The Rainbooms were back on Elaris's ship, resuming on the repairs that they had vowed since her arrival on the planet. They had made strides since then, but there were still many rooms in tatters and cables that needed to be rewired or replaced. As the girls laid the pieces down into place and welded them securely, Elaris pounded away at the keys on her consoles, so as to breathe life into the systems and devices once more.
Rarity had been working the hardest out of all of them, using her geode to create diamonds that lifted the heavier objects, or as a screwdriver to slot the screws in and tighten them up to how she wanted it. With every single action she did, a vision still popped up in her head of her parents repeatedly being struck down by Siel'Viz, ending with her finishing the warmongering wolf off in retaliation. As she smiled at the thought of avenging her fallen family, she still felt a hollow and cold sensation within herself, thinking about the fact that she was never going to see Hondo or Cookie ever again; as well as the fact that she was Sweetie Belle's only other living member of the Belle family—As far as she knew, at least. She hadn't accounted for grandparents or other relatives—. She didn't want to cry, but at the same time, she couldn't help herself. Undignified of a lady to feel such things, but Rarity Belle was no lady. She was a teenager deluded into thinking that she was more mature than she was letting on. But in the wake of the chaos, she was reminded of her place; just how small she was in a universe that was out to shoot her and her friends down.
"Mom. Dad. I know that I avenged your deaths, but I won't feel truly satisfied until we end this fight. The fight instigated by that horrible ruffian, Mar'Zek." She whispered to herself as she fixed the devices underneath Elaris's chair. "When my friends wipe him from the face of the earth, then I'll be able to move on. But until then, I don't ever want to let go. If not for my sake, then for Sweetie Belle's sake."
"You alright, Rarity?" Elaris asked, leaning over from the console to get a peek at Rarity's work. "Aren't humans supposed to feel more at ease with themselves after they avenge the murder of someone by striking down the killer?"
"I am, Elaris. I just don't want to let the grief I feel overwhelm me. After all, if we don't defeat the Wolfpack, then all of this; all of our lives, everything that we've existed for was all for nothing." Rarity rewired the device, shoved a panel in, then hammered it into the frame of the ship, causing the machinery to make a humming noise.
"Power output increasing. Readjusting efficient output setting for linked devices." L.U.C.Y said as the hum flowed throughout the bridge. "Command console strength: 100%. Forge strength: 91% and rising. Medbay strength: 100%."
"Interesting. I'll have to write this down for when I return home. My father would be quite interested to know that heartache and suffering cause humans to work at an accelerated rate." She pulled out a pad from the side of her chair, scribbled some notes down onto the screen using her finger, then put it away as Rarity turned towards the monitors on the windshield of the Bridge.
"I know you're feeling down on yourself, Rarity, but you were incredible out there." Sunset walked over to Rarity patting her back tenderly as she started to tamper with the panels on the screens. "That White Paladin form you used was just what we needed. Without you, we would've been toast out there."
"Yeah, girl. Don't think yourself too beaten up about this. You've just gotten stronger." Rainbow Dash said as she hastily zipped out of the room with her powers, taking a pile of broken parts with her. She returned just as fast as she left, the trail behind her disappearing when she got back under her own speed. "Being a ranger's already the most awesome thing ever, but you're running rings around us with that new stuff you got. I mean, I don't think I'd ever get a chance to get something like that even if I worked my butt off for it."
"You totally dealt the biggest smackdown of smackdowns on that nasty Siel'Viz. I don't think we could've ever pulled that off; even if we did have some shiny crystals that made us uber-strong and capable of fighting any wolf, thereby nullifying the threat of the Wolfpack as a whole and forcing the captain to come down for his final showdown." Pinkie took in a deep breath then grinned. "Point is, you're a super Power Ranger now, Rarity. Nothing's ever gonna get in your way again!"
"I wouldn't say that, Pinkie Pie. We've still gotta fight Captain Mar'Zek again. We'll all need to have an upgrade to our Ranger powers if we stand any chance of fighting him and living." Fluttershy felt a shock run down her spine but still fitted in a panel above the centre of the room.
"Vectors realigning. Scanning apparatus 75% restored." L.U.C.Y. butted in.
"But in any case, I'm happy that you've got a boost in strength. Anything to make dealing with all of these wolves easier..." Fluttershy turned from her work, stood by Rarity, and gave her a helping hand in fixing the machinery within the panels of the windscreen monitors.
"I'm grateful for all of your help, girls. But at the same time, I can't help but feel that the Wolfpack will start going after the rest of your families. After all, they stole Shining Armour from Twilight's family and the poor girl's still in a state of shock about the whole thing." Rarity glanced over at Twilight, who idly levitated a panel into the walls and used her magic to fix the inner workings. When she heard Rarity mention her name, she nearly jumped, before feigning a smile and wave as she blushed lightly at each cheek.
"We'll get him back, Rarity. Don't think too much about him." She replied before a sigh fell out of her mouth. "Oh, who am I kidding? The Wolfpack have him under lock and key! He's doomed!" Twilight threw her arms up and slumped to the ground, burying her eyes in her hands.
"Twilight. Don't put yourself down like that. You'll get your chance to fight back against the Wolfpack soon enough. Then, you can show Shining Armour just how strong you really are." Rarity waltzed over to Twilight, sat down with her, and pulled her into a small cuddle.
"But the Wolfpack. They're torturing him. That's what Siel'Viz said, isn't it?" Twilight looked up from her sorrow, looking into Rarity's eyes while trying to wipe the tears out of hers. "If the Wolfpack really are good at torturing him, then we might just have to fight Shining Armour to the death. Death being the key word there."
"Then we need to get onto that ship, break him out of whatever prison cell he's locked up in, get him back to earth, then keep him in Elaris's ship for safekeeping." Applejack turned her head from the panel she had been working on. "Better than taking risks by letting him roam Canterlot unprotected like that."
"I mean, he's capable enough as he is with the police, but against space-wolves who could easily overwhelm him, I kind of agree and disagree with you at the same time, Applejack." Twilight rotated her hand clockwise. "Still, I think it would be best if we allow him to hide in Elaris's ship. At least until this whole thing blows over with the Wolfpack. Then, we can let him out onto the streets without any fear of him getting captured like that again."
"But how would he feel about it, Twilight? To know that he is being restricted by the Power Rangers when he can fight for himself?" Elaris asked, stepping off of the chair and walking over to the spectacled teenager. "You don't want to undermine your brother; especially when he's older than you."
"I know, I know. But this is serious business we're talking about. Shining Armour. My brother, the BEST in CPD, has been captured by the Wolfpack and is being turned against us as we speak." Twilight shot a glare at Elaris, causing the Harmonite to recoil and walk backwards. "We need to get to the Alpha Slayer now. If we don't, then he's going to be a Wolfpack Wolf for sure..."
"And just how are we going to stage an attack on Mar'Zek's flagship?" Elaris tilted her head at Twilight, cocking a brow as she watched the girl stand back up. "It's going to be heavily guarded; not to mention crawling with Wolfpack agents. You and the other Rangers are going to be buried under their power."
"Then what do we do?!" Twilight yelled, her scream coiling around the ears of every girl in the room as she threw her arms outward. "I'm not going to sit around while my brother's being hurt by the Wolfpack. I'm going up there, NOW!"
All of a sudden, an alarm blared on the bridge, filling the room with a red light as the screens flickered to life. The sight of static filled up the space as the Rainbooms ran to Elaris's chair, as she sat down to open up the communication channels, pounding away at buttons and moving dials on her console.
"Unknown audio transmission incoming. Source of origin: The Alpha Slayer flagship," said L.U.C.Y. as Elaris continued to fiddle with her equipment.
"Sounds like they heard you, Twilight. Must be a signal from Captain Mar'Zek himself. But I don't know why in the world it'd be audio-only..." Elaris muttered to herself.
"Do you think Mar'Zek needs a space mechanic to fix his ship's call systems?" Pinkie whispered to Twilight, who just rolled her eyes.
"Highly doubtful. But it does make me question why in the world the flagship would be calling us. Especially with no images to show for it." Elaris pressed one last button, causing a small white line to take the static's place on the screen. "Patching it through now. Just don't expect it to be words of praise or anything like that, Rangers."
"Rangers. You've really kicked up a hornet's nest now." A distorted voice spoke to the girls, with the line forming a myriad of jags and spikes so as to record the audio patterns. "After what you did to Siel'Viz, the Wolfpack's been doubting the Captain's ability to lead. He's furious with what you did."
"Don't need to tell us twice." Rainbow put a hand to her side. "The captain's always gonna be angry with us. We disappointed him, and now we're kicking the stuffing out of his other agents to humiliate him. Don't know why he doesn't just come down here and finish the job..."
"Captain Mar'Zek was raised to be a warrior, who would only fight his opponents if they were on his level of power. His father would hurt him if he was severely beaten by someone better than him, or if he won without any form of challenge. But then his father died, he inherited the Wolfpack and the rest is history," the distorted voice continued. "In any case, the Wolfpack's just unchained a group of wolves from the brig; ones who are far more powerful than you could ever imagine. Ones that, given enough time, can overthrow the captain and seize command of the army he's built."
"Overthrow? I didn't think that there was anyone in the Wolfpack capable of trying to overthrow Captain Mar'Zek..." Elaris responded.
"I was there when it happened. I saw the wolves gang up on the captain, raise their weapons, try and rush him all at once. And the scary part? They nearly won. He was on the verge of dying when he unleashed Soul Decimator on them all. He could have killed them there and then had they not wounded him. He locked them up, but now they're out again thanks to Siel'Viz's death," the voice spoke once more, the lines sharpening and smoothing with each word. "The Captain's likely going to force them into obedience, then turn them on the six of you. Be prepared to be defeated by them, Rangers."
"Eh. Bring 'em on. Our White Paladin over here will be sure to send them running." Rainbow Dash slung her arm around Rarity's shoulders. "After all, she beat Siel'Viz, and she was one of the captain's inner circle."
"As much as I would like to believe that, these wolves—dubbed the Feral Five by everyone in the fleet—have powers that you would not believe. Powers that would break even the most powerful of heroes. Whether alone or working together, these five wolves will destroy you, Power Rangers. There is nothing that you can do to defeat them," said the voice. "I say this not as a threat that will cause you to stop, but rather as an ally who encourages you to keep going."
"Wait, hold on a second. An ally?" Twilight parroted, adjusting her glasses as she got a closer look at the audio line. "But I thought all of the Wolfpack were evil. How can there be wolves who want to see us win against the captain? Shouldn't you be keeping this info for yourselves?"
"We're tired of following the captain's orders. At first, we joined because he would lead us to prosperity and greatness. But now I see that he is starting to lose it. He has spent far too much time on this planet and we can no longer trust him to deliver us to success," the voice stated. "If we're going to pick a side in this battle, it will be a winning side. The side of the Power Rangers. As it stands right now, we cannot aid you just yet, but we will keep in touch."
"Before you go, can ya at least tell us who ya'll are? A name that we should look out for when we're fighting the Wolfpack so that we don't accidentally blow them to kingdom come?" Applejack asked.
"A name?" A small laugh came from the voice, then a pause. "Well, you wouldn't be able to see us on the battlefield because of where we stand on the hierarchy. But rest assured that we can see you. And everything that Mar'Zek and his cronies are up to. I suppose that if you do want a name, then we must provide." The screen crackled, then showed a symbol above the wave of audio depicting a wolf in the middle of an omega sign. "We are the Omega Pack. We're the lowest of the low in his food chain, but can be valuable assets in yours. We will talk again, Power Rangers. For now, know that the Omega Pack has your back." Once the voice finished, the screen cut out, leaving the Rainbooms and Elaris in a silent bridge.
"The Omega Pack?" Elaris repeated to herself as she began typing the data into L.U.C.Y.'s data archives by once more resuming to the task of managing her console's keyboards. "What exactly is happening on the Alpha Slayer...?"
Aboard the Alpha Slayer's lab, Vi'Al was busy at a workbench, using what remained of the armour Siel'Viz had been wearing as reagents for another one of his experiments. It was in pieces, with the scientist wolf running them under a light for any damage, then attaching wires to them which fed the data onto a nearby terminal. As he muttered to himself, a silhouetted figure was pinned to the wall, shaking and grunting as they tried to free themselves from the bindings that held them down.
"You know, for a human ape, you show a lot of potential, my law-enforcing little friend. Given the right amount of care, we can mould you to something far beyond yourself. Far beyond your humanity even." As Vi'Al finished hooking up the armour that he had been experimenting on, he pulled out a syringe filled with purple, bubbling liquid that glowed in the light.
A violent light pounded down on the figure, revealed to be Shining Armour. His CPD uniform had been sliced in places, his mouth was bound shut by a muzzle-like device, and he was stuck to the wall as the restraints held him from his head to his toes. He groaned as he tried to pry the restraints off of himself, only for them to make a buzzing noise and tighten up, burying themselves more into his body.
"If you are the catalyst that forces Twilight Sparkle and her friends to become stronger, then we must use all that we can to ensure that you fulfil your role in the Wolfpack. Had it been under any other circumstances, we would have killed you. In fact, we might still kill you regardless when all's said and done. It all depends on how loyal to the cause you really are." He aimed the syringe at Shining's neck, with his thumb planted on the injector pump. "Don't worry. It will be quick and painless. And by the time it's over, you'll have no need for this Sparkle family you care so much about." The needle came closer and closer to Shining Armour's neck, to the point where it was about to impale his skin.
"Vi'Al. Get up to the bridge immediately. And bring those collars you've been working on. We need to ensure that the Feral Five don't fly off of the handle and stage another mutiny." Mar'Zek's voice came through on the loudspeakers of his lab, halting the scientist in his approaches.
"Well, well, well. Consider yourself lucky this time, Shining Armour of Earth. I've just given you some more time to contemplate joining us of your own free will." Vi'Al retracted the syringe, laid it back down on the table, then picked up five Conquer Collars. The push of a button caused the spikes to launch out of the metal, causing him to chuckle to himself. "These are what we call heavy-duty enforcement. Be glad that you aren't on the receiving end of these bad boys." He pushed the button again, making the spikes burrow back into the frame. "Ta-ta, Shining Armour. Spend whatever free will you have left saying goodbye to your family. Then, we can proceed with indoctrinating you into our crew."
Shining could only struggle more and more as Vi'Al left the room with the collars in hand. As the doors closed on Shining Armour, the lights went out entirely, plunging him back into an abyss of darkness, with only the harsh lights from the consoles and other apparatus giving him an idea of where he was in relation to the lab. Even then, the light was making him close his eyes due to the strain. Torture without being tortured. At least, that's was what he thought of the predicament.