//------------------------------// // The Stars Align (Crossover with The Bricklayer) // Story: Equestria Rangers // by Shadowmane PX-41 //------------------------------// The next morning after they had been healed to full health, the Rainbooms ran towards the bridge of Elaris’s ship. After having received a call that another agent of the Wolfpack was wreaking havoc on earth, they knew that they couldn’t have turned it down. Despite all of the heartache and suffering they had been through at the hands of Mar’Zek, it was still their job to save the planet; no matter how tough the stakes were. “Girls. I know that your last fight was a bit rocky, but I think this would be a good time to help get your confidence back.” Elaris fiddled with the controls and brought up an image of the monster attacking the city. It had chunky, stone-like arms and bulky, metallic armour. It had no major weapons and used its’ arms to charge forward and bulldoze everything in its’ path. “What… is that?” Rainbow Dash tilted her head at the sight of the beast on the screen. “It doesn’t look like a Wolfpack wolf, but at the same time, I hardly think that it’s friendly either.” Rarity lifted a brow as she watched the monster barrel through a building, bricks, and dust hurling all over the place. “Well, whatever the case, you know what to do. Get out there and clean it up. Let's just hope you’ve had enough time to dwell on your loss and leave it behind.” Twilight walked over to Sunset and the others, clasping her hands together. “If you’re scared, then consider this a way of conquering your fears. Because you can do this. I know you can do this. You’ve done it many times before, and not just with your crystals.” “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Twilight.” Sunset’s voice was friendly, but her face said otherwise as she kept a frown. “But do you think that we’re really capable of stopping that thing?” “You wouldn’t have those crystals if you weren’t,” remarked Elaris. “But still, we don’t have a choice in the matter. It’s only going to keep on destroying things if you don’t heed the call.” “True.” Sunset sighed and took her formation with the others. “Alright, girls. Let’s get this over with.” “Right.” They nodded, and together, the six of them activated their crystals. “Equestrian Stars! Shine bright and let’s fight!” Throwing their arms out, they were hastily morphed into their ranger forms and darted out into battle. “Do you think they’re ready for battle again?” Twilight asked Elaris as the rangers shot out of the ship and into the outside world. “I mean… you saw what happened before, right?” “They need to be ready for battle, Twilight. It’s the only way they’ll get over this anxiety and doubt.” Elaris walked over and patted Twilight on the back. “I just pray that this fight isn’t too much for them…” Far and away, high above the atmosphere something… rather unusual was occurring. A rare moment when the delicate fabrics of space and time just ripped wide open and formed a gap between the walls of reality. There were sustained variants of this, such as the long shattered mirror world portal back on Equestria but those were formed with magics long since lost to the ages by powerful mages on the levels near to if not powerful as Starswirl the Bearded himself. This ripple, it was really one of those freak accidents. Something nobody could have predicted. And certainly something nobody could have predicted three different figures falling through. Three shapes, each differing in appearance emerged from this hole. One a deep purple, serpentine in nature and clutching what looked to be an orb in its claws and wearing a gold crown. Another, a deep blue and wolfish. Finally, the third was small and green resembling some sort of lizard. “Oh, marvelously grand idea of yours Princesa!” one white-skinned being shouted. “Explore a wormhole, just to collect some data and in the process get us sucked into the fabrics of time and space! Really, just a marvelous idea! Dios mios…” Coldcast muttered, already taking note of his new form. He’d lost his original bird-like shape, shedded his feathers and even his wings had decided to take their leave making him now resemble an ape of some sort if not one with falcon’s eyes. “Hey, the wormhole was emitting some interesting data, and I thought it might just by pure chance take us to some colony where we could settle down with what’s left of our people. A quick trip in and out, see what was on the other side and then return. Kill two birds with one stone as well,” Flurry remarked. “Test the Draco Voyager, and see if all that time it spent frozen in the ice had any effects on its systems.” “You know, for royalty you make some damn stupid choices, you know that, right?” Coldcast sniped. “Uh guys, hate to interrupt this lovely little conversation you’re having, but you may want to check your scanners. That’s Earth, the planet that Sunset Shimmer mare I read about in the old history logs went to. Odd thing though, it should be more… developed than this, right?” Flurry almost at once checked the Draco Voyager’s sensors and her eyes widened. “Okay, Spada… Damn, you’re right. It’s been thousands of years since Sunset went through the mirror portal. By all rights, this planet’s sun should have burnt up as well for that matter, and yet…” she looked out her cockpit window and there it was, a bright brilliant orb shining over the planet with an indescribable caring warmth. One Flurry nor any other Equus resident hadn’t had the luxury of getting for ages. For a minute, she admitted if only to herself she felt jealous. But no time for that now, right now she had to figure out what was going on around here. “Okay… Okay,” Flurry murmured to herself. “Clearly we, and by that, I freely admit me may have made a very large mistake.” “Gee, you think? You sent us back in time, and into another dimension!” Coldcast barked. “Seriously, I look like an ape right now! A hairless ape at that!” “Doesn’t bother me,” Spada remarked. “I mean, I think it’s an interesting experience. I mean, I’ve changed into loads of different creatures in my time and yet this… this is a new one! So enjoy it, eh?” “I can’t even fly anymore! Wings flew the coop!” Coldcast complained before Spada sighed and shut off his comms. “So, plan of action milady?” Spada asked. “We set down, and go on a little explore…” Flurry replied. “Just one word of advice, let’s not mention anything like star-faring adventures, wormholes or changing shape. Don’t want to freak the locals out eh?” “Agreed.” Spade nodded. “Preparing landing sequencing now…” However, little did they know their arrival had not gone unnoticed. Nearby, hiding behind the dark side of the moon was the command ship of the Wolfpack. “Captain! An unknown group of ships just entered Earth’s atmosphere!” One of the Wolfpack wolves on the bridge called as he brought up a projection of the Draco Voyager alongside the Chameleon and Wolf Voyagers. “There aren’t many people on board those things, but we’re getting readings similar to those of the crystals those Rangers are using.” “What? There are more crystals?” Mar’Zek cocked a brow at the new discovery. “How interesting. It seems like there is more to the tale than I had previously anticipated.” “What are your orders, captain?” Siel’Viz stepped out of the shadows again, leaning in closer towards the screen. “Pillage their ships and tear those crystals away?” “No. Not yet, Siel’Viz. For all we know, they could be as weak and fleshy as the Rangers on the planet are.” He dismissively waved his claw. “For now, let’s just sit back and watch these new Rangers in action, shall we?” “Plus, my research could benefit from a comparison project.” Vi’Al walked in from the end of the ship. “If these new rangers are more professional, then I could more easily calculate the real rangers’ estimated power when they grow more, and tell you how much of yours you’ll need to exert to have a proper fight.” “Exactly. Know how strong your foe is, then you see their limit. Push beyond that, and you see just how feeble they really are.” Mar’Zek cracked a grin. “Stoneroller, change of plans. There are some more rangers coming your way. Be prepared for reinforcements.” “Understood, captain.” The stone-armed monster from earlier briefly popped up on the screen. “I’m already steeling myself for the fight ahead.” The screen faded away. “Now then, Perfect Ones. Let’s see how strong you will become…” The screens turned off, and Mar’Zek rapped his claws against the side of his throne. Flurry smiled as she let the warm sun cascade down her back, as the three Paladins stepped out of their Voyagers. Hadn’t felt this type of warmth in ages, only just seen artificial suns on the Shining Armor’s holodeck in that Kansas wheat field analogue she liked to go back to every now and then. She imagined it wasn’t that much different for either Coldcast or Spada, and neither of them had the luxury of being born when Equus’ sun was still burning, not just a small little orb in the sky no different from any other star. She admitted it would have been nice to have any of the AIs with her right now, like the one of her mother or even Celestia but they were back aboard the Shining Armor in their home dimension. She could manage, she’d have to. She was the last Princess of Equestria and so she would have to. “Mhmm…” Spada sighed in pleasure as he sniffed the air. “Now smell that? That is food, greasy fresh off the grill food I admit but even I can tell it was prepared with love! Hot dogs, greasy steak, so many different types of meat I can’t even begin to count!” “...How do you know what that smell exactly is?” Coldcast asked, not sure if he really wanted to know. He grimaced, the weather was a bit too warm for his liking. His jacket was made for colder climates, not this. Taking it off, and throwing it over his shoulder, the former griffon observed the city and miles of suburbia in front of him, just over the hillside. It didn’t look like much, but it looked a lot like heaven really when you took into account he’d spent countless hours underground or inside military facilities training to pilot a wolf themed craft. “I’m a chef, remember. You gain a nose for these things,” Spada remarked. “Odd though. You’d think you’d hear or see people or something...” he remarked, pulling out a pair of binoculars and peering down towards a particular suburb. Bizarrely, nobody was around, and that set of grills he’d been smelling the food from lay abandoned. “Okay, now I’m getting a bit nervous. Nobody leaves food just laying out like that, not without a reason right?” Running down the hillside with Flurry and Coldcast following, he managed to make his way down into the seemingly abandoned neighborhood. Pulling up his Kyuchanger, he scanned the area. “Okay, reading life signs from this thing, but everyone’s cooped up inside the houses. It’s almost like the entire place is experiencing a blizzard drill, but the sky’s perfectly clear. Not a cloud in sight.” “Oh, I don’t like this…” Coldcast muttered. “Not one bit, you hear?” Then, to answer the question, Stoneroller barreled through some fencing and knocked Coldcast and Spada away with his bulky arms. Punching the ground, he snarled and glared at the team of three. Gritting his teeth as he picked himself up off the ground, Coldcast turned to look at Spada. “Oh, you had to ask didn’t you?” “Rangers! Give me a good fight, will ya?!” He taunted, his voice heavily accented to sound like a mindless brute. “Captain Mar’Zek wants me to test you, to see if you’re worthy of holding those crystals!” “Test? What test? This reminds me of school! I hated school!” Coldcast remarked while Spada turned to Flurry. “Crystals, you know what he’s talking about?” the former Changeling asked. “Sorry, got me. But if he wants a fight, congrats. He’s got one. Nobody’d putting civilians in danger, not on my watch.” “Say the Change!” their gauntlets shouted as the three pulled out their Change Kyutamas and pressed down on them. “Scorpius!” “Lupus!” “Chameleon!” “Star Change!” all three shouted in unison before their gauntlets projected three stars in front of them that flew towards them and covered them in their costumes. “The Poison Star, Scorpius Orange!” “The Howling Star, Lupus Blue!” “The Food Mei-Star, Chameleon Green!" "Three stars shining in the Heavens, Space Squadron Kyuranger!” The three chorused, with explosions of orange, blue and green smoke springing up from behind them, the sheer run-off energy of their morph creating them. “You sure you ain’t gonna cry and run away like those other Rangers will?” Stoneroller punched his hand vigorously. “You know full well what the captain’s capable of. You know you can’t beat the Wolfpack.” “Sorry, never heard of this Wolfpack. You related to Lupus by any chance, you sound like you’d get along great! But now as my grand frère likes to say,” Coldcast remarked, drawing his blade. “Time to test your luck!” “Hey! Get out of there!” The voice came from Sunset Shimmer, as she and her team finally ran onto the scene, seeing the three new rangers standing before them. “Whoa! Who are they?” Rainbow Dash asked, staring at the newcomers. “You think they’re friends too?” “Well, they don’t look like big meanies, so I think they are,” Pinkie Pie said. “Plus, they wanna fight this guy too.” “Enemy of my enemy, after all,” Rarity remarked as she drew her twin swords. “You look like you need some help.” “Mind if we cut in?” Sunset asked, drawing her own flaming sword. “Gladly!” Flurry’s voice shouted, though it sounded as if there was both a tinge of sadness hidden in it somewhere, as a giant scorpion’s tail sprouted out from the back of her suit, grabbed the newest monster by the legs and tossed it towards her. “Batter up!” Applejack leapt into the air and firmly held her Terra Hammer. With a single swing of it, she hit Stoneroller straight in the face and launched him into the ground. Stoneroller simply leapt out like a gorilla and ran towards Pinkie Pie, swinging his massive, stone arms out at her. She simply bounced and swerved out of the way while also blasting him in the face with her miniature wrist-mounted air cannons. But even with all her attacks, it didn’t faze him in the slightest, and she was eventually swatted away into Rainbow Dash. The two of them tumbled into Fluttershy, leaving them all in a heap. “...What a team.” Flurry muttered in distaste, shaking her head. “Double team?” Coldcast asked as he looked towards Spada. “You’re on!” he remarked as they both placed their Kyutamas into slots on their respective swords. “Galaxy! Regulus Impact!” “Galaxy! Chameleon Impact!” the weapons proclaimed before their blade tips glowed with either a green or a blue tone before both Rangers leaped upwards and brought their blades down on Stoneroller’s arm slicing through it and making him stumble back, small pieces of rubble falling off of the arm. “You… You gotta be kidding!” Coldcast exclaimed. “Looks like he wants to come back for seconds,” Spada remarked. “Lucky for you, I’m a Golem, and that kind of stuff is easy to replace. But I know full well what ain’t gonna be replaced.” Clicking the fingers on his other hand, he watched as Hounds dropped in and swarmed the new team. “Get them, you mangy dogs! Show ‘em how the Wolfpack does it!” “Oh great, more wolves,” Coldcast deadpanned as the Hounds boxed the whole group in and the Rangers fended them off with their weapons but every time one of the mooks was down another seemingly took his place. “Seriously, I do have to wonder are these guys the same species as Lupus? Really, they have to know each other at least!” “Hey, listen. I don’t know who you are, but I think we should fill you in.” Sunset dashed towards the Hounds and started to fight them off. Her sword collided with their fur over and over again, and she stood alongside the Kyuranger team. “We’re the Power Rangers. And those things are Hounds; the grunts of Captain Mar’Zek’s Wolfpack. He wants our crystals because he’s a space pirate.” She had to jump over another swing and stood on the swords of the Hounds before cutting both of their cheeks with more slices. “That thing isn’t a Wolfpack wolf, but it’s serving him. I can tell it’s not a wolf just because it doesn’t look like one.” “Grand observation,” Coldcast deadpanned. “You should win an award for species identification!” “You think it’s gonna go giant?” Rainbow Dash asked, before nailing another set of Hounds with her blasters. “I mean, Preda’Tor and Ahn’Taier did, so…” “I’m not sure about that yet, Rainbow Dash.” Sunset shook her head and drove her sword through another Hound’s belly, before ripping it out and moving on to the next one. “For now, we should just deal with this monster and fill these guys in.” “Need a bit of room cleared?” Flurry asked, holding up the Boötes Kyutama. “Because believe me, I can handle that.” “Sounds divine, darling!” Rarity charged in on more of the Hounds and performed a series of graceful swings with her swords, almost like she was in a ribbon dancing competition. “These things just do not stop coming!” “Like rats from the woodworks. Believe me, I know the feeling.” Flurry said with a sympathetic nod, though once again if you listened closely you could detect a trace of sadness in her tone. Placing the Boötes Kyutama in her gauntlet, she was suddenly a blur of speed, sending every one of the Hounds flying with well-placed kicks and punches drawing on her Earth Pony strength. Soon, every one of the Hounds was out of the fight. “9.9 seconds, that was the time until your despair,” Coldcast remarked, holding up a stopwatch. “So what? You beat a bunch of Hounds. It doesn’t matter none. Captain Mar’Zek’s still gonna have the last laugh.” Stoneroller came charging back into the fight. He grabbed Flurry Heart and ran, driving her helmet against the ground as he smashed through another house. The girls, noticeably, seemed to be stricken into a state of fear at the mere mention of Mar’Zek’s name and had stopped moving entirely except to quiver in fear and hold onto each other, occasionally glancing to see if this Wolfpack Captain would appear. “What the…?” Spada asked. “What could have scared them so badly? Like they’ve lost the will to fight!” he observed as with a few quick thrusts of his rapier, he managed to distract Stoneroller long enough for the monster to turn his attentions to him only for Stoneroller to be kicked from behind by Flurry. “What, you mean you ain’t never heard of him? Heh. Mar’Zek’s the strongest pirate captain there is. He could’ve killed these girls right ‘ere and there if he hadn’t been so disappointed in ‘em,” Stoneroller gave Coldcast a strong punch that knocked him back, even when he tried to deflect it with his blade. “You’d think that after such a shocking fight like that, they would’ve just gone to hide away forever. But no. Here they are, ready to fight back again.” He focused on Spada, grabbing him and tightening his grip. “That’s actually quite brave, and I can respect that.” “You know something?” Flurry asked as a long drill appeared on her left arm, resembling a Unicorn’s horn. “You talk way too much. Monoceros thrust!” Charging forwards, the horn spinning up and alight with a golden energy, it was pointed directly at Stoneroller, who tossed Spada at Flurry knocking her into a gardener's shed. “And you’re just as disappointing as they are.” Stoneroller just turned his back to the Kyurangers. “If this is really the strength of the Perfect Ones, then I don’t see why the captain doesn’t just blow this whole planet up right here and now. There’s obviously nothing of value here.” Flurry even as she was groaning out in pain managed to let out a snarl of: “You know, I don’t know what these Perfect Ones are or who this Captain is, and frankly my dear monster, I don’t give a damn about either. But let him know this: You are not welcome here. This planet, this universe is protected. My name is Princess Flurry Heart of Equestria, the last of the Mi Amore and Sparkle lineages. And you. You will be nothing but rubble at our feet by the time we’re done with you,” she snarled, the Monoceros Drill appearing on her arm again, and spinning up once more. “I’d advise you to run right about now.” “Might as well. I needed a new arm anyways,” Stoneroller started to walk off. “And, after all, this is just sad. I thought I was getting a nine-ranger fight; not a three-ranger one.” He tapped a button on his armour, and a portal opened up before him. “But don’t think you’re off the hook just yet, Rangers. The captain’s gonna keep his eye on you.” And without another word, Stoneroller disappeared through the portal. Panting and sweating, all nine Rangers demorphed. “Well, that was… pleasant. And we’d only just started on the main course!” Spada deadpanned before he and his fellow dimensional travelers looked at Sunset. “Alright then, think we’re owed some explanations, don’t you?” “I could say the same for you.” She was looking at Flurry Heart. “What’s Flurry Heart, Twilight’s baby niece doing as a Power Ranger?” “Our ships, or yours?” Flurry asked, her gauntlet detecting a very distinctive and decidedly non-earth based energy signature coming from somewhere to the west of them. “Ships? What are you talking about?” Fluttershy asked, trudging over to the Kyurangers. “Oh. Unless you’re talking about Ela—” “Fluttershy! We can’t tell them that! It’d make them targets!” Rainbow Dash quickly held her hand on the helmet over where Fluttershy’s mouth would be. “Oh please,” Flurry said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. “I think you and I both know those powers are not of this world. And neither was that idiot. Explanations, now, please. Before I lose what little patience I have left for this particular line of bull.” “Wow.” Sunset just stared at Flurry. “I think I actually prefer the baby Flurry to the grown-up one…” “Look. I don’t know where you’re from, but this isn’t the world you know.” Rarity de-morphed and put her hands to her side. “And that thing belongs to the Wolfpack; a space pirate group that’s been notorious across the galaxy as of late.” “These powers? We were given them to fight back against the Wolfpack.” Rainbow Dash de-morphed next. “A ship crash-landed, and this girl named Elaris was pretty desperate to find some heroes, so she gave us those crystals. Next thing we knew, those crystals became attached to us, and now we’re Power Rangers.” “And so are you, by the looks of things.” Pinkie went back to her regular clothes. “So. How did you get your powers? What are your zords like? Have you ever fought against a wolf that nearly killed you and made you scared to fight ever since?” She blinked twice. “You don’t have to answer the last one if you don’t want to. Trust me, we can totally relate.” “I fought a wolf once, but I totally kicked his ass…” Coldcast remarked. “If any of you are interested.” Spada facepalmed. “Okay… clearly, we need to exchange info,” Flurry remarked. “And meet this Elaris friend of yours.” The Rainbooms and Kyurangers, now dressed in their regular attire, walked into Elaris’s ship. Still mangled and torn up through the crash, with wires still popped out, albeit much less than usual, the place was far from a luxurious ride across the depths of space, but still capable of flight with some repairs. The dim lighting by the floor was still operational, even if it did flicker now and again. “Geez, what a dump,” Coldcast remarked before Flurry smacked him over the head for his rudeness. “Trust me, it’s not her fault it’s like this. The Wolfpack ate this ship alive when they chased her down here.” Rainbow Dash turned to Coldcast. “We’re trying to fix it now, actually. Do you know how to fix a spaceship?” “Do I look like a mechanic to you?” Coldcast asked, shrugging his shoulders. “Astronomer sure, Spada’s a master chef and Flurry’s a leader but no gearheads here.” “You said that you were from Equestria. But how’s that even possible?” Sunset asked, eyeing Flurry up and down. “As far as I knew, the Amore line’s still alive. The Twilight there keeps on telling me all about how she loves to spend time with Cadence, Shining Armour, and you. So… what happened?” “You know how all those scientists are predicting how one day the sun will broil the Earth to a crisp?” Flurry asked, and sighed sadly. “Take a guess what happened. The four Alicorns, they held out as long as they could but…” she sniffled, before regaining her composure. No, she was a Princess, nobody needed to see her cry least of all her subjects. They needed her, they needed a beacon of hope to cling to. Sunset felt her blood grow cold. Now she knew that one day or another, the friends she knew back home would eventually die as well. Great. Another thing for her to worry about. That was all she needed. “Do you know the exact time and year they died? I wanna see if I can warn Twilight about it,” she asked, twiddling her fingers. “You can’t fight fate, but I’d say in about 5 billion years, give or take the odd century,” Flurry said. “What we did, we knew it was going to happen, so we build deep underground vaults to hide ourselves from the coming fire and just waited till the planet cooled down so we could build ships to take to the stars, find a new Eden if you will.” “So… you’re actually five billion years old?” Rarity’s mouth hung wide open and almost fell to the ground. “What’s your secret, Flurry? You look so young…” “Alicorn immortality. And I’m a bit older than that actually. I’m actually six billion. Spent one million of those years in a pod, waiting for the planet to ice over. Immortality, it’s both a blessing, and a curse. Not sure if your Alicorns have it, but…” she trailed off. Eventually, the group finally arrived back at the bridge, where Twilight and Elaris were busy making some repairs. Welding metal to the damaged walls and re-wiring the machines back into to place, the both of them only pulled themselves out of their work when they saw the nine rangers approach. “So. Are these the new Rangers?” Elaris asked, walking up to Spada, Coldcast, and Flurry Heart. She gave their bodies a physical examination, patting them and feeling their muscles. “They look so much more mature, so strong… Where are you from, exactly?” “Long story short?” Spada asked. “Different universe, where time seems to run differently to yours. I mean, you’re six billion or so years behind us time frame wise!” “Different universe? Which one?” Elaris probed, lifting a brow at Spada. “As far as I’m aware, this universe is N3XU2. Daddy taught me that when I was younger.” “Er… I’m only a chef here. A very good chef mind you, but not a scientist. Can whip you up a plate of freshly filleted fish on the spot, but tell you which universe I’m from exactly? Sorry, not my field of knowledge.” “Well, whatever universe you’re from, it’s good to have you here. And with such good timing as well.” Twilight Sparkle came over and gave each of the Kyurangers a handshake. “The girls have been struggling to find their confidence again after they—” “Got their asses kicked by this Mar’Zek fellow?” Flurry surmised, noting how the girls had frozen up once again by the sheer mention of his name. “Badly. They were bleeding so much, and their skin had been torn to pieces,” Twilight corrected. “If it wasn’t for Elaris’s med bay, they wouldn’t even have been here today.” “Geez,” Spada muttered shuddering in fear. “This Mar’Zek guy, sounds as powerful as a Karō…” “He is. And maybe even more powerful.” Twilight hit a button, which replayed the Mar’Zek fight on the screen with the Rainbooms. Just seeing it caused the six teenagers to hide behind Elaris’s chair. Flurry gave her a look. “Okay, you could have explained it to us, not made them relive their worst nightmare.” she glared at Elaris. “Words don’t describe battles with Mar’Zek. Because NOBODY lives to tell the tale. And if they do live, then they either die later due to their injuries or get converted to his side.” Elaris sighed, slumping her shoulders down as she let the Kyurangers watch the full fight. “He is the Killer of Suns, the Bringer of Ragnarok…” “So what. Just light him up with friendship beams or something. Heroes, real heroes don’t give up. Sure, they’re afraid, who wouldn’t be? But they don’t allow their fear to control them,” Flurry stated. “They pick themselves up off the ground and keep fighting. Isn't the smallest chance of victory enough of a reason for anyone to keep on fighting? The world needs you, Rangers.” As she said this, Soul Decimator was being performed on the screen by Mar’Zek. The Rainbooms were knocked airborne, slashed relentlessly at the speed of sound, and drilled into the ground by pillars of black energy before explosions coated them and de-morphed them. “Did I forget to mention that he was holding back?” Elaris cocked a brow. “Yes. I said holding back. He’s so much more powerful when he fights for real.” “Gee. Now doesn’t that remind me of someone?” Coldcast deadpanned. “Oh right, Lupus. He didn’t hold back in his fights, nearly destroyed Equus with two large cannons and an entire fleet of ships along with one very large worm from what Prince Stardust told me, but did we give up? No. No, we didn’t. Like Flurry said, even the smallest chance of victory is enough to keep us hoping we’ll win and someday take back the universe from Lupus’ master, Don Armage and the rest of Dark Matter.” Before anyone else could say a word, the alarm on the ship was raised, and Elaris quickly changed the monitor to show Stoneroller back in the field, with a new arm to boot. He wasn’t traveling alone this time and was accompanied with Captain Mar’Zek. “This isn’t good…” Twilight groaned as they watched both the wolf and his golem stomping through the streets, sending people into a panic just by looking at them. “Why is he here again? I thought he didn’t want to fight us…” “He’s not after the Rainbooms. He’s after you.” Elaris pointed to the three Kyurangers. “He wants to see how good you are, and whether or not you can satisfy his thirst for battle…” “Oh, so he’s one of those types…” Spada muttered, getting a serious feeling of Deja Vu. “Yep, definitely related to Lupus. The Karō, not the Ranger. “Girls. I know it’s shocking to see him again, but we need to get back out there.” Elaris pulled the Rainbooms out from hiding, where they got another look at the Wolfpack captain. “Just deal with Stoneroller and don’t even think about Mar’Zek. No point in fighting someone who’s out of your league.” Flurry’s voice turned soft, as she looked at the six Rangers. “Before… before you go, I have a question. How badly did he affect you? Just how bad?” “You ever have a traumatizing moment in your life where it seems like your entire family was murdered before your eyes?” Rainbow asked. “That’s how badly he scared us.” “They made me never wanna leave the ship ever again.” Applejack tipped her hat in shame “I never wanted to see my family, for fear that Mar’Zek would’ve killed me or them on the way.” “And me too. I didn’t even want to move from my bed with how scary it was…” Fluttershy hid half of her face with her hair. “Don’t underestimate him, Flurry, Spada, Coldcast. He’s just as bad as we say he is, and maybe even worse.” “And if he fights you too, then you’ll be just as scared as we are…” Rarity’s lips quivered. “Please be careful, new rangers. We can’t have another team get paralyzed with fear like that…” “Listen, girls,” Flurry said. “I know you’re scared, and you have every right to be, but dropping your duties like this, abandoning your families? You’d be destroying everything the Elements of Harmony stood for. Remind me, what are they again?” “Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty, Honesty, and Magic. I should know, I tried to steal the Element of Magic once.” Sunset rubbed the back of her head with a nervous laugh. “I know, I read,” Flurry said. “But you need to get back out there. Mar’Zek, he doesn’t care about any of that. He’s going to destroy this planet, and Faust knows how many others besides. You need to stop him here, show him you’re not afraid of the big bad wolf hiding under your bed. You are the Power Rangers, and you are this planet’s only hope. You won’t be alone this time, we’ll be here to help you, but it’s time to stand up. Raise up your flag against the howling winds and show that wolf and his little pack you will not back down!” she exclaimed, pulling out a spear and rising it high. “You’re so brave…” said Twilight. “You should learn to follow their example more, girls.” “Well, I can give you points for bravery, that much is true.” Sunset felt an odd sensation creep onto her face. “Wait. Why am I smiling? Mar’Zek is terrifying, and yet I can’t help but smile.” “Because you know, one day, and maybe it’s not today, he will be defeated,” Flurry said. “Now, I think we all know what time it is,” “Yeah. It’s Morphin’ Time!” Pinkie smiled. “Girls! Say it!” The other Rainbooms nodded and took up their poses once again. “Equestrian Stars! Shine bright and let’s fight!” And just like before, they morphed in the blink of an eye. “Mhmm, but lengthy maybe but you gals make it work.” Flurry remarked with a small shrug. “Star Change!” the three Kyurangers shouted before in flashes of color they too were ready for battle. “Alright, team. Let’s go!” Sunset drew her sword and ignited it. Yelling, she ran out of the ship, with the other Rainbooms close behind her. Stoneroller ripped up whatever he could get his hands on and tossed it out towards the civilians. As benches, cars, and the odd lamppost clattered down before them, it only made them run faster. Mar’zek on the other hand was leaving his mark on the city, through massive energy slivers emanated by his sword. They cut through the walls without any resistance. “Once again, they run like cockroaches.” Mar’Zek crossed his arms and watched as the humans all fled the scene. “I wonder if this planet has any competent defenders aside from those Rangers…” “Oi!” Flurry’s voice shouted as the nine Ranger team ran up. “Heard you were looking for us!” “Speak of the devil, and he will show himself. Along with his advocates, it seems.” He darted up to the Kyuranger team and held his blade against their necks. “Are you going to follow in the footsteps of these teenage girls? Or leave quietly like a smart person would?” Flurry’s only response? Blast him backwards with a massive wave of magic, and then implant a flag in the ground, emblazoned with the logo for Equestria, which was the Two Sisters raising the sun and the moon. “You really talk too much, you know that right? Seriously, the world would be done a great favor if you just shut up,” she remarked, as all nine Rangers readied themselves for battle. “Equestrian Stars!” the Rainbooms called. “Kyurangers!” said Flurry’s team. “United as one!” They all proudly declared, their colours erupting forth behind them, just like earlier. “And now, our Friendship will take on the universe, starting with you,” Coldcast stated, drawing his blade. “And you will fall all the same.” Mar’Zek activated his battle armour, shielding his face and body once more. “Stoneroller, you handle the original rangers. They are not worth my time.” And he charged forward into battle. “On it, captain!” Stoneroller remarked and ran for the Rainbooms. “Hope you know how to stand up to fifty tonnes of stone smashing against your heads!” As Mar’Zek clashed with Coldcast, Spada, and Flurry Heart, the Rainbooms charged forward towards Stoneroller. Sunset and Rarity leapt up with their swords while Rainbow Dash took potshots at his face, leaving Applejack to beat his fists away with her hammer. Pinkie Pie then followed up by bouncing over his head and kicking him in the back. “See that, they’ve got their resolve back.” Flurry stated going blade to blade with Mar’Zek before she switched tactics. She unfurled her wings and blasted the Wolfpack leader backwards with hurricane force winds. “Not for long!” Mar’Zek charged forward and performed a quick vertical slash at Coldcast, hitting him on the chin and launching him upward. He followed with a leap and a downward vertical slash, launching a black shockwave into his chest. Coldcast grunted out in pain before his wings unfurled and he rocketed towards Mar’Zek slamming a right hook into his face making him stagger. “Oh wings, how I’ve missed you so…” Coldcast laughed giddily. Though it did knock him around, the armour covering his face softened the blow. He snarled and slammed his sword against the ground, causing the parts to dislodge and become part of a razor-sharp whip held together by a light purple stream of energy. “What, you overcompensating for something?” Spada quipped. “I have raided more than a thousand worlds. You cannot stand against me and my technology.” He then swung said whip at Spada and Flurry, slicing them repeatedly, but leaving Coldcast alone. The Blue Ranger leaped over the next swing before slicing Mar’Zek from behind and then flying away to avoid the next strike. “Yeah yeah, heard better trash talk and boasts from Discord when he was alive,” Flurry sighed as she flew upwards and fired a golden stream of magic from her horn right down at Mar’Zek hitting him with the force of an oncoming truck. “I really think Spada’s right, you are overcompensating,” she stated in a bored -or at least unimpressed- tone, before using the Aquarius Kyutama and sending Mar’Zek flying backwards with a stream of highly compressed scalding hot water. “Come on, ya big doofus! Let’s rock and roll!” Rainbow Dash slid underneath Stoneroller and fired a barrage of shots at his face, chest, and butt as she slid underneath his legs. She ran back out and flipped back on top of his body and grabbed his head as tight as she could. “Get offa me!” He tried to use his massive arms to knock her off, but Rarity utilized her geode magic to create diamond barriers that blocked his hands from reaching Rainbow. Even with his punches and thrashing, he could not penetrate the shield around Rainbow. Fluttershy played her flute and ran alongside the rhino that she had created with it. Together, the two of them ran at Stoneroller and knocked him away. Together, the both of them knocked the golem into a transformer, sending sparks everywhere. Mar’Zek was now properly clashing with Flurry, Spada, and Coldcast. His blade met theirs over and over again. He even knocked their strikes back and countered with a hasty horizontal swing across their chests, before pouncing on top of one of them and leaving his ‘X’ shaped claw marks on the visor. “It seems that you’re more developed than the previous set of Rangers. But nonetheless, you cannot stop me here.” He leapt off of Coldcast and parried another hit from Spada. Spada smirked before he vanished from sight and came out of nowhere with a rapier thrust that connected. He then repeated this tactic several more times, getting in a few blows. “Seems you’re just not quite ready for the main course!” Spada remarked, before grabbing some fish from a nearby market stall and spinning them around like nunchucks. Scarily, he was rather good at it, good enough to get in some blows. “...Wonder if that smell will ever wash out?” Spada mused to himself. “You fight me with fish?!” Insulted, Mar’Zek slashed the fish into sushi and stomped forward, pushing Spada against the wall. “You are even weaker than the other rangers!” “Never underestimate a chef in his kitchen, especially when you provide him with cooking materials!” Spada laughed, before vanishing out of sight once more. He then returned, up above Mar’Zek with glistening chitlin wings unfolded and the Monoceros drill on one of his arms. “Flurry, now!” “Right, I know exactly what you’re thinking!” the Princess shouted, before sending a swarm of silvery snake projections at Mar’Zek using the Serpens Kyutama keeping him from seeing what came next. That happened to be a powerful thrust to the chest armor from the Monoceros drill ripping and shredding some of the outer layers. Mar’Zek roared out in rage and kicked away Spada before snarling. Flurry sent him sprawling with a blast of magic from her palm. “You know what your problem is furball? Once the strong crush the weak, and presumably in your line of thinking the strong will crush everyone else then I have to ask you this... Who’s going to be left for you to rule over? Answer, nobody, banana brain!” she shouted, conjuring up energy bananas and throwing them at Mar’Zek making him stumble back from the ensuing explosions. Spada went in again, the Monoceros drill spinning up. “Honestly now, you should know how much I traumatized the other set. I’m not impressed, nor will I ever be impressed if you keep up these weak attacks,” He just took the damage, standing adamantly as the Monoceros drill finally broke under the extreme pressure. Grabbing a hold of Flurry’s neck, he planted a chip on her armour. “And now, you will pay the price for your lack of strength.” He threw her away and charged at Coldcast and Spada. Meanwhile, the Rainbooms were still deep into their fight with Stoneroller. They jumped and ducked under his swings, and did get hit on occasion, but most of the time, they gave him no quarter and continued to send attack after attack out at him. “Alright. That tears it!” Stoneroller leapt back towards a parking lot and started to hurl car after car at the Rainbooms. “You know you shouldn’t even play on the streets like that. You could get run over! Properly flattened! Killed!” Rainbow Dash narrowly avoided getting hit by the cars, even with her lightspeed powers. Meanwhile, Rarity and Sunset were trying to cut the things in half, while Applejack swatted them away with her hammer. Fluttershy just hid from the car assault, while Pinkie was trying to see how many she could jump over before he ran out. “Alright. This is starting to get boring.” Rainbow Dash said, twirling her pistols as she charged in again. “Come on, girls. Time to finish this!” She called, letting loose yet another volley of shots at Stoneroller, causing him to stop flinging the cars. With Stoneroller occupied with Rainbow Dash, Rarity channeled her own magic through her geode. Her blades began to glow and she painted the air around her with them, before tracing her tips around Stoneroller to imprison him in a diamond prism. “Rhino Charge!” Fluttershy called, bringing back the rhino. “Diamond Cleaver!” Rarity called, swinging her swords at blinding speeds. “Terra Hammer!” Applejack leapt up and swung her hammer promptly down at the prism. “Confetti Storm!” Pinkie put her wrist cannons together and let a stream of her exploding confetti loose on Stoneroller. “Twin Blasters, Charge Mode!” Rainbow Dash fiddled with the triggers and barrels of her guns and performed a charged shot that was much thicker and longer than her previous shots. “And for the coup de grace, Flame Strike!” Sunset ran in and swung her sword, cutting straight through the diamond prison. All six attacks struck at the exact same time, and both Stoneroller and the diamond block that he was sealed in, were properly cut into a thousand tiny pieces before all collapsing on each other and exploding upon hitting the ground. Flames and rainbow energy shot out of the blast as the Rainbooms turned away from it. Meanwhile, Coldcast and Spada had been sent flying back into a collection of market stalls, while Flurry was on the ground, the chip Mar’Zek had implanted her pumping amp after amp of electricity into her, pinning her. “And here I thought I’d get a challenge out of you. But in the end, all I get is a repeat of the last time.” He placed two identical chips onto Coldcast and Spada’s bodies. He took a step back and watched the three Kyurangers stand back together again. “This will be goodbye. Don’t expect me to let a second set of rangers live.” “Y-Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” Flurry growled, and even as she let out another scream of pain she ripped the chip off her body and crushed it beneath her foot. Sadly, she was in so much pain, it was fruitless and she fell to the ground once more. “Soul Decimator!” Mar’Zek howled, shooting lightning down at the Kyurangers’ feet. While all three of them were knocked airborne, only Coldcast and Spada were slowed down by the chip, which once again became a target marker for him. Leaping at them, he performed his vicious series of attacks before tossing the targeting device for the black pillars. Landing down, he didn’t even look at the black columns that drilled into both of their bodies and forcibly de-morphed them. “You are finished, Rangers.” He turned back and watched as Coldcast and Spada got back up on their feet, though being heavily injured and cut in places and bleeding quite badly. “What? How is this possible? It can’t be… What kind of Rangers are you?” “Like I said,” Coldcast repeated, an aura of a lightning bolt hovering above his head. Similarly, a six-pointed star hovered above Flurry’s and a collection of gems hovered above Spada. “Our friendship will take on the universe, and that includes you! Elements of Harmony, never doubt just how powerful their magic is. Oh, did we forget to mention that?” “I even used the lethal version of the attack, and yet you still stayed alive. You are definitely interesting for sure, new Rangers. And if this is what the Perfect Ones will grow into, then I look forward to our next encounter.” He then heard the Rainbooms charging back over to him. “Look at these three, Perfect Ones. Become them, and find me again. Then, our true battle will begin.” “Oh, we’re gonna get as good as them. Just you wait.” Rainbow Dash could only smirk. “I will. I’ll wait for as long as I can. I always love wondering how long the desperate cling to life, before either the ground they hold onto crumbles, or someone gives them a little push off the edge,” He opened up a portal. “For now, let this be an example of what you should strive to be, instead of what you are. Farewell, for now, Rangers.” And he walked off through the portal, leaving no trace of himself behind. Of course, unfinished business was still unfinished business. Seems that Stoneroller had something in him, maybe a mutation in his DNA that gave him a second chance and now he was towering above the Rangers. “Look at me now! You’re nothing but pebbles compared to a mountain!” He proudly boasted, smashing his colossal hands into the ground. “Oh, seems some things never change no matter the universe. Constants and Variables…” Flurry muttered as both Coldcast and Spada helped her up. “Zords! Come to us!” The Rainbooms pulled out their phones and raised them skyward, signalling for their Zords. “Falcon!” “Bull!” “Lynx!” “Kangaroo!” “Bear!” “Phoenix!” On command, the six giant animal-robots came charging into the city, prompting each of the Rainbooms to leap inside and take control of each of them. “Hey, don’t leave us out of this,” Flurry coughed out. “We got to see your ship, only fair you see ours.” “But-” Rainbow started. “Don’t bother,” Coldcast remarked as Flurry threw the Draco Kyutama skywards, and day turned to night as a massive Asian dragon with purple metallic armor and a gold headcrest emerged grabbing onto the now massive Kyutama like it was a jewel. Two more ships followed a Chameleon and a wolf. “She’s always been a stubborn one.” “Whoa…” Pinkie looked at the three ships as they took to the field, the Draco Voyager breathing hot blasts of purple flame at Stoneroller. “Now THAT is cool! Looks like something out of that old manga, Dragon something or other!” “Shenlong from Dragon Ball Z?” Rainbow remarked. “Yes, him.” “Is it cool enough to stop this?!” Stoneroller picked up a skyscraper and hurled it at the Draco Voyager, who simply smashed right through it, the golden kabuto helmet protecting Flurry, who’d now leaped inside. Following her move, Coldcast and Spada got inside their own Voyagers. “This guy might be too tough for us to fight individually.” Sunset watched as Stoneroller trampled the city beneath his feet as he ran for the Kyurangers’ mechs. “Girls. Switch to the Megazord. Then we might stand a chance.” “Got it.” The other Rainbooms spoke together. “Zords, combine!” Each of the Rainbooms’ Zords gathered together and formed the Megazord. Rainbow and Pinkie’s zords became the legs, Rarity and Applejack’s transformed into the arms, Fluttershy’s bear head retracted and formed the chest, leaving Sunset’s Phoenix to perch on top of it and become the head, with its’ wings becoming the Megazord’s wings. “Equestrian Star Megazord! Ready for battle!” They all called together. “Might be tough to do this without one of the AIs, but I think we can manage…” Flurry murmured, before pressing the combination button on the Draco Voyager’s central console. The head armor detached and the entire mech folded down in the center to become a pair of legs and a torso, with the head and tail becoming feet. A red visored head popped up, and the kabuto grafted itself on top with the Wolf and Chameleon Voyagers forming arms. “Dragon Knight Megazord, ready for battle!” the Kyurangers called as systems came online, the Megazord standing in the moonlight’s glow. “Two times the beatdowns, I say.” Stoneroller leapt up and violently punched the ground, causing miniature earthquakes to form at the feet of the Megazords making them stumble. “Come on! You want some? Huh? Do ya?!” He taunted, punching the ground over and over again before starting another of his deadly shoulder ram charges. However, this time it was a no sell, as the Dragon Knight Megazord simply smacked him into the ground with a raised fist. “Now, that’s enough of that!” Flurry remarked. The Equestrian Star Megazord picked Stoneroller back up and kicked him away from it before it dashed forward and leapt onto his chest. Leaning down, it punched his face over and over again until it was swatted off by another swipe from the arms. “So... Ya like to punch a guy when he down, do ya? Well, so do I!” He screamed and grabbed the Dragon Knight Megazord, throwing it into the ground and performing left and right hooks one after the other. “Come on… Let’s see that head pop off!” “Hold it, big guy!” Rainbow Dash called as the Equestrian Star Megazord wrapped its’ arms around Stoneroller and belly flopped while holding him. Almost akin to a wrestling move on TV. “Hey, got an idea. An experiment really. Just want to see how compatible our Skill Kyutamas are with the Megazord control systems,” Coldcast shrugged, before placing the Aquarius Kyutama in a small slot as the Wolf’s jaw began to open. “Girls, toss him this way!” he yelled over the comms. “One big, bad, meanie, coming right up!” Pinkie Pie said, performing a throwing motion with her arms, along with the other Rainbooms. As they threw, so did their Megazord, and they threw Stoneroller towards the Dragon Knight Megazord. The Wolf Voyager let out a blast of pure scalding hot water, sending Stoneroller crashing into a nearby mountainside. In fact, he collided with the mountain itself, coating his head and shoulders with some snow and sending trees flying. “Nngh…” He groaned as he stood back up. “That barely even hurt me. C’mon!” “I’m getting bored with this guy,” Flurry remarked. “Let’s finish this, agreed girls?” she asked over the comms. “Got it!” They nodded. “Equestrian Star Megazord! Final Attack!” The Rainbooms all tapped at the neckpieces where their geodes would be and all Ponied-Up; their cockpit transforming into a rainbow tunnel of light as they channeled their magic to their Megazord. At the same time, the Wolf and Chameleon Voyagers charged up energy, before forming a meteorite to lob at the monster. “Meteor Crash!” the Rangers called, before tossing it and then kicking it towards Stoneroller with one massive foot like it was a football. The Equestrian Star Megazord dashed over with the speed of Rainbow Dash as the orbs on its’ body began to light up and show the sigils of each of the Rainbooms’ marks. It got behind Stoneroller and lifted it up high effortlessly with Applejack’s strength. They flew towards the meteor with their wings, threw Stoneroller at the meteor, and further their attack with a powerful beam of rainbow light, formed when the six orbs fired off streams and crossed them over with each other. “No! I’m cracking up! This can’t be happening!” Stoneroller screeched in anguish as both the laser and the meteor sandwiched him. The force was too much for him to bear, and he was engulfed in a colossal explosion of light and flames with no trace of him left behind once the dust settled. “Checkmate.” Flurry said, giving a thumbs down before laying back in her seat and sighing in relief slipping into unconsciousness. “The Magic of Friendship wins again!” Rainbow Dash grinned as she and the others de-morphed inside their Megazord, hugging and high-fiving each other. “Equestrian Star Rangers, the hunt is over,”  Sunset Shimmer stated proudly as she and the others relished in their victory. “That. Was. Amazing!” Twilight cheered as the group were back in Elaris’s ship again. “You got your confidence back and you stopped that monster from destroying the city!” “I think it’s safe to say that the Power Rangers are back!” Elaris gave them all a smile as she clasped her hands together. In the background, Coldcast was singing: “Go Power Rangers, fly Power Rangers, win Power Rangers, here we go!” to himself and doing a goofy dance. “Thanks, Elaris. But we couldn’t have done this all on our own.” Sunset shook her head and turned to the Kyurangers. “We’ve got our new friends to thank for all of this. Getting us back in action and ready to fight the Wolfpack again. We’d never have been able to face our fears without them.” “Hey, Friendship is Magic, right?” Flurry said, laying a hand on the younger Ranger’s shoulder. “Yeah. Friendship is Magic.” Sunset patted Flurry’s shoulder. “And hey, I hope things all work out back in your dimension.” “Speaking of that, how are we going to…?” Coldcast asked, his earlier cheery demeanor vanishing in a second and mood souring Suddenly, Flurry’s Kyuchanger gauntlet crackled, and a hologram of a red unicorn with burning orange hair appeared. “Thank Faust, thought we’d never get in touch with you Princess!” Flashfire sighed in relief. “Whatever you’re doing, best you drop it ‘cause we can only hold this portal open for so long! I was never worried of course, but-” “Liar, he was pacing back and forth in his quarters for hours!” Jabari’s voice chimed in. “S-Shut up!” Flashfire stammered out, his face turning pink. Flurry and the others rushed outside, only to see what looked like a giant pincher claw of a crab holding open a gap in time and space. “Well, guess that’s our ride home…” Flurry sighed before shaking Sunset’s hand. “I’d love to stay and chat, but…” “I know, I know. Dark Matter’s still on the loose and you’ve gotta clean it up.” Sunset just grinned and shook her hand again, before pulling her into a hug. “Take care, Flurry Heart. You too, Coldcast and Spada.” Spada smiled, his hands in his pockets, while Coldcast gave a thumbs up. “Been an honor, you know that right?” Flurry said. “And… and it was so nice seeing you again Auntie Sunset.” she sniffled out. “Auntie?” Sunset jumped at the title. “Well, you did come back and visit Equestria every now and then, along with your Twilight. Fun times when I was growing up really. Fun times.” Flurry reminisced and sighed wistfully. “I… really should check out your dimension if I ever get the chance.” Sunset blinked a few times. “Yeah. In fact, we should probably check it out too sometime, see if we can’t give the team a helping hand.” Rainbow added, putting a thumb to her chest. The other girls chattered in agreement. “Yeah, just probably not right now. Be a bit weird explaining why you six are alive… Plus, there’s the fact that we’ve got Don Armage’s personal assassins after us right now if the Doctor’s to be believed.” Flurry remarked. “Hmm. Yeah. Maybe we should hold off on that for a while until the heat dies down.” Pinkie Pie nodded. “Still, I’d love to throw you a super-awesome Power Ranger Party when we do come around to say hi. Would you like that?” “I’ll hold you to it, Pinks.” Flurry said as she stepped into the Draco Voyager, the massive dragon beginning to lift itself off the ground with a sound not unlike the whirring of jet turbines. Soon, the Wolf and Chameleon were to follow. The girls waved goodbye as they saw the three Voyagers vanish into the portal’s threshold for times and places unknown. Flurry smiled as she saw the familiar forms of the Shooting Star Megazord and the Shining Armor appear in her cockpit windows. She was home. Back on Mar’Zek’s flagship, he was greeted by the sight of Vi’Al, who was practically running on the spot in jubilation. He had a devilish smirk on his face as the captain walked up to him. “That was a spectacle, captain. Those three other rangers definitely put up the fight we were looking for!” He sounded like he was peeing himself as he threw his arms out gleefully. “Those Perfect Ones have no idea how much they’re contributing to our cause. And the more and more they fight, the more I get to learn. It’s like my own personal fever dream!” “I know that you’re happy, Vi’Al, but compose yourself. It’s undignified the way you’re acting right now.” Mar’Zek petted his head. “Oh. Right.” He cleared his throat. “My apologies, captain. But as for what we know about those other rangers, I’ve put their data into account, and am going to work long and hard to project just how strong these other rangers are going to become. Then, when the time is right and they fully blossom, you may finally scratch the itch you’ve had since you first crossed swords with them.” “Indeed.” He looked back towards the windscreen of his bridge. “Rangers. You have no idea what fate lies in store for you. You may think that this is a victory, but you are far from the truth. For now, contemplate the inevitable and get stronger.” He walked back over to his throne and sat back down again. “And the next time we fight, I’ll finally get to see your real strength on full display.” He chuckled to himself, then laughed so loudly that it echoed throughout his flagship.