Power Rangers: Crystal Knights

Chapters

Episode 1: Welcome To The Crystal Kingdom
Episode 2: The Crystal Knights Rise!
Episode 3: A Brand New World

Episode 1: Welcome To The Crystal Kingdom

The three races of Equestria, the greatest kingdom on the planet of Arcania[1] are as follows:

Mages are the first of the three races of Equestria. These beings are recognized by the tattoo-like markings on their bodies that glow whenever they use their magic. The higher their magical power, the more markings they have and the brighter they glow. They are often tied to nobility and royalty, working to create new magic spells and find new ways to use magic to improve the lives of Equestrians.

Avians are the second of the three races of Equestria. These beings have wings of magical energy that allow them to fly and walk on and manipulate clouds, to the point they make floating cities like Cloudsdale. They often work in weather factories and serve as explorers, deliverymen and women, and athletes.

Terrans are the last of the three races of Equestria. What little magic they have primarily goes to increase their strength and stamina. They are usually farmers, construction workers, or laborers.

All three of these races live in harmony in Equestria, under the watchful and kind eye of the wise Ascended: Princess Celestia...

"Well there's a load of baloney if I ever heard it."

Sentry Apartment: Cloudsdale

The statement came from a young man of seventeen, with dark blue hair and matching eyes. He was wearing a black jacket over a red t-shirt, blue jeans and black boots.

The statement was directed at his younger brother, thirteen year old First Base, who shared his electric blue hair and eyes. He was watching TV, some educational program explaining the three races of Equestria.

First Base laughed and replied "Yeah, everyone knows most of the Mages in Canterlot are a bunch of snobs." He then held up a piece of paper and added "I just needed this info for my homework."

Flash chuckled as well. "Yeah." He then looked at the TV and scoffed. "Yeah, wise. And yet she left Discord's petrified form in her garden instead of locking it in a vault in the center of the planet."

First Base shivered. "Don't remind me. Half of my class still freaks out whenever they see cotton candy or chocolate milk."

"Good thing I always stuck with strawberry milk."

He laughed at that, and said "You're laughing a lot for someone who just got booted out of the Royal Guard Academy."

Flash sighed and rolled his eyes. "Eh, no point crying over spilled milk. Plus, I stuck to my guns, and to the Code."

"Yeah. Dad would be proud."

He nodded at that, feeling the familiar weight of his father's dog tags around his neck. "I certainly hope so."

He walked into the kitchen, seeing his bag slung over the back of one of the chairs. Picking it up he asked "You gonna be okay by yourself for a bit?"

First Base looked over the back of the couch and replied "Dude, I'm 13. If I'm old enough to fly to school and get groceries, I can be trusted to look after myself for a few days. Plus, Mom'll be back in a week while you go job hunting."

He nodded, picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "Just try not to burn down the apartment, okay buddy?"

"Last I checked, that was your fault because you tried to cook something for mom," he shot back as Flash closed the door behind him.

As Flash exited the building he couldn't help but feel a little bad for lying to his little brother (and subsequently his mother, who was out helping his Aunt in Manehattan) about where he was going.

Then again, how was he supposed to explain to them that he was leaving to find a place from a dream?

He was standing in what looked like a large city, where the buildings looked to be made out of some sort of crystal. It looked like it was once a grand kingdom, with a large castle in the distance.

But then the shadows seemed to lengthen, and black clouds descended to suffocate everything. Flash turned to run...

...only to stop in his tracks as a ring of bright red flames surrounded him, pushing the shadows back. "What the hell is going on," he asked.

What may very well be the future of your own kingdom.

Flash turned to see the voice, and his jaw dropped.

Standing in front of him was a gigantic dragon, seemingly made out of red rubies and metal, looking almost like a gem-encrusted robot. It stood on two legs, with two short arms that ended in three claws. Based on how it sounded, it was clearly a male. His green eyes bore into him, seemingly looking into his soul.

Flash finally asked "Who-who are you?"

The dragon brought itself up to its full height, letting out a loud roar and proclaiming I am Volcanion, the King Dragon and the Guardian of Fire. And I need your help to fight this darkness.

"WHAT? But, I'm just an Avian. I don't have any power."

Volcanion smirked, before his body glowed brightly for a moment, the energy traveling down its body until it coalesced at the tip of its snout. The light then flew towards him and into his hand, revealing a bright red ruby the size of a large coin. This is my Guardian Crystal. It shall help you to unlock the power you have inside, power you will need for this noble endeavor.

"Uh, okay. Where do I need to go?"

He immediately saw a vision; a shiny white train in Manehattan Central Station (which he knew about because of the frequent visits to his Aunt Flare) that looked like an old school locomotive.

Understand now, Volcanion asked. Seeing Flash Sentry nod, Volcanion continued Find the train, and you will find the other two chosen. Beware the shadows, my friend.

The ground started to shake and the landscrape cracked, white light filling the cracks and fissures.

The last thing Flash heard before the dream ended was Volcanion saying And May The Power Protect You.

When Flash woke up that morning he had found the ruby, the Guardian Crystal, in his hand.

Pretty much showing him that it wasn't just a dream.

Thus he decided, possibly against his common sense and better judgement, to find the train and see where it led to.

Though first, he needed to get to Manehattan. Which would be about an hour's ride by train.

Fortunately, there was a strong wind today, and Flash was nothing if not a strong flyer.

Making sure his bag was properly secured, he took a running start before jumping off the cloud into the open sky.

Were this any other race besides Avians (or any race that could fly) this would probably be seen as a suicide attempt, since the city was built on clouds several miles above the ground. A fall from this height would be fatal (not the fall itself, but rather the sudden stop at the bottom.)

However after falling several feet, two bird-like wings of blue magical energy appeared from his back, and he pulled himself out of the fall and began soaring like a plane towards Manehattan.

Manehattan Central Station, Manehattan

"No, Pinkie Pie, I don't need you guys to come along."

"Aw, but why not? It'll be fun!"

Seventeen year old Mage Twilight Sparkle sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she talked into her phone. "Pinkie Pie, I'm not going to some party or some big festival, I'm just investigating something."

There was the sound of a scuffle on the other side, with a familiar voice saying "Give me that, Pinkie!" A voice that belonged to an Avian and friend of hers, Rainbow Dash.

Another voice with a thick southern accent, which she knew was from the Terran Applejack, exasperatedly asked "Would you just put it on speaker, Dash?"

There was a beep! sound before all five of her friends could be heard in the background.

And they were arguing.

Again. How are they still friends when they fight like this ALL THE TIME she mused to herself.

Finally having enough, she yelled "GIRLS!" Once they stopped, she said "Look, I'm just investigating something strange happening around the north, a little bit past Manehattan. It's not some big party or some grand adventure, it's just me taking some notes and a few pictures."

"We ain't arguing about that, Sugarcube," Applejack replied. "We're just worried about ya since you're goin on your own."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash added. "Shouldn't we go with you?"

"Yeah, like always," Pinkie exclaimed. Loudly. "We always have fun together! There's laughter, and songs, and cupcakes, and fun and-!"

"Pinkie, I'm probably not going to be gone that long," she quickly said to cut her off, knowing if she didn't she'd go on forever. "It's just for a few days. I'll be back before you know it. And for the record, I don't need you guys with me for every single thing I do. I'm capable of taking care of myself."

And what about Spikey-wikey, her friend, fellow Mage Rarity asked.

"He's staying with my parents in Canterlot. I'm giving him a well-earned vacation."

Fluttershy was the next one to talk, though Twilight had to strain her ears to hear the meek Avian say "Um, okay. Just promise us you'll be careful. Um, please."

Twilight smiled. "Don't worry, guys. Just try not to destroy the Golden Oaks Library. Or Ponyville. Actually, don't destroy anything. Or cause any trouble."

"Twi, come on. When have we ever destroyed anything or caused trouble?"

Twilight rolled her eyes and snarkily replied "Would you prefer the list in alphabetical, chronological, or by degree of severity?"

None of them replied to that, instead just wishing her luck and telling her to be careful. And Pinkie Pie gave her the usual "I'll throw a big party when you get back!" much to Twilight's annoyance as she hung up her phone. "I love her to death, but one day I hope she realizes she doesn't have to throw a big party every. Single. Day."

She put away her phone, deciding to look through her bag quickly and make sure she had all her emergency supplies in case she found any trouble. Seeing her favorite blue jacket, she slipped it on. "Blue always was my color."

With her checklist complete, she looked over at the other trains. "Okay, I'm looking for a shiny white locomotive." Seeing the modern gray colored subway trains leaving the station, she said "Shouldn't be too hard."

However before she could go look for the train, she heard several people yelling over by the vending machines.

Flash took a swig from a bottle of water, looking around for the white train from his dreams. "Okay, shiny white old school train. Shouldn't be that hard, though how they got it in here is-"

"What a freak!"

"Yeah, shouldn't you be in a circus act?"

"Bug-eyed loser!"

Almost automatically his feet moved towards the sound of the mocking, seeing three Mages surrounding someone and pushing him around and stomping on what looked like a bag of chips and some snack cakes pulled out of the nearby vending machine. He also saw that the three Mages were dressed like a bunch of rich guys (not nobles but very well off) whereas the guy they were pushing around was basically dressed in rags; a torn and faded gray hoodie over a faded yellow shirt that had clearly seen better days, ratty old blue jeans and boots that were held together mostly by duct tape.

His fist tightened as he remembered his father's words that became part of the Code: "Rule #1: Defend the innocent." and "Rule #4: Never be cruel to those less fortunate than you."

So with that, he walked over and yelled "HEY!"

The three Mages turned to look at him, one of them sneering when he saw he was an Avian. "You got a problem, bird-man?"

Flash rolled his eyes at the slur. "Real original there, spell-brain," he replied, taking a bit of pleasure in the Mage's annoyed glare. "Leave him alone."

The three of them looked at each other, before laughing like a group of hyenas. Before he could say anything else, two of the Mages grabbed the guy they were picking on and held him in front of them, pulling his hood back to reveal his face and hair. "Take a good look at this freak."

The guy's skin was a lighter green color; and his eyes lacked any pupils, being pure fields of metallic purple. His shoulder length hair was the dark orange of a carrot, though like the rest of him seemed pretty dirty. Though the big one that drew his attention was the large horn on his forehead, a notable "Y" shaped horn similar to a Neighpanese Rhinoceros Beetle.[2]

Flash recognized what he was instantly; a Changeling, a shape-shifting humanoid that lived in nomadic tribes that roamed around Arcania but rarely if ever actually came into the cities or towns. What one was doing walking around in Manehattan (and not having shape-shifted to look more like one of the three Equestrian races) was unknown, but at the moment he didn't care. Flash simply smirked and said "The only freak I see are you three losers."

That clearly got under their skin, since the two holding the Changeling pushed him away before all three of them glared at him. The middle one, obviously the leader, asked "You looking for a fight, punk?"

Flash looked right back at him, unflinching. "You think you can give me one?"

The leader reared his fist back, only to have ribbons of purple magic wrap around his arms and hold him in place. The same happened to his cronies, both of whom were wondering who was responsible...

...only to turn and follow the ribbons to see Twilight standing there, her Mage markings on her arms, neck, and forehead glowing the brightest purple they'd ever seen.

Seeing them clearly scared out of their wits she dispelled the ribbons, dropping them on their butts, and then commanded "Get lost. NOW!"

The moment they could move their legs they took off running, one of them yelling that the three of them were going to regret this. Flash chuckled. "Tough talk coming from a bunch of cowards." He then turned to Twilight and said "Thanks for that."

She smiled and replied "No problem. I can't stand bullies."

They both looked at the changeling, who was on the ground picking up all the snack foods and chips that fell to the ground (some of which were smashed or busted open) before joining him in picking them up. "I-it's fine," the boy muttered. "You guys don't have to-"

"It's okay, dude," Flash replied.

Twilight nodded, picking up a busted bag of chips and doing her best not to spill them everywhere. "No one deserves to be treated like that," she stated.

"I'm used to it," the changeling replied.

"You shouldn't have to be," the two Equestrians replied in unison.

Just then Flash felt a slight heat coming from his jacket pocket, pulling out his Guardian Crystal which had begun to glow. "Huh. Wonder what's got this thing-"

The words died in his throat as he looked at the two, seeing them holding up similar crystals; Twilight's a glowing blue sapphire and the changeling a glowing yellow topaz.

All three of them looked at each other for a few seconds, before Flash extended his hand. "Flash Sentry."

"Twilight Sparkle," she replied, shaking his hand.

The changeling boy seemed hesitant, before taking Flash's hand. "Thorax." He then looked behind Flash and said "And I think that's our train."

Flash and Twilight turned to look and sure enough, the train from their dreams was pulled into the station, seemingly invisible to everyone else but them. "Huh. Guess it is."

The three of them boarded the train car cautiously, not wanting to be surprised by anything that might mean them harm.

But to their surprise the train car was devoid of any other life, not even an attendant or a conductor. "Lights are on, but as far as I can tell nobody's home," Flash stated.

Thorax nodded, sweeping his head from side to side, his horn giving off a slight glow. "I'm not sensing any other emotions onboard this train save for ours," he stated.

"Emotions," Twilight asked out of curiosity.

"Yeah. Changelings like me are emotivores. Emotion eaters. We can feed off emotions, so we can also sense them." Looking around again, he repeated "There's no one here but us. But I can sense that there's a lot of magic surrounding and going through this train."

Twilight nodded. "Yeah, I feel it too. This isn't an ordinary train." Her hand glowed and she moved it around, seemingly searching for something before pointing towards the locomotive. "It's concentrated up there."

"Then maybe that's where we can get some answers," Flash said as he made his way towards the door, the other two in tow.

The locomotive looked like nothing they'd ever seen before. Instead of a large steam engine and a bunch of coal to shovel into the furnace, there was instead a futuristic console made entirely out of crystal and a large monitor. The console had a joystick, a few switches and levers, but also a row of seven indents roughly the same size as the Guardian Crystals.

Speaking of which, as Flash pulled his out it began to glow before flying into the center indent, soon flanked by Twilight's sapphire and Thorax's topaz.

The moment they linked in, the console and monitor lit up, a steady humming sound sounding throughout the locomotive. "That wasn't me," Flash quickly stated, which made Twilight and Thorax giggle and smirk respectively.

Twilight stepped up to the console besides Flash, utterly fascinated by it. "I've never seen technology like this. This stuff seems retro, but it's far more advanced than anything on the market or anything I've seen from the Canterlot Institute of Technology."

"So, is it alien tech," Flash asked.

"Mmm, don't think so," Twilight replied, pointing at the monitor which had begun to display words. "Otherwise I don't think these words would be in Equestrian."

"Fair point."

Looking at the monitor, Thorax asked "Hey, that's a map, right?"

Sure enough, the monitor was displaying a map of what looked to be Equestria and the lands outside of it. "Yeah. That's Equestria. To the northwest is Griffinoa, down south is the Wastelands, below that is the Dragonlands, Northeast is Yakyakistan" Twilight said, pointing them out on the map. She then noticed another land straight up north, one that had a trail of green arrows connecting it and Equestria. "Huh, I don't think I've seen that land before," she said, tapping the area on the screen.

The trail of green arrows then glowed, and they all felt the train begin to move. "Uh, Twilight," Thorax asked. "I think you might've-"

"Sorry! I didn't know the thing was a touchscreen!"

Flash looked out the window, and his jaw dropped. "Guys, you need to see this!"

Twilight and Thorax did so, their expressions soon mirroring Flash's.

The train had apparently been equipped with some sort of teleportation or portal technology, because the train had apparently teleported outside of Manehattan Central Station and was now moving along the tracks on their route.

But what drew their eyes was that the tracks they were on weren't laid in the ground, but floating at least fifteen or twenty feet off of the ground, seemingly made out of a crystal that shone with all the colors of the rainbow.

And as the train... drove? Flew? It passed over a lake and in the almost mirror-like waters they saw that the once white crystal train was now shining with every color of the rainbow, leaving the three of them in awe. Finding her voice Twilight said "It's beautiful."

"It is," Thorax agreed. "But, anybody got any idea where we're headed?"

Managing to tear himself away from the scenery, Flash looked at the monitor. "It says here the place Twilight said she never heard of is called 'The Crystal Kingdom,' The ETA is about thirty minutes."

Thorax looked at him confused. "ETA?"

Flash rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "It's military slang. It means Estimated Time of Arrival. It means if we don't have any surprises that stop the train, we'll get there in roughly thirty minutes."

Twilight looked at him in surprise. "You're in the Royal Guard?"

"Nah. I tried to join up, but let's just say I didn't exactly fit in with everyone else and leave it at that."

That earned a look of sympathy from the Mage. "Believe me, I can relate."

"How so?"

"Try being a commoner who becomes Princess Celestia's personal student. In a school where the biggest majority of the students are either direct children of nobles or in some way part of a noble family. Or from just plain rich families. Meanwhile, your mother's a novelist (a good one on the bestsellers list) your father teaches Ancient History to Sophomores at a public high school. So yeah, not exactly rich or high up on the totem pole." She rolled her eyes and said "Yeah, I didn't make a lot of friends, and I didn't have the easiest time in school."[3]

"Ouch," Flash and Thorax said in unison.

Flash looked at Thorax and asked "So, what's your story?"

The Changeling refused to meet his eyes, his voice belying his pain. "I... I don't wanna talk about it."

Both Flash and Twilight understood, realizing it might've been a bit more personal than what they intended.

Deciding to change the subject, Flash asked "So, seeing as how our respective crystals are different, I'm guessing you guys didn't see a giant red dragon in your dreams?"

Twilight and Thorax shook their heads. "Mine was a giant blue sapphire wolf," Twilight replied. "She called herself Fenrir, the Mother Wolf and Guardian of Ice."

"Kabuto-Mushi," Thorax added "a giant yellow Topaz Rhinoceros Beetle. Called himself the Great Storm Beetle and Guardian of Lightning."

"Volcanion," Flash finished "the King Dragon and Guardian of Fire. A big ol' two-legged dragon made entirely out of red rubies, wings and all. Never figured something that glittered could look so terrifying."

"Honestly, my one friend Rarity could show you just how dangerous those gems can be," Twilight said with a giggle.

"Really," Thorax asked.

"Yeah. That one Diamond Dog learned that the hard way when he threatened her little sister, Sweetie Belle. Never heard a grown male scream like that."

Flash nodded. "I can relate." Seeing the looks at the other two, he explained "I have a little brother, First Base. He and I got hit by some wannabe muggers once when we were walking home. Probably wouldn't have been so bad... if one of them hadn't threatened to hit my little bro with a baseball bat. I showed that guy real quickly that I knew martial arts. Sent those three guys running home for the safety of their mommies."

"Nice," Twilight said, Thorax nodding in agreement.

"Eh, it wasn't all me. First Base even showed the one guy that he knew how to use a baseball bat better than he did. He swung for home and nailed him in that one spot that a guy should never be hit in. Turned him into an instant soprano."

Thorax's reaction was to wince and cover his nether regions. "Ouch."

Twilight just looked at the two in confusion, before she remembered her 11th grade Health Class and cringed. "Oh, ow. I'm a girl and I can imagine the pain from that."

"Speaking from experience, it's worse than you can imagine," Thorax replied.

"Yeah, unless you experience it for yourself you have no idea how bad it can be," Flash added.

Whatever Twilight was about to say was cut off from a few beeps from the console, getting their attention. Taking a look, she said "Looks like we've crossed the border into the Crystal Kingdom."

The map zoomed and showed the next part of their journey, apparently through lush fields and forests, over and around some lakes and rivers, until they reached a city marked Crystalia.

Realizing what was probably going on, Flash asked "Hey, Fenrir and Kabuto-mushi both said they need you guy's help to fight some oncoming darkness, right?"

"Yeah," Thorax replied.

Twilight nodded, having pulled out a notebook and jotting down details from the map on it.

"How much you guys wanna bet that the ruined crystal city we saw in those dreams is exactly where we're heading," he asked.

Thorax chuckled at that. "I think that's a sucker's bet, so I'll pass. Plus I only got like fifty bits to my name, so..."

Almost immediately Flash handed him a one hundred bit note, much to Thorax's shock. Flash just shrugged and said "You need it more than I do. Plus I got a bunch more saved up allowance and money from my birthdays and holidays in a lockbox back home. I'm not going broke anytime soon."

Taking the note gingerly, Thorax slipped it into his pocket, blinking back tears. "T-thank you."

"Hey, no need to cry, man."

"I can't help it," he replied, wiping his eyes. "I'm so used to feeling hatred and disgust and other negative emotions when other people see me. I couldn't tell you the last time I actually felt kindness from someone."

Hearing this, Twilight's first thought was to bring this guy to meet Fluttershy, AKA the bearer of the element of kindness.

But then she remembered how Fluttershy and all of Ponyville reacted to Zecora when she first arrived, so maybe she should hold off on that for now.

So instead, she asked "Out of curiosity, why don't you just shapeshift?"

Thorax sighed, before turning around and lifting up his hair to reveal the back of his head...

...and a network of scars that extended from the base of his skull to about four inches up.

And then he rapped his knuckles against it, and Flash and Twilight heard a low but audible Clang.

Letting his hair go and turning around, Thorax explained "About a year ago, give or take, I got in a bad accident. A chimera attacked my tribe, and I tried to defend one of the younglings, Ocellus. She's kind of my little sister, so I guess we have that in common, Flash. We'll do anything to protect the little ones that come after us."

"Preach."

"Well, I managed to slay the beast, but not before it and I went over a cliff. I ended up bashing the back of my skull on a rock. I black out, thinking this is the end, but I wake up with the mother of all headaches in someone's home. Turns out I floated down the river and washed up near the home of two Terrans; a doctor named Healing Hands and his wife, a seamstress named Silk. The two of them managed to put me back together again."

"Did that life-saving procedure involve putting a metal plate in the back of your head," Twilight asked, putting the pieces together.

"Ding ding, we have a winner. Yeah, after Healing Hands removed the bone fragments, he had to put in a metal plate to hold the rest of my skull together while Silk sewed it shut."

"Ew," Twilight said while Flash gagged.

"Eh, wouldn't recommend it personally. Anyway, the plate's four inches wide, four inches tall, and about half an inch thick, and made of a magical metal that can't rust or degrade. So, it shouldn't cause me any health problems down the line. But, while my body can shapeshift, the metal plate can't. And if I tried it would probably do more damage than the chimera ever could. So I'm stuck like this with everyone able to see me for what I am. And while some Equestrians aren't scared of me and/or mock me on sight, the majority of them..."

Seeing him struggle for words, Flash finished "Kinda suck?"

"Not to put too fine a point on it, but... Yeah, they do kinda suck. Sorry."

Flash and Twilight waved it off, knowing full well that there were plenty of Equestrians who consistently displayed an attitude that ranged from xenophobic to straight up racist. Twilight herself had some uncomfortable memories (some of which were clear while others were strangely fuzzy) of Spike getting leered at by the staff and other students of her school, simply because he was a Draconian. It honestly made her blood boil sometimes, but she'd hold her tongue all those times.

After all, Princess Celestia's personal student shouldn't be getting into fights, now should she?

As time passed the three of them talked, swapping stories and life experiences; each of them having different feelings about their little group.

Flash was a bit of an open book. He liked the two of them; Twilight, despite being Celestia's personal student and going to a fancy private school in Canterlot, came from a middle class family (admittedly they were on the higher end of that particular spectrum, but still) and didn't flaunt her status or position. Rather, she was humble and didn't see herself as a know-it-all, and freely admitted there was stuff she didn't know about. And like Thorax, he knew what it was like to be at the bottom of the barrel of society, his family once having to live on the streets after the death of his father and his mother lost her job. Fortunately his Aunt helped them and they got to where they were now.

Twilight honestly found it hard to believe that talking to these two seemed to be easier than talking to her friends back in Ponyville. They didn't think she was a nerd (well they did but they didn't think it was anything negative) and actually found her interests, well, interesting. Flash and her even liked the same genre of music, Rock and Roll. They even liked a lot of the same bands, singers, and songs; something none of her Ponyville friends liked. Thorax was an outcast and a reject, which was something she had a lot of experience being when her family first moved to Canterlot. It's not a pleasant experience, but it made them appreciate the people who accept you for who you are.

Thorax was honestly just overjoyed to have people who wanted to be friends with him and didn't think he was a freak. After almost a year living on the streets of Canterlot and begging for money or food, all while being beat up and stepped on, it was nice to actually feel kindness and compassion for once. And thanks to his emotion sensing, he could taste the love they had for their hobbies. Twilight gushed about her studies, and Flash actually played some music on his phone to pass the time. (Thorax could see why he and Twilight liked rock music, that stuff was great. Unstoppable by The Score was gonna be constantly repeating in his head for a while.)[4]

All in all, by the time the train reached its destination, the three of them could say they were friends.

Speaking of which...

As the train made its journey they noticed some... discrepancies between the map on the monitor and the outside scenery.

Where there were supposed to be lush fields were covered in snow and large spires of what seemed like metallic black crystal. The forests were still forests, but huge swaths of it were either cut down or destroyed. The whole landscape itself was dotted with craters and what seemed like giant footprints of some kind. The lakes and rivers were mostly untouched, though that might be because they were frozen over.

That's when they noticed the other thing; the entire landscape was blanketed by roughly two or so feet of snow, not helped by the blizzard that seemed to appear out of nowhere. While the occupants of the train were safe from the cold, they couldn't help but release a slight shiver as they looked outside. "Geez, I figure it was cold up north but I never thought it would be THIS bad," Flash stated.

"It shouldn't be," Twilight noted, though she did zip up her jacket. "We may be up north, but we're not far north enough to hit the tundra or even the taiga. And the altitude isn't much higher than the rest of Equestria. We should still be in the middle of spring."

However, the two of them soon noticed that Thorax was trembling. "Uh, dude. Are you okay," Flash asked.

Thorax shook his head, tapping his horn. "No. I can feel something's off."

"What is it," Twilight asked, mostly out of concern (though a part of her was curious to hear more about Thorax's Changeling abilities. She was a scientist, sue her.)

"I feel... anger. Hatred. Sadistic pleasure. And hunger... for the fear of others. A large concentration of all of that, and this train is bringing us right towards it."

Both Flash and Twilight looked at each other, before Flash said "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you're feeling whatever darkness our dream beasts were talking about." Seeing Thorax still trembling, he put a hand on his shoulder and got him to look at him. "Hey, we're not going anywhere. Whatever's waiting for us, we'll face it together."

Twilight repeated the motion with Thorax's other shoulder. "We'll be with you every step of the way. That's what friends do."

He seemed to finally calm down at this, taking a deep breath and steeling his resolve. "Okay."

The monitor beeped again, showing that they were approaching their destination. They all looked out the window again, wanting to get an idea of what they were going to be dealing with.

What they saw simultaneously awed them, but filled them with dread.

They saw the same crystal city from their dreams, but in the waking world the damage looked even worse. The once mighty walls that stood protecting the city were heavily damaged, some having whole sections smashed down from top to bottom, others having the remains of what looked like siege towers half-hanging onto the top of the wall. Several of the building tops they could see inside had been damaged, some looking like they were still smoldering from whatever had hit them.

And surrounding the city in the sky was what looked like a ring of black smoke that crackled with purple lightning; the lightning crackling seemingly like a heartbeat.

Almost as if it was alive.

"Am I the only one who's feeling really scared right now," Thorax asked. "Please tell me I'm not."

"You're not. I'm scared too," Twilight replied.

Flash nodded. "Me too."

"Good." Thorax then winced, a hand going up to his forehead at the base of his horn and gently massaging it. Seeing the concerned looks, he said "Suffering and fear. Lots of it, coming from thousands of people."

"A city this large would probably hold that many people," Twilight stated. "And if this darkness takes sadistic pleasure from the fear and suffering of others..."

She let the statement hang in the air, and Flash immediately remembered Rule 3 of the Code: #3: If you see or know that people are in trouble, and you can do something about it, then it is your responsibility to do so. He nodded. "Let's see what we can do."

The train continued towards part of the wall, but before it could collide there was a rainbow flash and the train passed right through it. They then saw they were in a tunnel of rainbow light, heading towards the biggest diamond they'd ever seen; a shining silver diamond easily the size of Canterlot Castle. Possibly even bigger.

"Whoa," Twilight said, utterly entranced by it.

Flash smirked. "Imagine trying to fit that gem on an engagement ring."

Thorax chuckled. "Who'd be wearing it? Cthulhu," which earned him a high five from Flash.

The train continued to drive forward, a section of the diamond in front of them opening up to allow the train inside and come to a stop. The three Guardian Crystals flew back to their owners, who gently placed them in their pockets. "Well, this is our stop," Twilight said.

"Let's not keep whoever called us here waiting," Flash said, making for the door, the other two following him.

They opened the door and walked out of the train, setting foot on the crystal floor. The docking station was oddly devoid of any life, but Thorax told the two of them that he could sense life auras inside this place.

"So," Twilight asked "what do we do now?"

Her question was soon answered by a flash of red light appearing a few feet in front of the three of them. Fearing an attacker, the three took up combat stances and looked for anything they could use for a weapon.

This proved unnecessary, however, as the person who appeared cheered and said "Yes! Finally! I was starting to lose hope that someone would come!"

This confused the hell out of the three of them, but they dropped their stances and took a good look at the person.

It was a woman, roughly in her early 20s, wearing a purple-red robe that covered almost her entire body below her neck. Her eyes were a rosy red color that seemed to sparkle, with her hair being the same color. What stood out the most to the three was that directly over her heart was a large red gem stone that Twilight recognized as a garnet.

She smiled again and said "Hi! My name's Garnet. It's nice to meet all of you."

Still a bit confused, Flash waved and replied "Flash Sentry."

"Twilight Sparkle."

"Thorax. No last name."

Garnet nodded, before continuing "I'm sure you guys have a lot of questions-"

"Only a few million," Twilight said.

"-so I'll take you straight to the Prince so we can get you some." She held out her hand, which began to glow with her red magic. "If you could please take hold."

Flash and Twilight looked hesitant, but Thorax said he didn't sense anything negative from her, so they all gently took a hold of her hand and she performed her spell.

The four of them were instantly teleported away, appearing in the middle of a large room. Removing her hand from theirs, Garnet smiled and proudly stated "Welcome to the Command Diamond!"

Getting a better look around, they could see several large computer screens along the walls, with scientific equipment like beakers and test tubes and Bunsen burners set on tables. What drew the three's eyes, however, was a large crystal mound in the center.

Embedded in them were three swords; all three had gold cross-guards, and an indentation in the cross-guard that looked just big enough to fit their Guardian Crystals. The double-edged blades were colored; one was red, one was blue, and one was yellow.

The three of them were broken out of their reverie by Garnet clearing her throat. Once she had their attention, she turned to a pneumatic door and said "Announcing his majesty, the Crown Prince of the Crystal Kingdom, Maximus Diamond."

The door opened up with a hiss! as a figure stepped through, a kind voice saying "Garnet, I've told you before you don't have to do that every time you introduce me to new people."

The figure was a man, roughly 25 years of age with silver hair and sparkling silver eyes. Unlike Garnet, who was dressed in robes, he was wearing a full set of armor that seemed to be made of crystals, with a crystal sword sheathed at his side, and a silver cape with a gold interior.

And just like Garnet there was a gemstone over his heart, this one being a clear sparkling diamond, the armor designed to allow the gemstone to poke through.

All in all, he definitely sold the idea that he was a member of royalty. Though as Twilight mused, it looked like this Prince could and was willing to fight, whereas Princess Celestia seemed to absolutely hate fighting.

He bowed his head to them, and said "Hello there. As my friend and bodyguard explained, I am Prince Maximus Diamond. Prince of the Crystal Kingdom, home of the Crystallix."

Flash and Thorax looked at each other, confused, but Twilight's jaw dropped. "Crystallix? But, I thought your race died out over a thousand years ago."

"Uh, mind cluing us in Twilight," Flash asked.

"The Crystallix were a race that were similar to Equestrians, specifically Mages. They were capable of absorbing magic from the environment to fuel their power, though unlike Mages they couldn't perform the more complex spells. What separated them the most was that they have a gemstone linked to their hearts, and could also use their magic to transform into a gem-like form."

"That part's true," Garnet said, closing her eyes and focusing.

And to their shock, her skin suddenly turned into the same rosy-red garnet as the stone over her heart. She smiled and asked "See?" They all nodded, and she dropped it and reverted back to her normal form.

Prince Diamond chuckled at their expressions, and said "Let's just say rumors of our demise have been greatly exaggerated. As for why you haven't seen or heard of us? Well... that's something we'll explain soon enough." Looking at the monitors, he looked at Garnet and commanded "Keep an eye on the monitors. Make sure we won't be caught off guard if HE happens to show up."

Garnet nodded, giving him a salute before moving over to one of the banks of computer monitors.

Prince Diamond turned to look at the three of them. "So, I assume you all have questions."

"Only a couple thousand," Flash replied, Twilight and Thorax nodding in agreement.

The prince sighed wistfully. "Well, it's quite the tale to tell. You might wanna pull up a chair."

Once they did, he began his story. "The Crystal Kingdom was once a thriving and peaceful nation. Despite how far north we were the weather was pleasant and the fields and forests were full of life. This was mainly because of the Crystal Guardians, ancient and powerful beasts that commanded magic far beyond anything any Mage or Crystallix was capable of."

"I assume Volcanion, Fenrir, and Kabuto-Mushi are those Crystal Guardians," Twilight asked.

"Three of them," Prince Diamond replied. "The rest of them are Tusk, the green emerald elephant and Guardian of Nature. Hurricana, the pink Rose Quartz Eagle and Guardian of the Winds. Gojira, the purple Amethyst Kaiju and Guardian of Energy. And lastly, Titano, the Diamond Lion and Guardian of Light.

'The seven of them helped to make the Crystal Kingdom what it was; keeping the worst of the cold away, helping to grow the crops in the fields, and served as our defenders from any enemy that dared to threaten us.

'And in return, we helped them protect one of the most sacred treasures in Arcania: the Crystal Heart."

"The Crystal Heart," Thorax asked.

Prince Diamond nodded. "A large and powerful gemstone that is tied into all of the magic that flows around and through Arcania. It is said that he who controls the Crystal Heart would be able to control magic itself. As such the Crystal Guardians and the people of the Crystal Kingdom worked together to protect it from those who might seek to use it for evil purposes, erecting the mighty capitol city of Crystalia to serve as its bastion."

"Let me guess," Flash said "someone finally came that was capable of challenging them all?"

"No need to guess that, Sentry.

'He called himself... King Sombra. No one knew where he came from or how he learned about the Crystal Heart. But what we saw was the darkest Crystallix in existence, with a Gem Form of purple black onyx. He used dark magic the likes of which we'd never seen before, fueled by negative emotions such as anger, hatred, greed, and from the fear he struck into the hearts of others."

Thorax shivered. "That must be what I felt when we got close to the city. Along with how he takes sadistic pleasure from-"

"-every evil thing he does," Diamond finished, earning a short nod from Thorax. "Yeah, that's him alright.

'He made it clear that he wanted the Crystal Heart so that he could take over the Crystal Kingdom. From there, he'd turn it into the Crystal Empire, the first stepping stone in creating an empire that spanned the entirety of Arcania. He wanted it all.

'The seven Crystal Guardians, aided by their chosen Crystal Knights, waged battle with him and eventually managed to repel him away. I myself aided them and even fought against King Sombra."

The three of them were somewhat surprised by that, seeing as how from their experiences the royalty would often stay out of the fighting. "That took some serious guts," Twilight stated, already starting to like this guy's style of ruling as opposed to Celestia's.

The prince laughed. "My father always taught me that you should lead by example. And what knights would follow the order of a king who would not do his job as a leader, even into battle?"

"Fair point."

"Plus, he was a Crystal Knight himself. Yes," he emphasized, seeing the shocked looks of the three. "He was Titano's Crystal Knight. But more on that later.

'As you can imagine, Sombra eventually returned. One year later, he once again tried to take the Kingdom.

'But this time, he was more than prepared."

"Of course," Flash grumbled. "The bad guys always come back."

"After his first defeat, he had apparently went searching for new power, and an army he could command. And he found it from the most horrible of places; Tartarus."

If it were possible, the jaws of the three would've dropped down into the planet's core. Tartarus was pretty much as close to hell as you could get, full of imprisoned demons and monsters and people who committed the most unspeakable of crimes. It was a place full of evils that were unimaginable. So to hear that this one Crystallix had apparently not only willingly gone in, but had taken control of an army to raze the world with... it was horrifying.

He gave them a moment to process that, before looking at Twilight and asking "You wouldn't happen to know how to cast the Memory Sharing Spell, would you?" Twilight nodded, and he said "Good, because this next bit will be a lot easier to believe if you guys saw it for yourselves. So, if you would please?"

She did so, her Mage Markings glowing before a ribbon of magic extended and linked itself to Prince Diamond, before another ribbon appeared and formed a large holographic screen.

The first thing the screen showed was an army of demons, some of which were huge and looked to be at least thirty stories tall. Among the monsters were a large gathering of black-robed figures with featureless white masks and skeletal hands, holding rusty swords with hilts that looked like they were made of bones.

Prince Diamond continued his tale. "He brought forth demons the likes of which had never been seen in Arcania in centuries. Drawing power from the depths of Tartarus, he made certain members of his army grow to immense proportions. And all the while, he had a near unlimited supply of his foot soldiers; the Ghouls."

The memory played out and the three soon saw King Sombra himself; a man who looked to be in the prime of his life, with jet black hair and a sinister grin that stretched from ear to ear. His eyes overflowed with dark magic, his eyes themselves being a sinister dark red while the sclera of his eyes were dark green. He wore a suit of jet black armor, with a blood red cape with a furred collar that flowed in a non-existent breeze. Perched upon his head was a pale gold crown with several dark gems embedded in it.

And with a wave of his hand, streams of black smoke and large boulders of metallic black crystals appeared, peppering a battlefield and sending the Crystal Soldiers flying.

They then saw the Crystal Guardians in all of their glory fighting against the giant demons, seemingly holding them off but the three quickly noticed that they were taking some pretty serious hits and seemed to be weakening.

"His newfound power made him nearly invincible. And while the Crystal Guardians were able to hold their own against the giant demons, it was clear that they wouldn't be able to hold out forever.

'All seemed lost... until THEY arrived."

The memory changed to show a massive blast of rainbow colored energy teleporting Sombra and his army away, Prince Diamond, his father and the other six Crystal Knights looking in confusion.

A portal then opened, and through it floated six figures in mostly white armor but each one having an individual color as well: one red, one blue, one green, one black, one pink, and one gold. Each one also held a staff that seemed to be overflowing with some type of energy Twilight had never seen before.

"The six of them called themselves the Morphin Masters, the guardians of a powerful energy source that spanned dimensions called the Morphin Grid. The six of them recognized the threat that King Sombra posed, stating that should he conquer Arcania he might decide to go after other worlds as well. They also recognized the valor and courage of the Crystal Knights and the Crystal Guardians, and decided to grant them the power to hopefully defeat King Sombra and keep the Crystal Heart safe."

The memory continued, showing the six Morphin Masters using their staffs to distribute energy to the Crystal Guardians, changing them into the machine-like forms the three saw in their dreams.

"The Crystal Guardians became Guardian Zords-"

The Guardian Zords then shot beams of energy at their chosen Knights, transforming their armor. The suits were all adorned in a single color: red, blue, yellow, green, pink, purple, with the last one being mostly silver but with some gold details. Each Knight also wore a helmet with a black visor, the helmet modeled off their respective Guardian. Each one had their respective sword, the three of them recognizing the red, blue, and yellow swords that were embedded in the crystal in the Command Diamond.

"-while their respective Knights became the first Crystal Knight Power Rangers."

"Power Rangers," Flash asked.

"The Morphin Masters explained that they'd often find evil forces throughout the multiverse, and as you'd expect would find heroes and warriors ready to fight for what was right. They'd empower these heroes with energy from the Morphin Grid, becoming what they called Power Rangers."

As he said that, the memory had the Morphin Masters project images of various teams of these Power Rangers throughout the multiverse. Some used the power of dinosaurs, some used magic, others were more technology based. Names of these teams included Mighty Morphin, Lost Galaxy, Dinothunder, Jungle Fury, RPM, Dino Charge, Ninja Steel, and Beast Morphers.[5] All of them were shown to be capable fighters, and brave warriors with hearts filled with courage.

"With the new powers we fought back, managing to push back and destroy many of the demons. But since they lacked mortal souls, they'd eventually reform in the depths of Tartarus, though the more powerful they were the longer it would take for them to do so. While it certainly played a part in it, King Sombra also had several general monsters that could evenly match the Rangers; his right-hand Insidiroar-"

They saw the image of a giant monster with the face of a lion and the wings of an eagle, clad in dark gold armor with black patches, wielding a large black sword with jagged edges that he sent waves of dark energy from.

"-his main spellcaster and the one responsible for making the monsters grow, Weaver-"

The next one was a spider-like monster with six arms and a magic staff, with a red and black exoskeleton and eight eyes, as well as large red serrated claws on four of his six arms.

"-as well as his greatest spy and infiltration specialist, the shape-shifting Deceptra."

The last one was a woman who looked like a Mage, but her Mage Markings seemed to peel off of her body like they were alive. She also transformed into an insect-like form, one that seemed very familiar to Thorax.

The spell ended, Twilight taking a breath and saying "Sorry, that's about how long I could hold it."

"It's fine. That part was really all I needed that spell for."

'Anyway, the war continued on for a year, neither side making too much progress against the other.

'Then, SHE decided to get involved."

"Who," Twilight asked, though she already had a good idea.

Prince Diamond growled and spat out "Princess Celestia."

Twilight groaned. "Of course."

Flash and Thorax looked at her in surprise. "You're not surprised," Flash asked.

She shook her head. "Let's just say that the pedestal I put her on when I was younger has started to show some serious cracks. I'd go into details but we'd be here all day." She looked at Prince Diamond and said "Sorry. Please continue."

"When Sombra and his army first arrived, we sent out requests for aid from Equestria," he continued on. "My father, King Millenius Diamond, straight up begged her for help. And every time she declined, giving us reasons such as 'I don't wish to bring the horrors of war to my people' and 'we're not warriors.'"

"Not to play devil's advocate here, but she's not entirely wrong," Flash stated. "The Royal Guards are basically just glorified security guards with shiny armor. They're not disciplined enough to be soldiers, many of them haven't seen any sort of combat, and they're widely regarded as a joke in Equestria. Though I have to wonder; were their standards any better back then than they are now?"

Prince Diamond replied "A little" before holding up his forefinger and thumb roughly a centimeter apart. "Not by much though."

"Of course."

"Um, something just occurred to me," Thorax said. "You're talking about this big war and all sorts of damage, and a threat not only to your kingdom but the entire world, as well as frequent requests for aid from Equestria. If all of this has been happening-"

"-why haven't any of you heard about it," Prince Diamond finished for him, earning a nod from the three. "Believe me, I'm getting to it soon. May I?"

"Just one last question. I get that she couldn't supply troops, but why not medical supplies or food. I'm sure you guys could have used plenty of that."

"Oh, we could. But according to her, she didn't want to give King Sombra the idea that Equestria was on our side, lest they incur his wrath. Her words, not mine.

'Anyway, the day and battle that occurred when the Morphin Masters appeared was also when Princess Celestia actually did try to help... by trying to get both sides to come to a peaceful resolution and see if we could compromise."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Twilight grumbled, facepalming.

"That was our reaction. And as you can imagine it went absolutely nowhere since King Sombra wanted world domination at any cost, and all of us at the Crystal Kingdom would rather die on our feet than live on our knees."

"A sentiment I agree with and respect," Flash said, earning him a nod and a smile from Prince Diamond.

'When the Morphin Masters appeared and offered their power, Celestia vehemently opposed the idea. She said that violence could only breed more violence and telling us that there had to be a way to resolve the 'situation' peacefully. As if the war against our kingdom was merely an inconvenience rather than a fight for all of Arcania. Between that, her attempt at peace being little more than a joke and a waste of time, and the fact that she was trying to order my father and I on our own soil (I'm not making that up, trust me.) we politely told her to get lost."

"Bet she didn't take that well," Thorax guessed.

"Oh, she didn't. But it wasn't until a year passed that she actually did something. Though in the process, she screwed us all over.

'She showed up one day outside the kingdom, saying that she found the source of Sombra's power. Apparently there was something in the depths of Tartarus that he was drawing his power from, something that was feeding him dark magic and keeping him strong. As you can imagine, if something were to cut him off from it-"

"-then he'd start losing power," Twilight finished. "Especially if you got him so angry or ticked off that he started using more powerful spells and expending more of his magic. But the only thing I can think of that could cut him off like that is- TELL ME SHE DIDN'T!"

Flash and Thorax were a bit surprised at her sudden outburst of rage (especially since the ends of her hair started to catch fire) but Prince Diamond took her rage in stride. "Yeah, she did."

Twilight pinched the bridge of her nose hard enough that they swore the skin would bruise. "Of all the stupid, moronic, asinine- Grrr!"

"Uh, not to interrupt your rage against the mentor, Twilight," Flash interjected. "But mind cluing us in?"

Taking a deep breath, she explained "Princess Celestia sealed the Crystal Kingdom in a Time Bubble. While the time outside the bubble would pass like normal, the time inside the bubble would be severely slowed. Theoretically, a few hours in the bubble could be a year or two outside of it." A look of realization dawned on her, and she looked at Prince Diamond and asked "How long has it been in here for you guys compared to out there?"

"Inside, almost a year. Out there, it's been almost 1000 years."

Garnet chimed in from where she was on the monitors and said "Actually, if you want to be pedantic it's been 999 years, 4 months, 3 days, 2 hours, 1 minute on the dot and counting."

"But wait, if you're in a time bubble how did we get into the kingdom," Flash asked. "Also, we're not going to leave the bubble and find out a year has passed, are we?"

Holding up a hand, Prince Diamond replied "In order, I'm getting to that, and no you won't.

'We tried to tell her that thousands of innocent Crystallix would suffer, and that while trapping us in here may cut Sombra off from the source of his power he still had plenty to draw upon. But she justified it as a 'needs of the many' situation, and that sealing us away would keep our fight from spilling out to the rest of Arcania. And then she added, almost smugly, that if King Sombra was still around when the bubble ended in 1000 years she'd deal with him then."

Why do I get a feeling that by 'she' she means me, Twilight mused.

"We spent the year fighting for our lives, pushing ourselves far beyond our limits. And while we destroyed the majority of his army that was sealed in here with us and sent them back to Tartarus, we sadly had little time to rest and recuperate. Especially with our meager supplies.

'And one by one, the Rangers began to fall." He stopped, a solemn look crossing his face. "Including my father."

An uncomfortable silence fell on the room, before Flash finally put a hand on Prince Diamond's shoulder and said "I lost my dad last year. I know how much it hurts, like a knife right in your heart. My brother and I both felt it. So from the bottom of my heart, you know I mean it when I say I'm sorry."

He gave a small smile, before replying "Thank you."

Once he collected himself, he continued "After he fell, we realized we needed help. Fortunately, the Crystal Heart was able to power the Rainbow Prism Train and allow it to pierce through the Time Bubble, though it did lower our shields for a few moments..." He smiled as they started to put two and two together "...and allowed Volcanion, Fenrir and Kabuto-mushi to find three people with noble hearts and pure souls who they found worthy of their powers, and the mantles."

The three were silent for a second, before Flash said "You want us to become the new Crystal Knight Power Rangers."

Prince Diamond nodded. "Yes."

The trio looked at each other, processing that for a few moments, before looking back at Prince Diamond, clearly unsure of what to say.

Getting tired of the awkwardness, Prince Diamond asks "Did you guys not expect that? You guys had three of the Crystal Guardians contact you in your dreams and asked you to come here to fight a great darkness-"

Flash explained "It's not that. It's just... I think the thing we're all wondering right now is if we're worthy to actually take up these mantles. I mean, the dearly departed rangers were badasses who were trained in... well, being knights. I'm a Royal Guard Academy washout, Twilight's Princess Celestia's apprentice, and Thorax is..."

"A homeless Changeling," Thorax guessed.

"I didn't wanna be rude, dude."

"It's cool."

"I mean, I took a fencing class and joined a swordplay club when I was younger," Twilight admitted. "But I haven't touched a fencing foil or a prop sword in years. Plus, there's a difference between fencing for sport and sword-fighting in a play or for cosplaying than in actual combat."

Flash nodded. "That is true. Wait, you cosplayed?"

Twilight blushed and admitted "I was a bit of an anime nerd back then."

"Guys?" They all stopped and looked at Prince Diamond as he continued "I understand where you're coming from, I do. But the Crystal Guardians wouldn't have chosen you if they didn't find you worthy of this. And they didn't just hone in on you guys; each one of them scanned everyone across all of Arcania and chose you three. They think, they believe, that all three of you are worthy of being Power Rangers. And truthfully, the three of you might be our only hope. The other four Crystal Guardians are still healing after their last battles, and until that happens they can't choose their own Rangers. If King Sombra gets the Crystal Heart, it'll only be the start of the end of everything. His evil shadow will spread over everything, drowning out all light and dragging everyone down into the depths of despair. The Crystal Knight Power Rangers are the only ones capable of fighting back against him. I don't feel I'm exaggerating when I say that at this moment, the three of you might be this world's only hope."

And then to their shock and surprise, he lowered himself down to his knees and knelt before them. "I know this is a big ask, and it won't be easy. But I ask you, no I BEG of you, please take up the swords. Become the Crystal Knight Power Rangers and help us defeat King Sombra and his army."

Before they could answer the pleading prince, the whole base was rocked as if there was an earthquake, causing them to stumble a bit. Jumping to his feet Prince Diamond asked "Garnet, what was that?!"

Garnet was moving around the consoles, her hands flying across the various buttons and switches. "I hate to say it but our shields were down just long enough for them to start breaking their way in," she yelled. "They're on their way in."

Immediately he drew his sword and turned to the main doors. "How many?"

Pulling a camera feed up, she replied "A squad of Ghouls and- No."

"What's wrong," Flash asked.

Thorax grabbed his head. "Guys, I hate to say it... but I think King Sombra is in the building."

Just as he said that the door was blasted open with a blast of black energy, the energy wave knocking everyone back and to the ground. Flash was thrown against a wall, Twilight sliding along the ground and under a table, and Thorax smashed into a bookshelf.

All three of them shook the cobwebs out of their heads, just as the enemies arrived.

First came the Ghouls, roughly fifteen of them all with swords drawn. They flanked both sides of the door before saluting with their bone swords...

...and the temperature in the Command Diamond seemed to plummet, as King Sombra casually strolled into the room, a black crystal sword in his right hand.

And while the version of him from Prince Diamond's memory was terrifying, meeting him in person was definitely giving the three of them nightmare fuel.

He slowly looked around the Command Diamond, taking in all that there was to see, before his evil eyes settled on Prince Diamond.

He then gave an absolutely sadistic grin and said "So... this is where the magic happens? Quaint."

-To Be Continued...-

Author's Note

[1] I was going to go with the name I used in Twilight of the Force, Equus-G4, but I decided against it. For one thing none of the characters are ponies this time around, and for another thing I named the planet after a scientific name for ponies... when the ponies weren't the only species living on that planet. Whoops.
So instead the planet this time around is called Arcania, a play on the word Arcane, which means magic. I think it's fitting.
[2] Yes I know in Canon his antlers are designed to look like the mandibles of the stag beetle, but I'm going with the Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle for his design here. Mostly to differentiate him a bit from his canon counterpart, but also because I gave him a stag beetle theme in my EQG/Power Rangers fic, and I didn't feel like copy-and-pasting too much. As it is he's already going to be the yellow ranger again, so...
Also, I forget where I saw it, but the fandom seems to have said in the world of Equestria the counterpart for Japan is "Neighpan" or something along those lines. So, yeah.
[3]: I know technically this isn't her canon backstory (as short and vague it was) but I feel it adds a little more flavor to her character. Plus it'll play a part in future chapters.
[4]:

Bit of a small reference to the 2017 Power Rangers movie, which I say is underrated as hell.
[5]: Some of my personal favorite seasons. Also, I wanted to show seasons from each era of the show:

Zordon/Saban Era: Mighty Morphin and Lost Galaxy
Disney Era: Dinothunder, Jungle Fury and RPM
Neo-Saban Era: Dino Charge and Ninja Steel
Hasbro: Beast Morphers

So, the first chapter of my first story since I've gotten back. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to continue Element Fury, because I do have a lot of plans for it, or if I might give it up for adoption.

So if you didn't read my latest blog post, I'm back in business with a new story. And hopefully I'll actually finish this one instead of leaving it four or so chapters in. Fingers crossed.

Anyway, hope you guys like the story and I hope you'll stick around for more. Till next time, Equestrian Defender, out!

Episode 2: The Crystal Knights Rise!

"King Sombra," Prince Diamond growled, tightening his grip on his sword. "I don't seem to remember inviting you inside."

The evil king chuckled before saying "The spirit of yours still burns bright. I look forward to snuffing it out." He turned to look at the three from Equestria and mockingly asked "I assume these are supposed to be the new 'Power Rangers?'"

The three of them got up to their feet; Flash grabbed an ordinary sword off of the nearby table, Twilight started focusing her magic into her hands as her Mage Markings began to glow, and Thorax simply slipped into a combat stance. Garnet herself transformed into her Gem-State and started focusing her red magic into her hands like Twilight, though her magic coalesced into glowing red gauntlets.[1]

King Sombra burst out laughing at this display. "Surely you must be joking! You truly believe this pitiful display intimidates me? I have laid waste to the armies that have stood in my way, I have struck fear into all who look upon me. I am the Bane of the Crystal Kingdom, the King of Tartarus, the future Emperor of Arcania, and slayer of the previous Power Rangers. The three of you are nothing but ants to be crushed beneath my heel."

"They're stronger than you could ever imagine, Sombra," Prince Diamond stated, shifting into his own diamond Gem-State and using his magic to form a crystal shield over his left arm. "And even ants can take down a monster like you."

He smirked at that, twirling his black crystal sword. "Honestly, I thought you would've learned your lesson about how the world works after I ran this sword through your father's heart." He pointed the sword at him and continued "Perhaps you need another lesson. Or, perhaps you might actually make the choice to be more sensible than your father. Surrender the Crystal Heart, give me my great prize, and I will make your death and all of their deaths swift and painless. Continue to defy me, however..." If it were possible, his grin became even more sinister than before. "There are fates far, FAR worse than death."

Prince Diamond stood his ground. "After how many brave soldiers sacrificed themselves to protect it? After my friends and fellow Knights gave their lives with the sole purpose of preventing you from getting your filthy claws on the Crystal Heart? After my own father sacrificed himself to try and destroy your evil once and for all? If you truly believed after all that I would ever consider taking an offer like that, then you have no earthly idea what it means to be a king! So you may take your offer with you when we send your evil soul back into the depths of Tartarus!"

Flash couldn't help but feel his respect for Prince Diamond growing at that. Neither could Twilight and Thorax.

King Sombra, on the other hand, simply shrugged and said "Don't ever let it be said that I didn't try to negotiate. Ghouls!" The Ghouls all snapped to attention, and he continued "Deal with those three miscreants. I'll deal with the Prince and his bodyguard."

The Ghouls immediately rushed the three of them, blocking their view of Prince Diamond and Garnet getting attacked by King Sombra. The three of them scattered as the Ghouls began their own attack, each of them getting pushed into different areas.

Flash did his best to parry the swords of the five Ghouls that converged on him, though it wasn't easy as the Ghouls had strength that went beyond most Equestrians. Each blow he parried reverberated through the sword and through his body, almost making him drop his sword once or twice. Not to mention his own strikes didn't do anything to them. "Yeesh, what are you guys made out of, pure metal?"

The Ghoul in front of him didn't reply, simply swiping at him with his sword and actually leaving a shallow cut on Flash's left arm. It didn't hurt much, if at all, though it definitely emphasized to Flash that these things weren't screwing around. He blocked another strike, before slashing with his own sword...

...and with a loud CRACK! the sword broke against the Ghoul's body. "Okay, this is definitely not good."

Twilight was finding herself in a bit of a bind. She initially tried to fling the five Ghouls around with her magic ribbons, but to her shock her magic was absorbed by them. She then tried to blast them with a magic blast, only for the same result. These guys must be able to absorb magic she mentally noted. So I'll have to get creative.

Noticing the table near her had a bunch of metal cables she quickly grabbed them with her magic and swiftly threw them forward, wrapping them around the Ghouls and all but cocooning them. They struggled for a bit before stopping, allowing Twilight to breathe a sigh of relief. "Okay, that wasn't so bad."

Sadly her luck didn't hold out, as with a rapid Snap! Snap! Snap! the Ghouls broke free; some cutting through them with their swords, others just breaking the cables with their brute strength.

Twilight groaned. "Oh, that's so not fair!"

Thorax ducked and weaved under and around the attacks of the Ghouls, his attacks actually managing to stun and even send a few of the Ghouls flying back. This was in part because Thorax, being a Rhinoceros Beetle Changeling, had the proportional strength of one. The Rhinoceros Beetle was able to lift up to 850 times their own body weight, and thus so could Rhino Beetle Changelings like Thorax. Though sadly it didn't do much, since the Ghouls seemed to not feel any pain. Heck, the one Ghoul smashed against the wall and he swore he heard its bones snap, but it simply got up and twisted and spun its arms back into place before charging him again.

Needing to get some space, Thorax yelled over to Garnet (who was holding Sombra's sword back with her gauntlets, actually managing to hold him) "Garnet, is this machine important?!"

Sparing him a quick glance she replied "No! The thing's busted!"

"Good."

Before the Ghouls could reach him, he gripped the side of the machine (which was roughly 3 times the size of a refrigerator and even heavier, since Thorax could feel his muscles straining) and chucked it at the Ghouls, knocking them away like bowling pins.

Only for them to just get back up, their expressions unreadable behind their white masks. "Oh, biscuits. What stops these guys," Thorax yelled in frustration.

At that moment, his Guardian Crystal glowed, as did the yellow sword in the crystal. The same thing happened with Flash and Twilight's Crystals and respective swords, and the three of them shared a look.

Realizing what they had to do, they nodded.

Flash ducked and weaved under and around the Ghouls, managing to reach the mound with only one extra cut on his jacket.

Twilight focused her magic around her body and used a quick teleport spell to get to the mound, appearing next to Flash.

Thorax simply picked up one of the big metal tables and used it as a battering ram, charging through the Ghouls and knocking them out of his way.

Once he joined up with Flash and Twilight, they shared one last look before they grabbed the hilts of their respective swords.

The moment they did, the world around the three of them began to slow down before eventually fading away to white. "What the," Flash started. "What's going on?"

We simply wanted to talk to you.

Flash and the others turned around to see Volcanion standing, though surprisingly scaled down, only standing at about ten feet tall.

But he wasn't the only one. On his right was Fenrir, the blue sapphire wolf who was now the size of a fully grown Clydesdale horse. On his left was Kabuto-mushi, the yellow topaz Rhinoceros Beetle (a Neighpanese rhino beetle, judging by his Y-shaped horn) who was about the same size as Fenrir.

Fenrir looked at the three of them and said, or rather thought since she never opened her mouth to speak While the three of you have chosen to pull out the Crystal Knight Swords, there are a few things about being a Power Ranger we still need to explain to you.

"With all due respect, is now really the best time," Twilight asked. "We were kind of in the middle of fighting for our lives."

You can relax, little larvae, Kabuto-mushi answered, sounding much like an old sage. We are merely in a conjoined space between your minds. Once you rejoin the real world, it'll be as if no time has passed.

"That's a relief," Thorax said. "Thank you."

"What else do you need to explain to us about being a Power Ranger," Flash asked.

While Prince Diamond did give you a basic overview, there were a few things he wasn't aware of, Volcanion explained. Firstly, becoming our Ranger links you to us. Not just that you'll be able to use our respective elemental magic, but you will also be bonded to us in body and soul.

Those bonds also allow us to protect you from any method of mind control or mind manipulation, and protect your souls from possession or magics that could damage your souls,[2] Fenrir continued.

"That definitely sounds good," Twilight replied. "But I'm guessing there's a catch."

Fenrir smirked at Volcanion and Kabuto-mushi. Did I pick a good one or not?

Both of her fellow Guardians laughed, before Kabuto-mushi's mood turned grim. Yes, unfortunately. Those bonds are a double-edged sword. Whenever we take serious damage, that damage will be reflected onto your souls. And while we, as immortals, can regenerate even if our physical bodies are destroyed, you guys...

"Not so much," Flash guessed, putting the pieces together. "So, is that what happened to the previous Crystal Knights?"

Only King Millenius and Titano. They both sacrificed themselves to take down one of King Sombra's most powerful demons in an attempt to weaken him. Which worked... somewhat.

The three of them winced a bit at that news, though they still felt a lot of respect for the fallen King.

Twilight asked "How well did that plan work?"

We can sense that in terms of his power, he's on his last legs, Fenrir added. I can smell it.

"Which makes sense, as you are the Mother Wolf," Twilight said.

The point is we felt the three of you should be warned before you decide whether or not to commit to being a Crystal Knight Power Ranger.

"I thought you chose us for this," Thorax asked.

We did. But, we would never force you into this life. The Crystal Knights trained for this, swore their lives to this, and eventually gave their lives for this. But they chose that life, and chose to put everything on the line. You were not destined for this life. The choice to do so now is yours and yours alone.

So we must ask the three of you; will you take up the Crystal Knight Swords and become the Crystal Knight Power Rangers?

Almost immediately the three of them stepped forward and gave a firm and resolute "Yes."

"Before he died my father taught my brother and I to always stand for what we thought was right," Flash said. "This may be the most dangerous thing I've ever done, maybe even kill me, but I'm not going to let King Sombra turn Arcania into his own personal playground." He looked right into Volcanion's eyes and finished "I'm in, one hundred percent, as the Crystal Knight Red Ranger"

Twilight was next, looking right at Fenrir. "Princess Celestia refused to help against King Sombra, wouldn't lift a finger save for that absolute farce of an attempt at peace. And then she sealed the Crystal Kingdom in a jar and hoped the situation would resolve itself. She had a chance to help, and she refused. I cannot, I will not be like that. I will be the Crystal Knight Blue Ranger."

Thorax was last, but unlike the other two, he placed his hand on Kabuto-mushi's horn. "This world is a beautiful place, full of colors and emotions. I love it, even if the people in this world like to fill it with hatred and prejudice. I won't let King Sombra crush it and fill it with suffering and misery. I will be the Crystal Knight Yellow Ranger."

The Crystal Guardians smiled at that declaration, as streams of magic emerged from them and linked to their respective Ranger. Well said, Rangers.

As of this moment, you three are the Crystal Knight Power Rangers.

Now rise up, and stand resolute with a spirit that not even the gods can break!

Just before the three grabbed the Crystal Knight Swords King Sombra blasted Garnet away with dark magic, sending her to the other side of the room, before getting pinned by a metal shelf that fell over onto her. He then disarmed Prince Diamond and shattered his shield, the force behind the strike knocking him down to the ground. "You fought with everything you had," King Sombra said. "But, you are a PRINCE, and I am a KING."

"A king of nothing," Prince Diamond replied. "You have no kingdom, no people. You have nothing!"

"At the moment, yes." He raised his sword up high, prepared to bring it down on the defenseless prince. "But once I kill you and take the Crystal Heart, the world itself shall become my Empire. The people I enslave, my citizens. It's a shame that you won't be there to see it!"

He brought his black crystal sword down...

CLANG!

...only to find the three Crystal Knight Swords crossed over each other, blocking his own sword.

Flash, Twilight and Thorax were able to hold him back, before breaking the blade lock and throwing King Sombra off balance. The three of them then threw their left hands forward, blasting Sombra with streams of fire, ice and lightning, sending him flying away.

Flash then offered Prince Diamond a hand, which he gratefully took as he was helped up. Twilight gave him his sword back, which he took before asking "So, I assume that you three have made your choice?"

They all nodded, just as their swords began to glow before dispersing into energy of their respective colors. They hovered for a minute before flying around and circling around the left wrist and right hand of each Ranger. "What's happening," Thorax asked, confused.

"If you're going to be Power Rangers, you're going to need your Morphers."

The energy on their left wrists turned into a wrist strapped device that looked like a shield, with a slot near the top right above the wrist that looked like it rotated. They were mostly silver but also held their respective colors. In their right hands appeared a small sword a bit larger than an old skeleton key, each one in the Rangers' respective colors.

Their Guardian Crystals then appeared in front of them, the shields opening up to allow the gems to fit inside before closing again. The moment they did, the three Rangers could feel the energy coursing through their bodies, as well as a flow of knowledge not only from their respective Guardian but also from the Morphin Grid itself.

Two particular nuggets of knowledge stood out to them the most. The first was how to activate the Morphers so that they could transform, or "morph" into Power Rangers.

The second nugget was three little words, words that had become so iconic that it felt almost trademarked by the Power Rangers.

They were snapped out of their reverie when King Sombra got back to his feet with an angry growl, the Ghouls moving in front of him and ready to attack. "Do you really think just because you have those swords that you can defeat me?! ME?! KING SOMBRA!"

"I'm looking forward to finding out," Flash said with a confident smile.

Twilight looked at her fellow Rangers and asked "You guys ready?"

"Always," Thorax replied.

Flash smirked. "Then say it with me guys."

In unison, the group yelled out "IT'S MORPHIN TIME!"

The three of them held up their Morpher hand in a fist. "Crystal Knight!" They then inserted the small sword into the slot above the shield, shouting out "CRYSTALLIZE!" before turning the sword 90 degrees, causing their shields to open up and reveal their glowing Guardian Gems.

Flash's ruby glowed and projected a hologram of a miniaturized Volcanion, before it collided into him and formed his red ranger suit, the helmet materializing around his head in a burst of red flame, modeled after a dragon. He then drew his sword and struck a pose as Volcanion appeared in the background and let loose an earth shaking roar. "The Knight of Fire! Crystal Knight, Red Ranger!"

Twilight's sapphire glowed and projected a hologram of a miniaturized Fenrir, before it collided into her and formed her blue ranger suit, the helmet materializing around her head in a flash of blue ice, modeled after a wolf. She then drew her sword in a backhand grip and struck a pose as Fenrir appeared in the background and howled into the sky. "The Knight of Ice! Crystal Knight, Blue Ranger!"

Thorax's topaz glowed and projected a hologram of a miniaturized Kabuto-mushi, before it collided into him and formed his yellow ranger suit, the helmet materializing around his head in a flash of yellow lightning, modeled after the rhino beetle (complete with a small Y-shaped horn just above the visor.) He then drew his sword and struck a pose as Kabuto-mushi appeared in the background, beating his wings and hissing. "The Knight of Lightning! Crystal Knight, Yellow Ranger!"

The new suits had similar themes to the original ranger, with the helmets being modeled after their respective Guardians. But the new suits had some new additions, some personalized for each Ranger. Each of them had a belt with the buckle that was their symbol, a sword and shield with a large gem in the center of the shield. They had metallic silver patches on their arms, their shoulders and their lower legs. Along with that, their primary colors all seemed to be made from their respective gemstones, glittering and reflecting the light that touched them.

The personal touches were a bit more noticeable. Flash's suit had black decals on the back of his suit that were fashioned like dragon wings. Twilight's suit had a skirt and a bit of white fur around her collar. Thorax's suit had black decals on his back similar to Flash's, but they were instead fashioned like beetle wings.[3]

Once they finished morphing, they all struck a pose and called out "Crystal Knights, RISE UP!"

King Sombra rolled his eyes before angrily commanding the Ghouls to "Rip them apart!"

And with that, the fight was on!

Flash front-flipped over two Ghouls that tried to slash at him, before swiftly slashing them across the back with his Crystal Knight Sword, knocking them away. "Too slow, Ghouls," he said, smirking behind the helmet.

Try not to get too cocky, Volcanion's voice rang in his mind.

Remembering the mental link they now shared, Flash said "Sorry, sorry." He blocked a slash from two more Ghouls, holding them back with his sword without any significant effort before pushing them away. "This is just so cool."

There was a chuckle from Volcanion, and he said If you think that's cool, put away your sword and tap your belt buckle.

Flash did so, and a burst of flame shot out of his belt with a dragon's roar, before forming a large two handed broadsword with the cross guard shaped like a dragon's head with the blade extending out of its mouth, with a red flame streaking from the mouth to the tip.

Taking a hold of it, Flash said "Whoa. What is this?"

The Dragonfire Saber. This great-sword is imbued with my own flames, so it should burn these weak lesser demons to ash.

"Well then let's put it to good use," he said, spinning the saber around as flames appeared along the blade. When two Ghoul's rushed him, he swung the blade and cleaved right through them, causing them to explode into clouds of black dust. When the last three fired black lasers at him from their swords, he ducked under them and spun, focusing and summoning flames alongside the Dragonfire Saber. Once he stood up tall he swung the saber and yelled "DRAGON SLASH!" before unleashing a wave of fire that transformed into a miniature dragon that slammed into the Ghouls, igniting them all and reducing them to ashes in seconds. Flash pumped his fist in celebration. "Looks like you all crashed and burned."

Twilight ducked and slid under the swords of three Ghouls, before spinning around and unleashing a wave of icicles from her sword, which shot out and sent them flying backwards. She then parried the attacks of the other two Ghouls, lashing out and nailing one with a kick to the face, causing it to stumble back. She then ducked and weaved around the other Ghoul's sword and drove her Crystal Knight Sword into its chest, ice blossoming from it and freezing the lesser demon solid. She pulled her sword out, and the freeze-dried Ghoul began to crack before shattering completely, falling to the ground like black snow. "Wow," she muttered, looking at her sword in awe. "That was... incredible."

There was an amused giggle in her head, no doubt Fenrir finding her reaction funny Oh my little pup, you've barely scratched the surface. I command the very power of winter itself, and as long as we're bonded together that power is yours as well.

Seeing the Ghouls getting back up, she asked "Care to give me some pointers?"

Put your sword away and tap the belt buckle. Call forth my fangs, the Fangs of Ragnarok!

Quickly sheathing her sword, she tapped her belt buckle and yelled "Ragnarok Fangs!" A burst of glowing blue ice and snow appearing from it before separating into two lights that formed into two daggers, each roughly a foot long from the hilts and curved like the fangs of a wolf. They were both colored an icy blue and had snowflakes in the hilt. She flipped them both into a backhand grip and settled into a combat stance as she faced the Ghouls. "Cool daggers."

You undersell it, my pup. The Ragnarok Fangs are imbued with the power of the coldest winters. These specters shall freeze like water on the top of Mount Everhoof.

As one of the Ghouls charged her, she said "Then let's put it to good use."

She sidestepped the Ghoul and got in his guard, jabbing one of the Fangs into its chest. Fenrir's words rang true, as the moment the blade pierced it it immediately froze in blue ice. One of the other Ghouls came at her from her left side, but with a casual move of her left arm she threw the other Fang, nailing the Ghoul right in its forehead, inflicting the same frozen fate upon it as his comrade.

Seeing the other two Ghouls faltering in their footsteps, she teleported the Fangs back to her hands and twirled them intimidatingly. "You guys gonna come at me, or what," she taunted. Seeing them look at each other in uncertainty, she smirked behind her helmet. "Fine. Then I'll come to you!"

Before they could move she teleported, this time in an icy blue flash due to her costume and her new magic, before appearing behind the two unaware Ghouls. She whistled, causing them to turn around, but it was too late.

With one swift movement she planted the Ragnarok Fangs into the Ghouls, freezing and shattered them completely.

Twilight smirked. "Chill out, Ghouls."

There was a groan from Fenrir, and she said For the sake of my sanity, please don't make any more ice puns like that.

"No promises."

Thorax focused his new magic, sending vibrant yellow lightning down the length of the blade as he looked at the Ghouls. "You think we're just gonna hand over Arcania to you? You're in for a big SHOCK!"

He surged forward, slashing at the five Ghouls in front of him. While the wounds were mostly superficial (just a scratch on their arms or legs) the lightning hit them with the force of a high-powered cattle prod, stunning them and making them spasm in place.

Turning around and seeing Flash with his Dragonfire Saber and Twilight with her Ragnarok Fangs, Thorax sheathed his sword and asked "Kabuto-mushi, what do you have for me to really bring the thunder?"

His guardian let out a booming laugh and said I love the enthusiasm, little Larva. Tap the buckle and summon the Spark-Beetle Blaster!

Thorax did so, pulling out a large blaster with the same rhino beetle motiff, right down to the iconic Y-shaped horn looking more like a tuning fork. He aimed it with one hand at a Ghoul and pulled the trigger, yellow sparks flying between the rails before firing a condensed sphere of lightning at a high speed, slamming right into the Ghoul and blowing it up in a shower of sparks and the sound of thunder. Thorax whistled before aiming at the other Ghouls. "Where were you when I was fighting that Chimera?"

The Ghouls recovering and charging at him brought him back to reality, but he ducked and weaved around them. A Ghoul tried to hit him with an overhead slash, but Thorax almost lazily blocked the sword and brought the Spark-Beetle Blaster and fired a shot into its stomach, dispersing it. He then blasted another one with a headshot, before ducking under another one's sword and taking it out with a shot through the heart (assuming it had one.) The last one tried to sneak up behind him, but he quickly back-flipped over him, shooting the Ghoul through the top of his head while in midair.

Landing on the ground and striking a pose. "How was that, Kabuto-mushi?"

The judges show 10 across the board!

Thorax smirked, but then saw King Sombra still fighting Prince Diamond, with Garnet still struggling to get out from under the heavy metal shelf.

The other Rangers saw this too, the three sharing a look. "Down with the king," Flash asked.

Twilight and Thorax both nodded, readying their weapons. "Down with the king," they replied.

All three of them charged forward, though Thorax fired off a few shots from the Spark-Beetle Blaster at King Sombra's back. All three struck their mark, though unlike the Ghouls he didn't dissipate, merely burned through his cloak and struck the back of his armor. The lightning coursed through his metal armor and electrocuted him, stunning him long enough for Flash to strike with the Dragonfire Saber and Prince Diamond with his own Crystal Sword. Twilight then focused her magic and unleashed twin waves of ice magic that crossed into an X and then struck King Sombra full on, sending him flying back with a layer of ice forming on his chest.

All three Rangers moved to stand between King Sombra and the Prince. "You okay, your highness," Flash asked.

Prince Diamond nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Rangers."

"While I appreciate that you're willing to take up a sword and fight," Twilight said. "Maybe you should leave this to us."

"Besides, it looks like Garnet could use your help," Thorax added, jerking his head in the direction of where Garnet was struggling to move the metal shelf.

Seeing this, he nodded before looking back at King Sombra as he recovered. "He may be weakened, but he's still pretty strong. Don't hold back against him."

"No need to worry about that," Flash said, readying his Dragonfire Saber.

As the Prince ran off to help his friend King Sombra finally got up to his feet, the three Rangers noticed that his legs and arms seemed to be dissipating into black smoke. "Jeez, didn't think we hit you that hard," Thorax snarked.

Glaring, King Sombra focused his magic to force his limbs into solid form again, but they quickly began to fall apart again. "Of course," he grumbled. "I can't believe that naive Solar Princess actually managed to figure out my weakness."

Seeing and realizing what was happening, Twilight sighed. "Believe me, Sombra, we're all in shock."

Sombra then smirked. "But, I still have more than enough power to destroy the three of you!"

He sent blasts of dark magic at them, but the three of them dodged with ease. Thorax rolled and came up on a knee and aimed the Spark-Beetle Blaster right at him, arcs of electricity bouncing between the two rails. "BEETLE BOLT!"

A large bolt of yellow lightning shot out, taking the form of a large beetle before slamming right into the evil king. The lightning beetle exploded against him in a massive blast of electricity and the sound of thunder. The arcing electricity also struck his face and caused parts of it to dissipate into black smoke. Gritting his teeth, the King growled "Is that all you have, Insect?"

He was then immediately set upon by Twilight and her Ragnarok Fangs, just barely able to hold them back with his sword. She growled (sounding eerily similar to a wolf) "His name is Thorax, Smoky!"

She broke the blade lock and jabbed both of the Fangs into King Sombra's right arm, which froze and shattered into black ice and his sword fell. He launched a black magic blast at her but it was so weak that all it did was make her stumble back a few feet, barely phased as if she had just been shoved. "Damn it," he growled, seeming annoyed. But then he focused his magic again, seemingly not caring that every part of his body below his waistline had turned to black smoke as he charged up a more powerful dark magic blast. "Just do me a favor, and DIE LIKE THE DOG YOU ARE!"

He fired the blast, which moved surprisingly fast for its size, but Flash immediately jumped in the way with the Dragonfire Saber raised high. "DRAGON SLASH!"

The dragon-shaped wave of flame clashed against the mass of dark magic for what felt like an eternity, but eventually the fire attack won and blasted through it, striking King Sombra head on and setting him ablaze. He yelled out in pain as what little flesh he still had was burning from the dragon fire.

Twilight smirked, readying the Ragnarok Fangs. "Too hot for you, Sombra? Well, let me cool you off!"

Her body began glowing blue before she sprinted towards him. Seeing her through the flames, he summoned and threw several shards of dark crystals at her. But just as the first one was about to strike her visor, she yelled out "ICE WOLF LUNGE!" and teleported past them and appeared in front of him, bringing both of the Fangs down on his head.

And with that, what remained of his body froze completely. She yanked the Fangs out and jumped back, rejoining the other Rangers, their weapons disappearing as they pulled out their Crystal Knight Swords. "Time to send this king packing" Flash said, charging his sword with fire.

"On that, we agree," Twilight replied, charging her sword with ice.

"Then let's dethrone this false king for good," Thorax finished, his sword sparking as it finished charging with lightning.

"Crystal Knights," Flash started as all three of them raised their swords high.

And in unison, they brought their swords down while yelling "TRIPLE FINISH!" and unleashed a combined attack of fire, ice, and lightning that nailed Sombra's frozen form, completely destroying his body.

They remained on guard as the last bits of ice and ashes that was once King Sombra fell to the ground, the three of them hardly believing that it could be this easy. "Is it over," Thorax asked, a small sliver of hopefulness in his voice.

"Not likely," Twilight replied.

"Yeah, this guy's supposed to be the head honcho, the big bad. He's not going down this easily as our first boss battle," Flash added.

Indeed, a familiar sinister voice rang out in their heads, making them all look around for the source.

Which was soon revealed as the physical remains of King Sombra dissipated into black smoke, collecting together before forming a vaguely humanoid figure, though all they could make out were his evil eyes. His sinister cackle sounded in their heads as he continued I have to hand it to the three of you. Even in my weakened state, very few warriors would be able to destroy my physical form. For that, I commend you three.

"How are you still alive," Twilight asked.

Another dark chuckle sounded, before he explained When I entered Tartarus searching for power, I found it, along with my army. But I also found something more; an ancient spell of dark magic. For the measly price of my humanity, I was able to make my soul indestructible. As close to immortality as I possibly can be. Even if you render my physical body to ashes, or ice crystals in your case, with enough time and dark magic I can construct a new one. The only reason I can't now, is because as you all noted, I'm cut off from Tartarus, where the source of my power lies. But once I reestablish my link to it, it'll only be a matter of time before we cross swords again.

"One problem, Smoky," Flash snarked. "Thanks to the Time Bubble, you're stuck in here with us."

Correction, Red Ranger. I WAS stuck in here with you. But while the Time Bubble can cut me off from Tartarus, it can only keep me trapped here if I'm bound to a physical body. But, thanks to you three...

"Oh no!"

Thorax drew the Spark-Beetle Blaster and aimed, but it was too late as King Sombra had already flew upwards and through the roof of the Command Diamond, passing through it like a ghost (which he honestly was.)

Flash swore under his breath. "We need to get outside and stop him before he escapes!"

"How," Twilight asked. "He's little more than a ghost now. Even if we catch up to him, none of us will be able to touch him."

I'm afraid you three will have far more pressing matters to deal with, Sombra's telepathic voice said, in a manner most sinister.

King Sombra's dark specter floated above Crystalia, stretching his telepathic voice so that all his remaining Ghouls would hear him, while making . To all my surviving Ghouls, heed the call of your king and master! Combine yourselves into a Reaper-Ghoul, AND CRUSH THIS CRYSTAL CITY INTO A FINE POWDER!!!

All throughout Crystalia, every remaining Ghoul (roughly 50 of them) heard the call, flying through the air and running through the streets to a singular meeting point in the city square.

Once they started to arrive, they began to melt into puddles of black and white goo, before congealing together and forming a large, horrifying humanoid shape and growing to immense proportions.

Once it grew to roughly thirty stories tall, it began to gain more features. The gigantic black cloak became patches of black armor, and at certain points on its body there were white patches that looked like they were formed by fusing lots and lots of the masks the Ghouls wore together. The white mask the individual Ghoul would wear was not shaped like a demonic skull with horns and sharp fangs.

This was the Reaper-Ghoul.[4]

And as it drew its skyscraper-sized bone-sword with a horrible screeching sword, it began to march towards the nearest building, its sword slowly rising up to cut it down as the horrified inhabitants could only watch and pray for a miracle.

They saw this on one of the computers in the Command Diamond, and Prince Diamond said "That's not good."

A now freed Garnet looked on with fearful eyes. "What the hell is that thing?"

"A Reaper-Ghoul. An amalgamation of anywhere from 25 to 50 Ghouls fused together and empowered by dark magic. The giant sword is hardly its most powerful weapon compared to its Doom Laser."

Seeing its slow approach towards the building, Flash looked at the Prince and said "If we're fighting that thing, we'll need the Crystal Guardians."

The Prince nodded at Garnet, who ran to one of the still intact consoles and began pushing buttons. "We're going to teleport you to the top of that building. When you get there, call upon the Crystal Guardians to fight. They'll come right to you."

Twilight looked at the Reaper-Ghoul and asked "Will the three of them be able to defeat that thing? I know they're powerful, but..."

"As long as the three of you are together, and remember that you're a team, nothing can defeat you," Prince Diamond stated. "No one."

"Well, technically six, since the Guardians are just as much a part of the team as us," Thorax stated, Flash and Twilight nodding with him, as well as the Guardians affirming it in their thoughts.

Garnet then chimed in and said "Okay, I linked the Teleportation Nexus to your Morphers. You guys ready?" They nodded, and she pushed a button while saying "Go Go Power Rangers!"

They teleported in a flash of light in their respective colors, appearing on the roof of the building right in front of the Reaper-Ghoul.

"I don't think it's noticed us yet," Thorax stated.

Looking at his Morpher as it began to glow red, along with Twilight's glowing blue and Thorax's began glowing yellow, Flash said "Then let's get his attention."

Flash raised his Morpher to the sky and yelled "Volcanion, ERUPT!"

TIME TO TURN UP THE HEAT!

The moment the command was given, the distant volcano known as Mount Blaze began to spew lava and fire, before a massive draconic figure wreathed in flame emerged from the mouth. Once it was up in the air it spread its wings to their full length, dispelling the flames and revealing the true form of Volcanion, the King Dragon and Guardian of Fire. His ruby "skin" glowed red, which reflected off the metal plates on his body. He flexed his silver claws and swished his large sword-like tail, before letting out a roar that shook the heavens. He then locked his green eyes on his destination and flew straight towards Crystalia at speeds that would put a fighter jet to shame.

Twilight nodded. "Alright girl, time to shine." She held her Morpher up and yelled "Fenrir, FREEZE!"

Let the hunt begin!

Within the Forever Frozen Forest a blue and silver wolf emerged from a large cave formed within a glacier; Fenrir, the Mother Wolf and Guardian of Ice. The sun shined off of her sapphire "skin" and metal plating, her yellow eyes locking onto Crystalia. She growled, revealing her metal fangs, before she threw her head back and howled a haunting melody into the sky. She then took off running at full speed towards the city, the landscape blurring past her as she did so.

Thorax looked at his Morpher and said "Let's do this." Raising his Morpher up, he yelled "Kabuto-mushi, STRIKE!"

Hope they're ready for me, 'cause I'm bringing the thunder!
Within the Thundering Plains, a strange metal monolith stood surrounded by rocks. However, when Thorax's command was given, a massive thunderbolt struck down upon it, shattering the rocks and revealing the tip of Kabuto-mushi's horn. The ground then exploded as the gigantic Storm Beetle and Guardian of Lightning rose from the ground, the sun shining off his topaz "skin" and metal plates as he opened up his large blue eyes. His thick, shield-like shell opened up to reveal his wings, which began to buzz rapidly and produce large arcs of electricity as he flew off towards Crystalia to answer his Ranger's call.

The Reaper-Ghoul was almost upon them, its sword raise high to strike them, when it was suddenly blasted by a torrent of flame courtesy of Volcanion, who landed and then whipped the giant monster away with his tail.

The Rangers cheered for this. "Now that's what I'm talking about," Flash yelled, causing Volcanion to grin.

The Reaper-Ghoul moved to get back up, but was stopped by a streak of icicles that blasted it back down. Fenrir then appeared next to Volcanion, snarling at the beast.

"Nice job, Fenrir," Twilight stated, earning a smirk from her Crystal Guardian.

A loud buzzing and sparking sound was heard as Kabuto-Mushi flew in, focusing lightning into his horn and blasting it at the Reaper-Ghoul at full power, stunning it as the Lightning Guardian took a position on Volcanion's left side. "Thanks buddy," Thorax told his Guardian, and if it were possible for the enormous beetle mech to smile he would be.

But their good mood was quickly brought down as the Reaper-Ghoul simply got back up, seemingly unharmed by the Guardians' attacks. "You've gotta be kidding me," Flash groaned. "How tough are these things?"

Depends on how many Ghouls it's made up of. Considering Sombra ordered 50 to combine, it's a lot stronger than the normal ones that take 25, Volcanion replied.

"So how do we destroy this thing," Thorax asked. "Because it's clear that three Guardians aren't going to cut it."

The three of us individually, perhaps Kabuto-Mushi mused, before his thoughts took on a playful tone. But there's one last trick we have, right guys?

The two Guardians nodded, before Fenrir said It won't be complete without Tusk and Huricanna, but it should be more than strong enough to deal with Mister Gruesome.

"Uh, what should be strong enough," Twilight asked.

Allow us to show you, Volcanion replied, a bit of mirth in his voice. Fenrir, Kabuto-Mushi, let's form the Megazord!

Before the Rangers could ask, Volcanion flew up into the air and began to glow red. His arms folded up and into his chest, revealing connectors at the shoulders, while his legs straightened and extended and his tail disconnected. Fenrir and Kabuto-Mushi then jumped up as well; Fenrir folding and transforming into a right arm with her head as the shoulder pad, while Kabuto-Mushi's shell disconnected to reveal a handle on the back, while the rest of him transformed into a left arm with his head as the should pad.

All three Crystal Guardian Zords connected, before Volcanion's mouth opened and extended, revealing a humanoid face with green eyes. His left hand grabbed the Thunder Beetle Shield, while his right hand grabbed the Dragon Sword.

In unison, the three Guardians cried out CrystalKnightMegazord, READY!

The three Rangers were amazed at this, barely able to form words at the spectacle they just witnessed.

Fortunately they were jolted back to reality when Prince Diamond called them over the comm and said "What are you guys waiting for? Hop in the Megazord and send this guy back to Tartarus."

"Right!"

They teleported into the Megazord, appearing on podiums of their respective colors with a small stand next to them. Flash was in the center, with Twilight on his right and Thorax on his left. "Whoa," Twilight whispered. "This is so cool!"

"It's like we're in a mecha anime, but with combining animal robots," Flash stated.

Noticing the stand next to his podium, and the slot on it, Thorax said "Looks like we need to put our Crystal Knight Swords into these stands."

"Then let's do it," Flash said.

"Right!"

The three gave their swords a little twirl before plugging them into the stands, making their podiums glow and subsequently downloading information into their minds about how to operate the Megazord. Flash chuckled. "G-Gundam style." Seeing the Reaper-Ghoul moving to attack, he asked "You guys thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Our minds are linked inside here, so yeah, I am," Twilight replied.

"Well, great minds think alike," Thorax said. "So let's do this!"

Flash nodded. "Then follow my lead!"

They all struck the same pose, the Crystal Knight Megazord following suit, holding the Dragon Sword high while protecting themselves with the Thunder Beetle Shield. In unison they cried out "Crystal Knight Megazord, Fenrir-Kabuto formation!"

When the Reaper-Ghoul swung its sword at the Megazord, the Rangers blocked with their shield before returning the strike with a few strikes from their Dragon Sword, pushing the monster back. They then threw a punch with the shield, lightning flying off of it and into the monster, sending it flying with the sound of thunder. The Reaper-Ghoul managed to land on its feet, only stumbling a little, before opening its gargantuan maw as a red light started to glow within it.

"That must be the Doom Laser Prince Diamond warned us about," Twilight said.

"Let's see if we can use that to our advantage," Flash said, watching as the monster continued to charge up power. "Thorax, think the Thunder Beetle Shield can send the laser back at him?"

"One way to find out," Thorax replied, and all three Rangers readied the shield.

The Reaper-Ghoul unleashed the Doom Laser, a massive vermilion energy beam that would've spelled doom for most creatures.

The Thunder Beetle Shield glowed yellow for a moment just before the laser struck, the Rangers inside struggling to hold their position. "Thorax," Twilight asked, grunting from the strain.

"Just a little longer," Thorax replied through gritted teeth.

Eventually, the Reaper-Ghoul ran out of energy and the beam subsided.

Which was exactly what Thorax wanted, who screamed now as the Rangers moved and the Megazord thrust the shield in the direction of the Reaper-Ghoul, sending a smaller yet just as powerful beam of energy right into the Reaper-Ghouls' face, sending it flying down the street before it eventually slammed into an invisible wall along the edge of the city, multiple golden runes appearing at the point of impact. "That must be the edge of the Time Bubble spell," Twilight noted. "Crystalia's at the Westernmost Edge of their Kingdom, so it makes sense that the Time Bubble's edge would be here."

An idea crossed Flash's mind. "Hey, her spell's supposed to end really soon, right?"

Twilight nodded. "Yeah. Celestia said 1000 years, and Garnet said that the deadline hits in 8 months, give or take."

"So, the bubble's weakened, right?"

"If the Crystal Guardians managed to get the Rainbow Prism Train through it to us, then yeah."

"Why're you asking, Flash," Thorax asked.

Smirking behind his helmet, Flash replied "Because I think it's high time the Crystal Kingdom rejoins the rest of the world."

Realizing what he was implying, Twilight and Thorax nodded in agreement. "The Crystal Knight Megazord's Finisher should be enough to do the job," she stated, information playing across her visor.

"We should probably make sure that big gruesome over there doesn't dodge this," Thorax noted, keeping his eye on said monster.

Twilight nodded. "Leave that to me," she said, leading the Rangers in the next attack by raising their right hands with their palm forward. The Megazord did the same (the Dragon Sword vanishing in a flash of red light for a moment) and a blue spell circle appeared in the robot's palm, while a large one appeared on the ground the monster was standing on.

She smirked. "Gotcha. FREEZING SPELL CIRCLE!"

The blue magic flared and the Reaper-Ghoul was soon trapped, its feet frozen to the ground via a large mound of ice.

"Good job, Twi," Flash said. "You guys ready to finish this?"

"Oh yeah," Twilight replied.

"Let's slay this beast," Thorax stated.

"Alright then. Dragon Sword!"

The Crystal Knight Megazord held his right hand out, the Dragon Zord appearing in a flash of red light.

Flash held his hand up, and yelled "Crystal Knight Ultra Sword!"

A large broadsword appeared in his hand; the hilt was red, blue, yellow, green and pink, while the blade itself was gold with a vein of purple in the center. The moment Flash grabbed it the three Rangers could feel the power within the Megazord reaching its maximum, while Twilight and Thorax drew their own blades from their stands. "It's time to finish this," Flash said, the three Rangers raising their blades as one, the Megazord mimicking their movements.

In unison, the three Rangers brought their swords down, and both the Rangers and the Zords yelled out "Crystal Knight Megazord: TRIPLE SLASH!"

The Megazord brought the Dragon Sword on the Reaper Ghoul three times, each slash imbued with a different type of magic: one slash of fire, one slash of ice, and the final slash of lightning. Each hit their mark and bisected the Reaper-Ghoul from its left shoulder to its right hip, who gave a painful death roar before exploding into black smoke.

Inside the Megazord the Rangers were cheering. "Monster Vanquished," Flash cheered in victory!

Meanwhile, King Sombra in his ethereal shadow form was watching the events in slight annoyance. So, you managed to form the Megazord and defeat my Reaper-Ghoul. Well, no matter. That was but a taste of what's to come.

He then noticed a large glowing crack in the wall of the Time Bubble, which quickly began expanding and crisscrossing across its entirety before shattering with a massive sound of breaking glass.

While King Sombra was annoyed at the recent events, he couldn't help but feel a bit of amusement at this. I can't help but wonder how Princess Celestia's going to react to this little monkey wrench in her grand plan.

Deciding he stuck around enough, he disappeared in a flash of black light, eager to restore his power in the depths of Tartarus and get his army ready for a comeback.

I assure you, Rangers; this is FAR from over.

Canterlot Castle, Canterlot

Princess Celestia sighed in relief as the last noble left her throne room. Yet another noble whining and complaining about the taxes being unfair or how they shouldn't allow the children of "commoners" to attend her school for the magically gifted.

Another noble who she really wished she could slap across the face, but sadly couldn't.

She was honestly ready to just teleport into her quarters and pull out the bottle of wine she kept hidden in her writing desk when the throne room doors were open, one of her Royal Guards rushing in and clearly out of breath. Seeing the distressed look on his face as he took off his helmet and bowed, she asked "Is something the matter, Lieutenant?"

Taking a few deep breathes, he looked up at her and replied "Your Majesty, IT has returned."

Celestia felt the blood freeze in her veins once he buttered those words, before she teleported to the nearby balcony. In a flash of gold light she summoned her All-Seeing Telescope, pointing it where the Crystal Kingdom was and peering through.

And to her shock, she saw the last remnants of her Time Bubble Spell crack and fade away, revealing the lost kingdom and the crystal city; slightly damaged but still standing.

In confusion, she cried out "This doesn't make any sense! The spell still had 8 months left to go (give or take) so how-"

The words died in her throat as she saw the Crystal Knight Megazord standing there, raising its sword up in celebration. "Of course," she grumbled aloud. "They're not dead."

"Ma'am, is something wrong," the Lieutenant asked.

Regaining her composure, the Solar Monarch replied "No, it's fine. Just be a dear and go fetch Princess Cadance for me, please."

The guard nodded and left, and once the door closed her composure dropped and she swore under her breath. "Those damn 'Power Rangers'" she said, spitting out the words. "Those spandex-wearing brutes could potentially ruin everything." She then smirked and looked up at the sky. "But it won't matter. They won't stop me. Nothing can stop the Light." She reached out as if to grab the sun, and finished "And when I'm done, the Harmony of Arcadia... shall be Infinite."

The Command Diamond: The Crystal Kingdom

With the Crystal Guardians returning to their homes, the Rangers teleported back into the Command Diamond, where they de-morphed. To their surprise, their Morphers transformed into bracelets, simple silver chain ones with their Guardian Crystal embedded in them.

The three of them stood in front of Prince Diamond, who looked at them with a mixture of gratitude and prime. "Words alone cannot express how thankful I am for what the three of you did," he stated. "Not only did you save my life, but you helped save the Crystal Kingdom and broke us free of our temporal prison."

"We're just doing what we thought was right," Flash replied. "Or in this case, righting Princess Celestia's wrong."

"Because Faust knows she's done plenty of those over the centuries," Twilight grumbled.

"Speaking of Princess Celestia," Thorax interjected. "Since I doubt she'll take kindly to us three being Rangers (especially since Twilight's her apprentice) maybe it might be a good idea to keep our identities secret?"

Flash chuckled. "I was planning on doing that anyway. The last thing I want is paparazzi following me 24/7."

"Preach," Twilight replied, Flash and her exchanging a high-five.

The prince nodded. "Yes. Though on that subject, we'll have to come up with a good story for why you three are here and how you got here in the first place. I have no doubt that Miss Sunny-side up has learned that we're back and will no doubt be sending an ambassador soon to try and 'patch things up' with us." He sighed, looking at the monitors, which showed the people of the Crystal Kingdom leaving the shelters and their homes now that the fighting was over. "It's funny. One year ago I was fighting for my life. Now that it's over, I now find myself having to prepare myself for a new battlefield; one where words are used rather than swords."

"I wish I could help with that," Twilight said. "But, I hate politics."

"I don't blame you." He sighed before straightening himself up. "But, I am the Prince of the Crystal Kingdom. At least until we perform the coronation ceremony and they crown me King. So it is a battle I must face."

Flash and the Rangers nodded. "In the meantime," Flash stated "we'll start training and getting ready. Because it's only a matter of time before King Sombra sends a demon or something for another round."

"No doubt about that," Thorax agreed. "But as long as we're together-"

"-nothing can hurt us," Flash and Twilight finished.

"That is correct," Prince Diamond said. "The three of you have shown that even when the odds are against you, even when the darkness threatens our world, the three of you will rise up to protect the light. This may have only been your first battle, but I can tell that your exploits will be etched into the annals of history, among the greatest heroes of Arcania's history."

Flash smiled. "No matter what the darkness throws at us..."

Twilight continued it. "...no matter how hard it may get..."

"...even if the rest of the world is against us..."

"...the Crystal Knights will always fight for what is right," they finished in unison.

They then summoned their Crystal Knight Swords, crossing them together and saying in unison "Crystal Knights, RISE UP!"

Author's Note

[1]: Please keep the Steven Universe jokes to a minimum in the comments. Please.
[2]: Have I mentioned that I hate stories where the heroes (Power Rangers or otherwise) get put under mind control/get their minds switched/get turned evil? If I haven't, then yes, I hate those kinds of episodes/stories. They're SO cliched and derivative, especially when the hero's/Ranger's friends don't see them acting weird or out of character and immediately think the villains are involved. It ain't happening to the Rangers in THIS story.
[3]: Like with Element Fury, I'm only writing out the Morphing Sequence for the first time morphs/power-ups/Battelizers/Megazord combination sequences. I'm not that desperate to increase my word count.
[4]: Yeah, these guys are like the Vivix/Vivizords from Dino Charge. Though as you can tell, they're much more of a threat.

So, this one was almost as long as the last one, even though it was mostly just fight scenes while the first episode was mostly set up and exposition. And holy cow am I tired. Don't ever let anyone tell you writing stories can't be exhausting.

And yeah, clearly Celestia's up to something. Though part of me is worried I might be playing it a bit too heavy at the start. If I am, whoops.

Well, until the next episode, thanks for reading. And May The Power Protect You.

Episode 3: A Brand New World

Tartarus

Getting into Tartarus was easy enough. In his incorporeal form King Sombra was all but invisible, and was capable of passing through most magical barriers with ease. Sure it took a week to get to the entrance in his form (frankly he couldn't wait until he got his power restored so that he could create Shadow Portals) but it was a minor inconvenience. Even the enormous stone gates over the entrance barely posed a challenge for him. He couldn't help but smile at that...

...at least until he got into Tartarus, and noticed that there was a lot wrong.

Rather than a well put together base of operations (which had taken the better part of six months to put together) the place was in shambles. The crystals that once held massive amounts of dark magic were now drained and completely clear. The crystals that once illuminated the place were now barely glowing, and none of his generals were around. Even the Ghouls were missing, which was weird as Weaver often used them to help around his laboratory (reasoning that as voiceless foot soldiers they tended to not ask any questions. He could appreciate that.)

But the most worrying thing to him was revealed as he moved into the largest chamber before getting to the cells; a large machine surrounding a giant crystal, one that he remembered had been filled to the brim with dark magic, which was used to power the other crystals as well as helping to enhance the monsters and accelerate the generation of the Ghouls in Weaver's Dark Pit.

This was the Engine of Woes; a machine designed to absorb the fear and negative emotions of the people of Arcania, converting them to dark magic, which in turn would fuel his power.

But now the machine was silent, covered in a very thick layer of dust. It was kind of sad to see, but his concerns were on the fact that there was no dark magic inside of the main crystal for him to absorb. While there was some dark magic still in the air (it was Tartarus, after all) it wasn't near enough to restore his power or his body. At best it would be enough to at least do some basic spells and to use his Dark Eyes, but other than that he was still all but powerless.

He growled. Why do I feel that Princess Celestia is behind this?

"Probably because she is."

He turned to see a figure walking into view, wearing a large black cloak over his body. He pulled the hood back to reveal-

Weaver, King Sombra telepathically spoke to him, a hint of genuine happiness in his voice my old friend. I'd embrace you if I had arms.

The spider demon laughed, bowing and replying "I'm sure you would. It is good to see you again, my lord and master."

I'm sure it is. Now, can you explain to me why the Engine of Woes is not operating?

Weaver sighed. "Unfortunately, I can. Shortly after you absorbed all but a small amount of the dark magic, Celestia trapped you and the Crystal Kingdom in that time bubble. Your temporal prison was only the beginning of our problems, sadly. The other demons refused to take orders from Insidiroar unless he could prove they came directly from you. As it is I had to stop him from destroying the demons multiple times."

That I can believe, King Sombra admitted. He always did have issues controlling his anger.

"But then, Princess Celestia started enforcing her mandates. 'Harmony above all!' 'Stay positive, even if it hurts!' Not the words she actually used, but you get the idea. Because of that, all of the negative emotions we could use were lowered to a trickle, and thus the Engine lost power. And since none of the Demons would follow us without you here, we weren't able to send out any monsters into Equestria or elsewhere to generate mass panic to fuel it."

And I assume that without the dark magic to draw them up here, the other demons retreated into the depths?

"I'm afraid so."

Contemplating all of this, King Sombra then asked Is Insidiroar nearby?

Nodding, Weaver pointed upwards to a specific cave, one that had a number of weapons embedded in the rock around the mouth. "He's been either meditating or training nonstop, waiting for the day you would return."

Well, let's not keep him waiting, he said, before flaring out his dark aura.

Almost immediately there was a loud shout of "MASTER!" followed by a lion's roar. A large bulky figure jumped out of the cave, doing a front flip before flaring out his black crow-like wings to stop his fall, kicking up a large burst of wind in the process.

Once he landed his wings folded against his body, before turning to his master and flashing a grin that revealed all of his sharp lion teeth (one of his canine's being made of gold) before bowing and saying "Master, it is good to see you are still..." He then noticed King Sombra's lack of a body. "...alive?"

Somewhat. My spirit is indestructible, like always. But my body, as you can see, not so much. He chuckled and continued But it's not something we cannot overcome. Once we get the Engine Of Woes running again, we'll be able to restore my power and get my army back together. Once that happens, we'll craft a new body for me and lay waste to the Crystal Kingdom, so that I may claim my great prize!

"And how do you propose we do that, my Lord," Weaver asked. "With the Engine of Woes out of commission for the moment, we can't just open up Shadow Portals wherever we want. At best we could sacrifice a couple of Ghouls to jump-start the Engine to open a portal, but we'd probably only get enough juice to open it somewhere in Equestria."

That would probably work to our advantage, King Sombra said with a hint of malice. Because while Celestia's mandates to keep the peace and harmony in Equestria might stop people from expressing their negative emotions, it doesn't mean they don't feel them. And if our war with the Crystal Kingdom was any indication, when the common rabble are faced with a demon from Tartarus or even the Ghouls, they panic like a bunch of sheep that just met the Big Bad Wolf.

"And as it just so happens," Insidiroar said with his cat-like grin "there's one demon that's still stayed close to us, despite your absence; Skull Knight. If the Rangers come to fight, he should be able to crush them with ease."

King Sombra doubted that, given how the three had managed to destroy him and make it look easy (when frankly even in his diminished state he'd been a cut above the average Mage) but he kept his thoughts to himself for now. Good. Bring him in. Weaver, get whatever Ghouls that have come out from the Dark Pit, sacrifice the ones we need to jumpstart the machine and prepare the rest for battle.

The two demon generals nodded, and said together "Your will shall be done, my Lord."

As they left to do what they were ordered to, King Sombra couldn't help but cackle. Enjoy your brief respite of peace, Rangers. Prince Diamond. And especially you, Princess Celestia. For it will not last!

The Crystal Castle: The Crystal Kingdom

Thorax smiled as he looked at himself in the mirror, having just gotten changed into some new clothes. Something he was still having some trouble believing.

In the week that followed that fateful day Flash, Twilight and Thorax had gotten acquainted with the rest of the Crystal Kingdom. This had been admittedly a little awkward since, due to the need to keep their identities secret to all but Prince Diamond's most trusted advisors and friends, nobody knew why two Equestrians and a Changeling were walking around in their kingdom.

The answer was simple; tell the truth, but not the whole truth. Instead of being summoned by the Crystal Guardians, the three had met up when Twilight was looking into a magical anomaly (AKA the weakening Time Bubble) with Flash and Thorax deciding to accompany her. They got to the edge of the Crystal Kingdom just in time to see the Crystal Knight Megazord slay the Reaper-Ghoul and destroy what was left of the Time Bubble. After that they decided to explore, saw people were in trouble and decided to lend a hand (Twilight in part because of the actions of Princess Celestia, Flash because he saw people who needed help and wouldn't turn away due to the Code, and Thorax because in his own words "It's the right thing to do.")

Ever since then they've been helping in any way they could.

Flash and Thorax were helping with search and rescue, helping people who had been trapped in some of the buildings during the attacks, or helping families find missing loved ones. Flash had actually found a group of children who were trapped in a sewer pipe, leading to Thorax showing the Crystallix an awesome display of his strength by moving a large chunk of the debris by himself (which they said weighed nearly 2 tons) and chucked it straight out of the city into the nearby mountains, leaving the nearby Crystallix (and Flash) with their jaws touching the floor.

That same immensely strong Changeling then calmly and gently picked up a little girl with a wounded leg, picking her up like she was a delicate china cup, and took her to the nearby medical station without eliciting a single cry of pain and discomfort.

Flash and Volcanion both summed it up internally. This guy really is a gentle giant.[1]

Twilight meanwhile was helping Prince Diamond, the City Council and the House of Nobles to get caught up on the almost 1000 years of history they missed. She tried her best to downplay her own involvement in the more recent events, pretty much saying that she mostly got through via luck and the villains basically being overconfident morons (mostly true in Nightmare Moon's case, doubly so in Discord's.)

In between those moments the Prince had helped the three of them settle into Crystalia; giving them food, shelter, and even some new clothes for Thorax. He also set him up with a barber who was more than willing to take Thorax into their shop and not freak out at the sight of him, as well as pointed him in the direction of some shops to get him some new clothes.

Because of that he now had a few new sets of clothes, one of which he was wearing right now; a yellow t-shirt to replace his old and faded one (which he still kept in the dresser of his room for "sentimental reasons") a new set of "trousers" as the shopkeeper called them (which made sense, as Twilight said that the term "jeans" hadn't been coined until about three or four centuries ago) and a pair of boots that weren't mostly duct tape.

Between that and his hair getting trimmed and thoroughly washed so that it didn't look near as dirty and greasy, he looked like a brand new Changeling.

But as he looked at himself in the mirror, he couldn't help but feel like he hadn't earned any of these clothes. Especially since the Prince paid for them. Something I'll have to work on in the future, I suppose, he mused.

There was a knock on the door of his quarters, and he immediately answered "Come in."

The door slid open to reveal Flash, checking something on his phone before pocketing it. He then smiled at Thorax and said "Looking good, man."

Thorax smiled back. "Thanks. Though I gotta say, I'm not really used to getting all these gifts."

"Well from what I heard, the Crystal Kingdom and its people aren't quite as..." Flash struggled to find a word, before finally settling on "xenophobic, I think the word is?"

"I mean, I get that Equestria has a bad history with the Draconia and Griffonians," Thorax admitted "but you'd think they'd realize that not every member of their species is gonna try and hurt them. Also, compared to them the Changeling tribes haven't had any major conflicts with them."

"Honestly, I couldn't give you a satisfactory answer other than the biggest majority of Equestrians have the mob mentality of sheep, and the shepherds tend to be bigoted jerks at best and xenophobic jackasses at worst."

"Yet that's not enough to make me think that every Equestrian is a total scumbag," Thorax stated, happily smiling at Flash. "I think my two new best friends are living proof of that."

Flash nodded and the two exchanged a fist bump. "Anyway, the Prince is calling for us down in the Command Diamond," Flash said, getting the conversation back on track. "Since we haven't got you a phone yet, they asked me to grab you."

"Okay," Thorax replied. "Lead the way."

The Command Diamond

Prince Diamond sighed as he looked at the monitors in front of him. "It's been a week and so far we've seen nothing," he muttered.

"The Rangers did do a number on him," Garnet replied, looking over another monitor that was displaying information on the Crystal Guardians. "Plus, it's not exactly a quick trip from here to the Gates of Tartarus."

"True. But you'd think there'd be something by now."

Twilight, who had been in the Command Diamond practicing with her sword, replied "I might have a theory on that. But I'll wait until the boys get here to explain it." At that moment the elevator opened, revealing Flash and Thorax as they stepped out. She smirked at that. "Speak of the devil."

"Hey, last I checked we're on the side of the angels," Flash replied with a grin. "Or ancient crystal guardian beasts, as it were."

"And believe me, we appreciate that," Prince Diamond said. He then looked at Twilight and asked "So, your theory about King Sombra?"

Once everyone was gathered around, Twilight began "So, as Flash and I can definitely attest to (and possibly Thorax) Princess Celestia has done her best over the centuries to keep the peace and harmony within Equestria."

"Yeah, the whole 'be nice to everyone, and the 'turn the other cheek,' and 'don't act on your anger,' all that BS," Flash grumbled. "As if we're not allowed to feel anything except for happy positive emotions. What a load."

"Well, I think she's mainly doing that so that King Sombra will have a much harder time restoring his power."

Flash looked at her in confusion, Thorax looked at her with some understanding but a little confusion, but Prince Diamond and Garnet seemed to understand what she was getting at. "Uh, mind cluing us in on what you mean," Flash asked. "And please, explain it like we're young Mages just learning about magic."

She nodded and smiled. "Well, from how Garnet and Prince Diamond explained it, the dark magic that King Sombra uses is fueled by his anger and his hatred. And he's also able to draw additional power to fuel his magic-"

"-from the fear and terror of his victims," Thorax finished. "And I'm guessing he and his goon squad are able to draw more power from negative emotions in general."

"Which explains why Princess Celestia set all of those policies and is trying to make everyone be happy even if it hurts," Flash said, picking up on what the theory might've been. "Keeping the peace means that there's little to no negative emotions. Little to no negative emotions means that whatever's in Tartarus fueling King Sombra's dark magic is gonna run outta juice. No negative emotions, no dark magic juice, no power for King Sombra."

"Which also means that he can't draw in the more powerful monsters and demons from Tartarus, or that Weaver won't be able to make them grow into giant mode." Garnet added. "And that the Ghouls won't spawn or respawn near as quickly."

Prince Diamond nodded. "Not to mention without that 'dark magic juice,'" he said putting air quotes around that with a smirk "he won't be able to restore his power near as fast or reconstruct his body."

"So, that's good right," Thorax asked. "I mean, there's a chance he might not come back? Or by the time he does we'll have the other-" He quickly counted off on his fingers the remaining Crystal Guardians that would inevitably get their own Rangers. "-four Rangers, and hopefully be trained and ready to take him on. Right?"

Twilight sighed. "Yes and no. See, while Celestia's policies to keep the peace has cut down on the negative emotions, it hasn't really stopped people from feeling them. For every person that gets the best news of their life, there's another one who gets the worst news of their life. For every couple that decides to take the next step and get married, there's an equal amount of couples (arguably moreso) that break up. Often messily."

Flash nodded. "Plus, keeping all of those negative emotions bottle up inside is not only really unhealthy, but they won't be able to keep them bottled up forever." Seeing a balloon and a sink, he said "Observe."

Taking the balloon, he held it up and said "This is a person." He then turned on the sink. "And the water is negative emotions." He slipped it over the faucet and turned it on, letting it fill with water. "Now, not being able to properly express it or release it, leads to it building up." The balloon was now filling up to bursting, but Flash left it go. "But we can only hold in so much negative emotions. With me so far?"

They all nodded, Thorax himself digesting the information. "I get what you're saying. And you're also saying that eventually the buildup of negative emotions will make them 'pop,' figuratively, right?"

"Bingo."

Walking up to the balloon, Thorax then picked up a small knife sitting on the tray next to the sink. "Well, there's another issue. Assuming they do manage to get a demon recruited and send him and a squad of Ghouls into Equestria or the Crystal Kingdom," he continued while holding up the knife to the balloon, before looking at Flash. "May I?" Seeing Flash nod, Thorax pressed the point to the swollen balloon, making it pop and splashing water and rubber fragments into the sink. "Those negative emotions turn into fear and mass panic, which will feed his power. Maybe not enough to fully restore King Sombra and his whole operation, but enough to make a monster grow or recruit more monsters. Plus, speaking from experience; fear leads to more fear. The moment the monsters show up or grow giant size, and King Sombra makes it clear this won't be a one-time thing..."

"...everyone's gonna wonder when the next attack is gonna be," Twilight finished with a sigh. "Credit where credit's due, that's pretty smart."

Prince Diamond nodded. "King Sombra wasn't just a powerful dark Mage. He was also a brilliant strategist." He looked down solemnly and added "A lot of knights and even some of the Crystal Knight Power Rangers lost their lives to his tactics."

They all took a moment to digest that, with Flash giving a small "May the fallen all rest in peace."

"That being said..."

He waved his hand over the computer table and brought up a 3D map of the Crystal Kingdom, Equestria, and the surrounding lands. He pointed to a desolate island to the east from the main landmass, one that was mostly just a large crater that was perfectly circular. "The Bottomless Hole," Garnet explained. "The gateway to Tartarus. No less than roughly five hundred feet straight down, with smooth walls all the way. No footholds, no stairs, nada. Anyone or anything that goes down there ain't ever coming back up."

"Yet Sombra somehow found a way to get him and his army out of there and into our world," Flash stated. "But we don't know how."

"Yet," Twilight replied. "When I haven't been getting the rest of the Crystal Kingdom caught up on the 1000 years of history they missed out on, I've been in the Crystal Library looking through everything I can find on King Sombra, dark magic, and everything else I can find related to those topics. I haven't found anything concrete yet beyond what we know so far, but I did find references to something called 'The Engine of Woes.'"

Thorax and Flash looked at each other and both raised an eyebrow. "Do all evil or really bad magical things need to have names that sound kind of ridiculous," Thorax asked.

"Personally I'd say it's more 'on the nose' than ridiculous, but I see your point," she said with a giggle. "But it does seem like the most likely answer we're looking for."

"As for how he managed to get them out of Tartarus, our best is that his dark magic can open portals that bypass the enchantments and spells around the entrance," Garnet guessed.

"Though that probably takes a lot of dark magic to create," Flash said. "And I'm gonna guess that the greater the distance, the more it would take. Right, Twilight?"

Twilight tapped her chin in thought. "Well I'm no expert on dark magic (and hopefully I never will be) and portal spells aren't really an area of magic I'm well versed in. I did read a bit about it in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, but most of what I remember involved portals via artifacts or specially crafted rituals. Most Mages nowadays stick with teleportation because it's a lot faster a lot easier, and a lot more versatile. Even if admittedly it's a little more dangerous."

"How so," Thorax asked.

"With portals it's basically like you're walking from point A to point B, even if they're miles upon miles apart or even across dimensions. With teleportation, you're basically breaking your body down to subatomic particles coated in magic, transporting them to point B, and putting them back together. Aside from the very real risk that you might put yourself back together inside of a wall, if you run out of magic mid-teleport all sorts of bad things can happen to you."

"I'm gonna go with possibly coming out missing a lung or something else important," Flash guessed "or that something important is not where it should be."

Twilight winced. "Those are usually the best case scenarios."

Everyone else winced as well. "I don't wanna know," Thorax said, waving his hand.

"Regardless, if the rule of magic equaling distance still applies to whatever shadowy portal magic Sombra uses, then yes, his portals will have to open up somewhere close to where the Island of Desolation is," Prince Diamond stated. "And given how he'll need fear and lots of it-"

"-he'll probably try to go for cities as his first target," Flash moving the map to the west coast of Equestria and pointing out two cities. "The nearest cities to the island are either Manehatten or Fillydelphia. And if we're going for mass panic, he'll want to go with-"

"-Manehattan," Twilight and Thorax finished, with Thorax continuing "Higher population density means fear will spread a lot faster through the masses, ergo mass panic to fuel his power."

"And Manehattan has the highest population of any city in Equestria," Twilight added. "With Las Pegasus in second and Canterlot in third."

"So if and when he makes his move..." Flash looked to Prince Diamond, who put a red dot over Manehattan. "That's where he'll strike, and that's where we'll be deployed."

Everyone seemed to be in agreement with that. "Until that happens though," Prince Diamond stated "we've got other things to worry about."

He brought up some images on the computer table; Volcanion radiating heat and fire to melt and thaw out the frozen landscape, Fenrir using her magic to draw away the blizzards and snow back to the frozen north, and Kabutomushi using his lightning and immense strength to break the dark crystal spires and then toss their pieces far away.

"Our three current Guardians are active and are working on restoring some of the damage to the rest of the Crystal Kingdom. Progress has been decent; most of the land has been thawed, the blizzards have subsided, and the dark crystal spires destruction means that King Sombra's evil won't be poisoning the land anymore. Plus when Kabutomushi's not destroying the spires, he's charging up the power crystals in and around the city so that we can get all the transportation and other facilities working again."

"Not to mention restoring power to the rest of the city," Twilight added. "Which your crews of engineers are working on fixing up so that that can happen."

"Trust me, they're earning their pay and more."

"But without the other Guardians active, the land won't be fully healed for quite a while," Garnet said. "Tusk's nature magic will get the plant life thriving again, and more importantly, our crops. Hurricana's wind magic will keep the weather in check and hopefully get the thick clouds out of here so that we can see Mister Blue Sky again. Gojira's energy will increase the magic of this land tenfold, including the magic of your Guardians and by extension you guys-"

"Which'll definitely come in handy," Flash stated.

"-and Titano's light will purge all of the remaining darkness from the land, as well as bolster our defenses."

"How long do the other Guardians have left to heal," Twilight asked.

"Good question," Prince Diamond replied. "Let's ask them."

He waved his hand over the computer table, and three separate windows popped up; one for Volcanion, one for Fenrir, and one for Kabutomushi. "How's it going, guys?"

The thawing is going nicely, Volcanion replied. Thanks for the help with that, Fenrir.

Just doing my job, Volcanion.

"And we're thankful for that. Listen, any idea how much longer it'll be until the other Guardians are fully healed and ready for duty?"

Tusk and Hurricana got a day or two tops before they're ready, Kabutomushi answered. The moment they are they'll send out their Guardian Crystals to worthy Rangers. But we got a problem.

To become a Crystal Knight Power Ranger you need both the Guardian Crystal and the Crystal Knight Sword. And unfortunately, when the other Crystal Knight Rangers... um...

"-died in the line of duty," Flash finished. "May they all rest in peace."

Amen, brother. But anyway, when they fell, their swords were blasted out far beyond the city limits, and somehow outside of the time bubble.

"Well, people with physical bodies can't pass through," Twilight explained. "But swords aren't people, so they probably bypassed the spell."

Sadly due to the protective spells we put on them, we can't just teleport them back to us, nor can we just teleport them straight to the chosen Rangers. They have to choose to pick up the swords.

Thorax sighed. "Let me guess; they're all going to be embedded in stone like ours were."

It's impossible for the three of us to say, Kabutomushi replied. We are able to tell where our respective swords are, but we can't see each others unless they're in close proximity to our own. For all we know, the sword could be embedded in a tree or something. Fortunately the protective spells make it so that only the chosen Ranger can pick up their sword, so we don't have to worry about anyone else getting their hands on it.

"Least there's some good news."

That all being said, you got more pressing matters. An airship sporting Equestrian Flags is moving into our airspace.

Twilight scoffed. "I highly doubt it's going to be Princess Celestia coming to apologize."

"She'd first have to admit she did something wrong," Prince Diamond replied. "Which given her track record so far, is highly unlikely."

"Not that you'd ever accept it," Garnet stated. "Given the year of misery that we all suffered because of her attempt to 'help' with her stupid time bubble."

"Still, I shouldn't keep them waiting." Grabbing a communicator crystal from the table to his right, he said "Air Captain Stormwind, I've just been informed of an Equestrian airship entering our airspace."

A woman's voice replied Affirmative, your Highness. Do you want us to turn them away or-

"No, that won't be necessary. Are any of the air docks intact?"

"Dock 16 is still in working order."

"Good. Escort them there. I will meet you there shortly."

"Yes sir."

"And Captain?"

"Yes?"

"I highly doubt it's Princess Celestia on that ship. It's more than likely an ambassador. So please, be courteous."

"No need to worry, your Highness. We'll be completely professional."

"Excellent. I will be there soon." Looking at the three Rangers, he asked "Remember your cover stories?" They all nodded and he said "Well then, shall we?"

Garnet clicked a few buttons on the console, and they all teleported away in a flash of light.

Tartarus

It took roughly a few hours for Weaver to gather up the Ghouls that had formed and emerged from the Dark Pit, a whopping sixty five of them, and got them assembled in the Engine Room.

Along with that, Insidiroar entered the chamber with the demon he had spoke of: Skull Knight. He stood at roughly 7 feet tall, and was wearing armor seemingly made out of bones, with a helmet in the shape of a demonic skull. Peeking through the eye sockets were not eyes but dark red flames, and strapped to his side was a large sword with a bone serving as the hilt.

Seeing the shadowy form of King Sombra, he knelt on one knee and said "My liege, it is good to see you have returned."

And it is good to see you have not abandoned your oath, Skull Knight.

"My sword is yours, as always," Skull Knight replied.

Good. Then once we get you and Insidiroar transported, use that sword of yours to strike fear into the hearts of the Equestrians. And to destroy those meddlesome Power Rangers before they become an even bigger threat. On that note...

He looked over to where Weaver was, picking through the Ghouls and sending a few of them into a clear glass chamber. By the time he was done there were only twenty five Ghouls left to send with Skull Knight and Insidiroar for their attack.

Looking over to the other three, he said "Just sorting through the less than perfect ones. Should have enough here to sacrifice to get you to Manehattan."

Then let's not waste any time, Weaver. Crack the eggs and let's make an omelet.

Weaver did so, raising his magic staff and sending tendrils of black and white magic into the machinery around the chamber, causing it to glow with pale white light.

The effect was immediate, as the Ghouls began to writhe and scream before exploding into black smoke, that smoke then being sucked through tubes at the top of the machine and being fed directly into the Engine of Woes.

Once the chamber was emptied, the crystal in the center of the Engine began to fill with the black smoke, causing sparks of purple lightning to travel from it and into the machinery surrounding it. Gears began to turn, lights began to flash, and pistons began to move up and down.

Weaver smiled, before moving his staff and firing a beam of his magic into a crystal archway. The magic formed a shimmering field, before forming a picture of Times Square in Manehattan.

King Sombra couldn't help but smile as Skull Knight, Insidiroar, and 25 Ghouls began marching towards it. Let the games begin.

The Crystal Kingdom: Air Dock 16

Prince Diamond looked at the airship as it finished docking to the... well, dock. The crew members onboard started tossing out ropes to tie the ship to the posts, and once that was finished a gangplank was lowered. Four members of the Royal Guard descended, clad in silver armor and holding pikes. Once they reached the bottom they split; two standing on the left of the gangplank, two on the right.

"I remember their armor and weapons looking a lot better a thousand years ago," Prince Diamond muttered.

Flash nodded. "Yeah, trust me; it's even worse than you think. Those are ordinary pikes instead of the magic blasting pikes they used to use. Not to mention they've cut their pay, to the point that an entry level employee at a Burger Kingdom makes more in a week than a Royal Guardsmen makes in a month." Seeing the raised eyebrows of Thorax and Twilight, he explained "I worked there during the summer when I was in High School. Trying to help Mom after Dad died."

They both nodded in understanding at that.

And then down the gangplank walked a woman in her late 20s, with long tricolored hair of yellow, pink and purple. Her eyes were a light pink-purple, and she wore a pink dress with purple leggings and matching shoes.

Twilight recognized her in an instant. "Cadance?"

"You recognize her," Thorax asked.

"Yeah, she's my old babysitter."

Flash recognized her as well. "You're telling me your babysitter was Princess Mi Amore Cadenza?"

"Being Princess Celestia's personal student had some perks," she replied with a smirk. Looking at Prince Diamond she said "She's one of the nicest people you can ever meet, so I don't think this'll end badly."

Prince Diamond nodded, though he looked at her in confusion. "You said she's a Princess?"

"Technically she's a Princess Adjacent. She's an Ascendant Avian and the adopted niece of Princess Celestia. I totally forget she was also one of our Ambassadors."

As she got closer they could see that she did indeed have Mage markings along her exposed arms, neck, and forehead; though they were noticeably smaller than Twilight's own.

Once she was close enough, she smiled, bowed and said "Hello. I'm Princess Mi Amore Cadenza from Equestria. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Prince Diamond looked at her for a moment, before chuckling and holding out his hand. "A handshake works just fine, Miss Cadenza. Or is it Missus?"

She giggled before shaking his hand and replying "No. I'm not wearing a ring on my finger just yet."

"A fact that still shocks me to this day."

Her eyes widened and she turned to see Twilight smiling and waving. Her eyes lit up and she happily exclaimed "TWILY!"

Before anyone else could say anything she lunged forward and wrapped Twilight in a rib-cracking bear hug. Twilight smiled through the pain. "Yeah, good to see you too, Cadance. Please don't break my ribs."

"Oh, sorry!" She immediately released her hold. "Sorry, I keep forgetting about the fact that I have partial Terran strength now. I'm just so happy to see you! It's been years!"

Twilight winced. "Yeaaah... sorry. I know I said I would keep in contact but I was just so busy and-"

She stopped when Cadance laughed. "It's okay, Twilight. I know you're busy trying to learn everything you can about magic. But as much as I want to catch up, and meet your new friends," she said looking at Flash and Thorax "I'm on the job."

Twilight nodded. "I get it. We'll catch up later." She then smirked and held out her fist. "Secret handshake?"

Cadance smirked, before they bumped their fists "Up, down, left, right, center," before high-fiving which transitioned into a handshake "Sister-shake!"

Flash and Thorax had to put their hands over their mouths to stop from laughing, though they quickly stood up straight and acted like everything was normal when she shot them a look.

Prince Diamond nodded and said "Well if you'll follow me, Miss Cadenza. I've already notified the kitchens, the tea should be ready by the time we get to the meeting room."

She looked at him confused, before she asked "Um, I'm sorry. Who are you? I don't think I caught your name."

"Maximus Diamond, Prince of the Crystal Kingdom."

Her eyes widened at that. "Oh. I'm sorry, I was told that you were killed by King Sombra when he took over and made this place the Crystal Empire."

Everyone except Cadance looked confused at that. "Um, who told you-" Flash asked, only to stop when he understood. "Princess Celestia told you that, didn't she?"

"Uh, yes..."

He shook her hand and said "Flash Sentry. Nice to meet you, your Highness."

She smiled. "Thank you. Nice to meet you too." She looked at Thorax and asked "And you are?"

"Thorax," he replied, shaking her hand. "Changeling. No last name. A pleasure."

"Same."

Prince Diamond cleared his throat. "Alright, now that introductions are out of the way, if you'll follow me I can hopefully give you the real story of what happened all those years ago."

She nodded. "Okay." She looked at the Royal Guards and said "Can I trust you all not to embarrass me or Equestria?"

The four all stood at attention, and the lieutenant (evident by the gold right shoulder pad) nodded and replied "Yes, your Highness. We're professionals. I assure you that- PRIVATE ZERO!" He marched over to one of the Guards and yanked a Neightendo Switch[2] out of his hands. "YOU! ARE! ON! DUTY!"

As he angrily dressed him down, Cadance groaned. "Yeah, real professional." Looking at Prince Diamond she facepalmed and muttered "This is what happens when you lower the standards so much that people think they're a joke."

"Trust me, I've heard," he replied, before motioning to the door. "Shall we?"

Once they walked off into the castle, Thorax said "Her aura is really nice."

Flash and Twilight looked at him and asked "Aura?"

"It's a thing Changelings can do. We can see the auras of others and feel them as well as emotions. Hers is a nice sky blue, and it feels nice and warm. And I've never felt anyone else so full of love."

"That's how she got her title: The Princess of Love," Twilight stated. "Though I'm honestly surprised that-"

Beep-Beep-Be-Be-Beep-Beep![3]

Hearing the comms go off on their morphers, the three looked at each other and nodded before moving out of sight of the Royal Guards. "Garnet, what's up," Flash asked.

"I need you back at the Command Diamond," she replied. "ASAP! This is not a drill!"

"On our way." He then looked at Twilight and Thorax and said "Time to teleport."

Thorax raised his hand. "Um, actually can we just take the stairs?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Thorax, this is faster."

"I know. But I'm still not used to teleporting. It makes me feel queasy."

Putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder, Flash said "I'm sure you'll get used to it, buddy. But this is probably an emergency, so-"

Sighing, Thorax replied "Fine."

The three of them each pressed a button on their morpher, and teleported away in a flash of light in their respective colors; Flash in red, Twilight in blue, Thorax in Yellow.

The Command Diamond

The moment they arrived, Flash and Twilight both grabbed a hold of Thorax to steady him as he lurched forward, looking a bit green in the face. "Ugh. I hope I get used to that real -urk!- soon."

Twilight immediately grabbed a bucket with her magic (which she noticed a few days ago had turned from her usual purple into an icy blue, which Fenrir said was because of their bond) and brought it over to them, putting it in front of Thorax. "Just in case you... you know."

"Thanks."

Garnet handed him a glass vial of a lime green liquid. "Here, this should help you out with that."

Thorax took it and drank it, grimacing as the flavor hit his tongue. "Ugh. It tastes like liquified brussels sprouts."

"I don't envy you, dude," Flash said. "I hate brussels sprouts."

"Ditto," Twilight added.

"Sorry I can't do much about the taste," Garnet replied. "But it will help get rid of the nausea you're feeling. And I'm working on the teleportation nexus so that it won't cause you anymore internal problems. Same goes for any future Rangers or members of our little motley crew who aren't Equestrian or Crystallix." She sighed. "But right now, we've got bigger problems."

"The King's finally making his move," Flash assumed.

"See for yourselves."

They rushed to the computer table as Garnet pulled up several newsfeeds, showing live footage of Times Square in Manehattan...

...with several Ghouls, Insidiroar, and a monster made of bones attacking people. While the news reporters said there were no deaths yet, several people had been injured.

And they could all see the civilians running away in fear and trampling over each other in a panic.

"Just like we thought," Twilight stated. "Mass panic."

"Putting it on live TV probably isn't helping," Thorax added. "All of Equestria may not mass panic, but they'll be scared."

"Then let's fight this fear with some hope," Flash said resolutely, looking at the others and sharing a nod. "Garnet, the nexus ready?"

"Coordinates are locked. You guys are ready to go."

"Okay then. We'll have to morph in here before we teleport. You guys ready?"

Twilight and Thorax both replied "Ready!"

"It's Morphin Time!"

In unison they yelled out "Crystal Knight! CRYSTALLIZE!"

Once they were morphed they teleported away, leaving Garnet alone in the Command Diamond. "Good luck, Rangers."

Crystal Kingdom: Meeting Room

Prince Diamond took a sip from his cup of tea. "So, what all did Princess Celestia tell you about what happened 1000 years ago?"

Cadance thanked the member of the castle staff who set a cup of tea on the table in front of her, before replying "Well, aside from the aforementioned 'You were killed and King Sombra took over and turned the Crystal Kingdom into the Crystal Empire?' She said that King Sombra was the one who sealed the Crystal Empire away for 1000 years."

"That's a lie."

"She also said that the whole thing happened so quickly that she and her sister couldn't even get over in time to stop it."

"Another lie."

"That the Crystal Kingdom didn't have much beyond their own royal guard, and since it was so fast that none of them were injured."

Prince Diamond's hand tightened around his tea cup. "That's an insulting and downright disrespectful lie."

Noticing this, Cadance winced. "Yeah, I figured as much. I overheard some of your staff talking about plans to set up a memorial for those that fell during the war. My deepest apologies, by the way."

"I appreciate that," he replied sincerely. "And you don't have to worry, I'm not angry with you. And I highly doubt any of my staff or the guards that serve me are angry with you either. Our anger is more towards Celestia than anything."

"I get the feeling that I'm gonna learn why in a moment," she grumbled. "Oh, and this last one is probably going to be the straw that breaks the camel's back for you. So if that teacup is expensive, you might wanna put it down."

Understanding what she mean, he quickly drank the rest of his tea in one gulp and set the cup down. "Didn't want to let it get cold. So," he folded his hands. "hit me. What lie or half-truth could she have told you that would possibly 'break the camel's back?'"

She sighed, before saying "She said that I'm descended from the royal family, and that since you and the rest of the royal family were 'dead' that I am the rightful heir to the throne."

A long and pregnant pause permeated the air for several moments, before Prince Diamond got up from his seat. He appeared calm and collected, but when he spoke it was in an incredibly strained voice "Could you please... excuse me for a moment? I need to-"

Cadance nodded and replied "Take all the time you need."

He nodded before walking through a door into another room, still walking and seeming calm and collected.

But the moment the door clicked! shut, she heard a roar of unbridled rage mixed with anguish and a bit of sadness (along with a laundry list of curses aimed at Celestia that she would never, ever repeat) and the sound of some things breaking and shattering.

Eventually, he walked back in, his silver hair a bit unkempt and a few small cuts on his knuckles. "Sorry about that," he said, taking a towel from one of the castle staff and wipe the blood off of his knuckles.

"Believe me, I'm not that happy with her at the moment either," she admitted.

Sitting back down, he smiled and said "Allow me to set the record straight..."

Manehattan: Equestria

Insidiroar couldn't help but laugh as he observed the destruction around him, feeling the fear coming off of the screaming mortals as they ran for their lives. "Ah, I missed this so much," he exclaimed happily. "The spectacle of chaos, the symphony of terrified screaming..."

Skull Knight laughed as well. "Absolutely. Especially since their terror shall help feed the machine that shall bring our Lord and master back to his full power."

A few members of the Manehattan Police Department tried to step in, pulling out stun blasters and firing several blue lasers. While they did seem to slow down the Ghouls a little, the blasts had little to no effect on Insidiroar and Skull Knight. "Ooo, that tickles," Skull Knight chuckled, before raising his free hand as it glowed with dark red flames. "If this is truly the best that Equestria can offer, then this conquest shall be a breeze." Throwing his hand forward he yelled "SKULL FIRE" and hurled a skull made of dark red flames at the hapless officers-

-that never reached its target as it met a wall of blue ice that suddenly appeared in front of them, turning into steam while keeping the officers safe.

And as the steam dissipated, the Crystal Knight Power Rangers stood there, swords at the ready. "Your little joyride ends here," Flash said, pointing his sword at the two monsters.

Insidiroar growled. "The Crystal Knight Power Rangers. Why am I not surprised?"

Twilight looked at the officers standing behind her. "We'll handle these guys. You need to get the civilians to safety."

"We'll keep them busy while you do that," Thorax added.

The officers looked at each other a bit confused, but eventually they nodded. "Alright, we'll trust you with this," the lead officer replied. "Good luck."

As they ran off, Skull Knight drew his sword and looked at Insidiroar. "Are there any of them you want to take care of personally?"

Insidiroar nodded, before pointing his sword at Flash. "I'll take the red one. See if he's a better fighter than the last one."

Flash growled under his breath, his grip tightening on his sword. He wasn't alone, as Twilight and Thorax also found their blood boiling from that insult towards their predecessor.

All three of them pretty much had the same thought: I'm gonna enjoy wiping those smug looks off of their faces.

Skull Knight replied "Alright then." Drawing his sword, he yelled "GHOULS! We'll take the blue and yellow rangers! Leave the red one for Insidiroar!"

Flash looked at his fellow rangers and said "Let's show these guys who we are. Crystal Knights..."

In unison they yelled out "RISE UP!" before charging at the monsters and ghouls.

And with that, the fight was on!

Crystal Kingdom: Meeting Room

"...and the rest, as they say, is history," Prince Diamond finished, having spent the last couple of minutes giving Cadance the a cliff notes version of the true history of the Crystal Kingdom and the conflict with King Sombra. For some of it he showed her images of it via an Echo Crystal, a specialized Crystal that allowed him to record and then replay his memories for other people to see. He made sure not to reveal anything about the Rangers' identities, only saying that they were chosen by the Crystal Guardians and that for security reasons their civilian identities were kept a secret.

Cadance had spent those minutes listening intently, only asking the occasional question when she didn't understand something, but otherwise she just sat there and absorbed everything.

Once the history lesson was over, she finally said "Well, I'm definitely going to have a serious talk with Celestia when I get back home."

"I wouldn't blame you," he replied. "Being lied to is bad enough, but going so far as to attempt to try to use you as what is essentially a political pawn? That's just unforgivable."

"Not to mention lying about my family history," she added with a sigh.

Yeah, that part had been a bit harder to hear for her.

As it turns out, the Cadenza family had not been even tangentially related to the Royal Family of the Crystal Kingdom. They were more a family of minor nobility...

...until one of her ancestors had tried to get her family to use their magic of love to try and "charm"[4] their way into the Royal Family in an attempt to put one of their future family members on the throne. For that, they had their names stricken out of the Noble Houses and were all but banished from the Crystal Kingdom.

"I don't know what's more insulting," Prince Diamond grumbled. "Her attempt to use you to take control of the Crystal Kingdom, or her thinking that the other houses of nobility would just let it happen. As it is, should I have perished we have contingences in place for that."

"I'm sure," she replied with a small smile. Her face then fell a bit as she asked "But you're sure King Sombra is going to attack Equestria?"

Prince Diamond nodded. "King Sombra will not be satisfied until he brings his terrible dream of an empire that spans all of Arcania to fruition. And honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if-"

Beep-Beep!

Pulling out a clear cube crystal, he asked "Yes, Garnet?"

A hologram appeared above the crystal that showed Garnet, where she smiled and said "The Rangers are in Manehattan fighting King Sombra's forces. I figured you and Miss Cadenza would like to watch it."

Prince Diamond looked at Cadance, who nodded. "Sure. Project it to us, please."

The crystal cube lit up before projecting a large hologram, showing the events occurring in Manehattan.

Almost immediately they saw the three Power Rangers jumping into the fray with swords drawn.

And they were doing a pretty good job of it too, to Cadance's amazement and a bit of delight.

Seeing how she seemed to be enjoying it, he asked "Should I call for some snacks?"

"Please," she replied, not taking her eyes off the projection.

Manehattan

Flash jumped back to avoid a slash from Insidiroar, who laughed and mockingly asked "Is dodging all you can do, Red?"

Smirking underneath his helmet, Flash threw his hand out and yelled "I cast FIREBALL!"

A fireball the size of a bowling ball appeared in the palm of his hand before shooting out towards the monster general.

But instead of dodging or deflecting it with his sword, Insidiroar simply stood there...

...and to Flash's shock, tanked the hit like it was nothing. It didn't even look like it singed his fur. "Uh oh."

Insidiroar laughed before striding forward, raising his sword as black energy ran along the edge. "Insolent child. I am the right hand general of our glorious leader, King Sombra. Compared to my power, your fire may as well be a candle. Allow me to demonstrate. SHADOW CLAW!!!"

He brought his sword down with great force, absolutely cloaked in black energy, which formed into a giant lion claw and blasted out towards Flash.

Not having enough time to dodge, the attack hit him full force and sent him flying away into the wall of a nearby building, his sword falling out of his grasp and impaling itself into the concrete.

Peeling himself off of the wall, Flash groaned. "Okay, that was definitely a lot stronger than I would've guessed."

To be fair, he IS King Sombra's top general. You should never underestimate your opponent, Flash. Volcanion chided.

He could definitely admit the draconic Guardian of Fire was right, and that he had definitely screwed up. "Yeah, got it."

Looking around, he saw his sword set in the concrete and Insidiroar standing between him and it. "Good luck fighting me without your sword," the cat demon said with a grin.

Flash smirked. "Good thing it's not my only sword. Dragonfire Saber!"

With the draconic broadsword in his hands, he got into his stance. "Alright, kitty. Let's go!"

Insidiroar laughed, before readying his sword. "Very well!"

While that was going on, Twilight and Thorax were dealing with the Ghouls as Skull Knight looked on and took note of their moves, attacks, and fighting styles.

Twilight blocked some sword strikes from the Ghouls before unleashing a wave of ice crystals from her sword that destroyed several of them. "That's twelve for me. How you doing, Thorax?"

"BEETLE BOLT!"

The large electric beetle blast wiped out a large chunk of the rest of them. "Twelve for me too," Thorax said, holding the Spark-Beetle Blaster with one hand. "We're dead even."

They both turned to see the last remaining Ghoul, who seemed frozen in terror. Twilight looked at Thorax and asked "Together?"

Putting the Spark-Beetle Blaster away and pulling out his Crystal Knight Sword. "Together."

The two charged forward and struck, their blades slicing through the last Ghoul in an X that caused it to dissipate into black smoke. "Still a tie," Twilight said. "But I'm cool with that."

"Hey, team effort," Thorax replied, before the both of them looked over at Skull Knight. "So, you gonna fight us or just stand there?"

Skull Knight laughed as he drew his sword. "Very well, Rangers. Since you took care of the foot soldiers so easily, allow me to give you a real challenge."

Deciding not to give him a chance to give them a challenge, Twilight teleported behind him and struck Skull Knight with her sword-

-only for him to summon a shield of bones and block it, sparks flying at the point of impact. "Nice try, Blue," he mocked. "But you're a few centuries too early." Before she could react he put his palm against her stomach and blasted her away with a blast of fire, sending her crashing through a few picnic tables.

Helping her up, Thorax asked "You okay?"

Twilight shook the stars out of her head, she nodded. "Yeah. But this guy's definitely stronger than the Ghouls."

Thorax nodded, summoning the Spark-Beetle Blaster. "Then we should probably bring out the big guns."

Conceding his point, Twilight put away her sword and summoning her Ragnarok Fangs. "Give me an opening?"

Thorax replied "Got it" before firing off several lightning shots at the Skull Knight. The shots were immediately blocked by the bone shield and did nothing, but they distracted Skull Knight long enough for Twilight to teleport behind him and attempted to strike him with her Fangs...

...only for Skull Knight to spin around, dodging more of the lightning shots while bringing his sword around and slashing Twilight across the chest, sparks flying off her suit where the sword struck. Skull Knight then backhanded her away, sending her crashing right into Thorax and knocking him to the ground. "Okay, that didn't work out too well," Thorax grumbled, helping Twilight up to her feet.

Twilight nodded. "Yeah." Activating the communicator function in her morpher, she said "Flash, we need some help with this guy."

"Little busy at the moment," Flash replied as he clashed the Dragonfire Saber against Insidiroar's own sword, red flames clashing against black shadows.

Insidiroar laughed before getting in his face. "You're strong, Red Ranger, but surely you realize you and your friends are doomed. Just like your foolish predecessors-"

"Will you just SHUT UP," Flash roared as his flames burned even brighter, burning the monster's eyes and forcing Insidiroar to look away.

This break in his concentration was enough for Flash to break the blade lock, before capitalizing on the opening and delivering a powerful slash from his flame coated sword, forcing Insidiroar back some. He quickly grabbed and pulled his Crystal Knight sword out of the ground, the fire now coating it as well, before spinning around and striking the gigantic cat demon with a powerful fiery X-shaped slash that sent him flying through the wall of a nearby condemned building.

Once he didn't get back up, Flash took off running towards the other battle. "I'm on my way guys. Hang in there!"

As he ran off, Insidiroar stirred before rising up again, a black X now burnt into his golden armor. He chuckled a bit before picking up his sword. "Fantastic. Perhaps THIS red ranger may give me a decent challenge."

Sadly you'll have to wait to see if he'll live up to your expectations.

Surprised, Insidiroar turned around to see a shadowy black portal appear behind him, showing their lair in Tartarus. While he didn't see King Sombra himself, he heard his voice. A bit confused, he asked "Master, are you sure? I can-"

You are nowhere near at your full strength yet, old friend, King Sombra replied. As much as I want those annoying Rangers removed from the game, I don't want you to get seriously injured or destroyed. Need I remind you how long it will take a powerful monster like you to reform in the Dark Pit?

He nodded, seeing the logic in his words. "Very well, Master. Have we at least gathered a substantial amount of fear for the Engine?"

There was a dark laugh from the other end of the portal, before he replied Come and see for yourself.

Insidiroar nodded before walking through the portal, it closing behind him in a flash of black light.

Skull Knight growled before throwing his hand forward and sending an attack of purple fire in the shape of a skull. "SKULL FLAME!"

Twilight threw up an ice barrier, but the attack was far stronger and melted it in seconds.

Unfortunately, this also gave the monster an opening, who threw a few smaller purple flames in the shape of bones. "BONE FLAME BARRAGE!"

Twilight and Thorax both did their best to deflect the bones with her Ragnarok Fangs and the Spark-Beetle Blaster, but eventually broke through their defenses and struck them. It wasn't as bad as it would've been, but it still pushed them back a bit and knocked the wind out of them.

Skull Knight laughed. "Looks like you Rangers are on your last legs. Now to-"

"DRAGONFIRE SLASH!"

The dragon-shaped wave of flames slammed into the monster, sending it flying away and crashing into a trash can.

Flash then ran to his friends. "Sorry I'm late."

"Honestly, you're just in time," Thorax replied, catching his breath.

Twilight nodded. "Yeah, this guy's a real pain in the behind. Especially with that shield."

Flash nodded, putting his Crystal Knight Sword away and readying his Dragonfire Saber. "Well, I've got an idea. Get ready to make a move when you see the opening."

"What's the opening," Thorax asked.

"Trust me," Flash said, readying his saber and coating it in red flames. "You'll know it when you see it."

Skull Knight got back to his feet and growled, summoning his bone shield and raising his bone sword. "That was a lucky shot."

"Luck had nothing to do with it, bonehead," Flash replied, raising his flaming sword up high. "But this next move, you can thank Insidiroar for showing me. DRAGON CLAW!!!"

Like with Insidiroar's Shadow Claw attack, the burning red flames formed into a claw, this one being similar to a dragon's. Skull Knight brought up his bone shield to defend himself...

...but the powerful fire attack reduced the shield to ashes, along with his entire left arm up to the shoulder.

Realizing this was their opening, Twilight teleported forward with the Ragnarok Fangs and got in close to attack, yelling "ICE WOLF LUNGE!!!" and plunging her daggers into his right arm and shoulder, freezing them solid. She then teleported back next to Thorax. "All yours, pal!"

"Got it," Thorax replied, already having his Spark-Beetle Blaster charged and ready, aiming it right at the frozen parts of the monster. BEETLE BOLT!

The lightning beetle smashed into the frozen parts of skull knight, shattering his right arm and leaving him completely dis-armed.[5]

Skull Knight roared in pain as that happened, about to swear his vengeance on the Rangers-

-until he saw the three Rangers with their Crystal Knight Swords, raised and glowing with their respective elements. "Um... mercy?"

The three Rangers shared a look, before Flash replied "Yeah... no. CRYSTAL KNIGHTS!"

"TRIPLE FINISH!"

All three of them brought their swords down, unleashing the attack and striking Skull Knight with the combined waves of fire, ice and lightning magic.

And with all of Equestria watching, the three Power Rangers struck a pose as Skull Knight fell forward, exploding once he hit the ground.

Tartarus

King Sombra, Insidiroar and Weaver looked at the Engine of Woes, with the three of them smiling (not that they could see it given King Sombra's lack of facial features.)

The reason for their joy was evident as they looked at the gigantic main crystal in the middle of the Engine of Woes was now filled with what seemed to be shadows, with black/purple lightning flashing within it. All of them could feel the evil energy emanating from the dark magic, as intoxicating as the sweetest Ponitalian wines.

Though as King Sombra noted by how wispy the smoke looked and the small amounts of lightning... It's only a small amount. Nowhere near enough to reform my body, restore us all to our previous strength, or to draw out the more powerful demons from the depths.

"That is true, Master," Insidiroar stated. "But perhaps Skull Knight can still fetch us more."

Weaver nodded, readying his magic staff. "Give me the order, my Lord."

King Sombra nodded, his voice radiating malicious glee. Do it, Weaver. Make my monster GROW![6]

Once the order was given Weaver raised his magic staff at the Engine of Woes' main crystal, his eight red eyes changing to black and purple. From there, he drew in some of the dark magic and compressed it into a black crystal that crackled with purple lightning. Once it was formed, Weaver spoke in a dark, evil language. "Fallen demon, by order of the king and the power of the Engine of Woes, I command you... ARISE!!!!"

With that, a small black portal opened above him and he fired the crystal through it...

Manehattan

...which shot down and struck the remains of Skull Knight (in this case being a piece of his bone armor.) The crystal then glowed and began expanding and growing, forming a giant statue of the fallen demon, before the crystals shattered and revealed a now giant Skull Knight. "I LIVE," he roared. "THANK YOU, MY LORD, FOR GIVING ME THIS SECOND CHANCE TO CRUSH THESE RANGERS!"

"Fat chance of that happening," Flash said, before looking to Twilight and Thorax. "You guys ready?"

"Oh yeah," Twilight replied.

Thorax nodded. "Always."

"Volcanion, ERUPT!"

"Fenrir, FREEZE!"

"Kabutomushi, STRIKE!"

As the Crystal Guardian Zords were teleported in, Skull Knight growled before firing off a Skull Flame at them. But Volcanion quickly batted it away with his right wing, sending it flying away outside of the city. Nice try, bonehead. But you should know better than to play with fire, lest you get BURNED!

To emphasize his point, he unleashed a powerful stream of red flames that pushed Skull Knight back, eliciting cries of pain.

Fenrir and Kabutomushi followed up on this, Kabutomushi blasting and shocking Skull Knight with lightning before Fenrir froze him in place with a stream of ice.

Though they noticed that Skull Knight was quickly started to break free.

"He's definitely stronger than the Reaper-Ghoul," Twilight noted. "Not by much, but still."

"Not to mention this guy's bigger size means his fire attacks could set whole buildings ablaze," Thorax added.

"Then let's not waste any time," Flash stated. "Crystal Guardians, form the Crystal Knight Megazord!"

Within seconds the three Crystal Guardians combined to form the giant mecha. CrystalKnightMegazord, READY!

The Rangers teleported in and plugged their swords into their consoles before taking combat stances, the Megazord following suit as Skull Knight finally broke free of the ice.

Seeing the giant robot, Skull Knight growled before summoning a giant bone sword. "YOU THINK THAT GIANT TIN CAN CAN DESTROY ME? I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL!"

"Like I said before," Flash replied. "Fat chance. Let's get him!"

The Megazord and Skull Knight both charged each other, their Dragon Sword clashing against his bone sword multiple times with sparks flying off during each impact. When Skull Knight went for an overhead strike, the Megazord blocked it with the Thunder Beetle Shield, before pushing it away and striking Skull Knight multiple times in the chest with the Dragon Sword.

"Thorax, wanna try a new attack," Flash asked.

"You know it," Thorax replied. "THUNDER BEETLE SMASH!"

The Thunder Beetle Shield coated itself in lightning before the Megazord threw a powerful left jab, ducking around Skull Knight's sword and slamming the electrified shield right into his face and delivering its electric payload, sending him skidding back.

"My turn," Twilight stated. "ICE WOLF HOWLER!"

The Megazord turned and aimed its right shoulder (AKA Fenrir's head) at Skull Knight, which opened up and unleashed a powerful stream of ice while making a sound similar to a wolf's howl. Skull Knight wasn't able to dodge, still dealing with the paralyzing electric attack, so he soon found himself coated in ice up to his neck and unable to move.

"Alright, let's finish this," Flash said. "Crystal Knight Ultra Sword!"

As he summoned the large broadsword, outside Skull Knight groaned. "I'D CLOSE MY EYES, BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY EYELIDS!"

The Rangers brought their swords up and then brought them down, yelling "Crystal Knight Megazord: TRIPLE SLASH!"

Unable to dodge, Skull Knight could do nothing but get annihilated by the slashes of fire, ice and lightning.

Once the attack was finished, Skull Knight slowly fell backwards and weakly said "THIS KNIGHT... HAS FALLEN..." before hitting the ground and exploding.

"Monster Vanquished," the Rangers cheered, raising their swords up in victory, the Megazord mimicking them.

Unbeknownst to the three heroes, the people of Manehattan (and most of Equestria via the news reporters) were watching, a bit of fear still present but mostly covered by awe and a bit of hope.

The Crystal Kingdom: Meeting Room

"Whoo! GO GO POWER RANGERS!"

Prince Diamond couldn't help but smile at seeing Cadance jumping and cheering. Looks like they've got their first fan.

Tartarus

"It seems that Skull Knight has failed," Insidiroar stated, kneeling before King Sombra's smoky form.

I figured this would happen. Seeing the surprised look on their faces, King Sombra continued Skull Knight may have been loyal and had his skills, but he lacked the sheer power necessary to crush the Rangers. Not to mention he underestimated them, which is the one thing we should never do. We may compare the Rangers and their allies to ants, but even a group of ants can take down a mighty lion.

"That is true," both Insidiroar and Weaver admitted.

Besides, we got what we were after. He floated towards the main crystal of the Engine of Woes, which now had slightly more smoke and lightning. While it still isn't enough to do everything we want it to, it's still enough to get us started. More Demons will be drawn out of the depths, and each attack will strike more fear into the hearts of the people...

"...and add more fuel for the fire," Insidiroar finished, laughing.

Exactly. If the Rangers destroy the Demons we send out, all the fear they gather gets transferred to the Machine upon their destruction. And if the Demons happen to kill one or more of the Rangers, then we have less headaches to deal with. Either way you look at it, we advance our goals. And in the end...

He looked at his reflection in the crystal, for the briefest of moments seeing the face of his restored form.

Victory. Shall Be. MINE!

The Crystal Kingdom

A few hours later (after the three Rangers teleported back to the Command Diamond and got showers) the group had rejoined Cadance and Prince Diamond once their meeting was officially over. They spent that time talking, with Twilight giving her cover story and explaining what she'd been doing since she got in Crystalia. Flash and Thorax chimed in from time to time, even giving the cover story of how all three helped defend Prince Diamond before the three Rangers arrived.

~~Though while the others didn't notice her seeing it, Cadance did notice that when Twilight used her magic to lift up a book, her Mage markings and aura were the same icy blue of the Crystal Knight Blue Ranger. She didn't say anything about it though, and nobody noticed the small smile she had.~~

"Well, it's good to see the Crystal Kingdom is in good hands," Cadance said, watching the airship sailors getting the ship ready to depart. Turning to the four of them, she continued "I appreciate you meeting with me. And I'm so sorry about what my auntie did one thousand years ago. Hopefully the medicine and supplies I'll be sending to you through the Healing Hearts Foundation will be able to help you."

Yeah, that was one of the things she and Prince Diamond discussed earlier. 1000 years had passed on the outside of the Crystal Kingdom's borders, which meant a lot of advances in medicine. Including vaccines and treatments that didn't exist back then, which made sense since some of the diseases they treated didn't exist 1000 years ago.

Along with that, while Tusk would awaken soon enough and could help their crops grow, it would take some time to get their food stores up to stuff. Especially since Crystalia wasn't the only city in the Crystal Kingdom.

As such the Healing Hearts Foundation, the nonprofit organization that Cadance ran, was going to finance and send aid to the Crystal Kingdom. Food, medical supplies and knowledge of how to use the treatments; all to try and help mend the damage done by Celestia's foolish actions (even if she did end up being right about it weakening Sombra.)

And because it was the right thing to do, but that went without saying.

Prince Diamond nodded with a smile. "I appreciate you wanting to help, Ms. Cadence."

"Please, call me Cadance," she cut him off, holding out her hand. "I'm pretty sure at this point we're friends."

He laughed a little before shaking her hand. "Yes, I suppose we are. Best of luck talking to your Auntie."

Cadance growled "Oh trust me, she and I are going to have a LONG discussion."

Flash whistled. "I'd sure hate to be Princess Celestia right now."

"I can literally feel the rage radiating off of her," Thorax added.

Twilight rolled her eyes before giving Cadance a hug. Cadance broke the hug, smiled and said "See you around, Twily."

"See you, sis," Twilight replied. "If you get a free day and you wanna just hang out, let me know."

Cadance giggled. "Of course." Seeing the ship was ready for departure, she smiled at them all and said "Well, be seeing you. Oh, and if you happen to meet the Power Rangers, let them know that they've got a fan."

She gave a smile and a wink at that, before walking up the gang plank onto the ship.

Once the ship was gone, Flash asked "Um, did that wink mean that she knows we're the Power Rangers?"

Twilight thought about it for a minute, before shrugging. "I don't think there's anything wrong with that. She's clearly not Celestia's biggest fan right now, and even if she was I know for a fact that she's no snitch."

"Probably helps that you two see each other as sisters," Thorax replied.

"True."

Prince Diamond chuckled and said "Either way, we have a friend and a possible ally. And as for what our three Rangers have accomplished today? Excellent work, you three."

They all gave their "Thank you"s, before Twilight asked "So, given how much fear King Sombra probably managed to get from the people of Manehattan, is he going to be sending stronger demons at us?"

"Sadly. But I don't think he'll be bringing out his heaviest hitters right off the bat. He'll need more dark magic to do that."

That was somewhat reassuring to the three of them, though they still felt a bit uneasy.

Sensing this, Prince Diamond said "Why don't you three go get some rest? After today I'd say you've all earned it."

The three of them shared a look, seemingly realizing just how spent they were. So they agreed, though before they left Flash said "If you do need us for anything, give us a call." He held up his camouflaged morpher and added "Ready and willing, 24/7" which the other Rangers nodded in agreement.

"And nobody appreciates that more than me," Prince Diamond replied. "But even heroes need their rest. Off you go."

As they left, he sighed before teleporting to the Command Diamond. Looking at Garnet he asked "Anything from Tusk and Hurricana?"

She nodded. "They just sent out their Guardian Crystals. Once they find their chosen, we'll go from there."

That was some good news. "Anything from Gojira?"

She shook her head. "Nothing yet, unfortunately. I think it's safe to assume that he's in his home in the Crystal Sea," she pointed to the nearby sea on the Crystal Kingdom's eastern coast. "But sadly the energy from that place makes it hard for my scanners to get a good idea on how well he's healing. As for Titano..."

Prince Diamond sighed, before pulling on a necklace around his neck...

...revealing a diamond Guardian Crystal, one that sadly had a lot of cracks on its face. "It's definitely not as cracked as it was when my father..." He couldn't finish the sentence, just shaking his head and continuing "Anyway, he's healing, but I don't think he's going to be ready for quite a while. Which means we won't be able to perform the Coronation Ceremony and I can't take my rightful place as the Crystal King."

"Not to mention you won't be able to morph into the Crystal King Ranger," Garnet added.

"Goes without saying," he replied. "Guess until Titano is healed and ready for action, I'll have to help however I can."

Garnet thought about it for a second before saying "Those three could use a good teacher in how to use their magic and swords to their fullest."

He smiled before looking over at his sword. "That, I can do."

Author's Note

[1] Yeah, I don't know if I brought this up in the first chapter, but while Thorax isn't huge, he's the tallest member of the groupso far at least standing a good half a head taller than Flash and Twilight.
[2] Yes, it's a play on the Nintendo Switch, just like Burger Kingdom mentioned earlier is a play on Burger King. I'm just having all sorts of fun with these names.
[3]

[4] You guys can probably guess what they mean by "charm." Don't act like you don't.
[5] I can just hear the groans from you guys as you read that pun. I will not apologize.
[6]

:rainbowlaugh:

So, I'm back. Episode 3 is here. Mostly exposition for the villains' motivations and hinting at future events. Plus, introducing Cadance, who will become much more important later. Trust me.

And of course our scheduled dosage of Celestia-bashing, now recommended by four out of five doctors!

Next time, Episode 4: The New Knights.

Until next time, May the Power Protect You.