//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Tatters of the King // Story: Power Rangers: Rails of Reality // by RuinQueenofOblivion //------------------------------// “Thou seek the true authority and power of the King?” A young woman said as she read off a script. “Thy quest is most foolish if you believe you can succeed.” “The King is dead and he lacks a true heir, the throne sits empty save for quarreling nobles,” a man said from another script. “I hath as much claim to the throne as any of them. What right have you to stop me?” “You are foolish if you believe that it shall be that simple,” the actress said with a laugh. “The King is not yet ready to pass on. There are those who say his ghost still haunts these halls to this day.” “Hardly the truth, sounds merely like stories of the servants,” the actor recited with a shake of his head. “The Dead are hardly interested in the affairs of the living. I am certain that these are nothing more than tales.” “Perhaps, but I would be weary if I were you,” the actress countered. “There have been many a death within these walls among those who seek the throne. I believe that you may yet meet such a fate if you are not careful.” “Alright, well done you two,” the director interrupted as he got up from his chair in the theater and got up on the stage. “Maggie, you have good energy but you need to act more nervous. Antonia is the estranged Niece of the Dead King. She knows that the Royal Family and Nobles have no love for her. She is trying to fit in and she’s heard the stories. She’s afraid that her Uncle will come after her too.” “Yes Mr. Richards,” Maggie said as she held the script to her chest. “I just thought maybe she had a nervous laugh or something?” “We’ll discuss it later,” Mr. Richards said before turning to her fellow actor. “Isaac, you’re doing better so there is that. You did a good job of playing Cattivo and his intricacies. But you should be careful not to go too over the top. Cattivo wants power, but he’s sneaky about it. Especially when he finds out that Antonia is the deceased King’s Niece, he’s going to see that as a potential way onto the Throne. You want to be subtle, pass it off as stories sure, but make sure that you be more subtle at times.” “Alright, I’ll keep that in mind,” Isaac said as he gave Maggie a nod. “Do you want to do another read through?” “One more, then I need to work with Sarah on our scene together,” Maggie answered as she held the script back up. “So, should we begin again?” Isaac nodded as he held up his script and began to read his lines again. “Milady, I must say I have not seen such a lovely face in these walls before. What bringith you to this Castle?” A light chuckling sound came from backstage as a strange creature watched the actors and actresses from the curtains. It resembled a vaguely humanoid shape with a head made out of a rusty chain. It had a long chain for an arm and it pulled a coffin behind it. Dark energy flowed from the stage into it as it pulled the coffin and vanished into the shadows 00000 Sweetie Belle sat in the common room of the Quantum Reality Express as she examined the pink train charger for a moment. She had been wondering about this thing ever since Amethyst had given it to her. Why did Amethyst even have these? "Hey, Sweetie," Scootaloo said, snapping her out of her thoughts as she took a seat next to Sweetie Belle. "What are you thinking about?" "Just wondering about these things, you know?" Sweetie said as she levitated up the small train. "It seems like kind of an odd thing for her to have, let alone something that can be used like we use them. What do you think?" "Yeah, that is kind of odd," Scootaloo said as she took out her own charger and looked at for a moment. "I honestly have no idea. At first, I thought maybe they were built to go with the train, I mean they do look like the train's cars." "True," Sweetie Belle said as she looked out the window. "But at the same time, I'm not sure," Scootaloo continued. "Amethyst is kind of odd so it's hard to tell what exactly her reason is. I doubt she would just tell us either if we asked her." "So, what do we do?" Sweetie Belle asked. "That I'm not sure about," Scootaloo admitted. "I guess she'll tell us whenever she's ready. For now, we just have to trust that she has a reason behind what she's doing. But thinking back to the way we saw them the first time we were here, I almost have to wonder if it's something more personal." "Maybe," Sweetie lamented. "I don't like this, she's keeping secrets from us." "Yeah, that's never a good sign, but for now all we can do is hope she'll open up to us in the future," Scootaloo replied. "I don't think she means us any harm. I trust her, we all must, otherwise I don't think any of us would've agreed to go with her. So, now we just have to hope she can trust us in the long run." "Yeah," Sweetie Belle said as an alarm went off causing them both to jump. "Oh great, now what?" "We're picking up Shadow Line activity in an adjoining universe and changing course," Amethyst's voice said over the train's intercoms as if to answer the question. "Please report to the briefing room immediately." "Well, there goes our relaxing time," Sweetie Belle chuckled as the two mares got to their hooves and headed towards the briefing room in the front car. When they got there the others were already waiting for them as Amethyst was getting everything together. She looked up and smiled a little when she saw them arrive. "Okay good, you're all here," Amethyst said as she nodded to Archie. "It seems that we've finally caught up to the Shadow Line, that's the good news at least. The bad news is that they're in a universe that may cause problems." "Problems?" Diamond Tiara asked. "What kind of problems are we talking about?" "Well, let's start with the locals," Amethyst said as a projection turned on. It revealed a bipedal figure with short hair and dressed in simple clothing. "They're called Humans. Bipedal species, similar to Athenans in some regards so at least you won't have to get used to that." "Yeah, we heard about them from Twilight," Apple Bloom said. "She's been to another world with Humans a few times." "Okay, then that makes this a bit simpler," Amethyst said with a chuckle. "But here's the thing. While there are a number of universes out there with both Humans and things like Power Rangers. This is not one of them, which means that you are going to attract attention if you have to fight the Shadow Line here." "So, what are yah thinkin' they'll capture us and experiment on us or somethin'?" Apple Bloom asked. "That or put you on the internet, I'm not sure which is worse," Amethyst said, which caused them all to blink in confusion. "Sorry, a bit of bad humor there. But yes, that is a possibility. I've been to a few universes like this one, and the good news is that this one seems to only have a few minor divergences. I wouldn't worry about that, to be honest, what you need to worry about is dealing with the Shade and whatever it is they have planned." "So, we have to stop a Shade without drawing too much attention to ourselves," Silver Spoon said. "Great, anything else you want us to do while we're there that's impossible?" “The fact of the matter is that we don’t know a lot about this world,” Amethyst replied. “I’ve been to worlds like this before. Humans are a peculiar species in my experience. I’d approach with caution if I were you at least.” “Figures, of course things aren’t going to be nearly that easy,” Sweetie Belle said with a sigh. “So, what are we going to do now?” “You five are going in there alone, we’ll get as close to the source of the signal as we can,” Amethyst replied as she hit a button. A projection of a building appeared in front of them. It was two stories and looked like it was made of red brick “As far as we can tell, this is their target this time. It looks like a high school of some sort.” “So, uh, why are they going after a school?” Diamond Tiara asked. “That seems like an odd thing for the Shadow Line to target.” “I don’t know, I remember High School,” Scootaloo commented with a shiver. “Makes sense to me to get some darkness from that kind of place.” “So, how long until we get there?” Silver Spoon asked. “Not long,” Amethyst replied as she checked the clock on the wall. “Traveling through the void between realities isn’t an exact science. Time is relative in the void, but it shouldn’t be too long from now.” Scootaloo glanced out the window towards the void outside. There was a strange sensation as she stared out there. There was the sensation of going through a tunnel, but the walls were transparent with points of light out in the distance. Was the multiverse really infinite? If that was the case, then how many universes were they going to have to visit in pursuit of the Shadow Line? That was not something she wanted to think about right now. What else was out there waiting for them? At least this didn’t sound like it would be too bad, she hoped so at least. “Alright, get ready,” Amethyst said and started out. “Oh, and you’re going to need aliases while you’re in most human worlds.” “Aliases?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Why would we need those?” “Trust me on this one, you’ll need them,” Amethyst answered. “Your names would raise some questions that I don’t think you can answer.” “Why does that sound ominous ta me?” Apple Bloom asked as the young mares headed out of the briefing room together. 00000 "Well, I have to say that your plan seems to be working well this time," Nero said as he watched the Chain monster make his way around the backstage of the theater. "But I don't completely agree with the idea of sending Locke to do this. He failed once before already." "Unfortunately, he is also the only one who is capable of utilizing the play to its fullest," Noire said as she fanned herself lightly. "After all, he was the one who wrote it originally. We don't usually give second chances, but given the power of his play I believed that it was the best option." "Perhaps, but he will have to do a lot in order to prove himself to me and the Emperor," Nero countered as he leaned on his cane a little for a moment. "Failure this time will not be tolerated." "He knows this, and he will not fail us," Noire replied. "Locke knows the stakes just as well as any of us do. I believe that you will find that he is properly motivated to finish his mission this time. There will be no further failures from him, that I can assure you." "Just in case, I want to be ready for the Power Rangers," Nero said as he looked at his pocket watch for a moment. "Locke's time is almost up, he should be returning to the Kuliner any time now." "Yes, indeed," Noire said as she turned to look at the screen once more. "We have work to complete for his Majesty still, after all. These humans are such, simple creatures if they don't even believe that such beings as ourselves would exist." "Yes, very simple," Nero said as he leaned on his cane a moment. "But that simple-mindedness will also work to our advantage. Our mistake before was that we drew too much attention to ourselves. Such a simple plan will be much harder to detect." "Indeed, that is why I suggested it of course," Noire pointed out as Schwarz came in accompanied by the chain monster. "General, Locke, what is the latest report?" "I've managed to gather a lot of energy by using the play as a conduit, milady," Locke said in a ghastly voice. "The shadow power I wove into the words is doing its job wonderfully. Once the opening night is here, the true nature of the play will come to light." "Excellent," Nero said as he eyed the two of them for a moment. "Locke, you had better not fail us again. Very few Shades get a second chance, and we are not in the business of giving thirds." "Yes Baron Nero, I won't fail you again," Locke said as he bowed slightly before the Baron. "I will not let anything get in the way of my mission." "Excellent," Nero said as a red light started flashing. He frowned a little and waved his hand as the image of the Quantum Reality Express coming out of a vortex appeared on the screen. They looked like they were in a forest of some sort. "Of course it wouldn't be that simple. The Power Rangers have followed us here too." "Hardly a real concern, Nero," Noire said as she fanned herself a little. "Locke." "Yes, milady?" The Chain monster asked. "Keep to the shadows, continue your work in this universe but we must not alert the Power Rangers to our presence," Noire replied. "Our mission is not about to be jeopardized by some equines again. Make sure that you don't get discovered, understood?" "Yes milady, I will do everything in my power to do so," Locke said as he bowed. "I want to thank you for this second chance to serve my Emperor. I will not fail in making sure that my piece of the Grand Design is..." "You can save your speech for later," Nero interrupted. "Right now your mission is to get Tenebraean Energy. Though if the Rangers met with an... unfortunate end then I wouldn't exactly complain. Just make sure that you are careful about it. Recharge and go back out there." "Yes milord, I will make sure that everything is in place," Locke said. "All that is left is to complete the construction of props and sets. The actors are almost ready and Dress Rehearsal is coming up. I will make sure that everything goes perfectly." "Good," Schwarz said. "We'll make sure that you do." "Yes... yes, I think I have a plan already to deal with those pesky Rangers," Locke said thoughtfully for a moment. "I'll get right on planning it. Thank you again." He walked off into the depths of the Kuliner, still dragging the coffin behind him. "You certainly have interesting taste in Shades, Noire," Nero commented as he turned back to look at the screen. "You had better be right about this." "I am," Noire smiled as she turned around. "Now, I have some things of my own to deal with. Inform me when everything is in place." Nero just grumbled as the dark noblewoman walked off. 00000 "Are you five going to be okay going out there?" Amethyst asked as they headed to the front of the train shortly after their arrival on Earth. "I mean, this is unknown territory right now." "Yeah, we'll be fine," Scootaloo said as she looked at the door for a moment. "Anything else you think we should know before we go out there?" "Well, you're about to step into the unknown, the Shadow Line is up to who knows what, and there's a lot that could go wrong in a place like this," Amethyst sighed. "But, no, probably nothing that I can tell you just based on what little information we know." "We are gonna be able ta transform out there, right?" Apple Bloom asked. "Ah mean, we don't know a lot about this universe, but if it really doesn't have anythin' like that, how do we even know it'll work?" "Every universe has a Morphing Grid, just not all of them know how to harness it," Amethyst answered. "It connects everything and binds it together." "No, that's the Force," Archie pointed out. "That's just splitting hairs, you know they're similar," Amethyst countered. "Uh, what's tha..." Apple Bloom started to ask. "Long story, I don't have time to tell it, you should just get going," Amethyst said. "You all have your new names, right?" "Yeah, but I still don't see why we need these," Scootaloo said as she shrugged a little. "I mean, what's wrong with our names?" "Trust me, you'll be much happier not knowing, things get weird in the multiverse," Amethyst said. "I'll be monitoring you from here. Good luck out there, let me know if you find anything." The ponies exchanged a weird look as they opened the door to the train and stepped out. There was a feeling of vertigo as they stepped out, moving onto two legs again as they straightened themselves out. "Well, at least it's easier to get used to this time," Diamond Tiara commented as she looked down at herself. She had light skin and was dressed in a green shirt and pants with a jacket pulled over it. "Though really, green?" "Tell me about it," Scootaloo agreed. She was much dark skinned with a yellow jacket pulled over a white tank top and jeans. "I swear, this is going to take some getting used to already." "Uh, is there any reason we seem ta be color-coded?" Apple Bloom asked as she looked at her own outfit. She was dressed in a red t-shirt and blue jeans as well with her cowboy hat pulled over her hair. "This didn't happen while we were on Athena." "That would be because Athena wears animal furs," Amethyst replied over their communicators. "I know that this feels weird, but it's pretty much standard. Don't ask me why there are a lot of weird things about being Power Rangers that even I don't completely understand." "Great, that didn't answer that question at all." Silver Spoon said as she looked at herself. She was dressed in a blue blazer with a white undershirt and a long skirt. "Well, at least we found a universe that Rarity would feel right at home." "Come on, we really should investigate this place," Sweetie Belle said. She was dressed in a pink dress and they all still had their Rail Morphers on their wrists, so at least there was still that. "Which way to the School, Amethyst?" "Head due west from your current position," Amethyst answered. "Don't worry, you should be able to blend in just fine. Just try not to draw too much attention, got it?" "Got it," Scootaloo said as they made their way through the forest towards the school. "Any idea how we're actually supposed to act normal here? I'm pretty sure they're going to notice five new students appearing out of nowhere." "Let's hope not," Apple Bloom answered. "Because this is the only chance we currently have to get anywhere close to dealing with this Shade." 00000 "Yeah... we definitely can blend in here," Scootaloo grumbled as they reached the entrance to the school. There was a mass of students talking to one another here and there without noticing them. "I'd be amazed if they even noticed that we were different." "Yeah, don't worry about it, we'll be fine," Sweetie Belle said as they went to join the crowd. She glanced up at her hair for a moment, she just had to hope that they weren't going to find that weird or anything. "Maybe we should split up, cover more ground." "Alright, sounds good," Diamond Tiara said with a nod. "Me and Silver Spoon will take the west half, you three..." "Ahem," Apple Bloom said and jerked her head towards her fellow crusaders for a moment. "Ah think it would be better if Ah went off alone fer tha moment." "Wait, are you going to leave the two of us alone?" Sweetie Belle protested. "Why are you doing this?" "We're not leavin' ya'll alone, we just feel like we need ta cover more ground," Apple Bloom replied with a chuckle. "We ain't tryin' anythin', Ah promise." "But, we're..." Scootaloo started to say before their friends ran off and left them alone. "They're definitely doing this on purpose." "Yeah, but they have a point about splitting up to cover more ground," Sweetie Belle reminded her. She placed her hand on her communicator and nodded a little. "Besides, they're not far so we can at least get in touch with them if we need." "Yeah, that's true," Scootaloo said as they walked down the hall together with the students. "So, what do we do if they realize that we're not actually students here?" “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Sweetie answered as the crowd started to disperse with the sound of the bell ringing. She looked around before spotting a ladies room on the other side of the hall. “Quick, let’s duck in there. If we’re lucky they won’t notice us there.” Scootaloo nodded a little as the two ducked into the bathroom. They listened for the sound of shoes on the ground outside. When finally things quieted down they let out a sigh of relief and Scootaloo leaned on the sink a little. “So, where should we actually start looking?” Scootaloo asked. “I mean, we don’t have a lot to go on right now. Should we just find a student and ask, ‘hey, have you seen any weird monsters around anywhere?’ Because I don’t think that would work.” “Probably it’s being subtle anyway,” Sweetie Belle said with a shrug. “I’m pretty sure that something like a Shade would stand out around here.” “Yeah, maybe it’s…” Scootaloo started to say when they suddenly heard the sound of footsteps outside the bathroom and she went quiet. There was the sound of hushed voices for a moment as the footsteps stopped in front of the bathroom. They exchanged a look, were they about to be caught out of class or something? They quickly tried looking around to see if they could get out of there quickly before the door opened and two girls their age came inside. "Did you hear about that thing that's..." One of them, a taller girl with short brown hair and dressed in a shirt with a long skirt said before seeing Scootoaloo and Sweetie Belle standing there. "Oh, uh, sorry, we just needed to use the bathroom..." "Really? That's the line you're going with, Kathy?" Her friend who had long red hair said with a chuckle. "Clearly we're not the only ones sneaking around the school to avoid rumors. What are you two doing here?" "Uh..." Scootaloo said as she shot Sweetie Belle a quick look. "We're new to the school and kind of got turned around is all. We stopped here to try and rethink things." "Ah, I see," Kathy said as she eyed the two of them for a moment before chuckling and looking back at her friend. "And you said my story was hard to believe." "Don't worry, we won't tell anyone you're here," the redhead said. "So, you two are new? I haven't seen you around here before and I think I'd recognize two girls with hair like that." "Yeah, our families just moved into town," Sweetie Belle said quickly. "We're mostly just trying to get the lay of the land around here." "Well I'm Izzy and this is Kathy," The redhead said with a slight smile as she pointed at her friend. "We're part of the theater class here and were just leaving the theater if you want the truth." "What were you talking about before?" Sweetie Belle asked curiously. "Have people been seeing something?" "You mean the Ghost of the Theater?" Kathy asked. "Oh yeah, you're new. It's mostly just rumors going around honestly. There are some people who say they've seen some sort of thing in the backstage and catwalks of the theater. I wouldn't give it much thought, probably just another story going around." "What kind of stories exactly?" Scootaloo asked. "Oh, you know, sounds of chains, something being dragged around, it's really nothing that special," Izzy replied. "Honestly I don't really know what to make of it. I think it's just some crazy stories the workers came up with while they were bored. I wouldn't give it much thought." "Yeah, uh, we should probably get going," Sweetie Belle said as she took Scootaloo's hand and headed out into the hall with her. "Okay, that's weird, do you think that's connected?" "Probably," Scootaloo replied with a sigh. "It would be a weird coincidence if we showed up when there was some sort of weird story going around not connected to a monster." "What should we do?" "I'll get in touch with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon," Scootaloo said as she took out her communicator. "I think they headed towards the theater so they can check it out while we look around the school." Sweetie Belle nodded as Scootaloo hit the button on it to call Diamond Tiara and raised it to her ear. 00000 "Alright, we'll check it out," Diamond said as she spoke into her communicator before putting it back away. "Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle said they heard a story about something going on in the backstage of the theater." "They think it's our monster?" Silver Spoon asked as they headed down the hall towards where the theater was. "They think it's worth checking out at least, and at the moment it's the best lead we have," Diamond said with a shrug as she checked to make sure her morpher was secure on her wrist. "I don't like this, it feels like we know nothing about what we're walking into or what's up with this universe." "Yeah, it's weird," Silver agreed as they pushed the door to the theater open. The theater inside was empty with a few set pieces up on the stage but that was about it. "Not much to look at. They must all be in class." "Yeah, let's check it out," Diamond agreed as they headed down the aisle and up on the stage as they checked the stage sets. "There's not really much going on here, do you hear or see anything?" "No, I..." Silver started to say before her communicator started ringing and she answered it. "Yes?" "You're close to a very powerful source of Tenebraean Energy, be careful," Amethyst's voice said on the other end. "Do you see anything around there?" "No, just normal things you see for a play," Silver replied as she looked around. "At least I assume it's normal. These sets look kind of like something out of Canterlot." "Interesting, that could mean a lot of things," Amethyst replied. "See if you can find out what kind of play they are putting on." "Looks pretty ordinary to me, but I'll see what I can find..." Silver started to say when suddenly there was the sound of heavy footsteps from the backstage. "Hold that thought." "What's going on?" Amethyst asked. "I don't think we're alone here," Silver said quietly as she reached for the Charger in her pocket and nodded at Diamond. "We'll call you back in a minute." She hung up the phone and put it in her pocket as she took out the small train carefully while Diamond did the same. A whistling sound was heard from the backstage as if someone or something was whistling a tune. Before either of them could even say anything, there was the sound of a chain swinging around and they barely managed to avoid it as a chain made of shadows nearly wrapped around them. They exchanged a long look of fear before raising their Chargers and morphers. "Let's do this," Diamond said and Silver nodded in agreement as they activated their Morphers. "Now Transforming! All Rangers stay behind the white line," the female voice said from their morphers as the white line appeared in front of them as they slid the Chargers into their Morphers and closed them up as the Blue and Green suits appeared over them quickly. "Ranger 2 - Blue!" "Ranger 4 - Green!" "ALL ABOARD!" They raised their weapons just as a group of Crows burst out of the curtains and attacked them. Diamond dodged an ax from one of the Crows before she swung her own ax around and caught it across the chest, sending it flying back. "You know, I'm pretty sure that we found it!" Diamond said as she hit another Crow hard in the chest as she straightened up after a moment. "Just a theory!" "Very funny," Silver said as she aimed her pistol at the other crows, firing several energy bolts into them as they fell back and dissolved into shadows. "Where's the Shade anyway?" They didn't need to wonder much longer as the sound of something being dragged was heard. The bizarre rusty chain monster came in, still whistling that tune as he dragged his coffin behind him. He looked at the two Rangers with black and white soulless eyes as ee looked them over and laughed. "Two Power Rangers? I had thought they would send more," he laughed as he swung a chain around and threw it at Diamond, catching her on the leg and pulling her down. "You're not going to stand a chance, girls. You might as well run back to your home universe!" "Yeah, that's not gonna happen," Diamond said as she struggled to her feet and raised the ax as she stared the chain monster down. "We're not going to let you destroy another world." "Hah, we all know that won't be easy," the Chain monster laughed as he sent another chain out, wrapping it around the two of them. "The Emperor's Grand Design must be completed. This is the only way to make sure that everything is done!" "Yeah, yeah, the ends justify the means, you're talking to the daughter of a businesspony," Diamond countered with a roll of her eyes. "But not when the means requires destroying worlds. Silver, do you mind?" "Gladly," Silver said as she raised her pistol and fired several shots into the chain monster. The Chain Shade stumbled back a little as the energy bolts impacted it in the chest. He growled as he released his grip on the two of them and swung his chain around again, catching Diamond across the face as she stumbled back a little bit. "Diamond, are you okay?"Silver asked as she went over to her friend and fired several shots at the monster again. "Yeah, just caught me off guard a little," Diamond said as she rubbed the spot where it had hit her. "Come on, we're not going to let Rusty here take us down, are we?" "Definitely not," Silver said as Diamond drew a pistol off her belt and fired several shots into the chain monster before running forward and slashing at him hard with her ax. The rusted monster stumbled back a moment as he growled before kicking hard at Diamond, knocking her back on her butt. "I'm not going to let you Power Rangers ruin our plans again!" He said as he spun his chain around and wrapped it around Diamond before pulling her in close. "Hey, let me go!" Diamond protested as she struggled against the chains as Silver started towards her. "Silver, help me!" "Take one more step and you won't get her back," the chain monster said as his coffin opened up and he dropped her into it. "Give her back!" Silver demanded. "You can't just go around taking ponies!" "And who's going to stop me? You?" The monster asked with a laugh as he backed up. "Your friend is perfectly safe as long as I let her be. Oh, she's going to give us so much energy, and this is only the beginning." He let out a mad cackle as he vanished into the shadows once more. Silver Spoon growled angrily as she stomped her foot and powered down before raising her communicator back to her ear. "Amethyst, we have a problem," she said. "What happened?" Amethyst asked she was suddenly worried. "We found the Shade, he's some sort of freaky chain creature pulling a coffin," Silver answered. "But we have another problem. He took Diamond and trapped her in that coffin thing of his." "That's not good," Amethyst said. "Alright, I'll have the others meet up back at the train. See if you can find anything else while you're there, okay?" "Okay," Silver said as she walked around the stage area for a moment looking for any clues. She frowned a little when she saw a poster on the wall and tore it down before heading out. This thing had taken her best friend and she wasn't going to let him get away with that. 00000 "A Shade based on a chain? Interesting," Amethyst said as she stroked her chin thoughtfully. It was a little while later and they had all returned to the Quantum Reality Express. "I found it in the auditorium, so it at least seems like your tip was good," Silver said as she looked back at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. "But I'm worried about Diamond. We don't really know what he's going to do to her." "Have there been any other missing students?" Scootaloo asked. "I mean, have any of you heard of any students going missing?" "Ah think Ah heard somethin' about some folks goin' missin', but they usually came back quickly," Apple Bloom answered. "But Ah don't really know anythin' else beyond that. Ah'm sorry, Ah know it ain't a lot ta go on." "It's fine," Amethyst said as she shook her head a little. "I do have some good news though." "What's that?" Silver asked. "Do you know how to get her out of there?" "No, but this Shade is a known quantity," Amethyst replied. "This isn't the first time that the Shadow Line has used him. Apparently, the Chain Shadow was used in a previous attack on a universe but was defeated by the local heroes." "So, what is it doing here?" Scootaloo asked. "It seems weird that they would give a monster a second chance like this. Is there something we're missing?" "It's possible that they have some sort of reason," Archie commented from his spot on Amethyst's back. "The Shadow Line doesn't just do things for no reason." "Did you find anything out about the play before you got attacked?" Amethyst asked. "Right now that's the only clue we have towards their plan given what's going on." "Uh yes," Silver Spoon answered as she took out the poster. It was an image of several figures in odd-looking costumes around an empty throne with the title "The Tragedy of the Night King" at the top. Amethyst examined it for a moment as she ran her hoof along it, trying to figure it out as she did. "I've never heard of this play before," she muttered to herself. "That might not mean anything, but I have seen a surprising number of plays. The name and style reminds me of one I came across in a universe once, but I don't know more than that." "So, what are we going to do about Diamond Tiara?" Sweetie Belle asked. "We can't just let this thing get away with taking her like that. And whatever his plan is it seems to already be in full swing if he's doing this kind of thing." "We'll get her back," Amethyst said with a nod. "But it won't be easy. In the meantime, I think you need to get jobs working on the play." "Wait, you want us to get a job that would get us close to the monster's target area?" Scootaloo asked confused. "Why?" "Because it's the best way to get information, see if you can get a copy of the script at least," Amethyst answered. "Whatever the monster is up to this time it's trouble," Archie reminded them. "If they have Diamond Tiara held captive, it's hard to tell what they'll actually do. Right now you need to continue getting information and try to get close to the play if that really is what's going on." "We need to save Diamond, that much is true," Amethyst continued. "Which is why I want you all getting involved with the play itself. Try not to attract too much attention though. You're technically not students there, but opening night is coming up in a few days." "And I'm guessing that will be the culmination of whatever they're planning," Scootaloo said and gave her a nod. "Alright, we'll get back on it. We do have some experience with set building, that might at least give us a way in." "Yeah, we'll save Diamond," Apple Bloom said as she placed her hoof gently on Silver Spoon's shoulder for a moment. "Ah promise yah we won't leave her behind." "Thanks," Silver said as they headed back out of the train together. "Why do you think the Shadow Line gave that Shade a second chance?" Archie commented as he looked back at Amethyst. "They don't normally give the Shades second chances like this. We haven't run into any more duplicates before this." "I know, and I don't like it," Amethyst said as she turned to the controls of the train. "Something about all of this feels off to me. A lot of what they're doing doesn't make sense, at least with how they normally work. I'm afraid that we might be in over our heads." "The Rangers will figure something out," Archie reminded her. "They've done it before after all. I have faith in them." "Me too," Amethyst said with a soft smile. "I believe that they'll figure this out. But that being said, I wish that they didn't have to go this pretty much alone. Having another team did help them out back there." "Yeah, but they have to stand on their own someday," Archie pointed out. "Perhaps this is for the best. It was inevitable since we don't always wind up in universes with Power Rangers or Kamen Riders or Justice Leagues or whatever. They are going to have to stand on their own, and right now is as good a time as any." "Agreed," Amethyst said as she pulled up a screen showing the school as she frowned a little bit. "I don't like dealing with worlds like this. It's one thing if they have their own heroes, but this is going to attract attention if we're not careful." "Maybe, but at the end of the day it beats the alternative," Archie reminded her. "Come on, let's see if we..." He was cut off as data started to flash in his eyes. He finally shook his head back and forth as he recovered from the data stream and looked at Amethyst. "I believe I found one." "You found one? One what?" Amethyst asked. "One of the lost trains," Archie answered as he flapped his wings for a moment. "They're in a nearby universe. This is the closest we've ever been to one!" Amethyst smiled a little as she used the computer systems to connect to Archie and try to find the source of the data stream. If they had actually found one of the lost trains, it would help their war with the Shadow Line greatly. It was just a matter of tracking it down now. 00000 "So, you four want to help with the set building?" The director asked as he examined a clipboard and eyed the four of them for a moment. "I don't think I've seen the four of you around the school before." "We're, uh..." Scootaloo started to say. "Our sisters go to school here actually," Silver Spoon quickly lied. "We're here to help with the play is all. We've done some work at our own school, and well, uh... yeah we felt we could help with the sets here." "Yeah, whatever, we could use the help anyway," the Director said as he waved his hand dismissively. "Just don't cause any problems or whatever." He walked off and the four friends blinked a little at that. "Okay, there is no way that should've worked," Sweetie Belle commented. "Their teachers must be really underpaid or something." "Yeah, well, at least it worked," Scootaloo said with a sigh of relief. "I swear, this whole school is crazy sometimes. I hate to see what the rest of the world is like." "Yeah, let's not focus on that, let's just find whoever is in charge of props around here," Sweetie Belle said as they started walking around the stage together. The Chain Shade stood on the catwalk high above looking down at the four Rangers with a frown. He didn't like that they were nosing around in his business, but Baron Nero had told him not to attack when the students were around. They didn't want to raise suspicion when they were this close to completing their mission. "You're doing well so far, Locke," Noir said as she appeared behind him. "You managed to capture one of the Rangers already. If you keep this up, they won't be able to stop you." "Indeed Madame Noir," Locke said as he bowed slightly. "What brings you here? I believed that I would be left alone for the time being." "Normally yes," Noir said as she fanned herself. "However I wanted to make sure that everything was ready here. You are ready for opening night, aren't you?" "Yes milady," Locke replied. "All we have to do is perform the play and the energy will be drained in no time. It will be no problem at all in order to carry out my duty to the Empire." "Make sure that you do," Noir said. "Removing these Rangers is a priority now, they have already stopped us twice and I am sure that if given the chance they will continue to ruin our operations. That being said we cannot neglect our duties to keep getting energy for the Emperor's Grand Design." "Indeed, I will not fail," Locke replied quickly. "This world is so simple, they know nothing of things like us. It shall be an easy task to drain their energy without drawing attention." "Good," Noir said as she fanned herself more. "Make sure that you do not fail, Locke. The future of our Empire rests in your hands. Failure this time will not be tolerated, and we will not give you a third chance. Do I make myself clear?" "Yes milady," Locke said with a bow. "I will have to return to the Kuliner soon though." "Of course, take what you can for now and then report back," Noir said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "By capturing the Green Ranger you have already exceeded our expectations. Make sure that you do not fail to get the others, understood?" "I understand, they will not escape my grasp," Locke said as he gripped his chains in his hands for a moment. "I will not fail you or our Emperor." "Excellent," Noir said as she patted him on the shoulder. "I will see you back at the Kuliner then." Locke nodded as Noir vanished into the shadows again. the chain monster leaned over the catwalk's railing and looked back down towards the stage. There was a lot of activity going on down there, and the power of the play was already drawing the energy off of them into him. He grinned a little as he watched them work. He was not going to disappoint them this time, this time he would stand victorious. 00000 Silver took a deep breath as she started working on a set piece. She glanced up as she saw some of the students who were practicing their lines. She just wished that she could warn them about what might be happening. She glanced at Scootaloo who was working on another piece of the set. She honestly had been surprised that this had worked, but right now they just needed to figure out how to save Diamond. It wasn’t like the monster was just going to walk out on to the stage after all. “I have heard that the Ambassador from Carcosa has arrived,” the first student said as he read from his script. “I have heard little of that land, what brings the Ambassador here?” The female student asked. “What brings someone from such a distant land here?” “The fate of the King has brought many to this Kingdom,” the first student said. “Especially with the reveal of his child. Perhaps the Ambassador knows more than he is letting on.” “Indeed, but I find him unsettling for some reason,” the second student read. “Perhaps his arrival means something more. I would be weary around him, there are many who seek power for themselves after the King’s Death.” “Yes, well let’s see…” The male started to say when he stopped. Silver and her friends stopped when they heard it too. There was the sound of heavy metal footsteps and the sound of something being dragged on the floor. Silver looked up and narrowed her eyes when she saw the body of the chain Shade Locke making his way across the stage. “Amethyst, we’ve got a visual on the Shade,” Silver said quietly as she activated the communicator. “Where is he?” Amethyst asked. “He’s right in front of me, walking across the stage,” Silver replied. There was a brief pause as if Amethyst was trying to figure out what to say. “What should we do?” “We can’t risk attracting attention,” Amethyst replied. “I want all of you to observe what it’s doing. It might give us a clue as to what they’re up to.” “Yeah, but I don’t think anyone’s going to just pass this off as normal,” Scootaloo’s voice said over the communicator. “I mean he just walked…” “The Ambassador arrives!” The male student said fearfully. The two students turned to see the approaching Shade, but it was clear they were more acting than anything else. “What bringith you here from Carcosa?” “Or they’ll think he’s in the play, that is weird,” Scootaloo finished. “What do you think?” “Be careful,” Amethyst replied. “We need to know what’s going on here. See if you can get a copy of the script too. We need to know what’s going on here.” Silver nodded a little. She glanced at the stage for a moment, there was a copy of the script lying there. Someone must have discarded it. She glanced around for a moment before slowly heading over to it and grabbing it, putting it in her back pocket. Right now, she needed to get this to Amethyst and hope that there was something they could do about it. 00000 “You said he was called the Ambassador from Carcosa?” Amethyst asked as she looked between the four of them. “Yeah, does that mean anything to you?” Scootaloo asked. “It’s a fictional city that was seen following its destruction,” Amethyst said as she lead them into another room. This room was a library and she looked through several books for a moment before taking down two. “Yes, here we are, it was first written about by Ambrose Bierce. Later writers mentioned it in their work including Robert Chambers and H.P. Lovecraft.” “So, it’s not a real place?” Sweetie Belle asked. “In the multiverse, any place that is imagined is real somewhere,” Archie pointed out. “But it is not native to this version of Earth, no.” “And this writing… it’s familiar somehow,” Amethyst commented as she flipped through the pages of the script. “The style is more Elizabethan however. Long before Bierce or Chambers wrote anything about Carcosa. In fact, Carcosa or its ambassador isn’t even mentioned in the script.” “But they reacted as if he was part of the play,” Silver pointed out. “Why would they do that if he wasn’t in the script?” “Honestly? I have no idea,” Amethyst admitted. “Something about this whole thing is incredibly unsettling. For now we need to stick to the plan. I’ll see what I can do about faking some records for you four in case they’re needed.” “Yah can do that?” Apple Bloom asked. “You’d be surprised at what this train can do,” Amethyst replied with a chuckle. “But really, the four of you have had a long day. I’d go back to your quarters for now, I’ll go over a few things and get back to you.” The four girls nodded and headed out of the library together. Amethyst and Archie sat together for a moment as she went over books. She frowned a little and sighed as she pushed another one to the side. “I don’t like this,” she finally said. “The Shadow Line doesn’t give second chances like this. There’s something we’re missing.” “What do you think?” Archie asked. “I need to go over some of the other files,” Amethyst sighed. “Where’s that note we found in London? The one to that playwright, what was his name again…” “Right here Archie said as he picked up a piece of paper and set it down in front of Amethyst. Amethyst unrolled it and looked it over for a moment. It was probably unrelated, but it unsettled her a little all the same. I beseech thee to burn that accurs'd Play7and return it to Ashe. Thy Patron seeks to corrupt and defile: Whence He cometh, there are Things that simply should not be. The Ambassador shall exploit thee, as they did us. I have seal'd the Janus Gate so that only the Enlighten'd may enter. May they have the Wisdom to see what I coulde not, and the Power to slay the wretch'd King within.