Sunset Shimmer walked into the bridge Elaris's ship to watch most of the other Rangers practicing their weapons in Elaris's ship. Their weapons weren't doing any physical hits to the ship, however, and were more so disappearing before they could hit the hulls or consoles. Rainbow tried to gun down Pinkie Pie as she flipped and bounced all around the room with her wrist-mounted party cannons, Rarity locked swords with Applejack's hammer, and Fluttershy was simply playing her Animal Flute to herself in the corner of the room, letting the creatures she spawned cavort and dance around her.
"Looks like you're all pretty fired up for today, huh?" Sunset smirked as she walked towards the pilot's chair, where Elaris kept a watchful eye on them all. "Did something special happen today?"
"Oh, not really major or anything, Sunset. We've just gotta make sure that we're properly prepared to deal with the Wolfpack." Rarity said as she swung her swords in an X fashion across Applejack's hammer. "After all, he can't keep on throwing his grunts and low-level monsters at us. He has to step up the difficulty sooner or later."
"And when that happens, we've gotta make sure that we're not rusty." Rainbow Dash grinned as she grabbed Pinkie and let some shots fly at her face, only for her to bend backwards and let them fly over her. "Plus, I kinda like being able to spar with my friends. We never used to do that before all of this Power Ranger stuff."
"Yeah! Plus, fighting can be fun when everyone's not trying to be super-mean about it. Like when you see those karate tournaments on TV!" Pinkie demonstrated by sweeping Rainbow's legs, leaping over her, and firing a barrage of party cannon shots at her downed target. "Booyah! Take that, Dashie!"
"Alright, Pinks. I'll give ya that." Rainbow grinned, then activated her geode's powers. "But let's see how you handle someone who's faster than you." And without another second wasted, Rainbow Dash started to dart around at light speed, causing Pinkie to try and leap back in the air, only for Dash to slide under her own legs and backflip over her, letting more blaster shots hit her in the chest.
"Going geode, eh?" Pinkie grinned and ignited hers, causing the confetti that she launched from her cannons to detonate on impact, leaving little sparks in their place. More and more blasts came, and Rainbow couldn't keep up with the little sparks, until she finally ended up tripping over herself and crashing straight into both Applejack and Rarity. "Well, two can play that game, Dashie."
The other Rainbooms could only just chuckle at the sight as Rainbow climbed out of the pile of teens. Even Applejack and Rarity, who had also been tangled up in the mess, were chuckling slightly as they all got back to their feet and went back to where they were before the collision.
"Looks like all your fears about the Wolfpack are all up in flames." Sunset nodded at the girls as she drew her sword, but with the flames suppressed and non-existent. "With that in mind, the Wolfpack should be running in fear from us."
"Oh, I don't think that's all entirely true." Fluttershy gripped her flute tightly in her hand. "Mar'Zek is still a very dangerous wolf. And I think we've still got a long way to go before we're ready to fight him. We're good, but he's better in every single way."
"Well... yeah, I guess that's true." Sunset had flashbacks to the battle with Mar'Zek that she and her friends lost. The screams still echoed and she felt the scars where he had dealt the most destructive damage with his Soul Decimator attack. Shaking her head to let the memory disappear, she swung her own sword slowly. "But that doesn't mean we can just give up. We need to fight. Better than doing nothing and just giving into our fears."
"But we can't stop fear either." Fluttershy stood up and put her flute away. "No matter how brave or strong we are, there's always going to be things that make us terrified, or at least give us scares. It's what we choose to do when it comes that's what's really important."
"Hmm... That's true as well. And look at you now, Fluttershy. You're a Power Ranger. There's gonna be nothing that scares you now that you've got all these new tricks up your sleeve." Sunset came over to her, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to her side. "With you as the Yellow Ranger, I know you won't have to be afraid of anything anymore."
On Mar'Zek's flagship, he was already selecting another member of his crew in the bubble of screens and lights. He flicked through many different aliens and fighters; wolves, humanoids, and many more. He all took a look at their fighting styles and weaponry before moving on to the next one, spoilt for choice; as someone of his calibre should have been.
"I think today, we should test the Rangers' resolve. See if they're as fearless mentally as they are physically." He said, scrolling through many more crew members until he found a feminine wolf touching targets with her sharpened claws. As the tips touched their heads, they glowed dark purple and made the victims' eyes glow the same colour. "Cold. Callous. Mentally destructive. Perfect." From there, Mar'Zek watched as the female stepped away and watched as the holograms, watching as they started to panic as they jittered on the spot and ran erratically in all directions. Until finally, she darted forward and performed an X slice across their chests, shattering the projections into shards. "If I no longer scare the rangers, then she just will." And he tapped the button underneath to video call her.
"What are your orders, captain?" She smiled, flashing a pair of spiked hand fans as her face appeared on screen. "Need to give someone a good scare today?"
"Yes, Para. And I have a job for you." He nodded. "Report to the Meteor Cannon. You are about to be launched to earth. Find the Power Rangers and touch them. Then, watch as they cry and scream, as their nightmares destroy them from the inside out."
"Of course, master. I'll make them so traumatised that they'll have to invent a name for the phobias I give them." She bowed before him, ending the call.
"The Perfect Ones are strong both in body and mind. At least, that is what the legends say." Mar'Zek stood up and watched as the cannon aimed itself at Earth, calibrated the trajectory, and fired off a shell at it. "But if these Rangers conform and surrender to their fears, it will be yet another disappointment for me. And disappointments truly are the worst thing imaginable; even more so than death itself. Good thing that my Wolfpack wolves do not disappoint, then; not even in their own deaths."
"Okay, okay, okay. Let's try and change things up a bit." Rainbow Dash said as she gathered the others together in a semi-circle formation. "How about we try five on one? The five of you try and take me out. Feel free to use whatever you want in doing it." She pulled out her blasters and casually swung them around. "After all, we've gotta learn how to handle crowds as well."
"Rainbow Dash, are you sure that you want to fight all five of us together?" Rarity asked, tipping her head to the side. "I mean, not that you couldn't hold your own against the Wolfpack or us, but five Power Rangers against one?"
"Isn't that a bit too much?" Fluttershy asked, reaching out towards her.
"Well, y'never know until you try, right? Plus, it's training. If Mar'Zek wants us to be at our best, we have to be even better than our best, right?" Rainbow grinned and held the barrels of her blasters firmly. "Now come on, girls. Give me your best shots."
Before any of them could oblige, an alarm rang out through the ship, and the screen materialised the shell that Para was travelling to earth in. "Calculating landing zone: Optimising for velocity and trajectory." L.U.C.Y. said, before showing the location of CHS. "Target will be landing at Canterlot High School."
"CHS?!" Sunset's eyes wend wide shock. "Girls! Morph! NOW!"
"Got it!" The other Rainbooms immediately complied and activated their crystals.
"Equestrian Stars! Shine Bright and Let's Fight!" The Rangers all called together before instantly morphing and darting out of the ship without a second to spare. Leaving Twilight and a stunned Elaris in their wake.
"Does Canterlot High have any significance to you?" Elaris asked, looking closer at the school itself. "Because it sounded from Sunset's point of view like it did."
"Without Canterlot High, we have nowhere to go. It's our school, and one that we've protected lots of times in the past." Twilight turned to Elaris and pushed her glasses closer to her face. "Things like the Sunset's darker side, the sirens, and... even me..." She hung her head briefly as visions of Midnight Sparkle began to flash in her own head, before a look at the screen brought her back to reality. "And now, even the Wolfpack want a piece of the 'attack Canterlot High and all of its' students' pie. Why do these things always have to happen to us?"
"I'm... sorry to hear about that, Twilight." Elaris reached over and placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder, massaging it gently and seemingly rhythmically. "But rest assured that the Power Rangers will prevail over these Wolfpack wolves and bring order to the universe. After all, they're your friends, correct?"
"Yeah. And we've fought all kinds of things together." Twilight sighed as she turned her attention to the screen and watched as the Power Rangers darted onto it, ready to intercept Para.
"Okay. We've not got a lot of time." Sunset said as she held her sword out. "Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, you get everyone out of there before the Wolfpack agent lands. Applejack, Rarity, you make sure that it doesn't completely tear the school apart when it lands. Fluttershy, hold on to that flute of yours. You'll need it once the fighting starts."
"On it!" Rainbow tapped her geode neckpiece and ran off into the school at blinding speeds, with Pinkie close behind her.
"I'll form a diamond barrier at the top. To make sure that it doesn't leave a garish crater in its' wake." Rarity looked out at the school, and how far she was from said roof. "Applejack, can you give me a helping hand with that hammer of yours?"
"Sure thing." Applejack readied her hammer and performed a heavy strike on the ground, causing two splits to form from it. Both parallel with each other, the land quickly sprang up like a giant plank made of stone and earth. "Does that help?"
"Wonderfully. Thank you, Applejack!" Rarity darted up the makeshift ramp, swords at her side. The way she ran was very similar to that of a ninja's, likely from some sort of anime. Once she made it to the edge, she leapt gracefully into the air and landed on the top of the domed skylight, watching as the meteor cannon shell came hurtling towards her. "Now then. About you..."
Tapping her own geode neckpiece, Rarity channelled white light between her swords, held them high, and swung them downwards, creating a dome shield around Canterlot High. Within split seconds, the whole school had been barricaded off, with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie herding the students out to the sports court at the back. Rarity made a slight breach in the barrier with a point of her sword, watching as all of the students and faculty ran out. Once everyone was clear, another jab of her swords' tips filled the split back up again. As soon as the hole was sealed off, the shell smashed into the barrier, causing a massive explosion that engulfed the air around the dome in flames.
"Alright then. Who've we got this time?" Sunset asked as she watched the explosion begin to dissipate and fade away.
From the smoke and ash, Para leapt out and landed before the Power Rangers, mere feet away from Sunset and Fluttershy; who had to back up once she stood back on two legs again. The other girls quickly ran to their side as Para unfurled her blade fans before them.
"So. You're the ones that Captain Mar'Zek needs to give a good scare, is it?" She asked, pointing the edges of the blades at them. "Well, you sure look the part. But looks are cheap compared to your actions."
"Enough talk. You know the drill by now. He wants to challenge us, so let's just cut the formalities and get right into the fighting, shall we?" Sunset drew her flame sword, the fires burning brightly as she took up a combat stance. "Another wolf in the grave is another step closer to beating Mar'Zek."
"You claim to be fearless, Rangers. But let's just see if that's true or not." Para hunched down, put her fans to her sides, and dashed forward, swinging the edges out as she engaged the Rangers in combat, twirling and slicing at them with the five points of her fans.
"Is that all you got?" Rainbow asked as she got up to Para's face and launched a volley of blaster shots, only for her fans to repel them all. "Come on! Let's see some real Wolfpack power!"
"You are getting braver, I'll give you that." Para's fans continued to slice and dice the air as Rainbow evaded slash after slash. "But even so, Wolfpack wolves know nothing of fear. You, on the other hand, are going to get a first-hand experience of true terror." After lowering her fans, she watched as Rainbow charged in at her with blasters. Letting a few shots strike her on the chest, she charged forward and grabbed Rainbow's entire skull, channelling her purple energy through it. "Living Nightmare!"
From Rainbow Dash's point of view, the entire world began to shatter and break into millions of shards. Canterlot High, her friends, and Para herself disappeared as reality itself collapsed around her. And in its' place, Rainbow found herself in a cutesy land of bright colours, rainbows, and creatures bearing the biggest of grins. From her feet, flowers of varying shapes and sizes sprouted up, coiling around her body and giggling giddily like schoolgirls.
"Gah!" Rainbow fumbled to break free from the plants and stumbled backwards, toppling over and landing on her butt. From there, she watched as a pink moose and aquamarine horse ran past her face, laughing to themselves as they left sprinkles and stardust behind her. "Wh-Where am I? And where's my friends? And that Wolfpack wolf?"
"Hi there." came a shrill and childish voice belonging to that of a gerbil with big, cartoon-like eyes and hearts on its' cheeks. "Can you hug me?"
"Hug?" Rainbow Dash stood back up. "Look, kid, I appreciate the thought, but I've gotta fight this big, bad wolf. And I gotta find the quickest way outta here. So, do you mind telling me where the exit for this crazy place is?"
"I wanna hug you!" The gerbil cooed, before leaping onto Rainbow's chest and wrapping its' tiny arms around it.
"Okay, kid, that's WAY too close for comfort." Rainbow tried her hardest to brush the gerbil off, but no matter how hard she tried, it stayed stuck to her chest. "Kid? Kid! I need to focus!"
Suddenly, some loud rumbles could be heard, and the ground beneath Rainbow's feet began to shake and tremble. The gerbil managed to jump off at last, but everything else was still there. Including, one new arrival.
There, in front of Rainbow Dash, a large, bipedal hippo-like creature with bright yellow skin, a large set of thick teeth, a poofy pink dress around her waist, and a pair of tap-dancing shoes came charging towards her. Arms outstretched, as if to give her an even bigger, and tighter hug than what she had just endured. Guffawing to herself, she trounced over a stream of water, splashing everything around it to get closer to Rainbow.
"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Rainbow immediately turned away from the hippo and ran endlessly, watching as more and more of the cartoonish animals, creatures, and other things around her started to grow faces and adorable features. The sun, the clouds, and even the grass beneath her feet lit up as it all came to life around her. "Wake up, Rainbow Dash! Wake up! Girls! HELP ME!"
Back in reality, the girls could only watch as Rainbow turned tail and ran away from Para and the school, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust behind her. Her screams could still be heard as she bolted away, but everyone else could only watch as she crashed into a house wall.
"What did you do to her?" Sunset asked, swinging her flame sword at Para once she turned her attention back to the fight.
"Simple, really. I gave her a fright." Para met Sunset's swords with her own set of miniature knives, repelling the slashes and performing a series of double-strikes on her chest and head once she broke past her defensive posture. "Isn't that the point of fear-mongering? To let everyone have something to be terrified and worried about?"
"Fear-mongering?" Sunset asked, before using her sword to guard against another strike from Para. "Oh, that's it. You're going down!"
"You first, dear." Para grabbed Sunset's face and performed the same move to her, splintering her view of reality. Then, as she stumbled and staggered on the spot, Para rushed Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie, evading all of their blows and attacks before clutching their heads and breaking their realities around them as well.
All that was left was Fluttershy, who watched as Sunset, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie's visors flashed dark purple as Para's nightmare-enducing powers sank into them. She could only watch as the girls looked around frenetically, their bravado immediately dissipating as they looked around at the worlds they were stuck in. The nightmares engulfing them and warping their senses. Screams rang out, and a couple even fell to their knees, writhing and moaning loudly.
"This is what you call bravery? Pathetic." Para spat on all of the Rangers by her feet, before looking up at Fluttershy. "Only one more, and then I think we can call it a day. Maybe we can just destroy the planet and forget about the crystals and Perfect Ones after all. Plus, the captain really needs to eat. Being a space-faring pirate captain tends to leave your belly wanting, shall we say?"
"They're seeing their... nightmares?" Fluttershy asked as she watched Sunset and the others experience suffering. Even when Rainbow Dash got back up to her feet, it wasn't long before she ended up running off in another direction, right back into Para's hands; which resulted in her being thrown to the ground with the others.
"This is how I fight. This is my place in the Wolfpack." Para furled up her fans and stepped past the Rangers, and up to Fluttershy's head. "And it is high time that you see just how menacing we Wolfpack wolves can really be." Hastily reaching out for Fluttershy, she grabbed her own head and deluged her brain with the nightmare energy. "My name is Para'Noia. The Wolfpack's Scare Tactics agent. If the Captain and his power doesn't frighten you anymore, then I know EXACTLY what will!" And just like that, Fluttershy's vision of reality broke and vanished, with the wolf being the last thing she saw before her nightmare world began to materialise.