//------------------------------// // Episode One: Rangers Appear // Story: Midnight Rangers! // by mentalshock //------------------------------// Flicker ran. She ran, and ran, and ran some more until her hooves kicked some sand. No she didn't run to a beach, or through a desert. Instead the nineteen year old, dark red and bright purple Thestral ran to what many in the area believed was a temple ruined do to time. It was her favorite place to go for any reason. Math exams? Go to the temple to study. Want to explore? Go to the temple to open a new door. Dealing with bullies? Go to the temple to cry, and wait for your friends. Unfortunately to day was that last one. Today life also added the statement, 'Trip and fall on your flanks only to slip backwards into an area with no gravity,' into the mix. The bat pony grunted struggling to get to the floor. "Well buck all!" She yelled between sobs as she slowly spun in the air. Her crying ceased after a few minutes as she fell asleep finding the puffy fur on her arms as a nice pillow After another who knows how long Flicker awoke to four voices calling her name and nickname. "Flicker?!" This one sounded the youngest; likely her 16 step-brother Gold Heart. The little bug was a pain, but usually means well... even though he has the laugh of mad-mare. His wing-buzz echoed as he hovered way above her. "Fliffy!" She snorted at the nickname this older sounding stallion gave her. Most likely it was the only pony in their group the same age as her, 19, Steel. His large hooves making dull thudding sounds to add a beat to her brother's buzz. "Yo Flicker?!" called a colt a year older than her brother. His magic's dark blue light telling her it was probably Scroll Seal. He was a sweet colt, and rather intelligent too to boot. "Flick!" The only other mare in the group, and a year younger than her, Silver Belle, shouted finding Flicker over the edge. "You guy's mind helping me... up? Down? Er right? I can't tell!" Flicker shouted up to them. "We'll see what we can do," Her brother called dropping her a burger, a large pouch of fries, and a milkshake, "By the looks of things you're in the center of the temple. The anti-gravity magic must be pulling in all directions holding you in place after finally activating again." "What!?" She asks scooping the floating fries into the pouch, "Then how am I not being torn apart?" "Because its pulling at every point in a sort of bubble canceling itself out around you." Scroll called out in simpler terms. "Just hold on for a bit, and try eating fast food like those space-mans in Lyra's stories." Silver shouted before they entered one of the doors they new would lead to a set of stairs. By the time they made it to the center (which was spherical in form) Flicker had just finished her last fry. Steel, the largest and strongest of the group, reached up and pulled her out of the gravity field. Once out Flicker felt like she was being pulled straight to the floor. She stood using a near by terminal to balance on. She slid a bit causing a virtual slider to activate the old systems in this temple.