//------------------------------//
// Stampede 
// Story: Welcome to the Jungle: A Power Rangers Story 
// by TheHardie-Boy 
//------------------------------//

Theo and RJ were sparring. With only one Overlord left, they knew it was only a matter of time until Grizzaka attacked. They had to be ready. Even with Jungle Master Mode, it never hurt to train. RJ swept a leg and Theo jumped over it. The two were becoming used to each others’ attacks. 

Dominic was training as well. He was testing his strength by attempting to knock down a tree. He had seen Applejack bucking trees earlier and thought he could do something similar. When he hit the tree, it hurt a lot more than he thought it would. Luckily, the tree did go down. Dominic picked himself up and prepared to do it again.

Lily was working on her dance routine. She had always been a really good dancer, but she could still use the practice. It was a little harder without music. She had to count the beat in her head, which was hard to do because she also had to focus on her moves. Regardless, she was doing a good job. 

As for Casey, he was with Starlight, who had been acting strange ever since Jellica had been defeated. He made sure it was really Starlight- he didn’t want a repeat of the Chrysalis incident -but she was acting like something was wrong. Casey tried to figure out what it was, but Starlight assured him it was nothing. He dismissed it as an after effect from the wave. 

The two were now sitting on the same ledge from before. Casey never got over how beautiful the view of Ponyville was from there, but he still preferred the view of Starlight. She was more beautiful every time he saw her. He looked back out on the town. He could easily get used to this place as his new home. 

Casey put his arm around Starlight and felt her tense up. After a moment though, she leaned back against him. She felt warm. Not just on the outside, but in her heart as well. She glanced up at him and smiled. He never looked more handsome. She sighed within herself. She knew this would have to come to an end, but she didn’t want it to. But she had to; she wouldn’t do this to Rainbow. It really wasn’t fair that Casey would get to stay even though Connor had to leave. 

In that same moment, a large blast erupted from the middle of Ponyville. Casey and Starlight stood up. They could then hear Grizzaka yell, “GET OUT HERE, RANGERS AND FACE ME LIKE TRUE WARRIORS!”

“Good luck,” Starlight said as Casey ran out to face him.

Casey was joined by his friends, and they all faced Grizzaka. “You may have defeated Carnisoar, you ,ay have defeated Jellica, but you will never defeat me. This is your destruction,” Grizzaka boasted.

“Let’s do this,” said Casey.

“Grizzaka’s going down,” RJ said.

“Jungle Beast! Spirit Unleashed!” The rangers all morphed in got into their fighting poses.

“With the strength of a tiger! Jungle Fury, Red Ranger!”
“With the stealth of a jaguar! Jungle Fury, Blue Ranger!”
“With the speed of a cheetah! Jungle Fury, Yellow Ranger!”
“With the courage of a wolf! Jungle Fury, Wolf Ranger!”
“With the power of a rhino! Jungle Fury, Rhino Ranger!” 

“You all have the hearts of idiots if you think you can beat me,” shouted Grizzaka.

With that, the rangers charged into battle with Grizzaka. Grizzaka wasted no time slashing the rangers with his gauntlets. They all took the hit hard. Grizzaka didn’t let them recover as he rushed through them all and slashed them again. The rangers pulled out their weapons in hopes they would help. Casey used his nunchucks the tangle Grizzaka’s gauntlets. Theo and Lily used their weapons to send a charge at Grizzaka. RJ and Dominic charged their morphers to fire at Grizzaka. They did, and their attacks caused a large explosion when they connected. But from the smoke, Grizzaka got back up, seemingly unfazed.

“Is that all you got? You’re really doomed now,” Grizzaka said. With that, he jumped into the air and slammed into the ground, leaving a crater in his wake. The rangers all went flying in different directions from the shock. Grizzaka went after Lily and fought her one on one. She tried to get back to her friends, but Grizzaka wouldn’t let her get around him. He grabbed hold of her and threw her into the air, jumping after her. Lily tried to stop Grizzaka’s oncoming attack with her mace, but Grizzaka unleashed his Sokatto power and the mace was thrown back at her. Lily hit the ground, leaving a crater of her own. She was stuck within it and was unable to get up.

Theo went to save Lily, but was stopped by Grizzaka. Theo jabbed at Grizzaka with his tonfas, but the attack was blocked. Theo fired a charge at close range, and it seemed to hurt Grizzaka. Theo went in fro another attack, but Grizzaka recovered and slashed Theo onto a nearby rooftop. Grizzaka jumped after Theo, but Theo used his fans to glide out of the way. He tried to swipe at Grizzaka, but Grizzaka ducked under the attack, leaving Theo vulnerable. Grizzaka took advantage of this and slashed Theo down to the ground. Grizzaka then jumped again, landing directly on top of Theo.

RJ used a charged punch to hit Grizzaka from behind. He managed to knock Grizzaka off guard and do a little more damage, but Grizzaka didn’t let him keep it up for long. He caught RJ’s arm and slashed at him several times. He then swept RJ off the ground and stomped him down. RJ managed to throw a kick at Grizzaka from behind and get back up. He tried one more time to attack, but Grizzaka unleashed his Sokatta power. RJ was sent flying into a fountain.

Dominic punched Grizzaka with his morpher, but Grizzaka absorbed the blow and sent it back at him. Dominic dodged to attack and used his stampede attack to blast Grizzaka. He managed to do a little bit of damage before Grizzaka dug underground. Dominic aimed his morpher at the ground below him, but Grizzaka jumped up behind him and took him in a death grip. Grizzaka then body slammed Dominic on the ground. Luckily, Dominic was able to activate his blade and force Grizzaka off of him. He tried to keep attacking, but Grizzaka used his Sokatto power to bring him down.

Casey was all that was left. He looked to his fists and clenched them hard. Grizzaka attacked Casey before he could do anything. Luckily, Casey avoided the attack and tripped Grizzaka, causing him to hit the ground. Casey took his stance and charged. Grizzaka slashed at Casey, and Casey countered. The two exchanged blow after blow until Casey began to get tired and he knew he couldn’t keep it up. Grizzaka hit Casey in the gut with a hard strike, causing Casey to falter a bit. Grizzaka took advantage of the action and attacked again. Casey tried to block, but his strength had left him. Grizzaka fired his Sokatto power, and Casey finally went down.  

“Pathetic. I here I was, thinking you would put up more of a fight. Oh well. It looks like I’ll have to destroy you now. I’m gonna savor every minute-no, every second of this,” Grizzaka boasted as he slowly approached Casey. He was about to finish him off when he heard a female voice behind him.

“If you’re gonna destroy him, you have to destroy me first,” said Starlight. She was not about to let Casey die so easily.

“Starlight, get out of here. You’re gonna get hurt,” Casey tried to tell her, but Starlight stood her ground.

“If that’s what you want,” Grizzaka said, starting to approach her.

“Well if you’re gonna destroy her, you’ll have to destroy me too,” said Rainbow Dash, flying up next to Starlight.

“Me too,” said Applejack.

“And me,” said Rarity.

“Same goes for me,” said Pinkie.

“Me as well,” said Fluttershy.

They were quickly joined by Twilight. “You want to start your destructive reign, Grizzaka? Then you can start here,” she said with gusto.

“Alright then. You have just made a grave mistake. If you were trying to call my bluff, you have failed. You are very brave; I’ll give you that; but you are also very stupid,” Grizzaka said, firing his Sokatto power at the ponies.

“No!” shouted Casey as he entered his Jungle Master Mode and blocked the attack. He struggled for a moment, but he actually managed to gain control over the blast. Casey took careful aim and fired Grizzaka’s Sokatto power back it him. It hit him, causing a dark aura to surround him for a moment before disappearing.

“Impossible. You can’t use my Sokatto power against me. You can’t even control it,” Grizzaka shouted.

“Well that’s all about to change,” Casey retorted. With that, his jets began to blare louder and bigger than before, and he got another claw. Casey, very quickly, flew at Grizzaka, taking him all the way out of Ponyville. He slashed at Grizzaka, who was trying and failing to counter. Casey used both of his claws to slice off Grizzaka’s gauntlets, leaving Grizzaka without a weapon. Grizzaka tried to use brute force to attack Casey, but Casey got under him and jabbed him with the claws. Casey then threw an uppercut at Grizzaka, following it with a down slash from in the air. 

Theo, Lily, RJ, and Dominic got up to see what was happening and were shocked to see Casey’s newly found power. None of them had ever reached that level of strength. They all decided to join Casey in the fight instead of just watching. Lily and Theo used their claws to get Grizzaka’s attention. They slashed from behind, making Grizzaka even angrier. He turned to attack them, only to be punched by RJ and Dominic. They sent him back a couple of feet before attacking again. All Grizzaka could do was try to hit harder than them. They backed off and blasted him from a farther range. Grizzaka unleashed his Sokatto power, but Casey did the same and countered it.

“Your time here in Equestria is up, Grizzaka. You’ve overstayed your welcome,” Casey said.

“Let’s finish him off, guys,” RJ said.

With that, RJ charged his wolf beam, Dominic charged his rhino morpher, and Theo, Lily, and Casey, readied their claws. RJ was the first to fire. His wolf beam pierced Grizzaka’s armor. Dominic fired next. His blast broke off what was left of the armor. Theo and Lily used their jets to fly at Grizzaka and slashed him with their claws. Finally, Casey used his powered up jets to fly at Grizzaka and slash in a X shape. The attack finally caused Grizzaka to lose his balance and spark up. He slowly fell to the ground and exploded.

“Casey, how did you do that?” Theo asked.

“I’m honestly not sure. Twilight and the others were about to sacrifice themselves to save us, and I just got in the way of Grizzaka’s attack. I guess I must have absorbed it,” Casey explained.

“The Sokatto power is strong, but it’s also easy to fight off. Casey believed in himself to be stronger than it,” RJ concurred.

Before anymore could be said, Grizzaka reappeared and started to grow. “Don’t you rangers get it? I’m invincible!” 

“Let’s send this guy packing once and for all,” said Dominic. 

With that, the rangers summoned their zords and formed all the Megazords they had access to. Grizzaka went after the Wolf Pride Megazord first. He was much bigger than it, so he had no trouble hitting it. He was then slashed by the Rhino Steel Megazord. He struck back and caused Dominic to hit the ground. He then proceeded to stomp on him, causing more and more damage as he did. The Jungle Master Megazord threw Grizzaka off of Dominic and punched Grizzaka. Grizzaka struck back with a punch of his own. He quickly found himself surrounded by the three Megazords. They all began to close in on him, but he unleashed his Sokatto power to hit all of them at once. 

RJ quickly got back up and used the wolf tail to distract Grizzaka away from the other Megazord. Grizzaka punched RJ and got him to the ground. He then held up the Megazord and ripped off the wolf zord. He did the same to the jaguar and threw the tiger down as well.

Dominic struck Grizzaka with his sword, but Grizzaka caught it and broke the sword in two pieces. He then stabbed the rhino with his gauntlet and lifted it into the air. He proceeded to launch it at the attacking wolf zord, and the two zords went down together. 

Casey, Theo, and Lily went after Grizzaka one more time and smashed him on the head. They then tried to overpower Grizzaka, but he hit them with a knee and took advantage. Grizzaka kept punching the Megazord until it could barely stand. He then swept a leg and detached the penguin right out from under the Megazord. The antelope did fare too well either as it was forcefully ripped away as well. Casey tried the use the gorilla zord’s strength to fend off Grizzaka on his own, but it wasn’t enough. Grizzaka picked him up and chucked him and the others.

“We’re toast. We can’t fight him without the Megazords,” said Theo.

“We can’t give up that easily. We have to keep fighting,” responded Lily.

“But if we try to fight him like this, we’ll be destroyed,” said Dominic.

“Not if we use every zord we have,” said RJ.

“Yeah. We just have to overwhelm him,” said Casey,

“Let’s try it,” said Lily.

With that, the rangers summoned all of the zords they had at the their disposal. RJ and Dominic both had their only zords summoned. Theo used his power to call his bat zord, and Lily called her cheetah zord and elephant zord. Casey even summoned a blue shark zord. All of the zords grouped together and faced Grizzaka.

“What now? Are you gonna try and roar me to death?” Grizzaka boomed.

The gorilla got on the back of the rhino as the tiger, jaguar, cheetah, and wolf got together in front. The bat picked up the shark, and the elephant stood beside them. The penguin got on the left side of the rhino, and the antelope got to the right side. 

Grizzaka charged the Jungle Zords to finally finish them off, but the zords charged as well. Their auras were glowing as the each struck Grizzaka one by one. The tiger started by clawing at Grizzaka, filled by the wolf, cheetah, and jaguar. The elephant, bat, and shark all struck Grizzaka at once with powerful attacks. The penguin the froze Grizzaka in place, and the antelope head butted him. The rhino used its horn to knock Grizzaka over its back. Finally, the gorilla swung its arms and struck Grizzaka three times with each arm. Grizzaka hit the ground on the other side and began to spark.

“This is impossible. I’m the mighty Grizzaka; I’m supposed to be invincible,” Grizzaka shouted as he was finally defeated. The rangers cheered and jumped to the ground.


Later


Everyone and everypony was at Pinkie’s “Congratulations You Defeated All of the Overlords” party. The rangers were having the time of their lives. Theo and Lily were in the middle of the dance floor, putting on a show. RJ was chatting with some of the local business owners about owning a business. Dominic was talking with Applejack about her work. Casey, of course, was with his marefriend, Starlight. She had invited her old friend Sunburst, who was very eager to meet Casey. The two of them hit it off without a hitch. Starlight couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her fillyhood best friend getting along with her “boyfriend” as Casey called it. 

“So you and Starlight really grew up together?” Casey asked.

“Yeah. It was just me and her. Our parents were always busy,” Sunburst explained.

“I know what that’s like. I’m a little disappointed that Jared didn’t get to show up. I bet you all would’ve really liked him,” said Casey.

“It’s just so fascinating. Your power, I mean. I can’t believe I’ve never heard of ‘animal spirit’ before,” said Sunburst.

“Don’t sweat it. Most people on Earth don’t know what it is,” said Casey.

The party went on for a few more hours until everypony said their goodbyes.

“See you around Casey. It was nice to meet the one who swept my best friend off her hooves,” said Sunburst, making Starlight blush. Casey waved goodbye as Sunburst walked out the castle door.

“That was great. Thank you, Pinkie, for throwing this party for us,” said Theo.

“Are you kidding? How could I not throw a party for you guys?” Pinkie said.

“And besides, we should be the ones thankin’ y’all for helpin’ us out with the Overlords,” said Applejack.

“Yeah. This was literally the least we could do,” agreed Rainbow Dash.

“It’s nothing. Saving the world is kinda what we do,” said Dominic.

“Well too bad, because we’re thanking you for it anyhow,” said Rarity.

They all shared a bit of a laugh before there was a blinding figure. The rangers recognized the figure to be Master Mao.

“Congratulations, rangers. You have succeeded in your task of saving Equestria. I am sorry I could not be more help,” said Master Mao. 

“No apology needed. We understand,” said Casey.

“It is now time for you to return home. Jared, Camille, and Flint are awaiting you,” Master Mao said as a portal to Earth opened beside him.

“I can’t believe we’re already going back,” said Theo.

“Yeah. I’m really gonna miss this place,” agreed Lily. 

“It was great meeting you all. We’re never gonna forget you,” RJ said to Twilight.

“We’ll never forget you either. We will be forever grateful for your service here in Equestria,” Twilight said, hiding the sadness in her voice.

“I have to admit: sayin’ goodbye to your rangers ain’t gettin’ any easier,” said Applejack.

“We’ll really miss you all. If you ever need a set of claws, don’t hesitate to contact us,” said RJ.

“I do hope you have a safe journey home, darlings. It was amazing to get to know you,” said Rarity.

“Rarity’s right. I am happy that you get to return to Earth with your powers though,” Fluttershy said.

“Keep doing what you do best, guys. I’ll remember you till the day I die,” Lily said.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t get to know you all better. Even though, I’ll still always remember you,” said Dominic.

“I guess it’s time to get back now,” RJ said. He, Dominic, Theo, and Lily all made their way toward the portal, but Casey stayed behind.

“Casey, aren’t you coming?” Theo asked.

Casey shrugged and took a deep breath. “No, I’m not. I’m staying here in Equestria,” he said.

With the exception of Starlight and Rainbow, everyone’s bottom jaw hit the ground.

“What are you talking about?!” Lily said.

“I’m not leaving,” Casey repeated.

“My student, I know why don’t want to leave, but you must. I wish there was another way, but here just isn’t,” Master Mao said.

“I don’t care. I’m staying here with Starlight,” Casey said as he crossed his arms.

Upon hearing her name, Starlight looked at Rainbow and took a deep breath. She couldn’t believe she was about to do this. “Um Casey? I think they’re right. You should go back,” she said.

“What? I thought you wanted me to stay?” Casey said, confused.

“I-I do, but...it’s not fair,” Starlight said, tearing up.

“What do you mean?” Casey asked, also starting to tear up.

Starlight looked at Rainbow again. “C-Connor had to leave. If you stayed, that-that wouldn’t be fair to Rainbow,” she stammered.

Casey understood. Rainbow had loved Connor, and he left. It would only be fair if he did too. He knelt down to Starlight and took her in a deep embrace. “I understand. I love you, Starlight.” 

“I love you too, Casey.”

Rarity began to tear up at the sight of Casey and Starlight, and Applejack was close to joining her. Fluttershy hid herself in her mane, and Pinkie comforted her. Theo, Lily, and Dominic were also beginning to silently cry. They had no idea Casey had feelings for Starlight. It was hard to watch their friend say his permanent goodbye to his first love. RJ stayed strong though. He knew if he lost it, everyone else would too. 

Casey and Starlight finally broke their hug. Casey stood up and faced the portal. He closed his eyes hard and walked toward it slowly. He looked back toward Starlight and put a small smile on his face. He remembered the time they shared together and always would. Casey walked through portal and was followed by his friends.

“I’m sorry, man. I wish you had some way to remember her,” Theo said.

“Yeah. We should’ve stuck up for you,” Lily agreed.

“It’s fine. There was nothing more you could’ve done. I’ll always remember Starlight. It would take me getting amnesia for me to forget her,” Casey said.

“We’re here for you, man,” Dominic said.

“Thanks, but I just need to be alone for now,” said Casey, walking away.


Meanwhile in Equestria


Starlight could barely see through her tears. She couldn’t believe she just did that. Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder to comfort her. 

“You didn’t have to do that. I could’ve found a way to get over it,” said Rainbow.

“What kind of friends would that make me?” Starlight replied.

“We’re so sorry for you. We wish there was another way,” said Fluttershy.

“It’s fine; I’ll be okay. I just need some time on my own,” Starlight said, starting to leave. 

“Wait a second. You should keep this. I believe you will like its function,” said Master Mao, levitating a turquoise tablet toward Starlight.

“Thanks,” said Starlight, leaving the room.

“Now, I must be getting back. I have something to give to Casey,” Master Mao said, disappearing.

“Should we go comfort her?” asked Fluttershy.

“No, she just needs time,” Twilight responded.

Starlight entered her room and put the tablet that Master Mao gave to her on the table. She laid down on her bed and closed her eyes. It wasn’t long until she began to cry again. She opened her eyes to see that the tablet was glowing. It also had a round button at the top. Starlight walked up to the mirror and pressed the button. What she saw in the tablet made her cry more tears of joy.


Meanwhile on Earth


Casey buried his head in his arms. He wasn’t sure how to feel. Was he supposed to be happy to be back on Earth? Was he supposed to be sad to leave Starlight? Casey let his eyes fill with tears. 

Master Mao walked into the room. “I am sorry my student. I really am. If there was another way, I would have allowed it. But I can give you this,” Master Mao said, handing a turquoise tablet to Casey.

“The tablet that sent me to Equestria? Why would you give me this?” Casey asked.

“You will se my student. Use your tiger spirit to activate it and press the button. I believe you will enjoy what happens next,” said Master Mao. With that, Master Mao left Casey alone.

Casey rolled his eyes and used his animal spirit to activate the tablet. It began to glow and show a button at the top. Casey pressed the button, and the tablet face glowed even brighter. A few seconds later, it showed something that made Casey’s heart explode. It was Starlight. 

“Oh my goodness. S-Starlight, i-is that really y-you? Can you hear me?” Casey asked.

Starlight nodded with tears eyes on the other side of the tablet. “It’s me. It’s me Casey. I can hear you,” she responded. 

Theo looked in on his friend and saw what was going on. He was glad Casey still had a way to contact Starlight. Casey saw Twilight open the door to Starlight’s room and put on a surprised expression. She then smiled and backed out of the room, leaving Starlight.

Casey was so happy, that he couldn’t even find the words to say to Starlight. Starlight had the same problem. He settled for resting his head and the tablet and so did Starlight. He couldn’t actually feel her, but he felt the warmth of her mane as if she was there with him.

Casey heard a door close and a voice yell, “Casey? Where are you? Master Mao told me what happened. Are you alright?”

“Who’s that?” asked Starlight.

“It’s Jared. I should probably go tell him I’m okay. I love you,” Casey said.

“I love you too,” Starlight responded.

With that, Casey pressed the button again, and the image faded. He went out to greet Jared and told him everything was okay. Casey and Jared shared a brotherly hug, and Jared offered to take the rest of Casey’s classes for him. Casey obliged and went back to his room. He hung up the tablet and smiled at it. He was content.