The first thing she felt was the pounding of her head, like the swings of a hammer on anvil. It was the only sensation she could feel as she hovered in this empty, black void. After a while, the throbs were accompanied by a bright, red light that slowly increased in intensity each time it appeared. With time, her surroundings turned blood red, glowing ominously down at her. That was also around the time her sense of feeling returned to her across her body, but…
She couldn’t feel anything around her… Nothing!
It was as if she was truly floating in an empty void…
It was… Wrong… She couldn’t really put her finger on it, but she just knew it. Something was off…
And not just the fact she was floating in blood-red space with nothing to grab onto. Feeling like she was falling every second, but also knowing she wasn’t moving one bit…
She could feel it… In the back of her head, she knew there was something entirely wrong here. Something… Unsettling…
There was something in here with her!
“Hello?” It echoed back at her as if she had shouted into her own ears. “Is anyone here?”
Nothing! No response, no sudden feeling, not anything. Just silence.
“I know you’re out there!” She screamed out into the seemingly uncaring void. “What do you want from me!?”
After the following seconds of silence, she thought the presence would just remain quiet, almost like it was mocking her from afar. Instead, it ran through her head like a gunshot.
“I WanT tO hELp YoU…” It echoed back at her, bouncing off the inside of her brain like a rubber ball.
“Who… Who are you!?” She burst out, holding her head as if it was threatening to burst wide open, each one of her own words like a jackhammer trying to get into her head.
“I’M wHaT yoU NeED…” It came back, not skipping a beat. It was almost as if she could feel every drop of blood in her veins freeze in one single millisecond as the voice continued… “i’M whaT YOU dEsirE…”
“Wh-What do you want!?” She cried back, her eyes darting from side to side, as if looking for an exit, for an out, but there was nothing… Nothing besides the red void.
“heLp! ThaT iS WHat i wANT…” It ran through her once more, each syllable followed by a cold shiver. “yOu caN’T prOTecT tHeM! yoU LacK IT! I Can givE It tO YoU…”
“What!? What do you mean!?” She screamed out once more, tears beginning to run down her face as wave after wave of pain ran through her body, each one of her sobs just making it worse.
Then it happened. Something else filled the void… An… Image… No… It was moving… She… she recognized it… It was her… Laying completely knocked out at a drinking fountain. It was… When that Changeling had gotten the better of her.
Before she could think any more about that, another one appeared, this time as she was thrown into a car on a highway, sinking to the ground. The first time the Grasshopper-Changeling had beaten her. And as if on cue, another one appeared, showing her second defeat at his hands.
More and more appeared, one after another, showing her learning about the attack on Lemon and Sugar way after the fact, her failure to save Cadance at her house, the events at the Friendship Games, and of course, how she failed the others just before…
And they didn’t stop appearing. Quickly, her entire vision was filled with them, and before she even knew it, they were stacking atop each other again and again, their voices melding into a storm of noise and chatter she just couldn’t make out. Wherever she looked, she saw ten more, showing her exactly how she had screwed up, time and time again.
“i can mAkE IT sTop! I cAN mAke YoU strONG…” It said once more, so close, she could swear she should have felt its breath, but instead, she only felt the searing pain all across her body and head as tears ran down her face like waterfalls.
This… This was just too much. So much was flooding into her every second, pictures, pain, and voices… She just… Couldn’t anymore!
“Stoooooooooooooopppppp!”
That was all she could scream out, her lungs pressing out air longer than physically possible, as she pressed her hands against her, her voice only growing louder and shriller with every passing second, desperately trying to drown out everything else. She screamed till her throat was horse, more and more, until-
>-------<S>-------<
Her body shot straight up, a loud scream filling the room. She didn’t know where she was, how much time had passed, or anything else, but it all was irrelevant to her. Right now, she just wanted to shout; and shout she did, upright in a bet until she had used up all of her air and had to take another breath.
That was when she finally took the time to look around. She was in a small white room, sterile light shined down on her, and something was beeping frantically beside her. The entire room looked like a hospital room were it not for the strange pieces of machinery scattered everywhere that just looked too sci-fi for any hospital.
As she looked down, she wore some sort of pink jumper; all over her body were cables that had been more or less bandaged onto her, leading to several of the strange machines, which seemed to be going absolutely ballistic from what she could glimpse. As she looked down on herself, she could see her chest move up and down frantically. That was also the moment when she realized just how exhausted she felt. Her entire body was aching, her muscles were as if they were burning, and all of this… This weird stuff wasn’t helping.
With a frustrated sigh, she grabbed for one of the cables and was just about to rip it off when she was interrupted: “Please! I’d really love it if you left those on! It would corrupt the readings, and that would be really, really annoying for me!” The voice was accompanied by the opening of a door and the sound of boots on the tile floor.
Sunny jumped back a bit in the bed, only to be slightly yanked back by the cables once more. As she turned to the side, she could see Light Bulb racing towards her, followed by a nurse.
“Whe… Where am I? What happened?” She groaned, holding her head; it still was throbbing with pain, just not as bad as before. “And what are those?” Sunny added with an annoyed undertone, pointing at the cables.
“Uhh… Yeah… Where to start?” She got back, the woman finally reaching her goal, before looking down at her. “Well… Let’s start with… Where! Where is good!” Light Bulb returned quickly, switching between flipping through the pages on her clipboard and staring up and down the machines' monitors. “You’re back in Canterlot City. Primarily, the MRG, and to be even more precise, the infirmary of the building. It’s where we usually treat people who have been affected by magic in a way that modern medicine can’t help them. And… Yeah… That fits you as well.”
“Hurt? By magic? I don’t,” she returned, her eyes darting back and forth in confusion. “I… What… Wait… I… We were fighting… Fighting a-“
“Changeling. Exactly!” Light Bulb interrupted her before continuing: “You were able to push her back, but one of the enemy generals stepped in to fight and… Well, you started to lose.”
“Yes…” Sunny mumbled, the throbbing in her head growing worse again. “And I… I found something… A… Coin, right?” Light Bulb slowly nodded. “And… I used it to push them back and… Oh… There… Was something more…” Her expression started to grow frustrated, shaking her head in a desperate attempt to jumpstart her brain.
“You… It seemed to have been too much to handle for you at the time. Your power grew immensely. You were able to actually hurt the Changeling, but… Something was off about you, you los-“
Before Light Bulb could finish, it clicked in Sunny’s head. She remembered… Crystal… Clear… “I… I lost control, didn’t I? I… Almost… Oh… Oh no… Are… Are they ok?” Her confusion was quickly washed away by a mix of shock, disappointment, and fear.
“They are fine. Besides a few bruises, they have not taken any further injuries from this fight. It seems their Artifacts helped mend their wounds. You blacked out before you could hurt anyone.”
“That… That is good,” she sighed in relive, before sinking back onto the bed. “Thank goodness I didn’t hurt anyone… Seems my weakness was good for something this time,” she added while sinking below her blanket.
“Weakness?”
“Yeah… What else do you call it then? Anyone who was actually strong would never let something like this happen to them.” She mumbled, looking up at the ceiling.
Before Light Bulb could answer, the door burst open, footsteps rushing towards her. “She’s awake?” The voice of Shining Armor echoed through the room before coming to a stop next to her.
“Yes, she is. Why isn’t Cadance-“ The scientist returned, before he quickly answered before she was even finished.
“She’s currently in discussion with your team about touching the Shadow Coins. I was on my way to that when I got your text. I sent her one as well; she should be here soonish. Might take a bit longer since she is on the other end of the building,” he returned with a loud sigh. “But, that’s not that important. She’ll be here soon enough. So, how are you feeling?”
Sunny just looked at him before somberly saying: “Not dead. It’s a start.”
“That bad, eh?” He encountered, tilting his head in the process, before grabbing a nearby chair. “Hey, Light Bulb? You think you can leave us alone for a bit?” Shining continued with an awkward undertone.
“Why?” It came back, quite confused. “You think that’s a good idea. What if something goes wr-“
“Just outside the room. You’ve got that… Energetic, chaotic aura on you that might not be the best for right now. If something happens, just call me,” he sighed. She, in return, just shook her head with a worried frown.
She was already on her way out when she suddenly stopped and turned around. “Oh, and, just so you know. The Artifact is on the table behind you. We had to keep it close, or it would start to react violently. Too far away from her, and it goes completely ballistic. If something happens with it, call me immediately! I’m not sure our containment box will keep it… Well… Contained!”
Light Bulb said these last words with such seriousness and certainty that Shining simply nodded in return without saying another word. Looking back one more time, Light Bulb finally left the room, leaving the two behind.
“So, how do you feel?” He once again asked, before adding an awkward: “Seriously.”
“Take a guess… Pretty bad,” she sighed back, pulling the blanket further over her body. “How would you feel if you lost control like that?”
“Pretty bad, actually. I’ve seen enough people lose themselves to magic to know how terrible something like this really is,” Shining encountered.
Sunny nodded solemnly before continuing: “It is… It feels… Wrong… You feel weak… As if you couldn’t do anything while the world around you spirals out of control… And all… All because I couldn’t keep it together… I guess you were right.”
“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself. And what do you mean with I was right? I’m not entirely sure what you mean,” he said with a raised eyebrow.
“You said to my friends that we were just some girls playing superheroes… Lemon was super mad about that actually,” Sunny added with a weak chuckle, before continuing: “You were right… At least for me. I’m just playing pretend. In the end, I’m just not strong enough.”
“Why do you say that? You’re still here, aren’t you? There are a lot of people who would have thrown in the towel long ago. But you and your friends stuck it out. That counts for something, doesn’t it?”
She had expected him to agree with her, maybe even berate her. Honestly, she would definitely deserve it, especially after what she had done to his sister. But no, he didn’t… “Why?”
“Why what?”
Sunny looked at him with a puzzled look before answering: “Why are you lying to me? I know I’m just not good enough. I fuck up again and again when others need me. Someone always bails me out when the going gets tough… That’s not a hero; that’s a failure and a burden.”
“I’m not lying. It’s true I didn’t trust you girls back then, and honestly, I still don’t trust you fully, but the thing is, a lot of people I trust, Monster, Timber, and even Cadance seem to vouch for you. That has to mean something. Tartarus, Timber even lied to the entire MRG because of you all. That’s not something to be taken lightly. There has to be something to you, and I think I’ve seen what it was back at Cadance's house. The way you threw yourself into that fight, even though Cadance was already on the ground. You knew she was stronger than you, but you still interfered. That takes courage, a lot of it,” he returned with a low voice and a somber smile.
She just looked at him before sighing: “I should have guessed an answer like this from you… I don’t know how you do it.”
Shining once again raised his eyebrow. “What exactly? I’m not really doing something special.”
“That’s it. You go back out there, even if you know that you can’t do anything. That you’re basically useless to the real fight. You must feel just as powerless as me, don’t you? How do you do it? Doesn’t it nag on you?” She returned, a few tears gathering in her eyes, threatening to roll down her cheeks at any moment.
Shining just looked at her for a few moments before taking a deep breath and shifting around a bit of his chair. “That’s… I mean… In a way, yes. I wish I could do more. Every time. Others going out there and fighting while you have to stay back. You have to trust them to do their jobs properly and not make any big mistakes. I… honestly, thought similarly when the first superhero appeared. I thought he was just some punk with a way too loose mouth that was playing dress-up with something way out of his control. That it was only a matter of time until he would do something incredibly stupid and endanger lives. I thought his powers were in better hands if he gave them up to the government.”
Sunny looked down once more, the shame clearly visible in her eyes, but Shining continued: “But, once I got to know him better, I was only partially wrong. He was an idiot, inexperienced, and a jokester, but he actually cared. He realized when he made a mistake and strived to improve himself, and eventually, I had to admit that he was a good hero. He had that special something; that will to never give up. I thought that I could trust him to handle the things I just couldn’t. And until now, he never has let me down.”
“But I’m not like him… I’m not nearly as good as Alchemy… He’s a hero. I’m just a schoolgirl. He never screwed up as badly and often as I did… He didn’t fail,” she sighed once more, the first tear now rolling down her cheek.
“Here,” Shining said, holding out a tissue for her. “I don’t think you realize who he really is. He’s an idiot, a screw-up, and someone who lets his thoughts run far ahead of his brain more often than not. He made mistakes; a lot—some far more severe than yours. The thing you’re right about, though, is that he never failed. Because he never gave up. Every time he was pushed down, he came back even stronger. Because he learned from his mistakes.”
Sunny was about to say something, the tissue still in her hand, unused. “And don’t tell me that you can’t do that. Because I think your friends would disagree with you there.” With a warm smile, he added: “You know, right now, you remind me of another friend of mine. She looked up to someone who she thought was perfect. And because of that, she thought she had to be perfect as well. And, I think you can guess how that went, right?”
Sunny didn’t say anything in return before Shining continued: ”She made a mistake, a few actually. And each time, it hit her hard. She thought she would never be good enough and that her mistakes would haunt her for the rest of her life. That was until someone talked some sense into her. A mistake is a mistake, that’s all. You can’t make it undone; you can just learn from it and try not to do it again. Took a while to stick, but eventually, it did. And when the person she had looked up to her whole life turned out to be nothing like she thought, it helped her deal with it. In the end, it only matters what you do when you get pushed down. Everyone screws up, big and small, and the next mistake is always just around the corner. But if you keep moving on, towards that bright future, one day you might reach it.” He finished with a certainty in his voice that almost forced her to look up. “And until that day, you’re not alone. That’s what friends are for, picking up the pieces for you so you all can put them back together again. Neither you nor I would be where we are now if it weren’t for our friends.”
“Just relax a bit. I’m sure, when you calm down a bit again, you’ll get back up. Because all this trust in you and your friends couldn’t just come from nowhere, right?” He smiled back at her, just as the door was pushed open, and Cadance rushed inside.
“Is she okay? I came here as fast as I could!” She almost shouted out as she came to a stop next to her, just in time for Sunny to wipe away her tears. She simply nodded, her expression still somber as she did so.
“I’m… Okay,” Sunny returned quietly. “Just… Exhausted…”
“I’ll leave you two some time alone. Just relax a bit; that tends to do the trick most of the time,” Shining said before leaving the room. One could still hear a bit of his chatter with Light Bulb outside as they continued to argue.
“You… Know what that was?” After a few moments of awkward silence, Sunny asked, while pointing at the box that contained the strange Coin.
Cadance shook her head with a frown in return. “No, I don’t. It… It must be something from my ancestors, but I don’t know what. But it’s… different from everything we found until now. You could feel the darkness radiating off it as you used it… It was just… Cold…” A clearly visible shiver ran down Cadnace’s body as she said that, but that didn’t deter her from continuing: “I’m just glad you're ok. I don’t think we should let you use it again… It just feels… Wrong. I don’t want to force you to lose yourself, no matter how dire the situation is. I’ll just have to fight harder. I’m not letting anyone hurt you or the others ever again like this!”
Sunny just nodded again and didn’t say anything in return.
“The others are alright, by the way. A few bruises, but in the end, they’ll be fine.”
“Mhm,” it came back with a mumble. “Uh… What time is it? And is it still the same day?”
“Uh… It’s about ten minutes before eight PM. You weren’t out for too long. Just… Relax a bit… You’ve earned it after all.”
Sunny nodded once again before turning around in her bed.
“Oh… Yeah… You want time alone… I understand… Was a hard day. I’ll deal with your parents. Sleep well,” she continued, before another awkward, long pause.
Sunny only turned back around when she heard the door close once more. With a heavy sigh, she pulled herself back up into a sitting position. It didn’t take long for her to hear the sound of both Shining and Light Bulb arguing before their voices grew quieter, accompanied by two pairs of footsteps. “Almost eight… If I’m fast, maybe I could still make it to the play before it starts…”
Her eyes wandered towards the pile of fabric that was her clothes before she shook her head. “Should... Should I really… No! I’ve started this; I need to see the end of it as well! And it will get me on other thoughts as well! I need to do this! I just need to!”
While she mumbled this, the box with the Coin caught her attention, almost like it was calling for her. With a nervous huff, she pulled herself up on the side of the bed, nearly falling on her face as she did so. She could feel her legs threatening to give out from under her. She only barely managed to remain standing. The bed looked so tempting and welcoming about now, but she just shook her head and frowned. She wasn’t one for letting a thing she started go off without her. Even if she wasn’t playing anymore, she owned them this much.
And so she took the first step, then the next, her legs ignoring all of the arching and fatigue she was feeling. She stumbled over to her clothes, balled them together, and pushed forward towards the door. Without even thinking of it, she grabbed it, a purple arc of energy running over her hand, but she didn’t even notice that. Neither did she notice how the pain all over her body slowly dulled, and the energy returned to her body once more. The only thing she thought of was that she had to act fast, or her perfect opportunity would disappear just as quickly as it had appeared. But first, she had to get dressed!
>-------<S>-------<
Things had been easier than she thought. After she had managed to get dressed, sneaking out of the room wasn’t that big a deal. And getting to the underground parking deck afterward was just a matter of following directions and occasionally avoiding employees—all in all, relatively smooth sailing.
Once she got there, she just had to hop onto her bike and ride off, avoiding the barrier at the entrance to the parking lot. Together with a helmet, she had ‘borrowed’ no one would suspect a thing, even if she was riding around on the bike of a superhero. He would just have to find a secluded spot near the school, and she would be as stealthy as could be.
Deep down, she knew she would be in a lot of trouble when this was all over, but right now, she just didn’t care. She had to see this through to the end, in some way, shape, or form. She owed them that much, especially Coco. She wanted to know how the girl would do.
And honestly, the fresh air and the wind she felt from riding through the city definitely were starting to get her mind a bit freer. She just felt… Free. As if no problem could catch up to her, as slow as she was admittedly was riding given the speed limit. Still, she felt it, a break. Maybe she could get a small, little win before throwing herself back into the whole superhero business again? She sure hoped so.
Her thoughts were racing through her head almost as fast as she was over the street when she turned around the next corner. She was so lost in her own thoughts, she almost missed the massive Changeling standing right in the middle of the street. At the last second, she hit the breaks hard, just shy of crashing the bike in its entirety.
“So there you are, Ranger!” Pharynx growled, every muscle in his body tense and on edge, as he held his double-bladed spear in his hand, pointing it at her. “Daring to set foot outside on your own. I’m not sure if this is brave or just foolish. Either way, you won’t be leaving this place with your Coin; that much is clear, no matter what you try to do!”
Sunny, meanwhile, stared at him in absolute bafflement. “Wha… What are you doing here!? I thought you would have enough for a while after last time?” She stammered out, trying her best to hide her uneven breathing. She could feel the cold shiver run down her back.
Pharynx just growled and tightened the grip on his weapon. “Don’t think, only because you tapped into the powers of this Artifact that you stand a chance against me now. You were nothing but lucky. This time I will crush you beneath my feet! I’ll show everyone how weak you really are! Now! Let’s see how strong you really are with your new power!” Letting out a loud scream, he dashed forward and brought the weapon down on the bike.
But instead of cleaving right through it, it merely turned into bright light, letting his weapon slammed into the concrete beneath, all while Sunny dashed to the side, having pulled out the Bike Coin from her Morpher, her Shadow Coin already in hand. “I won’t need these powers to win against you! I can be strong! I know I can! And I’ll do it all on my own, just like her! Light up!”
[Pi-Pi-Pink!]
[Shine Glamourous! Pink!]
“Then show me, little Ranger!”
>-------<S>-------<
Both Cadance and Shining Armor were walking down the hall of the MRG building, towards the room of the other girls. An unnerving silence permeated the halls, and every step just made it worse. Both occasionally dared to look over to the other, only to immediately snap back again.
“You’re doing ok?” Shining finally cut through the quiet. Almost as if a gun had been fired, Cadance jumped back a bit, looking at him with wide-open eyes. “Sorry… Didn't want to startle you.” He quickly added, an embarrassed expression all over his face.
“It’s… It’s ok… Just didn’t expect it, Shiny… And I’m ok,” she returned with a sigh.
“Aha, you’re ok. Of course,” he returned with a raised eyebrow. “You know, I don’t have to be a master detective to tell that you’re lying to me. I’ve known for far too long and well to fall for such a blatant lie. So, what’s on your mind?”
“You really wanna hear about it?” She returned with a somber tone in her voice.
“Of course. Only because of what happened last night doesn’t mean I don’t care about you anymore. So, what is it that bothers you? I assume it’s connected to what happened back at the lake?” He smiled at her while putting his hand on his shoulder.
“It’s… Yes… I just… It feels like I failed them… I couldn’t beat the Changeling, and Sunny had to…” She stopped for a moment before shuddering. “She had to jump in and be taken over by that damn Coin… Only because I wasn’t strong enough. I have to fight even harder to protect them! I owe them that much after they fought so long for me!” Balling her hand into a fist, Cadance finished with a determined look on her face.
Shining raised his eyebrow in return before crossing his arms. “Do they need protection, though? From what I’ve seen until now just shows me how strong they really are. They fought monsters time and time again, fought through poison, and from what you told me, didn't even give up even when they knew they were most likely beaten. That doesn’t strike me as someone who needs to be protected. You can’t do that forever. Eventually, they will end up alone.”
“I’ll… I’m their teacher, their principal! It’s my job to look after my students, no matter what! I’m not just going to let something bad happen to them!” It came back with a low growl, Cadance narrowing her eyes at him.
“I get that, I really do. I know how it feels to be responsible for people under you, but you have to trust them to handle themselves, or they never will be able to act on their own. You need to stop wanting to do everything on your own. No one can. I can’t, you can’t, and the Rangers can’t either. It’s no wonder Sunny thinks she isn’t good enough if this is what you show them!”
She just looked at him with an even angrier look before her expression shifted to annoyed confusion: “What do you mean?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t kno-“
Before he could continue, his phone started to ring. “What now?” He simply sighed as he pulled it out. “Yes, Light Bulb? What is it? Wait… Wait what!? And she is… Damn it!”
“What?” It came from Cadance, her voice barely able to hide her worry.
“The Changeling is back, and from the looks of it, he is fighting with a Ranger! Sunny is also nowhere to be found. She’s most- Hey! Where are you going!?”
Cadance turned around once more, looking back at Shining. “I’m saving my student!” And without another word, she dashed down the hallway.
“Wait! What about the others!?” He screamed after her, but the only answer he got was the sounds of her boots running over the carpet. “Damn it! She isn’t listening to me at all…” He cut his cursing short and quickly pulled the phone back to his ear. “Light Bulb! Tell the Rangers what is going on! We need all hands on deck for this!”
>-------<S>-------<
The sound of glass shattering surrounded her before she felt how she crashed into something heavy, followed by the rain of bocks on her. Her body felt sore, all the energy she had felt back in the MRG building having disappeared once more, replaced by sheer, unfiltered exhaustion. Her breathing was rough and uneven as she crawled herself out from below the collapsed bookshelf.
Using her sword as a makeshift cane, she looked out of the shattered window of the bookstore, the massive Changeling slowly walking towards her. “As expected, you stand no chance against me. It’s truly baffling how you girls can think that regardless of how you keep making mistake after mistake, that they wouldn’t eventually catch up to you. But it is how it is; failure is eternal! Forever binding itself to you until you collapse under its burden. And you,” he growled, suddenly dashing forward, “You have stained me for long enough! I will bury you for all the mistakes I had to endure because of you!”
With a dark purple slash, the twoheaded spear cut through the building walls, only barely missing Sunny, who had dodged under it. But the Changeling general wasn’t done just yet, instead spinning the weapon around before bringing it down horizontally onto Sunny. The Pink Ranger’s eyes widened in absolute terror as she saw that, pulling her blade in front of her.
Metal clashed against metal as sparks flew everywhere, as the two superhumans tried to overpower each other. Every muscle in Sunny’s body was working overtime, desperately trying to push back against the clearly stronger opponent, but no matter how hard she tried, she could feel how her sword was forced lower and lower.
“Just give up! I’m stronger than you! There is no way to deny that! You failed! Admit it and stop prolonging the inevitable!” Pharynx growled viciously as he increased the force, pushing her down even more. “Or are you waiting for your friends to save you? Forget it! No matter how many you really are, you stand no chance against me!”
Just as he was about to fully break through, she pulled her leg up, placing it against the long end of the sword, and pressed as hard as she could while her hand went for her Coinholder on her belt.
[Do-Do-Double!]
Out of nowhere, a second sword appeared in her now free hand, and with one well-aimed strike, she slashed across Pharynx’s chest. Grunting out in pain, he left her just enough room to role out from below his attack, dashing for the window.
“You little! This won’t save you! I’ll beat you! That’s the only way this can end!” He bellowed after her, sending another energy slash after her.
Her legs gave out under her when he just had crossed the window, collapsing to the floor, letting the attack zoom over her and crash into a nearby car. It didn’t take long till a loud explosion followed, letting her ears ring like Tartarus.
With a pained growl, she pushed herself back up, but still, she was shaky. She stumbled from side to side, her legs threatening to give up on her any moment, but she wasn’t going down without a fight. “I… I won’t give up! I’ll show you! I’ll show everyone that I’m strong!”
“Let mE hELp…” It suddenly echoed through her head, followed by the burning pain. The box suddenly feeling heavy in her pocket underneath the suit. She was caught so off guard by it that she didn’t even notice the Changeling charging straight at her until it was already far too late. She could only pull up her sword in a desperate attempt to soften the blow.
[Gl-Gl-Gladius!]
[Ae-Ae-Aegis!]
Out of nowhere, a form build itself up before Sunny, shining brightly in the light of the setting sun. But the thought of admiring the beautiful figure was quickly dashed as the following shockwave hit her head on and almost knock her off her legs.
“Why!? Why can’t you damn Rangers not just lay down and die like everyone else!? Why must you always get in my way?” Pharynx bellowed out while stumbling backward.
“Because I refuse to let you hurt my students! And no matter how much you want it, I will never let any harm come to them! That was the promise I gave, and I will uphold it! That is my duty as the Crystal Ranger!” Cadance shouted back, jumping forward, sword ready to strike down on him.
But the Changeling wouldn’t just take a hit, instead already swinging the weapon around, blocking the incoming attack, before jabbing the spear forward in an attempt to stab her. Once more, the weapon clashed against the shield. Cadance could feel the unrestrained power of the Changeling as she took the attack full on. Her feet were digging into the concrete as she was slowly pushed backward.
Sunny just looked at the scene in shock, unable to get a coherent thought together or even move.
“Get out of the way!”
The sudden scream knocked her out of her thoughts, and without even thinking about it, she dashed to the side, almost falling over in the process. “I… I’m going to attack him from behind while you-“ She tried to say but was quickly cut off.
“No! You’re in no position to fight right now! I’ll deal with this! Don’t worry! I will make sure to protect you!” It came back almost immediately, a harsh undertone in her voice that let any form of an attempt to object die in her throat. “You already put yourself into far too much danger by sneaking away right now! I’m not letting you hurt yourself even more!”
“But… I want to-“ Sunny weakly tried to return, but that was just at the moment as Pharynx’s raw strength pushed the Crystal ranger off her feet and sent her flying into one of the nearby streetlamps.
“You want a lot, Ranger! But now it’s time for my wishes to become true,” the Changeling growled before thrusting his spear towards her. Far too exhausted to react properly, she felt the tip of the blade stab into her shoulder, accompanied by a loud scream and a downpour of sparks.
“Hands off her!” Cadance shouted from across the street, her voice filled with absolute vitriol as she inserted a new Coin into her sword and pulled it back.
[Li-Li-Light!]
The swing of burning light rushed towards the Changeling, who turned away from Sunny and started gathering energy in his own weapon.
As the wave of energy rushed towards him, Sunny simply collapsed onto her knees next to him, her suit breaking down, leaving her just kneeling there, just when the two combatants collided.
A massive shockwave rocked through the street, shattering windows, activating car alarms, and of course, throwing Sunny back against a wall. But as the dust settled, Pharynx stood just as firm as before. Besides a few scrapes, he had survived the attack perfectly. Spinning his weapon around, he continued onward.
“You see now? This is over! Your precious Rangers have failed, just look over there,” his voice carried through the street, a sadistic, satisfied glee in it. “You stand alone! And you have no hope of beating me on your own! This is the end of the Power Rangers!”
“You think I can’t beat you on my own? I will definitely beat you! I won’t let you hurt my students! That is the job of a teacher! To protect them no matter the cost! And I will do that till my last breath! I alone can protect them! That is what I promised them!” Cadance shouted back, her voice shaking, barely able to keep her boiling rage in check. And the moment she spoke her last word, she dashed forward, sword already glowing.
Pharynx just chuckled and followed her example, both weapons once more crashing into each other, the area around them being consumed by a giant explosion. But neither combatant was ready to admit defeat, Pharynx the first to come in with a second swing, crashing into her shield and pushing her back once more. His swings were like a heavy downpour on a cloudy day, coming one after the other, just too fast for her to properly react, slowly pushing her more and more back.
While this was going, Sunny was gasping for air and trying her hardest not to lose consciousness. Her vision had become blurry, and the only thing keeping her awake at this point was a mixture of the agonizing pain she felt in her shoulder as well as her stubbornness. She had to do something! She just had to! No matter what!
That was when her eyes caught sight of the box… Right in front of her!
It must have been knocked out of her pocket during the explosion! It had even been flipped open, revealing the Coin inside.
This was the first time she actually got a good look at the thing… It was very similar to her Shadow Coin, just instead of a white crystal surrounding the colored star, it had been replaced with a dark purple.
“Let mE TAKe OvER!” It suddenly echoed once more in her head. The voice kept repeating this, time and time again, growing louder the longer she stared at the Coin. She could feel it pulling her in…
This… This was the only way, right?
It was as if an invisible rope was pulled taut around her throat. She knew it was… She wasn’t strong enough herself… If she had to lose herself to really be strong… Maybe she should…
Her hand started to move on its own, slowly crawling over towards the Coin. She was just about there, the voice inside her head now screaming, when she suddenly heard another voice.
“Sunny!”
In an instant, she could feel the pull disappear, the voice silenced as she looked around. Over her, four brightly colored figures had appeared out of nowhere!
“You’re ok Sunny?” The voice asked once more, it sounded familiar…
“In… Indigo?” she weakly asked.
“Yes! You’re okay?” It came back almost immediately. “You look hurt!”
“I… Failed… Again,” it just burst out of her, from one second to the next her face became drenched in tears.
“What are you talking about?” Indigo asked, her voice cracking as she pulled her up, away from the Coin.
“I wasn’t strong enough… I’m… I’m just too weak to do anything on my own,” she continued, her sobbing growing louder and louder. “I’m just dragging you all down.”
“The fuck are you talking about?” Lemon suddenly said, putting a hand on Sunny’s shoulder. “You managed to hold the guy off for so long! He kicked our asses pretty quickly! You’re awesome! So who cares that you can’t beat him on your own?”
“Yeah! You aren’t alone in this! We’re here! And if we work together, we can’t be stopped! That’s what friends are for! Being there for you when something goes wrong! Just like Sunset helped Twilight back then!” Indigo added as well.
Sunny just looked between them before letting out another sob and nodding. “You… You’re right… Shining was right… And I was an idiot! Still… I want to help too! Can… Can you do me a favor?”
“What?”
She looked over to the Coin once more. “I… I’m gonna try using the Coin again! If I do something stupid, I expect you to stop me!”
“Are you insane!?” Lemon was the first to burst out, but before she could say anything more, Cadance crashed landed right in front of them, her suit sparking as the Changeling approached once more.
“Just do it!” Sunny shouted, pulling herself free from her friend's grasp, falling to the ground with a pained grunt. Her hand had already tightened around the Coin before anyone could say anything.
In an instant, she felt energy surging through her, her pain fading and her strength returning. But it also meant she could hear the voice again. “GooD! leT ME taKE OvER!”
“No!” She simply shouted out, gritting her teeth as she felt the darkness being pulled back in. “I don’t need your help! I’ve got my friends! They’ll catch me when I fail, not you! And I will not fall to you again! I’ll fight the best I can! For them! Because I wouldn’t be here without them!”
With one last scream, the presence in her mind disappeared, a powerful wave of energy bursting out from around her, knocking Pharynx back once more. The moment he caught himself, Sunny had already risen back to her feet, her Morpher on her arm and Coin in the other.
“Light up!”
[Ab-Ab-Abyssal Pink!]
[Radiate Glamourous! Abyssal Pink!]
A dark cloud started to form around Sunny, sucking in black smoke from all around them. Everyone else took a step back, staring at the forming whirlwind before it turned so dark that one's eyes just saw it as pure blackness. For a few seconds, this was all that surrounded Sunny, before a bright pink light burst through and revealed Sunny, in a new suit.
It resembled the Crystal Ranger suit, complete with cape and armor over her chest. However, everything silver on the suit had been replaced with black, and two fins that resembled the wing of a dragon stood off from her helmet. The Morpher had also taken a new form, now also sporting three slots, by having switched open and revealed the last slot in the middle of the device. It, however, had retained its original coloring.
With newfound vigor, Sunny stepped next to Cadance, offering her a hand.
“Sunny…” She quietly muttered, looking up the Ranger.
“Don’t worry, I’m better now! We’ll beat him together!” She returned with a far more chipper voice.
Cadance looked down, however, before returning: “I’m… I’m sorry! I… Couldn’t keep my promise… Seems I’m still unable to fight my own battles. I’m sorry for disappointing you!”
“No, you haven’t disappointed me. You’re still fighting, right here, right now! We’re a team! And we’re friends! And friends pull each other back up when we fall down! We don’t need to do everything on our own!” Sunny simply returned, the sincerity and determination in her voice, almost forcing Cadance to nod.
“You… You’re right! I’m not alone anymore!” Grabbing her hand, she felt how she was pulled up.
“Are you done now?” Pharynx growled, his spear starting to glow once more.
“Just one more thing! The light that will burn away the darkness, Crystal Ranger!”
“The light that shines even more glamorous in the darkness, Abyssal Pink!”
“We are the light born from the shadows! We are the Power Rangers Shadow Force!” Both rangers struck a pose before two pink explosions went off behind them, much to Pharynx's displeasure. With a loud growl, he dashed forward.
“Sunny, we’ll take him head-on; the rest, provide cover fire! We need your help with this!” Cadance shouted out before both Rangers somersaulted over the Changeling and landed behind him.
“Let’s see what this thing can do!” Pink shouted and pulled out two Coins and slotted them into her Morpher.
[S-S-Sword!]
[G-G-Gun!]
Both weapons materialized in her hands, sword in her right, and gun in her left. Sharing one last look with Cadance, both Rangers brought their swords down on the Changeling, who immediately spun around and blocked their attacks with his spear. Once more, the combatants were locked in a tug of war, but this time, Pharynx was on the defensive, pushing back against both Rangers' efforts.
It almost looked like he would once more use his strength to get one over on them, but Sunny wouldn’t let that happen. Before he could push back too much, she pulled up her gun and shot him straight in the face. Stumbling backward, the Rangers quickly delivered a swift kick to his chest, knocking him back.
[St-St-Stretch!]
It echoed from Sunny’s sword as Pharnyx quickly pulled himself back on his feet. With a loud roar, he dashed forward, ready to swing his spear once more. But Sunny had already swung her weapon, way before him, the blade suddenly growing in size, slithering through the air like an eel. He tried to strike down the stretching blade, but it just dodged his strike before slashing across his chest once more, the sparks illuminating the light.
“Damn you! How!? This shouldn’t have happened! You were supposed to fail! It was time your mistakes caught up to you,” the Changeling bellowed towards them, his breathing growing heavier by the second.
“Because we ain’t alone! Our mistakes will be caught by our friends! And then, we can try again to not make them a second time!” The Pink Ranger shouted back, her sword pulling back into its original form.
Another loud scream cut through the night as Pharynx once more raced forward. This time, he managed to avoid the attacks of both Sunny’s stretching sword and Cadance’s light beams, once more reaching melee range.
Like a wild animal, he slashed at them, attack after attack. It felt like a hailstorm of boxing gloves that just wouldn’t end. Attack after attack came down on them, each stronger than the last, and there was no end in sight. “Your careers end here! I will win! There is nothing you can do to stop him!”
Both Sunny and Cadance felt themselves pushed back further and further, not even the slither fo a break showing itself as exhaustion really started to get in. If they wouldn’t finish this soon…
“Maybe we can’t do anything, but they can! Girls! Now!” Cadance squeezed in between two hits.
[Fi-Fi-Final! Red!]
[Fi-Fi-Final! Blue!]
[Fi-Fi-Final! Yellow!]
[Fi-Fi-Final! Green!]
It suddenly echoed through the street, letting Pharynx stop for just a moment. His head spun around in absolute shock. He had completely forgotten about the other Rangers, so much so that he hadn’t even noticed how they had surrounded him. And even worse, that single moment he had looked away, both Sunny and Cadance had waited for.
They raised their swords in one singular, fluid motion before bringing them back down in an x-shape. Two pink lines were etched into Pharynx’s chest as he was forced back, sparks exploding off him, just before his entire body was covered in the black cloud once more.
Inside the cloud, Pharynx could feel the agonizing pain burning across his chest. He could feel how his body slowly started to grow slower. Was… Was he getting exhausted!?
Almost as if to answer his question, his deep breaths became apparent to him for the first time. He hadn’t noticed them thanks to the adrenaline surging through his body, but now he couldn’t deny them any longer… But that wouldn’t stop him! Not in the slightest! He would-
However, that thought was quickly cut short by four colorful blasts of energy hitting him simultaneously. Each one burned like hot coals on his body, but they were nowhere close to actually beating him. He just had to endure, and he would finally take revenge on the Rangers.
[Fi-Fi-Final! Pink!]
[Fi-Fi-Final! Abyssal Pink!]
[Gl-Gl-Glamourous Finish!]
[Fi-Fi-Final! Crystal Heart!]
Out of the darkness, both the Pink Ranger and the Crystal Ranger burst forth, Sunny unloading a giant ball of energy on him before she, together with Cadance, rushed forward and slashed through him with their swords, everything behind them going up in flames.
“I… I’m not done just yet!” It suddenly growled from the dust, Pharynx stepping out of it, still in his monster form. “I’ll just crush you then!” And with a piercing glare, he suddenly started to grow in size.
“Well, seems we have to finish this right now!” Sunny sighed before pulling out her Zord Coin.
“Yeah! Let’s show him who really is gonna crush who here!” Lemon added before everyone slammed in their respective coins and summoned the half-day, half-night dimension above them.
[He-He-Hellhound!]
[Le-Le-Leviatan!]
[Ro-Ro-Roc!]
[Wy-Wy-Wyvern!]
[Ma-Ma-Manticore!]
[Al-Al-Alicorn!]
“Shadow Star Megazord!”
“Morning Star Megazord!”
Having formed, the two mechs immediately dashed towards Pharnyx, who followed suit as well. But, unlike down on the ground, he was the one on the defensive once more, blocking the two robots' strikes. But, instead of staying on the defensive, he quickly managed to strike back, letting his weapon stab into the Zord one after the other. Even with his enormous size, he was still extremely speedy, while the Megazord had definitely slowed them down significantly.
“Damn it!” Lemon screamed out, the cockpit shaking from side to side while sparks erupted from the terminals. “He’s too fast! We can’t get a hit in! Should I put in the Speed Coin?”
“No! I’ve got a better idea!” Sunny quickly returned before pulling out a new Coin. But, instead o inserting it into the console, she instead switched it out with her Wyvern Coin. “Time to show him my new power! You’re going down!”
[Dr-Dr-Dragon!]
A loud screech echoed over the city from above. Everyone started looking around confused, and even Pharynx couldn’t other than look where the noise was coming from. As they looked up, a new Zord started to descend. It was of similar size as Sunny’s Wyvern-Zord, but with two more legs, the pink interspersed with pitch-black spots. It was unmistakably a dragon!
Opening its mouth, it unleashed a torrent of pink light beams that carved across his body, explosions gong off everywhere while the ground under him started to melt.
“You like my new toy? I sure hope so, because that is only the start! Time to combine our powers once more!” Pressing a button on the console in front of her, the Wyvern-Zord leg of the Megazord detached, the Dragon-Zord starting to fold. Its wings folding inward next to its side, while the head retreated into the main body, ultimately forming another leg and replaced the detached foot.
“Shadow Star Megazord! Dragonformation!”
“And to make sure we’ll end this!” She added while pulling out her last Ability Coin, all while Cadance slotted in her own.
[Sp-Sp-Spin!]
[Li-Li-Light!]
The giant Coin slotted into the two Zords, Cadance angeling her Zord’s arms once more, unleashing a beam of pure light on the Changeling, letting him scream out in pain. Meanwhile, the five other Rangers stepped closer to the Changeling general and pulled one of their legs back. As they did that, the leg started to spin, drilling through the nearby buildings like through butter, before suddenly kicking forward in a circular motion.
Pharynx could only stagger back, his chest exploding with more and more sparks. Screaming out in pain, he sunk to his knees. His eyes weakly glared at the Rangers, but the pain and exhaustion that was burning through his body were just too much to utter a single word. As much as he hated to admit it… He was beaten…
With another pained groan, the green flames started to consume him, and the giant monster disappeared, the parallel world quickly disappearing as well.
>-------<S>-------<
Half an hour later, back in the MRG, primarily the infirmary, the Rangers were sitting on beds, discussing what had just happened. Meanwhile, Shining was sitting next to Cadance, and Light Bulb was running around the room like crazy, waving some strange, sci-fi-looking devices around.
“Man! I can’t believe this coward just ran away!” Lemon grumbled, crossing her arms with a huff.
“I’m honestly just glad we got out of this one alive,” Sour sighed, letting herself fall back on the bed. “This could have ended really bad!”
“Agreed. Sunny’s sudden disappearance really made me fear the worst,” Shining added, an exhausted expression on his face. “However, everything couldn’t have ended better. That doesn’t mean you aren’t going to get a stern talking to,” he added with an annoyed growl.
“I… Yeah, fair,” she sighed, avoiding any sort of eye-contact. “I’m… I’m sorry…”
“Why did you run off anyway? Wanted to find the Changeling and beat his face in?” Lemon asked, looking over to Sunny, who went several shades of red in an instant.
“It… It’s just… I was being stupid and… I thought I needed to be at the premiere of the play I dropped out of,” she pressed out, ready to bury her head in the pillows. “I kinda thought… Well… That they somehow needed me there, because… You know… I started it… So I had to finish it…”
“That makes no sense,” Sugar simply returned.
Sunny, in return, just dove headfirst into the pillow and let out an exasperated scream. “I know! At least now… I know I was a big idiot! You don’t have to remind me!”
“I don’t know, it’s kinda cute,” Indigo chuckled. “Wanting to see your friends crushing that play!” She added, raising her fist into the air, before saying, a good amount more sheepishly: “Probably would do the same when it came to the track team! Lightning Dust has a run in like three weeks, wouldn’t want to miss that one either! Well, if I wasn’t taking part myself anyway, that is!”
Cadance looked at her, shook her head, and chuckled: “Ok, when you do, please don’t pull a similar stunt either. When something comes up, please don’t make us worry more than needed.”
“Oh, sure, sure! Don’t worry! When have I ever caused problems?” She returned with a big grin on her lips, garnering a good amount of raised eyebrows. “In the last month, ok?” The eyebrows remained up. “Last week?” Their expressions did not change an inch. “Oh, haha, very funny.”
“Not wrong, though,” Sugar stated, much to the amusement of everyone else. And even though Indigo was pouting and crossing her arms, it didn’t take too long for her to join in as well.
Amidst the laughter, Sunny had pulled out her phone and was tipping away a message on it.
“If I may ask, who are you sending this one to? Your parents?”
The sudden voice let her snap up, looking over to the side and straight into Cadance’s smiling face.
“Uh… Coco… Wanted to apologize that I couldn’t make it to the play and tell her that she probably killed it on the stage. That’s the least I can do,” she chuckled.
“I see… Do that then. I’m sure she’s going to be happy that you believe in her that much,” Cadence said before letting out a sigh of her own. Turning over to Shining, she quietly said: “Hey, can we talk for a bit? In private?”
“Sure.”
While the rest of the Rangers continued to laugh and talk amongst themselves, the two left the room, closing the door behind them. It was almost unnerving how quiet it quickly got again, only muffled laughter coming from the room.
“So, what is it?” He asked, crossing his arm.
“It’s… I…” She stuttered, rubbing her forearm awkwardly while also avoiding eye-contact with Shining. “I wanted to apologize.”
“Oh?” He returned, his expression shifting from a slight frown to a more surprised one.
“Yes, I’m sorry. You were right back at my house. I didn’t trust you enough… I can’t fight everything on my own, even if I want to. And I should have told you about this far sooner. I’m so sorry,” she continued, her tone somber, while her shoulders hung limply from her body.
“Then you learned your lesson? You’re going to tell me something like this next time?”
Cadance nodded before adding: “Yes, I will… I know this isn’t enough to make up for how much I broke your trust. I can understand when you don’t trust me anymore and-“ She was interrupted by the sudden warm sensation of a hand on her shoulder.
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. I still trust you; something like this doesn’t change that. Especially if you won’t do it again. I love you, Cadance, and no stupid mistake like this will change that!” He encountered, his voice almost as warm as a hot fireplace in the cold winter.
“Sh… Shining?” She stuttered out, a single tear running down her face before she lunged forward and pulled him into a tight hug. “Thank you! Thank you so much! I love you too!” Shining’s surprised expression quickly faded, replaced by a warm smile as he returned the hug. Just for a moment, he felt at ease. No matter what was still to come, it couldn’t take this moment from him.
>-------<S>-------<
Three days later, in a research lab deep in the mountains in the area around Canterlot City, scientists were running around, their expression portraying absolute panic.
One of them, a man in a white lab coat and similarly white skin and grey hair, burst through a large double door into a room half occupied by a large, black… Thing… It had grown like a massive mushroom across the walls of the circular room, consuming everything that had come in its path. Tables, computers, and even four pods that were placed in a square formation in the middle of the room. Each one had a similar black thing inside them, just smaller. At the other end of the room stood a black cocoon, pulsating every second, almost like a heartbeat.
“Professor Petri Dish! What should we do? At this rate, the entire lab will be consumed if we don’t do anything!” One of the other scientists asked, desperately grabbing onto and shaking him.
“I don’t know! Nothing we have here can damage the damn thing,” he hissed back, shoving him to the side. “Why!? Why is this happening!?” He hissed out, a green fire sparking up in his eyes. He grabbed one of the still remaining tables and threw it at the cocoon, letting out a low growl. It didn’t even make a dent as it shattered on it, and only a pulse of green energy ran through it again.
“Should we evacuate, sir?” The scientist that had been shoved to the ground asked, expectingly looking at him.
In an instant, he spun around before grabbing the man by his lab coat: “We will not! I can fix this! Somehow! I won’t return to the Queen with a failure! And if I have to feed you to the damn thing, I will get this under control! So, either you start fixing this, or els-“
His rant was cut short by another pulse from the cocoon, this time even louder. Not that it helped the poor scientist much, he was already cowering in fear and didn’t even notice the sudden pulse, not until he was unceremoniously dropped.
Before anyone could even say something else, another wave of green energy ran through the black tendrils of the cocoon, quickly followed by more and more, the time between each one getting shorter and shorter. It didn’t take long until the black mass that had spread through the room had turned bright green.
“Wh… What!?” Petri Dish screamed out, grabbing the railing in front of him, and glared at what was transpiring in absolute disbelief. The light grew ever more bright, before ultimately-
In one single moment, the entire room went up in flames, tables, chairs, machines all shattering like they were made out of glass. Even from the surrounding mountains, one could still see the massive explosion, as it took about half of the research center with it.
In one moment, his body had erupted into searing pain, his eyes unable to make out anything. Petri Dish was barely able to breathe, and even those were filled with a pain he never experienced before. His head was ringing like an alarm clock.
Once his eyes had recovered at least a little bit, his eyes wandered across the room. Massive chunks of the ceiling had fallen down, making it able to see the sky above. A green smoke permeated the room, and he could see many of his scientists lying motionless on the floor. And in the middle of the room, the cocoon lay open.
“Ahhh! The scent of fresh air! After, oh, so long!” It echoed through the ruins of the room as a black hand curled itself on the cracked shell of the cocoon. Petri Dish’s heart felt like it stopped as more and more of the creature pulled itself out of its former home. Out stepped a man with dark grey skin and long flowing orange hair that reached down his entire back. He wore a long, flowing brown trenchcoat with a white undershirt. Each piece of his clothing was expertly designed, decorated with golden patterns. He carried himself elegantly as well as firmly. He didn’t even bat an eye at the destruction all around him.
He only stopped in his tracks when he noticed the four smashed tubes in the middle of the room, a twisted smile creeping across his lips. Snapping his finger, the four smaller cocoons levitated off the ground and lined up behind him. “Splendid! It seems my creations have not left my side, even after my long sleep!”
“Wh… Who are… You,” Petri croaked out, coughing up blood as he did so.
The man turned his head around, his smile only growing wider as he saw him. “Oh, how impressive. You managed to survive my resurrection. What a marvelous feat! So I shall fulfill your request. My name, it is Stone Carver. I’m a master of the fine art of crafting magic!”
“Wha…” He stammered out, already feeling his consciousness fade.
“And it seems your time in this life has come to an end, or it would have, were it not for me,” he chuckled, one of the small cocoons levitating towards him.
“Wha… What are you…!?” Petri screeched out, his eyes staring at the man in absolute terror.
“Do not worry, for you shall serve me well as my knight! For all eternity!” Stone Carver returned, a sinister green shimmer flaring up in his eyes. Petri Dish wanted nothing more than run, but his body just wouldn’t move. The only thing he could do was scream.