//------------------------------// // Past Conflicts // Story: Power Rangers: Guardians of Harmony // by Hidden Scorpius XI //------------------------------// ~Past Conflicts~ Two days after the people from Canterlot moved to Ponyville, Princess Luna set in motion a series of projects she discussed with Mayor Scroll in order to turn the little town into the sanctuary that she was envisioning for the kingdom. These plans involved a radical transformation for the village and its surroundings, the first one being the expansion of the town’s territory to a portion of the Whitetail Woods on the east of there. Although people were reluctant at first, soon they agreed that it was a necessary change, since it would mean the construction of new residential complexes for the newcomers from Canterlot. And so, construction began. With the help of the Ponyville’s Landers, the men and women with the deepest connection to earth and plants, some of the nearest trees from the wood were uprooted and replanted further to the south, making sure that the land was appropriate for the species. At the same time, Magicians from both parties began the construction of the new section of town. Many agree that, since the new quarters were going to be exclusively for the Canterlot immigrants, the houses and general layout should remind people the appearance of the former capital, though without the same luxuries. Also, in order to avoid conflicts between the parties, Princess Luna decided to give the old part of the town a small upgrade in terms of street conditions. Sidewalks were erected on the roads of Ponyville and many private residences received a restyling directed by Canterlot’s architects, as well as surveillance from the Royal Guard on both sectors. In the end, the whole Ponyville became a mixture of the two towns that complemented each other with their own differences, creating a whole new scenery. So far, everybody was happy with the changes and exposed with ease the principles that their now sole princess had in mind and heart while orchestrating the town’s reconfiguration. It has been a rapid process, and by the time of two weeks, the town’s change was completely settled. Harmony and joy reined the new capital city of Equestria. Until now. Discord and Chrysalis had thrown another attack to the city, this one led by a Quarry Eel Chaos-ling. It had a rocky hide covering most of its body, except a scaly left leg, a red tail for an arm on its right and a nauseous eel head, with both eyes placed on the front of the flat, fish-like head and its teeth-filled maw opening on the top of it and going down the middle of its face. It was leading a small group of Changelings to wreak havoc on the Canterlot Quarters and collect the fear and despair from the fleeting inhabitants. “Hahaha! Look how they run!” Chuckled the monster while destroying a wall with its sword-like fin and shooting some beams from its rock fist. “It’s almost too easy... Huh?” blonde woman with beige pants and grey shirt was cowering behind a fruit stand while protecting a similar haired girl caught the attention of the Chaos-ling, both noticing that they’ve been spotted. “Jo jo. Ain’t that cute? A mother and her child. Your sadness will be a delicious treat for my queen. Get ’em!” With that command, four changelings jumped from the building next to the stand and down to the helpless victims. Then out of nowhere, a spinning object clad in electricity flew by and stroke the assaulters on its wake, making them disappear in a burst of fire, long before they could reach the woman and the girl. The flying object corrected its course and flew directly to its owner, the Yellow Harmony Ranger, who arrived flying to the scene, catching the Lightning Blades and separating them in one swift motion before landing between the stand and the Chaos-ling, giving the woman enough time to escape flying with her daughter. Soon the other four Rangers arrived from the other side of the street, each one with their Cast-blades on hand. “Ah, Rangers! I was wondering when would you show up?” “Why? Aren’t you happy to see us?” Asked the Green Ranger “Or perhaps you are eager for us to kick you out of town!” shouted the Yellow Ranger in bravado, all the while switching her double swords for her Cast-blade. “I must say that this one looks more horrid than the last one.” “And I’ll be the last one you all will see! ‘Cuz I, Boulder-Fish, am going to end all of you. Changelings!” The rest of the invasion team regrouped and engaged battle with the Rangers. “I’m going after the big fish!” shouted Rainbow Dash as she rushed to the Chaos-ling, only to be blocked by ten Changelings, cutting her way to Boulder-Fish. While the rest fought Chrysalis minions, Applejack made her way through the battalion and to their leader and engaged into a hand-to-fin combat. She threw a series of spinning kicks to her opponent, which it evaded by walking backwards, making space between the two of them. It then jumped a few yards and shot a ball of snot from its open maw, which the Red Ranger promptly avoided leaping to her side, leaving the green goo to splat on the ground. “Ugh! I gotta agree with Rares in this one. You’re pretty nasty!” “Nice words won’t get ya nowhere with me, missy” Inside of Applejack’s helmet, her face contorted into one of pure offense. <> Nevertheless, Applejack reached for her belt and produced the Rodeo Fist in a flash of light, readying the gauntlet to punch the monster into the guts. However after she lunged at Boulder-Fish and delivered a ‘goodby-breakfast’ punch to it, she immediately retreated after seeing that it had done nothing to damage the Chaos-ling, not even a flinch nor a crack on its rock... covered... body. “I am not as easy to break as you though, eh?” commented Boulder-Fish. Meanwhile, Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy managed to dispose the Changelings they were fighting and reunited with Applejack. “Its armor is too hard! Pinkie, you think your Hammer can be of some help?” asked Applejack while turning to the Green Ranger. “Okie Dokie!” cheered Pinkie Pie as she readied her Crashing Hammer. Meanwhile, the Yellow Ranger was still dispatching the Changelings that were hindering her, and her patience was running short. With a flick at the handle of her Cast-blade, so the yellow gem was placed at the top side of the weapon, [Iron Blade] she delivered a single swing that cuted through every enemy around her. After all the small fry fell down, she directed her attention to Boulder-Fish with a determined stance. She leaped from the ground and called up both wings and swords, and ascended a few meters in the air before altering her flight course in direction to the monster, oblivious of its higher defenses. Simultaneously, Pinkie started her race toward the same objective, the Crashing Hammer lingering just behind her, while the other three did their best to keep its attention from their friend. Rainbow let out a war cry, which prompted the Chaos-ling to turn around and take notice of her, as well of the green blur that just leaped on its direction. “Uh-oh!” Almost instantly, Boulder-Fish withdrew its head, tail and leg on its rock shell and buried itself on the ground, leaving nothing but air in the place where both girls were, now inevitably, going to collide. “Whoa!” “Ayayayay!” “Pinkie, Rainbow!” After they crashed with each other, the other three rushed to help them, ignoring the re-emerging Chaos-ling behind them and readying an energy blast. “You are okay?” “Watch it!” Yelled the Pink Ranger, but it was too late. The blast landed right in front of them, sending all the Rangers flying away from the explosion. Each landed with a hard thud and tried to get on their feet while Boulder-Fish laughed at them. “Hahaha! Oh, I’m sorry! I thought that I would fight the Power Rangers, not the Power Losers. Now, if ya excuse me, gotta go to enjoy mah victory. See ya later!” finally said while disappearing in a red flame. After the Chaos-ling was gone, and after checking that there were no civilians anyway near, the Rangers dismissed the ranger form, the suits dissolving in many speckles of light before fading into thin air. Applejack was the first to stand, and helped Fluttershy recover herself. Then she walked to help Pinkie Pie, passing in front of Rainbow Dash completely ignoring her asking for help to get up. “Well, thanks for the help.” Deadpanned the speedster while standing up. “Don’t go trying to make me feel bad, Dash! It’s your fault that monster escaped in the first place.” “My fault?” echoed Rainbow, clearly upset. “If it weren’t for Pinkie...” “You can discuss that later!” snapped Twilight through the ‘Crystal Echo’, the channel through which anyone who is currently in the Crystal Chamber or wearing a Harmonizer can communicate between each other, much like Princess Luna can use her Telepathy to do the same. “Right now we have more important problems. Come back to the Cham... SPIKE! Stop eating the walls!” “Aww, c’mon Twilight, it looks delicious!” Said the bodiless voice of Spike as the connection broke. “Heh, guess it was a bad idea bringing that kid to the Chamber, Huh?” joked Rainbow, but quickly returned to her hard demeanor after noticing the stern glare of Applejack. “We are not over yet.” added the blond woman while walking to a seemingly random door, everyone else following suit. She showed the golden bracelet on her left hand and waited for both the Harmonizer and the door shone once in a golden aura and then she turned the doorknob, opening a portal which they knew would lead them to the chamber. ~~~~~ “They crashed with each other?!” asked Discord at Boulder-Fish, who had just arrived to the throne room to give its reports about the attack to Ponyville, including each detail of its encounter with the Rangers. The master of chaos couldn't keep himself from bursting into a fit of laughs, the image of Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie crashing on the same spot getting the best of him. “Oh, that must have been hilarious!” “Yes, Lord Discord. And I’m certain that anger began to grow on the Yellow one, surely it will affect the rest of them.” “My my. That’s just too rich! Too bad that they’ll be no longer around to... Wait... What did you said?” inquired Discord, only a small trace of concern on his voice. “That the Yellow Ranger was especially angry by their failure, Milord, and that anger will surely be misdirected to the rest of her team, creating an imminent conflict.” “You are saying that you had the opportunity to finish off the Power Rangers...” “And you Let. Them. LIVE?!” bellowed the dark figure sitting on the throne on the far side of the room. The shadowy being had introduced himself as Lord Noctus, but only to give a title to be addressed with, as he eloquently stated. Discord winced at the booming voice of Noctus, stepping away from the scene in case he decided to blast the Chaos-ling, along with him. However, another figure stepped in the scene. Chrysalis had been keeping the distance between her and Lord Noctus through most of the time, and just recently found enough courage to overcome her instincts and stop her new master from going into a rage. “Wait, Milord. I would be happy to let you destroy this incompetent creature as punishment for its mistake. But It had also proved itself useful for our goals.” said the Changeling, while doing her best to not show any sign of fear. Noctus glared at her, making clear his interest. “First, the Rangers could barely make any damage to it, while Boulder-Fish easily overpowered them. Also, if what it said is true, then those pesky girls should be at the verge of conflict. Their disharmony will very easy restore the Chaos magic of Discord, and perhaps we could use it for our advantage.” Noctus remain in silence for a second humming for himself. “Hmm, yes. The Ranger’s strength comes from their unity. Like a house of cards, poke one of the cards and the whole structure comes down, yes.” He sat back on the throne before dedicating a glare to his addressees. “Very well. You’ll continue to stir on the Rangers conflict for our best interest. Also, gather all the anger from them and send it to the nesting chamber. Begone!” Finished with a wave of his black claw, ordering the three beings present to leave. “Brilliant, my dear!” said Discord once they were out of earshot. “Making the best out of a bad situation. I wouldn’t have done it better.” “And you didn’t! That’s why I stepped in front of... that, to save your neck!” responded the Changeling Queen, her body trembling by the fear that just caught up with her from the recent experience. “The good thing is that I had not to come up with a lie to do it.” “You are right Chrysie. I can already feel their fighting and disharmony feeding up my powers. This is certainly a good situation. At least both of us.” “That means I won’t get blown up?” asked the Chaos-ling, who had remained silent for most of the time. His interruption, however, only was met with an angry stare from Chrysalis. “Yes, but only because you are still useful to us. And be sure to not make mistakes the next time, because if the Rangers don’t destroy you, I personally will turn you into dust! Now, leave!” Boulder-Fish flinched at the outburst of his queen and retreated to another hallway of the castle. Discord, on the other hand, lingered beside Chrysalis, though he was also scared by the demonstration. “You are more aggressive than usual, darling. What’s the matter?” Chrysalis turned her fierce green eyes toward Discord, who quickly shrunk on the spot and made appear a full body armor around him. “The ‘matter’ is that this ‘Lord Noctus’ arrives at our lair, threatens us, refuses to reveal his true identity and starts ordering us what to do like if it was his plan all along! I don’t like it.” “Hmm. You are right. I also have my reservations about our new liege.” said Discord while rubbing his neck. “I could only assume that he is waiting to attain victory before deciding he doesn’t need us anymore. Heck, I bet he would freely admit it. That’s why we should have a backup plan.” Chrysalis eyes widened at this claim. “You? A plan?” “Believe me; I’m as surprised as you are.” deadpanned the spirit of chaos while wiping dust from his shoulder. “We’ll simply play along until we discover what his true intentions are and then I’ll set my plan in motion. Oh, I can’t wait to see the look on his face.” “Care to tell me what your plan is?” asked Chrysalis, curiosity and mischief tainting her voice. “Oh Chrysalis. What’s the point of ruining the surprise?” The Crystal Chamber was sealed again after the Rangers first victory against the enemy two weeks ago, but not for that it was rendered inaccessible. The Chamber was actually transported to a pocket dimension by Princess Luna, and created a lock spell so that only those with the permission could enter it. That means that there was no longer a physical entry to the Chamber and that the Princess, Twilight and the Rangers can now create a portal into it using any kind of doorway. After crossing a portal, the user would emerge from one of the crystal walls like the surface of a pond and appear on the camber to attend any briefing and problem that should be discussed there. Right now, four girls and one small dragon-boy were watching in mild surprise the verbal exchange of Rainbow Dash and Applejack about their last battle with the Chaos-ling. The discussion had started very similar to how it began back at the battlefield, but it quickly escalated to a rant between the two women of why they were right and the other was wrong, going from justified reasons, to the most immature of arguments. So far, neither Applejack nor Rainbow seemed to concede on the other’s claims. “Where did you say Princess Luna was?” asked Rarity to the other magician of the group. Twilight turned her attention from the fight to address her friend. “She has been very busy with the Integration project the last two weeks, and she told me there was a very important issue she had to attend later today. She is already on it, but didn’t give me any details. She just told me that it was going to be big.” answered Twilight, with a certain disdain on her voice. Even with the positive changes that the city was experiencing, the people of Equestria was still shocked by the news of Princess Celestia’s death. But the person who was most affected was her former student, the only one apart from Princess Luna who had known Celestia like no one else. And though Twilight continued on with the support from her friends, the princess and many others, she still hadn’t released all her grief. To make matters worse, she was rendered useless to help her friends to fight back the forces of Discord and Chrysalis. “I see.” added Rarity, dismissing her friend tone for the sake of her well being. The last thing anyone wanted is to further upset her. “Well, if it is important... I guess it doesn’t matter that she is not around for now... but I hope she returns soon.” whispered Fluttershy from her spot. “Yeah! She’d have already stopped those two!” added Pinkie Pie, returning everyone’s attention to the discussion. “If you haven’t noticed yet, I was a little busy fighting a horde of Changelings! How was I supposed to know that it can travel through the ground?!” stated Rainbow. “You couldn’t, and that’s my point! You can’t go there jumping to action and hope the best result! You need a plan, and that’s what we had before you messed all things up!” Rainbow’s narrowed her eyes at the accusing claim. “You are still saying it is my fault? Well, who was the one who forgot to tell me about the plan in the first place? Oh that’s right, it was you!” “I ain’t putting the fault to anybody! I’m just saying that thing would’ve come better if you just had thought of the rest of us instead of yourself.” finished Applejack, hoping to finally end this fight, but soon realizing her mistake. Rainbow Dash looked like she had been slapped in the face. The last statement of Applejack could be interpreted in many ways, but Rainbow’s bad mood made her understand it in the wrong one. “What are you trying to say?” asked with a dangerous glare, her anger growing suddenly. “Rainbow, sorry, I meant...” “What?! That I’m not a good team player? Or maybe you are saying that I’m selfish?” “Rainbow! That’s not what she meant.” interrupted Twilight. “How could you even think that I don’t care about my friends?! Well, let me tell you something, AJ: You. Are. Wrong!!” “STOP!” yelled Fluttershy at the top of her lungs, snapping Rainbow out of her trance-like rampage. She now took notice of two things: she was hovering in the air over Applejack, who was now on the floor. She realized then that she had pushed Applejack and that was the reason why Fluttershy had screamed. Applejack was more surprised than angry, though she hesitated when Rainbow gave a reluctant hand to help her to get up. “Look, Dash. Ah didn't meant any of what yah said.” she started to apologize, but stopped after noticing a familiar look on Rainbow’s face, one that she’d only seen once in her life. “You know what? Forget it. I just... agh. I need some time.” stated the speedster while turning to one of the walls of the chamber and opened a portal, disappearing through it, leaving the other five girls and the dragon boy in shock. “Wow, what just happened?” asked Spike, breaking the silence on the chamber. “I don’t know. She’s never been so...aggressive. What was all that about?” added Twilight. “Think nothing of it.” cuted Applejack, turning away from the group. “Excuse me, dear. But what Rainbow did was very unnerving. How can you tell us to think nothing of it?” “‘Cuz I already know what’s the matter with her, Rarity.” Snapped Applejack back at the purple haired woman, her own face contorted in a frown. “It was something that happened a long time ago and I reckon she is very sensitive about it, mostly ‘cause my fault, so I promised not to talk about it ever. I’m the one who should be apologizing, not her.” Twilight was surprised by this revelation. <> She started to fly harder at the realization. She became even angrier because of it. <> It was too much now, flying wasn’t enough to handle it. Quickly, Rainbow looked for something to which she could unload her anger. She found a solitary cloud floating on the rim of the Everfree Forest. Flyers like her had the innate ability to manipulate and interact with weather constructs like clouds; she could stand on it, use it as a bed or even as the cement for a house made of clouds. Right now, all she needed a punching bag. She started to viciously punch the little cumulus, discharging all her resentment against it with the full knowledge that no one would be affected by her anger. Rainbow continued to assault the cloud; punching and kicking harder and harder with each hit, feeling the rush of adrenaline wear off, along with the rage. She ended feeling very weary, but also calmer, it was then that she felt something warm on her face. Rainbow reached with a hand and was surprised to find a fresh stream of tears on her cheeks. <> “Darn it!”. Frustrated for having let herself show such vulnerability, she proposed a last blow on the cloud, which was too mangled to get another punch and promptly emptied all of its water at once. Rainbow wiped her tears after that, but her heart skipped a beat at the sound of a surprised gasp many feet beneath her position. She slowly looked down to confirm her fears; on the road right below the empty cloud formed a small puddle of rainwater and in the middle of it was standing a dripping figure. Rainbow quickly descended to the ground to take a better look at the poor person she so unceremoniously made rain over. Taking a closer look revealed that the person was a tall and athletic woman, of a very dark tone of skin, white and black hair that was cut short on the sides and slightly longer on the top and back of her head. She was wearing a white robe with dark grey marks over it, along with a lot of jewelry, mostly golden rings on her neck and her left arm. She also had a stone necklace depicting a coiling line, with seven triangles framing the spiral, reminding her of sunrays. She was currently checking on her bag to make sure that none of the items inside were too damaged before turning her wistful, blue eyes toward Rainbow, who wore in this instant the most apologetic face she could manage at the moment. “Oh My Gosh! Zecora, I’m sorry!” said Rainbow after recognizing the zebra-turned-human that made her home on the Everfree Forest. The memory showed her and the others standing in the middle of a patch of blue flowers and directing harsh words to the same woman, her image shifting into that of a striped equine inside Rainbow’s mind. “I’m really sorry! I didn’t know you were there, it was an accident!” Her voice broke a little when she spoke that word. “I know! Let me help you dry yourself. Though, I hope you don’t mind a messy hair.” Zecora however, dismissed her apology with a calm expression. “It is not your blame for this sudden downpour, mine is the fault for having chosen poor. I’ve thought of you fighting that cloud as weather training, and continued my path oblivious that it would result in raining.” She continued her speech as she drew a small bottle and opened it, a purple steam coming out from its mouth. “As for my soggy state you worry none, because this brew will have the work done.” Before Rainbow could ask what Zecora just said, the steam from the vial directed itself around her, covering her in a purple mist. The brew seemed to be attracted to the water droplets all over Zecora, which started to evaporate at the contact with the stream. Soon enough the rosy mist dissipated in the air and the potion maker was completely dry, who was currently taking note on the amazed look on Rainbow Dash and couldn’t help but chuckle a little. “See Rainbow Dash? The problem has been solved, without too many hands getting involved.” said in an amused tone before returning to her calm demeanor. “Yeah, I guess you're right. That magic-potion thing was pretty cool. But still...” said Rainbow Dash while rubbing her head. “It was my fault that you got washed over. I would like to repay you for that. You just name it.” Finished, recovering a little of her bravado in her voice. Zecora stood for a moment pondering the offer, but finally nodded as she spoke. “Perhaps what you are saying can be true. Come to my hut to see what help can you do.” Then, she led Rainbow into the forest that nobody in his right mind would think of enter. Unless you were exploring it with its sole resident. “There you go: Two mangoes with papaya, one without sugar; Three orange-apples; and a double banana, grapefruit and jalapeño with extra sugar.” Announced Healthy Mix, a man that though he was in his golden years, had the energy and enthusiasm of a young adult, and his appearance told just as much: well combed silver hair, tanned skin, perfectly groomed beard, and an elegant, yet informal blue shirt with a white apron with a few stains of juice. He was currently delivering the first order of the day from six new clients that just arrived to his juice bar, though he already knew the girl he was attending. “Thanks, Mr. Mix!” chirped Pinkie Pie after retrieving the plate with the six smoothies and taking a sip from the one with jalapeño, taking in delight the combination of sweet and spicy flavors. “How much will it be?” asked while searching for some bits. “It runs for the house, Miss Pie. Think of it as a repayment for helping me last week.” “Oh please, it was nothing.” dismissed Pinkie, while secretly accepting with pleasure the thanks from the store owner. “I insist!” stated Mr. Mix again; making clear that he was firm with his gift. “Okay then. Thanks again!” ended Pinkie Pie, taking the plate to the table where the rest were waiting for her. She then distributed the juices: the apple-oranges to Applejack, Twilight and Spike and the mango-papayas to Rarity and Fluttershy, who each took a sip from the straw, winced, and promptly exchanged their glasses to get their respective order. “Whoops! Sorry about that.” added sheepishly after taking their reaction. “It’s quite alright, Pinkie. Besides, you are the one who showed this lovely local to come and visit.” said Rarity. “Eeyup, the place is pretty fancy, but homey all the same.” added Applejack while checking the place with a critical gaze, confirming once again that her description of the local is accurate. “Nothing of what I really expected coming from Canterlot.” “You right, Applejack. Actually, Ponyville remembers me to home right now.” started Twilight. “You know, where I used to live before moving to the castle, it was much different from the higher quarters.” said as a nostalgic smile crossed her face while looking at the new scenery of the town. Suddenly, her eyes bulged in panicked surprise as she realized something. “Oh my gosh! I haven’t seen my parents since the renovation begun! They must have waited for me to visit the whole time!” “Aw, don’t worry Twilight.” started Spike. “You were busy the whole time with the renovation and that. It’s not like they’ll be mad at you for having completely forgot about them.” finished his effort to cheer up Twilight, which ultimately failed since she planted her face on the table, unable to handle her guilt. Applejack, after swatting Spike with her hat, tried to comfort Twilight. “C’mon, Twi. It could be worse!” Twilight raised her face a little. “How?” “You could have forgotten that until they appeared at your house.” Twilight watched the scene in her head and couldn’t help but to giggle a little. Definitely, her parents coming to the library looking for her after say: a month was far worse than her visiting after two weeks, and she was sure that her reaction in that case would have been very funny. “Hehe, guess you're right Applejack. That would be worse.” “See? And Spike too is kinda right. Now that the renovation thing is over, you have more time on your hands to visit your parents. You aren’t being selfish or something.” Suddenly, Applejack face went from comforting to guilty in a blink of an eye, certain memory resurging a second time that day. “Applejack?” asked Fluttershy, noticing the cowgirl’s reaction, which in turn snapped Applejack from her stupor. “Huh? What’s it sugarcube?” asked AJ, oblivious of her former expression. “Applejack, dear.” started Rarity. “Please don’t play dumb with us. It is obvious that what happened in the morning is upsetting you. Would you like to tell us what exactly happened between the two of you?” “Nuh uh!” cuted Pinkie Pie. “It is a secret between the two of them! They promised to each other not to talk about it ever, ever again! Not to any. Single. Soul!” stated the party-girl, leaning closer to Rarity with each word. “Actually, Pinkie.” interrupted Applejack. “We’ve never promised not to talk about it. I’ve decided by myself not to mention it again so Rainbow would no longer be mad for it. Hehe, guess I always find a way to bring that up again.” said while directing a knowing smile to herself. “AJ, you should really talk about it.” said Twilight, while avoiding the accusing glare from Pinkie. “It is okay to try and forget about past problems, but not when those problems haven’t been solved, otherwise they’ll just get bigger and worse.” Pinkie stopped throwing knives at Twilight as realization struck. “She’s right Applejack, and you should also tell us about the secret thing that happened between you and Rainbow.” All the girls and Spike dropped their jaws at this statement. “It’s not like I want to know! But Applejack will go nuts if she keeps keeping the secret like that! Like when Twilight did the time when Fluttershy was a model!” Fluttershy shrunk on her seat while Pinkie snorted a little. “You should have seen her. She stuck her head on a potted plant!” Now it was Twilight who shrunk in embarrassment. Applejack however, was contemplating what Pinkie told to her, finally coming to a decision. “Okay, in a nutshell: I asked Rainbow to help me, something went wrong and I blamed her for that.” stammered Applejack to her listeners without more hesitation, releasing a heavy sight after it. “Whew. I really needed get that off from my chest.” “Yeaah. AJ, we still don’t know what happened.” said Twilight, barely making any firm statement from that confession. “And you won’t be hearing any more of it until I get to solve things with Dash. It’s the least I can do.” At that moment, a chiming sound came from the four Harmonizers at the same time, alerting all the girls. They all left the juice bar and went to a more secluded area so they could open the Crystal Echo without drawing attention. Applejack brought her bracelet near her face and touched the sun symbol on it. Soon enough, the voice of Princess Luna came from the metallic artifact. “Rangers.” “We’re listening, Luna.” “Another attack is coming to the city. Come to the Crystal Chamber at once.” Then, Twilight reached for a door and summoned her wand to cast the portal spell on it. Soon, all the six of them disappeared through the silvery surface of the gateway only to reappear inside the Chamber. Princess Luna however, was nowhere to be found inside the room. “Luna?” asked Twilight after noticing the still empty Chamber. “I’m sorry for my absence, I’m still attending to other businesses. Now, I need you to watch the Fire of Friendship.” said the bodiless voice of the Night Princess. Soon all the girls gathered around the flame. “Is it Boulder-Fish again?” “Yes Fluttershy.” answered Luna, the image of the Chaos-ling appearing in the middle of the Fire. “It is leading another destruction team to the old quarters. At this rate Discord’s powers will recover in no time. You must go and hinder his recovery. Wait. Where’s Rainbow Dash?” Applejack looked down for a second before answering. “She’s kinda upset right now. It’s my fault Luna, I...” “We’ll worry about it later, Applejack” interrupted Twilight. “Right now all of you have to go and stop Boulder-Fish. Me and Spike will try to communicate with Rainbow while you fend off the invasion.” “I will try and get to the Chamber as fast as I can. This fight might be more difficult that the previous one, so be on your guard.” Applejack hesitated for a second before nodding. “Okay Twi. Also, try to look something on the Book of Zordon that could be helpful.” “Got it!” said Twilight as she called her magic to draw the Book from a table nearby. “Alright. Ready Girls?” “Ready!” The four Rangers lined up and did their respective movements to enter the Ranger Form. “Kind Spirit. Power Up!” “Happy Spirit. Power Up!” “Gentle Spirit. Power Up!” “Honest Spirit. Power Up!” After morphing, the four Rangers took off to the opening in the ceiling and crossed another portal that led them to an area above the Everfree Forest in a flash, from where they turned to Ponyville while leaving Twilight and Spike to try and contact Rainbow Dash. ~~~~~ After a short, but tricky walk, Rainbow and Zecora arrived at the latter's hut: a small house built beneath the lifted roots of an old tree, with many masks and traditional items from Zecora’s home. Once inside, Zecora put her bag on a table and started to sort off its contents, producing bottle after bottle filled with blue liquids and many other sticky substances. “Please bring these to the shelf over there, and not to drop one you should care.” said the hermit to Rainbow Dash, motioning to the vials and glasses as she deposited them on the table. Rainbow did as asked, transporting the bottles of valuable contents with extreme caution and putting them on the shelf as she was told, but unconsciously organizing each potion in color order. After dropping the last lot on its place, Rainbow returned to the main room to ask if there was another errand she could help with, but only found Zecora sitting on the table, her deep blue eyes locked on Dash as she motioned her hand to a chair across of her. “Um. Is there something you wanna talk about?” asked Rainbow while taking a seat. “It is true the need of a conversation is in order, but it is not me who has a problem that bothers. As hard to hide it you might be trying, you cannot hide that your heart has been crying.” Rainbow’s eyes turned into plates in that moment. “What? What are you saying Zecora? I’m Rainbow Dash. I never... cry...” She stopped her justification under the knowing gaze of the potion maker and finally looked away in defeat. “How did you notice?” Zecora simply raised the small bottle with the “drying goo” from before, tapping the glass with one finger. “This can evaporate every liquid that is near, that includes water, sweat ...and tears.” said Zecora, looking intently into the rosy eyes of Rainbow, who was now regretting having assisted Everfree’s sole resident. “I know Rainbow Dash as brave and strong, who never breaks when things go wrong. Not like a failed stunt is what stirs your anger since the chance of failure is always a danger, but something that comes from the heart is what really makes it so hard?” Rainbow started to sweat; she needed to come up with an excuse to escape from this situation. “Er... I would really like to tell you, but I need to... report to the weather patrol!” said Rainbow, only gaining a flat look from Zecora. “Get into my flight practice.” She continued to stare at her with the resilience of a rock. “Read the new Daring Do book!” Nothing. “Clean my cloud-house?” Nope. “Feed Tank?” Cold as ice. “Is this some kind of mental, shaman-voodoo trick? Because it’s working.” said Rainbow, finally giving up on trying to evade the incoming talk, the last idea she could come up with was that she needed to save the world. She looked to the door once before turning to Zecora. “I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone, not even my friends.” Zecora just nodded and invited Rainbow to proceed. She took a deep breath before starting. “I was helping my friends with something. I kind of rushed a little bit and things didn’t end well for us. Applejack was pissed and we both discussed, but I ended up pushing her to the floor.” She was waiting for Zecora to say something in that part, but she remained silent. “She said that I don’t think about others, and I flipped. How can she say that? I mean, I didn’t do it on purpose, I didn’t want to hurt anyone, what happened was an accident!” She stammered again, closing both fists in an effort to contain her desire to cry a second time. “Hmm, I still don’t understand why you are so sore”. Asked Zecora. “Tell me, about this conflict is something more?” Rainbow winced at the question, she really didn’t want to think about that and less talk about it, but Zecora wasn’t showing any signs of giving up. She looked to the ground, gathering some more courage in order to face that memory. “When I was little, right after I dropped from Flight School, besides Fluttershy, AJ was my only friend here in Ponyville. We were the best friends and did everything together; I even helped in Sweet Apple Acres back then. “One day I got tickets for a Wonderbolts’ show I wanted to go, but I had promised Applejack to help in the farm the same day. I wanted to help with the apple bucking, but I also wanted to go to the show, so I tried to speed things up with a tornado.” She winced after seeing the surprised face of Zecora. “Yeah, I know it was a stupid idea, but I was a fi... a girl back then, so I thought it was a great idea. Applejack told me not to do it, but I had my mind set and so… I made the tornado. “It worked at first and it picked up all the apples in almost ten seconds, but when I stopped the tornado all the apples went flying in all directions.” Rainbow’s eyes started to water and her voice turned muffled. “And one of them hitted Applebloom in the face. “I rushed to her, see if I could do something, but before I reached her AJ tackled me and soon both started to fight. I didn’t know why she did that, I was too angry to think about it, not to mention that I was trying not to get beaten up. It wasn’t until her brother divided us that she...” The dam broke. Rainbow started to cry heavily when the full memory resurged in her mind. ***** Both she and Applejack were rolling on the grass while trying to punch each other. At the same time, the pained wail of a baby Applebloom was filling the air of the farm as the two girls struggled with each other. “What in tarnation is going on!?” shouted Big Macintosh as he got both of the girls from the floor and broke up the fight. “I hate you!” Yelled Applejack, her face full of tears. “I hate you! I told you not to, but you did it anyway. You hurt my baby sister. You only think on yourself! You selfish idiot!” She continued to cry at the same time she tried to steal a punch from Rainbow, but she didn’t try to fight back, her anger was replaced with utter confusion and a strange mix of guilt and sadness. She remained in that state during the travel to the clinic, during the examination and when her parents came back to pick her up. Of course she would miss the show now, whether there’s still time or not, but she didn’t wanted to go anymore. She listened intently when both her own mother and Granny Smith scolded both of them, the only thing she was able to say being “I’m sorry”. After they were left alone, Rainbow tried to apologize with Applejack for all that happened, but she only turned away from her, ignoring all her pleas and apologies. The only time Applejack turned to look at her; she shot Rainbow with a venomous glare and then walked away from her. When she returned to her home, she went to her room and cried the whole night. ***** “We didn’t see or speak with each other for-like-a year after that.” ended Rainbow Dash, tears running freely down her face. There was a long silence in the room, only interrupted by the sound of a random bird singing on the forest outside. Finally, Zecora leaned forward and offered Rainbow piece of fabric to wipe her tears while she spoke. “Scratches and bruises are nothing for a demon of speed, but the scars made by harsh words are certainly more deep. I cannot imagine how you must resent that day; Applejack’s anger must have been the other way.” “What?” started Rainbow, looking up from the table. “No! I mean, we were both kids. She didn’t know better what she was doing than I did. I don’t blame her for the fight but... I still can’t believe today she called me selfish again.” said while crossing her arms on her chest and looking away once again. “Very outrageous this is indeed, to bring forth such a subject. Why would Applejack repeat that claim without another object?” Rainbow furrowed her eyebrows and looked again at Zecora, placing both hands on the table. “Now wait, she only said that today because it fitted to the situation, not to remember me of what happened back then! Actually...” Rainbow paused as realization struck. “She was apologizing to me for that.” She looked at Zecora, who was giving her a knowing smile. “You said that none of you spoke to the other for a year, then what happened so that you two wanted again to be near?” Rainbow found herself returning the smile to Zecora, at the same time she remembered what happened the day after that year. “A year after the incident, I bumped with Applejack in the street. I didn’t want to fight so I tried to apologize again, but she just smiled after seeing me and invited me to play at the farm.” She snickered while imagining what her own face must have looked like. “I was surprised she didn’t say anything about the incident, and less that she wanted us to be friends again. I didn’t care and just rolled with it.” “I’ve heard all you just said, and now I’m completely confused.” started the potion maker, playfully scratching the top of her head. “That angry at your friend again is what I’ve assumed. But it seem that this rage has no real fundament, so why bothering on forgotten statements?” Rainbow’s smile grew bigger as a small snicker escaped her mouth. “You’re right Zecora, I shouldn’t feel bad for what happened back then if Applejack is willing to forget about it. I mean, friends can always forgive each other, no matter what happens.” Zecora nodded as she spoke in a reassuring tone. “What you speak is the truth, better said I could not do.” Rainbow was going to add another thing, but a chiming sound distracted her, and before she could say anything, Zecora cuted in. “Now, your work here is now done. There is something that I need to do alone. You can freely go home.” Rainbow nodded, got up from her seat and walked to the door, but before leaving the hut she turned around to address Zecora one last time. “Thanks for the talk.” she then exited the door and soon flew through the forest canopy and into the air. She brought her Harmonizer near her face and answered the call she received seconds ago. “I’m listening.” “Rainbow? Thank goodness I found you!” Said Twilight through the Echo. “Boulder-Fish is the old quarters! The others are already there.” “Okay Twi. I’m on my way!” With that she directed herself to the general direction of Ponyville and disappeared in a blur of speed. ~~~~~ In the small hut located in the forest, Zecora was taking more items from her bag, finally bringing out a small box with runic symbols embedded all over it. “I hope she didn’t give you a hard time, Zecora.” She turned around, a little surprised by the sudden appearance of Princess Luna, who was seated in the same chair Rainbow was moments before. “It was not problem at all, Princess of the moon. Though I’m only sorry that I could not attend you more soon. But now we can proceed without a hitch...” She paused after noticing a small yellow glow escaping the box’s grove, near one of its corners. “And I can tell very eager are each.” “They are already responding? That’s amazing, after all this years.” commented Luna with eyes full of wonder at the wooden box. “These ancients can hardly forget their masters, the passing of eons makes no matter. I hope that in this request you are right, that they will need the Guardians’ might” “Believe me, ‘better be safe than sorry’. The Rangers might need their help in any moment.” In that moment, the four Rangers would welcome any help. After intercepting the Chaos-ling on the outskirts of town, Applejack tried to pull out her plan of distracting the monster while Pinkie sneaked behind it to blow him with the Crashing Hammer. The tactic worked this time, except that it didn’t. Boulder-Fish’s rock armor didn’t suffer a scratch, and he easily knocked the Green Ranger a few yards with its giant fist. Next, Rarity and Fluttershy improvised a combined attack; the former would slash him with her Spear in a swift swing freezing it instantly while Fluttershy shot a flurry of light arrows at him. That only managed to anger Boulder Fish, who quickly shot two beams from it finned arm at both girls, sending them flying toward Pinkie Pie, who was just recovering from the last assault. “Aw, C’mon!” yelled Pinkie before the Pink and Blue Ranger fell on her. Soon, the three Rangers were standing up again as Applejack joined. “Not this again.” “How in heavens are we gonna defeat his brute?” “Don’t know Rarity. It has to have a weak spot!” said Applejack. “How you doing over there?” shouted Boulder Fish. “Ready to give up?” “Never!” answered Applejack. “That’s not what I wanted to hear! Oh well, guess I’ll have to use my new little trick to change up your mind.” Said the Chaos-ling at the same time he withdrew his non protected limbs and started to spin at high speed and sliding to their position all the same. Its body had become a deadly screwdriver and it hitted all the girls several times, dealing a lot of damage to them. /\/\/\ “Ha ha! Look at how he beats them up.” cheered Discord while watching the battle on an old movie projector in the throne room, which was funnily being projected from the head of a Changeling soldier. “Where is your magic of friendship now?” Chrysalis stepped besides the Master of Chaos to better enjoy the fight, an unfitting giggle escaping her lips. “Indeed they are nothing compared to our true power. Soon the Power Rangers will be no more.” “Yes.” hissed Noctus from his throne. “With those four out of the way, the Yellow one will have no chance. Victory will soon be mine, provided no one messes up this time.” Discord stepped toward Noctus waving his armored hand. “You don’t have to worry this time, Milord.” Then turned away and muttered for himself as he resumed watching the show. “Not yet.” \/\/\/ The girls fell to the ground and loosed their transformation at the same time, leaving them defenseless as the eel Chaos-ling chuckled for himself. “He he, this have been a lot of fun, Rangers. Unfortunately for you, I have orders to finish you off when I have the chance. But I won’t take all the fun away from my siblings.” said as a swarm of Changelings appeared in a burst of fire. Pinkie watched in horror as she gulped. “I-I don’t like where this is going.” “Me neither!” squealed Fluttershy besides her, shaking in utmost terror. “Destroy them!” bellowed Boulder Fish, followed by six Changelings rushing to the girls. “Whew! That’s what he... Wait!” realized Pinkie at the same time the insect minions lunged over them. Suddenly, the air shifted and the six Changelings were knocked back by six simultaneous kicks to their chest by a blurry figure. After the monsters were disposed, the six afterimages joined in one and turned into Rainbow Dash, who helped each of her friends to stand up. /\/\/\ “What? Where did she come from?” asked an astonished Discord. Lord Noctus growled behind him. “No! You said she would not interfere! You two better not fail me again.” “This fight is not over yet, M-milord.” stuttered Chrysalis under Noctus glare. “They still cannot damage Boulder Fish. We can still win.” “You better hope! Or I’ll take matters in my own claws!” \/\/\/ “Where did you come from?” Asked Boulder Fish, but he went unanswered while the five girls had their encounter. Rainbow finished lifting up Applejack, who looked at her with an apologetic smile. “Thanks Dash. Look I...” “Yeah yeah, I’m also happy to see me here. What about talk later, save Equestria now?” cuted Rainbow while turning to face the swarm of enemies. “We’ve got a plan or what?” “We already tried everything we could, Rainbow.” said Rarity. “None of our weapons could even make him tickles.” “Oh. So we’re pretty much doomed!” sarcastically said Rainbow. Meanwhile, Applejack was opening the Crystal Echo. “Twi. Any luck with the Book?” “Actually: Yes...” /\/\/\ Twilight was holding the Book of Zordon on a page that depicted an intricate chart of crossed entries. On the horizontal entries were images of the Rangers’ symbols and the color of each Ranger on the vertical ones. On the squares where the symbol corresponded with the color were their respective weapon, while the rest of the crosses were currently blank. “... The book says that you can exchange your weapons between all of you to unlock new power.” “What kind of power?” Asked Rainbow through the Echo. “I don’t know.” answered Twilight. “Guess there’s only one way to find out” \/\/\/ “Got it!” said Applejack, readying herself along with the other girls. “What do you say if we give it another call?” “I’m with you!” said Rainbow. “Ready?” “Ready! Harmony Spirits. Power Up!” The Changelings and Boulder Fish watched in surprise as the Rangers reappeared before them. “No! How’s that possible?” “Gentle as a breeze, Pink Harmony Ranger!” “Firm as a rock, Green Harmony Ranger!” “Pure as a diamond, Blue Harmony Ranger!” “Fast as a storm, Yellow Harmony Ranger!” “Strong as a fire, Red Harmony Ranger! Protectors of the Balance. Power Rangers!” The five Rangers did their respective pose as they shouted as one. “Guardians of Harmony!” “That’s not fair! I almost have them! Changelings, destroy them!” Shouted Boulder Fish as he and the Changeling army charged at the girls. “Alright team; let’s try this Weapon-Swap thing.” said Applejack, bringing forth the Rodeo Fist. The other four girls did the same and all five Rangers thrown each weapon to the air, where they all turned into light and flew straight to another Ranger. The Blue, Red and Yellow lights went to Rainbow, Rarity and Applejack respectively while the Pink and Green ones traded owners. When they all catched the wisps of light, they turned into a red broadsword, two yellow tiger-claws, a blue mace, a green blaster and… a pink whirling top? “Magma Sword!” “Silver Claws!” “Tundra Mace!” “Big-Bang Cannon!” “Hurricane Spinner!” They met the incoming attackers wielding their new weapons. Rarity swung her Mace at one Changeling, which made him stumble backwards before she delivered another strike at it. Several Changelings neared to her from the back, but in a single motion battered all of them with the heavy head of the Tundra Mace. “Alright, you are quite helpful. Let’s see what else you can do.” muttered the Blue Ranger to her weapon before spinning the Mace around her and rushing at a group of enemies, the blunt weapon striking them from every angle and making them fall on her wake. Once she crossed the crowd, Rarity struck a victorious pose as she turned to contemplate the finished work. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie was currently running from a horde of enemies, evading beans as she rushed to a nearby rock with the group of Changelings close behind. She turned around one side of the rock, while the Changelings stepped on both sides of it in order to trap… nothing. “Yoohoo!” came a mellow voice from behind another rock and the Changelings watched dumbfounded as the Green Ranger appeared from behind the rock with the Big-Bang Cannon in hand. “Say hello to my little friend!” said Pinkie before shooting a barrage of beams that hitted every one of the Changelings. Enjoying her victory, Pinkie didn’t notice the three enemies that were aiming at her. However [Quake Blast], the Changelings lost their sight when a blue explosion appeared from the floor before them, instantly alerting Pinkie from them. “Would you like my assistance?” asked Rarity while drawing her Cast-Blade from the ground and readying the Mace again. “Sure. I own you one.” added Pinkie while preparing her Cannon. At the same time Rarity kneeled and putted the staff of the Mace on her shoulder with the head pointing at the Changelings she had just knocked out, energy gathering around each weapon before shooting a red and pink blast at the Changelings, making them disappear in a great explosion while they both turned away from it. “How does this thing work!?” Yelled Fluttershy, trying to decipher the Spinner while evading the attacks that were thrown at her, managing to block many of them with the top-like weapon using both hands, but so far she hadn’t been able to take any of the foes. One of the Changelings hit her particularly hard, making Fluttershy drop the Spinner to the ground, where it swayed for a second before starting to spin with a high pitched sound. Fluttershy however didn’t noticed until after she was thrown away with another attack of the Changeling, there she saw the weapon spinning in one place between the Changelings, one of which kicked the Spinner out of curiosity, prompting the weapon to shoot itself to the first Changeling, making it trip as the Spinner continued its trip before stopping in front of the Pink Ranger. “Oh, so that’s how it works.” said before taking again the green top and throwing it to the rest of the foes, immediately starting to spin when it touched the ground and ricocheted to the Changelings, hitting each and every single one of them, before hurling back to its owner. Boulder Fish fought both the Yellow and Red Rangers, who tagged along to defeat the Chaos-ling with their new weapons. Applejack and Rainbow leaped to the air raising the Sword and one Claw over their heads to slash Boulder Fish, who fended the attack with its rock fist and struck both Rangers with its sharpened fin, sending the two girls stumbling back several feet before they could recover from the attack. “He he he! Seems that your new toys are still no rival for me!” laughed Boulder Fish. “Are you kidding? This guy is way too though!” “I know Rainbow! We need to think on something, fast!” shouted Applejack over the battle. “Fast.” Repeated to herself as an idea bloomed on her head. Rainbow turned to look at her friend, her voice gaining a complicit tone. “You think the same as I think?” “You betcha!” Said Applejack as both of them jumped from the ground and called their wings, ascending to the sky until the Chaos-ling was many meters beneath them. “What? Nobody told me you could fly!” yelled the monster at the two airborne opponents. Back at the Castle, Discord drove his palm though his face. “You think you can handle it?” joked Rainbow to Applejack. “I can do it alone if you don’t mind.” “Keep dreaming.” said Applejack before both girls dived in direction of Boulder Fish at high speed, readying their weapons. They swooped at him several times, each slash managed to cut off some chunks of his rock body and weakening him. “Aahh! This is no good! I gotta go gather more rocks!” stammered Boulder Fish before withdrawing himself again and burrowing to the ground. “He’s escaping!” shouted Rainbow after ascending again. “Not if we can help it!” said Applejack and without a warning grabbed Rainbow by her shoulder and thrown her like a hammer in direction of the shifting soil. Rainbow recovered from her surprise and started to spin like a corkscrew while pointing the Silver Claws towards. She disappeared through the hole and seconds later Boulder Fish got expelled from it with Rainbow following him in the air, spinning again with the claws extended to her sides and furiously slashing through more of his hide, only for the Red Ranger to deliver a downward slash with the Magma Sword, taking the rest of the armor at once in a fiery explosion, revealing its weak and scaled body. Boulder Fish fell to the ground at the same time the Red and Yellow Rangers landed. “What was the big idea throwing me like that?!” yelled Rainbow while the rest joined after eliminating the rest of the invasion. “You had luck I catched the gist at the last second! What were you thinking?” “I was thinking on a more direct approach. You would have done the same.” “Yeah, but... my point is... that’s not...” tried Rainbow to say many times before giving up and shoving a playful punch to Applejack. “Warn me next time.” “Agh! You still haven’t won! I can still beat you all!” bellowed the Chaos-ling, holding a scaly hand against its chest. “I’m sorry to say this, but he is right girls.” Commented Rarity as they all turned to Boulder Fish. “That’s right. Let's finish this!” Said Applejack as she thrown the Magma Sword to the air, the others doing the same. After that, all the weapons returned to their original form and then combined into the Ultima Sword, which the Red Ranger jumped in over to catch before landing between the rest of the team. “Would you like to do the honors?” offered to Rainbow. “Oh yeah!” answered the Yellow Ranger before taking the weapon and switching places with Applejack. “Alright, Ultima Sword!” “No, wait!” “Final Slash!” The crescent beam shot past Boulder Fish, striking it in the middle of it as sparks and energy escaped its body before falling to the ground and releasing a big explosion. The Rangers turned away, each holding their own weapon as another blast produced behind them. /\/\/\ In Canterlot Castle, Discord was slowly turning to it back after Boulder Fish was turned into nothing to see Lord Noctus starting to emit a dark aura from its shadowy body. “Now, Master. I know you must be furious at this, but let’s try to be rational here...” “Silence! This battle is not over!” snarled Noctus before standing from his throne and unleashing a mighty roar as red lightning escaped from its hands. \/\/\/ Back at the battlefield, the Rangers jumped after hearing a beastly roar. There, they beheld as the skies darkened briefly and two red eyes shot lightning bolts where a second ago stood the defeated Chaos-ling, only for it to reappear again and swelling in size with each magical blast. Soon, they were facing a regenerated Boulder Fish, but now with a size that could dwarf an ursa. “Ha ha ha! Sweetie, I’m home!” “What in Tarnations?!” “How could have he survive the Final Slash?” asked Rarity while taking a step back. “Forget about that! How did he got so big?” added Pinkie Pie. “Ho ho, you all look like little ants down there.” joked Boulder Fish as he lifted a foot and tried to stomp on the Rangers, who barely escaped the giant’s step. “Hey! Nobody stomps on my friends!” shouted Rainbow. Right after she took off the ground to attack the gargantuan monster. “Rainbow, wait!” Exclaimed Applejack, but Rainbow had already reached Boulder Fish face, who promptly swatted the Yellow Ranger like if she were a fly. She crashed on the ground near the other four girls. “Tried to warn you.” Rainbow winced a little as she tried to stand up. “Ouch. Yeah, I guess this needs other type of approach. Any ideas?” “Do not worry Rangers. Help is on its way.” The Rangers reached for their Harmonizers to open the Crystal Echo. “Luna? Is that you?” /\/\/\ “Yes, Applejack. I’ve already arrived at the Chamber. Twilight has just filled me in the situation.” “Luna, how are they going to defeat Boulder Fish now? It is huge!” asked Twilight, her voice full of concern. “I believe the answer should reveal itself right...” \/\/\/ “...Now!” As if on cue, five orbs of light appeared on the horizon and flew in direction of the giant Chaos-ling. “What in Tartarus are those?” asked Boulder Fish. Suddenly, the red light shot at high speed and charged against him, followed by the other four orbs which then turned and rammed toward it in one single blow, throwing him of his feet. “Wow!” mused Applejack from the ground. The others also expressed their amusement in their own way. “That was awesome!” added Rainbow. The five orbs suddenly descended near to them and started to hover around each of the Rangers. “Princess, what are these?” asked Applejack through the Echo. /\/\/\ “These are Espers, magical creatures born from one of the elements of nature. They were created to aid those who possess the power of the elements. “Ifrit, the bearer of the flame: your word is his command and truth, Applejack. “The judge of thunder, Ramuh: he will always fight on your side, Rainbow Dash. “Rarity, you will find that Shiva, the mistress of ice, is a very valuable ally. “Titan, the protector of earth: a playful and kind soul, much like yourself, Pinkie Pie. “And Zephyr, bringer of winds: she will always aid you, Fluttershy. “They will help you to fight this monster. Call them by their name to acknowledge your bond with your Esper, they’ll undergo a transformation much like the elements did. Do it and unleash their full power as your new Zords!” \/\/\/ “Alright Luna. Let’s do it girls!” “Right!” Fluttershy held her orb in both hands and released to the air. “Go, Zephyr!” Ventus Amica. The sphere shot upwards, creating a wind vortex inside of which the light morphed into a bird-like form. The Pink Ranger jumped into the figure; afterward the tornado disappeared revealing a giant pink sparrow, with golden accents and silvery parts on its face, talons and wings, which opened on either side of Zephyr like a pair of blades. Pinkie Pie grabbed her orb and started to spin her arm to build up speed. “Go, Titan!” Terris Euphoria. She thrown the Esper, which reached a halt before forming a sandstorm that carried rocks and debris, the light transforming inside of it. Pinkie leaped into the storm before it stopped and let fall all the debris and revealing a green bear, who promptly reared in two paws and produced from a panel in its back a unicycle, he rode once on it before returning on all four. The Blue Ranger held her orb in one hand and kissed it through her helmet before releasing it. “Go, Shiva!” Glacius Donum. A massive blizzard started to form around the Esper, which was also changing form. After Rarity entered the core of the hail storm, it dismissed to reveal a blue panther, releasing small specs of frost from her body as she let out a roar. Rainbow held her Esper in one hand near the opposite side of her head. “Go, Ramuh!” Brontus Fidelitas. She thrown the orb to the cloud covered sky, which started to ripple with thunder. Rainbow Dash leapt to the thunderstorm, from which emerged a yellow hawk, who resembled Zephyr in every way except for the jagged edges of its wide wings and tail and its more angular head. Finally, the Red Ranger gripped the red orb high in one hand before throwing it to the floor beneath her. “Go, Ifrit!” Ignis Veritas. A fire tornado erupted in the spot, with Applejack in the middle of it. The figure inside stepped out of the inferno and revealed itself to be a giant red bull, with golden horns and exhaling fire from its nostrils. After finishing the summoning, all the Rangers found themselves inside a white cabin, completely empty except for themselves and a crystal altar with many smaller shards with the same color as their Ranger Form floating in front of them, the whole artifact projecting an image of what the Esper is watching. Outside, the Zords had arranged beside each other in front of Boulder Fish, who had now recovered from the previous assault. “Wow!” mused Rainbow inside the cabin, tanking on the interior of it. “What is this place?” “We must be inside the Zords, from here it would be easier to command them.” commented Rarity. “Cool! I’ve never been inside somebody else’s head before!” said Pinkie, watching intently at every detail of the small space. “I hope you don’t mind me here, Zephyr.” said Fluttershy, who was answered with a small chirp from the sparrow-like Zord. “So you got more toys!” shouted the giant Chaos-ling standing in front of them. “Well, that won’t be enough to defeat the new and improved me!” “What do you say buddy?” said Applejack while placing both hands on the crystal panel in front of her. “Can we prove him wrong?” She was answered by the stomping hoof of Ifrit on the ground as he released a bellow from his own. “I thought you’d agree.” Right after, Ifrit charged forward and leaning his head down, pointing both horns at the Chaos-ling as he flared ember from all his body. Boulder Fish noticed the assault too late and was hitted square on its chest; getting trapped between the two prongs and now was being dragged around while being burned by the Bull Zord. “Let’s give him a little ride!” Commanded Applejack along with a flick of her wrist and Ifrit responded by leaning backwards, sending Boulder Fish hurtling to the air. “Gotcha!” Ramuh had shot himself to catch the monster in mid air and started to fly higher while holding Boulder Fish with his metal talons. “Agh! Let me go, you big chicken!” yelled Boulder Fish. “Okay! If you say so.” said Rainbow, removing her hands from the panel and prompting Ramuh to release his grip. “No wait! Aaaaaaaahhhhh...” “Whoops! Let’s help him get down faster!” added while resuming her hold on the controls. Ramuh spread both wings and shoot lightning bolts surging from them, which struck Boulder Fish on its back and pushed him faster to the ground. However, a blue blur rushed to him and started to bite him furiously before jumping away the moment before he reached the ground. Shiva landed graciously near Boulder Fish and started to walk around him. “Stupid cat! I’ll make you pay for that!” shouted the monster before releasing a salvo of green blobs from its mouth. The Panther Zord simply crouched and stepped aside to avoid the disgusting projectiles. “Ugh. I think he needs to learn good manners!” commented Rarity as she toyed with some of the blue gems from her controller. Shiva started to gather energy around her maw and shot a blue bean from it, which connected to the ground beneath Boulder Fish, freezing it from feet to waist. “Okay Titan! It’s our turn!” said Pinkie at the same time her Bear Zord reared and brought his unicycle again and rolled toward the frozen Boulder Fish. He passed once sweeping one of his claws and again, and repeated it other four times before jumping in the air doing a front flip and falling on his rear, creating a shockwave that broke the ice and sent Boulder Fish flailing to the ground. He stood up once again, noticing that his rock armor was starting to fall apart. Suddenly, Zephyr swooped past him dealing more damage before turning back and hovering in place. “Okay girl, we can do this” Reassured Fluttershy before the Sparrow Zord started to flap her wings rapidly, sending air currents that cuted through more of the Chaos-ling’s rock covered body. However, Boulder Fish didn’t fall. “That’s the best you’ve got?! I haven’t even started!” Yelled before rising both arms and drawing rocks from the entire valley like a giant magnet, quickly regenerating his body completely, much to the Rangers surprise. Then he withdrew inside its body and started to spin around, charging against the land-bounded Zords and shooting debris at the bird ones, all the Rangers receiving the impact with a hard shake. Boulder Fish stopped spinning to watch the Espers trying to recover from the last attack. “Ha ha ha! You see? Nothing can defeat me now!” “Darn it! He is too strong.” muttered Rainbow while trying to keep her hold on the controls. “We need to find a way to defeat him before he can regenerate again.” said Rarity, managing to get Shiva to stand again. “Luna, Twilight? Any ideas?” asked Applejack through the Echo. /\/\/\ Twilight passed another page from the Book and read an entry next to the image of five Zords that seemed to fuse into another, bigger one. “I think we got it: ‘When the power of each Zord is not enough to eliminate the danger, the Rangers may combine them to form the Mighty Megazord’.” “You think it will work?” asked Pinkie Pie. “The Book of Zordon has told the truth so far.” said Luna. “I don’t see the reason to distrust it now.” \/\/\/ “Alright Princess!” said Applejack closing the communication. “Alright partner. Would you help me here?” As response, Ifrit stood up from the ground and bellowed again, eyes flaring with energy. Inside all the cabins, the jewels of the panel shifted themselves to reveal a circular slot where it could very well fit a Cast-Blade. “Thanks Ifrit. Okay girls, you ready for this?” asked Applejack as she drew her Cast-Blade. “I’m always ready!” answered Rainbow. All the Rangers then drew their bladed weapons and drove them inside the groove on the stone, a bright light coming from the whole ensemble and into the bodies of the Zords. “Huh, what are you doing now?” asked Boulder Fish. “We need Megazord Power, now!” Shouted all the Rangers as one. Gigas Union Equitas. The Zords rose from the ground as they began to transform their bodies. Ifrit’s lower body spun in place so his back was in the bottom and his belly at the top. The back then opened in two halves, which placed at either side of him and rotated ninety degrees backwards. Finally, the whole piece turned its rear side to the front as the belly, with both hind legs, folded downwards at the same time the bull’s head detached from its place and moved to the top, reattaching itself on the top before shifting his horns backwards and revealing a metallic face inside the bull’s mouth, as the two pair of hooves combined into a single pair of pegs. Ramuh and Zephyr mirrored themselves as both birds wings folded on the sides of their bodies. Likewise, their talons and tails folded horizontally to be replaced by a pair of iron hands as both birds’ heads rotated ninety degrees downwards, revealing one socket at the back of each. Shiva folded her limbs inside themselves, as well as her tail inside her body and turned her body upwards while keeping her head in the lowest part of the formation. Titan on the other hand, extended his own body until it was about the same length as Shiva, and then adopted the same position as her. After that, Shiva and Titan landed on the floor head first, one besides the other, as Ifrit descended over them and attached both pegs at the upper end of the two Zords, forming two legs and a torso, then both bird Zords attached to either side of Ifrit forming the arms. After the whole assembly was finished, a magical circle appeared over the Megazord, from which descended a golden broadsword to the hands of the noble giant. The Rangers re-appeared in one single cabin, with a similar panel in front all of them, all starting to take on the new scenery in various degrees of awe. Boulder Fish, on the other hand, was completely frightened at the sight of the metallic colossus. “What!? No no no! This can’t be happening!” “Assembly complete!” said Applejack, taking hold of the controls again. “Odin Megazord!” Shouted the Rangers at once, the Odin Megazord readying his sword. The Rangers motioned forward, as so did the Megazord, who walked near Boulder Fish and delivered a sweep of the sword, he turned around and released another blow, followed by a faster one which made him stumble back while losing large pieces of rock from his cover. “Whoa! This power is amazing!” cheered Rainbow. “Yeah! The Megazord is slicing through its cover like butter.” added Pinkie, bouncing on her station. “I think it only needs another one! Ready to finish this?” “Yes! Odings strike!” With that command, the Odin Megazord raised his sword, on which started to form a column of energy that arched down toward the damaged Chaos-ling, trapping him in a column of light. Then, the Megazord started to race toward his target, preparing the sword as closer as he got. “I want my mommy!” cried Boulder Fish. I a flash, the Megazord reappeared behind the binded enemy, his sword now pointing forward. The Chaos-ling cringed as the upper half of his body started to slide diagonally to one side before disappearing in a huge explosion. The Rangers celebrated their victory on their own fashion as the Megazord returned to a passive position. “You did it! You won!” Cheered Twilight through the Echo. “Good job Rangers. You did a splendid work.” Added Luna. “It wasn’t us Princess. It was thanks to you and the Espers.” said Applejack while placing a hand tenderly over her panel. “Yeah, thanks a ton buddy.” said Rainbow as she touched her station. Outside, the Hawk’s head yelled once in response. Right after, Rainbow Dash felt a strange sensation washing over her mind, making her feel better about everything. “Huh?” “What is it Dash?” Rainbow turned to see Applejack, before discarding whatever was that sensation. “Uh, it’s nothing. Think it’s time to go home?” Applejack simply smiled inside her helmet. “Okay partner.” “You’ve failed me again!” growled Noctus as he tightened his grip around Discord’s neck. His face was now cranberry colored when he brought up a sock puppet that spoke with his voice and without any sign of strangulation. “I’m sorry, Milord. Those pesky little girls are more resourceful than I thought!” Noctus dropped the master of Chaos to the floor and stomped him flat on his chest with his black hoof. “Give me just one reason for why should I keep you alive?” sneered through clenched teeth. “Because he is the only one who can create the Chaos-lings.” shouted Chrysalis from her hiding spot, but was forced to step out to continue defending Discord. “His power is still needed to achieve our goal, as well as my colony. If you destroy him, or me, you’ll be out of resources to take over Equestria.” stated Chrysalis, trying to keep firm her voice. Noctus removed his feet from Discord, who quickly scampered away from him. “Very well. I’ll keep both of you alive as long as you are useful to me. Yes.” hissed Lord Noctus before ordering them to leave. After they went to a far hallway, they started their private reunion. “Well, I think he has stated very clearly his intentions for us. Will you set your plan in motion, then? asked Chrysalis. Discord pondered for a second before turning away from his companion. “Mmm, nah.” “Pardon!?” “It’s too soon.” At this Chrysalis started to steam up. “What else are you waiting? We don’t need him waiting the best opportunity to take us out!” “On the contrary, my dear. We do need him.” said Discord in a playful tone. “A giant monster only means gigantic amounts of Chaos. We now are going to wait until Equestria is ours and we’ll stab him on the back before he does. It’s the perfect plan.” Discord stopped after seeing the unconvinced look of the Changeling Queen. “Think about it this way: while he thinks he is using us, we’re actually using him. Huh, huh? Perfect! Right?” She just turned away and started to walk down the hallway, while a devilish smirk crept on her face. “I hope this plan of yours works.” ~~~~~ Back at the Chamber, Applejack and Rainbow Dash finished apologizing with each other for what happened in the morning and Rainbow surprised everybody when she started to tell the story of what happened all those years ago. After she finished, all the girls reassured to her that it was alright and that no one thought less of her for that. “Thanks guys. You are the best.” “Don’t worry Rainbow. You know you can always count on us, no matter what you do or you’ve done.” reassured Twilight. “I know. I just realized that: that no matter how hard things could get, one will always have friends willing to forgive and support each other.” “That’s a valuable lesson, Rainbow Dash. One my sister would have greatly complimented.” added Princess Luna, entering in the conversation between the girls. “And I think you also learned to be more head leveled and not being so reckless.” visibly joked Applejack, shoving a punch to Rainbow’s shoulder. Rainbow however turned back at her sporting a huge frown. “Says the one who used me like a throwing hammer back there!” snapped Rainbow, surprising all the present. “Aw, c’mon Rainbow. I thought you ain’t even mad ‘bout it.” “Oh, I’m not mad. I just think it’s funny that you speak of recklessness when you couldn’t stop and think on another plan than using your best friend as a human cannon ball!” Now it was Applejack’s turn to frown. “Are you calling me a hypocrite?” Both girls exchanged glares for a long time, making all the other girls and dragon boy to embrace for the incoming fight. But instead of struggling, both girls started to laugh with the other, quickly dissolving the tension in the Chamber. “Whew! Seems things went back to normal.” sighed Twilight, sinking more on her couch. “Good one guys.” commented Pinkie. “We almost bought that one. Right Fluttershy?” “...” “Shy?” Asked again Pinkie before the other girl fainted on the couch, the previous fright clearly too much for Fluttershy, which in turn only made the rest of them to laugh a little more. “Well, I should leave now.” said Twilight. “There are some things I want to do before visiting my parents” “Okay Twi. See you later.” said Spike, before Twilight grabbed him from his pointy ear. “Ouch!” “You are coming with me.” stated Twilight while dragging the little boy. “I’m not planning on letting you eat this place.” said as the both of them disappeared through a wall and reappeared inside the dorm room of the library. Twilight walked to her desk and started to write down a small list of the things she needed in order to visit her parents and give them a proper apology. Flowers. Balloons. Assorted fruit. Apology cards. “I think that should do.” said while levitating the list with her wand as she prepared herself to go out. She walked down the stairs and directed toward the main door. However, when she opened she found a blond woman with a grey shirt in front of it, who seemed pretty surprised by the sudden opening of the door. “Oh, hi Derpy! What brings you here?” “Hi Twilight! You’ve got a letter!” cheered the wall-eyed woman while lending an envelope to the librarian. “Thanks Derpy.” said before checking the remittent: it was her parent’s, but there was something odd about it. “Wait... this was sent two weeks ago.” “Yeah, about that...” started Derpy, looking away shyly with an eye while the other was fixed on the floor. “The mail office on Canterlot was kind of a mess with this whole thing and some correspondence got all mixed up. Only today we’ve managed to sort all the mail to their recipient. I would have finished delivering it earlier, but I got late to work because of that monster this morning.” said with a resentful face... before recovering her happy and oblivious demeanor. “Anyway, have a nice letter!” finished Derpy before taking off and continue with her delivery. Twilight remained at the door and quickly retreated inside the library to open the card, it would be worse if she arrived at her parent’s new house without having read the last communication from them Dear Twilight. Your father and I decided to take on a small trip for our anniversary around the Snake Isles, so we won’t be at home during the three months the travel takes. We’ve already asked the neighbors to house sit for us, so you don’t need to come over. We’ll send you a postal once we get there. With love: Mom and Dad. “Hey Twilight, do you want pancakes for dinner?” Asked Spike coming out from the kitchen, but stopped after seeing Twilight completely stunned in front of the doorway. She then took on an unsettling smile as she started to rip apart her to-do list.