//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: Galaxy Rangers: The Movie - Shocker Crisis! // by Rixizu //------------------------------// Galaxy Rangers: The Movie - Shocker Crisis! Chapter 9 by Rixizu “Trixie…” Rarity pulled Twilight’s leg to prevent her from going to her friend’s rescue. Yes, she knew it was impulsive and would likely fail, but Twilight couldn’t help herself. The world needed Trixie. She needed Trixie. Ever since she first met the silly mare back in the prison cell, being with her felt right and now she was abandoning somepony she considered a best friend. “Twilight, we’ll rescue her!” Rarity looked Twilight right into her eye. “But for now, we need to escape.” “Are you coming?” Twilight Velvet asked impatiently, ignorant of her daughter’s plight. Twilight took a deep breath and nodded. She rescued Trixie once, she could do it again. Still, why did she have a nasty sick feeling in her stomach? “Oh dear, where’s Trixie?” Fluttershy asked as they approached their getaway van. They’d stolen it from Truth Assessor’s Cheerilee’s house. Trixie’s idea. She had an impressive talent for breaking into things. “We’ll explain later,” Twilight replied, taking another long look back at the prison. “Drive!” They rushed into the vehicle and drove off right as the Combatponies following them. Twilight drove through a checkpoint’s barrier as Shocker goons followed them on motorcycles. She attempted to drive them off the road, but they expertly dodged her attempts. The Combatponies got bolder and one jumped on top of the van, stabbing through the roof with her sword. “Oh dear! Oh dear!” Fluttershy bit at her hoof as she hugged her animal friends and hunkered down, narrowly avoiding the blade’s tip. Rarity’s mouth formed into a grim line and sweat rained down Twilight’s brow. The only one not nervous was Twilight Velvet, who appeared bored, as usual. “Stay still, darling.” Rarity opened the window and peered out. “I’ll handle this.” Without another word, she jumped out of the vehicle and boarded the roof. “Is she crazy?!” Twilight screamed as a Combatpony broke her left window with a club aiming for her head. She ducked as another one rode up and tried to skewer her with a spear. The pony with the club screamed as the Combatpony from the roof landed on her, spinning her motorcycle out of control. Much to Twilight’s amazement, Rarity jumped off the roof and landed on the back of the motorcycle of the Combatpony with the spear. She gave the stunned pony a friendly wave before throwing him off his vehicle. Two Combatponies remained, refusing to back down. One broke off to fight Rarity while the other brandished a crossbow and aimed an arrow right at Twilight’s head. Twilight winced as the arrow flew past her ear, giving her a nasty cut. “What a bother.” Twilight Velvet said before shooting a beam out the window and the poor Combatpony flew off his bike into a street sign. Rarity fought the last Shocker goon with one hoof while controlling the bike with the other. The Combatpony attempted to grab the reins of the bike to force Rarity to crash, but she knocked her hoof away. This distraction allowed Twilight to smash the truck into the bike’s rear, throwing it off the road. Twilight and Fluttershy gave a collective sigh of relief as the Combatponies disappeared into the distance. “I hope you’re planning to ditch this vehicle soon.” Twilight Velvet said. “They know what it looks like.” The obvious dents on the bumper and the broken windows didn’t help either. “Already on it!” Twilight drove into an empty parking lot and stopped the truck. Waiting for them in a coin locker were disguises. Twilight removed her sneaking suit and put on the disguise. Her mom put on the trench coat and sunglasses, amused. They had nothing for Rarity, but she promised to stay in the shadows. They slipped away in the opposite direction after Twilight had determined the coast was clear. “Starlight, we’re almost home,” Twilight whispered in her comm. Nopony was in sight, but she wasn’t taking any chances. “How’s the research coming along?” Moments passed, but she got no reply. She tried again to similar results and Twilight’s blood turned cold. Had Inquisitor Doo recognized Twilight and sent goons to her apartment? She explained the situation to the others, telling them to hold back while she explored her apartment. Her trepidation grew as she noticed her front door was slightly ajar. Twilight’s heart raced as she approached the door. From the crack in the door, she saw her apartment was a mess with papers thrown everywhere and her coffee table was on its side. Twilight gathered energy on the tip of her horn as she threw open the door. The sight that greeted her wasn’t what she’d expected. “Oh, hi Twilight!” Pinkie threw her a wave. She stood over an unconscious Starlight who she’d tied up with rope. Fluttershy’s animal friends stood around glaring at the pink mare. “Pinkie?” Twilight jaw dropped in complete bafflement. “I caught this evil book thief!” Pinkie explained. “She broke into your apartment to continue her evil literature-based stealing deeds!” “Uh, Twilight?” Starlight said drowsily as she regained consciousness. “Judo chop!” Pinkie struck Starlight in the head, returning her to unconsciousness. “Pinkie, she’s my friend!” Twilight supposed friend wasn’t the right word. After all, it was Starlight’s fault Shocker took over the world, but they were still allies, she supposed. Pinkie blinked in confusion and gasped. “Twilight, have you fallen to evil? You used to be such a nice pony and now you are book thieving?!” “No, yes, not really,” Twilight replied, “It wasn’t my idea. She did it on her own.” “Um, what’s happening?” Fluttershy peeked her head through the door. She screamed as she spotted Pinkie darted back outside. “Come back, Flutters, she’s a friend!” Twilight said. “It’s all a misunderstanding!” “Oh dear, what a mess.” Rarity said as she entered. Her mom entered next, but the scene gave her no real reaction. “Gasp! Aren’t you Rarity the rebel?” Pinkie asked in equal parts amazement and admiration. “She’s helping me fight Shocker. Starlight too.” Twilight said. “It’s a long story.” “Oh!” Pinkie slammed her hoof against the other one. “And the book stealing is the dirty anti-hero deed needed to fight evil!” “I… guess.” Twilight decided it was the best explanation. Pinkie’s ears flattened and she looked down, ashamed. “Oh, uh, maybe I shouldn’t have called the authorities. Sorry.” “What?!” “Okay, what’s going on here?” A bored mare said. A gold pegasus with a light cyan mane in a black uniform entered the apartment followed by several Combatponies. She froze and gaped when she spotted Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight Velvet. “You’re the escapees!” The official said in astonishment. “Why me?” Twilight put her hooves in her face. “I’m super sorry to call you Captain Raindrops. It turns out it was all one silly misunderstanding!” Pinkie forced a smile and a laugh. Captain Raindrops’ eyes widened, seeing the papers that stood at her hooves. They were the first drafts of the Lux article Twilight planned to release after she rescued her mother with Trixie. “You’re Lux!” Raindrops pointed an accusatory hoof towards Twilight. Pinkie brightened and bounced with excitement. “Wow, you’re Lux, Twilight? That’s so cool! Rainbow will flip!” “Cats out of the bag now.” Twilight sighed, finding no way to salvage this situation. Captain Raindrops pulled out a radio. “I’ve found the fug…” Rarity interrupted her, kicking the radio out of her hoof, smashing it to pieces. “Sorry, Darling, but I can’t allow you to invite any more friends.” She said. “Foal!” Raindrops smirked. “They already know my location. They’re already sending reinforcements!” Rarity sighed dramatically. “Oh well.” “We need to get out of here!” Twilight used her magic to grab the moon teleportation research and stuff it into a battered set of saddlebags. “You aren’t going anywhere!” Raindrops sent a punch in Twilight’s direction which she blocked with her saddlebag. The rest of the Combatponies engaged Rarity and Pinkie. Fluttershy hid under a table while Twilight Velvet calmly picked up the research Twilight had missed and read it. Raindrops proved a capable opponent by pushing Twilight back. Her hooves stung from blocking the captain’s blow. This mare was strong. She was so focused on exchanging blows with Raindrops she missed the unconscious Starlight and tripped over her. Raindrops smiled in triumph, sending a devastating blow towards her throat. In a panic, Twilight used her magic to lift the closest thing next to her to block it. Unfortunately, that thing was Starlight Glimmer. “Oops, sorry,” Twilight said sheepishly after realizing what she’d done. Starlight grunted in pain before returning to consciousness. She groaned in pain and weakly raised her head, still caught in Twilight’s aura. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the scene of utter chaos in Twilight’s apartment. “What the heck is happening?” Starlight exclaimed, struggling in her bonds. Raindrops pulled a baton from her belt and brandished it with obvious skill. “A living nightmare I would assume.” She whipped it towards Starlight’s head and Twilight threw the captive mare across the room to safety. Starlight moaned in pain as she impacted a wall, but was otherwise unharmed. Twilight turned her attention towards the Shocker captain, dodging a flurry of blows. She broke through Raindrops’ defenses, delivering a blow of her own to the captain’s, but the mare didn’t even seem surprised by it. A blow to Raindrops’ head had a similar lack of effect. “Yes, yes, interesting.” Twilight Velvet stepped aside, still reading her book, ignoring everything around her. Twilight dodge a blow to her head and her mom ducked as another wild swing came towards her. Sweat formed on Twilight’s face as Raindrops pushed her into a corner, a victorious smile on her face. Frustrated, Twilight grabbed a nearby lamp, smashing it into Raindrops’ head with her magic, but still, the mare gave no outward appearance of pain. “I’m an elite member of Shocker, a prissy little journalist is no match for somepony like me.” Twilight saw stars as Raindrops’ truncheon impacted her head. “Twilight!” Fluttershy cried out, rushing to her friend’s aid. “3351, don’t worry. Your turn will come soon enough.” Captain Raindrops’ tone was icy. Fluttershy trembled, but she shielded Twilight’s body, refusing to let the captain hurt the prone mare any longer. “No, I won’t let you hurt her!” Fluttershy said, scared but resolute. She flinched as the club came towards her head, but a powerful aura stopped it in mid-swing. “Enough.” Raindrops cried in surprise as the magical aura grabbed her, throwing her through Twilight’s dinner table, shattering it. The captain winced as she returned to her hooves, but buckled as a power stun beam smashed into her. Twilight Velvet stood protectively in front of her daughter, her mouth in a firm line. “Enough, stop being a bother.” Twilight Velvet said. “I can’t allow you to damage my daughter any further.” Raindrops shakily rose to her legs, but Twilight’s mom grabbed her with her magic and threw her across the room. Twilight’s computer shattered on impact, and it left a heavy dent in the drywall. This still didn’t stop the stubborn mare, and Raindops rose back to her hooves. She backed away when she realized that Rarity and Pinkie had defeated her Combatponies and took another step back as Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie surround her. The captain found herself outnumbered, not liking the odds. “This isn’t over.” Without a warning, she flew through a nearby window and glass exploded everywhere. Twilight examined the mess of her room and sighed. “There goes my apartment.” “You are so not getting your deposit back.” Pinkie said. “Pinkie, sorry for getting you involved in this.” Twilight gave her friend a forlorn look. “Ah shucks, it’s fine Twilight.” Pinkie replied, not bothered by the fact she was a wanted criminal now. “Those Shocker baddies had it coming. Sides, with Trixie on our side, how can we lose?” Twilight winced at Trixie’s name. “Trixie got captured.” “Oh.” Somehow her hair deflated with her mood. “Believe me, darling, we’re getting her back.” Rarity said. “Right!” Fluttershy nodded her head. “But, what do we do now?” Starlight winced as they untied her, but seemed fine otherwise. “We lost our sanctuary! They’ll be here at any moment!” “Oh my!” Fluttershy trembled and cuddled up with her animal friends. With a word, Twilight Velvet gathered the wreckage of Twilight’s computer and tinkered with it. She borrowed Twilight’s toolset, creating some bizarre new device. “You said you were planning to go to the moon.” Twilight Velvet said, not turning away from her work. “I take we aren’t planning to live in the vacuum of space?” “Twilight told us about a hidden castle that once belonged to Corona.” Twilight looked through her papers and found the one that had the exact coordinates of the castle. Powerful illusion magic protected it, but Trixie had found it, much to Twilight’s amazement. She hoofed over the sheet to her mother who read it with a single glance. “The moon, huh?” Pinkie bounced with excitement. “Who’s this?” He whispered in Twilight’s ear. “It’s my mother, Twilight Velvet. Shocker kept her prisoner for many years.” “Really?!” Pinkie bounced up to Twilight’s mom and extended a hoof. “Hi, Twilight’s mom. I’m Pinkie Pie!” Several awkward moments passed with Twilight Velvet acting like Pinkie didn’t even exist. Pinkie gave up and bounced back to Twilight’s side. “She’s very shy.” Pinkie whispered. “She’s, uh, not what I expected,” Fluttershy added meekly, acting like this statement might ruin their friendship. “Can she actually do this?” Starlight stared at the cobbled-together contraption Twilight’s mom had created. Now Twilight Velvet was taking apart Twilight’s TV for parts. “Teleport to the moon was well beyond me.” “Yeah, she’s not what I expected either…” Her mom had this strange disconnect with everyone and everything. Twilight remembered her mother as a kinder person than this. Still, despite her strange behavior, it was clear she still loved her daughter. Had the years in prison had hardened her heart? Hopefully the more Twilight Velvet hanged out with her friends; the more she would open up. “She’s still the greatest genius I’ve ever seen,” Twilight said with the utmost confidence, “and her magic is amazing!” “No.” Twilight Velvet replied. “Huh?” Twilight blinked. “Little Spark, your magic is far stronger than mine.” Twilight’s mom said. “You still haven’t learned to focus it and use it as efficiently as possible. You must never waste a single joule of energy. Magic or otherwise.” It made sense. Her mom didn’t waste a single moment and used her magic when it would be the most effective. Pride bloomed in Twilight’s heart. Her mom was pretty awesome. She just wished she was less robot-like. “Um, guys,” Fluttershy said peering out the door, “Shocker is coming with monsters and everything!” “Huh, they work fast.” Pinkie said. “You have to admire their enthusiasm!” “Any time now!” Starlight peered at the contraption, hoping and praying it would bring them to safety. Instead of reassuring everypony, Twilight Velvet worked on her creation with no real hurry or urgency. “We’re doomed!” Fluttershy hid under her hooves. Twilight refused to give up hope and peered out the door towards the large collection of Combatponies and monsters. Raindrops led them, wearing a sneer on her muzzle. “You have nowhere to run!” Raindrops said. “Please don’t surrender. I’ll enjoy beating the stuffing out of you!” Pinkie rolled her eyes and peered out behind Twilight. “Ponies don’t have stuffing, silly! They have blood and guts and stuff!” “It doesn’t matter, you’re dead, all of you!” Raindrop growled. “Have you ever thought of getting counseling?” Pinkie replied. “You have some real anger issues.” “Get them!” Raindrops said, growing tired of the verbal sparring and her miniature army charged the apartment complex. “You’ve only made things worse!” Starlight exclaimed. “We could have stalled for more time!” “It doesn’t make me any less wrong.” Pinkie shook her head. “Twilight, we should do an article about Shocker’s negligence of the mental health of their employees! They’re so angry all the time!” “Maybe later, Pinkie!” Twilight used her magic and blocked the front door with whatever she could find. Again, her mother wasn’t in any rush to save them from their predicament. Twilight and Starlight threw their bodies against the pile of junk, hoping it would buy them precious seconds. Rarity and her sonic needle was helping Twilight Velvet carrying out the older mare’s instructions. Twilight lost her grip as the mound was moved by a tremendous force. Starlight wasn’t so lucky, and her face impacted the floor. With gritted teeth, Twilight used her magic and strength to hold back the monsters pounding on the other side. She felt her concentration waver and the door exploded, sending shattered wood everywhere. Raindrops entered first, her face triumphant. “It’s over.” “Hold tight.” Twilight let out a cry of surprise as her mom grabbed her with her magic and gripped her against the strange device. Twilight Velvet had dragged everypony towards her and pressed random buttons on Twilight’s keyboard. Fluttershy cried out to her animal friends who joined them, for Twilight’s mom had forgotten about them. Raindrops’ face lit up in horror and realization. “Hurry, don’t…” She didn’t finish as Twilight’s room disappeared in shining sparkles. Twilight dropped on the ground, her head ringing something fierce, and she moaned, trying to find her bearings. After dusting herself off, she stood up and looked around and the sight that greeted her took her breath away. She stood on a plain of grey as far as the eye could see, dead and barren, but also beautiful. In the sky were more stars than she’d ever seen on Earth and she couldn’t help but laugh, enjoying the majesty of it all. She grabbed at her throat when she realized that she shouldn’t be breathing, but somehow she was. “There is a mile-long pocket of air around us.” Twilight Velvet explained. Behind her, Twilight’s friends were recovering, also taken aback by the moon’s sights. Pinkie bounced around even more than normal, enjoying the weightlessness of the moon’s 16.7 percent of Earth’s gravity. Not far was the castle Trixie described, and she found herself impressed. It rivaled the pictures of what she’d seen of the old Canterlot castle before it got destroyed with the rest of Canterlot. It took some effort, but they pushed the front door open and gapped at what they found inside. “My, Princess Celestia had a fabulous taste in décor.” Rarity peered at the multitude of priceless paintings that decorated the walls. She grimaced at the amount of dust that lined everything. “Though it might require a little spring cleaning.” Pinkie sneezed after Rarity accidentally blew dust into her face. “No kidding. Think the princess left any cleaning supplies? It’s ain’t going to be easy cleaning a thousand years of dust!” Fluttershy brightened. “I can help!” She sent her animal friends to explore around and see if they could find anything. “I’m shocked Shocker has never found this place.” It bogged Twilight’s mind how big this place was. The princess built this place in secret? “It will suit my needs well.” A rare smile came to her mother’s lips. “Now, where did your mom run off to?” Starlight asked. They found in the library and Twilight salivated at the rare and ancient tomes that lined the shelves. Twilight let out a squeal of excitement when she realized she didn’t recognize many of the authors. Better yet, Celestia had kept her library orderly using an ancient version of the Dewey Decimal System. A mare after her own heart! Twilight Velvet was reading an old tome about grasshoppers. “What’s that?” Twilight didn’t recognize the author, and the book appeared ancient. “It’s by Astral Starlight.” Much to Twilight’s surprise, her mother turned away from her reading and addressed her daughter, a serious expression on her face. “He was an ancient pioneer of biological evolution. I’ve always admired him.” Twilight’s eyes widened and her heart raced. The stallion’s name was unknown to her. What a discovery! “But why grasshoppers?” Starlight asked. “He surmised that grasshoppers had hidden abilities that ponies don’t know about.” Twilight Velvet replied. “Enhanced senses, regeneration of limbs, telepathically communication, clairvoyance, and precognition. He believed that the grasshopper could allow a pony to surpass God.” Silence. Fluttershy nodded with enthusiasm. “I’ve always thought those little guys had more to them than everypony expects. Ponies are always so mean to them. Shooting pesticides everywhere, making it difficult for them to live their lives in peace! Horrible!” “That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.” Starlight said after regaining her composure. “Well…” Rarity’s voice trailed off. Twilight forced a smile. “You have to admit it sounds a little farfetched.” This guy was a pioneer? I’ve heard pseudoscience theories with more plausibility! Pinkie giggled. “Yeah, it seemed pretty silly.” Twilight Velvet put the tome away. “While exaggerated, I believe his theories have some merit. I based Cadance’s Heart Driver off of them.” She frowned. “Though I didn’t tap into the grasshopper’s potential as much as I’d like. It was only a minimal success.” Twilight’s eyes boggled. “You designed Cupido’s belt?” “You can make one for Twilight!” Starlight brightened with hope. “She can use it to fight Shocker!” Everypony else joined in this promising new hope. Twilight Velvet looked Twilight directly in the eyes. “Do you want this?” “I do.” Twilight didn’t hesitate. She needed to rescue Trixie, no matter the cost. Twilight Velvet smiled. “Good! As I would expect from my daughter. When I had Shining Armor, he proved to be such a disappointment. He had powerful magical potential, but was mentally stunted. It made me think choosing Night Light had been a waste of time as my ideal genetic mate. But you, Little Spark, have surpassed my every expectation.” Twilight took a step back, unable to comprehend what she’d just heard. She only married her father for his genes? Impossible! What was she to her mother? An experiment? No, it couldn’t be true! And how could she say that about her own son?! Had she misjudged her all along? The smile. Her mother couldn’t have made that loving smile if she believed all that, right? “It’s time to begin.” Twilight Velvet’s horn glowed a brilliant cerise. “You become something beyond Shocker, the Princesses, everything! You will be the perfect being!” Before anypony could stop her, a magical shock erupted from her horn and threw everypony aside. Twilight crashed to the ground and found her vision turning black, unable to keep her eyes open.' “Please, don’t do this.” Twilight pleaded. Twilight Velvet stroked her daughter’s face as she lost consciousness. “My Little Spark, my perfect creation.”