerStation?” Timber asked as he went to one of the base’s computer terminals. “We’ve been looking into it, and I think we figured out who made it.” The Rangers all looked at the screen and their eyes narrowed. “Why am I not surprised?” Rarity remarked with a roll of her eyes. “Well then, Ah think we’ve all got a piece of our minds to give someone,” Applejack remarked. “Exactly. And it’s the same with being heroes. And friends.” Sunset assured. “If one of us has a problem, then we all have a problem.” “Thanks y’all.” Applejack smiled at her friends. “Guess Ah just forget how much a good talkin’ to helps.” “And as much as I hate to admit it, this app helps a lot too,” Gloriosa remarked as she looked at the screen. “Monster sightings are really easy to track when we can just comb through the app and see where they are at the press of a button.” Right on cue, an alert went out over the app, showing Hippounder and his forces attacking the city again, the monster sneezing fireballs around with a great deal more control than before. “See what I mean?” “All I see is a monster about to get his tail kicked.” Rainbow smiled. “Ah’m with ya there.” Applejack agreed as she put her hat on. “Let’s go give him what-for.” “You’re gonna need this,” Sunset smirked as she handed Applejack her Harmonizer. “Thanks, sugarcube,” Applejack smirked as she strapped her Harmonizer back on. “Let’s go.” With that, the team immediately teleported out of the base. Appearing in the city, they saw Hippounder and his soldiers scaring humans off around the plaza. The girls immediately locked their eyes on the Juggerknights as they bashed their way through café tables. “Sheesh. What’s with those guys?” asked Rainbow. “Well, I suppose Tantabus must get lonely. And I doubt the extra muscle hurts.” Rarity remarked. Then Hippounder noticed the Rangers. “Ah, I was wondering when you’d get here. Back for another beating, Green Ranger?” “Here to give one of mah own.” Applejack countered. “Along with a lesson. You don’t mess with mah kin and just get to walk away.” With that, she and the other Rangers raised the Harmonizers and opened the Crystal Locks. “It’s Morphin’ Time!” In sync, the Rainbooms held their forearms up with the Disks pointing upward and locked their Morph Keys into the slots, slamming the Locks closed and making the Disks flash in the Keys’ colors. “Power Rangers!” they all announced as they stuck their arms forward and put their palms against the Disks before pulling the Morphers back across their bodies fast, spinning the Disks as they went. “Harmonize!” A green light pulsed from Applejack's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-green glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind was a desert canyon and rocks and pebbles landed on her limbs as she stomped and punched, creating her uniform with each strike. A boulder landed on her head and a loud neigh was heard. With a final stomp, she posed in a boxing stance. A red light pulsed out of Rainbow's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-red glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a thunderstorm and lightning struck each of her limbs as she punched and kicked, creating her uniform. A final bolt struck her head at the same time a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Streaks of electricity jolted between her fingers as she posed as if she had just finished a guitar solo. A blue light pulsed from Rarity's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-blue glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was an expansive ocean and streams of water struck her limbs as she danced over the surface, creating her uniform. A wave of water crashed into her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. A ripple pulsed from beneath her as she posed like a dancer awaiting applause. A yellow light pulsed from Fluttershy's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-yellow glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a field of flowers and petals landed on each of her limbs as she spun around, each petal forming her uniform. A final burst of petals encircled her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Flower petals flew about her as she posed like a ballerina. A pink light pulsed from Pinkie's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-pink glow, leaving her head and over-the-top smile exposed. Appearing behind her were the tops of clouds in which she cartwheeled and bounced around, causing tufts to fly off her and create her uniform. She stuck her head in a cloud and pulled it out as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. She then posed with her hands stretched out as if saying 'Don’t talk to me' to two people. “Element of Honesty!” Applejack announced and posed. “Power Ranger Green!” “Element of Loyalty!” Rainbow announced and posed. “Power Ranger Red!” “Element of Generosity!” Rarity announced and posed. “Power Ranger Blue!” “Element of Kindness!” Fluttershy announced and posed. “Power Ranger Yellow!” “Element of Laughter!” Pinkie announced and posed. “Power Ranger Pink!” “Friendship’s Might, Ready to Fight!” they all called and posed; Rainbow in the center, Applejack and Rarity flanking her, and Pinkie and Fluttershy on the outer edges. “Power Rangers Crystal Harmony!” “Destroy them!” Hippounder ordered as the Knightmares and Juggerknights charged. The Rangers quickly drew their special weapons and charged the dark soldiers, slashing and bashing them all aside. “Ha! Is it me or are they going down easier than before?” Pinkie smirked as she swung her nunchucks in wide arcs, ringing the Knightmares’ helmets like bells with every strike. “Well, the extra muscle is certainly putting up more of a fight.” Rarity remarked, digging her heels into the ground as a few Juggerknights forced her back, but then she dropped down and swung her axe in a wide arc, slashing them all down before she stood up in the middle as they exploded. “Still not enough, though.” Fluttershy weaved between the swords and maces of the foot soldiers, slicing and blasting as she went. “At least things are easier for this one fight,” she remarked… before she saw a few Knightmares leveling vicious-looking crossbows at her. “Me and my big mouth.” Almost on instinct, she jumped and rolled in the air between the energy arrows fired from the Knightmares’ crossbows before she landed and suddenly linked the handles of her blades together, the wings extending out into the arms of a bow before she pulled the trigger, a much more powerful blast shooting out of her weapon and destroying the would-be firing squad. “Whoa. I like this.” she smiled as she split her weapon back into its tonfa mode and charged again. Rainbow and Applejack meanwhile focused on Hippounder, with Rainbow deflecting his fireballs with the Bolt Saber as Applejack swung her hammer at him. “You think you can beat me, Green Ranger? I’ve stomped you twice already, and that was before I had control of my allergies.” the monster sneered, sneezing fire out with much more control this time. Rainbow just smiled and slashed the fire-blasts in half with her sword, knocking them away to explode. “I’m sorry; I just still can’t take you seriously with that voice,” she remarked. “Not that it’ll matter soon. Let’s cut to the chase!” With that one-liner, Rainbow slashed across the monster’s gut with her sword, making him stumble toward Applejack. “This is for my sister, ya big lump!” the cowgirl bellowed as she swung her hammer into the beast’s gut, knocking him back into a wall. The other Rangers quickly grouped up, knowing just what to do next. “Alright gals, let’s bring ‘em together!” “Weapons, Combine!” the Rangers announced. The handle of Rarity’s axe quickly slid into the handle of Rainbow’s sword as Applejack’s hammer locked in on top of the axe, one of the hammerheads forming what looked like a weapon stock. Then Fluttershy’s tonfa-blades linked into the tip of Rainbow’s sword with their barrels ready to fire and Pinkie’s nunchucks locked into the sides of the upper hammerhead, their heads aiming forward as they opened to reveal large blast emitters as Rainbow grabbed the trigger and the others quickly steadied the weapon by grabbing its sides. “Harmonic Crystal Cannon!” “Guessing it’s too late to talk about this?” Hippounder asked. “Final Strike Keys locked!” the Rangers called as Rainbow opened the upper head of the hammer in the stock, letting the Rangers lock their Keys into it before it closed and Rainbow spun the Disk between the hammer’s heads, powering up the cannon. “Harmonic Final Strike!” the Rangers bellowed as Rainbow pulled the trigger, blasting the villain with a large rainbow-colored shot of energy out at the monster. “Gah! I had to ask!” Hippounder bellowed in pain as he fell to the ground and exploded. “How many times does one idiot have to fail before we send someone truly powerful enough to destroy the Rangers in one attack?” Eclipse asked in anger. “We’ll find that out when the time comes. In the meantime…” Tantabus assured as she stepped forward, her pike glowing with dark magic. “Power of Darkness, Heed my Command! Grant this Beast a Final Stand!” She slammed her blade into the ground, and just as before, a dark storm cloud formed above the monster’s remains before a bolt of lightning shot down and struck them, flashing the surrounding area like a photo negative before Hippounder suddenly reformed and grew 30 stories tall. “Still think I’m ridiculous?!” he roared down at the Rangers, his voice now much deeper and more intimidating. “Voice-wise, no! But you still look stupid!” Rainbow called up at the monster. “Taunt the monster after we defeat him, Darling.” Rarity reminded as she retrieved her Zord Key. “Right, right.” Rainbow nodded as she and the others followed her lead. “Let’s do this!” “Zord Keys Locked!” they announced as they locked the Keys into their Harmonizers and spun the Disks. “Crystal Zords, Harmonize!” As the Disks sparked, the Zords raced into the city from their hangars and let the girls quickly leap aboard, quickly deploying their Megazord Keys. “Megazord Keys locked!” the rangers called as they locked their Keys into the sliders and slammed them back into the Locks. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Harmonize!” They all spun their spinners and they sparked to life. “Zords Combine!” Applejack’s Zord spun into reverse and its rear bumper split in half, the rear quarters of the truck extending into thighs as the pegs formed from the bumpers locked into the rear ends of Rarity and Pinkie’s Zords, the whole assembly braking hard to force itself upright. The truck’s cannons moved down the newly formed torso to the midriff as the cabin split in half and folded out into shoulders to reveal a head that glittered like crystal with pony ears as pegs folded out from the shoulders. Rainbow and Fluttershy’s Zords both folded their wings in and locked into those pegs by their rear ends as large hands folded out from under the cockpits, a panel in the chest folding to form a breastplate emblazoned with the same ornate gold arrangement as the Rangers’ belt buckles. Then the head’s eyes flashed as it stood ready to fight. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Ready!” Then Rainbow deployed the Saber Key and slammed it into her Crystal Lock. “Saber Key locked!” she called. “Crystal Clash Saber, Harmonize!” With a spin of the Disk, the Megazord’s sword materialized once again but this time, the Megazord swung the weapon to touch its hip, magnetically linking the gold scabbard into place before the Megazord drew the silver sword. “Let’s finish this!” Hippounder bellowed as he raised his club, charging the Megazord and clashing with it. “Is that the best you’ve got, buddy? Ha, this is gonna be a piece of cake.” Rainbow smirked as the Megazord clashed hard against the monster’s club, knocking it aside and letting the Megazord get in a good cut across the monster’s nose. “Gragh! Alright, now I’m mad!” Hippounder scowled and started sneezing over and over, blasting massive fireballs out at the Megazord. The Rangers did what they could to deflect the blasts, but there were too many, and before long, the Crystal Clash Saber was knocked from its hands and the Megazord fell back to the ground. “Gah! We’re getting creamed!” Pinkie called in worry. “If this is it, gals, then Ah gotta tell ya; I’m sorry for bein’ so bullheaded earlier! Ah just hate lyin’ to my kin like I’ve been!” Applejack said seriously. “It’s fine, Darling. If we survive this, we’ll gladly back you up if you tell your family.” Rarity assured. “That’s a promise.” Fluttershy agreed as she and Rainbow righted the Megazord onto its feet. “Ready for another beating? Alright then!” Hippounder smirked. The Rangers were more than ready, but the Megazord’s saber had been knocked out of its reach. “Great. Now what?” asked Rainbow. Then something strange happened; out of nowhere, Applejack’s Battle Gear Key ejected itself from her belt and flashed in her hand. “Ah think I’ve got an idea.” the cowgirl smirked as she opened her console’s Crystal Lock. “Battle Gear Key Locked!” She slammed the Lock closed and smiled as she spun the Disk. “Megazord Weapon, Harmonize!” As the Disk sparked, the green gem in the Ranger Emblem on the Megazord’s chest flashed forward and materialized into a massive green apple. The girls were confused until the Megazord reached to grab it by the stem… which then extended from the apple on a long chain like a meteor hammer. “Ho-ho yeah, that oughtta do the trick.” Rainbow smiled as the Megazord pulled the chain and lifted the hammer to its hand. “Weapon of Honesty; Apple Mace!” the Rangers announced as the Megazord spun its new weapon, easily bludgeoning Hippounder’s club out of the beast’s hand. “Hey! Cheaters! No one said anything about new weapons!” Hippounder yelled. “No one said anything about being an evil meanie either, but you’re doing it!” Pinkie pointed out. “And either way, it’s one of the best rules in a fight,” Applejack smirked. “When outmatched, cheat.” She could almost hear Sunset smirking at that back in the Command Center as the Megazord swung the mace over and over, wrapping the monster in the chain before pulling hard and sending him into a spin that knocked him into a building. “Let’s finish him off!” Rainbow smiled as she raised her Final Strike Key. “Right!” the others agreed and drew their keys as well, slamming them into their Crystal Locks and slamming them shut. “Final Strike Keys locked!” They reached their hands across their chests, ready for the final attack. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Final Strike!” With one powerful spin, the Megazord surged with power that raced through the Apple Mace, which the Megazord spun above its head while the apple at the end of the chain grew massive. “Apple Mace; Bumper Crop Bash!” With one final upward swing, the mace bashed the monster into the air screaming before it exploded in the air. The Rangers all cheered at their victory as the Megazord stood down, the chain of the mace between its hands. “Perfect Harmony: Crystal Clear Skies ahead!” Rainbow announced proudly. After the battle, the team returned to school whooping up their latest victory. “That was awesome! I still can’t believe we can give the Megazord new weapons with old keys!” Rainbow cheered. “I didn’t know you could.” Twilight noted scientifically. “Not until the Apple Mace appeared. It must have something to do with the Geodes being linked to the Elements of Harmony. The Mace only activated after Applejack was honest about her true intentions.” “Let’s not worry about it for now, Twilight.” Sunset insisted. “For now, let’s just be happy about another win.” “And speaking of being honest…” Rainbow remarked, pointing into the main office where the girls saw Applejack’s family, as well as Flash, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Principal Celestia, and Vice Principal Luna. “Guessing you called them?” “Ah had to,” Applejack remarked as she walked into the office. “Howdy, y’all. I got words and Ah figure y’all need to hear ‘em.” She looked at her family and breathed deeply as she took her hat off. “Ah’ve been lyin’ to ya for weeks now, and it’s gettin’ in the way of a lotta stuff, and it even got Apple Bloom’s arm broken. So Ah figure it’s ‘bout time Ah got it out there.” “Now Applejack, you ain’t gotta say nothin’.” Granny Smith assured with care in her voice, making Applejack smile. “… ‘Cause we already know it! Ya really think you could keep it from yer old granny that you’re the Green Ranger?” “Wait, you knew?!” Applejack asked in surprise, echoed on the faces of the others. “You all knew?” “Eeyup.” Big Mac nodded. “It wasn’t exactly hard to figure out.” Flash shrugged. “The whole school knows.” “Aw, come on!” Rainbow said in annoyance. “It’s true. The absences Luna’s covered for, the obvious symbols…” Celestia pointed out. “The whole school knows you’re the Power Rangers.” “Is that why you girls went to that battle?” Rarity asked Sweetie Belle. “Well… yeah. Why else? We wanted to see our big sisters and their friends being heroes!” Sweetie Belle smiled. “Well… if nothing else, that means we won’t have to sneak around on Ranger business anymore.” Twilight shrugged, trying to look on the bright side. “Yeah, and it means I’ll get to flaunt my awesomeness around to all our friends,” Rainbow smirked. “Not according to Ranger Rule Number 1.” Sunset reminded, taking the wind out of Rainbow’s sails again. “No abuse of power or no power, period.” “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m not that crazy.” Rainbow pointed out. “That’s debatable.” Rarity rolled her eyes. “Well, either way, at least things will be easier now.” Fluttershy shrugged. “But… does anyone else feel like we’re forgetting something?” “Oh yeah! We need to throw a ‘High School Heroes’ party!” Pinkie smiled. “No, not that.” Fluttershy shook her head. “Um, I mean that does sound like fun, but… there’s something else.” “I think I remember what,” Rainbow noted as she glanced out of the office and saw Lyra Heartstrings walking down the hall with BonBon. “We still need to give a piece of our minds to the one who made RangerStation in the first place.” “Mind if I take charge of that, Red?” Applejack asked as she cracked her neck. “Be my guest,” Rainbow smirked as the Rangers raced from the office, chasing Lyra and BonBon down the hall as those in the office laughed – this would be fun.
Ch. 6: Broken WingsSomewhat predictably, the knowledge that everyone at CHS knew they were the Power Rangers sent Rainbow Dash’s ego into overdrive as she almost constantly went around school in costume, showing off her Ranger powers to everyone who would watch… and even some who wouldn’t, much to the chagrin of the rest of her team, especially one day when she co-opted the lunch period for target practice with her Harmonic Defender. “Honestly, when will the Morphing Grid catch up to Rainbow’s abuse of her power?” Rarity asked as she watched her blast empty cans out of a stack with ease. “Believe me; I wish I knew,” Twilight remarked as Rainbow basked in the adulation of her peers. “But I gotta tell you; watching this makes me wish I built my own kill-switch into the Harmonizers.” “Well, hopefully she’ll get her priorities straight sooner rather than later and it won’t be necessary.” Sunset shrugged. “I know what you mean. Dashie’s never fun when she shows off like this.” Pinkie agreed with a pout. That was when the Rangers’ Harmonizers beeped, Gloriosa’s face quickly coming up on the screen. “Knightmare attack at the mall,” she reported. “We’re on it.” Applejack nodded as she quickly stood up and whistled over to Rainbow. “Put the spurs to ‘er, Nelly; we got work to do.” “I heard.” Rainbow nodded as she locked her helmet on and smiled at the other students. “Sorry guys, but the rest of the city needs my awesomeness too.” With that and nothing more to say, Rainbow teleported out of the school. “We’d best get after her before she gets herself hurt.” Rarity remarked in annoyance as she stood up. “Right. Let’s move.” Applejack nodded as she and the others locked their Morph Keys into their Harmonizers. “Harmonize!” With that move, the Rangers all instantly morphed and teleported to the mall, where they saw Rainbow already fighting a legion of Knightmares, clearly showing off with every move. “Took you guys long enough!” Rainbow smirked as she swung her Bolt Saber around almost theatrically and she sliced three Knightmares down. “Some of us had to change.” Rarity pointed out bitterly as she raised her Defender and charged a group of Knightmares. “Excuses!” Rainbow smirked as she swung over to the group Rarity was targeting and cut them down. “Do you mind? I had those ones well in hand!” Rarity remarked in annoyance. “Gotta be faster than that,” Rainbow smirked as she drew her Defender and started slicing through more Knightmares with both her swords. “If ya wouldn’t mind not showin’ off?” Applejack asked as she blasted a few Knightmares down. “Who’s showing off?” Rainbow smirked as she tossed the Bolt Saber, letting it bounce off a few targets, cleaving through Knightmares with every bounce before it landed back in her hand. “What’s the point of fighting off evil if we can’t look awesome doing it?” “You’re right, but you’re sucking all the fun out of it!” Pinkie pointed out in annoyance as she swung her nunchucks around. “Slicing up Knightmares isn’t fun; it’s easy!” Rainbow smiled as she slashed through the last few of the soldiers, which exploded in red lightning and dark shadows. “Whoo! Aw yeah, we’re awesome!” “Might as well just say you’re awesome; you did most of the work,” Applejack remarked bitterly. “Aw thanks, glad you noticed.” Rainbow smiled. “And hogged all the fun.” Rarity added. “Knightmares? Come on, we can handle those things without morphing; it’s no big deal. The real fun comes when the Dream Demon shows up.” Rainbow pointed out. “How right you are, Red Ranger!” The screechy voice came from high above, and sure enough, when the Rangers looked through the mall’s glass skylight, they saw a monster soaring above the building… before it divebombed through the glass and landed in front of them, appearing like a humanoid griffin with a vicious-looking beak, piercing red eyes, and gold talon-like hands with large wings behind her back. “This will be fun!” “Oughtta be.” Rainbow smiled and charged the beast alone. “Wha-? Dashie, wait!” Pinkie yelled as the other Rangers ran after her. Rainbow didn’t listen; she was too busy slashing her sword against the beast’s talons, not even letting her team get in a hit. “You really think you can handle me, birdbrain?” “Yeah, I do. And the name’s Griffonshriek.” the monster sneered as she swiped her claws at the Red Ranger in return. “Wanna see why?” She tossed Rainbow back and let out an ear-piercing shriek to push Rainbow and the other Rangers back. “That all you got? I snore louder than that!” Rainbow laughed as she charged, slashing at the griffon with powerful slashes before she finally opened her sword’s Crystal Lock and retrieved a key. “Final Strike Key locked!” Rainbow announced as she locked her Key into the base of her Bolt Saber, spinning the Disk above the handle and making the blade spark to life with electricity. “Bolt Saber! Thunder Slash!” She swung her sword as she went into a powerful spin, letting loose a torrent of red lightning to hit the monster before she landed right in front of it and delivered a powerful upward slash. Griffonshriek snarled as she stumbled back. “This isn’t over, Rangers!” she screeched before she suddenly disappeared in a cloud of feathers. “Yeah, whatever,” Rainbow smirked. “So much for fun. Power Down!” The team de-morphed and looked around their latest battleground. “Y’know, it probably would’ve been a little more fun if you hadn’t taken all the action for yerself.” Applejack pointed out bitterly. “Hey, I’m the Red Ranger. Red Ranger takes the lead.” Rainbow argued. “And you did a pretty good job of it.” The girls were surprised by that voice, especially when they saw its source; a girl with bright white hair and hawkish golden eyes wearing brown pants and jacket with a white fur collar, bright yellow leather gloves, and gray boots. “Gilda?! He-hey!” Rainbow laughed as she walked over with a grin. “How you been, you idiot?” “Right back at ya, dork!” Gilda smiled and gave Rainbow a very elaborate fist bump before they hugged like old friends. “Friend of yours?” Rarity asked, still bitter after the fight. “One of my best.” Rainbow nodded, wrapping an arm over Gilda’s shoulder. “Girls, this is Gilda.” “Sup, nerds?” Gilda smirked, looking back at Rainbow Dash. “Nice to see you’ve still got a decent hype crew.” “‘Hype crew’?!” Applejack asked, quite insulted. “Easy, Gilda; that’s my team you’re talkin’ about.” Rainbow pointed out. “Ah, c’mon. You don’t need them; you showed it.” Gilda countered. “Where were you that you saw the fight?” Rarity asked. “Eh, don’t worry about that.” Gilda shrugged. “Point is that my girl Dash is still kickin’ butt.” “You know it.” Rainbow smiled and high-fived Gilda. “Hey, if you’re not too busy, we should catch up.” “Oh, absolutely.” Gilda nodded and they walked away, the new girl casting a sidelong glance over her shoulder at the other Rangers. “Don’t wait up.” Applejack adjusted her hat in annoyance. “Don’t worry; we won’t,” she said firmly. As they watched the Rangers walk apart through the viewing crystal in the Lucid Lands, Midnight chuckled. “I’m impressed. If I’d known Rainbow’s ego had so much influence over her actions, I’d have put this plan into action sooner.” “Either way, Midnight, this plan had better work.” Eclipse threatened. “We’ve had more than enough false starts from these Dream Demons, and Griffonshriek hasn’t exactly impressed so far.” “Don’t be so paranoid, Eclipse.” Midnight assured as the pool focused on something else wreathed in shadows. “As long as the spell stays intact, Griffonshriek will only keep getting stronger. And once she’s strong enough, the Rangers will be destroyed.” “Fine. But if this fails, I’m throwing you under the bus with the Mistress. Remember that.” Eclipse scowled angrily. When Rainbow finally met back up with the other Rangers at the Command Center, she was flying and laughing… until she stopped and saw the looks on her friends’ faces. “What?” “Is that really all you have to say?” Rarity asked in irritation. “Rainbow Dash, you’ve been so busy showing off that you seem to barely care about our responsibilities.” “Hey, c’mon! I’m just trying to let everyone know how awesome and unstoppable the Power Rangers are!” Rainbow pointed out. “By flaunting your powers around school?” Sunset asked seriously. “Whatever happened to Ranger Rule number 1? Y’know, never use your power for personal gain? I’m pretty sure showing off to inflate your ego counts.” “And then you ditched us to hang out with Gilda, who we didn’t even know existed, by the way,” Pinkie added. “I mean, you could’ve told us you had another friend.” “Well… me and Gilda kinda left things on weird terms.” Rainbow shrugged. “Honestly, I think the last time I saw her was when she was getting out of the hospital.” That drew some serious attention. “Yikes. What happened?” asked Timber. “Eh, we were just being stupid kids messing around at the zoo.” Rainbow shrugged. “She ended up ticking off a peacock and got talons to the face. After she got out of the hospital, she just moved away. Today was the first time I’ve seen her since. Kinda glad she healed up so well if I’m being honest; I didn’t even see any scars.” “I guess we can show some leniency for a reunion like that.” Twilight shrugged. “But still, the fact that you’ve been misusing your powers just for attention has been a major problem. And it had better stop fast before something really bad happens.” “Relax. You know I’m right there with you guys if an attack comes.” Rainbow assured. That was when the alarm went off, sending Timber jumping onto the console. “Looks like you just got your chance. Griffonshriek’s back; downtown.” “On it.” Rainbow nodded and immediately teleported away. “Better go back her up.” Applejack relented, prompting the other Rangers to quickly teleport to Rainbow. Having morphed mid-transit, they saw Rainbow once again clashing with the griffon monster and ignoring the Knightmares swarming around her, which her team quickly dealt with. “This is getting rather old, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity pointed out as she deflected the maces of a few Juggerknights with her ax. “We can’t always be bailing you out – we’re supposed to be a team.” Another Juggerknight almost attacked Rarity from behind but was immediately shot down with a quick blast from Rainbow’s Defender. “Who says we aren’t? I can watch my team’s back and fight the monster – it’s called multitasking.” Rainbow smiled, blasting down Knightmares while slashing at Griffonshriek. “How’s this for multitasking? Flying and crashing.” Griffonshriek smirked before she kicked Rainbow into the air, sending her flying into a wall which she crashed into. Rainbow groaned as she stood up. “Okay, not bad. But I’m just getting warmed up.” With that, she leaped into the air and flew down toward the monster in a flying kick, hitting it square in the beak and sending Griffonshriek stumbling back before Rainbow brought her sword down hard in a shoulder-slash, kicking up a large explosion that sent Griffonshriek tumbling back. The monster groaned as she stood up and scowled at the Red Ranger as she clutched at her shoulder. “This isn’t over yet, Red Ranger! You’re mine!” she screeched before she launched into the air. “Whew. Well, that was fun a little more fun.” Rainbow smirked as she holstered her Defender, glancing over at her friends. “You didn’t honestly think I was gonna leave you guys hanging like that?” “I admit, I had my doubts.” Rarity shrugged. “Honestly, Ah still do,” Applejack remarked as she crossed her arms. “Oh come on, cut me some slack,” Rainbow remarked as she patted her friend on the shoulder. “I’m not gonna bail on you again. Not unless it’s for a good reason.” Thankfully, a good reason suddenly showed up as Gilda stumbled around the corner. “Dash!” she groaned, clutching her shoulder. “Whoa, Gilda. You okay?” Rainbow asked as she ran over to her friend. “Yeah. Yeah, got caught by one of those knights before you guys got here. That monster was crazy.” Gilda groaned as she held her shoulder. “Yeah, no kidding.” Rainbow nodded as she helped Gilda to her feet. She turned to the other Rangers. “Hey, I gotta get Gilda to a hospital; get this looked at.” “Very well. Meet us at the Command Center when you’re done.” Rarity instructed. “Got it.” Rainbow nodded and powered down, carrying Gilda carefully down the street. As soon as she was gone, the other Rangers all quickly teleported back to base and de-morphed. Sunset was the first to speak as she stepped over. “Lemme guess; Rainbow Dash ditched you again?” she asked in annoyance. “She had a fine reason for it this time; Gilda was injured in the battle.” Rarity assured. “Yeah, but not the way I’m thinkin’ it,” Applejack remarked. “Glad I’m not the only one suspicious. I checked medical records for Gilda.” Twilight noted, bringing up a screen of information that intrigued the group. Rainbow received the same information when the doctor came out with Gilda after fitting her arm in a sling. “I must say, I’m impressed,” he remarked. “I’ve seen injuries left by bird attacks before, including peacocks so I’m surprised you don’t have any scars.” “Guess I heal up fast.” Gilda shrugged as best she could. “Well, I’m glad but I gotta say, I’m kinda disappointed,” Rainbow remarked. “Those scars made you look awesome.” “Thanks, Dash. Seriously: I know you’ve got a lot on your plate running things here.” Gilda smiled as they walked out of the hospital. “Especially with what Tantabus has cooking.” “Yeah, it’s tough, but I know I can count on the other Rangers,” Rainbow remarked. “But they don’t seem to think they can count on me all that well lately.” “Ah c’mon, you don’t need ‘em. Bet you can take care of this yourself.” Gilda pointed out. “Hey, I’m awesome, but I’m big enough to admit when I need help from my friends,” Rainbow assured. “And I’m also smart enough to tell you to drop the act because it’s getting old.” Gilda appeared surprised by this. “‘Act’?” “You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Rainbow pointed out as she subtly adjusted her Harmonizer. “You only got that injury because I put it there.” Gilda couldn’t help but smirk as she shrugged off the sling, her eyes flashing red. “Well played, Red Ranger.” In a swirl of shadows, Gilda immediately transformed into Griffonshriek and shot bolts of dark lightning out at Rainbow from her claws, but Rainbow immediately backflipped out of the way of the explosion… right before two energy blasts shot out of nowhere and hit Griffonshriek in the chest, sending her stumbling back as the other Rangers landed next to Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie spinning their Defenders in blaster-mode on their fingers. “What?! How did you-!?” “Smile for the camera,” Rainbow smirked as she tapped the video-com screen on her Harmonizer, a playback of Griffonshriek’s transformation playing and broadcasting to the other Harmonizers. “I must say, this was rather devious of you Darling.” Rarity smiled. “I have my moments.” Rainbow returned as Griffonshriek charged. “Speaking of, if I could get a moment to change?” “You got it.” Pinkie smiled as the Rangers quickly clashed with Griffonshriek, blades and blasters meeting talons as Rainbow locked her Morph Key into her Harmonizer. “Power Rangers!” Rainbow called before she spun her Geode Disk. “Harmonize!” A red light pulsed out of Rainbow's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-red glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a thunderstorm and lightning struck each of her limbs as she punched and kicked, creating her uniform. A final bolt struck her head at the same time a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Streaks of electricity jolted between her fingers as she posed as if she had just finished a guitar solo. Once morphed, Rainbow leaped over her team and brought her Defender down hard against Griffonshriek’s face before they started dueling her five-against-one. “Can I just say that I’m really glad you guys showed up?” Rainbow asked seriously as she swung her blade. “Hey, you’re always there for us. So we’re always there for you.” Pinkie grinned as she knocked Griffonshriek back into a wall. “Then let’s end this for real.” Rainbow smiled as she drew her Battle Gear Key, the other Rangers following her lead. “Battle Gear Keys locked!” the Rangers bellowed and spun their Disks, summoning their weapons to their hands before hoisting them high. “Weapons, Combine!” The handle of Rarity’s axe quickly slid into the handle of Rainbow’s sword as Applejack’s hammer locked in on top of the axe, one of the hammerheads forming what looked like a weapon stock. Then Fluttershy’s tonfa-blades linked into the tip of Rainbow’s sword with their barrels ready to fire and Pinkie’s nunchucks locked into the sides of the upper hammerhead, their heads aiming forward as they opened to reveal large blast emitters as Rainbow grabbed the trigger and the others quickly steadied the weapon by grabbing its sides. “Harmonic Crystal Cannon!” “No wait! Destroy me, and you destroy Gilda too!” Griffonshriek pleaded. “You at least have one thing in common with Gilda; you’re a terrible liar,” Rainbow smirked as she opened the upper head of the hammer in the cannon’s stock. “Final Strike Keys locked!” the Rangers called as they locked their Keys into the cannon before the stock closed and Rainbow spun the Disk between the hammer’s heads, powering up the cannon. “Harmonic Final Strike!” the Rangers bellowed as Rainbow pulled the trigger, blasting the villain with a large rainbow-colored shot of energy out at the monster. “Grraaaagh!” Griffonshriek cried in pain as she fell to her knees and exploded, the blast knocking what looked like the real Gilda out and onto the street, some faint magic fading from her face to reveal nasty scars. In the Lucid Lands, Tantabus had just seen this failure in the viewing crystal and clutched her weapon in annoyance. “Disappointing. And after you went to so much trouble perfecting a spell to allow a Dream Demon to possess a human, Midnight.” she sneered. “A good plan. Just a bit… lacking in its execution.” Midnight relented. “More than a bit, I should say.” Eclipse pointed out. “Still, she did well so I suppose we should allow her one more attempt.” “Indeed.” Tantabus nodded as she hefted her blade, dark magic forming around the tip. “Power of Darkness, Heed my Command! Grant this Beast a Final Stand!” She slammed her blade into the ground, and just as before, a dark storm cloud formed above the monster’s remains before a bolt of lightning shot down and struck them, flashing the surrounding area like a photo negative before Griffonshriek suddenly reformed and grew 30 stories tall. “Let’s see you ruffle my feathers this time, Rangers!” she screeched angrily. “You want it, you got it!” Rainbow smiled as the Rangers flipped their belts’ levers to retrieve their Zord Keys. “Zord Keys Locked!” they announced as they locked the Keys into their Morphers and spun the Disks. “Crystal Zords, Harmonize!” As the Disks sparked, the Zords raced into the city from their hangars and let the girls quickly leap aboard, quickly deploying their Megazord Keys. “Megazord Keys locked!” the rangers called as they locked their Keys into the sliders and slammed them back into the Locks. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Harmonize!” They all spun their spinners and they sparked to life. “Zords Combine!” Applejack’s Zord spun into reverse and its rear bumper split in half, the rear quarters of the truck extending into thighs as the pegs formed from the bumpers locked into the rear ends of Rarity and Pinkie’s Zords, the whole assembly braking hard to force itself upright. The truck’s cannons moved down the newly formed torso to the midriff as the cabin split in half and folded out into shoulders to reveal a head that glittered like crystal with pony ears as pegs folded out from the shoulders. Rainbow and Fluttershy’s Zords both folded their wings in and locked into those pegs by their rear ends as large hands folded out from under the cockpits, a panel in the chest folding to form a breastplate emblazoned with the same ornate gold arrangement as the Rangers’ belt buckles. Then the head’s eyes flashed as it stood ready to fight. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Ready!” “Saber Key locked!” Rainbow called, locking her Key into the Lock. “Crystal Clash Saber, Harmonize!” With a spin of the disk, the sword and sheath materialized on the Megazord’s hip, letting it draw the blade to combat. Griffonshriek screeched in anger as she charged at the Megazord, her claws clashing against the sword as the Rangers fought back. “I know she was impersonating your friend and all Dashie, but this girl really isn’t fun.” Pinkie pointed out. “Yeah, tell me about it.” Rainbow nodded before the Megazord was suddenly rocked by a large blast from the monster’s eyes. “But the good news is that since she isn’t Gilda, we don’t have to hold back.” With that in mind, the Megazord attacked with much more vigor, swinging the saber more wildly to deflect Griffonshriek’s equally wild strikes. “Impressive. But your attempts to beat me down are futile!” the monster screeched and let out a piercing scream, blasting the Megazord onto its back, the sword knocked from its hands. “Guh! Any ideas? I’m well and truly open!” Rarity pointed out as Griffonshriek leaped into the air, gliding on her large wings. “Me too. All I know is I’m not ditching you guys ever again; I promise!” Rainbow smiled. As if on cue, her Battle Gear Key shot into her hand, glowing a bright red. “Looks like you won’t have to; the playing field just leveled.” Applejack smiled. “Let’s take it for a spin then.” Rainbow smiled as she opened her Crystal Lock. “Battle Gear Key locked!” She slammed the Lock shut and spun the Disk hard. “Megazord Weapon, Harmonize!” In a bright flash as the Disk sparked, the red gem in the Ranger Emblem on the Megazord’s chest flashed forward before flying behind the Megazord, opening almost like a beetle shell to spread a span of large wings with crystalline feathers shaped like lightning bolts, which fused to the Megazord’s arms. “Ho-ho, nice!” Rainbow smiled as the wings were spread, the feather tips at the mech’s hands flexing like large fans. “Weapon of Loyalty: Thunder Wings!” “Does this mean the Megazord can fly now?” Pinkie asked in excitement. “Only one way to find out.” Rainbow smiled, flexing her fingers on her globe. “Going airborne!” On that command, the Megazord launched skyward on a red contrail from the wings as they soared after the dark monster. “What?!” Griffonshriek asked in surprise at the sight of the machine. “Surprise!” Rainbow grinned as the Megazord slashed at her with its wings, knocking her back in the air a bit. Griffonshriek scowled angrily as she righted herself. “Think I’m scared? I’ll take you down no matter what!” she screeched and flew toward the Megazord. “Only if you can catch us!” Rarity smiled as the Megazord started flying, easily taking the lead against the monster. “And good luck with that!” Applejack laughed, the Megazord easily bobbing and weaving around her strikes in midair while delivering their own blistering strikes. “Time to clip your wings!” Rainbow smiled, swinging the wings upward to strike Griffonshriek’s wings, knocking her out of the air. “All right, Rangers! Let’s finish this!” “Final Strike Keys locked!” They reached their hands across their chests, ready for the final attack. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Final Strike!” With one powerful spin, the Megazord surged with power that raced through the Thunder Wings, crackling with electricity as the Megazord divebombed toward the monster. “Thunder Wings! Storm Swoop Strike!” Just before it hit the ground, the Megazord spread the Thunder Wings and swooped upward, slashing across the monster’s side and sending her spinning. “You may have beaten me, but Tantabus will never allow you to interfere further!” Griffonshriek screeched in pain as she exploded. The Rangers just cheered for their victory as the Megazord powered down. “Perfect Harmony: Crystal Clear Skies ahead!” Rainbow announced happily. “Yet another failure.” Tantabus scowled at Griffonshriek’s destruction, clenching her fist around her blade. “And this one has given the Rangers vital information.” “We beg forgiveness, mistress.” Midnight pleaded seriously. “It was Eclipse’s idea; she’s the one who told her of whatever your plans were.” “Oh, thanks a lot, stupid.” Eclipse scowled. “Silence!” Tantabus snarled, stunning them both with the spells embedded in their bodies. “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” And she was clearly already coming up with plans to do just that. Soon enough, the Rangers were back at Sugarcube Corner when Rainbow walked in. “How’s Gilda?” Twilight asked. “Well, whatever Tantabus’s crazy magic did to her, they say she’s gonna make a full recovery.” Rainbow shrugged. “Out of curiosity, how did you know Gilda was Griffonshriek?” Rarity asked. “For one, the only times we ever saw her was right after we fought the monster,” Rainbow explained. “That ain’t a lot to go on.” Applejack pointed out. “Maybe now, but how about this?” Rainbow smiled. “She said Tantabus had some big master plan in the works. I never even mentioned her.” “Ah. Well, that’d do it.” Sunset nodded in understanding. Rainbow sighed as she sat down at the table. “Look, I’m really sorry about everything that happened, girls.” she apologized. “I promise I’ll follow the rules now; I’ll be with you 110% from now on. No more abusing my Ranger powers.” “Hey, Rainbows.” That was when Fluttershy’s brother Zephyr showed up. “I was wonderin’ when you’d finally come crawlin’ to me.” Rainbow immediately cringed. “I can still abuse the teleporter though, right?” she asked quietly. “I think we all will.” Sunset agreed as she quickly paid their check, leading them to the door. “Will you excuse us for a second, Zephyr? Girl business.” Before Zephyr could interject, the Rainbooms zipped out of the café and into the alley next door, immediately teleporting away.
