//------------------------------//
// Ch. 3: Mega Studies & Mega Battles 
// Story: Power Rangers Crystal Harmony 
// by SonicSpeedster97 
//------------------------------//

The Lucid Lands were still dark and shrouded in shadows, but now also filled with dark crystal columns as Knightmares searched the realm of dream for nightmares to embody, while yet more Knightmares were training in the Castle’s courtyards with more forming from the realm’s black mist every minute as Tantabus and her new generals watched. “Tell me, Mistress; when is this ‘true goal’ of yours going to turn up?” asked Demon Shimmer.
“All in good time, Shimmer,” Tantabus assured. “All nightmares take time and fear to truly come about, especially the worst of them all.”
“Well, either way, it should give us plenty of time to figure out a meaningful way to destroy the Power Rangers.” Midnight still found it a bit funny to refer to the girls who had previously defeated her so soundly by such a childish-sounding title, but she still had a point. “To that end, I suggest we study them; see what really makes them tick.”
“Bah! I’ve been in Sunset’s mind long enough to know that any ‘study’ of those girls’ magic is an exercise in futility.” Demon Shimmer countered. “I say we just build up an army of these Dream Demons and level the city in one fell swoop.”
“Their inherent magic is only one part of their power.” Midnight pointed out. “As for what the other part is… well, that’s where a study comes in.”
“A study which I too believe is very much in order.” Tantabus relented as she stood and walked to one of her pillars. “Midnight may have a point, which I intend to follow through with.” Quickly she slashed at the pillar with her blade and shattered the crystal, allowing the monster inside out… with an appearance like a cybernetic Frankenstein’s monster inside mismatched Knightmare-style armor under a black lab coat with a vicious jagged chainsaw-like sword fused to his hand. “Hmm… a bit undercooked… but I’m sure you’ll be effective. What name do you choose, my warrior?”
“Shriekenstein, at your humble service, Mistress.” the monster spoke surprisingly eloquently, especially considering how clumsily it moved – almost like it was new to its entire existence.
“Very well then Shriekenstein, go forth upon the waking world and wreak havoc,” Tantabus ordered. “But as you fight, you must study the Power Rangers; learn their weaknesses and exploit them in whatever way you are able.”
“As you command, Mistress.” Shriekenstein nodded before Tantabus dispelled the monster and a battalion of Knightmares.



Sugarcube Corner had long been a haven for the youth of Canterlot City, and now that it had been the site of the Power Rangers’ first battle, the establishment’s attendance and revenue had only increased exponentially… especially as an afterschool hangout for the Rangers.
Just as they’d planned, the Rainbooms had updated their wardrobes to include more of their Ranger colors; Rainbow wore a red sleeveless hoodie instead of her old blue one, Applejack had swapped her old t-shirt for one of her father’s old green flannel shirts, Pinkie already had plenty of pink in her wardrobe so she went with a simple pink overshirt, and Fluttershy wore a pale yellow sundress. Only Rarity was in her typical outfit because she had been lucky enough to have a lot of blue in her wardrobe before she became the Blue Ranger.
Sunset said Princess Twilight had affectionately referred to this phenomenon as “Morph-based Color OCD” and that according to what she’d read, it was a common occurrence for Power Rangers across the multiverse – usually first taking root before they even became Rangers. Sunset hadn’t shared that last part though, mostly to mess with her friends a bit and because they looked like they were enjoying their new outfits.
Either way, the Rangers’ first victory the other day had made them something of a household name nearly overnight with plenty of people all across the city honoring them as heroes. Naturally, Rainbow’s ego had taken control and wanted her to enjoy the hero worship, but Princess Twilight had anticipated that and informed the Rainbooms that there were three concrete rules every team of Power Rangers in the multiverse had to follow; never use their powers for personal gain, never escalate a battle unless an enemy forces them, and never reveal their identities – the last step of which they knew Vice Principal Luna would help with since she could cover for whatever absences they accrued in school through their Ranger work in return for scaring Tantabus off CHS grounds.
Rainbow had made sure to let her friends know her opinion on that, but the princess had made it clear that she could either follow the rules or lose her Ranger powers, and since she definitely didn’t want to lose her powers, she consented for the moment and turned her mind to something else. “Do you guys really think Princess Twilight will seal the portal if we lose?” she asked.
“She’s faced Tantabus herself, so she knows what it’s capable of better than any of us,” Sunset said somberly. “Even if she didn’t, she’s been ordered by Princess Celestia herself, so she doesn’t have much choice. If we don’t stop Tantabus, Midnight and that Demon will try to take Equestria for themselves. Unless we stop them, I’ll…” The words stuck in her throat as she still didn’t want to think of that possibility, but it was undeniable. “I’ll be trapped in this world forever. I’ll never be able to go back to Equestria.”
The girls all gathered around their friend with comforting looks on their faces. “We’ve promised you that it will never come to that, and we intend to keep that promise.” Rarity assured.
“I know I will.” Rainbow nodded, her Loyalty gleaming clearly… as the Geode in her Harmonizer glimmered. Quickly she covered her wrist, not wanting anyone to see her Harmonizer.
“I know, guys.” Sunset nodded. “But… I dunno; I just feel like my world has been turned upside down here.”
“Well, we’re gonna make sure your frown’s turned upside down to match.” Pinkie smiled… before her knee started spasming. “Whoa, pinchy knee! Pinchy knee!” That was enough of a signal for the girls to know something was about to go wrong, and it made itself known when they heard screaming outside.
“A Ranger’s work is never done,” Applejack smirked.
“Let’s do it,” Rainbow smirked as the Rainbooms charged out of the shop, Twilight and Sunset carefully following behind as the group saw Knightmares slashing about the street and sending people running as Shriekenstein marched in the lead. “Ugh. Someone got hit with the ugly stick.”
“Considering the last monster, I’d say that’s a given.” Rarity pointed out.
“Ah, the Rangers.” the monster smiled, leveling his chainsaw saber at them. “The subjects of my great experiment. I’d been wondering what I had to do to bring you out.”
“Well, here we are. And it’s time for you to leave.” Fluttershy said with surprising conviction.
“It’s not just that time, Fluttershy,” Rainbow smirked as she raised her Harmonizer and opened the Crystal Lock. “It’s Morphin’ Time!” The other girls quickly followed her actions and opened their own Harmonizers.
In sync, the Rainbooms held their forearms up with the disks pointing upward and locked their Morph Keys into the slots, before thrusting their fists diagonally down their bodies, slamming the locks closed as they went and making the disks flash in the keys’ colors. “Power Rangers!” they all announced as they put their palms against the disks before pulling them back across their bodies fast, spinning the disks as they went. “Harmonize!” In a brightly colored flash of sparks, the Rangers instantly Morphed before the villain, standing at the ready.
“Attack!” Shriekenstein bellowed and the Knightmares charged.
Almost immediately, the Rangers clashed with the Knightmares, blades singing and blasters resounding with every attack. Naturally Rainbow went straight after Shriekenstein as the others fought off the Knightmares and clashed her Defender’s blade against his chain sword, the revving chain grinding against her blade as he snarled in her face. “Guh. Dude, mouthwash! Ever heard of it?!” she remarked as she quickly raised his blade out of the way and slashed across his body twice, forcing him back.
“Well, that’s a fairly universal weakness,” Shriekenstein remarked in annoyance. “Come on, give me something more specific to you Rangers!” Bolts of electricity shot from his free hand, but Rainbow quickly slashed them out of the air before Applejack rolled to her side and fired on the monster.
“Ya want weaknesses? Why not Rarity’s work ramblin’?” the cowgirl smirked.
“I’ll thank you not to bring that up, Applejack!” Rarity called as she quickly found herself in a corner. “And I’ll thank you more to keep your head down. Battle Gear Key!” After the first battle, the team started to call their keys Crystal Song Keys to keep with their team’s theme, and this Key that Rarity had chosen was no different as it summoned her personal weapon once she locked it in and spun the disk. “Diamond Axe!” Axe in hand, Rarity spun and slashed around to clear her area of Knightmares.
“Now we’re thinkin’!” Applejack smirked as she flipped out her own Battle Gear Key and summoned her hammer. “Apple Crusher!” The other Rangers were handling themselves just fine with their Defenders, but it was clear this fight was getting out of hand, especially as some of the Knightmares noticed Sunset and Twilight near the door of the café.
“Looks like we’re gonna have to get in on this!” Sunset smirked as she stood up and stomped over, kicking one of the Knightmares away before she stole its sword and started fighting with it.
“Are you nuts?! We can’t even Morph!” Twilight called in fear.
Sunset just kicked another sword up into her free hand. “Live dangerously and let’s have some fun!” she smirked and tossed the extra sword to Twilight, who fumbled to catch it. She looked out and couldn’t help but be amazed by Sunset’s confidence as she fought like a master, slashing Knightmares apart without even looking like she was really trying.
“Ah, what the heck?” Twilight shrugged as she got a good grip on the sword and stood up. “Spike, distract them; we’ll handle the rest.”
“Right!” Spike nodded as he raced around the Knightmares, barking and yapping to distract them as Twilight slashed at them. Surprisingly, she found she was more skilled with a sword than she had initially expected as she fought through the horde with impressive dexterity, eventually ending up back-to-back with Sunset as they kept fighting.
“Whoo-hoo, way to go, girls!” Pinkie smiled as she kept blasting quickly stopping side-by-side with the others in front of Shriekenstein, who Rainbow had just knocked back.
“You dare stand in the way of science?!” the monster bellowed.
“When it ends up hurting our friends? You bet.” Rainbow assured… right before her Harmonizer’s communicator started beeping.
“Good news, girls; we figured out a new attack method for you.” Timber reported. “We’re sending you the Keys for your Crystal Cannon; lock ‘em into your Defenders and they’ll supercharge ‘em.”
“Thanks, Timber.” Rainbow smiled as the girls all flipped their sidearms to their sword modes. “Final Strike Keys!” They flipped the levers and retrieved the keys from their belt buckles, seeing they had small bursts of stars emblazoned on them. Quickly they found small locks in the handles of their Defenders and locked the keys in, spinning the small disks in the handles.
“Harmonic Defenders! Charging!” they called as their weapons’ blades blinked in their colors.
“That won’t stop me!” Shriekenstein bellowed as he charged.
“Think again!” Rainbow smirked. “Harmonic Defenders!”
“Final Strike!” the others bellowed and all swung their swords, launching projectile slashes of energy out at the monster that slashed across its body and caused a large explosion. But somehow Shriekenstein was still intact as he stood up, electricity jolting from his sword and neck.
“Had enough?” Applejack smirked.
“Of you!” the monster scowled. Then he saw Twilight and Sunset were still fighting, and smirked. “The good news though… is that I believe I’ve found a weakness of yours.”
Rainbow was confused about what he meant by that, but when she saw the Knightmares surrounding Twilight and Sunset, she got seriously worried. “Oh no! Guys, run!” she called.
Too late; the Knightmares had already disarmed the two girls and grabbed them as well as Spike. “I’ll be in touch if you should wish to submit to testing again! Sayonara!” Shriekenstein smirked as he and the Knightmares suddenly vanished, dragging the other two girls with them.
“No!” Fluttershy yelled in worry as her friends disappeared.



In the Lucid Lands, Shriekenstein couldn’t help but laugh as his prisoners were chained to the walls of the castle. “My mistress, I’ve brought you the Rangers’ weaknesses.” he smiled.
“I didn’t ask for prisoners, Shriekenstein.” Tantabus pointed out in annoyance.
“These two are an excellent weakness, mistress.” Demon Shimmer assured. “The other girls value their friends so much they’ll do anything to get them back.”
“Including surrendering their powers.” Midnight smirked in understanding. “And with all that magic, this world and Equestria will fall to us within minutes.”
“Keep dreaming, Midnight; capturing us will only give our friends more reason to destroy you.” Spike snarled.
“Oh Spike, I do hate seeing you so mad at me. After all, I’m only a personification of Twilight’s ambition, given physical form.” Midnight assured, appearing genuinely distraught.
“The ambition Principal Cinch forced on me,” Twilight assured. “She’s the one who compelled me to create you in the first place! And… Wait, you… you look different. Did you-? Did you grow out my boobs?”
Sunset looked and saw Twilight was right; somehow Midnight’s boobs were a few sizes bigger than Twilight’s. “Well… you are lacking a bit.” Midnight shrugged.
“Oh, you little tramp!” Twilight scowled as she struggled against her chains.
“Save your energy, Twilight. Something tells me we’re gonna need it.” Sunset pointed out, glancing over at her demonic counterpart. “And what about you? I don’t see any alterations in your form.”
“Why change what works?” Demon Shimmer assured. “Though I must admit, I have been considering a name change.”
“Yeah? To what?” Sunset asked abrasively.
“Well, I’m kinda partial to… Sunset Eclipse.” the she-demon smirked.
Sunset almost retorted but stopped to mull it over. “Okay, I admit it; that’s actually pretty good.” she relented. “But why take orders? I hated being told what to do when you were created.”
“Tantabus makes a better offer than you,” Eclipse assured. “I help her take this world, she’ll let me and Midnight here have Equestria all to ourselves.”
“That’s if you can fit through that crack in the portal.” Twilight pointed out.
“What are you babbling about?” Tantabus asked in annoyance.
“Maybe you haven’t gotten the memo, but if we can’t stop you, my counterpart is under orders to seal the portal. Permanently.” Twilight explained simply.
“Would she really trap one of her closest friends in this world with us?” Eclipse smirked as she held Sunset’s chin.
Sunset just snarled and bit at her demonic counterpart’s fingers, a bit annoyed that she’d missed but glad that the demon had helped her come to a decision. “She told me she doesn’t want it to come to that. But if it means sparing my homeworld from the likes of you, then… well, I’m glad I updated the lease on my house.”
“Mm, resistance. Noble, but senseless in the face of the inevitable.” Tantabus assured. “Shriekenstein!”
“Mistress.” the monster knelt loyally.
“Take them back to the waking world and order the Rangers to surrender their powers,” Tantabus ordered.
“Yes, Mistress.” Shriekenstein nodded, concerning the hostages significantly.



In the waking world, the Rangers had teleported to their command center in the Crystal Caves to regroup… and vent. “I can’t believe I let Twilight and Sunset get caught!” Rainbow said in annoyance as she walked around.
“You were the one showin’ off.” Applejack pointed out bluntly. “If’n ya hadn’t been fightin’ the big fella, we could’ve gotten ‘em clear!”
“Oh, so it’s my fault our friends got nabbed?” Rainbow asked indignantly.
“That’s what Ah said, ain’t it?” Applejack pointed out.
“Stop it, both of you!” Rarity barked as she pushed her friends apart. “Do you want things to go back to the way they were before the Fall Formal? Because it won’t help our friends!”
That put things in perspective; the girls knew Rarity was right, so they stood down. “Right. Sorry AJ.”
“Yeah, me too.” the cowgirl nodded. “Still, we gotta find ‘em.”
“I think we just did.” Timber noted as he looked at the screen near the Tree of Harmony. He and Gloriosa had been doing what they could to expand and improve the Command Center, including setting up advanced computer systems and mining out more crystals for the Tree to turn into Song Keys. But it was what the group saw on the screen that really grabbed them; it was Shriekenstein in the city center with more Knightmares holding Twilight, Sunset, and Spike in chains.
“Power Rangers, I know you can hear me.” the monster snarled. “If you ever want your friends back, you will meet me here and submit to a study of your powers!”
“There’s no way he’s gonna let them go.” Rainbow pointed out.
“Obviously. But what choice do we have?” asked Rarity.
“Plenty.” Timber smiled as he retrieved two small metal watch-like rigs with crystal disc cores similar to the teleport buttons in the Harmonizers. “Twilight and I have been working on these emergency teleporters to help them get to the Command Center without wasting gas. Just get them loose and get these on their wrists; they’ll do the rest.”
“Thanks, Timber.” Rainbow nodded as she accepted the teleporters. “Is the square clear?”
“All clear.” Gloriosa nodded.
“Then it looks like we’d better get going.” Rainbow nodded as she and the Rangers stood together and activated their teleporters, warping straight out to the city square.
“Ah, Rangers. Right on time.” Shriekenstein smiled. “I suppose you’ve consented to serve as my guinea pigs?”
“First let our friends go,” Rainbow ordered.
“Oh, I’d love to, but Midnight and Sunset Eclipse have made it clear that they have their own plans for these two.” the monster smirked.
“We have plans of our own, if you don’t mind.” Rarity pointed out. “If you want us to submit, then release our friends.”
“Very well. I’ll have them back when I’m done with you anyway.” Shriekenstein shrugged as he nodded his head to order the Knightmares to release the prisoners. Sunset, Twilight, and Spike quickly moved back to the others’ side, where Fluttershy subtly slipped them the teleportation watches. “Now… let the experiment begin.”
Rainbow suddenly smirked. “We’ll start it if you don’t mind,” she remarked as Sunset, Twilight, and Spike instantly teleported back to the Command Center.
“Be my guest! I’d prefer to test you at your best!” Shriekenstein smiled.
“In that case…” Rainbow smirked as she and the girls raised their Harmonizers and opened the Crystal Locks. “It’s Morphin’ Time!”
In sync, the Rainbooms held their forearms up with the disks pointing upward and locked their keys into the slots, before thrusting their fists diagonally down their bodies, slamming the locks closed as they went and making the disks flash in the keys’ colors. “Power Rangers!” they all announced as they put their palms against the disks before pulling them back across their bodies fast, spinning the disks as they went. “Harmonize!”

A red light pulsed out of Rainbow's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-red glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a thunderstorm and lightning struck each of her limbs as she punched and kicked, creating her uniform. A final bolt struck her head at the same time a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Streaks of electricity jolted between her fingers as she posed as if she had just finished a guitar solo.

A green light pulsed from Applejack's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-green glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind was a desert canyon and rocks and pebbles landed on her limbs as she stomped and punched, creating her uniform with each strike. A boulder landed on her head and a loud neigh was heard. With a final stomp, she posed in a boxing stance.

A blue light pulsed from Rarity's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-blue glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was an expansive ocean and streams of water struck her limbs as she danced over the surface, creating her uniform. A wave of water crashed into her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. A ripple pulsed from beneath her as she posed like a dancer awaiting applause.

A yellow light pulsed from Fluttershy's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-yellow glow, leaving her head exposed. Appearing behind her was a field of flowers and petals landed on each of her limbs as she spun around, each petal forming her uniform. A final burst of petals encircled her head as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. Flower petals flew about her as she posed like a ballerina.

A pink light pulsed from Pinkie's Harmonizer as her body was covered in a white-pink glow, leaving her head and over-the-top smile exposed. Appearing behind her were the tops of clouds in which she cartwheeled and bounced around, causing tufts to fly off her and create her uniform. She stuck her head in a cloud and pulled it out as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. She then posed with her hands stretched out as if saying 'Don’t talk to me' to two people.

“Element of Loyalty!” Rainbow announced and posed. “Power Ranger Red!”
“Element of Honesty!” Applejack announced and posed. “Power Ranger Green!”
“Element of Generosity!” Rarity announced and posed. “Power Ranger Blue!”
“Element of Kindness!” Fluttershy announced and posed. “Power Ranger Yellow!”
“Element of Laughter!” Pinkie announced and posed. “Power Ranger Pink!”
“Friendship’s Might, Ready to Fight!” the Rangers all announced and posed at once with Rainbow in the center, Rarity and Applejack flanking her, and Pinkie and Fluttershy at the outer edges. “Power Rangers Crystal Harmony!”
“Attack!” Shriekenstein roared as the Knightmares charged, weapons at the ready.
Immediately, the Rangers engaged with the goons and activated their weapons, slashing and blasting through them as Rainbow and Rarity both fought their way through the horde to the monster, fighting him as one. “Pretty different when we’ve got the big guns, huh ugly?” Rainbow smirked as she clashed the Bolt Saber against Shriekenstein’s chain blade.
“Not by much. Though I must admit, this is intensely useful for the purposes of the experiment.” Shriekenstein smiled as he fought the two Rangers off. “Perhaps now we’ll test your powers’ susceptibility… to fire.” Right on cue, he spun on his toe and swung his sword in a huge arc, letting loose a large flaming slash. Small bursts of energy erupted from the Rangers’ suits as the fire hit them and they were knocked back. They’d been informed these blasts were energy from the Morphin Grid acting as reactive armor, but it still hurt. “Hahaha! Highly effective! I’m almost astounded that Boarbatusk lost to you so easily.”
“We’d be more than happy to show you how,” Applejack assured, turning to the Red Ranger. “Ain’t that right, Dash?”
“Absolutely. Let’s bring ‘em together, Rangers!” Rainbow announced.
“Weapons, Combine!” the Rangers announced. The handle of Rarity’s axe quickly slid into the handle of Rainbow’s sword as Applejack’s hammer locked in on top of the axe, one of the hammerheads forming what looked like a weapon stock. Then Fluttershy’s tonfa-blades linked into the tip of Rainbow’s sword with their barrels ready to fire and Pinkie’s nunchucks locked into the sides of the upper hammerhead, their heads aiming forward as they opened to reveal large blast emitters as Rainbow grabbed the trigger and the others quickly steadied the weapon by grabbing its sides. “Harmonic Crystal Cannon!”
“Let’s just see you try and stop me!” Shriekenstein roared.
“Final Strike Keys locked!” the Rangers called as Rainbow opened the upper head of the hammer in the stock, letting the Rangers lock their keys into it before it closed and Rainbow spun the disk between the hammer’s heads, powering up the cannon.
“Chain Lightning!” Shriekenstein bellowed and swung his sword, bolts of lightning that looked like chainsaw chains flying from it toward the Rangers.
“Harmonic Final Strike!” the Rangers bellowed as Rainbow pulled the trigger, blasting out a massive beam of rainbow-colored energy. The two blasts met in the middle, but the shot from the cannon cut through Shriekenstein’s attack like a hot knife through butter and blasted straight through his midsection.
“Gah! Noooo…!” the monster roared as he exploded, the Rangers simply turning with smiles on their faces under their masks.
“Another win for the books, Rangers!” Rainbow smirked.



In the Lucid Lands, Sunset Eclipse snarled as she backhanded Tantabus’ scrying globe away. “I told you a study was pointless! If we want the Rangers stopped, we simply have to destroy them!” she barked.
“And so they shall be today, Eclipse. If you honestly thought all I could do was create these Dream Demons, you’re deeply mistaken.” Tantabus assured as she stepped forward, raising her blade with shadowy magic swirling around the tip. “Power of Darkness, Heed my Command! Grant this Beast a Final Stand!” She drove the lower point of her weapon into the ground and a bolt of black magic shot from her pike, straight through to the waking world.
As the Rangers celebrated their victory, Pinkie suddenly glanced skyward. “Whoa. Uh, what’s that?” she asked, drawing the Rangers’ attention to the great swirling storm cloud that suddenly formed above the monster’s remains before a bolt of lightning shot down and struck them, flashing the surrounding area like a photo negative before Shriekenstein suddenly reformed and grew 30 stories tall.
The monster simply roared as he looked down at the Rangers. “Rrraaagh! I’m alive! I’M ALIVE! And you’re not!” he roared as he swung his chain sword down at the Rangers, who barely managed to dodge it as he cleaved a massive hole in the ground. “Experiments on insects. Now if that hasn’t been done to death…”
“You guys are seeing this too, right?” Rainbow asked seriously.
“It would be rather hard to miss.” Rarity pointed out. “The question is how do we stop it?”
“Any ideas, guys? We’re all ears out here.” Applejack asked into her Harmonizer’s communicator.
“We’re working on it!” Timber nodded as he and Gloriosa raced around the Command Center’s computer screens.
“Sunset, what do we do about this?” asked Twilight.
Sunset quickly flipped through the journal for Princess Twilight’s explanation of what to do and found something. “Got it. This isn’t a new occurrence in Power Ranger history; it’s happened in different worlds for years. To combat it, other Ranger teams use giant machines called Zords.”
Almost right on cue, the Tree of Harmony started resonating and glowing, along with five of the crystals Timber had mined out recently. “Looks like our team gets to use ‘em too.” he smiled as he grabbed the crystals and placed them on small branches from the tree, where they immediately transformed into new Crystal Song Keys before warping away, making the Rangers’ buckles glow.
“Whoa, what’s this?” Rainbow asked as they pulled the Keys, seeing images of large vehicles emblazoned on them – Red looked like a fighter jet, Blue was a motorcycle, Green was a fire truck, Yellow was a helicopter with wings, and Pink was a tank.
“Those are your Zord Keys. Lock ‘em in and power ‘em up.” Timber instructed.
“Worth a shot.” Rainbow shrugged as she popped her Harmonizer open. The others quickly followed her lead and all locked the Keys into their Harmonizers.
“Zord Keys locked!” they called as they closed the bracers, setting their hands on the disks and spinning them before holding their fists upward to activate the Zords.
“Crystal Thunder Jet, Harmonize!” Rainbow called.
“Crystal Diamond Bike, Harmonize!” Rarity called.
“Crystal Apple Hauler, Harmonize!” Applejack called.
“Crystal Butterfly Buzzer, Harmonize!” Fluttershy called.
“Crystal Balloon Blaster, Harmonize!” Pinkie called.
On that cue, the Tree of Harmony resonated again and grew several small branches to open large garage-like holes in the cliff face on the opposite side of the mountain from the Command Center… from which massive vehicles roared, driving straight to the city. They looked exactly like the outlines in the Keys, glittering like gemstones as they roared into the square.
“Whoa-ho-ho, I’m liking this job more every day,” Rainbow smirked. “Let’s mount up, Rangers!”
“Right!” the girls nodded and they all leaped to board their Zords, finding themselves standing in cockpits with small crystal balls in their center consoles, as well as small Crystal Locks shaped like eighth notes and gold spinners next to them along with smaller plinths with small holes in them shaped like the Rangers' sidearms.
“Alright, let’s see what these babies can do.” Rainbow smiled as she locked her Defender into the hole and set her hand on the globe in front of her… and almost immediately kamikazed Fluttershy out of the air.
“Be careful!” Fluttershy called, reasonably scared of being knocked out of the sky.
“Sorry! These controls don’t make much sense!” Rainbow called as she tried to get her jet under control.
“Speak for yourself; I’m having a great time with my new Party Cannon!” Pinkie laughed as her tank rumbled down the street toward the supersized monster. “Let’s see what it can do. Fire!” She flexed her fingers around the globe and her tank’s cannon fired a massive bolt of pink energy that hit Shriekenstein straight in the chest and sent him stumbling back.
“Alright, now I’m getting mad!” Shriekenstein roared as his blade burst into flame.
“Then why don’t ya cool off there, pardner? Cider Cannons, Fire!” Applejack yelled and triggered the water cannons on her truck to fire what looked like concentrated blasts of apple cider at the monster, snuffing the flames on his sword.
“Gah, so sticky!” he roared in anger as he stumbled back, trying to rev his chainsaw sword. “Gragh, stuck!” He slammed his fist against the blade to try and unstick it, but it was jammed tight.
“Man, what a waste of good cider,” Rainbow remarked as she flew over the monster. “Still, it does give me an easy target. Storm Rockets, Fire!” A few small missiles shot out of the undercarriage of her jet and hit Shriekenstein dead-on, exploding in massive bursts of electricity which electrocuted him intensely as he acted as a lightning rod.
This jolt of electricity, however, appeared to unjam his sword so he laughed. “Thanks very much, Red Ranger! Now for a taste of your own medicine! Chain Lightning!” he roared and shot another blast of electrified chainsaw chains at the Zords.
“Whoa! Evasive actions!” Rainbow yelled as she and Fluttershy quickly bobbed and weaved in the sky.
“Take ‘em down!” Applejack called to Pinkie as more bolts of plasma shot from their cannons to try and blast the chains out of the sky.
“Well, this should be fairly simple to deal with!” Rarity smiled as she sent her Bike Zord roaring toward Shriekenstein and quickly turned it around, setting the rear wheel against his gut and revving the engine hard to leave tread marks on his chest before she drove away.
“Gragh! Getting angry!” Shriekenstein roared as he blasted another wave of energy from his blade, knocking the Zords around.
“Gah! We’re gonna need more power if we wanna take him down!” Applejack called out.
“Well, um… oh, no it’s stupid.” Fluttershy shook her head.
“We’re fighting a giant Frankenstein, Fluttershy. I don’t think anything counts as stupid compared to that.” Rainbow pointed out.
“Oh well, um… if our weapons can fit together…” Fluttershy shrugged nervously as she buzzed around to avoid Shriekenstein’s attacks.
“Then maybe our Zords can combine too. Splendid idea, Fluttershy.” Rarity smiled.
“Yeah, but how do we fit ‘em together?” asked Applejack.
“Any suggestions, Headquarters?” Rarity asked over the comms.
“I’m pretty sure the Tree has a few ideas,” Spike noted as he watched the Tree form a series of sheer white Crystal Song Keys, these ones with gold silhouettes of a humanoid figure. “New Keys comin’ your way.”
Right on cue, the Rangers’ belt buckles glowed white, and with a press of the lever, they retrieved the Keys. “Alright, let’s see what we can do with these babies.” Rainbow smiled as she opened the Crystal Lock on her console, letting a small opening slide out of the top.
“Megazord Keys locked!” the Rangers called as they locked their Keys into the sliders and slammed them back into the locks. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Harmonize!” They all spun their spinners and they sparked to life.
“Zords Combine!” Applejack’s Zord spun into reverse and its rear bumper split in half, the rear quarters of the truck extending into thighs as the pegs formed from the bumpers locked into the rear ends of Rarity and Pinkie’s Zords, the whole assembly braking hard to force itself upright. The truck’s cannons moved down the newly formed torso to the midriff as the cabin split in half and folded out into shoulders to reveal a head that glittered like crystal with pony ears as pegs folded out from the shoulders. Rainbow and Fluttershy’s Zords both folded their wings in and locked into those pegs by their rear ends as large hands folded out from under the cockpits, a panel in the chest folding to form a breastplate emblazoned with the same ornate gold arrangement as the Rangers’ belt buckles. Then the head’s eyes flashed as it stood ready to fight. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Ready!”
The Rangers were all suddenly teleported to a five-person cockpit and they looked around, impressed. “Whoa-ho-ho. Yeah, I can work with this.” Rainbow smiled.
“Ah think we all can.” Applejack smiled. “Let’s see what this baby can do.”
“What it can do is fall!” Shriekenstein roared as he cast a wave of fire from his blade, but it barely even scratched the Megazord as it walked straight through the blast.
“Is that the best you’ve got?” Rainbow smirked as she swung a hard right hook against the monster’s face, knocking him back.
Shriekenstein roared as he stood up and charged again, but Pinkie acted faster. “Party Cannon!” she yelled and the cannon on her tank bent out to fire upward, shooting the monster square in the face and blinding him enough for Fluttershy to slip the Megazord past the charging monster before Rarity tripped him up onto a right uppercut, knocking him to the ground.
“Okay, I think we’ve knocked him around enough; this experiment’s over,” Rainbow smirked as she retrieved her Final Strike Key. “Let’s finish him off.”
“Right!” the other Rangers agreed and retrieved their own Final Strike Keys, opening the Crystal Locks. “Final Strike Keys locked!” They slammed the keys into the locks and slammed them shut. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Final Strike!” They spun their disks hard and smiled as they sparked in rainbows of color, bringing the cannons on the Megazord’s midriff to point forward before erupting in a massive blast of rainbow-colored magic that blasted Shriekenstein to nothing in a massive explosion.
The Rangers all cheered their victory in the cockpit as the Megazord relaxed and Rainbow smiled. “Perfect Harmony: Crystal Clear Skies ahead!”
Later on, back at Sugarcube Corner, the Rangers were all gathered to celebrate their latest victory. “I’m telling you guys, those Zords are gonna help out so much.”
“I can’t but agree.” Rarity agreed. “And aside from the clashing colors, the Megazord is simply divine.”
“Well, function can supersede form every now and then, can’t it?” Twilight pointed out.
“I suppose.” Rarity nodded.
“Hey Dash, Ah feel like Ah still oughtta apologize for what Ah said.” Applejack shrugged. “Ah was bein’ bullheaded sayin’ you were showin’ off.”
“Nah, it’s cool; I totally was.” Rainbow shrugged. “But I gotta remember; it’s not just me out here. We’re all Rangers.”
“And Rangers are always stronger together.” Twilight nodded. “The Megazord proved that.”
“Yeah. But this whole thing helped me with something too.” Sunset noted. “It doesn’t matter what I want. This is about both our worlds; Earth and Equestria. I guess getting captured and having a close-up look at what we’re up against helped put that into perspective. We have to stop Tantabus, no matter what.”
“We will. And until we do, don’t act so down SunShim.” Pinkie smiled. “We’ll make sure you can go home any time you want without worrying.”
“Yeah. Here’s to home and another win.” Rainbow smiled as she raised her drink. The others all agreed and drank their drinks in response, happy to be winning so far and resolute in their resolve to defeat Tantabus no matter what.