//------------------------------// // Shining Truth // Story: Power Rangers Shadow Force // by Layton13 //------------------------------// A day had passed since the attack of the Cicada-Changeling on Lemon and her family. Cadance had been thinking about this ever since then. She knew it was really only a matter of time till the Changelings actually tried something like this, but still… It felt too early. Was it because she had shown up? Were they trying to take out the others first before they dealt with her? And would they have succeeded if she wasn’t listening in on the police radio while grading papers? A shiver ran down her spine as that thought crossed her mind. She really didn’t wanna think about that possibility. Especially since she already knew the answer. She really tried to push the girls further and further, but they just couldn’t keep up fast enough. Eventually, she wouldn’t be there, and then… Letting out another deep sigh, she continued applying her make up, making sure it was actually set up correctly. Why was she even thinking about this right now? This was supposed to be her “Day Off,” the girls had called it. How they had managed to find out about was beyond her, but she secretly was glad about it. Maybe, with current events, she would have blown it off and pushed in one more training session for them, as much as she didn’t want that. They had managed to convince her that she really needed this day, and if she was honest with herself, they were one-hundred percent right. She had looked forward to this day for over a week now, and with her packed timetable and the constantly new situations popping up on his end, she had already feared this would fall through as well. But in the end, they had managed to squeeze in one pizza date, the first one since the whole mess with the Changelings had started. Shining was picking up a pizza for both of them right now and would undoubtedly be here any minute. This would be just an evening with her and him and nothing of the weird stuff that had consumed their lives recently. And almost as if it was on cue, the doorbell rang. Cadance shouted into the foyer and down the stairs: “I'm on my way!" Finishing the last touches of her makeup, she gave it one last look before smirking and quickly jogging down the stairs. While she had chosen a comfy shirt and sweatpants, she wanted to look at least semi passable. Stopping before the door, she put on her best smile and opened it. "Hey, Shining! Good to see you!" On the other side of the door stood Shining Armor, just as expected, holding a steaming box of pizza. He seemed to have just gotten off of work, still dressed in his white shirt and brown leather jacket he usually wore. He smiled weakly at her before returning: "Hey! Anyone here ordered a pepperoni-ham pizza from the Magnum Opus?" He asked with a light chuckle, presenting the packaging to her. With a sly smirk, she returned: "Well, I did, but sadly, it seems I'm just out of money. Is that a problem?" She just increased her smirk when the words had left her mouth, looking expectingly at him. He stuttered for a moment before returning with a slight blush that was obvious on his white face: "I… I'm sure we'll figure something out." Cadance just started to laugh. It just worked every time. The slightest flirt would send him into this charming flustered state, stuttering through all of his words. He defiantly was still the same dork she had met in Highschool, as much as things had changed. "Well then, how about we'll figure something out inside? Don't want the pizza to get cold, do we?" She continued before turning around and leading him to the dining room, not like he really needed to. He simply followed after her, the awkward smirk quickly disappearing again once she had turned around. Shining placed the box on the table, where everything had already been set up for them. "Did I ever tell you how cute you're when you're flustered?” She asked while sitting down, all while she kept smiling at him. “You mentioned it a few times,” he returned with a slight chuckle. “Well, not like it gets any less right, no matter how often I say it,” she added, chuckling before biting into her first piece. And as always, it hit the sweet spot; only a pizza could hit perfectly. “Mhhhh! I still can’t believe you can get us one of these mouthwatering any time you want.” “Well, helps if you know the right people. And Thunder is the kind of person who’d do anything for friends; a pizza is the least he can do. But I’ll pass it on to him. He’s always ecstatic to know he made someone happy with his food,” Shining said, his smile growing a bit wider as he followed suit and took a bite as well. “Yeah, do that. He earned it, after all,” Cadance smirked, after already finishing the first slice. “So, how’s your day been? You looked… Exhausted. Another one of those days?” “Yeah, one of those days. Equila Damage Inc., you know, this monster insurance, has been calling our office ever since that street got… Blown-up for lack of a better word. I still can’t believe someone could be that lucky. Setting up a scam monster insurance- I’m sorry, allegedly fake monster insurance, just a bit before monsters actually became a reality. People suddenly buy into it like crazy, all across the county, and out of nowhere, we have to deal with them as if they were an actual legitimate business,” he grumbled back before going for another bite. “I mean… They seemed to have cleaned up their act. Nothing illegal yet,” Cadance shrugged, grabbing the next piece. “Honestly, that’s not my problem. It’s more their CEO, Prime Rate. Got the honor of meeting him a few times, and I just can’t stand the guy. While he seems to intend to turn this into something legit, the way he started it rubs me the wrong way. And his strategy of buying out other companies just makes me worried we’ll have even more interactions in the future,” Shining sighed, looking down at his pizza. “And then, there is the usual. Or, in other words, the Rangers and the Changelings. Have had to be in contact with Griffonestone a bit because they suddenly showed up there and then the whole debacle in the suburbs. It’s… Tiring, that’s all,” he said, still staring at his slice. “Are you making progress, though? Or starting to trust the Rangers more?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. Shining, however, just sighed: “That’s… Hard to say. I get why they are hiding their identity. Still, it would be easier if they actually tried to work with us. And not just try to keep secrets. It makes it harder to believe them when they are trying to be honest,” he added, with a somber tone. “You said Alchemy didn’t trust you either, though, right?” She returned, lowering her half-eaten slice to the plate as well. “Yeah, he didn’t. He didn’t know the MRG or anyone who worked for them,” he nodded, before taking a deep breath and simply asking: “Cadance, do you trust me?” She looked at him for a moment, her eyes perplexed before returning: “Of course I do. Why shouldn’t I? We’ve been together since Highschool. Only because you joined the MRG and became the local director doesn’t mean I trust you any less. The government can be as shady as it wants to be; they’ll never change my Shining Armor. You’re honest and someone I can trust one-hundred percent in. Why do you ask.” Cadance smiled at him, but he only returned a frown. With a sigh, he continued: “Cadance, where were you on a week ago?” That was all he asked, as he looked directly at her. “Wh… What do you mean,” she stammered back, her smile slowly fading. “I’m asking you where were you seven days ago?” Shining repeated coldly. “I… I was at work, and after that, I was working here. I had to correct a few tests, and it took me till late in the night. I might have left my phone down here while working. I didn’t see a missed call from you,” she returned, with a perfect poker face. “Why are you lying to me,” he asked, his voice weak, almost crushed even. “Because I know you are lying,” he continued, before pulling out his bulky flip-phone, on it, one of the CCTV images from the Griffonestoen Institute for Archeology. “This picture was recorded exactly seven days ago, just minutes before the Changelings attacked the GIA.” “I… Why would I be in Griffonestone with students? There were no trips planned that day. It must just be a lookalike,” she continued, trying her best not to slip up, even though she could feel the sweatdrops on her forehead forming. “Weird, because when I looked into the GIA, there was a Finders Keepers as one of their employees. Your cousin, right?” He asked once more; his look was almost as if he could burn its way into her soul. “And don’t say you didn’t know that. I remember you talking about him.” “What… What are you suggesting, Shining Armor?” She returned, the sweatdrops now clearly visible as they ran down her face. “First of all, you’re lying to me. For whatever reason, you don’t want me to know you were in Griffonestone with these students. On its own, that is definitely strange, but nothing more,” he said, his voice somber. “But, then there is the fact that most of the Rangers appearances seem to be centered around Crystal Prep, which suggests that they might be students there and, strangely enough, your neighborhood. During the last Changeling attack, we caught up another signal just from around here. Why is it that, wherever the Rangers show up, you and your students just seem to be as well?” Cadance just remained silent, avoiding eye-contact with her boyfriend. “Is it because your students are the Power Rangers? And are you the sixth Ranger?” He finally asked, waiting for an answer, but Cadance remained just as quiet as before. “Look, I know you are. I had the suspicion a while back. I didn’t want to believe it. I thought you wouldn’t lie to me like this. And if you were, that you would tell me before I would figure it out, but you didn’t. Just tell me why Cadance. Why didn’t you tell me?” With one last sigh, Cadance head slumped forward before she said with a defeated undertone: “Yes… You got us. We’re the Power Rangers. I just… It’s…” She stammered, giving him a pleading look. “What?” He simply returned, crossing his arms as he did so. “I… I couldn’t just give you their identities. And if I said I had met them, you would have caught on… Just like you did now. These kids were pulled into this fight when they shouldn’t be here in the first place. I didn’t want to ruin their lives more than absolutely needed to,” she said, before continuing: “Please! Keep this to yourself! They don’t deserve the government breathing down their necks.” “You know you can trust me, right?” He said, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I kept a secret identity before. I knew about my sister's magical powers. And I’ve worked with other superheroes before, some of which still keep their identity secret. So, tell me, why did you think you couldn’t trust me?” “I trust you, it’s just…” She tried to encounter, only to stop midsentence. “I don’t trust the people above you. This is not a fight that concerns them.” “I’d vouch for the MRG, at least the people up at the top. Especially the director is one of the most trustworthy people I’ve ever met. And so are the people I work with! They’d never let any of your secrets leak to people who were never meant to know about them. If you don’t trust them, you don’t trust me knowing the people I work with! And even then, if you really wanted me to keep this secret, I would have! You’re… You’re the person I trust more than anyone, and that means the most to me. So, why isn’t that the case for you?” He simply stated, giving her an expecting look. “This… I would have told you… Eventually…” Cadance sighed, still avoiding eye contact. “And when? Because we’ve been together for so long. What could have convinced you that I would be ‘ready’ for your secret now?” “It’s… it’s a tradition to tell the person you marry about… About the war with the Changelings once the ceremony is over. It’s to not drag people unnecessary into our war,” she continued. He looked at her for a moment before raising an eyebrow. “War? What… What have you been keeping from me?” “My… My ancestors were part of the Changelings millennia ago… They rebelled and brought them down. Ever since, we’ve been keeping watch over what they left behind to prevent the Changelings from ever rising again. My responsibility was to look for the lost Shadow Coins, and that ultimately lead me to Mt. Aris and the Rangers…” “Mt. Aris… You don’t mean?” His eyes widened in absolute disbelieve. “You were the one responsible for the break-in a while ago?” She simply nodded, already fearing the tirade that was about to come. “And you kept all of this from me… If… If the MRG had known about this, we could have collected these Coins before the Changelings could have ever gotten their hands on them! I could have helped you with this!” “I didn’t want to drag you into this…” She tried to say but was interrupted once more. “No, you thought you could do it on your own again. You always do. Every time something comes up, you keep it to yourself, try to do everything on your own. You wouldn’t have dragged me into this; I’m already part of it. I was ever since Ocean decided I would be in her Magic Taskforce. And especially since I’ve been leading the local MRG branch! I just… Why don’t you trust anyone? These kids could have had help out there! And not just you!” He continued, his voice slowly rising in volume. “I trust the Rangers! They were chosen by the Coins! Otherwise, I would have never put this on them! I didn’t like it either, but this is my responsibility. And I’m not dragging even more people into this mess than necessary! I’d had hoped I could leave you out as well, but… I’m sorry, but I had to. Please don’t be mad at me… I did it because I love you… I know how stressful your job is… I didn’t want to put you on the spot or make it worse. You didn’t need even more stuff on your shoulders…” Cadance gave him a pleading look, reaching over the table to grab his hand. “You should know that I’m not angry. I’m just disappointed that you don’t trust me,” he sighed before pulling his hand away and standing back up. “Shining…” “Take your time to talk with your Rangers…” He started to say, turning around as he did so. “Say that, while I know who they are, that I will keep it private. But we need to have a talk with how we proceed from now on,” he continued before starting to walk towards the door. She couldn’t other than stare after him as he walked off, before finally snapping out of once he had reached the door. “Wait! Shining!” “I…” He gave her one last look before continuing: “I’m sorry… I need a bit of time… Night Cadance.” And without any more words, he left, leaving her standing in her own house. Her own way too big house. She just stood there for what felt like an eternity before she dragged herself back to her chair and slumped down on it, staring at the pizza. She had lost all appetited, and the delicious piece of dough, cheese, and pepperoni were now just laying there, seemingly taunting her. “Ouch! That must have hurt!” It suddenly hissed from out of nowhere. In the blink of an eye, Cadance jumped to her feet and spun around, staring directly at a Changeling who slithered out of the shadows. Her thin body was covered in yellow and black chitin. Her head was angular and reminded her of the face wasps had. All while she seemingly wore a chitin armor that ended in a sharp stinger. But the most bewildering thing about the Changeling was the bug-like SMG in her hand. “How about I’ll help you with your problems?” She asked in a disgustingly sweet voice before raising the gun, aiming it at her. >--------------< In the meantime, a bit further away, inside a room with a pink bed, two large shelves, stuffed with an outrageous amount of clothes in a lot of different colors. A few postures of models, both male, and female, hung on the walls. Sunny was breathing heavily as she was in the process of doing push-ups. “Forty-seven, forty-eight, forty… nine,” she gritted through her teeth. A few drops of sweat were running down her face as she continued. Her breathing was getting sharper and sharper, her arms shaking under strain, but she just pushed on. “Fifty, fifty-one, fifty-two.” Ever since Griffonestone, no, if she was honest, ever since the day with the Moth-Changeling, the same thoughts always kept digging themselves into her mind again and again. The thought that maybe, she wasn’t doing enough. And with every defeat, they grew in intensity. If she were just a bit better, perhaps none of them would have had to be poisoned by that damn Changeling. If she had been better, they would have never lost to that Grasshopper-Changeling, and if she would have been more observed, maybe she could have come to Lemon’s and Sugar’s rescue as they were attacked at their homes. If she was just that tiny bit better, she could have prevented all of this! And each time, someone else had helped her out. Indigo bringing her to the nurse, or she would have never even heard about the fight. Cadence saving them in Griffonestone and once again, just a day ago, when she pulled out a one-on-one victory against that damn Cicada. All while she could do nothing to help anyone. She truly hated to feel like she was just some dead weight. And even when she had a chance to do something, she screwed it up somehow. Like during their training. She had the perfect pincer attack but still couldn’t manage to hit her mentor. She was just outclassed at every opportunity. “Sixty-one, sixty-two… Sixty… Sixty… “ She hissed out, her arms now shaking as if they were made out of pudding, threatening to give out on her at any point now, but she simply refused to give up just yet. She could do more; she knew that! She had to! That was the moment her phone started to ring. This one moment of surprise was all that was needed to really get her out of her rhythm. Her arms just collapsed, and she more or less faceplanted on her carpet with a pained groan. “Uhh… Who their right mind calls me around a time like this?” She groaned, her expression souring in an instant. She was half tempted to just simply ignore the call in its entirety, but then the events with Lemon and sugar came back to her mind. With a resigned sigh, she pushed herself up and slowly walked over to the phone, lying on her bed. As she picked it up and looked at the number, she didn’t recognize it at all. She was about to just ignore it when curiosity got the better of her. “Yeah, Sunny Flare here?” She hissed into the phone, crossing her arms as best as she could “Yeah, hello! It’s you! Good! My name’s Light Bulb, and I don’t have time to explain. I honestly don’t have time to explain why I don’t have time to explain, but… Right! Right!” It came back from the other side. It was definitely a female voice, a quite frantic and seemingly panicked voice. “How do you have my number?” She immediately returned, eyeing the phone curiously. “No time! Just… let me put it this way, I know you are a Power Ranger!” It came back from Light Bulb. All the color left Sunny’s face all at once, as she stammered back: “Wh-What!?” “No time! I just know! I’ve got a call from someone who knows that your principal, Cadance, is in danger! She is currently being attacked inside her home by a Changeling! I’ve been told to call the rest of the Rangers. You’re the closest to her! She needs help!” The woman continued, sounding more and more frantic as time went on. “What!? Cadance is in danger!?” She almost shouted back, but the woman had already hung up the phone. Sunny stared at it for a few more moments before her mind went into overdrive. She had to help! Right now! But how? Her parents sure as Tartarus weren’t gonna let her out at such a late hour again- Then her eyes caught her own window. Yeah, that could work… >--------------< Her trusty and the familiar couch was shredded to feathers and debris in seconds, much to Cadance’s annoyance. “Hey! How about you’re a bit more careful with this thing!” She shouted, her sword and shield already in her hand, as she pushed forward. The Wasp-Changeling, however, quickly jumped backward, two sets of insect wings helping her with that. They also kicked up a lot of wind as they knocked vases, books, and other stuff off the shelves and whatnot. “Ups. Must have knocked something over. But no biggy. You can afford it after all,” she laughed before spraying another volley of spikes at her through the gun. This time, it was the floor who took the brunt of it, Cadance jumping back a bit before bunkering down behind her shield. Her entire living room had been turned into a battlefield once more. She had just finished fixing the last damage, and in no time at all, it had already been replaced. Fantastic! She really would enjoy beating this Changeling up. And if she was honest, she really needed it after this… date. For a moment, the continuous assault stopped, for just a moment. That was the moment Cadance had waited for. In the blink of an eye, she inserted the Coin into her shield and dashed forward. [Li-Li-Light!] The shield erupted in burning-bright light, enough to blind the monster just long enough. With full speed, Cadance jumped over the Changeling with a somersault before spinning around and rushing forward once more. She slammed into the bug monster with her entire weight and speed, knocking her off her feet and beginning to push her across the room. The Changeling could only scream as she was blindly carried by the Ranger’s momentum, the window getting closer and closer, and with a loud crash, both of them came through the shattering piece of glass, landing in her front yard. While the Changeling simply landed with a pained screech, she rolled a bit further. It took her a few moments to stop her movement and begin to stand up back once more, just enough time for the Changeling grab her chitin-SMG and point it directly at Cadence. Bracing herself for impact, she tried to duck behind her own shield, but she knew she was too late. All she could do was pray she was faster than she thought, and the ones that did make it threw wouldn’t hurt too much. After a few moments of glass falling to the ground, a shot rang through the night, followed by a second one. Cadance closed her eyes, ready to grit her teeth and swallow the pain, but, to her surprise, nothing happened. Had the Changeling missed? It didn’t take long till her question was actually answered: “Gah! Damn it! Who was that?” It growled out. “Hands off!” A third voice suddenly shouted stern, and absolutely in no mood for games. “You… You damn bastard! Who do you even think you are?” She hissed, pulling herself back up and pointing the gun at Shining Armor, who was holding a strange red and silver revolver, straight out of a sci-fi movie. But before she could pull the trigger, Cadance dashed in from the side, slashing across the Changeling’s chitin. Sparks once again flew everywhere before the monster staggering to the side. In the blink of an eye, the beast spun around, pointing the gun at her, immediately pulling the trigger. Cadance, however, had already pulled up the shield, just was a bit too slow, as several of the stinger-bullets impacted across her suit, each one followed by its own explosion of sparks. Still, most of them simply impaled themselves in her shield without doing too much damage. “Get out of here, Shining!” She immediately shouted over to him. “I’m not leaving! This is my job! Even if this means going up against a monster. Wouldn’t be the first time I was in the line of fire! But I’m gonna leave her to you. I deal with the civilians!” He returned, in a tone that made it absolutely clear, that he wouldn’t be taking no as an answer. Cadance gave him one last look before huffing: “Stubborn as always! Ok, fine! But don’t you dare get hurt! Or I’ll make you regret it!” While they had been talking, the Changeling had caught itself again, a devious glimmer in her eyes. “Awww. Looks like you put a cease-fire on your little spat. How shocking!” She hissed, and just mere moments later, the stingers all over Cadanc’s shield started to spark. Within seconds, an electrical surge ran through her body, small spark explosions covering all of her body. Only as she pulled out the Coin from the Morpher did the effect stop, the projectiles falling harmlessly to the floor. Cadence's breath was sharp and short as she grabbed the sword in both hands and dashed forward once more, jumping to the side as the first volley was fired at her. But this didn’t deter the Changeling, who simply continued shooting. It almost seemed like that the gun had infinite ammunition. And every time she dodged to the side, she just was pushed further and further and further away, until she ultimately slammed against the side of her own home. That was just enough time for her opponent to hit one a few stingers, piercing her foot. Letting out a pained grunt, she bit down on her teeth, sucked in a bit of air, and pushed forward, her leg stinging to Tartarus and back. Still, before she could reach her, the electricity surged through her once more, letting her stumble on the last few steps before faceplanting in front of her. “Now, that’s a far better position for you,” she chuckled before aiming the SMG at her and pulling the trigger. The first volley pierced through the suit and impaled themselves in her back. “Oh, yes! That’s better. This is why you don’t bring a sword to a gunfight,” she continued, in that smug tone. Her little chuckle, however, didn’t last long, and soon after that, she was about to hit her with another barrage of bullets. But once more, she felt a sudden sting in her shoulder. The sudden shock letting her spin around, together with her gun, whiffing the shot. “You! You really don’t know how to treat a woman properly,” she growled, quickly swinging the weapon round once more. “Oh, shut it. The one who doesn’t know how to treat a woman is you. I’m not electrocuting them to death,” Shining returned, revolver aimed at her, before jumping to the side almost immediately after. And not a second too late, as a series of stingers crashed into the walkway towards Cadance’s house just a second later. Huffing frustratedly, she started to focus her attention more on him while keeping the Crystal Ranger in a perpetual state of shock, her muscles just locking up and refusing to move. And sadly, Shining wasn’t equipped with a strength-enhancing super suit. While he managed to dodge most of the attacks, some hit their target or at least graced it. After the next three volleys, blood dripped down his forearm, several wounds visible through his shredded jacket. He had just come out of his last dodge role as he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his leg, it immediately collapsing under his weight as he fell to the floor. As he looked down, he could see one of the stingers having pierced his pants. He immediately tried to pull it out, but the moment he touched the projectile, a surge of electricity ran through his body. One could hear his pain-filled screams across the entire street, and once it stopped again, his body just collapsed to the ground. Scorch marks covered his body, his eyes bloodshot, and his jacket had started to smoke. Still, he wasn’t entirely out just yet. “You’ve got yourself a tough one, Crystal Ranger. But I doubt that will save him. How about this? You give me your Coin, and I’ll spare him,” she chuckled, a twisted sense of glee in her voice. “See it as a tribute so both of you can see the new world.” “Let… Him… Go!” Cadance pressed through her teeth, each word accompanied by another shock. “He got… Nothing to do… With this!” “Oh, on the contrary. This is a war. A war for a better tomorrow. And you know what they say, right? All is fair in love and war,” she continued to laugh, aiming the gun at Shining’s head. “So, what do you say?” Cadance’s expression was a mixture of pain, anger, but most importantly of all, fear. She knew she shouldn’t. She knew, if she did, she would doom the world to the Changelings. But… Before she could continue that thought, a loud sound cut through the sounds of electrical buzzing. [Ch-Ch-Chain!] Out of seemingly nowhere, a chain wrapped around the Changeling, letting her drop her own weapon, simultaneously stopping the electricity running through Cadance’s body. “Hands off them!” Sunny shouted out, her gun aimed directly at the Changeling, the chain still connected to it. Powered by sheer determination and rage, she pushed herself off the ground, ignoring every single one of her sore muscles. Within seconds, Cadance had kicked the gun to the side and cut across the Changeling’s chest, causing her to scream out in pain. Instead of sinking to the ground and onto her knees, the Changeling jumped towards the Pink Ranger. Her eyes widened in horror as the head of the monster slammed into her stomach, forcing her to drop her weapon. Within seconds, the chains that had bound the beast had disappeared; the Wasp-Changeling seized this golden opportunity. While Sunny was stumbling backward, she quickly grabbed her shoulder before slamming her fist deep into her stomach. And before Cadance could get closer again, she jumped forward, helped by her wings, towards her weapon. “Careless girl. Thinking she could play the hero. She should know her place, really,” she added, as Sunny fell onto her knees, gasping for air. “Don’t you dare hurt my students! Or my boyfriend! Or any of my friends for that matter!” Cadance hissed back, pulling out another Ability Coin. “Brave words for someone who’s just gonna end up on the floor again. But just to be sure,” she returned, pulling out a second SMG and pointing it at her. “Now, time for you to get shocked!” [Mi-Mi-Mirror!] It shouted back at her, Cadance dashing forward once more. A barrage of stingers rocketing towards her, she started to swing her sword. Each hit she landed disappeared inside the blade, and she showed no sign of slowing down. With each swing, she caught more and more of the projectiles. It didn’t take too long till the Changeling started to jump back while still firing her weapons on full force. But no matter how much she unloaded, she could just not pierce through her opponent’s defenses consistently enough to actually incapacitate her. Some stinger did hit their target, but it were just too few. But maybe if she activated them now… With a chuckle, she activated all of her stingers once again, the electricity surging through Cadance once more. She could feel her body starting to cry out in pain with every passing second, but she simply refused to stop. Still, she did stumble just the tiniest bit, enough for The Changeling to fire once more, expecting to finally hit her target correctly. Instead, that had been precisely what she had been waiting for. Raising her sword and bringing it down once more, she unleashed a wave of stingers onto the Wasp-Changeling. Every single one she had been able to catch now shot straight at her. All the ones she had just unloaded on her were quickly shot out of the air and didn’t even make a dent into the sheer mass of stingers shooting towards her. In the end, she just wasn’t fast enough, a plethora of them piercing through her chitin and embedding themself in her body. And, worst of all, they were all still filled with electricity. Within a single moment, her body was burning up, the thousands of volt running through her ripping apart any thought she had until they stopped. Her instincts having turned them off. Still, she collapsed to the ground, the two SMG’s clattering to the side like unwanted toys, Cadance breathing heavily as she looked at her opponent. “You! You are going to regret ever attacking my friends! I’ll show you what happens to anyone who tries to hurt them!” With a low growl, she pulled out that specific Coin, ready to end this. “Wait… I’m… I’m still here,” Sunny said, pulling herself next to Cadance, her own sword in hand, the Coin in her other. “Are you sure?” She asked, tilting her head slightly, a bit of concern in her voice. “Yes!” She hissed out, glaring at the Changeling. “And don’t forget us!” It came from behind, the other four Rangers quickly running towards them, their bikes just disappearing. “We ain’t gonna sit this one out again!” “Ok, then let’s finish this!” Cadance added with a slight chuckle. [Fi-Fi-Final! Red!] [Fi-Fi-Final! Blue!] [Fi-Fi-Final! Yellow!] [Fi-Fi-Final! Pink!] [Fi-Fi-Final! Green!] [Fi-Fi-Final! Crystal Heart!] A black cloud quickly formed around the exhausted Changeling, and before she could make any attempt at escaping, a barrage of red, blue, yellow, and green slashes cut through her, letting sparks erupt from each of the arching wounds. And just a slight bit later, a pink slash-cut right through her, sparking even more than the other ones. Meanwhile, Cadance had pulled back her shining blade and, with one slice of her sword, cut right through the darkness, letting it evaporate in an instant before the Changeling exploded in green flames. It didn’t take long till the Changeling grew to massive size, her SMG’s reappearing in her hands once more. The rangers, already prepared, quickly summoned their Zords as well. [He-He-Hellhound!] [Le-Le-Leviathan!] [Ro-Ro-Roc!] [Wy-Wy-Wyvern!] [Ma-Ma-Manticore!] [Al-Al-Alicorn!] “Shadow Star Megazord!” “Morning Star Megazord!” Both giant robots appeared in the sky above the city; the dimension they had pulled the Changeling into, this time, looked quite strange. One half of it was a dark night sky without any stars, while the other one was a cloudless sunny day. It was quite a sight to behold. “Ok! We’re gonna double team this asshole! Let’s go!” Lemon shouted out, raising both her hands into the air, before grabbing excitedly onto her robot controls. “Yes! We’ll show her what happens when you mess with the Power Rangers!” Cadance added, already on her own controls. Meanwhile, the beast let out a loud scream, pulled her SMG’s up, and started unloading on them. “I got this!” Indigo shouted out before quickly activating a coin. [Sh-Sh-Shield!] The Coin, once more, appeared in front of the giant robot, blocking the first few shots before slotting into its chest. A yellow bubble of energy build up around them, each shot the Changeling fired, bouncing off it, like a rubber bullet on a tank. Still, this didn’t stop the giant monster, as it continued its hail of stingers. The deflected ones, tearing up the ground around them, shooting right through buildings as they did so. In the meantime, Cadance had taken cover behind the Megazord and had pulled out one of her own Ability Coins. Slotting it into the control panel, she smirked. [Le-Le-Levitate!] In the blink of an eye, all stingers suddenly stopped moving, hanging weightless in the air before starting to move. Forming some sort of pattern around the Changeling, while it frantically looked around, both SMG’s being pulled out of her hands, as much as she tried to hold onto them. In the end, Cadance let the robot lower its arm, and an absolute storm of stingers rained down on the Changeling, sparks exploding off her as the ground around her was turned to rubble. “Ok! Our turn!” Lemon shouted out, the moment the assault had died down. Quickly slamming a Coin into the slot, knocking Indigo’s Coin out of its space. [Sp-Sp-Speed!] Tightening their grip on their blades, the gigantic mech moved faster than any object of this size should ever move, slashing across her chest in a blur, before repeating the process all over her body, all while she was screaming out in pain and agony. “Girls! Step back!” It echoed across the battlefield as Cadance inserted a new Coin into her mech. “Ok!” Sunny shouted, the Rangers jumping back away from the giant monster. [Ea-Ea-Earth!] Not even a second later, after the sound had fallen silent, the earth around the monster started to shake. The rocks and boulders that had been ripped free, thanks to the stinger barrage, shot upward, crashing and shattering on the Changeling like there was no tomorrow. Ultimately, two giant pieces of rock, asphalt, and the remains of buildings, were ripped from the ground and squashed the Changeling as they pressed together. “How about we finish this?” Sunny shouted to Cadance, who simply made her robot nod in agreement. “Ok! Understood! And I know exactly how! Indigo! Give her thunder!” Both Ragers inserted their respective Coins without any further questions, each appearing once more before slotting into the Megazords. [Li-Li-Lightning!] [Li-Li-Light!] Both twin blades started to spark, electricity running through them. The Shadow Star Megazord walked forward at the still dazed monster, pulled back its weapons, and suddenly rushed forward; the mech's upper body started to spin until the blades began to turn into a spinning disc of electrical destruction. They went through her like butter, leaving a bright, yellow slash mark across her chest. Cadance, meanwhile, had angled the arms of the Zord in a sort of cross formation, and as soon as the Rangers had left the area of effect, unleashed a beam of bright light that shot straight through their target, like it was nothing. Moments later, the Changeling couldn’t keep itself together any longer and exploded, letting everything return to normal once more. >--------------< About half an hour had passed since the Rangers had once more claimed victory and returned to their civilian identities. And once they did, Shining Armor was already waiting for them. It took a good amount of explaining until everything had been explained to them, the seven now sitting in Cadance’s back-yard, which had been left mostly unaffected by the fight. “So… Just to get this straight. We’re busted,” Lemon asked, once again. “Yes! For the x-th time! Yes! We are busted! He knows!” Sunny groaned, leaning up the neck rest of the chair, covering her face with her hands. “Gotcha… Gotcha…” She mumbled before turning to Cadance. “So… What does that mean exactly?” “It means that we will work together now. The Power Rangers and the MRG. Which means you’ll have access to every bit of help we can give you. From our magical detection system to our archive of information and access to almost everything and our manpower and research division,” Shining answered, crossing his arms. “That’s so cool!” Lemon almost shouted, the stars clearly visible in her eyes. “Wait… Does that mean we are now like Timber?” “Not really… For now, you’re going to be more like partners with us and...” Shining started, only to stop mid-sentence and stare at her. “Wait! You know who Timber is! Does that mean… Oh, I think I gotta talk with the kid,” he grumbled. “Did he know who you girls were?” Lemon awkwardly returned a smile and chuckled: “Uhhh… Would you believe me if I said no?” “I take this as a yes. Well, the fact that he kept it from me must mean he trusts you. At this point, I probably should as well…” he sighed once more and shook his head. “Look, I still am not really over what you did to Twilight…” “We’re sorry for that…” They all returned, pretty much in unison, each one a look of regret on their faces, even Sugar, as faint as it was. “We… Were idiots back then… And we honestly hope we can make up for it with what we are doing,” Lemon added. “Trust me, Shining, these are good kids,” Cadance said as well, getting a raised eyebrow from her boyfriend, which let her look back down towards the floor. He was about to say something else, as a familiar voice for Sunny and the rest of the core Rangers suddenly shouted: “Shining! Shining! Oh, thank goodness, here you are!” A small woman with white skin, long blond hair dressed in a lab coat came rushing into the back-yard. “Light Bulb? What’s wrong? If it was something important, why didn’t you call me,” he returned with a raised eyebrow. “Because your phone’s not responding. I don’t know how, but you probably broke it, so I had to come myself,” she grumbled, crossing her arms. “Does… Does it take electroshocks?” He awkwardly asked. Light Bulb just looked at him for a moment, shook her head, and sighed: “No… It doesn’t. Well then, I need to get you a replacement. Get all the data on it. You make my job so hard sometimes,” she huffed, before her expression changed in an instant, lightning up once more. “In other news! I did it! I cracked it!” Shining just raised an eyebrow and asked: “What exactly? You’ve got like twelve projects running right now. Where did you manage to get a breakthrough in?” With a spark in her eyes, she immediately returned: “I found a matching signal! I think I found something connected to the Rangers! Not too far off, actually!” “You found… How?” Cadance asked, looking at her in a mixture of disbelieve and shock. “Oh, easy. The world is filled with different passive magical wavelength signals. I just need enough data on the Rangers, combined with the new data from Griffonestone, and I can try and look for similar or matching signals. Just took a bit till got the right one! But I got it! Just fifty kilometers from Canterlot City!” She said triumphantly. “This is… Incredible… I don’t think we would have found this…” Cadance simply stated, her mouth hanging wide open. “It’s almost as if getting help makes things easier,” he added with crossed arms, eyeing Cadance while doing so. She simply sighed and continued to avoid eye contact. “Regardless. I assume you want to go after this Artifact. If you do that, I’ll accompany you. From now on, we’ll do this together! But for now, you earned a good night of sleep, everyone!” Everyone nodded quickly in agreement, only Cadance and Sunny noded a bit slower than the rest. Before she left, Cadance walked up to Sunny and quietly said: “Thanks for your help.” “No need. You beat her, not me. You would have found a way regardless. I… Didn't really help that much,” she said with a somber undertone, and before Cadance could say anything more, Sunny jumped up and dashed out of the back-yard, leaving her behind. “Cadance?” She almost jumped as she heard the voice of Shining Armor. “Wh… What?” “We still need to talk, but not today,” he said, an exhausted look on his face. “Good night, love you,” he added before hugging her. But it felt… Different… She just couldn’t put her finger on it, but the usual warmth was just… Gone. “Love you too,” she weakly returned before he left.