“Come on mom,” moaned Ruby. Her mother was so embarrassing sometimes. After being thrown out of the party, Berry was now stumbling around shouting out to the world ad nauseum. Normally Ruby would be annoyed enough to drag her mother home. But this was the first time her mother seemed so happy about something. Even if this happiness was caused by something she hated or was even false, Ruby couldn’t find it in herself to spoil it for her mother.
Sitting down under the shade of a nearby tree, Ruby listened to the party going on inside. She did her best to remember better times, when her mother didn’t need to get like this, when she had friends, and when she could always come home to see her father’s smiling face. Not all of it was gone now, she was starting to make new friends ever since moving to Canterlot, but still she sometimes missed her old life. She was just glad her mother was there to help her through that.
Only then, in the corner of her eye did she catch something. A glint of gold as it rolled in front of her. The ball was a very odd thing indeed since it seemed to roll so fast, only to stop on a dime right in front of her. Ruby however knew better than to touch such things without first making sure it wasn’t some magic that would hurt her. Her mother on the other hand…
Berry picked up the little golden ball and laughed. Bouncing it from one hand to another and finally holding it tight to examine it. “Waz tis? Ooo, iz so shiny.”
The odd voice became clearer as Berry weakened her grip on the ball. “Repeat, you have been chosen for a team to defend this world from Maladora. If you accept this responsibility please say the code phrase: ‘Unleash the Fury’.”
“Blah, Blah, blah,” the woman yawned and dropped the ball back down again. Only for it to start blaring an alarm, one so great it was only drowned out by the sound of a crash from the other side of the castle.
Bunbul landed rolled up in a ball, leaving a crater in his landing far larger than the twenty Changelings that landed around him. Poking his head out he called for the attack as he began to spin and roll himself out of the crater.
The Changelings rushed in and used the magic Maladora had given them, allowing them to drain a victim of any of their emotions. The fear and love around them gave them power as ten of them took to the skies. What few Pegasi that had tried to run to Cloudsdale were easily overcome and drained of their energy, plummeting to the ground.
Meanwhile Bunbul spun, rolling over anyone in his way. Anyone dodging him however were soon caught by the other ten changelings and drained just as easily. Within a minute everyone within a radius of 100 feet of the landing site was unconscious.
Back at the party, Lightning had just finished cleaning herself up when her own golden ball she had pocketed out of interest vibrated harshly. With the music of the party gone because of the Princess’ speech and being in the lavatory she was able to hear it’s call loud and clear.
“Warning, dome breach,” rang out the robotic voice. “Enemies have breached the shield and entered Canterlot. Please accept the contract by saying ‘Unleash the Fury’ or pass this unit to someone else willing to.”
“What the heck,” was all Lightning could muster as she strolled out of the lavatory. Even if it was a strange object she could sense something was up. “This thing wouldn’t just say this out of nowhere as a joke,” she thought. “I’d better check this out.”
No sooner has she gotten out to the party again then she heard the new king screaming out to the crowd, “Everyone get to safety now!”
“Guess that answers that question,” Lightning spoke out loud. She proceeded to help get others to safety as she caught sight of her boss who was doing the same from the air for some who were trying to using flight spells to cut in line in front of others.
For her part, Twilight was doing her best to cast her own magic to charge up while Cadence supported Shining for an attempt to reestablish the dome walls using the power she was collecting. The sooner it could get back up the better as she could sense many more coming if that the guards were barely keeping out. How many were there? For some reason it seemed like only a small army of a hundred were in, while the rest seemed to be focused on fighting the royal guard.
“Something isn’t right here,” she concluded, “This isn’t their normal tactic. Usually they try to harvest as many of us as possible or they’d come for a full assault on the castle like last time. It’s like they are trying to just…” Slow realization of what was coming sent her concentration out of the window.
Meanwhile Fluttershy and Gilda were part of the group being rushed into hiding. Both were forced to take to the air just to keep from being squashed by the crowd. Something Fluttershy was having trouble with despite her natural talent at the spell by birth. She wobbled a bit and had to hang on to a curtain to keep herself steady.
“Hey,” Gilda called out holding her golden ball. “Did this thing start shaking like crazy with you too?” Remembering it, Fluttershy checked and nodded. “Give yours to Rainbow Dash then, I’ll go see if I can find someone who can take this one. I’m not risking my neck for anyone and I’m pretty sure you aren’t either.”
Fluttershy wasn’t sure what Gilda was talking about but complied and flew over to Rainbow Dash, her own weak flight spell starting to fade. “Gilda said I should give this to you.”
Rainbow took it and asked what it was. Fluttershy could not answer. “Well get back down,” Rainbow finally said. “At this rate you’ll tire out if you’re that unstable.”
Fluttershy listened, not wanting to admit to her friend she still had not kept up the training she was supposed to for these sorts of emergencies.
Lightning during all this at taken to the skies outside and was doing her best to deflect the small group of changelings that did plan on entering the castle. It did not help that the place was low on guards who could use a flight spells and she didn’t have a weapon on her due to not being on duty at the moment.
One of the changelings dived out and kicked Berry down. Its insect eyes focused on Ruby as it did so. As Berry’s sight focused again she found two other Changelings pinning her down. Energy trying to drain her as the first changeling held her daughter by her hair. Ruby’s scream of pain drilling into the ears of her mother, causing a full clarity of mind she had not had previously.
“Let her go,” Berry growled.
“I don’t think so,” chuckled the changeling. As if to show its point it morphed one of the holes in its arms and stuck Ruby’s head through it. The effect of closing it again kept Ruby’s head in place, making pulling on her hair now only for the creature’s enjoyment. “She’s the perfect shield if the guards bring out the big guns for us and there is just so much more my queen and her army can get out of a child than you jaded adults anyway. Though she is too much of a weight, maybe when I get a clear run for it I can break her neck and drop her off on the way out.”
“I said,” Berry repeated feeling the ball lump on her stomach, “let her go.”
“Repeat,” chimed the robotic voice again, “to accept the contract-“
Berry cut it off and screamed it herself, “Unleash the Fury!”
In a flash of pink light the two changelings pinning her found themselves nothing but husks by the end and in its horror the first changeling forgot about keeping hold of the child and Ruby was able to kick it in the shins and run away.
“Ranger Pink Operational,” chimed the robotic voice again as the light died down. Before it did so completely the changeling found itself caught in the throat by a white glove. It felt like it was crushing its windpipe.
“This is the third time and last time I will ask nicely,” repeated the woman behind the pink helmet. “Let my daughter go right now.” The changeling followed instructions and Ruby found herself free and gasping, but Berry kept her grip.
Two more changelings came to try and help, only for the one in the ranger’s hand to be thrown at it as she pulled out a small pistol sized weapon that fired a small laser out with her opposite hand and aimed at the two. The blast only injuring their shoulders but it was enough to allow the green ichor of their blood to run thick from the wounds and cause a panic.
Lightning seeing this took hold of her own golden ball and called out, “Unleash the fury!” Just as the green light enveloped her she grabbed her own pistolish weapon and started taking aim at other changelings in the sky, grounding them instantly.
“Oh I gotta get me a piece of that!” Gilda exclaimed seeing this. “Unleash the fury!” A white light covered her as soon as she said this and she jumped to fly out at the Changelings, only to fall on her face.
The white ranger got up and shook her head. “The hell,” she exclaimed into her helmet. In reply, two other voices gasped and tried to find where that voice was coming from.
Lightning was the one who figured it out, “there must be some kind of spell that lets us communicate with each other through long distances in these helmets.” She turned to look down at the work done so far. “Whoever you are pink girl, there are two Changelings coming up the front stairs.”
Berry replied, “Um fine, Ah’ll take care of them. Whoever that other voice is should concentrate on guarding citizens instead of getting in the fray.”
“Screw that,” called Gilda, “if I’m not going to be able to fly with this crap on I might as well get the most out of it.”
“Wait,” both cried out as they could see Gilda jump high into the air. Reaching out her hands like claws she landed and charged at two more Changelings who had gotten down to pick up one of their brotherin that Lightning as shot down.
“Oh this is gonna be fun,” she called out kicking the fallen Changeling and grabbing one of them by the arm, the other held by the throat. All of them cried out in pain as her grip tightened on them. She relished this feeling of power. All the while ignoring the voices calling out to her for one reason or another.
That was until a blaster hit her in the back, knocking her away. When she turned a yellow suited woman like her held the gun on her. “I told you to let them go Gilda,” came the familiar voice in her helmet. “You’re making them suffer for no reason.” She then proceeded to shoot the changelings in the wings.
“Why the hell did you accept that contract?” Gilda questioned.
“We can talk about that later,” Fluttershy replied putting her gun back with shaking hands. “The other two want us at the castle gates.”
Bunbul found himself alone within minutes. This was not a good day. What made matters worse was the fact his troop was beaten and piled up by some girls in multi-colored spandex. Panicking her dug into the ground in his ball form and escaped.
“Is that all?” Lightning asked.
As if in answer light took them once again and they all stood there in the front gates back to normal. The golden balls still shaking in their hands, and in Berry’s case on the floor since it had fallen from her stomach.
A voice rang out, “The four of you that have accepted the power please return to Canterlot castle, I will finish instructions there.”