//------------------------------//
// Ch. 4: Pins and Needles 
// Story: Power Rangers Crystal Harmony 
// by SonicSpeedster97 
//------------------------------//

Another busy day in Canterlot City, this one leading the Rangers to help Fluttershy get the animal shelter ready for a veterinarian to visit. “Thanks again for your help with this, girls.” Fluttershy smiled. “The animals always get so nervous when Dr. Fauna comes by, but it’s especially bad today.”
“Ah, don’t even mention it Fluttershy.” Rainbow smiled. “You know we’re always there for you.”
“Indeed. After everything you’ve done to help our pets, this is the least we can do.” Rarity nodded. “Though I must ask; why is today so bad?”
Fluttershy was about to answer that question when the door to the shelter opened and Dr. Fauna walked in with an interesting case. “Ah, Fluttershy; it’s always so good to see you.” she smiled and hugged the shy girl.
“It’s good to see you too, Dr. Fauna.” Fluttershy smiled as she looked over at her friends. “I don’t think you’ve met my friends.”
“Actually, I’m pretty sure I saw you around when I picked out Ray,” Sunset remembered as she walked over.
“Oh yes, of course. How is he, by the way?” the vet smiled.
“Ah, he’s doing great; thanks.” Sunset nodded.
“Fluttershy was just telling us that the animals are particularly stressed today for some reason.” Rarity noted.
“Ah, they always are, around this time of year.” Dr. Fauna shrugged as she set her case on the counter. “Can’t quite say I blame them, honestly. No one likes getting shots.”
“Shots?” Rarity asked, seeming surprised as Dr. Fauna opened her case and revealed it was filled with needles. As soon as Rarity laid eyes on the devices, her face seemed to go paler than usual as she took a step back, almost in retreat.
“Yep. Rabies Shot Day; animals’ least favorite day of all time.”  Dr. Fauna nodded as she picked up one of the needles and flicked it.
Applejack appeared to notice Rarity’s unease and appeared a bit surprised. “You okay, sugarcube?”
“Y-Yes Darling, I’m fine.” Rarity nodded as she stepped away. “Excuse me for a moment.” The girls were all a bit confused as they saw their Blue Ranger step out toward the restroom.
“What was that about?” asked Sunset.
“I dunno. S’pose our dear Rarity’s got a thing ‘bout needles.” Applejack remarked.
“Hm. That’s a bit ironic.” Twilight smiled, knowing that if Rarity was afraid of needles, it must have made her sewing hobby difficult.



Unfortunately, that little tidbit had been heard in the Lucid Lands. “Well… it seems that even the Power Rangers aren’t immune to fear.” Midnight smiled wickedly.
“If there’s one thing I know, it’s how to exploit such fears.” Eclipse smiled as she turned to her mistress. “Mistress Tantabus… I don’t suppose you have a Dream Demon on hand that could enflame such fears of points like this?”
“In fact, I do.” Tantabus smiled before she struck the ground with her blade. “Come forth, Pinblade.”
On that order, there was a sound of scraping and clattering that sounded like many blades and pinpoints knocking into each other at once as a Dream Demon emerged that looked like it was wrapped in metal blades with syringes on its fingertips and tusks that looked like curved sword-tips. “What are my orders, Mistress?”
“Go forth and bring terror. Bring it especially upon the Blue Ranger.” Tantabus ordered. “Enough that she will yield to you in combat. And when the Rangers are separated and weakened, destroy them.”
“Yes, Mistress.” Pinblade bowed and disappeared in the shadows.



As Dr. Fauna and the girls worked on the animals – even taking turns giving various animals shots as directed by the vet – the other girls kept a close eye on Rarity, watching every time her eyes followed the needles to an animal’s flesh, only to look away at the last minute. “Something’s definitely up with her,” Applejack whispered.
“Maybe she had a panic attack when she was getting a shot once,” Twilight suggested. “That happened to me once a few years ago and it sucked.”
“Um… sh- should we really be talking about this?” Fluttershy asked. “It feels a bit… mean.”
“Relax Fluttershy, it’s not like we’re rooting around her underwear drawer,” Rainbow smirked. “We just wanna know why she’s afraid of needles.”
“Well, that’s good. Because trust me; you do not wanna see Rarity’s undies drawer.” Pinkie smiled jovially, earning a barrage of confused looks from the others.
“Wait, when have you seen Rarity’s underwear drawer?” Sunset asked.
“Don’t worry about it.” Pinkie smiled.
“I’m sorry; what’s this about my underwear drawer?” Rarity asked behind Sunset, surprising her and the other Rangers.
“Nothing! That’s definitely not what we were talking about.” Sunset assured, though her panicked tone didn’t do her any favors.
“Really girls, this is hardly a subject for upstanding young women such as us.” Rarity assured as she flipped her hair. “I mean, really; do we look like Snips and Snails?”
“When were those two interested in girls’ underwear?” Spike asked.
“You’d be surprised,” Sunset remarked bitterly, remembering her time ordering the two around.
“Oh, ew; please spare us the details,” Rainbow remarked in disgust.
“Agreed.” Rarity nodded, returning to the subject at hand. “But really, girls; what are you talking about?”
Twilight almost made an excuse before Dr. Fauna looked over at them. “Rarity, it’s your turn,” she called over.
Rarity looked over almost nervously but quickly took a quiet breath as she walked over, the others watching closely as she picked up the syringe and brought it over toward a dog with a shaking hand. She was just about to plunge the needle into the dog’s back when it slipped and fell onto the floor, shattering. “Oh dear, I’m so sorry about this, Dr. Fauna,” she said quickly.
“No, it’s fine. Trust me, if I had a nickel for every time I dropped one of these…” the vet assured as she quickly cleaned up the mess and tossed it into a medical waste bag she had on her. “Well, that was the last one of that case anyway.” She suddenly facepalmed in what seemed like irritation. “And I just remembered that I forgot the rest of the shots. Hang tight here; I’ll run back to my office and grab the rest.” With that in mind, she stepped out of the shelter to her car and drove away.
Once she was gone, the girls looked at Rarity. “Are you okay, Rarity?” Fluttershy asked.
“I’m fine, darling; it just slipped a bit.” Rarity assured.
Rainbow was a bit surprised as she pulled her hand away from Rarity’s. “I think I can see why. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen Fluttershy’s hands this sweaty.” Indeed, Rarity’s palms were very sweaty and her hands were still shaking.
“Whoa. What’s wrong, Rarity?” Sunset asked.
“It’s nothing, Darling; I just-” Rarity was interrupted when Rainbow’s Harmonizer beeped.
Quickly Rainbow pressed the comm button and Timber’s face appeared on the screen. “We got Knightmares, downtown,” he said simply and quickly.
“We’re on our way,” Rainbow noted, quickly signing off as she and the others quickly teleported.
Landing in midtown, the Rangers quickly surveyed the site and saw people running from Knightmares as they scrambled around the plaza area. “This seems pretty simple,” Applejack remarked. “Shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.”
“Let’s get to it then,” Rainbow smirked as she stepped forward and raised her Harmonizer along with the others, all opening the Crystal Locks. “It’s Morphin’ Time!”
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!”

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.

Once in costume, the Rangers quickly drew their Defenders and started fighting their way through the Knightmares like they were nothing. “If this is all Tantabus has to offer, maybe she should just give up now!” Rainbow smirked as she slashed a few Knightmares to the ground with one slash.
Applejack flipped over a table and quickly shot a few Knightmares down before she landed. “Ah hear that; I’m almost gettin’ bored here,” she smirked as she spun her Defender on her finger before blasting another Knightmare without even looking at it.
“They certainly seem to be giving us an easy go of it.” Rarity agreed as she swung her Defender to the ready in front of a large group of Knightmares, pulling the stock and locking in a Song Key. “Final Strike Key locked!” With a quick spin of the disk, the blade glowed blue and she held it at the ready. “Harmonic Defender, Final Strike!” With a powerful swing, a bright blue arc of energy shot from the blade and cleaved the remaining Knightmares in half in a huge explosion.
With all the Knightmares dealt with, the Rangers quickly rallied up and smirked at each other under their helmets. “Was that it? Huh. Kinda insulted there wasn’t more.” Rainbow remarked.
“If it’s more you want, I’m glad to oblige!” The Rangers quickly reacted to that as they looked up and saw Pinblade atop a nearby building before he leaped down and drew a jagged sword. “Let’s see just how sharp you are, Rangers!”
The Rangers were nervous, all glancing at Rarity – if she really was as afraid of needles as they thought she was, this fight would be impossible for her. “Happy to oblige.” That remark from Rarity surprised them all as she charged first, but they were quickly preoccupied as more Knightmares quickly appeared and engaged with them.
“Ooh, feisty.” Pinblade smiled as he clashed blades with Rarity. “Not what I expected from you, Blue Ranger.”
“I’ll have you know I’m not just a pretty face.” Rarity smirked as she quickly slashed the monster’s side. “I earned my place as Blue Ranger for a reason. Allow me to demonstrate!” Quickly she kicked the monster back and flipped as she locked her Battle Gear Key into her Harmonizer and spun the Disk, summoning her axe in midair. “Diamond Axe!” Quickly grabbing the axe out of the air, she slashed the monster hard and they started dueling.
“I was expecting a great deal more fear from you, Blue Ranger,” Pinblade smirked as they clashed and pushed each other back. “Perhaps this will inspire it. Razor Lash Shot!” A large barrage of small blades shot from his chest at Rarity, and while she managed to deflect most of them by spinning her axe, a few did manage to slip past her and strike her, knocking her back. Quickly he charged a bolt of energy on his blade and slashed it out at her, knocking her hard to the ground.
“Rarity!” Applejack yelled in concern as the Rangers all grouped around her, helping her to her feet.
“I’m all right.” Rarity assured as she pulled herself to her feet with her axe.
“You won’t be for much longer. None of you will be!” Pinblade assured as he stepped forward, before quickly doubling over as he gripped his side where Rarity had struck him, small cracks appearing in the metal in his side. “Grr! Later then. You got a few good hits in, Blue Ranger, but you won’t be so lucky next time.” With that, Pinblade warped into shadow and disappeared.
“We will see about that.” Rarity pointed out as she stood up, still clearly weak.
“We’d better get back to base,” Fluttershy suggested.
“Right.” Rainbow nodded and the Rangers all quickly teleported away, back to the cave where the others were waiting.
“Power Down!” the Rangers all announced and de-morphed, standing ready in the base.
“Nice work as usual, Rangers.” Timber smiled.
“Think I would’ve preferred it if we could take that punk down all the way.” Rainbow shrugged.
“Sometimes forcing the enemy to retreat is good enough.” Sunset shrugged. “We’ll get him next time. Because there will be a next time.”
Twilight smiled as she looked around… before she noticed something. “Whoa. Rarity, you’re hurt pretty bad.”
“What?” Rarity asked in fear as she checked her arm and indeed saw a small injury… which was bleeding moderately. Almost immediately, the sight of the blood made Rarity go pale as she felt weak and stumbled into Fluttershy’s arms.
“Whoa, easy there sugarcube,” Applejack said and carefully guided her to a small couch nearby, where Fluttershy quickly set to work on tending to her head.
This display made it easy for the Rangers to figure something out. “Rarity was never afraid of needles. She’s afraid of blood.”



In the Lucid Lands, Pinblade roared in pain as a few Knightmares poured searing hot molten metal into the crack in his armor, sealing it as the generals watched. “If that’s the best Dream Demon you have to offer for this situation, Mistress, I’d say we’re in worse shape than I thought at first.” Eclipse scowled.
“Hold your tongue, Eclipse. Or I will.” Tantabus warned grimly. “You’re the one who came to me with the suggestion to exploit the Blue Ranger’s fear, and yet she was the first to attack. Perhaps you can offer some explanation for this?”
“No, Mistress.” Midnight answered. “Unless we were wrong about her fear.”
“That is a distinct possibility.” Tantabus scowled as she marched down to find Pinblade quenching his wound in oil, making the soldered area look almost bloody. “Pinblade, return to the waking world. And this time, do not return until you have destroyed the Rangers.”
“With pleasure, Mistress.” Pinblade smiled as he stood up. “My blades are sharpened and the Rangers will be the first to taste their edge.”
“See to it. Or you will taste mine.” Tantabus warned as Pinblade walked out of the ruins, a contingent of Knightmares following him.



It took some doing – a bit more than she was expecting – but Fluttershy and Gloriosa managed to patch Rarity’s injury and stem the blood, making sure the injury wasn’t too noticeable. “There, I think you’ll be okay now.” Gloriosa nodded.
“What was with the freakout, Rarity?” Rainbow asked. “Do you really hate the sight of blood that much?”
“Dash, give her a minute,” Applejack advised. “She just freaked out that bad; she needs a chance to get her head on straight.”
“No, it’s fine Applejack.” Rarity assured as she sat up. “I suppose it’s about time I tell you all this.” She took a shaky breath as she looked around at her friends. “I have minor hemophilia.”
Timber and Gloriosa appeared a bit surprised. “Well, that explains a lot,” Gloriosa remarked, glancing at the small trash bag of bloody paper towels nearby.
“How long have you known?” asked Twilight.
“Before freshman year. I pricked my finger with a sewing needle once and it bled for almost eight minutes before I could stop it.” Rarity remembered. “I’ve been more careful about things like that ever since. I don’t understand how I could be hurt like that when I was Morphed; the suit is supposed to protect me.”
“The suits aren’t infallible,” Sunset argued. “Princess Twilight’s research says there have been innumerable times through Ranger history that Power Rangers were literally knocked out of their morphs by their enemies. Injuries like that are just par for the course when it comes to being heroes.”
“And everyone has their own big fears like that,” Fluttershy assured. “What matters is that we all help each other through them. Like you’ve all helped me with mine.”
Rarity shrugged and smiled at her friends before she stood up. “Thank you, Darlings. But I still feel like we need to devise some way to truly stop that monster.”
The main terminal started beeping and Timber quickly checked it, seeing Pinblade attacking again. “Looks like you’d better come up with something pretty fast,” he remarked.
“You gonna be okay to go back out there?” Spike asked Rarity.
“It seems I’ll have to be.” Rarity shrugged as she stood up. “Let’s get back out there.” Quickly she and the girls raised their Harmonizers and opened the Crystal Locks. “It’s Morphing Time!”
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!”

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 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 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.

As soon as they were morphed, the Rangers quickly teleported back into town, ready to fight as they saw Pinblade and his Knightmares at the ready. “I was wondering when you would return, Rangers!” the monster laughed as he raised his sword. “Now let’s see if I can truly show you fear!”
“Don’t count on it. You know who you’re messing with?” Rainbow smirked.
“By all means, tell me; I’d love to know who will fall by my blades.” Pinblade smiled wickedly.
“Element of Generosity!” Rarity announced and posed. “Power Ranger Blue!”
“Element of Loyalty!” Rainbow announced and posed. “Power Ranger Red!”
“Element of Honesty!” Applejack announced and posed. “Power Ranger Green!”
“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!”
“Crush them!” Pinblade roared, sending the Knightmares forward to attack. The Rangers quickly raised their special weapons and clashed hard against them.
“You take the sword nut; we’ll cover you,” Rainbow ordered Rarity quickly.
“With pleasure.” Rarity smiled as she charged Pinblade, clashing her axe against his sword.
“I admit you had me a bit surprised the first time we fought, Blue Ranger.” the monster smirked. “I’d half expected you to be trembling as soon as we met.”
“Ironic. I was expecting much the same from you.” Rarity smiled as she swung her axe, knocking the monster’s sword to the side.
“Jokes will not save you, Blue Ranger!” Pinblade snarled as he swung his sword. “Fear consumes all! Razor Lash Shot!” Just like before, a barrage of blades shot from the monster’s chest at Rarity, now flecked with red ripples in the metal that looked like blood.
“Unless you pick the wrong fear!” Rarity was admittedly a bit frightened by the apparently bloody blades, but she did her best to fight through it as she spun her axe on her hand like a shield, deflecting all the blades away like it was nothing before she slashed hard upward, knocking Pinblade back. “Now I think it’s time you fear me!” And it looked like her weapon had an idea to help with that as the head flashed bright blue and a Crystal Lock and Power Disk appeared on the head behind the blade, letting Rarity easily figure out what to do now.
With that in mind, she flipped her Song Key Buckle’s lever and retrieved her chosen Song Key. “Final Strike Key locked!” Rarity announced as she locked her Key into the head of her Diamond Axe, spinning the Disk behind the blade and making the blade glimmer like light through a well-cut gemstone. “Diamond Axe! Facet Finale!” She spun the axe in her hands a few times, sending out beams of blinding blue light through the blade’s facets before she swung it into a powerful horizontal slash, cleaving clear through Pinblade’s sword and shattering his quenched wound. “Consider me your worst nightmare.”
The other Rangers quickly ran over, having dealt with the Knightmares, and quickly admired her axe’s upgrade. “Whoa, since when could you do that?” Rainbow asked as she looked at the Crystal Lock.
“I don’t know, but I’m certainly not complaining.” Rarity shrugged.
None of the others complained either as their weapons glowed and gained their own Crystal Locks and Power Disks. “Whoa, this is gonna be so much fun!” Pinkie smiled as she admired her nunchucks’ upgrade.
“Graagh!” Pinblade snarled as he pulled himself up. “This is far from over, Rangers! I still have a few blades left!”
“Oh yeah? Well, let’s see what you’ve got!” Rainbow smirked and raised the Bolt Saber. “Let’s do this!”
“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!”
“Bring it on!” Pinblade simply snarled as he raised his hands, long serrated blades deploying from his forearms. “Jagged Crash!” The blades shot from his arms toward the Rangers.
“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. “Harmonic Final Strike!” the Rangers bellowed as Rainbow pulled the trigger, blasting the villain with a large rainbow-colored shot of energy out at the monster, knocking the blades aside like they were nothing and striking Pinblade straight in his open wound.
“Gah! Ow, the edge!” he roared as he exploded, letting the Rangers pose in victory.



“That’s twice this fool has failed!” Eclipse scowled into the viewing crystal.
“Well, you know what they say; third time’s the charm.” Midnight smiled. “Shall we, Mistress?”
“With pleasure, Midnight.” Tantabus smiled as she stepped forward, waving her blade as dark magic formed around the tip. “Power of Darkness, Heed my Command! Grant this Beast a Final Stand!” She slammed her blade into the ground, and just as before, a dark storm cloud 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 Pinblade suddenly reformed and grew 30 stories tall.
“Now my blades will sing with the force of storms!” the monster roared, holding two large swords now.
“Not today, pal!” Rainbow smiled as the Rangers quickly retrieved their Zord Keys.
“Zord Keys Locked!” they announced as they locked the Keys into their Harmonizers and spun the Disks. “Crystal Zords, Harmonize!” As the Disks sparked, the Zords raced into the city from their hangars and let the girls quickly leap aboard, quickly deploying their Megazord Keys.
“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!”
“A bulky behemoth like that is nothing to me. Taste my blades!” Pinblade roared as he charged at the Megazord with his blades.
“Bring it, rusty!” Rainbow smirked as she commanded the Megazord to swing its fists, knocking the swords away as best she could, but it was obvious those moves wouldn’t be enough as Pinblade got in quite a few good hits, sending the Megazord stumbling back.
“Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. We’re going to lose!” Fluttershy whimpered.
“Any ideas? I’m all ears.” Applejack called out.
“I think I've got one.” Sunset reported from the cave, holding a new silver Song Key with the image of a sword in the center. “Looks like the Tree of Harmony decided you need a little more edge. I'm sending Rainbow your Megazord's new Saber Key.”
The Megazord rocked again as the monster slashed at the machine’s chest. “No offense Sunset, but I don’t think we’re winning a sword fight against this guy.” Rainbow pointed out.
“You got a better idea?” Sunset asked genuinely.
Rainbow did not so she shrugged. “Eh, what the heck? If we go down, we go down fighting,” she remarked as she grabbed the Saber Key and slammed it into her Crystal Lock, locking it shut. “Saber Key locked!” she called and quickly spun the Disk. On this cue, the symbol on the Megazord’s chest flashed out in a holographic image, unfolding and reshaping into a large broadsword in a gold scabbard with several colored crystals in the gold cross-guard.
“Whoa-ho-ho, awesome!” Rainbow smiled as the Megazord quickly grabbed the sword out of the air. “Alright, let’s take this baby for a spin!”
“Crystal Clash Saber!” the Rangers called as the Megazord reached and pulled the gold scabbard off, letting it dematerialize to reveal a glittering silver blade.
“So it’s a duel, eh? Alright, bring it on!” Pinblade roared as he marched to the Megazord. Quickly the Megazord raised its new sword and clashed against the monster’s blades, knocking them upward and away, allowing the Rangers a quick shot at the monster’s wound. “Gah! You think this will be enough to stop me? Think again!”
“Let’s see you put your steel where your mouth is, ugly!” Pinkie smiled as the Megazord continued dueling with the monster, clashing blades aggressively for a solid few minutes before the monster stood back.
“Alright, I admit I’m impressed! But you’ll still never defeat me!” the monster roared as it slashed hard at the Rangers. Quickly the Megazord stepped out of the blades’ range just before the monster could hit it, making Pinblade stumble and granting the Megazord an easy opportunity to slash down hard at his head. Pinblade quickly raised his swords crossed in front of him to try and intercept the blow, but the Crystal Clash Saber cleaved clean through his swords and slashed hard through some of the armor on his chest. “No! My swords!”
“Touché!” Rarity announced with a smile. “Let’s finish this!”
“With pleasure!” Rainbow smiled as she grabbed her Defender from the central console, followed by the other Rangers.
“Crystal Clash Saber, ready!” the Rangers called as they raised their Defenders in blade mode, making the Megazord swing its own sword to the ready at its side as they retrieved their Keys. “Final Strike Keys locked!” They slammed the Keys into the cockpits’ Crystal Locks and slammed them shut. “Crystal Harmony Megazord, Final Strike!” They spun their Disks hard and smiled as they sparked in rainbows of color which shot to the sword, making its blade glow brightly as they raised it up. “Crystal Clash Saber, Power Slash!” With a powerful swing from the shoulder, the Megazord brought the sword down hard against Pinblade, making it appear he’d been cleaved clean in half as he stumbled back.
“Gah! My arsenal is broken! Oh, the shame!” he roared as he fell backward and exploded.
The Rangers all cheered and laughed in the cockpit as the Megazord stood down and Rainbow smiled. “Perfect Harmony: Crystal Clear Skies ahead!” she announced.
After the battle, the Rainbooms returned to the veterinary clinic where, after a few shaky attempts and some encouragement from her friends, Rarity helped Dr. Fauna with the other animals’ shots, gladly finishing up the last one before she disposed of the last needle from a cat. “There we are: all finished.” she smiled.
“Great. Thanks, Rarity.” Dr. Fauna smiled as she cleaned up and let Fluttershy take the cat back to her cage. “Sorry again that I took so long to get back; my office was a mess. And could you believe there was a monster attack right as I was getting ready to leave?”
“Man, crazy odds,” Rainbow smirked, still a bit annoyed she couldn’t tell anyone she was a Ranger, but more than anything, she was just glad to be doing such good work as a hero. “Guess it’s lucky the Rangers showed up when they did, huh?”
“Tell me about it.” Dr. Fauna smiled as she packed up. “Well, suppose I’ll see you around next time, Fluttershy.”
“See you then, Dr. Fauna.” Fluttershy smiled and hugged the vet as she left.
“Again, my deepest apologies for frightening you at the base.” Rarity apologized to her team. “And for letting my own fear get the best of me here.”
“No apologies necessary, sugarcube.” Applejack smiled. “Friends don’t judge friends for their fears.”
“And even if we did, you totally made up for it in the city.” Rainbow smiled. “You took Pinblade down like a champ.”
“And unlocked new capabilities for your weapons,” Twilight added. “I’m certain those will come in handy in future battles.”
“But just in case this wasn’t a one-time thing, we should all tell each other what our worst fears are, so we can be ready,” Spike suggested.
“Good call.” Sunset nodded and the girls all shared their fears, secure that they would be ready for whatever Tantabus sent at them next.