Tainted Darkness
Up in space, aboard the space station known as the Dark Fortress, we find Cogs walking through its corridors.
"What do I do?" He asked himself. "I have to save them."
<Flashback>
"FATHER!" Havoc cried as he threw his arms around the armoured being known as Lord Chaos.
"It is good to see you," Chaos replied before pulling away from his son.
Dust stepped up and kneeled. "Master, I am once again at your service."
"Rise Dust Buster," Chaos told him as he sat back in his throne. "I am happy to have you both back with me."
"Father," Havoc spoke up, "I am happy to see you are alive. But how? I saw Darklight destroy you."
Chaos chuckled under his breath. "That fool may have had more power, but he lacked the true cunning needed to destroy me." He showed his son the staff he carried. "Do you know what this is?"
Havoc and Dust shook their heads.
"This staff allows the one bonded to it to be unable to die. I took it from its original owner and used it to kill him, the only way to kill someone bonded to it. Once he was gone, the staff bonded to me and made me indestructible. Even if my opponent vaporises my entire body, as long as the staff survives then it will regenerate my body."
"Incredible," Dust said.
"It is isn't it," Chaos said before turning to three of the four others in the room. Getting up out of his throne, he moved over to them and looked them over. "So, Darklight's little lackeys have seen the error of their ways and betrayed him."
"Only because Darklight was destroyed," Havoc explained. "I took over once it happened."
"Is that so," Chaos replied. He looked back at the three, only to raise his staff and unleash to black lightning bolts. They hit the ground beneath Doom and Heart's feet and opened the red and black vortex, which the two monsters fell through and disappeared.
"DOOM!" Cogs cried seeing this. "HEART!" He turned back to Chaos. "What did you do to them?"
"Relax," the armoured figure replied, "they live. I choose not to trust those who have tried to kill me in the past. I warped them to my prison, where they will remain as long as you do what you are told. I know you are an excellent scientific mind, so I'll be keeping you around." He returned to his throne and sat back down. "Prove yourself useful and I'll let the three of you live. Fail me...and you won't like the consequences."
<Flashforward>
Cogs had begun proving his worth by refitting the reanimator and Gigatisor into the Dark Fortress, the reanimator working but the Gigatisor needed a few more calibrations, and was on his way to Chaos's bridge to tell him that.
He arrived in the room, where he saw Chaos, Havoc and Dusklord talking.
"So," Chaos said, "these Rangers managed to destroy the Entity spawn. Then it's true, the Guardian Elements are what I need to destroy the original once and for all."
Havoc shook his head. "But father, the Rangers are powerful. They defeated the Entity, Darklight and my Chimeramax. How can we get the Elements from them?"
Chaos chuckled. "Havoc, being Darklight's prisoner has made you grow weak." He turned to Dusklord. "Go, find and defeat the Rangers."
Dusklord bowed at this. "I will not let you down."
Chaos raised his staff and unleashed a dark bolt, which created a portal for Dusklord and several Shades to step through.
"Soon the Rangers will be no more."
Canterlot High had just gotten out for the day, and Twilight, Rarity and Sunset were walking towards the base. They were talking about the phone call Twilight had gotten, from one Timber Spruce.
"So Timber's coming here?" Sunset asked.
"Just for a visit," Twilight said. "He asked if I wanted to hang out after school tomorrow."
"You are aren't you?" Rarity asked her. The young fashionista was always looking for a bit of juicy gossip, especially when it came to relationships.
"Of course," Twilight replied. However, she did not look all that excited.
"What's the matter darling?" Rarity asked. "I would have thought you'd be all giddy about him coming here."
"I am...well, not giddy. I am excited to see him, but."
"But what?" Sunset asked.
"I don't know," Twilight replied. "For some reason I'm not getting the nervous butterfly feeling I usually get."
Rarity just waved her hand. "Oh I'm sure that's just because you're getting more used to your's and Timber's relation darling. All couples end up like that at some point."
"You think?" Twilight asked.
"I'm sure," Rarity said.
Twilight took in what Rarity said, but could not help feeling like that was not it. Her memory then flashed back to what Cadance had told her, remembering how she had said about her and Timber. Then she remembered what Cadance had said about her and Flash, suddenly feeling her face heat up and the butterflies begin to flutter.
"You okay?" Sunset asked her. "You're face is going all red."
Twilight shook the blush away from her face. "I'm fine. Come on, we'd better get to the base." She quickly walked off, leaving Sunset and Rarity to share and confused look.
When they arrived in the base, they spotted the rest of their team standing around the holotable. Getting closer, they saw Trail's face on the holographic screen.
"You can't be serious?" Luna asked him in amazement. "Havoc's ship was pulled into space?"
"Yes," Trail replied. "I know it sounds crazy but it happened. Some kind of tractor beam shot down and pulled it off the ground."
"But what could have done it?" Rainbow asked.
"Only one way to find out," Celestia replied as she turned to Twilight and Sunset. "We need an entire sweep of the whole planetary orbit." The two nodded and got to work.
"So has Havoc been captured?" Pinkie asked.
"Maybe," Luna said. "But we can't dismiss the possibility that Havoc has a new partner."
"You think it could be connected to the guy who was controlling our Zords?" Flash asked.
"It's possible," Micro said. "And if it is, that means the Black Ranger will likely be wherever they are."
"Which means we'll need to be ready for when they act," Lyra said.
They all nodded at this before turning back to the holotable. "Trail," Celestia said, "you'd better get back to town. Until we know what we're dealing with, no one should be on their own."
"Got it," Trail said. "I'll pack up and be back in town sometime tomorrow."
"See you soon dad," Flash said.
Trail smiled at his son and nodded before switching off his feed, leaving the team to wonder what was going to happen next.
Suddenly the alarm went off, causing everyone to turn back to the holotable as it flashed back to life. On the screen was Dusklord and a horde of Shades, who were attacking the city.
"That's the guy!" Sandal cried.
"The one who controlled ya'h Zords?" Applejack asked.
"Definitely," Sweetie said.
"We'd better get out there," Soarin said.
Flash nodded but turned to him. "You and Sunset stay behind, just encase Havoc hasn't been captured or teamed up with him and decides to use this as a distraction."
The two Rangers nodded, as the over five headed out the base.
Once again Canterlot was under attack, as Dusklord and his Shades walked through town and unleashed a wave of devastation.
The armoured monster chuckled seeing the humans run if fear. "That's right, run and hide. Weaklings don't deserve to exist, so you'd better hope I don't catch you. Deadly Gaze!" Beams of light shot out of the eyes on his armour, hitting several buildings and cutting through them like butter. He chuckled seeing the destruction before something caught his ear, making him turn to look down an alley and see a small group of people all huddled there in terror. "Fresh meat," he chuckled before turning to the Shades. "Get them!"
The Shades nodded, but before they could get close they were bombarded by a ray of laser fire.
Dusklord turned to the source, seeing five of the Rangers racing towards him on their Magicycles. They pulled to a stop and got off their bikes, ready to fight their city's newest threat.
"No running away this time," Flash told him as the lined up.
"Who's running," the monster replied.
"Who are you?" Lyra asked.
"What are you doing here?" Micro continued.
"And what did you do to the Black Ranger?" Sweetie finished
He chuckled at their questions. "My name is Dusklord and I am here on the order of my master, Lord Chaos."
"Lord Chaos?" Sandal asked.
"I believe you know his son. Havoc?"
The five's eyes all went wide hearing this, realising they might be in bigger trouble then they thought.
Out of Dusklord's claw came the blood red blade, which he pointed at them. "I'll give you one chance. Hand over your Elements, or I'll take them from your rotting remains."
"You don't scare us!" Flash yelled at him.
"I will. DEADLY GAZE!" He unleashed a barrage of eye beams, which struck the ground around the Rangers and caused an explosion. He chuckled seeing this, until he spotted someone leap out the fire.
Flash charged at him with his Morphin Blaster raised, firing several shots at the monster.
Dusklord used his blade to deflect before charging at the Red Ranger and swiping down at him, only for Flash to pull out his Dragon Breaker and use it to grab the blade.
Flash felt Dusklord push down on the blade, making him slowly fall to his knees and closed his eyes and dug deep. "Give up, he heard Dusklord tell him. "You can't win." Flash was not focusing on what he said, instead focusing more on the voice that said it. With his eyes closed he realised something, he recognised it.
"You," he whispered as he dug deep and pushed Dusklord back. He got back to his feet and jumped back, as the rest of his team recovered and moved forwards. "It was you!"
Lyra turned to him. "What are you talking about?"
"He's the voice that we've been talking to. The one claiming to be the Black Ranger."
The others all turned to him in surprise, shocked at Flash's accusation. This guy could not be the Black Ranger, since that would mean the Element of Darkness bonded to someone evil.
Dusklord chuckled as he stood up straight. "That's right, I am the Black Ranger. And to prove it." He held something up, showing it to the Rangers. It was a black crystal hexagon, which they all recognised.
"The Element of Darkness," Micro whispered.
"This can't be true," Sweetie said.
The Element was engulfed in shadows and disappeared, as Dusklord's multiple eyes pointed towards them. "Here, let me show you the Element's power." The eyes began to glow.
The Rangers did not have time to react, when the black lasers fired and struck each other them. They were all blasted back, landing with a thud on the ground.
Flash groaned as he tried to sit up, only for a foot to suddenly hit him in the chest and pin him to the ground. He looked up and saw Dusklord staring down at him, raising his sword in preparation of dealing a killing blow.
"Don't forget, I gave you an out!" He swung the sword down and Flash flinched, waiting for the end. But it never came.
Flash cracked his eyes open and saw the monsters blade, inches away from his helmet but not moving.
"What?" He heard Dusklord asked before he felt the foot step off him. Flash sat up and saw Dusklord stagger back, looking like he was in pain. "What's...happening?"
"That's what I'd like to know," Flash replied as he and the others stood up. In that moment they all felt something, and each pulled out their Elements.
The five crystals were glowing before they fired off a beam of light, which struck Dusklord and enveloped him. Seconds passed as Dusklord cried and withered in pain, until a sudden flash of light occurred and the monster transformed.
The light faded, revealing Dusklord's new form. This one was a human male the same age as Trail and the principles, with dark gray skin and black hair. He wore a gray shirt and black pants.
The man suddenly fell to his knees, groaning as he held his head. He then looked down at his hand, smiling as if he had not seen it in years. "I'm free." He turned towards the Rangers and picked himself up, trying to stagger towards them. "Rangers.
Lyra was the first to respond, pulling out her Morphin Blaster and pointing it at the and. "Stop!"
The man stopped and held up his hands in surrender. "Don't fire," he said sounding worried. "I'm not your enemy."
"You were just trying to destroy us," Sandal replied.
"No," he replied, "that wasn't me. Well...it was me but...it wasn't the true me."
"You'd better start explaining," Micro warned him.
The man nodded. "My name is Dusk Shadow. I'm a student of Starswirl the Bearded."
The Rangers all shared a confused look. "You're a student of Starswirl?" Sweetie asked.
"I am," Dusk replied. "I swear to you."
"Then who was it trying to destroy us?" Flash asked.
Dusk sighed and looked pained. "That was Dusklord, my evil half. When Chaos captured me and discovered the Element of Darkness, he used his dark magic to force it to bond to me. He then cursed me into becoming that monster." He turned to the Rangers with a smile. "I don't know how, but your Elements must have freed me. Thank you."
The Rangers all shared a glance, not sure how to react to this. Finally Flash stepped forward.
"If you're really on our side, then give me the Element of Darkness."
Dusk nodded and took out the Element, slowly holding it out to the Red Ranger. Flash reached out to take the Element, but before he could take it Dusk's hand jerked back.
"AAARRR!" He cried as he clutched his head. "No! Dusklord's...taking over!" He flailed around until he was consumed by black shadows, which then quickly faded to reveal Dusklord. "I'm back!" He chuckled before firing his Deadly Gaze attack, forcing the Rangers to leap back to safety. "I don't know how you did that, but it matters not." He once again unleashed his blade, pointing it at the Rangers.
However before he could act, a flash of red and black caught his attention. He looked back to see the vortex open behind him, signalling his master wanted him to return.
"Very well," he said before turning back to the Rangers. "We'll settle this another time." With that he turned and rushed into the portal, which then disappeared leaving the Rangers confused.
They demorphed, all wondering what the heck just happened.
"We better get back to the base," Lyra said.
The others nodded and headed off.
As soon as they got back, they saw the others replaying the footage from their helmet feeds.
Starswirl watched intently, as the footage showed Dusklord turn back to Dusk. "I can't believe it. After all this time, Dusk."
"So you really know this guy?" Flash asked.
The wizard did not answer, instead he reached into his robe and pulled out a picture. He showed it to them and everyone saw him in his pony form, along with three younger ponies. Two they recognised as the teenage pony forms of Celestia and Luna, while the third was a gray colt with a black mane and tail. What intrigued them most was the fact that this pony had wings, bat like wings.
"A bat pony," Sunset whispered in amazement.
Starswirl nodded. "Dusk Shadow, my apprentice and the descendent of Stygian."
"The original Guardian of Darkness?" Twilight asked.
"After giving up his power, he had started a family. His great, great, great, great granddaughter eventually married a member of the night guard and together they had Dusk." He looked up at them all. "If its true that he has been trapped within the body of this Dusklord, then it is imperative that we save him."
"But how?" Rainbow asked.
"There must be a way to free him," Rarity asked.
Applejack turned to the Rangers. "How'd ya'h guys do it before?"
"Our Elements," Micro replied. "Somehow they managed to free him."
Starswirl nodded. "If Dusklord is using the Elements power for evil, then the rest of the Elements must have wanted to free their brother."
"So the Elements can free him?" Soarin asked.
"But it didn't work," Fluttershy replied. "Dusklord took over again."
Flash just smirked. "Then we need more Elements. All nine of them."
The others all realised what he meant and smiled, knowing exactly how they were going to free Dusk.
Up in the Dark Fortress, Chaos was glaring at Dusklord.
"What happened?" He asked angrily.
"I don't know master," Dusklord replied. "Somehow, being near the other Elements allowed my host to take back control."
"That complicates things," Chaos said. He sat back and thought of what to do.
Meanwhile, Havoc and Dust were staring at Dusklord. "I can't believe he has an Element," Havoc said.
"It would explain how your father knew about them," Dust explained. "With him on our side, we can finally match the Ranger's power."
"Unless he loses control again," Havoc replied.
"I know what to do," they heard Chaos say and turned to him. "For now we shall focus on defeating only one Ranger. That way, Dusklord won't have to worry about losing control."
"But which one do you wish me to target?" Dusklord asked.
Chaos chuckled. "There's an old saying I think is appropriate here. Cut off the head and the body will die."
"You want to take out the leader," Dust said.
"The Red Ranger," Havoc finished.
Chaos nodded and turned to Dusklord. "When the Red Ranger is alone, strike hard and fast."
Dusklord nodded.
The Next Day.
School was in its last period, while Twilight and Sunset were using their free period to help the principles.
Currently they were working on rebuilding the Element Dampener, which they had tried using on Darklight back when he had the Element of Forgiveness. Each one was working on one of the four devices needed.
"That looks like it should do it," Celestia said as she put hers down.
The other three nodded as the did the same, placing them on the table around the Element of Forgiveness. Sunset then picked up the controller and pointed it at them, pressing the button and activating them. They lit up, creating the barrier around the Element.
"It's working," Twilight cheered. However, in that moment two of them sparked before they both created a puff of smoke and died. With the connection broken, the other two quickly followed. "Or not."
Celestia sighed. "These things seemed easier to make the first time. Once they're done, all we'll need to do is get them around Dusklord. He'll be frozen in place and unable to escape, allowing the Rangers to deal the final blow."
Luna turned to Twilight. "Are you sure Victory Maximum will do it."
Twilight nodded. "I've done the math. With a little fine tuning, a blast using all nine Rangers will destroy Dusklord and free Dusk."
"I hope you're right," Celestia said.
In that moment the bell rung, signalling the end of the days last period.
Sunset turned to Twilight. "You'd better get going."
Twilight turned to her in confusion. "What for?"
"Your date."
Twilight was still confused, until she suddenly remembered who she was meant to meet up with. "Oh, right. Em, maybe I should cancel. You know, because we need to get these things finished."
"Don't be silly," Luna told her. "We can get them finished. I'm sure it's just a wiring issue. You go and have fun."
"Well," Twilight tried thinking of something else.
"Go on," Celestia said as she handed the girl her bag and started pushing her to the door. "Enjoy your date."
"If you're sure," Twilight said.
"GO!" The three replied.
Twilight sighed, but nodded and placed her bag on her back. "Alright. I'll see you guys later." She stepped out the base, just as Flash walked around the corner.
"Hey," he said, "where are you off too?"
Twilight suddenly felt hot under the collar. "Um...the planetarium. I'm...going there with Timber."
She noticed Flash looking surprised, but then he quickly smiled. "Well, have fun."
"Yeah. Thanks. See ya later."
"Later," Flash replied before he stepped thought the entrance into the base.
Twilight sighed, still thinking about what Cadance had told her, but knew she had to think about that later. Right now, she had somewhere to be.
She rushed down the corridor and out the nearest door, heading outside before moving towards the front of the school. Then she saw him, standing next to the portal to Equestria, Timber Spruce.
He was wearing his usual hat, but now he had an orange and gray jacket over a white shirt and brown pants.
He was looking around aimlessly before he spotted Twilight, smiling as he walked towards her. "Hey," he said, "long time no see."
Twilight smiled. "Yeah, it has been a while hasn't it."
"You ready to go?"
Twilight nodded and together the two of them headed down the street.
Back at the base, Flash watched as Sunset and the principles finally finished the dampeners. One by one the rest of their team arrived, all watching as they worked. The only ones not there were Rainbow, Soarin and Sandal, who all had soccer and chess clubs
"That should do it," Celestia said as she shut the device and looked it over. "Perfect."
Luna nodded. "Now all we need is to retune Victory and Maximum. Then once Dusklord comes out, we just have to get the dampeners around him and he'll be trapped."
"But we'll need all nine Rangers to pull it off," Sunset said.
"Well luckily you've already got eight."
Everyone turned to see Trail Blazer step into the room, a large bag thrown over his shoulder.
"Dad!" Flash cheered as he moved over and hugged his father.
"Hey son," Trail said as he hugged back.
"Good to see you again," Celestia said. "Now, once Shining gets here we'll be able to start planning our assault."
"Oops."
They all turned to Sunset, who was standing at a computer, looking like she had just made a mistake.
"What's up?" Sweetie asked her.
"I forgot to get the data from Twilight," Sunset explained. "Without it, we won't be able to retune Victory and Maximum the right way." She pulled out her phone and tried calling her, but it only went to voice mail. "Figures."
"Too bad Rainbow's not here," Lyra said. "She could zip over there and be back in ten seconds flat."
"I'll go get it," Flash said as he got up. "I know where she and Timber are headed, so it won't take long."
"Thanks Flash," Sunset said.
Flash sighed. "No problem." With that he headed out the base, down the corridor heading for the exit.
"Flash."
The Red Ranger stopped and looked around to see his father standing there. "What's up dad?"
"You tell me," Trail replied as he walked up to him and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You looked a little upset when you headed out."
Flash did not want to tell his father what was up, but knew him well enough to know he would not stop asking until he did. "It's Twilight."
Trail smiled. "The girl you like."
Flash's eyes went wide at this. "How'd you-"
"You have that same look I used to have when I looked at your mother. What's the matter?"
Flash sighed. "Well, she's on a date right now."
"Oh...that bites."
"Not that I can't blame her. The guys she's with...everyone seems to think he's great."
"Not everyone it seems," Trail gave his son a look.
"I admit it. I'm jealous. I just wish...I don't know." Flash placed his hands in his pockets and leaned against the locker. "I guess I'm nothing special."
Trail let out a fake laugh "Are you kidding. Son, you are one of the most special people I've ever met. And I'm not saying that just because I'm your father."
Flash smiled.
"Let me tell you something," Trail said. "When you were born, your mother and I wanted you to grow into a man who protects those in need. So we named you after an ancestor of mine who was a great hero. Flash Magnus."
Flash's eyes went wide. Flash Magnus, as in the original Element of Courage Flash Magnus. His ancestor was the counterpart to a Guardian.
Trail smirked. "It seemed we got our wish. Not only did you inherit his name, but you also inherited his courage, heart and caring for others. So don't go thinking your not special. Has this Timber guy ever beaten a bunch of monsters or controlled a robotic dragon?"
Flash could not help feeling good about that.
"Now here's what you're gonna do. When you and Twilight are alone together, you tell her how you feel. If she's as smart as she appears, she'll realises she's lucky. Now go."
Flash nodded. "Thanks dad." He hugged his father before rushing out the school, off to find Twilight and Timber.
"There you are," Dusklord said once the screen he was watching showed Flash getting into his car and driving off.
"Better give it a few minutes," Havoc told him. "The other Rangers might be in the school. Wait until he's far enough away that they can't help him."
Dusklord turned to Chaos, who nodded in agreement with his son.
"Very well. I'll wait until he's really alone."
Havoc nodded. "You might also want to think up a way to deal with those magical girls the Rangers hang out with."
Dusklord thought about that for a moment before nodding, an idea appearing in his head.
Twilight and Timber had not been having the best of times.
The planetarium's gravitational display had completely disappeared, its show had been cancelled and they had both burnt their tongues when drinking hot coco. Also, Twilight could not help noticing all Timber did was make jokes...really unfunny ones.
Right now they were sitting outside the telescope, looking up at the dark cloudy sky that prevented them from seeing anything.
Timber was currently nursing his bunt tongue. "I guess the day didn't quite go as expected."
"Yeah," Twilight said, "I guess it didn't."
Timber turned to her. "You okay? You've been...distracted ever since we got here."
Twilight sighed. "I'm sorry Timber. It's just...there's a lot going on in my life right now. I guess I'm just to stressed out about it to enjoy myself."
"Oh," Timber said as he looked down at his coco, "I'm sorry to hear that."
Twilight turned him and gave a worried look. "Oh no, it's not your fault. It's mine."
"Yeah sure," Timber replied.
Twilight felt bad. Why could she not focus on him?
"Twilight!"
The specticaled girl looked up and saw someone she was able to focus on, rushing over to them. "Flash!" She got up and rushed over to him. "What are you doing here?"
"Hey," Timber said as he walked over to him. "You're that guy from camp. I wanna say...Brad."
Flash gave him a sour look. "It's Flash, Flash Sentry." He turned to Twilight. "Sunset sent me. You've got that," he glanced at Timber for a second before turning back to her. "Er...special data she really needs."
Twilight gave him a quizzical look, until her eyes suddenly went wide realising what he meant. "Oh, oops. Alright, give me a second. I'll email the data to her." She walked away and pulled out her phone, switching it on so she could send the info.
As soon as she was out of ear shot, Timber turned to Flash and gave him a dark look. "Alright, what's the deal with you two?"
Flash turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea what you're talking about?"
Timber frowned. "Before you got here, Twilight was all mopey. But the second you showed up I saw her smile, the first time she's done that today."
"She did?" Flash asked. He could not help smirking at that.
Timber grabbed him by the jacket and pulled his head close to his, looking him in the eye. "Back off! She's my girl."
"Your girl!" Flash cried in disgust. "She's not something you can just possess."
Timber's frown hardened, but before he could say anything else.
Flash suddenly felt a sense of danger and grabbed Timber before shoving him to the ground, as a flurry of black laser beams struck the area around them. The two were unharmed, Flash's actions getting them out of the line of fire, and as they sat themselves up they saw Dusklord and a bunch of Shades walking towards them.
"What the heck?" Timber asked as he slid himself backwards, his legs failing to move.
Flash quickly picked himself up and stood infront of Timber. He looked back at the older teen, hoping he would freak out and run off so he could morph. But instead he simply remained frozen in place. Great.
Flash turned to Dusklord, as the Shades slowly stepped towards the two teens.
Dusklord chuckled. "I'm looking forward to this."
Flash pressed the distress button on his communicator, not daring to look away from the monsters, "Timber," he said without looking back, "you need to get out of here."
Timber gave him a confused look. "What?"
"Just go!" He cried before charging towards the Shades. He reached the first one and dealt him a flying kick before elbowing another in the face and round-housing a third.
Timber watched as he finally picked himself up, only to see a Shade charging at him. He panicked and once again felt himself fall back, as the Shade got closer. He let out a loud, girly, scream as he flinched away. But in that moment he heard a weird sound. Looking back he saw the Shade had stopped in its tracks. It then fell face first into the ground, a load of smoke coming off its back as it faded into thin air.
Timber looked behind where the Shade had been standing and saw Flash, his blaster in hand, pointing at where the monster had been.
Flash had had no choice but to use his blaster to save Timber, but now he had seen it the Red Ranger spun around and started to unload a flurry of laser fire at the Shades. This combined with his fighting skills, allowed him to quickly work his way through them.
Dusklord saw this and growled. "Enough!" The Shades heard this and backed off, allowing Flash and him to look at one another dead on. "Enough of this," he pointed his sword at Flash. "Give me your Element!"
Flash smirked. "Here's a better idea." He pointed his blaster at the monster. "You give me the Element of Darkness, free Dusk, and disappear into the nothingness you came from."
Dusklord chuckled. "Funny, but I'm not playing around. Here's proof of that." He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
A pair of Shades walked out from around the corner, bringing with them someone Flash knew. Twilight struggled against the cloaked monsters, who both had a tight grip on her arms and prevented her from escaping.
"Let me go!" She cried as she tried to break away, only to be met with them tightening their grip. "Ow!"
"Twilight!" Flash and Timber cried seeing her in trouble. They watched as Dusklord stepped over to her.
"Here's the deal," he said as he placed his blade at her chin. "Give me your Element, or she dies."
Flash growled at this. "Twilight, use your magic. Blast them away!"
"I can't!" Twilight cried out.
"That's right," Dusklord used his blade to push her chin up and show something around her neck. It was a green ring, the same kind as the one Dust had used on the Rangers before. "I was warned about these magical girls, so before attacking I used a Residuam Ring to capture her." He re-positioned his blade at her neck. "Now, give me your Element."
Flash looked over the situation. He did not want to hand his Element to Dusklord, but he did not want to lose Twilight either. What choice did he have?
He pulled out his Element, showing it to Dusklord.
"Don't do it!" Twilight called out to him. "I'm not worth them getting another Element. Please!"
Flash sighed. "Yes you are." He threw the Element into the air, causing it to land on the ground half way between them.
Dusklord turned to a Shade and nodded, making it rush towards the Element and pick it up. It quickly returned to Dusklord, handing it to him. He chuckled as he held the red Element in his hand, admiring it greatly. "That's one."
"Alright," Flash said, "you got what you wanted. Now let Twilight go."
Dusklord once again chuckled as he looked back at Flash. "I don't recall that being the deal."
Flash's eyes went wide. "What?"
"The deal was that you give me your Element, and I won't slit her throat. Since that worked so well the first time, I think I'll use it on all the Rangers."
Flash's face became one of anger and rage. "You double crossing-"
"I never went back on my word," Dusklord interrupted him. "Now get lost. Without your Element, you're as weak as that other human besides you."
Flash looked at the still trembling Timber, but shook his head. "That doesn't matter. I'm not letting you keep her as a hostage." He suddenly charged forwards, aimed straight at Twilight and the Shades holding her.
However, Dusklord stepped infront of her. "What fools these mortals be," he said as the eyes on his armour pointed at Flash before each firing a black laser.
They shot towards Flash and struck the ground around him, causing an explosion which sent him flying.
"FLASH!" Twilight screamed as she saw him soar through the air before landing infront of Timber, with a painful sounding thud. She stared at him in horror, until see saw him begin to move and try to pick himself up.
"Are you nuts?" Timer asked once he was on his feet. "That monster gave you an out."
"I don't care," Flash moaned, clutched his left arm in pain. "If you really cared about her, you'd do the same." He once again charged forwards, only to be met with another volley of Dusklord's Deadly Gaze attack and be thrown back again.
"Stop it!" Twilight told Dusklord. "You've got what you want, so leave him alone."
Dusklord turned to her. "I gave him that chance, but he wanted to play hero." He turned back to Flash, just as he once again started to rush at him. This time he only fired a beam out of his right shoulder eye, but it was still enough to knock the weakened Flash off his feet.
Once again Flash tried to pick himself up, but his injures had finally become to much and his arms and legs gave out. He slammed face first into the ground, panting heavily as he did.
"No," Twilight whispered seeing this. She then spotted Dusklord slowly walking towards him.
The armoured monster got closer and closer to Flash, stopping for only a brief moment to stare at Timber. He then shot a small blast out of the eye on his right knee, hitting the ground infront of Timber and making him cry in fear. He quickly rushed off, not even daring to look back.
Dusklord chuckled at that before turning to Flash, grabbing him by the back of his jacket and picking him up off the ground. He raised his sword, ready to finish it once and for all. "I warned you."
"No," Twilight's eyes began tear up seeing this. "No!" She said louder as she began to struggle, not realising she was actually glowing a purple aura. As she watched Dusklord bring the sword down, she finally snapped. "NOOOO!" In a radiant burst of light, the Residuam around her neck shattered as she suddenly ponied up and unleashed a magical wave.
The wave caused the Shades to go flying away from her, while also knocking Dusklord away. The only one who did not get sent flying was Flash, who was about to fall to the ground when he was caught.
Looking up, he saw Twilight holding him up. Her eyes were still filled with tears.
"Are you alright?" He asked weakly.
Twilight nodded as she rubbed her eyes. "I should be asking you that."
"I'm fine," he assured her before noticing something on the ground and smiling. "Especially now that I've got this." He reached down and picked up his Element, the second he did he felt his injuries numb and his energy return.
"That was a stupid thing to do Flash," Twilight told him. "You could have been killed."
"Maybe," Flash replied, "but I couldn't just let him keep you hostage." He smiled at her. "I had to protect you."
As Twilight stared him in the eye, she suddenly felt something in her heart she had never felt before. An unusual warm and calmness, as if nothing else it the world mattered.
However.
"YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!"
The two turned towards Dusklord and saw him pick himself back up, his eyes showing fire and anger.
Flash pushed Twilight behind him in preparation of whatever the monster tried to do.
Dusklord raised his sword again. "I don't know how you did that, but I'll make you pay for it." But before he could do anything, he was suddenly bombarded by a barrage of lasers that caused him to leap back in defence.
The two spun around to see eight Magicycles racing towards them, coming to a stop infront of them. When they saw the two, they all rushed over and demorphed.
"Flash/Twilight!" Trail and Shining cried as they moved over to them.
"We're fine," Twilight assured her brother.
Flash nodded. "A little sore, but that'll go away." Suddenly a small roar caught his attention and made him look over at Sunset's bike, where a miniaturised Drago jumped off and into his arms. "Hey bud."
"He showed up while we were on our way here," Sunset said. "Guess he was worried."
Flash smiled. "Well I'm fine bud, ready to finally beat a certain someone."
They all turned to Dusklord, who looked worried at the sight of all nine Rangers.
"I can't take you all," he said as he tried to escape. But as he did, he suddenly ran into something and came to a stop. "What?" He asked as he realised he was trapped in a force field.
A blue blur zipped by him and came to a stop next to the Rangers, revealing itself as Rainbow.
She smirked. "Dampeners in place," she said with a thumbs up.
"Good," Flash said, "now you and Twilight get out of here."
Rainbow nodded and grabbed Twilight, zipping off as the Rangers focused on their opponent.
They watched Dusklord tried to escape, as they took out their gear. "No running away this time," Flash said. "It's Morphin Time! Magi-Chargers!"
"READY!" The others cried as they activated and placing them in their Morphin Blasters
MAGI-CHARGERS...ENGAGED!
"Energise!" They all yelled as they charged up their morphers before pointing them to the sky. Flash also held his Drago Blaster. "Unleash the Power!" The ten Zord heads, with two Dragons, shot out and flew around the Rangers before biting down on them. In a burst of light, they were all in their Ranger suits. Flash had also morphed into his Legendary Mode.
The nine Rangers took a battle stance.
Flash: Element of Courage...Power Ranger, RED!
Lyra: Element of Trust...Power Ranger, BLUE!
Micro: Element of Knowledge...Power Ranger, YELLOW!
Sweetie: Element of Love...Power Ranger, PINK!
Sandelwood: Element of Will...Power Ranger, GREEN!
Soarin: Element of Selflessness...Thunder Ranger READY!
Trail: Element of Adventure...Power Ranger, ORANGE!
Shining: Element of Justice...Power Ranger, SILVER!
Sunset: Element of Forgiveness...Power Ranger, GOLD!
All: Protectors of right, ready to fight!
Flash: Power Rangers!
All: LEGENDARY GUARDIANS!
A massive explosion occurred behind them.
Dusklord banged against the energy grid, as he felt his power weaken. "NO!"
"Here Flash," Sunset handed him the newly re-tuned Victory Charger. "It's ready."
"Alright," Flash said as he took it and held it up, "Magi-Victory-Charger!"
"Magi-X-Charger!" Soarin said as he did the same.
"Combined!" They placed them together, as the other Rangers gathered around and placed their hands on them.
"Together," the nine of them chanted.
"Protectors of right!" The first five Rangers said.
"Ready to fight!" The last four finished.
Flash and Soarin activated the Chargers, causing them both to glow the eight Ranger's colours, before placing Victory into Drago and Maximum into the Morphin Blaster.
MAGI-VICTORY CHARGER...ENGAGED!
MAGI-X-CHARGER...ENGAGED!
Flash aimed the weapon, as the rest of the team formed a V behind him, focusing on Dusklord. One by one they each glowed their respective colours, the light flowing into the weapon and charging it up as the Rangers spoke in unison.
"Victory-Maximum...Final...STRIKE!" Flash pulled the trigger and unleashed nine energy blasts, one in each of the Ranger's colours, which flew at the trapped monster before transforming into the heads of the Dragon, Sea-Serpent, Griffon, Sphinx, Fenrir, Thunderbird, Manticore, Minotaur and Phoenix Zords.
They flew towards Dusklord, just as the dampener deactivated and left nothing between him and the attack. Before Dusklord could react, he was struck by the nine heads.
BOOM!
They exploded, engulfing the shadow monster in flames that grew bigger and bigger.
The Rangers watched as the fire finally faded, revealing a limp standing Dusklord. He stood completely still, glaring at the Rangers with a blood red eyes. Suddenly something appeared on his helmet, a crack. It quickly began to grow, as more cracks quickly appeared around his armour. Eventually his entire body was covered it them, as light then began to seep out from beneath.
Dusklord looked down at his cracked, glowing armour before turning back to them, once again giving them his dark glare. "This...isn't...OVER!" Were his last worlds before he exploded in a burst of light.
The Rangers watched as the shattered fragments of his armour flew through the air, then disappearing into the ether. They looked back at where he had been standing, as the light finally faded and revealed the being trapped beneath.
Dusk swayed limply on the spot, until finally his legs gave out and he fell to the floor.
The Rangers rushed towards him, gathering around as Flash picked him up. "Dusk," he shook his gently, "are you okay. Please answer."
Dusk responded with a groan, as he opened his eyes and looked up at them. "Rangers," he whispered, "you did it. I'm free."
Everyone smiled hearing this. Flash then spotted something on the ground next to Dusk and picked it up, revealing it to the others as the Element of Darkness. Finally, all ten Elements were back in the hands of good.
"Come on," Lyra said. "We need to get him and the Element back to the base."
They all nodded and helped pick Dusk up, ready to return to base with him.
Up in space, Chaos watched as the Rangers defeated Dusklord and freed Dusk.
"NO!" He cried as he stood up and stared at the screen. "How dare those Rangers take my servent and my Element away from me. They will pay for this."
"Father," Havoc spoke up, "what do we do? With ten Elements, the Rangers may very well be unstoppable."
Chaos simply chuckled. "There is only one unstoppable being in the multiverse my son, and you are looking at him. The Rangers will fall and the Elements will be mine, for they are they only thing that can slay the mad beast."
At this moment, Cogs stepped up to him. "Er...Master...Chaos." He flinched as the armoured figure looked at him. "I think...I can help."
"How?" Chaos asked.
"It'd be easier to show you," Cogs replied. With that, he stepped out of the bridge along with Chaos, Havoc and Dust. The four of them all headed down the hall into the lab, where Cogs had set up the reanimator. Cogs quickly pressed a few buttons, activating the machine which then began to fill up with smoke.
Eventually the machine deactivated and the doors opened, releasing the smoke and freeing the behind inside. From out of the reanimator stepped Dusklord, who did not look happy.
"I scanned his data into the system before he left," Cogs explained. "He's a near perfect copy."
"Near perfect?" Chaos asked.
Cogs nodded. "Well without the Element of Darkness, he won't have the same power he once had. But if you can get it back, he'll be able to use its power like he did before. Plus he doesn't have that Dusk guy trapped within him, so he can be around as many Elements as he wants without being hindered."
Chaos chuckled at this. "I knew you'd come in handy." He moved over to Dusklord. "Are you ready to take your revenge?"
Dusklord's eyes narrowed. "In a heart beat."
Starswirl stared at the two crystal beds, where all ten Guardian Elements now resided.
He smiled. "It's hard to believe, but now after a thousand years the ten Elements are reunited." He turned back to the Rangers, who were all resting after using the supercharged Victory Maximum attack. Flash was being bandaged up by Twilight. Dusk was standing in the corner. "I thank you all for the sacrifices you have each made to do this."
"It's fine Starswirl," Shining said.
"It's not like we made many sacrifices," Lyra said.
"Even so," Starswirl continued. "Each of you have been put in danger because of my error. Now that the Elements have been reunited, I will return to Equestria."
Everyone's eyes went wide. "Are you nuts," Rainbow said. "What if this Chaos creep comes after you?"
"She's right," Sweetie said. "I don't want Equestria to have to suffer."
"We should be the ones to deal with him," Micro said.
"Totally," Sandal said.
Starswirl shook his head. "I cannot ask that of you."
"You're not asking," Flash said as he picked himself up. "You know Chaos is just going to come after you when he realises you've skipped dimension. What'll you do then?"
"I will find new wielders of the Elements," Starswirl explained.
"And what if you can't?" Flash asked. "What if Chaos shows up and you haven't found anyone to bond with the Elements."
"He could try your Equestrian counterparts," Twilight suggested.
Flash turned towards her. "You more then anyone know that our Equestria selves aren't exact copies. With if the Flash from Equestria isn't brave enough to bond with my Element? Or what if Equestrian Soarin isn't selfless enough, or Equestrian Lyra's not trusting enough."
Everyone thought about what he said and realised he was right. Their Equestria selves might not be able to bond with their Elements, and if that happened then they would be in real trouble.
"Plus," Flash went on, "unless you know how to make the portal grow. The only Zord you'll be able to take with you is Drago when he's miniaturised. He might be strong, but he can't take on Chaos's monsters alone." He turned back to Starswirl. "We have to end this here, in our universe. It's the only way we'll ever be able to truly keep the Elements safe."
The wizard thought about what Flash said, knowing he was right. "Very well," he said. "Until Chaos is defeated, the Elements shall remain here."
Everyone smiled at that, as Flash turned to the one remaining person who wasn't smiling.
He stepped over to Dusk and held out a hand. "Glad to have you on the team," he said.
Dusk simply stared at him. "I am not part of your team."
A look of confusion appeared on the Red Ranger's face. "But you're bonded to the Element of Darkness. You're the Black Ranger."
Dusk shook his head. "I was never truly bonded to the Element. Chaos's dark magic forced us together. When you freed me from Dusklord's control, that link was shattered." He walked passed him and headed for the door, stopping for a brief moment to stare at the Element. "I'm not worthy."
Before anyone could say anything else, he left.
Everyone stared at where he had once stood, wondering what they should do now that they had an unbounded Element.
Later that day...
Not long after the rest of the team left, Twilight headed out of the school. There she saw a certain someone standing by the gate to Equestria.
"Timber," she rushed over to him. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you," He told her.
"What about?"
Timber frowned. "About us. I think...I think this isn't gonna work out."
Twilight's eyes went wide. "What?"
He sighed. "Let's face it, you and I...we're just not meant to be. You've got...whatever the heck this all is, and I've got my own life to think about. Like today. Does what happened today happen a lot?"
"Kinda," Twilight replied.
"Exactly," he said. "I don't want to constantly be watching my back." He spun around. "This is it. Goodbye." With that, he walked off leaving Twilight to wonder what had just happened.
"Timber," she whispered as she thought about the end of her first relationship. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked around to see Flash, who was giving her a reassuring smile.
"Hey. I saw what happened. You okay?"
For some reason Twilight felt the same calming feeling she felt in the battle against Dusklord, and smiled a happy smile.
"Yeah, I am. Thanks."
Flash's smile grew, as he turned her towards the car park. "Come on. I'll give you a lift home."
Twilight's smile also grew as they two of them made their way across the courtyard.
Finally, after a thousand years, the ten Guardian Elements were reunited. Now only one thing was left to do, defeat Lord Chaos and his minions.
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While I don't care for the ship, honestly it felt too short and the end... too harsh.
Havoc is going to pull a Zuko and become the true Ranger of Darkness I just know it.
That being said... the Dusklord storyline felt ... short, so who is going to be...
For some reason I was expecting Timber to play a bigger role in this chapter. At least Twi’s finally done with him, and it might not have been a real hit like a punch, but at least Flash got to shove Timber, that was satisfying. I also liked how it was clear Timber was a petty coward, while Flash was brave enough to fight even without an element. The Rangers finally have all 10 elements but they need a new Black Ranger. I wonder how much trouble this new Dusklord will be, and what exactly is this monster Chaos keeps mentioning? I can’t wait to find out.
I think you meant to put “it” between “think” and “could”.
I think you meant to put “be” before “back”. He’ll “be back”.
team
other
they
locker
the
being
Spelling and grammar mistakes aside, this whole chapter was beautiful.
8801176
I feel the same way. Fir a while actually
If Timber had a bigger role in this story, there would have been less time for that simply heart-melting father-son heart-to-heart and Flash being awesome. The role he had in this story was just enough to show how not awesome he is. Giving him a bigger role would have been beating us over the head with his lack of awesomeness, and I don't think we need that.
8801693
That’s a good point. We saw just enough of Timber to know all we need to about him, an asshole (calling Twilight his and then willingly leaving her and Flash behind) and a coward (pretty much everything he did in the fight and breaking up with Twi cause he didn’t want to risk his life around her). So basically we’ve seen Flash be everything that Timber isn’t, and I’m okay with that.
What's this? timber showing concern for Twilight's well being, that's so out of character for him
But in all seriousness, Timber you suck 5 kinds of ass
8802110 He's just annoyed because she's not paying attention to him.
8802115
Ok that sounds more like him
I have opinions about this chapter.
Primarily, the Timber and Twilight situation and how Timber was portrayed in the chapter and that was not good.
I can see you like Flash and wanted him to get together with Twilight, which is ok, it is your story and if you can make it believable I won'tcomplain. But how handheld it was not that good. Timber, even if we didn’t see much of him in general, was severely out of character. What have we seen of Timber in the official material: He likes corny pickup lines but in general, he is a good guy. When he saw that one of his jokes hurt someone he immediately defused the situation and took his joke back. Another thing is he stood up to forces way above his weight class in Legends of Everfree so he is not afraid to leap into action when people are in danger.
So what of this translate over into his depiction here? He makes dumb jokes. That is it. His possessive attitude towards Twilight come out of nowhere and is completely out of character. And then we have the whole, Timber is afraid to do anything situation. For someone who fought his magicallypowered sister that could grow roots from the ground with just an ax to save campers he barely knew, him doing nothing to save Twilight doesn’t fit his character.
Now to Flash, oh no he is not escaping unscathed. He provoked Timber with is his smirk and escalated the situation, not ok Flash. And the fact that he went after them knowing that she was on a date with Timber and the fact that he might make the situation messy didn’t increase his likeability in this chapter.
So in essence, you made Timber unlikeable and basically showed nothing positive about him so the no one would be sad to see the relationship go. Sorry but I think that was the easy way out. It is way easier to write a character so that he is unlikeable and break them up rather than have them realize that a relationship wouldn’t work because they don’t have much in common or have grown apart and break up in peace and still be friends. But no Timber a jerk now.
Until now I sometimes had my gripes with the story but always had my fun with it, but this chapter was probably the first one I disliked.
8802394
No offense to your opinions at all, but I kinda think you are viewing Timber in a way too positive light.
True, in Legend of Everfree he apologized to Bulk, was trying to help his sister and tried to tear down her vines around camp, but if you look a little closer he's not actually such a nice guy. For example, his character is like 80% telling bad jokes and talking all about himself. He is constantly bragging about his supposed "skills" but we either never see him use these skills or he is an amateur at best with what we do see, making him come off as arrogant or self-centered. He just randomly talks about his life and dreams to Twilight without actually asking her anything or doing anything to productively help her, plus it is just unethical for him to be flirting with one of his clients, never mind the possible age gap between them.
Also, his actions make him indirectly responsible for his sister’s eventual breakdown. After he failed to talk her out of using magic he covered for her instead, making up a ghost story to scare the campers and leaving fake magic dust around camp to cover her use of magic. A much better thing to do would have been to try to get her somemore help with the camp, like that one scene where he was out at night getting firewood, or try to take the geode away from her to prevent her from using magic and put them where she can't get to them. But because he was busy flirting with Twilight he didn't give her proper help which eventually led to her breakdown. Then he claims later he saved the day by saving Twilight from a minor fall days earlier, yeah it was another bad joke but it still makes him come off as self-centered when he was at least partially responsible for the problem, not the solution.
Finally, in one of the latest shorts online "Unsolved Selfie Mystery" we see even more of his personality. He now has a job as a lifeguard at the beach, a very big responsibility, but we first see him trying to flirt with Twilight again instead of keeping watch. Then when he and the girls think a sea monster is coming onshore, his first instinct is to scream like a girl and use Twilight as a human shield, instead of doing his job and trying to keep everyone at the beach safe from a possible danger. This is once again played for laughs when they discover the monster wasn't real but that doesn't change the fact that his first instinct was to protect himself by using someone else for cover, then doing a not-so-innocent-whistle to save face.
So, while you have a right to your opinion I think you might be overestimating Timber as a nice guy a little. He's more of a self-centered guy who likes to take credit for things and brag about himself without backing it up most of the time. Whereas Flash has been shown to actually be considered cool by others around school, has shown several skills for things and actually tries to help solve various problems.
8802394
timber was unlikable to begin with, this guy nailed his character
8802518
Ok, so you think I see Timber in a too positive light, good that is a possibility but you could also see him in a way to negative light.
Regarding the talk about his skills. He is joking about himself, he is not above to make fun of himself, that is actually, in my opinion, a sign that he knows his actualskill level and is just satisfied with how he is.
And no, he is not responsible for his sister's breakdown, he tried to talk her down and didn’t want to risk anything by taking the gems by force. The only way he could have resolved the situation would be if he got a lot of money to pay Filfthy and where should he get that, a treasure in the forest? He covered for his sister specifically to make sure that she is out of harm's way and limited time they have with the camp doesn’t turn sourer. He achieves this by masking what Gloriosa is doing and by making the campers happy, which inclouds Twilight. Besides he couldn’t know that the situation would get that out of hand. Again taking a jab at himself.
First of all, he was standing at his post, still looking at the water and talked to her for max 10 seconds. I’m not going freak out about something so insignificant as that, he is still entirely capable of doing his job. Ok, he hides behind Twilight, true, but first of all the moment, she was afraid of her friends he followed her without question and second Pinky really didn’t help with her monster announcement. Also,no one at the moment was in any imminent danger, no one was near the monster in the water and they were still far enough away to just run and they have a walking explosion generator, someone who can talk with animals and a Twilight can move objects with her mind, so the danger was not that imminent so he is granted some leeway from my side.
I personally interpret Timber as someone who wants to see others happy and to help them. He tries his best to cover for his sister, make her and the campers ready. Also, he uses jokes about himself so another laugh about him. That shows that he is willing to look out for others at his own expense.
While I have a different opinion, you explained yours well enough that I can see that you have your reasons for thinking what you think and I can respect that you are willing to discuss this thing rather than to be rude or unpleasant.
8802592
Meh, I personally liked him, even more than Flash because he actually had more character then, play guitar and is nice. And I have already said what I think about his characterization.
8802618
yeah timber has more character, too bad its an awful one
also he is some what responsible for his sisters brake down, instead of doing his job and helping her with the camp he was flirting with twilight. if he helped out then Glorios wouldn't needed to do everything herself
8802627
Opinions may differ.
8802627
He did his job, Gloriosa just didn’t think he did it right.
8802618
Regarding Flash, don't dismiss him as bland just because he is nice. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to be a genuinely good person in real life? Characters like Flash make it look easy.
I'll admit that the joke with Timber from "Unsolved Selfie Mysteries" was legitimately funny. However, being the butt of a joke doesn't make a man more attractive. In fact, that tends to achieve the opposite effect.
Also, when Timber first came out, I TRIED to like him. I really did. I tried to look past the fact that he sunk my OTP, but I kept failing to see what about him was supposed to likable and/or attractive, so I don't like him.
8802699
Yeah, I never like how people call him bland. True he doesn't get much involvement in the actual plot but what we do see of him in all his scenes gives us a clear picture of his personality, interests and skills. In fact most of the background ponies that the fandom loves so much and makes up entire backstories for are more bland than Flash is.
8802699
I don’t think Flash is bland because he is nice, I think he is bland because we don’t know more then he is nice and plays guitar. I don’t dislike him, I find he is an ok character just nothing special. I would like to see him developed beyond what he already is. I liked what we saw In Legends of Everfree and then onward but in generell he lacks something that draws me in.
I was never much of a shipper, sometimes I have opinions on ships, but with Flash and Twilight, meh could happen could not happen I’m indifferent.
8802734
By the way, if you want to blame anyone for how Timber came out, you can blame me along with the author. He had me pre-read this chapter to see if there was anything needed work storywise. I told him to make Timber scream like a girl.
8802778
Blaming anyone seems rather pointless, I gave my opinion and that’s it. I might disagree with the way the chapter turned out, but what’s done is done. I just hope I explained my points clearly.
8802806
"sigh" I know that I'm not going to change your mind, but there are a few points that I would like to address because I feel partially responsible for how this chapter turned out.
1.
I don't know if Banshee wrote this to make Timber come off as possessive, maybe he did, maybe he didn't. I just don't know. I honestly wasn't at all bothered by it because I thought a man would naturally respond that way when he finds out that he has competition. Having read Yugioh, EQG, I know for a fact that not even Flash is immune to responding that way. The difference between what happens here and what happened in the Yugioh story is that in the Yugioh story, it quickly becomes evident to Flash that Timber wants to compete for Twilight. In this story, Flash isn't even trying to compete with Timber, but Timber is already treating him like a challenger anyway, which brings me to my next point.
2.
Flash was not trying to provoke Timber. At least, I don't think he was. As far as I can tell, Flash doesn't even seem to know Twilight is falling for him. I personally think Flash was smirking because he had a hard time hiding how happy he was that Twilight possibly likes him back. And yes, I am 100% sure Flash is completely oblivious to Twilight's growing feelings for him. People, especially those who live in Fictionland, especially if they're male, normally have a very hard time telling when the object of their affections returns those affections.
3. I personally don't think Timber is all that brave, and the latest short that featured him is only adding credence to that opinion. Sure, Legend of Everfree shows him trying to chop down the barrier that his sister had everyone trapped in, but I don't think he had any reason to believe that his or anyone else's life was in any immediate danger. I mean, he was up against his sister after all, and it's not like he had any reason to believe that his sister would want to kill anyone. If he did, he would have looked even more careless and unlikable, and the movie would have gotten leagues darker. Furthermore, unlike Gloriosa, the monsters in this story have no scruples about killing people to achieve their goals.
Umm, Banshee, I just realized something. I should have caught it when I pre-read this, but I didn't. Does Timber know that Flash is a Ranger now? Sure, he didn't see Flash morph, but he did see Flash use a blaster, and he did witness Flash and the monster acting as if they have personal business with each other. Assuming Timber does know, will this be important later on?
8804056 Huh...I don't know. Timber isn't showing up again, so it's not important. Let's just say he doesn't know and ask no more questions.
8804067
Agreed.
8804056
Then we simply have to agree to disagree. But in the end, it really doesn’t matter, if I read the story again I can simply skip this chapter and since it is the only chapter I personally don’t like it's not like the story has suffered much for me on the enjoyment scale.
And I never really discuss to change someone's opinion, I just do it to see where others are coming from. I just have fun discussing different opinions.
I can't stop rereading this chapter. I can't tell if the heart attack I'm getting (again) is from the FlashLight or from the fact that Flash nearly died in this chapter.
Hmm, I know a lot of your readers wanted Twilight to be the one to break off the relationship with Timber, but I get why Timber had to be the one to do it. If Twilight had broken it off, she would have been ending her relationship over a single shortcoming on Timber's part, and she would have looked like she was entitled to have the ever elusive knight in shining armor who rides in on the white stallion to save her from danger and whisks her off to happily ever after, and guys hate girls like that. It's kind of like how girls hate guys who think women are just pieces of meat who exist to satisfy them. Besides, prior to this chapter, it's not like Twilight had any other reasons to believe that Timber wasn't dependable. Timber would have had to do something REALLY horrible to have Twilight initiate the break up after one OFFICIAL date, and that would have been laughably out of character even for Timber. Also, having them drift apart and break up amicably would have taken time that you didn't have and would have taken a lot of focus away from the main conflict of the story.
That was not a smile. That was a mask of pain.
Flash is a good man. Granted, that does not entitle him to get the girl, but him getting the girl would be nice, not to mention satisfying.
Excuse me, I'm dying of laughter.
Now, all 10 elements are together. Let’s hope Dusk Shadow comes to his senses and joins the team as the Black Ranger.