//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 // Story: Lunaverse: Galaxy Rangers - Eternal Night // by Rixizu //------------------------------// Spike closed his eyes as a pony thrust their dagger towards Cheerilee’s heart. He heard the sound of struggling, then silence. He peeked an eye open, dreading what he’d discover. Cheerilee had caught her assaulter’s hoof, resisting Q’s power. With a grunt of effort, she threw the dagger across the room. She panted, exhausted by this single burst of action.  The other villagers snarled in rage and herded around her, eager for revenge. Twilight kicked one assaulter between the legs from behind, and he collapsed, gasping in pain. The White Ranger’s attack had been sluggish, but effective. While earning the ire of attackers, it drew attention away from her friend. Twilight cried in pain as a lead pipe smacked across her head from behind. Blood oozed from the wound, and the Ranger collapsed, unmoving. “Twilight!” Cheerilee’s breath left her as she received a punch to the gut. I have to do something! Unlike his companions, the crazed villagers ignored him for bigger prey. It didn’t matter, however. Spike couldn’t move an inch, not having the insane determination his friends had. They were going to die, and he was useless, barely able to draw breath against Q’s power. His eyes widened in sudden realization. “Hey, morons!” While a terrible insult, it drew their attacker’s attention. A villager screamed as Spike blew flame into their face. Their mane caught on fire, and they rolled across the ground in a desperate attempt to extinguish it.  Despite his paralysis, using his fire was easy. Shame it made everypony furious with him, and they glared daggers at him, making his heart race in panic. He breathed another gout of flame towards them, but they kept their distance. One lifted their steel pipe, ready to throw it towards Spike’s face. He closed his eyes, ready to embrace the pain, but it never came. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you!” The feathers of the bison’s headdresses whipped behind her as she charged inside the room. The attack caught the villagers completely by surprise, and several got trampled by the bison’s surprise attack. “Little Strongheart?” Cheerilee said, surprised. “Hurry ponies and escape!” Strongheart held up a white feather attached to a collection of beads, and Spike gasped in surprise as the grip around his body vanished.  Q growled. “Servant of the Thunderbird!” “Run!” The bison didn’t need to speak twice, and Spike fled towards the exit. In a single swift motion, Cheerilee scooped up Twilight and threw the unicorn onto her back. They charged outside, and Spike sighed in relief upon entering the brisk, moon-lit daynight air.  “She seemed okay, just unconscious,” Cheerilee said after examining her fellow Ranger’s injuries. Twilight moaned and stirred, but didn’t regain consciousness.  “What were you thinking charging into Q’s stronghold?!” Strongheart asked, her nostrils flared. “Ponies, you never think of the consequences of your actions!” “Thank you.” Cheerilee looked down, chagrined and embarrassed. “We didn’t realize the danger until it was too late. “We didn’t even know Q existed!” Spike said. Strongheart sighed, but a small smile grew on her lips. “Still, you are stronger than I expected. Sacred magic protects you. It should have been impossible to fight against Q’s will.” Cheerilee stroked her chin. “Q mentioned something about that. It couldn’t touch our minds, so it used brute force to restrain us. The magic of friendship protected me.” Strongheart’s eyes widened. “You do have sacred magic!” I guess I was unaffected because Q didn’t consider me worth bothering with? “Why didn’t its power work on you?” Strongheart lifted the amulet she’d used earlier. “The feather of the Thunderbird protected me.” Cheerilee brightened. “So the Thunderbird exists!”  “You must speak with father again,” Strongheart said. “Q’s power is growing. I’m not always pleased with how you ponies act, but we share a common enemy.” --- “Troubling news.” Chief Thunderhooves said after they explained their story. He snorted and turned towards his daughter. “And you say these ponies wield sacred power?” Strongheart nodded and pointed her amulet towards the Rangers. It glowed with a faint light. “They use what they call the power of friendship.” The chieftain stroked his chin. “My apologies, great warriors. I won’t have tossed you away if I had known you were emissaries of the Radiance.” “The what?” The sudden change in the bison’s treatment of them gave Spike whiplash. They wore pensive expressions, fear of Q was prominent in their minds.  “It has many names,” Strongheart said. “It is the universal power that makes all life possible. It chooses warriors only once every several generations to protect the world’s balance.”   Twilight’s eyes shone with excitement. “I think you’re right! The Elements talked to me once!” “Really? When?” Cheerilee asked, intrigued.  “Right before I gained my abilities. They told me I was worthy of its power.” Cheerilee stroked her chin. “Fascinating. I thought it was strange that you suddenly gained Ranger powers, despite not having an Element.” Twilight’s excitement only intensified. “This unlocks implications I didn’t even know were possible! They required more research!” She threw out a notebook and scribbled into it with such feverish intensity it worried the bison watching them.  “Now what, though?” Spike took a quick step away from the feverish unicorn and returned to the chief topic. “How do we stop Q? Smash the temple?” Chief Thunderhooves shook his head. “No, that would solve nothing. Q has entrenched itself in the land. The ancient shamans underestimated its power. They buried the stone deep into the Earth, but that was a mistake. Q spread itself from its prison into the very ground around it. Little by little, it became part of the Earth itself.”  “And the temple stands on this cursed ground?” Cheerilee asked.  “Correct. While still bound, its prison has expanded.” Spike threw up his arms. “So what, we need to destroy part of the Earth to destroy it?” “I do not know.” Chief Thunderhooves’ tone was grim. “We can not do this alone. We need to speak with the Thunderbird. It currently sleeps, but it will be glad to assist once it learns of our plight.” Great, more running around. A hundred bits the place has countless life-threatening dangers, too. Equestria was an alarmingly dangerous place. “It’s a plan.” “Don’t worry, father, I will guide the ponies to the sacred land,” Strongheart said.  Concern grew on Cheerilee’s features. “Are you sure? We don’t want to impose. It’s sacred land. I’m not sure we belong there.” “Do not worry about offending us, Cheerilee.” Chief Thunderhooves made a rumbling laugh. “Our petty squabbling is unimportant compared to the threat Q poses.” “Oh, so we’re leaving?” Twilight looked up from her notebook. Apparently, her work had distracted her from their conversation. It seemed that all-powerful godlike monsters aren’t as interesting as her research.  “There’s no rush,” Strongheart said. “The trip will require several weeks to complete. Unfortunately, your train system doesn’t run in that direction. I’ll start making provisions for our trip.” The young bison blinked at the expression her new friends were giving her. “What? Is there some joke I’m missing?” --- Just you watch, Trixie Lulamoon. I can become just as powerful as you. Puissance watched as her scientists tinkered with Project K. It had taken months of extensive research using the data stolen from Trixie’s morpher. But they’d created a weapon powerful enough to compete with the Rangers.   “What’s this about now?” Champion eyed the advanced machinery with trepidation.  “Punishing the Queen for discarding me.” The way Nightmare Moon had dismissed her after learning about Puissance’s stroke still made her blood boil. Nopony dismissed her, not even a queen. Her scientists made adjustments to the belt’s internal systems and inserted the final components before welding the device shut. The team leader presented the belt to Puissance on one knee. She demanded absolute obedience from her servants.  “Shall we begin the test run?” Solar Flare hoofed over the activation disk. The thin, black plastic-covered rectangle was still warm after being nearly minted by the factory’s machinery. The floppy disk bore the image of a moth. Puissance took her new power with glee. The white device marvelously combined sleek form with function. The future possibilities and profits of this revolutionary technology made her mouth water. It could change pony society forever. “Not yet.” Puissance shook her head. “Have they found Lulamoon?” Her assistant brightened. “Actually, yes! Our spies caught her lurking around the castle. She wore a disguise, but we saw through it.” After their last encounter, Puissance had hired a pony whose special talent allowed them to see through any disguise. It was useful when dealing with an annoyance like Lulamoon.  “Uh, what are you planning, mother?” Champion forced a smile, worry creeping into his voice. “Isn’t this system only a prototype? Sounds dangerous.” “It’s all under control. I’ve eagerly awaited this battle.” Puissance didn’t want to replay her previous humiliation when the Planetary Gems rejected her as the Pluto Ranger. Sure, it was a blessing in retrospect, but Puissance tolerated no insults. She deserved that power. She’d show Trixie who was superior, and enjoyed the irony of defeating the Ranger with her own body.  “This way.” Solar Flare’s eyes shone with the same hunger. They left a fretting Champion behind as they headed towards Puissance’s destiny.  --- A yawn escaped Trixie’s lips, and she poured herself a cup of coffee. She grimaced at the taste. Fisher couldn’t make a decent brew to save his life. It made her nostalgic for Pokey’s skills. He’d known exactly how she enjoyed her coffee and always had a steaming cup ready for her when she woke up. True, he always complained about needing to do it, but Trixie loved his attentiveness. Remembering Pokey created a pang in her heart. She’d recall odd facts about him at random times, and they never stopped hurting.  It’s been her fault, too. Trixie never let herself forget that fact. She’d been the idiot that suggested he travel to Canterlot to gain intel on the Night Court, and it had gotten him killed. That’s why she wanted a statue made of him. It would give her assistant’s death some meaning. She couldn’t stand the idea he’d died for nothing.  Now the same damn stones that got Pokey killed were twisting Luna’s mind. Worse, if she didn’t stop her mentor, it would cause the world’s ultimate destruction. Trixie mentally slapped herself for allowing her to fall into such a morose state. It solved nothing. She couldn’t fix anything if she was too depressed to fight.  “Well? What have you uncovered?” Trixie’s tone was harsher than she’d intended, but she didn’t apologize. She joined her friends and sat on a couch in the meeting room of Fisher’s safe house. While irritated, Fisher answered crisply. “A great deal. As I suspected, the Planetary Gem’s magic is poisonous. It feeds off a pony’s natural magic and life force to power itself. Celestia had long suspected that they contained a malicious influence.” “Uh…” Lemon Hearts gave her boss a worried glance, realizing the implications of that statement.  Fisher smirked. “Don’t fear. My tinkering has negated much of your gem’s poisonous influence. It would be bad if your morpher got destroyed, but you shouldn’t worry about going insane. Though I still won’t drop my guard. Whatever this entity is, its power is insidious.” “What is this influence?” Raindrops asked.  “Yeah, is it some kind of monster or something?” Snails asked. After they’d returned from the moon, they’d retrieved the Black Ranger’s brother before Nightmare Moon could threaten him. “That point is unclear. The cultists who created the stones worshiped some outer being, but its name was gibberish. My researchers called it Q for simplicity.” Fisher replied. “There are many legends about the creature, but nothing conclusive. I don’t care about stories. What’s more important is breaking their influence.” “Is it possible?” Trixie’s heart raced with hope and excitement.  “Actually, yes,” Fisher smirked. “If we can break the connection between the stone and the princess, it would render the Planetary Stones powerless.” “That’s possible?” Greengrass straightened and watched the other ex-noble with keen interest, no doubt thinking about his ex-secretary, Notary.  While locked in prison, Notary’s connection to her Planetary Stone had remained. The stone had twisted her into doing terrible things, and she’d hurt Pokey. Trixie had heard reports about the mare being unstable and prone to random mood swings. They had placed Notary in an isolation cell several times for her own safety. If what Fisher said was true, Trixie felt pity towards the ex-Venus Ranger. It hadn’t been Notary’s fault after all, and now Trixie was keenly aware of her true enemy. She smirked, eager to deliver payback for all the pain the creature had caused.  “With pony technology, nothing is impossible,” Fisher replied.  “You have something?” Carrot Top asked. Fisher coughed into his hoof. “Not yet, but soon.” Everypony slunk in disappointment. They shouldn’t have gotten their hopes up so early.  Trixie waved her hoof in a vague motion. “Just do your thing. Besides that, have you found anything interesting about the Ranger Killers?”  Fisher’s mustache bristled as he brightened. “The notes we’ve stolen have a vague blueprint of their design. Basically, Nightmare Moon took a small portion of her essence, and fusing it with the armor created deadly warriors.” Carrot Top crossed her hooves. “Does it have any weak points?” “Like any piece of armor, its joints are the most vulnerable. Its weakest point is the back of its neck. It holds the monster’s nervous system. So a powerful strike there is fatal. ” While nothing they couldn’t figure out on their own, it was still comforting to learn these creatures had weaknesses.  “That’s useful information for when we begin Operation: Rescue Dinky.” Carrot Top said. Trixie winced. “I’ve done some scouting around, and the place is crawling with Ranger Killers. It wouldn’t be easy getting inside the garden.” Greengrass sighed. “No doubt the queen already knows about our intention to save Ditzy Doo’s daughter. It’s a trap, pure and simple.” A wolfish grin appeared on Trixie’s face. “I like traps. The best way to disarm them is jumping right into them.” Greengrass started at the Ursa Ranger for several moments before sighing. “Sure, if you have a death wish. You aren’t suggesting we rush into the castle, all cannons blazing?” Trixie snorted. “Give me some credit. I know what I’m doing!” Greengrass only shook his head, clearly not believing her. Lemon Hearts looked worried, while Trixie’s friends only looked amusing. “It’s doable, but I think we need more firepower.” Trixie didn’t feel comfortable facing so many Ranger Killers with only three Rangers. “I telegrammed Lyra, and she said she’ll arrive soon.” Carrot Top said. “But I can’t reach Twilight or Cheerilee. Who knows where they are.”  “I’m sure tgose two will show up, eventually.” Lyra was in Manehatten searching for a new apartment with her marefriend. Her teacher, Octavia, had offered her a key position in an orchestra, and she’d accepted. Pangs of loneliness stuck Trixie when she considered the future. Soon, she’d only see the Cyrus Ranger occasionally. True, their Zords made travel quick and easy, but it didn’t make the loss much easier. Deep in her heart, Trixie feared this was a terrible portent and life would force the Galaxy Rangers apart. Yet, she was helpless to stop these radical changes. It was Lyra’s life, and Trixie had no right to interfere. Stop mopping Trixie. Why are you whining about the future, when you have an insane alicorn on your trail? Yet, being torn from her friends almost paralyzed her with fear. The time she’d had with her Ranger friends was too short. Worse, her mentor was damaging her relationship with another friend. No, Trixie refused to allow that. Somehow, she’d patch up her relationship with Ditzy. “Our imperative is rescuing Dinky.” Trixie’s voice offered no argument. “Nothing else matters.” Raindrop didn’t reply, but she gave a firm nod of her head in agreement. She unconsciously held her brother closer. Carrot Top also nodded in the affirmative.  “I agree until Miss Heartstrings arrives. I say we do more recon on the castle’s defenses,” Greengrass replied after several moments of consideration. He turned towards Trixie and gave her a pointed look. “No heroics. We plan this strike carefully.”  Trixie waved a dismissive look. “Wasn’t planning to. Leave the inside recon to me. I know the place better than anypony.” Greengrass wanted to argue but decided against it. He pulled out a simple blueprint of the royal castle. They spent the next twenty minutes hashing out information-gathering assignments. Trixie would explore the north part of the castle, while Greengrass himself would cover the south. He’d argued the building was too large for a single person, and she’d reluctantly agreed. --- In her clever disguise as a tourist, with a black mane and red coat. Trixie followed the tour guide as they led the castle’s guests through the building. Trixie pretended to be impressed at the various sights and got plenty of pictures with her camera. Nightmare Moon was quick to slow off her power and majesty to everypony. The alicorn had even greeted them at the entrance. Around them, Trixie saw how much Luna’s ego had spun out of control. She noticed new paintings of the alicorn everywhere. There was even a sculptor working on a statue for Equestria’s new queen.  Trixie captured the new defenses Nightmare Moon had concocted in recent days. There were plenty of magical traps, and Ranger Killers patrolled the halls. And now I know they’re connected with Luna. We must be more careful around them. From the vigor the Ranger Killers patrolled, it wouldn’t be easy sneaking inside.  “Now we approach the famous Canterlot Castle Gardens.” The guide said, “Many of the world’s best sculptors worked on these pieces. The details are exquisite, don’t you agree?” While impressing the tourists, the sculptures only made Trixie shutter in disgust. They seemed too lifelike for her taste. Dread crept up on her spine, wondering how many of them used to be ponies, too. It’d been quite the shock to learn about Luna’s ability to transform ponies into stone.  Trixie swallowed hard when she spotted their target. Standing near the hedge maze’s entrance was Dinky’s statue. It brought Trixie unexpected emotion and broke her heart. Not helping the matter was the changeling standing guard over the petrified filly. Scapula snarled at anypony that dared get close to his charge, and the tourists wisely didn’t even take pictures. Trixie was glad that Dinky’s protector continued his duty despite the situation. While not as well protected as Trixie feared, the number of Ranger Killers present would cause problems. Could she snatch the statue without anypony noticing? This required further discussion with her teammates, and Greengrass, she supposed. “Mistress Doo!” Scapula stood at attention as a familiar face approached. Dear Luna, it appeared the last few days had added years to the poor Ditzy’s. Her eyes were hollow and strained, and her expression was grim. It was clear Ditzy had received little sleep.  Instead of giving the changeling a happy smile, the Pink Ranger only nodded and sat next to her daughter’s statue form. She gave Dinky a hug and whispered comforting words. It was unclear if the filly could hear her mother, but Trixie supposed it didn’t matter. A wave of uneasiness washed over her and she quickly made her escape. She had no more desire to watch her best friend so broken and hurt. From Ditzy’s red eyes, it looked like the mother had drained away every tear left within her.   She had barely left the garden before Trixie’s own eyes tore at her friend’s situation. They caused her fur dye for her disguise to run, but she didn’t care. Dear Luna, why did this happen? Luna. The name brought unexpected anger and bitterness within her. How could anypony be so cruel? Queen Nightmare Moon had much to answer for.   Warning bells sounded as steps quickly approached her, and she dodged to the side as a hoof swung towards her. Trixie swung around with morpher in hoof to face her new opponent.  “Your makeup is running. How careless of you, Trixie Lulamoon. Still, your reflexes are impressive. No wonder Fisher lost to you.” Trixie’s unknown attacker lunged again, this time with a sabre they’d summoned from nowhere.  The weapon’s tip slipped past Trixie’s guard as she slipped through her opponent’s strikes. Blood trickled down her cheek from the blow, but she was otherwise unharmed. She backed away, creating some distance from her attacker. It allowed her to gain stock of her opponent.  “Who the heck are you?” Trixie’s brow furrowed, for her attacker sounded familiar somehow. Thankfully, the interloper had challenged Trixie while she walked along a mostly empty street with no Ranger Killers in view. It gave them perfect space for their fight. “Your destruction.” Trixie’s attacker pointed her sabre towards her head.  This pony wore strange brown armor with wings that extended from the back. These wings were multicolored with white, gold, scarlet, and purple. Its back had two black spots, giving the appearance of two gleaming, intense eyes. The helmet was insect-like, with white patches across bright aqua eyes. Two golden antennae extended from the head, which curled back toward her wings. What caught Trixie was the belt across her waist, which seemed like some advanced technological device reminiscent of her own morpher.  They must have used my Morpher’s data to create it. Months ago, Puissance had foalnapped her and studied her morpher. Whoever this pony was, they had Puissance hoofprints all over it. The design matched the ex-vicereine’s tacky sensibilities. “I’ve been looking forward to this. You’ve humiliated me long enough.” The masked pony continued. “I don’t tolerate insults, no matter how slight. Now transform so I can pound you into the ground.” Again, the voice’s familiarity bothered Trixie, unable to place where she’d heard it before. It was nasally, loud, shrill, and annoying, making her wonder how anypony could stand listening to such a voice for any extended period. Whatever, it didn’t matter. “It’s morphing time, Ursa!”  “Perfect!” Trixie’s opponent’s voice came out in a purr, her eagerness evident. This pony clearly hated Trixie’s guts and was eager to deliver some retribution. “You can call me, Kamen Rider Magnific!”