Galaxy Rangers: The Movie - Shocker Crisis!

by Rixizu

Chapter 13

Galaxy Rangers: The Movie - Shocker Crisis!
Chapter 13
by Rixizu

The Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor, yawned as he walked through the lazy streets of Canterlot. Despite Corona and her evil hoard being on the loose, Equestria was peaceful and happy. He, of course, played a huge part in squashing evil whenever it reared its ugly head, not unlike his favorite druid/ranger character in Ogres & Oubliettes. He smiled as a colt waved at him as he passed. The royal guards were always beloved by the citizenry for their service to the crown.

“One carrot dog please.” His sister and mother always teased him for his sloppy and lazy eating habits, but he was a young bachelor and could eat anything he wanted. The vender had just passed the bun towards him when an explosion rang through the city causing him to drop it.

Shining turned, eyes widening in horror as a flaming train sped towards Canterlot’s train station out of control. His lunch forgotten, he ran towards the station hoping and praying to Luna he wasn’t too late.

“Hold on!” Shining’s horn blazed with light and he summoned a shield to protect the citizenry as the train derailed, tearing through everything in its path. Ponies fled in fear and panic and Shining worried somepony might get trampled to death.

“Gah!” Shining screamed when a several thousand-ton train crashed into his shield. The pain of holding back the wreckage was unbearable, threatening to break through his shield at any moment. If it broke… No, Shining wouldn’t allow that, and gritting his teeth doubled and then doubled again the amount of energy and magic he was producing.

Somehow the train came to a halt, falling to its side. The tracks and large sections of the platform were torn to pieces, but nopony got run over and he saw only minor injuries. Already he heard EMTs coming to help, but he walked towards the train to investigate. Shining had taken several first aid classes and could treat most non-threatening injuries on-site. His legs wobbled from the intense ordeal and the magic he expended, but he remained resolute.

“Dear Luna, I can’t believe we survived that!” An irritating familiar voice poking her head out from the back car.

“Trixie, what’s going on?” Shining’s voice held accusation. “Is this your fault?”

“Why would you think I had anything to do with this?” Trixie replied, annoyed. For some reason, she wore a terrible Nightmare Night skeleton costume.

“I don’t know, a terrible train crash occurs and you just happen to be around?” He noticed Trixie stood amongst the epicenter of the fire damage, confirming his suspicions.

Trixie opened her mouth to give a scathing retort when another familiar voice spoke. “Dear Shocker, what happened? Did somepony catch the license plate on that car?”

“Twilight?” Shining gapped as his little sister exited the train sporting a nasty bump on her head also wearing the bizarre skeleton costume.

“Shining!” Twilight exclaimed in happiness and excitement. “Thank Shocker you’re here. We have a situation.”

“Thank Shocker?” Shining noticed his sister’s new manecut. Since when was his sister this fashionable?

“Look, there isn’t time to explain. I need to get to the castle. The fate of Equestria rides in the balance!”

“Trixie, what are you babbling about?” He’d forgotten how annoying and shrill the Princess’s student could be.

“Damn you, Trixie.” Said a seething voicing climbing from the wreckage. This pony wore strange armor and a pony in a red robe joined him. “You never cease to be an irritant!”

“It’s what I’m best at! Run!” Trixie ran at top speed away from the strange ponies and Shining found himself being pulled along by his sister’s magic.

“After them!” The armored pony said and a bunch of ponies dressed like skeletons popped out the train and chased after them.

“What the hay is going on?!” Shining increased his pace. These guys outnumbered them greatly, and protecting his sister took top priority.

“They’re an evil Organization from another universe bent on world domination,” Trixie replied.

“What?” Shining didn’t comprehend a single word of that sentence.

“And I’m not your Twilight, but it’s still nice to meet you BBBFF!” Twilight added.

Why did Trixie always bring insanity and disaster wherever she went? It was her fault his sister had been on the run for months, but that hardly mattered at the moment.

“You aren’t going anywhere!” A pony with a black beret flew before them, blocking their path. Shining’s jaw dropped as the pony changed shape, becoming a bizarre mismatch of a pony and a giant flying squirrel. “Call me Flying-Squirdle. I will be your death.”

“What the hay?!” Trixie exclaimed, astonished. “Shocker has monsters?”

“Get behind me!” Trixie didn’t protest as Shining pushed her behind him. Whatever this creature was, he’d protect the citizens from harm, even Trixie. The squirrel pony thing seemed amused at his bravado. He cursed as the skeleton goons caught up to them, blocking their escape.

“Don’t worry, BBBFF, I got this.” Twilight pulled out a golden belt and attached it to her waist.

“No, it’s too dangerous!” Shining said, alarmed.

“So, you must be that Lux I’ve heard so much about,” Flying-Squirdle said laughing. “Shocker will reward me greatly when I bring in your head!”

“Lux?” Trixie said, astonished.

“Henshin!” Shining eyes boggled as golden armor formed around his sister.

“Okay, that’s different,” Trixie said nonplussed.

Shocker goons jumped his sister who fought them off with impressive skill, staying ahead of their attacks and the range of their weapons. Trixie ducked and hid behind a trash can, hoping to not draw attention to herself. Shining ran to her sister’s side, using his shield to protect her from the swarm of Shocker goons. He knew they were in a desperate battle, for the enemy outnumbered them greatly and Trixie was a useless coward. Twilight screamed in pain as Flying-Squirdle flew towards her and racked her with his claws.

“Twilight!” Shining punched a goon into a wall and summoned a shield to blast three other bad guys away.

The monster came around for another swipe and Twilight dodged, rolling to safety. Goons surrounded her but were blown away as light gathered around her right hoof creating a sword of light. Flying-Squirdle came down to strike her from behind, but Twilight was ready for him and jumped out of the way, striking the membrane of the parachute it used to fly around. He crashed to the ground squirming in pain howling in rage as he regained his hoofing. Claws extended from his paws and he sent vicious swipes towards his sister. One caught her armor and sparks flew from the wound, but she dodged the next attack. Flying-Squirdle screamed as Twilight slashed him with her sword.

“Having a bit of bother?” A newcomer's body slammed into Twilight and she crashed into a wall, crying out in pain. They showed themselves revealing a bizarre starfish pony creature with red scaly skin. “Don’t worry Flying-Squirdle, I’ve got your back!”

“Thanks, Starfinjer!” Flying-Squirdle leaped in with a swipe of his claws which Twilight dodged returning with a swipe of her own weapon which the monster avoided. He couldn’t fly, but still retained much of his agility. “I owe you one!”

Shining swung at the starfish monster with a double hoof blow from behind, but his attack only bounced off his tough skin. He punched the creature again to a similar effect and received a blow to the face for his troubles.

“Shining!” Twilight cried, enraged, blocking Starfinjer’s advance with her body. The monster seemed unafraid as they confronted his sister. They didn’t even dodge as Twilight swung her sword across their torso, causing no visible effect. Twilight cried in pain as Starfinjer’s body-slammed her through a wall. Ponies in the shop backed away in fear as the costumed pony and the monster circled each other.

Flying-Squirdle sent a claw swipe towards Twilight’s head which she dodged and tried to return the favor with a swipe with her sword, but Starfinjer body-slammed her from her blind spot and crashed through several racks of clothes.

A barrier formed before his sister and a body slam from the starfish monster sent him reeling. What were these Shocker ponies? A slash from Flying-Squirdle and another body slam crashed against his shield, weakening him even further, but he refused to surrender. Thankfully, his sister had recovered her wits and stalked their opponents. Under her helmet, his sister muttered to herself like she did whenever she was working out a difficult problem. She gripped her sword with both hooves and charged and Shining dropped his shield. Flying-Squirdle leaped high into the air, dodging her attack. Starfinjer attacked her from behind with a swipe of their fin, but Twilight ducked out of the way. She retaliated with an attack from behind with a two hoofed gripped strike, but her sword only bounced off their shell again. The flying squirrel monster attacked her from behind, but a well-placed shield spell stopped it.

“I’ll have to bring out the big guns!” Twilight extinguished her sword and jumped into the air. “Photonic Burning Rider Kick!” Her leaping kick only bounced off the monster’s skin once again.

His sister grunted in frustration. “How are you still standing?”

Starfinjer pounded their chest. “I was created from an ancient starfish fossil; my skin has hardened so nothing can pierce it. You fight the inevitable, Rider.”

Twilight punched the starfish monster so hard they stumbled back several steps, and she continued to punch them with everything she had. Still no visible effect, but it kept the creature off-balanced. Shining used his shield again to block Flying-Squirdle from interfering, causing him to turn his full attention towards the guard captain. The flow of Shocker goons forced him to abandon protecting Twilight and created a shield around himself.

Too many of them.

“Shining!” Twilight punched Starfinjer so hard they crashed through a wall divider, allowing her to jump to Shining’s aid. The goons attacked her with various weapons, but she weaved through their attacks with well-placed punches, knocking them out cold. Flying-Squirdle leaped towards her, claws extended, but she flipped him over her sending him crashing to the ground.

“Photonic Burning Rider Kick!” The blow landed home and unlike the star creature, this monster’s hide didn’t protect him. Flying-Squirdle exploded from the force of the kick, causing the nearby goons to scatter in terror.

“Flying-Squirdle!” Starfinjer roared in rage, leaping towards Twilight with his punishing body slam. It sent her flying, but she regained her hoofing fast.

“Photonic Burning Rider Punch!” Starfinjer staggered but seemed unharmed.

“No matter how many times to try that against me, it won’t work!” Starfinjer sneered and cried in pain as a crack formed where Twilight had punched him.

“Your skin might be almost indestructible, but I contain the power of a thousand suns!” Twilight leaped into the air again. “Photonic Burning Rider Kick!” Starfinjer’s shell shattered and they exploded.

“That was a close one.” Twilight untransformed. Any of the goons who remained conscious had fled after seeing their monsters destroyed.

“That was amazing, Twi!” Shining said wide-eyed. His sister had to be as powerful as one of the princesses!

Twilight flushed at the compliment. “Thanks, BBBFF! Let’s find Trixie.” Shining scowled but said nothing.

They looked for several moments but found no trace of the princess’s student, which didn’t surprise him one bit. They found a letter taped to the trash can Trixie had hidden behind.

Hey guys, sorry but I can’t stay, but the princess needs me. She’s in terrible danger! You’re beefy strong ponies, you can handle those badies no problem! I’m not doing this because I’m a coward. It is the most pragmatic option possible considering the circumstances. I don’t want to hear any lip from you Shining Armor when we meet up again. I’m helping in my own way.

Love,

Trixie.

P.S. Twilight, why are you dressed like a bad guy? Really, a golden sun based superhero? How tacky is that? You might not know this, but only evildoers in my world dress in golden colors. It’s the color of the evil and vile Corona for Luna’s sake! Think about fixing this oversight as soon as possible.

P.P.S. Again, no Shining, I’m not being a coward. Bravery comes in many forms and mine happens to be far away from the scary monster with sharp deadly claws.

P.P.P.S. Oh, I almost forgot. Please find Pokey. I kinda, sorta, forgot about him in the excitement. I’m sure he’s somewhere around here. He dressed as a Combatpony. I hope he didn’t get too hurt in the train crash. Nah, he’s fine. I can’t imagine anything bad happening to him.

Shining scowled. Typical Trixie. The fact Equestria’s safety depended on her often gave him many sleepless nights. At least Trixie was warning the princess.

“Good thinking, Trixie!” Twilight beamed with pride. “Always so thoughtful and smart!”

Oh, brother! Shining facehoofed.

“Uh, do I really look evil?” Twilight gave him a concerned expression.

Shining hesitated. He wanted to avoid pointing out how evil his sister looked in her armor, worried he might hurt her feelings. He cursed Trixie’s typical tactlessness. As long as anypony could remember, black, Luna’s color was the color of good and right. While gold, the color of the vile Corona, was the color of evil and everything wrong. It wasn’t unusual for villains in stories to wear gold or white to indicate how they were the bad guys. He’d known ponies who were bullied for having a gold coat. Why had his sister wearing such evil colors, anyway? After moments of consideration, he forced a smile, preparing to lie through his teeth.

“Absolutely not!” Shining replied. “That’s just an old mare’s tale. Nopony really cares about that old superstition.”

Twilight sighed in relief. “Shocker are the bad guys here. I wouldn’t want any confusion.”

“Still, have you considered getting a paint job? Trixie’s right, gold is really tacky. And maybe not mention having the power of a thousand suns. Ponies might take it the wrong way.”

Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but froze as an explosion echoed through the city and they turned to discover smoke coming from the castle.

“Oh, ponyfeathers!” Twilight ran towards the castle, their conversation forgotten and Shining chased after her. It surprised him how little the desperate run had worn her out. Unlike him, she didn’t even seem out of breath. He bumped into her when she suddenly stopped.

“What is it?”

“Shining, I know you’re not my real brother, but I’m glad to be fighting alongside you,” Twilight said. This fact still boggled the mind.

“Anything for my little sister, my world or not,” Shining replied, “if we get through this, you can tell me all about your Shining Armor. Though I doubt he’ll be as cool and dashing as me.” They exchanged a laugh before running into battle.

“I hope we can find this Pokey pony amongst the confusion. Do you know what he looks like?”

---

The doors burst open as Trixie used her magic to push through them. Nearby guards yelled at her, demanding an explanation, but she ignored them, spotting an annoyed-looking Princess Luna sitting amongst some high ranking Night Court nobles around a conference table.

“Trixie, what is it?” Luna said with strained patience. Whatever meeting they were having, it involved big-time nobles like Viceroy Nightlight, Vicereine Wallflower, Archduke Bobbing Fisher, Duchess Fragrant Posey, and Vicereine Puissance. She even saw Baron Mounty Max sitting amongst their ranks holding a notepad, taking down notes. They all stared at her, annoyed at her unexpected and unwelcome presence.

“Big trouble!” Trixie exclaimed, waving her hooves wildly. “All of Equestria is in terrible danger! We’re under attack!” The nervous glances the nobles exchanged amongst each other gave her great satisfaction.

“What is it?” Vicereine Puissance said, not the least bit worried.

“You thought you could escape us, Trixie?”

Wicked laughter echoed through the chamber and a strange creature broke through the conference table shattering it in two. Ponies gave exclamations of alarm, backing away in fear. This creature was a mole pony thing with a hideous lumpy face with grey skin emerging from the hole it created under the conference table. Combatponies climbed out from it, menacing the assortment of nobles.

“It’s these guys,” Trixie said with a matter of fact calm, “they call themselves Shocker. Do something about them.”

“Shocker?!” Princess Luna’s eyes widened in alarm and understanding. Somehow, she recognized the name.

Puissance gave a dismissive snort. “Shocker? Not these foals again.”

“Behind me!” Princess Luna summoned a shield to protect her subjects as they ran behind her, and Trixie sighed in relief. With the princess in charge, Shocker would soon crumble like a house of cards.

Ponies cried out in pain and guards were thrown aside as two new figures entered the room. More guards tried apprehending them, but the armored one made short work of them with his whip. The Great Leader of Shocker walked into the room like he already owned it.

“Great Leader.” Princess Luna snarled. “How are you back from the dead?!”

“Foolish little princess. Shocker is immortal. No matter how many times we are destroyed, we’ll always rise again!” The Great Leader gestured to the surrounding room. “You may have defeated my counterpart in this world, but I will avenge him and complete his unfinished work. Shocker will rule the world.”

“No, I won’t allow it!” Princess Luna summoned a scythe and prepared for battle though Trixie detected a hint of nervousness in her posture. The princess was putting up a brave front, but she knew how dangerous these ponies were.

Ponies gasped as another Trixie entered the room. She still had the wires and tubes hanging from her body.

“Trixie?” Princess Luna said, astonished.

“I will be your opponent. It’s morphing time, Black Ursa.” Evil Trixie maintained the same monotone tone transforming into her armor.

Princess Luna threw a key in Trixie’s direction, which she caught with her magic. “Get the elements, Trixie! The elements might be our only hope. The Riders…” Pain etched into her features. “They can’t save us this time. We’re on our own. Hurry!”

Riders, again! What are these Rider ponies keep mentioning? She supposed right now it didn’t matter joining the nobles as they fled the room, but the mole monster stopped them as tiling and stone exploded when the monster erupted from the ground blocking their escape path.

“You aren’t going anywhere!” Mole pony said and Combatponies moved in to surround them.

Trixie gave a nervous laugh. “So, uh, any of you nobles happen to know kung-fu?”