The Galaxy Megazord’s lights activated with a click as they explored further down Nightmare Moon’s gullet. The walls pulsed, covered with a slimy fluid that turned Trixie’s stomach. Sometimes she hated being a Ranger. The fact she was inside her old mentor made the experience even more surreal.
“How far is this unusual signature, Twi?” Trixie asked over comm.
“Not far, only a couple hundred miles away,” Twilight replied.
Cheerilee tapped her chin in thought. “My scans tell me that Nightmare Moon is unconscious. It’ll be awhile until she wakes up.”
“Good. I’d rather have this business completed before that,” Trixie replied.
“How’s your new Zord treating you, Twilight?” Ditzy asked. “It shocked me when you summoned it.”
“Pretty good. I’m getting the hang of the controls. Though there are still several features I don’t understand yet.”
Lyra bounced on her hooves in excitement. “This is so cool! It feels so right to have you fight alongside us.”
“Yeah, it’s like we’re complete now.” Raindrop said, nodding. “It always felt wrong going into battle without you.”
“We’ll have plenty more battles after this. If we survive, of course. We’re pretty beat up.” Twilight’s tone became more serious. “Those signatures I’m detecting are becoming stronger. This won’t be an easy battle.”
“It must be Q.,” Trixie said. “It’s in here somewhere.”
“And Q is behind the Planetary Gems’ evil?” Lyra asked.
Cheerilee gave a grim nod. “Yes, it’s been pulling the strings. Its influence has been seeping into our world.”
“Well, it’s not getting Luna!” Trixie refused to allow this monster to hurt her mentor any further. It sickened her that Q had used Luna to commit so many misdeeds. Once they freed her, Trixie knew Luna would blame herself forever for something that wasn’t her fault. Trixie looked forward to directing all the anger she’d held against Nightmare Moon against Q.
“How much further?” Trixie almost snarled.
“It’s… Look!” Cheerilee pointed at the viewscreen, and Trixie gasped as dozens of eyes opened themselves in Luna’s skin. The pigmentation of their eyes shifted in a dizzying array of colors. Evil seeped from them, directing their malevolence at the Zords invading their host.
“They’re in her flesh?” Lyra said in disgust.
“It’s worse than I feared,” Twilight said. “When Nightmare Moon absorbed the Planetary Gems, Q became part of her body.”
“What can we do?” Lyra said, resisting the urge to panic. Inky black tendrils grew from the eye’s surface, each contained countless serrated teeth. Were they black? The color reflecting off their skin gave off colors that didn’t make sense. Silva oozed from the tentacles, eager for flesh.
Much to Trixie’s surprise, Ditzy pushed the Red Ranger out of her seat, taking control of the Zord’s steering controls.
“Burn out the infection.” Ditzy’s voice became icy cold. “This thing almost made me hurt my Dinky. I don’t care if this creature lives in another dimension or whatever. We are going to hunt it down and rip it to pieces!” The Pink Ranger said this with absolute certainty. For almost hurting her Muffin, Ditzy wouldn’t show an ounce of mercy. A chill went down Trixie’s spine, glad she wasn’t the target of this fury.
“Fire.” Ditzy hit a switch, and missiles rocketed out from the Galaxy Megazord. A terrible howl escaped from the eye creature as the projectiles collided into its iris.
The monster retaliated with its tendrils, whipping them out to tear its attacker to pieces. Ditzy spun the wheel, weaving through its attacks. A tendril stuck its chest, jostling the Galaxy Megazord. Its teeth bit into the Zord’s armor, trying to rip a hole through it.
Sparks flew from the impact point, but Ditzy continued her attack. The monster howled as the Galaxy Megazord grabbed hold of the tendril and tore it free from its root. Another eye screamed in pain as their Megazord whipped the monster’s own tendril through its eye. More tendrils flew in from behind to catch the Ranger’s unaware, but missiles from its bays blew them to pieces. They hadn’t even come close to touching their target. Yep, Trixie was glad Ditzy wasn’t angry at her. Twilight watched their backs, slashing through any attackers that got close.
“Is that all you’ve got?” Ditzy said, her tone still fridged. “Cheerilee, where is the source of this strange energy reading?”
The Green Ranger tapped her chin. “Further down in the stomach, I think.”
“Ready guys?” Ditzy weaved through some tendrils, heading in the stomach’s direction.
Trixie sat in Ditzy’s usual spot, allowing her friend to drive for once. Best not get in her way. “Ready, always!”
The seemingly endless tunnel became tighter as they flew closer to the source. A sharp, bonelike substance shot from the surface. It created an impassable barrier with more appearing further along the tunnel.
“These seem tough,” Cheerilee said.
“Not tough enough! Ready, Twi!” Ditzy said, a smirk in her voice.
“Ready!”
After weaving through, more tendrils attempted to attack them from every angle. Both Zords struck the bone barrier together with their swords. The substance proved almost indestructible, only bending a little under the strain of the Galaxy Megazord dual swords. For a moment, Trixie feared it was unbreakable. The ThunderRaven Zord joined the attack, and the barrier shattered to pieces. Moments later, they began work on the next. Q continued to summon more obstacles, doing everything in its power to obstruct the Ranger’s progress.
“It’s like it doesn’t want us around,” Trixie said, watching as the tunnel shrunk further and more bone barriers obstructed their path. “And we’re their guests and everything!”
“That’s not very neighborly of them.” Carrot Top clicked her tongue. Tendril grabbed hold of the Galaxy Megazord’s limbs, holding it tight and slashing across its surface with its needle-like teeth.
“Let’s crank it up a notch!” Ditzy said.
A strange purple ooze shot from the torn tendrils’ bodies as their Megazord ripped itself free. Their twin blades cracked with dark energy as they combined.
“Blaster Mode!” In a swift transformation, Twilight’s ThunderRaven Zord switched forms. It extended its cannon arm, gathering energy around the three prongs which had opened up.
“Big Bang Strike!” The Galaxy Megazord unleashed a wave of cracking energy into Q’s array of barriers.
“Delta Shockwave Crash!” A powerful concussive wave of energy shot from Twilight’s Zord. The barriers didn’t stand a chance. The shockwave alone tore several of them apart.
Their combined attacks obliterated all of Q’s pitiful attempts to stop their progress. Nothing remained of the bone barriers, and ooze bled from countless tendrils, unfortunate to be caught up in the attack.
“Let’s finish this!” Trixie swiveled her head around, cracking her neck.
“Right!” The two Zords flew in further unimpeded.
The massive tunnel ended in a vast chamber that seemed to continue on forever. Gross pulsing vein-like protrusions covered the wall, dripping a slimy clear liquid. It gathered in a pool beneath them and countless unidentifiable things floated within it. The pool of stomach acid was just as revolting as Trixie feared.
“Where’s the source of the strange reading?” Trixie asked, not wanting to stay there longer than required.
“It’s definitely gotten stronger. It’s a little further along. Follow me.” Twilight’s Zord shifted into bird mode, flying thirty degrees downwards.
They approached the ocean of stomach acid, trying to discover the source of the reading. Cheerilee tried to detect what Twilight was tracking, but their sensors weren’t nearly as powerful. Twilight’s ThunderRaven Zord capabilities impressed Trixie. After flying hundreds of miles further, the Rangers located their target.
“What the heck is that thing?” Trixie’s stomach turned.
Attached to the skin of Luna’s stomach was a black figure bejeweled with pieces of colorful gem. Trixie wasn’t sure what sort of creature she was looking at. Its body pulsed sickeningly, and its tendrils dug their roots deep into Luna’s flesh. The monster’s bulbous body turned, and an enormous multicolored eye opened, covering almost its entire body.
“Why can’t I rid myself of you?” The creature snarled.
Trixie shrugged, her voice airy and dismissive. “It’s what we do.”
“What are you?” Was that panic Trixie detected in Q’s voice? “You burn me! How? That shouldn’t be possible! You are mere insects from a minor dimension. My scope is beyond anything you can comprehend. Yet, you burned me! You hurt the real me!”
Ditzy flicked several switches on Trixie’s control panel. “And it’s about to get hotter. I hope you enjoy the bonfire, you bastard!” Without warning, the Galaxy Megazord unleashed hundreds of missiles into Q’s body.
Yikes, Ditzy’s in full force today. Kindness doesn’t mean meekness. Too bad for Q. I almost feel sorry for it, almost! “Throw everything we’ve got into it!”
“Roger! Blaster Mode!” Twilight’s Zord fired a barrage of energy beams into the Q’s massive body, and it howled in pain.
The bulk of Q’s body quivered as they bombard it. Purple and black blood oozed from its wounds. With surprising quickness, it detached itself from Luna’s flesh. The creature launched itself forward to engulf the Galaxy Megazord with its massive bulk, spreading its body to make escape impossible. It was huge, at least twenty times larger than them. The ThunderRaven Zord switched to bird form, darting away in time. The other Zord, however, wasn’t so lucky.
“Oh, ponyfeathers!” Trixie cursed, watching as the oozing flesh of Q’s body engulfed the viewscreen. Its body had expanded so far that dodging around was impossible.
“We have no choice! Time to make an escape path!” Q’s body became a massive maw, growing to swallow them whole. Yet, the Rangers weren’t afraid.
“I’m not sure if our Big Bang Strike will be enough to blast a hole through its body!” Cheerilee said, examining her screen’s readout.
“I’m on it!” Twilight said over the comm. “We likely have one shot at this.” Trixie didn’t doubt that prediction. It seemed likely Q would crush their Megazord to pieces if it caught them.
“Right, we’ll attack first,” Trixie said, thinking fast. “Use your fancy scanners to find that point and attack from the other side!”
“10 seconds until it engulfs us!” Cheerilee said.
Then we better make it count! The Galaxy Megazord combined its swords together, entering a fighting position. Dark energy gathered around its blade, building to a critical mass. Around them, Q’s body constricted, eager to crush its hated enemies to pieces. The Zord’s alarm systems rang with a terrible klaxon, heightening the Rangers’ anxiety.
“5 seconds!”
“Just a few more seconds!” Twilight yelled over the comm.
“Hold it!” Trixie wouldn’t strike until the White Ranger was ready.
“3 seconds!”
Behind Trixie’s helmet, sweat trickled down her face, heart beating so hard it hurt. She gripped her control panel tight, holding for the all-clear. The control room was dead quiet, the Rangers waiting with bated breath. The klaxon became louder and more urgent.
“2 seconds!”
“1 second!”
“Ready!” Twilight yelled.
“Big Bang Strike!” The Galaxy Megazord swung forward, its blade shooting a wave of destructive energy towards Q’s throat, or whatever it was using to swallow them. The tip of their blade joined the energy wave, striking into the creature’s oozing flesh. Their rocket boosters flared to life, shooting their Zord forward, pushing hard into Q’s body. For several milliseconds, it met some resistance. The sheer power of their attack overwhelmed the creature’s defense, slicing through its flesh with ease. However, it wasn’t cutting quick enough. Q continued to constrict its body from behind. They would not make it.
“Delta Shockwave Crash!” An ear-bursting scream reverberated in Q’s body, and it stopped trying to crush them. A spot ahead of them glowed red hot, Twilight’s efforts to break them free. The Galaxy Megazord continued on the offensive, and moments later, it burst through the other side of Q’s body.
Lyra grabbed her heart. “That was too close!”
“Ick, I think some of its blood landed on us,” Trixie said, nose twitching in disgust. “That will take forever to clean off.”
“Enough chatter!” Cheerilee said, cutting off any further conversion. “It’s coming around.”
“You aren’t getting away.” Q’s body coalesced, becoming one enormous blob. Large leg-like tendrils attached themselves to Luna’s stomach wall, using them to move around. It opened its mouth again, trying to repeat the same tactic.
“What is this thing?” Trixie asked. Q didn’t appear to have a real body of sorts, just a collection of flesh. It was really gross.
“We aren’t going through that again!” Ditzy pressed a button and Q flew back, screaming in pain as missiles flew into its mouth, blasting it backward. Twilight assisted by shooting beams, helping to drive the monster back.
“We’re hurting it, but how can we destroy this thing?” Raindrops asked. “It doesn’t have a brain or heart.”
“Twi, does this thing have a core we can target?” Trixie asked. She lurched left when their Zord dodged around a tendril trying to whip at them, using its twin blades to sever it.
“I can’t tell,” Twilight replied. “This creature isn’t like anything I’ve seen before.”
“We’ll just have to blast it to heck then.” Ditzy unleashed another barrage of missiles into the monster’s side. Twilight helped, shooting several energy beams into Q’s back. Despite this, it only angered the creature further. While they were destroying large chunks of it, nothing indicated it was ready to die.
In response, the creature crawled up the wall of Luna’s stomach, slinging tendrils down with mouths lined with jagged, sharp teeth down at its enemy. An alarm rang as one struck the Galaxy Megazord in the shoulder. Only Twilight’s Zord intercession stopped them from falling into the stomach acid beneath them.
“This isn’t working,” Twilight said. “We need to hit it hard and fast.”
Cheerilee nodded. “Our missiles aren’t doing enough damage.” From Trixie’s best estimate, they were only burning off pieces of its skin.
“Ready to go all out?” Trixie asked. The Galaxy Megazord combined its twin blades again, gathering energy around them.
“Battle Mode! Ready when you are!”
Both Zords dodged around tendrils as they darted forward. The Galaxy Megazord shuttered as it received several blows to the chest, the mouths of the tendrils dug into its armor. It continued forward anyway, like a speeding train. Twilight avoided the blows, not having the level of armor the Megazord had. Any tendril that struck her inflicted greater damage. Sensing danger, Q fled, shimmering up the flesh wall, sending out more tendrils to slow its attacker.
One tendril attempted to grab hold of Twilight’s Zord, but her allies interceded, taking the damage instead. Sensing a vulnerable target, Q moved in for the kill, wrapping the Galaxy Megazord with more tendrils that bit into it.
“I’ve got an idea.” Cheerilee fiddled with some controls, making it appear like they’d lost power.
The Rangers allowed Q to whip their Megazord’s body with more biting tendrils. They took advantage of its predator’s instincts, tricking the monster into moving closer and making themselves seem completely helpless. Countless teeth made from bone appeared as the creature opened its mouth, eager to swallow its victim’s whole. Alarms rang as some acidic substance ate onto the armor, but it didn’t matter. Both Zords had entered the perfect attack range.
“Thundering Clash!” With a sudden burst of speed, the ThunderRaven Zord drove its blade into Q’s head.
“Big Bang Strike!” The Galaxy Megazord suddenly regained power and joined its comrade, using its double-bladed sword to disintegrate the tendrils trying to restrain it. Their blade continued further, driving deep into Q’s head. The combined might of both attacks blew Q away, throwing its body hard into the wall. It lost its grip and screamed as Luna’s stomach acid seeped into its open wounds.
“No, it can’t. This can’t be the end!” Q screamed, voice filled with agony.
Both Zords spun around, back facing their enemy as Q exploded behind them. Luna’s stomach acid consumed and burned anything remaining of the creature’s body away. The Rangers cheered and entered a group hug, reveling in their victory. The world shook as Luna stirred, likely regaining consciousness.
“Let’s check if Luna’s okay. The party can wait.” Trixie said.
“Go ahead.” Ditzy stepped aside, allowing her leader to take control of their Zord’s steering controls. The Red Ranger gave a grateful nod, and both Zord flew towards Luna’s throat. Leaving by another exit seemed like a terrible idea.
Thankfully, Luna’s mouth was wide open as they flew towards it. Trixie feared they’d need to fight their way out. After exiting the mouth, they turned towards Luna with eager anticipation. Much to Trixie’s relief, she saw kindness in the orbs of the humongous serpent.
“I thank you, Rangers.” Luna’s voice boomed as she spoke. “Once again, you’ve prevented a terrible catastrophe.” Despite her enormous snake form, she bowed her head in respect.
“You know us, Luna. It’s what we do.” Trixie replied. Despite her glib tone, she was beyond relieved to find her mentor in her right mind, fighting back tears. She hated getting all emotional.
“Let’s return to the caste. We have much to discuss.” Luna closed her eyes, and a cobalt blue aura surrounded her. In a flash, she vanished from sight.
“I really hope there isn’t a giant snake in Canterlot,” Trixie said.
“It’s fine,” Ditzy said. “Luna isn’t careless, usually.”
“Let’s go,” Cheerilee added. “There’s much to clean up.”
---
“Such damage,” Twilight said, levitating a brick with her magic. “It’s a good thing the guards and servants had already evacuated.”
The castle had suffered extensive damage. While the general foundation remained intact, pieces of the roof were just missing and large sections were just gone. Much to Trixie’s surprise, it broke her heart. Despite the drama, insults, and bullying she’d suffered there, it had been a home for her. The Red Ranger followed her friends, a subdued expression on her face, not bothering to add to her friends’ conversion. She wasn’t in the mood.
Carefully, ponies gathered around the castle, sensing the storm of conflict had finally passed. They found Luna sitting on her throne. They all gasped when they caught sight of her. Luna still looked like Nightmare Moon.
“Fear not, Rangers.” Nightmare Moon said. “My mind has been restored, regardless of my current form.”
“You’re still Luna?” Trixie asked with both hope and dread.
“I don’t understand. Why didn’t you become elderly like me?” Ditzy said. Too exhausted to make the journey herself, she rode on Raindrops’ back.
Luna sighed. “I am not sure. I am an ancient being, Ditzy Doo, and don’t age like normal ponies. Or fusing with the gems’ magic had a strange side effect. I can’t be sure yet. I will tell you this, however, Q’s influence has completely gone.”
Trixie released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “That’s a relief.”
“Actually, I have a theory why the Planetary Gems age drain ponies after their destruction,” Twilight said. “The Gems have a parasitic relationship with their host. Q is feeding off their life energy. When it realizes the Gem is about to be destroyed, Q consumes all the energy it can, gorging itself.”
“Horrible,” Ditzy said, shivering. “Maybe destroying Q from within prevented it.”
“Still.” Trixie’s voice trailed off, looking towards Nightmare Moon/Luna. This would complicate things.
“So, it is over.” A new voice said. They turned to find Puissance walking towards them. She walked with a limp, but the doppelganger seemed alright. Spike followed behind, giving the Rangers a cheerful wave.
“Oh yeah, I forgot about you!” Trixie said.
“Yes, quite,” Puissance replied, her voice tight. She ignored the angry looks the Ranger was throwing her. They weren’t friends, and Trixie had no reason to be nice to her.
“We’re very grateful for your help, Puissance!” Cheerilee said quickly. “We couldn’t have defeated Nightmare Moon without you!” Trixie snorted, but she was grateful the noble had helped defeat Nightmare Moon.
“You could be a little nicer, Trixie,” Cheerilee whispered, rebuking her friend.
Luna gave Puissance a grateful bow of her head. “Indeed. You have made yourself quite the hero today, Puissance. Equestria owes you much.”
“If you wish to thank me, fix that first!” Puissance pointed towards the night sky, the eternal night Nightmare Moon had created.
“I intend to.” Luna turned her attention towards a guard hiding behind a broken wall. “Night Terrors, assemble the other guards and any volunteers you can. Canterlot suffered a great deal of damage. Ponies might be injured or trapped.”
“Me?!” Night Terrors’ voice cracked in fear, unsure if he should trust his princess. After the damage Luna had caused, it wasn’t surprising. Most of the ponies observing the scene had a similar expression. It was heartbreaking to see how much her mentor had lost the public’s trust. Something Trixie would fix, by force if necessary.
Before Trixie could threaten anypony, a new pony appeared. Their voice commanded authority and respect. “You heard her. Not far away, I saw some ponies trapped under rubble. They need our help. Get to it!” Cadance commanded.
“Yes, princess!” The batpony jumped to attention, eager to perform the orders of the Cavallian princess.
“Go, Aunty Luna, and restore Celestia back to normal,” Cadance said. “She’s the only one who can rescue the Sun from where you’ve thrown it.”
Nightmare Moon bowed her head in acquiescence and teleported away, much to the civilian ponies’ relief.
“You heard her, girls,” Trixie said. “Ponies are in trouble, and they need our help!”
While the ire and fear directed towards her mentor disturbed her, it didn’t surprise Trixie. It would take centuries for Luna to regain their trust and forgive her for this Eternal Night business. That didn’t even consider the other foreign powers’ reactions. Those troubles were Future Trixie’s problems, however. Ponies still required their help.