//------------------------------//
// Episode 1: Welcome To The Crystal Kingdom 
// Story: Power Rangers: Crystal Knights 
// by Equestrian Defender 
//------------------------------//

The three races of Equestria, the greatest kingdom on the planet of Arcania[1]  are as follows:

Mages are the first of the three races of Equestria. These beings are recognized by the tattoo-like markings on their bodies that glow whenever they use their magic. The higher their magical power, the more markings they have and the brighter they glow. They are often tied to nobility and royalty, working to create new magic spells and find new ways to use magic to improve the lives of Equestrians.

Avians are the second of the three races of Equestria. These beings have wings of magical energy that allow them to fly and walk on and manipulate clouds, to the point they make floating cities like Cloudsdale. They often work in weather factories and serve as explorers, deliverymen and women, and athletes.

Terrans are the last of the three races of Equestria. What little magic they have primarily goes to increase their strength and stamina. They are usually farmers, construction workers, or laborers.

All three of these races live in harmony in Equestria, under the watchful and kind eye of the wise Ascended: Princess Celestia...

"Well there's a load of baloney if I ever heard it."

Sentry Apartment: Cloudsdale

The statement came from a young man of seventeen, with dark blue hair and matching eyes. He was wearing a black jacket over a red t-shirt, blue jeans and black boots. 

The statement was directed at his younger brother, thirteen year old First Base, who shared his electric blue hair and eyes. He was watching TV, some educational program explaining the three races of Equestria. 

First Base laughed and replied "Yeah, everyone knows most of the Mages in Canterlot are a bunch of snobs." He then held up a piece of paper and added "I just needed this info for my homework."

Flash chuckled as well. "Yeah." He then looked at the TV and scoffed. "Yeah, wise. And yet she left Discord's petrified form in her garden instead of locking it in a vault in the center of the planet."

First Base shivered. "Don't remind me. Half of my class still freaks out whenever they see cotton candy or chocolate milk." 

"Good thing I always stuck with strawberry milk."

He laughed at that, and said "You're laughing a lot for someone who just got booted out of the Royal Guard Academy."

Flash sighed and rolled his eyes. "Eh, no point crying over spilled milk. Plus, I stuck to my guns, and to the Code."

"Yeah. Dad would be proud."

He nodded at that, feeling the familiar weight of his father's dog tags around his neck. "I certainly hope so."

He walked into the kitchen, seeing his bag slung over the back of one of the chairs. Picking it up he asked "You gonna be okay by yourself for a bit?"

First Base looked over the back of the couch and replied "Dude, I'm 13. If I'm old enough to fly to school and get groceries, I can be trusted to look after myself for a few days. Plus, Mom'll be back in a week while you go job hunting."

He nodded, picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "Just try not to burn down the apartment, okay buddy?"

"Last I checked, that was your fault because you tried to cook something for mom," he shot back as Flash closed the door behind him.

As Flash exited the building he couldn't help but feel a little bad for lying to his little brother (and subsequently his mother, who was out helping his Aunt in Manehattan) about where he was going. 

Then again, how was he supposed to explain to them that he was leaving to find a place from a dream?



He was standing in what looked like a large city, where the buildings looked to be made out of some sort of crystal. It looked like it was once a grand kingdom, with a large castle in the distance.

But then the shadows seemed to lengthen, and black clouds descended to suffocate everything. Flash turned to run...

...only to stop in his tracks as a ring of bright red flames surrounded him, pushing the shadows back. "What the hell is going on," he asked.

What may very well be the future of your own kingdom.

Flash turned to see the voice, and his jaw dropped.

Standing in front of him was a gigantic dragon, seemingly made out of red rubies and metal, looking almost like a gem-encrusted robot. It stood on two legs, with two short arms that ended in three claws. Based on how it sounded, it was clearly a male. His green eyes bore into him, seemingly looking into his soul.

Flash finally asked "Who-who are you?"

The dragon brought itself up to its full height, letting out a loud roar and proclaiming I am Volcanion, the King Dragon and the Guardian of Fire. And I need your help to fight this darkness.

"WHAT? But, I'm just an Avian. I don't have any power."

Volcanion smirked, before his body glowed brightly for a moment, the energy traveling down its body until it coalesced at the tip of its snout. The light then flew towards him and into his hand, revealing a bright red ruby the size of a large coin. This is my Guardian Crystal. It shall help you to unlock the power you have inside, power you will need for this noble endeavor.

"Uh, okay. Where do I need to go?"

He immediately saw a vision; a shiny white train in Manehattan Central Station (which he knew about because of the frequent visits to his Aunt Flare) that looked like an old school locomotive.  

Understand now, Volcanion asked. Seeing Flash Sentry nod, Volcanion continued Find the train, and you will find the other two chosen. Beware the shadows, my friend.

The ground started to shake and the landscrape cracked, white light filling the cracks and fissures.

The last thing Flash heard before the dream ended was Volcanion saying And May The Power Protect You. 



When Flash woke up that morning he had found the ruby, the Guardian Crystal, in his hand. 

Pretty much showing him that it wasn't just a dream.

Thus he decided, possibly against his common sense and better judgement, to find the train and see where it led to. 

Though first, he needed to get to Manehattan. Which would be about an hour's ride by train.

Fortunately, there was a strong wind today, and Flash was nothing if not a strong flyer.

Making sure his bag was properly secured, he took a running start before jumping off the cloud into the open sky. 

Were this any other race besides Avians (or any race that could fly) this would probably be seen as a suicide attempt, since the city was built on clouds several miles above the ground. A fall from this height would be fatal (not the fall itself, but rather the sudden stop at the bottom.)

However after falling several feet, two bird-like wings of blue magical energy appeared from his back, and he pulled himself out of the fall and began soaring like a plane towards Manehattan. 



Manehattan Central Station, Manehattan

"No, Pinkie Pie, I don't need you guys to come along."

"Aw, but why not? It'll be fun!"

Seventeen year old Mage Twilight Sparkle sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she talked into her phone. "Pinkie Pie, I'm not going to some party or some big festival, I'm just investigating something."

There was the sound of a scuffle on the other side, with a familiar voice saying "Give me that, Pinkie!" A voice that belonged to an Avian and friend of hers, Rainbow Dash. 

Another voice with a thick southern accent, which she knew was from the Terran Applejack, exasperatedly asked "Would you just put it on speaker, Dash?"

There was a beep! sound before all five of her friends could be heard in the background. 

And they were arguing.

Again. How are they still friends when they fight like this ALL THE TIME she mused to herself.

Finally having enough, she yelled "GIRLS!" Once they stopped, she said "Look, I'm just investigating something strange happening around the north, a little bit past Manehattan. It's not some big party or some grand adventure, it's just me taking some notes and a few pictures."

"We ain't arguing about that, Sugarcube," Applejack replied. "We're just worried about ya since you're goin on your own."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash added. "Shouldn't we go with you?"

"Yeah, like always," Pinkie exclaimed. Loudly. "We always have fun together! There's laughter, and songs, and cupcakes, and fun and-!"

"Pinkie, I'm probably not going to be gone that long," she quickly said to cut her off, knowing if she didn't she'd go on forever. "It's just for a few days. I'll be back before you know it. And for the record, I don't need you guys with me for every single thing I do. I'm capable of taking care of myself."

And what about Spikey-wikey, her friend, fellow Mage Rarity asked.

"He's staying with my parents in Canterlot. I'm giving him a well-earned vacation."

Fluttershy was the next one to talk, though Twilight had to strain her ears to hear the meek Avian say "Um, okay. Just promise us you'll be careful. Um, please."

Twilight smiled. "Don't worry, guys. Just try not to destroy the Golden Oaks Library. Or Ponyville. Actually, don't destroy anything. Or cause any trouble."

"Twi, come on. When have we ever destroyed anything or caused trouble?"

Twilight rolled her eyes and snarkily replied "Would you prefer the list in alphabetical, chronological, or by degree of severity?"

None of them replied to that, instead just wishing her luck and telling her to be careful. And Pinkie Pie gave her the usual "I'll throw a big party when you get back!" much to Twilight's annoyance as she hung up her phone. "I love her to death, but one day I hope she realizes she doesn't have to throw a big party every. Single. Day."

She put away her phone, deciding to look through her bag quickly and make sure she had all her emergency supplies in case she found any trouble. Seeing her favorite blue jacket, she slipped it on. "Blue always was my color."

With her checklist complete, she looked over at the other trains. "Okay, I'm looking for a shiny white locomotive." Seeing the modern gray colored subway trains leaving the station, she said "Shouldn't be too hard."

However before she could go look for the train, she heard several people yelling over by the vending machines.



Flash took a swig from a bottle of water, looking around for the white train from his dreams. "Okay, shiny white old school train. Shouldn't be that hard, though how they got it in here is-"

"What a freak!"

"Yeah, shouldn't you be in a circus act?"

"Bug-eyed loser!"

Almost automatically his feet moved towards the sound of the mocking, seeing three Mages surrounding someone and pushing him around and stomping on what looked like a bag of chips and some snack cakes pulled out of the nearby vending machine. He also saw that the three Mages were dressed like a bunch of rich guys (not nobles but very well off) whereas the guy they were pushing around was basically dressed in rags; a torn and faded gray hoodie over a faded yellow shirt that had clearly seen better days, ratty old blue jeans and boots that were held together mostly by duct tape.

His fist tightened as he remembered his father's words that became part of the Code: "Rule #1: Defend the innocent." and "Rule #4: Never be cruel to those less fortunate than you."

So with that, he walked over and yelled "HEY!"

The three Mages turned to look at him, one of them sneering when he saw he was an Avian. "You got a problem, bird-man?"

Flash rolled his eyes at the slur. "Real original there, spell-brain," he replied, taking a bit of pleasure in the Mage's annoyed glare. "Leave him alone."

The three of them looked at each other, before laughing like a group of hyenas. Before he could say anything else, two of the Mages grabbed the guy they were picking on and held him in front of them, pulling his hood back to reveal his face and hair. "Take a good look at this freak."

The guy's skin was a lighter green color; and his eyes lacked any pupils, being pure fields of metallic purple. His shoulder length hair was the dark orange of a carrot, though like the rest of him seemed pretty dirty. Though the big one that drew his attention was the large horn on his forehead, a notable "Y" shaped horn similar to a Neighpanese Rhinoceros Beetle.[2] 

Flash recognized what he was instantly; a Changeling, a shape-shifting humanoid that lived in nomadic tribes that roamed around Arcania but rarely if ever actually came into the cities or towns. What one was doing walking around in Manehattan (and not having shape-shifted to look more like one of the three Equestrian races) was unknown, but at the moment he didn't care. Flash simply smirked and said "The only freak I see are you three losers."

That clearly got under their skin, since the two holding the Changeling pushed him away before all three of them glared at him. The middle one, obviously the leader, asked "You looking for a fight, punk?"

Flash looked right back at him, unflinching. "You think you can give me one?"

The leader reared his fist back, only to have ribbons of purple magic wrap around his arms and hold him in place. The same happened to his cronies, both of whom were wondering who was responsible...

...only to turn and follow the ribbons to see Twilight standing there, her Mage markings on her arms, neck, and forehead glowing the brightest purple they'd ever seen. 

Seeing them clearly scared out of their wits she dispelled the ribbons, dropping them on their butts, and then commanded "Get lost. NOW!"

The moment they could move their legs they took off running, one of them yelling that the three of them were going to regret this. Flash chuckled. "Tough talk coming from a bunch of cowards." He then turned to Twilight and said "Thanks for that."

She smiled and replied "No problem. I can't stand bullies." 

They both looked at the changeling, who was on the ground picking up all the snack foods and chips that fell to the ground (some of which were smashed or busted open) before joining him in picking them up. "I-it's fine," the boy muttered. "You guys don't have to-"

"It's okay, dude," Flash replied. 

Twilight nodded, picking up a busted bag of chips and doing her best not to spill them everywhere. "No one deserves to be treated like that," she stated.

"I'm used to it," the changeling replied. 

"You shouldn't have to be," the two Equestrians replied in unison.

Just then Flash felt a slight heat coming from his jacket pocket, pulling out his Guardian Crystal which had begun to glow. "Huh. Wonder what's got this thing-"

The words died in his throat as he looked at the two, seeing them holding up similar crystals; Twilight's a glowing blue sapphire and the changeling a glowing yellow topaz. 

All three of them looked at each other for a few seconds, before Flash extended his hand. "Flash Sentry."

"Twilight Sparkle," she replied, shaking his hand.

The changeling boy seemed hesitant, before taking Flash's hand. "Thorax." He then looked behind Flash and said "And I think that's our train."

Flash and Twilight turned to look and sure enough, the train from their dreams was pulled into the station, seemingly invisible to everyone else but them. "Huh. Guess it is."


The three of them boarded the train car cautiously, not wanting to be surprised by anything that might mean them harm.

But to their surprise the train car was devoid of any other life, not even an attendant or a conductor. "Lights are on, but as far as I can tell nobody's home," Flash stated.

Thorax nodded, sweeping his head from side to side, his horn giving off a slight glow. "I'm not sensing any other emotions onboard this train save for ours," he stated.

"Emotions," Twilight asked out of curiosity.

"Yeah. Changelings like me are emotivores. Emotion eaters. We can feed off emotions, so we can also sense them." Looking around again, he repeated "There's no one here but us. But I can sense that there's a lot of magic surrounding and going through this train."

Twilight nodded. "Yeah, I feel it too. This isn't an ordinary train." Her hand glowed and she moved it around, seemingly searching for something before pointing towards the locomotive. "It's concentrated up there."

"Then maybe that's where we can get some answers," Flash said as he made his way towards the door, the other two in tow.

The locomotive looked like nothing they'd ever seen before. Instead of a large steam engine and a bunch of coal to shovel into the furnace, there was instead a futuristic console made entirely out of crystal and a large monitor. The console had a joystick, a few switches and levers, but also a row of seven indents roughly the same size as the Guardian Crystals. 

Speaking of which, as Flash pulled his out it began to glow before flying into the center indent, soon flanked by Twilight's sapphire and Thorax's topaz. 

The moment they linked in, the console and monitor lit up, a steady humming sound sounding throughout the locomotive. "That wasn't me," Flash quickly stated, which made Twilight and Thorax giggle and smirk respectively. 

Twilight stepped up to the console besides Flash, utterly fascinated by it. "I've never seen technology like this. This stuff seems retro, but it's far more advanced than anything on the market or anything I've seen from the Canterlot Institute of Technology."

"So, is it alien tech," Flash asked.

"Mmm, don't think so," Twilight replied, pointing at the monitor which had begun to display words. "Otherwise I don't think these words would be in Equestrian."

"Fair point."

Looking at the monitor, Thorax asked "Hey, that's a map, right?"

Sure enough, the monitor was displaying a map of what looked to be Equestria and the lands outside of it. "Yeah. That's Equestria. To the northwest is Griffinoa, down south is the Wastelands, below that is the Dragonlands, Northeast is Yakyakistan" Twilight said, pointing them out on the map. She then noticed another land straight up north, one that had a trail of green arrows connecting it and Equestria. "Huh, I don't think I've seen that land before," she said, tapping the area on the screen.

The trail of green arrows then glowed, and they all felt the train begin to move. "Uh, Twilight," Thorax asked. "I think you might've-"

"Sorry! I didn't know the thing was a touchscreen!"

Flash looked out the window, and his jaw dropped. "Guys, you need to see this!"

Twilight and Thorax did so, their expressions soon mirroring Flash's.

The train had apparently been equipped with some sort of teleportation or portal technology, because the train had apparently teleported outside of Manehattan Central Station and was now moving along the tracks on their route.

But what drew their eyes was that the tracks they were on weren't laid in the ground, but floating at least fifteen or twenty feet off of the ground, seemingly made out of a crystal that shone with all the colors of the rainbow. 

And as the train... drove? Flew? It passed over a lake and in the almost mirror-like waters they saw that the once white crystal train was now shining with every color of the rainbow, leaving the three of them in awe. Finding her voice Twilight said "It's beautiful."

"It is," Thorax agreed. "But, anybody got any idea where we're headed?"

Managing to tear himself away from the scenery, Flash looked at the monitor. "It says here the place Twilight said she never heard of is called 'The Crystal Kingdom,' The ETA is about thirty minutes."

Thorax looked at him confused. "ETA?"

Flash rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "It's military slang. It means Estimated Time of Arrival. It means if we don't have any surprises that stop the train, we'll get there in roughly thirty minutes."

Twilight looked at him in surprise. "You're in the Royal Guard?"

"Nah. I tried to join up, but let's just say I didn't exactly fit in with everyone else and leave it at that."

That earned a look of sympathy from the Mage. "Believe me, I can relate."

"How so?"

"Try being a commoner who becomes Princess Celestia's personal student. In a school where the biggest majority of the students are either direct children of nobles or in some way part of a noble family. Or from just plain rich families. Meanwhile, your mother's a novelist (a good one on the bestsellers list) your father teaches Ancient History to Sophomores at a public high school. So yeah, not exactly rich or high up on the totem pole." She rolled her eyes and said "Yeah, I didn't make a lot of friends, and I didn't have the easiest time in school."[3]

"Ouch," Flash and Thorax said in unison. 

Flash looked at Thorax and asked "So, what's your story?"

The Changeling refused to meet his eyes, his voice belying his pain. "I... I don't wanna talk about it."

Both Flash and Twilight understood, realizing it might've been a bit more personal than what they intended.

Deciding to change the subject, Flash asked "So, seeing as how our respective crystals are different, I'm guessing you guys didn't see a giant red dragon in your dreams?"

Twilight and Thorax shook their heads. "Mine was a giant blue sapphire wolf," Twilight replied. "She called herself Fenrir, the Mother Wolf and Guardian of Ice."

"Kabuto-Mushi," Thorax added "a giant yellow Topaz Rhinoceros Beetle. Called himself the Great Storm Beetle and Guardian of Lightning."

"Volcanion," Flash finished "the King Dragon and Guardian of Fire. A big ol' two-legged dragon made entirely out of red rubies, wings and all. Never figured something that glittered could look so terrifying."

"Honestly, my one friend Rarity could show you just how dangerous those gems can be," Twilight said with a giggle.

"Really," Thorax asked.

"Yeah. That one Diamond Dog learned that the hard way when he threatened her little sister, Sweetie Belle. Never heard a grown male scream like that."

Flash nodded. "I can relate." Seeing the looks at the other two, he explained "I have a little brother, First Base. He and I got hit by some wannabe muggers once when we were walking home. Probably wouldn't have been so bad... if one of them hadn't threatened to hit my little bro with a baseball bat. I showed that guy real quickly that I knew martial arts. Sent those three guys running home for the safety of their mommies."

"Nice," Twilight said, Thorax nodding in agreement.

"Eh, it wasn't all me. First Base even showed the one guy that he knew how to use a baseball bat better than he did. He swung for home and nailed him in that one spot that a guy should never be hit in. Turned him into an instant soprano."

Thorax's reaction was to wince and cover his nether regions. "Ouch."

Twilight just looked at the two in confusion, before she remembered her 11th grade Health Class and cringed. "Oh, ow. I'm a girl and I can imagine the pain from that."

"Speaking from experience, it's worse than you can imagine," Thorax replied.

"Yeah, unless you experience it for yourself you have no idea how bad it can be," Flash added.

Whatever Twilight was about to say was cut off from a few beeps from the console, getting their attention. Taking a look, she said "Looks like we've crossed the border into the Crystal Kingdom."

The map zoomed and showed the next part of their journey, apparently through lush fields and forests, over and around some lakes and rivers, until they reached a city marked Crystalia. 

Realizing what was probably going on, Flash asked "Hey, Fenrir and Kabuto-mushi both said they need you guy's help to fight some oncoming darkness, right?"

"Yeah," Thorax replied. 

Twilight nodded, having pulled out a notebook and jotting down details from the map on it.

"How much you guys wanna bet that the ruined crystal city we saw in those dreams is exactly where we're heading," he asked. 

Thorax chuckled at that. "I think that's a sucker's bet, so I'll pass. Plus I only got like fifty bits to my name, so..."

Almost immediately Flash handed him a one hundred bit note, much to Thorax's shock. Flash just shrugged and said "You need it more than I do. Plus I got a bunch more saved up allowance and money from my birthdays and holidays in a lockbox back home. I'm not going broke anytime soon."

Taking the note gingerly, Thorax slipped it into his pocket, blinking back tears. "T-thank you."

"Hey, no need to cry, man."

"I can't help it," he replied, wiping his eyes. "I'm so used to feeling hatred and disgust and other negative emotions when other people see me. I couldn't tell you the last time I actually felt kindness from someone."

Hearing this, Twilight's first thought was to bring this guy to meet Fluttershy, AKA the bearer of the element of kindness. 

But then she remembered how Fluttershy and all of Ponyville reacted to Zecora when she first arrived, so maybe she should hold off on that for now. 

So instead, she asked "Out of curiosity, why don't you just shapeshift?"

Thorax sighed, before turning around and lifting up his hair to reveal the back of his head...

...and a network of scars that extended from the base of his skull to about four inches up. 

And then he rapped his knuckles against it, and Flash and Twilight heard a low but audible Clang. 

Letting his hair go and turning around, Thorax explained "About a year ago, give or take, I got in a bad accident. A chimera attacked my tribe, and I tried to defend one of the younglings, Ocellus. She's kind of my little sister, so I guess we have that in common, Flash. We'll do anything to protect the little ones that come after us."

"Preach."

"Well, I managed to slay the beast, but not before it and I went over a cliff. I ended up bashing the back of my skull on a rock. I black out, thinking this is the end, but I wake up with the mother of all headaches in someone's home. Turns out I floated down the river and washed up near the home of two Terrans; a doctor named Healing Hands and his wife, a seamstress named Silk. The two of them managed to put me back together again."

"Did that life-saving procedure involve putting a metal plate in the back of your head," Twilight asked, putting the pieces together.

"Ding ding, we have a winner. Yeah, after Healing Hands removed the bone fragments, he had to put in a metal plate to hold the rest of my skull together while Silk sewed it shut."

"Ew," Twilight said while Flash gagged.

"Eh, wouldn't recommend it personally. Anyway, the plate's four inches wide, four inches tall, and about half an inch thick, and made of a  magical metal that can't rust or degrade. So, it shouldn't cause me any health problems down the line. But, while my body can shapeshift, the metal plate can't. And if I tried it would probably do more damage than the chimera ever could. So I'm stuck like this with everyone able to see me for what I am. And while some Equestrians aren't scared of me and/or mock me on sight, the majority of them..." 

Seeing him struggle for words, Flash finished "Kinda suck?"

"Not to put too fine a point on it, but... Yeah, they do kinda suck. Sorry."

Flash and Twilight waved it off, knowing full well that there were plenty of Equestrians who consistently displayed an attitude that ranged from xenophobic to straight up racist. Twilight herself had some uncomfortable memories (some of which were clear while others were strangely fuzzy) of Spike getting leered at by the staff and other students of her school, simply because he was a Draconian. It honestly made her blood boil sometimes, but she'd hold her tongue all those times. 

After all, Princess Celestia's personal student shouldn't be getting into fights, now should she?



As time passed the three of them talked, swapping stories and life experiences; each of them having different feelings about their little group.

Flash was a bit of an open book. He liked the two of them; Twilight, despite being Celestia's personal student and going to a fancy private school in Canterlot, came from a middle class family (admittedly they were on the higher end of that particular spectrum, but still) and didn't flaunt her status or position. Rather, she was humble and didn't see herself as a know-it-all, and freely admitted there was stuff she didn't know about. And like Thorax, he knew what it was like to be at the bottom of the barrel of society, his family once having to live on the streets after the death of his father and his mother lost her job. Fortunately his Aunt helped them and they got to where they were now.

Twilight honestly found it hard to believe that talking to these two seemed to be easier than talking to her friends back in Ponyville. They didn't think she was a nerd (well they did but they didn't think it was anything negative) and actually found her interests, well, interesting. Flash and her even liked the same genre of music, Rock and Roll. They even liked a lot of the same bands, singers, and songs; something none of her Ponyville friends liked. Thorax was an outcast and a reject, which was something she had a lot of experience being when her family first moved to Canterlot. It's not a pleasant experience, but it made them appreciate the people who accept you for who you are.

Thorax was honestly just overjoyed to have people who wanted to be friends with him and didn't think he was a freak. After almost a year living on the streets of Canterlot and begging for money or food, all while being beat up and stepped on, it was nice to actually feel kindness and compassion for once. And thanks to his emotion sensing, he could taste the love they had for their hobbies. Twilight gushed about her studies, and Flash actually played some music on his phone to pass the time. (Thorax could see why he and Twilight liked rock music, that stuff was great. Unstoppable by The Score was gonna be constantly repeating in his head for a while.)[4]

All in all, by the time the train reached its destination, the three of them could say they were friends.

Speaking of which...

As the train made its journey they noticed some... discrepancies between the map on the monitor and the outside scenery.

Where there were supposed to be lush fields were covered in snow and large spires of what seemed like metallic black crystal. The forests were still forests, but huge swaths of it were either cut down or destroyed. The whole landscape itself was dotted with craters and what seemed like giant footprints of some kind. The lakes and rivers were mostly untouched, though that might be because they were frozen over.

That's when they noticed the other thing; the entire landscape was blanketed by roughly two or so feet of snow, not helped by the blizzard that seemed to appear out of nowhere. While the occupants of the train were safe from the cold, they couldn't help but release a slight shiver as they looked outside. "Geez, I figure it was cold up north but I never thought it would be THIS bad," Flash stated.

"It shouldn't be," Twilight noted, though she did zip up her jacket. "We may be up north, but we're not far north enough to hit the tundra or even the taiga. And the altitude isn't much higher than the rest of Equestria. We should still be in the middle of spring."

However, the two of them soon noticed that Thorax was trembling. "Uh, dude. Are you okay," Flash asked.

Thorax shook his head, tapping his horn. "No. I can feel something's off."

"What is it," Twilight asked, mostly out of concern (though a part of her was curious to hear more about Thorax's Changeling abilities. She was a scientist, sue her.)

"I feel... anger. Hatred. Sadistic pleasure. And hunger... for the fear of others. A large concentration of all of that, and this train is bringing us right towards it."

Both Flash and Twilight looked at each other, before Flash said "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you're feeling whatever darkness our dream beasts were talking about." Seeing Thorax still trembling, he put a hand on his shoulder and got him to look at him. "Hey, we're not going anywhere. Whatever's waiting for us, we'll face it together."

Twilight repeated the motion with Thorax's other shoulder. "We'll be with you every step of the way. That's what friends do."

He seemed to finally calm down at this, taking a deep breath and steeling his resolve. "Okay."

The monitor beeped again, showing that they were approaching their destination. They all looked out the window again, wanting to get an idea of what they were going to be dealing with.

What they saw simultaneously awed them, but filled them with dread.

They saw the same crystal city from their dreams, but in the waking world the damage looked even worse. The once mighty walls that stood protecting the city were heavily damaged, some having whole sections smashed down from top to bottom, others having the remains of what looked like siege towers half-hanging onto the top of the wall. Several of the building tops they could see inside had been damaged, some looking like they were still smoldering from whatever had hit them. 

And surrounding the city in the sky was what looked like a ring of black smoke that crackled with purple lightning; the lightning crackling seemingly like a heartbeat. 

Almost as if it was alive.

"Am I the only one who's feeling really scared right now," Thorax asked. "Please tell me I'm not."

"You're not. I'm scared too," Twilight replied.

Flash nodded. "Me too."

"Good." Thorax then winced, a hand going up to his forehead at the base of his horn and gently massaging it. Seeing the concerned looks, he said "Suffering and fear. Lots of it, coming from thousands of people."

"A city this large would probably hold that many people," Twilight stated. "And if this darkness takes sadistic pleasure from the fear and suffering of others..."

She let the statement hang in the air, and Flash immediately remembered Rule 3 of the Code: #3: If you see or know that people are in trouble, and you can do something about it, then it is your responsibility to do so. He nodded. "Let's see what we can do."

The train continued towards part of the wall, but before it could collide there was a rainbow flash and the train passed right through it. They then saw they were in a tunnel of rainbow light, heading towards the biggest diamond they'd ever seen; a shining silver diamond easily the size of Canterlot Castle. Possibly even bigger. 

"Whoa," Twilight said, utterly entranced by it.

Flash smirked. "Imagine trying to fit that gem on an engagement ring."

Thorax chuckled. "Who'd be wearing it? Cthulhu," which earned him a high five from Flash.

The train continued to drive forward, a section of the diamond in front of them opening up to allow the train inside and come to a stop. The three Guardian Crystals flew back to their owners, who gently placed them in their pockets. "Well, this is our stop," Twilight said.

"Let's not keep whoever called us here waiting," Flash said, making for the door, the other two following him.

They opened the door and walked out of the train, setting foot on the crystal floor. The docking station was oddly devoid of any life, but Thorax told the two of them that he could sense life auras inside this place.

"So," Twilight asked "what do we do now?"

Her question was soon answered by a flash of red light appearing a few feet in front of the three of them. Fearing an attacker, the three took up combat stances and looked for anything they could use for a weapon.

This proved unnecessary, however, as the person who appeared cheered and said "Yes! Finally! I was starting to lose hope that someone would come!"

This confused the hell out of the three of them, but they dropped their stances and took a good look at the person.

It was a woman, roughly in her early 20s, wearing a purple-red robe that covered almost her entire body below her neck. Her eyes were a rosy red color that seemed to sparkle, with her hair being the same color. What stood out the most to the three was that directly over her heart was a large red gem stone that Twilight recognized as a garnet. 

She smiled again and said "Hi! My name's Garnet. It's nice to meet all of you."

Still a bit confused, Flash waved and replied "Flash Sentry."

"Twilight Sparkle."

"Thorax. No last name."

Garnet nodded, before continuing "I'm sure you guys have a lot of questions-"

"Only a few million," Twilight said.

"-so I'll take you straight to the Prince so we can get you some." She held out her hand, which began to glow with her red magic. "If you could please take hold."

Flash and Twilight looked hesitant, but Thorax said he didn't sense anything negative from her, so they all gently took a hold of her hand and she performed her spell.

The four of them were instantly teleported away, appearing in the middle of a large room. Removing her hand from theirs, Garnet smiled and proudly stated "Welcome to the Command Diamond!"

Getting a better look around, they could see several large computer screens along the walls, with scientific equipment like beakers and test tubes and Bunsen burners set on tables. What drew the three's eyes, however, was a large crystal mound in the center. 

Embedded in them were three swords; all three had gold cross-guards, and an indentation in the cross-guard that looked just big enough to fit their Guardian Crystals. The double-edged blades were colored; one was red, one was blue, and one was yellow.

The three of them were broken out of their reverie by Garnet clearing her throat. Once she had their attention, she turned to a pneumatic door and said "Announcing his majesty, the Crown Prince of the Crystal Kingdom, Maximus Diamond."

The door opened up with a hiss! as a figure stepped through, a kind voice saying "Garnet, I've told you before you don't have to do that every time you introduce me to new people."

The figure was a man, roughly 25 years of age with silver hair and sparkling silver eyes. Unlike Garnet, who was dressed in robes, he was wearing a full set of armor that seemed to be made of crystals, with a crystal sword sheathed at his side, and a silver cape with a gold interior. 

And just like Garnet there was a gemstone over his heart, this one being a clear sparkling diamond, the armor designed to allow the gemstone to poke through. 

All in all, he definitely sold the idea that he was a member of royalty. Though as Twilight mused, it looked like this Prince could and was willing to fight, whereas Princess Celestia seemed to absolutely hate fighting.

He bowed his head to them, and said "Hello there. As my friend and bodyguard explained, I am Prince Maximus Diamond. Prince of the Crystal Kingdom, home of the Crystallix."

Flash and Thorax looked at each other, confused, but Twilight's jaw dropped. "Crystallix? But, I thought your race died out over a thousand years ago."

"Uh, mind cluing us in Twilight," Flash asked.

"The Crystallix were a race that were similar to Equestrians, specifically Mages. They were capable of absorbing magic from the environment to fuel their power, though unlike Mages they couldn't perform the more complex spells. What separated them the most was that they have a gemstone linked to their hearts, and could also use their magic to transform into a gem-like form."

"That part's true," Garnet said, closing her eyes and focusing. 

And to their shock, her skin suddenly turned into the same rosy-red garnet as the stone over her heart. She smiled and asked "See?" They all nodded, and she dropped it and reverted back to her normal form. 

Prince Diamond chuckled at their expressions, and said "Let's just say rumors of our demise have been greatly exaggerated. As for why you haven't seen or heard of us? Well... that's something we'll explain soon enough." Looking at the monitors, he looked at Garnet and commanded "Keep an eye on the monitors. Make sure we won't be caught off guard if HE happens to show up."

Garnet nodded, giving him a salute before moving over to one of the banks of computer monitors.

Prince Diamond turned to look at the three of them. "So, I assume you all have questions."

"Only a couple thousand," Flash replied, Twilight and Thorax nodding in agreement. 

The prince sighed wistfully. "Well, it's quite the tale to tell. You might wanna pull up a chair."

Once they did, he began his story. "The Crystal Kingdom was once a thriving and peaceful nation. Despite how far north we were the weather was pleasant and the fields and forests were full of life. This was mainly because of the Crystal Guardians, ancient and powerful beasts that commanded magic far beyond anything any Mage or Crystallix was capable of."

"I assume Volcanion, Fenrir, and Kabuto-Mushi are those Crystal Guardians," Twilight asked.

"Three of them," Prince Diamond replied. "The rest of them are Tusk, the green emerald elephant and Guardian of Nature. Hurricana, the pink Rose Quartz Eagle and Guardian of the Winds. Gojira, the purple Amethyst Kaiju and Guardian of Energy. And lastly, Titano, the Diamond Lion and Guardian of Light.

'The seven of them helped to make the Crystal Kingdom what it was; keeping the worst of the cold away, helping to grow the crops in the fields, and served as our defenders from any enemy that dared to threaten us.

'And in return, we helped them protect one of the most sacred treasures in Arcania: the Crystal Heart."

"The Crystal Heart," Thorax asked.

Prince Diamond nodded. "A large and powerful gemstone that is tied into all of the magic that flows around and through Arcania. It is said that he who controls the Crystal Heart would be able to control magic itself. As such the Crystal Guardians and the people of the Crystal Kingdom worked together to protect it from those who might seek to use it for evil purposes, erecting the mighty capitol city of Crystalia to serve as its bastion."

"Let me guess," Flash said "someone finally came that was capable of challenging them all?"

"No need to guess that, Sentry.

'He called himself... King Sombra. No one knew where he came from or how he learned about the Crystal Heart. But what we saw was the darkest Crystallix in existence, with a Gem Form of purple black onyx. He used dark magic the likes of which we'd never seen before, fueled by negative emotions such as anger, hatred, greed, and from the fear he struck into the hearts of others."

Thorax shivered. "That must be what I felt when we got close to the city. Along with how he takes sadistic pleasure from-"

"-every evil thing he does," Diamond finished, earning a short nod from Thorax. "Yeah, that's him alright.

'He made it clear that he wanted the Crystal Heart so that he could take over the Crystal Kingdom. From there, he'd turn it into the Crystal Empire, the first stepping stone in creating an empire that spanned the entirety of Arcania. He wanted it all.

'The seven Crystal Guardians, aided by their chosen Crystal Knights, waged battle with him and eventually managed to repel him away. I myself aided them and even fought against King Sombra."

The three of them were somewhat surprised by that, seeing as how from their experiences the royalty would often stay out of the fighting. "That took some serious guts," Twilight stated, already starting to like this guy's style of ruling as opposed to Celestia's.

The prince laughed. "My father always taught me that you should lead by example. And what knights would follow the order of a king who would not do his job as a leader, even into battle?"

"Fair point."

"Plus, he was a Crystal Knight himself. Yes," he emphasized, seeing the shocked looks of the three. "He was Titano's Crystal Knight. But more on that later.

'As you can imagine, Sombra eventually returned. One year later, he once again tried to take the Kingdom. 

'But this time, he was more than prepared."

"Of course," Flash grumbled. "The bad guys always come back."

"After his first defeat, he had apparently went searching for new power, and an army he could command. And he found it from the most horrible of places; Tartarus."

If it were possible, the jaws of the three would've dropped down into the planet's core. Tartarus was pretty much as close to hell as you could get, full of imprisoned demons and monsters and people who committed the most unspeakable of crimes. It was a place full of evils that were unimaginable. So to hear that this one Crystallix had apparently not only willingly gone in, but had taken control of an army to raze the world with... it was horrifying.

He gave them a moment to process that, before looking at Twilight and asking "You wouldn't happen to know how to cast the Memory Sharing Spell, would you?" Twilight nodded, and he said "Good, because this next bit will be a lot easier to believe if you guys saw it for yourselves. So, if you would please?"

She did so, her Mage Markings glowing before a ribbon of magic extended and linked itself to Prince Diamond, before another ribbon appeared and formed a large holographic screen.

The first thing the screen showed was an army of demons, some of which were huge and looked to be at least thirty stories tall. Among the monsters were a large gathering of black-robed figures with featureless white masks and skeletal hands, holding rusty swords with hilts that looked like they were made of bones. 

Prince Diamond continued his tale. "He brought forth demons the likes of which had never been seen in Arcania in centuries. Drawing power from the depths of Tartarus, he made certain members of his army grow to immense proportions. And all the while, he had a near unlimited supply of his foot soldiers; the Ghouls." 

The memory played out and the three soon saw King Sombra himself; a man who looked to be in the prime of his life, with jet black hair and a sinister grin that stretched from ear to ear. His eyes overflowed with dark magic, his eyes themselves being a sinister dark red while the sclera of his eyes were dark green. He wore a suit of jet black armor, with a blood red cape with a furred collar that flowed in a non-existent breeze. Perched upon his head was a pale gold crown with several dark gems embedded in it. 

And with a wave of his hand, streams of black smoke and large boulders of metallic black crystals appeared, peppering a battlefield and sending the Crystal Soldiers flying.

They then saw the Crystal Guardians in all of their glory fighting against the giant demons, seemingly holding them off but the three quickly noticed that they were taking some pretty serious hits and seemed to be weakening.

"His newfound power made him nearly invincible. And while the Crystal Guardians were able to hold their own against the giant demons, it was clear that they wouldn't be able to hold out forever.

'All seemed lost... until THEY arrived."

The memory changed to show a massive blast of rainbow colored energy teleporting Sombra and his army away, Prince Diamond, his father and the other six Crystal Knights looking in confusion.

A portal then opened, and through it floated six figures in mostly white armor but each one having an individual color as well: one red, one blue, one green, one black, one pink, and one gold. Each one also held a staff that seemed to be overflowing with some type of energy Twilight had never seen before.

"The six of them called themselves the Morphin Masters, the guardians of a powerful energy source that spanned dimensions called the Morphin Grid. The six of them recognized the threat that King Sombra posed, stating that should he conquer Arcania he might decide to go after other worlds as well. They also recognized the valor and courage of the Crystal Knights and the Crystal Guardians, and decided to grant them the power to hopefully defeat King Sombra and keep the Crystal Heart safe."

The memory continued, showing the six Morphin Masters using their staffs to distribute energy to the Crystal Guardians, changing them into the machine-like forms the three saw in their dreams.

"The Crystal Guardians became Guardian Zords-"

The Guardian Zords then shot beams of energy at their chosen Knights, transforming their armor. The suits were all adorned in a single color: red, blue, yellow, green, pink, purple, with the last one being mostly silver but with some gold details. Each Knight also wore a helmet with a black visor, the helmet modeled off their respective Guardian. Each one had their respective sword, the three of them recognizing the red, blue, and yellow swords that were embedded in the crystal in the Command Diamond.

"-while their respective Knights became the first Crystal Knight Power Rangers."

"Power Rangers," Flash asked.

"The Morphin Masters explained that they'd often find evil forces throughout the multiverse, and as you'd expect would find heroes and warriors ready to fight for what was right. They'd empower these heroes with energy from the Morphin Grid, becoming what they called Power Rangers."

As he said that, the memory had the Morphin Masters project images of various teams of these Power Rangers throughout the multiverse. Some used the power of dinosaurs, some used magic, others were more technology based. Names of these teams included Mighty Morphin, Lost Galaxy, Dinothunder, Jungle Fury, RPM, Dino Charge, Ninja Steel, and Beast Morphers.[5] All of them were shown to be capable fighters, and brave warriors with hearts filled with courage.

"With the new powers we fought back, managing to push back and destroy many of the demons. But since they lacked mortal souls, they'd eventually reform in the depths of Tartarus, though the more powerful they were the longer it would take for them to do so. While it certainly played a part in it, King Sombra also had several general monsters that could evenly match the Rangers; his right-hand Insidiroar-"

They saw the image of a giant monster with the face of a lion and the wings of an eagle, clad in dark gold armor with black patches, wielding a large black sword with jagged edges that he sent waves of dark energy from.

"-his main spellcaster and the one responsible for making the monsters grow, Weaver-"

The next one was a spider-like monster with six arms and a magic staff, with a red and black exoskeleton and eight eyes, as well as large red serrated claws on four of his six arms.

"-as well as his greatest spy and infiltration specialist, the shape-shifting Deceptra."

The last one was a woman who looked like a Mage, but her Mage Markings seemed to peel off of her body like they were alive. She also transformed into an insect-like form, one that seemed very familiar to Thorax.

The spell ended, Twilight taking a breath and saying "Sorry, that's about how long I could hold it."

"It's fine. That part was really all I needed that spell for."

'Anyway, the war continued on for a year, neither side making too much progress against the other.

'Then, SHE decided to get involved."

"Who," Twilight asked, though she already had a good idea.

Prince Diamond growled and spat out "Princess Celestia."

Twilight groaned. "Of course."

Flash and Thorax looked at her in surprise. "You're not surprised," Flash asked.

She shook her head. "Let's just say that the pedestal I put her on when I was younger has started to show some serious cracks. I'd go into details but we'd be here all day." She looked at Prince Diamond and said "Sorry. Please continue."

"When Sombra and his army first arrived, we sent out requests for aid from Equestria," he continued on. "My father, King Millenius Diamond, straight up begged her for help. And every time she declined, giving us reasons such as 'I don't wish to bring the horrors of war to my people' and 'we're not warriors.'"

"Not to play devil's advocate here, but she's not entirely wrong," Flash stated. "The Royal Guards are basically just glorified security guards with shiny armor. They're not disciplined enough to be soldiers, many of them haven't seen any sort of combat, and they're widely regarded as a joke in Equestria. Though I have to wonder; were their standards any better back then than they are now?"

Prince Diamond replied "A little" before holding up his forefinger and thumb roughly a centimeter apart. "Not by much though."

"Of course."

"Um, something just occurred to me," Thorax said. "You're talking about this big war and all sorts of damage, and a threat not only to your kingdom but the entire world, as well as frequent requests for aid from Equestria. If all of this has been happening-"

"-why haven't any of you heard about it," Prince Diamond finished for him, earning a nod from the three. "Believe me, I'm getting to it soon. May I?"

"Just one last question. I get that she couldn't supply troops, but why not medical supplies or food. I'm sure you guys could have used plenty of that."

"Oh, we could. But according to her, she didn't want to give King Sombra the idea that Equestria was on our side, lest they incur his wrath. Her words, not mine.

'Anyway, the day and battle that occurred when the Morphin Masters appeared was also when Princess Celestia actually did try to help... by trying to get both sides to come to a peaceful resolution and see if we could compromise."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Twilight grumbled, facepalming.

"That was our reaction. And as you can imagine it went absolutely nowhere since King Sombra wanted world domination at any cost, and all of us at the Crystal Kingdom would rather die on our feet than live on our knees."

"A sentiment I agree with and respect," Flash said, earning him a nod and a smile from Prince Diamond.

'When the Morphin Masters appeared and offered their power, Celestia vehemently opposed the idea. She said that violence could only breed more violence and telling us that there had to be a way to resolve the 'situation' peacefully. As if the war against our kingdom was merely an inconvenience rather than a fight for all of Arcania. Between that, her attempt at peace being little more than a joke and a waste of time, and the fact that she was trying to order my father and I on our own soil (I'm not making that up, trust me.) we politely told her to get lost."

"Bet she didn't take that well," Thorax guessed.

"Oh, she didn't. But it wasn't until a year passed that she actually did something. Though in the process, she screwed us all over.

'She showed up one day outside the kingdom, saying that she found the source of Sombra's power. Apparently there was something in the depths of Tartarus that he was drawing his power from, something that was feeding him dark magic and keeping him strong. As you can imagine, if something were to cut him off from it-"

"-then he'd start losing power," Twilight finished. "Especially if you got him so angry or ticked off that he started using more powerful spells and expending more of his magic. But the only thing I can think of that could cut him off like that is- TELL ME SHE DIDN'T!"

Flash and Thorax were a bit surprised at her sudden outburst of rage (especially since the ends of her hair started to catch fire) but Prince Diamond took her rage in stride. "Yeah, she did."

Twilight pinched the bridge of her nose hard enough that they swore the skin would bruise. "Of all the stupid, moronic, asinine- Grrr!" 

"Uh, not to interrupt your rage against the mentor, Twilight," Flash interjected. "But mind cluing us in?"

Taking a deep breath, she explained "Princess Celestia sealed the Crystal Kingdom in a Time Bubble. While the time outside the bubble would pass like normal, the time inside the bubble would be severely slowed. Theoretically, a few hours in the bubble could be a year or two outside of it." A look of realization dawned on her, and she looked at Prince Diamond and asked "How long has it been in here for you guys compared to out there?"

"Inside, almost a year. Out there, it's been almost 1000 years."

Garnet chimed in from where she was on the monitors and said "Actually, if you want to be pedantic it's been 999 years, 4 months, 3 days, 2 hours, 1 minute on the dot and counting."

"But wait, if you're in a time bubble how did we get into the kingdom," Flash asked. "Also, we're not going to leave the bubble and find out a year has passed, are we?"

Holding up a hand, Prince Diamond replied "In order, I'm getting to that, and no you won't.

'We tried to tell her that thousands of innocent Crystallix would suffer, and that while trapping us in here may cut Sombra off from the source of his power he still had plenty to draw upon. But she justified it as a 'needs of the many' situation, and that sealing us away would keep our fight from spilling out to the rest of Arcania. And then she added, almost smugly, that if King Sombra was still around when the bubble ended in 1000 years she'd deal with him then."

Why do I get a feeling that by 'she' she means me, Twilight mused. 

"We spent the year fighting for our lives, pushing ourselves far beyond our limits. And while we destroyed the majority of his army that was sealed in here with us and sent them back to Tartarus, we sadly had little time to rest and recuperate. Especially with our meager supplies.

'And one by one, the Rangers began to fall." He stopped, a solemn look crossing his face. "Including my father."

An uncomfortable silence fell on the room, before Flash finally put a hand on Prince Diamond's shoulder and said "I lost my dad last year. I know how much it hurts, like a knife right in your heart. My brother and I both felt it. So from the bottom of my heart, you know I mean it when I say I'm sorry."

He gave a small smile, before replying "Thank you."

Once he collected himself, he continued "After he fell, we realized we needed help. Fortunately, the Crystal Heart was able to power the Rainbow Prism Train and allow it to pierce through the Time Bubble, though it did lower our shields for a few moments..." He smiled as they started to put two and two together "...and allowed Volcanion, Fenrir and Kabuto-mushi to find three people with noble hearts and pure souls who they found worthy of their powers, and the mantles."

The three were silent for a second, before Flash said "You want us to become the new Crystal Knight Power Rangers."

Prince Diamond nodded. "Yes."

The trio looked at each other, processing that for a few moments, before looking back at Prince Diamond, clearly unsure of what to say.

Getting tired of the awkwardness, Prince Diamond asks "Did you guys not expect that? You guys had three of the Crystal Guardians contact you in your dreams and asked you to come here to fight a great darkness-"

Flash explained "It's not that. It's just... I think the thing we're all wondering right now is if we're worthy to actually take up these mantles. I mean, the dearly departed rangers were badasses who were trained in... well, being knights. I'm a Royal Guard Academy washout, Twilight's Princess Celestia's apprentice, and Thorax is..."

"A homeless Changeling," Thorax guessed. 

"I didn't wanna be rude, dude."

"It's cool."

"I mean, I took a fencing class and joined a swordplay club when I was younger," Twilight admitted. "But I haven't touched a fencing foil or a prop sword in years. Plus, there's a difference between fencing for sport and sword-fighting in a play or for cosplaying than in actual combat."

Flash nodded. "That is true. Wait, you cosplayed?"

Twilight blushed and admitted "I was a bit of an anime nerd back then."

"Guys?" They all stopped and looked at Prince Diamond as he continued "I understand where you're coming from, I do. But the Crystal Guardians wouldn't have chosen you if they didn't find you worthy of this. And they didn't just hone in on you guys; each one of them scanned everyone across all of Arcania and chose you three. They think, they believe, that all three of you are worthy of being Power Rangers. And truthfully, the three of you might be our only hope. The other four Crystal Guardians are still healing after their last battles, and until that happens they can't choose their own Rangers. If King Sombra gets the Crystal Heart, it'll only be the start of the end of everything. His evil shadow will spread over everything, drowning out all light and dragging everyone down into the depths of despair. The Crystal Knight Power Rangers are the only ones capable of fighting back against him. I don't feel I'm exaggerating when I say that at this moment, the three of you might be this world's only hope."

And then to their shock and surprise, he lowered himself down to his knees and knelt before them. "I know this is a big ask, and it won't be easy. But I ask you, no I BEG of you, please take up the swords. Become the Crystal Knight Power Rangers and help us defeat King Sombra and his army."

Before they could answer the pleading prince, the whole base was rocked as if there was an earthquake, causing them to stumble a bit. Jumping to his feet Prince Diamond asked "Garnet, what was that?!"

Garnet was moving around the consoles, her hands flying across the various buttons and switches. "I hate to say it but our shields were down just long enough for them to start breaking their way in," she yelled. "They're on their way in."

Immediately he drew his sword and turned to the main doors. "How many?"

Pulling a camera feed up, she replied "A squad of Ghouls and- No."

"What's wrong," Flash asked.

Thorax grabbed his head. "Guys, I hate to say it... but I think King Sombra is in the building."

Just as he said that the door was blasted open with a blast of black energy, the energy wave knocking everyone back and to the ground. Flash was thrown against a wall, Twilight sliding along the ground and under a table, and Thorax smashed into a bookshelf. 

All three of them shook the cobwebs out of their heads, just as the enemies arrived.

First came the Ghouls, roughly fifteen of them all with swords drawn. They flanked both sides of the door before saluting with their bone swords...

...and the temperature in the Command Diamond seemed to plummet, as King Sombra casually strolled into the room, a black crystal sword in his right hand.

And while the version of him from Prince Diamond's memory was terrifying, meeting him in person was definitely giving the three of them nightmare fuel.

He slowly looked around the Command Diamond, taking in all that there was to see, before his evil eyes settled on Prince Diamond. 

He then gave an absolutely sadistic grin and said "So... this is where the magic happens? Quaint."



-To Be Continued...-