//------------------------------// // Sharpening the Sword // Story: Equestria Rangers // by Shadowmane PX-41 //------------------------------// "This Noh'Vehl. He seems like he would belong in Mar'Zek's inner circle. What with that book he's holding." Elaris played back the battle the Rangers went through with him, watching as he wrote in the book, manifesting its' contents the moment they were laid out. "With all that power, it's surprising that he's been sent out at this stage in the game. Normally, I would expect him to have more authority within the Wolfpack." "Whatever rank he's in, he's still a Wolfpack Wolf. I say that we go out there again and let him have a good ol' taste of Friendship Magic." Rainbow groaned, throwing her hands to her laps. "We were just caught with our pants down that time. This time, we're totally ready for him. "Rainbow Dash, as much as I'm up for that idea as well, you saw what he could do with that book of his." Rarity tipped her hand to the screen. "Whatever he wrote in that book just came to life! With a weapon like that, he could have completely finished us off without even having to lift any kind of sword. And you wanna throw yourself back into that?" "Well, what other choice do we have, Rarity? We can't just not go out there and do nothing! The Wolfpack's testing us!" She wailed, splaying her fingers outward. "If we don't meet their challenge, they're gonna destroy the planet!" "I have to agree with Rarity, actually. We were just awful out there, ambushed or not." Fluttershy just clutched her flute, curling herself up on the seat she was on. "I know that we're the Power Rangers, but fighting a wolf who can control the story itself? We'd need some super-superpowers in order to take this one down." "It doesn't matter what we try, we're facing a book who is literally controlling everything with nothing but a pen and paper! I've been in some humiliating situations before, but this one just takes the cake!" Rainbow slammed her hand on the wall. "Whether we're being controlled like some goofy characters in a children's book or not doesn't matter. What does matter is the fact that if we don't fight, we're dead? D-E-A-D!" "There has to be something that we can do..." Sunset paced the floor back and forth, plans running through her mind about how she was going to tackle this new wolf. "Elaris, L.U.C.Y. Do you think now's as good a time as any to put that forge to good use?" "Well, there's always a good time for the Forge, but I'm not sure what exactly you need Sunset." Elaris lifted her head up from the alien consoles and looked her in the eyes. "If it is true that this wolf is capable of warping the battle to his own ideas, then we would need to build something that would guarantee success. Anything less could spell the end for you and for this planet." "Not to mention, if it is true that the book can distort time and space, making it malleable for this Noh'vehl wolf to use, then who is to say that he won't write the weapon out of existence afterward?" L.U.C.Y. added to the conversation, changing the image on the screen to show a more detailed analysis of the book in his hands. "If this wolf is smart, then he will have created multiple copies of this book; the Lupus Lexicon as it is formally known on their homeworld for himself to abuse its' power. However, it seems that only he is aligned with its' power, therefore meaning that if any other wolf were to find it or the copies, then they would be utterly useless to them without finding the original book first." "At least there's some good news there." Sunset deadpanned, forcing a small grin. "But what if Mar'Zek finds the book after the fact? After all, I'm sure that Noh'Vehl would have kept the original in a safe space for him to use as a fallback plan in case his wolf does get killed in battle." "True, true. He could just completely wipe out all of that hard work with a single pen stroke. But still, how in the stars above are we supposed to beat him? We can't attack him normally, we can't make a new weapon, and if we went for the Zords, that would completely backfire too, given how that book makes him so untouchable. Ugh!" Sunset clutched her hair, almost to the point of ripping it out. "Does anyone in the Wolfpack even fight fair?!" "More importantly, do we fight as we love it?" Fluttershy lifted her finger. "Do we love the thrill of the kill? To smile and be happy when we take a life?" That question left the entire room in silence, a cold, misty sensation coiling around the Rainbooms as it festered in their minds. For all their battles, just now the thought hounded them. Every struggle, every conflict, every clash they had been through so far with the Wolfpack, had it all been to feed an unearthly desire that none of them admitted, yet knew deep down how exhilarating the sensation was? “Ah… really don’t wanna have to think about this.” Applejack let out a long and dreary sigh, tipping her hat over her eyes. “Thing is, that’s what they want us to think, right? That we’re just gonna sit around and keel over, thinking too much about this whole life-or-death stuff.” “Well, so far, it’s working fairly well, Applejack. I’m starting to feel a bit mentally fatigued by it all.” Rarity’s hands quivered as she tried to ball them up. “Thing is, we’ve never had to physically destroy people before. Sure, we’ve hit them with the Magic of Friendship, but they didn’t die from it. They just… lost all their powers.” “...I’ve been doing some thinking,” Twilight asked. “Here’s the thing, we don’t fight because we want to, correct?” “No. We just fight because there are some bad people out there doing very bad things. We don’t do this because it’s our job or something…” Fluttershy’s hair draped over half of her face as she sat down, both slithering against the wall. “That’s what Mar’Zek’s plan is in the long run, I suspect. He wants to make us into blood knights like himself. The thing is…” Twilight sighed. “He’s wrong. We fight not because we want to, but because we’re the only thing standing between the Wolfpack and Earth’s annihilation. We fight because it’s our duty to protect Earth.” “Even so, Twilight, I hate this. I hate how we’ve been roped into fighting, day-in, day out. Is it ever going to stop? Are we ever going to be normal teenagers again?” Sunset asked, her facial muscles tensing up as she made fists out of her hands. “Because from the way I see it, we can’t ever be normal again. We will need to keep fighting. If it’s not the Wolfpack, then it’ll be something or someone else. We can’t escape. And we know we can’t escape. That’s what’s truly terrifying about all this.” “That’s the thing, isn’t it?” Twilight asked. “Maybe we can’t, but we don’t have much choice in the matter. The people of not just Earth, but the galaxies are counting on us. We don’t have to know their names, or any of their faces. We fight because they need our help. Call us messiahs or whatever you may, but we fight not because it’s our only option, but because it’s the right option. Do we leave the galaxy to the wolves, or do we defeat the Wolfpack and let the galaxy finally know peace?” “There is one thing that’s for sure, we can’t just let them continue to do what they’ve been doing. Especially after having thrown the gauntlet at us. But… the way things are going, it could take years before we’re ready to take on Mar’Zek. I’m not sure that he can wait that long…” Sunset took a very deep breath. “Excuse me. I think I need a moment.” She walked out, not even bothering to look back on the others. “Sunset… Please don’t do this to yourself.” Twilight meekly reached out for her, but she was already gone. Canterlot High. How many times had it been the battleground for Sunset and her friends, she wondered, walking up to the front doors once more. Whenever she saw this particular building, all that she could think of what how it hosted some of the most vicious battles seen in her time. Herself, the Dazzlings, Midnight Sparkle, Wallflower, and now the Wolfpack. What would have once been a seemingly normal high school with seemingly normal students turned out to be a nesting ground for Equestrian Magic and otherworldly showdowns, with Sunset and her friends being the one thing keeping the place from collapsing under all the chaos. “You know, in another life, I would have passed this place off. But now…” Sunset laid her hand on the door without pushing it open. “Now, I know that you’re much more. I can’t let you fall. Not now. Not ever. You’ve really changed my life…” Eventually, she walked inside, walking down the silent, empty corridors with nothing more than the sound of her footsteps as a company. The lockers laid gently by the walls were as plain as day. All painted the same shade with the same lock and the same design. Some of them were decorated with marks and stickers so as to distinguish each from the others, but the majority of them were barren. Sunset didn’t mind that. It came with the territory of a high school, as far as she knew, at least. She went through a series of lockers until at last, she came to hers. Nothing special about it, but it was hers nonetheless. She pulled the door open and reached for her book, the one that allowed her to commune with the other Twilight back in Equestria. A smile came to her face as she brushed the top with the back of her hand, then took out a pen, flipped the book open to the first clear page and began writing. “Dear Twilight. I know we haven’t really spoken much in a while, The craziness of high school and princess duties, am I right?” She let a tiny, almost inaudible chuckle form as she wrote. “Anyway, I’ve got a bit of an… an issue that I wanna talk to you about. Is that alright?” She stopped, waiting for a response. “I’m always here for you Sunset, you know that right?” Twilight asked after what seemed like an eternity. Sunset sighed to herself. She forgot about the time disconnect between Equestria and Earth. They were always a few hours ahead. It may have been early evening for Sunset, but for Twilight it was probably the dead of the night. She winced, realizing she probably interrupted Twilight from a good night’s sleep. She honestly envied her. A restful night was hard to come by these days for Sunset personally. “Well, let’s just say that… something new’s been threatening our world. And for once, it’s not Equestrian Magic. It’s a bunch of space-wolves, call themselves the Wolfpack,” she started. “Me and my friends have been fighting hard against them, but they’ve been trying to break us recently with words, rather than through claws. Twilight… I’m not gonna sugarcoat this. We’ve been killing them. And they think and are making us think that we like killing them. Is that… the truth?” “Do you like killing them?” Twilight asked after another long silence, presumably digesting her words. “Yeah. I mean, me and my friends have felt satisfied from striking them down. But now we feel like we want them to kill us. As if they enjoy the thrill of watching us believe that we’re doing this to fulfill some sick desire. That’s why I came to you. To get some knowledge from another opinion that isn’t the Wolfpack or my friends.” “I… I see,” Twilight replied. “Sunset, remember when we talked about what may or may happen to Equestria in the next few billion years? After your little adventure with… the Kyurangers was it?” Sunset, of course, hadn’t mentioned that the Wolfpack was involved in their little adventure with the Kyurangers, fearing Twilight wouldn’t believe her, but now she figured if there was any hope of getting her Twilight’s opinion on matters she figured it was now or never. Twilight had to know the Wolfpack existed. “Yeah. Listen, Twilight. This Wolfpack? They’re evil. Powerful as well. Remember when you had to fight Lord Tirek back when he was trying to take everyone’s power for himself? Well, Mar’Zek is Tirek with all that power but less of the size. And now, he’s commanding these Wolfpack wolves from some kind of spaceship. If we can’t stop them, if they win, we might need to flee to your world.” Sunset almost didn’t want to continue, but she swallowed her pride and went on. “The Power Rangers--what me and my friends became to try and fight back, we’re good, but we’ve still got a long way to go. If we can’t make it… then I’m counting on you to keep us all safe.” “I… I understand. But do you remember what I said when you told me Equestria’s sun is going to broil over within the next few billion years? Sunset, do you?” Twilight wrote back. “Yeah. I know. But I can’t let you come over to Earth either. You’ll get slaughtered by the Wolfpack here. The only reason we can fight back at all is thanks to being Power Rangers. Without that power, we can’t fight. The Magic of Friendship isn’t gonna be able to hit every wolf all at once.” “At least… not yet,” Twilight remarked, and Sunset could have sworn the tired Alicorn was probably smirking right about now as if she’d come up with an idea. “But remember what I said. We don’t worry about what-ifs, or maybes, or what may come. We worry about the here and now, what we should be focused on. And right now, you should be focusing on what you can do. And that is, protect the planet however you can.” “Alright. I suppose. Thanks, Twilight. Always good to know I can rely on you for words of advice. Speaking of which, have you got an idea for a weapon that we could use against the Wolfpack? Kinda like a friendship weapon?” “Just give me some time to think, I’ve got something that might help. Just creating it is the issue.” “Alright. Well, I’ll be sure to keep the book close. Whenever something comes to mind, just let me know, okay?” She finished, placing a full stop at the end. “Your friend, Sunset Shimmer.” Sunset closed the book and turned away, only for Noh’Vehl to be standing right there in front of her. She let out a scream, tripping over her body in surprise as she fell to the ground. “Well, well, well. Now, this is an interesting observation.” Noh’Vehl chuckled to himself, pen and book at the ready. “It seems you and I share something in common, Sunset Shimmer. We both wield books with unique properties. Tell me, can your book re-shape reality as mine can? Because if so, we’re going to have such an interesting duel.” Sunset swore under her breath. She should have been watching her back. She shouldn’t have gone off alone. Drawing her blade in a flash of fire, her eyes narrowed. “Aww, now this is sad, isn’t it? Didn’t anyone ever tell you this old saying? That the pen is mightier than the sword?” Cackling, he snapped the book open, sending a very brief pulse of dark energy out that quickly vanished from sight. “Sunset, in her haste to end the Wolfpack wolf before he could change fate once more slashed blindly with her sword. Each strike unfocused, erratic even. But not one blow could land, as her foe evaded each strike, then barrelled through her with all of his strength.” As much as she wanted to stand still and fight the story, Sunset found her body manipulated by the same dark energy that came from the book, arms and legs moving entirely on her own as her sword swung through the air, barely missing Noh’Vehl’s body as he dodged in all directions. Eventually, after the last one, he ran into Sunset, his foot pinning her down as he stopped on the other side. “The wounded Sunset laid barren, clawed foot driving into her body.” He wrote, his foot burrowing into her chest. Any more pressure and it would puncture it. “Now, then. About this book you so hold dear to your heart.” He scribbled another passage, teleporting the book from the locker into his hand. He frisked the pages as quickly as he could, reading the words at a heightened pace. “Eh. It could use some work. This story you write seems quite a bit too much like a self-insert. Honestly, Miss Shimmer, you need to refine your tastes a little.” “Get your hands off that book…” Sunset growled as she picked herself up off the floor, clutching her chest with blood dripping onto the floor from the gauges in her arms. “Oh, I will. Provided that you can use it to beat me, that is.” He threw the book to Sunset, watching as she caught it. “If this really is a copy of my book, then we must see which is the better one. Which story’s end will be the happy one and which, the sad heart-wrencher? I’m quite curious to see what IMAGINATION you have in the heat of battle...” Sunset swung with her blade again, a weak attack considering her injuries but given she was so mad at the Wolfpack Agent -not because of his lust for destruction, but he because he was holding one of the only links to her past- she didn’t really give a damn. Without the book dictating her actions, she only had a short window of time to hit him before he took control of her again. She ran into his body with the blade held horizontally, trying to push him back. She managed a few feet before one of his legs reached up and kicked her in the chest, knocking her to the other end of the corridor. “Sunset!” Rainbow Dash cried out when she saw her friend smash against the wall. Charging into the scene, she immediately locked eyes with Noh’Vehl and snarled. “...Rainbow, what are you doing here?” Sunset whispered. “What, you think I was stupid enough to let you go off alone, especially now of all times? Hell no, friends always look after each other!” “Isn’t it beautiful? Friends always there to have your back when things get rough. Bleh.” Noh’Vehl groaned. “Honestly, friendship is such an overrated and overused concept in stories these days. If anything, it will pass for infants to enjoy; not for true veterans of the literary world such as moi.” “Y’know, talk is cheap. If you wanna do something, just do it!” Rainbow activated her geode and ran for Noh’Vehl. “Rainbow stopped.” Two words and that was all it took, Rainbow Dash was frozen on the spot thanks to Noh’Vehl’s book. “Perhaps you seem to forget, Blue Ranger, that I control a book that dictates everything. Your friends can fight as much as they want, but in the end, a pen stroke is all that fate needs to move fo-” Of course, while he was monologuing Sunset grabbed the book out of his hands before mustering up her strength and ripping it in half as the Wolfpack Agent roared in shock and rage. “...You know, you really shouldn’t monologue so much. Bad for strategy, gloating really. I would know.” Sunset remarked. With no words, Noh’Vehl reached for a dagger and slashed at Sunset, throwing the pen away as he howled, pouncing on top of her body. “And you should know that a Wolfpack Wolf ALWAYS has a backup plan!” Rainbow then kicked him off Sunset and morphed in a flash of blue light. “So, what are you going to do now, without your precious book? Seems quite interesting, you without your reality-warping abilities now,” Rainbow remarked slamming a fist hard into Noh’Vehl’s face and then kicking him in the stomach. Noh’Vehl howled and leaped forwards but Rainbow simply rolled under him and kicked him into a locker. “See? You’re just pathetic.” “Do you think I did everything by book and pen?” Noh’Vehl ran towards Rainbow, a flurry of claw swipes and teeth gnashes flying at her face. “No! We. Do. Everything on the Wolfpack payroll!” He said while attacking Rainbow easily dodging the enraged strikes. Anger, it had a tendency to ruin judgment and combat capability. “You and your delinquent friends fail to realize that our captain plans for every outcome! Every situation! And every attack you Power Rangers make!” With one last blow, he broke through Rainbow’s guard in a stroke of luck and pinned her to the locker, his headbutting against her helmet. So Rainbow did the only logical thing and kneed him in the groin before letting him have it with her laser cannons. “You know, shutting up is a thing right?” Rainbow said as Noh’Vehl staggered backward, clutching his chest in pain. Sunset’s book lay forgotten on the floor. “Twin Blasters! Overclock!” Rainbow cried out, energy surging through her guns as she pointed them at Noh’Vehl. “Fire!” She cried out, letting a series of much bigger, much faster, and much more heavy-hitting laser blasts ring out. Each and every one of them hit Noh’Vehl, coupled with cries of pain from him and explosions from the impacts. He was flung all the way through the walls of CHS, out onto the parking lot. “The reviews are in wolfy,” Rainbow remarked blowing the smoke off her blasters like an old west gunfighter. “And your books suck!” “I… I see how it is. If this is my last piece, then it shall be my grandest one yet…” Noh’Vehl panted heavily, his hands barely keeping him propped up. He stood at last, then watched as a blood-red moon appeared in the sky. “Feral Fury!” One howl to said moon later and his body was already contorting and bubbling with power, his blood running ferociously and coupled with energy as he grew to the size of a skyscraper. “Let this be your final chapter, Power Rangers!” “...Saw that one coming,” Rainbow muttered as she looked towards Sunset staggering out of the building. She walked over to her and looked at her friend seriously. “You, you take a rest, okay? Let me and the girls handle this moron, okay?” “No. I got into this mess. I’m gonna get us all out of it, Rainbow. I appreciate the concern, but last I checked, I was the leader.” Sunset turned to Rainbow, before her legs gave out again, causing another tumble. “Sorry, Sunset, doctor’s orders,” Rainbow said, summoning a ball of blue energy in her hand and firing it skywards. “I need Equestrian Star Zord Power, now!” “Heard that. One Zord, coming your way,” Elaris’ voice came from Rainbow’s helmet as the Falcon Zord hurtled onto the scene, colliding with the energy bolt she sent out. It grew in size until it was large enough to climb inside, then she leaped into it. Not long after Rainbow set herself up in the cockpit of her Falcon Zord, the other Zords came running in as well. Rarity’s Lynx; Applejack’s Bull; Fluttershy’s Bear; and Pinkie’s Kangaroo. They stopped at her side as they all turned to face Noh’Vehl. “Where’s Sunset?” Applejack asked. “Ah didn’t see her Phoenix Zord. Is she in trouble?” Rainbow, as the Falcon’s wings moved forwards and fired off a barrage of missiles at Noh’Vehl, looked to see Elaris teleporting Sunset out, presumably towards the Med Bay. “...She’ll… She’ll be fine.” she stammered out, not entirely sure if she even believed those words. She steeled herself, she had to focus on wolfy here, and Elaris knew what she was doing. Sunset would be alright, she just knew it. She had to be. “In any case, we’d better get to work. This big, bad wolf must’ve done a real number on her.” Fluttershy tightened her grip on the Bear Zord’s controls. “Without the Phoenix Zord, this could be a challenge.” “Not really. Think about it,” Applejack surmised noting what Noh’Vehl was missing. “That their wolf doesn’t have his book correct?” “Exactly, Sunset destroyed it,” Rainbow confirmed. “Well, yippie-ki-yay on that!” Applejack cheered. “Now, Ah’m not the brightest apple in the bushel at times, but even Ah know that over-reliance on one thing can only lead to disaster.” “Well, normally, I would say that makes our jobs easier, but--DUCK!” Rarity suddenly yelped, as Noh’Vehl leaped over Applejack’s Bull Zord and reached for its’ tail. A punch from the Kangaroo Zord, and then another knocked him backward into a nearby mountain. Rainbow, before Noh’Vehl could recover let him have it with another missile barrage. Every missile hit, leaving a massive ball of flame in its’ wake. But Noh’Vehl just jumped out, grabbing Rainbow’s Falcon Zord and throwing it down into Pinkie’s Kangaroo Zord, before trampling over both of them and running for Fluttershy’s Bear Zord, screaming at the top of his lungs. Fluttershy’s Zord just grabbed him by the leg and tossed him towards the Bull Zord which rammed Noh’Vehl sending him flying into the atmosphere. “Rangers. Do you think I’m just going to lay down and die like this? Think again!” Falling back to the earth, he did so as if he were performing a wrestling move from a top rope. “I am a Wolfpack Wolf. Dying is NOT in my vocabulary! I. AM. NOT. WEAK!” “Yeah?” Rainbow asked as all the Zords charged up lasers. “Then what’s this?” The lasers fired, all punching holes right through Noh’Vehl. “No! NO! My story isn’t finished yet!” With that last remark, he collided back with the earth, going up in a massive detonation. “...Equestrian Rangers… This hunt is over.” Rainbow sighed. “No!” Mar’Zek snarled, slamming his hand against the arm of his throne. “He was one of my finest wolves! How did the Rangers manage to beat him with a man down?!” Breathing heavily, he watched as the screen faded, vanishing in a fit of static. “How could someone with an artifact like that, someone of that level of power be so… weak?!” “If anything, those rangers are shaping up more and more every day.” Siel’Viz gave a toothy grin. “I can’t wait to have a real fight with them. See how long they last against me and my years on the front lines.” “I for one have to come out of this with a smile as well. Those Rangers were unable to perform their Megazord combination and yet they still took out a Wolfpack wolf like that. That opens up another branch for me to extend my research,” Vi’Al chuckled. “Don’t be so downhearted, captain. At least he died for a cause. Your cause.” Vi’AI remarked, all the while holding a certain book with a blazing sun on it. While nobody had been looking, he’d grabbed it from the CHS hallways. Odd thing was, it wouldn’t open for him. But that was a problem he was sure he could solve soon enough. He just growled, flashing a look of rage at his left and right-hand wolves. Simmering, his claws scratched the arms of his chairs, the piercing noise ringing throughout the room. “Noh’Vehl. You will be remembered. Your devotion to this cause was just. Let it be known, that like all the others who have fallen, we will be sure to finish what you started. Rest in peace, old friend.” “So… I assume you girls did alright without me?” Sunset asked, hooked up to all sorts of medical machines as the girls walked into the Medical Bay. “Sunset, we were awesome out there!” Rainbow’s smile was gigantic, to say the least. “The five of us totally kicked his sorry butt all the way to the moon and back!” “Yeah! You should’ve been there, it was totally great!” Pinkie clapped her hands together and bounded on the spot. “They really were good out there, Sunset. You should be proud of them for being there to pick up the slack.” Elaris patted her back. “Just as I’m proud of you, for standing up to that Wolf even without all of your friends to support you.” “...Trust me, Rainbow did most of the work,” Sunset replied as the young woman smiled weakly. “Without her showing up when she did, I would have been toast.” “With butter and candy on top? Now, that’s a special kinda toast you don’t wanna be.” Pinkie folded her arms. Sunset just laughed. “Yeah, Pinkie. That kind of toast.” She reclined back into her bed, neck resting against the plush foam. “Thanks. You really saved my butt today.” Rainbow fist-bumped Sunset before hugging her gently as she could. “Hey. That’s what we’re here for right? As I said before, friends look out for one another, and I dare say friendship… It could probably take on the universe if needed.” “You know that sounds so cheesy right?” Sunset teased. “...Hey, sometimes cheesy works right?” Rainbow shrugged as everyone laughed.